And now, the climax! Grab popcorn and Warriors plushies! I have Firestar, Sandstorm, Yellowfang, Cinderpelt, Mousefur, Tallpoppy, Birchkit, Brokenstar, Tallstar, Runningwind, and Tigerstar (mine). I will now proceed to draw this out and milk it for all it's worth. So snuggle up with your chosen plush (or bring one of your own) and get ready for the final action! (goes off to pop up tons of popcorn for all her readers, but squeezes Tigerstar's belly first)

Tigerstar: Keep your eyes open, Fireheart. Keep your ears pricked. Keep looking behind you. Because one day I'll find you, and then you'll be crowfood.

Hee! I love that! My Tigerstar plushie has eight action phrases! Ooh! Don't you wish your Warriors plushie did that?

Wavepaw was the first to scent PromiseClan. The silver tom bounded ahead, sniffing airily. His tail rose up and curled into a delicate twist. Without another word, he bolted towards the camp entrance. All thoughts of his friends were lost in the sheer excitement of returning home at last. He let out a wild howl.

"PromiseClan! ATTACK!" the voice of Sunface yowled. Wavepaw skidded to a halt, scrambling back up the hill. His green eyes flew wide with terror, and the minute he spotted Sunpaw, he crouched behind the muscular tom, shivering.

"Sunface!" Sunpaw called. "Sunface! Call off the attack! It's us!"

Wavepaw slipped out nonchalantly to stand beside Sunpaw. The golden-striped he-cat batted Wavepaw with a sheathed paw, muttering, "Coward." Wavepaw stuck his tongue out impudently.

Sunface strode towards the young cats. The PromiseClan deputy's eyes were warm, but filled with fear. "Shh!" he hissed. "Keep your voices down! We don't know if the hound Pack is close by or not. Follow me."

Wavepaw's tail gave a confused jerk, a sort of 'something is really not okay here' twitch. Sunpaw nodded his agreement. Slowly, the group padded after the ginger warrior. Sunface kept speaking in a low meow.

"We were visited three days ago by two rogue cats. They warned us of their leader, Ocarina, a she-cat gone mad, who was bringing a hound Pack to destroy us. Ever since, we've been fortifying the elders den and hunting half the fresh-kill in the forest." He turned back, tawny eyes sympathetic. "I know you must have so many stories to tell us, and I'm sorry you won't get the chance to do so for a while yet."

"We...understand," Sunpaw mewed hesitantly.

"And I think you probably won't get the welcome you were expecting. Don't be surprised if no cat notices you're here. The youngest, eldest, and weakest are sheltering in the elders den while those who can fight are brushing up on their tactics. We're all tired, stressed, and half-mad with anxiety." He sighed. "So nice to be home, isn't it?" he asked sarcastically.

"Er, very," Shadowpaw murmured. Wavepaw saw her tail do the water-adder twitch again. He wondered briefly if this was all some sort of joke, or perhaps a dream. Yeah, a dream. That would be nice, wouldn't it? Sunface stopped dead, then turned back around to study the cats following him.

"Where's Trickpaw?" he asked. Wavepaw studied his feet intently. Shadowpaw gazed up at the cloudy skies. Sunpaw patted a frost-encrusted fern frond. Starchild looked from side to side. Promisepaw moaned softly. "Ah. Not here. The call of the Twoleg nest too strong? We'll miss him. I liked Trickpaw. Good cat, pleasant disposition. I hope he comes back to us."

"Sunface," Shadowpaw meowed, stepping forward, "we need help. Something's happened to Promisepaw, and we think she may be ill. Plus, we desperately need to speak privately with Riverstar. Can you arrange that?"

Sunface looked amused. "I'm not PromiseClan deputy for nothing," he purred. "Yes, all that is possible. But only if we hurry." He turned back around and padded swiftly into the trees. Wavepaw looked from cat to cat.

"Is it just me," he asked, "or did Sunface totally miss the fact that we have a fox with us?"

"It's not you," Sunpaw growled, his head low. "I noticed it, too. You have to remember that the Clan's probably scared witless. Imagine the rogues' descriptions of hounds. What cat wouldn't be petrified by that? I'm just glad we beat the Pack here."

There was a murmur of agreement from all present. Wavepaw quirked his tail in the direction Sunface had left in and padded after him. His left ear swivelled back to catch his Clanmates' whispered conversation.

"The forest is so quiet," Shadowpaw mewed. "I know it's leaf-bare, but you'd expect there to be at least some cardinals and a few late geese. But no. There's no life here. It's as empty as a PlagueClan warrior's heart."

