Thank you all for the kind reviews. I'll be updating periodically through-out the day, so I may upload a chapter within one hour, and wait for another for about two more hours. I guess we'll see. The plot line continues!

Chapter 4.

Goldenpaw nestled warmly in her nest, huddled up against her brother and sister. She was so used to sleeping next to them, it was hard for her to want to move. She was about to drift off to sleep, when she heard movement from the entrance of the den. She poked her head up and gazed at Tigerpaw. He didn't notice that she was awake. He crawled into a nest far away from the rest of his den mates, even his own siblings, and curled up in a tight ball, his amber eyes glistening in the darkness.

His body seemed tense and his fur was bedraggled. She figured that it was because of Thistleclaw. He had a cut above his eye, she noted. He had just been to the Medicine Cat den, because the blood was clean from the cut, and all that remained was a scar to remind him for the rest of his life.

Goldenpaw glanced at her brother and sister, before getting to her paws and climbing over the other apprentices and making her way to Tigerpaw. He looked up, hearing her move. "I'm sorry." He mewed quietly. "Did I wake you?"

Goldenpaw shook her head and sat down beside him. "No, I was already awake. I couldn't sleep." She admitted. Tigerpaw moved over and motioned with his tail for her to lay down with him.

Her fur heated up in embarrassment, but she curled up next to him nonetheless. "How was your day?" Tigerpaw asked, his tone quiet.

Goldenpaw yawned and gazed up at him. "It was good. I became an apprentice, I got to see our territory, and now, I get to rest with my best friend. How was your day?" She replied as she purred with happiness and curled up closer to him.

Tigerpaw rested his head against her head. "It was good, I . . ." He stopped talking as Goldenpaw slowly drifted off to sleep. He purred and licked her nose. "Goodnight, Goldenpaw." He mewed, before drifting off to sleep himself.

"Psst, Goldenpaw!"

A paw jabbed the young she-cat in the side and she grumbled in response. "Wh-what?"

"Dappletail wants you. Its training day!" It was Rosepaw, Goldenpaw's sister. And at the sound of training, Goldenpaw quickly got to her paws, forgetting all about being tired.

"Great!" She mewed, stretching her legs. "Do we get to eat first?"

Rosepaw purred in amusement. "Yes, silly. Come on." She nudged her sister playfully as she exited the Apprentice den.

Goldenpaw purred deep within her chest and gazed around. The place where Tigerpaw had slept was empty. His nest was still warm, so she figured that he had barely just left. Probably for Dawn Patrol. Her fur heated up at the memory; she had slept next to Tigerpaw last night, and she couldn't have been any happier than she was with that thought.

She quickly followed her sister out of the den and made her way to the fresh-kill pile. She picked up a shrew from the pile and laid down beside her sister. "Where's Blackpaw?" She asked as she placed the shrew between her paws. When Goldenpaw woke up this morning, Blackpaw was already gone.

"Oh. Icefur took him on Dawn Patrol. He and Tigerpaw should be back soon." Rosepaw was watching her sister carefully. It made a shiver run down her spine. It was as if her sister suspected her of doing something.

She just shrugged the thought away. "Great. So, are we going battle training or what?" She asked, ignoring Rosepaw's suspicious look.

"Battle training." Rosepaw replied slowly. "Shallownose and Dappletail thought it would be appropriate for an older apprentice to show us how its done, instead of showing us. So, with Thistleclaw's grumbled agreement, Tigerpaw is going to show us."

Goldenpaw just nodded her head. "Sounds fun." And bit into her shrew. The delicious taste invaded her mouth and she was in Starclan for those few precious moments.

"Oh great, Starclan, Goldenpaw!" Rosepaw snapped. "Will you stop pretending that every time you hear Tigerpaw's name, your heart isn't beating faster? I saw you last night! You're totally . . ." but Rosepaw never got to finish what she was saying, because right at that moment, Thistleclaw, Tigerpaw, Bluefur, Bluefur's apprentice, Icefur, and Blackpaw returned from the Dawn Patrol.

