The next day was cloudy and cold, an unusual event in the beginning season of green-leaf, though it was probably just a left over storm from new-leaf. The sky seemed to shadow the events that had taken place the day before, and Mosspaw groaned as he got out of his warm nest, padding into the windy camp.

            He looked up, seeing Smokestar talking to Waterdrop and Featherwing. They were most likely talking about the death of Stormfur. Mosspaw knew the two sisters hadn't killed him on purpose though. He had wandered off before Silverstripe had found him.

            Smokestar caught his eye, said a word to the two, then padded off towards Mosspaw. "We're taking a break from training today. Everyone is. We need to recover from the battle."

            "But I feel fine. Spottedmask fixed me up just fine," Mosspaw argued.

            "Get some rest, Mosspaw," Smokestar grumbled, padding away back to his daughters.

            Sighing, Mosspaw decided to check the medicine cat den, though Tawnypaw had not mentioned anything to him about Fernpaw waking up.

            Mosspaw padded in, seeing several cats awake and moaning, Tawnypaw and Spottedmask tending to their wounds. Tawnypaw looked up, staring at Mosspaw.

            "Fernpaw?" he asked.

            Tawnypaw nodded, pointing to the black tortoiseshell who lay in the corner of the den, fast asleep.

            "Did she ever wake up?" Mosspaw asked, Tawnypaw following him over to her.

            "Once during the night, but it was a short amount of time. She hasn't woken since. Her wounds are healing though," Tawnypaw spoke. "I'll leave you with her."

            The calico then padded away, leaving Mosspaw alone with Fernpaw. Mosspaw sighed, lightly stroking the sleeping Fernpaw with his tail.

            "Oh, Fernpaw," he muttered. "Why won't you wake up?"

            He must've stood by her side for hours while the other cats were allowed to leave. Only a few remained as it neared the middle of the day, and Mosspaw still stood in the medicine cat den.

            "You might want to leave now," Spottedmask spoke.

            "I don't want to leave Fernpaw," Mosspaw argued.

            "Look, we'll let you know when she wakes up, okay?" Spottedmask told him.

            Suddenly, Fernpaw's bright green eyes shot open, and she glanced around, staring directly at Mosspaw. "Mosspaw? Wh-where am I? The battle!" she gasped, standing up. Her legs were wobbly though, and she ended up sitting back down.

            "You're fine, Fernpaw," Tawnypaw reassured her. "I was wondering when you'd wake up completely."

            "How long have I been asleep?" Fernpaw asked.

            "About a day," Spottedmask replied.

            "Did we win?" Fernpaw asked.

            Mosspaw nodded. "Yeah, we did, Fernpaw! Er, well, not in a good way I guess." He quickly explained the death of Stormfur and how everyone blamed Featherwing and Waterdrop. He also explained how she had been attacked and how he had hid her in a bush.

            "Gee, thanks," Fernpaw spoke. "I think I can get to my feet now." She slowly got up, managing to stand. She was a bit shaky, but she was soon able to walk around a little. "I need to go speak to Moonpaw," she said, exiting the den.

            "Come back for more herbs!" Spottedmask yowled as she exited.

            Mosspaw followed Fernpaw as she headed to the apprentice den. He entered after her, the apprentices cheering to see that Fernpaw was alive and healthy. "Hey, Moonpaw, can we talk?" Fernpaw asked.

            The two padded outside, and Mosspaw watched from a distance as they glanced at Featherwing and Waterdrop, nodding their heads from time to time. They were obviously talking about them, oh, but if only Mosspaw knew what they were saying.

            As soon as he began to walk their way, they headed over to Smokestar, and the three padded into the leader's den. Slowly, Mosspaw crept up against the den, trying to listen. The first part was muffled, but then Smokestar spoke.

            "Now, Moonpaw and Fernpaw, it can't be that bad, can it? They didn't do it on purpose," Smokestar spoke.

            Moonpaw spoke now. "Yeah, but, what if they did, Smokestar? Cats saw his dead body, and they all said they saw Featherwing and Waterdrop."

            "You two are almost done being apprentices. Why do you need new mentors now? Look, I'll make an announcement to clear this all up, but I need to gather more information first before I decide if they truly killed him."

