She always got antsy when she was left to wait, and a restless Sparkfur was never very good. It was worse than ever too, the cold grass brushing against her paws and making her fluff up her fur in an attempt to keep warm as she waited anxiously. What would they say? 'I've missed you?', 'Look at all those scars!', Or even worse, 'I love you so much!' She hated being told 'I love you,' the words sounded like a terrible cliché, like claws scraping ice.

The sun was high thankfully just warm enough to have melted the mornings frost.

"You have to be back by sundown." The ginger tabby rushed out the words, hoping they reached Spark's ears.

They'd have to hurry; if they didn't hurry up there would be little to no time for chatting. Sparkfur breathed in excited as their scent reached her and she bounced to her paws.

"Sparkfur!" She heard a voice call, and then a blur of white crashing into her.

"Frostheart!" She purred. "Get off, or else I'll get your scent all over me!" She mewled gently, her voice high with excitement. A handsome dark ginger tabby stood off to the side with a smile: Berryfoot. Sparkfur gave a slight nod of a hello.

"Ugh, you reek of rouges!" Frostheart groaned.

"Hey, I thought you smelled worse than a skunk when I found you, but I didn't say anything!" Sparkfur growled playfully. Both Frostheart and Berryfoot laughed.

"Wow, Sparkfur! Look at all these scars! Do they not have proper medical treatment there?" Frostheart looked over her friend's pelt. "These could mostly have been prevented! Although, not that ear nick, that couldn't have been saved at all." She said grimly, touching her nose to the nick in Spark's right ear.

"It's nothing, now I at least will make some apprentices jealous." She grinned.

"Have you learned anything?"

"They've got a lot of cats. Oh, and the leader, he's insane. I haven't met him, but the rumors are that when he's not having some crazed breakdown, he's supposed to be a smart leader." She said casually, laying back. It felt just like old times: hanging out with Frostheart and Berryfoot.. Minus another cat, but she wasn't ready to let go of the happy mood.

"Have you seen Cypressfoot, Peachtail, or Pineclaw? They all haven't reported in, and some MarshClan cats said one of their planted moles was killed in training." Berryfoot mewed solemnly. The golden tabby nodded her head slightly, but Frostheart hadn't heard him because she had her good ear to Sparkfur rather than deputy.

"I heard about her, she went by Otter. I didn't know she was a clan cat.... Anyway, I have  spoken to Cypressfoot a lot. He goes by Rust now. He has access to his spot, he told me, but I don't know why he hasn't showed. He goes out on patrols and such, in fact I just spoke to him a few days ago. I myself am in a bit of a jam but--"

"Oh, really? Tell us about it! Can we help?" Frostheart's ears pricked.

"Probably not. I'm investigating the second campsite where the leader's den is. He stays there all the time, doesn't come down. I've never seen him. I'm kind of stuck there, though. They think I'm a queen, and I do have a kit I found."

"You? A mother?" Berryfoot flicked an ear with a laugh. Sparkfur glanced at him, her eyes narrowing challengingly, but she didn't have time to get in with him.

"Yes. He doesn't have a name yet, but I only have about a moon before he's big enough to leave the den. That's when the kits are moved to recruit training. It's a bit mad: they loose a lot of potential cats when they stick them out into training at a moon and a half old or so. As soon as they can run and play."

"That's... That's not right!" Frostheart whispered, her mismatch eyes narrowed.

"I've thought of several ways on how to get kits out and to the clans. The clans are safe and there's ample territory for our clan to take on more kits. There's so many ways it can go wrong..."

"But if we help them, then you'll be out of your problem?"

"Yes. More so, I just want to help four kits in particular: my friend's kits and my one--"

"Friend?" Berryfoot growled, sitting up. Sparkfur swished her tail. There was nothing wrong with having friends.

"Yeah. Her name is Grey, and she has three kits, and I don't know that much about her, but I know she loves her kits."

"You can't make friends there, Sparkfur!" Berryfoot growled, his fur on end, standing up from his relaxed sit.

"Well.. I did. It's just Grey, and there's this other cat, I don't think I ever caught her name... I could prob--"

"No, Sparkfur, listen. They're rouges. They kill." She stood up. She knew what he wanted to say. They killed Ryeheart. That's what he'll say.

"But these queens are innocent... Most of the cats there are innocent! They're forced into this!" She stood up. I can't believe I'm advocating for a bunch of murderers--no. I've seen them, the queens. They aren't there to harm others. Daisy and Bray didn't want to harm others.

"Sparkfur, it's okay... It was an honest mistake. Just don't get attached." Frostheart said softly.

