Hello! Just responding to that one review, yeah, I'm sorry about that, it just slipped into the writing somehow. I'll try to work on that :). Anyways, on with the chapter!

It'll be the first Gathering tonight since the attack happened a half moon ago." Mistshade commented, dropping her prey onto the fresh-kill pile.

"You're right," Breezestrike replied. "And though I know that no huge tension is brewing anymore, it's still going to be an interesting Gathering, especially with Poppyclan having no leader or deputy."

"Who's going to represent them, then?" Skyblaze asked, choosing a mouse from the pile and biting into it hungrily.

"Frostlight, maybe?" Mistshade guessed. "I don't really know. How are they going to choose a new leader anyways? Cats are going to be pretty paranoid after what happened with Applestar."

"Good point." Breezestrike licked one paw and drew it over her ears, cleaning them. "Starclan will probably choose someone."

"What if Starclan's wrong?" Skyblaze swiped his tongue around his whiskers, catching the last remnants of his mouse. "I mean, they sure didn't do anything when Applestar was leading and all the medicine cat attacks were happening, who says that they'd do anything now?"

Mistshade and Breezestrike both stared at him for a moment. "It's… Starclan!"

Breezestrike mewed at last in disbelief. "Why would they be wrong?"

"Face it, they're no wiser than we are." Skyblaze retorted. "They are our dead ancestors, they are all cats like you and me. Why is it that they get to decide our destinies opposed to us? I bet that they've made mistakes and cats have paid gravely because of it."

He does have a point.

Mistshade shrugged. "You don't really know how wise they are actually, as you, if I'm correct, are not dead."

Skyblaze nodded. "I know, I was just voicing your opinion."

"Your opinion is stupid." Breezestrike muttered.

Skyblaze glared at her, narrowing his blue eyes. "And yours isn't?"

Before Mistshade could break up the quarreling siblings, Goldenstar padded out of her den.

"We're going to the Gathering! Let's go, everyone! If you don't make it in time, you're not going unless we actually need you!"

Um, ok. Thanks, Goldenstar, for that.

"I can't believe I don't get to go." Rockstorm exclaimed beside her.

"Since you almost died, I'm not sure why you were expecting to go." Mistshade mewed sarcastically before joining the group of cats.

"I'll tell you what happened, don't worry."

"You better." Rockstorm replied. He gave a small smile. "Have fun, I guess."

"I don't know how much fun it's going to even be, but thanks for the sentiment, I suppose."

"Have fun at camp, other brother." Breezestrike told him. "I kind of wish that you were going opposed to more annoying brother-" she jerked her tail towards Skyblaze, who rolled his eyes. "But judging your current condition and that Cedareyes would probably faint if you left camp, he's been so worried about you, I think that it's best if you stay here."

"I know." Rockstorm muttered. "You and Skyblaze had another argument, didn't you?"

"That might have been the case." Breezestrike admitted, shooting a dirty look at the brown tom, who returned it.

"You guys are acting like kits." Mistshade scolded both of them. "It's no way to represent Cavernclan, I'll tell you that."

Breezestrike smirked. "You sound like a queen telling off her kits, Mistshade." Mistshade rolled her eyes.

"It's only because you two are too immature to resolve the argument yourselves."

They padded towards the Gathering clearing, and Mistshade was still taken aback as she padded into it. The familiar friendly air was back, but it had changed, grown a little more subdued than before. Stormstar was already in the tree with Gullstar, but the normally icy look in his eyes had faded, and he gave a respectful nod to Goldenstar as she joined him. She returned it, and Mistshade glanced towards the bottom to where the deputies were. Driftflame and Vinefur were chatting with Sandspark, Mistshade's father, and she felt a familiar pang of grief when she thought about how Ebonyfrost used to sit there. It's fine. My father is doing a fine job, Goldenstar couldn't have picked a better cat to take Ebonyfrost's place.

There was an odd gap where the Poppyclan leader and deputy was supposed to be, but Mistshade noticed Frostlight by the other medicine cats, he was talking to Ryewillow, the latter seemed to be telling him about some kind of herb.

"Frostlight!" Gullstar called down to him. "Since your leader and deputy are, well, not chosen quite yet, would you care to join us?"

The young medicine cat looked taken aback for a second, but he dipped his head respectfully and leaped into the tree and sat by the other leaders awkwardly. I bet that he wasn't expecting to ever be up there in his life.

"He looks confused." Breezestrike grinned.

"Well, I would be." Mistshade shrugged. "Up there with all those other leaders, especially!"

"Good point." A quiet voice came from beside her, and she spun to see a familiar black she-cat. "Blackpaw!"

"It's Blackdawn now, actually." Blackdawn corrected politely.

"Congratulations!"

She deserves it, after all she's had to go through and do.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Stormstar called. He glanced around at the cats seated beside him. "Who would like to begin?"

Goldenstar stood. "I will. Cavernclan has been recovering since the battle, but we have unfortunately lost much, including many loved ones. Aspenbelly, Stormpelt, Ashfeather, and Ebonyfrost gave their lives in that dreadful battle, and Sandspark has taken over as deputy."

