Hullo! I am so sorry for the long wait, I know I promised you guys an update for last week, but I was super busy, so, as you can see that didn't happen. I'm deeply sorry about that, I'll do my best to make sure the next chapter is up quicker. :)

Anyway, I can now reveal that we are five or so chapters away from the next book, Eye of the Storm. I finished the front cover for Eye of the Storm yesterday and you guys can now see it on my deviantart page. The cat on the front cover is Snowpaw, in warrior form, and though it's not my best work and I kinda rushed it, it's okay-ish, it will do. You can find it by clicking the link on my profile.

Anyway, let me know what you think about that. ^^

Onwards, and upwards, it's disclaimer time!

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, if I did, why on earth would I writing on a fan fiction site?! xD

Thank you to all of your name suggestions guys! I have almost decided on names, but there are still a few I'm unsure about so feel free to keep suggesting. :) Oh, and we don't meet the Tribe in this chapter, but I put the allegiances for them up in this chapter anyway. :)

.:Review Replies:.

Numbuh 227 ~ Thank you! He he, the town cats will be having a big part in the next few books of these series, they're gonna be stirring up a whole lot of trouble! Love the names you suggested by the way, especially Whitefern and Brackenshade. ^.^

Orangeflight ~ Thank you! I adore RedxDew, in fact, they have a little moment in this chapter, which I hope you'll enjoy. :)

Hannah ~ Thank you! c: I love the name Whitefern! 3

SnowwolfRiversky ~ Thank you! Yes, I know some of them are pretty young to be elders, but just as with humans, cats age differently. For example, I have a 18 year old cat with half a tail who acts like a kitten, he never stops moving, always on the go! On the other side of the spectrum, there's a cat that lives down our road who's the complete opposite, 3 years old and he acts like an old grandpa. I can't remember whether I mentioned, but Reedwhisker also retired because he got a leg injury.

Owlshadow13 ~ Wow, thank you so much! That means so much to me! That cat from twoleg place may/may not have been talking about Amberpaw... Well, okay, maybe he was.. Anyway, thank you so much! If I ever need help with my story, I'll come straight to you! :3

Brackenbflame ~ Brackenfang? Ooh, I like it. :)

Willowfire of ThunderClan ~ Ooh, I love your name! So many names, I don't know how I'm going to decide for Whitepaw, I really like Whiterfire, but I also love Whitefern and Whiterain. It's so difficult to decide! xD

Wyldclaw ~ Thanks for all the suggestions! I honestly don't know how I'm going to choose. xD

icefire13 ~ No problem, I've been busy too. It's great to have you back, I've missed your reviews. -tackle hugs- I am still accepting artwork for the video, I've been super busy, so at the moment the video is still only 10 seconds long. xD There will be another Lilystream pov soon, I promise, next chapter I think? I'll see what everyone thinks about the lengths of the chapters, whether they should be shorter, whatever people would prefer. :3

Warriorcatlover3 ~ I suggested some names for you. :P And thank you! :)

Guest ~ He he, well here you go! The email you've been waiting for! Sorry for the long wait! :P

Anyway guys, here ya go! Not my best chapter, but I think you'll like it, hopefully. Well, some of it at least. Enjoy!

The Tribe of Rushing Water

Healer: Teller of the Pointed Stones (Stoneteller) – dark grey tom (Brook's brother)

