At dawn, a meeting was called, mandatory for every cat to attend. Though many were tired from the Gathering in the previous evening, many more were eager to hear news.

"Cats of Grassclan. Now that we are strong again, it is time to show Treeclan what we're made of," Whitestar began, glancing around at all of her warriors and apprentices.

"To start, I think that it's time the clan's had some new apprentices. We still grieve the loss of Thistlepaw, Seedpaw, and Lilacpaw. But we must move forward. We must welcome forth the next generation of future warriors. Thornkit, Lightkit, step forward."

In place of their mother, Tigerfang walked their kits up to the front of the crowd. The pair looked proud; not a speck of anxiety could be caught in their features. Whitestar looked down at her litter with love. But right now she was a professional. She would praise her kits later. It was finally time to start their training. Thornkit and Lightkit were both seven moons old. Due to the greencough outbreak, their naming ceremony was postponed. But after that extra moon of waiting, their patience was about to be rewarded.

"You have survived the first seven moons of your lives. May Starclan guide your paws from this moment on." As tradition held, Whitestar lifted her muzzle to the sky to announce to Starclan; "From this day forward, until they have earned their warrior names, these apprentices shall be know as the following: Thornkit, from this day forward, you shall be known as Thornpaw. Shadowfang, I believe you are ready for your first apprentice. You've proven to be a cunning and brave warrior. I expect you to pass these fine traits on to Thornpaw in turn."

Shadowfang perked up in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't been aware of Whitestar's choice of mentor for her son. Swiftcloud couldn't be prouder of her mate. She nudged him, giving him an encouraging lick on the cheek. Shadowfang chuckled and flicked her ear with his tail, padding ahead to the front of the crowd. Thornpaw turned to greet him. He stood tall with his chest puffed, legs together uniformly. His head raised with pride, only lowering to touch noses with his new mentor. Shadowfang tilted his head slightly. He lifted a paw, batting at his new apprentice playfully. Thornpaw broke from his serious stance, glancing up at the older tom confused.

Shadowfang smirked. "Lighten up, 'Paw. You and I are gonna have some fun."

Thornpaw began to grin excitedly. He followed Shadowfang back into the crowd, the pair choosing to sit by Tigerfang.

Whitestar watched the interaction fondly before continuing the ceremony. "And Lightkit, from this day forward you shall be known as Lightpaw. Cricketsong, it's been some time since you've trained an apprentice; you will be her mentor. Mold Lightpaw into the best warrior she can possibly be."

Cricketsong carefully picked her way over to Tall Stone. She gently touched noses with her niece, giving her a reassuring lick between the ears afterwards. Lightpaw smiled politely, following in step with her mentor back into the crowd. Swiftcloud approved of this mentor/apprentice pairing. Training her kin would do Cricketsong good. It would help take her mind off of her deceased kits. Starclan only knew how depressed she'd been since their passing.

With the ceremony completed, the clan began to caterwaul the new apprentices' names.

"Thornpaw! Lightpaw! Thornpaw! Lightpaw!"

Whitestar allowed the clan to cheer for a few more moments before waving her tail, commanding silence. "Now that we've gotten pleasantries out of the way, it's time we discussed our next order of business. For those who are unaware, last night at the Gathering, Blazestar called off our Leafbare truce. He has promised that his clan will be paying ours a visit very soon."

"So what are we going to do, Whitestar?" Asked Tulippaw.

"Attack first," Whitestar answered simply.

"Is that wise?" Tornface wondered. "We've barely just begun to recover from the harsher part of the season."

"You definitely have a point. But Grassclan will wind up in a fight regardless of who makes the first strike," was the leader's response. "And I've no doubts that Treeclan's already plotting their next attack. There's no point in sitting around and waiting for them to make a move. If we act first, we have a greater chance at success."

"Is that why you've postponed the dawn patrol?" Questioned Ladybugbite.

"Yes," answered Whitestar.

"Do we have a plan, then?" Gingerstrike called out. Whitestar nodded in response, gesturing down to the clan's deputy with her tail for an explanation.

"We will be sending two patrols into the Forest Patch today," Chicorynose began, "one will advance into the woods, set new scent markers, and attack any Treeclan cats we come across. The second group will serve as back up, and hide in the trees."

At once, the clan broke out into a series of worried and outraged murmurs. Most seemed to be against this plan, looking visibly uncomfortable. Grassclan cats were used to fighting on solid ground, after all. Sitting in a tree felt like something unnatural to consider. Even when times were desperate.

