Whoop! Another chapter, finally! Sorry it took so long! The first part of this is written in Darkpaw's POV, I hope you like it! I don't know why but I feel like its too short O.O

~Ken

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Darkpaw felt a tiny wrench in his gut. Miniscule, but it was definitely something. He didn't entirely know the reason behind the wrench, but he knew that whatever it was wasn't a good thing. He scoffed and stalked around boredly, hoping that the little wrench would go away.

Venomstar's death had both pleased and enraged him. It had opened up the door for him to get leadership, but the stupid she cat had chosen to pick Shiningoak instead of keep the title for herself, which Darkpaw hoped she'd do. He planned to get close to her, carefully of course, and then he'd take the clan from the inside. He just knew he had to do this before Lionpaw did.

"D-Darkpaw..." Skypaw whispered, approaching him.

"What?" Darkpaw snapped in reply, looking at his brother. The poor skittish tom flinched heavily at Darkpaw's tone, cowering away from him. This had become reflex by now.

"S-Shiningoak asked if w-we want to become warriors..."

"Tell her yes, you idiot!" Darkpaw slapped him over the head, sending Skypaw skittering off quickly. Darkpaw chuckled as he watched, amused by how scared his brother was of him. He stalked off towards camp, but then stopped. He heard an odd noise. He padded towards it, a brow raised slightly.

What he caught sight of made his spine prickle with many different emotions he didn't know how first to react. Lionpaw's body was laying just beneath the surface near the edge of the pool. His body had fallen from the above pool down into the underground one.

He quickly pulled the body of Lionpaw from the pool beneath the waterfall and dragged him into a corner, not sure what else to do with his soaked and heavy body. Darkpaw's eyes remained wide and in shock, and so he just sort of stood there a moment.

"D-Darkpaw... I-is that L-L-" Skypaw's nervous voice sounded from behind him.

"Shut up, idiot!" Darkpaw snapped, spinning around with unexpected speed. Fluffing out completely, Skyfall skittered backwards in fear.

"I-is he dead?!" The nervous tom's eyes were glued to the golden-furred body; he was unable to tear his gaze away from the morbid sight. He darted around Darkpaw to his other brother's side, whimpering. "W-we can't let h-him d-die!" he cried, panic and fear in his eyes.

"He's already dead." Darkpaw lied, hissing. He didn't know for sure, of course, but he would know for sure if he let Lionpaw die. He just knew that he was NOT going to save Lionpaw. No, that would give the scrawny furball something to hold over his head.

"N-no! H-h-he's n-not!" Skypaw stuttered madly, pushing on Lionpaw's stomach. Tears of panic and anger streamed down the tom's cheeks as he frantically tried to save his brother.

However heroic his intentions were, Darkpaw couldn't let Skypaw save him either. The black tom bowled Skypaw over easily, and dragged him away by the scruff. This time was different though. Skypaw's panic drove him to an extreme, an extreme at which he actually stood up for himself. He kicked and screamed against his brother, trying his best to get free, and he ended up having his scruff torn by how hard his brother's jaws were clamped around it. As blood trickled down his shoulder, he spiraled even deeper into panic.

"Let go of me!" Skypaw screamed, his eyes as wide as full moons, all of his claws coming unsheathed. At the sight of claws Darkpaw hissed and released him. "You stupid, stupid tom." he snapped, running off as Skypaw returned to Lionpaw's side.

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Lionpaw's head and chest throbbed sharply in pain. This was the first thing he noticed before opening his eyes to see a sobbing Skypaw.

"I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner I didn't realize you were hurt I'm so sorry are you okay do you feel okay do you need anything are you alive?!?!?!" Skypaw said in a huge rush, sniffing over Lionpaw worriedly. Lionpaw sighed. He guessed this meant he'd failed. Big surprise.

"I'm alive..." Lionpaw muttered quietly, sighing.

"Oh thank StarClan! D-Darkpaw wanted me to let you die... He found you and shoved you into a corner but I stopped him a-and now you're okay." Skypaw gave his brother a large, awkward, lopsided hug. A warm feeling spread through Lionpaw's body at this. Maybe someone did truly care about him.

