Turtlefoot padded down the hallway looking at the numbers of the doors, he was looking for room 1209. The room of his new patient. The patient's name he did not know, as Turtlefoot had been not been allowed to know. His boss, Redwhisker thought it would scare him off.

"1205, 1206, 1207, 1208, 1209! There it is." Turtlefoot meowed to hisself. "I hope this isn't too much of a nutcase..." Turtlefoot said under his breath. He took a deep breath and opened the door. A black she-cat with golden flecks was curled up on a box in the middle of the room. There was something achingly familiar about that she-cat, he just couldn't put his paw on it.

She was sitting on the side of the box with the flaps open, it was amazing that she wasn't falling in the box. Turtlefoot slowly walked up to the black cat and nudged her side slowly with his paw. The black cat spun around immediately, hackles raised and fur fluffed out, the flaps suddenly fell from under her and the cat fell into the box. The black cat jumped out of the box and landed on Turtlefoot's back, sinking her claws into his pelt. Turtlefoot's legs gave out from under him and the black cat walked along his back and stretched her neck over Turtlefoot's head to see his face. The black cat parted her mouth to show her sharp teeth, they were stained with blood, Turtlefoot widened his eyes. That's what must have happened to the other reformers... She killed them.

"Who are you," the she-cat hissed, "and why have you come here?" Turtlefoot gulped. "Tell me," she meowed menacingly, "or you'll end up like them." She gestured her head to a closet that seemed to be locked, as Turtlefoot looked closer, there seemed to be blood stains on the carpet near the door, and more blood stains that he assumed were dragging marks. Turtlefoot was starting to regret accepting the job..

"I-I'm here to help you." Turtlefoot said.

"With what?" The black she-cat asked, menacing edge in her voice now gone. Now the cat seemed merely curious.

"With your issues..." The tom replied.

"Ok then." The she-cat the sat down, still on Turtlefoot's back.

"Uhh... Can you get off me?" Turtlefoot asked. The black she-cat shook her head and curled up on his back, still sinking her claws into his pelt to make sure he couldn't escape. Turtlefoot sighed, and curled up as well, he just then noticed how small the she-cat actually was, when he only saw the she-cat's fluffy tail wrapped around her body. She looked much bigger when she was on the box and had her fur fluffed out. Turtlefoot waited until he thought she was asleep to stand up and gently lay her in the nest in the corner of the room. The she-cat's eyes opened unexpectedly when her fur touched the soft moss. She jumped up, claws extended and landed in the box she was curled up on earlier. Turtlefoot padded uncertainly to the box and peered in. The black cat was curled up with her eyes closed at the bottom of the box. Turtlefoot smiled to himself. At least I've survived this far, and gotten her to sleep.

-T-

Turtlefoot opened his eyes groggily, the reformers usually sleep in the reformee's room. Turtlefoot saw a pair of midnight blue eyes meet his. Turtlefoot jumped away from the she-cat.

"You scared me!" He shrieked. The she-cat sat down and looked at the tom with eyes clear with curiosity.

"Why were you sleeping here?" She asked, there was no hostility in her voice. "I thought you would have left by now," the small she-cat said, "why are you still here?" She asked.

"Because I'm supposed to be here." Turtlefoot answered. The she-cat nodded, padded closer to him and sat down again. "I've been meaning to ask you, why don't you sleep in your nest?" The she-cat looked down at the nest.

"Because its never been cleaned. It still has bugs and the moss is smelly. Can't you smell it?" The she-cat meowed. Turtlefoot shook his head and looked closer at the nest, she was right. There were bugs in it, he couldn't believe he slept in that. His face showed visible disgust.

"By the way, I never caught your name. What is it?" Turtlefoot asked. She looked back up at him.

"It's Starfall. What's yours?" Turtlefoot looked her straight in the eyes, astonished. He couldn't believe it. He'd thought they would never meet again.

"Turtlefoot." Starfall looked back at him, nothing changing in her blue eyes. No recognition, no surprise, nothing. "Don't you remember me?" Starfall shook her head and looked at him with curious eyes.

