Phew! I'm finally back to chapters without formatting problems to fix. It should be pretty quick for me to upload the rest of the finished chapters and get back to work on new ones! Thanks for all your patience.

Lionpaw woke slowly to the sounds of stirring in the den. He yawned before he blinked a few times and lifted his head.

"Morning," Hazelpaw meowed. The molly bent over to lick at her flank.

"G'Morning," Lionpaw mumbled, before he yawned once more. He glanced around for a moment to get his bearings. Berrypaw and Mousepaw were grooming each other nearby, while the nests of Cinderpaw, Honeypaw, and Poppypaw were already empty.

Spiderleg stuck his head in the den. "Up and at 'em," he meowed. "Battle training for all of you today."

Berrypaw lifted his chin. "Yes!" he meowed. He pulled himself away from his brother, tail lashing. "I'm ready."

Spiderleg jerked his chin as he turned away. "Then come along. Hurry up."

Berrypaw quickly padded past the other apprentices and left the den. Mousepaw stood up and headed after him. "Better come quickly," Mousepaw told Lionpaw. "Dustpelt and Spiderleg are grouches about apprentices taking their time."

Hazelpaw rolled her eyes. "We're coming. Don't get your tail in a twist."

Lionpaw was quick to push himself up to his paws. I can't make a bad impression on my first day of battle practice! He was glad Sandstorm wouldn't be training with them today—he had already made her angry when he had talked back to her a few days ago after the fight with the fox. He took a moment to stretch out each limb before he trotted out of the den, Hazelpaw just behind him.

Brambleflower, Dustpelt, Spiderleg, and Brightheart were all waiting outside. Dustpelt and Brambleflower appeared to be deep in conversation, but both paused as Hazelpaw and Lionpaw stepped out.

"Finally!" Dustpelt grunted. "Let's get going."

We're not even going to eat first? Lionpaw frowned, but he didn't complain. He knew things would be different from when he was in the nursery, but… the thought of heading out to training immediately without food still wasn't exactly pleasing.

Spiderleg quickly headed for the camp exit, and the other cats began to follow. Rather than walk with his own apprentice, Brambleflower fell in beside Lionpaw as they walked. "Are you excited?" he asked. "It's your first training session."

Lionpaw lifted his chin and grinned. "Yeah!" He pushed the thought of food aside. I'll be fine, he thought. I have to get used to eating like an apprentice. "I'll make you proud."

Brambleflower purred and flicked Lionpaw with his tail. "I know you will," he said. "But don't worry too much about being the best right away. It takes time to be a great warrior!"

Lionpaw puffed out his chest. I don't need time! He thought. He was already naturally big and strong, and every cat knew it. I'll show you I'm already tough as a warrior.

Hazelpaw and Mousepaw were sparring in the training hollow. Hazelpaw swiped at her brother's face, and he ducked and rolled away. Mousepaw jumped up to his paws and struck a blow against her flank. Hazelpaw staggered, but quickly retaliated by biting his tail.

Lionpaw was sitting beside Brightheart, just trying to take it all in. On occasion, Dustpelt and Spiderleg would shout encouragement to their apprentices, but the two mentors mostly watched and circled the fight.

Quite suddenly, the whole thing was over. Hazelpaw ducked a blow from Mousepaw, then used a paw to hook out one of his rear legs out from under him. Using her shoulder, she knocked him over entirely, and pinned him quickly.

Dustpelt lifted his chin. "Well done, Hazelpaw!" he praised. "That was a clever move."

Hazelpaw took a moment to shake the dust from her pelt before she smirked at her mentor. "Thanks!" she purred.

Brambleflower nodded to Brightheart. "How about we have Lionpaw and Berrypaw spar?"

Brightheart looked thoughtful. "I haven't taught him any moves yet," she said. "But it would be a good way to get an idea of where he's at."

Lionpaw straightened up. Oh, yes! he thought, tail lashing eagerly. He glanced towards Berrypaw, who was grinning like he had already won. This is my chance to prove myself.

Brightheart looked him over for a moment. "Alright. Step up, Lionpaw."

"Yes!" Lionpaw exclaimed, before he leaped to his paws and headed for the center of the clearing. "I'm ready!"

