Disclaimer:

Me: … Must we go over this again?

AcidpawIt doesn't look like they'll be receiving a brain anytime soon, so obviously yes.

Me: Aww Acidpaw! That was mean! Oh Moooooooooonstaaaaaaaaaaaar!

Acidpaw: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…!

Moonstar: (hugs Acidpaw)

Acidpaw: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

Flamespirit-eth, leaf in the breeze, and Mintytooth: …

Me: I do not own Warriors! Oh lookie! There's Mangledpaw being hugged by my beta!

Mangledpaw: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

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Thanks to my super fantabulous beta, Mistytail!!!

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Flamespirit-eth: Thanks for the review! The only problem with making long chapters is that if you don't update quickly enough, you get made into ice cube stew… (glances nervously at Seth)

Mintytooth: Hey, you're right! Almost every cat is hiding something! Yep… Stripepaw definitely had that coming. I most definitely have plans for Redkit… she is special indeed… Muahahahaha… Thanks for reviewing!

leaf in the breeze: Are you one of those people who kept on reading Book One but didn't review? … Aw, it doesn't matter. I can see you're a huge fan of Stripepaw. (insert sarcasm here). Thanks for the review!

Moonstar of FireClan: School is to blame for everything that goes wrong in the world. Yessss… Hawkpaw is actually quite smart, and just like you said, oh-so-evil! Thanks for reviewing!

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Chapter Two

Nightmares and the Truth of Reedheart

Lionkit loved to sleep. He'd rather sleep than play, contrary to the other kits in the nursery. Redkit complained about that, but he taught himself how to sleep through his sister's rantings.

Sometimes he remembered what he had dreamt about the night before. It wasn't about StarClan or prophecies or anything like that, but he still liked it. He had yet to experience a nightmare, and was relieved that he had not had one yet. His relief was short-lived.

It was dark. Lionkit couldn't see very well. There were very tall trees. Lionkit looked up. He couldn't even see the sky. The kit hesitantly took a step forward.

"Hello?" he called warily.

"Hello."

Lionkit spun around, expecting a tough Warrior. What he saw instead scared him more than any predator. It was himself. It was almost as if he were staring at his reflection. Lionkit stared at 'himself'. The copy cat stared back.

There was something different about the reflection.

This can't be me! thought Lionkit, Do I really look that evil?

Lionkit spotted the difference. It was his copy's eyes. Redkit told him that he had green eyes. The eyes of the cat in front of him were an eerie white. Not silver, like Soulkit's eyes, but pure white.

The white-eyed cat's pupils were different too. They were narrowed into tiny slits, as in, just a vertical line. Even if a cat was looking directly into the sun, their pupils wouldn't be that small. Normally, Lionkit knew, a cats pupils were big when there wasn't much light. This cat's eyes were weird, Lionkit concluded, and therefore it couldn't possibly be him.

"Who are you?" asked Lionkit.

The white-eyed cat grinned, revealing teeth sharper than any normal cat's could ever be.

"I am you," whispered the white-eyed cat. His voice was identical to Lionkit's.

"No!" yowled Lionkit.

He turned away from the white-eyed cat and ran through the trees, not having a clue where he was going. He heard the white-eyed cat's laughter echoing through this dark forest.

Lionkit came to a stop in a clearing. He couldn't hear the white-eyed cat anymore. He then realized how thirsty he was. Luckily, there was a pond in the clearing.

Lionkit crouched down to drink, but before he could lap up any water, something caught his eye. It was his reflection.

Pantherstar's son desperately tried to look away, but he found himself unable to.

Lionkit's reflection stared at him, his green eyes fading into white. The reflection's pupils narrowed into slits and multiple battle scars appeared on his head and chest. Long cream-colored fur turned to black. The reflection opened his mouth filled with bear-like teeth and said three words.

"I am you."

Lionkit woke up screaming. Redkit glared at him.

"Be quiet! Do you want to wake up the entire nursery?" she snapped.

"S-sorry…" Lionkit was shivering from nose to tail in fear.

Redkit's gaze softened. "It's alright."

