A/N: Ai-yo! I'll only be answering the reviews on Chapter 11 for this chapter. Sorry, fellas, but thanks for your reviews! Also, I want to mention that I picked out Foxpaw's warrior name because I honestly think it both fits... and because it's ironic. Irony is funny to me, tbh.

Thank you, Willowstorm of SkyClan, for you review and suggestion! Unfortunately, Foxwhisker is the name of an already existing Clan cat and I'm trying to avoid those. (Foxclaw, Foxheart and Foxnose had to be thrown out as well. :( ) I hope you approve of the name I pick out for her, though. *evil smile*

Thank you, Fakira! It's so good to hear that you love my story so much! Thanks for your review!

Thank you, S1L3NTK1LL3RJAY, for your review! Actually, there's a scene in Code of the Clans when Darkstripe and Longtail break the warrior code, which happened before Foxpaw came to the Clans. That is canon to this story and it was the only thing I really wanted to redeem him for. There is, of course, other ways of redeeming him, but talking about that would be spoiling future plot. :P

Thank you, AnonChan1! *takes a deep breath* Yes, it is better to be safe than sorry! (A) Ah, but Graypaw didn't know that until Ravenpaw told him in the last chapter. (B) I think Goldenflower would have a word with Graypaw if she found he was shipping FirepawXFoxpaw. All her hopes would be dashed, lol. (C) Yellowfang's snark is fun to write. Who better to put Foxpaw down a peg than the master of sass? Foxpaw, darling, you are but a mere apprentice when it comes to snark. (D) Ah, yes, Swiftpaw... hm. (E) I honestly don't think Foxpaw is trying to manipulate anyone; she just loves pointing out things that are obvious to her, which is whether or not something benefits someone else. (F) Yeah... le sigh. (G) Reality-walker, and an accidental one at that. It gets talked about a bit more in this chapter. (H) Oh, the fun has barely begun... *evil laugh* (I) The real question is... what can I still do? :)


Foxpaw struggled to remain stealthy as they passed through WindClan territory again. The scents of RiverClan had faded and the scents of ShadowClan seemed to stand out among the smell of rabbit and heather. A pang of longing and homesickness swept through her. She sighed and padded onward. Her loyalty was to ThunderClan.

When they reached Fourtrees, they had scented no Clan cats for so long that Foxpaw believed the earlier scent had been a fluke.

"What are we going to tell the others?" murmured Ravenpaw, glancing at Bluestar. They were passing beneath the leafy canopy of Fourtrees, just a foxlength behind the ThunderClan leader. They had been quiet the entire trip and, though Foxpaw knew this wasn't abnormal, it still felt more heavy than it had before Darkstripe's death.

"Beware of the rats," Foxpaw meowed dryly, following his gaze briefly. She felt tired, like the weight of the world had nestled around her shoulders. Thoughts of her vision danced in her head.

They padded into ThunderClan territory and wadded through the stream they had used, what felt like half a moon ago, to clean their fur of marshwater. Foxpaw shuddered at the feel of cold water in her fur and shivered, lip curling in disgust. She couldn't imagine herself taking a shower or a bath anymore, unless it was a mud bath.

They scented the fresh smell of a patrol which had passed through minutes before. Foxpaw glanced at Bluestar, but the blue-gray she-cat didn't seem to notice it. Foxpaw couldn't help but wonder if Dustpelt was on the patrol. Dustpelt had known Darkstripe for far longer than she had; he would be devastated at his loss, especially since Darkstripe didn't betray the Clan this time round.

He probably still thinks Darkstripe was a good warrior, Foxpaw thought, remembering how they argued about Tigerclaw. What did it take to convince that stubborn tom that Tigerclaw was evil? A confession?

Foxpaw wondered if that was even still possible after everything that had happened.

Whatever you dream will become reality, the cat had said. Foxpaw paused. Did that mean she could dream Darkstripe back to life? Was that what StarClan meant?