"Us, climbing trees?" Pollenpaw gasped.

"What kind of cats do you think we are?" sneered Nectarpaw.

"The kind that obey orders," Chicorynose answered, fixing her nieces with a glare.

Swiftcloud glanced around at her clanmates, reflecting their collective anxieties. This was a strategy she hadn't been made aware of before. She hadn't been privy to join the discussion where this plan was constructed. If she had been, Swiftcloud might have spoken out against it, like the rest of her clanmates. But there was no point in doing so now. The decision had been made, and Whitestar was already leaping from Tall Stone to form the patrols. Swiftcloud was called over to join one of them.

"You will lead the second patrol," Grassclan's leader told her. "You're the best jumper in the clan, and a good climber from what I saw at the Green Gathering. I trust you will set a good example for the others. Rabbitstorm, Frostfeather, Tigerfang, Sheeptail, Pansypaw, and Shadowfang will go with you."

Swiftcloud nodded in understanding, watching as the siamese she-cat turned and padded away. Swiftcloud turned the other way, looking for the cats she would be taking with her into the trees. By the left side of the Tall Stone her patrol had gathered, already expecting the nubby tailed cat's appearance. Shadowfang walked over to greet her, touching his nose to her cheek. Frostfeather smiled at her friends while kneading the ground beside them, her tail-tip twitching slightly. She looked uneasy. Pansypaw leaned into her mentor, giving her a calming, reassuring purr. Tigerfang and Sheeptail tipped their heads to Swiftcloud, ready to obey her orders. Swiftcloud felt strange, knowing she'd be leading some of the clan's most respected senior warriors into battle. On Tigerfang's right side, Rabbitstorm was talking with Tabitha. He seemed a little annoyed, although that wasn't unusual of him.

"Aren't you supposed to stay here and guard the camp? What happens if some of those Treeclan cats break in?" Asked the pregnant she-cat.

"They won't," Rabbitstorm assured. "They've tried before. But we showed them what happens when they trespass in Grassclan's camp. They're not likely to try it again anytime soon. Besides, Ashwhisker's an excellent Guard. He'll protect you and the other queens just fine while I'm away."

Tabitha puffed her cheeks out a little. She pressed her body into the tom's, seeking comfort from him. "I'd rather it be you protecting us. You make me feel safe. And it's not that I don't trust Ashwhisker, he's a very sweet Den Mother, but he's also very skinny. You're so big and muscular. No cat could ever get through you."

"That's why they put me on the backup patrol," Rabbitstorm remarked, licking down his chest fur. Tabitha huffed, pressing herself harder against him. Swiftcloud mustered a small chuckle, shaking her head.

Whitestar soon reappeared from the crowd, making her way towards the bramble tunnel. The chosen patrols followed her lead, gathering by the camp's exit. Silently, everyone headed out into the meadow, across the snowy hills, and into the frozen land of the Forest Patch. An eerie silence greeted them there. Hardly any birds chortled from the treetops; most still in the south for Leafbare. The ground underpaw was crunchy from ice and long dead debris. But the trees above had begun to come alive with flower buds. There would be sufficient cover for Swiftcloud's patrol to hide, especially once they were deeper into the woods.

Whitestar cautiously led her clan into enemy territory, disregarding Treeclan's scent markers entirely. With luck they'd be setting new ones soon. When they'd traveled a good distance, Whitestar raised her tail, halting her warriors. Cats stood around silently as they watched their leader sign instructions to them. The first patrol was ordered to continue forward. Meanwhile, this spot would be where the second patrol would make their ascent into the trees. Whitestar continued to lead the ground patrol, taking them further into the forest, and soon out of sight.

Swiftcloud was left alone to take charge of her own set of warriors. With as much confidence as she could muster, she commanded her clanmates to begin climbing. Swiftcloud decided to take the initiative, being the first to tackle this strange new terrain. Climbing trees turned out to be a lot easier than she thought. The oaks in this area were large, with sturdy branches jutting out from their thick trunks. The bark was gnarled, and would be easy to grasp under a cat's claws. Swiftcloud started out with a good leap, sinking her claws into the trunk where she landed a couple fox-lengths above the ground. She carefully lifted one paw after the other, pulling herself higher and higher with every move. When a thick tree branch came into reach, she hoisted herself onto it, clinging to the limb as best as she could. From this position, Swiftcloud took notice of how her line of sight had changed. On the forest floor, she could only see a few tail-lengths around her. But up here, she could see at least a bear-length through the woods. She smiled, her confidence growing.