Brambleflower looked amused as he nodded to Berrypaw. The cream-furred tom tossed his head and stepped forward. He locked eyes with Lionpaw and arched his back.

"Remember, Lionpaw," Brightheart instructed. "Claws sheathed during training. Biting is fine, of course, but not too hard."

Lionpaw rolled his eyes. "I know, I know."

"You may begin whenever you're ready," Brambleflower meowed.

Lionpaw immediately charged for Berrypaw. He lashed out with a forepaw, but the older tom easily sidestepped. Lionpaw whirled around to try and bite his tail—but snapped only at air. Fox-dung! He'd forgotten that Berrypaw had a stump for a tail.

"Hah!" Berrypaw just looked amused before he kicked back at Lionpaw. Lionpaw jerked his chin away in the nick of time, and Berrypaw instead caught Lionpaw on the shoulder.

Lionpaw stumbled clumsily, but didn't fall. With Berrypaw's haunches still within reach, Lionpaw growled and struck at one of Berrypaw's legs, as he had seen Hazelpaw did. Berrypaw's eyes went wide as his leg was knocked out from under him, and Lionpaw pounced forward to shove him to the ground. He slammed his paws on Berrypaw's side, and the cream tom wheezed.

However, Berrypaw didn't give up. With a loud grunt, he rolled to the side, throwing Lionpaw off his balance with him. Lionpaw fell, and the toms went rolling over together. Berrypaw came out on top, and he secured his position by holding his paws on Lionpaw's chest. "I win!" Berrypaw declared, smirking.

Lionpaw glared up at him. No! I can still beat him. He reached up and gripped Berrypaw's shoulders with his paws, and with a snarl, slammed his skull directly into Berrypaw's face. He hardly felt it, but the resounding thunk brought a wave of satisfaction.

Berrypaw squealed and dropped like a stone. Lionpaw rolled over and pinned him quickly. He pressed a paw to Berrypaw's throat. "No, I win!"

"Whoa!" Mousepaw exclaimed.

Berrypaw groaned and wriggled free of Lionpaw. He stood up and sniffed loudly. "My nose!" he whined. A drop of blood fell.

I must've got him right in the nose, Lionpaw thought, with a satisfied smirk. Good.

"A little bruised nose never hurt anyone," Spiderleg grunted.

Brambleflower padded up to Berrypaw and sniffed at him. "I think you'll live," he meowed, sounding almost amused.

"That was awesome!" Hazelpaw purred. "I thought Berrypaw was going to win that one."

"Whatever!" Berrypaw growled, as he flinched away from Brambleflower. "I was going easy on him!"

Brightheart's stern mew cut in. "That was a pretty violent move, Lionpaw," she said. "That sort of thing doesn't belong in training. You could have hurt him badly."

What? Lionpaw glanced over his shoulder at his mentor. He narrowed his eyes. "I won, didn't I?" he retorted. "It's not like I seriously hurt him."

"My nose is bleeding!" Berrypaw hissed. His short tail flicked about in anger.

"Oh, you're fine," Hazelpaw meowed, with a roll of her eyes.

Brightheart looked serious. "It was a smart move," she relented. "But this is just training. We're here to learn, not beat your fellow apprentices senseless."

Lionpaw scowled. Brightheart's my mentor! he thought, beginning to feel furious. She should be glad I won, not nitpicking how I did it!

"They both did well," Brambleflower meowed. "But Lionpaw did win, and in his first sparring session. He should get to enjoy that."

Berrypaw glared at his mentor like he had betrayed him. Lionpaw smiled smugly. That's right, he thought. Brambleflower might be your mentor, but he's my father!

Brightheart flattened her ears. "We shouldn't be encouraging unnecessary violence," she argued. "He might as well have clawed Berrypaw across the face."

"So?" Dustpelt's casual meow surprised Lionpaw. "What, you want to encourage our apprentices to be delicate in training? Our enemies aren't going to keep their claws sheathed in battle and play nicely just because the apprentices are younger. Yes—claws should be sheathed, that's obvious." The senior warrior twitched his whiskers. "But his move was no different from Hazelpaw's in the sense that it brought them both victory." He shrugged. "Berrypaw has a bruised nose. He'll fight harder next time to keep that from happening."

