Hey everyone! Or...the one person reading this lol. This is it! The big secret has been revealed to Starrypaw! It might've been obvious to you, and if it was I'm not surprised.

Sorry about the long wait between chapters five and six. I wanted to..yk..lengthen the suspense.

To those of you who have stumbled upon this book when it's finished or much farther in, you don't have to endure that suspense, so congrats!

Chapter 6

Starrypaw's eyes widened and her heart beat faster. "Well, who's kit am I then?"

Cinderpelt locked eyes with her. "I don't know."

Suddenly, Starrypaw felt angry. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't. None of us do. We found you as a kit in a bush. Someone had put you there. Either you were taken, abandoned, or not able to be cared for. You didn't have any scent of any other Clans, but you smelled faintly of a kittypet."

Starrypaw stared at the ground and shook her head slowly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her whole life had been a lie. Not only was she not Clanborn, but she didn't even know where she came from.

"That's why you've been having those dreams, and I think they're answering some of even my questions."

Starrypaw looked up at Cinderpelt. "What do you mean?"

"I believe the cat you spoke with in your dream is your mother," she explained.

"So you think she's no longer alive?"

"No, but StarClan has allowed you to see her in order for you to know. They wanted you to know that you are who you are."

Cinderpelt's gaze softened until Starrypaw felt some peace. She was right, there was a reason StarClan had shown Starrypaw's mother to her, and whatever the reason she'd been left in the woods, her mother missed her greatly.

"Do..do you think I should leave?" Starrypaw said, not masking the sorrow in her voice.

"What you do next is up to you, but let me tell you this: You are a ThunderClan cat, no matter the circumstances of your birth. Being born a kittypet did not make you any less great a hunter and fighter. Look at Firestar. He lived as a kittypet for six moons before coming here, and now he's ThunderClan leader!"

Cinderpelt stopped and licked Starrypaw's ear soothingly.

"I just want you to know that the entire Clan doesn't think that you don't belong here."

"So the entire Clan knows? Even Squirrelpaw?"

Cinderpelt nodded. "Just remember what I said."

They both licked eachother goodbye, and Starrypaw left the den slowly. How had the entire Clan known for so long? When she thought no one was looking, Starrypaw darted behind the nursery. She sat solemnly, thinking hard. What should I do now?

"Starrypaw?"

Starrypaw whirled to see Shrewpaw pushing his way behind the nursery. "I saw you come back here, are you okay?"

Starrypaw felt a flash of a million emotions. "You knew I wasn't Clanborn! You never said anything!"

Shrewpaw shrank back. "I...I never knew what to say. We were told that Cinderpelt would be the one to tell you..."

Starrypaw saw the hurt in his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry I just..."

She sank down, feeling exhausted as if she'd just run through the forest. Suddenly, Shrewpaw was lying next to her, licking her gently.

"We knew," he said, "but it never changed anything. You are Starrypaw, apprentice to Graystripe, and raised by Sandstorm and Firestar. You have a place here whether you like it or not."

Starrypaw turned and rested her head against his side. He didn't say anything more.

I belong here, she tried to force herself as she began to purr.

Starrypaw felt frustration course through her as she was overcome once again, and Spiderpaw pinned her quickly. She lay still, breathing heavily, and Spiderpaw stepped off of her anxiously.

"Are you okay, Starrypaw? Did I hurt you?" he asked.

Starrypaw staggered to her paws and stared at the ground. "I'm fine," she panted. The heat of sunhigh didn't help her exhaustion.

"I guess someone's having a bad day," she heard Mousefur mumble.

Graystripe padded over and pushed his muzzle into her side reassuringly. "Maybe that's enough for today, you seem tired."

Starrypaw nodded and headed back to camp slowly. It was the day after the huge secret of her inheritance had been revealed to her, and since that moment, it had seemed to her that she had no energy.

Maybe I'm still too much like a kittypet, she thought sorrowfully.

Mousefur and Spiderpaw led the way into the gorse tunnel, and Graystripe let Starrypaw go in before him. She was sure he was worried about her by the way he looked at her.

