It's the 25th! I made the deadline! Barely… Writer's block sucks.

I also wrote a canon one-shot to this story, A Blessing or a Curse (Definitely a Curse), so please go check it out!

Anyways, here we go! :-)

Chapter 7:

"They're here! Ashfall and Thornmask are back!"

Ashenstep looked up from where she and Roseberry had been sunning themselves near the base of the mountains. Stonekit and Fawnkit bother bounded up to her in large bundles of fur, the former almost tripping over herself in excitement.

"They've returned from the four clans!" Roseberry gasped, shooting up. "That's good. They were a day late; I was getting worried."

Ashenstep stood up as well, though she remained silent. What was going to happen now? If the four clans' StarClan was cut off as well, how were they going to contact the living world? She and the rest of the EclipseClan StarClan had been caught in a state of apprehension for the past half moon, ever since Mintdapple, Rabbitstar, and Braveclaw had left. Thornmask and Ashfall had both offered to go on Mintdapple's patrol, leaving their three kits behind. So far, only Rabbitstar had returned, bringing Fawnstep, a former SkyClan medicine cat, and Rainfur, a former warrior, to help out here. Apparently SkyClan had lost contact as well, which had only amplified the worry for the world of the living.

Her and Vineslip's conversation with Lightstar hadn't very much, either, and the two friends were still trying to decipher what he had said. It simply made no sense. Vineslip trusted none of his words, and Ashenstep was tempted to follow her example, but this situation just didn't make sense, and Lightstar's words were the only clues she had to figuring out this mystery.

Well, the only clues she wanted to acknowledge. She was pretty sure hearing voices was a good thing.

"Where are they?" She finally asked.

"By the Redwood Tree. We saw 'em while exploring," Fawnkit reported, referring to a large tree near the border of StarClan's territory and pretty close by. Roseberry nodded and beckoned for the two to follow her. Together, the two she-cats and two kits took off to see what was going on, passing by several other cats before making it to the tree.

Barkstar and Rabbitstar were already there when they arrived, and the latter was quick to reunite with his mate, the two exchanging soft, hurried words that no one else could hear. Behind them were four foreign cats: a flame-pelted tom, a mottled brown tom, a dark gray she-cat, and a black-and-white tom.

"Mother! Father!" Stonekit called, dashing forwards with Roseberry on her heels. Together, they greeted their parents, who had been sitting next to the unfamiliar cats.

"What happened?" Roseberry added, worried, as Ashenstep reached them, walking at a slower pace. Thornmask huffed, obviously a bit frustrated, but it was Ashfall who answered.

"The four clans have lost contact as well," she announced heavily. Ashenstep couldn't help but wince to herself. That wasn't good at all. At this rate, the Tribe of Endless Hunting would have no communication with the clans either, and they'd be at a dead end. "We left Robinpelt—" She was a StarClan cat who had been on the patrol— "With the four clans, and they chose a cat from each of the clans to visit us."

"I don't like it," Thornmask muttered. "Something is seriously wrong, and I don't think it's natural."

Ashenstep frowned, mind flying back to what Lightstar had said about the creation of StarClan and the Dark Forest. Perhaps her old mentor had been onto something there. She wanted to speak to him again, but that meant meeting with him, and she just couldn't find the strength in herself to do so.

"You have a point." The group turned to see one of the four unfamiliar cats come up to them. Ashfall dipped her head to him in respect, and motioned for the other five to do the same. Ashenstep was quick to obey. This tom had a sense of regalness and overall importance about him, an air that demanded others around him give him respect. Yet he also seemed kind, his eyes softening when they landed on Fawnkit and Stonekit. "This isn't a natural event."

"This is Firestar," Ashfall introduced. "The most recent leader of ThunderClan. He's been the subject of several prophecies, from what I hear, and is experienced with abnormal situations like these."

Ashenstep blinked. Prophecies? EclipseClan hadn't had one of those for seasons… she couldn't even remember what the last one had been about. Firestar must've been a very important tom in life if he'd been subject to more than one.

"Do you have any idea what's causing this?" She finally answered. Firestar flicked an ear.

