Awareness came to him slowly.

Usually, on the days that he ended up sleeping later than he was supposed to, Ravenpaw or Sandpaw would wake him up. It took him a moment to realize why they hadn't.

Why no on in the apprentice den had bothered to before heading out for training.

Suddenly, the nest he and Ravenpaw had pulled together seemed bigger and colder than his normal, small one ever did.

He still didn't want to pull himself out of it and face the day though.

Stubbornly, he shut his eyes tighter and curled himself into an even smaller ball. If he didn't wake up, if he didn't leave the den and join the rest of the clan, then he could pretend that yesterday had never happened and that there wasn't an empty space in the elder's den waiting to remind him his mother was gone.

He was just starting to move past the icy weight of grief Redtail's death had draped over him for the last moon.

It wasn't fair.

Redtail's absence had made him feel numb and cold. Acknowledging Rosetail was gone as well felt as if some cat had reached inside of him and pulled out his heart.

Bitterly, Dustpaw hid his face between his paws. One day. He just needed one day to himself, to remember the cats he'd admired and cared about and lost far too closely together and then he could push himself into giving himself fully to the clan and doing his best to keep this from happening again.

So of course, Darkstripe chose that moment to make his appearance.

"Nearly sunhigh and you're still sleeping? And who do you think you are, having a nest that big despite still being an apprentice? Bluestar?"

Teeth sank uncomfortably into his scruff as he was unceremoniously dragged out of said nest; nearly destroying it in the process.

A low grunt escaped him as Darkstripe dropped him on the hard floor of the apprentice den and fixed him with a harsh glare.

"You think you can just sleep the day away because a couple of cats died yesterday? Too special to do any actual work huh?" a cruel sneer crossed his mentor's face. "Even your brother, useless lump of fur that he is, understands life in the clan goes on."

Hot, burning fury filled him at Darkstripe's words. Dustpaw felt his claws slide out as he glared just as fiercely at the older cat. "My brother's not useless."

Darkstripe shot him an unimpressed look. "Really? Funny how cats keep dying everytime he's in a battle with them then."

The only thing stopping him from jumping and clawing Darkstripe's stupid face off right then and there was Bluestar's voice calling for a clan meeting outside the den.

Darkstripe gave him an appraising look. "Meet me at the sandy hollow after the meeting. Keep up that energy and maybe you won't do half bad with battle training today."

Dustpaw watched his mentor leave in a mix of confusion, residual anger, and, bizarrely, fear.

Had Darkstripe really just come in to wake him up and rile his emotions up in such a way to prompt him to nearly claw his face off for battle training? Training that hadn't even started or been given the okay to start?

Stars. What if he had attacked Darkstripe just now? Spilled his mentor's and probably his own blood in the apprentice den. Where they all slept.

How in Starclan would he be able to explain to Sandpaw and Ravenpaw why there was blood all over the floor or, stars forbid, their nests?

A heavy weight against his side jolted him out of his thoughts.

For a moment, he was afraid Darkstripe was back, this time with some new twisted idea before the familiar scent of his brother registered past his senses.

"I'm here. You're okay. We're okay."

Dustpaw felt himself relax against Ravenpaw, whose quiet reassurances began to slow as he realized his brother was doing better than when he'd first entered the den.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Dustpaw took a deep breath. Whatever had just happened with Darkstripe was between him and his mentor. Ravenpaw didn't need to know what Darkstripe had implied. He was finally moving past his misplaced guilt over Redtail, the last thing Ravenpaw needed was to blame himself for two more cats' deaths.

"Nothing. Just a nightmare."

A small sound of disbelief escaped him, but mercifully he didn't push it.

Dustpaw gave him a small headbump. "Did I hear Bluestar calling a meeting just now?"

"Yeah, but if you want to stay here a little longer, Sandpaw could probably tell us what happened later..."

Dustpaw shook his head. "I need to get out of the den, see some sunlight. Get that nightmare outta my head." he forced a smile. Ravenpaw didn't seem convinced but he let Dustpaw lead them out of the den before taking over and guiding them to a spot near Sandpaw.

"Bout time you two showed up." she hissed at them from the corner of her mouth. "Bluestar's ready to start the meeting."

"Sorry." Ravenpaw muttered back. "Got a thorn stuck in my paw that Dustpaw had to get out for me."

Sandpaw's eyes widened a little at that, but before she could say anything, Bluestar began the meeting.

