I didn't know what was happening.

Lights, swamping my vision while dots of all colors milled around, like ants on the ground. Darkness, for the most part; and the voices, the voices breaking the silence and saying, "Is he still alive?"

Yes, I want to add. Yes, I need you right now. But my mouth couldn't form the words, and my vocal cords couldn't let that sound out. So I was trapped. Trapped because I didn't want to go to that dream, but at the same time, I didn't want to wake up, either.

Unfortunately, waking up seemed to be the only option for me. My leg hurt like fire, burning through my veins, my bones, what little muscles I had, everything. I couldn't move it, or move anything else, for that matter. "Is he going to be crippled?" an anxious voice called out.

I didn't know what they were talking about. Yet. What do they mean, crippled? Was it because a tree fell upon me? Oh, yes, I reminded myself. I tried to think about something, focus on my brain to work, but the pain, it was blocking everything all out, everything.

There came a sigh, and a paw was placed near my flanks, warming up my freezing body. "He's going to be fine," the first voice soothed. "Just a bit... traumatized."

That did not seem to go well. "I don't want this kit- my kit- Tigerkit to be traumatized, crippled, or otherwise in any shape or form!" the second snapped. There was a definite worried tinge to it. "Please, is there anything you can do?"

"Nothing can heal wounds as deep as these, but I will try," the first answered, and before darkness swept over me once again there was the sound of claws unsheathing.

I was disappointed to find that, the next time I woke up, the den was empty. No one in sight, and it was silent all throughout. Silent, like a void sucking out all sound. However, I could see better than last time, and made a failed attempted to sit up straight. "Hello?" I called out.

There was a scuttling of paws on the rough, hard earth, and a dark gray she-cat stormed in, panting. "Tigerkit! You're awake!"

She looked terrible. There were lines under both of her eyes that suggested she had been up late, and something along her face that looked like worry lines. She seemed to look relieved for the first time in several days, and I almost felt sorry for what it must have been like yesterday. Probably up worrying about me, out of all the things in the world she could worry about. "Your mom will be so pleased," she said, placing her tail-tip on my shoulder.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, my mother rushed in, and without a warning, began to lick me fiercely. She purred and rubbed her cheeks against mine, perhaps a bit too hard, but it was fine- it was just how mothers were, and besides, she had a good reason. "How does it feel, honey?" she whispered.

I shrugged, but even that seemed to hurt, too. Guess the pain hadn't gone away after all. "It feels fine," I lied, even though my legs, and especially my left leg, felt as if it was no longer a part of my body, separate from all else. "What happened to Riverkit and Graykit?" I asked.

My mother- Hillslope- smiled for the first time since I had seen her here, with me. "They're both fine, although Riverkit did suffer some minor injuries," she answered. "Both will be up and ready just when you are. Eveningshadows- your medicine cat of Earthclan, you've worked hard to bring him back conscious, did you?" she glared at her.

Eveningshadows chuckled nervously. "Yeah, he was always a strong one. It's been a hard time for all of us, though."

But we always made it, didn't we? I wanted to add.