"I'm not going to repeat myself, understand? You come into RiverClan territory again, and we'll have no choice but to drive you off!"

The cats from her patrol gave yowls agreement, and as a response, the four rogues, who had trespassed for the fourth time that moon, hissed their own outrage. For that heartbeat, Mistystar wondered if she would have to signal for the patrol to attack, but the rogues seemed to know it was pointless to fight back against an outnumbered group, so still growling, they backed away cautiously, then ran away when they were far from the RiverClan patrol.

Mistystar swung her tail, satisfied.

From her right, Reedwhisker narrowed his eyes at the direction the rogues had disappeared into. "It's best if we see them off," he murmured. "I want to make sure that it's the last time we see them."

Mistystar closed her eyes. For a moment, she considered her son's suggestion, but how was she supposed to when they all had sore legs from patroling since dawn? She guilty knew renouncing was the wrong choice, but she just wanted to get this day over with, especially since it has already been a long morning.

"I'll send out a lookout patrol at dusk." She promised. Reedwhisker nodded in agreement.

"You've been leader for several moons now, you know what you're doing."

She let her shoulders relax as the patrol headed back to camp.

~ ~ ~

Plants, and cats.

That was what Mistystar saw as she made her way to her den. Without minding anything else, she collapsed into her nest just as she knew she could reach it.

At once, she dozed off.

~ ~ ~

She pressed closer to her kit as he let out another wail, telling herself how she would prefer to be chased by a fox anyday now. Soon enough, she began to give him several soothing licks around his head.

She recalled the horrifying way of how they had both ended up in the medicine den. Last night, she had returned from the sunset patrol to find Pikepaw in the middle of medicine den, laying down while letting out heart-clawing wails.

"What's wrong with him?" She had asked while staring from her son to the medicine cat in horror.

Mudfur closed his eyes, he didn't look as if he wanted to explain. "He caught a poisoned rat, not long after you left on patrol." He opened them again. "Help me get him to the nest over there," He nodded to a reed bed. "then I'll see what has to be done."

And she did, and not leaving from it unless she offered the medicine cat help of if Pikepaw asked for a drink.

"Mom?"

Mistyfoot immediately turned to her kit. "What is it dear?"

"...I'm going to die. Aren't I?" His voice was a whisper, a painful whisper.

That's when Mistyfoot felt a lump in her throat. With wet eyes, she snuggled deeper into his throat.

"You..." a sob, "you won't. I promised I would go swimming with you tomorrow. Remember? Our oath? For as long as a fish doesn't get stuck in our throat, we will always fill ourselves with truths."

The said oath having a bit of humor, her son laughed, though it was immediately turned to pained expression. Guilt flooded through Mistyfoot like the river, she forgot that laughing made his pain worse.

She forced herself to take a deep breath to not break down while taking again.

"Precious one, I know that we barely have time to be together ever since I became deputy," she licked him, "but I promise you that that's all going to change."

Pikepaw just closed his eyes as he seemed to be having another wave of pain.

"Just make it stop!!" He wailed.

~ ~ ~

"You disobey me one more time, and you'll be working from dawn to midnight!"

The yowl woke Mistystar, she stretched her legs before heading outside, a quarrel was the last thing the clan needed.

And anything to forget that memory...

With a heart that seemed to be scratched in that heartbeat, she glanced at the clearing to see Mintfur scolding Pikepaw, both cats were snarling.

"I was just trying to impress you!"

"By running off on your own?" His mentor snorted before lashing his tail. "Don't be a minnow-brain!"

"Says the cat who has the face of one." Pikepaw bravely murmured.

Mintfur let out a yowl, and with Mistystar fearing for the next heartbeats, she got in front of Mintfur before anything came in mind, and with that settled, she glared at Pikepaw with a snarl. "You go to my den, now."

Still scowling, but clearly relieved to have been saved, Pikepaw headed for the said den, tail lashing.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with that apprentice." Mintfur growled, and before the RiverClan leader could answer, she was met with a scornful glare. "And I don't know how defending him is going to change anything."

