So it's been a three? Four? Month wait instead of a year-long one, but enjoy.

Amberpaw

I was still a little unnerved about the whole Daylight Gathering thing, and it had almost been a moon. But I supposed Badgerpaw helped.

The first quarter moon after it had been fun. We experimented with our powers, competing against one another to see who could reach an area first, and who could do more extreme...things.

I thought the never-ending statements of I told you so and isn't this cool and my power is better than yours would grow to be irritating by the half-moon mark, but they took the edge off of how serious this could really be.

During the third quarter-moon, however, Fernheart started to become suspicious of how often Badgerpaw and I would disappear to go and play with our skills. Eventually, I noted that she planned to trail us. While the Clan was sharing tongues one day, I pulled Badgerpaw aside.

"I think we should be subtler with our abilities," I hissed, "Fernheart is starting to realize that she wasn't hallucinating that day."

Badgerpaw stared back at me, bright eyes wide. "So, use it the way Bearpaw and Cloudpaw have been? As in, not at all."

I snorted. "No, you mouse-brain. Of course we can still use them. We just shouldn't sneak off to go experiment anymore. She's planning to spy on us."

Now it was Badgerpaw's turn to laugh. "How do you know?"

I raised a brow at him. "Seriously? I hear everything that goes on in this camp now." Including the many sorry attempts in which you brothers have tried to catch Bearpaw's eye.

I felt enough sympathy for my sister that I was going to ask Jaggedstripe and Embersplash to let us go hunting together around dusk. They were siblings themselves, I bet they would understand.

Badgerpaw nodded. "That makes sense. My bad," He added, grinning, "I'm definitely not as observant as you."

"Obviously," I retorted playfully, "You have this strange habit of running into things."

"Or rather, through," He replied with a wink. "I'm still hungry though. Talk to you later."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. We had just eaten. He really did have the appetite of a badger.

Sighing, I sat back on my haunches. Today clearly wasn't going to be eventful. Since I had spare time, I decided to go to the nursery.

Poking my head in, I mewed, "Anyone home?"

The five kits that had been tussling let out excited gasps when they saw me. I nodded to Firepool and Leafheart. They tossed me grateful looks. I loved kits, so I didn't mind taking them off their paws for a little while.

Stumpykit, Mosskit, Furzekit, Swallowkit and Elmkit pranced over to me on excited paws. Mudkit and Applekit appeared to be taking naps, so I didn't bother them.

"Hi Amberpaw!" Stumpykit called out. I had to resist the urge to squeal; he was so cute, with his brown spotted nose, bright green eyes and, hence the name, stumpy little tail.

Motioning for the kits to follow me out into camp, I had them line up in front of me. "What have you guys been up to today?"

Furzekit piped up. "We were just wrestling! I pinned Stumpykit and Elmkit down. You should have seen their faces!" His ginger fur fluffed with pride.

"That's quite impressive, Furzekit. But guess what?"

"What?"

"I bet Swallowkit did even better," I purred, winking at her. Her little black ears perked up at that.

Mosskit huffed. She shot Swallowkit a resentful glare, deep brown fur bristling. "You're right, Amberpaw. We wrestled for moons and she beat me every time! I want to know how she did it."

Swallowkit stuck her tongue out at Mosskit, which prompted a growl from the latter, and she pounced. The two of them went rolling in the dirt, and I chuckled.

"All right," I said, whispering to the little toms, "While they're busy, who wants a ride?"

"I do, I do!" They all whispered back excitedly, rocking and bouncing on their paws.

Grinning back at them, I crouched and let them all scramble onto my back. "Hold on tight, okay?"

I couldn't see them, but I felt them nod. All of a sudden, I was grateful for my abilities. It made watching these kits so much easier.

I broke out into a trot, circling and zigzagging throughout the whole camp. They let out excited yowls and calls the whole time. Their laughter made my heart swell.

The she-kits noticed that I was giving their siblings a ride and wanted one too.

"Guys, I can't carry all of you at onc-"

I was cut off with a muffled oof as they all proceeded to tackle me and keep me on the ground.

