Volepaw looked up at Harestream, then sat down. "I'm... I'm sorry, Harestream. But, why would Echostar kill another cat, let alone a Leader? And why didn't you tell RiverClan and SolarClan?"

"Last moon, SolarClan's camp was becoming too crowded. Daystar and Echostar we're at each other's throats. And one morning, I went to check on Daystar... I found his dead body in his nest. At the time, I was confused, shocked, and worried. Worried about the Clan. So... I gave out orders pretending that they came from Daystar."

"But when the leader dies, the deputy must become the new leader. When did you get your nine lives?"

"I didn't," Harestream replied.

"You what!?" Volepaw exclaimed. The SolarClan she-cat looked away.

The tan apprentice shook her head, trying to wrap her head around what she was hearing.

"But if you don't have your nine lives, who is leading the Clan?" she asked.

"I am," the gray cat admitted. "I have been SolarClan's 'leader' for almost half a moon!"

"You have to tell the Clan! It's against the Warrior Code for a deputy to not take their Leader's place if they die or retire!" Volepaw pointed out.

"I know, I know! I just don't think I'm the right cat to lead SolarClan," the deputy explained.

Volepaw felt a little sad for Harestream. Doing the only thing she knew, she nuzzled the warrior. "Harestream, if you weren't the right choice for leader, why do you think Daystar chose you to be his deputy?"

The two stayed silent.

"Daystar knew you were the right cat to take his place," Volepaw continued. Hearing the words, Harestream purred and rested her head on the apprentice's head.

"But Harestream," the WindClan cat said. "When are you going to tell the Clans?"

Thinking, the deputy let out a sigh. "I'll tell them at the next Gathering."

"Okay. Let's end this fight." Volepaw purred and the two raced back to the battling Clans. Swallowstar held Creekstorm down by her scruff and Meadowsong and Beeflower had Shadespring and Flameblaze pinned.

Harestream yowled to get the cats' attention. "SolarClan, RiverClan! Stand down!"

Some of the cats looked at Harestream, then obeyed her order. Creekstorm padded over to the cats as they made their way to them.

"Harestream, have you got bees in your brain? What in StarClan's name are you doing?" the golden she-cat asked.

The gray she-cat flicked her tail and Creekstorm immediately stopped talking. Turning to the WindClan cats, she meowed, "I am terribly sorry, Swallowstar. It was a mistake to attack your Clan and to cross your border. I will make sure that Daystar knows not to do anything like this again..."

Volepaw could see the look in her eyes and knew that she had to not tell anyone about Daystar's death until the next Gathering.

"Well, since you put it that way..." The white she-cat looked at Graybird and Antfire, then back to the RiverClan and SolarClan cats. "Apology accepted, Harestream."

Volepaw nodded to the SolarClan deputy and the other she-cat returned it.

Swallowstar turned to her Clan. "WindClan, let's go home."

The warriors watched their leader walk away, then they reluctantly followed.

...

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the Tallrock to hear what I have to say!"

Volepaw heard Swallowstar's voice and obeyed her command, as did the rest of the warriors.

"Today, there was a battle between WindClan, RiverClan, and SolarClan. If it wasn't for a brave young apprentice, there would have surely been some unnecessary bloodshed. Now, I ask for Volepaw to step forward."

Hearing her name, the she-cat gulped and took a step toward the Tallrock.

"I, Swallowstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Volepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Volepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Voleflight. StarClan honors your bravery and your swiftness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

That concludes: Running With Stars.

To be continued with: Timber