The next week or so is delightfully sunny, in contrast with Cinderkit's stark change in attitude. She's always staring off at the distance, her eyes dark and lonely. I want to make her happy, but she won't talk to me.

This morning the yowls of pain are clear and loud in my ears- Foxsong is having her kits. Excitedly, I run to the nursery, ready to meet my new denmates. Mothflight stands at the doorway. I bump into her, but she stands firm, nudging me away. "Later."

I nod slowly, my big blue eyes filled with sadness. "Aww... okay."

I walk out through the clearing to where Bluekit and Halfkit are. They give me their usual squinty you-are-not-worthy look. I make a large frown and proceed to stick my tongue out.

"You younger kits are so vulgar." Bluekit complains. I don't know what the word means, but I glare up at her nonetheless, knowing it's negative just by the way she spits the words out.

"Have you seen Cinderkit?" I ask Halfkit, hoping he'll be more helpful.

"You mean your friend with the creepy eyes? No, haven't seen her anywhere. Thank goodness." I jump on top of him, tiny paws flailing.

"Take it back!" I hiss, extending my dew claws.

A huge brown tom runs over, his blue eyes huge and angry and his face contorted into a hideous snarl. "Get off my kit!" He throws me up and off, my paw smashing against the ground.

Tears form in my eyes out of both terror and pain as he stomps over, leering into my tiny eyes. "You have some nerve."

I open my mouth to say something, but no words come out.

"Tigerfang!" Someone calls. It's Ravenfeather, his mate.

"Ravenfeather."

"What did you do to this kit?!"

I try to get up and run away, but my aching paw holds me there.

"I taught her a lesson. She was attacking my kit."

"Violence only leads to more violence." She licks his ear gently, and turns to me, picking me up in her mouth and leading me to the medicine cat den.

Volcanoheart, an old, gruff cat, gets to work quickly. He bandages my paw, and deduces, "It's only sprained, and just barely at that. You should be fine." He smiles.

I see a silver shape at the side of my vision. "Cinderkit!" Ruffling the bandages, I speed out to meet her.

She's still got those broken, sad eyes and now she's shaking too.

"Your friend looks ill." Volcanoheart says sadly.

"She's always like this." I reassure him, which only seems to worry him further.

She leans in, and grabs my paw.

"Where are we going?"

"Sleep." She says, holding my head down.

I close my eyes and wake up in a pitch black forest. A cat stands over us both, his tufty golden fur dark. "Hello, my faithful apprentice."

She bows low. "Hail Silentpelt."

He beams at her. "You brought your friend?"

She gestures to me, still bowing, and I do the same.

"Now, let's train." The two of them engage in battle moves, most of which I fail at, swooping too high on the overhead clawstrike and falling on my face in the tornado slice. He keeps smiling the entire time, and then, as he starts to fade, he leans in, his breath like carrion. "Do you want to learn more? You can come back tomorrow."

"Let me think about it." I say, my heart pounding, and I wake up in a gasp.

Cinderkit looks indignant. "Why didn't you say yes?"

"I don't trust him." I mutter.

Her eyes grow round and she smiles. "He's my only friend. He promised he would make me the leader of a great and noble clan."

"I thought we were friends!" I yell out to her from her trance, pleading.

"Not anymore." She turns and runs, and I look on at the kit I thought I knew.