CHAPTER ELEVEN

Twilight had fallen upon the forest. Fog wreathed between the trees, heavy and damp. The pungent taste of rotting wood coated the inside of Dawnpaw's mouth. She sat pressed against a towering oak, amber eyes nervously scanning the grey sky. There was an odd glow to the Dark Forest at this time of day, a sickly yellow hue that illuminated the bracken around her. Ghosts and wraiths flickered at the edges of her vision as they waited for night to fall. She did her best to ignore them, instead focusing on the real, the earth underneath her paws and the drops of water condensing on her pelt.

Shredtail came up behind her. The dusk light softened his face, and for a brief moment, Dawnpaw was no longer scared of him – instead, she felt almost sorry for him. Then he narrowed his eyes and the sympathy vanished. The muscular tom sat down, curling his mangled tail over his wide paws. "Are you ready?" he asked, voice rough.

"As I'll ever be," mewed Dawnpaw truthfully. She felt small next to him, yet there was a fire burning within her core, a desperate need to prove herself. The ginger apprentice felt it flow through her veins, beating back her fear. She wasn't mouse-brained, she wasn't reckless – she would never deny that the fear was there, but for the time being, she would ignore it.

"You're sure?" Shredtail persisted. The tabby tom had done his best to talk her out of it, outlining all of the difficulties, and putting particular emphasis on what would happen if things went wrong and she was noticed. Death is even more painful in the Dark Forest than it is up above. His words rang in her mind and she shivered.

Despite that, despite the thought of having her soul torn apart, Dawnpaw didn't care. She wanted to do this. She needed to do this. If the Dark Forest was planning an attack on the Clans, she needed to know. Then, somehow, she would get that information to Sootclaw.

"Yes," Dawnpaw mewed. Her voice quavered slightly, but she kept her chin tilted up. Shredtail's eyes glinted with ambiguous emotion – appraisal? Perhaps respect?

He lowered his voice. "If this goes wrong..."

"I know," she said, cutting him off. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she barged forward. "I'm prepared. I understand the risks and this is something... it's something that I have to do."

She was struck by the realization that she might never see any of her friends or family again, never look upon Thickfur's face or hear Sootclaw's reassuring voice echo in her mind, never share tongues with Kitetail... Dawnpaw closed her eyes, blinking back the white-hot sadness that threatened to crash over her.

"Are you alright?" asked Shredtail awkwardly. Concern did not come easily to him, but Dawnpaw appreciated that he was trying. Since his last outburst, he had been oddly subdued. Her fear, while still vaguely drumming somewhere in her chest, was beginning to fade.

"Yeah," she replied. It was half-true. This was a risk she would have to take. And yet... and yet, the she-cat had regrets. There were things that she should have said. I should have told Sootclaw the truth about my feelings, that I'm falling in love with him. That was one of them. Then there was Elmheart. She missed her friend, missed him so badly that it tore at her every single day. I should have apologized for hurting him like that.

"Good," he said abruptly. "We need to press on. Worm will be meeting you up ahead. I'm going to split off and join the meeting."

Dawnpaw nodded and rose to her paws. Shredtail followed suit, quickly overtaking her to lead the way through the trees. They passed by a thorn bush, jagged spikes menacing in the fog, and underneath the low-hanging branches of a white pine. Dawnpaw shivered as the needles brushed against her back. Casting a glance toward the sky, she saw that night was falling.

What comes out at night? Shredtail had never answered her question. Despite herself, Dawnpaw shivered once more.

They made their way through the forest, the trees growing closer and closer together the further they walked. Dawnpaw imagined that she was walking into the jaws of a large monster, ready to snap shut at any moment. Briefly, the she-cat wondered if Branchpaw had ever come down here in his dreams. She desperately hoped that he hadn't.

Eventually, they reached a tight grove of stunted rowan trees. Shredtail raised his tail, strands of skin and fur hanging down from the bleached bone, as a signal to stop. Dawnpaw came to a halt, waiting for her next instructions. In front of her, Shredtail had turned around, and now faced her, his eyes shining in the darkness. "Now we wait."

It didn't take very long. There was a rustling in the bushes beside her and then Worm emerged, pulling his slender figure fluidly from the underbrush. "Ready to go?" he asked in his sickly sweet voice, fixing Dawnpaw with a piercing gaze.

Stop asking me that. A rare flash of anger rose up in her core. Dawnpaw forced it back down. She was on edge, it was understandable. "Yes," she said. "Let's go."

