a/n Hey guys! I'm super sorry that I haven't updated in so long! Been reading... homework... chores... you know, school... anyway, yay, I updated! :D I hope you like it! 0.~ (I made my own emoticon! At least, I think it's mine, cause I've never seen any one else use it before.)

Foxpaw trots beside me as we walk through the forest. The ground was hard and cracked under my paws, my paw-pads are rough. I stop as I attempt to moisten my dry tongue with saliva, but then it gets stuck in my throat.

Foxpaw stops with me, his brow furrowed as he looks at his paws in deep thought. "Hey, don't you find it weird that Ashfur was helping one of the elders to the lake, but when we searched the territory for him, Berrynose found his burnt body near the camp?"

I nod. "Oh, yes."

"What do you think made him appear there all of a sudden?"

"Maybe he went back to the camp to help the last few cats?"

Foxpaw nods, "That sounds like Ashfur. He's so brave to risk his life… I wish we'd found him sooner, now all that's left is his ashes."

"Yeah…" I don't know if I should feel guilty or not. He was trying to kill Jaypaw! And Lionblaze and Hollyleaf. He loved Squirrelflight so much, it's a shame his jealousy and need for revenge had gotten the better of him.

Now that he's dead, I don't really hate him anymore. Ashfur was never really the enemy. The Dark Forest is.

"I think Firestar is going to make me a warrior soon." Foxpaw purrs. He looks at me with sympathy. "You'll be alone, though."

I shrug. "It doesn't matter. I think you'll be a great warrior, though."

Foxpaw grins. "Thanks, Featherpaw. I'll be sure to eat with you, and we can still hunt together, right?"

"Of course," I smile at him.

Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight are talking quietly in front of us, in fact, I nearly forgot they were there.

I catch Squirrelflight whisper a few words here and there. "Featherpaw… About… Ashfur that…" She hesitates, her lips aren't moving anymore.

Then, Brambleclaw murmurs, "What?" calmly, but I can see his breaths beginning to get shorter.

"Brambleclaw…" She meows. I can hear every word clearly now, they must be forgetting Foxpaw and I are with them still. "Our kits… they aren't ours."

I widen my eyes, but clench on my tongue to stop from bolting at them. What is she doing? I didn't go through all that trouble with Ashfur so she could just blurt it out! I was trying to save their relationship with each other and their kits! To stop poor Hollyleaf from having to kill him herself!

Foxpaw looks at me. "What's wrong?"

I shake my head, trying to draw attention away from Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. "Oh! Look at this!" I meow to him, bending over to point an unsheathed claw at an orange lady bug.

Foxpaw grins at me, and the next thing I know, he's giving me a lick on my head. "You're so cute, Featherpaw. They're everywhere; did you only just notice them now?"

I bite my lip, feeling flushed. "N- No," I stammer. "Of course I saw them! It's just… this one's orange!"

His grin widens, and he licks my head again. "Come on, we better catch up to Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. They haven't even noticed we've gone! It's like they forgot they brought us with them!"

That's when I realise they've gone towards the lake. We should let them sort it out…

I beckon with my head, heading to WindClan. "Okay, let's go then."

He nods, and I follow him, glad he didn't notice this wasn't the way his mentor and the ThunderClan deputy went.

We check and mark the border, before sitting at the edge of the river. Even though it is hot, I find that Foxpaw's fur is brushing mine as we look into the calm river.

It's peaceful and quiet. I like just sitting here and enjoying each other's company. It's better than arguing with Jaypaw. I shake my head. No, no comparisons. No thinking. Just breathing, and watching the water.

After a while, Foxpaw looks at me. I don't take my eyes off the river, waiting for him to say something.

It feels like ages, and he still doesn't say anything. I drag my gaze from the river to look right into his sparkling green eyes, and feel his warm breath on my mouth and nose. I quickly look away, feeling even warmer.

"Featherpaw?" He asks.

I look at my paws. "Yes?"

A few more seconds pass. Seconds turn into minutes and minutes seem like hours. Finally, he speaks, and I can swear I hear his heart pounding. "I love you."

I giggle as his breath tickles my ear, but there is no humour in my laugh. I open my mouth to talk, but he interrupts me. "You don't need to tell me you feel the same. I just wanted you to know how I felt about you."

So you can make me feel guilty? I ask silently. I push down the question that is already rising in my throat, and just lean against him. I know… I'm being selfish, but I feel like I'm going to fall if I don't support myself on anything.

Foxpaw doesn't make a move to push me away, he just tilts his head so that it's resting on mine, and that's how we stay for a while.

Then I hear a yowl, and a WindClan cat comes sprinting down the hill, followed by two others.

I quickly separate myself from him, our sweaty fur unsticking. We both stand, watching as the patrol skids to a stop and glares at us. I know immediately that the brown tabby with blue eyes is Heathertail, and the black tom with amber eyes is Breezepelt. I snarl at them, but force my fur down when I see Foxpaw isn't reacting.

The last cat is a brown and white tom, I can't place his name.

Heathertail bares her teeth and I wonder if Lionblaze had attacked her in the battle of the eclipse. I'll remember to ask him later. "What are you two doing here?"

Foxpaw remains calm. I, on the other hand (or paw, I should say), can't help but glare at Breezepelt. He hurt Jaypaw! Well… he will, if I don't stop him. "We were just marking the border."

Heathertail frowns, nodding as she sniffs around.

Breezepelt, however, looks as though he's going to rip our heads off. What is his problem? He has no reason to be so hostile. Or maybe he does… It's because of me.

Dark grey fur flashes and I'm thrown back into the blood-stained clearing. Yowls and screeches fill my ears as claws score my cheek. Then there's another strike on my forehead, and blood pours thickly into my eyes. I'm kicked across the clearing, when I hear a voice.

"I'll make sure." Breezepelt growls and I'm shaken from thoughts of my living nightmare of feeling so close to death.

"Go ahead, you won't find anything." Foxpaw shrugs casually.

He pads up to the edge of the stream and begins to smell along the border, checking for any ThunderClan scent. I smirk as he steps back, standing up straighter. Any remains of hostility have abated. Only a small tail flick as Breezepelt watches us.

It seems like forever until Foxpaw stands and looks at me. "Come on, Featherpaw."

I follow him, glancing at the three WindClan warriors who are watching us leave, their eyes shining with pride.

When the trees swallow us up, blocking their view from us, I snap my head to Foxpaw. "Why did you want to leave?" I ask him.

"Because they were waiting for us to, and we needed to find Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight anyway. They obviously weren't there." He replies. Suddenly, I feel like the immature one. What happened to the energetic, childish Foxpaw?

This must have something to do with him becoming a warrior. We enter the bramble tunnel at sun high to see Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw eating together with Firestar. Maybe I was wrong about the fact he would be mad at her for keeping it a secret. Maybe it was because Hollyleaf had told him in public instead of his own mate confessing in private.

Whatever she had said or did, she did it right, and I'm glad.

a/n So... what do you think? I'm trying to figure out how to make that poll thing on my profile for who to ship Featherpaw with, but until then... you can always review and say who you want Featherpaw to be with! Next chapter has a Jay vs Fox scene! XD YAYAYAY So excited! So who will Featherpaw defend? OoO Uh-Oh!