Sandpaw woke with a start and let her eyes adjust before gazing around the apprentice's den. Flowerpaw and Swiftpaw were still asleep and the night was still full, but Sandpaw felt worried. She had another vision of her with that strange she-cat that she kept calling mama. Shaking her head, the apprentice slunk out of the den and into the clearing, accidentally bumping into Blackstar. The leader whipped around and Sandpaw jumped back. "I'm sorry!"

Blackstar relaxed and sat down. "It's alright, Sandpaw. Can't sleep either." He sighed and glanced up at the stars. "So, how was your first day of apprentice training?"

Sandpaw blinked and sat down next to Blackstar, looking up as well. "It was great! But…" He voice trailed off and he glanced at her, frowning slightly. "I… I saw myself, it was night, following a tawny tabby queen and I kept calling her 'mama'… but Heatherbreeze is my mother." The young apprentice hesitated. "Right?"

The WindClan leader winced and glanced at the apprentice again, eyes dark. "Come with me," he rumbled. "You lived from the truth long enough." Sandpaw whimpered slightly and her eyes widened as she followed her leader slowly, heart pounding fearfully. Oh StarClan… what did I do?

Blackstar led the way out of camp and over the hill, toward a clearing surround by grass, but sand covered ground in a circle. He sat down and gestured for her to do the same. Sandpaw obeyed nervously, heart threatening to burst out of her chest. He sighed and rumbled softly, "Your mother is not Heatherbreeze and your father is not Badgerpelt, so Flowerpaw and Swiftpaw are not your siblings."

Sandpaw knew she should've been surprised and hurt and angry, but she wasn't. She wasn't even surprised.

"Your mother was Softfeather. Your father… your father is unknown, perhaps a ThunderClan warrior."

Sandpaw felt her throat tighten. "What happened to Softfeather?"

Blackstar blinked at her and murmured, "I'm sorry, Sandpaw, but she left you to become a loner."

All those emotions that she should've felt her flooded through her and the apprentice's vision blurred. "She left me…?"

The WindClan leader padded over to the apprentice and placed his tail across her back. "I'm so sorry, I tried to stop her."

Sandpaw shook his tail off and ran away, whimpering, her heart throbbing and her lungs tight. She left me? She abandoned me?! I'm glad that Heatherbreeze took me in without hating me! The apprentice slowed to a stop when she realized were she was. Sandpaw glanced around and scented the air. I've crossed the WindClan border, but the RiverClan border is further ahead of me… must be unclaimed territory… maybe I could –

"Hey! Aren't you the kit that I saved from Shadestar?" Some cat called and Sandpaw jumped, whipping toward the voice and saw a larger brown tabby tom with bright green eyes looking down at her with an amused look.

Sandpaw puffed out her chest. "I'm Sandpaw now! Who are you?"

The tom sat down, smiling. "I'm Branchpaw. What are you doing here?"

The WindClan apprentice looked down. "Because I was told that my mother left me to be a loner and my father might be a ThunderClan warrior…"

Branchpaw nudged her, like a brother comforting his sister. "I know how it is. My mother is Streamheart but Shadestar is my father… my mother never loved him." Sandpaw blinked.

"Is Icepaw and Pricklepaw your siblings?" She asked, remembering the two other cats. Branchpaw nodded.

"Yes they are." He flicked an ear and stood up. "I should go. See you at the gathering?"

"Sure!" Sandpaw chirped, grinning as the RiverClan apprentice grinned back and bounded away. Sandpaw turned and streaked back to her Clan.