A/N: -grins- I really enjoyed this chapter... so hopefully you will too! Not much to say... anyway, R&R please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

Chapter 7

"I'm going to kill you!"

At the sound of that screech, all the apprentices gasped. Thorntail pressed his mate closer to him, keeping his ears pricked for any other sounds. There weren't any more threats, only yowls and hisses.

"We have to find out what's going on!" Sunpaw whispered, his eyes darting around at the other apprentices. "WindClan cats surely wouldn't fight with each other, so it must be an intruder of some sort."

The others nodded, and Mosspaw took a deep breath, ready to push her way through the brambles. Taking one last look down at the Moonpool behind her, she flattened her ears and started forward as quietly as possible.

When they had all emerged on the other side of the brambles, including Thorntail and Rosethorn, they all slowly peeked over the edge and looked down to where there were two cats fighting. At the sight of the identity of the two cats, Mosspaw, Flamepaw, Mistpaw, and Sunpaw froze. A WindClan cat and a ThunderClan cat were fighting.

"That's Leafpool!" Mosspaw gasped, confused at the sight of her Clanmate fighting a black cat. Was Leafpool fighting Crowfeather?

"Why is Nightcloud trying to kill her?" Mistpaw cried. Mosspaw stared down at the two cats, remembering that Nightcloud was Crowfeather's technical mate. If these two she-cats were fighting, then that must mean that Nightcloud had discovered Leafpool and Crowfeather's secret. Mosspaw knew Leafpool would never start a fight with another cat deliberately.

Leafpool was struggling underneath Nightcloud, trying to get the other she-cat off of her. Nightcloud was strong; she was easily keeping Leafpool down while at the same time trying to get her jaws around the tabby cat's throat. Leafpool narrowed her eyes, using her front paws to slash at Nightcloud's muzzle whenever she got close.

"We have to do something!" Waterpaw meowed quietly, watching the scene in front of him with wide eyes. "Nightcloud's going to tear Leafpool apart if we don't!"

Mosspaw pricked her ears when she heard her Clanmate's voice.

"Nightcloud . . . why are you doing this?" Leafpool hissed, trying to wedge her back legs between their two bodies so she could push Nightcloud off. "What will the Clans think when they find out you murdered me? Your reputation will sink lower than it possibly can!"

Nightcloud shook her head after Leafpool struck another blow at her. Leafpool's claws had left a small wound, and beads of blood appeared as she snarled. "They won't find out! We're near the edge of WindClan territory, so after I kill you, I'll just drag you over the boundary. No cat will know how it happened," she growled, narrowing her eyes before she lunged at Leafpool's throat again. When she failed, she continued speaking.

"If you're killed, you will never be Crowfeather's! I won't be second best! I will always be his mate, and there will be nothing you can do about it!" Nightcloud yowled. She stopped suddenly and looked down at Leafpool. "Crowfeather should never have sent Breezepelt away. Just because he sided with the Dark Forest doesn't mean he was a bad cat! He was our son!"

"That's what you believe?" Leafpool spat. "You will always be second best! I might even be second best! Feathertail was Crowfeather's first love, but it was only because she died that Crowfeather came to me."

"Shut up and die already!" Nightcloud screeched, baring her teeth. Mosspaw cringed as she watched the black she-cat try to inflict the killing bite.

A movement attracted Mosspaw's attention, and she looked over a little bit at a bush near the bottom of the rocks piling up to the edge where she and the other apprentices were. Two cats were standing just behind the bush, one gray and one black. What was with black cats popping up lately? Curiosity claimed Mosspaw when she recognized one of them as Jayfeather, and she slinked down as quietly as possible towards him. What was he doing here?

"Crowfeather's coming!" Sunpaw hissed quietly, just loud enough for Mosspaw to hear. She lifted her head to watch and crouched down so Crowfeather wouldn't notice her.

Nightcloud had noticed her mate approaching just after Sunpaw had announced it, even though she hadn't heard the apprentice. When she looked up from where she stood, she froze.

"Crowfeather," Nightcloud breathed, glancing back down at Leafpool. "Crowfeather," she meowed a bit more strongly, "Leafpool just tried to kill me! She leaped out of nowhere and told me to stop being your mate, just like that! StarClan must have been on my side, because Leafpool was so determined to get rid of me, it's a miracle that I'm still alive. You—you do believe me, right? Your mate?" Nightcloud mewed, feigning the look of innocence at the sight of anguish on Crowfeather's face.

Leafpool growled quietly, restraining herself from snarling at Nightcloud. "That's all lies and you know it, Nightcloud. But if Crowfeather believes you, then I guess I was wrong about him."

