The next couple weeks passed in a normal Clan life blur. Riverheart went hunting almost every day, and padded swiftly through the forest on border patrol, but her head wasn't necessarily on her tasks. Instead, her thoughts were filled with Spottedleaf and Oceanbreeze.

Spottedleaf had moved to the nursery two days ago when she finally announced to the Clan that she was pregnant. However, she told no one whose kits they were, as was a queen's right. But cats were beginning to get suspicious. It had been a long time since a queen had not told who the father of her kits was. Riverheart had even heard Whitewing asking Snowclaw if he was the father.

But the one cat she knew had some inkling of what was going on was Graystripe. She knew he would never say anything, but she often saw him watching Spottedleaf as she sunbathed with the other queens. Riverheart, like any other Clan cat, had heard of the story of Graystripe and his first love, Silverstream. So, obviously, he probably had some idea.

Oceanbreeze was being just as tightlipped Spottedleaf. She refused to say a word of what she and Riverheart had discussed that one night to Firestar. This meant she was still not able to leave. The fact that Oceanbreeze had the same scent on her as those cats that had been killed was enough to keep cats suspicious towards her.

It seemed that everyone around her was under suspicion, including herself. Someone had picked up on the fact that Oceanbreeze seemed to like Riverheart, and that there was a possibility that this rogue cat had known Riverheart from before Riverheart had joined ThunderClan.

Right now, Riverheart was on her way to Firestar's den, as he had called for her. She launched herself up the rocks that lead to the cave that was his den. Riverheart found herself remembering that first time she'd gone up this slope as a small kitten just before she was taken into ThunderClan. How easily she made the leaps that got her to the top now! She had been in ThunderClan a long time now, and she'd left StormClan a long time ago. Why did it have to come back to haunt her? It wasn't her fault she'd been born there; it hadn't been her choice. Now she was being punished for her birth. It wasn't fair.

Firestar was sitting on the ledge just outside of his den. He was surveying the camp, and didn't seem to notice that Riverheart had just appeared over the lip of the cliff. Riverheart finished scrambling up and sat down, waiting for him to become aware of her presence.

Instead she merely sat there, watching her leader. His pelt shone in the sunlight, a fire in the midst of them all. His eyes gleamed protectively as he watched over his Clan, the intenseness in them breathtaking. Then he spoke.

"I really love ThunderClan," he meowed, still looking down at the cats that milled about the camp. He flicked his tail, motioning for her to come join him.

"As do I," Riverheart replied. Her voice was sincere; she truly meant it.

"I would do anything to protect it," he told her. "I would give up every last life I have, and more had I been granted additional ones. But that's what the warrior code tells us we must do for our Clans. If I could, I would give up so much more. I would even give up my right to go to StarClan if that could save the Clan."

Then he turned to her, his eyes never losing the level of intenseness. "Do you remember what you swore to StarClan, to ThunderClan, and to me when I made you a warrior?"

"Of course I do!" She was slightly offended that he had thought that she might have forgotten even the tiniest bit. She knew the warrior code by heart and lived it by heart.

"Would you go beyond the warrior code, though? It doesn't say 'Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this Clan, even if it means that cats will hate you'." He never broke his gaze, and while his eyes were powerful and strong, they were still soft and willing. Riverheart felt as though she were drowning in the emerald depths of his eyes, being hypnotized.

"Er… what?" she asked stupidly.

"I think you know something, Riverheart. You know something about Oceanbreeze, and this StormClan, and all those dead cats." Riverheart realized she was nodding along, and abruptly stopped. Maybe he was hypnotizing her. "Please tell me. "

It all came out in a rush. She was so sick of holding it in, of not telling anyone. And she was helping her Clan. What better reason was there than that?

"I was born in StormClan," she meowed. "When I was about five moons old, our leader, Rippedstar, received a prophecy that I would destroy StormClan. They cast me out. That's when I came here. Oceanbreeze is my sister. She told me that StormClan is suffering. They're a really big Clan, probably as big as two or three of the Clans combined." Riverheart paused to breath, while Firestar nodded. Riverheart wondered vaguely if he was remembering BloodClan, the vicious, blood-thirsty, very large, but desperate Clan in the Old Lands.

