Hello all!

Gosh, it's been over a month since I last updated, hasn't it? I'm terribly sorry for not updating for so long! I didn't get a chance to write more than about 500 words while I was at camp, and then during the last week of that I came down with this awful cold. By the time I got home I had a fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose, and headache and had trouble falling asleep at night because of all that. Then when I started getting better I got a bit of writer's block. Fortunately, I got over it before I left for my church camp at the beginning of this week, but wasn't allowed to take my laptop with me and didn't get back until Thursday evening. But with the help of my amazing beta, Leafy, I was able to get this chapter finished and am able to post it on time for an update!

I should really be heading over to lunch right now, so I'll quickly do review replies and post it. Sorry again for such a long break, and I hope to get back into a somewhat regular schedule as school starts up again!

Shadow: Aw, thanks! -hugs- I don't think I've watched Spirited Away, but I have watched Howl's Castle (I think that's how it's spelled?) and I really enjoyed it!

pietoraven36: Thank you for reading Take Flight! ^^ I love long reviews, so no worries about that. I've read up to Thunder Rising, but haven't been keeping up with the recent books.

riskybanana: Yep, I figured it wouldn't be much of a Warriors fanfiction without the addition of the Clans. Also, Ravenpaw and Rowanpaw have got to meet their parents at some point! Thank you! ^^ Oh, I'm surprised/glad you noticed the Yaksha mention! It's explained in this chapter, but I was wondering if anyone would catch that last chapter.

SK: Wow, that's a ton of siblings! XD I don't know how you stand that. I'm glad I have just one, and I'm also glad he's older than me. I don't know if I could deal with having less mature siblings than me.

Eradrin: Ha, yeah the no-legged rat joke just sort of happened. XD I was reading back through the chapter to figure out a continuity thing and I found that joke again and suddenly became pretty proud of my ability to humor in stories. And now I'm imagining Moki as a double cheese stuffed extra salted pretzel. XD She actually becomes more salty this chapter, if that's possible! Aw, thank you! ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter, I think I've improved maybe a little since writing camp. Let me know if you notice a difference?

BrightMind: Yeah, both Ravenpaw and Rowanpaw still have some growing to do. There is some development with them and Moki this chapter, which I hope you enjoy reading! ^^ Haha, thank you!

For the next few days the routine was the same. Wake up in a world decorated with frost and walk on frozen paws until it melted. Hunt at sunhigh (I rested then to ease the persistent aching. It never really went away but resting definitely helped). Keep walking through the afternoon with periodic breaks as my strength waned. Finally, stop and eat, then curl up in a makeshift den, all of us pressed together to ward off the chill, my leg and tail stretched out awkwardly like branches caught in the river, poking up through the rushing water.

The next day I entertained myself well enough by trying to teach myself how to walk with a splint, which was made more difficult by the soreness I'd acquired overnight. I watched the landscape and the clouds, trying to predict the weather, which was fairly easy since it stayed somewhat cloudy for the entirety of our journey. A couple times I tried talking to Rowanpaw, but he stayed quiet.

On the third day the boredom really set in. I'd given up on watching the river, which always looked the same, as well as the landscape, which more or less looked the same, and the clouds, which never looked the same but hurt my neck to stare at constantly. What was there to do?

I watched Moki's tail sway back and forth for a moment. She led the way, then I followed, hobbling along like a cat ten times my age with joint pain, and Rowanpaw brought up the rear. Maybe he'd be more open to talk today? It was worth a try.

"Hey, bud." I dropped back to limp alongside my brother. "How's it going?"

He didn't answer and I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. Nope, it seemed he was just as mute as he'd been yesterday. But I wasn't about to give up so soon; traveling wasn't any fun if we couldn't talk. And besides, it wasn't like I had anything better to do.

"So…" I tried to think up a conversation topic I hadn't already tried, but came up with nothing. "It looks like the river's still flowing nicely."

Still, there was no answer, though of course I couldn't blame him for that. That hadn't been an easily answerable statement. Perhaps I should try more questions?

"Uh, can you see any cool shapes in the clouds? Like a piece of prey or a Human den or something?"

Rowanpaw shook his head.

"Oh come on, you didn't even check!"

