Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. I wish I did, but I don't think I'm brilliant enough to write the work of three ladies (and now four). I am brilliant enough, however, to have created the characters in this story. (Except for maybe Firestar, Yellowfang, and the other original characters who appear to Rowanwind as spirits.) Please don't intentionally steal the characters in this story!

Chapter 10

It was decided that each Clan would take a few of the once imprisoned cats, nurse them back to health, and then help them return home. There turned out to be seven kittypets, two rogues, and a lake Clan cat who had been DarkClan slaves. It was quickly decided that Icefur, Whisker, Josephine, and Doodle would be taken care of by ThunderClan. Rudy and Neeko would be going to WindClan, Jenny and Franklin to RiverClan, Casey to ShadowClan, and Slick to RogueClan. Icefur and Whisker were going to ThunderClan because Icefur had once been a ThunderClan cat, and Whisker was Maggotpaw's brother. Slick was going to RogueClan because he was Beauty's mate and Flower's and Flick's father.

Once everything was decided, the cats thanked each other and split up to head home and have their injured warriors and new kittypet charges get patched up by their medicine cats.

"I'm sorry it's such a long way to ThunderClan," Rowanwind told Josephine and Doodle as they dragged themselves across WindClan's territory.

"It's okay," Josephine said tiredly.

When they finally reached ThunderClan's camp, it was very close to sunrise. Rowanwind wasn't too surprised when a stream of ThunderClan cats came rushing out to find out what had happened during the battle.

"We need Frostflower," Rowanwind said. His paws felt numb with tiredness, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Whisker! Whisker!"

Rowanwind turned to see Maggotpaw come flying over from the medicine cat den. She nearly skidded into her brother as she went to him.

"Whisker! Whisker! You're alive!" Maggotpaw screamed, rubbing her face slowly against her brother's.

"Maggot?" Whisker blinked.

"I'm Maggotpaw now," Maggotpaw whispered to her brother. She began to look at him. "You're so skinny! You need to eat."

"Not so fast, Maggotpaw," Frostflower said as she padded over. "They need to slowly be introduced to meat again."

"Okay, Frostflower," Maggotpaw said.

That was the last thing Rowanwind heard before his eyes closed and his mind went blank with sleep.

"Hello, Rowanwind."

He opened his eyes and looked up. A ginger tom with glittering, green eyes was seated next to him. Rowanwind looked around and realized he was lying by the lake. How had he gotten here?

"It's okay," Firestar meowed. "You've been sleeping for some time, and you'll be hungry when you wake up. You did a marvelous job in the battle against DarkClan."

"Thank you," Rowanwind replied.

"Do not think that it is over yet, Rowanwind," Firestar meowed. "The prophecy Stripedpelt gave Frostflower has not yet been fulfilled."

"I know," Rowanwind meowed in response.

"A new friend is coming, Rowanwind. You will want to gain his trust," Firestar said. "Without him, you will fail the prophecy."

"I can't fail the prophecy!" Rowanwind said, struggling to his paws. He could hardly move.

"Don't worry," Firestar said. He was beginning to fade. "A new friend is coming."

"Firestar, wait!" Rowanwind struggled against whatever unseen force was holding him down. "Wait! Come back!"

"Rowanwind, stop! It's just a dream!"

His eyes flared open, and he looked up to see Frostflower. Someone was pressing on his shoulders and flank. When he turned his head, he saw Thunderstripe and Oakpelt.

"It's okay. You can let me go now," he said.

The two toms stepped back, both looking worriedly at him.

"How are you feeling?" Frostflower wondered of Rowanwind. "You passed out moments after you got back to camp last night."

"Stiff," Rowanwind replied, standing and stretching. "What do you mean I passed out?"

"You fell over," Thunderstripe explained. "Everyone got scared. We all thought you'd died from an injury we couldn't see."

"It took me a few hours to calm everyone down," Frostflower meowed. "They were all quite certain you'd gone to StarClan."

Rowanwind sighed. "What about Icefur and the kittypets? Did you take care of them?"

Frostflower gestured to the back of her den. He could see three figures settled into three different nests. "I have sad news, Rowanwind. Icefur isn't going to make it."

"What?" Rowanwind stared at her, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.

"I haven't told Rainfur or their kits yet, but they have visited him," Frostflower said with a heavy sigh. "I've tried to feed Icefur, but he refuses. The two kittypets ate whatever I gave them. I'm afraid Icefur is too far gone now for me to save him."

