1. Injured

She could smell them just ahead, her mentor Snakefang and several other warriors. It was her first day as an apprentice, and she was still a bit slow at recognizing scents, but Snakefang said she would get better at it.

She hoped he was right. The other apprentices were all so much older and more skilled than she was; as the youngest, she was the tail of many jokes and the others loved pushing her around, Talonpaw especially. The big black tom was always so smug and stupid. She hated him. She clenched her jaw firmly.

Ahead of her, she heard voices, loud angry ones. It was just a border patrol though, wasn't it? Snakefang had said it was just a border patrol, and he wouldn't lie. Sure, tensions between her Clan and the neighboring one were high, but it couldn't be that bad, right?

Silently she crept forward, aware of how well her dark pelt blended into the foliage. For good measure, she had taken care to roll in the marshy mud that marked her Clan's territory; they were named MarshClan for a reason, after all.

Her eyes widened as she caught the smell of unfamiliar warriors, and realized many of the voices were not of her Clan.

"Get off our territory!" she heard Snakefang snarl.

"Make us," a voice sneered, and she wrinkled her nose, recognizing the salty smell of ShellClan. ShellClan and MarshClan had never been friendly, but since when had they been enemies?

"MarshClan's gone soft, everyone knows it," another voice hissed. "Shadestar's a fool!"

"He's no fool!" someone spat, and she recognized the voice of Sleekpelt, a gentle she-cat. She had recently kitted, but Sleekpelt was no cat to just sit around; her kits were all healthy and strong, and Sleekpelt had agreed to go on the patrol. MarshClan was almost running out of warriors, with the annual forest-sickness taking its toll on them.

"How could any cat think Brownfur would make a good deputy?" one of the ShellClan's warriors laughed. Anger flared inside of her. She knew Brownfur, and although the chocolate she-cat wasn't very special, she was usually kind to the young apprentice.

"Shut up!" she yowled, springing out of her hiding face. Her mentor's face didn't lit up with happiness at seeing her as she had guessed, but fear.

"Fernpaw! Get out of here!" he ordered. She was surprised to see his claws were unsheathed, as were the other warriors'.

"Yeah, run and hide," one of the enemy warrior's laughed, her face contorted in a sneer. Fernpaw felt herself trembling, but her jaw clenched.

"I'm not running!" she said bravely.

"Fool!" Snakefang spat, but his word was cut off as one of the warrior's sprang at him, landing on his back and clawing him fiercely. Fernpaw's jaws opened in a gasp as both sides sprang at each other, and suddenly the territorial dispute became a full-fledged battle.

Tremendous force hit her from behind, knocking her to the ground. She spat out a mouthful of mud before struggling to her paws, trembling with fear. A scarred black warrior faced her, grinning.

"You've still got your kit-fluff! What are you doing out here?" he rasped. Fernpaw opened her mouth to reply, but he was on her again, knocking her on her side and ripping into her. She was powerless to stop him, and as her mouth opened in a cry for help, she found herself choking on mud. She floundered, but she was weak and tiny compared to the dark warrior. Then, she felt a searing pain as he clawed her face, and her world went black.

. . .

She came to slowly, smelling the mud beside her face as she slowly awoke. Blood, her nose was clogged by the smell of blood. She coughed, tasting mud, and opened her eyes.

But they were already open.

She froze in disbelief, and blinked quickly, but all she could see was black. Sudden throbbing pain overwhelmed her, and when she touched her face directly below her eyes, her paws came away wet with blood.

She was blind.

Fernpaw's mouth opened in a soundless scream, and she collapsed in on herself, as darkness claimed her mind once more.

. . .

"No-eyes! No-eyes!" the taunting voice buried in her mind, as she rose from sleep. Nothing but darkness greeted her.

"Get out of her, Talonpaw!" a voice spat, and Fernpaw heard the laughing tom's voice fade.

"Whiteflower?" Fernpaw croaked.

"Are you awake?" Whiteflower's soft voice washed over her ears like honey.

"What's wrong with me?" Fernpaw realized she sounded hysterical. "Why can't I see?"

Whiteflower said nothing, and Fernpaw cried again, "Why can't I see?"

"You're blind." Whiteflower's voice was whisper-soft. "One of ShellClan's cats blinded you."

