A/N: I can't wait to finish this darned fic. Then I'm going to write the second book or I'll rewrite the first (more likely the former - I easily get bored of stories). I'm too lazy to reread this chapter, so I won't give my opinion. I've been slacking off lately, which is why I want to start over - it's the work of a slacker and I don't like it. The perfectionist in me is suffering because of how much I drifted from the original Erin Hunter storyline. I skipped too many scenes in an attempt to move to the good stuff. Anywho, READ ON.

I own nothing but Scorchpaw, but I can't even say I own her name. Just her soul o.O

Ravenpaw awoke from his dream abruptly. The gray tom was already on his feet, but Bluestar was still deep in sleep. "What did you dream about?" asked Ravenpaw.

"I got my warrior name," he said proudly, as if it had actually happened.

Ravenpaw blinked. "You didn't visit StarClan, did you?"

"No, why?" his friend asked suspiciously. "Did you?"

"No." Ravenpaw shook his head. "That's why I asked." At least, he didn't think that was StarClan he visited. It was ThunderClan. But that strange cat in the stream... "Graypaw, I think it was a sign!"

"What?"

"I dreamed I was at that stream by the camp. I was looking into my reflection, except it wasn't my reflection."

Graypaw cocked his head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"It wasn't me in the reflection! It was that ShadowClan apprentice!"

"The one who was giving you funny looks?"

"Yes! There's something connecting us."

Rolling his eyes, Graypaw snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious, Graypaw."

The gray apprentice lost his entertained expression. "You should talk to Spottedleaf when we get back," he said.

"I'm going to."

"We're heading back now," came an unseen voice.

Both toms turned to see Bluestar rise to her feet. "Good," said Ravenpaw as the leader frantically raced past him.

"Hurry!"

# # #

The warriors and Bluestar ran a good distance ahead of the apprentices - especially Ravenpaw who was struggling to keep up. "Hurry up, Ravenpaw," Tigerclaw growled over his shoulder.

Suddenly, a black and white tom jumped out in front of the travelling cats.

"Barley," Bluestar greets him. "He lives near the Twoleg nest," she explained to the apprentices once they caught up.

"Hi!" the cat meowed. "How are you, Bluestar? Is everything alright? You seem in more of a hurry than usual."

Tigerclaw growled when he looked at Barley. He was obviously suspicious of the loner's curiosity.

"I don't like to be away from my Clan too long," Bluestar answered.

"What is it you want, Barley?" Tigerclaw asked rudely.

"I just wanted to warn you that there are a couple of dogs here now. You'd be much safer travelling through the cornfield than past the -"

"We know about the dogs," Tigerclaw inturrupted. "We passed them earlier."

Ravenpaw shivered, remembering the dogs. They were tied up, but nonetheless, terrifying.

"Thank you, Barley," said Bluestar, dipping her head politely.

"Have a safe journey!" he shouted, bounding away.

"Come," Bluestar ordered, turning back in the direction of the cornfield. Graypaw and Ravenpaw followed, and with a short hesitation, so did Lionheart, but Tigerclaw wouldn't budge.

"You trust the word of a loner?" he questioned.

Bluestar halted. "Would you rather face those dogs?"

"They were tied up -"

"They may not be now. We're going this way." She ducked under the fence into the field, the apprentices on her heels, Tigerclaw and Lionheart a short distance behind.

They walked along in the glowing light of the sunrise.

Suddenly, Ravenpaw felt something grab hold on his leg, and he let out an earsplitting shriek. He tried to claw at it, but ended up digging his claws into the soft earth. Soon they were surrounded by rats. Another leapt between his shoulder blades, and a third latched onto his foot. Madly slicing the air, Ravenpaw could not reach the rats.

"It was a trap," spat Tigerclaw.

Ravenpaw flung himself to the ground in a desperate attempt to get rid of the rats. But it was useless - more and more were joining the others. He toppled over in pain. A flash of white rushed by, but he hardly noticed. He felt weights being lifted off his body. Rolling over, he saw Barley, tearing a rat off his back, then racing off to Bluestar while Graypaw helped his friend up.

Together, they padded over to Bluestar, lying on her side, unmoving. The leader's pelt was drenched with blood, her eyes closed. "Bluestar?" whispered Graypaw.

"She's in the paws of StarClan now," breathed Lionheart.

"Is she dead?" Ravenpaw asked the golden warrior.

He shook his head. "We just have to wait."

Barley and Graypaw left to find herbs for her wounds, but Ravenpaw lay down instead - he was feeling terribly exausted.

As the sun continued to rise, he waited and watched. Barley left as soon as they had done their best to stop the bleeding with cobweb.

Then at last Bluestar stirred.

"Is she awake?" Graypaw asked his mentor.

He shrugged. "She's getting there."

She lifted her head and looked from Tigerclaw to Lionheart. "We must get moving," she rasped.

