Hello guys! Sorry about the long wait. Again. We're all swamped by schoolwork and as you can see we've been unavailableon here. But this finished a while ago, so without further ado, I present to you the contest entries. Vote for the ones that you like the best!

This is the second entry!

~Blaze

Prompt:  Write a one-shot using characters from our fanfiction, Curse of the Clans!

 "What'cha guys doing?" Silentkit asked, trotting over on delicate, black paws to where Frogkit and a couple others were examining something.

"Buzz off, Silentkit!" Frogkit sneered. "It's my beetle! You don't get to play with us, shadow."

Silentkit stiffened, hurt. "But I--"

"Silentkit!" A soft voice suddenly called. He looked up to see Redrowen sitting calmly nearby. "Come here please!" Her eyes glittered with an unidentifiable emotion.

"Coming!" He called. Frogkit stuck out his tongue and turned back to his beetle. "Yes, Redrowen?"

The she cat smiled gently. "Don't fret over Frogkit, Silentkit, come over here and let me groom you." Silentkit obeyed without protest, letting her thoroughly and gently groom his sleek, black fur. "You'll look wonderful just as soon as I'm done." She rasped her tongue across his ears. "There." Silentkit stood up and stretched. "You look wonderful."

His sleek, black fur glimmered like a deep, rippling pool. "Thank you, Redrowen, but why did you groom me?"

Her eyes glittered again. "You will see in just a second. Why don't you grab a lizard for us to share?"

He dipped his head and quickly returned with a lizard from the fresh kill pile. They were eating in a comfortable silence when suddenly a call broke through the air. "All cats old enough to hunt for themselves, gather here for a Clan meeting."

Silentkit glanced at Redrowen and she nodded, padding up to the old stump where their leader sat. Silentkit swiped his tongue around his jaws and settled down by the she cat.

"Frogkit and Silentkit are now six moons old." Silentkit's heart fluttered with excitement as he realized what was coming. "Frogkit, from now you shall be known as Frogpaw."

The clan immediately began to cheer his name loudly. Frogpaw puffed up his chest with pride and his eyes shone. Silentkit didn't hear who his mentor was as he began to wonder what his clanmates would say about him. Will they cheer just as loud?

"Silentkit will now be known as Silentpaw. Pineleaf, you are a strong and loyal warrior. You make a good mentor for Silentpaw." Pineleaf dipped his head. Silentpaw's heart sank a little. Pineleaf was tough and stern.

A few cats began to quietly chant his name while Redrowen raised her head defiantly and yowled it out.

"I guess our clan will live up to Silentkit, oh, sorry, paw's name for him." Frogpaw smirked.

A few apprentices and warriors sniggered at the comment or smirked. Silentpaw felt his heart drop to his paws and anger burned in his chest, but he kept his jaw clamped firmly shut, not retorting.

"Frogpaw!" Redrowen chastened. "That was uncalled for! Say you're sorry right now!!"

Frogpaw glanced pleadingly at the leader, who growled, "that was unacceptable. Apologize and we will move on." His stern gaze raked across the rest of the clan.

Frogpaw muttered a 'sorry'. Silentpaw's clanmates began to quietly began to chant his name again, but reluctantly and lustlessly. Silentpaw stared at his paws, feeling unaccepted and like an outcast.

And this day was supposed to be special.

~.~.~

"Pineleaf!" Silentpaw looked up from the frog he was eating as Redrowen called to his mentor. "Would you and your apprentice like to join me for a border patrol?"

Silentpaw swiped his tongue around his jaws and stood up. Pineleaf jerked his head and he padded up. "Wait!" Redrowen turned around and Silentpaw glanced over his shoulder. It was Frogpaw. "Echofoot was watching me and she said I could come."

Silentpaw glanced pleadingly at Redrowen. Say no! "Of course, Frogpaw." Frogpaw trotted over and smirked at Silentpaw. Silentpaw held his tongue, blinked cooly at the obnoxious apprentice, and followed Pineleaf without a word.

Frogpaw seemed to try get Silentpaw's fur ruffled. If Silentpaw smelled prey, Frogpaw would announce its presence. Frogpaw would fail to warn Silentpaw of a trailing bramble or purposely trip him up.

But Silentpaw kept a level head and kept silent, which (to his pleasure) seemed to infuriate Frogpaw.

