Chapter 4

The apprentices were on elder duty so that gave me some time to not worry about them.

"Hey Silentstorm, can you make sure the apprentices don't act up and actually do what they're supposed to?" I asked. "I wanna talk to Deathfire."

"Sure," Silentstorm agreed.

"Thanks. If you need me, you'll know where to find me," I told her.

I walked over to the nursery where Deathfire was. I could hear the kits were running around, playing as she watched to make sure they were safe and weren't fighting.

"Hey Deathfire," I greeted.

"Hi," she responded.

"So, how's things been going?" I asked.

"Could be better," she answered. "I mean, Lightstar's making my every sleeping moment miserable, Wingstar is watching me like a hawk, and Flurrytail has something huge planned, which apparently I'm in the center of it. Could be worse I suppose."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's terrible," I told her.

"Yeah. I wish I knew what Flurrytail was planning," she said. "I guess we'll find out in two moons though."

"You got an approximate time for when it will happen?" I asked.

"Lightstar gives me some information from time to time, more or less as bait for me to follow her," she answered.

"Any other information?" I asked.

"Unfortunately no," she responded. "She seems to want it to happen. She wants me to break. Because maybe then I'll give in."

"We won't let whatever it is happen," I told her. "I promise."

"Thanks," she said. "So, how's things going with the apprentices?"

"Terrible," I answered. "Don't listen to a word I say and barely listen to Silentstorm. I swear, they're going to be a death of me."

"Ah yes. Been kidnapped twice, tortured once, and survived countless murder attempts, but in the end, it was a couple of apprentices who took her down," Deathfire stated dramatically. "They didn't do anything except not listen."

"Wouldn't that mean that still did nothing since they didn't do it?" I asked.

"Fox-dung, you're right," Deathfire muttered.

"You're gonna teach the kits some bad words if you don't learn to watch your language," I warned her.

"Fox-dung, you're right," she said.

"Deathfire, you said it again," I told her.

She opened her mouth to say something and I put my tail tip to it to signal her to keep quiet before she said it again. I moved it.

"So maybe I have a bad habit of saying it, but I have enough self-control not to in front of the kits," Deathfire told me.

"You really don't," I told her. "They are right there and you almost said it three times, you yowled at a leader at a gathering twice, and yowled at Grasstail at the border that one time. You really, truthfully don't."

"Well, maybe I haven't demonstrated the best self-control in the past, but I'm getting better," she defended.

"One of those just happened Deathfire," I reminded her.

"Well, I've never attacked anyone in the middle of camp," she muttered.

"Who even told you about that?" I asked.

"Boulderfang," she answered. "And I certainly wasn't the first cat to yowl at a leader, Silentstorm did once too. She also almost attacked an innocent apprentice."

"Can you stop talking about that?" Silentstorm shouted from across camp.

"Hey, I'm just keeping you from lying to yourself," I told her.

"Well, I haven't taught it to them yet so obviously I have some self-control," Deathfire stated.

"True," I agreed. "I'll give you that."

"Plus Boulderfang would probably kill me if I taught the kits anything like that; you'd never find the body," she added. "I mean, not saying that wouldn't save everyone a lot of trouble and be a good thing in the end."

"You aren't getting murdered on my watch," I promised her.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll just get murdered on someone else's watch."

"Deathfire, no," I told her.

"Fine," she sighed.

"Unfortunately for you, you won't be getting murdered for a while," Flurrytail remarked. We both quickly turned to face her.

"Then what are you planning in two moons if you're not gonna kill me?" Deathfire asked.

"Who told you the whole two moons thing?" Flurrytail asked.

"Lightstar," Deathfire answered.

"Ever occurred to you she might be lying?" Flurrytail asked. "Trying to make you feel calm and secure when in reality it's just around the corner?"

"Why would you be saying that unless you were just trying to make me paranoid?" Deathfire asked.

"Aw, the kit's trying to be clever," Flurrytail taunted. "It doesn't matter if you know or not, you won't be able to stop it. Because I have the perfect plan."

"You can't stop all of us," I warned her.

