Onyxpaw felt humiliated as Logpelt let him up. It was the second time in a quarter-moon that he got pinned down that way, and he wasn't about to again. Jumping up, he shook himself and glared at the remaining cats. Why didn't they understand? Minttooth was a traitor to ShadowClan! He did not deserve to live.

"How could you?" he finally asked in disbelief.

Brackenheart shrugged. "We all hate Foxstar, just admit it."

"Well, I don't," Onyxpaw growled, his annoyance rising. We all? Who was 'we?' Not the entire Clan. If they're ShadowClan, then they must like the leader because well…they're part of his Clan, right?

"Foxstar is a mean and strict leader," Brackenheart meowed, his voice softer. "He will kill anyone who stands in his way."

"Then why don't I kill you now?" Onyxpaw's voice quivered. Why didn't these cats get it? Foxstar believed in making the Clan a pure, united one, and he, Onyxpaw, totally and fully supported him. Traitors like Brackenheart and Minttooth didn't deserve to be in the forest. Their spirits were already tainted. They would never make it to StarClan, as far as he was concerned.

"Try me," growled Brackenheart, and Minttooth walked to stand next to Brackenheart. Both of them glared at Onyxpaw.

I'm not strong enough to take on these two, Onyxpaw realized, and possibly, I'll have to fight Flintpaw, Logpelt, and Vixenclaw, too. Curse Flintpaw for being Foxstar's favorite! Can't he see that Flintpaw's a flea-pelted traitor too?

Brackenheart and Minttooth took the silence as a cue to leave. The patrol watched them disappear through the ThunderClan forest.

"Well, I hope they're happy," muttered Logpelt.

"Yeah," sighed Vixenclaw. "Wish I'd thought of that…" she suddenly cast a concerned glance towards Onyxpaw and said nothing more.

Ha, I can't kill Brackenheart and Minttooth, but I know someone who can… and when he does you'll be glad that you didn't go.

Flintpaw padded back to camp, with an empty feeling in his stomach. Although he had not known Brackenheart or Minttooh personally too well, he still felt like a chunk was missing—a chunk of ShadowClan were missing. Two warriors—gone, probably forever.

At least there's a chance I'll see them at Gatherings… as ThunderClan warriors. He had, so far, gone to every single one, as Foxstar's "favorite." He didn't have any desire to be liked by the dark, russet tom, as many of the cats who claimed they were Foxstar's accomplices glared thorns at him like Onyxpaw already did. I didn't ask for this.

He glanced across the clearing. The patrol had just returned, and Logpelt had gone to talk to Dawnpaw and Jumpingpaw; Vixenclaw was eating a thrush. Onyxpaw disappeared into Foxstar's tree den.

Flintpaw immediately sat up. What was Onyxpaw thinking, going to Foxstar's den like that? Even he didn't dare to (he never tried), and here was Onyxpaw, acting all arrogant and stuck-up! You think Foxstar will like you if you keep rubbing up against him like that?

Flintpaw kept glancing at the den, but Onyxpaw seemed to have disappeared deep down into Foxstar's den. Flintpaw knew that the Tall Oak was hollow; there was a hard ledge that you walked on the moment you walked into the den, and a tunnel led down to the bottom of the Oak. Flintpaw was allowed to look around in there once; he had to slid down, using his claws to stabilize himself. Foxstar had said that he sometimes kept bad kits in there as a punishment, shutting them from the world for a few moments, until he couldn't stand the miserable cries.

"They get what they deserve," Foxstar had said.

What did they do to deserve this horrible punishment? Flintpaw had thought. Surely no punishment bad enough!

But no one questioned Foxstar, ever.

Flintpaw waited a few more moments. Logpelt looked up from his conversation with his kits and Vixenclaw pushed aside her thrush, her eyes trained on the hollow. The whole Clan seemed to be holding their breath; clearly everyone had seen Onyxpaw disappear into Foxstar's den, and wondered if he would ever come out.

As if on cue, the two warriors slid out. Foxstar was in the lead, walking at such a fast pace that Onyxpaw was sprinting to catch up; Foxstar jumped down gracefully from the branch and strode out, while Onyxpaw leapt down and crashed. He immediately jumped up and continued trailing Foxstar, his tail waving in an air of excited anticipation. His eyes gleamed hungrily.

Foxstar headed towards Vixenclaw, who stood up at once.

"You say you saw Brackenheart and Minttooth on the ThunderClan border?" asked Foxstar quietly. The Clan listened with bated breath. The clearing was silent except for Onyxpaw's ragged pants.

"Y-yes, Foxstar," Vixenclaw meowed.

"I must speak with Beetlestar. Come along, Flintpaw." Foxstar started to walk out of the clearing.

Flintpaw was stunned for a moment, then Cloudpaw nudged him gently, and his paws moved towards Foxstar.

"What about me?" whined Onyxpaw.

Foxstar fixed the black tom with a hard and unfriendly gaze. "If Aspenheart agrees so."

"No," Aspenheart said fiercely. "You will not tamper with this business."

"I won't allow it either," Logpelt meowed with determined confidence. Fallenshadow padded out of the warrior's den and nodded, too. Raggedlion, Jaggedleaf, Hawksplash, and Wolftail glared at Flintpaw with such contempt in their eyes it was enough to rival Foxstar's everyday ones. Flintpaw flattened his ears and cowered behind Foxstar's tall legs.

Foxstar gazed at Onyxpaw with the same chilly glare for a moment more, then said nothing and flicked his tail to summon his apprentice, smacking Flintpaw in the face. Flintpaw's face stung, but he followed Foxstar out.

Foxstar seemed to mutter something.

"What was that?" asked Flintpaw, confused. Foxstar never said that word.

"Nothing," replied Foxstar curtly. "Be quiet, and let us walk, or I will regret having you along."

I could have swore it was a "sorry."