Nightpaw's eyes flew open as Sedgecloud's weight suddenly disappeared. He gasped, coughing as air filled his lungs once more. Yowls and hisses reached him and the apprentice turned to see a mass of brown, white and black fur rolling over the floor of the nursery.

"Guardians!" his mentor roared, dealing a blow to the caretaker's muzzle. Sedgecloud roared in pain as Hailwatcher's claws cut deep into his jaw, tearing his lip and taking a couple of whiskers with them.

Immediately, four shapes came running into the nursery - two launched themselves at the battling cats and the others took up a protective stance in front of Nightpaw. Pebblefur sniffed at the apprentice's throat, flicking her tail when she deemed the wound unthreatening, while Spiderthorn glanced at him over his shoulder, eyes betraying nothing.

Lionmask and Shadowpelt pinned Sedgecloud to the ground within heartbeats. Hailwatcher towered over the cowering caretaker, teeth bared and claws unsheathed.

"How dare you attack my apprentice?" he roared. Behind him, Nightpaw could see Webkit staring up at the massive tom with wide eyes, jaw quaking as she held in her yowls of fear. Snowdapple wrapped her tail around the she-cat comfortingly, though she herself seemed shaken.

"You are nothing," Hailwatcher growled, pushing his face to Sedgecloud's. "You would have done well to remember that before attacking Nightpaw. Now it's too late."

"No, please," Sedgecloud managed, but Lionmask cut the tom off, pressing a giant paw to his chest. The caretaker spluttered, writhing.

"I hope everyone here can learn from your mistake," Hailwatcher said, raising his paw to strike. Webkit, unable to hold in her fear any longer, let out a long cry.

"Not now." Dawnstar's calm, soft voice carried throughout the nursery. "We'll make an example of him before the entire Clan." Her amber gaze challenged the truth-teller, who acquiesced her request with a nod after only a moment's hesitation. Lowering his paw, he spat at the caretaker.

"Take him to the prisoner cave," Dawnstar ordered. "Hailwatcher, Nightpaw and Spiderthorn to my den. Pebblefur, fetch the healers and tell them to bring something for shock."

The nursery cleared in a moment, Sedgecloud's pained cries dying out quickly as Lionmask and Shadowpelt dragged him away. Nightpaw followed the others out, aware of Snowdapple's fearful gaze and Webkit's soft sobs.

He had never been in Dawnstar's den and found it lonely and cold. Unlike Hailwatcher's den, her abode consisted of stone and dirt, chilly beneath Nightpaw's paws, and her moss nest lay in the furthest corner from the entrance.

She settled in it, beckoning Nightpaw forward. Shaking, the tom stepped towards her, glancing up to see her gaze much warmer than he remembered ever seeing it.

"I understand that must have been quite the ordeal for you," she began. "But I need you to tell me exactly what happened so we can prevent it from happening again."

Nightpaw glanced back at Hailwatcher for guidance and the tom nodded his head, giving him permission to speak of their training. Swallowing, the apprentice began to recount the events of the day, eyes focused on his paws.

"This morning, Lionmask took me out for some training. We hunted in the forest and he taught me some dodging moves by the Tall Oak. When we returned after sunhigh I went to the nursery to tell Webkit a story. I - I've been doing so everyday to keep her mind off of Birchfrost and Crowkit."

As he said the words, Nightpaw realized that his care for Webkit might be viewed negatively by Dawnstar. Looking up, he saw the pale tortoiseshell unmoved by his words.

"Hailwatcher came to get me and taught me a lesson about Snowpaw before telling me to return to the nursery. I waited for Wrenpaw to finish cleaning out the moss before telling Webkit the rest of Viperstrike's story, but Sedgecloud attacked me before I could do so."

"Did Snowdapple not stop him?" Dawnstar asked, eyes narrowed.

Mouth dry, Nightpaw just sat still. He didn't want to cause Snowdapple unneeded harm and refused to answer.

"Why did Sedgecloud attack you?" the leader pressed.

The black tom hesitated a moment, the question one he knew no answer to. "He said he wouldn't be punished for my mistakes," he finally said. "And that if not for my marks I would end up just like him."

Dawnstar looked up sharply at Hailwatcher and Nightpaw heard the guardians stir uncomfortably behind him.

"How dare such lowly filth talk of my apprentice that way," Hailwatcher growled, tail lashing angrily.

"And my offspring," the deep voice of Spiderthorn added. A jolt ran through Nightpaw and he turned to the guardian, eyes full of shock. The black tom refused to meet his eyes, keeping them trained on Dawnstar.

"Sedgecloud forgot his place," Dawnstar decided. "But what mistake was he punished for?"

Hailwatcher stepped forward and Nightpaw shrank beneath his mentor's disapproving gaze. "Nightpaw brought the caretakers a mouse when he went to see Webkit." Dawnstar's fur bristled but lay flat once more when the truth-teller added, "The freshkill pile was well-stocked and they would have received prey anyhow. But Nightpaw has already been taught his lesson. I think Sedgecloud's treachery has driven it home and he shouldn't be further punished for his misjudgement."

At that moment, Pebblefur entered the den, Cedarheart and Mothpaw behind her.

