Midnightpaw saw her sister come in camp from her vigil last night. It was storming a lot last night too, though Splashheart didn't seem to have a drop on her. I hope the rain washed away the blood. Midnightpaw thought. She didn't want any more foxes putting the Clan in danger. The harsh Leaf-Bare was making it hard for Midnightpaw and her mentor, Crookednose, to find any medicine supplies. She had used her last comfrey root on Splashheart's wound the other day.

"Midnightpaw!" Crookednose spat. "We need to collect some medicine supplies before it starts to snow!"

Midnightpaw looked up. "But there's not a cloud in sight."

Crookednose looked up also. "Huh," he sniffed. "I could have sworn by StarClan I saw a big cloud earlier."

Midnightpaw purred, her mentor's eye sight was getting as poor as his crooked nose.

"Well, c'mon," he rasped. "Let's go."

"Coming!" Midnightpaw mewed. So Midnightpaw and Crookednose went out only to be stopped by Redheart.

"Where do you think you two are going?" he growled.

Midnightpaw was confused, but when she looked at her mentor's expression she knew it wasn't going to be good.

"How dare you stop a medicine cat and his apprentice," Crookednose growled.

"Where are you two going?" He repeated.

"Well if you really need to know, we're going to go get some more medicine cat supplies," her mentor growled.

Redheart pushed passed them and walked into the medicine cat den. "You have enough already."

"Redheart!" Rockstar yelled. "I need you to appoint some patrols!"

Redheart growled. "Coming, Rockstar!" Redheart then eyed Midnightpaw evilly and then left.

Midnightpaw flinched; something was just not right about that cat at all.

"Stupid mouse-brain young cats" Crookednose complained. "They don't know how to respect medicine cats anymore."

Midnightpaw nodded. "Do you think we should head out now?"

"Yes, hopefully no more cats will bother us," he growled.

So Midnightpaw and Crookednose headed out of camp and into the forest floor. Midnightpaw couldn't help but think about Redheart. Just the way Redheart eyed her earlier didn't seem right.

"At least the rain washed away the blood." Crookednose sniffed. "I can't see well but I can defiantly smell very well with this crooked nose," he mewed.

Midnightpaw giggled, her mentor told the best jokes. "How did you get that crooked nose anyway? A bunch of cats tell me different stories about how you got it." she mewed.

He looked at her confused. "I've never told you?"

Midnightpaw shook her head.

'Huh, well let me tell you," he cleared his throat. "When I was just little apprentice I was helping out my medicine cat mentor, Snowfeather, with supplies, but we ran out. Since Snowfeather was so busy caring for kits and elders with greencough he sent me to go out and get some more. When I went to go look for some catmint, a big owl out of nowhere came and got me."

Midnightpaw gasped. Even though she was too old for stories, she seemed very interested in this one.

"Then the owl dropped me in its nest. But I landed very awkward on my nose, making it twist."

"How did you get out?" Midnightpaw asked.

"Well, I first killed the owl and then jumped from branch to branch to get down." Crookednose boasted.

"No you didn't," said a strange gray she-cat, walking up a hill. "You got kicked by the owl, and fell from branch to branch."

"Huh?" Crookednose said. He obviously didn't see the she-cat.

Then the she-cat walked away like nothing ever happened.

Midnightpaw tried to smell her scent but didn't recognize any scent on her except one...Blood.

"Hmm, well c'mon Midnightpaw," Crookednose meowed. "Herbs don't pick up themselves you know," Crookednose started to pad away.

Midnightpaw still stood there thinking about that she-cat. "Do you think we should tell a cat about her?"

"Nah," her mentor mewed. "As long as she goes away we'll be fine." He started to go, "Now c'mon and let's go by the sandy-rockplace to look for some herbs."

"Ok!" so Midnightpaw and her mentor stared to walk away though she couldn't help feeling that the gray she-cat was still watching her….

"Did you get many herbs?" Splashheart asked.

Midnightpaw spit out the small mouthful of herbs they got. "We only found some comfrey roots, cobwebs, and one leaf of catmint."

"Too bad," Splashheart mewed, a little worried.

"What's wrong?" Midnightpaw asked.

"Well, Rockstar and Quietstep have been both coughing since you two have been gone," Splashheart mewed.

Midnightpaw gasped. She knew her mother didn't have many lives left. "How bad?" Midnightpaw asked.

"Maybe enough to call it whitecough," Splashheart answered.

"Quickly get her into my den, and Quietstep too if she's that bad." Midnightpaw ordered.

Splashheart dipped her head in acknowledgement, and went to go retrieve Rockstar and Quietstep.

"Midnightpaw?"

Midnightpaw jumped, and turned around to see Crookednose standing behind her. Her head was hot with embarrassment "Err...yes?"

"We need to go to Moonpool, it's almost half moon," Crookednose said while looking at the sky.

"But who will be here to take care of mother?" Midnightpaw asked. "She and Quietstep have been coughing ever since we left."

"Don't worry I have someone to take care of them," Crookednose pointed his tail to a pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat."

"Brightfur?" Midnightpaw asked, confused.

"Yes," Brightfur answered back. "I was once a medicine cat apprentice, until I saw my brother do a really cool battling move. She then I wanted to be a warrior," she mewed. "But I still know all the basics."

"Do you know what herbs are used for greencough?" Midnightpaw tested.

"Catmint," the she-cat replied back.

"Good, now let's get going, NOW!" Crookednose impatiently mewed."

"Ok," Midnightpaw sighed.

"What took you two so long?" DarkClan's medicine cat apprentice Nightpaw mewed.

"Yeah, we were going to start without you two," BrambeClan's medicine cat, Grasstail mewed. His long feathered tail flicked with annoyance.