"No... Why should I?" Turtlefoot sighed, stood up and sulked over to the box that Starfall had slept in last night. Turtlefoot suddenly heard a hiss coming from behind him, but when he spun around Starfall wasn't there. Turtlefoot then went back to looking at the box, now Starfall was standing on the outer rim of the box. Turtlefoot was still amazed at how she could balance that well on such a thin surface.

"My box!" Starfall hissed. "Mine!" Starfall's eyes suddenly turned from curious to menacing. Turtlefoot backed away slowly. "Mine I tell you!" Starfall hissed, her midnight blue eyes focused on him. Starfall then jumped from the box onto the floor, fluffing up her pelt to look three times her size. "My. Box." She then took a step forward. As a result Turtlefoot stepped back a step. Starfall then took another step closer, while Turtlefoot took a step back. This continued until Turtlefoot was pressed up in a corner with an angry Starfall only a mouse length away from him, teeth bared. A low growl was coming from Starfall's throat.

"Ok! It's your box! I won't go near it!" Turtlefoot meowed hurriedly. Starfall then took a step away from him, satisfied with his retreat. Then she spun around and jumped into the box. Turtlefoot let out a breath that he didn't know he was even holding and went to the tv.

"Starfall, do you know where the remote to the tv is?" Turtlefoot asked. There was no reply from the she-cat in the box. Turtlefoot walked over to the box with an annoyed huff, he peered down into the box to see Starfall curled up with a crazy look in her eyes.

"My box." She murmured softly enough to have been easily mistaken for her talking to herself. Turtlefoot sighed and started his search for the remote under the couch.

-T-

After searching the whole apartment for the remote Turtlefoot still couldn't find it, and he still couldn't get Starfall to talk to him about anything other than her murmuring 'my box' whenever he approached her. Turtlefoot usually got farther with his patient after this amount of time, it was now almost night of the second day of him taking the job.

"Turtlefoot?" Someone from the doorway meowed. Turtlefoot looked up from the couch, startled by the sudden noise.

"Yeah?" Turtlefoot asked. Turtlefoot then realized that it was his boss. He immediately jumped off the couch and ran to the doorway, stopping in front of his boss. "Hi Redwhisker. What's up?" Turtlefoot asked, trying to be nonchalant. Redwhisker sent him a glare that made him freeze.

"Where's Starfall?" Redwhisker asked, his voice accusing. What'd he do? When Turtlefoot didn't answer Redwhisker repeated the question, this time more angry. "Where is Starfall?" Redwhisker's gaze now softened with realization. "I'm sorry, I just came back from checking in with Flamefur. She was slacking off in the lounge without having a break on the schedule. Now please tell me where Starfall is." Redwhisker asked, gaining back his composure. Turtlefoot gestured with his head that she was in the cardboard box. Redwhisker nodded and padded up to the box.

"Starfall? It's Redwhisker." Redwhisker peered into the box, but when he stuck his head in there the box tipped over on it's side and Starfall bolted out of the box ran at Redwhisker and pinned him to the ground. Redwhisker was a large cat, broad shoulders, muscular frame, and large paws, but when Starfall pinned him to the ground he couldn't get up no matter how hard he tried. That just shows you that it doesn't matter how big you are, you can't escape this cat's grasp.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Redwhisker's yowl yanked him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the present. Turtlefoot ran over to the grappling cats and yanked Starfall away by the scruff of her neck, her tail not even touching the floor. Starfall struggled for a little while, but by the time Turtlefoot carried her to the other side of the room Starfall stopped struggling and went limp in Turtlefoot's teeth. Looks like she doesn't like him too much...

