Yeah...sorry it's been so long since I updated last. School started, so less updating. But I will not quit this story. This is one I'll stick to. Promise. So, if you want me to continue, you had better give me reviews!

Time tells the truth Fortune Cookie

Chapter 7

Snowpaw didn't awake after the battle. She stayed in the darkness, letting the mist in her mind swril around her, cosuming her. She didn't move. She was numb. She looked down at her paws, not seeing the mist form together and take the shape of the same silver she-cat she saw before in her dreams. Snowpaw finally looked up, her eyes cold, and seemingly sightless. But she raised her head and stared at the she-cat.

"Beware all but the flames," the misty she-cat whispered, her voice echoing eeriely. Snowpaw pricked her ears. "Beware all but the flames." What did it mean? She opened her mouth to ask but there was a sudden flash and Snowpaw was standing in the forest, over the body of a dark ginger tom, who lay unconscious. Again the scene changed in a flash of light and Snowpaw found herself staring at a ginger colored she-cat, sitting in front of the medicine cats den. Snowpaw blinked, and suddenly there was darkness.

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Snowpaw knew she was awake before the faint hint of light even reached her eyes. She didn't want to open her eyes. Opening her eyes would only take her from that place that kept her feelings away, leaving her feeling numb, cold.

"Beware all but the flames."

Snowpaw shot her eyes open. Where had that whisper come from? But, instead of looking for the cat that had said those words, she was busy looking around at the place she was in. She was back in ThunderClan, in the medicine cats den. How? All she remembered was looking into Dagger's cold unseeing eyes a moment before darkness consumed her.

Snowpaw was suddenly struck with grief. Gingersky was dead. Seapaw was dead. Everyone close to her had died. Except for Cinderfang. He was still there. But still, that helped none of the pain she was feeling.

Snowpaw slowly picked herself up off the ground and looked out of the den. It was night, and the half moon was in the sky, lighting the clan dimly. Against her better judgement, Snowpaw padded to the entrance, her paw throbbing from the effort.

The camp was empty. There was not a cat in the clearing. She could hear the soft trickle of water from the river near RiverClan, and the soft rustle of vole in the woods. She padded into the middle of the clearing looking up into Silverpelt.

The stars above winked at her, millions of tiny diamonds flickering in the darkness. The warriors of StarClan were looking on her, and Snowpaw wondered which stars held Seapaw and Gingersky. She was lost deep in thought, wondering what Seapaw and Gingersky were doing, when a voice whispered behind her.

"I see you're awake," came the soft voice of Icestar. Snowpaw, startled, whipped around to face the leader, who was staring at her grimly before she turned to gaze to the sky. Snowpaw did the same. They were silent for awhile, before Icestar spoke.

"You know, Seapaw and Gingersky have their own star up there now," she mummered softly. Snowpaw, feeling heavy with grief, blinked slowly and nodded. "They are in a lush forest, where the claws of leaf-fall and leaf-bare never touch." Snowpaw listened to her leader, knowing that she was about to start on something important to Snowpaw. "I remember when my mother told me of the tribes of cats that live in the mountains. Our ancestor, Brambleclaw, found them on his journey up their slopes. They call StarClan the Tribe of Endless Hunting, which is very true." Snowpaw felt her eyes brimming with tears at the thought of Seapaw playing happily with other deceased apprentices. Then, a question she had been meaning to ask entered Snowpaw's mind, and she turned toward Icestar.

"Icestar, I need to ask you something," the white she-cat meowed, voice raspy. Icestar looked at her, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Snowpaw hesitated. "Why...why was Perish wanting me? What do I have to offer?"

Icestar was silent for a long time. Snowpaw opened her mouth to ask the question again, but Icestar spoke. "I really don't think I am the one to tell you that." she meowed, her gaze unwavering as she stared at Silverpelt. Silence.

"Who should tell me, Icestar?" mewed the apprentice, her gaze on her leaders now-silver pelt. Icestar looked at the apprentice, her gaze expressing no emotion, no secret.

"Cinderfang." Icestar said nothing else. She flicked her tail in farewell to Snowpaw and padded slowly into her den, disappearing into the lichen entrance. Snowpaw didn't move. How was Cinderfang the one that would tell her the answers to the questions she asked. She blinked, turning her head toward the High Rock. The wind ruffled her fur, and must gathered around the High Rock. It was spinning slightly. Snowpaw turned away, standing to her paws to head back to the medicine cats den.

"Time will reveal itself..."

