Lost in his thoughts, Thornpaw barely payed attention to the ceremony which was just starting to be held. It had been a moon since the apprentice had first met the cats from the Dark Forest. Acornfoot had told he and Lostpaw that she and the others weren't really StarClan. She claimed that Thornpaw and his brother probably wouldn't have trained with her if she hadn't said that, and Thornpaw agreed. 

Though it took a few nights, Thornpaw once again trusted the Dark Forest. After all, they were helping he and his brother become great members of MistClan. The cats there always respected Thornpaw, and he enjoyed that. 

In the Dark Forest, claws were unsheathed when training. Any wounds received would always appear on his pelt the next morning, but they never bled since Silverpool - the first medicine cat of MistClan - would always place cobwebs to stop any bleeding.

Thornpaw snapped his amber gaze to the top of Pine Rock when he heard Poppykit - about to become Poppypaw - start her speech. He flicked his tail tip, angling his ears towards her. He was curious about what she would say, as he had heard that every cat in the royal family creates and announces their very own oration.

"As I stand before you all today, ready to become an apprentice, I would like to announce what I hope to bring to the future of MistClan." Poppykit gazed down at all of her Clanmates, and Thornpaw noticed how professional she was behaving. She didn't seem nervous at all, and her ginger fur was groomed neatly. That's a first.

"Being Princess, it is my goal to make our Clan a very fun and happy place. Everybody will be great friends, and everybody will respect the Code of the Stars. MistClan will be a place that all will want to join due to its fairness and loyalty. In the near future, I would like to create a special holiday taking place on the first day of newleaf to celebrate leaf-bare's departure. That holiday would be a free day for everybody in camp, which I'm sure that everybody would enjoy."

Thornpaw lowered his ears, sensing that not much more would be said by the Princess. He looked over at Lostpaw who was smiling and gazing straight up at Poppykit. The dark brown apprentice rolled his amber eyes before switching his focus at the Pine Rock. I was right. She's done with her speech, and now she's getting her apprentice name.

As the crowd started to call out her name, Thornpaw joined in as well. Soon enough, MistClan was being dismissed. Now I can go find my mentor and hopefully train for a change. I don't understand why he doesn't get up some mornings, and a lot of the time he's in the medicine den.

Thornpaw stood up and shook his pelt before hearing scuffling. Poppypaw was bounding towards him, "I'm an apprentice, Thornpaw! I'm an apprentice! Can you believe it?! I can't! I'm so excited to leave camp! I'm so excited to do so many things that I couldn't do back when I was a kit which was only a few moments ago! But I'm still just so excited!" 

I got the point, now can you shut up? Thornpaw forced himself to purr, remembering what the Dark Forest had told him when it came to speaking with the Princess. "Great job, I'm glad you're an apprentice now." The dark brown tabby flicked an ear when he heard more cats run over.

"Congrats, bestie! Now you'll have to deal with being in the apprentice den with the badger on my left," Frondpaw laughed, hitting Thornpaw with his tail. Thornpaw didn't react, as he remembered the Dark Forest's words.

"Yes, congratulations Poppypaw! I'm so glad you're an apprentice with us all now!" Lostpaw mewed, excitement in his icy-blue gaze.

"Me too! I'm so so happy," Poppypaw purred loudly. The ginger she-cat then gazed behind her. "I'm going to go to the nursery now! I think Aunt Rainfeather wants to speak to me before I explore the territory for the first time. Bye!" The flame-colored she-cat waved her tail and raced over to where she said to be going.

Thornpaw gazed from Frondpaw and Lostpaw before padding away. Snowleap wasn't there for the meeting, so he's probably in the medicine den again. The dark brown apprentice trotted towards the den which smelt of herbs. 

Inside of the den lay Ivory and Azalea, Marley and Olly by their sides. The four she-cats were supposed to have left MistClan a half-moon ago, but Ivory and Azalea decided it would be a good idea to challenge a family of foxes on their own. The two she-cats were confined to the medicine den for a whole moon due to the severity of their injuries.

Thornpaw looked over at one of the nests where Snowleap was. Stonefeather and Beechtuft were sitting by it, both monitoring the white tom. "Excuse me?" Thornpaw started, gazing at the medicine cats with uncertainty. 

"Welcome, Thornpaw! You can come in," Stonefeather meowed, lifting his blue gaze to look at his nephew. 

Thornpaw stepped into the medicine den and walked towards the medicine cats. I wonder if Snowleap's sick. 

"Is there anything you'd like to ask, Thornpaw?" Stonefeather asked. The gray tom gazed at Thornpaw with warmth.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe I could be trained today?" Thornpaw looked down at Snowleap, who was fiddling around with his nest.

"I'm afraid that-"

"Yes! I'll train him right now, actually!"

"Snowleap, I don't think-"

"No, I'm in perfect condition!" The white tom shakily stood up.