"But I'll get my sight back right? Right?" Fernpaw could feel desperation rising up within her.

"I'm…I'm afraid your eyes are permanently damaged," Whiteflower said. "You'll never see again. You'll never be a warrior."

"No," Fernpaw whispered, and she thought she heard Talonpaw whisper 'No-eyes!' in her ear. "I have to be a warrior!" She flailed blindly, feeling her paws smack the ground, leaves, berries, flower petals.

"Stop!" Whiteflower exclaimed, and Fernpaw felt a paw pressing on her back. "Be still, I've had to bind your wounds. You're lucky to be alive."

"I can't see! How is that lucky?" Fernpaw wailed.

"You're lucky to be alive," Whiteflower said again. "You're the only one in that patrol to survive."

Fernpaw's eyes widened in shock. Her mentor, Snakefang, dead? Gentle Sleekpelt, leaving her kits motherless? She, Fernpaw, a tiny blinded apprentice, the only one left alive?

"ShellClan wanted you to suffer," Whiteflower said, her voice bitter. "They've gotten what they wanted; Shadestar will have no choice but to concede more of our territory. We simply don't have the warriors to defend it…."

Fernpaw clenched her paws. I should be defending our territory! I should be training! I have to be a warrior. I can't let my Clan down!

Fernpaw tried to stand, but pain made her legs buckle beneath her, and she collapsed.

If I can't even train…what good am I?

. . .

"No-eyes! Useless!" The jeering voices surrounded her. She felt someone nip her flank. She turned, trying to claw them, but when she turned back she found her mouse had been stolen.

"Yummy!" Talonpaw laughed in her ear. "But you can't hunt, so you shouldn't eat!"

"I caught a huge vole earlier today!" someone else boasted. "More than you'll ever get!"

"Shut up!" Fernpaw spat. "Face me and fight me!"

"I already am," Talonpaw laughed, but when Fernpaw clawed at him, she only hit air.

"Ha! Ha! No-eyes!" Their taunting laughs filled her mind, and Fernpaw collapsed again, trembling.

"Get away from her!" someone roared, and Fernpaw felt the vibrations of the apprentices fleeing through her paws.

"Ow, ow, my ear!" Talonpaw yelped.

"If I see you bothering Fernpaw again, you'll be Noears!" the warrior hissed, and Fernpaw felt Talonpaw race away as soon as he was released.

"Are you okay?" Fernpaw's rescuer asked, and Fernpaw scented the air, trying to figure out who it was. Her eyes widened as she recognized the scent of Brownfur, the deputy.

"I-I'm fine," Fernpaw stammered, and then tilted her muzzle down towards her paws as if she was unable to meet Brownfur's golden eyes. Even though she was blind, some habits were just too hard to defeat.

"Don't let them get to you," Brownfur said, and Fernpaw felt the brown warrior sit down beside her and press her chocolate pelt to Fernpaw's dark fur. "I was bullied when I was an apprentice too."

Fernpaw tilted her head towards Brownfur's voice, even though she knew her ruined eyes were an ugly sight. "Really? But you're Clan deputy!"

"Yes, but I wasn't always," Brownfur said. "No one believed in me either, except Shadestar. He was always there for me." Fernpaw felt Brownfur rest her tail on Fernpaw's. "I think I should pass that on."

"You're going to train me?" Fernpaw asked eagerly. Brownfur was silent for a moment.

"No," Brownfur said finally. "You could never become a warrior; even with heightened senses, you simply couldn't process your enemies' moves fast enough to respond. But I'm sure there's something you can do for your Clan."

"I'm useless," Fernpaw whispered.

"Don't say that," Brownfur said, and there was a note of anger in her voice. "If anyone's useless, it's Talonpaw. He's got strength and brains, but he's too lazy and heartless to ever become a real warrior."

"My heart is what got me into this," Fernpaw mumbled. "If I had just stayed like Snakefang told me…."

"You did what you thought you had to, to be loyal to your Clan," Brownfur said. "It might not have been the smartest move, but it was the bravest."

Fernpaw didn't reply, until she felt something touch her paws.

"Your mouse," Brownfur said. "Talonpaw dropped it when he ran like a coward."

"Thanks," Fernpaw mewed, and took a slow bite. Talonpaw's words weighed on her, and she knew he was right; she didn't deserve to eat if she'd never caught anything. The mouse suddenly tasted bitter in her mouth, and she nudged the body away.

