Hi! Real quick note up here:

Everything depicted in this book from here on (mainly the theme of the black-furred cats) was planned like a year ago in advance when I was creating the story-line for this book.

Please understand that it is not meant to have any correlation with the real life situation that we're in, and it's not meant to make fun or make light of any situation. I heavily support the BLM movement and I don't want any of that to be taken lightly, as it's an incredibly serious matter.

I hope this may clear up any concerns you have, but feel free to PM me if anything else bothers you and I'll attempt to correct it to make all people comfortable! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the rest of this book, thank you.


Cindercall turned to Redear, her ears twitching as they neared camp.

"Redear," she mewed. "Allow me to speak to Eelstar, okay?"

"Why?" He replied curiously, his ears perked towards her.

"I... Need to talk to him about something else, anyway." Her voice was stiff, her gaze narrowing. "I hope that's alright."

"Of course," he dipped his head to her, as they entered the camp, and Redear moved towards the back of the camp with Fleetpaw and Junipersky to wait for Cindercall.

The grey she-cat turned towards the leader's den, moving to it's entrance and scenting the air.

He was here.

Good.

She entered with a soft meow of a greeting to see the small tom curled up in his nest, nibbling on the carcass of a mouse.

"Oh, Cindercall," he murmured, lifting his head. "What brings you to my den at this time of day? I figured you'd be off training Fleetpaw."

"I was earlier," she replied, sitting down in front of him. "But... something urgent came up."

He fell silent, pushing away the remains of his mouse and sitting up in his nest.

"Go on," he urged quietly.

"Petalpelt was sighted at the MountainClan border," she mewed. "Junipersky and Redear were with me to practice different battling partners with Fleetpaw, when we saw her." It didn't feel right to tell him that Redear had spoken with her on his own. She didn't want him to seem like a traitor.

"Was she with a patrol?" Eelstar hissed softly. "Are they planning an attack?"

"No," she replied. "She was with no patrol. In fact she called us over to speak."

"Why?" Eelstar's wary expression became confused, his brow furrowing as he listened.

"MountainClan needs help."

Silence fell over the den for a brief moment, before Eelstar's gaze darkened.

"So?" He replied bitterly. "They declared war on us. Why should we aid them?"

"If we aid them," Cindercall replied. "It may stop the war without bloodshed."

"They've already shed blood," Eelstar sneered. "Oddbird was killed by—"

"Shadowcry is sick," Cindercall mewed, cutting him off. "She has been for nearly a moon now. Frogheart has been kept from offering any treatment to all cats with dark fur, and all cats with dark fur are trapped within a cave. Runningstar is cutting off their food, and if these cats aren't saved they'll die."

"Lies," Eelstar spat. "This is a ruse. Has to be. Hollypetal was there. She watched Shadowcry kill Oddbird! We will not help them. Not at the risk of our Clanmates."

Cindercall's ears twitched.

"So you'd rather let innocent cats die to a foolish leader?"

Eelstar fell silent, turning away from Cindercall, much to the grey warrior's horror.

"Even if it is true. Even if Runningstar is doing this, it's not MoonClan's business. But I doubt it to be any truth at all, considering that you most likely only got this information from a MountainClan cat that may be trying to weaken us."

Cindercall's ears pin to her head as she remembered Petalpelt's reactions, the look on her face when she begged Redear to help.

The desperation that glowed so immanently in the she-cat's gaze.

There was no lie.

Talonhollow was trying to stop Runningstar from doing such cruel things, and in turn was risking her own life for a cat she cared about. And now Petalpelt was scared.

Cindercall knew Redear felt just as she had.

She couldn't let a family be torn apart either.

"What about when Firestar stopped Brokenstar, of ShadowClan?" She retorted, fur bristling. "Hm? He interefered when it could've been a trap."

