In Nobody We Trust

In Nobody We Trust
Preceded by: nothing	Hidden Truths	Succeded by: The Killings

In Nobody We Trust/Allegiances

Prologue

The soft pitter-patter of light rain roused me from my nest in the dark tunnels. My bones ached with cold and exhaustion. My black pelt sagged off my protruding ribcage. 

"Breezepelt!" someone yowled from outside. "You won't guess what I found!"

I growled under my breath in annoyance. I padded through the tunnel and stopped at the entrance, gazing up at the gray, rainy sky. "What is it, Nightcloud?"

The black she-cat bounded down the hillside and skidded in front of me. A rabbit hung limp in her jaws. "Prey!"

My ears instantly perked. We hadn't gotten a taste of prey for the past three weeks, with the exception of a scrawny field-mouse. "Give me it!" I snarled, ripping it from Nightcloud's jaws and swallowing mouthfuls at a time without chewing. 

"I'm the one who killed it, I should've gotten first bite!" Nightcloud growled, shoving me away.

The food settled awkwardly in my stomach, most likely because of lack of food. But it didn't matter, I wasn't going to let my food go to waste. I hissed and snapped at Nightcloud's ear, dragging her away. She yowled in surprise and landed a blow on my shoulder. We then both went rolling across the wet mud, screeching and clawing at each other.

"Would you two relax?" Another she-cat meowed coolly from the tunnel. A slender, long-furred brown tabby she-cat padded out of the tunnel, her pelt ruffled from a good night's sleep. "I guess you two forgot about the prey stash I found near the ShadowClan border?"

"Prey stash?" I repeated, "Tiger, if you're playing tricks on us--"

"I'm not playing tricks!" Tiger hissed. She looked to Nightcloud, "Eat that rabbit. I'll show Breezepelt the stash and he'll bring you and Luke back some as an apology for attacking you," She meowed, glancing to me.

I rolled my eyes. "Can we go already?"

"Well then let's go," Tiger snapped. She bounded up the hill that protected our tunnels, and didn't even look over her shoulder to see if I was still behind.

I remember those 7 moons ago, when I ran away from the clans. Ever since then, Nightcloud and I ran quite far from WindClan, into the moors miles away. We had collected two rogues on the way--Luke, a large dark ginger tom and Tiger--my mate, yet we never showed much affection for each other. 

My ears flattened against my head to silence at least some of the pounding rain on my head. Mud was flown onto my pelt and in my eyes, and stuck to my paws like tree sap. I was sick of doing runs to the clans to steal prey just because our camp didn't have any prey. 

Tiger halted suddenly, and we weren't anywhere near the ShadowClan border. 

"So where's the prey?" I asked, skidding to a stop in front of her.

"There is no prey," Tiger said. "At least not now there isn't."

"You did lie!" I snapped. "Dragging me out here for nothing," I mumbled under my breath.

"I didn't drag you out here for nothing," Tiger argued. "I have to tell you something."

"You couldn't have told me in camp?" My tail lashed in agitation. "Come on, I'm freezing to death out here."

"I'm having kits," Tiger blurted out suddenly.

Oh great Tigerstar, I thought. "Seriously?" Tiger nodded. "I don't--I don't want kits!"

"Do you think I want them? Of course I don't!" Tiger growled. "We're rogues, Breezepelt. We don't have a code like your clans did, we kill and steal for a living. I want to do that instead of staying in the tunnel nursing kits."

"Okay, well we'll dump them off on some clan as soon as they're born," I suggested. "They'll never know I was a WindClan outcast and Dark Forest warrior, and they'll never know you were a rogue."

"Sounds good," Tiger agreed. "Now come on, I promised Nightcloud and Luke prey, so we're going to go catch some."

I shouldered passed her and led the way. My mind was clouded with insane and disturbing thoughts. I longed for the feeling of my claws being dragged across those kits' throats. Wouldn't the Dark Forest smile at me?

Chapter 1

Nightkit's POV.

The rustling of movement in the bracken disturbed my sleep. "Ivypool?" I murmered, blinking open my eyes. They adjusted to the darkness of the nursery, unlit by any morning light yet.

"Go back to sleep, little one," Ivypool whispered, nudging me back down gently. "I'm coming back."

But it was too late for me to fall asleep. Once my eyes were open, there was no getting me back to sleep. I glanced around at my sisters that surrounded me in our nest of moss and bracken. There was four of us. The quiet one was Sunkit, the manipulative one was Ebonykit, the wisest of us was Hollykit, and the sharp-tongued one was me--Nightkit. We were all unique in our own ways, and all of us were dark-furred except for Sunkit, who was a ginger tabby.

"I'm not tired anymore," I mewled.

Ivypool rolled her dark blue eyes. "Dawn won't be here for a while. Just try."

I sighed and layed my head on my paws, but didn't bother shutting my eyes. I just thought of the past three moons of my life. We didn't remember much of our first moon, but I know that my clanmates were kind to my sisters and I, but seemed to dislike Ebonykit and mine's disbelief in StarClan. They thought that because we were clanborn we had to believe in dead cats that lived in the stars.

Whatever.

Lately, the warriors had been expanding the nursery because there was currently way too many queens and kits living in the den, and it was getting so crowded that I often slept outside with Ivypool and my sisters. Our father, Foxleap, often lay beside us out there until we were all sound asleep. But Lionblaze, Birchfall, and Mousewhisker were so kind as to make us room in the nursery.

After minutes of daydreaming, a wave of darkness finally overcame me and I gave in to sleep.

~*~

"Nightkit!" Ebonykit prodded my shoulder. "Wake up!"

"Hmm?" I rose my head, shocked at the sunlight that peeked through the brambles. It didn't seem like I slept that long. "What's going on?" The nursery was empty except for the two of us, and muffled voices came from outside.

"Purdy's gone," Ebonykit meowed, a twinkle in her dark amber eyes. Her black fur stood on end in excitement. "Finally something interesting happening! Nothing's happened in the past moon."

"Ebonykit, I don't think an elder dying is interesting," I meowed. "It's helpful. One less mouth the warriors have to feed."

"You got a point," Ebonykit said as we walked out.

A few warriors were gathered around Purdy's plump tabby body, their noses buried in his pelt. Some whispered to each other, using harsh words against the former loner. "Why did the oh-so-great-Firestar have to let kittypets join the clan?" I asked, half to myself.

Ebonykit shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He was a mouse-brain."

"Kits?" Ivypool's eyes darted in our direction. "You're not old enough to be out here." She bounded towards us, and flicked her ears. "It's not healthy for kits to see death at such a young age."

"But then why are Sunkit and Hollykit out here?" Ebonykit asked, peeking over our mother's shoulder.

"They're not. They're with Jayfeather in his den. You can either go there or back to the nursery," Ivypool meowed sternly.

I growled under my breath and trotted back. "We'll be apprentices in two moons, then she won't be able to tell us to stay confined to camp."

"Can't wait for that day," Ebonykit meowed as she scratched behind her ear. 

I felt a breeze stir by my tail, and I turned around to see. There was a small hole at the bottom of the brambles. I grinned. "Look at this," I said, pointing with my tail-tip.

Ebonykit's ears perked. "Let's go!"

"Hang on," I meowed, beginning to drag out tendrils to enlargen the space. "Okay, you go first and then I'll cover the hole with the bedding. Nobody will notice the hole, only our absence."

Ebonykit wriggled through, and disappeared on the other side. I quickly followed, only turning around to reach through with my paw and grab the moss. After covered, I bounded after Ebonykit. Thick undergrowth shielded the outside, but as we shouldered through, a whole beautiful forest lay ahead of us. My jaws gaped in wonder. Golden oaks protected us from the chilly winds, 

"This is awesome!" Ebonykit squealed, dashing off under the roots of a birch. She came out with a bunch of leaves falling off her pelt. We ran across the territory for a while, and I dove into a patch of flowers in a clearing. 

As I came to my senses though, I heard leaves crunching nearby, and hushed, hostile voices. "Quiet, Ebonykit!" I hissed, fur bristling. We had to hide, or else we'd be killed. "Get back under the roots." We stayed under the roots, vigilant. 

A large, lean black-furred tom passed by, amber eyes gleaming with rage. A limp squirrel swung from his jaws. "You can come out now. I got the prize," He growled.

A ThunderClan scent drifted towards Ebonykit and I. An evil cat was calling out to...Oh no!

Chapter 2

"Who's that?" Ebonykit asked, peeking her head out from the roots. 

"Get down!" I hissed, yanking her back by tugging on her tail. "Do you want that one with the squirrel to kill us? He doesn't exactly look friendly, you know."

Ebonykit scowled, but didn't say anything. 

I couldn't hear what the two cats were talking about, and I didn't even recognize the one with ThunderClan scent. He was a brown tabby, but surely that wasn't Birchfall? The black tom dropped the squirrel at the brown tabby's paws, and then growled something to him. The brown tabby looked a bit frightened, but mostly intimidated, and then began mumbling something. "Can you hear what they're saying?" I asked my sister.

Ebonykit shook her head. "No, but it can't be anything good if the one wants prey just to tell the other something."

"When do you think they'll leave? I don't want Ivypool to notice we're missing," I mewed. But right then, the black tom snapped an order at the other, and then stalked off, tail twitching. The brown tom's ear flicked irritabily, and then he turned and disappeared into brambles.

We waited a few moments before finally emerging from the roots. My neck fur was raised and I was tense, expecting either of the two to spring out on Ebonykit and I. "Lets hurry back," I muttered, half to myself.

