(Foxflame)

The forest was alive around him, sun in the trees, the scuttling of prey beneath the leaves which lightly dotted the ground around him. Foxflame sighed deeply, relishing the peaceful warmth of the forest, the cool grass under his paws, the dew glittering off the leaves. He padded through the forest, beginning to wonder where he was, had he gotten lost somewhere? No, he would've remembered which way he went.

Suddenly a strange feeling prickled through his pelt, he felt as if something was watching him, the birds in the trees went silent, and he jumped when a voice sounded behind him, "Greetings young Foxflame." He whirled around to see an elegant silvery blue she-cat, with long fur and bright green eyes. "My name is Frozenrain, I was a warrior of ThunderClan long before you walked the forest, I knew your fathers, father in fact."

He stared at the she-cat in wonder, her fur was shinning with stars and light that trailed in her path as she bounded forward. Foxflame blinked in wonder, "Why are you here, talking to me?" The she-cat looked troubled as she frowned, touching her tail to his shoulder and hissing quietly, "Beware your heart, for it will be your end." Foxflame pinned his ears, beware my heart? "I don't underst-" He began, but the she-cat was gone, leaving him alone in the warm forest.

Foxflame frowned troubled at why a StarClan cat felt the need to warn him personally.

He sighed, and a scent hit the roof of his mouth, causing him to leap to his paws with wide eyes, his heart leaping in his chest. "Shadowspirit!" He knew that scent anywhere, he ran after the scent, his heart soaring as it grew stronger and stronger the faster he ran. Suddenly, rain was pouring down around him, but he pushed on, seeing a shape in the forest distance.

The small form of Shadowspirit was bolting away, just ahead of him as he pursued her, "Shadowspirit!" He yowled, and she whipped around with wide, surprised eyes. Foxflame felt icy fear plunge through him as a huge crack split the air, Shadowspirit jumped with a yelp, and the large gnarled tree she was under let out a terrible creak. Foxflame continued running, yowling a warning to her, but she was frozen to her spot as the tree lurched, a earsplitting creak as it began to topple over, the ferocious wind knocking it down.

Foxflame heard her scream in fear, and he yowled, "Shadowspirit no!" He leaped forward to knock her back as the tree came thundering down, and he woke with a gasp in the warriors den. He panted heavily, and Sedgeberry looked up at him drearily with a yawn, "You okay Foxflame?" Sootcloud looked up too, "Yeah, your whimperin' and scuffling in your sleep again, somethin' wrong?"

He sighed and said quietly, "Its nothing, you guys keep sleeping, I'm going to go get some air." Foxflame stood, staring at the empty nest beside him for a heartbeat before padding out of the den, his heart twisting as grief washed over him again. He pushed out of the camp entrance, heading out into the dark forest, the sun barely rising above the ground, darkness still claiming his surroundings.

His paws led him to the Great Birch, and he bunched the muscles in his hind legs, leaping onto the tree to claw his way up the smooth trunk. He took a deep breath of clear air when he crouched on one of the topmost branches, sinking his claws into the bark and looking out at the trees of the forest below him. He sighed sadly, wishing more then anything that Shadowspirit could be here with him.

Foxflame looked down at the sound of another cat climbing up after him, to see the golden and black head of Bumbleflash poke out from the leaves. The tabby tom shakily clung onto a branch beside him, his fur bristling as he clung to the wood. Foxflame tried to laugh, but it sounded empty when he did, "You didn't have to climb all the way up here if your afraid of heights."

Bumbleflash looked at him, his pale eyes strangely serious considering his carefree personality, "I can tell pretty well when a cat needs to be alone, and when a cat thinks it needs to be alone." Foxflame looked at him, his emotions well hidden in his gaze. Bumbleflash looked up at the slowly brightening sky, pushing his front legs up to catch the breeze, closing his eyes momentarily before looking back to Foxflame.

"Do you think Mintbreeze is in StarClan, or the Place of No Stars?" Foxflame asked eventually, scoring his claws down the pale smooth bark. Bumbleflash was silent for a heartbeat before he carefully meowed, "I think she went to StarClan. She may have made bad choices in the end, but I think she was a good cat at heart. It wouldn't be the first time that love drove a cat to madness, love is a strange thing after all, no cat can explain how it works. She may have attempted murderous actions, but I think she was true at heart, even if she couldn't see it then, she let her anger get the best of her, I believe she is in StarClan."

Foxflame nodded as the younger warrior meowed, "I know it hurts when we lose cats we love, but it gets better eventually, there will always be a place for them, they will not be forgotten." Foxflame closed his eyes for a heartbeat in sadness and meowed, "Losing Shadowspirit feels more like a wound to me."

"All wounds heal, even scars fade, it is true that some wounds will leave permanent injuries, and wounds like these will leave holes in a cats spirit, but those holes are full of wisdom, if you don't learn from your actions, then whats the point of even doing those actions? An apprentice won't learn how to hunt by sitting in camp until they become elders." Bumbleflash replied, and Foxflame looked up in surprise at how wise the young tom sounded. Bumbleflash dipped his head to him, "Now theres a cat that needs to be alone, I'll see you later then." Foxflame turned his gaze back up to the sky with a sigh, laying his head on his paws and staring into the distance, lost in his thoughts until it would be time to return to camp for a patrol, even if nothing seemed the same anymore.