A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long but this chapter is a little bit over 5,000 words, so hopefully that can make it up a little bit. Next chapter should be up next weekend if school doesn't give me a lot of work. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 4: A deputy and four leaders
Fireheart's P.O.V
Rain poured once more outside the Warrior's den, beside Fireheart was Fawnstep who was in deep conversation with Cloudtail and Speckledthrush. After Echosong's vision in the Whispering Cave many members of the clan had become increasingly concerned over the impending arrival of the other clans. As she watched the rain continue to fall, Fireheart felt Fawnstep shift next to her, a soft paw nudged her. Fireheart turned towards her littermate with a tilt of the head.
"Did you hear Speckledthrush's question?" Fawnstep asked, a flash of concern crossed her eyes. Fireheart shook her head.
"No, I didn't. Can you repeat what you said again, Speckledthrush?" Fireheart mewed redirecting her attention to the speckled she-cat.
Speckledthrush frowned momentarily before replying, "What do you think about Echosong's vision? I mean her visions aren't as clear as Skywatcher's and she's still a bit inexperienced from interpreting omens."
The comment about Echosong's ability to understand Starclan made Fireheart frown sharply. "Well, I certainly doubt that even you can interpret Starclan's messages as clearly as Skywatcher, Speckledthrush. But Echosong is smart and a great medicine cat, her omen didn't blame the peace breaking on the clans, only that it would happen around the same time."
Fireheart mentally grinned at the expression that twisted on Speckledthrush's face before the she-cat huffed and shook her head. Cloudtail looked nervously between the two of them, the blue-eyed tom then took it upon himself to change the conversation.
"Well what do you all think of…" Cloudtail paused as he thought of a conversation starter, "Clovertail's kits? They'll be apprentices in about two moons."
Fawnstep immediately jumped at the question, probably to assist in changing the subject, "I think Snakestar is going to give Sharpclaw an apprentice, I was thinking maybe Bouncekit."
As Cloudtail and Fawnstep dragged Speckledthrush into their conversation Fireheart got to her paws and moved closer to the den entrance. A loud sneeze from Shrewtooth caused a nearby Waspwhisker to stare at the scrawny tom in pure disgust before scooting away. Fireheart sighed before ordering Shrewtooth to go to the Medicine cat den. Hopefully, he wasn't developing a cold like Springleap. The den was almost filled completely at this point, only Iceclaw's border patrol was still gone. Fireheart sighed, the rain was starting to let up but she was immensely bored. The day only seemed to drag on as well. Clambering to her paws, Fireheart slipped out of the den and down the slope towards the Nursery. Hopefully Pebblesplash would be interested in a talk. Quickly padding over Nursery, Fireheart entered before shaking off the water that clung to her fur.
The Nursery was quite large, the cave had some plants growing up the sides of the cave and hung from the roof of the den. Clovertail raised her head from her nest, her kits were tucked together at her side sleeping. Fireheart looked around before turning to Clovertail.
"Where's Pebblesplash?" Fireheart asked quietly, Petalnose was also present but was sleeping as well. With the gray queen was Mistykit, who was curled up between Petalnose's paws, tucked under Petalnose's neck.
Clovertail sighed, "Visiting Snakestar, I swear she's as starstruck by him as when she was an apprentice. But, I'm starting to worry about her."
Fireheart's ear flicked at this, crossing the den before crouching beside Clovertail. As she settled, glancing at the kits briefly, Fireheart asked, "Why are you worrying about Pebblesplash?"
Clovertail shifted nervously before responding, "I wasn't planning on saying anything… but I'm worried about how she's raising Mistykit."
