Froststar passed Coldrose on guard duty as he slipped back into camp. "How did it go?" she asked. Like always, he couldn't read her expression or tone. Coldrose was one of the only cats who knew of his plans with Russetclaw.

"Perfectly," he replied through gritted teeth, slightly agitated about the wound on his shoulder. I shouldn't get hurt in battle. Maybe I'm not training hard enough. I will have to ask Sageweed to give me more opponents. 

That's not a problem with me. 

Right. Forgot you were there. 

Since when am I not?

When you're doing dark forest business or in Russetclaw's head or something. 

True- but you're part of the dark forest business, I discuss nearly everything with you.

Froststar didn't say anything back because he had arrived at the medicine cat den. As he entered the den, he was greeted by the strong stench of herbs. Wishfeather lifted her head from where she was sleeping in her nest. "Froststar? What are you doing here so early?" she asked, sounding surprised. "Is Mistfeather and the kits okay?"

"They're fine," Froststar said. He trotted closer to her and she slipped out of her nest, stretching. "I had a scratch on my shoulder and it re-opened while I was sleeping, I was thrashing around a lot," he lied. It was amazing, how easily a lie slipped off his tongue nowadays. Froststar saw Wishfeather nod in the dim light, but felt her tense muscles as she treated his wound. She knows something happened- but she doesn't know what. I rolled in bracken until the ShadowClan scent was off me, and licked all the blood off my claws. She'll never know what happened, but she might guess when she hears about Marshstar's death.

When she finished, Froststar thanked her with a quick nod. He felt her eyes on his back as he left. I don't like her. I wish she wasn't such a valuable member of the Clan, or else I'd kill her.

When Froststar climbed into his nest to sleep, Sageweed didn't visit him in the dark forest. Still, it felt all too soon when dawn came.

~~~~~~

"Where's Coldrose?" Froststar asked aloud, to no one in particular.

"She says she was training her apprentice Amberpaw," Wishfeather replied, who was outside drying herbs in the chilly leaf-fall sun.

"Finally! I'm done!" came Amberpaw's cheerful mew. Froststar looked over to see Amberpaw trotting out of the elder's den. The entrance to the camp rustled, and Coldrose slipped inside. Froststar frowned, and saw Wishfeather looked confused. Why would Coldrose lie about training her apprentice? He watched as she trotted over to Amberpaw and murmured something to her. Is she going to betray me? Wasn't she talking about something being dangerous?

Don't be paranoid. Coldrose isn't betraying us, she's meeting a tom at the border. 

Ah, I see. Well I don't care who it is, it just means more kits for ThunderClan.

Froststar padded over to Coldrose. "Coldrose." She turned towards him. "Do you think Amberpaw is ready for a pre-assessment?" he asked. She nodded.

"Definitely. She's mastering advanced moves perfectly. She's a very quick learner," Coldrose replied.

"Good. I will test her today, after Silverpaw and Quickpaw take their assessments. Please organize a border patrol, I'll do the hunting patrol," he said. Froststar scanned the camp, which was fully awake now that it was morning. He made sure he caught sight of every WindClan cat. He no longer tried to hide his intentions of wiping out WindClan. Froststar called Flowerbreeze, Firelily, her apprentice Maplepaw, Berryleaf the SkyClan cat, Poppyfeather, Fernclaw, and his apprentice Fiercepaw over. "Firelily, I want you to lead this hunting patrol. Hunt near the ShadowClan border, and try and stay away from Silverpaw and Quickpaw who will be having their assessments. Understood?" he asked. His warriors nodded.

"We'll catch plenty of prey," Fiercepaw said. The little she-cat and Bloodpaw had been excelling in hunting and fighting recently. They may just get what they want of becoming warriors sooner then the others, because if they master everything it's no use in keeping them apprentices just because they're not old enough. I foresee eleven moon old warriors instead of twelve.

Froststar beckoned Ivyclaw and Honeyflower over with his tail. They bounded over, their paws crunching on the dirt. "Tell your two apprentices it's time for their assessments. I've already assessed their battle skills, which are extraordinary, but they still need their hunting skills assessed. Gather them, and have them hunt anywhere in ThunderClan territory but tell them not to start by the ShadowClan or SkyClan border," he said.

"They're going to be so excited!" Honeyflower exclaimed, eyes shining. Ivyclaw turned away from him without a word, and Froststar felt a growl building up in his throat. I'll find out what's up with you eventually, sister. You can count on that.

