Disclaimer: No.

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Moonstar of FireClan: The real Mistypaw (my beta) actually acts like that. Cats can have up to twelve kits. Just a note: Acidcloud is extremely important. I see you're a Lionclaw fan (insert sarcasm) it was actually really tempting to kill him off. Yes… disaster. Mweheheheheh… The deadline is not dead, she has four moons now. As for the last question… maybe… you'll have to read to find out. I'm glad I make you laugh!

Mintytooth: Yes. Poor Acidpaw. Maybe I'll do something nice to him today… Redstar died three moons ago. You! Update! I want to know what happens! Pwease?

THANK YOU TO MY BETA, MISTYTAIL!!! (throws plushies everywhere for the awesome reviewers and the awesome beta) Those of you who are reading the story, but not reviewing… please review.

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Chapter Ten

Prophecies—a Harsh Reminder

"I remember! I recognize his scent! He really is my father!"

"If this were a happy moment," replied Lavaflame, her voice wavering, "I would've said I told you so."

"Let's bring him back to camp," muttered Breezepaw.

Lavaflame, Mistypaw, Shadepaw, and Breezepaw lifted Lionclaw's body. Their heads were bowed. Oceanpaw was leading the way, her head down as well. The five cats made their way toward the ForestClan side of the fence.

Mistypaw was completely lost in thought. How was this possible? It explained her preference for the forest grounds and her ability to hunt there easily. It was also a reason as to why Roaringbreeze didn't really like her… but that also meant that Jaggedpaw was not her blood brother. She wondered if he knew that. She wondered if her mother knew that. Tigerpelt was right. Spotpaw definitely knew something the others didn't. Her head hurt now from thinking.

She looked up. It was getting dark. It was cold too. Mistypaw shivered. Leaf-bare was coming. She had never experienced leaf-bare before. Last leaf-bare, she was a newborn. It seemed like greenleaf because of the desert. CanyonClan had two camps: Their camp for the warm seasons in the canyon, and the camp for the cold seasons in the desert.

Suddenly, a black shape caught her eye. What in StarClan's name was that? It looked like an overgrown fox. She could only see the silhouette. Wait… Was that a coyote? Those only lived deep in the desert though. No, it was something else, but what? Mistypaw squinted. It turned its gleaming eyes on her, then looked at Oceanpaw, whose head was still bowed.

The small apprentice's eyes widened.

"OCEANPAW LOOK OUT!"

The sand-colored she-cat's head shot up. She froze in shock as an enormous black and brown creature hovered over her.

"Where are you, Runty?" it snarled.

"OCEANPAW, RUN!" yowled Lavaflame.

I hear you… but my legs… they don't work! Why can't I move? StarClan help me! Mother! Mother, help me! Hel—

A small black blur shoved Oceanpaw out of the way. Oceanpaw rolled to the side panting and shaking. She stared reassuring herself.

"I'm okay… I'm alive… It's okay… Everything's okay… Wait… No, it's not okay… What happened to—"

"SHADEPAW!" screeched Lavaflame.

The small black apprentice hung in the dog's deadly jaws. She focused her rapidly blurring vision on her mother. Blood dripped onto the grass from her bite wounds.

"Mommy… help… help… help me… mommy… mom…" She coughed out blood. The dog dropped her to the ground.

"Oh goodie," snarled the dog, "More little creatures I can destroy. Foolish things. You have no business on my territory—"

Three cats flung themselves off the fence and at the dog, who shook them off effortlessly.

"Back off, disgusting beast!" snarled Falconbeak.

"Don't mess with us!" added Snakefang, "Turn around and never come back!"

The dog looked at all the three warriors in turn. Its gaze landed on Hawktalon.

"I remember you!" it snarled, "You're the one that saved Runty from my wrath! He only escaped with a bite in his shoulder. Remember this, you rat-brained cats: I will kill each and every one of you! Watch out!"

Seth turned around and went through the dog door of the Twoleg nest.

"Glad that's over," meowed Falconbeak. He snorted, "It'll probably be too stupid to remember to want to kill us."

"Shadepaw…"

"StarClan no…" breathed Hawktalon.

Lavaflame was crouched over her black kit. "Shadepaw… It'll be okay. Hang in there."

