Ugh, I am so sorry for how late this is. My stories have sort of been on hiatus for a bit because I've been cruelly busy with school and other stuff. You can throw tomatoes at me if you want. My bad…here's Chappie 5, from Firefall's POV. If I recall correctly, they were at the Gathering the in the last chapter. Let's see…this is a day or two later.

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The wind that blew through Firefall's fur was deliciously warm and gentle, bringing with it the soft, sweet aroma of new plants and juicy prey. Though her mouth watered at the taste of mouse and vole and thrush in the air, she determinedly ignored it, concentrating on the job in front of her.

She was on sun-high patrol with Redstorm, Waterwhisker, Eagletalon, Sandpaw and Cavepaw. The two apprentices were dancing around the older warriors eagerly, their eyes alight with adventure.

"Remember, we're keeping-" Redstorm began in a stern voice.

"An eye out for Fangy-Clan," interrupted Sandpaw in a bored, you've-already-said-that-a-hundred-times voice. She darted in front of her mentor and rolled her eyes, meowing, "With the way you talk about it, FangClan has probably been stalking us all day."

Redstorm's lip curled. "Don't be rude, Sandpaw. And I wouldn't treat it so lightly." He cuffed her gently over the head, but Firefall didn't miss the spark of affection in his eyes for the spunky young she-cat. The red deputy fell back a few steps until he was padding alongside his daughter.

"Sandpaw reminds of someone else I know," he muttered gruffly, casting her a sideways glance.

Firefall smirked. "You can't possibly be talking about me, can you?"

Redstorm chuckled quietly. "You were quite the adventurer when you were a kit. Always sneaking off when you thought I wasn't looking. Poor Ratwhisker had a hard time keeping up with you."

Waterwhisker turned and stared over his shoulder at Firefall and Redstorm. "I believe I get some credit for our exploits," he meowed jokingly. "There was that time when it was snowing and I dragged poor Firefall out into the-"

"I'd rather not relive that terrifying experience, if you don't mind," Firefall cut him off with grunt. "You made me eat oak leaves because you said they would make me warmer. I'll never forgive you."

Waterwhisker gave a snorting laugh and returned to sniffing a fern frond.

There was a calm silence for a few moments as the patrol continued along through the forest, checking all of the boundaries and being especially wary of any sign of rogues.

Suddenly, Eagletalon pulled up short, and Firefall almost ran into his flank.

"Hang on," murmured the old warrior, his voice deep and husky. He bent to the ground, his tail sticking straight up into the air like a sapling reaching for sunlight. "Redstorm, smell this," he growled solemnly.

The deputy loped forward and pressed his nose to the same patch of grass that Eagletalon was so intent upon. After a minute, he jerked his head up, his eyes wide with fury, and even possibly fear.

"It smells like-"

"Mouse," Redstorm finished grimly.

Firefall started at them, waiting for either one to continue. After a long moment, she growled, "What?"

Redstorm's eyes shifted slowly to hers. "FangClan has been hunting on our territory. And by the ShadowClan border, too. I hope they haven't done Gravelstar any more harm."

"FangClan?" Firefall shivered involuntarily and took a step forward to sniff at the grass herself. It most definitely reeked of Darkfang's scent, mixed with others that she didn't know. She realized that she had been upwind (A/N: wow, dumb, I know, but I can't remember if it's upwind or downwind when you cant smell stuff…) – that was why she hadn't smelled it earlier.

"Hunting on our territory?" Cavepaw growled. The big gray tom glanced curiously at Eagletlon. "We should track them down."

Redstorm shook his huge head sadly. "The scent is at least an hour stale, if not ten. There's no way we'd catch them, not to mention that they're probably well into ShadowClan territory by now. I wonder if Lionstar will allow us to go speak with Gravelstar. It'd be nice to get a little more information on the attack. I haven't even seen Darkfang since…well it was before leafbare." A flicker of untruth flashed behind his eyes, as if there was something he hadn't mentioned. Firefall suddenly recalled the fact that her father, and her father's mother, had received the same dreams, with the prophecy and terrifying black cats.

Shuddering, Firefall followed the deputy back to camp. Eagletalon seemed eager to pass the news on to Lionstar, but Redstorm was quiet, absorbed in his own thoughts.

Once they reached camp, the deputy immediately broke away from the group, leaving the huge brown tabby tom to report their discovery to Lionstar. He veered toward the warriors' den, no doubt to consult Ratwhisker or Stripedthroat. Firefall followed quickly.

