A.N. The last chapter was embarrassingly short. To compensate, this one has turned out tediously long. ^^

Scorchpaw turned to glare at Ravenstar. The tom was standing regally on a boulder beside the river, acting like he was king of anything. Yeah, he was leader, but he was a little too arrogant for the dark ginger tom's liking. I'd be a much better leader, he thought importantly.

"It is dawn," Ravenstar began. No, really? Scorchpaw sneered in his mind.

"As I promised, we will begin our next journey today to try and find the Clans once more."

Before Scorchpaw could make another silent mark, Sagepatch leapt up beside Ravenstar. "I've got an announcement," she rushed out, looking apologetically at her leader. The large black tom nodded, signifying that she could speak.

"I-I was talking with Fawnstep last night and…I'm pregnant!" She squealed.

You're acting quite childish, Scorchpaw reprimanded. No one else seemed to care, though. SkyClan was cheering for the veteran queen. Creekstone was standing with his chest puffed out, eyes shining. You got a cat pregnant, chill, Scorchpaw thought cruelly. He had an obvious change of heart now that he was done dealing with Meadowpaw.

"How far along are you?" Copperspots mewed excitedly.

"Any day now. I can't believe no one noticed!" Sagepatch sang.

Scorchpaw looked the queen up and down. She didn't really look much more plump than usual. Maybe he was too used to how she looked when she was bursting with kits. He supposed everyone was just too used to her carrying kits to notice it anymore. Or maybe she was only having one kit. Good, we don't need something ailing us, Scorchpaw thought, spitting on the ground. He looked at Ravenstar with disgust as he congratulated the light gray she-cat.

When to commotion died down, Ravenstar cleared his throat loudly. Scorchpaw glared at him with his cold amber eyes, but the leader didn't notice him. "Without further ado, let the journey begin!" You're not announcing a contest—chill out, Scorchpaw imagined himself telling Ravenstar, rolling his eyes. He stayed back as the Clan bounded after their leader, taking up the rear. Scorchpaw distanced himself from the group, not wanting to be bothered by the mousebrains among the group. He noted that Meadowpaw was looking happier, and he didn't really feel obliged to do much.

The tom was not looking forward to the day ahead. He had ended up feeling quite foul after the last expedition through the twoleg developments, and he wasn't too keen to go through that again. He was glad that at least the stone weren't as hot as they had been the previous day. He trotted easily across them, careful not to pass the people who were having more trouble leaping from rock to rock.

When they reached the edge of the loud thunderpath, Scorchpaw attempted to shut out the noise and smell. He flattened his ears to his head, only breathing when necessary and keeping his mouth clamped shut. The precautions didn't help much, and it was safe to say that he was ready to snap after crossing the stream.

They soon reached the circular thunderpath. Ravenstar, who had been walking importantly, faltered. They hadn't passed this point before. They knew they'd have to cross the path that lead towards the cluster of dens and enter the large expanse of asphalt. Luckily it was still fairly earlier. There were fewer monsters than there had been the day before.

Ravenstar was giving instructions to Creekstone, who was nodding every few words. "Right then," the deputy announced. "Ravenstar will go first with Smudgenose. Mentors will cross with their apprentices. Jayspots will cross with Gingerflight. All other warriors can cross whenever there is an opening."

Scorchpaw quickly moved to stand by his mentor, Tawnythroat. The large sandy-colored she-cat rested her tail reassuringly on his shoulder, and he seriously debated pulling away. This wasn't the first time he had crossed a thunderpath. He really didn't need her 'moral support.' He let her keep her tail on his shoulder, though, simply because he knew the heartbreak she had experienced.

He watched as Ravenstar stood poised at the edge of the thunderpath that branched off from the circle with Smudgenose looking determined at his side. A monster whizzed by, and then the leader and elder took off. The crossed safely, moving to a row of bushes at the edge of the lot of monsters outside the complex. Jayspots followed with Gingerflight, getting the elders out of the way.

