(longest chapter in the story! prepare XD)

Laurelleaf yawned. He stretched, scratching his back ear with his hind leg. Beside him, his Clanmates were all waking up. The early patrol have already left, and he poked his head out of the moor runners' den. The sky was bright and pink; one thin wisp of cloud was drifting over the horizon. The camp was cool and calm, tinting with cool mid-leaf-fall breeze. Soft wind blew over the grass and heather lining the camp, and Laurelleaf shook his pelt. Today was just another day.

"Get back in here, Bearkit!" Whitewhisker's urgent mew was heard. Laurelleaf was resting beside the fresh-kill pile when he saw the little brown kit bounce up to him. Bearkit was very big for a kit, and any cat might think he was ready to be an apprentice now. However, Bearkit was only four moons old. Laurelleaf twitched his ears and looked at Bearkit.

"Hi, Bearkit," he meowed.

"My name will be Bearclaw in the future!" The brown tom-kit boasted. "Fierce and intimidating, just like me!"

"Sure, little Bearclaw," Laurelleaf meowed, amused.

"And you will be my mentor," Bearkit grinned. "Teaching me all sorts of battle moves and killer clawing!"

Laurelleaf felt a little bad that his battle skills weren't even half as good as his friend Silverpaw's, and that Bearkit was too young to talk about real battle, but he knew that there was still a chance Bearkit would be another cat's apprentice. Flowersight brushed past him from the behind, and Laurelleaf could see the amusement in her eyes. "It seemed like you're getting along well with those two kits," she meowed. Laurelleaf licked his fur in embarrassment. "I feel like I'm not supposed to," he sighed. "I mean, they're Whitewhisker and Berryfur's kits, not mine."

"I agree with Flowersight," Windyfrost, Laurelleaf's old mentor, padded up to him. "The whole Clan thinks so. Despite the amount of time Berryfur spends with them, it seemed like you're a big brother to both of them!"

Laurelleaf shrugged. "Are they supposed to, though?" He looked at Wingkit, who was with Whitewhisker in the nursery and gazing up at his mother with wide blue eyes. "I'm just another warrior in the Clan…"

"Be proud that you have two kits in this Clan looking up to you," Windyfrost purred and touched Laurelleaf's spine with her tail. "I couldn't imagine two Laurelkits begging me for skills training anytime."

Laurelleaf felt the amused glances of Rainclaw and Petalclaw behind his back. He shook out his brown fur.

Gorsestar rose from his den, his golden pelt shining under the early sun. Laurelleaf saw Midgepelt pad out of the medicine cat den, surprised at how much his father recovered. He looked well-groomed and excited. Gorsestar's loud announcement rang across the Clan: "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join in the sandy hollow for a Clan meeting!"

"Bearkit!" Whitewhisker urged, then lowered her head in shame as cats turned to stare at her. Some of them chuckled in amusement and shook their heads. Laurelleaf sat down beside Darkwing and Petalclaw as Gorsestar brightly called Midgepelt up to the hollow. Laurelleaf's heart lurched. What was going to happen to Midgepelt?

"I officially announce that Midgepelt could return to his warrior duties again," Gorsestar meowed, his amber shining. The Clan burst into cheers, and Laurelleaf practically leapt up so hard heather caught his head. Time seemed to stop and his heart felt like bursting in joy. His father have fully recovered! It has been so long since Laurelleaf felt the familiar pelt of Midgepelt walking along his Clanmates, and now that he's recovered, Laurelleaf could finally feel the delight of patrolling with his father, who carried the same warmth as his lost mother. Even though memories of Grasswhisker still rings in his head, the thought that there's still Midgepelt helped him cope—his kind father, who always cared after him and fussed over the Clan's safety like the loyalest cat in the Clan.

"We have to thank Larkwing greatly for Midgepelt and Swiftrabbit's recoveries," Gorsestar continued, nodding toward the medicine den. Larkwing padded out, pride gleaming in his eyes. "He spent day and night trying to cure the sick, and he have succeeded."

"Midgepelt! Larkwing! Midgepelt! Larkwing!" The Clan cheered, their voices high in the air.

Laurelleaf was too happy to do anything. He felt so delighted for his father; he was finally able to return to his warrior duties!

—.—

Muffled gasps were soon heard. The cats were still cheering and congratulating when the early patrol came back, huffing and gasping from a long running trip. Laurelleaf turned to look at them, along with the confused Clan. In between the gasping, reporting warriors stood Silverpaw.

