Snowpaw was at a loss for words once he left camp. The surrounding conifers stood tall and proud, while pine needles and grass bristled beneath his paws. The air seemed more chilling and refreshing than the air inside of the colossal hollow titled MistClan's camp. All the new scents and sights were overwhelmingly pleasant. This is-!

"It truly is something, isn't it?" Nightpaw asked, smiling warmly. "Aren't you amazed?"

"Certainly," Snowpaw breathed, closing his eyes to take it all in. "I love this. After being cooped up in the nursery nearly my entire life, I'm glad to get to experience this."

"As expected," Nightpaw purred in response. "Come now, let's go on this tour. We have a lot of territory to cover." The black tomcat began to lead Snowpaw tree-lengths behind MistClan's camp.

Snowpaw's yellow gaze landed on a wrecked, yet still erected, abandoned structure. Curious, he began to step towards it, only to be blocked by Nightpaw.

"We're not allowed to go any closer than three fox-lengths. It's a safety precaution," Nightpaw stated, his green gaze narrowing. "This is the abandoned twoleg den. Coldgaze used to live here before he became a Clan cat."

"Really?" Snowpaw tilted his head, now gazing towards Nightpaw. "I don't recall ever hearing about Coldgaze being a kittypet, and even I've been told his stories."

Nightpaw flashed Snowpaw an innocent smile. "There's a lot you don't know. MistClan likes to keep things hidden." The black tomcat started to slink away, with the smaller cat following his lead.

What does he mean, Snowpaw questioned, by stating that MistClan keeps things hidden? The white tomcat narrowed his eyes. That's quite interesting. I suppose I'll just have to ask him about it later.

The two tomcats halted by the edge of a slope. The trees at its edge were mainly uprooted, with some having completely fallen to create bridges between the slope and the ground below. In the vast distance, many twoleg dens resided.

"This is Pine Slope. Beyond Pine Slope is the twolegplace. We can get there via those fallen trees," Nightpaw explained, sweetly smiling. "I wouldn't recommend it, though. We're not allowed to leave Clan territory, but you'll probably have special perks since you're a medicine cat apprentice for now."

The black tomcat started to walk away, beckoning Snowpaw to walk beside him. "You know you'll be a warrior someday, right? That's why we'll be training each night... except for tonight," Nightpaw reminded, "since this is a territory tour. Once you know how to fight well, we can prove your talents to the king and queen."

Snowpaw dipped his head, "I assumed so. I'm excited to be a warrior someday, and for Stonepaw to replace me." The white tomcat flicked his tail. "We can't really train until you start learning all the fighting moves, right? Aren't there specific moves warriors know?"

"Mmm, yes, but that doesn't mean we have to wait." Nightpaw purred, leading his smaller counterpart to a large, black strip in the distance. "There's the standard moves warriors know, but a lot of moves depend on yourself. You have to come up with your own way to fight. We can learn and grow with each other."

The black tomcat warmly smiled, "That's why mentors for new apprentices are chosen very carefully. They're supposed to compliment each other. An apprentice helps their mentor just as much as a mentor helps their apprentice."

Snowpaw looked up at Nightpaw as he purred. "That makes a lot of sense, actually. Back when we had that early apprenticeship training, I noticed how everyone had a unique fighting pattern."

"You're very observant, Snowpaw," Nightpaw complimented. "That's something I like about you. Now," he digressed, "this is our next landmark." The two cats stood by a large strip separating two halves of the forest.

"What is this?" Snowpaw asked, his gaze narrowing. "It smells and-" he reached out a paw to touch it, "-feels very unnatural."

"It's something the twolegs made, called the thunderpath," Nightpaw answered. "We don't go across it because it's dangerous. There are these large beasts called monsters which shoot across the thunderpath, and they're strong enough to kill or maim a cat from a single touch."

