Here's chapter two! I'm aware of two things now: Beetleflight, the ShadowClan deputy, has his name spelled wrong in the Allegiances. Whoops. Oh well. Here's the moment we've all been waiting for!

....Hopefully, haha. Please enjoy! And even if you don't, that's too bad!

Chapter Two

Mews of confusion echoed through out the camp as the warriors congregated beneath the Highrock. Tigerheart emerged from the forest to stand under her leader. Sableclaw, a smoky gray she-cat and Sandpaw's mentor, joined the two apprentices with a grim expression.

"Don't be scared, Sandpaw," she told him firmly. Though her tone was tough, Skypaw noticed a hint of fear in the way her fur stood along her spine. She lashed her tail about. "I seriously doubt that StarClan would pick a young cat like you to be killed. Or you, Skypaw."

"I'm not scared," grunted Skypaw. Even as the words left her mouth, her belly did backflips. How long could she feign bravery?

Sableclaw shrugged. "You know, Sandpaw, Longstar told me that your warrior ceremony isn't far off."

The tawny tom brightened. "Really?"

"Yes. He said that not long after tonight's Selection, he's finally going to make you a warrior. You just have one last assessment."

Sandpaw shot his friend an energetic look as his mentor padded off into the crowd. "I'm happy for you!" Skypaw purred. "It'd be silly if I moved into the warriors' den any more than a half-moon before you. We're about the same age, and StarClan knows you're a better fighter."

He let out a rumbly purr. "Thank you, Skypaw, but don't underestimate yourself. You're strong too."

They heard the shuffling of footsteps, and Molewhisker sat on Skypaw's left. Skypaw watched Puddlefoot as she stood at the entrance of the nursery with her three kits most likely bombarding her with questions. How soon until she told them the truly sinister secret the Clans shared? Graykit, the most troublesome of the group, tried to follow his mother, but Robinpelt hurried him back in. Plumkit gave the warriors a longing look before she too vanished inside. Once they left, Robinpelt would be the only adult in camp. Skypaw felt sorry for her. Although she liked kits, she hated the idea of having to spend all night with four of the most rambunctious kits ever born. Molewhisker shot his daughter one last look before staring down at his paws.

"I can't believe the night went so quickly," he murmured.

Tawnyfur sat next to him. She grazed his neck with her tail. "I know," she mumbled. "It's so strange."

"Cats of ThunderClan," Longstar boomed overhead. "It is time for yet another Selection. All cats are required by the warrior code to attend, and—" He stopped and frowned deeply. His green eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a single cat. "Where is Leopardclaw?"

"Here he is!"

Heads turned to see Pinefrost helping the spotted tom as he stumbled towards his Clan. Leopardclaw looked up with eyes clouded by exhaustion.

"He was asleep when I found him," Pinefrost meowed.

Leopardclaw tried to speak but yawned first. "I was trying to find a new cure for a cold," he explained. "And—" He was cut off by a sneeze. The Clan started to laugh as he wiped his nose with his paw in embarrassment. "Unfortunately, all it managed to do was put me to sleep."

Longstar rolled his eyes, but everyone could sense the humor in it. He loved his strange medicine cat, even if he ruffled his fur every once in a while. "Good. Now that we're all here, we will begin the journey to Fourtrees."

He leaped down, and the cats began to follow him out of the hollow. Skypaw heard Pinefrost meowing, "Don't worry, I'll stay here in case you lose your balance. We can't have you falling asleep at the Selection."

"Thank you, Pinefrost," Leopardclaw replied. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's fine," the dark warrior chuckled. "Just don't hurt yourself."

Skypaw let out a heavy sigh. She was beginning to feel the weight of the coming events. No matter how much Sandpaw hated him, she'd be grieved if Pinefrost was chosen. In fact, she'd be heart broken if any of her clanmates left ThunderClan for good. She looked up from her paws to see that Dawnpaw had joined her, trotting along with her head low and her tail dragging through the dust. She lost sight of Sandpaw, though she presumed he was some where near Sableclaw.

"What's got you upset?" growled Skypaw. "You seemed to be having a grand ole' time with Owlmoon."

"Shut your mouth," Dawnpaw hissed back. "My mate isn't of any business to you."

"Mate?!" Skypaw exclaimed. "How could—"

"Shhh!" Her sister silenced her with her tail and glanced around to be sure no warriors were listening. Whiteblossom, a pretty white she-cat, was the nearest to them, but she didn't even flinch. "Don't go screaming things like that. Yes, Owlmoon is my mate. We're in love."