I darted across the forest floor, and we soon approached the undergrowth we had came out from. But as I pushed through it, the nursery walls weren't there. "Umm...Ebonykit?" I asked, "This was where we came right?"

Ebonykit shrugged. "You should've been keeping track of where we went. It was your idea afterall."

I sighed in frustration. "Great, we've probably been reported missing by now. Lets just hope a patrol finds us."

"Are you kidding?" Ebonykit growled. "If a patrol finds us then Ivypool will have us dead for leaving!"

I snorted. "Ivypool wouldn't do that, besides, would you rather stay lost or go back to the safety of our den?"

"Well we can't be far from where we left the roots, so I say stay lost and find our way back," Ebonykit answered.

"Whatever, we went quite far from camp. You do what you want, Ebonykit, but I'm going my own way." I padded off, eyes darting from side-to-side, checking for any danger. Moments later, I heard pawsteps behind me, and knew Ebonykit didn't want to be alone, too afraid of the world. 

The sun started to set pretty soon, and I definitley didn't want to be out in the open. "We need to find a place to sleep, how about a tree?"

"Can you even climb?" Ebonykit asked me. She looked at the nearest tree, a small oak. She leapt up, and jumped into a fork. 

"I'm not a dog," I hissed in annoyance. I gripped the bark with my small claws and hoisted myself up. I nestled into a cluster of leaves on the other side of the tree. "Goodnight," I muttered.

---

I woke up the next morning, stomach rumbling. Only today, I wasn't in the tree. My eyes brightened in realisation, I'm back in the nursery! Was that all a dream?

"Nightkit!" Ivypool purred. "Great StarClan you and Ebonykit had me worried last night."

"How'd we get here?" I asked, blinking sleep away. I rubbed one eye with my paw, and shook moss out of my pelt. 

"A patrol heard someone talking to themselves, and looked to the source of the sound and saw Ebonykit. They looked more and saw you on the other side," She explained. "Lucky they found you, Bramblestar was reported some interesting news last night, and it's not good."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Berrynose said fox scent had been found spread across our territory. Considor yourself lucky you didn't run into one," Ivypool sniffed.

"No but we did see this weird cat," I said. "He had a black pelt, he was huge and his ears were shredded. He was scary."

Something flashed across Ivypool's eyes. Recognition. "I think I know him."

"How?" My ear flicked, my mother knew a rogue? Weird. I would never go out to meet a rogue, they're rude and kill others.

"He used to be in WindClan. I saw him sometimes at Gatherings, and he wasn't friendy either. Breezepelt was his name," Ivypool meowed. "What was he doing here?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "He met up with some brown tabby tom. The other smelled like ThunderClan, but didn't look familiar. At first I thought it was Birchfall, but I decided it wasn't. So Ebonykit and I hid under these roots and waited a long time for them to leave."

Ivypool rolled her eyes, "Okay well no more adventures until you're an apprentice, okay?" She gave a swift lick over my ears and then padded away. I stared after her, curious to see more of these rogues.

---

I stepped forward to rub noses with my new mentor, Snowfang. Two moons seemed to take forever, but my sisters and I made it. 

My mentor was Snowfang, obviously. Ebonypaw's mentor was Berrynose, Hollypaw's mentor was Cherryfall, and much to our dismay--mostly mine--Sunpaw was made the medicine cat apprentice. I didn't really even want to look at her. I mean, who would not want to march in the frontlines of a battle and hunt to feed your clan? My sister was the medicine cat apprentice? Somehow, that made me shameful of myself.

"What are we doing first?" I asked Snowfang, skipping to the large white tom's side. "Are you going to teach me how to shred enemy's pelts off?"

Snowfang purred in amusement at the shine in my forest-green eyes. He was a new warrior, made only last moon, but I'm sure he was going to be an excellent mentor. He had been somewhat down ever since his parents Cloudtail and Brightheart became elders, but he eventually got over it and immediately straightened up when Bramblestar announced him as mentor. "I wish, but no. I'm going to show you the territory today, and we'll do a few hunting lessons tomorrow."

"What?" I meowed. "But Darkpaw and Tigerpaw are doing battle training." I angled my ears in the direction of the sons of Spiderleg and Leafpool. They were large and powerful, with muscles rippling under thick, dark pelts. Worthy warriors of ThunderClan, I'd say. And I'd rather not say, but I had to admit, I admired Tigerpaw. We would play together when he and Darkpaw were still in the nursery, and we talked often.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, what was I thinking?

Snowfang shook his head. "They're much older than you. But hopefully within the next few days you'll be able to do training with them. That is if you're good enough to," He meowed, a gleam in his amber eyes. He padded away to Cherryfall and Berrynose, asking if they would join us on a tour of the territory.

"Of course," Cherryfall answered. "I don't want my apprentice getting lost on her first day," She meowed, flicking Hollypaw on the shoulder with her tail.

Berrynose glanced at the sky, the sun's early-morning rays peeking through the tree-tops that covered camp. "Well we better get a move on if we want to be back here by sun-down," He meowed gruffly. He trotted away, tail held high in the air, and Ebonypaw followed him.

Cherryfang looked to Snowfang, shrugged, and then padded after Berrynose. Snowfang led me to the thorn tunnel, where Bumblestripe sat on watch next to it.

"Congratulations, 'paws," He purred. The gray tabby tom flicked Snowfang's ear, "Ivypool is their mother, so don't expect them to be easy!" 

Snowfang's whiskers twitched in amusement, but my tail flicked in irritation. What an insult to my mother, so what if she's short-tempered? She's not as bad as Sandstorm, at least. That elderly she-cat nearly shredded Sunpaw's--then Sunkit--and my ears when we snuck into the elder's den as kits.

My paws landed on soft earth, and I instantly became familiar with the feeling underpaw when Ebonykit and I were out here two moons ago. "Keep close," Snowfang ordered everyone as he took the lead. My sisters and I fell into a line behind him, with Berrynose and Cherryfall on either side of us. "You three are rather small for your age, we don't want a squirrel to take you!" He joked.

Hollypaw let out a snort of laughter.  

Our first stop of the trip was the ShadowClan border.   

The stream that blocked us from the dark pine forest was freezing. I dipped my paw into the light swirling water and leaped back, flicking droplets of my paw. 

"Is it bad for us to go into the stream?" Hollypaw asked, stepping back to Cherryfall. "Like, will ShadowClan get mad if we go in it?" 

The ginger tabby's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Most likely, yes. But you shouldn't ever have to go in it, I don't see why you would. Swimming is for RiverClan." 

Snowfang called me back from the water, which fascinated me so. Not that I wanted to swim in it, but I wondered what it'd be like to be RiverClan--having to swim and fish in water that cold. We journeyed back into the forest, passing by the Clearing, and the abandoned twoleg nest. We rounded our territory until we got to the WindClan border. 

I loved the feeling of the wind that blew from the hills and moors beyond. I wanted to step over the border and run through the open fields. "The wind feels so good!" I meowed.  

"I know!" Hollypaw agreed. "The trees block out most of the wind our camp could ever get." Her dark brown fur blew in the steady wind, and to me, this was the best part of today. 

Ebonypaw just stood behind with Berrynose, her amber eyes were narrowed slits, staring into the moors.  

Snowfang purred happily. "Okay, I think that's enough of the territory for today, you'll see more throughout your apprenticeship." He flicked my ear with his tail. 

"Yeah, I think it's time I ate a nice juicy squirrel," Berrynose joked. "Let's go." 

Chapter 3

A moon into my apprenticeship, and I was starting to get a hang of the hunt. Brackenfur had put me on the dawn hunting patrol with Snowfang, Poppyfrost and Lionblaze. I hated dawn patrols, it's just the fact that I have to wake up earlier than everybody else. But I loved being up earlier and seeing the sun rise, and the smell of the morning dew in the air.

Poppyfrost said her and Lionblaze would go search for prey under tree roots, and in bushes, while Snowfang helped me practice my hunting in the trees.

I'd been learning how to hunt in the trees for a few days, and I think I was ready to try it for real this morning. I scampered up the trunk of one tree and stalked in the leaves, while Snowfang tried one a few fox-lengths over.

Up a few branches higher, I could scent a sparrow. With a smirk, I silently stalked up the trunk, digging my claws deep and hoping they wouldn't fail me. Now that I was at the sparrow's level, I leaped. The branch shook, but I scooped up the bird in my jaws successfully.

Not so successfully, I also missed my landing spot.

With my prey clutched between my teeth, I plunged to the ground. I landed with a hard thud on my shoulder, and there was a cut along my flank where a branch had caught me, but it wasn't bad.

Snowfang gasped and ran down the tree. "Are you okay?" He asked frantically, checking me for other wounds.

"What happened?" Poppyfrost asked, emerging from bushes where she had gone to hunt. Lionblaze followed behind her, a mouse in his jaws.

"I'm not hurt," I growled through the sparrow's feathers, brushing some of the dirt and leaves off my shoulder with my paw. "My shoulder's just sore from the impact."

"We should take you to Jayfeather," Poppyfrost suggested, looking to Snowfang for approval, to which he nodded.

"Still hung onto that sparrow, though," Lionblaze purred proudly. "Good job, kit."

"We can finish the patrol later," Poppyfrost meowed. "I'll find someone else to join, Lionblaze, since I know you probably want to be with Cinderheart."

Cinderheart had recently come down with whitecough, and Lionblaze hated leaving her side in Jayfeather's den. While he still went on patrols, I could tell that he was bothered and constantly distracted by the thought that his expecting mate had come down with a sickness that could be deadly.

Poppyfrost and Snowfang supported me while I limped back to camp, and Lionblaze prowled beside us. It really didn't hurt too bad, but bad enough to somewhat hinder my walking.

