Dewnose yawned and stretched, drowsily making his way into the clearing. His nose twitched as Whitewing, his former mentor and older sister, followed him, grumbling jokingly about the dawn patrol that she was to lead. He shoved her playfully with his shoulder, though his smile did not reach his eyes. "So, who's on that patrol again?"

Whitewing glanced at him, blinking the sleep from her clear green eyes. "Me, Ambermoon, Brightheart, and Ivypool." She paused, looking Dewnose over skeptically.

"And.. Me?" Dewnose guessed, his voice shattering the awkward silence that hung heavy in the air.

Whitewing bit her lip, her pure white pelt bristling nervously. "No. Not you."

Dewnose's brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought that a patrol had to have at least five cats now." He could feel his own gray and white fur bushing up slightly. Why was she acting so weird around him?

Whitewing purred, though it sounded a little forced. "Of course, you're right."

Dewnose flicked his tail, a little irritated at her reserved responses. "So who's the last cat?"

Whitewing went somewhere that Dewnose did not expect at all. "I don't think you should come."

"What?"

"You're the last cat," she responded. "But you shouldn't come," she added hastily.

Dewnose bristled, not entirely sure why. "We went from 'no, not you' to 'you shouldn't come.' Am I on the patrol or aren't I?"

"You're on the patrol," she replied quietly.

"So why in StarClan's name would you tell me not to go?"

Whitewing looked into her younger brother's eyes, her own softening. "Go back to bed," she told him gently. "I'll inform Squirrelflight that you're sick."

Dewnose stamped a paw, a cloud of dust blossoming from the ground around it. He stepped in front of her, his broad shoulder blocking her path, so that he could properly confront her. "I'm not sick!"

Whitewing flinched, but her gaze remained gentle and sympathetic. "No," she soothed. "Of course not. But, please, as your former mentor, your elder, and your sister, I must insist that you remain here."

Her desperate tone made something shift inside of Dewnose. He expected himself to be angry at her, he wanted to be angry with her, but a voice echoed in the back of his head, telling him to back off. Instead of snapping, he allowed his voice to mimic her gentle tone. "Why don't you want me to come? Aren't we friends anymore?" The desperation in his voice made him flinch.

"Of course we are," she purred, looking more relieved than reassuring. "You just seem..." She averted her gaze, murmuring something before replacing it with another word. "Tired."

Dewnose dipped his head. "Fine. I'll rest today." He heard her sigh in relief as he pushed his way back into the den.

As he flopped down onto his nest, his mind wandered back to the word she hasn't wanted him to hear, the word she'd covered up with "tired."

Unstable. She'd called him unstable.

Sort of a warmup chapter. These chapters will be shorter than ThunderClan Falls chapters as well as less frequent, because I'm mostly focusing on my paintings/drawings/etc skills rather than my writing, at least for now.

Sorry?

And, yes, this story will revolve around mostly Dewpaw/nose, since the last one was mostly about Dipper.