Rowanpaw’s Mistake

Book One of the RainClan trilogy

Yeet another warriors fanfic o:

Enjoy!

-Wolfy

**Note: this fanfiction may contain slight violence, and a couple characters may die. If you are sensitive to this stuff, I would not recommend reading past this notice. Thank you!**

## Allegiances

### Rainclan

Leader:

Wispstar, mottled Brown tom

Deputy:

Deerpelt, tiny light brown she-cat

Medicine Cat:

Blossomfur, ginger she-cat

Warriors:

Moonbreeze, dark gray Tom with pale blue eyes

Foxtuft, strong cream she-cat

Breezecone, gray she-cat

Fishtail, ginger Tom with startling blue eyes

Snowflick, pure white Tom

Brightflower, she-cat with deep green eyes

Cleverheart, black and gray tabby she-cat

Adderpool, gray tabby tom

Hailfoot, light brown tom

Flintkit, gray Tom with pale yellow eyes

Rowankit, light ginger tom with pale blue eyes

Shardkit, black she-cat with blue eyes

Snowflick‘s kits: (born to Streameye, deceased)

Frostkit, white she-cat

Thornkit, white-gray she-cat with bright blue eyes

## Part One

### Chapter One

Rowankit crept slowly, hoping not to wake his mother or littermates. The leaf-bare wind struck him hard the moment he walked out of the den, a constant reminder about the season. It had been almost six moons since he had first entered the world, and he would be an apprentice no less than two sunrises from then. But Rowankit still had to check something.

Across the camp loomed the medicine den, home of Blossomfur's great supply of herbs. Rowankit found himself treading carefully, not wanting to step on any if her precious herbs. Blossomfur was generally a mild-mannered cat, but Rowankit was unsure about what would happen if she caught him "playing" in her stores.

Across the room, Rowankit spotted the small ginger form in the corner. He padded over and tapped her lightly with his tail.

"Blossomfur? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

▪▪▪

Dawn came and went. At midday, Rowankit was approached by his siblings.

Shardkit, who shared Rowankit's amber eyes, spoke first. "Hey Rowankit. We're playing fox attack, and Flintkit is the fox. I need another warrior to help me. Would you play with us?"

Flintkit, the more reserved of the two, quietly added, "If you aren't busy, of course."

Rowankit shuffled his paws. "Sorry, you two. I have something to do this time."

Shardkit sighed, and walked off, beckoning for Flintkit to come with her. They roped in the other kits in the nursery, Frostkit and Thornkit. Rowankit felt a sense of remorse, looking at the four if them playing games, but he has more important stuff to do.

*I'll be an apprentice in a day!* He sternly told himself. *I don't have time for these childish games.*

Thornkit and Shardkit leapt over the other two, and pinned them to the ground. Giggling, they declared themselves the winners. Flintkit clawed at his sister playfully, but she wouldn't budge.

*Childish,* Rowankit thought. He stiffened at the sound of a cat behind him. It was Moonbreeze, his father.

"You aren't playing with the other kits," Moonbreeze remarked. "I thought you loved warrior games. What happened?"

Rowankit shuffled his paws guiltily. "I guess I grew up," he meowed evenly.

Moonbreeze nudged him playfully. "You don't have to be a kit to have fun. Watch this."

Moonbreeze stalked the kits until he was right in front of them. Then he yowled, "Well, the young badgers have had their play, but the papa badger is here now! Ooh, some cat warriors. Well, you won't get past me!"

Rowankit snorted at his father's antics, as all four kits tackled him. He missed playing a little bit, but he was almost an apprentice, a grown up. And he had something very important to do.

"Watcha doing?" A voice from behind him called.

Blossomfur stood on a boulder, her deep ginger fur illuminated by the odd patches of sunshine. "We need to see Wispstar! Remember...?"

Rowankit, who had be sitting down to watch them, sprang to his feet.

"Yes!! Sorry Blossomfur, I was just distracted!"

Blossomfur snorted. "Being easily distracted is not exactly something I would look for in an apprentice of mine, but I'll let it go this time."

Rowankit licked his paw discreetly, wanting to look good for the she-cat. After all, she would be his mentor. Probably. Hopefully.

The two of them jogged up to the leaders den, quite aware that they were late. Inside the den, Hawkstar was arguing with his deputy (and sister) Deerpelt.

"You know we won't be able to find him if we don't look!"

"Yeah, but what if they were caught by nofurs? Or a fox? There's no sense leading other warriors into the same trap."

"They should be our first priority!"

"You're just saying that because Adderpool is your son!"

Deerpelt stalked out of the den at that least remark, bumping into Blossomfur and Rowankit. She shook herself of, before muttering, "I'll find them myself."

Wispstar noticed the cats sitting outside, and beckoned them in. " Sorry about that. Something troubling has come up..."

"Wispstar," the ginger she-cat mewed, "We have something important to ask you. About Rowankit."

"Yes, I'm listening."

"I know he would be made an apprentice warrior at dawn tomorrow... but he has shown interest in herbs. His memory skills are amazing, he already knows a bunch of herbs!"

"So you want him to be your apprentice." Wispstar sighed. "That's your decision. Don't come to me for stuff like that, he wants to be your apprentice." These last words had a tinge of annoyance to them, and maybe skmething else. Judging by the circles under his eyes and the way he spoke, he was tired. Blossomfur nodded.

"Sorry," Blossomfur mewed.

Any reply the leader might have had was knocked away from a desperate growling from camp. Rowankit looked outside and recognised the one making the noise as Foxtuft, one of the warriors.

The three cats raced down to meet her. She was already frantically telling her story to Deerleap.

"I was on patrol with Adderpool and Hailfoot!"

Deerleap stiffened. Rowankit knew that Adderpool was her only son, so he must mean a lot to her, after her mate was killed in a rockslide.

"Continue," she said briskly.

"We got lost in the woods... then, we must have been on top of a cave or something, because he ground gave way... and they both fell down. I ran for help as fast as possible... I hope I'm not too late."

"Come on then!" Deerleap called. "Foxtuft, Blossomfur, come with me!"

Blossomfur flicked Rowankit with her tail. "You want to be a medicine cat apprentice, come on!"

Foxtuft showed the way through the forest, which had been darkened by clouds over the sun. Rowankit raced after the rest of the cats, hoping these clouds weren't a bad sign. There would be a storm tonight, that was for sure.

"It's here," Foxtuft said. In front of them was a gaping chasm, going down maybe ten times the height of a cat. Two small forms were visible at the bottom... Rowankit could faintly make out the gray stripes of Adderpool and the Brown mass of fur that was Hailfoot.

Deerleap cried out, but it was too late. A mass of soil gave way beneath her paws, sucking her under.

"No!" Blossomfur called, but she was completely covered, lying somewhere down there beneath all the dirt.

"Deerleap... no."

Too shocked to speak, Rowankit climbed his way down a few tree roots to the other cats. He had just seen a cat die, the deputy no less. What would Wispstar say?

There was still cats he could save. Adderpool flinched when Rowankit approached him. Rowankit could save this cat. *Time to show them how good I can be.*

He quickly assessed the patient. He was bleeding severely in two spots, his leg and part of his chest. Rowankit, remembering what he had seen Blossomleaf do before, grabbed some spiderweb from where a spider was nesting in a damp log.

"Sorry," he muttered to the creature. "I need these."

He wrapped them around the Tom's wounds, as to staunch the blood. It seemed to work. *At least he won't bleed to death now.*

His head seemed alright, but his leg was twisted at a strange angle. He had seen this before. A young warrior had smashed into a tree, twisting her leg. Rowankit had taken careful notes, but he was worried. "Blossomfall!" he called.

The two she-cats were inspecting Hailfoot... or, more accurately, Blossomfur was. Foxtuft was covering her eyes two or three fox-lengths away. Fear of blood, Rowankit guessed.

"I think his leg was twisted," Rowankit panted. This was hard work. Blossomfur was sweating too, clearly feeling the pressure. She nodded, impressed.

