Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did than Crowfrost and Dawnpelt would be the power couple of the Warriors world.

Chapter Ten - My Name is Crowfrost and I Hate Foxes

"How can one find the first moment of love? When, in what instant, does the night's dark sky become blue?" ―Susan Abulhawa

Crowfrost's POV

"What're you doing?" Smokefoot asked. He was staring at me as if I'd gone insane. I didn't scold him and tell him to change his expression, because it was quite possible that I was going insane.

Nonetheless, I hissed, "Shh! You'll alert her of my presence!"

Smokefoot looked around. "Crowfrost, you're crouched behind the Tall Boulder. Everyone can see you!"

"Shh!"

I narrowed my eyes and perked my ears, as I strained to pick up what Dawnpelt was saying. She and Spikefur had just returned from a "walk" together, and I couldn't help but notice that she wasn't scowling, she wasn't glaring, and her tail tip wasn't twitching. She was displaying no signs that the "walk" had been unpleasant.

Spikefur said something and she laughed.

My tail shot up. "Did she just laugh?!" I cried softly in alarm.

Smokefoot was still staring at me, more concerned now than anything. "Uh-huh… is that wrong?"

"Yes, that's wrong! Dawnpelt always returns from these "walks"-"

"Why are you saying "walks" like that?"

"-Because they're not actual, simple walks!" I snapped. "A tom took her out to try and impress her and show-off, and she always returns annoyed and irritated! But this time she's returned cheerful and laughing!"

"And that's… wrong?"

"Yes!" Why did Smokefoot not understand?

The dark gray tom frowned, suspicious. "And why, pry tell, do you care if Dawnpelt is annoyed or cheerful?"

The question served as a wake-up call. It dawned on me for a moment, and then I took another moment to observe the position I was in; crouched down behind the Tall Boulder, ears flat and eyes narrowed. I was spying on Dawnpelt for StarClan's sake!

I leapt to my paws and tried to appear nonchalant. "I don't," I meowed.

"You're a liar," Smokefoot retorted. "And a horrible one at that."

I shot the other tom a cool glare. "I'll have you know that I'm a very skilled liar. Why, just the other day I told Dawnpelt a lie and she didn't even blink!" I told her I hadn't met up with any she-cats from the other Clans since I became deputy. She had no idea about my meetings with Shimmerpelt.

Smokefoot rolled his dark blue eyes. "That's not exactly something to brag about," he mumbled.

"The elders have corrupted you," I remarked, sadly. "You used to believe that lying was worthy of bragging." I glanced at Dawnpelt and Spikefur again; they were still conversing, and she still appeared unannoyed. "Hey, how about we grab Scorchfur and take a hunting trip? I need to clear my head."

But much to my disappointment, Smokefoot shook his head. "Sorry Crowfrost, but Littlecloud wants me to stay in camp all day." he sighed, irritated. "The hunting trip we took the other day really messed with my lungs. The cold air isn't good for them."

"Oh." I tried to mask my disappointment well. After all, it wasn't Smokefoot's fault his lungs were damaged. Nope. It's those StarClan-forsaken Dark Forest trainees. "Well, don't hurt yourself then. I'm going to-"

"Crowfrost!" a cry interrupted me, and I glanced back just in time to see Cloverpaw come to a screeching halt right in front of me. Hailpaw was trailing close behind her.

I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? You look like you just ran to the lake and back."

"It's Honeypaw," she panted. "S-She's gone after the fox!"

The fur along my spine bristled. "She's what?!" I demanded. This had to be some kind of joke. Maybe Dawnpelt was getting back at me for pulling the exact same prank on her, or-or…

Hailpaw was gazing at me with fear in his eyes. Cloverpaw's sides heaved, and her green eyes were wet with unshed tears. This wasn't a joke.

"Why would she do that?" Smokefoot asked, eyes narrowed. "Doesn't she know how dangerous a hungry fox is?"

Cloverpaw shuffled her paws. "It's a long story," she mewed.

I shook my head. "Whatever, that's not important right now. What is important is finding Honeypaw before that fox does!" I spun around and purposely scaled the Tall Boulder, and once I reached the surface, I yowled. Heads shot up to look at me in alarm, and Rowanstar's head poked out of his den.

"Crowfrost, what's the meaning of this?" he demanded. Rowanstar didn't take kindly to others sitting in his spot. I could hardly get away with it even when I was organizing patrols.

"It's Honeypaw," I replied grimly, aloud for all to hear. "She's gone after the fox." Several gasps were breathed into the crisp air and panic spread like wildfire.