"Cats of Thunderclan. Last night, Shadowclan attacked and while we successfully drove them out, we lost two fine and noble cats who still had so much to offer their clan and whose loss will be felt for moons." Bluestar paused to let the gathered clan murmur amongst themselves as they remembered Lionheart and Rosetail before pressing on again in her speech. "Unfortunately, Shadowclan remains a threat. As long as Brokenstar desires our territory, I fear this will not be the last we see of his warriors. Until then, we will rebuild and patrol our boundaries constantly and show that we are not afraid of their underpawed tactics and remain the strong and powerful clan we have always been!"

Determined and fierce yowls erupted from the gathered cats at Bluestar's words; Dustpaw included.

For the first time since last night, he felt the smallest spark of hope.

Losing Rosetail hurt. Hurt more than anything he could imagine and moreso than Redtail's death had. But Bluestar was right. Thunderclan was still strong, was still here.

Rosetail had been an elder, but had held strong as long as she could against Shadowclan's deputy.

If an elder could put up that much of fight, then maybe the rest of Shadowclan would think twice about attacking again.

Atop her perch, Bluestar waited patiently for the clan's cheering to die down before starting up again.

"Finally, I would like to offer an invitation to Yellowfang. She could have helped her former clanmates in their attack against us, but chose instead to aid us. For that, I'd like to make her a full member of Thunderclan."

Beside the highrock, Yellowfang stepped forward and dipped her head. "I am honored by your offer, Bluestar. I accept."

Movement at the other side of the crowd caught his eye.

Turning slightly to better focus on it, Dustpaw saw Firepaw sitting next to Graypaw, gaze proud as he excitedly prodded his friend, eyes never leaving the old she-cat.

Dustpaw frowned a little at the display.

It was...odd, seeing Firepaw this excited over anything. Not that he ever paid much attention to the kittypet if he could help it, but Firepaw had always seemed overly serious or reserved to the point that he'd been half-convinced that his twolegs had sapped him of ever having a real emotion.

Watching him now, excitedly rushing towards Yellowfang's side, grinning and purring as he congratulated her on officially joining Thunderclan now that the meeting was over made him seem like a real cat. And not just a sad echo of one only good for eating all their food and sucking up all of Graypaw's attention.

Tigerclaw's stern voice drew him out of his musings.

"As Bluestar said, although we drove Shadowclan out yesterday, that's no guarantee they won't try attacking again. Which is why we have decided for the time being that only full warriors will maintain patrolling duties. Apprentices, Queens, and Elders will stay within the camp to rebuild and help protect the kits."

Sandpaw jumped to her paws, fury in her eyes. "That's not fair! Apprentices should be allowed to patrol and hunt as well as the warriors! Yesterday proved that we can handle Shadowclan as well as any cat!"

Tigerclaw's lips curled back in the beginnings of a snarl as he glared at her but thankfully, before things could escalate any farther, Bluestar spoke.

"That's not what we were saying. You and the other apprentices did very well in handling Shadowclan yesterday and it is through your talents and skill that you came out of that battle without grievous injury. Which is why Tigerclaw and I think it's a good idea to keep you five in camp for now."

Sandpaw opened her mouth as if to argue some more before pausing at a raised paw from Bluestar.

"Not because we think you're incapable or need to be protected," Bluestar continued. "But because we need a strong defense in the camp at all times in case Shadowclan attacks here again. Besides," Bluestar's eyes glimmerd in amusement, "Tigerclaw never said apprentices couldn't still hunt."

Sandpaw's eyes widened slightly before dropping down to her paws in embarrassment before sitting back down.

On top of the rock, Bluestar gave a small smile as she gazed down at the gathered clan. "With that, this meeting has come to a close. Please give Tigerclaw your full attention as he assigns today's patrols."

With that, Bluestar leapt off the Highrock pausing to speak with Yellowfang and Firepaw before turning towards her den.

Dustpaw rose to get closer to Tigerclaw to find out what the deputy wanted him to do today only to be pushed roughly back by his brother.

"Not that way mouse-brain."

Dustpaw stared at him in a mix of confusion and annoyance. "What? You think Tigerclaw's going to come over to us and tell us what to do?"

Ravenpaw sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course not. He trusts us not to have fluff in our brains and bother him over something obvious. Like rebuilding dens like Bluestar said."

Dustpaw tried to move past him again this time to try and find whoever was directing the rebuilding effort, but once again, Ravenpaw pushed him back.

"What?" Dustpaw nearly hissed at him. Ravenpaw gave him an exasperated look before tilting his head meaningfully to something behind him. Curious, Dustpaw glanced back and saw Sandpaw was still sitting slightly hunched over and staring at her paws.

"O-Oh."

