A/N: An opening Author's Note! Oh my gosh! Ha ha what brings about this not-very-special occasion you probably wouldn't ask? Well, this is going to be a very long, very eventful, rather confusing chapter. The first half is about a week after where we are now, but the second half is two months later. There will be a split and probably an epic little subtitle to let you know when it happens, I'm just forewarning you. The story really starts kicking now, but don't worry - I'm not even close to done! ;)


Russetfur padded away, having been sent hunting by Lizardfang. The deputy, who wasn't getting any younger, seemed to be getting grumpier by the day. Every cat was starting to feel the clinch of hunger; leafbare was a mouse-length away, and it would be harder than ever to feed themselves with so many mouths to feed. Originally, Russetfur had been going on this patrol with Poolcloud and Duskpaw, but they had apologetically bowed out as soon as they were out of earshot of the camp, saying they had to battle train. The ginger warrior didn't know what for, but she just nodded and let them leave.

There was no threat from WindClan any longer; Tallstar had acquiseced for the sake of his Clan and sent Mudclaw into ShadowClan territory. The warrior was happened upon by Raggedstar and Blackfoot, and while Russetfur herself hadn't been there, word was spread that easily fair revenge was exacted by the Clan leader himself. Every time a ShadowClan patrol came to the WindClan border, hisses and curses were thrown, but it was only fair. The brown warrior deserved what he got.

Her footsteps silent and her ears pricked for any trace of prey noise, Russetfur continued to the eastern border. Soon the Twoleg nests were in view, and a thought struck Russetfur. Life was really getting to her, and she couldn't tell anyone everything, not even Nightpelt. However, Charlie was not in the Clan, and she could say anything to him without fear of word being spread and such. There wasn't hide nor hair of prey anywhere, not a whisker of a mouse in sight. It wasn't like she was really doing any harm, and she could pick up more catmint while there. Whitecough and Greencough were a common occurence in leafbare, and with so many kits in the Clan there couldn't be enough catmint.

Justifying her visit mentally, Russetfur trotted more quickly towards Charlie's nest. She let out a purr when she made out his white form sitting on top of the fence. Soon his scent reached her nose and she knew it was him. He obviously hadn't scented her, since the wind was completely in her favor, so she decided to sneak up on her friend. Once she got within clear vision range, she sank into a hunting crouch and crept forward. She reached the base of the fence without the kittypet even twitching an ear, and she grinned. First catch of the day, she thought jokingly. She launched herself up onto the fence right next to Charlie, making his tail poof out comically.

"Hi." Russetfur smiled and Charlie whipped around, tipping dangerously to one side before righting himself. His light green eyes were wide with surprise, but they switched to mostly relieved when he saw it was his warrior friend.

Breathing a soft sigh, he closed his eyes for a moment before replying, "Hello, Russetfur." Gesturing with his head, he leaped down onto the flat Twoleg thing that was several tail-lengths above the ground, but only half the height of the fence. The warrior followed, landing a bit more gracefully than he had. "What brings you here?" Charlie asked, trying to sound cheerful though his eyes darting around nervously betrayed how he really felt.

Tipping her head to one side, Russetfur replied slowly, "I just wanted to talk...But you've obviously got something on your mind. Spill." Dark green eyes met light green for a moment before the huge tom looked down.

"I-it's nothing, really. Just some cats have been harassing me, trying to get me to join their little group. They said they could use my size, but then when I told them I'd rather not, they attacked me! There were only two of them, and they were pretty small, but they were better fighters than you, no offense. If my Twolegs hadn't heard and chased them off, I might not have made it." Charlie explained, head down and his paws kneading the hard surface anxiously.

Russetfur twined her tail with his comfortingly, now noticing the scratches on his pelt. "I'd bet three bits of prey that it was ThunderClan. They're always doing mouse-brained things like that. They shouldn't bother you again if it was just ThunderClan." Charlie glanced up hopefully, then shook his head.

"They didn't smell like Clan cats. They smelled like crowfood, and one of them had a collar with huge teeth stuck in it. It was really scary. I hope they don't come back." The gray and white tom told her, a quaver in his voice.