"Mommy," whispered Shadepaw her voice no louder than a whisper, "I… I don't… want to die… not yet… mommy… help… mom… please help me… mommy… don't go… no… don't… don't… I'm scared… mom…"

The young she-cat fell silent. The rise and fall of her chest stopped. Her eyes glazed over and became sightless.

"SHADEPAW!!!"

MountainClan camp…

Thunder roared loudly, making Scarletleaf jump. "Something bad is about to happen," he muttered, "I can feel it."

There was a flash of lightning followed by a loud meow of shock.

Scarletleaf burst out of MountainClan camp, which was a large cave in the mountain. He saw Silvermask, the Clan deputy, shaking slightly.

"Sorrelstar is dead," he whispered.

"What?" yowled Scarletleaf. He bounded forward and gasped.

There lay Sorrelstar, dead, a large burn mark from her right ear to the tip of her tail.

"Wh-what happened to her?" asked Scarletleaf, stunned.

"She was coming down from the mountain, and she was struck by lightning!" explained Littlebreeze.

"I think it's an omen!" meowed a long-furred brown tom.

Scarletleaf's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He had always felt a bad vibe from Hawkpaw. Was he speaking truthfully about this omen of his, or was it a lie? By now, most of the Clan had gathered around.

"What sort of omen?" asked Splashlily, an elderly white-and-gray she-cat.

"Notice the shape of that burn mark," explained Hawkpaw, "It is the same mark as the black stripe on Sleekkit, that cursed kit from PrairieClan. I am sure some of you know what I mean."

"You can't blame a kit!" yowled Scarletleaf. His protest was drowned out by yowls of approval.

Hawkpaw went on. "Now you may be wondering about how we were cursed by a kit from another Clan. Well I'll tell you. There was once a very old prophecy that was never solved, yet never realized. I'm talking about the prophecy of the Curse-Carrier."

"The Curse-Carrier!" yowled Roughbreeze, an incredibly old tabby tom, "That prophecy was told when I was a kit! Some say that it was a prophecy from the future!"

"Yes!" agreed Wetfeather, Roughbreeze's identical brother, who was once a Medicine Cat, "It went like this:"

All three elders began to recite the prophecy.

"There will be a cat,

Overlooked and ignored,

Thought to be weak,

But in fact,

The most dangerous of them all,

A cat whose gaze

Can freeze mountains

Kill many

Force innocents into war

A power of destruction

That life itself cannot control

It contains the souls of the exiled

A black, twisted heart,

Without saying a word,

It can bring forth chaos,

The Carrier of the Curses."

"What does this have to do with anything?" yowled Scarletleaf.

"A lot of things," it was Mangledpaw who spoke.

"What cat is overlooked, ignored, and seemingly weak?" asked Hawkpaw.

"Are there any?" one of the Warriors put in.

"Yes. Right now, the mountain is frozen, figuratively speaking," meowed Mangledpaw, "We currently have no leader. Therefore, the flow of MountainClan itself has been stopped, or frozen, if you prefer."

"Who would've thought…" meowed another Warrior, "But who is this cat?"

"The freezing of the mountain is a disaster. It is chaos," Hawkpaw emphasized the word 'chaos', "Who can bring forth chaos, but won't speak a word?"

The rest of the Clan was silent.

It dawned on Scarletleaf. Oh no…

"I'll tell you!" yowled Hawkpaw, stepping forward, toward a small tabby she-cat. He flicked his tail at her, "That, cats of MountainClan, is the Curse-Carrier!"

The she-cat stepped back, a look of fear in her eyes.

"Quietpaw!" snarled Wetfeather, "It all makes perfect sense! She doesn't speak a word! Ever!"

"And I saw her at the PrairieClan border, too!" added Hawkpaw, "She was probably coming back with the curse of that kit with the stripe. That stripe that is identical to the burn mark on Sorrelstar! Think of the destruction mentioned in the prophecy! What will happen if we let her stay here?"

Yowls and shrieks went through the crowd of gathered cats.

"Kill her!"

"Blind her!"

"Exile!"

Hawkpaw looked at Silvermask. "What are you going to do, Silverstar?"

Silvermask was shaking. He glanced at his brother, Flameshadow. The ginger and black tom nodded.

The new leader opened his mouth, looking into Quietpaw's eyes.

I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do… "Exile!"

Quietpaw's eyes widened. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

The Clan started chanting. "Exile! Exile!"

"Don't show your face here again!" snarled Roughbreeze.

