A/N: Hi! This is my second Warriors fic! I hope you like it! I have my own Clans and stuff… So here it is! And for those of you who read my Guardians of Ga'Hoole fic, I'm in desperate need of ideas, and also for The Second Chance, I'm out of ideas… curse me (bangs head on a shoe).

Disclaimer: I own only my own characters. All other material belongs respectfully to Erin Hunter.

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

Allegiances

ForestClan

Leader:

Redstar—Ginger tom with blue eyes.

Deputy:

Lizardfang—Gold and black tom with blazing orange eyes. Apprentice: Snakepaw

Medicine Cat:

Silverdiamond—Silver-and-black she-cat

Warriors:

Tigerpelt—Ginger tabby with green eyes. Foxclaw's mate. Apprentice: Sharkpaw

Falconbeak—Brown tom with ginger flecks.

Hawktalon—Brown tom with sharp claws and a ginger tail. Apprentice: Acidpaw

Lionclaw—Pale cream tom. Pantherfur's half-brother. Apprentice: Spotpaw

Pantherfur—Yellow-cream she-cat with green eyes. Apprentice: Stripepaw.

Flowerheart—Golden she-cat with a mark in the shape of a daisy on her chest.

Queens:

Foxclaw—Ginger she-cat with white on the tip of her tail. Tigerpelt's mate. Lynxkit and Wolfkit's mother.

Hollythorn—Dark brown tabby. Stormkit and Indigokit's mother. Falconbeak's mate.

Lavaflame—Flame she-cat. Shadekit, Oceankit, and Breezekit's mother. Lionclaw's mate.

Feathersoul—Pale brown tabby she-cat with very soft fur and green eyes. Lightningkit and Soulkit's mother. Hawktalon's mate

Kits:

Wolfkit—Silver she-cat.

Lynxkit—Tortoishell she-cat.

Stormkit—Tabby she-cat.

Indigokit—Dark grey tabby tom with indigo eyes.

Shadekit—Black she-cat.

Lightningkit—Yellow tom.

Oceankit—Sand she-cat with blue-green eyes.

Breezekit—Pale grey tom with gentle grey eyes.

Soulkit—Peculiar pure white she-cat with odd silver eyes.

Rainkit—All grey she-cat with white stripes and white tail-tip and green eyes. Found in the rain near the river.

Apprentices:

Acidpaw—Pitch-black tom with acid green eyes.

Spotpaw—Silver she cat with black spots.

Stripepaw—Grey tabby tom. Spotpaw's brother.

Sharkpaw—Silvery grey tom with black eyes and a white belly.

Snakepaw—Slim grey tabby whose canine teeth stick out onto his lower lip.

Elders:

Blindnose—Ginger tom. Oldest cat in IceClan. He lost his sense of smell with age.

Goosefang—Ill-tempered white she-cat with a yellowish muzzle. The apprentices would've gone mad if Duckfoot wasn't there to keep her temper in check.

Duckfoot—Tabby with slightly webbed toes. Goosefang's brother, as well as Pantherfur and Lionclaw's father.

CanyonClan

Leader

Silentstar—Quiet golden she-cat with blue eyes. She is deaf, but can smell better than most cats.

PrairieClan

Leader

Blazingstar—Ginger tom with black ears.

MountainClan

Leader

Sorrelstar—Tortoishell she-cat

More to come as the story keeps going.

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

Chapter One

"Hurry!" yowled a gold and black tom, "The Clan needs this catmint before greencough spreads to the other Clans!"

"Lizardfang, we're exhausted!" replied a ginger tabby, "Sharkpaw won't hold out much longer! We're all drenched by this rain and the wound Acidpaw got from the dog has opened up and is bleeding! We need to rest or we could be ones who end up dead!"

"I'm fine, Tigerpelt," panted a black tom with acid green eyes. A deep wound in his shoulder was spilling blood all over the place, "I can keep going."

