Disclaimer: I based the Clan structure on the Warriors books by Erin Hunter.

I also updated Chapter 17. Silly me. I gave Grayfeather the wrong mate...

Thanks for reading my story...

Here is the next chapter. Enjoy and please review.

Chapter 18

Half a moon had passed. Falconstar watched her kits and their mentors leave the camp. Leaf-bare was almost over. The first signs of new-leaf were visible all over the territory: new buds were sprouting and the prey left their burrows more frequently. The warm rays of the sun had melted the last of the snow, even though the nights were still cold. Falconstar looked across her camp. Hawkfeather was talking to Mudheart, Stonepelt and Birchheart outside the warrior's den. Cloudpaw was trotting back from the nursery where she had checked on Sweetcloud and her daughter Rainkit. The black apprentice met her mentor. The two medicine cats stopped briefly to discuss something and then went together to the medicine clearing. The branches of an old honeysuckle bush quivered and Foxstep, Petalflower and Honeyflower emerged. The three elders seemed cheerful as they made their way toward the camp entrance. Falconstar jumped down from the boulder on which she had sat and walked towards the elders.

"Are you going outside to stretch your legs?" the Clan leader asked the retired warriors.

"It's such a lovely day today, Falconstar. It's wonderful when the cold season ends and we can warm our stiff joints again." Honeyflower mewed and Petalflower purred in agreement.

"Be careful to stay away from the open fields. There isn't enough cover yet for a cat." The black-and-ginger leader advised the elders.

"Don't worry about us, Falconstar." Foxstep, the old ginger tom who was Falconstar's father and former deputy, nudged the Clan leader's shoulder affectionately. "We weren't born yesterday."

Falconstar gave her father's shoulder a quick lick and left the three elders to themselves. She was heading toward Hawkfeather who still sat outside the warriors' den.

"It's a great day today. Who did you assign on the sunhigh patrol, Hawkfeather? I want to lead it myself."

"Hello Falconstar. I had assigned Birchheart to lead the patrol." The deputy flicked her tail to the black-and-white tom who crouched beside her and gulped down the last of his vole.

"If you would rather lead the patrol, Falconstar, I could take Stormtail and Pebblefur on a hunting mission." The young warrior suggested.

"Yes, please do so, Birchheart. And you two", the Clan leader pointed to Stonepelt and Mudheart who had sat quietly next to the deputy, "are coming with me on the patrol. Is that right, Hawkfeather?"

"Yes, I assigned them to go on patrol with Birchheart, but they might as well go with you." The deputy answered.

"We leave when you are ready." Falconstar mewed to the two young gray warriors. Soon Mudheart and Stonepelt followed their Clan leader out of the camp.

xxx

Falconstar and her patrol had renewed the scent markers along their borders with ForestClan and HedgeClan. They hadn't encountered any problems on their way and the three cats had enjoyed the track across their territory. Mudheart had caught a squirrel near the border with ForestClan. The creature had practically jumped in front of his paws and the skilled hunter didn't let such an opportunity pass by. Because they had eaten before leaving for the patrol, Mudheart now carried his prey in his jaw. The three cats were already on their way back to camp when they heard loud noises rises over the trees and bushes. Falconstar had picked up speed and her patrol pelted after her.

The clan leader had entered the camp and was greeted by a big commotion. Cats were running back and forth, and Grasswhisker and Cloudpaw were crouching beside unmoving heaps of fur.

"What's going on?" Falconstar demanded.

"Thank StarClan, you are back." Hawkfeather greeted her sister. The deputy had stood amid her Clanmates and now walked around to stand before her Clan leader.

"Birchheart's patrol brought them back. He said that Honeyflower and Petalflower had gone too far into the fields. An eagle tried to take them, but Foxstep and Stormtail fought off the bird." The black she-cat explained.

"Where are Foxstep and Stormtail?" Falconstar looked around the camp, but couldn't see the two toms.

"They are dead." Hawkfeather mewed weakly. She felt her throat tightened and swallowed hard.

"Dead?" Falconstar thought the ground would give way underneath her paws. How could they be dead? How could her father have been killed?

"This is all my fault." Honeyflower wailed. Grasswhisker dashed to the old she-cat's side to calm her, but Honeyflower wouldn't let herself be comforted.

"Cloudpaw, fetch me a few poppy seeds." The medicine cat mewed to his apprentice. Cloudpaw dipped her head and vanished into the medicine cat's den. A heartbeat later, the black she-cat returned with a small bundle between her jaws.

Honeyflower still crouched next to Grasswhisker and wailed about her loss.

"Petalflower and I should have listened to Foxstep. He warned us not to go that far into the fields. Then a shadow circled overhead and all I remember is Foxstep pulling me to the side."

"Stromtail and I were looking for prey near the fields when he suddenly dashed off." Birchheart told his Clan leader. "I was confused for a moment what had gotten into him. Then I saw an eagle searing down onto Petalflower and Honeyflower. Foxstep attacked the bird, but he didn't have a chance. He had been an elder for a long time. Stormtail had reached the bird and attacked it right away. I called for Pebblefur and we ran to help Stormtail. But we were too late. The eagle had killed him, Foxstep and Petalflower."

Falconstar was still subdued by what she had heard. How cruel that she would loose her father the same way she had lost her mother so long ago.

"Where is Pebblefur?" Falconstar had only now realized that the young gray tabby she-cat wasn't with them in the clearing.

"She is sleeping in the medicine den. She had some bad scratches." Grasswhisker mewed. He tried to feed the poppy seeds to Honeyflower. "Pebblefur is a strong young cat. She will recover in no time. Now eat these seeds, Honeyflower."

The white-and-gray elder obediently swallowed the seeds and Grasswhisker let her to a nest in his den. Falconstar watched them go. She felt sorry for the elder. She had a made a mistake and was severely punished for it. Honeyflower would blame herself for the rest of her life for the death of her Clanmates.

"We will sit vigil tonight for our lost Clanmates and help them find their way to our warrior ancestors in StarClan." The Clan leader mewed sadly.

xxx

New-leaf had come in full. It was almost a moon since the deadly attack by the eagle. Falconstar went back from the nursery to her den. She had gone to tell Sweetcloud that she had decided on Rainkit's mentor and that they will hold the she-kit's naming ceremony in a quarter moon's time. Now Falconstar had a meeting with her deputy and hurried back to her den. Hawkfeather was waiting for her sister at the entrance.

"Sorry, I made you wait. Let's go inside."

"Don't worry about that, Falconstar. Did you tell Sweetcloud about Rainkit's naming ceremony?" the deputy asked.

"Yes, I did. I decided to give Rainkit to Birchheart. He did a great job with Wetpaw and was so sad when his apprentice died." Falconstar told her sister.

"You're right. Birchheart is an excellent choice of mentor."

Hawkfeather seemed a bit absentminded. The black she-cat dug her claws into the ground and swooped her tail over the dry earth in Falconstar's den. The Clan leader wondered if something was worrying her sister.

"Are you all right, Hawkfeather?"

"Yes, of course." Hawkfeather stammered and Falconstar narrowed her eyes on her sister. "What's going on?" she repeated her question.

Hawkfeather briefly looked into her sister's eyes and then turned her gaze to her paws. "I am expecting kits."

"What?" Falconstar exclaimed.

Continues soon...