"If you put one paw on MountainClan territory after sunrise, my Warriors may kill!" meowed Silvermask, a hint of regret in his voice.

Quietpaw blinked back tears. She turned and fled MountainClan territory.

ForestClan camp…

Pantherstar was at the base of the Treestump. Shadepaw's body was in front of her. Oceanpaw padded up to Pantherstar.

"What is it, Oceanpaw?" asked the leader.

"Well… I… The dog was going to kill me, but Shadepaw… Shadepaw was the one who shoved me out the way! Like… like a true Warrior!"

Pantherstar's eyes softened.

"Cats of ForestClan!" she yowled, "Please join me here for an important meeting!"

Most of the Clan was already gathered, but those who weren't came forward. Pantherstar opened her mouth.

"Those of you who were there when Shadepaw died knew that she saved Oceanpaw's life. She had the courage of a Warrior to do what she did."

There were many yowls of approval.

"I call upon my Warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has learned the Warrior code and has given up her life in service of her Clan. Let StarClan receive her as a Warrior," Pantherstar hesitated for a second before continuing, "She will be know as Shadelion, because she showed as much courage as a Warrior of LionClan when she paid the ultimate price for saving her sister."

"Shadelion! Shadelion!" chanted the Clan.

"Lionclaw was a noble deputy. Pure-hearted and kind. We shall always honor him," Pantherstar went on. Acidpaw resisted the urge to snort, "I say these words before the body of Lionclaw. The new deputy will be Falconbeak!"

Falconbeak nodded. "I won't fail you, Pantherstar."

"Falconbeak! Falconbeak!" the Clan chanted.

"Spotpaw is currently without a mentor," meowed Pantherstar. She looked at Foxclaw, "Foxclaw, I know you have just lost your apprentice, but are you willing to take Spotpaw when she is fully recovered?"

Foxclaw nodded.

"The meeting is over, then," Pantherstar was about to turn back to the nursery.

"What about the Gathering?" asked Acidpaw, "It's tonight. We're late already."

"I nearly forgot. Falconbeak, Wolfpaw, Stripepaw, Rainpaw, Hawktalon, and…" Pantherstar hesitated, "Acidpaw. The meeting is over now. Hurry and go."

Acidpaw blinked. That was unexpected. His punishment was not supposed to let him go to the Gatherings. Stripepaw hissed furiously. The black-furred apprentice growled back.

"Come on!" called Falconbeak, "We're late as it is!"

Wolfpaw walked next to Stripepaw. He ignored her and went up to Rainpaw.

"Hi Rainpaw, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but Wolfpaw isn't," she replied, hoping Stripepaw would take the hint. He didn't, and continued to talk to her. Rainpaw just nodded at places where she thought she should, hoping to shut him up.

"I'm surprised that Pantherstar let you go, with the amount of piled-up punishments that you have," meowed Hawktalon. He seemed to keep a distance from his apprentice.

Falconbeak snorted. "If you ask me, he should have stayed at camp."

Acidpaw ignored both of them. He was too busy glaring at Stripepaw.

They arrived at the river. Stripepaw groaned. "I hate this part."

Stripepaw dashed across, trying not to get himself wet, but only causing splashes, totally soaking himself.

Acidpaw approached Rainpaw. "You have four moons left," he hissed into her ear, "If I'm not a Warrior by then, I'm going."

Rainpaw nodded, looking downcast. For a second, Acidpaw actually felt bad for her.

"We're here," meowed Falconbeak.

ForestClan camp…

She was looking down lovingly at three kits. Three ginger-colored kits with blue eyes: All three of them were mirror images of their father.

Suddenly, the sky turned dark.

One of the kits started wailing.

"MOMMY! MOMMY!"

The others started to join in, their cries freezing Silverdiamond to the spot. The light came back. One of the kits was gone.

"No!" shrieked Silverdiamond, "Give him back! Please!"

"Watcha screamin' for, Silverdiamond?" asked one of the remaining kits. He was sitting with a ginger queen. He looked up at her, "Mommy, why is Silverdiamond screaming?"

"Yeah, why?" asked the other ginger kit, his black ears twitching.

The ginger queen shook her head. "Leave her be. She needs time to think."

"Okay," mewed the ginger kits.

They went back to the nursery with a yellow-cream she-kit and a cream tomkit.

