AN. Thanks for all the reviews! An now here we are with Chapter Seventeen underway! :D

Chapter Seventeen

Cliffshadow stood proudly on Tallmound looking down at the Clan cats that were now his warriors and apprentices. Of course, he would have been more pleased with his birth Clan's camp to control instead, but he knew better than to complain to Bone about what he would think as a kit's quarrel. His deputy that Bone appointed to him, Vixen, was patrolling the camp yowling at many cats who sat to get back hunting or patrolling. Cliffshadow saw that the orange she-cat mainly snapped at the former Hidden and WhisperClan cats no different than what Eve does whenever she even sees one. Of course, despite that similarity between the rouge she-cats Cliffshadow would rather have Eve as his deputy than Vixen. Eve and he at least got along fine unlike the relationship between himself and his current deputy. And he could just see that Vixen herself thought the same way about him; she wanted to submit to somebody else. But the skinny orange cat's yellow eyes kept off him and instead stared down on the Clan cats as if she were Leer. She was trying to prove herself tougher than Cliffshadow probably to steal his rank as leader of Mourn Camp.

The very thought of Vixen standing in his place made a chills rush swiftly down Cliffshadow's spine feeling like snow in the dead middle of leaf-bare as he dug his claw's into Tallmound's old ancient soil where many WhisperClan leaders stood before him to welcome new warriors and grieve for the loss. And now, he, Cliffshadow, stood there as the very first leader of Mourn Camp! And, hopefully, eventual leader of SorrowClan itself!

Dawnstar gazed sorrowfully at Cliffshadow who stood in her place and took away her Clan and now was destroying it. Cliffshadow could tell she felt the need to do something about it. To sand tall and proud and speak out on the behalf of her weakened Clan that now starved under the leadership of Bone who didn't seem to care whatsoever about if the Clan cats really did perish. So long as all the rouges survived and thrived above all who trespass or even look in the direction of what he claimed now to be his land.

Vixen stalked up to a fluffy pure white apprentice who was too, gazing dreadfully at her new leader. The deputy snapped, "What are you doing lying around apprentice?!" She tackled Dovepaw to the ground harshly and hissed in her ear, "It's been a moon since SorrowClan formed, you should know by now not to be a useless piece of fox dung like you're used to being! Unless it is your wish to become a prisoner then I suggest you get hunting! I'm starvin' and dealing with you makes my hunger worsen!"

The deputy then grabbed Dovepaw by the scruff and tossed her towards the camp entrance, "Go now apprentice!"

Without a word of protest Dovepaw obeyed. More glad than angry. At least she would get away from that dreadful camp with all those rouges. But, she knew that the rouges were everywhere, watching all that went on day and night. Watching to make sure the Clan cats don't try a surprise attack to take back the territories. It made Dovepaw uneasy just to speak to another.

Shaking her head, she dropped low in a crouch as the scent of vole reached her nostrils. The prey came into view, but was still a bit far. That didn't matter to her though; pouncing was her specialty which was always why she came back with the most prey at the end of the day back when she was better known to be a HiddenClan apprentice. She pounced on the vole, killing it swiftly with her claws giving it a quick and painless death.

Dovepaw buried the vole and continued her hunt. She was able to catch a squirrel, a sparrow and a couple of mice. Glancing at the sky, she saw that it would be best to head back to camp before Vixen decided to introduce her to the other prisoners. Collecting the kill, Dovepaw padded quickly back to camp. As she entered, Vixen was the first to 'greet' her. "Well somebody took their time!" Vixen said with a snarl, "Were you plotting against authority or are you just slow?"

Dovepaw glared at Vixen, "I caught five pieces of fresh-kill in very good time and you call that slow?!"

Angrily, Vixen slashed her claws across Dovepaw's face. The white apprentice grimaced at the terrible pain but held in the cry of agony that was crawling up her throat and clawing to burst out into the air.

"Never talk to your deputy like that scum! I went light on you that time! Go put that prey in the pile and then go change the nests! You don't get to eat tonight!" Vixen then grabbed the vole Dovepaw carried and stalked over beside Tallmound to feast.

Stormpaw hurried over urgently to his injured friend. "Are you alright Dovepaw?! I saw what Vixen did, oh that piece of fox dung herself!" He then realized what he said and took a quick look of his surroundings to be sure no rouge was in hearing range. After a sigh of relief that he was safe, Stormpaw continued, "Here, I'll take the prey to the pile and do the nesting. You need a medicine cat for that! It could get infected!"

Dovepaw shook her head, and placed down her prey to say, "No, I better do it. I don't wish to drag you into all this. Just be sure to keep yourself busy." And with that Dovepaw hurried over to add the kill and then headed towards the warriors den where mainly only the rouges slept while all the Clan cats slept outside on the stone hard ground with no bedding.

Lucky for her and Stormpaw, Vixen was distracted with her precious meal to notice the brief conversations that happened between herself and Stormpaw.

Then she began to change the bedding of all the nests in the warriors' den. As she was fixing up one of the nests, Stormpaw entered the den with bedding in his mouth and began to help her. He said, "You really thought I was going to let you do all of this by yourself?" Dovepaw smiled kindly at Stormpaw as the two of them worked together on the chore.

Once they were done, they gladly exited the den only to see a couple of rouges dragging in a couple of cats. Cliffshadow called out from Tallmound-which he seems to be attached to- to the rouges, "What is this you bring Fry and Singe?" He demanded. Vixen scowled, "What they are?! Their loners and kittypets of course fox brain! Just take them to Star Forest and bring them before Bone so he can commend them to the prisoner den in the mountains!"

Cliffshadow gave his deputy a stern glare on her giving out such orders on her own. He was leader here! He finally got here only to be outspoken by his own deputy not even chosen by himself!

"Yes, yes, go take them before Bone," then with a smirk said, "Take Vixen with you. Our deputy can't lounge around camp forever, take your time and don't rush Bone and see the prisoners all the way to the den," Vixen shot a glance over towards her leader and then padded up to Fry and Singe, "Come on! Let's take these trespassing scums before Bone!"

They left with the two frightened loners and Cliffshadow watched them, pleased to have Vixen out of camp. Then he gazed down at the warriors who were all still gazing up at him, "Uh, get back to work all! Did I order you all to stop and stare? No! Now go hunt me some fresh-kill! I'm STARVING!"

Dovepaw sighed, this was going to be a really long life.

AN. So, yeah. The chapter just ended. That ending was just unexpeced for me and I just kind of typed it. I think I made Cliffshadow a bit out of character in that last part. Well....please review and tell me what you think! Remember, review so I write please! Thank you all! :D