When Starrypaw approached the freshly added to kill pile, her stomach churned at the thought of food, even though she hadn't eaten since the day before. Her appetite was completely gone. The Clan needs food anyway, wasting something I wouldn't want won't help, she thought as she headed towards the apprentice's den, especially since I'm not from this Clan anyway. The food was still growing scarcer everyday, and water was still diminishing throughout the forest.

When she slipped inside the den, Starrypaw was grateful to find it empty. She collapsed onto her side in exhaustion and drifted into a light, undisturbed sleep.

After what felt like seconds, Starrypaw felt a paw prodding her in the side. She blinked herself awake and looked up to see Squirrelpaw staring frustratingly down at her.

"Graystripe wants you on the evening patrol," she said plainly before slipping back out.

Evening patrol? Starrypaw thought. How long had she slept?

When Starrypaw emerged from the den, she gaped at the setting sun.

"What!?"

Graystripe trotted over. "Starrypaw we're wai...what's wrong?"

"I slept so long, why didn't anyone wake me?"

"Well, to be honest you seemed like you needed the rest. If I had wanted you awake, I would've gotten you up earlier. Really it's alright. Come on."

They headed to the gorse tunnel where Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker sat waiting. Graystripe gave Starrypaw a worried glance as she stumbled. "We're ready," he said.

Starrypaw followed behind slowly as they plodded through the darkening forest. She began to fall behind and had to keep running to catch back up.

"Are you alright?" Rainwhisker asked her at one point, slowing down to match her pace.

Starrypaw nodded subconsciously. She felt as if the darkness was weighing down on her shoulders, and she dragged her paws across the forest floor. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a warrior, she thought in the meantime. Rainwhisker gave her a brisk nod, but she saw concern reflected in his blue eyes as he trotted a bit faster to be on the same pace again.

At one point, Starrypaw tripped on a root she hadn't seen, and she fell behind even farther until she could no longer see the patrol over the small slope ahead of her.

Suddenly, a low growl could be heard behind her. Starrypaw jumped around and gasped. Teeth bared and tail bushed out, a fox crept out of the brush with a hungry look in its eyes.

Starrypaw's pelt bristled, and she made herself as big as possible. She slashed out menacingly with her claws unsheathed, but the fox wasn't discouraged. It leaped towards her with its jaws parted. She jumped up, attempting to land on the fox's back, but the power in the jump was weak, and Starrypaw rammed into the fox's side, throwing her off balance.

Starrypaw couldn't recover quick enough, and the fox slashed its claws down her flank. She gave a yowl in surprise and pain and jumped up with all the strength she could muster. The fox recoiled as Starrypaw scratched it's muzzle, springing up small droplets of blood. As the fox lunged for an attack, Starrypaw braced herself, feeling completely helpless, but fortunately, the rest of the patrol came bounding down the slope. She watched as the fox stared in surprise. It attempted to fight back but must of decided the meal wasn't worth it because it scampered off through the trees.

"Brambleclaw, Rainwhisker, follow it, make sure it stays off our territory!" Graystripe demanded.

Both warriors nodded and dashed after the horrible creature with threatening yowls. Graystripe turned immediately to Starrypaw.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" he asked quickly.

"I'm fine, Graystripe, just a scratch," she replied, hoping she sounded more composed than she felt. Her legs shook beneath her, and her flank stung as the scent of blood became more clear.

He nodded, but Starrypaw saw the doubt in his eyes. He padded over and sat protectively beside her. "We'll wait for them to get back safely, and then I'll send Rainwhisker back to camp with you."

Starrypaw nodded and sank down slowly. The realities of her fight set in, and she realized she had been too exhausted to defend herself. Why do I feel this way? she thought with frustration.

Finally, the two young warriors returned. Brambleclaw came trotting up with a smirk.

"We chased him right off," he said. "He ran into WindClan territory, so it's not our problem anymore."

Graystripe narrowed his eyes. "Maybe so, but it's pretty easy to see that Firestar will want to warn them. You know how close he and Tallstar are since the fight with BloodClan."

Brambleclaw nodded, and he turned to Starrypaw. "You okay?"

Starrypaw nodded slowly. Her heart had finally slowed, but she felt much more exhausted than before. Rainwhisker approached her slowly and flicked her ear with his tail comfortingly.

