Chapter 26

Half a moon had passed since the Gathering. Eagleheart watched Flamestar atop the High Branch, his leader's flame colored pelt blazing as the bright Green Leaf sun shone upon it.

"We'll continue to send warriors until further notice," Flamestar was saying, "as WindClan is still vulnerable to attack. Instead of me holding a meeting every time we shift warriors, I'll have Vulturefeather send them out as he does with other patrols. Meeting dismissed."

As cats began to disperse, Eaglepaw shifted closer to Vulturefeather to hear him better.

"Shrewpounce and Valleyskip, you two will be relieving Pinknose and Ebonythroat. Let them know that they can return to camp." Eagleheart watched the two warriors walk out of camp, their ears pricked and alert.

After the Gathering, the leaders agreed to work together and meet often. As far as Eagleheart knew, the leaders had only met once, but each clan agreed to send warriors to guard WindClan as their warriors recovered from the fight with the rogues. The cats from the other clans would switch their warriors every other sunrise to ensure there was fresh help for the struggling clan. I haven't been picked yet, Eagleheart thought, but that's alright. That gives me more time to train Ashpaw.

Eagleheart looked around the camp to see his apprentice chatting with Quailpaw near the freshkill pile. After missing their first day of training, Eagleheart made sure to wake up early for his apprentice every sunrise, intent to make Ashpaw the best warrior he could be. Eagleheart was thoroughly enjoying the experience as Ashpaw was a fast learner; he mastered fighting moves quickly, but could still use some help with hunting. He's so much like his father, courageous, brave, unwavering. I'm glad to have him as my apprentice. Not to mention he distracts me from… other things. He's helped me more than he could ever know. He trotted towards the two, his eyes bright. "Mind if I join you two?"

Quailpaw and Ashpaw's conversation immediately stopped as they noticed him. Eagleheart blinked in confusion, but shrugged it off as Quailpaw smiled at him. "Not at all." She mewed.

The two began to chat quietly, catching up on eachothers lives. With Eagleheart training Ashpaw and Quailpaw training with Heatherflight, Eagleheart barely had time to spare for apprentice, much to his dismay. Ah well, it was bound to happen. Quailpaw and I are both busy all the time, so it makes sense that we rarely get to see each other. It was only a few sunrises ago, but it seems like moons since we've actually had a good conversation like this.

"... I caught this adder earlier today." Quailpaw was saying, patting the serpent next to her. "I was afraid that it would bite me, but I was quick enough to kill it before it could move. Ashpaw said it was a nice catch, but Heatherflight didn't seem impressed." The she-cat suddenly looked downcast, her eyes staring at her paws. "She doesn't seem to like me very much, I'm not sure why."

Eagleheart frowned, sad to see the she-cat looking so upset. He gently lifted her head with his tail, staring into her eyes. "I think it's an impressive catch. You're a wonderful hunter, Quailpaw." The two held eye contact for a few heartbeats, finally broken by Quailpaw sheepishly glancing at the camp's entrance. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Eagleheart turned to see what she was looking at, greeted by Heatherflight angrily storming towards them.

"Quailpaw!" The she-cat shouted, "What are you doing?"

"I'm just chatting with Eag-"

"Didn't I tell you to clean the elder's den once we got back?" Heatherflight mewed sternly, directly in front of her apprentice now. Eagleheart moved out of the way, watching the two intently. "Why are you sitting here doing nothing?"

"Ashpaw and I've already tended to the elders," Quailpaw mewed, not looking her mentor in the eye, "We changed their bedding, removed their ticks, fetched them-"

"But I told YOU to tend to the elders, not Ashpaw. There's only two of them, I'm sure you could've handled it. You're not a kit, you're an apprentice now. Stop being lazy all the time and-"

"I didn't mind him helping." Eagleheart interjected, blinking at the warrior. "I was on patrol, so I'm glad Ashpaw decided to lend a paw. He is her brother and all."

