A/N: So, I truly apologize for my little unexpected hiatus on this story! I had a lot going on in the past few months - exams, vacation, some other surprises, etc. - and then I also had an entire collection of oneshots to write for another fandom I'm heavily invested in, so I do hope this new chapter might make up for it! Updates on this story will probably come somewhat slowly from now on, but it'll still be one of my top priorities; I just have to get back into the swing of things. Enjoy, and stay tuned for more!

-CCM

CHAPTER 9

Luna barely registered the path they took on the way back to the ThunderClan camp, following Blackfrost and Robinsong back through the forest unfeelingly, stumbling over rocks and tree roots as though in a daze. Nor did she notice the odd looks the two wild cats were giving her – no, she didn't notice a thing. Her whole body felt numb, from her mind to her paws right down to the very tip of her tail.

Gone… They were all gone.

The words echoed around in her head with every heavy pawstep. She could barely find the energy within her to lift her paws, one after the other. Gone… Gone… Gone…

Where could they have gone? Why did they leave their home? Leave her? Luna was sure they didn't mean to – something terrible must have happened to them! Otherwise, they certainly would be out in the forest searching for her, right?

But... she couldn't think about that now. Before she knew it, Luna found herself stumbling through the prickly tunnel into the warriors' camp, not entirely sure how she ended up there. Though it didn't matter – none of that mattered.

All she could see was the cold, darkened room beyond the windowpane of her home. Empty.

Her housefolk, Selene… Where had they gone, and why? Would she ever see them again? It took all she had not to cry out to the heavens in sorrow.

What is she doing here again?" A harsh mew met her ears, and if she didn't feel so numb to the world she probably would have flinched at its scathing tone. "I thought you took this kittypet back to her Twolegs. Or have you two had a change of heart?"

Blackfrost shot a glare at the dark striped warrior who had spoken before glancing back at Luna, a strangely sympathetic look in his deep green eyes. "We… we couldn't find her Twolegs. They're gone."

"Gone?" A silvery-blue she-cat mewed, confusion evident in her widened eyes. "What do you mean? Where could they have gone?"

Hearing those words from another cat's mouth, Luna felt a sharp pang like a bee sting pierce through her heart, as though it only confirmed her greatest fears.

Blackfrost nodded. "Robinsong and I took the kittypet back to her Twoleg nest, but it was completely empty. Nobody was in there - not a Twoleg, or cat, in sight."

Robinsong mewed once, confirming what the black-furred warrior had said, and Luna felt her gently lay the tip of her mottled tail against her back, attempting to provide whatever small sense of comfort she could.

A large number of cats had come out of their dens to see what was going, and by now, the three young cats' ears were met by a chorus of yowling that echoed around the clearing as the various members of the Clan spoke up to voice their concerns, many not so nicely.

"Well, now what?"

"She can't stay here!"

"You should have just left her in Twolegplace regardless, where she belongs!"

"What's going on?"

Luna glanced upward at the last voice to see the massive brown tabby, ThunderClan leader Foreststar, step out from his den within the crack in the rock in the center of the camp, his green eyes wide but betraying no emotion. He was followed by the huge, mean-looking dark tabby tom who made Luna especially nervous – the Clan deputy, Hawktalon.

A few tail-lengths away from them, Snakefang, the angry dark-striped tom, rolled his eyes. "My mouse-brained siblings though it would be a good idea to bring this kittypet back to camp, even though –"

"Silence." Luna couldn't help but feel some satisfaction as the Clan leader quieted the arrogant young warrior with a mere flick of his tail. "Please let Blackfrost and Robinsong themselves explain to me why they've done what they have. I'm sure it doesn't require your input."

The grey-striped warrior lowered his gaze, ears flat against his head, clearly embarrassed at being called out by his leader in front of half the Clan.

Blackfrost took this as his chance to speak up. "Foreststar, I'm sorry that Robinsong and I haven't done what you've asked of us. We did take Luna back to Twolegplace, like you said, but her Twoleg nest – it was empty. Her Twolegs weren't inside… they're gone."

Beside Luna, Robinsong nodded in agreement. "We didn't know what else to do, so we brought her back to the ThunderClan camp, at least so we could decide what to do next."

"And what makes you think we want her back here?" A skinny, elderly tortoiseshell she-cat yowled loudly from the back of the gathered crowd. Luna glanced up sharply and saw a familiar brown cat, Owlface, shush her quickly with a few words whispered into her ear, though she still looked exceptionally grumpy.

"Is that all?" Foreststar mewed. He briefly glanced at Robinsong before settling his gaze on Blackfrost, his eyes thoughtful. The two young warriors beside Luna nodded in unison, and she could sense their combined apprehension. What would their leader do?