At Fireheart's confused look Clovertail continued. "It's odd, all queens that I've seen tend to be overprotective of their kits. Even more so if something happens to some of them, like Fawnstep. She refused to let Cloudtail out of the nursery after his littermates died, she'd rush him to Skywatcher if he so much as sneezed. But Pebblesplash… she ignores the fact she's a queen most the time. Usually its Petalnose or myself looking after Mistykit, not that we mind, but Pebblesplash barely even pays any attention to Mistykit. Its borderline neglectful at this point Fireheart! If anything your sister should be with Mistykit more than Snakestar, I don't even know if he's noticed it."
As Clovertail caught her breath from the long rant, Fireheart began to ponder. How had she not noticed? Pebblesplash took frequent walks, Fireheart wasn't even sure where she went. But when Fireheart saw her sister, she was almost always with Mistykit. Was she really blind to it? Glancing over to Petalnose's nest, Fireheart saw Mistykit laying peacefully; completely unaware of the turmoil caused by her mother. After exchanging a few more words with Clovertail, Fireheart dipped her head to the queen before leaving. The rain had stopped and the clouds began to clear, a yowl from the camp entrance alerted her to Iceclaw's patrol. The smallest warrior made his way to Fireheart. As Iceclaw neared, a loud chirp from Snakestar's den made both of them turn towards Pebblesplash who was making her way to them. Fireheart felt herself stiffen as Pebblesplash approached, she looked happy.
As Pebblesplash neared she eyed Fireheart for a moment before asking, "Is there something wrong Fireheart?"
Blackstar's P.O.V
The branches of the Fourtrees covered the hollow with a shaded hold. So far only Thunderclan and Shadowclan had arrived to the Gathering place. But this time it wasn't the full moon, but rather the morning in which the clans would leave their founded homeland. Blackstar watched his clan intermingle with the Thunderclan cats with Whitestar at his side. The fellow leader watched the two clans with a blank expression and serious eyes. Blackstar turned his attention back to his clan, both Runningnose and Littlecloud were deep in conversation with Cinderpelt. The Medicine cats had been on edge since they arrived, the fear of whether or not they would be able to communicate with Starclan in the Skyclan territory was getting to them. Not far off from them was Tallpoppy. With her was her and Blackstar's two surviving kits, Amberkit having been killed from Twolegs destroying the Shadowclan camp. Blackstar's claws gripped Great Rock, his clan was being punished for an unfair act decided on by his ancestors, and his son had paid the price. A weight settling over his shoulders shook him from his thoughts, Whitestar looked at him with understanding eyes and his tail draped over his shoulders.
Blackstar dipped his head to the Thunderclan leader just as a yowl from the edge of the hollow alerted them to Riverclan's arrival. Leopardstar led her clan into the hollow, Stonefur close to her side. Seeing them brought a brief flash of a memory to Blackstar. During the time of Tigerclan, Stonefur had stepped forward to defend Graystripe's half-clan kits. Leopardstar had done nothing when Tigerstar allowed Darkstripe to fight Stonefur. The Riverclan deputy was powerful and qdefeated Darkstripe and Blackstar himself very easily. It was Stonefur's intervention that saved the half-clan cats from death. The rage on Stonefur's face that night deeply reminded Blackstar of his own rage when Bone and his cats had tried to take over the forest. When the battle was over and Blackstar became leader did he realize the pain and fear he had inflicted without reason. Now the only thing he could do was try to be a better warrior and leader than he was before.
Leopardstar leaped onto Great Rock before sitting beside them, Whitestar's tail slipping off his shoulders. The dappled she-cat's tail was lashing impatiently, understandable, Riverclan had been suffering the most with the Twoleg rubbish that clogged and poisoned the river. Blackstar glanced toward the direction of Windclan, soon they too will arrive and the journey will begin. He turned to look at his clanmates once more, fear lingered on their faces. Soon they would be traveling into the unknown and more than likely a few will not make the journey. Blackstar's ear twitched as the sound of Windclan entering the hollow. Rising to his paws, Blackstar jumped down to meet Tallstar, Leopardstar and Whitestar not far behind. With a loud yowl Tallstar, the oldest leader, called the clans to their attention.