"Honeypaw?" Pinenose echoed, eyes wide with fear. "W-what? Why would she do that?"

Ratscar pressed against his mate. "Don't worry, we'll bring her back."

"We are going to send out search patrols, aren't we?" Tigerheart demanded.

"Of course we are," Rowanstar said firmly, as he took his place beside me on top of the Tall Boulder. "We'll send out three patrols; one towards the ThunderClan border, one towards the RiverClan border, and another towards the training hollow. Crowfrost and I will both lead one."

"I want to lead the last one," Ratscar spoke up. His dark blue eyes burned with the type of determination that only a father could muster.

"Fine," Rowanstar said with a dip his head. "I'll take Ivytail, Applefur, Tigerheart and Stoatfur. Crowfrost will take Starlingwing, Dawnpelt, Pinenose, and Waspstripe."

"And Ratscar, you'll take Tawnypelt, Owlclaw, Olivenose and Scorchfur," Rowanstar finished. "The rest of you will stay in camp, just in case Honeypaw returns before any of the patrols. After all, no one has seen the fox yet. We could be worrying over nothing."

"We want to come too!" Cloverpaw spoke up. Her eyes were wide with desperation, as were Hailpaw and Ashpaw's.

But Rowanstar shook his head. "The situation is already dangerous enough, I won't risk any more young lives." The apprentices all exchanged looks and for a moment I wondered if they would sneak out of camp after we left to conduct their own search, but I quickly shook off the thought. Only Cloverpaw was that bold, and there would be too many careful eyes still in the camp.

"Alright, ShadowClan," Rowanstar growled. "Move out!"

Dawn Frost

"Please tell me this is just another prank," Dawnpelt murmured, when she appeared by my side.

I shook my head. "Not this time."

Dawnpelt sighed softly. "This is all my fault," she whispered. "I've been helping her train everyday after her time with Ivytail, and instead of helping her again today, I went on a walk with Spikefur. If I hadn't gone with Spikefur she wouldn't have gone after the fox."

I shook my head, even though a large part of me wanted to say that she was right, and she should probably ignore Spikefur for the rest of her life. But I wasn't totally sure why I wanted to say this so badly, and I didn't like the theories I produced at all, so instead I meowed sternly, "You can't blame yourself. Honeypaw has been dying to go after that fox ever since she heard it might be in the territory. She's always been the curious one, it's amazing this didn't happen sooner."

Dawnpelt didn't look convinced. "I shouldn't have gone with Spikefur," she whispered again, but this time I felt like she was saying it for herself, not for me.

"I can't find her scent!" Pinenose wailed from behind the patrol. "She didn't go this way, we need to look somewhere else!"

"If she went in another direction then Rowanstar or Ratscar's patrols will find her," I meowed firmly. "Besides, the fox has been most scented around the training hollow. Even if we don't find Honeypaw there, we might find the fox."

Pinenose tried to argue but Waspstripe was quick to soothe her, and whispered encouragement in her ear. "Don't worry, Pinenose," he murmured. "We'll find her."

I tore my eyes away from the sight and set my gaze on the path ahead, to the training hollow. Waspstripe's grown into a fantastic warrior, I thought. Even senior warriors like Ivytail and Tawnypelt enjoy being around him. Toadfoot would be proud of him, if only he hadn't died in the Dark Forest battle…

Is that all you ever think about? My conscious demanded. 'The Dark Forest battle this', and 'a Dark Forest trainee did this'. I'm sick of listening to your thoughts all the time - think of something else for once!

Hey! I snapped. I never asked for you to invade my mind! It's not like I enjoy your company either!

I glanced at Dawnpelt, whose face was masked with determination. I wondered if her conscious ever talked to her, and if he was the one who told her Honeypaw's escape was her fault. If her conscious was as big of a jerk as mine was, it wouldn't surprise me.

When the training hollow came into sight I slowed down, and signaled for my patrol to do the same. I parted my jaws and scented the air. My eyes narrowed the same moment Dawnpelt gasped and whispered, "I smell fox!"

"Not just any fox," I added darkly. "Fox-kits."

"So then, the fox in our territory is a mother?" Waspstripe asked.

I nodded, grim. "That's what it looks like. Follow me, and we'll see if we can find their den…" I took a couple steps in the direction of the scent, and then paused again to scent the air. A few more steps and then scent the air. It was a steady process until I caught a stronger scent trail, and then we ran in the direction of that.

After a minute Pinenose perked her ears. "I hear them!" she hissed.

I heard them do. Soft barks and whimpers, the shuffle of their paws. "There," I murmured, as I gestured to a hole in the side of a hill. It looked a bit like a rabbit's burrow, and I groaned. "I think they killed my rabbit!"