Snowpaw turned abrutly back to the High Rock, fur bristling. But there was nothing. Did she imagine it? She kept her eyes on the rock a brief minute longer before turning and walking into the medicine cat den.

If she had turned around, she would have seen the mist take the shape of a dark brown tabby tom. His misty, transparent, yellow eyes blinked. The wind swirled around him, and slowly he disappeared. The warning repeated again.

"Time will reveal itself..."

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Snowpaw's dreams were full of mist and darkness...and an ominous warning that seemed disoriented. When she awoke the next morning, just as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the entrance of the medicine cats den, she felt as if she hadn't even layed down the night before. She was dizzy, confused, and her stomach was flipping inside out, upside down.

She shook her head, just as a shadow stopped the sunlight suddenly. She snapped her eyes open, and relaxed when she saw Spiceleaf. Spiceleaf said nothing, only approached the apprentice. She looked her over, mummering to herself before she hustled to her herbs, snatching up nettles and crushing them up. Snowpaw blinked as Spiceleaf came back, pressing the plup on the she-cats back leg. For a moment, nothing happened. The wound continued to throb. Then, numbness swept over it, and she sighed, relaxing a bit more.

Spiceleaf seemed to ignore her, only tending to her words. Snowpaw managed to grab what strenght and will she had to clean herself. The grief of Gingersky's death still weighed heavily upon her. And the silence in the medicine cats den was not helping. Spiceleaf bustled to and fro, avoiding her eyes. Snowpaw suddenly felt anger rise in her throat.

"Why are you not talking?" she demanded, ears flat. "I'm not some dying elder!" Spiceleaf acted at first like she hadn't heard the she-cat, but realzing it was fruitless, turned to her, a sighed escaping her maw. She met Snowpaw's eyes, sorrow and sympathy resting in their depths.

"Snowpaw, I'm sorry. I figured you might want-"

Snowpaw couldn't hold he grief or anger in at one time. "I don't want anything!" she snarled, ears pinned back as a wail of sorrow threatened to break through the barrier of her anger. "All I want is my best friends back!" She tried to get up to run off, but fell back to the ground, her wound stinging again. Quietly, she buried her muzzle under her paw, closing her eyes tight. Spiceleaf said nothing, but Snowpaw could hear her moving.

Suddenly, she felt a warm pelt pressing against hers. Spicepelt nuzzled her gently.

"I know Snowpaw," she said mournfully. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything..."

Snowpaw only cried silently.

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As sunlight poured through the branches over her head, Snowpaw groaned, opening one eye. She layed there a moment, wondering why she couldn't just sleep her life away. But soon, she dragged herself out of her nest, stretching, before stepping into the sunlight.

It had been 4 days since Gingersky's death and the rescue of the other captured cats. Spiceleaf gave Snowpaw the okay, and she sent her back to the apprentices den.

And as if to add insult to injury, when Snowpaw returned from the medicine cats den, she was told her foster mother, Crescentshadow, was missing. Snowpaw didn't know if she could take much more.

It was lonely in the apprentices den though. She was the only apprentice. Sunflare's kits were 4 moons, but Snowpaw doubted she would be in the apprentice den then. Sighing, she shuffled to the fresh kill pile. She picked up a skinny vole; Leafbare was clawing all the forest had in it. She shuddered as a cold wind blew, buffeting her fur. She took her puny meal over to the bracken where she sat and ate silently. She looked no where but at her own paws. Just as she gulped down the last stringy bite, a shadow blocked the sunlight. When she looked up she saw Cinderfang standing there, ears flicking. Snowpaw looked back down.

"I was thinking about doing a border patrol...alone. Wanna come?" Cinderfang asked, and Snowpaw could hear the hopefullness in his voice. Thinking of no excuses, she shrugged and nodded, pulling herself to her paws. They exited the camp through the gorse tunnel.

They were silent up until a quarter of the way to Sunningrocks. Cinderfang looked over at Snowpaw, worry etched in his face. Snowpaw barely noticed this. She was too busy mellowing in her thoughts.

"I really don't think I am the one to tell you that..."

"Who should tell me, Icestar?"

"Cinderfang."

Snowpaw's head shot up suddenly and she looked at Cinderfang, who had looked away. He had all the answers she was looking for.

"Cinderfang," she meowed. "I...I need to ask you something...and I want the truth." He voice was harsh, demanding. Cinderfang noticed this, looking uneasy, but nodded.

"Fire away"

"Why is Perish so upset with getting me?"

