Stormfur and Sorreltail raced past the horseplace and into RiverClan territory. Stormfur led Sorreltail to the leader's den. The sun was setting. "Mistystar," he said breathlessly. "We found the sign."

"Which way?"

"East."

"Will you rest or go straight away?" she asked.

"Rest. How about you, Sorreltail?" Stormfur looked at his companion. Her eyes were drooping.

"Rest."

"Alright. C'mon. You can sleep over there," Stormfur said, pointing his muzzle under a tree. As Sorreltail walked there, many cats looked up.

"ThunderClan? What is ThunderClan doing here?" she heard one of them say. Sorreltail got under the protection of the tree and away from all those hostile stares.

"Phew," she muttered. She lay her head down on her paws and closed her eyes. Soon she was fast asleep.

"Hey, wake up! We're leaving!"

Sorreltail opened her eyes. The sun was barely visible. Stormfur was standing over her, nudging her awake. "This early?" she groaned. "Alright, fine," she mewed in defeat as Stormfur glared at her. She got up drowsily.

"I already have our herbs for not going hungry," he told her. A new smell, a sour, sharp one, hit her throat. It was the herbs. Stormfur lead the way. "Eat them," he mewed. They chomped up the yucky herbs. "I'll tell Mistystar we're leaving, stay here," Stormfur told her. He went to the entrance of the den.

"Hello?" he called.

"Come in," replied a voice.

"We're going now, just to let you know," Stormfur told Mistystar.

"Alright. Be safe."

"You will tell the camp, will you?"

"That is my choice, Stormfur. Go."

Stormfur was surprised. His leader never spoke to him like that. "Um, alright." He padded out the leader's den and by Sorreltail's side. "Ready?" he asked nervously.

"Ready," she replied steadily.

The two padded out of camp, towards the rising sun.

Sorreltail felt very nervous, and scented Stormfur's fear-scent coming off in big waves. "I understand," she said, trying to comfort him. "I'm a little nervous myself."

"What if we fail?" he wailed. "StarClan will be angry with us. They'll probably banish us."

Sorreltail mewed, "Don't think of the future. Think of the present. Are you hungry?" Without waiting for his answer, she continued, "Let's hunt."

"I'm too nervous to be hungry," Stormfur sighed.

"Alright," Sorreltail said. She tasted the air and found a scent of squirrel. It was a few pawsteps away, nibbling on a nut. She got down into a hunting crouch, and, using more scent and hearing than sight, she carefully gauged the precise distance between her and the prey. 6 pawsteps away. She slowly lifter her paws up, paw by paw, until she was only 3 pawsteps away. The mouse's ears perked up, but it was too late. Sorreltail pounced and killed it with a swift blow to the neck. She clamped it in her jaws, only to feel a wave of nausea sweep over her. She was nervous, she had just wiped away the feeling and pushed it to the back of her mind.
She sat down beside Stormfur and slowly took a bite. Sorreltail sighed. "I have to admit, I am very nervous too. Maybe even more than you are. I just wasn't before because I pushed it to the back of my mind. And forgot all about it. That's what you have to do, Stormfur. And remember, StarClan will always be with you."

Stormfur relaxed at this. "Alright. I'll go hunt." He pushed himself up and padded away. Sorreltail was finished by the time Stormfur came back with a plump vole clamped in his jaws. "Thanks, Sorreltail."

Sorreltail smiled at him, and watched him eat. Soon they were finished, and the sun was barely up. "Let's go," Sorreltail meowed. They journeyed towards the sun.

"Save our souls!"

"Quick! Under here!" Larksong pointed his muzzle to an old yew tree. It was pouring heavily now, and thunder rolled in the clouds above.

"Is StarClan angry with us?"

"But why?"

The terrified wails rose around the camp. "Stay calm, everybody!" Emberpaw recognized Nighttrance's voice. She burst under their hiding place. "Don't hide under trees!" she yowled. "C'mon, to the dens!" She led them inside the apprentices den. "Stay there," she ordered.

Emberpaw and Poppypaw nodded. Pearlclaw asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Emberpaw answered.

"I'm not afraid of thunderstorms," Poppypaw mewed indignantly. But then the thunder boomed, and Poppypaw squeaked and hid behind her mentor, trembling.

"Seems like you've proved your point," Emberpaw muttered sarcastically. He sighed. "No more training, I guess."

"For today," Larksong reminded him. "I just hope we'll be able to train tommorrow."

"And all that fresh-kill is ruined," Pearlclaw added wistfully.

"I just care that the thunderstorm stops," Poppypaw whimpered.

Emberpaw dug his claws into the ground. "And get back to training," he added. "Oh, for StarClan's sake! Why does it have to be now!"

From the other side of the den, Frostpaw said, "I have to agree with you."

Pearlclaw turned to Larksong and they chattered quietly. "Have you heard the news? They say this is the time foxes will be around more often. With the foaming disease."

"Do they know about it?" Larksong asked.

"No. I'll go tell them." She turned to us. "Remember, in newleaf and greenleaf, stay away from foxes."

"Why?" Poppypaw asked.

"Because more of them have the foaming mouth disease," she explained. "The foaming mouth disease is very dangerous."

"Y-you mean that one right there?" Poppypaw asked. "Because it sure looks like it."