An Ounce of Rest [C]

❒ It was so sudden that not even a peep could leave him. One minute he was hanging onto the fox below him—sturdy and tight—and the next minute found him sprawled on the ground. He scrambled up with wide eyes and briefly glanced over at Iceheart. "I'm fi-" He stiffened, blood running icy cold at the screech that left Iceheart. His heart was threatening to hammer out of his chest. "ICEHEART!" he cried out. He nearly abandoned the other fox in desperation to help her but immediately stopped once he saw his best friend sinking her jaws into the other fox's throat.

❒ The sight nearly made him crumple in relief. She was hurt—there was no doubt about that—but she was alive. She was still standing. She was still here with him. He shoved back the sobs that wanted to wrack his body and turned to face their last opponent. The sound of his name from Ice's voice gave him the strength he needed to keep going. One of their opponents was down for good so it was now two versus one favoring them. They could do this.

❒ Without giving the fox time to recover from its time pinned under him, the large warrior struck and sliced the orange-pelted beast with precise claws. He tried his best to aim at the eyes in an attempt to blind it but alas, it didn't quite work. At least he hurt it quite a bit. Now that Iceheart was free, they could properly watch each other's backs.

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❒ Now that the fox was no longer held down, it was free to unleash its fury against Forest, much to said tom's fear and dismay. Standing face to face with a growling fox was a thing of nightmares. He couldn't even move away even if he wanted to. The thing was just too quick. It lunged forward and snapped its jaws closed on another limb and this time, Forest screamed.

❒ It was total agony for the tom. The painful iron grip the fox had on him was making him sick. It hurt like nothing else. He wouldn't be surprised if it was broken. It sure felt like it. Everything looked and sounded like it was underwater. His pants became raspy and sluggish. He urged—even begged—himself to stay standing. He needed to stay awake. He needed to help Iceheart with this beast. He didn't want her hurt anymore.

❒ The grey-and-white cat gasped when Iceheart crashed against the fox's side, effectively releasing its hold on Forest's leg. He grunted and without his permission, his whole body collapsed. He was dizzy with pain and nothing made sense to him anymore. However, the familiar muffled voice of Iceheart had him force his eyes open. It was the clarity he desperately desired in the world that was currently smothering him. He sluggishly searched for her and once he spotted her above him, he tried to lift his head. "I-Iceheart..." he croaked, voice wavering as he struggled to breathe. He shut his eyes tight for a moment before prying them open with even more force. He growled and began to vigorously heave himself from the cold, unforgiving ground. He bit his tongue to try and power through the hurt. He wheezed once he managed to shakily balance himself onto three paws. This wasn't an ideal situation but he couldn't give up now. It was almost over. As morbid as it seems, he was glad that he had taken the brunt of the attacks—better him than Iceheart.

❒ He struggled to lift his head but once he did, he locked weary amber eyes to Ice's worried ones. "Ice..." He briefly glanced at the fox that was wheezing on the ground then his attention went back to his companion. He was momentarily mesmerized as he stared at his longtime best friend. He shook himself from his stupor. Now was not the time to get lost in his head.

❒ A determined expression crossed his tired face. "I'm not giving up," he grunted. He shook his head vehemently. "You've given me the strength I need. Let's end this. Together."

❒ Forest's head swerved to look at the fox. He limped over to the downed predator and then looked down at the leg he was favoring. His other one also continued to burn but he didn't care. At that moment, he made up his mind. It may not be the best idea. It may even be an extremely stupid idea but he wanted to hurt the fox. There was time to cry later. The adrenaline was starting to wear off so he needed to act fast before the pain really set in.

❒ The warrior shakily lifted himself onto his back legs then in a swift movement, he brought down the least injured front paw onto the fox's head. The cry that emitted from it made Forest feel better. The way its ugly face was painfully shoved into the ground satisfied him even more. His leg really hurt now but at least he had weakened the fox further. It was worth it in his eyes. However, that didn't mean he wasn't already feeling the effects. He knew he didn't have much time left before he was forced to sit down and stay down. He just hoped that the battle will be over before then. He had to hold on. He had to!

