Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freaken' arc, like, two years ago. Also, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.

Special thanks to InkblotLeaf for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!

Chapter Eleven - My Conscious Sounds a Lot Like You

Three days passed since the storm, and Birdflight was nowhere to be found.

Patchfoot's patrol had stayed out for as long as they could afford, but the storm raged on and it was dangerous to be out in such conditions. The patrol returned later that night, soaking wet and defeated.

"Thanks for coming, Nettlesplash," Patchfoot had mumbled, once they returned to their nests. "I know you and Birdflight don't see eye-to-eye, but I appreciate your help. It means a lot."

Nettlesplash didn't handle emotional cats very well at all; he'd tried to bury his own emotions long ago. Emotional cats made him squirm uncomfortably until he would blurt anything to get them to go away.

Usually it was something rude, to chase the cat away.

This time he blurted out, "When the storm clears, we can search again."

He regretted the offer as soon as he voiced it, but it seemed to cheer Patchfoot up. The warrior was his former mentor and had never forced him to make friends or be social, so Nettlesplash liked him more than most others. Still, he wished he would have simply nodded and kept his mouth shut.

Over those next three days, Nettlesplash did little else. He woke up, ate a quick meal, then started his search for Birdflight. Sometimes he went with patrols, sometimes he went with Patchfoot, but most of the time he went alone. If he was going to develop a Conscious that guilted him into hunting for the she-cat, then he would at least try to enjoy the silence.

It took less than a day for the rest of the Clan to notice that Nettlesplash was breaking his dull routine. He knew that they knew because every time he returned to camp, they pretended not to notice him and whispered once they thought he was out of earshot.

"Is he still looking for Birdflight?"

"I wonder why. All he talks about is how much he hates her!"

"Maybe Leafstar is forcing him to? Wasn't he supposed to keep an eye on her, anyway?"

"I talked to Leafstar about it, and she said she isn't making him do anything."

Nettlesplash rolled his eyes. Why did everyone care so much? Couldn't he just be concerned for a Clanmate's life? Sure, he had mused shoving Birdflight off of a ledge a hundred times, but he didn't actually want to see her dead. He didn't want to see anyone dead.

He had been one of the first cats to find Harrykit's body after he toppled over a cliff. The little kit's broken body was etched into his mind forever. He never, ever wanted to see something like that again.

"Going to look for her again?" A voice asked, interrupting his thoughts. He was grateful for the distraction from his thoughts until he recognized the cat's scent.

Plumwillow hovered above him, spread across a leafy tree branch. She raised a brow, clearly expecting a response from him. Nettlesplash was tempted to just keep walking, but something made him pause.

"No," he finally lied. "I'm going hunting."

His littermate scoffed. "You're such a bad liar, Nettlesplash. Your nose wrinkles and you make too much eye contact-"

"So?"

"Just like Rabbitleap," she finished. "When are you two going to make up so that things can go back to normal?"

This time Nettlesplash scoffed. "You think things can be normal again? Rabbitleap and Mintfur snuggle, Creekfeather is a surrogate father, and Sagefoot is your new best friend."

"And what about you?" Plumwillow asked him, a challenge in her eyes. "Got a new hobby? An attitude adjustment?"

"No," Nettlesplash meowed, a little too sharply. "I haven't changed at all."

His sister's expression remained solid, although her green eyes softened. "Who are you trying to convince, Nettlesplash? Everyone else, or yourself?" It sounded like a genuine question and Plumwillow was dangerous once she got inside your head, so he pretended he didn't hear her and trekked deeper into the territory.

His silence spoke volumes.

If anyone was qualified to look for Birdflight, it actually was Nettlesplash. He had spent days following her around on her adventures, and he knew where her favorites spots were. But she was never waiting for him.

The sunrise rock? Nope.

The tree with the twisted branch? Uh-uh.

The hawk nest? He couldn't even find her scent.

His findings painted a gloomy outlook, although… he did have… one more spot he could check.

The waterfall.

Rabbitleap and Mintfur becoming friends was about as likely as Nettlesplash spending his days searching for Birdflight.

