As I watched the two tabby toms fight in the grassy clearing before me, I began to wonder about my purpose for being here. StarClan had sent me to redeem myself, I knew that much, but what exactly was I here for? For all I'd done, I should have to save three Clans, not one little apprentice! I gazed back up at the two sparing Clan cats, memories of my siblings flooding back to me. How they had teased me, oh how they had laughed... Who had laughed when they came begging to me for food in Twolegplace? Showed them, they could never stand up to me, they can tease and talk big, but on the inside, they were just insulting what they saw in themselves, reflected on me!

I shook my head. I had been sent back for a chance at life, one last chance to change my ways, not start it all again! I gazed on as the warrior and apprentice dueled, and began to wonder once more... Perhaps the apprentice wasn't so different from me? He was small, he was almost the size I had been as a kit, he was smaller than I had been... He had black pelt like mine, matched with a white paw... He looked very much like me, but the fear that he allowed into his lime green eyes, the reluctance to stand up for himself, that was where the difference stood between us. Still... It would have been hard not to pity him. Is this what mother thought-Not this... Sunpelt, not my new mother, my first mother, my first life, is that what she had felt when she looked at me? Pity?

As my thoughts drifted to my first mother, the one I would miss so greatly, I began to ponder what had happened to her... Has she died before I was so well-known in the forest? Or had she lived, to hear of my stories, and my siblings, lost in Twolegplace, where I had banished them from, and if she had... Would she have been ashamed of me? Or would she love me despite my mistakes?

I shook my thoughts away-Hopefully for the last time-And focused on the fight before me. Such a waste... The clearing was warmed by the gentle touch of sunlight on the shimmering grass, the sky's colors shifting from blue to orange, the clouds paling into a light purple, as dusk approached the quiet forest, fireflies just beginning to make themselves seen as the sun drifted off to allow the moon her freedom across this forest. It would have been a beautiful night, and had they been training, it might have inspired me, the battle before my eyes... But knowing that a life depended on the mini war, it wasn't possible to enjoy the sight, no matter how cold-blooded a cat was... Or how I had been...

I heard a small sort of squeak from the black apprentice as the large gray warrior flung him across the darkening clearing, into a rose-bush riddled with thorns. I gazed on, but the bush didn't move, the apprentice-Sparrowpaw-Didn't seem to be getting up... I found myself silently willing him on, sending prayers to StarClan the black tom would live to see another day, instead of being crushed by the paw of his own dark-pelted brother!

"Get up,"

I swung my head around to glare at Darkfur as he spat out the annoyed hiss, watching as he padded over to the rose-bush the younger tom had fallen into. Blood stained the thorns I could see, but only a few... Though my worry for the small cat's life was growing as time went on.

I listened closely for any reply from the apprentice in the rose, but there was none. After a short, stilling silence, a small whimper reached my ears, as the bush shook. I could only see a blood stained white paw through the green thorns and scarlet roses of the bush, but soon the tom's head popped out of the red roses. The thorns had done more than I'd thought, leaving a deep cut across the black cat's cheek, right below his eye, and small but deep cuts all down his paws and body, two long, deep scratches on his neck creating an X shape. It was clear to anyone, these would never heal fully, there would always be scars left for the apprentice to remember. Perhaps thorns could not do all this damaged, perhaps some were re-opened cuts, while others were made by claws... I couldn't know for sure, unless he would tell me himself... But why would he? If someone found out, there would be no doubt his brother would have motive to kill him, and many more...

"Quit your whimpering,"

Darkfur hissed in annoyance, raising a paw to finish the apprentice off with a final slash to the head. But the apprentice didn't move, he only hung his head with his green eyes shut as he waited to be sent to StarClan, and if there was anything I knew, it was StarClan can't always give second chances... But what could I do to help? I was only a kit, what could I do besides mewl and squeak... My ears perked as the idea hit me. What could a kit do to help in battle? Mewl and squeak, be a distraction! Or in this case, a witness.

I watched a few moments longer, hoping I wouldn't have to interfere, but as the gray tom's paw came down towards the apprentice's neck, I knew I had not choice. I took in a deep breath before letting out a loud squeak of a mew, only hoping I had spoken in time to save the tom. I tried to yell at Darkfur to stop, or at least yell a hello, but as I kit, I could yell all I wanted, but it only came out as a pitiful squeak.. I couldn't seem to speak yet, though I didn't know why not... I knew the words, I had the motive, all I had to do was speak! But a squeak had to be enough.

Moments before the dark pelted tom's claws hit, the mew reached his ears. He glanced up in confusion, putting his paw down, though dragging the apprentice's ear with it, caught on his claw. There was no way he would let the apprentice get away, I should have figured as much... But a witness, that would be what I could do to help, he would be too busy worrying about me to attack the apprentice again-Kits say things they don't know they aren't suppose to say, how would he know I wouldn't? But of course, with this kit, what accident would it be.

The tabby warrior gave a soft hiss to the apprentice, what appeared to be an order to stay put, but of course I couldn't hear mumbling from where I sat. He then turned and padded cautiously around the ring of the clearing, gazing into the bushes for source of the mew. I didn't try to hide, what point would there be in that? No. I stood my ground, standing tall in the bushes, as the proud kit I hoped to be. The tom didn't snarl or hiss at me though, which caught me off guard, but instead he called over to the black-furred Sparrowpaw,

"Cover your scratches, then take this kit back to Sunpelt,"

But at a second glance at the apprentice, his trembling paws, the blood smeared across his muzzle, it was clear that Sunpelt would never be fooled by a little cover up, she would smell the blood, she would know to check. Darkfur shook his head before growling,

"Nevermind, just cover your scratches and gather whatever wits you have, then go back to camp, understand, kit?"

For a few moments, I thought the gray tabby was speaking to me, but in another glance I realised he was hissing an order to the apprentice behind him, not to me. Though Sparrowpaw didn't speak a reply, he nodded, covering his cuts with his fur, running his shaky paws over his other paws to smooth the fur down over the bloody scars. As I watched the apprentice, I saw a slight gleam in his green eyes when he tasted the blood from his paws. Something about the blood, when it touched his tongue, it was as though... Someone else was within him, taking over his body to find more of what they craved, the blood of others, prey would never satisfy this demon, no... Only the blood of a cat, only the taste of death concealed within the blood would put this demon back in its place.