I know! I know! I know it's been forever... so I tried to make this chapter extra-long and more action packed! I probably failed... but whatever! Thank you to my lovely reviewers, Starfirebeam and Firestar1 Ember! You guys are really peaches. Hehe.

This chapter was fun to write... and it has more mystery! I also realized I haven't done a disclaimer... well, I don't own Warriors. Otherwise Whitestorm would have been leader, not Firestar! :3

Flypaw opened his eyes to darkness and silence. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but when he did, he sprang to his paws and hissed in annoyance. Sand scattered beneath his paws as he dashed up the tunnel, desperate to get out. He skidded to a stop in front of the entrance and took a deep breath, ready to yell out.

But the stone slid aside before he could do so. Sun was standing there, her strange blue eyes watching Flypaw with amusement. Flypaw looked at her reproachfully and in shock.

"How did you know I was going to yell?" He asked, his ears flattening against his head. Sun's ears twitched, and she looked away uncomfortably. Her ears pricked up in relief when Silver walked up. The burly tom glanced at his friend before watching Flypaw with careful eyes.

"You make enough racket to wake all of the prey in the forest!" He said, his voice light with amusement. Flypaw's eyes narrowed uncertainly, however. He could detect the slight edge to the loner's voice, which made him suspect that Silver was not completely telling the truth.

"Thanks." He said sarcastically, glancing at Ripple and Dawn as they padded up. Ripple held a large mouse in his jaws. He dropped it at Flypaw's paws and sat back silently. Flypaw watched the four for a moment before bending down and quickly devouring the mouse.

"So, what are we doing today?" He asked, licking his lips free of blood. Silver smiled lightly and stretched his paws out in front of him before answering.

"I thought we could go for a little hunting lesson. We hunt differently than you Clan cats do. I think you'll find the lesson very helpful." he meowed. Flypaw nodded and felt his insides squirm in anticipation. He was going to learn something new!

Sun smiled at the look on his face and stood up, her mottled tail twitching. Dawn, Ripple, and Silver stood up as well, almost in unison. They followed her silently as she padded into the forest. Knowing that he was to follow, Flypaw leapt to his paws and quickly trotted after the four loners.

The forest was full of sounds and scents, and Flypaw's eyes widened at the strange new things he was seeing. Having lived by the river his whole life, he hardly even knew that forests had this many creatures in them. There were squirrels and mice and birds! Birds were his favorite. They flitted by on wings that seemed barely able to hold them up, and he marveled at how they could do it. Dawn fell in step beside him, purring in amusement as she watched him.

"It's different, isn't it?" She asked, and Flypaw nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I've lived by the river my whole life and I've hardly ever seen the forest. It's so much different!" He meowed, his voice full of awe. Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off when Silver slapped his tail over her mouth. She gave him a reproachful look and opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when she spotted something. Flypaw tipped his head to one side, confused. What had she seen?

"There's a mouse over there. Open your mouth and scent it. Forest hunting is not like fishing. You have to rely on what you can smell, not what you can see." Silver meowed quietly, and Flypaw nodded, narrowing his eyes in concentration. He opened his mouth and allowed the forest scents to rush in.

The amount of smells was shocking. He could smell the mouse, of course, but he could also smell at least three other animals – a squirrel, a bird, and a shrew. There was also the tangy smell of the forest, the smell of the pine needles, and of the damp dirt. Flypaw blinked at Silver, his face blissful, and the gray tom smirked.

"Lots, aren't there?" He asked, and Flypaw nodded. He watched as Sun dropped into a crouch and skimmed slowly across the ground, her paws light and her tail low, but never brushing any leaves or branches. She was a silent predator stalking her prey. Flypaw watched in awe as she paused for just a split second before springing forward at lightning speed and trapping the mouse between her paws. She finished it with a quick bite to its neck and turned towards them with her prey in her jaws.

"Wow!" Flypaw meowed, and Sun dipped her head in acknowledgement to his praise. She dropped it at her companion's paws and turned her head to Silver. He nodded to her before speaking.

"As you can see, hunting in the forest is much different than fishing. You have to actually stalk your prey and be fast enough to catch it, while when you fish you only need to be fast at hooking the fish. However, it shouldn't be too hard to teach. Sun will show you the hunter's crouch." Flypaw turned his gaze to the pretty tortoiseshell and watched as she dropped into the same crouch that she had used to stalk the mouse.

He did his best to copy her, and listened as he was corrected. Soon enough, he was skimming across the ground like Sun had, only not nearly as well. Silver nodded in approval to the crouch.