That is to say, it was all just a publicity stunt. In front of their Clanmates they forced smiles that looked real enough and didn't spit insults, but when they were alone, it was a different story.

(In all honesty, Rabbitleap didn't know what Nettlesplash was trying to accomplish by pretending to search for Birdflight. But he was convinced that his brother couldn't care less about the missing she-cat.)

"Ready to put on a show?" Mintfur asked him when he arrived at their arranged meeting spot. Her gray tabby pelt was groomed to perfection, not a hair out of place; at the very least, he could appreciate that she always looked presentable.

"On my mark," he quipped. "I told Stormpaw and Firepaw to meet us here."

Mintfur nodded. "Good. It's reassuring to know that you're not completely incapable."

"You're a sweetheart."

There was little venom behind the exchange, which was odd, but Rabbitleap wasn't going to complain. He had no desire to actually befriend Mintfur, but he was never the one who started their hateful rivalry. That was her.

"So, today we should be able to wrap up their tree-hunting basics," Rabbitleap began. "They're both doing well on that front, and I think we can start incorporating battle training now."

"Thank StarClan," Mintfur remarked. "Firepaw won't quit asking when we're finally going to teach them battle moves."

A grin tugged at the corner of Rabbitleap's lips. "Stormpaw wants to start climbing higher. If I don't keep an eye on her, she'll try to sneak a couple branches higher."

"At least they're ambitious," Mintfur replied, her expression mirroring his.

"True. I don't know how Patchfoot trained Nettlesplash without clawing his ears off."

"Patchfoot is a patient cat," she meowed. "Sometimes I think Clovertail is going to drive him insane, but he never loses his temper." He didn't expect her to softly add, "I could use a little bit more patience."

The brown tom blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, yeah. I mean, I think everyone could. But training an apprentice will teach you patience faster than anything else."

She snorted. "That's the truth. Do you want to go over the lesson now?"

"Um, sure. We left off talking camouflage, right?"

"Mhm. You go over your lecture first."

When they agreed to start playing nice in front of their Clanmates, Mintfur suggested that they begin to meet early to go over their lessons that day, so that they didn't spend time arguing in front of the apprentices. Her idea had been working out great, actually. Rabbitleap wished it would have been his idea.

It helped that Mintfur was a capable warrior; that's why she was his competition for deputy. Her hunter's crouch was flawless, and somehow she knew how to use to vibrant green leaves to conceal her dark gray pelt.

Rabbitleap had worked tirelessly for every inch of skill he possessed; nothing came easily to him as an apprentice. Whereas Plumwillow had the mind, Creekfeather the athleticism, and Nettlesplash the senses, Rabbitleap wasn't naturally gifted at… anything, really.

Stormpaw was a talented tree climber already, and Rabbitleap was so, so relieved for her sake. He still remembered staring at the Apprentice Den ceiling, unable to shut down the thoughts that kept him awake and compared him to his gifted littermates.

His gifted denmates, actually. Sagefoot could sneak up anyone and Mintfur always caught the most prey. Watching her now, Rabbitleap couldn't help remember the early moons of his apprenticeship. They hadn't been pleasant.

He thought about how Nettlesplash stood up in front of the entire Warriors' Den and demanded to join the patrol, and Sharpclaw let him, because he was the better tracker. The memory stung like a fresh wound. Has nothing changed? Am I still the lousy one? The one who can't nail the hunter's crouch; who can't win a spar; who's scared of heights-

"We're here!" A voice sang, snapping Rabbitleap out of his thoughts. Firepaw and Stormpaw into the clearing, eyes bright and gleaming with excitement. "What are we going to do today?"

"Well, we planned on hunting," Mintfur drawled, fixing her apprentice with a stern look. "But now that you've announced your presence to the whole forest, we might have to change plans."

Firepaw flattened her ears against her head. "Oops," she murmured.

"Sorry," Stormpaw added, equally shamefaced.

Mintfur shook her head, but Rabbitleap noted she was hiding a grin. "I swear, you two chatter more than a pair of sparrows. You can't just enjoy the peace of a silent forest, can you?"