Snowpaw took a step back. "Well, I don't intend on getting killed or maimed today, so let's go somewhere else?" I don't like the thunderpath at all, he remarked. It reeks of foulness.

"Of course," Nightpaw obliged, leading Snowpaw to their next landmark.

As the two tomcats traversed, Snowpaw pricked his ears, hearing something faint. Is that, he pondered, the sound of running water?  Wait, he paused his train of thought for a moment. I know what this is, Rainkit mentioned it! Snowpaw grinned, predicting the next sight. "Nightpaw, are we approaching a river?"

The black tomcat nodded, his soft green eyes focusing intently on the unfolding scenery in front of him. "We're almost at the river," Nightpaw warmly stated. "It separates our territory from the rest of the forest. The river is very beautiful; I don't think words would do it any justice."

Words can't do it justice, huh? I'm certainly getting my hopes up, Snowpaw mused. "I'll trust you on that, so this better not be a let down," Snowpaw joked, "because if my hopes get shattered then I don't think I'd be able to forgive you."

"How awful it would be to remain unforgiven by you!" Nightpaw exclaimed. He momentarily held his tail over the smaller tomcat's eyes. "I want you to feel suspenseful, so please, close your eyes. We're almost there."

Obligingly, Snowpaw kept his eyes closed as he trailed after Nightpaw's scent. Once a few moments of blindly following passed, the black tomcat had ordered Snowpaw to open his eyes.

The sight before Snowpaw was one of pure beauty. He stared into the river, a flowing blanket of serene water, and was tranquilized by its clarity. The reflection of bright stars painted its surface, making it all the more lovely. Taking an experimental lick at its surface, the taste of cold, fresh water chilled Snowpaw to his core.

"You understand now, don't you?" Nightpaw asked, sitting beside the smaller white tomcat.

"Oh, absolutely," Snowpaw sighed, his yellow gaze focusing on the river. "It's stunning." I had to miss out on this for five moons of my life?! Snowpaw inwardly exclaimed. ...I suppose the other apprentices, such as Nightpaw, must feel the same.

"I hope you don't mind," Nightpaw abruptly stated, "but there's something I'd like to say to you. It's completely fine if you don't want to hear it, though. I'd understand."

Snowpaw warmly gazed at Nightpaw, smiling. "Of course I'm fine with that. There's no reason why I wouldn't want to hear what you'd have to say."

"I know you want to ask me about what I meant earlier, about MistClan and the abandoned twoleg den," the black tomcat began, gazing up at the stars. He paused for a few moments, taking a glance at Snowpaw.

"O-Oh, yeah, that's right," Snowpaw confirmed, taking his glance as a cue to speak. I must be quite predictable, the white tomcat thought, slightly scowling.

"The truth is, I didn't learn that from MistClan," Nightpaw admitted. "I learned it from Coldgaze himself."

"You... What?" Snowpaw tilted his head, confused. How did he learn that from a cat who's been dead for seasons?

Nightpaw snapped his green gaze towards Snowpaw. "He came to me in my dreams. He resides in the Place of No Stars, the evil counterpart to StarClan. He offered to train me, because apparently he saw some potential in me." The black tomcat chuckled, shaking his head. "Me? Potential? I'm really just a forgettable, ordinary MistClan cat!"

"You're not," Snowpaw mindlessly refuted. Let me get this straight... The cat, Coldgaze, who we are told horror stories about, came to you in a dream to train you? "You declined his offer, right, Nightpaw?" the white tomcat asked, his gaze narrowed.

"Snowpaw, am I a bad cat?" Nightpaw asked in return, his voice sounding meek.

"N-No, not at all."

"Then, I declined his offer. I would never accept to train under a tyrant like him," the black tomcat purred, gazing warmly at Snowpaw. "MistClan hides things. They purposefully hid the truth that Coldgaze was a kittypet. They were ashamed that a kittypet once outwitted us all."