No reply.

I fell silent, watching Rowanpaw's profile. He walked with hunched shoulders, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, scuffing his paws from time to time. What was up with him? He'd never been this quiet when we were kits. Even after I fell that first time, he was still able to enjoy himself, despite acting more cautious.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

Still no reply.

"Well, this is definitely going to be a long journey. Thanks a lot for condemning me to days of silence!" I stalked on ahead, tail lashing.

Moki's eyes flashed over her shoulder ahead. "Day," she meowed tersely.

"Night," I muttered.

"No, I'm correcting you. You said 'days' when it's actually just 'day.' "

My ears pricked up. "What?"

Moki nodded ahead. "See that mountain range?"

I squinted past her, following the ridges of the smudged, gray-green mounds. "Uh huh."

"The mountain just ahead of us is where the tribe makes its home."

"The tallest one?"

"Yup."

I scrutinized the mountain in question for several long moments. Though a little blurred from a low cloud (it must have just rained up there), I could make out several chasms and sheer cliffs. "Doesn't look too friendly," I observed.

"Oh, don't be like that. Where's the fun without some danger?" Moki flashed a smile and I blinked.

"Who just got on my case for me getting myself into danger back in the city?"

"Yeah, well, that was life-threatening. You could've left Rowanpaw on his own." Moki nodded behind us. "Look at him. You almost died and he's acting all depressed. Imagine what would've happened if you'd actually died?"

Maybe it was time to change the subject. Moki was getting too serious for my liking again, acting more like the adult cat she was. It was sometimes easy to forget her age since she was a munchie. "So, this danger on the mountain. It's not life-threatening?"

"Well, sometimes," Moki conceded. "But not usually. Usually it just kicks up your adrenaline and you get yourself out of danger."

"What kind of danger is there?"

"Generally, what you'd expect on a mountain. Landslides, earthquakes, slippery rocks, the occasional hypothermia… that is, freezing to death. But that only happens when a cat's out in Frozen-time and falls into the river. Usually everyone's smart enough to avoid the dangerous areas."

Huh. I'd never had to deal with landslides or slippery rocks before. It would definitely be a big shift. I'd have to watch out until I adjusted fully, though I supposed that would be fairly simple with my injuries. I'd probably be stuck in a den until they healed, which could take moons. It'd definitely give me enough time to transition.

"What about the other stuff?" I asked.

"What?"

"Like the not-dangerous stuff. Does the tribe hunt?"

"Well of course!" Moki laughed. "How else would they get food?"

I shrugged. "Dunno."

Moki shook her head. "How about I give you a bit of an overview before we get there? To help with the transition, you know?"

"Yeah, sure! Sounds great."

"Rowanpaw?"

I followed Moki's gaze back toward my brother, who glanced up briefly.

"You'd better listen too, okay? Come up a little closer so you can hear better."

He barely nodded and sped up his pace until he was almost treading on our tails. I quickly shifted mine to the side—it was painful enough already without Rowanpaw accidentally stepping on it.

"All right, then. Where to begin?" Moki muttered to herself. "Hmm… Okay then. I suppose I'll start with the tribes themselves."

"Tribes?" I interrupted. "I thought there was only one."

"Hush, let me explain. There is one tribe, or at least one living tribe. That's the Avanti Tribe. The other is the Yaksha Tribe, which consists of the Avanti's ancestors. The Yaksha take the form of spirits and reside in different parts of nature. For instance, if a cat were to drown in a stream their spirit would take up residence there. Spirits can live in specific areas, like the wind at the top of a cliff or where a rainbow touches the horizon."

"But what happens to the spirit if there isn't a rainbow or if the wind dies down? Do they disappear?"

Moki shrugged. "I'm not sure. They definitely don't disappear. They return each time the rainbow appears or the wind starts blowing again, but I don't know where they go in the meantime. I suppose we'll just have to wait until we join the Yaksha ourselves to find out."

I nodded slowly. "Ooookay." After a short pause, I added, "So there are two tribes. What else should I know?"

