A few days later, Dustpelt, Brambleclaw, Ashfur, and Squirrelpaw were able to carry on with their normal duties.

"Come on," Ashfur nudged Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw nodded and the two friends padded out of camp. Once out of camp, Ashfur grinned at Brambleclaw.

"What?" Brambleclaw asked, annoyed.

"You and…" Ashfur let his sentence end but he gave Brambleclaw a look that said, 'Squirrelpaw'. Brambleclaw hissed with annoyance and hit Ashfur on the head with his sheathed paw. Ashfur laughed and ran ahead, Brambleclaw chasing him. "Just pretend I'm…" Ashfur stopped talking because he began to laugh too hard.

"Brambleclaw!"

Brambleclaw stopped when he heard his name. Suddenly, weight crashed down on his back. He hit the ground hard.

"Oops. Sorry." Squirrelpaw clambered off of his back. She started laughing. Brambleclaw stood up, irritated.

"Way to go," he hissed. "Ashfur's probably half way to StarClan by now."

Anger flared in Squirrelpaw's eyes. "Well sorry. I came here to say 'sorry' actually, for being a butt in the Medicine Cat's Den!" Squirrelpaw stepped forward angrily.

Brambleclaw stepped back a few paces. "Sorry!"

"Sure," Squirrelpaw snorted. Ashfur pelted to them, panting.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Squirrelpaw proved that apprentices can fly!" Brambleclaw hissed.

Tears welled in Squirrelpaw's eyes. "Fine! Be like that, you jerk!" She raced away.

"Squirrelpaw! Stop! It's dangerous! You're going towards ShadowClan!" Brambleclaw pelted after her. "Squirrelpaw!"

"Leave me alone!" the apprentice yelled.

"Stop! Squirrelpaw, you're going the wrong way!" Brambleclaw slid to a stop just in time. Squirrelpaw raced onto the Thunderpath. "Squirrelpaw!" The apprentice yowled as a monster roared, getting closer to her. "No!" Brambleclaw threw himself imbetween the apprentice and the monster. He grabbed her scruff and hauled Squirrelpaw off of the Thunderpath. The monster roared past, just as he and Squirrelpaw got off of the Thunderpath. The cats lay, panting on the wet ground.

"Why did you save me?" Squirrelpaw jumped to her paws.

"You're my friend," Brambleclaw panted, heaving himself to his paws.

Squirrelpaw relaxed. "Well, thanks." Brambleclaw nodded. He gasped as he realized where they were.

"Squirrelpaw," he whispered, "we're on ShadowClan."

"Quite right," hissed a voice. "Let me hear your yowls."

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Ashfur's paws weren't going as fast anymore. He was running too much. The gray warrior kept running. He had to get his friends.

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Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws. Squirrelpaw hissed.

"Lay a paw on him and you'll feel like a worn down elder!" she growled. Brambleclaw was taken aback by her protectiveness.

"Will I?" chuckled the warrior. "My dear, you will be the one injured." More cats crawled out of the darkness.

"We'll fight you until our last breaths!" Squirrelpaw hissed.

"Really?" purred the cat. "Time to prove it." He threw himself at Squirrelpaw.

"No!" Brambleclaw head butted the large cat out of the way. The cat hissed and growled a threat but Brambleclaw didn't hear it because a she-cat had just padded out of the shadows. "Tawnypelt?"

"Brambleclaw!" Tawnypelt gasped.

"Prove your loyalty," spat the first cat. "Kill him."

"Never kill unless you have to," Tawnypelt snapped. "You should know that, Oakfur." Oakfur hissed. "In fact," Tawnypelt continued, "you taught it to me."

"Let's go," Oakfur growled. "You two! Leave." Squirrelpaw nosed Brambleclaw to his paws. The two ran across Thunderpath. Once across, Brambleclaw glanced at the departing ShadowClan cats. Tawnypelt smiled at him.

"Thanks," he mewed.

"You welcome," Tawnypelt replied. She turned around, stopped, looked back, and grinned. "Besides you're my brother." She turned and padded away with her Clan.

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Ashfur collapsed, exhausted. He lifted his head, weakly and saw a brown shape. "Leafpaw..." Ashfur couldn't manage anymore. The gray head fell onto the ground and was still.

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Brambleclaw lead Squirrelpaw through the trees towards camp. When they arrived there was a commotion. They padded to a shaken Leafpaw.

"What happened?" Squirrelpaw asked.

"I didn't do anything!" Leafpaw cried. "I just found him! I swear!"

"Found who?" Squirrelpaw urged.

"He was all alone," Leafpaw murmured. "Squirrelpaw, it wasn't my fault! I just found him! I just found him…. Poor Ashfur."

"Ashfur?" Brambleclaw gasped. Squirrelpaw looked at him, wide eyed but Brambleclaw didn't notice. He ran through the crowd of cats. He shoved his way into the Medicine Cat's Den and saw Ashfur, bruised and weak, lying in a moss bed. "Ashfur!"

Leafpaw heard Brambleclaw's yowl. "I'm sorry!" Leafpaw ran out of camp.

"Leafpaw! Leafpaw, it's not your fault!" Squirrelpaw raced after her sister.

Uh-oh. Ashfur's hurt and Leafpaw's run away. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME what YOU THINK!