Prey-Hunters: Wing Shadow Over Water (Wing) – grey-and-white she-cat

Stormfur – dark grey tom with amber eyes, formerly of RiverClan

Screech of Angry Owl (Screech) – black tom

Splash When Fish Leaps (Splash) – light brown tabby she-cat

Dark Shadow on Water (Dark) – black tom

Pine that Clings to Rock (Pine) – light brown tom

Breeze that Ripples Water (Breeze) – pale grey tabby she-cat

Trout that Swims Upstream (Trout) – black-and-white tom

Spider that Clings to Shadows (Spider) – small black tom

Spark of Fading Embers (Spark) – bright ginger-and-white she-cat

Puma that Prowls Mountains (Puma) – pale sandy-coloured tom

Cave Guards: Sheer Path beside Waterfall (Sheer) – dark brown tabby tom

Night of No Stars (Night) – black she-cat

Moss that Grows by River (Moss) – light brown she-cat

Pebble that Rolls down Mountain (Pebble) – grey she-cat

Snow Falling on Stones (Snow) – white she-cat

Rain that Passes Quickly (Rain) – speckled grey she-cat

Dew that Clings to Grass (Dew) – black-and-silver tabby tom

Clear skies after Storm (Clear) – dark grey she-cat

Kit-Mothers: Flight of Startled Heron (Flight) – brown tabby she-cat, mother to Screech's kits (Storm Clouds on Horizon (Storm); pale brown tabby tom, Flame That Burns Endless (Flame); very dark ginger tom, and Falcon that Swoops Low (Falcon); small black she-cat)

Fox that Stalks Rabbit (Fox) – dark reddish ginger she-cat, mother to Spider's kits (Feather that Glides with Breeze; pale ginger she-cat, and Owl that Hunts in Shadows, black-and-ginger she-cat)

Wind that Stirs Leaves (Wind) – light brown tabby-and-white she-cat, expecting Pine's kits

To-Bes – Hare that Races Wind (Hare) – small brown tom

Osprey that Strikes Fiercely (Osprey) – very pale grey tom

Deer that Wanders Forest (Deer) – dappled brown she-cat

Elders – Grey Sky Before Dawn (Grey) – pale grey tabby tom

Talon of Swooping Eagle (Talon) – dark brown tabby tom

Dewpaw

Life in the Mountains was tough. Dewpaw had already learnt that, despite only having been in the mountains for a day and a half. It was a fact you had to accept if you were to survive; life up here wasn't easy and it never would be.

Each and every one of the travelling cats had to adapt their hunting skills to taking down birds of prey and the nimble-footed mountain hares that made their home here, but so far, they had been unsuccessful. Sure, a few mice had been caught here and there, but many of the cats were starting to feel the hunger now; the majority having not eaten since setting paw in the mountains.

Dewpaw was awoken early by the pale light of dawn seeping in through the walls of the windswept thorn bush that himself, Redpaw, Amberpaw, Whitepaw, Mousepaw and Snowpaw had chosen to sleep in. They had become a fairly closely knit group of friends now; Amberpaw had become good friends with both Whitepaw and Redpaw, Snowpaw had talked to Mousepaw a few times and Dewpaw himself had become very close to Redpaw, which he had never expected to happen.

Stretching in the dawn light, the dark-furred tom shook the last of the weariness and aches from his limbs as a wide yawn parted his jaws. Swallowing, Dewpaw glanced around at his den-mates only to find them all sleeping soundly.

I might as well make use of myself. I'll go hunting, maybe if I'm lucky I'll even bring back a mouse! He considered awaking Redpaw to join him on his dawn hunting expedition, then decided against it; rumours about the pair of them had started to spread amongst SkyClan and Dewpaw didn't want to provoke them anymore than he had already.

I don't think of her that way anyway, do I? Shaking the thoughts to the back of his mind, Dewpaw slipped out from under the gorse bush and out into the snowy dawn.

He was immediately overcome, and almost swept off his paws, by the bitter cold. Dewpaw shivered, snow crunching under-paw as he made his way away from the temporary camp that SkyClan had made. With Tinycloud's kits being so young and the snow meaning that conditions outside were treacherous, the clan had decided to stay put for a little while, at least until Tinycloud's kits were a few days old and the snow had thawed a little.

Passing the rocky overhanging where Frecklewish and her apprentice were sleeping soundly, Dewpaw's sights were firmly set on a small clump of trees in the distance. Their skeleton-like branches were leaning towards the sun, as if reaching for the sun's warm rays to come and rid them of the bitter cold.