Dawnpelt rolled her hazel eyes as she shoved past me and peaked into the hole, and then glanced back at us with wide eyes. "There's two of them," she whispered. "And Crowfrost, they're really young."

"So a fox gave birth to her kits in our territory," I remarked dryly. "Well, isn't that just our luck?"

"What are we going to do with them?" Waspstripe asked. "I mean…" he shuffled his paws. "We're not… we can't kill them, can we?"

"Absolutely not," Pinenose growled suddenly. "I refuse to kill another mother's kits."

I shot Pinenose a cold look. "Even if their mother has already killed yours?"

"Crowfrost!" Dawnpelt snarled.

"What?" I challenged. "We can't just leave them here! They may be harmless right now, but they won't always be that young. And there's no way their mother will leave without them."

Pinenose shook her head. "I… I can't," she said. "Even if their mother has already gotten ahold of Honeypaw, I just-" she broke trailed off as a sob shook her shoulders. She lowered her head and continued to cry. "I just c-can't do it! I could never imagine losing one of my kits!"

I looked away from Pinenose and heaved a sigh. As much as I disliked the she-cat, I couldn't force her to do something that went against her motherly nature. I could always kill the two kits by myself, but… something about it just didn't seem right.

I raised my gaze and caught Dawnpelt's eye. "We could always move them?" she suggested. "Somewhere outside the territory? Their mother would follow their scent to them, and I doubt she would try to move them back."

"Where would we move them to?" Waspstripe asked, as a frown tugged at his lips.

I was silent in thought for a few moments, and then it hit me. "Outside the Eastern territory."

Dawnpelt's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! There's a forest outside the territory, isn't there? No one would bother the foxes that far off."

"Then it looks like we have our plan," I sighed, annoyed. This was not how I planned to spend my day. "Alright, if there are only two kits then that means we can take turns carrying them. Dawnpelt and I will carry them halfway, and then Pinenose and Waspstripe can take a turn. It'll take most of the day to get to the forest and back, so we'll have to be fast if we want to return to camp before moon-high."

Dawn Frost

My name is Crowfrost and I really, really hate foxes.

Why do I hate foxes so passionately, you may ask? There's a large list of reasons why, but I'll focus on the most relevant ones.

One: Foxes reek.

Two: Foxes are heavy.

Three: Fox mothers like to settle in my territory, and give birth to their kits. And then it falls on my shoulders to relocate said kits.

Four: A fox killed the rabbit I'd set my heart on catching. My. Rabbit!

So, yeah. It was safe to say that I wasn't on good terms with the fox species at the moment. And yet, I was rescuing a fox's kits so that I wouldn't have to kill them, and I wouldn't have to kill her. It was amazing how backwards it all was, really.

The fox-kit swung from my jaws and flailed his paws miserably, but he was too weak to present a real challenge. ShadowClan had enough trouble hunting prey in leaf-bare, and we were feeding an entire clan. I doubted the kits' mother could hardly find enough prey to feed herself, much less her children.

At least the fox I was carrying didn't make much noise. Dawnpelt got stuck with the vocal one.

The tiny fox let out a shrill, indignant mew, and I shot Dawnpelt a side-glare. "Make that thing shut-up!" I spat through gritted teeth.

Dawnpelt returned my glare. Clearly her 'precious' package was annoying her as well. "And how am I supposed to do that?" she demanded, teeth still clamped onto the kit's scruff. It let out another sharp mewl, and I lowered my cold gaze.

"You know… it's not too late to kill them."

"Crowfrost!" Pinenose snapped.

"Kidding!" Oh, wait, no. No I wasn't.

Dawn Frost

The cold wind continued to blast us in the face as we made our way towards the forest. The fox-kit in my jaws had stopped fighting me so much, and now is simply hung in the air and shivered. I felt a brief twinge of sympathy for the tiny fox; it still had kit-fur, and was surrounded by unfamiliar scents. It must have been miserable.

"I feel kind of bad for them," Dawnpelt muttered, as if she'd read my thoughts. "I bet they're terrified."

I shrugged. "They wouldn't be if their mother hadn't settled in our territory."

Dawnpelt went to reply, but she stopped when a series of white flakes started to fall in front of our eyes. A cold flake landed on my muzzle and I dropped the fox-kit so that I could groan. "Are you serious?" I demanded. "It's snowing?" I hated the snow!

Pinenose appeared at my side and picked the fox-kit up again. "Waspstripe, take Dawnpelt's kit," she ordered, around the scruff in her mouth. "We'll carry them the rest of the way." The ginger and brown tom complied, and took the fox-kit that Dawnpelt had been carrying. She didn't protest.

