Great news! My grandma's better; she's gotten the lung donor she needed! YAY!!!!!!!!!

Anywho, this chapter is dedicated to two of my friends, flamestone and Cucumber Periwinkle. Happy Birthday, you guys!!! It'

It's a long one…hope it makes up for not updating in a month….I'M SORRY!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed; I love reading your comments.

Mothpaw: Okay, let's regroup! In the first 2 parts of Chapter 10, I was taking my first-ever assessment. In Part 1, we did the hunting half of the it and totally creamed Stonepaw. In Part 2, we did the fighting, and Stonepaw sorta got back at me by taking a big slice out of my ear. In Part 3…well, you'll just have to see what happens!

Chapter Ten – Part 3

I could've gone my whole life without ever going to the medicine cat den again and died a very happy cat. But no; I can't seem to make it through a month without having to get treated for something. I think the universe hates me.

I reluctantly padded through the fern tunnel, Brindlepaw and Larchpaw flanking me. Personally, I think the cobwebs Barkfang had found for my ear did the job just fine, but Brackenfoot said she didn't want it to get infected and sent me to Brightsong anyways - when Brackenfoot gives you The Look, you better do whatever she tells you unless you want to be searching the elders for ticks the whole next moon.

I was hoping that Sagepaw would be out finding herbs or treating someone, but there he was, in the middle of the medicine cat clearing, mixing some kind of poultice. Oh, great. Things were still rather awkward and I didn't really want a repeat of our last conversation; plus, I had a sneaking suspicion that when he saw my ear he'd flip out.

I was right.

He glanced up and froze, yellow eyes wide and his fur standing up. "Mothpaw! Your ear," he gasped.

With great difficulty I managed not to roll my eyes. Oh no, you don't say! I was perfectly aware that there was a honking great slice missing from it, thank you.

"It's not as bad as it looks," I muttered, quickly walking around him.

Brightsong was in the back, taking an inventory. "Borage, poppy seed, water chestnut…" she mumbled to herself, her voice echoing slightly in the little alcove where she stored everything. I coughed, trying to get her attention.

She stuck her head around the corner. "Mothpaw! What's the ma- oh! Your ear!"

Those two words were starting to get really annoying really fast. I sighed. "Yes. My ear."

"Sagepaw, get some marigold, cobwebs and comfrey," Brightsong listed at top speed, quickly coming forward and sniffing around my ear. "Whoever cleaned it off did a good job," she added approvingly to no one in particular. I answered her anyways.

"It was Larchpaw."

She shot him an appreciative glance. "Good job."

His tail flicked in embarrassment. "Thanks," he murmured, eyes on the ground. "It was nothing."

Sagepaw came scurrying around from the storage with the requested herbs, eyes dark as he gave Larchpaw a jealous glare. Larchpaw looked taken aback at his brother's hostility. The tension in the den went up a few notches. Oh, dear. "Why don't you guys go on?" I asked, turning to look at my friends. "No need to wait for me here and take up space." No need to stay and spark a fight with the medicine cat apprentice.

"It would help if I had some more room to work in," Brightsong agreed.

Brindlepaw glanced at me, and I knew that she knew why I was asking them to leave. "Yeah, come on Larchpaw." She nudged him and got to her feet. Larchpaw followed reluctantly, although without protesting, for which I was grateful.

"We'll wait for you," he called over his shoulder. I watched until the gray tip of his tail whisked out of sight. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sagepaw's gaze flick from me to where Larchpaw had just left, resentment still stamped on his face. Toms and their jealousy issues. Mentally sighing, I turned unwillingly to face Brightsong again.

Oh, snap. I'd forgotten about my claustrophobia.

I quickly composed my face into an inscrutable mask that hid all signs of the panic rapidly reaching breaking point inside me. "Why don't we go out into the clearing?" I suggested, working to keep my voice from squeaking. Please, please, please say we can go into the nice, open clearing.

Brightsong blinked, giving me a bewildered stare as she took the herbs from Sagepaw. I knew why she was confused – we really didn't need to go outside. Cats have night vision, so she could still she the wound fine in the darkening cave, and this was where she had her herbs handy. But I, on the other paw, was going to start having a meltdown if we didn't get out right now. As much as I hated revealing weakness, I briefly let my mask slip for a second, letting her see my terror, before clawing it back into place.

