A/N:

Thank you so much for all who have reviewed/faved/alerted this fanfic so far! It means a lot to me! :)

I must, again, apologize for the long in-between breaks this fanfic story is constantly having to undergo; things are changing in my life, as I write this, and so my attention has mainly been focused on that instead of my fanfics.

I hope you all understand and know that I've wanted to continue writing this fanfic for so long. I've found some time, and therefore, used in order to continue writing! Yay!

Also, if you need to refresh your memory on what has occurred in this fanfic thus far, it may be a good idea to go back and re-read the last chapter.

Read Key:

Talking: "Talking"

Thoughts: Thoughts

Voice: Voice

Not much else to say…

Read and Enjoy! :)

Sorry for bad spelling and grammar!

Disclaimer: Otherwise stated, the characters in this fanfiction belong to the author of "The Warrior Cats" book series Erin Hunter. The Character of John Mew, and any other OCs of my creation, belongs to me, mpkio2.

Warrior Cats:
The TwoLeg Priosner
Written by mpkio2

Chapter 6
Save Any Cat No Matter What!

No, no! You're doing it wrong, again!, The dark, ominous growling voice berated Shadow, it's sharp teeth, Shadow was certain, was showing all the while. How many times must I tell you?! Your hunches need to be tighter in!

"B-but they are!" Shadow protested, despite the shivers he felt crawling up his spine, despite how cold he felt, imagining two golden gleaming eyes staring at him, despite how much the voice made him jump, wanting to run away and never return to it, despite how much he had already travelled without eating, without taking a nap. Despite everything he was feeling and thinking, Shadow had had enough. "A-and I-I'm tired. Y-you said I c-could rest!" Shadow squeaked.

A dark mrrow of laughter replied and Shadow knew that an answer he didn't like was sure to follow. Kits…so entertaining…

A slight silence and nothing more was said. A birth tweeted up above in the tree Shadow was currently crouched under, a rustling sound from a nearby bush; Shadow's nostrils soon telling him that it was a mouse, his stomach rumbling in response reminded the little black kit just how hungry he actually was.

I'm so hungry, Shadow thought miserably, his golden eyes locked onto the rustling bush where the mouse still lay in waiting for him to catch, unbeknownst that a predator was nearby. I would even eat that mouse…

But you can't even catch it…, The growling voice commented, Shadow jumping upon hearing it, remembering that the voice was still with him, despite it going quiet, You say you're hungry….you say you want something…but you don't have the means to get it!

Shadow felt the fur along his spine rise, his paws trembling, his eyes looking left and right, realizing that the voice was angry at him, convinced he would appear from out of the undergrowth and confront the poor little, lost black kit with those angry hateful, golden eyes of his. He had said something wrong, something to upset the voice…but what? What had he said that would make the voice so angry with him? He only said that he was hungry-

Shadow let out a loud high-pitched yowl, certain that it was so loud, nearby prey would certainly flee and other predators would surely be drawn to him. But Shadow didn't care about any of that…couldn't think at all…full stop, for the pain that spread across his left side was so agonizingly painful, he found it hard to stay conscious.

With paws trembling, head thumping, heat-racing, Shadow fell to his side and landed on the undergrowth with a small "Thud". Eyes straining with small tears, whimpering, Shadow hadn't a clue what had happened, why he felt so much pain; did something attack him with him not noticing? He felt his own thoughts whirling and panic took over soon enough.

"John….help me…" He mewed out, whimpering, frightened that he would never see any of his housefolk again, never would he be able to return to him, full with strength and pride and love. He just wanted to be back at home, realizing what a big mistake this whole thing was; venturing out into the wild? Become strong? What was he thinking!? How could he believe such a mouse-brained-? "I…want to go…home…"

And then he felt it. A cat's paw…an adult cat's paw he was sure, was pressing down on him, down on the exact spot where the pain had engulfed him. He yowled out once again, the pain almost unbearable for a kitten, a baby like himself, to take. He clenched his eyes, tears streaking back, despite how much he held them at bay, wanting nothing more but for to stop, wanting nothing more but for someone, anyone to save him.