Goldenpaw jumped to her feet, gobbling the rest of her shrew down and ran off to go meet Tigerpaw and Blackpaw who were talking to each other. It was anything to get away from her sister's annoying taunts. "Hey!" She mewed, almost out of breathe as she caught up to them.

Tigerpaw purred in amusement at her ruffled fur. "Calm down, we're not being invaded by Shadowclan." He licked the top of her head, relaxing the ruffled fur on top of it.

Goldenpaw flicked her tail in protest. "Hey! I'm not a kit anymore!" She whined.

Blackpaw rolled his eyes and ran off to go to talk to Rosepaw.

"So looks like I'm showing you some battles moves today." Tigerpaw mewed, his tail flicking her shoulder.

Goldenpaw nodded. "That's what Rosepaw said, but aren't you tired?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

Tigerpaw snorted and stretched his front legs, flexing his claws. "What? Me? Tired? Never!" He mewed, sitting back up. "Your brother might be though." He flicked his tail towards Blackpaw who was tripping over himself, as he made his way to the Apprentice den after Icefur had told him to. "He's an excited ball of fur, but he needs to relax. He could barely catch up with the rest of us. He would have if he wouldn't have been running around, checking everything out, in the beginning." He purred in amusement.

Goldenpaw shrugged. "That's my brother for you." She gazed up at Tigerpaw. His broad shoulders were relaxed and his amber eyes were soft. She remembered hearing about how tiny he was when he was kit. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe.

"Goldenpaw! Tigerpaw! Come on! We're going!" Dappletail called.

Goldenpaw nodded. "Let's go!" With that said, she ran after her mentor, with Tigerpaw hot on her trail. She wondered how he could still be so energetic after going to sleep so late, waking up for Dawn Patrol, and teaching some new apprentices a few battle moves. She idolized him for that.

Goldenpaw caught up with her sister and their mentors. Thankfully, Thistleclaw was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Thistleclaw?" She asked, doing her best to hide the happiness in her voice about him not being there. There was just something about him that bothered her deeply, and by his and Tigerpaw's conversation last night, she had every reason to not like him.

Dappletail glanced back at her apprentice. "He's helping Bluefur out, since she refuses to go to the Nursery, and as pregnant as she is." The she-cat scoffed in amazement, shaking her head. "But don't worry about it. Tigerpaw doesn't need his mentor. He's a very good apprentice. In fact, here soon, he should be ready to become a warrior."

Goldenpaw's heart sank at the thought of Tigerpaw leaving her behind, but she just nodded. She fell back in step with Tigerpaw, whom had been walking behind her. She glanced up at him and mewed quietly, "What happened to your eye, Tigerpaw?" She had an inkling that she knew, but she wasn't going to voice her suspicions a loud.

Tigerpaw shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Goldenpaw. It was an accident." But something about the cut on his eye made her believe that it defiantly wasn't an accident.

But, Goldenpaw didn't press and turned her ears to listen to the forest around them.

She could hear Rosepaw and Shallownose's conversation.

"When is the Gathering, Shallownose?" She asked him.

"In a few sundowns, but you shouldn't worry. New apprentices don't always go. Now, don't give me that look. There's a chance that you and your siblings will be able to go, but Sunstar will have to pick who will go, and that being said, its no one but his decision, so don't fret." He licked his apprentice's forehead in reassurance.

Finally, they got to the battle clearing and Tigerpaw then proceeded to show the new apprentices some of his favorite and best battle moves, before showing them the most simple of ones. He showed them how to do the Hunter's Crouch, and every cat was amazed at how well Goldenpaw's turned out to be. She just gazed at Tigerpaw and purred quietly in her chest.

After they were done at the battle clearing, the sun slowly began to sink behind the trees. It was almost sundown, and the moon would be rising in the sky. A half moon, which meant that Shallownose was right, the Gathering was only a few sundowns away.