"Alright," I sighed. "Let's get moving again."

Pinenose and Waspstripe resumed lead, and I fell back to walk beside Dawnpelt. "I hate foxes, and I hate the snow," I grumbled. "What in the name of StarClan did I do to deserve this?"

"Do you want a list?"

I shot the gorgeous she-cat a hard look, and she laughed quietly. Then, as a sort of apology, she pressed her body against my side, almost instantly warming me. "Apology accepted," I told her.

Dawnpelt had loosened up about touches, I'd noticed. She used to snap at anyone who so much as brushed pelts with her, but now she could tolerate it. Unless of course it was an unwanted tom, but after she rejected nearly every tom in the clan she didn't face that problem as often as she used to. I wonder if she brushed pelts with Spikefur on their "walk".

And then I wondered why I care.

Dawn Frost

"This looks like the place," I meowed, as I observed our surroundings. We were no longer in ShadowClan territory, instead we stood in a forest-y clearing. I would have suggested that we claim the forest to Rowanstar, but it was too full of undergrowth and brush. It was more of a ThunderClan forest.

Still, I thought. It's nice to know it's here.

"So, where should we set them?" Waspstripe asked, as his eyes flitted around the clearing.

"We can't just set them down," Pinenose added. "We need to find a den or burrow…"

I was actually okay with just setting the little pests down and darting back to camp, but I figured that no one else would go along with my plan. "Alright," I meowed. "Spread out and look for a suitable den."

The search didn't last very long, thank StarClan. A few minutes later and Waspstripe announced that he found an old badger set.

"Are you sure we should leave them here?" Pinenose fretted. "What if their mother can't smell them over the scent of badger, or what if they escape?"

"That's not our problem," I said darkly. "We carried them to safety, we can't linger around to make sure their mother shows up." When Pinenose looked ready to protest I went on, "Besides, surely one of the patrols have found something by now. Don't you want to get back to camp and check on Honeypaw?"

Pinenose clamped her jaws shut, but Dawnpelt and Waspstripe didn't look as convinced.

"Look," I started, exasperated. "The den is full of moss, it's not like they're going to freeze death, and we're not staying around here any longer to hunt for them. So come on."

My patrol members exchanged glances, and I was amazed that they were all so concerned for these fox-kits' lives. Sure, maybe they're cute now, but… don't they realize that they're going to grow up? Foxes are our enemies!

I couldn't help but growl lowly when I said, "Let's go, we need to get back to camp."

Dawn Frost

I always thought that, as the Clan deputy, whenever I entered the camp my Clanmates should stop what they were doing to cheer for me and welcome me back. They never did and I couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed whenever they didn't, but now, as everyone stopped speaking to turn and stare at me, I wondered if maybe there was a reason why no one ever did.

It was awkward.

Of course it might be considerably less awkward if they weren't all so miserable looking.

"Uhm," I started, unsure, "Did I miss something?"

Pinenose took a couple steps forward as she scanned the camp. "Where's Honeypaw?" she demanded. "Did you find her?"

When no one answered us my heart started to sink in my chest. Oh no…

"Where is she?" Pinenose asked again, panic evident in her tone. Several cats developed a sudden interest in the snow, as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, while others refused to look anywhere near the panicked mother.

Suddenly Rowanstar padded out of the medicine cat den with Littlecloud in tow. They were speaking to each other in hushed whispers, but they both stopped when they laid eyes on us. "You're back," Littlecloud remarked, as if surprised.

"It's about time," Rowanstar growled. "You've been gone for ages! Where were you?"

"It's a long story," I meowed. "I'll explain everything in a moment, but first, where's Honeypaw?"

Rowanstar's expression softened, as his gaze flitted towards Pinenose. "We found her," he started hesitantly. "But… the fox found her first."

Dawnpelt gasped from behind me. Pinenose nearly collapsed as she stumbled forward. "She's not dead, is she?" the sleek black she-cat asked. "Please Rowanstar, tell me she's not dead!"

It was Littlecloud who answered her. "No, she isn't dead, but-" a horrible bout of coughing cut him off. Rowanstar laid his tail on his friend's spine before he turned back to Pinenose.

"She's not dead, but she's in critical condition. I'm sure she put up a good fight, but the fox was vicious. By the time we found her she was in a pool of her own blood, unconscious. It won't be an easy recovery by any means, and I-" Rowanstar paused before he shook his head, as if he changed his mind. "Ratscar and your kits are still in the medicine cat den with her, if you'd like to see her."

