Chapter 1

"Swiftpaw..."

'Swiiiftpaw..."

Even though he knew the dogs weren't there yet, he could still feel them breathing down his neck: hot, slimy breath above him, mouths dripping drool on his fur. They were going to find him again. He would not let that happen, so he ran. Swiftpaw could feel their hot breath down his back, but he knew they were not there. Yet, he could still hear the loud echoing of paws as they got closer.

"Swiiiftpaw..."

The voice got louder and louder, as did the scent and sounds of the dogs. He kept chanting in his head. Just run. Keep running. Ignore it. Just run.

"Swiiiiftpaw..."

His entire body braced, waiting for the razor-sharp teeth to plunge into his neck, to tear him to bits.

"Swiftpaw!" His amber eyes shot open, and his breathing was ragged, as if he had just run a long distance. He knew they weren't real, that they were just nightmares. He always knew, of course, yet he couldn't help feel terrified after he woke up. It was a daily occurrence a few days after the battle - no. Not battle. Ever since he messed up. Ever since he made the biggest mistake of his life.

"Swiftpaw?"

That voice again. He looked up and flinched. Brightpaw. He still hadn't gotten used to her face, or at least that fact that he was the one that did it to her, but he had never seen it like this. All the fur around her eye was ripped off, the eye closed shut - he could only assume she had lost it. The scar tissue was now pink and shiny; she had left the medicine den a moon ago, and for that whole moon he had refused to do anything, refused to look at her. He knew from gossip and from the first few days of his healing that he had done something bad to her - something that would change her forever - but not something like this. Brightpaw obviously noticed him flinch and looked apprehensive.

"Uhm... hey, Swiftpaw." Her eye did not meet his. "I just wanted to wake you up and tell you that all the morning patrols have gone." Swiftpaw sneaked a glance behind her and noticed that the sun was high in the sky, and the camp seemed to be fairly empty besides the sounds of kits playing outside the nursery. Usually, one of the other apprentices would have taken the opportunity of him sleeping in to play a joke on him, perhaps to put a burr in his nest - and since when did he sleep in?

Swiftpaw worded his next response carefully, and he felt as if he was treading on eggshells. "Would you like to go hunting with me, Brightpaw?"

A distressed look feel upon Brightpaw's face. "Swiftpaw!" She hissed discreetly, her eyes darting back and forth and then meeting Swiftpaw's. "It's Lostface now. Please." Her head turned in the direction of the elder's den, and he could see One-Eye, Smallear, and Dappletail all gathered near a particularly sunny patch of grass talking to Bluestar. Swiftpaw had overheard talk of Brightpaw's new name fly through camp a few days earlier, and he remembered his fur practically bristling with anger when he heard it for the first time. Lostface.

"I refuse to call you that disgusting name."

"Alright, alright. But please don't call me that when we're with another cat. It just makes things harder for me to accept." A pang of guilt swept through Swiftpaw's body. "Besides," she continued, "you're in enough trouble already, not being able to become a warrior." Why did she have to remind him? It had hit him like a storm when Bluestar told Swiftpaw that he would never be able to be a warrior; after all, that was the only reason they went to fight the dogs in the first place. He vaguely remembered complaining about it to the other apprentices before he had started having the nightmares - he also remembered Fernpaw and Ashpaw's reply,

"You know, Swiftpaw, it's for the best. I mean, it was a little reckless, going off to fight dogs..." Fernpaw's voice was quiet, but it echoed throughout the apprentice's den like thunder.

"Yeah, honestly, Swiftpaw," Ashpaw added on "I'm glad I didn't go with you. I would've probably ended up with a huge scar just like Lostface-"

"Don't call her that ugly name!" Swiftpaw hissed. He had the sudden strong urge to rip both of them to shreds, until they felt how he felt. Did they not understand his incredible remorse and regret? He had half a mind to say, "Oh yeah, I was about to go and fight the dogs again, thank you for telling me how bad of an idea it was; how much I messed up!"

Ashpaw's expression was one of mild annoyance, as if someone had taken his favorite prey from the fresh-kill pile. "Calm down Swiftpaw, it was just a joke. Besides, we have to use that name. Bluestar caught Cloudtail complaining about it, said she had half a mind to change his name too!"

The scene in his head faded out, and he met Brightpaw's blue eyes once more. "So, would you like to go hunting with me?" The words felt tasteless in his mouth, and suddenly the prospect of hunting with Brightpaw made him feel sick.