"H-help…" Energy fading, pain overtaking, barely audible, tried to yell for help, but all that came out was a feeble plea. "P-please…"

If you want to be saved, The voice! Shadow thought, happiness, momentarily taking over, thankful that his saviour had come at last. Whoever had hurt him, whoever was holding him down now, he was sure the voice he had befriended would help him! He said he would make him stronger! He said so himself! He said he would always be with me! And his here now to-

Do it yourself! Claws extended, the cat above that held him down pierced into the kit's flesh. Shadow felt his eyes widen in shock and despair, but not due to the pain he felt, tenfold as intense as the last, not due to how much he wished he wanted to go home, how much he wished he had never taken that first step over his garden fence…no. Above all, Shadow had realized that he was by himself, truly, for the first time since leaving his home.

No…p-please…h-help…s-save m-me…please! If anything, the pain intensified, the claws digging deeper into his flesh. There would be no mercy…there would be no salvation for him…just here in this dark forest…no friends, no family….just him…by himself…

Alone…

You need to realize something, kit, Shadow could just about hear, his brain just able to register the words the dark voice was whispering and he was certain, it was hovering just above him, it's breathe almost blowing against his ear. When it comes to survival, you can trust no-one…but yourself.

And as those words settled inside Shadow's brain, he felt nothing more, eyes closing, afraid that this was the end; that he would…die here…in failure, having failed everything he had set out to change; to become stronger, to be worthy of John's love, to show John a world where he could be happy in, the possibilities…that could have been endless…

John…I'm sorry…

Darkness greeted him as a dark mrrow of laughter engulfed him…

Disappointment nudged against Squirrelflight's fur as she and her clanmates treaded carefully and cautiously within Thunder Clan's forest territory, quiet, almost stealth like, as to not alert any intruders that may be lurking within the shadows. Other than the rustling from some nearby bushes, the forest was very quiet, the opposite of how the ginger she-cat would have preferred it to be; all she wanted was a little fun, for something exciting to happen!

With her being cooped up within ThunderClan's camp for almost moon, nursing Lionkit, Jaykit and Hollykit, the usually optimistic and cat always up for adventures and excitement, didn't really have much time to do so. Once the kits were old enough for other queens to supervise them, Squirrelflight was relieved, excited to stretch her legs in what felt like a really long time.

It wasn't that she didn't love her kits- no….not her kits….but they felt like it, even though they weren't, that Leafpool was their true mother and…she knew all this, she did, but deep down, she still felt-

"Squirrelflight?" A whispered voice startled Squirrelflight out of her running thoughts and found herself facing the undergrowth of the forest, rooted to the ground in place, like the tress that grew overhead and all around her and her patrol. "Are you…OK?"

She turned and found the owner of the voice, Ashfur, staring into her eyes with his green ones, shimmering with worry. "Yeah…just fine," she answered the grey tom, not really knowing if he had asked her a question or not. "Let's keep moving,"

Ashfur looked at her with confusion and she knew then that she answered incorrectly; she was on a border patrol and usually, if a patrol member asks to stop or for another cat's attention, it most always meant that something suspicious had been discovered or an intruder has been spotted.

"But don't you smell that?" Brackenfur spoke up, trotting up to Squirrelflight, the same confused expression covering his face, gesturing with his nose in the direction of the Old Abandoned Twoleg nest.

Squirrelflight took one whiff and realized the mistake she had made, especially when she herself was leader of the patrol. Her eyes widened slightly as the strong stench of blood filled her nostrils.

"I smell it," she confirmed with a nod of the head, trying to regain as much control and confidence in herself and patrol. "ShadowClan?"