When we got to camp, Ivypool scurried over to me, concern in her brilliant dark blue eyes. "What did you do?" She asked, licking my ears comfortingly, while Snowfang checked that Jayfeather wasn't busy.

"Nothing, I fell out of a tree. But it wasn't that high," I assured her. With a grin of satisfaction, I added, "I still hung onto my prey!" When my mother purred in pride, I asked where Foxleap was, so I could tell my father of my greatest accomplishment so far, but to me disappointment, he was on patrol.

"Nightpaw!" Jayfeather called from his den. His sightless blue eyes seemed to stare straight through me, but then I remembered his hearing was sharper than a cat with sight, and thus probably heard me.

I limped over to the cave, pushing past the bramble screen. Jayfeather instructed me to lay down, and then proceeded to prod my shoulder. I grimaced as the pain seared.

"You've dislocated it," Jayfeather informed. "I'm going to have to relocate it, and it's going to hurt. Do you want a stick to bite down on?"

I wanted to be brave, so I declined. I felt his paws position, ready to snap it back in place, and I almost stopped breathing in fear. In a sudden movement, I felt the worst pain in my life yet, and wailed in pain.

"Move your paw, see if it feels better," Jayfeather instructed me.

I did as he said, and rotated and put pressure on my leg. It hurt, but it was really just sore. "It feels better," I said happily.

