Moons passed and Heatkit grew older. He became an apprentice with his own mentor called Crossclaw. Crossclaw was a white and black-splotched tom with vivid blue eyes. He was a senior warrior, one of the best in the Clan. Heatpaw was very glad to have him as a mentor, as the cat was very experienced in battle and such.

The black apprentice almost thought of him as a father. He never thought much about Tanglefire these days. He couldn't remember his birth father very well, but he knew that whenever he started to think about him, he would start getting shaky and would lose focus. His heart was filled with pure hate for the traitorous tom, the one who loved his mate more than his son. Heatpaw couldn't remember his name, but he knew very well what his scent was, having smelt it several times on border patrols by the ForestClan border.

"Hey, Heatpaw!" cried a voice. Heatpaw turned to face the newcomer and came face to face with his denmate, Crystalpaw.

"Oh hey, Crystalpaw," Heatpaw purred warmly to the pretty white she-cat.

"Hi," she mewed. "Uh, my mentor wanted to know if you could come with us; we're going hunting!"

Heatpaw looked around the camp for his mentor. "Okay, but I need to ask Crossclaw first..."

Crystalpaw hopped up and down. "Oh no, no!" she cried, flustered. "Grasswing already asked your mentor if you would come, and he said yes! So, come on!" The apprentice flicked her tail at him and bounded out the entrance.

The pair ran together through the underbrush and across the leafy ground until they reached a small clearing with a clump of bushes in the middle. Crystalpaw scented the air and pointed the way to where her mentor was waiting. "He's just over there," she murmured. "I think he's planning a mock ambush."

Heatpaw twitched his nose and scanned the trees and foliage surrounding the clearing. His ears swiveled back and forth to catch the tiniest sound, and then he heard it. A small crack announcing the snap of a twig. The black apprentice whirled around to face the direction the sound came from and bared his teeth, his hackles raising up. "I know you're there, Grasswind!" he growled playfully. "Now come on out!"

Another snap of a twig. Nobody answered. Heatpaw's fur began to rise along his nape. Why wasn't Grasswind coming out...? Then there came a deep roar from the forest, and a huge badger galumphed out of the foliage, its bright beady eyes trained on the two apprentices and claws unsheathed, its mouth stretched wide in a ferocious snarl. "C-Crystalpaw!" yelped Heatpaw. "R-R-run!"

Crystalpaw stepped forward with a threatening hiss. "No," she growled. "This badger has encroached on our territory. We must drive it out before it gets to the camp!"

Heatpaw looked sideways at his friend. Her glossy white fur shone brilliantly in the morning sun, and her deep amber eyes held such fierce defiance in them. Heatpaw suddenly felt like rubbing against her and getting her out of harm's way. He stepped forward in front of her and growled deep in his throat. "Stay away," he hissed.

The badger shook its head viciously and lumbered forward, its ears lying flat. It growled as if it was trying to say something in its language.

Heatpaw tilted his head; he couldn't understand badger. This just seemed to anger the badger even more. It roared throatily and lunged for the apprentice. Heatpaw dodged to the side, bumping Crystalpaw out of the way. He dodged the badger's clumsy attack, and latched onto one of its back legs, howling and scratching at the thick fur, but couldn't scratch through to the skin.

The badger bucked and shook its leg to fling him off and Heatpaw lost his grip, landing lightly on his paws before dashing in again to aim a blow at the badger's nose. Blood squirted out and into his face, blinding him, and the badger roared again in fury, flailing its paws blindly. Heatpaw dodged away just in time, but one of the claws scored a nick in his ear. "Foxdung!" he hissed, rubbing a paw at his torn ear. Blood dripped down his face, and he grimaced.

The badger stared threateningly at him, as if daring him to come closer. It growled again as if trying to say something, and its thick fur raised along its hackles. "I have no idea what you're trying to tell me," Heatpaw began menacingly, "but I'm pretty sure it's unimportant!" He gave a flying leap and landed on top of the badger's head, his hindclaws scrabbling against the badger's face.