Worm smirked, dipping his head. "Good. Follow me."

.

They lay in a dip of the ground, concealed by a clump of mangled sumac bushes. Withered berries hung in front of Dawnpaw, grazing her nose. The she-cat fought the urge to sneeze, instead looking over at Worm, who lay beside her. The tom's pelt was brushing against hers, and the ginger apprentice fought the urge to shudder as she felt his oily fur. Worm revolted her, it was true, but right now, she had more important things on her mind.

The scent of garlic came on suddenly and she almost gagged. They had rolled in a patch of the plant in order to conceal their scent. Dawnpaw hadn't objected, but her pelt crawled with the memory. It was itching fiercely now, and she swallowed, trying to concentrate her attention on what was in front of her.

Through the sumacs, she could see a clearing, filled with paws all of colours and sizes. The cats themselves were hidden by the bracken, but Dawnpaw saw enough to know that there were a lot of cats present. Near the front, she could make out Shredtail's distinctive tail as its torn strands swept over the ground. Closer to her sat two cats, one a scrawny white and the other a burly russet, deep in muted conversation.

There was a yowl from the front of the clearing and all the muttering stopped. Cats turned their focus toward something that Dawnpaw couldn't see, though she recognized the voice as it spoke. "Welcome," rumbled Branchclaw, the sound of his voice sickeningly similar to her brother's. He knows who I am, she realized with depthless horror. He's watched me.

Then another cat spoke. She didn't recognize the voice, but it cut through the fog like a knife. It was compelling, she realized, filled with a cunning and intelligence that Branchclaw would never had. As the words echoed around the clearing, Dawnpaw had to fight the urge to succumb to them. "There's a reason we called you all here," the voice said. "For moons, you've known that we had a plan. A plan to take back the forest from StarClan's grip. A plan to break free of our prison. Well tonight is the night that our freedom begins. I can almost taste it."

There were yowls of agreement from the ground. The burly ginger cat near Dawnpaw spoke up. "What's happening tonight, Thistleclaw?"

There was a grin audible in Thistleclaw's voice as he replied. "Don't you mean what has already happened? Earlier today, the fibres of existence began to come undone. There is a gap forming. Not here, no, not for us – not yet. But soon it will grow, and we'll all be able to spill through. All we have to do is eliminate what stands in our way on the other side."

"How?" asked the big russet she-cat, piping up once more.

This time, another cat answered. This new voice was slow and meticulous, with all the warmth of leafbare. "StarClan has interfered one too many times with the lives of the Clans. Their actions are tearing apart the boundaries between the living and the dead."

"Hawkfrost," mewed Shredtail, voice hard and flat. "I was wondering when you would show up. Have you spoken to Brambleclaw lately? What is StarClan saying?"

"Brambleclaw's been too scared to show his face near the border," sneered Hawkfrost. "We've got them on the run. StarClan has made far too many mistakes and now they're going to pay for it."

Dawnpaw frowned. Was it really StarClan's fault that the Dark Forest was able to grow stronger? She knew her warrior ancestors had never meant the Clans any harm, but... if this was true, it would change everything. All of the times that StarClan had appeared to help the Clans, all they ended up doing was feeding the cats of the Dark Forest.

Thistleclaw took over once more. "WindClan is already within our control. The darkness spread among them with no resistance. They were weak, and now they belong to us. In three nights, we will destroy another Clan as well – ThunderClan. They won't stand a chance."

Oh! Dawnpaw managed to hold in her gasp at the last moment. Worm must have felt the catch in her chest, for he shot her a warning glance. Dawnpaw felt her insides freeze. They were going to attack ThunderClan. They were going to destroy her Clan. Her mind immediately shot to Thickfur, and she pictured him fighting against the WindClan warriors – fighting and losing, blood pouring from his wounds as he desperately refused to give him. Her heart rent at the thought.

"Worm..." she began, quietly as possible, but another glance from him silenced her. Dawnpaw span Thistleclaw's words around in her head. So WindClan was infected by a darkness? That would explain why they hadn't been coming to Gatherings, why their border patrols were never spotted. She had assumed that leafbare was tough for them, but this... this made sense.

Yowls of agreement rose up from the assembled cats. Finally, Shredtail's voice stood out among the crowd. "When is it our turn?" he called out, and Dawnpaw could hear the longing and glee in his voice. It's fake, she told herself, Shredtail is on my side. Yet the hunger in his voice was so convincing...

