Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took a while, guys. Things were a little hectic and I had to take a break from writing for a little bit.

I have school staring up again in a week, so chapters might not be as frequent once that starts.

Hope you all are doing ok. Thanks for reading, favoriting, and reviewing my story- the support is greatly appreciated.

Enjoy the chapter.

-Rosie ;)

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Briarpaw. Briarpaw!"

Briarpaw winced as a sharp paw prodded her in the side. Lifting her head, she blinked blearily at her mentor. "What is it?"

"Dawn patrol! Have you forgotten? The patrol's been waiting for you!"

"Sorry," she muttered, scrambling to her paws and hurrying after her mentor, nearly tripping over her own paws as she did so. Spotfur was standing next to Oakleaf and Creekwater near the entrance of camp. As Briarpaw approached them, Spotfur narrowed her eyes. Saying nothing, she flicked her tail for the toms to take the lead.

As the patrol headed towards the border, Briarpaw and Spotfur fell a few tail lengths behind the rest of the patrol. Feeling a little nervous, Briarpaw started to speed up, but Spotfur stopped her.

"So," she began casually, although Briarpaw felt as if she was anything but that, "this isn't the first time I've had to come wake you up. You've seemed to be… extra tired lately."

Subtly, she tried to stand up straighter and open her eyes wider. "I guess I've just been working hard lately. My training means a lot to me."

Spotfur's eyes were narrow yellow slits as they gazed at her. "As it should be. But maybe you're working too hard. What good is training if you're too tired to do more the next day?"

Briarpaw lowered her gaze. I don't want her to think I'm acting like a kit! "It's ok, really. I promise I can do better."

"Oh, I know you can. I've seen you. You were always so full of energy. I can't understand what's changed." Her mentor's voice softened as she went on. "Are you feeling alright, Briarpaw? You're not sick or anything, are you?"

"No!" The words came out louder than anticipated, and the rest of the patrol glanced back at them. Lowering her voice, she went on. "I'm fine, really."

Spotfur was gazing at her uncertainly, and, swallowing, Briarpaw realized she would have to come up with an excuse if she didn't want her mentor to probe further.

She wished she could just tell her the truth. That in the last few nights since the dream, her sleep had been plagued with ominous nightmares. She would wake up several times throughout the night, her heart pounding and fur spiking. It made it impossible to get a good night's rest, and she often found herself waking up the next morning more tired than when she had gone to bed.

But as bad as they were, the thought of telling someone scared her even more. She didn't know what was going on, where these dreams were from, what they meant, or if they were just figments of her imagination. Spotfur would think she was crazy. Everyone would. Or, even if they did take her seriously, they would expect her to have all the answers. Or make her do things she didn't want to. No, she couldn't tell anyone, not yet. She couldn't trust any of them.

The thought brought a twinge of grief. These were her Clanmates she was talking about. She was supposed to be able to rely on them and trust them with her life. Yet this was something that she was sure no one would be able to understand. And it would probably just cause unnecessary panic or unrest. At this point, I hardly know what's going on any more than they do. This is one secret that I'm not ready to share yet. Not until I know more.

Realizing that her mentor was waiting for her to speak, she quickly said, "It… it's just, it's a little hard to get any sleep with… with everything that's been going on lately."

Spotfur slowed, nuzzling her gently. "I understand. Don't worry though. You have your Clan. We're here to protect you. To protect each other. And, just like everything else, we will get through this. Tawnystar and Mintfur know what they're doing- how to keep us safe, even the cats on patrol near RiverClan. Before you know it, the twolegs will take their sheep and leave, and everything will be back to normal." She froze for a moment, realizing what she had just said. "I mean, not completely, of course. Things will be different without Thistlevine, and Breezecloud. But the Clan will live on."

"You two coming?" Creekwater called from up ahead. "We're approaching the RiverClan border, and these markers aren't going to set themselves."