Brightheart growled wordlessly. "Come, Lionpaw, you've had enough of battle training for today. We'll be hunting for the rest of the day."

It was Berrypaw's turn to look smug, though, with his swelling nose, it would have been comical had Lionpaw not been so furious.

"But I want to keep training!" Lionpaw argued. "Why can't you just be glad I did well?"

Brambleflower frowned. "Brightheart, be reasonable—"

"I am," she snapped. "Come. Now." She stood and flicked her tail impatiently.

Lionpaw glanced hopefully at Brambleflower. Just tell her to stay! he thought. You're deputy, you can tell her what to do!

Brambleflower shook his head slightly. "Do as she says, Lionpaw."

Lionpaw's tail drooped. "Fine," he muttered. He turned and headed after Brightheart, who was already padding away from the clearing and into the forest. The thrill of victory had been dampened by his mentor's poor attitude.

Lionpaw padded into camp, a few paces ahead of Brightheart. He had caught nothing. His mind had been on the ordeal in battle training, and he was far too irritable to focus. Brightheart had barely spoken to him since they had left the training hollow.

"Hey, Lionpaw!"

Lionpaw blinked and pricked his ears. Honeypaw was staring at him, tail lifted in greeting. With her were Cinderpaw, Mousepaw, Hazelpaw, and Poppypaw—every apprentice other than Berrypaw. "Come over here!" Honeypaw called.

Lionpaw glanced back at Brightheart, and after her quick nod, he hurried across camp to join the others. "What's up?" he asked.

Honeypaw grinned and flicked him with her tail. "What's up?" she repeated. "I heard you beat Berrypaw in training like it was nothing!"

Cinderpaw smirked. "He won't be swaggering around like he's leader of ThunderClan for a while."

Mousepaw shook his head in disbelief. "Lionpaw, you've got to show me how you did that move. I think I would have just knocked myself out if I had done it!"

"Beaten by a new apprentice," Hazelpaw chuckled. "Lionpaw still has kit fluff behind his ears!"

Lionpaw puffed out his chest, and a warm feeling of pride came over him. "Yeah, it was pretty easy," he boasted. "I mean, he did pin me, but he was easy to beat even while stuck on the ground."

Poppypaw's eyes were wide. "How did you do it?" she asked. "Apparently it was very controversial among the mentors."

"Pfft," Hazelpaw scoffed. "Brightheart was the only one that took issue. Everyone else thought it was awesome!"

Mousepaw shouldered her. "I don't think Berrypaw was a fan, either. He looked like a bee went up his nose!"

Lionpaw smirked. "He was so convinced he won," he meowed. "He looked as proud as a fox!"

Cinderpaw rolled her eyes. "When doesn't he look like that?"

Lionpaw felt re-emboldened over his victory. Who cares if Brightheart is an old stick-in-the-mud? He thought, with a pleased twitch of his whiskers. Everyone else likes me. Even Dustpelt thought I did great, and he's grumpier than a badger!

"Ahem."

The apprentices all fell silent and turned to see Firestar standing nearby. The ginger tom was smiling—Lionpaw figured he hadn't overheard their conversation. "Glad to see you're all having a fine evening," the old tom chuckled. "Well, I won't interrupt for long. The gathering is tonight. Mousepaw, Lionpaw, Hazelpaw, and Poppypaw will be going. You can expect your mentors will come along as well, so be on your best behavior."

Lionpaw straightened up. My first gathering! He had forgotten it was happening tonight. He kneaded his paws eagerly. And Berrypaw won't be there to ruin things, he thought, with a small smirk.

"Thank you, Firestar!" Mousepaw purred.

Firestar dipped his head and began to pad away. "We'll depart once the sun is fully set," he meowed. "Be ready."

The moon was full and bright in the sky above, drowning out many of the stars of Silverpelt. Breezepaw glanced up at it as they walked. What are the other Clans like? He wondered. I guess RiverClan can't be awful if they helped Jaypaw and the others out of the lake, but it doesn't sound like there's anything good about ShadowClan or ThunderClan!

