Well, that's the last place to sit. But these scratches just don't stop hurting.

Littlescent stood from her position on a dry block amid the damp floors of the tunnel. The air still smelled of thick moss and the shiny, brown Twoleg objects were still hissing and groaning nearby. The only thing that had changed was that sunlight began to fade orange and the wind had picked up.

But she could not feel it, and really did not want to. It would only aggravate the small cuts.

This is so annoying, she thought as she resisted the urge to scratch. How am I supposed to think straight if I'm stuck in a place like this?

She briefly started biting at her forepaw until Fleetheart's 'no scratching' warning echoed through her mind again.

And these cuts don't help... that's it. I need something for them. And this dirty water just won't do. It might even make me sick. Then I'll really be no good to my clan.

Littlescent had not gotten much rest since her talk with Horsepelt. His words kept her from staying asleep long, as well as the scratches. She slowly padded towards the entrance again, the orange light reflecting off the water and the Twoleg devices.

"Excuse me," she called out. "I'd like something."

A thin, famished wildcat tom poked his head through the entrance, watching his captive move closer to it.

"What you blabbering about now? And you better not ask for food, again."

"I want to go to the medicine den," she said.

"Why?"

"For these cuts that I got while I was unconscious. They still sting and I can't sit down or sleep long with them."

"Aw, poor stone kit," the thin tom mocked. "Wants Mousetail for a few scratches."

Littlescent was still in no mood to argue.

"You probably gave some of them to me, savage. Now let me see her."

The LeafClan warrior moved just a paw step away from her. "Say something like that again and it be more than just scratches, little cat."

She didn't back down. "Look, just let me go see Mousetail and we don't start anything, okay?"

The tom grew wide-eyed. "Start anything? My energy better saved for patrol than wasted on easy fights with captives."

"Take me to go see Mousetail, now!" Littlescent's eyes grew wider.

"'Now,' she says. Take me to her now." The tom bore his fangs. "I don't like 'now' very much. Just what you greedy stone cats said when Bonbon was in charge. 'Let us live in peace, now,' she cried and cried... at least she cries no more!"

Littlescent flashed her own fangs. "You're too young to have even met her. Even younger than me! You're just spouting the nonsense of your elders again."

"Nonsense? Nonsense?! Are dead cats, most painful deaths, 'nonsense' to you, little thing?" He was practically hissing.

"Had LeafClan even tried to think—"

"Molepaw," another tom called from beyond the entrance. "I'm here to send you on patrol."

Molepaw faced away from the stubborn she-cat and walked out of the entrance. "Good... take brown and grey ball of dirt to Mousetail. Before I take her there myself as new body to bury!"

He quickly left the scene, leaving the other famished tom to examine the prisoner. Littlescent hid her fangs and took deep breaths.

Littlescent what's wrong with you? You need to remember what Horsepelt said. They feared our tactics. They lost so many of them. And, if I remember Panzer's stories correctly, Bonbon was a lot like her. Maybe even starting the war herself.

"Well," said her new, older wildcat guard. "You going to Mousetail or what?"

"Yes, yes," Littlescent responded, calming herself from her ordeal.

I think I've been around for too many of Panzer's LeafClan rants.

~~

The hazy orange sky beamed over the camp, the rough wind flowing through Littlescent's thin fur once again. It was something she knew she would never really enjoy as long as the ash was flying around.

Her new captor was leading her to a structure; the only one completely in-tact. Some of the others had been grazed by flying debris or singed by fire. Most had completely collapsed into themselves.

The entrance to the structure had been torn off and laid on the ground before the den. Littlescent looked forward to going inside to escape eyes of the hungry wildcats. She even saw Flyfoot on the way, who had hissed loudly at her.

I'm really looking forward to getting out of here, she thought. If not for the wildcat guarding me... I'm not in the mood to think about that right now.

"We here," her guard said as he sat at the side of the entrance. Littlescent walked across the wood and into the den.

