I haven't update. Don't hate me, I have a good reason: FINALS AND GRADUATION. There! I said it XD.

So, now that you have forgiven me, let's get it on! I hope you enjoy this chapter and are still interested even after a long time of not posting. I I worked my butt off to post for you so...please review!

ENJOY! :)

Shadowheart

"Halfcrest."

Halfcrest turned slightly at my call and waited as I continued, "I want to talk to you. Alone."

He looked at me for a moment before nodding and swishing his tail into the woods, "Let's go hunting then, like we used to."

I took a break in hating him and felt something inside my chest hurt. I thought he would know. I just wanted to make our father proud. But now, I regretted it. I lost Waterpaw to Halfcrest and lost Halfcrest too.

We both padded silently, Halfcrest in the lead. I padded forward so I could be ahead. He padded in front. Soon enough, we were racing into the woods with all our might before crashing into a tree.

I was a bit surprised to hear Halfcrest laughing and realized I was too, "I won," he said.

"Um, I think I hit the tree first," I told him, feeling the same joy I felt when we were kits.

Halfcrest turned his eyes to me and was quiet for a minute before saying, "We can't we do this every day? Just because we're not kits or apprentices anymore, doesn't mean we can't have fun like we used to," he told me, not releasing me from his stare.

"Who says we can't?"

He stalked towards me with a glare, "You! For the love of Starclan, Shadowheart, I thought you went power crazy! Suddenly, my brother's been replaced by…something else entirely. I didn't know what to do because you'd walk away even when I tried to talk to you!"

My eyes went to the ground in shame, "What made you think I wasn't?"

"Powercrazy?" his voice loosened its accusation, "Waterpaw, of course."

My eyes met his, "What?"

"It was obvious you did all that just to be ahead of me after Waterpaw left," he gave me a smug look, "You've never looked at me with such jealousy than the time Moonpelt told me I would be a strong cat one day."

I groaned, "Please don't bring that up," I said and took a deep breath before saying, "Shrewclaw gave me a lesson…it was different from the other's….I had to."

Halfcrest growled, "What? He told Moonplet he wouldn't-!"

"Shut up and let me talk," I interrupted him and continued, "He said if I let you win…he would reveal to the entire clan that both you and I were meeting with a Riverclan cat. At first, he thought we were training when we weren't in bed…but he followed us to teach us something new and smelled Riverclan."

"He knows it's Waterpaw," Halfcrest's eyes went wide. Then he narrowed his eyes, "But he still gave you a lesson."

I left his eyes and looked intot he trees, "Yeah," I said.

"So it wasn't your fault?"

"Yeah." I repeated.

"And he forced you?"

"Yeah," I said yet again.

"The old lessons?"

"Yeah."

"How come you don't have marks?"

"I've been going to Spottedfur…he thinks I've just been fighting again."

Halfcrest hissed, "Why didn't you tell me! Have we stopped being brothers!?"

"What could you have done? He would've just found another person to torture."

Halfcrest made a choking sound, "Don't you ever try that again."

"Don't tell me what to do," I snapped.

He glared at me, "I am your brother and I will tell what to do. Never try to protect me again!" he looked down, "The only reason why I didn't go crazy before was because…I had you. But I can't possibly think of going through that alone."

"At least he took drowning out of the lessons," Halfcrest glared at me and I rolled my eyes.

We were quiet for a while before Halfcrest sighed, "You didn't turn into him. I'm happy for that. You deserve to-."

"Don't start that," I growled.

His whiskers twitched in amusement, "What? You do deserve it. You've gone through that, alone. You managed to save everyone...I couldn't manage that."

"I want Waterpaw," I told him.

Halfcrest stiffened and shook his head, "No."

"I won't fight you over Waterpaw, because she won't like that. And even though I love her, it's not enough for me to fight for you. Or go to Riverclan."

Halfcrest stayed quiet. I laughed, "So you have been thinking about that!"

"Yes."

"I hate you, so much Halfcrest."

He raised his head questioning. I nodded and trapped a frog in my paw, "You've always been gentle, strong, brave, you were able to get out of Shrewclaw's claws…you were able to steal my one and only love without a single hardship."

"Shadowheart. Even if I wanted to…I can't."

I nodded. I watched him these past moons. He tripped over everything aand chased the prey away. He forgot how to fight. He didn't seem to eat or sleep. He was always unfocused and glared at everyone.

"You love her. But I do too. Do you mee to tell me, you've gone through harder obsticles than I have for Waterpaw?"

Halfcrest shook his head gravely, "No…as long as Shrewclaw's involved in this, you've surpassed me. But it's her choice," he choked out.

We both knew who she would choose. My claws sank into the ground, "It's not fair," I whispered to no one, anyone, someone, "It's not fair! I did everything I could!"

Halfcrest just watched me with sad eyes as I continued, "How can I hate you so much but still protect you from a monster instead of letting you be killed by it! Why? You took her away from me."

"Shadowpaw would never cry," Halfcrest told me quietly.

I glared at him and lunged, clawing like crazy until all my energy had vanished. I panted and rolled of him, staying on the ground in my own misery. The world seemed to have engulf me that Halfcrest's voice was muffled as if a wall of despair was around me.

