You know, I seem to never be able to keep my promises when it comes to this story. *sighs* don't ask me why. But hey, here's the next chapter anyway! ^-^

ShoutFinder: Yes, you got the name right, don't worry. You'll just have to wait and see who the father is in due time…*creepy music* ahem. Anyway, thanks again for helping me with the last chapter and this chapter too, in a way. :D

Honeyshine: Man, I absolutely despise writer's block. :( BUT! I HAVE COMPLETED ANOTHER CHAPTER ALREADY! And sorry for the continuous, dreaded cliffhangers :/

Born of True Destiny: I can actually say that I have kept that part of the promise XD AND I FINALLY FINISHED TRAPPED IN ICE! I told you I'd get to it eventually! *sheepish smile*

ShastamaeFirepool: Why thank you! And I bet you know who it is as well, seeing as I haven't exactly made it a secret XD would you like a plushie of him?

Guest: Thanks so much! I myself am starting to love Foxpaw's character. I seem to consistently have a soft spot for them ginger toms XD

This chapter will have a LOT of action in it, so be prepared!

ONWARD!

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I don't think anyone's joking right now, Runningpaw."

"I'm not crossing that thing! It doesn't even look like it can hold our weight!"

"Smokepaw, I don't think we have a choice in the matter."

"But Ivypaw, you do realize that none of us can swim, right?"

"This seems to be the second time today that you've reminded me of that, Foxpaw."

It had taken what seemed like ages, but the BrokenClan cats had finally arrived at their destination. Or at least, the large dead tree that served as the only way to and from the island. Cedarstar had raised his tail to indicate the group to stop, and now the six Initiates could finally get a good look at the thing that would take them to the shoreline.

The full moon was now blazing high in the sky, casting more than enough light so that, even from multiple tail-lengths away, Silverpaw could clearly see how rotted the tree actually was. And when Cedarstar hopped easily onto it and started to make his way across, her heart almost stopped in her chest.

Were these cats seriously proposing that they had to climb onto that thing and not fall into the black, still water below?

"This has to be a dream, "she muttered, tail lashing back and forth and ears flat against her head.

Nettlepaw scoffed. "More like a nightmare," he meowed bitterly.

Silverpaw felt someone give her a hard shove and she stumbled forward, barely saving herself from yet another face plant into the ground. "Hey! Watch where you're-"

"It appears to me that it's your turn to cross, kit," the instigator, a dirty white she-cat with scars coating her pelt, growled. Silverpaw couldn't suppress a shudder at how raspy the Follower's voice was. She narrowed her eyes, struggling to put a name onto the cat. After a moment, Snowfeather clicked into place.

"But there are still a lot more cats that have to…" her voice trailed off as she turned around and saw that the blue-eyed Follower was right. Other than her friends and Snowfeather, all the other BrokenClan cats were already on the other side.

Snowfeather looked smug. "Exactly. Now hurry up before I deliberately push you into the water."

"You can't threaten her like that!" Ivypaw exclaimed vehemently, Foxpaw and Runningpaw nodding feverishly beside her.

"Enough! Or do all of you need a taste of what that water feels like?"

Not wanting her friends to get into any more trouble because of her, Silverpaw took a deep breath and padded to the log on shaky paws. She leapt onto the slimy bark and dug her claws into the decaying wood. The whole thing felt like it could break at any moment.

You can do this, she told herself as she began to slowly make her way across. Just don't look down and you'll be fine.

So, naturally, she looked down.

Her heart plummeted when she realized how high above the water she was. The moonlight did nothing to ease the dark blackness that surrounded the dead tree on all sides, causing her limbs to lock up. She was going to fall. She was going to slip and crash into the lake below, unable to swim. The tugging water was going to pull her down until she couldn't tell which way was up or down. She was going to be lost there and no one would find her. She was-

"Silverpaw," a soft voice tugged her from her silent panic attack. The gray tabby blinked and turned her head slightly to see that Nettlepaw was there behind her, looking calm except for his flickering ear.

"I can't do it, Nettlepaw," she whispered, unable to move.

The brown tom shook his head. "Yes you can. Look, you're almost halfway there."

"But what if I fall?"

"You won't," Nettlepaw stated sternly, though his blue eyes clearly gave away his nervousness. "I'll catch you."