"That's absurd!" Skypaw hissed. "He's your mentor! He's old!"

"Not that old!" Dawnpaw snapped back. "Only three Selections."

"Three! This is our first!"

"So he's experienced. Look, Skypaw, I love him. That's the end of it. If you refuse to accept it, then just stay away from the two of us for the rest of our lives! I don't care what you think."

Skypaw frowned. How adulterous! Luckily for Dawnpaw, a warm brush against Skypaw's pelt stopped any further arguments she had against her sister. Skypaw purred at the sight of Bluestorm, their mother. Bluestorm once had clear blue eyes like her daughters, but one was clawed out by a RiverClan warrior, and the other darkened with age. She had long fur and a long tail like Dawnpaw, but her fur was scruffy like Skypaw. Skypaw touched noses with her mother before Bluestorm greeted Dawnpaw.

"I almost missed the Selection!" Bluestorm chuckled. "I was off seeing if I could find the sparrow that I caught this morning. I buried it somewhere, and I couldn't for the life of me remember where it was. I wanted to give it to Tawnyfur. She needs it to keep little Plumkit healthy."

"Sandpaw and I took the queens and kits food," Skypaw replied. "They were well-feed when we left."

Bluestorm purred in praise. "How kind of you. You'll make such an excellent mother one day, Skypaw."

Skypaw cringed. Yeah right.

"I've got some good news for you, Mother," Dawnpaw meowed. "You'll have to wait until after my warrior ceremony to get it though!"

Bluestorm frowned. She hated waiting for anything. "Alright. Will it make me happy?"

"I hope so."

"Then I'm excited for it." She brushed both their flanks with her tail. "I love you both very much."

"It'll be fine, Mother," Skypaw said, somewhat uncertain. "Neither of us will be chosen."

"I pray to StarClan that you're right," murmured Bluestorm. "Now, I've got to talk to Whiteblossum about something." She touched her nose to their cheeks before leaving.

"Are you so sure it won't be us?" whispered Dawnpaw.

"Stop being such a coward," Skypaw hissed. "I'm not scared of dying for my Clan. It's a natural thing. We'll be expected to fight to the death when we become warriors anyway."

Dawnpaw frowned. "I won't. I want to have kits as soon as possible."

Skypaw couldn't believe her sister's fear. She was so scared of the Selection that she was willing to shut herself out of the world? Even if there was a possibility of death, Skypaw was determined to become the best warrior she could be.

The sisters traveled in silence until at last Fourtrees appeared. By the scents on the wind, Skypaw could tell that RiverClan and WindClan were already there. The closer they got, the better view she had of the gathered cats. She spied Featherstar and Cinderstar, the WindClan and RiverClan leaders, perched already, staring blankly out into the forest. There was very little conversation.

"Don't worry," Kestrelwing, the dappled gray tom, meowed as he padded alongside Skypaw. He'd caught her solemn look. "There's never a whole lot of talk going on here. Everyone's still sulking about the Selection."

"Are you scared of being picked, Kestrelwing?" Dawnpaw asked.

The tom shrugged. "If I am, I am. It's a thing of life."

Skypaw smiled at his answer while Dawnpaw cringed.

The plunged into the clearing with Longstar and Tigerheart at the head. Longstar leapt up to join the other two leaders while Tigerheart sat by Galestorm and Stoneheart, the deputies. Dawnpaw disappeared, so Skypaw sought out Sandpaw, who was sitting near a group of WindClan cats.

"I hope Breezerunner will be picked this year," hissed a red-brown tom named Rustclaw. He gestured with his tail to calico she-cat who was talking to Whiteblossum and a few RiverClan cats. "She's always talking badly about the Dark Forest, and she let that Foxtail of ShadowClan waltz off our territory after we caught him sneaking prey!"

"That's horrible!" cried a white WindClan tom. "She showed mercy! She doesn't deserve to die!"

Rustclaw narrowed his eyes. "Do you prefer if it were you, Sleetfur?"

Sleetfur balked. "N-No."

"Then shut your mouth. I hope it's Breezerunner, and that's that."

Skypaw frowned. She settled down next to Sandpaw, who looked equally as horrified by the tom's words.

"Who do you RiverClan cats reckon will be picked?" Rustclaw asked. He directed his question at a gray tom with blue eyes.

The tom shrugged. "I've got no idea," he replied. "I hope it's not my apprentice. She only just started her training."