Cats bowed their heads in silent vigil for the ones who had joined the ranks of Starclan, and Goldenstar had a pained look in her eyes. Stormstar stood next.

"Blackdawn has returned to Streamclan and has been given her warrior name. As leaf-bare is now upon us, the river has begun to grow cold and possibly freeze, but our supply of fish is abundant still. I know that we were attacked a while ago, but I did not announce the attack at the last Gathering due to Starclan covering the moon before I got to speak. We lost Rockwind, Slatewhisker, Thistlefrost, and Mintsong in that bloody attack, and an elder, Cypresscloud, but not from the battle."

Silence fell over the clearing once more, and Stormstar sat again, letting Gullstar speak.

"Springclan was lucky to avoid any major casualties from the battle, we have been preparing for leaf-bare and hope that you guys have been as well." He sat down, and Frostlight stood up, eyes wide as he addressed the crowd of cats below him.

"Honeyhawk is dead. Applestar has been driven out, and I hope that when Starclan sends their sign for who the next leader should be, the cat chosen will not follow the dark path that brought so much bloodshed on all the Clans."

He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "In this useless battle that Applestar waged on Cavernclan, we lost Rubbleflame. I'm sorry for all of your losses, and I hope that you all are recovering, as we have been. The damage that Applestar unleashed on this Clan is hard to come back from, and-" his voice cracked slightly. He took another deep breath, and Mistshade felt a stab of sympathy for the young medicine cat. "And if anyone sees her, she's now a rogue. Kill her. She doesn't deserve life after what she's done."

He sat down, his gaze solemn, and cats began to share tongues and exchange gossip.

"Congratulations on your warrior name." Breezestrike mewed to Blackdawn.

"Thank you."

"Blackdawn! There you are!" Mistshade turned to see Copperheart padding towards them, the young warrior had already received his warrior name when Blackdawn had been captured.

"Do you remember Mistshade and Breezestrike?" Blackdawn mewed to him.

"Of course I do!" Copperheart exclaimed, dipping his head to both of them respectfully. "How have things been in Cavernclan? The battle hit you guys quite hard, that's for sure."

"We've been.. recovering." Mistshade responded hesitantly. "We lost a lot from the battle, you're right about that. You guys must have as well."

Copperheart nodded. "Yeah, we did. Poppyclan's new leader has a big job for rebuilding their Clan, they also have to gain the trust of the other Clans again."

"Well, Goldenstar isn't going to trust anyone anytime soon." Breezestrike muttered. "She's become even more paranoid, actually. She still wants Stormstar to find out who killed Goosepaw, because they're definitely still in Streamclan."

Blackdawn and Copperheart both exchanged a glance, and Mistshade could tell that they both had been thinking about that as well.

"I know." Blackdawn mewed at last. "I've been watching, trying to figure out who it could be, but they're just… really good at acting, apparently."

"They're a murderer, whoever they are." Copperheart growled. "It's not very comforting to know that we have a murderer in our Clan."

"Thanks for that." Blackdawn shot back. "That fact's definitely going to make me sleep easier."

"It's the truth!" Copperheart protested. "I was just stating it."

"I know, I'm sorry." Blackdawn sighed. She faced Mistshade and Breezestrike again. "I mean, no one can really trust each other in our Clan anymore. It's going to become a problem soon, so I really do hope that we end up catching whoever it is."

"Yeah, Feathersoar was the spy in our Clan, but she's gone." Mistshade replied. "I want to hope that she's dead, but I know that she's not."

"Maybe she'll starve out there." Breezestrike mewed hopefully. "She deserves no better."

Yeah, she's right. Whoever would betray their Clan so easily deserves nothing less than death.

"Streamclan!" Stormstar called.

"Well, bye." Blackdawn mewed to both of them. "I hope that you guys are doing well."

Mistshade gave her a polite nod before padding towards Cavernclan with Breezestrike. They went back into camp in mostly silence, with Goldenstar and Sandspark whispering to each other about some unknown subject.

"Goodnight." Mistshade mewed to Breezestrike. Some cat behind her poked her. "You promised.."

"I know, Rockstorm." She launched into the summary of the Gathering, finishing it in a huge yawn. "You'll get to go next time. They're not even very eventful anyways."

Rockstorm shrugged. "I know."

They curled up in the nest, Mistshade slipping into sleep almost immediately.

—

(Feather's POV)

"So when did you last see him?" Feather mewed to Comet, following him through a small Twolegplace.

Red-and-white Twoleg houses rose around her and the stink of the Thunderpath was everywhere. I don't even understand why we have to travel here.

"Oh, I saw him pretty close to where I found you. Ginger tom, white paws, green eyes, right?"

Feather nodded for what seemed like the billionth time. "I thought I already confirmed that."

"Just making sure." Comet didn't seem affected by her hostility. "Well, he looked frightened, like he was running from something. He kept flickering-"

"What?" Feather exclaimed. I never remember Pinemist being able to do that. "What do you mean, he was flickering?"

