A/N: I am so so so so so so so sorry for the delay! Writer's Block and vacation and camp and life in general delayed me… again I apologize. Thanks to my reviewers, Emberheart0 and Inushuik! You guys make me smile!

Disclaimer: I do not own warriors any more than I own Mt. Everest

Chapter Eight: Changes

It was several days later, when Littlepaw was strong enough to talk, that Dawnstar called a Clan meeting. Hawkpelt sat near Mudfoot and Sparrowsong and watched her leader.

"Cats of WindClan! Several days ago we had two apprentices come to our Clan in dire need. However, it is not possible for them to return to where they came from. I have made my decision. Lizardpaw and Littlepaw, if they wish, are permitted to join WindClan."

Hawkpelt looked over at Lizardpaw. The tabby apprentice looked shocked. Dawnstar turned to him. "Lizardpaw, do you promise to be loyal to WindClan, even at the cost of your life?"

Lizardpaw stepped forward. "I do, Dawnstar."

Dawnstar nodded. "Then I accept you as and apprentice of WindClan." She did not announce a mentor, nor did any cat chant his name. In fact, Scarheart hissed, turned and ran out of camp.

"Scarheart!" Silverpaw cried, running after her mentor. Rose looked up and started slowly moving towards the entrance.

"Scarheart! Silverpaw!" she called, running after the two. Hawkpelt looked on in shock. Then another shock came.

"Dawnstar!" It was Mossflower, supporting Littlepaw.

"Dawnstar, I too wish to join WindClan," Littlepaw said, his voice soft. Dawnstar nodded.

"Littlepaw, do you promise to protect WindClan and be loyal, even at the cost of your life?" she asked.

Littlepaw nodded. "I do. And I apologize for the actions of my mentor and Clan."

"Then I accept you as an apprentice of WindClan," Dawnstar said.

"Littlepaw! For what it's worth, I understand that it was not your doing that our Clan was attacked." Hawkpelt looked at Sparrowsong as she spoke up. Littlepaw nodded.

"I'm sorry I don't share your sentiment, Sparrowsong!" Foxclaw spoke up. "These cats are the reason that Rainfire and Larkpaw are dead!" He glared at Littlepaw. The small apprentice stood up to his full height and, with Mossflower's help, hobbled down so he was nose to nose with Foxclaw.

"I had no choice, Foxclaw," he spat. "Frostpelt was going to kill me if I didn't go. I was scared. And I thought you were supposed to be loyal to your Clan. I am not saying what I did was right, but you have no right to blame their deaths on me." Hawkpelt looked with admiration at Littlepaw. Foxclaw looked at the ground.

"I hate to break up this little bit here," Mossflower said from beside Littlepaw. "But Dawnstar, Tallstar told me that Littlepaw and Lizardpaw must have mentors. I suggest we do this as quickly as possible, if anything to cement their place in our Clan."

Dawnstar looked at Mossflower and nodded. "Littlepaw, Lizardpaw, come before Tallrock," she said. Mossflower helped Littlepaw to move to stand beside Lizardpaw.

"Hawkpelt, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will mentor Lizardpaw. Hawkpelt, you have shown yourself to be strong and loyal. And now I ask you to pass down all you know to this apprentice." Dawnstar looked at Hawkpelt. Hawkpelt sat in shock for a moment, before walking forward to touch noses with Lizardpaw.

"Adderclaw, you too are being entrusted with an apprentice. You will mentor Littlepaw. Adderclaw, you have shown yourself to be loyal and true. And now I ask you to pass down all you know to this apprentice." With a pointed look at her deputy, he stepped forward and touched noses with Littlepaw. There, again, was no chanting of names and no cheers. Hawkpelt looked at Lizardpaw.

"What? You think I'm just going to follow you everywhere now? I'm old enough to be a warrior and I'm the apprentice to someone who is only about a moon or two older than me. So no, Hawkpelt, I won't be the good little apprentice you were hoping for. Get over it," the tabby apprentice said, laying down and glaring at her. Hawkpelt took a step back.

