Welcome to Chapter 2. Thanks for the reviews, they've made me feel welcome again with the site. :)

Thunderstar PoV :)

~Leo

Chapter 2

"We've found a camp!" Oscar squealed with excitement. He may have been hobbling along at a slower pace than the rest of us (even slower than Fuzz), but his energy had decreased – in fact it got worse...

The cats still in the clearing ignored his annoying jumpiness this time, and were instead ecstatic that we could spend a night somewhere more comfortable and more homely. This was going to be the home of the new Clan – this would make the new Clan. Cloud's patrol hadn't returned yet, and we waited for them to return, eager to get to our new camp.

"Okay, guys," I stood up. "Let's pass the time by introducing each other to the rest of the Clan. I'll start – I'm Thunder, I'm about six seasons old. I was named after the Thunderpath after my mother kitted by the side of it. I was raised in the Twolegplace, but my brothers and I escaped from the dangerous Twolegs that imprisoned us when we were young. Since, we lived near the barn at the top of the Thunderpath until now. I lost my brothers in battle," I hung my head in grief before address the other cats. "Okay, your turn, Petal".

"My name is Petal," the creamy white cat mewed. "I was kitted at the barn, but my mother died soon afterwards. These are my kits – Thrush, Cream, and Vole," her kits mewed in excitement because of their special mention.

"My name in Fuzz, and this is my sister, Rose," the old tom rasped. "We used to have Twolegs, but they died seasons ago. Since, we've become loners, and lived near the clearing with four trees in it". They had both looked much more alive than they had the previous day, their pelts groomed a little more, and they looked much less starving.

"My name is Poppy," a beautiful calico-coloured cat stood up. "My kits were born a quarter moon ago. This is my third litter, but most were killed in fights". She looked down to the forest floor, trying to gain some composure.

"What's their names?" I asked gently, trying to save her from breaking down in front of us. She seemed a very proud cat, but the battle had taken its toll on her, and although her fur was very pretty, it was messy and unkempt, like she had forgotten it had existed.

"I haven't given them any yet," she admitted. "The battle made my worry only about my kits' safety, not what they're called". I left her to recover from the memory of her other kits and turned to one of the other queens.

"Hello, I am Fox," a very dark ginger cat stood forward, her belly swollen to the brim with kits. "I am due pretty soon, but this is my first litter". She did seem quite young, and I could tell in her face that she was worried that she might do something wrong or harm the kits in some way. She had two very pretty eyes, a wonderful shade of green, piercing through skin and bone – sharp and determined.

A pregnant queen called Night introduced, then the two young cats, Branch and Feather. They seemed too old to be a kit, but far too young to be anything close to learning how to survive properly. They told us how their mother had abandoned them after five moons and had to look after themselves, often starving in the process. Thank heavens they won't have to starve now, I comforted myself. Then a cat called Stone introduced himself (he looks like a great hunter for the Clan) and a she-cat called Tigger.

After waiting for quite a while, Cloud and his patrol came back, looking quite sombre.

"We didn't manage to find anything," the black cat mumbled, Fuzz and Rose straining to hear him. "There were some rocks, but Straw found a viper down there. Not good for kits".

"We found somewhere!" Oscar piped up, forgetting about his bruises instantly and bouncing up towards the others. "It's got a big clearing, with lots of places for dens!"

"Did you find any other things living there?" a cat called Rabbit asked from the back of the patrol.

"None that we found," Oscar didn't stop bouncing the entire time he was talking to them. He's making my head – if he carries on, he'll have no legs to bounce on because I'll feed them to the Twolegs!

"I think we should move to this camp as soon as possible," Lion chipped in. "We don't want anyone else taking it during the night".

"But we don't know this territory," Tigger countered. "Something might happen during the night which means we have to evacuate – we don't know our way round this forest. We could get lost or worse end up losing each other".

"I agree," I conceded. I too wanted to try out the new dens for the first time, but it was better safe than sorry. Besides, we could wake up early tomorrow and spend more time making it safer and more comfortable tomorrow. "We stay here tonight, and travel at dawn. We need somebody to guard us whilst we sleep. I'll guard till moonhigh, and...Lion, can you guard until dawn?" The ginger tom dipped his head in acceptance. The others disbanded, and went to find a place to rest for the night. I took up a position behind them, under a bush, so I could have a full view of the cats in front of me and the river beyond. My bones and muscles ached for sleep, but I was determined not to sleep on the job – I was, after all, their Clan leader.

Could I truly handle the fate of all these cats? The welfare and safety of these cats were now in my paws. Should I really have put my tail up for leading the whole forest, let alone this Clan? But I felt a stirring feeling of determination swell inside me – I was going to be the best leader I could be to these cats, and it would start by not sleeping on the job.

My eye-sockets drooped with tiredness. My first vigil was terrible – trying to stay awake was harder than fighting twelve cats at once! I was grateful that I could return to a place to rest once I woke Lion up. He was already awake, and looked at me with determination – he wasn't going to fall asleep either. As soon as he left to take up his place, I made a small nest by circling round a patch of grass to flatten it down and closed my eyes, sleep thankfully engulfing me like a huge flood.

