It was her job as deputy to protect her clan from any outsider. Because of this, she couldn't help being a little guilty as the warrior and his apprentice, Quakes and Fern, dragged a WaterClan apprentice that they found inside of EarthClan's territory into camp just before dawn.

Quakes was a sturdy EarthClan dragon, certainly one of the strongest. He was calm and collected as well, something she admired in a warrior. He did many of the night patrols like this one, and he was always willing to help with chores other warrior dragons would say were below them.

Fern, dashingly beautiful, but rebellious and reckless. She didn't care much for the boundaries of other clans. She would certainly be a handful when she arrives at a Parliament for the first time.

The two got along though, they balanced each other in a way.

She shook her head. They weren't what she was concerned with right now, the WaterClan dragonet was.

He didn't look all that fierce, he was mostly whimpering and struggling to break free of Quakes' grasp, but WaterClan were always tricky.

EarthClan dragons emerged from their dens at the sound of Fern's triumphant exclamations. Even Boulder was coming to see what the noise was.

Atlas flew powerfully up onto the stone outcropping carved for him. It overlooked the valley of the camp, with the den's dug into the hills at either side. Right under the EarthClan leader's perch was a rather spacious ridge, three dragon-lengths wide and two long. That was hers. She glided gracefully up onto it, clacking her talons on the smooth stone surface as she landed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Atlas asked. "What is this WaterClan dragonet doing in our camp?"

"We found him in the oak forest, inside our territory." Quakes answered respectfully.

"Yeah, we captured him!" Fern boasted. "I even got to use my fearsome new war cry!"

"Don't you think he's trouble?" A warrior growled. The unmistakable sandy markings of the dragon helped her recognize Dune, a determined and experienced fighter. "Why would you bring him here? He threatens to disclose the location of our home! We already have had to move out of a camp, after those nasty WaterClans found it before!"

Mutters swept throughout the assembled dragons.

"Are they preparing an attack? Will they ambush us like FireClan attacked StormClan?" One of the mothers, Topaz, whispered to Quartz, her sister and a fellow mother.

"We need more protection to the Northeast, the forests are very poorly defended, WaterClan can just pass right on through!" Dune growled.

"Does he know where our home is now? We can't just let him go now, right?" Quartz stepped forward.

"Please, quiet down!" Atlas barked. He turned his head toward Quakes and Fern. "Is it true? Does this apprentice know of our camp's location?" The EarthClan leader demanded.

"No." Quakes assured the clan. "We had him blindfolded on the way here."

"Good." Atlas rumbled, flipping his head around like he does when he's agitated. His tail clattered over the stone outcropping and he clicked his claws together, deep in thought.

"What should we do with him?" Topaz asked loudly enough for the apprentice to hear, and he slumped his head down in fear and shame. He didn't know what was happening.

"Lock him in the prison!" Fern growled almost joyfully, like this was all just a game to her.

She looked above her at Atlas, who was still lost in his own mind. He looked up only slightly at Fern's gleeful cry.

She stepped forward on the ledge. "WaterClan or not, he's just an apprentice..."

"They've used their apprentices to spy on us before! What if he is trying to give information to his clan?!" Dune growled.

"I don't know-"

She was cut off by Atlas glided over her head and landing in front of the dragonet. He scramble as far backwards as a growling Quakes would allow.

Atlas inspected the young dragon, from his small claws to his tiny wings to his fearfully colored spots and his terror-filled eyes. He reeked with the smell of fear. He seemed to be scared, but WaterClan had been crafty before.

"What's your name, dragonet?" He hissed.

"S-Squid. I-I-I don't know... I didn't want to come here, it was an accident..." He trailed off under the glare of the EarthClan leader's eyes.

Atlas growled at him. "This is not your territory, young one. As an apprentice, you have been shown the boundaries of your clan. There were no accidents."

"I'm not-" He was cut off by Quakes tugging hard at his arm.

"Don't interupt." The warrior breathed.

Atlas' eyes softened for a moment as he gazed down on the WaterClan dragonet. Then he growled again. "Put him in the dungeons for now. Until we figure out what to do with him."

Quakes began to walk away, dragging a squeling Squid along.