"All the animals must have been scared off by the hounds," Promisepaw rasped softly. "We must be the only ones left in the forest." Her fangs rattled as she shivered. "It's too quiet. I don't like it."

"The calm before the storm," Starchild whispered. "Though it won't be quiet for long. Once the hounds are here, you will not be able to hear yourself think."

Wavepaw turned back. "All right, here's what I say we do. Make yourself noticed. StarClan knows if you'll ever see these cats alive again." He saw the fear in their eyes, but kept going. "Speak to your friends, profess your love, tell them how much they mean to you. We're going right into the hunter's jaws here, let's do it with pride."

To his surprise, Shadowpaw nodded. "You're right, Wavepaw," she meowed. "Wow. I never though I would use the words 'Wavepaw' and 'right' in a sentence unless 'is never' was between them." Her remark set off a soft chorus of purring. Wavepaw took the teasing in stride. He was used to anything Shadowpaw could throw at him by now.

.-''-.-''-.-''-.

"Bearpaw! Summerpaw! Greatpaw!"

"Owlfur! Owlfur!"

"Dogbark! Over here!"

"Hexmind! Mousefur! Come here!"

The young voices yowled names and pleas to friends and mentors. Many received fearful looks. Wavepaw padded right up to his mentor, Owlfur and pushed his muzzle against hers. "Owlfur, look at me," he begged as the she-cat's eyes started to wander. "Please! It's me, Wavepaw! Your Wavepaw!"

Owlfur blinked her large eyes slowly, almost dreamily. Her mouth dropped open. "Wave...paw?" she meowed. Wavepaw nodded.

"Yes. Yes, it's Wavepaw. Owlfur, say something!"

Owlfur gave her pelt a rapid shake, blinking hard. She gazed at Wavepaw in awe. "You–You're here," she breathed. "Wavepaw...you're back." She gave a joyful cry and tackled him. "WAVEPAW!"

Her outcry set off a chain reaction. Pelts pressed up against the returning apprentices, voices murmured names, purrs rose into the chilly air. Wavepaw sat beside Owlfur to watch.

"I'm Bearfur now," Bearpaw was saying. "This is Greatheart and Summerstream."

"You have no idea how scared I was for you," rasped Dogbark into Sunpaw's ear. "I was crazier than a kit with heat sickness! Where did you go? What have you seen? You're so tall now! Just like a true MeadowClan warrior! Firestar would be proud!"

"So you're really all right with it?" Shadowpaw asked nervously. Summerstream nodded calmly.

"It was just a crush for me. I can see it's true love for you," the golden warrior replied. "Great StarClan, Shadowpaw, I don't ever remember seeing you so talkative! You must have been through a lot."

A paw nudged Wavepaw. He turned to see Riverstar. "Where is Trickpaw?" she inquired. Wavepaw could see a flicker of worry in her eyes. "Is he...Did he...?"

"He returned to the life of a kittypet," Wavepaw replied. "We aren't sure why. He...didn't tell us." Riverstar nodded, then tipped her head back, giving voice to a cry of pain and loss. Wavepaw brushed his head against her shoulder as he had seen Sunface do. The leader calmed herself, diping her head in silent thanks to the silver tom. Then she let out a summoning cry:

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beside the nursery for a Clan meeting!"

Surprisingly, no cat was in a hurry to obey. They turned, but most kept one ear on their conversations. Riverstar sighed softly. "We are all grateful to StarClan for the return of our missing apprentices," she began. "But while we are celebrating, we must not forget the danger that looms above us: the Pack. We are leaf-bare-weak, and the Pack is many times stronger than we are." Worried murmurs broke out. "But we have something the Pack does not." She lifted her head. "STARCLAN!"

Cats bowed their heads solemnly as Riverstar flicked her tail down. "Great ancestors," the PromiseClan leader meowed, "guide us to victory. Keep our claws sharp, our heads clear, and our bodies strong as we face the Pack. We are PromiseClan. With your paws, protect us. With your claws, defend us. With your strength, aid us." She fell silent. Wavepaw was awed. Cats never prayed to StarClan like this. But it had the desired effect. He could see cats flexing their muscles eagerly.

Suddenly, the warrior called Creekflow jerked his head up. He leapt to his paws, fur standing straight out from his body in total horror. The mottled tom threw back his head and gave a shout that would send every cat racing to a ready position.

"PACK!"