It took all of Nightchaser's will to keep from lashing his tail impatiently as the nights went by. Each dusk, he would sit atop his log den, watching the moon rise and mentally checking off another day. The waning moon grew thinner and thinner, until only a sliver of it remained. The night of no moon, Nightchaser watched the sun set and rise, too excited and, perhaps, anxious to fall asleep.

    Only one more moon, he thought. The next time the moon disappears, we strike.

    Only he and Sprucetail knew of the arrangements. They had decided to keep it to themselves for now, spreading the news to the other rebels once tonight's new moon had passed to avoid confusion – and the possibility of being ratted out by someone on the inside. The idea that this entire operation might fail if he placed his trust in the wrong cat made Nightchaser's heart pound.

    But he was certain that the cats he had pin-pointed as rebels would not give him, or the others, away. As the dark night pressed in on him from all sides, he shook his head to rid himself of the equally dark thoughts.

    A sudden scratching drew his attention from the dark sky and he looked down to see a familiar grey pelt. Mothpaw nodded to him solemnly, leaping up to join him on the log. He looked between the she-cat and the slowly rising dawn, wondering why she was up so early.

    "Not many cats to watch this early in the morning," she commented, looking out across the still camp. Nightchaser knew she referred to his habit of observing his Clanmates throughout the day.

    He swished his tail. "I'm watching the night."

    She paused. "There are no stars out." She sat hunched over, as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders, and her eyes were dull.

    The black tom lifted his head to the heavens once more. In his preoccupation with the moon, he had not realized that the stars were missing. Sure enough, the inkiness stretched on all sides, void of the familiar pricks of light.

    "The Place of No Stars," Mothpaw whispered, shivering. "Our world is turning as black as theirs."

    Nightchaser wrapped his tail comfortingly around her shoulders. "We won't let that happen."

    She looked at him with wide, green eyes. "You're not going to turn yourself in, are you?"

    He shook his head, holding back a purr. "No. We have a better plan."

    "We?" the healer's apprentice inquired, turning back to the stillness. Her stance was tense, ears pricked for any signs of movement.

    "Sprucetail ran into one of the rogues who attacked the prisoner cave," Nightchaser said quietly, deciding to confide in the she-cat. "She told me that they are to attack once more, on the night of the new moon, and this time, with our help, they will be able to defeat DarkClan."

    Mothpaw's eyes lit up slightly at his words, though some of the sorrow he saw earlier remained. "You mean we might finally be free?"

    The black tom nodded, feeling the beginnings of adrenaline pump through him at the thought of victory. His paws itched to run, to fight, to get as far away from DarkClan as possible. Another moon, he reminded himself.

    "That gives us a moon's time," Mothpaw said, voice suddenly heavy. Her gaze fell onto her paws, which Nightchaser noticed she shifted nervously.

    "Are you worried we won't make it?" he asked.

    Mothpaw sighed. "I have many worries. They keep me up at night." The tom blinked, realizing the she-cat looked much older than her twelve moons.

    He didn't want to press the matter, but the apprentice continued on her own. "A moon from now, Cedarheart might not even be alive. It's a miracle he's survived this long but, now that I'm at twelve moons, I don't think Dawnstar will keep him around much longer."

    "I'll keep him alive," Nightchaser assured her and the she-cat grimaced in thanks.

    "Thank you," she whispered. "But there's more."

    The renewed graveness in her tone caused Nightchaser's fur to prick.

    "Cinderblossom came to me recently asking for my help," the healer's apprentice began. "She... She asked for me to examine her. She'd been feeling sick lately and more tired throughout the day."

    "Did you find out what was wrong?" the tom asked, alarmed at Mothpaw's admission.

    Mothpaw nodded, closing her eyes. "I did."

    "And?"

    The she-cat remained quiet, breathing heavy. Nightchaser's heart beat more quickly as he anxiously awaited her answer.

    "Nightchaser, I don't know what to do," Mothpaw finally choked out. "Cinderblossom... She's pregnant."

    The breath caught in his throat and he stared mutely at the healer's apprentice. Unwanted, the image of Sandfeather's dead body entered his mind and, with it, the figure of Morningkit standing in the forest as she had in his dream.

    "There must be something you can do about it, surely?" he said, getting up to pace atop the log. "There are herbs to... to remove the..." He felt faint at just the thought. Who could have possibly done this to Cinderblossom? Through his shock, he remembered Smoketalon's treatment of the she-cat when she was still his apprentice and the predatory look in his gaze. His claws slipped into the wood beneath him at the thought.

    Mothpaw looked away. "There are, but they might kill her in the process."