"Creekfeather and Plumwillow used to be the same way," Rabbitleap meowed. "I thought their mentors were going to kill them!" His goal was to cheer them up a bit, but he thought it backfired when Stormpaw brightened significantly at the name 'Creekfeather'.

"Can we please hunt today?" Firepaw pleaded. "We'll be quiet, I promise! I want to finish so we can start battle-training."

"And more advanced hunting!" Stormpaw added.

Mintfur shot him a pointed look. "Well, I suppose… if you promise to be quiet…"

"We do!" The sisters exclaimed.

Watching them, Rabbitleap cracked a grin. Mintfur didn't have a sparkling personality, but she got along with the young she-cats splendidly. She knew when to be stern with them, when to laugh with them, and when they deserved a good tongue-lashing. They really respected her.

Rabbitleap told her as much once the apprentices had begun climbing, and he could murmur without being overheard. Mintfur glanced at him, caught off guard by the remark, but she accepted it graciously. "I just treat them the same way Waspwhisker treated me," she replied. "He was a brilliant mentor."

The compliment towards his father warmed Rabbitleap's heart. He admired his father ever since he was a kit; Waspwhisker was his hero. "I was always jealous that Leafstar assigned you to him," the brown warrior admitted.

Her whiskers twitched. "I remember that. You would give me dirty looks whenever he took out for training. At least you were mentored by Sharpclaw."

"True. I like to think it gives me an advantage when it comes to my deputy campaign."

"Well, you do need all the advantages you can get."

Rabbitleap shot her a look, but just like their exchanges, there was no venom behind it. They had been perfectly civil throughout the day, actually. The realization put Rabbitleap on edge.

Finally, he murmured, "Does today feel like it's going a little too well?"

"You mean, are we getting along too well?"

"Basically."

The she-cat shrugged. "Sagefoot and I had a conversation, and he convinced me that our act would be more believable if we didn't just fake it for our Clanmates. Like, if we really could learn how to be civil with one another, we would be less likely to slip up in front of someone."

Huh. "Funny. Sagefoot doesn't look like a thinker."

"He has his moments."

"So you're going to quit spitting insults at me?" Rabbitleap asked. "You're going to actually be nice?"

"I'm going to try my best," Mintfur agreed. "But if you give me the perfect opportunity to remind you that you're a bird-brain, I'm going to take it."

Rabbitleap didn't have a retort for that. He was still stunned that Mintfur was being so open with him. It didn't feel… right. Like something was off.

He looked back at Stormpaw, increasingly aware of the gray she-cat beside him. Somehow her presence felt heavier. "For the deputyship, right?" He checked, unable to keep a note of suspicion out of his voice.

"For the deputyship," she echoed. Her voice betrayed nothing.

Nettlesplash wasn't one to be honest; not with others, and not with himself. As he followed the foresty path to the waterfall, he didn't take calming breaths or give himself a reassuring pep talk. He simply pretended not to feel his pounding heart; pretended the thought of returning to the falls didn't fill him with fear.

The lie became significantly harder to believe as he drew closer to the falls. The thundering waves breached his hearing and made his paws sticky with sweat, but he pretended not to notice. It's hot, he reasoned. Of course my paws are sticky.

Once the falls actually came into sight, though, he was confronted with the truth; he was terrified. Nearly paralyzed with fear.

I'm safe here, he told himself, gaze locked on the rushing, crashing waters. As long as I stay two tail-lengths away from the slippery edge, I won't fall in. I'll be okay. I have to find Birdflight.

No, really, he had to find her; these days, guilt tore his insides to ribbons.

"Birdflight!" He called, and prayed she would hear him over the thundering waters. "Birdflight, where are you?!"

He'd hoped to luck out, call for her once or twice, and she would magically appear in front of his muzzle. But luck never seemed to favor him. If Birdflight was nearby, he would have to hunt for her.

Taking care to stay two tail-lengths away from the edge, Nettlesplash started down the length of the raging river. The sound rang in his ears, but he swallowed the lump in his throat and continued walking. If he didn't glance at the waterfall, it wasn't as bad.

