Yeah. Shocker. I'm not dead.

This chapter's kinda filler-y but that's the way the wind blows; there's not a whole lot to go through after this battle. The chapters are probably going to start getting shorter (sad sad yes I know) but it'll be more plot centred hopefully. (And lol before people start squealing about author-inserts, yes, there's a character named Kitsune in here, but it's not me, I promise. The only author-insert in here is Pondfrost and I swear she has a good reason for being around.)

RR

Stormbreeze: Trilliums are a kind of flower. Perhaps he is. It wasn't particularly subtle.

And we're off on the Darkpaw train.

Chapter 52.

"You just visited Mudpaw; you can be away from her for ten heartbeats without dying," Wildwind told her brusquely.

Darkpaw's hackles rose, but she forced her tone to be steady. "That's what I'll say to you the next time you're trying to visit Shiningsnow every heartbeat of the day."

Wildwind narrowed his eyes at her. "Cut the sass. We need your help after this battle; there's plenty to be done and most cats are too injured."

Darkpaw shrank back at his harsh words. "Fine then, what do you need?"

"You can start by getting fresh moss for the elders. The rain is going to make every damp, so hurry," Wildwind ordered.

She looked up and realized he was right. Dark clouds covered the sky in thick swathes and the wind buffeted her fur when she stepped out of the cover of the trees.

Resentment curling beneath her fur at the quick command to fetch moss, Darkpaw flounced away and promptly crashed into a black and white tom with bright yellow eyes.

Patchy let out a low, pained noise. Her eyes widened and her shoulder stung where she had banged into him. His shoulders were like boulders. I didn't know elders were that strong!

"Alright there?" Wildwind said, worried. "Darkpaw, look where you're going!"

She bit back a sharp retort and turned to Patchy with a repentant expression. "Sorry, I didn't see you."

The elder's eyes lit with amusement. "Don't worry yourself about it. I heard you telling young Darkpaw here to collect moss, is that right, Wildwind?"

"Yes," her mentor replied, a note of firmness in his voice as though he was daring Patchy to challenge the command.

"I reckon my legs could use a stretch," the black and white tom commented. "Alright if I tag along?"

"Are you sure?" Wildwind said, looking worried. "Your shoulder…"

"My shoulder'll survive a little walk through the forest," Patchy snorted. "You act like I'm going to crumble away into dust at any second. I can handle myself."

Wildwind nodded, still looking nervous.

They have some kind of history… Darkpaw narrowed her eyes at the odd pair of them.

"Well, go on then, Darkpaw," Wildwind said softly.

She nodded, still staring at them. Then with a little start, she turned and dashed out of camp. Patchy followed easily, his stride relaxed and smooth.

"So how has your training been?" Patchy asked awkwardly.

"Fine," Darkpaw replied stiffly, eyeing him sideways.

"I'd impart some of my worldly old-cat wisdom but I'm not sure Wildwind would appreciate it," Patchy snorted, gazing into the distance with an oddly misty look.

"And why is that?" Curiosity suddenly bubbled inside Darkpaw.

"Uh…" Patchy stammered. "I dunno if that's really a good story for… a young cat… and I-"

"Go on, I'm sure I've heard worse," Darkpaw said, an open challenge in her voice.

Patchy narrowed his eyes at her as they reached the moss-tree and began the collecting.

"I wouldn't be so sure. My past isn't… the most appropriate thing for an apprentice to hear," Patchy said slowly, his eyes flashing with memories.

Darkpaw's curiosity was well and truly piqued now. Not appropriate for an apprentice to hear? What did he do, go around killing cats? She wondered.

"C'mon, please?" She widened her eyes like a kit, then realized looking less old was probably a surefire way to ensure Patchy didn't tell her his story. Clearing her throat, she attempted to look mature and trustworthy.

"I-" Patchy fumbled, then sighed and shrugged. "Well, you asked for it. Just don't tell Wildwind I told you, alright?"

A thrill of triumph shot through Darkpaw.

"Promise," she said solemnly.

Patchy cocked his head at her appraisingly, then began. "Well, you know I wasn't born in ShadowClan."

She nodded.

"I was born into a family of rogues, if family's the right word for them…" Patchy shuddered, before continuing. "I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't exactly… nice. They valued strength above all else. Any cat that couldn't provide for themselves was considered an extra and expendable. I remember there was a litter of kits born… all toms, all white, all blue-eyed, and all deaf and blind. Every cat thought they were cursed. There was no StarClan, just superstition and evil. I wonder what's become of them…

"It wasn't just my family that were rogues… there was a huge group of them living in the twolegs place. They fought over everything and there was one tom who was the undisputed leader. Well, he wasn't undisputed, but those who disputed were torn apart of course, so… sort of undisputed," Patchy muttered. "He ruled mostly through fear, but he had these awful daughters… they… one of them seemed sweet as a berry but she was more vicious than a badger, and would just as soon smile at you as slice you open from muzzle to tail.