"Are you sure?" asked a brown tom with a ginger tail, "We could send someone home with Acidpaw and have Silverdiamond look at that wound…"

Acidpaw growled. Without waiting for an order, he ran ahead. The others saw that changing the black apprentice's mind was useless and continued toward the Twoleg nest where they would find catmint.

Acidpaw felt more and more energy leaving his body, as well as blood. He felt his vision start to blur, but he shook his head and kept going. The brown tom with a ginger tail caught up to him. It was Acidpaw's mentor.

"Acidpaw," he meowed sternly, "I'm going back to camp with you. You're bleeding heavily and your pawsteps are shaky. You're leaving a trail of blood and your brothers are worried. If Redstar were to find out that I let his son help while being in such a serious condition, he would be furious! I think you're very noble for wanting to help despite the amount of blood you lost, but this is ridiculous!"

"I'm fine, Hawktalon!" snapped Acidpaw. The others caught up soon and two other apprentices ran alongside Acidpaw.

"Lizardfang says that we'll be there soon," meowed one of them, a slim tabby tom whose canine teeth stuck out onto his lower lip, "And we'll take a short break once we get there."

"Tell Lizardfang I don't need to stop!" hissed Acidpaw, "Tell him that for me, okay Snakepaw?"

Snakepaw went over to Lizardfang and meowed a few things to him. As Snakepaw came closer again, the other apprentice, all grey with a white belly and black eyes, collapsed. Before Snakepaw could say a word to Acidpaw, he stopped and crouched next to the fallen apprentice.

"Sharkpaw!" he wailed.

Tigerpelt stopped and turned around to go back to his apprentice. The other cats stopped too.

"What's happening?" demanded Lizardfang. He crouched down next to Sharkpaw and sniffed him. Lizardfang looked up at Tigerpelt, "Bring him back to camp, and bring Acidpaw with you."

"No!" hissed Acidpaw, "If you all have so little faith in me, then I'll get the catmint myself!"

Acidpaw raced out of the forest and leaped onto the Twoleg fence. He jumped down and quickly identified the catmint. The apprentice grabbed as much as he could carry and spun around, only to find the others waiting for him on the other side of the fence. He dropped a small bundle of the plant at every cat's paws.

Lizardfang looked from the catmint to Acidpaw and muttered one thing before picking up the plants.

"Well done."

Acidpaw glowed with pride. He had just been praised by the Clan deputy! The apprentice picked up his pile of catmint and ran alongside the others of the patrol. Suddenly, Acidpaw felt a pang of unease. He started finding it hard to breathe. Acidpaw swayed on his paws and collapsed on the ground out of breath and his vision blurring.

"Lizardfang!" called Hawktalon, putting down his catmint, "Acidpaw has collapsed!"

Lizardfang looked from Acidpaw to the direction of the ForestClan camp.

"Keep going!" he meowed, putting down his catmint, "We'll come back for him after the catmint is safely back at camp!"

Acidpaw froze in shock. Lizardfang and the others… were just going to leave him behind?

Hawktalon growled. "No matter what you say, I won't leave my own apprentice, let alone Redstar's son, out to die! This is cruel! We have to get help!"

"No, Hawktalon!" hissed Lizardfang, "Go back to camp! We'll come back for him after! Flowerheart will die if we don't get back soon!"

"Acidpaw could have greencough too!" argued Acidpaw's mentor, "I didn't think you were so selfish, Lizardfang, I thought you were thinking about the entire Clan when we were getting this catmint, and not just your mate!"

Lizardfang growled and attacked Hawktalon. Snakepaw looked at the two Warriors in shock.

Lizardfang had Hawktalon pinned down and bent his head next to Hawktalon's ear and started whispering. Only Acidpaw could hear what they were saying.

"What about your daughter?" hissed Lizardfang in Hawktalon's ear, "Your mate didn't want you to know, but Soulkit caught greencough from Stormkit, who caught it from Hollythorn, who caught it from Falconbeak. Which reminds me… did you know that your mate is on the verge of death?"

