A/N: Realizing I didn't add an author's note before the previous chapter more like ? honestly what am I doing I am the worst fanfic author to grace this planet.

But anyway, here's chapter two. This one is from Ashpaw's POV. Throughout the fanfic, POVs will alternate - up next is Reedpaw, then Pebblepaw, and finally Firepaw. There's also going to be a few bonus chapters from the POVs of characters like Dawnstar, Brambleflower, and other important (but not quite main) characters.

I'm honestly not that happy with how this chapter turned out...I originally had a slightly different plan as to how it would play out, but then I completely forgot about it and ended up writing this instead. Also this is completely unedited because I am incredibly lazy and also because rereading my writing makes my confidence plummet...oh well. I hope that it's not that horrible.

Ashpaw woke to the sound of leaves rustling.

Am I in the forest…? She began to lift her head and immediately regretted it. A sharp pain felt as if it was splitting her head open. She mumbled quietly, opening her eyes only to be able to make out faint, blurry shapes.

Ashpaw's mumbles turned into wails, loud and clear. The sound echoed faintly, as if she was in a cave.

"Ashpaw? Are you alright?"

"Mistleaf?" Ashpaw's voice trembled when she spoke. She kept her head down, waiting for the medicine cat to come to her.

Mistleaf came around the corner a moment later, her face contorted with worry. "Ashpaw!" She exclaimed, rushing forward. She rested a gentle paw on Ashpaw's flank, pressing her muzzle against the top of the gray molly's head.

"I'm okay," Ashpaw lied. She knew that if she told Mistleaf the truth, she would become more distraught than she currently was.

"You worried me." Mistleaf muttered, her breath tickling Ashpaw's forehead. She wanted to reach up and rub a paw across her face, but after what had happened when she'd attempted to lift her head, she wasn't very eager to attempt moving again.

"Um." Ashpaw mewed hesitantly, not wanting to upset the medicine cat. "Mistleaf, you're kind of…you're crowding me."

"Oh!" Mistleaf drew away almost instantly, looking alarmed. "Oh, Ashpaw, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to – "

"It's okay." Ashpaw mewed, hoping to soothe her. "Really, it's –"

"I'm going to go fetch Sparrowfur," Mistleaf interrupted, backing away from the apprentice. "You wait right here, okay?"

Before Ashpaw could answer, Mistleaf was gone. She sighed quietly, wondering what had made the bicolor molly so jumpy. She waited patiently for Mistleaf to return with Sparrowfur.

Ashpaw wondered if she'd be allowed visitors today. Mistleaf had promised her that she'd allow the other apprentices to stop by for a visit. She hadn't seen Firepaw or Pebblepaw since she'd fallen ill, and she missed speaking to them. She had even started to miss Shadepaw, despite her unfriendly manner, and Reedpaw, who was all broody expressions and biting comments.

Maybe if I had siblings they'd come and see me. Ashpaw had always wished that she'd had at least one sibling, someone to cheer her up when she was upset – someone who would be loyal to her no matter what. She might have had someone like that, too, if she had been born into LightClan.

The gray molly shivered, remembering Mistleaf's tale of how she had discovered Ashpaw as a kitten, curled against the lifeless body of her mother, along with two other kits who had succumbed to the frigid temperatures and lack of food. Ashpaw had been the only one to survive. Despite the fact that she had no memories of her siblings, it still hurt to think of them – the possibility of them.

"Ashpaw?" This time it was Sparrowfur's voice she heard. She turned her head slightly, and was surprised to find that the pain that had earlier accompanied movement had seemingly vanished.

"Mistleaf sent me," he explained, as if she wasn't already aware. "She said that you were feeling a bit off."

"I'm okay, really," Ashpaw mewed, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Have you had enough water?" He continued on as if he hadn't heard her speak. "You could be dehydrated. Or maybe you just need a bit more sleep. Maybe some poppy seeds will do the trick."

