A/N: So is it getting more exciting? I promised you it would. And about the many kittypets, it's the only way to build a new Clan. Enjoy!

Something nudging at Skyfeather's side caused her to peek open her eyes.

"What is it?" she muttered groggily.

"It's time for Leafkit's naming ceremony," she heard Gingerfoot mumbling excitedly.

Skyfeather opened her eyes and stood up, stretching the sleep from her limbs. "Ah, the new RainClan medicine cat."

"Yeah," Gingerfoot agreed. "Now let's go. We're going to miss it!"

Skyfeather followed Gingerfoot out of the warriors' den and into the clearing. The rest of EmberClan had already arrived underneath the Highrock, and Streamstar was standing under it. Firestar and Thunderheart were positioned beside him.

Skyfeather sat down next to Gingerfoot just outside of the circle of cats along with Stormpelt, Snowstorm, Goldenheart, and the others.

"Leafkit, come forward," Streamstar called.

A small, golden-brown tom with white paws, muzzle, and belly padded forward. A light brown she-cat with yellow eyes rasped her tongue over his ear once before he trotted up. Must be Heathertail, Skyfeather thought silently.

"Sandstorm," Streamstar meowed, "this Clan needs another medicine cat, and you have worked hard to become one yourself. You are ready for an apprentice, and will mentor Leafpaw to become a medicine cat."

Sandstorm trotted over to the Highrock. "I will, Streamstar," she meowed firmly before touching noses with her new apprentice. "You'll be a great medicine cat for RainClan," she murmured quietly as the Clan began to disperse.

"RainClan?" Leafpaw questioned inquisitively.

"I'll tell you some other time," Sandstorm promised with a purr of amusement.

Streamstar, Firestar, and Thunderheart padded up to the group of RainClan cats.

"You shall leave soon," Streamstar meowed. "I wish you a safe journey to find a place for your new Clan to reside."

"You told him?" Snowstorm questioned Firestar.

"He, along with Ravenstar, has a right to know," Firestar responded. Then he turned to Streamstar. "Do you mind if I perform one ceremony before we leave on your Highrock?"

Streamstar nodded. "Of course."

Skyfeather couldn't help noticing how Snowstorm and Thunderheart kept staring at each other. They must love each other, she thought.

Firestar nodded and leaped nimbly onto the Highrock. Without a call, the RainClan cats gathered around.

"The first deputy of RainClan must be appointed," Firestar called, his voice crisp in the twilit air. "RainClan's first deputy. I say these words above the first showing stars of StarClan, my most recent Clan, so that my ancestors may hear and approve my choice." He paused, staring up at the first stars of Silverpelt. "Stormpelt will be RainClan's deputy."

Skyfeather saw Stormpelt brighten. "Thank you, Firestar. I am deeply honoured to be RainClan's first deputy."

Firestar nodded and leaped off of the Highrock. "Thank you, Streamstar," he thanked the EmberClan leader. "We shall see you at tonight's Gathering."

"You are coming?" Thunderheart questioned, his eyes flitting to Snowstorm for one second.

"Yes, now that we are a Clan, LightClan must know," Firestar explained. "Of course they will be shocked, but we must still go on."

"Of course," Streamstar agreed. "We shall see you tonight."

With that, Firestar nodded to his Clan, and the RainClan warriors began to leave the EmberClan camp. Just before they left, Sandstorm sprinted up to Skyfeather.

"Tell Firestar that I have to take Leafpaw to the Moonstone soon," she muttered quickly. "We'll meet tomorrow night at Fourtrees."

"Okay," Skyfeather agreed. "I'll tell him."

And with that, the eight cats trotted through the entrance, disappearing into the undergrowth.

Firestar crouched along the edge of the clearing. Skyfeather was positioned beside him, Stormpelt on his other side.

"What will Ravenstar think?" she asked him eagerly.

"I don't know," Firestar admitted. "He won't be pleased, though."

Finally, Firestar stood straight and flicked his tail once. The RainClan cats bounded down the slope that led to Fourtrees. They halted at the edge before taking slow steps into the clearing.

Skyfeather immediately bolted off into the crowd. She looked around the group of cats anxiously. Finally, she saw the blue-black pelt she was looking for. "Moonflower!"

Moonflower looked up from a conversation with another EmberClan warrior. "Skypaw?"

"Moonflower, it's me," Skyfeather called, sprinting up to her mother. "I missed you."

"Skypaw, what are you doing here?" Moonflower asked, nuzzling her daughter.

"Moonflower, it's Skyfeather now," Skyfeather explained. "I'm a warrior of RainClan."

"RainClan?" There was no mistaking the surprise in Moonflower's mew. "What's RainClan? Oh, Skypaw, don't tell me you're pretending again."

"Mother, I'm not," Skyfeather urged. "The forest needs four Clans, so Firestar created a new one: RainClan. Stormpelt is the deputy, and the EmberClan medicine is training our new medicine cat."

Moonflower obviously couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Skypaw, sweetie, you need to get out of here before Ravenstar sees you."

"Moonflower, call me Skyfeather!" Skyfeather insisted.

"Skypaw—"

"Skyfeather!" And with that, Skyfeather turned her back on her mother and bounded away.

Suddenly a loud yowl sounded from the Great Rock in the middle of the four giant oaks. Many surprised murmurings started to sound from the cats below the rock as Firestar leaped onto the rock next to Streamstar.