"We brought thyme and poppy seeds," Cedarheart said, nodding to the leaves in Mothpaw's mouth. The she-cat kept her eyes lowered.

Dawnstar's gaze seemed to pierce into Nightpaw and she flicked her tail over his cheek briefly as she studied him. Nightpaw closed his eyes, wondering what she saw and decided he'd rather not know. His decision to give the caretakers freshkill made him burn in embarrassment, and the fact that Lionmask's battle training did nothing to help him fight further emasculated him.

"Mothpaw, take Nightpaw to the apprentice den and make sure he gets some rest," she decided. "Cedarheart, I need to speak with you."

Excusing himself, Nightpaw followed the healer's apprentice out of the den. Hailwatcher flicked his ear in farewell, Pebblefur stepping aside to let them pass. The remaining guardian, Spiderthorn - his father, Nightpaw realized - brushed the apprentice's flank lightly with his tail.

"The thyme will calm your heart," Mothpaw explained when they reached the apprentice den. "The poppy seeds will help you fall asleep."

Nightpaw thanked her, sniffing at the leaves and seeds. They did not look appetizing in the slightest, but his still-pounding heart and bristling fur reminded him he would not get any sleep otherwise.

"Nightpaw!" The cry startled him and he twisted around to see Cinderpaw, Flamepaw and Wrenpaw dashing towards him. All seemed out of breath and frightened.

"We heard what happened," Flamepaw said as Cinderpaw settled beside Nightpaw, tongue rasping over his ruffled fur.

"Give him some space, he needs to get over the shock," Mothpaw said, stopping Flamepaw from trampling the herbs. She turned back to dressing Nightpaw's wound, pressing cobwebs to his throat.

Flamepaw glared at the she-cat, but stepped back as told, seeing her point. Nightpaw shook Cinderpaw off, embarrassed by her fussing, and reached for the herbs, eager to drift off. Sedgecloud's hate-filled eyes flashed through his mind and he shivered, remembering the feeling of the tom's weight on his own.

Seeing his discomfort, Wrenpaw settled on his other side, pressing her warm body close to his. She looked at him with concern and the power of her gaze made Nightpaw look away.

"Are you going to be alright?" she said. When he didn't reply, the lump in his throat too great to push words past, the she-cat turned to her littermate.

"He is," Mothpaw replied. "He just needs a good night's rest is all. And the sooner that happens, the better." She gave the other apprentices a pointed look. Nightpaw, through his shocked haze, was struck by the patience and care of the healer's apprentice.

The worry in the eyes of all the she-cats hit him next, and the apprehension in Flamepaw's, as they waited for him to eat the herbs. Cinderpaw and Wrenpaw pressed against him, the former licking his shoulder every once in a while in an effort to keep him calm and warm.

Confusion filled Nightpaw. These apprentices, taught from the youngest age to ignore feelings of compassion and concern, now surrounded him in his moment of weakness. Where was the strong Flamepaw he saw daily? The curious and energetic Wrenpaw? Had they all forgotten that feelings like the ones they showed now were forbidden in DarkClan?

Sootstar's image flashed through his mind. Their true selves, the old tom had said. Nightpaw blinked, realizing the truth in the words. This fierceness, this harsh exterior - was it all a facade? Cats forced to hide their true qualities because of what DarkClan stood for?

"Nightpaw?" Cinderpaw's voice cut into his thoughts. Turning to the grey she-cat, Nightpaw saw the kindness in her, the motherly instinct that might have made her a great queen and protector in the Old Life.

The words formed on his tongue, words he knew would be deemed treasonous. He wanted - needed - to know if these cats would continue to stand by him should he speak honestly; truthfully, as StarClan would want him to.

Then, he noticed the hard set of Flamepaw's jaw as he surveyed the scene, and Mothpaw's discomfort at Nightpaw's lack of answer. Hailwatcher's lesson about Snowpaw flashed through his mind, then the face of Sedgecloud as he bared his fangs to kill, Webkit's cries in the background.

The words never left his mouth. He had already risked too much that day.

"I'm fine," he croaked. "I just need rest, like Mothpaw said. Don't worry about me." He hardly tasted the herbs as he lapped them up.

Flamepaw left first, laying his tail over Nightpaw's shoulders before finding his way over to the freshkill pile. Mothpaw excused herself and went off in search of Cedarheart. Cinderpaw left only when Marshclaw called for her, the sunset patrol one member short.

Wrenpaw, however, rested her head on Nightpaw's and licked his ear softly. "We will worry about you even if you tell us not to."

The poppy seeds made his eyelids heavy and the thyme slowed his breathing, but Nightpaw still felt his heart thud at Wrenpaw's words. Her warmth and the fear she held for his well-being lingered in the air between them and Nightpaw wanted nothing more than to press closer, spilling all the secrets that threatened to tear him apart.

He got to his paws sleepily, shifting away from the she-cat.

"I'm serious," he said, trying his hardest to ignore the hurt in her copper eyes. "Don't."

// This last week went by so fast I feel like I was updating Unmasked just yesterday... You'd think there would be more time to write when school is out for the holidays, but I guess not. Hopefully updates will continue to be regular, but we'll see! Until the next update, let me know what you thought of the character developments in this chapter (: