(There is a relatively gore-ish bit at the end just putting that here so you know ig)

It had been one and three quarter moons since the day Witherpaw had said to Raccoon that he couldn't meet with him as much, and the night when Raccoon met Puddlepaw.

Although he had waited every day at the meeting place just in case, Raccoon hadn't seen Witherpaw since that day, but he had met with Puddlepaw every few days just outside of the Riverclan border. She would help teach him how to fight, and hunting technique, sometimes commenting things like "well, you certainly hunt like a rogue," and she even taught him the basics of how to catch a fish with his paws. Fish tasted different but it was a good different, and a nice change from eating small birds and slow rodents. 

He had even shared some of the information with Silk, who was hesitant to accept that Raccoon had been talking to a clan cat, but grateful for the advice. Today, as the sun rose in the cold leaf-fall sky, Raccoon rose early and made his way to his meeting spot near the Shadowclan border, just as he had done every day, bringing with him two freshly caught mice today. He was lying down, eating his own mouse as he waited.

After such a time without seeing his brother, Raccoon was surprised to hear the leaves crackling outside the trunk. He stepped outside, looking around for Witherpaw. Suddenly. a familiar cat leapt at him and he reacted quickly, kicking dirt and leaves into the other cat's face before rolling back and kicking up on the other cat's chest, both momentarily blinding him and sending him backwards. A move he had Puddlepaw to thank for. As the other cat shook the dirt from his face and got to his feet, Raccoon smiled, proud of himself.

"You can't throw stuff in my face, that's cheating!" Witherpaw whined at him.

"Well, someone once told me that 'there is no cheating when it comes to a battle.'" Raccoon replied, grinning. Witherpaw huffed and walked into the trunk, taking out the mouse Raccoon had caught for him.

"You fight like a Riverclan cat," Witherpaw said in a rude tone. Raccoon shrugged, deciding not to tell him that he was friends with one. Witherpaw ate his mouse and when he was finished he sat up and licked his paws. "Barkstripe, my mentor, says I'm going to be a great warrior." He told Raccoon. Barkstripe is the Shadowclan deputy, and Witherpaw's mentor. He then paused for a moment.

"I guess not that you'd understand though, given that you're just an outsider." Witherpaw said, twitching his ears. Raccoon tried not to feel bad at that, but the statement made him suddenly feel small. He looked down at his paws, thinking, and didn't say anything. Witherpaw didn't notice, and continued grooming himself. I'll just have to prove myself. Raccoon thought.

"Well, we're still young, Witherpaw." Raccoon said. Witherpaw tilted his head and twitched an ear.

"What do you mean by that?" Witherpaw asked. This time, however, Raccoon would leave his brother to think, and Raccoon prowled away toward the empty twoleg nest.

That night, Raccoon waited at his meeting spot by the Riverclan border and when Puddlepaw showed up he was more eager to learn and train than he had been before. When Puddlepaw noticed, she asked him about it, and he had to think long of a response.

"I feel like I just..." He paused, thinking of Witherpaw's general disappointment and distaste toward Raccoon's way of life and Raccoon himself for not being a clan cat, as if he had chosen the life he now lived. "I feel like I'm just kinda insignificant..." Puddlepaw flicked her tail and tilted her head.

"What do you mean, Raccoon?" She asked him, nudging him with her paw.

"Well, I really am just an outsider," Raccoon began. "Like, why do you even hang out with and help train me?" He questioned. She paused, and sat down.

"The truth?" She said, and Raccoon nodded. "Well, you're a really nice cat... and, I was honestly hoping that if I taught you what I was learning and about clan life, that Perchstar might let you join Riverclan..." She finished quietly. Raccoon stepped back.

"It's happened before! And I mean, you're good at these things, so I just thought..." Puddlepaw added. Raccoon looked into her eyes.

"I like doing these things, too." He said, smiling for a moment. "But I would have to think about joining a clan." Raccoon added. That is a big decision, not to mention the whole leaving behind Silk, who was practically a brother to him. Puddlepaw nodded, and shifted uneasily.

"Don't worry, Puddlepaw. I'm always here regardless." Raccoon said, smiling at her. She relaxed, but still seemed to be in thought for the rest of the night.

When the time came for Puddlepaw to leave, they said their goodbyes and Raccoon watched her leave, thinking. As he went to turn around, he leapt back in surprise as a cat appeared in front of him. 

The cat was a thin white tom, with uneven black stripes all down his body. Faded blue eyes gazed right through him.

"Owl?!" Raccoon blurted out, shocked. The cat looked away, picking up one paw. Raccoon looked closer at Owl and noticed that he could see the trees behind him. Raccoon swiped a paw at Owl, and it went through him. Owl shivered and took a step back. He was trying to speak, but seemed to be having a hard time.

"Rac.. accoon" He said, lashing his tail. His words seemed to fade in and out, and he was saying them many times each. "Raccoon... ca... careful," Raccoon tilted his head, confused.

"What do you mean?" Raccoon asked, stepping forward. Owl shook his head.

"Silk... thun... under... thunderpath..." Owl said, struggling to get the words clearly as his voice kept fading.

"Silk? What?" Raccoon said, twitching his tail.

"Silk... thund... derpath... n.." Owl shifted his weight uncomfortably. He took a deep breath. "NOW!" Owl shouted out, before having a panicked expression, and then fading. The panic spread to Raccoon, who began running toward the twoleg nest. He still wasn't sure what was happening, but a sense of urgency pricked his pelt from within. He sprinted over the hill and toward the thunderpath. He needed to find Silk.

"Silk?!" Raccoon called as he ran along the side of the thunderpath. At some point, Raccoon saw a distant tan shape on the side. He raced toward it, and froze at the scene that he was met with.

Silk had been hit by a monster, and his blood was streaked across the thunderpath. His stomach was ripped, part of his front right leg was torn from the rest of the leg, and Silk lie there wheezing while blood dripped from his mouth.

"Silk!" Raccoon cried, nudging his friend with his nose. Silk coughed and looked up at him, his gaze distant. He inhaled, his breath rasping.

"Raccoon," Silk wheezed, trying to turn his head.

"No no, it's going to be okay, Silk..." Raccoon told him, pressing his forehead on Silk's side. Raccoon knew that there was nothing he could do to help him and he was sure that Silk knew it too. All he could do was comfort his friend. 

"It... it's okay," Silk croaked out, his eyes slowly closing. After a few moments, Silk's raspy breathing ceased, and his body went still. Raccoon let out a cry and got to his feet, the blood of his friend caking to his fur. He took a step back, but couldn't pull his eyes from the corpse of a cat who he would even have considered his brother. After a minute, when Raccoon was going to prepare for burying Silk, he saw a shimmering figure fade into his sight within Silk's body. The transparent cat lifted his head and opened his eyes, confused. He got to his feet, and looked down at them curiously, when he saw his own body. He jumped back in surprise, before seeming to remember what had just happened. He looked up at Raccoon, and his expression turned to recognition. Raccoon watched as a shimmering Silk smiled at him and stepped forward, fading as he approached Raccoon. 

That night, Raccoon buried his friend in the forest behind the thunderpath and slept beside the grave. He grieved, and dreamed that his family were all still together and alive.