"Hello, my name is Fuzzynose. I'm the StormClan medicine cat." The tom purred. Beside him sat a small white tom.
"Snakepaw, what are you doing here?" I hissed at the small white tom beside him.
"Snakepaw? I'm sorry, but my name is Frostpaw." the small white tom frowned. Frostpaw! This is Snakepaw's brother! What have I just done?
"Sorry," I mewed. I need to come up with something! "You look like an apprentice of mine who disappeared long ago." I told him.
"It's alright." He shrugged.
"Do you have an apprentice?" Fuzzynose asked.
"No." I shook my head.
"Then why are there two nests?" Frostpaw frowned, glancing over at mine and Snakepaw's nests.
"Well, Fallenkit was sick recently and he used that nest. The apprentices made it way to large for him but he didn't mind." I mewed.
"Ah, what did you use?" Fuzzynose asked curiously.
"Coltsfoot and half poppy-seed. He seems just fine." I mewed.
"That's what I would have done as well." Fuzzynose mewed.
"Fuzzynose!" a tom called from outside.
"I have to go, Vinepelt is calling me. Cloudlight, if you don't mind perhaps could you teach Frostpaw a few things? I want to keep his training up." Fuzzynose mewed.
"I'd love to." I purred. It'd be just like teaching Snakepaw. I watched as the large white tom padded out of my den, leaving me with Frostpaw.
"If I ask you something, will you be honest with me?" He asked.
"Depends what it is." I narrowed my eyes.
"Before, when you called my Snakepaw, you acted like I wasn't supposed to be here. Like just being there would make me in danger. I could tell you were lying when you said I looked like your old apprentice who went missing. So please, tell me the truth. My brother is your apprentice, isn't he? Is my brother Snakepaw alive?" Frostpaw pleaded, his eyes gleaming with hope. He truly loves his brother.
"Yes."
"Where are we?" I asked, brushing against Nightpaw's fur, his paw touching mine. I glanced over at him, his pelt grew hot and his face turned bright red before he pulled his paw away, padding over to his brother.
"We are in a different hollow. We will stay here until it is safe to leave." Rivermist mewed. We nodded. I glanced around, there were two large dens. A warriors den and an apprentice den. They were prepared for the day they would have to hide.
"You may go to sleep, you'll need your rest." Rivermist mewed, padding into the warriors den. We drowsily padded into the apprentice den. There were already nests. I curled up in a nest and closed my eyes.
I awoke later on by the sound of Ravenpaw's voice. I stumbled to my paws, padding out of the den. I could see Rabbitpaw, Ravenpaw, Dustpaw and Snakepaw, their pelts shining in the moonlight.
"What are you thinking?" Ravenpaw hissed.
"Vinepelt is there, he has to know we're alive!" Rabbitpaw insisted.
"I know Frostpaw, he won't tell anyone that we're alive." Snakepaw added.
"Have you both gone mad? You can't go back to the camp!" Dustpaw growled.
"But Dustpaw! It's Vinepelt! Have you forgotten him? I know he wouldn't have forgotten us." Rabbitpaw growled.
"It doesn't matter. We can't go back." Ravenpaw growled.
"We're going and you can't stop us." Snakepaw mewed.
"Snakepaw, I could sit on you and you couldn't do anything about it. While you have learned about herbs we have learned how to fight." Dustpaw growled.
"You sit on him and I'll take you down!" Rabbitpaw spat, jumping to Snakepaw's defense.
"And I'll take you down, you aren't going." Ravenpaw scoffed.
"Will you stop fighting?" I hissed, stepping in between the four toms.
"Tawnypaw stay out if it." Ravenpaw hissed.
"No." I growled.
"We are going and you can't make me stay. Dustpaw, if you were truly my brother you wouldn't let me go alone." Rabbitpaw mewed.
"Fine. I'll go, you tell Vinepelt we're alive and we come straight back." Dustpaw growled, standing beside his brother. Rabbitpaw beamed happily, he wouldn't dare ask for anything more.
"You're going to get yourselves killed." Ravenpaw mewed, disgusted.
"Ravenpaw, just come. You can stay hidden if you want but just come with us." Snakepaw mewed.
"I won't step out of the shadows, no matter what's happening." Ravenpaw growled.
"Tawnypaw, what about you? Are you going to come?" Snakepaw asked.
"Alright." I sighed. I have a bad feeling about this.
I shook the moss off my pelt and padded out of the apprentice den. I frowned as I looked around at my surroundings. This isn't our camp, where are we? It took a moment to let the day's activities set in. This is a strange camp with a bunch of strange cats. I haven't seen a single apprentice since we came to the camp.
"Hurry up!" Someone hissed. I glanced, I could see four figures stepping out of the bushes. The were rather small. Are they the apprentices?