"Well, Darkpaw can go drop off a cliff. You shouldn't have listened to him. Ever." Lionpaw sighed. He scented the blood on his brother's shoulder and he frowned. "Did he hurt you?" Lionpaw asked with a sharp frown.

"I-I'm fine..." Skypaw said with a soft whimper. As honest as the nervous tom was, he was also a terrible liar. Lionpaw moved away from him and pinned him down gently to inspect the wound. IT was scabbed over by that time, but it still looked all too painful.

"You shouldn't have fought him... I'm not worth your life..." Lionpaw mumbled as he darted around, collecting herbs which he started to use to dress Skypaw's wound.

"I'd rather have that massive scab than lose a brother... How'd you end up in that pool anyway?" Skypaw sat still for Lionpaw, sniffling as his tears finally came to a stop. Lionpaw wasn't sure how to answer that, and so he hesitated.

He couldn't tell his innocent brother the truth, or else he'd feel terrible about it. He'd definitely cry again too. He'd either feel terrible and assume he'd stop destiny from playing out, or he'd feel terrible that he hadn't been there for Lionpaw beforehand. Lionpaw wanted none of this, so he instead inserted a small lie. "I was hunting and I fell..." he said quietly.

"Oh... I'll be sure to tell Shiningstar about that to warn everyone. Wouldn't want anyone else to fall." Skypaw frowned and blinked worriedly. Lionpaw just nodded silent agreement.

"We should get back to camp now." Lionpaw said softly, nudging his brother. Skypaw nodded and stood up, shaking his fur out.

"Do you need any help walking?" Skypaw asked.

"No.. I'll be alright.." Lionpaw said. He took the lead, padding back sullenly towards camp. Skypaw followed close beside him, which Lionpaw appreciated.

He didn't want to go back. He hated it there, and knew he'd hate it even more watching Swiftflame's kit grow up. He didn't want to see her or her kit, and he certainly didn't want to keep living as he'd been living. There was nothing but Skypaw stopping him from running away; although, if he could convince Skypaw to run away with him he would be quite happy. He could settle for that.

As they entered camp, stares followed Lionpaw all the way to the medicine cat den. Camofur rushed out to him and looked him over, picking and prodding at him as if he were some monster, which Lionpaw certainly did not appreciate. He gave a quiet hiss and shoved the other male off.

"Why are you doing that....." Lionpaw mumbled, his fur disheveled by all the prodding.

"You're alive." he said in what sounded like an awed voice, as if he were surprised Lionpaw was still alive. The apprentice didn't understand how that could be possible, since none of the cats in camp knew what he'd tried to do. Unless.....

"Lionpaw!" Darkpaw bowled him over in a hug, but it was all for show. Lionpaw shoved him off.

"You disgusting piece of crowfood!" Lionpaw spat. "You can lie to me but you can NOT lie to Skypaw! He's a good cat and you almost ruined him! And now I'm going to ruin you." He hissed and stalked over to Shiningstar, the new leader. Skypaw clung to his side like a little limpet the entire way over. The poor thing was scared half to death.

"What is going on?" Shiningstar demanded, a brow raised sharply at the two apprentices.

"My brother tried to let me die, let me drown. Skypaw saved me." Lionpaw told him. "Darkpaw's just putting on an act to make you think he didn't know that I was still alive."

"Darkpaw ran and told us you'd drowned, that he found you by the pond and tried to save you but you were already gone." Shiningstar raised his brow even higher.

"He's lying, Skypaw knows he's lying, don't you, Skypaw?" Lionpaw turned to his shaking brother.

"I-I....." He hesitated. Skypaw was more scared of Darkpaw than anything else, but at the same time he wanted to tell the truth and be loyal to Lionpaw. He wasn't sure what to say, so he let his far take over. "N-n-no.. I-I f-f-found Lionp-paw a-and I s-saved him..." he whispered.