"Those are stories!" Eelstar spat, turning on her, his eyes just tiny slits. "Are you really going to push a kit's tale onto me? To try and convince me to possibly harm my Clanmates?!"

Cindercall's ears pin to her head, and she crouches down, her lips drawing back in a snarl.

"Then it's about the Prophecy, then," she sneered. "Because just a little over a moon ago, you would've agreed with me."

Eelstar stiffened, his eyes snapping open and flashing briefly, before he clears his throat.

"It has nothing to do with the Prophecy of Ash," he says stiffly.

"I'm not talking about that," she replied, her voice guttural with anger. "I'm talking about the Prophecy you hid from me. The one about the mountain crumbling to the moon, and a black cat attacking before the final battle."

Eelstar's eyes widened with shock, and he seemed to freeze, before he turned his gaze to the ground.

"Petalpelt told you, didn't she," he growled softly.

"She did," she replied coldly. "She was begging us, Eelstar. This Prophecy has to do with mine, and it's hurting innocent cats."

"MountainClan is not innocent," Eelstar spat, rage filling his voice once more as he returned his gaze to hers. "I forbid this. MountainClan will sort this out in the end."

Cindercall felt resentment and anger fill her chest, and she slowly rose to her paws.

"I suppose you're correct," she mewed, her voice ice cold as she turned from him. "After all, they won't have anything to sort out if they start to kill each other."

Eelstar watched her go, his ears low against his head, his heart squeezing at the coldness he felt from his niece.

He had practically raised her with Ashwater after Larchsplash denied her, and now to see her so cold towards him stung.

But it's for the better of our Clan, he reminded himself. I don't know what Runningstar's planning, but he's clever... All of this... It could be a ruse, and I...

He turned his gaze out of his den, watching Cindercall stalk towards the back of the camp.

I can't let my Clan lose anyone else... Forgive me, Cindercall, but I must protect us...

He closed his eyes, casting a final prayer to StarClan that his decision was correct.


Cindercall's tail lashed wildly as she moved to where Redear, Junipersky, and Fleetpaw had stayed.

Much to her surprise, though, they were no longer alone.

Vinedust had joined them, along with Weedpaw, as well as Nettlepelt, Mumblebee, and Volenose.

Fleetpaw bounded up to her as she approached, his fur fluffed up with excitement.

"What'd he say?!" He asked, trotting around. "Nettlepelt, Vinedust, and Weedpaw wanna help too!"

Mumblebee turned to Cindercall, as Fleetpaw spoke, only to see her piercing glare as she shot it towards him. His ears lowered.

She didn't speak until she was seated at the edge of the group, her tail curling around her as she looked to each of them.

"He said no," she growled softly.

"I would've expected as much," Redear comments quietly. "Will you all still help even if he denies us this?"

"Well, wouldn't it technically be against the Code to break his word?" Weedpaw offered up quietly. Vinedust swatted his apprentice's shoulder gently.

"I suppose it would be," he mewed. "But it would also be against the Code to not help another Clan in a time of need, and seeing as this may tear MountainClan apart, I very much see it as a time of need."

Weedpaw paused, before nodding.

"That makes sense," he agreed, his ears twitching.

"Seeing as Frogheart has been restricted from treating the ill," Mumblebee cut in. "I'll be assisting in this issue as well in order to help move the ill cats."

Redear opened his jaws to thank the medicine cat, when Cindercall cut him off much to his and everyone's surprise.

"Oh, really? Wow." She sneered, turning on the medicine cat with venom dripping from her voice.

Mumblebee didn't flinch, instead meeting her gaze with resignation.

The cats around them fell silent, taken aback by the hostility in the grey warrior's voice.

But before anyone could recover from their shock, Cindercall continued.

"I figured you'd be on Eelstar's side," she sniffed. "After all, you did help him hide that Prophecy from us."

"But he told us about the Prophecy of Ash!" Fleetpaw blurted suddenly.

