Hey, guys! Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it (: I love Christmas. I've eaten so much candy today I'm going to get so fat. NO REGRETS.

So! This is the sequel for Bleeding Hearts!:) I didn't know if I'd ever get to writing one, but I was lying in bed one night and was thinking of a story line (is that one word or two?) and decided to write it. So here it is. (: If you haven't read Bleeding Hearts yet, you should probably read that first if you want to understand everything. I mean, you don't have to, but I'd recommend it(:

Well, here goes, tell me what you think, please(:

Prologue

It was midday, and though the sun was bright, dark clouds were beginning to form as a cool air swept by, ruffling the fur of the seven cats who were walking in a close group. Their heads were bent low, their limbs aching with exhaustion; still, they didn't dare stop.

The stone was hard beneath their feet, hawks circling overhead as they struggled to stay on their paws. They were walking up a mountain, scarce of life, only a few bare trees jutting from the ground every now and then, only dead grass growing in tiny clumps. On the back of a white, long-furred tom lay the body of a golden-brown tabby, not moving an inch. He hadn't since early that morning.

Towards the back of the group walked a light brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws, amber eyes dulled with fatigue, reflecting not only what had happened that morning, but everything that had happened since her Clan had been destroyed in front of her eyes. She was lucky to even be alive.

She stopped for just a moment, turning around. A fog had risen over the land, but in the very distance, she could see the lake, and if she listened hard enough, she could almost hear the gentle lapping of waves that she'd grown to know so well. She blinked softly as she looked at the trees surrounding it, so small now that they looked like little bugs. Way up there in this mountain, everything was quiet. But she couldn't forget the shrieks of cats she'd heard down in that forest, even just a matter of hours before.

She felt something brush against her fur, and she turned her head to see a dark gray tom, blue eyes soft with concern as he gazed at her. Her mate.

"Are you alright, Leafpool?" he asked quietly, resting his tail on her back. She swallowed, looking back at the gray lands in front of her.

"...Yes," she murmured, flicking an ear. "I... I'm relieved, actually. I didn't know if I'd ever leave that place alive." She paused for a moment, turning to look at the tom in the eye. "...It's just strange to know that we'll never see our home again."

He frowned, but a second later, he leaned forward, pressing his muzzle to hers.

"Leafpool, I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he whispered. "I lived up here for days, not even knowing if you were alive." His voice quivered just a bit, and very slightly, his body began to shake. Leafpool could faintly feel it. "...And it killed me. But when I found out that you were still at the ThunderClan camp... And when I saw you there this morning..." He pulled away, shaking his head softly as he looked at her. "Leafpool, wherever you are is my home, now."

A small smile came to the medicine cat's face and she looked down at her paws, feeling, for a moment, the way she had when she'd first realized she was in love with him. She buried her face against his chest and he wrapped his tail around her. She felt, if only for a few seconds, completely safe.

"I really missed you, Crowfeather," she murmured, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to focus only on his scent and his warmth.

"I missed you too," he whispered. "And now, we can be together. The warrior code can't keep us apart anymore." He pulled away from her, looking up at the sky, his eyes growing darker. "...Because at this point, the Clans are struggling to even stay alive."

Leafpool blinked softly, looking over to see the group had gone on ahead a bit.

"Come on," she murmured, flicking the tip of his ear with her tail. "Let's catch up."

The two hurried ahead, pelts brushing together. They caught up with Cloudtail, who was walking in the back of the crowd, Thornclaw lying on his back and Whitepaw struggling to stay at his side. The apprentice had regained some strength, but it still had only been just that morning that she'd woken from her coma. Her legs were shaking and her breathing was uneasy, but Leafpool could tell that she was trying to stay strong. She had asked her if she'd wanted to rest, but she'd shaken her head and murmured that she was fine.

As the cats walked, the medicine cat looked over at Cloudtail, a weary aura around him, his fur ruffled.

"...Do you want me to take a turn carrying him?" she asked quietly. The white tom smiled weakly, but he shook his head.

"I'm fine," he murmured. "Tawnypelt said we'd be there soon... Right, Tawnypelt?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat walking in front of them turned her head to face them. She had barely spoken a word since they'd left ThunderClan's camp. She'd seemed to have been particularly hit by... Nightfall's death. Leafpool felt as if the two she-cats had shared some connection that no one else could see. Something that had made them more similar than anyone had really realized.

"Yes," she muttered. "It's not far, now."

"Alright," breathed Cloudtail. He looked over at his daughter, who was staring at her paws as she walked. "Are you hungry, Whitepaw?" he asked softly, frowning. "We could stop if you want."

"We're almost there," she mewed quietly. "I'm fine, really." She looked up at her father, offering a small smile. Cloudtail smiled back.

"You'll have quite a bit explaining to do to the rest of the Clan, Onestar," Ashfoot was saying as she walked with the tom at the front of the crowd. "But I'm sure they'll be glad to see that not only Tawnypelt is safe, but the ThunderClanners, too." She paused, looking over her shoulder at the group. Lowering her voice, she added, "...At least three of them."

The WindClan leader nodded, though he didn't respond. He was focusing straight ahead of him, looking concentrated on something.