"Have a guard with him. No escaping and no getting torn apart by the other prisoners." Atlas added.

"I'll go." The deputy said quickly. She was eager to make up for her lack of help in defending the borders overnight.

"Very well, Onyx." Atlas nodded to her over his shoulder and lifted himself into flight. He landed on his outcropping and preceded to walk down a path into his den.

The black EarthClan deputy wasted no time in diving off of the ledge and following Quakes and the dragonet to the prison.

Once she got there she padded down a stony path into a wide underground cave full of simple dens closed off by thick, twisted metal bars that were forged by Boulder. Many of the cells were full, and she saw the dragonet being put into one of the top level ones. She sprinted up a steep slope that leveled out onto a pathway past a line of cells. Squid was already put in the fourth one down, with Quakes waiting for her outside.

She caught up to him and nodded respectfully. He smiled and glided off of the ledge down toward the entrance tunnel that glowed with a dim light. The rest of the cave was lit with torches, casting a dull red glow on the prison and it's occupants.

Onyx stalked inside of the cell with the trembling WaterClan dragonet. She closed the door, having to work a bit extra against the rust that had formed on the old hinges.

She got her first close look at the water dragonet, quivering frills that were a sickly shade of greenish yellow, the color of fear. His legs shook and his eyes gaped at her like she was here to kill him.

"You shouldn't have come here." Was all she could think to say to the dragonet.

"I didn't mean to." He croaked. "I was just trying to-"

"Spy on us? Play tricks? Steal some eggs?" She snapped. At this he shrunk away from her into a shadowy corner. Her anger subsided, and she almost felt a pang of...sympathy for the WaterClan apprentice. She growled, almost to herself, trying to rid the feeling. Weakness was all it was. "Look." She spat. "This is clear EarthClan territory."

"I don't know the boundaries." He cried out. "I'm not an apprentice, I was in the forest because of my Trials! I was trying to stay hidden in the swamps, but the WaterClan warriors found me. I ran, but I didn't know where I was going. I ran until I couldn't anymore. That's when they found me, the warrior and his apprentice. I didn't mean to, I..." His strained voice melted into the sobs of a chick.

She stood, unsure of what to do, growl at the childish manner of this dragon, or try to comfort him. She felt the sympathy again, and stepped toward the dragonet, very slowly, like if she went too fast she would scare him off.

She wrapped her tail around him in the way a mother would pull her own chick to herself. She hated herself for the sudden urge to show affection for a child of her enemy, but, at the same time, she couldn't help it. She sat down and used her strong tail to pull the weeping dragonet to her side.

Her warmth helped to calm him down, and he slowly stopped crying, he only sniffled every few moments. She looked to the outside of the cell, making sure no one was watching.

"Why do you hate me?" The little water dragon whimpered after a few moments of silence.

She growled quietly. "WaterClan cannot be trusted. You're all a bunch of thieving liars." She lashed her tail angrily, unintentionally slapping Squid in the side.

"But...but we aren't!" He hushed slightly when she glared at him. "We're not that different." He whispered. "We both bleed, and we both hate, and we both love." He nuzzled her leg. "We both have dreams and fears, and we would both do anything for family."

"Even try to tear mine apart?" Onyx hissed quietly.

"What...what do you mean?"

She sighed, remembering what her mother had told her so long ago.

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"Why do they treat me different?" A much younger Onyx whined to her mother as they settled down for the night in the nursery. There were others in there, Quakes and Topaz and Quartz, who had already fallen asleep.

"You're a miracle, that's all." Her mother smiled wearily.

"But all the mums say that!" She protested, climbing on her mother's back leg.

"You are a special miracle." Her mother clamped her jaws on the scruff of her neck, setting her down between her front legs.

"Why? What makes me so special?" She persisted, squirming under her mother's tongue as she attempted to wash her pitch black scales.

"You were almost lost to me." Her mother sighed.

"I was? How?" Onyx straightened, trying to pry as much information from her mother as she could.

"You...you were taken from the hatchery, as an egg."

"Who took me?"

"WaterClan. They took you away from me."

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"That's where I learned how to be loyal to family." Onyx snarled. "I would do anything for family, even kill."