A/N

Shorty: They were my crack ship at first, but my brain was like "what if…" and then they became canon, whoops.

SuperBailey: I ship both, too! He was funny, wasn't he? "Grandbabies!" He wasn't there for Reedpaw, Hazelpaw, Nightpaw, Birchpaw and Whitepaw's birth, so he will for Hawkpool's new litter.

Havenspirit of MoonClan: I'll say this: Birchpaw doesn't die. But is never the same, obviously…

RiverClanner: Ooh, so close to what I had in mind! Dustsnow suffers a worse fate than death, thanks to Nightpaw, though.

Since I didn't give any prizes or anything for 200 reviews, whoops, I'm doing a thing: Whoever is the 213th reviewer, can request a ship/pairing (even a crack ship) to be published in my One-Shot book. HawkXJay is already in there, along with the JayXThorn crackship.

Blueberry and Mintleaf stumbled back in shock at her former leader's words. "This ShadowClan cat is backed up by the… Dark Forest?" Mintleaf whispered, recalling she was of ShadowClan blood herself.

Sunstar hung his head. "I'm afraid so. You must alert your clan and send two warriors and one apprentice from your clan to the Two-leg place to track her down before she collects followers. Dustsnow is very good at persuading cats."

"When do we set out on this journey?" Blueberry asked, the blue grey she cat's eyes sparkling with worry.

Sunstar stood, towering over the two she cats. "In two sunrises, you send your cats to the Moonfall and an angel will show them the way."

The dream faded away, Blueberry and Mintleaf waking with a start. The other medicine cats also looked startled, having received similar dreams.

"We must deliver this information to our clans immediately," Morningfeather meowed quickly, shaking out her fur and hurrying away, Breezepaw following the sound of her mentors pawsteps. Thymetail and Firepaw dashed off without words.

Redbreeze arose more slowly, moaning lightly in pain. Moonwing raced to the elderly she cat's side, helping her up. "You have to be more careful, Redbreeze. You're not so young anymore." Moonwing advised.

Redbreeze scoffed. "Nonsense, Moonwing. I'm just as spry as you."

Moonwing pursed her lips to contain a giggle. "We should head back." The young black she cat meowed, bidding a farewell to the WindClan cats.

Mintleaf hung her head, tucking her paws under her chest. "Blueberry, I feel like… a disgrace." She admitted, staring up at her mentor with damp, green eyes.

Blueberry crouched down beside her apprentice. "You're not. You may have ShadowClan blood running through your veins, but you are not one of them. All clans have their fair share of dark cats. Dustsnow is just one of theirs. Smokestar and Gingerroot were of the ThunderClan ones. Shellwhisker was the dark RiverClan cats."

Mintleaf rose sluggishly. "Who was our evil cat?"

Blueberry's face turned awkward. "Ours is still alive. Fernbreeze. She… she's part of the reason Thymetail has a stutter."

"Who do we chose to send to the Two-leg place?" Mintleaf inquired, changing the subject.

"Definitely one of Brindleleaf's kits will want to go. They are apprentices now after all," Blueberry said thoughtfully, the duo padding up the hill back to their own territory.

The pair followed the river, walking along RiverClan territory, but they were not breaking the code; they had leniency in order to reach their camp.

"I wonder who in the Dark Forest is protecting Dustsnow. Have they been training her as well?" Mintleaf blurted. Blueberry flinched at the mention of the Dark Forest.

"We don't speak that name!" Blueberry hissed, looking around frantically. Mintleaf frowned.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," Mintleaf growled back.

"We're back," Blueberry sighed, marching through the gorse and heather tunnel.

"What news does StarClan bring us?" Flamestar asked, padding up to Blueberry.

"Call a meeting," Blueberry replied, trotting towards the Highhill. "I have information for the entire clan."

Flamestar cleared his throat, lifted his head and yowled, "cats of WindClan! Listen to your medicine cat!"

Blueberry bristled with nervousness as the whole of WindClan gazed up at her. "StarClan has informed me that Dustsnow of ShadowClan is murdering cats related to Hawkpool." The blue grey she cat shifted her eyes to Brindleleaf's kits. "That includes Pinepaw, Lionpaw, Skypaw and Foxpaw."

Brindleleaf screeched in terror, speeding over to her children and doing her best to wrap her tail around the four of them.

"What does StarClan say we do?" Brindleleaf cried out.

"They want us to send three cats, two warriors and one apprentice, to track her down. The other clans have been given the same orders." Blueberry announced.

"The only ones here in danger are Brindleleaf's kits!" Falconflame hissed in outrage. "Why should we send cats to take of her problem?"

