A/N: Wow, it's Christmas Eve already! Merry (early) Christmas, everybody! I said I'd get the chapter up before Christmas, so I guess I'm right on time. :)

This chapter is going to probably be a bit different than what actually happened in the book, because I just wanted to come up with my own thing, and plus, I forgot what happened in the book. =D Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

And thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! They meant a lot!

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

Chapter 10: Announcements

Their black pelts were almost molded into one where they lay, their fur brushing, their tails entwined. They were back in their underground cave, alone. They had just finished playing another game of chase on the mossy boulders around them, which, for the second time since they'd found the cave, had resulted in them both taking an unexpected dip in the puddle in the center of the room. Their pelts had become dripping wet, so they'd shaken off and then curled up together for warmth. Now, their fur was still damp, and they were both purring in amusement at a joke he had just told.

He couldn't imagine a better moment to finally tell her.

He whispered in her ear, a purr still rumbling in his throat, "Hollypaw, I-"

"Breezepaw," she interrupted, her voice barely a murmur.

He stared at her, waiting. "What?" he asked finally.

"Breezepaw!" she said again, more forcefully.

"What?"

"Breezepaw!"

"What?" he demanded, annoyed. A sharp pain jabbed his side. "Ow!"

He opened his eyes - which was strange, because he could've sworn that they had been open already - to see a she-cat standing at his side, prodding him with a paw.

"Breezepaw, wake up! Stoneteller's calling a meeting!"

Breezepaw couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. The she-cat was the same one who had been in his dream: Hollypaw of ThunderClan, his best friend.

"I'm awake," he grumbled. His dream had seemed so real...

"I thought you were never going to get up," Hollypaw said, flicking his ear with her tail, as he stood up. They began leisurely padding toward the center of the Tribe's large cave, where the meeting would be assembled.

After a few silent moments, Breezepaw muttered, "I wish we were back home already."

"Me too," Hollypaw sighed. She paused, as if deciding whether or not to continue, and then added in a low voice, "I miss our cave."

Breezepaw still hadn't forgotten his dream. "Me too. So... what's the meeting about?"

Hollypaw shrugged, and the pair fell silent again, sauntering toward said meeting.

Over the last five days, three main things had gone on: Cats injured in the skirmish with the invaders were healed by Stoneteller and Jaypaw (who was glad to have something to do); a patrol of Tribe and Clan cats, including Lionpaw, continued to try and set borders (and luckily hadn't run into the intruders again); and Hollypaw and Breezepaw made serious progress in training the to-bes.

Hollypaw and Breezepaw never talked about the awkward moonlit night they had shared down by the waterfall's pool; in fact, they acted as though it had never happened at all, though Breezepaw caught himself thinking about it - and her - often.

He hadn't even planned to tell her his feelings that night... he'd just gone with the moment, and then completely ruined that moment by backing down at the last second. "I think I'm hungry"! He remembered the look in Hollypaw's eyes after he'd said that, how she'd looked almost... disappointed. And then how she hadn't replied after he'd lost his courage yet again before they'd fallen asleep...

Breezepaw couldn't help wondering... what would have happened if he'd just told Hollypaw his feelings that night? Could she possibly have confessed that she felt the same way about him?

She'd easily said that she cared about him a lot. But even if she did feel the same way (Breezepaw's pelt tingled at the thought), would she really be willing to betray her Clanmates by taking a mate from another Clan? And if she didn't feel the same, would their friendship be strong enough to survive with Hollypaw knowing that Breezepaw wanted her? He knew how strict she was when it came to the warrior code... But then, she always agreed to meet with him at night; wasn't that forbidden?

Breezepaw forced himself out of his confusing reverie. They'd made it to the center of the cave, where a large group of chatting cats was assembled, but more continued to arrive. To his distaste, Hollypaw chose a seat beside Lionpaw and Pebble, who'd been stuck on each other like burrs lately.

"Hi, Hollypaw, Breezepaw," Pebble mewed, extending a paw to them from Lionpaw's other side as they sat down.

"Hi," Hollypaw said.

Breezepaw gave a lazy flick of his ear.

They waited for Stoneteller and Brambleclaw to begin from where they were sitting in front of the large group, side by side. After a few seconds, Jaypaw came over and settled down a tail-length away from Breezepaw, which made the black tom uncomfortable. Jaypaw was definitely his less favorite of Hollypaw's brothers.