"Good," Jayfeather grinned. Playfully, he said, "Now get out of here before I bite your tail off!'

~~~

The next morning, Ivypool started stirring, then she got up and left the apprentice's den, where she was keeping me company for the first few nights. The dawn patrols hadn't even left yet, and I thought it was rather suspicious, as she wasn't headed for the dirtplace.

Silently, I got up and limped after her. Bramblestar was sitting under the shadow of the lichen and vines that clung to Highledge, where Ivypool went to meet him.

I stuck to the cover of the brambles and bushes that lined the camp wall, angling my ears to listen better. I couldn't pick up much, but what I did made me question my own mother.

"Do you think I should tell them?" Ivypool asked Bramblestar.

The dark tabby tom shifted his paws. "I don't know, honestly," He said. "I mean, Breezepelt found out when he was young, and look at him now. But maybe they're different."

"They are different," Ivypool defended, her tail lashed slightly. "I raised them, and I know they're nothing like him!"

"Well I've been watching Ebonypaw, and she seems to have inherited his ways, no offense," Bramblestar meowed. "She watches like a hawk, and has a great interest in battle."

I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't like it. To save myself the trouble of trauma, I padded back to the den and went to sleep like nothing ever happened.

Chapter 4

After a week, my shoulder no longer ached. Snowfang said I was ready to jump right into battle training again, and I couldn't wait to train alongside my sisters--and Tigerpaw.

Today all of us were gathering in the Clearing, and we'd have mock matches against each other. But before that, Darkpaw and Tigerpaw would demonstrate a few moves for us.

"Tigerpaw, would you like to show us that move you showed me?" Icecloud asked, though it wasn't really a question, more of a command.

Tigerpaw nodded, stepping into the middle of the circle the apprentices and mentors had made. "This is called the underbelly slash!"

Lionblaze, who had joined to watch and help out, looked panicked. He looked to Leafpool, watching her sons' training. They exchanged a worried look, and continued on.

"Darkpaw, would you care to help me demonstrate?" Tigerpaw said, smirking. When he turned to look to his brother, I caught a glimpse of his shining green eyes.

Once Darkpaw was there, Tigerpaw instructed. "What you want to do is slide under your enemy, and rake at the forepaws. They'll think you're going to be on the other side, but really you're going to stay on the same side you came on, and then drag them down when they least expect."

He darted under Darkpaw, raking at his forepaws with sheathed claws. When Darkpaw twisted around, Tigerpaw backed out on the other side, and then carefully sunk his teeth into Darkpaw's scruff, planting his paw on Darkpaw's shoulder to bring him down.

"Ebonypaw and Nightpaw with Tigerpaw," Cherryfall ordered. "Hollypaw you'll be with Darkpaw."

I trotted over to Tigerpaw, with Ebonypaw by my side.

"This is stupid," Ebonypaw said, with a hint of a growl. "We've barely started battle training."

"You're going to need to know it," I snarked. Ebonypaw rolled her eyes, and let me go first.

"Know what you're doing?" Tigerpaw checked, and nodded when I said yes. "First, we'll try with just this move first, then we'll put it into a whole fight scene."

I tried it just like he demonstrated earlier. I swept underneath Tigerpaw, batting at his forepaws. When he turned around, I forgot to back out the way I came, and ended up getting pinned to the ground. I hissed in frustration, "Do I get another try?" I asked hopeful.

Tigerpaw purred in amusement, "Of course!"

I tried it again, this time remembering the right thing to do. I quickly tried to take Tigerpaw down, but for being an apprentice only for 3 moons, he was hefty and made of pure muscle that I just could not take down.

"Good," Tigerpaw praised. "Ready to put it to use?"

I nodded, and then the dark tabby launched himself at me. I rolled out of the way, and while he was still open, I charged for his exposed stomach from the front. When he turned, expecting me to come out the other way, I backed up and then softly bit his throat. In a real battle, that'd be the end of him!

With praise from Tigerpaw and Snowfang, it was Ebonypaw's turn.

I didn't stay to watch, as Snowfang said he and I would go hunting. I nodded goodbye to Tigerpaw, and thanked him for the training session. I caught a gleam in his eye, and then grinned to myself. Snowfang led me into the forest, and said he would watch and assess how my hunting has been through the past moon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was nightfall, and Snowfang and I had returned to camp. I caught a squirrel, and he caught two voles. After he dismissed me, I located Ivypool and went to speak with her. She was sitting with Whitewing, my grandmother, sharing a robin.

"Hi, Nightpaw," Whitewing purred. She scooted the half-eaten robin over to my paws. "Want the rest?"

I shook my head. "No thank you, I just wanted to talk to Ivypool." Whitewing nodded and with a flick of her tail, she trotted to Birchfall.

"I heard you and Bramblestar this morning," I said after a moment of silence, except for the crickets and chattering of cats.

Ivypool's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yeah." I stared at my paws. "What was it about?"

Ivypool glanced around camp--to the walls, to cats, the Highledge. Then her eyes met mine. "I've got something I've been keeping from you and your siblings," She muttered. We found Ebonypaw and Hollypaw, and then called over Sunpaw.

Ebonypaw was digging into a mouse. "So what's so special?" She asked, clearly irritated by something.

Ivypool sighed. She looked extremely anxious. "I'm not your mother, and Foxleap's not your father. Except for you Sunpaw," She meowed, looking to reddish-tabby she-cat. "I took the three of you in."

We all gasped, and I spat at her. "Why couldn't you have just said so in the beginning?"

"I didn't want you to find out who your real parents were!" Ivypool argued. "Your father is rebellious, and he betrayed his clan. Your mother is a rogue, and she kills without mercy. Trust me, I've watched them from afar, because I knew who you came from. They're not someone you want to go looking for."

"But they're our parents," I growled, defending my sisters and I. "Just because they're like that doesn't mean we have to follow in their pawsteps, and either way, there's always going to be some kind of love for them, no matter what they've done."

"She's right," Ebonypaw agreed, standing up. Her black fur was standing on end, and her amber eyes shone with anger. "There's no reason for you to just lie about who we came from," She scoffed.

Hollypaw sat back, then stood next to Ivypool. "She's protecting us, can't you see that she's just trying to help?" Her tail lashed irritatingly. By now, our noise had caught several cats' attention.

I rolled my eyes, and padded to my den. Ebonypaw followed me, and lay down in the nest next to mine. "We should go look for them," I suggested.

"They could be anywhere, Nightpaw. That's a stupid idea, and we've never been outside our territory," Ebonypaw meowed. She rested her head on her paws and sighed.

"Wait," I said, suddenly happy. "Remember the Gathering we went to a few nights ago? Onestar said two cats rejoined his clan, and two new rogues as well!"

"Yeah, and?"

"What if that's them?" I bounced to my paws and darted to Ivypool, who was speaking to Hollypaw.

"Ivypool!" I called, coming to a halt. "The names of those cats Onestar said had joined his clan again, what were they?"

"Breezepelt and Nightcloud," She answered.

"Are those my parents?"

Ivypool's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Breezepelt is your father, Nightcloud is his mother. Yours is one of the rogues, but I don't know her name."

"Can we see them?" I asked excitedly.

Ivypool shook her head. "That's a bad idea, I'm sorry." She gazed up at the sky. It was moon-high already. "It's time for you two to get to sleep. We'll talk more about it in the morning."

I nodded, and left to the den. My sleep was disturbed by thoughts of everything we talked about. I forgave Ivypool, I mean, she did try to help us. It's not her fault. But I wondered what my actual parents were like, and I desperately wanted to see them.

Chapter 5

Last night I told Ebonypaw that we should go to WindClan, seeking out our parents. A week ago I learned that in fact, they were in WindClan, and all Ebonypaw and I had to do was escape silently one night. And that night was tonight.

Spiderleg was on guard duty, sitting in the open where moonlight shone, to keep him awake I suppose. Now I was stuck on if we should sneak around, or lie and say we just wanted to go for a walk. The latter seemed more appealing, as I'd heard of many cats do it.

I padded to the senior warrior, with Ebonypaw right behind me. "Spiderleg, can Ebonypaw and I go for a quick walk?" I asked.

Spiderleg had been lost in thought, and flinched at our presence. "Of course not!" He meowed, with a hint of amusement. "You're barely apprentices, and if something were to happen, who'd be blamed, hmm? Me."

"Please?" Ebonykit begged, widening her glistening dark amber eyes. I played along with her act, flattening my ears in sorrow and looking away.

"Fine," Spiderleg mumbled after a few moments of hesitation. "Don't go far. Stay near the camp walls, and if you see anything suspicious, run back immediately, do you hear me?" He said sternly.

I nodded, and we trotted off.

"That was easier than I expected," Ebonypaw smirked once we got past camp.

I huffed. "Which way is WindClan again?" I asked. Without waiting for an answer, I rushed up a tree.

"You still climb trees after your accident?" Ebonypaw questioned from down below.

"Duh!" I lowered the branches at the top with my paw. I'm thankful it was close to leaf-bare, because there was few leaves blocking my view from the tall oak. There it was--the moors of WindClan off to our left in the distance. I leaped from a lower branch, landing in the dust beside Ebonypaw.

"It's this way," I said, flicking my tail in the right direction.

We trotted at a steady pace together in silence for a while, until Ebonypaw finally said, "What if they don't like us? They ditched us for a reason."

I hadn't thought about that. I clenched my jaw and thought that our parents probably must hate us. "Maybe they've changed," I meowed hopefully. "It's worth a try. I don't want to be stuck with ThunderClan, never knowing or meeting my real mother and father. We can always come back." Ebonypaw shrugged.

Once we were at the WindClan border, with no trouble crossing our territory, thankfully, we caught scent of a midnight patrol. My ears perked in glee. "They can take us to the camp!"

"Are you stupid?" Ebonypaw scoffed. "It's midnight, everyone's probably asleep."

I didn't answer her. I bounded up the grassy hill, and saw three cats on patrol coming in the distance. The moonlight shined their pelts a silver-gray, so I couldn't exactly tell who was who. I most likely wouldn't even know anybody.

One of them opened their jaws to taste the air, and must've alerted the patrol leader of our presence, because they quickly started heading towards our scent with unsheathed claws.

My heart beat faster, and I felt Ebonypaw tense up beside me.

A large pale gray tom snorted. "It's just two kits."

A tortoiseshell she-cat next to him growled, while approaching us, "They're still trespassers." She trotted up to us. I straightened myself up, and slightly prodded Ebonypaw with my shoulder to do the same. "You do realize you're trespassing on clan territory?" The large white mark on her forehead wrinkled as she bared her teeth. A dark gray she-cat circled around us.

"Y-yeah," I stammered. "We're here to look for our parents." I said, trying my best to sound brave, but it was hard when you were tiny, and the warriors were big with muscles rippling under their sleek wind-blown pelts.

"Where do you come from?" The gray she-cat asked. She and the pale tom were less threatening, but were still on guard.

"ThunderClan," I replied. I waited for Ebonypaw to give an answer, but clearly I was the one answering everything. She stood beside me, tense and ready to spring if she had to. But she stood no chance anyway. "Can you please just take us to your camp?"

