AtlierSky- Yeah, don't worry about SkyClan, you know they always pull through. I really enjoyed writing that random battle. Fury and One Eye were doing it on behalf of their leaders and the whole revenge plan on TC for wronging one of them in the past.

Yeah, I can't wait to write Scourge's arrival either. I have plans for how it'll go with him and Fire Heart...and everyone else.

Thunder crouched in the grass with narrowed eyes, watching the hawk as it perched on a branch. It was very rare for any eagle or hawk to be in the forest, but Hawk Swoop had once told him they came around the middle of greenleaf when prey was plentiful. Prey for the big birds like rabbits and squirrels was bait for the cats to catch them.

The sun was starting to dip towards the horizon. As night fell, it brought with it a cool air, which was a thankful feeling after long days of heat.

Owl Eyes and Lightning Tail crouched on either side of him, waiting. Owl Eyes was fidgeting impatiently.

"Don't move," Thunder warned him. He watched in anticipation as the hawk landed on the roots of the tree they were in front of. "Lightning Tail, I want you to circle around from one side. Owl Eyes, you head it from the other side. In case it tries to fly away one of you will catch it. Meanwhile, I'll pinpoint it and pounce before it can lift off."

"I'm ready," Owl Eyes said.

"Okay. Go!"

Lightning Tail snuck around one way while Owl Eyes headed the other way. Unfortunately, the apprentice wasn't low enough and the hawk stared with sharp, suspicious eyes at the young tom's bristling fur and tail that was visible.

Without a moment's hesitation, Thunder gave a mighty leap and landed squarely on the hawk, which had been ready to take off.

After he delivered the killing blow, it went limp and Thunder picked it up proudly before feeling a sense of sadness. Hawk Swoop taught me how to catch hawks and eagles. She could always so easily pluck them from the sky like it was nothing…

The moment passed when Lightning Tail and Owl Eyes raced up to him, looking delighted.

"That'll feed Wind Runner, her kits and the apprentices!" Lightning Tail exclaimed.

"Great leap, Thunder!" Owl Eyes added, amber eyes bigger than usual with happiness.

"Thanks," Thunder purred. Gray Wing had once told him that he and Air Leap had their father's jump. I wonder what they're up to now, he thought, looking out into the distance.

As they headed back to camp, two BloodClan cats, Snake and Ice appeared. Snake snatched the eagle from Thunder. "Thanks, we'll take that."

Thunder rolled his eyes. Lightning Tail scoffed. They were used to this.

But Owl Eyes, who was all for justice, growled, "Hey, we caught that! Or well, Thunder did! Not you!"

Thunder smiled. Owl Eyes would be a good leader someday. He always stood up for those, who needed to be stood up for.

"Aww, well, here," Ice meowed, mockingly and tossed a chunk to Owl Eyes. The dark gray tom opened his mouth to argue more before he thought better of it and nudged the piece to Thunder.

"Here."

Thunder shook his head. "I can just go back out and hunt, but you," Owl Eyes' stomach growled. "Need to eat before you train with Gorse Fur."

"Lightning Tail?" The apprentice looked at the black tom, who shook his head almost immediately.

"It's okay, I can get something later."

Snake and Ice stared between the three of them in annoyance and disgust. "Ew, now it isn't fun anymore to tease you! Here, just take it! Sheesh!" Snake hissed and shoved the eagle back towards them.

The two black and white brothers left back to camp.

"Good job, Owl Eyes." Lightning Tail smirked. "You killed them with kindness." Owl Eyes ducked his head, smiling and Thunder knew he had meant every word of kindness he had mewed. It hadn't been an act. Guess he got that trait from Turtle Tail. Meanwhile, Sparrow Fur's got her mother's stubborn side. And Pebble Heart is as helpful and an all-around great cat as his dad.

"C'mon, you can share some of this eagle with your siblings and we'll give the rest to the kits and Wind Runner," Thunder meowed.

As Lightning Tail picked it up and headed on the trail back to camp with Owl Eyes behind him, Thunder paused as he caught a whiff of rogue scent.

