Thank you soooooo much to World of Make Believe, Icestream, and Cyri's Alter Ego for reviewing! Yay! I've passed the 30 review mark! Hurrah! Never, not even in my wildest dreams, did I think that would happen so soon. But I'm so thankful to all those who have reviewed so far for allowing that to happen.

Now, does anybody remember the prophecy that Leafpool told in Chapter 4 'The Gathering'? If you've been wondering why it hasn't been mentioned since then... well, I kinda forgot about it. I was busy thinking up the rest of the story. Never mind, soon that prophecy's meaning will be revealed.

Oh, in answer to World of Make Believe's question about internet connect: I usually have internet at the house, but this is not one of the 'usual' times, I was away for Saturday & Sunday ( 19 & 20 June ) and then I didn't have internet connection. So I have to rely on the internet cafes.

And, in answer to... um... was it World of Make Believe or Icestream's question about Shadow being Shadowstar ( sorry, I can't remember, and I can't check the reviews due to lack of internet connection during the writing of this chapter ): No, Shadow is called that merely because of his colour.

Now, here's the chapter! Yes, I know it has a funny name, and I did not alliterate it on purpose. Also, I could only call it 'Thornfire's Trouble' on the chapter names because it wouldn't let me do much more than that. But the full title is below.

Thornfire's Trouble & Branchclaw's Belly

"Breezepaw! Breezepaw! Please wake up! Please!" an anxious voice roused Breezepaw from his slumber. He had been dreaming of Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw. It hadn't been a pleasant dream, as it had ended rather nastily for both cats concerned. Nevertheless, he was exhausted, and didn't appreciate being roused from his sleep.

"What is it now?" Breezepaw grumbled, opening his eyes a crack. As the world came into focus, he recognised Thornfire standing in front of him, looking worried. Surely another cat couldn't have become ill or injured in the past few hours?

"Can I talk to you in private?" Thornfire enquired in a quiet voice, casting a suspicious look at Gentlebreeze, who was busy sorting out the herbs. Gentlebreeze had barely had a wink of sleep since Cherrypaw had left, mainly because cats had been falling ill continuously. She still hadn't discovered the cure for the illness that they were succumbing to, so spent most of her spare time thinking up possible remedies. The latest casualty was Blueclaw, Rockpaw's father.

"Um, sure," Breezepaw heaved himself to his feet, swaying slightly in fatigue. Then he stumbled out after Thornfire, who was leading him out of camp. He wondered what Thornfire was so anxious to talk to him about.

As soon as they were out of sight of the ThunderClan camp, Thornfire halted, and sat down. Breezepaw followed his example, and they sat in silence for several minutes. Thornfire was busying himself with following the patterns of the stars in the sky above them, nervously glancing around him every so often.

"Well?" Breezepaw prompted, after the silence became unbearable. He already had a sneaking suspicion of what Thornfire was about to say, and dreaded it. It's going to be about Streamfish... I'll bet she's expecting kits...

"Streamfish is expecting kits," Thornfire mumbled, looking embarrassed. Yet Breezepaw could see a mixture of fear and joy in his friend's eyes. "I don't know what to do. Streamfish is delighted. She couldn't be happier, but I don't know... what if one of them looks like me? You saw what happened to Greystripe and Bluestar!"

Breezepaw studied his friend for a few minutes. "Aren't you happy?"

"Yes! I am! But still... who knows what RiverClan will do to Streamfish if they find out?" Thornfire said worriedly, his eyes losing their shine as he contemplated all the possible punishments.

"I told you this would happen," Breezepaw reprimanded him disapprovingly. "I told you. I warned you! I said that you shouldn't go on seeing her! Nobody ever listens to me around here!"

"I know you did. I know. But I couldn't just stop seeing her! I couldn't, because I...," Thornfire trailed off, and stared into the distance. Then he looked pleadingly at Breezepaw.