"How do we know you're not spies?" The tortoiseshell questioned.

"Oh for StarClan's sake, Sunstrike!" The tom hissed. "They're kits, what are they gonna do?" He pushed her out of the way, and took us along.

Sunstrike rolled her eyes. "Safety first, Boulderfur. Something you'll never understand," She huffed.

"Actually, we're apprentices," I corrected as nicely as possible. I didn't want to upset Sunstrike, she seemed menacing. The gray she-cat asked us for our names, and Ebonypaw introduced herself, as did I.

Nobody said a word the whole way. There was barely any trees, it was all grass, hills, and bushes. I liked it. It was open, and the moon and sun weren't blocked by branches and leaves. The wind blew gently through your pelt, ruffling the fur slightly.

After quite a long trek, we reached the camp. I could tell because there was a shallow scoop in the ground, surrounded by tall grass and boulders. I exchanged a look with Ebonypaw. Then we proceeded into the heart of WindClan.

Chapter 6

Some cats were already settling down to sleep. The odd thing was that the warriors seemed to sleep out in the open, with absolutely nothing but each other and the sky. Boulderfur left the patrol and bounded to a gray-and-white queen with a round stomach. I could hear the croaks of elder's voices coming from a badger hole.

"Swallowtail, watch these two kits while I get Onestar," Sunstrike ordered. She trotted away to a large rock tucked on one side of camp, but not before a glare at Ebonypaw and I.

"Don't mind Sunstrike," Swallowtail meowed. "She just has a distaste for other clan cats. We really should've just escorted you home. Maybe Onestar will send a patrol to do so."

"But I don't want to go home, my parents are here," I said, narrowing my eyes.

"I think I'd rather be home," Ebonypaw muttered under her breath. She was shivering slightly from the cool breeze. Her pelt was thinner than mine, and she preferred heat to cold.

Sunstrike returned. She was following a small, but muscular and lean brown tabby tom, whom I assumed was Onestar. He seemed somewhat friendly as he approached us. Friendlier than Sunstrike could ever be, I suppose.

"Sunstrike says she found you two trespassing, claiming to have heritage in WindClan?" Onestar checked. He gazed over us, studying our every move. His muzzle was speckled with gray. I'd heard stories from Ivypool about how he and the oh-so-great Firestar used to be bestfriends way back when Firestar first joined. Onestar must be pretty old by now.

"Yes, I believe Breezepelt and a rogue she-cat he was with are our parents," I said, glancing at Ebonypaw. She was returning Onestar's gaze. Her dark amber eyes matched his.

Onestar turned to Sunstrike. "Fetch Breezepelt and Tigerleaf," He commanded with a flick of his tail.

Sunstrike nodded and bounded off to the gorse bush that Boulderfur and his mate went into.

After a minute of awkward silence, the tortoiseshell returned with a large black tom and a long-furred brown tabby she-cat. Breezepelt's eyes were bright amber, and reminded me of fireflies at night. While Tigerleaf had forest-green, and made me think of running through the forest chasing prey.

Breezepelt exchanged a look with Tigerleaf, and lashed his tail. "Who are they?" He asked. There was a hint of a growl in his voice.

"They claim to be your daughters," Onestar responded. "They came all the way here from ThunderClan."

"I don't got no daughters other than Smokekit and Brindlekit," Breezepelt spat. He turned to go back to the gorse bush, but Tigerleaf stopped him.

"Yes you do. But you won't admit it," She growled. Facing Onestar, she meowed, "We had kits, a while back. There was three of them, but I didn't think they'd make it living with us. We turned to the nearest clan and left them there."

Tigerleaf just gazed at us, pride and admiration was shining in his eyes. "I don't think I've ever missed somebody so much before. But I could never say it."

Breezepelt snorted. "I think I hear Heathertail calling me," He said sarcastically, bounding away. My heart sank. My own father didn't want me, but at least my mother did. I think.

Onestar looked back at the group of warriors. "I'll speak with Owlwhisker tomorrow about your situation, but for now, I'll have Sunstrike watch over you tonight."

"Why Sunstrike?" Emberpaw growled. "She hates us!" Her tiny claws dug into the soil beneath her.

Onestar smirked. "That makes for a better guard, doesn't it?" He called for Sunstrike, who was sitting a few mouse-lengths away talking to a ginger tom with white paws.

As I was being led away from the camp entrance by Sunstrike, and to a secured corner of the camp, thoughts were going through my head. Breezepelt said he had other kits, and I wanted to know them. My guess was that he and Tigerleaf weren't mates anymore, and I wondered if I'd be able to stay here.

Sunstrike was nice for once, and brought us feathers and bracken to build a nest with. I made mine against the sandy, grassy camp wall. Ebonypaw and I were surrounded by gorse bushes on both sides, with Sunstrike sitting out front to make sure we couldn't leave.

The nest was rather comfortable, and I was able to fall asleep, eager to hear what Onestar had to say tomorrow.

A/N: Breezepelt's and Heathertail's kits are cannon. As of the allegiances for A Vision of Shadows, they have two she-kits, Smokekit and Brindlekit. Just thought I'd say that :)

Chapter 7

Onestar said it was not his place to decide if I could stay, and sent Weaselfur and Leaftail to escort us home, saying Bramblestar would let him know what he decided.

We reached the ThunderClan border, but Weaselfur insisted that he take us straight to camp. His ginger pelt was bristled slightly, as if the idea of going into a forest terrified him.

"We're not kits you know," Ebonypaw said, "I'm not sure why everyone thinks we are. We've been apprentices for a moon." She scratched a leaf on the ground with her claws, huffing.

"You sure do look like kits," Leaftail said, his whiskers twitching in amusement. "I don't know why a lot of cats were so rude to you last night. Your father is from WindClan, so why should it matter?" The brown tabby tom opened his jaws, scenting the air. "I thought I caught a whiff of ThunderClan!" He flicked Weaselfur with his tail, and then herded us away from the trail we were on.

Icecloud, Tigerpaw, Birchfall, and Dovewing were on patrol. Icecloud was speaking to Tigerpaw about something, to which he narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his claws.

"ThunderClan!" Weaselfur called, trying to seem as non-threatening as he could.

Tigerpaw was the first to spot the ginger tom. He growled, "WindClan! You took Nightp--" He stopped when he saw Ebonypaw and I. He prodded Icecloud, and ran to us. "Everyone's been looking for you!" He said, glancing back and forth from me to Ebonypaw.

Dovewing ran up and swept us up in her fluffy gray tail. She purred loudly, glaring at Weaselfur and Leaftail.

"They came to us," Leaftail explained, "Saying their parents were in WindClan. They are, but Onestar said it was not for him to decide what to do with them."

"Thank you," Birchfall meowed, dipping his head in respect to the two warriors. "If you'd like, you can come to our camp to rest and eat before you leave."

Weaselfur politely shook his head. "No thanks. We must get back to WindClan before sun-down."

"All right. Well, safe travels," Birchfall wished. "And thanks again for bringing them back."

The two WindClan warriors just nodded their welcome, and then disappeared through the brambles.

Dovewing faced us, her eyes were widened in confusion. "What did they mean 'real parents'? Aren't Ivypool and Foxleap them?"

"No!" I said. "It's all been a lie until last week when Ivypool told me. I wanted to meet them. I wanted to live in WindClan where I really belong, and to be with them. But it turns out our father doesn't want anything to do with us. Our mother loves us though, it's better than nothing." Birchfall motioned that it was time to go in the middle of my conversation.

"Who are your parents?" Dovewinig asked.

"Breezepelt and some former rogue named Tigerleaf," Ebonypaw replied.

Dovewing's lip curled in disgust at Breezepelt's name. "He's not a cat you'd wish to meet, Nightpaw. There's nothing wrong with you, he just isn't very fond of most cats."

"Yeah well he seemed rather occupied with some she-cat named Heathertail and their kits," I snorted. "They're both she-kits, so I don't see the difference."

"Take it up with Lionblaze," Dovewing scoffed. "He's knows lots about Breezepelt and Heathertail. We're nearly at camp."

I stalked through the thorn tunnel, silently thanking that I was much smaller than most other cats that my pelt wouldn't get snagged in the thorns. Tigerpaw had already announced our arrival, and cats gathered around the entrance. Ivypool was among them, standing with Hollypaw, Sunpaw, Foxleap and Whitewing. She looked relieved, but also scared that I would tell the clan about what's happened.

"Don't tell them anything," I muttered next to Ebonypaw's ear. "I'll talk to Bramblestar."

"Where were you?" Ivypool asked, bounding up to us.

Tigerpaw closed in next to Ebonypaw and I. He had heard what I said to Dovewing, and thought it was his duty to shield us from Ivypool.

"Can I just speak to Bramblestar?" I said. I was glad that most warriors were on patrol, so there wasn't much of a crowd. Our leader had already came down from the Highledge, and was padding to us with Squirrelflight by his side. Their two three moon old kits weaved between his paws, making it amusing to watch the large tom informally make his way here.

I approached Bramblestar, saying I just wanted to tell him what happened. He said yes, and now it was time to make a potentially life-changing decision.

Chapter 8

Two moons ago Bramblestar had rejected my idea of moving to WindClan with Ebonypaw. I found it hard to forgive Ivypool for not telling us the truth in the first place, and I never spoke to her. I understand she took us in and cared for us, but hiding it wasn't going to help anything.

I padded alongside Tigerpaw down by the lake. Our mentors said to take a break from training today, so we went here. Snow blanketed the forest, and the lake was iced over.

"Do you think maybe we should catch any prey we see?" I asked, "The pile is pretty empty. Save for a pathetic squirrel and mouse."

Tigerpaw nodded. "Definitely. I can't remember the last time I even ate," He said, kicking up snow with his back paw. "Icecloud says to feed the elders and queens first, but after that, there's nothing left."

I felt a pang of empathy. During newleaf and greenleaf, Tigerpaw was hefty, his dark pelt was shiny and the muscles rippled underneath. Ever since leaf-fall started, his ribs have started to look more noticeable, and his pelt lost its shine. But then again, it happened to everybody.

My paws were numb by the time we reached the lake. Cracked ice clawed its way to the shore, giving a spider web effect. "Should we slide on it?" I suggested, grinning.

"Totally." Tigerpaw bounded out, prodding the ice with his forepaws first. After it was deemed fine, he bounded out. I followed him, skittering along the ice.

At one point it was too slippery and I slid onto my stomach. Tigerpaw laughed, and I flicked a stone his way with my paw.

"Nightpaw, Tigerpaw!" Someone called from the undergrowth near the shoreline. A cream colored tom shoved his way through the leafless bushes. Ugh, Berrynose. Ebonypaw, Rosepetal, and Darkpaw appeared behind him. Ebonypaw curled her lip at the sight of me with Tigerpaw.

"Get back here, that's dangerous!" Berrynose ordered.

"But we're having fun!" I protested, taking a running start and then sliding again.

"Yeah, it's fun until the ice cracks and you drown," Berrynose retorted.

"Haven't you heard of Flametail who drowned here when the ice broke?" Rosepetal asked. She led Berrynose out to Tigerpaw and I.

"We're fine," Tigerpaw growled. "I tested it before we both came on."

The older warriors, grabbed us by our scruffs, to which Tigerpaw and I both scrambled to get free. We just wanted our day of fun! Tigerpaw was easily able to escape Rosepetal's grip, but me, not so much. Berrynose was much larger, and was able to pick me up just like a kit.

"Tigerpaw, do you want to pick ticks for the rest of your time as an apprentice?" Rosepetal asked. "And Icecloud sure can ask Bramblestar for an extra moon or two of being one." Tigerpaw scowled, but did as Rosepetal said, and we followed the patrol back to camp.

