CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It was time to evacuate the camp.

Kitetail was in his den, arranging packets of herbs at the last minute. Most waited by the entrance to his den, wrapped in leaves and ready to go. Galepaw and Mousepaw had volunteered to help transport them, and some of the other warriors had also volunteered their services. He had prepared a mix of remedies: some were for wounds inflicted by battle, and others for illnesses. He had also prepared for whitecough, knowing the cold would be harsh without their dens to protect them.

Auburnfur and Beechclaw had approached him earlier, asking him to do an assessment of Breezekit. The small black tom was fine, though he had sneezed rather violently when he had bowled into some herbs that Kitetail had absentmindedly left out. Kitetail had no idea what caused the seizures, but he was hoping nothing bad would happen while they were evacuating camp. "He's healthy enough," he had told the anxious parents. "Apart from the fits, he's big, strong, and healthy. He's growing well."

He had marvelled that they had trusted him around their kit, especially after what Branchpaw had done. Breezekit still carried a small scar on him from that day, though the young tom didn't know where he had got it. "I think I probably fought off an evil rogue when I was bigger," he had announced proudly to Kitetail, when the tabby had first examined the wound. "I was a leader. Breezestar of ThunderClan. It was a long time ago so it's okay if you don't remember."

Kitetail could still remember Beechclaw's face when Breezekit had told him that. The lean warrior had been amused, and there had been joy and affection written across his face. It was odd to see Beechclaw like that. For all his toughness, he was as sensitive as every other cat. He loved his kits more than anything in the world. Being a father... it must be an amazing feeling. Kitetail felt a slight sadness in his chest. He would never know that joy. And yet... all of ThunderClan were his kits, really. He looked out for them, protected them. It was a trade-off that he accepted willingly.

Now, though, Breezekit was huddling underneath his mother's legs as they prepared to leave. Mothkit was beside him, her fur fluffed up against the cold. Their eyes were wide and Kitetail could tell that they were scared. Auburnfur leaned down to reassure her kits. They clung to her like leaves caught in a bramble bush.

It wasn't a bad day to evacuate, though it was cold. The skies were relatively clear, save for a few wispy clouds, and only a few lazy flakes of snow fell. The snow was deep and soft, somewhat treacherous in its lay, but as long as you were careful when you stepped, you would be fine.

It was nearing sunhigh. Kitetail knew they would have to get on their way soon. He took a look around the clearing for Slatestar, but the powerful grey tom was nowhere to be seen. The medicine cat did notice Chantelle and Elmheart as they padded into camp with prey in their mouths, returning from a hunting trip. Their pelts were nearly brushing as they walked, and there was a sense of closeness between them. Kitetail frowned, an unsure feeling in his chest, before turning away. Getting involved with the loners didn't seem like a good idea to him, but it wasn't his place to give Elmheart advice.

He had often wondered about Dawnpaw's relationship with the golden-brown tabby. Danwpaw had told him that the two had been friends in their youth, but they hardly ever spoke now. It was odd. Kitetail hadn't pressed – at the time, he had just been glad to have a friend in ThunderClan. Now, though, he felt more at ease here with every passing day. It was nice to live in a place where Falconswoop held no sway. It was a second chance. And yet he missed Birchcloud, Sootclaw, and Flowerpelt almost desperately.

"Kitetail." The voice was familiar. Kitetail looked up to see Alder padding toward him. They hadn't spoken since their argument, and Kitetail was surprised to see that Alder had a subdued look on his face. It wasn't apologetic or remorseful, but there was no more cold arrogance to him either.

"What do you want?" Kitetail wasn't about to pretend that they were friends.

Alder walked into the den – without Kitetail's permission, which irked the tom – and sat down across from him. Kitetail cast a nervous glance toward Dawnpaw, who was lying in her bed in the corner. Thickfur's words came back to him: don't let those loners near her.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry," said Alder. "I really am."

"I'm sure," said Kitetail, with a derisive snort. Sarcasm and bitterness didn't usually come easy to him, but right now, he had no respect for Alder. Sure, he might be the heir to a band of street cats, but he didn't belong in the Clans. He had no sense of sacrifice.

Alder cleared his throat. "I really appreciate you all doing this for me – moving, I mean."

"When will you understand?" said Kitetail, through gritted teeth. He shifted so he was directly between Dawnpaw and the loner king. "We're not doing this for you. We're doing it for us."