Whitestar was the first to speak, "This will be our final goodbye to the forest that for so long has protected and provided for us. If we are to survive this journey all the clans must work together."
"All Queens, Kits, and Medicine cats will travel in the center of our group. Warriors and apprentices will be relied on more than ever before to protect them on this journey." Tallstar added as Blackstar stepped forward.
"Although we all will work together, we are still separate clans. Leaders and deputies will still hold authority over their respective clans." Blackstar announced.
Leopardstar went forward, "Together we will make it to our promised land, and be united with the lost clan. Fear not, for Starclan will not abandon us. We survived the reigns of Tigerstar and Brokenstar, the clans prevailed against Bloodclan, and we all have survived countless conflicts raised against us. But, as the noble clans that we are, never have we given up. And I hope that we never will."
With Leopardstar's final words the clans began to cheer, for the future they would have. As Blackstar and the other leaders began to head towards the river, the clans began to reorganize so that the Queens and others were in the center. Blackstar paused momentarily to bump his head gently against Tallpoppy's. At her paws were their kits, bending down Blackstar gave both of them a lick of affection before continuing towards the front of the clans. As he approached the other leaders, Tallstar gave him a kind smile. The older leader clearly understood Blackstar's stress over his family.
It was mid-morning when Blackstar prayed to Starclan that his clan would survive before leading the clans along the other leaders out of the forest for good.
Leopardstar's P.O.V
The water was filled with rubbish.
That was the first thing Leopardstar noticed as the clans passed over Sunningrocks. She gritted her teeth, the river that she'd learn to swim in was ruined and now she had to leave the only home she had ever known. Ever since the shared dream with the other leaders and Medicine cats, Leopardstar felt like a failure. Not only had she allowed Tigerstar to takeover her clan but she couldn't protect her clanmates from this terrible fate as an apology. Leopardstar shook her head, if Crookedstar was looking down on her would he be regretting his choice of deputy?
Redirecting her head on the path ahead of her, Leopardstar pushed forward past Whitestar and Tallstar who were in conversation. An annoyed huff from Whitestar caused her to spin her head around and bare her teeth. Not giving Whitestar a chance to reply she quickened her pace. Leopardstar looked into the clear sky above, would Riverclan have a suitable home in the new forest? Anxiety prickled at Leopardstar's pelt as she slowed down as to not become separated from the clans.
"Leopardstar!" A call from behind her. The dappled leader turned to see Mistyfoot approaching swiftly. She stopped and waited for Mistyfoot, her old friend smiled at her as she neared.
"Is there something wrong Mistyfoot? I thought you were going to travel with Blackclaw and your kits." Leopardstar asked, the blue hued she-cat only chuckled.
"Blackclaw is watching over Reedpaw and Primrosepaw. Pikepaw is a bit busy fawning over Feathertail." Mistyfoot chirped lightly, unaware of Leopardtsar's wince at the mention of the half-blind Feathertail. Despite it Leopardstar still nodded at Mistyfoot's explanation.
Leopardstar glanced over her shoulder and saw that Whitestar and the other leaders were nearby. Mistyfoot lightly nudged her, and gave her an exasperated sigh.
"You know if you weren't so rude to the other leaders they would be more respectful of you." Mistyfoot mewed loud enough for just Leopardstar to hear.
Leopardstar sent a sharp glare at the warrior before replying, "They wouldn't respect me even if I was the kindest most pure-hearted cat in all the clans. Least of all Blackstar, he witnessed my 'spectacular' leadership skills when Riverclan became prisoner in their own territory."
"I disagree," Mistyfoot snapped, "Blackstar is trying his best, if anything he has more to prove than you. He served as deputy under not one but two corrupt leaders as their deputy, and did nothing while they harmed their own clans for power. He tried to kill my brother, Stormfur, and Feathertail. From what I've heard from Thunderclan, he's even kit-napped an entire litter and killed an elder. You made one mistake, a mistake that Riverclan forgave you for. You don't need to prove anything to anyone! You are an amazing leader, take pride in that and take the respect you deserve as a leader."
