Chapter 3

"You're what?" Spluttered Swiftpaw, disbelievingly.

Blossomstar admitted, "Ever since I was your age, I had nightmares about falling to my death…just like Hazlepaw."

Swiftpaw cocked his head, "Hazlepaw?"

"My brother. A moon after he became an apprentice with me, he fell out of a pine tree, and that was it." Sighed Blossomstar.

She picked up the pace, and Swiftpaw could already see her tail spiking with fear. He walked on her right side, so he was in-between her and the drop-off. Blossomstar was clearly trying to keep her fur flat, but her claws unsheathed and her eyes grew dark with terror. Stormwater glanced over his shoulder, "You okay Blossomstar?"

Blossomstar shook her head, and forced her voice to remain steady, "Never better. I love the views!"

Stormwater narrowed his eyes but said nothing, and Blossomstar waited for him to turn back to the path before gasping for air. Swiftpaw assured her, "Don't be scared, I came up here as a kit!"

The Sunclan leader said nothing, but she was clearly embarrassed to be compared to a kit. They followed the path until they reached a fallen tree, and Ebonystep lift her tail for them to stop. She hissed, "Wait!"

Stormwater followed her gaze, and his eyes narrowed. Swiftpaw could see it too, the faint outline of a cat walking steadily through the flat land between the forest and the moors. She clearly wasn't clan, the way she walked, hesitating and tasting the air every fox-length she walked. A smaller shape was clenched between her teeth, alive and kicking. Blossomstar breathed, "Claykit."

Stormwater growled, "Swiftpaw, you'll have to get Blossomstar down on your own. Me and Ebonystep will head for the cliff face."

The gray warrior didn't wait for a reply, but instead leapt onto a huge rock embedded in the sheer mountainside. Ebonystep followed, expertly dividing her weight between her paws and zigzagging. Blossomstar waited until the senior warriors were out of earshot, before wailing, "Okay, time to panic! I didn't pay a thought to how I would get down!"

Swiftpaw's heart lurched, and he tentatively reassured her, "Don't worry. I mean, look at my father. He's running down the cliff-face and he's clearly having an easier time than he did on the trail!"

Blossomstar spread out her legs, and shuffled from paw-to-paw slowly. Swiftpaw snorted, "This is the easy part! C'mon. Are you a leader, or a 'paw?"

Blossomstar fixed him with cold fire in her eyes, but she started to lift her feet. Swiftpaw felt like the time he was helping Jayfeather down from the Star-rocks. Swiftpaw considered, "Blossomstar, have you ever been to the Star-rocks?"

"No, what are they?"

"They're these great big boulders just above the camp. The elders and queens like to warm their fur when the sun is out, after all it's the warmest spot in Moonclan!"

Blossomstar looked thoughtful, "We have something similar. The River-stones. They are huge rocks next to our river, where we take the apprentices and elders."- She glanced fondly at him-"I never knew are clans were so alike."

"Neither did I!" Swiftpaw purred.

For a moment, they padded side-by-side, thankful for each other's company. They soon reached the base of the mountain, and Blossomstar stopped to gaze back up at the rocky path. She breathed, "Beautiful isn't it? I can't imagine why any cat in your clan would want to be a warrior when they could climb up there all day."

Swiftpaw thought to himself, I can't imagine either. "I never thought I'd be saying this to a Sunclan cat, I mean, leader! But I want to remain your friend Blossomstar." Swiftpaw gulped.

Blossomstar let her soft amber eyes rest on Swiftpaw, and she purred, "I would like that Swiftpaw. I'd like that."

"We found the rouge!" Stormwater called.

Blossomstar and Swiftpaw had just arrived at the camp, only to be greeted by Owltail hauling a young queen. The rouge was young, with unusual spots on her pale tabby fur. She had a tiny brown kit beside her, which Nightwhisper grabbed. The black tom began frantically licking his son. Skystar sat rigidly, not happy about finding a rouge in his territory. Blossomstar stepped forward, "I think we should interrogate this rouge."- She turned to the rouge-" What's your name?"

