"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join us under high rock for a clan meeting!" Ashstar called out. It was the next day. The two apprentices where the first in the clearing. The rest of the clan started to swarm around them. DarkMoss sat outside of the nursery, her kits sitting next to her. Silverpatch sat down next to Starkit. Finchwing had decided to stay in the den, but her three kits where out watching.
"We have two new warriors that need their names. Snowpaw and Quailpaw." The leader told her clan. Snowpaw's pelt lightly prick when her name was called.
"Quailpaw. You have shown courage and strength with your training. You will be an amazing warrior with time and patience, your warrior name is Quailfeather." All of BirchClan's warriors cheered the tom's new name.
"Snowpaw, you have shown great loyalty and empathy with your training. Your new name will be Snowfall." The clan cheered the white warrior's new name.
"You will sit vigil tonight. We will not be without apprentices for long, within two moons, we will have 3 new apprentices." DarkMoss glanced over at Whitekit, Sapkit and Hollowkit, they looked at each other with a bit of confusion, with quickly turned to excitement.
"Clan dismissed."

"Where did Thistle go?" Thrushkit asked. Thistle had disappeared after their argument. She wanted to be worried but she kept telling herself why should she care about a Fox-heart like that?
"He, went a way." DarkMoss made up real quick. Silverpatch looked over question beaming in her eyes.
"Will he come back?" Starkit added in.
"I-I don't know. Now go play guys, but don't get under any cat's paws." DarkMoss told them, Silverpatch let her kits play too.
"What happened?" Silverpatch asked.
"We got into a bad argument. We can't be friends anymore." DarkMoss told her, looking down at the frozen ground with a bit of frost.
"Are you still mates?" Silverpatch asked.
"No, where not even clan-mates." DarkMoss felt anger rise in her, but she managed to push it back.

"How can you not be clan-mates?"
"It's not the time or place." DarkMoss answered after a moment of thinking.
"How bad could it be?" Silverpatch inquired.
"I'll tell you when I'm ready." DarkMoss nearly snapped.
"Do you want to hunt for a bit, to get things off your mind?" Silverpatch said after a sigh.
"Will you watch my kits?" Silverpatch nodded. DarkMoss got up and stretched. She headed to the entrance, trying to pass by her kits without them realizing that she was leaving.

"Where are you going?" Honeykit asked quietly.
"I'll be back in a bit, listen to what Silverpatch says, okay?" DarkMoss told the small calico kit.
"Okay!" She bounded back to her littermates. DarkMoss quickly slipped out of camp before anyone else asked. DarkMoss headed to the willow tree near the lake, hopping to stumble on a squirrel.

DarkMoss slightly opened her mouth once she got to the willow tree. She caught a faint whiff of a mouse, then one of a rabbit. She followed where the sent lead, creeping over rocks and frozen moss near the lake. The trail led to Fallen Tree. She looked ahead, seeing the grey rabbit hop near the tree, unaware of a cat stalking it. DarkMoss took a silent, deep breath before creeping closer. Somehow she made some leaves crackle, causing the rabbit to dart. DarkMoss hared after it, heading up to the waterfall.

DarkMoss managed to catch up with it about half way to the ravine. She swiped her paw at it's back legs, her paw caught it's leg, making it fall. She quickly jumped up onto the squirming rabbit, struggling to bite it's neck. It let out a squall as DarkMoss managed to get a killing bite. She stepped off of the rabbit once it quit moving, only then realizing that it was quite small, only enough to feed three cats with a decent amount. She grabbed the rabbit, throwing it back down when it gave another kick. DarkMoss decided to head back after not catching something after a long while of waiting.

It nearly didn't feel right, not seeing Thistle when she walked in, and without knowing where he was. As soon as she stepped foot into the clearing, her kits was at her side or underneath of her.
"Did you catch that?" Creekkit asked, her eyes wide. DarkMoss nodded, knowing that it would be useless to try and talk through it's thick fur. It was nearly nightfall. DarkMoss had hunted through out most of the day, the warrior ceremony was at sun-high. She placed the prey on the small prey pile. She grabbed a small vole near the bottom and headed to the nursery.

"Thanks, Silverpatch." DarkMoss told the grey and white queen when she stepped in. Silverpatch just purred lightly in response, happy that DarkMoss had lighten up. "Did they behave?"
"Yeah, other than someone wanted to follow a patrol out of camp." Silverpatch looked at Thrushkit, who avoided DarkMoss' glare.
"Starkit made me do it!" Starkit looked over at the tan tabby tom before looking at DarkMoss confused.
"I didn't do anything!" He protested.
"Thrushkit, don't do that again." DarkMoss told the kit while she laid down in her nest. Her kits at her belly.
"I won't." He hung his head low.
"Now lets get some sleep." DarkMoss let out a long yawn, causing nearly everyone to yawn in response.

