Hello =) Thank you to the three people who have reviewed! It's good to hear that people are enjoying my quick project! And I'm gonna pull a Shia Lebouf, Poisoned Romance, and say we're gonna stop playing this game now...I will say that you're close but not exact. It seems like everyone's been able to guess the plot thus far. I need to be more confusing, I guess, haha. Here's chapter four! Please enjoy!

Chapter Four

Skypaw felt the world trembling around her as the rest of the patrol pelted over to join them. Sandpaw gently pressed into her and led her away, though his eyes remained fixated on the lifeless body of her likeness. She felt chills running up and down her spine. It was one thing to see Dawnpaw dead and yet another to see her lying there and know that one day, Skypaw would be in the same position. It was something like looking into the future. Only after Pinefrost and Lionpelt arrived did the truth hit her.

Dawnpaw was dead. The Dark Forest would have no sacrifice.

Even now the sky began to darken, despite the sun's best efforts to bring dawn's light to the world. It was snuffed out by thick, black storm clouds that rumbled and shook with the premonition of the storm to come. Skypaw tried her best to keep her eyes on the sky, not on her sister, but she strayed often, and found herself beginning to cry.

Owlmoon arrived last of the group. His reaction was the most painful for Skypaw. He saw them huddled together and ran over with a joyful look on his face, hopeful that soon he'd be reunited with his mate. Smiling he padded over, and was about to speak when he saw the look on Lionpelt's face.

"What?" he asked. "What is…"

He stopped when he saw Dawnpaw.

"NO!" Owlmoon shouldered the others aside and buried his face into her fur. "No, no! Dawnpaw, please wake up! No! Great StarClan, no!" His shoulders shook with powerful sobs, and Skypaw turned her back on him, unable to take anymore. "I love you!" he wailed. "I love you, Dawnpaw! Come back, please! Wake up! Wake—"

Skypaw winced when she heard a loud slap. "Come off it, Owlmoon!" she heard Lionpelt snarl. "She's dead!"

Owlmoon let out another wail, which Lionpelt cut off with an even harder strike. "Stop that yowling!" he snapped. "It's deafening me!"

"Dawnpaw!" the tabby warrior cried. "Dawnpaw!"

"Get him to camp," Lionpelt ordered. "We need to carry the body."

Owlmoon let out another howl at the word 'body'. Skypaw watched as Pinefrost and Tigerheart shouldered him through the forest. Tigerheart tried to calm him, but his cries didn't die down until he'd gone out of earshot.

"Let's get her out of here," Lionpelt said with a rare soft tone. "Do you want to carry her, Bluestorm?"

"Yes," the she-cat replied. She sounded distraught. "I-I'll do it on my own."

The sounds of struggling and scuffling drifted past Skypaw, but she was unaffected by them until she saw her mother carrying her sister off, Dawnpaw's head hanging limp off her back. Skypaw swallowed down bile.

"Let's go," Sandpaw whispered to her. "We can't stay here."

The second he finished speaking, a rain drop fell on Skypaw's nose.

"I can't believe StarClan is this cruel," Skypaw mumbled. "What're we going to do now? I've lost Dawnpaw, and…and the Dark Forest will surely take more cats when we don't show up with a sacrifice!"

Sandpaw rubbed his cheek against hers and then down her neck. "We'll figure out something," he whispered. "Right now, you need to be with your mother. You need to be strong for her."

Skypaw nodded, and the apprentices slowly made their way into the camp. Unlike the previous night's chaos, she found only silence when she entered the ThunderClan camp. The elders were out of their dens now, Tawnyfur and Puddlefoot were pressed together at the nursery entrance, and Leopardclaw was huddled over Dawnpaw's body. Skypaw felt a smile gracing her lips when she thought of how similar it was to last night—back when Dawnpaw had a chance of surviving. Bluestorm looked up and saw Skypaw. She beckoned her daughter over.

"If only I'd gotten to her earlier," mumbled Leopardclaw, regretfully. "I could've given her yarrow to throw them up, or even forced her to get them out of her system."

"No cat knew where she'd gone," Bluestorm replied. "Not even Owlmoon."

"And now what happens?" hissed Lionpelt. "We all die because one coward couldn't stand to face reality?"

