Bright morning birdsong woke Mothdapple. The den was warm, and she was stretched out in her bedding. Sparkfur was gone, her nest undisturbed and still neatly made. The patched warrior blinked slowly and began to groom her fur with careful, unhurried strokes. I haven't seen Sparkfur since she stalked off yesterday when we saw Waspstar, she thought. Maybe I should see if Briarfrost knows where she wen--

      "Mothdapple. Glad to see you're awake." She leaped to her paws, eyes wide as the one and only messy furred golden tabby padded into the den, bringing with her the warmth of sunny air. Her eyes were dark as if she hadn't slept, and she immediately plopped into her nest.

      "Sparkfur-- what happened?!"

      Sparkfur flicked her tail dismissively, closing her eyes but still aware.

      "Mm. Nothing to be worried about, I spent the night out," she paused a moment, "what did you think of Adderface?"

      "Oh." Mothdapple sat back down in her nest, going back to grooming her thick fur. "I'm not sure. She's... I can't explain it. Everything about her seems great. She's pretty, and smart, and she knows what to say, and she seems very nice. I'm just not sure.. what's missing. Because there's something else. I just.. don't know what it is." Sparkfur considered it, her green eyes cracked open.

      "Yes. She is pretty, intelligent, eloquent, and seemingly kind. She's also quite ambitious and manipulative. That's probably what you can't understand about her; she's slyly controlling a lot of cats, including you." Mothdapple breathed in, her breathe hitching slightly.

"How do I get out of it? The controlling?" She whispered.

"You need to be aware of when she's manipulating you and you act on it. Keep your guard up. Don't make promises or cut deals with her." Mothdapple's green eyes flashed. I've-- I've already made a deal with her...!

"I understand," she murmured in reply. I need to find Adderface and I need to call this off. Now. "I need to get going on a hunt if I want to get far enough out to catch something good." She stood, and Sparkfur flicked her tail.

"Good luck."

Mothdapple dipped her head, exiting the den. At once, green-leaf air welcomed her. The past few mornings and nights had been cool, but she had a feeling the early chill was pretty much done until Leaf-Fall.

      She could be in camp, she could be anywhere in the territory-- I don't even know where to start. The heavily built warrior skirted around to where the entrance of camp was, desperately wishing to go inside herself. She could see her friends, relax with clanmates, or, what she really wanted and needed now, to find Adderface. She debating just padding in. Who would stop her? Who would know that she wasn't allowed in? Chances are most had forgotten which cat was actually banished from camp--

"What do you think you're doing?" Mothdapple whipped around, eyes wide and pelt spiked up. A spotted brown she-cat had her head lowered, claws unsheathed and teeth bared. Of course she would be here... Pipitfeather. I can't look weak. Not in front of her. I need to look strong.

      "I'm looking for Adderface. Have you seen her by chance?" Mothdapple stood up straight, looking down at the dappled she-cat through half-closed green eyes. She appeared taken aback, eyes narrow with confusion.

     "What-- Adderface? She knows you?" The wirey cat curled her lip.

      "Yes, and if you don't help me, I'll be sure to tell her how troublesome you are." She rolled her eyes.

      "Yeah right, like she cares about what you think. She probably just wants you as another one of her lackeys." Lackeys? What's Adderface been doing to be known to have lackeys? "Whatever, I you really want to go down that path, be my guest. She was headed toward the Violet Gladewith some of her trusted cats. You should be able to pick up her scent, that is, if you're not as incompetent as usual today." Mothdapple rolled her eyes, nose crinkling, and she started off without a reply.

      The Violet Glade was a small Glade in the forest with vibrant violets, not too far from camp. Sure enough, the patched warrior did pick up of the specific scent trail of a small crowd of cats, one she most definitely recognized as Adderface. As she neared, she could hear quiet murmuring, and her eyebrows creased, her pace picking up as she burst in through a mass of bushes.

      The glade was small, and encircled by shrubs and tall grasses which were particularly thick in the back of it. Violets spattered the grass, their thick leaves and bright petals covering most of the enclosed area's floor. Five cats were gathered, Adderface being one of them, all sitting together and speaking in quiet tones. She recognized one of the remaining four, a white she-cat with black patches, as a cat from the posse the day before.

"Adderface!" Mothdapple spoke sharply. The she-cat lifted her head, a scowl leaving her muzzle as soon as she realized who it was. "We need to talk."

"Yes, indeed we do Mothdapple. Come, please hurry, it's urgent." The ginger patched warrior awkwardly picked her way to the small group of cats. "I need to cash in on that favor now. Don't worry, as soon as you help me, your entry back into camp will be allowed and you may sleep among clanmates once more."

"But--"

"We believe Sparkfur is in danger. Right in this moment." Mothdapple's ears pricked.

"What? No way, I just saw her. She's fine--"

"They thought Mintstar was fine until he showed up dead. Please tell us where she is, and you won't owe me a thing, and you'll be back where you belong: in camp. Tell me, now. I'll send Swanclaw to go and fend off any attackers." Adderface' eyes screamed urgency, and a lot of cats did dislike Sparkfur since she brought the rogue queens to join DrizzleClan all those moons ago....

"Uhm-- ah, she's in her den. Outside of camp," the white and black she-cat took off in the direction of camp as soon as she spoke the words. "If she's in trouble, I need to go help her! I need to get her out!" Mothdapple took a step to follow, but Adderface raised her tail to stop her, standing up slowly. She took a step close, closer than they had been before. Her almond green eyes were right there, half open, looking at the ground. Her breath was sweet, and warm, and sending chills down Mothdapple's pelt. The outcast warrior's breathe hitched in her throat.

