Morningecho:

Lavender-hued eyes softened with a touch of regret as familiar grief entered the eyes of the Healer, a soft sigh escaping the she-cat's lips. The method of coping with everything that happened today, had struck a nerve that was raw for many cats of PineClan, as many had seen immeasurable loss that haunted every single one of them. Gently extending her closest paw, Morningecho touched the she-cat's shoulder with the pink of her pads, her eyes mirroring the feeling of the Healer. "I'm sorry, Gentlebreeze." Soft words, reserved for the she-cat, were murmured with sadness and aching pain. To take the thought seriously, that death could be whispering on the wind for Morningecho, it scared the she-cat deeply, threatening the memories that were painted across her fur to re-emerge and force her to relive each true brush with death. 

Dropping her paw, Morningecho twitched her ear at the words of the Healer, her gaze solemn as they stared out behind her into the den that was almost familiar and comforting as the scents of herbs steadied her heart, and calmed her. "Do you think, I will ever belong here?" Her words were softer, weaker as the exhaustion took the chance of her calmness to drag her from her consciousness, her eyes slowly blinking away the blur as her painfully tense muscles finally relaxed. "Though, I suppose right now this feels more like home." A coldness seeped into her murmured words, remembering the reality of her life. Some days, she spent more time in the medicine den the she did training, even if it was to hide from the yowls outside of fighting cats, another spit relighting the struggle for power. 

Other times, she was in a nest that wasn't too different from this one, innocent eyes full of teary mirth that threatened to spill down her cheeks, the young mind struggling to wrap around the harshness of this world. Sooner or later, that naivety was hardened by the reality, and it groomed a she-cat that felt safer amongst the chaos, than she did in the peace of the aftermath, no matter how much she desperately longed for this new life. The anxiety, the anger, and the unshakable suspicion of every cat that stepped too close to her. Trusting in half measures, nothing scared Morningecho more than taking the leap, and blindly having faith in any cat again. 

Nobody could hurt you again if you didn't give them the power to do so.

Words were stuck on Morningecho's lips as she gave pause, the tangy scent of Nettlesnap hardening her soft gaze as periwinkle eyes followed the tom as he stepped into the den, that coldness thawing into an inferno as she watched the cat settle into a nest, playing with a feather that lined the mosses. Those relaxed muscles once more rippled as they tensed, bunching together as the haze of her mind was washed away as if she was splashed with freezing water. Remaining obediently still, Morningecho fell silent as discomfort oozed through every pore on the she-cat, feeling vulnerable lying here with a cat that had earned a healthy dose of distrust from the molly. 

When Morningecho looked upon Nettlesnap, she didn't see a warrior to protect her flank as they fought side by side, instead she saw a rogue waiting to claw her in the back should she let down her guard. 

She saw the enemy.