"You've stopped the bleeding, I see. Very nice. Come on, we need to somehow get them back to camp."

The edge of the cliff was illuminated by the setting sun. A silhouette crossed it. Then another. Then a third.

”Are you alright?”

Cleverheart bounded down the twisted roots, pausing for breath. She was followed by a concerned looking Snowflick. The third figure stood still at the top of the hill. Rowankit squinted to look at it, then realized who it was.

”Where’s my sister...?“ Wispstar asked nervously.

…

”You worthless mouse-brained Fox-hearted lumps of—“ The leader paused, as if only realizing now that a kit was listening. “I can’t believe it! My sister is dead because of you three!”

Foxtuft shuffled her paws guiltily. Blossomfur, however, seemed to somehow keep her calm, despite the leader‘s horrifying language. “Wispstar,” she remarked, “don’t lose yourself.”

Wispstar snarled at her, “Why you...”

He went silent for a moment.

Blossomfur nudged Rowankit out of the den. “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” she murmured once they were safely out of earshot. “He’s gone mad with grief... our own leader. Imagine.”

Rowankit nodded sincerely. He wondered what he would do if in that situation. Rebellious Shardkit, shy Flintkit... the former could be pretty annoying, but he loved them both very much.

”Let’s go check on the patients now,” Blossomfall meowed softly.

…

Adderpool put his head up when the two entered.

”Rowankit,” he said softly. “Can I speak with you for a second?”

“Sure.” Rowankit craned his head to hear the injured Tom. He felt sympathy for the cat. His mother was gone. His father was gone. He had no siblings. His uncle seemed to be slowly losing his sanity.

Rowankit had a brother, a sister, a mother, a father... a family. What did Adderpool have?

”You know, if you and Blossomfur hadn‘t come along...“ Adderpool started. “I almost died of blood loss. Just a bit more time out there, and... well, Blossomfur says I’m lucky to be here right now. Honestly, luck has nothing to do with it. It was all you, Rowankit.”

Rowankit felt his face flush with pride. He had helped another cat... and it was definitely a good feeling.

”Thank you... you saved my life, Rowankit. You’ll be a fine medicine cat.”

Rowankit gasped. Adderpool winked. Blossomfur looked on from the herb stores which she pretended to be sorting.

”Blossomfur told me. Good luck!”

Back in his nest, Rowankit reflected on the day. It had been scary, sad, angry. He seen poor Deerpelt die. But on top of that, there was the satisfaction... the feeling that he had really saved another cat. He smiled. It was a great feeling.

### Chapter Two

Frostkit yawned rather loudly as sunlight streamed in from the holes in the brambles making up the den. Beside her, Thornkit tensed.

"Shhhh!" she whined.

Frostkit groaned and blinked several times to clear the sleep from her eyes. Slowly, she got up from her nest and stumbled outside.

In the morning sunlight, she could tell the atmosphere of camp was different from usual. Cats were clumping in large groups, all looking somewhat depressed.

"What's going on?" she asked Flintkit, who was solemnly chewing a mouse by the prey pile. She grabbed a shrew and sat beside the quiet kit. He was a good friend, despite the fact he could be quite melancholic for no obvious reason.

Flintkit sighed and looked at her. "Deerpelt died yesterday. You know, the deputy."

Frostkit flew through her mental images of the cats if the clan. *Deerpelt?*

"The smaller cat, right?"

"Yeah. She was Wispstar's sister. Apparently he's pretty upset."

"Oh, okay." Frostkit did not know her, but if it was enough to get the whole clan acting so sad she must have been a good cat. Frostkit quickly adopted the air of sadness she had seen in the eyes of her fellow clanmates. "Thank you for the information, I gotta go now."

Frostkit walked away, pushing through the stalks of heather that lined the camp. She spotted her father on the other side of the clearing, and feeling like she needed to talk to him, she stumbled towards him.

Snowflick was a quiet cat, and had been that way for moons. His close friends had told Frostkit it had started when her mother died, but Frostkit was too young to remember. She wished that she had known her.

Every time she saw Flintkit and his siblings with their mother and father, Frostkit had felt a pang of jealousy. But, despite all the initial shyness, Snowflick was a good father, so Frostkit figured she didn't have too much to complain about.

"Hey, kiddo," Snowflick said. "What's up?"

Frostkit softly mewed, "I need to talk to you."

Snowflick listened quietly, until she reached the end of what she had to say. "That's crazy... are you sure?"

"Thanks for the confidence," Frostkit remarked dryly.

"Sorry... that's pretty... hm, I don't know what to say. Should we tell Blossomfur?"

"I don't know," Frostkit shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm sure it was just a dream. Maybe an unusually vivid one, I dunno."

It all came crashing back to her.

*She was running through the forest in the dead of night, except it wasn’t the forest Frostkit knew. Everything was off. Most of the trees had been felled in some strange way, and the ones still standing gave off eerie shadows that seemed to creep up on Frostkit. Shivering, she trudged through the gloomy forest, stepping over logs and through overgrown brambles. She could not see her own two paws in front of her, as the last light of the moon was covered by heavy storm clouds. Stumbling, she tripped over a prickle bush, catching her paw on it. Crimson droplets cascaded through the air. Scowling, she shook herself over and continued.*

*The rain began to patter down, soft at first, but getting thicker and colder by the minute. Eventually, the rain was so cold that Frostpaw had to lug her sodden body into a hollow log for shelter. The rain intensified around her, until she couldn’t hear anything except for the sound of her own shivering.*

*She couldn't even hear the steady pawsteps behind her, until she was roughly poked in the back. She slowly turned around, and found another cat sitting in the log behind her. He was a ginger tom, fur neatly groomed, eyes shining, and was his pelt... glowing? It seemed to illuminate the whole forest, until the rain abruptly stopped and sunshine poked through the clouds. The Tom's pelt prickled uneasily.*

*"Frostkit," he meowed, "I need to talk to you."*

*Before Frostkit could reply, sunlight hit her.*

Frostkit yawned rather loudly as sunlight streamed in from the holes in the brambles making up the den. Beside her, Thornkit tensed.

"Shhhh!" she whined.

Frostkit groaned and blinked several times to clear the sleep from her eyes. Slowly, she got up from her nest and stumbled outside.

Frostkit shrugged. It was a weird dream, sure, but cats had weird dreams all the time. Plus, why in the world would a cat like that want to talk to her?

Shaking away her unease, her paw pricked. She lifted it up and stared at it.

Her paw pad a large mark in it, like a prickle had embedded itself in her paw recently. The thing was, there were hardly any prickly bushes or thorns in the whole camp, and Frostkit was very careful to stay away from them.

So, where had this come from?

Frostkit's mind flashed back to her dream. This couldn't have been a mark from when she had stumbled over the bush in her dream...

Could it?

### Chapter Three

”Let all residents of the clan join under the Highest Tree.”

Rowankit was familiar with the Highest Tree, and it’s long, swooping branches. He glanced up at the rough, claw-worn bark with a pang of longing. He had always visualized climbing it as part of his warrior training, skittering over that rough bark, seeing the hard earth of the camp gradually get smaller and smaller as he climbed to the top. All his worries and fears and sibling troubles would just... drift away for the time being. It would just be him, him and the tree.

*Stop it!* Rowankit scolded himself. *Those are the fantasies of a kit, nothing more. You are doing what you want to do! All of the clan will respect you as a healer, a medicine cat, not just a plain old warrior!*

Rowankit sighed as he brought his mental debate to a close. Arguing with yourself could be more challenging than most fights.