She doubted it. It made no sense. Surely StarClan was referring to how she arrived to the Clans in the first place. It was by pure accident, though. Was that why StarClan promised to protect her until she was ready to choose when to die? So the Dark Forest couldn't claim her as one of their own and so she couldn't die by accident? Suddenly, Foxpaw wished she could have unthought and unsaid a lot of bad things she had said about the Clans and how they were run. She did not want to end up walking, forever alone, in the Dark Forest.

It's my choice when I should die. That is StarClan's gift.

She imagined herself many years in the future, the oldest cat in the Clans, so old that all her fur had turned white or light gray. That future version of her opened her mouth and babbled nonsense; a cat who had grown so old they had completely lost their mind. She shuddered and blinked, worry prickling her fur.

Did this mean she couldn't become leader of the Clan? Becoming leader required a leadership ceremony but that required visiting StarClan and, if she dreamed of StarClan, she would die. Or it could mean she was never allowed to become a medicine cat, because they had to commune with in their dreams. Admittedly, they could still send her omens and prophecies.

StarClan speaks to me differently than other cats, Foxpaw thought, remembering the squirrel omen. It's required, because any normal visit would mean sleeping to receive dreams.

Her mind whirled with possibilities. Did this mean she'd have to interpret more omens sent to her? Could she still become a medicine cat? The thought of having a running nose for the rest of her life simply because she slept in a den full of herbs made her uncomfortable. She itched to fight, especially against Brokenstar. That cowardly tom owed her a rematch and she burned to swipe her claws through the kit-killer's fur.

Feeling somewhat more awake, Foxpaw noted that they had finally reached ThunderClan camp. She hesitated, allowing Ravenpaw and Bluestar to pad ahead of her. She glanced back, remembering the bloody fox she had fought only a week prior. Had that also been an omen? Was that fox a representation of what she would become? A bloody-mess that fought even though she was supposed to lay down and die?

A cold gust of wind suddenly ruffled her fur, the faint scent of marsh on the breeze. She tensed, thinking ShadowClan was coming to attack, but she realized the scent belong to only one cat. A tom. Baffled, she shook herself and padded into the camp.

For a heartbeat, she was glad nothing had happened to it while she was gone. It was the first good news she had all day. She looked around and noticed that Ravenpaw had already joined the other apprentice, his mouth moving rapid fire as he described what happened. Foxpaw didn't bother listening in, suddenly sad that she had missed seeing the Moonstone. It would have been nice to see the huge stone or diamond or what have you light up with the full moon. Instead, she spotted Dustpelt and quickly padded over.

"Hey, Foxpaw," he meowed, relieved to see her. "How did it go? Where's Darkstripe?"

"Dustpelt," she meowed, struggling to form words. She saw sudden understanding in his startled eyes. "I'm sorry."

The dusky brown warrior sat down hard. "How did it happen?"

"He went hunting," meowed Foxpaw softly, ears flat. "He fell down a ditch. He couldn't climb back up easily because the walls were too slippery. I know, I fell down there myself."

"That's why you're covered in mud," he meowed, nodding.

"Yes," she meowed, licking her muddy white chest fur. "We aren't sure what happened. I thought the rats might have eaten him, but when we found his body it looked like he had impaled himself on some human trash while trying to climb out of the ditch. He was covered in rat bites and mud, Dustpelt. His breathing sounded like he was half-underwater and he was unconscious. We couldn't do anything. I'm sorry, Dustpelt. I should have been there for him. Maybe I could have saved him." Her voice gradually became more and more distraught as she spoke and she wrapped her tail around her like a hug when she stopped, bracing for him to yell at her.

Dustpelt pressed into her side and put his tail on her shoulder. "You're not a medicine cat, Foxpaw, and even our medicine cats wouldn't have known what to do. Did he die peacefully?"

"He didn't know we were there," meowed Foxpaw distraught, looking up at his eyes and calming at his sympathetic and warm gaze. "But yes. He passed away when he was unconscious. We were there as he faded."