"I won't have to stop all of you. You know I have a lot of help," Flurrytail told me. "And you know the kit is a mouse-brain who ends up on her own."

"Just leave her alone!" I told Flurrytail. "Aren't I the one who's caused you all these problems? If she's not a threat to you, leave her alone."

"Where's the fun in that? And besides, anyone close to my enemies is a good way to get to my enemies," Flurrytail responded. "I mean, she's the perfect target. Small, weak, mouse-brained, and insecure. Honestly, she'd be more use to you dead because then she'd at least not be in the way!"

My claws slid out. "You're the one who would be more use dead," I growled. "How about I arrange it for you?"

Flurrytail laughed. "Try me, kittypet," she told me.

I lunged at Flurrytail and my claws connected with someone, but I could tell it wasn't Flurrytail. I immediately stopped.

"What in StarClan made you think that was a good idea, Deathfire?" I exclaimed.

"What made you think that attacking Flurrytail was a good idea?" Deathfire countered. "You're going to get into trouble! She's the deputy! Do you really want to get a bad reputation?"

"I can handle myself," I told her. "If I can get myself into a situation, I can get myself out."

"First of all, you've proved that wrong in the past. Second of all, I say that to you all the time, but you never listen," Deathfire told me. "You tell me to ignore Flurrytail and then let her enrage you. You're such a hypocrite!"

"I just want to protect you," I told her.

"And I'm doing the same," she responded. "I'm not a kit anymore. I know what I'm doing."

"Well, you're sure not putting much thought into it," I told her.

"Neither are you," she retorted.

"Look, I'm sorry I let Flurrytail provoke me and I'm certainly sorry I hurt you," I apologized. "I just am trying to get Flurrytail to leave you alone, but this is probably not the best way of doing it."

Deathfire cried out. "It's certainly not," Flurrytail agreed.

I was about to attempt to attack Flurrytail again when someone grabbed my scruff and pulled me backwards. I fell it a sitting position.

"No," Silentstorm told me.

"She deserves it," I muttered.

"No one can argue with that," Tallblaze agreed.

"However," Silentstorm added, "it's a terrible idea."

"True," I sighed. "If you're gonna murder someone, you gotta plan it just right."

"Not what I meant," Silentstorm muttered.

"Anyway, come on Shorty. We're getting those wounds patched up," Tallblaze told Deathfire.

"I'm fine," Deathfire argued. "Besides, I gotta take care of the kits."

"I'm right here so you know that's a terrible argument," Boulderfang told her. "Go with Tallblaze."

"But I am perfectly fine!" Deathfire argued.

"Look, you'll be able to leave when I'm done. We just don't want those getting infected," Tallblaze explained. "You're not getting out of this. If you refuse, I will pick you up and carry you there."

"Fine," she muttered, leaving with him.

"Why's she so stubborn?" I muttered.

"Why did you think it was a good idea to try and attack Flurrytail?" Silentstorm countered.

"She was saying a bunch of terrible stuff about Deathfire," I answered. "No way I was going to let her get by with that."

Silentstorm sighed. "You know that's a bad idea, right? And what if she tries to blame Deathfire?"

"How could she do that?" I asked.

"Wingstar will believe what she wants rather than what's true," Silentstorm answered.

"Silentstorm's right," Boulderfang agreed. "Attacking her, or even killing her at this point, won't help. We need to prove her guilty and in turn Deathfire innocent."

"How though?" I asked.

"That's what we don't know," Silentstorm told me.

We have to do something. But what can you do when you don't even know if you can do anything?

Author's Note: YEAH I GET YOU WANNA DO SOMETHING SILKSHADE, BUT ATTACKING THE DEPUTY IN THE MIDDLE OF CAMP IS NOT IT. Poor Deathfire though, get this poor girl a break or something. Oh wait, I'm the author. Welp. Anyway, school is starting back this week so F U N. I'm not going to let it impact my upload schedule at all, of course. I mean, I've uploaded through the school year before. It may not allow me to write on the next book as much though. But this story means a lot to me and I'm going to finish it and nothing's gonna stop me. Anyway, leave a review if you'd like! I'll see you all next week!

-Rowan W.