Yesterday I was feeling really horrible. :( I'm glad I posted that chapter earlier in the day, or else it probably would have come out today. I'm losing a lot of sleep because I keep waking up at around 5 AM with pain in my teeth, then being unable to fall back asleep. But this morning I took a 2-hr nap so I should be better today! :)

EradrinSkyleaf: It's okay that you didn't review! Planning a surprise party sounds like a lot of fun! ;) And yes, you do have a lucky friend... I'll make sure to tell him, "Happy happy happy birthday! Eat lots of cake, or whatever you want to really, and have LOTS of FUN IN ALL CAPS! WOOO! YEAH!" XD But first... "Rainsky! Come here, you're needed!" *gives Rainsky to Eradrin to huggle* Those games sound like a lot of fun, and judging by your obsession with Legolas, I'm not surprised at how many LOTR and Hobbit games you say you have. :P

Willowdream of ForestClan: Having sleepovers with your brother sounds like a lot of fun! I never did that with my brother... *sniffles* I'm the youngest, so I don't feel as protective of him, but if there's someone trying to beat him up, then of course I'm going to to sneak up behind that person and give them a concussion! :P Actually, no, I wouldn't do that. But yeah, I would stand up for him.

The Story Of Your Life: I'm glad you think so! :) And Rain's already got the 'sky' suffix, so Cinderpaw can't get that name! I've actually already got one thought up that I think is really fitting for her. Hey, I also sometimes play Zoo Tycoon! :D It's pretty fun, isn't it?

catbooklover2004: I looked back through the reviews and couldn't find one from you for chapter 34. :-/ But yeah, I've played Mario Kart maybe once or twice and it seems fun! :)

walkswithwheels: Sootthorn still is pretty tired from one journey to the Moonpool, so I don't think he'd be likely to try again in a hurry. Your museum exhibit sounds... well, extensive! I'm sure you have a lot of fun with it. :) I never really got into Pokemon, but I do remember having a Gameboy Mini when I was younger. And how do you have time for reading/writing fanfiction, playing video games, college, and whatever else you like doing in your spare time?

QLKwriter: Hey, my brother used to like playing Terraria! Now he mainly does Dota or something like that, but for a while Terraria was all he did! Is it fun?

The Guardian of the Sky: You're welcome! :) I never really play video games either, my free time's mainly spent writing or drawing.

Silverkitty16: I'm sorry your parents are still grounding you. :( And Cinderpaw would probably want to make sure her brothers were up there with her, she loves them so much! :) I bet she won't mind getting her name last. And I'm sorry to say that Badger isn't related to Ashfur at all. Thanks for checking out my Deviantart! :D I've also got a Wii and I used to have a DS game a lot like your Wii games but then I gave it to a friend of mine.

ilovewarriorcats: I couldn't think of 20. XD These aren't in any particular order, but my top favorite are probably Gorsepaw and Badgerpaw (I felt so bad for them both!), Hollyleaf and Half Moon (they're just cool), and Brightheart (I guessed her warrior name correctly), and my least favorite are probably Firestar (too Gary Sue-ish), Lionblaze and Jayfeather (there's too much fuss about them already), Millie (too overprotective), and Squirrelflight (too much drama). I also hope you don't mind I'm sort of stealing your question for my QOTD. I'm feeling a little uninspired at the moment. XD

Cinderpaw's POV

I was awoken the next morning by shrieks emanating from the clearing. Blinking sleepily, I stumbled out from under the bush I'd shared with Ripplefur that night, staring around in confusion at the commotion going on in the main part of the camp.

I'd expected to see cats racing back and forth, eyes wide, while foxes or badgers ravaged the sick camp or something. What I wasn't expecting was all the cats of RiverClan sitting around the outskirts of camp, around the dens, all staring at the medicine den, outside of which sat Rushstar, calmly cleaning her paws while Ripplefur cautiously sniffed her over. As I stared at him, Ripplefur stepped back, staring around at the Clan with a dumbfounded expression.