Back home, Lionblaze and Leafpool had started an argument amongst the warriors. Birchfall, Blossomfall, and Ivypool were sitting beside Lionblaze while Leafpool was yowling something at the arguing warriors.

I glanced a questioning look at Tigerpaw, before running to the group. Leafpool cast a glare at Tigerpaw. It was non-threatening, yet seemed hostile, even though it was her own son.

"Have you been training with the Dark Forest?" Leafpool asked worriedly, padding up to her son. Her tail lashed. She was angry, and everyone else was riled up.

Tigerpaw's ears flattened against his head, and his green eyes widened. "What? No!" He growled. "Why would you think that?"

Lionblaze stepped up. "Some of the moves you've been using during training and demonstrating to the other apprentices are ones that the Dark Forest taught them," He said, flicking his tail at the three warriors. "I saw them myself during the Battle."

"How many traitors are we going to have in this clan?" Dustpelt spat. He was laying outside the elder's den with Graystripe, Sandstorm and Millie.

"They're not traitors," Lionblaze said firmly. "They all sacrificed their lives for ThunderClan during the Battle."

"Tigerpaw wouldn't know if he was in the Dark Forest or not," Leafpool defended. "It's not his fault."

"How could you not know?" Dustpelt asked. "It's a dark forest. Literally. He should know."

"I haven't, I swear!" Tigerpaw snarled. "Sparrowpaw showed me during a Gathering. The apprentice from ShadowClan."

Lionblaze huffed. "Well I'll have you know that his father, Ratscar, was in the Dark Forest. Fortunately for him, Blackstar gave him a second chance."

"Really?" Tigerpaw narrowed his eyes.

"Be careful of who you speak to," Leafpool warned. She nuzzled her son's ear, stepping back and giving a relieved look to Spiderleg.

"We should warn ShadowClan of this," Squirrelflight stated. She would be deputy, if it wasn't for having kits. For now, Brackenfur was in her place until her kits were apprenticed. "Brackenfur should send a patrol to speak to Blackstar. I know it'll be sundown in a few hours, but it's rather safe than sorry."

Brackenfur nodded. "There'll be six of you at least, it'll be dark and in another territory." His gaze swept over the warriors who were currently off patrol. "Icecloud, Tigerpaw, Nightpaw, Lionblaze, Bumblestripe, and Amberlight."

"What about Snowfang?" I asked, "He's on patrol."

"He'd want you to go on this and get some extra experience. Ebonypaw and Hollypaw have visited RiverClan, and Sunpaw has went to the Moonpool. I think it's time you see what's outside the territory," Brackenfur meowed.

Icecloud was saying how Tigerpaw had to tell Blackstar about everything, and we were here to back him up in case anything happened.

"Nervous?" Amberlight asked, padding up behind me.

I jumped, not hearing her coming. "A little bit," I said, whiskers twitching in amusement at my fright.

"Don't worry, ShadowClan acts tough, but they can be pretty chill if you don't start anything," Amberlight assured. As a fairly new warrior, the pale ginger she-cat's sleek pelt was untouched by scars or patches. I'd seen her fight in skirmishes, and she was probably the quickest in our clan. One of the best fighters too, aside from Lionblaze.

Brackenfur had chosen Lionblaze and Bumblestripe for their size and strength, and Amberlight for her sharp skills in battle. Icecloud was there to help Tigerpaw, and well, I was just there for experience.

We headed out, dashing through the forest. Lionblaze said he'd like to make it to ShadowClan's camp before sundown, so there were no stops. Branches overhead scratched my ears and snagged my pelt. Dead ones on the ground scraped at my paws, and the snow made it exhausting to run all this way. The sky was visible overhead now that the leaves were gone. It was clear out, but still freezing, and the air was crisp.

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We didn't run into any patrols on ShadowClan's land, so we had to find their camp ourselves. The ground underpaw was covered with snow, but you could still feel the mud and pine needles when you dug deep enough. Pine trees towered overhead, blanketed with snow.

"I think I remember it being that way," Icecloud said, flicking her tail towards a small pathway between the trees. The ground had been worn down from moons of cats walking on it.

A wall of brambles came into sight. From atop a tree in their camp, a brown tom called out behind him, "Six ThunderClan warriors!"

Within moments, a lithe, dark ginger tom padded to the entrance of the camp, a dark brown tom to his left, and a pale gray tabby she-cat to his right. "Who sent you?" The ginger tom asked, squaring his shoulders.

"Bramblestar," Lionblaze answered, "We have to speak to Blackstar."

"Blackstar is dead." The tom's green eyes darkened. "Foxes got him, but don't worry, they were chased away."

"I wish I could've paid my respects for him, he was leader for a very long time, and a good one at that." Lionblaze dipped his head respectfully. "Congratulations on your leadership, Rowanstar."

Rowanstar gave a weak smile, he was clearly still in mourning. "Come in, I'll speak with you in my den," He beckoned, nodding to his warriors and leading us inside. The bramble walls were extremely thick, and difficult to get through without snagging your pelt. The tree inside the walls was the watch tower, and I guessed that someone was on duty at all times.

Inside, ShadowClan seemed a lot friendlier than I thought. All of the dens were in bramble thickets, even Rowanstar's, who was leading us a small slope to a large bramble bush. Outside the medicine cat's den near the front, Littlecloud was sitting with a small, dark tortoiseshell she-cat, teaching her about herbs. The queens talked with each other while the kits tussled outside. One of them, a tiny white she-kit with a black tail-tip, reminded me of Blackstar. I knew because I'd seen him the one time I went to a Gathering. He was massive, and intimidated me.

Rowanstar must've caught me looking, because he said, "It's sad that he had to leave his only kit behind, she's still young and didn't understand. But Smokefoot's been hanging around, hopefully he'll fill in for what Blackstar can't."

I tensed at what he said. I didn't want that kit to go through what I had to, not knowing your parents. At least she's got her mother, though. Maybe they'll be different.

Rowanstar's den was rather large on the inside. It was much warmer than being outside, that's for sure. The floor was covered in soft pine needles, and moss was strung over the bramble thorns to keep out excess sunlight. There was one large nest in the corner, probably for his mate as well.

"Alright, let's talk."

Chapter 9

There was a Gathering three days later. Rowanstar had said he'd keep an eye on Sparrowpaw, as well as any other warriors acting suspicious, then he let us share a piece of prey, and sent four warriors to escort us to our territory. Overall, he trusted us more than I thought he would, and didn't automatically assume we were lying.

I was picked to go for the first time in two moons. Most of my clan went, except for eight warriors, Hollypaw and Darkpaw, and the queens. We approached Island at the same time as WindClan. Bramblestar let them go first, as a sign of respect.

While their warriors were crossing, I caught a glimpse of my father. The large black tom was talking to a ginger tom, his glossy pelt shining silver. He caught sight of Ebonypaw and I, and his dark amber eyes shadowed. He kept moving though, not saying a word.

"That tom looked at you funny," Tigerpaw growled. "You know him?"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Yeah, I do actually." I didn't know if I wanted to say it, but I did, "He's my father."

"Seriously?" Tigerpaw stared me in the eyes. "You know he's in the Dark Forest right?" His eyes widened suddenly. We started our turn on the tree bridge, and I noticed the look on his face that he hoped I didn't hear him.

"How do you know?" I jumped on the log after him, eyes narrowed and focused on the slippery trunk. I had never really believed in those dead cats, until I heard about the Battle. I wasn't alive to see it, but I could tell it still haunted some cats, and the ones who died.

"I mean everybody knows...right?" Tigerpaw meowed, he picked up his pace, as if he was trying to get away from me. He leaped off the log, his eyes flickered back at me and he started padding away.

I glared at him, landing on the damp shore grass. "Hey, wait!" I growled, trotting after him into the bushes. "You do go to the Dark Forest, don't you?"

Tigerpaw rolled his forest-green eyes and squared his shoulders. I felt a growing fear, like I'd just set off his fuse, and anytime his long, sharp claws could be gripping my throat.

"Okay, yeah, I do," He hissed, "But I do it for a reason."

Now, I wasn't on either StarClan's side nor the Dark Forest's, but my clanmates shouldn't be with any of those cats. "What's your reason then?"

Tigerpaw sat down, staring at the twinkling stars in the sky. "I just feel like I won't be the warrior that everyone expects, and I've got to be better than everyone. So when this cat, Thistleclaw, came to me saying how desperate they were, and I'd be the best, I accepted."

"Really?" I huffed. "But you knew that these cats are evil. They're desperate for more cats so they can try to wipe us out again." I heard Sandstorm approaching, and I knew she was gonna be mad that we were 'sneaking off', or so she thinks.

"Quit your yapping at each other and get over here!" Sandstorm ordered from the other side of the bushes. "I may be old, but I haven't lost my senses."

With a hostile glare at Tigerpaw, I pulled myself through the branches and followed Sandstorm and Graystripe to the rest of the clans.Ever since Firestar's death, I've heard that Sandstorm and Graystripe became closer since they both lost someone close.

I didn't trust Tigerpaw, his reason came out to rehearsed. Maybe he was telling the truth, but I want evidence of it. I took my place between Sandstorm and a brown tabby tom with one white paw. I recognized him, in fact, from my night in WindClan.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Bramblestar yowled from his place on the oak branch. He nodded at Onestar, who was sitting at the end. With great sorrow, the WindClan leader announced the death of a kit, Brindlekit, the daughter of Breezepelt and Heathertail. It ended with the usual take on prey levels, or foxes, badgers, etc.

I thought Breezepelt wouldn't care, but when I glanced at him at the other side of the clearing, I noticed his gaunt eyes and sagging shoulders. My heart felt broken, knowing I wasn't cared about. You shouldn't care, I told myself, He's with the Dark Forest, and he doesn't care about you so why should you care what he thinks?

Mistystar was next. The elderly gray she-cat looked feeble and weak next to the other, more powerful and younger leaders. "Fish are still plentiful in this cold weather, and we have three healthy kits, of which two toms born to Duskfur and Grasspelt last week, and one she-kit to Minnowtail and Reedwhisker." Her icy blue gaze swept the clearing full of cats. "I would also like to mention now, that I am stepping down from leadership."

Surprised meows rippled through the crowd.

"I've led RiverClan many seasons, and I think Reedwhisker will make an excellent leader for RiverClan. He's much younger, and very wise and strong. May StarClan lead you to the right path," Mistystar concluded, looking on proudly as Reedwhisker accepted all the praise and congrats from the cats. Mistystar is one of the few remaining cats of Bluestar and Firestar's generation, and many cats felt great sorrow.

Rowanstar announced Blackstar's death, and three new apprentices, Marshpaw and Deerpaw. There was much sorrow at the Gathering tonight, with the loss of two leaders. I'd always heard of arguments breaking out on this night, but not this one. Everyone was comforting RiverClan and ShadowClan, and at least acknowledging the birth of new kits as a good sign.

Bramblestar only had the announcement of the birth of Lionblaze and Cinderheart's single kit, and called the end of the Gathering. There was a few conversations, but most cats left to find their clanmates, and stalked away over the tree bridge. I remember seeing how happy and proud Lionblaze was as he anxiously paced across the nursery entrance. One tiny she-kit, a golden tabby just like him had been born. She'd be useful to the clan when she was older.