"Don't get attached..? But.. These are real cats.. And we can save their kits from being turned into clan cat-murderers!"

"Fine! If you can get the kits here, I can talk to Mintstar and Waspclaw about allowing them to join the clan." Berryfoot turned, beginning to pad away, "but don't forget where your loyalties lie." He padded off into the shadows, his short furred ginger tail snapping behind him.

Frostheart turned her eyes from the retreating tom to his sister, who stood with a hardened face. Her eyes were fixed on his disappearing form, before she turned to the white she-cat.

"Sparkfur... He's just a little stressed lately. Being the deputy and all, and with Mintstar loosing another life to those rouges." Frostheart sighed quietly before standing up, reaching out to give her long-legged friend a friendly cheek lick; Frostheart was too small to reach Sparkfur's ear.

"I need to be back by sundown. Good-bye Frostheart, we'll see each other soon." Spark turned on her paw, looking back one last time to see her narrow pale face sporting a friendly smile. DrizzleClan was her home. She wasn't doubting anything. Though the weather had changed from its usual perpetual rain to wind and frost, it was still her home.

Berryfoot doesn't think I'm loyal.. She sniffed the air, checking both sides before crossing the small stone path. Two-legs traveled there a lot. She could see a cream tabby she recognized as Otis, but she never like talking to him. He waved his tail and trotted up. He was thick and as tall as her.

"Hey, Scrub." He grinned. Though his fur wasn't even close to touching hers, she glared up at him. Too close for comfort.

"Go away." She growled.

"I heard you moved to the stone den! Couldn't handle recruit training, eh? I understand, I probably hit you too hard a few times." He flicked his ear in the general direction of the scars lining her right shoulder blade.

"Actually, for starters, they were from some one else, though I don't remember who, it was probably from someone that's a better fighter than you."

"Listen, you scrub, I could destroy you, but you're a she-cat and I don't want that on my record." She immediately turned her head to face the cream tabby, her emerald eyes piercing into his copper ones.

"I honestly don't want to reply to that last remark because I don't want you to feel all sad about yourself. After all, a she-cat can just join the Stone Camp, but a tom would be killed if he wants to stop training." She growled in a mocking tone.

"Oh, get lost, Scru--"

"I swear if you call me 'scrub' one more time I'll have to claw your ear off." She snapped, taking brisk steps now. They were getting closer to the camps, she knew because cats she vaguely recognized were lingering about, trying to scavenge food.

"You'd probably miss, you did quit to join queens. What kind of cat gives up a fighters life for that anyway?" Someone who's trying to keep cats from being murdered.

"I don't even know what we're fighting for." She growled.

"Of course you don't, you're a scrub!" She shot a glare in his direction and he shot her a broad smile. "We're going to force the clan cats off their territory so that we have a place. You would know, the battle plans were released this morning. And I'm going on the front lines! Tomorrow at dawn, blah blah, I'll spare you the details. You probably couldn't process them because you're a scrub!" Otis laughed again, and she lunged at him, swiping her claws at his ear. The lingering cats all pricked up as they heard him screech when he saw the blood flow down his cheek.

"Hey! Are you two fighting!" Shouted a cat. Spark breathed in, her eyes wide. She wasn't really thinking this through, just kind of winging it....

She leaped at him again, both of me tumbling over. He brought his claws down on her, she couldn't quite tell where though because small pebbles were digging into her back and making her cringe. She kicked her hind paws into his belly before he could do any real damage. A few cats had come by then, intercepting it.

"You guys know the rules: no sparring outside of recruits camp!"

"She started it!" Otis growled, blood oozing down his face from his left ear which was shredded. Sparkfur panted, her own blood tricking down her long forelegs from a slash in between her front limbs.

"You should have left me alone..." She lied. She just needed to not be camp bound for the night. The punishment for fighting without being in training was always the same: a night outside in the bitter cold without food or water for two days. She had asked every cat that had came back from the ordeal so she knew for future reference.

"Your crazy." He whispered, he turned to the stormy gray she-cat that was blocking him from going at Sparkfur. "She's insane!" He said louder. "I shouldn't be punished, she's the mad one!"

"Shut up, Otie. You're both going to see Kole." The stormy gray cat growled. Sparkfur's eyes widened. This part... This part she didn't expect.

-

AN

GUYS I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE 700+ READS
YOU GOT THIS BOOK OVER 100 VOTES

Thank you so so much! All of you, thank you, silent readers and readers who comment and vote!

Edit: added some artwork. It's Grey (dilute tortie) with her three kits, Florence (the ginger expectant queen that I never actually mentioned by name), the dark tom kit (you'll find his name out later >:^P), and Sparkfur.