Chapter 1

Weak leafbare sunlight filtered into ThunderClan camp as Deeplake returned from dawn patrol accompanied by Icewing and Blazefur. The three had seen no suspicious activity on this patrol which was hardly surprising; though all the clans were suffering from lack of prey, they could hardly risk using all their warriors' energy on a battle with other clans. Deeplake looked up at the sky. Why was the prey so scarce this leafbare? He couldn't remember a tougher leafbare in his entire life.

Bang!

Deeplake looked up to see the two newly apprenticed 'paws run smack in to Blazefur.

"Warmpaw! Firepaw! Watch where you're going," the ginger tom rumbled, looking amused.

"Sorry, Blazefur!" Warmpaw mewed. "I just wanted to tell you – guess what! Duckfeather's taking me out to practice hunting for the first time tomorrow!"

The little ginger apprentice waggled his rump and attempted to pounce on invisible prey. "I'm going to get the biggest piece of freshkill in the forest," he bragged.

Firepaw looked at his sibling, eyes wide, then back at Blazefur. "Can we go too?" he mewed "Please oh please, Blazefur!"

Blazefur batted his apprentice's ears with his paw and said, "I was actually planning on taking you for battle practice tomorrow, Firepaw. What do you think?"

Firepaw looked back at his sibling, his eyes narrowed. "Battle practice!" he told Warmpaw as though he hadn't heard. "I'm going to train to be a warrior! Take that!" the little ginger cat pounced on his unsuspecting denmate and engaged him in a tussle.

Deeplake looked over at the warriors' den and saw Widestep crawl out, stretching, and begin to wander over to the apprentices.

"I hope my kits aren't being a bother," he mewed, looking affectionately at the two apprentices.

"My sister's kits are never a bother," Blazefur replied, purring.

The two apprentices suddenly stopped their tussle to look up at the two warriors. "We're not kits anymore!" the two 'paws complained.

"Yeah, Widestep, guess what!" Firepaw mewed excitedly and ran over to tell his father about their training, Warmpaw quickly running after them.

Deeplake watched the family scene, feeling a sadness he knew would be impossible to get over. It wasn't fair that these cats were allowed to have a perfectly normal family inside ThunderClan when he…

No. He couldn't bear it. He wouldn't.

Looking back to make sure Blazefur and Icewing were fine reporting to Beestar on their own, Deeplake turned around and left camp into the thick, white forest.

He didn't know how long he walked. He didn't even know where his paws were taking him until he ended up at the WindClan border and realized with a jolt that there was a WindClan border patrol heading straight for him. Deeplake sat up and straightened his shoulders; it was too late to run and at least this way he could prove he wasn't doing anything suspicious.

It looked like the patrol consisted of Lightningflash, Pouncinglion, and an apprentice he didn't recognize. It was Lightningflash who noticed him and led her patrol over to him.

"What are you doing so close to our border?" the she-cat hissed, taking Deeplake by surprise. He had forgotten how hostile WindClan cats could be in leafbare. Or any season for that matter, he thought grimly.

He made up his mind in a split second.

"I need to see Fallingstar," he mewed firmly.

Lightningflash hissed and bristled.

"What business do you have with our leader?"

Pouncinglion stepped forward, his eyes concerned.

"Do you have a message from Beestar?"

"Not from Beestar…" mewed Deeplake hesitantly. "I've come of my own accord. But please…I must see Fallingstar."

Even Lightningflash heard the unusual pleading tone and looked at Pouncinglion for an opinion, who shrugged then nodded.

"Fine," the gray she-cat snapped. "We'll take you to our camp. But don't try anything funny…."

The two cats stood on either side of him as they began walking toward WindClan camp, the apprentice walking awkwardly by the side of his mentor who appeared to be Pouncinglion.

"I don't get it," he mewed in confusion. "I thought the warrior code said no cats are allowed to enter each other's' borders?"

"Under some circumstances it's ok, Shiverpaw," his mentor replied quietly.

"And others it's not. If we had found this filthy piece of crowfood hunting on our territory we could have ripped him to shreds," added Lightningflash, showing a threatening smile.

The patrol continued in silence, except for the sound their pawsteps made when landing on the heavy snow. Deeplake could feel his pads getting cold and cracked but he didn't care; he only had one thing on his mind and that was getting in to WindClan camp. He stole a glance at the two skinny warriors beside him who had so easily listened to his pleas and took him with them. Weren't they afraid that he would see how weak they all were and report it back to ThunderClan? Perhaps knew that all the clans would see in a couple of days at the Gathering. And the probably assumed the clans knew already. After all, WindClan cats were notoriously thin, especially in leafbare when they were also weak from lack of prey. Worry and compassion gripped him as he thought of how all their clanmates must be suffering.

Sooner than he expected, Deeplake found himself outside of WindClan camp. The four cats entered silently.

"Lightningflash! Pouncinglion!" Deeplake looked up to see the WindClan leader. "Do you have anything to report?"

The black leader then suddenly spotted Deeplake between them. She stepped forward, ears flattened, to smell him.

"Why have you brought a ThunderClan cat to our camp?" she growled. "I would have thought better of you, both of you!"

"He says he has a message for you," Lightningflash hissed, shoving him forward.

"Not a message exactly…" Deeplake muttered, then looked up bravely to face Fallingstar. "I need to see one of your nursing queens, Horsetail."

Yowls of shock and outrage erupted throughout the camp from those who had previously been watching silently. Fallingstar silenced them but then looked at Deeplake, her eyes cold.

"What would you need with one of our queens?" she spat.

Before Deeplake could respond, a long-legged she-cat appeared out of the nursery, her eyes wide.

"Deeplake," she mewed, looking as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Deeplake looked at her and wasted no time.

"Come away with me," he said to her before the whole clan. "Come back with me to ThunderClan where I can take care of you and our kits…where I can see you every day. I can't live without you."

WindClan was silent for a split second then suddenly erupted into a furious rage, yowling and spitting and looking as though they would like nothing more than to rip Deeplake's throat out.

"Your kits?" Fallingstar looked shocked and angry and leapt towards Deeplake, claws unsheathed.

Deeplake leapt backwards so that he was standing protectively in front of Horsetail.

"Go!" he whispered urgently to Horsetail, who disappeared inside the nursery.

"What's going on?" said Whiterose, Horsetail's fellow queen. Horsetail didn't answer her as she scooped up one of her kits and herded the other outside.

"And where do you think you're going?" Fallingstar snarled at Horsetail, but it was Deeplake who answered.

"Home."

Deeplake scooped up the remaining kit and fled, Horsetail hard on his heels, away from the WindClan camp, leaving behind the yowls of WindClan cats too shocked to do anything.