~Hey guys here is the new chapter. I know its really short and kinda boring, but I promise you it will get better in the chapters to come. And thanks to all the reviews you gave me, they mean a lot! Update probably on Friday or Saturday!~

Thanks!

~Leo~

CHAPTER 5

Harsh rain battered the grassy plains, as Hollyleaf watched from the barn. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to scan the forest for any sign of ThunderClan cats. The storm hadn't let up ever since she arrived with Flamestone. Thunder crackled making her black pelt flinch, as did a cat sitting behind her. He was a plump tom, that had a dark brown pelt, and smelled of RiverClan.

"Hello Beetlepaw" she meowed, greeting the apprentice.

"Hi…Hi Hollyleaf" he stuttered, his round hazel eyes staring up at the she-cat.

Beetlepaw was always so nervous about everything, and quite jumpy. The apprentice should have been made a warrior moons ago, but Mistystar hasn't had the time to make him one yet. The tom was staring at her expectantly.

"Is there something you want?" she meowed, trying not to sound to harsh.

"Well" Beetlepaw began, "I was wondering if you wanted to see Graymist's kits. They were born two nights ago" he spoke softly, directing his gaze to his paws.

"Sure" Hollyleaf meowed, why not? She had nothing better to do, and since Flamestone wouldn't let her leave the Horseplace until the storm stopped, it looked like she would be spending the night.

The plump tom led the way, heading to the back of the barn where all they hay was. Cats were piled in everywhere, their scents were mixed and it smelled something like fish and crow-food.

At first Hollyleaf was surprised at how close ShadowClan and RiverClan had gotten, they seemed like they were one big clan. They groomed each other and slept next to each other, even their kits played together! She knew that these were extraordinary circumstances, but they better not get to close, its against the warrior code!

"Here they are!" Beetlepaw mewed, smiling happily at three tiny bundles of fur. Graymist was half asleep, trying to drown out the endless mews of her kits.

"Can we play with them?" Beetlepaw mewed to Graymist, who was also his mother.

She raised her head, "No, they're still to young Beetlepaw. Why don't you ask Whitewater, I'm sure she'll give you her kits" the queen hissed, laying her head back down.

Beetlepaw nodded, and turned to a white queen that was sitting a few tail-lengths away.

"Whitewater?" he mewed, a bit scared of the queen.

The she-cat turned, her blue eyes narrowing in anger. "What do you want Beetlepaw?" she growled, licking her lips. He stepped back, then spoke softly.

"I was just wondering if I could show Hollyleaf your kits".

The ShadowClan queen laughed, "You can have them for all I care" she meowed, "Go ahead".

There were four kits at her feet, playing roughly with each other.

"Whitewater you can't give our kits away!" a voice came from the opposite side. Hollyleaf turned to see Redclaw advancing towards his mate.

"And why can't I?" the queen growled to the ginger tom. "Its your fault I even have those fur-balls! You try carrying them for two and a half moons, and then waking up every night to those incessant mewls! Then you can tell me not to give them away!" Whitewater's fur was bristling as she stalked away to go talk to Russetstar.

Hollyleaf was shocked by the she-cats fury; I guess it is true about ShadowClan.

"Come on" Beetlepaw flicked her with his tail, "Let's see the kits!" Hollyleaf sighed as she followed the apprentice to a haystack, where four tiny kits were climbing on.

"You can't catch me!" A black tom called back to his siblings, leaping off of the stack. He plopped to the ground, smiling at the fun.

"This is Shadekit" Beetlepaw introduced the young tom, who was already running back up.

I'm glad I'm not a mother; I'd probably kill them. Hollyleaf never particularly thought of herself of ever being a mother. She had always wanted to be leader, and leaders obviously couldn't have kits. But now the possibility of her ever being leader, was looking slimmer and slimmer. Her brother was deputy, and Firestar probably had a few more lives left in him, Hollyleaf doubted if Lionblaze would even choose her as deputy. Not to mention that she hadn't even gotten an apprentice yet, and probably wouldn't anytime soon.

While she was thinking, above her head a tiny kit decided to jump, falling right onto Hollyleaf's back. It barely threw her to the ground, but it was enough to knock her over.

"Ooops" the kits mewed, it was a beige she-cat.

"Sandkit be careful!" Beetlepaw meowed, scooping the kit off of Hollyleaf.

"Sorry" she mewed, looking into her green eyes.

"Its fine" she hissed back, giving her pelt a good lick.

"Watch out below!" another mewl came form the top, as yet another kit came tumbling down. This time it was a white and black tom, that looked surprisingly a lot like Blackstar, the previous leader of ShadowClan. He landed clumsily next to his sister, as they started to play fight once more.

"Batkit stop it!" Beetlepaw meowed, trying to bat the small tom away from his sister.

The tiny kit scrunched up his face, and leapt onto Beetlepaw. Three more bodies joined in, as the apprentice fell to the floor covered in fur. Hollyleaf was about to help him, but she could tell that he was having fun.