It was dark again. Redstar's voice whispered…

"Watch out for the gale that seems to roar…"

"Mommy? Where are you? Mom? MOMMY!"

Silverdiamond sprang awake, panting. She choked back a sob.

"I… need air…" the Medicine Cat exited her den. She gazed at the mountain and the prairie across the river, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Tigerpelt ran up to her.

"Silverdiamond! Pantherstar's kits!"

Gathering Island…

There were four cats on the enormous log where the Clan leaders stood. This time, there was only one she-cat that stood there instead of the normal three.

"What happened to Pantherstar and Sorrelstar?" asked Blazingstar.

"Sorrelstar is dead," meowed Silvermask, "She was struck by lightning."

"Pantherstar cannot attend the Gathering for reasons that ForestClan will keep to themselves," meowed Falconbeak, "Let's proceed with the Gathering."

Silentstar stepped forward. "We don't have much to report. CanyonClan has recovered from the outbreak of greencough. One of our Warriors, Blueclaw, was killed. With leaf-bare approaching, CanyonClan will soon settle in the desert camp. That is all."

Acidpaw sighed in relief. Nobody had mentioned him.

Silvermask spoke now, "I will be going to get my nine lives tonight. My deputy is Flameshadow."

"Wait a second!" some cat called out, "Flameshadow hasn't completely mentored one apprentice yet! He can't be deputy!"

"Flameshadow is currently mentoring an apprentice," meowed Silvermask, "Does that not count?"

There were murmurings in the crowd.

"When you're done," meowed Blazingstar, "I will report. Sleekbrook gave birth to three healthy kits, but we fear that the others may die. We have already lost Graykit. Their mother and father are dead too."

"The others are cursed!" some cat in the crowd yowled.

A lot of yowling was heard.

"I will judge whether the kits are cursed!" boomed Blazingstar, his black ears twitching angrily, "I have nothing else to report."

It was Falconbeak's turn now. "Lionclaw and Shadepaw were killed by a dog. Shadepaw was received by StarClan as a Warrior called Shadelion. I am now deputy. That is all."

The leaders leaped off of the Log and summoned their Clans.

ForestClan camp…

Silverdiamond had just finished burying three dead kits. Only two of Pantherstar's kits were alive. One tom and one she-kit, whose names were Lionkit and Redkit.

Snakefang came rushing up to her.

"What now?" asked Silverdiamond. She was tired and just wanted to sleep.

"I can't find Pantherstar anywhere!"

Silverdiamond's stomach clenched. This was bad, very bad.

The two cats rushed out of camp.

Twoleg garden…

"Come out and face me, you fox dung!" screeched Pantherstar, "You coward! You've taken too many things from me, and you'll pay!"

A black and brown form emerged from the shadows.

"A challenger? That's rare."

It sunk its fangs into her back. Pantherstar died instantly. The dog threw her against the fence and turned to leave.

"You… killed my brother… my unborn kits…" rasped Pantherstar, "I WILL KILL YOU!"

A look of shock appeared on Seth's face. "What? I killed you!"

"I am a Clan leader, fool!" snarled Pantherstar, "You only killed me once! You must kill me eight more times for me to stay dead!"

"Fool. Thanks for telling me that. Now I'll know how long to keep you in my jaws."

"It is you that will die, you stupid dog!"

Pantherstar attacked. The fight raged on… From eight lives… to seven… to six… to five… to four… to three… to two…

"Die!" howled Seth, bringing one of his enormous paws down on the leader. She took the blow, but opened her eyes again.

The dog prepared a killing blow, aimed at the ForestClan leader's neck.

I've made a horrible mistake… thought Pantherstar, I'm going to die…

There was a yowl. A black blur leaped off the fence and bit onto the dog's ear. Acidpaw tore it off. Howling in pain, Seth recoiled back, accidentally backing himself into a tree.

"This isn't over, Runty!" snarled Seth, "I'll kill every cat around you, then kill you slowly!"

"I don't care about any cat," hissed Acidpaw, "I'm just doing my part as a Warrior."

The black cat and black dog locked into combat.

Rainpaw was frozen to the spot on top of the fence. I don't care about any cat. That's what Acidpaw had said. Did he mean it?

"Rainpaw!" yowled Acidpaw, "Don't just stand there! Take care of Pantherstar!"

"Do you think I'll let you live long enough for your precious leader come and save you?" snarled Seth.