Pinenose nodded fervently, and brushed past her Clan leader as she made her way towards the medicine cat den. I wondered if she regretted saving those fox-kits now.

"Poor Honeypaw," Dawnpelt murmured. "I can't-... I can't believe it."

"Neither can we," Rowanstar remarked. "It's terrible, but we're doing all we can to help her."

"Did you ever find the fox?" Waspstripe asked.

Rowanstar growled lowly. "No, we didn't. Ratscar's patrol came back with no reports, and my patrol found Honeypaw. I assume your patrol found the fox, and chased it off?"

I hesitated, "Not quite. Could we talk about this in your den?"

Dawn Frost

Rowanstar wasn't as creditable as an actor as yours truly, but he had his shining moments. At the moment I couldn't tell if he was impressed with my fox rescue, or livid.

Apparently Dawnpelt could read her father better than I could. "You're taking this better than I thought you would," she remarked. I glanced at her and then returned my attention back to Rowanstar. Funny, I'd been leaning more towards 'livid' than 'impressed'.

Rowanstar narrowed his amber eyes. "This isn't a joke, Dawnpelt. Messing with a fox's kits is dangerous. You might as well be begging StarClan to strike you lightning."

He certainly looked livid, in a cool and collected sort of way. I wondered if Dawnpelt expected him to snarl and hiss, or if she'd read him wrong. It occurred to me that she could have meant the remark sarcastically, but… Dawnpelt, making a sarcastic remark to her Clan leader/father? Practically unheard of, although they were known to have their fair share of arguments. Dawnpelt always had been stubborn.

The creamy-colored she-cat snorted softly and lowered her hazel gaze to her paws. I raised an eyebrow and looked back to Rowanstar. "What would you have had us do?" I inquired, not rudely. Best to tread softly when standing on thin ice.

The large ginger tabby tom exhaled. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I agree, killing the kits wasn't the answer. It would have angered their mother even more. But, given time, we could have come to a different solution."

"We didn't have time," Dawnpelt argued. My thoughts exactly.

Rowanstar scowled and opened his jaws to speak, when a sudden yowl interrupted him. Without waiting for orders Dawnpelt and I jumped to our paws and darted out of the den, and a heart-beat later Rowanstar was following us. The large ginger tom shoved past us and sprinted atop the Tall Boulder, where he then demanded, "What's wrong?"

Just then Ratscar and Ferretclaw burst into the camp, and Ratscar started to call, "The fox is-" but he never got the chance to finish his warning. The fox appeared in the camp entrance, spitting and snarling, and then chaos exploded.

"She's looking for her kits!" Dawnpelt cried.

Inwardly I was cursing. I knew it, I knew I shouldn't have agreed to take those kits away! Ugh, StarClan, I should have left them alone!

There's no time for sulking, my conscious snapped. There's a very angry mother fox in your camp!

"Guard the nursery!" Rowanstar commanded, and several warriors moved quickly to carry out his order. I noticed Hailpaw and Cloverpaw among them, but didn't call the apprentices back. If they wanted to partake in the action then let them. I was tired of holding them back and having them rebel.

Warrior after warrior threw themselves at the fox, but she side-stepped their claws and dodged their blows surprisingly easy. I narrowed my eyes and let out a caterwaul, raced towards the fox, and then leapt.

What are you doing?! My conscious screeched.

I didn't retort. Instead I unsheathed my claws and landed squarely on the fox's back. She snarled and turned around to try and snap at me, but she couldn't do so without completely ignoring the warriors that still batted her muzzle and ears.

She started to buck and snap at my paws again, and I thought, I have to get her out of this camp! It's too dangerous to continue like this!

But that was my last thought before she bucked one more time, unsettled my balance and threw me into the Tall Boulder.

"Crowfrost!" I heard a voice screech, but my mind was too foggy to distinguish it.

For a minute I thought I was going unconscious. Black spots danced before my eyes and my head ached. The voices in the background started to sound fuzzy and muted. I let out a pain-filled groan and laid my head down. Just a short nap, I thought, I just need to close my eyes for a few moments…

And then I heard another voice rise above the chaos in camp and the confusion in my mind, and it shouted, "It's in the medicine cat den!"

My eyes snapped opened. Honeypaw is still in there!

My nap could wait. I struggled to stand to my paws and then stumbled towards the den. I was nearly knocked down several times and black splotches still invaded my vision, but I finally managed to reach the den. My vision was blurry and I couldn't make out what the fox was doing; she could have been shuffling through wilted herbs as she searched for her kits, or she could have been hovering over Honeypaw, poised to kill.