    "Mothpaw, if she has kits in DarkClan she will be killed, and the kits with her."

    "If we escape within the moon, her kits will be free of DarkClan."

    This made Nightchaser pause. "But what if she doesn't want those kits?"

    This time, Mothpaw was silent.

    "Cinderblossom was meant to be a queen," she finally said. "She'll take care of those kits regardless of who the father is because she has a greater capacity for love than anyone else here."

    Nightchaser sighed. "I know. That's what worries me."

    The tension in the air was unmistakeable and the rising sun did little to dissipate it. When the guards at the camp entrance began to stir, Mothpaw got to her paws.

    "The next new moon," she said. "We'll make it."

    Eyes on the horizon, Nightchaser willed himself to believe her words.

    //

    When Cinderblossom emerged from the nursery, Nightchaser had not yet moved from his perch. He watched her from a distance, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. She still looked lean, if a little weary, and her belly was not yet beginning to round.

    But her eyes gave her away; eyes that darted back and forth over the other cats milling about the camp. Only the slightest tension could be seen in her shoulders and she took extra care to keep her tail from swishing about, but her eyes scanned, unfalteringly, for the presence of anyone who might wish her harm.

    She stilled suddenly, eyes growing wide and Nightchaser forced himself to stay still, a growl rumbling deep in his throat. The figures of Dawnstar, Spiderthorn, and Smoketalon had emerged from the leader's den and, though the truth-teller couldn't be sure, he thought her reaction might be in response to more than one of the group.

    Unable to watch his littermate suffer any longer, he leaped down from his log with the intention of comforting her. Halfway to the nursery he stopped, realizing this would only draw more attention to her. If he went to Cinderblossom now, it would only make her more of a target for Dawnstar.

    He glimpsed her grey tail disappearing into the nursery and his paws itched to follow. Instead, he found them leading him to the centre of camp, where Spiderthorn called out names for patrols.

    "Lionmask, Pebblefur, Jaystrike, and Crowpaw, you'll be patrolling the forest," the deputy said as Nightchaser padded forward. "Something seems to be scaring off the prey. If you find anything, report back immediately."

    The cream tom at the head of the patrol dipped his head in acknowledgement, already rounding up the others with a flick of his tail.

    Nightchaser stopped them. "Do you mind if I join you?" Getting out of the camp would give him a chance to think over everything he'd learned this morning and, besides that, would keep him from visiting Cinderblossom.

    "Not at all," Lionmask replied before Spiderthorn had a chance to. The black deputy gave the guardian a sharp look, glancing only once at Nightchaser before giving a curt nod and turning back to assigning patrols.

    "Let's go before he changes his mind," Lionmask suggested and the patrol moved off without another word.

    The bright newleaf sunlight accompanied them as they travelled to the forest, a cool breeze stirring their fur every so often. It was a perfect newleaf day, by all accounts, the air crisp and clean and the earth dry underpaw even after days of rain. The trees were green once again while, below on the forest floor, white and yellow flowers had sprung up. Nightchaser made sure not to trample them should Mothpaw or Cedarheart find a use for them.

    "We'll stick together," Pebblefur decided. "With weather like this there should be prey all around but I don't hear so much as a peep."

    Nightchaser's perked his ears. Sure enough, the only sounds he heard were the softly rustling leaves and the far-off chirps of birds.

    "If we come across prey, however, we will hunt," Lionmask added. "Perhaps a little training for this one." He nodded at Crowpaw, who shuffled his paws self-consciously. Jaystrike flicked his tail over his apprentice's back in a show of support and Nightchaser felt heartened by his clearly well-chosen mentor-apprentice pairing.

    The silence of the forest was ethereal and Nightchaser flinched with each step. His paws seemed incapable of quietness and felt heavy and clumsy in the otherwise still setting; perhaps he was just more conscious of the sounds he was making. They walked all the way to the RockClan ravine before anyone made a sound.

    "Look, a mouse," Crowpaw whispered. The patrol halted abruptly, each member searching for the rodent. Nightchaser finally spotted it sitting beneath a horsetail, munching on a seed.

    "It's all yours," Jaystrike replied, nudging the apprentice forward.

    The black tom faltered. "I... I'd prefer to watch someone else one more time. Just to observe so I can copy their stance."

    Jaystrike nodded, though Nightchaser caught a flicker of irritation pass over his face. "Nightchaser, would you be willing to demonstrate?"

    Surprised, the tom spluttered. "Y-yes, of course. I just hope I can get it right." He hoped the extra training with Sprucetail and Wrenpaw would pay off.