"She's not sick anymore!" he called, sounding both shocked and perplexed.

The Clan gasped as one, me included. I darted over to Ripplefur and Rushstar, staring between them. "We have a cure?" I asked urgently.

"It appears so," Ripplefur murmured. He glanced over at Rushstar. "Did you eat anything after I gave you the yarrow last night?" he asked her.

Rushstar shook her head. I was astounded to see the transformation that had overcome her—she looked like an actual leader again. Perhaps it was the neat fur or the regal way she held herself or maybe even the overall healthy appearance, but she looked like a cat worthy of the 'star' suffix. "I fell asleep and received a dream from StarClan," she explained. "Reedstar came to me and knocked some sense back into me."

I was still confused. How could one dream be enough to get rid of endless moons of attempted suicide? Ripplefur seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "But how could that be enough? Just one dream? I mean…" he suddenly looked slightly wary. "You were… uh… pretty depressed for a long time."

Rushstar placed her paw on the ground again. "It was a very special dream," she said delicately, not looking at her medicine cat.

Ripplefur glanced around at me, his expression a mixture of confusion and exasperation. I took that as my cue to start interrogating the leader. So, stepping forward, I meowed, "Rushstar, this is just so unexpected for all of us. We thoroughly expected you to be dead by this morning, and yet here you are, completely cured. What happened in your dream?"

Rushstar glared at me. "If you must know," she spat, suddenly ferocious, "I dreamed of myself looking down from StarClan at my kits and mate and watching them die because I wasn't there to save them." As she spoke, her eyes flickered sideways. Turning, I spotted the dark gray and black figure of Rockstorm sitting beside Mousepaw, Volepaw, and Heronpaw.

Ripplefur swept his tail in front of me, forcing me back a couple pawsteps. "Cinderpaw didn't mean any harm, Rushstar," he meowed placatingly. "She was just curious, is all."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Rushstar muttered, turning away. Somehow, her change in tone soothed me. I was much more used to her being an irritable mousebrain than a noble leader.

"So you're cured?" I asked keenly, my thoughts flicking back to Foxtooth. How was he doing this morning? How fast did the sickness act?

Rushstar made a show of sniffing herself. "Yeeees, I think so," she said sarcastically. "Otherwise Ripplefur would have my tail off for being out of his den."

I grinned. Yes, this was definitely the Rushstar I expected her to be. "So deathberries cure the sickness." I glanced over at Ripplefur. "Who'd have thought it? The deadly berry used for murder and easier trips to StarClan can actually heal, too."

Ripplefur nodded. "It certainly seems so," he murmured. Poking his head into the medicine den once more, he sniffed around and pulled out a clump of over-bright berries as red as blood. I wrinkled my nose at their stench.

"I can certainly see why they're called deathberries," I muttered, inching away.

"These ones are pretty old," Ripplefur explained, bending closer to examine the berries. "It doesn't matter so much if you give a cat a rotten deathberry; they're going to die anyway. But if deathberries are to be used as part of the cure, I'll need to fetch newer ones."

"I can help," I immediately volunteered. "Where are the deathberry bushes?" I'd much prefer it if Foxtooth got the cure sooner rather than later, and I knew no cat here would run as fast as I would to save Foxtooth's life. Well, except for maybe Badger, but she was nowhere in sight once again.

"They're upstream by the for-" Ripplefur began, but he was cut off by a muffled yowl. Wheeling around, I spotted Badger bounding toward us along the river, a clump of bright red berries clutched in her mouth. As she reached us, Badger spat out the deathberries and meowed in a self-satisfied sort of tone, "You wanted these, I presume?"

I snatched up the berries and beckoned to Ripplefur, doing my best not to glance at the black-and-white she-cat and the smirk I knew must be on her face. "We have to cure Foxtooth," I told Ripplefur briefly before sprinting off to the orange warrior's den.

"Foxtooth!" I called as I skidded to a stop at the entrance.

