And we're back with another chapter of Winds of Change! Before we continue, I want to thank everyone who either reviewed, followed or added this story to their favourites! Your support really motivates me and I am glad to see that people like this story so much! Even though I barely updated, we reached over 500 views this month alone! It means so much to me, so thank you all 3

Now, enjoy chapter 4 of Winds of Change. This is going to be a long one, the longest one so far, so I hope you like it!

After a busy day of crouching beneath a tree watching a few unreachable birds, Rusty was back in his nest. During the time spent with Smudge he had forgotten about the dreams for a while, something he was grateful for, but now that he was alone, his worries and doubts slowly returned to me. He knew what he had to do; he just didn't know how. He was in his house, perhaps for the last time ever. His housefolk had gone upstairs, leaving him alone. He would miss it, he would miss them. They had always been good to him. They had never left him home alone for too long, he had always been able to go outisde when he wanted to, he never went hungry. And I am giving all of it up, for what?

The tom smiled weakly at his own thoughts. He was giving it all up, yes, but had he ever been truly happy here? Sure, it was a comfortable life, and he had friends here. But even that didn't mean that he had never dreamed of another life, one that involved hunting and running, sleeping under the stars and being free. If it meant he would finally get all of that, he would leave his old life behind. Which I am about to do.

Rusty made his decision. He was going.

A smile crossed his features, his green eyes gleaming with determination ad excitement. Tomorrow it was going to happen. He would go take the same path back to the moor and wait at the border. If cats found him, he would tell them about his dreams. If they were hostile, he would not be scared this time. He would face them with his head held high and not back down. He would stand his ground.

His exhaustion finally took hold of him, and he slowly drifted to sleep, this time a dreamless one.

Tomorrow

Deadfoot's paws burned and his pads were bleeding from the harsh terrain of the twolegplace. They had been walking all day without any luck, but Tallstar had refused to give up. Onewhisker had suggested they spent the night here in this abandoned little den that reeked of twolegs and their monsters, and the WindClan leader had immediatly approved despite Deadfoot's protests. The three had tried to hunt, but there was no prey in this StarClan forsaken place. Hungry and tired. The black tom growled silently. This expedition is getting better and better.

The WindClan leader and young warrior were both fast asleep. Deadfoot had offered to stand guard for the night. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep in a place like this anyway, and Tallstar and Onewhisker could both use the rest. A thick layer of clouds covered the sky, covering the ground below in complete darkness. No moon and no stars were visible, making Deadfoot wonder if StarClan could even watch over them here. He knew they weren't even too far away from Clan territory, but StarClan's reach was unknown to him. It gave him a sense of loneliness, an uncomfortable calmth that crept up on him from behind.

A sound. Very quiet, almost to quiet for anyone to hear. The deputy heard it.

"Who's there?" He hissed, his claws unsheated. "I heard you." There came no reply, and for a moment the black tom wondered if he had just imagined it, but a dark flash to his right proved him wrong. As if hit by a bolt of lightning, Deadfoot spun around. "Come out and fight!" He growled in the direction of the movement. Once again nobody answered his demands. Deadfoot's black tail lashed angrily, but all around him was nothing but silence. He sat down again, his ears flattened against his head and his eyes alert for any sign of another one's presence. A dog barked in the distance, but other than that it was quiet. The other never appeared again that night, but the deputy was sure someone had been there. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched from somewhere in the shadows.

Luckily, the rest of the night went by without any disturbances. Deadfoot had woken up Tallstar and Onewhisker at the first signs of dawn, not willing to spend more time than neccesary in the twolegplace. The uneasy feeling of last night was still there, but he decided to keep quiet about it because he didn't want to worry the others with him seeing shadows and hearing voices; they would think he had gone mad!

"You should have woken me up earlier so I could stand guard for a while." Onewhisker mewed to the deputy, clearly unhappy Deadfoot had let him sleep. The pale brown tabby's fur was completely fluffed up, cold as it was. Deadfoot simply shrugged. "Figured I would let you sleep a little more. You looked like you needed it." In response Onewhisker gave him a friendly push against the shoulder. Tallstar called for them: "Let's go. I had an idea last night on how to find this kittypet!"

