"My eyes hurt! I can't breathe. Help us! Help us please!"

Aspenkit jumped awake, her breath coming fast and hard in terror. The dream had been haunting her since that terrible night. When it first happened, she had been able to make out their individual voices, but now they seemed to merge into one terrible screaming voice, filled with fear and pain. She lay where she was for a long moment as her breathing returned to normal. She knew they were safe in Starclan, and she knew that one day her family would be reunited there... but here in the forest, she missed them.

She glanced over to Robinpaw's nest. The apprentice was sitting up, trying to get a look at his back as usual.

"It won't have grown back yet." Mewed Aspenkit, hopping out of the nest and padding over to his nest.

He jumped a little, clearly having not realised she was awake. "That's not what I was looking for." He replied defensively. "I wanted to make sure it was healing!"

It had been half a moon since the fire. Creekpaw had returned to her training a quarter moon ago once she was satisfied that Robinpaw was over the worst of his injuries. Whenever she had a spare moment, she was in the medicine den with her brother, and at night, would not leave his side. It was a squeeze for both of them to get into the nest, and she had to be careful of his injured back. Aspenkit couldn't help but wonder why Robinpaw hadn't told his sister to stay in the apprentice's den. But then, she thought, the prickly she-cat would probably be offended if he did so.

"Hey Robinpaw." She mewed, clambering into his nest. He shifted slightly to make room for her. "Why isn't Creekpaw spending the nights in the apprentices den anymore?"

Robinpaw settled himself down onto his belly, a slight purr rising in his throat. "Because I'm not there." He mewed. "She doesn't feel safe without me... and truthfully, I don't without her."

Aspenkit tipped her head on one side. "Why's that?"

For a moment, Robinpaw didn't answer. His eyes darkened with pain and his hackles began to rise. She quickly checked to make sure she wasn't touching any of his injuries when he gave a little sigh and with an effort it seemed, forced his hackles back down. Aspenkit was stunned. She had never seen him react like that to any other questions she had asked him. It seemed so unlike him. "I don't know if I'm ready to talk about that." He murmured. "Suffice to say, she's all I have... and I'm all she has. It's the same reason the Blackheart spends so much time with you."

Blackheart had gone back to his duties only a few sunrises after that terrible night, once Poppydust was satisfied that his wounds were healing well, he returned to his duties but ensured he visited Aspenkit every day. In the recent days, he had stopped sharing the nest with her, leaving her to sleep alone at night. She didn't mind. She was glad he was beginning to re-assimilate into the clan life. Occasionally, Tigerfang joined Blackheart in visiting his niece. He never said much, simply sat and watched as his brother fawned over his daughter. Aspenkit couldn't help but feel a little scared of her uncle. He was always scowling. He also bore a striking resemblance to his grandfather, Bramblestar, who had inherited his looks from his father, Tigerstar, one of the most bloodthirsty cats the forest had ever seen. She wondered if he only there with his brother so that no cats said anything about one of the meanest looking cats in the clan acting like a nursing queen. It was seen as unusual for toms to care for their kits, but on the other hand, with Silverstar acting the way she was, no-one would have said a word against him she didn't think.

Silverstar had barely left her den since the fire. When she did emerge, it was usually to fetch herself some fresh-kill and she would hiss at anyone who spoke to her. Even when Ravencall had approached her to inform her that the camp was almost back to normal, she had merely grunted dismissively before walking slowly back to her den. From what she could make out from Blackheart and Tigerfang's discussions, there was mutterings in the camp, not just about her behaviour, and the fact that she seemed to be pretending her surviving kit did not exist, but whether she was fit to be leader anymore. Blackheart always defended her, never saying a word against his mate, but she could see that his arguments were becoming less convinced every time he said it.

Aspenkit shifted closer to Robinpaw. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "I didn't mean to upset you."

He shook his head a little. "I know." He muttered. "You haven't really, it's just a slightly touchy subject. At least you asked me and not Creekpaw, she'd have clawed your ears off."

"Asked Creekpaw what?" mewed a voice. Creekpaw was nosing her way into the medicine den, two voles and a mouse dangling from her jaws. She placed the mouse in front of her brother and nosed one of the voles towards Aspenkit.

"Thanks, Creekpaw." Mewed Aspenkit, taking a small bite of her vole.

Creekpaw just blinked in acknowledgement. "What are we not asking Creekpaw?" she repeated.

"Just questions." Robinpaw gave his sister a meaningful look and she nodded in understanding. "Why haven't you got yourself a squirrel? I know they're your favourite.

"None caught." Shrugged Creekpaw shaking out her pelt. "Bramblepaw said he'd catch one just so I would share it with him..." The look in Creekpaw's eyes suggested that sharing a squirrel with Bramblepaw was very low on her list of things she wanted to do.

"Do you want me to say anything to him?" asked Robinpaw looking concerned.

Creekpaw shook her head. "No, he's harmless enough." She mewed, clearly eager to change the subject. "So I had my final assessment today."

Aspenkit looked up from her vole, her eyes bright with excitement. "How did it go?"

"Heatherfrost is going to speak to Silverstar now." mewed Creekpaw. She didn't seem as excited as Aspenkit would have expected her to be. "Hopefully, I'll be a warrior by tonight."

Robinpaw tipped his head at his sister. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I..." Creekpaw seemed to hesitate for a moment. "I guess I always thought we'd become warriors at the same time. It won't be the same, being a warrior without you."

