"Uh...." Wolfheart hesitatd. Would she have to lie to the RiverClan leader for Hazelheart protection? No, she couldn't.

Finally she sighed, "Her name's Hazelheart...." She explained how they met, and how long  they had been meeting, andhow they had befriended each other, even though they hadn't officially got close to each other until their first gathering.

"I see...." Muttered Leopardstar, her gaze on full power. "But I still don't see why you have done it."

Wolfheart looked her strait in the eye, "Maybe because she's a friend to me!"

Leopardstar looked stunned. Wolfheart then realized she had shouted aback at her leader, for sure she would pay for it.

"Thats it!" Spat Leopardstar. She leaped onto the Highrock and yowled, "Let all the cats old enough to hunt for themselves to gather below for a Clan meeting!"

The cats gathered around, their eyes filled with curiosity.

She yowled Wolfheart's entire story, and Wolfheart watched as her mother and sister's eyes shot back from their leader to her in horror.

"Exile her!"

"Kill her!"

"Keep her as a prisoner!"

"Blind her!"

Angry yowls rose from the crowd. Did they mean these harsh words?

"Oh were exileing her!" Yelled Leopardstar.

Yowls of aprovement came up from the crowd, as the Clan Deputy, Bloodstep, and a few other Warriors pounced at her. Wolfheart then knew what they were doing, they were running her out.

Wolfheart panted as she aproached the river. She swam across it and looked back. No more angry yowls.

She sighed with relief as a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Wolfheart? What are you doing here? What if Firestar catches you!"

Wolfheart spun around and faced her friend Hazelheart. "I've been exiled from my Clan..." She muttered.

Hazelheart stared in dibelief. "You have?" She asked still looking at her shocked. "Yeah....I guess I am going to have to be a Rouge now..."

Hazelheart was speachless for a moment, then her eyes lit up with happiness. "You can join ThunderClan!" She yowled happily.

Wolfheart was the one shocked now. Join ThunderClan? Would they even adjust to her being there?

"A-are you sure?" She asked unsure. "Of course! I can assure you Firestar will welcome you! Don't forget he was once a Kittypet!"

Wolfheart thought a minute......What if one day she would have to fight against her sister, Grayhaert? Or have to raid RiverClan with ThunderClan? So many questions, but Hazelheart was practically handing out an invitation to shelter. She would have to take it.

"Well, alright." Purred Wolfheart.

As they entered he gorse tunnel to the ThunderClan camp, curious eyes fell upon Wolfheart. She smiled nervously as Hazelheart led her to Firestar's den.

"Firestar?" Called in Hazelheart. For a moment it was quiet, then he spoke, "Hazelheart, is that you? Come in."

She walked in, and signaled Wolfheart to stay with a flick of her tail.

When Hazelheart came back out, she spoke lightly and calmly. "He wan't to see you."

As Hazelheart walked to the Fresh-kill pile, Wolfheart took a deep breath, and walked into the dark den, shivering as the Lichen slid across her smooth pelt.

"Ah yes, hello Wolfheart." Said Firestar calmly. "So RiverClan has exiled you because of Hazelheart." Wolfheartwas shocked. Wolfheart hadn't shared with Hazelheart that she was even the problem.

"Uh, yes....sir." She muttered. "But I don't want to get her in trouble..."

"Ah she's not in trouble." Purred Firestar with amusment. "I have known that she has been seeing you since she was just an apprentice! She never washed her pelt!"

Wolfheart purred with delight. Firestar was a certainly nice cat, much better than Leaopardstar. Maybe she could find her place in ThunderClan.

"Good morning Hazelheart." Purred Wolfheart. It was the morning after she had been welcomed into ThunderClan, and she indeed loved it.

She purred with delight, "Hello there Hazelheart! I am going out hunting. Perhaps you could come with me?"

Hazelheart's eyes lit up with surprise. "Of course I will!" She purred. They then padded of through the gorse tunnel.

They came to the edge of the river. The scent of mouse was strong, and Wolfheart was dieing to catch one.