    Conscious of his form, Nightchaser settled into a hunter's crouch and crawled stealthily towards the mouse. It took no notice of him, finishing its seed and drawing its tongue over a paw and up and over a round ear.

    Just a step closer, Nightchaser thought as he prepared to pounce.

    Then, something in the undergrowth caught his eye. Within the horsetails something seemed to be gleaming at him, just a sliver of a reflection along a cold amber orb. Then, another, as sharp white teeth appeared in the darkness.

    The fox lunged quickly and Nightchaser had just enough time to stumble back out of the way. It barrelled past him, right into Crowpaw, claws unsheathed.

    "Fox!" the apprentice cried out in fright, struggling to keep the animal's teeth away from his throat. The fox had him pinned, a malicious grin on its face.

    "Jaystrike, take it from the front," Lionmask called out. "Pebblefur and I will take it from the sides."

    The grey tom leaped into action immediately, slashing a claw over the fox's muzzle as it reached for Crowpaw's throat. The vixen howled in pain, clawing at the little black tom once before directing its attention to Jaystrike.

    Nightchaser, frozen in fear, looked between the fox and the too still apprentice, the past few moments a blur in his mind.

    "Nightchaser, get out of the way!" Pebblefur yowled as she barrelled past him, the russet-coloured animal hot on her heels. The black tom started, unsheathing his claws and, out of instinct, running them down the fox's side as it raced past. Angered, it snarled, turning to face him.

    Golden eyes wide, the truth-teller readied himself. He'd spent too many nights out training with Flamestrike to let it go to waste, but the prospect of fighting a fox left him shivering with fright.

    It lunged to his left and the truth-teller dodged to the right, hissing as he lashed out with a paw. The red beads of blood that welled up on the fox's cheek left Nightchaser feeling smug – but not for long. This time, the fox feinted to the right and, at the last possible moment, darted to the left and right into the tom's shoulder. Sharp teeth clamped down around his black fur and he yowled in pain as the fox locked its jaw.

    The teeth were suddenly wrenched from his shoulder and the pain subsided slightly. Pebblefur's snarls were loud and clear – but where were the others? Through hazy eyes, Nightchaser once more spotted the body of Crowpaw and, further off, Pebblefur and Jaystrike battling the fox. The two grey cats took turns, landing a blow as the fox engaged with the other. Even from a distance, Nightchaser could see the maddening effect of this tactic.

    But the fox was clever and the warriors, lulled by a false sense of security in their routine, did not account for this. Instead of turning to Jaystrike after the tom landed a blow on an ear, the vixen remained facing Pebblefur. Caught off guard, the she-cat flailed, landing a couple of clumsy blows on the animal's nose.

    It caught her paw in its teeth, clamping down hard. The glimmer in its eyes made Nightchaser shiver and he rose to his paws unsteadily, limping forward in an attempt to help.

    The fox shook its head back and forth and Pebblefur let out a terrifying shriek, loud enough to startle the birds out of the trees. Then, the animal lunged for her throat and the sound cut off abruptly.

    "Pebblefur!" With a renewed energy, Jaystrike threw himself on the vixen, pummelling its belly and sides with all of his might. Nightchaser forced himself closer, shoulder throbbing. He would not watch another Clanmate die today.

    The fox reared as Jaystrike clung to its back and the two fell in a heap on the forest floor, the tom squished beneath the fox's weight. The grey warrior cried out but continued to struggle, wiggling back and forth in an effort to dislodge himself.

    The growls of the fox grew louder as it became more and more frustrated. Flipping over, it bared its teeth over the warrior's throat. In a sudden burst of energy, Nightchaser threw himself at the fox's side, knocking it over. The two were sent flying, landing pawsteps before the edge of ravine. A crack sounded from his shoulder and a burst of excruciating pain brought the tom to the ground.

    The fox gazed at him through eyes cold with bloodlust as it rose once more. Nightchaser felt his heart beat faster as he realized he could not get to his paws; the vixen, noticing this too, bared its teeth in a terrifying grin.

    It's over, the truth-teller thought.

    "Get Crowpaw and Jaystrike back to camp!" Lionmask's cream body flashed before Nightchaser's eyes, taking the fox head on. With a single push, the guardian sent the vixen over the edge of the ravine – and himself with it.

// Another REALLY long week (though oddly short at the same time...). I feel like there should be more than 24 hours in a day just so I can get everything done AND get a decent amount of sleep. But such is life. It is currently 12:30 in the morning and I just finished writing/quickly editing this chapter. Perhaps my late night writing is more diabolical than usual, but here it is! Thanks for sticking with this story for yet another week (: