Here's Moonpaw.

0o0o0oo0o0-o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Tigerstar stared down from the Highstone, his face expressionless as he surveyed his Clan, gathered beneath him. It was sunhigh, and a warm breeze was filtering lazily through the clearing. Despite the relaxed weather, tension hovered like a cloud of gnats in the air around the DarkClan camp. Moonpaw was wedged between Brightpaw and Honeyheart, her silver face turned expectantly up toward her leader.

"I have some startling news," Tigerstar began, his voice a deep rumble, like thunder crashing over the waiting cats. Moonpaw's heart was beating steadily and loudly beneath her rib cage, and a buzzing sound filled her ears. How did he find out? She wailed to herself. How did he know?

"Our dawn patrol scented LightClan in our territory, along with the scent of killed prey."

For a moment, Moonpaw wanted to sink into the ground, sure that every head in the clearing was turning to stare at her in disbelief and doubt. Her eyes closed for a moment. And then she heard Brightpaw's indignant snarl, "Those two-faced prey-thieves! How dare they hunt in our territory!" and she realized that all eyes were fixed on Tigerstar, not one cat was looking at Moonpaw.

"Did you hear him?" Brightpaw growled, her whiskers quivering. "Can you believe that? I thought we were on pretty good terms with those skinny grass-eaters…great StarClan, can you believe that?" Brightpaw stood up and yowled, "We should fight them Tigerstar!"

Moonpaw was hovering between joining her friend in howling defiance of LightClan's treachery, to desperately trying to calm the surge of anger that had swept through the crowd. The memory of Nightpaw catching the mouse the night before flashed through her mind, and she winced guiltily, trying to push it away.

"Brightpaw, maybe we shouldn't be so rushed about it, battles are-" Moonpaw began tentatively. Another image jumped unbidden into her mind's eye, this time of Brightpaw tearing at Nightpaw's sleek black pelt, her claws smeared with his blood, screeching in his face. She shivered. How could she stand by and watch while her Clanmates tore him to pieces. Her…her…what was he to her? Not her best friend…best friends didn't meet in secret; best friends didn't belong in different Clans. Not a brother to her either, there was nothing brotherly about their friendship. Maybe he was just a companion, a mutual friend. But that didn't seem right either. There wasn't a word to describe her bond with Nightpaw.

The crowd had calmed down, and now Tigerstar had begun to speak again. "Although I am deeply saddened by Turtlestar betrayal, I believe that there is no other alternative but to meet his Clan in battle. Remember, as honorable warriors and apprentices of DarkClan we fight to wound, to remind them that we punish those who break the warrior code, not to kill. If I see anyone harm a nursing queen, a kit, or an elder, they will be penalized as I see fit. We will attack the first patrol we meet, not the camp, as this is not an individual issue between Clans."

Meows of approval and agreement filled the camp. A battle over a piece of stolen prey was nothing to kill over, of course, but the prospect of merely running beside one's Clanmates and uttering a battle cry drove most of the young toms into a frenzy of excitement.

"My first battle as a warrior!" Firestripes was saying proudly to Greenpaw as they twined tails, an eager gleam in both of their gazes.

"We will leave at dusk, when LightClan will probably be sending out a dusk patrol," Tigerstar meowed. "Stripedleg, Graythroat, Brownback, Firestripes, Foxpaw, Greenpaw…"

A chill swept down Moonpaw's spine. Though no one else seemed to notice, it seemed to her that Tigerstar paused, and turned his piercing amber gaze onto Moonpaw. His eyes bore deep into her soul, penetrating the thickest, blackest places of her mind, laying open her deepest secrets for the world to see. She saw the recognition on his face, the flash of utter shame at her terrible deeds, and saw him shake his head, his brow furrowed, and lash his tail as if to say, I expected more from you Moonpaw. I thought you were a loyal DarkClan cat, but then the moment was gone.

"…And Moonpaw." Of course. Of course, he had called her name. She was his apprentice; of course, she would go with him into battle. She had had ample training over the past few days; she knew enough skills to keep her standing. There was no reason on earth why she shouldn't be swelling with pride, with excitement. But she wasn't. Little by little, like exhaling as slowly as possible, Moonpaw deflated. She shrunk back, blinked once, twice, a grimace twisted her face, and she wanted to swat at her mentor's whiskers and say, "Great StarClan, Tigerstar, don't make me go!" but she didn't. She just sat; looking wilted and trying not to listen to anything.

