AN: Yet another chapter that has been changed and updated to follow with the newer chapters. It's also over a thousand words longer than the previous one, which I consider a bonus.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Pain was something that Smoke had never experienced before in her entire life. She'd heard horror stories about it from Frost when her mother would warn her about doing mousebrained things with her siblings. And when she heard Frost warn them about doing something that could risk their lives, Smoke wanted nothing to do with it.

Nothing could have prepared her for the moment when she was attacked by that intruder. The searing pain that bolted through her never seemed to fade. Her teeth ground together as she struggled to keep herself from wailing at the intensity of the pain.

Her mother was careful not to make the injury worse when she gingerly picked her up. Behind her trailed Luna and Dusk as they moved through the undergrowth at a fast pace. Frost wanted tor each the Clans before Smoke bled out on her. She had already lost a great deal of blood, and Frost was worried that her injuries would get infected if they weren't treated right away.

"Mamma, aren't the creatures going to eat us?" Luna asked frantically when a branch snapped nearby.

"No," Frost answered quickly, though her voice was muffled through Smoke's fur as she managed to hold her up without dragging her tiny body along the undergrowth. "The forest is safe for us to travel through if we use the right trails."

She had been pining for the moment when they would reach safer territory. But she knew now that was impossible. Her daughter was slowly dying in her jaws. She couldn't allow anything else to happen to her other kits. Smoke had always been her favorite, but if she allowed this to carry on, Smoke would just be a burden to them.

Frost finally stopped at the edge of a clearing when the thick canopy of broad-leaved trees were replaced with pine trees. Both Luna and Dusk were looking around anxiously when they noticed the walls of what looked like an abandoned Twoleg nest. By now, most of the walls had begun crumbling into a pile of debris around the forest floor. But it was clear that someone had been maintaining the interior of the nest despite how terrible it looked.

"Intruders!"

Everyone except for Smoke stiffened at the sound of an alarm echoing throughout the forest. Luna and Dusk pressed themselves closer to their mother when the undergrowth began to part. Frost managed to keep her head held high as cats emerged from the undergrowth, bristling with outrage.

"She has kits!" one of the newcomers exclaimed in disbelief.

"Please, I need you to help take care of this one," she pleaded after gently placing Smoke to the ground.

Smoke winced from the sudden pain that racked her entire body. Her vision was beginning to blur as she made out the thin shapes of cats glaring down at them. The tone of her mother's voice suggested that they weren't going to return for her, and that sent a fresh wave of fear through her.

"Why should we help a bunch of rogues?" a large tom demanded as he glared at the kits suspiciously.

"Their father is from ShadowClan," Frost replied without missing a beat. Every cat glaring at them stiffened in surprise at that. "I met him a few moons ago, and these kits are a product of that meeting. I know Clan cats are honor-bound by the warrior code, and you can't turn down a kit in need."

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in. Smoke's heart was racing for a whole different reason as she realized what Frost was implying. Their father wasn't just some rogue that she'd met. Her mind was beginning to churn as she tried to process this new information.

"These kits weren't born to a ShadowClan mother," the larger tom scoffed in disgust. "Even though you claim to know the warrior code, you have no right to claim that we should take the kit in."

"Talonclaw, you of all cats should know that she's right," a brown, white and black she-cat pointed out with a frown. "This kit has obviously been injured… are you really willing to condemn a life based on bias?"

Talonclaw's fur bristled slightly when she pointed out one of his flaws. His eyes narrowed, and it looked as if he was about to argue when the other tom threw him a warning look. Frost kept her gaze steady as she looked at all three warriors, who could have easily flayed her if they wanted to.

"Fine," he let out a huff of frustration after lashing his tail irritably, "Come with us."

Relief swept through Frost when she realized they were willing to listen to reason. Carefully, she picked up Smoke by the scruff once more and trailed after them with Luna and Dusk close behind. Her heart ached with pity when she saw how much pain her daughter was in. Luna and Dusk trotted alongside her as she followed the three cats deeper into the territory.