With a last sympathetic glance back at her, Spotfur hurried forward to join them. As Briarpaw followed, she felt guilt blossoming up in her chest. She didn't like lying to her Clanmates, especially her mentor.

Technically, she assured herself, I didn't lie. I just told her that anxiety was preventing me from getting any sleep, and she assumed that the cause of it was the twolegs, not nightmares. I didn't correct her, but I didn't say that she was right, either.

That's still a form of lying though. Her tail drooping shamefully, she hurried over to the others to help mark the border.

…

Briarpaw rubbed her muzzle against the rough bark of the young tree, leaving the bark bathed in her scent. The tree almost looked as if, any moment now, it would be swallowed up by the marshes underpaw. Hissing, Briarpaw lifted a forepaw, shaking the water from it. The peaty ground felt sodden and slimy underneath her.

Turning her gaze the other way, she let it rest on the Horseplace. Instinctively, she felt herself shrink back, despite the fact that they were still some distance away from the structure.

The sun was slowly starting to creep up over the horizon, bathing the moors in a soft, golden glow. Briarpaw glanced along the border anxiously. All the warriors and apprentices had been shown what to do if the twolegs or their dogs did appear- including some of the best hiding spots around. The bumbling creatures and their pets- loyal to the point of stupidity- would likely never even lay eyes on them. Yet it was still hard to forget Thistlevine's body in front of her- limp, shaking, each breath harder and harder to grasp until he couldn't at all. No, it was best to get out of here before anyone showed up.

Yet there was nothing she could do now, but wait. Creekwater and Spotfur had gone on ahead to mark the rest of the border. To patrol this stretch, they would have to get awfully close to the Horseplace, and Spotfur had refused to bring an apprentice along. They had left Oakleaf with her, just in case there was any trouble. She could see him now, a little ways off, marking the border further down.

Shouldn't they be back by now? She craned her neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of their pelts, but it was no use. An outcropping of trees blocked the view along the rest of the border, so she wouldn't be able to see them coming until they got close.

It hasn't been that long, she assured herself. It just feels longer than it really is because I'm worried about them. Forcing herself to turn away, she wandered up to the border. She had already marked all the scent posts she had been assigned, but it wouldn't hurt to check RiverClan's markers as well. A missing or misplaced marker could be signs of trouble, which was the last thing they needed right now, but it would be good to know about any potential issues anyway.

As she examined a marker that seemed a little stale, a gust of wind buffeted her, nearly knocking her over. She had to brace herself against it to avoid stumbling over the border. More cautious now, she took a few steps backwards. She didn't want to be the cause of a border dispute between the two Clans. Not only could it lead to an unnecessary battle, but it could draw more attention to herself- and Spotfur was already a little suspicious of her. She didn't want the Clan thinking she was disloyal.

Quickly, she tried to smooth her ruffled fur. The morning had been very gusty, and her pelt looked like a nest of hedgehogs had been living in it. No sooner had she done this, though, than another gust disturbed it again. Huffing, she raised her muzzle. The wind was blowing in a northerly direction, from behind their territory, and across the lake towards ShadowClan. The one blessing of this wind, she thought, is that it will carry the scent of the Horseplace towards us. If those dogs do show up, they won't be able to scent us.

Tasting the air, she could smell the musty scent of hay and the peppery scent of horses and sheep- although the fluffy white creatures were nowhere to be seen. They must've still been inside their pen. The whole place reeked of twolegs, with the underlying scent of dogs. Straining her senses further, she could detect the scent of Creekwater and Spotfur, somewhere beyond the Horseplace, although she couldn't make out whether it was growing stronger or not.

Just as she was about to turn back towards the border, something else caught her nose, so faint and so brief, that she couldn't even be sure she had scented it at all.

She paused, trying to pick the scent out again. Was that… a cat? She tried to scent it again, but the wind had ever so slightly shifted, carrying the mysterious scent away from her. But the faintest traces of it still lingered in her nose. It doesn't smell like Creekwater or Spotfur, or any of my other Clanmates.

