"Foxpaw, think fast!" Dipperflight ducked quickly as a moss ball was flashed through the air, the ginger tabby Foxpaw leaping and snatching from the sky without a moment to waste.

        "Owlheart, if you're going to play games, please take them where you won't possibly be hitting an unsuspecting warrior." Owlheart waved his tail dismissively as a black and white she-cat chastised him.

"Nonsense, Rookchaser, I'm just training my apprentice to be quick on his paws!" The gray and white tom head-butted the dark furred she-cat.

"No way, if Hazelstream gets hit by a long toss I'll toss you into the river!" Stormcall growled. Dipperflight quietly watched the RiverClan activity around him. He sat in a circle of Stormcall and Hazelstream, as well as now-friendly Breamclaw and the gray and white tabby tom's sister Yarrowfur.

      "My passes are always on point! Watch this...!" Owlheart summoned Foxpaw, who brought the moss ball back before dashing out to the middle of camp to receive it. The long-haired, mostly gray with white tom dramatically took a step back before tossing it into the air, swatting it across to Foxpaw, who had gotten distracted by a kit exiting the nursery. "Oh, watch out--!" Owlheart started, fur fluffed up as the soft moss scrap hit into an unsuspecting Sagecloud. The gray tabby's fur fluffed up as he was hit, and looked over his shoulder from where he sat talking with Ravenpaw.

       Dipperflight stood, craning his neck to get a better look.

       "Ooh. Owlheart, you better be haring it to the river, 'cause Sagecloud'll probably drag you in your sleep to a badger den or something." Stormcall joked from where he lay snugged against his larger counterpart Hazelstream.

      "Sagecloud, friend, it was an accident, it's just Foxpaw's always getting a little, um, you know how he is...," Owlheart backed up slowly, laughing nervously. Sagecloud padded toward the tom, blinking slowly and sweetly as he did so, his tail swishing playfully.

       "Now, I personally--"

        "Newtkit! Sedgecloud, look, Newtkit's out of the nursery!" Foxpaw's squealed. Dipperflight turned his attention from the Owlheart to Foxpaw, who was happily jumping up and down as a young tortoiseshell she-cat watched him with soft yellow-green eyes.

"That's Foxpaw's sister," Hazelstream explained, his long light brown tabby fur damp from the fishing patrol he had just returned from earlier. "She's been pretty sickly, and was too sick when she was supposed to become an apprentice a moon ago." He groomed Stormcall's ear fur.

"Hey, Dipperflight, do you have any siblings back in ThunderClan?" Breamclaw asked brightly, the carcass of a fish discarded a mouse-length from his paws. The dark tabby shook his head.

"No littermates. My mother had had a kit a while before she had me, but they died as an apprentice. Cedarpaw..?" Breamclaw's calico sister nodded quickly.

"Yeah, yeah I remember Oatstar saying they had an apprentice Cedarpaw die at a gathering, like, forever ago!" She chipped in. "Breamclaw and I had just been announced as warriors at the same gathering." She sighed quietly.

"Sorry about Cedarpaw, is what Yarrowfur meant to say," Hazelstream offered condolences quickly. Dipperflight flicked his tail dismissively, his eyes following Sagecloud, Owlheart, Foxpaw, and Newtkit chase each other around.

"Rookchaser is my sister." Stormcall informed, pivoting the conversation to something brighter. "She and Owlheart moon over each other constantly." He rolled his golden eyes dramatically, the black she-cat in question sitting off to the side and watching the playing group of cats as well.

"Hazelstream's sisters are out on border patrol. I think by Sunningrocks...?" Breamclaw glanced to the large sandy tabby tom, who blinked in agreement.

      "Aw, Dipperflight, remember that time I was on patrol with Sagecloud and Hazelstream and you fell in the river?!" Stormcall leaped to his paws suddenly, energy pulsing through the small tom.

      "I-- Yeah...," Dipperflight's fur grew hot and looked down embarrassed. Yarrowfur gave him a hearty headbutt with a grin.

      "Guess this whole stay with RiverClan was meant to be!" The mostly ginger calico meowed, her voice naturally loud. Breamclaw chipped in a bright, devilish smile as well.

      "What's all this about?" A tom strode up, pale tawny fur catching the afternoon sun, his legs, face, and tail dark as if they had been splashed in murky water. I remember him. He's the guy who glared at me the other day. Troutface, I think Foxpaw called him. He's Ravenpaw's mentor!

"Sorry, I forgot you're anti-ThunderClan-runaway-having-fun. We'll take it down a notch." Yarrowfur gave a lazy grin, flicking her tail casually. Troutface narrowed his pale blue eyes.