Darkness gathered around them as more pine trees towered above. There were no broad-leaved trees growing here. Maybe one or two in the distance, but that was about it. Pine needles crunched underpaw as they continued moving forward. The three strangers had set a brisk pace, making it difficult for the kits to keep up, but they somehow managed.

The three warriors paused when they reached what appeared to be a dead end. Frost's whiskers trembled with worry as she watched the she-cat enter through a small tunnel of branches covered in moss. The two toms remained at the entrance of the tunnel. They gave Frost wary looks, and an awkward silence filled the air once more.

Heartbeats seemed to pass before the she-cat finally returned. Behind her was a large cat with brown fur and dark ginger paws. Frost swallowed back the fear that was rising in her throat. These cats were related to her kits' father. There was nothing to be afraid of as long as she appeared strong in front of them.

She hadn't wanted these kits to know who their father was for a reason. When he betrayed her for the Clans just after she found out she was pregnant with his kits, she had been furious and terrified. She'd heard horror stories of Clan cats killing kits who were half-blood because they didn't belong in the Clans. And Frost couldn't shake off the feeling that something similar would happen to Smoke once they discovered who her father was.

I don't really have a say in the matter, do I? she thought bitterly.

It was painfully ironic when she thought of how often she would remind her kits not to go anywhere near the Clans. Now, she was trying to beg them to let her kit live and stay with the Clan. A small part of her was secretly hoping that they would turn down her offer. Then maybe she could find help for Smoke elsewhere.

"Why have you brought these four here?" the brown tom demanded.

His eyes were narrowed when he looked at the three kits. Instinct screamed at Frost to wrap her tail around all three of them protectively. She knew better than to interfere with whatever they were planning. If these cats decided to take Smoke in, she wouldn't argue with them.

"She claims that one of her kits are injured," the tortoiseshell she-cat explained.

"So you expect us to take in more mouths to feed," the brown tom muttered. "Which kit is injured?"

"Smoke."

Frost nudged her daughter gently after placing her down between Dusk and Luna. Smoke let out a squeal of pain as she was moved from her position.

The brown tom with ginger paws narrowed his eyes when he noticed the blood seeping through an open wound on Smoke's shoulder. It was a wound that stretched towards her neck. Frost held her breath as the four cats remained icily silent.

He's the ShadowClan leader, she realized after noticing how the other cats seemed to respect his space. She sent a silent prayer to whoever was watching over them that they would accept her plea and take Smoke in.

"Take her to Scorchheart, Talonclaw," the leader sighed irritably once he realized that Frost was telling the truth. "She needs a medicine cat to look over those wounds." Frost let out a breath of relief when Nightclaw, the smaller of the three toms, picked up Smoke by the scruff. "I am sorry to hear what happened to your kit, but we cannot accept any other cats," the brown tom added after they were gone. "ShadowClan does not take in rogues or kittypets. We are not weaklings."

Frost's ears flattened at that insult.

I am anything but weak, you old fool! she wanted to spit in his face. Frost restrained herself from doing so as she held his piercing gaze. She realized with a start that he was willing to give Smoke a chance. As much as she resented the idea of leaving her kit behind, she knew Smoke was in better paws.

"I understand the way your laws work," she said carefully, hating herself for having to pull through with it. Luna and Dusk were pressed close to either side of her when they realized what she was doing. Though they hardly understood that they were losing their sister, they didn't miss the tension in her body language. The ShadowClan leader merely narrowed his eyes and held her glare. "Thank you for taking Smoke in."

"We will take care of her," the brown, white and black she-cat promised with a dip of her head.

The ShadowClan leader threw her a look of disdain, but he didn't bother arguing with her promise.

She only glared back, wondering how long they would maintain that promise. She'd heard enough stories about the Clans to know that nothing good would come out of leaving Smoke behind. But as she gazed across the clearing, her eyes landed on one tom in particular. She recognized the sleek-furred cat almost immediately.