"We took you into this Clan and this is how you repay us?" Hawkpelt hissed in his ear. "Learn some respect and gratitude, Lizardpaw, and then maybe you'll become a warrior of WindClan." She turned and walked off.

"What's got your fur ruffled?"

Hawkpelt turned and saw Mudfoot. "I'm not in the mood right now, Mudfoot," she said, wanting nothing more than to claw someone's fur off.

"Settle down, Hawkpelt! I was just seeing if you were okay," he said, walking up to her. There was something in his eyes that made her calm down and realize he wasn't there to antagonize her.

"Sorry. It's Lizardpaw. He's being completely ridiculous. He's just—ugh!" She said, sitting down. Mudfoot sat beside her and looked at Lizardpaw lounging by Tallrock.

"He's not used to this, Hawkpelt. He would have been a warrior any day back in RiverClan, but now he has to prove himself all over again. Give him a bit of time."

"He reminds me of you."

"I've changed though, haven't I?"

"That's true."

"Then give him a chance. If you hadn't given me a chance would we be sitting here talking right now?"

Hawkpelt looked at Mudfoot and smiled. "No, I guess not." She licked his ears in a friendly way. "Thanks, Mudfoot."

He smiled. "You're welcome. Anytime, for a friend."

And for some reason, at those words, Hawkpelt felt her heart drop a little.

xxx

"Hey, Hawkpelt!"

Hawkpelt turned and watched as Mudfoot ran over, Bluepaw in tow. "What's up?" she asked, sitting down, moving her eyes away from her apprentice, still sulking in the sun.

"Bluepaw and I are going hunting. Why don't you bring Lizardpaw along?" Mudfoot said, looking at her. Hawkpelt shrugged.

"I can try," she said, getting up. She walked over to Lizardpaw and prodded him with her paw. "Get up, we're going hunting," she said.

"Make me," Lizardpaw replied, turning his head away from her. Hawkpelt sighed and grabbed the scruff of his neck in her teeth, pulling him to his feet. "Hey!" he exclaimed, facing her. "What was that for?"

"Even in RiverClan, I'm sure you listened to your mentor. Try it now, since you are a part of WindClan. Come on. We are going hunting with Mudfoot and Bluepaw."

Lizardpaw sighed but followed her over. "We're ready," Hawkpelt said. Mudfoot nodded and led the way out of camp, Hawkpelt beside him. Lizardpaw and Bluepaw walked uneasily beside each other. They kept walking through their territory, scenting for prey and finding none. Hawkpelt could feel Lizardpaw's frustration.

"Let's try over by RiverClan," she said softly to Mudfoot. He looked at her.

"Are you sure that's wise?" he asked. "With Lizardpaw being—"

"Lizardpaw is a WindClan apprentice," Hawkpelt reminded him fiercely.

"Right," Mudfoot said, some of his old bitterness coming back. "And he's as loyal as a badger let me tell you."

"You can be impossible sometimes!" Hawkpelt hissed under her breath. "We are going near RiverClan, and that's the end of it!"

"Who died and put you in charge?" Mudfoot demanded softly. Hawkpelt ignored him and looked back at the two apprentices.

"We're going near RiverClan's border. See if you can catch anything there." She shot a look to Mudfoot and turned their group towards the border. Looking back at Lizardpaw, Hawkpelt saw some sort of glimmer of hope in his eyes. Was Mudfoot right about him?

"Traitor!"

Hawkpelt looked up and to see a RiverClan patrol on the other side of the border. She recognized Juniperheart, Ivypaw, Volepelt as well as Darkclaw and Rowanheart.

"Oh no…" Lizardpaw muttered.

"Lizardpaw?" Ivypaw called across the border. "Why?"

"I had no choice, Ivypaw!" he called, the pain in his voice making Hawkpelt's heart twinge.

"You traitor! Now WindClan probably knows all our secrets!" Rowanheart called.

