So I didn't get time to update a second time before I left to go to Costa Rica, so here I am updating again. (Ezzy's back in the states with a decent computer) Huzzah! And I also had to go to a college program, and then school started and there's a wrap-up of my surprisingly busy summer without updating. I apologize. I might just put this on hiatus since I totally suck at updating. And, in my defense, while I was gone I totally forgot this document existed and almost started a whole new chapter sixteen. Glad I found this one. Call me lazy but it saves me lots of work.

Reviews:

NewProphecy- I did read Sunrise recently. And found out that it really pisses me off. Sorry to those who loved it. I was only glad that one cat died in particular and that is all.

WinterSky101- Do you really expect me to answer that? An authoress has her secrets, and she shall reveal those secrets, and the answers to your questions, in due time. Actually, soon. I'm glad you like the story and prophecy.

Icy- I know the prophecy is long, but I'm glad you like it. And now I'm back in school, too. It's like this never ending cycle of "me being stupid and not updating" and "schedule being evil". Oh well. I'm very glad you're still reading. Probably one of my most dedicated readers. :) The smilies are happy with you too (:

Here we go. Chapter sixteen!

Jaypaw's POV

I don't know what I should've expected. I had told Firestar late in the night that we should go rescue Evia, so it wasn't like we could've left then and there. Then, being the mousebrains they are, they had to test cats to see which would go to ShadowClan, so most likely it'll be another good two or three days before they can leave.

I didn't know how to tell them that by the time we left to retrieve Evia it would be too late. So, of course, I didn't.

Still, I sat there for a while, listening to Firestar search for Brambleclaw. I heard Graystripe and Millie conversing rather loudly and excitedly, no doubt due to their discovered daughter. Their feelings seemed to rub off on me, for I felt happy too, which was something that never happened.

Sighing, I left the leader's den, skillfully leaping onto the ledges that I knew were there from experience. When I entered the medicine den, at first I heard Graystripe and Millie still gushing over their kit. Then Leafpool seemed to try and tell them calmly that she needed to heal Blossomkit, so she dismissed them. I heard Millie approach me. "Thank you so much, Jaypaw. I'm glad you're getting your name this half moon. You deserve it," she told me whole-heartedly. I nodded in acknowledgement as she licked my forehead and walked on.

"I owe you one, Jaypaw," Graystripe said, cuffing my ear playfully before I heard him too, walk away. After that I could hear nothing but Leafpool voicing her thoughts as she scurried around getting herbs for, most likely, Blossomkit. Blossomkit was playing mute still. Did she think she'd gain something from never talking around the others?

"You're doing great Blossomkit. All the cobwebs are in the right places, and if I give you a poppy seed you'll be able to rest just fine," Leafpool was telling the kit, who didn't respond. "Blossomkit, I need you to tell me what happened to you." Again, no words came from Blossomkit's mouth.

There was silence, frustration coming from Leafpool's end. Blossomkit was giving off more of a soft, hesitant glow, one that was scared. The images that were flashing in her mind reached me easily, making me inhale sharply momentarily.

She had been resting in the tall pine for quite some time, thankful that she was from ThunderClan and had the ability to climb trees in her blood. Still, the rough, sticky bark that covered this particular tree made it slick and caused it to give off a strange odor, even if it did seem to disguise her scent. She remembered that she had been staying for a few days now, almost as if she was grieving and trying to fix the problem she had started. Guilt was overwhelming her. She had been following the blue tabby and white she-cat, the one that muttered under her breath and never stopped to rest. She had come from ThunderClan territory, this much Blossomkit knew. She had seen her once, sitting in a tree that loomed over camp, one gray eye and one blue eye watching curiously, sometimes glancing at Jaypaw and the kit. This had intrigued Blossomkit, and so she had left, telling herself she had to know who the she-cat was.

Blossomkit was still a clumsy kit though, one who, once out of camp, would easily be heard romping through the ferns and other plants, so she had decided to cross through trees using branches. This would lead to the mysterious cat's downfall, though at the time the kit hadn't known it.

She had followed her into ShadowClan territory through the trees. The cat was extremely quiet, that was for sure, and the odd thing about her was that Blossomkit remembered her smelling like... Millie's milk, actually. She smelled motherly, like a queen, to Blossomkit.

Blossomkit had been so caught up in her thoughts and realizations that she hadn't realized they had neared ShadowClan camp, or, what Blossomkit assumed was ShadowClan camp anyway. The mysterious cat had begun to slow down, to creep across the ground and hide from the warrior on guard. Blossomkit had continued to follow, that is until she set her paw on an unsteady branch, causing the wretched thing to fall off the tree with a crack before breaking in two with an almost as loud snap. The she-cat had whirled then to see what had given her away before starting to fight with the ShadowClan warrior. Blossomkit hadn't watched anymore, too frozen in fear, so she took off, finding a tree a further distance away to hide from her mistake.

