DISTANT cries from an owl echoed through the swamp. A cool breeze caused the reeds to shiver and the branches of the cypress trees to hiss. Sedgepaw shivered with them, but not for the chilling wind. Instead, it was the sight of her prosecuted Clanmate that iced her bones. She wrapped her tail around her white paws, tightly hugging herself with it. Hopefully, her fear was not evident in her scent. MashClan took pride in unveiling the sinners; the only ripe scent of fear that could be inhaled was coming from Vinestripe. He was sitting before Whitestar, enduring her judgmental glare, while the hateful murmurs of his Clanmates surrounded him. The dark stripes on his russet fur ensnared his thin legs in spirals, climbing like vines to his petite shoulders, threatening to drag him into the earth below. If Whitestar had her way, Sedgepaw feared Vinestripe really would end up buried tonight.

"Vinestripe," Whitestar yowled, "the witnesses of your transgression will now speak."

From the ranks of MarshClan, two cats stepped into the spotlight of the moon. One was a small, sleek, dark brown she-cat, Otternose. Her black nose was raised with pride, and she regarded Vinestripe with a pompous smirk and disdainful glare. The other was the rookie warrior, Minnowtail, and he refused to make eye contact with anyone but his white toes. Sedgepaw remembered his ceremony, for it had only been a moon prior. At that time, he was brimming with confidence and joy. Now, he appeared downcast and defeated.

"Otternose," Whitestar beckoned promptly. "State your claim against Vinestripe."

Otternose bowed her head to their leader, before fixing her amber eyes onto the quivering Vinestripe. Bleached by the moon's oppressive glow, he seemed to shrivel like a withered vine. Sedgepaw tasted bile in the back of her throat when she heard the squeaky, fastidious voice escape Otternose; she was keen on skinning Vinestripe with her accusations in order to expose his tender insides to the masses. "I always suspected Vinestripe for harboring secrets. He was painfully docile and eager to please," she began, her long tail coiling like a viper about to strike. There was an echo of agreement between the gathered cats around them. "He never wanted to attract too much attention, whether good or bad, but most importantly…" Her voice trailed off and a theatrical "pause for effect" ensued.

"This is wrong." A soft mew preceded the feeling of fur brushing up against Sedgepaw's flank. Shaken from her intense focus on the trial, she turned to see Blueflower beside her, staring with wide eyes at the unfolding scene before them. Those bright blue eyes flickered to her, and Sedgepaw could not look away, she was lost in their depths, drowning. They shone like the moon above, but there was a twinkle in them she could not ignore. She could see pain and fear, and she recognized those emotions because she felt the same.

"What do you mean?" Sedgepaw whispered, surprised by the amount of desperation in her own voice. "Isn't this what's supposed to happen?"

"That doesn't make it right," Blueflower replied, her gentle voice breaking. Her long, blue-gray fur glowed under the moonlight like a dayflower's petal, but the expression on her face was dark.

Before Sedgepaw could respond, Otternose's accusatory voice piped up again. "Vinestripe always showed a peculiar amount of interest in Clan politics." Even as her hiss stabbed the silence of the Clan, shattering it with her hateful tone, Sedgepaw did not look away from Blueflower, though her Clanmate returned her attention to Vinestripe's trial. "He always shadowed Whitestar, and when I challenged him, he shied away. Once I mentioned my suspicion to Minnowtail, it all became clear."

Vinestripe's head snapped up then, and he whipped his head around to stare at Minnowtail. He was standing beside Otternose, still refusing to meet his Clanmate's wounded green eyes. "Minnowtail?" Sedgepaw's ears twitched when she detected a hint of shock in the warrior's voice. Was it really so unexpected for Minnowtail to speak out against him? If so, why?

Whitestar continued to supervise the exchange between her warriors. Her eyes narrowed at Minnowtail. "Otternose, what did Minnowtail share with you when you voiced your uncertainty to him?" she prompted.