"You dare accuse my apprentice of treason, Rowanheart?" Hawkpelt called, stepping forward. "You hypocrite! You and your treason are the reasons Lizardpaw left RiverClan! Now leave, or shall I tell all about your treachery, and Darkclaw's as well?"

Juniperheart looked at the two other warriors. They stuttered some nonsense, then turned and ran off, towards the nearby Thunderpath. Hawkpelt looked at Juniperheart.

"Lizardpaw is now an apprentice of WindClan. If you want to reclaim him, you must bring it up at the next gathering. I'm sorry but that's the way it has to be," she said.

"I understand, Hawkpelt. Perhaps it is for the best that he stay there for now," she called. She and Volepelt turned to return to their camp, but Ivypaw stayed, looking at Lizardpaw.

"Lizardpaw, I want to see you," she called.

"I know, Ivypaw. We can't. We are in different Clans now. We have to go. May StarClan guide your path!" Hawkpelt watched in amazement as Lizardpaw turned away from his friends, family and home and walked up beside her. "Come on," he said. "Let's go."

With a glance at Mudfoot, Hawkpelt followed her apprentice in silence. What had changed in such a short period of time that suddenly made Lizardpaw realize what Hawkpelt had been telling him all along?

"Hawkpelt, can I talk with you?" Lizardpaw asked, turning to face her. Hawkpelt stopped and nodded.

"We'll catch up later, Mudfoot," she said. The brown tom nodded and led Bluepaw away, hopefully to find some fresh-kill. She turned to her apprentice. "What is it?"

"I'm leaving," Lizardpaw said. "I'm just causing trouble from not only RiverClan but also WindClan as well. "I'll go and find some nice two-legs to take me in or maybe live as a rogue."

Hawkpelt sat in shock. This wasn't what she had been expecting at all. "Lizardpaw, you can't!"

"And why can't I? I'm too young? I'm almost as old as you are, Hawkpelt."

"No! You owe it not only to Littlepaw, but also to Ivypaw. Imagine what she would go through if you left forever?"

"At least then we would have a chance of being together!"

"Would Ivypaw leave her Clan? For anything?" Hawkpelt asked. Lizardpaw sat in silence.

"I guess not…" he said softly. "Actually, I know she wouldn't." He sighed. "But at least then I wouldn't have to see her so much."

"Lizardpaw, I know this hurts you, but your Clan is here for you."

"How many of them? You? Silverpaw? Littlepaw? None of them trust me!"

"They'll learn to trust you. But only if you stay! If you leave now, their suspicions will be confirmed in their eyes. Prove them wrong, Lizardpaw," Hawkpelt pleaded. Lizardpaw looked at the ground.

"I need time to think. Let's head back to camp for tonight, anyway. It's getting late."

Hawkpelt nodded and the pair walked back to camp. When they arrived, they saw that Mudfoot and Bluepaw had caught some prey, but their attention turned to the gathering of cats by Tallrock. They walked forward just in time to hear Rose and Checkers say, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Rose, from this moment on, you will be known as Petalnose. StarClan honors your compassion and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." Dawnstar let Petalnose lick her shoulder before turning to Checkers.

"Checkers, from this moment on, you will be known as Patchfur. StarClan honors your strength and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." Now Patchfur licked Dawnstar's shoulder, while the Clan cheered their names.

When Hawkpelt looked down for Lizardpaw, he was gone. She turned and saw him walking towards the Apprentices' Den.

"Hawkpelt?"

Hawkpelt turned and saw Mudfoot standing there. "Yes?" she asked, looking at him.

"Come with me," he said, turning and walking out of camp. Hawkpelt, after a moment of hesitation, walked after him, catching up quickly. He led her out onto the middle of the moor and stopped, looking up at the sky. It was a clear night and the moon was almost full.

"What is it?" Hawkpelt asked, sitting down. Mudfoot sat facing her, his eyes glimmering in the surreal light of the moon.