"Um…" Moki hesitated. "The Avanti live inside the mountain. Ever since ancient times it's been hollowed out into a series of tunnels by underground streams and such. There's a spring off one side of the mountain and part of the water trickles down through cracks and things, slowly widening them until they become proper tunnels. The Avanti routinely plug up these cracks with mud once the tunnels are big enough to prevent them wearing completely away."

"What's a spring?"

"It's a place where fresh water wells up from the ground. I don't know where it comes from, but it's really useful, especially for cats who don't want to make the long trip down the mountain to the river, like nursing mothers or the elderly or injured. Most of the water overflows from the spring and tumbles over the side as a waterfall, then winds down the rest of the mountain as a stream. The stream joins the river at the mountain's base."

"What's the mountain like as a whole? Like is it a forest or a field or what?"

"It's mostly forested near the base, but gets bare and rocky near the top. Most cats prefer it closer to the base but they tend to stay near the peak anyway."

"How come?"

"They have all their celebrations and ceremonies at the mountain's peak. It's been worn away and is pretty flat, and it's close to the spirit of the Founder."

"The Founder?"

"The cat who founded the Avanti Tribe. Not much is known about them, only that their spirit lives in the mountain's peak. They are responsible for choosing each new guru when the last dies or steps down."

I opened my mouth to ask yet another question, only to find I couldn't think of anything else to say. My mind whirled at the onslaught of new information, unable to focus on any one thought as I struggled to absorb the larger image of this tribe. "They, er, sound very odd."

Moki snorted. "Yeah, I suppose they do. They're much different from any other group of cats I've encountered."

All at once, a distinct memory rose to the forefront of my mind. "Oh, I'm so excited!" Moki beamed. "I can't wait for you to meet Orion and the rest of the tribe; it'll be so much fun! You'll fit right in, especially with that feather or yours, Ravenpaw." I realized I had another question. "You said before I'd fit in with this." I almost batted a paw at the raven's feather, but remembered at the last moment I only had three good legs and settled for merely flicking my ear. "How come?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Moki's eyes widened. "I can't believe it slipped my mind; it's got to be one of the Avanti's most distinctive practices. And I almost forgot to tell you!" She shook her head. "The Avanti wear tokens to better connect with the Yaksha. They could be anything from feathers like yours to dried flowers to oddly shaped stones."

"Oddly shaped stones? How are those supposed to stay put?" I furrowed my brow, trying to imagine where they'd go. Maybe one could rest between my shoulders, but even then I'd have to be careful when climbing or jumping, which the Avanti doubtless did often as they climbed up and down their mountain. Perhaps if it was wedged between a couple toes? But no, that'd be uncomfortable to walk on, much less jump. The only way I could imagine would be to carry it in my mouth, but that would get annoying within about half a day. What if I wanted to carry a piece of prey back to my den?

"The Avanti have been doing this for moons," Moki reminded me, "so long they've forgotten just about everything about their Founder, one of their most important ancestors. They've had time to perfect techniques of carrying their tokens. In the case of the stones, for instance, they'd knot a dried vine or two around it and carry it around their necks, safely out of the way."

"Ohh. That's clever."

"Isn't it?" Moki grinned. "It's a little like that tendril around your ear."

"Is it?" I tried turning to check, but of course I couldn't see Shaq's knot. Had he met the Avanti during his lifetime? Looking back, I realized it was a bit odd for a loner to know about as many herbs as he did. I made a mental note to ask him about it if Rowanpaw and I ever returned to the city, though of course I wasn't about to run back there anytime soon. A vision of patchy fur threatened to surface above my thoughts of the Avanti, but I automatically pushed it back down. I shouldn't think about that now, not when I was having a good time with Moki. I shouldn't ruin this. If only I could forget about it altogether!

Flicking my ears as though ridding myself of a fly, I tried to think of what to say next. Maybe I should ask another question to take my mind off myself; it'd worked before. "Um, what was it like growing up in the tribe?"

"Hmm? Oh, it was wonderful. Loads of fun." Moki's eyes paused on the mountain range ahead of us. "It was a little tough getting used to all the stone, especially since I'd spent my kithood walking through forests and grass, but Orion and I got used to it fairly quickly. We spent most of our time playing games and training, sometimes at the same time."

"Do you think Rowanpaw and I will have trouble adjusting, too?" I didn't want sore pads for a moon. Maybe we should've gone somewhere else?

