Guess who's alive! I know it's been a year, and I wish I could express how sorry I am, but I guess I just lost inspiration. I wrote half of this months ago, and then the other half on a 14 hour long bus ride about two weeks ago, and then forgot to post it.

Thank you for encouraging me in your reviews! I want to finish this story, and I hopped off FanFiction for a while, but I'm back at least until this story is done.

Previously:

Shocked, he met her gaze, wondering what could have happened, until he remembered with a jolt Sunpaw following Rainpaw out of camp. Oh no...

"What happened?" He asked, sitting beside her and running his tail down her back.

Rainpaw opened her mouth, hesitating before meowing, "Sunpaw."

I knew it.

"She followed me from camp, and saw me meeting up with Stormpaw, and she..." Rainpaw exhaled slowly. "She attacked us." She moved her tail to reveal blood slowly oozing from a scratch on her shoulder. "She pinned me to the ground and promised me she would tell the Clan about this, and get me exiled for my 'betrayal.'"

As Thrushpaw listened, anger began to burn in his pelt, and he unknowingly was flexing his claws into the moss.

"Listen," he started. "She's being a fox-heart, but there's not really much we can do right now. Let's wait and see what she does. But I want you to know, I'll stand with you."

Rainpaw nodded, but didn't look much more relieved as she curled into a tighter ball.

Thrushpaw sighed, and sank down into his own nest. He stayed awake for a while, listening to each cat come into the den, and wondering with apprehension what the next day would bring.

Chapter 31:

"Stop!"

Rainpaw lashed her tail as she pushed Thrushpaw off of her.

"You did it wrong again!" Fernshade's voice dripped with exasperation as she paced back and forth.

Oh, great, another lecture.

"You were too slow when you went to trip Thrushpaw, and when you were fighting head-on, there was no force behind your blows! I'm not surprised that you ended up on the ground."

Her eyes narrowed when Rainpaw's jaws gaped in a huge yawn, and she continued, "And that! You've been so tired, and it's really effecting your training. If you keep this up, Birdpaw will be a warrior way before you."

That caught Rainpaw's attention. She scowled, ears burning with embarrassment and anger. Do you know how hard it is to stay up late and then wake up early, work hard all day, and then repeat the process?!

And that's your own choice, her rational side reminded. Rainpaw flattened her ears. It was true that Stormpaw had taken up a majority of her time now, since they had increased the meetings. Training had conveniently become more intense around the same time, as the apprentices prepared for their final assessments in only two moons.

But she couldn't stop meeting with him now. He was one of her best friends, and she knew that Gathering to Gathering wouldn't develop their relationship. Stormpaw was relatively closed about his personal life, and only recently he had begun to open up about all his struggles in his daily life.

Besides, she told herself firmly, you're not hurting anyone. WindClan and ThunderClan haven't fought for seasons, so it's not likely you'll have to fight each other.

Think, Rainpaw! The reasonable part of her mind spoke. You've been so exhausted. He'll be the same way. How can you both learn to defend your Clan if you're practically dead all day.

Are you meeting him for yourself, or for him? If you really care about him, you'll stop this.

Rainpaw glowered at the ground, suppressing the guilt that rose in her stomach. Suddenly, her mentor's voice shook her out of her thoughts.

"Rainpaw? Did you hear what I said?!"

Rainpaw's startled expression seemed to answer Fernshade's question, and the gray she-cat sighed.

"I said that if you're not up for the rest of fighting practice, you can go look over the elders for ticks. Then go take a nap."

Rainpaw nodded sullenly, padding out of the clearing with her tail dragging in the dust. She glanced at Thrushpaw, hoping for his usual reassuring nod, but stiffened as she saw the barely concealed anger behind his gaze. Thrushpaw is never angry. Frustrated, yes, but angry...

She averted her eyes, ignoring Sunpaw's snicker, and started on the trek back to camp.

Stormpaw was furious. He wanted to smack Bramblepaw across his unsuspecting face, claws unsheathed, and then throw him out of the apprentices' den. Either that or slink into a dark hole where his sleeping would go undisturbed by his pesky brother.

