Chapter Nineteen: By Half

"What?" Snowstar growled, eyes wide. "That's not possible. My warriors would never go into your territory; you know that."

"Do any of us know that for sure?" Vinestar interrupted, her face uncomfortable yet unhappy. "Snowstar, we have scented a LightningClan warrior as well. On WindClan grounds."

"LightningClan!" Meadowstar spoke for the first time, her voice a hiss. Lionpaw felt Brightpaw shiver beside him, and felt something squirm in his heart. That was the leader that tried to kill him. Down in the crowd, Lionpaw's eyes passed over Featherfoot, glaring up at Snowstar with clear hatred in her eyes.

She was behind all this.

"None of us can trust LightingClan!" Meadowstar went on, tail lashing as the tigress stalked closer to stand by Vinestar and Coldstar. They had formed a line; and Snowstar was all alone on the huge rock. "Your warriors steal ours and they end up dead; your apprentices trespass. Now you're reduced to stealing prey and further breaking the Code?"

"Never!" Snowstar snarled, true fury in his voice now. Lionpaw flinched; he'd never seen his father so angry. "How can you blame me for this? We are all StarClan's children; we cannot go accusing each other of petty things like this."

"See?" Meadowstar hissed, turning to the warriors. "He thinks stealing and trespassing is petty. Oh, very well, Snowstar. We understand." She scowled at him.

"Explain the injustice of attacking my Clan, then!" Snowstar growled. "If you know so much about goodness, tell me why your cats ambushed us. How is that not breaking the Code?"

"We're fully allowed to attack. And don't even talk about the Code to me; you, the leader who let your brother break it over and over. And now, the result of that is among us!" Meadowstar snarled, her eyes raking the crowd of Clans until coming to a blazing stop on Lionpaw and Brightpaw. Brightpaw.

Brightpaw bared his teeth at the leader, and Lionpaw's eyes widened. His friend looked angry. "You must learn to forgive and forget, Meadowstar!" The power in his voice was burning, and even Meadowstar seemed taken aback for a moment. She stared at him; clearly apprentices never spoke to her like that. She sighed, and shook her head, the anger dying in her eyes.

"He is the reason a good WaterClan warrior is dead," Meadowstar murmured, ears flattened. "And that is why we attacked. Revenge is justice."

"A good WaterClan warrior?" came a mocking voice. Eyes turned to see Longfang sitting at the base of the rock along with the other deputies, his eyes glittering. A ripple of unease went down Lionpaw's back. "How can she be good? She broke the Code and had an affair with Blackscar. You still believe she's innocent?" He spat in disgust.

"I have to!" Meadowstar snarled.

"Listen!" Vinestar called, her voice sharp. "We're forgetting! The LightningClan trespasser. Can you explain this, Snowstar?" Her tail flicked patiently.

Snowstar's anger had faded, and his eyes gleamed as he stared at her, face empty of emotion. "No, Vinestar," he confessed slowly, sighing heavily. "I cannot. I trust all of my warriors; I do not believe any of them would do such a thing."

Lionpaw's mind began wandering. He wondered who could have been going into other Clan territory; perhaps it was a trick? But it didn't look like that; there was real anger and confusion glowing in Coldstar's and Vinestar's eyes, like hot embers on a fire.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow flick around him, and he turned his head. Standing beside Brightpaw was a dark-black DarkClan apprentice. His eyes narrowed and widened with recognition; it was the apprentice he'd nearly fought while finding herbs for Buzzardpaw!

Clearing his throat uncertainly, he suddenly realized he wanted to talk to the apprentice. There were questions from the story he'd told Lionpaw that needed to be asked. Nudging his way around Brightpaw, who was focused on the Gathering unfolding before them, he growled softly, "Hello."

The dark apprentice flicked and ear, and turned his head, eyes glowing. Recognition immediately flashed in those eyes. "You!" he hissed, claws sheathing and unsheathing in the cool earth under them.

"Can I talk to you?" Lionpaw whispered urgently, glancing around.

Brightpaw twitched and ear, and looked over at them, puzzled. "You make a new friend, Lionpaw?"

Lionpaw exchanged a look with the apprentice. "Not exactly," he admitted.

The apprentice huffed, and licked a paw, rubbing it over his face. "Fine," he grumbled.

"I'll be right back," Lionpaw hissed towards Brightpaw as he turned around, motioning for the apprentice to follow him, as they slipped in between the many Clan warriors there before finding a quiet spot outside the tight circle of warriors surrounding the huge rock in the center.

"What is it?" the apprentice asked in a low growl.

Lionpaw cleared his throat, tail lashing. "Look, I've got some questions about the- the story you told me. About Firerunner? But first, if we're going to talk we need to be on a name-basis."

"Oh, I already know you," the apprentice sneered, narrowing his eyes at Lionpaw. "You're the infamous son of the great Snowstar. Best friend to that cross-Clan cub, Brightpaw."

Lionpaw inwardly growled. Brightpaw was so much more than just that cross-Clan cub. Would the Clans ever realize that? Pushing his aggravation aside, he nodded swiftly. "Yeah. Who are you?"

"The name's Flamepaw. Pleasure," he said sardonically.

Lionpaw sighed and nodded. "Right. Flamepaw," he whispered, flattening his ears. "Look, about- that story. The scent you found... did it match any lion that Coldstar had met?"

Flamepaw's ears pricked. "Why? Do you know who Firerunner's killer is?"

Lionpaw hesitated. "No," he finally said.

The dark apprentice sighed. "Well, before I tell you, promise me something, Lionpaw of LightningClan."

Lionpaw narrowed his eyes cautiously. "What?"

Flamepaw snaked his head, dark fur gleaming in the moonlight. "That you will find Firerunner's true killer. My Clan will- forever be in debt to you. We need this old accusation to be lifted," he whispered. It seemed hard for the proud DarkClan panther to admit his Clan would be in debt to a LightningClan apprentice, but Lionpaw knew that Flamepaw meant every word.

He paused, heart beating painfully. There was no way to know for sure that he'd ever get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Firerunner's death, and an even slighter chance he'd ever prove a lion from his own Clan had done it. But that still meant there was a chance, even if it was one out of a hundred. A thousand.

"I promise," he breathed. A cold breeze swept over them gently, chilling his skin.

Flamepaw nodded, and then hesitated as he glanced around. The Gathering was breaking up; clearly the leaders had finished up whatever they were doing. They had to hurry.

"Flamepaw! What are you doing?" came a voice. It was a slender, night-dark panther, padding over to them. Her eyes glittered suspiciously when she noticed Lionpaw.

"I was just telling him to get away from me," Flamepaw snapped.

"Well, hurry up, then. We're leaving, and you might just get left behind at Four Trees. Do you want that?" the panther growled. Lionpaw got the feeling that she was his mentor.

"Fine! I'm coming, Blackrose!" Flamepaw growled. He tossed Lionpaw a brief glance before turning away. Feeling angry that the apprentice had just left him like that, Lionpaw took a stiff step after him, until the sleek DarkClan apprentice tossed over his shoulder softly, "Coldstar said that it was a male lion; that narrows it down by half, eh?"

Tensions are running high... and that certainly narrows it down by half, doesn't it? I'm going to South Carolina for the next week, and the stupid laptop is half-broken (meaning it works, but the internet doesn't) so you won't hear from me until then. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all like hows its going =)