"The other one was almost worse… She had this effect on cats… it's hard to describe." He shook his head like he was trying to dislodge a painful memory. "She just made you… relax, I guess."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Darkpaw commented, though unease slid through her fur at his tone.

"It was worse than bad," Patchy said darkly. "I saw cats who would follow her out onto a thunderpath. She was just as good at killing as her sister, but she had this… obsession with others' pain. Sadistic, they called her. Her father usually stayed back and let them do his bidding, but for the cats who really wronged him… he had something much worse."

Darkpaw's mouth was dry as Patchy described the horrific group of rogues. That's… terrifying, she thought uneasily, wondering if she should tell him to stop. What could be worse than getting hit by a monster, or getting sliced open from muzzle to tail?

"There was an abandoned twolegs den, but it was much bigger than the ones twolegs usually live in. It was empty, too. Usually twolegs have lots of little, smaller dens within their dens. But this one was different. It was just one, giant den with nothing but cold, shiny, old monster pelts. And inside those… there were rats." Patchy's voice was low and scratchy on the last word. "He would force cats in there at sunset, and the twolegs put some kind of guard there that made the entrance impossible to push through at night. They would stuck in there until morning. With the rats."

Darkpaw shuddered. The stories she had been told about rats, with their beady eyes and whip-thin tails… She wouldn't want to be face-to-face with one, much less trapped in a giant twolegs den full of them with no way of escaping.

"I didn't know any cats that survived it," Patchy said hollowly. "There was a rumour going around that one of the sister had done it, but I don't know why he would force one of his own kits through a nightmare like that… But that's just a rumour. I- my story starts with the leader's mate. She had a sister named Kitsune… and… I loved her."

Darkpaw smiled slightly, grateful for a change in tone.

"But… but in the twolegs place…" Patchy swallowed hard, his yellow eyes liquid with anguish. "Love is banned. Some fox-dung about not giving cats hope. I think it's just because he wanted every cat to be miserable. That's probably where she got her sadistic nature. Kitsune and I were mates in secret and we had kits together, but Satin -the leader's mate- found out and told him. He… he-"

Patchy broke off into a choked noise. He looked at her slowly. "I shouldn't be telling you this. Forget it."

"No! I need to know!" Darkpaw burst out desperately. She was perversely fascinated in the story and she had to see Kitsune and Patchy have their happy ending.

Patchy let out a shaky sigh. "I've told you this much, I might as well tell you the rest. The leader told his daughter to kill all our kits in front of Kitsune and banned us from ever seeing us again. Some might have called it mercy, but he wanted us to suffer alone in the knowledge we had lost everything.

"But Kitsune was stubborn, and she wouldn't give up on me that easily." Bittersweetness filled his voice and it shook as he continued. "We- we made plans to escape. To find the Clans that the leader hated so much. But… they caught us. He sent her to the rats. I never saw her again. The last thing she told me was 'run'. So I did. And I've run my whole life, but now-"

Darkpaw pressed against him silently and felt that he was shaking.

"Now they've returned," he said hoarsely. "And this time, he's not going to stop until he's killed me and every last one of us."

"We're safe though," she told him, her voice shaking slightly. "We're fine."

"Don't be so sure," he said quietly, then turned away. "Sorry, sorry, don't listen to me. I'm… I'm sure everything's fine."

Darkpaw still felt uneasy though. Why did he think they were going to come back? What does he know?

"I think we've got enough moss now," Patchy said suddenly, his tone bright even though his gaze was shadowed by the ghosts of his past. "Let's head back."

Darkpaw nodded but she couldn't shake a sense of creeping foreboding from his words. Don't be so sure… what does that even mean? She wondered.

Well, that was fun, Ripple said quietly. I guess they aren't gone, huh?

They? Darkpaw frowned. You mean the rogues?

Ripple was silent.

Patchy and Darkpaw padded silently into camp, their hefty supply of moss dangling from their jaws and neck.

"You- you go see Wildwind, I'll take the moss back," Patchy said too quickly, nervousness flashing in his eyes.

"I can do it," she snapped. "I'm plenty strong enough to bring some moss to the elders!"

"I- I know!" Patchy reassured her, panic spiking his fur suddenly. "But don't worry about it, I'm sure Wildwind has an actual job for you."

