Wow, another chapter! XD I hope you enjoy this chapter, just like I hope you have enjoyed the previous ones! I love warriors and can't wait till I get 'Darkest night' for christmas...parents...putting a damper on my excitement here! But I also have got a reply to a few questions by Kate on her spoiler page! I asked two questions! 1) will Macgyver (the former daylight warrior who is in SkyClan!) get a mate? 2) will Poppyfrost and Berrynose have more kits? Her reply to both! W.A.S! XD (Wait, and, see!) the evil she-devil! Just like in my dreams! Always questions but never answers!

Also I always wondered in 'Hawkwing's Journey' when SkyClan was in pursuit of the other Clans, did they go through the same Twoleg place that Purdy guided the other cats through? Cause I kept expecting them to go through the mountains and was like "How would they react if they met the tribe? And what would the experience do to them?" but I guess they went the Purdy route! XD

Well, onto the chapter! Review!

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Stormfur's paws scrambled on smooth gray rock. Heaving himself upward, he reached the top of the boulder and turned to look down at his friends, his fur buffeted by the icy breeze.

"Come on," he meowed. "It's not so bad if you take a leap at it."

Following the rising sun, he and the other cats had left the moorland behind and begun to climb. Now, as sunhigh approached on the second day of their homeward journey, the mountains they had seen from a distance stretched up in front of them even bigger than they had imagined, their sheer slopes black and forbidding, with wisps of cloud floating around their peaks. The soil beneath the cats paws was rough with pebbles, and little grew there except sparse grass and twisted thorn trees. There was no clear path; instead they followed winding narrow clefts and often had to turn back when they came up against rock walls with no way through. Thinking wistfully of the river sliding through deep, cool grasses at home, Stormfur half wished they had decided to return through Twolegplace instead.

Spottedfeather bunched her hind legs and launched herself in a massive leap, following Stormfur up the boulder that blocked their path. Stormfur admired the strength that the massive she-cat showed, effortlessly landing just a tail-length beside him. Her amber eyes seemed to shine with pride at the simple achievement.

"Well done." Stormfur remarked, watching her gracefully turn to look at him.

"Thank you," Spottedfeather meowed warmly. "I was hoping we'd have an easier and more straightforward route then this though."

"Where's the adventure in the easy and straightforward journey?" Stormfur replied, getting a mrrow of laugher from the dark-ginger she-cat.

"Hey!" Crowpaw's voice rose aggressively from below. "Are you going to just stand there and gossip all day, or are you going to make some room for the rest of us?"

"Sorry, Crowpaw!" Spottedfeather called down to him. Both cats stepped back from the top of the boulder, and a moment later Crowpaw joined them, his long limbs managed the jump easily. Crowpaw glanced between the two, the apprentice sending a not-so-subtle glare at the RiverClan tom, before turning back to help Feathertail, who scrambled up with a muttered curse as one of her claw snagged on the rock.

Stormfur almost wanted to scuff at the WindClan apprentice, he had no romantic intentions towards the ThunderClan she-cat. Sure he admired her in a friendly way, but it wasn't nearly to the point of breaking the warrior code. Unlike some cats. He wondered what Spottedfeather was thinking about her obvious feelings towards the WindClan apprentice and the way Crowpaw seemed to return them. Surely they both see how wrong it was, they were both from different Clans. His sister was from-

His thoughts decided to turn away for a moment, to focus more on what was actually going on in the present. He was worried that the rat bite in Tawnypelt's shoulder would stop her from climbing the boulder, and wondered if they would have to try finding a way around it, but to his relief she leap brought her almost to the top, where Crowpaw grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her up. Hawkfrost joined them last of all, shaking his ruffled tabby fur as he stood on top of the boulder and looked around. This close to sunhigh, there were few shadows to point them in the right direction and nothing but a sheer precipice in front of them, hiding what lay ahead.

"I suppose we go that way," he meowed, flicking his tail toward a narrow ledge leading across the face of the rock. "What do you think?" he asked Stormfur.

Stormfur felt his pelt prickle as he looked at the ledge. A few straggling bushes had rooted themselves in cracks, but apart from that the rock was bare and if they slipped there would be nothing to hold on to.

