Skypaw skidded slightly as she stopped where she was. Darkface's amber eyes kept staring at her. She stared right back, unsure of how to react.

After a few moments, she stuttered, "D-Darkface! What are you doing here? Leave!" Skypaw glanced around her, making sure no other cat saw or heard her interaction with the Dark Forest warrior.

"I need to talk to you and Willowleaf," He meowed lowly, blinking once. He stepped out of the bushes, his ragged ghostly pelt visible to any cat who walked by. Skypaw's eyes darted around once more, worried that someone would spot them. 

"W-Why?" She asked, unsure of what to think. She had met this cat before at the Gathering place when Willowleaf was still exiled. Sure, Darkface wasn't a total stranger, but he definitely wasn't a friend or an acquaintance. 

His history made the whole situation much more eerie than it already was for Skypaw. This cat was Willowleaf's littermate, and he was banished to the Dark Forest by StarClan for murdering their mother. Skypaw still didn't know how he died or why he killed their mother exactly, and she wasn't going to ask. Willowleaf would tell her if she wanted her to know, and she understood that.

"Because I have information," He meowed. His eyes stared Skypaw down, showing her that this was important. 

"I - We -" She tried to come up with a decent response, but she simply didn't have one. They couldn't just stop what they were doing! They were in a Clan and they had duties. Hazelflower was still stuck in a ditch and Willowleaf was going to be occupied with the task of attending to her shoulder. We don't have time for this! 

Darkface continued to stare at her expectantly. Shuffling uncomfortably on her paws, Skypaw meowed quickly, "We can't right now."

"Why not?" The deceased cat asked, looking her up and down. "You don't look very busy to me."

"Haz-" Not wanting to reveal anything about ThunderClan's warriors, she stopped herself. "One of our warriors has fallen into a ditch and we're trying to rescue her. Willowleaf is busy trying to help, and so am I."

"Walking through the territory is helping?" Darkface's tone was slightly accusatory. Skypaw knew that it appeared as if she was just wandering around, and she looked away awkwardly. She was growing nervous. If this cat could kill his own mother, he could kill me too, no problem! StarClan knows what will happen if I get on his bad side!

"I wasn't just walking," Skypaw retorted. She definitely did not want to anger the Dark Forest warrior, but she didn't want to appear fearful, either. Vulnerable cats were easier to attack, that was common knowledge. "I was looking for a branch that could help the rescue. I was on my way to the Sky Oak."

Darkface's tail lashed. "Can't you see this is important? I need to talk to Willowleaf at least!"

"She's a medicine cat!" Skypaw argued, "And we have an injured warrior! We can't right now! We have Clan duties, you know."

Darkface looked away, defeated. "Fine. But it's urgent and we need to speak soon. Can you meet me at the Gathering island at moonhigh?" 

Skypaw's paws filled with dread. Another cat she had to meet at the Gathering island? Hawkspirit was one thing, Darkface was another. He was a Dark Forest warrior!

However, curiosity nagged at Skypaw's pelt. What kind of information did the ghostly cat have? Did something new happen in the Dark Forest that her and Willowleaf weren't aware of?

Skypaw nodded slowly. "Okay," She meowed at last. Darkface had traveled to ThunderClan territory in broad daylight to try to speak to her. It had  to be important. "I'll see you at moonhigh."

Darkface nodded. He flicked his tail in farewell before his sheer pelt began to fade. He kept his eyes on her until there was nothing but air where he had been standing. This still amazed Skypaw, despite the fact that StarClan cats had the same ability. All she knew was that she had never witnessed a StarClan cat do it, and she'd be amazed when she saw that, too.

Hazelflower! Skypaw's thoughts were urgent. She had almost forgotten about her mentor, trapped in the cold ditch, surrounded by snow. She had just talked about her to Darkface, but the reality of it had slipped her mind. How could she stand around chit chatting while her mentor, injured and alone, sat down there, waiting to be rescued?