The idea that timid, jumpy Nettlepaw was trying to calm her down made a bubble of hysteria burst from Silverpaw's chest. "You promise?" She hated asking for help, but now was not the time to be stubborn and prideful.

"Of course."

"Hurry up you two!" Runningpaw shouted from a ways behind them.

Silverpaw swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. She eased her claws from the death grip they had on the trunk and started moving once again. Each time she would slow down, Nettlepaw nudged her gently with his head. At one point, she felt herself start to slide off of the slippery wood and she cried out in fear.

But, just like he promised, her friend caught her and waited until she was back on her paws to move forward.

At long last, Silverpaw slid off the trunk and landed clumsily on the shoreline, her breath coming in rapid gasps of relief. Nettlepaw landed beside her and they waited for the others to follow.

"Thank you," she murmured, glancing at him gratefully.

The brown tom shrugged, the unease fading slightly from his expression. "It was nothing," he replied quietly.

She was about to respond, when Ivypaw fell from the tree trunk and landed on the shore with a loud squeak. Silverpaw's tail curled up in amusement and Nettlepaw let out a trill of laughter at his sister's embarrassment.

"Oh shut up, you two," the dappled she-cat huffed. She got to her paws and shook the sand from her pelt.

"Where're the rest of them?" Nettlepaw questioned suddenly, causing Silverpaw to take a good look around. He was right; the whole shoreline was completely deserted.

"Great," she sighed. "Now we'll have to wait until Snowfeather comes."

"Was that her name?" Ivypaw sheathed and unsheathed her claws angrily. "Cedarstar has a twisted sense of humor if he gave a name as pretty as Snowfeather to a cat like that."

"You can say that again."

Silverpaw shushed the two littermates as the rest of the Initiates joined them, followed by the cat in question. Snowfeather glared at the three of them as if she somehow knew that they were talking about her. Silverpaw shivered at the cold look in the Follower's blue eyes and was relieved when she turned away.

"This way," was all Snowfeather said before she turned and disappeared into the thick undergrowth. Silverpaw exchanged a glance with Ivypaw before they all followed.

The ground was hard and compact beneath her paws, a small reprieve from the marshy lands where BrokenClan resided. The island was full of exotic looking plants and trees, and Silverpaw knew that if the sun was up instead of the moon, the entire island would be an array of beautiful shapes and colors. She wondered if she would ever get a chance to witness it in the daytime, to be a part of something so perfect.

When they arrived at the top of the small incline they'd been ascending, Snowfeather slowed and gave them a look that could wither a young, blooming flower. "Well, what are you waiting for? The sun to rise? Move!"

Startled at her loud command, the six Initiates tumbled forward in a blur of different colored pelts. Silverpaw nearly lost control of her speed as they raced down the hill and towards the bottom. When she finally slid to a halt, her heart was galloping from the rush.

"That was insane. I can't believe she made us…" Silverpaw lost sense of her voice when she took a good, clear look at her surroundings. No. Way.

The entire clearing was filled to the brim with cats. Her jaw dropped open and a harsh, musky scent invaded her mouth, causing her to gag. "W-what is that smell?" she sputtered.

Her friends were utterly silent. Runningpaw cleared his throat and whispered, "StormClan."

Silverpaw slowly scanned the faces of cats around her. She recognized all of her Clanmates, but all the others were as foreign as the disgusting aroma flowing off of them. It was incredibly easy to tell the two Clans apart: The BrokenClan cats were bulkier, with broader shoulders while the StormClan cats had more slender shapes and long, spindly legs. They also didn't appear to have nearly as many scars as the BrokenClan cats.

Silverpaw noticed that while her Clanmates were stiff and awkward, the cats of StormClan were chatting easily amongst themselves and looked almost comfortable in the large crowd. The sight baffled her beyond belief.

We couldn't be more different from each other, she thought, unsure how she felt about that.

"Silverpaw!"

She turned when Ivypaw called her name. "Yeah?"

Her friend gestured with her tail to their right. "Look," Ivypaw murmured softly.

Confused, Silverpaw followed the she-cat's gaze and her breath caught in her throat. There, right in front of her, stood the biggest oak tree she had ever seen. Forget the one in the unknown territory she had stayed in for six moons; the one that stood over the nursery as if it was a guardian; the one she'd loved for as long as she could remember.