Skypaw felt the fur bristling on her spine.

"Who knows how many cats they'll kill!" the tom continued. "The Dark Forest are ruthless! But Dawnpaw had a chance! She was just too weak to even try."

"Don't talk about my daughter that way," hissed Bluestorm. She slid into an attack stance. "Don't ever insult Dawnpaw."

"Here's the truth, Bluestorm," Lionpelt snarled. "Dawnpaw may have been the cat of the prophecy. She may have been the one to save us all. Now look at her!" He ran his tail over the she-cat's body, and Skypaw fought the urge to sink her teeth into it. "She couldn't even gather enough courage to believe in StarClan! And it's not only ThunderClan who put their trust in her! Cats from other Clans were rejoicing last night! They thought she'd be the one to end it! What are we going to tell them?"

"I don't believe it's any of their business," growled Longstar as he walked over. "This is ThunderClan's tragedy."

"Surely you're not siding with the doting mother?" snapped Lionpelt. "Longstar! We've just lost our chance to stop the curse! If ThunderClan were the ones to break it, imagine the debt that the other Clans would owe us! Just think of it!"

"You're blood-thirsty as ever, brother," hissed Leopardclaw. "Leave it. Can't you see that Bluestorm and Skypaw are trying to grieve?"

Perhaps Lionpelt had never seen Skypaw sitting there, or never truly seen her before, for the instant he turned his orange eyes on her, he looked renewed, and an evil spark spurred to life in him. Skypaw shied away from it. What was with that look he was giving her?

"Longstar."

"Yes?"

"Do you think the Dark Forest can be fooled?"

Longstar narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think we could trick them?"

The black-and-white leader let out a hiss. "What're you talking about?"

Lionpelt smiled. "What if we sent Skypaw in Dawnpaw's place?" Once the words left his mouth, every cat, even those Skypaw swore weren't listening, turned their gaze on the blue-gray she-cat. "They're twins. They fool me every day. Would it be enough to fool the Dark Forest?"

Bluestorm howled with rage and put herself between Skypaw and the tom. "Never!" she shouted. "I won't let you take my only daughter!"

Only daughter. Boy did that sound odd to Skypaw. It was always 'my dear daughters' or 'my beloved twins'. Never just her.

"Think of the lives she'd be saving!" yowled Lionpelt. "At least it would only be one cat and not half the Clan! Stop being so selfish, Bluestorm!"

"We're talking about the life of an innocent cat!" snapped Leopardclaw. "How is that being selfish?"

"We've all had to make sacrifices," hissed Lionpelt. "It's about time she paid her dues."

Sandpaw stepped up as well and cut off Skypaw's view. "You'll have to go through me."

"Not hard!" chortled Lionpelt. "I'll flay you in seconds!"

The fur on Sandpaw's spine stood straight up. "Come at me then!"

"Stop this!" Longstar howled. "Stop fighting!"

All of a sudden, every cat screamed out in horror when a lightning bolt struck the crowd just tail-lengths away from Dawnpaw's body. The cats scattered as the ground smoldered in the beginnings of flames. Skypaw watched from where Sandpaw had thrown her as the flame sprung to life only to be put down by a torrent of rain. With a hiss, the tawny tom thrust her into the apprentices' den, where Nightpaw and Ravenpaw were already hiding.

"I can't believe that piece of fox-dung!" shouted Sandpaw. "It's outrageous! He's only thinking of himself!"

"No…" Skypaw mumbled. Sandpaw turned to her with a look of confusion. "No. Think about it, Sandpaw. He's right. If I go, I can convince the Dark Forest that I'm Dawnpaw. Maybe I can even break the curse in her place while I'm at it."

"No!" Sandpaw shouted. "I won't let you go! I won't let you!"

"Cat of ThunderClan!" Longstar shouted over the pounding of the rain. "Gather under the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Cautiously, Sandpaw ventured out first, his fur quickly soaked through. He then motioned to Nightpaw and Ravenpaw, who stuck closely together. Skypaw came out last. She staggered slightly, shaken by what she'd just said. Was she really brave enough to give up her life to save ThunderClan?