Careful not to nick his wounds, Russetfur leaned against him. "Maybe not ThunderClan then, though some of their warriors do smell like crowfood sometimes." She smiled, and Charlie returned it weakly. "If they come back, they'll hear from me." she said fiercely when she saw just how scared her friend was. While she knew part of his fear probably stemmed from the soft life he led, there was truth in his tone, and for those cats to scare him this badly, there had to be something amiss.

"Well, what did you want to talk about?" he changed the subject.

Russetfur heaved a sigh. "Nothing that will cheer you up, Charlie." He shrugged and gestured for her to continue regardless. "Well, you can probably tell that the Clans don't generally like each other very much." His whiskers twitched in amusement. "But I have a friend from ThunderClan, who I met at the Gatherings, where all four Clans meet in peace. His name is Tigerclaw. We've been friends ever since I saved him from a fox when he was a kit and I was barely an apprentice.

"We talked at Gatherings and just had a good time...Until the day I met you. After you left, I was going back to camp and Tigerclaw was in ShadowClan territory! He said he had to talk to me, and since I couldn't risk him being seen by other ShadowClan warriors, I complied. He...He told me he loved me. I told him we could never be together because we were in different Clans, and I made him go back to ThunderClan territory. But I think I might love him too." Charlie looked stunned and a bit confused. Before he could speak, Russetfur continued. "But it just gets worse. My sisters both have a bunch of kits now, and I keep feeling like I should have kits of my own. I know I could never be mates with Tigerclaw, and the only other tom in my whole Clan that I even like besides Littlepaw is Nightpelt, and he definitely doesn't feel the same way.

"I don't really like him like that, but he is my friend and was my apprentice, so I feel really connected to him." The ginger warrior babbled. Charlie licked her between the ears, a sad smile on his face.

Looking her in the eyes, he told her carefully, "Looks like you're in quite the pickle. This Tigerclaw character looks a bit shady, showing up on your territory, especially if things are as tense between Clans as it seems. As for Nightpelt... Be careful. He might see you as just a friend. Or just as his mentor. Er, ex-mentor. But what about this Littlepaw? Who's he?"

"He's... the medicine cat apprentice. They're not allowed to have mates." Russetfur said. The fact didn't really hurt her; she saw Littlepaw as more of a brother than a potential mate. Charlie nodded and started grooming her fur. She reciprocated the simple act, feeling her heart warm with the contact. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so unbidden. But as time flew past inconsiderately, the warrior had to leave. "I should probably get going, Charlie. I'm supposed to be hunting."

As she stood up, the kittypet asked a bit sadly, "When will I see you again?" His light green eyes looked frightened again, as if once she were gone there was nothing to protect him from the mysterious, harassing Twolegplace cats.

"I don't know. Things have been really tough lately, and there's little food to be had, not to mention the other Clans being pissed at us. I'll come back the moment I have time, but don't worry if it's a while. Still, if those cats are really getting serious... It'll be dangerous, but you can try to come find me in my territory. I'd be out that way." Russetfur gestured with her tail in the direction of the camp, knowing the risk she was taking by doing so. Charlie nodded, swiped a tongue over her ear, and let her go.

As the dark ginger warrior sped away on her delicate, dangerous paws, a loud wail came from inside Charlie's nest. The large tom narrowed his eyes and growled, "That damned kitten!" He then jumped down from the fence to quiet the young cat before its cries brought back those dog tooth cats.

Meanwhile, Russetfur traveled back to the camp, only managing to pick up young mouse and a scrawny frog on the way. Upon her arrival, she saw that the fresh-kill pile was completely empty. Ignoring her growling stomach, she dropped the mouse on the pile and started to carry the frog to the nursery. Tallpoppy sat outside, talking to Tanglekit, while her other kits romped a few tail-lengths away. The tabby queen's tail was twitiching nervously, or perhaps irritatedly, as she seemed to snap at Tanglekit.

Russetfur dropped the frog at her sister's paws and asked, "What's going on?"

"Tanglekit won't talk." Tallpoppy said in a low voice, a tremor in her words telling of her anxiety. "All of the others have, most of them never stop. Even Foxheart's kits have started talking, but he won't. Or can't." Tanglekit looked down at his paws. Russetfur padded over to him and lifted his chin by tickling his neck lightly with her tail. Unable to resist the tickling, his face spread into an accidental smile, and his mouth as opened as if he were laughing, yet no sound came out save for a rasping of air.