Foxheart, she silently insulted after noticing the way he was lingering in the back of the crowd.

"Come along, kits," she sighed when she realized that saying it out loud would only make things worse. "It's time to leave."

"But what about Smoke?" Dusk asked warily.

Her throat suddenly felt dry as she looked at her son, "She isn't coming with us."

"But she has to come with us!" Luna wailed.

As if to make a point, Luna suddenly sat down defiantly next to her brother when they realized what she was intending to do. Frost let out a heavy sigh of frustration and shook her head. She hated having to argue with her kits. They didn't understand what was going on, but they did understand enough to know that something had gone horribly wrong with Smoke.

"I'm sorry, little one," she whispered.

Before Luna could protest, Frost suddenly moved forward and picked her up by the scruff just as she tried to flee. Dusk silently rose to his paws after guessing that arguing with their mother wasn't an option. Frost threw one last glare at the Clan cats as she headed for the camp's exit.

A lump formed in the back of her throat when Luna kept wailing pitifully at the thought of leaving her sister behind. Frost couldn't bear the sound, knowing that they had always been close as siblings. But she knew that she made the right decision in leaving Smoke behind.

I know I am making the right choice, she tried reminding herself. I just hope that you hold true to your promise.

…

Ravenpaw's lips curled in disdain as she worked alongside Scorchheart to work on the kit's injuries. She wreaked of blood and rogue-stench. Ravenpaw knew the instant she was taken into the medicine cat's den that nothing good would come out of this.

"I don't understand why we're being forced to treat the wounds of a rogue," she muttered under her breath after Scorchheart finished cleaning out the worst of the injury.

The kit had sustained severe wounds. Ravenpaw wasn't even sure if she would make it now that she got a good look at the kit. And for a moment, guilt stabbed her in the chest. Something in the back of her mind told her that the same thing could have easily happened to her if she was born a rogue.

"Medicine cats are not bound by the warrior code like the rest of the Clan," her mentor reminded her with a pointed look. Ravenpaw just stared at him incredulously when he nosed through a pile of marigold and crushed the leaves into a poultice. "And this kit has suffered from numerous injuries at the claws of another rogue… we are not going to condemn her just because of her heritage."

For once, Ravenpaw didn't know what to say as she nodded in understanding. She did understand what he meant by that. A small part of her did want to make a difference and help the kit. But another part of her was disgusted with the fact that the queen who brought the kit to the Clan had practically begged for their help. She'd used an old tactic by claiming that the kit's father was from ShadowClan. And Ravenpaw was skeptical as to whether or not she was telling the truth.

She noticed with a start how similar the kit's dark fur looked to Nightclaw, one of the newer warriors in the Clan. The black-furred tom had been lingering in the back of the camp when the queen arrived with the sunhigh patrol.

He was clearly hiding something, she snorted at the thought. And I'm willing to bet that he knows more about that queen than we realize.

"I'm surprised that Russetstar agreed to take her in, all things considered," she admitted once they were finished applying the herbs.

Scorchheart finished by wrapping cobwebs around the kit's injuries to make sure that the bleeding stopped. He was more concerned about such deep wounds getting infected, and understandably so. Ravenpaw had seen similar injuries occur during a fight not too long ago against a fox.

"Russetstar sees this as more of an advantage than a disadvantage," Scorchheart meowed in response. Ravenpaw watched him with interest as he finished cleaning out the den to keep himself busy. "If she makes a full recovery, he will test her to see whether or not she is qualified as a warrior."

Again, Ravenpaw didn't know how to respond to that. She tilted her head to one side in surprise at the thought of allowing a rogue to join the Clan. If the kit recovered, she would be lucky enough to go through the strict training regime all apprentices went through.

She just couldn't shake off the feeling that letting the kit stay had been a bad idea. The more Ravenpaw looked at the thin, tiny body, the more her stomach lurched with dread. Something told her that this was a mistake, and the Clan was going to suffer the consequences of taking in a rogue kit.