The gray tom that Mistyfoot called out to had a very different reaction than the one she expected. Graystripe hissed menacingly and dropped into a crouch. There was another long hiss, and Mistyfoot saw with surprise that Graystripe had a cat with him. The she-cat was a gray tabby with dark gray stripes along her pelt. Her claws were dull but looked to be sharpening. They would rip through fur, that was for sure.
Mistyfoot tried to connect with the tom. "Graystripe?" she repeated.
The former ThunderClan warrior looked back at her with suspicious blue eyes that gradually filled with recognition. He relaxed, loosening up and shrinking in size. The she-cat at his side kept up her aggressive stance, but Graystripe calmed her by stroking her shoulder with his tail.
"It's okay Millie," he meowed softly. The gray tabby eventually sank to the same level as him. It was only then that Graystripe greeted the RiverClan warriors.
"Mistyfoot! What happened?" he meowed. His eyes looked around at the fallen trees, and he shifted his weight on the muddy ground.
Mistyfoot sighed. "Water so high that it was like a mountain…..it destroyed everything. Part of us have survived,"
Graystripe's eyes brightened. "So ThunderClan survived?" he asked excitedly. He seemed oblivious to the pain of the RiverClan she-cat.
The deputy – maybe leader now – of RiverClan sighed again. "There's a lot of explaining that needs to be done Graystripe," she meowed sadly. "You see, ThunderClan are no longer in the forest. Neither are WindClan and ShadowClan. They left when twolegs came, ripping up their territories. We were not affected. However, the mountain-water has taken some of our own. Leopardstar, Heavystep, and Stonestream may be dead,"
Graystripe's eyes narrowed, but before he could speak the she-cat – Millie, Mistyfoot remembered – spoke from his side. "Are you RiverClan?".
Mistyfoot nodded. "I'm Mistyfoot, the deputy of RiverClan. This is Voletooth, Dawnflower, and Pebblequake,". Each cat meowed a greeting as she said his or her name. Millie nodded her head to each cat, and then introduced herself.
"I'm Millie. I came from the Twolegplace where Graystripe was taken – I'm sure you remember that, particularly you Mistyfoot. I've come with him to join the Clans,",
Graystripe proudly added "She's my new mate too. Speaking of which, how is Stormfur?".
"Well, of course, you already know what happened to the Clans. Stormfur went with them. He wanted to be with a Tribe she-cat, Brook Where Small Fish Swim,"
Graystripe's eyes darkened, but he nodded. He understood what it was like to sacrifice your Clan for the cat you loved. He had done it himself, for the RiverClan she-cat Silverstream.
Millie spoke from his side. "We better be moving then, Graystripe. We have to get to where ThunderClan went, don't we?"
Graystripe glanced at the sky. It was getting dark, and they would have to stop soon anyway. "I think we should spend the night with RiverClan – if that's okay with you?" he asked, switching his gaze to Mistyfoot.
Mistyfoot nodded. "Of course. I warn you, though, we don't have a lot of food, and we're traveling ourselves to find a place to sustain us. We need go get away from here until everything goes back to normal, so we are a bit disorganized. If you could just help the Clan along, I'd be grateful,"
Graystripe dipped his head. "Sure. If you were planning to head towards Highstones, then you'll just help us along. Where is the Clan anyway?"
Mistyfoot flicked her tail behind her, then turned and led the way. A low hiss issued from the blackness, but Mistyfoot quickly meowed "It's okay Rippletail. We have visitors – Graystripe and Millie,"
The dark gray tabby tom appeared, saw the cats, and nodded. He didn't question the presence of the two new cats, and instead led the group back to the Clan.
RiverClan were stretched out on the ground. Some of them were trying their luck with hunting, and catching nothing. Even Reedwhisker, who was one of the best hunters in the Clan, hadn't managed to find anything. Mothwing and Willowpaw moved alongside the cats, meowing to them to sooth their minds and watching for injuries. Willowpaw carried a very small supply of herbs in her mouth; they had been lucky to find any, really.
The arrival of Mistyfoot and the two visitors caused a stir through the ranks of the Clan. Each cat turned to watch as Mistyfoot led Graystripe and Millie forward. "This is Graystripe and Millie," she announced. "I'm sure we all know who Graystripe is,"
Murmurs of recognition went through the Clan, and a couple cats stood to pad up and talk to the lost warrior. Mistyfoot left, her head heavy with worry, and padded up to Blackclaw. "Any sign of our fallen?" she asked. The senior warrior shook his head. "None. You have to go to StarClan, Mistyfoot; you have to become our leader,"
The reply of the deputy was fierce; "I will not go and become Mistystar until there is proof that Leopardstar is dead,"
Blackclaw dipped his head, his eyes filling with understanding. "Of course,"
The gray she-cat simply nodded, then went to find herself a place to sleep. She curled up in the open, finding no place and feeling uncomfortable already. How do WindClan cats stand it? was her last thought before she crashed into sleep.