"Sorry that we're late," Crookednose mewed, while walking into the Moonpool entrance. "Our leader Rockstar came down with a little cough and we got busy."

Midnightpaw wasn't sure if it was ok for him to say that their leader was sick. It makes RockClan look weak and vulnerable to other Clans.

"Well, if she was that sick than why didn't you stay with her?" DarkClan's medicine cat, Mousepool mewed.

"Cause I have something special to say," Crookednose mewed.

"What now?" LakeClan's medicine cat, Frostfoot mocked.

Crookednose ignored her and looked at Midnightpaw. "I'm becoming older and losing sight as the days go by. So this'll be the last time I come to Moonpool."

Midnightpaw looked at Crookednose. Are you going to make me a medicine cat? Midnightpaw wondered.

"Midnightpaw, come," her mentor mewed.

Midnightpaw obeyed. She was so nervous, but tried not to show it.

"I Crookednose, medicine cat of RockClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve RockClan for many moons," Crookednose paused, and look at Midnightpaw. "Midnightpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

Midnightpaw felt the midnight gaze into her eyes. "I do."

"Then the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Midnightpaw, from this moment you'll be known as Midnightgaze. StarClan honors your knowledge, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of RockClan."

Then Crookednose put his muzzle on top of Midnightgaze's. "Thank you so much Crookednose. I promise not to fail you," then Midnightgaze licked her mentor's shoulder.

Crookednose smiled. "You're welcome, young one."

"Midnightgaze! Midnightgaze!" the other medicine cats cheered.

Midnightgaze was so happy! She wished her sister was here though

After the cheering died down the medicine cats than went into the Moonpool and drank the water and then slept.

Midnightgaze woke up in camp. Huh? How did I end up here? Midnightgaze wondered, confused. She stood up and walk out of the medicine cat den. The Clan was empty. Then she saw a gray figure. It turned out to be the same gray she-cat from earlier. Then Midnightgaze saw Splashheart come out of the warriors den. Midnightgaze hid in a bush so Splashheart wouldn't see her. She wanted to figure out what was going on. Out of nowhere, their father, Tanglepelt came up and walked over to Splashheat.

"Father!" Splashheart mewed, happily.

"Splashheart, why did you leave me?" Tanglepelt mewed.

"Father, I'm so sorry!" Splashheart sobbed.

"Sorry won't cut it!" Tanglepelt growled. "Now I must punish you for that," Tanglepelt grinned.

Midnightgaze realized this wasn't her father, but the…she-cat. Midnightgazesaw the gray she-cat behind a bush near hers. She was talking and moving the same way as the fake tom was.

"I'm going to send you to the Dark Forest!" the fake Tanglepelt growled. Then he jumped up with unsheathed claws. Splashheart stood there horrified.

"NO!" yowled Midnightgaze. Then she jumped onto the gray she-cat. She started to claw her ferociously on her back.

"Urg!" the she-cat hissed. "Get off!"

Midnightgaze was thrown off her back, and hit a sharp rock. Midnightgaze gave a big wail as the rock pierced her back. She felt warm and sticky stuff run down her back. Blood.

The gray she-cat looked at her in amazement. "You're that black-and-brown she-cat from earlier!" she spat. "What are you doing in some other cat's dream?"

Midnightgaze slowly got off the red ground. "I g-guess stopping y-you," she stuttered.

The she-cat laughed. "How?" she mocked. "You're not even in good condition."

Midnightgaze knew she was right. She couldn't suffer another dangerous blow. Then Midnightgaze saw her sister. She was still frozen in fear even though the fake tom was gone. "Ok," Midnightgaze said through a bloody mouth. "Do whatever you want with me. Just don't hurt my sister." Midnightgaze sat up, even though it hurt. "Deal?"

The she-cat nodded. "Deal."

Midnightgaze than closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

"Midnightgaze?...Midnightgaze!"

Midnightgaze open up her eyes and saw her old mentor standing above her. "Crookednose?" she mewed. "Splashheart!" she yelled.

"What in StarClan's name happen to you?" Crookednose said, startled. "You're bleeding from your back!"

Midnightgaze totally forgot about her back, but she didn't care. She needed to get to her sister, and fast!

"Everything ok in there?" Grasstail mewed. "Oh my StakClan!" he mewed, shocked.

"I need to get her to RockClan and fast!" Crookednose mewed, worried.

"I can walk, don't worry," Midnightgaze got up. "It doesn't hurt that bad," she lied. "But I think Splashheart is in trouble, so we need to get moving and fast!"

Crookednose still had a shocked face on him, but nodded anyway.

Midnightgaze started to run toward camp, even though the pain in her back was slowing her down she still manage to keep up.

"Midnightgaze! Wait up!" Crookednose panted.

"Sorry, but I really need to go!" She mewed to Crookednose.

Finally she could see the entrance to camp. She made it in through the rock tunnel darted into camp. "Splashheart!" Midnightgaze could see everyone at the medicine cat den. Everyone except Redheart pacing around the leader's den.

"Midnightpaw!" her sister mewed.

"Midnightgaze." Midnightgaze corrected her.

"Oh very nice name but..," her sister gasped. "You're back!?" Splasheart yelled. "What happen?"

Before Midnightgaze could answer her sister said something else.

"My whole family is falling apart! First my father wanted to kill me, than my mother has fallen very ill, and now my sister has been attacked!" She wailed.

"How is mother?" Midnightgaze mewed. She had totally forgotten about her.

"I don't know!" she growled. "Brightfur told me a little bit ago that she had greencough!"

Just then, a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat came out of the medicine cat den. "Thank goodness you're here!" Brightfur mewed, out of breath. "Rockstar lost a life and she won't wake up…"