Purring, lots and lots of purring. The three siblings tumbled around each other in a grassy field. They ran, played and squealed like the kits they knew they weren't. Then when things started to fade out slowly they stopped and rested.

Both deceased siblings looked at each other before looking at their sister. "He has proven himself," Flameblood hissed eagerly. Killerfang readily agreed. Sakura looked at them with confusion.

"Huh?"

"Lionblaze," Flameblood mewed. "We have been watching, or did you forget that?"

"I think he handled yesterday rather well," Killerfang added, "though he should've scarred the tom."

"Mousewhisker has enough scars," Sakura murmured with a sigh. "I just hope he doesn't do anything crazy."

Killerfang and Flameblood gave each other knowing looks before Killerfang purred with pride. "Just like mother," she sighed happily. "You're an official warrior now!"

"Yes, imagine if our clan founder were there, Moon is surely proud," Flameblood agreed.

Sakura felt her fur heat up. "I'm not a warrior yet, I have to wait until tonight."

"You are a warrior," Killerfang pressed, "and we are proud of you. Had we lived and been together no one would be able to stop us!"

"The Unbeatable Trio," Flameblood purred huskily. "I like that idea." The wind blew lightly, though no one felt the chill.

"It's time to wake," Killerfang whispers. "The seasons change and Leaffall will come running in. Remind them to stock up, for Leafbare will be most unkind to them." Sakura nodded and closed her eyes. The warmth of her sibling enclosed her, and when she opened her eyes she was alone in the apprentice den.

The last day of Greenleaf was the beginning, to her, of starvation. While she knew Leafbare was three more moons away, the thought of no prey uncomforted her. "I've lived through this before and so have they," she scolded herself. Rising and stretching, she let out a yawn before shaking the moss from her fur. Then, with a grin on her face, she walked out.

Upon walking she instantly spotted Mousewhisker, pulling a vole from the pile. She stopped, uncertain. She didn't want to ignore the tom, she felt she had to explain this to him; she owed it to him. 'Foxdung! Why must you always mess up everything?!' She snarled mentally to Foxe, who was feeding her kits. Had the traitor learned her place this plan would've gone perfect, she was not suppose to feel guilty about this!

Her ears flicked in frustration, so making up her mind she stalked towards the fresh kill pile, snatched up a bird and hurried away. 'And now you are running away from a wimp of a warrior, and yet you want to be a Moonclan warrior? Pathetic Sakura, really pathetic!' She shook her head as she growled to herself, then dropped her prey. Her appetite had all it vanished.

Eyes pierced her back, and as she turned she looked into all too familiar green ones, covered with vibrant red fur. A growl worked its way from between her fangs, and with a heavy sigh Cherry motioned for her daughter to follow her. Raven spotted them and followed along. Sakura growled even louder, shocking cats nearby as she too followed.

~ooo~

Silver claws raked over black fur with a vengeance. The dark body arched and twisted like a writhing snake, moving back to bite the shoulder of its attacker. Green eyes glared with gleaming malice at mismatch yellow green ones and black paws lurched at each other. The forest rang with the fierce yowls of the two sparring cats, neither giving up. The attacks were deadly, swift and well calculated, and to any cat not trained to the way of these two dancing are they would think they were set on killing each other with bloodlust anger. To the only speculator though, the furry red fur that ruffled slightly to the breeze given off both by the blows of the sparring partners and Nature herself like silent waves, they were training, like the apprentices they are but not soon to be.

The emerald orbs watched as closely as an eagle's, judging each move, each breath, even their surroundings. Then, they closed. "Enough," Cherry muttered quietly, the wind carrying her command to them. The two bodies separated, both heaving at the exertion of their fight, bodies littered with light wounds. The older she cat walked towards them. "Now you have sparred, are you satisfied?"

"No," Sakura growled. "I'm not satisfied, far from it!" She turned and stalked away.

Raven and Cherry passed exasperated looks at each other before following. "Then tell us what is wrong."

"You know what is wrong," she snarled.

Cherry narrowed her eyes. "Watch your tone," she hissed.

Sakura snorted and turned to them. "I shouldn't be feeling anything for this!" She practically yowled. "Because of Foxe and her nosey, conniving way the plan got messed up and everything went wrong! Everything went completely and utterly wrong! Mousewhisker wasn't supposed to fight Lionblaze, he was supposed to wither up and cry like the scum he is!" Cherry and Raven again exchanged looks, then sat down. Sakura continued ranting. "Foxe was suppose to be heartbroken because Mousewhisker chose me over her, not a two faced kit lying dung beetle who was in love and had kits by the sickest cat if have know yet! Then, Foxe was supposed to see the error in her way of choosing that coward over Lionblaze!"

