She didn't dare to stop. She only ran. Running was the only thing she could do to keep living. Get away from there. Get away, she thought with a determined glare in her dangerous, pale, amber eyes.

     "Mother, I can't run anymore!" A squeal behind her moaned pitifully. She cast a brief look over her shoulder. The voice belonged to her oldest kit who struggling to keep up with her strides. The kit - her daughter - didn't complain. She kept up with her brother but she still failed to keep up with her mother.

     Her latest kit, a she-cat, dangled in her jaws limply. A she-cat and in her stomach, which dragged across the muddy ground, was another seed of life. She refused to stop for her kits. Getting out alive was the main priority – even if it meant pushing her four moon old kits.

     "Mother, wait!" The daughter yelled and yelped. Casting a brief glance behind, she saw her daughter lay on the ground with her back leg laying askew. Her brother stopped for her and grabbed her fluffy pelt by the scruff, dragging her along the muddy grass determinedly. Making a split-second decision, she raced back to the two kits protectively, sheltering them from the pounding rain above.

     Around the darkened and damp forest, the ground trembled with the incoming paw steps of other cats. Though they were faint, the she-cat felt her paws shake harder and harder, each paw hitting the ground, causing a tremor to shoot across her body and make her stumble. They were catching up; she didn't need super senses to know that or warn her kits about the danger. They looked up at her fearfully, their eyes glinting like glass in the dark.

     "Get on and hold on," she ordered, forcefully grabbing ahold of them and throwing them onto her back. Her daughter let out a yowl once she hit her mother's pelt. "Be stronger than that wound," she snarled, showing no sympathy for her pain. Her son gently nudged her, giving her some kind of little support. Once she'd deemed them ready, she sprinted off in the other direction, kicking pebbles and twigs out behind her.

     She ran for what seemed like moons and felt like she wasn't even moving a kit's paw length. The path below her was the same old texture, a basic dirt pathway disguised as a paradise, but was only a mere disguise for the hidden tribe under it. If she could make it far enough and cut left, then they would never be able to catch her, let alone want to retrieve her afterwards. Her chest heaved back and forth as she struggled to run with the weight pushing her further down. No matter how far she could run, the pawprints and scent trail she left would or could be her downfall.

     Riding on her back, her two kits remained silent and acted as watch guards. They scanned the area weakly, trying to spot the faintest movements in the forest. With ears perked up, the son had his head and attention directed behind them. His sharp eyes glowed translucently in the night, not giving into the feeling of fear. Beside him, his sister glanced up and then rested her head back down, her tiny body desperately trying to regain the lost energy.

     "Mother, what if we don't make it---" Shadows jumped down from the trees, the dark shapes looking like massive raindrops. She skidded to a halt and instantly raised her fur, a growl stirring inside of her as she drew her claws out. About five cats surrounded her, keeping the circle around her tight, leaving no space for her to jump out of. The two figures on her growled but the sound was drowned out by the falling rain and the pitter-patter of them splashing onto the leaves.

     "What are you doing?" One cat demanded, voice like ice. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight when he spoke, sending a shiver down her kit's backs. The other cats around him nodded in sync. She flattened her ears, biting into the soft fur of the kit in her jaws.

     "What does it look like?" She challenged. The tom's eyes slowly examined her, eyes lingering on the newborn kit and then they trailed over to the ones of her back. She adjusted her position to shield them from his view, but the other cats surrounding her got a glimpse of them.

     Touch any of them and die, she thought, trying to keep an eye on all of them at the same time. She wasn't prepared for one of the cats to leap and crash onto her back with the weight of a boulder. The kits let out a surprised yelp, one of them falling onto the ground. She whirled around, using her skills she learned to her advantage and avoided stepping on the kit as she spun. Another cat took action and snatched the kit into the air.

     "Give her back!" From the voice, she knew that they took the daughter. Rage burned inside of her and she whirled around to take her back. The other cat grabbed her son off her back freely, his claws scraping against her spine as he was yanked away. He let out a cry and hollered for her. An explosion of rage sparked off, her claws sinking further into the ground to prevent any harm to the only kit she had left.

     "Put down the other kit," the tom hissed. "If you do, then maybe we can talk this out peacefully."