The huge omnivore grunted and shook him off, batting him away with a great paw. Heatpaw went flying and slammed against a tree, falling to the ground in a heap.

"Heatpaw," Crystalpaw gasped from her seat by the edge of the trees, and dashed forward to his side. "Heatpaw," she whispered as she crouched beside him.

Heatpaw weakly lifted his head. "I'm...fine," he croaked. "Don't worry about me, Crystalpaw."

The white she-cat nodded and whipped around to face the badger. "Stay away from him," she snarled, fluffing out her fur to look bigger.

Heatpaw glanced up at her. "No, don't... Crystalpaw, you'll get hurt!" he trilled in alarm.

Crystalpaw shook her head. "I don't care," she snapped at him. "I don't want you to get hurt..."

Heatpaw stared at her for a few heartbeats, then heaved himself to his paws, panting. "I'll help you," he wheezed, sliding his claws out.

Crystalpaw nodded, her eyes narrowing in concern as she glanced at him.

The badger snarled, its fur fluffing out. It lumbered forward and raised a paw. The apprentices scattered and came together again behind the badger. "I'll go for the eyes, you go on its back," Heatpaw ordered her, leaning in to sniff her scent.

"Okay," she nodded, and nuzzled him lightly. "Good luck," she whispered, and sprang onto the badger as it whipped around.

Heatpaw turned back to the badger, gave a shattering yowl and lunged at the badger's eyes, slashing viciously with both paws. "Get out!" he shrieked. "You are not welcome here!"

The badger batted him away and into a tree. The black apprentice hit his head against the trunk and everything blacked out.

…

"No! Heatpaw! Crystalpaw! Wh-what happened? Um, just stay there, I'll go get help!"

Heatpaw lifted his head blearily and looked in the direction the voice came from. He just vaguely wondered who it was before his head collapsed and everything went black again.

…

"Hey, wake up, Heatpaw, you're okay now. Come on..."

Heatpaw blinked open his eyes and looked up to see Kindlepool standing over him. "...huh?" he mewed. "What happened...where am I?"

The medicine cat kindly smiled. "You're in the medicine den," she explained gently as if speaking to a traumatized kit. "We found you unconscious in the forest and took you back here to be treated."

"Wh-where is Crystalpaw?" he stuttered.

There was a flash of shadow in the medicine cat's eyes and her gaze softened sympathetically. "She is, um, in the other den right now," she said haltingly as if afraid to talk about it.

Heatpaw tried to scramble to his paws, but Kindlepool gently pushed him down. "You must rest," she mewed, emphasizing the 'rest' part. "Please," she added.

The black apprentice begrudgingly lay back down. "When will I be able to see her?" he breathed, his eyes starting to close from exhaustion.

The medicine cat didn't answer as he drifted off to sleep.

…

Heatpaw padded through the dark forest, stepping over stray branches and twigs. Where am I? he wondered in bewilderment. The forest was nothing like the forest back home, and he flinched at every scuttle of a rat or flutter of a bird. No matter how fast he tried to run, the scenery always remained the same. Dark foggy trees for miles, no underbrush, only crackly leaves and pine needles underfoot.

"H-Hello? Hello!" he called out, glancing all around him. "Is there any cat here that can show me the way home?"

"Greetings, Heatpaw," came a voice from behind him. He whipped around to see a sleek black and white tom appear out of the mist.

"Who...are you?" Heatpaw stammered fearfully.

"I am Coldheart, young one," the tom purred. "And I know exactly where you are."

"Where?"

"The Dark Forest."

Heatpaw's eyes widened at the name. "B-but, how?" he whined. "I didn't do anything wrong-"

"Hush," Coldheart snapped. "You are here because we need you, Heatpaw. Yes, you are dead, and you were destined for many great things, but this path will turn all that around. You, apprentice, are the next heir to the throne of the Dark Forest. Tigerstar was overthrown many seasons ago by his grandson, Tigerstar, and now we need you to take over that throne. It is your destiny now."