But Breezepaw's thoughts didn't linger on Jaypaw very long. He felt Hollypaw's fur brush against his for a moment, sending a tingle up his body. He stole a glance at the pretty she-cat, quickly looking away when she met his gaze.

Jaypaw muttered something under his breath.

"Cats of Tribe and Clan," Stoneteller began suddenly, causing the entire group to fall silent and pushing Breezepaw's thoughts out of his mind. "Firstly, all our cats are finally healed. Secondly, the last part of the borders were set last night. Now we must see if the invaders respect them."

"They won't," Talon growled from the middle of the group. "Those mangy-"

"They definitely won't, if they don't know that we marked borders," Brambleclaw interrupted. He paused, as if daring some cat to interrupt him, and then continued, "We need to let them know. Last night, the border patrol stumbled across their camp." Murmurs arose, but still no cat spoke out. This news didn't surprise Breezepaw; yesterday, Lionpaw had told all the young cats about finding the intruders' camp. Brambleclaw continued without pause, "Today, we'll take a group of twelve cats over to their camp and let them know that they'll regret stepping over the scent line."

"Why does it have to be twelve cats?" a she-cat's voice asked.

"Because that way the group can be evenly split between Tribe cats and Clan cats, six of each, who will be chosen by Stoneteller and I. And... and we need to have enough fighters to hold off the invaders for a while if they choose to attack us."

An uproar of voices, ranging from eager comments to angry yowls, echoed loudly in the cave.

"Silence!" Stoneteller barked. The group immediately hushed.

Brambleclaw paused, then said with grief clear in his eyes, "I know that most of the Tribe prefers not to fight after the last great battle, but think of it this way: you can continue to starve, live in fear, and have more cats get hurt, or you can fix everything in one big fight."

"Stoneteller!" a tom's furious voice growled. "Don't allow him to speak of the Tribe in such a way, as if we are weak! Say something!"

Stoneteller, who had been sitting a few steps behind Brambleclaw, calmly listening, lifted his chin. "We are not weak, and Brambleclaw did not say so. I agree with him on everything he has said." Standing up, the sound of his fur brushing against the rock almost audible to Breezepaw in the sudden dead silence, he said, "Great cats will never walk these mountains again because of the last battle, and we must not forget that... But we have lived this way too long. We cannot continue to starve. If we need to fight today to defend ourselves, then we will." Stoneteller paused, as if letting the words sink in, or maybe he just wanted to see if anyone had anything to say. When the Tribe held their shocked silence, and the Clan cats simply had no objections, he soothed, "But, don't forget, there's also a chance that the invaders will not attack today, and the new borders will fix our troubles."

Yeah, there's about as much chance of that happening as me sprouting wings, Breezepaw thought sarcastically. He was sure that this would all come down to a fight.

After a brief pause, Brambleclaw announced, "The twelve cats chosen by Stoneteller and I will be announced at sunhigh, and then the group will head to the invaders' camp."

"In the meantime, resume your normal activities," Stoneteller finished.

Chattering broke out at the dismissal. Stoneteller and Brambleclaw left their positions, disappearing among the disbanding group of cats.

"Do you think we'll be chosen?" Hollypaw asked excitedly, flicking Breezepaw's shoulder with her tail-tip to catch his attention.

Breezepaw shrugged. "I hope so, but Brambleclaw might not want to take apprentices if he can only pick six of us."

"Well, I hope he does... Come on, we'd better go meet the to-bes."

They headed outside to find the to-bes already waiting for their training to begin, along with Lionpaw, who was usually on patrol.

"Lionpaw!" Hollypaw mewed. "Don't you have to patrol?"

"The borders are already set, remember?" Lionpaw answered. "I get to help train today." Lowering his voice to ensure that none of the other young cats could hear, he said, "I hope I get chosen to go to the invaders' camp!"

"Me too," she said.

"Anyway," Breezepaw muttered, loudly enough for the to-bes to hear, "I think we should start training."

Most of the to-bes seemed eager. "Yeah, come on, I want to try what we learned yesterday," one of them urged.

Hollypaw turned to the Tribe cats. "Okay, but we need someone for you to practice on... How about you, Lionpaw?"

"Sure," Lionpaw said.

"Okay, then."

"Who wants to demonstrate the jumping attack from yesterday on Lionpaw?" Breezepaw asked the to-bes.

"I do!" a few of the young cats said.

