I wanted to say thank you to everyone- my reviewers, people who private message me to tell me they love my story, and the quiet folks out there who just enjoy reading anonymously- thank you all so much! And just a reminder, if anybody wants to read the 57 chapters from the ORIGINAL Jayfeather's Conclusion that I took down years ago, just private message me your email and I'll send it all over. :3

The MoonClanner I haven't accepted an OC for my stories in a very long time but I suppose I don't see why not. I've added Streamwhisper to the SkyClan allegiances in chapter 1. :)

The Apocryphal One I think I should have named the last chapter, "We Watch Over Ancestors" haha, because it's actually Jayfeather who is watching out for them, not the other way around. Also I'm glad you approve of the name/title I settled on for Nettle.

Kitty-Guardian Hootryd Jayfeather is always getting mixed up with the mountain cats. He's appointed Half Moon, Crag after the other Stoneteller died, and now the first Starspeaker. I had a lot of fun with Briarlight's dream. Originally I was going to start the chapter with the ancestor meeting, but then decided to add all that stuff that came before it.

MistLion I'm glad you still read my chapters- as tardy as they are. I've decided not to continue my Hollyleaf story so I'll keep focusing on this one. Besides, that means the chapters come out faster since I don't have to split up my time into two stories.

Shadowed Woods I'm so very glad you enjoy my story even if you are not a fan of the ship. I'm much more a fan of the JayxPoppy shipping but Briar is more relevant these days. Also, I've seen your reviews on some of my older stories from 4 years ago and that's cool.

Dark claws tore into the ground as she raced across the grass. The rabbit's tiny paws thrummed just a few whisker-lengths in front of her; its fear scent and terrified pounding heart filling her with energy as she imagined the taste on her lips. She needed to make this kill because her cubs were relying on her- they hadn't eaten in days. Dry leaves crunched beneath her paws and her snow-white fur billowed in the wind as she closed in on her prize. They were nearing the edge of the gorge and the creature had no place left to run.

The hunt was over in a heartbeat as she sank her sharp teeth deep into the fleshy body of the rabbit. She stood up, its body swinging lifelessly from her jaws, and began to carry it carefully down the cliff. The forest had been her home for moons and she knew the trees and rocks well. Below her, by the river, her cubs were tucked safely inside a small crevice waiting for her to return, but first she had to climb down the side of the gorge and avoid the group of cats who lived nearby. Sometimes they would chase her when she got too close but they always stopped at the same place and let her get away as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

The stones beneath her paws were dry and offered plenty of purchase for her to climb down safely with her catch. She panted slightly as she approached the bottom, the chuckling river reminding her just how close she was to her cubs. She could already see the two tiny creatures peeking out of the safety of their cave. Their ears were pricked and they squealed in delight when they saw her carrying the rabbit towards them. It didn't look like the hostile cats living nearby had noticed her so she and her cubs were safe.

She jumped across the large rocks that made a slippery path from one side of the river to the other and landed safely on the other side. Instantly, her cubs were upon her, their tiny jaws opened with frantic hunger as they snapped at the fresh-kill. One of them had white fur like hers while the other had the more traditional red fur of their father. She dropped the rabbit on the ground and took a step back as the young ones dug their teeth happily into flesh. If there was anything left when they were done, she would eat, but they always came first.

A rumbling sound caught her attention and she turned her head to look downstream. It sounded like a distant roll of thunder but there were no rain clouds in the sky. All of the birdsong quieted and a breeze began to pick up around her paws. She tilted her head in confusion but the cubs were too busy eating to notice.

The roaring grew louder and louder and it was already too late when she realized the danger. A huge black wave of water surged into sight, rampaging towards her with trees and housefolk rubbish caught in its wake. She yelped a warning to her cubs but the foul water was crashing down on her before she could scoop them up. She was picked up by the surge and lost sight of her two young ones as the water carried her along. She kicked and thrashed to keep her head above the waves but the violent river tossed her around like a dead leaf.

