Woot woot, I'm on such a roll with my updating. ;D

Recap: Ratpaw meets with Russetpaw again, and they talk about the battle that had happened earlier in the day with RiverClan. Ratpaw remembers that Minnowstar planned to ask ThunderClan for territory, and if they refused, they would invade. Ratpaw doesn't tell her this, and feels guilty for it. After she leaves, he runs into Willowfall on the way back from camp, who had seen the apprentices together. She warns him that forbidden love will only end in heartbreak, but Ratpaw argues with her, demanding what she could possibly know about love. Willowfall ends up accidentally telling him that she had killed Graystar. Willowfall says that she won't tell anyone about him and Russetpaw if he keeps his mouth shut about Graystar. She leaves, and Ratpaw goes back to camp, not knowing what to do.

Chapter 15

Sisters

[Snowpaw]

Snowpaw shivered as she watched Ratpaw take a bite from the sparrow that lay between them. There was so little food that every piece of prey had to be shared with at least one other cat, now. The two sat in the apprentices' den; it was afternoon, and the day that she would be getting her warrior name.

She'd hoped that the snow would have stopped by then, but it kept falling; today seemed colder than usual, too.

"I can't believe last night was my last night in the apprentices' den," Snowpaw mewed, licking a paw and drawing it over her ear. "It's gonna be pretty empty with just you and Olivepaw, isn't it? At least Bluepelt's kits will become apprentices soon. You and Olivepaw won't be the youngest ones in the den anymore! ...Ratpaw, are you listening to me?"

The tom blinked, lifting his head.

"Y...Yeah," he said. "Of course I am." He pushed the sparrow towards her, and Snowpaw quickly took a few bites, her stomach growling.

"You okay?" she mewed, her mouth full, pieces falling out. She swallowed. "You've been tense the whole day. What's wrong? C'mon, we're friends. You can tell me." She looked at him, a sly grin appearing on her face. "Oh, I get it. You know some gossip, don't you? Don't you?"

He stared at her, bewildered by her sudden energy. "I..."

"I can't believe you know something that I don't," Snowpaw sighed, taking another bite. She glanced at him. "I mean, no offense, or anything. So, what is it? Did someone get a mate? Is someone expecting kits?"

Ratpaw frowned and tilted his head. "That's not-"

"C'mon, tell me already," she said, her tail twitching back and forth. "Once I become a warrior, I can boss you around. So if you don't tell me now, then you'll have to tell me tomorrow!"

The tom let out a long sigh, exasperated. "It's not gossip," he muttered. "I'm just... tired from the battle yesterday."

Snowpaw peered at him. It seemed deeper than that, but she shrugged.

"Whatever. Hey, if you go to the Gathering tonight, you have to tell me everything that happens. Okay? Promise?"

"Isn't that usually Frostpaw's job?" the tom murmured, pawing the sparrow back towards him.

Snowpaw frowned, her ears flattened slightly. She looked away, not wanting to answer.

"By the way," he muttered, taking a bite of the prey, "did something happen between you two? I haven't seen you together for a while. I haven't even seen you speak to her-"

"Nothing's wrong," she said quickly and dismissively. "She's just been busy being a medicine cat so we haven't had time to hang out." She glanced at him. Ratpaw eyed her curiously, eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything else. Snowpaw was glad.

But as if on cue, who should walk into the apprentices' den but Frostpaw herself. Snowpaw and Ratpaw lifted their heads; the medicine cat apprentice smiled slightly before it quickly dissolved into a frown.

"Hey," she murmured. "Snowpaw, can I talk to you?"

Ratpaw glanced at Snowpaw, who flattened her ears, looking away.

"I'm... going to go find Olivepaw," the tom muttered, getting to his paws and uncomfortably slipping out the exit.

The two sisters were left alone, and Snowpaw felt a surge of irritation. She wanted to follow after Ratpaw, but she knew that Frostpaw would be insistent. She let out a quick sigh and turned to face her sister.

"What is it, Frostpaw?"

The she-cat blinked a few times, as if confused. Frowning, she sat down, wrapping her tail around her legs.

"You've ignored me for a whole week," she mewed, looking at her. "You can't ignore me now. You're going to actually talk to me, and... Snowpaw, look at me!"

Snowpaw rigidly looked at her, whiskers twitching.

Frostpaw waited, but when Snowpaw didn't say anything, she continued. "I know that something's wrong," she murmured. "You've barely even looked at me for the past few days. If I did something wrong, I think I at least deserve to know what that was." She looked at her pleadingly, but Snowpaw simply got to her paws.