Jaypaw walked briskly alongside him. Breezepaw glanced curiously at his brother. It was always hard to tell what Jaypaw was thinking—while Jaypaw, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble sensing what was going on in the minds of other cats. He hadn't spoke much during their trek from camp towards the gathering place. In fact, he'd barely spoken since the ordeal with the cave-in a few sunrises ago.

Breezepaw frowned. Does he regret becoming a tunneler? He wondered. He had been out of camp for the whole incident, but it sounded like a big deal. They all could have died. A little rush of anger came over him. Then again, there wouldn't have been a problem if Ashfoot had just listened to him in the first place!

Jaypaw turned his head towards him quite suddenly, as though he had noticed Breezepaw's change in mood. "You okay?" he grunted.

"Fine," Breezepaw replied. "Just thinking."

Jaypaw hummed his acknowledgement. They were to the rear of the group—while Hollypaw, of course, was up at the front with Onestar. Breezepaw's pelt pricked with even more irritation at that thought. She never deigns to spend any time around us, he thought. All she does is whine about the warrior code.

The island grew closer. Soon, they had reached the fallen tree that spanned the water to it. The bridge had been struck down by StarClan to kill a traitor to WindClan and give the Clans a meeting place—or so the elders said. The rebellion of Mudclaw was a touchy subject among everyone, even the younger cats, but Breezepaw couldn't help but feel curious about it as he studied the massive trunk.

I wonder what Mudclaw was like, he thought. He must have been popular if he had enough supporters to start an internal war. Though, as he fixed his gaze on Heatherpaw a few paces ahead, he felt a wave of guilt. Her parents died in that battle, he thought. I guess it doesn't matter if he was liked or not. What side did they fight for?

"Come on!" Onestar called. The leader jumped up onto the log and began to cross. "I don't want to be hanging about when ThunderClan arrives."

One by one, the WindClan cats crossed the fallen log. It was less slippery than Breezepaw had expected, and it was no time at all before he and Jaypaw reached the shore of the island. He tasted the air as he jumped off. RiverClan's scent was familiar, but the other was unknown to him. Must be ShadowClan, he thought. They didn't share a border with that Clan, so it only made sense that the strange scent would belong to them.

There were a large number of cats already, even with only two Clans being present. Breezepaw paused and looked around, trying to take it all in.

"You're holding us up, Breezepaw!" Dewspots meowed.

"Sorry," Breezepaw muttered, before he followed Jaypaw a few paces away from the log.

Nightcloud was quick to join them. "How about I introduce you to a few cats?" she meowed.

Jaypaw twitched his tail. "You have friends in other Clans?" he asked.

Nightcloud shrugged. "I wouldn't call them friends. It's never good to be too close with enemy Clans. But we get along with ShadowClan better than we did in the past, since we don't share a border with them, and RiverClan cats are pretty easygoing." A sharpness edged her mew as she added, "It's ThunderClan you'll want to avoid. They think they own the entire lake!"

Breezepaw had heard all too many times about how often ThunderClan liked to involve themselves in the matters of other Clans. I wonder if they're as bad as everyone says, he thought.

"Ah, Nightcloud!" a cat called. Breezepaw glanced towards the source of the sound—it was a sleek-furred gray tom. "It's been some time since I've seen you at a gathering!"

"Hello, Stonestream," Nightcloud meowed. She glanced at Breezepaw and Jaypaw. "Come on. He has an apprentice you can meet." She led them the short distance to the tom and dipped her head to him. "I was in the nursery, but my kits are finally apprentices." She flicked her tail towards them. "This is Jaypaw and Breezepaw."

"That's wonderful news," Stonestream purred. He nudged a smaller tom beside him. "My apprentice, Mintpaw."

"Hello," Mintpaw said, sounding entirely disinterested.

Breezepaw wrinkled his nose. RiverClan cats smell so much worse up close! He thought. The stench of dead fish clung to both Stonestream and Mintpaw.

Mintpaw scowled. "Something wrong?"

Nightcloud glanced at him, and frowned as she noticed the expression on his face. "Breezepaw, be polite!" she chided.

"What?" Breezepaw grumbled. "I didn't say anything."

Stonestream looked amused. "He takes after Crowfeather, I see."

