Author's Note: I don't actually remember what happens in Power of the Three and Fallen Leaves talks about that a bit so just assume that anything that he says that conflicts with canon is true. Fallen Leaves and Jaypaw didn't actually interact as much as I thought.

Oh, also we deviate from our usual narrators for this chapter. POVs of different characters.

Fallen Leaves wasn't sure how he felt about ThunderClan.

On one paw, it was Hollyleaf's home.

On the other, it was filled with cats who had betrayed his friend Jay's Wi- er, Jayfeather.

Sure, it was nice. It was warm in a way the tunnels never could be and there was prey. Plenty of it. He didn't need to eat but it was nice to have the option. Hollyleaf had told him about the clans' system to keep everyone fed, including the kits and elders, but Fallen Leaves was still a bit surprised to see it for himself. It made him uneasy to see cats acting so… kind.

But was it even kindness? If anything, all these cats went about hunting and patrolling like it was routine. It probably was but that wasn't the point. They didn't behave this way because they wanted to. This was tradition. Their ancestors probably had a reason but these cats just did it because they didn't know how to do anything else.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? Clankind- including StarClan- had existed for so long. Fallen Leaves was older than the clans but he didn't know their origins. He was pretty sure he could safely say the clans as well as their guardian ancestors had strayed from their original path. Both were a mere shell of what they once were.

Was it a bad thing though? If a cat did something good, could it be called moral even if he didn't do those good things for a good reason? If he was acting out of selfishness or lack of individuality? Could the answer to that question apply to a group of cats? What about multiple groups of cats?

When Fallen Leaves looked at the camp, he saw a community and he of all cats knew better than anyone how special that could be. They were friends and kin and they were happy. Anywhere he looked, he saw signs of it. A full fresh-kill pile, kits playing by the nursery, littermates sharing tongues, elders and warriors sunning together, even the fallen tree in the camp. He was sure that had a story behind it that only further reinforced these cats' comradery.

But no matter how great they looked at first glance, this clan was still the one that turned against Jayfeather. Jayfeather, the cat who'd been Fallen Leaves' only friend for so long. Jayfeather, the cat who served his clan even though it brought him no joy. Jayfeather, the cat who was willing to lay down his life for the prophecy and to save the clans.

Maybe these cats knew that. Maybe they didn't. Either way, the fact that they were so quick to bare their teeth and unsheathe their claws meant there were some darker, maybe even sinister undertones Fallen Leaves hadn't quite picked up yet. He could feel it, something bubbling just under the surface of this light and happy aura, but he couldn't quite see it. He knew it was there but he didn't know a thing about it and he had no idea how to learn more.

"Hey," a voice said, snapping out of his thoughts. Fallen Leaves jerked his head up, surprised, and came face to face with a cream colored tom.

"Oh, hello," Fallen Leaves greeted with a dip of his head. He started to wave his tail only to realize that the other tom didn't have one. Or rather, he was missing half of his. Fallen leaves stopped awkwardly. He hadn't been around other cats in so long. Was this rude?

The other tom didn't seem to notice or care. "You're Fallen Leaves, right?"

Fallen Leaves tilted his head then looked down at his pelt. Yup, he could still see the ground clean through his own paws. Still a ghost. Still blatantly identifiable.

The tom licked his chest fur in embarrassment. "Sorry… That was a mousebrained question. I just didn't know how to approach you."

"And why did you want to approach me… uh…"

"Berrynose," the tom filled in for him. He tucked in his haunches, looking contemplative, before looking away. "I… Cinderheart told me I should try talking to you. I wasn't really sure but the rest of the clan is avoiding you like you have greencough so I thought I'd come and… I don't know. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you."

"You're not!" Fallen Leaves said quickly. He stopped and swallowed, forcing his fur to lie flat. That was a bit embarrassing. "Until a quarter-moon ago, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf were the only cats I'd spoken to in generations. Honestly, I'd be happy to talk to a toad at this point."

Berrynose visibly relaxed. "Hopefully I'm more fun to talk to than a toad."

"I hope so too," Fallen Leaves purred, feeling a bit better already. "So what can I do for you, Berrynose?"

Berrynose shifted his paws. "Well… You said something back at the island that got me thinking. I kinda talked to Cinderheart about it and that helped but I feel like asking you about it would… I don't know, help fill in what I'm missing."

"Which is?"

Berrynose shrugged. "On the island, you said Jayfeather was your friend. I wanted… I wanted to ask about that. How you know him, I mean. And, like, your history together and stuff. Only if you want to! If you don't, that's okay and I perfectly understand. It's just that-"

Fallen Leaves purred as Berrynose continued to ramble. It was endearing, almost, how nervous the warrior sounded right now. It sounded incredibly out of character from what Hollyleaf had told him about the tom but Fallen Leaves found it sweet. "Don't worry, Berrynose. I'd be happy to tell you about me and Jayfeather."

Berryose cut off and brightened. "Really?"

Fallen Leaves nodded. "Do you want the long or short version?"

"I have all the time in the world."

