So here's another Copperpaw chapter! I have to say she's one of my favorite characters so far. I hope that everyone else will grow to like her. Oh, and just to warn you, this chapter is a bit odd. Hopefully you'll understand where I'm going with it.

Chapter 5

Warm sunlight bathed Copperpaw's pelt. She yawned and stretched out her back. This was her second day as an apprentice, and already she was feeling the pressure of it all. Her mentor had shown her the territory for most of the other day. Speaking of which...She groaned when she saw the lithe form of Cinderheart emerge from the darkness of the warriors' den. The gray tabby was proving to be a formidable mentor, but she had already snapped at Copperpaw twice today.

"...Coming soon." Copperpaw's ears pricked when she realized Cinderheart was speaking to Jayfeather. "We must keep an eye on her, and don't let her do anything that could jeopardize the prophecy."

Waves of guilt rolled across Cinderheart. Copperpaw wondered why they would need to keep an eye on her. Jayfeather had already announced that she was Marked. According to the medicine cat, a Marked cat was gifted with unusual powers. Though Copperpaw didn't know what her powers were yet, she knew they would come in time. As all Marked cats would.

"Should we really keep this from her and Bramblestar?" Cinderheart asked cautiously. "I mean, the leader of ThunderClan has a right to know what's happening to his apprentices."

Copperpaw ducked her head when Jayfeather spun around to face her. She didn't want him to know she could hear him. Of course that didn't mean he already knew. Jayfeather had more than one way of finding out whether or not a cat was eavesdropping on him.

"And what do you think we will tell him? That Copperpaw is going to destroy the Clans?" Jayfeather scoffed at his own words, causing Copperpaw to flinch. "These cats aren't ready to accept that there is one with more power than us. I won't allow panic to take over the Clan."

Jayfeather turned back towards his den, ignoring Cinderheart's gasp. Copperpaw flattened her ears. She knew what was coming before it even happened. Cinderheart would take her frustration out on her apprentice. That was how things seemed to work around the Clan.

Cinderheart shook her head. She knew that Jayfeather could be fickle sometimes, but this was worse. Keeping secrets from the Clan leader felt like breaking the warrior code. After listening to Hollyleaf complain about it for so many moons as an apprentice, the code had been embedded into her brain. Now Cinderheart could recite every part of it. She had seen how Copperpaw acted around the warrior code after reciting parts of it to her apprentice.

Her apprentice didn't want to be part of the warrior code. That was what it felt like. So she tried to act tough around Copperpaw. Everything, it was all an act. Mostly because of the way Lionblaze had forgotten about her. Copperpaw reminded Cinderheart so much of Lionblaze when he was an apprentice. She had the same attitude, and protective nature.

The gray tabby sighed. No one ever said love would be easy. Especially if the cat she loved was one of the Three. She never stopped loving him. But some part of her told her that falling in love was wrong. That something terrible would happen if she did.

"Copperpaw!" she called. She could see her apprentice crouching near a thorn bush. Copperpaw's ears were flat against her skull. Slowly she emerged from the other side, tail dragging behind her. "You've done nothing wrong, but I would like you to clean out the elders' den today. It hasn't been finished yet." She looked past Copperpaw and towards the elders' den, where Purdy rested.

The former loner had fit in well with the Clan over the last few moons. Ever since Mousefur had died though, he seemed to be getting lonely again. Cinderheart knew that the apprentices liked to keep him company when they could. It was time Copperpaw learned to do the same.

Copperpaw ducked as she fled towards the elders' den. She didn't know why Cinderheart and Jayfeather would have discussed such matters. It felt as though the prophecy was meant for Bramblestar's ears as well. She could tell that Cinderheart didn't want to keep the prophecy a secret. But Jayfeather's lips remained pursed as she trailed towards Purdy, who had risen from his nest.

"Well, looks like an apprentice finally came," he meowed when she approached. "My nest is gettin' old and dusty, and I would like some fresh-kill. A mouse will do."

He tilted his head when Copperpaw did as he instructed. Much to her disgust, his nest was covered in gritty sand. Something she would have rather kept away from her.

She winced as she gathered the moss under her chin. Purdy was busy grooming himself. He wouldn't notice if she disappeared for a while.

After collecting as much moss as she could, Copperpaw padded out of camp. The other apprentices had been watching her with amused expressions. Most cats rarely carried moss the way she did, tucked under her chin. This was the way Copperpaw preferred it. That way she could carry more if needed be.

Birdsong and the sounds of prey running through the undergrowth carried across the forest floor. Copperpaw dropped the old bedding near a patch of nettles. Purdy wouldn't miss it if she found him fresh bedding to sleep on.