"Cinderpaw?" It pained me to hear how raspy his voice had become. Would Rustpelt ever forgive me if he died?

"We think we've found a cure!" I called in as Ripplefur, his mouth full of yarrow leaves, bounded to my side. I dropped the deathberries, picked out one with an especially poison-red shade, and nosed it into the den. Ripplefur dropped most of his herbs and began pre-chewing some.

"What's this?" I heard Foxtooth sniffing suspiciously at the berry.

"It's a cure!" I called in, hoping he wouldn't inquire further. If Foxtooth knew it was a deathberry, he might refuse to eat it. "I promise!"

"All right, Cinderpaw," Foxtooth said. "I'll believe it's a cure because it's you."

A pang of worry swept through me. What if it didn't work? What if Foxtooth went to StarClan and never forgave me? But it was Rustpelt's forgiveness I'd want, not Foxtooth's… right?

It was too late anyway. Through the den entrance I saw Foxtooth's tongue, pale pink against the bright redness, lick up the berry. Immediately, Ripplefur pushed his way into the den, his jaws full of pulverized yarrow, ready for when the berry started to take effect.

A horrible gagging sound echoed from within the den. I shoved my head through the branches, watching fearfully as Ripplefur wrenched Foxtooth's jaws apart, spitting in the yarrow and stroking his throat to make him swallow. What if Foxtooth didn't make it? What if the yarrow didn't work quickly enough?

I kneaded the ground with my claws, reducing it to a pulp much the same consistency as the yarrow Foxtooth had now swallowed, my gaze fixed unblinkingly on Foxtooth's hazel eyes, which were slowly… closing…

Foxtooth turned over and threw up all over the den floor. I leaped backward, out of the way of getting splattered. After all sounds of heaving had faded, I cautiously crept back to the den and peered inside.

Ripplefur was quickly examining Foxtooth, sniffing him over and checking inside his mouth just as he'd done to Rushstar. Finally, after an agonizing number of heartbeats, he turned to me with a wide grin in place. He didn't need to tell me anything, as at that moment I leaped into the den and dragged Foxtooth out by the scruff.

"What—Cinderpaw, what was that?"

I knew Foxtooth must be nearly back to normal as I heard the indignant note in his still-raspy meow. "It was the cure!" I yowled, my newfound excitement causing my voice to become much louder than normal. Quietening my meow again, I continued, "If you eat deathberries and then immediately yarrow afterwards, then the deathberries bond with the sickness or something and you vomit the whole thing up! You're cured!"

Foxtooth stared at me incredulously. Then, sitting up, he spat out a mouthful of vomit and whispered, "My throat still hurts, though."

I blinked. "Oh." I turned back to Ripplefur and called, "Foxtooth still has a sore throat!"

"I'm on it!" Ripplefur shouted back, bounding to his den. Turning once more to Foxtooth, I said, "Ripplefur's getting you something for your throat. Do you feel all right otherwise?"

Foxtooth nodded just as Ripplefur returned carrying a honeycomb in his mouth. "Here," he meowed, thrusting the honeycomb at Foxtooth. "This'll help with your throat."

Wordlessly, Foxtooth bent over the honeycomb and began licking. "Mmmm!" he exclaimed, his eyes bright as he glanced up. "That's really good!" He licked his lips thoughtfully. "You know, I think I really like honey."

I grinned at him, speechless with happiness that he was better. He was actually cured! I wouldn't have to try to explain to Rustpelt why Foxtooth wasn't coming home after all!

The rest of the day passed with Ripplefur giving out cures at the sick camp. Luckily, a few cats were able to be saved, but some were just too far gone and death claimed them before they had time to throw up. Finally, Rushstar bounded onto a pile of light gray rocks and called, "Ripplefur, Cinderpaw, and Foxtooth, come stand up here." She waited for us to obey her instructions before continuing, bounding down to stand in front of me.

