Chapter 20

Clans were something that Willowcloud had known her entire life. The warrior code was something that had been engraved into her mind since she was a kit. Living like a warrior - protecting the Clan - it was something that she knew too well. This was something different. She was no longer part of a Clan. She had Embertail as her medicine cat. Leopard, the cat that she loved most, was her guardian. Both of them stuck by her no matter what decision she made, even if those decisions could change everything.

This was one decision she had never anticipated. Embertail had told her that StarClan would know what to do. StarClan came when troubling times arrived amongst the Clans. This was one of those times…Willowcloud just wasn't sure if she was ready to face her ancestors' wrath.

"StarClan will forgive you," Embertail had told her reassuringly. "You were abandoned by your Clanmates. You have every right to be angry with StarClan."

I hope she is right, Willowcloud thought as she crept through the undergrowth. By now her belly had swelled to twice it's size. She knew that the kits would come in the following moon. They would be born during leafbare, the coldest part of the seasons. She hated that her kits would be born at that time, but she couldn't change what fate had brought upon her.

Her blue eyes gleamed with worry. She knew that leaving now was treacherous for her kits. Already she could feel their lives moving about. One of her kits was a fighter, she had learned that the hard way after eating a bad piece of fresh-kill. The Moonstream was what lay ahead. Gnarled looking trees and twisted roots made the path ahead difficult. Willowcloud ground her teeth together as she tried not to trip. She knew that one bad move would easily kill her future litter.

Willowcloud's ears pricked forward when she finally reached the bank of the Moonstream. Silver moonlight bleached the river white, dazzling her for a moment. Beyond the stream was the gorge where she and her friends were living. Leopard had been skeptical when she told him about StarClan, but he put his own beliefs behind him. She was thankful for that - he could have easily told her that StarClan wasn't real, and kept her from visiting the Moonstream.

I'm glad that Stonefang or Ruststripe aren't here, she thought as she leaned forward. Just lap the water and StarClan will do the rest, she told herself.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment before taking a drink from the Moonstream. Almost instantly an icy chill crept down her spine. She felt wariness prickle at her bones. Soon sleep quickly took over, and her body slumped to the ground.

. . .

The sound of crickets chirping was what made Willowcloud wake up. Her eyes snapped open when she realized that she was no longer beside the Moonstream. She looked around and tried to get her bearings. She found herself standing in the center of a clearing, surrounded by ancient looking trees. The grass underpaw felt lush and was a vivid green; it was so different from the grass that she was used to. A purr rose in her throat when she felt warm inside.

This must be…StarClan's hunting grounds, she decided after seeing the shadowy figures of cats leap through the undergrowth. I wonder if I'll see any former LeafClan cats here. Anxiety gnawed at her belly as she wondered what the StarClan cats would think of her future kits. I can't back out now…I need to know if this was a good idea.

"Willowcloud, you are welcome to our hunting grounds." Willowcloud stiffened when she heard a familiar voice. Her heart sank when she saw Thornstar emerge from the undergrowth. His pelt was gleaming with each stride he took, and starlight was left on the blades of grass his paws touched. Pale yellow eyes held her gaze as she tried to recover from the shock of seeing the cat that had cast her out of his Clan. "I wish you wouldn't think me of that…." Thornstar's gaze darkened as he looked away.

"I can never forgive you," she hissed. "What you did to me…." She glared at him as he flinched under her fierce look.

"I can't blame you for not forgiving me," Thornstar murmured. Sorrow dripped from his voice as he looked down at his paws. She had never seen her leader look so shameful. "What I did was terrible. You and Ghostwind were always different. I thought he was the savior of LeafClan and…he…." Thornstar broke off when he realized that more cats were joining them.

"He fooled us all." Willowcloud felt her heart skip a beat when she saw a pair of blue eyes meet her own gaze. "And you should never have joined StarClan's ranks either." He glared coldly at Thornstar, whose shoulders sagged when he was overshadowed by the larger cat.

"Boulderstar, let us not forget why we are here." Willowcloud recognized Silverleaf instantly. The silver-gray she-cat's green eyes were bright as she stood beside Boulderstar, Willowcloud's father. "He is still at large, and has claimed victory over LeafClan."

"What do you expect me to do about it?" Willowcloud demanded. "Sparrowfur couldn't possibly fight him off. I'm expecting kits…I can't sacrifice them for a Clan that betrayed me."

"Those kits have warriors blood," Boulderstar meowed calmly. He exchanged a glance with Silverleaf. The former medicine cat merely shrugged. "Leopard's history may not have come from our Clans, but it does present us with a problem. There are more Clans than we could ever have imagined."

Willowcloud tilted her head to one side as others murmured in agreement. "What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked.

"His history does not matter at the moment," Silverleaf mewed. "What does matter is that you raise your kits properly. Teach them about the warrior codes and the ways of Clan life. When they're old enough they will know what to do."

"You want them to fight a cat who has already killed?" Willowcloud felt motherly instinct rise within her as she glared at them. "I can't let Ghostwind get away with that. I won't let them get killed."

"You have no choice." All cats seemed to speak at once, sending chills down Willowcloud's spine. "The ghost of LeafClan must be taken down." Willowcloud closed her eyes as she tried to cast the voices out. They were getting louder, echoing all around her.

Suddenly the voices had cleared. Willowcloud opened her eyes to find herself leaning over a pool. She was in a different clearing this time. This clearing wasn't surrounded by the ancient trees that had made the StarClan cats look so menacing.

Willowcloud sighed as she tried to clear her mind. She knew that this wasn't the place to hide. The StarClan cats would find her soon, and likely explain the same thing. She needed to wake up before anything bad happened to her kits.

"Don't let them get to you." Willowcloud looked up from the pool to see another cat sitting on the other side. Her flattened face and sharp yellow eyes made Willowcloud flinch under her fierce gaze. "They aren't as kind as the cats I know."

"Who are you?" Willowcloud was almost afraid to ask. This cat looked much older than her own ancestors.

"Just call me…Fang." A raspy purr sounded in her throat as she replied. "I have traveled far to get here but…this forest is not as inviting as other." She looked around, as if she was bored by the sights that surrounded her.

"You can do that?" Willowcloud gaped at her in shock.

"Of course we can," Fang replied. "We can do whatever we want if we put our minds to it. I grew tired of where I came from, so I decided to leave."

"But why tell me all of this?" She wanted to know why this 'Fang' was able to travel across the sky. Part of her knew that Fang was not telling her the truth. The dark gray she-cat's matted fur told her that she had carried more then stars in her fur for seasons.

"I am only telling you what I know," Fang said after drawling her tongue over her hind leg. "Now, why don't you wake up…I'm sure your precious mate is waiting for you." She bared her fangs, revealing a row of yellow teeth. Willowcloud drew back in disgust at the sight.

I'm waking up, she told herself. I'm waking up…. She kept telling herself this until she found the forest was fading away. The trees were quickly replaced by the rocky gorge and gnarled trees that surrounded the Moonstream.

Willowcloud had never felt more relieved to wake up. She couldn't go back to the Moonstream. Those cats - the StarClan cats - had terrified her. She knew that going back would only endanger her kits. And she couldn't put her kits in danger. Not when it involved Ghostwind.

A/N: Well there you have it. This chapter was kind of boring but...At least it got us a little more information. And is StarClan really fighting amongst themselves again? -Tsk, tsk- And who is this Fang? I'm sure by now most people know who she is. And by the way, this takes place generations after Firestar's time.