Hey guys!!! YAY!!! XP

I finished the chappie! YES!! (thumbs-up) Sorry it took so long. And, yes, there is a surprise at the end of this chappie...I know the following chapters may be a bit slow, but I have big plans for this story, and after the rescue of Gingerpaw and her friends things start to get better!

Also: I have changed, yet again, Dovewing's name, to Doveheart. Checfk all the chappies, and you'll find 'Doveheart', kay? Also, i changed Raypaw's name to Thrushpaw. Thanks! XP

Enjoy,

pearla

Her sister's name echoed in Gingerpaw's ears as she watched the brace cat fall to the ground. Her eyes widened in horror.

Flowerpaw couldn't be dead-- she still had her whole life ahead of her!

The blue-eyed she-cat could barely hear who had screamed her sister's name. Had it been her? Lilypaw? Rosepaw? Everything was spinning around her. Flowerpaw could not be dead.

It was impossible.

She had been awake and wild about two minutes ago. She had been willing to risk her life for the safety of the cats around her.

And there she was lying on the cold, hard earth.

For a shocking moment, the whole clearing was silent; stunned. Thrushpaw let out a faint whimper, and Lilypaw looked as if she was ready to scream.

Gingerpaw just sat there gaping.

Flowerpaw.

The creamy-colored that had so savagely attacked her was putting his pad gingerly to the floor, as if he had somehow hurt himself in battle with the apprentice. His face was scratched and bleeding and his nose was misshapen but he didn't really seem to care.

"Take the rest away," he spat to his guards, and they lumbered forward, ready to do his bidding.

"What about her, Falconclaw?" a green-eyed she-cat inquired, eyes wide. She pointed to Gingerpaw. "Do we take her as well?"

Falconclaw. So that was his name.

"All of them," the tom sighed, clearly agitated by the thickness of his Clan.

Gorsepaw, who had been trying to reach Gingerpaw's injured sister, was held back. Firpaw let out a long hiss of frustration, baring her thorn-sharp teeth.

"Out of my way!" she snapped to a tabby she-cat in front of her. "I have to help her! If not me, then let Gorsepaw in you heartless killers!"

"She asked for her own death," said the cream-colored tom harshly, tail lashing. "Pity. She could have been valuable."

Gingerpaw was oblivious to the fact of talking taking place behind her.

"Flowerpaw," she whispered, licking her sister's fur frantically as she raced over to her side. Every cat's words seemed very far away. "Come on, Flowerpaw. Come on. Wake up." She felt a sob racking in her heart. "Come on, Flowerpaw. Open your eyes…" Gingerpaw gritted her teeth ands bowed her head low, determined not to show weakness. Then she let out a faint cry.

Flowerpaw wasn't breathing. Her chest was not rising and falling at all, and her eyes were narrowed, not even a tiny flicker of life in them.

Apprentices were beginning to shriek all around her as the guards began to nudge them away. Kits were crying in terror. Lilypaw had bounded over and was yowling Flowerpaw's name, again and again.

Even now Gingerpaw could see scarlet covering the ground from the wounds inflicted from the attack.

It was pure, utter chaos.

And in the midst of it all, Gingerpaw began to wail.

Smokecloud, her father, Greenkit, and now Flowerpaw…all in StarClan now. They had all completely abandoned her, and left her all alone. What had she done to deserve this? She knew she had to have told Berryleaf sooner about what the prophecy may mean…but that was over now…

And then the answer came to her in a furious stroke of hatred.

Falconclaw.

Gingerpaw never felt a hate like this: a bubbling, frothing fury that seemed to rise strait from her soul. It was pure anger and despair-and Gingerpaw had it all focused on the cat that had claimed the lives of cats that she had cared about.

Gingerpaw was given a harsh poke all of a sudden. He looked up to find a tabby tom glaring at her through amber eyes narrowed into slits. "Come on," he grunted. "You're coming with me."