That caused Breezepaw to bristle. "I'm not like him!" he retorted.

Jaypaw grunted in agreement.

Stonestream looked surprised. "Oh, I meant no harm," he said. "Crowfeather's a fine warrior. After all, helped bring the Clans to the lake." He tipped his head to the side, looking curious.

Breezepaw rolled his eyes. How could I forget? he thought, bitterly. Crowfeather can do no wrong! "I'm going to go find Heatherpaw," he grumbled. "Coming, Jaypaw?"

"Yeah," Jaypaw meowed. His voice was edged with annoyance.

Nightcloud looked bothered, but she didn't order them to stay. "Alright," she muttered. "I'll see you later."

Breezepaw turned away and scanned the island for Heatherpaw. Jaypaw brushed against him. His brother's ears pricked. "I hear more cats coming."

Breezepaw glanced towards the fallen tree. Sure enough, another Clan was heading across, led by a flame-colored cat. Must be ThunderClan, he thought. Is that Firestar in the front? Apparently he and Onestar had been friends in their youth… but from the sound of it, it hadn't lasted.

He watched as ThunderClan left the bridge and began to split up into the crowd. "Come on," Breezepaw meowed. "Let's go find Heatherpaw before ThunderClan take all the good spots to sit."

"With our luck, she'll have befriended them all by the time we find her," Jaypaw muttered.

He's in a bad mood tonight, Breezepaw thought. But I guess I'm not feeling all that friendly, either.

It took some time to find her. They'd ran into two other mollies with the same colored fur before Jaypaw finally scented her and led Breezepaw the rest of the way.

Heatherpaw spotted them and waved her tail to signal to them. She was sitting beside a bulky golden-furred tom. She glanced back at him and meowed something before she called, "Breezepaw, Jaypaw! Come here!"

"We're coming!" Jaypaw replied. He started to walk faster, Breezepaw just a step behind.

"I was wondering where you lot got off to," Heatherpaw meowed as they joined her. She nodded towards the tom she was sitting with. "This is Lionpaw."

Lionpaw lifted his chin. "I'm from ThunderClan," he meowed, as though it were some great honor of his.

Great, Breezepaw thought. We couldn't just sit with Heatherpaw by ourselves. "Hello," he grumbled.

Heatherpaw just looked amused. "He's not always this grumpy," she informed Lionpaw.

Jaypaw leaned in and sniffed at Lionpaw silently. Lionpaw wrinkled his nose and leaned back. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just seeing what you smell like," Jaypaw retorted. He flicked his tail in annoyance.

Lionpaw narrowed his eyes as he stared at Jaypaw. "Wait…"

Oh, here we go, Breezepaw thought, beginning to bristle. I swear, I'll claw him if he says something stupid! I don't care about a rabbit-brained truce.

"Can you see?" Lionpaw asked, wide-eyed.

Heatherpaw frowned. She clearly wasn't amused by his tone, either.

Jaypaw flattened his ears. "No," he growled. "Have a problem?"

Lionpaw ruffled his pelt. "No," he replied. "I was just asking." He gave his chest an embarrassed lick before he glanced at Heatherpaw. "Anyway… I was just telling Heatherpaw about how I beat Berrypaw in training today."

Heatherpaw relaxed and twitched her whiskers in amusement. "From what I've heard, Berrypaw's a pretty good fighter."

Lionpaw stuck up his nose and smirked. "Not as good as me!"

"StarClan's sake…" Jaypaw muttered.

Lionpaw seemed not to notice, for he carried on in his boasting. "He thought he'd beaten me, too. Had me pinned and everything."

Heatherpaw lifted a brow. "How did you beat him?"

Why does she care? Breezepaw thought. He narrowed his eyes. He wished he could retort that Jaypaw had survived a flood and that one training match hardly meant a thing, but Whitetail had told him in no uncertain terms that tunneling was not to be discussed. Why do we have to keep it a secret? He wondered, with a lash of his tail. The other Clans should know how strong we are!

Lionpaw leaned back on his haunches and lifted his forepaws in the air. "Well, I grabbed him around the shoulders like this—"

Breezepaw was saved from hearing the rest of Lionpaw's story as a loud yowl came from behind him. Lionpaw fell silent and gazed up. "The leaders are gathered!" he whispered.

