Chapter 7

It had been a few moons since the battle with Shadowclan and during that time, there was peace. No cats were dying in their sleep and there were no major battles. However, Ivypaw couldn't shake away the feeling that something was wrong. This peace...it feels almost like a trap, designed to lure us all into a false sense of security. Ivypaw kept her worries to herself since no one else seemed to share her suspicions.

"Ivypaw! Lightningpaw!" Ivypaw jerked in surprise. She looked up from her nest to see Snowpelt, just outside the apprentices' den. Prodding at Lightningpaw's side, Ivypaw bounded over to her mentor. Lightningpaw, still half-asleep, followed suit. Snowpelt gazed down at them.

"Since you two have been apprentices for several moons now, I believe it is time to put your abilities to the test." Ivypaw and Lightningpaw exchanged surprised glances.

"We're going to do our warrior assessments?!" Ivypaw asked excitedly. Snowpelt nodded in response. Ivypaw and Lightningpaw squeaked excitedly. Snowpelt flicked his tail, ordering the two apprentices to follow him. Lightningpaw bounced eagerly after the deputy while Ivypaw followed the two slowly, smiling in amusement at Lightningpaw. She's so cute when she's excited. Ivypaw shot a glance back at camp. Amberpetal, Applepaw, Mistpaw, and Amberstar were gathered in front of the tunnel entrance. What are they doing? Ivypaw gazed back at her mentor.

"Can I go see my brother before we leave?" Ivypaw asked. Snowpelt nodded. Ivypaw immediately sprinted toward her brother. "Applepaw!" She called. The entire patrol averted their gazes toward Ivypaw.

"Oh, hey Ivypaw," Applepaw replied. His fur was prickling with insecurity. "What do you want?"

"Me and Lightningpaw are going to do our warrior assessments," Ivypaw informed.

"Oh! Congrats!" Applepaw exclaimed.

"Yeah! Great job!" Mistpaw chimed in. Applepaw pressed his cheek against Mistpaw's affectionately. The gray she-cat responded by licking Applepaw's cheek. Ivypaw smiled at the sight.

"So what are you two doing?" Ivypaw asked.

"We're going to take Amberstar on a tour of the new tunnel." Applepaw answered.

"Wow! What an honor!" Ivypaw exclaimed. Mistpaw looked away as a blush took over her cheeks.

"I guess," Applepaw sighed, looking down at his paws. "But you and Lightningpaw get to do your warrior assessment!"

"We were apprenticed at the same time," Ivypaw replied, lifting Applepaw's chin with her tail. "You'll have your assessment before long, brother." A tiny smile formed on Applepaw's lips. Ivypaw turned to Mistpaw. Her eyes were not filled with the same jealousy that Applepaw's were.

"Ivypaw! Come on!" A voice called. Ivypaw looked over her shoulder. Lightningpaw and Snowpelt were flicking their tails impatiently. Ivypaw looked back at Applepaw and Mistpaw.

"I have to go," Ivypaw meowed briskly. "You two be careful!"

"We'll be fine, sister." Applepaw replied.

"Good luck on your assessment!" Mistpaw called.

Ivypaw nodded to them before taking off toward Lightningpaw and Snowpelt. Casting one last glance at the tunneling patrol, Ivypaw followed her friend and deputy out of camp. They stopped in the middle of the moor. Ivypaw smiled. The feeling of the wind and sun in her fur still hasn't gotten old and Ivypaw suspected it never would. Snowpelt pointed at the Outlook Rock.

"Race to the Outlook Rock!" Snowpelt ordered. Ivypaw nodded and immediately dashed toward the gray rock. Lightningpaw leaped forward and sprinted after her. She caught up to Ivypaw within a few seconds. Both taking long strides, Ivypaw and Lightningpaw ran side by side the entire way. Then at the last moment, Lightningpaw lunged onto the Outlook Rock. Ivypaw's jaw dropped. She tried to mimic the movement but Lightningpaw had already won.

"Mouse dung!" Ivypaw exclaimed.

"Hey, you were close that time!" Lightningpaw encouraged, stepping closer. Ivypaw sighed in defeat.

"You both did great!" Snowpelt meowed, skidding to a halt in front of them. "Now that we're at the Outlook Rock, you two will practice observing." Ivypaw and Lightningpaw nodded before leaping to the top of the Outlook Rock. Ivypaw gazed out at the moor. There were rabbits grazing and dashing through the grass whilst birds flew over the area, occasionally landing to find food. "What do you see?" Snowpelt prompted.