     "Peacefully?" She snarled, her eyes already working out a new strategy. "How do I know you won't slaughter them?"

     "You out of all cats should know that a kit's a kit," he countered, walking closer to her. "We could use some new Warriors or Scouters."

     Growling, she turned to another cat approaching her, handing off the other kit before her eyes. Her gaze never left the bundle of fur until she saw the cat turn around and watch. Her muscles tightened up, preparing to attack at any moment. The she-cat flattened her ears as the tom began to lecture.

     "Why are you trying to run?"

     "Why are you treating me like a kit?" She demanded, lowering her tail. Her eyes laid upon his exposed neck, her claws twitching eagerly, waiting for the chance to sink into his flesh. She forced her fur to lie flat as she began to process another plan. Getting rid of the other four cats just with her strength wouldn't be easy. If she could catch them off guard, then her plan might work.

     "Don't you love this tribe? You were always such an obedient one, too," he taunted.

     "Looks like I'm going through a rebellious stage," she answered, keeping her voice low.

     "Then we'll have to---"

     She lashed out like a viper, striking the tom and pinning him down. Her claws sunk mercilessly into his shoulders, the blood starting to flow. He was taken back by surprise but recovered, bringing his legs up and thrusting them up, hitting her swollen stomach and sending a painful wave throughout her body.

     You will not cut this kit out from me! She roared, forcing it away and attacking. Her paw lashed across his face, claws raking down his left eye. Getting her chance back, the she-cat forced herself on the cat and began to shred him, using her back legs to tear fur from his underbelly away like he was nothing more than prey. Her front claws sunk into his shoulders deeper and deeper as her back legs did most of the work. Blood flowed out of the wound she created and it only increased her rage. Strength and life draining out from him, the tom could only raise a paw to defend himself. She snapped her jaws around it, not letting go and waiting to hear the crack of bone. It didn't come and she only received the foul taste of blood.

     The cats in the circle could only stare wide-eyed as she easily overpowered him. A basic rule they were all taught in that tribe: never interfere with another cat's battle. That would risk imperfection for both you and the other cat. Away from the tribe, she was free to break any rule that was drilled into her mind since day one. The tom let out a mangled cry into the night, his eyes rolling to the top of his head as he fell limp.

     Stepping away from her kill, she turned to the other four cats. They didn't move, seeming to come up with a new plan. She spotted her kits dangling in the jaws of three of them, staring wide-eyed at her as well. The cat who wasn't holding any of her kits became her next target. Lifting a paw, they all jumped in sync, fur spiking out madly.

     "Are you scared of me?" She questioned, twisting her body to get a better jump.

     "No," one replied. "Our orders were to kill you, and that's what we intend to finish."

     "See you in the Never-Ending Shadows," she declared and leapt.

     The other cat, this one a she-cat, dove under her and sprang from there. She was thrown to the side and she tumbled to the ground. Before she could get up, her foe crashed on her and pinned her down, eyes blazing with fury.

     "This is for Thicket!" She spat, raising a paw and slashing it down her neck. Three scars dragged down her flesh, drawing some blood. She fought back, shaking the paw away before it could sink any further. Using what strength she had left, she and the other cat grappled with one another. Her claws reached up as far as they could go, scraping the sides of her paw. The she-cat leaned down to bite her.

     Yanking one of her paws away at the last second, she slashed it across her face, a yowl erupting from her. The she-cat's paw slammed down on her chest, opening up another wound. Withdrawing her paw, she shoved it back up, her paw smashing into her neck. The shock loosened the grip the slightest bit. With her other paw, she threw both of them up and hooked them against the sides of her neck and began to push. The she-cat howled and madly raked her own paws at her to shake her off.

     Bringing her back legs up, she threw the she-cat off forcefully. The cat went soaring. Still on her back, she tried to regain some breath and get back up to fight. Shakily, she faced the other cat. The body remained limp and unmoving. She raced toward it and observed it, noticing that the neck was twisted in an odd way and her eyes stared into nothing.

     Now only three cats remained, but her body had already suffered enough wounds.

     "Are we going to... continue?" she gasped, coughing up blood.

     "Do you think you can win?" The cat holding her son demanded.

