Holaaaaaaaaaa!

Recap: Frostpaw talks to Ratpaw on a patrol, who tells her about Grasspaw. Later, Frostpaw goes with Onespot and Willowfall to the Moonpool with Bluebird and Brightpaw. Bluebird says that Jaguarpaw has greencough, and she's worried it'll spread throughout the Clan, and maybe reach ShadowClan, too. They go to the Moonpool and Frostpaw dreams that there's a fire, and that cats are fighting and dying. She witnesses a gray cat drowning, and then sees Snowcloud, who attacks her. She sees a flash of Willowfall before she wakes up, startled. When they get back to camp, Ratpaw tells her that Cedarpaw's missing.

There are updated allegiances after the chapter.

Chapter 25

In the Dead of Night

[Cedarpaw and Olivepaw]

. . .

Earlier that night

. . .

Cedarpaw shifted in his nest, ears flattened as he squinted his eyes tighter, trying desperately to fall asleep. He let out a shiver as a cold wind seeped through the branches of the apprentices' den and curled into a tighter ball. But a second later, he restlessly flipped over onto his back, opening his amber eyes and now staring at the ceiling.

With a sigh, he glanced around, still not completely used to how many apprentices there now were. Olivepaw was sleeping beside him; their fur had been brushing when they'd settled down, but now bits of torn up moss that had been tossed around during his attempt to sleep separated them. Ratpaw slept close to his sister, and a little ways away, Brokenpaw and Littlepaw slumbered. In the corner of the den, away from everyone else, slept Grasspaw.

Frowning, he rolled back over onto his side, bluntly aware that Grasspaw had purposefully kept his distance from him. After all, Cedarpaw had been fighting him and had ended up giving him a few injuries that Willowfall had to treat. His ears flattened, his mind wandering once again to when he had seen his brother during the fight with ThunderClan a few days ago. Ever since it had happened, he couldn't quite get it out of his head, and a part of him kept wishing that he would see him again. Another part was scared that he would see him again, though he wasn't quite sure why.

He glanced over at Olivepaw, resting peacefully. He sighed, closing his eyes and wondering why she even liked being around him. She seemed like she was the only one.

Maybe you should tell her, a voice kept telling him lately. Everything.

No, the other voice said firmly. She'd hate me. I don't want to lose her.

You barely have her in the first place, the other voice retorted. Cedarpaw flattened his ears.

Just as he had laid his head down in another attempt to get some sleep, he thought he saw something flickering out of the corner of his eye. Blinking, he lifted his head. Something seemed to be glowing faintly outside of the den.

Slowly, he got to his paws, his gaze remaining on whatever was outside. Careful not to step on anyone, he crept outside, glancing around the deserted clearing and freezing when he saw it, eyes wide.

. . .

Present time

. . .

"Missing?" Frostpaw was echoing, blue eyes wide as she stared at Ratpaw. "What do you mean, missing?" She glanced over at Olivepaw and walked over to her, Ratpaw at her side.

Olivepaw, ears flattened, looked away.

"Olivepaw, do you know what happened?" the medicine apprentice asked, shaking her head. "Do you know anything?"

"No," the dark brown tabby muttered, hoping they couldn't hear her heart pounding loudly against her chest. "But when I woke up, he was gone. I waited for a while for him to come back, but he didn't. Nobody's seen him."

"Minnowstar will set up search parties," Ratpaw said quietly, glancing over to where their leader was talking to Harestep and Cedarpaw's mother, Swallowflight.

Olivepaw didn't reply. For some reason, she had the feeling that Cedarpaw was in more danger than any other cat in the Clan would have been if they had been out alone. She remembered when, over a moon ago now, he had collapsed during a patrol and had been in the medicine den for days. What if something like that happened again? A feeling of dread boiled in the pit of her stomach. He had to be found as soon as possible.

Olivepaw glanced at Frostpaw and Ratpaw, who were now talking to each other in low voices. With a brief sigh, she said, "I'm going to look for him."

The two apprentice stared at her as if she were crazy.

"Olivepaw," Ratpaw breathed, "that isn't smart. There's already one cat missing, we don't want to have another."

"And Minnowstar's about to send out search parties," mewed Frostpaw to his defense. "They'll find him, don't worry."

"No, they won't," Olivepaw said before she could stop herself, and even after she said it, she wasn't quite sure why there had been so much confidence in her voice.

