Hello my friends!

This is the third to last chapter. Next one will be big, and then the one after that is the finale.

The answer to the last quiz was pretty simple. Thunder stood for Stormkit and Bird for Featherkit. And Thunderbird is a common mascot, so...... yeah.

Since this is the third to last chapter, it won't be super long, 900 words at the most.

Sowy. 

THIS IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!

THERE HAS BEEN A MAJOR TIME-SKIP. WE WERE JUST IN FOREST OF SECRETS, WE ARE NOW IN A DANGEROUS PATH!!

I'm posting this before anyone responded to the question, so no one gets a cookie.

Except for poor Dustpelt.

Here ya go bud:

(::)

FIREHEART

With my new Deputy duties, my life had become way busier than it had ever been. Just yesterday little Snowkit was carried off by a hawk, and I feel like it was partly my fault. I wasn't there for him, and I just watched as he got carried off, not even attempting to leap at the hawk and drag him down.

Sure, I had sent Brackenfur after the hawk to try to chase it down, but I knew that it wasn't going to work, I just did it to calm Speckletail down a little. She had now become an elder, but didn't really seem to like me anymore.

Well, she didn't like me in the first place, but still. I'm the deputy now. It means more to me.

Now I feel like I've let my clan down, and the elders aren't sure about me as well, because I was chosen as Deputy after midnight, a few hours after Tigerclaw betrayed us.

The only one who's been the is Sandstorm. Greystripe and Silverstream were too preoccupied with their kits to care about how I was doing as Deputy.

I padded back to the warriors den after I finished dishing out patrol duties. I was looking to wake up Sandstorm and then perhaps take her hunting and ask her the burning question.

(I was going to make a funny joke here but that would be mean to Fireheart)

But of course, I assume you would already know what the question is, so I don't have to say anything.

I prodded Sandstorm lightly with my nose. "C'mon, get up. It's almost sunhigh."

"Huh- OH SHOOT I'M LATE FOR MY PATROL!" She got up and tried to groom her fur as fast as she could.

I let her continue on for a bit before saying, "Relax, Whitestorm was willing to take your spot. You have the day off."

She looked at me mid-groom. "And you didn't tell me this the second I woke up?"

I shrugged my shoulders, trying not to look guilty. "What? It was funny watching you rush."

She took her paw away from her tongue and cuffed me over the head. "Yeah, don't do that again. I thought Bluestar was going to kill me."

"I mean, she really doesn't seem in the mood for killing anyone..."

It was true. Ever since Tigerclaw betrayed us, Bluestar's mental health seemed to be rapidly decreasing. I do feel bad for her though. She's had to go through three deputies in a pretty short period of time. Bluestar would get mad really easily, refuse to answer some questions, and even gave most of her jobs to me.

"You want to go hunting?" Sandstorm's voice brought me out of my thought process, and I looked over to her.

"Uh, yeah sure. I was going to ask you that, that's why I came in here."

She prodded me, "I know idiot. We can read each other's mind, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I totally knew that."

I didn't show it, but I heard her chuckle, "Furball."

SANDSTORM

No, of course I hadn't read his mind.

I just needed an excuse for asking to go hunting. and I got lucky that he was going to ask me.

But yeah, I won't intrude on other people's thoughts unless I have to or I'm messing around. And I was too tired to mess around.

We padded out of the den, and since Fireheart was the deputy, all he did was tell Brackenfur that he was in charge of the camp until he got back. It was a good choice, as the only other cats that wasn't currently expecting were Darkstripe and Fernpaw, and Bluestar was in no shape to be in charge.

And nobody likes Darkstripe.

We padded out, and Fireheart instinctively went towards the border with the twoleg place.

"You want to hunt over here? But doesn't this place bring you bad memories?"

He shook his head. "Sometimes, but today I want you to meet someone."

I had a feeling of who this cat was, but I wasn't going to ruin the joy of me being surprised for him.

We padded up to a small, brown twoleg den, and Fireheart leapt onto the fence. He looked down, and his expression changed to a happy one when he spotted a brown tabby cat.

"Princess!"

Like I said, a short chapter. Not even 800 words.

HOWEVER!

I needed this one to be short so I can write a bit of a longer one next time.

Well, now that I think about it, I don't really know how long it's going to be.

But now I need a new quiz!!

How do you think the book is going to end?

Remember, The next chapter is not the last one, it's the second to last.

Okay tha's all! Bai Bai!

-Maple Is Ready To Write A New Story