Mistyfoot woke up, but didn't really. She awoke at Fourtrees, with moonlight glimmering above. Everything seemed surreal in its lightness and clearness; every detail was sharp, defined. Her blue eyes widened with shock. She was having a dream from StarClan!
A gray tom picked his way over the soft, bright grass. His silver coat glimmered with a white radiance, just barely dotted with stars. He was a new spirit, not yet fully transformed into the physique of a StarClan warrior, and as so he was recognizable.
"Stonestream!" whispered Mistyfoot. The elder acknowledged her with a flick of an ear, and then motioned for her to sit next to him. When Mistyfoot had sat, Stonestream meowed "There is much troubling you, Mistyfoot, but all will become clear. Look for where the sky is the ground, and you will find your fallen,"
Mistyfoot's blue eyes filled with confusion. "Can't you explain more?" she asked, trying her hardest to hide her desperation for information.
The StarClan cat shook his head. "No. Telling you outright what is to happen may change the course of events that is to happen. You'll understand tomorrow; now sleep, and rest, and become strong,". He stood and touched his nose to her shoulder. Mistyfoot instantly felt the power of deep sleep crash through her, and the dream was gone.
It was replaced with the scent of mud and water, and the strong scent of RiverClan. Her eyes snapped open; her paws brought her to an upright position. Her muzzle pointed to the stars, where her warrior ancestors were blinking out as the day arrived.
It was time to go. She moved from cat to cat and woke all, before summoning them with a flick of her tail and leading them away from where they were; the middle of ThunderClan territory. It was early, and this was good; if they made good progress they could find a place to hunt before nightfall. Mistyfoot's belly was yowling, and so would the Clan's stomachs. They needed to hunt, or else they risked starvation.
She led them to Fourtrees before pausing to let everybody rest. Swallowtail was puffing hard, and collapsed onto the ground. Willowpaw joined her. Mothwing refused to be tired, instead going from cat to cat and checking for illness and injury.
Mistyfoot padded up to Mosspelt. The tortoiseshell she-cat was sharing tongues with her former apprentice. "Can you try for some hunting?" asked Mistyfoot. "Take Pebblequake with you and try in the direction of our territory,"
Mosspelt nodded and was off shortly with Pebblequake at her side. Mistyfoot watched them go, and then walked in the direction of ShadowClan's land.
It was by far the wettest ground she had ever walked on. She hissed with annoyance each time her paws sunk into a particularly soggy patch of dirt. There was a faint trace of prey on the breeze, but based on the sucking sound she was making it would hear her coming.
Then an idea came to her. Why not use the debris for walking? She leaped onto a fallen trunk and scented the air. A strange scent, not quite fish but not a ground animal, hit the roof of her mouth. It was strong. Frog? she questioned herself, and nodded. Yes, frog.
Being careful to be as quiet as possible, she looked out over the wasteland and saw the green body of a frog. Moving slowly and making her leaps fast, she got to a position just a fox length from the frog. She tensed for the pounce, and when she finally pushed off she easily got the frog between her paws. She lowered her head and gave the killing bite. Prey for the Clan! she cheered inside her head. She drank in the breeze one last time and then followed her scent trail back.
Her belly groaned in protest, but she persisted in not eating the frog. As soon as she came back she saw Pebblequake walking into Fourtrees, a mouse in his jaws. Mosspelt had a larger catch – a vole and a large rabbit. Mistyfoot's mouth watered, but she made herself take the frog and drop it in front of Mothwing and Willowpaw. Both meowed their thanks and then began to embark on an adventure – how do we eat frog?
Mistyfoot saw the rabbit go to Swallowtail, who insisted on sharing it with Dawnflower and Minnowstream. The vole was shared between Blackclaw and Voletooth. Mistyfoot turned to go back out hunting when a tail landed smack in front of her.
Her blue eyes rose to meet Reedwhisker's amber ones. "You haven't eaten for days. Here,"
He dropped a fish in front of her. She began to protest, but he simply turned and walked away. Feeling a bit embarrassed that she had the biggest meal, she turned and asked Dapplenose to share with her. The mottled gray she-cat obliged, taking the first bite and then letting her eat.
Her meal finished and energy flowing into her body, Mistyfoot stood and yowled to call the Clan to attention. She padded to the head and began to lead them up the slope into WindClan's territory.
As soon as she reached the top, panting slightly, she stopped in pure shock. The land in front of her was too flat to allow proper drainage, and water covered it. It was sunny and cold, but not cold enough to freeze the water. The sky was reflected on the surface.
As she studied this, the words of Stonestream were whispered in her ear. Look for where the sky is the ground.
Her blue eyes scanned the ground, and terror filled them when she saw the golden tabby lump of fur that was her leader lying on the shore of the ocean. The surprised and terrified yowling of her Clan was just filling the air when she reached the body of her beloved leader.