*takes place after Shardclaw's warrior ceremony, one day after Dewfoot told Shardclaw he liked her.

Chapter 3

I took a deep breath, settling my nerves. Shardpaw was a warrior now, and I feel she was mature enough to understand what I wished to say to her. Starclan had no problem with it, and I felt the time was right. I was going to confess my love to her. I just hoped she would understand.

I told Duskpelt I was going to take a patrol out, stretch my legs. He nodded and I told Risingeye, Foxtail, and Dewfoot to take the Riverclan border; I would travel with Ivorytail and Shardclaw to the Shadowclan border. The two groups split, heading toward their designated borders.

The forest was cool and crisp, with the leaf-fall chill. The leaves crackled under our paws as we ran the length of the border. Suddenly, Ivorytail asked if she could tell me something, glancing at Shardclaw. The warrior, unfortunate, took the hint and sped up as we slowed down. Soon, the black she-cat was crashing thought the undergrowth as Ivorytail and I sat. Mouse-dung. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'll have to think of another way to tell-

"Sparrowstar, there's something I've been wanting to tell you…" Ivorytail's voice broken my trail of though. I blink, listening.

"Well, there's no easy way to say this…I love you, Sparrowstar." She flicked her white tail, smiling. Her dark amber eyes sparkled with hope. "Would you…would you be my mate?"

I blinked again, taken by surprise. Well this wasn't according to plan either. "Um, Ivorytail…I…I"

Her grin fell, her fluffy dark tabby fur standing up. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, it's just…I'm not…There's…"

She put her tail to my mouth, shushing me. "I get it…there's someone else….Sorry for…for even opening my mouse-brained muzzle." Her words burned with jealousy, anger, and deep sadness. She gave me a sad-eyed smile, and then took off toward camp.

"Ivorytail! Wait!" I called after her, but it was no use. She was either too far away or refused to listen to me. Sighing, I bowed my head.

"Sparrowstar?" Looking up, I saw the face of Shardclaw, confused and worried. The rest of her trailed out of a bush. The moon reflected off of her beautiful pelt. Looking into those stunning green eyes made me feel like the night she became Shardkit.

"It's nothing, Shardclaw. She just…she just took some news a bad way."

Shardclaw sat. "What kind of news?"

Stammering, I replied. "Well…I-I told her th-that, um, even though sh-she liked me, I-I told her that I-I liked so-someone else."

Shardclaw tilted her head, waiting for me to continue.

Sighing, I shook my head. "Never mind."

She jumped to her paws, landing on a half log, buried in the ground. "No! Tell me!"

I looked at her, now replaced with the description of Shywing's Starclan vision. Her green eyes replaced with glowing hateful ones. The grass under her feet singed by fire. The log under her feet with his broken, still body. He closed his eyes, turning away from the she-cat. "I'll tell you later."

Her face, her smile falling like Ivorytail's, crushed me. "Oh…ok. I'll meet you at camp, see how Ivorytail is." She took a few pawsteps back, before turning and racing along the same path. Must be the path of rejected-feeling she-cats.

I scoff. Way to be a mouse-brain and mess it all up, Sparrowstar. Nice work. I get to my paws. Suddenly, a blur of a black tom tackles me, followed by a brown tom. One Shadowclan cat, the brown one named Raggedwind, slashed his claws across my chest. As I flinched, the other, Nightfur, ran his claws up my stomach. I felt my knees buckle with pain, the ground rushing up to meet me as I collapse. Nightfur growls in my ear as I feel myself black out "That's for intruding into our territory, Thunderclanner! Don't forget it anytime soon." I feel my eyes roll up into my head as I see 8 paws padding away.

I wake in Starclan, meeting the gaze of Fallingstar. She spoke in a soft voice. "Your wounds have caused you to have lost 3 lives. You have 3 remaining. "

I screech. "What! How can that be?! I wasn't even on their territory! Shadowclan was just looking for an excuse, those mouse-brained, fox-hearted-"

"You must be more careful, Sparrowstar." Fallingstar interrupted, silencing me. "Use your last lives wisely, and may the prey run well for you."

I felt myself rush back, hitting the healed body on the ground. I wince, staggering to sit up. My fur on my stomach is stained crimson, but there is no blood. I make the slow, journey back to camp, limping every now and again.