"Very good. You may need a little practice, but I think you are ready to try it out for real." Flypaw's ears pricked up in excitement and he twitched his tail, opening his mouth to draw in the forest scents. Right away he picked up the scent of a squirrel, but it was faint, probably long gone by now. There was a bird scent as well, but he knew that Silver wanted him to try ground prey first. Finally, he scented a vole.

Dropping into the crouch that Sun had taught him, Flypaw began to slink across the ground like an expert, feeling the thrill of what he was doing in his belly. But just as he got close enough to see the vole, scratching at the ground, a twig snapped beneath one of his paws. The vole froze and then ran, and Flypaw leapt forward, desperately giving chase. But the last he saw of his prey was its tail disappearing into a hole.

"Foxdung!" Flypaw cursed, his tail lashing back and forth in agitation. He padded back to the four loners with his head down. Ripple gave him a gentle nudge with one of his muscular shoulders.

"Don't worry, you'll get it next time." He rumbled, and Flypaw nodded absently. He wanted to try again right now! But just as he was about to ask, he saw the four loners freeze. The RiverClan apprentice froze as well, his fur starting to bristle. He opened his mouth to find out what they had scented, and he was shocked when the scent of RiverClan flooded into his mouth.

. . .

Finchtalon trudged along with the rest of the patrol, feeling very exhausted from their travel. Emberblaze was next to him, her tail drooping and her eyes half-closed from exhaustion. The yellow and black warrior looked around at his Clan and was sad to see that everyone looked tired, save for Furzestar. She looked as alert as she had when they started out one sunrise ago. Finchtalon shook his head. She sure is determined. He thought.

They continued along in silence for a while longer. Finchtalon was jolted out of his tiredness when he bumped into Fallowpaw. He muttered a quick apology and looked up. Furzestar's fur was bristling and so was Hailstorm's. Finchtalon's fur immediately began to bristle in response, and he could feel the tension in the air.

"What is it?" He hissed into Emberblaze's ear. The light gray she-cat glanced at him and shrugged, her fur bristling in fear as well. Furzestar turned to them, her spotted pelt gleaming in the sunlight.

"I can smell them right ahead. They're –" She was cut off when another voice came from the bushes. It was deep and yet soothing, and Finchtalon quickly recognized it as the voice of one of the loners, Silver.

"We can smell you too, Furzestar." Finchtalon's eyes widened in terror as the huge gray tom padded out of the bushes, flanked by his three friends. Silver halted a few mouse-lengths in front of Furzestar and blinked calmly at her.

"Where is Flypaw?" She demanded bravely, drawing herself up to her full height. Although Furzestar was long-legged to begin with, she was barely the same height as the huge tom. Silver glanced at his companions before answering.

"We have him with us. In the bushes behind us, actually. But we won't give him to you until you agree to what we want." He meowed. Furzestar's ears flattened, and she glanced at Hailstorm. The burly white tom glared at the four loners.

"Tell us what you want. Then we will discuss and decide if we will agree or take our apprentice back with force." Silver dipped his head and obliged.

"We would like to join your Clan." Furzestar's eyes widened in shock, and suspicious murmurs began amongst the patrol. Finchtalon's eyes narrowed in confusion. I thought that they wanted something more than that? He wondered. Furzestar's tail flicked for a moment, and then she nodded and padded away to talk to Hailstorm.

The two conversed quietly for a moment, and Finchtalon shifted nervously in his spot. He could smell Flypaw behind the four loners, and he only wished that he could fight his way through them to get to him. One of the loners seemed to sense his agitation.

"Are you Flypaw's mentor?" Finchtalon looked up in surprise as the ginger she-cat with the strange stripe down her back spoke to him. He nodded hesitantly. She gave him a small smile before speaking again.

"I'm sorry we're doing this. I know that mentors care for their apprentices as if they are their own kits. I promise that he has not been harmed." Finchtalon opened his mouth to retort, but he was stopped by a warning glance from Sunnyheart.

"It's not worth it." She meowed, and he nodded after a slight hesitation. Sunnyheart stood next to him and gently pressed her muzzle into his side.

"We'll get him back. Furzestar knows what she is doing." Finchtalon sighed, and nodded, knowing she was right. He touched his muzzle to hers before casting a glare in the loner's direction. She looked hurt and flattened her ears as she looked away.

Furzestar and Hailstorm were on their way back by then, both looking extremely nervous. Finchtalon watched as Furzestar stepped in front of her patrol again and spoke to Silver.

