I dashed into camp. Everyone turned to me, startled. "Brightheart!" Whitewing dashed over. "Where were you?" Cloudtail meowed, padding over. "Er..." I stammered.

'What do I say? They can't know about the Dark Forest or where I was.'

"I went hunting far away and I got lost... But I found my way eventually."

'Lousy excuse! Only a kit would believe that!'

"But you never get lost," Hollyleaf meowed, a confused look covering her face.

"I know but I got distracted by a rabbit." I replied, pushing past the crowd. 'Since when am I this popular?'

They seemed to believe it. Brambleclaw padded over and rolled his eyes. "Right. Now, Hollyleaf, take Brightheart, Foxleap and Rosepetal on a tunnel fight." He meowed. "They need to learn how to fight in the dark and in small places,"

I sighed but followed Hollyleaf anyway. Tunnels were dark, damp and cramped up. I felt like I was being caught by a Twoleg the last time I went in a tunnel.

We padded into the tunnel and my breathe began shallow. I dragged my paws in further.

My back brushed against both sides of the tunnel and on the top. I could feel little bits of dirt falling into my pelt and I fought the urge to fluff out my pelt.

My instincts were screaming at me to back out, but I couldn't. It would be cowardly of me.

A few heartbeats went by and the walls left my pelt and I could finally stand up straight. "Be carful, there is a few small holes where the water falls through the roof. My pelt stood on all ends. 'Water... Holes... Great!' Hollyleaf must've picked up on my tension, because she whispered, "Don't worry, its only tiny droplets coming off of the roof."

I let out a sigh of relief and we padded on.

* * * * *

We squeezed through the tunnel, Hollyleaf last, and padded back to camp. Still, most if the patrols were not back, even though the sun was going down. Cloudtail met up with me and murmured, "I'm going on a night hunting patrol, see you later tonight." And he padded off. I didn't even get to reply.

I turned my head and watched his fluffy white pelt vanish through the entrance. I sighed and grabbed a plump mouse. I saw Dovewing and Ivypool sitting beside each other. They seemed hostile and uneasy as they spoke.

I padded over to them, with the mouse in my mouth, and sat down next to them. They turned their heads to face me and Ivypool spoke first. "Hello." She meowed. "You two seem uneasy, what's wrong?" I asked.

They exchanged glances then Dovewing reassured, "Nothing. We were just talking about..." She stopped. "About how Bumblestripe was so grumpy today!" Ivypool blurted out.

"Yeah, right. We are kin, you can tell me." I muttered, laying down and taking a bite of the mouse.

They exchanged glances again and Ivypool looked at me. "Dovewing has this-" Dovewing cut her off with a whip to the ear from her tail. She gave Ivypool an angry look.

I looked at them confused. Finally, I sighed. "Fine, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to." I meowed casually.

"Yeah, anyways," Ivypool muttered, standing up. "I'm going to see if Brambleclaw wants me in another patrol."

Dovewing followed her sister and I rolled my eye. 'They are up to something, and I think it might have something to do with The Dark Forest.' I shook my head.

'There has to be more to it then just that. Dovewing seemed more uneasy then Ivypool... But what was it?' I pushed it to the back of my mind. I took a bite of my mouse and my taste buds exploded with disgust. I spat it out and looked at the mouse.

Someone had stuffed the mouse with deathberries. My eyes turned fuzzy and foam began to form around my mouth. I shook my head and stood up, stumbling side to side. I tried to open my mouth to spat out the poison but my mouth began to feel numb.

Daisy padded up to me and as soon as she saw my face she dashed to Jayfeathers' den. I collapsed onto my side, the foam slithering out of the side of my mouth. I heard paws stomping faraway and soon I heard Jayfeathers voice.

"Can you hear me, Brightheart?" He asked, he didn't sound close and not urgent. My mind whirled and I felt leaves being stuffed into my mouth. My mouth and jaw line was so numb, I hadn't even felt his paw open my mouth and pain began to surge through my veins.

Then my stomach rested and I felt the poison beginning to come up my throat. It eventually came out and I stood up to let it out. The numbness began to fade.

I looked around to see cats surrounding me, trying to see what happened. Jayfeathers' blind eyes trailed to the sky, then he sniffed his way to the mouse.

He scrunched up his nose at the foul stench. "Deathberries..." Jayfeather growled.

My heart pounded in my chest, but with the feeling of relief, it started to ease. "Who caught this mouse?" He asked. Every cat exchanged glances with each other, but no one spoke. Firestar pushed his way into the circle and asked, "What happened?"

"Someone stuffed this mouse with d-deathberries." I stuttered, my mouth still numb from the poison. "And no one will speak up!" Exclaimed Daisy.

"Well if your so concerned, maybe it was Daisy to do it! You never do anything, and maybe you wanted revenge on Brightheart for having a kit while one of yours is dead!" Growled Millie, taking a step forward.

"Maybe it was you, Millie!" Blossomfall yowled, gasps escaped a few mouths, including mine.

Her own daughter accusing her mother of attempting murder! Millie growled at her then Graystripe pushed through the both of them.

"Stop! We don't need to accuse our own Clanmates of this. It could be anyone!" He yowled.