Alder frowned. "I don't understand," he mewed, casually licking his chest fur. It was too casual for Kitetail's liking. Something about this cat just bothered him. "Isn't it harsh, out here in the forest? You'd think it would be every cat for himself, but you band together in Clans, and you sacrifice for the old and the weak. You put them first, instead of your survival."

"The warrior code is what keeps us strong," said Kitetail instantly, thinking of Falconswoop. "It gives us purpose and order. Without it, we would just be rogues, fighting for every scrap of food. I wouldn't expect you to understand, but... being in a Clan means everyone looks out for each other. You aren't alone. It's the most fulfilling life possible. Are you saying your band didn't have a structure like that?"

"My band had a hierarchy," said Alder. "There's a leader, his second-in-command, and his lieutenants. Beyond that, everyone is equal, though their worth is determined by their skill in fighting. Cats who have mates and kits take on the responsibility of feeding them. It is not shared by the band. I hunt, but only for myself. The role of leader is to keep his cats organized, like your Clan, but it is not for the purpose of providing for each other. We keep them as a fighting force, so that we may maintain territory, and thus enjoy better food and a better quality of life for everyone."

Kitetail digested that information. "That's... that seems oddly cruel. I don't know."

"It's effective," said Alder.

Kitetail couldn't handle it anymore. "It's effective," he mocked.

"What?" asked Alder, frowning.

"It's what you sound like," mewed Kitetail. He narrowed his eyes. "You talk so officially, all the time. It's like you're never honest. Slatestar might not seem to care, but I do. If you actually want to talk to me, then do so honestly. If not, then don't bother in the first place. If you actually came here to apologize, do it sincerely."

Alder seemed dumbfounded. Once again, he wasn't used to Kitetail's anger. He dug his claws in the dirt and looked down. "I... I am sorry, Kitetail," he said, at last. "I never meant to put your Clan in danger, and I talk like that because, well, I just don't know any other way."

An inkling of understanding reached the medicine cat. "You were a prince, where you came from," he stated, and saw Alder nod. "You weren't treated like an ordinary cat, were you? It's no wonder, then."

"What do you mean?" asked Alder.

"You lived above your... 'subjects'," said Kitetail softly. "You didn't walk among them. I shouldn't be expecting anything more from you."

Anger flashed in Alder's eyes. "If you're implying I don't care about them or think that I'm better than them, you're wrong. Beck and Chantelle are my best friends and I would do anything to protect them, just like you would do anything to protect your Clan. Don't insult me by assuming otherwise. Just because I'm from the same place as Baron doesn't mean I'm like him."

Kitetail thought of Falconswoop and ShadowClan. That was true, he realized. Alder was distant, detached from the reality of their situation, but there was nothing about him that was mean.

"Look," said Alder, clearing his throat, "I came to ask if you wanted help."

"That – that would be great," Kitetail conceded. "I'm just wrapping these herbs up right now, if you wanted to work on that."

Alder nodded and padded over. "So explain to me – how does one become a medicine cat?"

The ThunderClan tom let out an awkward laugh. "My way was more unorthodox than most. I already told you about that. Usually, though, some kits will show a special interest in medicine. They'll follow around the current medicine cat, ask about herbs and whatnot. The medicine cat will then talk to that kit's parents, and to the Clan leader, about taking them on as an apprentice."

"Were you a medicine cat apprentice when you were in ShadowClan?" asked Alder. There conversation was almost pleasant, and despite his misgivings, Kitetail was starting to warm up to the loner prince.

He shook his head. "No, I was just a regular apprentice. I wanted to study under Birchcloud – that was our medicine cat – but Falconswoop, my father, he would never have approved. I was scared of him, so... It was only after he died that I worked up the courage to ask if I could come here, as ThunderClan had an...opening, I guess you could call it."

"We don't have medicine cats, where I come from," mewed Alder. "There are some healers, but they're usually reserved for royalty. If I was hurt, there was someone to look after me, but they didn't do the same for the unimportant cats."

Unimportant cats. That was one way of making a distinction. But then again, life in the city was probably very different from life in the forest, Kitetail supposed. Alder's band had adopted the structure that had best helped it survive. It wasn't up to him to make judgements about it.

"I'm sure our ways seem very strange to each other," he said, half-joking.

"Yeah," mewed Alder. He paused. "Kitetail, what happens if Slatestar's plan doesn't work?"

"It will," said Kitetail instinctively. He had absolute faith in his leader.

"But if it doesn't," Alder persisted.

"Then there's a battle," mewed Kitetail. "The warriors will fight. But hopefully we won't have to deal with both of them, the rogues and WindClan, at once."

