Has it really been almost a month since my last update? Ugh. Sorry, guys. The last couple weeks of school have been so busy. I'll be better now.

Recap: Willowfall lets Cedarpaw go back to his training. He later talks to his mother, who apologizes for not being there for him during Reedfur's death, but Cedarpaw has nothing to say to her. Most of the Clan goes to ThunderClan to get more territory. Bumblestar refuses to give them land, so a fight breaks out. Cedarpaw fights a young tom, nearly killing him before someone tells him to stop. It's the ghost of his brother, Waterkit, who tells Cedarpaw thanks. Cedarpaw is overcome by emotion and tries to speak. Then, the fight ends and Bumblestar surrenders, and Minnowstar agrees to join with ThunderClan as one. They go back and learn that Olivepaw's been taken by RiverClan and will be killed if Minnowstar doesn't surrender.

Chapter 20

Prisoner

[Olivepaw]

One hour earlier

"...You don't need to worry," a voice suddenly mewed, jostling Olivepaw from her thoughts. She flinched and looked over to see Frostpaw gazing at her with a small frown, blue eyes blinking softly. "Everyone will be fine. It probably won't even resort to fighting, but if it does, you know that we're stronger."

Olivepaw sighed, nodding. She was sitting at the edge of camp as the snow fell gently. The patrol had just left for ThunderClan, leaving her and just a few others behind. Cedarpaw is on that patrol, she kept telling herself, and she wondered why she did. She tried to convince herself that she didn't need to worry about him anymore, that he was back to his training and would be a warrior soon, that everything was back to normal again. But she knew that it wouldn't be. If anything, things only seemed to be getting worse, and she didn't know why. And that scared her.

Frostpaw sat down beside her, looking out into the distance. They watched as Littlepaw and Brokenpaw talked with each other, heads low and ears flattened. The two brothers had spent nearly every moment together since Icepaw had died the night before. Several foxlengths away, sitting by herself, was their mother, Bluepelt, whose eyes were half-closed, tail twitching.

Olivepaw glanced at the other she-cat. "Are you alright?"

The medicine cat flicked an ear, letting out a brief sigh.

"...Yeah."

Olivepaw frowned. "You know, what happened to Icepaw isn't-"

"Olivepaw," Frostpaw interrupted, sending her a glance. Olivepaw's whiskers twitched, and she said nothing more of the matter.

"So I guess Willowfall decided to let Cedarpaw out of the medicine den?" muttered Olivepaw, her tail flicking. Frostpaw nodded.

"Yeah. I talked to her about it, and even though she was kind of hesitant, she said that he could start slow." Frostpaw glanced at her. "You're always with him. Do you know what exactly's going on with him?"

Olivepaw stiffened, and a moment passed before she finally murmured, "...No. He won't tell me. He hasn't spoken a word since Reedfur died."

"Maybe it just has to do with that," Frostpaw said quietly. "His father, that is."

Olivepaw said nothing. She knew that it was something more.

"Say, you don't... like him, do you?" Frostpaw suddenly asked. Olivepaw flinched, looking at her with surprise.

"What..."

"Sorry," Frostpaw murmured. "It's just, you're always at his side. And you guys have always been close..." She let out a small smile, which was probably the first time she'd smiled since Icepaw's death. "I'm sorry. It's really none of my business."

Olivepaw found that she was smiling, too, and she let out a small laugh.

"No. It's alright. I..." She broke off and blinked a few times, thinking about it. Finally, she said, "...Right now, I think he has too many personal issues to deal with."

"You didn't answer my question," Frostpaw mewed, looking at her as a sly grin appeared on her face.

Olivepaw laughed weakly, shaking her head slightly and looking up at the dark sky.

"...Hey, I have another question," Frostpaw said quietly.

"Yeah?"

Frostpaw shifted uncomfortably. "You're Ratpaw's sister. I was just... wondering if he liked anyone."

Olivepaw blinked in surprise, turning to look at the other she-cat. "Do you like him?"