"Father!" she hissed, willing him not to ignore her. Redstorm paused and turned to look at her, his expression dark.

"What is it, Firefall?" he meowed emotionlessly.

"You know it as well as I do!" she meowed. Redstorm eyed her cautiously. "The prophecy, Redstorm! Darkfang, FangClan…you….it's all in place, and you know it too."

Redstorm drew a deep breath and peered at her out from under a grim frown. "The thought has occurred to me that Scarletspirit's prophecy has something to do with these particular recent events."

"Come on, don't talk like that. Be reasonable," Firefall hissed. "In the darkness there is fear, and before the red dawn, when light may shine, all must be brave. How many times am I going to have to hear it? First Ravenfeather, now you…it seems to me that everything is a bit conveniently connected right now, don't you think?"

Redstorm gazed at her for a moment longer, and then sighed in defeat. "I admit, it is convenient," he meowed. "In the darkness there is fear…well, you and Ravenfeather already analyzed most of it, or so I hear from Mistystone, but I might have a few interesting theories of my own."

"Considering the dreams you've had, I don't doubt it," Firefall replied. Redstorm had told her about his nightmares, where Darkfang chased him through a shadowy forest, driven on by some higher power that was invisible to the deputy's eyes.

Redstorm nodded thoughtfully. "True. But, in that case, considering the dreams I've had, the first part of the prophecy has already come true."

Firefall's whiskers twitched. "It has, has it? How so? Shouldn't a prophecy come true all at the same time."

Redstorm gave a slight smile. "You'd agree with me in believing this isn't quite the most conventional prophecy, Firefall. Considering it's kept within a single family and three warriors have dreamt it. Not to mention however many more know about it against the tradition. Technically, I should never have told Stripethroat and you should never have told Ravenfeather. Now, granted, it's turned out alright, but that's not how most prophecies go along."

Nodding reluctantly, Firefall meowed, "You have a point. In that case, how has the prophecy come true? I don't feel much different, and Darkfang is still lurking somewhere."

"I said the first part of the prophecy, not the whole thing," Redstorm reminded her thoughtfully. "As I was saying, 'In the darkness there is fear'…don't you think that darkness could refer to Darkfang himself?"

Firefall rolled her eyes. "Ravenfeather and I deduced that ages ago, Redstorm."

Redstorm looked a little disappointed. "Oh. But don't worry – I have more. If that is the case, which it could very well not be, and I have some theories on that as well, then why is Darkfang afraid? He seemed to have everything he's ever wanted from life. Power, his own Clan, and a name to be feared."

Again, Firefall shook her head, a smile twitching on her muzzle. "We figured that out too. Darkfang is afraid of Tigerstar."

Redstorm's eyes jumped, and he dropped all solemn pretenses for a moment. "What? When did you find this out? How come-"

"Calm down, calm down," Firefall sighed, waving her tail over her head. "He slipped up. That night of the battle, he spilled it. And plenty of times before that, too, we were just too focused on his deeds than the motivation behind them. You heard him, remember? Tigerstar will catch us, or whatever nonsense he was spewing that day."

Redstorm sucked in another deep breath, and then released it sadly. "I suppose it does make complete sense," he meowed, but his thoughts seemed elsewhere.

"Another thing that's bothering me though, about the prophecy…" Firefall meowed, in a low voice."

The red tom turned to her again and cast her a questioning look.

Firefall grimaced. "The battle with ShadowClan, before leafbare…don't you think it would make sense for that to have been the red dawn?" There was a hint of desperation behind her words. "Because if it wasn't, what is? If it's worse than that…" she trailed off.

Redstorm looked thoughtful for a moment, and then replied slowly, his eyes bright with discovery, "Unless the red dawn isn't a battle at all. It would make sense, true, for that to have been it, but maybe…again, you're right about nothing feeling different. If Darkfang is the 'darkness', than the red dawn apparently hasn't come yet, has it?"

Firefall sighed and lashed her tail. "I can't wrap my head around this anymore. It's all so complicated. I thought StarClan's prophecies were meant to make our lives easier, not twist them even further than they're already twisted."

They both nodded to themselves, lost in thought for a moment. Then, as Redstorm rose to his feet, Firefall looked up at him sharply again. "One more thing," she meowed. Her father paused and met her gaze again.