"Poppy seeds are your solution to everything," Ashpaw groaned. Sparrowfur continued to ramble.

"I think I'll just get you some water for now. That should make you feel a bit better. Clear your head a bit. You can have the poppy seeds later, if you need them."

Ashpaw sighed. "Okay, Sparrowfur."

"I'll just send out Shadepaw to fetch some –" He frowned, cutting himself off. "No, I can't do that. She'll be busy with the elders."

"Busy with the elders?"

"I suppose Pebblepaw will have to do!" He nodded, disappearing before Ashpaw could utter another word. The gray apprentice was alone once again.

Ashpaw tried to crane her head toward the den's entrance, but winced, finding that the pain had returned. It wasn't as intense as it had been before, but it was certainly still there. Peering outside, Ashpaw wasn't able to see anything through the thick covering of vines that draped across the entrance, obscuring her view of the clearing.

I don't want to spend another day trapped inside the medicine cat's den. I want to be out training with my friends. Another sigh escaped the gray molly. Maybe I should just go back to sleep.

She closed her eyes and hoped for sleep to claim her, but her mind was buzzing, too full of thoughts of the other apprentices and Mistleaf and the siblings that she would never know and Sparrowfur's poppy seeds.

"Ashpaw?" A tentative voice called out her name. Ashpaw recognized Pebblepaw's soft way of speaking, so quiet that it was barely audible.

Pebblepaw padded in, rolling a ball of moss soaked in water with her muzzle. "Sparrowfur sent me," she mewed, blinking sleep from her eyes. Ashpaw felt guilty. If she hadn't been so needy, Pebblepaw wouldn't have had to wake up for quite some time. She didn't want the smaller molly losing sleep because of her.

"You didn't have to do this," Ashpaw murmured as she braced herself for the pain and rolled onto her stomach, watching as Pebblepaw nudged the ball of moss closer to her.

"I did, actually. If I didn't, Sparrowfur would have made me spend the entire day searching for herbs." She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Ashpaw purred, sucking a bit of moisture from the moss. "What's so bad about looking for herbs?" she asked, looking over at Pebblepaw, who had sat down beside Ashpaw's makeshift nest.

"It's just not for me, I suppose," Pebblepaw replied. "Though I'm sure Robinkit would be furious if she heard me say that," Pebblepaw smiled and gazed out at the clearing. Ashpaw wondered if she could see the little calico molly out in the clearing with her family.

Ashpaw nodded in agreement. "She'd do anything to become a medicine cat."

"If only Sparrowfur was that enthusiastic about his job…" Pebblepaw trailed off, looking anxiously over her shoulder. "Sometimes I wonder if he just became a medicine cat so he didn't have to go into battle," she whispered.

"I think he just didn't want to be a warrior, and becoming a medicine cat was his only other option." Ashpaw said. "I mean, he couldn't exactly become an elder – though I'm sure he'd absolutely love that. He'd have us waiting on him constantly."

"Maybe he should just retire so Robinkit can take his place. Do you think Dawnstar would let him?" Pebblepaw sounded doubtful.

"Definitely not," Ashpaw responded, shaking her head. She sucked more water from the moss, sighing contentedly.

"Well, I should get back to my duties." Pebblepaw mewed, reluctantly standing. "Brambleflower is taking me hunting with Nightstorm and Sorrelfur."

"I wish I could go," Ashpaw sighed. "I'd give anything to be out of here." She missed the feeling of the forest floor beneath her paws, missed the surge of satisfaction that came when she trapped a mouse underneath her paws. She'd had enough of lazing around in the medicine cat's den to last a lifetime.

"You'll be begging Mistleaf to let you come back as soon as you get out," Pebblepaw laughed, touching Ashpaw's shoulder with the tip of her tail. "Sandcloud said she has something special planned for you once you're out. Do you think she'll take you to OwlClan's border?" Pebblepaw's blue eyes widened at the thought.