Tigerpaw was avoiding me now, but he was being subtle about it, talking to someone else or acting like he was interested in something. I padded to him once we crossed over. "If you're going to use this for bad, then I have to tell Bramblestar," I threatened.

"You've never seen the place, you've never met the cats there, so how could you know they're evil?" He snapped, flattening his ears. We were falling behind our clan now, and I was frightened, but I wanted to remain friends with Tigerpaw. I was trying to talk about this as nice as possible.

I wanted to unsheathe my claws and give him a good swipe over the ears. "Have you never heard the stories, Tigerpaw? They've killed cats, they manipulate you!"

After Tigerpaw didn't respond, I trotted ahead. There was no point anymore. The one cat I had faith in right now was Ebonypaw, but we barely had time together anymore, and she seemed to be taking a liking to Dewfrost.

Going rogue for a while was an appealing idea, but only for a moon or two. I just wanted a break. First it was drama with my parents, and now I've lost my sisters, and my only friend. It's not a big deal, I know, but it's just stressful.

No. Never. I'm loyal to my clan, no matter what.

Chapter 10

A moon later, Tigerpaw and Darkpaw were receiving their warrior names. I got there late, rushing out of the apprentice's den. Their ceremony was almost over, and I hoped no one noticed my absence.

"Tigerpaw, from this moment you will be known as Tigerclaw. StarClan honors your bravery and strength," Brambleclaw announced. This got many surprised murmurs and quiet gasps.

"Why would you name him after a tyrant?" Graystripe called out. The darker stripe of fur on his spine started bristling.

Before Bramblestar could speak, Leafpool skittered to the front of the crowd. "I wanted him to be named Tigerclaw, not after Tigerstar, but so he will show warriors that even though they share the same name, there is nothing to fear. I want my son to show that queens do not have to fear naming their kits Tigerkit anymore."

Everyone settled after, but I kept hearing nervous whispers between the older warriors. I don't think it helped that Tigerclaw and Tigerstar were almost identical, save for Tigerclaw's green eyes, as far as I've heard from nursery tales.

"Darkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Darkflame. StarClan honors your courage and independence."

I felt proud to be cheering Tigerclaw's name--and Darkflame's--but it helped now that Tigerclaw and I were friends again. I forgave him for the Dark Forest incident, I never saw anything suspicious, and suspected that he really was being truthful.

Brackenfur called out patrols for the day, telling Tigerclaw and Darkflame to lead one of their choice and to come back and rest for their vigil. Fortunately, I wasn't on any of them. Yesterday, Snowfang injured his paw when a bramble tendril wrapped around it and he tripped. Jayfeather said it's just a minor sprain, and I'll be back in training within three days. I really hoped so, because my warriors ceremony was in a moon, and I didn't want to remain an apprentice any longer than I had to.

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Later in the afternoon, while I was dozing off in the sun, Tigerclaw's patrol crashed through the thorn tunnel. Tigerclaw had three small gashes on his muzzle, and a torn ear that was dripping blood. Robinpaw, Thornclaw and Hazeltail's kit, came in behind Lionblaze, several minor scratches along her shoulder and neck. Hazeltail's litter had just been apprenticed a few days before, and it was unfortunate that Robinpaw, the shyest and most innocent apprentice I'd ever seen, was picked for this patrol.

I was on my paws in an instant, expecting an attack in camp, as well as everyone else not on patrol.

"What happened?" Brackenfur asked, racing over.

"Rogues," Tigerclaw spat, licking blood off his muzzle. "Many of them. As many as we have warriors, and they're not your average kittypet either."

Hazeltail rushed to Robinpaw's side to comfort her.

Lionblaze looked disappointed at himself. "I tried to keep her out of it. But she couldn't run to camp, there was too many of them." I could tell that he tried. He never gets injured, but he suffered he few scratches to keep his apprentice safe.

"We would've been back here sooner without any injures, if Tigerclaw would've just told us to retreat," Amberlight snorted.

Tigerclaw glared at the pale ginger she-cat, and I thought he was about to rake her eyes off if Brackenfur hadn't interrupted. "I want Icecloud, Mousewhisker, Hazeltail, and Spiderleg to stay here with me in case any come. The rest of you, follow Lionblaze's orders. Robinpaw, go see if Jayfeather can do anything about your injuries."

There was seven of us--Tigerclaw, Lionblaze, Amberlight, Whitewing, Foxleap, Lilystorm, and I. Cinderheart and Squirrelflight had left the nursery and stood watch outside to protect Blossomfall and her newborn kits.

Lionblaze whisked his tail and led us out of camp.

"First battle?" Tigerclaw asked.

"Yeah, kinda nervous," I admitted, ducking to avoid being lashed by a branch.

"Don't be, it's li--" Tigerclaw was interrupted when Dovewing sped off in the other direction, saying she heard screeches from the Clearing. We took off, breaking through a bush barrier. The tip of my ear snagged on a thorn, but I suspect the pain of it wouldn't be near as bad when I fought with these rogues.

"Good luck," Tigerclaw meowed as we neared the Clearing. He broke away from the patrol and leaped into the tall grass.

There was many of them, they surrounded the mentors and apprentices. Some were taunting Cherryfall and Seedflight. The mentors created a circle around the apprentices, but Ebonypaw and Hollypaw were standing alongside Berrynose and Toadstep.

We were still outnumbered slightly, and I hoped another patrol would eventually hear us. I threw myself at a long-furred gray she-cat, battering her muzzle with my claws. She hissed, twisting around to bite my foreleg. Since I was cursed with my small size, I was easily knocked into the soil.

"Why would they send a kit into battle?" The she-cat sneered, digging her claws into my shoulders.

Okay, that made me mad. I raked her stomach, throwing her off me. Back on my paws, I glanced at the rogue on the ground. I hadn't realized I made cuts that deep, as she was curling on the ground in pain. I felt guilty, but that shouldn't matter right now.

Ebonypaw and Hollypaw had teamed up on a white tom, but I couldn't spot Hazeltail's kits anywhere, I just hoped somebody escorted them out. Everything was a blur in front of me. My clanmates were writhing with large, battle-scarred rogues, and screeches and yowls made my ears ring. Then, I saw Tigerclaw, wrestling with a lithe, muscular black and white tom. I could barely see the white fur under the blood stains, and I didn't bother to wonder who's, I just wanted to fight alongside my friend.

The rogue had pinned Tigerclaw to the ground, but he wasn't struggling and didn't even seem to be in pain. Tigerclaw kept his cool, and I saw the fiery look in his eyes. I dashed forward, and sprang at the tom, knocking him off. We were both sent rolling on the ground, and I leaped to my paws quickly, shaking dirt off my pelt. The rogue rolled to his feet, oh mouse-dung. He was huge, bigger than I thought he'd be. I crouched, ready to spring when needed.

"Jacques!" Lionblaze growled, bounding our way with Thornclaw close behind.

The rogue, that I now know as Jacques, faced Lionblaze with a hostile glare.

"Why don't you call your cats off and go home?" Lionblaze hissed. "You've lost already. Look at all your injured allies."

Jacques glanced around. At least a quarter of his cats were limping or slowing their fight, but he saw no reason to call them off.

"What do you want?" Thornclaw growled. Beside me, I felt Tigerclaw growing uneasy. He dug his claws into the soil, desperate to just end it.

"Your territory, of course," Jacques meowed smoothly. We were in the midst of everything, but he felt the need to just sit down and have a conversation. "After my owners kicked Susan and I out, I thought, 'oh, why not take the territory with the most prey?' and now here we are after I gathered an alliance."

A low growl erupted in Tigerclaw's throat, and he sprang at Jacques. Lionblaze rolled his eyes, but he didn't have a reason to stop Tigerclaw. He prowled away, searching for Susan, who I suspected was the second in command of Jacques's mission.

I wasn't going to just stand there, so I joined in with Tigerclaw. He and Jacques were almost equal in size and strength, so I hoped I could help. Remembering one of the first moves I ever learned from Tigerclaw, I darted under Jacques and reared up, throwing him to the ground. Tigerclaw grinned, and went in for the kill, but Jacques threw him to the side with his hindpaws.

I grunted in surprise, nobody's ever gotten a hold of him like that. While Jacques was distracted, I scored a hit on his shoulder, dragging my claws down. He yowled in pain, and sent a devastating blow to the side of my head. My vision went blurry, and I had a massive headache. All I knew was that I was on the ground, and probably out for the day. Then everything went dark.

Chapter 11

"Wake up!" Somebody hissed in my ear, with a paw on my shoulder to shake me awake.

I slowly opened my eyes, and I was much more sensitive to the sunlight than I ever remembered. It burned, but after a few rapid blinks it went away. Tigerclaw was sitting beside me in the Clearing, a trail of blood making its way down his chest. I tried to get to my paws, but I was slightly dizzy, and felt as if I was swaying side to side. Tigerclaw instructed for me to lean on his side, and I did, but it made me feel like I wasn't strong.

We walked over to where everyone was gathering. Ebonypaw trotted up to me, a shadow of guilt clouded her eyes. "Hollypaw was killed," She meowed.

My eyes widened. "Are you serious?" I left Tigerclaw's side and bounded to the crowd. My head started to feel like it was spinning, but I ignored it.

"Stop running!" Tigerclaw chased after me, "You're gonna injure yourself more!"

Foxleap made room for me. Hollypaw was curled up in the tall grass next to a blue-gray tom. There was a deep bite on her throat, but she didn't go out without a fight. The tom next to her had a gash on his flank, and he suffered from blood loss.

I know I never did see eye to eye with Hollypaw, but she was my sister. I can't' imagine how Foxleap feels witnessing it. We aren't his biological kits, but he raised us, and now he was looking at her lifeless body. I wasn't sure where Ivypool was, but she probably was the one who escorted the apprentices out. Foxleap and Birchfall picked Hollypaw's body up and laid carried her back to camp on their shoulders.

"I think I might need to be carried too.." I slurred. I felt so dizzy, and my head was aching incredibly bad. Tigerclaw leaned down to lift me up, but I flinched. "I'm just kidding, please don't."

He scowled. "You're never going to make it back like this."

I had to admit, I felt terrible, and I wasn't looking forward to the trek back to camp. I let Tigerclaw lift me onto his shoulders, where once again, everything went dark.

---

The next time I work try up, I was in Jayfeather's den with Lilystorm, who suffered from a small gash along her neck.

I was laying in a nest of moss and feathers with Tigerclaw sitting by my side.

"You can go now, Tigerclaw," Jayfeather meowed, "I need to tend to her, but you can come back when I'm done."

Tigerclaw hesitated for a moment before finally getting up and stalking out of the cave.

Jayfeather pressed a bundle of wet moss against my head where I'd been struck. It burned where the claw marks were, and it made me feel sick. "What do you think is wrong?"

"Probably a concussion," Jayfeather answered. "Don't get up and start running around anytime soon. You stay here and rest until all the dizziness and aching are gone, okay?"

I nodded. "Can you bring Tigerclaw back in?"

"Why? That arrogant tom can't help you heal."

"But he's good company," I sniffed.

"Fine. So long as he doesn't bother Snowfang or Lilystorm." Jayfeather shouldered through the bramble screen that separated his supplies from the nests.