"Well, their hunting grounds can no longer provide enough food for them, as their numbers have been increasing. All that rain we've been having? It's flooding their river, driving all the prey to our hunting grounds or the prey drowns. Oceanbreeze says the cats are getting scrawnier and scrawnier, and a few kits and elders have died from hunger. And winter's coming…"

At this Riverheart shut up. She fervently hoped that she hadn't sounded as though she actually cared more about StormClan than she did for her own Clan, and Firestar's face was not helping her figure out if he thought that or not. It remained completely emotionless.

"Thank you for telling me this," he meowed finally.

"Are you going to tell the Clan?" she asked quietly. Her shoulders were hunched, and her eyes had gone wide with fear.

"Yes."

"About me?"

"They're going to wonder where the information came from."

"But you could say it was Oceanbreeze who told you!" she meowed loudly. "You don't have to say it was me!"

Firestar's expression changed into one of pity. "Oceanbreeze will probably say that she would never tell me that. And they're going to figure out at some point that you are originally from StormClan." Again, Riverheart couldn't look away from his eyes. She knew what he was saying was true, but her body shook with fear as she thought of what her Clanmates would think. "Wouldn't you rather they think that you willingly gave up all this information then withholding it and having them find out when the day comes that we must battle against StormClan?"

Riverheart nodded dumbly. "You're right, of course, Firestar," she meowed, hanging her head.

"I'm going to tell the Clan now," he told her. He turned towards the clearing, and flicked his tail comfortingly over Riverheart's ears. "You'll be fine."

Riverheart nodded again and leaped off the ledge landing lightly on the ground several tail-lengths down. At the same time, Firestar cried the call for the Clan to gather beneath Highledge. She sat as cats gathered around. Canyonridge sat beside her, his tail curling around her.

"What do you suppose this is all about?" he murmured. Riverheart didn't reply, but she knew she had a guilty look on her face.

"Cats of ThunderClan," Firestar began. "I have just learned more about those who have been killing our own. As you already know, they call themselves StormClan. Of course, there was always a possibility that Oceanbreeze-" he nodded towards the opening of the medicine cat den where Oceanbreeze lurked, half hidden by the darkness- "could have been lying." The mottled brown and cream colored cat let out a loud hiss, her green eyes narrowing.

"But StormClan is real."

"How do you know?" Spiderleg called out. Brambleclaw tried to shush him, but Firestar shook his head.

"He has a right to know that," Firestar meowed. "Riverheart used to be part of StormClan."

Riverheart was prepared for this moment. Every cat's head turned to look at her, shock in their eyes. For a few seconds, it was utterly quiet, and Riverheart could hear the sound of the wind sweeping across the top of the hollow. The eyes of her Clanmates were shocked, but slowly they grew hostile. She could feel the anger of their stares burning into her and low murmurs began. But more than anything, she noticed that Canyonridge's tail had untwined from her and he'd leaned away, his face echoing the shock of the rest of the Clan's. She was glad he didn't look mad yet, and hoped it didn't come. She didn't know what she would do if he felt betrayed by her.

"Why did she never tell us this before?" some cat asked loudly. Riverheart couldn't tell who it was coming from, but she stood up and faced the majority of her Clanmates. Her body shook with anger.

"I didn't tell because I feared you would act exactly like this!" she yowled. "I knew you would, and I was right! Why is it that I am treated like this because I was born in some other Clan, while others like Firestar and Millie and Brook and Stormfur weren't treated like this?"

"She has also given us information from Oceanbreeze, who is her sister, and information about what she remembers that will help us defeat StormClan and keep them from killing more cats!" Firestar yowled over the noise. The noise did not quiet until he shouted, "Enough!"

Everyone turned their attention back to him. Nobody seemed surprised that Oceanbreeze was Riverheart's sister; Riverheart had never been hostile towards Oceanbreeze, and Oceanbreeze liked her in return.

"Now, as I was saying, StormClan is a very large Clan, according to Riverheart. It's quite possible there are enough cats to equal that of three Clans, and possibly even four. Maybe more." This sobered those cats who had begun muttering again at the mention that Riverheart knew of such things.