"Look, why don't you get some sleep? It looks as if that apprentice has been on your fur for a while."

Mintfur just sighed and headed towards the warriors den.

Mistystar stared after him, sympathetic, before heading to her own den.

Entering, Pikepaw tensed, but relaxed in the next heartbeat. The RiverClan leader narrowed her eyes at the apprentice and curled her tail around her legs.

"Well? StarClan knows you have a really good explanation to give."

Pikepaw growled. "Mintfur is a minnow-brain." He said defensely.

"Maybe, maybe not. But at least he knows to shut his mouth when he needs to. And as for you, you have ten heartbeats to give me an excuse to not start marching you into the medicine den to collect mouse-bile."

She studied the apprentice, he looked more angry than shamed. She held back a purr, her own Pikepaw had the same look. At that thought, she frowned, the apprentice in front, not including the dark mottled markings, even had the same fur...

She could feel her blood turning cold.

"Mistystar?"

The leader blinked, she found herself back in the medicine den, the present Pikepaw giving her a nervous look. "I...told you what happened but you seemed a bit distracted to answer...are you okay?"

Mistystar quickly nodded.

Sighing, she turned to the warriors den, recalling about Mintfur. Pikepaw isn't a bad apprentice, they'll actually be surprised by how talented and thoughtful he can be...but I can't seem to remember why I gave him to Mintfur, one of my most impatient warriors.

Thinking, she glanced back at the apprentice. "I heard you say you wanted to impress Mintfur, why?"

Pikepaw, still with an angered look, glanced at his paws. "Our training today went well, and I told him before we finished if we could go hunting for the elders, I overheard Dapplenose this morning that she had been craving a carp or something." Mistystar's gaze soften, and seeing this, Pikepaw looked down again, embarrassed. "He said yes, but when we got back to camp, he said I could do it later, and that's how this whole nonsense began."

Mistystar spoke softly. "Have you tried telling him, nicely, that if he couldn't go, that at least another warrior could accompany you? I wouldn't have minded accompanying you myself."

Pikepaw sighed. "I honestly think no one else likes helping out for others."

"I do, and...believe it or not, the whole clan won't hesitate to help you. Always ask for help when you need it, you're never in anything by yourself."

For a heartbeat, Pikepaw seemed to relax and might have even purred with joy, but she couldn't make fully sure, a yowl was heard right outside.

The leader and apprentice gave each other horrified glaces before leaving the den.

Pikepaw went in front of her, and just as he put a paw outside, he let out a loud hiss.

Following his gaze, Mistystar snarled her teeth as she recognized the four rogues the patrol had confronted at dawn.

She sprang towards them, Pikepaw at her side. She tackled the nearest rogue, who had been clawing at Reedwhisker, as soon as she pushed him off, Reedwhisker got up and bit the rogue's left hind leg while Pikepaw got on his stomach and started clawing, Mistystar made herself useful by clawing at the sides. Eventually, the rogue dragged himself away from the bundle, and once he got on his paws, the leader, deputy, and apprentice drove him away from the camp.

The clan seemed successful on fighting off the rest of the three remaining rogues, Icewing was chasing one while slicing her claws at his heels, Beetlewhisker was making a great chase with another one, while Rushpaw and Duckpaw were both taking care of the last one.

They didn't stop until they were at the very edge of where the lake ends, at a thunderpath, before they could cross it they stopped however, but the rogues kept going, and still fast. Nobody moved, not even when the four shapes of the attackers were no longer seen. Mistystar liked to think that they still thought they were being chased.

Pikepaw, who had been panting beside her, looked up at the leader and deputy with excitement. "Did you saw that? Did you saw how we chased them? We make a great team!"

From her other side, Reedwhisker purred. "That was incredible." Still with a joyful expression, he glanced at where the rogues had disappeared, and as if being reminded of them, his expression fell. "This time, I am gonna lead a patrol to make sure this really is the last time we hear of them."