"It's nothing," she said coldly. "I have to go talk to Furzetail." She headed towards the entrance, but Frostpaw blocked her way.

"Snowpaw, this isn't fair," she rasped. "Please, just look at me and tell me the truth, because I don't understand what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Snowpaw replied, her voice near a growl. "Not yet, anyway."

Frostpaw stared at her, eyes clouded in confusion and hurt.

"I have to go," Snowpaw muttered. "Get out of my way." Without another word, she pushed past her sister and walked out, leaving Frostpaw alone.

. . .

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tallstump for a Clan meeting!"

The words rang throughout the hollow, and Snowpaw lifted her head, excitement coursing through her. It was night now, and the snow had finally stopped falling, the clouds making way to reveal the bright, full moon that shone upon the clearing. It was time.

Cats gathered forward, and Furzetail quickly licked Snowpaw's ear before she stepped forward, head held high. She sat beside Ratpaw and Olivepaw, tail flicking in anticipation. She glanced over to see Frostpaw staring at her before the medicine cat apprentice turned away and sat next to Willowfall, ears flattened. Snowpaw's whiskers twitched and she looked back up at Minnowstar.

"It is time to announce who will be attending this moon's Gathering," the leader announced, looking over her Clan, eyes glinting in the moonlight. "But first, there is something else I must do." Her eyes fell upon Snowpaw, whose heart drummed against her chest, thrilled. "Snowpaw, step forward."

Ratpaw smiled in encouragement as the she-cat got to her paws. Cats looked her way and were silent as she walked to the Tallstump. Everything was silent. Snowpaw swallowed a bit nervously.

"Snowpaw, it is time for you to become a warrior," the leader said. She lay her eyes on Ravenheart, Snowpaw's mentor. "Ravenheart, do you believe that this apprentice is ready to finish her training and receive her warrior name?"

"Yes," he said, tail flicking. "She's worked hard." Snowpaw tried to hold back a grin.

"Very well," Minnowstar murmured. She lifted her head to the sky, her fur blowing a bit in the light breeze. "I, Minnowstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." She looked at Snowpaw, her gaze stern. "Snowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The apprentice suddenly paused, blinking. She glanced over her shoulder and looked at her sister. Their gazes met, and Frostpaw's whiskers twitched.

After a moment of silence, Snowpaw looked back at her leader and muttered, "I do."

Minnowstar looked at her for a moment before finally nodding.

"Very well. Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Snowpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Snowcloud. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

Snowcloud. The new warrior repeated the name in her head as Minnowstar hopped down from the Tallstump. She rested her muzzle on the warrior's head, and Snowcloud, in turn, licked her shoulder. She could hardly contain her excitement.

"Snowcloud!" the Clan began to cheer behind her. "Snowcloud, Snowcloud!"

Snowcloud turned, a smile on her face as the whole Clan gazed at her, cheering. Her mother was smiling with pride, and Icewhisker, who sat beside her, nodded. Ratpaw grinned and cheered, and Olivepaw reluctantly joined in.

She turned to look at Frostpaw. She wasn't cheering. Snowcloud didn't care.

"Snowcloud, you are to sit vigil tonight," Minnowstar mewed. The warrior nodded her head. She was too excited to be able to fall asleep, anyway.

The leader lashed her tail, quieting the crowd down.

"I will now select the cats who will accompany me to the Gathering," she announced. The Clan was silent, looking at her with hope and anticipation. "The cats who will be coming are Harestep, Willowfall, Redwhisker, Weaselfoot, Darkstorm, Briarclaw, Icewhisker, Furzetail, Frostpaw, Ratpaw, and Cedarpaw."

A few cats murmured in surprise when they heard that Cedarpaw would be attending, but no one dared to say anything out loud. Snowcloud glanced over to see that he was sitting beside Willowfall and Frostpaw, blinking quietly, looking confused himself.

"We leave now," called Minnowstar, lashing her tail. "ShadowClan, move out."

The chosen cats began to gather; Snowcloud watched them as they walked past her, their eyes glinting in the moonlight. She caught Frostpaw's gaze, but she quickly looked away.

Once the group had come together, Minnowstar began to lead them up the slope, finally heading off towards the island, their voices fading as the darkness swallowed them up.

She glanced around at the cats who had been left behind. Olivepaw gave her a small, forced smile before she retired to the apprentice's den. Snowcloud sighed as she let out a shiver, her excitement having, for the most part, faded. She had no desire to stay out the whole night saying nothing, and would rather be going to the Gathering. Her whiskers twitched with irritation as she wrapped her tail around her paws, looking around. Most cats were going to bed.

