"Real learning comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased."
-Jiddu Krishnamurti

Flypaw and Brownpaw turned tail and ran in the opposite direction to fight off the other group and I grabbed the leaves and broke into a sprint. I suddenly felt a tug on my tail and spiraled out of control, leaves flew out of my mouth and into the air.

I snarled in frustration and turned around to see Jiovepaw's teeth clamped down on my tail.

"YOU IDIOT!" I snarled. "WE'RE GOING TO LOSE NOW!"

"I wouldn't want to win on the other side!" Jiovepaw smirked. "Go ahead, fight me. I have Lionblaze's invincibility!"

I really wanted to prove her wrong.

I leaped into the air and knocked her to the ground, Jiovepaw slammed me off of her and sent a few blows to my head before turning around and knocking me to the ground with a smooth back-kick.

I collapsed, as painful as it was, I failed.

Dazed, I barely lifted my head to see Jiovepaw gone and all the leaves torn.

Was no one coming to check on me?

I can't even...are they embarrassed of me? I'm a terrible fighter, at least I don't have to have kits. Heh, I'd be a terrible mother.

"Hello?" I echoed. "Vole-Volepaw?"

She will be here soon enough, young blossom

What?

Your friends, they will be here. I will be here...

What the...who are you?

Of course, like a typical cat spirit, she left before saying anything that actually mattered. I have a hunch it was a StarClan cat though.

"REDPAW!" a voice cried.

"Volepaw?" I whispered. "Flypaw? Brownpaw?"

"We're here." Brownpaw meowed. "The battle will be in a few mouse-lengths of the moon."

"The moon is already rising?" I muttered. "Time's a hairy badger."

"True that." Volepaw replied, rubbing my shoulder with her tail. "C'mon, we'll be late."

Turns out, my three friends were looking for me all day. Jiovepaw, after she knocked me out, carried me over into a reed bed where it would be very hard to see me.

What a great frickin' sister.

I sprawled out in the apprentice's den trying to dry out before the battle, Volepaw laid down beside me.

"It's not your fault we didn't win, Redpaw." Volepaw reassured me.

"It feels like it." I growled. "I can't take this anymore."

Volepaw didn't say anything, she just nuzzled my head and stayed till Splotchstar called out.

"RIVERCLAN!" Splotchstar roared. "All warriors and apprentices will be participating in this battle, Morningpool will come along as well. Dawnwhisper, you watch your kits and the elders."

"What about ShadowClan?" Dawnwhisper cried. "I can't let them attack my kits!"

"They can't, its against the code." Splotchstar said in dismissal. "Before we head off into battle, is anyone expecting kits?"

Splotchstar's curious eyes stretched to the four punished she-cats and glared.

"Not one of you?" Splotchstar snarled. "Fine, then. Die in the battle for all I care. Let's go!"

The huge crowd of warriors and apprentices took off with Splotchstar leading and Stonewater carrying herbs with Morningpool.

"The punished she-cats will lead the first wave of attackers: Applefrost, Bumblestream, Snailstep, Antpad, Jiovepaw, Redpaw, and Brownpaw." Splotchstar explained. "While they're fighting, Stonewater and Morningpool will find a safe spot for the herbs. On my signal, the rest of the warriors and apprentices will attack. Remember, kill the kits."

Duskbright, Foxflower, Emberstem, and Pebblebird lead the first wave including me and my brother. Splotchstar flicked her tail and the first wave attacked.

Everyone ran to the Nursery and it broke out into cut-off squeaks and hollers, me and Brownpaw stopped as Jiovepaw came out with two dead kits in her jaws.

"MY KITS!" Blossomheart roared. Foxflower was knocked into the air from one of the queen's powerful paws.

A brown tabby she-cat with a plump belly emerged from the Nursery and swung at Bumblestream. He fell back with his face bleeding and Antpad tackled her.

A legion of ThunderClan warriors leaped out from the warrior's den and attacked. A huge dark brown tabby tom leaped at Jiovepaw.

"YOU KILLED MY KITS-"

Jiovepaw leaped at the tom and slammed both her paws down on him, he fell quickly and was bleeding from the mouth.

"THORNSPRING!" Blossomheart wailed. "NO!"

