I struggled, but something still pinned me down. I let myself go limp.

"Too easy. You think you're so great." a voice meowed. A tail brushed my chin. There was only one cat who could do that.

"Curltail!" I hissed. I should've known. Well, I thought, that's one piece of the prophecy down.

"You should've seen it coming. With all that mooning over a cat who can't fight her own battles! Bloomstar was too easy to kill."

"You killed Bloomstar?" He smirked in reply. "How-? Why-?"

"Why else? We're all already dead! We can survive without that StarClan! You must've been a kittypet to cower towards dead cats. I'm a rogue! I show no weakness! That's why I'm going to kill you. You'll be with your dear Sunfur soon. Dog blood! You're so gullible."

He killed my mother! He caught me by surprise. He got a whisker away from my neck. Rage charged up inside me. We wrestled. He pinned me down hard.

"Go on. You can kill me. Are you scared?" I felt furious. No one messes with me and gets away with it. "I thought so kittypet." he spat. I closed my eyes. Forgive me StarClan! I bit his muzzle. He howled and jumped back. I pinned him down and bit his neck. He fell, going limp.

I felt like a monster. I saw Crookedstar in front of me. "StarClan does not blame you. It is not not against the warrior code to kill, if it is necessary for defense. I think you'd better follow me. He walked away and disappeared. I followed. A tortoise-shell tom lay limp in the grass.

My heart cracked as I noticed the pelt was Lightningstrike's.