Skypaw's paws ached with pain as pine needles pricked her paws as she ran on the unfamiliar ShadowClan territory. It felt so dangerous here. Having to watch out for ShadowClan and ThunderClan patrols, as well as to look out to avoid dangers and keep track of the tortoiseshell pelt of Willowleaf.

Keeping her head down, she only dared to look at the path right in front of her. Her tail lashed with anxiety. She was crowfood if any cat but Willowleaf saw her. Her silver tabby pelt against the dark marsh of ShadowClan's territory wasn't helping her odds, either.

Skypaw began to feel more comfortable when she smelled no cats around. She held her tail a little higher, and and lifted her head up more. Keeping Willowleaf's pelt as a guide, she continued to bolt after her.

Skypaw nearly jumped out of her fur as a slimy green creature erupted through the marsh at her through the air. Her fur bristled as she stared at it. She noticed other slimy creatures around it, and they seemed to be croaking to communicate.

Flashing back for a moment, she remembered her nursery days, where more information about the Clans was given to any cat the most. Her former ShadowClan mother told her about these, but she couldn't remember the name. Striving further into her mind, she tried to make out every word that was said to her. She hissed to herself when she blocked her mother out, thinking the information was useless. But yet again, she hadn't known until seconds prior that she would be traveling through enemy territory.

"Why is ShadowClan invading the border?" Skykit squeaked out a question. "The mice and squirrels are ours!"

"ShadowClan aren't after the prey, Skykit," Russetsky had told her gently. "They just want to get under our fur, that's all."

"What do you mean, they don't eat mice?" Skykit's jaw dropped to the ground, baffled.

"They eat slimy green creatures who like to live near the lake," Russetsky explained. "They're called frogs. I never had a taste for them, just another thing to prove ShadowClan wasn't where I belonged."

Frogs!  Skypaw thought to herself. That's what they are!

She stared at the frogs with disgust. How could any cat eat something that didn't have fur, or even feathers?

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she searched the terrain in front of her. Willowleaf was just barely a speck in the horizon. Skypaw scolded herself for letting her curiosity get in the way of her mission, especially when it seemed she was in the middle of no where.

Taking in a deep breath, Skypaw ran as fast and as silently as she could. Willowleaf didn't appear to be traveling at a fast pace, so that made Skypaw's life a little bit easier at the moment.

Her paws slipping and sliding in the ShadowClan marsh a few times, she prayed to StarClan she wouldn't fall. Although it seemed like good disguise, she didn't want to scare Willowleaf. Or be covered in mud.

After a long sprint, Willowleaf became close enough that Skypaw could speak to her. Padding up to the tortiseshell cautiously, her voice came out in a small and urgent whisper.

"Willowleaf!"

Willowleaf jumped and spun around. Her gaze filled with shock, confusion and anger all at once.

"Skypaw, what in StarClan are you doing here?"

"The real question is what are you doing here?" Skypaw retorted.

"Sunstar exiled me into ShadowClan territory. Your turn," Irritation was heavy in the former ThunderClan medicine cat's voice.

"I came after you," Skypaw explained. "You shouldn't have been exiled."

"Sunstar's word is law, Skypaw," Willowleaf answered. "I can't change that. If he wants me gone, I'm gone. It's not my fault that ThunderClan is without a healer." Skypaw's mind instantly shot to Rainpaw.

She hadn't talked to her sister since the day of the battle with the badgers. In fact, she hadn't seen her since she was carried away from the place she was laying there, motionless and limp. Guilt over swept her and she felt she may fall off her paws just by thinking about it. At least Bramblefrost has been there with her.

"It's not the right decision," Skypaw contradicted. "You shouldn't have left. Sunstar will see that soon, he just needs time."

Willowleaf's eyes darkened. "Sunstar is not the cat you think he is, Skypaw," She meowed, her voice filled with caution.

"I never liked him, but that doesn't mean one exile makes him a fool."

"No, I mean he really is not the leader you think he is."

Suddenly, Skypaw's mind was caught back in a flash back once more. It was all in clusters, and Skypaw knew exactly why her mind had pulled these memories together. There was something she was missing about the eerie ThunderClan leader.

"It's true," He huffed, sadness clouding his eyes and grief shook his voice.

"What happened?" Sandstar was sitting on the Highrock, opposite of the other cats, who were all standing. Skykit wanted to peak out and take a look around the devasted camp, but she knew better.

"A fox," Sunblaze explained, his expression darkening. "Our patrol was chasing after rogues out of our territory. They had ThunderClan prey." Skykit looked at her littermates. They had the same expression as she did - bushed tails, spiked pelts, and wide, fearful eyes.

"They crossed the WindClan border," Sunblaze went on. "Moonfur stood guard in the forest while I decided to take Mousepaw to the border to check his senses." Sunblaze's eyes raked the clearing. "A fox mauled her while we were gone, and when we came back, it was too late."

Skypaw shivered as her mind switched to another memory.

"Skypaw!" Skypaw jolted awake to her name being called from the clearing. Bursting from the den, thinking she had overslept, she was blinking with surprise when she realized the sun was just rising. It was dawn.

"Morning!" Hazelflower chirped happily. Judging by Hazelflower's hazel eyes, Skypaw believed she was just as excited as she was.

"Morning!" Skypaw tried to sound just as enthusiastic as her mentor, but sleep hadn't fully left her body yet.

"Russetsky assigned us to the dawn patrol. Then, we're going to come back to camp, grab some fresh kill and get training." Now Skypaw was awake.

"Patrol?" She echoed excitedly. Maybe Russetsky had listened to her in the nursery when she blabbed about patrols, after all.

"Yes, patrol!" Hazelflower leaped a bit on her paws, too excited to stand still any longer. Skypaw wondered if she had been the young she-cat's first apprentice.

"Who's leading?" Skypaw questioned, eager to figure out who she would be checking the forest with.

"Hey!" Skypaw jumped as a voice called out to her in the just awakening camp. It was Mousetail.

"Who are you going on patrol with?" Mousetail questioned, excited for the two she-cats.

"Just us," Hazelflower meowed, then remembered her apprentice's previous question. "Sunstar is leading it himself." She boasted proudly.

Mousetail's expression faded. His eyes clouded over with something Skypaw couldn't quite place, and his tail lashed back and forth.

Mousetail murmured something, then padded away. But Skypaw had heard every word he said. It rattled her to think about why the young brown warrior would say such a thing.

"I'll pray to StarClan for your safety."

Skypaw remembered how Mousetail's words kept repeating in her mind the rest of the patrol. She remembered the first time Sunstar looked at her, she took the brown warrior's words as a warning. She remembered how every time she heard his deep meow, or stared into his piercing green eyes, her skin crawled and she wanted to run away.

"Sunstar's not the leader I thought he was," Skypaw whispered, her eyes wide as she stared into space, her mind still reeling in thought.