"We can try," he mewed doubtfully, swallowing a bit of contempt for the ShadowClan warrior that he still felt from earlier. "There's nowhere else, unless we go back."

Hawkfrost nodded, his icy blue eyes narrowed in contemplation before settling on a decision. "Bring up the rear, will you?" he asked. "We don't know what might be lurking around here, and we need a strong cat to watch our back."

Stormfur murmured agreement, feeling a reluctant growth of admiration for the ShadowClan warrior's courage and the way he had taken the lead on this difficult journey, even though he wasn't originally chosen for it. Like Stormfur. Hawkfrost had come along to help support the traveling cats, mainly his siblings, but during their travels had taken the leader role and lead them to Sundrown Place and now as they head home.

"I wish I was a bird," Spottedfeather announced as Hawkfrost squeezed his way along the ledge. "I could just fly instead of watching where I put my paws on these ledges."

"You mean I'm watching your paws," Crowpaw spoke up, as he followed from right behind her. "You nearly slipped twice already."

"And I thanked you twice already, Furball." Spottedfeather called over her shoulder, although it was a jab, there was a clear fondness in her voice for the WindClan apprentice.

Stormfur brought up the rear as Hawkfrost had asked, his ears pricked for anger while he tried to hide his nervousness about the sheer drop, which tugged at him like an invisible weight. He hugged the rock face, placing each paw carefully and using his tail for balance. After a little while the breeze grew stronger, and Stormfur's mind filled with terrifying images of himself or one of his friends blown right off the ledge and down to the ground below.

After a short while the ledge curved around the rock face, out of sight. Before Stormfur reached the turn, Tawnypelt, who was just in front of him, stopped abruptly, and from farther ahead he heard Feathertail exclaim, "Oh, no!"

"What's the matter?" Stormfur asked.

Tawnypelt edged forward more slowly, and Stormfur followed until he could see what was ahead. His belly lurhced. A gap had opened up between their ledge and the rock face; the ledge became a spur of rock, jutting out from the side was a dizzying drop to a valley below where a mountain stream flowed, looking thin as a mousetail.

"Do you want to go back?" he called to Hawkfrost.

"Hang on a minute," the ShadowClan warrior replied. "There might be a way. Look over there."

Stormfur looked where his tail was pointing: On the mountainside beyond the gap the rock face had broken away, and a narrow rift had opened up between two steep slopes. Bush's were growing there and one or two small trees. A stream trickled down one side, overhung by grasses.

"The going looks easier there," Feathertail remarked. "But can we get across?"

"I'm not sure yet," Hawkfrost replied to her, his eyes flashing back towards Stormfur's sister, and irritatingly lingering. "The gap is wider than I'd like, but…" the brown tabby trailed off, still looking thoughtful.

Before Stormfur voiced his own observations on the situation, mostly his concerns about Tawnypelt. The ShadowClan warrior had started to limp again since they had started their climb, and even though she hadn't said anything, it was obvious the wound hadn't healed properly yet. He heard Crowpaw mew, "What are we waiting for? Are we going to stand around here until we grow wings?"

Without any more hesitation the WindClan apprentice launched himself across the gap. For a heartbeat his gray-black body seemed to hang in the air; then he was across, landing lightly on the loose stones at the edge of the drop.

"Come on!" he called. "It's easy."

Catching Hawkfrost's eye, Stormfur knew that the tabby warrior shared his annoyance that the apprentice hadn't waited for the rest of them to agree. Now they all had to try the leap, whether they wanted to or not, because Crowpaw would never manage to jump back onto the narrow spur of rock, and they could not leave him on his own over there.

"Crowpaw, you reckless Furball!" Spottedfeather scolded the WindClan apprentice from their side of the cliff. The WindClan cat's reply was a simple roll of his eyes. Stormfur could see Spottedfeather shake her broadhead, before lowering herself to crouch at the edge of the rock with the wind buffeting her long fur. Crowpaw was waiting to steady her at the other side, the she-cat took a mighty leap, before landing perfectly with four paws on the other side of the rock ledge. Crowpaw assisting her forward as she turned back to the others, looking pleased as she waved them over.