If only the sun could peep out from behind the thick covering of clouds and just let them have a little light, a few moments of warmth in this harsh cold.

Lifting his nose to the sky, he inhaled a deep breath of fresh mountain air, all of his senses scouring the many scents of the mountain for any traces of prey. Ah ha! Mountain Hare! He drank in the scents one last time, trying to locate the mountain-dwelling prey. Seems to be coming from… That copse of trees just ahead!

Flicking several snowflakes from ivory-white whiskers, Dewpaw's amber eyes narrowed to slits, brain switching to hunting mode as he began to stalk forwards, carrying himself very low. Unfortunately for Dewpaw, his thick dark grey pelt stuck out like a sore paw amongst the snowy scene. It was at that moment, that he found himself wishing for his brother's long white pelt; not only did it blend in perfectly with the snow, but it also kept the snow out.

The funny and rather ironic thing, however, was that despite being named Snowpaw, Dewpaw's youngest sibling absolutely hated the snow. He was always complaining about cold paws and how he couldn't see beyond his own whiskers and would avoid hunting in the snow at all costs. Unfortunately, with Snowpaw being the skilled hunter he was and with his pelt blending in perfectly with the snow, he was being relied on a lot at the moment to bring back prey.

The harsh wind tugging at his thick grey fur, Dewpaw shuddered, the cold chilling him to the bone. Fluffing up his dark grey pelt against the elements, the ThunderClan tom focused on the copse of trees up ahead, the trees leaning into the wind like hunched-back travellers.

Under-paw, the snow crunched, paw-prints in the crisp blanket of white starting to form. It was deadly still, silent too, Dewpaw noted, apart from the song of a single bird. The dark grey tom blinked, dark amber orbs seeking out the bird in the stillness of dawn, intrigued as to why there was just one bird singing. Dewpaw had always known it to be either lots of birds or no birds singing, so why was it just one?

At last spotting the bird, perched on the branch of a twisted oak tree; Dewpaw quickly identifying it as a lark. The dark-furred tom swiped his tongue around his jaws in anticipation of the prey, amber orbs narrowing to slits. The lark would make much easier prey than the Mountain Hare he'd been tracking until then.

Dropping into a hunter's crouch and slinking forwards, shivering as his grey belly fur brushed against the snowy ground, Dewpaw kept his eyes on his target, continuing to move forwards at a slow, but steady pace.

So far, the lark seemed to be completely oblivious to its stalker, still singing strong from its perch on the branch of the twisted oak. Another bird had now joined in its song and though Dewpaw couldn't quite distinguish what type of bird it was purely from its dawn cries, it sounded like a type of songbird.

Ears twitching, Dewpaw focused dark amber eyes on his target, every muscle in his body tense as he skulked closer to the lark. Pausing mid song, the bird took a few brief moments to survey its surroundings for any danger.

Dewpaw instantly froze, heart pounding against his chest as the bird gazed out over the terrain. Shaking its feathers, the lark at last seemed to decide everything was safe and resumed its song, hopping from the branch it had been perched on and onto the snowy ground. It stood by a frozen puddle for a moment, peering inquisitively into the icy pool.

Heart at last returning to its normal speed, Dewpaw could heave a sigh of relief before pressing onwards again, warily stalking forwards. All his senses intently focused on his prey, Dewpaw steadily grew closer until there were only a few tail-lengths between himself and his prey.

Peering at the lark from behind a wind-worn bramble thicket, Dewpaw took a few moments to just clear his mind and prepare himself for the leap. Right, we need prey, badly. If I don't catch this… No, don't think like that. I will catch this, for SkyClan, for Amberpaw and Snowpaw, for Redpaw.