Dustpelt nodded. "It's good that he had Clanmates nearby when he passed." He looked away and Foxpaw followed his gaze to where Bluestar had taken up position at the top of the Highrock.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" she meowed, skipping the traditional call since most of the cats were already in the clearing. "Some of you have already heard the news." Her voice was grave. "When we visited the Moonstone yesterday, Darkstripe went out hunting alone and did not return. Ravenpaw and I found his body beside the ditch, the last of his life leaving him." She lowered her head.

A wail of grief split the clearing and Foxpaw flinched, remembering a similar wail when she was standing outside the Mothermouth. Was that the cat who had been wailing from StarClan when Darkstripe was fatally wounded? She shook herself. This cat was alive, and that StarClan cat had been dead... unless it had been an omen. Was she supposed to be watching out for them now? Foxpaw looked around, half-expecting an omen to pop out of thin air right in the middle of camp. Her fur prickled with anxiety.

"We were not able to bring back his body so we will sit vigil for him tonight. He will be remembered and dearly missed."

Bluestar padded off the Highrock. Foxpaw's gaze landed on Willowpelt, who was leaning heavily on Whitestorm. The wise warrior looked like a deer in the headlights, unsure how to comfort her but doing his best to. Goldenflower and Mousefur were nearby and murmuring softly to Willowpelt.

Foxpaw lowered her head and flattened her ears, looking for all the world as if she was guilty of murder. Dustpelt nudged her shoulder.

"You should sleep," he meowed softly. "Your warrior ceremony might be tomorrow, after all."

Foxpaw felt slightly irritated that Dustpelt was treating her like an apprentice. They were the same age. Well, technically, she was older than him. "I'm fine, Dustpelt."

"You've been through a lot," Dustpelt told her.

"No more than any other cat," Foxpaw meowed stiffly. "How are you holding up, anyways?"

Dustpelt grew quiet. "I'm fine."

"Good," meowed Foxpaw, "so am I."

"Are you sure?" asked Dustpelt, concerned. "It can be hard dealing with loss on your own."

Foxpaw stared at him and couldn't help the purr from erupting from her throat. "I'm okay, Dustpelt. I can handle myself. I have for a few seasons now."

"But you don't have to do it alone anymore," meowed Dustpelt, honestly confused.

"I am never alone, Dustpelt," meowed Foxpaw, lifting her head and looking at him with quiet confidence. "StarClan is watching over me. Can you handle yourself?"

"Yeah," he meowed, noticeably quieter as he stared at her with steady eyes. She saw a flash of recognition in them. He nodded. "I'm used to this."

"Then I guess we're both good," meowed Foxpaw. "I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Dustpelt."

Dustpelt nodded. With a flick of her tail in goodbye, Foxpaw padded away to the apprentice's den.


"Wake up, Foxpaw!" meowed Ravenpaw, his voice like a foghorn in her ear, startling her awake. "Wake up! The meeting has already started!"

Blinking blearily, the massive she-cat rose to her paws and padded out of the den. The Clan had already gathered underneath the Highstones. The five moon old kits, Cinderkit, Thornkit and Brackenkit had all piled out of the nursery to watch, alongside Goldenflower, Frostfur and Brindleface. Foxpaw blinked up at Bluestar, noting that her tone of voice sounded like someone getting ready to start wedding vows and she couldn't help but smile at the comparison.

"Our warrior ceremony?" she asked, anticipation and hope filling her.

He nodded, his face split in a smile and eyes shining, as if to say, "We made it!"

Foxpaw's gaze swept through the warriors, her massive size allowing her to look a little over the first row of warriors. She was disappointed when she didn't find who she was looking for. Would he be welcoming into the warrior's den like he did when was made an apprentice?

"Ravenpaw, Foxpaw, come forward," meowed Bluestar, gesturing them forward with a tail flick. Ravenpaw eagerly moved forward, weaving through the crowd with barely contained excitement. He sat down at the base of the Highrock and looked up towards his leader. It took a half second for Foxpaw to realize what she should follow. She padded slowly up to the Highrock, looking up at Bluestar and waiting nervously for her to speak.

"I, Bluestar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these experienced apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Ravenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend and to protect this Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I-I do," he meowed, head held high.