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❒ He turned to Iceheart and gave her a shaky, sheepish smile. "B-Before you say anything about that, I wanted my revenge... It was worth it," he paused before quickly adding, "But just know that I won't be doing it again..."

❒ Forestbreeze felt like an utter fool. Despite his earlier words of his actions being "worth it", they definitely weren't worth Iceheart's worried looks, her brief scolding words, or the way he now had to rely mostly on Ice to hold him up. A pang of guilt made his breath hitch. It... certainly wasn't his brightest idea. Putting himself in more pain for something as idiotic as revenge... He was well aware that Iceheart won't be letting that go just like that. As he watched her kill the fox, he bit the inside of his cheek. His mind began to lose itself in his thoughts. What if the roles had been reversed? What if it had been Iceheart putting herself in more pain for nothing? He could already feel the anxiety and anger rising up within him. He sucked in a breath. Oh Starclan, he never thought of how it might affect her. He was acting so selfishly. He messed up.

❒ The tom jolted out of his thoughts when the familiar warmth of his companion pressed against him. He wisely kept his silence, heart beating too quick for him to even utter anything. He allowed himself to be led away from the slain beasts that had nearly been the end of them both. Just thinking about that made him shiver, made him sick and distressed. It had almost been the end. They had cut it too close. Only Starclan knows how differently it could have ended—how terribly it could have gone. Yes, even worse than it had gone. They were both worse for wear and this had been the best possible outcome for this scenario. He felt himself tense up, breathing picking up. Oh, stars... Thank everything for having allowed them to keep their lives. They walked out of this still breathing, still together. However, he nearly messed it all up. He flinched. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! He wanted to yell at himself. He was scared to look at Iceheart. He knew she wasn't in any way happy—who would be after what they'd gone through?—but she'd be especially unhappy after his little stunt. She must be furious.

❒ As the adrenaline slowly wore off, the screams of his injuries were ringing in his head as clear as day. He was slowly teetering but forcibly corrected himself. He hated putting more pressure on Iceheart but he was slowly losing his strength to continue walking. One of his legs was broken, the other felt as good as broken, and his blood was still sluggishly dripping down from all his wounds. It was getting harder to breathe but he held on. For Iceheart's sake, he held on. She had always been his rock, the one who held him together. From the moment he had first met her to now, she was a constant but she wasn't infallible. Nothing made that clearer than tears that began to roll down her face. He hadn't noticed at first but the glint of the little droplets had caught his peripheral vision. The sight of Iceheart's tears caused great agony to befall his chest. He felt his mouth go dry but no words could come out—he begged for even a peep but nothing.

❒ The tense, suffocating silence was suddenly filled by a soft voice. He turned to look at her. He was having trouble meeting her eyes but he forced himself to do so. He owed her at least that. She deserved so much better, though.

❒ He swallowed thickly as he kept quiet, letting her speak. Her words made his heart clench but he knew they were right. Painfully right but still right. He deserved it. He didn't refute anything. Ratrunner had taught him better than that. What would he say if he had seen him do something so foolish? She said it because she cared and she was scared—she was scared for someone she considered very important and said someone she had nearly lost. What distressed him the most was seeing Iceheart fall apart right in front of his eyes and he had contributed to that.

❒ Forest sunk down with her, movements shaky and strained. He relished the way their foreheads pressed together. It reassured him that they were still there. They had both lost so many people they cared for. Losing her would be it for him. He just wouldn't be able to go on. He could only face loss so many times before he was completely worn down.

❒ Swallowing thickly, he shakily pressed his nose against her cheek. He finally found his voice. "I-I'm sorry," he croaked, "I'm so sorry. P-Please. I'm sorry. I'm still here..." He quietly sobbed as he buried his face in her chest. "I-I was foolish. I should've thought before I acted. I swear I-I would never do anything to hurt myself purposely. I was blinded b-by my anger and exhaustion. I let my feelings control me... Ratrunner taught me better..." He broke the contact to look into her eyes. "I-I was terrified. You- I could've lost you today. We could've lost each other." His breath hitched. "O-Oh Starclan. Iceheart." He pressed his cheek against hers. "We're still alive... I refuse to leave you. I-I'll fight to stay by your side. I won't leave you alone... J-Just don't leave me alone..."