|-| JointClan |-| Part 10 |-| Shadows Rising |-|

Auburnsplash glared back at them, shaking his head. "You shouldn't be here, traitors and tresspassors." He growled.

Aspenbranch flicked his tail. "I wil murder you right here." He spat. "You little murderer..." He snarled.
Whisperfang glared at Aspenbranch. "He's never killed anyone!" She growled.
Aspenbranch hissed. "Try telling that to my dead brother." He snapped.

Branchstar glared at Auburnsplash, then turned her gaze to Cinderash. "What are you even doing here?" She demanded.
Auburnsplash flicked his tail, his eyes not leaving Aspenbranch's. "I have a whole Clan with me, and you have a traitor... Need I say more?" He shook his head.
Wolf, having hearing Branchstar and Aspenbranch come in, hopped down and crawled through the space in the den, and stood beside Aspenbranch and Branchstar. "Ahem, two traitors, thank you very much."

Whisperfang glared at Aspenbranch.
"He killed my brother. Auburnpaw." Aspenbranch yowled.

Auburnsplash rolled his eyes, "Hallucinating. Something must be in your prey."
Branchstar scoffed. "I was there."
"And so was I." Wolf added, looking at Whisperfang.

Whisperfang suddenly felt confusd. "Auburnsplash, is this true?" She whispered.
Aspenbranch growled. "Well yeah. My brother was a kit. Tenderkit."

"It was accidental." Auburnsplash said quietly. "I didn't mean to, I thought it.. Was an enemy, or trespasser..."
Branchstar shook her head. "No, you didn't. You knew exactly who it was."

Whisperfang started to quiver. "Don't lie. I could go ask Clearstar right now."

"Believe me now?" Wolf asked, looking at the now quivering Whisperfang.

Whisperfang growled.

"Whisperfang, it was accidental." Auburnsplash said, shaking his head. "They've got bee's in their brains, besides, why would I lie? They have reason to, they didn't listen to you and NOW, only NOW they want you back."

Whisperfang growled. She glared at him. "For some strange reason, I can tell your lying. My name isn't Whisperfang anymore."

"But, Whisperfang-" Auburnsplash tried.
Wolf smiled. "Cinderash." He corrected.

Cinderash growled. "But that just proves I can't trust anyone. There's only one cat ever that I trust. But like any of you would know her."

Auburnsplash growled. "You can trust ME."

Cinderash snarled. "No I can't! Branchstar says you killed a cat, and you said you didn't! Until I find the right answer, no cat is going to see me again."

Lightningstripe smiled at his apprentice, then began bounding out of camp. "We're going to do some battle training," he told Rillpaw. Meanwhile, he picked his way through a path in the forest. "We're also going to look for the training hollow," he added humorously, realizing that he didn't know where it was. "It might be somewhere with less undergrowth, so keep an eye out for that." He noticed that the ground was getting a little more sandy underfoot, but he didn't mention it; he wanted his apprentice to learn.

Rillpaw's head jerked towards Lightningstripe. "Okay!" he called, running energetically behind his mentor. He slowed down once his mentor did so, and began listening.

"Less undergrowth -- got it," he said, and sped up slightly. He wondered why it was so hard to keep his footing when he realized that the ground was more dry than normal. "Sand," he breathed, and stared at it for a while. He had never actually been on sand, but it got in his long fur and annoyed him slightly.

"That might be a signal," Lightningstripe pointed out, twitching his tail to acknowledge his apprentice's effort. The tabby warrior began kneading the ground with his paws, trying to find the place where it would be. The ground lurched suddenly, though, and he almost tripped. To steady himself and avoid being embarrassed in front of his apprentice, he reached forward. His ears twitched with satisfaction. "Looks like we found it."

He positioned himself on the opposite edge, then turned to Rillpaw. "First, a review. You remember how to pin me down, right?" he suggested.

Rillpaw nodded slowly. "I guess... but you're way bigger than me...?" He sounded unsure of himself, and took a few pawsteps forwards. "Can I still do it?"

"Of course," Lightningstripe replied, nodding. "Try your best," he urged.

E.N.D wrote:

Cinderash snarled. "No I can't! Branchstar says you killed a cat, and you said you didn't! Until I find the right answer, no cat is going to see me again."

"But-" Wolf and Auburnsplash started at the same time.

((OMG I need to get back in here!))

Rillpaw nodded, and then shook himself off a bit. It was kind of his way to calm down, although it rather looked like he was going to charge somewhere. When he thought Lightningstripe would least expect it, he dashed forwards, feinted to the left, and headbutted his mentor's side.

Lightningstripe jumped to the side, but it was the wrong one; his apprentice managed to bowl him over, but he quickly got to his paws and pawed Rillpaw. "You need to be prepared for anything and act on it," he recommended. In the end, he stood up straight. "Next time, try to tackle me or something directly after you attack once." He crouched to prepare for the next impact.