The remaining cats bunched together on the rock. Stormfur's pelt pricked with fear as he felt the breeze grow stronger.

"Okay, who's next?" Hawkfrost asked steadily.

"I'll go," Feathertail offered, as she determinedly padded over towards edge of the ledge, her plumy tail giving one quick lash before she pushed off from the rock in a tremendous leap, landing a tail-length from the edge on the other side.

"She's quite amazing," Hawkfrost murmured, then looked surprised, as if he hadn't meant to speak his thoughts out aloud.

"Of course she is," Stormfur agreed, an edge to his voice as he spoke.

"Tawnypelt, are you ready?" Hawkfrost asked, turning away. "Is your shoulder okay?"

"I'll be fine, stop treating me like a kit." Tawnypelt stated bluntly, although Stormfur noticed Hawkfrost tense up in unease, clearly the brown tabby wasn't completely convinced. But he did not try to stop her.

She measured the distance with a glance and then took off. For one horrible instant, Stormfur thought she had jumped short. Her body slammed into the edge of the rock and her front paws scrabbled frantically for a grip among the loose stones. A heartbeat later Feathertail was on one side of her, and Spottedfeather on the other, sinking their teeth into her neck fur and pulling her up the rest of the way.

"Are you alright?" Hawkfrost called, his voice high-pitched from worry.

Tawnypelt did not reply. Although Spottedfeather shot him a reassuring look, as the ginger sister coaxed a terrified Tawnypelt over to the stream and encouraged her to drink.

"You next?" Hawkfrost asked Stormfur.

"You go; I'm fine."

But as Stormfur watched the strong tabby warrior leaping the gap, he couldn't help wishing he hadn't waited to go last. He was just about to jump when his sister shrieked, "Stormfur! Look out!"

At the same instant a dark shadow fell over him and he heard the beating of wings thudding through the air. Without pausing to look up, he launched himself across the gap, catching a glimpse of his friends on the other side scattering to the side of the valley.

He hit the ground awkwardly, falling to one side, and froze with horror as he looked up to see an enormous bird swooping down on top of him, talons extended.

A cat yowled his name. Rolling away from the claws and stabbing beak he felt the draft from the beating wings and smelled a reek of carrion. Then he was aware of Hawkfrost and Feathertail hurtling toward him, hissing and spitting with their fur standing on end. The bird veered to one side; Stormfur had a couple of heartbeats to scramble away. Then the talons hit the ground, throwing up spurts of dust. The bird let out a frustrated screech. It's wings beat strongly, carrying it up again. All three cats streaked into the shelter of a bush where Spottedfeather and Tawnypelt were waiting.

"What in StarClan's name was that?" Stormfur gasped, watching the bird climb higher until it was no more than a dot in the sky. "I've never seen such a big bird."

"An eagle." Crowpaw wormed his way under the lower branches to join them. "We see them in WindClan territory now and then. They prey on lambs, but the elders say they've taken cats before."

"In another heartbeat it would have taken me," Stormfur muttered. "Thanks, both of you," he added to Hawkfrost and Feathertail.

Feathertail shuddered. "Imagine what would have happened if it had spotted us a bit earlier, when we were all stuck out on that rock!"

"I don't want to imagine it!" Spottedfeather retorted, her fur fluffed up in fright.

"Let's not get worked up about it right now," Hawkfrost interjected, much calmer about the situation than Stormfur would have thought he was. "How about we stop and search for some prey for the moment? I scented rabbits over there."

"I'll go," Crowpaw offered. "I don't need to rest. Coming, Spottedfeather?"

Stormfur wanted to roll his eyes, but suppressed the urge. Watching as the dark ginger she-cat pushed her way out of the bush behind Crowpaw. "Watch out for that eagle?" Stormfur called after them, although he didn't preferably like Crowpaw, he didn't want to see either cat hurt.