"Cinderpaw, though you didn't discover the cure yourself, you worked so hard to find it. You and Foxtooth both." She glanced sideways at the orange tabby tom. "For that, I have decided to give you a reward I'm sure you'll find acceptable."

Rushstar paced around us and leaped onto the pile of rocks again. She glanced down at me with a sort of knowing smile before saying," I, Rushstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors…"

My eyes widened. She was giving me my warrior name as my reward?

"…and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Rushstar turned to me. "Cinderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, whichever that may end up being, even at the cost of your life?"

I swallowed. Foxtooth muttered in my ear, "Breathe, Cinderpaw." I nodded, finally managing to say, "I do," though it was in more breathless of a tone than I'd normally have wanted. I didn't really care right now. What was wrong with me?

"Then by the powers of StarClan," Rushstar continued, "I give you your warrior name. From this moment, you will be known as Cinderstrike, for not only do you strike out at physical enemies to save others, but also at formless, shapeless enemies such as disease."

Rushstar leaped down from the small pile of rocks. All I could think was Cinderstrike. My name is Cinderstrike.

"I'm afraid I can't give you a warrior name again, Foxtooth," Rushstar said, a smile twisting her lips momentarily. "But I hope that your, ah, friend's achievement will be reward enough for you."

Foxtooth dipped his head. "It is plenty. Thank you for Cinderstrike's new name."

I loved the way it sounded when Foxtooth said my new name. I glanced over at him, taking my attention finally away from my name to stare at my companion. Foxtooth looked suddenly different somehow; not at all like the naïve apprentice he'd once been, chatting on and on about the cats who died in the war without pausing to see how upset I'd become. No, now he looked… mature, almost. Majestic, even, especially with the sun shining on his fur in that way, making his hazel eyes shine…

Foxtooth turned his head and I quickly stared at the ground. StarClan, that would be embarrassing if he caught me staring at him, especially after all my attempts to stop him from liking me.

"Cinderstrike?" he asked.

There it was again. I loved that name. "Yes?" I replied, looking up at him again.

He just looked at me for a moment, but then said, "No, it's nothing. Never mind."

Ah, of course. Just when I actually started caring maybe a little but definitely not too much, it definitely wasn't important enough for me to ask.

"What?" Okay, fine, I was curious.

"Oh, it's just I think your new name fits you," Foxtooth meowed. "Just, um, don't go striking out at me, okay?"

I fought hard to hold in my laughter. It was surprisingly difficult all of a sudden. "Well, I'd be too fearful of your foxy teeth to dare."

Foxtooth snorted. "Cinderstrike scared? That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one!"

I purred, then turned to watch Rushstar talking with Ripplefur. It felt good to just joke around with Foxtooth. Why had I never done it before?

"…afraid all of our kits at the moment show no signs of wanting to become a medicine cat," Rushstar was saying. "But the first kit we have who shows interest in medicine, they'll be your apprentice. Okay?"

Ripplefur dipped his head. "I expected no reward, so this is plenty," he murmured. "I was merely doing my job as a medicine cat."

Rushstar smiled. "And we thank you for it." She turned to face the Clan, raising her voice so all could hear. "Tomorrow we leave for the lake!"

The Clan cheered. I felt like joining in but held my tongue, watching Rushstar trying to speak once again, though the shouts drowned out her voice. Finally, the crowd quieted down enough to hear her next words. "We will have to travel swiftly. Who knows how long we have before LeopardClan is wiped out completely?"

Sorry for the awkward transition in the middle there. :( The chapter was getting a little long and I figured if it got too much longer I'd have to split it into 2 parts. I'd much prefer to just post this as one long chapter, especially as last chapter was shorter than normal.

AOTD: My family has a Wii. I have a laptop I share with my brother (though he just uses the home computer mostly so the laptop is basically mine), a DSI XL that I never use, and an iPod Touch 4th gen that's several years old. My favorite Wii game is probably Zelda Twilight Princess.

QOTD: Who's your favorite warrior cat and who's your least favorite?