Heatherflight turned her gaze to him, her eyes wide as if she didn't expect him to oppose her. Rolling her eyes, Heatherflight mewed an exasperated, "Whatever. Quailpaw, you're going on the next two patrols that Vulturefeather sends out."

Quailpaw lifted her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "But I've already went on-"

"What did I say?" Heatherflight hissed, her tail lashing. "Don't talk back to me, I'm your mentor. Now go, he's assigning the cats now." Quailpaw hesitated, blinking at the warrior defiantly. "GO!" With a loud sigh, Quialpaw slowly slunk away to the deputy, her tail drooping. Smirking victoriously, Heatherflight turned back to Eagleheart, her eyes flashing playfully. "Serves her right. Sorry for that, I'm sure you dont want to be annoyed by stupid kits all day. Anyways, I wanted-"

"She's not a kit." Eagleheart interrupted, his eyes narrowed. "You need to treat her better, she's not only your apprentice, but also your clanmate. You're her mentor, you're supposed to guide her, not bully her."

Heatherflight stared at him, her eyes wide. "I wasn't bullying her, I was just telling her that she needs to keep up with her duties. She was the one being disrespectful."

"Disrespectful?" Eagleheart snorted, glaring at her. "She could barely even look at you! I don't know what you have against Quailpaw, but you need to cut it out or I'll report you to Flamestar."

Heatherflight groaned, rolling her eyes rudely. "Whatever! Lets just drop this." After a few heartbeats of tense silence, she sat closer to him, her pelt brushing his. "Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about-"

Eagleheart cut her off by rising to his paws, moving away so they were no longer touching. "I don't care about what you want to talk about, because I don't want to talk to you." Shaking his pelt, he jerked his head towards his apprentice that was sitting nearby. "Ashpaw, come. We've got training to do." Not turning to see Heatherflight's reaction, Eagleheart stalked out of camp, Ashpaw behind him. As they walked through the dense forest, Eagleheart noticed Ashpaw looking at him with a sly smirk. Confused, he tilted his head. "What's that look for?"

"My sister's pretty cool, huh?"

Grunting, Eagleheart stopped walking. "Yes, she's admirable. Why do you ask?"

Ashpaw began to grin, his whiskers twitching. "You totally like her dude."

Coughing loudly, Eagleheart furrowed his eyebrows. "I do not."

"You do."

"I don't."

"You do! I saw how you defended her from Heatherflight." Ashpaw wiggled his eyebrows at his mentor. "And the way you were staring at her, even a blind cat could see there's a connection!"

Embarrassed, Eagleheart turned away. "Stop that, I was simply defending a clanmate. And I wasn't staring at her, I was just looking. You look at cats when they're speaking, you know."

"Yeah, if "looking" means gawking at somecat without blinking."

Eagleheart's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. "I wasn't gawking!"

Ashpaw laughed, his nose wrinkling. "Whatever you say. You don't have to keep denying it, she likes you too. I swear, she never shuts up about you in the apprentice's den." Unable to hide it, Eagleheart smiled slightly as he heard this news. Ashpaw caught him before he could hide it however, playfully cuffing his mentor over the ears. "Don't worry, I approve of it. Just make sure you name one of your kits after me."

Looking away, Eagleheart sighed inwardly as a lizard scuttled past, unaware of the predators nearby. Swiftly trapping it under his claws, Eagleheart gratefully picked it up. Thank StarClan for this distraction, the conversation was getting awkward! "You see this? It's a sign, a sign for us to move on." Ashpaw chuckled, but willingly followed beyond his mentor as they headed deeper into the forest. As they entered a small clearing, Eagleheart paused as the scent of prey hit his nose. "This looks like a good place for hunting. Tell me, what can you smell?"

Ashpaw lifted his nose to the sky, sniffing audibly. "The lake nearby, the trail of a shrew, but it smells faint… Oh! I can smell a mouse."