When they had gone, Tawnypelt closed her eyes with an exhausted sigh and within a couple of heartbeats she was asleep. Stormfur curled up beside her, but he found it hard to rest. He could hear Hawkfrost and Feathertail murmuring quietly together, and found he was straining his ears to make out what they were saying, a selfish jealousy coursing through him at how close they were becoming. It had always been him and Feathertail since the beginning, and now that Hawkfrost had shown up, Feathertail had been sharing a little too much time with the ShadowClan warrior. They should keep moving while they could; if they delayed too long, darkness would overtake them and they would be forced to spend the night here.

At last he drifted into an uneasy doze; a paw prodding him in the ribs brought him back to consciousness. He blinked up into ice-blue eyes and his senses were flooded by the scent of rabbit.

"Crowpaw and Spottedfeather have returned," Hawkfrost meowed. "And they've brought enough fresh-kill for e-" Stormfur didn't let him finish as he brushed past the ShadowClan warrior, he knew it was rude and petty but he couldn't help it.

Stormfur hurried over to crouch over his share of rabbit, he saw out of the corner of his eye as Hawkfrost came to sit close together with Feathertail as they ate. He suppressed a growl as he wondered yet again how Feathertail could possibly forget what happened when cats from different Clans tried to be together.

Once all the journeying cats were relaxing with full bellies, he managed to edge his sister away from the rest. "Listen, Feathertail, you and Hawkfrost-" he murmured.

"What about Hawkfrost?" Feathertail's blue eyes flashed and her voice was uncharacteristically sharp. "Your being highly rude and mean to him!"

Stormfur wanted to make a sharp retort of his own, but thought better of it. "That's not the point," he mewed. "What's going to happen when we get back home? Hawkfrost's in a different Clan."

"We don't even know if there will be Clans anymore," Feathertail pointed out. "We'll be leaving the forest, remember?"

Stormfur snorted. "Do you think all the Clan boundaries will vanish, just because we have to leave? I doubt it."

He was surprised by the flash of anger in Feathertail's eyes.

"Have you forgotten already what Midnight said?" she spat. "The Clans won't survive if they can't work together."

"And have you forgotten what happens when cats from different Clans get together?" Stormfur growled. "Look at the way our own father has been torn between two Clans. Do you remember how that made us feel? To be distrusted just because we've come from parents who were from different Clans?"

"You act as if Hawkfrost hadn't felt the same!" Feathertail threw back. "He knows just how it feels to be half-Clan. He understands us more than any other Clan cat could-"

"You hold no loyalty to him-" Stormfur interjected, cutting Feathertail off. "You owe him nothing and shouldn't be pursuing a relationship. You hardly even know anything about him! "

"Haven't you forgotten that we grew up alongside him in the ThunderClan nursery?" Feathertail asked in disbelief. "Hawkfrost's mother took us in and loved us like her own! If things had been different then we'd have still been in ThunderClan! Hawkfrost never once treated us with contempt or even disgust, he cares."

"That was a long time ago," Stormfur retorted. "Things are different now."

"Your right, they are different." Feathertail agreed stubbornly. "Midnight said all the Clans will have to find somewhere else to live. That means things are changing, and so might the Clans."

"But you and Hawkfrost…"

"I'm not going to talk about me and Hawkfrost anymore." Feathertail's anger died. "I'm sorry, Stormfur, but this doesn't have anything to do with you."

Stormfur started to deliver a stinging reply, then realized with growing dread that she was right. Awkwardly he stroked her shoulder with his tail tip. "I worry about you, that's all."

Feathertail gave his ear a quick lick. "I know. But there's no need. Really."

Even though he did not agree with her, Stormfur said nothing. She was his sister and he would do anything to make her happy. He just wished it hadn't been Hawkfrost that had gained his sisters affections, that it wasn't a tom from a rival Clan that made his sister so happy. But Feathertail seemed more serious than he had ever seen her in his life, she seemed dead-set on Hawkfrost. If this is what Feathertail really wanted, then he wouldn't fight with her on it. But he couldn't believe that all the rivalry between the Clans would vanish, whatever happened, then let them be together.

When the cats emerged from the shelter of the bush to continue their journey they saw that the sky had grown darker. The wind had dropped but there was a chill in the air and clouds surged around the mountaintop, hiding the sun.

"Rain on it's way," Tawnypelt commented. "That's all we need."