Mosspaw tore her eyes away from the scene and focused once more on Jayfeather and the other cat. Flamepaw had crept up beside her, and at his signal, they both slinked around the bush to the side Jayfeather was. Opening her jaws, Mosspaw tried to identify the other cat, but it wasn't a familiar scent.

Beside her, Flamepaw stood up and padded quietly over to the two cats. Mosspaw followed him in time to hear him whisper, "Breezepelt and Jayfeather?"

Mosspaw's eyes widened with shock. What was Breezepelt doing with Jayfeather in WindClan territory? He was such a dangerous cat! She started to say something, but Breezepelt slapped his tail against her mouth, shushing her with a look. He turned and peered around the bush at the other three cats, and Flamepaw and Mosspaw copied him.

Crowfeather was still standing before Nightcloud and Leafpool, his expression full of sadness and wistfulness. While all the cats that were listening and watching waited for his reply to Nightcloud, he closed his eyes. "I don't believe your story, Nightcloud," he meowed quietly.

A shrill gasp came from the black she-cat. "But . . . how could you not, Crowfeather? I'm your mate! Your mate! Not this . . . this cat!"

Mosspaw noticed Breezepelt stiffen at the words coming from his mother and father. Whether it was because Nightcloud was a mousebrain or because Crowfeather seemed to be rejecting her, Mosspaw couldn't tell.

"I don't believe you, Nightcloud," Crowfeather repeated, opening his eyes to meet hers. "You say Leafpool leaped on you and told you to stop being my mate," he continued. "But I know Leafpool would never do that. She's not that kind of cat. I know her a lot better than you do." Crowfeather watched as Leafpool stared up at him. "And I know what I heard, Nightcloud," he added quietly. "I heard everything."

Nightcloud stared at Crowfeather in disbelief. All was silent.

The silence was broken by Jayfeather and Breezepelt revealing themselves and rounding the bush to stand behind a few tail-lengths behind Nightcloud. Mosspaw and Flamepaw watched breathlessly as Crowfeather noticed two of his sons approaching. Raising his gaze, he also saw the other six apprentices still standing on the ledge with Rosethorn and Thorntail just behind them. He looked back down at Jayfeather and Breezepelt, silently watching their every move.

Nightcloud realized Crowfeather was looking at something behind her, and she turned around carefully, trying to make sure Leafpool wasn't able to get up. It didn't work.

As soon as she saw Breezepelt standing there with Jayfeather, she lost her powerful hold on Leafpool, and the tabby she-cat scrambled up, narrowing her eyes at the two half-siblings.

"Breezepelt?" Nightcloud breathed, her eyes wide with wonder at the sight of her son. Breezepelt didn't say anything, but he stared back at his mother calmly. Something had happened to that cat, Mosspaw realized, to keep him from siding with his mother. Or maybe he was about to.

Nightcloud suddenly realized she had lost her grip on Leafpool and turned back to her and Crowfeather. Shaking her head, she meowed defiantly, "No cat will believe any of you over me."

"Oh, no?" Jayfeather spoke up suddenly, and Nightcloud whipped her head around to glare at him.

"You speak as if there were only us five cats here. But I happen to know that eight other cats watched you as you threatened to kill Leafpool," Jayfeather continued.

Nightcloud's eyes darted around, confused, eventually returning to the gray medicine cat. "But there aren't."

Breezepelt glanced over his shoulder up at the ledge where the other apprentices were standing. "You're right, Nightcloud. There aren't eight; there are ten."

"Ten?" Jayfeather frowned, opening his jaws slightly to scent the air. Breezepelt shook his head.

"There are eight cats up on the ledge, plus the two apprentices hiding behind that bush over there," he meowed. Nightcloud's eyes widened as she saw the six apprentices staring down at her with wide eyes, along with the two older cats. Hearing a rustle nearby, she looked over and saw Mosspaw and Flamepaw pad around the bush, their eyes wide with shock.

Mosspaw darted forward, brushing against Leafpool. She looked up at the older she-cat, eyes wide with understanding, and Leafpool glanced down at her, blinking gratefully at her.

Without a word, Nightcloud took off, racing away faster than any cat Mosspaw had ever seen.

Crowfeather watched her leave, his gaze still sad. Turning to Leafpool, he meowed, "I'm sorry, Leafpool." Leafpool nodded, brushing her tail against Mosspaw's flank, who was still pressed against her.

Crowfeather looked away suddenly, turning back to where Jayfeather and Breezepelt had been standing. Instead, they were gone, and the only cat nearby was Flamepaw, who had regarded the whole match with interest.

"How in StarClan did Nightcloud manage to get Leafpool over here?" he muttered, looking away when Mosspaw glared at him. Now was not the time for a medicine cat to try and figure out battle strategies.