"No!" Dread started rushing into Laurelleaf's gut, so soon after the delight of knowing that his father have returned to his warrior duties. Laurelleaf stared at Silverpaw disbelievingly, a swarm of confusion coming in upon him. What in StarClan was his friend doing in the camp with his patrolling Clanmates?

"Silverpaw?"

"Silverhawk," Silverhawk grunted. Laurelleaf could hardly breathe. Even though his instincts stayed stunned that his best friend have become a warrior already, he was still confused. What was Silverhawk doing here? It looked as if his Clanmates have caught him and brought him into camp.

"What in StarClan...?" Gorsestar mewed. The golden leader leapt away from the sandy hollow, scattering sandy beads behind him, as he neared the patrol. "What happened?"

"I was chasing a cat out of our own territory!" Silverhawk burst out. His fur was pricked and extremely fluffed out. From the messiness, Laurelleaf could clearly see he have crashed through many bushes and probably even fought with someone. "There was a rogue in ShadowClan land and it was waving its tail at us and I was trying to—"

"You still trespassed!" One of the cats hissed at him. "Don't you know to leave that cat alone once he reaches WindClan territory?"

"I was chasing a cat out of our territory!" Silverhawk repeated, shooting the cat a glare. "I was trying to protect my own homeland! Don't you care when a rogue trespasses WindClan territory, you disloyal rabbit-chaser?"

Some of the cats gasped. Laurelleaf was surprised by Silverhawk's rashness, but then he really looked like he was in an urgent mission.

"Silverhawk, what happened?" Laurelleaf whispered. Silverhawk turned to stare at him with unnerving amber eyes. Laurelleaf flinched away.

"Which Clan was does the cat smell like?" Gorsestar demanded, his tail lashing.

Silverhawk stared into the sky for a while and then meowed, "WindClan."

"WindClan?" Swiftrabbit nearly choked. "Are you rabbit-brained?"

"There's nothing wrong with my nose!" Silverhawk hissed at Swiftrabbit. "I smell WindClan. How could you deny it?"

"You must've smelled it wrong, then," Sparktail argued. "None of us are even fully awake yet at that point. The only cats out are the ones on patrol, and all of them came back without having any signs of battle or chase on their pelt. Leafstripe's also sitting guard so that no cat could slip out. So what do you think you are talking about?"

"I smelled WindClan!" Silverhawk roared, slamming his paws unsheathed right in front of Sparktail. The crowd gasped, and Laurelleaf paled. What happened to Silverhawk?

"You don't have any proof," Gorsestar meowed strictly. "What does the cat look like?"

"It was brown," Silverhawk answered. "Mud-streaked."

"Then what right do you have to accuse WindClan?" Gorsestar hissed. "That cat was mud-streaked, meaning that mud must've hid his scent!"

"There's nothing wrong with my nose! I smelled what I smelled and saw what I saw!" Silverhawk yowled. He have obviously lost his temper, and he unsheathed his claws. Blackstorm and Rushpelt quickly came in to hold the warrior back. Gorsestar raised his tail in warning, his gaze burning. "We'll keep you here in camp," he meowed firmly. "And we'll get this clear."

—.—

Laurelleaf sat outside in camp, unable to eat. His ears were angled towards the leaders' den, where Silverhawk and Gorsestar are chatting about the issue. Several times he could hear the irritated hisses of his friend and the impatient flick of Gorsestar's tail. He had tried to step into Silverhawk's way when he was snapping at Gorsestar, but Silverhawk had ignored him. What happened and will happen to the ShadowClan warrior?

He scratched his back ear. Nothing will happen, he tried to reassure himself. Silverhawk… knows how to deal with this. But worried thoughts kept flashing in his mind. He doubted his friend's stubbornness and ambition could solve any case he would be facing here.

Suddenly an outraged screech erupted from inside the leader's den. Laurelleaf jumped, and Silverhawk crashed out of the den, his eyes wild as the ancient cats of TigerClan. His fur was so fluffed out he looked thrice his size, and Laurelleaf nearly jumped out of his way as Silverhawk zoomed past him."Silverhawk! Stop!" Laurelleaf screeched. "What's going on?"

