Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been updating as much lately. I promise you I am still writing, but with college and the pandemic going on, it will take a while for stories to be updated. Plus I have been dealing with a bit of writer's block and now I seem to have gotten over it.

Also, I apologize for the short chapter. However, this chapter was always intended to be short because I didn't want to spoil A Hard Path for those of you that haven't read it which is why I didn't have Flameclaw elaborate on the story. Hopefully, it answers some of your questions regarding a few of the character's personalities that have changed since the writing of A Hard Path. The next chapter will be the Gathering chapter and it will be a while before that is up since I would like to update To Capture A Heart before updating this one again.

Now on to the story.

Dawnpaw kept her ears pricked as she followed Flameclaw through the forest, taking care to step lightly. She was getting comfortable in the pine forest even if her long fur could be a pain to take care of sometimes. Ahead of her, Flameclaw seemed to be lost in thought as he padded along, following a path that would take them to the training clearing.

Dawnpaw flicked her tail slightly as she followed, her mind flashing back to Cloudeye and how he wasn't doing too well. She didn't want one of her friends to go so soon and she wasn't even entirely sure if StarClan even existed. She had heard talk of the starry ancestors, mainly from the elders, but she wasn't sure that even if StarClan existed, that they would accept a former kittypet among their ranks.

After all, Dawnpaw never really had any help from an all-knowing being, or beings in StarClan's case. Dawnpaw had always gotten through things based on her own willpower and the hope she continually carried in her heart that things will be better eventually. Dawnpaw shook the thoughts from her head as Flameclaw slowed down his pace to a stop, turning to look at her with narrowed amber eyes.

"Are you ready to hear about Lynxfur?" he asked, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws.

Dawnpaw sat down as well, pricking her ears and letting her tail curl loosely up against her side. "Yes," she meowed eagerly. She wanted to know more about this cat and why it had affected Shadepelt so much.

"Very well," Flameclaw meowed before taking in a small breath. "He wasn't always known as Lynxfur, in fact, he only got the name Lynxfur when he became a warrior. Before that, he was born as a cat with mismatched eyes and tufts of fur on his ears known as Weaselkit…"

Dawnpaw stared at Flameclaw wide-eyed, her tail bushed out and fur bristling as Flameclaw finished the story. "It's awful how he died!" she blurted out. "And it's awful that his life started out so…so…horribly."

Flameclaw nodded his head solemnly, his amber eyes darkened with grief. "It was," he responded. "And he was a great friend too. Froststar never really got over his death fully and the same goes with Icewing and Cheetahpelt. However, none of them really let their grief get them down too bad, unlike Shadepelt. Shadepelt idolized his father and was pretty close to him by the time Lynxfur died."

"But…" Dawnpaw swallowed slightly before shaking her head. "How can Fawnwing be so mean to him? And Moonstripe? And Sunrise? They seem like such nice cats. Though I can understand Watermist, she seems like a crabby cat."

"They are well respected in the Clan now," Flameclaw responded, glancing at his paws briefly. "Moonstripe and Lynxfur were beginning to become closer as Moonstripe learned what his brother was capable of. Watermist never really changed her ways with Lynxfur and Sunrise is now weighed down with guilt over what he had help to do to one of his sons. Fawnwing was eventually worn down by Froststar and eventually forgave her daughter for becoming Lynxfur's mate since Lynxfur had become a respected warrior by the time he died."

"It's still awful though," Dawnpaw whispered, hanging her head slightly.

Flameclaw reached over and touched his muzzle briefly to Dawnpaw's shoulder. "He ended up having a better life at the end because of it," he meowed. "And the same will happen with you too. All you need to do is let go of your past and let your instincts awaken fully."

"My instincts are just fine!" Dawnpaw snapped back, flattening her ears slightly.

Flameclaw let out a chuckle. "You still have a lot to learn and yes, your instincts are improving. However, you need to learn to allow them to help you in everyday life. The slightest feeling that you have that something is wrong, you should investigate and not ignore it."

Dawnpaw let out a frustrated growl. "Fine," she meowed before getting back to her paws. "Can we head back to camp?"

Flameclaw shook his head slightly as he got to his paws, taking a quick glance at the sky. "Let's go and hunt first," he responded. "We got plenty of time before we need to be back at camp in time for the Gathering patrol."