Okay, guys! I'm back with the next chapter!

Reviews!

Callie the Cat Goddess: Well, they've barely been in official 'love' for a day. But you'll see what happens to Redfire and why he believes that soon. Yes, I know right? But the real story has barely started :)

Archangel of ShadowClan: No, he's not supporting Snowstar. He just can't believe Brightshadow would do such a thing, but that doesn't mean he suddenly supports Snowstar.

Wyatt200: I wish... if Snowstar died, the story would be over just like that. :)

Twinkle Legacy: Yeah, I figured. But all the italicized words are his thoughts.

Rainstone18: Thanks so much! I've already got Ashflame's life planned out, lol. I hope you're gonna love his future character.

Sootfire: Yeah... you'll see about that. Redfire's just really shocked, as of now, and he'll figure it out soon.

Onto the story!

Chapter 7

Brightshadow glared furiously at Ashflame, her claws sliding out. "How could you let me think that you were dead? What in the name of StarClan is wrong with you?" She punctuated her words by raking a set of claws across his ear, and the gray tom flinched.

A cat materialized in the den entrance, and Brightshadow turned at the shadow. Rainclaw, by his dark gray fur. "Everything all right in there, traitor?"

"Fine, thanks for being so considerate." Brightshadow rolled her eyes, her fur still fluffed up, and she heard Rainclaw snort before resuming his post. Typical. Brightshadow whipped back around to face Ashflame, who took a pace back.

Brightshadow growled. "We'll finish this later. Right now, I've got something better in mind - getting out of here."

"We're escaping? Have you gone insane? They'll claw us alive!"

"What do you mean, us?" Brightshadow snapped. "And they can't 'claw me alive' if they can't find me."

Last thing I need is another cat tagging along. Even if he is a friend.

Ashflame flicked his tail. "Let me tag along," he mewed, swishing his tail with nonchalance. He tossed his head in that familiar, teasing way that hurt to tihnk of, now. "I'm legendary when it comes to figuring things out." He purred. "What do you think?"

Brightshadow whirled around, a growl rumbling at the back of her throat. "Stop distracting me, would you? I need to think."

"Right. As if it'll do much good." Ashflame's ear twitched. "I have a location in mind, where we won't be found for the time being. Snowstar doesn't know about it - no other cat does - so it'll be ideal. What do you think, Brightshadow?" Interesting... if there was a way to find that location without bringing another cat along, that would be just wonderful.

It wasn't as though Brightshadow didn't like Ashflame, but she just didn't want to involve anyone else. But it really would be useful to be hidden at least for a night, just to rest before moving on. To StarClan knew where.

"Tell me."

Ashflame flicked his tail. "Will you let me come with you, wherever you're going, if I tell you?"

"No."

"Come on!"

"Leave me alone, Ashflame." She lowered her voice. "I need to think."

"Right." The gray tom shook out his fur. "Just think it over, Sweet Trouble. And tell me when you decide to let me come along." That nickname struck home. It had been his old, teasing way of addressing her - especially when he wanted to anger her in order to get something from her.

Rolling her eyes, acting as though the comment didn't bother her, Brightshadow stalked away to the darkness at the back of the den.

oO0Oo

Redfire's POV:

Redfire kept replaying Brightshadow's words in his mind.

"I happen to know that whoever did it took a tuft of fur from my nest." Redfire recalled that she shot a glare at Snowstar, sometime around then. Was it because she wished Snowstar looked more closely into Foxkit's death, or for some other reason?

"How do I know this? There was a tendril-"

Redfire would never forget the flash of panic in Snowstar's eyes - though it was covered up quite fast - as she ordered Brightshadow to stop spouting nonsense.

A tendril, a tendril, a tendril... It could have been anything. A thorn tendril, brambles, moss, stems... but whatever she had been about to say, it was important. What had she said? The murderer had taken the fur from her nest.

Her moss nest.

A tendril of moss?

The cat who killed Foxkit had taken moss? Redfire shook his head. That didn't make sense, but it meant that there had been something to do with moss on Foxkit's body. Was it the lingering scent? Was it a scrap of moss?

Whatever it was, Redfire hoped that Brightshadow wasn't lying about it. Brightshadow... he didn't think that after all they had felt toward each other, she could do such a thing to lose his respect for her like that. If there was any chance that Brightshadow hadn't killed Foxkit, he would cling to it.

The elders were carrying Foxkit's body across the camp - with Shadespring, Foxkit's mother - padding after them, slowly.