"It's okay Starfall." Turtlefoot whispered around the fur in his mouth. This seemed to sooth her so he kept saying it until he lay her in the makeshift nest Turtlefoot made for himself the previous night. He released her from his grasp and sat down beside her curled up form, laying his fluffy tail gently over her small body. He stole a glance at Redwhisker, he was looking at Starfall. There seemed to be sadness and pride in the depths of the tom's amber gaze. Before Redwhisker could realize he was watching him Turtlefoot looked back down at Starfall. The next time Turtlefoot tilted his head to steal a glance at Redwhisker, he was gone.

"Is he gone?" Starfall whispered, her voice hoarse from not speaking for a little while.

"Yeah, he's gone." Turtlefoot answered. Starfall then opened her eyes and looked up at Turtlefoot. Her midnight blue eyes shinning in the fluorescent lighting of the apartment. She smiled at him. "What was that about?" Turtlefoot asked.

"If I fight him every time he's here, then he leaves me alone for a month or so. I leave bad scratches." She answered, unsheathing her claws while saying the bit about giving bad scratches. Turtlefoot nodded.

"You don't like him too much do you?" Turtlefoot asked, trying to start a conversation with her. Apparently his strategy was working.

"Who does?" She asked playfully. "I don't think you like him that much either. As far as I can tell, he's always intimidating to the employees though tries to put on a smile for the patients. That's what I've heard anyway." Starfall said while sitting up in the nest and turning to face Turtlefoot. Turtlefoot smiled.

"Yeah. He's definitely not friendly to the employees when patients aren't around, but when we're not in the patient area he'll beat us with a wooden spoon. That's why I like sleeping in my patient's quarters instead of my own." Starfall nodded.

"Ya know, I think you're alright Turtlefoot." Starfall meowed suddenly. Turtlefoot smiled.

"Thanks. You're good in my book too." Turtlefoot replied. Starfall smiled and jumped out of the nest. She padded over to the couch and stuck her muzzle in between the two sofa cushions and pulled out the tv remote. How come I didn't look there?

"Wanna watch some Netflix?" Starfall asked, already sprawled out on one of the couch cushions with her fluffy black tail resting along the armrest. Turtlefoot ran to the couch, but a few paw steps before he reached the couch, he jumped up and landed next to Starfall.

"What're we watching?" He asked. Starfall thought for a minute.

"A tv show called Merlin. How about that? Merlin is a sorcerer and he has this big destiny and he is to protect this tom named Arthur. Arthur is the prince of Camelot and his father Uther hates magic and he kills all the sorcerers that he knows of, so Merlin has to hide the fact that he is a sorcerer. Through the show Merlin is fulfilling his destiny, helping the royal family through their hardships. That's what I heard anyway." Starfall said, shrugging. "What'd ya think?" She asked.

"Sounds good to me, lets watch." Turtlefoot replied.

Waves appear on the screen, then an old voice speaks: "In a land of myth and a time of magic," a tom standing with his head down,"the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young tom." the tom then shows his face and his brown eyes turn amber, "His name, Merlin." Then the screen turns black. Starfall and Turtlefoot shared a look of awe and turned back to the screen to see the first episode start.

-T-

After 5 episodes of Merlin Starfall had fallen asleep on the couch, resting her head on Turtlefoot's was looking down at Starfall, his old friend. It had been quite a long time since he had seen her last. Turtlefoot closed his eyes and watched his memories play inside his head. It was the night Nightstar died. Starfall's best friend since she opened her eyes and found Nightkit sitting in front of her, and asked her to play.

Starfall had told him on the way to the moonpool that she would never make the right decisions, that she would never be the leader Thunderclan deserves, that she never should have agreed to be Nightstar's deputy. She poured out all her thoughts to him that night to the moonpool. Starfall had never seemed more scared that night.

Turtlefoot didn't want to see the rest of the memory so he looked at the first memory he shared with Starfall, them meeting.

Turtlefoot first saw Starfall on the night of her last gathering as an apprentice, for she was supposed to be given her warrior name the next day at sun-high. His name back then was Turtle. Starpaw had seen him jumping from tree to tree in her clan's territory. He had been looking for shelter from the rain that would surely come sometime that night. He had known someone was watching him, so he looked back and saw her racing after him. She was very fast, too fast for a Thunderclan cat.

