Guess what? I'M BACK! Hehe, my class is over now, and I decided to come back to the wonderful world of fanfiction. OMG there are a lot of fics made up of one-shots now, aren't they? Anyway...well, I wrote this chap on a whim today, based off the last chap that I had and trashed before I quit, so it might not be great. Still, enjoy!

And I just realized that I have almost 300 reviews. Did I mention how FREAKIN' AWESOME you all are?

A pair of green eyes half-opened in the darkness, watching Brambleclaw as he sneaked across the clearing and disappeared into the forest. Squirrelflight's fur bristled as she sat up. Where was he going in the middle of the night? And why hadn't he told her?

All her old worries came rushing back. Does it have to do with Hawkfrost? Was I right all along?

She reminded herself that he could just be out catching a mouse. As much as Squirrelflight wanted to believe that, she couldn't bring herself to. For a few moments she stared at the camp entrance, then realized there was no point in sitting around. She had to go after him.

The ginger warrior was just standing up when she heard someone stirring behind her. "Squirrelflight, where are you going?"

She didn't turn back around. "Whitewhisker, go back to sleep."

"It's Brambleclaw, isn't it? You're following him."

"So what if I am?" Squirrelflight demanded. "It's not against the warrior code to go out at night. Leave me alone."

"But you're not just 'going out'," Whitewhisker mewed. Her eyes were narrow and clear of all drowsiness. "Brambleclaw doesn't know you're going after him, does he? Do you know where he's going?"

Squirrelflight whipped around, annoyed. "No. But I'm going to find out. Now be quiet, before you wake anyone else up."

Whitewhisker shook her head. "If you don't know where he's going, let me go with you. What if there's trouble? You might need another warrior."

Squirrelflight rolled her eyes. "If I say yes, then will you be quiet?"

Whitewhisker nodded, and the ginger she-cat mewed, "Fine. Let's go, before anyone else-"

"Too late." Spiderleg stretched his long legs in his nest. He had clearly only been faking sleep. "Let me come too."

"And me." Rainwhisker and then Sootfur lifted their heads, then Ashfur. Squirrelflight sighed. "You don't even know where we're going!"

"You can tell us on the way," meowed Rainwhisker, his blue eyes gleaming in anticipation. Squirrelflight twitched her tail, giving up. "Fine." If they continued arguing, they'd wake up the senior warriors. And Squirrelflight knew for sure that they would tell Firestar, which would be bad news for both her and Brambleclaw. As angry as she was at him for sneaking off, she didn't want him to get into any actual trouble with the Clan leader, especially when she wasn't sure if he had actually done anything wrong yet.

They silently padded out of the warriors' den, out into the moonlight. Squirrelflight explained under her breath what they were doing, and it came as no surprise to her that some of them were skeptical.

"Why don't you just tell Firestar?" Ashfur wondered as he slipped through the thorn entrance. "He can make an official patrol to fetch Brambleclaw back."

"Or don't go after him at all," mewed Sootfur. "What makes you think that he's doing anything wrong? He could have just fancied a mouse."

"Look," Squirrelflight meowed. "I don't want him to get in trouble with Firestar, but I know something's up. Something more than hunting. I want to know what it is, and if I tell Firestar now Brambleclaw'll never trust me agan. If you don't want to go just go back to sleep. It doesn't matter to me."

But all of their eyes were bright with the anticipation of this secret mission, and no one moved. Squirrelflight sighed again. "Then come on. I'll lead."

She slipped to the head of the line, jaws parted to breathe in Brambleclaw's familiar scent. As they set off it became clear that he wasn't hunting- he was a good ways in front of them, as if he was heading purposefully somewhere. His trail took them in the direction of the WindClan border. But, Squirrelflight reminded herself, that didn't mean he was going to WindClan.

Perhaps he's going to the island? To meet Hawkfrost there? Like Mudclaw used to when they were planning together?

Suspicion wormed its way into Squirrelflight's mind, and she couldn't shake it out. The warrior set off with renewed vigor, only to stop short when she caught a completely different scent. She looked behind her, but the others didn't seem to have smelled it. She breathed in again to make sure.

But what would Leafpool be doing out here, too?

Blinking, Squirrelflight looked back again. "I'm going to scout ahead," she lied. "Rainwhisker, will you take the lead?"