Ravenpaw's mouth twitched as if he was trying not to smirk.

"You go check up with Sandpaw while I go see where Runningwind wants us." A wide grin crossed his features "Or, if you w~ant, I can have him assign you two to work together alone~."

Dustpaw suddenly felt very hot. Scowling, he swiped at his brother. "Shut up." He muttered.

Ravenpaw, the annoying furball, smirked. "So that's a yes on the second option?"

"No! I-we'll catch up to you."

His brother gave an overdramatic sigh as he stepped out of hitting range. "If you say so."

Throwing him one last cheeky grin, Ravenpaw turned and darted off towards a smaller group of cats gathering around Runningwind.

Dustpaw gave an annoyed huff as he watched his brother run off before turning to head closer to Sandpaw

She was still hunched over a little from the meeting and looking at her, his mouth suddenly felt dry.

What on earth did Ravenpaw think he could say or do to, well, get her out of her own head?

Stars. Why wasn't Ravenpaw talking to her instead of him? He was way better at comfort and dealing with emotional crud than he was.

Stepping closer, he cautiously tapped her side with a paw.

"You uh. You wanna join Ravenpaw and me with repairs?"

Sandpaw heaved a heavy sigh. "I guess. If you don't mind being around such a big embarrassment like me."

Dustpaw shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think you're an embarrassment."

"Really? I interrupted a clan meeting and threw a fit. Seems pretty embarrassing to me."

"Well. Uh. You had a couple good points? And erm, Bluestar clarified we weren't stuck in camp just rebuilding stuff. We can still hunt! Who knows if we woulda found out bout that if it wasn't for you!"

Sandpaw snorted. "Sure. Still embarrassed myself in front of the clan though."

Dustpaw thought for a moment before a small grin started to tug at his lips.

"Maybe. But I don't think anything will ever top what Longtail did yesterday in terms of embarrassing moments."

Sandpaw met his eyes, curious despite herself. "What'd he do?"

Dustpaw leaned forward, like he was sharing a secret. "Stepped on his tail as he was getting up and ended up flipping himself head first and onto his back once he pulled his tail free from underneath his paws."

Sandpaw burst out laughing. "How in Starclan did he not realize he was standing on his tail? Wouldn't he feel that?"

Dustpaw shrugged. "Maybe it's so long that after a point he can't feel anything."

Sandpaw snorted before looking down to trace a line with a paw. "Thanks. For uh. Telling me that. You're right, by the way, makes...earlier...seem not as bad in comparison."

He lightly bumped his head against hers. "Wasn't too hard. You had some valid points and got Bluestar to keep us on hunting patrols. Longtail's just dumb."

Sandpaw laughed again, a little quieter this time. "Yeah..."

Shaking her head, Sandpaw turned to face him again, a familiar fire back in her green eyes.

"Whaddya waiting around for? We got a camp to fortify!"

...

The next few days passed by rather quietly.

He got up, worked with either Sandpaw or Ravenpaw on the barrier surrounding the camp, and went on a hunting patrol here and there.

And while he would never admit it to either of his brother or Sandpaw, he didn't mind weaving brambles together to help fortify the wall. It was equal parts relaxing and mind numbing enough he didn't have to think about anything else.

And; best of all, with all the apprentices on repair duty and the warriors having to do extra patrols. Darkstripe ended up being too tired or bad tempered to remember to train his apprentice. Not once since the recent clan meeting did he have to interact with his mentor.

A snort escaped him. In all honesty, he probably learned more watching his clanmates than he did with Darkstripe breathing down his neck.

Ravenpaw looked at him curiously. "Something funny?"

Dustpaw shrugged as he lightly batted a loose bit of bramble from the section he was working on. "Not really."

Ravenpaw frowned a little. "Okay. If. Um. Something's bothering you, I'm here."

"I know. I was just thinking about Darkstripe."

Ravenpaw's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Of all the warriors Bluestar could have given you as mentor, she picked him."

Dustpaw sighed. "Honestly. Longtail would probably have been a better mentor."

Ravenpaw snorted. "Think of the lessons. 'How to lose to a kittypet with some sembence of grace'"

Dustpaw snickered. "Put like that, maybe Darkstripe isn't that bad a mentor."

"Right. And kittypets make excellent warriors." Ravenpaw's tail twitched. "Have you...thought anymore about asking Bluestar for a differnt mentor?"

Dustpaw looked away; choosing instead to focus on the braken in front of him. "It doesn't really matter does it? We'll be warriors soon enough and she's got enough on her mind with Brokenstar and the rest of Shadowclan threatening our borders to bother figuring out a new mentor."