"Ooh, are we playing the tackle Amberpaw game again? I want to join!" Flamepaw's voice rang out from across camp. My eyes widened as he bounded toward me, just as I had regained my footing, and bowled me over.

I grunted, though I was amused, and kicked my brother off, then tackled him myself. Typically, all the kits joined in too.

"Get a taste of your own medicine, Flamepaw!" Was what Stumpykit yowled as he launched himself at Flamepaw's side.

"Oh no, I've been hit!" He gasped, faking death. The kits laughed, prodding at his face.

"We know you're not really dead, Flamepaw," Elmkit mewed matter-of-factly.

"Maybe not," Flamepaw said quietly, opening one eye, "But you're gonna be if you don't run!" He howled, lunging up and chasing them around the camp. I joined in, scooping up Mosskit and letting her "assist" me as I chased her sibling and cousins.

I grinned as I watched my brother. He didn't know it, and I would never tell him because it would go to his head; he would be a great father. I snickered at the thought of his own kits knocking him over one day.

I wondered what it would be like...having my own kits. But it was a thought for another day. Right now, I would live in the moment. "Hey Mosskit," I whispered, "Go tackle your brother, and see what happens."

She giggled, sliding off of my back, and snuck up on Stumpykit, bowling him over. I smiled when she tussled with him, and pinned him down.

Knew it.

I gasped with delight. "Thanks, Jaggedstripe! I'll go fetch her."

He had agreed to let me go hunting with Bearpaw, as long as he came along to correct anything we might've been doing wrong. I didn't mind. I was just glad to help her get away from everything for a while.

Searching the camp, I found her in the apprentice's den taking a nap. I snorted. Typical of her.

"Wake up," I hissed, prodding her shoulder, "We're going hunting."

She rolled over, murmuring a protest. Something about the dawn patrol.

I poked her again. "No, smarts, Jaggedstripe's taking us hunting. Just the two of us, so you can get away from Thornpaw for a while."

Bearpaw lifted her head at that, blinking sleep out of her sky-blue eyes. "Sleep was my escape," She muttered, but stretched and exited the den with me anyways.

I stifled both my disgust and amusement when I noticed Thornpaw freeze from where he was practicing battle stances with Badgerpaw across the camp. Jaggedstripe was impatiently pacing by the camp entrance.

"Quick," I mewed, "Let's go, before he changes his mind."

She muttered something under her breath again, and I smirked. Bearpaw was always grumpy after she woke up. She'd get over it.

Jaggesdstripe gave us the run of the forest, trailing far enough behind that he was out of earshot. I shivered through the chill; part of the reason I wanted to go hunting was to talk with Bearpaw as well. It was more likely than actually catching anything in this weather. I envied my sister and her thicker pelt.

"So," I started, "How's your training going?"

Bearpaw hummed. "Pretty well, actually. Embersplash says I've finally mastered tree-climbing—in daylight, at least. He's going to start taking me at night so I can truly get the hang of it."

"That's really great," I replied. "I think I've memorized most of the trails Ferheart's given my group. Here, I'll show you one."

I brought her up to the old twoleg campground using said trail. I figured that if we were "out hunting" we might as well attempt to.

I didn't even need to part my jaws to scent the pair of squirrels sleeping in this green twoleg...thing. It was tall and sturdy, with an opening at the top. There were a few others scattered about. I barely caught the faint whiff of carrion that clung to it.

"Bearpaw, do you smell that?" I asked, angling my head towards the object.

She nodded. "How about you scare them, and I'll catch them as they come out?"

It seemed like a solid plan. Slinking up to the thing, I rose up on my hindquarters and braced it with my paws. I yowled loudly, and there was frightened chittering from inside.

Wondering if I could push the thing over, I turned and kicked it with my back paws. It fell, and the squirrels came tumbling out. Bearpaw was impossibly quick; she snatched one up and killed it. The other one made a mad dash for the forest, racing up a tree.

I spat out a curse, but Bearpaw was already on it, scrambling up the tree and tracking the squirrel. I went to follow her, but Jaggedstripe stopped me.