"Windkit," she meowed quietly. Redstorm's eyes darkened, and a sad, pained look filled them. Firefall gave a grim grunt of recognition. "Did you know, Redstorm? That Darkfang killed my brother, your son?"

Redstorm stood stock still for a moment, and then slowly, carefully, sank to his haunches again, his whiskers trembling. "No," he began, and then added hastily, "Not at first. I know now, but no one guessed back then, not even me."

Firefall nodded. "I told you what Darkfang said to me on the night of the Battle, right?" she mewed quietly.

Redstorm nodded. Firefall had confided only in Lionstar, her father, and Ravenfeather about the events of her conversation with Darkfang. She remembered it with a shudder, and muttered absentmindedly, "The wrong Windkit…"

"What?" Redstorm questioned. The red she-cat looked up, and answered, "I was just thinking about Windfoot. Gravelstar took him to ShadowClan and made him deputy because he knew that Windfoot would grow up to be an important figure in Clan history, right?"

"Right," Redstorm replied.

"Then where does Windfoot fit in to the prophecy?" Firefall mused.

Redstorm cocked his head, and after a contemplative silence, meowed, "The light."

Now it was Firefall's turn to meow, "Huh?"

With a sad smile, Redstorm explained. "Didn't you see Windfoot on the day of the Great Battle. He stood next to Gravelstar and his pelt shimmered like a star of Silverpelt. At first I thought he was a warrior of StarClan. Perhaps 'the light' that's supposed to shine is Windfoot."

"It does make sense," Firefall murmured. Then a sudden cloud passed over her face. "But how can ThunderClan ever ally itself with ShadowClan after all that's happened? I can't see how Windfoot can ever help us."

Slowly, like the sun creeping over the trees on a winter morning, a smile spread across Redstorm's muzzle. "Gravelstar only has two lives left."

For a moment, Firefall didn't understand, but then she shook her head and meowed, "There's no way we could get away with murdering Gravelstar, even if we wanted to." She shivered. "Then again, with FangClan on the loose, maybe Darkfang will do it for us."

The grin on her father's face did not disappear – in fact, it might have just grown wider. "Firefall, that's just what I've been thinking."

"How?"

"It's not so hard to lay a false trail of misdeeds leading straight to Gravelstar's den. Perhaps there are cats in FangClan who'd rather be somewhere else – we can frame ShadowClan. They've done more than enough cat-napping to be suspect."

Firefall's whiskers twitched. "I'm sure it's a fine plan, but there are too many loopholes. First of all, why would any cat join FangClan only to leave it? If there's any cat in that Clan who didn't join out of free will, I'll bet Darkfang's keeping on eye on them, at least. Not to mention the fact that we'd have to deal with the wrath of all of ShadowClan if they ever found out."

Redstorm snorted. "Nothing we can't deal with."

"If Windfoot turns out to be such a great hero, perhaps not. I think we might have to give it more thought than that, Redstorm," Firefall chided softly.

The deputy sighed and lashed his tail in frustration. "But if we know what Darkfang wants-"

"And do we know what Darkfang wants?" Firefall questioned spitefully. "We know he wanted Lionstar killed. It didn't work. Lionstar has 6 lives left, and Darkfang knows that we're watching out for that trick again."

(A/N: I think Lionstar has 6 lives, because he lost 2 when he was attacked during the Battle, and one during the sickness.)

"True. You're finding too many flaws in my plan Firefall - it's disconcerting. Perhaps I'll ask Lionstar to name you vice-deputy or something," Redstorm grunted grudgingly.

Firefall grimaced and didn't reply. "All I'm saying is, we have a lot to think about."

"Sure we do. Now I'm going to talk to Stripethroat, if you don't mind," growled her father, and he turned tail and stalked into the warriors' den.

Sighing, Firefall rose to her feet and stretched, and, for the lack of anything else more interesting to do, loped off to the nursery. Inside, Vinetail, Gingerkit and Ashkit were sound asleep. Leafstep and Willowsong were murmuring to each other in quiet voices, watching as Whitekit and Turtlekit battered back and forth, giggling and squealing.

"Hello, Firefall!" meowed Leafstep cheerfully as the red warrior stepped into the cool shade of the den. Ever since Leafstep had given birth to her second litter, every cat in ThunderClan had noticed a change in her mood, and in Stripethroat's. After the disaster of their last litter, with the first Turtlekit murdered at the claws of Leafstep's own clanmates, and Ghostface turning traitor against his father's Clan, both cats had been slightly depressed. These days, a new energy seemed to put a happy spring in both their steps.