As the other cats congregated, the rain died down to a small sprinkle. A few warriors tried to come up to Skypaw, but Sandpaw and Nightpaw flanked her. They settled down to listen to what their leader had to say.

"As you all know by now," Longstar said, "Dawnpaw is dead. She killed herself by eating deathberries."

Murmurs spread through the crowd, but Longstar put them down with a hiss. "Dawnpaw's death is a double-edged issue. Owlmoon has just told me that Dawnpaw was carrying his kits when she died."

"What?!" Nightpaw exclaimed beside her, voicing Skypaw thoughts. "She was only an apprentice!"

"That's against the warrior code!" yowled Pinefrost.

"How dare you come onto such a young cat!" Whiteblossom hissed at Owlmoon, who cowered away from his clanmates' anger. "Have you no shame?!"

"Silence!" Longstar yowled. The cat settled back down. Nightpaw and Sandpaw pressed into Skypaw's flanks on both sides. She'd started shivering. She couldn't tell whether she was cold or terrified.

"This...this news saddens me. If Dawnpaw had only told us sooner, then she would've been spared from the Selection. I wonder if...I wonder if Dawnpaw was too ashamed of what we would think of her." He flicked his tail. "The second sad thing about Dawnpaw's death was that she was the Selection's chosen cat," Longstar continued. "Thus, ThunderClan will not have a sacrifice this year." He paused, but no cat spoke. "We all know that the Dark Forest's wrath is great, and that we will be punished if no representative from ThunderClan enters the cave. Lionpelt has suggested a way that we can save ourselves from the Dark Forest's killing hand." He shut his eyes. "He suggests that we send Skypaw."

Howls of rage sprang into the air, but Lionpelt shot them down with one of his own. "Listen!" he cried. "Think of it! Better one cat that half our Clan!"

"That's outrageous!" screamed Tigerheart.

"Think!" Lionpelt shouted again. "A life for all our lives!"

Before any other cat could argue, Longstar silenced them with a shout. "What Lionpelt says has some kind of truth," the leader meowed quietly. "Skypaw, if the Clan decides, would you go into the cave in place of your sister?"

Skypaw flattened her ears onto her head when the Clan looked to her. "I…" She saw Sandpaw's terrified expression and closed her eyes to block him out. "I would!" she cried bravely. "I would!"

Somewhere, Bluestorm screamed in agony.

"Quiet!" Longstar cried. "We'll have a vote! Every cat, including the elders and queens, should come to me individually and tell me whether they think that Skypaw should go in place of her sister or whether we should hold out and see what the Dark Forest will do to punish us. That is all!"

With that, he hopped down from the Highrock and slipped into his den. The cats fought to form a line at the entrance and began to speak loudly amongst themselves. Sandpaw turned to shout at Skypaw, but when he looked, he saw that she was gone.

"Where'd she go?" he hissed to Nightpaw.

The black tom shook his head. "I don't know!"

"We need to find her," Sandpaw growled. "She's not stupid enough to kill herself like Dawnpaw, but it's too dangerous for her to be running around on her own."

The toms nodded to each other and took following her tracks.

Leopardclaw sat in the center of the camp, watching his clan mates bicker amongst themselves. He then cast his gaze to the abandoned body of Dawnpaw. He let out a sigh.

StarClan, how can this be your will? he thought. This is too cruel.

----

"Skypaw!"

"Hey, Skypaw!"

The blue-gray she-cat shrank further back into the bush she was hiding in. She wasn't mad at Sandpaw. Nor was she even the tiniest bit angry with her clan mates—save for Lionpelt. She just didn't want to be around when they made their decisions. She didn't want to have their eyes on her, and she had no other reason to be in camp. They'd already buried Dawnpaw without telling her. She just needed some time on her own to come to grips with StarClan's choice.

"Go away!" she shouted at her friends. "I don't want to talk to anyone until the vote is up!"

If she were smart, Skypaw would've staid quiet. But because she insisted on speaking, it wasn't long before Sandpaw and Nightpaw found her. Sandpaw bent over her and rubbed his cheek down her flank.

"I was worried," he whispered into her fur. "I didn't know…I didn't think you'd do anything foolish, but I didn't know where you'd gone."