Lilypaw looked frightened: true fear in her eyes, moving closer towards her two sisters.

Suddenly, Gingerpaw saw Sunkit and Coalkit. They were being herded away by a gentler-looking she-cat. She saw Firpaw, and Rosepaw, being lifted off the ground. She saw Thrushpaw yowling as he was dragged away.

And a feeling of fierce protection suddenly overwhelmed her. She couldn't let them all die; when it was her that Angelwing had warned. She knew the exit to help them: she had to help them escape. She had to help them all!

Smokecloud will be proud of me.

"I won't let you take them," she declared abruptly, leaping to her paws. A few guards had stopped at the commotion, and Gingerpaw saw the creamy-colored tom glance back.

"Lilypaw," she shot back to her sister. "Run for it."

&&&

The gray and white she-cat stared at her in disbelief. "What?" she demanded, glaring at her sister. Gingerpaw's fur was standing on end.

"Lilypaw-I want you to run far away," she hissed under her breath. "I want you to run away and get help. Get Berryleaf and Snowpaw, too. Run, Lilypaw!"

Her sister took a shaky step back.

I'm not going to lose you, too, Lilypaw!

"But what about you and Flowerpaw?"

Gingerpaw had no time to answer, as the tom had already lunged himself at her, but she swerved and began to race along the ring of cats. She just had to get Lilypaw out.

"Come on!" she screeched as her sister began to follow her, and there was a swelling motion of cats as the two sprang away.

"StarClan, help me!" Gingerpaw begged, looking up to the starry sky. "Help me get my sister out!"

She hopped over logs as she and Lilypaw dashed away, feeling jaws snapping at her tail.

As if her prayers were answered, she suddenly felt an icy calm surround her: and she couldn't breathe for a moment. She stopped short and tried to give a ragged breath.

"What's happening?"

Her scruff was seized by another tom, and she rapidly twisted and gave his belly a hard jab, swinging backwards and raking his spine.

"Hey! These aren't my moves!"

She bowled him over and began to claw his head and ears, biting his tail ferociously at the same time.

"I knew I was a natural at fighting…but this?"

A familiar scent surrounded her, and her head felt dizzy. Lilypaw had stopped as well, but every cat's attention was on her.

"Angelwing?!"

More cats began to look at her, and, dropping the kits and apprentices they carried, rushed forward to stop her. Lilypaw was watching in what seemed like perky interest: all her attention was suddenly on Gingerpaw.

"Go now!" Gingerpaw yowled to her, but the orange apprentice was well aware that she was not the one saying this. Lilypaw looked frightened and turned tail. Gingerpaw followed her, swiping at any cat that dared to try and harm her youngest littermate.

She was amazed.

"It's me, Gingerpaw," whispered a voice in her head. "It's Angelwing. Don't be afraid."

"Where are you?"

"In your head," the black Guardian purred. Gingerpaw flinched as she felt her tail being bitten. With a yowl, she turned and launched herself at the big white she-cat that had done it.

"Run, Lilypaw!" she thought desperately, and continued to fight.

It seemed like her energy was boundless: she was using Angelwing's as well as hers.

"Please be safe, Lilypaw."

"Don't be afraid!" Angelwing's voice rang out. "We won't let them get her!"

Just as Gingerpaw was beginning to believe the haughty she-cat; she was thrown off her paws by a strong blow that knocked the breath out of her.

"Stop!" a firm voice commanded, but its sound was edged with cruelty. Gingerpaw groaned and slowly rose to her paws, staggering a little.

The creamy-colored tom was staring at her, frowning only slightly. His claws were sheathed and he wore an expression of the utmost confusion. He turned to his guards.

"You let the other escape?"

A few grunts answered his question. He flicked his ear. "I see. And you here are the futures of BloodClan: mangy, good-for-nothing lumps that can't take on a kit half their size."

"She's an apprentice, badger-dung," Gingerpaw felt herself say.

Shut up, Angelwing!

He turned back to Gingerpaw, tail lashing.