Its trunk was huge and round, its dozens of leaf-covered branches sweeping up to the sky as if reaching for the stars. The light of the moon illuminated the rich, gleaming bark and silhouetted it so that it seemed to Silverpaw that the tree was holding up the sky all by itself.

It was powerful and majestic, and she couldn't believe she'd ever thought the one by the nursery did any justice. This was what a real oak tree looked like.

"It's beautiful," she meowed with wide blue eyes, knowing that beautiful didn't even begin to cover what she thought about it.

Foxpaw nodded. "It's quite something alright."

"Hey-is that Cedarstar sitting on that branch?" Runningpaw asked unexpectedly.

Silverpaw tore her gaze from the oak tree and squinted at the lower branches. After a moment, she caught sight of a pair of gleaming yellow eyes. "What's he doing up there?"

Nettlepaw narrowed his eyes. "And who is that other cat up there with him?"

Following the direction where he was looking, Silverpaw realized that a smaller, more slender cat was sitting proudly on a branch just higher of Cedarstar. The moon had turned the cat's tabby fur to a very pale brown and made its white underbelly more prominent. A pair of clear amber eyes gazed down below and seemed to hold all the secrets of StarClan.

"Heatherstar," breathed Smokepaw. "Leader of StormClan."

"What is going on?" Silverpaw growled, exasperated that none of them knew what was happening.

Runningpaw flicked an ear, green eyes wide. "I think we're about to find out."

As if on cue, Heatherstar rose to her paws on the thick branch and raised her tail. When all traces of conversation were extinguished, the StormClan leader began to speak. "Cats of the Clans," she called in a loud, strong voice, "Tonight is the full moon, a night where each set of Initiates prove how much they've learned in their first moon of Initiation."

That did not sound good at all.

"However, before we begin," Heatherstar continued, "Let us introduce the cats who have joined our ranks. Boulderpaw and Blackpaw, sons of Shadefeather." Silverpaw stretched her neck and saw a small black tom and a gray tom, considerably larger than his littermate, step forward. "And Honeypaw, Russetpaw, and Brackenpaw, daughters and son of Mosspelt."

This time, three cats emerged from the group: a pretty golden tabby she-cat, a long-legged golden-brown tom, and a very dark ginger she-cat with a pelt that rivaled Foxpaw's. Silverpaw glanced at said tom and guessed that he was thinking the same thing, considering how his amber eyes narrowed in on the she-cat almost instantly.

Heatherstar's voice pulled her attention back. "They have trained hard over the past moon and are ready to show their worth." As the StormClan leader said this, her eyes glowed with pride as she looked down at the Initiates and Silverpaw felt a pang of resentment. Cedarstar never showed even a speckle of the satisfaction Heatherstar had for her Clanmates, no matter how hard they tried to please him.

Cheers rose from the cluster of StormClan cats and Heatherstar dipped her head to Cedarstar, signaling that she was done speaking.

The calls quieted down and the large dark furred tom got to his paws, yellow eyes cold as he observed the crowd surrounding the oak tree. "BrokenClan was blessed with six new Initiates this past leaf-bare," he announced, voice even and flat. If Silverpaw didn't know better, she would've sworn he sounded almost bored.

"Smokepaw and Foxpaw, sons of Swiftpetal." The two brothers glanced at each other and cautiously stepped forward at the sound of their names. "Ivypaw, Runningpaw, and Nettlepaw, sons and daughter of Ryefeather."

Ivypaw bounded forward eagerly while her littermates followed at a much slower pace, skepticism in every move they made.

"And finally, Silverpaw, daughter of Skywhisper."

Silverpaw padded forward, blue eyes focused on the ground as hushed whisper came from the StormClan cats. The gray tabby strained with all her might to try and hear what they could possibly be talking about, but she only managed to catch snippets of conversations.

"Says she did something-"

"Tried to run-"

"That apprentice-"

"Deputy didn't like it-"

"Should've been exiled-"

That last one startled her. Exiled? The word itself was enough to turn her blood to ice. She'd never heard it before, but she was instantly flashed back to the conversation she'd had with Skywhisper the day they'd left the nursery and traveled to BrokenClan. What had her mother said about Sparkpaw?

