Owlfeather's yellow eye slowly opened, everything a little blurry. Once his vision cleared, he saw a black cat in front of him, as well as a light brown tabby with yellow eyes. His hearing returned to normal, as the high pitched ringing was quitting. The SolarClan tom looked around and immediately jumped to his paws when he realized he was on a tree branch!

"Careful," the black cat snarled. "If you fall, you'll be lucky if you don't die. We're high up." Owlfeather looked around, desperately trying to find Clawdawn, Kinktail, Shadespring and Voleflight.

"Where are my friends?" the tomcat demanded.

"They're fine," the light brown cat snarled, who Owlfeather guessed was Swiftpaw.

"We should take them back to camp," the black cat said. "Timberstar will want to know why they're in our territory."

"Okay Twigsnap," Swiftpaw mewed.

Owlfeather's fur bristled as he arched his back. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

Twigsnap looked over his shoulder as he started to walk away.

"Either you come with us, or you'll join StarClan early," he declared. Looking down, the tabby's eyes widened as he realized what the black cat meant. He dug his claws into the bark of the tree branch. Slowly, he followed Twigsnap as Swiftpaw took up the rear behind Owlfeather.

. . .

The moon was high in the sky, casting light onto the land below, turning it silver. Owlfeather saw Silverpelt in the sky and wondered if StarClan was looking after him and his friends. He jumped from branch to branch, following Swiftpaw and followed by Twigsnap. The leaves started to become less and less as they continued on.

StarClan, please help us...

Owlfeather pushed the thought to the back of his mind as the three cats came to a large oak tree with branches going in every direction. Swiftpaw nudged the SolarClan cat forward and he leaped from branch to branch until he got to the middle of the tree.

The light brown apprentice landed next to him while Twigsnap climbed up a branch to get to a knothole. After a couple of heartbeats, a dark brown mackerel tabby stepped out and climbed down. Now that Owlfeather could get a closer look, the tabby seemed to have yellow eyes.

Once he was in front of the SolarClan warrior, the new cat flicked his ear. "Bring out the others," he said. Four cats came out of knotholes in the tree and forced Voleflight, Clawdawn, Kinktail, and Shadespring down the branches.

"Kinktail! Shadespring! Voleflight! Clawdawn!" Owlfeather exclaimed. The cats landed beside him with huffs and grumbles.

"Sir," Twigsnap growled as he looked at the dark brown tabby. "We found these cats trespassing."

"What?" the cat said. He slowly approached the four Clan cats. "Who are you? Why have you entered our territory? Did Nightstar or Daystar send you?"

Owlfeather shook his head, trying to process all the questions. However, his eyes widened when he heard the last one.

"You knew Daystar?" He found it odd that this cat knew his old leader.

The cat in front of him nodded. "Yes. Now I will ask again," he meowed, his ears pushed back. "Who are you and why are you four here?"

Kinktail stepped up, her cream fur bristling. "We're here to find a forest! Now either you let us go, or face the wrath of ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and SolarClan!"

"SolarClan?" a dark ginger she-cat inquired.

"SolarClan and ShadowClan cats are not welcome here!" the yellow-eyed tabby snarled.

"Look!" Clawdawn snapped. "We are Voleflight, Kinktail, Owlfeather, Shadespring and Clawdawn. We were sent on a mission by StarClan."

"Timberstar," Swiftpaw took a step towards the tabby. "That's a load of badger droppings. StarClan wouldn't have sent a ShadowClan and SolarClan cat to us!"

The leader looked at Owlfeather closely with curiosity. There was something familiar about this cat...

"Owlkit... Is that you?" Timberstar spoke slowly, as if he were speaking to a newborn kit. Owlfeather took a step back, confused.

"It's Owlfeather. How do you know my name?"

"Your mother is Harestream, right?" Timberstar meowed.

How does this cat know me? The tabby thought. "Yes... she is... How do you know her? And how do you know me?"

Timberstar took a deep breath, then exhaled.

"I fell in love with her at one point... before my Clan got chased out... I... I believe I'm your father, Owlkit- Owlfeather," he corrected himself.

"That's right..." Kinktail purred. "SolarClan and ShadowClan once drove out a Clan for more territory four seasons ago."

The one-eyed tomcat looked deep into the eyes of the leader and something deep inside him told him that he was looking at his father.

"Father..." he breathed. Timberstar purred as Owlfeather pressed against his fur, the warmth of his body plesent to him. From a branch above, Twigsnap tilted his head.

Timberstar raised his head, and yowled. "My son has returned!"

The Clan cats on the branches glanced at one another, unsure if they could trust the new warriors.

The dark ginger she-cat straightened up. "The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code." She took a breath and yowled with Timberstar, and soon, the rest of the Clan did too.