Duskbreeze raced across the Mistclan border as she came to a halt and spun around to face the Mistclan warriors who had chased her off. The orange tom, Firegaze snarled "Get going, rogue. We don't want to see you here ever again."

Duskbreeze shifted her paws as she looked towards a brown tom next to him "Oh yeah, Mudtail? Your brother won't last much longer...now that I'm permanently joining the rogues...he should be dead by tomorrow."

Mudtail widened his yellow eyes with fear "You wouldn't dare kill Hawktalon..."

Duskbreeze spun around with her eyes narrowed; she smirked "Try me." Before looking straight ahead and racing towards the Sandclan border.

Mudtail watched her race off with his voice trembling and his legs shaking "S-she can't kill Hawktalon! He's my brother and-"

Firegaze glanced towards Mudtail with his voice sharp "She may have killed my sister, Gingersplash...but I promise you I won't let her kill your brother...she will pay for this."

~*~

Duskbreeze made it to the Sandclan border with the sun just now rising as she leapt over the border line and crossed into the territory. She made her way up the sandy dune as she saw all the rogues chatting. A brown tom looked up towards Duskbreeze and asked "Why are you here so late? Won't your clan worry about their little Duskbreeze?"

Duskbreeze rolled her eyes as she snapped back "Shut it Snake. I don't know how Ice put up with you when she was alive. You're as pathetic as a little clan cat."

Snake grunted as he turned around and walked away into one of the dens looking irritated as cats began laughing at him.

Dawnbreeze stiffened her posture as she made her way down the hill and into the rogue camp. She was expecting to be greeted by Shadow, but instead, Viper appeared out of his den. Duskbreeze quickly dipped her head "Greetings Vi-"

"What are you doing here so late? Have you become deputy?" Viper asked in a deep growl as Duskbreeze forced herself not to look terrified.

Duskbreeze meowed angry "Dawnheart told the entire clan my secret and now I'm exiled."

Viper looked at her with his eyes narrowed as he yowled angry "What?!"

All the cats suddenly went quiet as their attentions turned towards Duskbreeze and Viper. Shadow pushed his way violently through the crowd as he asked furiously "What's going on over here?"

Viper looked towards his son and snarled "You said I could trust this cat but she just got exiled from her own clan!"

Shadow lowered his ears surprised at Duskbreeze "Y-you were exiled?"

Duskbreeze looked at Viper and Shadow as she hesitated "I-I'm sorry...I really tried to keep my spot but Dawnheart-"

Viper snarled with fury as he leapt at Duskbreeze pinning her onto her side as his claws dug into her, and blood oozed out. Duskbreeze hissed in pain as she meowed between breaths "Give me another ch-"

He sliced out the tip of her other ear as he breathed into her face "Next time, I will tear each of your limbs out...piece by piece...understand? You are nothing to me."

Duskbreeze glanced up at her two torn ears as she nodded slowly in pain. Viper snorted as he stood to his paws and let her sit up.

She dizzily watched him walk away, leaving Shadow sitting at her side. "My father was right about one thing..."

Duskbreeze looked at him weakly as the world around her seemed to be spinning from the loss of blood. Shadow meowed into her ear "You are nothing without us."

Duskbreeze lowered her ears and growled as she stood to her paws and clumsily made her way towards the den where all the rogues strong enough to fight slept.

She padded into it as she laid down on the cold sand, and tried to make herself comfortable. This is my new life...my new family...and I'd better get used to it.

On the other side of the den, Snake was laying there bursting out in laughter "And you called me pathetic? You failed our entire group by getting exiled."

Duskbreeze unleashed her claws as she started licking the blood of them from when she killed Falconwing "Can you do better?"

Snake's fur began rising as he unleashed his claws "Wanna bet? You literally have the name of clan cat."

Duskbreeze narrowed her eyes at him as she felt more blood dripping from her ear "You're right...but names don't define a cat. If they did, you are not living up to yours."

Snake hissed annoyed as he snapped back "Oh yeah? Well I-uh...bet you can't live up to yours!"

Duskbreeze rolled her eyes as she laid her head down and sheathed her claws. "Shut up and let me sleep."

Snake just grunted as he also laid down and wrapped his tail around himself.

~*~

Dawnheart walked around camp organizing a Dawn patrol "Mudtail, Firegaze, and Echoshade will go on the dawn patrol this morning."

"Could I possibly join?" A tortoiseshell she-cat asked from the warrior den. Dawnheart looked towards her and dipped her head "Of course Moonshadow, but that means one of the cats from the patrol needs to sit this one o-"

"I will." Echoshade grunted as she padded away from the group and made her way towards the elder den to talk to Rowaneye. Moonshadow looked towards Dawnheart and purred "She needs to join the elders den soon."

The deputy nodded in agreement as she looked towards Mudtail and Firegaze "Leafbare is coming up soon so feel free to catch anything if you can."

They both nodded as they headed out of camp with Moonshadow quickly joining them from behind. Soon as they left the camp, a male voice meowed from behind her "This suits you."

She spun around and saw the male leader with the large scar on his shoulder approaching her. Dawnheart sighed "It's not the same without Falconwing."

Shadestar looked towards the leader den and meowed simply "Come." As he padded towards the leader den with Dawnheart following behind him.

When they entered, they both sat down in front of each other as he looked down at his scar. "Do you want to know how I got this scar?"

Dawnheart shrugged "I suppose but if you don't-"

"It was many moons ago before you were even born..."

Dawnheart flicked her ear as she thought to herself Great Starclan here we go...

"I had a mate named Fernpelt...we were very close at the time." He meowed softly as if he seemed depressed.

Dawnheart asked surprised "You had a mate?" As she shifted her paws uncomfortably knowing he is keeping more secrets.

"There was a terrible storm and...the entrance was blocked by a large tree branch that fell." Shadestar's voice began drifting off until Dawnheart realized he was imagining it.

He continued sadly "Fernpelt was about to have a litter of kits and...we needed Creamleaf to be in there to help...but I ushered him away before the storm even started."

Dawnheart tried processing this "You were going to be a father?"

He nodded before meowing "Starclan told me there was going to be a storm but I ignored it...when I tried moving the branch, one of the branches scratched my shoulder and I got this scar."

She looked at his large scar with curiosity as she asked "What happened to Fernpelt?"

A small tear came from his eye as he continued "I broke through the branch and got Creamleaf over to the den...but it was too late...Fernpelt was dead..."

Dawnheart lowered her ears in sadness as she managed to ask "And the kits?..."

Shadestar looked up towards Dawnheart and smiled a little "Alive and well..."

Dawnheart raised her ears and gasped "Where are there? They aren't in this clan are they?"

Shadestar put his paw on top of Dawnheart's and finished the story "Fernpelt gave birth to two beautiful she-kits...and I named them...Dawnkit and Duskkit."

Dawnheart looked down at his black paw and then up into his eyes and choked out "Y-your my...."

He smiled a little "Father...yes."

Dawnheart wanted to leave the den to run away and think but she wanted to ask one final question "Dawnbreeze and Falconwing?"

He replied "They took you and Duskbreeze in...I couldn't bare but have you lived knowing your mother was dead."

Dawnheart leaped to her paws angry "But you would rather have me live not knowing who my real parents were?"

Shadestar saddened "Dawnheart..."

She spat angry "Forget it! Leave me alone!" She spun around and raced out of the leader's den and into the camp.