Redstar called a Clan meeting as soon as they returned to camp to inform everyone of the hostility at the gathering that night, and to assure everyone that they had allies in both ShadowClan and RiverClan.
"Even the WindClan elders were standoffish tonight," Duststripe meowed. "You young warriors don't expect you friendships with WindClan to stay standing after this."
Badgerpaw felt exhausted, so she went straight to the apprentices' den as soon as the meeting was over. Before she could get settled down to sleep, however, Berrypaw was prodding her in the side.
"Who did you talk to?" she asked. "What other apprentices were there?"
"We talked to Runningpaw and Specklepaw of RiverClan," she meowed, sitting up in her nest. "We didn't talk to the WindClan apprentices, and there weren't any from ShadowClan."
"None?" Berrypaw asked, sounding a bit disappointed. "Not even Nightpaw?"
Badgerpaw realized that she wouldn't've known. "Oh, yeah," she mewed. "I did meet him, and his littermates too. They got their warrior names, though. He's Nightspring, and they're Breezetail and Moleclaw."
"Really?" Berrypaw asked, her green eyes gleaming. "Good for Nightspring! And Moleclaw and Breezetail." She added the last bit as though it was a second thought.
"Yeah," Badgerpaw mewed. "He told me to say hi to you."
Berrypaw looked very pleased by this. "Okay. Goodnight, Badgerpaw." The she-cat crawled over to her nest and curled up to sleep.
Badgerpaw rolled her eyes at the moony she-cat. I hope I'm never like that over a tom. She curled up in her nest and closed her eyes, allowing the waves of exhaustion to pull her into sleep.
Badgerpaw opened her eyes and saw the tom kit she had seen in her dreams a moon before. He blinked round amber eyes up at her and spoke with a high, kitten voice.
"There's something wrong with you," he mewled sadly.
Badgerpaw was taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm normal!"
The white kit shook his head. "No. You're not. You and our sister. There's something wrong, and it's your fault I'm gone."
"Breezekit?" she asked, tilting her head. "How is it our fault you're gone? We didn't want you to die!"
"But because of you, I did," he meowed. "StarClan didn't know, so they took me. But they were wrong." His eyes shone with sadness. "And now they want me to tell you."
"What can I do?" Badgerpaw asked, feeling inexplicably guilty. She fully believed that Breezekit was taken because of her and Thistlepaw, and she needed to make it right. "Can I do anything to fix this?"
"Don't let there be something wrong with you," Breezekit meowed. "Thistlepaw won't listen to me. Maybe she'll listen to you. Don't let her be wrong."
"But what's wrong with us?" Badgerpaw asked. "What do I do?"
But the dream was already fading. Breezekit was nothing more than an echo of his form. I looked sadly up at her.
"Don't be wrong," he meowed again before fading away completely, and Badgerpaw was blinking her eyes open. She shook her head and looked outside. It was still dark out. She sighed and set her head back down, trying to fall back asleep, but her mind was on the dream, and what the kit had been telling her.
Something was wrong with her.
And not just her, but Thistlepaw, too. Her own sister.
Had that really been her brother? Had a StarClan cat some to her, just to tell her that there was something not right about her?
Breezekit surely wasn't dead because of her, right? She hadn't done anything that could've caused it. She hadn't even had her eyes opened when it happened. How could she have done anything?
But StarClan had. Breezekit said that StarClan took him because she and Thistlepaw were born.
Badgerpaw looked at her sister's sleeping form. Breezekit said that he had tried talking to her, too, but she wouldn't listen. Had Breezekit really visited Thistlepaw, too?
This is all ridiculous, Badgerpaw thought. The dream must have been caused by her nerves after the gathering. StarClan wouldn't send a message to her, even if it was about her. They would send it to Willownose, or Redstar, or even Birdpaw. Anyone but her.
But even with these thoughts to comfort her, Badgerpaw had a hard time falling asleep. When she did, her dreams were restless, with images of Breezekit, with his wide eyes staring up at her sadly.
There's something wrong with you.
When the sun finally came up in the morning, Badgerpaw found it hard to rise from her nest. Her legs felt stiff and there was a slight, nervous ache in her belly. She doubted this would excuse her from patrols, but she remained in her nest until Featherleg dipped his head in.
"Badgerpaw, get up," he called. "I just discussed it with the others, and we're having group battle training today."
Badgerpaw stood and stretched, and walked stiffly out of the den after her mentor. When she saw everyone standing in the clearing, she got nervous. Have they all been waiting for me?