I heard a voice cry out, and decided to go with the latter option.

"Hey!" I shouted, as loudly as I could. I could just make out the fox's movement; she spun around to look at me. "Mange-pelt," I growled, "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

I was in no position to fight, but on the other paw, I wasn't in the position to do much of anything. My brain wasn't fully functioning (my conscious even shut-up), so maybe my plan of action wasn't the best one.

I turned around and ran.

I bowled over several warriors as I raced out of the camp. The sound of pawsteps told me that my plan was working; the fox was following me. She was leaving the camp.

As I sped through the pine forest I wondered, Where am I supposed to go, again? I stumbled a few times as I tried to run and remember at the same time; at the moment I could only focus on running or on my plan. I was in no condition to do both. The still-falling snow also wasn't helping my blurry eyesight.

The Eastern Forest! Realization hit me like lightning. I had to get to the Eastern Forest! I couldn't remember why that was so important - StarClan, for a second I forgot why I was even running in the first place, until the fox's snarl jolted my memory - but 'why' didn't matter right now. At the moment, the only thing that mattered was getting away from this fox. If the Eastern Forest could somehow help me, then I would go there.

I pumped my legs as hard as I could but despite my best efforts, I was still slowing down. I was running and planning and fighting off a concussion; it was safe to say that I wasn't in great condition.

I heard the snap of jaws right behind my head. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to speed up. I can't let her catch up to me, I thought, If I do she'll kill me!

That thought was enough to motivate me for a few more minutes, and just when I started to draw ahead of the fox, disaster struck. The snow had managed to completely hide a large stone, and my brain was already so foggy… I didn't even notice the out-of-place lump of snow until after I tripped over it and fell on my face.

A heartbeat later and there was a fox hovering over my head. She snarled and drool splattered on my face. My paws were all sore and ached something fierce. The paw that got caught on the stone had started to bleed. Well, this is it.

"Fine," I groaned. "Go ahead and kill me. But make it q-quick, will you? I-I h-hate the snow!"

I let my eyelids close and allowed my senses to dull. Maybe if I fell unconscious quick enough I wouldn't feel my throat being ripped out.

As my mind started to drift into uncharted territory, I vaguely realized that someone was yowling fiercely, and that the fox was taking her sweet time with my death.

I heard a snarl.

"Crowfrost!"

And then there was nothing.

Dawn Frost

In all honesty, I didn't expect to ever wake up again.

Maybe that was just because I was dramatic, but I thought that fox was going to kill me once I fell unconscious. Nonetheless, I did not die. As a matter of fact I woke up a few hours after I passed out.

I still had a splitting headache, and I groaned loudly. "What happened?"

Several voices cried my name in relief, and before I knew what was happening I was attacked by something rough and wet. A tongue, I realized. I wasn't sure who the owner of said tongue was, but I was too groggy to really care.

"That's enough, Dawnpelt," a voice meowed. It took me a second to think about the statement, and then I realized that Dawnpelt had been licking my face. Then it took me another second to wonder why that confused me.

As my vision started to adjust, I reorganized the cats who'd all exclaimed when I woke up: Rowanstar, Tawnypelt, Smokefoot, Scorchfur, Ivytail, and of course, Dawnpelt. I noticed Ratscar sat beside Rowanstar as well, but I doubted he was relieved when I woke up.

I also noted that we were all gathered inside Rowanstar's den. Huh.

"How do you feel?" Scorchfur asked, hope agleam in his eyes.

I let my head fall back down and I closed my eyes again. "My head hurts something fierce, and my paws ache, but other than that…"

"What you did was very dangerous, Crowfrost," Rowanstar meowed sternly. "You could have died!"

"To tell you the truth, I honestly thought I was going to."

My humor went unappreciated by the group of warriors, except for Smokefoot, who snorted.

"What happened to the fox?" I groaned again. "If I'm alive, I assume something happened?"

"Dawnpelt went after you," Tawnypelt answered me. "She was a few fox-lengths behind you the entire time. When you tripped and the fox stood over you, she distracted it, and led it to the Eastern Forest."

"I reunited her with her kits," Dawnpelt added. "Once she noticed them inside that old badger set, she completely forgot about me. By the time I got back to you, Ratscar and Scorchfur were already hauling you back to camp."

I blinked in surprise and glanced at Ratscar. "You carried me back here?"

The brown tom rolled his eyes. "I didn't want to, but Cloverpaw said that if I didn't go after you, she would."

Well then. I never thought I'd think this, but thank StarClan for Cloverpaw.

"I helped too," Scorchfur added, indignantly, but Smokefoot shushed him.