"A few ideas, though none have any hard evidence yet."

"That's all anyone has," Thornmask muttered to himself, tail flickering. It was obvious the tom was frustrated, not being able to stop any of this. Ashenstep shook her head. Nothing indeed.

"Firestar!" Said tom turned to see the black-and-white tom calling to them. "Barkstar wishes to speak with us."

"Of course, Tallstar." Firestar dipped his head towards the group. "Excuse me."

Ashenstep dipped her head and she watched as Firestar walked back over to Tallstar and Barkstar. As she watched, the dark gray she-cat shot her a low look while the mottled brown tom murmured something in her ear. Muttering something back, the gray she-cat turned back towards the others. She couldn't help but think it was odd. Something in her belly tugged her towards Firestar. Something was… off… about the tom. She just couldn't figure out what.

"Ashenstep!" Said she-cat jolted as Roseberry repeated her name, drawing the young warrior out of her thoughts. "You're doing that spacey-eyed thing again."

Ashenstep licked her chest fur in embarrassment. "Was I? Sorry."

Stonekit giggled. "You need to stop thinking so much," she laughed. "You always spoke whatever was one your mind where you were living. Now you just think and think."

"It's so weird," Fawnkit agreed. Ashenstep shook her head.

"I have a lot to think about," she replied simply. But privately, she couldn't help but think about what Stonekit had said.

Say what's on your mind…

If she had spoken what was on her mind the day she had died, perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps she'd still be living, with Feathermist and Gorsewater at her side, as well as—no, she couldn't think about that. What was done was done. Her eyes trailed over to Firestar's retreating back, the odd feeling returning.

Maybe she should be more open.

But not to her clanmates.

The forest clearing was small. Surrounded by bramble bushes and tall, aging trees, it created a smothering feeling around the glade. It wasn't the best place they had settled in so far, but it was home, the black she-cat reflected.

She turned and watched as her patrollers and fighters began to wake up and face the new day. Perhaps there would be little fighting today, but she knew that really wouldn't be the case. Their society was so battle-oriented, it was difficult to have a single peaceful day. Life here, especially as a fighter, was chaotic and often rather short.

But it was worth it. In the end, it was always worth it.

Whenever she found herself victorious in battle, or watching the kits play-fight as they tease each other on whether they'd be chosen to become Fighters or Patrollers.

It was worth it.

But sometimes it seemed like it wasn't.

Her fighters were cruel. She had come into power too young, too soon, and now she had trouble controlling them. Sometimes they would kill, and she could do nothing. Sometimes they even unleashed their pent-up energy on the Patrollers, which really crossed the line.

She'd talk with Jasper about it, but in the end nothing changed.

But as she watched the clearing come alive, she thought that perhaps it was time for a change. A real one, this time.

I really do need more OCs, even if they're just filler.

Sorry about the shorter chapter, but technically if you count the one-shot I've written around 7,000 words this month. Not too bad for being extremely busy.

I'm also moving the deadline from every week to every two weeks. Things are crazy and I don't see my situation calming down anytime soon. Plus, this will give me an opportunity to write ahead and plan out this story more. I hope you all can understand.

Reviews:

AnonChan1—Yeah, Blazingpelt's a jerk. Icetail is amazing, and I'm glad that you liked how I wrote Cherrypaw and Lilymist's relationship. And yeah, Hailstripe is a pretty good match for Poppypaw, in my opinion. Yay for the apprentices of EclipseClan!

Sunny the Sky Warrior—I read your PM. Thanks for the help!

AnonChan1(A Blessing or a Curse)—Hope you don't mind that I'm replying to your review here. It was a pleasant surprise to see some of my non-LightningClan friends on that story! Yeah, Mintdapple's having a bit of a hard time. I couldn't fit it into the story, but her kits are actually Goldenfur, Thunderstrike, and Blazingpelt. Also, correct prediction! Crookedwhisper is a jerk. Your section on Junefrost and Barkstar make me laugh, though I have no idea why. The caps lock, I guess. I keep on reading them over and over. I'm glad you liked Barkstar so much. It's always a relief to know that I've written a character well.

See you all in two weeks!

So… yeah.