     "Only if you decide to stick to your code and stupid tribe," she hissed, preparing for the next fight. By the time this was taking, a Spy overhead could've run back to the camp and warned the others about her escape plan. The Alpha would surely come out to deal with her, she knew.

     We have to finish this up soon or we're all dead.

     "Our tribe is a gift from the Tribe of Endless Stars," the same cat stated sharply. "It's an honor that you're even born into this world."

     "No," she corrected. "It's an honor that we're all born with our own minds to think what we want, not what some other cat wants. I've made up my mind to leave and if you stand in my way, I have no other choice than to eliminate you. So what's it going to be? Are you going to back down or am I going to have to kill this pathetic excuse for a cat?"

     "Stop---!" Another cat began to protest, this one holding her weakened daughter. Without a second thought, she lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and she ripped her daughter out of his jaws. The kit let out a startled yelp, squirming away from her kidnapper. The she-cat slashed her paw across his face, her claws going directly for his eyes to keep him down. Whirling around, she sprung at the one holding her newborn kit, throwing him to the ground.

     Her daughter was tossed aside roughly for her to grab her newborn. The other cat fought back to her disappointment. Lashing a paw at her face, she let out a howl as the thorns got in the right eye. Red clotted her vision, making her pause. Instead of fighting, the tom under her slipped beneath her paws and raced off, a roar cracking her throat until it burst.

     They'll pay...! She promised through gritted teeth.

     Her cry was the signal for other cats to come out of the forest like shadows. Cats of scents that she didn't recognize fell around her and began to attack, their fighting techniques different than the one in front or beside them. The other two enemies let out a cry for help, but that was only replaced by the sound of snarling cats. She braced herself to join the fight when a tom raced beside her, forcing her back down.

     "Relax, you've done enough fighting," he assured, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

     "My kit..." she struggled to say, fighting to get back up. The other tom stepped in front of her, trying to block her. "Get out of my way!" She snarled, raising a paw.

     "You can't chase after them! You're in no condition to even fight anymore!" He declared. "We'll send a patrol after them and take it back."

     "Send it now!" She demanded, fur bristling. Her kits looked up at the other tom with round eyes, waiting for his next move. "Do something! The moment they get my kit into that tribe, we're never getting her back!"

     "Don't worry, they can't get that far." He twisted around to a nearby group of cats. "Quail! Take two cats and go after the retreating cat! Spruce, we need help!" The figures broke off, three cats running down the path and soon, they disappeared out of her view. Another tom padded up to her, instructing her to lay down.

     The battle around them had ended the moment the other tribe had come to rescue. He didn't let her down after all. Her eyes scanned the area for the pelt of her mate, but it never came. Sensing her, the tom beside her quietly called out.

     "Valley," he commanded and a cat emerged from the darkness, instinctively running over to her. The kits jumped up at his appearance, inching closer to their mother. She nudged them over to the tom, pushing them to him. Her daughter lay unmoving, yet she could feel a small, faint pulse beating inside her. Her son slowly made his way over to the older tom and, for the first time, embraced his father.

     "I lost one... I lost..." she stumbled, the weight of her injuries finally giving in and making her trip. Her mate caught her, being support she could lean onto. "I'm sorry..."

     "You did more than enough," he reassured her, whispering softly into her ear. "It's my turn to protect our kits, I'll save the other one."

     "Va---" The Tribe of Never-Ending Shadows or Endless Stars closed her eyes, forcing her to rest. Her mate slowly lowered her body to the ground to let Spruce heal her. He shook his head at her stubbornness while the son, whatever his name was, walked up to her and curled beside her. The other pelt of the daughter lay next to her as well, her chest syncing up with the one of her brother.

     "Rest, today's nightmare will be over," he gently told all three of them. As much as he wanted to believe his words true, the world told him otherwise. Everycat knew that the moment they opened their eyes, left or right.

     It was a harsh world where failure and perfection played behind the scenes like a spider. The world only accepted the strong and superior tribe – which was the one that sat at the top of the mountain peak. Shining in the sun lay a paradise disguised as torment for cats. Mistakes would only bring failure, and one simple trip or stumble risked going the Tribe of Never-Ending Shadows. This was the same nightmare over and over.

     This was the Tribe of Shining Suns.