Browneyes perked up as he caught the sound of approaching pawsteps and watched Darkpelt step into the clearing with Greysight. Thistle and Ragged had been lounging around, but both stood up at the sight of the great tom.

Ragged had a small frown on his face, but Thistle seemed to light up. His face grew into a wide grin and his whiskers twitched in excitement. Browneyes shifted anxiously beside Moonfur and he could see in the pale she-cat's eyes that she wasn't completely okay with this idea either.

He could see in the way his brother walked that he was confident in himself, but Browneyes knew Darkpelt was very prideful in his abilities. And he had a right to be. Darkpelt had worked harder than anyone he believed ever could, the tom was a force of nature.

Darkpelt strode arrogantly into the clearing until he was standing across from the two rogue brothers. Darkpelt rarely ever smiled, but he could see the outline of a dark smirk growing on his brother's face. "You think you can beat me?" he growled lowly.

Thistle laughed amusedly, "Show us what you got!"

Browneyes gulped as he watched the toms take up their fighting positions. Darkpelt had lowered himself slightly and was watching the rogues with a deep intensity from across the clearing, trying to anticipate their move.

Thistle and Ragged slowly stepped forward, crouching and turning their bodies ever so slightly, lining themselves up in perfect symmetry. Browneyes and Moonfur both jumped as a dark figure landed gracefully beside them with a slight whoosh.

Both warriors relaxed when they realized it was only Lostheart. "Are they ready?" she meowed lightly to Moonfur. The gray warrior nodded, "Yes, I think so."

Greysight scoffed from beside them, her extra sensitivity allowing her to hear their conversation. She knew how this battle would end up, it was a waste of time really.

Darkpelt's eyes flashed as Thistle and Ragged flew forward, crossing past one another and switching sides. Darkpelt quickly backed himself up and readied himself for their attack. The two toms were moving at the exact same speed and Darkpelt realized they would attack simultaneously.

'I have to either fend them both off, or throw one of them off long enough to take care of the other.'

He saw his opportunity when Thistle passed Ragged and leapt to attack him. Darkpelt let out a roar and, instead of attempting to dodge the attack, launched himself forward, ramming the other cat back. Darkpelt had a clear size advantage and easily knocked the Thistle to the ground, but he didn't have time to inflict any serious damage on him because Ragged had appeared behind him.

Darkpelt moved quickly, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid a sharp scratch on the shoulder. Thistle easily rolled over and re-gained his paws as Darkpelt reacted to the attack. The spotted tom looked to his brother, and a after a short nod from Thistle they moved again.

The two toms split and began circling Darkpelt, flanking him from opposite sides. A deep growl rumbled in Darkpelt's throat as he watched the quick forms of Thistle and Ragged become closer.

'I'm not going to sit here and wait for them to attack!'

Darkpelt's vision flashed to Thistle and the tom took off. Thistle's eyes widened slightly and he leapt back to avoid Darkpelt's blow, letting the sound of Darkpelt's powerful swing rush through the air in front of him.

Greysight was paying very close attention to the battle, she knew that neither of the toms could afford a close blow from Darkpelt. The tom's powerful attacks would crush them. Thistle moved to keep up with Darkpelt's flurry of attacks, but it was clear his movements were becoming slower and less exact.

A gasp sounded from Moonfur as Thistle suddenly tripped as he was leaping back to avoid another swipe from Darkpelt. The tom fell backwards onto the ground, his eyes shot open and widened in shock as Darkpelt's shadowy form leered above him, prepared to strike.

However, before Darkpelt could slam his paws down onto the tom, a dark shape leapt through the air, flipping forward and digging their claws into the flecked warrior's back. Darkpelt let out a howl of rage as the Ragged's sharp claws pierced his skin.

Ragged managed to keep his hold and bit down onto the back of Darkpelt's neck. The great warrior, stepped off of Thistle as he attempted to throw off the black tortoiseshell.

Darkpelt's deep blue eyes contracted in rage and the cats could only watch as he threw himself back, slamming Ragged into the ground beneath him, crushing the tom with his weight.

"Ragged!"

Thistle's horrified yowl cut across the clearing as Darkpelt stood backup, leaving the black tom lying on the ground. Thistle's violet eyes were wide and clouded with worry, and a hint of fear.

Darkpelt turned towards Thistle, his dark eyes gleaming. Moonfur's fearful eyes glanced to Browneyes beside her, and she could see the concerned expression on his face. Moonfur couldn't help feeling a wave of anxiety sweep over her as her gaze slid back over to the tom lying still in the dirt.

Thistle's eyes danced between Darkpelt and his brother, the tom's teeth were gritted tightly and Moonfur could tell that something was going through his head.

"Okay!" he exclaimed, "We'll stay, just stop!"

Darkpelt paused in his steps, and the cats watched as Thistle darted past him and over to Ragged. Moonfur, Browneyes, Lostheart, and Greysight all stepped forward as well. The three she-cats quickly walked over to where Thistle was crouched beside his brother muttering something quickly to the other tom.

"Ragged...you okay?"

Slowly, the tom stirred and his yellow eyes slowly opened.

"...Ragged?" Thistle meowed tentatively once more.

Ragged blinked and his eyes slowly turned towards his brother. "Yes." he replied after a moment of silence, pulling himself up. Thistle sighed in relief and laughed, pawing his brother in the side, "Good."