She was being swept up into the gorge and she thought she spotted the cats frantically scurrying into their elevated dens among the rocks, but she was moving too fast to see anything clearly. She desperately looked around for her cubs again but she salty water stung her eyes and she had to squeeze them shut. She screamed out, hoping they could hear her.

Suddenly, the water sucked her down and her throat filled with the disgusting froth. She choked, trying to kick her way back to the surface as a thundering cacophony filled her ears, but she couldn't tell which way was up. She was spun around beneath the waves and water clogged her lungs. She writhed, fighting the cold darkness that threatened to overwhelm her, but lost...

"Wake up, little one."

Her eyes flew open and she leapt to her paws. She sucked in huge mouth-fulls of air but quickly realized she wasn't in the river anymore. She looked around frantically but the thrashing waves were completely gone. Where were her cubs? She was in a bright forest covered with glowing mushrooms and trees that looked like they had stars growing in the cracks of the bark. In front of her stood a huge badger.

Her eyes grew wide with fury when she realized that lurking behind the badger were her two cubs. She was about to leap forward and defend them but she froze as the badger opened its mouth and spoke.

"No time for fighting now, little one," the badger rumbled, its black gaze calmly watching the white she-fox that was poised to attack. "I grieve for your short life but the stars still have plans for you."

The fox's eyes narrowed suspiciously. How could she understand this ugly creature? Why wouldn't her cubs run to her side like they always did? Where was the flooded river from just moments ago?

"Comprehend my intentions, you can not." The badger let out a small sigh and took a step towards the terrified fox. "Short is my time here but always there must be a keeper of forgotten stories. Soon you will understand earth, sky, and stars. Fear not, your precious cubs will be watched over."

The fox wanted to recoil as the lumbering creature hobbled closer but her paws wouldn't move. She bared her teeth defensively but the badger wasn't deterred and her cubs only watched with mournful stares. The badger touched its muzzle to hers and light filled her vision...


o.o


Just two days ago, a massive flood had washed through all of the Clan territories, wiping out everything it reached including all four Clan camps. ThunderClan and WindClan were now taking shelter together around the old abandoned twoleg den while ShadowClan and RiverClan were staying at the other twoleg den on ShadowClan's territory. The twoleg and the two kittypets that lived there had fled after the flood.

Lionblaze's paws were shaking and his head was lowered. His Clanmate, Bumblestripe, padded tiredly along side him as they both took the last few soggy steps towards the abandoned twoleg den. They had been hunting and swimming since the dawn's first light, and even though Lionblaze still had strength burning in his chest, he knew the other warrior was at his limit.

"You okay, Bumblestripe?"

"Yeah, I'm good," the other warrior panted. He looked up and locked gazes with Lionblaze to show his appreciation. He was a large cat, even bigger than Lionblaze, but his paws shook slightly with every step. Unlike Lionblaze, he didn't have a gift from StarClan that gave him more strength than a normal cat, but he had kept up well with the brisk pace they had set.

They made it to the old arch that curved over one of the entrances to the garden where Leafpool and Jayfeather used to grow herbs. Lionblaze stopped for a moment to take in the new temporary camp, but he gestured for Bumblestripe to keep going and get some rest.

Most of the plants had already been culled since the entire ThunderClan and WindClan supply of medicine had been lost to the flood. So many cats still needed to be treated but there weren't enough herbs to go around. He shivered as he remembered the moment the giant wave of water crashed across the lake. He had been hunting alone by the ShadowClan border and the flood had hit him fast and without warning. He could still clearly picture himself flailing around in the salty tide as it sucked him under and nearly drowned him. He had been lucky to have caught hold of a tree branch to save himself but many other cats had not been so fortunate.

When the flood had hit the camp, Sandstorm, Daisy, and Purdy had been trapped in there dens and no cat had been able to reach them before the water had risen too high. Sandstorm managed to swim free and survive but both Purdy and Daisy still hadn't been found and everyone assumed the worst.