The rouge raised her chin, letting her blue eyes remain on the Sunclan leader, "My name is Leopard. I thought this kit had been abandoned."

"Don't lie! My mate took Claykit and Orangekit down to the River-stones and she was there the whole time!" Nightwhisper thrust his muzzle towards hers.

Leopard flinched, but held her ground, and snarled, "I would never take a kit from its mother!"

Swiftpaw waited for Eaglewing to sit next to him, before whispering, "What's gonna happen to her?"

His mother shook her head, "I don't know…yet."

Nightwhisper looked to Blossomstar, and begged, "Let me kill her! She almost stole my son away forever!"

Skystar stepped forward, "Remember what our ancestors said, 'We cannot tolerate intruders,' especially kit thieves!"

Blossomstar closed her eyes, and replied slowly, "Our ancestors also said to show mercy and compassion, and to put down our sheathed paw before our claws. I will allow this rouge to leave. But if we see her again, especially in our territory, I will kill her on the spot."

Leopard bowed her head, "It won't happen again."

"See her off our territory," Lightningfang ordered Hawkfeather and Firesong.

The two warriors ran to either side of Leopard, and pushed her forcefully to the camp entrance, while Blossomstar turned back to Skystar, and purred, "Thank you again. I am glad we buried our feud, and we made amends."

Swiftpaw glanced pleasantly at his new friend, who gazed back at him with equal appreciation. She quickly ducked her head when Skystar glanced at her, but the white leader merely narrowed his eyes before continuing, "I think we should hold a feast at the Tree Stump in a half moon!"

Nightwhisper nodded eagerly, "Lichenpelt could do with some other queens to talk to."

Blossomstar dipped her head, "I will inform my clan. We will hunt, and bring half of our kill heap to the feast!"
The Sunclan leader padded off with Nightwhisper gingerly carrying his son, while the clan celebrated the peace. Stonepaw pranced up to Swiftpaw, and boasted, "Firesong took me all over the forest! I learned so much too!"

"That's cool. I learned about how to test which rocks to stand on, and how stable something is." Swiftpaw told him.

Stonepaw rolled his eyes, "Y'know that will never come in handy if you get ambushed in enemy territory. Or if you are in the camp, what will you do? Roll a rock down from the mountains and squash Blossomstar with it!"

"Why would I do that!" snapped Swiftpaw.

He had had it with his brother's mockery, but part of him knew his brother felt insecure because of their father's treatment towards warriors. Swiftpaw turned his back on Stonepaw, and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Hawkfeather's mate Echospirit had birthed three healthy daughters, Ripplekit, Falconkit, and Shadowkit. Unlike Skystar's son and daughter (Buzzardkit and Mistykit), they already bounced around the camp. Swiftpaw headed for a squirrel he had seen Wolfsong catch, but a tiny paw prodded him. He turned and was unsurprised to see Ripplekit batting him, her tiny silver paw outstretched. She looked up at him, and demanded, "What's it like being a Mountain-chaser?"

"Awesome! You get to see incredible heights, and-,"

"And walk up and down steep hills, but as a warrior you can hunt in trees and learn to fight everywhere and do fun stuff!" Stonepaw said, shoving his brother away.

Swiftpaw stalked away, before Shadowkit leapt in front of him. She murmured, "Don't worry, I want to be a Mountain-chaser too!"

Swiftpaw purred, "Well I'm glad to hear that! If you want, I'll take you to the mountains sometime."

Shadowkit's green eyes brightened, and she scampered off to chase Buzzardkit. Swiftpaw released a sigh of relief, and padded up to the Star-rocks. He reached the great boulders, and as he watched the sunset, he wondered if Blossomstar would be at the River-stones. He could picture her, sitting and watching the magenta sun dip below the hills