Featherpaw saw Stormpaw and Hawkpaw glaring at each other from the other side of the clearing. She let out a sigh, guessing there was some sort of rivalry between the two toms. "You should try getting along," Featherpaw suggested to her brother. "You might be the best of friends." 

"No way!" Stormpaw replied. "Hawkpaw and I will never be friends. He sneered about us in front of the whole Clan!" 

"Don't let it get to you," Featherpaw mewed softly. "Hawkpaw isn't worth getting angry at even though he's Tigerstar's son." Stormpaw let out a sigh. 

"It's just that cats think I'm better off in RiverClan because our mother was a RiverClan cat," Stormpaw sighed, looking away from Hawkpaw. "I just want to feel like a cat of TigerClan despite being half-Clan." 

"Hi!" Sorrelkit squealed, bouncing slightly on the spot. Featherpaw's blue eyes lit up with warmth as she stared at the tortoiseshell-and-white she-kit. 

"Hello, Sorrelkit," she returned the kit's greeting. "What's happening that makes you so excited?" 

"I'm going to be six moons in a few sunrises!" Sorrelkit replied. "I'll be joining you in the apprentices' den with Sootkit and Rainkit!" 

"I don't think that'll happen just yet," Stormpaw told the kit. "Tigerstar said he'd only make --" 

"Apprentices warriors," Featherpaw interrupted. "He never said anything about kits becoming apprentices." 

"Sootkit told me you thought he was pretty," Sorrelkit mewed to Featherpaw, trying to stifle laughter. Featherpaw blinked. 

"When did I say that?" Featherpaw questioned, sounding confused.  

"Brokentail and Tigerstar are the least pretty cats ever. Any cat looks better than them without even trying," Stormpaw mewed. 

"I heard that!" a voice full of anger rasped. The apprentices turned their heads, seeing Brokenstar, who was crawling towards them, his blank eyes just staring ahead of him.  

"He should be renamed Brokenlegs," Stormpaw whispered, giggling slightly. "It looks like he lost track of how to use his legs as well as how to see!" Featherpaw shot Stormpaw a silencing glare. Although Brokenstar was a really bad cat, Featherpaw didn't like how Stormpaw made comments about him. 

Featherpaw was just that kind of cat that didn't like it when cats were teased - she would never do that, unlike Stormpaw. 

"Sorry, evil one," Stormpaw replied to the elder. "I never thought an elder could be a bad cat until you came along." 

"If I weren't blind I'd claw your fur off so you'd look like a rat's tail," Brokenstar spat. "You wouldn't be laughing now, would you?" 

"I can just go to the Carrionplace and ask for some rats with no fur," Stormpaw answered. "How may we help you now, former leader?" 

"You could help by shutting your mouth," Brokenstar replied. "Would you like to hear something interesting?" 

"I guess," Featherpaw replied with hesitation.  

"Tigerstar is taking over all the Clans," Brokenstar began. "He told me so. I believe he's going to force RiverClan and WindClan into making them join his Clan. Sorrelkit, here's some treats for you for listening to the elder's." Brokenstar held out some delicious looking red berries in his paws. 

Featherpaw was surprised he could even pick anything up since he was blind. Sorrelkit stared at the red berries, licking her lips, while Featherpaw got this foreboding feeling flood through her like a river flooding the forest. 

Snowkit had joined the four cats and saw the berries, looking happy as his blue eyes brightened up. Featherpaw guessed Brokenstar felt Snowkit's presence. "Can I have one?" 

"Wha - of course you can. . . Snowkit. They're really delicious, I can tell you that." Snowkit happily took one of the berries and began eating it. A smirk began to appear on Brokenstar's face that surprised Featherpaw. 

"Fool," Brokenstar commnted to Snowkit. "Those are deathberries. They poison you." Featherpaw froze in utter terror as she knew Snowkit was going to die for eating that deathberry. Brokenstar's killing Snowkit! she thought with alarm. 

Snowkit's eyes were full of terror and then he fell to the ground, unmoving. Featherpaw was struck by horror at what Brokenstar did to the poor Snowkit. Brokenstar threw the deathberries at Sorrelkit's paws as Speckletail rushed over to her kit. 