Moonfur and Thistle both helped Ragged to his paws while Darkpelt and Browneyes came over.

"You lost, so you have to keep up your end of the deal." Greysight meowed. Thistle and Ragged both turned toward the she-cat with mixed expression.

"...Yes, I suppose you're right." Ragged breathed quietly. Moonfur could have sworn she saw Ragged shoot his brother a look, but she wasn't too sure. Greysight seemed completely aloof, "Good, our medicine cat Roseclaw can take a look at you back at camp."

Thistle nodded, and prepared to help his brother walk back to the camp. Greysight had known it would turn out this way. 'They may be talented fighters, and normally their style would work well against other cats, but Darkpelt has been trained to take on several cats at once. Still, if they had both done that move at once, they might have been able to overtake him...'

When they returned to camp, Browneyes had immediately taken Ragged to Roseclaw. While the medicine cat tended to the wounded tom, Thistle waited in the clearing with a few of the DarkClan cats.

The obnoxious tom was unusually quiet and serious, his eyes locked onto the medicine cat den.

"Those are some pretty intense moves you guys have. Especially that one attack, how do you do it?" Greysight meowed.

Violet eyes turned to look at the blind she-cat with a confused expression. "How did you-"

"Look. I may not be able to see, but I can still feel, hear, and scent things."

Thistle shifted a bit, not completely understanding what the blind she-cat meant, but choosing not to question her knowing that despite her blindness the she-cat was a fierce fighter. The tom shrugged, "It's in our blood."

"You said you came from Twolegplace."

Greysight, Moonfur, and Thistle all turned to see Lostheart padding up to them. "What's it like?" Lostheart remembered her past encounters with twolegs, they were mysterious creatures, but she herself had never been in their territory.

Thistle chuckled a little and shook his head, "Not like anything you've ever seen before. The twolegs nests you're familiar with are only the outer regions of twolegplace, you can't imagine what it's like on the inside."

Even Greysight had become curious now, and she listened to the tom with eager ears. "Tell us." she meowed.

Thistle's eyes seemed to sharpen as the tom appeared to recall certain memories. "Twolegs are everywhere, tons of them. There is no grass there, the earth is hard, ...it is a stone-cold place. Their stone trees literally touch the sky, they climb higher than any of the trees in this forest and cast their massive shadows over the land. There is no food, and cats are left to eating crowfood and twoleg garbage. The air stinks and you are constantly having to compete with dogs and other cats to survive. It's not exactly a pleasant environment." Thistle muttered.

"Is that why you left?" Moonfur meowed curiously.

Thistle scoffed, a ghost of a smirk on his face, "That isn't a place for the likes of any cat."

Lostheart, Greysight, and Moonfur decided not to ask the tom any more questions, he seemed troubled enough as it was. Instead, they sat in silence, waiting for their clanmates.

It wasn't long before Ragged's mottled form appeared from the shadows of the medicine cat den, Thistle immediately rose to his paws and padded over to see him. Greysight was surprised at how quickly the tom had appeared, what's more, it didn't feel like he was injured at all.

Thistle affectionately touched his forehead to his brother's and stepped back, observing the tom. "You look great!" he meowed.

"Luckily there wasn't any internal damage or fractures to his ribcage. It appears that you merely got the wind knocked out of you." Roseclaw meowed, appearing from the nursery with Mintpaw and flicking Ragged with the tip of her tail.

Ragged dipped his head slightly, "Thank you, Roseclaw. For taking care of me."

Roseclaw smiled, her laugh bubbling through the air, "I'm the medicine cat, it's my job."

"You know," Thistle began, "I'm not feeling too good myself. I think you should take a look at me too."

Roseclaw looked at the tom skeptically, "You look fine to me."

Greysight could feel herself becoming progressively more annoyed and quickly stepped between the two cats to avoid any shenanigans the tom might try to pull.

"Come on, now that you're part of the clan, you have to get your warrior names from Sunstar." she meowed, giving Thistle a push towards the leader's den.

The two toms looked at each other skeptically as they were lead to the center of the clearing. "Warrior names?"

"Yes, warrior names." Greysight repeated, "Now that you will be staying with us, you have to have warrior names. Sunstar is already waiting."

True to her word, the clan's golden leader stood on top of his stone den with Darkpelt and Browneyes sitting at its base. Even Longtail had come out and was now watching from the side with cold eyes.

Sunstar's gaze shifted to the pair of toms as they stepped forward. 'Tch. Rogues.' Sunstar didn't believe these cats would manage to change anything, just letting them stay in their camp was disgraceful enough. 'If only Shadestar could see what DarkClan has come to.'

"Now that Darkpelt has beaten you in battle," he began, "You must now keep your word to serve our clan. We have many rules and traditions that rogues like yourself will be unfamiliar with, despite this, I expect you to obey them. I will not tolerate any disobedience."

Both Thistle and Ragged's faces had become serious and they watched Sunstar with unwavering gazes.

"You will no longer be known as Thistle and Ragged, but as Thistleprick and Raggedear. Don't make me regret allowing you into this clan." Sunstar growled.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the wait, I've been sick, and I still am. It sucks, a lot. I also have midterms this week, ugh. Questions and comments leave em in reviews :) I actually have a specific question this time: What do you think the prophecy means?

Lost Out

p.s siicckkkkkk