"I'm just looking out for the clan." He looked Dipperflight up and down. "Just because he showed up all freaky looking doesn't mean he should be trusted."

"Whatever, Troutface. You just don't see it. He's doing better, too, anyway. Look at the shine in his pelt!" Breamclaw tilted his head in the direction of Dipperflight. The dark tabby blinked, feeling a touch of pride course through his body. Troutface scoffed.

"He was probably just some hungry ThunderClan cat who ran away because Leaf-Bare isn't as nice to forest cats as it is to river cats. Just watch, middle of Leaf-Bare he'll sneak prey out of here and back to--"

"Troutface." A sharp voice interrupted. Dipperflight was frozen, his eyes wide. The whole clan, relaxed and pleasant moments before, was watching. Sagecloud stood, his pelt ruffled and eyes narrowed, ears pinned back. "Enough." The dark pointed tom curled his lip.

"He'll con us out of all of our prey. You can't just trust a cat because they say you should."

"We trusted you because you said we could," Sagecloud shot back. Troutface's fur went on end, and he stalked off, shoving past the gray tabby warrior as he left for the entrance.

The cats looked to each other for a few moments while Sagecloud straightened up, his eyes on the ground. Slowly, the elders and different clusters of warriors started up conversation again, Foxpaw and Owlheart resuming their game with Newtkit. Sagecloud slowly padded toward the Dipperflight and the group he was laying with.

"He's such a thorn to the paw," Yarrowfur growled lowly as Sagecloud plopped down.

"He's just not very trusting," the soft gray tom murmured, his eyes still on the ground, not a hint of pride on his face even though he had just won the argument.

"Er-- thanks." Dipperflight whispered. Sagecloud looked across the small circle of cats to the tabby.

"Yeah. I... I shouldn't have brought up his past, though... I'm such a tadpole..!" The lost looking expression was gone from his face, replaced with the self-tormenting look. The "it's all my fault."

"He was completely out of line." Hazelstream soothed, his pine-green eyes genuine.

"Yes-- but I.. I shouldn't have--" he blinked, taking in a sharp breath, collecting himself, the classic composed Sagecloud replacing the erratic self-doubting one. "It's too late to take it back." He looked square at Dipperflight, a slight apologetic smile. "Are you okay..? I'm sorry about Troutface."

"It's okay." He whispered, looking down to his paws. It's normal. Being blamed for something I didn't do. I messed this up, I messed that up. It's normal.

"I'm due for hunting patrol," Breamclaw announced awkwardly, breaking the moment. He stood, stretching low to the ground before standing straight. "Did you want to come with, Dipperflight? You could come and explore the territory, I'll be a bit busy but I'm sure Sagecloud or Stormcall could tag along to take you on a little tour?" Dipperflight blinked slowly, considering it.

       "Tracking my scent all over your territory though... I won't be safe." He shook his head. Stormcall waved his tail.

       "Non-sense, just roll in mud or a patch of flowers, nobody will be able to distinguish you from a smelly Breamclaw." The black tom gave a teasing smile to the gray tabby and white warrior, who narrowed his eyes in a playful but challenging manor.

        "At least I don't smell like a mink dragged through frog-dung, like you," he growled back. Stormcall shot something back, but Dipperflight was distracted by Sagecloud. His soft, pale, ambery-brown eyes were fixed on the earth, his expression lost and void of cheerful grins. The gray tom blinked, catching Dipperflight's gaze, and he gave a bright smile.

The dark tabby couldn't help but feel how fake it was. He opened his mouth to say something quietly, just between them and muffled by Stormcall and Breamclaw's bantering, when a patrol burst through the camp's entrance, Rushfrost at the lead with a tortoiseshell she-cat, light ginger apprentice, and a ginger tabby and white she-cat.

       Rushfrost eyes searched camp before landing on Dipperflight.

"Where's Daisystar?!" He called, his fur ruffled and tail high. Hazelstream sat up, green gaze focused on the deputy.

"What's wrong..?" He spoke up.

"ThunderClan at the border. They demand to see Dipperflight."

//
SORRY I ACCIDENTALLY PUBLISHED THIS I WAS TRYING TO CLICK ON A NOTIFICATION THAT POPPED UP AND IT DISAPPEARED AND I CLICKED ON PUBLISH INSTEAD SORRY. Wattpad needs to get that feature back where it asks if you're sure you want to publish because that would've saved my life.

Um anyway. Here's chapter twelve. Sorry for typos that you might've stumbled across.