Wow so many reviews! xD I'm so happeh! Haha well I've been having a lot of inspiration for a while so keep the lookout for some other stories! And expect some more chapters on this one too (:

Oh and I have changed my rating from T to M for a reason! There will be adult action references in the story, but I will certainly not be going into any extended details! (If you do not like the idea of any of that, I suggest you skip the part where I insert the line break on the next chapter, alright? It is part of the story though but you will not be totally lost later on, I hope!

Fernblaze- Alrighty! Thank you! Do you mind starting out as a kit? And are you a boy or girl? I'm not going to specify gender yet until I know, but you shall be mentioned! :D

Anyway, enough with my rambling nonsense, let's read on shall we?

Chapter 9

A rabbit hopped out from under some bushes that had lost most of its leaves in the late Leaf-fall season. The scrawny thing was nibbling on some sort of root that looked ugly and brown. It was unaware of a shadow creeping up from behind it was too late.

"Nice stalking skills!" Larkpaw glanced up from her kill and spotted Silversnow making her way towards her apprentice. She was growing older and has started moving much slower than usual. Larkpaw smiled carefully at her, not wanting her to know what she was thinking.

"Thank you." She mewed kindly. "You are a great mentor." The older she-cat shrugged.

"I only could teach you what you didn't know." Larkpaw picked up her prey and padded past Silversnow. She had grown a lot since her first Gathering. She was as big as her mentor but was nothing compared to Jaypaw now.

The light golden tom had certainly gained muscle and his gangly legs had grown to fit him. He had lost all his kit-soft fur and had been replaced with thick and rough fur. Even then he hadn't finished growing! In fact, all of her friends had grown out of the awkward between stage of kithood and young apprentice, including Larkpaw.

She wondered how Briarpaw was. Ever since they were technically caught, she hadn't seen him. That was over a moon ago. Leaf-bare had set in and the Clan knew it. Cats were much more irritable and tired. Larkpaw noticed the prey getting scrawnier by the day. She tracked over the cold forest floor back to camp.

As she climbed the large tree Rowanstar called a Clan meeting. Larkpaw dropped her prey at the skimpy fresh kill pile and settled nest to Heatherpaw and Nightpaw. Fawnpaw hurried in front of them and sat down next to Kindlepaw. Larkpaw watched Cherrykit, his younger littermate pad up to him and sit down. Kindlepaw flicked the kit playfully until their mother Shallowpool came up and quickly nudged her away. Larkpaw, Heatherpaw, and Fawnpaw giggled at the scene until Kindlepaw's father Sunpelt hushed them with a sharp hiss.

"Silversnow has served our Clan for a long time now. She is getting older and has requested to step down from her position of deputy." Rowanstar announced. Larkpaw nodded sadly but called her mentor's name proudly with the rest of the Clan.

"Silversnow! Silversnow!" Larkpaw raised her voice as loudly as she could. As soon as the Clan settled, Rowanstar continued.

"I have chosen a new deputy. Snakefire will fill in Silversnow's place." Most of the Clan was quiet for a heartbeat, but then they began to cheer. Heatherpaw flinched.

"Well, these next few seasons aren't going to be too much fun." She muttered to Larkpaw and Nightpaw as Larkpaw sighed. Fawnpaw turned to her. "We are going to need StarClan's mercy now." She meowed fearfully.

Larkpaw shook her head and laughed. "Don't worry about it, Rowanstar wouldn't have chosen her if he didn't trust her." She rolled her eyes at her friends fear.

Rowanstar brought the meeting to an end. Larkpaw padded over to Silversnow who was speaking with the other elders, Blueflower and Pinefoot. Her uncle nodded towards Larkpaw and Silversnow who turned around.

"What do you need Larkpaw?" Silversnow asked.

"Is there anything you would like me to do?" She asked. A question gnawed at the back of her thoughts.

Will she still be able to train an apprentice?

Silversnow smiled. "Don't worry; I will be able to finish your training!" Larkpaw let out a sigh of relief.

"Now run along, you deserve some free time." Larkpaw dipped her head thankfully and ran off to her group of friends who had waited for her over by the fresh-kill pile.

Jaypaw

Now the world had grown colder. It had been a while since he confronted Larkpaw about her meetings with Briarpaw. Neither of them had gotten any sign that he was alright. Jaypaw hadn't really noticed any change in Larkpaw, but deep in his heart he knew she worried about him.

She would sneak out at night and come back with a sad and longing look in her eyes every time she did that. Jaypaw felt her sorrow tug at his heart, but secretly he was glad Briarpaw was gone- even if it was temporary. They had returned to being almost as close as they used to be, but never the way it was before.

He watched her comfort her friends soon after Rowanstar appointed his mentor as deputy. He noticed how graceful she was compared to the clumsy kit she used to be. Her fur was now soft, sleek, and beautiful.

Hopefully Briarpaw will leave her alone for good now.

-LATER-

Larkpaw

The scent of prey had become but only a memory. Well, plump and juicy prey, that is.

She hissed in frustration as she scented the air in vain. She had been scouring the forest for any sign of prey and had been pushed to the edge of her territory to search for any unlucky prey near the FireClan border.

She kept her ears pricked until they hurt so she might pick up any noise that could point to Briarpaw. That old feeling flared up in her chest when she thought of him.

Then she heard another noise. She stopped immediately and scanned the dry territory. Suddenly two cats burst out from under some bushes. They're being awfully loud. Larkpaw opened her mouth and breathed in a too familiar scent. Briarpaw!

The red tom was chasing another she-cat. Larkpaw flinched. Who was this stranger? They began to quiet down and trot over to the border after they noticed her.

"Larkpaw? What are you doing here?" Briarpaw questioned. The former warmth that he usually talked to her with was gone. The she-cat, a dark gray tabby with white paws blinked at her.

"I'm Cloudecho." She mewed kindly. "Excuse Briarpath, he usually isn't so prickly towards-"

"I know who he is." Larkpaw said curtly. The she-cat nodded. Larkpaw couldn't help but notice that her stomach was slightly larger than it should be during Leaf-bare.

She stood uncomfortably for a few moments longer until Briarpath nudged Cloudecho. "I think we need to get you back to the nursery." Cloudecho sighed.

"You're my mate, not my mother. I'll be fine Briarpath." She purred. Larkpaw's jaw almost dropped.

"It's fine, I have to leave." Larkpaw said quietly. "Nice meeting you, Cloudecho."

She turned tail and sped away as her heart shattered inside.