Turtle had heard of the clans from a very old badger, she had told him their strengths. Windclan= swiftness and loyalty, Thunderclan= fierce and brave, Shadowclan= wily and proud, and Riverclan= clever and strong. Turtle knew that this could not be a Thunderclan cat. He knew he was in Thunderclan territory, so she had to be an intruder as well as he.

The she-cat was gaining on him, she had taken to the trees as well. Turtle lengthened his strides in an attempt to lose her, though it did not work. Instead Turtle found himself tangled in the branches of a very tall oak tree. Turtle pricked his ears, listening for the Windclan she-cat. He heard leaves rustling in a tree to his left. The black she-cat was crouched in a tree watching him. She was tasting the air, probably trying to discover which clan he was in or if he was a rogue. She stopped tasting the air and looked straight into his eyes, holding his gaze with menacing dark blue eyes. She jumped from her tree to the one he was stuck in and landed on a branch at his level. Turtle then realized how small this cat was, she was small enough to be considered a kit about to be named an apprentice. Turtle held back a chuckle, knowing she would do something to him if he did.

"Who are you," the black she-cat whispered menacingly, "and where did you come from?" She hopped from her branch onto his. Turtle gulped, he had never been this close to a clan cat before. He was in awe and he was scared for his life. He didn't know what they did to cats they found inside their borders. The old badger only told him only that there were clans by a lake, their strengths, their leaders, a bit of their history, and that was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

"I could ask the same to you." Turtle replied solemnly, his voice shaking a little. The small cat looked at him with an uneasy glint in her eyes.

"I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours. I can tell your a loner. I won't harm you, I just want answers some answers." She said as she sat down on her branch, curling her long fluffy tail around her paws. Turtle nodded, still uneasy as to why she hadn't done something more yet.

"I'm Turtle, I've come from the direction of the rising sun. Who are you and where have you come from? You're from Windclan aren't you?" Turtle asked, pretty sure that she was a Windclan cat. The she-cat's eyes were bright with surprise, then she chuckled a little.

"Me, a Windclan cat? You've gotta be kidding." The she-cat let out a mrow of amusement. "I'm Starpaw, I'm a Thunderclan cat. What made you think that I'm from Windclan?" Starpaw asked, amusement still clinging to her voice.

"How fast you run. Aren't Windclan cats the only ones that are that fast?" Turtle asked. Starpaw's amused expression changed into seriousness as she looked Turtle straight in the eyes.

"Yeah, they're the fasted clan cats around the lake. The other clans can't compare to them. I'm not that fast, Turtle, I'm not a Windclan cat and I would never want to be." Starpaw meowed, her voice was solemn. Turtle nodded and looked at the tree branches that he was still tangled in.

"Can you uhhhh... help me out here?" Turtle asked. Starpaw nodded and jumped over to the branches that he was tangled up in. Starpaw bit through branches that were the main problem then shoved the smaller branches aside so Turtle could escape their leafy grasps. "Thanks." Turtle said.

"Welcome, follow me." Starpaw said as she jumped down from the tree, landing on her paws without a sound. Turtle hesitated, then thought better of it and jumped down beside her. Starpaw darted off into the trees with Turtle trying to keep up. Starpaw noticed how he couldn't keep up and slowed her pace a little bit. Starpaw kept looking over her shoulder to see if he was following and if he was keeping up. Finally they reached a stone hollow with a large thorn wall making up for not having another wall to protect the camp.