"Wait on the ground, in case she frightens it out of the tree. Then you can catch it when it comes down," He instructed, flicking his tail over my back.

I inwardly groaned. How had I not thought of that? I shot a grateful smile at my mentor, and he nodded back, the already dead squirrel now in his jaws.

I trailed the squirrel from below; I couldn't predict its path, but it was impossible for me to lose the scent. We were nearing ThunderClan territory when Bearpaw tried to pounce at it, and it scrambled down from the tree like Jaggedstripe predicted.

I dashed after it, and was just at its tail when I realized it had crossed the border. "Fox dung," I spat. It raced right into the open claws of a ThunderClan apprentice.

Bramblepaw smirked up at me. The only reason I knew him was from the Daylight Gathering—he was on my team.

"Thanks for the easy kill," He drawled. His sea green eyes shone with mockery, and I narrowed my own. Easy to kill, perhaps, but not easy to catch for the ones that actually tracked it.

"If there had been no border, I would have gladly shoved past you to kill it myself," I growled.

"Too bad there's a border then, huh?" He replied smoothly. The teasing smile he wore only frustrated me further.

It had been right in front of me. But I couldn't break the rules. I wanted to curse again, so I did.

Bramblepaw laughed at me. "That's quite a mouth you've got," he mused, "Too bad it won't be eating this."

He launched the squirrel up and caught it on a claw by its tail. My nostrils flared. Arrogant, stuck up, piece of badger dung Thunderclan scum.

"Bramblepaw," a voice called out, "Don't torture the poor kitten any more than you need to. You've already made her fuss quite enough, and we don't want her crying for Mama, do we?"

Sootpaw, who I recognized from the Daylight gathering as well, slunk out from wherever he had been hiding in the shadows. A smug expression was written on his face. I growled at him.

Bearpaw came up behind me and rested her tail on my back. "Just let it go, sis."

I gritted my teeth. I knew Jaggedstripe was observing with amusement from a tree a few fox-lengths behind. Not only was I humiliated, but I was angry. Livid.

I spat in Bramblepaw's face. He blinked, but shook it off.

Grinning at me, he responded, "You're right, Soot. We don't." He tossed me the squirrel. I let it fall at my paws, and looking down at it, I was baffled.

I parted my jaws to ask him why, but when I raised my head to speak, the two toms were gone.

Silverpaw

I looked up when I heard my brother and Bramblepaw stroll into camp, their jaws laden with prey. They dropped it on the 'kill pile, and many of the warriors made a beeline towards it.

I didn't. After seeing Smokeclaw's paw, I had lost my appetite.

The two previously mentioned toms decided it would be best to flop on either side of me, laughing and gasping for breath. The sun was setting soon, what in the name of StarClan could have been so exciting?

"Silverpaw," Sootpaw mewed, still cackling, "You should have seen her face. You would have lost it."

Bramblepaw rolled over, His laughter now silent but just as irritating as my brother's. "She was so pissed. It was great. We've gotta do that again," he snickered.

I examined one of my claws. It still had blood beneath it from when I clawed Bumblepaw's rump during training. Disgusting. "Might I ask who this 'she' is?"

"Amberpaw from ShadowClan," Bramble responded. "She's small, black and white, has these really bold ey-"

"I know what she looks like, thanks," I snapped. "And what did you two do to her?"

Sootpaw let out a wheezing laugh. I rolled my eyes. My brother was a sadist; whatever they had done probably wasn't even that amusing, but he liked making others mad for the fun of it.

"Okay, so she was chasing this squirrel on her side of the border," He began, "And she was like, just about to kill it when she chased it over the border. She's a goody-goody, so once it crossed she gave up and it just ran right into Bramble's paws."

"And I said 'thanks for the easy kill,' and she started cursing at me. Then Sootpaw just comes out of nowhere and calls her a kitten and—oh, it was great. She got so mad she spat in my face; I bet my nose is still wet. I gave her the squirrel and we hid behind some trees and she got so confused. Just-her expression was priceless," Bramblepaw snickered.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "So... you two robbed her of her kill, then played with it and her feelings. This is funny...how? I don't see it."