"And you think you can?" Ratpaw shot at his sister, eyes narrowing slightly. "Olivepaw, I don't want you to put yourself in danger. Not after what happened with RiverClan."

"That was different," growled Olivepaw, whiskers twitching as she grew agitated. "Ratpaw, you have to understand. I need to go look for him."

Ratpaw and Frostpaw exchanged a glance, and irritation bubbled up inside of Olivepaw.

Ratpaw lowered his head and whispered, "Fine. There's no point in trying to stop you."

"Thank you," his sister muttered.

"We'll cover you," he said. "But I don't think they'll notice if you leave with all this excitement. And Minnowstar already questioned you, anyway."

Olivepaw nodded, and the three of them quietly slipped over towards the edge of camp, where the shallow slope began.

"Go now," Ratpaw whispered. "But Olivepaw, be careful. I'm serious. If you aren't back soon, then I'm telling Minnowstar what you did."

"I'll be fine," muttered Olivepaw, careful not to let a growl escape her throat. With a quick, thankful nod to the two of them, she turned and darted up the slope, disappearing into the dark forest.

. . .

Earlier that night

. . .

Standing just a few foxlengths before Cedarpaw was a cat. But it wasn't an ordinary cat. It was a kit with a light gray tabby pelt, amber eyes focussed on Cedarpaw, unwavering. A dull silver light was emitting from him, and his features seemed slightly blurred. But nonetheless, Cedarpaw recognized him right away.

Waterkit...

The light brown tabby stared at his brother, transfixed, unable to move for a few moments. Waterkit blinked his big eyes, a smile on his face as he waved his tail in greeting. The same feeling that he had experienced a few days ago shot through Cedarpaw- a feeling of confusion, disbelief, and sorrow.

He took a step forward, wanting to speak to his brother, wanting his brother to speak to him as he had when he'd stopped him from hurting Grasspaw any more.

But before either of them said a word, Waterkit turned and bounded off a few foxlengths before turning back, nodding to him. Cedarpaw understood at once- Waterkit wanted him to follow him.

Without hesitation, he began after his brother, silently making his way up the slope and stepping into the forest.

Though it wasn't snowing, the air was cold and bitter, ruffling Cedarpaw's fur as it flew by. But the tom hardly noticed; he wasn't even paying attention to where exactly it was he was going. He kept his eyes fixed on the kit in front of him, mesmerized by the silver glow that surrounded him.

The spirit hadn't spoken yet, but Cedarpaw could tell that there was something important to talk to him about, something that he couldn't let anyone back at camp overhear. He kept following him, the minutes stretching on as they proceeded deeper and deeper into the forest. For some reason, a tiny feeling that something was wrong nagged at the corner of Cedarpaw's mind. That something, though he didn't know what, was wrong with Waterkit. But as he couldn't put his paw on it, he convinced himself that he was just tired and continued after his brother.

. . .

Present time

. . .

Olivepaw had broken into a run, her breathing loud and unsteady, her heart drumming against her chest, amber eyes wide. She didn't know where it was she was going, but all she knew was that she had to find Cedarpaw as soon as possible.

Her mind whirled, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. He had seemed normal when they'd gone to bed a few hours ago. Well, not normal, but he'd been acting as he had been for quite a while now. A feeling of fear began to choke her. What if he was kidnapped? Images flashed through her mind; she saw herself in RiverClan's medicine den the day she herself had been taken. What if it was happening all over again, but this time, it was Cedarpaw?

She quickly shook her head as she darted through the trees, leaping over rocks and fallen branches. When it had been her, Blossomstar had made it quite a scene- she'd arrived at camp with most of her warriors and had announced that she would be taking her back to their Clan. Wouldn't anyone have noticed if he'd been taken, especially since he had been sleeping right beside her?

So then, what happened? He simply got up and left? Maybe he went to take a walk and had gotten lost...? No. It wasn't that. It was something much more. Something had to have happened to him, and for some reason, she had the feeling that whatever it was, she couldn't let the rest of the Clan figure it out.

Why was she being so frantic about all this?

Because he's my friend, she told herself. Friends look out for each other.

Oh, said another voice, we both know that he's more than just a friend.

And the sudden realization that she had feelings for Cedarpaw were so strong that she halted, blinking a few times.