"Then let's push on while we can," meowed Hawkfrost. "Maybe we'll find better shelter somewhere." They set off up the rift in the side of the mountain, keeping close to the sides and making what use they could of the cover from bushes, in case the eagle returned. Stormfur kept an eye on the sky; once, he saw a tiny dot, drifting lazily above the mountainside, and knew that the fierce bird was still on the watch.

They passed the source of the tiny stream, bubbling up from a crack between two rocks, and took a last drink before they pressed on. Stormfur gazed up the slope ahead, scanning it for something familiar that would show him the next source of food or shelter, and saw nothing but liftless, gray rock.

The valley gew narrower and there was even less vegetations. Stormfur felt uncomfortably exposed, a thin, cold rain began to fall. The cats fur was soon soaked, and there was nowhere to shelter.

"We've got to stop soon," Spottedfeather spoke up, sounding hesitate for a mere moment. "We've all been walking since we left the moor behind us, and we're basically all exhausted."

"Well, we can't stop here," Hawkfrost sounded irritable. "We need to get out of the rain."

"No, Spottedfeather's right," Stormfur objected, facing up to the ShadowClan warrior. "We can't go on in the dark; we risk falling."

Hawkfrost's neck fur rose and he fixed Stormfur with a furious glare. Behind him, Stormfur heard a faint murmur of distress from Feathertail. He realized they were within a couple of heartbeats of fighting among themselves. His growing apprehension towards the ShadowClan wasn't helping any and a fight at the moment was the last thing they needed, but he could not back down and let Hawkfrost lead them on to slip over some precipice in the darkness.

Then he saw Hawkfrost's fur began to lie flat again as the tabby seemed to understand Stormfur's concerns. "You're right, Stormfur. Let's shelter under the rock over there. It's better than nothing."

He led the way to an overhanging rock, open on one side to the wind and rain that grew heavier still as the cats settled down, huddling together in an attempt to keep warm and dry.

"Shelter?" Crowpaw muttered. "If this is shelter, then I'm a hedgehog!"

"Stuff a toad in it, will you?" Hawkfrost grumbled, the brown tabby was laying at the other end of the group, closest to the open side of the rock. His pelt completely soaked, but still the ShadowClan warrior stayed put. Using his body as a type of shield or windbreaker for the others. It made Stormfur feel a little guilty for the rude thoughts he had for the tabby furred warrior. Crowpaw's reply was a huff of indifference.

That night he slept only in brief, uncomfortable snatches, and whenever he woke, he could feel his friends shifting uneasily around him. When at last the darkness began to lift he heaved himself to his paws, feeling stiff and bleary-eyed, and peered out of the overhang to see dense white mist swirling around them.

"We must be in the clouds," Hawkfrost murmured, coming to join him. "I hope it lifts soon."

"Do you think we should go on?" Stormfur asked hesitantly, wanting to avoid another confrontation with the ShadowClan cat. "If we can't see where we're going, we could walk straight over a cliff."

"We manage when the mist comes down on the moors," Crowpaw pointed out, yawning as he staggered to his paws. Then he added doubtfully, "But we know our own territory by scent as well as sight."

"And don't forget food," Spottedfeather added, slowly rising to her paws as she shook out her slightly soggy pelt. "It's important to stop and hunt, going hungry won't help anyone."

Stormfur tried to ignore his own growling belly while Hawkfrost ventured out of their shelter and stood looking upward. "I can see for a few foxlengths," he reported. "This cleft seems to go on and on. I think we'll be safe it we follow it."

He glanced at Stormfur as he spoke, a questioning look in his eyes, his head tilted a little as he regarded the RiverClan tom. If Stormfur didn't know any better it was as if Hawkfrost regretted their recent argument and wanted to be sure that the RiverClan cat agreed with him.

Stormfur stepped out to join him, shivering as the mist began to soak into his fur. "Okay," he meowed. "Lead the way. It's not like we have much choice."

Hawkfrost gave a snort at his comment, before giving a loud wake-up call to the remaining sleeping companions. Both Tawnypelt and Feathertail woke with sluggish reflexes, but as soon as Hawkfrost told them it was time to get moving they both shook themselves awake.

