The sun was already rising when Alderheart shook him awake. The two had fashioned a makeshift den out of a decaying bush with a small dip below some of the branches; much like his own den from the clearing, it wasn't the coziest, but it did provide some shelter from the biting chill. Steven yawned, blinking furiously against the dredges of sleep clinging to his eyelids. As he stretched, he let his mind wander to the information that he'd been told last night.

Alderheart hadn't been able to explain Jayfeather's plans to him- which made sense, Alderheart wasn't part of the circle discussion they'd had- but he had enlightened Steven on who they were, and the Clans they came from. He'd been told the golden tabby was Mothwing, with her apprentice, Willowshine; the two both come from RiverClan. The idea of any cat willingly swimming in water was amusing; Steven had only tried bathing Cat Steven himself once and was covered head-to-toe in scratches for it (after which he just left that job to Garnet).

Shadowpaw and his mentor, Puddleshine, came from ShadowClan. Alderheart didn't hold any animosity in his tone towards the group, but Steven could tell from his descriptions and the way he held himself while speaking that there was a lot more than what he was being told. Regardless, the depiction of stealthy, independent cats who lurked in the shadows reminded him of Jasper.

Kestrelflight is WindClan's sole medicine cat. According to Alderheart, WindClan cats were runners, cats who sleep in the open air. He shivered just thinking about it. Amethyst and Ruby might've liked WindClan, he decided. The open hills sounded freeing.

Though, Amethyst might be more suited to SkyClan, he mused. The group that Frecklewish came from was the newest of all five Clans, and thus, Alderheart had described, the most relaxed. It was a general statement, and Steven wasn't sure what the clarification regarding 'odd names' meant.

Alderheart himself, along with Jayfeather, were of ThunderClan. He described the Clan as noble, brave; always putting a paw forward when the other Clans were in trouble. Maybe he was boasting, prideful of his own Clan; and maybe not. But Steven found ThunderClan oddly compelling; the way the cats were depicted reminded him greatly of himself. I can definitely relate to always helping others, Steven reflected, though hopefully ThunderClan is better about not destroying themselves in the process. He winced. That wasn't a pleasant reminder of the past. He was glad he was working to better himself, now.

Connie would love to learn about this all, his heart panged as he thought about his girlfriend. The Gems, too; he'd done well enough without them throughout his trip across the states, but the idea that he might never see them again was a saddening concept. His mind whirled as he zoned out, staring into the distance. I really might never see them again, he thought, and I didn't even get to say goodbye.

Something must have shown on his face, for he felt a nudge to his shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts; he startled, snapping to look at Alderheart. Alderheart waved his tail disconcertingly.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You seemed troubled."

"I'm fine," Steven breathed. I'm not fine. He doesn't need to know that, though; it's nothing he can help with. He offered Alderheart a weak smile. "I appreciate the concern, though."

Alderheart paused for a moment, taking a guess, "I'm sure you'll find your way; if any cats can help you, it's the Clans.." he trailed off. He seemed conflicted about something.

After Alderheart had told him the basics of the Clans, Steven thought it only fair to explain his situation. He was vague at best, though. These cats were smart, but he didn't really want to push his luck yet. He had no idea how cats with a belief system centered around stars would take to him and his family being from beyond them. So, no, he left out a lot, but what Alderheart did know was that he'd gotten separated from his family and woke up in unknown territory. He'd also told of how he'd been saved from falling snow by Tree, who Alderheart explained was a SkyClan cat.

Alderheart didn't say anything more; probably for the best, as the bushes up the path rustled as the medicine cats made their way down the slope.

Their expressions were hard to read, and Steven had been warned against asking about their dreams. So, he just watched curiously, giving a few nods of greeting and farewell as most of them passed him, beginning the journey back to their own territories. The only one who didn't immediately move past him was Shadowpaw, who stopped to exchange a brief 'good morning'. Steven was admittedly a little sad to see him go; the ShadowClan tom was one of the nicest cats he'd come across, Tree and Alderheart notwithstanding.

