Hey guys! Back yet again ;) lol Hey you know what would make me ever so happy? REVIEWS! Puh-lease review! It's so easy! At the end of this chapter click "Review chapter" type your comment/review and there! It's done! Wow I didn't know it was that easy? Yeah it's that easy! So please review! (Oh btw, you only have to review one chapter to submit a review)

I love you guys! Thanks for reading (Oh and I would love you soooo much if you would review!)

~Love, Echosong

Chapter Seven: Hollyleaf

Has someone ever kept a secret from you? A big secret? So big that when you walk up to them all you think is lies, secrets, closed doors? That's what life in camp is like now. Only Foxleap treats me normally.

Is he my only true friend? Even my brothers act strange around me. What the heck did I do? Why aren't Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw together? Why isn't Leafpool a medicine cat? Why did Jayfeather not tell me that Ashfur died? And why will no one tell me how he died?

Is this what the Clans are now? Webs of tangled secrets and lies?

"Hollyleaf." Foxleap calls and I stand from my nest in the warriors den. (I can't believe that I'm a warrior!)

"I'm here." I mew to him.

"Oh, good. Ready for training?" Because I've forgotten so much I've also forgotten a lot of needed battle training, so Foxleap is going to retrain me.

Ivypool walks up to us, "Hey Firestar wanted me to help you." She mews.

"That's great," mews Foxleap "We should probably head out." We stroll out through the tunnel normally. This is the best I've felt since I've gotten back to the Clans.

"I can't imagine how annoying it would be to just forget everything!" Ivypool mews sympathetically.

"It's not too bad. It's better than being an apprentice and forgetting everything before your warrior's assessment." I joke.

Ivypool shudders, "Agh! That would be terrible!"

"Hurry up you two!" Foxleap calls from ahead of us.

"Race me?" Ivypool asks with devilish glint in her eyes.

"You're on!" I mew and we race off, bowling over Foxleap who yowls in shock and then rushes after us.

We collapse in the sandy hollow for a moment, finally something that didn't change, then Foxleap mews,

"We should train now, often you have to run to reinforce patrols so we need to be used to fighting out of breath."

"All right! What do you want me to do?" Ivypool mews springing up.

"A mock grapple, I want to see how much Hollyleaf remembers." Foxleap responds.

I haul myself up and face Ivypool; she is slight but well-muscled. I will have my work cut out for me.

She lunges and instinct kicks in, I'm up on my back paws grappling, both of us landing blow after blow, claws sheathed. Somehow we get to where I've pinned her, she goes limp but I know that trick.

"All right that went great! I see you haven't lost any of your skill." Foxleap purrs wrapping around me. (Ivypool has become very interested in a butterfly at the edge of the hollow.)

"Stop." I murmur, "We have work to do." He nods and flicks his tail to bring Ivypool back into the conversation.

We work for most of the day and hunt on the way back to camp. We are all finishing a well-deserved meal when Firestar walks out of his den, a drop of warm fire, bright against the cold snow of the stone hollow.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting."

Cats appear from dens and choose their spots next to friends; Ivypool bids us good-bye to sit with Dovewing. Jayfeather comes out, but stays in the shadows, almost like he's hiding from the rest of us. Whatever, he's moody, I know this.

"As you all know there will be a Gathering tomorrow night. I want to make it clear the no cat is to talk about the tunnel that Icecloud fell in. I know this happened a few moons ago but I don't want to drag up old memories, especially at this tense time. Also, do not talk about Briarlight's condition, ShadowClan may already know but that is no reason to bring it out to the public. Finally, this is a Gathering. There is a truce. I don't care what any cat says to you, you are a ThunderClan cat and I will not have you embarrassing me.

"The cats going are: Graystripe, Sandstorm, Mousefur, Lionblaze, Ivypool, Icecloud, Foxleap, and Hollyleaf."

At once there is a collective gasp all around me.

"That's a bad idea Firestar!" Mousefur mews. Firestar has jumped down from Highledge and all of the senior warrior hasten to him. They seem to be arguing heatedly. Then Firestar yowls,

"My decision is final! The meeting is over." He then stalks away, red tail flicking angrily. I glance at Foxleap uncertainly, who for the first time is acting like the others.

"What was that all about?" I ask him nervously.

"They're just worried about the other Clans reactions, things aren't exactly friendly at the moment between the Clans and you've been gone for.… It doesn't matter, we should get some sleep, we want to be sharp tomorrow." I sigh and follow him, something's so not right.

I slept soundly all day and now I'm waiting for everyone to get ready so we can go. Jayfeather's going too, but since he's a medicine cat that's just a given.

The night is promising, no one else looks too thrilled to be going, but the camp has been smothering me. I want everything to be normal again; this is a good start to getting there.

I knead the ground impatiently next to Jayfeather and Lionblaze.

"Oh are you actually going to talk to us tonight? Did you and Foxleap have a fight?" Jayfeather sneers coolly. I shoot a glance at Lionblaze but he's not paying attention, he's just staring into space.

"I'm sorry I haven't been spending time with you, but you didn't really give me the impression that you wanted me to." I retort.

"Sorry," Jayfeather mews sincerely.

"It's okay." I mew flicking him lightly with my tail.

"It's time to go!" Firestar yowls and we race out of the thorn bush after him.

The race makes my heart warm with pleasure, I am finally home! We make it to the island and start across the tree bridge.

Jayfeather climbs on skillfully and weaves his way through the branches like he's done this a hundred times before - which he might have.

On the other side I wait impatiently, my tail flicking with eagerness. Firestar gives the signal and we burst into the clearing, WindClan and RiverClan are already there. They are talking, but not mixing the way I remember.

"Come on." Jayfeather whispers in my ear drawing me forward. He joins Lionblaze at a spot in the middle and leaves room for me in between them. As I walk I hear unmasked gasps and shocked whispers. Suddenly I wish I had stayed at camp.

"Don't you have to go sit with the medicine cats?" I ask Jayfeather. An ugly look spreads over his face.

"No!" He snarls, "They probably wouldn't want to see me anyway." I stare at him at shock and then look to find the other medicine cats, all but ShadowClan (who still hasn't shown up) are standing in their Clans not even looking for each other.

I glance up to the great tree, Onestar, looking as stuck up as normal, good; Firestar as reassuring as ever, check; Mistyfoot in Leopardstar's place, wait WHAT?!

"Where's Leopardstar?" I hiss.

"Mousedung! I forgot, sorry Hollyleaf! Leopardstar died a few moons ago, she was old, and it was bound to happen. Anyway Mistystar is leader now. She's actually really good. The Clans know, respect, and like her. She has a strong deputy and is a fair leader; she's leading her Clan well through the trouble." Jayfeather answers my question calmly.

Leopardstar died? How long had I been gone? And what the heck's the "trouble"? According to the annoying gasps and looks that surround us, I sit in as much shock as the cats around me.