"You're new mentor shall be Honeyfern."

Jaypaw blinked in surprise. The deputy is my mentor? He felt a shiver of excitement as the cream she-cat bent over and lightly touched her nose to his. "Don't worry about a thing," she whispered into his ear. "You'll have a lot of fun as my apprentice." She straightened up, her eyes beaming with pride as the clan congratulated her.

Then, her gaze suddenly clouded with grief. "Fernleaf should've been here to see this..." She whispered low enough so that Jaypaw barely could even hear her. She blinked, shaking her head. She looked around, smiling at her clanmates.

"You miss Fernleaf... Don't you?"

The clan had begun to head back to their dens as Honeyfern looked down at Jaypaw, surprise flashing across her face. Then she sighed. "You're right..." She murmured, wrapping her tail tightly around her paws. "She was my best friend... I couldn't wait until she was back on warrior duties." She smiled bitterly. "And then she died just before her kit was apprenticed... Then... Then Gorsepaw died too..."

"But Gorsepaw's not dead!" Jaypaw exclaimed.  Honeyfern looked down at him, shocked.

"What in the name of StarClan do you mean?"she asked, flicking her tail back and forth.

"I mean she's alive!"

Honeyfern glared down at him. "Even ask Swiftheart!" He exclaimed. His eyes began to glisten in the bright sun.

Honeyfern sighed. "Just... Please, go to your nest."

Jaypaw opened his mouth to protest but she was already padding away.

"But... It's not even close to moonrise..."He murmured.