⌁ Hello again! Rio is writing another one of these; sorry that you're stuck with me :( ⌁

Sagepaw drew in a shaky breath as she ducked her head, padding into Yarrowstar's den. The tortoiseshell tom, with his pelt that was a miracle and his pale green eyes, was shrouded in the shadows of the little area. A blanket of thick, spongy moss had grown over the ground; the thick roots of an oak were stretching above, creating the cavern that Yarrowstar had tucked himself into.

"Hello, Sagepaw," the tom meowed in a deep, unshaken meow. "Larkshine will be here in a few moments." She gave a short nod, hardly processing the words as she seated herself on the moss.

The white she-cat gnawed on the inside of her cheek as her mind started to run rampant. I can't let them find out about Viperfang, she thought with a wave of panic that tore through her body. They won't understand! I'll be exiled from ShadowClan! Sagepaw couldn't stop herself from standing and bolting. She exited the den, hearing Yarrowstar's half-hearted cry. The ShadowClan apprentice passed Larkshine, whose yellow eyes followed her as she sprinted past the boulder, through the tunnel, and out of the ShadowClan camp.

She flew through the trees, her pelt just a blur through the forest. Sagepaw could hear the loud, echoy pawsteps of Yarrowstar behind her; his heavy breaths were audible as the apprentice tossed a glance over her shoulder, spotting the heaving flanks that belonged to her Clan's leader. As she was facing behind her, Sagepaw felt her face hit something.

A tree!

She had run into a tree. Dazed with pain and shock, the white she-cat dropped into a pile of fur on the forest floor. A stick poked into her side as Yarrowstar's anxiously wide green eyes entered into her field of vision. 

"Are you alright?" the tortoiseshell tom fretted. "Do you need help? I can have—"

Now Larkshine's eerie yellow eyes were crowding above her. "She's probably fine," the medicine cat dismissed. "Luckily you managed to hit your head right next to a willow." Sagepaw could hear some rustling as the black-and-white tom turned around and started gathering herbs, Yarrowstar following. The toms' muttering was audible: ". . .why would she run. . . secrets to hide. . . shaded woods. . . starless—"

Sagepaw's thoughts were abruptly punctuated as Larkshine shoved a bundle of willow leaves in her muzzle. The she-cat choked on the bitter herb; she scrambled to her paws, spitting out the sheaf of the plant. "You could give me a bit of a warni—!" the white she-cat meowed sharply, but her words were broken as her body swayed and her mind grew dark with dizziness.

With a touch more of gentleness, Larkshine hooked a clump of the willow leaves on his claw, dangling it over her vision. "Willow incoming," he meowed in a dry voice before giving his paw a shake and dropping the herbs into her mouth. 

Obediently, Sagepaw swallowed, and the dizziness slowly cleared from her head. She warily stood up, stretching out her paws before recalling her flight with a jolt. 

"I, uh. . ." Sagepaw's mind was blank. There was no excuse; there was no hiding from her mistakes. She would simply have to go with whatever she was punished with. "I'm sorry!" the she-cat blurted out.

Yarrowstar let out a chuckle; Sagepaw had almost forgotten that he was here. "It's okay. I didn't mean to scare you off. Now, with your brother. . . why did you claw him? Did you mean to?"

She shook her head. "No, not at first. Well, not at all." 

Larkshine tipped his head to the side. "So. . . so you're saying that it was an accident? According to Pinebark's account, you charged at Quailpaw. I hardly think that qualifies at an accident. . ." The black-and-white tom's eyes seemed to bore a hole into Sagepaw's pelt; the white apprentice shifted uneasily, her brown-furred ears hot with embarrassment.

"I wasn't in control. I can't remember any it," Sagepaw meowed, glad that her statement was at least half-true. "I would never hurt Quailpaw!"

The medicine cat let out a snort. "And, under normal circumstances, you couldn't! Pinebark also told me that you had an unnatural amount of strength. Your mentor is one of the strongest cats in the Clan, and even he could barely pin you down!" 

She shrugged.

Yarrowstar narrowed his eyes, leaning forward. "Have you had any strange dreams lately?" he asked bluntly.

Sagepaw tipped her head, trying to come up with a lie. "Well, the o—other night, I was dreaming about being in this beautiful forest, and I saw this big fat mouse just sunning itself like a RiverClan elder. I started chasing it, and I was a whisker away when Clou—"

"I said strange, not usual dreams," the leader muttered crossly.

Pleased with her antics, Sagepaw ducked her head slightly. "Well you didn't let me finish!" she protested. Yarrowstar gave her a meaningful look, and the apprentice shut her trap. "Well, I did have this weird dream when I was in a whole 'nother forest." 

She had to give them a bit of hope. Maybe they'll fall into my trap!

Larkshine certainly had. The black-and-white tom was apprehensively leaning forward, his tongue poking out the side of his muzzle. "Was this forest. . . was it dark and mysterious?"

Sagepaw tried to look like she was thinking hard about the question. "Well, there were a lot of shadows. And the sky, there were too many stars to see! It was like looking at one of the Twoleg mini-suns."

The medicine cat drooped with disappointment. "Well, were there any strange cats in your dreams? A Tigerstar, Hawkfrost. . ." He trailed off.

Sagepaw just shook her head. Anything more, and their suspicions would rise.