Leopardstar clamped her jaws shut, Mistyfoot was right like always. Thinking back to when they were young warriors before the Reign of Grief as it was referred to as began. Leopardstar could remember the soft laughter of Whiteclaw, and the close friendship that Leopardstar held with Silverstream. Her eyes began to burn as the echoes of Mudfur's proud cheer of when she became a warrior rang in her ears. The loving glaze Shimmerpelt held for Leopardstar despite not being her birth mother.
Leopardstar flinched as Mistyfoot licked the tears that had began to slide down her cheeks. The whole time Leopardstar felt as if she'd let down those around her, when in reality it was her own guilt that tore holes into her confidence which she covered with false bravado. She hung her head and was careful not to let the other leaders see her face. Mistyfoot pressed her pelt against Leopardstar's. She couldn't remember the last time she'd allowed herself to be weak. Maybe just maybe, Leopardstar needed the push. As she and Mistyfoot continued to walk, Mistyfoot spoke softly to her telling her how Plumkit had become fast friends with the Thunderclan and Shadowclan kits.
"Lavenderkit and Hollykit were very happy to see that they weren't the only she-kits in the clans. You should have seen Plumkit's reaction to meeting Tallpoppy, she asked Tallpoppy if she was part deer!" Mistyfoot laughed, Leopardstar smiled softly at the image of Plumkit gaping like a fish at the height of Tallpoppy.
"And what about your kits, Mistyfoot? I know you said that Blackclaw was watching them, but how are they handling all of this?" Leopardstar asked, her tears having dried up by now.
Mistyfoot ducked her head in an attempt to keep herself from laughing, "Reedpaw swears that he's going to show all the Skyclan cats just how skilled Riverclan is by swimming in the river and catching the biggest fish they've ever seen. But Primrosepaw wants to know what makes them special. Then there's Pikepaw's crush on Feathertail, but I think thats been known for a while now."
"What makes Skyclan special?" Leopardstar mewed, confused. Mistyfoot nodded at this before elaborating with her.
"Well, Riverclan is the only clan that can swim and hunts fish, Windclan is the fastest, Shadowclan is the most stealthy, and Thunderclan has the best climbers." Mistyfoot explained, "Primrosepaw was wondering what makes the Skyclan cats different from the other clans."
Leopardstar pondered on that for a few moments, the memory she had seen of Skyclan certainly didn't give anything away about the clan. Many had looked starved and weak, with drooping shoulders and dragging paws. She then shrugged, after all she didn't know the answer to the question.
She turned her head to Mistyfoot and smirked, "Well in a few moons maybe less, we'll find out ourselves."
Mistyfoot nodded in agreement, "Do you think they'll actually accept us, after what our ancestors did to them?"
Leopardstar lowered her head before replying, "I hope so, for all I know they could only be allowing us to join them because Starclan ordered them to."
The warrior grumbled at this, her face furrowed. Mistyfoot did have a strong faith in Starclan, but the same was unknown with Skyclan. As they continued on, Leopardstar began to wonder about Skyclan. She knew almost nothing about the clan that had been exiled, just what would Skyclan do after meeting the decedents of those who had thought they were sentencing Skyclan to death.
Whitestar's P.O.V
The sky was beginning to darken, Tallstar had taken the initiative and ordered for the clans to halt and begin to look for shelter for the night. Whitestar himself had sent out Mousefur and Sandstorm to lead two hunting patrols while Deadfoot had called for a quick check over the area to make sure it was secure. Whitestar padded over to Willowpelt, his mate was speaking to a Windclan she-cat and Frostfur. The two other she-cats dipped their heads to him respectfully before leaving him and Willowpelt. She gave him a light purr as he leaned against her, a chirp from behind them alerted them to Sorrelpaw and Sootpaw. Whitestar smiled at his two kits before looking around for Rainpaw, who he spotted talking to a few other apprentices.