Brightpaw's expression was now one of pity, and she smiled sadly. "Sorry, Swiftpaw, but I already promised Cloudtail that I'd go hunting with him." Brightpaw noticed Swiftpaw's let-down expression, one that he himself didn't notice he was making. She quickly said, "I'm sorry, Swiftpaw, I really am. Maybe we can go tomorrow, if I don't have patrols or training." Swiftpaw knew that she probably wouldn't have time tomorrow, but it made him feel a bit more happy that Brightpaw wasn't completely shutting him out like most of the clan was.

Swiftpaw lingered at the entrance to the apprentice's den, watching as Brightpaw walked off. He wished she'd look back, but she didn't. He felt inspired to actually do something helpful for his clan today, instead of sitting around in his nest, moping. His first impression upon stepping outside of the apprentice's den was that everything seemed strangely normal. He expected the world to look like it was crumbling around him, just like it felt it was, however, nothing had changed. The elders were now talking amongst themselves; Bluestar was nowhere to be seen. There were a few scattered cats eating and grooming themselves and - Longtail.

If there was one person in the whole clan whom Swiftpaw knew would understand him, it was Longtail. His mentor who had fought tooth and claw for his promotion, his mentor whom he had not spoken face-to-face to since the day of the battle. He approached his old friend and mentor with hesitation - what was he so scared of? As Swiftpaw neared his mentor he saw how tired his mentor looked. His fur was matted and his back was slumped, what had Longtail been doing for the past moon? Suddenly, the light brown tabby's green eyes met his and Longtail ran towards him.

"Swiftpaw! It's so good to - been waiting so long - finally out of the den-" His mentor's babbling slowly came to an end. "We have to go hunting - not much has happened -" He couldn't remember a moment in the past moon when he felt more happy, more at home, than when his mentor embraced him. If only he had left the apprentice's den sooner.

His mentor pulled out of the hug, catching his breath. "Where in the world do I start?"

Swiftpaw simply gave Longtail a sly smirk and said, "Well, why don't you start at the beginning?"

Swiftpaw's yellow eyes gleamed in the strong sunlight that was shining through the leaves. Mentor and apprentice walked side by side.

"Why'd Bluestar change Brightpaw's name?"

"Mmm?" Longtail answered, his gaze focused up ahead, his voice feigning boredom.

"Don't pretend like you didn't hear what I said."

His mentor sighed. "You're a lot like me Swiftpaw. Reckless and stubborn. Not a people-pleaser." The look on Longtail's face was a more nostalgic one, and it seemed as if he was remembering his own days as an apprentice.

"Yeah, so what?"

"So Bluestar's gone crazy!" Longtail's temper was on the rise but he took a deep breath, and then focused his gaze on Swiftpaw's. "She's been doing a lot of mad things lately. She's got no sense left in her mind, something's not right with her. You have to understand that." Swiftpaw only narrowed his eyes, but didn't speak.

"The reason I say this is because I know that you're going to confront her. Things aren't going to end up well for you, you're only gonna start more trouble."

"I think I want to wait and hear her reasoning before I make any promises." Longtail gave a sigh of defeat.

"Alright. We should sit down first." His tail motioned toward a large oak tree just up ahead. Swiftpaw merely nodded his head in acknowledgement and they both lay down in the shade, sinking into the grass below them. Swiftpaw didn't know how much he missed the feeling of soft grass settling under his fur until he experienced it for the first time after long days huddled up in his nest.

"The day when you two came back, Bluestar went to visit Brightpaw. We all thought she was going to die, Cloudtail was devastated - wanted her to become a warrior, you see. Apparently Bluestar thought the dogs were sent to punish her." Longtail seemed to hesitate on the next words. "So, she changed her name to Lostface so Starclan would feel guilty."

There was a pregnant pause as Swiftpaw deciphered what Longtail had just said, his yellow eyes flickering back and forth.

"Who told you this?"

"Cinderpelt-"

"And she did nothing to stop it?"

"A leader's word is law, you should know, Swiftpaw, or did you forget?."

"She's using Brightpaw in her own made-up battle, that's not right! Somebody has to stop her."

"Cinderpelt has been very kind to you, she talked to Bluestar and told her to give you some time to recover, that's why Bluestar has allowed you to stay in your den for so long."

Swiftpaw blinked. Had the grey she-cat really talked Swiftpaw out of his duties?

"I just remembered!" Longtail said suddenly. "Cinderpelt wanted you to talk to her after you decided to come out. Seems like forgetfulness is another thing we have in common."

"I'd like to talk to her now, if you don't mind."

"I think she'd like that too." Longtail said, standing up and stretching. "But we have to go hunting sometime, gotta make sure you aren't too rusty on your hunting!"

Swiftpaw smirked playfully. "Sure, old man."

"Wha- oh come on! Don't forget that I'm the mentor here! I'll have you cleaning out One-Eye's ticks 'till the end of time!"

End of Chapter 1