--You're Not Alone.

[grayfur]

Grayfur dipped his head sadly. he knew he had crossed the line. She loved Spike, not him. Anger blew up inside him. She was a double crosser! She dumped him, then axel and then moved onto other cats. It was disgusting. Grayfur slank away sadly, tail between his legs. He would talk to her later.

On the other side of the line, a masculine red cat slinked through the ferns, eying the two cats together. So she had dumped him? Axel wasn't going to let her go that easily. Imerging from the bushes, he made his presence known.

"Hello," he sneered in a dark, sarcastic tone, mainly shot at Spikeshard. "My, aren't we flexible." He gave a slight smile at Spike and walked over to Cloud, brushing his tail under her chin. "So you dumped me?" he asked in a calm, even tone. Of cours ehe was filled with rage, but eh let her know that throuhg his eyes. They ere like green fire, aiming right at her.

Axel hissed slightly and pawed playfully at Clo. "Don't you love me?" he asked in a small, kitlike tone. "You can't have both, you know. You're going to have to choose." He smield at Clo and licked her ear. Bending down slightly, he whispered, "What does he give you? Are you a chater? Do you just hang males out left and right, ad when you're tired of one, you move on to the next? That's not how love works, Hon."

[l.ast of the [wild]s]

Spikeshard flicked his ears as he watched the mask of perfection settle itself over Cloudystar's face once more. His sapphire orbs narrowed slightly as he watched the she-cat leader assert herself with her position again. It part of him admired her for being serious over her duties when the time demanded it. However, a larger part of him was annoyed to see the mask he had tried cracking through come back. His tail tip twitched as a frustration flashed in his dark eyes. Silver paws unsheathed their sharp claws as the plated warrior threw Axelflame a looked mixed with anger, annoyance, and a hint of jealousy. Just when I had seen her without her heavy mask on! Now Grayfur and Axelflame have to make her put it back on!

A low hiss emitted from Spikeshard's slender throat, argent fur rising along his neck and spine. Darkly-tipped ears flattened against the tom's skull as he watched Grayfur pad away. The fury burned even more when he saw Axelflame appear. As much as I appreciate how cute Cloudystar is when she's angry, it's rather annoying when I've tried so hard to get her relax. And now he's here! A hot spark of jealousy ran through Spikeshard's veins, seeping through his blood like acid. Rage spiked the growing ferocity in the silver bengal as he heard Axelflame whisper what he could possibly give to Cloudystar. The RiverClan tom bared his fangs and pushed forward. He hissed and narrowed his lapis lazuli orbs angrily at the red rogue's vibrant green. "Stay away from her." He hissed icily. Claws glinted dangerously in the thundering light as water dripped down the plated warrior's face, highlighting his slim features.

| She | is | the | one. |

"You don't know her like I do crowfood." Spikeshard hissed as he pushed the bloody rogue away from the leader's sterling fur. Sapphire orbs had narrowed into cobalt slits. The plated warrior lowered himself into the hunter's crouch as he felt that familiar protective feeling. He wouldn't let this sniveling piece of foxdung talk to his beloved leader like that. "You're the one who moves from cat to cat!" The argent tom spat, his neck fur bristling as his claws flexed on the ground.

| And | I | have | to | fight | this. |

The cold rain splashed onto his moonshine pelt, sliding off in crystals droplets. In the air, the scent of rain was heavy, accompanied by the sweet smell of Cloudystar's burnished pelt. The lightning and thunder made Spikeshard's pulse quicken, making him feel more alive than ever. His tail lashed about as he growled at Axelflame. "If you insist on insulting Cloudystar then you'll have to face me first!" The plated warrior hissed as he swiped a claw at the rogue's red ears. There was barely restrained fury in the movement, held back only by the carefree control that the tom still possessed. However, Spikeshard would fight Axelflame just to teach him a lesson on who he was talking to.