Darkpaw's argument subsided as she considered that. I suppose I would be more helpful doing something else… she thought contemplatively.

"Alright then," she agreed, still eyeing him with a little suspicion.

He smiled brightly and waved her away with his tail, then dashed to the elder's den, limping a little.

She watched him go, curiosity and suspicion tingling in her thoughts. Why was he so set on making sure I didn't go into the elder's den with him? Briefly pondering following him and finding out what he was hiding, she eventually concluded, I'm sure it's nothing. I mean, it's the elder's den, not the moon-pool or something.

She scanned the camp for Wildwind, not entirely sure she wanted to find him. That's just one more thing I'll have to do… she thought resentfully as her eyes landed on the mottled brown tom.

"Darkpaw!" He shouted, calling her over. "I'd like you to fetch some water for the injured."

Biting back a sarcastic comment, she nodded and turned to leave the camp when he added:

"And you can take Lionpaw and Robinpaw with you."

She stiffened slightly. While she imagine many things worse than a trek to the lake with Robinpaw as the sun rose, bringing Lionpaw along certainly wasn't an appealing idea.

"Do I have to?" She said, trying to sound mature and challengingly and coming off as a whiny kit.

"Yes, you have to," Wildwind snapped. "I expect my orders to be carried out, not talked back to. Lionpaw will be good to have along, she can carry more moss than you can."

The barb stung, probably more than Wildwind recognized. Darkpaw bristled and whipped around. Right, of course, I should be blessed to be in the presence of her majesty, Lionpaw the great and wonderful and carries-more-moss than a hollow badger.

She gritted her teeth as her golden sister fell into step with her.

"Hi Darkpaw!" Lionpaw said brightly.

Darkpaw didn't even bother flicking her tail to show she'd heard. She feared that if she opened her mouth, a flood of obscenities and unfair accusations would stream out.

Robinpaw appeared on her other side, not saying anything but nudging her shoulder comfortingly. She glanced at him, grateful for his silent support.

Lionpaw babbled about the battle and ThunderClan and apparently everything that came into her head, but it sounded as though she was coming from far away. Darkpaw's head felt fuzzy and her tongue felt like it was swimming in liquid stone. Her throat was as scratchy as a cornered weasel and she felt like she had swallowed a lake's worth of sand. Her eyelids felt like they had a layer of rock across each one… and they were closing...

"Darkpaw! Darkpaw!" Robinpaw was suddenly calling her name.

"E- eh? What?" She mumbled, stumbling to her paws. I don't remember lying down… she thought vaguely, but it didn't feel particularly important.

"You fainted," Lionpaw supplied helpfully.

"No I di'n'," she croaked, blinking heavily.

"Darkpaw, what's wrong with you?" Robinpaw asked, a heavy layer of worry over his normally laid-back voice. "You just… collapsed!"

She blinked at him, her muddled brain trying to connect thoughts to each other with a low degree of success. "I- I did? No…"

"Yes," Lionpaw confirmed.

She narrowed her eyes, a throbbing headache making actual coherent thoughts rather difficult. I… I fainted.

"I-" she grunted, her vision obscured by fuzzy black spots. "I think I need to lie down…"

"Let's get her to the lake," Robinpaw told Lionpaw fiercely. "I think she's dehydrated."

Her tongue lay in her mouth like a fat, dried out fish. She attempted to swallow, but it felt like she was choking on her own mouth.

Lionpaw made a panicked noise, and Darkpaw felt herself being lifted off the ground by the two other apprentices. Haha, they're carrying me like I'm a kit or something, she thought, hysteria biting at the edges of her mind.

"Hurry!" Robinpaw grunted through his mouthful of Darkpaw's scruff.

She tried to swallow again, but her tongue just grated on the top of her mouth. They dumped her unceremoniously onto the pebbles of lake bed, and Robinpaw nudged her forwards until her muzzle hung in the softly lapping water.

"Now drink," he commanded nervously.

Shrugging, she opened her mouth and lapped up a few drops. They felt like starlight on her tongue, cold and shimmering, but when it moved to the back of her throat, she fought back a gag.

"That's it, just have a drink and you'll feel better," Robinpaw assured her, but the slight tremulation in his voice made her think he wasn't quite as calm as his confident words made him sound.

Forcing herself to lap up another few mouthfuls, she attempted a smile but it came out faint and sickly.

Her head pounded harder than ever, but Lionpaw said:

"I think she's fine, Robinpaw, let's just get some moss and bring the water back to camp."

Darkpaw curled her lip at her sister's dismissive tone. I just fainted, would it be to much to ask for you to care a little?