Lifting his nose to confirm, Eagleheart nodded as the smell of shrew hit his glands, closing his eyes. He abruptly opened them as another scent caught his attention, musky and thick. Wrinkling his nose in confusion, Eagleheart narrowed his eyes as he realized it was the scent of a cat. Rogue? He unsheathed his claws, preparing for a fight. Once I find them, I'll make sure the last thing they see is my claws gouging out their eyes. He was broken from his thoughts as Ashpaw burst through the bracken ahead, narrowly missing the mouse that streaked through his legs. With a flash of his paw, Eagleheart caught the rodent as it headed towards him in blind fear, ending its life quickly. Grabbing the prey, Eagleheart looked at his apprentice.

"Sorry." Ashpaw mewed, looking sheepish. "My tail hit a branch and made a noise, I thought it would be best to just go for it."

Shaking his head, Eagleheart sighed. "Always remember your tail, Ashpaw. Let's practice now, show me your Hunter's Crouch." Ashpaw immediately dropped down to his belly, tucking his paws underneath him. Slowly slinking forward, Ashpaw's tail brushed against his mentor. Noting the problem, Eagleheart tapped it, prompting Ashpaw to stand. "It's the tail. Why can't you keep it straight?"

Ashpaw shrugged, trying the move again. His tail flew up once more, slapping Eagleheart in the face. His eyes wide, Ashpaw flopped to the ground. "I don't know what's happening! No matter what I do, my tail won't cooperate." Letting out a loud sigh, the apprentice stared at his paws looking dejected. "I'm sorry, Eagleheart. I'm the worst apprentice in the history of apprentices."

Clicking his tongue, Eagleheart shook his head. "Don't say that, you've only just started your training. Your stalking technique is excellent, you've very graceful for your size. It's just your tail. Does it hurt when you stick it out?" Eagleheart demonstrated what he meant by sticking out his own tail, making sure it was parallel with the ground.

Ashpaw reattempted the couch, keeping his body low. For a few heartbeats the apprentice was doing well, his body in position and his tail held above ground. Thinking he had it together, Eagleheart's smile quickly turned into a frown as Ashpaw's tail suddenly shot into the air. Letting out a loud grunt of frustration, the apprentice clawed at the ground irritably, his chest heaving. "I can't do it! Nothing I'm doing is working! How can I be a warrior if I can't even hunt? StarClan, I'm so stupid!"

Pressing his nose to his apprentice's forehead, Eagleheart gave the tom a comforting lick. "You're still learning. No apprentice gets their techniques right the first few times."

"Quailpaw already knows how to hunt, she caught an adder today! There's something wrong with me."

Eagleheart hummed, pulling his head away. "Let's not worry about Quailpaw, let's think about how we can help you out. Maybe you're supposed to use a different technique than everyone else."

Ashpaw curiously lifted his head, shuffling his paws. "Different technique?"

"Yeah!" Furrowing his eyebrows, Eagleheart thought for a few heartbeats. "You tail constantly shoots up, yes? Maybe instead of keeping your tail parallel to the ground, you should kink it onto your back instead?"

"Like this?" Ashpaw stood and lifted his tail, laying it flat onto his back.

"Yes, now try your Hunter's Crouch." The apprentice slid to the ground, wobbly at first, seeing that he no longer had his tail to balance him. After stalking around the clearing a few times however, Ashpaw was quick on his paws, gliding silently across the ground like an owl through the sky. Smiling, Eagleheart cheered his apprentice on. "Excellent! You're doing great."

"I feel like I look silly." Ashpaw mewed, shaking his pelt.

His whiskers twitching, Eagleheart inwardly agreed with the tom, struggling to keep back a chuckle. I will admit, he does look rather odd stalking around with his tail on his back, but whatever will help his hunting abilities will have to do. "You're fine. If it means it will help you hunt, it's welcomed."

Ashpaw blinked, his amber eyes dark with uncertainty. "Do you really think this will help?"

"There's only one way to find out." Eagleheart mewed, rising to his paws. "Come, it would be best if we moved to another area."