Perhaps it was just leftover from an earlier patrol? It seemed like the most logical solution, but somehow, she wasn't so sure. The scent was… different, somehow.

"Ready to go?" The voice behind her made her jump. She turned to see that Spotfur had returned with Creekwater. She had been so occupied that she hadn't even noticed her Clanmates approach.

Spotfur cocked her head. "Is everything ok?"

Briarpaw shook at her fur. "Oh- yeah, it's fine. I just thought I scented someone- it must've just been old RiverClan scent blown over the border."

Spotfur nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised. It's been so windy this morning, we could probably almost scent their camp if we tried." Hesitating slightly, she added, "But maybe we should check-"

"If we're finished marking, then I suggest we get out of here," Creekwater interrupted. "Quickly. The sun is getting higher, and it won't be long before the twolegs come out."

The words had barely escaped his mouth when they caught the sound of distant barking. Turning back, they saw the faint silhouettes of twolegs emerging from their den, the dogs loping behind them as they headed towards the sheep pen.

"Stay close to me, Briarpaw," Spotfur hissed urgently, and silently slipped through the grass a few pawsteps behind Creekwater. Spotfur signaled to Oakleaf, and he nodded quickly before falling back slightly to run behind her.

Heart thrumming, Briarpaw flanked her mentor as they darted across the moor, brushing through patches of heather and even wading through a small, shallow stream so that the twolegs' dogs had no chance of picking up their scent.

As the patrol arrived in the camp, Creekwater padded off to Tawnystar's den to make his report. Oakleaf bounded across the clearing and touched his nose to Featherwhisper, who was sitting at the entrance of the medicine den, one of her forepaws wrapped in dark-colored leaves. The she-cat's leg had accidentally fallen into a rabbit hole during a hunting patrol, spraining her paw.

"We're going out training at midday with the other apprentices," Spotfur told her. "Be ready. And see if the elders need anything sometime before we leave."

"Alright," Briarpaw replied. "I'll be there." Her mentor then padded over to the nursery and touched noses with her brother, where he was sitting beside Prickleleaf as the two watched their kits fondly. Spotfur called out to them, rolling a stray piece of moss into a ball and batting it over to them. As they scrambled to reach it, she hooked it up with a claw and tossed it over her head. Squealing with delight, the two kits raced after it.

Turning towards the apprentice's den, she caught sight of Smolderpaw sitting in front of it, grooming a paw. Mintfur was padding towards him. Catching his father's eye, he looked up hopefully, and Mintfur began to speak, when suddenly, a patrol hurried into camp. It was Duskpaw and Daisypaw, with their mentors, Doespring and Tigerblossom. Mintfur stopped, turning towards them.

"What is it?"

"ThunderClan's stirring up trouble on the border," Doespring growled.

"They accused us of trespassing!" Duskpaw hissed.

Mintfur's pelt bushed, and he hurried over. "What did you do?"

"We told them that we hadn't set one paw over their borders," Tigerblossom reported, "and that the wind had probably just disturbed the scent lines. Not that they believed us, but they couldn't prove that we had actually crossed, so we were able to get away without a fight. Tensions are high, though. We should be very careful in the future."

Duskpaw's fur spiked. "Why? We didn't set a single paw on those mouse-munchers' land!"

"Maybe not, but ThunderClan's convinced we did. Even a small misstep now could be enough to cause a battle."

"Tigerblossom's right," Mintfur told him. "I'll speak to Tawnystar about this, and we'll make sure to tell the whole Clan to watch their pawsteps around the ThunderClan border for the next half moon."

Flowerfoot padded up to him, Lionpaw at her side. "Is everything alright, Mintfur?"

"Just a little trouble on the ThunderClan border. They can't prove we did anything wrong, but it's still best to be careful." For the first time, he noticed Lionpaw. "Are you taking him out training?"