Redfire bounded over.

"Darkfoot," he mewed, addressing the black-furred elder, usually the less grumpy of the two, "can I look at Foxkit's body for a moment?" The tom dipped his head and flicked his tail, letting go of the kit's russet-furred body, which fell to the ground. "Thank you, Darkfoot. I won't be long."

Redfire crouched, using a forepaw to adjust Foxkit's body so that he was lying on his back.

The kit looked as though he was sleeping... there was an almost peaceful expression on his face, his fur groomed flat by the elders. Redfire shuddered uncontrollably, then crouched to study the kit's body. Yes, as Snowstar had told him, there was silver fur between the claws - that could only belong to Brightshadow.

But if any warrior, let alone Brightshadow, had killed a kit, the kit wouldn't be able to put up so much resistance as to tear a tuft out of the warrior's fur, could it?

Looking closely, Redfire widened his eyes. Brightshadow had been right. There was a tendril - of moss - alongside the silver fur. It most likely came from her nest. So... it couldn't have been Brightshadow. She had been framed.

But who did? Who would do such a thing?

The answer came to his mind before he knew it.

Snowstar.

But, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't jump to conclusions so directly. He sniffed the body. If it was Snowstar, there would be a stale scent on the fur. Oh, who was he fooling? He could feel his conclusions well before he lowered his head to sniff the fur.

There was a faint, lingering scent - from the previous day - on the fur... that belonged to his leader.

oO0Oo

Brightshadow's POV:

Brightshadow busied herself trying to adjust her blue eyes to the darkness of the den and looing for a way out.

She heard an exasperated sigh, and didn't need to turn to see that it was Ashflame. After all, he was the only other cat in this large den. His gray fur was fluffed up, and he rolled his eyes. "Look!" he spat. "I've been in here for StarClan-knows how long, and there's no easy way out!"

"I'm not trying to find a way out," Brightshadow retorted, though she clearly was. "I'm just trying to memorize every crevice of this den, so I can find a way out." Only after the excuse left her jaws did she realize that what she said was a good idea.

"Great. Tell me when you find something useful in the crevices."

Ashflame snorted and turned away, splitting his jaws in a yawn. Brightshadow shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You'll be-" She was cut off as Ashflame slapped his tail over her jaws. Shaking him off, she growled. "What in the name of StarClan are you doing?"

"Be quiet for a bit. Rainclaw and Shadestorm are coming inside."

Brightshadow widened her eyes and nodded, curling her tail around her paws like a perfectly docile she-cat. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Ashflame slink away into the darkness. Rainclaw padded inside, carrying a small mouse in his jaws.

He dropped it at Brightshadow's paws. "Snowstar ordered that we bring even you food." He practically spat the words. Shadestorm nodded beside the dark gray tom, and the two padded away, together. Brightshadow watched them go, incredulously.

"How have you survived so long?" Brightshadow called into the darkness, as soon as Rainclaw and Shadestorm were out of earshot. "Without food?"

Ashflame padded toward her. "Snowstar knows I'm here. She was going to kill me, but then she forgot about me for a few days. So she told every cat that I was dead. But then, when she remembered that I was here, she figured that it was probably best to keep me a secret. So she brings me food, every day. But now, I guess she sees no point."

"Snowstar decides not to kill a cat. StarClan, see this day." Brightshadow rolled her eyes.

Ashflame flicked his tail. "Whatever. So have you found anything useful yet?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned and padded away, abandoning the mouse at her paws, his tail swishing in annoyance. Brightshadow watched him pad away, slightly curious.

Having a place to rest for at least the first night would be wonderful... some company might be useful, too... Brightshadow pondered, staring thoughtfully after Ashflame. But it also means another mouth to feed, and someone to argue with... but he could point out everything wrong with my plans...

No cat deserves to stay in a place like this.

He'll probably be a help to me... StarClan, I hope I'm not making the wrong decision.

"Ashflame!" Brightshadow called after him, drawing in a deep breath. The gray tom turned, flicking his tail. She dipped her head. "You can come."

oO0Oo

"Here, take this. I'm not hungry."

Brightshadow nudged the mouse towards Ashflame. It hadn't been long - the two had just been pondering ways to escape and had settled on one. Which just so happened to take a lot of manual work by them, without Rainclaw or Shadestorm noticing.

Ashflame glared at her, shaking out his fur. "No. I understand how you feel, Brightshadow, but you need your strength."