Heatherpaw continued to gaze at Lionpaw. Breezepaw stiffened. Oh, no—she actually likes him! Quickly, he meowed. "Come on, let's go find somewhere to sit with Harepaw. We should sit with our Clanmates."

Heatherpaw glanced at him and snorted. "I'm sitting already. You and Jaypaw can sit, too. The gatherings are a time to socialize! WindClan will survive without us for the length of the meeting."

Breezepaw scowled. "But—"

Heatherpaw flicked him with her tail. "Lighten up!" she purred. "Lionpaw doesn't mind if you stay, right?"

"Right," Lionpaw said, though his displeased expression told a different story.

Jaypaw sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws. "Well, I'm not going to hold up the meeting by wandering around."

Breezepaw's pelt burned with frustration, but he sat beside Heatherpaw, with a pointed glare at Lionpaw. Whatever, he thought. At least I'm with Heatherpaw. So long as that fox keeps his paws off of her, it'll be fine!

Onestar lifted his chin as he began to address the Clans. "I will start the gathering," he meowed. "Welcome." Beside him was the ginger tom Breezepaw had noticed earlier. A spotted molly was crouched at the very end of the branch, and a massive white tom sat on Onestar's other side. Leopardstar and Blackstar, Breezepaw guessed.

"The past moon has been kind to WindClan," Onestar said. "Nightcloud's kits have been apprenticed. Breezepaw, Jaypaw, and Hollypaw have all begun their training."

Breezepaw lifted his chin. His irritation gave way for a moment to allow for a flush of pride. Jaypaw pricked his ears. A few cats turned to stare at them, and a pawful called out their congratulations.

"The start of new-leaf has brought plentiful prey to WindClan," Onestar went on. "The rabbits are running fast, but of course, never too fast for us." There were a few pleased purrs from WindClan cats at this. "We've had no trouble from buzzards in some time. Otherwise, we have nothing to report." He glanced at Blackstar and inclined his head.

The massive tom blinked gratefully at Onestar before addressing the gathered cats. "ShadowClan also has a new apprentice," he announced, as he nodded towards a young gray tabby. "Ivypaw." He lifted his gaze. "Hunting has been good for us ever since we extended our territory."

Breezepaw noticed Lionpaw stiffen at that. A few ThunderClan cats gasped. Heatherpaw leaned closer to Breezepaw and whispered, "Firestar gave him that strip of land. I'm sure ThunderClan doesn't like to hear they've made good use of that!"

Breezepaw smirked. Good.

"Our new stretch of territory has been rich in prey," Blackstar meowed. "We've had full bellies because of it."

One dark tom muttered, "Firestar never would have handed it over if it was full of prey!"

Finally, Blackstar eyed Firestar. "ShadowClan thanks Firestar for his generosity in granting it to us."

Firestar stared back, eyes narrowed in the slightest. It was easy to tell the two leaders had no love between them. "I am glad to hear you have gotten so much use out of a barren strip of land," he replied. He looked away and shifted his paws. "ThunderClan also has a new apprentice—Lionpaw."

Lionpaw straightened up and grinned. Breezepaw resisted the urge to groan. This cat thinks he's StarClan's gift to the lake!

"We were lucky to only deal with frost this past moon, and no snow," Firestar meowed. "Prey ran well enough, but we are glad to welcome the change of new-leaf. Other than that, we…" The tom paused and sniffed the air.

Breezepaw's whiskers twitched. Jaypaw shifted. "Someone else is here," Jaypaw growled. "It doesn't smell like any Clan."

Breezepaw tasted the air. Who is that?

Near the fallen tree, there was a stirring among the ferns. Breezepaw stood up and stared at it. One RiverClan cat stood and yowled, "Someone's coming!"

"Intruders!" another cat yelled.

Willowclaw and Dewspots were nearest to the source. They sprang forward, each hissing, and threw themselves on the trespassers. A ShadowClan cat leaped to their aid. The strangers were wrestled to the ground, but they were yowling furiously as well.

Breezepaw bristled. Should he run to help? It was impossible to tell how many cats there were.