Cleverheart balanced on one if the branches, wobbling precariously. She was clearly not that strong in tree climbing yet. She steadied herself, exhaled, and spoke in a loud voice, “Cats of RainClan. I have some news to report to you.” She paused, took another breath, and continued. “I know we are still grieving over the death of Deerleap, our highly esteemed deputy.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled it’s way through the assembled crowd. Deerleap was clearly well-respected by the whole clan, and her loss had been quite shocking. Rowankit still felt a little bad, as if he had something to do with what happened with her. Not for the first time that day, he told himself sternly, *You were just trying to help. You did nothing.*

*Yes,* himself replied, *but you could have warned her to be careful on the unstable ground.*

*Like she would have listened to me! That was her son in danger! What could I do to stop her?*

*You mean we. I am just a part of you who decided to act rebellious today. You mean we, dear Rowankit. Er, me.*

*Shut up,* Rowankit thought, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind. He tried to focus on what Cleverheart was saying instead.

”Last night, Wispstar appointed me as her successor. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, really. Wispstar is still grieving, as well as many if you are, I’m sure.” Rowankit nodded solemnly. “But we can’t grieve forever. I have good new. These times are dark, but we still have hope.”

Rowankit bristled with excitement. He knew what she was going to say.

"Three kits have reached their sixth moon, and as of today, will become apprentices that shall faithfully serve our clan. I hope I have your blessing and support as deputy of RainClan." Cleverheart smiled softly.

Cheers rang out all around Rowankit, voicing the clan's support. Cleverheart was a little quiet and such, but the leader's word was law, and all the gathered cat's were clearly in support of his desicion. Except for one.

Rowankit gasped as Darkfall pushed her way forwards, her dark fur brushing softly against his.

"Huh?" Shardkit whispered to Rowankit. "What's she doing?"

Rowankit felt honestly worried at the sight of the dark she-cat. Moonbreeze, sitting with some of his friends at the end of the line, looked positively distressed. He rushed to her uncertaintly, to where she was standing at the bottom of the tree. Darkfall hissed loudly.

"Wispstar chose you? And inexperienced warrior, barely six moons out of the apprentice den. Why in the world wouldn't he have chose somecat else? Many of us have lived longer than you, had more experience, more knowledge. I know you, Cleverheart. You were my apprentice, you know. So why in the world did Wispstar choose *you* over *me*?!"

"Calm down, Darkfall," Moonbreeze hissed. "You're not well. You should be in the nursery."

"I'm perfectly fine, fox-heart."

"No, you aren't."

Rowankit gasped at this. His mother was once an amazing cat, or so he thought. *Mother, what have you become these last few moons?*

Flintkit whimpered. "I... hate it when they fight like this." He put his head in in his paws, clearly distressed.

Rowankit pressed against his brother, letting his patchy fur brush Flintkit's. He felt unusually cold. He was shaking, too.

"It's okay, Flintkit. It's okay."

The gray tom shuddered slightly, leaning against his brother. He said nothing in reply, but nodded slowly.

"You re horrible, pretending I'm unwell! How could I know you didn't have this all planned? All of you! You all wanted a better shot at deputy, didn't you!" Darkfall was now becoming hysterical, breathing in short gasps, talking for shorter. "Let me... see Wispstar!"

Flintkit buried his head in his paws woefully. Shardkit inched towards her siblings, draping her tail over Flintkit. Her face all but captured the essence of misery. As Moonbreeze and Darkfall kept trading insults, Rowankit mentally cautioned himself. *She really isn't feeling well, but is just a faze. She'll be fine...*

"Enough!" A sharp voice commanded from behind Rowankit. He turned and saw a hunched, trembling cat. His fur was in clumps of tangled mats. His eyes were red and angry, jutting out from his pale complexion. Only when his eyes gilded up to the sun did he see the calm, determined look in them. He may have looked pale and sickly at this point, but Rowankit bowed his head in respect. Wispstar was his leader, just a disheveled version.

Wispstar cautiously padded his way through the crowd. Rowankit lept out of the way, urging Flintkit to do the same. Flintkit sighed in dreadful anticipation. "What's he gonna do?" he asked.

"I don't know," Rowankit answered reassuringly, amid the murmurs of confoundment and shock. Moonbreeze lurched back into the crowd, fearful looking. Wispstar stepped beside Darkfall, attempting to purr. What came out sounded like a dying mouse instead. Darkfall hissed loudly.

”That's enough, Darkfall. Come with me.”

Wispstar hobbled into his den, gesturing for Darkfall to come with him. She silently obeyed, casting one last resentful look at Moonbreeze. He averted his eyes to the ground.

Cleverheart cleared her throat, forcing Rowankit to look at her instead of thinking about his mother. It was today, he reminded himself. No more sitting in the nursery for him.

“Erm, where was I? Oh yeah, apprentices.” Cleverheart’s words seemed to have taken a lurch. Whatever inspiring things she was planning to say, Darkfall’s appearance had made her forget most of them.

”We have three new apprentices... as of today, two will train as warriors, and one a medicine cat.” Rowankit plucked himself up, hoping I make a good impression. “They will each be assigned a mentor, and will train hard to earn their warrior names.” *We know, get on with it!*

 “With no further ado, please welcome our future warriors! And medicine cats. Shardkit, come here.”

Shardkit attempted climbing the tree, going about three tail-lengths before falling down on her back. Pelt bristling with embarrassment, she pulked herself to her feet, blushing.

Cleverheart bounded down, barely stumbling. “A noble effort, young one. Soon you’ll be climbing trees with ease.”

Shardkit seemed startstruck. “Really?”

”Yes, But you’ll need to train hard. Snowflick, you are a strong warrior. Shardpaw will grow strong under your wing.”

”Shardpaw! Shardpaw!”

The same was done for Flintkit. He was assigned to Breezecone, and while everybody chanted his apprentice name, Rowankit realized he was next.

As soon as Cleverheart called his name, he bounded through the crowd in an instant. Finally...

”Now, finally, we have Rowankit. Rowankit has been interested in the practice of healing and medicine, which has led to a desicion. Rowankit will be amedicine cat apprentice!”

*You already said that,* Rowankit thought. *Just get on with it.*

”So, then, Rowankit, your mentor will be Blossomfall!”

”Rowanpaw! Flintpaw! Shardpaw!”

Rowanpaw smiled slightly. Blossomfall touched noses with him, smirking. Moonbreeze went to congratulate his kits. This whole scene was heartwarming, but someone was missing.

How long had it been? The sun had long since started it’s journey across the pale blue sky. How long since Darkfall had gone into Wispstar’s den?

”Pay attention!” Blossomfall hissed.

”Right!” Rowanpaw perked himself up, licking his chest fur self-consciously.

”You ready to start?”

Rowanpaw followed his mentor, but allowed himself one last look at the leader’s den. What had happened?

### Chapter Four

Frostpaw curled her tail around her hind-quarters thoughtfully. She gazed over at Thornpaw with half-closed eyes, attempting to stifle a yawn. Birds chirped quietly in the distance. An edge of the sun glared at Frostpaw, forcing her to avert her gaze. Thornpaw meowed softly.

”It’s barely after dawn, yet we’re still supposed to wake up and patrol?”

Frostpaw nudged her sister affectionately. “First we practice our battle moves. Then we patrol. Get it straight, furrball.”

“Doesn’t matter to me. It sounds exhausting either way.”

Flintpaw and Shardpaw idled nearby, waiting for their mentors. It had been a day since Frostpaw had been apprenticed. Her mentor was to be Cleverheart. The clan deputy. Frostpaw still felt a little nervous in the tabby she-cat’s presence. She wasn’t like a normal warrior. Cleverheart had lots of power over her. She may seem slightly aloof and not very dignified, but she could do a whole lot. Plus, Wispstar seemed to have fallen ill a little while back, and still hadn’t recovered. Which meant her mentor was in charge of the whole clan.

Hailfoot, Thornpaw's mentor, pushed through a nearby bush. "Are you two ready for your first time outside the camp?"

"Yeah!" Thornpaw squealed.

Hailfoot was a brown tom with a slight limp from an injury a quarter-moon before, around the time Deerpelt passed away. The clan had mostly gotten over their grief, as he seemed to have with his injury. It was replaced quickly with affection for their five new apprentices. They were the next generation of warriors. One could even be leader some day. Training them well was mandatory. Frostpaw hoped Cleverheart and the others would do a good job.