"Rabbits dashing through the moor," Ivypaw answered.

"Birds flying around," Lightningpaw added, "Some of them landing to graze."

"Most of them are ravens and crows," Ivypaw added.

"Anything beyond the moor?" Snowpelt prompted. Ivypaw gazed up toward the Thunderpath. The smelly path was strangely silent that day with very few monsters going over.

"The Thunderpath is very quiet," Ivypaw meowed.

"There is a Shadowclan patrol near the border." Lightningpaw added. Ivypaw shifted her gaze to the patrol.

"They're just patrolling thankfully." After more observing, Snowpelt lead Ivypaw and Lightningpaw to the training hollow for battle practice. Ivypaw leaped into position whilst Lightningpaw simply moved into it.

"Keep your claws sheathed." Snowpelt ordered. Ivypaw and Lightningpaw nodded. "Now go!" The two apprentices lunged at each other. Lightningpaw ducked under Ivypaw's leap, who fell flat on the ground behind her. Shaking off the dust, Ivypaw got up and lunged again, this time pinning Lightningpaw to the ground. The black she-cat retaliated by kicking Ivypaw's stomach. Ivypaw fell onto her side and the two she-cats began wrestling each other fiercely in a cloud of dust. Ivypaw nipped Lightningpaw's shoulder and kicked her away as she squealed in surprise. Ivypaw leaped toward Lightningpaw, pinning her to the ground once again. Ivypaw grabbed Lightningpaw in her scruff and shook her around roughly. Flailing her paws around wildly, Lightningpaw attempted to escape Ivypaw's grasp, to no avail. Finally, Ivypaw dropped Lightningpaw and leaped back, preparing for another attack. Lightningpaw stood up, panting in exhaustion. She attempted to lunge at Ivypaw, only for her to easily dodge it. Ivypaw easily pinned Lightningpaw to the ground.

"Ivypaw wins!" Snowpelt announced. Ivypaw's eyes widened.

"I do?!" She gasped. Lightningpaw stood up, shaking the dust out of her black and white fur.

"Good job, Ivypaw!" Lightningpaw chimed.

Ivypaw blushed at her approval.

"Thanks!" Ivypaw giggled. "I never thought I'd ever beat you in a fight! You always were the better fighter." Ivypaw's tone dropped to a sigh.

"We're both capable fighters!" Lightningpaw insisted. "And you're better than you give yourself credit for." Ivypaw blushed even harder. She pressed her cheek against Lightningpaw.

"Thanks, Lightningpaw!" Ivypaw cheered.

"Not to ruin your little moment," Snowpelt cut in. "But you have one more thing to do for your assessments: hunting."

"Oh…" Ivypaw backed away from Lightningpaw. "Right…" The two apprentices blushed in embarrassment.

"Let's go then!" Snowpelt ordered with a flick of his tail. Lightningpaw and Ivypaw nodded before padding after their mentor. Snowpelt lead them toward a random spot on the moor. Ivypaw and Lightningpaw immediately began sniffing for prey. Catching the scent of a rabbit, Ivypaw followed it toward a shallow dip in the moor where she saw a brown rabbit, feasting on some grass. Ivypaw sprinted toward the prey. The rabbit noticed her and bolted away. Ivypaw gave chase, eventually taking down the rabbit and killing it in one swift bite. She grabbed the limp body and buried it for later. Throughout the rest of her hunt, Ivypaw caught a sparrow, a mouse, and another rabbit. It was about sunset by the time she'd caught the last piece of prey. Once she gathered all her prey, she made her way back toward Snowpelt. When she found him, Lightningpaw was already with him with a pile of prey at her paws.

"Ivypaw!" Lightningpaw exclaimed. "Glad you're finally back!" Ivypaw put down her prey.

"Great job you two." Snowpelt congratulated. "I'm very impressed with your abilities." Ivypaw and Lightningpaw beamed excitedly. They picked up their prey and followed Snowpelt back to camp. Ivypaw and Lightningpaw exchanged cheerful glances before entwining their tails. Once they made it back to camp, Ivypaw and Lightningpaw dropped their prey on the fresh-kill pile.