"Now, keep your belly low to the ground and-" Hazelheart was cut off by the sound of large steps coming through the buses.

Wolfheart tensed, but was calmed by Hazelheart's words. "Relax! It's only Shadowheart, the Clan Deputy."

As a large black cat with a white chest and a white tail tip walked through the bushes, Wolfheart felt partly embarrassed.

"You ought to be a mentor." Joked Shadowheart. "You smelled me right away."

Hazelheart purred with delight. "Shadowheart was my mentor." She explained. "Ah, Ok." Purred Wolfheart. Wolfheart couldn't help but admire Shadowheart, he was strong, and wasn't too awful looking. 

"Why don't we all hunt together?" She asked. Hazelheart looked at Shadowheart waiting for an answer. "Well.....Alright." Meowed Shadowheart.

When they had returned to camp, each cat had caught something. Wolfheart caught two mice and a vole, Hazelheart caught A mouse, a Vole and a squirrel, Shadowheart had caught a squirrel, a chaffinch and a black bird.

Every ThunderClan cat was impressed, nine pieces of Fresh-kill in only one hunt.

Hazelheart took hers to the Elders, and Shadowheart and Wolfheart dropped theirs into the Fresh-kill pile.

"You did very well." Purred Firestar with delight. "It was mostly Wolfheart." Meowed Shadowheart sternly. "She did very well."

Wolfheart was stunned, her catch hadn't been near as good as Shadowheart's! Was this cat trying to make Wolfheart popular to the Clan?

"Well then, good job Wolfheart!" Complimented Firestar, and then he walked off.

"Thanks Shadowheart." Mewed Wolfheart. "No problem." Shrugged Shadowheart. "After all, you did do pretty well."

Wolfhearts eyes lit up with excitment. She had done pretty well, and this cat had already befriended her. 

Wolfheart dreamed that night. She was at the river, and yowls of terror rose from somewhere ahead. She looked around frantically. Where was it coming from? Finally she come to the river, a helpless kit was yowling for help on a stone, water was rising at a lightning strike-speed, and then, the RiverClan Medicine Cat, Redleaf, walked up beside her, and whispered in her ear, "Beware water."

Wolfheart's head shot up, panting.

"Wolfheart? What's wrong?" Yawned Hazelheart, "It's not even Bright outside yet..."

Wolfheart looked up through the branches of the branches of the Warriors Den. Hazelheart was right, the stars still shone bright in Silverpelt, and the sky was as dark as ash.

"I-its nothing..." Muttered Wolfheart. "Just a bad dream." Hazelheart yawned and meowed in reply, "Well, if you say so." She rolled over and went back to sleep.

Wolfheart was so curious about what had just happened. Why had Redleaf visited her in her dream? And what did 'Beware water' mean? Did this mean that Redleaf was dead? Wolfheart knew that usually only dead Medicine Cats visited cats in their dreams. Was Baderpaw the new Medicince cat of RiverClan?

Wolfheart had been up all night long thinking. She had to know what this meant.

She got up lazily and slid her was out of the Warrior's Den.

As she went through the Gorse Entrance, she looked back, wondering if it was right to go back into RiverClan territory, even for a little while. Either was she was risking her life, but she had to know the truth.

As she reached the river, she noticed it had risen quite high, enough to push down a skinny tree and make it lay across it, making an easy path to the other side.

She thought this would be easier, because the river was now flowing at a rapid pace. She would have to risk it.

As she stepped on paw onto the smooth bark, it seemed quite stable. She edged her body further onto it, until a faint crack sounded underneath her.

She looked down, the tree was about to break!

She tried to run, but it was too late. The stick broke, and she was sent yowling into the river.

"Help!" She coughed between gasps for air. It hit her in a flash, this was what 'Beware water' meant.

This was her last thought before everything went dark.

When she awoke, she was back on the bank of ThunderClan territory. A familiar scent filled the air. She weakly turned her head toward the scent, and there stood Hazelheart and Shadowheart.