Her mind kept flashing back to her dream. It was obviously not a prophecy or anything, she was just a kit at the time. But she couldn't shake the feeling that this meant something important. But what?

Cleverheart soon arrived, chatting with the other mentors: Breezecone, a older she-cat, and Snowflick. Snowflick shot Frostpaw a quick grin before moving over to his apprentice. Soon, a plan was formed. They would go to the training grounds first, where Frostpaw and Thornpaw would get a basic idea of battle moves. Then they would patrol the borders of the territory, a menial task which was sure to last until at least midday. Even with that, Frostpaw was excited. It was her first time outside of camp boundaries, and she was sure it would be more fun than it sounded. The camp was a fun place at first, with stones to skip over and saplings for kits to climb. But it was getting cramped. Frostpaw wanted to run, climb, hunt. Her limbs had been pleading for exercise for months. It was finally her chance.

They set out soon after, pushing through the brambles thicket that surrounded the camp. What Frostpaw saw was truly a sight to behold... a sight she had never seen before, like a hungry fox viewing a deer for the first time. They were standing on a slight ledge with a path zig-zagging down a few fox-lengths, to a wide, windy meadow. Flowers were clustered among pale green grass, with hues stretching from an energetic yellow to a deep, azure blue. The place was literally bursting with colour, a stark contrast to the murky grays of camp. This was a sign of newleaf, a promise held so long Frostpaw was worried it wouldn't come. The breeze tickled her fur, making her giggle softly. A small cluster of evergreen trees were tucked away at the side of her vision. However, they didn't matter much at that point. All she could think about was the beautiful meadow. How had her parents kept such a thing away from her for so long? All she wanted to do was roll in the grass, or relax in the cool shade of a hedge, slowly intaking the world around her.

"Frostpaw?" Cleverheart's voice cut into her thoughts, abruptly stopping her train of thought. "You coming?"

He others were halfway down the path already. Frostpaw was so absorbed in her thoughts that they had slipped away without her.

"Yeah!" She called as she dashed down the path towards the group of cats. "I'm here!"

Sticking to a cracked, worn-out path, Frostpaw followed the trail of cats. Breezecone and Hailfoot led the way through the tall grass. A bug nipped at Frostpaw's shoulder. Groaning, she shook it out. She was vaguely aware of Hailfoot pointing out important places along the trail, but she couldn't care less.

"Here is the Hollow Log, a great hiding spot. When the foxes invaded..." Blah blah blah, boring. Frostpaw instead focused on the incredible scenery, as well as the lustrous scents. A scent of rabbit wafted up her nose, so strong she could almost taste it. Hailfoot was pointing something out about an abandoned badger den when she interrupted by saying, "Uh, Hailfoot? Sir?"

The brown tom turned back to look at her with a slightly confused expression on his face. "Yeah?"

I sniff again, rabbit drafting through my nostrils. “Um... sir... I’m smelling rabbit up this path.”

The other members of my group nosed around until they caught on too. “It’s very strong,” Breezecone murmured. “How didn’t I notice this before?”

Frostoaw's nose pricked. For some reason, dust was flying into it. She sneezed, shaking it out. Why was there so much dust in the air? It wasn't windy or anything.

Breezecone led the way through a thicket of brambles and undergrowth to a section of the large forest Frostpaw had seen while looking from the cliff. Frostoaw's nosed itched with excitement. The rabbit scent was getting stronger. There must be a whole bunch, judging by the smell. After walking for a while, Breezecone stopped. She ushered for the others to be quiet. Tensed, the adult cats peered through the bushes. Frostpaw noticed Snowflick was standing stock-still next to her. "What going on?" She whispered.

Snowflick didn't seem to hear her. "That smell..." he murmured. "I can smell... other cats."

Frostpaw wrinkled her snout. It was true, there seemed to be cats in around them. But they didn't smell like any RainClan cat Frostpaw knew. No, these ones stunk. They smelled like rotten things, crow-food, and maybe something else. Something softer, sweeter, that she couldn't place. What was up with this?

Her curiosity felt like it was going to burst out of her. Unable to resist any longer, she peeked through the bushes, and this was what she saw.

About five cats, maybe six, maybe seven. A few were lounging around, but the rest seemed intent on scraping up dirt and... covering rabbits! A bunch of dead rabbits, a few of which were completely covered in cat dung, others in dust and mud. This was why nobody else could smell the rabbits! These cats were masking their scent!

"How's it going?" a large she-cat asked a young tom who was intently burying a rabbit in the ground.

"Great! These clan cats won't know what hit them," the young tom replied confidently. Frostpaw held her breath. What were they doing?

"Good job," she appraised. "Phase one starts tomorrow. Get some rest, we'll invade the camp tomorrow."

The tom seemed confused for a second, then nodded. "Right."

Frostpaw felt her clanmate's fur bristle in alarm. Invade the camp? Why? Cleverheart beckoned the rest of the patrol away from the hedges. She whispered in a low, commanding voice. "Okay. We need all troops ready. These cats are clearly invaders with sinister motives. They must be dealt with accordingly. Hailfoot, Snowflick, Flintpaw?" The three nodded. "When I give the signal, you will leap out of the bushes over *there."* Cleverheart nodded at a copse opposite to where they were standing. They proceeded to stalk their way over to their positions while Cleverheart continued, but Frostpaw noticed a wink and smile from Snowflick. She felt choked up, even though she wasn't sure why.

"Breezecone, Shardpaw? You two follow me. We will push our way through the shrubs near the rabbit pile. Classic divide-and-conquer strategy. I will be with you in a second."

"But how do we know it will work? I've seen this used many--"

"No, it will work," Cleverheart replied smoothly but firmly. "A quick reminder, Breezecone. I am your deputy. Be aware..."

"Right." Breezecone nodded and crept through the bushes, the apprentice trailing behind her.

"What about us?" Thornpaw asked.

"I have a very important job for you two. We need someone to go back and warn the camp about the rogues. Then, they can send reinforcments to help finish the rogues off. Do you think you can handle that?"

Thornpaw groaned, but nodded. Fros grinned. "Yes, sir."

"Good. When I give the signal--"

"What signal?" Thornpaw questioned boisterously.

Cleverheart sighed. "I will flick my tail at you. The other groups will dash out at the rogues, while you run as fast as you can back to camp. Do you know the way back?"

"Yes, sir," Frostpaw confirmed, recalling the trail that led through the meadow and into the forest.

"Good. Get ready." Their eyes met. Frostpaw could see the sorrow in her eyes. She was scared, nervous.

"By the way, nice job sniffing out those bastards. We wouldn't have noticed if not for you."

Frostpaw's face felt hot and slimy, like a piece of rotten prey left out in the sun too long. She stood up straight and rigid, trying to make herself look dependable. Cleverheart smiled.

Cleverheart treaded to her hiding spot, tense and alert. Frostpaw's heart was beating so loud I was sure she could hear it all the way back there. Cleverheart nodded at her, then flicked her tail. Once, twice, thrice...

Frostpaw turned and dashed away, Thornpaw closely behind. She didn't look back, even when yowling and the sounds of battle erupted behind her. Even when she heard screams of agony, piercing through her heart. She recognised them. These were her clan mates she was leaving behind! But she continued running straight.

She didn't look back.

### Chapter Five

Frostpaw led the patrol back through the forest. Every footstep and they were getting closer. But what if they were too slow? What if something terrible had happened... to Cleverheart or Snowflick or even one of the apprentices. She picked up the pace, with her patrol trailing behind.

It consisted of Blossomfur, her apprentice Rowanpaw, and back-up warriors Moonbreeze and Fishtail. Thornpaw had stayed behind to "guard the camp" even though Frostpaw got the sense that wasn't what was actually happening. Thornpaw was scared. Frostpaw was too, but she didn't want that to stop her.

She signalled for her patrol to stop.

They were at the trail where Frostpaw had first scented rabbit. She led them down the path warily, alert for any sounds that might hint at fighting.

But there were none.

