Dreamcloud plushies to: Raincloud's Legacy, Mistystream Longtail's Loyalty, Halfpelt, Leopardheart, Spottedcloud, Miragestar, Frostpaw and Duskspirit. Now, vote again on which of three remaining cats should be the next plushie!

A) Windstar

B) Robinpelt

C) Calicofur

Oh, and vote, even if you voted for a different cat before. EVERYONE VOTE!

Chapter Fourteen: Treachery

Applebird glared at Windstar before turning swiftly and beginning to pad off. But the tom was too fast for her.

"You're just using me to get over him," He said, then added sarcasm to his voice. "That really hurts."

"Toms," Applebird muttered.

"Now," Windstar meowed. "You go over to Thunderclan territory and apologize. Or get him to apologize. Or whoever did what to a different cat."

Applebird shook her head. "You know you're encouraging things that are against the warrior code."

"Do I look like I follow the warrior code every second of my life?" Windstar asked.

"Not really.

xxx

"You seem moody," Dreamcloud commented to Calicofur.

"Of course I'm moody," Calicofur hissed. "My mentor is missing!"

"And," Dreamcloud laughed, twitching her tail toward a pair of cats. "Spiderleg is spending so much time with Lightfur. That can't be what's bothering you, can it?"

Calicofur was silent. She then noticed Thornclaw speaking to Firestar not far off.

"No," Firestar insisted. "We can't lose more cats, Thornclaw."

"But Palelegs-and the others-are out there!" Thornclaw protested. "Who knows how long it'll be before we can risk anything to find them!"

Firestar was silent, and it was obvious how hard it was for him not to send out a patrol to look for Leafpool. His daughter was missing again. His mate had recently been injured.

"Look," He sighed. "I want to find them as much as you do. But-"

"Please let me!" Thornclaw begged. Calicofur's pelt prickled as she realized why the golden tabby tom wanted to go.

"He's not very subtle, is he?" Dreamcloud commented. "He's obviously in love with Palelegs."

Calicofur shifted from paw to paw, nervously. Dreamcloud gave an amused purr.

"Not very subtle at all."

xxx

Julianna Morgan, or Julie, was an annoying little Twoleg. Eight years old and obsessed with cats, she was always visiting the animal shelter.

"Julie," Her mother said desperatly, pointing to a ginger and white cat. "How about that one?"

The cat, a female, was crouched in a corner, yellow eyes glaring, ready to strike out with her claws at any time.

Palelegs.

"I WANT A WHITE ONE!" Julie screamed, stamping her foot. Palelegs flattened her ears. Starclan, this kit was loud... obviously, no one had taught her any manners, the way she was treating her mother...

Sandra Morgan, Julie's mother, whiped a bit of sweat off her brow. Every single time they came here, even though many new cats had been coming in, they never found a cat that Julie wanted.

"Excuse me," She said quickly, stopping a worker, Patsy Jenkins, as she walked by. "Do you have any white cats?"

"Sorry," Patsy said sympathetically, gazing at a crying Julie. Poor woman. "We almost got a couple, but they got away."

"Where are you getting all these anyway?" Sandra asked, watching the frightened cat in the kennel.

"The forest is overrun by ferals," Patsy sighed. "We decided it was best to go out with tranquilizer guns, catch a few, get them as tame as possible, and give them new homes." Her eyes lit up. "The other day, we went out to this one area, and it was FULL of cats. There was a huge white male with green eyes that's pretty cool. We've seen him before."

"How about this," Sandra said quickly. "As soon as you catch that cat, GIVE HIM TO US."

Patsy shrugged. "Sure, as long as he isn't sick. I mean, we got one instead of him, pretty young. She had Feline Leukemia, so we had to put her down."

Sandra nodded, signed a few forms, and began to drag Julie away.

"We'll get him," Patsy yelled behind her.

"I WANNA WHITE KITTY!"

xxx

"Thornclaw's missing," Brambleclaw reported to Firestar. The ginger tom sighed.

"He probably went after Palelegs. He's not going to want us to find him, so look for well hidden tracks. Take a patrol out, and take Cloudtail, Brackenfur, and... Ashfur with you."

Brambleclaw nodded and went to collect the other cats.

Dreamcloud watched carefully, her eyes narrowed, as the gray tom began to walk off with the patrol. His dark blue eyes didn't show any sign of the murder he had attempted.

"He's probably planning something again," Came a hiss. Dreamcloud turned to see Robinpelt. The tabby tom was watching Ashfur carefully.

"I don't like him being on a patrol with my father." He stated.

Dreamcloud dipped her head in response. "I'm going to talk to Sandstorm about this."