Breezepaw picked one of the she-cats. "Okay, come on, Splash."

The small she-cat bounced up, obviously excited, to stand a few tail-lengths in front of Lionpaw. She, like the rest of the to-bes, had begun to welcome the training a few days ago, despite being a prey-hunter.

"Do you remember how to do it, Splash?" Hollypaw asked.

"Yes."

"Keep your claws sheathed. Both of you, try to knock each other to the ground. Lionpaw, charge at her."

Lionpaw obeyed, charging at full speed at the small to-be. Splash held her ground, her legs bent in a crouch.

Then, like the to-bes had been instructed to do, Splash jumped into the air just before he was on her, leaving Lionpaw skidding to a halt, surprised. Splash soared over the tom, landing right behind him and then turning around to ram into him as soon as her paws hit the ground. Lionpaw was knocked over, and Splash lunged to get on top of him, batting at his exposed belly and muzzle. She had beaten him.

The to-bes cheered. It all happened very swiftly.

"Okay, good job, Splash," Hollypaw said.

Splash purred proudly, allowing Lionpaw to stand up.

"That was great," Lionpaw told the she-cat kindly.

"Thanks!" she mewed, rejoining the to-bes' group.

"Well," Hollypaw announced, "now that you've seen how to do it, pair up and try it on your own. Take turns charging at each other, and keep practicing until we tell you to stop."

As the to-bes scrambled to partner up and begin practicing, Breezepaw muttered to Lionpaw and Hollypaw, "What should we have them do after this?"

"I think that we should have them pair up and freely practice-fight with each other, like we sometimes do at home," Lionpaw suggested. "They need to learn to use their instincts, instead of focusing on one move, especially because some of them might be visiting the intruders' camp today."

"Okay, we'll do that, then," Hollypaw agreed.

"But I think we should demonstrate first," Lionpaw continued. "So that they'll have an idea of what we're asking them to do."

Hollypaw nodded. "You've helped demonstrate already, Lionpaw... How about you and me, Breezepaw?" She tried to sound casual, but Breezepaw could hear the excitement in her mew.

"Sure," he answered, eager at the thought. This wouldn't be the first time he and Hollypaw play-fought, though it would be the first time with an audience. Either way, it would be fun.

After a few moments of silence, Hollypaw said, "Let's see how to the to-bes are doing."

Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Breezepaw split up, going around the pairs of to-bes to see if they were performing the move correctly. Most of them were doing as well as Splash, but a few would try to jump too late, and end up pinned on the ground by their partner. Breezepaw padded over to one of the pairs that weren't doing as well.

"Nice try," Breezepaw lied, "but you have to jump a little sooner."

"I know, I try, but I'm always too late," the to-be, a tom with a black pelt and large brown spots, said.

Breezepaw flicked his tail. "Show me what you do."

The tom signaled to his partner, who was Screech, to charge at him. Screech did so, and the black-and-brown tom held his ground. That's when Breezepaw noticed the problem; it was a simple one, really. Rather than keeping his legs bent the whole time in order to prepare his leap as Screech ran at him, the tom kept his legs straight, then tried bending and jumping at the last second. But once his legs were bent and he was about to jump, Screech was already on him.

The black-and-brown tom untangled himself from Screech, standing up and looking at Breezepaw for guidance. "What did I do wrong?" he asked.

"You need to keep your legs bent the whole time Screech is running at you. Then you'll be ready to jump when you need to. Go ahead, try it again," the apprentice told the tom.

The to-be still seemed unsure, but did as Breezepaw said - and performed the move perfectly.

"Thanks for the help, Breeze," the to-be said. He turned and charged at Screech, who was crouched, ready.

The apprentice almost spat "Breezepaw!" at the dumb to-be, but decided it didn't really matter. At least he hadn't called Breezepaw, "Holly".

Breezepaw looked around for Lionpaw and Hollypaw, trotting up to them when he spotted them standing together, observing the to-bes.

"I think that's enough practice for that move," Breezepaw said.

"Yeah," Lionpaw agreed, glancing at the pair closest to them, who were repeatedly performing the move with ease.

"Okay," Hollypaw mewed. "That's enough!" she called to the to-bes. "Good job. Now we're going to do something we haven't done before."

Breezepaw felt excitement bubble up inside him.

Hollypaw mewed, "We're going to try real practice fights, using all the moves you know instead of practicing just one. Cave-guards, you're welcome to use your Tribe moves too. Claws still sheathed; you win when you pin your partner to the ground."