Finally they came across the thunderpath, the border to both Windclan and Thunderclan. Silentpaw stared in awe at the large expanse of black stone. He had never been to the Thunderpath before.

Pineleaf tasted the air and Silentpaw did as well. He nearly choked on the acrid smell of smoke and hard, cold stone. He could hardly pick up a single underlying scent as he tried not to choke. Frogpaw made a disgusted face.

"You'll get used to the smell. And the monsters." Pineleaf grunted.

Bright, shiny boulder-like things with hard pelts and black, round paws roared past, buffeting Silentpaw's fur with hot, stinky air. The roar was nearly deafening and Frogpaw and Silentpaw both scrambled back, terrified.

Suddenly Redrawn tensed and unsheathed her claws. "Rogues." She growled. The other three cats tensed and unsheathed their claws.

Just then two cats popped over the ridge on the other side of the thunderpath. One was a ginger calico and the other a chestnut tabby. The wind was blowing their scent toward the cats, and Silentpaw could smell prey and strange, non clan cat smells. The tabby's blue eyes widened as she saw the clan cats.

One held a plump squirrel in its jaws and the other held a mouse. Pineleaf hissed and bristled. Frogpaw bristled also and Silentpaw glanced around. I smell another cat...

"Stay out of our territory, you filthy prey thieves!" Frogpaw yowled.

Silentpaw heard a rustling of the undergrowth. He turned and was suddenly bowled over by a massive mottled tom. He let out a startled yelp and flailed. The tom raked his unprotected underbelly with his hind legs as Silentpaw writhed, trying to get away.

The two cats on the other side of the thunderpath suddenly pelted over, tackling Redrawn and Pineleaf to the ground. Silentpaw yowled and grappled with the brown cat, Frogpaw, instead of helping the cat that needed the help the most (Silentpaw), ran off into the trees.

Silentpaw struck out with his hind legs, knocking the mottled cat back. He leapt to his paws and skittered back in the mud as the tom swiped at his muzzle with outstretched claws. HIs hooked claws caught in Silentpaw's ears and he hissed in pain as it shredded like ribbons. Silentpaw leapt to the side and crouched, tail lashing. The tom threw himself at Silentpaw and he reared upward, slamming into the brown cat and toppling him to the ground.

Suddenly yowls filled the air as Frogpaw, Echofoot, and and three other cats came barreling into the clearing. Silentpaw's attacker and the calico jumped back, hissing and spitting, before pelting away. The chestnut tabby puffed up, snarling and only slowly backing up.

"C'mon, Chess! We can come back later!" The tabby only hestitated for a moment before streaking off.

"You better not come back!" The deputy yowled at the fleeing cats.

The cats congratulated eachother softly and Pineleaf approached Silentpaw. "You held yourself well for your first fight."

"Thank you." He dipped his head. Pineleaf walked away to talk to Frogpaw.

Silentpaw settled down on his haunches and began to lick his wounds. They fought hard... He thought to himself, swiping his paws over his stinging ear. But why? The elders always say that rouges care only for prey and flee from battles.

Suddenly he heard a small mewing. He slowly got to his paws, not realizing how much his muscles ached until he had sat down, and pricked his ears. He slowly followed the noise to a copse of underbrush and then was able to faintly pick up the scent of warm fur and milk. He slowly peeked into the growth and gasped softly.

Three, brown kittens lay in a ball, mewing pathetically. Their eyes were still closed.

"Echofoot! Come here!" He called urgently.

Echofoot padded over. "What's-- oh my." She stared at the kittens. "They must of been the rogues! Redrowen!"

Redrowen trotted over and stared as well. "What do we do with them?"

"Leave them." Silentpaw whispered. Both she cats looked at him, puzzled. "The rogues said they were coming back. They'll come back tonight for their kits."

Echofoot thought on that for a moment. "Fadedpetal, Hickorytail." She gestured to the two cats standing nearby. "You two may go get Newteyes. You three will guard here, make sure the rogues get their kits, and then see them off. Understand?"

The two cats nodded and headed off back toward camp.

"I'm proud of you, Silentpaw." Redrawn smiled.

"Yes." Echofoot nodded. "You did a good job today."

And Silentpaw's heart swelled so big he thought it might burst.