Sedgelight scowled at her brother. "StarClan said so, you fool!"

"Did they tell us who's to go?" Flamestar questioned. Blueberry shook her head.

"The cats must be volunteers," Mintleaf interjected.

"I'll go!" A dark brown-golden she cat declared, her light green eyes glowing.

"Lionpaw, no," Brindleleaf protested to her daughter, but the apprentice ignored her.

Lionpaw marched up to the Highhill beside Blueberry. "I never knew my father, but I know he was a good cat. His bloodline does not deserve to be slaughtered, nor do my littermates and I. I volunteer to go."

Blueberry bowed her head. "Very well, Lionpaw. Anyone else?"

Emberfang raised his paw. "I'll go. My heightened senses will come in handy. Plus, I'm not about to let my apprentice go on this trip alone."

Sedgelight clung to Emberfang. "I'll go with him. I don't want him getting hurt."

Blueberry smiled down warmly to the three cats. "You three are extremely brave. You leave in two sunrises, and meet at the Moonfall."

Meows of outrage blew like wildfire of the ShadowClan cats as Thymetail revealed the truth about Dustsnow.

Olivestep looked ashamed, pressing herself against Forestclaw in fright. Shadefang didn't look surprised, almost like he expected it. Fallenstar looked shocked and devastated.

"Thymetail, what do we do now? No cat will want to hunt her down." Fallenstar meowed, staring at the ground in sorrow.

"We will," Olivestep and Forestclaw meowed in unison. The couple proudly stood.

"My sister does not deserve to get away with this crime," Olivestep growled. "She's barely my sister anymore now."

Swiftfang arose beside his half sister. "Our mother would not want this. I may not be able to go, but I stand by their decision."

"Fine," Breezepaw growled, the creamy-white tabby tom standing up. "Dustsnow was a fox-heart anyways. Soon as I was her apprentice, she got pregnant with kits she neglects."

"You mean someone is killing cats close to me to hurt me?" Hawkpool echoed back Morningfeather's words with a horrified expression.

"I want to kill her!" Hawkpool exclaimed, turning to her father. "Let me go on this mission! I know the Two-leg place better than any cat here!"

"That's a lie," Hickorynose piped in. "Acornheart and I know it best. We volunteer to go."

"As deputy, I say no!" Hawkpool hissed. "I want to avenge my brother!"

"And what happens of you birth your kits there? Eat an infected rat and induce an early labor again?" Acornheart retorted in frustration.

Hawkpool jerked back in surprise, looking hurt. Oakstar draped his tail over Hawkpool's shoulders and kissed her forehead in a comforting notion. "He's right, my child. Let them go."

"I want to go, too!" Reedpaw chirped in stubbornly. "You need an apprentice; StarClan said so. Make it me."

Hawkpool's jaw dropped. "Nope, nope, nope. I refuse to let you go."

"He can go," Oakstar chuckled, Hawkpool staring at her father in horror.

"My baby," Hawkpool whispered, her voice a pathetic squeak.

"How do they even find her?" Hawkpool muttered, scuffing the dirt beneath her paws. Morningfeather tipped her head curiously.

"Reedflight said 'an angel will show you the way'," Morningfeather mumbled, thinking over his words.

Snailpaw jumped to Reedpaw's side. "Yeah, I'm with your mother on this one. You don't want me to freeze to death, d-do you?"

Reedpaw snickered. "Fox-heart. Of course not…" He grumbled, not meeting her eyes. "But I'm going. My father would want me to."

Snailpaw leapt in front of him as he tried to walk away. "But you don't even know him!"

"I know him better than you'd think," Reedpaw countered, sticking out his tongue to her. "Since I'm going, I need my rest."

Snailpaw slumped down in disappointment. "Dung-face…" She fussed, picking at a blade of grass distractedly.

Nightpaw's ears perked up at the news Redbreeze and Moonwing had to say. To get revenge on her mentor's death? To get away from all the tormenting? It was perfect, to say the least.

"I volunteer!" Nightpaw yowled, her fur prickling in joy. "I want to go!"

Jaytalon frowned at Nightpaw. "There's no way I'm letting you go…"

Nightpaw's overjoyed smile dropped instantly.

"No way I'm letting you go alone," Jaytalon finished with a smirk. Nightpaw's eyes sparkled with glee. "Count me in."

"I want to get pay back with Dustsnow," Squirreltail snarled. "She killed my father."

Lightfeather was holding back sobs, though her eyes looked angry. "You're not going, Squirreltail." She sniffled.

Squirreltail whipped around to meet Lightfeather's eyes. "She killed Rainstorm, mom! She killed dad!"