They stared back at me, blank faced, until Sootpaw rolled his eyes. "Wow Silvy, you really are sensitive. The two of you would probably get along well."

I scoffed, depriving myself of their presence by standing up and strolling away. My plan was to head to the apprentice's den, but Rainpaw stopped me.

"Want some of this vole?" He asked. I still hadn't regained my appetite and tried to decline, but he blocked my path. "You haven't eaten since sunhigh," He hissed, "Take it."

Begrudgingly, I sat and suffered through the vole. I knew Rainpaw was right, but hated to admit it.

Concerning the loss of my appetite...Smokepaw's wound was healing, but it didn't make it any less nauseating to look at. The cat that had injured him had made the scratches deep. They criss-crossed until they reached just above his dewclaw, then stopped abruptly.

My lip had curled when I had seen it; I didn't understand how someone could want to intentionally inflict so much pain on one cat. But that wasn't what bothered me.

I could feel it. As long as Smokepaw was close to me, every step he took seemed to resonate in my own paw. The chafing of the leaf dressing against his wound was as clear as day, as if I had gotten the same injury myself.

It was odd. I didn't feel the pain of other cats; only Smokepaw. I figured that it was for a reason and put it aside, avoiding my cousin as well. I couldn't stand the agony he was in-and I meant that in every way.

"Silvy, are you good?" Rainpaw asked. I blinked, leaving my trance. I realized I had stopped chewing and had been staring slack-jawed at the ground as I thought.

Rainpaw had kept a close eye on me ever since my mist incident, but I didn't tell him about the Daylight gathering. He was prone to worry, and it would just be another thing to poke at his anxiety. So I let it be, for now.

"Yeah, I'm ok," I responded sheepishly. "Just a little tired. I thought I had dawn patrol so I got up early, but it turns out I'm on dusk." I shot the thorn tunnel a glare. It was starting to get colder, and I really didn't want to go out.

Rainpaw chuckled. "Have fun with that. I had sunhigh patrol, so I'm on dusk tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it." As if reading my thoughts, he fluffed out his pelt.

I added, "I wonder what leaf-bare is like if it's only a bit chilly now. Honestly, I don't want to know."

He shuddered, but gave me a soft smile. "Me either. But thank StarClan for our thick pelts, huh?"

I returned the smile before rising to stretch. "Welp, now that I've eaten, I should get going. It is dusk, after all."

"See ya, Silverpaw."

I flicked my tail in his face, causing him to sneeze. Laughing, I went to find my mentor.

It turned out she was in the Warriors' Den; Blizzardpelt trotted out with Birchbranch, her mate. Nuzzling him a quick goodbye, she motioned for me to meet her at the tunnel with the rest of the patrol.

"Today is just not my day," I muttered as I beheld the patrol.

Bumblepaw, Dawnpaw, and their mentors Riftclaw and Sandclaw were waiting for us at the tunnel.

Bumblepaw...well.

Dawnpaw was a snob-she acted as if everything was entitled to her because her father was deputy. She was manipulative, and prone to bursts of uncontrolled anger. She and my brother did not get along well. He was quite fond of leaving mutilated, horrific things for her to find.

I didn't reprimand him for it. If I had been Sootpaw, I probably would have done the same.

Her mentor, Sandclaw, was strict. He wasn't the kind of strict, however, that struck fear; he was overbearing and repetitively obnoxious about rules and orders to the point where no one took him seriously. Unluckily for the apprentices, it just made him crack down on us harder.

Riftclaw was the only member of the patrol aside from my own mentor that I didn't mind. I mean, it wouldn't be right to mind him- he was Sootclaw and I's foster father. After my mother died, he and Cinderfur took us in. What helped was that he was family either way; my mom's nephew. He and Blizzardpelt were siblings.

To state the simple truth, a good majority of Thunderclan was my family. And I meant that quite literally; My uncle Canyonfall's offspring was many. He was hardly a senior warrior, and he already had grandkits. Technically, I was both his grandkit and his niece. Things were complicated.

Riftclaw flicked his tail over my back when I joined the patrol. "Hey, you. What have you been up to all day?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. I had battle training around midmorning. After that...well, I've been stuck in camp all day."

