Important: I realized today that I made quite a few cliffhangers in Hymn of the River that were never continued on from (which is a downside to cliffhangers), so this chapter is going to cover all of those as well as the main story in this book. So, it's going to be quite long.

This chapter will include: Furzepaw! Eelpaw! Cedarpaw! Dustpaw! Spider! Hiss! Mistflame! Creekstar! Leaf! RiverClan cats! New characters! Brightpool! Coconut! (Remember him?) Sparrowchirp! Oh... gods, how am I going to fit them all in?

I don't even remember what the cliffhangers were about in half of them! Thank goodness I have a HotR tab out open (for reference).

Chapter 5

Cedarpaw didn't know where he was going.

He didn't think that any of his clanmates knew, either. Except for Stormwing, who was marching along at the head of the whole group. The two guards at both sides of Cedarpaw didn't seem threatening or menacing, just confused, and that was the general atmosphere in the air for about an hour.

Soon, the forest got darker and darker until no rays of sunlight slit through the branches overhead anymore. Quietripple was the only one that even glanced at Cedarpaw once in a while, as if looking at him was contagious. Finally, just as his paw twisted on a rock for the sixth time, his patience snapped with it.

"Is there anywhere in particular we're going to?" Cedarpaw asked helpfully. One of the guards by his side shoved him in the flank. Stormwing didn't answer. He seemed too preoccupied with staring at the trees in front of him to notice.

Something cracked in the undergrowth to the left of Cedarpaw, and it wasn't his ankle his time.

Now a few of the group were starting to slow down, glancing around themselves every once in a while and muttering something about ghosts. Cedarpaw half expected Stormwing to turn around and bark at them to hurry up and keep going, but to his surprise, he stopped too.

Suddenly, a gray and ginger blur raced out from a patch of juniper shrubs and came to a stop in front of the director. It was a she-cat, about apprentice age but younger than Cedarpaw. He was a little alarmed to see the long, bloody gash running from her forehead to her neck. "I've got her!" she announced.

"Thank you, Little Pond," Stormwing said politely, dipping his head. "I think we can handle it from now on. Come out."

"Hm? Oh, where have you led me to, Glowpaw?" another she-cat asked, poking her head out from behind a leaning tree. Her eyes traveled from the gray and ginger she-cat to the rest of RiverClan, and instantly, she gasped.

Before Cedarpaw knew it, she ran into one of the guards surrounding him and was soon burying her face into his fur, whimpering and murmuring something that he couldn't hear. The guard looked surprised, and didn't seem able to pry the she-cat off.

Just when the awkwardness was at its peak, the she-cat finally raised her head. "Thank you all for being my saviors!" she squealed. "I was running around in the forest not following anyone but my adopted daughter and then I just stumbled upon you! Help me!"

Stormwing seemed a bit overwhelmed, glancing at the gray and ginger she-cat with the head wound again. "Little Pond, I said you could come out now," he snapped, sounding a bit irritated. Moments later, something misty drifted out of the her body.

Her eyes glassed over again and the second she-cat was clearly trying to suppress a scream. "Glowpaw?" she muttered as the body toppled downwards onto the ground. "Is this a-"

Stormwing's eyes gleamed. "Survivor of the LightClan battle, huh?" he chuckled. "Must be a strong one, then. Might be a good candidate." He began pacing around her like a predator examining its prey. "So, what's your name, darling?"

Now she was looking at him with a bit more uncertainty than before. "Sparrowchirp," she finally responded, "loyal warrior of LightClan. Stop looking at me like that, it's creeping me out." She squirmed under his gaze. "Uh, so... is this your group of rogues?"

"Of course there are other clans besides your precious LightClan!" Stormwing snapped, then lowered his voice as if realizing that it might scare her. "Listen, we're taking you to a... safe place. If you wanted a savior, then you're got one."

Sparrowchirp was nodding along after each statement. Cedarpaw realized with a chill that she still trusted him. "Great!" she exclaimed. "So do we have to go further? Do you Wanderers have a camp?"