Thankfully, I didn't dream that night – I didn't think I could concentrate with the amount of tiredness I felt – I did feel slightly put out. What if the spirits had abandoned me for some other Clan? What if I was about to lead the cats to somewhere completely wrong all together? What if I was leading them to murder!

I shot up, raring to go on all four paws. The sun was just about to peep over the horizon, and behind me, Lion was just readjusting his position in the seat he had made.

Walking over, I tapped him on the shoulder, "Anything?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"Did you want me to wake the rest of the Clan up?" he asked.

"Yes, please," I nodded gratefully, as Lion went round the camp prodding each cat gently. Some mumbled their reluctance, others sprang to their paws in excitement (guess who...).

"Good morning, everybody," I began as the cats stretched their jaws in a massive yawn. "Today we go to the new camp. Remember, there may still be something hostile there, so keep your wits about you and look after those who cannot fight. Follow closely. However, first we shall eat to keep our strength".

The able cats quickly managed to find some prey thanks to the wonderful Greenleaf weather, despite it being so early in the morning. This won't last forever though – it's important to look for the best places for prey...

Once everyone had eaten and given prey to the cats who couldn't fight for themselves, we set off towards the ravine, and our new camp. The kits near the back were very mewling in excitement, chasing their mothers' tails whilst nattering about who's going to have the biggest place to sleep. Fuzz and Rose supported each other down the stream, looking gleeful that they'll finally have somewhere secured to sleep. Once again, Oscar was bouncing like a bee.

"I wonder where I'll sleep..." he thought out loud. In the dirtplace, I urged to say. "I hope it's warm in the dens. I don't want to have to sleep in sheep's wool just to keep warm!"

"What's a sheep?" Branch asked curiously.

"I don't know...I just heard Rose say it, so it must be some gigantic monster that has really warm wool."

"What's wool?"

"I think they're eyes..." Oh StarClan, strike him now. I just hoped one day Branch would find out what a sheep really was.

I trotted ahead of the group, to make sure we wouldn't meet any other hostile creatures in the camp (and to warn them about the ravine). I saw the ledge and managed to stop myself before I did an Oscar. Looking down, I saw the stream hurtle down past the rocks and into the pool below. No intruders so far. Jumping nimbly but carefully down the rocks, I poked my head through the gorse tunnel. Still nothing. The rest of the Clan were still on top of the ravine, waiting for me. Some of the queens dreaded even trying to get down to the bottom, whilst the kits were tugging their mothers' fur wanting to go down.

I tasted the air for any sign or scent of another animal being here recently. None. I poked around each of the little bushes or dens for any sign of recent life – none here either. Perhaps this is where StarClan wanted us to be... This place felt right. It left welcoming, homely, safe, and secure.

I turned around, and squeezed out of the gorse bush. "Everybody be careful of the rocks – strong cats come first to try each rock for stability, then help the weaker ones down". Lion and Oscar tested it first – Oscar this time concentrating on getting down safely, and not annoying everybody else for once. Perhaps there's more to this cat than just annoying habits...

Then, the stronger cats who could get down better than others took a kit in their jaws by the scruff of their neck, carefully walked down, dropping the kit, jumping down the rock, then picking the kit up again.

It took quite a while to get everyone down, but we'd managed it. Lion was just helping the Rose down the last rock with an almighty leap. Fuzz nearly slipped down near the top, but he managed to dig his claws into the rock and cling on.

Now that it everyone was down, it was time to fill the camp for the first time. Bracing myself for their opinion, I introduced it to them, "This is the new camp".

The rest of the Clan's eyes lit up in wonder – the kits squeaked in excitement as they ran around the camp, too fast for their mothers to tell them to be careful. The other cats nosed around, and the two elderly cats sat and admired the beauty of it all. Climbing onto the big rock, I yowled.

"Cats, gather around," I told them. "I know it's all very pretty, but we have to sort things out first. We need to sort out who sleeps where, and what goes where. Plus we need to make sure the security of the camp is top notch. We don't want just anything coming in".

"I think the cats who can hunt and fight effectively, and who are old enough should sleep under that big bush over there," Oscar flicked his tail toward the big bush that I explored yesterday. "All it needs are some small secure walls to stop the draft from getting in and to mark it out".

"I agree – we can make a wall out of sticks, wood and moss to form a barrier from the cold, and protect it from hostile attackers," I dipped my head. He may be annoying, but he's very practical...

"You see that fallen tree there?" Tigger pointed to a very long tree which had seemingly fallen moons ago. There was a gap in the middle, and was hollow inside. "That could make a den, perhaps for a nursery?"

"But we have four queens with kits," Leaf argued. "We couldn't fit anymore in there, and we still have some kits to be born!"