"You love her. I understand. There's nothing you can do about it, Thornfire. Just hope that not one of them resembles you in the slightest. We don't want to give ThunderClan any more reasons to distrust you, do we now?" Breezepaw was referring to an incident that had happened not long after Cherrypaw departed. A ThunderClan patrol had caught Thornfire talking to a pretty WindClan she-cat called Brookfur. Thornfire had only been talking to her because he had met her at a Gathering and they had gotten on well together, but the ThunderClan patrol had immediately jumped to conclusions. Thornfire had had to bear a lot of distrustful looks from the cats in his Clan for a half moon or so.

"No...," Thornfire heaved a sigh. Then he looked up, the disappointment at Breezepaw's reaction clear on his face. "Aren't you happy for me?"

Breezepaw resisted purring at his friend's comically forlorn look, "I don't think you're old enough to be a father. StarClan knows, you act like a kit at the best of times! But, yes, I am happy for you, even though I wish you would be more thoughtful for once. You know, think before you go making friendships with a beautiful RiverClan she-cat. No, don't give me the 'I love her' excuse."

Thornfire nodded, serious again. Then he looked up at the sky, deliberately changing the subject, "I wonder where Branchclaw is now? I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my older brother."

"I do, too. No doubt he's having the time of his life, though. He always was one for adventures and prophecies involving ominous endings for cats who didn't do things right. Quite the adventurer he was. I still have his pleas ringing in my ears for stories of medicine cats who broke the warrior code. Goodness knows why he asked me, I'm barely a moon older than him," Breezepaw snorted in disbelief as he recalled Branchclaw begging him to tell him stories.

"You miss Cherrypaw, too, I take it?" Thornfire asked slyly. He knew of Breezepaw's stronger-than- friendship feelings for the red-furred apprentice, and it amused him no end. In his opinion, Cherrypaw was far too young for Breezepaw, who must have been four or five moons older than her.

"Shut up," Breezepaw said sharply, but it was true. He did miss her. And he wasn't the only one who had someone they loved disappear. Magpieflight had been moping around for days. She tried to keep a cheerful face, but it always fell whenever she saw her sister Dovesky and Tigerstripe contentedly sitting together.

"I don't see why you like her so much. She's just a red-furred apprentice who doesn't know much about the world," Thornfire said in contempt. He didn't really mind Cherrypaw, though, and Breezepaw knew it. Thornfire was just being mean to cover his embarrassment.

"I'm not the only one, you know," Breezepaw informed him, and watched Thornfire wince. They both knew who Breezepaw was talking about, and Thornfire disapproved even more of that cat's affection for Cherrypaw.

A silence fell on both cats. They sat there, and looked at the stars, both wondering what the cat they loved was doing at that very moment. Breezepaw looked enviously at Thornfire when he thought the brown tom wasn't looking. At least Streamfish wasn't on some journey into a mysterious place that she had never been to before. No, Streamfish was safe in RiverClan's camp. As for Cherrypaw, well, Breezepaw really didn't know where she was.


In contrast to enjoying his experience, as Breezepaw and Thornfire thought he was, Branchclaw was actually having a most painful time at that moment. He had eaten far too much rabbit and pigeon, and was now lying down with the most uncomfortable stomachache. Silverpaw hadn't been sympathetic at all, quite the contrary, actually. She had laughed in his face, and told him that he had brought it upon himself. This was quite true, and he knew it, but it would have been nice for her to show him a little concern for his well-being.

Come to think of it, none of them had been sympathetic. Gingerpaw had snorted in contempt, Cherrypaw had rolled her eyes and muttered something about toms not knowing when they had had enough, Troutpaw and Lizardpaw had cackled away at him until he thought he would be deaf, and Sunstream had shrugged and asked him whether he wanted another rabbit. This request had been met with another roar of laughter from Silverpaw, who had already been rolling on the floor with good humour.

