AN: Blah took me long enough to get this out. Not sure why it takes me so long, but another chapter is on the way ;)

Chapter 6

Stormsong jumped out of her nest when she woke up from her dream. Spottedleaf's words still rang throughout her mind.

Frostwind is still alive... Her mind whirled at the prospect.

Her worst nightmare had come true. What she had feared the most was real. Frostwind was still alive and manipulating cats to kill. If she couldn't stop Frostwind now than what would happen to the Clans? Surely they knew how to take care of themselves. She doubted they would just let her take over.

"Are you okay?" Stormsong's eyes narrowed when she heard Brackenfur, her old mentor, speak up.

"I'm fine," she grumbled. "Just a bad dream. Where is everyone?" She noticed that only a couple of cats were now sleeping. Rainstorm and Dustpelt were the only cats left in the den.

"Mostly patrolling or fixing up the camp," the golden brown tabby replied with a shrug. "Firestar wants to make sure the camp is well prepared for this leafbare. With all the rain we've gotten the elders are worried it's going to be a hard leafbare."

A shiver coursed down Stormsong's spine at the prospect of another cold leafbare. She remembered hearing stories as a kit of how many cats had died during the time before Firestar joined the Clan. ThunderClan had been left in shambles before his arrival because of a bad leafbare.

"I'll see if there's anything I can do," she said before stretching out her back.

Without waiting for his reply she stalked out of the den. It was just past dawn. Surprise flared within Stormsong's chest when she realized she had slept in.

Why didn't Squirreltail wake me? she wondered. Normally her old littermate would have woken her up.

Since she had discovered that Ravenpaw was actually her father, the two weren't as close as they had been. Stormsong knew that Squirreltail was still getting over the fact that she had just one sibling. She shook her head in frustration and approached Graystripe.

The deputy was sitting beside the fresh-kill pile while Cloudtail gobbled down a sparrow. Stormsong rolled her eyes at Cloudtail and looked at Graystripe.

"Can I do anything?" she asked when Graystripe met her gaze.

"Brackenfur and Brightheart are taking the apprentices out for battle training, and several cats are out patrolling... I suppose we could restock the fresh-kill pile," Graystripe replied.

Stormsong's eyes narrowed slightly when she saw that he was right. Only a mouse and a couple of small birds remained of what the hunting patrols had brought the day before. Just how much prey had Cloudtail consumed in one night and morning?

"I'll go with you," Cloudtail suddenly announced after swallowing the last bit of meat. "It would be nice to stretch out my legs."

"You can use the exercise too," Graystripe growled accusingly.

Stormsong mrrowed with laughter when Cloudtail sighed in exasperation. She nodded to Graystripe before leading Cloudtail out.

"We can hunt around Sunningrocks," she told him. "There's usually always something there."

And maybe I'll find out more about my dream, she added silently.

When Cloudtail didn't object she led the way out of camp, eager to warm her cold fur.

Dove-gray clouds streaked across the sky, and something told Stormsong that the elders were right. Snow might be coming early this leafbare. Her pelt bristled slightly at the idea, but she chose not to show her fear of not finding enough prey.

Fear is just another word for weakness, she told herself. Maybe I could find some prey near the river. She thought about her hunting tactics before turning to Cloudtail, who was tasting the air with his lungs.

"Why don't you hunt around here, I'll hunt near the river," she suggested.

"Won't you run into a patrol?" Cloudtail glared at her suspiciously, and inwardly she flinched. She hadn't thought about crossing a RiverClan patrol.

"I can take care of myself," she said after smoke flared from under her paws. She didn't like having to use her powers for self-defense, but she would if she had to.

Cloudtail eyed her for a few heartbeats before he nodded and began to hunt. Stormsong sighed in relief before bounding towards her own goal.

Sure enough the prey was fairly easy to find in this spot. A few mice and water voles were easily caught as she flushed them out of their hiding places. Stormsong buried each prey beside the shrub that poked out of the solid ground.

"Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Stormsong froze when she heard an all-too-familiar voice. She whirled around to see a dark figure standing behind the river. "You know, I could easily take that mouse you're holding," he added with a slight sneer in his voice.