The two toms walked through the forest, Ashpaw occasionally testing out his new technique here and there. Emerging into another clearing, the toms stopped, their noses lifted to the sky. Looking confident, Ashpaw slid into a crouch, his tail clung tightly to his spine. Slinking forward, the tom disappeared underneath a bush, momentarily emerging with a lizard hanging from his jaws. With a triumphant yowl, Ashpaw threw the lizards into the air, bouncing up and down.

"I caught something, I caught something! My first prey!" The apprentice continued to bounce up and down, his eyes bright.

Eagleheart smiled at the tom, feeling an immense amount of pride. It's like when I caught my first mouse, albeit it was much sooner, the feeling is still the same. Pressing his nose to Ashpaw's, Eagleheart closed his eyes. "You did great, I'm so proud of you."

"The technique worked! I'm gonna name it the Ashpaw's Awesome Amazing Hunter's Crouch!"

Chuckling, Eagleheart nodded. "It's catchy, I like it. When you become a warrior, you can teach it to all of your apprentices."

Smiling, Ashpaw nuzzled his mentor. "Thank you, Eagleheart. You're the best mentor ever!"

Hearing those words, Eagleheart felt his heart swell. I'm so proud of him. He was facing a problem, but overcame it easily. Grabbing their catches, the two toms began to head back to camp, Ashpaw bounding ahead. Following behind, Eagleheart stopped in his tracks as a smell hit his nose. It's that scent again. The scent was much stronger now, earthy and thick. Beneath the smell of soil, the unmistakable scent of cat hid underneath. Tensing, Eagleheart called to his apprentice, who raced back to meet him.

"What is it? Why did you stop?" Ashpaw mewed.

"Can you smell that?"

Ashpaw lifted his nose to the air, a confused look on his face. "It smells like… mud. Why are you so interested in mud?"

Ignoring the question, Eagleheart warily stalked toward the smell, his eyes flickering amongst the surrounding bushes. Eventually stopping at a shallow bog, Eagleheart noticed a thick pool of mud nearby, the middle of it clumped and disturbed. Ashpaw noticed as well, wrinkling his nose. "Yuck! What's been playing in the mud?"

"Not what, who." Stalking closer, Eagleheart rummaged through the mud, plucking out a thin gray hair. Hmph. Seems like Darkendstreak's training was beneficial after all. Sniffing the hair, Eagleheart narrowed his eyes in confusion. The smell was faint in the back of his mind but familiar, filling the young tom with a mix of confusing emotions. I know this scent, but who?

"Eagleheart? Are you alright?"

Ignoring the question, Eagleheart looked around, noticing paw prints emerging from the pool. Following the tracks with his eyes, he realized that the prints were headed towards camp, though scattered around, as if the cat were looking for something. Rising to his paws, he motioned for Ashpaw to follow, dashing towards camp, the prey he had caught forgotten. As he passed the large stone that marked the barrier, Eagleheart skidded to a halt in the middle of camp, his claws unsheathed. Whipping his head around, he slowly began to calm down as he saw the undisturbed camp.

Catching up behind him, Ashpaw spat out his prey to pant, "What was that for?"

Blinking a few times, Eagleheart shook his head, turning to his apprentice. "I thought we were under attack."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because-" Eagleheart was cut off by the sound of hushed voices. Turning his head, he noticed Quailpaw and Cinderpaws talking to each other quietly, their ears pricked and eyes flickering around camp. Straining to hear what they were saying, Eagleheart's ears drooped as he realized that they were too far away to hear properly. Noticing his sister, Ashpaw eagerly picked up his catch and bounded towards her, his eyes bright.

"Quailpaw, look what I've got!"

Quailpaw lifted her head, her eyebrows furrowed as she was disturbed from her conversation. As she realized it was Ashpaw however, her mood lifted, a small smile on her face. "Did you catch that?"

"Yeah! Eagleheart taught me a new move to help me capture prey. Look!" Slapping his tail onto his back, Ashpaw demonstrated his new Hunter's Crouch, his tongue sticking out in concentration.