Bed... She let out a yawn, suddenly feeling exhausted. Before she knew it, her eyelids began to flutter... She shot them open. She had to stay awake.

Time passed, and she was completely alone. It was freezing, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in her new nest. She let out another yawn. No one would care if she just took a little nap, right? Just to re-energize herself.

She yawned, louder this time, her eyes half-closed. She was starting to feel light-headed, as if nothing was real. Her head began to droop, and before she knew it...

. . .

She was in the middle of a dream. She lay on her side, lazily batting at a red poppy. Tall, green grass grew all around her, and a warm breeze comforted her. The sky was white, trees swaying and leaves rustling. She was talking to someone.

"...She spoke with me today," she muttered, plucking a petal from the poppy. "She thinks I'm mad at her. I feel a little bad for ignoring her."

"Don't," murmured the soft voice behind her. "I know it's hard, Snowcloud, but it's for your own good. I had a meeting recently with the rest of StarClan's cats..." The voice lowered. "It doesn't look good."

"I just can't believe she'd betray the Clan," Snowcloud muttered, mechanically chewing on a piece of grass. "I can't believe she'd betray me."

"With Leafbare will come the Frost that will kill all." The voice repeated the prophecy quietly, the words floating through Snowcloud's ears. She shuddered slightly, closing her eyes. When she'd first heard the prophecy, she didn't know what to make of it all. She didn't understand. But a part of her knew that it was about her sister, even though she didn't want to believe it.

"Why hasn't Willowfall received the same prophecy?" she asked quietly.

"Because, Snowcloud, you're the only one who can stop her," the voice responded gently, almost sadly. "If you don't do something, then the Clans will be destroyed because of her. StarClan has seen the future, and it isn't good. The Clans will be ripped apart, and many innocent lives will be lost."

"But what can I do?" breathed the warrior, looking out into the distance. "How do I stop her?"

The voice sighed, and a moment passed over it responded. "The only solution... is to kill her."

Snowcloud flinched, her eyes widening as she sat up, turning to stare at the cat behind her.

"What?" she gasped, shaking her head in disbelief. "Frostpaw's my sister! I can't..."

"I know it's hard," chocked the other cat, lowering its head. "Trust me, I know. We all had a long meeting about this and decided that this is the only solution." The cat lifted its head and looked at the warrior, a frown on its face. "I'm sorry, Snowcloud... But she has to be stopped before things grow out of paw. You'd be a hero in StarClan's eyes."

Snowcloud shook her head softly, turning away. She thought over this for a few moments, letting out a shaky breath as she tried to clear her head. She had heard what her sister would do. StarClan had told her. And StarClan was always right. If she didn't do something, Frostpaw would bring destruction to the Clans until nothing remained. It hurt her that she had to do this, but she narrowed her eyes slightly, making up her mind.

"Alright," she rasped, getting to her paws. "I... I'll do it. If it's for the good of the Clans, then she has to be stopped."

"Thank you, Snowcloud," the voice murmured regretfully. "You're our only hope. She must be stopped before she gets her medicine cat name, or it will be too late."

"I understand," Snowcloud muttered, looking at her paws and trying to ignore her conflicting emotions. Her eyes narrowed a bit more.

"StarClan blesses you," the cat said gently as the world around Snowcloud began to blur. Colors mixed and bent, and the warrior could no longer feel the grass beneath her paws. A second later, everything turned black.

. . .

Snowcloud's eyes shot open, and she sat up, glancing around warily. She was still the only one outside. In the sky, the moon shone brightly. Her Clan wasn't back from the Gathering yet.

She let out a shaky breath of air, her ears flattened, leaf-green eyes shimmering. Thoughts flooded her mind. Within her last few encounters with StarClan, she had learned the truth about her sister. She would bring destruction to the Clans, and Snowcloud was the only one who could stop her.

The only solution... is to kill her.

The words came back to the warrior's mind, causing a shiver to travel down her spine. She quickly shook her head, trying not to let her emotions get in the way. She couldn't doubt StarClan's word. It's for the good of the Clan, she kept telling herself. It's for the good of the Clan...

A frown fell upon her face, her eyes narrowing again as she looked up at the bright moon. She knew what she had to do. And she would be a hero, to both the Clans and to StarClan. She couldn't let her sister harm the Clans when they were already facing hard times. She couldn't.

She had decided. There was no backing out, now. Frostpaw would be stopped... even if it meant that Snowcloud had to do it herself.

LlaaaaAA too tired to think. Well, now you know what's up with Snowpaw. Er, Snowcloud. You'll see how that goes (;

Reviewers get a Minnowstar plushie and some vanilla pudding ;)

TNT,

Pearl!