Hi everyone! I'm back with the second chapter of Downstream! Hooray!

First a response to my review

MeowMix1028 - I'm so glad you like it! Hopefully it'll continue to live up to expectations.

Okay, well that was short, now on to the story!

When Shadecloud and Sparrowpelt arrived back at camp, the gray she cat made a beeline for the freshkill pile. As she stood trying to decide between a fat sparrow and an equally chubby mouse Hollyfrost returned, trailing behind Snowsky.

"Hey Shadecloud!" The red and white she cat called, padding over to join her friend at the freshkill pile.

"Oh, hey Hollyfrost, how was patrol?" The other she cat asked, a teasing gleam in her blue eyes.

"Just lovely, Snowsky is such a wonderful conversationalist." Hollyfrost grumbled, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"Hollyfrost, Shadecloud, could you please move? You're blocking the pile." Both she cats turned to see Shadecloud's brother, Nighttail, standing behind them.

"Sorry Nighttail!" Hollyfrost purred to the black tom.

Shadecloud rolled her eyes and grabbed the sparrow before padding over to her usual spot by the warrior's den, Hollyfrost a few pawsteps behind carrying a small wood pigeon.

"You know he'll never pick up on your hints, right? He's kind of oblivious." Shadecloud said after they had settled down to eat.

"Your certainly right about that, he wouldn't realize it if it came and bit him." Hollyfrost grumbled affectionately. "He's lucky he's cute."

"Why don't you just tell him? That's the only way he'll ever figure out you like him." Shadecloud purred, amused by her friend's adoring look. "Your not scared are you?"

"No! Absolutely not, I'm just waiting for the perfect moment to tell him, that's all." The colorpoint tabby stuttered, her ears reddening.

"Sure, the only reason." Shadecloud said slyly.

"Yes the only reason. Now can we drop the subject? I'm not particularly happy with you yowling to whole clan about my love life." Hollyfrost huffed, her green eyes dancing with laughter.

"Fine, lets talk about..." The gray warrior paused, trying to think of a good topic. "Oh, I know! You didn't tell me why the thing with my shadow was serious!"

"Right, I didn't, because someone cut me off." Hollyfrost shot a dark look at Snowsky who was sharing tongues with her mate, Birchfur.

"Snowsky aside, tell me! I'm dying to know!" Shadecloud begged.

"Alright, because you asked nicely. So, you saw your shadow at sunhigh, right?"

"Yeah but I don't see how that makes it serious." Shadecloud said, wondering if Hollyfrost had been pulling her leg the whole time.

"Okay, so it's sunhigh." Hollyfrost carefully drew a circle to represent the sun and a bobbly shape underneath it. "This is you, see." She indicated the bobbly shape.

"Really? I can't tell." Shadecloud interrupted.

"Be quiet! So where would your shadow be at sunhigh?" The pretty she cat asked.

"Behind you of course, like mine was! I don't see how this is..." Shadecloud began.

"Wrong!" Hollyfrost interjected. "You don't have a shadow at sunhigh, so why was your behind you?"

"Because... Huh, I don't know." The gray and black she cat said, confused at the revelation.

"Exactly!" Hollyfrost said, looking distinctly self-satisfied.

"That's really weird, so what do we do now?" Shadecloud asked, a frown forming on her face.

"I don't know, I suppose the only thing to is observe it. We can't talk to it, we can't attack it..." Hollyfrost broke off to give a sharp look to her friend who had just snorted with laughter. "What?"

"Sorry, it's just you fighting my shadow, it's too funny." Shadecloud rose to her paws and began performing an elaborate pantomime of Hollyfrost fighting the shadow.

"Very funny." Hollyfrost grumbled.

"Sorry, please continue." Shadecloud giggled, attempting to stifle her laughter but having very little success.

"Well if you're just going to laugh at me I'm not going to help you." Hollyfrost rose to her paws, grabbed her pigeon in her jaws and flounced off.

Shadecloud shook her head, if there was one thing Hollyfrost couldn't stand it was being laughed at. She took another bite of her sparrow and watched Hollyfrost settling down next to Nighttail. She briefly wondered what it would be like if Hollyfrost and Nighttail became mates.

They'd have kits of course, both of them loved kits and Hollyfrost often looked after kits so their mothers could take a break. She'd be a wonderful mother, loving and kind but strict and Nighttail, well he'd be a great father. Nighttail was a favorite with kits, he always had time to show them a battle move or teach them the hunter's crouch. His patience was unending, Shadecloud had no idea how he put up with kits; she didn't care for them and didn't intend to have any.

What did she intend to do? Be the best warrior she could be? That was a given for any dedicated warrior. Shadecloud frowned slightly at the thought; did she really not have a goal? She didn't want to become leader, she was already a warrior, kits were out of the question and having a mate... Well having a mate was complicated.

Shaking the heavy thoughts out of her head Shadecloud rose to her paws, shaking off the fine layer of dust that had settled on her black-flecked coat. Carefully burying the bones of her sparrow she collected the feathers and made her way towards the elder's den.

"Shadecloud? Is that you?" The soft, melodic voice of Silverwish emanated from the depths of the den.

"It's me mother, I brought you something." Shadecloud purred, dropping the feathers to greet the elderly she cat.

"Feathers? You shouldn't have!" The silver tabby purred.

"It was nothing, I know that your joints give you trouble when it's cold so I thought some feathers would help keep you warm." The dark gray she cat said, beginning to arrange the feathers in her mother's vacated nest.

"Thank you dear, that reminds me, could you ask Laurelheart for some herbs? I think I'm coming down with a cold; I've been sneezing quite a bit."

"I'll send her in when I leave." Shadecloud said, nudging the final tut of down into place.

"Wonderful, this is exactly what I needed." Silverwish purred, settling down again.

"I'm going to see Laurelheart for you, then I have dusk patrol. I'll come back and see you tomorrow." Shadecloud called over her shoulder as she left the den.

"I'll see you then, oh and bring your brother with you! I haven't seen him for ages, he never comes to visit." Silverwish said, purring gently.