"Birdflight!" He yelled. "Can you hear me?" No one answered him.

"This is bird-brained," Nettlesplash grumbled to himself. "The waterfall drowns anything I say. And if Birdflight was here before the storm then of course she wouldn't be here now. She- she probably fell into the river and was swept away, and now she's dead. She's dead, and I'm wasting my time searching for her, and Patchfoot still has two other kits, and Birdflight deserves whatever happened to her, and-"

Then he heard it. It was faint, nearly silent, but he heard someone call for help.

Nettlesplash perked his ears, his ramble completely forgotten. "Birdflight? Birdflight, is that you?!"

"Nettlesplash?! Nettlesplash!"

It's her! Great StarClan, I found her!

Her voice came from further down the river. He raced alongside it, mindful of the two tail-lengths, and searched frantically for her black pelt. "Where are you?!" he yelled.

"Here!" she yelled back. Her voice sounded louder, so he must be getting closer.

His excitement wore off, however, as he draw closer to the edge of the waterfall. Thanks to the storm the water was so high it splashed over the stones and was a gloomy, murky gray color. The crashing waves drowned out his thoughts, but not his fear. He ignored the way his legs trembled and called, "Where are you?"

"Right beneath you!" She hollered back. "There's a cave behind the falls!"

Oh, you have got to be kidding me! She actually found a secret cave?

"Well… climb out!"

"I can't do it by myself! I think I twisted my leg."

No way. No, nope, nu-uh, over my dead body will I-

"I need you to come down here and help me get out!"

He was prepared to holler back and tell her that she was out of luck, that she would just have to die down there, but he couldn't form the words. A lump had risen in his throat and he was struggling to breathe, much less speak.

"Nettlesplash?" Birdflight called. Her voice quivered. "I know you don't like water, but I'm stuck down here. I can't get out by myself… please don't leave me here..."

No one ever depended on Nettlesplash for anything; it wasn't wise to. His parents, his littermates, his Clanmates… they didn't trust him to do anything at all.

But now Birdflight was begging him to help her. No matter how strong the urge to turn around and flee was, some part of him acknowledged that it was too late for that.

"How do I reach you?" Nettlesplash asked tentatively.

He appreciated it when Birdflight ignored the tremble in his voice and answered, "There's a path carved down the side of the falls. It's slick but not steep, so if you're careful then you'll be fine!"

When Nettlesplash's paws hit the damp, solid ground, he could have thanked every StarClan warrior that ever existed. And he would have, actually, except his gaze was immediately drawn to the dazzling rainbow pattern projected onto the cave walls. It was captivating, the way it shimmered and shifted.

"You did it," Birdflight breathed, suddenly reminding Nettlesplash of his mission. The black she-cat was curled up in a corner, her pelt dull but her blue eyes bright. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but she already looked skinner, too.

Nettlesplash shoved the concern to the back of his mind, and now that he was on flat, solid stone, he managed a growl. "Why did you go out during the storm? You bird-brain, you had the entire camp worried sick! Patchfoot hasn't quit searching for you since the storm, Clovertail won't eat anything, Honeyflower can't stop pacing - I even felt sorry for Sandytail! Do you know how impossible I thought it was to feel sorry for Sandytail?"

Birdflight accepted the lecture with grace, silent and shamefaced. When he finished rambling, sides heaving, she raised her dark blue gaze and tentatively asked, "What about you?"

He narrowed his eyes, caught off guard. "What about me?"

She nodded, slowly perking up to her usual self. "You're the one who found me, and there clearly isn't anyone with you. Have you… been looking for me?"

Why did her question stir unease in his stomach? It wasn't like his mission was a secret to anyone. "For Patchfoot's sake," he finally answered. "I owed him for all the times he let me sleep in during my apprenticeship."

"So you were looking for me."

He scowled. "Yes, I was looking for you. Why is that such a big deal? The entire camp has been looking for you." Just not as relentlessly as I have.

Birdflight shrugged, tilting her head to the side to conceal her smile. "It's not a big deal. I just wanted to hear you say it."