The forest was eerily quiet, save for the occasional chirp of a bird, or a squirrel leaping from tree to tree. She even spied a young buck in the distance, but kept moving along the path. She had a clan to save. She hoped she wasn't too late.

She heard a yowling noise in the distance. It sounded like...

Cleverheart.

She burst through the bushes, past the familiar smell of rabbits and even a few shocked-looking rogues. Chaos erupted around her.

"Get her!" A voice yowled.

Frostpaw turned around. The she-cat she gad seen earlier was standing over her, hissing with contempt. She saw cats fighting out of the corner of her eye. Hailfoot and Cleverheart were battling a big tom. Breezecone and the apprentices tackled some smaller cats, but there were too many for them and they were quickly overwhelmed. But one cat was missing from this chaotic scene.

"Frostpaw!" Snowflick called from somewhere in the distance. "Frostpaw!"

The she-cat leered at her, she hit her with one huge paw.

A smaller tom sidled up beside her. "Your orders?" She asked.

"Kill her. She's of no value to us."

The way he said it, flat, with no emotion in his voice, made her feel sick to her stomach. Problem was, she already felt sick. She might have vomited, she wasn't sure. All she could focus on was the two cats standing over her, not afraid to kill a defensless kitten, fresh out of the nursery. She curled up and waited for the end.

She felt the slam. Stars swirled around. A big white tom was leaping in slow motion, towards her and her captors...

Bang.

"Frostpaw?"

"You okay?"

"Hello?"

Flintpaw and Foxtuft stood over her, with Rowanpaw and Blossomfur not far in the distance.

"What's happening? What just--?"

"You're okay, Frostpaw," Foxtuft said silkily.

Frostpaw trembled. She had never felt so scared in her life. She tried to stand, but Flintpaw eased her back down.

"Don't worry, it'a fine."

Cleverheart approached stealthily. I could see she was bleeding from a scratch above her eye. The rogues did that to her, I realized with a jolt of anger.

"Did we win?" I asked.

"Yes. But every victory comes with a price.

"Frostpaw, I'm really sorry. It's all my fault for leading my warriors into battle without a proper assessment of our opponents. I-i didn't know they would be so strong, their means so cruel. I never imagined being a deputy would be this hard..."

Cleverheart dropped her gaze slowly, continuing in a whisper, "Things will be different from here on out, that is my promise to you. I don't think words can make it any better for you, but one day you might forgive me."

"Why?"

Her voice trembled and shook.

"I'm sorry, Frostpaw. I really am."

Frostpaw shot up, looking right in the direction of Blossomfur and her apprentice. She put the pieces together instantly.

"No... no. No!"

Cleverheart bowed her head.

Flintpaw gave Frostpaw a comforting nudge, Foxtuft looks of sympathy. Rowanpaw padded up to her, nodding his head. He put his paw on her shoulder.

"Frostpaw, we're all sorry. It's not your fault, you know."

But it was. Frostpaw remembered Snowflick calling out to her. The rogues were going to kill her, and possibly all the other cats on her side. Her father knew that, and yet..

"Why?" she mused. "Why did he save me?"

Flintpaw and Rowanpaw led her away from the clearing and down the path. "It was for several very good reasons," Rowanpaw said comfortingly.

"One: you're here." Rowanpaw gulped. "I don't know what would have happened if he didn't. Two: we beat the bloofy lot of them up. We have captives too."

Guarded by the rest of the warriors was a spindly bramble cage, almost representing a den, except worn-down and sharp. Two cats were inside, both hardly younger than Frostpaw or the other apprentices.

One was a scrawny tortoiseshell tom, the same one who had been burying rabbits in the clearing. His eyes were wide, pelt bristling-- he looked terrified.

The other one looked similar to the tom, and equally agitated. She hissed at the apprentices as they approached arching her back menacingly.

Frostpaw glowered at the cats. She hated both with every ounce of her being, right from her head down to the tips of her fur. They murdered her father, and she almost fell to the same fate. But she stared both cats right in the eye, and watched them recoil with glee.

"You okay, Frostpaw?" Flintpaw asked.

Frostpaw didn't take her gaze away, but nodded.

"Let's go back to camp," she shrugged, turning to face the brothers.

"Don't you want to see the interrogation?" Rowanpaw queried.

"Interrogation?" Frostpaw asked.

"Yeah," Rowanpaw replied, "you can even ask some of the questions."

Hailfoot pressed a large fox's claw into her paw, sharp and deadly. "Scratch them with this if they don't obey."

Frostpaw picked up the claw in her mouth and proceeded cautiously into the wicker cage. The tom pressed against the edge, like a terrified rabbit trying to escape the fox.

"I won't hurt you," she said calmly, "I just need you to answer a couple questions."

"Like what?"

Frostpaw snarled suddenly, dropping her amiable façade. "Why you rogues *invaded our territory? O*r slaughtered all of our prey *for no reason?"*

 "We were only following orders," the she-cat sighed, as if she was being bored.

"I'm s-sorry," the tom whimpered. "We didn't mean to hurt any-anyone."

"Hurt anyone?" Frostpaw hissed. "*Hurt* anyone?

"Your clanmates killed my father!"

Frostpaw dropped the claw in the middle of the cage and dashed off, unable to suppress her feelings of sorrow. Sorrow, and rage. Her father... he was the only one she could confide in. And he was gone, taken from her mercilessly by rogues. Frostpaw didn't stop until she reached the river, and stared at her pale expression in the water, her emotions clawing at her from inside her belly. She had a long scratch over one eye, clearly from the scuffle. She washed the blood off in the water, and looked at her reflection again. This was the face of an orphan, no longer a kit from a quiet, protected nursery. She had been forced to leave the safe shelter surrounding her heart, and what happened after the protection dropped?

She stared at her reflection in the river. Her face was older and sadder and even a little bit wiser. She had now seen death, and was no better off for it.

It was called growing up, she realized.

### Chapter Six

Rowanpaw slumped next to the wicker cage.

Cats had been alternating positions all night. Their precious prisoners were too important to let go, it seemed. Rowanpaw thought it was honestly quite cruel to keep two extremely young cats captive with no food, no water, and hardly a shelter. The only thing the rogues seemed to have was each other. Rowanpaw pitied them, or at least the tom. His sister (so it seemed)... not so much. She had already snapped at several of the other guards, even scratching Hailfoot through a hole in the brambles and bracken. That was the reason Rowanpaw was guarding the captives alone; the other guards needed to fetch a replacement.

He paced around the prison for the third time, keeping several tail-lengths away just to be safe. The she-cat, however, was fast asleep. Her brother, however, at next to her, wide awake. Rowanpaw felt a little bit guilty, so he decided to start up a conversation.

"Hi," he whispered through the fence. "I'm Rowanpaw, who are you?"

The rogue jumped, startled. "Er... hello?"

Rowanpaw smiled reassuringly. His stomach felt jumpy too, as if he was the one who was nervous. The tom's dazzling green eyes flickered, and Rowanpaw felt almost trapped in their depths.

"Is this part of the interrogation?" the tom questioned.

Rowanpaw snorted, "Nah. I just wanted to talk to you. You seemed... lonely."

"Well, yeah," the rogue replied, "I'm stuck in a cage with no one but my sister to keep me company and she's not the most... comforting.

"Plus, you know, I have something like 20 pairs of eyes staring at me from outside the brambles. Your tribe has so many members it's crazy.

"To top it off, I look so pitiful even my captor is starting a conversation with me. So yeah, pretty lonely. And uncomfortable."

Rowanpaw snorted. "True. You seem pretty friendly, for a rogue at least. How did you get tangled up with cats of that sort?"

The tom's eyes flickered softly in the pale moonlight. He smiled softly at the other cat, and for a moment, he seemed worlds away. "It was... all after my nofurs passed to the lands after. My father too, shortly after."

Rowanpaw inhaled sharply. "Nofurs?" he murmured. They were famed creatures told to scare kits with, walking on two large, gangly legs, and stronger than half the warriors of the clan!

