Shadowpaw opened a tawny eye slowly. It was dark now. She stood up slowly. There was a warmth that was missing from her right flank. Sunpaw was gone...again. The dark queen peered into the darkness that surrounded her. She sought a flicker of his ginger pelt, or a glint of his light eyes. His scent was fresh; he couldn't have gone far. "Sunpaw?" she whispered into the night. "Sunpaw, where are you?"

"Here."

Shadowpaw turned to see the tomcat behind her. She purred, butting him with her head. "Don't scare me like that," she murmured. She could feel a soothing vibration spread through her mind as Sunpaw purred.

"Don't worry about me," he meowed. His voice had changed over the last moon, dropping a pitch or so. Shadowpaw loved it. "I'll never leave you, Shadowpaw." He licked behind her ears. "I love you."

Shadowpaw purred, letting the hum fill her body. Her tail rose and stroked behind his ears tenderly. Sunpaw let his tail run across her flanks. The two lay down on a nearby rock. Shadowpaw folded her paws across Sunpaw's back and laid her head on them. Sunpaw gave a happy sigh. "I love you, too, Sunpaw," whispered Shadowpaw. "And perhaps...I should open up my heart more..."

"What do you mean, Shadowpaw?"

"I've never told any cat but Riverstar why I left SwampClan. I think it's time you found out...why I never trusted any cat."

Perhaps she sounded hesitant: Sunpaw's next words were, "If you wish to tell me, then tell me. But if you think it is something that should wait, it will wait."

Shadowpaw took a deep breath and began...

And now we switch to a series of flashbacks, as indicated by the italics. Note that each time you see the divider, that is a different flashback. When we get back to the story at paw, the italics will be gone. Thank you, and enjoy the show. (grabs a bowl of popcorn and a Tigerstar plushie)

"Try again, Shadowpaw," Jetstar urged me. I nodded and lunged at him once more. He easily swept me aside, almost as if I were a feather.

"I can't, Jetstar," I mewed. "You're too good for me."

"No cat is too good for you, Shadowpaw. You are the best apprentice any cat could hope for." I felt a glow of pride. "But all that greatness is locked inside your body, and training is the key to unlocking it. Now, once more."

"Actually, Jetstar, can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Shadowpaw?"

I snuggled closer to him. "I'm worried. Thornheart, your own deputy, seems to be hiding something." Jetstar looked confused, but didn't interrupt me. "She is always talking about how Bugwing came back and still won't be able to stop her..."

"Thornheart is not only my deputy, but my daughter. Why do you say this about her?"

"Jetstar, she has been saying this over and over. Something involving Toadspot, Swanwing, Sixclaw, Littlefoot, and Grasseyes..."

"Sixclaw is my daughter as well."

"I fear that cats may be hurt."

Jetstar licked behind my ears. "Shadowpaw, Shadowpaw, Shadowpaw," he chided. "Thornheart has a few memory problems. She thinks that those cats are still her enemies. They didn't get along well as apprentices, but now they are friends."

I still wasn't convinced. "Jetstar, I'm worried that someday Thornheart might snap and hurt some cat."

"You needn't worry about that. Now, back to training. I'll have a word with Thornheart tonight."

.-''-.-''-.-''-.

We were training again. A half-moon had passed since that training session. Jetstar and I were patrolling with Thornheart. There was something in Thornheart's gaze that made me nervous, but I kept my fears to myself. We were far from the SwampClan camp, and no other patrols were out so far.

We walked past Rockplace, when suddenly Thornheart stopped us. "Father," she meowed, "if I died before you, what would you say as your last words to me?"

"What would I say?" Jetstar thought about this for a while. Finally, he said, "Well, if you were dying of a sickness, I'd say 'StarClan guide your paws.' If you were dying of a battle wound, I'd probably say 'Rest in peace, noble warrior. You've served your Clan well.'" He looked confused. "Why would you ask me that?"

Thornheart shoved me into a huge tangle of brambles and leapt on top of Jetstar. She dug her fangs into his neck and tore his throat out. I watched in horror as he died and came back. "Thorn—" he began, but Thornheart cut him off.

"Rest in peace, noble warrior," she spat. "You've served your Clan well." She tore his throat another time, and Jetstar didn't come back. Thornheart grinned.

I tried to struggle free, but I was stuck. The next thing I knew, Thornheart was behind me. She swiped at me with her paw and knocked me out.