Reluctantly the other cats followed Hawkfrost out into the cold, clinging mist and padded after him up the rift. Stormfur noticed that Tawnypelt was limping worse today, as if her leg had stiffened in the night. Midnight's burdock root had cured the infection, but Stormfur suspected her muscles had been damaged. She needed a medicine cat to look at it, but that was impossible out here.

Daylight gradually grew stronger, and the swirls of cloud became paler, as if somewhere above them the sun was rising. The rift grew steadily narrower, with walls of rock closing in on either side.

"I hope this isn't a dead end," Feathertail mewed. "We can't go back to that ledge."

She had hardly spoken when the clouds began to thin out and the cats could see farther ahead. Stormfur found himself staring up at a sheer rock face where the sides of the valley came to a point. There didn't seem any way of climbing up, not unless they all grew wings and flew. His fur was plastered to his body by the mist and he felt hollow with hunger.

"Now what?" Tawnypelt meowed, sounding as defeated as Stormfur felt.

The six cats stood looking upward, a fine rain drifting around them as if the drops were light enough to be blown by the wind. Stormfur struggled with black despair. What was the point of all this? Even if they reached home, the forest was going to be destroyed. Their hopes of helping their Clans rested on the word of a badger-a creature whom the cats had always regarded as an enemy. Stuck here among rain-wet rocks, it was hard to remember his trust in Midnight's wisdom. And if Stormfur doubted her, what would his Clanmates say when he tried to pass her message on? They had never completely trusted him or Feathertail because of their half-Clan heritage, sor why should they listen now?

Then Stormfur realized that he could hear a steady roaring sound. It reminded him of the river pouring through the ravine in his home territory.

"What's that?" he meowed, lifting his head. "Can you hear it?"

"Over here, I think," Hawkfrost called.

Stormfur followed him up to the valley's point, and discovered a split in the rock winding upward, just wide enough for one cat at a time. Hawkfrost led the way into it, gesturing with his tail for the others to follow. Stormfur waited to bring up the rear, his fur brushing the rock on either side, with unpleasant thoughts going through his head of what would happen if the path became so narrow that they got stuck.

The roaring grew louder, and after a little while the path came out on an open ledge. Broken rocks lay in front of them, rising to a ridge above their heads. A stream poured over the ridge, foaming down past the place where the cats were standing until it vanished behind a jutting boulder.

"I wonder if we'll ever get out of these mountains." Spottedfeather meowed softly, a wistful look in her amber eyes as she stared off into the distance. Stormfur wondered what she was seeing through all this mist, perhaps she was just thinking of home? Or what would be left of it.

Spottedfeather shook herself after a moment, before cautiously creeping to the edge of the stream and crouched to lap. Crowpaw crept down to lap beside her, getting the idea Stormfur and the others followed them down. The water was ice-cold, refreshing Stormfur and giving him new courage. Perhaps their scramble over these hostile mountains would soon be over.

Rising to his paws again, he glanced downstream and froze in shock. Just below where the cats were drinking, the rocks fell away into a precipice. Padding warily a few paces toward it Stormfur stretched his neck to peer over the edge and saw the stream pounding down in a waterfall until it crashed into a pool many tail-lengths below. The sound of thundering water filled his ears, making him dizzy, so that he instinctively tried to dig his claws into the rain-wet rock.

The rest of the cats gathered around him, their eyes wide and horrified.

"I wonder if there is a way down?" Spottedfeather meowed thoughtfully. Peering over towards Stormfur, who was giving her a questioning look, she added, "I bet we can find prey down there."

Through the mist of spray that rose from the pool Stormfur caught a glimpse of another valley like the one they had just left, where grass grew up between broken rocks and bushes lined the rock walls. Spottedfeather was right-if there were any other living things to be found around here, it would be down there.

"Good observation," Hawkfrost meowed, before flicking his ears upwards toward the place far above their heads where the stream poured over the lip of the rock. "But the trail leads upwards, it doesn't that difficult to climb. Besides, maybe there's good pickings over there instead of wasting time by going down and potentially end up falling."

