Three

The next few days were spent working together in pairs.

In the morning, Tigerheart would go hunting with Mothwing and return with prey. Around sunhigh, Dovewing would leave with Tigerheart to bury the bodies, at least until Hollyleaf was capable of walking again. Mothwing restricted Hollyleaf to light duties after discovering how deep her injury was. Then to make matters worse, Hollyleaf spent as much time as she could burying the dead. Her fur had been covered in mud and dried blood by the time they reached what was left of RiverClan territory. So it took a while for her to clean her fur, and Mothwing finally had a good look at the injuries she endured.

Nothing could have prepared Dovewing for the emotional turmoil that followed when she worked with Tigerheart. She hadn't slept properly for days since the battle. She knew Mothwing was keeping an eye on her health. The medicine cat must have sensed something was wrong when Tigerheart talked to her. A shiver of unease swept through Dovewing as she thought of the nightmares that plagued her.

It seemed as though any time she tried sleeping, she suffered from nightmares. The Dark Battle had left a mental scar on her that she couldn't escape from. Somewhere deep down she couldn't shake off the feeling that the battle was just the beginning of the end. That the survivors weren't as lucky as they thought.

The worst part of their work was finding the bodies of her family.

It was raining when she and Tigerheart found Birchfall and Whitewing's bodies. Ivypool's body was so horribly torn that there was hardly anything left. Dovewing was horrified at the sight, and she knew that this was likely Hawkfrost's doing. Her sister used to tell horror stories of the Dark Forest and how brutal some of the cats could be. Hawkfrost had been the worst aside from Mapleshade. Considering Ivypool betrayed the Dark Forest by fighting alongside ThunderClan, she had a strong suspicion that Hawkfrost wanted revenge on her sister.

She nearly lost her breakfast in the process of coping with the loss of her family. Her mind was numb with shock as she and Tigerheart worked throughout the day. They didn't have the chance to work on ShadowClan territory yet. She couldn't shake off the feeling that his family would look just as terrible, if not worse because of who they were related to.

"I always knew it was a possibility," she whispered guiltily. Tigerheart sat beside her, gently flicking his tail across her shoulder as he tried providing some form of comfort. His silent support was something she cherished. She knew somewhere deep down that he was suffering too. He lost his family as well during the battle. To make matters worse, he once trained with the Dark Forest. "Seeing their bodies up close was just…"

Numbing.

The word felt hollow in her throat as she tried to say it out loud.

A shudder raked through her as she pictured her sister's mangled corpse. Ivypool didn't deserve to be killed that way. No cat deserved to die such a horrific death. She wished there was a way to turn back time and prevent this mess from happening. Anything was better than dealing with the reality they now faced.

"Their memories live on in you," Tigerheart reassured her with a knowing look. "We'll all keep their memories alive with the new Clan."

Dovewing glanced at him apprehensively.

She wanted to believe that he was right. She wanted to believe that the Clans would survive with this new Clan. Yet, there was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that kept telling her that this was a terrible idea. That StarClan would have fought harder to keep the Clans safe from the Dark Forest.

She was part of the Three. At one point, she would have thought that they were meant to keep the Clans safe from threats like the Dark Forest. Yet, Jayfeather and Lionblaze were dead. The fourth apprentice that Jayfeather mentioned was gone as well. Dovewing knew somewhere deep down that there was no recovering that prophecy.

I wish we had the right answer, she thought bitterly.

They weren't completely helpless, but knowing that the threat of the Dark Forest still loomed over them sent a shiver through her.

Thankfully they didn't dwell on the topic or the fact that so many bodies had been buried throughout the day. She and Tigerheart made their way across the moor, scanning for signs of WindClan cats. Most of the bodies had been found within their camp. What horrified her the most was seeing apprentices and kits killed in the midst of battle. Even the elders weren't spared in the wake of the fight.

She tried ignoring the painful tug in her heart when they finished the last of the burials. It was exhausting work, and there weren't any rewards for their efforts. Tigerheart managed to catch a rabbit along the way, though Dovewing didn't have the heart to eat much. Still, she ate as much as she could without feeling the need to lose her meal.

