Elsi: I'm BACK! You missed me, right? More importantly, you missed this story...yeah, yeah, I know. That's all you care about. :D Well, I've got a day off today, and lately people have been asking me to write more, so here you guys go!

Elsi: This is lonely without Trek...anyways, I was considering pulling an April Fool's joke on you, but I already switched Facebook names with one of my best friends (we look the same, so that's fun), so two jokes in one!

Elsi: And for those of you wondering where my bud Trek is, he's out of town. Well, technically he's home, but yeah.

Elsi: Anways, I don't own Warriors! I love Birdy, though :) Have fun reading!

Chapter 7: A Starlit Evening

Birdpaw could tell that Jayfeather was still troubled, troubled from something he had seen in Lionstar's future. What it was, she couldn't tell, and StarClan had not touched her dreams for almost a moon. Her nights were lonely, unguided and leaving her with little hope. What if another earthquake took the Clans by surprise? Is that what worried Jayfeather so much? Was StarClan predicting Lionstar's death next? A shiver ran up her spine, catching Jayfeather's attention.

"What?" he snapped. Birdpaw turned her green eyes on him, shaking her head and returning to her organization of their few dock leaves.

"I've been cooped up here too long, that's all," she teased. "I'm thinking too much." Her mentor gave a humph and a lash of his tail, breathing deeply so as to take inventory of their herb store.

"You could go looking for herbs," Jayfeather said briskly. Birdpaw looked up, but her mentor seemed serious. "We're running short on dock and coltsfoot." He gave her a wave of his tail, evident dismissal. "Take a warrior with you."

"Yes, Jayfeather," meowed Birdpaw, backing out of the den. She kept her eyes trained on Jayfeather for as long as possible, but he didn't droop in defeat or give away his discomfort. Sighing, Birdpaw set her mind to the task at hand, glancing around the camp. It was a lazy evening, leaving the camp full of warriors dozing and sharing tongues. Birdpaw spotted Lionstar and Icecloud sharing a vole, their conversation light-hearted. That was good, then; Lionstar had been busy and frustrated as of late. Birdpaw instinctively turned towards the spot where her friends liked to stay. Mountainpaw and Stealthstep seemed to be arguing over something, while Dustfur and Bluemoon watched on in varying degrees of annoyance. Making a decision, Birdpaw trotted over.

"Can anyone help me with herbs?" inquired Birdpaw, flitting her tail back and forth. Dustfur sat up, nodding his agreement. That was good, decided Birdpaw – she liked Dustfur. He was strong-minded when he wanted to be, and a good warrior despite his losses. In twelve moons, perhaps, Dustfur had lost the cat he loved most, his sister, and his father – and yet, he still pushed on. Birdpaw respected the fighting spirit within him more than anything else.

"What are we looking for?" Dustfur wondered, his brown eyes cheerful. Birdpaw told him quickly, explaining in her usual way. He would know what to do, plus, he'd helped her before. A few minutes in silence passed, while Bird kept her eyes peeled for any sort of leaves that she needed.

"I'm sure you're glad that Willowpaw is back," Dustfur commented quietly, pushing aside a clump of herbs with his paws.

"I am," Birdpaw replied, leaning over to look at his discovery. "There, that's what we need." Dustfur pulled up a few roots with his long claws before shaking his head at her.

"Do you know what made her come back?" he wanted to know. Birdpaw shrugged, uncomfortable about the topic of Willowpaw. She suspected that her sister was still afraid to be involved in Clan life, just from her personality. Would it have any impact on their prophecy? Birdpaw prayed to StarClan that nothing would go wrong.

"Doveheart brought her," she replied. "I don't know much more than that."

"I guess she did a good job, then," Dustfur responded. "You're lucky."

Birdpaw glanced over at him, a little confused. What was he pushing for? Willowpaw had run off into the wilderness and gone crazy. There was nothing lucky about that situation.

"I mean, your sister could come back," Dustfur rumbled. His brown eyes swam with regret, and Birdpaw opened her mouth to say something. She was out of words; nothing could change the situation for Dustfur and Runningpaw. She was gone, really, and it was partially Birdpaw's part.

"I'm sorry," Birdpaw managed to say. "I did everything I could do, but…StarClan called her."

"I know that," Dustfur said a little too curtly. Birdpaw stared at her paws awkwardly, and Dustfur picked up the coltsfoot stems he needed. They walked a few more paces before he began to give her odd looks. "Sorry. I know you did everything you could. You saved the rest of the Clan."