"Although we do not like it, we will allow you to join our Clan. But if you try anything, you will be attacked. You must always have a warrior escort when you leave camp, and you will have a separate den from the rest of the warriors. Now bring Flypaw out." Finchtalon was shocked. She was letting them join the Clan? He could hear his shock echoed in his Clanmates. They all looked very unhappy with the decision, but Furzestar ignored them. Silver nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Furzestar. I promise you will not regret this decision. Dawn, bring Flypaw out." He directed the last bit to the she-cat who had spoken to Finchtalon earlier. She nodded and disappeared into the bushes, appearing moments later with a black apprentice in tow.

"Flypaw!" Finchtalon called happily, and his apprentice turned to look at him.

"Finchtalon!" He cried, running from Dawn's side and skidding to a stop in front of his mentor. Finchtalon shoved his muzzle into his apprentice's side and breathed in his familiar scent. Flypaw pulled away and grinned, head-butting his mentor affectionately.

Finchtalon looked up and saw the rest of the patrol purring in amusement at their exchange. He looked away, embarrassed, but looked back when Sunnyheart pressed her muzzle into his side.

"They're happy for you." She murmured. "As am I." Finchtalon relaxed and smiled at the pretty ginger and white she-cat.

"Thank you." he meowed quietly. He glanced away as Furzestar began to speak.

"RiverClan, loners, I think it is time to head home. We will travel until sun down and then rest if we are not close. Hailstorm, Braveheart, Emberblaze –" The three warriors straightened up when they heard their names. "You three will take up the rear." Her eyes blazed as she glared at the four loners, who slid into the middle of the group without arguing.

Finchtalon sighed as they began to walk again, this time with much more conversation. Flypaw was telling an animated tale of his kidnapping to Fallowpaw and Duskclaw as the four loners looked on in amusement. Sunnyheart padded next to him, her pelt brushing his occasionally. All was finally well.

. . .

"Finally! It took long enough for them to get accepted." Onestar grumbled, clawing at the ground. A mottled, brownish-gray tom with strange white splotches in his fur sat next to him, staring calmly into the clear pool.

"Yes, but I'm worried, Onestar. How will they get enough warriors to make their own Clans? And I'm supposed to look for potential medicine cats with Willowshine, Echosong, Jayfeather, and Flametail." He looked worried now, even though he had been calm just moments before. Onestar sighed and looked away.

"You worry to much, Kestrelflight. You'll see all in good time how they'll get enough warriors for their Clans. I know that it'll be hard to work with Jayfeather especially, but you're just going to have to try. Right now, RiverClan has more to worry about." Kestrelflight looked up sharply at his leader's last statement.

"You don't mean… not already?" He asked, his eyes widening in terror. Onestar nodded, looking unhappy.

"Yes, soon. Soon enough, RiverClan will find out how important having five Clans in the forest is. They will be begging the loners to start their own Clans. But for now… Furzestar has some business to take care of."

The two WindClan cats sat side-by-side and stared into the pool in silence, waiting for the terror that was to come.

. . .

Flypaw's paws were about to drop off. They had been walking for the whole day and he wasn't sure he could go much farther. He glanced ahead to Furzestar, whose ears were still pricked and alert as if they had just started out. Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of rushing water. Excitement sparked in his belly. It's the river! We must be close now! He thought, glancing at his mentor.

Finchtalon looked equally as thrilled to scent the river, and he let out a gentle sigh before looking at Sunnyheart. A prickle of jealousy bit at Flypaw's heart as he realized how close the two warriors had gotten while he was away. It had only been a few days too! But just as he was about to grumpily storm away, Furzestar halted.

"I'm sure by now that you have all scented the river. Although I know you are all exhausted, we are going to continue until we get into camp. It'll be much safer there, and I'm sure that the Clan is missing us." The patrol murmured their agreement, and Furzestar nodded before turning and leading them onward.

"I'm so glad we're almost home," Fallowpaw meowed, trotting up next to Flypaw. "I can't wait to stretch out in my nest and sleep for a moon!" Flypaw purred in agreement. He sure felt as if he could sleep for a moon.

"I know what you mean." Flypaw began. "I think I deserve to be out of apprentice duties for the next moon!" He meowed, groaning inwardly at the thought of having to clean out the elder's den.

"Do you now, Flypaw?" The black apprentice's eyes widened. He knew that voice. He turned around slowly and felt his stomach sink when his fears were confirmed.