"And don't think about trying anything, little thing," said the tom. "Mousetail may be medicine cat, but any wildcat is more than match for runt stone cat. And I be right out here, waiting to tear throat out at first hint of trouble. Got it?"

Littlescent nodded her head and left the wildcat's sight.

He seems a bit too eager to kill me... hold those thoughts, Littlescent. Remember Horsepelt...

As she entered the room, she felt a gentle breeze flow through, much softer than the wind outside. It went through every hair on Littlescent's body, putting her at ease.

"You're here," the familiar voice of Mousetail called from deeper in the den. "I'm in back. Come over here."

Littlescent walked through the den. It still had the fixtures she commonly saw in them before the fires. Tall spires were covered with the mostly smooth wood Twolegs made. The floor scratched at her rough paw pads as she made her way to the back of the nest.

She rounded a corner into the narrow halls that were in all Twoleg nests. The end of the hall was covered in rubble from the second level of the nest.

Some orange light was leaking from one of the dens to her left. She poked her head inside.

The light came from a hole that went all the way through the structure, directly facing the sky. It bounced off the white walls, covering the whole room in an orange glow. A small, grey and black wildcat was standing on top of the spire in the room. An oddly shaped, white object was sitting next to it, providing a way up to Mousetail.

"I already prepared water," her soothing voice called. "Are you ready for your treatment?"

Littlescent carefully climbed the oddly shaped white object and hopped onto the spire. Atop it was a large hole with more twisting silver things, much smaller than the ones under the bridge. The liquid in the hole was still and murky. The warrior took in the cool air surrounding the water.

"But the ones in our den haven't run water since the sky-monsters started attacking," Littlescent said. "How is this one still working?"

Mousetail shook her head. "I don't know. But my old den used to be under bridge until Twoleg things broke. This is only one we found in whole camp that still runs. Water not poisonous either, like in some."

The StoneClan warrior put her paw in, letting the soothing liquid envelop her pads.

"You've never used this medicine before, have you?" Mousetail asked.

"No," she responded. "Only Twoleg medicine. Normally Panzer would rub this burning stuff all over and would have me drink something, and that'd be it."

"I promise you, this won't burn. Plus we can wash your fur at same time. This been best form of full-body healing since we lived in forest. I put as many things in as possible to try to mimic river water outside Twolegplace... I'm sure river not look like this anymore, though."

Littlescent turned and backed into the pool as quickly as possible. It was as if she was being covered in milk rather than water. It soaked into her wounds, easing the pain away from the inside out. At the bottom she felt many flower petals softening the hole. She rested her weary paw pads on them, feeling their pain disappear instantly.

She opened her eyes to find a torn, red piece of fake-fur. In the center was the familiar white circle with the black 'X' shape in the center. The tipped ends of it had many small tears, but she still recognized the symbol.

"Wildcats don't like that symbol," started Mousetail. "Sometimes, after healing, they swipe it before they leave. They blame those Twolegs for destroying things."

Littlescent no longer felt like a captive while she sat in the milky, grey water. "The Achse are the ones trying to protect this place. Other Twolegs are trying to destroy it."

Mousetail grabbed a root from behind her and began raking it slowly with her claws.

"Last time I heard Achse was from Panzer's mouth. I guess all cats in your clan know some Twoleg speak... well, defenders or not, all of us dying."

Littlescent turned her head towards the LeafClan medicine cat.

"They're comfrey roots," Mousetail said. "Hard to find in this place. Stop itching and pain. Some in pool now, but you need more... didn't know you were so badly hurt." She started scooping the shavings into a pile and went back to clawing the small root.

"Most of them came from the firestorm four nights ago." She resisted scratching below the water. "Panzer says they'll take many moons to heal fully."

"Moons," Mousetail said. "That sounds painful. Sorry our warriors just made it worse."

Littlescent quickly dipped her head in and out of the pool, eager to relieve the itching from her face. She found herself looking right back at the symbol. It towered over her, seemingly unaffected by the orange light of the setting sun. It almost intimidated her with its stubbornness, still showing the Achse symbol despite all that had happened to it.