"Go away," he grumbled, curling into a tighter ball and resting his tail over his eyes, blocking out the weak sunlight that was just beginning to filter through the den.

"But it's time for training!"

"I don't care."

Stormpaw smirked with satisfaction as Bramblepaw patterned away, faintly hearing sounds of, "He won't come," and "Did you bring it?"

As he was just drifting off into half-sleep, something wet dribbled onto his face. He twitched his whiskers, scattering droplets, and then leapt up in shock as something squishy and moist was shoved at his muzzle.

He glanced down at the bundle of drenched moss now at his paws, then up at Bramblepaw's triumphant expression.

"See, I told you I'd get him up!" he crowed.

Stormpaw cringed at the sound of his mentor's voice.

"Good. You can go join the other apprentices." Bramblepaw nodded and bounded away, and Stormpaw began to hesitantly follow until Falconclaw barked, "Stormpaw! Stay here, I'd like a word with you."

He waited until Stormpaw was seated and met his stare.

"I'll just jump into this; your attitude is unacceptable," he rumbled quietly. Stormpaw would have been less scared if he had screamed.

"You are constantly ignoring everything I say, and seem uncapable of fixing your mistakes in your training. You used to be at the top of the apprentices, but now you've lagged behind and you're barely pulling in last. If you took your warrior assessment at this very moment, you'd fail miserably. I'm considering talking to Silverstar about adding extra moons to your training."

Fox dung. Who's ever heard of a deputy who failed their warrior assessment?

"If you want to be a great warrior, you're going to have to shape up." Falconclaw paused, and something almost reminiscent gleamed in his gaze. "I had, and still have, such high hopes for you. I think you'd make an outstanding deputy."

His eyes flashed knowingly when Stormpaw's ears perked up.

"So, are you ready to work?"

When he said work, he really meant it.

Falconclaw had forced Stormpaw to run twenty "warm-up" laps around the camp, and Stormpaw had tripped on the fifth one. He had been able to catch a few moments' rest before Falconclaw had tasked him with bringing water back from the ThunderClan-WindClan boundary for the elders.

Then, mind still fuzzy from the lack of sleep, he unintentionally began a conversation with himself just past sundown as he was walking to his and Rainpaw's meeting place.

Have you ever wondered why the water in a lake doesn't sink into the ground like a puddle?

No, idiot.

What's an idiot?

I don't know. I heard a couple of kittypets screaming it at each other once when we chased them off our territory.

Idiot. I like it.

Why are we talking again?

You're the only one I have, Stormpaw.

Stop being lovey-dovey and go to sleep.

Sleep is for the weak! I am a warrior.

Well, you slept last night, so I guess you're weak.

"I am not weak!" Stormpaw mumbled, and promptly tripped over a stone sticking out of the ground just outside camp. Deciding he was too lazy to get up, he rolled on his back and waited for someone to find him.

Tiredness can play tricks on the brain. It's my enemy.

Then sleep.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo...

"Stormpaw?"

He started, and lifted his head up to spot Bramblepaw padding toward him, who looked utterly confused.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Stormpaw muttered. "I just sat down and was too comfortable to get up."

Bramblepaw eyed him suspiciously, but to Stormpaw's relief, didn't ask any questions.

"You should go to sleep," he continued, and Stormpaw sighed.

"You both have been telling me that."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Bramblepaw stood awkwardly for a moment, then nudged Stormpaw to his paws when he showed no will to move.

"Come on, let's go."

Stormpaw shifted most of his weight against Bramblepaw's shoulder, and together they stumbled to the apprentice den, tiredness weighing down their steps. As Stormpaw finally curled into his nest, he vaguely remembered he was supposed to meet with Rainpaw, but frankly, he couldn't be bothered.

Well, I wrote the part when Stormpaw was talking to himself at about 12 am. This was more of filler chapter, sorry. It didn't really have to do anything with the ending of the previous one, which I totally forgot about. I haven't proofread this yet, either. Thanks for reading, and have a good week. God bless you!