"Hey, look!" cried a RiverClan she-cat. "ShadowClan are here!"

Sure enough, the ShadowClan cats were racing down into the clearing, Lightningstar at their head. As her name suggested, she had a bright pelt that shone even in the darkness. Her deputy, Beetleflight, went over to where Tigerheart, Stoneheart, and Galestorm had been whispering amongst themselves. They stopped the second he came over.

"There's that Dognose," meowed Sandpaw. "I still can't get over how funny he looks."

Dognose, the ShadowClan medicine cat, walked into a shaft of moonlight, and his cloudy, blind eyes illuminated. He had an ivory white pelt with dark tabby splotches along his flanks and on his tail. His most distinctive feature was a black nose that could, supposedly, scent a droplet of blood from across the border. He walked over to Leopardclaw, Mousepelt, the RiverClan medicine cat, and Emberfur, the WindClan medicine cat. The ShadowClan cats mingled with the others, and Skypaw recognized a few of them. She didn't know many of the cats outside ThunderClan because Tigerheart insisted that she not become attached to any of them. She spotted Poppythorn, a light brown she-cat that was kind to her at her first gathering. She went over to Whiteblossum's group. Their elders joined Red-dapple and the others.

"It won't be long before SkyClan are here," said Rustclaw. "Then we'll see whose picked this year."

Skypaw swallowed. It was happening so fast!

A yowl signaled the arrival of SkyClan, led by Copperstar and Yellowstripe. Of all the Clans, Skypaw knew the least about the long-legged bird hunters. She didn't know why. Perhaps because SkyClan stuck to themselves and rarely engaged in border fights. She knew their medicine cat, Nettlewhisker. And she recognized Leechbite, their only elder. A fire swept through SkyClan territory three moons ago, and three of the elders were too weak to escape the flames. Leechbite proudly walked into the group of elder cats.

Copperstar joined the other leaders, and Featherstar yowled for silence.

"Cats of all Clans," her pretty voice called. "It is time to begin the Selection. I, Featherstar of WindClan, will go first."

She jumped down from the rock and stepped up to a small puddle. The puddle never drained, and the reflection of the moon shone down in it every gathering to remind the cats of the Selection even in lighter days. Featherstar reached out and placed her paw in the water. The clearing fell silent. A moment later, Skypaw saw a distorted white figure appear on the water's surface.

Featherstar lifted her head with saddened eyes. "Sleetfur."

Skypaw whipped her head around to the handsome white tom that had spoken earlier. He stared with shocked blue eyes before his clan mates' murmurs of encouragement brought him forward. He stood before the puddle and his leader. Skypaw saw him trembling.

"Do you accept your fate as a sacrifice to save your Clan?" Featherstar asked.

"I-I-I do," stammered Sleetfur.

Featherstar touched her nose to his and stepped back. Sleetfur remained standing before the puddle, waiting for the representatives from the other Clans. Every cat could see the fear in his eyes.

A cat from each Clan will be chosen. Tomorrow, at sundown, the five cats, the medicine cats, and the leaders will all journey to the place where the Moonstone once stood. The five cats will enter the cave, which is rumored to be filled with all kinds of monstrous things, things that can tear a cat apart with one swipe. No cat has ever come out. It is tradition, however, for the medicine cats and leaders to wait outside the exit in the slim chance that one of the chosen survive. This is fueled by the prophecy of StarClan, telling that the day a single cat survives is the day the curse will be broken forever, and the Selection will cease.

Skypaw felt pity for Sleetfur overwhelm her as Cinderstar stepped down. He reluctantly placed his paw in the water. After a pause, a ginger shape appeared on the water. He murmured something no cat could hear before he lifted his head and said, "Rowanheart."

Yowls of dismay sprang up in the RiverClan warriors. Skypaw watched a rather handsome ginger tom with a white underbelly begin to make his way towards the pool. Unlike Sleetfur, he kept his fear, if he felt any at all, to himself. He was suddenly stopped by a gray she-cat who jumped into his path.

"No, no you can't!" she cried. "Please appeal! Don't leave me!"

Rowanheart rubbed his cheek against hers. "It's alright, Mother," he said quietly. "StarClan have called me. I don't mind answering."

"No, please!" the she-cat persisted. "Don't leave!"

A calico apprentice appeared beside the frantic queen. "I'll calm her down," she said stiffly. "You…you go."

Rowanheart dipped his head. "Thank you, Koipaw."