"Yes," Brownfur said, and it sounded almost as if she was pleased. "That's what we'll do. Fernpaw, we'll train you to hunt."

. . .

Fernpaw concentrated. She could smell the moss, just a few tail-lengths ahead of her.

"Concentrate," she heard Brownfur demand. "You can't get too close, or the mouse will see you. Tread lightly, or it will feel you. You're lucky you're downwind, is all I can say."

Fernpaw wanted to mew a reply, but that would alert the 'mouse' and it would get away. She bit back her reply and instead took a few more tentative steps forward, before coiling her muscles and springing forward.

She almost missed it entirely, but one paw managed to hit the moss ball. Quickly, she pinned it with the other, and bit into it, 'killing' the 'mouse'. Moss had never tasted so good.

"I did it!" Fernpaw crowed, and she heard Brownfur purr.

"It only took a moon for you to do it," Brownfur laughed, but behind the laugh was worry; Shadestar was sickly, and had been den-ridden for several days now. The whole Clan knew it was only days until he joined StarClan, and then Brownfur would be their leader. To many, this was almost a death sentence for the Clan. To Fernpaw, it was hopeful. She was confident Brownfur would lead the Clan well.

"Brownfur!" a familiar voice exclaimed, and Fernpaw turned her head towards Whiteflower. "Brownfur…it's time," Whiteflower said, her voice trembling. "You should…you should say your goodbyes."

"He's…?" Brownfur's voice almost cracked. Whiteflower must have nodded, for Brownfur spoke to Fernpaw, "I've got to go. I'm not sure when we'll train next…but I'm proud of you, Fernpaw, okay?"

Fernpaw nodded slowly, and she felt Brownfur and Whiteflower pad off together, towards Shadestar's den. It looked like their leader was on his last legs.

. . .

By nightfall, Shadestar had passed away, losing his last life and leaving Brownfur as MarshClan's leader. The Clan was beside itself; tensions with ShellClan were high, and as for the mountain Clan….

Fernpaw turned her head, hearing Brownfur calling her Clan together with the news. Fernpaw rose to her paws, only to be jostled by Talonpaw as he shouldered past her.

"Didn't you hear? This is for those able to catch their own prey," Talonpaw sneered. His voice was deeper than before, and his steps were heavier; Talonpaw had grown much in the moon, and he would soon be a warrior. Fernpaw could only hope that as a warrior, she would no longer be the source of his amusement.

"I can catch my own prey," she whispered, but Talonpaw was already out of earshot.

"I'm going to the FourPool and earn my nine lives, and take the name of Brownstar," Brownfur announced. "Whiteflower will accompany me tonight; I need to get my nine lives as quickly as possible."

Tension rippled through the Clan, and Fernpaw could feel their unease; for some reason, no cat thought Brownfur would be a good warrior. Don't underestimate her! Fernpaw thought fiercely. She'll be a great leader.

Brownfur must have leaped from the TwistTree, for Fernpaw scented her scent.

"I'll be back tomorrow, as Brownstar," Brownfur said, and nuzzled Fernpaw's muzzle. "We'll train again then, okay?"

Fernpaw nodded eagerly, and felt Brownstar pad away with Whiteflower.

I'll make you proud, Fernpaw swore, feeling Talonpaw's scorn on her pelt. I'll show MarshClan. I can catch my own prey! I'll catch more prey than anyone else! They'll name me Fernhunter!

She flexed her claws, feeling the movements of her Clanmates around her, as Brownfur left camp. No one paid Fernpaw any attention; the only ones that did now were the bullying apprentices. Fernpaw was invisible to everyone else, just someone to pity. Not anymore.

Fernpaw turned and dashed out of camp, slowing as she wiggled under the old, fallen tree that marked the entrance.

Proceed carefully in the marsh, she heard Brownfur say in her mind. You can't just scent the trees around you; you can run into them if you aren't careful, or fall and injure yourself. Be cautious.

As if on cue, Fernpaw tripped over a thin tree root, earning her a face full of mud. Spotting out a mouthful of the brown-black glop, she continued, feeling mud plaster her fur and disguise her scent from her prey.

