I'm going to make this clear. IT'S SNOWING OUT! WE'RE GETTING TWELVE TO EIGHTEEN INCHES!

Okay, now that that's out of the way...

stormikat - if you read the first archive, you'll notice that Fireheart and Graystripe found nests that were once used by queens. I'm pretty sure that once Cinderfoot returns, Mistsong will have found a more suitable nest.

leafpool407 - awe thanks! Normally I would check out new stories, but I often don't review them...I'll check it out though!

Darkness of the Eclipse - oh good question. If you read a few exerts from the first book, you'll know that Duskpaw is her, *crush*.

Anyways, thanks stormikat for reviewing. Hopefully, more people will review by the time this chapter is typed. If not, I at least thank you for viewing the story. Oh, I also thought I should tell you that there's a new poll on my profile. Check it out!

Chapter 2

"Roseleaf?" Jaggedfur'svoice was full of disbelief. Meanwhile, Speckledface had disappeared. Mistsong was the only one who seemed to notice the she-cat's disappearance. Jaggedfur was too preoccupied with Roseleaf's intrusion. "What are you doing in ThunderClan territory?" he demanded, fur bristling. Hawkpaw took the same stance, though Mistsong felt the need to point out that Roseleaf was just a queen.

"I-I," Roseleaf's voice came out in quick stammers. She hardly looked like a proud WindClan warrior. More like a cat who had stepped out of Twolegplace. "I was chasing a rabbit and I didn't scent your markers."

Now that was a lie. Mistsong could tell from her neatly groomed pelt that Roseleaf had been here for a while. The tortoiseshell made no move to defend herself as Jaggedfur stepped forward, tail bristling and teeth bared.

"And why should we believe you?" he snarled. "You have kits to take care of, in your Clan. Why would you waste your life in order to hunt, when you have an entire Clan to look after you?" Roseleaf bowed her head in submission. "Is WindClan really so weak that they can't even take care of queens?"

At that, Roseleaf's fur bristled. But it was not her place to pick up an argument. So instead, she glared at her paws. "My legs were getting stiff," she hissed irritably.

"Then shouldn't there be a warrior escort with you?" Jaggedfur snapped.

Roseleaf flattened her ears, but before she could reply, Mistsong stepped beside Jaggedfur. He glanced at her and his gaze glowered, but he didn't speak.

"Roseleaf, we could easily kill you for trespassing," she meowed. "But that would be against the warrior code, to kill a warrior in cold blood. It seems as though the warrior code has been forgotten."

The tortoiseshell flinched from Mistsong's words. But Roseleaf's gaze was level as she looked directly at Mistsong. Something was familiar about the way Mistsong spoke. There was something in her tone that reminded Roseleaf of a certain cat in ThunderClan. Mistsong held Roseleaf's stare until the WindClan queen was forced to look away.

"I'll leave," she growled. Her mission was done. At least, her kits would make it out alive. For now.

She rose to her paws, and Mistsong watched as she skirted the edges of Fourtrees. Mistsong noticed that Roseleaf had a limping gait, and there was almost a look of sorrow in her eyes. A look that told Mistsong this wasn't over.

"That was odd." Mistsong jumped when she heard Speckledface's voice.

The cream-colored she-cat had returned. Mistsong narrowed her eyes when the sharp tang of gorse filled the air. It could have easily been left from Roseleaf, but something told her that it came from Speckledface.

The patrol of four cats padded silently through the forest. Their own mission had been completed, though Mistsong knew Jaggedfur would have to tell Lightningstar about Roseleaf. Mistsong had a feeling that it would not end well.

*****

"Roseleaf?" Lightningstar stared at Jaggedfur as if he had lost his fur. "Roseleaf has kits for StarClan's sake! Why would she venture out into our territory?"

Mistsong tilted her head in confusion as she saw Lightningstar rage. She slightly remembered Lightningstar talking about meeting a cat known as Rosepaw when she had been captured by the Light Ones. Then, the two had become good friends in an attempt to escape.