"No…" whispered Hawktalon, "Feathersoul…"

Lizardfang let Hawktalon up. Acidpaw's mentor looked from his apprentice to the Clan camp, then nodded at Lizardfang.

"Don't worry, Acidpaw, we're coming back for you straight away!" meowed Lizardfang with a hint of regret in his voice, "Come, Snakepaw."

Snakepaw looked horrified at the thought of leaving his brother alone in the rain, but followed Lizardfang. Acidpaw thought once before slipping into unconsciousness.

Hawktalon… Snakepaw, my own brother… Even Lizardfang… Why?

Meanwhile

Lizardfang, Hawktalon, and Snakepaw were exhausted. Lizardfang was coughing but refused to stop. He stumbled as he ran, but kept going. As the three cats neared camp, Lizardfang dropped his catmint and motioned for Snakepaw to take it. Lizardfang speeded up and reached camp in a matter of moments.

"Flowerheart!" he yowled.

Silverdiamond came out of her den and looked at Lizardfang with sad eyes.

"Where's Flowerheart?" he asked in worried tone. After that, he started coughing harshly.

"I'm so sorry, Lizardfang," meowed Silverdiamond, "She's dead."

Lizardfang shook his head and brushed past the medicine cat and into her den. To his shock, Redstar was lying on a pile of leaves, obviously in a weakened state. His mate, Pantherfur, was standing over him. Lizardfang also saw Hollythorn sleeping and her kits mewling pathetically, and her mate, Falconbeak, further away. He passed by Feathersoul and she looked up in alarm as the deputy went by.

"Hawktalon?" she queried, "Where is Hawktalon?"

"Don't worry, Feathersoul," he replied, "Hawktalon is on the back with catmint for you and Soulkit. I'm sure Lavaflame is taking good care of Lightningkit while you're here. Rest now, you need it."

Feathersoul nodded and rested her head on her paws.

Lionclaw, Tigerpelt, and Hawktalon are the only Warriors unaffected, mused the deputy, And the elders too. Redstar did a good job isolating them from the rest of the Clan, as well as Stripepaw, Snakepaw and Spotpaw, and the two other queens and their kits.

Lizardfang went further and found Featherheart. She was still. Sickeningly still.

"Featherheart?" whispered Lizardfang. He nudged her, "Featherheart… wake up… Spotpaw and Stripepaw need to see their mother watch them become great Warriors. I need you to watch me become leader when the day comes that Redstar passes on. I need you to fight alongside me. Wake up."

Silverdiamond came up behind him and touched her tail to his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lizardfang."

Lizardfang licked Featherheart's ear. "So that's how it is…" he whispered. With a final cough, greencough took Lizardfang's life.

Devastated, Silverdiamond went to Redstar.

"Redstar," she meowed, trying to keep her voice steady, "Lizardfang is dead."

Pantherfur looked at Silverdiamond in shock. Redstar forced himself onto his paws.

"Tell the Clan," he panted, "That the new deputy is Pantherfur."

Pantherfur stared at Redstar. Redstar shuddered as he lost a life.

"He only has one left…" muttered Pantherfur, "One more life."

Shivering, Silverdiamond went out of her den. At the exit, she saw a kit that she had found completely drenched in the rain by the stream bordering IceClan territory a few moons ago. Silverdiamond had named her Rainkit and brought her back to camp.

"Rainkit!" meowed Silverdiamond, "What are you doing in this torrential downpour? You'll get soaked!"

"It's okay, Silverdiamond," she mewed, "I like the rain. My name is Rainkit, after all. Also… Lizardfang is dead, isn't he? And Featherheart too. Redstar only has one life left, doesn't he? I can sense it."

Silverdiamond was shocked. All of the kit's information was exactly accurate.

"Spotpaw and Stripepaw don't know yet. Sharkpaw has a small case of whitecough, doesn't he? Tigerpelt is pacing around camp, so it's easy to tell," meowed Rainkit softly. She giggled at the stricken look on Silverdiamond's face. She looked down at her paws and mumbled, "I can sense other cats suffering. I don't like it at all. I'm six moons old now. Can you make me your apprentice?"