"So why am I in here?" I asked.

"I wanted a meeting with my most senior warriors," Rowanstar replied. "I'd only called for Tawnypelt, Ivytail and Ratscar, but these three," he gestured dryly towards Dawnpelt, Smokefoot and Scorchfur, "refused to leave your side."

I frowned. "No, I mean why am I in here? Why am I not in the medicine cat den with Littlecloud?" I snorted, and then added, "Did you call this meeting to decide if I was worth the herbs?"

The group of warriors fell silent, as they all exchanged glances with each other. Caught off guard I quickly meowed, "Guys, that was just a joke. Please tell me that's not the reason you-"

"Littlecloud is dead," Ivytail interrupted me. "The fox killed him."

My pale blue eyes widened. "T-The fox-? But whe-when…" I trailed off as I racked my memories. Suddenly I remembered standing outside the medicine cat den, unsteady on my paws, when a cry breached my hearing. I thought it was Honeypaw crying out in fear, but then it dawned on me…

Oh StarClan, I thought, as I squeezed my eyes shut. Littlecloud had been killed right in front of my eyes and I didn't even realize it. I could have saved him. I could have gotten to the den faster, I could have-

"There was nothing you could have done, Crowfrost," Tawnypelt meowed, solemnly. "Littlecloud was ill and elderly. It was his time to join StarClan."

There was logic behind her words, although they offered me little comfort. Suddenly I understood why Dawnpelt blamed herself for Honeypaw's encounter with the fox.

"So then a fox killed our only medicine cat," I meowed, slowly. That was just our luck, wasn't it? Great StarClan, I hate foxes! "What are we going to do?" We weren't even a moon into leaf-bare yet, and Honeypaw was in critical condition. If there was ever a time for a medicine cat…

"That's why I called this meeting," Rowanstar explained. "To discuss our next course of action. We cannot be without a medicine cat; not right now."

Ratscar looked at Smokefoot. "What about you, Smokefoot?" he asked. "You're young enough to learn their ways." Smokefoot looked horrified by the suggestion and I couldn't say I blamed him. Retired or not, if someone asked me to train as a medicine cat I'd laugh in their face.

Rowanstar beat Smokefoot to the response. "No, Smokefoot has never shown desire in healing. This needs to be a cat who wants to learn their ways."

Ivytail scoffed. "We don't have time for such a cat to be born, Rowanstar!"

"What about Ashpaw?" Scorchfur suggested. "She's compassionate, she would make a fantastic medicine cat!" I doubted Hailpaw would be thrilled by the statement.

I also found it amusing that the three warriors not selected to participate in the meeting were chiming in with their own opinions.

Tawnypelt shook her head. "It takes more than just compassion to train as a medicine cat. Besides, I know how badly Ashpaw wants to be a warrior. She'd never switch apprenticeships willingly."

It was Dawnpelt who said, "Honeypaw."

I blinked. Well, there was an intelligent suggestion. "Honeypaw would be perfect for the role," I commented. "She's sweet-natured, compassionate, plus she's shaping up to be an absolutely lousy warrior."

Ratscar shot me a cold glare.

Murmurs of agreement were breathed into the air, until Ivytail growled and shook her head. "No, Honeypaw needs to complete her warrior training so that she doesn't resent herself for going after that fox."

"She's shown an interest in healing," Scorchfur argued. "I've seen her go over herbs with Littlecloud. She even helped him examine Snowbird the other day."

"That's just because she's curious!" Ivytail protested. I narrowed my eyes; it was no secret that Ivytail was a prideful warrior. If word got around that her apprentice decided she didn't want to be a warrior anymore, and started to train as a medicine cat… I wondered if maybe this was her pride lashing out.

Rowanstar raised his tail for silence. "That's enough," he meowed firmly. "After Honeypaw's encounter with the fox, Littlecloud said-" he paused to swallow, and I noticed that the other warriors flinched as well. We were going to have to get used to Littlecloud's absence. "Littlecloud said that Honeypaw suffered a lot of trauma, and he thought it would take her moons to return to her training. If Honeypaw wants to train as a medicine cat, I certainly won't deny her the position."

"And if she wants to continue her warrior training?" Ivytail challenged.

Rowanstar met her challenge easily, looked her in the eye and said, "Then she will be allowed to. Ultimately the choice will be Honeypaw's, and hers alone."

Ivytail dipped her head in response, although I noted that she was gritting her teeth together.

"If Honeypaw does decide to train as a medicine cat apprentice," Dawnpelt started, "then she's going to need a mentor. And if she doesn't… well, none of us are qualified to treat the wounds she has now, and someone should probably keep an eye on Crowfrost."