No, Branchclaw decided he really wasn't having a good time. Maybe he should just have stuck with eating only one rabbit and one pigeon, instead of three of each. He had been hungry, though, and the thought of approaching the dark forest in front of them at daybreak had only made him want to eat more, in the hope that it would make him forget what was to happen the next day.

A little way away from where he was lying down, Silverpaw and Gingerpaw were arguing again. From what he had gathered, they were arguing about who was going to lead the group tomorrow. Cherrypaw was talking animatedly to Lizardpaw and Troutpaw about the direction they were going to approach the forest, and Sunstream was contributing to both the argument and the discussion in turns. He would have loved to join in, but his ridiculous belly was having none of it, and he had already been sick a few times.

Instead of joining the discussion, he shuffled closer, if you could call crawling on your belly for fear of discomforting yourself even more 'shuffling', and listened to what the trio were saying.

"... thanks to that mouse-brain," Troutpaw spat, glaring at Branchclaw, "we can't move tomorrow, otherwise we'll only make him throw up a couple more times, and then have to leave him behind in the forest when he decides his belly won't let him walk any further."

"That's very ShadowClan of you," Lizardpaw observed with amusement. "Are you absolutely sure that you and Gingerpaw weren't switched around at birth?"

"Gingerpaw is just as ShadowClannish as he is," Cherrypaw pointed out, her eyes sparkling. She flicked her tail in the direction of Silverpaw and Gingerpaw, and, lowering her voice, she said, "I must say, though, that she could pass for RiverClan with as much as passing for a ShadowClan cat. Maybe Lizardpaw's right?"

"Don't you dare compare me to that piece of fox dung!" Troutpaw snarled at her angrily, but Cherrypaw only laughed out loud, and dodged his paw swipe at her.

"My oh my, you really are getting quite touchy about the subject. Perhaps a bit too touchy? D'you think he's hiding something from us, Cherrypaw?" Lizardpaw enquired of Cherrypaw curiously, sidestepping Troutpaw's swipe at him. Sunstream was looking on with a mixture of amusement and worry at where this was heading.

"I think you're right. In fact, Shadestar would be quite happy to have him. ShadowClan warrior in the making, huh?" Cherrypaw chuckled, delighted that she was getting a chance to annoy Troutpaw. Branchclaw had to admit that Troutpaw was the very cat who would get teased quite often because of his quick reactions to it.

"So... what were you saying about asking around for directions, Troutpaw?" Sunstream broke in, narrowly avoiding Troutpaw's unsheathed claws, which were directed at Lizardpaw.

"That's ridiculous!" Lizardpaw complained loudly, serious again. "Who do you think is going to give us directions on how to get into that place? Only somebody who's mental would do that! In fact, only somebody who's mental would want to know about that forest, in the first place, let alone go there and have a good time exploring."

"He's right," Gingerpaw sat down next to Cherrypaw, breathless after her heated discussion with Silverpaw. It seemed that she had won, for Silverpaw was sulking a little way away, occasionally shooting murderous glances at the group, or, more precisely, Gingerpaw.

"Oh! So you've decided to grant us the pleasure of your company, at long last. Is it just me, or do you seem to be conveniently away whenever we're talking about the important bits of the journey?" Lizardpaw asked Gingerpaw mischievously, earning him a disapproving glance from Sunstream.

"It's just you," Gingerpaw said coolly, refusing to rise to the bait.

"See! That's how you should've reacted, Troutpaw!" Cherrypaw said to her companion, deliberately stirring up trouble. This was similar to how Cherrypaw had been as a kit, and before Rosefur had died. Branchclaw had missed this Cherrypaw.

Troutpaw growled at Cherrypaw, but didn't say anything. He wasn't going to give her the pleasure of seeing him react to her obvious taunt. They were acting like one big... well... family. And Branchclaw felt miserably left out. He knew Sunstream felt left out sometimes, too. The five apprentices now treated each other like they had known one another all their lives. He envied them that.

