Thanks so much for all the reviews! Here's another chapter. I hope I didn't add too many characters. Four in a fraction of one chapter.. Tell me if you get confused!

And with that... read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 3

Useless.

Mountainkit watched as his father helped Dewkit to wash her wounds in the stream that eventually tumbled off of the cliff onto the rocks below. He felt so useless. It was a race against infection, but Mountainkit could do nothing. He didn't know any herbs. He didn't know what to look for. He could see that Sanddune was trying to stay strong for them, but the wet tears in his desperate blue eyes gave his fear away.

Finally, Sanddune carried Dewkit away from the stream to a thick clump of moss. He was soaked to the skin from the spray, but he'd done his best to keep Dewkit dry and keep her wounds clean.

"Rest now," he whispered, "Hope for dreams from Starclan."

He looked up at Mountainkit. "You too. Go to sleep. Curl up next to her to keep her warm."

"What you going do?" Mountainkit attempted. He was at least understandable now.

"I'm going to look for herbs… anything…"

"I want help!" Mountainkit protested.

"No," Sanddune responded sharply, "Keep your sister warm. Do not leave her side."

The small sandy brown kit hung his head and nodded to the ground. His father watched him until he reached his sister and curled up next to her. Then his nose was up in the air, mouth open to take in scents. He took off through the woods.

Mountainkit watched him go, again feeling incredibly useless. He knew it wasn't his fault that his sister was in the condition she was, but he hated that he had saved her from one danger to put her in the path of another. He closed his eyes and slipped into darkness.

.

"Northstar!"

A snow white tom emerged from his cave den and gave a dramatic stretch.

"Northstar."

Northstar looked up to find a light brown tom approaching. "Yes, Sanddune?"

Sanddune dipped his head to his leader, avoiding staring at the cat's gray muzzle. "MapleClan's scent was found within the border again." He remembered how Leapingflames had exchanged a nervous glance with him and Waterpaw had flexed his claws. At least MapleClan hadn't been at the border at that time. Sanddune managed to fight well enough by just using his head, but his paws never seemed to do what he told them to do. He didn't want more cats in the medicine cat den. There was a moment of silence and Sanddune looked at Northstar expectantly.

Northstar's dull dark blue eyes flashed with frustration. "Are you expecting me to say something? Come up with some brilliant plan to put MapleClan back in their place?"

"No, I-"

"Cats are still sick, Sanddune. It seems like it's all our best warriors too-"

Sanddune flinched.

"There's nothing we can do about it, unless we want to start an all-out Clan war. Hm, I wonder, Sanddune. Who would win that?" Northstar gave the tom a glare, although Sanddune could see the worry deep within.

"I was just reporting it." He left his leader before the old tom could say any more, not even bothering to try to hold his head high. He couldn't help his sick Clanmates. He couldn't provide for them. He couldn't defend them.

Useless.

"Sanddune!"

The brown tom turned towards the sound. He spotted his sister trotting towards him, pale blue eyes nervous but hopeful. He clenched his teeth; he had hoped she wouldn't notice his return so soon.

"Sanddune!" she called again as he started turning away. "Sanddune, just hear me out!" She had reached his side. "Please."

Sanddune stopped abruptly and glared at her, letting all his built up anger over her and Waterpaw and Northstar and everything fill his gaze.

Riverbend shrank back. "Can we please just… talk?" she asked softly.

Sanddune turned away, his gaze traveling to the back of the camp. Without saying a word, he headed in that direction, reaching and entering the tunnel that led to the forest. This time, it was Riverbend who followed him.

Once Riverbend judged they were far enough away from camp, she turned to her brother. "I'm sorry, Sanddune. I didn't mean to lie to y-"

Wrong. "You didn't mean to lie to me?"

"No, I mean… I didn't mean to… What was I supposed to do?"

Wrong again. "What were you supposed to do? You were supposed to trust me, Riverbend. You were supposed to trust your own brother!"

"You didn't trust me either!" Riverbend protested, "You're the one who followed me!"

Strike three. "Don't you dare pin this on me. You think I was going to ask, 'Hey, sis. Where you been going at night?' What would you have said? You think you would have told the truth that time?"

"Damnit, Sanddune! Okay! I lied to you! I didn't trust you! I should have! There's no excuses! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Riverbend's last cry sent birds from the trees above them soaring into the air, cawing loudly.

Sanddune thought back to his anger at the Clan. Riverbend may be respected by them, since she wasn't quite as extreme as Sanddune with smarts or with clumsiness, but she had always understood her brother. She had understood his frustrated sadness when she had been made a warrior before him or when she and others caught more prey. She never boasted, never made fun of him, never was disappointed in him… She was always there.

"I'm guessing I'm not going to be able to stop you from seeing him."

Riverbend shook her head.

"But you won't lie to me about him anymore?"

A gleam of hope filled her eyes. She shook her head harder. "No," she whispered, "No."

They had emerged into the forest at the end of the passageway. Sanddune looked hard into Riverbend's eyes. His own eyes lingered in uncertainty before a sigh escaped him. "Just don't be too obvious at the Gathering tonight."

.

Darkness.

That's all Mountainkit could see, taste, feel…

Darkness.

A cry pounded in his ears. It was his sister. She was dying.

He looked around, trying to pick out anything but found only black. Finally, only when he was turned completely around, did he see a light. It was a tiny beam, revealing a small green plant when it struck the ground.

Another cry echoed around him.

He raced towards the plant, trying to focus on it to see what it was. He couldn't even catch its scent or make out the leaves before a boulder appeared out of thin air. It fell from the blackness and smashed into the plant.

