Italics, blah, blah, blah.

ENJOY!

Written By: Naturethorn

Edited By: Windbritsle

The clan of anxious cats gathered around the medicine den, where the two injured ones lay, Cherrywhiskers tending to them. Moonpaw felt her eyes slowly force themselves open. She felt a gentle but consistent throb in the back of her head. As soon as the cats around realized she was awake, she was bombarded with questions.

"What happened?"

"Where's Nightpaw?"

"How did you lose against a weak twoleg?"

Moonpaw felt overwhelmed, and Cherrywhiskers briskly sent her two apprentices to guide the group of chattering cats away. Moonpaw opened her mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. Then, almost as if she were unsure of herself, she asked, "Can I speak to Fuzzball?" Cherrywhiskers narrowed her eyes at this, then, after a moment of hesitation, hastily answered, "He's due to leave next sundown."

"What?!" She heard herself scream. "He's the only reason that Yellowdawn and I are alive! How could Icestar exile him after saving our lives?"

"Look, it's not my choice to make," Cherrywhiskers answered anxiously, "But if you ask me, he deserved it. He turned tail in battle. And he may have saved you," She added, "But he also could have tried harder to save Yellowdawn. She's hardly alive." Moonpaw's eyes widened in dismay, and she slowly shook her head in disbelief. "I need to talk to him before he leaves," She muttered, barely loud enough for Cherrywhiskers to decipher.

Moonpaw shakily rose to her paws, ignoring Cherrywhisker's orders to lay back down and rest. "I need to see him. This isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair!" Cherrywhiskered hissed softly, desparate to get some sense into the young cat. "You think I enjoyed watching my clanmates die around me while I could do nothing?" She answered ferociously. "And all just because Clearsight decided to abandon the clan!" She whipped around, her tail lashing furiously, and headed towards the back of the medicine den. Moonpaw was startled by this outburst. Cherrywhiskers was usually a compassionate and kind medicine cat. It was as if she had turned hard and cold at the mention of fairness. But life really wasn't fair for her. She was blamed for not learning everything from Clearsight and having to consult the other clan medicine cats, making ThunderClan seem helpless.

Moonpaw shrugged the thought off and limped off to find Fuzzball. Where could he be? As she was thinking, the answer came to her. Where else would he be other than the den where he had been commanded to stay? She slowly but steadily made progress to the apprentice den. The air inside of it felt chilly without Nightpaw laying in a nest where she should be. She looked around, noticing a pile of shivering fur at the very corner of the den. "Fuzzball?" She whispered, wondering if he had ignored his orders. "Leave me alone, ok?" He whimpered, then, raising his head, he realized it was Moonpaw. "Oh, Moonpaw! Are you ok?" Fuzzball inquired, eyes wide with worry. "I'm fine. Thanks for getting the clan. Without you, I would be among Starclan by now." Moonpaw said, candid.

"Try telling that to the rest of the clan!" Her look-alike muttered. "They seem to think I brought the twolegs to you!" Moonpaw let her tail tip drag on the ground, fully showing her disappointment. "How could they not realize you saved mine, and Yellowdawn's lives?" The silver tabby complained.

"I don't know…" Fuzzball answered sullenly. Moonpaw glanced outside to where the light was rapidly fading. "I guess I'll be sleeping in the medicine cat's den."

"No! Don't leave!" The young tom begged, then added more seriously, "Please don't leave. I need you!"

"Oh, all right.." Moonpaw answered with a playful shove, which sent her mind spinning. She immediately regretted the action, and curled up beside Fuzzball, where she quickly drifted into an unsettled sleep.

She opened her eyes to find herself in a lush clearing. Birds twittered in the trees, and ferns quivered signaling plentiful prey. "Where am I?" She asked, anxiety showing in her pale blue eyes. She opened the mouth and tasted the air for scents before realizing that a cat was right behind her. She turned around, only to see a pale gray tom with stars tangled in his fur. His scent smelled fresh with the slight tang of herbs. "Welcome to StarClan," The former medicine cat spoke quietly, his blue eyes seemingly piercing deep into her mind. Recognizing him from the stories, she asked, cautious, "Are you Jayfeather?"

"I am, indeed."

"Why-" Moonpaw started, then was abruptly cut off by Jayfeather's next words. "I have come to deliver an urgent message."

"What, like a prophecy or something?" Moonpaw questioned, her eyes slightly narrowed, her paws kneading the cool earth in impatience.