Was it another of One Eye's friends? Maybe it was the 'him' Fury and her kittypet friends always talked about, or the black she-cat they still had yet to be introduced to (she always left camp like she was hiding something or stuck close to her buddies), or it could have been the other 'him' that One Eye talked about.

Are they really that important, we can't even know their names?

He followed the scent trail and rounded a tree only to slam into a familiar golden she-cat.

He groaned and got to his paws, asking, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Star Flower–he remembered her name–giggled. "I saw that eagle you caught. You've got a mighty leap."

Heat flushed beneath Thunder's fur at her smirk that looked beautiful on her.

"So, uh, what're you doing here?" He asked casually. "Not to be rude or anything."

"I just thought we should meet up, you know, exchange hunting techniques and…" she leaned towards him. "I found an amazing view if you wanna come with me."

Thunder looked back at the camp, but his friends were long gone. He knew Lightning Tail would immediately come looking for him and for some reason his best friend didn't seem to like Star Flower.

I'll just go with her for a bit and quickly come back. No harm done. I'm not doing anything wrong!

"Sure," he meowed.

They raced through the forest until they reached the Great Oak. Thunder clawed his way up, passing Star Flower and proudly balanced on a good branch.

"Wow, you're such a great climber," she purred as she settled beside him. His heart skipped a beat as her pelt brushed his for a moment.

Thunder ducked his head, smiling. "Not really. Once I was spying on our enemies and I fell…and got caught."

He expected Star Flower to be disapproving about something like spying since she seemed like a perfect, rule-following cat, but she only laughed a beautiful sound and Thunder felt proud he'd managed to make her laugh.

"There's the view," she suddenly gasped. "The sunset. Isn't it beautiful?"

Thunder had to agree it was amazing. Taking some advice his father had given him, he blurted out, "not as beautiful as you!" Before he shut his mouth and looked away, ears hot.

He didn't notice Star Flower smiling after looking shocked. She touched her nose to his cheek and he purred.

Skystar watched from his reed nest as Reed, another new friend of Gray Wing's, checked over Sparrow Fur's scars. He and his mate, Minnow had camped out with them and the river cats ever since Gray Wing came back with Slate.

They'd stayed up all night talking about Clan life and it had been hard to get to sleep.

"You poor thing," Minnow said as Reed brushed his paw over a long scar down her flank, the pink flesh messing up her white sparrow wing marking.

"At least I'll have cool scars," the tortoiseshell mewed, shrugging.

"But you're far too young to have scars!" Slate gasped.

"Okay, we really need a plan!" Skystar sat up. The more he failed to come up with something the more guilt he felt. "But I need all of your guys' help. I'm not asking you to join us in a battle if it comes to that, just…help me come up with something."

"Oh, no," Reed chuckled. "I'm down with everything you gotta do. One Eye's been a menace since before your Clan arrived."

Slate nodded in agreement. "He needs to go.

"Okay, what exactly is going on in SkyClan?" River Ripple asked, standing. "We need to know in order to plan right."

"One Eye and his friend Fury have taken over my Clan! They have so many friends with them!"

"Hmm," Gray Wing hummed. "What we need is a…" his eyes landed on Night. "A spy! Are you good at sneaking around?"

"Of course." Night licked a paw casually. "ThunderClan never knew about me when I lived on their land." She smirked. "So who needs to be spied on?"

Pebble Heart pushed some pulp into Wolfstep's mouth. The concoction he had made with the Blazing Star and catmint seemed to be the one.

It seemed to be working for most cats, but he still worried for Scorchwind, Littlecloud, and the kits who were the worst.

And Nightstar…

No matter how much of the cure Pebble Heart gave the tom, Nightstar wouldn't react. If he did he would throw up the medicine. It's up to StarClan now.

But if Nightstar did die, ShadowClan would be without a leader. Cinderfur had been one of the first to die with Archeye.

He shook his head. He'd worry about that later. He left the den and scanned the clearing before spotting Tall Shadow talking with Darkflower and Nutwhisker.

He bounded over and the three warriors glanced up. "Tall Shadow, I had a dream I didn't tell you about."

Tall Shadow perked up attentively. "What was it about?"

