"Tanglestar?"

"Yes?"

Mosspelt stepped inside the leader's den, her eyes angry slits and her tail twitching.

"What's wrong?" Tanglestar asked, sitting up.

"The two apprentices were caught sneaking out of camp last night. Timberear was on patrol and found them. Should we make them clean out the elders den or just give them a talk?"

Tanglestar shook her head, "I'll let you decide."

Mosspelt bowed her head.

"Did you assign any patrols for this morning?" Tanglestar knew Mosspelt prided herself on being organized and always one step ahead. It was one of the reasons Tanglestar chose her sister as deputy.

"Yes, I sent a border patrol early this morning and they have returned. I also sent out a hunting patrol near the MountainClan border. They should return around sunhigh."

"Thank you," Tanglestar mewed, " I think I'm going to get some fresh air," she said, rising to her paws and stepping past Mosspelt. She began walking towards the camp entrance, not even stopping by the fresh kill pile.

Apprentices sneaking out of camp, the light in the night sky, and the stone. It was overwhelming! On top of that, she had a clan to take care of. If she was a warrior it would be much easier to go and find the stone. But she was leader, and she had responsibilities.

Tanglestar stepped through the camp entrance, and immediately felt less constricted. The pressure of her duties slipped away, like a weight being lifted off her shoulders. Eager to stretch her legs, Tanglestar took off into a run, dashing through the trees, heading anywhere, she didn't care where. As long as the wind ruffled her fur and the ground was underfoot, she was happy.

After running for what felt like forever, Tanglestar came upon the river. It was at a shallow part, and if she wanted to continue she could cross it without a problem. However, deciding that she had gone far enough, Tanglestar turned around and started trotting back towards camp. The air was hot in the middle of greenleaf, and the breeze wasn't helping much. Tanglestar slowed to a walk, starting to feel the heat, when she picked up a scent in the breeze.

It was a hint of FireClan. It probably had just drifted over from the border, but she was nowhere near there. Was she just imagining the scent? She sniffed the air again. The scent was gone.

Feeling her heart thudding in her chest, Tanglestar quickened her step, flicking her ears at every sound. She was probably just over- reacting, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

Tanglestar arrived at camp behind the hunting patrol. They brought back plenty of prey, and Tanglestar congratulated them.

Tanglestar glanced around camp, and saw that some cats were laying in the clearing, sleeping in the sun. The kits were inside the nursery asleep, and as a result the camp was calm. Realizing that she hadn't eaten anything all morning, Tanglestar headed for the fresh kill pile and was about to pick up a mouse when yowls sliced through the air. The scent of FireClan became overwhelming, and then the enemy warriors flooded through the camp entrance, claws unsheathed.

"Leafclan! Fight!" Tanglestar ordered, leaping forward to attack the closest FireClan warrior. Her clan member raced forward into the swarm.

She met him head on, and lightning fast she swiped at him, slashing him across the chest, blood staining his fur.

The mottled brown tom wasn't swayed; he leapt forward and sunk his teeth into Tanglestar's shoulder.

The clan leader tried to pull back, but the tom hung on, and a searing pain ripped through her side.

Tanglestar swiveled her head back and locked her jaws on whatever part of the tome she could reach. Her opponent let go, but before he could attack again, another FireClan cat came flying at Tanglestar, knocking her to the ground. The sounds of cats screeching filled her ears, and as she struggled against the cat that held her down, she hoped the kits were safe. FireClan cats were ruthless.

"You'll die nine times," Tanglestar's enemy whispered before slashing her throat, sending a wave of pain through her body. She felt blood soak her fur, and as she felt her energy draining, she wondered if her opponent was right.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I appreciate critique and suggestions, and thank you once again to those who have already reviewed!