I shook my head repeatedly to free myself of the vision. That explained a lot, but it still didn't explain why she had come back to ThunderClan.

"Jaypaw, are you done waiting outside the den, or do you want to stand out there a little longer as if we can't notice you?" Leafpool asked. I stiffened before entering, forgetting I had been standing there for quite some time experiencing the interesting memory.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. Do you need anything Leafpool? Any herbs?" I asked.

There was a soft laugh. "I assume you didn't get the herbs I had asked for earlier, seeing as you were so preoccupied with Blossomkit's problem, whatever it was. Come here, I'll fix you up, and then send you out with Cinderheart to gather the herbs we need."

I didn't respond, just slowly walked towards her and Blossomkit. When I stopped, I felt Leafpool's warm breath on my ear. "Is there anything you can do? Blossomkit won't say anything, and you... being you, I think you have a chance," she commented, not exactly elaborating much on how I would be able to pry Blossomkit's mouth open. My gift made her uneasy, unsure of herself and of me. This would have to be evaluated later.

"You suggesting there's something wrong with me?" I spat vehemently at her, still keeping my tone soft so Blossomkit wouldn't hear.

"No... I mean, well... you're different, and StarClan has blessed you," she pointed out.

"Just like Hollyleaf," I grumbled under my breath. She didn't catch that, thankfully. My mentor then cleared her throat, for Firestar had started calling her. This made a convenient excuse for herself, so she conveniently left me and Blossomkit alone to go discuss things with the leader of ThunderClan.

"You didn't ask me."

I stiffened at Blossomkit's voice. I glared at the source of her voice. "What?"

"You didn't ask me why I followed her. You can sense things, right? A sixth sense, right? Like, you know what somebody wants, what they feel? I can tell. That's what makes you powerful," she whispered softly, and I couldn't feel her gaze on my fur like some cats did, so I guess she was too shy to look directly at me.

"So?"

"You knew I wanted to save her, didn't you? Somehow... You didn't ask me why. Did you sense that too? Did you sense why I had to save her?" she inquired.

Smart kit, that was for sure. Hopefully when she got older she'd make a good deputy maybe. "I knew I couldn't ask you why," I finally answered after thinking it over. "It was not my place. But I know why anyway. Sixth sense, like you said."

There was silence from her end of the conversation. "You... I... you, um..." she didn't finish after that.

"So you came back after a while because...?"

"Oh... that. Well, I'm a kit, and even if they don't want me around, I_"

"Wait, stop there," I said sharply, reaching out with my tail, finding her neck, and gently wrapping my tail around it. "Who doesn't want you?"

I could feel her swallow hard beneath my tail. "She said they didn't want me. The only way I could stay was if I didn't speak. She said speaking made them hate you more," she whispered sadly.

I slowly took back my tail, mostly in shock. "She?"

I think she nodded, because she didn't confirm it, but she went on anyway. "Life is so mean, so unfair. It makes me wonder why we made life, why we watch over them. Yet we cannot be so cruel as life was to us, and so we watch like we do, helping. It always seems that it leads to more problems, more strange ways of twisting... and hurt..." Here she paused for a second, or maybe a minute, before continuing. "We give them words to save others... It doesn't work that way... The warnings never prevail... We fail... And so, for once... can the words truly save them? No... we are saving nothing this time..." Her words were getting more spaced apart by the second.

"Blossomkit, snap out of it! Blossomkit!" I snapped, reaching for her with my nose and bumping her soft kit-fur. Her body seemed to go through a quick spasm and she began breathing fast for a few seconds before it finally slowed down to an even inhale and exhale.

"I... She said Mommy doesn't love me... no one does. She's the one in the tree... the one who smells like my Mommy," Blossomkit cried, burying her muzzle into my fur. "Why doesn't Mommy love me?" Her voice was getting hysterical, frantic almost as she curled up into a ball against my chest.

I looked downward to where she was definitely lying, appalled by what she was saying. "You can't believe everything she says, Blossomkit. Did she give you proof as to why Millie didn't love you?" I asked.

What shocked me was Blossomkit's answer. "Not Millie..." she whispered. Then her voice changed entirely. "She said Mommy wouldn't have let me burned if she loved me. She said I'd be more like her had it not been for Mommy who cursed us. She said her Mommy's my Mommy."