"We'll be real quick." A tom promised, two of them slowly padded into the warriors den. One cat, a tom by the looks of it padded into the medicine cat den. The last cat remained. It slowly padded out into the middle of the camp, unsure where to go. The moon light shined on her dark gray pelt. It can't be! I slowly crept forward, towards the small she-cat. She turned around, looking me in the eye. Her eyes widened, I sat upright.
"Ashpaw?" She whispered in disbelief.
"Tawnykit? How are you still alive?" I asked, astonished.
"It's a long story." She mewed.
"Wait till father hears that you're still alive. He'll send you away with next years Unwanteds for sure. He'll make sure your dead next time. You're nothing but a filthy Unwanted." He growled.
"Ashpaw, didn't you miss me?" She asked.
"Why would I miss a good for nothing Unwanted?" I laughed.
"But I'm your sister!" She mewed.
"No, you were my sister, until you broke the rules. It isn't my fault, you deserved your fate." I scoffed.
"You changed." She growled turning away.
"No, I'm not letting you get away. Shadowstar won't believe me if he doesn't see you himself. I'm sure he'll believe me when I show him your limp body." I growled, leaping at her.
"Ashpaw no!" She screamed as I landed on top of her. I slashed at her head, scraping her ear. She clawed me back, scratching my muzzle.
"You aren't the only one with training." She growled, wriggling away from my grasp. I leapt at her once moe, landing on her back. I began scraping her back, she cried in pain, turning onto her belly. I held my paw against Tawnykit's throat, ready for the final blow. I felt a surge of pain as someone barreled into my side, knocking the wind out of me.
"Tawnypaw are you alright," He asked. I know that voice!
"I'm fine Ravenpaw." She nodded, stumbling to her paws. She limped beside Ravenpaw as he lead her away. No, I'm not letting you get away! I got to my paws and darted after him. I leapt onto my brother, knocking him onto his side.
"Ashpaw don't! Tawnypaw screamed as I slashed Ravenpaw's throat. I watched as blood began flowing from his limp body.
"Vinepelt, wake up!" I heard someone nudge me awake. I opened my eyes, to see two toms standing over me. I'm dreaming, there's no way Rabbitkit and Dustkit are here.
"Go away, I'm not allowed to dream about you." I mumbled.
"You dream about us? I told you so Dustpaw!" Rabbitkit purred. Dustpaw?
"Vinepelt, we aren't dead. We're alive and well. You don't need to worry about us, we're safe from harm." Dustkit mewed, before nudging Rabbitkit to the doorway. I'm dreaming, aren't I?
"Don't go, is this real? Are the two of you actually standing there?" I asked.
"Yes Vinepelt, You aren't dreaming. We're really here. We've missed you but we're happy where we are. You can't tell anyone, or you risk exposing us all." Dustkit mewed.
"All? How many are you?" I asked.
"A lot. We are the Unwanteds, we are all alive and well. We have been training. We're going to be great warriors, like you." Rabbitkit mewed.
"But now we have to go, otherwise we risk exposing everyone else." Dustkit mewed as my sons raced out of the den. I have to be dreaming. There's no way Dustkit and Rabbitkit are still alive. But, could it be real?
"Frostpaw, wake up!" I nudged my brother awake. I can't believe he's here, right in front of me! Frostpaw was asleep in my nest.
"Snakekit?" Frostpaw whispered.
"No, I'm Snakepaw. Cloudlight is my mentor. Frostpaw I'm alive." I mewed. Frostpaw stood up, shaking the moss from his pelt.
"I know." Frostpaw mewed, licking my ears as if making sure it wasn't a dream.
"What do you mean? How could you know that I was alive?" I stared at him blankly.
"I told him." Cloudlight mewed, standing next to my brother.
"But why? Isn't that exposing us?" I asked her.
"Not really. I knew how much you cared about him, and I figured he might care just as much about you as you care about him." Cloudlight mewed.
"And she was right. Snakepaw I'm glad you're alive." Frostpaw purred.
"I've missed you." I purred.
"Snakepaw, I'm sorry but you have to go. You aren't supposed to be here, you can't be here when everyone else wakes up. What will they think when you're both walking among them?" Cloudlight mewed.
"Frostpaw, chances are you won't see me again. When I come back you'll be gone, I'll always miss you." I purred, padding out of the den.
"Snakepaw I'll never forget you." I heard Frostpaw call but I wasn't paying attention to my brother anymore. I locked my eyes onto Ravenpaw's motionless body in the middle of the clearing. Tawnypaw stood over him protectively, Dustpaw and Rabbitpaw at her side. Ashpaw stood across from the dark gray she-cat, snarling. warriors and apprentices began piling out from the dens.
"Oh no!" I whispered. What have we done?