Snowpaw had been training as a StarClan apprentice for a few weeks now, learning herbs, how to hunt, and how to find shelter, plus some battle training. Silverwhisker and Stonecloud had been very supportive and taught her well.

            As much as she loved being trained by the cats, she really wanted to be in a clan of her own, though she doubted any clan would accept her since she had technically been raised as a rogue, not counting her five moons of being a BloodClan cat.

            Snowpaw still thought about BloodClan some days and wondered what her siblings were up to. She wondered what her mother was up to. Snowpaw still wasn't sure if her mother was dead or not and she still missed her and longed for her mother, though she knew her mother wouldn't come.

            Snowpaw padded into her small camp with a skinny rabbit in her mouth. Leaf-bare was a hard season, yet she was still able to feed herself and take care of herself.

            She sat down on the snowy forest floor, quickly indulging into the rabbit. She sniffed the air, scenting Silverwhisker.

            "Catch a rabbit, did you?" a voice came behind her.

            Snowpaw turned around, seeing the silver she-cat. "Yes, I did. Without your help!"

            "My, you are doing well," Silverwhisker laughed. "Catch me anything?"

            "You're a StarClan cat. You don't need anything," Snowpaw laughed. "Say, where's Stonecloud?"

            "Busy," Silverwhisker replied. "You and I are going to practice some battle moves today."

            "Cool," Snowpaw said, finishing up the rabbit.

            She padded off into the forest with Silverwhisker, ready to learn some moves. She had already learned a few already, though it wouldn't help her in battle.

            "We're going to practice pinning and knocking off, okay?" Silverwhisker asked.

            "Alright," Snowpaw said.

            "Pin me down," Silverwhisker said.

            Snowpaw leapt at the she-cat, landing in the snow as Silverwhisker moved under her quickly. Snowpaw spit out the snow in her mouth.

            "What?! Why did you move?!"

            "A cat will not let you pin him in battle, Snowpaw. You must be quick and fast. Now, try again," she said.

            Snowpaw nodded, leaping at the she-cat again and again and again, failing continuously. After being knocked in the snow again, Snowpaw groaned.

            "Can I just give up now?"

            "No cat gives up in battle," Silverwhisker said. "Now get up. Be fast, vigilant, alright?"

            Snowpaw nodded. Holding her gaze with Silverwhisker, she quickly leapt, expecting to land in the snow again. But no. This time she landed on fur.

            "I did it!" she screeched.

            She held Silverwhisker down, but Silverwhisker knocked her paws off.

            "What?!" Snowpaw screeched.

            "You didn't pin me down hard enough," Silverwhisker said. "But that was a definite improvement from before. Now try again."

            Snowpaw sighed and leapt again, landing on Silverwhisker once more. She held down Silverwhisker with all her might, but the slim she-cat squiggled out from under her.

            "No fair," Snowpaw sighed.

            "Okay, that's enough pinning for now. Okay, I'm going to leap at you. You must try to dodge me, okay?"

            Snowpaw nodded, bracing herself for a flash of fur. She gasped as Silverwhisker came at her, knocking her into the snow.

            Brushing the snow off her fur, Snowpaw sighed, ready again to try to dodge the she-cat. After failing a few times, Snowpaw was ready to give up. But then Silverwhisker leapt again and Snowpaw slid under her quickly, landing on the opposite side of her.

            "Good," Silverwhisker smiled.

            They practiced the move a few times, Snowpaw failing at times, but then succeeding once or twice. Snowpaw layed down, exhausted.

            "I think that's enough practice for today," Silverwhisker said.

            "Silverwhisker, can I ask you a question?" Snowpaw asked.

            "What is it?"

            "Well...what clan are you from? Are you from BloodClan?"

            "StarClan. That's all you need to know. StarClan is united. I belong to StarClan."

            "No, before you died," Snowpaw said.

            "That is a tale you do not need to know," Silverwhisker said.

            "Can you at least tell me how you died?" Snowpaw asked.

            Silverwhisker paused for a moment, tears filling her eyes. But she shook the tears away. "Murdered. I was murdered."

            "By who?"

            Silverwhisker lashed her tail. "You don't need to know this tale!" she hissed.

            Snowpaw gasped. She had never seen Silverwhisker act so vicious towards her. "Did you have kits? A mate?"

            Silverwhisker turned away again. "Yes," she whispered.

            "They must miss you a lot," Snowpaw said.

            "No," Silverwhisker said. "BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL DEAD!" she hissed at Snowpaw. Snowpaw shrunk down, afraid of the she-cat. Silverwhisker seemed to realize she had scared Snowpaw and ran off quickly into the woods.

            "Wait! Come back!" Snowpaw begged. But the she-cat was out of sight. Snowpaw sat, listening to the quiet falling of snow and the rustle of wind through the trees.

            Sighing, she padded back to the small camp, seeing Stonecloud sitting there.

            "Where's Silverwhisker?" she asked.

            "She-she ran away," Snowpaw said.

            "Why?"

            "I-I asked her about her past," Snowpaw said.

            Stonecloud's eyes widened. "You what?!"

            "I'm sorry. I was curious," Snowpaw said.

            "Snowpaw, never ask a StarClan cat about their past. Pasts are cruel."

            "What was so bad about hers anyway?" Snowpaw asked.

            Stonecloud sighed. "You're not going to stop until you know, do you?"

            Snowpaw nodded.

            "I'm just going to be vague here, but Silverwhisker...didn't have the best life. She had a wonderful mate and one day was expecting kits, but her mate, not a full cat of her clan, went off and left her with two kits. A she-cat and a tom. Silverwhisker was protective of her kits, not wanting anything to happen to them."

            "What were the kits' names?" Snowpaw interrupted her.

            "You don't need to know that," Stonecloud said. "But I'll tell you this. The tom was a brown tabby, looking like his father. The she-cat was a silver-blue with eyes that flashed red when angry...One day, the she-cat got mad at Silverwhisker and then Silverwhisker, hurt by her kit, spoiled the tom, making the she-cat feel...abandoned."

            "A-abandoned?" Snowpaw asked.

            "The she-cat wasn't like you though, Snowpaw. She was angry and mad at her mother. And the she-cat...met a rogue in the forest one day. And," Stonecloud winced, "the she-cat made an arrangement with the rogue to kill her."

            "Silverwhisker's daughter murdered her?!" Snowpaw gasped.

            "No," Stonecloud said. "Her daughter didn't murder her. The daughter made the rogue murder her. Then the she-cat's eyes flashed that blood red color. Murderous. No cat knew what she had done, but no sooner did she become an apprentice that she wanted a tom she could not have. She nearly murdered him and was about to murder her lover. But, her brother took the pain and the she-cat murdered her own brother..."

            "That's horrible!" Snowpaw gasped. "Are these cats all dead now?"

            "No. The she-cat is still alive," Stonecloud said. "But you must not speak of this to Silverwhisker nor tell her I told you this."

            "Is the she-cat in these woods?"

            "No, the she-cat lives far away," Stonecloud said. "And you are blessed to be safe from her. Now I'll go find Silverwhisker. You stay here and rest."

            Snowpaw nodded, padding into the hollow log. She couldn't sleep though, not when she knew Silverwhisker's daughter was a murderer. How could such a kind she-cat give birth to a gruesome and cruel cat? Snowpaw sighed. Could she trust Silverwhisker now?