"You're not, Snowleap. You're in a really bad position to-"

"I know if I'm good or not. Don't worry about me getting other's sick or something. I'm not sick." Without a further word, Snowleap staggered out of the medicine den.

Thornpaw was surprised by his mentor's sudden change in mood, and even more surprised that he had argued with MistClan's medicine cat. The Dark Forest had told him that medicine cats were to be respected.

"You can go train with him, Thornpaw," Stonefeather sighed, before bringing his voice down to a whisper. "If Snowleap starts acting strange then come and get me, but if you're able to, try bringing him here."

Thornpaw nodded before turning around and exiting the medicine den. My mentor always acts strange. How am I supposed to spot a difference? The dark brown tabby walked towards the entrance leading to the pine forest.

Thornpaw didn't have to walk far to reach Snowleap. The tabby apprentice followed his mentor who was heading towards the training hollow. The walk was taking a very long time, and Thornpaw was starting to grow impatient. It had been days since he last went out to train. "Can we walk faster?" he asked annoyedly.

The dark brown tom's amber eyes narrowed when his mentor simply ignored him. "Can we walk faster?" Thornpaw asked again, though ignored once more. Okay, I'm going by myself. This is annoying. "I'm just going to go then," the apprentice muttered, speeding up his pace. 

Now a good distance away from his mentor, Thornpaw looked behind his shoulder. The small white tom was still going the same slow speed, not bothering to try to catch up. Thornpaw lashed his tail and continued on his path to the training hollow. Once there, Thornpaw sat, waiting for Snowleap to come.

I think he's taking a long time on purpose. No cat could possibly be this slow! After a few more heartbeats of waiting, Snowleap had arrived. Finally! I thought I was going to have to train myself! 

Thornpaw stood up and walked towards his mentor, who was sitting. "What will I learn today?" Thornpaw gazed intensely at his mentor, who looked very tired and fragile.

After a while, Snowleap responded slowly. "Just...demonstrate battle moves...or...something..."

Thornpaw looked at Snowleap with uncertainty. He must be sick. "Okay," he murmured, taking a few steps back. His amber eyes locked on a large stick. I can pretend that this is an opponent, like what we do in the Dark Forest. Thornpaw walked towards it, knowing which battle tactic he'd use.

Thornpaw gave a low growl, walking around the stick. Then, he pounced upon it, grabbing the end of it with his forepaws. Due to his added weight, the piece of wood leaned forward. The dark brown apprentice quickly used his hindpaws to slam down on the other end - snapping the stick in half. Thornpaw smirked, That went well. He turned around to gaze at Snowleap, who was staring straight back at him.

"It's confirmed..."

Thornpaw stepped towards his mentor in confusion. What's confirmed? What's he talking about?

Snowleap stood up, slightly swaying. "Don't train in the Dark Forest...it's a really bad place..."

What? How does he know? How is it a bad place? Thornpaw narrowed his eyes, "It's not a bad place. They teach me a lot of great things-"

Snowleap cut Thornpaw off by yowling. "They're just tricking you into destroying MistClan! How don't you realize that?! You're such an idiot!" 

What?! "No they aren't! They are trying to help me!"

"They aren't trying to help you! They are fox-hearted snake-tongues! They only care about themselves, he doesn't care what happens to everybody else! I've told you and I've told you and I've told you so many times! He wants me dead - he wants us all to die! He doesn't care what lengths he has to go to kill us! They weren't normal rogues who attacked you! He sent them out for you! But you don't listen! And you wouldn't say things that aren't true! I know how you feel about me!"

Thornpaw gazed at his mentor with confusion. What is he talking about..? I don't think he's speaking about the Dark Forest... Snowleap had stopped yowling, gazed down at the ground,  and trembled.

"Oh," Snowleap whispered, "Eaglefeather, why'd you leave me? I need you more than ever...I'm so sorry..." Without a further word, the white tom collapsed to the ground and curled up in a tight ball.

Thornpaw stared down at his mentor. What just happened..? The dark brown tabby was at a loss for words. This has never happened before... Was Snowleap hallucinating? The apprentice took a few steps back. I have to go get Stonefeather.

. . . . .

"Thank you, Thornpaw," Stonefeather mumbled.

"No problem," Thornpaw replied. He watched as the gray medicine cat lay next to Snowleap, murmuring words which Thornpaw couldn't make out.

The dark brown apprentice was unsure of whether he was needed or not, so he waited until being properly dismissed. By time sunhigh came, Thornpaw had been sent back to camp. 

The tabby sat in the apprentice den, gazing at the new nest which would soon belong to Poppypaw. It was lined with feathers and pebbles; a few stems of lavender were assorted in the fresh mossy cushion. That's a nice nest. I hope she doesn't ruin it. That would be a shame. 