I was beginning to look over her words. She's the one in the tree... The one who had watched her while she was in ThunderClan camp? Evia? "Blossomkit, when did she tell you these things?" I asked.

"In my dreams. I was in Mommy's stomach, I think, in the dream. Each day it smelled more like smoke, and I heard her whispering. And when I was born, I saw her look at me, but she didn't see me, and she ran off... Then I burned. Mommy burned too," Blossomkit murmured. "I can't go back to the nursery."

"Why?" The last sentence caught me off guard.

"She wasn't supposed to be born. I wasn't supposed to be born... He wasn't either, but I'm glad... they're here... I am not sure how she got here... but she can't stay... otherwise... I'll be sad... you'll break... and nothing will... change."

She was doing it again, murmuring things. Did she know what she was talking about?

"What do you feel about Evia, the cat who was telling you that... your mother didn't love you?" I asked after hesitating.

"I fear," she answered.

"You fear her, or you fear for her?"

"I love her and hate her, because she's gone through worse than I. And yet... she killed me." Suddenly there was a flash before my eyes, and I saw Blossomkit's face hard and pained, looking up into my eyes. "If it weren't for her I wouldn't have burned. That's how I died. That's how Mommy died. That's how my brother died. Mommy and I shouldn't have died. We needed to help her. Now they won't let Mommy back, and I fear for the other she-cat. It's all her fault. Take her advice." The image faded away, and I was blind once more.

"Take her advice?" I asked.

"Blame me. Blame me," she said, and in the back of my mind the two words she repeated rang a bell. It was from a dream, the fire dream that had made me curious of the juniper bush so long ago, that had made me find Evia. Is this why she wanted me to blame her? For murder?

"I doubt Mommy loves me. Maybe she's right... How can Mommy love me, when she won't even come to see me?"

What? Millie had been here mere moments ago, chattering about her beloved Blossomkit.

"I told her there was a way for Mommy to love me. She said she doubted it was possible for anyone to love us."

"Blossomkit, I_"

"Jaypaw, I think it's time for Blossomkit to sleep," Leafpool meowed as she entered. In her mind she had seen me talking to Blossomkit while Blossomkit's eyes were drifting close from exhaustion. She hadn't heard the conversation.

I didn't say anything at first. "Of course. I'll give her a poppy seed," I quickly mewed back, getting up to find a poppy seed.

I daintily picked up one using my claw to get it onto the pad of my paw before hopping over using my other three paws to serve it to Blossomkit. "There," I said, putting it before her. I felt her small tongue lick it off and waited.

"She's asleep now. I think I'd like to keep her here anyway," Leafpool decided, and I heard her gently moving Blossomkit to a fresh moss den in the back by the pool. "Now, Jaypaw, I'll tend to your wounds. It seems your belly has the worst flesh wound on it."

I said nothing, because for the most part I didn't want her help. I wanted it to heal on its own and let nature take its course. I almost scoffed at the hilarity of that statement. StarClan would probably be stupid and make a prophecy about it or something. That's what they normally did. Nothing was natural, and I was sure that at one point everything had been. There had been no ancestors to change our lives. Now there were.

Leafpool was pressing dock to some of my wounds before stretching cobwebs on top of them. I didn't flinch or give a yelp of pain whenever she pressed against them, though I could just imagine the extra blood seeping out.

Finally she pulled back, giving a contented sigh. "Alright, I guess that's all I can do for now, but I'll want to check on you later," she insisted.

I shrugged, licking a paw absently before taking my leave from the den I would most likely spend the rest of my life in, or so StarClan said.

Lionblaze and Hollyleaf approached me. I could've scented them earlier had I been paying attention, their pawsteps were that loud. Hollyleaf approached first.

"Jaypaw, what happened to yourself?"

"I found Blossomkit," I answered. "You didn't hear me running into camp?"

"No... I just got back from dawn patrol," she explained.

"Dawn?!"

"Yeah..."

I thought this over. Foxdung, I had little time left.

"We met a WindClan patrol," Lionblaze commented. I pricked my ears to show interest. "We kept throwing insults back and forth, us saying that they were weak kits for not attacking us already for supposedly stealing their food. They said they were training the best warriors ever. I think they know we'll skin them alive and use their pelts to keep us warm in Leaf-bare." I snickered at that and at the image it presented in my mind. Such barbaric kin I had. "How's Blossomkit?"

"She's fine I suppose," I said.

"I don't think that's true," Lionblaze observed. I was about to tell them what happened when Firestar called out for a clan meeting. We all sighed in unison, so Lionblaze and Hollyleaf walked with me to a spot in the front, their pelts brushing against mine.