The sisters exchanged a worried glance, which Tanglekit saw and the smile faded from his lips. "Try and say something, Tanglekit. Do you understand?" The kit's eyes met with Russetfur's as she asked him this. He nodded before squeezing his eyes closed and opening his mouth. His lungs filled with air, and he jutted his head forward as he tried desperately to make some kind of noise. The air came out in a broken, loud rasp, but not a squeak, cry, or word came out. Turning to the queen, Russetfur said slowly, "I think we should see Runningnose about this."

Tallpoppy bit her lip, indecisive. Russetfur understood that the queen didn't want their to be anything wrong with her kit, but obviously something was going on and if it could be fixed, then every cat would be better off. Finally, her sister dipped her head, got to her paws, and gestured for Tanglekit to follow her. At a nod from Tallpoppy, Foxheart took the frog for herself and swallowed in a few quick bites, keeping an eye on Tallpoppy's other kits.

The three cats plodded to the medicine den slowly. Only Littlepaw appeared to be in the den, so Russetfur sat down in front of him and nudged Tanglekit forward. The kit stumbled forward, looking worried. "Tanglekit can't talk." Russetfur said simply, and Tallpoppy nodded to back her up.

Littlepaw frowned in response. "Are you sure he's not just shy or quiet? Tanglekit, it's okay to talk around me, okay? If you want, I won't tell any other cat." The kit just rolled his eyes and tried to talk again, as if trying to prove he wasn't pretending. Littlepaw's whiskers twitched. "Okay then. Can you laugh? Purr? Whisper? Squeak? Anything?" Tanglekit shook his head, then tried to do each of these things. When the kit tried to purr, a slight burbling sound came out, and he jumped. He tried it again, and the noise was similar to the rasping of air that came out when he tried to talk, only in a smooth, rolling motion.

He smiled, but Littlepaw's frown only deepened. "Tallpoppy, I wouldn't lose hope, because he still has plenty of time to develop, but you should be prepared, as Tanglekit is likely mute." Tanglekit glared furiously at Littlepaw when his mother gave a small cry of despair, but the medicine cat apprentice only looked back at him sadly.

A moment later, Yellowfang slipped out of the shadows of the back of the den and snapped, "What are you crying about? Most kits never shut up. Consider yourself lucky. You'll never have to listen to the little brat whine about being hungry in your life." Tallpoppy looked stung, but Russetfur was furious.

"What do you know, you old hag? You'll never have kits of your own, so you're the one who should shut your mouth!" Russetfur hissed at the cat, sick of her nasty sniping. The gray she-cat opened her mouth as if to negate something she had said, before closing it and walking to the back of the cave, muttering something about parsley. Slightly, strangely disappointed by the vile cat's lack of response, Russetfur's tail twitched irritably, but she calmed her tone to say, "Come on, Tallpoppy, Tanglekit." She led her sister and nephew out of the den, wondering how Tanglekit could lead a normal life if he could never cry for help, tell a she-cat he loved her, or tell any stories.


Two moons later...

"From this day forward, you shall be known as Flamepaw, Dustpaw, Darkpaw, and Kinkpaw." Raggedstar told the three she-cats. Russetfur sat near the back of the crowd, in between Hollyflower, her ex mentor and the mother of the new apprentices, and Runningnose. Gingerkit sat in between Russetfur's paws, seeing off her denmates, and Sleetkit was not far off. "Flamepaw, your mentor will be Featherstorm. She has taught several apprentices, and I know she will be a good mentor once again." The queen stepped forward to touch noses with the young she-cat, her tail held proudly.

Russetfur glanced down at Gingerkit and licked the top of her head warmly. While happy for the Clan to have new apprentices, she felt weary of all the ceremonies, happening too often fro them to be much of a treat. "Dustpaw, Russetfur will be your mentor." At the leader's words, Russetfur jerked into awareness. Raggedstar hadn't told her he was giving her Dustpaw as an apprentice! "She taught Nightpelt and Whitewater well, and she will surely do the same for you." The ginger warrior quickly stood and padded forward to touch noses with her new, unexpected apprentice.