"Rainwhisker," Graystripe said suddenly, "take Starrypaw back to camp to get her treated. Brambleclaw, you and I will continue the evening patrol, but we have to move quickly. Having only two warriors sometimes isn't enough."

Both warriors bowed their heads respectively, and Rainwhisker nudged Starrypaw softly. "Come on," he practically whispered.

Starrypaw rose to her paws slowly, grunting as she began to feel the full brunt of her injury, and her weakness overtook her. Rainwhisker walked close by her side as she limped back, even more slowed by her exhaustion.

The painfully crawling pace that she'd set made it feel like an eternity before the gorse tunnel was in sight. As soon as they entered, Starrypaw was surprised to see many cats awake even as it approached moonhigh. They stared anxiously, and Firestar came trotting over immediately, followed more slowly, by Cinderpelt.

"What happened?" he asked.

Rainwhisker opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by a shrill cry. They all turned to see Shrewpaw racing towards them from the apprentice's den.

"Starrypaw!" he exclaimed in a sorrowful voice. "What happened?"

He stopped and rubbed his cheek against hers, and she wished she could lean into him forever.

"A fox attacked Starrypaw after she fell behind from the group," Rainwhisker finally got out.

"Let's go now! We can kill that fox as easily as swallowing a minnow!" Cloudtail padded over and slashed the air with unsheathed claws, thrashing his tail.

Firestar threw him a glare, and Rainwhisker spoke up again. "We chased it off, it's alright. It did go into WindClan territory..."

"Starrypaw," Cinderpelt said, drawing her attention away from Rainwhisker's explanation. "Let's head to get you checked out."

Starrypaw followed Cinderpelt slowly, Shrewpaw never leaving her side. When they finally entered the den, Leafpaw came out from her bed, stretching.

"What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"Starrypaw was attacked by a fox!" Shrewpaw exclaimed.

Leafpaw's sleepy eyes flew opened, and she bolted over immediately to help. Starrypaw settled down and breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't have to walk anymore.

"Leafpaw, clean the wound," Cinderpelt said calmly.

Shrewpaw lay down beside Starrypaw, licking her ears as Leafpaw worked on the cut.

"It doesn't seem very deep, but it's still bleeding," Leafpaw said after a minute.

Cinderpelt nodded. "What do we use for bleeding wounds, Leafpaw? Can you remember?"

Leafpaw looked embarrassed to have been questioned in front of them, but she lifted her head. "Cobwebs," she replied promptly.

Cinderpelt limped over with the cobwebs on her paws. "Yes, you're correct. That's one of the first things you learned."

After Cinderpelt had finished applying an herb called dock when the bleeding had stopped, she told Starrypaw to stand. Starrypaw rose shakily with Shrewpaw pressing into her side, and although her wound felt a million times better, she was still as exhausted as ever.

"Starrypaw, your wound wasn't bad enough to give you a big loss of blood. What else is bothering you?" Cinderpelt asked.

Starrypaw hesitated, afraid to say that she didn't entirely understand. "Well, ever since you told me I wasn't born here, I've just felt, drained. I have no appetite, and I feel exhausted."

Leafpaw's eyes widened. No one else except Cinderpelt and Shrewpaw had known that Starrypaw knew about her past.

Cinderpelt stared down thoughtfully. "News can do that to you. Do you think about it a lot?"

Starrypaw nodded. Cinderpelt limped closer and gave her a reassuring swipe with her tongue.

"Remember what I told you: you're a great hunter and a great fighter. Just because you weren't born here doesn't mean anything."

"Yes but, I could barely defend myself against a fox!" Starrypaw said.

Cinderpelt scoffed. "A fox is one of the Clan cat's biggest enemies. Not even a lone warrior could take on a sick fox and walk away without a scrape. You fought pretty well if you only recieved a cut until help arrived."

"I was too weak to do anything though. One of my techniques failed." Starrypaw lowered her head and Shrewpaw nuzzled her.

"Well, you need your strength back. You may not feel like it, but you need to eat. Shrewpaw, take her to the fresh kill pile, and then Starrypaw, you need to rest," Cinderpelt ordered softly.

A few moments later, Starrypaw was eating a vole slowly, while Shrewpaw law beside her. She hadn't quite regained her appetite, but she was glad to have found it easier to eat than she'd thought it was going to be.