The tensed silence seemed to drop a bit as a hardened certainty filled the argent warrior's sapphire irises. There was still rage in the blue depths, but the more powerful emotion was the desire to defend his leader. "Besides," The plated warrior began, words still icy, yet lower in volume. "I can offer Cloudystar love that's stronger and more loyal than yours!" The silver bengal finished. Spikeshard glanced over his shoulder at Cloudystar and gave her his familiar carefree glance, his heart leaping at the way the rain made her coat darker and more alluring than ever.

| My | love | is | a | burning, | consuming | fire! |

[the day the world went away]

She felt Spikeshard's azure eyes on her as Grayfur left the scene, the clearing darkening further as the angry sky gave another foreboding rumble. As she turned her small head to the tom, opening her mouth as if to say something, a new scent flooded her scent glands, the scent of another tom. Another whiff of the air told her which tom it was. Axel. Was this Grayfur's doing? Or did the arrogant tom happen to release his temporary 'dominance' of Riverclan to follow after Cloudystar like Grayfur had, and before the gray tom, Spikeshard had?

Before closing her opened jaws, the leader let out a heavy sigh and gave Axel a withering look. Anger bubbled up in her throat. "Should you really be asking if I were a cheater, Axel? You had once implied that you had another mate, yes? Roxas, if I recall correctly.." Her silver eyes narrowed to glare into his own burning green eyes, smooth, cold steel boring into hard emerald. She could just barely restrain a growl; yet the snarl turned into a whimper when she saw Spikeshard tensing himself and unsheathing his claws, yelling at Axelflame, looking as if he wanted to do mortal combat with the bloody tom. It frightened her intensely and she felt something she hadn't before...she felt like she wanted to protect the silver tabby, like she wanted to plead Axelflame to take her own nine lives instead of Spikeshard's precious one life.

"I can offer Cloudystar love that's stronger and more loyal than yours..."
Those words caused a ripple of feeling deep in the Riverclan leader's hurt, abused heart, making the life apparatus accelerate and skip a few beats, thudding out a staccato beat against the walls of her ribcage; it was only after realizing the fact that she needn't worry about the relationship between her and the silver tabby that her heart stopped its frantic, crazed attempts at escape: she knew what she would do. She gulped a few times and jerked her steely gaze away from the ground to reach out with one dark gray paw, stretching steadily until the small mitt touched and rested on one of Spike's own, much lighter, slightly larger paw. Her silvery eyes spoke volumes to him, immeasurable tons of feeling packed into one tender stare. "Don't worry," her mouth spoke mutely, silently, the small jaws forming words that told of an infinite promise.

As Spike delivered to Axel his last icy, infuriated glare, the leader debated over what to do. First of all, the dark-toned tabby wasn't sure if they'd even fight..but by the looks of how loyal and determined Spikeshard was and how arrogantly overconfident Axelflame was, she was betting that they would. The chances of a fight, of getting wounded in it were 99.9%, and the other .1% was so slim that she simply pushed it out of the choices..but who exactly would be the one to carry the scars of trying to win her? Because that's what it was: a fight over Cloudystar, even though she already knew who would win. Although she couldn't quite figure out in her mind why anyone would want to fight over a hopeless suicidal leader that was on the brink of self-destruction, it felt...nice to have two toms fight over her. Especially two that loved her.

Do you think of me?
Do you dream of me?
I always dream about you...
Do you think of me?
Do you dream of me?
I always dream about you...

[,hateh?]

[and in the darkest n i g h t]

Anger. Anger, hatred, and distrust. They built up inside of her, crushing her innocence. It killed away her love, until there was nothing but hate. She lifted her paws, stumbling as fast as she could. She felt numb inside, numb with a loss. But nothing had happened. Move.. she urged, clumsily tripping over her own paws. She was a puppet, a marionette, not able to do anything herself. She stumbled into the tension, and the the cats filled her veiw. Fur bristling, she arched her back, trying to make herself feel more confident.

.. if my .. m e m o r y [serves me right]

This wasn't her fight. They knew what they were doing. But she was oblivious, longing to be noticed by someone - anyone. No one cared about her, they just pushed her out of the way. But she'd be known. One way or another. A wild image flashed through her mind:

She was standing atop the Highstone, all the Clan cats looking up longingly at her. She was proud. Her Leader stood beside her, her golden glow passing on to the apprentice. But no - in her dream, she was a warrior. She'd be known as Dusk, the cat who saved Cloudystar.

