Azura: Welcome, readers!

Mistpaw: Welcome!

Stoneheart: Yeah, hi.

Cedarpaw: This is my first time being in an A/N!

Stoneheart: Wha-? What in the name of StarClan are you doing here?

Cedarpaw: Azura invited me.

Stoneheart: Get out!

Mistpaw: Stoneheart! Stop being such an idiotic furball! Be nice!

Stoneheart: Who're you calling an idiotic furball?

Mistpaw: YOU, you IDIOTIC FURBALL!

Stoneheart: *growls* Yeah? Well you're a...a... *pauses to think* ...stupid mouse-brain!

Azura/Cedarpaw: o.o

Mistpaw: *blinks* Really? Took you that long to come up with that? Idiotic furball.

Stoneheart: GET A NEW INSULT, APPRENTICE!

Mistpaw: MAKE ME, WARRIOR!

Azura: Since when is calling each other by your ranks an insult?

Stoneheart/Mistpaw: Shut it, Azura!

Azura: *affronted* I do believe I've just been told.

Cedarpaw: Yep you have!

Azura: -.- You're not helping.

Mistpaw/Stoneheart: *bickering in the background*

Azura: I do not own warriors. Now please read the chapter.

Chapter Nine

"Hey, er, Mistpaw? You do realize the gathering's over, right?" Mistpaw jerked out of her thoughts and looked over at Cedarpaw. The brown-furred tom was gazing at her with his very vivid blue eyes.

I'm the Mist. "Yeah, I know." She replied distantly.

"Are you okay? You look a bit shaky there..." Cedarpaw was looking at her in concern. A ShadowClan cat! Concern! What was the world coming to?

How can this be happening? "Yeah, I'm fine, Cedarpaw. No need to worry." I'm only a cat mentioned in a prophecy from StarClan.

"If you're sure, then..." the young tom trailed off, and then looked away from her and toward what Mistpaw presumed to be his Clanmates.

It can't be true! "Go on and join your Clan, Cedarpaw. I'll be fine." Mistpaw told him firmly. It all makes sense now. The shadow-cats, the prophecy, the Mist! They're all connected!

Cedarpaw blinked. "Alright. It was nice meeting you, Mistpaw. Maybe we'll meet again before the next gathering." There was something off about his tone, but Mistpaw couldn't place it.

"Yeah, okay. Bye, Cedarpaw!" The tom waved at her with his tail before vanishing among his Clanmates. Mistpaw turned and went after her own Clanmates, falling in step beside a cat, though she was too distracted to tell who it was.

I should have realized...that I was never meant to be a normal cat.

Mistpaw woke up late the next morning, still feeling sleepy from the gathering the night before. With a huge yawn, the young she-cat stretched out her muscles, and then rose sluggishly to her paws.

She left the den, and blinked up at the cloudy sky. The late morning was slightly chilly. Mistpaw knew leaf-bare was on the way.

With a shake of her pelt, Mistpaw made her way over to Hazeltail, where the gray-and-white she-cat was helping put some extra branches in to keep the nursery well-insulated.

When the warrior spotted her apprentice, she meowed, "Mistpaw, I'm busy helping Sorreltail with this. I trust you can go out and hunt by yourself without getting into trouble?"

Mistpaw blinked. Hazeltail was letting her go out by herself?

Hazeltail noticed the look her apprentice was giving her. "You should be fine, as long as WindClan don't try anything funny, and there are no foxes and badgers out there."

And if ShadowClan don't get any ideas. Mistpaw added silently. Then she remembered Cedarpaw from last night. What an odd cat he was. Friendly, but odd. She shook her head to clear her mind.

"Okay." Mistpaw nodded. "I'll bring back as much prey as I can!"

Hazeltail purred in approval. "Good. Now off you go." Hazeltail dismissed her.

What does being the Mist mean exactly? Does it mean I have special powers? Does it mean I'm the most powerful cat in the Clans? Wait! What about the Fog and the Smoke that Bluestar mentioned? What are they? Are there other cats out there like me? That can see the shadow-cats? I wonder...

Mistpaw pounced, pinning a thrush to the ground. She killed it quickly with a quick bite to the neck, before scraping dirt over it. She'd come back and retrieve it once she had caught some more prey.

She was near the ShadowClan border, though it wasn't in sight, she could easily detect the mostly unpleasant smell of their scent markers. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

The young she-cat raised her head and sniffed the air, trying to identify any prey-scents. Not finding any, she padded in the direction of the border, to see if there was anything there. She made a mental note not to cross the border by accident. She definitely did not want a fight with ShadowClan.

Detecting the scent of a mouse nearby, she started to creep forward, eyes narrowed, tail held above the ground, as to not alert the mouse of her presence. When she felt she was within pouncing distance, she leaped. She killed the mouse quickly, and then picked it up by its tail, intending to take it back to where she had buried the thrush. She wanted to keep all of her catches together.

"Hey, nice catch there, Mistpaw!" A voice rang out.