Otternose obliged her leader's request. "Apparently, Vinestripe was mysteriously leaving the warriors den for the past moon." Sedgepaw saw Otternose's eyes sparkle when her words ignited an uproar of excited whispers among her Clanmates. "Minnowtail, concerned for his Clanmate, followed him into the swamp… Where he saw him speaking with the Fallen."

Sedgepaw stiffened when she felt the tension break in the gathered crowd of MarshClan. Hisses of disgust and rage boiled up from their tongues to fill the air with heated prejudice against Vinestripe. Glancing around at the faces of her Clanmates, she saw nothing but shock, fear, and hate. There was only one face that remained empathetic, and it belonged to the she-cat beside her: Blueflower. Her round face was solemn, her small muzzle tilted downward as if she were mourning, and her impossibly bright blue eyes were full of an emotion that Sedgepaw did not recognize. Among the chaos of her indignant Clanmates, Blueflower was silent, but her body language spoke louder than any caterwaul. She was grieving for Vinestripe.

Whitestar's yowl brought a cessation to the madness among the ranks of MarshClan, and their outrage simmered down to waves of restless, dodgy bright eyes and discontented murmurs. MarshClan's leader flickered her amber gaze onto Minnowtail, who remained silent for the entirety of the trial thus far.

"Minnowtail," Whitestar began, "you came forward as a witness, did you not? Witnesses are obligated to voice their claims, yet you have let Otternose consume the floor without qualm."

"My apologies." Minnowtail nodded once, tucking his white chin against the feathery fur of his chest. "Well," he rasped. "I-This, uhm, experience has stunned me, Whitestar." He hesitated, his green eyes honing in on his white toes, which unsheathed and sheathed his claws repeatedly, nervously.

"You are not alone in this," Whitestar assured him. "Now, tell us what happened."

"What Otternose said is true." Minnowtail's timorous voice resounded weakly like a wailing frog. "Vinestripe disappeared into the night… more than once."

Before the uproar reoccurred in the masses, Whitestar rose her long tail for silence. Sedgepaw could see Vinestripe, but he was no longer hanging his head with shame, instead, he was staring into Minnowtail. The expression on his face was twisted into a confusing combination of pain and anger. Minnowtail was ignorant to the accusatory glower of Vinestripe, however, for he only stared at his paws. Otternose regarded the exchange with a smug expression and a keen tilt of her head.

"I-I thought he was an insomniac at first," Minnowtail confessed, a crooked smile on his jaw. A ghost of a chuckle faintly entered the clearing, escaping his lips weakly, but it faded when Minnowtail spoke again. "I mean, why else would you waste precious sleep? It was absurd… But I was worried. I wanted to make sure he was okay; I care deeply for him. I never expected him to be meeting with the Fallen, but I-I cannot deny what I saw"

"I see… How unfortunate," Whitestar mused.

Otternose chimed in when given the opportunity. "It's true, and it's such a shame. Vinestripe was a good warrior, but he let his transgressions get the best of him."

"Don't." Vinestripe's voice rung out in a somber rasp. "Don't speak of me as if I am not here." He rose to his paws, voice trembling as he spoke loud enough for all to hear. "The Fallen are still one of us. They just want a freer, better life!" His green eyes flashed to Whitestar. "Day in and day out… We do what she says, and why? What for? She doesn't care about us. She only cares about power. They all do! If StarClan is real-"

"Enough!" Whitestar snappped. "You dare defy me? Question our way of life? Question StarClan?" Her clipped tone was sharp enough to snap the maidencane around them. Swift as a scythe slicing through wheat, she struck Vinestripe with her accusation. "Do realize the punishment for your crime? We have two witnesses, and that is all we need to condemn you, Vinestripe. Let alone that heinous speech of yours. Condemned cats do not exist to us in MarshClan." There was an echo of agreement from the gathered Clan cats coming to aid their leader in her ruling. "You are Fallen."