"What makes you so sure about that?" she snarled as flames erupted from her paws. Hawkfrost took a startled step back and stared at her paws wide-eyed. "Don't forget, I'm not just some random she-cat you can take advantage of."

"Of course you aren't," he snorted. His head tilted to one side before he took a step forward; this time his paws were touching the river. Stormsong winced as she thought of how icy cold it must be. "I'm surprised they let you hunt on your own. Surely you would have a partner or a patrol behind you."

"Are you just going to stand there and chat all day?" she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I have prey to find."

"Actually I was hoping we would have time to just... chat," he suddenly murmured. For all the ferocity in his voice earlier, he sounded like a kit now. Stormsong looked at him in confusion and narrowed her eyes into tiny slits.

Why should I believe him? she thought. He could just be searching for a weakness. He could be working for Frostwind. Her claws unsheathed at the thought, but Hawkfrost just kept staring at her. He would have attacked her by now if there was a RiverClan patrol with him.

"Why are you so interested in what I do?" she demanded after settling down to groom her fur.

"Mothpool told me what you are like," he admitted sheepishly. "From what she's told me... you're not a bad cat."

"Even if both of my parents are loners?" She raised her tail in question as she mentioned that her father was Ravenpaw, and that her mother had been a kittypet named Magnolia.

"Why don't we meet here at moonhigh?" His question caught Stormsong off guard. She glared at him suspiciously. "We can talk than, have a better conversation than we would at Gatherings."

Instinct told Stormsong that this was wrong. That she shouldn't meet with a tom from another Clan. But her heart told her that it was right. That Hawkfrost meant what he had said. She gazed into his icy blue eyes for what felt like moons. There was honesty within those depths.

"Alright," she finally mewed. "Tomorrow night at moonhigh. I can't tonight - Firestar would claw my ears off if I sneak out now," she added before he could protest.

"Tomorrow night," he agreed with a nod.

With those final words he bounded off deeper into RiverClan territory. She waited until she was certain she was alone.

Stormsong grabbed the rest of her fresh-kill and returned to where she and Cloudtail had parted ways. The long-haired warrior had caught a couple of mice at the end of their hunting patrol.

"Looks like we have enough to feed the whole Clan," he purred after dropping them.

She nodded in agreement and decided now was the time to go back. It was getting late, and the air kept getting colder. Something told her that the snow would come during the night.

OoOoOo

When they returned she wasn't surprised to see that most cats were back from their patrols. Sandstorm was impressed with how much prey Stormsong had returned with. She greeted Cloudtail with a warm purr before helping Stormsong bring the prey back.

"Firestar wanted to see you," she added when she dropped the last mouse.

Stormsong stiffened and instantly wondered if he knew about her plans with Hawkfrost. Surely he wouldn't have figured it out so soon? She shook her head and tried not to think about it as she nodded and trotted past Sandstorm.

She would try to act naturally around Firestar if he knew that something was up.

Her pelt brushed against the den's wall when Firestar sat in front of Squirreltail. Stormsong gaped at the dark ginger she-cat in surprise.

"Good, you're both here," Firestar meowed when she padded in. She sat beside Squirreltail, who ignored her and kept watching her father. "As you both are aware Ferncloud's kits are ready to become apprentices. They have reached their sixth moon. I will be holding their ceremony tomorrow at sunhigh, and I want you two to become their mentor."

Stormsong gaped at Firestar in disbelief. A mentor already? There were several cats who were more suited for the job! Brambleclaw, Rainstorm and Sootpelt deserved an apprentice more than she did!

"I know it seems too soon for you, but you both have had good experience in the real world," he explained when he noticed Stormsong's shock. "I believe you are both capable of molding these kits into the warriors that we need."

"Okay... I guess that means we'll be mentors by tomorrow," Squirreltail mewed happily. Her tail curled before she rose to her paws. "I can't wait to tell Brambleclaw! He'll be so mad that he's behind."

Typical Squirreltail, Stormsong thought with a roll of her eyes. Always trying to prove that she's the best.

"That is all," Firestar added when Stormsong remained.

Dipping her head respectfully, she backed out of the den, relieved that Firestar had not found out about her meeting with Hawkfrost. She knew that she had to put her Clan before a cat outside it. Hawkfrost could wait, no matter how much it hurt her.

AN: Behold, they are becoming mentors! :P