"Look! Panthestar's about to say who's going to the Gathering," mewed Lightningkit, "Let's go watch!"

"Yeah!" agreed Soulkit.

Lionkit, Redkit, and Soulkit followed Lightningkit to the edge of the nursery. The entire Clan was gathered around the Treestump.

"As you all know, the Gathering is tonight," started Pantherstar.

"Duh," growled Redkit quietly, "Even a newborn kit missing half its brain would know that."

"Shh!" hissed Lightningkit.

"The cat's attending the Gathering will be myself, Falconbeak, Silverdiamond, Rainpaw, Stripepaw, Wolfpaw, Hawktalon, and Acidpaw."

Redkit frowned. "That's odd."

"What?" asked Soulkit.

"Acidpaw told me that he was under punishment and couldn't leave camp for another twenty-six sunrises," replied the ginger she-kit.

"Is twenty-six a big number?" asked Lightningkit.

"Yeah, obviously! You can't count to twenty-six yet?"

"I can count to ten, because that's how many claws there are on our front paws," meowed Lightningkit.

"I can count to twenty! That's how many claws there are on all four of our paws!" bragged Soulkit.

"In my day," Blindnose's voice broke in, "We kits learned to count by counting old Manyclaw's toes, an elder of the past. He had seven toes on each foot, adding up to twenty-six."

"You mean twenty-eight," corrected Redkit, "Four paws with seven toes is twenty-eight toes."

"That's what I said, no?" asked Blindnose.

Redkit rolled her eyes and returned to Feathersoul's nest.

Why does this matter? wondered Lionkit. He followed his sister.

Finally Goosefang came along and dragged Blindnose back to the elders' den. Feathersoul's kits came back to her nest and eventually dozed off, all except for Lionkit. For the first time in his short life, he could not fall asleep.

Gathering Island…

Acidpaw was confused. Why was he being sent to the Gathering? It just didn't make sense. His punishment wasn't over yet. Not that it mattered. At least he was out of camp. He was sick of Falconbeak ordering him around.

Rainpaw walked next to Silverdiamond. Tonight she had to speak to Reedheart. The Medicine Cat apprentice glanced at Stripepaw, who walked with his head down, seeming to be lost in thought.

He's probably wondering which cat likes him, thought Rainpaw, remembering their 'argument'.

She looked at Wolfpaw. The silver she-cat was also walking with her head down, glancing every now and then at Stripepaw.

"We're here," meowed Silverdiamond.

Rainpaw looked up. They had just reached the Gathering Island. The Medicine Cat apprentice took a deep breath. Now she needed to find Reedheart. There was a mob of PrairieClan cats sitting near the Great Log. Rainpaw remembered that Reedheart fur was pale brown. There weren't any cats that looked like that in the group.

Maybe she isn't here, thought Rainpaw.

"Hey. You're Rainpaw, right?"

Rainpaw spun around. An enormous ginger tom with black ears stood in front of her. It was Blazingstar, leader of PrairieClan. What did he want with her?

"Y-yes. That's me."

"Reedheart is a few foxlengths behind you. She has scars on both her eyes. You can't miss her," whispered Blazingstar. With that, he turned and leaped up onto the Great Log.

"Why'd he tell me that?" wondered Rainpaw, "And how did he know I was looking for her?"

Rainpaw turned around. There was Reedheart. The Medicine Cat apprentice approached her. Reedheart visibly stiffened and she unsheathed her claws.

That's right! thought Rainpaw, mentally smacking herself, Reedheart can't see me, but she can smell me! She has no idea who I am!

"Hi. Are you Reedheart?" asked Rainpaw.

"Yes. Who are you? I can't see you."

"I'm Rainpaw, ForestClan's Medicine Cat apprentice."

"Oh. Why did you want to talk to me? You'd better not be teasing me about my eyesight!" snarled Reedheart.

"No! Not at all!" Rainpaw was shocked. What kind of cat was so cruel that they would tease someone about being blind?

"Then what do you want?"

