They decided to go to the further potential campsite first. Sagestar was still tired, but was glad to be out of the camp. Things were a lot simpler when she didn't have dozens of cats watching her every step, judging every move she made.

She was also glad to be with Robinfrost again. She was chattering merrily as if nothing dramatic had happened. Her unaffected attitude had an effect on the whole group, and soon even Cougarstrike was chatting amiably with Quietstorm.

Sagestar was intrigued by the giant tom. At first she had been simply intimidated by his massive size, and it seemed like he hardly spoke at all. The few times she had heard him speak, her curiosity had only deepened. He was different, somehow, from the other JuniperClan cats.

"So... Quietstorm?" she asked, trotting to keep pace with his long strides. "What's your story? Have you always been a part of JuniperClan?"

The big tabby shook his head, but it was his mate who responded.

"Oh, no," Robinfrost chirped. "Quietstorm joined the clan about... what was it? Two, three leaf-bares ago?"

Quietstorm nodded. "Three."

"I found him, wandering in the woods," Robinfrost continued. "He was in pretty rough shape, so I brought him back to camp and had Thistletail fix him up. He decided to stay, and Eaglestar made him a warrior soon afterwards."

"He's been a huge asset to the Clan," added Cougarstrike.

Quietstorm dipped his head, seemingly embarrassed. "I'm just thankful they took me in. I found a home here. A family."

Robinfrost purred and brushed against her mate. "We've been together ever since then."

Sagestar smiled. "That's wonderful. Do you have kits?"

"Um... no." Robinfrost's ever-present smile faltered. "We... I can't have kits."

Sagestar's stomach dropped. "Oh... I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have-"

"Don't worry about it." Robinfrost's smile was firmly back in place. "Really, it's fine. Sure, I'd love to be a mother. But I have Quietstorm and I don't need more than that."

Quietstorm nuzzled his mate, nearly knocking over the much smaller, slender she-cat. She laughed, then quickly changed the subject. Sagestar wondered how much of the laughter and chattiness was just a mask for the pain that her friend was hiding.

Soon enough, Robinfrost announced that they had arrived. Sagestar had to admit to herself that she wasn't sure what she was looking at. They seemed to be in a patch of forest like any other. She glanced over at Cougarstrike, but he looked thoughtful, clearly seeing something that she didn't.

"Robinfrost, why don't you walk me through it?" she asked, trying to sound confident.

"Sure thing."

She pushed her way past some dry grasses, Sagestar trailing after her. She heard Cougarstrike and Quietstorm following behind.

"This could be sort of a camp entrance," Robinfrost said. "And over here, there's space under this fallen log that would make a nice den, maybe a nursery."

Sagestar sniffed the log. It was solid, with no signs of decay. Robinfrost had continued to some bushes with small, waxy leaves.

"We could weave more sticks and branches into this, and it would make a couple good-sized dens, maybe for the warriors and apprentices."

Sagestar tried to picture it, but the bushes didn't look anything like dens to her. Cougarstrike, however, was nodding appreciatively.

"That just leaves the medicine den. Where would that be?" Sagestar asked.

"And the leader's den," added Cougarstrike. "You'll need your own den, Sagestar."

"Right," said Robinfrost. "I was thinking maybe over here, under this rock. It would need to be dug out a bit more, but it could be a nice, cozy den. There's also a nice big hollow under those tree roots, that would be a perfect medicine den."

"Okay... what about the dog-scent that Lizardclaw was going on about?" Sagestar asked.

"Believe me, it's nothing. There haven't been dogs here in ages."

"Just show us where the scent was," Cougarstrike said.

Robinfrost shrugged and led the way out of the "camp" and up a small hill. At the top of the hill was a long, flat stretch of dirt that stretched as far as Sagestar could see. It seemed uncomfortably familiar, and she, too picked up a faint scent of dogs.

"I don't like this," she said. "This looks an awful lot like a twoleg monsterpath."

"Monsters can't fit here," reasoned Robinfrost. "It's barely wide enough for a couple of twolegs to walk on!"

"So maybe they just walk here," Sagestar agreed. "But it seems like they like to come here a lot, and they bring dogs with them. They haven't been here for a while, but I would bet my tail that they come back. They might just be avoiding it because of the smoke."

"She's probably right," Cougarstrike conceded. "Twolegs only seem to come out when the weather is nice."

Robinfrost shrugged and led the group back down the hill. "So, should we make camp here?" she asked.

Sagestar looked around the potential new home. It looked pretty nice, and fairly well protected, with cozy dens ready for the Clan cats to move into. Still, she couldn't shake the sense of unease about having twolegs passing so close to the camp.

"Why don't you show us the other one, then we can decide."

Robinfrost shrugged again, then trotted off, leading the group with her plumed tail waving in the air like a banner.

It was well past sunhigh by the time they arrived. The second place that Robinfrost, Quietstorm, and Lizardclaw had found was right on the banks of the river. Sagestar's view of the camp was obscured by a large, overgrown wild rosebush.

Robinfrost pushed her way into the rosebush, Sagestar and the others close behind. After a few moments of fighting through the branches and thorns, they emerged in a small clearing. On one side was the river, a small juniper tree growing out over it. The tree's roots seemed to cling to the riverbank, counterbalancing the tree that stretched out over the water. Under the roots there was a hole in the ground, dark and welcoming.

To the left of the tree was a pile of rocks. The rosebushes' branches seemed to creep up and through the stones, so little pink flowers peeked through the cracks.

Opposite the rockpile, the clearing sloped down to a flat rock that sat right at the water's edge. The water there was calm and still compared to the main riverway, a little eddy protected from the river's current. Sagestar could see minnows darting about in the shallow water.

Again, Robinfrost walked through the camp, pointing out potential den locations. The hole under the tree apparently used to be home to river otters, and created a tunnel down to the flat rock by the shallows, with a couple of side chambers dug out. It was cozy, but the reek of the previous tenants, though stale, was overpowering. Sagestar was thankful to be able to make her way back out to fresh air again.

The rock pile also held a few potential dens. Behind the rubble, there were two deep, dark openings with room for plenty of cats.

Again, Robinfrost suggested weaving branches and sticks, this time in the rosebush, to make a nursery den.

Sagestar looked around the camp. There were no signs of twolegs near here, and the thorny rosebush on one side and the river on the other made for a well-protected camp. It was also much closer to the current temporary camp, where the rest of the Clan waited for them.

On the other hand, this camp would take a lot of work to get ready. There wasn't a single den that was livable at this point, unless you counted the stinky otter den.

"So, what do you think? Which one is better?" Robinfrost asked, snapping Sagestar from her thoughts.

"Um... I'm not sure," she admitted. "Cougarstrike? What do you think?"

Cougarstrike shook his head. "I'm not the leader, Sagestar. You are. You have to be the one to choose."

Sagestar's pelt pricked with irritation. "I'm not asking you to choose," she snapped. "I just want you to tell me what you think."

The scarred tom licked his shoulder thoughtfully. "I think... there are things I really like about the other camp. It would be a lot easier to settle in there- there isn't as much work to be done. But... this seems safer. It's a good, central location, well protected. But the Clan would have their work cut out for them here."

"That's what I thought, too," Sagestar agreed. She still wasn't sure, but she couldn't let Cougarstrike know that. She had to show him, and the rest of the Clan, that she had what it takes to be a strong, decisive leader.

"So, what will it be?" Robinfrost asked.

"We'll bring the Clan here." Sagestar tried to sound confident and decisive. Hopefully nobody would be able to see the worry she was actually feeling- had she made the right choice for JuniperClan?