Shifting his weight to his haunches, Dewpaw counted up mentally. 1, 2, 3, let's go! Dewpaw pushed off from the ground, strength surging through his muscles and thorn-sharp claws unsheathed and aiming for his target. He was almost on top of the lark when it at last realised it was in grave danger and let out an alarmed squawk, shooting out from underneath.

It was way too quick for Dewpaw.

The dark-furred tom scowled, slumping down into the snow, mentally scolding himself. How could you miss that? SkyClan can't afford to miss any prey! Because of you, a cat might not be able to eat today.

"Hey, Dewy Paws!"

A familiar excitable mew reached Dewpaw, causing the dark grey tom to sit up instantly. Redpaw. Amber eyes alert, he quickly spotted the tortoiseshell apprentice, just a few paces ahead of him and in her jaws… the lark!

Gaze softening with warmth, the dark-pelted tom scrambled to his paws and bounded over to the pretty she-cat, a spring in his step, "Redpaw!"

Redpaw chuckled, grinning broadly, "Someone's happier than normal," she smiled, regarding the ThunderClan apprentice with bright green eyes, "I think you missed something," she dropped the limp body of the lark at his paws.

Dewpaw blinked, "Is this… is this the lark I just missed? Did you catch it?" he studied Redpaw for a moment, inclining his head. That lark had been so quick, he didn't know how any cat could be fast enough to catch it.

Redpaw purred, "No, no, I didn't catch it, an eagle killed it, then gave it to me as a gift for being so awesome," she meowed sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "Of course I caught it, you mouse-brain."

Dewpaw sat up a little taller, puffing out his chest fur, "Who are you calling a mouse-brain? I made the journey from the lake all the way to help SkyClan," amusement glinted in his dark amber eyes, "In case you've forgotten, if it weren't for me, and Amberpaw and Snowpaw of course, you'd be stuck back at the gorge, slowly dying of starvation."

Redpaw poked him playfully, "Alright, alright, you win," she paused for a moment, "I'm still calling you Dewy Paws though."

Dewpaw glared at her, "Of all names, Dewy Paws, really?"

Redpaw grinned, "Well, you're called 'Dewpaw', so why not Dewy Paws? I couldn't think of anything else anyway," she let her green gaze wash over the dark-furred apprentice for a moment, "Why did your mother call you 'Dew' anyway? Ooh, wait, let me guess! When you were a kit, you had an obsession with eating dew?"

Dewpaw chuckled, "No, I did not have an obsession with eating dew when I was a kit. I think Brightheart said something about it being the name of a great warrior called Dewfang or something? Apparently, he had the same colour pelt as me," he smiled and picked up the lark in his jaws, when he suddenly realised something, "Wait, when I woke up, you were asleep, how did you get out here so quickly?"

Redpaw smirked mischievously, "I wasn't asleep when you woke up, I was just pretending to be asleep," she purred, "As soon as you left, I got up and tracked you to here," she gestured to the lifeless lark, "I just happened to be in the right place when that lark flew out from under you."

Dewpaw nodded, "You tracked me? The whole way? Wow, I didn't even notice you were there," he studied the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat a moment before frowning and stepping a little closer, "You're shivering. Are you okay?"

Redpaw blinked, unreadable emotions flashing behind her usually vibrant green eyes, before turning away, "Oh, I'm just not used to this cold really, I'm fine, I really am," she insisted.

Dewpaw stepped even closer so that their pelts smudged together, a mixture of grey and tortoiseshell, "No, you're not fine," he meowed firmly, "Come on, let's get back to the clan, Frecklewish can check you out."

Although Redpaw didn't pull away from Dewpaw, she still shook her head, "No, I'm fine. Honestly, don't you worry about me, we might as well catch some more prey."

Dewpaw stamped his paw down into the snow, leaving a crisp paw-print, dropping the lark, "No, and I mean no. You're not fine, you're shivering, yet you're hot to touch!" he met her gaze, "You're more important to me than catching prey for the clan, now, we are going back and you are going to let Frecklewish check you out."