Suddenly, Firestar let out a yowl. "Stop!" he cried.

The three cats drew back, but each stared warily at the strangers. Breezepaw saw them clearly now—two gray tabbies, one large tom, and one sleek molly.

Firestar's eyes were wide. "Graystripe!"

When the cats had finally settled down and smoothed their pelts, Firestar raced across the island to greet the newcomers. "Graystripe!" he purred. "I thought I would never see you again!"

Lionpaw jumped up to his paws. "Graystripe?" he echoed. "Everyone said he was dead!" How did he even make it here?

Jaypaw looked confused. "Who's Graystripe?"

Lionpaw stared at the lost warrior. The former ThunderClan deputy seemed to be in a sorry state—his thick pelt was matted, and it did little to conceal how skinny he had become. His muzzle was scratched and missing many whiskers, and his ears were shredded. From the stories he had heard, Lionpaw had always imagined Graystripe to be some kind of mighty warrior… but he looked more like a weary elder than anything else.

"Hello?" Jaypaw meowed. "Who is that?"

"He was our old deputy!" Lionpaw finally replied. "Before we came to the lake. But he was captured by twolegs before the Clans left."

Firestar purred and pressed his muzzle to Graystripe's. "How did you find us?"

Graystripe's companion trembled beside him. She was both bony and round-bellied. The molly lifted a paw defensively. She must be a queen, Lionpaw thought. She's so skinny, but her belly sure isn't.

Graystripe rested his tail on her side. "Easy now, Millie," he meowed. "This is Firestar."

Firestar's eyes shown with emotion. "I thought the twolegs killed you," he said. "Thank StarClan you're safe."

Other ThunderClan cats began to cheer.

"Graystripe is back!"

"He found us!"

"How in StarClan's name did he survive?"

And then, "What about Brambleflower?"

Lionpaw stiffened. What about Brambleflower? He wondered. Would his father lose his position as deputy now that Graystripe had returned? That thought gave Lionpaw an uneasy feeling.

ThunderClan cats were abandoning their spots to move closer and crowd around him. Younger cats hung back, uncertain, but the senior warriors like Dustpelt and Sandstorm pressed around him, purring in relief.

Squirrelflight sniffed at the strange molly. "Who's this?"

Graystripe pressed against her. "This is Millie," he replied, lifting his chin. "We met in the twolegplace I was brought to."

Ashfur frowned. "You brought a kittypet?"

Millie stared at him levelly. Her fear seemed to be fading. "I'm not a house cat anymore," she said firmly.

Graystripe nodded. "I never would have survived without her. And… we're mates. She's carrying my kits."

Firestar held her gaze for a heartbeat before he bowed his head to her. "I'm glad to meet you."

Onestar was the next leader to approach. He seemed strangely pleased to see Graystripe. "It's good to see you again, old friend," he purred.

That's right! Lionpaw thought. Graystripe and Firestar brought WindClan back when they missing ages ago. It doesn't sound like Onestar likes Firestar anymore… but I guess Graystripe hasn't been around in seasons and he wouldn't have any reason to not to want to see him.

As though Onestar's approach had been an invitation, cats of all Clans began to swarm around Graystripe, greeting him as though he were an old friend.

"Welcome back, Graystripe!" purred a RiverClan molly.

"StarClan must have been watching over you!"

"I can't believe he found us!"

Graystripe was lost among a sea of pelts. Lionpaw could have imagined there was only Clan around him rather than four.

Breezepaw sniffed. "Why's everyone making such a big deal out of him?" he muttered. "He's ThunderClan."

"How did you know we were here?" One sleek-furred molly called.

"Mistyfoot!" Graystripe purred. "Good to see you again. Millie and I came across a rogue that told us about some 'savage wildcats' that lived down here, and then we saw cats crossing onto the island from up on a hill."

"Then we just followed the freshest scents," Millie explained. "It was easy to work out where you all were."

Lionpaw heard a hiss of disgust from the leader's tree. Blackstar was glaring with open disdain at Millie. The gray molly glared back at him.

Leopardstar looked displeased herself, but she gave Blackstar a sharp look. "Let's not forget the truce." Her voice was edged with irritation, but it didn't seem directed at Blackstar.