Breezepaw spoke up. "Me and Hollypaw'll give you an example."

Hollypaw nodded. "Watch what we do."

The to-bes and Lionpaw gathered more closely to watch the fight, forming a semi-circle around the two apprentices.

Breezepaw flicked his tail. "Ready when you are, Hollypaw," he teased.

Hollypaw gave a mock growl, then started to slowly move to one side. He slid to avoid giving her the chance to slam into his side, and when she tried to get to the side again, he moved again, and they ended up circling each other. Hollypaw's eyes sparkled. After teaching the to-bes the jumping move, Breezepaw thought that they both knew better than to try charging at each other.

Which was why he was surprised when Hollypaw charged at him.

This is too easy, he thought, crouching down and then jumping over her at the last second. He landed behind her, but she was waiting for him. She swiftly spun around to face him, then reversed the move, ramming into him and knocking him down before he could do the same with her.

She'd planned to do that, Breezepaw thought.

A few of the to-bes cheered for Hollypaw, while Breezepaw quickly rolled back onto his paws. Luckily, they were supposed to pin each other to win, not just knock each other down.

Hollypaw stood a few tail-lengths away, purring at him, her eyes bright and playful. "You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?"

He growled. "You're not going to have it easy, either." And then he ran at her.

Hollypaw seemed unsure of what to do for a second, but then settled for lunging to one side, trying to dodge him. This was what Breezepaw had hoped she would do. As she lunged, her tail-tip passed in front of him, and he thrust himself forward to catch it in his teeth, careful not to bite down hard enough to really hurt her.

She shrieked in surprise as, still holding onto her tail, he began darting around her. She didn't even have time to try and yank it away before he made a complete circle around her, and with her legs wrapped by her own tail, she lost her balance and fell onto her side.

He released her tail, jumping toward her, planning to get on top of her to try to pin her. But she recovered quickly, rolling away from where she'd been so that he landed on nothing but rock. He spun around to face her again, breathing hard. She was back on her paws.

This time, they didn't speak, but began to circle each other again.

"Go, Hollypaw!" Lionpaw cheered. Most of the to-bes joined in on the cheering, some cheering for Breezepaw, others for Hollypaw.

Breezepaw didn't exactly know what to do now. He'd been sure that the tail-trip would work.

Suddenly, he realized how close he and Hollypaw were. When they'd begun circling each other, they'd been at least four tail-lengths apart, but now there was only about two tail-lengths between them. Hollypaw was closing in for a reason; he had to act fast. An idea formed in his mind. It seemed a bit obvious, but it might work, if he could do it quickly enough...

He reared up on his hind legs, planning to crash down on her and pin her beneath him. But then, as he came down, she leaped over his head, landing out of sight. Too late to stop his fall, Breezepaw landed roughly on his belly on the rock, rattling himself and knocking his own breath out.

A heavy weight landed on his back.

"No!" Breezepaw gasped, struggling and squirming beneath Hollypaw with all his strength. But she only pressed down harder, and after a few seconds, Breezepaw gave up, exhausted.

"Hollypaw wins!" Lionpaw announced. The to-bes cheered.

The weight was lifted off his back, and Breezepaw stood up, disappointedly giving his pelt a shake. How could he have been fooled by a move like that? It was so similar to the one they'd had the to-bes practice today...

A tongue affectionately slid over his cheek. "Nice moves," Hollypaw purred.

Breezepaw met her emerald gaze, and if they weren't surrounded by so many cats (particularly Lionpaw), he would've told her how he felt right then and there. But he settled for simply purring, "You too."

"Okay, hopefully that was a good enough demonstration for you," Lionpaw joked to the to-bes. "Now, all of you, pair up and begin your practice fight. Keep your claws sheathed, and do your best to win."

"Wait!" Pebble mewed. "It's sunhigh."

Breezepaw glanced at the sky. She was right.

"We probably should start heading inside the cave for the meeting, then," Hollypaw said. "Come on. We'll continue training later."

They began heading back into the cave. Lionpaw fell back to pad beside Pebble, while Hollypaw and Breezepaw stayed together.

"That really was a fun battle," Hollypaw mewed.

"I thought I had you when I tripped you with your tail," Breezepaw replied.

Hollypaw purred. "I bet you didn't expect me to jump behind you when you tried to fall on me."

