Author's Note: Aaaannnd we're back!

This story takes place a year after the story The Ancient Spirits and will focus on Crane's Wing and lore regarding the tribes and the ancients. It is for the most part the same lore as the story The Wrong Pawsteps. However, the story is better explained here though it's better executed in TWPS. TAT and TWPS are two completely separate stories, you do not need to read one to understand the other but you should read The Ancient Spirits before reading The Ancient Tribes.

Updates won't be as frequent as they were for The Ancient Spirits. TAS was completed before I uploaded it, this is not but they won't be too infrequent.

Also the writing style is the same as The Ancient Spirits, not The Wrong Pawsteps.

Enjoy!

"Fernsong! Hollytuft! Sorrelstripe! Fernsong! Hollytuft! Sorrelstripe!"

The chanting filled the ThunderClan camp, three new warriors glowing proudly at their place beneath the highledge. Bramblestar looked down on them looking just as proud as he finished the warrior's ceremony.

Among the voices calling the new warriors' names, two stood out. One, of course, was the warriors' father, Lionblaze. The other was the silvery grey tom standing beside him.

"Lionblaze! Cranewing!" The three new warriors bounded away from their place, eyes shining to greet their father and the grey tom.

"You really should be running to your mentors instead of these old fleabags," Cranewing purred in amusement.

Lionblaze swatted him with his tail. "Hey! We're not that old. We're not even close to being senior warriors let alone elders."

Hollytuft snickered. "Don't worry. We were just going to head over to them. We just wanted to see you two first."

"Well then, go," Lionblaze said. "Rosepetal, Cloudtail, and Blossomfall are waiting for you."

"Right," Sorrelstripe said with a flick of her tail. "See you later!"

Cranewing watched his friend's three kits bound off to meet their former mentors. They grow up so fast. It feels like just a few days ago, they were newborns.

Beside him, Lionblaze purred.

"I can't believe their warriors already," Lionblaze said, voicing his thoughts.

"Yeah," Cranewing agreed with a nod. He felt a pang in his chest. He blinked. What is this? Am I… sad? Why would I be sad on such a happy day?

He didn't have to think about it much to figure it out. It had been on his mind for a few days no matter how much he denied it. Lionblaze's kits were warriors. He'd heard their names. A season cycle ago, he had told Bramblestar he would regret leaving the clan without hearing their warrior names. Now that he'd heard them… did that mean it was time to leave?

Cranewing shook his head, clearing those thoughts. It was Crane's Wing who had spoken with Bramblestar that day. He was Cranewing now, warrior of ThunderClan. Not Crane's Wing, member of the Jay's Wing line of the Tribe of the Sacred Lines. Not the joke of his tribe, not the screw up who couldn't keep up with his lessons. He was Cranewing, a reliable, responsible warrior of one of the four warrior clans.

Still, finally hearing the names he'd looked forward to hearing so much… It stirred up those old memories. He missed his family and friends back in his tribe but after watching Lionblaze's kits grow from newborns into fine warriors, he knew he'd miss them more than he could ever miss his tribe if he left.

Late in the night, Cranewing tossed and turned in his nest before finally giving up and just rolling over. He sighed. He couldn't sleep. Not only was he not tired, he had too much on his mind. For a split second he had thought of his old tribe and now that was all he could think about.

Were his siblings keeping up with their lessons? Was his mother worried about him? How was Lynx's Roar doing without him? Were the other lines shaming him? Saying he was dead? Asking their shama to send another cat on his journey? Did Solar Sigil know he completed his mission? Was he assuring the other cats that he wasn't dead?

Cranewing shifted, burying himself deeper into the moss of his nest but he knew it was pointless to try and hide from the anxious thoughts tormenting his mind. It didn't work that way.

"Stop moving, Cranewing," Dovewing hissed from a few nests over.

"Sorry," Cranewing mumbled in response. Deciding he wasn't going to get any sleep, he got to his paws and made his way out of the den, nearly tripping over Lionblaze in the process but the golden tom didn't wake.

Cranewing saw Thornclaw on guard duty and debated offering to take over for him but his gaze drifted to the three forms crouched in the middle of camp.