Her dream came to an end, and reality hit her. This wasn't a game. These two toms hated each other. Fear clouded her eyes, but she forced herself to edge closer in. The tension smothered her.
"I can offer Cloudystar love that's stronger and more loyal than yours..."
Her eyes went wide. She knew what this was about, finally. She had no place here. Embarassed that she'd even wanted a part in someone's life, she went to moved her paws away from the two toms and Cloudystar, to run faster than ever, to be away from here and out of sight. Somewhere where no one would no her name, no one would care what she'd done. But she couldn't move. Paralyzed, she stood rooted to the spot. Fear reflected in her eyes.

i'll . . [ n e v e r ] . . turn back // x // t i m e // x //
--Forgetting you but not the time--

[grayfur]

Axelflame yoawned and stetched, trying to keep his cool. Spikeshard was a real nuissance, now wasn't he? He gave him a toothey smile and attemped to rub his tail agaisnt the tabby's side. Axel gave Clo a cold look. "He wasn't for me," he muttered, almost gritting his teeth. Roxas had been a problem after a while, and Axel did enjoy females. He gave her a gentle glance. "You told me you loved me," he mentioned is a soft, quilted tone. He shot her a look of hurt and betrayal. "I told you the same. Why him? You've never taken intrest in him before." Axel wasn't mad anymore. He realized what he had done was wrong, and he wanted to make it up to Cloudystar.

He shot Spike a look full of hatred. "Can you really?" he asked in a sharp, sarcastic tone? "Can you really give her that kind of love? Small chances." he looked at the tabby leader again, his eyes pleading. "Don't you remember? How we met? How I kissed you? Will it be the same with him?" His eyes were so sad, as if he would die if he heard a negative thing from her. "Please." he muttered and bowed his head. "I know I have done wrong, but I would like to ask for forgiveness. As a loner. As your lover." He bowed his head respectfully and stepped back a few paces. he was unsure he wanted to hear the great leader's response. He had treated her with disrespect, the worst thing a cat could do. But if she chose Spike, how could the emerald eyed fiery red cat look at her again? Who could he hold on to? Who could he losten to?

x.When darkness turns to light
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.
Just a little insight won't make this right
It's too late to fight
It ends tonight,
It ends tonight.x

[l.ast of the [wild]s]

:Spikeshard:

Anger fueled his belly. It burned his insides like a scorching sun on his silver pelt. Each strand of moonshine fur stood up as is body tensed and then bristled. His blood grew hot from the fury hammering in his body, a ringing noise exploding in is ears as the dark tips pinned back. Even though the rain hadn't completely let up, the air felt as blazing as a greenleaf's day. Claws sank deeply into the mudded ground, their sharp points disappearing in the sodden dirt. His heart beat against his fragile rib cage, sending him into a frenzy of beats, blood, and fury.

A growl split his throat, resonating in the air as he watched Axelflame lean close to Cloudystar. Hearing such words come from the despicable rogue made his blood boil and his fur burn. How dare that piece of crowfood speak like that to him and Cloudystar! Hadn't the rusty rogue seen what had transpired moments ago?! Was he blind?! The plated warrior's tail lashed and his neck fur rose as he hissed. "Why you piece of foxdung!"

Out of the corner of his peripheral vision, Spikeshard vaguely noticed a familiar cat stumble into the area. Even though his argent fur was scorching furiously and the rational part of his brain had fled, the RiverClan warrior still recognized the young apprentice she-cat. What was Duskpaw doing here? Away from the safety of the camp and in the still damp rain too?

These questions would have grabbed his attention had it not been on tee scarlet rogue and the way he spoke to his beloved sterling leader. His shoulders quaked as Axelflame sent him a frosty look. How dare he!

|I | can't | control | myself! |

'Why you!" Spikesahrd snarled viciously before launching himself forward. The wind roared in his ears as the silver bengal leaped forward, claws extended. Spikshard's slim, muscled body rippled though the air as he targeted Axelflame.