Sedgepaw stood up then, brought to her feet by her subconscious; it felt like strings plucked at her limbs to bring her upright, but she failed to understand why. All around her, MarshClan was hooting and hollering at the success of the trial. They were a mess of gesticulating shadows, relishing the downfall of their once respected Clanmate as if he was a decadent meal. Unmasking a Fallen was a cause for celebration, but this did not seem right at all to Sedgepaw.

Vinestripe, won't you say something? Sedgepaw bit her tongue. She wanted to say something in the warrior's defense, though she scarcely knew of him or his personal life. She was still a young apprentice, making friends of a warrior was not common for her age. Yet, she felt an arcane kinship between them. Somehow, they shared something, and Sedgepaw could hardly stand to watch him remain exposed to the vicious slurs aimed at him. Fear held her back. The gnawing sensation of fear reminded her of the consequences that lingered for those that spoke out in support of a Fallen. The wretched possibilities burrowed into her, preventing her from articulating anything but a soft whimper.

"Typically," Whitestar added, "you are granted final words before we banish you. However, you lost that privilege by orchestrating that horrid parade of words in the middle of your trial."

From her pedestal, Sedgepaw could not perceive Whitestar as anything but a hallowed persecutor, and she was frightened. She should venerate her leader, but when she gazed up at Whitestar, her blood turned to ice. She was far above them, out of reach, but she brought her gavel down on Vinestripe with divine force.

Vinestripe only bowed his head. "There is nothing to say. I know that the gravity of my words mean nothing to you all… You've passed your judgement." His eyes were shut as he murmured, and Sedgepaw could barely understand him, for his tone was nearly inaudible. "I deny nothing." His voice rose an octave. "I regret nothing."

"Silence!" Whitestar hissed at him. "I hereby declare Vinestripe to be Fallen, for he has lost his grace in the eyes of StarClan as a result of his betrayal. From this night and beyond, he will not be allowed on our sacred grounds. From this night and beyond, he is no longer one of us, but an outcast. MarshClan has no place for the Fallen." Whitestar bowed her head solemnly, and silence followed, thick and heavy. It was as if they mourned Vinestripe's death rather than his departure. The distant, ethereal song of the crickets became a requiem.

Vinestripe stood shakily, blood trickling down from his hind legs where Grayjaw wounded him. Sedgepaw was trembling on her paws as she regarded her Fallen Clanmate. Otternose and Minnowtail disappeared into the crowd surrounding him, and he was alone. Sedgepaw glanced up at the stars for the first time that night. They sparsely peppered the dark sky, twinkling in silence. There would be no divine intervention tonight.

"Claytooth," Whitestar summoned her warrior. "Escort Vinestripe with Grayjaw to the edge of our territory. See to it that he leaves and never returns."

Claytooth materialized from the shadows of the Fallen Cypress. His russet fur stuck out at awkward angles as if he struggled too much when his mother used to bathe him with her tongue. His bright yellow eyes flickered to Vinestripe, and he greeted the Fallen with a curled lip. Grayjaw reappeared as well, coming from the crowd to stand beside Claytooth with a malignant visage, albeit more vicious because of his protruding lower jaw. His bottom fangs curled into his upper lip like a boar's, giving the impression of a permanent glower. They flanked Vinestripe on either side, looking like two mountains towering over a tiny valley, but Vinestripe did not shiver. He stood with a look of resignation on his face even as Grayjaw swatted the back of his head with a massive gray paw.

"Alright, you, let's go," Grayjaw growled.

As the Fallen disappeared through the reeds with his escorts, the Clan exploded in a frenzy of conversation. With wild eyes and shocked faces, they recalled the happenings of the trial as if it happened a moon ago, retelling it and twisting it to fancy their imaginations. Sedgepaw did not join in. Her belly tightened and her heart clenched. This isn't right. This isn't right. This isn't right.

"Hey! Wasn't that crazy?" Mudpaw hopped to her side and yowled in her ear. Sedgepaw nearly jumped out of her fur. "Woah there!" He laughed. "Maybe we should start calling you Rabbitpaw instead?"