"Mothdapple. Just a moment. I just need to tell you, I need you to remember... to make sure you know if you're fighting on the right side." Her eyes slid from Mothdapple's paws slowly up to her face. Mothdapple nearly choked, her heart thumping. What-- what does she mean... there isn't really a fight going o--

And just like that, Adderface started off, but in her exit she ran her nose along Mothdapple's jawline and her entire body froze. The brown tabby and white cast a glance back, a smirk on her face as she moved, long fur gently billowing behind her. I.. I have to go. Sparkfur. She's in danger.... She swallowed thickly, looking to where Adderface was disappearing off to. Her paws were still frozen, her heart still beating so fast she couldn't feel it. Finally, she forced her tense legs to move, slow at first, but then she was at full pelt running through the woods. I can't help it. Adderface is just so... so... Adderface.

      The forest around her was a blur of green, her paws nearly tripping over themselves as she finally snapped out of the post-Adderface haze. I can't think about that though. Sparkfur's in danger. She saved me when I was being thrown out, she's protected me and is actively trying to help me all the time. Now I need to save her. The scents of all of DrizzleClan camp slowly became more and more thick, and before she knew it she had burst into the clearing just outside camp.

      She slowed to a stop, her eyes carefully tracing over every blade of grass, every leaf, every fern. It was quiet though. Mothdappled carefully, silently picked her way over to where the stone den was situated in the shade of oaks, just off to the side of the camp entrance. She nearly jumped as she saw a form, but it was Sparkfur herself, sunning herself, eyes closed. The scarred she-cat picked up her head, waving her tail.

     "Hey, back already? No prey, either? Did you have some kind of memory loss on how to hunt..? I guess I can show you how but really--"

      "Sparkfur, we have to go," Mothdapple circled around her, nosing her up onto a sitting position.

      "What's going on?" She meowed sharply, her wiry body suddenly very tense and alert.

      "You're in danger! Adderface told me, I was going to tell her something, and then she said you were in danger! We need to go, now!" Sparkfur creased her brows together, but Mothdapple was pushing her to her paws.

      "And go where?" Mothdapple thought a moment.

      "Somewhere open. Possibly the Violet Glade? It's secluded, we'll have the upper paw because we're choosing the location, it's mostly small, but open." They had already started moving in the direction of where the warrior had just come from.

      "A secluded and mysterious place... sounds like somewhere you go to die."

      "You're not going to die. We have the upper paw, remember? Come on, let's hurry."

      "I could've just gone into camp."

      "Yeah and they'll keep coming after you when you're not in such a busy place. Now or never." Sparkfur nodded, and she began to speed up.

      "Why did Adderface tell you I was in danger?" She asked after a moment.

      "I... I don't know. You both have a relationship with Waspstar, she probably just wants to help him by helping you." You both also have a relationship with me. She might be helping me by protecting you.

       "That doesn't make sense though. Adderface does not like me. She is not good." The golden tabby slowed. "Adderface would rather...," Sparkfur stopped completely, and her fur slowly rose. Mothdapple skid to a stop as well, turning.

     "We can't stop here, this path has no tactical advantage, and if your attacker catches up, we're mice out in the open."

    "No, you dung beetle, we're already mice in the open! Adderface wants you to think I'm in danger, she wanted you to take me somewhere else, Adderface wants me dead, Adderface is the only cat who is causing me to be in danger!"

      "You're wrong, Sparky!" In a blur, a cat leaped from the shadows as the pair of she-cats turned around. They hooked right onto Sparkfur, digging their claws into her golden fur. The scarred she-cat twisted around with a yowl, pinning the cat to the ground. Mothdapple creased her brows as she took a step forward-- it was the white she-cat with black patches... Swanclaw was what Adderface had called her.

"Alright, stand down, all of you." A sweet scent filled the air, and Mothdapple turned to see Adderface herself stalk out of the shadows.

"Hey there Mothdapple!" Adderface ran her tail under her chin as she passed, sending her fur on end and pelt hotter than a rock on a Greenleaf day.

"StarClan...," Sparkfur scoffed and stepped off Swanclaw, who scrambled to her paws, standing I front of Adderface protectively. "What do you want, snake?"

"Ah, always creative with those insults. I, however, don't take 'snake' as an insult, more of a...," she shrugged, "compliment. Anyway, I just came to let you know that Waspclaw, his deputies, several medicine cats, and warriors are on their way." Sparkfur narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Wha--"

Before she could finish the word, Adderface reared up on her back legs, slicing her claws across Swanclaw's throat. The blood sprayed, thick and black-red, coating the front of the golden warrior with scarlet. Sparkfur took a step back, eyes wide, her breathe audible barely coming out, her whole body quivering as a stranger's blood dripped down her face and the front of her body.

"You just killed a highly trusted Bramble Den warrior of DrizzleClan." Adderface took a step back, cleaning her white paw of any trace of blood. "Your fur is in her claws, her blood is all over you." The brown tabby she-cat gave Sparkfur a once over. "If I were you, I would run. Or, stick around and wait for Waspstar to kill you himself. After all, the punishment for murder these days is death." Mothdapple couldn't breathe. There was so much blood. Swanclaw was collapsed on the ground, green eyes lifeless, throat torn open, blood everywhere.

"Congratulations, Mothdapple, you're a Bramble Den warrior now. Oh, yeah, I got you clearance for camp and the den at dawn." Adderface purred, looking her paw over with satisfaction at how pristine it was. Sparkfur took a small step back. She looked to Mothdapple.

"Sparkfur-- run. Please. Run." Mothdapple choked out. The scarred warrior looked down to the lifeless body of Swanclaw, then to Adderface, who's face was expressionless.

And then she ran.

F I G H T O R F L I G H T