Once

Once

Everyone deserves something

good in their life. At least Once.

Once I met someone who I trusted with my life,

Then I was caught.

Now I have to escape,

After I'm driven insane.

 Soon I'll be free,

 Maybe time will tell the story for me?

Once this is all over,

Perhaps I can put it right with him.

My precious son...

How could you do this?

I don't know whether any of you users have read the series by Morris Gleitzmen, but the titles of this series are based off of his book series. Please read his series, it is truly beautiful.

Allegiances

LightningClan

Leader: Shadowstar - black she-cat with sparkly green eyes and long legs

Deputy: Brokenheart - brown striped tabby tom with amber eyes and a lithe form

Apprentice: Silverpaw (silvery gray she-cat with duller amber eyes)

Medicine Cat: Cloudfur - white tom with darker teal eyes and short fur

Warriors:

Oneheart - golden tom with a stocky frame and darker gold stripes

Crowflight - ash-gray she-cat with a slightly shorter tail and ragged fur; scared body from a lifetime's worth of battles

Hailfeather - lighter sandy tom with amber eyes and a darker nose tint

Mintflower - gentle blue-gray she-cat with a kind ice blue gaze and white flecks

Apprentice: Timberpaw (brown ticked tabby tom)

Tigerstripe - darker brown tabby tom with long fur, long claws and shaded stripes

Apprentices:

Silverpaw - silvery gray she-cat with duller amber eyes

Timberpaw - brown ticked tabby tom

Ivycloud - long furred silver tom with amber eyes, short legs and a long tail

Frostrose - white she-cat

tbc

## Prologue

*Once*I trusted a stranger, whom I knew I'd never see again. He seemed so much... Like me. Without parents, without someone who cared, without  life worth living in.

* + -

I take a few more steps towards the dense pine forest, before I pause to let myself catch at least a little breath. I unsheathe my claws and ready myself to fight, my mouth dry from lack of water. I know he won't attack me, but maybe we*ll be ambushed?*  I count down the possibilities one by one, before I move forward three tiny steps.

I keep up this slow pace, my nerves rattling my whole body frame, before I come to a dead stop, directly at the border.
Maybe I'm early? He always promises to meet at sundown, and as I look up into the sun's blinding light, I know I'm not early.

He's late. Suddenly I'm scared. This is the first time I've felt scared in moons. What if he is being held up back at his camp? Ok, that doesn't seem so bad... But what if he's forced to tell his Clanmates about our betrayal?
As doubts cloud my forthought, I search for the nearest tree.

It amazes me how fast I can climb and I'm up in the top branches before you can say 'mouse'. As I draw in a rattling breath after another, I narrow my gaze at every movement, every sound, every scent. I know this forest very well, so I'd easiler recognise something out of place.

A few more minutes pass, until I realize he's not coming. He must have been held up. I leap from the tree and land without disturbing so much as a leaf. I begin the trip back to my own home.

"Shadowstar! I didn't think you'd be back in time!" My gaze is fixed firmly on the ground, unable to meet the eyes of my son. Brokenheart strides up to me, his whole scent drowned out in fury. I shrug and force myself not to flich as I look up and meet his gaze. He's so angry... It's a wonder he's not leaping on me.

I glare at him a while, before stating simply, "I was preocupied." He glares back, but the tips of his lips twitch into a wry grin. He seems to be trying to control his temper, although I do not believe he won't snap. The whole Clan seems to be staring into my back, but when I shake my head only Brokenheart remains staring at me.

He didn't dare question any longer. Instead, he turn his head and tosses it towards my den. "Why don't you rest? You must be exhausted from your little... Adventure." He smirks and lashes his tail, before steering me towards the bracken weaved fortress. Halting right outside the den entrance, I notice a shadow inside of it.
"Who is visiting me at this hour?"

Brokenheart doesn't reply but he turns his smirk into a grim smile. Whoever it is, it cannot be a good thing they are here. I lift my head and call to the shadowed figure:
"Come out of there. No point hiding in there, is there?" I see the figure give a tiny nod and get to their paws.   I nod, trying to conceal a small smile.

The leader of OakClan stands before me.

His icy blue gaze locks with mine and he seems to trying to conceal a smile, too. "Shadowstar," he meows throatily, dipping his head to me as his lips twitch into a grin. I nod to him again, but I have a little more self control, stopping my own grin.

I say to my son, without looking at him, "Brokenheart, leave us." I hear him shuffle his paws nervously, but I know he's padding off when I feel a cold brush tug at my flank fur. We stare at each for a moment, before I ask awkwardly,

"How is OakClan, Cedarstar? How are your new kits? I've missed quite a lot of commotion in the Clans since, ah... My leave. I have very much to catch up on." I flick my tail towards the den. "Shall we?"

Cedarstar leads me into the den and we settle down in the back corner of the den, it being a lot more spacious than I have ever noticed before. We both can lay down. Cedarstar licks his paw and runs it over his left ear, pressing the paw down on a rather inflamed scab.

"It's infected, isn't it?" He doesn't answer, and I respect that. "Well? Excuse my... arrogance, but please answer my previous queries?" Cedarstar looks up, his gaze clouding a little. "OakClan has suffered great losses since the rogues attacked last," he admits carefully, making sure to glare at his paws the whole time.

"My mate, Cloudflower, was lost in our most recent battle." His voice cracks and I reach out a paw and lay it on top of his. We have been leaders alongside each other for seasons upon seasons now; it just seems right to comfort him. We're friends.

"I'm sorry for your losses. What about... the kits?" I barely can hear myself, but Cedarstar clearly hears perfectly. He jerks his head upwards and meets my stare with an ice cold one. "All but one of mine and Cloudflower's litter did not make it to the next morning. And little Skykit is weak. I'm afraid..."

He trails off.

"She'll die, too. Greenfrost is nursing her until she is old enough and strong enough to go without milk." He glares back down at his paws, that have found a stray bramble and are fiddling with it.

"Well? How is LightningClan faring since your... leave, ended?" He doesn't look up, but his voice is strong.

*Uh... Where do I begin?*I bit back the reply, trying not to sound impolite. "Well... We do have new kits, and we also have suffered losses to the rogues." She meows lightly.

tbc