"It'll never happen," she said out loud, not even aware that she was speaking. "He'll never think of me like that. We've been friends forever- it's how it's always been. And... he's never been quite the same since his father died. Something changed him. Something's making him pull away from me."

She blinked again, glancing around warily. But no one was there. No one had heard her speak except for an owl flying past, looking for food.

She sighed, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to clear her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about this. He was still her friend, and the fact remained that he could be in danger. She had to find him.

With one last quick glance over her shoulder, she bounded off into the darkness and out of sight.

. . .

Earlier that night

. . .

Cedarpaw had followed Waterkit so deeply into the forest that he became quite aware that they weren't even in ShadowClan territory anymore. These forests smelled strange and unfamiliar, and the darkness here seemed more prominent. He held back a shudder as another freezing wind blew past.

He considered saying something, asking where exactly it was they were going, why they were so far from camp, why Waterkit was even here in the first place. But another part of him told him that he just had to trust him, that everything would be revealed if he just kept following him.

About thirty seconds later, the two cats suddenly broke through the snowy undergrowth and into a clearing. Cedarpaw glanced around; tall trees surrounded them, their long, twisted branches stretching out over them and blocking out the light of the growing moon. There weren't any scents of other cats; it was clear that no one had been here recently.

Once Waterkit had walked to the center of the clearing, he stopped, his tail twitching. Cedarpaw watched him before taking a small step closer, and then another. He halted, staring at his brother, waiting for him to say or do something.

Waterkit turned around and looked at Cedarpaw, eyes glowing, a soft smile on his face. And then, Cedarpaw suddenly understood why he had had the feeling that something was wrong.

Waterkit had green eyes.

But the eyes staring at him now... were amber...

. . .

Present time

. . .

Olivepaw was growing more and more anxious by the moment. She'd already lost track of how long she'd been out here, and yet she still hadn't picked up a single trace of Cedarpaw. Once, she had to hide from a search party that was going by, who seemed to be having just as much luck as she was.

Letting out a growl of frustration, growing colder and more desperate, she kept going, occasionally glancing around her to make sure she was even still in ShadowClan territory.

"Ratpaw, you'd better not tell Minnowstar about this," she muttered under her breath, ears flat as she walked through the snowy darkness.

She tried not to let horrible images of Cedarpaw in mortal danger into her brain, but as time went on, it was getting harder and harder, her imagination growing both more vivid and more grotesque. She let out a shudder, uttering a prayer to StarClan that they'd watch over him.

After she'd nearly given up any hope of finding him, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, blinking. A few foxlengths away, she spotted a trail of pawprints.

Tail raised, she carefully approached them. They seemed to be leading towards the far boundaries of ShadowClan. Unless she was mistaking them for her own, and she was pretty sure she wasn't, hope bubbled up inside of her. They couldn't have been left from one of the cats on the search parties, or else there'd be more of them. She carefully placed her own paw into one of the pawprints; it was about the size of hers. She lifted her head, ears pricked, her heart beginning to race again. These were Cedarpaw's. They had to be Cedarpaw's.

Without a second of hesitation, she began to follow them, her speed picking up until she was running, darting past the trees, her eyes on the tracks.

Where had Cedarpaw been going? Why had he been heading so far away from camp? Why had he been alone? Olivepaw clenched her jaws together, trying to concentrate on following the tracks.

She soon began to slow down, realizing that she had arrived at the ShadowClan border. Beyond here lay unfamiliar woods unclaimed by any Clan. But what if someone, or something, else was out there? Taking a deep breath, she crossed over the border, only praying that it wouldn't snow so that she'd be able to follow her tracks back to camp.

She kept following the prints, and she began to detect traces of Cedarpaw's scent. She felt a small surge of relief; at least now she was sure that he had been here and that she was on the right track.

She walked further and further into the woods; just what had he been doing out here?

A few minutes later, she reached a clump of dead bushes that the pawprints had gone through. Letting out a sharp breath of air, she broke through the undergrowth and entered a clearing.

And then she stopped in her tracks, eyes wide, fur fluffed out as she let out a course scream.

There was blood everywhere, splattered in the snow and even on a few of the tree trunks that surrounded her. In the middle of the clearing was a lump of fur that Olivepaw had no trouble recognizing.

"C-Cedarpaw!" she cried, for a moment unable to move out of fear. But then she ran forward, trembling all over, to his side.

