"No, I will speak with her myself." Dragonheart barked firmly.

Barkfoot narrowed his eyes. "Why so ergant?"

Dragonheart knew where this was going. "Look, Barkfoot, I just need to have a word of my own with her."

Barkfoot laughed. "Don't try and fess up to me! I'm not that foolish! Look, Dragonpa-Dragonheart, the answer's no. Now go and I will give her your news."

Dragonheart moaned and walked away. He always does everything for everyone! Why doesn't he ever just buzz off!

"He seemed a bit frantic." Dragonheart turned to face Greentail.

"What do you mean?"

"He seemed like he was scared we'd be able to talk to her...do you think he did something?"

Dragonheart shrugged. "Dunno. ANd if he did, he was probably scared we'd squeel on him!"

Greentail gave him an obvious look. "That was my point."

"Oh...I knew that." Dragonheart muttered.

Dragonheart yawned. He'd slept restlessly that night, and was exausted. He walked outside. His eyes widened. So you are up to something! It was Barkfoot and Gingerclaw-the former RockClan deputy-discusing something urgently.

"She might find out if any of those apprentices decide to get up early!"

"Yes, I know. But we must act fast. I will meet you here tomorrow."

Dragonheart's eyes widened. Oh no! 

He walked into the clearing. "Barkfoot! Barkfoo-well, well,well? What is he doing here?" Dragonheart bared his teeth at Gingerclaw. "Get him, Barkfoot!" Dragonheart tried to sound as if he new nothing of the plan that they'd established.

"Go away, Dragonheart! This is none of your consern! Now go!" Barkfoot shoved him towards his den.

Greentail appeared. "You foolish murderer! You thought you could get away with it!"

Gingerclaw, worried and scared, began to inch towards the camp exit.

Greentail skitted in front of him.

"Get outta my way!" Gingerclaw leapt at Greentail.

Greentail, being quick and clever, let himself be attacked. He exposed his belly, then wacked Gingerclaw in the face and pinned him down.

Dragonheart leapt into the air, landing ontop of Barkfoot. The two well-trained and experienced warriors rolled acoss the clearing in a mass of fighting.

"What in StarClan's name is going on here?"

"Ninestar!" Dragonheart exclaimed. " This guy is a traitor!"

"That's rediculous! He's the deputy!" Ninestar protested.

"But he braught a little friend to our camp..." Greentail barked from behind.

Ninestar's eyes widened. "How could you betray your own Clan,  Barkfoot? Why? Why?"

Dragonheart saw the pain in her eyes turn to anger. "Chase him out! And his friend! Chase them far from our territory!"

Dragonheart and Greentail nodded and relieced their captives. The chased the two dogs away,  panting as they ran. They stopped when they reached the edge of their border, and watched as the two dogs bolted into the RockClan's territory.

"Well, now they'll be chased even farther away! I must say, RockClan is the very aggresive." Greentail laughed.

"Yeah. Well, we don't have to worry about them anymore!"

The two walked back, very slowly, browsing for any other threats, toward camp.

Dragonheart waited outside the warriors den for a while. He watched the camp become active as dawn crept away and became morning. Dragonheart saw Icepaw. She's so beautiful... He shook his head trying to shake the lovely apprentice from his mind. But he couldn't. He new one day he would be forced through his undying love for her to speak to her.

"Dragonheart! Come on we're on hunting patrol!"

Dragonheart jumped and looked around. "Oh, I'm coming Greentail." Dragonheart looked back at Icepaw and to his suprise, she was looking back at him. The two just stared, their eyes locked, and after that brief moment Dragonheart looked away and darted after Greentail. He could almost feel Icepaws eyes peircing his fur, watching him go.

Dragonheart remebered when he had first met Icepaw, when he was just a tiny pup in the nursery. He remembered how her ice blue eyes had caused her to become Icekit. She was beautiful, and he knew this was true. He couldn't lie to himself about it anymore.

"I caught one!" Greentail yelped in glee, bringing his rabbit over to Mangefur, who was leading the patrol.

Mangefur smiled. "Great job, Greentail! You are doing very good! And you too, Dragonheart! I am very proud of both of you."

Dragonheart smiled and dipped his head. Mangefur was kind and gentle hearted, and Dragonheart thought he would make a good deputy. Ninestar was still thinking about who would be the next deputy now that Barkfoot betrayed them.