"Well, we should probably get back to our Clans now!" Waterpaw announced loudly, bounding down the pathway. Icepaw chased after him, hissing something about ruining the mood.

The apprentices approached Mosspaw and Flamepaw. "We won't say anything about this," Nightpaw meowed solemnly, glancing around at the other apprentices, who nodded in agreement. "Whatever just happened here tonight doesn't concern most of us, so it's best if we keep it to ourselves," he added.

"We'll keep in touch," Sunpaw murmured, flicking Flamepaw on his forehead with his tail. "Let's see who figures out how to use our abilities first," he added with a challenging purr.

Honeypaw leaned over and licked Mosspaw's ear, nodding respectfully at Leafpool and Crowfeather. "I'll be thinking about you all!" she called, padding away with Nightpaw by her side. Icepaw and Waterpaw echoed their farewell and left as well.

"We'd best get going too," Flamepaw meowed, nodding to the WindClan cats. Crowfeather stared at him, and Mosspaw wondered what he was thinking. She certainly didn't want to be in his position.

"Let's go home, Leafpool," Mosspaw meowed softly, turning to Rosethorn and Thorntail, who had been watching a little ways away. The two cats' expressions seemed sympathetic, as if they knew exactly how Leafpool and Crowfeather felt right now.

As they all left, Leafpool called ahead to where Flamepaw was. "Flamepaw, what do you suppose Jayfeather will do with his knowledge?"

"Flamepaw? His name is Flamepaw?" Rosethorn burst out. She didn't seem embarrassed by her outburst as all the cats stopped and looked at her. "Sorry," she meowed quietly, suddenly staring at Flamepaw. "My mentor's name was Flamesoul, and—"

"Long story made short, Flamesoul was a medicine cat and he did some things he wasn't technically allowed to do to Rosethorn, his apprentice," Thorntail interrupted.

Flamepaw flicked his ear uncomfortably. "I—I'm a medicine cat," he meowed, glancing at Mosspaw.

Leafpool looked up from where she staring at—her paws—and padded over to Rosethorn. "I think I understand," she murmured, gazing straight into the ginger she-cat's eyes. "And while your mentor and I both broke the warrior, it sounds like he was worse. But I can assure you that Flamepaw is not like that," she finished, raising her head and proudly gazing at the ginger apprentice.

Mosspaw caught onto what Leafpool was saying, guessing the things Flamesoul had done. "Yeah, Flamepaw won't let a she-cat touch him expect me and our mother," she purred, relieved to see Rosethorn relax.

"As for your question, Leafpool," Flamepaw meowed, "I don't really know what Jayfeather will do. You should know a lot better than me that he can be unpredictable with anything he does."

"Yes, that's true," Leafpool muttered. "He probably gets it from Crowfeather." Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Leafpool looked up. "Let's get back to ThunderClan territory. I'll feel better once we do."

They all nodded and continued their trek back to their territory, crossing the stream easily. Caught up in the fast-approaching dawn, Mosspaw didn't notice the nearby scents of four cats.

Flamepaw did. He nudged Mosspaw, silently signalling with his tail for the other cats to stop. Mosspaw looked straight ahead and saw Squirrelflight, Redpaw, Dewpaw, and Lionblaze. They seemed to be looking for something. . . . Glancing back at Rosethorn and Thorntail, Mosspaw hoped her Clanmates wouldn't be too hostile to them. Thorntail had pressed against his mate's side, looking ready to fight off a horde of badgers.

Wait, wait, wait just one second! Mosspaw told herself, thinking back to what Thorntail had said earlier. How can they be mates if Rosethorn had a mentor who was a medicine cat? They're obviously not siblings; they've got opposite forms. I'll have to find out some other time.

Mosspaw looked back at the four cats approaching. None of them had yet noticed her as she padded forward silently, stopping a tail-length before Lionblaze, who had his nose to the ground. Redpaw and Squirrelflight kept glancing behind their shoulders, and Dewpaw was staring up at the treetops, studying the sky as sunlight started filtering through.

Lionblaze was still padding forward, concentrating on whatever he was following. When he suddenly noticed paws in front of him, he raised his head and stared at Mosspaw. She stared back at him, a teasing expression in her eyes.

"Mosspaw!" he exclaimed, drawing the other cats' attention to them. "We found you!" Glancing behind her, he saw Flamepaw and Leafpool, completely ignoring the fact that there were two strange cats with them. "And Flamepaw and Leafpool! Where did you three run off to?"

Dewpaw raced forward, shouldering Lionblaze aside to cover Mosspaw with licks. Mosspaw recoiled in disgust, attempting to shake him off but failing.

"My precious she-cat—"

"Your?"

"—has been found!"

"I was never lost."

"Oh, never be separated from me ever again!"