Cedarpaw was laying in the snow, sprawled out on his side. He was covered in deep gashes all over his body- on his side, on his legs and stomach and neck and face... There was one particularly deep scar right over his left eye. He was still bleeding; blood had soaked his fur, causing it to stick together in clumps. His black claws were flexed, but they alone hadn't been stained with red. His sides were moving shallowly; he was alive, miraculously, but he appeared to be unconscious.

"Oh, StarClan," Olivepaw whispered, collapsing at his side. "Cedarpaw... Cedarpaw... What happened to you...?"

When he didn't respond, Olivepaw closed her eyes and pressed her nose to his muzzle, shaking, ears flat against her skull. She prayed that when she'd open them, he'd be all better, that none of this would have happened. Or better yet, that she would wake up, realizing that this had all been a dream.

But when she opened her eyes, he was still there, still bleeding, yet hardly there at all.

She looked desperately around her, heart beating in her ears. What could she do? She had to get someone. She had to find Willowfall or Onespot or Frostpaw... But camp was so far... Could she even get help in time?

But when she heard a very faint movement, she pricked her ears and turned back to Cedarpaw.

His eyes were open. Only half-open, and they had a glazed look to them, as if he were dreaming, but they were still glowing in the bit of moonlight that seeped through the branches overhead, looking calmly at Olivepaw.

"Cedarpaw!" she choked, shaking her head wildly. "Cedarpaw, what... What happened...?"

The tom blinked very softly, eyes still only half-open, a small frown on his bloody face.

And then he looked at her right in the eyes, opened his mouth, and said, very quietly, in a sweet, pure-sounding voice, "Olivepaw..."

Olivepaw stared at him, so shocked that he had said something, that he had said her name, that she couldn't speak for a few moments.

"C-Cedarpaw?" she finally rasped, her voice barely audible.

There were a few moments of silence. Cedarpaw had closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, looking back up at the she-cat.

And then he murmured, in that same, light voice, "...I killed my father."

A second later, his eyes closed again, he gave a weak cough, and he fell, once again, unconscious.

. . .

ShadowClan Allegiances

Leader: Minnowstar- A sleek silver-gray she-cat with stripes of dark gray and black. She has a long tail and light blue eyes.

Deputy: Harestep- A very light brown tom with long legs and big amber eyes. (Apprentice- Brokenpaw)

Medicine Cats: Willowfall- A very light gray, almost white, she-cat with blue eyes and long fur. (Apprentice- Frostpaw)

Onespot- A lean black tom with a white spot on his left shoulder and blue eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Warriors

Weaselfoot- A medium-brown tabby tom with long black claws and bright green eyes. (Apprentice- Olivepaw)

Swallowflight- A pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with leaf-green eyes.

Redwhisker- A handsome and muscular orange tabby tom with stunning blue eyes.

Briarclaw- A very dark brown tabby tom with dark amber eyes. (Apprentice- Cedarpaw)

Furzetail- A skinny she-cat with a white pelt and several black patches. She has pretty blue eyes and one almost completely shredded ear. (Apprentice- Ratpaw)

Cinderblaze- A light gray she-cat with a tiny white spot on her back. She has blue eyes. (Apprentice- Littlepaw)

Icewhisker- A large white tom with short fur and green eyes.

Ravenheart- A sleek black tom with amber eyes.

Darkstorm- A lean black tom with blue eyes.

Bluepelt- A beautiful blue-gray she-cat with wide blue eyes and feathery whiskers.

Snowcloud- A pretty she-cat with short white fur and leaf-green eyes.

Spotfur- A black and white tom with amber eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Bumbleclaw- A light brown tabby tom with short legs and amber eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Rainspot- A white she-cat with gray flecks and blue eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Lightclaw- A white she-cat with amber eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Antfur- A dark gray, almost black tom with green eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Ferretheart- A solid brown tom with amber eyes. Originally from ThunderClan. (Apprentice- Grasspaw)

Apprentices

Cedarpaw- A small tom with a light brown tabby pelt, one white paw, and amber eyes.

Frostpaw- A pretty she-cat with a short white pelt and dazzling blue eyes.

Olivepaw- A dark brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes.

Ratpaw- A very dark gray, almost black tom with medium-length fur and amber eyes.

