Mossface awoke once more. She found her head laying on cold dust-like dirt. The she-cat frowned. Mossface stood up, and she shook her pelt. She walked outside, looking for Rabbitleg. She padded to the medicine cat den. Maybe Spottedfire would know.

"Have you seen Rabbi-!" Mossface ended with a gasp. There, in front of her, was Rabbitleg laying in a moss nest, his pelt bloody, and his left hind leg completely spun around and cracked in half. Mossface wailed, and went to cover his ear in comforting licks. "What happened?!" she exclaimed. Spottedfire looked up from her work.

"Badger." She only spoke one word, as she continued to work. "Please leave. It won't help if my patient is sadder than he is." She meowed.

Mossface looked her friend in the eyes, and left the den, running into the warriors den. She lay where her and Rabbitleg lay the night before. It tore her heart to think of what would happen. He'd have to move to the elders den, since there was already a medicine cat. Mossface sighed, and she continued to think sadly. The she-cat silently gasped, eyes widening. She soon realized that she liked Rabbitleg more than a friend. After all, he cared for her very well, and she loved him for that. Crippled or not, she'd love him. Mossface soon stood up, and she took a deep breath. She soon raced into the medicine cat den, a bright smile on her face. Mossface looked at Spottedfire, and asked,

"May I speak to him? Alone?"

"Go ahead. But be quick." Spottedfire meowed, and padded out of the den. She lay by the tom, her eyes shining with happiness. Rabbitleg placed a weak smile on his face, but shortly after he cringed in pain. Mossface put a gentle smile, and began to speak softly to him.

"Rabbitleg. After all this time, I realized how I really felt. About the world, about life – About you." Her hot breath blew against the tom's ear. Rabbitleg looked her in the eye, obviously still mildly confused in the situation. Mossface smiled again, and continued. "I began to think, and after how nice you've been to me, I noticed." Mossface meowed, and looked at him deeply in his eyes. She twined his tail with hers, and purred. "I love you." Rabbitleg looked at her, his eyes beginning to water. Mossface was confused, but soon realized. He was crying. Of joy. Rabbitleg began to cover her face in licks.

"I love you too." He weakly meowed. Tears streamed from his face. "If only I could ever offer you more. My leg – Spottedfire says it'll never get better." He meowed. "You'd be stuck with an elder." Rabbitleg's bright smile turned into a frown. Mossface licked him delicately on the cheek. "Than that is how it'll be," she meowed. Rabbitleg looked at her, and smiled. "Thank you so much, Mossface." He meowed quietly with a purr. "I'll try to get better." Rabbitleg smiled. Mossface stood up, and nodded.

"Good-Bye," she meowed, and she padded out of the den, Spottedfire entering once she exited. She smiled happily at Spottedfire. "I think he'll be fine." Mossface meowed, and Spottedfire nodded in acknowledgement. Mossface smiled, her head in the clouds. She saw Swifttalon's litter playing happily outside the nursery. Mossface nodded to the four kits, and saw Flowerstar coming towards her.

"Mossface, you are going to the gathering tonight. Tell Sparrowwing she is going as well." Flowerstar meowed with a nod. Mossface nodded back, and went to go tell Sparrowwing. She found Sparrowwing in the warrior's den, and Mossface stood at the entrance. "Flowerstar told me to tell you that you'll be going to the gathering tonight," she meowed. Sparrowwing flicked her tail, to sign that she heard Mossface. Mossface nodded, and decided to spend the rest of her day hunting.

"Hurry up everyone!" Flowerstar called behind her as they crossed the tree bridge.

Mossface smiled at Sparrowwing, and continued on along the bridge above the murky, dark water. Mossface soon saw the large trees, a smile creeping up her face. Seeing Sparrowwing far ahead of her, Mossface raced to catch up. Sparrowwing looked back, and put a smile on her face.

"You have too much time on your hands." Sparrowwing purred. Mossface nudged her jokingly, and the two padded to meet the other cats. Sparrowwing split from Mossface, and Mossface went to join Brackenthorn, Pineclaw, and Badgertail. The she-cat nodded in greeting to her friends. She looked at Pineclaw, a humorous smile on her face.

"How are your cuts healing, Pineclaw?" Mossface laughed, but her friend didn't give any happiness back to her.

"Shut it, crowfood!" he snarled. "ShadowClan deserve more territory than the other clans! We have more to feed, and we have purer blood!" That ticked Mossface off. She wasn't completely pureblood – her grandparents were loners. Mossface felt her lip curl.