As the group headed back to the clearing, they noticed that Sunstar was rising to the High Rock. Goldenpaw knew exactly what he was about to do. She glanced at Tigerpaw and he seemed unaware of what was happening, even though Goldenpaw thought it was quite obvious.

"Will all cats old enough to catch their own prey come to the High Rock for a Clan meeting!" He called, his voice echoing through-out the clearing. All cats began emerging. Goldenpaw noticed that Thistleclaw was standing near the rock with a cynical look in his eyes; he did not seem at all pleased, but it was evident that he was going to let it happen anyways.

"Tigerpaw, will you please come up here." Sunstar called.

Tigerpaw, in shock, gulped and approached the High Rock under Sunstar's command. "Do you promise to watch over your Clan, to care for it, and battle for it, even with the cost of your life?" He asked.

Tigerpaw nodded. "I do."

Sunstar turned to gaze down at Thistleclaw. "Thistleclaw, is your apprentice ready to become a warrior? Has he learned everything that you could teach him?"

Thistleclaw nodded, but didn't say anything.

Sunstar turned back to Tigerpaw and announced to Starclan, "Then, by Starclan, I give you your warrior name, may Starclan approve." He gazed at the stars before finishing. "Tigerpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Tigerclaw. We are grateful to have your strength and courage in our Clan. You will make a fine warrior." The newly named Tigerclaw gazed up at his leader with sparkling eyes, licking his shoulder, muttering a thanks to his leader and to Starclan.

Tigerclaw leaped down from the High Rock and joined Thistleclaw and Bluefur below. Tigerclaw's sisters were also given their warrior names that night, but out of all of them, Tigerclaw looked the happiest.

Goldenpaw sighed and turned away from the meeting. She grabbed a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and dragged it over to a corner beside the apprentice den. It was nice while it lasted. She ate in silence, even though the taste of the mouse couldn't have tasted fouler. Tigerclaw would be sitting vigil tonight, and all Goldenpaw wanted to was to run away.

That night, when everyone was sleeping, Goldenpaw escaped the Apprentice den, and gazed over at Tigerclaw, who was sitting vigil with his sisters. She sighed and bounded to the Dirt Place, as if to make dirt, but instead, escaped through the gape, crawling through the brambles, and making her way through the forest.

As she walked through the forest, she neared the border of Riverclan and Thunderclan. Maybe she could find a new home across the border. She shook the thought away. Suddenly, a noise stopped her in her tracks and she crouched down low in the undergrowth and listened. "What are you doing?" A voice hissed. Whoever it was, was over the border, she could tell.

"I had to see you." Another voice mewed.

Goldenpaw wondered why the voice seemed so familiar.

"You're heavy with kits. You shouldn't be here. You need to go to the Nursery!" The first voice continued.

"Oakheart, you know I can't do that. My Clan comes first; I have to take care of them."

"Then why are you here?" The fist voice snapped.

"Because, I want you to know that when these kits are born, I'm bringing them to you. Have Graypool take care of them. She would be a good mother." The second voice mewed quietly.

"But she's not you, Bluefur. They're our kits, they belong with you."

That's why her voice seemed so familiar! It was Bluefur! Wait, so that meant that Oakheart was the kits father? But Bluefur would have never broken the warrior code. Obviously, she did, though.

"Fine." Oakheart eventually replied. "Because they are our kits and I know you have a destiny bigger then us. I love you, Bluefur. I always will. Now go home." Oakheart demanded.

"I'll always love you too, Oakheart. Goodbye." And with that, Goldenpaw heard leaves rustling and knew that Bluefur was heading home. She poked her head out of the undergrowth and watched as Oakheart headed back to his own camp.

This was a secret that Goldenpaw would keep, for Bluefur's sake. She would take it with her to the grave, no matter what.

/ Okay, so I just decided to throw in a little Bluefur/Oakheart drama, because I love them so much. And I know my version of the Clan Meeting is really screwed up, but I tried so hard to make it accurate! Also, my information may be a little off, but I'm trying really hard to keep everyone and everything in character as possible. Please let me know what you think!