She had returned to her thoughts, the twisted visions of the Twoleg nests around her and the sharp crackles of the fires that burned them.

She drew closer and closer to the fire, almost feeling its white-hot embers scorching her pelt. But it was not her it would harm.

Littlescent, help! It burns, it hurts so bad.

The faint voice of the she cat projected from the fire. Littlescent ran towards it now, the Twoleg nests and the inferno around her melting away in the void. The fire she ran towards drew further away.

Hurry, Littlescent. I don't want to die yet, please! Help me, Littlescent!

She was in full sprint now, bolting across the rough terrain as fast as her body would carry her. Her pads grew hotter, but she kept pushing.

I'll be there, just please... hold on! Hold on, I'm coming!

Littlescent! You must go faster! I can't hold on forever!

She pushed even more, feeling the familiar ache of her bones, the heat of her body began to take its toll.

Help me! Littlescent... help me.

It was just her and the fire now; everything around her was black. She could see the twisted prison that the poor pet was being held in. She could see her body thrashing and beating against it as the flames began to slowly consume her.

Littlescent, I can't... I can't... hold on... Littlescent.

Yes you can! Yes you can just... wait for me! I'm coming. I will save you this time!

The fire matched her pace. The closer she got to it, the faster it moved away. Fatigue began to take over. Her muscles ached, her mouth was dry, and her body was hot. Too hot to allow her to keep going.

No, no! Don't quit now! Useless body. Forget the heat, a cat is dying!

She could not continue. She felt her sprint return to a trot. Her tongue slumped out of her mouth. She began panting as hard as she could in a vain effort to cool herself off. The pain in her muscles was excruciating, the burning agony blurring her vision.

Mousedung... I'm overheated... useless body...

... It's too late, Littlescent. It's too late.

Her eyes were fixed on the fire as she watched the form of the pet within catch. She quickly ceased her thrashing and fell to the ground, limp.

The fire grew once more. It began to surround her, consuming the black void around her. The ground collapsed from under her, sending everything into a freefall. But she was too tired to react.

She no longer felt her body; it just became a heated mess. Her skin felt like it was burning. She fell completely still, moaning in pain between her quick, raspy breaths for the air that became thinner and thinner around her.

I can't... I can't go on... I can't...

You can't save me, Littlescent. You never saved me, Littlescent.

No, I... can't move... I'm sorry. This heat.

There are no excuses. You failed. You failed to save my life, Littlescent.

Please... please go away and...

You failed me, Littlescent. You failed us all. All those innocent pets, all their lives wasted... all because of you, Littlescent.

Please go away and... stop saying my name.

The blaze completely surrounded her now. Hot wind blew from below, only worsening her heat fatigue.

You tire quickly, Littlescent. Or are you just slow? Either way your body did not fail you. You failed us. You killed us, Littlescent.

Please... go away... no more... I'm sorry.

You want us to go away, Littlescent? You already made us do that, Littlescent. Now it's time for you to go away.

The surrounding inferno crept closer, changing from orange to a blinding white. The flames licked at her pelt, but she continued to fall without resistance. Her breaths became heavy and deep. She was gasping for air that no longer existed.

Go away, Littlescent. Go away just like you made us do.

Let me stay... don't take me...

Go away, Littlescent. Just like we did. Stay here with us, Littlescent, forever. Stay her with us, Littlescent, in the fire... yes; the fire is your new home, Littlescent.

Hel... Help me out... don't take me.

Go away, Littlescent. Just like us...

Go away!

She scrambled to her paws. Her fur stood on end, claws unsheathed.

Littlescent looked around; she was still underneath the large Twoleg bridge where she was held before. The pitch-black walls remained unlit by the absent moonlight. She could not even see the snake-monster path further down the tunnel. Her fur waved just slightly in the moist, ash-laced breeze.

She found herself panting. Her legs already faltering beneath her, her vision still blurred. Little white dots soon clouded it as she fell back to the ground, landing right in a pile of mud.

The cool of the grime gave her no comfort. A stinging pain ran throughout the right side of her body. Her vision was still disorienting, her body still heated. She continued to pant short, light breaths as if the fire was still surrounding her. It took her a moment to get her bearings again.

This mud would've felt nice for any other cat, she thought. Times like this when I wish I could cool myself the right way... Why don't the visions just leave me alone?

She tried her legs again, but they refused to cooperate. She managed to sit up and search her surroundings again. She still saw the same dark stones that made up the structure. Towards her left, the brown Twoleg objects hissed and vented; they did not shine, though.

The moon must still be hidden.

She slowly turned her neck behind her, gazing upon the massive entrance that had let her see the stars before. The black haze remained persistent, not letting a slither of light through. Only the hot breeze came.

The small warrior began to slowly drag herself out of the mud puddle she sat in. White dots invaded her vision again. Strength sapped from her forelegs as she struggled to move even a pawstep forward. The panting became worse; she could feel the heat pulsing though her body as she collapsed again, only halfway out of the puddle.

Rolling over, Littlescent laid on her back, waving her paws back and forth through the air before falling back to her side. She looked towards her right flank. Her chafed and pink skin was covered in mud. She could feel the heat swirling around below it.

I... I don't think I've ever... let myself get this heated before. It's just... just like that night.

She dug her paw pads as far as she could in the cool mud, continuing to pant heavily and lie motionless.

So... this must be what it feels like... to be on fire. I... I don't like it. I hate this feeling. I wish I... could just be in the medicine den. Fleetheart... Fleetheart would know exactly what to do.