"I don't think so. You two used to live in a city, right?"

My ears flattened and I gave a swift nod.

"You'll be used to stone underpaw by this point. It might take a day or so to adjust, since you've been walking through grass and all for several days, but it certainly won't take as long as it did for Orion and me." Moki smiled. "I remember he used to complain about his soreness every single day. Finally, I pointed out that his paws had hardened and shouldn't be getting scratched anymore, unless he was still about as sensitive to pain as a kit. It knocked some sense into him and from then on he didn't utter another word about his aching paws."

I snorted.

"Yeah," Moki agreed. "I think you'll like him. I can't wait for you two to meet."

"Neither can I."

Moki's smile lingered around the corners of her mouth, turning a little wistful. "I really miss him," she murmured almost to herself. "I can't believe it's been an entire year since I've seen him."

I shot a glance over my shoulder at Rowanpaw, still padding along with his head down, apparently not listening to our conversation at all. Was Moki still trying to guilt-trip me about falling from that den or was she genuinely missing her brother?

"Anyway," Moki continued, looking back down at me. "It's my turn to ask questions, I think. What was it like growing up in the city?"

I inhaled sharply, my breath catching somewhere just below my throat. Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it. It was easy when I was the one asking questions, when I could focus on Moki's life and stories instead of my own. It was so easy to forget. Why couldn't it always be that easy? Why couldn't I just forget it all…?

Moki's eyes remained fixed on the side of my face as we continued walking (or at least, she and Rowanpaw continued walking and I continued hobbling). I felt her dark brown eyes like twin infernos, singing the ends of my whiskers. I instinctively pulled away a little, inclining my muzzle away from her, towards the river. If I could prevent her from looking into my eyes, maybe I could keep everything under control, contained in the gaps between my ribs.

"Ravenpaw?"

I hadn't realized how long I'd gone without speaking. Though maybe it was better I didn't reply; maybe it would let Moki know that topic was off-limits.

"Come on, I've told you about myself. Now it's your turn. I know virtually nothing about your life before you leaped onto that train."

And that's the way it should stay. Moki seemed like such an innately positive cat; I didn't want to destroy that by telling her of my kithood. Sure, most of it had been okay, but the way it had ended…

"That bad, huh?" Moki finally looked away, loosing a great whuff of air. I concentrated on my paws, staggering along unevenly, leaning on the plastic splint. It had started to bruise my chest where it pressed against me. "You know, I wish you'd trust me enough to listen."

I blinked, eying her out of my peripheral vision. Moki stared fixedly ahead, padding solemnly along.

"I mean," she continued, "I helped you two get through the Brick City. I splinted your leg and am leading you to the tribe. I've been hunting for you and showing you all my secret dens. I've put up with your and Rowanpaw's bickering and I've tried to teach you two a bit of sense. I've told you all about my history, my story. And what have you given me in return?"

She paused, as though waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth uncertainly, thinking back through our time together. Before I could say anything, though, she'd started talking again.

"You've given me mistrust because of my short legs. You've given me coldness and arguments and running off in the middle of the night. You've given me panic, you've given me fear. Did you stop and think for even a moment what it felt like to wake up to Rowanpaw telling me you'd fallen off a Human den?"

I felt denial rising in the back of my mind. No I didn't! I talked with you and laughed with you and trusted you enough to eat that salt thing even though it could've been poison and… and… But for some reason, I couldn't think of any good excuses. When I thought back to when Rowanpaw and Moki had found me in that dumpster, I realized she was right. I hadn't thought about her. I'd thought about myself, about Rowanpaw, but hadn't spared one measly little thought for her. The realization sent tendrils of guilt scuttling around my paws, clinging to my fur, tripping me up, holding me back.

Moki had stopped talking. I didn't dare look at her in the fear of what I'd see in her expression. Would she be angry? Frustrated? Depressed? Resigned? Well, judging from her accusing tone just now, I figured I could cross off that last one. But it still left three, plus countless others I hadn't thought up. There was so much unknown there.