[the day the world went away]

i t f e e l s l i k e t h e l i g h t w i l l n e v e r r e a c h m e h e r e .

A dark shadow suddenly came into being beside the dark Riverclanner, and the achromatic tabby turned her small head to see none other than Duskpaw standing unnaturally still nearby, eyes wide with fear and sudden realization. The leader made a noise at the back of her throat, trying to comfort the apprentice, when Axel's words broke her thoughts. "Please. I know I have done wrong...but I would like to ask for forgiveness. As a loner...as your lover." The comforting sound at the back of Cloudystar's throat disappeared almost immediately, and she narrowed her silvery orbs in distrust. "How do I know this isn't just a lie? How do I know who to trust anymore, Axel? I...I confided in Spikeshard. He would never tell a soul what I told him..and you, you were so..." she trailed off, swinging her small skull to look at the furious silver tabby near her, her silver eyes pained and dripping with agony. When she finally redirected her pale gaze to the fiery tom, the gray eyes were unreadable.


i a m c h o k i n g b a c k m y l o n g i n g f o r s h e d t e a r s .

It was all too much. Realizing her love for Spikeshard, his love for her; the stress from her clan's accusations on bringing Axelflame into the clan; the cruel insecurity that had been making her head hurt; the suicidal thoughts that now plagued her mind every day. She felt like she wanted to explode or hurt herself or something. Was throwing herself off a cliff nine times in a row worth the agony of leaving Spike and the angry disappointment of Starclan? Oh, screw Starclan. They were stupid idiots anyway, too lazy to use divine intervention or whatever it was to make her life easier. Couldn't they at least relieve the burdens that she carried on her fragile shoulders, heal the wounds and scars on her battered heart? No. They couldn't.

s o s t r a n g u l a t e d b y m y l o n e s o m e f e a r s . .

"I can't," she muttered quietly as Spikeshard snarled, "Why you piece of foxdung!" The leader quickly jerked her head to the tabby, eyes wide, as he shot Axelflame a cold glare completely saturated with frosty incredulity and hatred. The fury stunned and frightened Cloudystar; she wasn't used to seeing the caring, usually-carefree tom so pissed off. The look in his cobalt orbs was murderous -- she just hoped he wouldn't get hurt, for she knew that there was a fight waiting to happen...

..And happen it did.

p l e a s e d o n ' t w o r r y t o o m u c h . . .

With one last snarl, the silver tom threw himself at the fiery cat opposite him; the Riverclan leader just watched, shocked, as Spikeshard's streamlined body flew through the air as if propelled by strong wings, sharp claws outstretched. As the tabby neared Axelflame, the leader seemed to regain control of her body and opened her jaws to yowl in fear, silver eyes wide and widening further when her vocal cords failed to generate a cry loud enough to prevent a fight; no sound came out at all from her gaping jaws, her ivory teeth gleaming in the still-raining, moist night air. Stumbling forward two steps before her limbs locked in place from fear, all the dark-toned female could do was stare as a full-fledged heated fight unfolded on the ground that supported her dark, mud-spattered paws.

. . . i t o n l y h u r t s w h e n i b r e a t h e .

[grayfur]

Axel looked a his blood-stained paws. Why would she think otherwise? Axel had lied to her. He had treated her badly, but she was just as cruel and cold as he was. He snarled and took a step back, his flaming red pelt standing on edge, his green orbs flashing angrily. "You're no different than I am!" he shouted, trying to hold back angry screams. "You cheated on Grayfur by loving me! And now you're cheating on me by loving Spike! You've gone through three toms, breaking the hearts of two! Who are you going to choose? Will spike fall victim of false love?" He was outraged, and his anger would only get worse. She was no different than Axel. "I know what it's like, Clo," he muttered, glancing at the ground.

e v e n i f y o u d o n ' t i s t i l l c a r e

Why did she hate him so? Axel would hate himself too, but he couldn't. That's just the way he operated, dumping one cat and going on to the next. Would spike be better off with Clo? She had told Axel she had loved him, and not once mentioned any tabby freak. She had told Gray she loved him, but dumped him for Axel. Who would she strike next? Would it be some tom she barely knew. Clo was young and foolish, but she was just as terrible and cold hearted as any loner.