"Quite an uneventful day for you, then," He hummed.
"Well, actually, I got a look at Smokepaw's paw. He busted it up pretty bad." That was one way to put it.

Riftclaw shook his head, but his dark blue eyes-a trait he shared with both his father and blood son- gleamed with affection. "That nephew of mine...He reminds me of myself when I was an apprentice. Always getting into some sort of trouble."

If only you knew.

Sandclaw cleared his throat. "Now that everyone's here, let's get going." He didn't wait for acknowledgement-instead he nudged Dawnpaw and the two walked right through the thorn tunnel.

Rolling her eyes, Blizzardpelt followed, and I trailed after her.

By the time we reached the WindClan border, the sun's rays were officially disappearing from the sky. It cast a glow over the moor that I found strikingly beautiful. It made me wonder what the lake looked like to others farther away.

The shadows of a passing WindClan patrol cast themselves over the stream. I caught the eyes of Swiftpaw and Hazepaw, as well as a younger apprentice who I recognized as Daisypaw. But before I could mew a greeting, I felt a sharp pang in my chest.

Confused, I searched for the source of the pain. Upon finding none, I looked to the cats around me. The WindClan apprentices appeared normal. Hazepaw and Daisypaw's mentors seemed unperturbed as they engaged in casual conversation with Sandclaw.

Swift's mentor Gorgefall, however, had an absent expression on his face. His pale green eyes darted to Blizzardpelt and then away. He felt...wistful. Regretful, but not bitter.

I gasped quietly, excited but also mildly disturbed that I could sense that from him. I wondered what had happened with he and my mentor in the past for him to feel that way.

Swiftpaw was the one that mewed hello. Hazepaw seemed distracted though, his gaze far away. Both of them appeared stronger and more confident. I was glad I got to see them both for a few moments.

After marking the border, we headed to the ShadowClan one. Upon reaching it, Dawnpaw wrinkled her nose. It was one of her pastimes to make a show of how "disgusting" the other Clans were. She muttered as much while we freshened the border.

She didn't shut her jaws, and I grew fed up. "Would you give it a rest? I'm sure ShadowClan thinks just the same of you," I snapped.

Dawnpaw whipped her head around. "Excuse you?"

I hissed. "The only difference between you and them is that they can scent your pettiness from fox-lengths away. You only have to bear it for a few moments-imagine how they must feel."

Her eyes widened with offense. "Did you just call me petty?" She spat.

I stared her down smugly. "Did I stutter?"

She growled. I expected her to lunge at me or at least cuff me over the ears, but save for said growl, she remained silent in both action and speech.

Sandclaw eyed us with a low growl. "Cut it out, you two. Settle your differences in battle training tomorrow."

I wanted to point out how I was oh-so-conveniently paired with Bumblepaw for the time being, but I bit my tongue, stifling my irritation. It had been nearly three moons since I had been apprenticed; they really should have changed the pairings by now. It was beginning to get tedious.

I wasn't in any place to say anything about it, though. So I didn't. One of these days I was worried I would snap.

The trudge back to camp was miserable. Sandclaw kept a close eye on Bumblepaw, Dawnpaw, and I; if he so much as noticed a hostile glance, he'd spit a warning. Blizzardpelt and Riftclaw were clearly growing exasperated.

I did my best not to focus on it. I let my thoughts wander to my ability instead.

I could feel Smokepaw's pain, but only when we were close. The only other pain I had sensed was Swiftpaw's mentor's; I was only growing more confused. I couldn't figure out what triggered it.

Sighing heavily, I decided to ask Sootpaw about how he controlled his own ability. Talking to him would either help, or bring me more frustration.

My pace increased when I spotted the thorn tunnel up ahead. Our mentors, figuring that it would be safe to let us get there on our own, went ahead and entered camp without so much as a goodbye. I was about to slip through the tunnel myself when I was bodyslammed.

I rolled over, lifting my head in just enough time to duck again as Dawnpaw swiped at my face.

"What's your problem?" I spat.