Frostpaw laughed quickly, shaking her head. "No, it's nothing like that. I was just talking to him yesterday and he told me that he was having second thoughts about the she-cat he liked. I was afraid to ask who it was. I... I thought that maybe it was Snowcloud."

"Snowcloud?" Olivepaw echoed with surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Frostpaw, my brother can be a mystery sometimes, even to me. But if he liked Snowcloud, I'd know."

Frostpaw gave a rigid, unsure nod. Olivepaw looked at her before saying, "...But you know, I was talking to him yesterday, too, right before the ceremony." She paused, watching her carefully. "He mentioned you."

The medicine cat apprentice pricked her ears.

"What did he say...?"

Olivepaw smiled slightly. "He said how much you've changed since you became a medicine cat apprentice, and I agree with him. No offense, but you used to be pretty annoying."

Frostpaw chuckled, nodding. "I know. Sorry for that. I guess I'm just beginning to learn who I really am, is all... And I know that I'm not like Snowcloud." She frowned as she said this, her eyes suddenly growing dark. Olivepaw looked at her curiously, but said nothing more.

A moment later, the she-cat blinked a few times, ears pricking as she glanced around.

"What's wrong?" mewed Frostpaw.

Olivepaw slowly got to her paws, tail twitching. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"In the distance," she murmured, her heart beginning to beat faster for some reason. "It sounds like a cat. No, not just one. It... It sounds like a whole Clan."

Frostpaw tilted her head. "Maybe they're back already?"

"No, they just left," Olivepaw muttered. "They couldn't have even made it to ThunderClan yet."

The she-cat's fur prickled with unease as she glanced around the clearing. Redwhisker was pacing back and forth. Darkstorm was in the nursery with Lightstream and Bramblestripe, and Silvermist and Clawstrike were in the elders' den like usual. Swallowflight was sitting at the edge of the camp by herself as Littlepaw and Brokenpaw whispered to each other.

Redwhisker halted, lifting his head as his fur began to rise. Olivepaw could feel some sort of tension in the air, and she knew she wasn't the only one.

Glancing at Frostpaw, she quickly made her way over to where Redwhisker stood.

"Someone's coming," the warrior murmured, blue eyes narrowing. A second later, his eyes widened and he rasped, "RiverClan."

Everyone in the clearing seemed to hear him, because they at once lifted their heads, ears pricked and tails lifted in alarm as their eyes darted to where the noise was coming from.

A few seconds later, shapes of cats started to appear from the snowy trees, and a moment passed before the familiar mismatching eyes of Blossomstar appeared and glinted in the bright sunlight.

Cats appeared from behind her as they lined up at the top of the slope; Olivepaw recognized Blacktail, who stood beside his leader, face hard. There were other cats she'd seen before, too, but among the entire group, she noticed that none had been from WindClan or ThunderClan.

"Blossomstar," growled Redwhisker, standing tall, eyes narrowed. Olivepaw glanced at him uneasily; she could tell that he was nervous. Frostpaw ran up to Olivepaw, fur fluffed with alarm. Bluepelt stood in front of Littlepaw and Brokenpaw, lips pulled back. The elders popped their heads out of their den, and Darkstorm appeared from the nursery, eyes narrowed as he protected Lightstream and Bramblestripe and the kits.

"Ah, Redwhisker, isn't it?" Blossomstar purred, white fur blending in quite nicely with the snowfall. "How nice to see you. It looks like Minnowstar and Harestep have left you in charge while they're gone, huh?"

Redwhisker pulled his lips back. "What do you want, Blossomstar?"

Blossomstar smiled softly, tilting her head a bit. "You can't guess already? We want more territory, Redwhisker. Our Clan is growing to be bigger than ever. We have more mouths to feed than you."

"We can't give you any," Redwhisker muttered, though the anxiety was clear in his eyes. "We need it for ourselves."

Blossomstar blinked softly, her blue and yellow eyes making Olivepaw shiver.

"I hope you realize what sort of situation you're in right now," she mewed, looking incredibly calm. She smiled almost sadly. "Look around you. Most of your Clan is off visiting ThunderClan. You won't be able to defend yourselves. Look at the odds, Redwhisker. RiverClan is capable of killing every cat in this clearing."