Daisy's family in ThunderClan were still grieving over her loss and Toadstep and Rosepetal in particular claimed they wouldn't rest until they had found their mother's body- even though Bramblestar had ordered every available warrior to hunt for fresh-kill and herbs.

Lionblaze shook his head to clear it. He needed to focus on the cats who needed him now. He padded forward to join his Clan who were taking refuge in the nooks and crannies of the giant abandoned twoleg den. Bramblestar and Onestar had made sure the old rickety structure was safe before letting cats move inside, but there wasn't enough room for everyone so some cats had crafted makeshift nests and dens along the outside using whatever materials they could find.

"Welcome back, Lionblaze," meowed Brackenfur who was keeping watch. "Did you catch anything?"

A deteriorating rock wall surrounded most of the twoleg den and the older tom had been lurking behind the stones. Lionblaze shook his head. "Most of the prey has either drowned or fled. It's quiet out there."

Brackenfur looked disheartened. "That's unfortunate. We have a shortage of prey, herbs and medicine cats. All of the Clans are vulnerable right now. If things don't get better we might have to consider sending patrols beyond the Clan territories in search of food- at least temporarily."

"I'd go," Lionblaze meowed without hesitation. "I'll go anywhere and do whatever it takes to keep my Clanmates alive."

Brackenfur's amber eyes met Lionblaze's for a moment and Lionblaze realized just how old and noble the senior warrior was. Brackenfur had been alive while Firestar was a young warrior named Fireheart, he fought in the great battle against BloodClan, and he had been there when the Clans were forced to leave their old territory and migrate to the lake. He had seen so much and guided the Clan with wisdom for so many moons that it was almost appalling he had never been made deputy.

Brackenfur let out a tired breath and winced as he tried to stand up. One of his forepaws had a long cut running down the side from when a piece of floating twoleg rubbish had sliced it.

Lionblaze stepped forward in case the older warrior needed help getting to his paws. "Are you okay? Do you want me to fetch Kestrelflight?"

The warrior only shook his head and let out a small huff of amusement. "That won't be necessary. Kestrelflight is under a lot of strain, now that he's taking care of two Clans in Leafpool's absence. No, I'll keep watch here. It's too late to send you out on a hunting patrol so find him and see if there is anything you can do to help. Brightheart should be assisting him already but they could always use more paws."

Lionblaze dipped his head respectfully to Brackenfur and padded on without another word.

When the ground shook, rocks had tumbled into the gorge and destroyed the medicine cat's den. Leafpool had been struck by one of the stones and Birchfall had been hurt trying to rescue her. Both of them were grievously injured and now under the watchful care of the WindClan medicine cat. Lionblaze made sure to visit his injured mother whenever he had a chance but seeing her like that made him want to throw up. He didn't think his heart could take it if he lost her; not when he had already lost Hollyleaf and Jayfeather. Was he destined to outlast all of his kin?

With heavy paws, Lionblaze made his way deeper into the temporary camp. High stacks of square stones made up the bulk of the central twoleg den with a couple large openings which allowed cats to go in and out. Many moons of exposure to the elements had left some of the wooden supports rotten and weak but so far nothing had collapsed.

As he padded towards one of the twoleg den openings to find Kestrelflight, he found serenity in the relative quietness of the clearing. Apart from the occasional moan from the injured or grieving, the camp was silent. The sun would be setting soon and there was still no fresh-kill pile. He prayed to StarClan that the hunters would bring something back. The two deputies, Ashfoot and Squirrelflight, had worked together organizing groups to assemble as many nests as possible inside and around the twoleg den. Guards on watch would have to look out for foxes or badgers that might try to take advantage of the exposed warriors.

"It's good to see you again, Lionblaze."

He stopped and turned his head in the direction of the voice. Cinderheart was lying in a patch of weedy grass that was growing next to the stone wall. He hadn't noticed her right away because her gray fur blended in so well with the rocks and long shadows draped over her pelt making her almost invisible. "What are you doing out here?" he asked sternly, changing course to pad over to her. "All queens are supposed to be staying safe inside the twoleg den with Kestrelflight and Brightheart."