"That hurt, you know."

"What hurt?"

"Falling on the rocks when you jumped over me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Breezypaw. I guess I should've just let you fall on me and crush me," Hollypaw mewed sarcastically.

"Yeah, that would've worked."

"Well, you know, it didn't feel so great when you bit my tail, either."

"Oh, please, I barely even bit it! It couldn't have hurt that much."

"Well, as far as I remember, you don't exactly like getting your tail bitten, either..."

Breezepaw gave a mock growl.

They chattered on like this until they reached the center on the cave, just in time to hear Stoneteller call, "All Tribe and Clan cats, gather in the center of the cave for a meeting!"

When all the cats had gathered, Brambleclaw said, "Stoneteller and I have chosen our cats. Also, something I forgot to mention earlier: I will be leading the group, while Stoneteller stays here."

"I will announce my cats first," Stoneteller said. "If your name is called, come stand behind me. I have chosen one to-be to join the group: Flash of Sudden Lightning."

A dark gray tom with black splotches who Breezepaw recognized from training padded up, dipping his head respectfully to Stoneteller before sitting down behind him.

"And these are the five adult cats I have chosen: Crag Where Eagles Nest, Bird That Rides The Wind, Talon of Swooping Eagle, Jagged Rock Where Heron Sits, and Night of No Stars."

The five cats each repeated what Flash had done, and soon all six of them were sitting behind their leader.

"Okay, go ahead, Brambleclaw," Stoneteller meowed, flicking his tail.

Brambleclaw stepped up. "Clan cats, I would like for you too to come behind me if I call your name. I have chosen two apprentices for the group: Lionpaw and Hollypaw."

What about me! Breezepaw thought angrily. He didn't want to have to stay here alone with the to-bes, without Hollypaw.

But it was Brambleclaw's choice. Hollypaw glanced at Breezepaw before standing up to pad up behind Brambleclaw along with Lionpaw. Breezepaw brushed his tail on her shoulder before she left his side.

Brambleclaw continued, "The four warriors I have chosen are Crowfeather, Stormfur, Squirrelflight, and Brook."

Breezepaw snorted. He's calling Brook a Clan cat? She may have lived in ThunderClan for a while, but Breezepaw still considered her a Tribe cat. He wondered why Brambleclaw hadn't just chosen Tawnypelt to go instead.

There was a pause, in which all the cats took their places behind the ThunderClan deputy, and then Brambleclaw said, "If we are attacked by the invaders, then two cats, one Tribe and one Clan, will be sent back here together to call for reinforcements. However, if we don't send anybody over here, then that means things went well, and we should be back before the sun sets."

Before the sun sets! Breezepaw was going to be alone almost all day!

Brambleclaw dipped his head to Stoneteller. "It would be best if we leave in a few minutes," he told the leader.

"You are welcome to," Stoneteller replied. To the rest of the large group, he announced, "This meeting is over!"

The group slowly began to disband once again, as noisy as ever. Hollypaw came running toward Breezepaw.

"Brambleclaw gave us a few minutes to get ready," she explained, seeing Breezepaw's confused expression. "I'm sorry you didn't get picked."

"It's not your fault," he mumbled.

Hollypaw shrugged. "I wish you could come."

"Yeah, me too. I don't think I can handle all those to-bes on my own."

She purred lightly. "You'll do fine."

There was a moment of silence. Breezepaw didn't know what else to say. "Well, um..."

"All cats heading to the intruders' camp, let's go!" Brambleclaw called.

"I have to go," Hollypaw mewed, about to turn and trot away.

"Wait!" Breezepaw said.

"What?"

He hesitated. There were so many cats talking, no one would overhear him. Just say it, he told himself. She already knows what you want to say! So just spit it out!

"I... I hope the intruders don't attack you."

"Yeah, me too." He saw an emotion flash in her eyes, but he didn't have time to detect what it was. "See you later." She bounded away. "Good luck with the to-bes!"

And Breezepaw was left standing there, feeling like a complete idiot.

A/N: Poor Breezepaw; he loses the match AND he chickens out again. This just wasn't his chapter, was it? :) Anyway, feel free to leave any ideas you might have for what should happen in the next chapter in your review.

By the way, this chapter was my Christmas present for all of you. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Hanukkah... whatever it is you celebrate around this time!

~Blazingstar

~A.K.A. Instant Noodles (my signature nickname)