"My mother was distressed. She took my siblings and I far away, and we never saw our home again. Almost all of us d-died before we met the rogues, but Mira and I survived. Mira because she was strong, and me because I was scared. Being unsure saved my life."

Rowanpaw nodded sympathetically. Fear was something not commonly seen in his array of emotions, but he had noticed it in many other cats. His father's eyes when he and Darkfall fought. Frostpaw's gaze after the battle.

He winced. Since a rogue e barely knew was pouring out his sob story, he had to pretend to understand at least. Plus, something about the young tom compelled him. Rowanpaw wasn't quite sure he had ever met another cat with such a beautiful voice. He could have stayed and listened to the rogue's tragic story forever.

Rowanpaw felt Foxtuft nudge him from behind. She and Cleverheart had come to take over the post. He sighed.

"Bye," he whispered.

"Bye. I'm Sam, by the way."

Sam. What an odd name. But pretty too, or at least Rowanpaw thought. He sighed dreamily, hoping his clanmates would let the rogue go.

## Part Two

### Chapter Seven

*Six Moons later*

Frostpaw clutched the robin between her teeth. She had caught it as the last part of her warrior ceremony. Swelling with pride, she sauntered back to show Flintpaw, Shardpaw, Thornpaw, and Sampaw. Sampaw had been made an apprentice not long after he was caught, but his sister had escaped quite quickly. It was all history now. Sampaw had fit in almost immediately, and despite controversy from many of the clan-born cats, he earned his apprentice name and was better than many.

"I caught a robin!" she called accross the glade to Thornpaw, who was sitting with her tail wrapped around her legs next to Flintpaw. She let it brush him softly, blushing. Thornpaw fancied him, it was no secret at all. To everyone except for Flintpaw, that was.

"Great!" Thornpaw mewed. She blushed again as Frostpaw winked.

"Sampaw finished his quite a while ago," Flintpaw informed her. "Now we just have to wait for Shardpaw, then we're finished."

Shardpaw emerged from a grove shortly after, carrying a thrush in her jaws. "I passed!" she squealed.

"Nice job," Flintpaw commented.

The four apprentices walked jovially back to the camp, prey in their jaws. They were greeted outside the shelter by an estatic Sampaw.

"Guys!" he said, grinning ear to ear. "Adderpool said I could get my warrior name. You guys, too!"

"How did you know we passed?" Thornpaw asked suspiciously.

"Your mentors arrived a few moments before you. They were watching the whole time."

Cleverheart padded towards her. "Congratulations."

"Is it true?"

"Yes. You did an excellent job. Better than any apprentice I've had before."

"I'm your first apprentice."

"True, true."

"Let all residents of the clan join under the highest tree."

Wispstar sat amiably on a tree branch, tail flicking back and forth in the warm newleaf wind. He stood up slowly, balancing carefully but professionally.

"As you know, our batch of apprentices had their warrior assessments today, and boy were the results great!"

He gave a cheesy smile and wink which made Frostpaw roll her eyes. It sounded so... fake. Cleverheart, perched beside Wispstar, gave a small snort.

"Sampaw, come join me and my deputy up on the tree. Lets see what you've learned."

Sampaw pulled himself up with ease, settling on a branch a few levels below Wispstar and Cleverheart. Frostpaw yowled appraisingly, while whistles and meows of congratulations reverberated through the camp. Some, however, didn't look too happy.

Brightflower, belly round with kits, was frowning. Darkfall had her eyes narrowed, glaring ominously. Even Flintpaw averted his gaze sullenly, as if jealous. But next to him, Rowanpaw was cheering as loud as any cat, maybe even louder. He seemed so happy... Frostpaw remembered with a jolt Rowanpaw probably wouldn't get his full medicine cat name for quite some time. Frostpaw felt a twinge of admiration for the gray-black tom. M Then again, Sampaw might be a special case. Frostpaw had seen them hanging out a lot, and rumours had started to spread.

Adderpool followed his apprentice up the tree, limping. Frostpaw felt a surge of pity for the tom; the rogue attack hadn't made his injuries any better. Thankfully, he managed to scale it almost as easily as his apprentice. He dipped his head to Wispstar.

"Adderpool. For six moons you have been teaching Sampaw basic hunting, basic battle moves, and the code of the Warriors. Despite the fact he was once a rogue, and never can and will never be as good a warrior as many of our pure-blooded fighters, has his performance in the tailored curriculum I have given you been satisfactory?"

Frostoaw gasped, as did many of the cats surrounding her. Rowanpaw looked positively livid. Brightflower, however, had a tight smirk on her face. Thornpaw spit loudly into the dirt, and Cleverheart growled so softly Frostpaw barely heard it.

"Tailored curriculum?" Flintpaw asked. "They modified it just for him?"

Adderpool wore an expression of calm on his face. "I will start by saying that Sampaw is easily the best apprentice I have ever taught, and maybe even the best I've ever seen. Tailored curriculum? Pfft." He snorted loudly.

"Are you saying that you gave special instructions to Adderpool to... simplify what we're teaching our future warriors?" Cleverheart snarled, her face twisting this way and that.

"Well, you see, Sampaw here was a special case..."

"What?!" Rowanpaw yelled.

Blossomfall growled, "That's absurd!"

During all the commotion, Sampaw, eyes puffed up and red, slipped down the tree and into the apprentices den unnoticed. Addedpool, casting one last long look of contempt at Wispstar, followed.

Cleverheart and Wispstar were deep in an animated conversation, both clearly angry.

"Undermining me... in front of... ENTIRE CLAN?!"

Cleverheart glared. "I can't believe you would stoop so low, just to get the more cats on your side. It's ridiculous. And our leader, too. I can't believe you."

"I didn't change the rules for popularity. A non-clan born cat cannot be privileged to--"

"Non-clan born?! Well, maybe lies worked back in your old kittypet home... I believe that's how you got so many cats to follow you on your "Great Adventure"? You're very lucky you found RainClan, otherwise you would have been forced to go back to the nofurs. I was only a kit at the time, of course--"

Wispstar? Kittypet? No, it didn't make sense, Frostpaw thought helplessly. Cleverheart had to be lying, o-or wrong...

"Stop it!" Wispstar hissed, teeth bared.

"Sheesh, can't you control your temper? Wait a minute, this sounds familiar. Last time you let it loose on your deputy, she got herself killed. I thought you would have learned."

Wispstar grimaced. "Don't... talk about her."

"I. Can. Talk. About. What. Ever. I. Want."

"Not while I'm leader!" Wispstar growled incredulously. "You're lucky I won't demote you, exile you even!"

"Fine then. I quit."

Frostpaw gasped. She was turning in her post of deputy?

"I quit... RainClan. I'm leaving."

Her eyes burned with an unnatural amber fire, scorching Wispstar and every cat around her. Frostpaw felt a dollop of sweat roll down her back, landing on the ground with a dull thunk. It was if the temperature had risen far beyond even the hottest midsummer day. The tension between Wispstar and Cleverheart crackled and singed, until Cleverheart, lowering her gaze, slipped off the tree and through the camp. She treaded into the forest without so much as a second glance at Frostpaw, or Wispstar, or anycat.

"Coward!" she hissed.

Then she was off, getting smaller and smaller until the woods enveloped her small silhouette. Frostpaw let out a whimper. She hadn't even said goodbye.