i d o n ' t w a n t y o u t o g e t h u r t

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw spike leap at him. The tabbies eyes were cold with hatred, and Axel wondered what he had done to upset him so. Had he disturbed their love? But Spike never really loved Clo after all. They were just playing. The red tabby jerked his head up to meet Spikeshard's ferocious eyes. He was off the ground and headed right at him. All of Axel froze, and he struggled to get out of the way. His paws hit the ground hard as he gave a leap. His claws were out, ready to attack Spike's eyes. "I don't want you to have your heat broken!"

b e l i e v e m e w h e n i s a y i l o v e y o u

[l.ast of the [wild]s]

| Is | it | really | that | important | that | I | settle | down? |

He wanted to be calm. Oh, how he wished to be calm! He longed for the carefree nature of his soul. He longed for it to drown out the bitter rise of feelings that swelled in his chest and threatened to burst. Such words pierced his mind and made it flood with doubtful thoughts on whether or not love was real. Then another feeling pulsed within his blood, screaming at him to never think like that again. It felt so different from the icy calm he had held before.

| Does | it | really | even | matter | that | I | have | my | doubts? |

White, hot anger flooded his senses, complete dominating his mind as he soared through the air. The chill wind ripped through his argent fur and rain splattered onto his pelt, dampening his body. Despite his blurred vision, the blood-red coat stuck out like a sore thumb. However, it was the self-righteousness in those green eyes that infuriated him beyond believe. Who was Axelflame to say he wanted to Cloudystar's again?! Who was he to imply he and her were the same?! How dare he say our love is false!

Then everything exploded! The world was forgotten and every cat had gone from his sight. His cobalt eyes blazed with blue fire as sharp claws buried themselves in crimson fur. Thunder suddenly clashed against the dark, bleak sky as droplets of icy water rained down on the mass of fighting fur. Spikeshard's slim, muscled body was quick to push Axelflame hard into the ground. Mud flew up as the RiverClan warrior pressed the red rogue harder into the ground, the dirt making his paws become unbalanced for a moment. Claws mercilessly scratched the blazing fur, digging unkindly into the other tom's flesh even as his earlier words rang in the plated warrior's head. "The only thing that breaks my heart is your lies wounding Cloudystar!" Spikeshard yowled with the utmost rage he had ever felt in his life. Gone was the compassion and carefree soul. All that was left was a black pit filled with unrelenting anger, mistrust, and hatred.

| Anger | and | agony…|

Orbs filled with sapphire ice were gazing deeply into emerald irises, the blue depths shifting around like shards of frozen water. Inside his body, his heart pulsed madly, driving him to an edge that was unfamiliar and a territory that had not been crossed. Fangs as sharp as claws suddenly bit down hard into Axelflame's shoulder, causing blood to burst and flood his jaws. Spikeshard's eyes were so angry, they almost seemed to freeze the rain drops that poured down from the sky and dripped onto his face. Hate, fury, jealousy all swirled within the icy ocean pools. Again and again the silver Bengal clawed at the rogue beneath him, back paws slashing at his crimson belly as his front paws held tight to Axelflame’s shoulder.

| …are | better | than | misery. |

Spikeshard’s sharp, white fangs had not let go of the other tom’s shoulder, their grip hardening as thunder clashed against the sky once more. For but a moment, the whole river lit up in an eerie blue light, highlighting the furious gleam in the plated warrior’s sapphire eyes. His fangs were beginning to stain themselves with the dark red blood oozing from Axelflame’s shoulder. He only wants her to come back crawling to him! He doesn’t care about me or Cludystar! He’s selfish! On and on, the thoughts echoed in his head, driving him closer and closer to the brink of breaking, of murder.

[,hateh?]

&.andyou l i e d to the angel

Duskpaw's terrified eyes watched as the silver bengal hurled himself at the other tom. She watched as Cloudystar pushed herself through the rain, a yowl echoing from her opened maw. She stood still, long enough to feel a strange need to be soothed. Quickly, the she-cat stumbled to her leader's side and sank into the mud. Duskpaw pushed her small body against the shadowed fur, her eyes fearfully watching the two toms.
Why won't they stop?

