AN: Reviews, reviews… ten? Please? Well, here's the next chapter anyway. Oh, and check out my new story, too, if you want! ^^

Whitepaw stared in amazement at the young tom standing before her. "Snowkit?" she meowed. "Really? But…how? You were a kit…"

Snowkit purred. "It's great to meet you, too, Whitepaw." His hazel eyes danced with amusement. Whitepaw felt her face heat up. "I'm ageing with you. As long as you're alive, I'll grow alongside you."

"How? Why?" Whitepaw felt thoroughly baffled.

"When we were born, both of us were very weak," her brother explained. "We both would've died, but StarClan decided to save one of us on behalf of… well, they decided to give one of us a chance to live. So they put a part of my life into you." He tilted his head sideways, eyes brimming with affection, as well as a little sad wistfulness. "They let you live, Whitepaw. And now we're connected, so I can grow up, too!" His whiskers twitched proudly. "I'm an apprentice, now, just like you! But I'm learning to be a warrior of StarClan from Bramblespots." Snowpaw indicated a she-cat with a dark tabby pelt standing a little ways off to the side.

"So…you died…because of me?" Whitepaw murmured. "To save me?"

Sensing her grief, Snowpaw brushed his tail over her head and purred comfortingly. "It was one or the other, Whitepaw," he reminded her. "I'm sure I would feel the same if our positions were reversed. But don't worry," he continued brightly. "We'll see each other lots more, now you're a medicine cat!"

"Medicine cat apprentice," she reminded him. Then she remembered the real reason she had come. "What about my becoming a full medicine cat apprentice? Do I have to do something?"

Snowpaw purred. "That'll be done now, by Firedapple." He stepped aside and Firedapple padded from among the other StoneClan cats to stand beside Whitepaw. He turned and dipped his head to the starry warriors.

"StarClan," he began, "I have brought you my apprentice, Whitepaw. Will you accept her, as you once accepted me?"

Whitepaw felt her fur twitch involuntarily as all heads and eyes turned to look at her. Finally, an old tom with the distinct scent of a medicine cat stepped forward.

"We do indeed," he rasped. Relief washed over Whitepaw. Firedapple purred and turned back to her.

"It'll be dawn fairly soon," he meowed. "Do you have anything else to say to them?"

"Just to Snowpaw," she relied. Firedapple nodded and padded away, allowing Snowpaw to replace him at Whitepaw's side.

"What else are you going to ask me," he teased, "before I can ask you something?"

Whitepaw realized she'd been the one asking all the questions up to now. "Oh. I'm sorry. What do you want to know?"

A wistful look came over his face. "Briarpelt. How is she? What is she like?" He looked at her intently. "Tell me everything."

Afterwards, Whitepaw couldn't remember all the things she told Snowpaw. His presence stood out stronger than any of them. When she woke, however, with the sky lighting up above her, she felt as if she had known him forever.

But that doesn't change the fact that he's dead, she thought. Pushing herself to her feet, Whitepaw saw that the other medicine cats were just beginning to stir and wake up.

"How'd it go, Firedapple?" Twiggy inquired. "The little kit one us now?"

"Yes," Firedapple replied. "She's my apprentice now. If you don't mind, I should probably get her back to camp. She still has a lot to learn." He dipped his head to the other two and made his way down the rocks, towards StoneClan territory. Whitepaw waved her tail in farewell and followed. A lingering sadness kept her from speaking most of the way back to camp, until a question bubbled to the surface of her muddled thoughts.

"Firedapple?" she mewed. "Should I tell Briarpelt about Snowpaw?"

Her mentor didn't reply at first and a few more heartbeats passed in silence. "No," me meowed at last. "I think it's best if you didn't, at least for now. When the time is right, you'll know, and you can tell her then,"

"But how will I know?" Whitepaw was confused. Firedapple only purred to reassure her.

"You'll know. Or maybe Snowpaw will tell you. In any case, don't worry about it for now. Concentrate on your training."

Whitepaw nodded, even though she know her mentor wouldn't see it. She felt slightly better, and waved her tail as she followed Firedapple into the camp. Brownpaw immediately ran up to her.

"What was it like? Are you a full medicine cat apprentice now? Was StarClan scary? What were they like?"

Purring, Whitepaw waited until the stream of questions ceased before answering. "Yes, StarClan accepted me," she mewed. "They weren't scary at all, just maybe a little intimidating." She paused. "I don't know how much I can say though…"

Brownpaw waved it away with a swish of his tail. "That's all right. Just come with me really fast. I need your help with something." He padded stealthily in the direction of the warriors den and disappeared behind it. Whitepaw followed close behind. Once there, she saw that Wasp-paw and Mosspaw were already there.

"We're going to sneak in and wake up all the warriors when someone else comes in," Brownpaw was explaining. The other two apprentices looked excited. "We'll hide under the leaves, and when another warrior comes in to wake them, yowl like a badger's biting your tail."

Whitepaw stifled an amused purr and squeezed under the den wall. She was still almost kit size, so she had an easier time of it then the other apprentices. But at last they were all in position. Whitepaw counted four warriors still asleep in their moss nests. She wondered how high they would jump when she and the other apprentices yowled.

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't see Clawstripe entering the warriors den.

"Alright, sleepyheads, time to get-aaah!"

Whitepaw yowled as loud as she could, her voice adding to Brownpaw, Wasp-paw, and Mosspaw's. Three of the sleeping warriors, along with Clawstripe, leapt into the air, claws out. The last one, Stormcloud, was just raising his head when Blacktail landed squarely on his shoulders. The gray warrior hissed and shoved her off.

"Retreat!" came Brownpaw's hissed command from somewhere to Whitepaw's left. She hurried to comply. Back behind the den, Wasp-paw's eyes were shining.

"That was awesome!" the striped apprentice meowed. "When can we do it again!"

"My mentor will be SO mad at me after this," Mosspaw groaned, but Whitepaw could see that he had found it funny, as well. Then a yowl made them all cower.

"What's going on!"

All four apprentices recognized their leaders voice, and by no stretch of the imagination was she happy. They exchanged glances. Whitepaw sighed. Mosspaw had been more right than he had thought. They would all be in HUGE trouble.

AN: Review, people, review! It's a little discouraging when only one person reviews every chapter. So give me some feedback! Please. O.O