"Hey!" Firefall mewed, but it was a bit of a pathetic excuse for excitement. Leafstep's twitched her ears, and Willowsong blinked a few times.

"How are you?" Firefall asked. The question was directed at them both, but Willowsong answered first.

"Oh, bored to death of course. I know I've got a ways to go until the kits are born, but Bloomfrost insists that I stay in here. Not to mention I've got Waterwhisker breathing down my neck." She gave a snort of amusement, and lashed her tail.

"Speak of the devil," murmured Leafstep dryly. Firefall jumped as she heard a rustle behind her, and then turned to find Waterwhisker pushing hurriedly into the den.

"Firefall!" he cried, surprised. He stared at her for a moment, and Firefall figured with a smirk that he was probably trying to remember if Owlflight had said anything about his mate expecting kits.

"Hey, Waterwhisker," Firefall mewed, tapping her nose to his with a smile. "I was just visiting poor Willowsong here. It seems to me like you need to let her relax."

Waterwhisker shifted uncomfortable on his paws, and replied, "I just – don't want – her to be – er – uncomfortable…" he stammered, his dark blue eyes shifting between his sister ad his mat nervously.

Willowsong gave a gentle laugh and rose to her feet to rub her nose against Waterwhisker's shoulder. He purred happily and they sat down next to each other, tails entwined.

"It's not as bad as I make it out to be," Willowsong said, glancing sideways at Firefall, warning her not to say a word. Then she turned back to Waterwhisker and meowed, "I just get irritable sometimes. So, what were you coming in here to say?"

Once again left with nothing to do, Firefall padded out of the den and back into the blazing sunlight. Maybe I'll got get Owlflight to come hunting, she thought to herself. The danger of FangClan lurked constantly in the shadows of her mind, but she ignored it for the time being, determined to enjoy one of the first sunny days of the year.

She found Owlflight in the training hollow with Sootstreak, Mirepaw, Goldbrook and Nettlepaw. The two apprentices were battling each other furiously, though it looked like Mirepaw had the upper hand. The small dark tom, Snakefang's son, was quick and light on his feet, but Nettlepaw had more experience. As she watched, Nettlepaw expertly flipped her opponent onto his back and clawed triumphantly at his exposed belly, with sheathed claws.

"Well done, Nettlepaw!" Goldbrook complimented cheerfully as the apprentices backed away from each other and licked the dust from their fur.

"You'll get her next time, Mirepaw," Sootstreak mewed encouragingly. Mirepaw gave a playful growl of defeat and cuffed Nettlepaw lightly across the jaw. She twitched her tail and turned away, a smug grin on her face.

"Hey Firefall!" greeted Owlflight as she approached the hollow. The other cats looked up and nodded to her.

"Hey!" she meowed back.

"Did you see me beat Mirepaw?" Nettlepaw meowed, her whiskers quivering with satisfaction. "Now all I have to do is take down Rabbitpaw and then he'll owe me four voles and a trade for elder duty. Come on, let's practice some more!"

The pretty tabby she-cat turned back to Mirepaw, and they began again, circling each other in swirling, complex patterns as their mentors directed them carefully from the sidelines.

"Owlflight, do you hunt with me for a bit?" Firefall asked quietly, turning away from the battling apprentices.

The golden tom flicked his ears and nodded, and then followed Firefall up the sides of the hollow and into the forest. The two warriors padded on in silence, noses in the air.

"What are you thinking?" meowed Owlflight suddenly, turning to lock his amber eyes onto Firefall's emerald ones.

The red she-cat hesitated for a moment, and then replied, "I was just talking to Redstorm about FangClan, and Darkfang. We were thinking there must be something behind it all."

She wasn't whether or not to bring up the prophecy with her mate, but decided that now was not the time, in any case.

"Oh," he meowed, sniffing at a fern frond.

Firefall frowned. "Why?"

Owlflight sighed and his tail twitched once. "I don't know, really. I just have this feeling that things are getting…well, messed up. There's so many Half-Clan cats we don't know what to with them all, not to mention traitors and loners…the Clans seem to be going down hill."

Firefall gave him a stunned glare. "Don't tell me you think we should throw out Leafstep and Sootstreak and the others? Don't turn into a Tigerstar, Owlflight!" she growled.