Jayfeather brought up the rear, only slowing to wait for Shadowpaw to move along. The gray tom was as hard to read as ever; he didn't even look at them as he moved past, making it down the slope a little bit before pausing.

"Are you two just going to stand there all day?" his tone was curt, no trace of the confused understanding he'd displayed last night. Steven looked at Alderheart, who looked all-too-used to this. He nodded at Steven.

"Come on."

Steven, not really having anywhere else to go, followed as the orange tabby bounded up to his mentor. He cast a hesitant glance back towards the Moonpool, feeling his gem give the same slight pull that had led him here. Frowning, he decided not to focus on it. Instead, he looked back to the front, watching Alderheart and Jayfeather whisper to each other. There was a clear back-and-forth for a few moments, before Jayfeather's voice raised in the beginnings of a low grumble.

"I said we'll talk more about this in camp," he snapped. He was still quiet, but not nearly quiet enough for Steven not to hear. It was clear the unspoken message was that whatever they were talking about, he didn't want to discuss in the presence of a stranger. Understandable, really, but Steven still felt it hard not to feel offended.

"So.." Steven began, picking up his pace until he was a few pawsteps behind the two, "where are we headed..?"

The two Clan cats hushed quickly. Jayfeather offered him a snort in response, not even bothering to turn to look at him. "I'm sure Alderheart filled you in on the Clans. Can't you make any guesses?"

Alderheart's pawsteps faltered slightly, and he tripped to catch up, "Wait, was I not supposed to?" he murmured anxiously. "Jayfeather?"

"Bah!" Alderheart and Steven both startled at the exclamation, as Jayfeather sniffed and continued, "Why not? Filling in strange cats to the ways of the Clans hasn't come back to bite us ever before."

Alderheart must've gotten something from that statement that Steven didn't, because his shoulders tensed.

Jayfeather's whiskers twitched. "Stars above, you worry too much. To be clear," he rounded on Steven, the group coming to a sudden halt, "I don't trust you. But, I have faith in my apprentice that he wouldn't give you any information that'd jeopardize the Clan."

"He didn't," Steven matched the tom's tone, though admittedly more tiredly, "unless the knowledge of which Clans each cat I met belongs to would put you in danger."

Maybe, if he were several years younger, Steven would've been obsessively trying to reassure he was no threat. However, he knew now that such reassurances typically are lost on those who don't trust you. So, instead he simply stated facts and let Jayfeather connect any dots he may.

"No," Jayfeather responded with an air of I know more than you do, "it wouldn't, would it?"

There was a sharp inhale from Alderheart, who nudged Jayfeather with his paw. Jayfeather looked ready to bite the tom's ears off for that, to which Alderheart quietly apologized.

"Can we just get back to camp?" he mewed, looking up to the sky briefly. "If we take any longer, the Clan'll be worried."

For a moment, Steven thought for sure that Jayfeather was going to continue insinuating how much of a threat he is, but inwardly found himself relieved when he decided instead to turn back around and start moving. The rest of the three lingered a bit longer, before padding along, too. Alderheart fell into step with Steven this time.

"I think that's the closest thing to a compliment Jayfeather's ever given me," he joked weakly, but that only made the slowly kindling coil of anger in his stomach burn a little brighter. He clenched his jaw slightly.

"Nice guy, he is," he finally worded. It felt like sandpaper against his throat to present the words with a lighter tone than he was feeling. "If that's the reaction I can expect from your Clan, I'm not so sure I should go along with you."

"They're not all as prickly as Jayfeather, don't worry."

The look Alderheart gave him as he assured Steven was sympathetic, soft, but Steven didn't find himself comforted. Not when the tom's shoulders remained tense, with the feeling of anticipation clinging to his slightly-lifted fur.

The journey back to the cats' home was a lot less eventful, Steven's frequent pausing to take in the scenery notwithstanding (Steven had seen plenty of forests in his days as a Crystal Gem, but none captured quite the beauty of seeing one as a cat, where the trees towered seemingly endlessly). Braving walking into their camp, however, was a lot more daunting. By the way Alderheart and Jayfeather were both tensed, flanking him at each side as they passed through the gorse tunnel, he could assume he wasn't going to be greeted kindly.

