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The night sky covered the forest like a heavy blanket. Stars blazed through the sable wool, the only source providing light. Dense clouds passed slowly over the shimmering balls of light, blocking their brilliant shine. 
Violetpaw's adolescent eyes observed nature's wonder as she relaxed upon a hillside. The long strands of grass rippled in the sudden gusts of wind, tickling her paws. The serene scene reminded her of one she had spent long ago with an old friend. 

"I wonder if he's watching." The molly muttered as her eyes were lost on the stars. 

Stormrunner, dragging a deceased squirrel up the mound, pricked his ears. "Who?" His voice was muffled behind the rodent. Envy tinted his one eye as he considered Violetpaw. 

The pale she-cat sighed. "An old friend." Warm tears brimmed in her eyes as the memories came scorching as a flame. "I miss him from the bottom of my heart." She sobbed silently, dipping her head to hide herself. 

Stormrunner was overtaken by a passion of guilt. He dropped the squirrel. The dark gray tom seated himself next to his comrade, and in an attempt to comfort, his tail intertwined with hers. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. 

Violetpaw swung her head. "No, don't be. We were all too young." Her eyes abruptly locked into Stormrunner's and they fell into a haze. The muscular tom couldn't withstand the beauty of the she-cat before him. Before Stormrunner could speak, Violetpaw infringed. "He has a brother. Adderpaw told me of the Rebellion. We must find them." 

Rejection spiraled through Stormrunner; how badly in love he felt with Violetpaw. But he feared she didn't feel the same, and she didn't. She was stuck on a dead tom. 

"You're right. I've overheard rumors too. The Rebellion hides in the abandoned tunnels of WindClan, striving to heal."  Stormrunner decided that bottling his emotions away, for now, would be best. Maybe once he and Violetpaw were safe, he would concede. "I concluded that we should follow the lake and pass through RiverClan until we reach WindClan's territory."

Violetpaw suddenly shuddered as her home was mentioned. Would she be ready to face her birthland? What about her mother?
"Are you okay?" Stormrunner's somber voice hindered her saddening thoughts. 

She lied. "Yeah." 

"C'mon." Stormrunner beckoned with a flick of his tail. "We must keep going." He directed the way through the open expanse, the long grasses swallowing more than half of his figure. 

Violetpaw, with one last longing look at the stars, took off behind him. Sorrow and old anguish curled in her body as memories bore beneath her eyes. Would she survive much longer?

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As early sunlight bore through the empty sky, the two cats continued their journey through the forest. Exhaustion didn't seem to bother them as adrenaline fueled their actions. Stormrunner gleefully strode next to Violetpaw, observing the wilderness out of his one eye. However, she didn't seem as enthusiastic. 

"You don't talk to me much," Stormrunner commented blandly as they proceeded down the pine-needled path. "What's wrong? Is it my face?" The tom questioned sadly. He could still feel the agony of half of his face being ripped to shreds. He shuddered. 

"No, of course not." Violetpaw reassured as life seemed to be present with her again. As the pair moved through the tangle of woods, the sun was starting to rise above the forest. Sunlight glittered her eyes, "I just feel like I don't know you very well." 

"Well," Stormrunner smiled. "Get to know me. Ask me, anything!" He boldly declared as he nudged Violetpaw spiritedly. 

"Okay," Violetpaw beamed back, though she was hesitant.
"How did you get those horrible scars?" The question slipped from her mouth before she could comprehend what she was asking. 

Stormrunner flinched. 
The creamy she-cat gasped as she came to a precipitate realization. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. That was stupid of me to ask." Sunlight blistered down on her face as the cats came into an opening. The pine-needled trail ceased. 

"It's okay." Stormrunner ruffled his long fur. "Try something else." 

Violetpaw, flustered with embarrassment, continued. "Okay, what was your family like?" The pair waded through the sunny grasses. The scent of WolfClan was beginning to gradually fade. 

Stormrunner withdrew from wincing. He hadn't mentioned to Violetpaw yet that Wolfstar was his kin. Deep down, the tom was deeply afraid to. His father was what provoked the she-cat all of her anguish and grief. He couldn't tell her. "My father died before I was born. And my mother was obliged to become a WolfClan queen. Resulting in myself embellishing a protector." Lies spewed from his tongue. Only registering now, Stormrunner had nothing good to share about himself. 

"And, Molesnake was your mentor?" Violetpaw suspected, remembering what had heard before. 

"Correct." Stormrunner flicked his tail. "No matter how corrupt he is, he's an intelligent tom. Which mostly drives my fear of being caught." 

Violetpaw shook her head. "I'm sure we'll be fine. We're-" Before finishing her statement, a sickly aroma passed into her nostrils. The she-cat gagged as her stomach lurched. Stormrunner scented it too as he turned away instantly. 

Violetpaw's eyes then scanned the new area and she regretted it. 
Her heart dropped into her chest at the perception. 
She gasped, "Oh my..." 

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