She nodded quickly. "Yes, let's go," she agreed smoothly. "It's lighter out there, and I could use the fresh air."

I instantly turned and scrambled out, almost tripping over myself. Come on, girl, relax. Take deep breaths.

I composed myself before they joined me and sat down in a nice patch of still warm sunlight.

"Okay," Brightsong said, neatly arranging the different herbs into orderly piles, continuing as if nothing had happened. "First, let's get these cobwebs off." Standing over me, she carefully snipped through the white threads. I tried not to flinch as her teeth grazed my ear. "Then, let's chew this marigold into a pulp…" She described each part of the process to me and Sagepaw, telling us the uses of each herb and how to apply them. One thing you had to say about Brightsong, she loved her job.

Me, not so much.

"I thought you said this would help!" I growled through clenched teeth as she dripped the marigold juices onto my gash. Geez, did it sting! The treatment almost hurt worse than the wound itself!

"I know," Brightsong meowed sympathetically. "It would hurt even more of it got infected, though."

Thankfully, the rest of it wasn't as painful as the marigold, and after a few more minutes I was shooed out of the clearing with my ear all wrapped up like a turban. I felt oddly unbalanced, my hearing all muffled on that one side. I stood for a second in front of the fern tunnel, glad to get away from Sagepaw's bitter silence and Brightsong, the queen of herbal torture, and just took a moment to unwind. The sun was half-way below the horizon, blazing a fiery orange. Wow, it was pretty. My gaze wandered over the camp, and I froze. There, padding out of the entrance, was Stonepaw, who looked sullen and angry, and Sandclaw, bad-tempered and irritable. My blood boiled up, and for a second I was looking through a red mist of fury. So much for unwinding. Wonder how he'd like it if I took a chunk of his ear off?

No, no, no, not now! Do you want to lose Brackenfoot's respect? I pictured her disappointment if I attacked Stonepaw, and my heart sank. There was no way I'd willingly lose her trust, especially after I'd worked so hard to gain it. And besides that, if I did let everything loose on him, it would prove all those morons who said I wasn't worth anything. No, I wouldn't attack him. Yet.

After getting a tight hold on my anger, I stalked away, looking for something to distract myself. No use taking chances with my emotions running away with me.

The wind stirred for a moment, and my nose twitched like a rabbit's as warm, delicious prey-smell reached me. Food! I'd forgotten how hungry I was. I bolted to the fresh-kill pile, completely distracted now.

I carefully looked over the selection of prey, trying to find the biggest vole and not drool all over the fresh-kill. I was so hungry, my stomach was practically eating itself. I nudged a sparrow over to see if there was a vole underneath it. Nothing.

I sighed. I'll admit it, I'm sort of a picky eater. Sure, eating dead rodents doesn't bother me a lot anymore, but I still really don't like birds or squirrels - the feathers and fur get stuck in my teeth. Mice and voles aren't half as furry as squirrels, and they're both pretty good – although voles are my absolute favorite. Just to be sure, I checked for a vole again, but no luck. Guess today's menu was mouse.

I bent over a nice fat one that almost made up for there being none of my favorite food left, and was about to pick it up when someone nudged me. I yelped in surprise and stumbled, falling back on my haunches to the mocking laughs of some of the warriors lounging around their den. My ears were burning in humiliation. Why, oh why, did I have to fall over when they were watching?

"What was that for- oh..." My rant trailed off into silence as I met Larchpaw's bright yellow eyes.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" he asked in concern, bending down and helping me up.

Why do I always embarrass myself in front of him? Today is not my day. My ears burned hotter, and they flicked backwards before I forced them upright again. I could only imagine how red my ears were. "Uh, yeah, I'm good. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Sorry," he repeated unhappily.

I couldn't help but feel confused at how much he was beating himself up over me. It wasn't that big of a deal. "Hey, it's fine," I said, grinning and reaching up to lick him on the ear. I was tall, but he was still a few inches bigger than me, so I had to go up on tiptoe. He blushed too, his ears turning a deeper shade of red, but he did cheer up after that.

"I saved you this," he meowed, changing the subject. He gently prodded an enormous vole lying in front of him with one light gray forepaw. My mouth watered. Please, don't let me be drooling. "Oh my gosh, you're my hero," I said gratefully, picking it up in my teeth and doing my best not to eat it then and there.