Within moments Tigerclaw appeared. He squeezed in the nest beside me. "Does it hurt still?"

"Yeah. But I'm not dizzy, so that's good I guess?" I looked over his wounds--multiple scratches over his muzzle and a bite on the side of his neck. "You don't want Jayfeather to check those out for you?"

Tigerclaw shook his head. "Nah. It'll heal on its own. At least I didn't pass out twice," He meowed. I captured a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

"I took the blow for you, you're welcome," I said sarcastically.

"Get some sleep, you need it," He meowed.

"You do too, you have to sit vigil tonight."

"I am going to sleep, just waiting on you," Tigerclaw purred with laughter.

I felt okay now. Tigerclaw was here, and so was this bundle of wet moss. But I was also feeling something different towards Tigerclaw, and it never occurred to me that others probably thought we'd be mates. I guess I was okay with that now. I rested my head on my paws and curled my tail over my nose, my back pressed against Tigerclaw's. This would be the first time I'd sleep in peace and happiness.

---

Just two days later, I was back in training. There was a slight ache to my head, but it could be worse. Snowfang just left the medicine den as well, so if we both messed up it'd be okay.

"Your ceremony is in less than a moon, so I want you to practice the best you can until then," Snowfang ordered. We'd just finished teaching me the jump and pin, which took a really long time. "I want you to act like I'm a rogue you found in our territory, and try to chase me out."

On his mark, I trotted up to the white tom with my ears flattened. "You're trespassing on ThunderClan territory." A low growl escaped my throat.

"ThunderClan's?" Snowfang sneered, "This is Jacques's territory." He leaped forward, landing a blow to my shoulder that swept me to the ground.

I rolled over and onto my paws. As Snowfang advanced, I darted forward and grabbed his scruff, careful not to bite too hard, and pinned him with one paw on his throat.

My mentor got up, shaking the dirt and leaves off his pelt. "Good! That roll was a nice touch, and you kept your cool. Since I don't really have anything new to teach you, we'll just do scenes like this and you'll go help with the new apprentices."

"Sounds good," I meowed. "Anything else for today?"

"We'll go for a quick hunt and that'll be it," Snowfang answered.

We trotted out of the Clearing. I could still see the place where Hollypaw had been killed. The ground was stained crimson, and I only hoped that the rain could wash it away because I didn't want to be reminded of it anymore. With a sigh, I continued on into the forest.

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The sun was already sinking below the trees by the time Snowfang and I returned to camp. I'd been told to take the squirrel I caught to Blossomfall, so I headed to the nursery. Squeaks and mewls came from the thick bramble bush, and I heard Cinderheart and Squirrelflight scolding their kits and that they should be laying down.

I squeezed through the entrance. If it was this hard for me to get through, I wonder how hard it was for the others because I was barely over half their size. It was dim, and only shreds of disappearing sunlight peaked through. The three kits in the nursery all turned their attention towards me.

"Nightpaw!" Hawkkit greeted, a shine in his ice-blue eyes. His sister, Sunkit, asked if the squirrel was for her.

"You're old enough to get your own prey from the pile," Squirrelflight meowed sternly. She nudged them out of the den, telling them to get one thing only.

Dawnkit was curled up by Cinderheart's side. The she-kit was almost a moon old, but her smoky blue eyes were full of curiosity just like her mother's.

"Here, Blossomfall," I said, setting the squirrel by the tortoiseshell's paws.

"Thank you so much!" She breathed, "I haven't eaten all day because my kits wouldn't let me move." Her whiskers twitched in amusement as she glanced at the tiny bundles of fur.

"No problem," I meowed, turning away from the she-cat and exiting the den. My headache returned again, and I was sore from training with Snowfang. Sometimes I wished my den came to me instead of me going to the den. Robinpaw and her siblings were already asleep in their nests, so I carefully picked my way to mine. I curled up in the nest of bracken and moss, my eyes were as heavy as a log, and I quickly fell asleep.

Normally I have either good dreams or none at all, but tonight, I woke up in a dark, swampy forest, and was completely aware of everything.

Chapter 12

It seemed I was alone in the forest, and the fog kept me from seeing very far. The fur along my neck and spine bristled, and it seemed I had no other choice but to venture in.

The ground was somewhat muddy, and vines swung from trees. It felt as if I wasn't dreaming, that I was in fact here, but I knew it was a dream and you couldn't get hurt in them. Feeling more confident, I stopped slinking along the trees and began trotting to a clearing. Somehow, it never occurred to me that this was a dark forest, as in the Dark Forest. Of course, one never knows where you're at in a dream.

I kept walking along, until I heard voices. One sounded awfully familiar,almost like the gruff voice of Tigerclaw. Another was more sinister, and seemed up to no good. The sinister voice was giving praise, but to what? I was curious, and ducked under low-hanging branches to appear in a sort of clearing. The area was free of trees, but thick, tall grass and mud covered the ground. A dark tabby came into view, and once I realized it actually was Tigerclaw, I shrunk away in fear. I'm in the Dark Forest. For the first time in my life, I pleaded, StarClan help me.

A rugged, dark brown tom with a flat face was sitting on top of a rock, watching Tigerclaw and another dark tabby tom with a white belly. I couldn't tell what Tigerclaw was doing, him and the other tom were scuffling on the ground, but the tall grass blocked most of what was happening.

The flat-faced tom sniffed the air, and bounded off the rock. "I can smell you," he said in a deep, threatening voice. When his tail lashed, I noticed a bend in it. This cat reminded me of someone Ivypool told me about in nursery stories, an old ShadowClan leader named Brokenstar. I was still frightened, and didn't say a word, just stayed crouched in the grass and bushes.

Tigerclaw stood up and asked, "Smell who?" From between the blades of grass, I could see a bead of blood rolling down his ear.

"The new apprentice," Brokenstar answered. He started padding slowly my way.

I knew I couldn't hide, I mean, I didn't even know anything about this place, while this ugly, flat-faced brute had been here for who knows how long. And I really liked Tigerclaw, and always felt safer when he was around. However, I wasn't sure if I could trust him in this place. I crawled out of the grass, and planted myself firmly in front of Brokenstar, trying to seem as fearless as possible.

Brokenstar's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Tigerstar said we were getting a strong new apprentice, but you? I expected better. What do you think Tigerclaw?"

Tigerstar's eyed shadowed with concern. "I know her, she's Nightpaw. She's small, yes, but she has great fighting skills."

The brown tabby that Tigerclaw was wrestling with trotted up and stood in front of me. His icy blue eyes gleamed. "Never seen a pretty she-cat in the Dark Forest before," he purred. "I wonder, how well can you fight?" He looked to Brokenstar with a battle-hungry fire burning in his eyes, "When's her first training session?" His claws unsheathed, and dug into the dirt.

I saw Tigerclaw's muscles tense up, and he growled, "That's enough, Hawkfrost. She won't be fighting anyone here." He padded to my side. I was so frozen in fear I hadn't realized I was still face-to-face with Brokenstar.

Brokenstar chuckled. "We'll see about that."

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I don't remember leaving the Dark Forest, but when I woke up to see my denmates and the feeling of soft feathers that was my nest, I felt so relieved. I quietly got up and left the den. It wasn't sunrise yet, but I knew it was getting close because I heard the soft rustling of a few warriors in their den, getting ready for the dawn patrol. I knew Tigerclaw well enough that after a dream like that, he was going to get up and check on me.

And I was right. He crawled out of the bramble bush behind Mousewhisker, Poppyfrost, and Ivypool, and headed my way.

His green eyes had a warm glow, but I could also tell something was wrong with him. "Do you want to go on a hunt before you go for training?" He asked.

"Sure," I purred.

We padded to the exit together, and I could feel the burn of Ivypool's stare. She knew I liked Tigerclaw, and she wasn't fond of me leaving camp so early with a warrior, especially one who reminded many cats of the feared Tigerstar. But she also hid a secret from me, so why would I care?

Tigerclaw and I strolled through the forest silently for a while. The crisp, cool morning air felt great, and I dreaded the heat that came midday from newleaf.

Tigerclaw sniffed the air, like he was checking for others, then stopped walking to face me. "So the Dark Forest, huh?"

My ears flattened against my head, even just hearing the word made me terrified and paranoid of what was out in our woods. "I hope I never go back, I don't even know how I got there. Why were you there? Why was that Hawkfrost cat so fixed on killing me?" So many questions pestered me.

"Shh," Tigerclaw hissed, lashing his tail. "The dawn patrol would've left by now, and they would not be happy to hear about this." He relaxed and put his tail on my shoulders to comfort me. "You know the Dark Forest's intentions, so that answers your question about Hawkfrost-"

"Okay, then why were you there if you know they're evil?" I questioned, glaring at him. "And don't tell me you're there to help ThunderClan, because you seemed like you were having the time of your life fighting."

Tigerclaw's dark fur bristled slightly, and a twig snapped under the pressure of his large paws. His anger was obvious. "You don't trust me?" He growled.

My heart skipped a beat out of fear. I've seen him this furious before, but never at me. "I don't know anymore. These are starting to seem like excuses. All of my family is either dead, distant, or lied to me, and you're the only other cat I'm close to. It's just hard for me to believe who says what."

He took a few steps towards me, his green eyes looked like he had gone mad. He was easily three times my size, and now he was starting to scare me just like Brokenstar and Hawkfrost had. I took more steps back, Tigerclaw was unpredictable at times, and I wasn't sure what he was going to do next.

Then he bowed his head, and the fury in his eyes had gone. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "It's just that I really am in the Dark Forest to learn things to help keep my clan safe. And like you, it's hard to know that nobody would believe me if I told them. Even my own mother doubts me, I can tell. And now you, it just makes me angry that no one would trust me if they found out."

I let myself relax. I still didn't fully believe him, however. But I trusted him, my life was in his paws several times through skirmishes with rogues or foxes, etc. He'd never let me down, so why should I? I brushed up against him, "It's okay, I believe you." Through these few moons I had doubted him, but really he was just afraid of being judged.

"You do?" He purred.

"Of course," I assured. "I know what you're going through, maybe not the full extent, but I know. Neither of my parents came from ThunderClan, which is horrifying apparently to every other cat. And you learn how to fight in the Dark Forest for your clan. Two different extremes, but I know how it feels to not be able to trust anyone." I glanced up at the sky through the treetops. My tail bristled in alarm, "The sun's out already! Snowfang must be searching for me!"

Tigerclaw snickered. "Let me take you back to camp, don't want any foxes to eat you on the way!"

As we ran back through the forest, I realized that I finally felt at ease for once in a while. It's not that I didn't trust any of my clanmates, I just wasn't close to them like most cats are. But I'm happy that I can relate to Tigerclaw, because I'd trust him with anything.