"The warriors?" Interest sparked in Alder's eyes. "So you don't fight?"

"I can, I have some training," said Kitetail, "I just can't fight well. It was never something I was good at."

Alder was staring at him with a strange look in his eyes. Kitetail frowned, about to ask what was going through the brown tom's mind, when they were disrupted by the crunching of pawsteps right outside the den.

It was Thickfur. He froze in place upon sighting Alder, his amber eyes glowing with fury. The tom's gaze flickered to Dawnpaw for a brief moment before resting on the loner. "What's he doing in here?"

Kitetail felt his knees go weak, though he didn't buckle. He had never been good around cats like Thickfur, cats with strong wills and physical presence. They reminded him too much of Falconswoop. "Alder's helping me finish up the packets."

"I told you not to let him in here," said Thickfur. His voice had gone icy cold. There was a sharp edge to it that sent shivers down Kitetail's spine. The warrior was mad. "I told you, no matter what, not to let any of them in here, not with Dawnpaw like – like she is."

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Alder's voice was flat.

"Look, Alder, I don't care what Slatestar says. I don't like you and I don't trust you." The fur on the back of Thickfur's neck was bristling. "Now, I don't care what you with your time, I won't bother you, as long as you aren't anywhere near Dawnpaw. Do I make myself clear?"

Alder raised his head to meet the warrior's gaze. Tension sparked between them, sparks of anger rolling off their bodies. Kitetail felt panic grip him, and he tried to shrink into himself. An old adage sprang, unbidden, into his mind: if looks could kill.

"I was just leaving, anyway," said Alder, at last. He turned and, without glancing back, strolled out of the den. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate as he left, though it was evident Thickfur was still on edge.

The grey tabby turned back to Kitetail. "I told you not to let him in here."

I don't take orders from you. Kitetail swallowed back his anger. Thickfur's worry was understandable. The tom clearly cared a great deal for his apprentice. But he still had the feeling that Thickfur was hiding something, and it set him on edge. "He wasn't hurting anyone, Thickfur. He came to here to apologize, to help. Anyway, I had my eye on him the whole time. It wasn't like he could have done anything." He took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

Thickfur's gaze flickered back to Dawnpaw, and for a moment, his eyes softened. "I came to tell you that we're ready to go. Grasscloud and I are going to move Dawnpaw."

Kitetail turned to look at her. The she-cat seemed to be getting worse every day. Her body was skinny, almost withered, her ribs painfully obvious underneath her dull fur. She took shallow, ragged gasps, and he watched her chest rise and fall in agonizing rhythm.

"Alright," he mewed. "Let's get underway, then."

.

They made reasonably good time, arriving at their evacuation site while the sun was still in the sky. Streaks of orange were beginning to appear and the temperature was falling rapidly. The battle would be beginning soon. Hopefully, WindClan and the rogues would run into each other, and battle in their confusion. WindClan would know, of course, that they were not fighting ThunderClan – but if the rogues were attacking them, they would have no choice but to defend themselves.

Or so Kitetail hoped.

He had chosen a fallen pine tree as space for his new den. Part of the trunk lay over two stones, and a thick clump of ferns at the back acted as another wall. The crevice was full of snow, but he dug it out before placing his medicine packets along the back well. There was room for Dawnpaw, too, and Galepaw had helpfully supplied the hollow with a bed of moss.

Slatestar appeared at the entrance. "All settled in, Kitetail?"

The brown tabby nodded. "This looks good, Slatestar. Thanks."

The other dens weren't much different. The warriors had chosen theirs underneath another portion of the fallen tree. They had dug a nest in the snow, and planned to huddle together in order to create warmth. The apprentices would sleep there with them. The nursery had been moved to the leeward side of an old spruce tree. The roots emerged from the ground, and a den had been dug out underneath then. Someone had laid branches overtop to supplement the roof.

Beechclaw was helping Auburnfur settle in to the nursery. Cherrytail was beside them, her tail wrapped around Limekit. The young tom was looking around in excitement. He had never been this far from camp before.

Kitetail scented the air. ThunderClan camp lay to the southeast, and ShadowClan directly to their south. Scents wafted up toward them, and he could only hope that the wind would not change and blow their scent back into ThunderClan territory. Chantelle and Elmheart had gone back to disguise their trail, and the medicine cat hoped that would be enough to hide them.