&.saidi s t a b b e d youtodeath

The question wasn't meant to have an answer. It fell from her numb maw, only to fall away as Spikeshard's yowl filled the air. She felt helpless as she sucked her breath in, huddling against the leader like a tiny kit.
Make them stop.. Cloudystar, please!
Her voice was so small. Her dark tabby coat was covered in mud, splattered with blood from Cloudystar's coat. A small, kit-like whine emitted from her barely parted mouth, only to be cut short as she opened her eyes. The look in Spikeshard's dark eyes.

&.andifwegoatthesame t i m e

Death Duskpaw shook, huddling ever closer to Cloudystar's faintly warm body. He wouldn't. The she-cat's dark eyes watched the silver tom as he fought, furred lips pulled back into a snarl. What's he waiting for?

&.theycleanupthe m e s s

[.xx|d a w n [.coldascoldcanbe]]

Viridian orbs stared blankly into the distance. Faint sounds carried on the breeze. There was chaos somewhere. Cries drifted from the other side of camp, and she knew she was glad she had run. What was happening now? With the feeling of not-quite-happiness that she had run, came the dark sense that she had betrayed her clan. She was a coward. As quickly as the pride had come, that she had run at what seemed to be the right time, it was replaced with shame. Why did I run? I wouldn’t blame them if they tried to disown me. If no one spoke to me when I returned... The further she sunk into self-pity and hatred, the darker her thoughts became. Not that anyone has noticed that I’ve left… They’re all distracted. The world doesn’t revolve around me.

The wind churned the water on the nearby pond, making ripples in the reflection she had been staring at. Her face became blurry and undistinguishable. Just what I wanted. To be anything else. A stick snapped from the tree which provided her shelter. It fell, and landed in the pond, tearing a scratch in on her shoulder. As waves spread from where the twig had fallen, her blood seeped into the pond, painting it red. She lay there and let her blood ooze. She didn’t care. Staring up at the darkening sky, she longed for anyone to care. But there was no one there. Green leaves framed the growing clouds; such a harsh image of vivid emerald and slate gray, the rustling leaves and the turbulent clouds were.

Her jade eyes became wet, and she clamped them shut, willing herself not to cry, to be calm. She curled into a smaller ball. Hide this pain. No one could see her here. But still, she couldn’t be honest with herself. I’ll stay here for forever. Never go back.

i’ll [/n.eve r] ret u r – n.

The wind blew harder, and ruffled her fur. Rain darkened her dappled pelt. A puddle formed beneath her lower back, an uncomfortable cold feeling spread along her tail. She didn’t budge. As a gust of wind toppled a nearby tree, she didn’t wince. Maybe if I lay frozen...

[/f.roze n] i’ll bec o m – e.

a n d [no] o n e [will] n o t i c e [my] a b s e n c e . [i’ll]lie[here]alone.

[/blockquote]

[the day the world went away]

She felt overwhelmed as Axelflame began to scream at her, the hateful words tearing massive holes deep inside. "You're no different than I am! You cheated on Grayfur by loving me! And now you're cheating on me by loving Spike!" Choking back a sob, the leader tensed her small body and tightly squeezed shut her silver orbs, a single warm teardrop leaking out from the corner of her closed, slightly almond-shaped eyes. "No, Axel," she whispered, her soft voice breaking. "We are not the same. We aren't."

p l o t t i n g m i n d s s e e k t o h a r m m e . . .


"Will Spike fall victim of false love?" With these last words directed to her, the Riverclanner's seraphic face twisted up into an agonized expression. "No. He won't..he won't." As she muttered her unsure thoughts, warnings were yelled and two lithe feline bodies began to ease into the deadly grace of battle, long claws outstretched and morbidly hoping for a taste of feline flesh; ivory fangs gleamed in the twilight scene, the rain pouring down harder as blood began to boil with rage and the two equally lethal toms bristled and snarled and yowled out their battle cries. From Axel's dimly burning crimson form in the shadows: "I don't want you to have your heart broken!" A growled, defiant contradiction from Spikeshard, the agile silver bengal's sharp claws etching their own type of furious message across the opposite tom's flesh as his own body weight and momentum from the leap pushed Axel to the muddy ground: "The only thing that breaks my heart is your lies wounding Cloudystar!"

o h , t h e r e ' s n o r e l i e f .