"Oh, we've definitely got one," Stormwing laughed, as if the question was ridiculous. "Just keep with us, alright? Stragglers never survive long in this forest." He smiled. "Unless you're already dead. I'm sure you would be meeting some of my companions soon."

Sparrowchirp seemed a bit more nervous after that, glancing around every once in a while as if expecting to find a spirit staring at her from behind every tree. Eventually, though, the terrain got steeper and steeper, the forest started to disappear, and the slope edged downwards to the bottom of a gorge.

"Here we are!" Stormwing said cheerfully. "I know it's not that fancy, but it fits our needs." He glanced around. "Jaggedfeather!"

Cedarpaw narrowed his eyes. He thought his mentor had been killed by a badger or whatnot, but he found it a little hard to believe that Jaggedfeather was now a wandering spirit. Sure enough, though, a pale gray ghost peered out from the middle of the clearing, apparently appearing out of nowhere.

"I've got a surprise for you," Stormwing said, flicking his tail towards Sparrowchirp.

The spirit Jaggedfeather glanced at her with hesitation. "She doesn't look extremely sturdy to me. I mean, I would have expected someone larger, more powerful, more..." He scratched his head, as if searching for the right word. "Large-powerful."

"She's fine, I'm sure," Stormwing replied. "She survived the battle in LightClan, so it must be worth a try. Honestly, what do we have to lose? Just do it."

Cedarpaw was starting to understand what was going on, but before he could protest, Jaggedfeather bowed his head and drifted over to Sparrowchirp. She glared up at him. "Can I... go now? I don't feel like doing whatever you're-"

Suddenly, she tensed, clenching her teeth and hissing as Jaggedfeather's spirit first dissipated into fine mist, then seemed to absorb into her fur. Cedarpaw knew what it felt like, and promptly felt sorry for her. Stormwing cleared his throat. "Not full control," he commanded, "we need to hear her speak."

"Two become one or something in that prophecy," Cedarpaw muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Sparrowchirp's bright eyes had now dulled into a blue-gray. She seemed to be struggling at first, then settled back after a few moments of no success. "Can I leave now?" she asked again, chattering her teeth. It was her voice, but not hers, at the same time.

Stormwing leveled his gaze on hers. "Not right now," he replied softly. "First, we need to run you through some trials. Let's see if this works this time. Now, answer me." He paused. "Do you feel stronger in any way when Jaggedfeather's spirit connected with you?"

"Colder," Sparrowchirp shivered. "Can I go now?"

"Fight me first," Stormwing whispered, lowering his body into a fighting stance. Cedarpaw felt he suddenly understood why Jaggedfeather had constantly come back to camp at night with strange scars and wounds. He must have been involved in this for a long time. "I need to see if you are strong enough."

"I don't-" Sparrowchirp began, but before she could say another word, Stormwing flung him into the air and pummeled her to the ground, all four paws knocking her down and jaws bared at her throat. "I'm an enemy, about to kill you," he hissed, "so what do you do now?"

Sparrowchirp fell limp underneath his paws. Stormwing chuckled, still keeping his whole body weight on her. "Honestly, I didn't think you would resort to such an overused trick."

The whole clan waited for her to retaliate, while Stormwing dug his claws in deeper and began closing his jaws on Sparrowchirp's throat- all in slow motion, while he watched her carefully, hoping for a comeback. Blood oozed from several wounds, painting the grass scarlet, and finally, he let go.

Still, Sparrowchirp didn't get up. Cedarpaw didn't know if she was dead or just unconscious. Stormwing sighed. "That was disappointing," he meowed. "It looks like our attempts have failed again." Suddenly, his gaze swept upwards towards Cedarpaw.

"But before we end... Cedarpaw, will you please come up to be our next champion?"

I lied... heh. But I'm sorry, I couldn't jam all those perspectives together without ruining the chapter. So there you go, I thought I would need to fill you in on Cedarpaw a little. Notice: the next few chapters will probably be cutscene chapters...