"Alright, let's head back to camp, it's getting dark."

Dragonheart and Greentail nodded and began to follow Mangefur back to camp. Dragonheart fell a pawstep behind the others. He waited for Greentail to join him.

Greentail knew he had news. "Well?"

Dragonheart laughed. "Well, you know how we chaced Barkfoot away? Well, now there has to be a new deputy and..."

"Uh-huh?"

"And I think that Mangefur should be deputy. He is kind and gentle hearted. Don't you think?"

"Yes." Greentail agreed. "I think we should give Ninestar a suggestion on who the deputy should be."

Dragonheart smiled. "Thanks for helping."

"Anything for a friend."

"No...no...NO!!!" Dragonheart barked in terror as he watched Mangefur being slaughtered helplessly. He struggled to escape the grasp of whatever held him back but he was paralized.

"NOOOO!!!!" Barkfoot used a razor sharp fang to finish Mangefur off.

"This is what will happen to them all if you ever interfear in my plans again. Remember my words, Dragonheart!" And with that, Barkfoot darted away.

Dragonheart's eyes shot open. "Mangefur..." He got up and scanned around the warriors den. He was sound asleep. Not a scratch on him. With a sigh of relief, Dragonheart walked outside. The camp was dead, not a sound or sign of life. He shuttered. He'd never seen the camp so dull, it was usually full of activity.

Slowly, others crawled from their dens yawning and the small pups barking and yipping as they emerged from the nursery.

"Hello, Dragonheart."

Dragonheart whiped around. It was Icepaw. "H-hello, Icepaw." He knew he would say something stupid, but he tried desperately not to.

"I'm on the morning patrol..." Icepaw muttered. "And it's my first patrol...and Mangefur asked me to find others to go on the patrol. Do you wanna come?"

Dragonheart gulped. "uh...sure. Let me go get Greentail." He rushed off into the warriors' den. "Greentail! Greentail! Wake up! Eyes open!"

"What? What is it?" Greentail looked around dumbly.

"We're going on a dawn patrol! Come on!" Dragonheart rushed back over to Icepaw. The two walked together all the way to the pine clearing, where they seperated into groups to hunt. He went with Greentail of course, and they went to the stream.

Dragonheart stalked paciently. He slowed down even more as he aproached the water vole. Leaping, he landed perfectly on the creature. "HA! GOTCHA!!!" He picked up the prey and burried it swiftly and sniff it so he could get back to it later.

He began browsing the stream when Icepaw rushed into the scene, chasing after a squirel.

"Darn!" Icepaw hit her paw on the ground.

"I could teach you how to stalk a squirel..." Dragonheart hesitated wondering if he'd affended her in saying she couldn't stalk a squirel.

"That would be great!" Icepaw barked happily.

Dragonheart sighed in relief. "Okay..." He flattened himself on the ground and Icepaw did the same.

"Perfect!" Dragonheart barked as Icepaw landed perfectly on the leaf she was practicing with.

"Yes!" Icepaw barked gleefuly. "Thankyou Dragonheart." She put her head under his. "Thankyou."

Dragonheart felt his heart skip a beat. "Y-your welcome..."

Icepaw smiled at him. "I'll be a warrior soon. Will you be there for my cerimony?"

"Of course!" Dragonheart barked.

Icepaw nodded happily. "Thanks. I'm going hunt some more. I think I should at least bring Mangefur a mouse." She disapeared into a bush.

Dragonheart sighed. There she goes again...He walked towards the stream again. Then he heard a shrill sceach of horror. "Icepaw!"

He rushed toward the sound. Icepaw was surounded by a bunch of skinny wolves. And Barkfoot was in the lead. Dragonheart snarled and leapt in front of Icepaw.

"ATTACK!!!"

"Icepaw, run!"

"Dragonheart! No what about you?!"

"Just go! I'll be fine!"

Icepaw flead into into the bushes. Dragonheart snarled and bared his teeth.

Three wolves leapt at him and pinned him down. Furious, Dragonheart managed to rip one off of him. The rest snaped at him neck and bit his limbs. More attacked and eventually he couldn't move. One of them hit him hard in the head and everything went black...

                                         To be continued...