"Keep your head down," Jayfeather hissed lowly as they stepped into the clearing. In the few seconds it took for him to process Jayfeather's command, Steven could see a few cats tense as they saw him, a few rising to their paws defensively but none making any moves toward him. His ears laying flat, Steven pretended not to feel the hostile eyes glaring into his pelt as he ducked his head. The mews of outrage and suspicion, though, were a lot harder to ignore. His tail curled nervously as he was led through the camp. He felt so small, surrounded by enemies for the first time in months. He thought he'd escaped that kind of scenario when... but here he was.

Steven staggered to a stop as Alderheart threw a paw out in front of him.

"Who is this?" a stern, accusing voice caused Steven to look up, though a jab to the side had him bowing his head again. Sheesh, he bit internally.

Jayfeather spoke up from his side, "We'll talk in your den." Away from listening ears.

Steven could feel the leader's gaze bore into him for a few moments more, letting the whispers of discontent from the Clan steal the silence.

"Very well," the tom rumbled, and Steven felt more than saw his cue to begin moving again. As they neared a narrow slope, Jayfeather and Alderheart fell behind, effectively keeping Steven in line as he followed.

It was only in the confines of the secluded den atop the rocky slope that Steven finally got to look up, meeting the hard amber gaze of the brown tabby opposing him. Steven froze. While he was confident he could have fought and escaped were it necessary in the clearing, the cat in front of him nearly rivaled him in size. If it came down to it, Steven wasn't sure he'd win- not in an unfamiliar body, and not without his gem's cooperation. He glanced towards the exit of the den, wincing as he saw Alderheart and Jayfeather both positioned between him and freedom. He felt a twitchy, nervous energy grip him. Was this a trap? he wheezed internally, thoughts going a mile a minute. Lure me where nobody would see anything? Make me disappear? It was all he could do to keep steady breathing.

"So?" The tabby broke the silence, causing Steven to jump slightly. He stared at the tom in front of him with wide eyes, but the tom wasn't staring at him. Instead, he was looking around him towards the two medicine cats. Alderheart mouthed an 'oh!'.

"We found him at the Moonpool," Alderheart began, continuing as he saw the tabby's eyes narrow, "He wasn't doing anything harmful, just looking for, uh, something. He-"

"Let him speak for himself," Jayfeather meowed with an unreadable expression, his tail twitching. Alderheart's mouth snapped shut, the tip of his tail flicking once in agitation at being cut off.

The leader glanced at the medicine cat, before dipping his head- a gesture lost on the blind tom, but dreadfully clear for Steven.

"How did you find the Moonpool?"

Steven's breath stuttered, giving an uncertain glance to Alderheart, who nodded encouragingly with a small shrug. Taking a deep breath, Steven put forward his best faux-happy persona. It was something he was all too familiar with doing. My therapist would have a fit if she knew, he thought, something about lying about how I'm feeling, displaying what I think others want to see. Shaking the thought from his head, he straightened his posture.

"I- I saw it in a dream, sir," it was instinctual, the added title, and Steven didn't think it really meant anything to these cats if the furrowing of the tom's brows was any indication. "I've had dreams point me in the right direction before, and when I woke up it felt almost like my paws were guided."

"You dreamt of it." the tom repeated. Steven nodded, to which the tom turned his gaze towards his two medicine cats.

"Did StarClan-"

"He dream-walked." Jayfeather interrupted with a shake of his head. His unseeing eyes had never seemed more intense as they did staring at his leader. The tom's eyes widened minutely.

"That's impossible," he meowed. "That should be impossible."

"Or really just quite unlikely," Alderheart muttered, narrowly escaping being heard by his leader and Steven. Jayfeather's ear flicked.

"How sure are you?" the leader inquired.

"We can't disprove it," Jayfeather stated, "he knew more than any cat should about what we do at the Moonpool."