Starrypaw lifted her head to see Rainwhisker trotting over. "How are you Starrypaw?"

Starrypaw swallowed a piece of her meal. "I'm fine, the wound wasn't all that bad I've just been...tired."

Rainwhisker nodded. "Well I'm glad you weren't hurt worse. I thought it was really bad by how slow you were walking."

Starrypaw lowered her ears in embarrassment. "I've had a lot on my mind lately." She threw Shrewpaw a glance, wondering if he would say anything about what she knew, but he just watched silently. Starrypaw knew that Rainwhisker already knew her kittypet roots as did the whole camp, but she didn't want to be the one to tell them that the biggest secret they'd kept from her had been revealed, or at least for them to know so early.

"I understand," Rainwhisker replied. "Such little rain is nerve-wracking, but don't worry, we've gone through many dry seasons. StarClan wouldn't let us down. Hope you sleep well."

Starrypaw watched him trot over to Graystripe and Brambleclaw as they had recently returned to update them about her she guessed. Graystripe met her eyes, and with a brisk nod, headed to the Warrior's den.

"Thanks for not telling Rainwhisker what's been bothering me," Starrypaw finally said to Shrewpaw after finishing her meal. She felt a bit stronger and stood confidently, stretching her back.

Shrewpaw stood and stretched as well. "Of course," he said. "You know I wouldn't and won't tell something like that without you asking me to."

They both slipped into the apprentice's den together and curled up side-by-side. The soothing sound of the other apprentice's slow breathing combined with Shrewpaw's calming presence lulled her to sleep.

Starrypaw padded through the forest lightly, glad to feel her energy had returned, and her injury from the fox scratch didn't bother her. The sun was high in the sky, and distant clouds gave a hope that there was rain on the way.

"Starrypaw!"

She whipped around to see a blue-gray she-cat sitting on a rock. Her eyes were a piercing icy blue, and her muzzle and tail were tipped with silver hairs. She was a spitting image of Mistyfoot.

"Greetings, Starrypaw," she said calmly.

Starrypaw stood tall, preparing to question the intruder, but when she lifted her head to get a better scent, she realized this cat had the scent of ThunderClan.

"Wait," Starrypaw gasped, "you're Bluestar, aren't you? This is a dream."

It made more sense why Mistyfoot looked so similar. Bluestar had two kits that had grown up in RiverClan due to the fact their father was a RiverClan warrior, and Mistyfoot was one of them. Her brother, Stonefur, had been killed by Blackstar, when he was Blackfoot, and Darkstripe during the terrifying reign of Tigerstar.

Bluestar leapt down from the rock and padded softly to Starrypaw's side, her paws not making a sound on the dry forest floor. "You're correct about both things, but this isn't only a friendly visit. I've come to warn you."

Starrypaw twitched her tail anxiously. "Warn me about what?"

"Beware of what lurks where you don't expect. There is danger beyond the forest."

Starrypaw stared in confusion. "I don't understand."

"You must keep ThunderClan safe, Starrypaw," Bluestar said.

"But...why choose me? I'm not even Clanborn." Starrypaw drooped her head and tail in dismay.

Bluestar brushed her tail across Starrypaw's mouth. "You don't need warrior blood to be a warrior, Starrypaw. Your leader should be a good example to you."

Starrypaw met Bluestar's soft gaze. "I know."

"Farewell, Starrypaw," Bluestar said after a moment's silence. She turned and began to trot away.

"No wait, Bluestar! Don't go!"

Starrypaw broke into a run after her, but it was too late. Bluestar faded away with the wind, and Starrypaw was left standing alone.

She replayed the first part of Bluestar's words in her head. Beware of what lurks where you don't expect. "What could that mean?" she said out loud to herself.

Suddenly, a loud hiss broke the quiet forest, and Starrypaw turned to see a snake slithering quickly towards her, jaws open preparing to strike. Without warning, it leaped at her face, and then it was dark.

Starrypaw lifted her head quickly, breathing heavily. The apprentice's den was still full, and the camp was quiet. Shrewpaw's flanks rose and fell with every breath slowly beside her. Starrypaw could again feel the faint sting of her injury.

As she lay her head back down, Starrypaw thought of the second thing Bluestar had said.

There is danger beyond the forest.