Mistystar nodded, then turned back to the rest of the patrol. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Honestly, you should be asking that question to them," Pikepaw nodded to where the rogues had run off. "Not that we'll ever hear of them, mind you."

The patrol broke into purrs of laughter.

~ ~ ~

As soon as they returned to camp, Mistystar headed towards the nursery.

"Are any dens damaged? Any cats?"

Mintfur shook his head. "The dens weren't touched, and the kits are fine, but the elders...Pouncetail was outside when the attack began, he's got some wounds."

Pikepaw must have overheard, his eyes widened with alarm. "Are they really bad? Can..." He stopped, glancing at Mistystar. Somehow, the clan leader knew his question, and she nodded at him to continue. "Do you think I can take care of him in the meantime? And maybe hunt for Dapplenose? I'm thinking a carp would be nice."

Mintfur stared at his apprentice, surprised, but he eventually nodded. "That would be lovely. Thanks, Pikepaw."

Though the apprentice simply dipped his head and walked off, Mistystar knew he was most likely hiding his excitement.

She didn't knew she was purring until Mintfur spoke to her. "You know, Pikepaw seems to get along with everyone, despite his edges here and there." He sighed. "I just don't see why I can't have that type of relationship with him."

Mistystar blinked at the light gray warrior. Maybe you two are actually more similar than you think, too similar, she opened her mouth to say something but Mintfur spoke again.

"Maybe...we could get along," Mistystar nodded.

"if he had a different mentor." He looked at Mistystar.

She was stunned for a heartbeat. "Me?" The warrior nodded. "I-I can't. I already have Duckpaw-"

"He seemed completely changed after he came out of your den. And did you see him fight? I don't remember him being like that in any of our battle trainings."

Still stunned, Mistystar looked at the direction Pikepaw had gone. I will have two apprentices if I agree, she thought deeper. But...Pikepaw will be better with other young cats, with friends.

She nodded.

"I'll go tell him.

~ ~ ~

Not really sure where to look for her new apprentice, she guessed he went out hunting, so her best bet was the best hunting streams. Once she made it to the area, his scent was strong.

A carp sprang straight to her, and instinct took care of the rest as she snatched it in her jaws and finished the hunt with a killing bite.

"Hey, you caught it!"

Looking from the fish, Mistystar saw Pikepaw get in the stream from the other side and swim until he was beside her.

"I thought I would lose it." He purred. "Thanks."

Mistystar gently dropped the fresh-kill into the grass before nodding to the apprentice. "I didn't come here to help with that though." She confessed. "I got some news."

Pikepaw blinked, interested.

"I talked to Mintfur. We both agreed that you might be better off with him if you had some space." A sudden purr rose in her throat. "And he asked me if I could be your new mentor."

Pikepaw held his breath. "And what did you say?"

"Well, what do you think?"

"Yes!!" Hearing himself squeal with joy, he stopped awkwardly and gave himself a couple of embarrassed licks. "I mean...yeah, whatever."

Mistystar gave him a friendly nudge. "Come on, let's go home."

She didn't miss his grateful glance as she carried the carp.

When they were closer to camp, Pikepaw glanced at the carp in her jaws. "Let's make this interesting, how about an oath? For as long as a fish doesn't get stuck in our throat, we will always fill ourselves with truths."

Alarm, like a thrown boulder, crashed every fur she had. She looked back at the apprentice, he was eagerly waiting for a response.

"Of course, Pikepaw. And remember that I would give all my lives for you. Anytime." The sentence was said with a lump in her throat.

The apprentice couldn't help but give an overjoyed hop and press his nose to her shoulder. "I know you will, and yeah, I love you too." He gave another hop before continuing on his walk. "Now come on! I can't wait to give this to Dapplenose, she'll be so happy!"

Mistystar couldn't really hear the last sentence though, she was looking at the stars, thanking them for giving her a second chance with the special cat just a few tail-lenghts from her.