AN: Sorry it took so long to update! I've been very busy lately helping up with snow clean-up. Here on the east coast we've been getting hammered with snowstorm after snowstorm. Not fun when you have to shovel it out :( But on the other hand my muscle strength has gotten better XD I'm going to skip the author's reply this time and dive straight into the chapter, since it's an important one.

Chapter Ten

Shadows danced along the forest as the moon rose to it's full height. The first chills of leaffall had begun to surround the forest. It wouldn't be long before the leaves began turning orange and fell off the trees. After that, the bitter cold of leafbare would surround it. That was when the first real test of survival would come to DustClan.

Brownleaf sighed as she studied the faint stars. She wished that she could communicate with her ancestors. But no matter how hard she tried, StarClan remained silent. She knew that part of it was because they were angry with her. She had abandoned her Clan to join a Clan that went against the warrior code. StarClan was angry with her, now matter how much she wished it wasn't true. But she couldn't let these cats go off without a medicine cat to help them.

She rose to her paws and began to wander through the forest, ignoring any sense of danger that might be lurking in the shadows. Some urge within her had grown to move. Something was pulling her forward, despite what her instincts told her.

Crickets were chirping in the night as she stalked through the undergrowth. Brownleaf's whiskers twitched uncomfortably as she began to imagine what sort of creatures could lurk out in the forest. Amber had never gotten into any danger, but than again she could be lying.

Her claws unsheathed instinctively when the urge to move forward had stopped. The breeze had suddenly died down along with the cricket's chirping. An eerie silence had fallen upon the forest as Brownleaf listened for anything. Her ears swiveled back and forth as she surveyed her surroundings.

"Where am I?" she demanded out loud to no one in particular. Her heartbeat was pounding with unease as she looked around frantically.

None of this seemed familiar to her. The wind could have led her to a dead end, or to danger. Maybe this was StarClan's punishment for what she had done.

No, I can't think like that! she scolded herself. StarClan wouldn't have sent me here unless it was for a good reason.

Brownleaf took another step forward carefully, still unsure of the path that lay before her. A shaft of moonlight gleamed through the clouds as they parted ways. Brownleaf gaped in surprise when she realized that the wind had led her to a small cave.

She could hear the whispers of the wind as another breeze picked up. Leaves scraped against the bare rock as she padded forward.

Touch the stone, someone told her.

Anxiety churned within Brownleaf's belly as she touched the strange little cave. The inside was smooth and round, as if it had been trampled on by many pawsteps. She could hear water dripping from inside as her ears angled forward. Once her nose touched the cold stone, a chill swept down her spine. Brownleaf's eyes slowly closed until she was fast asleep.

. . .

"Welcome." Her eyes snapped open when a voice purred in front of her.

Brownleaf nearly leaped out of her fur when she saw a familiar looking face standing in front of her. It was a gray cat with dark tabby markings along his spine. She felt her heart leap with joy when she realized the one cat she had trusted most in her life had followed her.

"Longstripe, I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed when she found her voice.

Amusement gleamed within Longstripe's eyes when he watched her reaction. "You didn't think that I would abandon you, did you?" he purred. "You were after all my finest apprentice."

Her ears flattened in embarrassment as she looked down at her paws. She should have known that Longstripe would follow her. He had always been there for her even through the darkest times. When he passed away it was like a piece of her heart had left as well.

"I... I thought StarClan would be angry with us for what we did," she admitted sheepishly.

"A few StarClan warriors are angry," Longstripe admitted. "But most of us have agreed that it was wise of Dustyhead to form this new Clan. Too many kits have perished because of the warrior code. The leaders are taking it too seriously."

"So does that mean we can stay here?" Brownleaf tilted her head to one side, still unsure of what his answer would be.

"It means that there are a few warriors of StarClan who have followed you here," Longstripe replied. His tail flicked as he looked at the open land. A few trees grew here and there, but they were left in a barren landscape for the most part.

"I need to know who the first leader of DustClan will be," she suddenly murmured after silence fell between them.

Longstripe's whiskers twitched in amusement. Brownleaf tilted her head to one side in confusion. She remembered hearing him complain about how StarClan always seemed to speak in riddles. Especially when it came to an important decision like this. Her question would effect DustClan from now until the end.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," Longstripe replied with a slight shake of his head.

Before Brownleaf could complain, the StarClan cat began to fade away. Her mind whirled with more questions before she was sent back to the waking world. Longstripe had made it clear as to who the leader of DustClan would be. Now all she had to do was fulfill her duty as their medicine cat.

AN: So what did you think? I'm still working on my descriptive writing, so sorry if there's a lack of information as to where she is /= Who likes Brownleaf so far?