"That can't be. That just can't be. After everything he's been through, he's just going to give up? He's at home again!" Rowanwind said, his voice cracking. He didn't know why he was sticking up so vehemently for a traitor. Was it because Icefur had wanted to join DarkClan, but, instead, he had been made their slave?

"I have a feeling that Icefur is too full of guilt to want to continue living," Frostflower said. "He's given up the will to live. And when a cat has done that, there is nothing I can do to save them."

Rowanwind looked at the skinny figure of the once lively, grouchy ThunderClan warrior. What had caused Icefur to be so grumpy? Why had he always had to question everything that the Clan did? He felt as if it were his fault that Icefur had left; if it hadn't been for him being made a deputy without an apprentice, Icefur would still be that same lively, grouchy cat that Rainfur and their kits loved.

"You'll need to tell Rainfur and their kits," Rowanwind said.

"Rowanwind, don't you dare blame yourself for what has happened to Icefur!" Frostflower meowed. "He made the choice to leave. It was only a matter of time before something we did set him off, and it just so happened to be you being made deputy. You have no right to blame yourself for his actions."

Rowanwind shook his head. "I can't help thinking, if Ashfang hadn't sent that message...Icefur never would have left."

"Yes, he would have," a new voice meowed.

They all turned to see Granitetail padding into the den. Icefur's old best friend looked much older today than he had last night after the battle.

"What do you mean?" Frostflower asked.

"Icefur told me he was thinking of leaving the Clan," Granitetail meowed sadly. "He didn't say where he was planning on going, just that he was going to leave."

"And you didn't tell Clawstar?" Frostflower gaped.

"Clawstar was still deputy at the time," Granitetail replied. "For a while, all Icefur could think about was leaving. I don't think Clan life suited him. But then, Rainfur had their kits. He realized then that he couldn't leave, not when their kits were so young. I thought, because of his kits, Icefur would never talk about leaving again."

"What did he say to you that day he left, when you went chasing after him?" Oakpelt wondered quietly.

"He said to me, 'You see? I've finally left! I'm going to DarkClan, where they'll respect me! I can't live with a Clan who doesn't live up to the warrior code, so I'll go live with a Clan who had no code at all!' I was confused about his logic, but I knew I couldn't change his mind. Not when he was in the act of actually leaving."

Frostflower touched Granitetail's shoulder with her tail-tip. "You were a good friend to him, Granitetail. I'm sure he thanks you for that."

"I heard you say he's not going to make it," Granitetail meowed. "I'd like to tell Rainfur and the kits."

"Of course," Frostflower said. "You may as well tell them now."

Granitetail nodded. He stood and padded back out of the den.

"I have a feeling he is going to blame himself for not talking Icefur out of leaving when he had the chance," Frostflower mewed. She looked over at Icefur's limp body. "I wondered why Stripedpelt was so apologetic when she said that much worse things were coming than an epidemic of greencough. Now I know why."

"It's going to be okay, Frostflower," Thunderstripe said. "We have Rowanwind on our side."

Frostflower laughed. "Yes. We have the extraordinary Rowanwind on our side. I don't know what we would have done without you, Rowanwind."

"We probably wouldn't be here," Oakpelt said.

"You don't have to say things like that," Rowanwind said, feeling hot under his fur. "I've only being doing what I think is right."

"And so humble, too!" Frostflower purred. "Now that you're awake, Rowanwind, why don't you go and have something to eat? Clawstar wanted to speak to you, but I'm sure he'll allow you to eat while he talks."

Rowanwind nodded. He gave a final stretch before padding out of the den. His stomach growled as he padded over to a rather full fresh-kill pile. Clawstar walked over to him as he picked out a squirrel.

"Frostflower said you wanted to speak to me," Rowanwind said around his squirrel. "You don't mind if I eat while we talk?"

"No, I'm sure you're starving after a day like yesterday," Clawstar said. "Let's go over here."

They lay down beneath the Highledge. Rowanwind began to gulp down the squirrel as Clawstar spoke.

"You were very heroic yesterday, Rowanwind. I've gotten many different reports from the cats who went to battle with you yesterday. None of them had any bad words to say about how you handled the situations that arose yesterday. Thunderstripe says you acted quickly whenever danger showed its ugly head. I'm very proud of you, Rowanwind. I'm sure Ashfang would be, too."

"Thank you, Clawstar," Rowanwind said. "I was only doing my best."

"How did Gingerheart and Thunderstripe do leading a battle patrol?" Clawstar wondered.