            It was silent now, and Mosspaw tensed as he heard footsteps. He quickly ran off, watching Fernpaw and Moonpaw exit the den. Mosspaw had to talk to Smokestar! He knew that Waterdrop and Featherwing had not murdered the NightClan deputy!

            As soon as Fernpaw and Moonpaw had cleared the area, Mosspaw padded into Smokestar's den. The tom was eating a mouse, sighing as he picked at it.

            "Smokestar! Smokestar!" Mosspaw yowled.

            Smokestar jumped, turning to see Mosspaw. "What is it? I told you that we aren't training today."

            "Featherwing and Waterdrop didn't kill Stormfur!"

            Smokestar tilted his head. "What?"

            "I witnessed it. They didn't do it, Smokestar," Mosspaw said.

            "How do you know? You don't have any proof!"

            "Smokestar, I saw everything that took place in battle. I didn't get into many fights because I was watching the bush that Fernpaw was in, dodging cats from time to time. I saw you fighting with Cloudstar. You were yelling at him about your kithood. But I saw everything that had to do with Stormfur and Featherwing and Waterdrop."

            "What happened then?" Smokestar asked.

            "Stormfur was fighting lots of other cats before he fought Featherwing and Waterdrop. I saw the blood dripping off of him. He was already severely injured, but he wouldn't stop fighting, Smokestar. Then Featherwing and Waterdrop fought him, and he was even more injured. He hobbled off into the forest, then awhile late Silverstripe found him! They only fought him, Smokestar. He was a fool to keep fighting."

            "Thank you, Mosspaw. I have my information now. I'll make an announcement this very moment."

            Mosspaw followed Smokestar out of the leader's den into the camp. The sun had began to filter through the clouds now, providing some warmth among the cats.

            "CATS OF SNOWCLAN!" Smokestar yowled as he climbed up on top of the rock.

            Cats began to gather beneath the rock, staring up at Smokestar as he waited until all the cats had gathered. "Featherwing, Waterdrop, will you please come up here?"

            Mosspaw watched as the she-cats shook as they padded up the rock. Cats looked in horror, wondering what punishment Smokestar would give them.

            "Now," Smokestar began. "I know a lot has been said about these she-cats and how they 'killed' Stormfur, the NightClan deputy. This is false! I've gotten a witness report that clearly explains why Stormfur died. Now, some cats have said that Stormfur was fighting well until Waterdrop and Featherwing attacked him and killed him, but this is not true. The witness has told me that they had seen Stormfur's wounds before he had even come near Waterdrop and Featherwing, and apparently, his wounds were severe, and he should not have been fighting. His wounds got worse when these two fought him, and he then wandered off where Silverstripe found his body later on. There will be no punishment for these two because they did not kill him! Technically, whoever fought Stormfur partially killed him, so these two are not to blame! Stormfur was a fool, and he should not have been fighting. You two will continue to mentor Moonpaw and Fernpaw," Smokestar spoke, facing his daughters.

            A few cats cheered, though some did not believe Smokestar in any way. Obviously this would take awhile to clear up.

            As the crowd cleared, Mosspaw managed to find Fernpaw. "Hey," he spoke.

            "Hey," Fernpaw replied.

            "Are you glad they didn't kill him?" Mosspaw asked.

            "I guess so," Fernpaw replied. "It didn't seem like a reasonable story to me, but I'll be a warrior in a few sunrises, so it won't be too bad."

            Mosspaw felt sorrow flood through him. It was only a few sunrises now? He had to spend these last few days with her constantly if she were to be a warrior in only a few days.

            "Thanks for uh saving me back in the battle," Fernpaw spoke quietly.

            "Oh, no problem," Mosspaw said.

            "I guess it's nice to have a friend to watch out for you," Fernpaw said.

            Suddenly, Mosspaw thought back to the journey with Snakekit and Ginger. He had friends who watched out for him, and they had died for him. He hoped that didn't happen to Fernpaw.

            "Yeah," Mosspaw replied quietly.

            "Well, I got to get some sleep," Fernpaw spoke. "Exam's in only a few sunrises. Got to do good, you know?"

            "Yeah," Mosspaw replied, watching her walk away. What had happened to their friendship?