The dark gray warrior came forward, and Squirrelflight began to run, staying on Brambleclaw's trail at first but veering off when the undergrowth had seperated her from her friends. She found Leafpool's scent again and continued to follow it. Her sister's trail was as strong as Brambleclaw's. She was out here tonight, too. But what was she doing so close to the WindClan border? There were few herbs to be found so near the dry moorland, and surely they were even more difficult to find in the middle of the night?

Squirrelflight plowed steadily on, unsure whether she would be able to stand two betrayals in one night. Brambleclaw was one thing...but her own sister, a medicine cat? She must have some excuse for being out here. Had Barkface called her to WindClan to help with something? But why wouldn't he bring Cinderpelt as well?

Is this it? Is this what she's been hiding from me?

Squirrelflight was running blindly now, her eyes narrow and blood pounding in her ears. Her unsheathed claws scored into the dirt, and as she approached a clump of nettles ahead she pushed through, ignoring the sting to her pelt.

When she was on the other side she stopped short, her mouth opening, eyes widening. She had found Leafpool.

&&&

Leafpool was lying next to Crowfeather, pelts brushing, tails twined together. When Squirrelflight barreled through the nettles they sprang apart, but they were not quick enough.

"Leafpool!" Squirrelflight exploded. She stood where she was, every hair on her pelt on end. "This...this is what you were hiding, all this time? You've been seeing him?" Her tail whipped roughly at Crowfeather, who bristled.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? This is my territory, not yours!" Squirrelflight snarled. She looked back at Leafpool. "You're a medicine cat! How can you? How..."

She trailed off, looking unsteady. Leafpool took a step closer to her. "Squirrelflight..."

"No!" Her sister whipped around. "I don't believe it. And you!" She glared at Crowfeather. "What about Feathertail? What about being WindClan deputy? Have you forgotten all of that?"

Crowfeather flinched. "No," he meowed. His flanks were heaving, but his voice was calm. "I haven't forgotten. I just-"

"You have to stop seeing each other!"

"No!" Leafpool burst out. Squirrelflight glared at her. "Why not? You know that relationships with cats of other Clans comes to no good. What about Bluestar and Oakheart? Graystripe and Silverstream?" She looked at Crowfeather. "You should know better than anyone."

"I know," Crowfeather meowed. "Doesn't it say something, Squirrelflight, that I'm still seeing Leafpool, even though I know what could happen?"

"Like what?" Squirrelflight hissed. "That you're both idiots?"

Crowfeather glared at her. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"I was following Brambleclaw-" Squirrelflight broke off as if wishing she hadn't said that, and Leafpool pressed, "Why were you following Brambleclaw?"

"Never mind." Squirrelflight sat down, looking slightly more composed, but there was new worry in her eyes. "What if someone finds out?"

"No one has yet," mewed Leafpool. "And they won't."

"And you're so sure of that?" Squirrelflight sighed. "Look, Leafpool...what'll you do if Firestar or Onestar does find out? You're a medicine cat!"

Leafpool's fur bristled. "They won't find out."

"Can you carry on being a medicine cat like this...will Cinderpelt let you, if she finds out?" The ginger she-cat looked around. "And you, Crowfeather. You're WindClan deputy!"

"So?" Crowfeather leaped to his paws, blue eyes flaming in defense. "Has loving Brambleclaw ever stopped you from being a warrior?"

"That's different!" Squirrelflight growled.

"Why?" Leafpool wondered, looking into her sister's eyes for the first time. "It's the same to me."

Squirrelflight's eyes widened and her limbs seemed frozen, except for her tail which lashed back and forth. For a moment she seemed ready to claw Leafpool apart, and then Crowfeather came to stand at the tabby she-cat's side. They sat together for several heartbeats, Squirrelflight watching them. Then she dropped her head, sadly scratching the ground with her white paw.

"Nothing I say is going to change your minds, is it?"

"No," meowed Leafpool and Crowfeather together.

"I don't understand you, then. Don't the warrior and medicine cat codes mean anything to you?"

"Yes, of course they do," murmured Leafpool. "But they don't mean everything."

For just a heartbeat Squirrelflight's angry, wretched expression faded away. For that single hearbeat, as her sister looked into her eyes, Leafpool was sure she understood.

Then Squirrelflight's green gaze hardened again, and Leafpool was left doubting that her sister would ever trust her again.

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