"Like, he was there for a second, and then he would disappear, and then he would come back."

Comet looked thoughtful. "It was kind of strange, but then again, I didn't know if you Clan cats did things like that regularly."

"Of course we didn't, and still don't." Feather snapped at him. "But I never remember him doing that."

"Maybe he didn't want to scare you. It was kind of scary, honestly. But he was breathing heavily, and he nearly jumped out of his fur when he saw me. I asked him if he was okay, and he shook his head. He acted like a cornered mouse or something, it took a while to calm him down. But he said that he had to get away from that forest, that someone would be looking for him, and that he had to run. I told him to calm down for just a second, that the only cats around here were those Clan cats, the ones that you used to live with, apparently."

Feather nodded. "He was in my Clan, Cavernclan."

"That's a dumb name." Comet snorted. "Anyways, I asked who he was running from, but he didn't tell me. We traveled together for a moon or so, until I woke up one morning to find him, just… gone. He had disappeared without a trace. I tried to track his scent, to find a scrap of his fur, anything to suggest where he went, but he was gone."

It's not like Pinemist to just disappear like that.

Comet looked sad. "I don't understand why he left."

"I don't either." Feather put her tail on the black tom's shoulder blades comfortingly. "It's out of character for him, that's for sure. He had always been jittery, but this is a whole new level, one that he never told me about."

Her face fell. "I don't even know how much about him I don't know."

"He's a mystery cat, that's for sure." Comet chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice. "I've asked cats around this town, and they say that they've never seen a cat like him before, or if they did, only for a split second. Cats have told tales about feeling fur brush them or a paw touch them but haven't been able to see a thing. It's as if the cat is invisible."

Feather widened her eyes. "Are you suggesting that Pinemist has been invisible all this time?"

"Possibly. It may be him, but it could be someone else."

"Well, if he's invisible, then there's going to be no way to find him." Feather grumbled. "I know who you're talking about."

A cold voice came from beside them. Feather looked to see a small gray-and-white she-cat lounging on a Twoleg fence beside them. A blue bow was around her neck and her icy blue eyes glittered.

"Who are you?" Feather raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"My name is Grace." Grace introduced herself. "Who are you?"

"That's not important." Feather said at the same time as Comet, who said: "I'm Comet, and this is Feather."

Feather shot a glare at him. We don't even know who this she-cat is!

"Well, Feather, the invisible cat who you are so interested in hasn't been sighted for seasons. I would assume that he's dead."

"He hasn't been SIGHTED because he's been invisible." Feather rolled her eyes. "Honestly, is anyone at all intelligent here other than Comet?" Comet looked pleased.

"Thanks!"

"I hadn't finished." Grace looked down on her, her icy blue eyes narrowed. "I was saying that I would assume that he's dead, except for that he passed through this abandoned town quite recently."

"He did?" Feather widened her eyes in surprise. "Where did he go?"

"Probably towards that forest that you two left." Grace flicked her tail towards the way that they had come.

"I bet that he went to the place that I found him." Comet exclaimed. "We might be able to find him!"

"Be careful." Grace warned them. "You don't want to go chasing after ghosts, after all. He's probably dead."

"But there's a chance that he's not." Feather told her. "And that I might get to find him again. I spent seasons thinking that he was dead and that it was my fault. I am going to find my brother."

"Ah." Grace didn't look surprised. "So that's why you're so interested in him. Well, good luck, I suppose."

"Thank you for your help." Comet mewed to her politely.

She nodded and jumped down from the fence on her side, disappearing into a Twoleg garden.

"Let's go." Feather mewed. "The sun's already going down, we might be able to make it back there by nightfall."

"Didn't you say something about a dangerous rogue leader who's in there?" Comet mewed nervously, padding beside her.

"Well, I assume Applestar is a rogue, she sure didn't die, I know that."

"Well, then she's a rogue, and she's in that forest. I'm not sure if we want to be heading over there."

"You don't have to." Feather mewed, not turning her gaze to look at him. "I can't lose my brother again, this is the only hint about him that I've heard for seasons."

"Yeah, I know, I'm just saying that if your brother is in there, and if he's resting for the night, which he will be, he, well, he can be seen."

"He can?" Feathersoar exclaimed. "You didn't tell me that."

"Yeah, when he's sleeping." Comet mewed. Oh no. If Applestar finds Pinemist, especially when his guard is down…

"This is bad." She increased her pace to a run. "If Applestar finds him when his invisibility thing is down, then he's screwed."

"Why does it matter if she finds him?" Comet looked confused.

Feather fixed him with a panicked stare from her light blue eyes.

"Because she's what he's been running from all these seasons."

Welp, um, Pinemist is in trouble... anyways, that was fun. Keep watch for Chapter 21 tomorrow, but I have to warn that if I have an astounding amount of homework (which is a possibility), I may not post every day. Review, please, they make my day and I love hearing your opinions!

Have a great day (or night), and keep writing!

-Mintflight