Merry (late) Christmas! Sorry that this chapter took a while, I had to edit it a bunch of times for me to actually like it. D: (and then there was the fact that I had a case of writer's block)

Uhh… I actually have nothing to add today. :0 I know right, what a shocker. So, I'll get straight to the review replies!

Silver Shadows in the Night: Oh don't worry, she's the main character! I can't have her dying yet. :3

FireySpirit711: Oh, well, I can tell you right now that they aren't in the Dark Forest. They're just stupid apprentices. :P Ooh, Timberpaw's your favorite character? Yes, someone who still likes him! :0 (I do too) And I wrote this story before I read Dovewing's Silence (because I thought Warriors was finished after The Last Hope), so Foxleap's still alive. The cats still alive include Sorreltail and Toadstep, too. :3

I'm glad you love this story! c:

Lightningstar-of-NightClan: Pff, maybe he will. xD

The reason the owl attacked will be revealed sometime later. Not too sure if it'll be soon or not, but it definitely will be mentioned somewhere! And Nightpaw just wanted something to spice up his life (although he could've done something else). :P And yeah, it definitely was Mapleshade who was talking about that! :D

Hmm, I'm not gonna say if your answers are right or not. ;D I'm not too sure if Timberpaw is going to dare Nightpaw back or not, though. xD

See you later, Sapphire!

WyldClaw: Yeah, the owl thing definitely came out of nowhere, didn't it? The tree legend is coming back sometime, so heads up. :P And, well, Hurricane has his ways. Thanks for the review!

Wolf of the Indians: Hehe, well, it's ok if you don't know how to answer some of the questions! xD Thank you for your answers, and thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like this story so much. :0

Leafy: Oh, no, I'm pretty sure I'd win that award. xD It's okay! Don't worry about it.

Yeah, Timberpaw's definitely coming back. D: Hehe, that'd be funny if Hurricane's brother's name was Death. xD But it isn't, I promise. (I'm still laughing though pfft)

Yeah, Snowwhisper wants to be loyal… that's his dream, but Mapleshade is starting to turn that into a nightmare. D: Ooh, I really love how you answered the questions! c: I also believe Timberpaw should've tried to wait, but he really wanted to get it over with. He can be patient in certain situations… although, he is a pretty good actor, as you can see. ;w;

Thank you for the review! And again, it's okay if you were late. I won't put it against you. :)

… Oh, those review replies were longer than I expected. Oh well. Here's the chapter guys! I hope you enjoy it! And merry Christmas, again!

Chapter Twenty

Firepaw opened her eyes groggily, her vision swimming blurrily. She stared, trying to focus, until finally she could recognize the walls of a den. But who's den? She struggled to move, but it felt as if her body was rooted into place. She had never felt so exhausted before.

There was a slight buzzing in her ears, a noise that wouldn't seem to go away. Firepaw tried to shake her head, but realized she couldn't. She frowned, staring at the den wall. It felt like there was an angry bee buzzing inside her head, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Firepaw's gaze travelled down to her paws. Her eyes hurt from the strain, but she saw that she was lying on a nest of springy moss. She took in a breath, imagining she'd be shaking right now. ...The medicine den. I'm in the medicine den. But—

Suddenly, there was a rustling from the den entrance. Realizing once again that she couldn't move her head, Firepaw let a sigh go past her lips. It wasn't as if she needed to see who entered anyway—it was probably Jayfeather or Lilypool.

A flash of silver appeared in the corner of her eye. Oh, it's Jayfeather. But then there was a flash of white. Firepaw paused her thoughts, frowning. Could Jayfeather and Lilypool be here? Yes, that's probably it, she reassured herself.

"Firepaw," a familiar voice purred, silkiness edged in their mew. "Fancy seeing you here."

Finally, the cat stepped into the tabby apprentice's line of vision. She gasped, recognizing them immediately.

Nightpaw!

The black and white medicine cat apprentice's herbs were absent, and his forest green eyes glittered in the half light. The usual playfulness in his posture had disappeared, his appearance seeming fierce and cold instead. His pelt bristled slightly, and his claws were glowing in the small patch of light from the entrance to the den. He looked so different that, for a moment, Firepaw wondered if it was really Nightpaw she was looking at.

"I see you had fun, didn't you?" the ShadowClan tom meowed, slowly starting to circle around Firepaw's limp forme. "You should've seen how excited Timberpaw was. That owl tore into you as if you were a kit." Nightpaw paused for a moment before letting out a small chuckle.

Firepaw fumed, anger coursing through her like a wave. I nearly forgot! This is all Nightpaw's fault! He's the one who made the dare…. He's the one who made Timberpaw break my heart! She tried to scowl, but her body was still frozen in place.

Nightpaw knew this, purring in amusement. "It's a shame that it happened to you," he meowed. He flicked his black tail, brushing it against the wounds on Firepaw's back roughly.

Pain pierced through her back, and she wanted to screech in pain, but her mouth wouldn't let her. Why was Nightpaw doing this? She had done nothing to him!