They weren't close. Cleverheart was rash and unpredictable, she even got Snowflick killed. Then why did Frostpaw feel so lonely...?

~~~

"Samblaze! Flintfur! Shardclaw! Thornstep! Frostpool!"

Frostpool sighed, her mind elsewhere. How could Cleverheart be so shallow? Moments before, she had told Frostpool she was the best apprentice she ever trained... well, the only one, but she clearly meant it as a compliment. After six moons of training, they had seemed to close. Then she just... took off, with out so much as a word. Samblaze seemed to sense what she was feeling; he smiled comfortingly.

"Congratulations!" he mewed.

"You too," Frostpool mumbled half-heartedly.

Rowanpaw bounded up cheerfully, a smile on his muzzle. "How goes it, warriors?" Rowanpaw did a funny little bow, then sat down beside Frostpool. "Now you guys can boss me around! Make me do all your dirty work."

Frostpool smiled, but Samblaze actually looked offended. "What? You know I would never do that to you!! Has one of the other warriors been giving you a rough time? We can tell Wis--"

"Samblaze, it was a joke!" Rowanpaw said loftily.

Frostpool felt a smile slip out on her features. "Of course you wouldn't do that, Samblaze." But she knew why Samblaze sounded so upset.

Even as a warrior, he would still receive loads of prejudice for his background. An even without, it was still easy to feel bad. Samblaze was part of the attack that killed her father, and even if it wasn't him who had committed the deed, he still bore some responsibility.

She thought back on the day's events. Samblaze's ceremony had been equally traumatic, perhaps even more so. And yet, he was handling it better than her.

Frostpool cast another glance at Samblaze, and noticed his tail was now intertwined with Rowanpaw's.

### Chapter Eight

"They're coming!" Brightflower hissed.

"What, again?" Rowanpaw mumbled.

A few days after the warrior ceremony, Rowanpaw and Blossomfur were basically rolling over, head over paws, to do the bidding of the young queen. Brightflower was not a kind cat in at regards, and Rowanpaw could not quantify his pity for the kits about to be born.

"You!" Brightflower flicked her tail at Rowanpaw and fixed him with a stare of contempt. "Water! Now!"

Rowanpaw dashed off to the stream and returned with soaked moss. Brightflower pushed it aside, wailing.

"Blossomfur! The kits are coming!"

"Oh really?" Blossomfur mumbled.

"There's been more false alarms today then I can count on my paws!" Rowanpaw sighed. "I think I finally found a mother who'll be worse then mine."

Blossomfur rested her tail over his back. "Your mother was a great cat," she said soothingly.

"You sound as if she's dead!" Rowanpaw retorted.

"She loved-loves you with all her heart. Don't be too hard on her, okay?"

Adderpool trotted up behind her, flicking his tail nervously. "I'm, I'm really, really sorry, but someone in the Warriors den lodged a complaint... they couldn't sleep cause, er..." He nodded towards Brightflower.

"Really? Arrgghh, I'll deal with it."

Rowanpaw sighed. In the days since Cleverheart's departure, the whole clan had been on edge. Wispstar still hadn't chosen a new deputy. Maybe he was hoping Deerleap would come back from the dead? Not even a medicine Cat could make that happen.

Brightflower's screams cut through his thoughts, louder than ever. Blossomfur rushed past him, brushing his fur. A moment later...

"Rowanpaw, come quick! They're actually coming!"

"What?"

Rowanpaw followed her into the medicine den. Brightflower was moaning instead of screaming-- a pleasant but worrying change. Blossomfur passed Rowanpaw a few poppy seeds.

"Give these to her once the kits are out. Quickly, the first one's coming!"

Brightflower wailed as Rowanpaw looked cautiously at Blossomfur. The first kit had arrived, a timy lump of fur.

"Warm it up! Quick!"

Rowanpaw cleaned the blood off, making sure the kit was breathing. She was. A tiny heartbeat came from her ginger chest. Then another one. Rowanpaw smiled warmly at her chest, rising and falling.

"This one's good!" he called.

"Thank--- ow, ow!" Brightflower bellowed.

"Calm down!" Blossomfur hissed. "There are more coming."

"More? StarClan no..."

Two more emerged. Rowanpaw, wary, cleaned the second and third off the same as their sister. But the fourth one had a problem.

"Something's wrong," Rowanpaw said.

"What?" Blossomfur asked.

She examined the kit herself, using the same process Rowanpaw had. "There's... nothing," Blossomfur confirmed, stricken.

Brightflower snorted. "Thank StarClan, one less insufferable maggot to take care of. I don't know what Hailfoot was thinking, about kits. It's been nothing but pain so far, and I doubt it will improve. Baby worms grow into adult worms."

"Except the fuzzy green ones."

"Slimy and disgusting all the way."

Blossomfur's head snapped up from the kit she was inspecting. "Rowanpaw, outside! Now!"

Rowanpaw nodded, stepping out slowly. He could just hear the floodtide of scolding start. Blossomfur was not one to be messed with.

He sighed. The poor kits.

"Rowanpaw?"

What was it now? He was just about to turn in for the night. He yawned.

"Yes, Blossomfur?"

"It's about Brightflower's kits." Rowanpaw strained to see his mentor's face in the darkness, but he could hear the expression in her tone of voice. She had been upset about the kits all day. "Brightflower and Hailfoot have put them up for adoption. Not ready to handle the pressure." Rowanpaw rolled his eyes.

"So... wait, who are we giving them to?"

"That's the thing," Blossomfur said, sighing. "No one has applied."

"Poor kits..." Rowanpaw thought aloud. "And the one who was unresponsive?"

"Hailfoot and I buried him by the stream. He is walking with our ancestors now." Rowanpaw nodded.

"Rowanpaw, you're young... but already mature beyond your moons. And... well, you're ready for responsibility. Though what I'm proposing is a big one..."

Rowanpaw nodded, though seriously confused. "What responsibility?"

"You're an apprentice, Rowanpaw. But... well, Adderpool and I volunteered to raise the kits together. Here, in the medicine den. Brightflower will feed them for two moons, then she and Hailfoot will have nothing more to do with them. But... three kits, Rowanpaw. Three kits. Adderpool and I both have other responsibilities... and I can't watch three at a time while dealing with scrapes and bruises and broken bones. Two at most... but three is a lot."

"I don't see where you're going with this."

"Well, it's just an idea. You and Samblaze... well, you won't have a chance to have kits otherwise."

Rowanpaw's eyes widened. "One. Samblaze is not my mate. I'm an apprentice, for moon's sake! And two... i'm an apprentice."

"It's not against the code or anything. Think about it, ok?'

She trotted back to her nest, missing Rowanpaw's eye roll. "Will do," he said sleepily.

### Chapter Nine

Frostpool landed in the darkened forest. Trees rustled; animals squeaked and crowed. Her paw sting. Cursing to herself, she trudged along the dark path, even though she didn't really know why.

She reached a clearing, It seemed oddly familiar, as if she had visioned it before. But, she couldn't remember when. Or how. She was obviously dreaming...

"Frostpool," a voice warmly mewed from behind her.

A ginger tom sat on a stump, fur glowing, eyes shining as if illuminated by the stars. Something stirred in Frostpool... she remembered something. Milk... why did she associate milk with this tom.

"Frostpool?" Another voice cut through the clearing. It quavered.

Frostpool's pelt shook. She turned around. There, illuminated by stars, was Snowflick. His eyes shone, his pelt was sleek and healthy. He bore no sign of the injuries that killed him.

"Snowflick!" She bounded towards him, nuzzling his chest.

"There's someone else who wishes to meet you."

Frostpool looked at the tom again. "But... Streameye? I don't understand, how is this possible?"

"StarClan, as we call it, is not the same as the land of the living. Our wishes can alter reality however we see fit."

"Oh, Streameye... I'm so sad I never got to know you."

"Patience, Frostpool." Snowflick brushed his tail over hers. "Time will ebb and flow, but one day, maybe soon, we will be together again."

"Maybe soon?" Frostpool probed. "What do you mean?"

"Beware the claws of friend's blood. And, Frostpool, don't blame yourself for the events to come. None of it is your fault, okay?"

Snowflick nodded. He fluffed out his long, healthy fur. "No one is to blame for the proceedings of past and future. Keep that in mind."

Streameye licked the fur between her ears. "Until next time. Send our love to Thornstep."