"ThunderClan, for those who were not at the most recent gathering, you heard about ShadowClan's confrontation with us, and them accusing us of sending a spy. After Jaypaw found Blossomkit, he told me that Blossomkit wished for us to go retrieve the cat that ShadowClan has captured. We cannot let an innocent cat be trapped with them!" Firestar called to the clan.

I winced at his words. Innocent cat... But was Evia truly innocent? I was beginning to suspect otherwise.

"Because of this, I wish for all apprentices and warriors to be tested by Brambleclaw to see if they can join the raid that will attack 3 days from now in order to retrieve this captive she-cat. They'll be chosen tomorrow, and checked by Leafpool. Then the training will begin. Act normal around the other clans," Firestar finished his announcement with his voice sounding clear and echoing on the walls of ThunderClan camp. Everyone knew not to question him.

But I just had to. Why did he not ask for the true purpose as to why I wanted to save the cat?

At least I didn't have to lie to him... I don't think I could do that to my leader. Could I?

"Leafpool, Jaypaw," Firestar called to us.

I looked towards his voice, and I could tell Leafpool was listening.

"Do you need any warriors to help gather herbs?"

"We should be fine on our own, but if anyone finds any that would be a great help to us," Leafpool answered.

"I see," Firestar whispered. Then he cleared his throat. "Leafpool, I need you to go ahead and make sure all our warriors are healthy. I need to speak with Jaypaw."

This seemed to catch Leafpool off guard, and I was hoping for her to object. I did not want to be left alone with Firestar. But she said nothing, simply bounding away without an objection, no protesting or complaints.

"Jaypaw?"

"Yes?" My head shot upward, no longer drowning in thoughts.

"Is Blossomkit alright?"

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "What?"

He sighed. "You need to tell me. Leafpool will either say that Blossomkit will be okay or that she'll never recover, like she always says for everyone. I want an honest guess," he demanded.

I nodded. I could understand that. Leafpool did that often. She never said what was really wrong. She just said that they'd either recover quickly, or that there was no hope. It seemed like Leafpool had two pre-set answers and picked one at random all the time. "She's quiet, and worried about ShadowClan's prisoner. I'm not sure she's okay mentally. I believe she's blaming herself, but I can't be sure. She never talks." This was a lie, for she had been talking to me, and Leafpool knew this too. She'd probably rat me out.

But Firestar had no idea. "So really, physically she'll be fine?" I nodded. "Alright. Hopefully she'll get better mentally over time. You may go, Jaypaw."

Then I bit my tongue. It was now or never.

But the words wouldn't leave my mouth, not even brush the backs of my teeth. It's like they were locked away. Was I doubting my own question? This was my one chance to ask Firestar what was really nagging me, but I couldn't.

I guess the decision was never. Sighing, I left, so Firestar and I parted ways, and I went to go see if Leafpool wanted me to gather herbs, since I'd been unable to do so before.

Leafpool was not in the medicine den like I thought she would be. But I went in there anyway, just to make sure. It's not like I could trust my sense of smell completely. Being blind had disadvantages, which normally could be overcome, but this time doubt tugged at the edge of my mind.

Still, she wasn't there. But Blossomkit was. Her heavy breathing told me that much.

"Mommy..."

My fur stood on end just as I was about to leave the den. She had spoken.

"Does Mommy hate me...?"

Bowing my head, I dismissed myself from the den I had spent most of my life in, and left in search of my mentor.

I really want to tell you she doesn't, Blossomkit...

"Leafpool!"

I heard the she-cat turn to face me, and the way she talked, you could tell she had herbs in her mouth. "Jahyphaw?"

...it's just that when it comes to love and hate...

I bowed my head. It was a small gesture of respect for my mentor, even though respect was far from what I had on my mind. "Would you like me to fetch the herbs that I didn't get earlier?"

"That'd be a great idea. Remember to get Cinderheart or someone to help you."

Great, just what I needed. A helper. Groaning, I agreed and left.

...there is always doubt.

And there you have another chapter. Like I said, my updates are becoming so far apart its disgraceful. I'm sorry. I really am. I'm probably going to have to put my Twilight story on hiatus, but hopefully, with a little less 'me being stupid' this story can be brought back to life! (I didn't like my Twilight story that much anyway)

Thank you all for reading! I'm very glad that you guys have stuck with me this far. My goal is eighty-thousand words by the end of this story. Think I can reach it?

Evia: I vote no.

Me: You're so pessimistic!

Evia: Well you made me that way.

Me: Shut up and go back in the fanfiction. Who let you out, anyway?

Yeah, I might put something like that in there just because I'm bored and its fun. Also, please check out the poll on my profile. It's important.

Review please! Love you guys!

Ezzy