She hissed back while I stood. "You shouldn't have called me petty."

I rolled my eyes and sidestepped as she attempted another blow. "You do realize that this is only proving my point, right?"

Dawnpaw snarled, which only made me angry. I spit back and lunged at her, knocking her over. We rolled in the dirt as I tried to pin her down.

She managed to nick my ear with her claw, but it made it easy for me to catch her off guard. I slammed her down with a growl.

"Try that again and see how it turns out," I threatened. Dawnpaw struggled against my paws, so I pressed down harder.

"Silverpaw. Dawnpaw. What's the meaning of this?"

I cringed and scrambled off of Dawnpaw as quickly as I could. I turned to see Brackenstar standing outside of the thorn tunnel, eyes narrowed and an irritated look on his face. I bowed my head.

"Both of you. My den. Now," He spat.

I obliged, entering camp. I could feel my clanmates' eyes on me as I climbed up the rocks that led to the small cave. Some eyes were questioning. Some were amused. It didn't matter—I was being watched, and for once in my life I hated it.

Dawnpaw had the audacity to step on my tail as I was pulling myself onto the ledge. I nearly snapped at her, but knew I was already in enough trouble.

I had never been in the Leader's Den before. It was fairly dark, but there was enough light for me to make out a nest and a small pile of bones in one corner. The rest of the cave was empty space.

Brackenstar took his time on his way up, which only added to my growing embarassment and mild terror. Our leader had been around for a good while. I didn't doubt that his experience as a leader had enabled him to come up with some creative punishments.

Once he entered the den, he sat across from us at the mouth of the cave. I gulped, growing anxious. I knew Smokepaw had gotten sent to Brackenstar before, and he came back furious but also subdued. My hope was that whatever Brackenstar decided didn't wound my pride.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Brackenstar asked, tone unreadable. I opened my jaws to speak, but he held up a paw. "The question was directed at Dawnpaw. Have patience."

My eyes narrowed at the fact that Dawnpaw got to talk first. She would most likely twist the story to antagonize me. It would make me look like a liar when it was my turn.

Brackenstar's bright blue eyes gleamed with disinterest, but he was allowing us to explain ourselves anyways. It baffled me.

"Well, Brackenstar, she called me petty for no reason," Dawnpaw began. As I suspected, she was already manipulating what happened. "It upset me, so I went to talk to her and tell her how I felt before we got into camp. But then she attacked me! I didn't do anything wrong-"

Brackenstar held up a white paw once more. "Enough," he muttered. "Silverpaw?"

I huffed. "I'd like to start by saying Dawnpaw is a liar-"

He cut me off. "Try again."

Frustration was starting to build up in my chest, and I spoke slowly.

"We were at the ShadowClan border and she was making a fuss about how horrible they smelled, so yes, I called her petty, because it's true. But then I was minding my own buisiness on the walk back to camp when she tackled me outside of the thorn tunnel—which proved my point. Of course, I'm better than her, so it only took me a few moments to pin her down, and that's when you told us to come to your den."

I bothered to shoot her a glance. Perhaps I was an idiot since Brackenstar was telling me to shut my mouth, but I hissed, "You are a lying, petty, insolent piece of badger-brained scum. And you deserve whatever punishment-"

"I said silence, Silverpaw!" Brackenstar snarled, standing and stomping a paw onto the cool stone.

My ears burned, but I settled back with a smug smile and felt no shame. In a way, I was just as flawed as my brother.

Brackenstar's tail lashed as he faced us. "At this point, I no longer care who started what, nor do I care about who's innocent—because neither of you are. You were involved in a scuffle outside of battle training, and as far as I'm concerned, that's more than enough reason to punish you." His eyes were ablaze with fury as he turned to me.

"As for you, Silverpaw; You've shown utter disrespect not only now, but countless times. You seem to forget that you're only seven moons old. Know that to me, you're still a kit. And this behavior only proves it."

A pit of dread grew in my stomach. I had an idea of where this was going, and I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all.

"If you're going to act like a kit," He started, "You'll be treated like one."

No. Oh no, no, no.