She lapped up another few mouthfuls of the lake water and found that she could properly swallow now. The cool water felt good as it trickled down her throat, and she slowly felt her vision come back into focus. Her headache subsided with one last resentful throb.

"You alright?" Robinpaw asked her nervously.

"I'm fine; let's just get this over with," she grunted, stumbling to her paws.

He nodded, still looking doubtful. Together, they pulled moss off of one of the lower growing trees where the underbrush was thicker. Robinpaw kept giving her sideways glances, as though expecting her to keel over at any moment.

I'm not a flower! She thought, irritated by his constant evaluating. Just because I got a little bit dehydrated doesn't mean I'm fragile and liable to smash into little pieces!

They finished with the moss and went to soak it in the lake when Darkpaw suddenly felt her paw hook under a root, then she was tumbling head over heels.

"Darkpaw! Oh StarClan, Darkpaw, are you okay?" Robinpaw demanded.

"I'm fine, I just tripped," she snapped, irritation building at his constant fussing.

Robinpaw looked like he wanted to send her straight back to camp, but he appeared to take notice of her raised fur and thought better of it.

Darkpaw's lip curled involuntarily. I thought he of all cats would at least understand not wanting constant monitoring, but noooo, guess he thinks he's the exception.

He just cares, Ripple murmured. Don't push him away for trying to help.

Haven't I made it clear enough that I don't need help? she snapped at Ripple.

Right, by dehydrating yourself, fainting, and tripping over a root a blind mouse could've seen? The silver tom snorted. Absolutely. You definitely seem like you don't need help.

She clenched her teeth, wishing Ripple was corporeal so she could bash him over the head with a well-placed blow.

Sorry love, not happening any time soon, he told her as though he had read her mind. Which, now that Darkpaw thought about it, he probably had. The cost was too high anyways.

The cost of what? she asked. That made no sense.

Exactly, he replied mysteriously.

She fought the urge to project as many images of her ripping out his viscera at him as she could.

Eurgh, you're a pleasant one, Ripple muttered, making a gagging noise.

"Darkpaw?" Robinpaw interrupted her conversation. "You aren't going to faint again, are you?"
Her first instinct was to snap at him and then storm away, but she took a deep breath and said calmly, "I'm fine. Let's soak this and head back to camp. I think it's going to rain before sunhigh."

Robinpaw nodded and they finished with the moss and turned their paws in the direction of camp.

That's the way, Ripple encouraged.

The way to camp? Darkpaw snorted. Yeah, I know.

No, no, I meant the way to handle your frustration with other cats, Ripple said, sounding oddly relieved. It's… it's a useful thing to know. You should definitely… uh, definitely practice that. Getting angry is the wrong way to handle things.

Getting angry and attacking some cat? She pushed curiously.

It sounded as though she'd hit Ripple with a lightning bolt. Er, yeah? he wheezed. Or… or anything else you do when you're angry. You know…

Darkpaw nodded absentmindedly, the wet moss slowly soaking into her fur and chilling her.

"Brr, I'm freezing," she commented, shivering. "Let's hurry. I want to be curled up in my nest by the time this storm hits."

"Hear hear," Robinpaw agreed, delicately craning his neck out to put more distance between his dampened neck. "I want to check on- um, the injured cats."

"You want to check on Duskpaw," Darkpaw supplied helpfully, purring. "I know, Robinpaw. It's no secret you're sweet on her."

Robinpaw flushed and glanced away. "It's just with her father, and her sister, and now she's hurt again, and-"

Darkpaw laid her tail gently on his shoulders. "I get it. I want to go see her too."

Robinpaw nodded, and they fell into companionable silence, nothing but the rustling of the forest around them.

Until they reached camp.

"You killed her!" A shriek came from the middle of the camp.

"I- I-" a quieter voice that Darkpaw recognized responded weakly.

"How could you do this?" Another voice, this one that Darkpaw knew very well. "We let you in! We gave you a second chance! And you repay us by… by murdering one of us?!"

"What's going on?" Robinpaw demanded, panic rising in his eyes.

"I don't know!" Darkpaw hissed back, her stomach churning with foreboding. "But it doesn't sound good…"

"Let's hurry," Robinpaw muttered, the moss swinging against his chest as they rushed into the tight ring of pines.

"What's going on?" Darkpaw asked the nearest cat, Feathermist.

"He- he-" she choked, her eyes watery. "Look!"

And Darkpaw looked.

In the middle of camp stood Patchy, surrounded by her spitting Clanmates. At his paws lay Maplenose, her throat viciously slashed open. And her blood, on Patchy's paws.

EHEHEHEHEH. QOTC: Who killed Maplenose?

Don't you love cliff-hangers? ;)

~Akila