Littlepaw- A tiny ginger tabby tom with blue eyes.

Brokenpaw- A blue-gray tom with blue eyes and a twisted paw.

Grasspaw- A gray tom with green eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Queens

Bramblestripe- A very dark brown she-cat with only a few tiny black spots and pale green eyes. (Kits- Olivepaw, Ratpaw, Oakkit)

Lightstream- A very pale ginger she-cat with a white chest and paws. (Kits- Darkkit, Flowerkit)

Grayfeather- A gray she-cat with green eyes, currently expecting. Originally from ThunderClan.

Elders

Silvermist- A once-beautiful gray tabby she-cat who is now losing fur in a few places. She has blue eyes.

Clawstrike- A very old white tom with a few ginger patches and dull green eyes.

RiverClan Allegiances

Leader: Blossomstar- A sleek white she-cat with one blue eye and one amber eye.

Deputy: Blacktail- A large, muscular tom with sleek black fur and green eyes.

Medicine cats: Bluebird- A gray tabby she-cat with darker gray and black stripes and light blue eyes. (Apprentice- Brightpaw)

Forestwind- A tortoiseshell she-cat with leaf-green eyes. Originally from WindClan. (Apprentice- Jaguarpaw)

Warriors

Sunnyheart- A lean ginger she-cat with blue eyes and long claws.

Thornfang- A lean orange and black tom with amber eyes. (Apprentice- Snakepaw)

Whiskerfur- A light brown she-cat with darker brown stripes and white paws with amber eyes.

Scorchtooth- A solid pale ginger tom with blue eyes.

Doveflight- A white she-cat with blue eyes. (Apprentice- Tanpaw)

Smokestrike- A long-furred dark gray tom with blue eyes.

Applenose- An orange, white, brown and black calico she-cat with green eyes.

Dawnspring- A white she-cat with brown spots and amber eyes.

Mistyflower- A light gray she-cat with blue eyes. Originally from WindClan.

Yelloweyes- A pale ginger tabby she-cat with yellow eyes. Originally from WindClan.

Greengaze- A pale ginger tom with green eyes. Originally from WindClan.

Heronwing- A silver tabby she-cat with a white belly, paws, and tail tip with blue eyes. Originally from WindClan. (Apprentice- Molepaw)

Lilyfrost- A white she-cat with golden patches and blue eyes. Originally from WindClan.

Coaltail- A black tom with amber eyes. Originally from WindClan. (Apprentice- Pouncepaw)

Sagewhisker- A lean, light gray she-cat with green eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Flaxclaw- A dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Lilytooth- A small-framed calico she-cat with bright green eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Waspfang- A sturdy, muscular orange and black tom with several visible battle scars and amber eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Darkfeather- A sleek black she-cat with blue eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Waterwing- A handsome silver tabby tom with brilliant blue eyes. Originally from ThunderClan. (Apprentice- Flamepaw)

Goldenfrost- A handsome golden tabby tom with amber eyes. Originally from ThunderClan. (Apprentice- Rushpaw)

Pebblestep- A solid gray tom with blue eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Kestrelheart- A white and tan she-cat with big amber eyes. Originally from ThunderClan. (Apprentice- Russetpaw)

Apprentices:

Tanpaw- A light tan she-cat with green eyes.

Snakepaw- A dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes.

Brightpaw- A tan she-cat with several white patches and green eyes.

Russetpaw- A small ginger she-cat with green eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Flamepaw- A larger ginger tom with green eyes and a short tail. Originally from ThunderClan.

Rushpaw- A solid black tom with blue eyes. Originally from ThunderClan.

Jaguarpaw- A sleek, handsome tom with a brown, black and golden spotted pelt and green eyes. Originally from WindClan.

Pouncepaw- A tan, amber-eyed tom with a brown face, paws, ears, and tail tip. Originally from WindClan.

Molepaw- A gray she-cat with a lighter gray face and amber eyes. Originally from WindClan.

Queens:

Maplenose- A calico she-cat with green eyes. (Kits- Nightkit, Willowkit)

Sedgetail- A black and white she-cat with green eyes, currently expecting.. Originally from ThunderClan.

Elders:

Beetleclaw- A dark brown tabby tom with blue eyes.

AN: Wowowow that was annoying, having to make so many cats xD Lalaalala

Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, it means a lot :)

Till next time

Pearl