"You want to believe that there's one relationship in life that's beyond betrayal. A relationship that's beyond that kind of hurt. And there isn't."
-Caleb Carr

"Who else would it be?" Emberstem laughed. "Don't worry, Sharpbrook isn't going to touch Songpool's kits. He's just gonna kill Marshcloud and make Sedgestep suffer!"

"Was he your mate?" I asked, trying to get her to relax so I can escape.

"Yes, he wanted kits so badly but I hate kits!" Emberstem growled. "He told me no matter what he'd still love me for me! But before that dreadful she-cat was even born he broke up with me! ME! And he dares to take another mate and impregnate her to hurt me! NO!"

Emberstem leaped off my back and tackled Sedgestep before he could enter the Nursery. Her eyes widened when she saw Voletooth pulling Sharpbrook out of the Nursery and was beating him senseless.

"Wait! I wasn't touching your mate!" Sharpbrook protested. Voletooth shoved him away and snarled, scaring the ShadowClan tom back to his camp. I got up and stood still in horror as Dawnwhisper's corpse was several pawsteps away.

Haytuft...Creampaw...Flintwhisker...Sweetcloud...Perchshine...Brambleblaze...Morningpool...

Darkpuddle was also dead but only Duskbright would truly miss him. It was horrible watching my Clanmates and the ShadowClan cats maneuver around the corpses of my former Clanmates.

"We should be able to kill them if they're going to kill my sister!" Nightpaw growled.

Nightpaw leaped at a ShadowClan apprentice and broke his neck. The fight continued and I noticed Blazepaw and Jioveheart fighting mercilessly, the former probably recognizing Redblossom's sister.

I saw a white she-cat with grey paws and black stripes sprint into the warrior's den and I followed her and bit on her tail to keep her from attacking Lionbelly and Thrushfrost.

"You two disgusting creatures had to be related to my dear Hazelshade!" The she-cat snarled. "You two just had to take her away from me! You two didn't belong to any Clan but she did!"

"Mom..." Thrushfrost whimpered. "This isn't you, you'd never hate me..."

"Really? I guess I HAVEN'T MADE IT CLEAR!"

The she-cat Badgernose escaped my grip and leaped at Thrushfrost. Her teeth were aimed to sink into her own son's neck...but Hazelshade stepped in the way and Badgernose didn't realize what happened till she saw her own daughter fall over.

"NO!" Badgernose yelled. "NOT MY HAZELSHADE!"

Lionbelly knocked Badgernose's legs from underneath her and fell, giving me the opportunity to drag the crazed cat out of the warrior's den.

"What happened?!" A ShadowClan warrior gasp. "Did you decide that if you couldn't have Hazelshade, no Clan can?"

"No, her mom tried killing Thrushfrost but Hazelshade intervened." I explained, keeping my grip on Badgernose's tail.

"Nobody got Hazelshade and this battle was for nothing. Now get out of here." Mothleap growled annoyed.

"Did you really think this battle was just about Hazelshade?" Shallowstar laughed. "You fish-bellies really are dumber than you look! My Clan has been growing with our young kits becoming powerful warriors! This was just a warning. Soon ThunderClan and WindClan will cower and give up their hunting grounds for us! Hazelshade was just the perfect motivation to go after you first."

"If you continue this fight I will allow my warriors to show no mercy to the cats you value so much." Stonestar announced. "Go ahead, come at us."

"ThunderClan and WindClan is more of our concern." Shallowstar repeated. "C'mon ShadowClan, tonight was a great victory. Breezespirit, take the dead apprentice's tail as a warning to the other Clans."

Honeybreeze stood over her daughter's dead body protectively along with Beepaw and Irispaw. Breezespirit smirked as we heard a tear from farther away. We all turned around to see a ShadowClan warrior with Darkpuddle's tail ripped off his body.

"Did you really think I'd tell you who's tail we're taking?" Shallowstar snorted. "Let's go."

"No! Darkpuddle! Give his tail back!" Duskbright wailed, running to the ShadowClan warrior. Breezespirit ran in between them and ripped her left ear off before shoving Duskbright away. And moments later, all the ShadowClan cats were gone with Emberstem joining them.

Except one.

Ivyheart.

The brown tabby she-cat walked up to Stonestar, who's head was lowered with grief so he couldn't see Ivyheart. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"I can't stay in that Clan with their monstrous leader...that I thought I loved till he just broke us up without a second thought." Ivyheart sighed. "Can I stay in RiverClan? You might need more warriors..."