"Whitestar, how long do you think it'll take to reach Skyclan?" Sootpaw asked innocently his amber eyes shining.
"A few moons at most, maybe less if we continue at the same pace as today." Whitestar replied before trying to lick his son's forehead. Sootpaw ducked his head and let out an annoyed whine, Sorrelpaw laughed at his expense. Meanwhile, Willowpelt huffed with a lighthearted expression as she called Rainpaw over to join them. As Whitestar relished in the company of his family he glanced over to the other clan cats and saw them doing the same. Eventually, he had to pull away from his beloved kin to approach Tallstar and Leopardstar who were deep conversation with their Deputies and Medicine cats.
Swiftly passing over to the other clan heads, Whitestar settled into the group. Dipping his head to them, he got caught up with the conversation. Apparently a Windclan apprentice had twisted a paw by tripping into a ditch shortly after they had left the clan territory. But walking on the paw had made the sprain worse and the Medicine cats had no supplies.
"I splinted the sprain with what I could find, but there's no poppyseed to help with the pain or elder leaves." Barkface murmured his ear flicked in agitation.
Whitestar turned to the Medicine cat, "Can the apprentice wait until morning when you and the other Medicine cats have the daylight to search for herbs? You all would need to be accompanied by a warrior or two."
Barkface sighed as if Whitestar was a clueless kit fresh from the nursery. "We could wait, but by then the swelling will be much worse. As will the pain, it'd be better to give Riftpaw the poppyseed tonight so that the effect can work and he can sleep off the drowsiness instead of falling asleep on his paws while traveling."
He winced as he realized that his proposal was quite foolish. But thankfully Cinderpelt was there to add in her own advice.
"I think I saw some dandelion growing near the river, Barkface, its not as strong as poppy but it should help with the pain." Cinderpelt mewed, Barkface nodded and followed her back towards the river. Deadfoot quickly went to join them, as Whitestar turned to Leopardstar.
"The journey will be much longer if cats keep getting injuries like the apprentice. Maybe the apprentices should travel in the center of the group?" Whitestar proposed, but Leopardstar shook her head.
"No, we'd be spread out too thin, if something were to attack all the warriors and apprentices will be needed." Leopardstar mewed, she seemed calmer than she had been that morning.
Tallstar nodded his head in agreement as Sandstorm's hunting patrol returned. For the first time in moons a hunting patrol returned with every warrior holding at least two pieces of prey. Whitestar felt his chest swell with pride at his former apprentice, but it quickly disappeared at the sight of Longtail. The pale warrior carried a plump rabbit in his jaws, a catch to be proud of yet he hung his head. Longtail then padded over to Ferncloud and offered the rabbit to her and her kits. The speckled queen promptly growled at him as she wrapped her tail around her kits. Whitestar frowned at the interaction, most of Thunderclan had lost trust towards Longtail. After all he had been a supporter of Tigerstar and friend of Darkstripe. Whitestar himself found it hard to trust the young warrior after the poisoning of his daughter, but Longtail had proven himself loyal by rebuking Tigerstar and fighting alongside Lionclan against Bloodclan.
As Longtail crept away to the Riverclan cats to give them his rabbit, Whitestar looked over to his daughter. Sorrelpaw had become a fine young she-cat, he was proud of her. She didn't blame Longtail for the incident since it had been Darkstripe, and yet he was shunned by his clanmates while Dustpelt was embraced despite also being a follower of Tigerstar. It did confuse Whitestar considerably, but it wasn't like he could force Thunderclan to accept Longtail.