Rainpaw leaped off of the fence toward Patherstar.

"I can see you flesh wounds, but does anything hurt internally?" asked Rainpaw quickly.

"It doesn't matter," whispered Pantherstar, "Get help… Hurry…"

"But—"

"Go, Rainpaw!"

"I'll go back, but you have to come back with me!" argued Rainpaw.

Rainpaw looked for a hole in the fence. There was only one that even a kit couldn't possibly fit through.

I'll just have to make that hole bigger, thought the Medicine Cat apprentice.

She grit her teeth and ran full-force at the tiny opening. She crashed into the fence. The wood around the small hole crumbled. The hole was now a gap in the fence big enough to fit Pantherstar through.

Rainpaw turned at helped the ForestClan leader to her paws. They went through the hole. Pantherstar was leaning on Rainpaw. The Medicine Cat apprentice became unbalanced and smashed against one of the sharp edges of the broken wood. It had cut in very deep. Blood stained her gray and white pelt. She let out a cry of pain.

"Rainpaw, you're bleeding!" gasped Pantherstar.

Rainpaw and Pantherstar staggered out of the hole.

"Go back to camp!" meowed Rainpaw, becoming dizzy with blood loss, "I'll be okay…"

"You think I'm going to leave you behind?" asked Pantherstar, stunned.

Rainpaw locked her emerald eyes with the leader's grass-green ones. "Pantherstar… Apprentices are easily replaced… It's tougher to find a good leader… Falconbeak just became deputy. It wouldn't be fair to place the burden of a leader on an inexperienced cat. Go. Please…"

Pantherstar still looked hesitant.

Rainpaw's gaze hardened. "As Medicine Cat apprentice of ForestClan, I'm advising you to go to camp! Go back and be careful!"

"Fine…" Pantherstar mumbled, "Just don't die, okay?"

Rainpaw gave a small smile. "I'll try."

The ForestClan leader left, limping painfully. Rainpaw's vision blurred. She panicked.

StarClan no! she thought frantically, I don't want to die! Please!

Rainpaw blacked out.

Rainpaw no longer felt any pain. She was on the Gathering Island. Redstar stepped out of some bushes.

"Redstar!" yowled the Medicine Cat apprentice. She suddenly looked worried, "I'm not dead, am I?"

Redstar shook his head. "No. I have come to remind you of a prophecy."

"That one with the… Sorry… I think I know what you're talking about, but I don't remember all the words," meowed Rainpaw sheepishly.

Redstar laughed. "It's alright."

"There are three: one who watches them as a star,

The others do not know who they truly are.

The one of scarlet knows nothing of the diamond breeze,

The one of blazes fled far from the trees."

Rainpaw remained silent. Finally, she spoke up. "I still don't get it."

"If it helps," meowed Redstar, "I am Silverdiamond's son."

It took a full five seconds for that to register in Rainpaw's brain.

"WHAT?"

"Solve the Prophecy of the Three Red Sons, and watch out for the gale that seems to roar…"

Another voice chimed in. It was that mysterious black she-cat. "Rainpaw… You alone can heal a heart…"

"Rainpaw…"

"Rainpaw…"

There were voices that kept calling her name.

"Rainpaw…"

"Rainpaw…"

"Rainpaw…"

"Rainpaw!"

The Medicine Cat apprentice opened her eyes.

"Redstar?" she mumbled.

The cat above her was silent. He looked at her as if she were a dancing vole. "Rainpaw… Did you hit your head or something?"

"Acidpaw?"

"No, it's a tiger," meowed Acidpaw sarcastically.

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

"Acidpaw… where are we? What happened to the dog?"

"I made a dash for it. I jumped onto its muzzle so that it slammed into the ground. The stupid thing," answered Acidpaw, "We're in that hollowed out tree on the far side of Thunderpath."

"The place that I healed your shoulder after you saved me from that monster?"

"Yes."

"I feel dizzy…"

"What do I do?" asked Acidpaw.

"What?"

"You're injured, mousebrain, and it looks deep too. What do I do to stop the bleeding?"

"Cobwebs… And chervil leaves if it's infected."

"What does it look like? I'll check if there's some nearby."

"It's a plant…"

"No, really?" Acidpaw's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up…"

Acidpaw was shocked. Rainpaw had never told him to shut up.