"You're not to leave camp for a half-moon, Silverpaw. Dawnpaw, a quarter moon. No gatherings, no training, no patrols. The only exception to your punishment is that you'll be allowed to leave to make dirt, with an escort."

Dawnpaw let out an infuriated huff, but said nothing. I was too stunned to react.

Horror replaced the dread I was feeling. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be.

"You're dismissed, Dawnpaw. Silverpaw, stay a moment." Brackenstar's eyes watched Dawnpaw until she was at the base of the cliff, back in the main area of camp. Then they were on me.

"If I catch you sneaking out of camp at night, I'll double the time. If I catch you attempting to communicate with the WindClan apprentices, I'll double the time. If in any way you step outside camp for any reason aside from making dirt, I'll double the time. And don't think I won't know."

My jaw dropped. How did he know about Hazepaw and Swiftpaw? I had to tell Smokepaw. Who knew what else Brackenstar had been watching us for?

I found myself wishing for a bit of amusement or even smugness in my Leader's eyes, but there was only a stern look. "I hope we're on the same page now."

Apparently not, if you see me as a kit, I wanted to mutter, but I gritted my teeth. Anger burned deep within my chest. I nodded, meeting his eyes. I wanted him to see how infuriated I was. Perhaps even feel it.

But I was Silverpaw, not Sootpaw. I wasn't a sadist and I couldn't make others feel pain. I could only sense, heal, and get suffocated in black mist. I absolutely loved my life.

"You're dismissed."

I rose without sparing Brackenstar a glance and stormed down the rocks. My ears were flattened to my head, and I didn't feel like socializing with anyone at the moment. I found my nest in the Apprentices' Den and resisted the urge to bite my tail and screech into it.

"Silvy."

I groaned, buried my face in my paws, and told Rainpaw to go away.

"Tough luck," he responded. Rainpaw sat next to me, curling his tail around his paws. Leaning over, he nudged my face with his muzzle. "Snap out of it. Dawnpaw is going around camp telling everyone what happened. She sounds more ridiculous than she usually does."

If I was in the mood, I might have laughed bitterly. But I wasn't. I could practically hear Rainpaw's frown at my lack of response.

"Alright," He sighed. "Be that way. It only shows how naïve you're being, and why you're being punished."

He had hoped to provoke at least a growl from me I supposed, but he wasn't going to get one. I'd give him something else instead.

"Rainpaw," I murmured, "If that mist...if I can't get away from it..." The terror that crept up on me from even thinking about it was suffocating. So much could go wrong because of this punishment.

"Silverpaw," He mewed, tapping me with a paw. "Hey. Silvy."

I opened my eyes and was startled to see him at my eye-level, only a few mouse-lengths from my nose.

"What?"

"You're gonna be okay. Don't worry about it, alright?"

Now I laughed, though it wasn't genuine. "And how do you know that?" I asked, not really expecting a serious response.

"I'm not going to let anyone find out. I'd say I won't let anything happen to you at all, but...we don't even know what the mist is. The least I can do is protect you from others."

I blinked. A serious response is precisely what I got.

"Thank you," I mewed, a small smile forming. I was still angry, but that helped.

"You're welcome, Silverpaw," Rainpaw purred. "You should already know that you can always count on me."

I did. Shrugging, I let my smile grow bigger. "Maybe this next half-moon will suck, but at least I don't have to go on any patrols."

"True," He chuckled back.

Both of our heads turned as the rest of the apprentices came streaming into the den. It was already pitch black outside, and most of them were turning in for the night. As if on cue, Rainpaw yawned.

"Well," He murmured, retreating to his own nest on the other side of the den. "Sleep tight, Silvy. Goodnight."

Goodnight, I thought, but didn't reply. I laid down my head. With no dawn patrol to be on, I'd be able to sleep a long, long time.

I planned to savor it.

We got some sisterly bonding, some Clan , and Silverpaw is punished- Brackenstar's hope being that it will tame her pride a bit. Let's see how that works out and how it affects things, shall we? ;3

QOTD: Do you think Silverpaw's punishment was fair? Why or why not?

Peace Out,

~SK(MW)