AN: Here's chapter twenty-seven! Wow, this story will probably be a good sixty or so chapters if I do decide to drag it out. Anyways, thanks tufted titmouse for reviewing! I greatly appreciate your reviews. I do wish that more reviews would come, but I'm just happy to have one.

-CHAPTER 27-

He wasn't exactly the best cat to trust. He went behind the warrior code to meet with Whitesnow. He betrayed his mother by going behind her back. Yet it was Alderstar's attitude towards him that made him leave his Clan behind.

His muscles heaved as he thought of the past events.

Heatherpelt – Heatherpaw than, had accused him of cheating during his hunting assessment. Thankfully, his mentor had stopped her from throwing off his warrior ceremony. Then she caught him sneaking out of camp. She did everything in her power to make her feel miserable in his own Clan. A shudder coursed down his spine as he imagined what would have happened if Heatherpelt found out what he was planning.

Blizzardstar's eyes were narrowed into tiny slits. Kindlefur knew that without his word, he would never return to the Clans. He already knew that he didn't want to go back to ShadowClan. He wasn't fit as a ShadowClan warrior. Alderstar had already told most of the Clan that he would never truly belong.

"I will need time to think about this decision," the ThunderClan leader meowed. He looked past Kindlefur towards Jadeleaf, whose paws kneaded the ground in anxiety. "In the meantime you must stay away from the hollow," he added after growling at Kindlefur. "I must speak with my medicine cat and deputy about this decision."

He turned around before Kindlefur could make a sound of complaint. It was the only gesture that Kindlefur had been hoping for. At least he would think about it. It meant that he wasn't about to be turned down just yet.

The dark ginger tom padded beside Jadeleaf as she led the way out of the hollow.

In that moment, he wondered if she had any sympathy for him. Her eyes were dark and unreadable. He could tell that she was longing to ask why he'd chosen to join ThunderClan. But it wasn't in his place to ask her what she was thinking. He was just thankful that she understood what he went through.

They passed a grove of bushes that grew between two large ash trees. Jadeleaf stopped near the bushes and looked over her shoulder cautiously.

"There are signs of WindClan cats crossing the border," she whispered. "Just be…Careful."

She whisked away before he could thank her. He sighed as he looked at the bushes. They would at least provide some sort of protection. It was far enough away from ThunderClan camp that he wouldn't be viewed as a threat.

The former ShadowClan warrior pressed into what space could be found. His paws felt heavy from all of the traveling he'd done in just one day. They weren't used to trekking over this kind of terrain. He curled up in a pile of leaves that had not been touched by the bitterly cold snow.

I sure hope Blizzardstar makes up his mind soon…The words echoed in his mind as he closed his eyes. He suddenly wondered what Alderstar would do once she knew he was missing. It's not like she ever loved me, he thought bitterly. His whiskers twitched as he thought of what could have happened had he been a she-cat. Would Alderstar have loved him?

He lifted his head when pawsteps crunched over the snow. The scent that followed told him that it was a ShadowClan cat.

Anxiety gnawed at his belly when he recognized the scent. Wildpaw, he told himself. The young apprentice had liked him when he was in ShadowClan. In fact, Wildpaw had been his only real friend. Most of the other warriors just looked at him like he was some kind of monster. Alderstar had refused to give him an apprentice, and instead chose to make Heatherpelt the mentor of Wildpaw. Sootcloud had not been happy when she found out who would mentor her son. Of all the cats in ShadowClan, she was too aware of what Heatherpelt was capable of.

"Kindlefur?" A tiny voice sounded near the entrance of his make-shift den. The dark ginger tom lifted his head when a pair of amber eyes peered through the bush.

"Wildpaw, why aren't you with your mentor?" He managed to keep himself hidden. If he knew Heatherpelt, she would have sent Wildpaw after him. The last thing he wanted was to scare the newly named apprentice.

"I wanted to see you…" Wildpaw pressed forward. His nose brushed against the bush, causing it to tremble slightly against his weight. "Heatherpelt was being watchful, so I had to sneak out."

Kindlefur closed his eyes as he felt anger seethe through him. Heatherpelt would only make life more difficult for him if he were to go back. If he stayed in ThunderClan, she would have no reason to attack him. Yet he couldn't help but think about the safety of his own Clanmates. They were all mousebrains, of course, but he still felt some sort of loyalty to them.

"I'm not going back," he muttered.

Wildpaw stared at Kindlefur in disbelief. He knew that the apprentice would feel some sort of loyalty to him. The friendship that they shared may have been short, but that didn't stop Kindlefur from feeling guilty for leaving Wildpaw behind.

"Why?" Wildpaw's voice came out in a low whimper.

"Because I can't take anymore of this." Kindlefur revealed the side of his face where Heatherpelt had scarred him for life. Firesky had done everything he could to help Kindlefur, but no herb could heal the emotional scars that were left. A bitter sense of remorse had welled him inside his chest after the moons he'd spent in the medicine cat's den. No cat bothered to come and visit him, and he doubted they even remembered why he was there. "All Heatherpelt has done to me…Everything she took from me is because I was there. She knew that I would have become Alderstar's deputy had I stayed. She can't stand the fact that there is someone better out there than her."

Wildpaw's eyes were wide with shock. Kindlefur held his stare for a few moments until the apprentice looked away. He instantly regretted his snappy reply. Wildpaw was trembling from tail to nose.