But I couldn't save Runningpaw, Birdpaw meditated. She swallowed the lump of guilt in her throat, flicking her tail softly.

"It was luck," she muttered. She didn't want the credit for saving the Clans – Rushpaw had done just as much work as she had. By working together, the two of them had really and truly saved the Clans. There was no way to claim that she had done all of the work…but then again, she couldn't very well tell Dustfur that she had worked with the RiverClan medicine cat apprentice, could she?

"Did you really do it all by yourself, though?" Dustfur wondered aloud. "I mean, I know that Jayfeather claimed to not know anything…but…"

"Yes," Birdpaw lied. Dustfur met her eyes for several seconds, and Birdpaw held them. She could lie just as easily as anyone else. Her insides went numb for a moment, and then they walked on. He somehow believed her, even though the possibility of her finding a life-saving cure on her own was slim.

"That's extraordinary," Dustfur muttered. "You're going to be a great medicine cat some day, Birdpaw."

Not if StarClan refuses to talk to me, thought Birdpaw, but she just nodded, grateful for his praise. She wanted to be a good medicine cat, and she thought she could do it, too. StarClan had written a prophecy about her, right?

They found the dock a little while later, near the ShadowClan border. Night had fallen, so the scents on the border were strong, but Birdpaw knew that there was little reason to worry. ShadowClan was recovering from the sickness just like the other Clans.

"This was the last place I saw Windfeather," muttered Dustfur quietly. Herbs muffled his words, but Birdpaw knew that she had heard him right. She stopped short, nudging him.

"What about Windfeather?" demanded Birdpaw. Dustfur recoiled from the question, and Birdpaw knew that there was something there, some secret that she was missing. Curiosity powered her, and Birdpaw took a step towards her Clan-mate.

"It's nothing," snapped Dustfur, his growl suddenly cold. "Let's just go back."

Birdpaw walked sullenly behind him, trying to think of a way to make him open up. Finally, she slid up beside him.

"I know you two were friends," Birdpaw said quietly. "I know it must be rough to think about him leaving. But…if you know anything…"

"It's Windfeather's problem," snapped Dustfur. "I won't betray him."

"So you do know why he left," summarized Birdpaw, arching an eyebrow. Dustfur shot her a glance, but then he sighed. "The Clan deserves to know."

"I can't just tell the entire Clan," snapped Dustfur. Birdpaw hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"What about Whitewing?" she continued. "Doesn't she deserve to know?"

That made Dustfur think for a little while, and Birdpaw decided to let him.

"You should be able to tell her," Birdpaw encouraged. "Or I can do it, if you want. I'm the medicine cat, after all." Dustfur considered this for a while, and Birdpaw took a deep breath. "This is bothering you, Dustfur, I know it is. You should be able to talk to someone about what you're feeling."

"I have to keep my friends' secrets," Dustfur said stubbornly. Birdpaw lashed her tail, powered by a strange feeling. She had to get him to trust her! She wasn't sure why, but she could feel the urgency. If this conversation didn't happen…something terrible would happen.

"Tell me, please, Dustfur," Birdpaw pleaded. She hesitated. "I'm going to tell Whitewing something. Would you rather her come to you grateful for the truth or offended because you didn't tell her?"

Dustfur stopped in his tracks, his brown eyes wide with sudden understanding. It was a threat, and Birdpaw had meant it, too. She was the medicine cat, and poor Whitewing was still confused about how she had lost her second kit. Two kits in less than six moons…that kind of grief wasn't abandoned easily. Whitewing needed something to hold onto, some reason for Windfeather's betrayal.

"Fine," he said furiously.

"We'll drop off the herbs, and you can tell me about it," Birdpaw said quietly. She didn't want to push her luck, and he clearly needed some time to cool off. It wasn't about the information, for some reason – it was about having Dustfur trusting her.

Miserably, Dustfur deposited his herbs in the medicine den. Jayfeather turned his blind eyes on Birdpaw, and Birdpaw felt her mentor scrutinizing her.

"We're going back out," Birdpaw said firmly. "I need to talk to Dustfur." She grabbed on to her desperation to have the speckled warrior trust her and thrust it at Jayfeather. He was able to pick up emotions, wasn't he? She knew that much about him. Finally, Jayfeather sighed.

"Be back soon," he snapped, but Birdpaw knew that he was just being grumpy. Leading a disgruntled Dustfur, Birdpaw trotted out of camp. Did he know that she needed him?