"Right..."

Desperate to change the sour tone their conversation had taken, Dustpaw gave his brother a light shove. "How's your project going by the way? Any progress?"

Ravenpaw's 'project' for the past couple of days or so had been trying to figure out a way to better fortify the nursery that would be approved by the queens.

His first idea; just weaving a thorn vine through the enterance had been quickly shut down by Frostfur and Goldenflower. Since then, he been trying (and failing) to find a way to weave a vine in a way that the thorns on it wouldn't poke through both sides of the den.

"No" Ravenpaw huffed. "I'm starting to think this was a stupid idea."

Dustpaw tilted his head and studied his brother's work so far. It...wasn't great. The vine just sort of hung limply while bits of the bracken barrier he'd tried weaving it through were broken and patchy in places.

"...Have you tried biting the torny bits off after getting one side through?"

Ravenpaw blinked. "...no..." he leaned forward and pulled the vine up a little with a paw. "I might try that though, and then re-weave regular braken around it." Ravenpaw sprang to his paws, excited. "I think that might just work! Thanks Dustpaw!"

Dustpaw sniffed. "No problem. You know, if you'd just asked me sooner, we'd probably have been done with repairing this section of the barrior ages ago."

Ravenpaw crouched slightly, a playful look in his eye. "Whadda saying?"

Dustpaw grinned. "That a kit would be more help than you."

With a mock growl, Ravenpaw leaped forward, knocking him off his paws. Holding back a laugh, Dustpaw rolled with the momentum and gave his brother a light kick. Ravenpaw's eyes narrowed a little before he rose a little to bat his head. Not to be outdone, Dustpaw dove forward and tackled him.

Their play-fight was cut short as Frostfur's voice rose from near the nursery.

"My kits! My kits are gone!"

Dustpaw rolled away from Ravenpaw and exchanged a wide-eyed look with him.

"You don't think-?"

Ravenpaw shook his head hard. "Be a little hard for Shadowclan to sneak in and steal a bunch of kits without any cat noticing. Maybe they just went exploring?"

Dustpaw nodded. "Probably."

Wearily, the two got up and approached the slowly growing group of cats around Tigerclaw.

"I want a couple of warriors to check around outside the camp's boundaries. Make sure to have another cat with you; we still don't know what Shadowclan's planning. Apprentices and elders will stay in camp and check the dens." Tigerclaw caught Frostfur's eye. "We should find your kits soon; they couldn't have gotten too far."

An amused purr erupted a couple of cats before the group dispersed to follow Tigerclaw's plan to find the kits.

Dustpaw's tail twitched slightly as he looked at his brother. "I can check with the elders, see if they might have seen where Frostfur's kits could have wandered off to."

Ravenpaw nodded. "And I'll check around the nursery again." His whiskers twitched in amusement "For all we know, they probably think this is all some sort of game and are waiting for some cat to find them."

"So, extreme hide-and-seek?"

"That or they fell asleep under a bush or something."

Dustpaw laughed. "That sounds like Brakenkit at least."

Ravenpaw snickered before giving him a quick head bump. "Good luck with the elders; hopefully we find those four soon." Throwing him one last encouraging grin, Ravenpaw darted off towards the nursery where Frostfur could be seen pacing beside it while Goldenflower tried to calm her down.

Taking a deep breath, Dustpaw ran towards the elders' den where he could see One-Eye and Halftail standing nervously outside it. His heart sank a little at the sight.

"I'm guessing their not in their den?"

Patchpelt's head popped out of the den. "If they are, they're doing one hell of a job hiding."

"Patchpelt." One-Eye hissed at him.

"Wha-?" he rolled his eyes. "The tom's not a kit anymore. He and his brother's nearly old enough to be warriors. A little swear isn't going to kill him."

Dappletail's head poked out next, absolutely furious. "Are you corrupting 'paws again?"

Patchpelt looked upwards. "Stars preserve the Clans, it was just one word."

"It starts as one word but then next you know it's two, then three, then the whole clan's swearing."

The words were solemn, like something an elder should say, but Halftail's tone and expression was of a cat who found the whole thing funny.

"Nobody asked you!" Patchpelt snapped.

"Um." Dustpaw interrupted, ears feeling hot. "Not to interrupt all...this. But uh, even if the kits aren't in your den, did any of you see or talk to them earlier?"

The four cats exchanged glances. Dappletail stepped out of the den. "Not since yesterday. Frostfur was going to bring them over here for us to watch them while she changed out their nests but…"

"But then she found them missing." Dustpaw sighed. Well this was a bit of a dead end. If they weren't here, where else could they be?