With a quick stretch Whitestar got to his paws and padded over to his mate. Willowpelt was eating a mouse with large bites, she ate so fast that Whitestar thought she might choke. It had been a while since any of them could eat without the fear of poisoning. Looking around Whitestar could see that almost every cat was able to eat something. A few warriors lingered at the edge of the temporary camp, probably planing on hunting to catch more prey. He jumped as a mouse was dropped in front of his nose. Looking up he saw Mousefur's amused expression before she walked off to join Thornclaw. Willowpelt shifted to lean against him as he took a bite from the mouse. It was delicious, soon enough he was tearing into the mouse like Willowpelt had.
Licking his jaws clean Whitestar sighed contently as Willowpelt groomed his fur. The night air was was warm as the stars above shined down on them. Many cats had finished eating while the clans began to settle for the night. Ashfur and Turnear had been the first to volunteer for guard, a few others joined them. They would stay up until Moonhigh before switching with a different warrior. Whitestar watched as the queens and kits were herded into an abandoned fox den under a tree as other members of the clans found somewhere in the open to sleep. Laying his head on his paws, Whitestar watched with tired eyes as Rainpaw padded over to him and Willowpelt before squeezing between them. He let out a huff of laughter as Rainpaw shifted to get comfortable, Sootpaw and Sorrelpaw followed not far behind Rainpaw. Sootpaw lay next to Whitestar, well not really next to him more like half of him was laying on top of Whitestar. Meanwhile Sorrelpaw as curled next to Willowpelt.
Whitestar whispered quietly to Willowpelt as no not wake their kits, "They can be as needy as kits at times."
"Oh, let them. They need some comfort, sleeping with their parents makes them feel safe." Willowpelt chuckled softly before licking between Sorrelpaw's ears. Whitestar hummed as he closed his eyes, sleep soon greeting him.
Tallstar's P.O.V
Tallstar grunted as light shone behind his eyelids, opening his eyes he could see it was dawn. Climbing to his paws, Tallstar scanned over the horde of sleeping cats that blanketed the temporary camp. Turning towards the camp border he spotted Gorsetail standing guard. Careful as to not step on any sleeping cat, Tallstar made his way to the young warrior. Gorsetail greeted him with a quiet meow which he returned.
"You can stop now Gorsetail, go hunt and get yourself something to eat. Just remember to bring something back for Ashfoot." Tallstar mewed, Gorsetail nodded before disappearing into the undergrowth. Looking around Tallstar could see the clan cats beginning to rise from their slumber and start preparing to leave. Quickly passing by the wakening warriors, Tallstar padded over to the large fern bush where the Medicine cats plus Riftpaw were sleeping. As he expected the Medicine cats were already up and Barkface was checking Riftpaw's sprained paw. The apprentice dipped his head respectfully to Tallstar as Barkface turned to him.
"Riftpaw is doing better, but he'll need to travel with the Queens and kits until his paw is healed completely." Barkface explained as he helped Riftpaw to stand. The apprentice dipped his head to Barkface before leaving.
Tallstar nodded, "That's good, we should be leaving soon after everyone eats and wakes up."
After leaving the Medicine cat to prepare for the journey, Tallstar made his way to the fresh-kill pile. Spotting a decently sized vole he snatched it up with his jaws and made his way to the edge of the camp. As Tallstar ate he reminisced about his time with Sunblaze, how his dear friend had promised him a place in Skyclan should Tallstar be rejected by Windclan. When Shadowclan had chased out Windclan, he had thought about going to Skyclan. But couldn't risk his weakened clan being attacked on the journey. Glancing down at the vole between his paws, Tallstar vaguely remembered that voles were Sunblaze's favorite. Quickly eating the rest of the vole, Tallstar made his way to Whitestar who was speaking to Sandstorm. They were then joined by Leopardstar and Blackstar with their respective deputies.
They waited together for a short time before calling for the clans to leave. The deputies had done a headcount before, so there was little worry about someone falling behind. As the clans began to travel alongside the river, Tallstar fell into step with Leopardstar.