Skypaw shoved him away with her paw. "I can go wherever I want."

The toms exchanged a glance. "If you're waiting for the voting to finish, maybe you should wait in Leopardclaw's den," Nightpaw suggested. "It's warmer in there. Plus, I think the rain is going to start up again. You'll get soaked."

Skypaw let out a sigh. "It seems like everyone's deciding what's best for me," she mumbled. "First Sandpaw and now you, Nightpaw. Can't you just let me be? Can't you just let me live my life?" She frowned down at her paws. "That's the exact reason that I couldn't stand being around Dawnpaw. She thought she always knew what was best. I hated it."

"For now, I think Nightpaw's suggestion has a valid point," Sandpaw meowed, staring up at the clouds overheard. "They're whipping up quite a fierce storm."

They managed to coax Skypaw into the medicine cat's den after several more minutes of arguing. Leopardclaw wasn't there, but Nightpaw remembered what poppy seeds looked like and soon, they had the she-cat snoring at their feet. Sandpaw let out a sigh of relief and padded into the camp. The line was beginning to die down, so he and Nightpaw slipped in at the end. He was surprised when, after only a moment of waiting, Leopardclaw appeared. He nodded to the two of them.

"Sandpaw," he said. "Can I have a word with you?"

The tawny tom blinked. "With me?"

"Yes. It's important."

He shrugged and looked back at Nightpaw, who cocked his head. "Alright," Sandpaw replied. "Fire away."

Leopardclaw motioned his tail to the corner of the camp. "In private."

"S-Sure," Sandpaw said, frowning in confusion. Nonetheless, he followed the dappled tom until they were out of earshot of the rest of the Clan. Sandpaw sat and curled his tail around his paws. "What's this all about?"

"I wanted to ask you if you'd found Skypaw," he mumbled quietly. "I saw her run off, and I saw you and Nightpaw chase her. Did you find her?"

"Oh yeah. She was hiding in the forest. She didn't want to be around the Clan while they made their decision."

Leopardclaw laughed dryly. "I understand that. Well, where is she?"

"Your den, actually."

"Really? Doing what?"

"Sleeping."

The medicine cat laughed again. "How on earth did you get her to fall asleep at a time like this?"

"Nightpaw gave her some poppy seeds," Sandpaw replied, shrugging. "It put her out pretty quick."

Leopardclaw snorted. "That so? I can't believe a daft tom like him managed to remember what poppy seeds were."

"He actually knows a lot about plants," Sandpaw said, his eyes trailing over to the black tom as he entered Longstar's den. "It's weird."

"Mhmm," Leopardclaw mumbled. His eyes were fixed on the stone. "You know, I never thought that interpreting StarClan's will would be this hard. Rubblefur never let on about it. And they seem to have this terrible need to speak in riddles. For example: the prophecy? Why couldn't they just say 'The cat that's going to break the curse is named Dawnpaw', or something clarified like that. Not this confusing prophecy." He shook his head. "On the fated day, Dawn will break, and the sky will shed tears to wash away the curse and bring the promise of new life."

Sandpaw cocked his head. "That's not the prophecy Molewhisker recited."

Leopardclaw huffed. "And you trust him over me?"

The apprentice laughed. "You're right. I never even allowed myself to hope that Dawnpaw was the chosen cat. I just…I was too concerned with how Skypaw would feel about it. It's got to be hard to have your twin die."

"I've never had a twin, but excuse me for being a tiny bit joyful if Lionpelt ever died."

Sandpaw laughed. "I'm going to tell him that! I will!"

"Don't!" Leopardclaw purred. "He'll take my ears off, like he wanted to when we were kits. He said it was battle practice."

The toms laughed as the line dwindled down and disappeared. "Leopardclaw," Sandpaw murmured, "why are you being so nice to me?"

"I figure I should at least try," he replied. "After all, if what StarClan showed me is true, I'm going to have to trust you in the coming future."

"And what did they tell you?"

"You'll just have to find out."

They watched as Longstar poked his head out. He looked around before going back into his den. "Looks like everyone's voted," Leopardclaw whispered.

"Except me."

"What? Get over there! He'll make his decision soon, and you may be the tie breaker!"