"They must be rebels!" a small orange tom gasped. "Their leader and deputy are not here!"

"We can take them then!" a white she-cat purred.

But as I had found out earlier today, that would be impossible. Jiovepaw had the fighting power of a lion and she proved so.

I ran from an attacker and saw Thornspring's corpse and the big orange she-cat known as Blossomheart crying over his body.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. And before she could look up, I ran off.

Until I crashed into Hailpaw.

"Oh hey, Redpaw!" Hailpaw purred.

"You do take anything seriously?!" I growled. "We're in a battle!"

"No!" Hailpaw giggled. "WASPPAW!"

Suddenly, Hailpaw leaped away and was clawing at Applefrost for attacking Wasppaw.

I trotted away from Thornspring to walk upon five kit corpses and a light grey tom's corpse.

I looked up to see Jiovepaw before them.

"You killed seven cats." I gasped.

"Yeah, so?" Jiovepaw growled. "The tom, Webleaf, was a newly made warrior. He wasn't one for long."

"EVERYONE!" Tawnystar roared. "ATTACK JIOVEPAW, SHE'S THE REAL THREAT!"

And all of the warriors leaped at her.

One of them lifted me off the ground and threw me away from Jiovepaw, not that I would have stopped them from attacking her.

She fought them off gracefully and nobody was able to touch her.

"REST OF MY WARRIORS!" Splotchstar bellowed. "ATTACK!"

Weaselberry leaped from the bushes first and sliced the throat of one of Jiovepaw's attackers.

"STOP!" Tawnystar snarled. "You've killed all five of our kits and four of our warriors!"

"Good job, RiverClan!" Splotchstar purred.

"I killed eight of them!" Jiovepaw purred.

"This is not something to be proud of!" Dewdust snarled. "What did you even want from us?!"

"Less warriors in one of the Clans." Splotchstar meowed. "And since we won, you must give us three-fourths of what you catch and leave it at the stream for six moons."

"Uh, Splotchstar?" Stonewater meowed. "Two of our cats are dead."

"Who?" Splotchstar meowed.

"Foxflower and Fuzzpaw." Stonewater replied.

"In that case, two of your she-cats must move to RiverClan." Splotchstar growled. "Do these things and we won't fight you for no reason again."

"We have no choice." Dewdust sighed. "They have that invincible rat on their side."

Jiovepaw lashed her tail and bared her fangs at Dewdust.

"So what will it be then?" Splotchstar asked.

"I'll move to RiverClan." Blossomheart said.

Everyone gasped, I was shocked too. But I already knew why she wanted to join our Clan.

"You just want revenge for the death of your kits." Splotchstar scoffed. "I will choose who will move to our Clan."

Splotchstar got up and inspected the she-cats.

"This one and this one." Splotchstar pointed to a dark grey and orange she-cat and a small white she-cat.

"Stormbright and her apprentice, Songpaw." Tawnystar whispered. "Let their families say goodbye before they leave."

Splotchstar lifted her head up high in pride as the two said goodbye to their families and came to her.

We were heading back from the battle and while Splotchstar looked struck with pride, everyone else looked ashamed and guilty for attacking an innocent Clan.

We crossed the stream, Stormbright and Songpaw looking like they wanted to be somewhere else.

"Attention, RiverClan. I am going to make three apprentices warriors!" Splotchstar purred.

I tilted my head. Three? Isn't Fuzzpaw dead?

"Willowpaw, Honeypaw, and Jiovepaw. Come up here." Splotchstar meowed.

WAIT, WHAT?! Jiovepaw?! Becoming a warrior?!

I gaped at what I was witnessing, Willowpaw became Willowtail, Honeypaw became Honeybreeze, and Jiovepaw became Jioveheart.

I was startled.

"Also, in two sunrises, we're going to search for recruits in Twolegplace!" Splotchstar meowed. "Amberfern, you will lead the Queen-napping patrol of Antpad, Clovertalon, Mothleap, and their apprentices."

"Queen-napping patrol?" Brownpaw muttered.

"It's when we take Queens from Twolegplace to here." Mothleap explained.

I put my face in my paws, this life of mine couldn't get anymore appalling, could it?