I race easily ahead of the other apprentice, my eyes beginning to water as the wind whips against my face. My gaze is clouded with terror as I look back, but soon enough, a dark gray tom comes into view. I cannot see his expression because he keeps his head low as he runs.

For a moment, I pause, to admire his sleek, graceful form, as he catches up. Then, I bunch my muscles, and swiftly dart across the rocky area. We had raced over the hill, bounding away from the clans, but for now, we don't care. We just had to get away.

I run easily alongside him, then slowly, pull ahead. His blue gaze meets mine and holds it for a heartbeat, and finally, he tears his away, almost sorrowfully. His eyes betray pain and longing as he bounds across the hard ground, and the two of us slow a little as we turn around a large pile of rocks.

"Come on!" I yowl, panting, as I raced ahead of the ShadowClan tom. My heart throbbed, and my flanks heaved, but my green eyes shone with fear and determination as I paused for a heartbeat, turning my head to see if a certain dark gray tom was following. "This way! Smokepaw, hurry!"

Smokepaw and I had first met at a gathering, where we soon became close friends. But though we were from different clans, our relationship was more than that. We began to meet at the border, in secret, and soon enough, we were inseparable, and we were more than just close friends. "Smokepaw, what are you doing?" I screech, as the dark gray tom halted in his tracks, then scrambled to the top of a boulder and looked down the rocky hill.

Smokepaw pointed a paw towards the area we had come from. "I think we lost him, Cloudpaw!"

Almost as if on cue, a massive creature leaped upwards, slamming my head into the rocky ground, and I closed my eyes as pain washed me into blackness.

When I open my eyes, the first thing I saw is that two dark gray paws are holding me down.

Blinking, I realize that the cat above me is Smokepaw, and I narrow my green eyes in confusion. The two of us are in a dark cave, and Smokepaw sniffs the air, seeming to know exactly where he is. I struggle beneath the ShadowClan tom, but he unsheathes his claws and digs them deep into my dark red fur. One of his paws keeps a firm grip on my neck, pressing down until I gasp for breath.

"Why?" I rasp slowly, my eyes wide. "This isn't you, Smokepaw!" Smokepaw smiles, but it isn't a smirk. Instead, it is a sad smile, one that shows loss and sadness. I wince as he scores a gash down my flank. Previously, I had never thought that those claws would harm me, but it seems, I was wrong then.

"I'm so sorry, Cloudpaw." Smokepaw's voice falters as he speaks, and his grip on me loosens ever so slightly. Seizing the opportunity, I throw myself upwards, but the dark gray apprentice forces me back down, where I let out an exhausted breath. "I never thought it would come to this."

What? Come to what? I want to ask, but the pressure on my throat refuses to allow me to speak.

Another voice, a tom, probably, speaks. "You have done well, Smoke." Smoke? I flinch as I hear his voice. It is cold, seemingly heartless, and I feel an uncontrollable shiver run down my spine. This is a stranger, a voice I had never heard before, but his icy presence tells me that I should be afraid. Smokepaw, standing over me, gives a nod, his tail high. Whoever this cat is, Smokepaw knows him well.

"You may go now, Smoke. I will continue from here."

Smokepaw releases me, then vanishes into the depths of the cave, but I do not rise to my paws. Something inside me orders me to remain lying down, and I obey the sensation inside me. Who is this cat?

From the shadows, a jet black tom materializes.

Just from the sense, I don't like anything about this cat. His eyes are almost black, which explains how he hid himself when Smokepaw pinned me down. As he pads towards me, his unsheathed claws scratch against the cold stone floor, creating an awful sound that makes me flatten my ears and close my eyes. A smirk plays its way across his twisted face, and I curl myself tighter. "So you must be Smoke's sweet friend."

I dare not reply.

"Before you die," the cat growls, "let me tell you a story. My name is Darkclaw, first of all." That's a clan name! I realize, and, in spite of myself, I prick my ears, not even struggling as Darkclaw pins me down with barely sheathed claws. "I was once a part of ShadowClan, but I was cast out, blamed for something that was never my fault." Behind his cold voice, I strained my ears to detect... bitterness?

Darkclaw flicked his tail, continuing. "Smoke... Smokepaw... wandered into my den a few moons ago, and, since I detected ShadowClan scent on him, I pinned him down, ready to kill him. But I spared him, on one condition."

At this point, Smokepaw reappears, but, to my surprise, he throws Darkclaw against the stone walls of the cave. With a yowl of pain, Darkclaw slumps to the ground, taken by surprise. Smokepaw turns to me, nudging me to my paws. "Come on, Cloudpaw." His voice is urgent but abrupt. "Let's get out of here."

The two of us have remained in complete silence for a long while, and I have not spoken to Smokepaw. The two of us simply bound down the rocky slope, not even bothering to glance at each other. My paw slips, and he leans in to steady me. "Be careful."

I nod, not looking at him. Why would I want to talk to the cat who had nearly killed me, who had lured me to my death, who had spun me into a web of Darkclaw's lies and deceit? I hear a soft sigh from my former friend, but I don't reply to him.

Smokepaw speaks again. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

That makes me turn to face him. "What?"

"I'm sorry." Smokepaw's blue eyes are pools of grief and apology as he looks at me.

"What happened?" I ask, flicking my tail to let him know that I had heard him.