"Uh, I was just kidding around, Finchtalon!" Flypaw said, grinning sheepishly. Finchtalon's amber eyes narrowed for a moment, then grew bright.

"I know, I'm just teasing you!" His mentor meowed, nudging his apprentice roughly. Flypaw stumbled to one side and then launched himself onto the yellow and black warrior. They tussled for a moment before Finchtalon came up on top.

"Are you two quite done?" an amused voice came from above Flypaw. He shoved Finchtalon off of him and scrambled to his paws. Hailstorm was looking down at him with a stern look on his face. Flypaw shook the sand from his pelt and looked down at his paws.

"Sorry, Hailstorm. I'm just a little excited to be going home." He meowed. Hailstorm purred and flicked his tail across Flypaw's nose.

"I know. But you're holding up the patrol. So get moving!" Flypaw nodded and darted back to Fallowpaw's side, his paws slipping slightly on the loose ground. Finchtalon dipped his head to Hailstorm before falling back into step with Sunnyheart.

Camp was closer than Flypaw realized, so he was very surprised to see the familiar reed barrier that surrounded their camp. He let out an excited mew and quickened his pace. As he looked around, he noticed the same change in his Clanmates. Everyone was walking quicker and their heads and tails were up. They were all glad to finally be home.

As they pushed through the reeds and into camp, he could already hear warriors stirring in their nests. The first cats to greet them were Daisypaw and Fallenleaves, who obviously had watch. Daisypaw was ecstatic. She pressed her muzzle to Flypaw's and smiled warmly at him.

"It's great to have you back!" the pretty white she-cat meowed. Flypaw grinned back.

"It's good to be back." He responded, and Daisypaw's tail flicked happily. Fallenleaves interrupted the happy moment, however, when he shoved his way into the center of the patrol.

"But what are they doing here?" He asked with a pointed look at the four loners. The loners shifted uncomfortably as they waited for Furzestar to say something. However, she merely pushed past Fallenleaves and padded deeper into camp. She headed straight for ReedPile and leapt on top of it.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather here beneath ReedPile for a Clan meeting!" She called. Flypaw watched as the RiverClan cats poked their heads out of their dens and sleepily made their way into the clearing. They looked surprised to see the patrol back already, but greeted them with happy mews. The loners got a different greeting however – angry and suspicious glares.

"I'm sure you are all wondering why these four loners are here," Furzestar began. Yowls rose from below.

"Of course we are! You're the one who sent them away, and now you're bringing them back?" Flypaw recognized Nightfall, one of the elders. His fur bristled as he challenged Furzestar. The long-legged leader didn't seem fazed, however. She just dipped her head.

"I trust your judgment, Nightfall, but I stand by my reasoning. These loners wish to join our Clan –" The yowls got louder and angrier, and Furzestar had to fight to be heard. "And they will! No arguments!" The Clan fell silent, but the tension was tangible.

"We will welcome them into the Clan with open paws. Warriors will escort them at all times, and they may not sleep in the warriors den, but they are our guests. I will not tolerate anyone talking badly about them. They will receive warrior names as well, but they do not get a ceremony." Furzestar glanced down at the loners for a moment, as if deciding what to call them.

"Silver, you are now Silvermask. Sun, you are Sunfall. Ripple, Rippleheart, and Dawn, Dawnstripe. That is all." Furzestar leapt down from ReedPile and vanished into her den. Hailstorm was quick to follow, Cloverpatch on his heels. Flypaw looked around in shock. Had that all really just happened?

"Are you going to welcome the new warriors into your Clan?" A voice behind Flypaw made him jump. He spun around and found himself face to face with Silver – no, Silvermask, Sunfall, Rippleheart, and Dawnstripe.

"Welcome!" Flypaw meowed warmly, the tip of his tail twitching. "I'm so glad you guys have your warrior names are. Isn't it great having one?" The words came out in a rush, and Dawnstripe purred in amusement at his babble.

"Yes, it is quite nice. I feel more Clanlike already." She meowed, just as Duskclaw padded by and cast an angry glare in their direction.

"Or not." Rippleheart muttered, his claws unsheathing. He looked like he was about to claw Duskclaw's throat out, but he was stopped by Silvermask. The burly dark gray tom blinked calmly at his friend.

"This is not the place to fight, Rippleheart. We are Clanmates with these cats now. We must not fight amongst ourselves." Rippleheart's ears flattened unhappily, but after a slight hesitation he nodded.