A quiet warmth making her saturated dark fur tingle brought the leader back from the darkness behind her eyelids; Duskpaw had stumbled over to her side and pressed her body to Cloudystar's, the two small she-cats huddling close in the unrelenting rain as infuriated toms carried out their battle to the death. "Why won't they stop?" The dark tabby was wondering the same. She knew that they would go on without stopping, warring until the bitter end. It hurt her to see the scarlet droplets spattering onto the ground, and yet she could not stop watching as Spikeshard's eager claws ripped through Axelflame's flesh with a sickening sound, the leader's small ears pricking to hear the blood drops leave their safe haven inside the fiery tom and sink to the ground, staining the muddy land with much darker crimson splashes. "I...don't.." Cloudystar's reply to the small apprentice was cut off by the skies adding in their say with a flash of streaking lightning and the immediately-following loud reverberating crash and boom of thunder.

p l e a s e t e l l m e t h a t t h i s i s t h e e n d o f t h e w o r l d . . .

"Make them stop...Cloudystar...please!" The whispered, fearful cry of the apprentice delivered another powerful, pain-inducing blow to the Riverclan leader's battered and bleeding heart; she had to do something. "I will, Dusk, please..just...hold on.." Entranced by the graceful dance of death, the dark tabby's pale eyes remained fixated on the blood spilling, the pained grunts and groans, the murderous look in Spikeshard's glowing cobalt orbs, the splatter of dark, earthy mud as the splayed, outstretched paws made their impacts on the muddy forest floor, frequently jerking up to slash and catch on feline fur and flesh.

t h e r e ' s n o a f f e c t i o n , o n l y i n f e c t i o n . . .

Then, almost as suddenly as if someone had shoved the thought into her mind itself, she knew what she had to do. It would most likely cost her one of her nine lives, but it had to be done to quell the fighting...at least for now. "I will stop it, Dusk. I promise you I'll stop the fighting." She began to tremble, and pressed closer to the equally petite apprentice, seeking warmth and solace before she had to face the torturous pain. She shook harder as her gray eyes traveled slowly back to the fight, this time with a new, grim light and knowledge. It had to be done; she couldn't back down from this, couldn't hide or run away from this.

. . . t h i s i s j u s t s e l f - i n d u c e d t e r r o r
t h e r e ' s m o r e t o c o m e , t h i s i s j u s t a g l i m p s e
i t e l l m y s e l f i t ' s a l l i n m y h e a d
b u t i ' m p r e t t y h a r d t o c o n v i n c e . . .

[grayfur]

Emerald orbs flashed as the lithe orage cat landed gracefully on his feet. Glittering white teeth shone throuhg his nagry sneer as Axel snapped at Spike's legs. But spike got their first. Pain erupte din Axel's leg and he wimpered, trying to kick him off. "You... don't... BELONG!" He screamed as he jumped backwards, his claws scraping the ground, shredding the grass underneath them. The angry londer screamed again, and ran head first at Spike. "damn YOU!" he screamed as he opened his jaws opened to bite spike's face.

This was all happening so fast. He had take advantage of Clo, and he had not regretted it. She was a pathetic creature, incapable of comfort Axel so yearned. She was incapable of many things: comfort, joy, kittens, death; she was just not interesting. She was a boring furball, and thats all she'd ever be. Axel would make a much better leader.

And Spike. Well, where would he ever go? He was just as big of a coward as Clo was. He was a dull, boring cat who thought nothing of ruling or power. It wasn't good, maybe for axel at least. He was a trustworthy cat, adn Axel hated it. Spike was just another obsticle in his plan for total demolishness. Sneering, he flexed his claws, preparing to fight.

