AN:: TWO CHAPTERS TODAY!

Petal steadied herself against the side of the small pathway as thick and heavy rain blasted her coat and weighed her down. The others weren't faring well either, especially Shadow, the poor she-cat had nearly fallen off the side twice. After the second time, Nightmare had dragged the small rogue onto her back. The tough terrain started to flatten out as they climbed further up, surprisingly the rain had died down to a light mist.

"There's no way around this." Darkness muttered as her frame shook with a shiver.

The group had ventured into a cave with a large, rushing river that roared before them.

"There's no stepping stones." Swift observed "We can't cross."

"There's stepping stones." Petal meowed as she carefully approached the river "They're covered up by the water." She reached a paw out slowly and steadily and placed it on the slippery boulder.

"Petal!" Jackpot exclaimed as the former deputy carefully clawed her way across the water.

"Come on, I'll direct you across."

The others were hesitant until Nightmare stepped forward.

"You'll guide me, right?"

"You have my word."

With a stiff nod, Nightmare and Shadow traversed the rocks; Petal kept her word.

"Easy, right?" The silver spotted she-cat asked once the pair joined her.

Amber eyed flicked between Petal and the water "Yeah, easy..."

"Alright!" Yowled the loose collared she-cat "Next up!"

Slowly, Petal lead the group as calmly across. Darkness was the last to cross when her footing slipped and she crashed into the water with a screech.

"Darkness!" Petal screamed as she jumped in after her.

"Petal!" The others cried, although Jackpot's was louder.

The golden tabby tried to jump in after them, but Swift latched onto his scuffed and tugged him back "We don't need you gone too!"

Jackpot struggled against the hold "But Petal-!"

"You know she can save her! Petal's gotten pretty good at that lately."

The amber eyed tom grew quiet and kept his gaze on the river 'I-I need to tell her...'

The water roared in the silver she-cat's ears as she swam towards Darkness. The dark colored she-cat tired desperately to stay above the water, only to fail miserably. Petal grasped her collar and scruff with a firm grasp and used what strength she had left to propel them to the surface. Two sets of teeth grabbed her as they resurfaced and, with a mighty tug, drug them onto solid ground. Darkness' flank heaved as she tried to catch her breath; Petal mimicked the action.

"We followed the crazy one." Swift muttered as he shook his pelt.

Petal gave a breathless laugh "Had..to..do something."

"Thank you, Petal." Darkness quietly mewed.

"Don't mention it..." Petal dazed off as the scent of a worried and frightened Jackpot flooded her senses. The tom quickly groomed her pelt the wrong way in an effort to warm her.

~P~I~T~W~

When Petal awoke, she found herself not in the cave, but on the forest floor surrounded by *glowing mushrooms. The she-cat watched in amazement as the spores left their host and flew high into the air, glowing like fireflies in the late night. She slowly got to her paws and looked around.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed in a dream like state "Hello?"

"Petal." A familiar voice answered back.

"Bluegaze?" Petal inquired as the starry tabby approached her "Where am I?"

"You've begun your journey." Bluegaze ignored the question "How do you feel?"

"Drained...You didn't answer my question." Petal pressed with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea myself." Bluegaze meowed "This place," She shuffled her paws on the ground "must be a place holder of some sort. We're well out of StarClan's territory."

"This journey is tiresome." The silver spotted ex-deputy slumped down on the ground "Darkness and I nearly died."

"I saw." The StarClan seer answered.

"Then why didn't you help?" Petal growled.

The tabby waved a starry paw in front of the living cat "I'm dead, remember? Besides, I can only do so much in the land of the living and you were suppose to be doing this alone."

The collared she-cat directed her gaze away from Bluegaze "I-I had planned to, but..."

"My daughter and the former members of BloodClan convinced her." Another voice joined in.

Both she-cats turned to see two figures: one large and one small.

"Bone? Scourge?" Petal slowly walked towards the pair "W-What are you doing here?"

Scourge directed his unstudied claws towards Bluegaze "She found us."

"And you nearly attacked me." The tabby flicked her ear "But I brought them here incase you thought they wouldn't approve."

"Tell my daughter that I'm proud of her choice and I'm happy to watch over her from now on." Bone meowed as his fur fluffed up in pride "I'd rather her follow you then stay with Snake and Ice. I never trusted those two."

"Will do." Petal then turned to Scourge.

"You're choosing to live a different life than I did." Scourge acknowledged "A life that's not full of blood, but instead unknown to everyone, including yourself."

"I'm sorry I left, I-"

The black tom raised his white paw for silence "I never said I was disappointed, Petal, just...confused."

"Scourge, this is my new place." Petal tired explaining "Now you can help me reach a new home or you can stay in the shadows."

The tom's cold eyes widen slightly before he smirked "You're still the 'no nonsense' she-cat you were when you joined." He meowed before turning away into the passage way between the glowing mushrooms.

Bone followed after, but stopped before reaching the entrance "Petal, I want you to watch after Darkness and treat her like she was your own."

'Daughter?' She thought, but choose not to say "You have my word."

Bone nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

"What do I do next? How can I lead them out?"

Bluegaze's ears twitched in thought "I'll help you out."

"How?"

The StarClanner purred "Just follow the starry paw prints."

The forest faded and in it's place sat the roaring water. Petal opened her eyes, her body was still stiff as she slowly got to her paws. The others were nearby, a couple of half eaten mice sat between them.

"Petal!" Jackpot cried through the mouse in his mouth "You're awake!"

"Yeah..."

Jackpot set the prey down at her paws "So what do we do now?"

"Yeah, I don't see an exit out of here." Briar meowed around her mouthful "Do we stop here?"

The silver spotted she-cat tore into the small rodent "We continue on." She glanced around the cave floor, catching the sight of the slightly shining paw sets that lead to a pathway in the back of the cavern "Thank you, Bluegaze..."