Cinderfang stopped in his tracks and looked at Snowpaw. Snowpaw looked back, her gaze heated, demanding him to tell the truth. They stood there, staring at each other, not blinking. Finally, Cinderfang dropped his gaze and sighed.

"Let's get to Sunning Rocks and I'll explain it to you." Snowpaw, seeing that was fair, nodded, and they started on their way.

The trip seemed to last for moons. Snowpaw thought up of ways why Perish would want her. Was she valuble for some reason she didn't know? Snowpaw shook her head. Why would she be? She was only an apprentice with no mother and no mentor. Anger welled up inside Snowpaw's chest, and she snorted to herself, getting an uneasy glance from Cinderfang.

Finally, the two made it to Sunning Rocks. The sun danced off the large bolders, causing them to glow. A great place during leaf-bare. Snowpaw followed Cinderfang to the edge of the river, and for awhile the two looked at each other from the reflection of the water. Neither was able to say anything. Finally, after Snowpaw thought her ear drums were burst from the silence, Cinderfang sighed.

"Snowpaw, I'm sorry," he meowed, eyes closed. "I should have told you sooner."

"Tell me what. What's going on, Cinderfang?" Snowpaw demanded, feeling a bit of fear pull at her.

Cinderfang was quiet for a moment before he started speaking, this time with his eyes opened. "Snowpaw, a little over 3 seasons ago, when you were only a kit in the nursery, a small, newborn kit, something happened." He paused. This was obviously hard for him. "I was a warrior then, and Lunarshadow was the deputy. I was asleep in my den when I heard a rustle in the bushes. Pantherclaw was there, and I thought that RiverClan was attacking. I was wrong. Lionclaw of WindClan appeared, followed by Amberfur of ShadowClan. Then...well, Perishsong of ThunderClan." Snowpaw nodded at him, not understanding where this was going.

"I was attacked by Pantherclaw. Perishsong went for the nursery. She was a...a queen then, just had given birth to three kits...She grabbed three...her own kits...I managed to push Pantherclaw off an attack her. Two of the three kits were taken...and the other...was left behind.

"Lunarshadow was killed, as well as Feathertail and Brackenfur. But what I'm getting at is that the four cats betrayed their clan, and made FangClan."

Cinderfang fell silent. Snowpaw was irriated. What did this story have to do with her? "But...what does the betrayal have to do with me?" Cinderfang seemed he didn't hear her. But finally he spoke.

"Perishsong - now known as Perish - was my sister...And your mother..."

Snowpaw wasn't shocked. In fact, she was eerierly calm, as if this came as no shock, but it did. Perish? Her mother? Finally, after the feeling of floating in mist, Snowpaw felt shock smack her in the face. Perish was her mother and Cinderfang's sister! She was speechless for a long time. Emotions mixed with each other; Horror at her mother; Sadness for her lost two siblings; But mostly...

She felt anger. Anger toward Cinderfang and ThunderClan as a whole.

She suddenly whipped around toward Cinderfang, eyes flashing. "Perish was my mother this whole time, and right now you get around to tell me!" she spat, fur bristling. Cinderfang did nothing. He didn't flinch, didn't coware away. He only stared at his reflection in the pool. Snowpaw spat again, and raced away from Sunning Rocks, heading toward Tallpines. She could hear Cinderfang's pleading voice behind her, but she ignored it and continued racing on.

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When she finally reached Tallpines, Snowpaw had no breath left in her body. Her paws were like lead, her body heavier. She didn't care. Her anger drove her forward. Cinderfang, as well as ThunderClan, had lied to her for moons! Seasons even!

She growled under her breath, stopping at the base of a tree. Her breath came in short gasps and her eyes were dialated from the running. Finally, after a few minutes, her breath returned, and Snowpaw stifened as a sudden smell reached her scent glands. Rouge! She whipped around toward the bushes nearby and stalked toward them, before leaping into them. A yowl pierced the silence, and Snowpaw rolled out of the bushes, tangled in battle with another cat.

Finally, the two cats pulled apart, panting. Snowpaw glared at the she-cat. The rouge was a fairly built, flamed colored she-cat. Her eyes were a glaring green. Both cats glared at each other.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" Snowpaw spat, ears pinned against her head. The she-cat growled lowly, before answering.

"I am Amberflame," she hissed back, tail three times it's size.

---End of Chapter---

Ohhhh wonder who Amberflame is...-ish mysterious- Well, PLEASE review! I know this is a good story, considering how many hits I have had. PLEASE review! -begs-

SoL