Firestar stepped in, "Graystripe is right. Our Clanmates wouldn't do anything to harm others. It must've been another Clan cat to do so." He meowed. Then Poppyfrost meowed, "Okay, okay. I know what happened." Every cats heads shot to her. 'Did she do it? No, she was a good cat, she wouldn't do anything like that!' I thought. My jaw closed but Firestar's was kept open.

"I was hunting alone when I found a mouse on the ground. I thought it would be fine so I took it back to camp. It smelled fine to me when I picked it up," She explained, "As I set it down into the fresh-kill pile, I noticed its jaw was out of place. But I didn't think anything of it."

Firestar's eyes filled with relief. He let out a sigh and announced, "Thank you for confessing. Now, to find out who or what did it." He looked to the sky, thinking.

"It might be a cat who had died and gone to the Dark Forest." I blurted out. I covered my mouth with my tail and looked to Firestar. His eyes were now filled with confusion.

"What do you mean?" Brambleclaw asked, and I turned to him. He must've taken the words right out of our leaders mouth. "I was just suggesting that they could be roaming the territories..." I trailed off, blurting out more information they didn't need to know was a bad idea! "N-nevermind!" I stuttered and darted off to the entrance and slipped through.

I ran. I felt so dramatic and awkward, but fear was lacing my heart. I couldn't stay there.

I didn't realize it but before I knew it, I was in a familiar place.

'I know this place from somewhere...' I thought as I turned my head around to see the whole thing. I jerked back when I heard my name being called. "Brightheart..." It sounded as if the wind was calling to me. "Brightheart..." He kept going and then poor little Swiftpaw appeared.

"I promised you I would protect you, but I didn't do my job..." He whispered. His eyes were gone, only leaving black holes and he was covered in scratches and gashes. He was a soul that needed to go to rest.

"Swiftpaw," I choked out, all of my sorrow coming out into my words and making it crack. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine." I soothed.

"No! It was all my fault. Making a promise I couldn't keep!" A memory flashed back into my mind as quick as a rabbit on catmint.

I remembered being bitten and slashed with slobbery teeth and vision was gone on one side. "I'll protect you, Brightheart!" He vowed and I watched through my other eye as he slashed and bit, making a dog run but there were more then he could fight alone. But I could barely see, I would only make things worse.

I shook my head out of my thoughts, "Remember that promise I made to you?" He whispered. "I didn't keep it! Why did you come back here? I am waiting for the dogs to come back," he whispered, "and your going to scare them away!"

"They are dead Swiftpaw," I insisted. I had to make him leave and rest his soul.

"Swiftpaw! You need to leave that mouse-brained promise behind! You did protect me, you saved me from being eaten. Those dogs would've came for me if it wasn't for you!" I hissed. Then I went softer for him, he seemed scared. "Now, leave to StarClan, Swiftpaw, they are waiting for you." I dipped my head and waited. And waited. But he just stared at me like a mouse-brain. "Go!" I meowed, my voice cracking with desperation. He nodded but first he came to me and touched noses. His bloody nose touched my warm nose and all washed back from when we were apprentices together.

I smiled at him and he smiled back, "May StarClan light your path, Brightheart," He whispered. He nuzzled my neck and I did it back. I missed him so much, but Cloudtail was my mate forever. No one, not even Swiftpaw, could be a perfect mate like Cloudtail. He faded away and I began to pad off when I realized I was covered in his blood. I shook out my pelt and licked it down. The tang of blood hit my tongue and I stopped.

I want to remember Swiftpaw in a way, and this is how I will.

* * * * *

I padded into camp with a blackbird. I came to the fresh-kill pile and deposited the prey. "Brightheart!" Someone yowled behind me. I shrunk down and looked to see Millie. "What?" I hissed. "What happened to you?" She gasped. "I... Um... Er..." I had no clue what to say, no one would believe me if I said that I met Swiftpaw, would they? "Brightheart, are you okay?" "Of course she's not, look at all the blood!" "Lets take her to Jayfeather," I had no time to think at all.

"Wait! Calm down!" Firestar yowled. We turned to them and waited. He pushed through the crowd and sniffed the big patch of blood on my neck. "Its not her blood," he announced. "Its Swiftpaw's."

Gasps erupted through out the camp, only the ones that knew Swiftpaw when we were apprentices, like Dustpelt, Graystripe and others. "You met Swiftpaw?" "What did he say?" "What was he doing down here in the first place?" "Did he say he was well?" "What has he been doing this whole time?" I rolled my eye, "Yes. He said lots of things. His soul was unrested. He wasn't well, you could tell by looking into his black eye sockets. He has been waiting for the dogs to come back so he could kill them." I answered quickly.

Graystripe's jaw dropped and Mousefur padded over, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What? He came back?" This was the first time she was excited about something in a very long time! I nodded twice, "Actually, he has been around ever sense the fight with the dogs and his soul has been rested." I meowed.

Everyone exchanged glances and a few of them left. "You should clean yourself up, Brightheart, you look like you insides are outside!" Cloudtail murmured. I shook my head, "Eventually it will fade. I want to remember my old friend in a way I can see." He sighed, "Alright. Alright, just don't come wailing to me when you fur becomes dry and itchy." He teased, trotting off to the fresh-kill pile. I let out a small 'mrrow' of laughter and sat down in the shade.

Thoughts of the Dark Forest battle reentered my mind and my fur prickled with uneasiness. "What will happen if I don't tell anyone..." I muttered to myself. "What if the Clans aren't ready to fight when the time comes?"