"You actually listened to me," he said, meeting her eyes. "You gave him a chance."

"Yes, I did," Hawkpelt said, not wanting Mudfoot's "victory" over her rubbed in her face. "What about it?"

"Nothing," Mudfoot said, looking at the ground. They sat in silence for a few moments before Mudfoot spoke up again. "I followed you and Lizardpaw earlier today," he confessed.

"Why did you do that?" Hawkpelt asked. "Do you know what he would do if he knew you were there?"

"You really don't want him to leave, do you?"

"Of course not! He's a WindClan cat now, and my apprentice. I promised to pass down all I know to him. I want to see him become a warrior!"

"I know you do." Mudfoot smiled at her. "I won't tell him I was there, I promise." Hawkpelt looked at Mudfoot. He drove her absolutely crazy sometimes, but others, like when he smiled at her, her world changed.

"Mudfoot," Hawkpelt said, looking closely at him. "Why did you bring me out here?"

"Because, Hawkpelt. Ever since you became an apprentice, even though I seemed like a tick at times, I have, shall we say, taken a special notice of you. Everything you did caught my eye. Your training was flawless. You were like the perfect apprentice, and frankly, I was jealous. Tigermask, your father, often told me how I should be more like you and Foxclaw. I realized that all the bitterness I had built up around myself about you two, because of Tigermask, made me the badger that I was." Mudfoot paused, gazing up at the sky.

"Then I became a warrior and Larkpaw and Rainfire died. It made me realized how much my Clan meant to me." He paused again. "Especially you, Hawkpelt. If you had died instead of Larkpaw, I don't know what I would do!" He looked into her eyes, his glittering with the light of the stars. "What I'm trying to say, Hawkpelt, is that I've come to love you like I love no other cat."

Hawkpelt sat in stunned silence, just watching Mudfoot. All of her anger at him that was built up over the moons they had spent together melted away in his amber eyes.

"Hawkpelt?" he asked, looking worried. "I'm sorry if I shouldn't have said those things… I mean…"

"Mudfoot," Hawkpelt said, moving closer to him. "Dear Mudfoot, if there was anything you shouldn't have said, you didn't say it here." She licked his cheek, now aware of everything. "I love you, Mudfoot."

The smile that grew on Mudfoot's face would remain in Hawkpelt's memory for as long as she could remember. In a sudden burst of joy, he jumped up and starting running around, jumping into the air. Hawkpelt laughed and ran after him, pouncing on him.

"Oof!" Mudfoot said when Hawkpelt landed on him. He laughed and licked her cheek. She slowly got off of him and waited for him to stand.

"We should head back," Hawkpelt said, turning. Mudfoot nodded and walked to her side, twining his tail with hers. As they began to walk back, Hawkpelt saw a flash of ginger fur dash ahead of them. She knew that pelt. "Wait here," she said to Mudfoot and ran as quickly as she could catching up to and jumping on Foxclaw.

"Get off!" he yowled.

"Not a chance, you mouse-brain. What were you doing, spying on us like some nosey apprentice?"

"What were you doing with him? Hawkpelt, he hates us both! It's Mudfoot, for StarClan's sake! He is the most ill-tempered cat in the whole Clan!"

"You obviously haven't met yourself or Lizardpaw lately then," Hawkpelt retorted. "And I'll have you know that Mudfoot loves me, and I love him. So back off!" She got off of him and stalked back to Mudfoot, angrier than a hive of bees.

"You okay?" Mudfoot asked, his pelt brushing against hers. She nodded.

"Just some annoying brother of mine," she said. She looked up at Mudfoot. "He doesn't like you."

"I know. But he'll have to get used to me, because I'm not going to leave you, ever." He licked her cheek.

Hawkpelt smiled, the bubble of anger in her chest fading away. "Come on," she said. "We should be getting back to camp." Mudfoot twined his tail with Hawkpelt's as they walked back to camp in silence, taking comfort in one another's presence.