His mate didn't stand as he approached, she just purred up at him with joy glimmering in her blue eyes. In times of despair, only loved ones were a source of light in the darkness. "I needed some fresh air. It's too dusty in there and I'm not convinced a huge piece of wood isn't going to fall on top of me while I'm sleeping."

Lionblaze pressed his cheek against hers and took a deep breath of her warm scent. "It's safer than anywhere else right now. With so much of the prey driven out by the flooding, other predators like foxes might get desperate enough to come close to camp."

Cinderheart's joy quickly changed to frustration and she stood up. "Why does Squirrelflight get to keep running around with a belly full of kits and I can't?"

He purred in amusement and stroked her spine with his tail. "Because she is the deputy- and she won't listen to anybody telling her otherwise because she is as stubborn as a burr," he added jokingly. "Will you please promise me you will stay safe? There's more than one precious life you have to take care of now." He moved his tail down her side until it was pressed against her stomach.

Cinderheart took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Everyone was stressed and he knew she hated being confined to the den instead of out helping the other warriors. She had more reason than anyone else to despise being stuck inside like a cripple confined to the medicine cat's den. "Fine," she sighed, pressing against his shoulder with affection. "But can you visit me more often? I know you're working harder than anyone else to keep the Clan moving, but try to visit me sometimes, please."

Lionblaze stepped back and his whiskers twitched as he tried to hold back the meow of laughter. "I will promise as long as you promise to keep yourself safe."

"Deal!"

He touched noses with her. Seeing her happy was the only thing that kept him going. He knew it would be a couple moons before the kits were ready to arrive but he prayed to StarClan that this mess would be cleaned up by then. He wanted his kits to be born into a healthy happy land, not a flooded one covered in twoleg rubbish. He gave his mate one final lick on the head before resuming his trek to the twoleg den entrance.

As much as he wanted to enjoy his short visit with Cinderheart, his flicker of happiness was brief. All along the stone wall were injured cats curled up in disheveled nests. Onestar had ordered that the apprentices help Kestrelflight take care of them so all training was on hiatus.

He spotted Lilypaw leaning over the limp form of a WindClan elder as if she were making sure the old cat was still alive. Whiskerpaw, the only remaining WindClan apprentice raced over to her side and whispered something urgently in her ear. The two young cats then bounded away towards the herb garden where Brightheart was plucking at the plants. Soon, every last useful twig and berry would be used up from the garden and they would have to search for more somewhere else.

Lionblaze turned his attention back on the twoleg den and stepped inside. The chill of the shadows instantly seeped into his pelt. The place was fortified and offered plenty of protection against any predator that dared to get close, but it also felt like death itself. The place reeked of mold and the stone walls crafted an unnatural stillness in the cold air. He shivered and pressed on, passing more resting cats until he spotted the WindClan medicine cat rummaging in one of the corners. "Greetings, Kestrelflight. Do you need help with anything?"

Kestrelflight's eyes grew wide when he spotted the ThunderClan warrior. "Oh good, a cat still intact enough to carry out a task. Yes, indeed I do."

Lionblaze picked up his pace until he was trotting to the medicine cat's side. Kestrelflight's pelt was disheveled with bits of leaf and twig sticking out making him look like a hedgehog. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and his paws were coated in a thick layer of herb dust and dirt.

"I need you to fetch water," the medicine cat murmured hastily, his gaze darting around as if he was looking for something. Many of my cats are dehydrated. You can't use water from the lake since it is salty and contaminated from all the twoleg rubbish, but the stream that flows down from the Moonpool should still be clean."

Lionblaze dipped his head. "I can do that. Is there any fresh moss nearby that I can use to carry it?"

"I- I don't think-" Kestreflight began, his eyes widening as he continued to search the floor around him.

"Head out along the old thunderpath and look among the roots of the birch trees that line it. Jayfeather used to store moss there."