It was difficult enough without seeing his reaction to the loss of his family. When they found what was left of ShadowClan, his family had been scattered around the pine forest. Tawnypelt looked worse for wear when they found her beside Rowanstar. Dawnpelt's cream-furred coat had been torn and muddied during the battle, with specks of blood covering it.

Tigerheart didn't say anything, but she could tell their loss took a toll on him. He was suffering just as much. Guilt stabbed her in the chest when she realized that she wasn't alone throughout this mess. They sat there in silence while finishing the last of the rabbit. Her stomach was already churning when she picked up an unfamiliar scent in the air.

"I thought I heard survivors over here!" Both Dovewing and Tigerheart stiffened at the sound of an older tom's voice. She shared a look of alarm with the dark tabby when another cat emerged from the undergrowth. It was an older tom with thick dark gray fur and pale yellow eyes. "It's okay Floss, I don't think these youngins mean any harm."

Her ears pricked forward with alarm when another cat soon followed. This one was a long-haired creamy gray molly with amber eyes. Their well-fed appearance gave away to the fact that they were either loners or kittypets. Tigerheart's ears flattened in annoyance when the tom padded forward. He tipped his head to one side when he noticed the freshly churned mounds of dirt surrounding them.

"The poor things, it looks as if they've been working all day and night," the she-cat mewed once she reached the tom. "Smoky, we should share some of the mice from the barn with them. It's the least they deserve."

"I'm not sure," the tom flicked his tail warily while looking between Dovewing and Tigerheart. "It looks like they were finishing off that rabbit just fine."

The she-cat shook her head sadly as she reached the pair of younger cats. It took everything she had not to lash out at the newcomers. Tigerheart took the situation more calmly, though his expression was still guarded when the she-cat looked down at them.

"Have any of you seen Daisy? We know there was a fight going on around the lake," she suddenly meowed.

Dovewing's heart sank at the mention of Daisy.

The former kittypet had also been killed in the heat of battle, along with her family. She looked down at her paws shamefully after realizing that the few cats Daisy knew were also outsiders. The queen came from the horseplace where these cats came from, which meant they hadn't known what happened to their friend.

"I'm… I'm afraid that she died in the battle," she replied after some hesitation. The she-cat's eyes widened with horror just as the tom joined her. "We gave her a proper burial though… along with her family. They deserved that much."

"I always knew the Clans were nothing more than bad news for everyone," the tom scoffed in disbelief. "Daisy would still be alive if she hadn't left the farm."

"But she would have lost her kits if she stayed," the she–cat reminded him pointedly. "Smoky, you know as well as I do that she was never happy living with the idea of losing her kits."

Smoky didn't look any happier knowing that their friend was gone. Her heart sank with guilt when she realized that Daisy died for nothing. Her kits had been killed during the battle as well, making it that much worse.

"A lot of good that did her since they died anyways," he muttered crossly.

"Smoky…" The older she–cat threw him a warning look before glancing at the two younger cats. "You look as if you could use some help."

It took a few heartbeats for Dovewing to register what the molly was implying. She shared a look with Tigerheart. There were only three cats back at the former RiverClan camp, if Minnowtail's kits weren't included. She knew the new Clan would need as many functioning warriors as they could find. To defend their new borders and territory, it would mean establishing new friendships with cats they weren't familiar with. Even if that meant including kittypets.

"We're not even close to finishing the last of our burials," Tigerheart admitted. "But you two shouldn't be involved in something like this. We could use an extra paw or two in hunting."

"We'd be more than happy to help," the molly reassured him while giving Smoky a challenging stare.

Smoky just rolled his eyes in exasperation at her desire to help strangers, though he didn't bother arguing.

...

The group of four headed back to the old RiverClan camp in relative silence. Dovewing could feel the eyes of the molly boring through her. She and Smoky had been arguing with each other when they traveled across the moor. It was only until they crossed the boundary of WindClan that the somber realization of what happened sank in. The rain finally soaked away the blood that stained the grass, taking away the stench of death and fear along with it. It did little to reassure the fact that so many cats died needlessly.