But I... it's only my second night here. Only two nights... and I'm already... I'm already dying. Wolfgang would be mocking me... Panzer would scold me... and Fleetheart would just... it doesn't matter.

She attempted, again, to drag herself from the mud. She could not even get her front paws out. She winced as she felt her body temperature rise even more. Breathing once again became a struggle.

Littlescent began moaning into the darkness of the tunnel. Aimlessly moving her head around and crying out whatever direction she was facing. Her jaw began to ache as she opened again. She fell silent as blood began to trickle from her missing tooth. Her stomach twisted in different directions, along with her head.

Am I really dying... it feels like it. My body is so hot. And I can't move... those wildcats... I haven't eaten anything since I was captured. I need... something. I'm just too weak right now. I'm just too weak.

Or was I always too weak... the runt of my litter. Attacked by my own mother. I don't even remember... I don't want to remember. I guess... I guess it doesn't matter anyway. If I was strong like my littermates must've been... maybe I wouldn't even be in StoneClan. I would be out there... a loaner. But I might be a strong cat.

I would be a strong cat. One who wouldn't get captured by wildcats... one who wouldn't make their clanmates worry about her. One who... one who wouldn't be the cause of her clan's destruction. I am the cause of all this. The wildcats... would've never made a move if I hadn't been captured. If I hadn't been captured, I could help search the ruins for cats.

If I hadn't been captured... I wouldn't have let Longstar and Yellowstar take the blame for what happened. It wasn't their fault... I was the one that was with them that night.

Littlescent hacked up some of the blood as it tricked down her throat. She waved around her paws in the mud, now warm from her body heat. She waved her tail around for the first time since she had woken. But she did not try to leave the mud puddle.

I deserve to be in this mud. Those pets... those pets were with me. They were my responsibility, mine. And I failed them. I failed Yellowstar. Worse, I failed StarClan... I failed the Stars, which I pray to every night. The Stars that gave me this gift of no scent... now here I am, my own gift... turned against me like this. Is this... punishment?

Is it? They will not tell me, anyway... they will not tell me anything. The Stars have never spoken back... not even to Panzer. Or Mousetail, or Yellowstar. No one in my lifetime. The Stars refuse to communicate with me. With anyone... and the others.

The wildcats... they are losing faith. Our clan... Fleetheart says our belief wavers. And Panzer is calling the orders because Longstar... poor Longstar. He grieves for what is not his fault. And Yellowstar... no. She would never lose her faith in StarClan. Not ever. Her whole clan is based on it. But she grieves... like I've never seen. I could've... I could've helped her. Just maybe if I wasn't here, I could've gotten through to her.

Littlescent tried nudging herself out of the mud puddle again, only managing to wiggle her tail out and move up slightly. Her panting returned as she felt her flank heat uncomfortably. She sat her freed front paws at the edge of the puddle, digging them into the soft ground.

But here I am. And everyone is watching me. My clan, the wildcats, BreezeClan, the Stars. Wait... are the Stars watching me? Are they? Or do they stay behind those clouds... waiting again. Waiting for us to destroy ourselves. Waiting for me to die?

Or are they even waiting for me. Horsepelt doesn't seem to think so. I'm almost certain... that traitor stopped believing in StarClan, along with the rest of his clan. I still can't believe he went against me like that. We could've brought peace to both our clans, together. I'm sure Longstar and Whitetail would've agreed to it.

I wonder what Mousetail thinks about all this. I know she's watching, too. She's just watching it all, like the others. Panzer, Yellowstar, Mousetail... could they all have seen something different? Mousetail saw all of our destruction, Yellowstar saw us as saviors, and Panzer saw the rise of our clan. What was StarClan doing? Why would they send three different messages to us?

She waved her hind legs as fast as she could, barely gathering the breath to finally push herself out of the mud puddle. Littlescent went back to her rapid breaths. She shut her eyes, losing her vision again to the white dots. Her flank was burning, but only her tail was left in the mud.

Augh! This burns... it feels like my flanks are on fire! Why this agony, StarClan?

Littlescent's eyes floundered open, straining all her muscles to glance over her body at the large entrance behind her. The glint of the moonlight was absent; the night sky was still black.

Her head thumped back to the ground as she shut her eyes again. Her muscles stopped fighting, settling with the heat. She felt her body go limp and numb.

No answer... I've realized something. I've never had an answer from you. Every time I pray, every time I bless a fresh-kill, any time I speak about Bonbon, I get no answer. No response. Not even a signal to show you've heard me.

So... why do I still call on you for help? You're my ancestors. You're supposed to show us the way. But the way things are going now, there will only be destruction. That is, if our clan decides not to surrender.

You could've resolved this. Just give us another sign on what the clans are supposed to do now. I want to trust you. I want to continue to believe you control the fate of the clans with your messages. But I've never been alive to hear you. There are three separate messages. And you have never shown any signs that you hear my prayers, or the prayers of any other cat. Unless LeafClan is praying for our destruction, there hasn't been a whole lot of return from you, StarClan.

I should still believe. I still want to believe, but... it's so hard when all this is happening. Many cats have died at my paws; my clan could be destroyed because of me. My life as I know it is over. The life my clanmates know is over. And it all comes back to me. And all comes back to you.

Her body was closing in on her. It grew heavier as her head grew lighter. She knew she wouldn't last much longer.

Whatever you have planned... please, please show me. Show me why I must be tortured. Show me what my purpose is... because I'm not sure I can trust you like this. I'm not sure... I just need direction... don't let me go away without a purpose...

Her body finally forced her back to sleep, leaving her unconscious under the dark sky.