"Hey!" I protested. "I'm just fine!" To emphasis my point I stood to my paws, and instantly regretted my decision a heartbeat later when I staggered and the black spots returned to my vision.

Smokefoot rolled his dark blue eyes and shoved me back into my makeshift nest. "Don't hurt yourself, Show-off."

I shot him a glare that didn't have an ounce of venom behind it, and then glanced back at Rowanstar. "ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan all have a full-time medicine cat and an apprentice, and ThunderClan and RiverClan both have two full-fledged medicine cats. They'll have to send us one of their medicine cats until we have someone else trained."

"I think that's best option," Tawnypelt added.

Ratscar looked past me, outside the lip of the den, where the moon was shining brilliantly in the sky. "The next Gathering is tomorrow," he remarked. "I don't want to wait that long for someone to treat Honeypaw's wounds, but if we have too…"

Rowanstar laid his tail on the other tom's back. "She'll be okay until tomorrow night," he promised. "I'll have someone keep a constant eye on her. And then, during ShadowClan's report, I'll ask the other leaders to send us one of their medicine cats."

"And if none of the other medicine cats step up?" Scorchfur inquired.

Rowanstar's eyes hardened, and a certain kind of gleam appeared in them. "They will," he said, simply and with conviction. I sensed an unspoken threat behind those eyes, and was reminded of ShadowClan's reputation. We were the dark hearts of the four Clans, and although Rowanstar wasn't nearly as bloodthirsty or battlehungry as some of our past leaders, he certainly didn't go against the stereotype.

That was fine. I had no problem with our reputation. It only sparked fear and doubt into our enemies' minds when the time came to face each other on a battlefield.

The conversation carried on and I listened as intently as I could, and added in my own thoughts when I saw fit. Eventually I felt someone settled beside me. I glanced up and expected Smokefoot or Scorchfur, but came face to face with Dawnpelt.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," I whispered in return. I wasn't sure why we were whispering but I didn't question it. My head still ached and the soft tones of her voice were a welcome change from the main discussion.

She didn't speak again for a moment, so we simply looked at each other. Her hazel eyes glowed in the moonlight, luminous and captivating and completely focused on me. Not Rowanstar, not Tigerheart, and not Spikefur. Me.

"I'm glad you're okay," she finally meowed.

"The feeling is mutual," I replied softly.

She cracked a small smile and rasped her tongue over my ears once. I allowed my eyes to flutter for just a second, and then pretended the action had no effect on me. I returned my attention towards the main discussion, and forced myself to participate, even though I no longer had the desire to.

If I go unconscious again, do you think she'll lick me again? I wondered, because I was pretty sure that if I stood up quick enough, I could make myself blackout. Or at the very least I could always go find that fox again, and see if she was up for round two.

My conscious replied, It's couldn't hurt.

Oh no, it would hurt; that much I was sure of. After all a concussion was no small thing, and thus far the after effects were pretty miserable too.

But I had a feeling... it might be worth it.

Question of the Day

What would you like to happen during the next Gathering?

#Give me a suggestion and I just might include it!

I should have known something was wrong when the last chapter was so easy to write! Ugh, I didn't enjoy writing this chapter at all. I don't like the beginning, I don't like the fox-kit rescue, I don't like how the fox burst into the camp... ugh. Then there's the ending to this chapter. I actually had a few more paragraphs added in, but I couldn't seem to make them flow with the rest of the chapter, so I deleted them. That's why the ending is a bit abrupt, but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter nonetheless. As for Littlecloud's death... I've always known that I would kill off Littlecloud. He's been around since the first arc, it was just his time to go. And he died bravely, trying to defend Honeypaw. And now there's drama with finding a replacement medicine cat! I'm sure who all know who's coming to live in ShadowClan for awhile ;)

*** PLEASE READ THIS!

^ So! Recently I've discovered a very talented Warriors author by the name of Hissing Willows. I discovered her through her amazing fic: 'Blazing: Book One: Into the Wild'. It's the entire first arc re-written with a twist: what if Bluestar never gave up her kits, Thistlestar became leader, and Rusty joined RiverClan? It's an absolutely fantastic fic, which I now proudly beta. A lot of you PM me with fic recommendations, and in an archive full of poorly-written parodies and troll-fics, I finally have a fic I feel confident in recommending to you! I have a link to the story and Hissing Willow's account on my profile :)

^^ Also, I have a contest going on in my poll! More information on that is also on my profile, so check that out as well!

Reviews are the best motivation! I will be responding to each and every one of them with a PM.