Thornpaw took a look at the inside of camp. Nearly everybody were gathered together, sharing tongues and playing around. Lostpaw and Frondpaw were playfully scuffling by the fresh-kill pile. The dark brown tabby narrowed his eyes in thought. 

The Dark Forest told Lostpaw and I that we must act proper. But I wonder if Snowleap meant what he said, and I shouldn't listen to the cats there. Thornpaw forced that thought away. He's probably not thinking straight. I wonder what he was talking about before... 

He stood up, starting to walk towards the elder's den. However, Thornpaw had the sudden feeling that he was being watched. He gazed around, and his amber eyes met with the blue eyes of Onekit, who sat right by the entrance of the nursery. Why is he staring at me like that?  Thornpaw quickened his pace and stepped into the elder's den.

"Oh, look who it is," Foxsight hummed. "Welcome, Thornpaw!"

"Hello, grandmother," Thornpaw meowed. He then looked at Leafstreak. The pink-tinted tabby had claimed to be training in the Dark Forest since he, Softheart, and Fleetfoot were kits together. The Dark Forest can't be bad. Elders are wise, and if it really was a horrible place, Leafstreak wouldn't be training there.

"For what reason have you come?" Flameleaf asked, purring. 

"A story, perhaps?" Jaggedfur questioned, gazing at Thornpaw.

Why am I in here? I already know that the Dark Forest is trying to help me. I don't have a reason to be here. Even so, I guess I'll stay. I have nothing better to do. "Yeah, I'd like to hear a story."

"Wonderful! Do you have any idea about what you would like to hear about?" Foxsight walked towards her grandson, though she took a quick look at Seedstep who was sitting in the corner.

"Hm..." Thornpaw narrowed his amber gaze. He looked behind him, eyeing the fallen scorched tree in front of the elder's den. "Can I know about the burned tree? Is it special?" The dark brown tabby sat down.

Foxsight took a hesitant look at the rest of the elders. Thornpaw pricked his ears when hearing a wry laugh from Leafstreak.

"Oh, it sure is special," Leafstreak started. "I can tell you all about it." The old tabby tom stepped forward a few paces.

"You better not say his name," Flameleaf warned, flicking an ear.

"Of course not. We all know that his presence is a curse to MistClan. He doesn't deserve to be named," Leafstreak chuckled.

"This is supposed to be a story about the tree. Stop with the insults, brother." Jaggedfur rolled her dark amber eyes.

"I'm going to check on my father," Foxsight scowled, trotting over to Seedstep.

Who is a curse to MistClan? I'm confused. Thornpaw sighed, gazing over at Leafstreak who would be the one telling the story.

"I'll get started." Leafstreak cleared his throat and sat down. "It all started with an overgrown rat named Weakkit."

"For StarClan's sake, be more mature and stop being so rude!" Flameleaf growled, his yellow eyes narrowed in a glare. 

"I'm only joking, Flameleaf. Try not taking things too seriously for a change."

"Wha- But you-? Okay, I'm leaving." The cream-colored tom stood up and walked over to his sister, Foxsight. 

That was strange... I have a feeling that 'Weakkit' isn't this cat's real name. Who even is Weakkit? If that is Weakkit's real name, why would their parents name them that? That's cruel. Thornpaw flicked his tail impatiently, waiting for the story to be started.

"Since somebody doesn't want me to use the name that perfectly describes this individual, we'll call him..." Leafstreak thought for a few heartbeats, "Bushtail."

"I thought you'd be better at naming cats since you like to brag about your son being King all the time," Jaggedfur murmured.

"Shut up, I'm trying to tell a story."

I would have asked for something different if I had known that it would take such a long time to even get to the story. I just want to learn about the tree! Thornpaw huffed, glaring at the ground.

"Okay," Leafstreak started once more. "Bushtail was very upset. He committed an unforgivable crime a while back. He also got into an argument with somebody important to him. So, for moons, Bushtail wouldn't leave the warriors den. Neither would his mother. His mother was a very sad cat too. One day, a fire came. Everybody was trying to escape. The tree was going to fall after a lightning bolt struck it, and Bushtail decided to wait for it to fall on him. But then his mother came and pushed him out of the way at the right time. The tree crushed her instead of him. Honestly, Bushtail had it coming for him, and he's still alive, actually."

That's tragic... That wasn't what I was expecting. I wonder who Bushtail is and what crime he committed. And who'd he get into an argument with? "That was a very interesting story. And Bushtail is still alive? Was he exiled?"

"Sadly, he wasn't exiled. He's still here in MistClan, though I wish he wasn't."

"Oh." Thornpaw blinked a few times. I thought cats who do horrible things would be exiled. "What was the bad thing that Bushtail did?"