"This is your camp isn't it?" Turtle asked. Starpaw nodded and padded through a tunnel in the thorn wall. "Why are you taking me here?" Turtle asked, he was not given a reply. Turtle followed Starpaw through the tunnel and emerged into a stone hollow with dens around the edges with a large clearing completely deserted. There was a stone ledge on one side of the clearing in front of a cave, and a bramble screen covering an enterance to a cave in the stone on another side of the clearing. There was a den made out of thorns, bracken and brambles near the bramble screen that smelled of milk, another den made out of bracken and brambles on the other side of the clearing a little ways from the stone ledge, then there was another den made of brambles and bracken was the largest of all the dens. There was also a honeysuckle bush the closest to the bramble screen. Turtle saw a few bushes and rocks scattered about the outskirts of the clearing. there was also another tunnel close to the entrance tunnel that smelled of dung. Must be their dirtplace. Turtle thought. Starpaw lead him toward the stone ledge, Turtle then caught sight of a rock pile that led to the stone ledge. Starpaw treaded up the rock pile with ease, leaving Turtle tripping on every other rock that he stepped on. He wasn't used to climbing (or walking) on rocks. Starpaw stuck her head into a cave at the top of the rock pile.

"Ravenstar? Are you awake?" Starpaw asked, when there was a grunt of a reply she walked into the cave flicking her ears to indicate for Turtle to follow. "Ravenstar, I found a loner inside our territory. I saw him jumping in between the trees when we were coming back from the gathering. His name is Turtle. I don not think he is a threat, though I don't know what to do with him. What do you think we should do Ravenstar?" Starpaw asked, glancing at Turtle for a heartbeat, and looked back at a tom in the shadows while she spoke. The tom got up from his nest and padded groggily into the moonlight, he squinted at Turtle and swept his brown tail across the rocky ground of the cave. Starpaw sat down while the two toms gave each other a curt nod.

Turtle could now see the tom better, he had a brown pelt with gray stripes, a black tail with brown stripes, his ears had gray rings, and he had a white muzzle, under-belly, and chest. While Turtle was examining the tom, he was examining him. Starpaw then shifted her weight onto another paw, hating the awkward silence between the three. She then stood up.

"Ravenstar, this is Turtle, and Turtle, this is Ravenstar." Starpaw said, introducing them. The both nodded, not breaking each other's gaze. Turtle then noticed how dark his eyes were, you could hardly tell that they were blue... same as Starpaw's. They must share kin... Turtle thought.

"Well, Turtle, would you like to join the clan?" Ravenstar asked suddenly. Turtle and Starpaw jumped at the sudden noise.

"What?!" Starpaw said, obviously taken aback by his offer. "What do you mean: Would you like to join the clan?: ?!" Starpaw whisper/yowled. Turtle was lost for words, all he could do was nod. Ravenstar took that as a 'yes'.

"Ok. I'll tell the clan after the dawn patrol comes back tomorrow. Turtle, you're old enough to be a warrior, but you might need some training so you will be an apprentice for a while. Probably four to two moons, you look like you already know how to defend yourself. You just need to know a little more about battle moves. Am I right?" Ravenstar asked. Again Turtle just nodded, so Ravenstar just went on talking. "You're going to have a mentor-" Ravenstar cut himself off and looked at Starpaw. "Starpaw, You're becoming a warrior tomorrow. Why don't you be his mentor. You're one of the best fighters in the clan, and a quick learner, you caught Mudpaw up with her training when she hurt her paw and had to miss a few training sessions. You could easily teach Turtle here." Ravenstar meowed enthusiastically.

"Are you sure the rest of the clan will agree with letting an inexperienced warrior train an apprentice, Ravenstar?" Starpaw meowed, her voice thick with worry and doubt. "Why not have a more experienced warrior do it? Like, Lightningtail or Burnclaw? Or maybe Iceheart? Owlflight needs an apprentice!" Starpaw meowed hurriedly. Ravenstar's eyes lit up.

"Turtle, what do you think about herbs, medicine, and curing cats?" Ravenstar asked. Turtle thought for a second. I've always wondered about how my mother could heal my sister and I when we were sick with greencough or whitecough...

"I've always wondered about herbs and medicine..." Turtle meowed, trailing off.

"Ok then, Starpaw, go take Turtle to Owlflight's den and ask him if he wants an apprentice." Ravenstar ordered. Starpaw nodded and stepped out of the cave-like den with Turtle trailing behind.