"Wanna share a rabbit?" Lightningpaw asked. Ivypaw nodded and grabbed a rabbit off the pile. She dragged it into the clearing and sat beside Lightningpaw to eat their meal.

"I can't believe we're going to be warriors soon!" Lightningpaw exclaimed.

"If we pass our assessments..." Ivypaw replied.

"Of course we will!" Lightningpaw insisted. "Snowpelt said we did well!"

"Yeah…" Ivypaw grabbed a mouthful of food in her jaws. What if Snowpelt had just said that to be nice? Had Ivypaw done something wrong during the assessment?! Ivypaw shook away her thoughts and took a few deep breaths. That didn't matter now. Once Ivypaw and Lightningpaw finished their meal, they buried the remains. Ivypaw laid down beside Lightningpaw and began licking her soft black fur. Lightningpaw purred and began doing the same to Ivypaw. Suddenly, the sound of thundering pawsteps sounded in camp. Ivypaw glanced up to see Amberpetal, dashing out of the tunnels. She was part of Applepaw's patrol! But where are the others?!

"Help!" The tunnelers she-cat cried. "There's been an accident in the tunnels!" Ivypaw's eyes widened.

"Where's the rest of the patrol?!" Ivypaw demanded.

"They're still in the tunnels!" Amberpetal answered frantically. Ivypaw immediately shot a glance at Lightningpaw.

"Applepaw, Mistpaw, AND Amberstar went with Amberpetal!" Lightningpaw gasped. "What if they're still down there?!"

"We should check the apprentices' den." Ivypaw suggested. Lightningpaw nodded as they dashed toward the apprentices' den. Ivypaw peeked inside, only to see Antpaw and Shrewpaw, chatting. Ivypaw groaned, causing the two apprentices to look up at her.

"What?!" Shrewpaw exclaimed.

"Have you seen Applepaw and Mistpaw?" Lightningpaw asked.

Antpaw licked his paw and rubbed his head with the same paw. "They went with Amberpetal and Amberstar on that patrol." he replied calmly.

"Amberpetal is back, but the rest of the patrol aren't." Lightningpaw explained. Shrewpaw and Antpaw continued to groom themselves, clearly not caring about what Lightningpaw had to say. Ivypaw clenched her teeth in frustration.

"There was an accident in the tunnels!" Ivypaw blurted out. Shrewpaw and Antpaw jerked up, their eyes wide with shock and fear.

"They could be in danger!" Antpaw exclaimed.

"Antpaw!" A voice called. Dawnflower and Amberpetal padded to the apprentices' den. "You're coming with us. We're going to look for the rest of Amberpetal's patrol." Antpaw nodded obediently and followed the patrol. Ivypaw and Lightningpaw lingered behind them as they made their way into the tunnel. Just as they were about to enter, two figures emerged from the tunnel.

"Mistpaw! Amberstar!" Dawnflower gasped. Ivypaw padded over to greet her friend but skidded to an abrupt halt when she noticed the tears on her face.

"Mistpaw, what happened?" Ivypaw asked. "Where's Applepaw?" With Lightningpaw's words, it suddenly clicked in her mind. Applepaw was missing, Mistpaw was in tears…it could only mean one thing…

"Applepaw died!" Mistpaw cried out. Everyone around Ivypaw gasped, except her. She felt tears form in her eyes. No! Not another family member!

"What happened?" Antpaw asked.

Mistpaw sniffed and wiped away her tears with her tail, only for more tears to form as she spoke.

"There was a cave in. Amberpetal and Amberstar were able to escape but me and Applepaw were trapped. Applepaw held up part of the tunnel for me to escape but then he was crushed." Mistpaw fell to the ground a sobbing mess. "APPLEPAW!"

"He died a noble death." Ivypaw meowed, trying to comfort her crying friend.

"He shouldn't be dead" Mistpaw snapped. "He should be here! We were going to have a future together!" Ivypaw couldn't help but nod in. agreement. Applepaw would've made an amazing tunneler. The role was so fulfilling to him. Now he would never get to be a full tunneler. Ivypaw fell to the ground and allowed tears to stream out of her eyes.

"It is indeed a tragedy." Amberstar agreed. "Applepaw still had so much to offer his clan and he was a dear friend to so many of us. As such, I ask my warrior ancestors to look down on him, wherever he may be. He has learned the warrior code and given up his life in service to the clan. Let Starclan take him as a warrior. His new name will be Applefrost." Ivypaw looked up at Amberstar.