"I… heard that one of your kits went missing… I—"

"Don't talk about that!" hissed Reedheart, "I know that I'm a bad mother for letting one of my own kits disappear right from under my nose! You don't have to rub it in!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Sure it isn't," snapped the blind cat, "Why else would you be talking to me?"

"I—"

"Leave me be!"

"Mother! Stop it!" a third voice cut in.

Rainpaw turned around. A pure-white tom with amber eyes was bristling angrily.

"Arcticpaw! Stay out of this!"

"Mother, stop it. The Gathering is about to start and other cats are looking at you oddly."

"This bratty apprentice is teasing me!" protested Reedheart.

"No she isn't." There was a fourth voice. It was Blazingstar. He turned to Arcticpaw, "Arcticpaw, please take your mother back to camp. Rainpaw, you can go with them. I'll tell your mentor where you are."

Rainpaw blinked. "Okay…"

Arcticpaw placed his tail on his mother's shoulder to guide her. "Come on," he meowed.

The Medicine Cat apprentice followed the two PrairieClan cats of the Island.

"There's the log. Steady and follow, or you'll end up in the water," directed the white PrairieClan apprentice.

"You're so lucky to have a log to cross on!" exclaimed Rainpaw, "Every time we come here, our paws always get wet!"

"It's one of the great things about being in PrairieClan," meowed Arcticpaw.

They finally reached PrairieClan camp entrance.

"I can go the rest of the way myself," meowed Reedheart, "Now go back to the Gathering."

"Yes, mother," replied the white tom.

He and Rainpaw turned around.

"What were you asking my mother about anyways?" asked Arcticpaw.

"I wanted to know what happened to her kit that went missing," replied Rainpaw, "I didn't expect her to react like that."

Arcticpaw sighed. "Sorry for the trouble."

"It's alright."

"She wouldn't have been much help anyways," continued the white tom, "She was already blind when my sister and I were born, so she had no idea what we looked like. My father and uncle died two moons after my mother found out she was expecting kits, so they weren't around either. Blazingstar had to come and describe what I looked like so that my mother could name me."

"What about your sister?" asked Rainpaw.

"She was kitnapped before we were named. My eyes were still closed so I didn't know what she looked like either. I was only fourteen sunrises old. But I do remember one thing. It was definitely a CanyonClan cat that took her. I remember their scent."

"Roaringbreeze…" whispered Rainpaw.

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"Thank you so much, Arcticpaw!"

With that, Rainpaw raced back towards the Gathering Island.

"What did I say?" wondered Arcticpaw.

We have proof! thought the Medicine Cat apprentice triumphantly, We can prove that CanyonClan stole kits!

Rainpaw stepped through the trees. The Gathering was over and most cats were going back to camp.

"Where have you been?" asked a voice, "You were gone for most of the Gathering."

Rainpaw jumped.

"Oh hi, Acidpaw!" she meowed cheerfully.

"Where have you been?" the black-furred apprentice repeated.

"Nowhere," lied Rainpaw.

"Sure you were," replied Acidpaw sarcastically.

"You seem awfully concerned."

"What?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought that you were worried about me," teased Rainpaw.

Acidpaw's fur burned in embarrassment. He was thankful for his black pelt, which hid the pink tinge of his ears.

"As if," he muttered.

"Hey, guys!" Rainpaw turned around, Mangledpaw was behind them. "So how's Mistypaw?" he meowed sofly.

"Fine." replied Rainpaw. "Why do you want to know?"

"No reason. No reason at all."

"Right…" Acidpaw meowed.

Mangledpaw lowered his head, and Rainpaw swore she saw a tinge of pink at Mangledpaw's ears.

"Pantherstar and the others are leaving now," meowed Rainpaw, changing the subject, "We should go. Don't want to get left behind."

"Me too," added Mangledpaw, "Silverstar gets weird when part of his Clan is missing. See ya!"

"Bye Mangledpaw! I'll be sure to tell Mistypaw that you say hi!" teased the ForestClan Medicine Cat apprentice.

Mangledpaw shot a glare at the she-cat before leaving to join his Clan.