"Tallstar, may I ask a bit of a strange question?" Leopardstar mewed much to his surprise, he hadn't expected her to talk with him. Beside that, he gave a nod, interested in what she had to ask.
"Mistyfoot's daughter Primrosepaw was wondering what makes Skyclan different from the other clans. I'm beginning to wonder the same." Leopardstar explained her amber eyes locking onto his own.
Tallstar was a bit confused at the question at first before he realized what she meant, "You mean the ability that makes them Skyclan, correct?"
She nodded, so Tallstar replied, "Their powerful legs, not strangely long limbs but rather incredibly powerful hind legs that they use to climb trees and catch birds. Sunblaze could jump very high, but it worked alongside the Skyclan's ability to remain well balanced. If you compare Thunderclan's climbing and jumping to that of a Skyclan cat, it would make Thunderclan look like a clumsy kit."
"So they can just jump high and have good balance?" Leopardstar mewed, confused, Tallstar shook his head.
"No, Skyclan -according to Sunblaze- can jump from tree to tree and not fall. They also can hunt by waiting in trees before falling and catching their prey. Sunblaze said that they have very few injuries relating to falls, so my guess is Skyclan has adapted to taking long falls similarly to how Riverclan has thick pelts for swimming." Tallstar explained, the dappled leader beside him nodded.
"Were you and Sunblaze close?" Leopardstar asked.
Tallstar paused for a few moments, "We were. Although we only knew each other for a few moons, he was easily my closest friend."
The conversation ended there, and eventually Leopardstar left to walk with her deputy. Meanwhile, Tallstar couldn't help but think about Sunblaze. Was he even still alive? Sunblaze had mentioned that foxes and floods were a common issue in Skyclan, he'd even told Tallstar the story of how Skyclan was nearly wiped out by rats when Skyclan first came to their new home. The life of a warrior is dangerous and Tallstar couldn't help but doubt that Sunblaze was still alive. Even if Sunblaze was still alive it was likely that he had retired by now. Still, Tallstar hoped that his friend was still alive, it would be nice to share another meal with him.
Suddenly a loud yowl caused the entirety of the clans to stop. Swiftly pushing past the warriors and apprentices, Tallstar came to a stop as he saw a Riverclan queen laying on her side. It was clear that her kits were arriving. Just as Leopardstar arrived beside him the Thunderclan and Riverclan Medicine cats were helping the queen to her paws and moving her away. Barkface was snapping at the surrounding cats to get out of the way as he cleared a path for the queen. Warriors parted a path as the queen was led to a bush nearby. A pelt brushed against Tallstar, causing him to look beside him. It was Ashfoot.
"This is horrible timing. Hopefully we'll be at Skyclan for my kitting." Ashfoot muttered, she had only recently become a queen.
Tallstar nodded in agreement, "This might slow us down considerably, I do hope we reach Skyclan in time for your kits."
Raising his voice Tallstar announced, "We'll stop here until tomorrow!"
Blackstar, who had recently appeared nodded in agreement before ordering a few Shadowclan warriors to check the area. Tallstar knew they wouldn't need to check far since they hadn't traveled very far from the temporary camp from the night before. Deciding to get a drink of water, Tallstar padded away from the group and down the small slope to the river. As he lapped up the cool water, his mind began to drift.
FLASHBACK
"I'll wait for you at the start of the river, Talltail." Sunblaze purred, a saddened smile lay on his features.
"If Heatherstar rejects me, I hope Skyclan will accept me. If she allows me to rejoin Windclan, I swear to you Sunblaze, I'll never forget you." Talltail whispered as he touched noses with Sunblaze. The flame-colored tom nodded, green eyes glistening. He turned and began to follow the river as Talltail turned towards the moorland.
Talltail turned once more just in time for him to see Sunblaze glancing back one last time before disappearing into the undergrowth of the forest.
FLASHBACK END
Tallstar smiled lightly as he sat back by the river. He wondered if Sunblaze would be happy to see him.