The fur on Lightfeather's neck and back stood on end, the yellowy she cat peeling her lips back into a snarl. "I'm not your mother and he was not your father! Your father was a traitor to our clan; he mated with a filthy ShadowClan cat and had you!"

Squirreltail recoiled at Lightfeather's words. He plastered his ears to his head, his eyes nervously darting around the clearing. He gave Lightfeather a wary and hurt look, then bolted off into the undergrowth and out of the camp.

"If you'll excuse me, Cloudstar," Mouseclaw growled, eyes glaring at Lightfeather, "I must go find my nephew."

Doveflight looked disappointed in her mother, following Mouseclaw to find Squirreltail.

Rabbitleg glowered at his mother, then raised his head to Cloudstar. "I'll go with Nightpaw and Jaytalon."

Mousepelt clung to him sadly. "No, don't go! You won't be present for your own kits' birth!" The queen wailed. She was expecting his kits.

Rabbitleg gave her a tender lick on the cheek. "I'll be back, no worries. I'm all powerful!"

Mousepelt frowned at him, but she looked understanding. "Rabbitleg, are you sure you want to pursue this dangerous mission? It is not kit's play."

He nodded in determination. "Alas, I am sure." He whirled his head back to their leader. "I wish to take vengeance on this cat who slayed my dad."

Cloudstar dipped his head in understanding. "Very well, Rabbitleg. It is decided. Nightpaw, Jaytalon and yourself will be the three to attend the party to track down the criminal."

"If you are to come with me, my child," Jaytalon began, "allow myself, and your cousin, to protect you."

Nightpaw gave a huff in exasperation. "I need not to be guarded, for I am very well capable of defending myself from anything of possible threat."

Jaytalon sighed heavily, lying his tail across her shoulders. "I know that very well, Nightpaw; however, I do not wish peril upon you."

Nightpaw growled in dismay. "I know you don't believe in me because I'm half blind, but you believed in Rainstorm, and he was no better than me when he was my age!"

Jaytalon sighed in weariness. "Rainstorm was a deputy."

"No, he was a cat like me. No more than that. He just had a high rank," Nightpaw pointed out and stalked off into the apprentice den to get sleep, as the moon was creeping down to the horizon.

Nightpaw sighed to herself, flopping down on her moss nest. She tore at a dry spot with her claws in irritation. I'm just as capable as any of the other apprentices! Maybe I should have chosen RiverClan… No, water freaks me out. That's not the mind of a RiverClanner. I wonder if any of my littermates are going to journey with me? Ugh, I just wish there was someone who understood what it's like to have everyone underestimate you and then be crude when you prove them wrong!

Nightpaw gradually slipped into an angry sleep, waving up several times in the night to a frosty breeze, only to wake up at dawn and to learn she was on the dawn patrol.

"Why am I helping you all hunt again?" Nightpaw grumbled. "My dark fur sticks out like a cat with a bellyache."

Blizzardshade purred in amusement. "You need all the experience you can get before the journey. Hunting in the snow is one you need to know."

Shyleaf nodded her head in agreement. Her eyes sparkled with fondness towards the young warrior.

Snowwing gently rested her tail on Nightpaw's flank. "If you watch closely, I can show you." The fluffy she cat burrowed her way into the snow, crouched low so only her blue-grey eyes seemed to be the only color visible.

A skinny vole was nibbling on few scattered seeds on the dewy ground. Without making a noise, Snowwing emerged from the snow, pinning the prey and swiftly killing it.

"That had nothing to do with camouflage," Nightpaw whined. "You're the most experienced out of us." She motioned to the rest of the patrol, consisting of herself, Blizzardshade, Shyleaf, and Streampaw.

Snowwing chortled to herself, exchanging a look with her son, Blizzardshade. "I'll admit I am a little out of practice, though. It's harder to hunt when you're pregnant."

Nightpaw blushed in embarrassment. "W-well, you all have long fur, too! I could freeze."

Streampaw cackled in amusement. "I feel bad for RiverClan. The river hasn't frozen yet so they're still fishing, and in ice cold waters. I bet they already have sickness in their camp."

Blizzardshade whacked her ear. "That's no laughing matter. If they do have sickness we shouldn't mock them. We've been allies for many moons now."

Streampaw growled back at Blizzardshade with arrogance in her eyes. Blizzardshade ignored his apprentice. "Of all the apprentices, I had to train my little cousin…"

Nightpaw blocked out the voices of her clanmates, hunkering down in the snow, stalking through it, her good eye locked on a moorhen. It was fat and its wing looked injured. She knew her clanmates couldn't see it; it was invisible to their weaker senses.