Silverdiamond nodded slowly. "I'll let Redstar know immediately."

Rainkit purred and she went back to the nursery, where Foxclaw, the queen who was fostering her, ushered her in. Rainkit meowed something to the two other kits that were near Foxclaw before they disappeared into the nursery.

Wolfkit and Lynxkit will become apprentices soon, mused Silverdiamond, And Rainkit is my apprentice… Rainkit has good potential. Extremely good potential. She might even surpass me…

Silverdiamond entered her den only to find Hawktalon and Snakepaw. They were both panting heavily and held catmint in their jaws. They dropped the catmint at Silverdiamond's paws.

"Thank you," she meowed to both of them. She advanced toward Redstar.

"No!" The sudden strength in Redstar's voice shocked the others, "The Clan comes first! Silverdiamond! Give the catmint to Hollythorn and her kits first, then Feathersoul and Soulkit, then the warriors, and if there's any left, then me! Get an apprentice in here to help you!"

"Of course, Redstar," meowed Silverdiamond. She turned to Snakepaw, who was gazing at his parents in shock, "Snakepaw, fetch Spotpaw and Rainkit for me. Pantherfur, return to the Warriors den and get some rest after helping your son gather Rainkit and Spotpaw, and while you're at it, tell Stripepaw to go tend to the elders."

"Of course," replied Snakepaw, dipping his head. Patherfur dipped her head as well, but she was reluctant to leave Redstar's side.

"But, Silverdiamond," asked the new deputy, "Why Rainkit?"

"Because she's my future apprentice," replied Silverdiamond, "She needs to see this to make sure of her decision."

Son and mother both nodded and raced out to do as they were told. Silverdiamond turned to Hawktalon who was sitting next to Feathersoul. The medicine cat approached them and told Feathersoul to eat the catmint and feed some to Soulkit too. Next she went to Hollythorn.

"Will Indigokit and Stormkit be okay?" she asked worriedly, and then she gazed at a brown tom with ginger flecks lying further away, "And Falconbeak?"

"It's between StarClan's paws," replied Silverdiamond, after putting down the catmint in front of Hollythorn, "Feed them some catmint, then take some for yourself."

Silverdiamond made her way toward Falconbeak when Rainkit and Spotpaw appeared at the den's entrance.

"You sent for us?" asked Spotpaw.

Silverdiamond nodded, "Rainkit, could you give some catmint to Falconbeak? Just wake him up slowly," she meowed. She turned to Spotpaw, "I need to speak to you after I help Rainkit."

Spotpaw nodded as she watched Rainkit and Silverdiamond force some catmint into Falconbeak's jaws. When Silverdiamond came back, she sat down in front of Spotpaw and motioned for her to do the same.

"It's about your parents, Spotpaw," meowed Silverdiamond, "They're both dead. I'm so sorry. I hadn't realized that Lizardfang had slipped out of my den, and before I knew it, the illness got worse."

Spotpaw looked up in shock. Her black-spotted pelt quivered and she backed away from the medicine cat.

"They… they can't be…" she whispered. Spotpaw straightened, "I'm going to tell Stripepaw."

"Please do that. I understand that the two of you will want to share tongues with them one last time," replied Silverdiamond, "They're in back, in the hidden section of my den, where I keep my rarest herbs. I'll be busy with the others when you return, but you and your brother have my permission to go in."

Spotpaw nodded and rushed out of the Medicine cat den. Silverdiamond turned to Redstar.

"It's your turn, Redstar," meowed the silver and black tabby.

Redstar's eyes opened. "Silverdiamond, are of the affected cats taken care of?"

"Yes Redstar," replied Silverdiamond, nodding.

With a harsh cough, Redstar motioned for Silverdiamond to approach. Just as Silverdiamond was about to place the catmint in front of her leader, he staggered into a sitting position.