"The short version is that… Well, there isn't really a short version but Jayfeather used to talk to me sometimes when he was an apprentice. I've been trapped in the tunnels since the day I died and… it's really lonely down there, you know? The tunnels are home and I like them but he was that little bit of relief that I didn't know I needed."

Berrynose nodded silently and Fallen Leaves couldn't help but fluff out his fur a bit.

"The longer version is that we knew each other in life."

"Wait, what?" Berrynose demanded, getting to his paws. Fallen Leaves nearly flinched back but the warrior didn't look hostile. For how long though? Fallen Leaves had seen how these cats reacted to something they didn't understand. Would they turn against him in the same way? "How?"

"Not exactly," Fallen Leaves soothed and that was the truth. Before they'd fled, the three had spent some time with him and Jayfeather had told Fallen Leaves about his time walking with the Ancients. That was well past the time Fallen Leaves had drowned but Fallen Leaves knew Jay's Wing as a softpaw. It was complicated and he didn't understand it but he couldn't deny that Jay's Wing and Jayfeather were the same cat. "Jayfeather carries the same spirit as a cat I grew up with. They're not the same, not really, but they are at the same time. I don't know how to explain it. It wasn't Jayfeather, the cat I knew, but…"

Fallen Leaves trailed off and his green eyes focused on Berrynose, waiting for his reaction. The tom didn't move save nodding his head ever so slightly. Fallen Leaves couldn't tell if that was a good sign or not.

"But were you friends?" Berrynose asked finally.

"I think so," Fallen Leaves said and looked up at the sky. There weren't many clouds out today. "For a while, he was all I had. And I knew he found comfort in visiting me. I'd say we were friends. We still are. That's why I fought for him."

Berrynose nodded silently. "Thanks for telling me this, Fallen Leaves."

Fallen Leaves didn't have the chance to respond. Berrynose merely dipped his head, picked himself up, and padded away with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Tigerheart loved his clan. That was undeniable. But was he happy in ShadowClan? That, he didn't know. He hadn't known for a long time.

Being an apprentice had been so fun. He was sure every warrior looks back on those moons of their life as the good old days. Tigerheart's first few moons as a warrior had been great too.

But then he met Dovewing.

And he fell in love.

Also everything with the Dark Forest happened but he decided to ignore that for right now.

Each waking moment, Tigerheart longed to be with her. But he couldn't and that hurt. He understood why. He understood why perfectly. That didn't change the fact that he wanted to be with her. As much as he loved ShadowClan, he was willing to leave it behind if she wanted to be with him. He was never going to have the chance to ask her though.

Tigerheart wished he'd run away with the three. He doubted Jayfeather would welcome him but he knew Lionblaze well enough and he didn't care if dealing with the two toms meant he got to be with Dovewing. The revelation of her powers shocked him to the core and it hurt a bit that she didn't tell him but it made sense and he understood. After thinking for a few days and then finally seeing her again on the island, Tigerheart found that he didn't care. He loved her regardless.

Part of him wanted to run away. He didn't know where they'd gone but Tigerheart knew that his feelings were strong enough that if he followed his heart, he could find her. But he couldn't do that. Realistically, Dovewing could be anywhere and there was nothing that suggested Tigerheart could find her.

And he couldn't just leave ShadowClan. Not when Flametail's death was still fresh in his kin's hearts. Tawnypelt and Rowanclaw would worry and Dawnpelt would be torn apart. He couldn't do that to his family.

So he fell back into routine. Dull, soul crushing routine. Patrols, marking borders, hunting prey… And then the inevitable came. One night, Tigerheart went to his nest and when he opened his eyes, he was back in the Dark Forest.

A massive wave of emotion overtook him. It wasn't intense but it was a strong feeling. He didn't know the right word to describe it. Discontent? Exhaustion? Disinterest? Nothing felt right. What he did know, however, was that he was sick of being here. It felt like more of a chore than anything else. The sight of dark, dead trees around him and the barren earth under his paws just made him want to lie down and wait out the night without lifting a paw. He was just so tired. Of what, he didn't know.

But to his surprise, he didn't arrive alone.

"Ivypool," he said, surprised, at the sight of the silver she-cat beside him.

"Tigerheart," Ivypool stated, eyes wide and equally surprised. She tipped her head, asking a silent question. Tigerheart nodded and she relaxed. Tonight, they were friends, not foes.

And it seemed they were getting one more.

"Tigerheart! Ivypool!" a cat yowled as he rushed into the clearing with the speed of a rabbit. He tried to skid to a stop once he noticed the pair standing before him but his paws couldn't get a grip fast enough and he ended up barreling into them.

Tigerheart yelped in surprise as his flank was knocked against the ground and his paws got tangled up in a mess of limbs, tails, and fur. He rolled away to the best of his ability but it took him more than he'd like to admit to find his paws. Once he finally did, he managed to get a good look at the tom who'd crashed into them. "Harespring?"

Harespring nodded though the conformation wasn't needed. "You're late!"