Quiailpaw began to laugh, swatting at her brother. "You look so silly! Eagleheart taught you that?"

"Do not! It helps me catch the juiciest, fattest prey ever! Anyways…" Eagleheart had stopped listening, his eyes focused on the camp's entrance. His ears pricked, Eagleheart narrowed his eyes as a dark shadow dashed past the large boulder, too quick to decipher what it was. A low growl rumbling in his throat, Eagleheart unsheathed his claws. The rogue followed us here. They'd be stupid to dash into camp with all of these cats here, they're obviously planning-

He was interrupted from his thoughts as a familiar scent entered his nostrils, making him groan inwardly. The scent's owner sat down extremely close to him invading his personal space. With a quiet purr, the owner began to speak. "Hello, Eagleheart."

Rolling his eyes, Eagleheart grunted. "Hello, Heatherflight."

"Jee, don't sound so enthusiastic." The she-cat joked, prodding him in the side with her paw. "Why are you sitting here by yourself? You look so lonely."

"I enjoy being alone."

"Well too bad, I'm here now."

Eagleheart rolled his eyes so hard he was convinced they would fly out of his head. "Whoopie for me."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You haven't even asked me how my day was!" Heatherflight fake pouted, batting her eyes.

"That's because I don't care-"

"My day was pretty good." Heatherflight interrupted, her whiskers twitching. "Well, besides the part where I had to train Quailpaw. She's the most annoying thing ever, the brat can barely hunt! I wish we could swap apprentices Eagleheart, I think mine is broken. Today I told her to climb a tree and then hop down, and she had the nerve to ask me "Why?" and said "We're ShadowClan, not ThunderClan." Because I'm your mentor and I said so, that's why, like duh! She finally did it but I have to say, her form was terrible. She was as clumsy as a badger and almost fell down! I wouldn't have caught her though, because..."

Eagleheart halfheartedly listened to the she-cat ramble on and on, his tail lashing in irritation. She doesnt stop to breathe, she just talks and talks and talks… StarClan, please make her shut up, drop a tree on her, make a rock fall on her head, anything to stop her pointless blabbering! As if StarClan heard his plea, a loud yowl sounded outside of camp, making Heatherflight stop mid sentence. Jumping to his paws, Eagleheart unsheathed his claws, all of his attention on the camp's entrance.

A few heartbeats later, Oatblossom, Chivepelt, Tigerpaw and Swiftpaw padded into camp, their pelts ruffled but unharmed. They walked in a circular formation, as if guarding something. As they reached the middle of camp, they broke the circle, revealing a dark gray figure. Chivepelt roughly pushed the figure forward, his eyes narrowed. "We found him hiding outside of our camp."

Eagleheart examined the figure, his pelt bristled. A ragged, unkempt dark gray tom stood in the middle of camp, his legs wobbly and weak. His heavily scarred pelt was dirty and covered in mud, the thick brown gunk caking around his paws and face. Lifting his head, the tom's amber optics glowing as he surveyed the clan. The tom's eyes fell on Eagleheart for a heartbeat, sending a chill up his spine. It can't be…

Cats began to gather around, forming a tight circle around the mysterious tom. The camp remained in a tense silence, finally broken by tom tom's deep, raspy voice. "Where are they…?" The intruder's jaw moved awkwardly as he spoke, the long scar on his jaw impairing his speech.

The camp immediately erupted into loud yowling, the ShadowClan cats hissing and spitting at the newcomer.

"How dare you come back?"

"Filthy traitor!"

"Leave! You aren't welcome here!"

"Alright alright, what's all this fuss?" Flamestar shouted angrily, pushing through the crowd. "What's gotten into you all?" The tom slowly let his gaze travel over the crowd, finally turning to see what they were looking at. As his eyes fell onto the tom, Flamestar's eyes widened. "Is that...?"

