"Toadpaw! Rosepaw! Toadpaw! Rosepaw!" Jayfeather heard the clan chant. He could sense the apprentices' pride and excitement as Thunderclan ended their ovation. With a heave of a breath, he reminded himself that he now had an apprentice.... unfortunately Toadpaw.

Dust swerved and floated as the young tom bounced his way to Jayfeather. Lionblaze, next to him, murmured congratulations and watched Birchfall with slight envy as he addressed Rosepaw to basic apprentice things that mentors usually tell them on the first day after the ceremony; like when they were doing things, the daily schedule, where to find the best moss, stuff like that.

"So, Jayfeather! I'm so excited! What are we doing first? Huh? Huh? Huh?" he prodded enthusiastically. Jayfeather was on the edge of hissing as flattening his ears, but somehow, he restrained himself and contented with a low growl. Lionblaze turned and chuckled at his annoyed expression. It took a lot of effort in his part, but trust his brother to sense his annoyance and come to the rescue by discracting him.

'Well, see you, Jayfeather, I'm just going to play with Graystripes' kits. Hopefully if they like me enough, then I would get to mentor them," his brother joked. Hollyleaf would have liked to be one. But the chances were slim. There were other more experienced cats, like Berrynose and his siblings, that had not yet had an apprentice. This distraction was not enough to wipe out Hollyleaf from his mind. He just missed her so much, he guessed to himself.

"Good luck with that," Jayfeather sighed, trying very hard to ignore the blabbing kit next to him, totally unaware of his inattention, or at least not caring or used to his not noticing.

He strolled all the way to his den with Toadpaw at his heels, practically skipping. He stared at the deathberries half-wrapped in a leaf and the shoots of yarrow and some other plants for Whitewing.

"Ohhhhhh, I know that, that is comfrey, you know, I saw Cinderheart, very unlucky.... Oh! And that is yarrow! It's disgusting, the others say, and I saw your tail twitch to its direction every time you get annoyed... and that is borage! I remember Daisy eating then when I was very young......OH, what is that DELICIOUS scent?! So that must be catmint! Brairkit once quoted,

"'Though I was sick and weak, I could seriously appreciate the taste of fresh catmint. Not only does it heal me, but it calms my mind and intoxicates my head with the aroma of its sweetness divine. I owe Lionblaze my life.' (As said by Brairkit in MY story. I'm trying to do poetry.... am I good? Remember, I am still young! I could work on it! )

"She tried to speak 'smartly'. And.... that there is juniper, I sure got a lot of stomach aches.... " the young tom trailed off as he saw that Jayfeather was just staring at him with cold eyes, perhaps waiting for him to stop blabbering.

Despite the irritation within, this was a good apprentice, nice memory, he thought.

Toadpaw shuffled his paws in Jayfeather's perpetual vision. Good. He's nervous.

"Jayfeather? Did I get them right?" there was a new edge to his mew. Uncertainty.

"Sure," He said dully, and though unenthusiastic as it was, Toadpaw brightened up. But your stance tells me that there is something else to it.... your tail is crooked in one way and your whiskers are quivering, with your front paws parted.... that means that there is some heavy weight in your body.... or mind heart.

Jayfeather decided to check on him in his sleep. He didn't want to raise suspicion. Not now.

"Let's introduce you to the other apprentices, Icepaw and Foxpaw," meowed Jayfeather encouragingly. Toadpaw leapt to his feet, all the weariness forgotten.

"OK!" he scampered off in the direction to his sister and Icepaw. The old apprentices won't last, then they would get lonely, though it is no difference for Toadpaw and his company, as he is as isolated as me, the useless BLIND medicine cat. How can I be MORE different than I already am? He thought bitterly. But Millie's kits will be old enough in a moon or so, he added for something good to think about, though the thought still stayed, no matter how hard he tried to get it out.

He felt a swoosh of wind and crouched defensively, then a half-second later, staightened as he realized that it was just his brother.

"Having fun?" he asked mildly.

" I wish," Jayfeather replied, and his annoyance broke through; the ears went flat to his skull.

"Just don't get anyone else catch you like that. He's coming over now," advised and warned his brother, and Jayfeather hissed in defiance.