Foxpaw glanced at Tigerclaw, noting his expressionless features. Her eyes fell to look for Firepaw, but the ginger apprentice seemed to be hiding behind a wave of cats. Her dead snapped back up towards Bluestar as the ceremony continued.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Ravenpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ravenfeather. StarClan honors your compassion and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!"

Before the yowls could start, Bluestar immediately looked at Foxpaw, her icy-blue eyes contrasting with her warm gold. "Foxpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to defend and to protect this Clan even at the cost of your own life?"

Despite having made the same promise on her apprentice ceremony, Foxpaw felt like two glaciers had landed on her shoulders and she was expected to carry them for the rest of her life. Her heart pounded in her chest and she forced herself to stand straight, meowing loudly and firmly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Foxpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Foxface. StarClan honors your strength and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!"

Bluestar leaped gracefully off the Highrock and stepped up to Ravenfeather so he could lick her shoulder. Then she let Foxface do the same. Foxface could hardly taste Bluestar's fur. Sandstorm's tease rang like a bell through her mind. Does this mean I'm ugly? She dismissed the thought a heartbeat later as the Clan began calling their names.

"Foxface! Ravenfeather! Foxface! Ravenfeather!"

Bluestar waved her tail for silence. "Tonight, these new warriors will stand vigil over the camp!" She looked at Foxface and grew quieter, as if telling her a secret. "You cannot speak during your vigil. I wish you a good rest."

Foxface dipped her head graciously and padded away to the warrior's den. Dustpelt was the first to greet her, his warm mew startling her.

"Welcome to the warrior's den, Foxface," he meowed, purring.

Foxface couldn't help but remember when he welcomed her into the apprentice den and purred. She wasn't sure she liked him calling her Foxface, though. She glanced back at Bluestar, wondering if she wasn't allowed to speak now.

Dustpelt purred. "Your vigil starts at dusk and ends at dawn. I'll see you tomorrow."

He gave Ravenfeather a glance and a nod, which made the black tom purr. Foxface flicked an ear at Dustpelt, deciding that she had guessed correctly about not speaking. Ravenfeather gestured to the freshkill pile and Foxface nodded. After they had finished sharing a squirrel, the sun had reached dusk and the two new warriors quickly made their way to the edge of the camp.

Foxface waited for the sun to fully set before she rose to her paws and leaped up the nearest tree, looking around at the camp and the surrounding forest with warm golden eyes. She heard the sound of Ravenfeather doing the same and they both settled down to wait out the chilly newleaf night. The almost full moon climbed up into the sky, lighting the camp with it's cool glow.

It was while waiting for the dawn that Foxface learned the limits to her patience. By the time an hour had passed, she was itching to move from her spot and race through the trees. Her powerful muscles seemed to twitch with eagerness to move and she wondered how Ravenfeather was doing. The black tom seemed to have curled up and fallen asleep on his perch, but occasionally she saw the flash of his amber eyes.

He can probably see better in the dark than I can, she thought to herself. Her eyes were yellow, which certainly helped with night vision, but the warmer and darker the eye color then the easier it was for a cat's eye to pierce the darkness. It was what made them good night hunters. It made Foxface wonder why there weren't any night patrols and instead there were only nightly vigils. That was one of the things she planned to fix when she became deputy.

I should be leader, too, she thought, before remembering StarClan's message. If dreaming of StarClan killed her, she wouldn't be able to receive her nine lives or her leader name. She wouldn't die unless she wanted to, but it would seem strange to never die except once.

Her paws prickled as she thought of how to become leader. She'd need an apprentice. She'd have to kill Tigerclaw, no doubt of that, but how? She had learned through her training that, despite being as big as Tigerclaw and possibly still growing, she was the slowest cat in the Clan.

Sandstorm might have been just kidding when she called her as slow as a snail, but that proved rather accurate. Foxface still had trouble chasing mice and voles, and her main success had been in squirrels and rabbits, which were better for the Clan anyway since it was more meat. She couldn't exactly complain about it.