"You're leaving already?" Frostpool asked, dumbfounded.

"No, Frostpool," Snowflick said consolingly. "You're leaving."

"Good bye," her parents said in unison.

Frostpool jerked awake. "Hello? Snowflick! Streameye!"

Blossomfur leapt into the air, stifling a yowl. "Frostpool, thank goodness you woke up. Samblaze found you, said you were muttering in your sleep and barely breathing. Rowanpaw and I tried everything... we couldn't wake you up."

"I had a dream from StarClan."

Blossomfur meowed with amusement. "Don't be silly, Frostpool. StarClan only sends prophecies to the Leader and Medicine cats. I'm sure you just had a nightmare... but I think it's best you sleep here tonight. And avoid dawn patrol, just to be safe. Okay?"

"But...!"

"No buts. Sleep here tonight."

Frostpool rolled her eyes and took up the empty nest beside Rowanpaw. He lay awake, surrounded by mewling kits.

"Are those Brightflower's?" Frostpool questioned. It seemed strange... the queen had slept in the Warriors den during the night, though she should be suckling her newborn kits.

"They were!" Blossomfur called from were she was sorting the herb stacks. "But... she couldn't take care of them." She said this slowly, as if hiding something. "Rowanpaw adopted one, though."

"You... what?" Frostpool asked slowly. "You, Rowanpaw, adopted a kit." *Hes barely older than me. How have I not thought about kits yet? Or a mate.*

Rowanpaw held up a ginger-and-cream she-kit by the scruff. Gingerly, he set her down in the nest again. "Meet Dawnkit."

Frostpool breathed in her warm scent. "Rowanpaw, she's beautiful."

"Okay, you two!" Blossomfall rolled her eyes. "Go to sleep now."

Frostpool lay her head down begrudgingly, drifting off to dreams of purple kittens and Cleverheart flying away like a bird. She sighed dreamily at the thought of sinking her teeth into the birds juicy belly. "Yum..." she muttered in her sleep.

Not even her parent's mysterious, foreboding warning could keep her awake.

### Chapter Ten

*A moon later*

Rowanpaw sat high on a throne of bones. He gazed around at the carnage above him.

Cats lay dead and in piles, some recognizable, some mutilated so horribly... Rowanpaw winced. It was a horrible sight, and yet he felt forced to keep looking, forced to obey some unseen command...

The dream repeated in his head, over and over. He took in the scene each time, gazing over the blood-soaked ground and the screams of terror.

A body fell from the top of a pile, plummeting down to the bottom of Rowanpaw's throne. He caught a glance of the fur, stained red, but the white and orange splotches were still visible.

"Samblaze... no!"

Dark shadows creeped out from under his throne, dark shadows that seemed eerily cat-like. They spoke, as well, a hushed and muttered melody, almost like a mangled birdsong. "King Rowanstar," they hissed, "all hail King... Rowanstar. The creator, the killer, the starter, the winner, all hail King... Rowanstar!"

The echoing chant pounded at his ears. "Make it stop... make it stop."

Rowanpaw woke up, drenched in sweat. "Just a dream, just a dream..." Thank the ancestors.

He stretched his limbs, stiff from overuse. It was almost dawn. He quietly slipped out of the den. A little walk wouldn't do much harm.

He trudged down the path. Forest or Meadow? He chose forest, the cover made him feel safer. It was a beautiful night. The stars shone down on his pelt. One day, he would walk with the stars too, or so the elders had told him. One day...

A twig cracked nearby. Breath billowing, he ducked behind a tree. "Who's there?" he called.

"Hello?" A hoarse voice answered him.

Rowanpaw peeked out from behind the branches, his heart pounding in his throat. A mottled brown coat and large green eyes stood from the quiet forest.

"Rowanpaw!" Wispstar said with relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were a rogue or something."

Rowanpaw's worry evaporated. "Sir, what are you doing here?" he queried, distrust filling his voice.

Wispstar smiled, even though his eyes stayed dark and desolate. A sliver of worry worked into Rowanpaw's pelt, but it was quickly overturned by anger. This was a cat who had publicly shamed Samblaze... Samblaze, the light of his life, in front of the entire clan. He had to work hard to suppress a hiss.

"Just going for a stroll. Come, Rowanpaw, walk with me."

Rowanpaw obeyed, begrudgingly. They walked through the forest, where a large gorge awaited. A dark mountain towered above it... this was the edge of clan territory.

"Rowanpaw, can I confide something in you?"

Rowanpaw nodded suspiciously.

"You see that ravine edge over there. The drops must be hundreds of tail-lengths... maybe even more. Countless cats have been lost to that gorge, by some tragic accident, allegedly. Rowanpaw, do you know how many times I've wanted to throw myself right over that edge?"

He gulped. "The teasing was unbearable, Rowanpaw. I did awful things, awful things to rise to power. Rainstar, she respected me... so much so she never saw her own end coming until it was too late." He gasped, sucking in a breath. "Rowanpaw, I killed her. I killed her, and Deerleap, and maybe even Cleverheart too, wherever she is."

Rowanpaw snarled. "You publicly discriminated Samblaze."

Wispstar moaned. A great rumbling sound came from above them, followed by cascades of pebbles. The mountain seemed to be growling. The earth around them shook. The ground beneath Wispstar cracked and gave way.

"Help!" Wispstar screamed involuntarily.

Rowanpaw narrowed his eyes. Wispstar had his claws buried in a ledge of soil and dirt. A look of terror was plastered across his face. He struggled for a better hold. His claw slipped. He hung precariously, dangling by one paw, on a ledge soon to give way. "Help me, Rowanpaw! Help me!"

Rowanpaw stared at the tom. He was torn between letting him live, despite his nefarious deeds, or watching him die as he had Rainstar before him. Samblaze's face flashed before him, his face at the ceremony. Shocked and betrayed. It swayed his decision instantly.

"You were a terrible cat, Wispstar," he hissedcooly. "May you be condemned to watching the comings and goings of the ones you wronged, chained to a fence of bones. You deserve no less. By the way, Blossomfur told me it was your last life." He smiled grimly. Slowly, he lowered his paw over Wispstar's, and began to push it off the ledge. The rumbling had stopped now. Only Wispstar's screams could be heard, echoing throughout the forest. He scrabbled for a hold, seemingly frozen in the air. Then, he plummeted down to the stone-hard bottom below. Rowanpaw could practically hear the crack of bones.

"Great StarClan, please forgive me for what I've done." Shock overwhelmed him. He felt scared, sad, angry, But on top of that, there was the remorse... the feeling that he had really taken the life of another cat. Tears pricked at his eyes. It was an awful feeling.

### Epilogue

They had sent five of them. Five rogues. And Mira, Mira was one of them!

"Do you have eyes on the body?" Her mother Lily asked. "I repeat. Mira, do you have eyes on the body?"

Mira nodded. A shattered, broken corpse lay at the bottom the ravine. Its face looked solemn and hollow.

"I can't believe one of his own clan took him," Prince, another tom, mewed. Mira nodded, blushing. "I think it was the one Sam liked. I saw him on the day they captured us."

"You've been watching your brother?" Prince asked.

"Yeah, they gave him a new name. Samfire, or something dumb like that."

"I'm glad you escaped their clutches," Lily said. "I'm sorry one of my sons is now up in arms with them."

"So, we'll have to fight them?" Prince questioned.

"Phase one may have been a failure, but phase two starts tomorrow. Their leader is dead. We attack them while they're still unaware."

Mira nodded. "Tomorrow it is."

**The end! Read Darkest Fate the sequel!!**

## RainClan warrior code

1. Once you graduate into warrior or medicine Cat rank, you to be forever loyal to your brothers and sisters. Fraternizing with cats of other groups is to be cautiously monitored, and cats are to be reminded that their clan always comes first.
2. Elders and kits always eat prey first, get medical attention first, and evecauate camp in the safest way possible.
3. The leader's word is law; any changes s/he makes are now code.
4. Cats may not be discriminated against for background, beliefs, appearance, or being themselves. Choices are a different matter.
5. In the event of a clan with no leader or deputy, the medicine Cat chooses who comes next.
6. Medicine cats may have families, but in times of trouble, their families can never be a priority.
7. Any violations to the code are to be judged by leader.