The grey warrior swatted his ear with her tail, but it wasn't as harsh as the apprentice was expecting.

"I'm not talking about that," she muttered, shaking her head. "Don't you remember Petalpelt mentioning it? When she spoke about what was happening?" Turning back to Mumblebee, her gaze narrowed. "Why don't you tell us what you saw? Since I can only imagine that it was you who got the dream, because I sure didn't!"

Mumblebee didn't speak for a moment, while the small group of cats turned to him, curious to see his response to the grey warrior's accusation.

The large tom took a deep breath, before turning away from her.

"Darkness will come before the fire is snuffed out, and the tide of battle will forever be changed..." He mewed after a moment. "A pelt of black will spill blood, and the mountain shall crumble to the moon."

Cindercall's gaze darkened, and she turned away, her ears pinning to her head.

A pelt of black... She glanced behind her, searching the camp for Hollypetal, just narrowly catching her slipping into the camp with a crow in her nest.

Her pelt wasn't fully black, but...

If Petalpelt was speaking the truth about Shadowcry, there was no way she could've killed Oddbird.

Which meant Hollypetal lied.

The fur along her spine bristled.

If Fleetpaw and Junipersky hadn't noticed what Petalpelt had mentioned, there was a chance that they didn't catch onto what it meant if Shadowcry hadn't killed Oddbird.

And Redear... She brought her gaze to him, but he only watched her with confusion.

Surely he knows? He's almost as good as Nettlepelt at observation...

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she mewed instead, lifting her head. "That I was hostile, I mean." It wouldn't help to sew seeds of doubt in her Clanmates until they had the truth. While Hollypetal wasn't her favorite cat in the world, she shouldn't cast blame. The she-cat could've been mistaken, maybe she only saw a shadow of the actual cat, and never saw it's proper fur color.

She sighed.

"We need to set up a plan of what we need to do," she mewed. "Redear, you need to check by the MountainClan border where Petalpelt was as often as you can. We'll need her inside look at everything to know how to go about it. Report back to Mumblebee or Nettlepelt with all information." She turned to Volenose and Junipersky. "You two will need to watch for any weak points in the MountainClan border. Offer to go on more border patrols if you must, but search for any place that may be staler in scent, no matter what. We need a way in through our borders for our plan most likely, and we need to study as much of their territory as we can without crossing into it before hand." She turned to Nettlepelt. "I assume you and Mumblebee can sort out a plan?"

"Of course," Nettlepelt mewed, dipping his head.

"Wait," Vinedust mewed. "What about you, me, and our apprentices?" He asked, nodding to Weedpaw and Fleetpaw.

She turned to them.

"We train," she mewed. "Stealth. I want this to have as little bloodshed as we can, so stealth is our main goal. Specifically rock-stealth, since MountainClan terrain is mostly made of that rather than trees."

The white and silver tom nodded, sitting down.

"Now, let's disperse before anyone catches on," she mumbled softly. "We've got work to do."

Mumblebee rose to his paws, beckoning Nettlepelt along with his stubby tail, leading the brown tom back to the medicine den to discuss. Volenose and Junipersky moved towards the Clan's entrance to begin their search, Junipersky giving Fleetpaw a friendly nudge goodbye as she passed him. Redear turned to them after the four cats had left.

"Thank you all," he mewed gently. "For doing this."

Cindercall's gaze softened.

"I have friends in MountainClan," she murmured. "And... I have to help Shadowcry, even if it's just this once." Her gaze fell to the ground.

Even if it turned out Shadowcry did kill Oddbird, and that Petalpelt had been lying...

She remembered her dream. She remembered Frigidheart wailing for her help.

The she-cat had died because of her failure, and she couldn't risk Shadowcry dying either.

She turned to Vinedust, rising to her paws.

"Let's go. We can't waste a single moment."

"Right," he agreed.

The two pairs of mentors and apprentices turned and headed for the camp entrance, slipping outside to train once more.