"No!" Mountainkit yowled, "No!"

His sister's cries suddenly stopped, leaving a silence even more suffocating than the blackness.

.

Tension stilled the fog, making it feel like a single movement could cause the very air to shatter. The thick mist weighed down on every cat's shoulder as they made their way quickly but silently to the edge of their territories and across the border to an open field. The yellow grass was thick but leaned over from the harsh wind that had swept through the land before the fog settled in. The dry blades were then quickly stamped down into places by the gathering cats. In the center of the field sat a tall, strangely rounded stone. Words were carved into their base.

Sanddune could feel the excitement coming off his sister in waves. She was the only cat whose fur wasn't pricked with hostility. Even Autumnleaf, who Sanddune spotted on one side of the stone, seemed uncomfortable. However, his mossy green eyes still lit up when he spotted Riverbend.

'Not too obvious,' Sanddune reminded her with stern eyes.

Riverbend brightened even more as she nodded and raced towards the MapleClan tom. All she seemed to care about was her brother's approval… not everyone else's. Sanddune sighed.

He looked to Northstar and spotted the white tom making his way to the stone, where Fogstar was waiting with that same superior look that Waterpaw's gaze had held. Sanddune flinched as Northstar wheezed from the effort of walking so far and Fogstar, a young, newly made leader, stood proud and tall, with muscles rippling beneath his silver pelt. He imagined what would happen if this Gathering ended in fighting. Northstar could barely afford to bring the cats he did: Sanddune, Riverbend, a senior warrior ready to retire, the deputy, and two apprentices. Fogstar, meanwhile, knew there was no possible way for OakClan to attack them. He had brought at least a dozen cats. Sanddune pictured the losing battle: Fogstar, with nine new lives, hovering over Northstar and taking his last one with a single bite…

"How dare he bring so many warriors," a voice murmured in Sanddune's ear.

He turned to look at who had spoken and met baby blue eyes. "Oh, Seabreeze," Sanddune sighed, relieved that it was the old warrior ready to become an elder and not… "I thought you were Tidepool." He looked around for the gray tom and found him in his deputy's position next to Northstar.

Seabreeze ignored him and continued, "Fogstar is just trying to make us look weak… gloating in his victory of numbers." Her blue eyes flashed with anger. "Cavestar was such a better leader."

Sanddune remembered the old MapleClan leader. He still couldn't believe that he was gone. He had respected Cavestar more than anyone. Fiercely loyal… yet never unfair. Cavestar would never have rubbed his Clan's strength in their face. Unfortunately, Cavestar worked himself to death. He had felt like it was his job to preserve the lives of his warriors and work harder himself because he had so many lives to spare. It was sad to think that once Cavestar realized how many lives he had lost, and so early in his leadership, that that was when sickness came. But unlike OakClan, he was immediately 'quarantined' and greencough spread no farther.

Seabreeze watched Sanddune think, slowly licking one light yellow paw. "Sanddune?" Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She continued, looking worried, "Do you think Fogstar will attack us... here?"

Sanddune paused for a moment before shaking his head. "He's too proud for that." Seabreeze tipped her head. "He's going to wait until our sick cats recover or die, then hit us when we're at our full strength, so he wouldn't be considered a coward. Besides, I'm not sure if he'd want to anger StarClan."

Seabreeze looked around, a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was trying to think through what Sanddune had just said. Finally, she looked back at him, a new emotion in her eyes. It was respect. "I would never have thought of that," she stated warmly.

Sanddune almost felt happy for a moment. A senior warrior respected him!

"MapleClan is doing very well." Sanddune turned to the overconfident voice of Fogstar, who was now sitting regally on the rounded stone. "Sickness only took one of our cats…" Sanddune bristled as he barely mentioned that their leader had been the one to pass away. "… but the rest are strong and healthy. Prey is abundant, especially after we extended our territory."

Tidepool looked like he was ready to knock Fogstar right off of the stone. To Sanddune's surprise, once Fogstar had landed back on the ground, it was the deputy who jumped up next. His dark blue eyes were blazing and his gray tail was flicking dangerously.

"OakClan may be battling sickness, but we are strong! We have tolerated your intrusions in the past, but we cannot allow you to hunt on our territory any longer! We agreed on borders long ago and that's not going to change. Stay on your side of the border or we will attack!"

MapleClan cats snarled in protest. "You're in no position to negotiate!" one shouted.

"You and what army?"

"You've lost six cats!"

Sanddune got to his paws, fury burning in his eyes. It was only a guess, but his anger was clouding his judgment. He raised his voice above them all, locking gazes with Fogstar.

"At least we don't kill our sick cats!"

.

"Did you have a dream?"

Mountainkit was shaken awake.

"Mountainkit, did you have a dream? Did you see StarClan?" Sanddune repeated, desperation in his pale blue eyes.

"I saw... It was dark, but there was light and I saw plant-"

"What was it?" Sanddune looked relieved.

"No, I… it was… a rock fell on and crushed it. I didn't see what… it…" He trailed off as Sanddune looked as crushed as the plant in the dream.

"No… No… This can't be… No…" Sanddune murmured over and over, disappointment and unbearable sadness squeezing tears from his eyes. His gaze was intense when he finally stopped and looked at the sandy brown kit. "Are you sure?"

Mountainkit forced himself to nod. He couldn't stand the look his father's eyes anymore and he quickly turned to Dewkit. Her breathing was steady, her dreams peaceful. She seemed fine. Maybe infection wouldn't come. Maybe she would be alright.

Hope is a dangerous thing.