Instead of answering, Gorsestar leapt out of the den, and Laurelleaf realized there was a fresh scar etched deep on his leader's face. He stared in horror as Silverhawk barged past his Clanmates, and he couldn't stop his friend from running away. "After him!" Gorsestar yowled to his fellow WindClan Clanmates. "ShadowClan have urged war!"

—.—

Laurelleaf tore through the grass along with his Clanmates. His head was dizzy with confusion, and his vision was hazy, as if the snowflakes of leaf-bare must have covered his eyes and filled it with mist. He didn't want to give chase and knew that his Clanmates, who were WindClan cats with the nimble legs of WindClan, would obviously outrun a clumsy ShadowClan cat. But then obeying the Clan leader had to be put first, which put Silverhawk in grave danger. His paws thundered on the dirt, and a row of moor runners shot past him. Their nimble bodies swerved and barely kicked up soil as they ran swiftly. Swiftrabbit in the lead, the WindClan cats advanced skillfully.

Silverhawk's bushy tail waved between the tall grass, and he kicked out clouds of dirt with his hind legs. Laurelleaf sneezed and tore the nearest grass stem as he accelerated. The silver tom seemed to already know that he was obviously going to be overran by the WindClan cats. He swerved around all of a sudden, claws screeching on dry grass.

However, moor runners were trained to counter this kind of trick; Swiftrabbit swerved faster than all the other cats and blocked Silverhawk's path. Silverhawk screeched and reared up, only to be backed by Lynxivy and Liondrop. Laurelleaf screeched into a stop behind Silverhawk, and, as loud as he could, he shrieked, "Stop!"

"Laurelpaw!" Silverhawk exclaimed.

Before Laurelleaf could reply, Swiftrabbit slammed his body on Silverhawk's and raked his back with thorn-sharp claws. Silverhawk howled in pain as blood splattered the grass and turned it dark red. He whirled around again, disappearing into the thickest bushes towards ShadowClan territory. "Chase!" Swiftrabbit yowled. All the cats shot forward again.

One cat caught Silverhawk by the tail. Gorsestar's pawsteps could be heard as the WindClan cats surrounded the ShadowClan warrior, backing him up so he couldn't run away again.

Laurelleaf panicked. He couldn't leave Silverhawk alone while his Clanmates surrounded him, ready to strike anytime. He stepped into the middle of the cats, in front of Silverhawk, and shouted, "Stop! What went on?"

"This ShadowClan mange-pelt attacked our leader!" Swiftrabbit hissed. "We have to shred him!"

Laurelleaf's heart seemed to stop. Silverhawk does that kind of things? Memories of a good-natured, laughing apprentice flashed in his mind. He remembered all the Gatherings he've been through as an apprentice and the time he've spent with Silverhawk. And the time when Silverhawk tried to stop him from shrieking about Manglethorn—weren't all those good-hearted actions? Did he become a cat whose ambition, stubbornness, and recklessness was enough to cause him to attack a Clan leader? That wasn't quite the Silverhawk he knew—at least, completely not as idiotic to attack a Clan leader in his Clan with WindClan warriors surrounding every inch he could run into.

He stared at his friend in horror. "You did?" He whispered, his whiskers pressing against his muzzle. Silverhawk writhed under the paws of Laurelleaf's Clanmates.

"Laurelpaw..." Silverhawk mewed. "Your leader was accusing of something I didn't do!"

"It was ShadowClan's fault!" Leafstripe hissed defiantly. "They crossed our border!"

Laurelleaf shook his head. Where was this going? "What exactly did you see?" Laurelleaf asked. "You said you were chasing a rogue, but what does it look like?"

"It was a mud-streaked cat!" Silverhawk spat. "I thought I repeated that! And it smelled of WindClan!"

"How dare you accuse us?" Swiftrabbit hissed. "None of our Clanmates came across you badger-breath!" The wind seemed to grow fierce at Swiftrabbit's words, and Silverhawk leapt up. The moor runners held him back, and Silverhawk tumbled and shrieked in their grips. However, among all the commotion, something seemed to float in the sky. Something horrible…

Laurelleaf suddenly caught an ugly scent in the air. He backed away, turning his head around. Lashing his tail, he sniffed the air. The ugly scent seemed to grow stronger every second as he backed away slowly from the throng of screeching cats. Somewhere in the midst he could hear a voice: Well done, Manglethorn. Brown flashed at the edge of his vision, and he whirled around. A force seemed to push him toward the scent, but he thought fiercely, Who cares about that scent! Silverhawk was in trouble and I have to solve that problem first!