Picking up her pace into a run, she darted for the Sky Oak. To her relief, she saw an abundance of twigs and branches on the sides of the paths around the tree from when warriors had cleared the pathways. Looking through them quickly, she found one that she believed would be able to stand the black she-cat's weight. Carrying it in her mouth, she took off once again at a brisk pace towards the ditch.

Her heart sank when she got to the scene just in time to see the black warrior being hauled over the edge of the hole, her scruff in Bramblefrost's mouth. The rescue patrol had all returned. Everyone had helped but her. 

Willowleaf was immediately at Hazelflower's side, checking out her injured shoulder. Hazelflower winced as she tried to place her paw on the icy ground.

"Where have you been?" Skypaw's eyes darted to Blizzardfur. The white warrior had been the only one to notice Skypaw's return.

"I was looking for a stick," Skypaw meowed quickly. She was stricken with guilt. How could she have thought a conversation with a Dark Forest warrior was more important than Hazelflower's rescue? 

"Duskwave found one," Blizzardfur responded. "She found it right underneath the Sky Oak. I wish I had thought to look there, it was a perfect spot. Where'd you find that one?"

Skypaw realized that Duskwave had most likely been at the Sky Oak while she was talking to Darkface. Thinking quickly, she meowed, "On the outskirts of the territory. That's why it took me so long to get back," The guilt she was feeling strengthened with her lie. "I wish I had looked at the Sky Oak too. It was obviously a lot quicker."

Blizzardfur nodded before turning her attention back to Hazelflower. Petalheart, Bumblefoot, and Rainpaw were beginning to weave sticks together to cover the hole with to avoid more accidents. The rest of the patrol was focused on Hazelflower, who looked uncomfortable with all the attention.

"I'm fine, really," The black warrior meowed, "You can all go. I'm sure there's things that need to be done in camp,"

"Nonsense," Russetsky responded. The shadowy deputy had taken a seat next to Hazelflower. "You're not fine unless Willowleaf says you're fine. There are cats in camp that can take care of everything there." 

"It's not broken," Willowleaf concluded. "But it is sprained. You'll be off your paws for a little while. I assume Petalheart can take over Skypaw's training?" Her tone was questioning as she glanced at Russetsky.

The ThunderClan deputy nodded. "Is that alright with you, Petalheart?"

The snowy warrior nodded as she worked on fixing the hole. "Alright, that's settled. Skypaw will train with Petalheart and Rainpaw until Hazelflower is healed."

Rainpaw looked excitedly at her sister. Skypaw gave an excited glance back, but she felt bad for her mentor. She wished that Hazelflower could still train with her, but maybe it would be a nice change to train with someone else for awhile.

"Let's get back to camp," Russetsky meowed. Bramblefrost and Bumblefoot flanked Hazelflower at both sides to support her on their way back to camp. The three of them led the way, followed by Russetsky and Willowleaf behind them.

The rest of the patrol stayed behind to help patch up the hole. As others got to work, Skypaw watched her injured mentor slowly make her way to camp. Guilt continued to nag at her pelt.

She knew she had to approach Willowleaf and somehow convince her to visit her brother at moonhigh. That would not be easy, but it would have to be done, she had an agreement with Darkface.

Sighing, Skypaw decided her best option was to bury herself in her work. As her Clanmates indulged in subtle conversation, Skypaw's thoughts ate away at her.

No cliffhanger today y'all!

It almost feels weird. I didn't know how to end this chapter without one, so I just kind of awkwardly cut it off. Sorry!

What do you think Darkface will say at their meeting? Do you think Willowleaf will actually go? 

I actually wrote this chapter yesterday, right after I wrote Chapter 5. I'm on a roll. I'm about to go write Chapter 7, so technically I wrote three chapters in one day. It's like it's 2014 all over again, LOL.

Once again, thanks for all your kind messages! Please let me know about the trivia book. As of right now, no one seemed to acknowledge it in the last chapter. I don't know if that means no one wanted it, or if that means no one reads my author's notes. Am I talking to myself? Is anyone reading this? If you are, comment "Darkface is a little loser face."

Sorry Darkface.

Written 08/25/16