So chapter 18 is where Jaypaw becomes a medicine cat's apprentice and Hollypaw becomes a warrior's apprentice. Well guess what. This story is the real cannon one because there is no way in hell Jaypaw would ever stoop so low as to become a medicine cat. Rereading it, I hated every single moment of it. There's even a part where Firestar is like "What about his blindness? Maybe he should just move to the elders den because blind cats are stupid and useless and don't have the right to choose their own fate." No really, he says that word for word.

Anyway, the next chapter to be from Jaypaw's pov is chapter 19, but nothing important happens there- it's just Jaypaw learning herbs and stuff and then they go to the Moonpool which carries over to chapter 20. And honestly, I could write fight scenes for warrior Jaypaw all day long, for example, in chapter 21, Lionpaw's patrol rushes to help WindClan deal with some dogs, and I would have Jaypaw fight alongside his brother, but I'm trying to stick to key moments.

I decided I would make chapter 19 Jaypaw's first training session with the Dark Forest cats since that would be super cool. :P

The familiar emptiness and still air met Jaypaw as he opened his eyes to the oddly glowing forest he was slowly growing accustomed to in his dreams. This was going to be only his second time visiting Tigerstar's dark forest- the first being when Spottedleaf had tried to lead him out. But there was no sign of the shimmering medicine cat so it looked like he would be facing Tigerstar alone this time.

He padded deeper into the mysterious woods, the only light coming from the glowing moss that gathered upon the bark of the skeletal eerie trees that surrounded him. His fur stuck out in fright as he padded through the shadows, expecting Tigerstar's massive face and glowing amber eyes to appear in front of him at any moment. But he says he would make me a stronger warrior. There's no harm in him just training me how to fight. It's not like I'm going to take over all the Clans. And he's my kin so he wouldn't hurt me, right?

But there was no sign of other cats as he slowly and nervously wandered between the trees. How big was this dark forest? Could Tigerstar be a whole days' journey away?

"Welcome back, Jaypaw."

Jaypaw spun around. There was Tigerstar, his broad head and shoulders creating a mass of darkness against the glowing moss behind him as he towered over the apprentice. There was a tiny glimmer of surprise in his amber eyes, as if he hadn't expected Jaypaw to return, but his lips were twisted in a grin of satisfaction. "I'm back," Jaypaw stated, trying to keep a steady tone as he faced the massive cat. "I'm ready to learn everything about being the strongest warrior in the Clans."

A purr rose up from deep within Tigerstar's chest and he stepped closer. "All in due time, young Jaypaw. I've watched you train and fight, and I know where you need the most work. I see no reason to waste any more time with idle chatter so shall we begin?"

The tip of Jaypaw's tail twitched nervously but he puffed his chest out as he nodded. "I'm ready to-" Without warning, Tigerstar pounced. Searing pain ripped across Jaypaw's face and he screeched in agony as the huge cat raked his long hooked claws across his eyes. "What have you done?" Jaypaw cried as Tigerstar released him, and he fell to the grass gasping and delicately touching his ruined eyes with his pads.

Tigerstar growled coldly. "I'm doing exactly what you asked of me. Preparing you to be the best warrior in all the Clans."

"I can't see!" Jaypaw cried, immobilized by the pain that spread across his face. He tried to blink his eyes open but every time he tried, the agony escalated unbearably and he shut them again.

"Of course you can't see, Jaypaw," Tigerstar stated simply. "You're blind."

Jaypaw thrashed in pain on the mossy ground, the pain not subsiding even a bit. This felt too real to be a dream. Could he wake up if he tried? But his head was spinning too much for him to focus on escape.

"It looks like you are in no state to begin your training," Tigerstar growled, his meow drifting from somewhere a little ways away from Jaypaw. "I shouldn't have expected you to be ready to train on your first night back. Perhaps some other time when you actually want to learn." Tigerstar's pawsteps pattered softly away until they disappeared behind the sound of blood pumping in Jaypaw's ears.

Jaypaw moaned in misery, alone on the cold forest floor. He lay there for a few moments as he tried to collect his thoughts. I'm blind in my dreams now, he thought solemnly, taking his paw away from his eyes to lick the salty blood from his pads. It still hurts so much. Maybe I should have listened to Spottedleaf after all. But then he remembered the destiny StarClan wanted for him. Nothing could be more horrible than being a medicine cat.

"Jaypaw! There's blood in you nest and- what happened to your face?"

Jaypaw opened his eyes, but instantly regretted it from the pain and closed them again. He was back in the apprentice's den. "Keep your paws to yourself, Poppypaw and leave me alone," he moaned, swatting away the paw that was prodding him in the side.

