I barely traveled that day. I kept stumbling over my own paws and spurts of rock. Even when I reached the plains ahead, it was tough traveling. I was very cold, for leaf-bare had taken it's hold on clan life. Even now that I left, I could still feel Pantherpelt's claws as he lashed at my tail, still feel the anger and fear of the clan as I told them what I did.

But no matter what happened, I kept walking towards the gray smudge that steadily grew larger.

A large, cold wind blow from the high slopes and I shivered. I traveled many days afterward, and eventually I got close to it and saw that it was actually a high, stone-covered hill. It rose so high that the peaks were shrouded in clouds. Another cold breeze ruffled my fur.

I was exhausted, for I had been walking all day. But I needed to get as far as possible from the clans. They better not follow her here, and just to make sure, I was to put as much distance as I could. Barely conscious, I began to climb the mountain. Night was here now, I began to fear that every cold wind that blew would drive me off the mountain, even though I was only a few fox-lengths off the ground.

Unable to do anything else, I flopped down on the cold stone, not even bothering to go back down to sleep on grass. I didn't expect to be able to sleep, but I almost instantly fell asleep. The next day I woke at the brake of dawn. I began to climb higher up the slopes. My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten since I left the clans, and now I wasn't sure I had enough energy to hunt. Several days later, when I was looking over the ridge, I found that I couldn't see the ground anymore.

Suddenly, I heard pawsteps behind me. I turned. I knew that if I got into a fight, weak and starving as I was, I would be outclassed, even if I ran into a kittypet kit.

"Whose there?" I asked, my voice croaking from lack of use.

I didn't see anything, so I shrugged and continued. A yowl rose behind me and something bowled into my side. I couldn't fight back, so I gave in.

"Crag!" a voice yowled. "What have you found us?"

"An intruder," Crag, the cat who attacked me, answered.

"Let it free, let see what it has to say for itself."

The cat scrambled off of me, and I got a good view for the first time. He was small, about the size of a new apprentice. He was very bulky, compared to a she-cat behind him, who with small, neat and lithe. There was a third cat, the one who called to Crag, and he was muscly also. His fur was gray, and it took a very close look to see that his fur was plastered with mud, along with his companions, hiding the true color of their pelts. "What is your name?" the she-cat asked.

"Phoenixpaw," I answered.

"Phoenixpaw, that's a weird name," Crag commented. "I'm Crag Where Eagles Nest, or Crag for short. I'm a to-be." He held out his paw and bowed his head. I'm not sure what he was doing.

"I'm Broken Rock With Falcon's Nest, or Broken for short, I'm a prey-hunter." the she-cat said, doing the same weird gesture.

But the other tom still looked hostile. "Why are you introducing yourselves?" he hissed.

"Sun, be nicer!" Broken growled back. To me she whispered. "That's Sun on Exposed Stone, he's a cave-guard."

"Let's take her to Stoneteller," Crag suggested with a glance at me. "He'll know what to do with a trespasser."

"Trespasser? I'm sorry, I'm just passing through," I started. "I didn't notice any scent markers, I'm sorry, I should've been smarter and paid more attention."

"Here in the mountains, we don't need any scent markers. No cat except for us live here," Broken explained.

"So do you live in a clan?" I asked, feeling wary to be among clan cats again.

"Clan? We are part of the Tribe of Rushing Water."

"So what was it you said about cave-guards and prey-hunters?"

"I'll tell you while we go to the cave." As soon as Broken said that, my stomach gave a loud protest. "I'm sure Stoneteller will let you share our daily meal."

I nodded, plodding after the three tribe cats. After a while, I began to hear a roaring sound. I turned to Crag. "What's that?" I whispered.

"The cave, our home," answered softly.

"Why does it sound like that?"

"You'll see," was all he said.

Eventually, I saw what looked like an overflowing river, crashing down into a small pool.

"That's the cave," Sun growled. "We live behind that waterfall."

"What? You live behind a rushing torrent of death?"

"That's why we follow the Path of Rushing Water," he said as if I was a kit to young to be out of the nursery.

"Don't worry 'bout him. He'd bite the tails off the Tribe of Endless Hunting if he saw them."

"Tribe of Endless Hunting? So there's two tribes living here?"

He stopped in his tracks, staring disbelievingly at me. "You've never heard of the Tribe of Endless Hunting?"

