Hey guys~ sorry for the delays and all~ but I swear, everything's back to normal, and I'll try to at least post twice a week to make up all the chapters I owe you guys~And please please please review(even if you hate me for abandoning you guys for a month) I don't care what you say, just review! I get really encouraged by them~And I don't want to be one of those people who only write after they get a number of reviews, but if I don't get one single review I'll be really depressed so please~ review!(and don't hate me)

Chapter 10

"Badger!" Fallpaw snarled in surprise. She tried to get past it, but found her way blocked by a huge paw. Her mind whirled as she tried to make sense of everything. Dewpelt was backing up against a boulder, eyes trained on her with panic. The badger was looming over her, its head lifting back in a roar. And… Dark? Where was he? She caught a glimpse of him behind the badger. His ears were flattened against his head and his muscles were tensing. She realized what he was about to do, but it was too late. Dark hurled himself at the beast, who whipped around in surprise and batted him out of the air.

"No!" Fallpaw wailed, and she used the distraction to leap up on the badger's other side. It snapped at her with its head, teeth clacking beside her ear. She clawed at it, wailing in outrage, but its fur was too thick for her claws to penetrate. The badger bucked and bent, trying to shake her off, but she clung on desperately. "Dewpelt! Help me!"

Suddenly he was there, a gray blur clawing at the badger's face. "Get off it! We can't fight it, just head for the forest!"

Fallpaw nodded and jumped off just as the badger got a lucky shot. Dewpelt flew into a boulder ten tail-lengths away. He wasn't moving.

"No!" Fallpaw yowled in outrage. But she knew this battle was hopeless. How could she defeat a badger when the three of them couldn't?

As fast as she could, she dragged Dewpelt into the safety of a bramble bush.

"Hey! Ouch!" Dewpelt complained. "Why do I have to get shoved in here?"

"Because you're hurt." Fallpaw retorted. "Even if I'm not a medicine cat."

Fallpaw had a sudden flashback of the time Dewpelt had flung her into the bush, back at the camp. At home. She felt a pang of regret, but she shook it away. Dark. Where was he?

"Fallpaw…" Dewpelt croaked, his eyes focused on something behind her in fear. "The badger…"

Then, a shadow loomed over her. Pain flashed, and everything went black.

"Fallpaw?" A voice was calling to her. Vaguely familiar, but Fallpaw was too tired to care.

"Fallpaw! Wake up!" She blinked and stared up into the worried face of Hollyleaf. "Oh, he—wait, am I dead?" She stood up straight and looked around. She was in Starclan, alright. But was it a dream, or was she really dead?

"No, you're not dead." Hollyleaf sighed in exasperation. "But you nearly did. Why did you forget there was a badger hunting you?"

"Oh… I forgot." Fallpaw purred sheepishly. "So are Dewpelt and Dark safe?"

Hollyleaf nodded. "But they're worried about you. You got a really nasty wound on your head."

"Oops."

"Anyway," Hollyleaf started padding away. "Someone wants to meet you again. Follow me."

Curiously, she followed Hollyleaf across Starclan's hunting grounds. She spotted a few cats she recognized from the nursery stories. "Wow, it's Bluestar! And Whitestorm! Can we meet them?"

Hollyleaf purred and laid her tail across Fallpaw's back. She hadn't realized she had been jumping up and down like an excited kit. "No. Someone else will."

A brown shape appeared from the forest. Fallpaw gasped, and another wave of grief coursed through her. "Mousepaw!"

Her brother bounded up to them. "Fallpaw! You're finally here!"

Fallpaw purred. "It's great to see you too. Were you expecting me?"

"Yes." Mousepaw nodded. "Starclan has forseen the future more clearly, and has decided to give you a gift for the days to come."

Fallpaw frowned. "So does that mean the future's bad? Why else would I need a gift?"

Mousepaw sighed apologetically. "Yes, it does. So I give you the gift of hope, so that even in the darkest hour, you will find light and the courage to go on."

He didn't touch noses with her, didn't even approach her in any way, but Fallpaw felt a surge of warmth rising in her body as Mousepaw's eyes met hers. She felt a pang of uncertainty, than fear, but hope, hope for their lives, for the unknown Skyclan, ruled above them all. Fallpaw stood straighter. She dipped her head to Mousepaw. "Thank you."

Mousepaw nodded. "Now, go. Your friends are waiting."

Fallpaw blinked. The sunlight shining through the leaves made halos of light on the ground. The morning mist had not yet cleared off completely, and the air had a nice, crisp smell to it.

She turned to look at her companions, but immediately felt pain ripple through her body. Gingerly, she felt her head. A swab of cobwebs was bound just behind her ears, the strange smell of herbs still so strong she could smell it all the way from the tip of her nose.

Dewpelt stirred. "Wha—oh, thank Starclan, you're awake!"

"Yeah." Fallpaw winced. "What happened?"

"You got hit by the badger." Dewpelt looked guilty. "I should have warned you faster. But then Dark flew out and distracted it while we got to safety. After a while, he led the badger away and hid his scent with some toadstools. And now he's there."

He tapped his tail lightly on the sleeping Dark. "We should let him sleep. How's your head?"

"Um… fine?"

He purred. "Definitely not. Stay here. I'll hunt."

"No, I will." Fallpaw struggled to her feet, but even that movement made her head spin. "Or maybe not."

"See you later." Dewpelt raced off into the woods. Fallpaw couldn't help glancing at him warily. It didn't make sense. Why was he so eager to leave her? The Dewpelt she knew would never leave a cat as wounded as her.

"Well, well, well." And Sol stepped out of the bushes.