"Hey," Cranewing greeted. Sorrelstripe, Hollytuft, and Fernsong looked at him, surprised. They were in their silent vigil so they couldn't speak but if they could, they'd surely ask what he was doing there. "Can I join you?"

That just made them look even more confused. Fernsong was the first to nod. Cranewing smiled gratefully though it was hard to see in the dark of the night. He settled down beside him and put his head down on his paws.

On their first night as warriors, clan cats would sit a silent vigil to think about what it meant to be a warrior and observe their clanmates. Since moving to the lake, it was only at night so there wasn't much observation but that was what Cranewing needed. A chance to think about what it meant to be a warrior.

He glanced over at Sorrelstripe, Hollytuft, and Fernsong. Hollytuft looked deep in thought but Sorrelstripe and Fernsong just looked bored. Cranewing bit back a purr. He remembered his own vigil. It took a long time to get into a good pondering mood.

Watching the three of them, it reminded him to why he stayed in the clan in the first place. Without thinking, he moved his head to Fernsong's ear and whispered, "Your mother would be proud of you if she was here."

Fernsong's expression saddened and Cranewing felt guilty. Then, Fernsong brightened a bit and lifted his chin to the sky, silently telling Cranewing she was watching from StarClan. Cranewing licked the top of the young tom's head comfortingly then put his head back down.

After returning from their journey to the forest, Cranewing had wanted to leave before going back to camp. He wasn't a ThunderClan cat, he wasn't welcome. Then Brackenfur spoke to him and he remembered how lonely traveling was. He didn't want to be lonely again so he followed him and the three back to camp. He thought he would just stay a moment before leaving.

Lionblaze had an overjoyed reunion with Cinderheart. Briarlight and Jayfeather were happy to see each other again. Dovewing and Ivypool purred so hard that Cranewing could feel it in the ground.

But he had no one. The only cat he could ever greet like that was far, far away. And right there, surrounded by friendly cats, Cranewing felt lonely. And he wanted to leave.

Bramblestar had insisted he stay for awhile to regain his strength. It was pointless, Cranewing was a seasoned traveler but he stayed anyway. Then Cinderheart began kitting. And then she died.

Cranewing would never forgive himself if he left a heartbroken Lionblaze and three motherless kits then. So he stayed. He knew toms didn't stay in the nursery but Lionblaze couldn't properly take care of his kits in that state. Cranewing could never be their parent but he could try to fill the void the best he could. So he stayed. While he couldn't give milk, he could offer them his warmth and a body to snuggle against in the night.

They weren't his kits but Cranewing learned how a mother's love felt. He had worried if they were getting enough food, he was there when they opened their eyes for the first time, he had watched over them when they left the nursery for the first time, he felt such pride when they became apprentices. He knew he couldn't leave them.

But of course, he was a tom and he couldn't stay in ThunderClan as a queen. Once Lionblaze had recovered and the kits didn't need constant attention, Cranewing asked Bramblestar for an apprenticeship.

Bramblestar had been surprised. After all, Cranewing was several times older than any apprentice. He was older than Lionblaze and Jayfeather for StarClan's sake and he wanted an apprenticeship.

Bramblestar had given in and due to his age, let Cranewing pick his mentor and warrior name and also have a shorter apprenticeship. Cranewing, of course, had temporarily taken the name Cranepaw and had chosen Brackenfur as his mentor.

He had received training back with his tribe and his apprenticeship only lasted two moons. A few cats were hesitant to let him join the clan, he was an outsider after all, but Cranewing didn't mind. Lionblaze, Hollypaw, Fernpaw, Sorrelpaw, Brackenfur, Bramblestar, Dovewing, and Jayfeather, the only cats he care about here, accepted him and that made him happy.

Watching the sun rise on the horizon, Cranewing realized wondering if he should return to his tribe was a stupid thought. He couldn't believe it crossed his mind. Here in ThunderClan, he had more than he ever did in his tribe.

Author's Note: *Cackles evilly* Cinderheart is dead! Mwahahaha! *silently cries*