"I'm sorry the Clan treated you that way," Wildpaw meowed after regaining his wits. Kindlefur leaned forward to rasp his tongue between Wildpaw's ears. A moment of kinship had stirred when he felt closer to Wildpaw than ever. It was like this when he'd spoken to Whitesnow for the first time. She saw past his ShadowClan heritage, and treated him like a regular Clanmate. She loved him because he wasn't like his Clanmates. She loved him for who he was, and that was what had mattered to him at the time. But now that she was gone, there was really no reason for him to stay. The kinship that he felt towards Wildpaw was short lived. "I'll leave you now," Wildpaw added when he realized that there was no convincing his Clanmate.

Kindlefur brushed his tail across Wildpaw's muzzle as he turned around. The stars of Silverpelt gleamed above him as he watched the apprentice disappear. He sent out a silent prayer, hoping that StarClan would allow Wildpaw to go back safely. Heatherpelt couldn't punish Wildpaw because he was friends with her brother. If that was the case, than she wasn't meant to be Wildpaw's mentor. Alderstar would have to make a few changes in the Clan if she wanted to prove herself a worthy leader in the eyes of StarClan.

Slowly his eyes closed as sleep began to overwhelm him. Hopefully by tomorrow he would become a ThunderClan warrior. If not, than he would never return to ShadowClan. He didn't belong there, and his Clanmates knew it.


Birds sang above the frost-bitten trees, signaling that dawn had arrived. His pelt was covered in snow. Kindlefur groaned when he realized that it must have dusted over the forest while he was asleep. He shook out his already ruffled fur and tried to get his bearings.

The bush he slept in had lost all of its leaves. Most were either crinkled on the ground or carried away by the harsh winds of leafbare. Above him were the two ash trees that surrounded the bushes. Birds fluttered above the trees and sang to one another, despite the bitter cold that surrounded the forest like a shield. A mouse had scuttled across the snow during the night. He could see the prints that were faintly marked in front of him. For a moment he thought of hunting the mouse, but instantly pushed the thought aside. He was on ThunderClan territory, and he doubted that any hunting would be appreciated.

He pushed himself out of the makeshift nest that he built before climbing into the moss. Sleep didn't come easily for him that night. His dreams had been filled with images of his Clanmates falling under the claws of his sister. Heatherpelt had led the Clan into one-too many battles. Kindlefur shivered – not from the cold, but from the chills that he felt each time he thought of what might happen if his sister became the leader of ShadowClan.

"Sleep well?" His whiskers trembled when he heard a familiar voice reach his ears. Jadeleaf was looking at him through amused green eyes. He shook his head slightly, unsure how to answer. "Blizzardstar wanted to see you," Jadeleaf added when Kindlefur held her gaze.

The dark ginger tom tried to shake off the snow that had covered his pelt. Jadeleaf looked at him in concern as he followed her towards the thorn tunnel entrance. He lifted his muzzle, hoping to show that she wouldn't have to worry about his physical health. Weakness was one thing that he hated showing, especially to those who were not from his Clan. He may have shown it during his time in ShadowClan, but that was because Heatherpelt had badgered him constantly.

The two of them made their way back to camp. Kindlefur kept his head lowered when cats began to stare at him. Most of them were awake already. He was surprised to even see the kits bouncing around the nursery entrance. The elders were awake as well, much to his disbelief. In ShadowClan the elders didn't normally wake up until sunhigh.

"What's he doing here?" rasped a tortoiseshell and white elder. Her muzzle was stained white due to old age. "I thought Blizzardstar tossed him aside like a bad piece of fresh-kill."

"Quiet." A dark gray tom was glaring at her. "I want to know what happened."

Blizzardstar was waiting at the base of a ledge that stuck out from the hollowed walls. His amber eyes were expressionless when Kindlefur looked at him.

"I trust you have found your nest uncomfortable," the leader meowed after a heavy silence fell upon the clearing. "I apologize for keeping you outside the hollow," he added when Kindlefur eyed him suspiciously. "Trust is very hard to come by. You of all cats should know that."

"Are you going to let him join our Clan?" A black and white she-cat stared at the leader calmly. Kindlefur wondered if this was Larksong, the newly named deputy that Larchwhisker had mentioned.

"I was getting to that," Blizzardstar growled sternly. "Your presence may make Alderstar believe that we have kidnapped you. I know that you are a good cat. But Alderstar will do anything in her power to gain more territory and we can't risk that. So yes, you will be accepted into the Clan. But you must prove your loyalty first. For now you will sleep outside the hollow, where you don't pose as a threat."

Kindlefur lowered his muzzle. Blizzardstar had accepted him. He could be with his kits. His eyes closed as Jadeleaf pressed against him. When they opened, he let out a gasp of surprise.

Standing beside Jadeleaf was a faint shimmering pelt. A pair of dark blue eyes gleamed back at him when he stared into the familiar face of a cat that he once knew. Whitesnow…He barely called out the name, fearing that she might disappear before his eyes. Instead she padded forward, eyes gleaming and tail held high.

Take care of them, she whispered in her mind. Take care of our kits.

I will, he promised. He would do everything in his powers to make sure that their kits were safe. Nothing could stop him from being the father that he dreamed of being. Not even his sister.