Owlflight's gaze flickered uneasily at her words. "No, no, not that…Sootstreak and Leafstep are as loyal warriors as we could ever want, I don't doubt that at all. But Windfoot and Twilightpaw? Ghostface? ThunderClan is hardly ThunderClan anymore, and what with the new FangClan and everything, all of the Clans seem to having similar problems. Our traditions are falling apart…" His expression was so forlorn that Firefall couldn't help but bite back her sharp reply.

She sighed and mewed softly, "I suppose StarClan has a reason for it all, Owlflight. I know what you mean, though. Apprentices get their warriors names faster than ever, and it seems like…hey, their isn't even a word for it."

There was another long, thoughtful silence, and then Owlflight said, "But things aren't terrible, right? Things could always be worse."

And then, at that very moment, a scent that made Firefall's pelt bristle and her tongue curl struck the roof of her mouth, and both she and Owlflight took a few involuntary steps backward. A few moments later, a rustle in the bushes made them both turn.

Four cats were emerging from the undergrowth. They looked sleek and well fed, with glittering eyes and sharp, unsheathed claws. The cats stopped a few paces from Firefall and Owlflight, their tails lashing. Finally, the biggest one stepped forward. He was a long-legged black and gray tom with a dark, red-brown tail and wide yellow eyes.

Owlflight mirrored him, until they were only two tail-lengths away. "Who are you?" hissed the golden warrior, his lips curled in a snarl.

The black and gray tom hesitated, before replying in a deep, rough voice, "We are warriors of FangClan…" he looked over his shoulder at small black she-cat, who was crouch in an aggressive stance at his flank. They stared at each other for a moment, and then the tom turned back and meowed flatly, "Who are you?"

"Warriors of ThunderClan. Why are you trespassing on our territory?" Owlflight hissed. Fear and surprise was now evident in his hardened amber gaze, and he shot Firefall a questioning look before turning slowly back to the FangClan patrol.

Finally, the black she-cat darted forward, shoving the tom out of the way. "We're doing as we've been told!" she growled. "Give us one reason why we shouldn't shred you right now! I've heard that ThunderClan cats are as weak as kits!"

Firefall swallowed a scathing comment and only bared her teeth in reply, stepping up beside Owlflight and puffing out her fur.

The black and gray tom tapped his comrade on the shoulder and mewed quietly, "Darkstar told us not to kill them! We're supposed to capture them, mouse-brain."

The black she-cat pondered this for a moment, while panic swelled in Firefall's chest.

"Owlflight!" she hissed. "We can't beat them in a fight! We should run now!"

"No," the golden tom replied sharply. "I won't to flee like a fox-brained apprentice!" His eyes were alight with the prospect of a battle.

The four FangClan cats were tense, but they seemed unsure of what to do.

"Let's fight them!" yowled one of the warriors, his claws kneading the ground. "We won't kill them, we'll just weaken them so we can drag them back to Darkstar and they won't be struggling the whole way!"

The other cats nodded slowly. The black and gray tom narrowed his eyes as if thinking, and then suddenly meowed, "Yes, let's!"

It happened so fast that Firefall hardly had time to unsheathe her claws. The warriors who had been standing across from them a second were suddenly encircling them, fangs bared, and closing in.

"You mouse-brain!" Firefall wailed under her breath to Owlflight as they pressed together, watching the FangClan warriors approach. "We should have run when we had the chance!"

Owlflight just shrugged, bent back his head, and released an earsplitting caterwaul. Then he launched himself straight at one of the opposing warriors. His claws met the cat's shoulder and as he tumbled past, he raked them through the cat's pelt. With a fearsome yowl, Firefall followed suit, leaping in the opposite direction.

She collided in mid-air with a small, mouse-brown tom. His teeth found her scruff and quickly pulled her down, but Firefall managed to twist out of his grip before he could bite down harder. They circled each other, tails waving gin the air, and then the tom charged again. Firefall was prepared this time, and sidestepped quickly as he sprinted past. She was one second too slow, though, and then brown cat succeeded in ripping one claw through her shoulder as he passed.

Firefall shrieked with pain, then clamped her jaws shut and blinked it away. The brown tom had tumbled face first into the leaves, carried too far by his own momentum. Seizing her chance, Firefall bunched her muscles to land on top of him, but suddenly another weight landed squarely on her flanks, unbalancing her so she was flung to the ground.