Rolling her eyes, Brightshadow lowered her head and took a few small bites, uncomfortably aware of Ashflame's gaze fixed on her. She shrugged, sighing, and pushed the mouse back to Ashflame. "There. I'm finished. I'm not hungry."

Ashflame didn't object, but he flicked his tail. "I'm curious," he mewed. "What made you change your mind to let me come with you?"

"Well... I just figured that no cat really deserved to stay here alone... you know..." Brightshadow mewed, feeling her fur grow warm as she spoke.

"Come on. That's not the real reason."

"What do you mean?"

Ashflame tossed his head in that familiar, teasing way. "It was probably my charm and handsome features that convinced you, don't you think?" Brightshadow nudged him hard, rolling her eyes, but she was purring, despite herself. It felt wonderful to see Ashflame again.

"Don't make me regret it," Brightshadow mewed, sighing. "Try not to spout too much nonsense, would you?"

Ashflame finished the rest of the mouse wordlessly, then jumped to his paws. "Shall we continue, Brightshadow? This job isn't going to get any easier, you know." He padded over to a certain part of the den, toward the middle.

Standing on the pile of sticks and twigs they had formed, he rose to his hind legs and clawed at the dirt and twigs that made up the top of the den. Brightshadow stretched, sighing, and joined him. They hadn't gotten far, but it would get done by sundown if they kept working at this pace.

It was frustrating that they couldn't just break down the den at the back, since the other cats would be able to see it. No, they had to create the hole in the top ot the den, where no other cat could see it. And they had to do it without destroying the entire den, too.

Brightshadow's claws sank into the dirt, feeling her paw strike something hard. Probably a twig, or something. Her balance on her hind legs wavered, and she stumbled, taking a part of the pile of sticks with her. It happened too often, with both her and Ashflame.

Ashflame sighed as Brightshadow's tail worked to sweep it back together.

The gray-furred tom's paw slammed frustratingly at the den roof, and Brightshadow glanced up as she heard something fall. Just a chunk of mud. Ashflame rolled his eyes. "Are you sure this is going to work? The warriors made this den strong, you know."

"It has to," Brightshadow mewed. "We have no other option."

Ashflame sighed and struck again. This time, Brightshadow jumped to her paws, staring in shock as a single ray of light poured in through the den roof. She exchanged awed glances with Ashflame as the light fixed on a certain spot on the ground. But however small it was, it was something.

One step closer.

Brightshadow purred. "Looks like you were good for something."

oO0Oo

Ashflame's POV:

Dusk had fallen, and Brightshadow and Ashflame lay in the old, almost-unused nests of the den. They had fortunately avoided any questions about the hole in the den roof, and had managed to keep it hidden from Rainclaw and Shadestorm, with considerable effort.

But it was there, and they could rest for a short while.

They planned to leave at dawn.

Brightshadow had fallen asleep; Ashflame could tell from her steady breathing. He watched her as her chest rose and fell easily, her blue eyes closed. He couldn't rest. He had been in here for moons... and now, he was finally leaving this StarClan-forsaken place.

It meant so much to both of them.

Brightshadow had grown since he last saw her, both physically and mentally.

She had scars that seemed as though they bore some weight, and she seemed more thoughtful as well as more ferocious and warrior-like. The scar on her face, the one marring one cheek, was the most prominent. Brightshadow seemed more intelligent that ever before, now... she had changed.

I'm not sure if that's good or bad... she's still that same, lovable Brightshadow.

She was still sweet, in that same innocent yet sassy way she was when she was an apprentice. She still was full of heart, though she seemed to be trying hard to hide it. Brightshadow was still... well... the same, in a way, though she had changed so much.

Still the same Brightshadow.

She had grown, too.

Well... so had he.

But she was nearly his size, and seemed to be twice as easily-annoyed. But that was all the shell. When he shattered it, she was still the same she-cat he had known when he was an apprentice.

Still, there was something there, with the scars. They were more than what they seemed... they changed her, slightly. They seemed to be the cause of that slight shadow over her eyes whenever he brought up Snowstar. She would duck her head sometimes, trying to hide the scar...

Brightshadow.

I wonder if I'll get to know her the same way that I did before.

She would be killed in a few days' time if their plan didn't work... they were like littermates when they were apprentices, and he didn't want to break that. And now, he had another chance to learn to trust her, again.

Because it was their day, starting at dawn.

I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! 50th reviewer gets a special mention at the start of the next chapter!

See ya!

~ Stormy