"It is." Vulturefeather mewed, standing next to his leader.

Standing in stunned silence, Flamestar's gaping mouth slowly turned into a smirk, which then turned into laughter. "Well, well, I never thought I'd see you again, old friend."

"Cut the theatrics." The tom growled, his eyes darkening.

Flamestar stepped closer, his tail tip twitching. "Can you blame me? I never thought I'd see you again, not like this. You've let yourself go, Viperhiss."

As his leader named the newcomer, Eagleheart's chest tightened. I knew it. Those tracks at the mud pool earlier, they were his. Staring at his former mentor, Eagleheart felt a mix of emotions; confusion, hope, sadness… and bittersweet betrayal.

"It's no concern to you, Flamescar." Viperhiss lifted his head, his nose twitching. "Where's Mousestar? I need to speak with her."

Silent for a few heartbeats, Flamestar growled. "Mousewhisker is dead." Pushing through the crowd, he ran across camp to leap onto High Branch, glaring down at Viperhiss. "And it's Flamestar now."

Stunned, Viperhiss blinked rapidly. "Dead? How?"

"She was killed by rogues." Vulturefeather mewed, his eyes cold. "I'd think that you'd know a bit about them, seeing how beaten up you look."

Viperhiss ignored the tom's last comment, turning his attention back to Flamestar. "If that's the case, I'd like to speak with you, Flamestar. Alone."

Flamestar scoffed, his lip curling. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it infront of the clan, the clan you betrayed. I do hope you're not planning on rejoining, ShadowClan does not accept traitors."

"Joining is not what I seek."

"Then what is it?" Chivepelt growled, stepping closer.

Hesitating, Viperhiss looked at his paws, then through the crowd. Letting out a deep sigh, the tom lifted his head to address Flamestar. "My kits. I want my kits."

"What for?" Flamestar mewed, his eyebrow raised.

"They need to be with their father," Viperhiss growled, his eyes narrowing. "Not with feeble minded sheep that can't even protect their own leader."

"Who are you calling feeble minded?"

"I'll wipe that smirk off of your face right now!"

Flamestar lifted his tail to calm his cats down, his eyes still locked with Viperhiss'. "Mousewhisker was exiled, she was cast away because she was a traitor just like you. You'll receive the same treatment. Vulturefeather, prepare to escort-"

"I'm not leaving without my kits!" Viperhiss yowled, his claws unsheathed.

Eagleheart tensed, his eyes wide. He's not taking Quailpaw, Ashpaw neither! I won't let him!

"You aren't taking the apprentices." Flamestar mewed, obviously struggling to keep calm.

"Apprentices? They're barely six moons!" Viperhiss glared at Flamestar, his teeth bared. "When did they become apprentices?"

"It's none of your concern. Ashpaw and Quailpaw belong to ShadowClan, not their traitorous father."

"You're mistreating them, you've forced them to become apprentices early!" Viperhiss whipped his head around, his eyes wild and angry. "Where are they? Ashpaw, Quailpaw! Come out now!"

Flamestar hissed, his tail lashing. "I'm not mistreating them, I'm preparing them for what's to come! Ashpaw and Quailpaw are training happily with Eagleheart and Heatherflight, they're much better off here than with their delusional father. Leave my camp."

"Eagle...heart?" Viperhiss slowly turned around, his eyes locking with Eagleheart's. The two stared at each other, their eyes intense. "He's not supposed to be a warrior yet, he's got another two moons. You're making apprentices warriors early as well? You're a horrible leader, you mistreat your cats! I'm taking him with me too."

Eagleheart's eyes widened in shock. What?! He looked at his former mentor, who gave him a small nod. Why would he want me too? Why would he-

Eagleheart was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud laugh by Flamestar. "You want him to come with you too? Great StarClan, did you bang your head into a tree before you got here? You're not taking my warrior, and you're not taking my apprentices. Leave now, this is your final warning."