Smokepaw sighs again. "It's a long story." I prick my ears, ready to listen, and the two of us pause, sheltered under the shade of an old birch, far from Darkclaw's den. "Moons ago, I wandered into Darkclaw's den, on accident. And, as you heard, he was about to kill me, but he spared my life." His gaze wanders slightly, then focuses on me once more.

"It wasn't as simple as that. Darkclaw spared me on a certain condition. He said that the first cat that I would ever love would fall dead under his paws." I shiver, lowering my bright green eyes to my red fur. "And that was... you." There is a pause, and I do not say anything. "That's why, if you remember, I was so hesitant to meet you in secret. It was all because... I loved you, Cloudpaw."

I give him no answer, and Smokepaw continues. "Darkclaw also told me to meet him at his cave every half-moon and claw moon. There, he told me his plan: that I was supposed to lure you into his den on a certain day." I let out a short gasp. "And that was today."

The two of us force our gazes to meet, his full of regret, mine full of disbelief. Almost like fire and ice, our two emotions strike each other, overpowering one another. The love I had previously felt for the ShadowClan tom returns, and I find it in my heart to forgive the young cat; for Smokepaw, he presses against me, as though protecting me from an unseen enemy. The fire in his apology, my icy disbelief, meet, and the two of us are, once again, bound by love.

My heart soars as I pad alongside Smokepaw. It has been over a moon since he had lured me into Darkclaw's den, and now, the two of us plan to rid the clans of this enemy, long ago. Smokepaw twines his tail with mine, and I let out a purr. "I found out about Darkclaw."

"You did?" I tip my dark red head to one side, questioningly.

Smokepaw nods. "I asked a few of the elders, and they told me." There is a silence, as I wait for his answer. The two of us clamber up the rocks, as Smokepaw speaks. "Darkclaw, apparently, was one of the strongest warriors in all of the clans."

"That explains a lot," I mutter quietly.

Smokepaw gives no sign that he has heard me. "Darkclaw, his apprentice Sandpaw, Mossfeather, and Sootflame were all on one patrol. A pair of foxes attacked the four of them, and one of them pinned Sandpaw down. Mossfeather and Sootflame were fighting off the second, but Darkclaw, instead of helping his apprentice, watched as the fox killed Sandpaw."

I swallow. Wow. "No way."

"Yes, it's true," Smokepaw mews. "They both saw it with their own eyes." I swallow nervously as I see the large, gaping hole a distance away. Smokepaw shivers beside me, and, instinctively, I press against him. "Go on, Cloudpaw. Here's your chance." And he vanishes into the mist. But, according to our plan, he should be above, in a tree. I see him now, slowly scaling an ash's trunk.

Shivering, I step toward the entrance to the den.

The wind falls still around me, almost as if it, too, is listening, waiting. A black tom, the black tom, Darkclaw, pads out of the den as I pause, hesitating. My paws feel rooted to the spot, and my tail drops. "I didn't know Smoke's love would be foolish enough to come here again."

I force myself not to flinch at the word love. "Greetings to you, too, Darkclaw," I mew, but my voice is quiet from fear. And at that moment, Smokepaw attacks, dropping onto Darkclaw from above. I sigh in relief as Smokepaw's teeth fasten around Darkclaw's throat, and the latter lets out a strangled yowl. Jumping to my paws, I strike out, my claws gashing Darkclaw's chest.

At the same time, I hear a sickening crunch, and Darkclaw's body falls to the ground. Smokepaw stares in horror. "I didn't mean..."

I press against him. "Well done."

Smokepaw is still staring at Darkclaw's motionless shape. "He wasn't invincible after all."

"You have your warrior name, Smokefall? I do, too!" I purr, and the ShadowClan tom nuzzles me. This is the first time we have met ever since we killed Darkclaw over a moon before. "My name is Cloudfire!"

Smokefall shifts uncomfortably. "Cloudfire... well... I don't think we should do this."

"What?" I pull away quickly, staring at my friend with an expression of pure shock on my face. I shake out my dark red fur, peering closely at Smokefall.

"Really." Smokefall touches his nose to mine. "I mean, I love you, Cloudfire, but... well... we can't meet like this anymore." My face falls, and I turn away abruptly. My heart plummets to my paws as my green eyes cloud over. He's right. I should have put the clan before my forbidden love. I made a mistake... StarClan, forgive me.

"I know." I turn back to face him, my green eyes understanding. "You're right, Smokefall. I'll see you at gatherings. We should have put our clans before anything else, even this. And... StarClan, I'm sorry."

Smokefall nods slowly. "I'll miss you, Cloudfire. Even if we can't see each other anymore, I'm still your mate, and I'd wait for you forever, if I had to." Why did I still feel betrayed, as though he had hurt me, somehow?

"So... this is goodbye." I rub against him, one last time, then turn away. I can't look back as I race as fast as I can into the deepest portion of my own territory, away from Smokefall. And then, I realize it.

It isn't Smokefall who betrayed.

I am the one who betrayed the whole of ThunderClan, the warrior code. I close my eyes for a heartbeat. StarClan, forgive me.

Nothing in the past ever happened. I will return to my clan as a changed cat, and I understand now that the past is my history. I must pursue my destiny, my future, even if I have to run forever, towards a gradually shrinking light.

And now, I open my eyes, perceiving the world in a new way.