Twigpaw raced through the woods as fast as her three legs would carry her. She darted and wove between the limbs of the trees reaching out at her.

One branch snagged her pelt and tore fur from her skin. She yowled into the emptiness that surrounded her as she sped onward.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared from beneath her and she plummeted downward. Her limbs flailed in vain, trying to stop her fall. The cliff became a canyon, and the canyon became an abyss as the ground never came. Before long, Twigpaw relaxed and let herself fall freely, not afraid of death as her fur was tugged at and whipped around by the wind.

Then she woke up.

Her fur was matted and tangled with burrs and pieces of bracken in it. She was laying on the cold ground, and her nest was strewn all around the den. As she looked around, she noticed four pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Can't you keep it down? Dream about a mouse, or something that DOESN'T INVOLVE MOVEMENT! Maybe you could get paralyzed in your dream, and then maybe we could all get some sleep!" Molepaw's hiss was like a thorn. Ever since he had met Gingerpaw, the apprentice was being particularly rude to all of his clanmates.

"Don't be so mean, Molepaw!" Cherrypaw flicked her tail. "He didn't mean all that, Twigpaw." But the damage was already done.

Twigpaw got up shakily on her three legs to leave the den, but became painfully aware that Gingerpaw was staring her with wide eyes. She whipped around and thrust her muzzle into Gingerpaw's face.

"Quit staring at me like I'm a snake with three eyes!" Gingerpaw flinched, and Twigpaw stormed out of the den.

Her brother was sitting in the clearing, picking at a small mouse. She padded over to him and took his mouse.

"That's alright; I didn't want it anyway." Twigpaw ignored him and threw the mouse back on the fresh-kill pile. She grabbed a plump vole and tossed it to him. He looked up at her in surprise.

"I'm not hungry, really." He pushed the mouse toward his sister.

"You need to eat. We're leaving for SandClan tomorrow at dawn." Sootpaw's eyes darkened.

"I'm not going," he whispered. Twigpaw stared at him in shock.

"What! What do you mean you're not going?" Sootpaw looked up at her with sad eyes.

"Apparently I need to see my clanmates' true colors." Just then, Bramblestar called Molepaw over to him. They spoke for a little while, and then Molepaw raced over to Gingerpaw. Twigpaw pricked her ears and managed to hear the most important part of what Molepaw said.

"…you and I get to go on the SandClan journey!"

"Really?" Gingerpaw sounded shocked that she could go on such an important journey when she'd only been apprenticed a few sunrises ago.

"Well, I had to do a little… bribing to make it happen, but that isn't the point," Molepaw meowed. Gingerpaw purred.

"Thanks, Molepaw!"

Twigpaw could hardly believe her ears. Bribery! Bramblestar would never take a bribe! And even worse, now she had to suffer through the whole trip with those two falling over each other.

"Sootpaw?" Sootpaw looked up at Twigpaw.

"Yeah?"

"I know something that will probably make you mad…" The tabby apprentice looked at her paws. "Do you want me to tell you?"

"Of course I do!" Sootpaw was staring at her expectantly.

"Well… Molepaw bribed Bramblestar… I think he and Gingerpaw took your place on the journey…" Sootpaw flattened his ears to his head.

"Bramblestar would never take a bribe!"

"I heard Molepaw say it with my own ears," Twigpaw protested.

"You're just trying to be the center of attention again! Well guess what? No one cares! No one cares that you can climb the fresh-kill pile! No one cares that you caught a pheasant! No one cares that you have only three legs!" Sootpaw got up and ran out into the forest, and Twigpaw didn't chase him.

She looked around and saw the whole Clan staring except for Molepaw. He was too busy staring at Gingerpaw.

Twigpaw pushed her way into the apprentices' den and pieced her nest back together. When she got the nest back into a recognizable shape, she curled up and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep.

Then she thought about Molepaw. He mooned over the kittypet all day long and never even noticed Twigpaw. A quarter moon ago, Twigpaw considered Molepaw to be her best friend. Now, she didn't know what to think of him. He was too busy with Gingerpaw to even notice anyone else before.

Gingerpaw and Molepaw interrupted her thoughts when they entered the den.

"Try not to attack your nest tonight, will you?" Molepaw curled up in his nest and closed his eyes. Twigpaw just looked at him, her eyes saturated in visible sadness.

Gingerpaw must've noticed because she gave her a look of sympathy.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I know Molepaw is acting differently lately; everyone tells me that he isn't himself. If I made him that way, I am so sorry. Sootpaw told me Molepaw used to be your best friend," Gingerpaw whispered.

"It's okay. It isn't your fault, really. Molepaw has… changed. If you make him happy, then I'm happy." Twigpaw tried to swallow her emotions and not show the sadness in her mew.

"I know that isn't true. I'm sorry, and I'd like it if we could become friends." Gingerpaw curled up into her nest, and Twigpaw was left to her own dark thoughts as the darkness closed in around her.