"I know it's your favorite," he said shyly, his ears now approaching a deep crimson.

I looked down, feeling suddenly bashful. Sheesh, what was wrong with me? I'm not a bashful kind of person. "Well, you got that right," I said, my voice quieter than normal.

He smiled his crooked smile and we padded over to join Brindlepaw in a warm patch of fading sunlight. She batted her eyelashes at me as I sat down. "I think a certain someone has a crush on certain someone," she whispered in my ear.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered. She snickered and took a bite of her wren.

"Whatever you say," she said in an undertone, looking like she was trying not to laugh.

I growled to myself. Although, she does have a point, whispered a little voice in my head. I think you do have a crush on him. Geez, even my own brain was turning against me. Someone help me.

Forcing all Larchpaw-related thoughts out of the front of my mind, I bent down to take a bite out of my vole. Before I could sink my teeth into it, though, someone called me. My head come slowly up, and I counted to ten to hold off my exasperation. I get cranky when I'm really, really hungry.

I was instantly glad I hadn't immediately started to rage at the interrupter, because as it turns out, it was Lighteningstar. I swallowed hard. Had I done something wrong? Was I in trouble? Brindlepaw gave me a nudge, hissing "Go on!", and I unfroze and rushed to my feet.

Lighteningstar smiled kindly and led me to a quiet, out-of-the-way corner of camp. "Brackenfoot says your training has been coming along well, Mothpaw," he said, and instantly I felt a surge of relief. Phew; guess he wasn't punishing me. "In fact, she insists that you are the best apprentice in all four Clans," he added, yellow eyes sparkling with amusement. "Barkfang and Cloudfur have also said that their apprentices are coming along well. All three of you will attend the Gathering."

I grinned broadly. "Score!" I cheered, leaping to my feet and surprising myself with my own excitement. Brindlepaw and Larchpaw, even Russetpaw and Stonepaw, chattered about Gatherings with a sense of hopefulness, enthusiasm and wonder. I wanted to see what they were so excited about. "Uh, I mean, can I go tell them?"

Lighteningstar smiled. "Of course. And," he added, his yellow eyes growing colder than the winter sun, "I thought you might be pleased to hear that Stonepaw is being severely punished."

"Oh, yes." I smiled again, with a rush of fierce satisfaction. Serves him right, although punishment wouldn't get me my ear back.

"He will not be going to this Gathering, or the next, and he is confined to camp for the next moon."

It's not that I wasn't pleased, but that sounded harsh, even to me. "Don't cats get hurt all the time out here?" I asked, a tad bit confused. "Why's it so serious?"

"We don't hurt our own, unless we absolutely need to in battle," Lighteningstar said, his voice taunt with anger. I resisted the urge to cower. "What Stonepaw did was against the Code, and from what Brackenfoot, Barkfang, and Cloudfur tell me, he was in a frenzy. He could've killed you."

"But I'm not even one of you!" I said, just more confused. "I'm a kittypet, remember?" Most of the Clan cats made no secret that they wished I was gone. If I was killed, they'd probably throw a party. Since when did I matter to them?

Lighteningstar blinked. "You aren't expendable," he growled. "And you aren't a kittypet anymore. You are a part of this Clan, and while some immature mousebrains haven't realized it yet, you are worth just as much as them. In some cases, even more."

I was a little taken aback at his intensity. I just couldn't get why he cared about me so much. I can understand taking care of the cats in his Clan, but he seemed, I dunno, more concerned about me than he ought to be. "Uh, okay," I said. Just then, my stomach let out an enormous rumble. I flushed and looked down, wanting to crawl under a rock and hide. Great going, Mothpaw. Embarrass yourself in front of the Clan leader. Just keep on ruining your already crumbling image.

Lighteningstar laughed, and I looked up, relieved that he wasn't mad at me. "Sorry, I'm keeping you from dinner."

"It's fine," I mumbled. "Uh…can I go now?"

Lighteningstar's eyes twinkled. "Of course."

"Thanks," I called, looking over my shoulder at him. When I faced forward again, Russetpaw was leaning over my vole. Brindlepaw and Larchpaw were looking the other way, at me, so they hadn't noticed. "Oh no, you don't," I growled, launching myself forward. No one tries to take my dinner. In a few giant strides I was right in front of Russetpaw. "Stop…right…now," I hissed. Her head jerked up, and for some reason she looked terrified.

