Authors Note: I'd like to take a moment to thank my seven reviewers. Seriously. After abandoning this story for about four months, I update a suckish chapter, and get seven reviews from seven wonderful people. You all who have reviewed, favorited, story alerted, and even taken the time to view this story have inspired me to keep going and write about the calm Whitepool, the creepy Bluepaw, the jealous Ravenpaw, the grumpy Oakfrost, and the missing Mousestar.

This chapter is short, but I just wanted to get it out so I can get to the next one! We're almost to 100 reviews guys! Thank you to everyone!

Chapter Nine

Dawn's beautiful, pure light greeted her eyes as she slowly opened them, eye gunk creasing in the side of one of her eyes. She blinked, picking up a white paw and bringing to her eye, rubbing it slowly. She took away her paw, lifting up her head and stretching out her jaws in a yawn, her tail-tip flicking in content.

I don't have an apprentice for the moment, she thought, staring down at her paws with a slightly downcast expression on her face. She blinked, a prickle of unhappiness flowing through her body as she thought of the blue-gray apprentice. Then her ears pricked, a small smile of hope gracing across her features. But that means that I have a lot more free time for myself; I can go on a lot more patrols, and I can spend some time with Mother.

Whitepool blinked at the moss that curled over her paws, inhaling deeply and getting to her feet. The white-furred cat lifted up her head once again, another yawn rippling through her chest. She allowed herself to shake away the moss, pieces of it scattering in the warriors den.

"Do you mind?" Her ears pricked as she heard a gruff meow, and she looked over, ears flattened, at the irritated face of Oakfrost.

The thick-furred tom hissed at her, still lying down with his chin rested on a big paw. His one yellow eye was opened, narrowed. He flared his nostrils, lifting up his head and turning his neck to nose some of the moss pieces from his fur.

Oakfrost growled, turning back to her. "Why can't you keep your moss in your nest?" he asked, annoyance prickling from his pelt.

Before she could open her mouth to respond, he lowered his head back down, resting his chin on his great paws, closing his eye once again. She flicked her ear as she looked down at him, twitching her whiskers in contempt.

He's such a downer, Whitepool let out a disdainful sigh, shaking her head and beginning to prick her way around the warriors den, careful not to step on any of the sleeping cats. He needs an apprentice to calm him down a bit – I know that once Foxclaw got Dawnwing as his apprentice, all those moons ago, he cooled down a little bit.

Once the sunlight hit her muscular shoulders, Whitepool yawned, allowing her back to drop down and her legs and tail to stretch out, working out the kinks in her joints. The white she-cat flicked her tail-tip, regaining her composure, and glanced around the BrambleClan camp, yellow eyes scanning the clearing for Bluepaw.

Even though the apprentice a pain, Whitepool still needed to train her – how could Bluepaw reach her fullest potential to become a warrior if the cat who assigned to mentor her couldn't do so a few days into the apprenticeship?

Perhaps she's still asleep, she thought, frowning. I mean, I see Ravenpaw and Thistlepaw… Whitepool blinked puzzled eyes as she saw the blue-gray, furry apprentice sharing a vole with Ravenpaw. She cocked her head to the side in confusion – wouldn't Bluepaw be out with the other two cats? It wasn't in Bluepaw's nature to be alone in a den; the small kit would always scamper out whenever her mother and brother were not in the nursery.

Whitepool flicked an ear, padding up to the fresh-kill pile, looking at the two apprentices carefully. "Ravenpaw," she meowed as soon as she reached them.

The black-and-white apprentice looked up, blinking startled green eyes. He glanced at Thistlepaw, who merely shrugged. Ravenpaw looked up at his kin, twitching a bi-colored ear. "Yes, Whitepool?" he asked.

"Where's Bluepaw? I don't see her." She asked, craning her neck to survey the BrambleClan camp once more, checking to see if she had come out from the apprentices den in the time that Whitepool had been talking to Ravenpaw.

"Oh," He frowned; memories of the conversation that Whitepool had had with him when they went to the gathering days prior came back. "Well, she wasn't in the den when I woke up, but I think I heard her getting up in the middle of the night; I fell asleep a bit late." He informed the young warrior with a polite dip of his head.

Thistlepaw turned to face Whitepool as well, his green eyes puzzled. "I heard her too. She was mumbling something…I couldn't hear her very clear, but it didn't sound…right." He suppressed a shiver, and Whitepool frowned.

Bluepaw really isn't acting okay… She nodded, flicking her tail over the blue-gray cat's ears. "Thank you. Just…let me know if either of you see her, okay? I really want to make sure that she's okay." Without another word, Whitepool turned from the toms, padding toward the entrance of camp fretfully.

The conversation that we had yesterday spooks me, to say the least. I mean, why was Bluepaw being so hostile toward me? I haven't done anything to her but be a kind mentor – or, well, at least I attempted to. Bluepaw was so sweet as a kit; she just wanted to be a warrior. Whitepool twitched her whiskers in amusement, slipping through the tunnel that lead out into the forest.

I remember when her and Ravenpaw began to talk about what their warrior names were going to be; Spottedflower and I had to give them the warrior halves of their names that'd best suit them. Ravenpaw would definitely be a Ravenwing or Ravenstreak; he's a fast one. But Bluepaw…I never really thought anything suited her.

She shook her head, clearing the blurred and bright memories of playing with her sisters kits, laughing and watching as Spottedflower did her best to become a good mother. That's in the past now. Now, I'm stuck with Bluepaw and I'm not sure what to do with her. At first, I thought that she was just so bubbly and happy, but now…I can see something else, something different.

Whitepool leaped over a tree root, her tail-tip twitching as she slid through a clump of bracken, the leaves pressing against her back as she slithered out.

Raising her muzzle, she sniffed the air, attempting to find any warm scent of prey in the thick forest. She could taste a squirrel in the distance; it must've been about four foxlengths away.

As she began to stalk her way up to the piece of prey, Whitepool could've sworn she heard a small shriek.

Startled, she immediately pricked her ears, looking around to find the source.

But as soon as it came, any trace that she had ever heard it was replaced by the sound of the howling wind.

Authors Note: So Bluepaw's missing too? *le gasp* Where could she be?

Anyway. The next chapter is going to be super exciting and also a bit more creepy than the others, AND, it's not in Whitepool's POV either :3

Thank you all again!