"I know that! Do you think I'm completely USELESS or something?" Lionblaze took a while. Perhaps he's thinking as he blinks. I could tell as he always does the tail swishing thing. The despise of being blind went away long ago, but it still came back frequently when the others treat him like a kit. The previous though came back to him. The old apprentices won't last, then they would get lonely, though it is no difference for Toadpaw and his company, as he is as isolated as me, the useless BLIND medicine cat. How can I be MORE different than I already am? The last bit of his thought came back. As isolated as me, the useless BLIND medicine cat. How can I be MORE different than I already am?

Could he change that all by being nicer?

"Of course not," and he slinked away when Toadpaw ran back. Mousedung! He sensed my emotions. I have to keep them off my face.... (Like how I do it, Dovepaw, and I am as good as him at figuring stuff out... I used one of the easiest things I had to figure out in human nature and secrets. Like the Toadpaw problem.)

Jayfeather sighed. He wasn't going to get away from him. Not yet.

*************************

A shadow swept through the woods agilely. The silhouette was carrying a lumpy mesh of things. Hollyleaf huffed with real effort as she kept to hold the goose and run faster. Is he still there? She fretted.

But all her worries proved to be nothing as she spotted a shape, dim brown, against a birch tree. A she got closer, the cat perked up, dark yellow shinning in the night's wind.

"Hey there, Holly," Coves greeted.

She flicked his ear in an affectionate way and set down her prey.

"Wow! You sure are a good hunter! And I wanted to show off my moves..." he chuckled.

"Thanks, but you're on the mend," Hollyleaf's insides winced at how close she was to killing her own mate. She was very sensitive about that, not only because of the violence, but she was worried if he would dump her if she went beserk again at the sound of Leafpool's name. Grrr.... Leafpool...

She didn't notice her bristling until it was too late.

'You okay?" he asked her. Hollyleaf made her pelt lie down again.

'Yeah, just a little cold," she lied, though she was a little cold, somewhat.

She snugged closer and went to sleep instantly, for she had her part of the goose. The last thing that she heard when she was consicous was the ripping of flesh and her own contentment and purrs.

.........................

Hollyleaf opened her eyes to see the Windclan borders, but misty and murky, with a strange frosty tint. Dream!

"What the..." Then there were yowls and crashes. She spotted Heathertail, with her wound on her neck (She felt smugness inspite of herself), yelling battle cries before an orange blast barreled her over. With a jolt, she recognised Lionblaze. Hollyleaf edged closer anxiously and happily, as she knew that he would beat her and be alright, and that she would see him again.

"I'll kill you the first chance I get!" Heathertail was hissing, clawing madly, deranged, so much that Hollyleaf slipped back as her blows were fired ramdomly, Lionblaze not even attemping to dodge the badly aimed attacks.

"Well, this is your chance, isn't it? Then why aren't you trying?" Lionblaze said calmly. Hollyleaf had to admire his august. This wasn't like her normal brother. There must have been something wrong, by the looks of the change.

"I am, you mangled piece of crow-food!" she spat, and leapt onto the patch of grass beside her brother. He swerved and backed away. She growled after him and lauched herself to his flank, not a single drop of blood on the golden fur. He must have only focused on her, Hollyleaf realized.

"Look, Heathertail," he sighed as she missed once again. "I don't know what's gotten into you." Then he just trotted away to the rest of the battle, Heathertail staring after him in not hatred, like always, but somehthing else, and Hollyleaf recognised shock.

"Lionblaze!" a cat yowled, and Hollyleaf, with another jolt, saw Cinderheart's face and blue eyes. For one heart stopping second, their eyes seemed to meet. But she just turned to bite Leaftail's paw and let go when he was begging for mercy.

'And stay out of our territory, rabbit eaters!" she cried when he went, tail down, away.

So this is why they are fighting, the squirrel wars are still on.

But no, she was wrong. Way wrong. Because Hollyleaf just realized why they were fighting. What Windclan were fighting WITH. Low snarls erupted from the battle grounds and engulfed the fight. Black eyes gleamed in the darkness and the Thunderclan warrior cats didn't notice the new fighters they were up against, thinking that the reason Windclan retreated was because they won, but it was because other creatures were there to fight for them.

Foxes!