"DarkMoss get up!" DarkMoss snapped awake. Silverpatch was frantically shoving her shoulder.
"What's wrong!?" DarkMoss jumped up, looking at her kits. Creekkit is missing!
"Daisykit is missing too." Silverpatch looked worried.
"Who else knows?"
"Most of the clan is looking for them, mostly around the lake."
"Please watch them, I think I know where to go." Silverpatch nodded. DarkMoss scampered out of camp, a thick layer of snow had fallen that night. Large flakes where falling heavily. He's going to pay for this! DarkMoss thought, pushing herself harder as she headed to the twoleg bridge.

DarkMoss opened her mouth, smelling Thistle, Daisykit and Creekkit and maybe another scent that DarkMoss didn't know. She approached the bridge, for once thankful for seeing Thistle's grey tabby coat. He saw the black and white figure of Daisykit in the snow, a bit of what looked to be blood surrounded her. Creekkit was in front of her, violently shivering. She ran up to her wet kit. Grabbing Creekkit, she placed her on her flank, quickly licking her grey fur vigorously, trying to warm her up.

"DarkMoss I'm cold." Creekkit had laid down, her eyes drifting from open to closed.
"No, stay awake! Creekkit stay awake! Please!" DarkMoss' tone started to sink as Creekkit's flank slowed, eventually stoping.
"Creekkit, no." DarkMoss pushed her nose into her kit's fur, grief striking her hard.

"You killed her." DarkMoss looked up at Thistle, his gaze was dark with what seemed to be sorrow and confusion.
"I didn't." DarkMoss could barely make out what he was saying
"What was that?" DarkMoss snapped, she carefully placed her dead kit in the snow.
"I didn't kill them." Thistle backed up as DarkMoss drew nearer.
"Then who did!"
"Birch did!" Thistle yelled back. Rage surged beneath DarkMoss' pelt.
"How did she know where my camp was then? How did she know where Silverpatch's and my kits where? She couldn't have done it without your help!" DarkMoss slashed his face, drawing blood from his skin.

"She threaten to kill me, your entire clan and you! I tried to protect you!" DarkMoss didn't believe his lies.
"How do I not know that you're lying? How do I not know that you're not helping her take over my clan?" DarkMoss pushed the tom closer to the ravine. A thick fog overflowed from it's depths.

"I didn't kill Sageheart, Daisykit or Creekkit! I don't know who did!"
"But you killed my apprentice, Coontail, Branchwalker, Crystalpelt, Pineclaw, Stormclaw, and whoever else!" DarkMoss threw another slash at his face, her claw nearly hitting his eye.
"I told you I did! And I regret everything! But please just trust me, I didn't kill them! Birch must've."
"Oh blame it on Birch!" DarkMoss took another step closer, pushing him to the edge of the ravine.
"I didn't do it! Please belie-" before Thistle could finish, DarkMoss lunged forward, causing him to jump back. DarkMoss gasped as she saw him plummet into the fog, shock filled his eyes.

"Thistle." DarkMoss whispered.
"Thanks for doing my dirty work for me." DarkMoss whipped around, seeing the battered tan tabby she-cat.
"Birch, why are you here?" DarkMoss' fur bristled as she looked at Birch, who was sitting on the twoleg bridge, licking her paw.
"I made Thistle pay for the pain he has brought me, and you helped." Birch told DarkMoss as if nothing had happened. "I killed Sageheart, and that kit of your friend's. The cold got your kit." DarkMoss lunged at the cat, careful not to fall of the bridge. She pinned the tan cat down, clawing at her like a rouge. Birch threw a successful blow to DarkMoss' face, blood poured into her one eye.

"You made me kill my own friend! You made him do this to me! And my clan!" DarkMoss said in between blows, one hitting her neck. The she-cat snarled, she twisted to her feet, heading to the rouge's territory.
"Don't think this is the last you'll see of me!" Birch yelled before disappearing into the trees. DarkMoss stood there panting, blinking to get some of the blood out of her eye,

She quietly turned back, looking at the kits that was murdered for no reason. DarkMoss gave a slight glance at the ravine, she had just killed a cat for something he didn't do. DarkMoss carefully picked up the two kits and headed back to camp.

"Silverpatch, I found your kit." DarkMoss said, sorrow griped her voice. Silverpatch quickly got up, telling her kits to stay in their nest. DarkMoss' kits where thankfully asleep. DarkMoss lead Silverpatch into the snow covered clearing, a blood curdling scream was all that she could say when she saw Daisykit and Creekkit.
"I'm so sorry." DarkMoss told her friend, sitting next to her.