Annnnd... a chapter from Rockstar's POV! :D I figured it was only fair considering I'd done a chapter with Mossystar.

I have two notifications before the chapter:

1. I will be using both Wolfkit and Shadekit in Dawnshine's litter. I'm sorry, I'm just really indecisive. -_-

2. I'm not sure if I've already posted this, but I made a YouTube channel. My username is (news flash) Snowfall16 and I've been posting speedpaints of the art I do on DeviantArt.

Leopardstar2002: I'm glad you like SkyClan! :) I used some canon characters to try and tie this series back in to the main arc.

Shadows Of Weeping Wolves: Nah, Birdclaw will never be reincarnated. She's just too evil. o_o I'm glad you like SkyClan, though! :D And yeah, the SkyClan issue will be resolved (mostly) this chapter.

QLKwriter: Yeah, the food issue will be addressed next chapter. The SkyClan issue will be more addressed this chapter, along with a brief explanation of why they had to leave in the first place.

ShadowHawk540: Baseball sounds fun! :) Personally, I prefer swimming or rowing. But swimming is also ending soon. I have one week left before the championship meet. :(

ThiefOfSong: That sounds so cute! :D *squee* Do you have a DeviantArt account? If not, maybe you could set up a temporary one and show it to me through that?

Silverkitty16: I'm sorry you thought it was abrupt. :( I was feeling a little uninspired. And I thought it would be best if all Clans had access to the lake, so the Clans are going to get a little squished. But they can always expand outward if they need.

EradrinSkyleaf: SkyClan! :D Thanks, I actually got the idea from reviewers, though. :3

Rockstar's POV

The island was comfortable enough, albeit rather cold and open toward the center. I made two nests of leaves at the base of the huge oak tree—one for me and Bouncefire and the other for Tinycloud, her mate, Rabbitleap, and their kits, Cloudkit and Dustkit. The others followed Mintfur, my deputy, into the thick foliage to try and make space amongst the thick brambles and bushes to sleep comfortably.

The wind blew fiercely all night, flinging snow on top of us like blankets on kittypets. I shivered, curling against my brother's thick fur to keep out the cold, but to no avail. Several times I glanced over at Tinycloud to make sure her kits were warm enough, but they were curled between the warm bodies of their parents, snuggled warmly in brown and white fur.

Finally the morning came, though the weak sun hid behind a thick bank of yellowish gray clouds, promising another snowfall later. I shivered, shaking off the drift of snow that had piled up overnight. I hoped my Clan had gotten better shelter amongst the foliage.

A gray tabby figure caught my eye. I glanced around to see Mintfur bounding toward me. "Rockstar!" she called. "Are all of you okay?"

I nudged Bouncefire with my foot, then quickly sniffed over Tinycloud and Rabbitleap. "We're all fine," I assured her. "How about in the forest?"

"Harrypaw got a little cold but Frecklewish is warming him up," Mintfur replied. "We're all hungry, though."

"Judging from the way the other Clans looked, everyone's hungry," I murmured, recalling the rather skinny cats at the Gathering last night. No one's ribs had been showing, but in time I knew they probably would.

"Maybe we could search the island for a mouse or two?" Mintfur asked hopefully.

I shook my head. "Too small. No mouse in its right mind would live here, what with all four Clans gathering here every moon. Anyway, even if that wasn't enough, we've all spent a night here. I know if I was a mouse, I'd rather try my luck in the lake than stay here to be caught and eaten."

Mintfur sighed. "I thought as much. Can anyone fish, do you know? We might find something in the lake."

"Apart from mice, you mean?" I snorted. Mintfur didn't smile. I knew she must be hungry. "Plumwillow might know something. Or maybe even Creekfeather. You know they used to love playing in the stream."

Mintfur nodded. "I'll ask them. Rabbitleap wouldn't know, would he?" She glanced over my shoulder at the brown tom.

"Nah, he always liked running better. But I could ask him if you want."

"Sure. I'll get Nettlesplash."

As Mintfur bounded away again, I turned to my sister and her mate and kits. "Rabbitleap." Rabbitleap grunted and shifted, but didn't open his eyes. "Rabbitleap." He blinked blearily, gazing at me through the rich brown eyes I knew Tinycloud liked so much.

"What?" he muttered.

"Do you know how to fish?"

Rabbitleap's brow furrowed. "Why would I know that?" His words slurred together and I realized he must not be fully awake yet.

"Rabbitleap, wake up! Do you know how to fish?"

Rabbitleap sat up, yawning widely. I kicked snow into his face and his head snapped around immediately. I knew snow would wake him up.

"No!" he retorted, annoyance audible in his voice.

"Yes you do," Tinycloud murmured, still wrapped around her kits.

Rabbitleap rolled his eyes. "Well, okay, maybe a little bit—"

"Well a little bit's good enough. I need you and your littermates to try catching fish in the lake."

Rabbitleap looked confused. "Why would you need that?"