But the she-cat didn't stop. "Your face is all scratched up! What happened? I'm going to get Leafpool, she'll know what to do."

Jaypaw listened to her pawsteps race out of the den. He gingerly placed his paw to his face, feeling the long grooves in the flesh where Tigerstar had clawed him. He hurt me in a dream and I got hurt in the waking world too. Could he have killed me in the dreaming world? There was no way of hiding his injuries now and to his dismay, he could already hear Poppypaw returning and he hadn't come up with an explanation for the scratches yet.

"Jaypaw, what happened?" came Leafpool's shocked meow a whisker's length from his muzzle as she examined the wounds. "You are lucky you are already blind because scratches like this would have certainly blinded a sighted cat. What were you doing last night?"

Jaypaw clenched his teeth, thinking fast. "I- I was hunting last night because I couldn't sleep. And the squirrel I caught turned on me and scratched me." Please believe me. He didn't fancy letting the whole Clan know he was meeting Tigerstar in his dreams.

There was a moment of silence.

"You caught a squirrel?" Leafpool exclaimed. "Most cats your age struggle with prey as fast as a squirrel."

Eye's still squeezed tight, Jaypaw meowed, "It got away, but yeah I almost caught it." A wave of relief fell over him- she believed his story.

"But why didn't you you wake me up as soon as you got back?" Leafpool fretted, swiping a wet paw over his forehead to wipe away some of the blood. "Cuts like these could have gotten infected. Come with me right now to the medicine cat's den. And after that, I'm going to have to tell Firestar about what you did. Apprentices aren't supposed to leave the camp without telling anybody, and especially not in the middle of the night."

Jaypaw lifted himself out of the nest and obeyed, following Leafpool out of the den while the curious gazes of the other apprentices pricked his pelt. "It's not like night is more dangerous for me- I can't see anyways."

Leafpool marched him across the camp clearing. The air was chilly and he could feel frost in the dirt beneath his pads. "That's not the point. It's more dangerous because every cat is asleep and nobody would be able to save you if you ran into a fox or a badger."

He followed her into the medicine cat's den and instantly his head became filled with the confusing scents of herbs.

"Hi, Jaypaw," meowed Hollypaw in surprise. "What are you doing here? And what happened to your face?" she gasped.

"Didn't Poppypaw tell you?" Jaypaw muttered, rubbing a paw over his sore eyes. "I got scratched by a squirrel in the middle of the night."

"I just got back from the nursery. Ferncloud started coughing yesterday and we're trying to make sure she doesn't get whitecough." Hollypaw padded closer, giving Jaypaw a few inquisitive sniffs. "Those cuts look really nasty. Are you sure you got them from just a squirrel?"

Jaypaw snorted. "I think I would know what I was hunting. Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"I didn't mean-" Hollypaw protested but Leafpool interrupted her.

"Hollypaw, focus. What herbs does Jaypaw need?"

Excitement radiated from Hollypaw's pelt as she tried to remember what she had been taught. Jaypaw couldn't help but also detect a tiny flicker of unease as if his sister was worried Leafpool would be upset if she said the wrong thing. "He needs dock for his scratches and poppy seed for the pain," she recited happily.

"That was very good," Leafpool praised. "But there is actually an herb specific for eye injuries and it's called celandine."

"Oh," Hollypaw mewed, crestfallen.

But Leafpool purred in amusement. "I haven't taught you about it yet so you couldn't possibly have known. In situations where you can't find celandine you can use dock, but it will be painful for the patient and should only be applied if the cat is in danger of losing his sight. Don't work yourself up," she added, clearly aware of her apprentice's disappointment. "You still have much to learn and plenty of time to learn it."

Jaypaw was surprised by the amount of affection rolling off the older cat's pelt. Hollypaw was her first apprentice so she must be very proud. And this was what Hollypaw had always wanted so everybody was happy. I can't believe StarClan want me to be a medicine cat. Obviously I will be a warrior- even with my blindness- because it is what I have always wanted. I'm not letting other cats decide my destiny.

Leafpool lead Hollypaw to the back of the den where the herbs were stored. "This is celandine, Hollypaw. Chew it up into juice and when I come back I'll show you how to apply it. I need to talk to Firestar but I'll be back soon."

Jaypaw moaned knowingly once Leafpool was out of the den. "I wish cats would get out of my fur and not worry about my scratches," he growled, eyes still squeezed tight. They still hurt, but he had gotten over the initial shock of Tigerstar's attack. "Cats get scratched all the time- it's not important enough to tell the Clan leader."

