Forestclan needed more cats. Otherwise, it wasn't a clan. A clan of three cats, one a leader, one a medicine cat, and one a warrior, could not function for long. Honeystar had to recruit more aggressively. There had been a few chance encounters with loners but none of them had been willing to stay for long. Now she understood Crowcloud's comment about clans kidnapping cats. When they were expanding, almost any measure would be taken, she thought. But she had to remain honorable. She couldn't be known as just yet another clan that forced loyalty to its cause.

Honeystar looked at her camp from the Speaker's Tree, the tree under which she had made her den. It would be a good place to call meetings and announcements from. "Duckpelt," she said, "you and I will be going on a patrol today. Hopefully, we'll find some recruits." Duckpelt dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Crowcloud," said Honeystar, turning to the black tom, "it would be great if you could at least start to block the tunnels." The tunnels she referred to were those linking the leader's den, the medicine cat's den, and the den that had been designated for elders. Duckpelt had taken one look and had said that they were likely part of an old warren but there was no need to worry as it looked to have been abandoned for a long time. Crowcloud nodded in acknowledgement.

Honeystar jumped down from the Speaker's Tree, leaping from branch to branch until she reached the ground. "Let's go," she told Duckpelt.

While Honeystar and Duckpelt were out on patrol, Crowcloud thought. "Now, how should I block those tunnels?" he asked himself. He had always found it easier to talk to himself as it kept his thoughts straight. "Ah, I know!" He sat up and stretched. He would have a long day ahead. "Rocks would work perfectly." Stretching and talking done, he was ready to go on the hunt for rocks.

For a while, all he did was look for small pebbles and larger rocks that he could hold in his mouth and brought them back to the camp. Once he had a large pile in front of him, he was ready to begin the long process of blocking the tunnels.

Duckpelt and Honeystar were returning from the patrol when the bushes rustled. "Did you hear that?" asked Duckpelt in a hushed voice.

Honeystar's ears flicked as they tried to pick up the sound. "Yeah," she replied quietly. "Cat or predator?"

"Cat, I think. A predator would have been louder."

"Not always."

Duckpelt's tail twitched in acknowledgement. She didn't have much experience with predators but she trusted her leader. Only two moons had passed but it felt like a lifetime. "You can come out!" she called, hoping that she was right when Honeystar glared at her. "We're friendly."

The bushes rustled again and a disheveled tom emerged. His long fur was golden-brown and his eyes were a lovely shade of green. "Are you clan cats?" he asked warily.

"Yes," said Honeystar, cutting off any reply Duckpelt could have given. "My name is Honeystar, leader of Forestclan. This is Duckpelt, warrior of my clan."

"I'm Fisher," replied the tom, still looking at the mollies with barely-disguised fear and hostility. "Am I intruding? Or can I keep fishing in peace?"

Honeystar's muzzle curled into a smirk. "How perceptive!" she said in a falsely cheery voice. She dropped the smirk quickly. "We aren't interested in chasing you out. On the contrary, we'd love to have you join."

"Why?" asked Fisher, a look of confusion replacing his fear.

"Because we're a new clan," said Duckpelt quickly, "And we need new members. Also, you seem really nice and we'd love to have you." She could almost hear Honeystar's mental groan. "I mean, you have a choice but it's also great because you'll never have to worry where your next nest will be or your next meal will come from and you'll make really good friends…"

Fisher hesitated but after a painfully long moment, stepped forward. "I'll try it out," he said with a voice that suggested he would come to regret his decision.

Duckpelt grinned. "Welcome to Forestclan!" she said.