"How dare you?" Redwhisker hissed, furious. "Have you no longer any loyalty towards StarClan? Think of everything you've done that has gone against their code. Because of you, there are no longer four Clans. And now, you're threatening to murder us if we don't obey you?"

Blossomstar closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long, tired sigh. When she opened them, her gaze drifted to Frostpaw, who stood beside Olivepaw. "You," Blossomstar said. "Come here."

The medicine cat apprentice flattened her ears in confusion, glancing at Olivepaw and Redwhisker.

"Don't do it, Frostpaw," growled Redwhisker. "It's some sort of trick."

"I said come here," said Blossomstar louder, her voice now near a growl. "If you don't, then I will command my Clan to attack. And I can ensure you that the outcome for you will be... dire."

"Frostpaw, don't," muttered Redwhisker. "She's lying."

Frostpaw frowned as she looked at him, but then shook her head. "It's a risk that I don't want to take," the white cat murmured. "If I don't do as she says, then cats could wind up dead because of me. I... I don't want that to happen. Not again."

Olivepaw pricked her ears, looking at the other apprentice. "Frostpaw-"

But it was too late. Frostpaw slowly began to take a step forward, and then another, and another as she approached Blossomstar and her Clan at the opposite side of the camp. There was a tense stillness in the air; it seemed like it was taking hours for her to get there. Olivepaw watched, not moving a muscle. All eyes were on Frostpaw.

The white she-cat slowly climbed the slope and stopped when she was less than a foxlength away from the RiverClan leader. She looked up at her, whiskers twitching. Olivepaw could tell that she was trying not to show how scared she was.

Blossomstar looked at her for a moment before lifting her head, looking back at Redwhisker. "We are taking this cat back to camp with us. We are giving you a second chance, Redwhisker, but this time, we're serious. Inform Minnowstar that if she does not surrender to us by sunhigh tomorrow, then this cat will be killed."

Olivepaw's eyes widened in horror as she looked desperately at Redwhisker, who was frowning, eyes narrowed but still glittering with worry.

Blossomstar, obviously pleased with herself, gave the warrior a grin. "I hope that Minnowstar will consider my offer. Your obedience for this cat's life. The decision is yours."

The leader then lashed her tail, turning to leave as her Clan gathered around her. Frostpaw hung her head low as she was pushed into the crowd as they began to leave.

Olivepaw shook her head softly, in shock. Before she could even think, she yelled out, "Blossomstar, stop!"

The Clan paused and looked over their shoulders at whoever had just spoken out against their leader. Blossomstar narrowed her eyes slightly as she took a step back towards the slope.

"What do you want, kit?" she demanded. "You can't do anything to stop me."

"Don't take Frostpaw," Olivepaw breathed, finding that words were just falling out of her mouth without her entire permission. "Take me instead."

Frostpaw looked at her with wide eyes, and Redwhisker hissed, "Olivepaw, what are you doing?" But she ignored him. She stared at Blossomstar, eyes narrowed, limbs rigid.

Blossomstar watched, a small smile appearing on her face. She was clearly intrigued.

"I remember you," Blossomstar mewed. "You were the one from our last battle." Olivepaw flicked an ear, the memory of being shoved into the snow by Blossomstar flashing before her eyes. She swallowed, saying nothing.

The RiverClan leader chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I suppose I don't see why not. It doesn't matter to me which cat we'll have to kill when Minnowstar decides that the life of one apprentice is not worth risking her entire Clan for."

Olivepaw flicked an ear, saying nothing. Frostpaw was trying to catch her gaze, but Olivepaw wouldn't let her. Without taking her eyes off of Blossomstar, she began walking forward and up the slope until the RiverClan leader towered over her.

"I'm going," Olivepaw said, making an effort not to let her voice waver. She finally let herself look at Frostpaw, whose ears were flattened. "Frostpaw, it's more important that you're here for the Clan in case anything happens to Willowfall. Please don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Frostpaw stared at her desperately. "But..."

"Enough," Blossomstar mewed. "We've spent long enough in this dull place. We're leaving."