"Are you sure she'll even remember?" Robinpelt asked. "It doesn't seem likely."

"She might."

The pale ginger she-cat looked pleased with herself as she stretched her limbs in Leafpool's den. She was almost ready to leave. Dreamcloud trotted over.

"Sandstorm," She began. "How are you?"

"Fine." Sandstorm replied. She looked confused. "Why?"

Dreamcloud sighed, sat down, situated herself so that she WASN'T about to fall over on her stomach, and looked her grandmother in the eye.

"Look," She whispered. "Do you remember anything before you were pushed?"

"Well..." Sandstorm thought. "I remember Ashfur telling Robinpelt to go hunt somewhere else, and then I was about to go downhill t-"

Her eyes widened as she realized what she had come upon.

"You saw, didn't you?" She mewed. Dreamcloud nodded. "He pushed me, didn't he?"

"Yes, Sandstorm," Dreamcloud sighed. "He did."

Sandstorm lept to her paws, pain forgotten, tail lashing. "We must tell Firestar about this! Who knows who Ashfur will try to kill next!"

Dreamcloud's eyes lit up, and she matched Sandstorm's pace step by step as they walked over to Firestar's den.

"Sandstorm, Dreamcloud!" He sat up, and stared at both of them. "You," He said, nodding toward Sandstorm. "Should be in Leafpool's den. And you," a nod toward Dreamcloud. "Should be resting."

"We will later!" Dreamcloud hissed, ignoring the fact that Firestar was her leader. "We have something important to tell you!"

"What is it?"

"Ashfur pushed me down the hill!" Sandstorm cried. "It's all coming back to me!"

Firestar's eyes widened in shock, and he was silent for a moment before answering.

"I won't make the same mistake as Bluestar," Firestar murmured. "I trust both of you. We'll hold his trial at sunset."

xxx

Cats gathered around the highledge for the meeting as Firestar's yowl sounded around the camp.

"I wonder what's going on," Calicofur whispered to Dreamcloud. "He looks like it's urgent."

"You'll see," Dreamcloud growled, her eyes on Ashfur.

"I have recently been alerted by Sandstorm and Dreamcloud to treachery," Firestar began. Murmurs went around the camp.

"What kind of treachery?" Robinpelt asked. He caught Dreamcloud eyes with his.

"Attempted murder of a cat of their own Clan."

Now there were gasps. It had been a while since that had happened.

"Sandstorm, Dreamcloud," Firestar said. "Why don't you tell the story."

All eyes turned toward them, and Dreamcloud felt like crouching down, unsure of what they'd think.

"On that day that Sandstorm, Robinpelt, and Ashfur went on a patrol," Dreamcloud started. "Sandstorm didn't just fall."

Silence. Ashfur's dark blue eyes widened in realization, and he flattened his ears.

"I was pushed," Sandstorm said harshly. "While Robinpelt was gone, I was pushed downhill by Ashfur. He planned to kill me because he wanted me to retire."

More gasps, and hisses directed at Ashfur.

"Wait!" It was Ferncloud, her pale green eyes wide and unsure. "I thought you said you fell."

"I thought so," Sandstorm admitted. "But I remembered."

"Ashfur," Firestar asked coldly, his eyes burning with an angry light. He was no longer just a Clan leader. He was a cat who's mate had been injured, and he wanted to get back at the criminal. "What do you have to say about this?"

Ashfur was silent, and his eyes darted all around at the questioning faces of cats. Robinpelt caught his gaze and glared, so he finally spoke.

"Yes," He hissed. "I did try to kill Sandstorm. She's old. Her great grandkits are only a moon away from being born. She needed to retire or die."

Yowls of outrage sounded, and Firestar lept down from Highledge in one fluid motion, snarling. Dreamcloud joined him, not caring that she was a queen, fur bristling, and Squirrelflight as well, even Leafpool.

"Calm down!" Brambleclaw growled, stepping forward. But he unsheathed his long claws-Tigerstar's claws, the claws he even shared with his own daughter-threateningly. "We don't want this getting out."

"True," Firestar admitted grudgingly. "But-" he glared at Ashfur. "-you are exiled, Ashfur. You have till moonhigh to be out of our territory."

Ashfur spat, and began to stalk off. He gave Robinpelt a long stare as he did. Dreamcloud was puzzled. What was that about?

Two cats had hurt looks on their faces. His adopted brother, Cloudtail, and his sister, Ferncloud. But finally, he disappeared into the forest...

xxx

I decided to let Dreamcloud have claws like Tigerstar,

A) Because that would rock.

B) Because she needs them.

C) It'll play a part in the story.

Anyway, R and R!