They didn't reach the city. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, night had fallen and the kits were asleep, dead weights in the warrior's mouths.

"We'll rest for the night and keep going tomorrow," Moss-storm decided, scanning the area. "That tree over there - it's hollow, Sorrel and the kits can sleep in it while we keep guard."

"Tawnyfang, Moss-storm, and I can hunt," Stormwhisker offered, flicking the tortoiseshell's shoulder with her tail. At Graystream's concerned look, she added, "We'll stay close by."

"Don't go too far," Kestrelheart advised, nudging the kits after Sorrel. The queen looked exhausted, and the kits were stumbling over their paws trying to get into the den.

The ShadowClan warrior nodded, whisking back into the trees and opening her jaws, looking for prey scent.

'Moss...oaks...vole!' Dropping into a crouch, she moved silently as she followed the scent trail, finding the creature snuffling around under a tree. 'An easy catch.'

As she pounced, she heard a snarl and felt someone crash into her, knocking her on her side. Snarling, she swiped a paw out, catching tufts of fur in her claws.

"Easy, kitten," a cool voice said, knocking her back. "Claws can hurt."

"I hope they do," Stormwhisker spat, standing up and looking at her attacker - a silver tom with bright amber eyes. He looked amused at the notion, his tail tip twitching back and forth. "Do you have a problem?"

"Not with you," the tom mewed. "Though you did cross into my territory getting that vole."

Stormwhisker flicked her tail and hooked the vole with a claw, tossing it to the tom, her muzzle twitching up to show her teeth.

"Keep it," the tom mewed, tossing it back. "What are you doing here, kitten? Not many cats travel this way since Soleil has started his search. Word is he has his sights set on the valley."

"You know about Soleil?" Stormwhisker asked, her ears pricking up.

"Everyone around here knows about Soleil," the tom said, padding toward her. "Why are you asking?"

Stormwhisker twitched an ear, sitting and wrapping her tail around her paws. "Curiosity," she said simply, noting his relaxed posture. The tom paused, leaning close enough for her to see the orange in his eyes and the white furs on his muzzle.

"You're a Clanner." It wasn't a question. He pulled back, sitting across from her. "What are you planning?"

"Soleil made himself an enemy of the Clans," she responded simply. "I'm gathering information."

The tom twitched an ear, cocking his head to one side and grinning, showing off sharp white teeth. "I think we may be able to help each other, kitten. You and your friends should come with me instead of hanging out in the dead tree."

"How'd you know I have friends with me?" Stormwhisker asked, her ears shooting up.

"I didn't," the tom said, standing and padding toward the area Sorrel and the kits were. "But Clanners rarely travel alone, if at all."

Stormwhisker trotted to catch up with him, noticing with annoyance that he was taller than Shadefrost.

"What's your name?" she asked, snatching up her vole.

"Silver," he mewed, flicking his tail once and launching himself into a tree, landing a couple seconds later with a squirrel in his jaws that he dropped at her feet. "Who are you, kitten? You seem pretty young to leave the Clans."

"Stormwhisker," she replied.

He looked at her, twitching his tail tip. "You're rather small to have your name."

Stormwhisker flicked an ear, brushing past him with the prey clamped in her jaws. "Small or not, I'm as much a warrior as any of my Clan, loner. It'd do you well to keep that in mind," she said around the vole.

"Oh, I don't doubt any by their size," he replied. "You just seem rather young."

Stormwhisker looked away, continuing to where her friends were. "How do you know about the Clans' customs?"

"Pardon?" he asked, tossing his squirrel over his shoulders.

"You knew that I had my full name," she mewed. "Not many cats know the difference between Clan names."

"When you travel long enough, you learn some things," Silver replied. "The same way I knew you weren't alone, that you were in the dead tree."

Stormwhisker looked at him once, taking a moment to observe him. Long fur didn't hide his sturdy, well-muscled body, and he was larger than most Clan cats, completely dwarfing her. The white flecks on his muzzle told her he was older than her and her friends, and she could spot a few scars on his face, neck, and ears.

"If you want a story, kitten, just say so," he mewed, padding slowly beside her. "Here we go."

Stormwhisker broke away from him to approach Graystream and Kestrelheart, flicking her tail at the toms to relax them. As she dropped her vole beside Sorrel, she mewed, "He knows about Soleil and thinks he may be able to help us."

"Or he's working with Soleil and is trying to draw us into a trap," Graystream murmured, shifting to stand in front of Sorrel. The queen leaned around Graystream, her ears pricking up when she saw the loner.

"Silver?" she mewed. "Is that you?"

Silver blinked fondly, lowering his head. "Sorrel, it's good to see you. How are the kits?"

Sorrel nudged Graystream out of her way, padding up to him and bumping her head against his. "They're well. Sleeping, at the moment. What are you doing here?"

He touched his nose to her forehead gently, laughing lightly. "I met your friend here when she was hunting. The den isn't too far, and it's safer - you should come stay with us."

"I didn't know you all were still here," Sorrel mewed. "I thought you'd gone to the city."

"The alley cats are making it harder to settle in the city," Silver told her. "Especially with Soleil around. Have you been alone this whole time?"

"Lev's come by on occasion to see the kits," she replied. "If I'd known you were close, I'd have come to you."

"You know each other?" Kestrelheart asked, nudging a sleepy Wasp back to his siblings.

"Everyone knows everyone around here," Silver replied, padding to the kits and wrapping his tail over them. "It's safer to keep together than to stay alone, but some cats-" he nodded toward Sorrel, "-are more stubborn than others."

"I know what I can handle," Sorrel sniffed, wrapping her tail around her paws. Stormwhisker nudged the vole toward her, watching Moss-storm and Tawnyfang approach them.

"Do I want to know?" Tawnyfang asked tiredly, dropping a pair of birds beside Silver's squirrel.

"I met Silver," she mewed, flicking her tail to the tom, "while hunting. He has more friends nearby, and they know about Soleil."

Moss-storm flicked her tail, looking at the tom closely. "Is that so?"

Stormwhisker sighed, glancing from Sorrel to Graystream. The RiverClan cat sighed, standing and stretching.

"He's offered to let us stay the night with him and his group," Graystream mewed, "which will be safer for the kits."

"It's not very far," Silver said, "and I can carry the kits on my back. We have food and nests, too."

"You had me at information about Soleil," Tawnyfang said dryly, stretching her legs. "Lead the way, we'll keep watch from behind."

Silver nodded, crouching to let Sorrel put her kits on his back. The kits mewled and woke up slightly to nuzzle deeper into his fur, disappearing into the silver hairs. Sorrel purred, trailing right behind Silver as he led the way.

"You seem to have a knack for making friends," Kestrelheart commented to Stormwhisker, walking with her at the rear of the group. She sighed, lowering her head slightly. "What's wrong?" he asked, glancing at her.

"I wish I had a way to be sure we were doing the right thing," she murmured. "Sorrel and her kits will definitely be safer in a group, but the longer we take to warn the Clans and tell them what we know, the more cats Soleil can hurt."

"StarClan will watch over them," Kestrelheart murmured, bumping her shoulder. "They'll make sure they're still there for us to return to. They wouldn't have sent us on this quest if there'd be nothing to return to."

She sighed, flicking her tail against his side. "I hope you're right," she whispered, glancing at the sky through the branches. Despite his words, an uncertain feeling was settling deep in her heart.

This took forever to write and isn't very good, but at least it's written. More to come in the next chapter; tell me what you think!