Why did she need him so much, anyways? Dustfur was just another warrior, wasn't he? After a jolt, Birdpaw realized that Dustfur was different. He was always willing to do the hard jobs, the ones that no other warrior wanted to do. He could push on through any type of loss, holding on to the tiny bit of hope that someday he would be happy. He had held this secret in his heart for moons without comment and without letting on that he knew anything – until tonight. Birdpaw looked back at the speckled tom with a sad urge of realization: Dustfur was everything that she was not. He was ordinary, it seemed, but brutally loyal to his heart and to ThunderClan. She was part of a prophecy, and full of secrets and the hidden lies about who she was.

"What do you want to know?" Dustfur asked, a grudging tone in his voice. Birdpaw, injured by his tone of voice, sat down simply.

"I just want to know if there's a reason behind why Windfeather left ThunderClan," she began. How would she turn this conversation into a trust-based confession? "I know it's been on your mind, and I thought it would be good if you let go of one of your worries."

"Nothing I tell you will bring Windfeather back," Dustfur said doubtfully. He took a deep breath. "He ran away with Mistflower."

That truth hit Birdpaw in the chest, and for the first time, the possibility of running wild and free took her by surprise. Windfeather and Mistflower, his sweet little mate from ShadowClan, were together and free now, let go by the Clans. They would never have to worry about borders, or tough choices, or battles…nothing could touch them.

Then, running away stopped being an option for Birdpaw, and she faced Dustfur with that resentment.

"And he told you this?"

"I saw them together," Dustfur explained quietly. "One night. I promised Windfeather that I would keep their relationship a secret, but one day…he couldn't take it anymore. So they ran." Dustfur turned his eyes up to the stars above them. "He's happy now, I guess."

"Beside the one cat he loves," murmured Birdpaw aloud. She followed his eyes up to the sky, observing all of Silverpelt in its brilliance. The moon would be full soon, signaling time for a Gathering. After that, the half-moon would come, and she would go to the Moontree again…

…and see Rushpaw for the first time since they discovered a cure together.

"I envy Windfeather," breathed Dustfur. Birdpaw looked over at him, but the white-and-brown tom didn't move. "He gets her without worries." His own ghosts crossed over his eyes, and Birdpaw knew very well what was on his mind.

"You made the right choice," Birdpaw encouraged him. "I know it was difficult, but Bouncestep belonged in the mountains."

"Don't say her name," snapped Dustfur, hunching his shoulders. He dropped his head, letting his face swim in darkness. "I can't forget her."

"No one expects you to forget her," Birdpaw continued. She softly touched her tail to his shoulder. "You're a fantastic warrior, Dustfur, even without her."

"I must serve ThunderClan," Dustfur murmured, his voice breaking. Suddenly, he was gone, lost in his silent grief. The weight of the world had collapsed upon poor Dustfur, but the miserable young tom couldn't even release a sob. He was alone, realized Birdpaw, despite the entire Clan loving him. There was no one for Dustfur to turn to. His brother belonged to Willowpaw, and Dustfur had always been on his own – or with Windfeather and Bouncestep.

So was she alone. A sob of her own caught in Birdpaw's throat, and she sat there with half a drawn breath, beside this cat with a tragic life. It made sense now, why she had been drawn to him. Both of them were dreadfully alone with burdens too heavy for one cat to carry alone. Birdpaw was a medicine cat apprentice, training under a troubled mentor, the daughter of a troubled leader, the subject of a major prophecy, and half in love with a cat from RiverClan.

There. She had thought it. Hunching over herself, Birdpaw pressed up beside Dustfur, sharing in his worries.

"We all must serve ThunderClan," Birdpaw said quietly, knowing that she had sat in silence for too long. "You as a warrior and I as a medicine cat, sure. But we can still be friends, can't we?"

Dustfur looked up, his brown eyes sad.

"You can trust me," pushed Birdpaw. "I want to help." She paused. "Will you help me?"

Without hesitation, Dustfur nodded. "Whatever you need."

Elsi: DUSTFUR IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER. I'm just going to say that now. Their friendship is maybe my favorite one in the series. You'll see why later; Dustfur is a really big character from now on, but particularly in Birdpaw's plot in book 4. Get excited!

Elsi: Okay, I'm just really excited. This may power me to write some more...hint hint. Isn't that fun?

Elsi: Kay, and if you liked this and you're sick of waiting for me to post more, go check out the prequel and the spin-off: War of Shadows and Sunstrike's Story respectively! Oh, and review please!