"Wonderfully," Rowanwind replied. "Gingerheart actually came up with a rather brilliant idea. We had the ShadowClan warriors attack from one side of the camp, while the rest of us snuck in through another side of the camp that had very few guards. The group who snuck in then split up. The RiverClan and WindClan warriors went to help ShadowClan fight, while ThunderClan and RogueClan went to find the imprisoned cats. We ran into a few DarkClan groups along the way, but I was able to slip past them alone and free the slaves. We took the slaves out of the camp and left them somewhere safe before heading back to help battle. Once I realized that the battle was clearly finished, I said that we had won the battle and it was time to leave."

"Oakpelt told me you changed Graytail and Fogpelt into badgers, and Brownclaw into a dog," Clawstar said.

"Yes, I did. Harmonyfur gave me the idea when she commented on the fact that the DarkClan cats turn into badgers and crows," Rowanwind said, gulping down some more of the squirrel.

"It sounds like everything turned out okay," Clawstar meowed. "I'm glad nobody was seriously injured."

"A few minor scratches and some missing fur, but I'm sure everyone got out alive," Rowanwind said with a nod.

"Good. That's all I needed to talk about," Clawstar said. "You may want to find Stormypelt soon. She was quite frantic after you fainted last night."

Rowanwind felt hot under his fur again. Did absolutely everyone in the Clan know that he liked Stormypelt? It couldn't be that obvious, could it?

"I think she went to take a nap in the warriors' den," Clawstar said.

"Thanks," Rowanwind said. He finished off his squirrel before heading over to the warriors' den. When he stepped inside, he found Stormypelt's bright blue eyes looking at him.

"Rowanwind!" the gray she-cat screeched. She flung herself from her nest and nearly knocked him over. "I saw you faint last night, and I was so sure you'd died!"

Rowanwind purred. "I'm okay, Stormypelt. I just spent all my energy yesterday and didn't have any left when I got back to camp."

"Well, you could have tried to at least crawl to the warriors' den first before falling over in the middle of the camp!" Stormypelt pressed herself against him. Her voice grew softer. "I was so scared."

"It's okay," Rowanwind whispered back. "I'm okay."

Stormypelt nodded. "Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure," Rowanwind said. "As long as you promise not to nearly knock me over again. I just ate and my energy isn't all back yet."

They slipped out of the den together and headed for the camp entrance. Rowanwind saw Thunderstripe and Gingerheart, whose shoulder and flank were wrapped up in cobwebs, lying together by the fresh-kill pile. When the two of them saw him with Stormypelt, their faces lit up. He flicked his tail at them in annoyance.

Stormypelt led the way through the forest. They didn't speak, but it was far from silent. Birds chirruped and the wind made the branches of the trees dance in dizzying motions. Rowanwind wasn't really paying attention to where they were going until he saw the lake stretched out in front of them.

"It's so beautiful here," Stormypelt meowed as she sat down.

Rowanwind sat down beside her and glanced at her. "I know what you mean."

"I'm very glad I decided to join ThunderClan," she went on. "I don't think I would have been happy going back to the life of a kittypet."

"You fight too much like a warrior, anyway," Rowanwind joked. "You'd be so territorial that you'd scare the fur off any kittypets who tried to walk on your lawn."

She hit his cheek with her tail-tip. "Very funny, Rowanwind."

"It's true," Rowanwind said, batting at her tail with his paw. "I saw the way you went after those DarkClan cats that Willowsky was battling when we were in RiverClan."

"I was trying to help protect my sister," Stormypelt said. Her blue eyes filled with worry. "Is that wrong? I know the warrior code says I must be loyal to ThunderClan, but I have siblings and a good friend in the other Clans."

"I have good friends in all of the Clans as well," Rowanwind said. "And nobody would doubt my loyalty to ThunderClan."

"That's true," Stormypelt agreed. "But what happens when DarkClan is defeated, and we are no longer allies with the other Clans? What if we're battling one of the other Clans for some reason? I don't want to fight Pineroot, or my siblings."

"We'll just have to pray to StarClan that you won't have to," Rowanwind replied. He pressed his nose to her cheek. "It will be okay. You'll see."

"I really hope so," Stormypelt said. She turned her head slightly to look at him with her beautiful, sky blue eyes. "Rowanwind, I have something I really need to tell you."

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Rowanwind asked.

"No, nothing is wrong," Stormypelt said. She scraped one of her paws in front of them, leaving a trail in the dirt. "It's just really hard to...tell you. Did you know that Pips...I mean, Pineroot...courted me while we were still just kittypets?"

