Chapter 3

Lilyheart ran, her legs aching from running so long without taking even the shortest break. Darksight followed her side, flank to flank. Where had Dapplepaw gone? Surely she couldn't have gone far. Surely she was still in clan territory! They kept running, until finally they found their kit. She sat staring off into the distance, the wind blowing through her fur. Dapplepaw puffed her chest out, and held her head high, feeling the wind blow through her fur. Listening to the wind whistle.

"Dapplepaw, please, come back to the clan. Firestar wants to speak with you..." Lilyheart murmured to her kit, walking up to her and licking her head affectionately.

"He must regret making me an apprentice. I only cause trouble for all the other cats," Dapplepaw murmured, nuzzling her mother's chest with her nose. She drank in the motherly scent her mother always gave off to her.

"I doubt he regrets making you an apprentice. He only wants to help you so you can improve. Dapplepaw, you have to learn to get along with your mentor. Personally, I don't think he's very fit to be a mentor at all, but it's Firestar's decision. Dustpelt is your mentor, and you need to respect him. No matter how much you, and somewhat I, dislike that cat," Darksight said, pressing his flank against hers in a comforting way.

Dapplepaw closed her eyes for a few moments, and then looked at her father, "Alright. Take me back to the clan."

"That's my she-cat," Darksight said, licking her ear before getting up and leading the way back with Lilyheart.

As they entered the clan again, Dapplepaw could feel the judgemental gazes of everyone else. She was the cat who had just yelled at her own leader, after all. Ashamed, she lowered her head, not wanting to meet anyone's gaze. Her parents lead her back to Firestar, who waited patiently. He motioned for her to follow him into the leader's den and she did, but her parents stayed behind. A ripple of conversation broke the silence that had been there due to tension.

"Hmm..What do you think, Bumblepaw?" Shadowpaw asked, looking back at her clanmate.

"What? What do I think about what?" He asked, looking at her with confusion in his eyes.

"What do you think Firestar's going to do to Dapplepaw, duh! Jeez, mouse-brain," Flamepaw asked.

"I don't know. Probably some type of punishment though. Do you really think you should be gossiping about Dapplepaw like that? You're her sister, and Shadowpaw, you're her best friend," Darksight asked the young cats sitting there discussing it.

Shadowpaw looked up at Darksight with wide-eyes, "No. No we shouldn't."

"We're sorry, Dad," Flamepaw said.

"Guess what! Guess what! Guess what!" Blossompaw and Briarpaw came racing up to the group, side by side.

"What?" Bumblepaw asked.

"I caught some really great prey today!" Blossompaw mewed, regaining her breath.

"Did you now? That's great, keep up the good work. Some day you'll be great warriors. (A/N: I just now realized that before I re-read this, Darksight had said they would all become great WORRIES. DX) ALL of you," Darksight meowed gently, but firmly, nuzzling Flamepaw before leaving. Which left her fur a bit disorientated.

"Aaah! He always embarrasses me!" Flamepaw said, licking the disrupted spot in her fur.

"I think it's really cute! The way he cares about you and Dapplepaw so much!" Briarpaw said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it, I get it. Still. Graystripe's got that goofball personality, he must be an interesting dad to you," Flamepaw said.

"I love my dad. He's the best dad I'll ever have," Blossompaw said proudly.

"Well of course he is he's the only dad you'll ever have!" Shadowpaw said numbly.

Blossompaw flicked her tail, irritated, "Hey! I know that!"

"Do you really? You don't act like it!" Shadowpaw taunted, narrowing her eyes.

Blossompaw puffed her chest out, offended, "Fine then, mouse-brain! I'm going to the apprentice's den!"

She stood up, and walked off.

"Jeez, Shadowpaw, that was a bit much. Don't you think?" Bumblepaw sighed, feeling bad for his sister.

"Not at all," Shadowpaw got up and walked off in the opposite direction.

"What's up between those two?" Briarpaw asked.

"No one knows," Bumblepaw shook his head and stretched.

"Like I said, this is a drama clan," Flamepaw rolled her eyes and got to her paws, "I promised my mentor I'd be there for a training session soon. Bye guys."

Flamepaw walked off, and it was then Dapplepaw re-emerged from the leader's den and sulked her way over to Bumblepaw and Briarpaw.

"So, what happened in there?" Bumblepaw asked.

"I'm confined to camp until Firestar says so," Dapplepaw sighed, laying down and closing her eyes, ashamed.

"You really lost it, be glad it's just that," Briarpaw said.

"I guess. It's just hard to keep calm when everyone's jumping down my throat and saying I did something wrong. Everyday, everywhere I go," Dapplepaw flattened her ears to the sides of her head.

"That's part of being an apprentice. Sorry to eavesdrop. I just happened to overhear. Trust me, I know how you feel. I was constantly messing up as an apprentice," Squirrelflight sat down next to Dapplepaw, resting the tip of her tail on Dapplepaw's shoulder.

"You were?" Dapplepaw asked, feeling a bit more comforted.

"Yeah. I was. Don't tell anyone but I got my tongue stuck to a frozen puddle once," Squirrelflight purred.

Dapplepaw couldn't hide her purr of amusement, "Thanks, Squirrelflight. Your words help."

Blossompaw had walked off to the apprentice's den, but it wasn't entirely because she wanted to get away from Shadowpaw, she mainly just wanted to check in on Emberpaw. She was, after all, one of the only three who knew the actual damage he suffered. She found him sitting in his nest, obviously deep in thought. She poked him with a paw.

Emberpaw jumped, startled, "What!? You startled me straight out of my fur, Blossompaw!"

Blossompaw purred with amusement, "I can see that. How are you doing? You okay?" He nodded, "Yeah, everything is still kind of fuzzy, but Jayfeather gave me some herb. Jayfeather can be kind of a grouch, can't he?" "Everyone knows this, Emberpaw, get used to it," Blossompaw said, nudging him playfully with her nose, "I have to go, Hazeltail wants me for some battle training. Get better soon, okay?"

"Heh, okay, sure," Emberpaw said, curling his tail around his paws as he watched Blossompaw leave the den, sighing to himself. He was determined to get out of this rut of his now, one way or another.