The red she-cat quickly jumped to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain her shoulder and whipped around to face her attacker. It was the smallest of the cats, a thin black and brown tabby she-cat who looked like she was probably an apprentice.

The she-cat didn't waste time circling Firefall, but merely darted forward and gave her a good whack across her nose. Though Firefall managed to pull back just in time, her muzzle still stung with the blow. Anger flashed through her now, and without thinking she launched herself powerfully straight at the small cat.

The tabby's eyes flickered uncertainly, and as Firefall bore down upon her she panicked and tried to turn and run, but Firefall's claws caught her haunches and dragged her back. The she-cat let out a desperate meow of terror, and kicked feebly at Firefall's face. Growling, Firefall slashed at the apprentice's hind legs, leaving deep red furrows in her pelt.

The apprentice finally shook her off and fled, yowling, into the forest. Firefall looked after with a smug smile, and then turned back to see how Owlflight was faring. It took her a moment to realize that she had left her mate to face the three full-grown warriors on his own.

Owlflight was on the ground, kicking viciously at the black and gray tom's stomach, but it was obvious that he was losing. The tom had Owlflight's golden scruff in his jaws, and blood was already welling up between his teeth as he bit down. Hissing and spitting, Firefall hurled herself at the tom's side. He stumbled and released Owlflight's throat, as she had hoped, but then turned on her with hatred in his eyes.

Claws outstretch, the warrior reached to grab her around the neck. Firefall twisted and writhed, but he was stronger than her, and succeeded in pulling her down to the ground. He quickly rolled on top of her, his paws knocking the breath out of her. Firefall gasped as stars glittered in front of her eyes, and reached up to punch feebly at the tom's stomach with her back legs, but it was of little use.

Then suddenly, like music to her ears, Firefall recognized the battle cry of a ThunderClan patrol. Shaking away the spots that danced like black leaves before her vision, she turned to see who had come to save them.

Lionstar was at the head of a patrol of five ThunderClan cats: Puddlespots, Pinenose, Bentwing, Shadowclaw and Snowpaw poured out of the trees, heading straight for the FangClan warriors. In an instant, Firefall was free. She rose shakily to her paws, watching with grim satisfaction as the intruders escaped into the dark forest.

"Are you two alright?" mewed Bentwing, padding forward to nudge Owlflight to his feet. The golden tom was covered in blood from nose to tail-tip, and he trembled as he leaned against Bentwing's shoulder.

"What in the name of StarClan happened here?" Lionstar growled fiercely. His muzzle was bent to the ground as he scented the tracks of the FangClan patrol.

"We were attacked," Firefall replied weakly, her voice sounding distant and small.

"Why?" mewed Shadowclaw incredulously. "Did you insult them or something? They attacked you on our side of the border. Where did they come from anyway?" His voice was eager and excited.

"Calm down, Shadowclaw," Pinenose growled, glaring at his son. Shadowclaw's jaws snapped shut with an audible click, and he looked away, his eyes pained.

"They came from over by the Twolegplace, I think," mewed Owlflight hoarsely. He gave a shuddering cough and feel silent.

"Come on, let's get you back to camp," meowed Bentwing gently, leading Owlflight slowly back through the trees. Firefall limped after them, her head swimming.

"Thank you," she managed to croak to Lionstar as they neared the camp wall. The leader held back the brambles and motioned her through, meowing, "We were almost too late, Firefall. I'm surprised you and Owlflight handled four warriors that long anyway."

Firefall flashed a grim smile and stumbled into the camp, her paws like stones.

"Firefall!" someone cried. Ravenfeather's scent wreathed around her like a comforting mist as she limped to the medicine den behind Bentwing and Owlflight. Immediately, Ravenfeather offered her shoulder, and Firefall gratefully leaned against it, allowing her friend to support her. "What happened to you?"

"We were attacked by some FangClan warriors near the ShadowClan border," Firefall replied in a whisper. Her throat was too dry to say more.

"Well, Bloomfrost and Mistystone will look after you," Ravenfeather meowed reassuringly.

They reached the medicine den a moment later. Mistystone shooed Ravenfeather away and shoved Firefall down onto her side. Some foul-smelling herbs were shoved into her mouth, and then Mistytone offered her some tiny black poppy seeds.

Gratefully, Firefall lapped up the sleep-inducing seeds, and then relaxed and allowed the blackness to overwhelm her.

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Kay, so that was very long, making up for all of my lost time.