"Come on!" She encouraged her clanmates, waving a paw. The cats in her patrol exchanged wary glances. Among them, Rabbitstorm stepped forward. He grunted, crouching to the floor. Then, with a mighty leap, he'd managed to spring halfway up into his own tree. Swiftcloud was impressed by his natural climbing skills. The lynx point tom looked to be in his element. And his sister Frostfeather was not too far off herself. The littermates almost appeared squirrel-like in the way that they took to the trees. If Swiftcloud hadn't known any better, she would have sworn they were Treeclan cats. Seeing how easy the three young warriors made the task seem, the remainder of the second patrol made their way up into the forest canopy. Though they appeared uncomfortable, the trap was set. The warriors were eager to put this plan into motion. And it seemed as though they'd get to carry out their task soon enough. In the distance, yowls split through the air. The sounds of angry cats and shredding pelts inchwormed their way closer and closer to the position Swiftcloud's patrol held. If they focused hard enough, the tree bound cats could see the battle being waged. Swiftcloud's fur began to prickle anxiously. She hoped that this plan would succeed, that the clan hadn't gone out of its comfort zone for nothing. Starclan, grant us the strength to win this fight, she prayed as she saw Treeclan cats coming closer.

"Hey," Shadowfang's voice cut into her thoughts. Swiftcloud glanced at him from the branch adjacent to her. "It's gonna be fine. Let's kick some Treeclan tail. I'll be right beside you."

Swiftcloud smiled, nodding her head in agreement. The mates moved as if they were one, parachuting down from their perches, onto the backs of the unsuspecting warriors as they appeared. Treeclan's cats let out astonished yowls as they collapsed beneath the patrol's weight one by one.

"It's an ambush!" Someone cried.

"Get them, don't let them take advantage of our own techniques!" A senior warrior called.

Swiftcloud scoffed at the enemy clan's behavior. Shouldn't they have expected that their own tactics would be used against them eventually? Swiftcloud remembered her apprentice training, how she was taught to be wary of her surroundings whether she was in long grass or in a place where cats could jump down on her. Perhaps Treeclan cats were not taught to be so cautious. Maybe they felt too safe in the trees to worry about their enemies gaining the upper paw against them.

A cat hissed up at Swiftcloud, pulling her from her momentary pause in thought. A young warrior, Sleekclaw, lay beneath her paws, pinned by the Grassclan cat's weight. Swiftcloud made quick work of her enemy, biting and throwing him away, back in the direction of home. The young cat let out a whimper, scurrying off into the line of trees with his tail between his legs.

Shadowfang called from nearby, leading Swiftcloud back to his side so they could fight together. The mates charged ahead into the frey. Their muscles rolled and bunched beneath their pelts as they matched perfect pace, paw for paw. They jumped simultaneously at a large Treeclan warrior, knocking him off his feet with a breathless gasp. Swiftcloud jumped off the tom, leaving Shadowfang to pummel him while she struck an approaching she-cat. The cat let out a yowl, lunging to bite Swiftcloud's throat. Swiftcloud was too fast for her, sliding out of the way. She threw the cat onto her side with a hard swipe of her paw. She held the young warrior down, watching as she went limp with defeat. Swiftcloud hissed, sending the cat away.

With the opportunity presented to her Swiftcloud ran to the nearest tree, marking it. She scored her claws along the bark to make it more painfully obviously she was claiming this land for Grassclan. Someone needed to make the first move. Swiftcloud gained pride in knowing it had been her. A few warriors from Grassclan's battle party caught onto what she was doing. They followed Swiftcloud's lead, creating a scent line right through the battlefield.

Wolfheart appeared from the crowd of brawling cats. His teeth drew back in a snarl as he saw what Grassclan was getting up to.

"Take them down!" He commanded. "Show no mercy!"

Warriors surged forward, targeting those who dare defy Treeclan. Swiftcloud was a prime target. Three cats backed her towards a tree, closing off all directions of escape. Swiftcloud recognized each cat, surprised to see some strange faces amongst the fighters. There was Tigerlily, who usually joined the battles. Swiftcloud had been in a couple fights with her before. She was a strong cat, ambitious too, but trustworthy. Usually. In this instance, Swiftcloud couldn't trust any cat outside of her clan.

