CHAPTER TWENTY

The wind had finally died down, but it didn't prevent the bitterly cold air from biting at Birdpaw's fur. They had been traveling across the mountainous terrain for what felt like days now. Every night the Clan would find some kind of shelter to sleep in. But even that wasn't enough to escape the bitter cold. It may be newleaf down below, but up here it felt more like the heart of leafbare.

"I'm tired of being so cold," Ebonypaw moaned after nearly slipping on some snow. Her black fur stood out against the white snow, only making their journey that much more difficult. "I wish I had long fur like Dewspots... anything is better than dealing with this awful wind."

"I know how you feel," Specklewing murmured. "I can't wait for this journey to be over with. To see what the other Clans are like."

"I heard WindClan and ThunderClan are the best," Mothflower meowed. "And WindClan can run really fast... which I guess is why they were named WindClan."

If we ever make it that far, I can't wait to see the other Clans too, Birdpaw thought. She couldn't wait to tell the other Clans what perils her Clan had gone through just to survive. When the rogues had pushed them out of the gorge, the decision to find the other Clans had been made by Emberstar and Birchpelt. Not many cats were happy to leave, especially since they shared so many memories in their territory. But the rogues were too numerous, and would have easily overpowered them. Emberstar didn't want to risk losing anymore warriors, not after everything the Clan had been through.

"Wait, Emberstar is stopping!" Frozenfoot announced, her tail lashing irritably at the thought of staying here any longer.

"Emberstar, what's wrong?" Birchpelt asked as she bounded ahead to join the SkyClan leader. Birdpaw didn't miss the look of worry flashing in his eyes. Something was definitely wrong. She exchanged an anxious look with the other apprentices as Emberstar eyed Birchpelt warily.

"We aren't alone," he growled, glancing at a rocky ledge overlooking them.

Birdpaw followed his gaze, and sure enough, she saw what looked like the outline of a cat. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of a grayish white cat staring down at them. No, he was glaring at them. She had no idea cats lived up in these harsh conditions, especially cats who were hostile towards any travelers.

"I was wondering why such a large group was traveling in the mountains," the cat meowed in a casual tone. "We of the Tribe of Rushing Waters have arrived to greet you with open paws. If you wish to have warm shelter before the storm arrives, you are welcome to join us in our caves."

Suspicion immediately rose within Birdpaw at the thought of following strange cats blindly. The strong winds and gray skies told her that the cat was right about a storm on it's way. Birdpaw could almost feel the tension rising as Emberstar glared at the oddly friendly cat.

"I think we can make it on our own out here," the ginger tom snapped, sounding more than annoyed. "We don't rely on others for help, especially if it's someone we don't trust."

The gray and white tom just narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "Very well," he sighed as if he was disappointed in Emberstar's decision. "If you change your mind, we are only a few miles from here. I'm sure you can track us down."

Birdpaw wanted to shout for joy that Emberstar had turned down the stranger's offer. Already her hackles were rising with unease as she imagined the worst possible outcome for her Clan. She wasn't sure if these cats were friendly or not, but she knew for certain that she would never trust them.

"Emberstar, are you sure that staying here is a wise idea?" Ivyclaw asked once the tension had died down. "I'm worried about what will happen if a storm does arrive, and I'm sure that one is on it's way."

She's right about that, Birdpaw thought warily. There is a nasty storm on it's way.

She looked at her mother nervously. Darkflower looked just as anxious as everyone else at the thought of traveling during a blizzard. She had been born in the middle of leafbare, and knew all too well the dangers it presented.

"Emberstar-" He didn't let Goldenpelt continue, shooting a glare at the elder.

"No, those cats, whoever they call themselves, cannot be trusted," he snapped. "Whatever happens, we need to rely on each other and protect one another. Birchpelt, I want you to find some shelter we can sleep in for the night, we'll need it."

Her mentor nodded in agreement before taking Thorntalon and Hollowstorm with her. Having backup would definitely prove useful, but Birdpaw had a bad feeling things were about to go from bad to worse. She couldn't shake off the feeling that the Tribe cat had been an omen sent by StarClan. Something much worse was about to happen, and it would devastate SkyClan.

...

As was expected, a snowstorm did rush through the mountains that night. Birchpelt and her patrol weren't lucky enough to find shelter like Emberstar was hoping. Instead, the Clan was huddled up against the piercing cold wind and icy snow that covered their pelts. The elders were in the center of the group for protection. Birdpaw was standing beside her mother with her pelt bushed out with fear as she wondered if they would survive the night.

"Emberstar, if this keeps up any longer, we'll all freeze to death out here!" Darkflower yowled above the howling wind.

Birdpaw's eyes widened in horror when she saw a flash of light illuminate the sky. Panic rippled through the group as the blizzard only got worse. For a moment, Birdpaw was blinded by a flurry of snow as she tried regaining her senses.

"Mom?" she asked frantically when she couldn't see any of her Clanmates. The wind was too strong for her to make out anything clearly. Birdpaw's heart was pounding with fear. She couldn't pick up any familiar scents. Darkflower and Thorntalon had disappeared in the storm, and she was all alone. "Momma!" she tried calling once more.

"Birdpaw?" She stiffened at the sound of a familiar voice, spinning around to see Driftpaw standing in front of her. It looked like he was shivering from tail-to-nose, his entire pelt covered in snow.

"Driftpaw, what happened?" she asked, her voice coming out in a squeak.

"The group got split up somehow," Driftpaw explained, eyeing his surroundings warily. The storm was only getting worse, if that was possible. "Come on, the others and I were able to find a cave we can sleep in until the storm passes."

Birdpaw stiffened in surprise at the mention of finding shelter. From what she had gathered, Birchpelt hadn't been able to find anything to sleep in for the night. As she followed Driftpaw, she noticed with a start that her surroundings were different from before. The snow had only made it that much more difficult to keep track of where she was. And she was separated from her mother and father.

"How'd you find this place?" she asked in surprise when she saw the other apprentices gathered inside.

"Brightpaw was the one who found it," Ebonypaw murmured. "The whole Clan panicked when it started to thunder and lightning... we stuck together like apprentices should."

"I just wish we could say the same about our Clanmates," Wrenpaw sighed bitterly. "Now what are we going to do? Even if we survive this storm, we'll still be stuck out here with nowhere to go."

"Emberstar always seemed to know the way," Brightpaw added.

Just follow the sun. Birdpaw stiffened at the voice that spoke. She looked at the others to see if they had heard it, but no one seemed to hear it. They were still discussing what to do after the storm passed. Follow the sun, it will lead you home.

"Follow the sun," Birdpaw whispered out loud. Driftpaw and the others looked at her in confusion. "I-I think we need to follow the sun," she said in a louder voice.

"Follow the sun?" Ebonypaw repeated, sounding a bit annoyed at the fact that Birdpaw had come up with the idea. "Why should we do as you say? You're barely even eight moons old!" Driftpaw gave his sister a warning look that told her not to argue.

"Come on, we need to sleep before things get any worse than they already are," he told them. "We can decide tomorrow what we should do."

Birdpaw watched them anxiously as they all grumbled in agreement and began to get as comfortable as one could in a cave like this. She could still hear the howling wind from outside. But at least it was warm and sheltered in this small cave.

I hope mom and dad are okay, she prayed silently. And everyone else for that matter.