"Of course not!" Ashpaw exclaimed, feeling a bit frightened. "It's too dangerous for an undertrained apprentice. Sandcloud knows better."

"I wonder what it's like over there…" The tabby molly mewed. "I wonder if –"

"Pebblepaw! Where in StarClan's name are you?"

"Oops!" Pebblepaw squeaked. "I've got to go! Bye, Ashpaw!"

"Goodbye!" Ashpaw called as Pebblepaw scrambled out of the den, mewing an apology to her mentor as she went. She watched Pebblepaw's gray tabby pelt disappear behind the vines, imagining how great it would feel when she herself was able to leave. She imagined herself as if she was Pebblepaw – it was easy for Ashpaw to picture, seeing how similar she and Pebblepaw were. Ashpaw had always thought that if only she had Pebblepaw's tabby markings, the pair of them would be nearly identical. They could pull pranks on their denmates and mentors, switching places whenever they liked. Laughter bubbled up within her at the thought.

Ashpaw rested her head on her paws, wishing that Pebblepaw hadn't been so quick to leave. She would have liked to chat with her friend for at least a few more moments. Now she was alone again, left to wait silently until Mistleaf decided that it was alright for her to return to her duties.

Gradually, Ashpaw's eyes began to close, her breathing slowing down a bit. She had no better way to spend her time – surely a nap wouldn't hurt.

For the second time that day, she was unable to fall asleep. She remained awake, annoyed, and impatient. The tip of her tail began to twitch with pent up energy, and she eventually opened her eyes once more with a loud groan.

"Mistleaf?" She was unable to keep herself from calling out for the medicine cat. Perhaps if she begged her, the timid molly would cave in and let her go.

Either Mistleaf had left the den, or she didn't intend on responding to Ashpaw's call. The gray and white medicine cat was nowhere to be seen.

"Mistleaf!" Ashpaw mewed angrily, kneading her paws against her nest of moss. Even Sparrowfur did not show up.

Finally, Ashpaw received an answer to her shouting. A smile formed on her face as she saw Firepaw slide inside the medicine cat's den, green eyes wide with worry.

"Are you alright?" He mewed, padding over to her and prodding her with a paw. Normally Ashpaw would have been annoyed, but for now, she was happy to have someone else to speak to.

"You poking at me like that surely isn't going to make me any better!" She purred, pushing Firepaw's paw away.

He rolled his eyes, plopping down beside her. "I thought you were dying or something."

"And you didn't come faster?" Ashpaw teased, trying to get him to lighten up.

"It's not like I could do anything to help you if you were. I'd probably end up poisoning you." He frowned, glancing over his shoulder. "Where is Mistleaf anyway? Shouldn't she be watching you?"

Ashpaw shrugged, shuffling closer to Firepaw. "She was here a little while ago. So was Sparrowfur."

He snorted. "Sparrowfur? He's about as good as I am at healing."

"Don't say that," Ashpaw chided. "He might hear you and slip some herbs into your next piece of fresh kill!"

Firepaw chuckled. "I think he already has. Remember when he was trying to treat that cough I had? Whatever herbs he gave me just made me feel even worse than I did before." He shook his head. "I don't know why Mistleaf even keeps him around."

"Ashpaw?" The sound of Sparrowfur's voice made both Ashpaw and Firepaw startle, the fur on the back of their necks prickling. A moment later, the tabby tom appeared. "I heard you calling for…well, for Mistleaf, but I figured I might as well come. Is something wrong?"

"N-no, Sparrowfur." She stuttered, glancing over at Firepaw. "I'm alright."

"Then why were you shouting so loudly?" The brown tom asked, tilting his head in confusion. Before Ashpaw could answer, he shook his head, muttering to himself, something about apprentices and their antics. "Well…if you do need me, I'll be around." He mewed before slipping away once more.

"That was close," Firepaw murmured, leaning down so that Ashpaw could hear him clearly. His breath tickled her ears, making her flick them backward.