"What?" Rowanwind said with surprise. "Really? Is that why you two are so close? I just thought you were friends..."

"We are just friends," Stormypelt interrupted. "I said no to him. For some reason, I felt like we just weren't...right for each other. Lola was ecstatic when I told her about Pips...er, Pineroot. It took me ages to convince her that I didn't feel the same way for him. How could I have agreed to be his mate, when I was still looking for you?"

Rowanwind blinked. "Me? What do you mean?"

Stormypelt cuffed one of his ears with a paw. "You mouse-brain! Haven't you noticed at all? I've seen the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking. You get all nervous whenever you see me. I just happen to hide it better when I see you."

Rowanwind stared at her.

"I love you, Rowanwind," Stormypelt meowed softly. "It's hard not to. You're so kind, hardworking, noble, courageous, humble, and a great mentor and deputy. I love you, you stupid furball."

"I...I..." Rowanwind stuttered, almost disbelieving what was going on. "I love you, too, Stormypelt." He pressed himself up against her and twined his tail around hers. "I love everything about you."

Stormypelt purred and tucked her forehead under his chin. "I was wondering when you'd finally get the courage to tell me. I thought, if he can face his destiny as a cat in a prophecy, he'll eventually get around to telling me. And then you went off and helped lead a patrol against DarkClan, and you still hadn't told me! I decided it was time to take things into my own paws."

Rowanwind laughed. "I guess I'm just not good at this kind of thing."

Stormypelt laughed as well and nudged his chin with her head. "You see cats who have been dead for generations, you fight in battles without so much as a moment's hesitation, and you can't tell a she-cat that you love her? You are so mouse-brained, Rowanwind!"

"Maybe I am," Rowanwind said with a purr.

Stormypelt shook her head. "You are so different with me than you are with everyone else."

"How so?" Rowanwind wondered.

"You're always so stiff when you're being a deputy and a mentor," Stormypelt said. "Thunderstripe told me that when you were an apprentice, you used to have more fun. You joked more back then, he told me. Now, all you do is worry about yourself and your Clan and whether you'll be able to fulfill your prophecy."

"I don't really have the luxury of joking around and having fun," Rowanwind said with a sighed. "I have to make sure the Clan sees that I am doing my job as deputy, especially with Clawstar being injured. If I make a mistake..."

"Not if, Rowanwind, when," Stormypelt said. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's just a matter of time before something goes bad. And when it does, you can't blame yourself because everyone will know you tried your best to keep something bad from happening. It's just, sometimes, things don't go as you planned. Do you really think I planned on seeing Gingerheart and Lionstorm get kidnapped that day? If I hadn't seen that happen, I don't think I would here today."

"Why wouldn't you be here? You agreed so quickly to help us fight," Rowanwind said.

"Yes, but that was only because I was thinking about watching Gingerheart and Lionstorm get kidnapped by Louie and his gang. I knew they were doing it because of DarkClan, and I wanted to stop it from happening to any more cats," Stormypelt replied.

Rowanwind purred. "That's why I love you so much. You're always thinking about other cats. I do wish you'd think more about yourself, though."

"Why?"

"Because then I wouldn't have to worry quite so much," Rowanwind answered.

Stormypelt laughed. "You really think I can't take care of myself? I'll show you, you big furball!" Stormypelt reared up and pressed her paws against his shoulders. Rowanwind let her push him over. They rolled through the dirt and grass together until they came dangerously close to rolling into the lake. "See? If anybody tries to mess with me, I'll do much worse than that to them!"

Rowanwind stood up and shook the dirt from his pelt. "I can see I was being mouse-brained, thinking you needed to be looked after." He licked her ear. "I'm really glad we finally got this all out, Stormypelt. I didn't realize how much of a weight it was putting on me, keeping it in like I was."

Stormypelt rubbed his cheek with her nose. "I'm glad, too. What do you say to a nice, long hunt? I'm hungry, and the Clan has enough fresh-kill back at camp to feed everybody twice."

"How could I say no?" Rowanwind chuckled.

Side-by-side, the new mates trotted off into the forest to find themselves a meal.

End of Chapter Ten

Author's Notes: Yay! Finally! I love Stormypelt so much. She's one of my favorite characters. (Probably the reason I had her and Rowanwind fall in love!) I wasn't planning on them telling each other their feelings until later, but I just felt like it was time that Rowanwind pulled his head out of his rear and finally realized that there are more things to life than being deputy, mentoring an apprentice, and taking care of a Clan. Yay for Rowanwind and Stormypelt! :throws confetti: