"Sharpclaw!"

"Mm?"

"Sharpclaw!"

The worried voice of Patchfoot woke Sharpclaw up from his sleep. Rockshade stood behind him.

"The apprentices are gone!" Patchfoot quickly mewed. Heturned and bounded out of the den, Rockshade on his tail. Sharpclaw did have the time to shake the moss from his felt before he followed the frantic warriors.

Clouds covered the moon and the night was dark. Sharpclaw could only pray Starclan wasn't hiding in shame of their activity.

Suddenly, Stormpaw crashed into Patchfoot's chest.

"Where are your siblings?!"

Stormpaw yowled anxiously, turning around and bolting deeper into the forest. The warriors followed. They ran on for a long time and eventually Sharpclaw smelt them past the Skyclan border. Anger pushed him further. These apprentices would get the scolding of a lifetime once they got back home.

Then the cats in front of him froze. He looked around them and all anger faded from his mind.

Harrypaw lay, half his face covered in blood, his ear clean off. His other eye was closed in pain and he took in shaky breaths. His back was scored with deep claw marks and he was bleeding just as much.

Firepaw didn't look like she was breathing at all. Her foreleg stuck out and bent strangely, and she was bleeding from the throat. Sharpclaw bolted forward, picking her up by her scruff and carefully putting her on Rockshade's back.

"Go!" he hissed, doing the same with Harrypaw to Patchfoot. He turned to Stormpaw, who was unharmed save for a light nip of the ear. "You are in big trouble, young lady!"

(...)

They were taken to Echosong first thing back at camp. The sun was just hardly over the horizon and the entire camp was awake, but stiff with tension. Frecklewish had cleaned the blood off of Harrypaw, but it seemed most of his wounds were in his fur. Fur, and he was on the verge of shock. But Frecklewish had covered his wounds in cobwebs and he was set next to Sparrowpelt, who was recovering from a fox bite and a half-broken rib.

Firepaw was knocked out from the pain. Echosong had all of her attention focused on her. Her neck was covered firmly in cobwebs, and now she was pressing hard against her chest with her paws, begging to get her breathing again.

Until finally, Firepaw took in a big, guping breath. She stared at Harrypaw, and hoarsely screeched. Echosong quieted her, now tying a bindweed wrap around her broken leg.

Leafstar and Billystorm, who were watching one, were furious. Leafstar shot away, taking an angry drink from the river before standing in front of the Rockpile, her tail lashing.

"Egg, Shrewtooth and Tinycloud take a hunting patrol out. Plumwillow, Sandynose and Waspwhisker, if I'm not back by half-noon, patrol the Twolegplace border. If they're not back by noon, prepare to go to war. Sharpclaw, Billystorm, come with me."

She started leaping toward the camp exit, Billystorm on her tail, rage right in his eyes. Sharpclaw hung a few paces back in case he had to run back to camp.

"Where were they, Sharpclaw?" Leafstar asked, her voice flat in her anger.

"Same place we found the rogue scent," Sharpclaw murmured, "Few leaps beyond the border."

Billystorm bristled, and Leafstar started running. Her jaws always held slightly open to follow the very recent bloody trail. They finally exited their territory, but before they reached the scene, they found one familiar pelt in front of them.

"Hutch?" Leafstar mewed, her voice tight.

Billystorm leaped for him, tumbling him over. "I thought you were my friend!" he yowled, "Now you've gone and almost murdered my kits?!"

"I'm sorry?"

"Let him up," Leafstar demanded. Billystorm reluctantly obeyed, and Hutch got back to his feet.

He stared right at Billystorm, "Billy? You're alive?" he breathed, voice weak.

"That's Billystorm to you," he spat back, "And you're about to be dead if you harmed my kits."

Hutch shook his head, "You had kits? That's wonderful news, Billystorm!" he then stared at Leafstar, "I could never harm a kit."

Leafstar tilted her head, eyes as icy as ever. "You're now a prisonor of Skyclan." she declared.

"...what?" Hutch squeaked.

"Until we find out who truly harms my kits, you are a prisoner of Skyclan. Come on."

Hutch sighed, "I think I know exactly who harmed them."

"Leafstar," Sharpclaw called, "Bouncefire and I saw a tom trying to harm Harrypaw the other day. It may be the same cat and Hutch may know him."

Leafstar nodded, turning around and lashing her tail for the toms to flank Hutch, "Then he will be of use in camp, won't he?"

The three hurried back to camp, but before Leafstar could figure out what do to with Hutch, Stormpaw came bounding up to her.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed, "It's all my fault Firepaw and Harrypaw are hurt! It's all my fault!" Leafstar hugged her close to her chest, sitting. "I deserve to be exiled!" she yowled, hardly understandable between Leafstar's fur and her hysteria.

Leafstar cast a glance at her mate, prying Stormpaw off of her. "Honey, it's alright. You won't get exiled. We'll figure out the proper punishment later, but right now, you need to pick Tangle's ticks."

Stormpaw nodded, sniffling. Before she left, however, she stared at her mentor. "Do you hate me?"

Sharpclaw couldn't answer. The words, which he couldn't tell were good or bad, caught in his throat. He unsheathed his claws and turned to Hutch. He saw Stormpaw's fur stand up out of the corner of his eye, her eyes so wide you could see the whites. Then her head and tail fell down, and he pathetically dragged herself to Tangle's den.

Leafstar then turned angrily to Hutch, "What were you doing so close to our border?!" she demanded.

"I….I need your help," Hutch quietly mewed, then sighed, "But your kits are more important. I didn't hurt them, Leafstar, I swear. I'll prove my loyalty to you- to Skyclan- however possible."

Leafstar flattened her ears to her head, "Skyclan does not offer it's aide to the highest bidder," she snarled.

Hutch nodded, shrinking back, "I understand. But I fear this could affect you, too. It's Dodge. He's back. And he's worse. He's taken over Twolegplace and he's pushing toward the forest- I-I fear you may be the only cats who can stop him, you did it once before."

Leafstar nodded, stepping back, "Alright. Visitors have a one moon waiting period before Skyclan aides anything. You must hunt and bring back prey every day, do you understand?"

"...yes, ma'am."

Leafstar nodded again, raising her voice, "Ebonyclaw! Billystorm! Take Hutch out on patrol."

Hutch seemed shocked to hear both the cats names, though said nothing. Sharpclaw padded past Leafstar, ready to help and apologize to Stormpaw.

"Sharpclaw?" asked a voice inside the warrior's' den. Clovertail, dropping her and Petalnose's moss at the den entrance. Most of the clan laid behind her, "Is Stormpaw alright? What ever happened to her siblings?"

"Harrypaw and Firepaw got torn up pretty badly by a rogue," he announced. Murmurs of shock and gasps rippled throughout the cats. "No cat is to blame, harass or harm Stormpaw. If I catch anyone doing so, there will be consequences."

With that, he continued his walk to Tangle's den.