"You're right, sorry, Silvermask." He murmured. Finchtalon padded up, his amber eyes bright against the dark sky. Flypaw dipped his head in greeting to his mentor and waited for him to speak.

"Welcome, you four." Finchtalon was polite, but Flypaw could see the tension in his limbs. It was obvious that he still did not trust the four former loners, and that made Flypaw angry. Couldn't they see that these cats were sent from StarClan? He flicked his tail angrily and stood up to leave.

"I'm going to bed. It's been a long few days. Good-night, everyone." Flypaw muttered, stalking away angrily and leaving a confused Finchtalon in his wake. He ducked into the apprentice's den and found that his nest between Driftpaw and Daisypaw was still there. Sighing in relief, he padded over and curled up, his flank brushing Driftpaw's. His brother lifted his head and blinked sleepily.

"Oh, sorry, Flypaw. I didn't realize you were back." He paused to yawn. "I must've missed the meeting. What happened?" He asked, his voice still tired. Flypaw pressed his muzzle to his brother's before answering.

"I'll fill you in tomorrow morning." He said quietly, hoping he wasn't disturbing Morningpaw and Talonpaw. Fallowpaw and Daisypaw hadn't turned in yet. Driftpaw nodded and rested his head on his paws for a moment before lifting it again and staring into Flypaw's eyes.

"It's nice to have you back, brother. I've missed you." he meowed warmly. Flypaw grinned and head butted his brother's flank.

"And it's nice to see you, Driftpaw." he murmured. The dark gray tabby tom nodded before resting his head on his paws. After a short while, he began snoring lightly. Flypaw felt his eyelids drooping, but his body still felt awake. He shifted restlessly for a few moments before tucking his head on top of his paw. He drifted off to sleep soon after and was soon sleeping deeply. But things were brewing around him.

. . .

Furzestar paced back and forth in front of Hailstorm, Cloverpatch, Pouncefoot, and Graymist. Her fur bristled in agitation and her eyes were drooping from exhaustion. Hailstorm took a step forward, his white pelt gleaming in the fading light.

"Furzestar, I trust your judgment, but should we really let these loners in without StarClan's approval?" He asked, tensing up as the long-legged she-cat turned on him, her eyes furious. She looked as if she were going to leap on him, but after a moment she relaxed and looked down.

"I understand your concerns, Hailstorm. I share them as well. But I don't know what to do anymore! StarClan has abandoned us. They sent Bumbletail a message but killed her for telling us. They've sent Flypaw dreams but haven't killed him for telling us. Why is this? I don't understand anything anymore. Perhaps these four loners are correct. Maybe StarClan really did send them." Graymist hissed in disbelief and looked away.

"I don't know, Furzestar. The last I can remember of loners or kittypets being taken into a Clan was when Firestar reigned. He allowed almost every loner or kittypet that needed help join the Clan. They all seemed all right, though. But none of them were sent from StarClan." Furzestar sighed heavily and sat down, thinking hard.

"We will let them train with us for now. But we must keep a close eye on them. Hailstorm, be sure to always send them out with strong warriors, and let's keep them out of battle training for a moon or so. Let them fish, patrol, and guard, but no fighting. We don't need them strong enough to take down the Clan." Hailstorm dipped his head and disappeared from the den. Furzestar addressed Cloverpatch next.

"Cloverpatch, make sure to tell me of any dreams from StarClan and I would like you to act kind of as a spy. Whenever you are in camp with the loners, try and keep an ear in their direction to see if you can hear anything suspicious." The medicine cat nodded nervously before disappearing from the den. Furzestar addressed Pouncefoot and Graymist last.

"You two will also act as spies, and will accompany the loners on most patrols or hunts that they are on. Just listen in on their conversations to try and learn more about them. Now go and rest." The two turned to leave, but Furzestar spoke once again. "Pouncefoot, you may sleep in tomorrow, I thank you for watching camp for me." The ginger warrior nodded and vanished with Graymist into the darkness.

Furzestar sighed and flopped down onto her nest. It was fresh, probably thanks to Daisypaw or one of the new apprentices. I must remember to ask Daisypaw and Fallowpaw's mentors to assess them soon… we need more warriors. She thought sleepily, her eyes beginning to close. Before she slept, however, she looked to StarClan and prayed silently. Please, StarClan, if you are still there, send me some kind of sign about these loners…

Oooh... will Furzestar finally get a dream from StarClan? Who could Onestar and Kestrelflight be afraid of? Will RiverClan ever accept the loners? Find out next time! Please review... and I hope you enjoyed!