"But it could still be used as a den," I meowed. "Perhaps it would make a good den for Fuzz and Rose? It would be sheltered from the rain and cold, and we could put moss down to keep it nice and soft".

"You don't have to give a whole den to us just because we're old," Rose looked uncomfortable with accepting such a den to herself. But you've tried so hard for a comfortable life – you deserve that den.

"I insist," I replied. "You've spent so long looking for somewhere comfortable, so we'll make it as comfy as possible". The siblings dipped their head in deep gratitude.

"What are we going to do about a nursery, then?" Petal looked worried. "Because we couldn't stay where the other cats sleep. They need to rest for hunting".

"Well what about that bramble bush?" Night flicked her tail at the bramble bush near the entrance of the camp. It was full of brambles on the exterior, but inside it was fairly expansive and there was room for plenty of queens and their kits. "The brambles can protect the queens, and then inside the den should be warm and safe for the kits".

"Sounds like a good plan," I agreed. "Right, can the able cats go out and scrape as much moss –"

"Where are you going to sleep?" Oscar asked, tipping his head quizzically.

"I guess I'll just sleep in the big bush with the rest of you," I replied.

"But you're our leader," Petal said. "You should have your own den instead of sleeping with everyone else".

"Really?" I wondered out loud.

"Of course – there's a gap in the rock you're standing on. You can sleep in there. It will be warm and secure, and intruders won't be able to find it very easily". Oscar was really proving himself to be more than it let on. I wondered why he had changed his resolve so quickly; one minute he was throwing himself haphazardly from bush to bush, and now he was thinking wisely like Lion or Tigger (that name has to go – it's about as natural as the horrible monsters on the Thunderpath...).

"We'll see," I wasn't sure I wanted to sleep in a rock every night. "Now, every cat who can do so, gather as much moss as possible. Try not to drag mud with it, we want to sleep on it". Most of the older cats went off to look for moss. "The rest of you, we need to reinforce the walls to keep them safe. I need you all to find as many twigs and bits of woods as possible to strengthen the walls. Make sure they are strong and long enough to be weaved and can withstand the elements". The cats dispersed around the camp and just outside it to find anything they could find. I tested the strength of the gorse bush – it was quite strong and spiky, but could be easily torn down. If this was a tunnel, it would make it much harder to destroy, and easier to get through. The branches and twigs of the bush could be easily bent so they intertwine – it would make a great entrance into the camp. The ravine's a pretty good barrier as it is...

I had only been gone for a little while, but already the remaining cats in the Clan were gathering sticks and wood and putting it into a pile. Fuzz and Rose had managed to find a little bit of moss, and had started to lay it down in the nursery to make the ground softer.

I felt so proud of these cats already – they were clubbing together to make sure everybody was going to have a safe night. The Moss Patrol cats were beginning to come back with their first loads of moss. They were carrying it in their mouths, stuffed almost to suffocation with the soft green moss. Surely there was an easier way?My whiskers twitched in amusement.

"Thanks guys," I blinked my appreciation. "If you can send that to the nursery, that would be great. In fact, do you think you could spare a couple of cats to help with the flooring of the elders' den?" They nodded and rushed back to the ravine to call for cats. Today would be tiresome, but supremely rewarding.

It was sundown, and the cats had finished bringing moss and wood in, and had hunted. The walls had not been finished, but the nursery was pretty much done, and the elders' den had been strengthened so it was safer and warmer for them. The moss floors of the nursery and elders' den had been finished, and the rest of the moss had been used to make the beds for the other cats in the Clan. Each cat looked very proud of their work – even the kits had helped lay down the moss floor in the nursery with the elders.

"Tomorrow, we continue with the camp," I announced. "We need to make sure that this place is safe before anything else".

"But we need to explore the territory too," Oscar protested, his paws itching to jump about again. "Why don't some of the cats stay here, and a patrol can explore the area by the river?"

It's true – we do need to make a show to the other Clans that we're not completely dormant. We should do that... Oscar seemed to be really on the ball – I was quite impressed.

"Okay, that's a good idea. I'll split the Clan in two tomorrow, and we can do both. Can two cats please guard the camp overnight? Leaf and Straw?" The two cats nodded. "Right, goodnight everyone, I'll be in my den if anything happens". I had decided I should stay separate from them. I needed my space to think things through, and I didn't want to wake anyone up.

Tonight, though, I was so tired I had no energy to think. I flopped down on the nest I had made myself and settled myself down. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day, and I needed my energy. And just as I closed my eyes, I remembered that I had forgotten to bury our dead at the clearing with four trees. Oh goodness! What are StarClan going to think now?

Any good? I will put some of the other Clans in, but I don't want the story to be too cluttered with cats that I won't remember, and confuse you. I think, with the direction that I want this story to go in, I'll stick with ThunderClan for now. :) Sorry guys.

REVIEW! :) Reviews make me want to write more, and more reviews mean I feel good and want to write lots and lots (which hopefully would make my writing a tad better, and my updates quite regular). :)

Thanks guys. :P

~Leo