"See if you can find coltsfoot," Rainpaw added, "I can't seem to be able to breathe properly."

Acidpaw nodded. He was pretty sure what coltsfoot looked like. He exited the hollow tree and looked around. He spotted some coltsfoot. That was pretty lucky.

The black-furred apprentice glanced back at the hollow tree before going to take the plant. He thought back to what had happened at the Twoleg nest.

Flashback

Acidpaw leaped onto Seth's muzzle, forcing the dog to the ground.

"Stupid thing!" he hissed. He decided that the best option would be to run. He couldn't take on the dog alone, no matter how much he hated that thought.

He was about to leap up onto the fence when he saw the hole that Rainpaw created.

That was pretty smart, he thought. He froze when he saw the blood. It was everywhere. Acidpaw glanced back at Seth. The dumb creature was looking for him in the Twoleg garden.

Acidpaw dashed through the hole. He nearly tripped on a heap of fur just on the other side of the fence. Wait, whose fur?

"Rainpaw?" whispered Acidpaw.

The black-furred apprentice's blood froze. Was… was she dead? He saw the faint rise and fall of her chest. She wasn't in good shape, but at least she was alive.

"Rainpaw, come on, let's get out of here."

She didn't respond. Acidpaw sighed. How was he supposed to get her to camp? She was only slightly smaller than he was, plus, he had no idea how to move an injured cat without making it worse.

Acidpaw decided to bring her to the hollow where Rainpaw had treated his shoulder. It was closer than camp. He dragged her there. She still hadn't woken up yet. They were in the hollow when Rainpaw started to thrash around in her sleep. She was shaking too.

Maybe she caught a chill, thought Acidpaw.

She finally woke up and called him 'Redstar'.

End Flashback

"ACIDPAW!"

Hearing his name called, Acidpaw raced back to the hollow tree. Rainpaw was struggling to stand up.

"What in StarClan's name do you think you're doing?" hissed Acidpaw.

"I… can't breathe… I think… there's a piece of wood…" babbled Rainpaw.

The black-furred apprentice saw a sharp edge of wood embedded in Rainpaw's wound. Acidpaw cursed himself. Something like that was hard to miss.

What do I do? wondered Acidpaw less-than-calmly, If I take out the wood, then the wound might get bigger and she'd die of blood loss. If I leave the wood there, it might sink in deeper and it would become infected…

"Rainpaw, I know this isn't a very happy question, but how would you rather die? Infected wound or blood loss?"

"What kind of question is that?" yowled Rainpaw. She was panicking now.

"Answer the question!"

"Blood loss!"

Acidpaw shoved Rainpaw to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Rainpaw was freaking out.

"Sorry about this," muttered Acidpaw, "Just stay still, okay?"

He tugged gently at the piece of wood. Rainpaw shrieked in pain.

"Are you trying to make me go deaf?" hissed Acidpaw.

Rainpaw didn't reply.

"Rainpaw?" Acidpaw was nervous now. Oh StarClan… What if I've killed her? "Rainpaw?"

He tugged on the wood again. The ForestClan Medicine Cat whimpered.

"She's alive," mumbled Acidpaw.

"It hurts…" whispered Rainpaw.

"Just hold on, okay? I'm no Medicine Cat."

Acidpaw took the wood firmly in his teeth and pulled hard. The piece of wood came loose. Rainpaw didn't make a sound.

It's okay, then? wondered the black-furred apprentice.

Rainpaw opened her eyes and immediately started screaming. She was losing blood way too fast. At this rate she would die.

"Cobwebs!" meowed Acidpaw to himself. He rushed to the corner of the hollow. Thankfully, there were plenty of them. Acidpaw grabbed a whole bunch on his paw and pressed them onto Rainpaw's wound. It was no good. The blood kept on seeping through.

What am I supposed to do? thought Acidpaw frantically, I'm not a Medicine Cat!

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" shrieked a voice from outside the hollow.

Silverdiamond rushed inside the tree, shoving Acidpaw out of the way.

"Don't just sit there!" yowled the Medicine Cat, "Come here and press these cobwebs on tighter! I'm going to get the chervil leaves I saw outside this hollow."

Acidpaw nodded and did as Silverdiamond told him. The Medicine Cat was back in a matter of seconds.

"Now go back to camp!" hissed Silverdiamond.