"Alright, everyone," Raventail meowed. "It's time to go."
Palepaw looked over at Badgerpaw. "About time," she mewed snoodily. "We've all been waiting."
Appleflight flicked her over the ears with her tail. "Hush up," she hissed. "Be kind. We weren't waiting that long, and she was at the gathering last night."
Palepaw glanced at Badgerpaw and muttered an apology.
The group walked silently until they arrived at the training hollow. There was a feeling in the air, and everyone felt it: battle training was the most important thing right now, and they should all act like it.
"Berrypaw and Harepaw, you will fight first," Spottedwing meowed. "Show the younger apprentices a bit more."
All the over cats backed up out of the way and sat to watch. Spottedwing and Amberbreeze circled the area, and Berrypaw and Harepaw stood, ready for battle.
"Begin," Spottedwing mewed.
As soon as the words, passed over his lips, Berrypaw and Harepaw leapt across the hollow and met each other in the middle. Berrypaw reared up while Harepaw ducked down, and the two cats became a hissing, tussling mass.
"Push up!" Amberbreeze instructed, and suddenly, Harepaw had thrown Berrypaw off of him and a good distance away. The she-cat landed on her side, but sprang to her paws, teeth bared angrily.
While she was getting up, however, Harepaw had rushed over to her. He swiped his paw around her front legs, but she had moved. She had reared up again and was battering his ears with her forepaws. Harepaw spit angrily and bowled into her, pinning her to the ground.
Badgerpaw watched, wide eyed. She briefly imagined how this would look if they were biting down hard enough to draw blood, with claws unsheathed, but she shuddered at the image. Was this how real warriors fought? Was that how fierce she would have to be if they faced WindClan?
"Very good, Harepaw," Amberbreeze meowed. She looked to Badgerpaw, Thistlepaw, and Palepaw. "Can you three tell me where Berrypaw went wrong?"
"She used a move that would make it easy for Harepaw to knock her off balance without making sure he wouldn't be in a position to push her over," Palepaw mewed instantly.
"Yes," Amberbreeze meowed. "Good, Palepaw."
She didn't even give me and Thistlepaw a chance!
"Badgerpaw," Amberbreeze mewed. "What could Berrypaw have done to remain balanced?"
Badgerpaw immediately wished that this was a question directed at everyone again.
"Er… she could have had her tail out behind her?"
She was filled with relief when Amberbreeze dipped her head. "Correct. Berrypaw, remember that when you go into battle."
The pale tortoiseshell nodded. "When you learn the hard way, you'll remember," Berrypaw assured her.
"Featherleg, would you be okay with Badgerpaw and Palepaw going now?" Appleflight asked her mentor.
"Yes," Featherleg meowed. "It's time she sparred with someone besides her sister."
Badgerpaw felt herself gulp. Palepaw had two more moons of training than she did, and she couldn't help feeling quite nervous about the gap. But she walked into the center of the hollow and crouched down, ready to spring into battle against the she-cat.
"Begin," Featherleg meowed.
Palepaw made the first move. She sprang forward, but Badgerpaw was ready. She sidestepped away and then clipped her shoulder into Palepaw's side before she landed.
Palepaw was surprised by the move, but landed on her feet despite it. She turned and made to swipe Badgerpaw, but the black and white she-cat was ready and bit down on her paw. Palepaw jerked away and hissed.
"Careful, Badgerpaw," Featherleg chided. "We aren't actually trying to hurt each other."
"Sorry," she called, trying not to get to distracted.
Palepaw was hanging back now, and they were circling each other. Badgerpaw felt her paws move, almost on their own accord, and she was charging towards the other apprentice. She slammed into her, knocking her off balance, and then she pinned her down.
"Very good, Badgerpaw," Appleflight meowed. "Palepaw, good effort."
"I was going easy," Palepaw grumbled. "She got lucky."
"Be a good sport, Palepaw," her mentor meowed.
"I liked that move at the beginning, Badgerpaw," Featherleg meowed. "Did everyone see that? Getting your opponent off balanced right away. Good job."
Badgerpaw's ear tips grew hot from the praise. "Thanks," she mewed.
Training continued on until sunhigh. Badgerpaw felt a bit battered, she had fought (and lost) agaisnt both Berrypaw and Harepaw by the time they were done, and she was ready to get back to camp.
While heading back, Raventail called her and her sister. "It's your turns to search the elders for ticks," he meowed. "Get mouse bile from Willownose once you're back."
Thistlepaw groaned loudly, but Badgerpaw just nodded. "Yes, sir."