"It told me to beware a Clan you cannot trust."

Tall Shadow gave him a deadpan look. "Yeah. ThunderClan."

That's what I said!

But Pebble Heart now realized that Turtle Tail hadn't been warning him about ThunderClan. She knew he was smart and had said she never liked riddles. So she had put it like it was.

"No, it isn't ThunderClan. For once. Why else would she tell me it like that?"

"She?"

"It was Turtle Tail."

Tall Shadow's eyes brightened. "Are they okay in StarClan?"

Pebble Heart hesitated. "They aren't in…" He shook his head. "Back to the point. It isn't ThunderClan because we all suspect them already."

"So is it RiverClan?" Darkflower asked. Pebble Heart had forgotten she and Nutwhisker were there, and now both ShadowClan cats had interest in their eyes.

"I dunno, they seem to not care about anything right now," Tall Shadow meowed. "And plus, Shattered Ice would tell us if they're up to something sneaky."

"Yeah, because as much as he loves RiverClan, he still loves us more and has some loyalty to Skystar still," Pebble Heart added with a grin.

"WindClan is a flat-out no. They're close with our Clan and they've been by each other's sides for a while."

"You do realize what that means, right?" Nutwhisker asked. At the other's blank looks, he rolled his eyes and meowed, "it isn't ShadowClan obviously since you both are here to see it yourselves and besides we have the whole sickness problem and are still mostly recovering. So that leaves…"

"SkyClan?!" Tall Shadow and Pebble Heart gasped simultaneously. They exchanged guilty looks.

"Um, we gotta go back!"

"Yeah, but don't worry, we'll be back soon!"

The two ShadowClan warriors watched in surprise as the two SkyClan cats high-tailed it out of the camp in a panicked frenzy.

What's happened since we left?

"I thought you said I was gonna do the spying!" Night snapped. "Alone."

Gray Wing ignored her. Beside him was Slate, who gazed around the forest in wonder. She'd only ever lived on the moor, so this was her first time somewhere new.

"Wait someone's coming!" Gray Wing tensed. It was behind them! They both turned, but Gray Wing instantly relaxed as two familiar cats crashed through the bracken nearby. "Tall Shadow! Pebble Heart!" He raced to his son and nuzzled him before touching noses with his friend. "Glad to see you both safe." He looked at Pebble Heart. "Have you finished your mission yet?"

Pebble Heart shook his head, smiling. "I still need a bit more time, but we're so close!"

"That's great," Gray Wing purred.

"So what's happened with SkyClan?" Tall Shadow immediately asked. Behind them, Night and Slate watched wary, but curious too.

"What? How'd you know?"

"Gray Wing, you're literally hiding in your own territory, discussing plans with these two," Tall Shadow flicked her tail at the she-cats behind him. "On how to spy on them."

Gray Wing sheepishly licked his chest as Pebble Heart snickered before he dropped his grin and meowed softly, "also Turtle Tail told me."

Gray Wing stopped his own grin too and his heart ached once more like it always did when he remembered his mate.

"Who's Turtle Tail?" Slate spoke for the first time.

"Gray Wing's dead mate," Tall Shadow said casually, but she had her usual suspicious look as she looked at Slate. She, of course already knew Night through River Ripple, but Night still viewed them as a stranger. Except Gray Wing, who pretty much was a campmate of hers now.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Okay, enough sappy stuff. Tell us what in StarClan has happened," Pebble Heart meowed, gaining his grin back.

Gray Wing heaved a deep sigh. "Where do we begin?"

"Shush, I hear someone!" One Eye snapped. Fire Heart shifted beside him. On his other side was Leaf and Thunder and nearby crouched Scraps and Gremlin and Beetle and Snake. "On my signal…"

Fire Heart tensed, ready to attack. As much as he loved getting revenge that ThunderClan so deserved, he couldn't help, but feel it was also wrong…because then weren't they like ThunderClan? Attacking for nothing?

Fire Heart shook his head. It's either that or be killed and someone needs to protect the Clan. I can't do that if I'm dead.

He had pretty much taken over as secret leader, watching over his clanmates and making sure they all got their share of food and felt as comfortable as possible with all the hissing rogues.