Lionblaze closed his eyes and turned towards Leafpool who was lying in one of the nearby nests. She wasn't alone among the injured, Mousewhisker, Thornclaw, and Hazeltail were lying unconscious close by after swallowing large amounts of the vile water when the flood struck.

He took a deep breath. "How are you doing, Leafpool?"

Her dull gaze met his. A small trickle of blood bubbled around her muzzle but that didn't stop the ragged purr from escaping her lips. "Better, now that you are here. Go quickly, our cats have nothing to drink and the Moonpool is the only source of fresh water. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Kestrelflight is a fantastic medicine cat."

Lionblaze's jaw stiffened as emotions welled up and blocked his words so he just nodded to the two medicine cats and turned to leave. Leafpool's body was damaged on the inside, everyone knew that, and she was in a huge amount of pain even though she did her best to hide it. When he came back, he promised himself that would stay the night by her side.

Lionblaze padded briskly out of the abandoned twoleg den, grateful that he didn't have Jayfeather's power to sense what the cats around him were feeling. It was already hard enough when everyone around him was suffering, he didn't need to know anything more than that.

He stepped back out into the clearing that surrounded the den. A couple hunting patrols had returned and he thanked StarClan that some of them were actually carrying fresh-kill. He spotted Heathertail carrying a large squirrel in her jaws, which would probably go straight to the injured cats, so the warriors would still be hungry that night. The WindClan warrior spotted him and their eyes met for a short moment. It felt strange living in the same camp as her even though the romance between them had ended many moons ago. She was Breezepelt's mate now and one day she would have his kits.

Lionblaze tore his gaze away from her and weaved his way between the returning cats who were slowly flowing through the gaps in the protective walls. Brackenfur was still standing watch and Lionblaze made his way over to him.

"Salutations for a second time," the older warrior meowed when he spotted him.

Lionblaze dipped his head respectfully. "Hello again. Kestrelflight says the injured cats need water so if you spot any warriors milling around, tell them to go fetch some from the Moonpool's river. There should be moss at the base of the trees along the old thunderpath that they can use to carry it. I'm heading out to get some, now."

"I'll spread the news," Brackenfur meowed, seeming to cheer up slightly at the thought of giving out instructions. He was almost old enough to be an elder but he still felt the need to be useful. "Does Kestrelflight have a handle on the injured cat situation yet?"

Lionblaze didn't have to answer, his grim expression was enough.

The older cat sighed. "I didn't think so. Anyway, do what you have to and I'll pass along the message."

"Thanks," Lionblaze meowed. He turned and raced under the stone arch and out on to the worn thunderpath. It didn't take him long to find the moss crammed among the roots of the birch trees. Most of it was very dry and crumbled into pieces when he tried to pick it up, but he scraped together a large enough bundle in his jaws and took off in the direction of the river.

Even this far away from the flooded areas, he could smell the vile stench of the twoleg rubbish that had swamped the lake. Nothing had been spared by the flood- even a dead waterlogged twoleg had been discovered among the wreckage. The lake was now filled with trees, twoleg monsters, and smashed up twoleg dens. All that was visible of the great oak of the Gathering island was the top half that stuck out above the water.

The sun was low in the sky by the time he made it to the Moonpool's river. At least the sacred meeting place for the ancestors seemed to be intact if it was still producing clean water. StarClan had given the medicine cats no warning about the disaster so they had to be just as shocked as the living. No cat with even a smidgen of decency could have know about a disaster like this and chosen not to warn anyone.

He dipped his bundle of moss into the cold water, the chill making him shiver as it numbed his muzzle. Much of the water would likely drip out of the moss before he made it back to the abandoned twoleg den so he planned on making multiple trips. He turned around and was about to go back the way he came.

"Lionblaze of ThunderClan!"

He leapt into a battle stance and dropped his moss ball. He hadn't expected any other cat to be there. Blackstar had approached completely undetected until then. The ShadowClan leader was padding towards him from the direction of downstream, staying close to the pebbles that bordered the trickling water. Lionblaze relaxed his prickling pelt when he realized Blackstar was alone and didn't seem interested in a fight. "What can I do for you, Blackstar? You do realize you are on ThunderClan territory."