A sudden flurry of wings caught Copperpaw's attention. She looked up to see a small, delicate looking bird hopping about the branch of a tree. The sound of its feathers was almost soothing, much to Copperpaw's surprise. She enjoyed listening to their beats as the bird searched for tiny insects inside the bark. It was like listening to the purrs of her mother as Hazeltail washed her kits.

I wish I could fly around like that, Copperpaw thought as she watched it fly to another branch. I could see the whole world if I flew.

Just the very thought of exploring the world made her fur crawl in anticipation. Once she was old enough, she could do what ever she wanted. To her being part of the Clan was nothing but a burden. All she would get to do was worry about when she would have to feed the Clan. Or find a mate, which was something she spat at. The idea of becoming a queen at a young age appalled Copperpaw.

As she imagined her life as a bird, she didn't notice the changes around her. Instead of thinking like a cat, Copperpaw began to think of eating insects and protecting her young. Soon her fur began to change, until feathers took over. Her body became unbearably light. It was as if something had replaced the heavy muscles that helped her in a fight. She ignored the moss that had somehow been placed in a patch of nettles. The birdsong was too much for Copperpaw.

With a great flap of her newly formed wings, Copperpaw found herself reaching the branch the bird hopped around on. She blinked when the bird had stopped hopping. A look of sheer disbelief crossed his expression.

"Y-you're not from around here!" he screeched.

"I actually am," Copperpaw chirped. "But I don't know what you are. Or your name." She tilted her head and was surprised to find that she couldn't remember the reason she'd been in the forest the first place.

The bird's tail flapped in confusion. "Well, I am a thrush," he replied. "I've been hiding here because there was a cat stalking in the undergrowth. I thought it was after me." He fluffed up his feathers to make himself look larger.

"A thrush," she repeated. So that was what she was.

She imagined living in the hollow of a tree, or a nest at the edge of a thick branch. Down below she saw the forest swarming with life. Insects and mice seemed to be in all places. Nearby she spotted a cat moving swiftly through the thick undergrowth. Its lithe form sent a terrifying jolt through her. She was grateful to be up in this tree, rather than down there.

"What's your name?" she asked once the cat had trotted out of view.

"Weaver," he replied. "My mother's name is Hickory, and my father's name is Loon." When the bird lifted his wings, she thought he was about to take off. Than he looked at her curiously. "You failed to mention your name, however," he added.

"I..." She flinched when she realized that she couldn't remember it. Something told her that deep down her name was different from his. "I don't remember," she admitted after moments of mulling over it.

"Copperpaw!" The young thrush squawked in surprise when she heard a primitive yowl. Copperpaw...The name sounded familiar, and it had a nice ring to it. Suddenly all of Copperpaw's memories came flooding back. The image of a furious Cinderheart crossed her mind as she remembered the reason why she was out here. She was a cat, not a thrush. Yet her instincts were telling her to fly with Weaver, who had already taken off. For the first time since she could remember, Copperpaw ignored her instincts and flapped down towards the forest floor, only to meet an angry patrol of cats.

Cinderheart, Lionblaze, and an overly worried Hazeltail were part of it. She saw the tiny form of Mallowpaw crouched beside Hazeltail as the former queen searched for her. Copperpaw barely had time to react as her body changed once more, into the form of a cat. She groaned inwardly as her belly churned in confusion. What ever just happened was going to happen again, whether she wanted it to or not.

"There you are!" Hazeltail's disgruntled mew broke the icy fear that had formed around Copperpaw. "Where were you, and why do you smell like that tree?"

When Copperpaw didn't reply, Lionblaze stepped forward and gave her a gentle nudge. "She's fine, Hazeltail," he murmured. "Lets get her back to Jayfeather so he can check on her."

After a few words were exchanged, Hazeltail finally agreed. She and Lionblaze worked together bringing Copperpaw back. When Bramblestar had asked what happened, it was Cinderheart who explained everything.

Hazeltail gently placed her daughter on a freshly collected pile of moss in Jayfeather's den. The gray and white queen had been worried sick about her daughter all day, and here she was in the medicine cat's den. She didn't trust Jayfeather one bit, but she knew that he would find out what was wrong with Copperpaw. She just hoped that none of this would permanently damage Copperpaw. Or the Clan, after it was only just recovering from the attack of the Place of no Stars.

Wow, this was my longest chapter yet! Maybe with the author's note it'll reach two thousand. Anyways, so Copperpaw's powers have been discovered. Or part of them. I actually had fun writing about her powers. Flowerkit's will be just as fun, and so will Stormkit. Rockkit is the one I'm not looking forward to. Please review!