A handful of warriors crossed next. Sagepatch crossed with Copperspots, followed by Thornstrike. Next, Willowmist crossed with Meadowpaw. The light brown she-cat was looking worse again, clearly affected by the atmosphere. Scorchpaw allowed a quiet sigh. He would be glad when this was all over simply because he couldn't stand to see the she-cat so out of character. He missed Bristlehaze and Smokestripe crossing with Puddlepaw and Lionpaw. Tawnythroat moved to stand at the edge of the path, and Scorchpaw followed suit.

"Wait," she instructed as a monster approached. I'm not stupid, Scorchpaw retorted silently.

The monster flew by and Scorchpaw took off across the path. His paws drummed rhythmically on the hard ground. He heard another monster drawing near and put on a burst of speed. He wasn't going to end up like Beetlepaw. Scorchpaw reached the bushes and ducked underneath, hearing Tawnythroat arrive behind him. Thymepaw arrived soon with Fawnstep.

"Hi," the cream-colored tom greeted Scorchpaw.

Scorchpaw sighed. He was never fond of either of his siblings. Creampaw was a complete ditz and quite irritating to be around. Thymepaw took great pleasure in helping people, but he had terrible mood swings. To avoid one of those, Scorchpaw grunted a hello before turning to watch the rest of the cats cross.

Mistpaw and Darkmoon raced across, followed closely by Cloud-dew and Creampaw. Scorchpaw ignored his sister's greeting entirely. The she-cat was used to it by now, and he knew she would hardly remember it in a few hours. Aspenfrost appeared, tailed by Creekstone and Spottedpaw. Surveying the group crowded in the row of bushes, Scorchpaw decided that it looked like everyone had crossed. He turned to Ravenstar for further instructions.

"As you can see, the river was left intact, being in a gorge bordering the nests," Ravenstar meowed. "We will follow the gorge." He pointed with his tail to the gate bordered by more bushes that ran along the edge. "We will stay on the side with the bushes to that we don't loose any more cats who may fall. We'll stay single-file so we will have a smaller chance of being spotted by twolegs. Ok?"

SkyClan murmured half-hearted chants of 'ok.' Scorchpaw could tell they were already being worn down. He couldn't really blame them. The sun was rising steadily, warming them up to an uncomfortable level. The air was insufficient, and Ravenstar was treating them like kits. Ravenstar didn't take notice of their lack of enthusiasm and started down the row of bushes lining the fence. Scorchpaw waited patiently until everyone else had followed, taking up the rear.

The complex was huge. They followed the fence along the tall dens until past sunhigh, walking gratefully in the large shadows of the twolegplace. Eventually, the dens ended. The cats pulled away from under the bushes and padded along the deserted grass in the shadows of the place. Here they traveled for an amount equal to the time they had spent on the fence. Scorchpaw was careful to stay away from the last cats in the group, not wanting to pass anyone. Again, he was definitely not in the mood for conversation, and it was likely for Thymepaw or Creampaw to discover him if he stayed among the Clan.

It was long past sunhigh when SkyClan reached the end of the humongous cluster of twoleg dens and found themselves in a think patch of trees. The scent of mice was strong in the air, and Scorchpaw's stomach grumbled loudly. He was glad to be behind everyone so no one could hear. He was glad a second time when he caught himself from stumbling into Jayspots. Ravenstar had stopped to group yet again to make an announcement.

"Creekstone has scouted ahead and informed that there is a barn up ahead. He reported that there is a scent of cat there, but he couldn't determine whether or not it was simply a passerby or a resident. We will all continue and see what happens."

Yeah, this'll go over well, Scorchpaw thought with a snort. He followed the group towards the large red barn, the smell of mice washing over him. He breathed it in deeply, driving his stomach mad. He knew he had to wait to hunt, but he had a strong desire to slip away and catch something for himself. No one was paying attention to him, since he was in the back.