Then there was Sunflower, Moonface's mate. Swiftcloud hadn't thought he'd join his clanmates as reinforcements. He was a Den Keeper, she recalled, not a Fighter. But it wasn't unheard of for him to be assigned to a fighting patrol every now and again.

Finally there was young Scarletpaw. She was unaccompanied by her mentor today, though Swiftcloud thought that to be unwise. The small she-cat had never participated in a serious battle. She was young, perhaps even too young to be part of such a huge fight. But a fire burned in her eyes, a passion as strong as any that Swiftcloud had seen in a warrior. It was impressive, really. Apprentices never took things like this so seriously. Either Scarletpaw was invested into the task, or Blazestar was drilling it into his clan's apprentices that they'd need to be as strong and dedicated as possible in this war. It was admirable, really.

"Smelly Grassclan cat!" Scarletpaw spit, taking the first swipe at Swiftcloud. Swiftcloud tried to dodge the young cat's blow, narrowly escaping having her cheek scratch. But just as she moved away from one cat, another lashed out and caught her on the bad shoulder. Swiftcloud hissed in pain, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Her shoulder wound had been opened again, just when it had finally healed and started to scar over. Swiftcloud bared her fangs, lunging forwarded to bite Tigerlily. Sunflower twisted around, grabbing Swiftcloud by her haunches. He dragged her back, using his weight to force her to the floor, while Tigerlily struck Swiftcloud's weak point again. Swiftcloud yowled out in pain.

From the battlefield, Shadowfang came charging over, throwing himself onto Tigerlily. He grabbed her by the scruff, shaking her like a piece of moss before throwing her away from himself. Then the black tom headbutted Sunflower's flank, knocking him away from his injured mate.

"You alright?" He checked on her with a sniff.

"Yeah, now that you're here," Swiftcloud replied as she stood up. The mates turned together, attacking their opponents when they dared to return. Tigerlily was the first to strike. She stood up on her hind legs, ready to crush Swiftcloud beneath her. But Swiftcloud was smaller than the other she-cat. With ease, she was able to slip out of her way. As she turned, the white and black patched she-cat stuck out her leg, sweeping it beneath Tigerlily's feet. Tigerlily became unbalanced, falling to the ground with a hard thump. Swiftcloud was quick to jump on top of her. She grabbed the tabby she-cat by the shoulder, biting with all her might. Her back legs made quick work of the larger molly's belly, scratching it until blood seeped through Tigerlily's thick fur. Tigerlily howled in pain, squirming to get away. Swiftcloud let her, snarling at her as the Treeclan warrior struggled to stand. Scarlettpaw came over and help her clanmate to limp away, defeated. Shadowfang yowled out triumphantly, a sign of his own victory. Swiftcloud chuckled, turning to give her shoulder a few vigorous licks.

"That looks bad. You better go home and get patched up. I think Grassclan has everything handled now," Shadowfang remarked as he returned to the she-cat's side. Swiftcloud had to agree with him. She was in quite a lot of pain, and it appeared Grassclan was winning this fight. Wordlessly she appeased the tom, bumping heads with him before dashing off into the crowd.

As she ran across the battlefield, Wolfheart caught Swiftcloud by one of her back leg. His claws hooked into her thigh, dragging her closer to himself. Swiftcloud let out a yowl, turning and swiping her claws at the larger tom's face. But Wolfheart appeared unfazed, as if the scratches couldn't hurt him at all. Then he growled, forcing Swiftcloud onto the floor with astonishing ease. He pummeled her, back legs tearing at the delicate flesh of her belly, front claws further scarring her shoulder. Swiftcloud cried in pain, struggling to get free from the large tom's grasp. With one final hiss, Wolfheart picked Swiftcloud up and threw her away like crowfood. Swiftcloud groaned, body aching. She forced herself back onto her paws, limping the rest of the way off the battlefield.

Along the way, Swiftcloud was stopped in her tracks by a familiar pelt laying by the border. Tornface, the clan's last living elder, was lying there motionless. New wounds speckled his already scarred, ragged pelt. A lake of blood had formed beneath him. His chest was still, scent turning bitter. A clear sign of his demise. But a peaceful expression was settled upon the old tom's scarred face. He had died a warrior's death. Just as he had wanted. Just as he'd known would happen if he were to come out of retirement.

Oh Tornface... Swiftcloud mourned, turning away. With heart aching, and wounds stinging, the white and black patched molly hurried back into the meadow as fast as her paws could carry her.