The snow was making travel difficult. On top of it she had to keep herself warm by fluffing out her pelt, and hunger was clawing at her belly. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she had a decent meal. Usually she resorted to scraps that were left over from other predators, or didn't eat anything at all. If she was lucky, some poor prey would succumb to the cold and she would have a meal that could last a few days. That didn't happen too often.She had been on the move for nine sunrises now. The sun helped guide her to where she needed to go, but it didn't help her get any closer to the Clan. She was worried about what sort of torture they were going through, or if they had forgotten about her at all. Her mind kept wandering to that dream she had just a day or two ago.That tom looked real, but I can't remember who he was, she thought sadly. She wished to speak with someone, anyone. It was better than feeling all alone in this bleak landscape. It was horrible to think that she
It took a few heartbeats for Flamestrike to register what just happened. His mind was still reeling with the fact that he'd found the cat from his dreams. He couldn't wait to prove Petalstar and the others wrong. Yet the fact that she was real was just another reminder of the danger her entire Clan was in.Shaking his head, Flamestrike had to think of his next course of action fast. He couldn't just run into a battle unprepared. Birdpaw might be here to gather help, but he wouldn't do it alone. With that thought in mind, Flamestrike wondered if it would be right to go back to ThunderClan. They might be able to do something about the Tribe that was causing so much trouble."Alright, I think we should head back to my Clan and get some help," he meowed after a moment of silence passed between them. Birdpaw blinked in surprise at his decision. It looked as if she was going to argue when she thought better of it. "Look, I know that you want to help your Clan... I just don't think I could d
"Very good, Smokepaw." Russetstar purred in triumph as Smokepaw completed another lesson he'd just taught her. While Briarheart taught her the more basic moves, Russetstar took her out separately and trained her on more advanced moves. Now she was capable of taking an enemy down that was twice her size in a fight. What was even better was the fact that soon he would teach her how to kill without giving her position away. "You've done very well so far, Smokepaw. I am quite certain that one day, you will rule over all of the Clans as is your destiny."Smokepaw was ready to burst with pride at those words. She knew it was her destiny to rule the Clans. Russetstar wasn't the first cat she had heard this from. But it was reassuring enough to hear those words from her leader.Her attitude had changed over the last few moons. Snowpaw, who was now known as Snowstorm, had noticed the change and distanced herself between Smokepaw. It wasn't that she minded losing a friend. She'd never really co
She couldn't shake off the excitement of what just happened a day ago. Meeting Flamestrike and Birdpaw made her realize just how important the prophecy was. They needed to stand together and fight off the chaos that was threatening the Clans. She suspected Icestar had something to do with that chaos, but she wasn't sure who else could be involved. Sprucepaw slowly made her way towards RiverClan territory. She was trying to figure out how to best explain the situation to Reedriver when she found him again. He might not believe her unless she had proof, or maybe Minnowstar would send him off anyways because that was his responsibility.Taking a deep breath, Sprucepaw padded through the bed of reeds and stopped for just a moment. RiverClan was definitely here. She recognized their fishy scent in a heartbeat. Sprucepaw looked around warily as she dropped to a crouch. If they saw her as a threat, she knew she wouldn't stand much of a chance. The Clans were full of tension at the moment, es
Reedriver wasn't sure what to make of what had happened over the last couple of days. First he encountered some random cat that had turned his life upside down. Now he was about to embark on a journey to the mountains for a Clan that wasn't his own. His mind was still reeling with shock as he imagined what poor Birdpaw must be going through. The fact that she had survived at all should have made him feel suspicious over whether or not she was telling the truth.Her voice sounded different when she spoke to us all, he thought warily. Will my voice sound different if... River speaks through me? A shiver ran through him at the thought. The last thing he wanted was to lose himself. Minnowstar had said that he was River, the cat mentioned in the prophecy. An ancient leader who founded the Clans together with five others. It made Reedriver realize just how small the world really was.With a sigh of frustration, Reedriver slipped out of his nest and decided to think for a while. With everyth
A stench filled Birdpaw's lungs as the small group reached what she guessed were the outskirts of Twolegplace. Already she could make out small nests and Thunderpaths surrounding the area. Her pelt bristled with unease as she tried figuring a way out of this mess. Last time she managed to avoid going through Twolegplace at all. But Sky had told her this was the fastest way to reach the mountains with large groups of cats.She knew that every cat in the group was questioning why she had taken them here. They didn't trust her. She didn't blame them.I'm in over my head if I think they'll follow me blindly, she thought sadly."So, what is your Clan like?" Birdpaw looked at Spruceleaf in surprise as the wiry she-cat stepped beside her. They had just crossed a Thunderpath, this one smaller than the one Birdpaw had first crossed on her way to the lake. Now they were traveling along the skirts of rough looking grass and the edge of Twoleg nests."Well, we love climbing trees," Birdpaw explai