"Yes- we were going to practice hunting under the cover of trees, near the ThunderClan border, but if you think that we shouldn't go…"

Mintfur narrowed his eyes. "That's fine, as long as you're mindful of the border. But I want to come with you, just in case. If there's trouble, I don't want the two of you to be alone. And besides, I've been wanting to see how Lionpaw's training is coming along, anyway."

Lionpaw looked a little nervous at his words, but he kept his pelt smooth.

"Tigerblossom, will you report this to Tawnystar?"

The she-cat nodded at the deputy and hurried off towards the leader's den. Only then did Mintfur seem to remember Smolderpaw.

"I'm sorry, Smolderpaw, but I've got to take care of this-"

"I know," Smolderpaw said quickly, an edge to his voice.

"We'll go out together later."

"I have training with the other apprentices, remember?"

"Right. Tomorrow then. I promise."

Smolderpaw didn't respond, only sighing before turning away. Mintfur cast a last glance back at his son before hurrying after Flowerfoot and Lionpaw.

She started towards him, but Duskpaw spoke first. She hadn't even realized he had witnessed the exchange.

"Smolderpaw, what's the big deal?"

Smolderpaw glanced at him, his eyes flashing, but he could hardly ignore him. "He was just going to go hunting with me, ok?"

"But he's the deputy now. He has a greater responsibility to the Clan- to protect them and to keep an eye on the apprentice's training, especially the ones who are getting close to being warriors." His eyes sparked excitedly. "Doespring said he might even come to the training session later."

Smolderpaw shrugged, and, shooting a glance at Briarpaw, she could tell he was struggling to suppress his frustration. "I know that. I just wanted to spend a little time alone with him, that's all."

"Being a deputy is a big responsibility. He's not going to have much time to spare, especially now, with everything that's been going on lately. He doesn't have time for small matters."

"I'm his son!" he shouted, getting to his paws. "I'm not a small matter!"

"You should support him, not moan about it."

"I do support him! But there's nothing wrong with wanting him to spend time with me!"

"Grow up, Smolderpaw. Your father won't be able to coddle you forever."

Smolderpaw's pelt bushed up, and he hissed at his denmate. Noticing that the two toms were starting to attract the attention of some of their Clanmates, Briarpaw quickly shoved between them. "Enough!" she spat. "I'm sick of playing mediator with you two!" Glaring at Duskpaw, she added, "Go find something better to do. I bet the elders would appreciate fresh moss."

Duskpaw dipped his head. "Briarpaw, I…"

"I don't want to hear it. Next time, don't go sticking your nose into places you're not wanted."

Duskpaw's eyes flashed. "He's being selfish! The Clan comes first!"

"Just because it comes first doesn't mean that you should toss everything else aside in favor of it!"

Duskpaw blinked at her. "I don't understand-"

"You're right, you don't. You have two living parents who don't have the great responsibility Mintfur does. You want them to let you be more independent because they're there too much, but Smolderpaw doesn't have that luxury. You take the things you have for granted because you don't know what it's like to not have them."

Duskpaw's gaze had begun to soften, but he bared his teeth as she finished. "You don't have the right to say that about me! I love my parents- how could you think I don't? What do you think I am, heartless? I never knew you thought so low of me!" Then, before she could respond, he whirled around and stormed off towards the elders' den.

Briarpaw closed her eyes. Why did I say that? Now I've only made things worse.

Smolderpaw had laid down in his nest, muttering under his breath. She sighed as she watched him. When would the two toms ever learn to get along? Duskpaw was a great friend, but he had the sympathy of a fox, and Smolderpaw had quite the temper. Both were too proud to ever back down from each other. She felt bad about the way the conversation had ended, and wished she could take back the words she had said to Duskpaw, but it wasn't her responsibility to be keeping them from clawing each other's fur out all the time.

I really hope those two will work out their differences soon, she thought. Because if they don't, I have a bad feeling about where this is heading.