"Applefrost! Applefrost!" She cheered. Other cats joined in. Even Mistpaw. Ivypaw sighed as the cheering stopped.

"Now, we will start Applefrost's vigil." Amberstar announced. Amberpetal, Ivypaw, Lightningpaw, Mistpaw, and Antpaw gathered in a circle. Ivypaw glanced up at Lightningpaw.

"Can you go tell my father about what happened?" Ivypaw asked. Lightningpaw nodded. "I'll go tell Shrewpaw." the two apprentices parted ways. Ivypaw padded toward the apprentices' den. Her pawsteps carried the weight of boulders with them. She peeked into the apprentices' den.

"Shrewpaw?" Ivypaw called. The brown furred apprentice looked up from her nest. "The rest of the patrol is back."

"Where's Applepaw then?" Shrewpaw asked, looking around. Ivypaw backed away tearfully.

"Shrewpaw…" Ivypaw sobbed. "Our brother is...dead." Shrewpaw's eyes widened with horror. She backed away and stared at Ivypaw.

"N-no!" Shrewpaw's voice cracked. "NO!" Shrewpaw fell to the ground and let out a violent yowl of pain. "Applepaw shouldn't have died! It should have been me!" Ivypaw's eyes widened.

"Shrewpaw?" She gasped. Shrewpaw continued to cry on the ground. Ivypaw backed away. Eaglefeather! I need to go get Eaglefeather to calm her down. Ivypaw turned around and bolted toward the medicine cat's den.

"Eaglefeather!" Ivypaw called. The tabby medicine cat looked up at her in surprise. He was in front of a pile of unsorted herbs.

"Ivypaw? What's wrong?" Eaglefeather asked.

Ivypaw took a moment to catch her breath before replying. "Applefrost is dead."

"Who?" Eaglefeather asked.

"Applepaw. My brother." Ivypaw explained with a sob. "Amberstar made him a warrior after he died."

"Oh...I'm so sorry." Eaglefeather sighed. "Do you want to talk about it? Do you need a breather? Or do you just need a poppy seed to help you sleep?"

"This isn't about me." Ivypaw replied. "It's about my sister, Shrewpaw. She's so distraught...I've never seen her like this." Suddenly, a yowl of pain sounded from the apprentices' den. Ivypaw flattened her ears as she turned to Eaglefeather again.

"Oh...I see��" he replied. "I'll get some poppy seeds for her." The medicine cat grabbed a leaf full of poppy seeds from his stores and padded out of the den. Ivypaw began to follow him.

"No." Eaglefeather ordered sternly. "I'll take care of Shrewpaw. You grieve for your brother." Ivypaw nodded and padded toward the cats gathered for Applefrost's vigil. She pressed against Lightningpaw.

"Did you tell Shrewpaw?" murmured.

Ivypaw nodded. "She's taking it really hard. Eaglefeather is going to give her a poppy seed to calm her down." Ivypaw pressed against Lightningpaw. "Thanks for being here for me."

"Anything for you, Ivypaw." Lightningpaw whispered, licking her cheek. Ivypaw smiled at her then looked at the rest of the group. Her father Harepelt was there now between Antpaw and Amberpetal. Mistpaw padded up to Lightningpaw and Ivypaw and sat beside them, her head hung low.

"Applefrost, you were such a great apprentice." Amberpetal sighed. "Even when your first mentor, Squirreltail died. You deserved to become a warrior in Starclan."

"You were also a great friend." Antpaw spoke up. "To me and Mistpaw. Training won't be the same without you." Mistpaw stepped closer to Applepaw, burying her muzzle in his dark ginger fur.

"My life won't be the same without you, Applefrost," Mistpaw sobbed. "But I will always love you." Harepelt stepped forward, placing a paw on Applefrost's shoulder.

"You were a great son." Harepelt sighed as a few tears rolled down his face. "May you find good hunting in Starclan as a warrior, Applefrost." Ivypaw stepped forward and gazed down at the dead body of her brother.

"Applefrost," Ivypaw sobbed. "You were more than just my brother, you were my friend, and you will be dearly missed by all of us." Ivypaw sat vigil with her brother until sunrise when he was buried, and Lightningpaw was with her the whole time.