A warm paw rubbed along Littlescent's back. She flinched, almost leaping right out of the pool.

"Relax, little one," Mousetail said. "It's mashed marigold. There's large burn on your back; this will keep it from aching."

Littlescent slowly set herself back into the murky water. She tried to control her breathing, but found it hard to slow herself down.

Her paws were tapping at the bottom, only for her to realize her claws were out. She kept breathing heavily, trying to retract them, failing to do so over and over again. She began growing angry with herself.

"What... what's wrong with me," Littlescent whispered. "First the wildcat and now this?"

"What wildcat?" Mousetail was still rubbing more marigolds over her back.

"I... I didn't mean to speak out loud. I was just talking to myself, ignore me."

"I don't want to ignore you." Mousetail stopped rubbing her back. "It my job to know about clan problems. You here, so you count."

She stayed silent, hoping to keep the matter private. She concentrated on the sounds of the wind rattling against the loose structure. Its rhythm seemed to calm her for some reason.

"You didn't have problem talking to me earlier," Mousetail said. "StoneClan captive or not, everyone equal here. I've treated kittypets as equals in my den, even strays back in the forest dens were welcome."

Littlescent let out a sigh and rested her head back in the water, leaving it just above the surface.

"Okay fine," she said. "I said some harsh things about LeafClan. I told him his elders had passed on nonsense to the other cats. I told him that... I'd rather not say what I was going to say to him. If the other guard hadn't shown up when he did, I'd probably be here with worse injuries than this."

Mosuetail continued rubbing the ground marigold on Littlescent, now concentrating on her burned flank.

"I normally don't yell at any cat," Littlescent continued. "Even when Panzer insults me or Wolfgang challenges me, or wildcats who yowl at me from the borders. It's just not me. But why would I do it this time?"

The medicine cat nodded. "Maybe hunger got to you. Haven't eaten since you got captured, I assume?"

"Maybe," Littlescent responded.

She seemed content with the answer Mousetail gave her and decided to just try and relax for the time being. She didn't like the idea of being asked these questions. The presence of the LeafClan medicine cat began to make her uncomfortable.

I just want to be alone, she began thinking. I just want to go into a corner and think more about what happened when I yelled at that apprentice. I didn't like that, and I don't like how I keep flinching at everything... yes. Time alone to think about what's happening right now. I can't help anyone in this state of mind.

Mousetail continued to rub the mashed marigold over Littlescent's burned flank. She felt herself calming down again. It was one of the few times that her injuries did not itch.

Her flank began to throb at the pressure Mousetail was applying. But, unlike the pain she experienced before, the throbbing was rhythmic; like her heartbeat. A numbing sensation flowed all over her body. She felt blood flow through her leg once more, as if she was not even injured.

She closed her eyes, trying to picture herself back in her own clan. She pictured herself sitting on the warm thunderpaths in her own territory, surrounded by the familiar collapsed nests. A warm breeze was flowing through her fur, while its soft sounds flowed through her ears. It was peaceful.

For a moment, she actually was able to picture the scene. Then other cats showed up, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. The cats were yelling and screaming at her, but she could not hear them.

All the nests suddenly lit up. The thunderpath beneath her became scorching hot. And the breeze grew into a hostile torrent.

She tried to call out to the cats, to ask them what was happening. They just kept shouting at her. Closer and closer they drew to her face; their screams bled their suffering.

She could not understand what they were saying. She could not even speak back to them. Her voice stayed silent, her body still. She struggled, the thunderpath underneath growing dryer. The throbbing in her flank returned. She tried to block it out and listen to the silent cats.

Help... help me.

Littlescent ignored everything around her, trying to find the mystery cat's cry.

Help... help me. Littlescent help me.

The fires disappeared, the muted cats faded away. The pain, the wind, the heat, all vanished. Littlescent sat, still unable to move, watching a bright orange light grow closer and closer.