The blue-gray she-cat dropped the mouse and whipped around, and found herself staring into the blue eyes of Cedarpaw. Confusion swept through her; where had he come from?

Then she realized something, and growled, "Why are you in ThunderClan's territory, Cedarpaw? You really shouldn't be here."

Cedarpaw blinked, and responded cheerfully, "Aw, come on! It's not like I'm hurting anything or anyone!" He stared at her with his vivid eyes, and Mistpaw could swear she could see something almost...familiar in their depths.

"It doesn't matter," she meowed, shrugging away the vibe she was getting from this cat, "you have to leave. Or I will have to force you to."

"Mistpaw~! Don't be like that! Aren't we friends?" Cedarpaw complained, though he didn't look upset in the slightest.

"Friends? We only talked one time!" Mistpaw protested. She took a step toward the dark brown tom. "Cedarpaw. Leave. I don't want to fight you, but I won't have a choice if you keep this up."

Cedarpaw looked like he wanted to pout. Mistpaw felt her fur start to bristle, but not for the reason that would be normal. Why did the way this cat acted seem so familiar? There was something about the gleam in his eyes, the tone of his voice. What in StarClan could it be?

Then she recalled. Swiftpaw. Hadn't he been a cheery and bright cat? Always getting on my nerves, just like Cedarpaw is now...why is he so much like Swiftpaw? And more importantly, why is everything getting so complicated all of a sudden?

Cedarpaw was staring at Mistpaw right now, and the young apprentice couldn't help but continuously compare him to Swiftpaw. She couldn't help it.

Then Mistpaw snapped herself back to reality. The ShadowClan tom was still on her territory. She sighed, but it sounded more like a growl.

"Cedarpaw. You should go now. Really. It's not a good idea for you to stand here like this!" Her voice steadily rose with each sentence, and the brown tom she was addressing merely blinked at her, before suddenly bounded forward to close the distance between her and him. She backed away instantly, eyes wide.

"What are you doing? Cedarpaw!" Mistpaw growled, and unsheathed her claws.

"I want to see you again, Mistpaw." He meowed, his voice suddenly serious. "There's something very important I must speak with you about, but it can't be done here." He looked her dead in the eye. "Meet me in the tunnels under your territory tomorrow night, after you've finished with your apprentice duties. Make sure no cat follows you." Then he stepped away, and went back to his annoying cheery self. "Anyway, I have to go now, before some cat notices I'm not in camp."

He turned and bounded a few paces away, before turning back and calling brightly over is shoulder, "See you, Mistpaw!" Then he was gone, haring off across the border into his own territory.

Mistpaw watched after him, a stunned look on her face. What just happened?

I didn't even agree to this 'meeting'! Who does he think he is? Stupid furball. Mistpaw sighed and shook her head in exasperation.

I should head back to camp now. I'm should have been back by now anyway. Stupid Cedarpaw, wasting my time like that. The young she-cat then picked the almost-forgotten mouse back up and head off in the direction of that thrush that she had caught.

"A mouse and a thrush? Not bad considering it's almost leaf-bare," Hazeltail commented when her apprentice returned to camp. Mistpaw nodded absently, and moved to deposit her catch on the fresh-kill pile. She then picked out a plump mouse and proceeded to carry it to the elders den. When she slipped inside, she found Jayfeather trying to coax Mousefur into eating some sort of herb. As usual, the elder was refusing, denying the fact that there was something wrong.

Mistpaw sighed and set down the mouse. "You should just eat the herb, Mousefur. Stop being so stubborn."

The old she-cat's head whipped around in her direction. She snorted in annoyance, "Well maybe if Jayfeather would stop being so persistent..." she trailed off. Mistpaw rolled her eyes.

"Look at it this way, Mousefur. The sooner you eat those herbs, the sooner you'll be able to eat this mouse that I've brought." She paused a sly gleam entering her eyes. "That is, if Purdy doesn't scarf it down before you get the chance..." she cast a meaningful glance at the sleeping tom, whose snores were quite loud.

Mousefur's eyes narrowed, and she actually lowered her head to lick up the herbs that lay at her paws. The old she-cat's face scrunched up, and Mistpaw winced in sympathy. Those herbs must taste awful.

"Now. Bring that mouse over here, Mistpaw. I need something to wash this foul taste from my mouth." Mistpaw complied with Mousefur's wishes, and brought the prey over to her.

The elder she-cat then started tearing into the mouse, and Mistpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"Now I've got to go get some clean bedding for you. I'll be right back." Mistpaw meowed, and left the den quickly. She had also left because she didn't like the odd look Jayfeather had started giving her.

Medicine cats, Mistpaw thought to herself. Weird.

As she went to fetch the needed moss, her mind wandered back to the conversation with Cedarpaw. Why did he want to meet with her in secret? He was a strange one, Mistpaw concluded.

What a mouse-brain. Does he think I'll go just because he didn't me give the chance to say no? Mistpaw's claws sliced into the moss, cutting it into strips. But I'm wondering if I actually should...he did say it was important...great StarClan, what should I do?

Finished at last! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Please review!

~TheAzuraStar