.-''-.-''-.-''-.

I woke up feeling sore and cold...When I tried to get up, something pushed me back down. I looked up to see Wildheart, a senior warrior, standing over me. Her eyes were cold. "Stay where you are, murderer," she growled angrily. I had no idea what she was talking about until I saw Jetstar's body lying a few fox-lengths away.

"You think I killed Jetstar?" I yowled.

"His blood was all around your muzzle and between your claws," Wildheart replied. "Thornheart said you were all over him, slashing and biting." She grabbed me by the scruff and hauled me over to the body.

Jetstar was indeed covered with scratches made by tiny claws. I looked at my own claws. They were a rusty crimson color, and clumps of black fur were between them. I swiped my tongue around my muzzle. Blood. I tasted blood. Thornheart was crouched at Jetstar's body, wailing and yowling shamelessly. I growled.

"How could a young apprentice kill a grown cat?" I demanded, writing angrily.

"If they didn't stop attacking him, it's possible," Wildheart snarled back. "How could you, Shadowpaw? Jetstar never did anything to you to make him deserve this!"

"And I didn't bring it on him! It was Thornheart! Thornheart did it! THORNHEART KILLED JETSTAR!" I yowled as loudly as I could. "THORNHEART KILLED JETSTAR! THORNHEART KILLED JETSTAR! THORNHEART KILLED JET—!"

Wildheart dropped me on the hard ground to silence me. "That's enough out of you!" she spat. Thornheart pounced on the ground, landing barely a mouselength away from me.

"You murdering piece of foxdung!" she snapped. "You killed my father! Jetstar! Jetstar!" She moaned and wailed until my ears rang. Wildheart pressed up against her. "You...vile runt! Murdering fox kit!" Thornheart swiped her claws at me. The strike hit my ear and tore it. "I'll run you out of Clan territory. Death's too good for the likes of you!"

"I'll run myself out!" I retorted, and pelted out of there. There were angry yowls behind me, but when I looked, no cat was chasing me. They were all just standing around and caterwauling to wake PlagueClan. I just kept running. SwampClan was no place for me any longer.

.-''-.-''-.-''-.

That's when I found PromiseClan. I just kept running until I was there. Riverstar found me and took me in. She told me that there were plenty of warriors who would be more than willing to take my under their paw and show me around. She never asked me for my past. I gave it to her myself. I spent so many moons, not quite fitting in until...

"Until I came along," Sunpaw murmured. Shadowpaw nodded. "Glad I could help you." He rubbed his head against hers. "Wow. Shadowpaw...I never knew...everything you went through. Betrayal...cast from your own Clan...being blamed for your own mentor's death...It's too much for any cat to bear." He licked her ear, tongue running over the deep vee-shaped nick in the soft cartilage.

Shadowpaw sighed. "Well, it's over now. I've found a Clan that I can belong to. A Clan far away from Thornheart and her madness."

"I heard a rumor that she was driven out, though," Sunpaw murmured. Shadowpaw's ears pricked up. "By Sixclaw and Breezepaw."

"But she drove them out because she caught them trying to have kits. Apparently Sixclaw thought Breezepaw was her lost love Bugwing, and Breezepaw used that to..well...you know."

"Well, that's what I heard, but who am I to say what's what." Sunpaw stretched his front legs, yawning. "I think we should head back to the others." Shadowpaw nodded, and the pair padded back to the warm huddle at the base of the tree. Promisepaw sat up as they approached.

"We were wondering where you two went," she meowed calmly. Her eyes glinted with friendship. Shadowpaw felt welcomed by the she-cat's gaze. "As long as you're up, why don't you two go off on a little bit of a hunt? Trickpaw's awake now, and we could all use a bit of fresh-kill."

Shadowpaw couldn't help a purr. She looked over at Sunpaw. The tom's pelt glowed in the silver moonlight. His lean muscles flexed under that radiant fur...Shadowpaw felt a wave of pride. He was hers, she was his...they belonged to each other. Once they returned to save PromiseClan and received their warrior names, they could have kits...the ultimate bond between tom and queen.

"Let's go, Shadowpaw," the big he-cat meowed. Shadowpaw nodded and ran alongside him. As they ran across the shadowy landscape, Shadowpaw wondered what they looked like from above: what the owls and other night birds saw of them. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

Shadow and Light...twisting, twining, unified under the moon. We fly across the moors like on winged paws...in the sight of StarClan...we run...