This is a pretty short chapter, but I've been working on it for a while, and I don't think there's anything else I need to say for this one. I'm excited that the book is starting from a low point. No happy opening chapters here!

I don't own Warriors. It's worth saying.

Chapter 2: When Friendships Fray

"It all turned out okay," said Birdpaw. Jayfeather ignored her, pacing back and forth. "I calmed them down, and it's fine."

"Explain," said Jayfeather coldly. Birdpaw flinched under his gaze. "Littlefalcon couldn't soothe that crowd, so why could you?"

He felt the anticipation, the nerves. Jayfeather turned his stare into a glare.

"It's a new ability," said Birdpaw nervously. "Anything I say, I can make cats believe it to be true."

"Like Littlefalcon can command someone to do as he says." That was fascinating. A little bizarre – why repeat powers between the littermates?

"Along the same lines," agreed Birdpaw. She sounded more excited than nervous now that she was telling him.

"Do you think it's more powerful than Littlefalcon's power?" said Jayfeather. "Or is there something behind whether or not it's phrased a request or a command?"

"I don't know," said Birdpaw quietly. She shrugged. "It may have been something in Littlefalcon's conviction. Lately, he's been…" She trailed off, but she didn't' need to offer any more explanation. Jayfeather made a meditative noise and turned to glance over at still-sleeping Mouseclaw. He had turned just in time, for Willowleaf pushed into the den at that moment.

"Oh," she said. "I just came to check on him."

"He's fine," said Jayfeather. "He woke up for a bit after the Gathering, but he's asleep again now."

"That's good," said Willowleaf. Jayfeather couldn't see the young cat, but he imagined her perching by Mouseclaw's side. Willowleaf sighed. "Have we figured out how Willowshine found out about his injury?"

"No." Reminded of the source of his anger, Jayfeather's stomach clenched. He and Willowshine had always trusted each other and gone to each other with their secrets. What had happened that Willowshine was willing to throw that all away?

Jayfeather wondered if he would ever share a dream with her again. It had only happened in times of great trouble – a few times in the War of Shadows, more often when Willowshine was serving as head ambassador with the foxes, right before the battle drove them out of their homeland. Since then, there hadn't been another shared dream between them, not unless he counted that time he met Rushpaw and Birdpaw in a dream as well.

"You're really angry about this…" said Birdpaw in a hushed voice. Jayfeather glared at her. "Why would Willowshine betray us like that?"

"I don't know," growled Jayfeather. "It must be something with RiverClan. Willowshine would only ever choose RiverClan over her job as a medicine cat." He turned away from the pile of moss he was tearing up.

"If you find out, let me know?" said Willowleaf softly. Jayfeather flicked his tail and trod back to his nest, curling up in it and tucking his tail over his nose.

"Are you going to pout about it?" said Birdpaw crossly.

"I'm not pouting," said Jayfeather, his voice muffled by his nose. His apprentice seemed amused, so he glared harder at her.

He probably was pouting, but as he was the medicine cat of ThunderClan, he refused to admit it. Why would Willowshine suddenly turn away from him? The entire Gathering had gone downhill rapidly, not just because of what she had said. Onestar and Mistystar seemed ready to pounce. He hadn't tasted such tension in the air since back when his heritage was announced. Those memories made him shiver.

"Rushpaw and I shared another dream the other day," said Birdpaw meditatively. "I can ask him if I dream with him again."

Jayfeather sighed. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Had his and Willowleaf's connection been cut in order to foster the one growing between their apprentices? Maybe it was right. It didn't seem fair. Though he was angry at her, he had to admit that he missed her.

Willowshine hadn't even spoken to him at the Gathering, except to say a quiet hello. Her thoughts had been somewhere else. Jayfeather was mostly used to that mood she got into, which usually happened when she thought too hard about the foxes. Back before they had lost their home to them, the foxes had destroyed several cats close to Willowshine, perhaps because Willowshine had meddled. There had been a time when RiverClan lost all hope in their medicine cat – medicine cat apprentice at the time. But she had listened when Jayfeather had offered her advice and stood by her. They were partners, team-mates. Willowshine had even come to accept that Jayfeather knew mysterious things. Was she finally losing her faith in him? It couldn't be. He snorted softly to himself, shutting his eyes. She hadn't lost faith in her precious Reedwhisker, so how could she have lost faith in him?

Somewhere in between the afternoon and the next morning, Jayfeather's pouting turned into dozing, and then a dream thick and syrupy pulled him into a deep sleep.

He stood up, and there she was. It was as if the cat forming their connection had finally realized that things were getting bad again.

"Jayfeather…"

"Willowshine." His voice was chilly. Willowshine stood stiffly across the pool they usually met at, her blue eyes undecipherable. "It's good to see you."

"Jayfeather, you have to understand."

"What do I need to understand?" said Jayfeather, flicking his tail. "How did you know about Mouseclaw?"