Nettlesplash snorted. "If I'd remembered how irritating you are, I wouldn't have wasted my time." His attention drifted from Birdflight to the rest of the cavern. It was roomy and cool, and the waterfall wasn't so disorientating; it was kinda peaceful, actually. A fresh nest in the corner caught his eye. "I see you found your secret cave. I hope it was worth it."

"It is, because it isn't for me."

His gaze shifted back towards Birdflight as she began scooting to her paws. Nettlesplash noticed how one of her legs was awkwardly splayed out. So she did twist it.

Finally upright, Birdflight turned to look at him. "I did this for you."

Nettlesplash recoiled. "Excuse me?"

She looked anxious now, like she had been thinking about this specific moment for a while. "It's a long story. After you saved me from the river, I couldn't get your expression out of my head. You looked- haunted. That was the moment I realized that my actions don't only affect me, but they affect my Clanmates too." She dipped her head, bashful. "I've been dragging you everywhere with me, not once listening to you when you protested. I thought I was helping you break out of your shell, but then I saw your face and I realized… I wasn't helping you at all."

She exhaled a long breath. "So I returned to camp and asked Leafstar to end your punishment early. I promised we had both learned our lessons, but she couldn't be convinced. So, I had to come up with a new plan." She gestured around the cave with her tail. "I wanted to find a peaceful spot away from camp so you could relax while I went on my adventures. We would leave and return to camp together, and no one would ever know that you didn't shadow me."

"I found this cavern right before as it started to storm. I tried to climb out and head back to camp, but the rainwater drenched the path up, and I slipped and twisted my hind leg." She huffed. "It doesn't hurt too bad to walk on it, but climbing is out. That's why I've been stuck down here."

Nettlesplash stared at the she-cat, unable to form a coherent thought. She… did this… for me? As an apology, no less. Nettlesplash couldn't remember the last time someone had done something so selfless for him.

Birdflight realized that Nettlesplash was just staring at her, and she shifted nervously on her paws. "Uhm, I know you don't like water so this isn't an ideal location, but the path really isn't hard to climb, I just wasn't careful enough. But if you hate it I understand! It's not-"

"Leaf-fall," Nettlesplash blurted out, interrupting Birdflight and surprising them both. When the she-cat could only stare at him in shock, he scrambled to save his dignity. "I mean- you asked me what my favorite season was, remember? I should have answered you. It's leaf-fall."

He hoped she could read between the lines. Her apology struck a chord within him, stirred something foreign inside his chest and dangerously close to his heart, but he had never been the best in these situations-

Birdflight flashed him a smile more dazzling than the rainbows that danced across the cavern walls and said, "You're welcome, Nettlesplash."

"Well Mintfur," Rabbitleap started, looking at his companion, "do you think they passed?"

Stormpaw and Firepaw didn't dare breathe as Mintfur mulled over her decision. After a minute of agonizing silence, she smiled and nodded. "I think they did."

The apprentices exploded with cheer, tackling each other and rolling around. Rabbitleap thought it was a good thing they had already caught their prey, because there sure wasn't anything left now. But he didn't scold the sisters; they'd earned a bit of celebration.

"I can't wait to start battle-training!" Firepaw cried, taking a playful swipe at her sister.

"I'm going to climb every tree in the forest," Stormpaw bragged, puffing out her chest. "I'll climb so high, no one will be able to see me!"

"You're not that advanced yet," Rabbitleap interjected, but Mintfur nudged him with her shoulder.

"Let them dream," she murmured. "It's good for them to have goals."

He shot her a dry look. "Easy for you to say. Your apprentice isn't trying to outclimb the squirrels."

"Firepaw has more sense than that," Mintfur retorted, though she grinned. It seemed the celebratory mood had rubbed off on everyone, himself included.

Rabbitleap turned towards the apprentices and said, "First one back to camp gets to pick first from the fresh-kill pile! ReadysetGO!" Then he spun around and started sprinting back to camp, leaving the indigent she-cats in his dust.

Despite his (unfair) head start, Firepaw managed to catch up and sweep past Rabbitleap to win the race. He settled for second, while Mintfur was a close third and Stormpaw was fourth.