"Was there any chance he could've been spying?" the leader's voice dropped low, the beginnings of a rumble in his throat.

Jayfeather snorted. Alderheart gave his leader a dubious glance, looking at Steven a few times.

"Is there any chance I can honestly convince you I wasn't?" Steven joked, mocking in a way the question the leader had asked before, instantly feeling regret as the low growl became louder. "I wasn't! I wasn't, I promise I wasn't. There'd be nowhere for me to successfully hide myself. I'm sure a cat of your size could understand..?"

The tom was silent for a few moments, his growl fading but his mouth pulling into a frown.

"How long did you spend at the Moonpool?" he finally spoke.

Steven blinked. "A few weeks. Maybe half of a month?"

"Why?" the tabby grilled.

"It's.. the only clue I have to figuring out what I'm supposed to do. I got separated from my family and woke up in strange territory; the Moonpool has been my only lead." Steven answered truthfully. "I feel drawn to it, like if I stick around, it'll tell me what I'm missing."

The tom hummed.

The four of them lapsed into a silence that stretched for a good minute or two. Steven shuffled his paws, aggravation building despite his best efforts. The tom looked lost in thought, as if trying to come to a conclusion. A few minutes more, and Steven finally snapped.

"Why-"

"How would you like to join ThunderClan?"

The two spoke at the same time.

Steven choked on his words, coughing in surprise. Jayfeather and Alderheart had both leapt to their paws.

"What?!" Jayfeather hissed, tail lashing. "Do you have bees in your brain, Bramblestar?"

Bramblestar's tail curled. "This…" he trailed off, realizing he'd never actually asked for Steven's name.

Steven reigned in his wheezing long enough to choke out, "Steven,"

"Steven seems very clear in his confidence that the Moonpool is his key to finding his family; if I'm correct in assuming he'd be stubborn about sticking around," Bramblestar spoke, pausing with a glance towards Steven.

"Guilty as charged." Steven responded weakly.

"- then other than physically making sure you can't make it back to the territories, I'm not sure we could keep you from it. I feel you're genuine when you say you mean the Clans no harm, but there's still something about you that has my fur ruffled."

Steven resisted the urge to look at what he assumed was the reason in question. His gem's hum hadn't felt louder in all of the days he'd been here. Bold moves for a gem that won't even work, he thought snidely. Distantly, he wondered if his gem half could hear him, or if it was a combined thought of both of his halves.

"If something like that has to exist in these forests, I'd rather have that unknown close to the Clan, where I can keep an eye on it," Bramblestar explained.

Jayfeather's aggression did not ease up in the slightest. "The Clan will never trust him. Not now. Not after.. Well, even you don't trust him."

"And that's something Steven has to decide if he's willing to face." It was stated so simply, shutting down Jayfeather's argument. By the look on the medicine cat's face, it was clear he did not find that amusing, but Bramblestar forged on before he could start something.

"If you join ThunderClan, you'll have to prove yourself probably five times more than any Clanborn cat would, and even then, they still might never trust you." Steven narrowed his eyes as Bramblestar turned back to him. "You'd have to learn our customs. Learn how to fight, to hunt. Take on a Clan name and leave your own behind- until you leave."

Steven reeled at the offer and explanation, staring at Bramblestar with wide eyes. Internally, he was debating whether it was wise to actually take this offer. It's not like these cats could really stop him if he chose to return to the Moonpool, regardless of his alignment. He knew the schedule, how to avoid being detected now.

"And if I don't?" he asked.

"We chase you off- and," Bramblestar was quick to add as Steven gave him a look, "if we find you at the Moonpool again, we attack as if you are a genuine threat."

"Oh, nice, loving the options here," Steven laughed bitterly.

"You wouldn't find any Clan more gracious," Bramblestar mewed jokingly, though Steven felt he was being a lot more truthful than his tone implied. His claws were unsheathed; whether to prove he was being real with his prior threats, or as some show of intimidation, Steven didn't know.

I admit, it'd be nice not to have to sneak around the place just to find out why I was called here, Steven sighed.

"I'll do it-"