Rainpaw scampered away and caught up to Wolfpaw.

Acidpaw watched her go. He turned to leave as well.

"Wait."

The black tom turned around.

"Yes?"

"You're Acidpaw, right?"

The ForestClan apprentice nodded.

"I'm Blazingstar."

"I know."

Blazingstar laughed. "I thought you might. How's the Clan?"

Acidpaw's eyes narrowed. "If you think I'm mousebrained enough to tell you all of the details and secrets of ForestClan, then you're wrong."

"I like your attitude. No one will ever be able to pry secrets from you. You'll make a fantastic Warrior. Maybe you'll even have the chance of being deputy."

"I highly doubt that. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to catch up to my Clan."

Acidpaw turned around and left. Blazingstar stared after him. The PrairieClan leader shook his head in amazement.

"Great StarClan, he looks just like his mother."

ForestClan leader's den…

Pantherstar shook her head. "Incredible."

Rainpaw had just told the Clan leader what she had found out from Arcticpaw during the Gathering.

"We can prove that CanyonClan stole kits now," meowed Rainpaw.

"Not quite yet."

The Medicine Cat apprentice looked up at Pantherstar in shock.

"Why not?"

"Arcticpaw's sister is just one small bit of evidence. CanyonClan will wonder why ForestClan accused them if the kit they stole is from PrairieClan."

"What about Mistypaw?"

"I don't know. If she is willing to present herself at the next Gathering, then we will accuse CanyonClan then," answered the cream-colored she-cat, "But keep in mind, she might not want to come. The other Clans still see her as a murderer and might kill her on sight, truce or not."

"Then what do we do? We're at a dead end."

"You need to ask Mistypaw if she wishes to attend the next Gathering. But before you do that, get some rest. It's past dawn now, and you need to sleep."

Rainpaw dipped her head respectfully. "Yes Pantherstar."

The Medicine Cat apprentice turned and left the den. The dawn patrol had left awhile ago. She set foot in the apprentice den. Stripepaw, Acidpaw, and Wolfpaw were all curled up in separate corners. The other apprentices were most likely on the dawn patrol or out training.

"It's nice that the apprentice den is nearly empty."

Rainpaw jumped. "Wolfpaw! I thought you were asleep."

The silver she-cat shook her head. "The apprentice den is going to be crammed soon. Indigokit and Stormkit are going to be apprentices in one moon. There are nearly no mentors left for them. Pantherstar better hurry up and make some of us Warriors."

Rainpaw sighed. "I know what you mean." She glanced at Acidpaw. She only had three moons to convince Pantherstar that he should be a Warrior.

Acidpaw opened one green eye. "Shut up, you two. Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Sorry," whispered the she-cats.

Rainpaw padded over to her nest and curled up.

ForestClan nursery…

Redkit stepped into the sunlight. This was the first time Feathersoul had allowed her out of the nusery. Sure, she and Lionkit had snuck out plenty of times before, but now she could leave the nursery without feeling a pang of guilt.

"It's really nice out…" whispered Redkit. She turned to her brother, "Don't you think so too?"

Lionkit nodded and yawned. The ginger she-cat frowned.

"You look awful, Lionkit!"

The cream-colored tom yawned again. "I didn't sleep too well."

Redkit stared at him.

"What?"

"Imagine that… Lionkit, not sleeping well. Who are you, and what have you done to the real Lionkit?"

"Oh, be quiet."

"Well, well," sneered a voice, "If it isn't the little kits!"

Redkit and Lionkit spun around.

"Indigokit!" spat Redkit, "What do you want?"

"Nothing," mewed the dark gray tabby tom in false innocence, "I was just wondering what little kitties are doing out of the nursery."

"You're just jealous because you never had the guts to sneak out of the nursery when you were younger!" snapped Redkit, "I won't take any bullying from a Moma's boy!"

"What did you say?!" growled Indigokit, "Take that back, you stupid kits!"

"I have no part in this…" muttered Lionkit. Neither cats heard him.

