Author's Note: With the next Erin Hunter book coming out in less than two weeks I've decided to up the speed of my updates. Many of cats in Morningstar will be in this next book and will contradict everything that I've written. I will continue to write Morningstar, but just as a heads up.


A silence hung between Mistyfoot and Leopardstar. What her leader had just said made no sense. She couldn't have anything to do with StarClan, she was deputy, no a leader or medicine cat. Those were the ones who spoke to StarClan, who were part of their dealings. Leopardstar must have been mistaken.

"I don't understand, at all," Mistyfoot said. "This- What have I done? What is going on?" She paced back and forth in the den, none of this made sense. This was all wrong.

Leopardstar looked away for a moment then spoke, "The meaning of their message is just as confusing to me as it is to you. StarClan is mysterious. They do not share information readily. You must come to the Gathering tomorrow. I feel this will be an important one, for good or for bad."

"But I don't understand!"

"Neither do I, Mistyfoot! I cannot think of any reason for you to be tied up in the affairs of the clans' survival." As Leopardstar said this she looked hard into Mistyfoots eyes. Mistyfoot could feel the intensity of her gaze barring into her.

"When this happens I ask you to stay as you always have, strong and loving. You are a wonder deputy, the best I've had," there was a silence, both minds flickered to the memory of Stonefur. "Stay strong and remember to love."

Leopardstar moved farther back into the den. Mistyfoot could see that this was her time to go. Without a moments hesitation she spend out and into the center of camp. Cloud's shadows passed over the ground casting phantoms that swooped and dashed over the ground. Above, the stars shown merrily but Mistyfoot could only look away.

Is this what she had become? Until now, she had not realized how much the death of her brother had effected her. Mud lay caked between her pads, her fur was matted. When had she last shared tongues? She set to work on her pads, biting the mud away and licking them. It took quiet a while. After the mud was gone, Mistyfoot began cleaning her fur and getting rid of the mattes. Her tongue combed through the hairs until the last tangle was gone. Then suddenly she was still.

Moonbeams poured down from the sky striking her pelt. What she saw made her heart clench tight. Instead of her usual gray pelt, the fur shown a lustrous silver. The way the moonlight reflected of the pelt reminded her of a time long past. But it had not been her pelt that had shown silver, it had been Bluestar's.

Mistyfoot could hardly move. Her eyes fixed upon her pelt. Did she really look like her mother? The word mother hit her hard. Bluestar had been of ThunderClan, but so had Stonefur and Mistyfoot. She were born in the ThunderClan camp. There were no memories of her mother but as another clan's leader. They had gone to RiverClan, the clan of their father, Oakheart.

How could two cats of different clans fall in love? Hadn't that also happened to Silverstream and Graystripe? Knowing you could never be with the one you loved even if they loved you back frightened Mistyfoot. Her parents had defied their clans and just to end up apart forever. She loved Blackclaw, the thought of being separated from him was unbearable.

She thought of her kits, now apprentices. Dawnpaw, her only daughter, was growing quickly. Hawkpaw, Runningpaw, and Crowpaw were also growing. Soon, like Featherpaw and Stormpaw, they would be warriors. Her mother had given up her and Stonefur, something she couldn't imagine doing. How could she have done that to her?

There were a spare few things Mistyfoot knew about her mother. She had been a warrior of ThunderClan and lover to a RiverClan cat. She had born Oakheart kits into ThunderClan. That is where the story fell short for her. The reason for her giving up her and her brother was never clear. Bluestar had never told them. In her last dying breaths they had forgiven her, all questions forgotten.

Her mother was such a blur to her. Mistyfoot wanted to know more, to understand her mother. Too long she had been in the shadows. She needed Graypool, but even she was gone.