Flashback

Pebblepaw walked steadily, seeing a vole only mouse-lengths away. She thought she'd never get used to this Clan. But after three moons, she began to feel she could stay in this routine for quite a while.

She was about to leap on her catch when a shuffle in the bushes sent the vole running. And she knew very well her mentor was too cautious to run into some bushes, no matter how mournful he was.

"Milkpaw." Pebblepaw growled. It wasn't even a thought, that lousy she-cat walked through the forest like a lumbering badger with her weight.

"What? Newleaf is almost here." Milkpaw yawned as she tumbled into view. "Walking peacefully without a care in the world was my specialty till I was kicked out of my Twoleg nest."

"This is an assessment!" Pebblepaw shrieked.

"Shut up!" Milkpaw panicked. "I don't want Rosepetal hearing!"

"Your mentor?" Pebblepaw taunted. "Ha! If she knew what kind of a slacker you were, she'd delayyour warrior ceremony for seasons!"

"You were so kind till that stupid warrior got to you!" Milkpaw snapped.

"Well, she got to you too! You're with us now!" Pebblepaw retorted.

"I had no choice." Milkpaw growled. "It was that or get slaughtered by those neighborhood rogues."

"Pebblepaw! Milkpaw!"

Milkpaw leaped and sprinted off loudly while Pebblepaw stood in place.

"Bumblestripe, I'm over here!"

She saw her mentor and Rosepetal come into view, their pelts closer than two leafs on a branch.

"Where's Milkpaw?" Rosepetal meowed. "I saw her go this direction."

"Once she heard my mentor, she ran off." Pebblepaw replied truthfully. She didn't have to cover that spoiled she-cat's sorry butt.

"Why?" Bumblestripe asked.

"Dunno." Pebblepaw muttered. "She distracted me from my prey and took off."

"Oh dear." Rosepetal sighed. "She's always keeping away from putting effort. It's almost like she doesn't want to be a warrior."

Bumblestripe comforted her with a loud purr and Pebblepaw remembered that they became mates only a moon ago andthetom was happy ever since.

As she heard there were rumors that he had a mate before she left to ShadowClan with her kits.

They headed back to camp with little prey but a squirrel and a sparrow. Pebblepaw eagerly picked the squirrel. She made sure Squirrelflight wasn't about. As she was going to give the squirrel to her enemy Gemlight and her kits.

But when she trotted in, Stormcloud was there instead, tuning out the loud mews of Hollypaw's recently born kits.

"Where's Gemlight? She's supposed to be with her kits!" Pebblepaw gasped.

"Ever sincethey've weaned, all she does is go on patrols." Stormcloud sighed. "I tell her time and time again to stay with our kits. Tomorrow I'm putting my paw down. She needs to stay with our kits!"

Pebblepaw placed the squirrel and saw Gemlight trot happily with a bird in her mouth. And it must kill her inside when Stormcloud tells her that she loses that privilege.

Pebblepaw can only think that Gemlight wanted better.

Present

Goldenpaw woke up and felt pride within herself. In the two sunrises that passed, she had impressed the Clan holding her own against a rogue.

Even though she looked like a piece of scrap, she was much tougher than I expected!

Even the leader looked at her with eyes of pride, it made her feel like a warrior.

And the best part was the Gathering was tonight, and Bramblestar would tell the Clan of her bravery. She wouldn't have to look to her lousy mentor for encouragement anymore.

Not when apprentices from all the Clans are inspired by me.

"Whitewing!" Goldenpaw meowed, running over to the she-cat. "Battle training finally?!"

"Hunting tree squirrels." Whitewing replied. "With Silverpaw and Icepaw."

Grr, but the looks on their faces when they beg for mercy under my claws...wait, what?

Goldenpaw took after the mentors and their apprentices. Sure, hunting was nice, but battle made the golden she-cat actually feel alive.

She saw Poppyfrost and Snowlight explaining to their apprentices and they nodded eagerly.

Goldenpaw was irritated and looked expectantly at her mentor.

"They're probably using fancy terms to explain." Whitewing yawned. "Climb. Don't fall."

Is this she-cat brain dead?!

Goldenpaw was surprised when the other apprentices took off onto their own trees, and quickly leaped and looked her claws onto the bark. She yowled when one of her paws slipped beneath her and she held on tighter.

She looked at Silverpaw, her wide green eyes on a squirrel at the end of a branch. Silverpaw stretched from the tree and was dangerously close to losing balance of her back legs.

"Silverpaw!" Icepaw cried. "She's gonna fall!"