"Soon," promised Branchclaw. "Very soon, Shredtail. You'll have your revenge. In fact, you and Mapleshade will be able to lead the first two patrols."

Darkness had fallen completely over the clearing now. The last strand of grey light vanished from the sky, leaving only unbroken onyx in its place. Dawnpaw felt a shiver run down her back. They needed to leave and find shelter – now. She pressed her tail to Worm's flank urgently.

"We will meet again soon," mewed Thistleclaw dismissively. "Go your own way now, my brothers and sisters. Soon, we will feast on blood."

There were more cries of support and agreement, and then the cats began to disperse. Dawnpaw tried to make herself as small as possible, flattening her body against the ground. No Dark Forest warriors passed right by her, though two made their way through the bushes not far to her left. She held her breath the entire time, only exhaling when she was sure that the clearing was empty.

"Come," whispered Worm, finally daring to speak. "We need to meet up with Shredtail now."

Dawnpaw nodded numbly, rising to her paws. As Worm began to lead her through the maze of bracken, she thought she saw Thickfur out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her, but his eyes were gone, leaving only sockets overflowing with blood. Her heart skipped a beat, but when she turned to get a better look, he was gone. "Worm, what..."

For once, there was no unnerving glee in his voice. Worm gave her an impassive look. "You see them too?"

"Too?" repeated Dawnpaw. Slowly, it began to occur her what Shredtail had meant. What's your worst nightmare, he had asked.

"Forget it," said Worm. "We need to get a move on."

She nodded slowly, hesitantly following Worm through the woods. No more ghosts appeared in the edges of her vision, but she couldn't get the image of Thickfur, blood streaming down his cheeks, out of her head.

.

"We need to warn somebody," said Dawnpaw desperately. After the meeting, they had regrouped and made their way back to their temporary camp, a hollow in a mossy log near the brackish stream. The clearing was covered in the glowing moss and Dawnpaw was relieved as the eerie light hit her face, dispelling the night's illusions. The air was colder here, but as she sat by the stream, staring at the swirling muddy water, she found she couldn't care less. There was only one thing that mattered: alerting ThunderClan.

"So warn somebody," said Shredtail, coming to sit beside her. There was a grudging respect in his voice as he assumed his customary position – shoulders erect, tail curled over his feet.

Dawnpaw shot him a curious glance. "I can't. I'm stuck down here. I don't even have Sootclaw." The scent of rot filled her mouth as she spoke, but the she-cat was accustomed to it by now. Every moment she spent down here was a moment she grew stronger.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Shredtail softly. Lashing her tail, Dawnpaw stared back down into the water. She hated when he talked like that, all enigmas, making her doubt herself. Was he purposefully frustrating, or was he just trying to get her to figure it out for herself?

She hadn't seen Shredtail angry for awhile now, and that thought worried her more than the memory of his icy voice, cruel and strong. Was the tom as calm as he seemed, or was he simply building up for another explosion? Dawnpaw wanted to ask about his words back in the meeting, about how desperate he had seemed to draw blood, but held back.

"There's a wound," she tried to explain, "where Sootclaw was ripped away. His mind isn't there anymore, and... and it hurts."

Dawnpaw looked up to see Shredtail giving her a pitying gaze. Anger sparked through her and she forced it down, not wanting to provoke him. Instead, she waited for his next words, the lump rising in her throat almost painful.

"Do you know how your power works, Dawnpaw?" asked Shredtail patiently. When she hesitated, he continued. "StarClan took a piece of you and put it inside Sootclaw. Then they took a piece of him and put it inside you. Your minds may have been separated, but the connection is still there. You're still drawn to him. All you have to do his find him."

Dawnpaw's mouth went dry. "Find him how?" she asked nervously.

When Shredtail looked up, his eyes were dark. "You need to leave your mind," he said softly. "Travel into the darkness that lies beyond. Find his mind."

"I don't understand," Dawnpaw said quickly, though the she-cat had an awful feeling that she did understand, and that what Shredtail was suggesting absolutely horrified her. She had to let go in order to find Sootclaw, abandon her anchor, search for him alone in the darkness.

Shredtail exhaled slowly. When he next spoke, his voice was almost kind. "Find the wound where his mind was torn away. Let yourself seep out of it. Go into the emptiness and search."

"What if I lose myself?" Dawnpaw asked, voice barely more than a whisper. Her throat was clenching, her chest tightening. The idea was terrifying. "What if I can never make it back?"