Does Leopardstar not like Graystripe? Lionpaw wondered. From the way everyone's acting, all the cats in the Clans love him!

"The Gathering is for warriors," Blackstar spat. His fur bristled along his spine.

A few cats began to mutter dubiously. Webfoot flattened his ears as he loudly asked, "Is ThunderClan letting another kittypet into its ranks?"

Graystripe bristled. "I trained Millie as a warrior!" he declared. "She saved my hide countless times on our journey here. Were she not a queen, she could fight any of you!"

Millie nodded, her eyes narrowed in the slightest. "I can hunt and fight as well as Graystripe," she said, a hard edge to her voice.

Well, Lionpaw thought. She doesn't sound like Daisy. He loved Daisy, but she had the sort of softness that was often assumed of kittypets. Millie, however, seemed far from soft.

Graystripe suddenly coughed, and Lionpaw noticed that he was quivering with exhaustion. Firestar's eyes rounded with worry. "Let's bring you back to camp," he meowed. "The others will be glad to see you, and you two need to get into a nest."

Graystripe nodded briefly, but he glanced at Millie for a moment. "Can you travel a little farther?" he asked.

"I'll keep going as long as you need me to," Millie replied.

Firestar glanced back towards the tree. "Was there any other news that needed to be shared?" he asked.

"Nothing of importance," Leopardstar replied. Blackstar shook his head, though his lips were drawn back with obvious anger.

"Go home," Onestar said. His words weren't said with aggression. "The gathering can end."

Lionpaw noticed Breezepaw lift his chin. "So does ThunderClan have two deputies now?" he called boldly. Lionpaw glared at him.

Sandstorm muttered something to Firestar, who nodded. "Come, ThunderClan!" he called. He seemed fine with ignoring Breezepaw's question. "Quickly now."

Lionpaw stood up. "Bye, Heatherpaw," he meowed.

"It was nice to meet you," she purred.

Lionpaw hung back a moment longer to hold her gaze. She was a beautiful young cat—and she had chosen to sit with him.

He shook his head in the slightest and pulled himself away. Stop thinking like that! He told himself. She's from WindClan, and that Breezepaw would probably try to shred me if I even thought about it. Lionpaw sniffed softly as he padded away. Not that he could!

Brambleflower was at Firestar's side. "Shall I lead the way?" he asked.

"Lead on," Firestar meowed. "I'll walk with Graystripe." He gazed fondly at his old friend. "We have much to catch up on. Stormfur will be so pleased to see you! All of our Clanmates will be."

"Stormfur?" Graystripe asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Firestar pressed himself against Graystripe and allowed the weary tom to lean on him. "Ah... one of the many things to catch up on."

Sandstorm brushed her tail against Millie's side. "You can stick with me," she meowed. "I'd love to meet this old ruffian's mate."

Lionpaw joined Hazelpaw and Mousepaw as the Clan began to head for the fallen tree. Hazelpaw was staring at Graystripe with open admiration. "I can't believe he's really here!" she breathed. "Graystripe's a legend."

Lionpaw nodded absently, but worry began to nag at him. It was amazing to see that a cat like Graystripe was still alive, but… What happens now? He sought out his father's tabby pelt at the head of the Clan. Is he going to demote Brambleflower?

Mousepaw voiced Lionpaw's concerns. "Is he going to be deputy now?" the gray tom mewed. "Graystripe, I mean."

"I don't know," Lionpaw replied. He glanced towards Graystripe and Firestar. The former had to lean against Firestar as they walked. "I thought he would be this super strong warrior… but he looks like a leaf might knock him over."

Hazelpaw snorted. "He just traveled from StarClan-knows-where to find us!" she retorted. "And they didn't have a Clan to support them. I bet he'll be fearsome once he's rested and got some meat back on his bones."

Lionpaw felt doubtful. He looks so… old.

Mousepaw chimed in once more. "Brambleflower's been a fine deputy," he said. "Why change anything?"

Lionpaw nodded. All around him, his Clanmates were whispering to one another. Clearly, the uncertainty was shared by all—no one seemed to know what was going to happen in ThunderClan now that Graystripe had returned.