"Rushpaw mentioned it," said Willowshine. "Birdpaw asked him for advice."

Jayfeather seethed – not because Birdpaw had told Rushpaw, but because she hadn't spoken up. Of course not! His apprentice, the lying, conflict-avoiding fox-heart that she was! He nearly laughed aloud in his anger.

"And I suppose that was enough reason to mention it at a Gathering," said Jayfeather, taking a step into the pool and crossing towards her. The water was chilly around his ankles, but he didn't stop until he had crossed and was flicking water at her. Jayfeather pressed himself close and growled.

"Don't be so aggressive with me," said Willowshine, stepping away from his wrath. "I know you've killed cats before, but we're just dreaming now."

"Explain this," said Jayfeather.

"What is there to explain?" said Willowshine, arching her back and hissing. "Mistystar demanded Lionstar to give up his secrets, and he refused. I backed my leader."

"Medicine cats shouldn't use medicinal information to gain war leverage!" hissed Jayfeather.

"Who says there will be a war?" asked Willowshine, but she didn't spring back in shock or worry as she once would have. Her reaction was chilly, and he turned away in frustration.

"I can't believe this," said Jayfeather. "What's happening, Willowshine?"

"What do you mean?" said Willowshine. Jayfeather fixed her with a glare, and the medicine cat of RiverClan turned her nose up.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said. "Why don't we make a deal? I'll tell you what I know, and you tell me what you know."

"This doesn't involve you," spat Jayfeather. Willowshine's blue eyes flashed, and the fur on the back of her neck stood up.

"Don't write me off like I'm a kit!" she snapped back. "I may not the almighty half-Clan, blind, medicine cat who – "

"No, you're just the one sneaking off with her deputy who has always failed."

"And you're the one hiding his insecurities behind his grouchy personality!"

"You're the one who saw her mentor killed, who – "

"Your selfishness lost you your littermate!"

Hollyleaf. The venom died in Jayfeather's throat. Willowshine held her chin higher, glaring down at him in her small success. His selfishness?

"I am sick of letting you keep your secrets," said Willowshine. "Either tell me the truth – all of it – or face what's coming to you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" said Jayfeather.

The world around them shook, fading in and out of clarity. Jayfeather stabilized himself on the shaky ground as it went back to normal. But everything seemed paler, more filled with grey, and Willowshine was blurry across from him.

"The dream is fading," said Jayfeather quietly. He looked around them, momentarily forgetting about the way she still glared at him.

A massive cracking noise sent Jayfeather scrambling, and Willowshine cried out suddenly. Jayfeather turned to her, seeing that the ground on which she stood was crumbling. A rift was erupting between them, scooting towards her in threat to send her into the void below.

"Willowshine!" cried Jayfeather. He looked up, barely able to make her out. The ground below his paws crumbled, and he skittered backwards. "Willowshine, jump."

"What?" she cried.

"I'll pull you up," said Jayfeather. "We have to hold the dream together."

For a second, she hesitated on the other side of the ever-growing rift.

"There's no help you can offer me," said Willowshine. "Don't you see? This is symbolic."

"No!" cried Jayfeather as the border between them widened. His paws slid on the edge of the dream. Every fiber of his being felt wired, alive – it felt too much like a last chance. Everything faded, begging Willowshine and Jayfeather to somehow close this divide and get to the meat of the dream, where they were to help each other.

"StarClan!" cried Jayfeather, the words tugging out of his system. "StarClan is in danger! You can't trust them."

"What?" A bubbling laugh escaped Willowshine. "Lose faith in StarClan?"

"The border is failing," said Jayfeather. "Between StarClan and the Dark Forest. It's all falling apart, and we need to stand together."

"They told me you'd say that," said Willowshine. "Jayfeather!" Her tone desperate, sorry, afraid.

"Willowshine!" cried Jayfeather. His paws tingled. He wanted to jump to her, but then she began to move. For a moment he braced himself on the edge, ready to haul her up, but Willowshine jumped down, not out –

-and, her blue eyes shining in a half-apology, Willowshine hurtled into the blackness.

The dream spat him out, and Jayfeather lay shivering in his bed, his claws digging into the moss around him, everything cold. Heavy gasps rocked out of his body as he visualized that gap, that last image of Willowshine pitching herself into the unknown. Blind trust in StarClan, the final touch of her losing faith in him. She was gone. Jayfeather's body shook, and he found that his face was moist. Jayfeather tucked his tail more furiously over his nose, determined not to disturb Mouseclaw or Birdpaw.

They could not rely on RiverClan. Willowshine, their one real ally, had chosen the poison in StarClan. ThunderClan was alone.

More on RiverClan coming. RiverClan is fave. Willowshine is also fave. I'm interested in the Willow-Jay dynamic because they're so similar. It's so interesting. Ahhhh the insults are being hurled.

Review if you liked this! I'm super stressed, but I'll work hard on this next chapter! Promise!

~Elsi