"Hello, cats of LightClan and RainClan," Streamstar called down to the cats.

"RainClan?" Ravenstar yowled. "What is this, Streamstar?"

But Firestar spoke. "The forest needs four Clans," he explained. "We should start by creating one at a time. I am the leader of RainClan, with Stormpelt as my deputy."

Ravenstar was furious. He stood and hissed at Firestar, "You cannot do that. You are not a living cat."

Firestar turned his icy green gaze on Ravenstar. "Ravenstar, you were a great friend for so long. I am sorry we had to go on different paths."

But Ravenstar would not give up. "You need a medicine cat," he growled.

Skyfeather rose her hackles. How would Firestar explain this one? She glanced over at Sandstorm and Leafpaw, but neither of them seemed to flinch at Ravenstar's harsh words.

Streamstar stood. "Sandstorm and I have talked," he meowed. "We agreed that we would give her new apprentice, Leafpaw, to RainClan as welcome."

Skyfeather looked over at Leafpaw, who nodded solemnly. He met her gaze and twitched his whiskers in greeting. Skyfeather nodded back.

"Firestar, please introduce the rest of your Clan," Streamstar suggested.

Ravenstar sat down, although a snarl played about his muzzle as Firestar introduced the former LightClan warriors.

"As you already know, my deputy is Stormpelt," Firestar began. "Our warriors are Goldenheart, Snowstorm, Sparrowstripe, Gingerfoot, Frostfur, and Skyfeather."

Ravenstar's ears pricked. "Frostfur?"

Firestar nodded solemnly to the LightClan leader. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Ravenstar."

The snarl returned to Ravenstar's face. "I can't believe you've already made them warriors."

"They've been training for long enough," Firestar explained. "I thought they'd need to be warriors for the trip to find a place to make camp."

Ravenstar gave up and turned to Streamstar. "Streamstar, you can't possibly give this preposterous RainClan your medicine cat's apprentice. Who would train him?"

"Sandstorm will train Leafpaw as she would a normal medicine cat apprentice," Streamstar replied. "When he is a warrior, he will leave to join RainClan."

The gleams in Ravenstar's eyes never faded as he sat back down and allowed Streamstar to give the Clans the news on EmberClan.

Ravenstar stood and gave the news on newborn kits from Stripetail, and how an elder died, Clawtail.

Skyfeather shivered. Clawtail was her favourite elder when she was an apprentice, but she knew she shouldn't feel too much grief for the LightClan elder.

Firestar stood and told the Clans that RainClan needed to find a place to make camp, and that he would need to visit the Moonstone with Stormpelt and one other warrior.

"But there's nothing left of the Moonstone!" a cat yowled from the crowd. "The Twolegs have destroyed it."

"But there is still a little piece left," Firestar explained. "StarClan are building another one. Please, do not worry."

"How do you know this?" the cat questioned.

"I'm from StarClan," Firestar meowed. "Our ancestors are helping to build a new Moonstone, and they will place it in the middle of a Twoleg camp of nests."

Shocked yowls came from the crowd of warriors below the rock. Skyfeather thought about what Firestar said. In the middle of a camp of Twoleg nests? she thought. That can't be!

"I'm sorry," Firestar began, "but there is no other place to put it. When I talk to StarClan a little after the half-moon, they will tell us where to reside, and hopefully they'll have an explanation for what is to come."

The yowls slowly died as they understood Firestar's words.

After a short while, the Gathering was over, and the cats below began to disperse. Ravenstar leaped off the Great Rock and immediately bolted up the slope to LightClan's territory without a word to his warriors or Streamstar or Firestar.

Streamstar and Firestar jumped down and exchanged words briefly. Skyfeather wanted a moment to talk to Sandstorm before they left. She bounded over to the edge of the Thunderpath, where Sandstorm and Leafpaw were.

"Sandstorm!" she called.

The sandy medicine cat turned, followed by her apprentice. "Skyfeather! What is it?"

"Streamstar let you give Leafpaw to us?" Skyfeather asked, looking down at the ginger-golden apprentice.

"Yes, I convinced him," Sandstorm explained. "And Leafpaw here is rather excited."

"I can't wait to be RainClan's very first medicine cat!" Leafpaw exclaimed.

Skyfeather purred in amusement. "You should be. It's a great honour."

"Yes, Skyfeather!" Leafpaw jumped up excitedly and pelted across the Thunderpath.

Sandstorm purred along with Skyfeather for a moment before mewing good-byes and following her apprentice across the wide grey path.

Skyfeather shook her head, purring, and turned to find Firestar. When she found him, he was talking urgently to Stormpelt beneath the Great Rock. She raced over to them and caught up with the conversation.

"We could go and live near the river for a while," Stormpelt suggested. "It's not completely diminished."

"Yes, we could," Firestar agreed. "But the Twolegs built their nests too close to it. Where would we stay?"

"If we slept on the Sunningrocks, Ravenstar would get furious," Skyfeather put in.

"Yes, but we could sleep within the Twoleg nests," Stormpelt meowed. "I know there are plenty of alleys."

"You want us to be alley cats?" Gingerfoot questioned incredulously, joining the conversation.

"If we must," Firestar sighed. "It's settled. We will stay in a Twoleg nest alley until we can find a proper campsite."

A/N: Don't worry. They're not going to be alley cats forever. Next update: Thursday, the 25th. Hey, it's a full moon! See you a the Gathering:)