Heatpaw was mesmerized. "My destiny," he repeated.

Coldheart watched him in satisfaction. "Yes, Heatpaw," he purred. "Your destiny."

Something niggled Heatpaw at the back of his mind. It was saying, No, Heatpaw, don't believe him! He's lying! It's a trick-

But Heatpaw snapped back at it, No, I will believe him. This is my destiny. I can finally belong.

The voice was quiet after that but still whispered warnings every now and then.

Heatpaw took a step forward. "I will go with you, then," he meowed.

"No, Heatpaw! Don't!"

Heatpaw snarled at the voice; he thought it was the voice at the back of his mind that had been telling him that Coldheart was a liar, but it wasn't.

The cat strode forward confidently, her blue-gray fur full of stars and light. It was Bluestar. "Heatpaw," she growled. "Come with me. Now."

Coldheart snarled. "Get out of our territory," he hissed. "It is not your place to be here, Bluestar. Your territory is in StarClan, remember?"

Bluestar turned a belittling gaze on him and stepped forward, her haunches rising in fury. "You are one to talk, lying to innocent apprentices, pretending to give them everything they wanted then killing them off, when all they ever wanted was to be loved and to belong! You felt that way too once, young with hope and good promise, but no StarClan cat was there to turn you around when you were offered the chance."

Coldheart's snarl faded and he looked pensive. "Well, I didn't have a choice-," he began but then shook his head and became angry again. "Don't you dare play your stupid mind tricks on me!" he growled. "Besides, what do you want, Bluestar?" he spat.

"Heatpaw does not belong here," the grey leader repeated coldly. "It is not his destiny to die just yet. I have come here to bring him back to his Clan."

Coldheart's eyes narrowed. "Very well... but when it is his turn to die, he shall come back to the Dark Forest. We will make sure of that..." The dark and white warrior faded into the mist and disappeared with his last threat.

Heatpaw looked up at Bluestar, frightened of what had just transpired. "My destiny...?" he mewled.

The ThunderClan leader looked down at him warmly. "You'll find out in due time, little apprentice. Now, let's get you home..."

...

Heatpaw opened his eyes, brought back to the real world from the Dark Forest. A whispery presence swirled about him, warm and comforting. "Thank you, Bluestar," Heatpaw murmured to the former ForestClan leader. The spirit smiled and nodded then disappeared into the wind.

"Heatpaw? Heatpaw, you're awake!" cried a voice from the other side of the medicine den. It was the medicine cat apprentice, Glasspaw. Heatpaw glanced up and smiled wearily.

"Yeah, I am," he mewed.

"Oh, we thought you were going to die!" the light grey she-cat sobbed. "You were in such bad shape!"

Heatpaw tried to move his arm but his whole body felt too sore to even budge. "Ugh, I feel like I'm dying," Heatpaw muttered, "I can't even move!"

"Step back, Glasspaw, you're crowding the patient," came a voice from behind the black apprentice. It was Kindlepool, the medicine cat. She sniffed at Heatpaw's pelt, checking to make sure his injuries were healing. "Well, you'll make a full recovery, but I'm afraid you'll have permanent scars."

Heatpaw nodded, curious about what his injuries were since he couldn't feel anything. "What happened?" he asked instead.

"Uh, well, you had quite a bit of fur ripped out, some flesh-wounds, not too fatal, and external bleeding. That's it." Kindlepool looked like she wanted to say something else, but she looked away, his eyes filling with remorse and sadness.

"What- what about Crystalpaw? Will she be okay?" Heatpaw forced himself to ask.

Kindlepool looked at her paws, at Glasspaw, anywhere but into Heatpaw's eyes. "She...she's gone," she whispered quietly.