"Uh, no."

"They are our ancestors, they guide us in everything we do, and send Stoneteller signs in the Cave of Pointed Stones."

"Oh, like Starclan?"

"Who?"

"Our warrior ancestors," I explained. "They do the same thing with our medicine cat."

"Your so different... We must talk more, we can share what our tribes do."

At that moment, Sun climbed a rock, and vanished behind the waterfall. Seconds later, he poked his head out and glared at me. "Coming?"

"Follow my moves," Crag instructed.

He jumped onto a rock, turning to make sure I would get there. I stared blankly at it. The journey from when the cats found me felt like it had drained all the energy from my paws. "We'll help," Broken assured me.

Bunching my muscles, I leaped for it. I jumped a little too short, but Crag grabbed the scruff of the neck to pull me upwards. For a terrifying moment, I thought me greater weight would drag us both over the edge, but Broken joined us and hauled me over the rock. She nodded and began to walk up a slippery path.

"Come on, the Path of Rushing Water is safe," Crag told me, padding confidently up the path. I cautiously followed. I found that it was easier than I thought. I walked into the cave, and I was met with dozens of eyes turned to look at me.

A single cat came up to me, sniffed me, and dipped his head. "Welcome, why have you come?"

"Sorry Stoneteller," Sun apologized. "We found this cat in our territory. She's obviously starving, and weak. What should we do with her?"

"She is starving, not much use throwing a cat out to die," he turned to a mud-streaked she-cat. "Stream, go fetch our prisoner some caught-prey."

She dipped her head and disappeared into the shadows. Though his words sounded friendly, they sent a chill through me. Prisoner?

She returned with a young falcon in her jaws. Crag took it, and turned to me. "Do you want to share?"

"Sure."

He took a bite of it, and passed it to me. Thinking that this was a tradition, I took a mouthful and passed it to him. We continued like this until it was gone, licking my lips, with my stomach full for the first time since I left the clans, I turned over and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to find the tribe cats getting ready for what looked like a patrol. A couple of slim cats stood at the entrance and, after a few seconds, where joined by Sun and another bulky cat. "Those lithe cats are prey-hunters," Crag explained, padding up to me. "They hunt prey for the tribe. The stronger ones," he waved his tail to a group and muscly cats. "Are cave-guards. They protect the prey-hunters while they're out."

"From what?"

"Hawks, and other creatures."

I nodded. "Do you train apprentices?"

"No, we have to-bes, like me. I'm to-be a cave-guard."

"Whose your leader? And your medicine cat?" I asked, becoming confused by the strange, new terms.

"We don't have either. Our healer is Stoneteller. He has a to-be who is learning from him to be the next Stoneteller. He takes care of us and has a vast knowledge of the herbs this mountain bares."

"Are you lea- er, healers always called Stoneteller?"

"Oh yes. What traditions does your tribe follow?"

I twitched my ear uncomfortably. "I don't live with them anymore."

He let out a purr. "What did they do?"

"Well, there are four clans. Thunderclan, my old home, Shadowclan, the sneaky ones, Windclan, the fast, lithe ones, and Riverclan, the swimmers."

He nodded. "Are you a cave-guard or a prey-hunter?"

"Oh, in the clans, we learn to hunt and fight as apprentices, unless you chose to be a medicine cat, when you learn the herbs and interpret the signs of Starclan. We also have the medicine cat and leader as a separate cats."

"That must be tough, learning to hunt and fight."

"It's just natural."

"So why did you leave your, what do you call them? Clans?"

"I-I-I did something against the Warrior Code, our code of honor."

He blinked sympathetically at me. "I'm not going to press it if it's that bad."

"Thank you..."

Stoneteller padded up to us as I said that. "I have spoken with the Tribe of Endless Hunting," he announced to us. "They said that our guest should choose her own path, go with what her heart takes you. They said it's time for you to leave, and find your destiny."

I got up. "Thank you, Teller of the Pointed Stones, for feeding me." I dipped my head. "I am grateful for your hospitality." I turned and walked out of the cave, feeling Crag's eyes burn into my fur at every step until he vanished behind a slab of stone, but I couldn't get his face out of my mind, even when I was to far to even heat the roaring of the waterfall.

Crag as a to-be! Yay! Everyone loves Crag!