As soon as the words slipped his jaws, Dewpaw found himself overwhelmed by confusion. 'You're more important to me than catching prey for the clan.'… Did I really just say that?

Redpaw blinked, vibrant green gaze lighting up at his words, "Okay, fine," she gave a small smile, "You can carry the lark though."

Dewpaw rolled his eyes, but obeyed, "Fine," he at last, regretfully, pulled away from the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat, "Come on then, let's get you back to the clan."

When the pair returned to their makeshift camp, there was an eerie silence, despite it being way past dawn.

Dewpaw found it very unusual, as usually the clan would be up and about, whether it was hunting, sharing tongues or simply having a meal.

Redpaw at his side, still shivering, the dark grey tom frowned, amber gaze raking their temporary camp for any sign of movement. The breeze carried several hushed whispers to Dewpaw's ears and the dark-furred tom immediately sat up a little taller, ears pricking forwards.

"Do something, Frecklewish! Please, anything! Just save her!"

Dewpaw stiffened, glancing over at Redpaw. That voice had belonged to one of SkyClan's queens, Firesong. Neither Redpaw nor Dewpaw spoke for a few heartbeats until the tortoiseshell apprentice at last piped up, "Dewpaw, do you think something's happened?"

Dewpaw didn't reply at first, mind racing with countless thoughts. Giving Redpaw an uncertain look, he meowed sheepishly, "I don't know, let's go find out."

Redpaw nodded slowly, though didn't utter a words. Dropping the lark on their rather measly makeshift fresh-kill pile, Dewpaw cautiously treaded the path to the hollowed out gorse bush which was the mountain's solution to SkyClan's nursery.

From inside, as Redpaw and Dewpaw drew closer, muffled sobs could be heard and just as the pair stopped by the entrance to the makeshift nursery, a distraught Leafstar came padding out of the den, amber eyes swimming with despair.

The brown-and-cream tabby stopped by the two apprentices and let her amber gaze rest on them for a moment, "And what would you two be up to?"

Dewpaw glanced sideways at Redpaw briefly before responding, "We went hunting and we came back and…" he peered inside the makeshift nursery, "It was so quiet… Has something… Has something happened?"

Redstar blinked, not making eye contact with either of the two apprentices, "Well, yes," she threw a quick glance over her shoulder, "It seems that Cinderkit has developed a severe case of greencough," she hesitated, taking a shaky breath, "Firesong did mention that Cinderkit had been coughing a lot over the last few days, but today…" she broke off, pain flashing behind amber eyes, "Frecklewish doesn't think she's going to make it." Redpaw's eyes stretched wide with shock, "S-She think's s-she's going to d-d-die?" she stumbled over her words, gaze drifting over to the entrance to the makeshift nursery.

Leafstar nodded solemnly, not making eye contact with either of the two apprentices. The SkyClan leader then lowered her head and padded past Dewpaw and Redpaw, making for her temporary den, a crevice in the mountainside.

Redpaw exchanged an anxious glance with Dewpaw, who was just about to speak when the tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice darted inside the den. The dark grey tom felt a little as though he was intruding, but Redpaw motioned for him to follow with a flick of her tortoiseshell-and-white tail, so he reluctantly followed her inside into the dim of the gorse bush.

There was no acknowledgement of the two apprentices' presences from the cats already gathered inside. All their attentions were focused on a small bundle of fur lying at Firesong's paws. With a lump in his throat, Dewpaw realised that the lump of fur was a kit, Cinderkit.

Firesong was sobbing, green eyes flooding with pain and grief, pulling Cinderkit's frail body close to her. Cinderkit's father, a dark grey-and-ginger tom who went by the name of Flintclaw, was also very distressed by the whole scene, pressing himself against his mate as if worried he might lose her.

Every now and then a cough shook the small grey-and-white she-kit's frail body and Firesong's eyes would stretch wide with fear for her daughter. Frecklewish was sat beside Firesong, shaking her head gravely, eyes painted with regret.