Koipaw shielded the queen from further interrupting his journey to the pool. All the while, RiverClan cats wished him good luck and whispered their condulances. Rowanheart ignored all of them and stopped in front of Cinderstar.

"Do you accept your fate as a sacrifice to save your Clan?" Cinderstar said.

"I do."

The leader touched his nose, and Rowanheart sat beside Sleetfur. The RiverClan warrior leaned over and whispered something into his ear, but Skypaw couldn't hear it. Sleetfur nodded slowly.

Next, Lightningstar jumped down. She too tapped the water, and Skypaw saw a black smudge on the water's surface. She then said something to herself and yelled, "Nightstorm."

ShadowClan cats cried out as the RiverClan cats had. Skypaw saw a longhaired, black she-cat making her way through the crowd. At first glance, Skypaw thought she was Shadeclaw. They had the same pelt color and the same bright yellow eyes. Nightstorm showed no fear and was at her leader's side instantly. She looked almost eager, as if she relished the chance to take on the warriors of the Dark Forest, even if it meant certain death.

"Do you accept your fate as a sacrifce to your Clan?"

"I do."

Thus, Nightstorm took her place as the third chosen cat.

Skypaw suddenly felt nervousness overtake her. Sandpaw pressed his pelt against hers. This left just Copperstar before Longstar stepped up to steal one of her friends away forever. All of a sudden, she understood what Rustclaw meant. She wanted Owlmoon, or Lionpelt, whom she didn't like, to be chosen in place of her friends of kin. She didn't care if they died as long as her mother, Dawnpaw, and Sandpaw stayed with her.

Copperstar stepped down towards the puddle. When he touched it, a gray tabby appeared.

"Wolfpelt," he said sadly.

Skypaw watched a gray tabby tom with very long legs weave through the crowd. He had a certain amount of horror etched into his face, but he wasted no time in getting there, even though a few persistent cats slowed him down with their whispering. He nodded to Copperstar when he arrived.

"How awful," murmured Rustclaw beside them. "Wolfpelt was his apprentice, you know."

Skypaw lowered her gaze at the thought. It never crossed her mind that the Selection would be this painful. She just knew that the warrior code demanded that she experience at least one before receiving her warrior name. She'd chosen to push this moment out of her mind her entire life, and now that it was here, it shocked her. She looked up and noticed that Copperstar had already said the ceremonial words, and that Wolfpelt was saying something to Nightstorm, who looked uninterested.

"Our turn," Sandpaw whispered as Longstar stepped down.

Skypaw stiffened and buried herself further into his pelt. "I don't want it to be you."

"You either," he said back. "It'll be okay. I can feel it. Neither of us are going to be chosen."

"How do you know that?" Skypaw suddenly snapped, fear melting into anger. "Don't you think Sleetfur said the same thing before he was chosen? Or Nightstorm? Or any of the others?"

Sandpaw turned his eyes on her, and Skypaw froze. "I just know, Skypaw," he said. "You're not going to be picked. I just know."

Skypaw wanted to retort, but she saw out of the corner of her eye that Longstar had placed his paw in the puddle already. She shut her eyes and prayed frantically that her name not be called. She prayed that she'd get the chance to become a warrior. She prayed that she'd be able to teach Plumkit to be a great cat.

And, deep down, she prayed that one day she'd have the courage to tell Sandpaw she loved him.

All of a sudden, it was over, and ThunderClan cats all around her were howling with outrage, Sandpaw included. He leapt to his feet and left Skypaw cold, stuck in her place. She hadn't even heard who'd been chosen. She searched the faces all around her and found similar shock even in the eyes of the other Clans. The more she looked, the more confused she became. Half of them were looking at her with pitiful stares. Her heart began to race. Had she been chosen? Was this the end? But then she noticed something strange. The other half were looking somewhere else, somewhere towards the leaders. Not even Longstar was looking at her. She was about to ask Sandpaw what was going on when all of a sudden she heard Owlmoon wail in agony.

"No!" he shouted. He thrust himself in front of a small, shaky figure who had been trying to reach the puddle. "I won't let you! I won't let you take her! I won't let you!"

Skypaw suddenly understood.

"Dawnpaw," she whispered as she recognized her carbon copy. "No!"

See that coming? I hope not. I wanted to make it a surprise :( Please R&R! Oh, and Wolfpelt's name is wrong, I know. It's Wolfheart in the allegiances, but there's already a cat with that name in the canon series, so I changed it.