Littlescent... Littlescent don't leave me here. Don't let me die here.

The light grew brighter, harsher. It drew closer, and the heat returned. The throbbing pain in her flank grew in intensity with the light.

It... it's too late. It's too late, Littlescent. It's too late. I'm already dead.

No, Littlescent thought. She struggled against her unresponsive body. No, just hang on, I'll be there.

No, the voice was calm. No, it's too late, Littlescent. It's too late, Littlescent.

The light, close to her, turned a hideous shade of blood-red. It morphed into the shape of a small cat. It was struggling. Thrashing around. In tremendous pain. Littlescent could almost feel its body burning against her own, as if it was drawing her in.

It's too late, Littlescent. It's too late, Littlescent. It's already over. The voice kept its soft demeanor.

Littlescent's eyes were wide, an unbroken stare on the red cat. The eyes were glowing bright, white, the cat's fur completely consumed by fire. She could see its red flesh; the cat's blood bubbled under the skin. She looked into its bright eyes. They continued to draw closer.

You didn't save me! You didn't save me, Littlescent!

I... I'm sorry. I couldn't—

No excuses, Littlescent. It's too late, Littlescent. Too late for excuses. You left me alone, Littlescent. You left me alone to burn.

Littlescent tried to look away from the vile sight. The burning cat continued to wail and thrash in silence, its words went straight to her mind.

Stop saying my name, Littlescent thought, trying to keep herself hidden. Stop saying my name. There was nothing I could do!

Littlescent, you just had to save me... But you walked away, Littlescent.

The warrior curled her body close.

Stop... please stop saying my name. Stop saying it I'm begging you.

It's too late, Littlescent. You will be punished... eventually... you shall burn alongside me!

Littlescent screamed as she jumped out of the water. Mousetail lost her balance at the sudden outburst and fell from her perch to the floor.

The small warrior was shaking violently, her eyes wide and her tail twitching in all different directions.

"What's wrong, Littlescent," Mousetail said from below. "Did I hit a bad spot on—"

"Please!" Littlescent jumped to the ground, not even shaking the water from her fur. "Please stop saying my name!"

She darted from the room and into the hallway. She continued to breathe and shake violently. The thought of the burning she-cat made her stomach churn. She stopped halfway down the hall and vomited onto the floor, unable to control herself. She stood there, staring at it, trying to get the image of the she-cat out of her head.

"What's wrong? Tell me what happened." Mousetail was already standing next to her. "Don't worry about that."

She continued staring at the red paste in her fit. Mousetail forced her stare away from the mess and towards her own face. Littlescent's tail stopped flicking around and her body slowed it's shaking.

"Littlescent, tell me. Was it something I did? Please, answer me."

She looked straight into the medicine cat's green eyes. "Please... please just don't say my name! Please."

Littlescent felt herself collapse on the floor. Mousetail embraced her and tried to keep her from shaking any more. She began chanting a prayer as she wrapped herself around Littlescent.

"No more... no more of my name. I just... I just wanted to save her, that's all. I just wanted to save her life... I'm sorry!"

The thundering paws of the wildcat waiting outside stomped around the corner. He towered over the pair, claws drawn.

"What's wrong," he said. "I heard screaming and noise."

"Wait outside, please," Mousetail responded. "I handle it."

The wildcat obeyed Mousetail's wishes and was quickly out of sight. The medicine cat continued her slow prayer to StarClan.

Littlescent felt her breathing begin to slow. She had finally snapped from her trance and returned from her own mind.

"I want to be alone right now," she said. "To think about the she-cat. It's all so much–"

"Don't think about she-cat right now," Mousetail responded. "Just think about this place, this hall. Where you are right now, nothing else... now come. I have to clean the mess from your fur.

Littlescent stood, leaning her shaken body on Mousetail's as they walked back to the room with the pool. She kept her eyes firmly open as to not drift off into another hallucination.

Stars above, she thought, staring into the brilliant, orange light that poured across the den.

Stars above what's wrong with me?