Blackstar lifted his massive head so his golden eyes could stare directly into Lionblaze's. At first, there was a flicker of anger as if he was insulted for being told off by a much younger cat, but then the flame died away to be replaced by a dull glow. "The Moonpool is outside of every Clan's territory and I have followed the lake's edge as is the agreed custom."

Lionblaze nodded in understanding. It was only natural for a Clan leader to seek the wisdom of their ancestors in a time of crisis. "How is ShadowClan doing? Is sharing a twoleg den with RiverClan working out for you all?"

Blackstar took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "ShadowClan is doing as well as any of the other Clans," he meowed curtly, holding his head high with pride.

"Oh, that's good, I suppose," Lionblaze meowed, stooping down to retrieve his soggy ball of moss. "Then I hope you find what you are looking for at the Moonpool." He turned and began heading back in the direction of the new camp when Blackstar spoke up again.

"That's not true."

Lionblaze stopped and looked around. "What's not true," he mumbled through the moss.

The old leader lowered his head as if it was too much effort to keep it raised. "ShadowClan is not doing well, even compared to the other Clans."

Lionblaze didn't speak, he just held firmly to his moss ball as he stared at the ShadowClan leader with curiosity.

"Littlecloud died in the flood and I also lost my deputy, Rowanclaw, when he gave his life to save two apprentices. I've elected Tawnypelt to be the new deputy but my camp, my medicine cat, and my trust in our ancestors are all gone. How could they let something like this happen without warning us? What have the Clans done to deserve such a horrible punishment from StarClan?" He lowered his head again to look at the ground. "Maybe Tigerstar will get his wish after all; he could have kin leading both LionClan and TigerClan soon."

Lionblaze shuffled his paws and lowered his moss ball one more time. He found it incredibly odd that Blackstar would confide so much in a random warrior from an enemy Clan. "You know StarClan didn't do this," he meowed sternly, hoping his conviction might persuade Blackstar to see reason. "Sometimes bad things just happen and StarClan can't do anything about it. For example, when twolegs overran the old territories and forced the Clans to move to the lake."

Blackstar didn't respond so Lionblaze continued.

"StarClan have some powers like covering the full moon when fights break out at the Gathering, and making that tree fall on the WindClan traitor, Mudclaw, when he tried to kill his leader, but they aren't all-powerful or all-knowing. They didn't send or even understand the prophecy me and my kin were a part of and they made a horrible mistake in not letting us know the truth about who our real parents were. You can't blame StarClan for every bad thing that happens- they're just cats, too."

The ShadowClan leader looked up, and Lionblaze was startled by the fury that glowed in his eyes. "Then what do we need them for?" he snarled, curling his lips to reveal sharp yellow teeth. "Why do the Clans worship cats in the stars if they are just as flawed as the cats down here in the forest? What's the point of Gatherings, the warrior code, or borders if they can't stop hardships like this from happening? If we were all loners and kittypets, we would be just as well off right now."

Lionblaze flinched away from the venom in the ShadowClan leader's voice. "That's not true! Being in a Clan makes it so every cat shares the burden and we can look out for each other. An injured rogue in this situation would die alone because they wouldn't have a medicine cat to heal them nor warriors to hunt for them. StarClan isn't supposed to be perfect they are meant to help and guide."

"Whatever," Blackstar muttered, turning away. "Tell your leaders that ShadowClan and RiverClan would like to have a daylight Gathering at the greenleaf twolegplace that borders our territories tomorrow at sunhigh. We will not be bringing fresh-kill to share."

Lionblaze dipped his head respectfully and reached for his moss ball again. "I'll tell Onestar and Bramblestar when I get back to camp."

Blackstar's only response was a dissatisfied growl as he continued up the hill.

Lionblaze's gaze tracked the haggard Clan leader with sympathy. He didn't understand what might be going on in Blackstar's head, but he hoped that he, just like the lake, would soon recover. The Clans needed strong leadership now more than ever.