An alarmed screech drew the small group's attention towards the nursery.

Scrambling back from behind the nursery, tail bushed out and eyes wide, was Ravenpaw.

Worried at what his brother could have possibly found to scare him, Dustpaw bolted away from the older cats and towards Ravenpaw and prayed to Starclan that he could get to his side before the rest of the clan did.

He was too late.

Frostfur, Bluestar, and Tigerclaw arrived before he did and the white queen screamed.

Pinning his ears to his head, Dustpaw weaved past them, not stopping until he was by his brother's side and tried not to stare at the limp form of Spottedleaf in front of them.

Bluestar stepped forward and studied the fallen medicine cat.

"A warrior did this." She said so softly that Dustpaw wasn't sure he heard her right. Then again, he wasn't sure if he really could hear anything; a loud wind seemed to have picked up around them.

"Yellowfang's Gone!" screeched One-Eye.

Dully, Dustpaw tried to find the elder. What in Starclan did that have to do with anything? Another cat was dead.

"Yellowfang killed Spottedleaf and stole my kits!" Frostfur hissed, a dark, almost insane light in her eyes.

Dustpaw felt his mouth go dry. Surely she didn't really think that? Yellowfang had saved the kits during Shadowclan's attack. Why would she do that and then steal them later? Wouldn't it have been easier to take them before, when no cat would have noticed?

Speckletail pushed her way towards the front of the group, Brindleface and Goldenflower not far behind her as together, the three pressed against the distressed queen and away from Spottedleaf.

"I always knew Yellowfang was a traitor." Tigerclaw hissed as he stared down hard at Spottedleaf's body. "How else could a cat as old as her fight off a Clan's deputy? They must have had it planned from the beginning."

Beside him, Ravenpaw stiffened.

Dustpaw didn't dare look at him, fearing his own disgust at Tigerclaw would break down whatever restraint the two of them had from leaping at their own deputy.

Instead, he turned his glare downwards towards his paws and the ground in front of him.

How dare he. How dare Tigerclaw imply Blackfoot only lost because he let Yellowfang beat him as some sort of plan. That that Rosetail had just been some some sort of agreed upon cost between the two of them!

Dustpaw gritted his teeth. He refused to believe Yellowfang could have been a part of something so mouse-hearted and twisted. He didn't like the old cat, but she'd never given any indication of planning to hurt or betray the cats that had taken her in.

Hell, she even seemed fond of a kittypet of all things!

Bluestar's voice cut through his downward spiral.

"If Yellowfang has indeed killed Spottedleaf and stolen Frostfur's kits, Thunderclan will hunt her down without mercy."

Dustpaw looked up and stared at Bluestar in disbelief. Surely, she didn't really believe the useless old furball was that cruel, did she?

Bluestar looked up at the sky and frowned."But first, we must wait. A storm is coming and we cannot afford to lose more cats. If Shadowclan truly does have Frostfur's kits, I do not believe they will come to any immediate harm as Brokenstar either wants them for his own clan or as hostages to force us into giving him our territory to hunt in as he pleases. As soon as this storm passes, I will send out a patrol to follow and find Yellowfang and bring back our missing kits."

Tigerclaw's tail lashed. "We can't waste time for the storm to pass! Any scent trails will be washed away!"

Bluestar shook her head. "If we send any cats now, they'll only succeed in getting lost or turned around trying to find a trail as the only thing to be seen or smelled would be the rain falling from the sky. If we are to have any hope of success, then we must wait."

Tigerstar's eyes narrowed slightly before he dipped his head. "If that is truly our only choice, then so be it."

Bluestar nodded before turning back to the gathered cats and raised her voice to be heard over the slowly growing wind. "Until this storm passes, please, return to your dens. We will find Frostfur's kits soon and when we do, I want you all to be at your best when the time comes. Tigerclaw, Whitestrom, if you two will join me in my den, I'd like to discuss this further."

He didn't have to be told twice. Fat, heavy, cold drops of rain had started to fall and the at rate it was coming down, it wouldn't take long to get soaked.

Without another word, the gathered clan began to disperse to the various dens in camp. To his slight surprise, Sandpaw was already in her nest by the time he and Ravenpaw entered the apprentice den. She must have been further back in the crowd.

Shaking the water from his pelt, Dustpaw moved towards his own nest.

"Do you really think Yellowfang stole the kits?"

Dustpaw jerked his head towards Sandpaw. She was staring at them wide-eyed, paws tucked tight underneath her.