"It was never proven that he did anything bad." Foxsight walked over, shaking her head. "Leafstreak, you're just being biased." The dark ginger she-cat then took a look at her grandson. "You should go get yourself something to eat. Your favorites are lizards, right? There should be some on the fresh-kill pile."

"Alright," Thornpaw sighed, standing up. The dark brown tabby exited the elder's den and walked towards the fresh-kill pile. He sniffed for a lizard, and when he found one, he pulled it close to him. I don't think my brothers are here. That means that Frondpaw won't be stealing my prey.

After taking a few bites, Thornpaw flicked an ear when he heard rustling coming from MistClan camp's entrance. He looked over, amber gaze narrowing. In came Stonefeather, supporting Snowleap who was right by his side. Oh, they're back now. That took a very long time. 

The dark brown tabby gazed back down at his lizard, finishing it in a couple more bites. His swiped his tongue around his muzzle, sighing. It was barely past sun-high, and Thornpaw didn't know what else he could do. He stood up and padded towards the apprentice den. He laid in his nest, resting his head on his paws. Might as well take a short nap...

. . . . .

"You idiot! How could you?! You were our only source!"

"I'm going to kill you and then kill you again!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault! Ah!"

Thornpaw, who just awoke in the Dark Forest, watched as Softheart and Leafstreak chased Fleetfoot around. The apprentice narrowed his eyes, "I just got here... What's going on?"

The three cats stopped in their tracks, now all gazing at Thornpaw. "Oh, we are very sorry for causing a scene," Softheart murmured, sitting down. "It was very improper of us."

Thornpaw shrugged, "It's okay. But what was happening?"

"Nothing important, that's what," Fleetfoot huffed. 

Thornpaw sighed, stepping towards them. "Alright."

"If you don't mind, could you give Leafstreak, Fleetfoot, and I a second? We need to talk about something. Please stay there," Softheart mewed, standing up - swishing her tail for the two toms in question to follow her. Thornpaw nodded, sitting down. Whatever was going on probably was important. What secret is this? 

The dark brown tabby flicked his tail after awhile of waiting. Why is everything taking so long today?! Thornpaw scowled, now lashing his tail. 

"No need to get yourself all worked up, Thornpaw."

Thornpaw gazed in front of him, seeing Thistleburr padding towards him. He stood up, giving his pelt a quick shake. "Hello, Thistleburr. Are you going to train me today?"

"Sure. But first, why are you here so early?" Thistleburr's amber eyes were narrowed in confusion, her gray-and-white fur on edge.

"I didn't really have anything else to do today so I thought I'd take a nap," Thornpaw replied, curious about why this was such a big deal. "Was I not supposed to come? I'm very confused."

"No, it's fine. It's just that we don't usually get trainees coming during the day. Minus Leafstreak, who's an elder." Thistleburr sighed, flicking her tail. "Now it's time for training. I'm thinking that you could practice your dodge, to keep you agile. Though you already are, of course."

Thornpaw nodded, watching as Thistleburr unsheathed her claws. The dark brown tabby crouched down, ready to leap out of the way if needed. He watched Thistleburr's every move, making sure to not be fooled by her fake swings. Then, the gray she-cat started swiping at Thornpaw. The apprentice leapt out of the way, landing on all fours. Thistleburr continued swiping at him, and though he nearly got snagged a few times, he came out unmarked. 

"You're quite good at this for only being eight moons old. You are a natural. You'll be a great warrior soon." 

Thornpaw smirked, watching as Thistleburr turned away. Yes, I am good! And I'll be a great warrior! The dark brown apprentice, not paying attention, didn't realize that Thistleburr's claws tore right through his left ear until it was too late.

"But, before you do become a warrior, you must learn to always be on guard," Thistleburr scolded, taking a step towards Thornpaw. She gazed at the wound she gave to him. "Looks like you've gained your very first permanent scar."

Thornpaw's eyes widened. A scar?! I got a scar?! The dark brown apprentice smiled. Yes! I've always wanted one!

"Follow me, Thornpaw. I'll take you to Silverpool." Thistleburr swished her tail, starting to walk through the dark pines. 

Thornpaw purred, right behind her. This is great! I really got my very first scar! I hope Frondpaw's jealous when I show him this.

. . . . .

Thornpaw awoke in his nest, standing up and stretching. The air around him felt damp, and it appeared that it had rained a little while he was asleep. Remembering what had happened in the Dark Forest, Thornpaw left the apprentice den. Underneath his paws was a small, clear puddle. He gazed into it, amber eyes gleaming. 

Now that is what I call a true scar!

I will admit that it took me too long to write this chapter. I am very proud with the outcome, though! I would like to thank TwentyMapleLeaves for proofreading this and giving me in her input! It helped me a lot! Here are the questions:

1. What do you think of Thornpaw? What do you think will happen to him?

2. What just happened to Snowleap?

3. Do you like Poppypaw? What do you think will happen to her?