Snowpaw's POV

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here, beneath the Leafledge for a clan meeting!" My, father, Lightningstar, yowled. I knew what was coming. My first battle! Against prey-stealing TreeClan!

"TreeClan has been stealing prey recently, and I have decided that we need to bring the battle to them!" My father continued as a cheer rose up from the group of cats, "I have made patrols to do every part. Leaftail, you will be in charge of the cats who stay behind. That would be Firefeather, Tansypaw, Dappleleaf, Shadowstorm, Swiftmist, Tinyflame, Fireleaf, and, of course, Leaftail. The rest of you will come with me to the TreeClan camp. We leave at dawn tomorrow!"

I learned that I would be a part of Darkstorm's patrol that would target the herb store. We were put in this patrol because we were the fastest and most nimble cats. I was ecstatic. My first battle! Even though I wouldn't be fighting, I was still happy that I would finally be part of one.

We all went to get a good night's rest, except for Leaftail who stayed up to guard the camp. When we woke up, Tansypaw and Firefeather gave us all travelling herbs. And we headed off.

I was bounding along all the way to the TreeClan border, but as soon as we crossed it, I became nervous. I stuck close to Darkstorm. Then I saw the camp, and our patrols split up.

Darkstorm led his patrol around the back of the camp quietly. Then I heard yowling. The 1st attack patrol had come in. Darkstorm signalled to us to go. We snuck through a hole in the brambles and kept to the shadows as we skirted the edge of the fighting, using the shadows to conceal us.

We were able to sneak into the medicine den without being spotted. Darkstorm grabbed Birchfeather, the startled TreeClan medicine cat, into the thick of the battle. Meanwhile, Flameheart had pulled Treepaw out into the battle as well.

We worked quickly, and together we tore up all of the herbs and tossed them into the fray, hoping that by the end of the battle that they would all be ruined. We snuck back out of the camp, and for a second, we stood there, unscathed, waiting for Lightningstar's order to retreat.

Then we heard it, "LeafClan, retreat!" I heard a cat named Rowanfur meow, "Yeah, retreat you cowards. Bring the battle to us and then run away? Typical LeafClan." We ran back across the border and back to the camp. Everyone was okay. There was no major injuries.

But then we got back. And what we saw was bad. Terribly, horribly bad. Our clanmates were strewn across the clearing, lifeless. And covered with the scent of SpottedClan. I realized what had happened. SpottedClan were the Invaders. They had been waiting for a moment like this to destroy our clan.

And that was before I saw Leaftail's body. It was lying in front of the nursery, claws out, ready to attack any cat who tried to get the kits. She was dead, too. Duskfur pushed to the nursery, "Tinyflame! Pouncekit! Graykit! Tigerkit! No!"

The kits were dead too. This couldn't be happening.No.My mother couldn't be dead. She was only 29 moons old. Too young to die. But I realized that I hadn't seen two bodies lying in the clearing. Firefeather and Tansypaw! They might still be alive!

As this thought crossed my mind, my sister came over. "Tansypaw! I'm so glad you're alive," I meowed. She replied quietly, "Firefeather and I hid in the medicine den. The TreeClan cats didn't know we were there. We were lucky that we survived."

That night, I grieved for Leaftail and all the kits who would never become warriors. I grieved for all of them.

Epilogue

I know now that life goes on, no matter how much cats try to stop it. I learned not to miss them anymore, and knowing that I'd see them in StarClan someday certainly helped. I still love them, but I can live without them for now. And they will wait for me in StarClan, that much I know for certain.