Crowpaw paused, lifting his head with his ears pricked to listen for a heartbeat. After a moment he located the source of the voices, Stormfur and Brambleclaw were seated by a brook, Stormfur's voice warm as he instructed Brambleclaw in how to fish.

In Crowpaw's opinion Brambleclaw's attention was more on Stormfur than the lesson, the RiverClan tom paused and waved his tail in greeting.

Brambleclaw started and turned to him, "hello Crowpaw!" he called, Crowpaw dipped his head and raised his tail in greeting. The rabbit in his mouth kept him from replying but he continued on his way, leaving them to the fishing lesson.

Tawnypelt lay sprawled in the soft grass, Crowpaw was glad to see she looked peaceful, the rat bite no longer giving her trouble. They'd taken the two days before Purdy's return to rest and regain their strength for the journey home, and Crowpaw was glad to see it paying off.

A bright orange blur jumped down from a tree to greet him, Squirrelpaw seemed amused despite his best efforts to not flinch when she landed next to him.

"Oh good, you're back." She sniffed at his catch and Crowpaw pulled his head away, "starting to worry you got stuck in a rabbit burrow or something."

Crowpaw dropped the rabbit on the prey pile, next to a pair of mice and a squirrel, "I think that's more your style."

Squirrelpaw huffed and shoved him with her shoulder, "I'll remember that next time you get stuck in a tree."

Crowpaw snorted at that and padded away to find a spot to settle and wait for the others to come back. To his dismay, though not as great as it would've been once, Squirrelpaw followed after him.

"What do you want?" He asked as he flopped down on the ground, Squirrelpaw sat down next to him, watching as he groomed his short fur.

"Are you worried?" Crowpaw's rhythmic strokes stopped as he turned to look at Squirrelpaw, making sure to put his tongue back in before she could mock him. He debated a heartbeat or two, before settling on an honest answer.

"Yes."

Squirrelpaw nodded and fluffed out her fur, "everyone is, but you just keep staring at the horizon-" she nodded the direction they'd come, back to the forest, "-and I was wondering what was wrong?"

Feathertail had already asked him, but Crowpaw wondered what had prompted Squirrelpaw to do so now.

He held her gaze for several heartbeats, looking for an answer and finding only curiosity, and beyond that, compassion. Perhaps there was some of her father in her after all, the cat known for constantly trying to help all the Clans. Crowpaw flicked his ears and washed one paw before dragging it over his ear.

"I already told you all, WindClan was suffering with the drought and then when the twolegs came we were begging to go hungry." His ears flattened and he shuddered, "if Midnight's right…" and he knew she was, however much he wished otherwise, "then my Clan is likely dying."

Squirrelpaw pulled in a deep breath and then spoke again, "Firestar would never let that happen. He'd let you all move onto ThunderClan territory before he let a Clan starve."

"We don't need-" Crowpaw started and snapped his jaws shut, the last thing they needed was his pride getting in the way.

Squirrelpaw's ears flattened slightly, "if it came to that." She offered, Crowpaw dipped his head in acknowledgement of the compromise she was offering, "I'm sure Tallstar has a plan, he figured out to handle the drought, WindClan just has to survive long enough for us to get back and lead them to their new home."

"Oh, make it sound easy," Crowpaw snarked, Squirrelpaw huffed and he continued before they could start snarking at each other and get off topic, "but that's part of what I'm worried about."

Squirrelpaw made a noise of confusion and Crowpaw's ears flattened again.

"If we come home, and Tallstar's died and Mudclaw's leader he's not going to listen to me." Crowpaw was nearly certain his mentor would just exile him. And fine, he'd just go join RiverClan, but his family was still WindClan and, "he'd never agree to work with the other Clans."

"Desperate times," Tawnypelt's voice made both apprentices jump, Crowpaw hadn't realized she'd been paying attention or even awake, "I think even Mudclaw would be willing to leave if his Clan was dying."

Crowpaw parted his jaws, considered it and closed them again, "maybe." Tawnypelt sat down next to them, her movements much smoother and obviously less painful, she leaned over to sniff Crowpaw's face.

Crowpaw jerked back, Tawnypelt huffed and sat back up, "I thought so. That's going to scar."

"Whoops." Squirrelpaw didn't sound that sorry but when he looked over at her she did look at least a little sheepish.

Crowpaw looked around, the others still weren't back yet and so he remarked, "surprised Brambleclaw wanted anything to do with water after earlier."