I knew the snow wouldn't have worked. He'd slept the whole night in it just fine. "We need to eat," I said with exaggerated patience. "We need to fish to eat."

"Mmmkay."

I turned around with an impatient sigh to see Plumwillow and Creekfeather bounding through the powdery snow, eyes bright and tails fluffed up against the cold. I greeted them with a meow. "Where's Nettlesplash?"

"He never quite learned to fish," Plumwillow laughed.

Of course. I knew he wouldn't have learned. He'd never really gotten over his fear of water after Plumwillow had pushed him in the stream as kits. But no matter, there were three cats willing to fish in the icy lake to feed the Clan. Or at least two willing and one grudgingly, I thought with a glance back at Rabbitleap, who was taking his sweet time saying good morning to Tinycloud and his kits.

With a nod to the two warriors, I headed over to the thicker foliage where I knew the rest of my Clan must be sheltering. "SkyClan, come and gather in the clearing!" I called.

About half a dozen cats slipped out into the drifted snow. Firepaw and Stormpaw stood pressed against their brother, Harrypaw, who still looked rather frozen despite Frecklewish's efforts to warm him again. With any luck, we'd be sheltering under better dens this evening.

Birdface stepped forward. "We're all cold and hungry," she meowed. Her brother, Sandyleg, nudged her and whispered, "Stop whining!"

"I know we're cold and I know we're hungry," I replied, dipping my head to the black and white she-cat. "I've sent out Plumwillow, Creekfeather, and Rabbitleap to catch some fish for us. The other four leaders should be here soon enough to decide on our new territory."

Birdface scoffed but remained quiet. Sandyleg trod on her paw and she hissed quietly at him.

SkyClan had grown used to surviving off little food during the journey, so when the three warriors returned with only five small fish to feed the Clan, I swallowed my sigh and gathered the Clan. "One fish should go to Tinycloud and Rabbitleap," I began. "Their kits are still nursing so Tinycloud needs to be strong for them. Another can be shared between Frecklewish, Mintfur, and I. Two fish can go to the warriors and one to the apprentices."

Good thing these fish are big enough for us all to have more than one bite, I thought morosely as I picked up a medium-sized trout, usually only big enough for one, maybe two warriors, and carried it over to the two she-cats. Frecklewish nodded gratefully and tucked in, but Mintfur didn't move, even when the not-so-tantalizing odor of fish wafted toward her.

"What's up?" I asked her, trying my hardest to swallow the first slimy mouthful.

Mintfur nodded across the clearing. "The other leaders are here."

I turned, finally managing to swallow my mouthful of rubbery fish. Mintfur was right—the other four leaders, along with a small posse of their own warriors, had begun emerging from the thick foliage.

Waving my tail at them, I called, "Rainstar! Over here!"

Rainstar nodded, then beckoned his cats forward. I remained where I was, waiting for the WindClan leader. I still had a meal to finish, after all.

"Hello again, Rockstar," Rainstar meowed, dipping his head. Then, nodding behind him, he continued, "This is Alderleaf, my medicine cat; Adderclaw, my deputy; Forestwind, a warrior; and Crouchfoot, another warrior. Crouchfoot grew up in the original WindClan and so has been teaching me the ways of old."

I nodded to show my understanding. Then, quickly beckoning over two warriors, I meowed, "This is Mintfur, my deputy; Frecklewish, my medicine cat; Bouncefire, my brother and a senior warrior; and Rabbitleap, another warrior."

Rainstar smiled at the SkyClan cats. "Welcome to the lake," he meowed graciously.

Something that had been nagging at me suddenly flew to the surface at his words. "Why?" I blurted out.

Rainstar's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Sorry, what?"

"Why are you welcoming us to the lake?" I elaborated. "You don't seem to have much fresh-kill. It's the beginning of Leafbare. Yet you're willing to share your territory with us. Why?"

Rainstar looked at the ground. I got the distinct feeling my words had made him feel rather awkward. "Well… it's, it's a kind thing to do," he said vaguely. "I guess if I showed up with my Clan I'd definitely want the other Clans to welcome me. So here's your welcome."

I let the subject drop for now. Maybe I could ask the other leaders when they arrived. "Okay," I meowed. "Well… have you thought of what territory we could have?"

"I thought—"

A loud rustle interrupted him. Glancing over his shoulder, I saw Sootstar padding into the clearing, followed closely by Mossystar.

"Sootstar!" Rainstar bounded over to the ThunderClan leader, rubbing his muzzle against Sootstar's cheek. Sootstar responded in kind, rubbing his chin over Rainstar's back.

"It makes you feel a little left out, doesn't it?" I turned to see Mossystar sitting beside me, her amber eyes glowing softly. She turned to watch the two gray toms. "They saw each other just last night and they're acting as though it's been moons. It's a little hard to get in on that strong of an alliance."

