Badseed's POV

I was lying outside of the nursery with Redclaw and Dreamsight this early leaf-bare morning. It was cold, even though the snow had not fallen yet.

Dreamsight lifted her odd-milky eyes to the sky and shivered. "A storm is brewing up there."

She was right, too. The sky had been a thick, menacing black for three days. When we got hit, we were going to be hit hard.

Redclaw growled uneasily, "I don't like it."

Her litter would come any day now. Possibly any hour now. She was already a few days overdue for her kitting, and she belly was terribly swollen with both kits and her milk supply. She looked ready to pop.

A cheerful voice tried to sooth the queen, "Your litter will be fine, Redclaw. Don't worry so much, it's bad for your health."

My son Mothpaw was here. He looked so much like Toadspore; sometimes it hurt to look at him.

Brightpaw trotted over, dropping two blackbirds for the queens. She agreed, "You know that Small-leaf told you to relax."

It is to my deep pleasure to tell you that all three of my kits are fond of their aunts. After Toadspore died, Redclaw changed. She was still fierce and snippy, but she hasn't been hateful or resentful for seven long moons.

Redclaw grumbled as she plucked feathers off of her bird.

Brightpaw pounced on top of me and licked the back of my neck, "Hi, Badseed." I purred and licked my daughter between the ears.

Dreamsight asked, "How was training today, you two?"

Mothpaw beamed, "I beat Harrierpaw in battle practice twice. It would have been three, but Brightpaw cheated and tag teamed me."

Brightpaw snorted, "There's nothing cheating about pairs fighting, Phantomstar said so herself!"

Before that conversation could stretch on Sunfire meowed, "Badseed? Can you lead a patrol today?"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw the deputy making his way over. I bounced onto my feet and agreed, "Of course. Where to?"

He frowned, "The border." He didn't have to say any more then that. We all knew what he meant, Frostpool was starting trouble again.

My sister was now a clan leader. The very idea was numbing to me. How was it even possible? For her, a cold-blooded rogue, to take her murder friends and try to claim they are just like us?

I bounded into the warriors den, where three of the younger warriors were still asleep. Deepleap, Briarclaw, and Daredevil.

I prodded them all and announced, "Border patrol, come on."

Daredevil complained, "No breakfast?"

Briarclaw nudged her brother and asked, "Are you hungry already? We ate at midnight!"

I smiled a little bit and led them out into the forest. Deerleap sprang beside me and, in the sun; the golden hairs that tinged his coat were set to life.

He asked, "Do you know if Phantomstar has any plans for when the snow hits us?"

The scent was sharp on the frigid winds. I would guess it's coming sometime tonight.

I shrugged, "I have no idea. She will let us know when she makes some."

We padded along swiftly and silently for the rest of the way. Briarclaw suddenly growled, "I smell blood, Badseed."

She was right. It was very faint, but it was around. I bristled, "Stay together."

Splitting up so near to the border was not an option. We went west, and soon the scent became terribly strong. We pushed through some gorse and my body froze. Lying on the bottom of the hill was a dead cat.

Deerleap wailed, "No!" He bolted ahead of us frantically. I knew why, the body belonged to his mother Cinderstorm.

I darted after him and flinched when he wailed. Briarclaw and Daredevil gravitated closer to us.

Ever since the day I saved him and his sister Moosepelt, when they were kits, Deerleap and I have had a strong relationship. He was a friend to me, and I guess I was sort of a mentor to him. Throughout his apprenticeship he was constantly asking for my tips and advice.

I pressed my nose against his shoulder and meowed, "I'm sorry, Deerleap. She was a good cat." She didn't deserve this.

A chilling voice from somewhere near us meowed, "The good die young, Badseed."

My fur fluffed out and I glanced around, growling defensively. Out of the gorse at the other end of the small glade stepped Frostpool.

Five huge toms liquefied around her. They were what we have started to call her muscle, because she was small.

Deerleap snarled, "Six against just her?" His voice was harsh and outraged.

Frostpool smiled cruelly, "You are sadly mistaken. We didn't even need two cats to get rid of that old lump."

She jerked her heads towards a huge black tom, who had a white strike-like blotches on his back. "Rockclaw here took care of her all by himself. His very first kill, you should be honored it was your mother."

Deerleap snarled and sprang at Frostpool. The gray and white tom, the second biggest cat I have ever seen, thundered forward and met him head on. They landed against the ground hard and the fighting began.

Daredevil bowled my brother, Hellfire, right off his feet. Briarclaw was soon buried under a tom that looked just like Frostpool, probably one of our siblings, and Rockclaw.

The other three surrounded me. Frostpool and a large black tom were on either side of me. Standing in from of me was a faintly familiar tom. He was dark gray, and had hazel eyes.

For some reason, I remembered why I knew him. My very first warrior patrol, so many seasons ago, it was this tom that had pinned me down. He still had the rip in his ear from Phantomstar.

I snarled, "Why are you doing this, Frostpool? I thought you wanted to be a real clan!"

No real clan cat would do this. Outnumber and ambush cats that also follow the warrior code.

Frostpool growled quietly, "So did I."

Before I could ask what she meant, the black tom sprang on top of me. I snarled and bit him leg, kicking him in the stomach fiercely.

I heard the three younger warriors yowling, and guessed that we were loosing. That wasn't a big surprise.

Would Starclan be so cruel as to take five Swampclan lived today?

My question was answered when my attacker was suddenly knocked right off of me.

I watched in surprise as a large patrol sprang into action, quickly driving the Frostclan cats off of the territory.

It was Phantomstar, Talltree, Palecloud, Polarfur, Specklepelt, Bogfoot, Pumastrike, Sunpaw, and Harrierpaw.

Daredevil asked, "Not that I am complaining, but where did you all come from?"

No patrol was ever that large!

Phantomstar explained, "We were two patrols, hunting in different areas. Bogfoot caught the unfamiliar scent and met up with us, we came to investigate."

Sunpaw exclaimed, "And thank Starclan we did! Brairclaw, are you okay?"

He hurried over to the wounded she-cat, whose fur was ragged and torn.

Phantomstar was staring at Cinderstorm and she asked me quietly, "What happened?"

I lowered my head, "We found her dead. They used her body as a trap."

A fearsome snarl bubbled out of my leader's throat. All of us were staring at her.

She lashed her tail like a whip and ordered, "Take the body back to the camp."

Turning she sprinted Deeper into our territory, alone. None of us dared to follow her. If she wanted to be alone, then she had every right to be.

I weaved through my clanmates and stepped in front of Polarfur and Deerleap. They shouldn't have to carry of the body of a friend, and a mother, back to the camp.

I offered gently, "Let me and Pumastrike do it."

They both bowed their heads and I helped my younger clan mate bring our fallen friend to the camp so that we may all mourn her.

I felt horror slinking up my spine the longer I had to think.

Frostpool had just crossed a new, dangerous line. She made it very clear she was not afraid to kill us, even unfairly.

"So did I."

I couldn't get that out of my head. What did she mean? Did she not have her clan's support?

Did they not want Starclan?

I could not answer that. I didn't want to, either. I had only one worry pressing on my mind as I carried Cinderstorm home.

Which one of my clan would be next?