Runningpaw sighed and looked up at his leader. "So what's the decision?" He dared ask, his paws kneading nervously.

Ashstar shrugged. "I think…that just in case, I will send a very strong warrior up with you to see if this cat is as strong as you described. But we shouldn't worry about that now," Ashstar mewed. "Runningpaw, I want to ask you if I can trust you with something."

Runningpaw peered into Ashstar's fur, trying to tell himself that it was nothing. It was nothing! Ashstar just wanted to talk to him about how angry Skypaw was at the new warriors…or maybe how much he was paying attention to Cinnamonpaw. Was Ashstar asking Runningpaw to trust her to not visit Cinnamonpaw anymore? They were just buddies, just like how Bloodpaw and Brindlepaw were together.

Shaking these thoughts out of his head, he leaned his head forward and nodded. "Ashstar, I promise that you can trust me."

Ashstar sighed with relief. "Good. I need a cat in this Clan who is kind and understanding. Cinderhope is perfect, but I need you to be the one to hear this. I trust you the most because you have been most loyal to this Clan."

Runningpaw nodded with understanding. Ashstar was certainly being very straightforward about this. Ranting about how noble Runningpaw was…did she plan on making him a warrior? Or was Runningpaw just thinking the obvious? Ashstar certainly wasn't an obvious kind of cat.

Ashstar sighed. "Runningpaw, I want to trust you to not tell anybody about this but Mudpelt and Cinderhope. They are the only two warriors that know about this- otherwise nobody else shall ever hear it again."

Get on with it! Runningpaw thought.

"Do you know about Featherstream and Stormfeather?" Ashstar asked.

"They haven't come back from their warrior vigil for a while," Runningpaw thought out loud. "Were they just hunting for themselves?"

Ashstar whipped her head around from where she had her back turned to Runningpaw. "No, that isn't it!" She hissed. Pure fury was burning like green flames in her eyes.

The light brown tom gasped and nodded. "Y-yes Ashstar," he replied, trying not to stutter too much.

The green flames turned into much softer pools of emerald. "Sorry, Runningpaw. No, that isn't why they are returning. I-I'm sure that they wouldn't go against the warrior code."

Runningpaw winced as he realized he had just accused the two new warriors of going against the warrior code. He opened his mouth to apologize but shut it again as his leader went on.

"No, the warriors haven't been coming back to their camp because they were murdered."

Runningpaw gaped. "W-what?" He muttered, trying to speak normally. So what Mudpelt had said wasn't a lie- the two warriors were killed- and on their warrior vigil.

"How tragic," Runningpaw whispered, licking his leader's ear sympathetically. He knew that Featherstream and Stormfeather were Ashstar's kits, and that was why she was feeling particularly mournful. Runningpaw hoped that it didn't stop the leader from being her true calling- a good leader.

"Yes, I shall mourn for them forever." Ashstar sighed, and her heart looked heavy as she looked down at the dusty den floor with melancholy in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Ashstar," Runningpaw murmured. He leaned forward and licked the smoky gray she-cat's ear. She purred and rubbed her muzzle on his gratefully. Runningpaw hoped that she wasn't trying to show too much affection.

"And I want to ask you another thing," Ashstar mewed.

Runningpaw's eyes widened to show curiosity even though he was itching to get out of the den and into the apprentice's den where he could sleep. His eyes were getting heavier and heavier by the moment.

"Runningpaw, I would like you to come with me and bury Featherstream and Stormfeather."

Runningpaw's eyes snapped open. They were closed? He shook his head. What? Bury the warriors? Right now? But what about the rest of the Clan? They surely wanted to mourn over the killed warriors?

"Now?" Runningpaw couldn't help but mew. "But the rest of the Clan-"

"The rest of the Clan won't want to mourn over them," Ashstar half snapped, half meowed. "They didn't seem to show much affection towards them."

Runningpaw shrugged. He could name at least five or six cats that would want to have a vigil with the dead warriors.

Ashstar's eyes narrowed. "Well if you think that the Clan needs to so much as share tongues with the two one last time, then gather the cats that you think would like to," She hissed. She didn't seem in the best mood right now.

Runningpaw backed away, nodding. He winced as he bumped the side of the den, but didn't say a word. It was best that he left the leader to herself so she could gather her thoughts about her two passed kits.

The light brown tom sighed with relief as he felt his tail brush the curtain of lichen. The moon shone on the camp, bleaching it silver. It looked beautiful- Newleaf nights as beautiful as if they were rare. But Runningpaw pushed the temptation to lay on his back and stare up at the cats of StarClan and went on toward the apprentice's den.

Gathering the cats to mourn together could wait- most of them were probably asleep by now.

For now, Runningpaw curled up next to Skypaw and looked up at the ceiling of the den. At least a few stars of Silverpelt could be seen on this lovely night.

Suddenly, a dark shadow went over the top of the den. Runningpaw stifled a gasp. What was that?

