This one will kind of represent Tigerclaw/star and Bluestar, but not quite.

ILLUSION

"I love you, Specklefur, but not enough…"

Those were the last words Badgerclaw spoke to me.

How could I have trusted Badgerclaw in the first place?

How could I have just kept silent for all those moons while he went around killing innocent cats?

How could I have lied to every cat?

We grew up together. I remember when Badgerclaw, then Badgerpaw, told me something. "Specklepaw, I…I'm not sure, but I…I think I love you."

I reacted the way most she-cats do when told that someone loves them-I purred and licked his ear. "I love you too, Badgerpaw."

Once we were warriors and we had become mates, I immediately decided that I wanted kits. "I want little copies of you bouncing everywhere, saying that they love me just like you do," I meowed, bumping my forehead into his affectionately. He smiled, and I purred.

Soon I was pregnant, and our kits were born. There was a tom and a she-cat. The tom was a tiny copy of Badgerclaw, and the she-cat was like me. We called the tom Patchkit and the she-cat Squirrelkit. Patchkit was quiet, like me, and Squirrelkit was loud and ambitious, like her father.

The kits grew to apprentices, and Badgerclaw began taking them on secret training sessions. I was the only one who knew. One day I asked Squirrelpaw, "What did Badgerclaw teach you today?"

Squirrelpaw's eyes lit up and she responded, "He taught us how to kill!"

All four of us went out hunting one morning. It was green-leaf and the sun was shining brightly on the forest. Prey was popping up everywhere. We ran into a loner who was stealing prey. "Kill him, Patchpaw!" Badgerclaw bellowed. "Remember what I taught you?"

Patchpaw looked shaken. "I…" He shook his head, and Badgerclaw did the killing for him.

"Squirrelpaw." Badgerclaw turned to his daughter. "Kill this fool."

Patchpaw's eyes widened and his fur bristled. I stayed silent, too stunned to speak. What was Badgerclaw doing?

"Squirrelpaw," he repeated. Squirrelpaw slowly crouched down and leapt onto her brother. She pinned him down and sank her claws into his throat.

"Patchpaw!" I wailed. Badgerclaw looked satisfied, and Squirrelpaw looked horrified. She stepped off her brother and crouched beside him. "What have I done…?" she murmured.

Badgerclaw nudged her to her paws. "You did the right thing, Squirrelpaw. We couldn't have let this weak fool be in our Clan, could we?"

Squirrelpaw slowly shook her head and stood up. "I…I guess not…"

I ran away while I could.

I had to tell someone!

But I didn't.

Why didn't I?

I was afraid.

Afraid that he'd kill me next time.

So I tried to kill him myself. It was stupid, I know, but I just had to try. He was keeping guard at the camp entrance one night, and I pounced onto him. "What are you doing, you mousebrain?" he hissed. Badgerclaw grabbed me by the scruff and dragged me into the forest. "You made me do this."

Badgerclaw dropped me onto the ground and raised an unsheathed paw. "No!" I cried. "Please-don't!"

He did.

He swung it at my head and pinned me down easily. Then he sank his teeth into my throat.

"I love you, Specklefur, but not enough." Those words followed me as I made my way to the stars.

How could I have fallen for that illusion?

Crappy.

xx-Starfall-xx