"Are you done?"

I nodded. Nothing I did will earn me Waterpaw. Nothing. She just loved Halfcrest and that's what was meant to happen.

"I hate Starclan."

"After you're done hating everything," Halfcrest lifted me up with a grunt, "I'll tell you something."

"What?" I gruffed. She was gone. Slipped right out of my paws like a fish.

"Her warriors ceremony is today…you can make an excuse to go see that. See her one more time."

I looked up. Waterpaw as a warrior. We haven't even kept our side of the deal of training her. But somehow, I had the feeling she knew moves now. And the way she met Shrewclaw's glare when I would just look down…

"I guess…"

"Come on! You get to go because you're deputy! I don't! You better enjoy it our I'm going to beat the stuffing out of you!" Halfcrest threatened.

I sighed. If it would just be like this every day, "Okay."

"Where are you going?"

"Riverclan."

"When I'm talking to you, look me in the eye," he growled. I turned around and met his eyes. Who does he think he is? He stopped being my father ages ago?

"What?"

"What are doing there?"

"Talisstar wants me to talk to Shinningstar about the recent scent around both our borders."

"You know it's that apprentice right?"

I turned to him and glared, "No. It's not a clan cat, he said. It's a rogue or a pass by but the prey has been little lately."

I turned around, angry and pissed. I had to stand up to him. Halfcrest had. Even Waterpaw had. I had to too.

I left before he could say anything more, knowing punishment was coming for that. What would it be this time? Running into a bee's house? Drowning me? Declawing?

I sighed, "Maybe he'll be more creative this time," I said to myself as I crossed the Riverclan border. I smelled it. It was definitely a rogue or a passerby.

As I entered the clan, I heard the shouts, "Waterflame! Waterflame!"

The first thing I thought was, Waterflame? Flame? But thinking about it for a minute, I realized how well it fit her. Sometimes, she was as calm as water and her pelt looked like a moving river with the light blue stripes. But sometimes, she was fiery and fierce, and her eyes seemed to be on fire, burning into another cats.

I felt my chest relax as I made my way into the camp. Whsipers erupted and a kit jumped onto me.

"Filthy, Shadowclan! I will protect my clan!"

I chuckled and slowly lifted him off me as his mother came and picked him up, "Ripplekit! Where are your manners! Be nice!"

"But mom, look! He's going to attack us."

I looked at the kit and wondered what the clan has been teaching their kits, "No, I'm just here to talk to Shinningstar."

"I'm right here," Shinningstar appeared in front of me.

I stiffened at her expression and remembered the last time we met, I had broken her sister's heart and had one of her clan members dead in my jaws.

"Helllooo," I said awkwardly.

"Still childish," she noted, as if she was making a list of why I shouldn't have been deputy.

I sighed, "Talisstar brought me here to talk to you about-."

"Let's go to my den," she said and started walking.

I followed and suddenly, Waterpa-flame appeared beside me. Shinningstar glared at her, "You're not coming."

"But-."

"Just stop. Go prepare for our journey," she told Waterp-flame before whipping around to continue padding towards her den.

I looked at Waterp-flame questioningly, "Journey?"

"None of your business," Shinningstar hissed before bringing me into her den.

* *I *

In the end, the leader lost her hate for me slightly and we had discussed the problem. It seemed that she'd noticed it too and was going to speak to Talisstar about it also.

"Talisstar wants to keep a patrol at night also," I told her.

She nodded and we agreed to patrol the border's at night. We weren't in alliance but we were working together.

I left her den and saw the kit from before glaring at me. I looked at him directly and said, "Maybe one day you'll get to attack me, like you want?"

He looked taken back before beaming with pride, "Yes! I'll be the best warrior in all of the claans!"

I looked at him for a while. That was me…

His brother obviously embarrassed nudged him, "Okay…"

I chuckled. Halfcrest…

I walked out of the camp after that, wondering where Waterp-flame was. It would take some getting used to with the name.

I was thinking when someone grabbed me and dragged me into the woods, "Waterp-flame. Stop it," I said, even though I was enjoying it.

"You're so heavy now," she panted before looking at me with those sparking green eyes, "I have something to tell you."

I watched her cautiously, "Okay…go. Waterflame."

She made a face, "I don't know why Shinnignstar chose that name…what Riverclan cat has flame at the end of their name."

"A special Riverclan cat," I told her and rubbed my fur with hers, purring. I knew she would pull away, but it was worth just feeling it. She pulled away, "You should be honoured."

"That's what Shinningstar said," she muttered before saying, "My sister and I are going on a journey to the mountains…We'll be gone for 2 moons-."

"What?"

"And I can't tell Halfcrest. We're leaving tonight," she told me.

Someone called her name in a distance and I knew it wasn't the time to ask questions, "Halfcrest will go crazy," I told her.

She smiled sadly, "Halfcrest. I'm glad he found a way to unbound himself," she said as if she was in a daze and her voice changed, "You should too. You are stronger than Halfcrest and your father combined. Have faith in yourself and you will escape his claws also."

And she left.

What was that?

I wanted to right more on this chapter and continue that but I really want to go to bed. It's really late nd I have summer school...I hope you're not mad. REVIEW!