"If she did, she went about a funny way of doing it." Ravenpaw muttered before flopping into his nest. Dustpaw glared at him.

"What?"

"Don't tell me you believe Tigerclaw's garbage that she worked with Blackfoot to better gain the clan's trust just to steal them later!"

The fur around Ravenpaw's neck bristled. "Of course not!" he snapped.

"Then what are you saying?" Sandpaw interjected softly.

Ravenpaw glared at the two of them for another heartbeat before quickly licking his chest fur. "Just. If her whole plan from the beginning was to kitnap Frostfur's kits, then why avoid the nursery for so long? Wouldn't it be easier to bond with them and Frostfur and then take them out of camp under the excuse of a quick walk?"

Dustpaw tilted his head thoughtfully. "And if she and Blackfoot were working together, then why have Shadowclan attack us in our own camp and have us on edge for another attack?"

"Fat lot of good that did us." Sandpaw muttered darkly.

A small hiss escaped her at their blank looks.

"Ever since the attack, we've been patrolling our borders nonstop; we've been stuck in camp just in case Shadowclan comes back, and even the elders are on edge watching the entrance tunnel. And somehow. With all that, some cat snuck in, killed Spottedleaf, and took Frostfur's kits with no one noticing!"

A roll of thunder shook the camp at the end of Sandpaw's statement and Dustpaw felt cold. Colder than he had when he'd been outside and nearly soaked getting to the apprentice den."

"You. You don't think someone in Thunderclan-?"

"No." Ravenpaw interrupted, eyes hard. "No cat in Thunderclan would betray their clanmates for another clan. Much less steal kits to what? Give to Brokenstar in exchange for him to stay off our territory?"

"Well it's that or Yellowfang did it! What other option is there?!"

"Maybe the kits wandered off! It wouldn't take much for Cinderkit to persuade her littermates to go on some adventure!"

"Right." Sandpaw snorted derisively. "And Spottedleaf what? Dropped dead? Saw the kits leaving and they killed her?"

A low growl erupted from Ravenpaw. Alarmed, Dustpaw scrambled out of his nest and stood between his brother and friend.

"We don't know what happened and we won't know until after the storm passes and we can go look for them! Until then we should just...stop guessing. We're no help to the kits if we're at each others throats."

Ravenpaw's eyes narrowed. "Fine."

Tail lashing, he stomped back to his nest and curled up, back facing Sandpaw and Dustpaw.

Heart still hammering, Dustpaw turned to face Sandpaw and saw her ears were still pinned flat to her head as she glared at his brother. "As long as he keeps his mouth shut." Ravenpaw's ear twitched and for a heartbeat, Dustpaw was afraid he was going to turn around and start fighting with Sandpaw again. "I'll keep to myself."

Throwing one last dark look to Ravenpaw, Sandpaw turned and curled back in her nest, also facing away from them.

Feeling like he'd just run through the whole territory, Dustpaw stiffly returned to his nest and collapsed into it. As he nervously kept an eye on the other two apprentices in the den, he distantly realized Firepaw and Graypaw hadn't come in yet.

If those two had any luck, they'd found shelter someplace else and wouldn't come barging in and bringing up discussion of the missing kits again and set Ravenpaw and Sandpaw off again.

Stars. He hoped this storm passed by soon.

…

Starclan must have been laughing at him.

It took ages for the storm to pass and when it finally did, the sky was still a dark gray as if the clouds were threatening more rain any moment.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

Ravenpaw bolted out of the den with Sandpaw not far behind him. Any hope he had of their earlier disagreement have disappeared with the storm faded as he watched the two of them take different spots in the crowd. Ravenpaw near the nursing queens and Sandpaw next to Mousefur and Runningwind.

Not wanting to get accused of taking sides, Dustpaw reluctantly took a spot next to Longtail.

Once the clan was gathered, Bluestar began.

"The storm has finally cleared enough that I can safely send out a patrol to find the kits. Given the gravity of the situation, Tigerclaw and I have agreed that no apprentice is to join the patrol if Yellowfang has indeed stolen the kits and taken them to Brokenstar and Shadowclan.

Whitestorm will lead the patrol. Willowpelt, Darkstripe, Runningwind, and Mousefur will go with him. Tigerclaw and the rest of our warriors will stay here in case this is a ploy by Shadowclan to make us send out as many warriors and leave the camp defenseless for another attack. We must remain on our guard until the patrol returns with the kits."

Leaping down from the rock, Bluestar paused by Whitestorm and said something to him. Probably further instructions for him in getting the kits back safely.