The silence continued, stretching on and on and on. I bit my tongue, unsure of what to do. Should I say something or stay quiet? If I did the latter, it might appear as though her words hadn't affected me at all. So then I should say something. But what? Should I apologize? No, that might be too blatant and could seem insincere. Should I lie and tell her I had thought of her reaction? No, that would be even worse. What if she saw right through my words? Something told me I should be honest. The only problem was I honestly didn't know what to say, despite knowing I had to say something.

Moki let out another sigh, quieter this time. Was she about to start talking? Would I lose my chance? My heart speeding into overdrive, I opened my mouth to say something, anything. "Um, I—I'm sorry."

An apology. A very lame apology. Great. Moki acknowledged my words with the slight flicker of one ear, but otherwise remained still and silent. Perhaps I should say something else? With the pressure of finding my opening words dissolved, my mind floated more freely back through our conversation, back to the source of Moki's outburst. I'd refused to tell her about my past. Maybe I should fix that?

My innards recoiled from the notion. No. No no no no no. I couldn't. I couldn't tell her about then. If I ever wanted to truly forget I couldn't risk others reminding me about it. Unfortunately for her, Moki counted as an "other."

Moki's muzzle tilted in my direction again. Again, I instinctively refused to return the gaze. "You still haven't answered my question."

Oh, sky powers, was she really going to do this to me? I ducked my head a little as though her question was a physical obstacle I had to wriggle underneath.

"Why haven't you?"

I clenched my jaw a moment, feeling my front fangs slip in front of my lower. "I… I don't… It's not…" I trailed off for the third time, suddenly frustrated by my lack of words. What was I trying to say? "I don't want to… to have to deal with it right now, I guess."

Moki's eyes flashed—I saw the sun's glare out of the corner of my vision. "You want to forget your past."

It wasn't a question, so I didn't respond.

Another sigh, a deep exhale whistling slightly as it rushed through the gap left by her parted teeth. "You can't just forget your past."

"Yeah, I can," I countered, the fur along my shoulders beginning to bristle. "I can if everyone would just quit reminding me about it!"

"That's not how it works. Trust me, Ravenpaw; I've been alive much longer than you have. The more you try to forget something, the more it becomes ingrained into your mind. You can't just forget the first six moons of your life. It'll never just disappear. It's always been a part of you and always will be. However much you may hate it, it's part of who you have become and you'll always have to contend with it. Someday you'll find peace with it." Moki shrugged. "I don't know what it is. I don't know anything about what you've gone through. But I do know that running won't help; it'll just keep coming up until you finally face it."

"And I suppose you have experience with facing things like this?" I muttered.

Moki shrugged again. "I don't know. You haven't told me what 'this' is. But everyone has to face their troubles. It's a part of life, and an important one if I do say so myself. It helps us grow."

Yeah, okay. Like everyone had to watch their friends and family get massacred. A vision of the Enclave as I'd last seen it—strewn with bodies and splattered with red, so much red, so dark a color, much darker than the blood from cuts and scrapes—spilled like a toppled can across my mind. I tried pushing it away, but the instant I could see clearly again my vision focused on Moki's face, which was filled with a fierce challenge.

"Accept it," she hissed quietly, drawing a couple slow pawsteps closer. "Both of you." It took me a moment to realize we'd stopped walking and another to feel the brush of Rowanpaw's short fur against my flank. A swift glance in his direction told me he could see the same image as me.

"Accept it," Moki urged again. "Dive deeper. Recall exactly how you felt, where you went, every single detail."

It was sunny. Sunny and cold, and we'd just been made apprentices. We should stay away from the cans in Leafbare because we might stick to them. Then the yowls. On and on, one after the other after the other. That was what made it strange: the repetition. Thalia put us in the can to keep us safe, then raced off to find the source of the trouble. Then a group of rogues, their names bobbing to the surface of my memory: Sneer and Eckolan. Then the race through the city, through the alleys, Rowanpaw and me, me and Rowanpaw, paws pounding together, hearts racing, lungs sore, teeth dry from panting. The Enclave. It was overwhelming; it was terrifying; it was unreal. But it was so, so real. Thalia, Toby, Wasco, Marmalade, Pixie, and others I didn't have time to identify. Running again, looking for a way out, any way out. Then the train, the raven, Rowanpaw's teeth in my scruff, keeping me from the train, from diving beneath the wheels. He was always the sensible one, even if he did worry. Then... Moki.