"Snowkit!" she yowled. "What's wrong with him?" She noticed the red berries by Sorrelkit's paws, anger blazing in her eyes for only a few heart beats before turning to sadness. "You monster of a kit!" 

"Sorrelkit didn't feed Snowkit death berries!" Featherpaw told the TigerClan queen. "Brokentail fed him death berries."  

"Brokenstar is death and cannot see," Speckletail told the apprentice. Brokenstar gave a nod. 

"It's true that it was not me, Speckletail," Brokenstar meowed, trying to sound innocent as possible. "I was simply going to warn Snowkit but he couldn't hear me. Since I was blinded I cannot commit evil, therefore my days of evilness are over." 

"Snowkit was deaf," Stormpaw told Speckletail. "He couldn't hear and Brokentail most certainly didn't warn him or at least try to." Sorrelkit's eyes were full of sadness and she kicked the death berries away with her paw. 

"There was nothing wrong with Snowkit!" Speckletail retorted. "Snowkit was like the other kits and he was going to be the greatest warrior. He's dead because of Sorrelkit!" She then grabbed the dead white kit by the scruff, marching over to Tigerstar's den. 

Brokenstar was going away from the three kits, Sorrelkit being full of horror.  

"It's okay," Featherpaw mewed reassuringly. "It was Brokenstar's fault Snowkit died, not your's." 

"Queens can be protective of their kits so that's why Speckletail snapped at you," Mothpaw mewed to Stormpaw. "I got told that back in RiverClan."

It had been a few sunrises since Snowkit's death. Sootkit, Rainkit and Sorrelkit were now Sootpaw, Rainpaw and Sorrelpaw. Sorrelpaw was made an apprentice because Tigerstar didn't care about Snowkit's death, mainly because the poor kit was deaf and wouldn't make much use as a warrior. 

Ferncloud, much to Featherpaw's surprise, moved into the nursery as she was expecting Dustpelt's first litter of kits. Ferncloud had only just been made a warrior a few sunrises ago and now she was a queen. 

Stormpaw and Hawkpaw still clashed with each other at the occasional times and Featherpaw and Mothpaw had to stop the two toms. Tigerstar seemed to be up to something as he mainly left the Clan most of the time, leaving Blackstar and Longtail in charge.  

Featherpaw half expected Blackstar to be stripped from his leader name for protecting her and Stormpaw from Darkstripe and Longtail. Featherpaw hated that day for Goldenflower and a few other cats were killed.  

Tigerstar always seemed to be enjoying fights when they broke out, a strange hunger always appearing in his piercing eyes as he watched closely. It was as if battles were all he wanted and all he cared about was spilling blood.  

Although Featherpaw didn't get to know Bluestar, the previous leader before Tigerstar, she wished she was still alive so Tigerstar wouldn't be leader. Tigerstar made up a new rule that all kits must train to be apprentices at the age of three moons. Of course, there were no new apprentices as there were no new kits in the Clan. 

Then again, Ferncloud's kits would become 'paws at three moons once they were born. Featherpaw sighed, wishing Tigerstar wasn't so cruel to cats like he was. If there was some hope on something bad happening to Tigerstar, no matter what it was, Featherpaw would be grateful for it. 

She began wondering if any cat felt the same way she did, being sick of Tigerstar so soon. It was hard to be disrespectful about the dark tabby or not obeying orders as he'd always somehow know about it. It was as if he had ears everywhere in the camp and forest; as if he had spies hiding around to listen to any conversation. 

Featherpaw missed her father, Greystripe, and wished Silverstream, who had died baring her and her brother, was alive so she'd get to know her. Although Stormpaw tried to focus more on becoming a great TigerClan warrior she knew deep down he missed his parents as much as her. 

Speckletail blamed Tigerstar for not teaching Sorrelpaw a lesson for "feeding" Snowkit death berries. Featherpaw was much too taken by surprise at Sorrelpaw even coming an apprentice. Ferncloud always had a look of worry in her eyes ever since she was pregnant and Featherpaw guessed she didn't want her kits to become apprentices at three moons old. 