"I don't think so," Spiderleg replied in a scoffing voice. "Honestly, Squirrelflight. Any cat would think that you were miles away there for a second!"

"I-I was not," Squirrelflight retorted, her neck fur rising in indignation. "I was well aware-!"

"Will you two knock it off!" Brackenfur, the eldest warrior in the patrol intervened. "Stop acting like kits!" He turned to Squirrelflight, a serious expression washed over his facial features. "We should inspect this," He took a whiff. "It doesn't smell like ShadowClan but-"

"It smells…weird," Spiderleg finished with a nod. "And familiar. Someone we know?"

Finally, finding her confidence once more, she silenced her patrol with a wave of her tail. "Brackenfur is right; it might just be a kittypet that has wounded onto our territory, but all the same, we will approach with caution just to be safe,"

With an approving nod from Brackenfur, Squirrelflight lead her patrol, quietly, in the direction of where the smell of blood was most prominent. Little prey could be heard as the group moved slowly, their pads crunching on leaves under paw, their eyes darting left and right, ears pricked forward, ready for any obstacle, any enemy that they may have to face.

Squirrelflight was ready to fight for her clan, claw to claw, if need be. But as neared the stench, the smell of blood almost overwhelming and unbearable to withstand, causing the world to spin momentarily, Squirrelflight discovered the source of the smell and mixture of emotions hit her hard; disappointment that there was no need for fight, shock at what she saw before her in the undergrowth and anger at what or who could ever do such a thing to creature such as-

"Is that…a kit?" Ashfur asked, his eyes staring at the small kit, blood covering its black fur in patches.

Squirrelflight slowly padded towards the body, her heart racing a mile a second, realizing too, that what she felt now, was exactly what she wanted; thrill, excitement, a challenge. But not this, she thought distraughtly. Anything but this! Not at the expense of someone so small, of being so badly wounded, so tiny and…it looks like…Jaykit!

But as she stopped just over it, head down to inspect the body, she realized that it was not one of her…one of Leafpool's kits; it was a kitten she had never seen before and she had no idea of where he had come from. Slowly, tentavily, she bent down and started to lick, rapid strokes against the kit's fur as to rouse it awake and to keep it warm.

"Is it dead?" Spiderleg asked, with no worry or concern in his voice at all. "If so, we have to keep going-"

"Spiderleg!" Brackenfur yowled. "Don't be so insensitive! It's just a kit!"

"But it's not our own, not our problem," The black tom replied sternly.

"Our own or not, it still needs our help," Brackenfur replied, with a steady voice, as if he was doing everything he could to hold back at lashing at the young tom. "Well, Squirrelflight?"

Squirrelflight put her ear against the kitten's side, hoping to hear at least the faintest hint of life. She heard it, the small "thump" of a heart beat and felt a shaky in-take of breathe. Relief washed over her, springing up to her feet and facing back to Ashfur.

"Go fetch Leafpool! Now, go! This kit needs her more than ever!" With a nod of the head, the grey tom was off like a shot back through the way they had come from, through the undergrowth.

"Brackenfur, if you can, fetch some water from wherever you can find," Squirrelflight commanded facing the ginger tom with strong eyes, fire, she assumed, burning within them, reflecting the motivation and determination that coursed through her body. "We need to keep him hydrated,"

"But…there's no water around-"

"Please, Brackenfur!" She yowled loudly, hoping could see how much she wanted to save the kitten, that it didn't matter, that she didn't care how, that she just needed to do this.

The tom must have seen the fire in her eyes, for he closed his muzzle, no more needing to argue, and nodded firmly. With a crash through the undergrowth, he was gone.

Squirrelflight turned back to the kit and resumed licking with long strokes, once more, doing all she could to keep his body warm.

"It's futile," She heard Spiderleg mutter, glumly. "There's no point,"

"Do something useful and keep watch!" Squirrelflight retorted in a yowl, fed up and irritated by Spiderleg's negative comments. "And don't tell me what to do!" She resumed licking again, with no other option but to wait for her sister's arrival.