"Where did you learn such skill for such a young apprentice?"

"Mind your own business!" Angelwing snapped. "It's not my fault I can fight a hundred times better than you! Pureheart gave you a good clawing too!" Gingerpaw was puzzled. Pureheart?

At last Falconclaw's eyes widened and he sighed. "Ah. My dear Angelwing. Do we really have to fight now?" he sounded rather bored. "I have business to attend to—like training these worthless cats to be real warriors, for instance. I'd much rather tear you apart later."

"Like you could!" snorted Angelwing haughtily. "You know I'm going to fight you now, anyway, so why bother asking me to leave? Killing an innocent apprentice like Flowerpaw isn't going to prove you're a fighter little kittypet!" Gingerpaw unsheathed her claws. "You couldn't even catch a mouse when I watched you from the stars! You're worthless-not them. Now come fight me."

NO! Gingerpaw thought desperately. "I don't want to fight anymore!"

An image of Greenkit formed into her mind.

"When I grow up, Gingerkit, I'm going to become Clan leader. And when I do, I'll command my warriors to stop fighting. Fighting's no good."

"But then how will you defend yourself from other Clans?" Gingerkit inquired thoughtfully.

'That's simple," said Greenkit matter-of-factly. "I'll make friend with the other leaders and we'll all live together as companions. See? No fighting necessary!"

"Come on!" challenged Angelwing, snapping Gingerpaw out of her memory. "Show me that you're worth more than a mouse-tail!"

Falconclaw whipped around, rage in his yellow eyes. "You're going to fight me while possessing the body of that apprentice?!"

"N-no!" Gingerpaw choked out, her voice cracking. "No-Angelwing!" she pleaded. "I don't want to fight! Flowerpaw's dead already!" She hated herself for saying those words, but they just slipped out. "Please, no more fighting!"

She fell silent again as Falconclaw stiffened. Gingerpaw waited for what seemed like a moon. Angelwing still possessed her, and she knew it, but she kept still.

"He'll kill you," whispered Angelwing.

"No, he won't! I promise. Trust me!"

Then, with a burst of light, she was thrown to the ground and felt lighter-like a weight she had been carrying had finally lifted.

Angelwing was gone.

Falconclaw stared at her through cold, narrowed yellow eyes. "Well, well, Gingerpaw," he growled, his claws unsheathing. "I can't say I've even met a cat who was so powerful that she could will a StarClan warrior away."

"Angelwing's a Guardian, not a StarClan warriors," Gingerpaw tried hard to stop herself from stammering.

"Either way, Gingerpaw, you are one special cat."

Gingerpaw's blood turned to ice. "How do you know my name?" she whispered, bowing her head.

"I always knew that one day you were going to come along," he spat. "And I always knew that you would be nothing more than a nuisance. Track down the one that escape," he called over his shoulder, "and bring her back."

Please be safe, Lilypaw.

"I'm afraid," Falconclaw sighed, and Gingerpaw was jerked out of her silent prayer for her sister, "that I'll have to get rid of you now."

What do you mean by that?!

He unsheathed his long, curved claws, and crouched low. Gingerpaw winced and tried to drop into battle-crouch, but when she looked down she realized that there was a long gash in her leg.

"Oh, fox-dung!"

She gritted her teeth and prepared for teeth to meet her throat. Funnily enough, she felt strangely calm. What she was more worried about right now was Lilypaw.

"Oh, no you don't!" cried a young, strong voice all of a sudden, and Falconclaw froze with one claw in the air and looked back.

"Who dares challenge me?!" he snarled, ears flattening.

"I dare!" said the voice again. "You're not hurting Gingerpaw- not while I'm still around!"
Gingerpaw turned. A brown and white she-cat was standing a little ways off, amber eyes gleaming in the darkness, and for a moment the orange apprentice forgot how to breathe.

"Thought you'd get rid of me that easily?" Flowerpaw purred, drew one paw over her ear.