A new sense of determination had dawned on the traveling cats. Flamestrike was eager to see what SkyClan was like. He was even more eager to find out what the Tribe of Rushing Water was like. From what Birdpaw had described them, they had changed over the last few seasons. They were once a peaceful group of cats who had helped the Clans during their journey to the lake. But somewhere along the lines, they had changed. Whatever their reasons for attacking SkyClan, Flamestrike knew that they couldn't tolerate their actions.They had finally left the confinement of Twolegplace. Now they were at the grassy base of the mountains, where Birdpaw and Spruceleaf were busy chatting like they were old friends. Flamestrike wasn't surprised to find them getting along so well. Spruceleaf seemed to get along with just about everyone, and could easily relate to the situation Birdpaw was in."I'm just hoping that everyone made it out okay," Birdpaw sighed when he caught up with them. "I wish there was
She had to work harder than any other apprentice in order to gain her leader's approval. Longkit, Bramblekit, Marshkit and Newtkit had finally become apprentices. Because there was a shortage of warriors, Russetstar had made Snowstorm a mentor at a very young age. She was mentoring Marshpaw, a young apprentice with what felt like boundless energy. Talonclaw mentored his own son, Bramblepaw. Sleetstorm and Nightclaw got Longpaw and Newtpaw as apprentices.Now the apprentice's den was getting cramped, and Smokepaw was forced to sleep outside once again due to her lack of ShadowClan blood. She was furious that she couldn't just rip their fur off and take her place as top apprentice. But that would only make the Clan suspicious of her actions. Whatever happened, Smokepaw knew that her life was completely changed after joining ShadowClan.Her fur now longer had any of it's kit-fluff. Her green eyes were sharp as ever, constantly scanning the forest for signs of danger. Lean muscles showed
They were still at odds over how to handle that particular situation. He knew something needed to be done to preserve SkyClan. They deserved that much after everything they had been through. He saw a light flicker across Birdflight's eyes, signaling that she had been thinking the same thing. Since she was directly involved with the prophecy, her concern made sense.I'm supposed to be Thunder, which means that I have to worry about my Clan as well, he reminded himself. He wouldn't let that stop him from worrying about the other Clans though, especially with cats like Icestar and Russetstar in charge. There was so much they had to learn about their past lives. Between that and everything else, he didn't know what was more overwhelming."We still haven't figured out who Shadow's descendant is," Spruceleaf meowed. Flamestrike agreed with her fullheartedly. There was so little communication with ShadowClan these days. He suspected Russetstar's alliance with Icestar had something to do with
Unease rippled through the Clan when the Gathering ended. For the first time since this venture started, Flamestrike suddenly felt overwhelmed with a sense of foreboding.He knew going into this that the other Clans would refuse to accept SkyClan as a fifth Clan. Life around the lake was already difficult enough without another Clan adding to the challenges. With leafbare in full swing none of the Clans would accept the fact that they had even more competition. Now ThunderClan was left to pick up the pieces and decide what to do with the newcomers.They couldn't stay on the farm forever. Too many cats would drawl unwanted attention from curious Twolegs or dogs. Flamestrike was well aware of the fact that the farm was abandoned, but that didn't mean it wasn't too close to Twolegplace. He couldn't shake off the feeling that SkyClan was in danger regardless of where they stayed.Will they ever felt welcome anywhere? he wondered.Guilt stabbed him in the chest at the thought. He had his o
Birdpaw ducked her head in embarrassment. She wasn't sure how that worked. Spruceleaf mentioned that her own scent would have washed away by the time they met. Her uncle and his mate didn't smell anything like a Clan cat; they spent too much time rolling around in the hay for her to recognize WindClan's scent. She simply recognized it from somewhere, though she couldn't explain how."To be fair I was at the Gathering the other night," she tried defending herself.They would have also picked up WindClan's scent if that's the case, a voice argued with. You will have to come up with a better excuse if you want them to believe you.Thankfully they didn't dwell on the topic. Birdpaw glanced over her shoulder nervously when she picked up their scent again in the wind. She remembered what Spruceleaf said about how hostile WindClan had been lately, especially to those outside the Clans. While SkyClan was technically still a Clan, that didn't mean the other Clans believed them.Her tail lashed