"Acidpaw," he rasped, "Acidpaw hasn't returned. Find him, cure him and bring him here, wake up Sharktooth and send Rainpaw to get Snakefang and Pantherstar. Gather the Clan around the Treestump, I wish to hold a final Clan meeting."

"Rainpaw? You mean Rainkit? And Snakepaw and Sharkpaw?" asked the medicine cat, "And it's Pantherfur, not Pantherstar."

"I'm not a kit! Rainpaw is six moons old, no? I heard you tell Pantherstar that she's your apprentice! The lengths that Sharktooth and Snakefang went through to resist greencough is enough to prove them capable Warriors!" hissed Redstar urgently. He voice softened, "I want to see my Clan one more time before I leave to StarClan."

With a sickening jolt, Silverdiamond realized that if she used catmint of Acidpaw, there would be none left for Redstar. She nodded and sent Rainkit to get Pantherfur. Pantherfur appeared in moments and Silverdiamond quickly relayed the leader's message. The deputy helped Redstar to his paws and brought him outside, into their meeting place, a hollow in an enormous tree stump. Redstar soon next to Pantherfur at the hollow's mouth.

"May the entire Clan gather outside the Treestump for an important Clan meeting!" Redstar's voice was surprisingly strong despite his condition. Soon the entire Clan, including the ones from the medicine cat den, who were watching from there, was gathered outside the Treestump.

"Sadly, Lizardfang and Flowerheart have both passed on," started the leader. The Clan members whispered amongst themselves and Snakepaw looked as though he had been hit by a boulder when he heard that his mentor was dead, "The new deputy will be Pantherfur!"

"Pantherfur! Pantherfur!" chanted the Clan.

"Great StarClan," meowed Stripepaw to Spotpaw, "My mentor is the deputy…"

"Snakepaw, step forward," yowled Redstar with more strength than Silverdiamond expected, "You have just found the cure for greencough while navigating through extremely dangerous conditions. You fight like a true Warrior, and your loyalty is noble.I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice.He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Snakepaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," meowed Snakepaw

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Snakepaw, from this day forth you will be known as Snakefang, in honor of your noble mentor, Lizardfang. ForestClan welcomes you as a full warrior!"

"Snakefang! Snakefang!" chanted the Clan.

Redstar lowered his muzzle onto Snakefang's head.The new warrior stood up and went to his place next to Sharkpaw.

"Sharkpaw, step forward!" yowled Redstar, this time with a little less strength, "For the same reason as Snakefang, I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice.He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Sharkpaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" meowed Sharkpaw. He coughed because of his whitecough.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sharkpaw, from this day forth you will be known as Sharktooth. ForestClan welcomes you as a full warrior!"

"Sharktooth! Sharktooth!" yowled the Clan.

Sharktooth allowed his father to place his muzzle on his head like Snakefang, then sat next to Tigerpelt, his former mentor.

"Well done," purred the tabby.

"Acidpaw! Step forward!" there was an eerie silence.

"I couldn't find him," murmured Hawktalon in shame, "There was a lot of blood… I think a dog got him…"

Pantherfur gazed at him in shock. Redstar's eyes showed much grief, but he looked up.

"Siverdiamond is taking on Rainkit as an apprentice. Silverdiamond, I am sure you will pass down your skills to Rainpaw," meowed Redstar, "Lynxkit, Wolfkit, step forward."

The two kits, totally unprepared for this, came slowly toward Redstar.

"You are both six moons old now. From this day forward, until you have earned your Warrior names, you will be known as Lynxpaw and Wolfpaw," meowed Redstar. He paused as he started coughing, "Falconbeak, when you are well again, you will mentor Wolfpaw. Since there is a shortage of Warriors, Tigerpelt will mentor Lynxpaw. Pass down all your skills to this young apprentice."

The two new apprentices nodded.

"Lynxpaw! Lynxpaw!" chanted the Clan, "Wolfpaw! Wolfpaw!"

"This meeting is over," meowed Redstar. He swayed on his paws and collapsed against Pantherfur.