Please, hurry Leafpool! This little one needs you!

"But I feel much better now, Leafpool! Honest!" Hollykit mewed with as much enthusiasm as possible, hoping to hide the sickness that still hung around her. Leafpool both mrrowed slightly at her daughter's antics and looked down with worry filled eyes. She's still not better yet, she thought despairingly. I've given her everything I can think of, and yet still…

"Leafpool?" Upon hearing her name, the ThunderClan medicine cat, shook her head, her eyes snapping open and looking down at her daughter, who looked back up to her with watery eyes. "Did you hear me? I'm gonna go out and play, OK?"

Without permission from Leafpool, Hollykit stood up on all four paws inside the nest and attempted to trot around the medicine cat who sat in her way. With one paw, Leafpool blacked Hollykit's exit and placed her back in the nest with a firm yet soft paw.

"Oh no you don't," Leafpool said in her firm medicine cat voice. "You ain't going nowhere, not in the condition you're in right now,"

"But I'm better!" Hollykit protested ending her sentence with a sneeze, still attempting to flee away from Leafpool and out of the medicine den, but Leafpool was giving her an inch, not a chance to let her leave.

"Of course you are," Leafpool said in a dry sarcastic, yet loving voice. "But those watery eyes," The she-cat gestured towards her daughter's eyes. "And that sneeze you just produced says otherwise,"

"It's lying!" Hollykit whined. "My body is a liar! I'm fine! I want to go and play! It's not fair!"

The last sentence that had just escaped her daughter's muzzle, pretty much summed up Leafpool's life so far; life wasn't fair and she knew that phase all too well. She sighed with her deep thoughts in her head and gazed down at her and Crowfeather's daughter, thinking of him and the life they both could have shared.

"I know," She sighed lightly. "And you're right. But sometimes, we just have to accepted that that is how something's are, that it was always meant to be like that and there is nothing we can do to change it,"

"But you can-"

"No!" Leafpool yowled and then quickly realize that she had not intended to let out as much anger as she had. Seeing the slight shock in her daughter's eyes, she composed herself and sighed once more. "I am a medicine cat, and as such I must do whatever I can to make sure that every cat, regardless of Clan, is healthy, safe and alive. I must do all I can to help, no matter what,"

With an image of her giving her kits over to Squirrelflight, her sister promising to keep her sister's promise, to protect her, to raise Leafpool's kits as her own…of Spottedleaf telling her she had done what she had to do, she choked back the well of emotion she felt building, bubbling in her throat, like a dam that was ready to burst and flood.

"It is…the promise I made to StarClan," She lowered her head, unable to look at her daughter anymore. "The promise I made to myself," she murmured, not caring if Hollykit could hear her. "So just…stay in your nest and bear with it," she instructed the kit, rising to her paws and slowly trotting away, Hollykit not saying a word in reply, though she was certain she heard an audible "Cool,",

Just as Leafpool headed over to mix more herbs for another poultice for Hollykit, she heard a cat yowling outside within the camp, a commotion of such, a name being called, rising in volume, getting louder. Suddenly, the vine leafs that acted as a shelter, scattered as Ashfur sprang inside the medicine den, heaving breathlessly, trying to catch his breathe.

"Leafpool! Come quick! We need you! Found a kit! Almost dead! Come, now!" Despite the lack of breathe, the tom was speaking too quickly for Leafpool to make any sense of what he was jittering on about.

"Ashfur, please calm down and explain-!"

"No time! Just follow me and bring some herbs!"

"Save me…please…"

Who is that? That voice…?

It sounds familiar, and yet-

"It was a mistake; I made a mistake!"

Why? What did you do? What happened?

"I never should have come out here! I'm scared and hungry and I miss you…"

Where are you now? I don't know who you are but I can help you…

Just tell me where-!

