"Mousepelt, wait!" The brown she-cat warrior could hear Ravenclaw calling her desperately as she ran in to camp. She stopped running as the rest of the warriors came bolting in. Coldeyes was dragging Frogstump quickly to the medicine den with Brokenjaw helping Snaketooth. Turtlefur held back Moonkit and Ashkit as they watched their father disappear in to the den.

"Mousepelt," Mousepelt spun thinking she'd see Ravenclaw, but instead, Limptail was looking her over, "are you alright? You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm fine!" Mousepelt snapped. She theb saw that Ravenclaw was speaking to Viperfang as she circled him for scars or bleeding. The black warrior kept looking up look at Mousepelt with the haunting blue eyes. She bowed her head. Her heart was aching as her feelings overwhelmed her again.

"No!" The Clan turned and saw Frogstump limp out of the den and fall to his stomach, Coldeyes bolting out after his mentor. "Frogstump, please, I'm not ready!"

"Coldeyes...S-Stop... Mewling like a... A lost k-kit..." Frogstump gasped, the blood trickle down his chin and shoulders. "You know this is the path... S-StarClan... Has G... Given me... And I accept... It..." the white and grey tom coughed and blood splattered on the ground.

"But I need you!" Coldeyes wailed.

"No... No matter where you go... I will walk by your side... On the path... You blaze..." Frogstump then looked straight to Mousepelt. "Mousepelt..."

Mousepelt slowly made her way to the dying medicine cat. She knelt down to face him and looked in to his fading amber eyes.

"Someone... Will betray... You... And those you... Love..." Frogstump whispered, so only Mousepelt could hear.

"Who?" Mousepelt whispered back.

"It... It..." Frogstump then jerked and went limp, his amber eyes clouded. Coldeyes nudged his mentor, but the medicine cat was dead. Mousepelt bowed her head for both medicine cats.

"Goodbye my dearest friend..." Mousepelt looked up to see Jumbledstar kneeling down to touch noses with the dead cat. Coldeyes stayed close as Mousepelt made her way to Frightwing, Goldenpelt, Smoothpelt, and Crazyfeather. "Our beloved medicine cat hunts with StarClan now!" Jumbledstar called out as yowls broke out. Rain began to pour down as if StarClan themselves were mourning the loss of this great medicine cat.

"Mousepelt," the young warriors near the brown she-cat looked up along with her to see Ravenclaw look sympathetically at her, "I-" he was cut off when Snaketooth emerged from the medicine den with cobwebs all over his pelt and he was limping terribly toward Frogstump.

"Snaketooth," Turtlefur walked up to her mate, her ears back with worry, "maybe you should lie down."

"I'm perfectly fine!" The old deputy shot. "I don't need to lie down like an elder!"

"Snaketooth, that wound looks pretty bad," Blackwing pointed out sympathetically, "I'm not sure if-"

"Shut up!" Snaketooth snapped. "I'm fine!"

"I think he needs to retire!" Viperfang meowed loud enough for the whole Clan to hear. "Ravenclaw should be deputy!"

"Snaketooth is perfectly fine!" Brokenjaw defended his friend. "He doesn't need to retire!"

"Look at him!" Smoothpelt spoke. "He's too injured to protect Jumbledstar anymore!"

"Ravenclaw is young and completely loyal to ShadowClan!" Stoneheart called out.

Mousepelt looked to the black warrior to see him sheathing and unsheathing his claws. He then lifted his blue eyes to look in to Mousepelt's. They turned from angry to scared and worried. A huge argument broke out, but Mousepelt blocked out the muffled yowls. She waited for his reaction, but Ravenclaw was quite for a moment.

Finally, he turned to look at the Clan. "Enough!" He yowled. "I don't want to be deputy, I don't even want to be a leader, let Snaketooth do what he wants, allow him to work himself to death if he wants to!"

"All you want to be is a warrior you're whole life?" Viperfang tilted her head. "When most of the Clan agrees you're the best fit to be deputy?"

"When I choose a mate I want to spend my time with her and my kits!" Ravenclaw explained. "If I'm deputy or leader, I won't have that time!"

"You're going to let tiny mewling warriors take your chances of being deputy and leader?" Viperfang cringed.

"Their my own flesh and blood!" Ravenclaw growled. "Or do you have a problem with the future of the Clan with my blood?"

Viperfang lowered her ears and glared toward Ashkit and Moonkit, who were looking up at their injured father as Turtlefur pressed her head under his white muzzle. Mousepelt then flinched when she saw the cold stare of the deputy on Ravenclaw.

"Mousepelt would make a great deputy if she had an apprentice!" Frightwing announced.

"She did almost die for our kits!" Crazyfeather agreed.

"But she hasn't received an apprentice yet, so she can't!" Limptail shot. Mousepelt resisted the urge to yowl out her protest. She didn't want to be anything but a warrior. Thankfully the discussion ended and everyone made their way to their dens. Jumbledstar stayed outside and sat vigil for Frogstump as Coldeyes went to his den.

Mousepelt laid down on her bed of moss and looked over to see Ravenclaw look longingly at her with Viperfang laying close to his fur. Limptail dropped down next to Mousepelt, but she ignored him. She refused to be anything more than a warrior. If she had kits with either Limptail or Ravenclaw, Frogstump's prophecy may take wing.