"Go away!" Mosspaw meowed, hitting him on the side of his head. "What in StarClan gave you the idea that I'm your future mate?"

Redpaw purred, acting more dignified as he approached her and licked her ear in a friendly manner. Squirrelflight brushed past them towards Leafpool, pressing her muzzle against Leafpool. Leafpool stayed still and calm as Squirrelflight noticed the scent on her fur. Before she could question her, Squirrelflight noticed Thorntail and Rosethorn standing just behind Leafpool.

Thorntail wrapped his tail protectively around Rosethorn's tail, challenging the other cats to approach them with a fierce glare.

"Mosspaw?" Lionblaze asked, his voice cool and quiet. "Who are these cats? Why have you brought them here? They're not from any of the other Clans around here; are they loners?"

Mosspaw sat down, closing her eyes and meowing, "I can only answer one question at a time, you know."

"Mosspaw! Don't talk back at your mentor like that," Squirrelflight scolded her.

Mosspaw didn't flinch. "These two cats are Rosethorn and Thorntail. They're here because they want to join ThunderClan . . . again? And they're not loners, but their story is complicated. I don't know it all, but I have no intention of sharing the bits and pieces I do know to any of you." Mosspaw glanced over her shoulder at Rosethorn, studying the she-cat. She was already beginning to like the two new arrivals. Now if only she could convince her Clanmates to accept them as well. . . .

Dewpaw towered over her, glaring down at her, probably still ticked off from getting hit on his head from earlier. "And why won't you tell us?" he growled.

"Why should I?" Mosspaw replied, lifting her head and glaring back at him. He cringed; he knew exactly why Mosspaw had hit him.

Lionblaze sighed and rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go back to camp and tell Bramblestar." Mosspaw stood up and motioned to Thorntail and Rosethorn, who padded forward.

Mosspaw dropped back to pad beside Leafpool, knowing she needed the comfort from a cat who knew what was going on. Of course, Squirrelflight probably knew too, but she was annoying her poor sister, trying to get Leafpool to explain what had happened.

Mosspaw switched sides and nudged her mother. "I think it'll be best if you leave her alone for now," she meowed quietly. "If you two are as close as you say, Leafpool will tell you when she's ready. She'll be okay for now."

Leafpool looked over at her, gratefulness brimming in her eyes. Squirrelflight narrowed her eyes at the sight of claw marks on her sister's cheek. "Leafpool," she murmured, lowering her voice so only the three of them could hear, "were you caught?"

Leafpool turned away, not replying. Flamepaw used this interval to drop back and meow, "Squirrelflight, would you tell Bramblestar that I'll be back in camp soon? I want to find Jayfeather."

"Jayfeather?" Squirrelflight frowned at Flamepaw. "Oh, yes, he was missing from camp when we left. How did you know he was gone?"

"Uh . . ."

"Jayfeather," Leafpool murmured. The three of them looked over to her. "I wonder . . ." Leafpool started, ". . . what Breezepelt is doing now that he was chased out."

Flamepaw shook his head. "You don't want to know."

Mosspaw studied her brother. He obviously knew something; he had known who Breezepelt was when they had been behind the bush, and now he seemed to know where he was.

Squirrelflight sighed, nodding. "Go ahead. But what if he's back at camp?"

Flamepaw shook his head. "Mosspaw will let me know if he is. Bye!"

"How will she tell you?" Squirrelflight called after him.

"Ask Bramblestar to explain!" he answered, his voice fading as he disappeared. Squirrelflight glanced at Mosspaw, confusion in her eyes.

"If you don't know about us yet, then I think Bramblestar should tell you," Mosspaw meowed firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Leafpool? Do you know anything about this?" Squirrelflight asked. Leafpool shook her head, glancing at Mosspaw curiously. Mosspaw shrugged, not revealing anything, and focused on memorizing her way around her territory. A golden ray of sunlight reminded her about her promise to Mothwing. Switching sides once more so she was padding beside Leafpool, she meowed, "Leafpool . . ."

Leafpool looked at her, curious.

"Well . . . I was told to let you know that Mothwing was in StarClan," Mosspaw whispered. Leafpool stared at her, her expression slowly growing into amazement and excitement.

"Mothwing went to StarClan?" she asked softly. "Did you see her?" Mosspaw nodded, purring.

"She told me herself to tell you," Mosspaw explained.

"That's wonderful! Thank you, Mosspaw," Leafpool meowed, licking Mosspaw between her ears.

"It's not me; Mothwing was the only one able to allow StarClan into her heart," Mosspaw meowed truthfully. Leafpool nodded, now more excited and amazed than before. She continued to stay that way all the way back to camp.

A/N: ... Did you enjoy it? Did you? Well? I did...

Please review and be on the lookout for chapter 8!