He never made it past Initiation. Not everyone passes.

At the time, Silverpaw had been too innocent to process what exactly that meant. She hadn't really given thought of what happened to the tom, had shoved it from her mind due to all the stress of Initiation. But now, she could put two and two together. That's what happened to Sparkpaw. He'd been exiled.

But why?

"Enough of this!" Cedarstar snarled as the hum of murmuring grew louder. "Are we waiting for leaf-bare or something? The moon is going to set soon if we don't start!"

Heatherstar glanced at him through shrewd eyes. "Of course," she responded after a moment. She cleared her throat and instructed, "Initiates from both Clans, come forward to the center of the clearing!"

Silverpaw moved closer to Ivypaw, pressing her pelt against her friend's a vain attempt of reassurance. The Followers from both Clans moved back so that a wide empty circle was left in the middle of the clearing, where the StormClan Initiates already stood. She noticed that Honeypaw, the pretty golden she-cat, looked as if she was about to flee any moment; her sister Russetpaw, however, had her green eyes narrowed excitedly. The three toms stood side by side next to the two she-cats, as if grimly awaiting their fate.

Do they know what this is about? Silverpaw wondered when she saw the fierce determination gleaming in Russetpaw's eyes and the grave acceptance in Boulderpaw's expression. Did Heatherstar tell them when Cedarstar refused to tell us?

The thought made her resolve harden. Whatever the Trials of Worth was, she would meet it head-on with as much strength as her tired limbs could give her.

"You look like you could take on a badger," whispered Ivypaw, fondness in her yellow eyes.

Despite the circumstances, Silverpaw felt her whiskers twitch. "For what it's worth, I think you'd have a better chance at that then I would," she responded dryly.

Ivypaw flicked her with her silver tail. The amusement faded and was replaced with uncertainty and fear. "Whatever's going to happen, promise me you'll come out with only a few scratches."

"We'll be fine," she mewed firmly. Then why does it feel like we're saying goodbye?

When the six of them stopped in front of the five StormClan Initiates, Silverpaw knew that both sides were sizing the other one up. She was positive the other cats would see her as the weakest link because of her size, and she knew her friends were thinking the same thing about Blackpaw-the small, lithe black tom standing next to Boulderpaw.

However, by now Silverpaw knew from experience that size meant hardly anything as long as one was fast and nimble. That in itself could just be equally as deadly.

"Followers," Cedarstar yowled, "tonight in the Trials of Worth, these eleven Initiates will prove they have what it takes to be part of their Clan. On every full moon from now until they reach the status of a Follower, they will be tested in different skills sets. Tonight, it is battle technique. The Initiates from BrokenClan will fight one-on-one with the Initiates from StormClan. If it is too much for you, you have the choice to surrender." He said surrender as if he was talking about a moon-old piece of crowfood. Silverpaw knew there would be no surrendering for the BrokenClan Initiates. Not unless they absolutely had to.

"The last one standing from either Clan will simply gain the satisfaction of knowing that they are better than any of their fellow Initiates."

"But StormClan is outnumbered!" a black and brown tom piped up, frustration evident in the way he kneaded the ground with his paws. "That's not a fair match!"

"Look at that one, Acornwhisker," one of his Clanmates meowed scathingly, gesturing savagely with his head in Silverpaw's direction. "Boulderpaw could take her out with one swipe!"

Silverpaw raised her chin defiantly and bared her teeth at the gray tom who'd insulted her. She felt Ivypaw rest her tail warningly on her shoulders and she forced herself to take deep breaths. Rage and fear were becoming blended inside of her and she couldn't tell where one ended and one began.

"It's still unfair!"

"Such is the way of life, Acornwhisker," Cedarstar drawled, giving his chest fur a few lazy licks. Silverpaw could tell that he was enjoying himself immensely and her rage kicked up another level. "Initiates, you know the rules. Last one standing wins."

The clearing was tense and silent and no one dared to breathe, much less make a move.

Cedarstar rolled his eyes. "Begin."

Without any warning, Silverpaw was slammed into so hard that she flew a couple of tail-lengths away. She banged her head against the hard ground and black dots appeared in her vision. Too stunned to move, her attacker pounced on her and instantly began to pummel her with their back claws.