"Dont answer for him." Viperhiss growled. He then turned to Eagleheart, his eyes softening. "You. We had a connection, one these cats would never understand. You hold a power in your paws that has been never before seen. I will help you harness it and use it properly. You want to come with me, right?"

Eagleheart stared forward, blinking rapidly in shock. We had a connection? Where's he getting this from? Sure, Eagleheart respected his old mentor and truly hoped that he was still alive, but he wouldn't say the two had anything other than a typical mentor and apprentice bond. Unless he means the Dark Forest… Shaking his head, Eagleheart looked at his paws. "I do not, Viperhiss. I'm not going with you, and you are not taking Ashpaw nor Quailpaw."

Viperhiss' mouth opened in shock. Flamestar chuckled, his whiskers twitching. "See, Viperhiss? No one wants to leave with you. Besides, you're just a loner. What do you have to offer that the clans cannot?"

Viperhiss blinked, his tail lashing in anger. "Security. The life of a loner may be uneventful, but it's better than being surrounded by traitors. There's bad cats out there, and I have knowledge-"

"It was a rhetorical question, I don't really care." Flamestar mewed boredly. "Judging from the looks of you, you can't even protect yourself." Rising to his paws, Flamestar stretched. "You've had enough warnings, I've been more than generous by repeating myself at all. If you aren't out of camp in 10 heartbeats, I'll-"

"I'm not leaving without my kits."

"Then you aren't leaving alive." Flamestar snarled, his claws digging into the branch he sat on. "Unless you're willing to fight for them, I suggest you leave, now."

"Very well then. I'll do whatever it takes to have my kits." Viperhiss unsheathed his claws, getting into a crouch.

Letting out a small chuckle, Flamestar smirked. "Oh Viperhiss, are you sure you want to do this? You're greatly outnumbered, this is not a fight that you'll win."

"Try me."

Flamestar's body tensed, preparing to leap from the branch. "So be it. Prepare to die, friend." With an angry yowl, Flamestar leapt from the High Branch, landing squarely onto Viperhiss' shoulders. The tom fell to the ground from the weight, bucking his back and sending the leader flying off of him. The surrounding cats rushed forward, all ready to fight the trespassing tom. Just before Chivepelt and Tigerpaw reached them, the two toms halted by the sound of a voice.

"Stop!" The tiny voice mewed, ceasing all activity. The crowd turned around to see Ashpaw standing with Cinderpaws and Quailpaw, all three of them panting as if they had been running. "I'll go with you."

The crowd gasped in unison, all attention on the young tom. Eagleheart's heart dropped as he watched his apprentice walk up to his father, his eyes bright. Viperhiss pressed his nose to his son's head, a small smile on his face.

"What?" Flamestar growled, stalking forward. "Ashpaw, do you know what you're doing right now?"

Ashpaw nodded, his tail high in the air. "I have to go with him, he's my kin!"

"But Cinderpaws is also your kin, and your sister!"

"Yeah, but they aren't my father. And besides, Quailpaw is coming too! Right, Quailpaw?"

Everycat turned their attention to the small silver she-cat who had her head down. His heart racing, Eagleheart felt his chest tighten as Quailpaw remained silent. No, she cant go! She cant leave me!

"I-"

"Ashpaw, wait." Eagleheart interrupted Quailpaw, his eyes wide. "What about our training? What about the new move I showed you? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Ashpaw looked at his mentor, a sad smile on his face. "I'm sorry, Eagleheart. You're the best mentor in all of the clans, you know you are… but I have to be with my family, I have to be with my dad. It's nothing personal, I promise! I just have to do this."

"But… But I'm family." Quailpaw mewed, her voice almost too quiet to hear. The she-cat peeped at her brother, her soft eyes wide and scared.

"And that's why you need to come with us." Viperhiss mewed, looking at his daughter. "To be with your family, not with these cats."

