"Shadowpaw!Shadowpaw, wake up!"

  The apprentice opened her dark amber eyes to see the concerned face of Wavepaw.

  "Phew!"Wavepaw exclaimed in relief."I thought you were dying!"

  Shadowpaw coughed and raised her head groggily."I-"her eyes widened in alarm and she vomited,lake water splattering the ground.

  "I-,"she tried again,and found it easier to talk."I think I'm fine."

  "You think?"Wavepaw exclaimed anxiously. "Stay here, I'll fetch Dawndrop."

  Shadowpaw rolled her eyes."Do you really think she'll help?"

  Wavepaw hesitated."You have a point."

  "I'm fine,"Shadowpaw insisted, struggling to her paws. "I must go back to camp, or Minnowpaw will gloat like anything!"

  "Alright,"Wavepaw said hastily, seeing no point in arguing if Shadowpaw was going to be stubborn. "Just lick your fur dry first, and for StarClan's sake, groom yourself. You look like you were pulled backwards through a bramble thicket."

  A stab of hot anger raced through Shadowpaw. The white apprentice was only three moons older than her; there was no need to act so superior. Peonyheart would agree with her, she knew. Swallowing her temper, she bent her head and began to lick her pelt dry, inwardly seething.

  It was at sundown Shadowpaw's fur finally dried, and Wavepaw suddenly gave a start. "Great StarClan! We're nearly late!"she exclaimed in panic. "Ripplestar told us all to gather at the Highrock at moonrise, remember?"

  "Oh, great,"she muttered, slightly afraid. She and Wavepaw dashed back to camp, their legs devouring the ground, hurrying back just in time to see the meeting begin.

  Ripplestar looked a little disappointed to see them arrive on time, but he kept his eyes cold and without feeling. "Let all cats old enough to swim and hunt gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

  Ripplestar waited, his tail tip flicking and fur bristling in irritation as the clan got ready. "Good, now that some of us are finally here,"he drawled scornfully, throwing an icy look full of spitefulness in Shadowpaw's direction,"We may begin. Pineflower and the hunting patrol found something today. Pineflower, would you come up here, please."

  Shadowpaw watched as Pineflower rose to her paws. "I mean no offense to you, Ripplestar,"she began, "But it wasn't I who found the news. It was actually Tigerpaw. Could he please be the one who reports this back to his clan?"

  "Of course,"Ripplestar stated evenly. "Tigerpaw,  come up to that ledge halfway at the Highrock."

  Tigerpaw leapt up there and turned to face the clan, his dark amber eyes glowing with pride. How commanding he looked, Shadowpaw thought. I wonder if he would be made deputy one day.

  Of course he will, if you become leader, Peonyheart responded instantly, causing Shadowpaw to purr silently.

  "We found some hawk bones in our territory today, by the MountainClan border," Tigerpaw reported. Gasps of shock and anger rippled through the clearing. "Prey stealers!" somebody yowled furiously from the back. Everyone immediately started giving loud caterwauls and protests.

  "We should attack at dawn!" snarled Cedarpelt in a rage-filled voice. Ripplestar jumped in. "Quite correct, Cedarpelt,"he intervened smoothly. "We shall attack at dawn, two sunrises later!"

  Shadowpaw let out a hiss of horror and anger. There shouldn't be so much bloodshed over 'stolen' prey they had no proof MountainClan had stole!

  Well, young apprentice, what will you do about it? Peonyheart questioned her off-handedly. Shadowpaw nodded, saying,"I shall warn them."

  Well, you need to train in case they attack you, Peonyheart reprimanded her. Sleep. NOW.

  Shadowpaw woke up in a dark gloomy forest, and she wondered where the old beautiful training meadow had went. Realisation ran through her. "This is not StarClan,"she muttered to herself. "This is the Dark Forest."

  Her first instinct was to be afraid and flee, remembering all the tales of the evil woods the elders had told her. But then she decided to stay put. "So what if I train in the Dark Forest?" she muttered to herself. "I do need to train, after all, and the Dark Forest knows all the best battle training moves so I can become deputy. Besides, they never accepted me in LakeClan; maybe this could be where I am finally accepted."

  "Greetings, Shadowpaw,"a voice meowed cooly behind her. Shadowpaw looked around, unsurprised to see Peonyheart. Shadowpaw briefly dipped her head too and asked,"Why, Peonyheart? Why did you lie to me? You said this was StarClan! Did you not trust me?"

  Peonyheart snorted. "Come on, Shadowpaw! Do you think you would have stayed to train the first time I appeared to you in my real form, and with the forest in all its glory? Think!"

  "I guess not,"Shadowpaw admitted. "What do you mean by your true form?"

  Shadowpaw's vision seemed to blur, and when it cleared again, there was a black she-cat standing in front of her with narrowed green eyes, her jaws parted in a cunning sneer. "My true form," Peonyheart said, her voice the same but everything else totally different.

  "And my name is...My true name is Shadeheart."