"Where..." Cloudtail began, glancing around at the group. He swallowed. "Where are we going to... to bury Thornclaw? There's stone everywhere..."

"There's a place not far from camp with a bit of grass," Ashfoot replied, not looking back. "We can bury him there."

No one spoke for a bit after that. Leafpool lowered her head a bit, thinking about the life that tom had had. He had been one of the Clan's most respected warriors. It had also seemed that he had taken a liking to... The medicine cat swallowed, glancing up. As if reading her mind, Cloudtail suddenly murmured, "...What about Nightfall?"

There was silence for a moment. No one had brought her up this whole time, though she had been nagging at everyone's minds. Especially the ThunderClanners'.

"What do you mean, what about her?" came Ashfoot's hard reply. She kept her gaze in front of her. "I'd thought that she was a loner." Then, she looked over her shoulder, sending what almost seemed like a glare at Tawnypelt. The deputy narrowed her eyes a bit. "And that's what you said too, Tawnypelt. You said you were the rogues' prisoner. You had to have known about her." She suddenly stopped walking, lashing her tail. "How could you lie to us?" The others blinked and halted as well, watching the two she-cats curiously.

"She wasn't all bad," the ShadowClanner muttered, avoiding Ashfoot's gaze. She looked as if she were about to continue, but the other quickly cut her off.

"Not that bad?" the gray she-cat growled, fur fluffing up. "She's the one that destroyed our Clans!"

Leafpool blinked softly, letting out a quick sigh. They were tired, and apparently getting aggravated.

"She lived with me in ThunderClan for a while," Cloudtail murmured, looking down. "She's a good cat. She..." He broke off, but now all the attention was on him. Cats were looking at him in wonder, especially his daughter, who was softly blinking her green eyes.

The white tom shifted uncomfortably, wincing a bit at the weight of Thornclaw on his back. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Do you all remember when the only trouble ThunderClan was having was with ShadowClan?" Leafpool looked at him. Tawnypelt flicked an ear. Cloudtail opened his eyes, which were suddenly shining with emotion and sorrow. Real, pure sorrow. "Do you all remember when Brightheart died?" was his next question, his voice scratchy with sadness. Whitepaw flinched a bit and she looked down at her paws, flattening her ears. Leafpool frowned and glanced around. Everyone was silent.

The tom shook his head, taking him a few seconds to continue. He lifted his head to the sky, as if somewhere, he was searching for his old mate. "At the Gathering after her death, I... I tried to drown myself."

Leafpool's eyes widened, her mouth hanging open slightly. She had not heard about this. She looked around to see the others with shocked faces, not daring to utter a word. Whitepaw lifted her head, eyes huge.

"I was stupid," rasped Cloudtail, clenching his eyes shut again. "I was so caught up with Brightheart's death that I forgot that I was a father, too." He turned his head, looking down at Whitepaw. "I'm so sorry, Whitepaw," he whispered. "I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how I could ever be strong for you..." He shook his head a bit, legs shaking just slightly. "I'm so sorry."

The young she-cat shook her head softly, leaning forward and pressing her muzzle to her father's. Leafpool watched, a small frown on her face. It seemed like so long ago since Brightheart had been killed, yet she knew that this was something that Cloudtail had been living with every day since.

A few moments passed before Ashfoot murmured, "What does this have to do with Nightfall?"

Cloudtail turned to her, eyes narrowed just a bit. "She saved me," he rasped. "She jumped into the lake and swam after me, pulling me to the surface. She could have died, but she saved me. And after the rogues took over ThunderClan, she was the one that begged Dire to keep the rest of us alive. If it weren't for her, we'd be dead."

Ashfoot stared at him, whiskers twitching, not responding. A long moment passed before she turned away. Onestar lifted his head, letting out a sigh.

"Let's keep going," he muttered. "We're almost there."

Leafpool lowered her head, slowly beginning to follow after the group. Crowfeather brushed against her, and she looked up, giving him a tiny, exhausted smile.

The seven cats carried on, the wind whipping at their pelts as the clouds grew darker and the air, colder. Nobody spoke. Whitepaw remained very close to her father, and he lay her tail across her back. Onestar and Ashfoot led the way. Tawnypelt still walked alone. She's the only ShadowClan survivor, Leafpool thought, and a moment later, she sadly realized that there hadn't been any RiverClan survivors at all.

Only a few minutes passed before Onestar began to slow down, lifting his head. Leafpool halted; not too far away, she could hear voices. It could have just been her imagination, but they sounded frantic and desperate.

The WindClan leader turned around, giving the others a brief nod. Stepping forward, they passed by a large rock and some dead shrubs, and when they turned the corner, they saw before them a clump of cats, most of them talking to one another in hushed whispers. But then, one by one, heads lifted as they stared at the newcomers with awe.

Onestar stepped forward, his eyes dark as he murmured to the others, "...We're home."

So yeah, the prologue basically just picked up where BH left off, from the Clanners' perspective. Bare with me, the real story is coming, I promise! x3

Review and... oh. I mean, I guess I already gave Leafpool plushies out during BH. Uh. Does that count? Well, review and get my eternal love(: Even better!

Till next time,

Pearly:)