"Blood has nothing to do with it! It all depends on your loyalty!" she hissed. Her fur began to bristle. "You're just like the other ShadowClan cats. All you care about is yourself!" The she-cat's claws unsheathed in anger. Her voice grew louder. "You're a selfish piece of foxdung, and I never want to hear from you again!" she screeched. The she-cat spun around from the tom, and raced out of the trees, towards the bridge. She felt the gazes of other cats on her, with some footsteps behind her.

"Mossface, please come back!" Mossface heard the calls of her sister behind her. The she-cat felt herself race across the tree log that lead back to their territory. Yet, one of her hind legs slipped. Mossface fallen into the cold, dark lake. She struggled to keep her head above water. Mossface cried for help. Spottedfire came onto the tree, and tried to help her sister out of the water, but their reach wasn't long enough.

A splash was heard from the distance. Brackenthorn had leapt into the water, and began to swiftly swim towards his friend. The tom dove under the water, and came back up with Mossface on his back, her eyes closed with exhaustion. Her pale ginger fur stood out against his light tan tabby fur, as he strongly swam back towards the shore, Spottedfire trying to run and keep stable on the log as she ran towards Mossface. Brackenthorn brought the she-cat onto the shore, Spottedfire pushing him out of the way, beginning to do her medicine work. Brackenthorn only watch, his ear flicked when he heard Badgertail coming along. Mossface could slightly smell Sparrowwing along with her. Mossface groaned in pain, her eyes still closed. She felt pain in her stomach, but she ignored it. Mossface felt her sister's gentle paws on her torso, Mossface waiting patiently. Sparrowwing watched in silence, her eyes wide in shock at the sudden incident. The silence was broken after Mossface began to cough, water coming out of her mouth, landing on the ground beside her.

"Are you alright?" Spottedfire asked her, placing a paw lightly on her cheek. Mossface slowly nodded, her body feeling sore and tired. Mossface stood up shakily, Brackenthorn and Badgertail going up beside her to help her stay balanced. Mossface put a small smile on her face.

"Thanks."

When the Gathering was over, Ravenfeather and Sparrowwing had taken over for Brackenthorn and Badgertail. The pale ginger she-cat noticed that she hadn't seen Pineclaw – was he just still in the gathering area, or did he leave already, for some strange reason? Mossface thanked them with a nod and a weak smile, and they began to cross the bridge, but much more slowly. Pawstep by pawstep, Mossface began to shake – what if she fell in the water again? The she-cat tried hard to keep her balance, and thank StarClan she succeeded. Back on her own territory, Mossface felt relieved. But she wanted to get back to Rabbitleg – she needed some comforting of her own. With Flowerstar's approval, the she-cat ran ahead of the group.

Mossface came into the camp, with a gasp. Her head swung around wildly, her breathing becoming shallow and loud. The camp stunk of badger. Her clanmates, as shown before her, were ether dead, or they ran. Mossface's heart froze. Rabbitleg couldn't have possibly run off with his disability! Mossface raced towards the medicine cat den; no Rabbitleg. She raced over towards all the dens, trying to find if any cats were dead. Some were. The she-cat felt tears coming to her eyes as she pulled out Greenpaw, Gravekit, Thornnose, Tawnyclaw, and Liontooth, one at a time. The she-cat sat around them, waiting for her clan to come. Hearing the paws, Mossface stood up, the frown very noticeable on her face. Flowerstar came in the camp. The cats of her clan gasped as the flowed into the camp, seeing the dead bodies. A wail erupted from Ravenfeather – Liontooth and her were very close, and now he was dead. Mossface began to worry that the clan would think that she had killed her clanmates. Mossface looked at Flowerstar.

"Flowerstar.. I didn-," she was cut short by Flowerstar's nod.

"Do not fret – I understand," Flowerstar meowed. "It smells like badger anyway." Flowerstar's tone was sad, but strong for her clan. "We will sit vigil for the ones that were lost. We will find the others as soon as we can," she added. With the bodies in the middle of the camp, Mossface whispered her final words to all the cats, her tone softening nearby the kit's body. She watched Ravenfeather sit close to Liontooth, her head hung down low. Mossface began to run out of the camp. She had to find Rabbitleg as soon as she could! The she-cat began to pick up a scent, the scent of fear, blood, and Rabbitleg. But only one scent wasn't full of fear – it was actually full of dominance. Swifttalon! She thought with her eyes narrowed. She knew it! Mossface raced after the scent. Soon, loner, rouge, and ShadowClan scent mixed with it. She continued to run along the scent, soon coming to the border of ShadowClan's territory. It continued along the border, going up towards the Twoleg house that Rabbitleg and her collected herbs from.. Mossface pulled herself on the bushed area. Suddenly, the smell strengthened. She looked around, but couldn't see them anywhere. She looked around at the grassy ground – a hole caught her sight.