"We have to find him catmint! Hurry!" yowled Pantherfur.

"It's too late…" whispered Redstar, "But Acidpaw is still alive. I am going to hunt with StarClan… Farewell, Pantherfur… Snakefang… Sharktooth… Acidpaw…"

Redstar died at those words.

"Though I hate to say it," whispered Stripepaw, shaking and his eyes clouded with grief, "My mentor is Clan leader."

"REDSTAR!" yowled Pantherfur. She pushed her nose into his ginger fur. Snakefang and Sharktooth gathered around too.

"We should let them be," meowed an elderly ginger tom.

"Blindnose is right," meowed Silverdiamond, "Duckfoot and Goosefang, could you bring out Featherheart and Lizardfang's bodies so that the Clan can share tongues with them one last time?"

The two elders nodded and entered the medicine cat den.

"All those who had greencough and whitecough, can you please go back inside and get some rest?" demanded Silverdiamond.

Some of the sick cats returned to Silverdiamond's den. The medicine cat turned around as the elders brought Lizardfang and Flowerheart. She crouched down and licked Lizardfang's ear.

"Goodbye, my dear brother," she whispered to Lizardfang. She pushed her nose into Featherheart's fur as a goodbye and turned to Redstar. Pantherfur had her nose buried deep in his fur. With intense sadness, Silverdiamond licked the dead leader's ear and disappeared into her den.

Silverdiamond dreamed. She was in pure nothingness. The air around her was dark. She could see nothing, and this place had no scent.

"Silverdiamond," meowed a voice behind her, "I'm here."

Silverdiamond spun around and saw a ginger tom with blue eyes, almost glowing in the darkness.

"Redstar?" she whispered.

Redstar came and sat next to the medicine cat. "I have a prophecy for you," he meowed, already starting to fade.

"Redstar, wait!" yowled Silverdiamond, "I need to tell you something!"

"Forest will be strengthened by eternal rain,

But will drown in acid's pain,

Mourning rain will be turned cold,

A story will come that has never been told."

A flash of black mixed with a flash of grey and was shattered like thin ice by a set of enormous jaws.

Silverdiamond sprang awake. She looked out towards Silverpelt, but it was completely covered in clouds. StarClan was not watching her right now.

"I wanted to tell you, Redstar," whispered the medicine cat, "That I am your mother…"

Silverdiamond, unable to sleep, thought of the prophecy Redstar had giver her.

"Forest will be strengthened by eternal rain…" whispered the she-cat, "That makes sense. Rainpaw is destined to be a medicine cat of ForestClan, and a good one too."

Silverdiamond gazed at the apprentice den. "What was the second line again?" she wondered, "The third line was: morning rain will be turned cold…"

Silverdiamond snorted quietly, "Morning rain is always cold," she hissed silently, "A story will come that is never told…"

I should alert Pantherfu— Pantherstar, thought Silverdiamond gazing the new leader, mourning for Redstar in the cold air, But I'll wait for a bit.

Silverdiamond was about to tell Pantherstar off for standing there, but suddenly a bloodied form burst from some bushes.

"Did you forget?" hissed the figure, "You said you'd come back for me!"

Pantherstar's POV

"Great StarClan, no," I whispered. I had been grieving for the dead while my son was out there bleeding to death. I must be the worst mother in the world, "Acidpaw…"

Silverdiamond's POV

My heart skipped a beat. The words of the forgotten line of the prophecy chimed in my head. And will drown in acid's pain… Acidpaw was in pain.

Acidpaw's POV

"Did you forget?" I hissed, "You said you'd come back for me!"

I stood there panting and glaring at my mother and Silverdiamond. I was exhausted from blood loss and the lack of energy. I felt hurt and horribly betrayed. I couldn't—wouldn't—ever trust another cat again.

Normal POV

Acidpaw swayed on his paws and collapsed, still bleeding.

"HAWKTALON! GET OVER HERE!" howled Silverdiamond.