His apprentice fell dramatically to the ground, panting. "I hate running!" she wheezed.

"You'd be faster if you weren't so bulky," Firepaw replied with a shrug.

"Muscular," Rabbitleap quickly interjected. He was not ready to deal with that issue.

Stormpaw shot her sister a glare, but couldn't muster the breath to retort. Firepaw danced on her toes as she examined every piece of prey on the pile, then selected a bluebird. Stormpaw crawled over and chose a squirrel for herself, then looked to the warriors. "You're going to eat with us, right?"

Rabbitleap and Mintfur exchanged tentative glances. He hadn't planned on eating with his fellow mentor, but… the day had been a very successful one. They closed up one chapter on their training plan, and there wasn't a single argument. The apprentices seemed to feed off of the positive energy and had trained exceptionally.

It would look good in front of our Clanmates…

Finally, he looked at Mintfur and offered, "Want to share a squirrel?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

Rabbitleap picked up the squirrel and laid it down in front of himself. Mintfur settled down beside him, and the apprentices in front of them. They chattered excitedly and asked questions about the upcoming sessions, and Rabbitleap found himself enjoying the meal. They had never eaten all together before, but it wasn't so bad.

When Rabbitleap noticed Leafstar and Billystorm making their rounds, he quietly contained his excitement. He nibbled modestly on his half of the squirrel and waiting for the Clan leader and her mate to notice how swimmingly he was getting along with Mintfur. They'll be so impressed that we've put our differences behind us, it'll have to help my case as deputy!

Suddenly, before they had been noticed, a cry rang out: "Nettlesplash found Birdflight!"

Leafstar and Billystorm didn't spare him a glance. They raced past the group on their way to greet the returning warriors. Rabbitleap jumped to his paws to call after them, but then he deflated it. I shouldn't waste my breath. Of course they need to check on Birdflight first.

"Wow!" Stormpaw cried, her meal forgotten. "Nettlesplash really found her!"

"He's a hero!" Firepaw exclaimed.

Rabbitleap swallowed the bile that arose in his throat. Nettlesplash? A hero? Yeah, right. But there was no mistaking the dusty brown warrior that practically carried Birdflight into camp. I can't believe he was actually looking for her.

What was happening to his littermates? Ever since their fight Plumwillow and Sagefoot were inseparable, Creekfeather was a father, and Nettlesplash was hailed as a hero.

What in StarClan's name is going on these days?

"Yuck," Mintfur mumbled, nose wrinkled with disgust. Rabbitleap glanced at her, and she elaborated, "Someone just used the words 'Nettlesplash' and 'hero' in the same sentence together. I think I'm gonna throw-up."

A sigh of relief escaped Rabbitleap's maw. "Thank StarClan, I thought I was losing my mind!"

As he watched a crowd gather around his littermate, Mintfur shook her head. "I never thought we would be the only sane ones left," she murmured.

"That's life," Rabbitleap remarked dryly. "It doesn't go according to anyones' plans."

He didn't realize how right he was. But soon, he would.

Question of the Day

What comes next for Rabbitleap?

Hell must have frozen over, because not only is this update not late, IT'S A DAY EARLY. Whhhhhaaaaattttt!

The first half of this chapter flowed very naturally, but the second half was more difficult. I re-wrote the scene with Nettlesplash and the waterfall a thousand times, but ultimately I just had to say screw it. In other news I finally finished my first outline for this fic, and it totals out to 24 chapters! I was actually shocked when it ended so early, because originally I thought it would be closer to 40 chapters... thank goodness for outlines!

Next chapter: Creekfeather has become quite attached to the kit, but others remind him that it isn't truly his. Plumwillow explains why she's so in love with Rockshade, and tries to reconnect with an old friend.

If you review this chapter, I'll reveal the winning kit name in the next chapter ;)

Name That Kitten

The first part of the contest is ovaaa! The poll is now up on my profile, so stop by and vote for your favorite submission.

NOTE: I tried to take one submission from each review. Several names were suggested multiple times, so whoever suggested the name first was credited.