Tinycloud on looked from the shadows, warapping her tail protectively around her trembling kits. Sagewhisker stood beside her, nuzzling her comfortingly. To their left was Fallowfern, who, though she had no kits of her own in the nursery at the time, nor was she was expecting any, still looked deeply upset by the whole scene.

Redpaw immediately rushed over to Flintclaw, green eyes swimming with pain. Dewpaw found himself having to look away, he just couldn't bear to see her so upset, to see those beautiful green eyes of hers filled with such sadness.

"I'm sorry," Frecklewish's mew cut through the silence and she raised her head to address the gathered cats, "We're losing her, there's nothing I can do."

Firesong let out a low whimper, pressing her nose into Cinderkit's soft fur so that she could drink in her daughter's scent, be closer to her. Flintclaw, however, reacted a little differently. Jumping to his paws, the grey-and-ginger tom's eyes were blazing, his pelt prickling as if facing an enemy, "What do you mean you can't save her? Of course you can save her, you're a medicine cat!" he snarled, lips curling back to reveal a gleaming set of white fangs, "And if you can't save her, I don't know how you can call yourself a medicine cat. What medicine cat lets an innocent kit die?" his voice dropped to a low whisper, "I don't care what you do, just save her, anything to save her."

Frecklewish looked a little hurt by Flintclaw's challenge, her gaze dropping to the floor as she lowered her head, "Flintclaw, if there was something I could do, I would save her, but it's too late. I don't have the right herbs and"-

"You don't have the right herbs?" Redpaw cut in, inclining her head to one side, "I thought you brought herbs with you? We had to carry them here, well, I didn't, but Dewpaw did," she nodded to the dark-furred tom.

Dewpaw gave a small nod of confirmation, shrinking backwards a little so that he blended in with the den walls.

Frecklewish's gaze lingered on Dewpaw for a moment before diverting back to Flintclaw once more, "Yes, I did bring herbs with me, but they are mostly old and stale now and I don't have the right herbs to treat Cinderkit," her tone became a little more aggressive, "And Flintclaw, I suggest you don't use that tone with your medicine cat, do you know how much it hurts me that I can't save little Cinderkit? Do you know how much it breaks me inside to know that after seasons of training, I can't save a poor innocent life purely because I don't have the right herbs? Without herbs, my medicine cat skills are useless. Unless I have catmint, fresh catmint, I can't save Cinderkit."

There were a few heartbeats of silence until suddenly a thought struck Dewpaw out of the blue. Sitting up a little taller, the dark grey tom's eyes brightened, "There's a tribe, the Tribe of Rushing Water, I think, that live in the mountains," he meowed, gaze resting on Frecklewish, "They would surely have herbs. If we found them, we could ask them for herbs?"

Firesong's eyes lit up with hope and she gave a small nod. Frecklewish met Dewpaw's gaze evenly, perking up a little, "The Tribe of Rushing Water, you say?" she tested how the name rolled off her tongue, "If finding them means we might be able to save Cinderkit, then it's worth a shot," her gaze flitted back to Cinderkit, "It is so, we must find the Tribe of Rushing Water."

Dun, dun, dun! Cliffhanger! What do you think's going to happen? Will they find the tribe? Will they be able to save Cinderkit or is it too late?

Did you notice the little RedxDew moment in there, did ya?

Anyway, I need your opinion on something guys. One of you mentioned about the chapters being too long, what do you think? Would you like them to be shorter, longer even (I have no idea how I could make them longer xD), the same as they are already (about 3.5k words each chapter)? Just let me know. ^^

Next chapter:

Snowpaw starts seeing things,

We go back to the lake and check on how the other clans are at a gathering,

Redpaw seems to have caught greencough.

Well, live, love, read and review! Love you guys!

This is Leafy, over and out! -poofs on a rainbow llama-