"You're up. I thought we'd lost you." Rainpaw was over her, her familiar scent lingering in the air. A warm, pleasant smile graced her face.

"What... what?" Phoenixpaw looked from side to side, checking that she was still alive and well. She sighed pleasantly when she realized that not a fur on her face was harmed.

"You've been out for a day. Riverpaw limped back into camp and said he found your body in the woods. We thought that, just maybe-"

Phoenixpaw felt salty tears splash against her bedraggled fur. "Rainpaw, I'm fine. All I remember was..."

Her voice suddenly turned serious. "Oh my StarClan, the body."

Rainpaw nodded. "Yes, that. You saw it and passed out."

Phoenixpaw tried to get to her feet and let out a yowl of pain, falling back to the floor. "I think my leg's been torn out of socket."

Rainpaw handed her a stick. "Bite this."

Phoenixpaw did as she commanded, "Waith whath?"

Searing pain shot up her body like a lightning bolt. Her eyes were as wide as bowls for a second as she bit down on the stick, every fur on end in pure terror. Just as quickly as it came, it faded to a dull throb. The stick, shattered in two, fell to the floor.

"Well, that's over."

"Yes," muttered Phoenixpaw, "It is."

"Anyways, you did technically pass your test. So, well, we're going to need you outside for your warrior ceremony."

Phoenixpaw bolted out of the den, ignoring the creaking of her leg. Cats were already gathering by the Hightree, pleasant purrs all around.

Moonstar waited up on the lowest bough as always, flicking her tail against the tree trunk. "Petaldust, are these young cats ready to become warriors?"

"Yes they are, Moonstar."

"Riverpaw, Phoenixpaw, do you promise to uphold this clan at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"I do as well."

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Phoenixpaw, you will be known as Phoenixwing. StarClan honors your agility and ambition. Riverpaw, you will be known as Rivertail. StarClan honors your compassion and loyalty. Now, rise as warriors of DragonClan."

"Phoenixwing! Rivertail! Phoenixwing! Rivertail! Phoenixwing! Rivertail!"

Phoenixwing, her feather dangling from her ear as always, looked around the clearing and felt like her heart could burst. Everyone in the clearing was calling her name- no, their names. Rivertail stood beside her, his eyes lit up, and for the first time, she didn't feel compelled to put him down.

Moonstar looked different, almost exhausted. Her stomach was swelled- greenleaf was kind to all of them. Phoenixwing searched the crowd and finally found her. Rainpaw. She was cheering hardest of all, even though her brother was still not yet a warrior and with the lack of apprentices, probably wouldn't be for a while.

"I have something else to announce. We now have two kits over the age of six moons who are ready to become apprentices. Silverkit, Windkit, step forwards."

"Silverkit, you are now Silverpaw. Your mentor will be Phoenixwing."

"Windkit, you are now Windpaw. Your mentor will be Rivertail."

"Silverpaw! Windpaw! Silverpaw! Windpaw! Silverpaw! Windpaw!" The crowd cheered until their throats were hoarse.

The clan fell back into regular purrs and meows, patrols leaving steadily, one by one.

Moonstar looked down at them all, biting her lip.

"What's wrong?" Phoenixwing asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Silverpaw padded up to Phoenixwing. "Where's my mom?"

"What? Wasn't she at your ceremony?!"

Her eyes filled with tears. "She said she'd meet us here, but she's not here. I'm so worried..."

Phoenixwing looked to Moonstar. "Shouldn't we go find her?"

Rivertail nodded. "I'll go with her."

Moonstar replied, "Take the apprentices too. I'll guard camp."

The four cats walked together through the forest, the day dark and moody. Clouds blocked the sky, light gray with patches so black it might've been night. Rivertail, at once, swiveled around, and the others' fur went on end.

"What?!" squeaked Windpaw.

"There was a noise in the bushes!"

"Probably just a patrol." Phoenixwing mewed.

Rivertail glanced warily at the bushes, and continued on. "We're heading towards RainClan territory, you know." Rivertail said.