Silverpaw screeched in pain and writhed violently, unbalancing the cat above her so that she could wiggle out like a sleek fish. Turning around, she saw that it was Honeypaw standing before her-and the golden she-cat still looked as frightened as she had before. A loud yowl sounded from behind her and Honeypaw's eyes flicked to it for a heartbeat-but that was all Silverpaw needed.

The gray tabby surged forward and lashed out in an onslaught of thorn sharp claws, making the StormClan Initiate howl in pain. Twisting lithely on her paws in a move Buzzardstrike had shoved into her, she didn't pause as she raced toward Honeypaw and tackled her to the ground.

Honeypaw swiped at her and Silverpaw hissed in pain when she felt her skin tear on her shoulder. Her pain morphed into anger almost instantly and she relentlessly attacked Honeypaw's spine with her back claws.

Suddenly, the world turned upside down when Honeypaw rolled over, trying to squash Silverpaw with her weight. The BrokenClan Initiate gasped in pain but soon Honeypaw's momentum carried her through and Silverpaw was struggling to catch her breath. Not wasting anytime, Honeypaw jumped onto her and sliced her claws down Silverpaw's stomach.

Silverpaw went limp. Honeypaw leaned down and snarled, "That's not going to fool me mouse-brain!" Before she had even finished, Silverpaw sent her flying with a fierce kick to the stomach. She tackled the golden she-cat and bit her tail so hard she tasted blood.

Honeypaw wailed in pain and flailed wildly but Silverpaw shoved all her weight on top of the larger cat, trying desperately to hold her down while she still had Honeypaw's tail in her mouth.

"Okay, I give up," cried the StormClan Imitate, defeat clear in her voice. "Please, I give up!"

"Honeypaw from StormClan surrenders!" a loud voice called, as if keeping score of something.

Silverpaw detached herself from Honeypaw, regret blossoming in her chest when she saw how raggedly torn the she-cat's tail was. "I'm sorry," she meowed quietly. Honeypaw rose to her paws and sent her a scathing look.

"You destroyed my tail! It will never be pretty again!"
Okay, so maybe she didn't feel that bad for the whiny, complaining scrap. Silverpaw sent Honeypaw a look that clearly told her just how stupid she thought the StormClan cat was before she turned around and threw herself back into the battle.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she went fully into battle mode. All other things disappeared and all she saw was her friends and the StormClan Initiates. She scanned the fight and saw that Runningpaw was fighting back-to-back with Foxpaw, each mirroring each other's moves perfectly as they sparred with Brackenpaw and Russetpaw. Ivypaw was holding her own against Blackpaw.

However, Boulderpaw was playing with Smokepaw as if the BrokenClan tom was a tiny mouse sent for his amusement. Boulderpaw was larger than any of them, bulkier than being a StormClan cat usually allowed, and Smokepaw was trying desperately to make a mark on the gray tom.

But Smokepaw had never been the best fighter, and Boulderpaw sent him flying with a hard cuff on the head. Silverpaw looked around desperately and spotted Nettlepaw frozen in place, watching what was happening with scared eyes.

"Nettlepaw!" she screamed, and the brown tom jerked his head up. His blue eyes met hers and she motioned to where Boulderpaw was slowly stalking towards a stunned Smokepaw. "Together!"

A ferocious gleam came to his eyes, one Silverpaw had never seen before. "Together!" he yowled, running towards the two toms. Silverpaw was already racing forward and they slammed into Boulderpaw at the exact same time.

The huge gray tom shouted in shock as he was thrown off balance, but he immediately found his footing and spun around to face them. His blue eyes narrowed savagely. "Would you look at that," he sneered, "A kit and a skinny bag of bones trying to fight me?"

Silverpaw let out a loud caterwaul and rushed him, anticipating the feint to the left he was going to do. Her claws met his ear and sliced down the whole length of it, causing him to growl in pain. What she didn't expect, though, was how fast he was. He slammed his shoulder into her side and Silverpaw stumbled, her paw twisting painfully. She fell onto her side and Boulderpaw was about to take advantage before Nettlepaw caught him off guard with a series of lightning-fast swipes to the muzzle.