"You kind of were outside of the camp in the middle of the night without telling anybody," Hollypaw pointed out. "Of course Firestar should know."

"Who said I didn't tell anybody before I went out?" he growled. "You're putting words in my mouth."

"Are you saying you did tell somebody before you ran out into the forest by yourself?" Hollypaw pressed. "I would be very surprised if any cat gave you permission to do that."

"Well, no, but you still shouldn't make assumptions like that," Jaypaw muttered, annoyed by how easily his sister had seen through his argument.

"And you should stay in the camp at night," Hollypaw laughed.

"And you should be chewing up some plants like Leafpool told you," Jaypaw snapped angrily, folding his ears back.

Hollypaw went silent but he could tell she was holding back another meow of laughter as she began working on the task Leafpool had left her with.

Jaypaw padded over to one of the unused nests and curled up inside. The dried moss reminded him of the forest in his dreams where he met Tigerstar. The image of Tigerstar lunging at him was still fresh in his mind. He didn't know when- or if- he'd return there. He was blind now in his dreams as well as in the real world now, or at least he assumed. Who knew, maybe he would fall asleep and his eyes would work again. I should have known Tigerstar was trouble when he offered me help. He could have killed me!

"Jaypaw, we need to talk."

He pricked his ears. That was his mentor's voice. She padded inside the den. "I can't leave yet, I'm waiting for Leafpool to get back from talking with Firestar."

"We're here too," mewed Leafpool, following Brightheart. Firestar padded in last.

All three cats stared intently at the gray-furred apprentice curled up in the nest, and Jaypaw suddenly felt a pang of dread. Why did they all seem so serious? He was reminded of when he and his siblings had been chased by the fox cubs. Was he in big trouble again?

"Hollypaw, could you excuse us for a bit as we talk to Jaypaw?" meowed Leafpool. "Go check on the elders and senior warriors to see if the cough is spreading and I'll fetch you when we're done."

"Okay!" Hollypaw mewed, happy to have another task. "Good luck, Jaypaw!"

I am going to need it, Jaypaw thought grimly. The three cats stood in front of the apprentice and Jaypaw could only wait in apprehension for one of them to speak. He had come to the conclusion that he was in trouble. How much trouble and what the punishment was going to be remained to be seen. Or maybe they somehow know that I met with Tigerstar. Spottedleaf could have told Leafpool since she's a medicine cat.

"Jaypaw, I hear you left the camp last night on your own," Firestar meowed, his tone flat with seriousness. "I don't want to delay your training for long, but being a warrior means more than just hunting and fighting. I thought you might have learned some discipline after your adventure with the fox cubs, but it would seem not. Brightheart and I have decided your punishment will be confinement to the camp for a moon."

Jaypaw couldn't hide his head any lower into the moss.

"Firestar knows you've been training hard with Brightheart," Leafpool meowed. "But every apprentice needs to respect the warrior code."

Oh shut up. This doesn't involve medicine cats, this is a warrior's punishment. He wanted to speak his thoughts out loud but felt that would only get him into more trouble. Instead he just grunted in understanding, his ears still pointed backwards.

"Then it's settled," Firestar meowed, standing up and turning towards the den entrance. Over his shoulder he added, "I expect you to be on your best behavior, Jaypaw. And you will not be going to the next Gathering so don't get your hopes up."

Jaypaw wanted to screech in frustration. This was all Tigerstar's fault!

"Once Leafpool has seen to your scratches, I want you to check on the elders and make sure they have clean bedding," Brightheart ordered. "And after that you can check them for ticks. As a warrior's apprentice, you've been lucky not to have had to do it so much."

"I understand," Jaypaw muttered as his mentor padded out of the den. His eyes were still screwed up tight and he let his attention fall to Hollypaw and Leafpool as they mixed up the herbs. "Take as long as you want with those," he mewed to them "I don't fancy listening to Longtail reprimand me on letting prey scratch me, because I know he is going to."

Hollypaw let out a small chirp of laughter at his statement, but Leafpool fixed him with a gaze so intense, he could feel it sear his fur. Those cats aren't to be trusted, Jaypaw. That path will lead you only to ruin.

Jaypaw flinched in surprise. No cat had spoken but he soon realized he had somehow heard the she-cat's thoughts. How much did Leafpool know and, how did she know. Jaypaw suddenly felt a sense of dread come over to him. Had Leafpool told his secret to Firestar? Or was he imagining things and Leafpool didn't really know anything about his visit with Tigerstar. Jaypaw sat still in the nest thinking. He would find out one way or another.

Well the chapter turned out not to be focused on the training with Tigerstar but more of the aftermath. Eh, I still enjoyed writing it.