But despite Tigerclaw being faster than her, Foxface had unbridled strength and quick reflexes. It probably wasn't strong enough to fight the dark warrior one-on-one, but it made her respected by the Clan and let her win their trust. If it turned out Bluestar died before Firepaw could be made deputy, Foxface knew she could fill the role of leader and make sure Firepaw is made her deputy and leader afterwards.

Foxface imagined herself fighting battles against other Clans and playing dead for a while, just to pretend to lose a life. It would be tricky, but she could pull it off. She just couldn't imagine herself encouraging battles to start so she could have that end result. Firepaw would sabotage her at every opportunity. No, no, she had to make sure that she killed Tigerclaw before Bluestar was on her last life.

The massive, fox-colored she-cat looked up at the sky and blinked, disappointed that the moon hadn't even reached moonhigh. It was going to be a long night. She turned her thoughts back to her plan.

She needed to find out how many lives Bluestar had, which would be tricky considering Bluestar only ever told Firepaw that. If she couldn't find out, she had to settle for killing Tigerclaw at the nearest opportunity. How she will manage this, she didn't know.

And what about that injured fox she fought? Tigerclaw had to have something to do with it, or what else could explain his injuries? The dark warrior had never explained what had happened to him and had kept quiet about the whole affair. Perhaps he was traumatized by it? Foxface remembered his expressionless features during her warrior ceremony. She couldn't remember him at Darkstripe's vigil; she had been too focused on Dustpelt. What was going through the dark tabby's mind? She wanted to ask Ravenfeather what he thought but remembered she was supposed to be on a vigil and so kept quiet.

He's probably just thinking, she thought, feeling a cold shiver up her spine. If Tigerclaw was just thinking, it really meant something terrible would happen.

She glanced up at the sky again, and almost hissed in frustration when she realized it still hadn't reached moonhigh. She longed to ask someone about Tigerclaw, especially now that she had run out of things to think about.

Well, not really, but Foxface didn't know what to think about StarClan's words. She was pretty sure that StarClan hadn't given her the gift of, what she guessed was, dimension hopping. Rather, they seemed to be protecting her from hopping into their dimension or the Dark Forest's by accident. They had given her the gift to choose when to do it, instead of letting a StarClan or Dark Forest cat hijack her dream whenever they felt like it, killing her. StarClan was all about freewill, after all, and all their real power came from Rock, the ancient dead cat and source of all prophecy.

Foxface huffed in frustration and started grooming herself. Any little thing to help the time pass. She was restless. How could Dustpelt and Firepaw stand this? It was torture! And - was that a tick in her pelt?

The ex-human felt like screaming, but stubbornly kept her mouth shut. It came out as a long drawn out squeak.


Foxy's day went from bad to worse. My poor girl.

Foxpaw was the hardest cat to name. I went through SO MANY. You do not understand! I have a textpad open right now listing over fifty different names. I especially liked Foxshadow, Foxspirit, Foxmask and Foxpelt. Then I remembered Sandstorm's old little crack at her, and I just went with it, plus I think it make a neat parallel between her and Brindleface's personality. There is still room to change her name in the future, if you guys think it's too insulting (vote in the poll on my bio! Hopefully you guys without accounts can still vote in the poll).

Ravenpaw was equally hard to name. My favorite out of them all was Ravenfeather, though I was iffy on the name because I thought I like it because of Crowfeather and Jayfeather. I also thought about giving him Raventail, in reference to Redtail, but I didn't build that up enough so I scrapped that idea. Ravenwing was considered because of Cherith and because of his mother Robinwing, and so was Ravenclaw because Vicky's mistake is hilarious. I tested out Ravensong for a while but decided it didn't sound as good as Ravenfeather.

Also, I might not be updating next Monday. I have also decided to change the update dates to Monday and Thursday (hence why I'm posting this TODAY), because my Sats are gonna be too busy to work on this. ALSO, I will be introducing a new POV next chapter (which is going to feature the Gathering and be the start of the Fire and Ice sections) so... hope you guys are looking for to it!