A/N: Chapter 1! Enjoy!!! ;

The very first thing Skyfeather did when she stepped out of Stormstar's den was yawn. Her sleep was disturbed with the sound of birds chirping with life. The long and dreadful leaf-bare brought silence to the forest, along with a lack of prey, leaving every cat hungry.

Skyfeather trotted over to the fresh-kill pile and plopped down next to her friend, Frostfur. Along with many other cats, including Gingerfoot, Sparrowstripe, Snowstorm, Goldenheart, and Stormstar, Frostfur and Skyfeather escaped from LightClan many seasons ago. With the ancient ThunderClan cat Firestar, the small group of cats, now the new Clan of RainClan, made their way to a Twoleg alley where they found Littlerock, Bluetail, and Tawnyspot. Firestar went back to StarClan, leaving Stormstar as RainClan's leader. Stormstar sent Skyfeather, Goldenheart, and the apprentices out to find a new and better place to live. They travelled across the territories of the ancient Clans WindClan and RiverClan until they found a place near the sugar river. There, RainClan settled, receiving a medicine cat from EmberClan. Soon, Skyfeather's mother came to the Clan, Moonflower, and stayed with Goldenheart in the elder's den. Finally, RainClan was accepted into the forest as a true Clan of StarClan.

"How are the kits?" Frostfur asked attentively.

Skyfeather looked at her paws in embarrassment. It didn't take long for the Clan to hear the news of Skyfeather's unborn kits. "They're just fine," she mewed.

Frostfur purred in laughter. "Come on," she purred. "You should proud. You're going to be a mother!"

Skyfeather nodded. "But that means I have to stay in the nursery, and I can't hunt, or train an apprentice, or even fight in battles!"

"You'll fight if you absolutely have to," Frostfur meowed. She pawed a plump wood mouse from the fresh-kill pile and pushed it in front of Skyfeather. "Now eat up. You'll want to stay awake for Dustpaw's warrior ceremony, won't you?"

Skyfeather nodded and gulped down the fresh-kill. Since she woke up from her afternoon nap, the sun was beginning to set, and the ceremony would be held soon.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

Skyfeather stood up and padded to the edge of the group of cats surrounding the Highrock. She had to stay as close to the nursery as possible.

She strained to see through the throng of cats. She wanted to see her apprentice become a warrior, even if she was with Silverpaw, Stormstar's apprentice.

Stormstar hopped off of the Highrock and stepped in front of the two shivering apprentices. He lifted his head to the stars of Silverpelt and called out, "I, Stormstar, leader of RainClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He looked down at the two apprentices, trembling with excitement. "Silverpaw, Dustpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

Silverpaw nodded hurriedly. "I do."

Dustpaw was a little slower, gazing up into Stormstar's eyes. "I do," she finally mewed softly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names: Silverpaw, from this moment you will be known as Silverwing. StarClan honours your bravery and patience in understanding the warrior code, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RainClan."

Stormstar rested his head on top of Silverwing's, and the new warrior licked his shoulder respectfully in return.

Then Stormstar turned to Dustpaw, who was practically jumping out of her pelt. "Dustpaw, from this moment you will be known as Dustcloud. StarClan honours your patience in hunting, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RainClan."

The two cats repeated the customary actions, Stormstar resting his head on Dustcloud's and Dustcloud licking his shoulder in return.

After the ceremony, the RainClan cats all called out the new warriors' names: "Silverwing! Dustcloud! Silverwing! Dustcloud!"

Skyfeather got to her paws and padded over to where the two new warriors were receiving their praise and congratulations. She weaved her way through the crowd and sought out Dustcloud, her old apprentice. "Dustcloud!" she called, hoping to catch the young warrior's attention.

Eventually, Dustcloud turned around to see Skyfeather trotting toward her."Skyfeather!" she called, bounding over to Skyfeather. "I'm a warrior now!"

Skyfeather purred and touched noses with Dustcloud. "Yes, and you're going to have to get used to be being called Dustcloud now," she meowed through her purring. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Skyfeather."

Skyfeather congratulated Silverwing and padded over to where Stormstar was seated, beneath the Highrock, next to Sparrowstripe, the Clan's deputy. Skyfeather was the deputy before him, but only for leaf-bare. Sparrowstripe accidentally took the old LightClan leader, Ravenstar's last life. In punishment, Sparrowstripe was demoted for a season, with Skyfeather taking his place. But, now that leaf-bare was ending, Sparrowstripe resumed his position as RainClan's deputy.

"They'll make great warriors," Skyfeather said to Stormstar, sitting down next to him.

"Ah, but not yet." Stormstar got to his paws and trotted over to the group of cats. "Tonight, Silverwing and Dustcloud must sit silent vigil while the rest of the Clan sleeps." Then Stormstar padded back to Skyfeather and Sparrowstripe. "I'm pretty sure they'll be fine."

As the cats around the camp began to retreat to their dens, Skyfeather followed Stormstar. Stormstar looked back at her in puzzlement. "Skyfeather, you should go to the nursery."

"It's lonely in there," Skyfeather responded. "Besides, I want to stay with you."

Stormstar chuckled. "Oh, fine. But only for tonight."

Skyfeather nodded, satisfied. Stormstar made one quick stop to the silent warriors. "Don't be afraid to come get me if there's any trouble, okay?" The warriors nodded in understanding, and Stormstar and Skyfeather padded through the ferns and into the leader's den.