"Cold. I feel cold…"

…

…

"I can't feel my hind paws…or my front paws!"

Stay with me now. It's OK. I'm gonna help you, OK, dude? Just chill-

No, no! Sorry, not the right word to use. Just…stay calm, alright?

I'm gonna help…

"How mouse-brained I was to think I was strong…!"

Err…I don't know what to say to….I'm sure that's not true.

Come on dude, I'm sure you're pretty strong, in your own way.

"…And now…I can't even show you. Now, I can't show you how much better I am…because I'm not,"

Please, don't be like this, man. It's gonna be alright in the end…I hope…

No, no! I mean…it will. Yeah, it will definitely be OK in the end.

"Because you never loved me…and now…you never will…"

But I don't know who you are! Just tell me who you are!

…

…

Dude, can you hear me?

Just say something!

Please!

…

"Please…save me…"

"John…"

Leafs, brambles and undergrowth brushed and scrapped against Leafpool's fur as she raced through the ThunderClan forest, striding beside Ashfur in long, powerful leaps, both running as fast as their paws could carry them, Leafpool finding it rather difficult to keep pace with the powerful tom beside her with a bundle of herbs in her mouth. Her thoughts whirled in confusion as she raced beside the grey tom, not really knowing why she was needed so badly, but she inferred by the way Ashfur was running beside her, whatever the matter was, it was obviously quite urgent.

It felt as though her heart was beating rapidly in her throat, as though she was about to puke it up there and then, her body berating her, yowling for her to stop. But she ignored it, instead concentrating all she could at her mission at hand, the one important thing she at this very moment, the very thing medicine cats in the Clan's lived for; to save a life.

"Ashfur," Leafpool started, trying to keep her breathe. "What happened?"

"We found- a kit…injured," The tom replied, pausing momentarily to take a breath. "Squirrelflight says it's still alive, but…" Ashfur's voice died down, as if he was afraid to finish the sentence, but Leafpool needn't hear it in its completion; she nodded her head to indicate she fully understood the situation. Ashfur nodded in return and both remained quite thereon.

A kit was found injured on ThunderClan territory?, The golden furred she-cat thought, panic rising in her thoughts. Immediately, three kits popped up in her mind's eye and an image of either one of them injured flooded Leafpool with a tirade of emotion; it was so great, she found it difficult not to show in front of her clan mate, choking back a wail she knew that, once started, she could not end.

But then another voice told her she was being mouse-brained, that she remembered seeing both Lionkit and Jaykit playing outside the nursery in the ThunderClan camp, Sorreltail nearby to keep an eye on them, as she, Leafpool, left with Ashfur out of camp. And Hollykit was in the medicine den, where she was copped up in her nest due to her Whitecough.

There was no way it was any of her kits who had been injured, found on ThunderClan territory. And as she thought this, reasoned with herself, made sense of the whole situation, Leafpool felt her fur lie ever so lightly on her back, feeling her heart beat ever so faintly slower.

But…if it's not one of my kit's, then who-?

But just as this thought occurred to Leafpool, Ashfur suddenly veered left, crashing though some bushes, yowling over his shoulder "It's here!". Leafpool followed, abandoning her whirling thoughts of the identity of the injured kit and now mainly on her mission; to save it.

Striding through a few more bushes with Ashfur in front, his tail puffed out and striking behind him, Leafpool crashed through a rosebush and found herself in a small clearing surrounded by tall redwood trees, her clanmates, the border patrol who had left camp early, all nestled around in a circle.

"We're here!" Ashfur yowled, striding up to the group. "Leafpool is here!"

At the sound of Leafpool's arrival, every cat looked up and broke the circle, allowing Leafpool room to make her way to the injured cat. At once, she saw the arched back of ginger she-cat, one that could only belong to her sister, Squirrelflight. Her sister sat up at once, turned and faced Leafpool with an expression of relief and stricken despair.