Goldenflower had told Featherpaw and Stormpaw about how Brokenstar had made kits apprentices at three moons old, making most of them die from being attacked or eventually dying from their wounds. Littlecloud had been one of them and had started taking a liking to medicine duties for some reason. 

For as long as Featherpaw could survive living in the nightmare of TigerClan she knew she could never feel safe until she joined StarClan, away from Tigerstar's laws. Fireheart could have stopped Tigerstar, Featherpaw thought. I do believe Fireheart tried saving Bluestar and that Tigerstar murdered her.

*** 

Fireheart was standing outside the barn, staring 

up at the star-covered sky that brightened up the darkness. The moon hung above the forest, shining brightly with its light reflecting on objects. Sandstorm joined the ginger tom, staring at him.  

"What is it, Sandstorm?" Fireheart asked the pale ginger she-cat, his gaze meeting hers.  

"I just wanted to apologise for, you know, leaving you out there," Sandstorm replied. "It's just that . . ." 

"You thought I love Spottedleaf more than you?" Fireheart finished as if he knew what Sandstorm was going to say. "I love you more than anything, Sandstorm. You will never be second best to me." 

"You're just saying that," Sandstorm muttered. "I don't mean as much as Spottedleaf does to you." 

"Sandstorm, I love you, not Spottedleaf. You will always be the one cat I love -always. I value more than anything in the forest and nothing - and I mean nothing - can replace you." Sandstorm brightened up slightly, though she still looked slightly upset. 

Sandstorm opened her mouth to say something but closed it, letting out a sigh instead. Fireheart continued to stare at her, eyes full of warmth. "I'd go anywhere with you, Sandstorm. No matter how far it is or how long it takes, I'd always go with you." 

"You'd do more for Spottedleaf," Sandstorm argued, her pelt bristling slightly. "You've always loved her and you always will. I even overheard you, Fireheart!" 

"Spottedleaf's destiny lay in the path of a medicine cat," Fireheart pointed out calmly. "She seemed dedicated to it and wouldn't have left her position. You are the one cat I care for most over anything. I'd give up my life just for you to be safe, you know." 

"Would you really?" Sandstorm asked. She seemed to be turning less angry than she was before. Fireheart nodded. 

"Of course I would. I'm sorry if I made you feel unloved, Sandstorm, I really am," he meowed. Sandstorm let out another sigh. 

"It's okay, Fireheart." The two cats noticed Cinderpelt, who was staring at them with happiness in her blue eyes. Neither of them had noticed Cinderpelt was even with them. 

"It's good to see that you two made up," she meowed. "You two were meant for each other by StarClan."  

"How long have you been here?" Sandstorm asked the dark grey she-cat. Cinderpelt stared at her. 

"Long enough to hear you two have made up with each other," Cinderpelt replied. "I knew there was something troubling you especially, Sandstorm, but I did not say anything." 

"I'm guessing you couldn't sleep either," Fireheart mewed to the former medicine cat. Cinderpelt gave a nod. 

"Greystripe's as loud as a monster, if not more," she began. "I bet any prey could hear him from a long distance!" Fireheart gave a shrug. 

"Greystripe's always been like that, I can tell you," he replied. Cinderpelt was now staring up at the stars of Silverpelt, something beginning to cloud up in her eyes. "What's wrong, Cinderpelt?" Cinderpelt's eyes were removed from the stars. 

There was a flash of a river filling up with blood as a dark tabby raced through the forest, the wind blowing at his back as he dived into a clearing full of cats. Cinderpelt stared at Sandstorm and Fireheart. 

"I saw a river - a river of blood - and a dark tabby with wind blowing behind him," Cinderpelt began to explain. "I think StarClan sent me some kind of omen. . ." She sounded troubled.  

"It must mean something important, surely?" Fireheart questioned. Cinderpelt gave a shrug, unsure if it was important or not. Then again an omen was something you always had to think hard about which most likely meant something was going to happen later.