A/N: Without this author's note, this oneshot is 1265 words, just enough for the challenge. It isn't the longest thing I've ever written, but I enjoy it anyway. This is written for a challenge at the Misc, where we had to write a oneshot between 1000 and 3100 words. I was aiming for 1500, but 1200 will have to do. It also had to start with 'He/She couldn't believe his/her eyes', and mention a strong wind somehwere in it. I decided that the song 'Second Chance' by Shinedown would be a good song to go with it, so I titled it Second Chance. This is not a songfic, even though I used one lyric from the song in this story. See if you can spot it!

I don't own Warriors, or the song 'Second Chance' by Shinedown.

~Skyst

She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Life was coming to an end. Nothing else mattered any longer. Both of her secrets were out. Her mother would be punished, no doubt, but her siblings would keep her second secret.

She was a murderer. She killed a Clanmate in cold blood. She recalled how it felt, blood coursing through her veins like a furious river.

Ashfur was dead, she knew that much. Where he went, however, she didn’t know. Did he join StarClan, or go to the Dark Forest from trying to kill Firestar, the Clan leader.

She watched water swirl around her paws, and heard rocks crashing down on the entrance. She knew StarClan was giving her a sign- ThunderClan was no longer her home.

But where did she belong? Did she belong with her father, to run on the wide open ground of WindClan? Did she belong here, in these caves, as a loner? Did she perhaps belong to death, to be killed here?

But, if she died… where would she go? She had killed a Clanmate; that would send her to the Dark Forest, to wander alone forever. But she had done it in defense of her aunt, and in defense of all the Clans. Wouldn’t that, coupled with her adherence to the warrior code, send her to StarClan? How she wished Jayfeather were here now, to give her advice, comfort, and single word. She wouldn’t even mind if he called her a treacherous piece of crowfood.

She wanted someone to speak with.

She realized that she had a potential mate in Mousewhisker. The tom was one of her closest friends. Now, however, she believed she would never see him again.

She wouldn’t bother asking StarClan for advice at the moment. If she made it out, she vowed she would go to the MoonPool. She realized that she had to find a way out to live.

Where would she go? She though once more about where she belonged. Her father would not recognize her as his daughter, he had already disowned her. She had no connections with RiverClan, so she would not go there. She knew cats in ShadowClan, but the Clan would surely turn her down.

Did she belong anywhere? Once more, the thought of being a loner entered her mind. She could find Sol, find out more about the prophecy…

The prophecy. She was one of the three. How could she fulfill the prophecy if she could no longer speak with her siblings? What did the prophecy entail?

She couldn’t die if she had the power of stars in her paws. StarClan must want her to live. She looked around the caverns, and to her surprise, spotted a cat. His coat was ginger and white, and his green eyes stared at her.

The tom said nothing, he only padded towards her. He glanced at a tunnel from the cave they were in, and took off down the tunnel. She followed, racing after him. He didn’t look back, but only ran faster.

She raced down the twisting tunnel, scattering pebbles as she ran. She heard a rumble from behind her.

It was another rockfall. She knew once more that StarClan was on her side; after all, they sent her this tom to guide her, and the rockfalls to block where she wasn’t meant to go. The tom ducked into a tunnel off the main one, and she followed him.

It couldn’t be. It looked like a dead end. The tom had led her into a dead end! She hissed in frustration, until the tom squeezed through a small hole in the wall of the cave. She followed, growling as her black fur got stuck in the jagged edges. She pushed through, leaving behind clusters of fur. The tom glanced at her, and turned right at the fork in the tunnel. She followed, hearing rocks crumble behind her.

Where was StarClan leading her? Where was the tom taking her?

Again, she contemplated where she belonged. Perhaps StarClan would give her answers once she made it to the MoonPool. The tom looked at her, and pointed with his nose to a tunnel. She couldn’t see where it led, but the tom was leaving her.

Come on! She wanted to tell him. You can come with me. As if he heard her thoughts, the tom shook his head. She glared at him, begging him to come with her. Sadly, the tom brought his paw down towards hers… and it went right through.

You aren’t alive… she thought. Sighing, she dipped her head towards the cat. He nodded, and padded back down the tunnel the way they came.

He won’t have any trouble with the rockfalls since he’s a ghost, she thought, padding down the tunnel. Soon, she had reached the end, and the end was in fact an opening. It led out right on the WindClan-ThunderClan border, right by the lake. She turned, and began heading towards the path that led to the MoonPool.

A sudden rustle in some branches made her turn her head. A mouse scurried out, and she pounced on it, killing it instantly. She ravenously tore into the mouse, licking the sides of her mouth when she was finished. She padded up the path that directed her to the MoonPool. As she reached the sacred StarClan meeting place, she looked up at the stars. They seemed to approve of her coming here. She dipped her head down and licked at the water. Almost instantly, she fell asleep.

She couldn’t believe her eyes.

Where was she?

There were four great oak trees, and a boulder was located in the center of them. The entire place seemed peaceful.

The place was changing. Blood spattered the ground, coating the grass and staining the boulder.

As soon as that happened, it was gone, and giant monsters tore up the trees and moved the boulder.

Thunderpaths crisscrossed the land.

As soon as she had those visions, she found herself in a very familiar place: the mountains.

A gigantic cat was snarling at what she guessed to be the Tribe in their cave. A silver colored shecat loosed a rock, which fell on the giant cat and killed it; however, she was dying. A younger dark gray tom padded over to her, eyes clouded in sadness.

My father! She thought as she watched the scene. Did he love that shecat? Wanting to know more, she watched with interest, only to see the scene change once more.

She recognized this place as well. It was her former home, the ThunderClan camp. Her mother was falling, and her father was crouched, helping her back up.

This must be when they first realized that they were in love, she thought.

The scene changed once more. Her mother and father were somewhere past WindClan territory.

They ran away, she recalled.

A badger came, and led them away. However, the scene did not change, and only stayed in the area where her parents had been.

She could feel herself waking up, but refused to. She continued to feel the pull of the living world, and was woken up after a voice whispered to her.

Your destiny is not over, the cat whispered.

She woke up, seeing that it was still night. Knowing where she had to go, she trekked across the border until she saw the place where her parents had lived.

A strong wind ruffled her fur, carrying the same words with them.

“Goodbye,” she whispered to her past.

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance, she thought, heading to her new home.