"Shadowheart and I found you, you were all the way out in the middle of the river, leaned up against a rock." Announced Hazelheart. "Shadowheart saved you." She added. Wolfheart looked over at Shadowheart who was simply licking his paw. "It was nothing." He shrugged.

Wolfheart then remembered why she had crossed that stupid stick anyway. It was to go and see if Redleaf, the RiverClan Medicine Cat was dead. A strange dream had been scent to her, it was a voice, saying 'Beware water'. She had found out what that meant the hard way, and usually only dead Medicine Cats sent dreams ike that. This is why she suspected the death of Redleaf.

"We need to get you to Ripplepool." Said Shadowheart sternly.

Hazelheart helped Wolfheart to her paws and they were off. Walking at a majorly slow pace.

When they arrived, Wolfheart felt eyes watching her. The water had dried, but she still shivered at the memory of being swept under the water.

"What happened to you, Wolfheart?" Asked Ripplepool as they entered the Medicine Cat's Den. "She fell into the river." Hazelheart answered for her. Ripplepool gave Wolfheart a suspicious look. "How?" She asked. Wolfheart knew she couldn't share the true story, Clan-member or not, she would have to lie. "I was hunting," She said between coughes, "and I was swept off my feet, into the river by a strong gust of wind."

Ripplepool looked like she didn't believe a single word, but she went on, "You will have to spend a few nights here, maybe even a moon." She sighed.

She awoke the next morning with her paws aching, but to her surprise, when she awoke, Shadowheart was beside her, his flank against hers, and Hazelheart was padding into the dark Den.

"He was really worried about you last night." She explained. "I didn't see him go out, but I knew he would."

Right about that time, Shadowheart's ear twitched, and a loud yawn came from his enormous mouth.

"Feeling any better?" He asked Wolfheart. "Yes," She replied. "I think I am ready to leave The Medicine Cat's Den."

As they padded over to the Fresh-Kill pile together, Wolfheart noticed a young kit, scuffling in the dirt, but not with another kit. She looked lonley and sad, and her eyes had no expression.

"What's wrong with that kit?" Asked Wolfheart. "That's Sourkit," Explained Shadowheart. "She has never been like the other kits-something is wrong with her."

As Wolfheart watched the Brown-and-white kit paw at the dirt, she noticed something was definatly wrong.

"I am going to mention it to Ripplepool." Murmurred Wolfheart, "I think she ought to look at her."

Hazelheart tilted her head. "You know Ripplepool is only a makeshift medicine cat, right? Bluewater is our real medicine cat- but she was out last night."

"And, I wouldn't count on it." added on Shadowheart. "Her mother is Brownstep- the grouchiest queen of them all, she will be really upset if you mention it to Bluewater and she finds out."

Wolfheart looked very closley at Sourkit. Her ears twitched as some distant warriors shared tounges- she had amazing hearing! Yet, her eyes were blank, and colorless.

After a moment, Wolfheart saw what was wrong with Sourkit. She was blind.

"She's blind." Sighed Hazelheart, as if she had read Wolfheart's mind. "But she is almost six moons. Maybe it is a possiblility of her atleast being a apprentice. What use would she be if she wasn't?"

Right about that time, Brownstep emerged from the nursery and padded over to Firestar. Sourkit's ears twitched and she stumbled up and followed her mother's scent.

She has a fine nose. Thought Wolfheart. That could help her in the future.

There was a bit of arguing over Brownstep and Firestar, but then it ended, and Firestar gave a brief nod and padded over to the Highrock, and leaped onto it.

As the cats gathered around, Firestar announced that Sourkit was going to be made an apprentice.

Out of Wolfheart's surprise, Firestar's eyes suddenly met her gaze.

"Wolfheart," He meowed. "you will mentor Sourpaw, even if it takes all of the patience in the world..."

As Wolfheart and Sourpaw greeted each other, the cats started to break up, until the beat of large paws and angry yowls arose from outside the Gorse Tunnel.

"ShadowClan!" Gasped Firestar. "They are attacking us!"