Sandpaw mumbled something inaudible and shrugged. He whispered a good-bye and crossed the camp. He stopped at the entrance to the den, imaging what it would be like to sleep there, to belong there.

"Who's out there?" Longstar's voice called.

"Sandpaw," he replied. "I haven't voted yet."

"Oh, yes, come in."

The tawny tom disappeared, and Leopardclaw let out a sigh.

---

"Skypaw. Hey. Wake up. Wake up. Longstar is making an announcement."

The apprentice opened her eyes groggily to see Leopardclaw standing over her. She yawned and stood up. "Everyone's voted already?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Cloudpatch was the last one. We're ready now."

Skypaw nodded and padded out into the camp. The Clan had already gathered, and all eyes turned on her. Bluestorm opened her mouth to call her over, but Skypaw jogged over to sit by Sandpaw and Ravenpaw before she had a chance. Longstar cleared his throat before speaking.

"Cats of ThunderClan," he boomed. "You have all voted. I have counted the votes and made a decision based upon them. I will announce the verdict." Longstar let out a sigh. "The votes were thirteen for and nine against," he said. "And I have decided to honor the vote. Tonight, Leopardclaw, Skypaw, and I will travel to the cave where she, along with the other four cats, will be sacrificed. That is my final decision!" he shouted when cries of outrage sounded through them. "The last thing I can do for Skypaw is give her a warrior name." He beckoned to the she-cat with his tail. "Come forward. You too, Sandpaw," he added when Skypaw began to walk towards him. "You've earned this."

Sandpaw brightened and made his way over to the Highrock.

Longstar raised his eyes to the sky as Sandpaw sat down next to her. "I, Longstar of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them as warriors in return." His eyes found Sandpaw first. "Sandpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Sandpaw nodded curtly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sandpaw, from this moment on you will by known as Sandstone. StarClan honors you for your courage and loyalty."

Longstar leapt down and placed his head on Sandstone's. He licked his shoulder in response, and Longstar turned to Skypaw.

"Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Skypaw swallowed, knowing the full meaning of those words. By the look in Longstar's eyes, she knew that he was asking her, pleading her silently to save his Clan. She dipped her head slightly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Skypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Skyeyes. StarClan honors you for your loyalty and selflessness."

He placed his head on Skyeyes'. "This is what I told to your sister the night of the Selection," Longstar whispered into her ear. "ThunderClan will always be with you. StarClan will always light your way. Even if you stand in darkness, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel."

Skyeyes nodded and licked his shoulder. "Thank you, Longstar."

"Sandstone! Skyeyes! Sandstone! Skyeyes!"

The Clan took up their names, and Skyeyes felt a rush of loyalty course through her. She knew she'd give up her life for these cats no matter what. Sandstone turned to her and smiled.

"Guess Sandpelt isn't in my future after all," he purred.

She smiled right back. "I guess not."

"And Longstar was right to give you such a lovely name," he went on. He leaned in closer. "Your eyes are quite sky-like."

Skyeyes purred and was about to speak when her mother came over, congratulating her loudly. Skyeyes leaned into her mother's soft licks. She shut her eyes and pretended she was a kit, playing in the nursery without a care in the world. All too soon, Longstar broke the spell.

"Skyeyes," he said. "I need to ask a favor of you."

She lifted her head. "What?"

"I need you to go by Dawnstorm for me. That's…" He trailed his eyes to the ground. "That was the name I was going to give your sister, were she here right now. In honor of you, Bluestorm."

The longhaired she-cat bowed her head. "I wish she were here more than you know," Bluestorm mumbled.

"She's in StarClan now, and she's going to be watching over her sister, to keep her safe." Longstar dipped his head respectfully to Skyeyes. "I have great faith in you, Sky—I mean," he amended, "Dawnstorm."

Skyeyes shrugged. "It seems like, despite my best efforts, I've ended up being called by my sister's name after all."

Chapter five should be up soon! Oh, and I'm aware now that in the allegiances, Sandstone is a dark ginger tom and he's described in the story as being tawny. Well...let's just say he's a chameleon. Next chapter we FINALLY get to the Selection. I feel like it's taken forever. Anyone else agree? I hope it's not getting boring :(