This chapter will mostly be in Dapplepaw's point of view. I might give Graypaw's point of view, but I believe it will be rather boring. Thanks GinnyStar and PinkRhinosAreBest for reviewing. Unfortunately, GinnyStar, I won't be posting the alliance for the Tribe. I meant the Alliance for the new series I'm working on, Echoes of the Past. I will probably write the alliance out tonight and post it tomorrow after finishing another chapter for Sliver. Only four more left!

Mud's Story

The pair of she-cats were led into a thin stretch of land, surrounded by sharp edges created from the mountains. Fresh grass pricked their pads as they followed the trio of cats. Mud was last in the line; his tail trailed behind him and his whiskers were drooping.

Dapplepaw sensed that something was wrong with him. The other rogues seemed to completely ignore him, while others just kept their distance. A creamy brown she-cat with dark blue eyes had come to greet Mud, but he just ignored her. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and she looked away.

"What have we here, Snip?" asked a large dark brown tom. His eyes were a forest green, and his muscles pulsed beneath his thick pelt. Dapplepaw noticed how the rogues kept a distance from him as well. But instead of ignorance or anger, their eyes were filled with awe and fear.

"We found these two snooping around our territory," growled the white tom with a black strip down his muzzle. "I would have clawed their pelts off, but these two seemed to enjoy their company a little too much." Almost immediately the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat's pelt stood on end, but the dark brown tom flicked his tail in warning.

"Enough, Snip," the dark brown tom hissed. "Speckle, why don't we treat these strangers as our guests. Perhaps we can learn from them, as we have learned from the Tribe."

Dapplepaw and Dovesong looked at each other incredulously. They weren't about to give any secrets away! If they told these rogues about ThunderClan, they might try to steal land just like they had from the Tribe.

It was plainly obvious that these cats were stronger than the Tribe, in both numbers and strength. The large dark brown tom who must have been their leader broke the meeting with a single flick of his tail. The group immediately disbanded, but a few formed smaller groups and began to speak in quiet whispers.

"Where did you come from?" Mud asked when they were alone. His gaze was filled with curiosity, rather than hostility like most of the cats.

Dovesong's whiskers twitched, and she glanced at Dapplepaw before speaking. "The forest on the other side of these mountains," she explained.

Mud's eyes widened in surprise, but then he shook his head. An odd look crossed his gaze as he looked down at his paws.

"Our ancestors once lived in the forest," he murmured, almost to himself. "Then they were chased out by Twolegs, and their homes were burned or torn down by their monsters. They tried looking for new territory where a Thunderpath rolls across the pine forest, but than a group of cats chased them out."

I wonder...Dapplepaw's thoughts were churning as she thought of the stories Lionblaze told her. He had said that he, Jayfeather, and their long dead sister Hollyleaf ventured into the Tribe's mountains many seasons ago. Crowfeather, Breezepelt, Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw, and Squirrelflight had led them. According to Lionblaze, the Tribe had been attacked numerous times by a group of rogues who had made their homes in the valleys around the mountains.

"You wouldn't happen to have seen a golden tabby with amber eyes, would you?" Dapplepaw asked innocently.

The young cat stared at her with wide eyes. Then his head tilted to one side as he considered the stories his grandmother used to tell him. "Yes, she mentioned that a golden tabby had joined the Tribe to chase her out. She said that he fought like a Twoleg, and blood didn't even spill from his pelt!" His nose was wrinkling as though the thought had disgusted him.

Dovesong was nodding; her blue eyes were thoughtful as she looked at a boulder. Dapplepaw knew that Lionblaze's power was just that. Power. He could fight two warriors at once without shedding an ounce of blood from his body.

"Why are you so...distant from the others?" Dovesong asked when Mud said nothing else.

He flinched as though a stone had been thrown at him. Other cats had been looking their way, but now that they realized it was him they were talking to, they ignored the newcomers. He was being shunned by them!

I guess Graypaw felt the same way, Dapplepaw thought as she looked down at her paws. She had desperately wanted the Clan to look at Graypaw as one of their own. But every time they looked at her friend, she saw nothing but a look of longing.

"I had hoped Sliver would stay...She was the only one who spoke to me normally," he murmured. Before Dapplepaw could ask why, Mud glanced at the two of them.

The sun was beginning to set once more, and a cold breeze ruffled their pelts. Dapplepaw was tired from all of their traveling, but she didn't want Mud to stop. His story fascinated her; the more he talked the more she wanted to learn.

"My father had died at the claws of a Tribe cat, just like Sliver's mother was murdered," he mewed once he noticed how anxious Dapplepaw was growing.

Dapplepaw's eyes widened in surprise. Graypaw had never mentioned that! She remembered how sad and pitiful the gray-furred kit had looked when they first met. Brightheart had been determined to take Graypaw back, and never questioned why she was in the forest.

Mud continued, his gaze growing darker as bitter memories swept through him, "My mother had died just before they began to train me. Greencough had ravaged through our band. Our healer had no catmint, and he wasn't going to ask the Tribe for any. That would have been a sign of weakness. After two days of coughing, I finally found her dead near the edge of our valley." Mud's voice was filled with pain, and he had to clear his throat before looking back at Dapplepaw and Dovesong.

For a moment, Dapplepaw felt the need to comfort him. She never understood what it was like to lose her parents, or to feel the pain of death. From what Mud had told her, and others, she wasn't looking forward to it.

Now she understood why Mud thought of Graypaw. Death seemed to follow the both of them, where ever they went. Deep down, a memory filled her. Dapplepaw could picture two cats, purring and rubbing their muzzles together.

Their happiness reminded her of Ferncloud and Dustpelt. But there was something different about these two cats. They felt more like her parents than Ferncloud or Dustpelt. And it frightened her.

Okay...maybe not the best ending, but...I wanted to end it there because I thought it was the best place to end. Yes, you all read about Mud. His tale is even more tragic than Graypaw's, yet, hers was sad too. She never even knew her father, and her mother was killed while she had gone out hunting. Very, very sad. Anyways, four more chapters after this one. Also, I will be posting the allegiance for Echoes of the Past, Book 1. Look out for it!