Lionpaw's jaw fell in shock. He'd been betrayed again, this time by the innocent one. "They're lying!" he cried, shoving Skypaw off of him in disgust. Skypaw's eyes started to water but Lionpaw didn't even react. "They're lying to save their own skins. But believe what you want. Next time I turn up dead, you can blame those two." Lionpaw snapped quietly before padding off to the medicine cat den.

He curled in his nest and sobbed dry, helpless sobs. He had no tears left to cry, no anger left to scream out, and no motivation left to move. He didn't know what else to do, what else he could do. He officially was back to nothing again. At least he learned where Skypaw's loyalty laid.

"StarClan granted you a second chance. Make the best of it." Camofur warned as he curled up in his nest. Lionpaw just offerent a sigh in return, already curled up carefully with his tail over his face. He stayed in that position for a while, listening to the sounds of Camofur's raspy breaths.

"Hi!" a squeaky voice proclaimed. Lionpaw's head shot up and he blinked.

"Huh?" He didn't immediately see the little fluffball, but when he did he couldn't help but offer him a small smile. "Hello, Goldkit..."

"Hi!" Goldkit repeated, grinning a giant grin up at Lionpaw. The apprentice gave the kit a gentle lick.

"You're far from your nest, little one..." Lionpaw murmured, blinking at him.

"Hi!" At this repetition, Lionpaw laughed a little. He guessed it was all the kit could say just yet.

"Where's your mother?" he asked. Goldkit pointed with his tiny tail across the clearing where Swiftflame laid, fast asleep with her muzzle on her front paws. "It's not good to sneak off, you know." He said softly to the kit, touching his nose to the kit's flank. The kit huffed.

"Mommy." he said simply, his little tail standing straight up, his chin lifted too.

"Your mommy doesn't want me around you..." He swallowed a lump in his throat, keeping a fake smile on his face. The kit huffed again and crawled up the apprentice's flank with his tiny claws. Lionpaw didn't mind the pinpricks of pain as long as the kit was happy.

"Hi..." Goldkit yawned, tired out from all the crawling and climbing. He curled up on Lionpaw's back and dropped right off to sleep. Lionpaw didn't have the heart to wake him, so he left him alone and closed his own eyes. He too soon was lulled to sleep by the warmth on him, and for once his sleep was dreamless.

It was, for a time, anyway.

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Lionpaw's eyes slowly slipped open and he groaned quietly at the darkness and the murky and close feel around him. Above him where several pairs of eyes, and before he could move claws slashed across his sides. Lionpaw hissed sharply and sprang up to his feet.

"Stay away from me!" Lionpaw snapped, his ears back as his fur spiked up sharply.

"You are so weak." Tigerstar said and chuckled. "You sleep like a kit, completely unaware of your surroundings. Well, since you seem so willing to join me and my associates permanently I've scouted out some new talent. I'm sure you know him. He will take your place immediately if you don't at least try and obey me like a good apprentice would do. So far he has been perfectly obedient and quick to learn." Tigerstar's tail swished over the damp and rotting leaves.

"Go ahead and replace me. See if I care. I have no purpose to live left anyway. You lied to me, you said I'd gain power, my life would get better. Swiftflame hates me more than ever and I'm still a stupid medicine cat!" Lionpaw hissed, his ears completely pulled back.

"Patience, stupid kit. Patience. You've hardly followed my instructions, you're guided by your heart and it's hurting you. Listen to me, child, or we will be forced to kill you."

Lionpaw simply scoffed. "Prove it. Prove that you aren't just using me."

"Well, that's for you to decide. It all depends on how well you do in your next fight." Tigerstar smirked at him, laughing. Lionpaw let out a quiet hiss and glared at him. Of course he'd have to fight. He remained silent, his eyes narrowed.

"Who?" Lionpaw muttered quietly, watching the other tom closely. Tigerstar let out a howl and a bunch of the dark forest cats moved aside to reveal a cat with a pelt as dark as night and an underbelly as pure white as freshly fallen snow.

"The new recruit." Tigerstar sneered, his lip curling as he laughed.

"This time I won't let you live." Darkpaw hissed as he stalked towards his brother, furiously lunging at him.

For the first time in Lionpaw's life, he was absolutely sure of what he was going to do.