Surely he wouldn't demand that they take her back again to fend for herself? Then again, Luna didn't want to – she couldn't – imagine staying in this forest Clan any longer. But if her family was truly gone, what other choice did she have?

She bit her own tongue to keep herself from yowling out loud in fear and despair.

Foreststar gaze shifted around the clearing; beside him, Luna couldn't help but notice that his intimidating deputy looked as though he had something he wanted to say, but luckily, he kept his mouth shut. Instead, the dark warrior gave the pale white she-cat a scrutinizing glare that would have made her skin crawl if she wasn't already too upset to feel much of anything at all.

"Well, it seems that nearly all the Clan are already out here, so I won't have to sound the meeting call." Foreststar leapt to the top of the rock in the middle of the clearing, and all of the cats gathered around turned expectantly to hear what he had to say.

"As you have all heard, the she-cat from Twolegplace that has been staying with us for the past quarter-moon has been brought back to the Clan," he announced. "As Blackfrost and Robinsong have told us, her Twolegs have gone, and she is unable to return to them. We must now quickly decide our next course of action."

He cleared his throat. "Any suggestions?"

Unfortunately, Hawktalon was the first to speak up next. "I say we drive her out of our territory immediately," the deputy growled, unsheathing his claws, and Luna shivered despite herself. "This mess has gone on for far too long, in my honest opinion. A kittypet belongs in Twolegplace, and that's that."

Quite a few cats, including Snakefang, yowled their agreement. Luna felt her anxieties rise, and she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her shaky nerves.

"What would the other Clans think of us if they had known we were sheltering a pathetic kittypet?" A large black and white warrior added. "We'd be made a laughingstock at the Gathering if any of them found out!"

A light brown cat she didn't recognize nodded. "Kittypets have no place in the Clans."

"Now now, there's no need for any of that." Luna looked up, feeling the smallest glimmer of hope within, as she recognized the stern voice of the ThunderClan medicine cat. Rosethorn stepped forward toward the Highrock to address the Clan, completely unfazed by the mixed sentiments of the crowd.

"What would be the point in using up our time and resources on healing this kittypet, only for us to drive her out as soon as she gets better?" She shook her head. "A kittypet relies their Twolegs to survive, that we all know; they can't endure the wild on their own, especially during the harshness of leaf-bare. It would be a cruel waste."

A few cats mewed quietly, as though unsure of whether or not to agree with their medicine cat's words. The tortoiseshell she-cat turned back toward Foreststar and Hawktalon at the Highrock. "I don't think that StarClan would approve."

Luna had just enough time to wonder briefly what StarClan could possibly be when another Clan she-cat spoke up.

"Rosethorn makes a decent point. She isn't our medicine cat for nothing," the tawny brown cat mewed carefully, and Luna caught a glimpse of her kind hazel eyes, recognizing her as Woodfern, the mother of the two kittens whose apprentice ceremony she had recently observed. "Doesn't StarClan want us to also show some compassion to other innocent cats in need, both those of other Clans, and outside of them?"

She locked eyes with Foreststar. "Surely you of all cats would understand that."

Luna had no conceivable idea what the she-cat could have meant by that, but apparently, the leader understood, as he nodded solemnly. Beside her, she felt Blackfrost inhale sharply, though Luna wasn't really sure why. Did it have to do with what Woodfern said?

Hawktalon snorted audibly at Woodfern's words, but her mate Rowanfur, who was seated just behind her, nodded wisely. "I suppose you're right, in that it wouldn't feel right to drive her away now. Would that be any different from just leaving her in the first place, when Blackfrost found her injured?"

Another pale grey she-cat mewed her assent. "We aren't as heartless as ShadowClan warriors, after all."

Hawktalon thrashed his tail in annoyance. "But... What good would it do to keep her? It's a kittypet – she'll be of no use to the Clan! Can't hunt, can't fight; she probably won't survive leaf-bare regardless!"

"M-maybe we could… teach her?" A thin, dark brown tom spoke up tentatively. More than a few cats snorted at that, Hawktalon loudest of all.

Foreststar, however, didn't seem to completely agree with his deputy. His eyes were narrowed in what looked like deep thought, and he glanced from Hawktalon, to Rosethorn, to Blackfrost before clearing his throat to address the Clan again.

"All right, if that is all; we've heard each of your arguments. What does the Clan think?"

The cats gathered in the clearing exchanged concerned looks with each other, many of them murmuring quietly and shooting quick glances in Luna's direction. The pale she-cat felt as though she were sinking into the ground under the weight of all the scrutinizing glances from so many cats sizing her up, and she couldn't tell whether the majority of their looks were good or bad.

