W00t! First chappie up and running! Grrr...I stayed home from school today, and my brother didn't pick up my homework from my teacher, and now I'm going to be behind, but whatevs. -shrug- I've decided that this story is going to be written from three POVs: Palepaw's, Shadowpaw's, Cedarpaw's, and Rose's. Also, I forgot to put Foxfang in the allegiances, but he's there.

RaynyCrowy: Here you go! Sweet!

Summerstream13: Why thank you!
Palepaw: Why, yes, I do! -evil laughter-

Stonetail's Loyalty: Just wait and see. It'll most likely happen. Maybe in the third book or, near the end of this one, or the beginning of the fourth one. IDK. I'm so indecisive.

spottednose24: Well, you no longer have to!

Chapter 1: Palepaw

"Very good," Midnightshadow, my mentor, mewed as I pressed the marigold pulp onto my brother Shadowpaw's wound. "Perfect. Remember..."

"'The pulp has to be chewed just right for it to work properly'," I quoted. "I know. Can we do something more exciting now? Please?"

"No," Midnightshadow replied sharply. "Now, I'm going to gather some herbs. You stay here and patch up your brother. I'll be back before sundown."

"How did you say you got these scratches again?" I asked as Midnightshadow padded out of the den.

"Battle training," Shadowpaw replied, flinching a I pressed more pulp onto another wound. "I fell into a row of brambles and got stuck inside one of the bushes. They're really quite hard to get out of. did you know that?"

"I can imagine," I replied as I chewed up some more marigold and spat it onto a long, shallow scratch on my brother's hindleg.

"Stop it!" he cried. "That hurts!"

"Whiny little kit," I muttered. "Do you want it to get infected and turn green?"

"Green?" Shadowpaw gasped, his eyes glinting. "That would be awesome!"
"Well, I'm not going to let that happen," I snapped. "I would never live it down if I failed my first task. And besides, others would make fun of you if your leg turned all green and icky." I made a face as I imagined a swollen green glob on the back of Shadowpaw's leg and spat some more marigold into the wound.

"Are you finished yet?" Shadowpaw asked as I padded cobwebs onto the wound.

"Not even close," I replied grimly.

"Well hurry!" Shadowpaw growled.

I remembered the day Shadowpaw had become an apprentice. Rushingwind, the young deputy, had nearly burst with excitement when he discovered that he was to mentor the son of the previous deputy, Rivenheart. Of course, our father had only been deputy for about two and a half moons before he and our mother Whiteheart had disappeared completely. Shadowpaw always blamed himself for their disappearance, and ever since we were allowed out of camp, he has been searching for some trace of them, but it's been five moons since the day they vanished. Smallstar, our leader, had declared him dead and chosen Rushingwind as the new deputy after sending out search parties to search for fourteen days and fourteen nights. Of course, even after that, Shadowpaw continued to search. He even came to me oncce, just after moonhigh, woke me up, and told me that he had picked up our parents' scents. I followed him to the bank of the stream. We travelled in circles until dawn before I finally gave up and went back to the medicine den to get some more sleep.

"W...Wait!" Shadowpaw had mewed as I padded away. "I...I know it lead this way! I smelled him! I know I did!"

I had always been trying to convince my younger brother that there was no hope, and that our parents were either no longer in the forest, or dead. Still, young Shadowpaw never lost hope, which irritated me sometimes.

"Palepaw!" Midnightshadow's voice shook me from my thoughts. I turned to face my mentor sheepishly, expecting scolding or a punsihment, but all she said was, "Are you done tending to your brother's wounds?"

I looked down at my brother. I suppose I had been subconciously dressing his wounds while I thought, because every wound was covered. "Yes," I replied. "I...I suppose so."

"Nope!" Shadowpaw mewed triumphantly, flipping himself over to reveal at least a moon's worth of work for a daft, slow apprentice like me. "You've still got the other side to do."

"Why don't you get some fresh air?" Midnightshadow suggested, padding to my side. "I'll take care of it from here."