When Stormstar settled down in his mossy nest, Skyfeather licked his pelt thoroughly. "There won't be any trouble," she mewed comfortingly. She knew how worried Stormstar always got when new warriors had to keep vigil.

Eventually, Skyfeather curled up next to Stormstar and closed her eyes, hoping for a dreamless sleep.

Skyfeather awoke to pale sunlight streaming in through the ferns. She got up without disturbing Stormstar and padded out of the den. Her belly had gotten even more swollen overnight, and she knew it was time to retreat to the nursery.

She trotted over to the pile of fresh-kill, but wasn't hungry. Something strange was tugging at her mind, like the feeling of being watched. But when she looked up, there were no other cats in the clearing besides Dustcloud and Silverwing. She padded over to them.

"You may speak now," she instructed, and the two warriors let out a breath, almost as if they were holding it.

Silverwing immediately darted over to the warriors' den in search of sleep, but Dustcloud padded over to Skyfeather. "Skyfeather, I heard something outside the camp last night."

Skyfeather looked up at her. "Why didn't you tell Stormstar?"

"I didn't think it was that important, until I heard it again," Dustcloud explained. "Then, just before you came out of the den, I heard it once more."

Skyfeather nodded. "It might just be some prey that chose to keep its nest around here," she suggested. "Get some sleep. I'll tell Sparrowstripe to keep a look out."

Dustcloud nodded, but she still looked unsettled as she made her way to the warriors' den. Skyfeather decided to tell Sparrowstripe right away, in order to ease the young warrior's mind.

Almost as if on cue, Sparrowstripe emerged from the warriors' den. Skyfeather padded up to him urgently. "Sparrowstripe, Dustcloud says she heard something last night just outside the camp. Would you mind keeping a look out for her?"

Sparrowstripe nodded. "You'd better get to the nursery."

Skyfeather chuckled softly to herself. It was funny how much Sparrowstripe could change when he got what he wanted. When Skyfeather took over his position as deputy, he was sour to her all throughout leaf-bare. Now that he was deputy again, he acted as if nothing had happened.

Skyfeather padded absent-mindedly to the nursery. As she crept through the brambles, she was surprised to see Moonflower waiting there, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth.

"Where have you been?" Skyfeather's mother urged, standing up and almost tearing her ears on the brambles.

"How long have you been here, Moonflower?" Skyfeather questioned, shocked.

"I've been here since I woke up this morning," Moonflower spat. "You should've been in the nursery all night! I told you not to stay with Stormstar until your kits are born—"

Moonflower didn't finish because Skyfeather rolled her eyes and nuzzled her mother gently. "Don't worry," she purred. "My kits are fine."

Moonflower "hmphed" and padded around Skyfeather. "Now you rest. I don't want to see you set paw out of this nursery unless it's for food. And even then, Cherrypaw or Icepaw should get it for you."

Skyfeather rolled her eyes again. "Why aren't I allowed to see anyone else? Can't I check up on Cherrypaw's training?"

Moonflower thrust her head in Skyfeather's face. "We have only two apprentices in the Clan now, and only one of them is training to be a warrior," she scolded. "If even one of your kits isn't born properly, then our Clan will soon die."

"Calm down, Moonflower," Skyfeather insisted, placing a paw on her mother's shoulder. "My kits will be fine. I haven't been pregnant for too long now. It will be a while before they're born."

Moonflower slouched as she stalked out of the nursery and headed back to the elders' den. Skyfeather purred to herself for moment. Her mother was ridiculously grumpy ever since she joined RainClan. When Ravenstar banished Stormstar and Firestar from LightClan, Moonflower chose to stay. But when her kit, Skyfeather, left with them, her loyalties had been confused. She wanted to join the Clan that her kit was in, but she couldn't betray Ravenstar. Finally, during a battle versus LightClan and RainClan, the LightClan deputy at the time caught Moonflower letting Skyfeather go without a scratch. Questioning her loyalties, Ravenstar threw Moonflower out of LightClan and RainClan accepted her. Skyfeather was glad that Stormstar had been so lenient.

So Skyfeather was bored for the remainder of the day. She stayed in the nursery obediently, waiting for someone to come visit her.

Eventually, Stormstar came in with Snowstorm and Cherrypaw, her apprentice. Skyfeather was glad to see Gingerfoot's kit. The small ginger she-cat had a noticeable pink nose that Skyfeather felt like biting sometimes.

"How are you doing, Skyfeather?" Stormstar asked, formally in front of his warrior and apprentice.

Skyfeather nodded. "Just fine," she replied. Then she looked at Snowstorm. "Who have we here?"

Snowstorm seemed to beam with pride as she recognized her apprentice. "I decided to bring Cherrypaw for a visit."

Skyfeather didn't know why, but Cherrypaw had a strange liking to her. "Hi, Skyfeather!" the small, ginger apprentice mewed cheerily. "I can't wait until your kits are born. I bet they'll be beautiful."

Skyfeather purred in laughter. "I bet they will be too," she agreed, casting an affectionate glance at Stormstar.

When the small group of cats left the nursery, Skyfeather gave herself a good, long wash. As the first stars of Silverpelt glistened in the sky, she poked her head out and stared up at them. And, like always, one star glinted orange next to the others.

A/N: I know that analogy is getting old, but it's important. Especially in this book...so cope with it please:D