Tawnypelt's eyes gleamed and she seemed to be fighting back a laugh, "ah, but Stormfur was there."

Squirrelpaw's eyes glittered, "I wouldn't mind a private fishing lesson from Stormfur."

"I'm sure," Crowpaw replied, Squirrelpaw cuffed his ear.

Tawnypelt purred with amusement, her eyes narrowed to slits and to Crowpaw's relief, focused on Squirrelpaw, "and I'm sure you wouldn't mind if my brother was there."

"Tawnypelt!" Squirrelpaw yelped, Crowpaw cackled as the ginger apprentice's pelt fluffed out, Tawnypelt joined in as she tried to defend herself.

"Tawnypelt must be feeling better if she's tormenting the two of you again," Crowpaw rose at the sound of Feathertail's voice, they bumped their foreheads together.

"She's picking on me," Squirrelpaw playfully tattled, the way one did when they knew who they were tattling on wouldn't actually get in trouble and didn't want them to, but rather to drag the new person into it.

"Aw the big bad ShadowClan warrior is picking on the ThunderClan apprentice," Crowpaw cooed, Feathertail's jaw dropped and Tawnypelt was clearly struggling not to burst out laughing as Squirrelpaw whirled on him, green eyes blazing.

"You say that to my face you bat-eared-"

"I did say it to your face!" Crowpaw cut that insult off, there was nothing wrong with his ears thank you very much.

"Glad to see group getting along," Midnight remarked, the four turned to look at the badger, her dark eyes glittered with amusement, "fight like family you do."

Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw both looked at each other, seemed to consider what having the other as a sibling would be like, and recoiled in disgust. Crowpaw was glad Tawnypelt and Feathertail were amused at least.

"What's so funny?" Stormfur came trotting up, Brambleclaw behind him, the ThunderClan warrior looked pleased to be carrying a small fish.

"Nice catch," Crowpaw remarked, Brambleclaw stared at him, which Crowpaw held, he did mean it, Feathertail had shown him how to fish and he still struggled with it. After a heartbeat Brambleclaw dipped his head in thanks.

"Alright, I'm starving," Tawnypelt nosed past them to grab the squirrel from the pile.

"Should we save something for Purdy?" Stormfur asked as Squirrelpaw dragged Crowpaw's rabbit over to him and Brambleclaw.

Crowpaw snagged one of the mice and shrugged, "if there's enough."

Feathertail accepted Brambleclaw's fish and looked over, "unless you want that mouse, I think we'll have enough."

Stormfur nodded, Crowpaw almost rolled his eyes, but the dark gray warrior did have a point, feedng elders was part of the Warrior Code. And for as annoying as he was, he had tried to help.

Crowpaw just wished he was more like Pidgeonwing, his uncle was a thoughtful and compassionate cat, always patient with Crowpaw. Maybe because after Sorrelheart's death in Brokenstar's attack on WindClan and Deadfoot's death in the battle with BloodClan Crowpaw was his only kin left. Then again, he was Stagleap's grandson and that had never made his littermate Doespring any friendlier to him. She'd always been stern though, even when he was a kit, back when Stagleap was more lively, before his age had really started to catch up to him. Now his grandfather slept most of the time, Crowpaw had wanted the older tom to be there at his warrior ceremony but with the way things were going…

"You alright there?" Stormfur's voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts, "You looked far away and kind of sad."

Crowpaw blinked at him in surprise and shook himself, "uh… yeah."

"You sure?" he pressed. Crowpaw could feel the others starting to look at him and looked back at his food, "I'm fine." With that he finished off his mouse in a few quick bites.

The others looked very unconvinced but to his relief none of them were pushing it. He didn't want their pity, that his family was mostly elders that may not live to see him become a Warrior. That he'd likely come back to a den full of new apprentices, his cousins well on their way to be warriors. StarClan chose him for this. StarClan, who he'd always put his faith in, StarClan who could do nothing as their home was torn apart-

"Yeah see, told you, he looks really out of it." It was Squirrelpaw this time.

"I am fine." Crowpaw snapped, Squirrelpaw didn't even twitch.

"Look, Crowpaw," Brambleclaw started and then hesitated, glancing to Feathertail.

Crowpaw flattened his ears, "just say it Brambleclaw, don't ask Feathertail to just because I won't snap at her."

Stormfur gave him a dark look, but Brambleclaw flattened his ears, "I'm just… you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, but if something's bothering you, you can tell us. Or if you're getting sick."