The black-furred apprentice left without a word. He had been totally useless back there. If Silverdiamond hadn't shown up, Rainpaw would've died.

I suppose I'm going to get in more trouble for this, Acidpaw thought bitterly.

The black-furred apprentice entered camp. He spotted Pantherstar gazing at the sky from inside the leader's den.

"Acidpaw, come here," she meowed without looking at him.

The apprentice approached her nervously. "Yes, Pantherstar?" he asked, waiting to be punished.

"Come and see my kits," she replied, beckoning him with her tail.

The black-furred apprentice followed her. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light. He saw two kits curled up next to Pantherstar: one ginger one, and one cream-colored one.

"Redkit and Lionkit," murmured Pantherstar, "I think you can work out which one's which."

Acidpaw nodded.

"Coming after me was really mousebrained, Acidpaw," meowed Pantherstar softly.

"You were going to get killed," growled the apprentice, "If we hadn't run into Snakefang, who told us what had happened, you would be dead. Blame someone else besides me for a change."

"Sorry. You can go."

"Alright."

"Oh, and Acidpaw?"

"Yes?"

"Your father is very proud of you."

Acidpaw padded out of Pantherstar's den. He stopped. Your father is very proud of you…

Shouldn't that be 'Your father was very proud of you'? He was dead now, so what Pantherstar said didn't make any sense.

She's probably just tired, Acidpaw reasoned with himself, Either that or she saw Redstar in a dream.

With a sigh, Acidpaw went off to tend to the elders. He still had to do the other apprentices' chores for… around fifty-four sunrises. Acidpaw groaned.

"Hello, young one," meowed Blindnose cheerfully, "That Indigokit sure is a handful, isn't he? I went to go see all the kits today. They sure seem to like me, those little kits… I wonder why?"

"Because you act like one…" muttered Goosefang.

"Eh?" asked the old tom.

"I said: Because you act like one!"

"One of what?"

"A kit!"

"What about kits? You know, I really like kits. They're cute, oh, and they're so fluffy! Why are we talking about kits again?"

"Because you mentioned them before!"

"Did I? I must have forgotten…"

"I give up!" meowed Goosefang, exasperated.

The elders kept on bickering like young apprentices as Acidpaw did his chores. They lightened his mood a little bit, but not much. He left the elders den and entered the Medicine Cat den. Silverdiamond and Rainpaw were back.

Blindnose stared after him.

"He looks just like his mother…" he meowed.

"He really does," added Duckfoot, "It's kind of scary."

"Very scary," Goosefang agreed.

Blindnose blinked. He looked confused. "What's scary?"

"Oh shut up."

"They'll never change," sighed Duckfoot, watching his sister and friend argue.

Rainpaw was recovering in the Medicine Cat den when Acidpaw walked in. Silverdiamond was in Pantherstar's den, checking her injuries. Neither Freddy nor Spotpaw were awake.

"Acidpaw?" meowed Rainpaw.

"Yeah?" replied the black-furred apprentice.

"You said before: 'I don't care about any cat'. Is… is that true?"

Acidpaw remained silent for a long time. He looked down at Rainpaw. She was sleeping peacefully.

"I'm beginning to change my mind…"

END OF BOOK ONE

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Yep. That's the end of book one. I'm hoping that at least three more people will read the story. I love the elders. They make me laugh.

Just to let you all know, this chapter was 4718 words WITHOUT the chapter title, author's note, or reviewer reply. The entire chapter as a whole is seventeen pages. Super-long last chappie for the awesome readers! Yay for readers!

I also want to say that I will not be updating for one month. I will be away, where I have no access to a computer. I will probably start writing book two on paper, then copying it when I get back home.

Until then, this is Shaded-Strike, signing off. (throws Acidpaw plushies to reviewers and a Mangledpaw plushie to by beta)

Just because you guys are so awesome, I'm giving you a gift and it's a…

Preview of ForestClan: The Three Red Sons:

"Three red suns? That doesn't make any sense!"

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"I accuse CanyonClan of stealing kits!"

----

An unrecognizable voice screamed.

"DOGPAW!"

Rainpaw's eyes widened as she stared at the cat who had called out.

----

A new leader stood on the Great Log.

Oh no… thought Acidpaw.

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"I could drop dead at any second, yet I find the need to go back," mused the cat. He laughed, "Heh. A dying star."

Hope you enjoyed the preview!