Okay. That's odd.

It was good to be respected/feared by your arch-nemesis, but I was under the impression she hated me more than a month's worth of rainstorms and moldy food. Why was she all of a sudden acting all scared of me?

"Sorry," Brindlepaw whispered. "We didn't realize she was there…"

"That's okay," I reassured. "It's not your fault. Step away from the vole," I continued to Russetpaw. "In case you haven't noticed, it is my dinner. It is by my friends, it smells like me from when I picked it up, and if you managed to miss those signs, it is off the fresh-kill pile, which means that it's been chosen by somebody. Kinda obvious, doncha think?"

Russetpaw backed off, staring at me defiantly, the terror in her expression fading. "Whatever," she muttered. "Stupid kittypet."

What is it with these people and the kittypet comments?! For a heartbeat, I was so sick of her and Stonepaw, I wanted to make her hurt somehow. I raised what would've been an eyebrow if I'd been human, mentally counting to ten to calm myself for the second time in one day. "And yet, here I am, going to the next Gathering and my assessment passed with flying colors. And there you are, with a sprained paw, not going to the Gathering, and your assessment not even taken yet," I pointed out. She glared at me, eyes smoldering with fury, and stalked off, not saying a word.

That was even weirder. Normally, she'd stay and throw more insults at me. Why is everyone acting so bizarrely today?

I caught another strong whiff of delicious vole, and I mentally shrugged. Plenty of time to figure that out later on.

I scarfed my meal down so quickly I barely noticed the taste. I tried to slow down some, but I hadn't eaten all day, and I was starving. It was gone in less than a minute.

I sat up and started washing, my belly now comfortably full, but for some reason I couldn't pinpoint, something felt off. Then I bolted upright. "Oh, snap," I gasped. "Did we feed the elders?" I had to admit it, I had a soft spot for them. They were some of the only cats who'd accepted me right off the bat. When I'd asked why, Ashfur, a gay tom, had winked and said that when I got to be his age, all young'uns looked the same, and that as long as I worked hard, there was no reason for them not to like me. And besides that, they told great stories, too. But if we'd forgotten to bring them their meal, they might be a tad bit cranky and start the "Back in my day…" lecture, which was guaranteed to make you fall asleep.

Larchpaw shook his head. "We didn't need to," he assured me, flicking me gently on my shoulder with his tail tip. "Barkfang, Cloudfur and Brackenfoot took care of it for us while you were in Brightsong's den."

"Phew," I sighed, settling down again and licking my chest. There was this one patch of fur that stuck straight up, no matter how hard I tried to fix it.

Suddenly, my gut felt like it'd been kicked hard by a horse. I gasped in pain, twisting around and staring at my belly in shock.

"Mothpaw?" Larchpaw asked worriedly, looking up from his own wash the instant I gasped. "What's wrong?"

I tore my eyes away from my stomach and let out a shaky laugh, trying to shrug it off. "Guess I ate too quickly," I said. Yeah, that had to be it. And the pain was gone now –

I spoke too soon. Another horrible seizure struck with the force of a small truck. I let out a shriek of pain, doubling over in agony. What's wrong with me?!

"Mothpaw!" Larchpaw's and Brindlepaw's terrified voices sounded close to my ear. I twitched from the pain on the ground, staring up at them, not even bothering to hide how scared I was. "What's going on?!" I rasped. Larchpaw froze as I spoke, then leaned in closer, sniffing at my whiskers, then darted over the bones of my vole and smelled them.

"Deathberries!" he gasped.

Brindlepaw sucked in a breath. "How can you sure?" she cried.

"My brother's a medicine cat," he answered shortly. "Go get Brightsong!" Pawsteps scampering off. Then he was at my side again. "Mothpaw! You've got to get up," he begged.

I gritted my teeth against a scream and tried, but my legs wouldn't support me. They were starting to go numb… I can't stand, I tried to say, but nothing came out. I blinked, my eyesight getting darker and darker, trying to shove off the shadowy mist, but then thousands of black dots rushed my vision and my eyes closed in defeat.

What will happen to Mothpaw? Who hid the deathberries in her vole, and why? New chapter coming as soon as I can type it!

Warrior names are still appreciated, and please review!

P.S. A battle chapter coming up soon, one or two chapters after this.