"Am not!" Silverpaw frantically reached for the tree when the branch snapped but one of her claws tore off and she fell with the branch.

Poppyfrost shrieked and bowled Whitewing out of the way to get to her apprentice.

"Hey!" Whitewing snapped. "My lovely white fur!"

Snowlight glared and shook his dusty white pelt intentionally.

Icepaw immediately leaped off the tree and Goldenpaw hesitated and saw a plump squirrel at the top branch.

That could feed Amberdrop!

Goldenpaw's eyes lit up and she ignored the scene below her. She thoughtlessly leaped over two branches and was right below the distracted squirrel.

"What's she doing?" Whitewing snarled. "GET DOWN! YOUR CLANMATE'S HURT!"

Goldenpaw gasped when the squirrel moved to the other branch. She looked down and leaped to the branch and killed the squirrel quickly.

She leaped down and glared at her mentor in defiance.

"You're in trouble!" Whitewing snarled.

"Oh, riiiiiiiiiiiight." Goldenpaw sneered. "Cause catching a squirrel will definitely get me in trouble!"

"When I tell Bramblestar it will!" Whitewing hissed.

"Like I said." Goldenpaw giggled.

Goldenpaw took off out of hearing range and Whitewing looked at Poppyfrost.

"Do you think Bramblestar will let his daughter off easy?" Whitewing muttered.

"It's not like she did much wrong, she shouldn't be punished." Poppyfrost explained.

"StarClan, just let it go Whitewing." Snowlight growled at his sister.

...

The Gathering was about to begin and nothing happened to Goldenpaw over the slip-up, so she was very smug about it to Whitewing.

"How's Silverpaw going to be?" Blizzardpaw meowed to Icepaw as they were nearing the tree-bridge.

"Briarlight excited to have another cripple cat like her. It's awful." Beetlepaw snarled bitterly. "All our cats should be healthy!"

"I know, right?" Goldenpaw meowed. She surprised herself agreeing with him but paid little mind to it.

Icepaw explained that Silverpaw was bound to recover in a moon or less thanks to Jayfeather. But Briarlight kept trying to stop him because she wanted another miserable cripple to share her pain with.

"Jayfeather finally snapped at her and told her she should've died before that battle with WindClan moons ago." Icepaw concluded. "I just want my sister to be OK."

Goldenpaw was worried for her friend, but still proud of herself. Without her catch, they would've brought nothing back.

And I didn't have to feed it to Sandstorm, that old hag is bound to kick the dirt soon!

She saw her mother happily walking alongside Millie and Ivypool.

Oddly enough, she's not this happy around Stormcloud. But since he'sback at camp she seems free as a bird!

Goldenpaw was too confused, why did her mother despise him so much if she had his kits?

She leaped onto the tree-bridge and heard several kicks and saw Squirrelflight struggling to get out of the water.

Goldenpaw grabbed her scruff and pulled her out back onto the tree-bridge. The orange she-cat started panting and shaking out the water.

"You OK?" Goldenpaw asked, feeling good for saving one of her Clanmates.

"You...you're Gemlight's kit right?" Squirrelflight coughed.

"Always have been, why?"

"Oh...no particular reason." Squirrelflight purred, her eyes glinting.

Goldenpaw shrugged and jumped into the Gathering area, looking at all the other cats.

They will be my enemies!

Goldenpaw heard Twigpaw enter the Gathering last and sit by himself.

She was about to move to the circle of apprentices when one big tabby eyed her with a certain curiousity.

"Can I help...you?" Goldenpaw asked.

"You're Bramblestar's kit." The big tabby meowed.

"No, Stormcloud's." Goldenpaw replied.

"Gemlight's your mother right?"

"Yes."

"Bramblestar is your father then, the other warriors have probably told your siblings already." The tabby meowed. "I am Onestar."

"How do you know this?" Goldenpaw whispered.

"Stormcloud was never mates with her when she was expecting kits." Onestar explained. "Bramblestar and her were."

Gemlight pushed her daughter out of the way facing Onestar, fur bristling.

"You're too late." Onestar sneered. "I already told her."

"Is it true, mother?" Goldenpaw asked.

"...yes, it's true." Gemlight sighed. "I wanted to tell you for a long time. I took no pride in calling you Stormcloud's."

"You're...happy that we're Bramblestar's?" Goldenpaw gasped.

"Very much so." Gemlight purred. "There's only one reason that I didn't besides that I'm with Stormcloud."

"What?"

"There's a warrior you three aren't safe from." Gemlight whispered. "Her name is Squirrelflight."