He turned to Silverhawk again and meowed, "Maybe you should just leave, Silverhawk. Nobody accuse anybody. Why don't we leave in peace?"

"He attacked Gorsestar!" Sparktail snarled. "And who put you in charge?" A force pushed his body again, and he lurched forward, almost crashing into Silverhawk.

"Whoa!" Sparktail called. Laurelleaf shook his head and faced Silverhawk. "Just leave," he insisted. "Find your Clanmates. The other cats on your patrol. Stop fussing over a problem that nobody could be sure about!" Then he whispered into Silverhawk's ear: "I don't want you to get in trouble."

Silverhawk stared at him, then slowly backed away. WindClan cats became alert and blocked his path, their fur bushed out, but Gorsestar raised his tail. His fur was still ruffled. "I know that Silverhawk trespassed," he said. "But Laurelleaf got a point. Silverhawk, go find Ashstar and your other patrolmates. Tell them what happened. I'll talk about it with the ShadowClan leader once and for all."

The WindClan cats stared, eyes wide. Before Silverhawk left tail, Laurelleaf rushed up to him. There's one more thing I'd like to share, just to remind Silverhawk… "By the way—I'm Laurelleaf now, not Laurelpaw."

Silverhawk didn't even turn. He fled.

—.—

Laurelleaf nearly retched as the force urged him toward somewhere, again, even stronger than the two times before. Sto-op! He thought fiercely. What is pushing m—?

The force tugged at him again, and he leapt backwards, gasping. Fierce wind blew in his direction, carrying leaves and dirt into his eyes and nose. He fluffed out his brown pelt and let the force lead him as he tumbled forward in a flurry of brown and white. A silver tuft of wind whirled in front of him, materializing into a brilliant swirls of ginger. Laurelleaf gasped as Brightspirit appeared and beckoned him froward with her tail. "This way!" She mewed.

"What about my Clanmates?" Laurelleaf panted. "They're just leaving!"

"Don't worry," Brightspirit meowed. "Just follow me!"

"What are you going to show—?"

"Shhhhh," Brightspirit whispered. Grass brushed against their pelts and Laurelleaf sheathed his claws. Brightspirit's striped ginger pelt looked like a wisp of thin air—soft but sure. He strengthened his leaps and followed the StarClan spirit, letting the breeze brush against his pelt as he swerved freely behind Brightspirit.

The sun was fully in the sky now, and Laurelleaf shuddered when he realized leaf-bare was edging closer and closer. The breeze was frostier than usual, and some grass seemed withered. WindClan scent bathed around him, and he dodged a big, gray boulder that loomed in front of him. Brightspirit ran swiftly, her paws touching air—Laurelleaf wondered what it felt like to fly like her. Her warm scent soon mended with the ugly stench of ThunderClan as they edged closer to the border, but all of this running only added on more and more onto Laurelleaf's confusion. He remembered how, in the morning, the great news of Midgepelt have been such delighted news to him. And then Silverhawk have barged in, and then it had lead to such a big mess… and now Brightspirit was going to somewhere mysterious. Where was this all going?

"Where are you even leading me?" Laurelleaf asked, panting. Sweat formed in his paws and he longed to rest from such long running. Brightspirit did not answer, and instead she headed downwards, where the moorlands sloped lower and lower. Laurelleaf followed up behind her, nearly feeling her pelt as he slowed down, panting hard from the far run. His heart thumping against his chest, he realized he was at the edge of the Thunderpath. "What are you going to do?" He asked. Brightspirit, instead of answering, flew into the far forest, leaving a trail behind her. Then, she disappeared.

Laurelleaf followed the trail. He didn't know what exactly was happening, but whatever the StarClan cat was showing him, he have to find out. His mind screamed at him to return to his Clanmates, because it must be strange if he suddenly ran away right after he told everyone to stop fighting, and he wondered over and over what would happen to him. He tucked his paws into his body and strained his amber eyes. Whatever will happen, this looked urgent. If a spirit from his dreams materialized out of thin air and told him to follow a trail, it must be important.

Fine, then. His instincts that told him to leave gave up, and he headed towards the glimmering trail.