The river babbled in the distance. Trees let up to reveal marshier ground, and Phoenixwing gaped. "The trail ends here, but I can't see anything!"

Silverpaw asked, "Does the trail continue downstream?"

Phoenixwing looked over at her apprentice with a smile. She had a lot of potential, that much was certain.

The party continued down the stream, Windpaw and Riverpaw occasionally splashing in the river, squealing with kitlike delight.

Phoenixwing considered how much greater her apprenticeship would've been if she had spent it doing something useful, like this, instead of sitting around collecting half-drenched leaves for grumpy cats to sit on.

Windpaw saw it first. The black, wet shape.

No, not so soon after Darkshadow! thought Phoenixwing. She almost thought she caught the smell of fox on the air, she was so certain that Vengeance had come again. The myth that had once been such a load of foxdung had killed the closest thing she had to a mother. Or had it?

Starheart was wet alright, but around her face, Phoenixwing smelled salty tears. She had come out here to see Jayclaw, of course. She felt a pang of sadness. Her foster father's keen absence had never been so strong.

"Look at this." muttered Rivertail.

Clawmarks. Cat clawmarks, right down her belly. Phoenixwing reeled back, terrified of what it would imply.

Surely, Jayclaw couldn't have...

Windpaw lifted up one of Starheart's claws, his eyes full of tears, and there it was, wedged like a reed between rocks- silver fur. Jayclaw's fur.

"NO, NOT YOU TOO!" Phoenixwing dived into the dead body, trying to feel the loving warmth that had sustained her as a kit, but it was gone.

Rivertail pulled her back, and whispered gently, "Come on. Let's get her body back to camp before rats, or worse, Vengeance, gets her."

The kits looked on in terror as side by side, the two cats picked up the corpse and together, carried it back to camp. The patrols were already back.

Nightsky was the first to see them. "Phoenixwing, where did you- no. No way."

The body fell to the floor. Moonstar's eyes were wide. "Who did this?"

"We found Jayclaw's fur between her claws. She must have come over to RainClan territory, and then he attacked her."

The clan burst into yowls of shock.

"But they're mates!"

"He would never."

"Who's next?"

"Could've been the fox."

Raindrop stepped forwards. "Wait a second here."

Everyone ignored her until Moonstar screamed, "QUIET!"

Raindrop swiftly brushed over the body with one paw. "There's no blood on her, and the scratches are ridiculously clean. So there probably wasn't a fight. If you sit here and scent her, you can tell this isn't even Jayclaw's scent."

"Then who's is it? I wanna know who killed my mami!" Windpaw protested.

Raindrop whispered, "Silentpelt."

The camp was silent for a bit, and then Nightsky sneered, "I knew it. I knew it! He was a traitor all along."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Bluewing hissed.

"Yeah, there's been a lot of that lately. You could be a traitor too!" Growlclaw announced.

"Where is Silentpelt? And Longclaw, for that matter." Shadowstorm asked.

"Longclaw said she felt 'cramped', so we let her go on a hunting patrol with Silentpelt." Lightningstrike said.

"When did they come back?" asked Moonstar.

Noone answered.

"We're going to update patrols. Groups of four or higher. If you see any of our old 'clanmates' on the border..." Moonstar unsheathed her claws.

The night air was solemn, and the day that began as the best day of Phoenixwing's life had spiraled into one of her worst. Rivertail and Phoenixwing stood together on the Great Tree, keeping vigil over the sleeping camp in utter silence. Looking up at the stars through scattered undergrowth, Phoenixwing wondered if her parents could see her.

Maybe, she thought, just maybe...

But no matter how many times she scanned the stars, she couldn't find a star that looked like Fire.

Do foxes have a StarClan? she wondered, Do they have anything? Anything at all?!

Rivertail was tense and silent beside her, and she couldn't help but feel jealous of him.

Her parents were dead.

One of her foster parents was dead, the other a traitor.

And she was all alone again.