Welcome to the next chapter!

It's mainly about Orange and her youth, which explains a lot about how she got like she is… and also why Russetstripe is still sitting next to a viewing pool being nosy after like two years being dead. You'd think he'd go play with his little dead friends, but nooo…

Anyway. Fun fun. XD sorry about the loooong wait, tennis practice sucks the energy out of me and such, lol. Enjoy—review if you can, heh heh.

Safety.

Russetstripe's orange tail waved merrily behind him as he trotted down a steep, sloping bank. Tall fronds of grass rustled as he pushed through them, that handsome face twisting into a sneeze as the tips tickled his nose. "Icetail!" he called, and his voice was terribly happy, though a little worried. "Icetail, where are you? You shouldn't be out here!" There was a grumble of protest from a clump of thin stalks nearby, and the dark ginger warrior steered towards it with another sneeze of laughter.

"You know you shouldn't be out of the nursery," the younger-Russetstripe reprimanded her, purring, as he batted at the screen of stems with a fluffy paw. "You're close to kitting." Tallstar's ears flicked in amusement, though he didn't dare glance at the longhaired StarClanner beside him for fear of what he might see.

"Hell I shouldn't!" that irritated voice drifted out of the long grass, "I'll do what I please, Russetstripe, and you can't stop me! At least you had the decency to care about these kits!" Tallstar flinched, expecting Russetstripe to recoil, hurt, but apparently the WindClanner was made of sterner stuff and just sighed. "I wish you would stop bringing that up," he told her, hazel-green eyes twinkling, "You're just grumpy because you're pregnant with the kits."

"Kit. There's only one. And I'm not pregnant anymore." Russetstripe squeaked with surprise and dismay and jumped through the screen. He nearly crushed Icetail, who snapped at him in protest, and only missed her by completely twisting in the air and rolling away from the snowy she-cat.

"You HAD the kits? Kit? Why didn't you wait in camp for a medicine cat! Why didn't you wait for meeee?!" the ginger warrior was still squeaking, "I wanted to be there! What if something had gone wrong?"

Icetail snorted and gathered their single kit closer to her belly. "I left the camp because I didn't want any nosy whiskers prying into my private business, and I didn't tell you because you'd be hopping around squeaking like a kit and being generally useless." There was a glaze of pain still to her eyes, but that defiant gleam that would someday sparkle in the eyes of her offspring. Tallstar could tell, without words, the real reason she'd left—she hadn't wanted anyone to witness her pain, her secret weakness. It was a noble thought, at the least.

Russetstripe deflated, but perked back up again when he remembered he was a father. "Is it a tom or a she-cat?" he mewed, trying not to frisk with excitement, "Oh, Icetail, I'm so happy!" the older warrior sighed in defeat, her white fur masking a pair of very exasperated blue eyes. "Good. I'm happy too," she said softly, then as if remembering, made her voice sharp again. "And it's a she-cat. She'll have a face prettier than yours someday. Let's hope it's more useful." Russetstripe sneezed with good humor and leaned in to look at the kit.

The queen sensed what he was doing and gathered up the baby in her soft, warm paws, gently prying her away from her swollen belly. The kit grumbled in objection, but relented after a moment and allowed herself to be pushed forward. Fur that was already brilliant orange, a shade lighter than Russetstripe's dark tone, the hue of flame, stuck up on the kit's sides and back. On her muzzle and belly, along with the paws, it changed to snow-white, the same brilliant star-white of Icetail's pelt.

"What are we going to call her?" Russetstripe asked softly, curling his fluffy tail gently around the kit. The tiny creature vanished under the fluffy mass and he quickly withdrew it. "She's so… bright." It was all he could say, as if he could not take his eyes away from his child. Icetail drew her back to her belly. "I was thinking Orangekit, for obvious reasons."

The dark ginger warrior nodded his head so vigorously motes of golden dust flew away from his fur, lit up by the warm sunlight all around them. "Yes, yes! Orangekit. Oh, Icetail, I love her already. I don't want anyone to ever hurt her! What if she's not as tough as you? She looks so… delicate…!"