Sedgepaw sighed and glared at her brother. "Very funny."

"Come on, don't be a stick in the mud! That was the first trial we've ever seen! Aren't you excited?" Mudpaw pressed. The bright gleam in his amber eyes threatened to outshine the moon.

Sedgepaw tried to ignore the disgust she felt towards him. "Why are you so fascinated by it? I thought it was boring… And mean."

"Nonsense!" Mudpaw argued. "My mentor Longscar said we're better off without those traitors."

"Mudpaw!" Fernstream's scorning voice chimed in as she left the gathered cats to join them with Mistpaw shadowing her. "I'll not tolerate you speaking such harshness at your age." Her sharp glare switched from Mudpaw's sheepish face to Sedgepaw's. "And you need to respect our trials, Sedgepaw. Without them, we would never be in StarClan's favor."

Sedgepaw frowned. It seemed she was alone in her dislike of the trial, but then she remembered Blueflower's face and thought better of it. "It just seems unfair. What's so bad about-"

"Not another word, Sedgepaw!" Fernstream hissed, eyes wide with fear. "You cannot ever doubt our ways. You're an apprentice of MarshClan, you must uphold our beliefs!"

Sedgepaw ducked her head, ignoring Mudpaw's taunting snicker. He just seemed to be happy that Fernstream's scorn was focused on her instead. She grunted and rolled her broad shoulders with a grudging look on her face. "Fine…"

Fernstream sighed shakily and rasped her tongue over Sedgepaw's shoulder. "I know it's a lot to understand, but you'll come to see that it's all for the better." Her nose lingered before Sedgepaw's face, and she glanced up at her mother questioningly. "Sedgepaw," she whispered, "you need to promise me that you won't contest the trials again."

Sedgepaw tilted her head. Why was she still pushing this? Sedgepaw snorted, giving her mother a reassuring smile. "Okay, okay, I get it."

Fernstream leaned back and exhaled loudly. "You kits will be the death of me."

Yewpaw stepped out from Fernstream's shadow and made a face of feigned offense. "But I thought you loved us!" she wailed.

Mudpaw joined in, giving a mock-cry of hurt. "Fernstream hates us!"

Sedgepaw laughed and noticed her mother's amber eyes melting into a gaze of adoration. She shook her head at Yewpaw and pressed her head against her kit. "How could I ever hate my precious kits?" She began to bathe Yewpaw's ears with her tongue.

"Bleck! Okay! I was just teasing," she protested, her tawny fur standing on end.

Sedgepaw added a teasing remark, "Aw, how cute." She could see Yewpaw flash her a glare, but that only made Sedgepaw smile wider. In this moment, it was easy for her to forget the misfortune that fell on her Clanmate only moments ago.

Fernstream laughed and relented from her attack of loving licks. "You three should go off to your nests now. Your mentors will surely need you up with the sun."

"Of course, Fernstream!" Mudpaw piped up, curling his tail excitedly. "Longscar said he'd show me some awesome battle moves."

"All the more reason to rest up." Fernstream pressed her nose to each of her kits' ears before disappearing towards the collection of reeds and ferns that made the warriors den.

Sedgepaw was relieved to be freed from her mother's scornful gaze, for she was able to glance about the dissolving mass of MarshClan cats. She was searching for that blue-gray pelt of Blueflower's among the assortment of tabbies and bicolors. Somehow, the she-cat vanished. The only she-cat that seemed to show a shred of sympathy for Vinestripe was gone, and Sedgepaw felt alone in her dilemma. Yewpaw and Mudpaw took turns yawning while Sedgepaw became statuesque in her pondering.

"Anyone in there?" Mudpaw teased, impeding Sedgepaw's wandering eyes by shoving his face a whisker's length from hers. "Maybe it's time for some shut-eye? You look lost."