"Well, as the moon is past it's moon-high mark, I suggest we should all get some sleep. Hopefully, Branchclaw will feel better by sunrise, and we'll be able to make a move on," a soft voice said as a shape materialised next in between Troutpaw and Cherrypaw. Budrose had been traveling with them all the time, although she preferred to only show herself to them when it was night. Perhaps it was because there was less of a chance of other cats seeing her if it was at night.

"Budrose!" Cherrypaw jumped guiltily, ashamed that her aunt had, more than likely, seen her teasing her companions. Branchclaw purred quietly in amusement at Cherrypaw's suddenly repentant expression.

"That's a good idea, Budrose," Sunstream said respectfully, bowing her head. She looked up at Budrose then, and said quietly, "I'm sorry, we were just going through a rough spot."

"No, no, it's okay, Sunstream. It was rather amusing, in a childish way," Budrose laughed. She was a very beautiful cat, Branchclaw realised. He wondered whether Rosefur and Budrose had inherited their looks from their mother or father. Little had been said about the sisters' parents, and Branchclaw often thought that it might be because their parents had done something that was frowned upon, although he couldn't think what.

Lizardpaw had the grace to look embarrassed himself, although he didn't seem repentant, "Sorry, Budrose. I was just having fun. All this seriousness gets rather boring after a while, 'specially when somebody as serious as Troutpaw is around."

To everyone's surprise, Troutpaw didn't growl at this comment. Instead, he laughed. It wasn't a bitter laugh, or a sorrowful one, or anything of the sort. It was a jubilant laugh, one that was more often heard coming from Silverpaw, Lizardpaw, or Cherrypaw.

"I'm not that bad!" Troutpaw protested good-humouredly once Budrose had melted away into the night. "Sure, I might be a bit more mature than you two are, but I'm not that bad."

"Hah!" Lizardpaw snorted derisively, but you could see laughter in his eyes. Branchclaw cursed his stomach, wishing he could contribute to their jokes and laughter like he usually did. But he knew if he so much as opened his mouth, they'd realise that he had felt well enough to crawl closer to them so that he could eavesdrop, and therefore he would receive even less pity from them. Not pity, he sternly reminded himself, sympathy.

"Well... I guess this is good-night," Cherrypaw yawned, and padded towards the tree with a hollow at the bottom. They had assumed a fox had once made its home there, and had been unnerved by that. Yet they couldn't pass up an opportunity to have a shelter as good as this.

"Yeah, I suppose," Lizardpaw agreed, and followed her. He was followed himself by the rest of the little group. He halted at the entrance, and called to Branchclaw, "Hey, you coming? Hurry up, for StarClan's sake!"

Branchclaw mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, and heaved himself unsteadily up to his feet. Slowly, his stomach hurting, he made his way towards the tree, and crept down into the hollow underneath it, after Lizardpaw had disappeared inside.

Curling up on the mossy nest he had made himself earlier, Branchclaw yawned, and closed his eyes. Despite the almost unbearable pain in his stomach, he felt sleepy, and, before he knew it, he was fast asleep. In his dream, thousands of rabbits and pigeons were swarming around him, taunting him and calling him mouse-brain, and a curiously coloured red mouse was squeaking at a group of strangely coloured mice about how they would steal from the fresh-kill supply of a group of rogue thrushes. It was a most odd dream, although Branchclaw didn't think that at the time, as he was too busy running from a bright orange leaf that seemed to have taken a fancy to his brown frog form.

And it's finished! I hope that wasn't too over-the-top for you guys, what with Branchclaw's dream and stuff, but I was feeling very cheerful when I wrote this chapter, so some of my mood was put into the chapter, as always.

And, you may or may not be happy to know this... but I can now officially confirm this story will have over 20 chapters. How do I know this? Because, as of July 8 ( today ), I am working on Chapter 17!

Please R&R!