Slowly, he peeked his head out of the den. To his horror, right there on top of the den was an owl. It was scraping its talons on top of the den, screeching as it got a bramble caught in its talon. It took off of the den elegantly, filling the camp with screeches of defiance.

Runningpaw winced as he heard a couple of apprentices raising their heads to investigate the commotion. The light brown tom flattened his ears and made way for Skypaw, Bloodpaw, and Chasepaw as they pushed out of the den.

One of the apprentices, Chasepaw, looked up at the sky with horror. "What in the name of StarClan was that?" He growled. His lips curled and he was sheathing and unsheathing his claws. Runningpaw made a mental note to himself to not wake Chasepaw up in the middle of the night.

"It was an owl," Runningpaw explained bitterly.

Bloodpaw looked hunted as she put her paws up onto the den. But her scared look turned into a disgruntled one.

"You want a piece of me, stupid bird!" She cried up to the sky. "Don't you come back messing with me! I am Bloodpaw of ThunderClan, and there is nothing you can do to scare me!" To the apprentices' amusement, thunder started to roll and shake in the forest, and the brown she-cat jumped with surprise.

"Ow!" Bloodpaw hissed with surprise. "I guess the thunder is coming back to get me!"

But they were still unnerved as another screech from the predator filled the sky. The pounding rain that was coming down started to cease, and the thunder and lightning stopped. The storm had gone.

The owl started to swoop down on the unexpected cats. Skypaw hissed with resentment as the owl's talons grazed his fur. "Get your dirty claws off of my fur!" He hissed.

The owl swooped off into the distance, its cry still being heard.

Runningpaw was still gasping for breath when he saw Mossflower and Cinnamonpaw rush from the fern tunnel to the den.

"Oh, you were out here!" Mossflower cried. She licked her paw and tried to draw it over Chasepaw's ear, but he dodged it with a disgusted look on his face.

Cinnamonpaw set herself down beside Runningpaw. She flirtatiously flicked her beautiful sorrel tail. "How are you doing, Runningpaw?" She crooned.

The light brown tom smiled. "Just fine, how about you?"

Cinnamonpaw purred. "That must be the case, since you haven't seen me for a half-moon now!" She purred and leaned on Runningpaw's shoulder. "And I'm doing great now that I'm finally seeing you again."

Runningpaw chuckled. "Listen, Cinnamonpaw," he whispered urgently, "We can talk later. Right now we need your help."

The medicine cat apprentice brightened. "Sure, anytime!"

Chasepaw scoffed. "I can't believe you! You're acting like this is just nothing- just some other part of your medicine cat training!" He gave the sorrel she-cat a hostile look. "Just look at Skypaw- he nearly got decapitated by that dumb bird, for StarClan's sake!" He hissed savagely.

Runningpaw flattened his ears. "Chasepaw, its fine," He mewed coolly. "Cinnamonpaw has no idea about what just happened!"

"Then why is she even over here in the first place?" He growled.

"We came here," Mossflower enunciated, "To check on…" Her voice trailed off

"Check on what exactly?" Chasepaw asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

"So what did you see? I thought I could hear an owl cry all the way in my den," Mossflower meowed with stern worry.

Runningpaw kneaded his paws. He wasn't exactly comfortable to talk about the horrifying owl experience. "We saw an owl come into the camp and scratch at the top of our den. The apprentices' den, that is."

The light brown tom couldn't help but feel agitated as the sorrel she-cat tipped her head to one side with a confused look on her face. Chasepaw looked like he was fighting the urge to tell the she-cat to get the stupid look off of her face before he did it for her.

"And a few moments after that, the owl flew away and stopped the thunderstorm!" Runningpaw exclaimed.

Mossflower's green eyes widened. Runningpaw couldn't help but stare into them, but Skypaw elbowed him and he resisted.

"What's wrong, Mossflower?" Bloodpaw asked.

"I know what that means," The medicine cat whispered.

"Is it an omen?" the apprentices said almost at the same time.

Mossflower shook her head. "No, not an omen, thank StarClan. But StarClan are sending us a prophecy…it sounds like…" She paused for a few moments.

Suddenly, moonbeams shot onto the black and white she-cat. She gasped and started making odd sounds that sounded like a cross between a yowl and a shriek.

Runningpaw hoped he wouldn't vomit as the medicine cat stopped the noise and started talking in a low, throaty voice.

"You must evacuate your alliance, or you are in danger. Owl will come, and tear the storm."

Runningpaw felt his stomach lurch. These were the words that he had heard in his dream- only now that there was something added onto it- another prophecy, somehow stacked onto another. This was very odd, considering that StarClan usually didn't stack prophecies onto one another.

He no longer felt a feeling in his paws, and it soon spread up Runningpaw's legs like some kind of numbing snake. His eyes started to cloud, and the ground rushed up to meet him as soon as it could.

How did u like this chapter? I'll tell u more about what Mossflower was going to the apprentice's den for later…sorry I haven't updated for a while...

From now on, I'll give u 2 chapters every other day. ;)