"Thanks," I mewed gratefully over my shoulder as I raced out of CoveClan's camp and into the fresh air of the forest above. I sighed contentedly and, hearing a rustling in the bushes, dropped into a crouch. Hunting was so much more fun than applying plant juice to an apprentice's hindlegs. Slowly, cautiously, I drew myself forward. Right as the mouse scrabbling in the bushes looked up, I pounced, paws outstretched, jaws open in a yowl of triumph.

"Gotcha!" I cried as I felt my claws sink into fur. I heard a squeak much too loud for a mouse and looked up. Before me stood a white she-cat with green eyes, probably no older than three moons.

"Mommy!" the kit wailed as she raced through the stream and away from me.

Hmmm, I thought. That kit doesn't smell like it's from a Clan. Out of curiosity, I followed the she-cat's scent trail as it wove through the undergrowth past the stream. It wasn't very long before I came upon a swath of brambles. The kit's scent was the strongest here, and it mingled with the scents of several other cats. I suppose this is where they live, I thought. Just before I pushed my way into the brambles, I was tackled by a pale ginger she-cat from behind.

"What are you doing on RushClan territory?" she demanded.

"I...I wasn't trying to hurt anyone!" I mewed. "And you can't hurt me, either, since I'm the medicine cat apprentice of CoveClan!"

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" the ginger warrior snarled.

"Go ask Smallstar!" I meowed.

The ginger she-cat mumbled incoherently and stepped off of me. I puffed out my chest with triumph and turned back to the brambles.

Who's in there? I wondered as I pushed the brambles aside.

The clearing within the circle of brambles was beautiful! There was tall grass, flattened in some places, where the cats who lived here probably slept, flowers, and a dried out pond in the center with moss gowing on the inside. A shaft of greenleaf sunlight shone on my pelt, warming me greatly. I sighed and, forgetting that I wasn't supposed to be here, flopped onto my side and closed my eyes.

"Palepaw, do wake up!" A paw prodded my side. I opened my eyes to see Midnightshadow standing over me, her gaze stern but gentle. "Please, nobody can sleep with all your yowling in your sleep!"

"I'm sorry," I murmured, rising to my paws and stretching. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"Foxfang's got an infection in his hindleg, and we're out of dried oak leaves. I need you to go to RushClan's camp and ask them if they would lend us some."

"But what if they say no?" I asked.

"Then..." Midnightshadow started. "Then we're going to have to go to RiverClan's old territory and gather horsetail. But oak leaves are easier to carry and easier to chew, so hurry along and get to RushClan's medicine cat!"

"But..." I started.

"Out!" Midnightshadow yowled. I yelped and raced out of the medicine den.

As I padded up the tunnel that lead to the forest, I thought, Midnightshadow has such a temper! I pushed aside the boulder that blocked the entrance to the camp and stepped out into the snow that lay thick on the ground. Trying to ignore the freezing sensation in my paws, I bounded along the bank of the stream, the almost-full moon my only light as I ventured onto an unfamiliar territory. Wait, I thought suddenly, freezing on the bank of the stream right before I crossed. We don't go to Gatherings. How will they know that I'm Midnihgtshadow's apprentice? What if they think I'm here to kill their kits? I shook the thought out of my head and crossed the stream with a small bound. Why would they think I'd kill their kits? I'm an apprentice! I soon came upon the slightly familiar scent of RushClan cats. The only time I had ever scented it was when my brother and I had tried to hold off a midnight attack from RushClan when we were only kits. Shadowkit had broken his tail and lost two claws, but he managed to recover pretty well. Now, as I picked it up yet again, images of the battle flashed through my head: The glinting, malicious amber eyes of Bramblestar as he pounded after me in an attempt to murder me. The sickening crunch of Shadowkit's tail as it was trampled, and the wail of agony that followed. But the most prominent image in my head was that of Heronpaw's youngest brother, Minglekit, squealing as he was chased out of camp and drowned in the deepest part of the stream. I shuddered, feeling a chill ripple down my spine and padded onward. A sudden yowl stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Hey! What are you doing on our territory?"