Beside him, Longtail stretched and shot him a smug look. "Too bad you're not a warrior, maybe you could have joined in the patrol against Shadowclan."

Dustpaw rolled his eyes. "You're not going either. Sides, we don't know if it was Shadowclan who took the kits."

Longtail's eyes widened slightly. "Oh yeah, it was Yellowfang right?" He frowned. "Isn't she Shadowclan though?"

Dustpaw bit back an annoyed reply. Judging from Sandpaw and Ravenpaw's earlier argument, it'd be useless to try to defend the old cat. Even if he wasn't talking to the dumbest cat in the whole clan.

"Right." He muttered instead and turned tail to the older warrior and walked away. After a few steps, he wasn't sure where to go. Any cat he talked to would probably want to talk about whether or not Yellowfang stole the kits and he could only hold his tongue for so long.

Patrolling was out. As was hunting. And with the sour moods Ravenpaw and Sandpaw were in, he'd have better luck having a conversation with a badger.

Sighing, he resolved himself to pacing near the entrance in case Shadowclan decided to bust through there again.

"You're going to wear yourself out like that, and then what help will you be?"

Dustpaw jumped at the sudden voice and tried not to glare as Smallear started chuckling.

"M'sorry. Didn't mean to scare you there."

"I wasn't scared!"

Smallear smiled. "Of course, my mistake."

Forcing his fur to lie flat, Dustpaw shot the elder a sour look. "What are you even doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be...?" Dustpaw trailed off. Suddenly unsure where the elder should be.

"In the elders den?" Smallear finished for him, amusement in his voice.

Dustpaw stared at him. "Yeees?" he tried. It made sense; Smallear was the oldest cat in Thunderclan, with maybe Speckletail being just as old. Why wouldn't he wait in the elders' den until things were safe again?

Smallear laughed. "I may be old but I'm not useless. I can still fight if need be."

Dustpaw flushed. "I never said you couldn't."

"I know." Smallear sat down and watched the tunnel thoughtfully. "But, as cats get older, the next couple generations always think they know better than the last and that any cat whose lasted more seasons than they've seen should be protected. When in reality, it should be the other way around."

Dustpaw blinked, confused.

Smallear laughed again. "I'm not surprised you don't understand, you're not much older than a kit. You still got a lot of life to live. Would be a shame if an old fart like me saw more sunrises than you did."

Dustpaw frowned. He wasn't really sure what Smallear was getting at but what he could understand was that the old cat wasn't going to be leaving him anytime soon.

"So...you're going to stay...and...fight if Shadowclan comes through here again?"

"Yep." Smallear said cheerily. "Some cat has to help you."

"I'm not a kit! I can fight them myself!"

"You could. But I always found fighting with a partner was easier than fighting alone."

Dustpaw gave a small grunt of agreement before falling silent. Smallear, busybody that he was, surprisingly kept quiet. If it wasn't the warmth coming off the bigger cat next to him, Dustpaw might have forgotten he was there.

It wasn't until the sky had darkened completely and the moon and risen high into the sky that the branches in the tunnel began to shake.

Tensing, Dustpaw slid out his claws and watched the tunnel wearily, wincing at the touch of Smallear's tailtip on his shoulder. "Easy there young'in." He murmured. "It's friends."

To his surprise, the first cats through were Firepaw and Graypaw. When had they left the camp?

Behind them, tumbled four familiar kits, somehow looking both tired and excited.

"My kits!" Frostfur cried out, pushing past Smallear and Dustpaw as she frantically drew them closer to her and began licking them.

Dustpaw and Smallear stepped back to make room for the rest of the patrol coming through and...Yellowfang.

Dustpaw felt his heart sink. The fact that she was at the end of the patrol and looked...scared all but confirmed that she had been involved in stealing the kits after all.

Tigerclaw had been right.

Numb at the realization, Dustpaw barely registered Smallear gently guiding him to the center of camp with the rest of the newly arrived cats.

Bluestar met them halfway, eyes glowing. "Well done, Whitestorm. Is every cat fine? Are the kits okay?"

Whitestorm dipped his head. "Not a scratch on them. Actually, it was thanks to these two apprentices that we found them."

Whitestorm flicked his tail in Graypaw and Firepaw's direction, both who were sitting off to the side.

"Why did you bring back that traitor!" Tigerclaw yowled from the other side of the clearing before running over to stand by Bluestar and glare at the returned patrol in distaste.

"She is not a traitor!" Firepaw hissed, standing tall as he glared back at Tigerclaw.