"Leafpool!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, joyfully, yet Leafpool was still able to detect the despair that cracked beneath it. "Thank StarClan! Quickly, this little one needs you!"

Squirrelflight quickly moved to the side and Leafpool saw what was previously hidden behind her sister's back; a small scrap of black fur, spatted with red patched lay on the grass in front of her, unmoving, yet it's stomach rose lightly and irregularly, up and down.

Leafpool quickly approached the small creature, her medicine cat instincts kicking into full gear; nothing mattered but to save a life. However, as she dropped her bundle of herbs and stood over the small kit below her, she was almost certain that she had seen this kitten before, that she had met him in a vision that spelled ultimate danger and destruction for all the clans.

No, she thought panicking, feeling her eyes widen slowly as she became surer as to the identity of the kit. No…it…can't be…!

"Leafpool," She could just about her sister's voice, but to Leafpool, it sounded as though Squirrelflight was tail-lengths away. "What's wrong? Is he gonna be OK? You can…help him, can't you?"

She heard the questions, registered them in her mind, but could by no means respond in a way most appropriate, for her brain had ceased functioning altogether and all she could think, feel and see was terror, utter terror and pain and destruction and she didn't know what to do at this very moment! Should she help the kit knowing it could mean the end for she and her clan mates? Should she tell them truth, the vision she saw? Or maybe she could…

Kill…? Stop it, right here and now?

"Leafpool!" And this time, her sister's voice rang in her head, snapping her back to reality, realizing the dark thoughts that almost clouded her mind. "Please, tell me! You can save him, right? You're a medicine cat!"

"I am a medicine cat, and as such I must do whatever I can to make sure that every cat, regardless of Clan, is healthy, safe and alive. I must do all I can to help, no matter what,"

Her own words echoed in her mind as though as a reminder of what she had promised all those moons ago. She felt her fur ripple with a chill, knowing that the decision that she would have to make could be the end of it all, that her clan mate's lives, as FireStar had always experienced, were now her responsibility, inn her very paws.

The ThunderClan medicine cat sighed deeply, holding back the fear and despair she felt covering her fur, her heart beat rapidly beating back in her throat, quietly praying to StarClan:

Please, tell me what to do. Show me a sign…anything! Please…

No answer came her way and Leafpool felt more alone than ever before. It was clear to her now that StarClan would not give her anything more, no more hints, signs or visions as to show her how what was the appropriate course of action for her to take.

What would FireStar do if he was in my position? The answer was clear to her, and though she didn't like it very much, she knew that ultimately, ethically, it was the right thing to do, though, that did not necessarily calm her rattling nerves, her spiralling thoughts, or her churning stomach.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Leafpool, sighed deeply and made the decision that could, very well, shape the future of her clan. She dipped down into her bundle of herbs and grabbed a mouthful of tansy, chewed them into a liquid and placed it on the inflicted wounds. Leafpool felt the kitten shaken beneath her and audible whimper escape his muzzle. Almost at once, she momentarily forgot entirely what this kitten, the very one she was treating, actually represented a d instead she saw him for what he actually was; a lonely, injured and frightened kit. She slowly felt her heart melt and then froze again, the vision popping up in her mind's eye, all her sympathetic emotions washed away in an instant.

"Leafpool," She heard her sister's soft mew beside her. "Will he be OK?"

Finally, Leafpool looked to her sister, who was currently staring down at the kit with a worry filled expression, and Leafpool answered: "He has lost a lot of blood,"

Squirrelflight's head snapped to her at ounce, her eyes noticeably wider, shock mixing in with the already present worry.

"But," Leafpool reassured her calmly. "If I cover his wounds with cobweb, he should be fine,"

Squirrelflight heaved a sigh of relief and Leafpool saw the worry and shock flush out of her eyes. "Thank you, Leafpool," She turned to her clan mates, who all stood with relief. "Brackenfur, Ashfur," she called the two toms. "Once Leafpool treats him, would you please carry him?"