"Accept it."

Thalia was dead. Toby was dead. So many gone. No more stories about narrow escapes from dogs, no more lessons on the Rules of Defense. I remembered I hadn't listened to the last few. Could I defend myself without those rules? Were they, perhaps, the most important? Was that why Thalia had saved them for last?

Beside me, Rowanpaw fell into a crouch. I woke from my trance to see his jaws split wide open, his eyes squeezed shut as though he were pretending it was nighttime. He used to do that, I realized; he used to pretend it was nighttime during the day. He'd shut his eyes and stagger around trying to catch me, believing I also had my eyes shut. He never knew I'd always peeked.

"Rowan." My voice was hoarse, barely recognizable as speech, but I didn't care. He probably couldn't hear me anyway. I dropped to the ground and pressed against him, nestling my nose in the hollow of his throat, right where his jawline met his neck. I used to do that on colder nights back in the city. I wondered if he remembered, too.

"R… Ray," he muttered. "Raven… Ravenpaw."

"I'm here." I pressed closer, wrapping my tail around his body as best I could with the clunky metal splint still attached.

"N—No. I'm here. I'm here." He pressed his chin into my forehead. I didn't bother telling him he was pressing into my eye sockets, too. "I should be here for you. You're the adventurous one."

"Remember before I fell the first time? When I was still Ivykit? You were the adventurous one then."

He gave a half-hearted snort. "Yeah, yeah. Before I got some sense knocked into me."

"Guess I haven't gotten that sense yet." I nosed him, trying to be vaguely playful, trying to return to some sense of normalcy. "It's your turn to fall off a den."

Rowanpaw laughed weakly in response and pressed a little closer. I returned the gesture, flattening my ears as I rubbed the underside of his chin. For a moment, we just lay there in silence.

The quiet scratch of shuffling paws in dried grass brought me back to the present. Blinking, I straightened my hunched shoulders and glanced around at Moki, who still sat before us, a small smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.

"S—sorry," I muttered, uncurling myself from around Rowanpaw.

"Take your time." Moki dipped her head to each of us in turn.

"We're ready to move on." I glanced down at Rowanpaw, who had apparently finally shaken off his funk. "Right?"

"Right." He nodded up at Moki. "Um, sorry we took so long."

Moki raised her eyebrows. "Don't you dare be sorry for that." She waited as Rowanpaw pushed himself to his paws, then helped me do the same. "If we hurry, I think we can make it to the mountain before sundown."

"Then let's hurry." I narrowed my eyes, staring down the distance left to cover. "I'm sick of walking all day. Let's get it over with."

Moki grinned. "That's what I like to hear." She set off with her tail lifted, leading the way once again. Rowanpaw and I followed on her heels, ears up, eager for our long journey to finally end.

We're off to the tribe, I thought excitedly. I'll meet the Avanti by sundown. My heart thudded with excitement. Now that Rowanpaw was back to his old self, I couldn't wait to finally reach the mountain. It was going to be our adventure: not mine, not Rowanpaw's, but ours. Together.

I think I forgot to mention above, but I got mostly approval for the sneak peek idea. I'll do my best to send them out, but as I have my fourth (and final!) camp coming up from Tuesday-Sunday (I think), I don't know if I'll have time to send them out before everyone has a chance to read. I also might forget, as I seem to have done with the Interesting Facts... ^^; Maybe if you mention something about it in your review, I'll remember until it becomes a habit.

QOTD: When does school start for you?

AOTD: Tuesday the 23rd, I believe. Or Wednesday. I'm not exactly sure. That might be good to figure out. XD

I'm going to try to finish chapter 17 this weekend so it's all ready to post when I get back. I'd say to expect an update on Monday, though if I have the dates wrong it could be Sunday! ^^ A little late of an update, but hopefully not too bad. I don't know about you, but I'm excited about writing it. Ravenpaw and Rowanpaw finally get to meet the tribe!

QOTD2: What do you think the tribe will be like? How will they react to Ravenpaw's and Rowanpaw's presence? What do you find most interesting about them?

See you in a week!

~Snow