Here's chapter seven, the first chapter featuring Ashpaw and Dapplepaw's meetings. I didn't even write a chapter like this when I was writing, but I realized that it needed to be in there so I wrote it in.

Fact: The story was originally just going to be about Dapplepaw and Ashpaw, but I found it boring and too common, so I decided to add to the plot a lot more.

Ashpaw felt hidden under the blackness of the night. The moon, however, lit his path. He knew that path well. It had nearly been a moon since Dapplepaw and he starting meeting in the tree, but even before that he had crept out there as a kit.

They had decided to meet again, after Dapplepaw had stopped the meetings to get some rest. It was true, she did seem exhausted, though she looked more alive at night.

Ever since Ashpaw asked her to meet in the tree, he wondered why. It just slipped out before he could stop himself. He had no clue why. Dapplepaw had turned out to be a very good friend after all.

Ashpaw passed the border marking for SunClan territory. He walked into uncharted land, but he knew it well, and so did Dapplepaw. It was perfect, that tree. It was off both territories and was full of birds if they ever wanted to hunt. It was an apple tree, so the birds pick at the fruit, while mice ate the fallen apples.

Dapplepaw was waiting, perched in the tree. She was crouched low, just like when that badger was trying to kill them. Except at that moment she was relaxed, her head slightly tipped to stare at the stars. Her tail was barely curled around the branch. Her fur was still full and fluffy, like kitten fur, hence why Ashpaw called it kitten fluff.

Ashpaw watched her. Sometimes he did that, though is was beyond him why. He understood how they got along so well. She was just like him. She had quick responses and was determined. After his thoughts, Ashpaw crept forward, close enough to leap on the tree and skillfully climb it.

Dapplepaw turned to him. "I was getting lonely, talking to myself. It was getting sort of pathetic, actually."

"Good thing I'm here to save you from the humiliation," Ashpaw agreed. He crouched down on a branch slightly higher than her. "So much happened in the few nights we haven't seen each other." He shrugged, his mind drifting to the Rosepaw event. Not the actual event, but what she said afterwards. Did she really plan on them raising a family together? Rosepaw was hardly a friend!

Dapplepaw snorted, nodding her head. "Tell me about it. I...well...Foxstep...er, you go first."

Ashpaw blinked. It was unlike her to be at a loss for words, which made him curious to what happened. "Okay, well," he started, finding not difficult to speak to her. "I found out Rosepaw's planning a future for us. As a family."

"What?" Dapplepaw exclaimed, her head whipping to face him. "What? Why? Did she said something?"

"Sort of. I just think it's because we're the only two cats in the clan around our age. I can't imagine spending my life with her, though."

Relief flash across Dapplepaw's face, but it was gone so quickly Ashpaw wasn't sure it was there to begin with. He shook his head, at a loss. It was strange, though. Does she really care? Or just feels obligated to care?

Dapplepaw sighed, resting her head on her paws. "Foxstep has the same idea. Apparently he thinks a lot of me. It's ridiculous." She shook her head.

Ashpaw frowned. She hadn't mentioned Foxstep, other than that he was an irritating new warrior who treated her like a kit. "And?" Ashpaw pressed, the matter worrying him. He had no clue why he was so concerned about this, but it made him on edge. He had to know more about it. What did Dapplepaw say back to him?

"I yelled at him," Dapplepaw answered, making Ashpaw inwardly sigh with relief. "But he wanted a chance, and I think it's only fair. So for another half moon I have to be nice and talk to him." She seemed upset about it, especially with the a roll of her eyes.

"This is so stupid. We're new apprentices. Why are we dealing with this? Aren't we supposed to enjoy our times as rebellious, idiot cats?" Dapplepaw muttered, looking at him, her green eyes bright.

Ashpaw nodded. She had taken the words right from him. "I agree. Let's do something, then." He leapt straight from the branch, landing on his paws. Dapplepaw slid after him, her landing just as perfected as his own. "Let's hunt some prey."

Dapplepaw brightened. Ashpaw looked around at the fallen apples. "Everything will be in their dens," Dapplepaw meowed with a small frown.

Ashpaw gave a nod. "We dig something up." He turned to a gopher hole he had spotted earlier. "That one."

"Are you mouse-brained?" Dapplepaw asked, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Those tunnels are really deep and long! We'll never do it!" She glanced at him and laughed. "But it never hurts to try!"