"Of course," Brackenfur answered with a nod.

"Don't be mouse-brained. We'll gladly help, however we can," Ashfur replied striding up to Squirrelflight with a small smile.

"Wait!" Leafpool yowled, not expecting this turn of events. "You don't intend to take him back to camp, do you?"

"Of course we do," Squirrelflight answered with a firm voice, looking to Leafpool with challenging eyes. "You're not suggesting we leave him out here in the forest, are you? He could die, Leafpool! You of all cats know-"

"I know that!" Leafpool replied, her fur rising slowly on her back, hoping the panic and fear she felt within her would not boil to the surface and make itself known. "It's just…we don't know who-"

"That doesn't matter!" Squirrelflight retorted, her firm voice completely gone and replaced instead with one of a controlled anger, one that just wanted to tip over the edge and go all out. "He needs someplace to stay for the time being,"

"I have to agree with, Leafpool, on this one," Spiderleg proclaimed, taking a pace forward. "This kit is a stranger. He could be anyone for all we know,"

"Like a spy?" Ashfur asked.

The black furred tom shrugged. "You never know…"

"No!" Squirrelflight yowled, her tail swishing with frustration, her muzzle parted back in the beginnings of a snarl. "He's not a spy! We're taking him to camp and FireStar can decide what will happen to him then. Is that understood?"

The patrol nodded their heads in understanding, all but Spiderleg, the most reluctant, who snorted in response. Leafpool was glad that there was one other cat who agreed with her, even though Spiderleg's reason was completely different to her own.

This is a terrible mistake!, she wanted to yowl out, to warn her sister and clan mates that this small gesture of kindness, ironically, could mean the end for them all. But she kept her muzzle shut, something, she didn't know, compelled her to do so, to keep the words at bay and behind a closed mouth.

Brackenfur and Ashfur slowly raised the injured kit between them, carefully avoiding touching the patched inflicted areas where Leafpool had treated, patches of cobweb covering the worsened scratches and cuts. With the help from Squirrelflight who had licked clean most of the wounds, the kit's wounds had been kept mostly clean and had therefore not been infected.

As the patrol made their way through the ThunderClan forest, Leafpool, who was trailing in the rear, could only think of what lay ahead for her and her clan mates. She thoughts about how she should have stopped her clan mates from making this terrible mistake….that she still had a chance now to prevent such destruction from occurring! But again, although the urge was there, although the urgency and panic was present, something told her not otherwise, to act upon a different action and to keep her thoughts to herself; maybe it was StarClan speaking to her? Perhaps they had sent her a sign after all?

But no matter what she believed, Leafpool could only feel the dread that washed over pelt, staring at the motionless kit before her and what lay awake for her Clan.

"StarClan," she mumbled, "What have I done?"

-TO BE CONTINUED –

A/N:

Hell yeah for longest chapter yet!

This chapter was written in drip and drabs throughout since the last chapter. I tried to keep a consistent voice and narrative that, I hoped, flowed very easily and unnoticeably.

Well this was a long one, huh? So much happened though! Shadow getting hurt and injured (How and who? You'll find out later!), Squirrelflight finding him in the forest, John communicating with his kitten, unknowingly, telepathically, and Leafpool coming face to face with the very thing that has haunted her for the past few days, the very thing that could mean the end.

Thing is, I knew I had to get Shadow into the ThunderClan camp, but the problem I had was how, when Leafpool would not allow such a thing?! And then the idea of her "helping any cat no matter what" idea popped in my mind, for medicine cat's help each other, regardless of Clan and loyalties. With being pressured by her sister, she can hardly reject but to help.

No much John in this chapter, but he'll be in the next one!

Anyway, this was a difficult one to write so I hope you all enjoyed it! Please leave a review to help me motivated to keep on writing! Thank you in advance!

I'm writing the next chapter as I speak!

Until next time!

~mpkio2~