i couldn't believe what i was seeing. rosepaw, sweet, sweet, rosepaw, was confronting rainpaw. her sister. the cat who hasn't talked to her in almost three moons. that takes a brave cat.

i watch from the shadows of the apprentices' den. i'm pretty sure rosepaw already noticed me. i think i saw rosepaw's pretty blue eyes flit over to where i was sitting. she probably didn't notice. the rest of the clan never notices rosepaw or her mentor koisplash. they've always got their eyes on sunripple. rainpaw is like the sunripple of the apprentices. she's stuck-up and always thinks about herself. except me. i'm destined to be her mate. she knows that. i know that. she's even told me! but i don't think i want to be with her. i actually like rosepaw. yes, i know. she's a medicine cat. medicine cats can't have mates. but they can have crushes, right? no cat can stop love, even starclan.

but anyway, about rainpaw and sunripple. rainpaw supports sunripple. i don't. i secretly support koisplash and rosepaw's rebellion endeavor. but rainpaw can't know that. if i am to be her mate, i must support her and her actions. which means i must be pro-sunripple. i hate the thought of me being sunripple's little minions. it's like she's the leader of the clan, every cat bowing at her dainty golden paws.

i watch rainpaw's muzzle wrinkle into a snarl and see her finally growl something out. her muscles bunch up and she runs off, leaving rosepaw in the dust. the small pinkish-gray molly has her head down, and her eyes closed. i his, digging  my claws into the dirt. suddenly my paws carry me up to the sorrowful medicine cat apprentice.

❝ rosepaw? ❞ i say, gazing down at her. she looks up, heartbreak in her round blue eyes. i see something flash in the depths of those dark blue pools.

❝ h-h-harepaw? ❞ she stammers, and immediately looks down to her paws. ❝ are you here to take pity on me? ❞ she mewed, her voice squeaky.

i shake my head. ❝ no. i saw what happened. ❞ i brush my cheek against her shoulder. ❝ what did rainpaw say? ❞ as i do this i feel her tremble a little. i don't know if it's about my question or our contact.

❝ nothing. ❞ she says, turning for the shade and shelter of the medicine den. ❝ it's something a sunripple supporter should know about. ❞ she begins to pad off.

of course i have no clue what she means. ❝ rosepaw, what are you talking about? ❞ he followed her into the medicine den, feeling pain shock through his limp leg. he took a sharp inhale and hopped on three legs. ❝ what do you mean? ❞

rosepaw flipped around, her pelt bristling. her tail was puffed out. ❝ what do you care? you're just a snooping apprentice! ❞ her voice tumbled in a growl. i had never heard her growl, or even get mad before, so i stepped back a little. it's not like i was scared, though.

❝ rainpaw, what did she say? ❞ i said, swishing my tail.

❝ fine. ❞ rosepaw hissed. she padded up to me an whispered something in my ear: ❝ your sunripple-worshippers are planning on killing koisplash. ❞

i was kind of surprised. what was so bad about that? ❝ well, she's alive right now. right? ❞ i said, gazing behind rosepaw into the darkness of the medicine den.

she shrugged and turned back into the dim den. suddenly a loud gasp echoed the herb-smelling room. ❝ h-harepaw... ❞ i heard rosepaw's voice squeak weakly.

i stiffened. i padded farther into the dim den, gazing over rosepaw's shoulder. we were too late. i sighed and rosepaw buried her muzzle in my shoulder fur. ❝ i'm sorry, rosepaw. ❞

and before me lay, in an unnatural angle, the slaughtered body of koisplash. the medicine cat.

and they killed her.