Ravenpaw stood up, glad that it wasn't her ninth life that his leader had lost. As they padded on, Bluestar leaning on Lionheart, he heard Tigerclaw ask how many lives she'd lost.

"That was my fifth," she replied quietly.

# # #

The stench of ShadowClan was evident all throughout their walk back through the Clan territories. Even in ThunderClan. "I still scent ShadowClan," Graypaw pointed out.

A faint yowl sounded from the direction of the camp, along with battle-hungry cries and terrified shrieks. Ravenpaw stopped. "Did you hear that?" he mewed.

The other cats strained their ears to listen. "Hurry up," Bluestar shouted, limping as quick as possible toward her Clan.

She burst through the camp entrance along with Tigerclaw and Lionheart, followed closely by Graypaw and Ravenpaw. The dark apprentice watched in horror as they lept into battle.

"StarClan warned me!" Bluestar shouted. "ShadowClan is attacking!"

Knowing he had to protect his Clan, no matter how weak and defenseless, Ravenpaw flung himself at a black and white apprentice. He swiped at the tom's face, then pushed him over, onto his back. His oppenent battered at his stomach pathetically, and for a moment Ravenpaw believed he was triumphant. But the ShadowClan cat pushed him off and went in for a killing bite.

Ravenpaw dodged the attack as best as he could by rolling to the side, and his opponent bit into his shoulder instead of his neck. He cringed in pain and jumped to his feet. He forced his breath to stay steady and looked around the camp while the ShadowClan tom watched him. Three elders were defending the nursery from the ShadowClan deputy, Blackfoot, while on the other side of the camp, Dustpaw and Sandpaw were batting madly at a scrawny gray tom.

Taking the young tom by surprise, Ravenpaw lept forward and forced the black and white cat to the ground. He held one paw near his throat and kept the other pinned on his shoulder. Coughing and spluttering, the apprentice went limp. Ravenpaw loosened his grip and stepped back to allow the opposing cat up - the Warrior Code would not allow him to kill another cat.

The tom hissed and lept back into battle with a ThunderClan warrior. For a moment, Ravenpaw stood there, silently praising himself for a victory. A little tabby tom inturrupted him, leaping onto his back. Ravenpaw rolled over, hoping to smash the enemy into the ground. This apprentice is smaller than him, but it doesn't raise suspicions until Ravenpaw realizes that the little tom's fur is matted from battle, but still fluffy like a kit's.

"Littlepaw!" A black she-cat bowled Ravenpaw over, landing on top of him, her front paws pinning him down. "Don't ever think about laying a -" She stopped, mid-sentence. Her expression went from angry to hesitant - unsure, even.

"Scorchpaw?" said Littlepaw.

She shook her head as if shaking out thoughts. "Make sure your at the Gathering," she hissed before leaping off, into the battle again.

Again with the looks, Ravenpaw thought. He watched as the young cat tore past Sandpaw and Dustpaw and leapt onto Lionheart's back before he saw her. She was attacking his Clanmate, yet it was somehow admirable - she was a fighter, and a good one at that.

# # #

In the camp, one rogue - Holly, she said her name was - sat next to the elders' den, guarded by Whitestorm - according to him, she came begging for shelter along with the old ShadowClan medicine cat. She, however, was not the only thing off: There were three bodies in front of the Highrock where Bluestar stood in silence. Next to Ravenpaw, Graypaw was shaking with grief. The elders and some warriors huddled together in mourning. Bluestar herself seemed to be having trouble keeping her posture.

She looked down at the blood-soaked bodies. Rosetail, an elder, then Spottedleaf. Finally, Lionheart. Sadness shone in her blue eyes, now dull with grief. She lept down to stand next to Lionheart, losing her focus for a moment when she leaned down to nudge his head.

"I say these words before the body of Lionheart, so that his spirit may hear and approve of my choice," the leader said slowly. "His loyalty to the Clan and to the Warrior Code has never wavered, and we need his courage greatly at this time," she continued.

Ravenpaw glanced at Tigerclaw, the murderer. He looked pleased, knowing that he was to become the deputy. He didn't care about Lionheart - he wanted power, and if Lionheart had to die, so be it.

"The next deputy will be Whitestorm."

Tigerclaw's amber eyes clouded with confusion, and around him, his Clanmates were shocked too. But after a moment, there were yowls and murmurs of approval.

Proving his worth even more, there was no pride in Whitestorm's eyes. Just grief of a cat inwardly mourning his lost Clanmates.

The camp grew silent again as cats started toward the bodies. Graypaw wailed as he raced toward Lionheart, Ravenpaw following, but stopping to take a good look at the medicine cat. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He sighed. She was a good and decent cat, loyal and helpful. Ravenpaw needed her support.

A loud wail rang out across the clearing, more desperate and grief-stricken than any Ravenpaw had heard. "My kits!" Frostfur yowled. "My kits are missing!"