Beechclaw gave Auburnfur an affectionate lick on the ear and padded away and into the woods, presumably for a hunt. Kitetail's paws itched to go after him, but he knew it would be a bad idea. He had to trust that Beechclaw, despite his frustration at Slatestar's plan, wouldn't cross his leader's orders.

He looked around. Alder was nowhere to be found. If Beechclaw found him wandering – no, Kitetail wouldn't think about that. Besides, Thickfur was still around. The grey tabby was chatting idly with Nettleclaw.

Kitetail thought about what Alder had said, the look the brown tom had given him. Perhaps it would be worthwhile, learning to fight. He thought about asking Nettleclaw to teach him, but the deputy had his paws full with other matters. It wouldn't do to give him yet another obligation, especially during such a treacherous leafbare.

He frowned. Thickfur was mewing his goodbyes. The grey tom looked as though he was about to leave camp. Kitetail hesitated a moment before beginning to pad after him. He had to be sure that they wouldn't try anything.

"Kitetail!" He stopped when he heard his name, swearing under his breath. Turning around, the tom saw Mousepaw and Galepaw heading eagerly toward him.

"Yes?" he asked, itching to go after Thickfur. The grey tabby was about to disappear into the forest.

"Is there anything else you want us to do?" asked Galepaw. His eyes shone brightly; he was eager to be given a task. Beside him, Mousepaw nodded.

"Uh – I'm going out for a quick hunt, so maybe check on Dawnpaw occasionally, see if there's change?" mewed Kitetail. He knew there wouldn't be change. He just wanted to get rid of them.

"Sure thing," mewed Galepaw, and the two finally padded away.

Kitetail let out the breath he had been holding and turned around in time to catch a glimpse of Thickfur's tail disappearing into the snowy brush. He cursed StarClan once again and took off after the tom, making sure he kept a safe distance behind him.

Thickfur led him back into ThunderClan territory, which Kitetail had been expecting. But instead of heading further in for a rendezvous with Beechclaw, the tom turned and began to head toward the clearing at the ShadowClan border. Kitetail frowned as he padded after him, wondering what Thickfur could possibly want with the medicine cat's former Clan.

As they approached the border, Kitetail stopped. He could no longer see Thickfur's form up ahead. He scented the air – Thickfur's scent was still strong. Where had the tom gone?

The crunching of snow behind him and the feeling of breath on his neck answered that question for him. Kitetail spun around to see Thickfur standing there, eyes narrowed and fur bristling. The medicine cat got the sense that the ThunderClan warrior wasn't happy to see him.

"Why are you following me?" asked Thickfur through gritted teeth. Every word was tense, and Thickfur's voice reminded him of the sound of claws scraping against rock.

"I..." Kitetail didn't exactly have an answer prepared. He should have thought of this ahead of time. "I just... I know you, you don't like Alder, and after earlier today, I thought..."

Thickfur's eyes searched his. Eventually he let out a contemptuous snort. "You thought I came out here for Alder?" There was a bitter disbelief in his voice. "You're right. I don't like Alder. I don't trust him. But I would never betray my leader by doing something about it."

"You had that conversation with Beechclaw," said Kitetail, realizing a moment too late that he was giving himself away.

Thickfur flinched. "You were following me then, too? You really don't trust me." His voice was flat, angry, powerful. Kitetail shrunk away from him. He knew that voice. His father had used that voice. It always meant he was about to be hurt.

"Thickfur, I just – I don't know what I was thinking." His voice, filled with tremors, was small and weak.

The grey tabby just shook his head. "No," he mewed. His voice was no longer angry, but carried that flat, disgusted tone. "Dark Forest take you, Kitetail. I would never betray my Clan. I can't believe you would even suggest it. You sicken me."

"I..." Everything was crashing down around Kitetail now. He hadn't known what he had hoped to find – Thickfur and Beechclaw conspiring, maybe? But now he realized just how wrong he had been. He should have trusted them. Despite their misgivings, despite their anger, they were still loyal warriors of ThunderClan.

StarClan, he should just have trusted them.

"Are you going to tell Slatestar that I...?" Kitetail trailed off, voice shaky.

Thickfur snorted bitterly. "I should. But I won't. I don't know why I expected you to trust me anyway – after all, you are a ShadowClan cat."

Those words hurt more than anything else Thickfur could have thrown at it. Kitetail had no response. Pain and hurt and disappointment all flooded through him. Had he really just been deluding himself these past few moons? He had thought he was becoming part of ThunderClan. Maybe he had thought wrong.