Robinpaw touched his nose to his sister's ear. "I won't be far behind." He mewed. "I'm so proud of you."

Creekpaw gave a little purr. "Thanks." She mewed. "You need to be the first one to call me by my new name. Promise me you'll be there."

"I promise." Mewed Robinpaw, gently butting his head against hers. "It would be an honour to do so."

"Poppydust!" snapped a voice and all three of them spun around as Silverstar strutted into the den.

The medicine cat had been sorting her herbs but she looked up as her leader approached. "Yes, Silverstar?" she mewed, stepping over her herbs to greet her. "How can I help?"

Silverstar began pacing agitatedly. "I keep thinking about Alderheart's prophecy." She mewed. "What are the shadows? When will they return?" Her eyes darkened as she rounded on the medicine cat. "Well?" she demanded.

Poppydust seemed to shrink under Silverstar's gaze. "I don't know." She mewed. "It could mean anything."

"Well, that catches no prey!" snapped Silverstar. "What was Alderheart thinking, giving a prophecy on his deathbed, the mouse-brained old fool!"

"He wasn't a mouse-brained old fool!" snarled Creekpaw, leaping to her paws before anyone else could respond. "How dare you say such a thing about him!"

Silverstar froze in her pacing, her grey eyes narrowing at Creekpaw. "You know, that is not the behaviour I would expect from a warrior." She hissed. "Tread carefully, apprentice."

Creekpaw's hackles rose and her fur began to bush up, a low growl emanating from her. Robinpaw reached out and gently placed his paw on her shoulder. "You're so close." He whispered. "Just this once, don't."

With what seemed to be a massive effort, Creekpaw's hackles flattened and she even managed to dip her head politely to her leader.

Silverstar seemed smug at the apprentice's obvious discomfort. "That's better." She mewed darkly. "We wouldn't want the clan to think that I was making an aggressive rogue a warrior."

Creekpaw stiffened, beginning to tremble with rage. "I'm not a rogue anymore." She hissed through clenched teeth.

But if Silverstar heard her, she showed no sign of it. "What could he have meant?" she demanded of Poppydust again.

"I don't know." Poppydust stammered, looking slightly afraid of her leader. "If Starclan show me..."

"Starclan!" snorted Silverstar. "If they're as wise and benevolent as they'd have us believe, they would not have taken the lives of four innocent ones." Her eyes rounded in sorrow. "My poor kits." She mewed distractedly. "All alone in Starclan."

"They're not alone!" Aspenkit leapt from the nest and scrambled towards her mother, desperately wanting her to look at her. She hadn't even glanced at her kit since the fire. "They're happy, and they aren't alone."

Silverstar glanced down at the kit. "Who are they with?"

"Alderheart and Sparkpelt."

Silverstar's hackles rose. "Of course his kin would take them. How dare they!" she hissed. "How dare they take my kits."

"No, mama." Mewed Aspenkit, trying to make her mother look at her again. "They're safe there, and they're loved. Sparkpelt and Alderheart love them like parents."

Silverstar's eyes suddenly focussed more intensely on Aspenkit. "How do you know?" she mewed softly.

"I saw them." Aspenkit mewed eagerly at her mother's interest. "I saw them running through the Starclan hunting grounds and Sparkpelt was so happy to see them."

"And why didn't you go?" Silverstar's mew was still soft, but there seemed to be a slightly icy edge to it now.

Aspenkit swallowed, not sure whether she should continue. "Alderheart told me... he said it wasn't my time..."

"Not your time..." Silverstar's voice was a low hiss, and her hackles were rising again. "Not YOUR time. It wasn't their time either!" She began to advance on the tiny kit, her rage palpable and seeming to resonate from her pelt. "What makes you so special that Starclan deems your life worth four of theirs?"

"N... nothing..." Aspenkit stared at her mother, backing away. She heard a rustle of the bracken curtain and wondered if the others had made a run for it, leaving her with her mother's terrifying anger. "Nothing."

"Nothing at all?" demanded her mother, trembling with fury. "Then why would they be cruel enough to take all four of them when they would have been satisfied with your one spirit."

"I..." Aspenkit was cowering now as her mother's face was only a mouse-length from her own.

Silverstar's eyes glowed with pure hatred as she gazed at her daughter. "I wish you had died instead of them." She spat.

Aspenkit felt as though the ground had given way beneath her. She felt a physical pain in her chest as she was certain her heart physically broke and her stomach dropped. She felt a terrible pressure on her neck and back as though suddenly the weight of the whole world rested upon her tiny shoulders.

There was a screech and a dark shape shot forward and slashed the silver she-cat across the muzzle. She yowled in pain before looking back, shock plastered over her face.

Blackheart was standing defensively in front of his kit, his hackles raised, his pelt bushed, every claw extended, blood dripping from his front left paw. "Take. That. Back." He growled through clenched teeth. His tail was twitching ominously. This was a cat ready to fight to the death. Aspenkit felt stunned. She had never seen her father behave like this before.

Silverstar's own tail began to lash as the two cats squared up to each other. "She's not worth fighting over." She snarled. "Or maybe she is, haven't you heard? Her miserable life is worth four other kits' lives." She turned and began to make her way out of the den. "You think Starclan spared your life because you're special?" she shot over her shoulder. "You're wrong. They did it to spite me."

Creekpaw is owned by Hannah Rowe