Silverpaw leapt up, ignoring the severe throbbing in her left paw. She ran to help her friend and crashed into Boulderpaw's flank, sending both of them toppling over in a blur of teeth and claws. He sliced a deep gash along her face and she howled in agony, blood dripping into her eye and making her blind for a moment.

With nothing but the basic need to survive burning through her, Silverpaw lashed out ruthlessly with every ounce of strength she had left. She yowled in triumph whenever her claws met their mark and at last they finally separated. Both of them were breathing heavily as they slowly stalked one another in a circle.

Silverpaw knew she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. The wounds Boulderpaw and Honeypaw had left her with were searing and waves of pain spiked from her twisted paw. But she felt a sort of savage satisfaction when she realized she'd left quite a lot of her own marks on Boulderpaw.

"Ready to give up yet?" the gray tom hissed as they continued to circle one another.

"Never," she growled.

He's trying to distract you, a voice that sounded oddly like Buzzardstrike told her. Wait for the sign that he's about to attack.

She didn't have to wait long. A slight shift in his weight distribution alerted her a split second before he leapt.

NOW!

Silverpaw bunched her leg muscles and, with a force of will she didn't know she had, jumped into the air and sailed right over Boulderpaw. Contorting her body in midair, she landed hard on the other side of him, the effect sending a ripple of pain through her.

Spin and brace yourself! the voice commanded.

She didn't have time to second guess it. She spun around swiftly and tried to do as the voice said, but she wasn't quick enough. Boulderpaw met her in a head-on collision and crashed into her so violently, the force caused him to continue off of her when they slammed into the ground.

Get up! This time it was her own voice screaming at her. Get up, get up, get up!

A fog had settled into Silverpaw's head and she was nearly blind with pain by now. She wanted nothing more than to keep laying there and fall asleep, but she vaguely registered that that would not be a good idea at all-unless she wanted to be mauled to death.

The trembling gray tabby agonizingly tried to get to her paws, but it was slow going. She couldn't put any weight onto her left paw and her entire frame was quivering with the effort of struggling to stay upright. It was too much effort.

Silverpaw felt herself falling back down, but for the second time that night, a sturdy shoulder caught her. She blinked blearily and looked up into the concerned yellow eyes of Ivypaw.

"Silverpaw?" her friend demanded loudly. "Silverpaw, can you hear me?"

The she-cat winced. It sounded like Ivypaw's voice was amplified to the maximum. "Stop talking so loud," she mumbled. "I'm right here."

Relief made Ivypaw mrrow with laughter, though it was weak with exhaustion. Silverpaw squinted through the fog and noticed that Ivypaw's muzzle was bleeding profusely. "You're hurt," she exclaimed, alarm making her voice an octave higher than usual. "Ivypaw, you're bleeding-"

The dappled she-cat shook her head wearily. "We're all bleeding, Silverpaw." She narrowed her eyes. "Though not nearly as bad as you and Nettlepaw," she added.

Silverpaw's heart skipped. "What happened? Is he alright? How bad is he?" Hysteria was starting to take over at the thought that her friend had died because of her.

"He's alive, Silverpaw," Ivypaw reassured her.

"W-what happened? Why did the fighting stop?"

The silver and white she-cat gazed at her for a long moment, her expression wavering as if she was deciding between something.

Silverpaw pulled away. "What happened, Ivypaw?" she asked sharply, apprehension turning her blood to ice.

"You and Nettlepaw were the last two standing," Ivypaw stated eventually.

Silverpaw blinked. "B-but that's a good thing, right?"

Ivypaw blinked slowly at her, misery plain as day in her wide eyes. "Smokepaw surrendered. And Cedarstar just now made it clear what the consequence for that will be."

Her thoughts were spinning too wildly to make sense of anything. "I don't understand. What are you trying to say?"

"Silverpaw…as soon as we return back to BrokenClan territory, Smokepaw's gone."

Alarm shot through Silverpaw and froze all thought process. "But why?" she whispered, already knowing but not wanting to believe it.

"Because," Ivypaw meowed, her voice cracking at the end, "Cedarstar sent him into exile."

DUN DUN DUN DUN! That was an intense chapter to write, and it's probably the longest one out of the whole story so far! I apologize that I keep leaving cliffhangers after, like, every chapter; but these darn things are just so fun to write! :3 Review and tell me what you thought and what you think is going to happen!