"Ashamed?" Snowpaw angrily asked, slightly unsheathing his claws. "Ashamed just because that fox-heart took over seasons ago? Do you mean to tell me that MistClan would supposedly be happier if he hadn't been a StarClan-forbidden kittypet?"

Nightpaw's green eyes widened. "Snowpaw, calm down, you sound like Dancingleaf when she speaks of Fleetrunner. That's not a good trait to pick up."

"W-Well, I-" Snowpaw began, before getting interrupted by Nightpaw.

"What you said is exactly the truth," Nightpaw agreed. "The old leaders of MistClan made sure that everybody would forget that fact."

Taking a deep breath, Snowpaw sheathed his claws. The white tomcat sighed, flicking his tail. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked. Nobody would randomly say all this to someone. So why-?

"Our deal stated that you'd be my friend. Friends trust each other, don't they?" Nightpaw innocently questioned. "I figured I could tell you this." The black tomcat brought his face close to Snowpaw's. "I'd be careful if I were you, Snowpaw. Know who you can and cannot trust, because a lot of cats will hide things from you." Nightpaw leaned even closer, purring. "It's just up to you to unravel everything."

. . . . .

It's just up to me to unravel everything, huh? Snowpaw stared at his Clanmates from inside the medicine den, Dappledleaf still sleeping despite dawn's arrival. That totally isn't ominous at all. 

The white tomcat's yellow gaze narrowed when he saw Nightpaw near the fresh-kill pile, conversing with Kestrelpaw. You're such an enigma, Nightpaw. You're extremely kind and caring towards me, and you're helping me become a future warrior, Snowpaw contemplated, yet you warned me about trusting others, secrets cats may have, and you were in contact with Coldgaze. The small cat guiltily pushed that train of thought to the side. I'm judging you too harshly. You're my friend, no matter how sinister you're making things out to be. You've done so much for me, and I can't forget about that just because of one weird thing.

"Good morning, Snowpaw." Dappledleaf's warm welcome interrupted Snowpaw's ruminations.

"Good morning," he purred in response, walking towards his mentor. 

"I have a task for you today," the old molly rasped, slowly sitting up. "We are low on poppy seeds. I am unable to get them for myself, as I mentioned yesterday. So, I will need you to bring them to me."

Snowpaw nodded, smiling. "Where's the best place to find them?" he asked, flicking his tail.

"Beyond Pine Slope, near the twolegplace," she explained. "If you walk along the twoleg dens' fences, you will soon find yourself in a field full of poppy flowers. Just bring back three poppy heads from that garden." Dappledleaf paused to cough. "This may seem foreign to you since you haven't toured the territory yet, but I'm sure a patrol would be glad to assist you."

Haven't toured the territory yet, huh? Snowpaw mused. "I'll get to it straight away." The white tomcat dipped his head, exiting the medicine den. As he headed towards the camp's exit, a tail stopped him mid-track.

"Where do you suppose you're going?" The cat who stopped him- Longwhisker -asked.

"Pine Slope, to get poppy seeds for Dappledleaf," Snowpaw replied.

The pale tabby scowled, "You haven't toured the territory yet, so you don't know where it is. Wait here."

Snowpaw watched as the warrior slunk away, returning a minute later with three other cats: Stonepaw, Fleetrunner, and Nightpaw. Did he seriously have to bring Fleetrunner? He called me a rat and threatened to skin me alive, just a few days ago! he thought, dismayed. ...I suppose this is better than Kestrelpaw being here. He actually follows through with his threats. At least I've got Stonepaw and Nightpaw.

"Let's go," Longwhisker ordered as he briskly exited camp, taking the other cats with him. 

As the five cats walked, Snowpaw couldn't help but sneak glances at Nightpaw. The black tomcat was attentively conversing with his mentor, Fleetrunner, the pair paying no notice to Stonepaw and him, who lagged behind.

"What's it like," Stonepaw abruptly began, "being a medicine cat apprentice? Do you enjoy being one? What have you learned already?"