"They are running out of food supply, which is why they have been hunting here," Firestar continued. He might have gone on, but Cloudtail decided he needed to tell the Clan that no food of theirs would ever be for StormClan. This brought on a round of yowls of agreement.

Riverheart glanced at where Oceanbreeze sat, being guarded by Brackenfur. Her body was tense and she looked ready to kill. She met Riverheart's gaze and let out a long, low hiss that Riverheart couldn't hear, but it showed what Oceanbreeze thought of her sister's betrayal. My Clan comes before my family, she told herself, but felt bad all the same.

"Anyway," Firestar meowed as the Clan got quiet again. He shot a stern look at Cloudtail and continued. "We need to figure out how we're going to appease StormClan."

"Kill them!" Cloudtail yowled. Apparently his uncle's glare wasn't enough to keep him silent.

"No!" Firestar yowled, suddenly sounding furious. "We will not kill unnecessarily."

"They killed us," Squirrelflight pointed out.

"Yes, but they are desperate." Firestar replied. He looked thoroughly annoyed that his own daughter would contradict him, but Riverheart thought he should be used to that by now. "We must try to reason with them. If that doesn't work, then yes, we will have to fight them."

"That sounds sensible," Brambleclaw meowed. All around him, cats were nodding their agreement with Firestar.

"Right, until then, we will need extra border patrols. No cat is allowed out without someone with them." Firestar looked at Brambleclaw. "Make sure this happens."

Brambleclaw nodded and Firestar turned around and headed back into his den. Riverheart watched as Sandstorm, his mate, followed him. The rest of the Clan was turning back to whatever duties they had. Brambleclaw was organizing a second evening patrol, as the first was heading out now. Cats that passed by her shot her glares; clearly she hadn't been forgotten amidst the rest of the revelations. Then she turned back to Canyonridge warily.

He no longer looked shocked. Just hurt.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Riverheart felt herself feeling guilty again. "I didn't want you to be mad."

"Well, I'm mad now," he hissed.

"What?" Riverheart stared at him, dumbstruck. He was mad at her? Of all cats to not like her anymore because she was from a different Clan, it was him? "You are mad because I'm from a different Clan?" She couldn't believe this.

"I'm not mad because you're from a different Clan." He looked annoyed. "I'm mad because you didn't speak up earlier when Mousefur first died and you knew who had killed her. I'm mad because you didn't trust me enough to tell me."

Riverheart had a retort all ready for this. But before she could even open her mouth, Canyonridge got to his paws and walked away. She sprang up, letting out a hiss. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To eat," he meowed standoffishly.

"I cannot believe you!" she hissed, stopping dead in her tracks. But Canyonridge didn't stop. He just kept walking. Away from her. Away from their friendship. Away from the love she held for him and only him.

Riverheart ate her fresh kill by herself. No one came anywhere close to her. Maybe Spottedleaf might have, but Riverheart had noticed that the tortoiseshell she-cat hadn't even been at the meeting. She decided she would go to find her, but after she'd gone to see Oceanbreeze.

The look on her sister's face just would not leave her. She had to apologize.

She licked her whiskers clean and padded over to the medicine cat den. When he heard her coming, Brackenfur looked up. His eyes didn't harden when he saw her. In fact, it was just the opposite.

"I'm sorry you've gotten dragged into all this," he meowed sympathetically.

Riverheart let out a purr. "Thanks Brackenfur, you're the first to say so." He nodded, but still held a piteous look in his eyes.

"Oceanbreeze says that if you come here, I shouldn't let you in." His whiskers twitched in amusement. "Obviously, she has no say in who goes in and who doesn't, but I'm just telling you it might be a good thing you'll in the medicine cat den. She looks ready to claw your ears off."

Riverheart just shrugged. "I've gotta try."

Brackenfur nodded and told her he had her back, and she brushed past him into the dimly lit medicine cat den.

"Oceanbreeze?" Riverheart meowed cautiously.

