Oh yeah, in case ur wondering where Runningpaw's bloody eye came from, he poked his eye in that thornbush.

All feeling in Runningpaw's paws was lost as he saw the last sight of the black tail tip. The tiny mewls of the kits the black cat was carrying were muffled, and the cat was gone just like that.

"W-where does he think he's going?" Runningpaw stammered. "Shouldn't we do something about this?" He asked Cinderhope.

The deputy shook his head. "Runningpaw, stop!" He called to the departing apprentice. "You are thirteen moons and should know how to hold yourself back!"

Runningpaw turned around and tucked his tail between his legs. "Sorry, Cinderhope," He mewed to his mentor sheepishly.

"As for that cat, I am sure that we shall catch up to him later." Cinderhope mewed sagely. "First, we have to make sure that Ashstar knows about this."

"What about the queens?" Asked Runningpaw. "Should we tell them?"

Cinderhope shook his head. "No! I- I mean no. We shouldn't tell them until we have found out what has happened to their kits for sure."

Runningpaw nodded and poked Cinnamonpaw softly. "Hey, Cinnamonpaw," He murmured, "We need to be going now."

She shook her head. "No!" She cried. "You need to stay here and get your cut healed! I won't take long, I'll just-"

"Listen, Cinnamonpaw," Runningpaw mewed politely. "We need to go! We can't wait, we have to-"

"Just let her treat you really quick and we'll go. How fast can a lumbering outsider go anyway with like, three kits on it?" Cinderhope purred.

"Fine," Runningpaw grumbled, "But make it as soon as possible. We need to get going!"

"Geez, I heard you the first time," Cinnamonpaw sighed under her breath.

C.I.N.N.A.M.O.N

"Ouch," Runningpaw mumbled as a gooey herb poultice was pressed to his eye. "Ouch!" He yelped. He was being surrounded by two shapes in the medicine cat den. Sharp scents surrounded him, the ones of herbs.

"Oh stop it," Cinnamonpaw scoffed. "You're such a baby. You're only trying to make it hurt more, you know," She reminded him for the third time.

Runningpaw tried not to shoot a glare at Cinnamonpaw. For the last time, it wasn't himself that was making his eye sting, it was those stupid herbs! "What did you put on there anyway?" He asked.

"Stinging nettle," Cinnamonpaw joked.

The apprentice howled. "What? You put stinging nettle on this? What kind of medicine cat are you?" Runningpaw hissed between his teeth. "I don't even know if that's the right herb."

"Calm down," Cinnamonpaw growled. "You're acting like a baby. I was only joking, it's horsetail. It's horsetail, it's horsetail, I'm not lying!" She replied to Runningpaw's suspicious look.

"Fine. But make sure that it won't hurt my eye even more. Cause it really stings right now!"

"Please stop fighting, you two," Cinderhope mewed patiently. "You're acting like disobedient kits."

Runningpaw and Cinnamonpaw nodded in unison. Runningpaw tried not to flinch as Cinnamonpaw applied the herbs to his eye more gently.

"I think that you should be made a warrior soon," Cinnamonpaw started.

Runningpaw perked his ears. What a good topic to start in front of the deputy and your friend's mentor! Thank you, Cinnamonpaw, he praised in his head.

Cinderhope shrugged. "You do have a point. His hunting skills are very developed as well as his fighting skills. I'm sure that he can be made a warrior soon…" His voice trailed off when he saw Runningpaw's excited face.

"Can't I, Cinderhope?" Runningpaw asked. "I'm about thirteen moons now, and that's over apprentice age! I would love to be a warrior after all of my training! Besides, that way I can join Skycloud," he mewed nonchalantly.

Cinderhope flattened his ears. "You found out?" He asked in almost a whisper.

Runningpaw nodded.

The deputy lowered his head. "Runningpaw, I would just like to say that I am so sorry that I didn't, I swear that I-"

"It's fine," Runningpaw interjected. "I don't care. I'm sure that I'll be a warrior sooner or later. And Skycloud seems pretty happy."

Cinderhope chuckled. "Yeah, it's not like Ashstar will keep you an apprentice forever!"

Runningpaw froze. Those were the exact dreams he had lately. Were they messages from StarClan, or just something else? Runningpaw was confident that it was all in his head.

He hoped.