Without any more additional input, the ThunderClan leader seemed to know the final decision should be. "If the she-cat agrees to it, I say that she may stay here in ThunderClan for the time being."

A couple of cats gasped at that, but most of them responded with silence – including Blackfrost, who stared down at his own paws – as Foreststar continued, "This wouldn't be the first time the Clan has taken in an outsider who needed our help. And ThunderClan is not against compassion; our medicine cat has indeed made a decent point. Now the only question left is, where shall she stay?"

"She's certainly not sleeping in the warriors' den," a dark reddish-brown she-cat hissed immediately, her eyes narrowed threateningly. It seemed that she was one cat who definitely was not happy one bit with the ThunderClan leader's final decision, though she didn't dare go against his word. "I'm not letting a kittypet stink up my nest!"

Snakefang, as well as quite a few other warriors, snarled in agreement, and for once, feeling Robinsong's gentle tail resting against her fur, Luna was relieved that at least a few cats were willing to stick up for her here. After all that had happened, she felt completely lost and alone, as though her entire world had been turned upside down and shaken around like a box of dry kibble rattling its contents into her food dish. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably at the very thought – what if she never ate her favorite meals ever again? Or slept in her cozy little nest with the warm, soft quilted blankets? Or sat on her housefolk's lap-

No. No, she couldn't think about those things. Not here, not now. She had to be brave for once, even if she didn't really feel it deep down.

"All right," the ThunderClan leader's deep mew interrupted her thoughts. "If not with the warriors, then perhaps the elders' den?"

"No," the skinny tortoiseshell elder who had spoken up earlier hissed, her coppery eyes narrowed in resolute defiance. "She's not one of us; I won't allow it."

Luna couldn't help but feel insulted at the old she-cat's dismissive tone, but Foreststar didn't argue with her.

"Then perhaps she could sleep in the nursery?" Woodfern suggested. Beside her, Robinsong nodded as though she thought that would be a fine idea, but Luna herself felt much less enthusiastic over it. The last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by a group of small, mewling kittens who would keep her up all night and disturb her beauty rest.

A pretty she-cat with rich brown fur, one of the ThunderClan queens, shook her head. "With my own kits, there's no room for the kittypet in the nursery."

Luna couldn't help but wonder whether that were truly the case, or if the Clan cat just didn't want any cat like herself around her impressionable young; a thought that was further emphasized by some cat at the other side of the clearing snarling, "I wouldn't want a kittypet anywhere near the kits."

Luna exchanged a glance with Blackfrost and Robinsong, and felt largely surprised yet strangely relieved that each of them seemed to share her same thoughts. This situation was starting to feel downright hopeless.

Foreststar also looked somewhat bothered, though he maintained his composure well. "Well, if you don't-"

"Excuse me," the medicine cat interjected suddenly, and Foreststar quickly closed his mouth to stare at the tortoiseshell she-cat questioningly. "Foreststar, pardon me for interrupting, but I would be willing to allow Luna to continue staying in my den, seeing as how no other cat seems too keen on accepting her."

"With good reason," the cranky tortoiseshell elder muttered loudly under her breath. Rosethorn ignored her.

"Are you sure?" Foreststar asked. The medicine cat nodded. Luna tried to meet her gaze, but she seemed to purposely avoid her eyes, instead choosing to stare intently up at her leader on the Highrock.

"But, Foreststar-"

"Enough." the large brown tabby silenced his deputy with a glare. "You of all cats should know better than to argue with the word of your leader. We can discuss this later in private, with the other senior warriors."

"Are we really going to let a soft little kittypet like this stay in ThunderClan?" The dark red she-cat with lurid green eyes hissed, shooting Luna a sideways glance seething with contempt.

The pale white housecat felt a sudden, uncharacteristic surge of anger burst through her like she had never felt before. She had been through so much, and yet these cats still insistently put her down and treated her like dirt when they didn't even know her!

"My name isn't kittypet," she mewed, staring at the wild she-cat head on. "It's Luna. Luna. And you can all stop talking about me like I'm not even here – I can speak for myself, you know."

Without so much as a glance toward Blackfrost, Robinsong, Rosethorn, or any other cat in the clearing, Luna haughtily whipped around and stalked off toward the medicine cat den.

She didn't care what those Clan cats would think of her melodramatic exit. She didn't care whether it would make them all hate her even more. She didn't care what they thought of her.

She was sick of all of this. Why couldn't it have all been just a terrible dream?

The pale white she-cat sighed heavily as she trailed back through the now-familiar fern tunnel, headed for the mossy nest she had hoped she'd never have to sleep in again.