"She just got born, idiot, of course she looks delicate. Stop whining and help me up so we can take her back to camp. I'm going to get chewed out by the med, so we might as well go now. Take her to the warriors den while I try to wiggle out of it."

Russetstripe's dismay was obvious. "To the warriors den? But there's all sorts of nasty cats in there! What if they try to grab her?" his panic made Icetail frustrated, and she smacked weakly with an alabaster paw at him as he helped her up. "Like who, Russetstripe. Who's a nasty cat in the warriors den that might grab Orangekit."

"Umm… that one guy! The skinny old creep with the fur falling out!"

"He's dead, Russetstripe, his fur was falling out because he was a corpse."

"Oh. Why was he in the warriors den?! WELL, anyway, how about that black-and-white cat, you know? The young one that everyone says is a murderer?"

"For StarClan's sake, who are you talking about?!"

"YOU know, Icetail! He sleeps in the corner all woozy, being all zonked out all the time! That is a very bad influence!"

"Oh. Him!" Icetail snorted, "Fine, then take her straight to the nursery and sit around smiling at all the pregnant she-cats until I get back. You'd think little rogue-boy would be able to handle this, but I guess not! Hold Orangekit."

A little nervous, the tomcat bent his shaggy head and clamped gingerly to the kit's scruff. She was silent as he gently lifted her into the air. "There. That'll shut you up," Icetail said, satisfied, stretching luxuriously and moving slightly stiffly back through the grass. The dark ginger warrior followed that cloudlike tail, that expression of worry and complete happiness flickering in his eyes as he vanished into the grassland.

***

"Orangepaw, come back to the nursery!" it was Russetstripe's voice, and though obviously he was now older, that expression of youth had never left the handsome tomcat's face. The ginger she-cat turned towards him, vivid eyes blazing, and Tallstar flinched with surprise. Already her features were masked with beauty, as no more than a new apprentice—she already carried herself with an air of pride and ferocity that reminded the former leader of her mother.

"No!" she snapped, sending a sizzling swipe in her father's direction which he dodged. Quickly he bundled her forward with his dark orange paws, trying to pin the spitting apprentice down. "Orangepaw," he told her severely, "Just because you've been an apprentice for a day doesn't mean you can play outside yet!"

"ACTUALLY, it does, and take your filthy paws off me, I'm going hunting! You're not my mentor, you can't tell me what to do!"

"ACTALLY, I am your mentor—I had a word with the leader, and he agreed I was a more positive influence than…what was his name? I can't remember, but I don't want him leading you in the wrong direction."

Orangepaw actually stopped struggling in astonishment and despair, those amazingly bright eyes going suddenly flat. For a moment Tallstar realized just how hard she was struggling to break away from Russetstripe, to become herself…

Then fury flooded back into her eyes and she snapped her flame-white muzzle around to bury teeth into that paw, drawing blood, to which Russetstripe let out a yowl of pain and let go of her. "Stay away from me!" she yowled, "I wish you'd die! How can you do this to me? I hate you!" she raced away, out of camp, already distasteful of the rules and the warrior code.

Russetstripe gingerly lapped at the blood on his paw as the white figure of Icetail materialized behind him. "She's a firey one. I can't believe you just did that, Russetstripe—her mentor was a good warrior. Better than you. She won't thank you for that."

The handsome tom sighed. "I just don't want her to get hurt, Icetail. There's terrible, terrible cats in this camp. She'll be safer with me."

Icetail's cold, icy gaze was sharp. "You just don't get it, do you? She's not a baby anymore. The last thing she wants is her stupid father hovering over her shoulder. I'll be surprised if you can get her to do a thing as long as you're her mentor."

