Blackfortune padded with his Tribe to the edge of the forest, right behind the dreadful gray path that stunk like rotten fish. All the cats were breathing heavily.

"That was a close one!" a black cat gasped. He forced air into his damaged lungs. "I am surprised we have survived."

"What was that thing?" Another she-cat asked. "The one with the shining coat, and the eyes that shine as bright as the sun? They are terrible… how can we survive in this place?" Salmon of the Flowing Stream shook her head.

Blackfortune turned and hissed quietly. "It is over now. Remember the Tribe of Endless Hunting and their promise."

The Tribe grew silent.

The leader looked satisfied. "Let's go." He bounded forward, and with some hesitation, the rest of his cats followed.

That was when there was a quiet rumbling near a giant tunnel ahead. Salmon thought she saw some eyes sparkling, but she shrugged it off. She kept on walking. Slowly, she lifted her ears. There was a faint growling. Very… very… faint.

Blackfortune shot his head up. But he was late on the reaction of warning his Tribe. A pale gray cat lunged at them and pinned him down. The Tribe yowled with surprise.

"What are you doing here? Get out of my Clan territory!" the cat spat, its fur on end. Blackfortune batted her with his hind legs.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. With a strong flex of his muscles, he escaped her grip. "We come in peace. Please, my Tribe is weak, we are in no condition to fight now."

The she-cat glared at them all with extreme suspicion. Salmon realized with shock that those were the same eyes she saw earlier. A flush of guilt washed over her. She looked away.

"Why do you smell of smoke and fire?" The she-cat meowed challengingly, glaring at them from muzzle to tail. She bared her teeth.

"Our home, in the uplands, beyond the rock that moonlight shines, has burned up into flames. We ran away, and our fur still has the smell of flame. Take a look if you want, young one. They are blackened at the edges." He gently lifted his tail to her face.

With a disdainful sniff, she examined it. "Fine," she muttered. "But I still don't understand one thing."

"Yes, what is it?" Blackfortune mewed, relieved that he gained some of this cat's trust.

"What is this Tribe that you have mentioned? Is this what your group of cats are called?" Her eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"Yes. We are The Tribe of Rushing Water. I am Blackfortune." He responded.

"I am Leafstar, leader of ThunderClan." The she-cat voice had some proud tone in it, a boasting kind of tone. She smiled.

"It is nice to meet you, Leafstar." He meowed. The his eyes began to plead. "May we stay in your territory for a few days? We don't have a home… not anymore…" He looked sadly at the ground.

"Yes, you may." Leafstar meowed quietly. "You can all stay in our camp. But only until all of your home is replenished."

Blackfortune smiled gratefully and dipped his head. "Thank you. We owe you our lives."

"Come." Leafstar turned and began to dash upwards. "Just follow me."