Snowpaw smiled at the grey tomcat. "I've only been one for a day, but it's fine. I'd still rather be a warrior, but I don't particularly mind being a medicine cat apprentice. When it comes to-"

"By that, do you mean you won't help me swap our roles?" Stonepaw stared at the white tomcat, his blue gaze sharp. "I have a plan," he whispered. 

"I never mentioned anything about not helping you, but what do you mean by 'a plan'?" Snowpaw instinctively brought his voice down as well, pinning his ears. 

Stonepaw, gliding a paw over his ear, stared in front of him. "Sorry," he apologised, "I just came up with that on the spot. I don't actually have a plan. I'm just jealous of you, because you're living out my dream, even though we both didn't want it to be that way." The grey tomcat smiled, speaking with a suddenly determined tone. "I won't give up, though. I will become a medicine cat," he vowed, with an increasingly austere disposition. "I won't hesitate to poison a few cats with apple seeds if I must."

Ah, Stonepaw... your desire to be a medicine cat far outweighs your morals, Snowpaw inwardly chaffed. "If you act out on that, then you might get exiled," the white tomcat warned. "I definitely wouldn't recommend it."

"In that case-"

"Snowpaw, this is Pine Slope," Longwhisker interrupted, gazing down at the small, white tomcat. "As you can see, there are fallen trees around us. We use these as bridges to get to the lower elevation." The pale tabbied tomcat began to walk away, beckoning the rest of the cats to follow him. "Good luck."

With a nod of appreciation, Snowpaw cautiously sniffed one of the fallen trees. This one looks sturdy enough, he thought, leaping onto it. It feels sturdy enough as well. Carefully, the white tomcat descended, exhaling with relief once he reached the safe, verdant ground below. 

Recalling his mentor's explanation, Snowpaw trotted alongside the twoleg dens' fences. After about five minutes, he arrived at the field of poppies. Seemingly hundreds of poppies blanketed the field, their red heads tilting towards the sky, yearning for the sun to shine its rays amidst the morning mist. There's so many flowers here, and the sky is so open. It's entirely different from Clan territory! he thought, as the lack of trees made him feel much more exposed. After quickly gathering three poppy heads, he trotted back towards the same fallen tree he used earlier. 

Once Snowpaw reached the top of Pine Slope, he began making his way towards Clan camp. As he kept a firm grip on the poppy heads, even their stems' bitter tastes seemed appetizing. I'm starving, I haven't eaten breakfast yet. Although the white tomcat attempted to go back to camp quickly, he was soon sent crashing to the ground. What the-?!

"I caught a rat, Pa!" Kestrelpaw exclaimed, standing over Snowpaw, his claws digging into the white tomcat's chest. "Aww, it's a puny one, it's entirely useless." The light brown tabby pouted, looking over his shoulder at Leaftuft. "Can I kill it out of mercy?"

"Stop fooling around, tomcat," the older light brown tabby groaned, lightly slapping Kestrelpaw over the head with sheathed claws. "You're going to get us in trouble," Leaftuft warned. "If a patrol runs into this I won't be able to get us out of it."

Snowpaw, both shocked, alarmed, and vexed, pinned his ears as Kestrelpaw argued with his father. They're speaking as if I'm not even here. The white tomcat shifted under Kestrelpaw's grasp, keeping his grip firm on the poppy heads. Despite Snowpaw's best, non-violent efforts, the larger apprentice still had him under his incessant hold. Well, isn't this just great? he sarcastically asked himself, kicking Kestrelpaw's stomach in a final effort.

"D'aw, it fights back!" Kestrelpaw, while glaring down at the tomcat, growled. "How repulsive. I'm gonna tear you limb from limb-"

"Alright, that's enough!" Leaftuft shoved Kestrelpaw off Snowpaw, staring his son down. "Queen Softheart would be very disappointed by how openly you make these comments. Go away, idiot kit." The light brown tabbied tomcat watched as his son stalked away, before refocusing his yellow glare on Snowpaw. "You, stand, and go back to camp. Stay out of my son's way."