"I don't understand how any of this could have happened," Floss said quietly. "So many cats seemed to die at once."

"It would be impossible to explain," Tigerheart muttered. He hadn't missed the fact that Dovewing refused to acknowledge the two kittypets. Her silence seemed to unnerve him, and understandably so. "None of us were ready for the battle, and that's what the enemies had been hoping for."

The kittypets would never understand the fact that StarClan and the Dark Forest existed. Dovewing wasn't sure if they had their own set of ancestors, or if they just faded away entirely. A shiver of dread swept through her at the thought of fading away entirely. At least in StarClan, she could still see her family if she chose to do so. Though truthfully, she was too ashamed to face them again.

Ivypool would think of me as nothing more than a coward, she thought guiltily.

She tried pushing those thoughts aside when they reached the makeshift camp. Smoky made a point in avoiding the two younger cats while Floss was friendlier. Still, the two kittypets kept close to each other as Tigerheart took the lead. Mothwing was waiting for their return and for them to report what they found.

"You're the two kittypets that live at the horseplace," Hollyleaf deadpanned when she noticed their arrival.

"We wanted to investigate all the sounds we kept hearing," Floss explained before Smoky could say something in his defense. "We hadn't realized that there was a battle going on."

Dovewing watched from where she sat as Tigerheart reported what they found on their trek. The dappled molly's face was solemn when she realized how many bodies were found. Worse still was the knowledge that kits, queens, apprentices and elders were killed in the onslaught. The madness in the fight left her fur bristling with a mixture of emotions.

The fact that innocent kits, apprentices and elders had been killed left her mind numb with shock. There was nothing they could do to bring them back. As much as she wanted to give those cats a second chance at life, they couldn't do that. The only thing they could do was honor the lives that were lost in the battle.

"Thank you for giving them proper burials," Mothwing whispered. She hesitated for a moment while glancing at Dovewing sympathetically. "How was she during your trek?"

"I don't think she's getting better," Tigerheart let out a heavy sigh. "She hardly ate the rabbit I caught earlier, and seeing her family's bodies… I think that just made it worse."

"There's a combination of things that might have led to these reactions," Mothwing murmured. "When I was younger, Mudfur told me that I was in a state of shock over the loss of Tadpole. It made sense – I wouldn't eat for days after that because I couldn't hold anything down. Then the nightmares followed."

Dovewing squeezed her eyes shut. She realized with a start that Mothwing was describing exactly what she experienced over the last couple of days. She could see their bodies as clearly as if they were laying in front of her in that moment. The stench of their blood was so fresh that it felt as if it had been spilled just seconds ago.

"I want to help her," Tigerheart admitted when Mothwing finished her tale of grief. "But I don't know what to do aside from be there when she suffers a nightmare or a panic attack."

"I'm afraid there aren't any herbs for grief," Mothwing replied. "It will take time for her to recover from the shock, and it might take even longer for her to recover from the grief. The best you can do is be there for her to provide whatever support you can."

The last thing I want is to be treated as a burden, she reminded herself.

She didn't bother arguing when Tigerheart took Mothwing's advice to heart. She sat down further from the group, listening to Hollyleaf as she talked to Smoky and Floss. It wasn't until feeling Tigerheart sit down beside her that she finally looked at him. His expression was impossible to read, but as their pelts brushed, she could feel the concern rolling off of him in waves.

"We're going to use this night as an opportunity to sit vigil for the lives that were taken," Mothwing announced once the moon began to rise. "We will honor the cats that died in this fight, just as our ancestors have generations ago."

Dovewing was more than capable of joining the others for their vigil. She bowed her head as Tigerheart remained glued to her side. This was the least they could do for the victims of this battle. She planned on honoring her family's memory through this new Clan, one way or another. Even if it meant killing her in the end.

AN: One thing I forgot while writing the original was the fact that Dovewing had her 'superhearing' before the Dark Battle. So I thought it would be fun to carry that bit of information into this story, and because the Three were split up, it makes sense that she would keep her abilities. I also thought it would be fun to add in Smoky and Floss. Even if they're ages older in the actual books, I feel as if they didn't get enough of a mention after Daisy left them.