She couldn't help but notice that Dustpaw looked a little displeased as she went back to sit with Gingerkit, who was looking up at her admiringly. Kinkpaw was apprenticed to Crowtail and Darkpaw to Brightflower, and the Clan cheered for the new apprentices. Once the calling stopped, Gingerkit circled her paw excitedly. "You're Dustpaw's mentor! She's so lucky!"

As she said this, a small 'hmmph' came from somewhere to the left of them, quite possibly from Dustpaw herself. Russetfur shrugged it off, though she was a little unnerved. Raggedstar approached her, and Russetfur sat up straight.

Before she could say anything, Raggedstar said simply, "Take Dustpaw to Carrionplace and find some prey. The elders and queens are hungry, and Dawncloud's kits will be here in a moon, so she needs all the prey she can get." Dawncloud had moved into the nursery, and Stumpytail was now training Brownpaw, and since the queen was somewhat older than all the other queens, she wasn't eating very much, saying that the younger queens needed it more. Featherstorm, Dawncloud's remaining littermate, was still trying desperately to get her to eat more.

Russetfur stood again, and Dustpaw made her way over with a bitter expression, having overheard. The warrior nuzzled Gingerkit before leaving camp with the apprentice that so resembled her old mentor. Once they were most of the way to Carrionplace, Russetfur asked slowly, "Is something wrong, Dustpaw? You look...angry."

The gray and black she-cat continued leaped ahead of Russetfur to turn and look her in the eyes. "I don't like you."

This surprised Russetfur a little, but she was perfectly calm in asking, "Why is that?"

"Because everyone thinks you're perfect." Dustpaw said, as if it should be obvious. "Because even though there are plenty of ShadowClan warriors that could best you in a fight or catch more prey, and have seniority over you, every cat thinks you'll be the next deputy. Because you're considered Whitewater's mentor even though Littlebird was her real mentor. Because you stick your nose where it doesn't belong! Because just since you know who my father is, you can hold it over Hollyflower like a curse!" The apprentice was nearly shouting by the end of it, and Russetfur was slightly stunned.

In slow, broken phrases, Russetfur responded guardedly, "I don't hold the identity of your father over Hollyflower like a curse. I have never threatened to reveal her secret. I only told her that I disapprove. Cats aren't supposed to have mates from other Clans. I also know that I'm not the best fighter or hunter in the Clan, and while I don't deny that I hope to walk in my father's footsteps one day, I doubt I will be the next deputy. And not everyone thinks I'm perfect. Blackfoot hates me."

Dustpaw snorted. "Only because he likes you and knows you would never be his mate. Couldn't you tell?" Russetfur's jaw dropped at this little tidbit. "Wow." The apprentice rolled her eyes at her mentor's obliviousness. "Look, I still don't like you and I probably never will, so let's just get on with the hunting." She snapped, falling back into place as Russetfur led her the rest of the way to Carrionplace.

While the dark ginger she-cat taught Dustpaw the basics of hunting tersely, the young cat noted several pairs of eyes gleaming from all around them. Their identities were revealed when a huge rat scurried forward from the darkness, very visible against the light snow that had fallen. Dustpaw jumped back, but Russetfur pounced on it. The rat squealed in surprise and tried to fight back, but the warrior already had her teeth around its neck, and it didn't stand a chance. In a few moments, the rat was dead.

Russetfur stepped forward to walk back to Dustpaw, but two rats came from a pile of crowfood and sank their teeth into the warrior's leg and chest. Dropping the kill with a yowl of surprise, she tried to shake them off unsuccessfully. Now clawing at the rat whose fangs were still embedded into her foreleg, Russetfur managed to get it to back away. Dustpaw came forward to help, recovering from the shock, but Russetfur blocked her from getting any closer. The warrior managed to arch her neck so that she could get her own teeth into the second rat, who then squealed, let go, and ran off, the first limping behind.

"Let's go." Russetfur said, trembling slightly and her eyes wide. Dustpaw said nothing, only picked up the rat her new mentor had killed and followed her back to camp.

The camp was silent, with dusk setting in. Though usually apprentices would be around camp, play-fighting, and warriors talking, only three cats were visible in the whole camp; the rest were likely in their dens. Remembering Dawncloud, Russetfur took the rat to the nursery, wondering what was going on. Just outside, she could hear raised voices, and she paused, quieting her breathing. Russetfur heard Lizardstripe ask scathingly, "What is that?"