Collecting himself, Snowpaw stared in disbelief towards the retreating warrior. Me, stay out of Kestrelpaw's way?! I didn't even do anything! I got tackled for no reason! I hate how Kestrelpaw always does this. The white tomcat growled, stalking towards MistClan's camp. Ever since we were born, he's been treating me like some sort of pest for absolutely no reason, and I'm sick and tired of it! At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if that fox-heart drugs me with poppy seeds, and kills me while I'm unconscious. He flicked his grey-tipped tail, seeing the entrance to MistClan's camp. My kicks did absolutely nothing to him, he thought, discontent. I need to get stronger and larger. At least Nightpaw's training can help with one of those things.

After entering camp, and bringing the poppy heads to Dappledleaf, Snowpaw quickly made his way towards the fresh-kill pile. He chose a squirrel as his pick, savouring each bite. I really was starving, huh? he questioned himself, halfway through his meal. Well, food will help me grow. Entranced by the squirrel, Snowpaw didn't notice as his mother and Whitespeckle approached him.

"Don't ignore me, Snowpaw."

Immediately, Snowpaw pinned down his ears and sat upright, facing Dancingleaf. "I-I'm sorry, Mother, I was not ignoring you."

Dancingleaf held a dejected disposition. "You haven't made an effort to talk to me ever since you became an apprentice. I took five moons out of my life raising you into the cat you are today. You know I-" the grey molly took a glance at Whitespeckle, "-love you, Snowpaw."

Love? Snowpaw felt a thorn of unease nestling deep within him, his claws subconsciously unsheathing. Love, huh? The word 'love', in this context, felt almost foreign to him. Sure, he could say Dancingleaf cared for him, but love was something he could hardly put into worded thoughts. For some reason, I feel as if this is the first time she's ever told me she loves me. "I-I'm sorry, Mother," he nervously replied. "It won't happen again. I will visit you every day, I promise." Am I, he questioned, supposed to feel so anxious right now?

"He's only been an apprentice for a little over a day, Dancingleaf," Whitespeckle awkwardly chuckled. "I'm sure he would've come to see you sooner than later." After a moment, the black tomcat gasped. "Ah, I apologise! I was not trying to slander how you raise him." The warrior dipped his head to Dancingleaf, afterwards straightening up again. "Snowpaw, we came to speak with you."

Snowpaw gazed at Whitespeckle, forcing a smile. "What would you like to speak with me about?" he asked, slightly tilting his head.

"We got together last night," Dancingleaf replied. "He doesn't exist. Whitespeckle is your father from now on. Understood?" She stared down at Snowpaw, her stern, yellow glare piercing his soul.

Snowpaw's eyes widened. Together? They're mates? Quickly shaking himself from his state of shock, the small, white tomcat nodded. "Yes, Mother. I understand."

"Very good," Dancingleaf replied. "So that you won't be so lonely, we will gift you siblings." The grey molly stood up and started to walk towards the exit of camp, beckoning Whitespeckle to follow her.

Before following after Dancingleaf, Whitespeckle faced Snowpaw. "It's completely fine," he whispered, "if you don't want to view me as your father, Snowpaw. I won't take any offense to it, because there's no reason to feel offended." The black tomcat smiled, his honey eyes warm. "I want you to do whatever makes you happy. Take that as a warrior's order."

Once the two cats left camp, Snowpaw nosed his half-eaten squirrel back into the fresh-kill pile, his appetite having dissipated. How am I supposed to feel right now? The white tomcat's head spun with thoughts and questions as his breathing quickened. Father? Siblings? I don't understand it, yet it's so simple. So much has happened recently and- and I haven't had any time to process it. His claws dug into the earth, creating deep indents. What is happening?