"It was strange," Jaggedfur muttered. The spiky-haired cat looked as confused as Mistsong.

"Keep an eye out for Fourtrees," Lightningstar meowed to Ashstorm. The deputy dipped his head, but before he could move, Lightningstar continued. "If WindClan are preparing an attack, then we must be prepared."

After Mistsong finished listening to Lightningstar, she returned to her nest. Lightsnow was already fast asleep. Several other cats were as well, but only a couple stirred to rise for another patrol.

The Clan was growing more and more tired, after having lost so many cats. Mistsong knew it wouldn't be long before Lightningstar grew desperate. With less cats to go on patrols, Ashstorm would use them more than once. And that meant they didn't have time to rest.

Curling up in her nest, Mistsong quickly found herself asleep.

However, her sleep was deeply disturbed. She found herself roaming through a forest, thick with trees and a heavy scent. The scent was slightly familiar, but nothing about the forest was.

Mistsong blinked in surprise when she heard a river roaring nearby. This territory was not like that of StarClan, where cats milled about or gleamed with starlight.

Instead, darkness seemed to cloud the ground. Shadows danced along the trees, as a breeze made the leaves rustle. Mistsong shivered when she realized that there were no lights. Not even stars could gleam in the sky.

Her gaze sharpened slightly when something moved in the shadows. Mistsong gasped when golden eyes peered at her blue ones. A cat suddenly stepped out of a bush. Dappled tortoiseshell fur gleamed from her pelt, and for a moment, Mistsong was afraid this was a cat from the Light Ones.

But the cat's eyes glimmered with amusement when she caught Mistsong's fear scent. "Well, well, so this is the noble cat they told me about," she purred.

Mistsong gulped. She had no idea what this cat was talking about, but her claws unsheathed as she thought about digging them into her pelt. But before she could even begin thinking of that, the dappled cat purred once more.

"Honestly, you can sheath your claws," she meowed. Mistsong's heart was racing now as the she-cat stepped forward and gave her pelt a good sniff. "Well, it's obvious that you're ThunderClan. Now, we can do this easily, or you can make it more difficult for yourself."

Mistsong was about to object, when the golden she-cat stopped her with a raise of her paw. She was surprised by her formal gesture. Mistsong knew that this cat was not from StarClan. But curiosity was quickly taking over, and Mistsong began to wonder where this cat came from.

"My name is Goldenspirit, and I have come with a...story," she explained. "Once, long ago, another cat was born on the night of an Eclipse, like you." Goldenspirit had sat down, and Mistsong did the same. "This cat was considered a curse to his Clan. They didn't trust him, and treated him like an outcast. But a group of rogues started taking kits and queens. This cat didn't take kindly to these rogues.

"So he made a plan. He started using his powers, given to him by the Eclipse, and learned the rogues' secrets. When he realized what the rogues were doing to the stolen queens and kits, he told his Clan. The Clan attacked, and took back the queens. The kits were already brainwashed, so it was too late for them. The Clan had no choice but to kill them. This cat was devastated that kits were forced into death. But he knew that it was necessary for them to die. The Clan's safety depended on it.

"And thus, Cloudspots became a hero..." Mistsong gasped when she recognized the name. Cloudspots had been the first medicine cat of ThunderClan! And if this was the case, than the powers of the Eclipse ran down through a strong line of warriors and medicine cats.

"Mistsong, do you not realize what is happening?" Goldenspirit asked.

She tilted her head in confusion. Goldenspirit's story was nice, but Mistsong hardly understood why she was reciting anything. Her heart began to pound when Goldenspirit's eyes smoldered like flint.

"History is repeating itself!" she spat. "Your Clan is the one in the story. Cloudspots is you!"

Whoa cliffie! I'm very excited about writing this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and Goldenspirit's story!