The brown tom stepped out of the medicine cat den where he had been quietly speaking with Feathersoul. He looked exasperated for Silverdiamond to have cut his time with his mate and daughter short.

Hawktalon was about to say something to Silverdiamond, but he staggered in shock when he saw his apprentice.

"Acidpaw…" he whispered, "I'm so sorry, I thought… I couldn't find you…"

"I think you forgot where to look," snarled the blood-covered apprentice before slipping into unconsciousness.

With a sickening jolt, Hawktalon realized that he had searched for Acidpaw in the completely wrong place. He had tried to find him at the spot where Sharkpaw had collapsed, and not where his apprentice did. He was so worried about Feathersoul and Soulkit that he had forgotten.

Silverdiamond rushed toward the unconscious apprentice and instructed Hawktalon to pick him up. Pantherstar followed behind them.

"Bring me the last of the catmint," instructed Silverdiamond. Rainpaw, Hawktalon, and Pantherstar did as they were told, "Now bring me marigold, poppy seeds, and cobwebs."

Silverdiamond was finished taking care of Acidpaw when night was fading into dawn.

"The sun is rising," murmured Hawktalon. He turned to Pantherstar, "You need to choose a new deputy soon."

"I will call a Clan meeting now," replied Pantherstar.

"Good," meowed Silverdiamond, "Rainpaw, I want you to stay here and take care of Acidpaw. Feed him poppy seeds whenever he wakes up."

Rainpaw nodded and Pantherstar led Silverdiamond and Hawktalon out of the medicine cat den.

"All that are well enough, please gather under the Treestump for an important Clan meeting!" yowled the new leader.

The few cats that were healthy came out of their dens and gathered around the Treestump. The present cats were: Pantherstar, Hawktalon, Tigerpelt, Foxclaw, Lionclaw, Silverdiamond, Blindnose, Goosefang, Duckfoot, Stripepaw, and Spotpaw.

I'll have to think fast, thought Pantherstar, This is extremely sudden…

In the medicine cat den, Acidpaw jolted awake and the dog bite on his shoulder opened up. A silent scream came from Acidpaw's parted jaws and he starting writhing on the leaves he was lying on.

"Please stay still," whispered Rainpaw. She pawed some poppy seeds in his direction, "Eat these."

"Why should I?" hissed the apprentice in reply.

Rainpaw lowered her head. "I feel the suffering of others and it makes me feel horrible. Please, Acidpaw, eat the poppy seeds."

Reluctantly, Acidpaw licked up the seeds. He sank into sleep again.

Rainpaw watched Acidpaw as he fell asleep again. She pressed some cobwebs onto his wound. The medicine cat apprentice flinched as he whimpered under the pressure. She got up to give poppy seeds to Falconbeak, but found herself repeatedly glancing back at Acidpaw.

Finally, Rainpaw couldn't take it anymore and she sat down next to Acidpaw, who was whimpering in his sleep. The medicine cat apprentice looked up at the Clan meeting.

"The time has come to appoint a new deputy," meowed Pantherstar, "The new deputy is… Lionclaw."

"Lionclaw! Lionclaw!" chanted the Clan.

Lionclaw was indeed a wise choice for deputy. He was Redstar's best friend, as well as Pantherstar's sister, so there were no disloyalties that would happen anytime soon.

Silverdiamond came back to her den. She was content about Pantherstar's choice of Clan deputy. She saw Rainpaw dozing off, desperately trying to stay awake.

"You can go to the apprentice's den now, Rainpaw," meowed Silverdiamond, "You've done well."

Rainpaw shook her head, "It's okay, Silverdiamond, I can handle it."

Silverdiamond purred and nodded her approval. Only her first day on the job and she was excelling. She had a fine, dedicated apprentice.

There was more to it than that, though.

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

A/N: So you like? You like? The next chapter is half a moon later. Yes, it's on purpose that Silverdiamond says 'morning' instead of 'mourning'. You'll see why. 6 reviews before I continue please! Don't flame me!