The queen had had her two kits, named Dirtkit and Ratkit, only two days before, which only aggravated her hostile demeanor. "It's a kit." Came Yellowfang's voice, and Russetfur tilted her head to one side. She swore she had heard a male voice, not Yellowfang's. And more importantly, what kit?

"It's my kit." The voice she had heard earlier sounded, and Russetfur's eyes widened. Raggedstar!

A snort, muffled by the walls of the den, was followed by Lizardstripe's sarcastic response, "Oh, yes? What a miracle. If I'd known toms could have kits, I would have made Mudclaw have these brats of mine himself." An impatient sigh was followed by Raggedstar saying something in a low voice that Russetfur couldn't quite make out. "What kind of mouse-brained nonsense is that?" Lizardstripe asked loudly, her voice coming through clear. "Why should I have to put up with another mewling lump of fur? I didn't ask for these kits, either, but you don't see me dumping them on some other cat. It's not my job to take care of every unwanted kitten in the Clan." Russetfur saw the queen's logic, but she was desperately curious to know what Raggedstar was going to do if Lizardstripe wouldn't take care of the kit.

"He is not unwanted. He is my son, and I will always claim him as my own. You are being given a great honor, you unworthy cat. Who wouldn't want to be the mother of the Clan leader's son- and perhaps the future leader of the Clan himself?" Raggedstar spat, and Russetfur's pelt stood on end. He couldn't make a cat deputy or leader just because they're his kit! She couldn't stand just listening anymore, so she barged in the nursery with her rat.

Her eyes widened in mock surprise when she saw Yellowfang and Raggedstar with the dark brown, long-furred kit. It's ears were flat against its head, and its tail was bent in the middle like a broken branch. "What's going on?" she asked in fake curiosity, setting down the rat.

"This ungrateful cat is refusing to take care of my kit." Raggedstar growled, while Lizardstripe interrupted him.

"It's not my responsibility! I didn't want these kits, and I don't want yours!" she hissed before Raggedtsar could finish.

Russetfur stepped in between them. "Raggedstar! It might not be my place, but I am shocked that you would speak in such a way to Lizardstripe, after all she's been through especially because she just had her kits! Lizardstripe, while I am sorry about what happened to you, do you really want to have the blood of the Clan leader's kit on your paws? It's obviously too young to eat prey, and you're the only nursing queen. Without you, it will die."

Lizardstripe sat up sharply and took the kit from Yellowfang, placing it at her stomach and closing her eyes pointedly. She was not asleep for her tail waving back and forth furiously, but Raggedstar was evidently satisfied. Letting out a huff of air, Russetfur took the rat over to Dawncloud, who was minding her own business across the den. With a pang, the dark ginger warrior wondered if Dustpaw was right about her poking her nose where it didn't belong.

"I brought this for you, Dawncloud. And only you. Featherstorm will claw my ears off if you don't eat it." She smiled, but the queen only stared down at the prey morosely. "Hey, what's wrong?" The two she-cats weren't really friends, but Russetfur had talked to her on occasion, and she was normally rather carefree.

The pretty tabby she-cat looked up at her pityingly. "Didn't you hear?"

Russetfur's fur once more lifted in fear. Was there some other reason the Clan was so quiet? She shook her head no, and a tear fell from Dawncloud's eye as she said shakily, "Archeye is dead."


A/N: =( I dislike ending on a sad note. Poor Archeye. Okay, happier topics. Er, not really. Sorry this chapter was so tremendously long. Or is that a good thing? I dunno. I probably should have split it in two, like I said earlier, but I'm far too lazy. Also, I used some direct quotes from the books, sorry. I know that last scene about Raggedstar and Lizardstripe didn't go exactly as it did in the books, but this story is so full of errors and whoopsies that what's one more? I haven't decided yet but there's either going to be a big time warp the next chapter or I'll push that down one and have a filler chapter about Archeye and Dustpaw. Speaking of which, I was getting awfully Mary Sue ish with having most cats be fond of Russetfur, so I had to throw in a little adversity, though don't worry, every cat hates her by the time she's a deputy. Lastly, I dislike Yellowfang, which is why she's kind of a (forgive my language) heinous bitch in this. Sorry. More on that later, I have to go so I'll post this and go away now.