The Thunderpath reeked with monster stench. Windyfrost's words echoed in his mind: Use your eyes to check if monsters are nearby. WindClan cats had better eyes than any other Clan's cats, and they could see far, far over big moors and rising hills, Laurelleaf reminded himself. A silver-black monster zoomed past the hard black stone, showering Laurelleaf with dust and dirty particles. Laurelleaf coughed from the ash, brushing his ears with his paws.

He looked up again and checked that both ends of the Thunderpath were empty, then raced across the hard path. His paws skidded to a stop at the end of the Thunderpath and he flattened his ears. Brightspirit's trail was mingled with the scents of ThunderClan.

Birds fluttered off the branches as Laurelleaf slowly creeped forward. The glowing trail of golden light was leading him towards some place in ThunderClan territory. He crouched low and crept through the lush undergrowth, his tail brushing grasses and long leaves that have fallen from ancient oak trees. Sunlight filtered through the bare leaves of leaf-fall, creating golden splashes on the floor. The rich sounds of prey filled the forest.

Brightspirit's trail was more strong-smelling here, meaning that she must've stopped somewhere. Laurelleaf perked his ears. He wasn't used to the sound of forest prey around him, and he could barely feel any wind. He missed the sun and the open sky, just like the first time he went to see ThunderClan territory. Right here it felt trapped and ugly, but he knew he must keep going to see whatever Brightspirit laid out for him.

Just then he caught a scent, a scent he recognized faintly.

Listen, Brightspirit's voice murmured in his ears. Smell.

And she disappeared yet again. Laurelleaf crouched low into a thick bush, hoping that his strong WindClan scent wouldn't be too overwhelming among the ThunderClan forest. Far from his vision he could see something moving, a patch of brown weaving among the grass. Laurelleaf stiffened when he realized it was the shape of a cat. A cat so densely-packed with something brown on his fur that...

Mud! Laurelleaf thought, startled. It's a mud cat!

The cat looked around, then continued walking. Laurelleaf slowly followed. His paws nearly crunched on a fallen stick, but he avoided it as soon as he saw it. He couldn't give away his hidden spot. Silverhawk's words seemed to float back into Laurelleaf's mind: It was a mud-streaked cat! He stared. Could Silverhawk be talking about this same cat that was many fox-lengths in front of him? Brightspirit was here to help me. Laurelleaf thought. She wanted me to know what would happen in the future and laid signs for me. That ominous prophecy could have also been an important sign Could she be telling me something about the mud cat?

The mud cat sniffed the air. Laurelleaf's heart lurched for a moment and he crouched lower, afraid that his scent gave away. But there was no wind, and the cat seemed to lose the alert look in his eyes as he padded deeper into the waving trees. Later, he stopped in a clearing that was surrounded by bushes just thick enough to block out his voice. Laurelleaf crept closer, straining his ears.

The cat lifted his head in the air and called, "Maggottail!"

Maggottail! Laurelleaf thought. The cat in one of his dreams a long time ago? Just as he started wondering, the stench of the old cat soon drifted in. It was strong and recognizable, unmistakably the cat from his past dream's stench. Laurelleaf saw the pale brown shape of Maggottail and stared at the mud cat. What was happening now might be part of... that prophecy. Laurelleaf shuddered at the thought.

We need to wash some of the mud off your pelt immediately, Maggottail rasped. If you come back to camp with all that mud, all the cats are going to get suspicious.

"Yes, Maggottail," the mud cat replied. The two cats leaped off into the undergrowth.

Laurelleaf rose from his hiding spot and followed quickly. What were they planning? Who is Maggottail? And what is the identity of the mud cat?

It wasn't long before they found a stream. Icy water flowed freely and lapped at the pebbles lining it. The ground sloped downward at the stream and gave away to shorter bushes. Laurelleaf had to hide farther away, where the bushes were still dense, and he curled his tail around his trembling paws.

Maggottail floated in the sky like a StarClan cat while the mud cat stared at the water. Come on, Maggottail rasped. Just like how you jumped into the mud.

Splash! In less than a heartbeat the mud cat was on shore again, shaking his pelt, half the dried mud washed off his lithe pelt. Laurelleaf strained his eyes to check who exactly the cat looked like. If anything, that's more important than figuring out anything else. Brightspirit must have led him here to show him what led Silverhawk into trouble among WindClan.

White pelt, black stripes...

Yes, Maggottail laughed. Manglethorn, you did such a great job.

"Tell me my next mission," Manglethorn replied. "Tell me what to do."