A second later, Olivepaw felt as someone gave her a rough shove, and the Clan began to walk back through the trees, away from camp. Olivepaw tried glancing over her shoulder, but by then, cats were all around her, and everything was a blur.

Present time

"...You can't go in there."

Olivepaw lifted her head, hearing a voice from outside. She shivered, glancing around warily, still trying to get used to the strange new scents and sights. She was in the back of the medicine den, whose walls were made of thorns. She could scent some berries and herbs, but they seemed stale, as if they had gone bad. She was alone, but there was a warrior at the front of the den who was keeping guard to make sure she wouldn't escape. It was Thornfang, the orange and black tom she'd seen on the patrol during which Cedarpaw had almost killed Sunnyheart.

It seemed as if he was talking to someone. Olivepaw squinted her eyes, trying to see, but the fading daylight and heavy clouds made it hard. She pricked her ears.

"...I just thought she'd maybe want some company-"

"Forget it. I'm not letting some ThunderClan apprentice take one step in this den."

Olivepaw blinked in wonder.

"What do you think I'm going to do, help her escape?" she heard the voice say. It sounded familiar. "I just want to talk to her is all. I don't see what's wrong with that."

There was a pause before Thornfang finally let out a long sigh.

"Fine. Five minutes. Get in."

There was the sound of scampering paws and then Olivepaw raised her head, watching as a cat appeared at the entrance. It was a small ginger she-cat, green eyes glittering with concern as she took a few steps towards Olivepaw and sat down about a foxlength away from her.

Olivepaw looked at her, whiskers twitching. She'd seen this cat before. It was the cat who had announced at the Gathering that she was going to RiverClan with her brother.

"Hey, Olivepaw," the she-cat mewed slightly awkwardly, wrapping her tail around her legs as she looked at the prisoner with a frown.

Olivepaw looked at her. "You're..."

"Russetpaw."

"Right," the ShadowClanner muttered, flicking an ear. "Russetpaw."

There was silence in the air before Russetpaw sighed. "Look, I know you probably don't want to have anything to do with me, but I thought maybe you'd like some company-"

"I don't need your company," Olivepaw muttered, voice near a growl. "I'd rather not talk to someone from the Clan who's keeping me held captive."

Russetpaw blinked a few times, as if that hadn't been the reaction she'd expected.

"I just-"

"Look, Russetpaw," sighed Olivepaw. "I just want to be left alone until either Minnowstar comes or I die. And chances are that she's not going to sacrifice her Clan for me... Not again."

Russetpaw lowered her voice. "I... heard about what happened when RiverClan attacked. Blossomstar threatened to kill you."

Olivepaw blinked in surprise, looking at her curiously.

"How did you know about that?"

She thought she saw Russetpaw flinch.

"I-I heard about it at the Gathering."

"From who?"

"Uh, from... From Ratpaw."

Olivepaw narrowed her eyes slowly, growing suspicious. "You know my brother?"

"We've met a couple times at Gatherings," Russetpaw murmured, but judging from the way she was staring at her paws, ears flattened, Olivepaw was sure that she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"That's not exactly something he would tell someone who's practically a stranger."

Russetpaw sighed, shaking her head. "Olivepaw, I'm trying to be nice, here."

"I never asked you to be nice," Olivepaw growled. "It won't make up for the fact that I'm stuck here and will probably die because of your Clan."

Russetpaw narrowed her eyes. "I heard that you volunteered to take another cat's place. If that's true, then you shouldn't be complaining. You chose to be here."

Olivepaw looked at her, a bit surprised by her sudden change of attitude. Finally, she turned her gaze away and muttered, "Frostpaw is more important to the Clan than me. She's the medicine cat apprentice. The Clan would be fine without me."

Russetpaw let out another sigh. It seemed it was all she did. "That's not true," she said quietly. "A lot of cats care about you."

Olivepaw didn't reply. She was looking out into RiverClan's camp. Somewhere behind the gray clouds, the sun was slowly making its way down towards the horizon.

"We'll see about that," Olivepaw murmured softly. "We'll see about that."