Two moons later
Carrie was slumped across the warrior's den alone, the five new apprentices running eagerly across camp in her sight.
Firepaw trotted alongside her new mentor Laney, Badgerpaw and Dustpaw ran with Kon and Kin, Meadowpaw was apprenticed to Sorrelshine. And Burdenpaw was apprenticed to the only tom who wanted to mentor him, Corey.
"Get out here!" Bramblestar snarled at thespooked Burdenkit. Laney snapped at the leader for being so mean, her new apprentice Firepaw defending him as well.
"Daughter, you will learn to hate him." Bramblestar meowed. "Trust me."
"I don't understand you!" Firepaw wailed. "He didn'tdo anything!"
"So Idon'texpectanyone to want to apprentice this burden to the Clan." Bramblestar growled. "Which leads to me asking what're we going to do with it."
"He's not an 'it'!" Laney hissed.
"I'll apprentice him!" Corey blurted out.
Bramblestar turned towards him and glared.
"You're too kind." Bramblestar growled. "No one'smaking you right?"
"Nope!" Corey replied cheerfully. "I want to mentor him!"
"...very well." Bramblestar whispered. "Burdenkit, you will now be called Burdenpaw. Soulblaze, try not to kill yourself over the little brat."
Burdenpaw leaped to Soulblaze and touched noses with him.
"That's OK, right?" Burdenpaw asked.
"What's OK?" Corey asked.
"Touching noses?" Burdenpaw explained. "Bramblestar said that if I did that I'd give cats greencough."
"He's probably just kidding!" Corey purred. "Let's go look around camp!"
Carrie was angry without an apprentice, and was surprised Kim was fine with it. However she was bitter over a decision Konnie made that shocked all of the former Grojband and Newmans. She revealed two moons ago that she was expecting kits with Kon.
Carrie remembered being very outraged and storming off, and she ignored her former bandmate ever since.
Dovewing was swollen with kits due any sunrise now, and Daisy had her kit one moon early: a dark grey tom with a white chest named Smokykit.
Have fun with that Konnie.
Carrie got up to go on patrol and bitterly thought about how every Newman except her had succumbed to the ways of ThunderClan. Kim had begun seeing Thornclaw, Konnie was expecting kits...
And her former mate and best friend Larry, had become a medicine cat. It was utterly hopeless to ever be with him again.
Carrie felt like sobbing, but kept a sober face. She saw Berrynose, Blossomfall, and Dewdrop all ready for her.
Why did Berrynose have to give up on my Larry?! He was a big reason why Ican't be with him!
Carrie remembered how her and Blossomfall and her ganged up and successfully killed Leafpool and Briarlight, leaving it to most warriors as thinking it was done by the rogues. It was enough to make her swell with pride, something she had been lacking recently.
Skydawn, this is Tigerstar. I have noticed your recent struggles...and I'm so sorry. That pathetic scrawny tom doesn't deserve you, he couldn'tfight a mouse if he tried.
Carrie followed the patrol sensing Tigerstar by her side the whole way.
Berrynose, he failed him. He could've madehim a warrior and you could've been together. He is very pathetic as well. He didn't deserve Honeyleaf or Poppyfrost, he wasted their time.
He...had two mates?
Not at the same time, but he takes what he wants. It's about time someone's put him in his place...several fox-lengths into the ground.
Carrie froze, kill another cat?
Blossomfall wouldn't want to keep up this, and she actually got along with Berrynose.
Blossomfall and Dewdrop purred as they sneaked up on a squirrel together. Carrie felt a pang in her heart, that they found love. That she would have to spend every following moon dying inside.
No longer, I could run away. Correction, Iwill run away...but not before one last task.
Carrie turned toward Berrynose, her anger and sadness beginning to overtake her.
THIS IS FOR WHAT I LOST! Take this!
Carrie leaped, her eyes turning into the shade of amber that once belonged to another as she collided into Berrynose, sending him tumbling into a tree.
He was dazed and shocked, leaving Carrie time to finish.
She ran to his body and went relentlessly at his pelt, slashing it to shreds. She ripped at his ears and it became a horrifying scene, she began laughing and crying, almost not caring who would hear her.
She ran to a fox den and took some clumps and threw them on Berrynose's corpse. She kicked up some dirt onto him for extra measure, and froze.
Before her, only mouse-lengths away, was Larry.
"Carrie!" Larry gasped. "Why?"
Larry noticed her amber glare and realized.
"Oh love..." Larry whispered. "Oh no, what is happening..."
Carrie's amber glare faded back into her normal green eyes and she collapsed.
"Carrie!" Larry gasped. "Who else is on the patrol?"
"Blossomfall and Dewdrop." Carrie replied weakly. "Berrynose was killed by a fox. Tell them that...please."
"Carrie..." Larry whispered.
"I fought it off, that's why I'm collapsed here." Carrie added. "Tell them that too."
"Skydawn? Where are you?"
Larry froze when he saw a flash of tortoiseshell from a distance. He made up his mind.
"Berrynose is dead!"
"What?" Dewdrop hissed. They came into view and froze in shock.
"A fox attacked him." Larry lied. "Skydawn tried fighting it off, but by the time she chased it off, Berrynose was already dead."
"You were very brave, Skydawn." Dewdrop reassured her.
I was just the opposite, thanks Larry.
"I'll drag her back, go tell Bramblestar the news." Larry ordered, and the two cats took off back to camp.
"Thanks Larry, however...you won't be happy with what I have to tell you." Carrie whimpered as he grabbed her scruff.
"What?" Larry whispered.
"I'm leaving the Clans today." Carrie confessed.
Larry's eyes widened but he held onto her scruff.
"I just need to recover, then I'll be off." Carrie sighed. "Did you really expect me to stay here? Where I live every moment with my friends happy but not me?"
"There is no one you know out there!" Larry protested. "Here, you have a set future, where you're safe!"
"Where I know I would spent every moment where you're so close but I can't have you." Carrie begin to sob. "My worst enemies are happy with apprentices and Konnie has expected kits."
"There's no way to stop you from leaving is there?" Larry asked heartbroken.
"I...love you too Larry." Carrie finally admitted. "But I must find my place in this world, and I don't think it is here."
As the sun fell, Larry lead Carrie to the border between ThunderClan and WindClan, a grim vibe between both of them.
"You didn't even want to say goodbye to them after you were treated?" Larry asked.
"They're dead to me." Carrie snarled, a flicker of amber appearing in her eyes before it quickly disappeared.
"Okay." Larry sighed.
"I don't expect you to leave your duties." Carrie explained. "But if you ever want to visit me, I'll be somewhere beyond WindClan territory. Preferably somewhere safe and with other cats."
Larry flinched, but Carrie tried not to let it get to her.
"And I couldn't have us meet while you were medicine cat." Carrie added. "Who knows what they do to cats that don't follow that rule."
"Good...-bye Larry." Carrie stammered, her heart hurting. "I hope you find happiness of your own."
"I never will." Larry muttered. "But I hope you do."
Carrie felt like half of her soul was being torn as she turned away and swam across the river. She leaped onto the moor and looked for patrols before she continued cautiously.
Larry did not stop looking till his love was out of sight, he hung his head in inevitable defeat and made his way back to camp.
Goodbye Carrie. StarClan, please protect her out there.