Nightpaw stopped after a moment, padding forward so that Firepaw could see him. His green eyes glowed in the shadows of the medicine den. "This heartbreak is nothing, Firepaw," he whispered.

"It only gets worse from here."

.

..

…

"Is it almost time?" A tom poked his head from out of the bushes, shaking leaves from his pelt.

"Almost," a ginger tabby and white she-cat spat back, her fur bristling. "Go check on your little prisoners. You aren't needed here now."

The tom nodded, padding deeper into the forest. Eventually, he appeared inside a clearing. The trees stood very tall here, obscuring the minimal light so that it was just pure darkness. The tom picked his way through the shadows, reaching a pile of tree roots.

"Rise and shine," he purred silkily at the roots.

With a growl of discomfort, a white tom appeared from under the tree roots, shaking dirt from his pelt. His dark amber eyes flashed dangerously in the darkness. "I thought I told you to let us go," he spat.

"And I thought I told you that you cannot escape," the tom responded without missing a beat, flashing a victorious smile. "Not even in your dreams."

"All Mapleshade wants is me," the white tom meowed quietly, his eyes narrowed. He looked over his shoulder slightly to look at two other cats behind them. Their formes flickered, signifying that they weren't really there.

"Correct," the tom meowed, his smile suddenly turning venomous. "You're very lucky Mapleshade needs you. If she didn't, you'd be dead where you stand." He flashed a look at the flickering cats behind the white tom. "I plan to kill them slowly and painfully."

"As if I'll let you," the white tom retorted, fluffing out his fur.

The tom's tail twitched, and he turned around, starting to pad off. He stopped just at the edge of the clearing, gazing into the darkness. "You really think you can stop me?" he asked just loud enough for the white tom to hear. "I'm going to kill every single one of those Clan cats. Then they'll know my name."

He stood up straighter, turning to give the white tom a smirk.

"And they'll know your's, too."

.

..

…

Firepaw jolted awake, panic running through her. She looked around wildly, the shadows of her dream still surrounding her. She thought she could see Nightpaw's face in the dreamy mist, but all of a sudden the nightmare faded away, leaving her gasping for breath.

"Firepaw? Are you awake?" Lilypool poked her head from a from a small cave in the medicine den.

The ginger tabby shuddered, still remembering her dream. What had Nightpaw meant when he said it only got worse from here? What could be worse than getting your heart broken?

Could it be about the prophecy?

But Nightpaw didn't know about the prophecy. . . right?

"Firepaw?" Lilypool padded closer, her dark brown and cream fur brushing against her side. "Is something wrong?"

The ginger tabby apprentice took in a deep breath. "No," she meowed, her voice surprisingly strong.

"Well, you should rest then," the medicine cat apprentice meowed, lifting her blue gaze to look outside the medicine den. ". . . You know, everyone is really worried about you. When that strange tom told us what happened, we thought you were dead!"

Strange tom? Firepaw struggled to remember who Lilypool was talking about, and then it struck her. Oh! Hurricane!

"I think he's still in camp," Lilypool meowed, noting Firepaw's expression. "I'm wondering if he wants to join the Clan or something. . ."

The ginger tabby apprentice blinked slowly and then struggled to her paws. But, as Firepaw had expected, Lilypool moved into action immediately.

"I told you to rest, didn't I?" the dark brown and cream she-cat muttered, gently pushing Firepaw back into the nest. "You aren't completely healed yet. Walking could open up your wounds." On the last line, Lilypool pointed purposefully at the apprentice's back.

Firepaw let out a grumble, fluffing out her fur in indignation. "Fine," she meowed in a clipped tone.

Lilypool sighed, giving her a small, slightly humorous smile. And with that, the medicine cat apprentice whisked out of the den.

.

..

…

Firepaw was awoken from her slumber by the murmur of voices outside the medicine den. Drowsily, the tabby apprentice pricked her ears to hear what they were saying so that she could somehow end their conversation.

"Why don't you just walk in?"

"She could be sleeping!"

The voices, though quiet at first, steadily rose in volume, making it easier to recognize who was talking. Firepaw realized the cat who wanted to visit her was Amberheart, and the other cat inquiring why she didn't just take action was Cherryfeather. She didn't move for a moment, wondering if she should pretend to be fully awake for them.

It seemed Firepaw didn't have to ponder for long. Amberheart pushed her way through the fern tunnel, her orange eyes bright. "Oh! You're awake!" the white and gray warrior exclaimed, surprise lighting her features.

Ignoring the grumble of "I told you so," from outside the den, Firepaw smiled warmly at her friend. "Yeah," she responded in a soft voice.

Amberheart gazed at her sympathetically, her eyes darkening. "I'm sorry that this happened to you," she murmured, turning her head slightly to look at Firepaw's back.

Firepaw tried not to frown at the mention of her injury. Timberpaw… no, Nightpaw…. I can't believe they tricked me like that. But no one knew that. No one knew she'd met up with Timberpaw, not even Hurricane.

She didn't know if she was glad no one knew.