Suddenly something rammed into her side, knocking the breath out of her. She managed to land and stopped herself from sliding into the bramble screen so she wouldn't break it. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark in time to see Oceanbreeze lunging at her again. Riverheart reared onto her hind paws and thrust forward with all her strength just as Oceanbreeze hit her. The mottled brown and cream cat was thrown backwards onto her back. Riverheart pounced as she would onto a mouse and pinned her sister down.

"Come on, you really gotta stop letting me get you down like this," Riverheart meowed, trying to joke a bit.

Oceanbreeze went limp and Riverheart backed off. Her sister rolled over and shook her now dust covered fur off and went over to her nest. "You shouldn't have told," she hissed.

"Well, I did. Clan before siblings. If it had been you, which would you have chosen?"

Oceanbreeze didn't reply, but that was answer enough for Riverheart.

"I am sorry," she told her.

Oceanbreeze's tail twitched. "Whatever."

From what Riverheart remembered or had learned of her sister, this was as much of forgiveness as she would ever get.

She left the medicine cat den feeling some part of the burden she now had lifted off her shoulders. As she passed, Brackenfur let out a purr of amusement. "That was some pretty nice fighting back there," he meowed. "No claws or anything."

Riverheart let out her own purr of amusement. "You wish you had my skills." Brackenfur flicked her shoulder with his tail. Why couldn't the rest of the Clan be as forgiving as Brackenfur?

The queen's den was just as dark as the medicine cat den. Darker now, because the sun had completely set. Riverheart quickly spotted Spottedleaf in the corner, her stomach large and swollen. There couldn't be more than three or four weeks left until Spottedleaf gave birth.

She purred when she saw Riverheart. "Hey," she meowed.

"Hi."

"I take it you've come to find out how I feel about you being from another Clan; the Clan that killed our cats, right?"

Riverheart nodded, feeling slightly anxious.

"Well, I don't care."

Riverheart let out a sigh. "I love you," she told her friend. Spottedleaf purred with amusement. "This isn't a way of getting me to forgive you for… the other thing, is it?" She was aware that Moonpelt, Daisy, Ferncloud, and Sorreltail were all in here.

Spottedleaf gasped in mocking shock. "Never!"

Riverheart purred, but felt sad again as she remembered how the rest of the Clan reacted. "Canyonridge won't talk to me," she told her friend quietly.

"What?" Spottedleaf looked outraged. "When I see him I will…" She paused. "Do something very drastic and bad!" she exclaimed finally.

Riverheart meowed her thanks, but told her friend she really had to go to bed. Spottedleaf seemed to understand. Later, as she lay in her nest to sleep, Riverheart wondered again why the rest of the Clan wasn't forgiving her. Snowclaw and Fawnfrost had told her they didn't care, although Riverheart suspected Fawnfrost had only forgiven her because Snowclaw had asked her to. Oh well, she thought, beggars can't be choosers. Brightheart, Millie, Stormfur, and Sandstorm all seemed to be on her side as well.

And although Snowclaw's pelt brushed her's as they settled down to sleep, she felt as though she slept alone. The rest of the Clan had made sure they slept as far away as they could from the small group that surrounded her. Cloudtail, also, had grudgingly slept near her because of Brightheart. There seemed to be a line that separated them all.

And on the other side of the line, she could faintly see the brown of Canyonridge's pelt rising and falling as he slept. She felt her heart wrench; she missed the feel of his warm fur and his jokes and protectiveness and his care for her and... She squeezed her eyes shut, attemtpting to rid all thoughts of him. It wouldn't help her at all to dwell on him.

But over it all, Riverheart felt anxious; she didn't want to be the cause of strife within her own Clan when there was a bigger problem ahead of them.

Needless to say, Riverheart did not sleep at all that night. And it was more than likely there would be many sleepless nights ahead of her.

Mmm-kay. Not quite the best chapter so far, but a necessary one. Oh, who am I kidding. I don't really find this nearly as amazing as the other ones at all. Longer, yes.

But like I said, necessary in the plot line. Very necessary. So, R&R, tell me what you think of this chapter. Hey, maybe you guys liked it!! :P

So, again, PLEASE R&R and I will love you forever! Nvm, that's kinda creepy. But I will be a very happy writer!

- Riverheart