Russetstripe's eyes were faraway and solemn. "All the better. If she doesn't learn how to fight, she'll never have to enter battle. She's my little girl, Icetail…"

Icetail whipped around and sunk her teeth into the tomcat's shoulder. He let out a yowl of pain and jumped back to face her flashing gaze. "You told me I was your little girl once, and I nearly took your ear off," she growled, "You're disgusting."

With that she turned and stalked away, Russetstripe standing behind, astonished, wondering what he did wrong. Tallstar watched as the next two moons passed in flashes, Russetstripe's daughter striking, fighting out against the weight of her father's protection. Two moons of a terrible, by any standards, apprenticeship, in which Orangepaw learned less than nothing. If anything, she only became more stubborn. Tallstar could see where she'd gotten it, because Russetstripe refused to heed his mate's desperate urgings to leave her alone…

***

"It's not over yet." Russetstripe told Tallstar almost before the former leader could digest what had just happened. "You've seen the birth of both of my kits, now—and the very different directions I led them in."

Assassin, the young black tomcat with Russetstripe's lighthearted spirit, trained from the moment of his birth to kill. Orangekit, born in the Clan, with the fierce spirit of her mother, furiously trying to escape the desperately protective clutches of her father.

Though Tallstar could easily learn to hate Russetstripe for how he'd abandoned Demon, easily loathe Demon for how she abused her son—the plight of Orangepaw was almost worse. She was determined to be true to herself, no matter what; even if the warrior code barred the way. Tallstar couldn't help but respect, admire that, and Russetstripe's efforts to block that passionate spirit frustrated him.

Obviously Russetstripe even now couldn't see his own mistake—he seemed perfectly content in how he'd treated his daughter, and his unhappiness began only after his death had freed her. "I want her to be safe," Russetstripe confided, staring at the pool, "And this is… probably the most dangerous thing she could do."

The scene returned yet again to the battle scene happening in twolegplace, the WindClan leader and the rogue battling, fighting, with the dark wiry shape of Assassin racing desperately towards the two just as the tortoiseshell collapsed in a spasm of death.

The ginger rogue threw back his head to gloat, and Assassin's speed slowed, moved down, as he sat before the massive creature. The murderer seemed surprised to see such a skinny cat merely sitting there, watching him. Tallstar caught a glimpse of Assassin's cold eyes, splinters of tangerine ice, right before he whispered something that chilled Tallstar's heart. "You're my target…"

The cat the WindClan leader had fought with so bravely, so valiantly; a cat whose claws were stained with the blood of many a warrior—it took less than a second for Assassin to avenge his leader. Less than a second in which a blur of infinite blackness flickered, then sat back calmly as the giant toppled, unable even to lift a claw in defense. Crimson spilled from a wide red smile that had appeared across the cat's throat as he died. The tom who'd killed him was emotionless, calm. It was not hard to figure out how Russetstripe had died, having seen this display of incredible skill. Skill in death.

Demon had done her work well. Tallstar remembered for a moment the lighthearted kitten, dancing in his mother's shadow. Now the only thing that danced about the cat were the flames in that shadowed gaze.

"That's why they call you Assassin, isn't it?" Blackblizzard croaked from where he'd fallen, swiped aside by a single blow of the ginger rogue. Assassin's narrow eyes turned to him.

"Yes," the tom said softly as blood-scent stained the air, "That's why they call me Assassin." With that, the cat turned his face to the floor to grieve.

Tallstar dared not look at Russetstripe as that odd, sad expression crossed his face. "Enough. Time to watch where he learned it from." Russetstripe's soft sigh blurred through the air as the vision re-formed, the final one—that of the tomcat's death.

OMAI

I decided I really don't like Russet.

I knew he did this, and I had the plot planned out and such…

But I liked him a LOT better in the chapters before.

When he got all stupid shelter-y and all I wanted to smack him.

It's HIS fault Orange is so stubborn and doesn't dance in the rain more often.

Jerk. Assehs' got TWO big jerks for a mommy and a daddy.

Hehehehe. This fanfic will be done soon… next chapter will be about Russet's death. And the lesson he learns. Lol. Phew!