"You're calling us kits?" snarled Redkit, "You aren't out of the nursery either, mousebrain! Therefore, you are still a kit! Look at you, swaggering around, pretending to be better than the rest of us! I wouldn't talk, Moma's Boy!"

"Take that back!"

"Never!"

"Take it back!"

"No!"

Lionkit sighed. It was the same story, every day. Those two were constantly at each other's throats.

"I'll be an apprentice in less than a moon, and when that happens, I'll be the best Warrior this forest has ever seen!"

"You? A Warrior? All I can picture is you tripping over your own paws and scaring every bit of prey from here to the Gathering Island!"

"I'll be the best Warrior ever, you'll see! Acidpaw will become a Warrior, and then he'll be my mentor!"

"Never! Acidpaw would take me as an apprentice!"

"What! Ridiculous! I'm obviously the better Warrior!"

"Acidpaw's my brother! He'd much rather train me than some little brat!"

"You're calling me little? I think you should go and look at your refection, you pint-sized speck of red!"

"Pint-sized?" roared Redkit, "Yeah? Well tell me what kind of freakish cat has indigo eyes?"

"Me!"

"Ha! See? You're admitting that you're a freak!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Stormkit listened to her brother argue with Redkit. Those two were nearly the same. They were much two energetic. She blinked her expressionless amber eyes.

"Um… Indigokit?"

"What?!"

"Sheesh… calm down."

"Can't you see that I'm busy here?!"

"You don't need to yell at me!"

"Yeah, Indigokit," Lionkit cut in angrily, "Be nice to your own sister!"

Indigokit's eyes softened. "You're right. Sorry, Stormkit."

"I don't need your pity!" snarled Stormkit. She turned tail and entered the nursery, stumbling over a root near the entrance.

"Good going, mousebrain," hissed Lionkit.

Indigokit flattened his ears. "None of you understand… Stormkit, wait!"

"That fox dung!" spat Lionclaw's look-alike, glaring at the spot Indigokit where had been standing before going after Stormkit, "How dare he be so cruel to you and Stormkit!"

Redkit shrugged. "Come on, Lionkit! Let's go see Acidpaw!"

Lionkit followed his sister, still fuming about how mean Indigokit was to Stormkit and Redkit.

Nursery…

"Stormkit?" called the dark gray tabby tom.

"What?" replied Stormkit coldly.

"I'm sorry… I'm not sure what I did, but I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you and all, but I've yelled at you before and you've never been so angry."

"It's alright. I overreacted, I guess. I've been thinking, lately… what if someone besides us finds out? They'll never let me be an apprentice, let alone a Warrior!"

Indigokit rested the tip of his tail on Stormkit's shoulder. "No one will ever know," he meowed, "You'll be a Warrior, just like I will be. We'll be the most fearsome fighters in the four Clans! Your secret will never get out."

"You promise?"

"I promise, Stormkit, it's your brother's honour."

Twoleg path near the river…

A tabby she-cat walked silently along the Twoleg path. This was a free zone, where no cat could accuse her of being on their territory.

This isn't fair, she thought, I have never done any harm to anyone, nor would I want to! I'm just going to die here, aren't I? Leaf-bare is coming and the last thing I ate was crowfood lying on the side of the path three sunrises ago.

The tabby she-cat's ribs were showing. She had been hiding near the path for nearly a moon now. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Maybe this is for the best, she thought, They take me for an idiot. They always have. I'm not stupid. I just can't talk. I've never been that important in the Clan. Father died three moons before my birth, and I was told that Uncle died the day I was born, as well as my Mother, Pureheart, and my nameless brother or sister.

The tabby she-cat's uncle was the Clan deputy, and as his burial as well as his sister's was taking place, the nursery had been left unguarded. When the queen that was meant to take care of the two orphaned kits returned to the nursery, only one kit remained, and that was the tabby she-cat.

She hardly remembered the early sunrises of her life, but she still remembered the cries of her sibling as he or she was taken away, as well as a strong dose of CanyonClan scent.

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Hmmm… dun dun dun!!! What's going to happen now? Review please. And those who have this story on alert, but aren't reviewing, I know who you are! Dun dun dun!!!