Sedgepaw headbutted him. "I'm at a loss for words, actually." Her bushy tail curled in amusement. "I have no idea how your mug got so ugly."

Mudpaw's ears flattened, and he rose his paw in preparation for a swing. Sedgepaw flinched but felt no blow, for Blackpaw's voice chimed in.

The apprentice was standing beside Toadpaw with a keen look on his narrow face. His long, black fur gleamed in the moonlight like a raven's feather. "Some trial, right?" He did not sound pleased in the slightest, his voice was dripping with sarcasm and his cynical grin was so lopsided Sedgepaw feared it would fall from his snout.

Toadpaw gave a hiccup, or perhaps a chortle, and his wide-set amber eyes glinted. "At least we got that traitor out of here." His husky frame shook with another chortle.

Sedgepaw did not even grace them with a glance. Instead, her eyes peered over Mudpaw's shoulder, spotting Blueflower retreating into the den of knotweed and plumegrass that composed the warriors den. Wait!

Yewpaw distracted the other two apprentices from Sedgepaw's blatant disinterest in them by indulging them with her reply, "I could barely hear a thing! I was stuck in the back with this chattering squirrel." Her reddish-brown tail flicked at Mudpaw, and he shrugged carelessly.

"Well, I can share with you what I saw tomorrow?" Blackpaw offered. Though Sedgepaw was ignoring them, she did not miss the amorous overtone in Blackpaw's voice. "I had a pretty good spot," he boasted. "Toadpaw and I saw the whole thing."

"You didn't miss much," Sedgepaw interjected bluntly. "I was in the front, and it was actually pretty boring." She cast Blackpaw a smug glare when Yewpaw gave a huff of disappointment.

"You seemed pretty interested to me," Blackpaw retorted. "The way you were gawking at Vinestripe, I thought you were going to wail on his behalf."

Sedgepaw bristled, and she felt the fur on her face burn. "I was just shocked is all!"

Blackpaw rolled his green eyes, pushing passed her with a contemplative grunt. "I had a feeling he was an odd bird. With those dodgy eyes and that stuttery voice of his; Grayjaw told me he was a twitchy flake."

Sedgepaw was growing tired of Blackpaw's rambling; he was famous for harping on himself and his beliefs. It made Sedgepaw want to snap those persistent strings so he could only babble like a dazed kit. With her long, mottled brown fur still bristling, she watched Toadpaw waddle after Blackpaw on stumpy legs into the apprentices den. The primrosewillows that composed it shivered upon their entry; their skeletal red stems and trunks swallowed the apprentices before the curtain of drooping leaves hid the entrance again.

The weight of the night finally crashed on Sedgepaw's shoulders, and her tail drooped with fatigue. "What a night," she whispered.

"I agree," Yewpaw replied before yawning again. "Come on, let's rest."

"Me first!" Mudpaw chirped, diving into the den with a ruckus. His white-tipped tail vanished behind the branches, and Sedgepaw smiled fondly when she heard Toadpaw squeal a complaint at her brother for being so noisy.

Pushing through the draping branches, Sedgepaw noticed her friend Ospreypaw was already nested in her bedding of moss. Her black and white fur rose and fell calmly, and Sedgepaw envied her ability to surrender to sleep so soon after Vinestripe's conviction. The entire floor of the apprentices den with thatched with layer upon layer of the wiry gray moss, sponging any moisture that seeped from the emersed roots of the primrosewillows, but it collected in heaps where the apprentices made their nests. Sedgepaw felt like she could collapse anywhere, though.

Taking her spot between Ospreypaw and Yewpaw, she rested on her back in order to gaze up at the indigo sky through the trembling leaves. The stars suspended above stared back, blinking wordlessly. She could hear her denmates' breathing start to slow one by one as they fell asleep, but Sedgepaw remained alert. Vinestripe's defeated face was branded in her mind's eye, forcing her thoughts to revolve around it. She prayed for sleep until it came. When it did come, it was as if the night sky fell onto her, crushing her in darkness.