"Yeah." Stonestar answered before he lifted his head. "The relatives and loved ones of the dead will carry them out of camp and bury them. Rowanpelt, treat the most urgent injuries and then go out of camp to restock. We're gonna need it."

Rowanpelt nodded, even though I could tell he wanted to send Morningpool off himself instead of letting Mothleap and Heroneyes carry her off. There were so many cats dragging bodies out of camp and injured cats to the medicine cat's den.

Owlmask!

I ran into the medicine cat's den where Owlmask was stiff in the corner with cobwebs all over her. I noticed with shock that I had no injuries besides the scratches that Badgernose gave me before I let go of her tail. Then again, I hardly did any fighting. Pretty pathetic.

And here Owlmask is torn apart because she gave every last bit of her strength to fight for our Clan.

You don't deserve her.

"O-oak?" Owlmask whispered. I was about to leave when I heard her voice. I stopped.

"Yeah?"

"Stay with me." Owlmask meowed. I was a pathetic fool and she was a gorgeous, intelligent, and brilliant warrior. And she wanted me to stay with her. I'm going nuts.

"Of course Owl." I walked over and laid beside her. Hopefully when the medicine cat's den gets crowded Rowanpelt won't kick me out.

Blazepaw's POV

"Blazepaw? You did fantastic." Spidermoon purred. I was sprawled on the ground with a huge gash over my stomach area that Rowanpelt was treating. "It will be a while before the gash heals. But when it does, you'll be a warrior."

Again? Well, I guess it would be new for Blaze.

"We'll carry you to the apprentice's den so you can sleep there while you're healing." Rowanpelt explained. "If you need to get up to make dirt, have one of the apprentices bring me to help walk there. Taking care of every cat is going to be an all-nighter without..."

I could hear a exhausted sigh from Rowanpelt before he and his sister lifted me onto their backs. I felt my consciousness starting to waver by the time they lowered me onto the ground. The last thing I heard was Honeybreeze's kits crying before I welcomed darkness.

Blaze's POV

"Where's Redblossom?" I asked as soon as I gained my senses in this dream. But I wasn't in the forest that I was always in with Red...my nickname for her time to time. Instead I was at a meadow beside a small clear lake.

"I've been waiting to talk to you."

I looked to the voice behind me to see a skinny white she-cat with orange ears, blue eyes, and a pointy muzzle with a fluffy black she-cat following her as well.

"My name is Pearlnose. Rhonda, you can just sit at the lake till I'm done." Pearlnose nuzzled Rhonda before the black she-cat walked out of earshot. "Y'know what has to be done."

"I'm not letting Redblossom talk to the medicine cats. Then she'll be with Flyfur." I growled. "I know I'm too disgusting to ever capture her eye but I'm not letting her go."

"Let me tell you something. When I was alive in WindClan seasons ago I fell in love with this fluffy she-cat named Roseblossom." Pearlnose explained. "She was my mentor and even after I became a warrior we did everything till Mudwing became a warrior. She began spending more time with him. I couldn't stand it when she announced she was expecting his kits. I ran away."

"I was gone for many moons. I was a kittypet one season and a rogue the next. I knew my heart belonged back to WindClan and to Roseblossom still. When I came back, I was told that she died giving birth to her and Mudwing's only kit. Me and him both were grieving, but I loved Roseblossom so much I offered to mentor her son and he became the leader of WindClan. My pride for him drowned out my pain." Pearlnose concluded. "Me and Roseblossom don't talk much here in StarClan. And that's OK. She knows how I felt and her son Bravestar and Mudwing are a happy family now."

"And shortly after her son became a warrior, Rhonda came to join WindClan. I met her when I was a rogue." Pearlnose added. "Blaze, Redblossom is not for you. She's not yours and she never will be. But you will find happiness, I can assure you that."

"No...shecan't be with him!" I repeated, putting my paws over my head as tears began spilling from my eyes.

"I thought the same thing when Roseblossom was with Mudwing." Pearlnose told me. "No one's telling you that you have to get over her. But you have to let her-"

I ran in the other direction before I could hear that last painful word. Anger and sadness began building within me. Images of killing Flyfur played in my head. I held back more sobs as I saw Redblossom talking to a tortoiseshell she-cat in the distance.

"Things will be back to normal Redblossom. You'll be with my son again." The tortoiseshell purred sounding overjoyed. Redblossom's beautiful tail swished with delight and I felt my heart break.

One thing was certain, I can't let her be with him.