One Eye's group and Fury's group. Although they worked together to take down other clancats that oppose them, in camp they fought each other. Obviously Fury and One Eye's dislike for each other spilled onto their own group members.

Just the other day, Fire Heart had snagged a plump hare and had given it to Moth Flight, Dust Muzzle, Ember Claw, and Morning Whisker.

A BloodClan cat, named Pounce, had snatched it away to make fun of the kits when Bee, a member of One Eye's group, had fought him over the rabbit.

Fire Heart had glared and escorted the kits away, promising to bring them something else.

It's hard taking care of the Clan with them living with us….I miss Skystar and Gray Wing.

Fire Heart was shaken out of his gloomy thoughts when the ThunderClan patrol appeared. It consisted of Longtail, Swiftclaw and Cricketpaw.

"Yeah, get 'em, Fire!"

Fire Heart ignored Jackdaw's Cry even if he could see the transparent black tom out of the corner of his eye.

"No, Fire Heart! I know they did us wrong, but you must always be the better cat in the end!"

He looked to see Hawk Swoop on his other side and shook his head. Ahh! It's like arguing with my conscience!

"I would make a good voice in your head, wouldn't I?" Jackdaw's Cry asked.

"Jackdaw's Cry?"

"Yeah?"

"Get outta my head! And don't worry Hawk Swoop, I don't really like this as much as you do…but our Clan comes first, so if I must…"

One Eye flicked his tail and they all leaped at the patrol. Fire Heart snapped out of his head and edged to the side. It was already an unfair fight, so why join in? Plus, Hawk Swoop was still watching. He noticed Leaf and Thunder were reluctant as well as they hesitated.

At least we're on the same wavelength.

Suddenly, Snake barged past a screeching Longtail and snapped his jaws around Cricketpaw's neck, who was fighting against Gremlin.

Fire Heart immediately surged forward and knocked the tabby away from the young she-cat.

"Traitor!" Snake spat as Cricketpaw scrambled away after her companions, who had managed to escape.

"Warriors don't kill!" Fire Heart snapped bravely, but was trembling.

One Eye slashed out and caught Fire Heart's cheek. "I don't care about warriors, you follow my rules, understand?!"

Fire Heart nodded shakily, pawing at the blood on his cheek.

As they headed back, Fire Heart glanced back to see the ThunderClan cats watching them from the edge of the Thunderpath, looking bewildered.

And here I thought they were the worst cats to exist…

"And you wonder why I'm wary of strangers," Tall Shadow snorted.

"But Skystar let them join to watch them! Not because he trusted them!" Gray Wing snapped defensively.

He, Tall Shadow and Skystar were taking turns pacing before sitting and letting one or the other have a turn to turn in circles. They were in River Ripple's little mini camp.

River Ripple was crouching calmly in his nest with Reed and Minnow nearby. Night and Slate stayed on the other side, while Pebble Heart and Sparrow Fur sat near the shore, catching up, oblivious to the older cats' conundrum.

"Listen, we need a plan," Tall Shadow meowed, "but we can't do it alone. ThunderClan sure won't help!"

"I can get Shattered Ice from RiverClan," River Ripple announced.

"And we can convince some ShadowClan cats," Pebble Heart meowed, apparently paying attention after all.

"But they wouldn't want to risk it when they're still recovering!" Skystar snapped.

"Yeah, but they feel like they owe us," Pebble Heart meowed. "So we'll choose the strongest cats!"

"Deal," Skystar immediately said. "Because I'm tired of not having a plan."

"Okay, we'll all meet back here in three days time, got it?" Gray Wing meowed.

"Got it," came the other's responses.

"Finally. I need to reclaim my leadership because this is humiliating and One Eye is getting on my nerves," Skystar meowed.

"Stranger danger," Tall Shadow simply meowed before leaving with Pebble Heart back to ShadowClan.

Fair warning: Clear Sky x Star Flower is NOT happening.To me, their relationship is one of the reasons Skystar is the worse (in my opinion because it was weird) and I'm not ruining what I've worked so hard to fix.