Quailpaw looked her father in the eyes, her body shaking. Eagleheart felt his heart beat faster, feeling like every cat could hear it. Looking at Quailpaw, his eyes silently pleaded for her to stay. Please Quailpaw, I can't lose you. Cinderpaws stared at Quailpaw intensely, the two exchanging a look. After what seemed like an eternity, the she-cat finally mewed, "I… cant."

His shoulders sagging in relief, Eagleheart flinched as Viperhiss let out a loud sound. The tom stared at his daughter in shock, his eyes wide. "But Quailpaw, don't you get it? These cats don't love you, they don't respect you. As long as you're related to me, they'll always hate you. They think you're a traitor, just like me. Why would you want to stay around cats like that?"

"Because they don't think that of me." Quailpaw stared her father defiantly. "These are my clanmates, they love me and treat me like one, no matter who I'm related to."

"But these cats killed your mother!"

"She died from giving birth, Viperhiss! She died because of you!" Cinderpaws hissed, glaring at his brother.

Viperhiss growled, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't kill her, you did. You think you've fooled them, but you didn't fool me. I saw the dea-"

"Shut up and leave! She doesn't want to go with you!" Cinderpaws interrupted, stepping forward threateningly.

Shaking his head angrily, Viperhiss looked back at Quailpaw. "Quailpaw sweetie, listen. You're too young to understand, but we're outsiders. You're part rogue, these cats know it, that's why they treat you differently." Eagleheart's eyes widened. What? Part rogue? "Cinderpaws and I were brought to this clan as rogue kits, they wanted to kill us, but-"

"Stop with the lies!" Flamestar hissed, his tail lashing. "You were not mistreated, we did not want to kill you! You-"

"How would you know?" Viperhiss growled. "You were a kit yourself!"

"Leave. My. Camp." Flamestar snapped, stepping closer with each word.

Ignoring the tom, Viperhiss turned back to his daughter. "You're making a mistake, Quailpaw. Come with us now, me and your brother need you."

Quailpaw looked at her paws, then shook her head. "No Viperhiss, I wont. I belong in a clan, I can't be a loner with you."

Shocked, Viperhiss' mouth opened and closed a few times. After a while the tom curled his lip, his voice a gutteral snarl. "Fine. I hope we never cross paths again, for your sake." Viperhiss lifted his head to address the crowd, his nostrils flaring. "For all of your sakes!"

Viperhiss and Ashpaw then turned around, preparing to leave. As they reached the camp entrance, Eagleheart shouted, "Ashpaw, wait!" The young apprentice turned around, his eyes sad and glassy. "Please."

"I'm sorry, Eagleheart, but I have to do this. But don't worry, I'll probably come visit again!"

"No." Flametar mewed, coming to stand next to Eagleheart. "Once you leave, you can never come back."

Looking reluctant for a second, Ashpaw looked at his paws, his body shaking. Feeling his chest fill with hope, Eagleheart's smile dropped as Ashpaw shook his head, his amber eyes determined. "Okay. Then I wish you the best lives ever. I'll miss you guys, but I have to go." With that, the tom turned back around, stepping out of the camp.

Eagleheart watched his apprentice leave, his heart feeling broken and shattered. His mind raced with jumbled thoughts, each speaking over the other in a symphony of distorted sadness. Was I not a good mentor? Did I not encourage him enough? Was I too tough on him? Unable to hold it in anymore, Eagleheart broke down, falling to the floor and letting out a loud wail of anguish. Flamestar placed his tail on his and murmured something, but the warrior barely heard it as a loud, harrowing thought entered his mind, its deafening sound drowning out the others.

I am a failure.

Author's note:

Hello there, its been a while! I havent posted in almost 2 months, I'm so sorry! I've been extremely busy with work, family and college applications, so I didnt have much time to write.

That aside, here's chapter 26! Poor Eagleheart! Things were just starting to get better for him, and now his apprentice is gone! Viperhiss makes a sudden appearance and takes Ashpaw with him, who willingly goes! Will we see these two again in the future? Maybe, probably not. Stay tuned for chapter 27, which should be out tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

~MeltingPopsicles