"... Sorry?" Ivypool said, sounding confused. "The Dark Forest hasn't visited in a few days. I'm sure even Hawkfrost would understand, all things considered."

Harespring shook his head hard. "No, that's not what I- There's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Tigerheart asked suspiciously. "Is something wrong?"

Harespring nodded vigorously as he backed up a bit to give them their space. "Yeah. Everything."

"Calm down, Harespring," Ivypool said with a roll of her eyes. "Everything can't be wrong. Try to explain. Slowly."

Harespring pulled his paws in close, clearly wanting to pace. "While we were waiting for you, Hawkfrost told us the Dark Forest's plan. They're going to invade the clans."

Tigerheart jolted. He'd known that- actually, it was more of a vague inkling than a solid fact but close enough- but hearing the words aloud suddenly made it more real. "What?"

Harespring nodded. "The three… Hawkfrost said they had their powers to protect the clans from the Dark Forest and now that they're gone they can… Oh StarClan, we really messed up didn't we? The Dark Forest is going to destroy us."

Ivypool and Tigerheart exchanged a glance. Unease danced between them. Slowly, Ivypool put a tail tip on a shaking Harespring's shoulder. "Don't worry, Harespring. I'm sure we'll figure out something."

"But that's just it," Harespring said miserably. "I don't think we can. All the other recruits… They listened. I think they want to go through with Hawkfrost's plan."

Tigerheart nearly did a double take. "What? Why? I know there are some, um, misguided living cats here but most of them have good hearts. I can't imagine anyone turning against their clans and kin."

"They want to end up on the winning side," Harespring told him. "The clans don't have a chance standing against the Dark Forest."

"What about StarClan?" Ivypool asked. "Surely they…"

Harespring hesitated. "Hawkfrost said the storm interfered with the Dark Forest's ability to contact living cats but now that it's cleared up… It looks like StarClan's gone. The Dark Forest has unrestricted access to any cat's dreams and they don't need to lift a claw against StarClan's power to do it."

Tigerheat froze, taking a moment to let that sink in. StarClan was just… gone? Tigerheart knew that every cat under StarClan's light was protected somehow. The Dark Forest could reach out to a wavering heart but it was difficult. He assumed they knew some trick to get past whatever StarClan did to protect clan cats but for StarClan to just withdraw that protection completely…

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to feel. He thought he'd feel a lot but he couldn't feel anything. It was like every drop of hope and spirit in him just drained.

Tigerheart suddenly felt very, very small.

"What do we do?" he whispered, glancing between Ivypool and Harespring.

As he feared, neither cat had an answer.

Berrynose didn't know what to do. A few sunrises passed since his talk with Fallen Leaves and he'd been thinking a lot. Whether he was on patrol, sharing tongues, or hunting, his thoughts were roaring like a river. He wished they would just quiet. Berrynose wouldn't call himself a simple cat but he was content with his life without all this pondering. He just wished it would stop and he could get back to being his usual self.

But it didn't stop. The thoughts just kept coming and coming. They even interrupted his dreams and he'd wake up thinking about some training session with Lionblaze as an apprentice or something like that and regret would keep him from falling asleep until the sun came up. He didn't like it and he felt bad for wanting the thoughts to go away.

Eventually, he decided to stop pushing them away. It was time to indulge. Maybe then he could finally make some sense of all this.

So Berrynose settled down in the sun, letting the warmth soothe his pelt, and just let his thoughts wander. He was a bit surprised no one bothered him but he was grateful for the solace. He didn't think he could fake a smile right now. All this thinking was getting him down.

Mostly, he thought about Lionblaze. Originally, he'd thought about his relationship with Jayfeather but most of his memories with Jayfeather had Lionblaze in them so he ended up focusing on his fellow warrior. They were closer anyway. He wasn't sure if Lionblaze would call him a friend but Berrynose knew he'd call Lionblaze a friend. They'd grown up together, after all.

Lionpaw, Hollypaw, Cinderpaw, Poppypaw, Honeypaw, Hazelpaw, Mousepaw… Those were good times. He could think about them for days. And he was pretty sure he wanted to.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there but he must've zone out pretty hard because one heartbeat he blinked and the next Purdy was sunning beside him. He blinked, surprised, before purring softly. "Hey Purdy."

"Hey, young'un," Purdy greeted. "Hope you don't mind me lying here. You looked pretty lost in thought there."

"I was."

"Mind if I ask what you were thinking about?"

Berrynose sighed. "I just… I can't believe we drove out Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Jayfeather."

"Me neither," Purdy said and Berrynose turned to look at him. The old tom sat up and sighed. "You know I don't believe in all this StarClan stuff but I know how the clans work and I know we need those three. Lionblaze was one of our best warriors. And Dovewing always kept the fresh-kill pile full. And Jayfeather could always tell what was hurting me and knew exactly what to do. I don't know how the clans will fare without 'em."

Berrynose rested his chin on his paws and let out a long breath. "Me neither, Purdy. Me neither."

Edit 3/26/2021: Minor edits fixing awkward sentences.