"But we'll find who did this." Amberheart straightened up, her eyes narrowed in determination.

Who? … Did Hurricane not tell everyone I was attacked by an owl? Firepaw just glanced at the warrior, not willing to let the smile slip off her face. She couldn't drop her facade now, not when there were too many secrets waiting to be told.

Amberheart looked as if she was about to say something more, but suddenly, another cat burst into the fern tunnel. Firepaw blinked in realization, recognizing the cat as Hurricane.

The black and white loner stopped when he spotted the tabby apprentice. "Firepaw! Great, you're awake!" His expression looked relieved for a moment before it turned frantic. "Listen, there's a—" Suddenly, he paused.

Firepaw followed his gaze to see he was staring at Amberheart in surprise. The white and gray warrior stared right back, her orange eyes unreadable. The two cats looked at each other for a while before Hurricane looked away, breaking the spell.

"Sorry," he meowed, looking at his paws. "I didn't see you in here…."

Amberheart didn't respond for a moment. She looked deep in thought, her eyes still on Hurricane. Finally, she murmured, "It's okay. I was just leaving." She dropped her gaze, padding out of the medicine den.

What was that about? Firepaw stared after her, confused, before Hurricane's frantic voice caught her attention once more.

"The reason I'm still here is because I heard about the disappearances," the black and white tom meowed quickly. "And, well… I think I might know where they are!"

Firepaw froze. Is he talking about Brackenfur, Molewhisker, and Snowwhisper?

"You see… somewhere, a little bit outside of Clan territory, there's a mountain." Hurricane had obviously slowed down a bit, instead talking in a whisper. "On that mountain… is where Qatil lives."

"Qatil!" Firepaw couldn't stop herself from gasping. "He took them?"

The black and white loner nodded solemnly. "He has them locked up in one of the caves," Hurricane meowed. "His guards are watching them at every second…. And they aren't afraid to punish them if they ever step out of line."

Firepaw shivered. He… punishes them? For what? He kidnapped them!

"I believe two of them are almost at the end of their ropes…"

Firepaw pushed herself to her paws forcefully, ignoring the stinging sensation on her back. Hurricane took a step back, startled by her ferocity.

Fire burned in the tabby apprentice's golden eyes, and she snarled, "I'll tear Qatil to pieces! I can't believe he'd do that!" She turned to Hurricane, fluffing out her fur dangerously. "Where is this mountain?"

The black and white tom pushed Firepaw back down, his storm blue eyes glowing. "I'm not taking you," he meowed.

"What?" Firepaw stared at him, narrowing her eyes.

"You're hurt, obviously," Hurricane meowed, pointing to the long, deep wounds on her back. "You wouldn't be able to do much to him in this state. I'm only telling you so that you'll tell Bramblestar when he visits. When he organizes a group of warriors, tell him to meet me just outside of your territory."

"Why can't you just tell Bramblestar yourself?" Irritation burned in Firepaw's belly.

"I'm leaving soon," the black and white tom responded without missing a beat. "And I don't think he trusts me," he added, lowering his voice.

Well, you did kind of bring in his one and only kit wounded, Firepaw thought, but didn't say anything.

Hurricane looked outside of the medicine den, his expression wistful. "Your Clan is very nice, Firepaw," he whispered. "It makes me wish I lived here. But… I have to stay as a loner. It's for the best."

"You could probably join the Clan if you wanted," Firepaw responded. "My father—Bramblestar, in case you didn't know—is surprisingly lenient when it comes to loners and kittypets."

If Hurricane was surprised that Firepaw's father was Bramblestar, he didn't show it. "Maybe," he meowed quietly, shuffling his paws. "But, for now… I must stay as a loner." His pelt rippled as he moved towards the exit of the den, his tail flicking. "This is goodbye," he murmured, just loud enough for Firepaw to hear.

"Bye, Hurricane," Firepaw meowed to him, slight sadness glistening in her eyes.

The black and white tom disappeared out of the den.

Once she was sure he was gone, Firepaw slouched on the springy moss with a sigh. She was being excluded out of a rescue mission all because she'd gotten hurt. She just couldn't believe it.

But it's all my fault, isn't it? I'm the one who agreed to meet with Timberpaw in the first place. I'm the one who fell in love with him….

"Played like a fool," Firepaw murmured under her breath, resting her head on her paws. "Played like a fool."

She couldn't help save Brackenfur, Molewhisker, and Snowwhisper, and it was all her fault.

Oh, well, stuff happened. :0 So much stuff. I hope you guys could keep up with it all!

I'm starting to feel really bad for Firepaw. She has a lot of stuff on her shoulders, and she's too injured to save Brackenfur, Molewhisker, and Snowwhisper. D: I'd be really upset, too.

Well, here are some QOTD's:

QOTD #1: What do you think Nightpaw meant when he said 'It only gets worse from here'?

QOTD #2: How do you think Hurricane knows exactly where the missing cats are?

Well, that's it! :) I hope you guys have a great day!

;; Orangeflight of ShadowClan