"Remember, we're idiotic young cats," Ashpaw meowed, darting to the mouth of the burrow. He started to dig, his claws quickly filling with dirt.

"Yuck!" Dapplepaw cried out. Ashpaw turned to look at her. Her fluffy, amber colored fur was covered in dirt, only her greens eyes showing through. "This is disgusting!"

Ashpaw snickered, "What did you do? Roll in it?" She looked amusing and grossed out, the dirt clinging to her fur and knotting itself into her kitten fluff, as Ashpaw called it.

"I fell!" Dapplepaw shook out her fur. "Not funny!" She brightened, her tail lashing. In one quick motion, she flung herself at Ashpaw, knocking him over into the upturned dirt.

"Hey!" Ashpaw scrambled to his paws. He looked himself over, his grey pelt vanishing and being replaced with a thick coat of brown dirt. He turned to face Dapplepaw, who seemed enjoying the moment. "You'll regret this!" He sprung at her, knocking her over so that they tumbled into the dirt.

Dust flew up everywhere, causing the both to cough. "Look at what you did!" Dapplepaw gasped, examining her thick fur. "It'll take moons to get this out!" She gave him a mean glare. "Ugh!"

Ashpaw shrugged. "I don't know about you, Dustfluff, but I'm washing in the stream not too far away from here. Oh, and that'll be your warrior name, by the way."

Dapplepaw snorted, shaking her head and flinging dirt everywhere. "No way! It's you who will be called Dirtcloud!" She padded after him, leaving dirt in her path. "I am covered from nose to tail tip!"

Ashpaw pricked his ears at the sound of running water. He spotted the stream, though it was smaller than he expected.

Dapplepaw slowed to a stop, a frown forming on her face. "This is puny!" she cried out, turning to glare at him. "You expect me to wash my fur clean in that? It's hardly past my legs!"

Ashpaw shrugged. "Fine, then, you explain to your clan as to why you're dirt covered. I'm going for a swim!" He padded to the edge of the stream. First, Ashpaw poked his paw into the water, jerking it back when he felt how cold it was. Slowly, he started swimming, finding the water not bad after a while.

Dapplepaw was inching closer, her eyes skeptical. She finally jumped into the water, gasping at the frigid water. "Great StarClan!" She padded to where it was deep enough to swim. "That's cold."

"Thanks for pointing that out." Ashpaw dunked his head under, to rinse that area of fur on his face. As he emerged, her drew in a quick breath, coughing. "Well, then, remember to-" He paused, wanting to see if she'd figure to hold her breath so she did not choke on water.

"To what?" Dapplepaw asked, eyes narrowing. She shrugged. "Hold my breath? I already knew that, unlike some cats,"she meowed, giving him a pointed look. She dived under the small waves, the filth washing from her thick pelt. She poked her head back up, shivering.

Ashpaw dragged himself onto the bank, shuddering. The water was very cold, and ran off his pelt as he got onto dry land. He didn't realize how cold the air was in leaf-fall until he stood there on that bank, shivering.

Dapplepaw shook her pelt out, the water droplets flying everywhere. Her thick fur was weighed down, and Ashpaw couldn't imagine how long it would take it to dry. "I-I'm f-freezing," she murmured, her voice shaky.

Ashpaw shuddered, nodding. "I am too," he meowed. "Maybe we should warm up before we go back. I mean, there is no explanation to go swimming at nighttime in leaf-fall."

Dapplepaw looked at the moon above them. "It'll be at least dawn before my fur is remotely dry." She shook her head. "Stupid kitten fluff."

Ashpaw brightened. "Okay, well, let's take a nap in the tree. You need to sleep anyway." He padded forward, tasting the air to follow their scent back.

The apple tree was tall and had been there for moons, Ashpaw guessed. He hadn't realized how it's leaves were starting to fall. It was hard to notice in the piles of maple leaves.

Ashpaw climbed the tree with ease. He climbed onto his high branch, crouching low. Dapplepaw focused on one of the lower branches and jumped right on it. She could naturally leap very high, which wasn't a trait of LeafClan.

Ashpaw let out a sigh, watching the moon start is descent in the sky. He shut his eyes and went to sleep.

Well, review? I know most people have supported DapplexAsh, though there are some that don't.

Next chapter: Rainpaw feels like she and Ashpaw have a future written out for them and plans to tell him, but she discovers answers to Dapplepaw's disappearances instead.

Question: Which sister do you like better - Rainpaw or Creampaw?