He met her gaze unflinchingly. "You have to trust that you will."

"Okay," said Dawnpaw hesitantly, mentally preparing herself for the task at hand. It was overwhelming, and yet what Shredtail said made sense, and if it worked... her body sang at the thought of feeling Sootclaw again. She missed him desperately. "I'll do it. How?"

The large tom shrugged. "Just do it."

Dawnpaw nodded and shut her eyes, reaching within her mind. She passed by her own thoughts, passed her memories, toward the gaping hole that Sootclaw had left behind. The apprentice approached it tentatively, feeling an aura of pain surround her. Gently touching a loose thread, she was hit by a sudden wave of agony. Dawnpaw let out a cry, feeling herself be thrown backward. Her eyes flew open with a start.

"Try again," said Shredtail gently. He was watching her intently, face impassive.

She nodded and took a deep breath, diving back into her mind. This time, she was slower to approach the gap. Looking at it from above, Dawnpaw drank in the sight. Where the rest of her mind was surrounded by a thick, glossy membrane, the gap was ripped. Silvery filaments floated out from papery thin flesh, extending into a vast nothingness. That was exactly it, a nothingness. The she-cat had no other words to describe what she saw.

She couldn't call it black, for it had no colour; couldn't call it cold, for it had no feeling. It was just there, a grand emptiness. Dawnpaw wondered if it had always been there, existing on the other side of her mind, this whole time. The thought scared her beyond belief, that she was a membrane away from dissolving into nothing.

Hesitantly, the she-cat leapt forward. The gap shrilled with pain as she moved through it, but she set her jaw and continued. The threads reached up and tugged at her, begging her to stay, and Dawnpaw wished she could just fold back into her mind and stay there forever. It was a better option than continuing into the beyond. Arriving at the frontier, the ginger apprentice stood on the edge of nothingness, aware that the world was dropping off beneath her feet.

She leapt.

The nothingness swallowed her whole. Dawnpaw found herself falling, watching the silvery sheen of her mind became smaller and smaller as she tumbled away. Eventually she managed to catch herself, finding a precarious point of balance to stop herself from falling further. Was the space infinite, or was it circular? It wasn't a question she wanted to figure out.

The she-cat attempted to propel herself forward. It felt as though she were moving through mud, desperately struggling against the nothingness. Sootclaw! Dawnpaw was desperate for an answer. She called his name many times over, hoping he would somehow be able to hear it. Sootclaw, can you hear me?

An idea came to her – she would try and ping him. Dawnpaw concentrated all her willpower on a sharp jolt of energy, sending it out into the darkness. She hoped that it would find him, or at least bounce off of something. The she-cat waited and waited, but there was no return of her signal.

Looking up, she realized that her mind was gone. A sudden panic overtook her and she tried to cry out, only to find that she could make no sound. Desperately, Dawnpaw tried to open her eyes, but it felt like they were glued shut. She was stuck here, trapped until she could find her way back.

She was going to die.

I'll never see Sootclaw again, she thought. Then – that was it! When Sootclaw had first found her, he had envisioned himself breaking through a wall of rocks. She just had to do the same thing – she had to turn the nothingness into something she could navigate.

Dawnpaw conjured an image of the ThunderClan camp, mapping it out in front of her. The apprentices den would be her mind, that was easy enough to find, and Sootclaw... he would be in the warriors den. Slightly more confident now, Dawnpaw took a step toward the warriors den. She didn't falter, she didn't fall, she made the step as easily as if she were really there. Then she took another one.

Peeking her head inside the warriors den, she saw only darkness. Sootclaw?

At first, there was no reply. Dawnpaw felt fear grip her. What if it didn't work? If Sootclaw wasn't here, then maybe she wouldn't even be in the apprentices den. Maybe she would be trapped here forever, in ThunderClan camp, a ghost in an empty clearing.

The faint outline of another cat began to materialize in front of her. A voice appeared in her mind, distant but recognizable, relieved yet incredulous. Dawnpaw?

x x x

Sleep was escaping Sootclaw. The tom lay in his mossy nest, muscles sore from a hard day of work. The morning had been spent training Pigeonpaw, always an arduous task, and he had spent the afternoon patrolling the borders, hoping that Thickfur had moved the stick, hoping that there was news.