"It does seem so, doesn't it?" I said thoughtfully. Mossystar seemed to know a lot about the strong bond between those three leaders. Maybe she was trying to get on my good side in order to secure a long-lasting alliance between our Clans. Well, if the other leaders were really that close, it might be advantageous to both of us.

Mossystar turned to her group. "This is Troutstream, my deputy," she meowed, indicating a pale gray tabby she-cat. "This is Ripplefur, my deputy; Runningpool, a senior warrior; and Badgertongue, a new addition, yet who still shows a great deal of promise." She gave the black and white she-cat a half smile, which Badgertongue returned.

I introduced my own cats just as Rainstar and Sootstar padded back over, pelts brushing with brotherly affection. Sootstar, taking the hint, turned and nodded at each of his cats in turn.

"These are Rustpelt, my deputy; Goldenwing, my medicine cat; Breezelark, a senior warrior; and Molewhisker, another senior warrior."

Loud pawsteps sounded as Sootstar's voice died away. All cats turned to watch as Cinderstar dashed through the foliage, her own group of cats haring along behind her. "I'm here!" she gasped. "I brought four cats, as we agreed!"

Rustpelt of ThunderClan glanced over her cats and his face fell. "Where's Foxtooth?" he asked.

"He was… too injured," Cinderstar replied, grimacing. "He'll recover, but not for a while." She turned back to face her Clanmates. "Instead I brought Sparrowtalon, Stormtuft, Frozenwhisker, and Tanglefur."

Tanglefur blinked down at my unfinished meal. "Is that fish I smell?" he asked keenly.

I blinked, surprised that a ShadowClan cat would be interested in my fish. "Um, yeah," I meowed, glancing down at my share. "Um, you don't mind me finishing my meal?" I asked the other leaders.

"Nah, go ahead," Rainstar smiled. "We've all already eaten."

But as I sank my teeth awkwardly into the tough, salty-smelling fish, I heard his stomach rumble. My ears flicked forward; maybe the three siblings weren't as close as Mossystar had said, if they were keeping up strong appearances in front of each other. Or maybe he was just trying to be courteous toward me.

"So about the issue of territory," Mossystar meowed briskly, "I for one think every Clan needs access to the lake and the neutral territory within two tail-lengths of the shore. SkyClan prefers deciduous forest, so Sootstar, ThunderClan would have to give up some land."

Sootstar nodded. "We could do that." He turned to Cinderstar. "Maybe our border could be switched so it ran along the stream, even when it curves deeper into your territory?"

Cinderstar looked thoughtful. "I could always expand away from the lake if I need. Yeah, that could work."

"Then SkyClan's lake border could be between ThunderClan and WindClan," Sootstar meowed, grinning. He looked at Rainstar. "Would WindClan mind if SkyClan took the forest up to the edge of the moor? I know some of that is currently your territory."

Rainstar shrugged. "Yeah, we don't normally use that strip of land. It would probably be easier just to give that to SkyClan."

I stared up at the surrounding hills, trying to picture the border lines. If that was the stream Sootstar mentioned, then halfway between that and the end of the forest would be SkyClan's new border with ThunderClan. It didn't look like much territory, about half as much as they'd had back at the gorge, but then again the gorge was gone, destroyed by Twolegs when they'd built a Thunderpath right overtop of their camp, stretching from one side of the gorge to the other. SkyClan would have to make do here.

"Is that settled then?" Mossystar asked, her voice like that of an interrogation. Such a forward and fast-paced cat might be good to have as an ally, I thought, but then again, maybe not. Then again, it wouldn't just be an alliance with Mossystar, but the whole of RiverClan. With their swimming abilities, it seemed they were most at an advantage with the center of the Clans being a lake.

"Yeah, I think that would work," Sootstar meowed. "I'd definitely have to expand outward, and SkyClan too, but I think we can do that."

I grinned, glad the negotiations were over so quickly. I wondered if the Clans were always this peaceful or if it was just because three of the leaders were littermates. "I guess I'd better get SkyClan settled in, then," I meowed. "We almost froze last night. It's really open out here."

"Tell me about it," Rainstar muttered under his breath.

"I think I'll take a few warriors and explore the territory, if it's all right with you." He aimed his request mainly at Sootstar. It was, after all, mostly his territory I was taking.

But Sootstar merely shrugged. "It's your territory now," he meowed with a smile.

I almost laughed. It was so amazing to be welcomed in here with such open paws after the tales of viciously being chased from the old forest. I'd never expected it to be this peaceful.

I hoped it'd stay that way forever.

But Rockstar, it's only the fifth chapter! How can it possibly stay that way forever? It'd make for a boring book!

Next chapter the action really kicks up. :) I know because I finished this chapter but was on a roll writing-wise and just continued right over into another Word document and kind of wrote the entire next chapter. :P Whoops. But I guess that's one of the good whoopses instead of a bad one. I'll post it in a couple days to give people time to read this one first.

QOTD: What's your favorite animal? (sorry for lameness, couldn't think of anything)