"See you later" she meowed, waving her tail in goodbye.

"Bye!" Beetlepaw mewed through a mouthful of fur.

Her paws itched as the hay beneath them scratched at her pads. She didn't like this barn, it was to stuffy and with so many cats crammed in, it was a bit overwhelming. Walking to the edge of the barn, she overlooked the now dark landscape. Rain still poured harshly, battering the grassy plains with its tiny drops.

Lightning darted across the bleak sky, lighting up the barn. It was hard to see, without any moonlight, the cats were almost completely blind.

I wonder if Mousewhisker will tell them where I went, they probably don't even care. Even though Firestar had admitted to killing Ashfur, people still blamed her for some reason. Hollyleaf always knew that cats weren't particularly fond of her. Probably because she was pretty much obsessed with the warrior code. But was that so wrong? Wasn't the warrior code the basis of the clans, if there was no warrior code, then where would they be?

She had known all the time that it was Firestar, but Hollyleaf couldn't let it get out that the leader Of ThunderClan killed one of his own warriors. But when he confessed, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her, she felt free. A tail ran across her back, making Hollyleaf zone back into real life, and stop daydreaming.

"Flamestone" she mewed, as the ginger tom appeared next to her.

His amber eyes lit up, as another bolt of lighting shot through the air. Flamestone didn't look her in the eye, but lowered his gaze.

"Hollyleaf what are we going to do?" he meowed simply, peering out into the wilderness.

She tilted her head, "About what?".

"About the fact that the whole forest is practically burnt down! You know for a fact that WindClan wont allow ThunderClan to stay with them forever, and we're running out of prey and space here!".

Hollyleaf sighed. The medicine cat was right, and she knew what the answer was. But could Hollyleaf tell him? Would Firestar be mad? Flamestone seemed to notice her silent battle in his head, and now actually turned to face her.

"You know something don't you?" he meowed, looking into her jade eyes.

Hollyleaf sighed, "Yes I do Flamestone, but" she was cut off by a shriek that came from outside the barn. A brown she-cat ran into the barn, straight to Russetstar.

"What's wrong Olivepaw?" the ShadowClan leader asked, approaching the apprentice.

She was panting heavily, "Cats coming this way" she managed to speak, as she tried to catch her breath.

Immediately Russetstar commanded the few warriors she had to guard the kits and elders, while she stepped outside. Hollyleaf stepped forward as well, her eyes navigating through the darkness.

As yet another lightning bolt shot across the sky, two shapes were lumbering towards the Horseplace, their pelts coming closer. Russetstar was bristling beside Hollyleaf, as the leader of RiverClan joined the two.

"Who is it?" Mistystar mewed, squinting her eyes to see who it was.

Russetstar didn't answer, she just flicked her tail for Redclaw to come forward preparing to attack whoever it was. But as the cats came closer, Hollyleaf felt a strange sensation. The ginger ShadowClan warrior bunched his muscles, as two cats entered the barn. In came two cats, one of them Hollyleaf recognized instantly, it was Tigerstripe. The huge golden and tortoiseshell tom was soaking wet, his pelt shivering from the cold. And the next cat, Hollyleaf couldn't believe was actually here, it was Lionblaze!

"What are you doing here!?" Hollyleaf meowed, wondering what in the world her brother would be doing out in this storm.

The golden tom fidgeted, as he noticed that all eyes were on him. "Its a long story, but Firestar sent me here to give RiverClan and ShadowClan a proposition" he meowed, giving Hollyleaf a look.

She knew what that look meant, Firestar had sent his deputy to ask the remaining to clans, to journey with them.

"And what is this proposition?" the gray pelt of Mistystar looked suspicious, eyeing the two toms.

The deputy of ThunderClan took a moment before he spoke, and breathed in deeply. "The proposition is, that we all leave the forest" he said simply, drawing back in case either of the leaders became angered.

"What!?" Mistystar burst out, her blue eyes full of shock. "But we can't leave! What about our home?" she meowed, looking at Lionblaze as if he were a psycho.

"What other choice do we have?" The RiverClan deputy, Rainstorm spoke to his leader. "Our home is destroyed Mistystar, there is nothing left. And you know as well as I do, that the twolegs that own the horseplace are not going to leave us here without causing some sort of trouble!".

Mistystar looked puzzled, as the ginger pelt of Russetstar moved beside her. "Where would we journey?" she mewed, looking at the golden deputy.

"You may remember the badger called Midnight, the one that lead us to the lake-home?" he asked, perking his ears.

The two leaders nodded.

"Well she's back, and she has seen the place where we must go, and knows the path to get there" Lionblaze told the two, certainty in his voice.

Many cats that were now surrounding the ThunderClan cat nodded in agreement, but some didn't. Hollyleaf hoped that they would agree, it would be breaking the warrior code if they didn't! There had always been four clans, and there always will and should be!

"So?" Lionblaze meowed, "Will you journey with ThunderClan and WindClan?".