Dawnpaw's absence grew harder to bear everyday. The wound seemed to widen as time passed, the pain extending further and further into his mind. His memories were becoming hard to access – even the most innocent ones were filled with her face, her glowing amber eyes, her comforting scent. Sootclaw had managed to scoop up his memories of Lilystream and keep them safe, moving them as far from the gap as possible.

It seemed as though his mind was always thinking of the two she-cats. There was Lilystream, the mother of his kits, the she-cat whose intoxicating nature made him weak at the knees, who had been there for him when he had thought all was lost. He loved her smile, her eyes, her laugh, the way she felt when she touched him, and he loved the way she had born his kits, how she had looked with her belly extended, how she had teased away his worries with her reassuring words.

And Dawnpaw, who seemed to hold part of his soul. There was absolutely no way Sootclaw could live without her. And yet... he was a father now. He had a duty to Lilystream and his kits. There was no way he could live without them, either.

His thoughts always came back to them, and he didn't know why. There was some kind of demented pleasure that he gained from it, the same way one continually touches a bruise or puts weight on a twisted ankle. He was addicted to the adrenaline rush of his indecision, and it was killing him. Sootclaw never came to a conclusion, and the thoughts never changed. They were always the same, and he ran them over and over again in his mind, hoping that somehow, they would turn out differently.

Sometimes, when he managed to pull his mind away from the confusion, his thoughts would drift into the dark recesses of his mind and pull out the memories he never wanted to access again: memories of Falconswoop. Even now, he could still see his father fall from the cliff, body impaled by the jagged rocks below. I should have killed him. The thought echoed in Sootclaw's mind. Was I strong enough to do it? He would never know.

Sootclaw groaned and pushed his face against his paws, bracing his shoulders against the cold. At least training Pigeonpaw hadn't been too difficult today. The grey-and-white apprentice must have sensed his mentor's bad mood, for he held his tongue and did what he was told with only marginal complaint. Still, Sootclaw worried for him. Nightpaw and Tanpaw were much further along in their training. If they became warriors first, Pigeonpaw would be miserable, and Sootclaw would never forgive himself.

He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, trying to empty his mind. It had almost succeeded, when a sudden tingling sensation came over him. It started in the back of his mind, and he began aware that there was a single silver strand trying to reattach itself to the broken threads where Dawnpaw had once been. The pain was incredible, yet as the sole filament brushes against the waving strands, the resulting feeling send a wave of warmth through his body. Oh.

And then, from nowhere and everywhere, came a voice. Sootclaw?

A rush of joy overtook him, filling him from his toes to his ears. For a moment, he couldn't speak, overwhelmed by sheer happiness. He knew that voice. That was Dawnpaw's voice. His heart threatened to burst in his chest. Dawnpaw? The tom hardly dared to believe it.

The relief in her voice was palpable. I found you! Dawnpaw exclaimed. Oh, Sootclaw, I've missed you so much.

There was something so raw and pure about her voice that Sootclaw felt colours explode in his mind. He hadn't heard her so honest with him for a long time. There had been a distance between them, a rift caused by Lilystream, and Dawnpaw had seemed far away. But now she was back, and her candidness was back too, and the colours in her voice were so strong that he wanted to drown in her ocean. I missed you too, he admitted. What happened? Where are you?

Dawnpaw's voice was faint. I'm... I'm in the Dark Forest. They pulled me down here. It's okay though – there are cats here who are helping me. We're making our way to StarClan.

Shock ran through him. The Dark Forest?

Yes, she mewed, without hesitation. It's... it's awful, Sootclaw, but I'm surviving. I'll make my way back to your world.

The smoky grey warrior had no idea what to say. What did you say to someone in a situation like this? Instead, he asked the question that had been weighing on his mind for the length of the conversation. Can you stay with me?

There was a long pause, and when she next replied, her voice was torn by grief. No. I can't stay. I have to go. But... I have something important to tell you.

Sootclaw's chest tightened. He couldn't stand to have her leave him, not again. I've lost you too many times, he told her fervently. Please don't go again. It'll kill me.

He felt the surprise register in her mind, felt her swell against him, buoyed unexpectedly by the sheer emotion of his words. Oh, he had missed this feeling so much. He hadn't felt this close to her since the night of Branchpaw's death, when they had sat side by side, reluctant to ever leave each other. He needed her so desperately and here she was, about to leave him, when he had finally realized, for the umpteenth time, how much he needed her to survive.

I won't be gone forever, Dawnpaw promised softly. But right now, I need you to listen to me. I need you to get a message to Thickfur.

Sootclaw swallowed before nodding solemnly. I'm listening.