"And if there isn't?" Crowpaw remarked dryly, standing proudly beside a slightly embarrassed Spottedfeather.

"It's a chance we just have to take." Feathertail spoke up, coming to stand beside Hawkfrost. Stormfur saw with annoyance that her blue eyes were glowing with adoration-and something more when she turned to stare at Hawkfrost.

"Feathertail's right," Hawkfrost meowed, glancing briefly towards Stormfur's sister before signaling to the others. "Come on, the sooner we're on our way, the sooner we'll get back on familiar ground."

With Hawkfrost in the lead again, they began the scramble upward. They were all exhausted, their soaked fur making them clumsy. Tawnypelt in particular found the going tough, hauling herself painfully over every rock as if she had hardly any strength left.

The stream bubbled up beside them, splashing over the rocks that were already wet and slippery with rain, which was falling more heavily again. Stormfur kept a wary eye on the stream, half expecting it to overflow and sweep them off the rocks. He stayed to the back of the group, trying to watch every cat, well aware that if any of them slipped they could be washed into the pool below the waterfall.

Almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind he saw Spottedfeather's paws skid from under her. She slid sideways into the stream; water surged around her as she clung to the rocks by a single paw, her jaws wide in a silent wail of shock.

Stormfur froze in place, watching the event like it was in slow motion. He saw both Tawnypelt and Hawkfrost rushing to make a grab at the dark ginger she-cat, but before either of them could reach her, Crowpaw had leaned out precariously over the foaming water, sunk his teeth into the scruff of Spottedfeather's neck, and dragged her with surprising strength onto the path.

"Thank you, Crowpaw," Spottedfeather gasped, her amber eyes shining with warmth as they fell upon the WindClan apprentice.

"You should be more careful," Crowpaw meowed gruffly. "This is the third time you slipped. What if next time I hadn't been here to haul you back up? Next time hare-brain I should just tie your tail to a big boulder to keep you in place."

"You wouldn't do that," Spottedfeather murmured and pressed her nose against Crowpaw's muzzle. "But I'm sorry for not watching out."

"Spottedfeather, are you really alright?" Hawkfrost asked, shouldering Crowpaw out of the way so that the tabby could sniff over his sister, looking for any injuries.

"Yes, I'm fine," Spottedfeather reassured her brother, trying to shake water from her thick fur.

A louder rumbling from farther up the mountain interrupted her, drowning even the roar of the waterfall below. Stormfur looked up and froze in horror at the sight of a wall of mud, branches, and water hurtling down on them. His worst fears had come true: THe mountain stream was in flood. Spottedfeather out a cry of terror while Crowpaw stood beside her, his claws unsheathed and fur spiked up as if he could possibly fight the oncoming danger.

But the water was upon them before they could do anything. It struck Stormfur like a blow, carrying him off his paws. His legs flailed as the flood carried him down, driving him against rocks where he clawed in vain for a grip before the water swept him on again. He choked as water filled his mouth and one of his paws caught painfully against a rock. Then there was nothing beneath him at all, and he knew he was plunging over the waterfall.

There was a moment of eerie silence, broken by the whisper of rushing water. Then the roaring and pounding started up again, waiting to swallow him as he plummeted into the pool. Whirled around in the icy water, he caught a brief glimpse of Crowpaw floundering wildy before the surge closed over his head. Then more water crashed down on him, driving him under and filling his senses with churning white foam, a deafening roar, and then nothing.

I'm sorry, StarClan, Stormfur thought desperately as his senses faded. I know it wasn't my mission, but I tried so hard. PLease look after our Clans…

0o0o0o

Wow, lot of suspense there huh? XD well, the next chapter will be in Mothwing's pov, although I might keep it short because there isn't much going on! But it's only fair! Well anyway, some facts:

Crowpaw thinks Stormfur has a thing for Spottedfeather...he doesn't! XD but who doesn't like a jealous Crowpaw?

Like I said before, not a lot of Spotted x Crow in this book mostly centered around Mothwing, Hawkfrost, Squirrelflight and Stormfur! Although there will be Spottedfeather's pov in the next book! XD

That's all for now! Till next time, review, fav, follow!