Birdpaw watched the scene with growing unease as cats began arguing amongst themselves. She was horrified when one cat suggested slitting Emberstar's throat. She knew other cats would object with the idea of letting SkyClan stay at the lake. What she hadn't anticipated was the protests that would follow. Or the fact that several others didn't believe Emberstar's story.What's going to happen if they reject us? she wondered.Flamestrike stood close beside her, tail wrapping around her almost protectively. Birdpaw glanced at him warily, suddenly aware of how much danger she and her Clanmates were in. The only consolation they had was the fact that the Gathering was a peaceful setting. If the Clans started fighting, StarClan would surely disapprove."This Gathering is over!" Russetstar declared before Emberstar could continue defending himself.The rest of the Clans looked more than happy with that decision.Her heart sank at the thought of what would happen if the other Clans rejected t
Smokefrost watched through narrowed eyes as the WindClan cats picked up the remaining prey from the fresh-kill pile. The other ShadowClan warriors gathered around the clearing were equally uneasy allowing enemy warriors in their camp. What made it worse was the fact that they were allowing these cats to take fresh-kill needed for the rest of the Clan.Russetstar claimed it was necessary for the alliance he formed with Icestar. Though Smokefrost suspected this was Icestar's doing. Unease crawled through her at the thought of letting them get away with such atrocities.With leafbare now in full-swing, the last thing the Clan could afford was losing fresh-kill. Another blanket of snow covered the forest, making hunting more difficult than it already was. Most of the prey was hiding in their burrows or nests, and Smokefrost couldn't blame them for wanting to avoid the cold."I still don't get why this is necessary," Talonclaw muttered under his breath. "I understand the alliance between W
The sounds of waves lapping against the shore were oddly soothing as Reedriver trotted along the bank. Above him lay a blanket of stars and a clawmark of a moon. In spite of the faint light the moon provided, it was clearly cold. A shiver swept through him as the chills of leafbare became prominent.He knew it was inevitable. The first snow had already fallen just a couple of days ago since he returned. Since that fateful day he tried putting the past behind him. Cats questioned where he went and why he was gone for so long. Minnowstar herself had been furious that he disappeared when the Clan needed him the most.He couldn't explain to them what happened even if he wanted to. He knew they wouldn't understand what he and the others had been through during their journey. It all sounded fishbrained in the first place. He had a hard enough time believing himself; he doubted his Clanmates would believe him even if he told him that this journey was a waste of his time.Time I could have sp
"I'm beginning to think that Icestar wants the Clan to suffer through the rest of leafbare," Furzewhisker growled through clenched teeth.She carefully nudged a pile of dried leaves into the corner of her den, hoping that the supply would last her throughout the rest of leafbare. She knew it wasn't much. Borage was good for the queens who were heavily pregnant. With Leafshine getting closer and closer to kitting, she realized that the tortoiseshell queen would need the herbs sooner rather than later. And with so many other queens expecting, she was running low on the herb."I don't get why he's making it a rule for every she-cat in the Clan to be pregnant," Redstripe complained while watching her sort through the pile of leaves.The medicine cat glanced at the dark ginger elder. Redstripe had been suffering with whitecough over the last couple of days. The moment she found out he had whitecough was when she confined him to her den until he recovered. With leafbare in full swing, catmi
Ravenflight looked at the fresh cobwebs covering Smokefrost's face with a wrinkled nose. The medicine cat had been treating her injuries since she returned to camp that evening with Russetstar. No one had questioned where the injuries came from. No one seemed to care one way or another what happened to her. Not that she didn't mind. Smokefrost had learned over time that she wasn't worth looking after once the situation wasn't life-threatening."I still don't get how you were able to scratch your face the way you did running through a thorn bush," Ravenflight scoffed after applying a fresh poultice of herbs on her wounds. She was careful to avoid her eyes. Smokefrost had been afraid that her eye would be permanently scarred, but she was relieved when she managed to open it one morning. She had been able to see through both eyes, improving her hunting skills once more. "It seems as if this is happening more than it should be."Though there wasn't an accusation in her tone, Smokefrost co
For the first time since they started the journey to find SkyClan, relief swept through Flamestrike. It had been nearly two moons since they started their journey, and he realized with a start how happy he was to be back. The familiar scent of the forest wafted around him, and the moment they were back on ThunderClan territory was when it felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He picked up familiar scents here and there after tasting the air, including those of his mother and his siblings.His thoughts churned with anxiety as he wondered how the Clan had been since they left.When Spruceleaf had explained how Icestar had risen to power and was determined to spread that power across the lake, it sent a ripple of alarm through him. He knew that the Clans had always been balanced in some way or form. Sure, there were times when battle-hungry cats would get out of line. But they were usually taken care of before they could reach the point Icestar had.Maybe that's why w