Before he could make his decision, he heard a yowl. A sleek black tom had emerged. He was followed by another cat. The latter was black-and-white, and he looked like he was an elder. Returning his attention to the first cat, he noticed that he was speaking with Ravenstar, eyes full of caution.

"You're a Clan cat?" He heard Ravenstar asked, a little too excited.

He watched the other black cat shake his head. Ravenstar's face fell a little, but he still looked quite hopeful. The two conversed a little longer. The barn resident pointed with his tail a couple times at the mountains. Finally, Ravenstar turned to face SkyClan.

"This is Ravenpaw," he meowed, gesturing to the sleek black cat. There's no way he's an apprentice! Scorchpaw thought incredulously.

"He is a former member of ThunderClan, and lives here in the barn. He met the Clans as they left their territory. He said they were following a sigh from StarClan that led them over the mountains and to the forest beyond."

Scorchpaw hardly believed the story, but he decided to stay quiet. He just wanted to eat at this point. Any far-fetched things he heard along the way were ignorable. He bounced lightly on his paws, awaiting Ravenstar's next words.

"He offered to let us hunt in the barn. He recommended trying to make it to the rocks across the thunderpath, which are called Highstones," Ravenstar concluded.

The dark ginger apprentice didn't need to hear anymore. He tore off towards the barn with a few other cats, startling the elderly cat who hadn't been introduced. Scorchpaw entered the barn with a smile playing at his lips. He scented the air, which was simply full of the smell of mice. He caught a couple quickly, giving one to Smudgenose before tucking into another.

It was nearing sunset when the Clan was well-fed and content. The sun was hovering a little over the mountains. SkyClan would have to get a move on if they wanted to reach Highstones before they were engulfed in darkness. Ravenstar took the lead again while Scorchpaw stayed the rear. The Clan bid goodbye to Ravenpaw and the elder, thanking them happily.

When they reached the thunderpath, which was quite soon, they crossed in the same fashion as before. This path was considerably busier than the last one they had to cross, and it took a lot longer to get everyone across as a result. As soon as everyone was across, they continued into the indent in the foothills. Scorchpaw was reminded with an unexpected pang of sadness of the gorge.

Ravenstar leapt up onto a rock, calling for attention yet again. "Tonight, we will camp here," he announced, gesturing to the rocks around him. "Tomorrow we will enter the mountains shortly after dawn. Sleep well," he finished before bounding off to find his own den.

Scorchpaw was a little reluctant to sleep among the rocks. He could see he wasn't alone. Many cats were terrified of this wall of rock collapsing on them, too. Most of the cats had their worries overtaken by lack of sleep, but Scorchpaw stayed where he was. He spotted Thornstrike doing the same. The apprentice had to admit he was confused. The fierce warrior, who was also Scorchpaw's father, would never be afraid. Curiosity getting the better of him, Scorchpaw padded over to investigate.

"Hey," he meowed quietly, not wanting to wake anyone. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I could ask you the same," Thornstrike responded, a growl edging his voice.

"Not tired."

"Thinking."

Both of the cats had their questions answered. Scorchpaw knew he should just leave his father and go to sleep. The moon was hanging high in the deep blue sky already. He needed his rest for tomorrow. Ignoring the gut feeling he had, he questioned Thornstrike farther.

"About what?"

Thornstrike let out a sigh. "Can I trust you?"

"'Course, I'm your son," Scorchpaw said.

The large, dark brown warrior looked doubtful, but he soon overcame it. "You know me. You know how I hate this Clan. That's what I'm thinking about."

"It's what I've been thinking about all day," Scorchpaw admitted freely. "Ravenstar is getting sickeningly arrogant."

"Keep it down," the father hissed. Scorchpaw nodded curtly, understanding.

"Are you going to do anything about it?" Scorchpaw whispered.

"That's what I'm thinking about," Thornstrike said gruffly. "This Clan really does need better management."

"Are you going to try and take over?"

"Are you going to help me?"

"I will," Scorchpaw meowed without thinking.

"Then I will."