"I just want to get home," Crowpaw didn't mean for that to come out as plaintive as it sounded, his ears flattened against his skull.

"We all do," Stormfur's voice was gentle, understanding, and some part of Crowpaw hated it, but the other part of him was glad that Feathertai's brother seemed to be accepting him.

Feathertail touched her nose to his ear, "do you want to talk about it later, privately?"

His shoulder hunched, he let out a rough breath, "it's mouse-brained okay? Just, my mom's father is old and if things are going wrong in the forest, I'm worried about him, because I wanted him to see my warrior ceremony is all."

"That's not stupid," Squirrelpaw pipped up, Crowpaw almost snapped at her before he realized she'd actually said something nice to him.

The others were all looking at him with sympathy and understanding, Feathertail rested her tail on his.

"It's not mouse-brained at all," she assured him, "you deserve your warrior ceremony, and to share it with the cats you love, and we're all worried about our families and Clans right now Crowpaw."

He blinked at her; out of the corner of his eye he could see the others nodding in agreement.

"My mother is an elder," Brambleclaw added, "I know how you feel, because when things are hard they always feel it more than the rest of us. So, we're worried about her." He flicked his tail at Tawnypelt, who nodded.

"If it helps, I… I think things are just starting to get bad." Everyone turned to Squirrelpaw, her green eyes unfocused and gazing sightlessly foreward, "they're nervous, and confused, but…" she shook her head slowly, "we've got time."

"Okay," Tawnypelt spoke up now, "you did that before, and I said I wanted an explanation, because you keep doing that. Are you able to talk to StarClan or something?"

"You have to tell us if you are," Crowpaw added, he wanted answers, Squirrelpaw flattened her ears and shrank slightly. To his surprise, she glanced at Stormfur, the RiverClan tom seemed unsurprised, but said nothing.

"Squirrelpaw has gift," Midnight spoke up, Crowpaw looked over at her, wondering how in the name of StarClan he kept forgetting a badger was sitting there, "a connection to home stronger than most. A bond stronger than most."

"Have other cats been able to do this?" She asked, Midnight blinked at her gently.

"There have been many cats, many litters, many siblings. It is possible. Cannot say for certain."

Squirrelpaw nodded slowly and swallowed, "I can… feel what Leafpaw's feeling. It's not very clear, I get flashes and things, but that's how I knew to use burdock. That's how I knew how the Gathering was going, that's why I know now that something scared Leafpaw yesterday but I don't know what but whatever it was it's bothering her, but she's not panicking so I'm guessing it wasn't too bad so…"

"Things are starting to get bad, but we have time," Crowpaw finished, Squirrelpaw nodded. They all looked around at each other in confusion.

"Squirrelpaw told me about this when she was trying to figure out what herb Leafpaw was telling her to use," Stormfur explained, he glanced at his sister, "I told her we've never had anything like that."

"Us either," Tawnypelt turned to Brambleclaw, "why didn't we get cool sibling powers?"

Brambleclaw shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, Firestar always had a close connection to StarClan, he had dreams before he was a leader, if the way ThunderClan talks about the dreams he used to have is anything to go by. Maybe it's just something in your family?"

"Maybe?" Squirrelpaw shrugged her shoulders, "I've never felt anything from my parents, or Cloudtail, or Whitepaw. But maybe if Whitepaw had siblings…" she shook her head, "I don't know."

Crowpaw wondered if that mouse was bad because something felt wrong in his stomach, until Midnight spoke.

"There are powers not of StarClan," she blinked at them, "powers of different ancestors, and powers of no ancestors. StarClan watches, and guides." She turned to Crowpaw now, "do not lose faith, for they will guide through hardship they cannot protect from."

He dipped his head in thanks, that did help. StarClan couldn't stop the forest, couldn't have stopped Brokenstar, or Tigerstar, or BloodClan. But they had shown the six of them the way to survive, guided them to help their Clans through this. It was up to the living now, up to them. They would overcome this.

"Alright." Tawnypelt got to her paws, "we may have time, but I'd rather not waste it sitting around shoving food in our mouths. Grab the mouse and let's head off to meet Purdy."

Crowpaw jumped to his paws and leaned into Feathertail's side for a moment. Once they were moving and on their way home his nervousness would pass. Surely that's all it was, a nervous restless energy.

He missed the way that Midnight's eyes lingered on the mountains between them and their home, and the sorrowful look she gave Feathertail and Stormfur.