Nightpaw pounced, missing it by a whisker. It struggled to fly away, squawking in fear. Nightpaw groaned as she bit down on its throat. It would have alerted all the other prey in the area.

"Fair catch, Nightpaw," Shyleaf commented. "But you should have been more careful. Now we have to go back with just the vole, your moorhen and that measly mouse that Streampaw caught."

"Hey!" Streampaw hissed. "At least I didn't screw up the patrol like Nightpaw did!"

Nightpaw bit back a snarky retort, grumbling into the feathers of her moorhen, then let out a series of choking coughs as she accidentally swallowed a feather.

Streampaw snorted in an attempt to hold back a laugh, tumbling through the camp entrance in a fit of giggles. Nightpaw rolled her eyes, walking back the white and grey she cat.

"Did you catch that?" Nutpaw asked in awe, staring at her chunky moorhen. Nightpaw chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I did," Nightpaw meowed, meeting his eyes. Nutpaw broke eye contact almost instantly, staring at his paws timidly.

"W-well, it's really cool!" Nutpaw stammered, grabbing a finch and chasing after her. "D-do you want to share tongues with me?"

Nightpaw raised an eyebrow at him doubtfully. Nutpaw sighed evenly. "Look, I know my brother's a jerk. I used to be a jerk, too. But I know you're a really skilled fighter, so I'm asking; give me a chance to be your friend?"

Nightpaw looked skeptically at the light brown tom. He maintained a cheery, pleading smile. Nightpaw bent her head, taking a swift bite of the bird.

"Okay. But if you do anything funny, know that I've done okay without you and will be okay without you again." Nightpaw warned, but her eyes betrayed her, sparkling with joy.

Nutpaw's teeny grin broke out into a full out smile, stretching to both sides of her face. "So, uh, Nightpaw?"

The black she cat swallowed another bite she'd taken, looking up at him. "Yeah?"

"Do you miss your mom?" He asked warily. Nightpaw stared at her paws bashfully, blinking away the dampness in her eyes.

"Yeah, I do," she admitted. "A lot of cats tease me because she's not around."

Nutpaw lifted her chin up with a sheathed paw. "Well, if it helps, mine fight a lot." He pricked his ears towards his father's den, then shrinked down. "They're fighting now. Plus, Brackenfang looks at me funny a lot. I don't think he likes me because I'm the kit of his former mate but not his."

Nightpaw smiled sympathetically. "You know, your mom and my father are half siblings?"

"Really?" Nutpaw asked, his face looking bright. Nightpaw nodded.

"We're half cousins!" She squeaked, wrapping her tail around his. "And that means family sticks together."

(POV change: Jaytalon)

Jaytalon carefully treaded across the Thunderpath, embracing Lijep as they met. He pulled back after a few seconds, his eyes sad.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to see you for a while," Jaytalon sighed. "We're travelling into Two-leg territory to track down a murderer, and I volunteered to go with them."

Lijep's sea-green eyes grew worried. "Do any of you really know Two-leg territory?"

Jaytalon froze, thinking for a moment. "N-not really. I mean, I did live as a loner for a awhile, but not long enough to remember the landmarks and such."

"I could be your guide," Lijep offered, swerving in front of him. "Help you fight that criminal."

"Are you sure?" Jaytalon fretted. "H-have you really fought before?"

Lijep scoffed, as if it was obvious. "Trust me, I'm a better fighter than you'd think, for reasons unimportant. Where do I meet you?"

"Uh, do you know where a waterfall is?" Jaytalon asked. Lijep's eyes went wide in terror. She shook her head.

"Well, yes, but I can't go through the territory that leads to it. How about I send someone to escort you safely?" Lijep offered, her tail tip trembling.

Jaytalon smiled in thankfulness. He raced forward, hugging her. "Thank you, Lily. We'll be there in one sunrise, at dawn." He licked her nose, sprinting away back into his territory. Lijep shivered dreadfully, pushing away the thought of what resided in that forbidden territory she could not cross.

Lijep lowered her head. "Stay safe and fly cautiously, my Jay. For more dangers lie ahead than you would think…"

A/N

Just to clarify, here at the cats going on the journey!

RiverClan: Acornheart, Hickorynose and Reedpaw

ThunderClan: Rabbitleg, Jaytalon, and Nightpaw

WindClan: Emberfang, Sedgelight, and Lionpaw

ShadowClan: Olivestep, Forestclaw, and Breezepaw

Don't forget about the 213th reviewer! It can be any ship, from slash to femslash, to plain out impossible! The only ship I'll never accept is incest. Nothing like RunningXSnow or anything like that.