She stopped and stared at them. "I'm not supposed to like Lionblaze, but I do, and vice versa..." She grew silent, then paced again, enraged. "On top of all that Thornclaw told Starrīdā about us, Dark Forest cats are on the rise and what's worse, because of their stupid paranoia and fear my family is being separated!" She then proceeded to shred at the grass under her.

Raven looked uncomfortable. What was he suppose to do about this? A quick glance at Cherry showed that she was thinking the same thing, and of a plan. "Well," Cherry started, "things-"

"And to make this all so much worse, I don't even fully like Lionblaze!"

Both of them froze at that. What?

"What do you mean by that?" Cherry gasped.

Sakura turned large eyes her way. She looked away. "I-,I mean, I do like Lionblaze, he's pretty cool, strong and nice and funny...and all that...but Longclaw did have some truth to her words, I did hang out more with Mousewhisker and I undoubtedly know more about him than Lionblaze."

"So, you do have...feelings...for Mousewhisker?" Cherry asked hesitantly, a sneer on her face.

Sakura shook her head. "No no not like that...not really. Just...just in a friendly manner." She rubbed a paw over another as she looked at the ground. "I'm not supposed to feel guilty about this, Foxe screwed up everything."

Cherry sighed; indeed Sakura wasn't supposed to feel like this, she wasn't supposed to feel anything at all.

"Sakura," Raven muttered as he walked forward slowly, cautiously, "maybe you feel guilty because of you pretending to be his friend?"

"I wasn't pretending, not after the first few days that is. I really wanted to help him with Foxe. Leading him on actually made things worse."

"Pay no mind to it," Cherry said in nonchalance, standing and stretching her legs. "It will pass quickly and the situation will be with the wind." Sakura didn't say anything; the only sound she made was a whimper. Ok, definitely not good.

"I failed him," she wailed. "I was his friend and I failed him!"

Raven backed away quickly. So many mood changes! "You acted as a friend, there is-"

"But I led him on to think I liked him!" An angry gleam filled her eyes as she snarled. "If only that coward would've been smart enough to see through this!" Both cats flinched, as did Sakura herself. Her face contorted into one of horror. "I'm speaking ill of him this whole time! Dear Skyclan!" She curled and whimpered. "I'm a horrible friend! I'm so horrible!"

Both cats watched her, equally confused. If Cherry didn't know any better, she'd think her daughter was pregnant. "S-Sakura," Cherry muttered, hesitant. When the grieving she cat made no move to do it say anything other than whimper she sighed. "You knew all along that you had to do this, you told him you couldn't be his mate. Even if you did lead him," she added when her daughter looked up to protest. "And he is the one who couldn't handle it."

Sakura whimpered again. "It's still my fault..."

Cherry groaned and closed her eyes. "It's our entire fault; we all were in on the plan."

"But Mousewhisker-"

"What do you propose we do about that then Sakura?!" Cherry snapped.

Sakura looked up at her with teary eyes, confused. "I-I don't know..."

"Then why go on about it, it's pointless!"

"You could just talk to him about it and get it out of your head," Raven suggested. "Tie off close ends and quickly; you can't be made a warrior with a guilty conscience."

Sakura perked up at that. "Yes, if I just explain it to him then he will understand; problem solved!" She jumped up, tail lashing excitedly. "I have to do this before- no I have to do this now!" The she cat ran off, leaving her mother and Guardian behind.

Cherry blinked and turned to the long legged tom. "Um...?"

"I said the first thing that came to my mind, I didn't know she would take it seriously," Raven defended.

Cherry shrugged. "If it will settle her..."

"It won't," Flameblood hissed. All of them turned around to see Jayfeather walking towards him, green eyes gleaming, replacing his pale blue. "On the contrary, it will make things all the more complicating. You should've told Lionblaze to kill him."

"Why?" Raven asked.

The green eyes flickered before they were replaced with light blue. Jayfeather, the actual Jayfeather, narrowed his eyes. "Because now Ashfur is going to have another host. Because of Mousewhisker's vulnerability he will be easily persuaded to the dark side."

"Mousedung!" Raven spat.

Cherry tensed. "We have to stop her!"

"No, it's too late."

Both cats looked at each other and ran to the camp. They burst in, panting. "Where is Sakura?!" Cherry yowled.

Whitethunder was sitting with and angry Lionblaze. "She went off with Mousewhisker," Lionblaze growled.

"Why?" Cherry asked, already knowing the answer and dreading it.

"You can't stop her, you'll make it even worse," Jayfeather said as he stepped inside. He tilted his head, ears flickering. "Hmm, Killerfang and Flameblood just left to watch them."

"What's going on?" Whitethunder demanded.

Cherry scowled and shook her fur. "Ashfur has another lackey." Confusion spotted their faces before it dawned on them.

"Mousewhisker."