"She killed Spottedleaf!" Spat Longtail "Seems like something only a traitor would do."

Graypaw moved to Firepaw's side. "Look between Spottedleaf's claws; you'll find the brown fur of Clawface, not Yellowfang's gray."

Bluestar nodded towards Mousefur, prompting her to run to where Spottedleaf's body lay, ready for last tongues and burial at dawn.

"He's right!" Mousefur gasped. "The fur's brown."

A sudden weight seemed to drop from him at Mousefur's declaration. Yellowfang was innocent. Rosetail hadn't died as some part of scheme to infiltrate the clan.

His legs shook, only managing to keep standing by the appearance of a familiar black pelt. Had Ravenpaw been nearby the whole time the clan discussed Yellowfang or had he just shown up?

"That doesn't mean she didn't help take the kits." Tigerclaw hissed to the growing crowd of cats around the group.

"Yellowfang helped us recover the kits! She knew a Shadowclan cat had taken them and was looking for them when I found her. She risked her life going back towards Shadowclan and came up with the plan that got us into the Shadowclan camp and the chance we needed to defeat Brokenstar and save the kits!" Firepaw shot back, voice hard.

Whitestorm nodded. "He is correct, without Yellowfang's aid, we might never have been able to have made our way to Shadowclan and bring the kits home safely."

Frostfur looked up from her kits, eyes wide. "Is Brokenstar dead then?"

Whitestorm shook his head. "No, he and a few of his cats escaped but he will never lead Shadowclan again." He turned and made eye contact with Bluestar. "I promised the rest of Shadowclan that we would leave them in peace and allow them to hunt on our territory for one moon. Brokenstar's cruel leadership left his former clan in chaos."

Bluestar gave him a small nod of approval. "That was a very kind and generous offer you gave them, one I'm sure Shadowclan will remember for moons to come."

Stepping aside, Bluestar made her way to Yellowfang who seemed to curl in on herself at the leader's approach. Bluestar paused for a heartbeat before pressing her head against hers and stepping back.

"With Spottedleaf's death, Thunderclan is without a medicine cat. Would you take her role in our clan?"

Yellowfang dipped her head low. "Shadowclan is not the clan I knew in my youth. Thunderclan is my clan now and I would be honored to by your medicine cat."

"Thank you, Yellowfang." Bluestar turned and faced the rest of the clan. "There is one more thing I would like to do tonight. Firepaw, Graypaw, come here."

Shock rippled through Dustpaw at Bluestar's announcement. Beside him, Ravenpaw had frozen as well. Bluestar couldn't possibly doing what he thought she was. He, Ravenpaw, and Sandpaw had been training much longer than those two. Firepaw and Graypaw couldn't be getting their names first!

"You have shown great courage tonight. Did they fight well, Whitestorm?"

"Like warriors."

No no no no NO! This couldn't be happening!

"I, Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand your noble code and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Firepaw, Graypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Firepaw and Graypaw's eyes shined as they answered they would.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior names. Graypaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Graystripe. Starclan honors your bravery and strength and we welcome you as a full member of Thunderclan."

Bluestar leaned forward to rest her muzzle on top of his head as Graystripe dutifully licked her shoulder before stepping aside to stand near the other warriors.

Bluestar smiled and turned to face her former apprentice, pride in her eyes. "Firepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Fireheart. Starclan honors your bravery and strength and we welcome you as a full member of Thunderclan."

They repeated the gesture that Bluestar had done with Graystripe just moments earlier before he too joined Graystripe and the other warriors.

As the rest of the clan yelled the new warriors' names, Dustpaw found that he couldn't. The words seemed stuck in his throat and he feared that if he opened his mouth, he might end up screaming how unfair it all was.

Ravenpaw pressed harder against him and licked his face. "That'll be us someday. Soon! Bluestar has to make us warriors any day now!"

"Right…" Dustpaw replied weakly which just made Ravenpaw's licks that much fiercer.

"It'll happen. I know it. And we'll be the best warriors in the clan! You, me, and Sandpaw!"

"Yeah...Yeah! And since we'll have more training, we'll be better fighters!"

"Right." Ravenpaw's smile turned sharp. "Bluestar won't have any choice but to make us warriors soon."

A/N: So sorry it took me eight months to get his finished and out. I swear, the next chapter isn't going to have NEARLY as long as a wait.

In other news, in celebration for making it through the first book in my rewrite and well. Mostly sticking with this absolute monster, I've made a blog on tumblr for this fic where I'll post the occasional deleted bit/doodles/and behind the scenes nonsense

You can find it here: blog/ravenfall