Hiding a big yawn, the black WindClan deputy rose from his seat. His limbs felt stiff and cold, and his pads were bruised. Little cuts carved them, and it wouldn't be long before those started bleeding again. Deadfoot trotted towards his leader, walking by his side as they once again ventured into the twolegplace. "Tallstar?" He asked after a while. The WindClan leader looked up, his amber eyes burning with determination.

Deadfoot had been wanting to ask him what they would do if today's search wouldn't have a result, but after seeing the hope Tallstar had on finding the orange kitten, he kept quiet about that. "I uh... I was just wondering what your plan was." He said clumsily, looking at his paws. "Simple." Tallstar replied. "We are going to ask around. Maybe one of the cats living here knows where he lives, or at the very least has seen him around somewhere." While Deadfoot wasn't particularly fond of the idea of having to talk to kittypets, he had to admit that it didn't sound like a bad plan. "Good idea." He nodded in agreement. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can go home.

Behind them, Onewhisker stopped walking. Before Deadfoot or Tallstar had to chance to ask him why, he pelted away, disappearing under a set of bushes. "Onewhisker!" The WindClan deputy yelled at him, but the young warrior was already gone. He stared helplessly at the bushes, but it didn't take long. Soon after his sudden leave, Onewhiskers head popped out of the leaves. He was carrying a large thrush and his eyes shone with rpide at his catch. "Well done, Onewhisker." Tallstar purred warmly beside the deputy. "That looks like a good meal."

The three cats crouched down beneath the bush to fill their hungry bellies with Onewhisker's catch. The tabby clearly took pride in the fact that he was the one who caught the trush that was now feeding his Clanmates, which seriously lightened the mood. Even Deadfoot himself enjoyed this moment spent with the other two. The thrush wasn't enough to completely satisfy all of them, but it took away most of the hunger for now.

"Now," Tallstar announced when they were done eating. "Let us find ourselves a kittypet."

Deadfoot had to laugh at how dumb yet so serious it sounded.

"Goodbye, Smudge." Rusty pressed his head against the one of his best friend. The black and white tom looked at him, his amber eyes round and sad. "So you're really going, then?" The other tom nodded, his heart heavy. "I told you yesterday; I have to." "But why?" Smudge pressed, still trying to stop him from going. Rusty knew that he would keep doing that until he was completely out of sight, but he also knew that Smudge would let him go. "You were a great friend." He told him sincerely. "The best I could ever hope to have."

"So were you, Rusty." The plump kittypet replied. "You can always come back, you know, when the wild cats won't take you." "Thank you. I will never forget you, Smudge." The ginger tom smiled at his friend, the one he would leave behind. It was time to go. His housefolk had left not long ago; he had already told them goodbye. Not that they understood me he thought with a sad grin. He would miss them, but they would forget them eventually. It felt a little strange, though.

Rusty lifted his head at the sky. The sun was not very heigh at the sky yet, so he would have the biggest part of the day for his journey. Fianlly pulling away from Smudge, he began walking. Before he jumped over the fence, he turned around one last time. "Goodbye." He tried to sound strong, but his insides where a whirlpool of emotions. This was the moment would leave his old life behind and start a new one. There was no going back. Was he really ready for this?

Yes. I am ready.

He lifted his gaze at the fence and jumped. Landing perfectly on top of it, he leaped down on the other side with no hestitation. Excitement filled him once again, and he knew that he truly was ready for this massive step in his lives. "I'm coming." He whispered.

Author's note

I promised this chapter would be out sooner than the last one, and I delivered! Not such a hard task, really, considering the time between chapter 2 and 3. Anyway, be proud of me.

I have big plans for next chapter, so stay tuned for that one! I am also accepting ideas, so don't be afraid to comment what you have in mind!

I hope you enjoyed this longer one, and please let me know if you want the chapters to be longer or shorter, and what you think of the story so far of course!

See y'all soon!

Frost