~~~~~~

Froststar sat on high ledge, gazing down at Silverpaw and Quickpaw. They had grown from the grieving kits to strong warriors he was proud to have in his Clan. He beckoned Silverpaw forward first, and all the remaining murmurs died away. "Ivyclaw, is Silverpaw ready to become a warrior?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, gazing at her apprentice so she wouldn't have to look at him. "She's very tactful in battle and has amazing hunting skills. I don't even think there's anything she'll need to work on," she said. Froststar nodded.

"I, Froststar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn," Froststar began to recite the ancient words. Which I hate. I'm not giving StarClan anything! They didn't help me become the leader I am. Well, besides giving Brackenfoot the courage to sacrifice himself.

"Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Froststar asked. Silverpaw was trembling, but her voice was clear.

"I do," she replied.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Silverpaw, from this moment you will be known as Silverspark. StarClan honors your perseverance and cleverness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Next, he beckoned for Quickpaw. "Honeyflower, is your apprentice ready to become a warrior?" he asked.

"Yes, she is. Her battle skills exceed beyond my expectations, though I wish she'd show a little more interest in hunting. However, I think only time will fix that. I think Quickpaw deserves to become a warrior," she replied. Froststar nodded.

"Then I, Froststar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Quickpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Quickpaw lifted her chin as she replied confidently. "I do."

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Quickpaw, from this moment you will be known as Quickflash. StarClan honors your confidence and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Froststar finished.

"Silverspark! Quickflash! Silverspark! Quickflash!" the Clan cheered. Froststar leaned down so he could whisper to both of them.

"After your vigil, get a good day's rest tomorrow, so then at night, you can come to the attack on WindClan," he whispered. Both of them nodded excitedly.

~~~~~~

Froststar woke up to the Gathering place. What? This isn't the Place of No Stars! He then realized Brackenfoot was sitting on the leader's tree. Oh, not again! I don't have time for this. This time, it wasn't just Brackenfoot. Volenose, Stormlight's father was there. Timberwhisker, Cragstar's deputy before Splashstar was there and his mentor after Brackenfoot died. Honeymoon, the medicine cat before Wishfeather. Cragstar was there as well. Also a few of his former Clan mates. "This is your final warning, Froststar," Brackenfoot snarled. "If you drive out WindClan tomorrow, we will destroy you." Froststar laughed.

"You? Destroy me? StarClan is nothing but a bunch of dead cats that never interfere with the living world, unlike the dark forest." Froststar sneered. "You can't do anything. If you could, you would have a long time ago. But a long time ago has passed. If you really wanted to do something you would have told my followers how evil I actually am. Face it, StarClan. You're powerless," he spat, then sprinted away, wanting nothing more to do with those stupid cats.

Timberwhisker turned to Brackenfoot. "Why don't we just tell his followers?"

"Because, even if we do it's too late for that. They'd just be terrified of being killed by him to fight back," Cragstar sighed.

"I've talked to Wishfeather, but there's nothing I can do, she's just a medicine cat," Honeymoon murmured.

"Honeymoon! I never thought I'd hear you say that," Brackenfoot exclaimed.

"Well, now I am. Because it's true- medicine cats heal and guide their clan mates. Froststar is beyond any guidance. He ignores our threats. He knows they're empty," Honeymoon replied.

"We'll just have to hope for the best," mewed a ginger she-cat named Acornfur.

"We're beyond hoping for the best," Brackenfoot growled. "Because we know the best will never come."