Mustering up all his courage, he spat back the words he hoped would hurt Thickfur. "You know, Dawnpaw talked about you all the time. She hated you." That was a lie, but Thickfur didn't have to know that. "We were friends. See how that works? I might not be ThunderClan-born like you, but at least I have cats who care about me. Who do you have, Thickfur?"

There was a moment of pure silence where all Kitetail could feel was the blood pounding in his ears. There was an expression on Thickfur's face that Kitetail had never seen before – pain, perhaps? More than that. There was a brief hint of absolute agony that shook the brown tabby to his core. He had wounded Thickfur.

Oh, he had wounded Thickfur. Guilt flooded through him. He wished he could take the words back, but it was too late.

When Thickfur spoke, his words were steel. "Go back to camp, Kitetail. Just go back."

The brown tabby took one step back, then another, and once he was out of Thickfur's view, he turned tail and ran back, as fast as he could. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would burst. Adrenaline coursed through him and fuelled his weary legs as they propelled him back to the evacuation site. StarClan, went his thoughts, Oh StarClan. What had he done?

It was only when he was back in camp and settled, watching as the sun fell beneath the horizon, that he realized he had never asked what Thickfur was doing by the ShadowClan border in the first place.

XX XX XX XX

A/N: I love this chapter so much. It's practically my child. In all seriousness, though, it's one of my favourites so far, due to the intense emotion in it. My heart's still beating pretty fast, haha. I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it! We get to see Kitetail and Alder and Thickfur, all interacting together. Alder doesn't seem like such a bad guy anymore, and Thickfur... well, he's starting to seem like a villain, at least to Kitetail. Man, I love Thickfur and Kitetail so much, really. I never expected a conflict to develop between them, but I suppose it was only a matter of time. Grainstar was supposed to make an appearance, but that didn't really work out. We'll see him soon, I promise!

I recognize that this story is going a lot slower than Pawn, and I'm very glad you're all bearing with me. There's a lot of story strands to weave together by the end – Dawnpaw, Fogpaw, Russet, Sootclaw, and now Kitetail, too. I figured as long as Kitetail is our main view into ThunderClan life, we might as well make his narrative interesting!

The next chapter is from Russet's point of view, and (you guessed it), it's the battle! After that, we finally make our way back to Fogpaw and Chantelle, whose perspectives we've been lacking in the past few chapters! I'm definitely looking forward to writing the next couple of chapters.

Right, so: review replies!

AnarchySpider: Oh, sorry! I figured there would be no real point to that scene – it would be simply telling the audience what they already knew. Anyway, I might be co-writing a story soon, that should be it. I will be coming up with lots of plots though, so I might be planning out others for the future. As for a Falconswoop story – if I have time, it's definitely on the list. As for StarClan winning, are you sure about that? ;)

Honeycloud of RiverClan: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I take a few liberties with the warriors canon. I'm sure it's not too unrealistic to assume they can come up with the concept of years.

monkeyCsaw: You better have more time to review now, or I'll be very cross (just kidding!). Thanks for the compliments on Dawnpaw, they are very appreciated.

Coqui's Song: Have fun rereading! I have to do it every time I take a break from writing the story, so I know the feeling. Maybe I just shouldn't take breaks? Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoyed the Thickfur development in this chapter!

Senora Sapphire: Wow, thanks! It's great to know people are still reading Pawn of the Stars even after all this time; I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for all those pairings – a lot of people find Lilystream annoying; I wish I had more of a chance to develop her. We will see her again soon! It would be interesting if Thickfur liked her, wouldn't it? She's definitely too young now, but Dawnpaw's gettin' older. As for Elmheart, we'll see where he ends up...

Blackish: The Thickfur POV... I was going to include the conversation with Sootclaw, but the reader already knows what it's about, so I thought it would be unnecessary. I figured it would be more dramatic if he burst in on Kitetail. As for Slatestar – his inability to concisely explain his motivations isn't his fault as it is mine; I knew what I was trying to say but had trouble expressing it. As for Kitetail, he's been in ThunderClan awhile. He knows these cats. The reader has seen Beechclaw being very aggressive to outsiders (when Alder first arrives, and then again with the rogues) and Kitetail knows he dislikes them. Thickfur, as well, has made his dislike of them very clear. These are the two cats Kitetail would suspect the most, reasonably. Anyway, Beechclaw isn't really a traitor. He's loyal to his Clan first, which is why he's considering disobeying Slatestar's orders, as he disagrees with them.

Another quick reminder: you guys are the best!

Thanks for reading and please review!

- PV :)