"Do you think he heard us?" She fretted, glancing up at her fellow apprentice. "I don't want him to be angry with us."

"If he did hear, he'll forget about it soon enough. I'm sure he has other things to worry about." He reassured her.

"I hope you're right…" Ashpaw trailed off.

"So," Firepaw mewed, "When d'you think you'll get outta here? We all went out for some training yesterday." Firepaw's eyes lit up. "Dawnstar was there, too. She said that I was the best fighter she'd ever seen!"

Ashpaw doubted Firepaw's claims, but didn't say so out loud. "I wish I had been there," she lamented.

Firepaw's ears went back. "Err, maybe you don't…" Ashpaw didn't have to ask why – Firepaw provided an explanation a moment later. "Shadepaw kinda got into it with Reedpaw and Pebblepaw. She started shouting at them…Reedpaw started yelling, too. They're both gonna have to clean out the elders den for a little while." He wrinkled his nose. "I sure am glad that I stayed out of it."

So that's why Sparrowfur couldn't send Shadepaw, Ashpaw thought. She wasn't surprised to hear that the dark gray molly had gotten into a skirmish with Pebblepaw, but Reedpaw? She had thought that the two were friends. They usually got along quite well. Perhaps something had happened between them that she was unaware of.

"Anyway," Firepaw's drawling voice interrupted her thoughts. "I asked Badgerclaw if he'd take the two of us out for a practice fight, 'cause I didn't want you to miss out completely. He said that he needed to talk to Sandcloud about it, but I think she'll be okay with it."

"Really?" Ashpaw perked up, purring. "That's great, Firepaw! Thank you!"

"Don't get too excited. She could still say no…after all, I bet I'd have you beaten in a few moments. You don't stand a chance against me!" He puffed out his chest in an attempt to make himself appear larger than he truly was.

Ashpaw rolled her eyes, affectionately nudging him with her muzzle. "We'll see about that."

Firepaw drew away from her, dropping into a crouch, pressed low to the ground. "I bet I could beat you right now!" He challenged.

"Of course you could," Ashpaw replied. "I'm sick, remember?"

Firepaw stood up quickly, looking panicked. "Wait – I'm not going to catch anything, am I?" He stepped back. "I don't wanna be stuck in here with you!"

"Gee, thanks!" She responded, although she knew he didn't mean it.

"I'm out of here!" He announced, backing up towards the exit. "If I end up feeling sick, I'll know exactly who to blame!" In a flash of ginger fur he was gone, muttering about how he was going to have to go jump into the river to wash the sickness off of his fur. Despite Firepaw's ridiculous reaction, Ashpaw couldn't help but smile. He provided quite a bit of entertainment, and always seemed capable of brightening up her days with his endless supply of energy and ramblings that seemed to go on for ages. Compared to Pebblepaw who was quiet and gentle and withdrawn, Firepaw was a lot to handle. Still, she preferred him to the other LightClan apprentices – there was something about him that set him apart from the other three.

She imagined what their training session would be like. She hoped that Firepaw was wrong, that she wouldn't be easy to defeat, but she felt that after spending such a long time confined to this StarClan forsaken den, her battle skills would be subpar. Firepaw – along with Pebblepaw, Shadepaw, and Reedpaw – had been training for longer than she had.

What if they get their warriors names before I do? The thought made Ashpaw's stomach churn. How embarrassing would it be to sit aside while all her friends received their full names? Firepaw would never stop teasing her.

I won't let that happen. I can't let that happen. She tucked her paws underneath her chest, staring out at the clearing through the covering of vines. She made a promise to herself. As soon as she was free from Mistleaf's care, she would train as hard as she could to assure that she achieved everything that her friends had done already. She would beg Sandcloud for extra sessions, would get up early and go on each and every hunting patrol until she had mastered the skills it took to be a LightClan warrior.

I'll show the entire clan just how great I can be.