She padded deep into MarshClan's territory, ears pricked and mouth opened to catch any scent. And then there it was: Mouse. Trembling with excitement, Fernpaw crouched, creeping forward slowly, careful to feel before she stepped. She couldn't let this mouse get away; she had to make Brownfur proud, to show Talonpaw what she was really worth.

Closer and closer she got, the mouse's scent rising in her mouth until it was all she could smell. And then, from her left, the sound of a twig snapping, and her mouse darted away. Holding back a spit of anger, Fernpaw turned, only to have the strange smell of the mountains hit her nose. Her eyes widened. Enemy warriors, in MarshClan territory!

"This place is filthy!" a voice said in disgust. "Mud everywhere! I don't know why Northstar wants this territory."

"He wants it all," another voice said, "and he'll have it. One of our spies saw Brownfur and Whiteflower moving towards the FourPool; Shadestar must be dead, and that means the Clan is vulnerable. Brownfur will never be a strong leader, even with nine lives."

"Yes she will!" Fernpaw cried, and it wasn't until she heard her own voice that she realized she had said it out loud.

"What? An apprentice?" one of the mountain warriors cried, before letting out a derisive laugh. "She's blind!"

"Catch her, idiot, she'll warn the Clan!" another voice hissed, and there was a splash as a cat floundered towards her. Fear welling up inside her, Fernpaw turned, breaking into a run. She had to warn MarshClan!

She struggled blindly through the mud and tangled roots, falling several times. She could feel the warrior's breath on her tail, and she opened her mouth.

"H—" Her voice was cut off as a warrior plowed into her, knocking her to the ground. She flailed with her claws unsheathed, fighting blindly. Her captor let out a hiss of pain as her claws glanced off his muzzle, before Fernpaw felt sudden pressure at her throat. She let out a gurgling scream, and felt her body drop from the warrior's jaws.

"She's a goner," his voice rang in her ears, almost echoing, growing fainter. Fernpaw let out a rasp of pain, but everything was fading around her, everything was fading….

She opened her eyes, and blinked into Snakefang's calm face.

"Trying to bite off more than you could chew," he said sadly. "You didn't lear your lesson, did you?"

Fernpaw looked around herself in a panic. What forest was she in? There were no birches, so this wasn't BirchClan's territory, nor was there the sound of crashing waves, so she wasn't on ShellClan's.

Then, her eyes widened, as she realized it was Snakefang's face that she was gazing into, as she realized she was actually looking at anything at all.

"I can see!" she cried. "But that means…." Her eyes widened even further. "I-I'm…?"

"Dead," Snakefang said grimly, "and the rest of our Clan will join you too. MarshClan is dead. Perhaps that is how it should be…we were corrupt, broken. MarshClan's time is over."

"T-they're really going to kill us all?" Fernpaw whispered. "But why?"

Snakefang clenched his jaw. "First us, then ShellClan, and then BirchClan will fall. And then Northstar of the mountain Clan, impaled on his own claw, so to speak…." Snakefang laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Come with me, Fernpaw. Your injury is healed. You're of StarClan now."

"But I was…never a warrior," Fernpaw whispered. "I never did anything. I never got to really fight for my Clan, to hunt for them…nothing!"

Snakefang blinked at her with sad eyes. "I know," he said softly, and his tail rested on his flank. "I never got to mentor. But it will work out, you'll see; there is much to be seen in StarClan, much to be done. We'll need you. You'll be one of us. You'll hunt for StarClan, just as you would have for MarshClan…and I will teach you."

"Brownfur?" Fernpaw asked. "Can I wait for her?"

Snakefang laughed again, a low, raspy purr. "She won't be coming with us for a long time yet."

"And Talonpaw?" Fernpaw asked. "I hope he rots!" The venom in her voice seemed to surprise Snakefang.

"His death will be painful, which he deserves, but we have no control over that. He was many things, but he was not an evil cat. He'll come here as well."

Fernpaw sighed. "I can really help, though? I'll really hunt?"

Snakefang smiled at her. "We'll call you Fernhunter," he replied, and Fernpaw found herself blushing at her foolish name. "Let's go," he said, flicking his tail. Fernpaw gave a glance over her shoulder, but behind her was only smoke. She sighed again, and trotted after Snakefang, into the brightness of the forest, where the smell of prey filled her nose.

AN: MarshClan? Does that sound familiar in any way? Brownfur, huh?