Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.

Three moonwakings later, Snifflenose looked around the medicine cat's den. He felt sicker and dizzier than ever. His cold was getting worse, and Brownpelt was growing more worried with every passing heartbeat.

He barely felt strong enough to walk. He had just grudgingly stomached some herbs, and miraculously (well, not so miraculously, considering he'd done it about six times) he hadn't retched. With a groan, Snifflenose rolled over onto his back, and stretched his forelegs out. This was disgusting. He was going to go crazy, and then nobody could help him, and they'd all say, If only we'd let him out of the medicine cat's den earlier!

He shrugged off his fantasizing and stood up to stretch again. Suddenly, an image of a white tortoiseshell with brown paws flashed in his mind's eye. Confused, Snifflenose wondered for a moment, and then settled down. It had to be some random cat not in ThunderClan—right?

"Whatever," he muttered to himself. He licked a paw and drew it over his ear, still thinking. The cat looked oddly like him—the same long, thick tail, the same huge paws that amazingly didn't make him clumsy, and the same big, smart eyes. It was creepy, in a certain way; where had that picture come from? And if he knew the cat, why did it suddenly turn up?

These were the most stumping questions the warrior had come upon. Desperate to figure them out, he lay for many long heartbeats, thinking hard. "Snifflenose. Snifflenose. Snifflenose!"

His head jerked and he turned to look into the bright, intelligent eyes of Brownpelt. "It's nearly midnight, Snifflenose. You should be sleeping. Goodnight now." He drew the vines over the crack in the stone and padded further into the den to sleep.

Snifflenose grunted and closed his eyes. Sleep came over him almost instantly, and he was still wondering about that cat.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"WAAAAAKKKKEEEE UUUUUUP, SNIFFLENOSE!" a voice shrieked. Snifflenose groaned and flattened his ears. "Silverstripe, let me sleep," he groaned drowsily.

"Open your eyes, sleepyhead. It's been half a moon! Get up! You can resume your duties!" Silverstripe cried joyfully.

Snifflenose was wide awake. He stood and stretched, finally noticing the grumbling of his belly. Since he hadn't been very active, he had been less hungry, and Brownpelt's herbs kept his hunger curbed. "You hungry?" he yawned.

"'Course," Silverstripe mewed. Snifflenose padded after him and realized the rest of the Clan hadn't even woken up yet. He looked sternly at his friend, who shrugged mischievously. They began picking through last night's leftovers. Silverstripe chose a thrush and Snifflenose took a vole.

Snifflenose finished his fresh-kill in two gulps and his comrade watched him weirdly. He stretched and began running in circles to warm up his frost-tipped fur. Silverstripe ate the thrush in a few more bites and he ran to join him. "C'mon, Silverstripe. Let's do an early morning patrol," Snifflenose meowed.

The gray tom nodded his big tabby head and they set off into the forest. The tortoiseshell felt rather chilled, and suddenly stopped. "What is it?" Silverstripe asked, turning to look at him.

Snifflenose opened his mouth to speak, but a loud mew silenced him. A big white tortoiseshell tackled him. He stared into an intelligent green eye, and then a clouded gray-blue one. Even though this she-cat wore a collar and was trembling with fear, she hissed bravely, "What are you doing so close to my fence?"

"You're a kittypet!" Snifflenose hissed. Suddenly he remembered—she was his sister! "P-Paris?" he stammered, staring into the blind eye of his sibling.

Paris lifted a brown paw. "Benny?" she gasped. "Goodness, Benny, you're terribly skinny! Are your housefolk feeding you enough?"

Silverstripe was watching the scene with a look of awed horror on his face. The sun glowed on his fur and lit up his eyes, and he only blinked twice.

"I'm not Benny," Snifflenose growled, pushing Paris off of him. "I'm Snifflenose, and I live in the forest, with all the other forest cats." He could see the shock in Paris's eyes as she clambered to her paws.

"You're a forest cat?" Paris mewed, backing up suddenly. Her face hardened in anger. "M-my Twolegs will do away with scum like you!" She raced to her fence and let out a shrill squeal.