WindClan has been taken over by the darkness, Dawnpaw began. I don't know how. The Dark Forest did something to them. It's StarClan's fault, I think. Like you said, for everything they can do, the Dark Forest gets to do something as well... but the constant intervention of StarClan in our affairs... it's been tearing the boundary apart. They said there's a hole, that cats will be able to go through.

Sootclaw froze. Brambleclaw had explained the process to him, how with every action StarClan took, the Dark Forest was allowed an action of equal nature, yet... he hadn't realized that these actions were pushing their worlds even closer together. As for WindClan, that explained a lot about how they had been acting lately.

That's not all, Dawnpaw continued. WindClan is going to attack ThunderClan in three nights. I need you to warn Thickfur. Please. He's the only one who knows about our link; he's the only one who will believe you.

I know, Sootclaw reassured her. I've spoken to him. I'll let him know.

Thank you, said Dawnpaw. He could feel the relief flow through her. I... I need to go now, Sootclaw.

Wait! The word escaped him before he had time to think. Sootclaw searched desperately for something that would keep her there longer. Is there anything else?

She hesitated, and for a moment, Sootclaw thought she would say something, something huge. He could feel it weighing on her mind, could feel it shift as she turned it over, debating on it. It made it all the way to the edge of his mind before she pulled it back, and he found himself desperate to know whatever she had been about to say.

No, said Dawnpaw at last, and there was a little bit of heartbreak in her voice. I have to go now. I'll try to come back. I promise.

And then she was gone.

XX XX XX XX

A/N: Another chapter! The amount of writing I got done on the weekend is incredible. I'm about to run off and start the next chapter right now, so it'll probably be done by the time you get around to reading this (edit: it is!). I want to thank everybody once more for their fantastic support of this project – we're not even close to finishing, but I wouldn't have gotten this far without all of you. :) My reviewers, you are especially wonderful. Give yourselves a pat on the back!

So Sootclaw and Dawnpaw have reunited. Unfortunately, it was under some pretty nasty circumstances. Attack on ThunderClan, the rending of the fibres of existence, all that trivial stuff. Shredtail was fairly subdued in this chapter, but we'll see some his fierce side again soon, promise. As for Dawn and Soot... the amount of stuff they can do with their mind is fairly incredible. You folks may remember instances where they both reached out and inadvertently touched the minds of others. They don't realize it yet, but there's a lot they need to learn about their power.

Now... a little bit of a heartbreaking end there, I apologize! Things seem to be getting worse and worse for our dear protagonists. Ah well, everything should work out in the end... Key word being should.

Next chapter, as I mentioned earlier, will be Russet and Chantelle. We'll check back in with Baron and his rogues, and hopefully get a better understanding of Alder's situation, as well as a nice dose of Elmheart!

Dragongabi: Well in that case, I'll take what I can get. I'm sure you'll enjoy this chapter then. :)

KittyKat8888: Good to hear from you again! As for why Fogpaw doesn't pretend... she's too stubborn, haha, and too proud by far. She would never act dishonestly; that would be giving in.

Juniperleaf of BlazeClan: No, they won't have a thing. Fogpaw isn't very romantically inclined, and Stripedpaw is loyal to the code. That said, they are going to have to rely on each other if they want to get out of their current situation... it'll be an odd relationship, to be sure. Thanks for your wonderful words!

Honeycloud of Riverclan: Grains, or cereals, to be more precise, are really just plants. There's a farm between WindClan and RiverClan, so I'm sure the cats would have been exposed to them.

monkeyCsaw: Yeah, Stripedpaw's in a tough position, so he's rather guarded. He may open up later on, we'll see... As for KitexDawn, I'm not adverse to it, I just don't really see much evidence supporting it, haha. Thanks for your fantastic review, by the way :)

Butterfly that flies at dawn: Yeah, at the moment, the age difference is a bit much. Dawnpaw's still a bit too young for that, haha.

Sierraleaf: I hope you enjoyed this chapter; like you said, it's good to be back with these two.

Guest: Nope, haha, they're definitely being controlled!

Reviewer: Thank you for the great review :) I really appreciate it.

As a final note, I've started making some playlists for the characters (and pairings). I'm thinking of posting them on my blog (which I made for this trilogy but have never used), along with cover art and explinations for tracks, all that fun stuff. Is that something you guys would be interested in? Please answer that in your review, haha.

Thanks for reading and please review!

- PV :)