"You lucky furball!" Brightpaw moaned, sitting back on her haunches with a defeated thud. "Ugh, the only battle I've ever been in was one tiny swat-fight over a patch of grass or something, I hardly got one single scratch!" Brightpaw paused and took in Moonpaw's dreadful scowl. She raised an eyebrow, her attitude immediately swinging from crestfallen and envious to suspicious and cynical. "Don't be so nervous, Moonpaw, it's just a battle, for StarClan's sake. Perk up a little." She treated her friend to a distant smile and then turned tail and loped away.

"Moonpaw! Hey, Moonpaw!" Someone called. The silver she-cat rose slowly to her feet, a great sigh escaping her. Even though she had been warned that she might one day have to meet Nightpaw in battle, the prospect had seemed far away, something she needn't worry about until it happened. Now, it was happening, and a solid, cold anxiety was settling in in the pit of Moonpaw's stomach.

It was Lunarpaw this time, with a weary-looking Crowclaw trailing behind him. "Moonpaw! I asked Crowclaw to give us some tips on fighting – you're going to need them today, I bet." The rest of the afternoon was filled with deadly boring tales of past battles and heroic DarkClan victories. By the time dusk was setting in, Moonpaw was half-asleep, and had almost forced herself to put the looming battle out of her mind.

"Will the cats that I have named to the patrol please join me by the Wide Tunnel!" Tigerstar's call rang out just as the sun had disappeared beneath the trees.

Moonpaw was jerked awake, and someone dragged her to the tunnel. She stared into the wide black mouth of the entrance to the network of underground paths, a mixture of dread and exhilaration filling her swirling brain. Maybe Nightpaw wouldn't even be there. Yes, that was a possibility.

Tigerstar appeared at the head of patrol, glanced at each cat in turn, and then turned and swiftly led the way down into the black depths of the tunnel.

This was only the second time that Moonpaw had descended beneath the surface, but, like the first time, the transition from daylight to the soft darkness was easy, comfortable even. She felt at home down here, where her whiskers could feel every dimple and crack in the tunnel wall, where musty, earthy smells encircled her.

"I can't believe that LightClan cats are afraid of the dark," murmured Foxpaw, genuine disbelief in his voice. His green eyes glowed like fireflies in the surrounding blackness.

"I heard they can't even climb trees," added Greenpaw with a scornful sneer.

"The whole lot of them are grass-eating, scrawny, thieves," Firestripes meowed with finality, as she padded along with her pelt brushing Greenpaw's. Moonpaw's pelt began to bristle, but she suppressed the shiver's crawling down her spine and remained silent as they walked along, following Tigerstar's scent as he led the way by memory. They made enough turns so that Moonpaw was profoundly disoriented, and then suddenly she was blinded by a flash of bright purple-ish light glaring through the opening in the tunnel before them.

Tigerstar ascended into the light, leading the DarkClan cats as a bird might fly at the head of his flock. His striped fur glittered the in the dim half-light of the twilight that was rapidly closing in around them.

"This plays to our advantage, Tigerstar!" said Stripedleg. Moonpaw blinked as the pale-furred tom actually flashed an eager smile. It was the first time she had ever seen Stripedleg show so much emotion. "We can see much better in the dark than LightClan warriors."

Tigerstar nodded gravely, surveying their surroundings. They had emerged on the top of a small hillock, hidden by a tiny copse of scrawny trees. They seemed to be just inside LightClan territory, and Moonpaw marveled at how far the tunnels must stretch beneath their territories.

And suddenly, as soon as she had gathered herself, Graythroat gave a great hiss of surprise, and jabbed into the air with his paw, indicating something on the moor that was spread before them. "LightClan!" he meowed under his breath.

Firestripes was quivering with excitement, and it took Moonpaw a moment to catch sight of the LightClan patrol, bounding nearer to them across the grassy hills. There looked to be five cats – three large warriors, and two smaller apprentices. They were almost upon the hillock where the DarkClan cats were crouched in hiding.

As if she was moving through water, Moonpaw hardly understood what happened in the next few moments it all happened so quickly and suddenly. One LightClan warrior suddenly stopped short, and the other halted at his flank. They raised their heads to the air, and then one of them yowled, "DarkClan!"

And then suddenly Moonpaw was hurried down the hill, and they were fighting, and it was chaos of fur, teeth and claws, and then there was a pause, and Moonpaw looked up, and her stomach gave a mighty heave – she was staring directly into a pair of clear blue eyes, and her horrified expression was mirrored in his gaze.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o