[l.ast of the [wild]s]

:Spikeshard:

Sapphire eyes glared with such hostility, it could only come from the beyond. Darkly-tipped ears flattened against the argent tom's skull as he lowered his head and snarled with velocity. His lips pulled back to reveal a row of bloodstained fangs and pale gums. The tom balanced his back legs, straightening them to recover from the force of Axelflame's push. Thunder clashed in the rainy sky, lighting about the area to reveal the scenery. Spikeshard's sapphire orbs deepened to a shade of blue-black like the night sky. A tremor of rage ran down the silver bengal's body, causing his neck fur to rise and his pelt to bristle. Pupils slitted into they were merely black, thin lines.

| Hate | is | a | strong | word... |

Spikeshard watched in disdain as Axelflame damned him and told him he didn't belong. The plated warrior hissed and flexed his claws, his back legs working once again to avoid the vicious attack from the blood-red rogue. The strong limbs then pushed themselves forward, leveraging the RiverClan tom into a state of attack. Spikeshard's fangs glinted in the flashes of thunder as he sunk them into the point where the shoulder and neck met. The silver bengal pulled back hard, ripping off a chunk of fur and causing blood to spill from the open wound, staining the riverbed with the essence of life. Argent flanks heaved as the feline stood there, a picture of seething hatred, the loathing evident in his sapphire eyes.

| ...but | I | really, | really, | really | don't | like | you. |

"You're the one who should be damned!" Spikeshard yowled in fury as reared onto his back legs, claws flashing in the rain. The thunder flashed, lighting up the dreary scene of a battle. "You're the one who doesn't belong! This is MY Clan! Cloudystar is MY leader! Not yours! You don't even care about her! All you care about is ordering cats around as if they're inferior to you!" The warrior spat, his tail lashing about he growled. Axelflame as the failure here! Not Cloudystar! His arrogance would be his undoing! Sapphire eyes flickered with barely restrained rage.

| Now | that | it's | over... |

To think that he had considered the rogue a trustworthy cat when Cloudystar had introduced him to the Clan! The argent warrior berated himself for every thinking that such an arrogant tom would ever be an asset to RiverClan. Snarls burst from the plated warrior as he began to circle the rust rogue, sapphire eyes narrowed into haunting slits. Muscles contracted and constricted as the silver Bengal glared hostilely at Axelflame. That was earlier this sunrise! This is now and now I know better!

The argent tom finally understood his Clan’s distress now that his naivete had lessened. Thunder flashed, illuminating the battle and the two felines. Spikeshard’s bloodstained fangs stood out against the crystal rain, the crimson life essence bringing about a solid, dangerous look to the plated warrior. The scar on his left ear kept burning, his right claw clicking against the pebbles, and his neck fur gave him a hard appearance. The world had vanished and all that was left was a silver hunter.


| …I | don’t | even | know | what | I | liked | about | you. |

[,hateh?]

I will stop it, Dusk. I promise you I'll stop the fighting.
Duskpaw lowered her head, eyes half closed. The trembling beside her grew closer. She knew Cloudystar would stop them both, one way or another. The apprentice looked up at the two toms, and wondered how her Leader could ever stop them.
You... don't... BELONG!
Anger spiked through Dusk's small body, and she rose halfway. A growl rumbled from her chest, and she stared up at the rogue. How could he say that Spikeshard, one of Cloudystar's own warriors, didn't belong? A rough laugh fuilled the air in front of her. Duskpaw's pale orbs narrowed, her her tall auds flattened against her skull. One small paw left the mud beside Cloudystar's body. Dusk glanced down, her eyes sympathetic.

Lightening flashed.
You're the one who should be damned!
She sank back down into the mud. She was a fool. Shouldn't she have known Spikeshard could fend for himself? Duskpaw's tail lashed, and her violent thoughts against the rogue came up again. What was she thinking, so sure of herself that Axelflame would make a perfect warrior? She sniffed, and the thoughts vanished. The she-cat watched, entranced, as the white flames from the sky outlined the silver bengal. A shiver ran down her spine and she pressed herself into Cloudystar's body, seeking warmth.