"Exactly that." Jayfeather answered, his gaze solemn. Moonpaw now stared in silence understanding that she was not to interrupt Jayfeather. The StarClan cat cocked his head slightly, then opened his mouth. "When your last relation leaves, during the time when the sky is blood-red," He started, "You will lose your last kin." He looked down at the silver tabby, blinking slowly. "Wait, but how can that be? I've never known any kin of mine, except maybe…." She finished the last word of the sentence in her head. Fuzzball. "I just met him, though! He can't possibly be leaving!" Moonpaw exclaimed. "Please, find a way to make him stay," She pleaded to the pale gray tom, her eyes wide in desperation. She found her words spoken to empty air as the surrounding scenery slowly began to fade. Purplish fog crept into her line of vision, and she felt herself slowly drift into sleep, and, after giving up struggling to stay on her paws, she collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

Moonpaw woke to the sun shining bright and clear through the brambles surrounding the den. Fuzzball was still sound asleep beside her, his fur warm to the touch. With a sudden burst of inspiration, she knew what she had to do. Quickly grooming herself, she leapt to her paws and trotted over to Icestar's den.

"Icestar?" She called out to her leader, trying her best to sound polite. "What is it, Moonpaw?" An upbeat and welcoming voice responded from the depths of the den, slightly drowsy..

"I was just wondering…. Why does Fuzzball have to go? I mean, he saved my life."

"He must go because he is a traitorous, cowardly fox," Icestar replied harshly but calmly, still radiating warmth as he watched Moonpaw, who was itching to interrupt. "And he manipulated you into thinking he was a dumb kittypet," He added. Moonpaw felt herself burn with anger at Icestar's unreasonable words. "But he-"

"Now, I know what you're thinking, but he didn't. Do not argue anymore with me, or you will be getting rid of Hollyflower's ticks for the next two moons," He concluded with a cruel gleam in his eyes, somehow his aura still filled with welcome, a fake smile on his pale gray face. Moonpaw let out an exasperated sigh, and wearily headed back to Fuzzball. "I tried my best, Fuzzball, but he wouldn't listen."

"It's ok…" Fuzzball murmured, eyes cast downwards. Moonpaw shook her head somberly. She sighed, glancing out to the alarming pace of the sun. Why, Jayfeather? She wailed silently. Why? I thought… I thought you didn't want me to lose my last kin! She decided to sleep until Fuzzball's "execution."

Moonpaw's eyes flew open to the sound of excited murmurs.

"This piece of fox dung will finally get what he deserves!"

"We won't be having any trouble with him for a while longer!"

"That mouse-brain wouldn't of have made it another day in the clan!"

She leapt to her paws and rushed out of the den, ignoring the fresh burst of pain this brought to her head. Moonpaw quickly glanced around, searching for her reflection. There! Fuzzball was sitting next to the bramble exit, staring blankly at the ground. His wide, blue eyes reflected his worries. Moonpaw scurried over to him, ignoring the strange looks she received from her usually friendly clanmates. "Fuzzball! I need to tell you something!"

"What is it, Moonpaw?" Her look-alike muttered.

"Moonpaw, I wouldn't take too long with him if I were you. He's due to leave as soon as the sun has completed its cycle," Icestar snapped in a very un-leader-like way. Moonpaw looked Fuzzball in his desperate eyes. "I had a dream last night. Jayfeather was there, and…." She paused, searching for the right words. "He told me that you're my littermate. It must be true!" Moonpaw insisted. The look in Fuzzball's eyes was so venomous, if it had been filled with any more hatred, she would have melted under his glare. "You think that just because we're… possible littermates, I'm going to stay in the clan for as long as I want? Come and go as I wish? Well, being kin isn't going to solve any problems! My housefolk were so good to me, not so much your clan, though." He lashed out verbally with the force of ten rattlesnakes. Moonpaw flinched, hurt and alarmed. Instantly, the respect in her eyes vanished. What replaced her sisterly love was a stronger emotion than she had ever felt before. She was experiencing true hatred, and she felt betrayed.

"Well, then I guess you won't be needing me!" Moonpaw retorted with a held back sob and slightly trembling voice, tears in her eyes, threatening to escape. Glancing up, she saw that the prophecy had been fulfilled: the sky was the deep red of the dawn, of her clanmate's and littermate's hatred, the usual yellow hue gone. Her eyes widened in dismay. ...Yellowdawn! She whipped around, and saw Cherrywhiskers exit her den with a blank look on her face. She turned back to Fuzzball. "Yellowdawn…" She choked on the name. Fuzzball narrowed his eyes. "She died, right? I tried my best. I saved you, but they still are going to drive me out!" He sneered. "Some warriors with honor! I wonder what Yellowdawn would think about that." Moonpaw thought she felt her heart cool. The Fuzzball she had tried to save from exile was gone. Moonpaw spun around on her toes, tail whipping across his face, intending to head to Cherrywhisker's den to see the warrior one last time.

Instead, Moonpaw stopped dead in her tracks when she realized the whole clan was watching, listening. Not a cat moved, curious and startled eyes gazing at her. "Oh, and Moonpaw?" Icestar said, speaking at the worst time possible for her. "You and I are going to be escorting Fuzzball to the twolegplace," He added unhelpfully, with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with pure malevolence, his mask perfect. Moonpaw whirled around and bounded into the forest, humiliated. The only sound to be heard was the whipping of the wind far above in the branches of the trees. Her last thought before she ran past the Thunderclan border into unknown woods was, No one cares about me anymore anyways.