lol I couldn't resist updating fast. So here's chapter one, the official part of the story! Anyways, thanks allygirl56 for reviewing, you've earned a Cinderstar plushie!

~Chapter 1~

The rank stench of the Thunderpath stretched out through the forest. Monsters rumbled, shaking the ground in their wake.

Cinderstar wrinkled her nose at the stink, thinking how mouse-brained Twolegs must be for using this place. But than, Twolegs had such strange ways. Especially considering they trapped Runningmoon and Mouseflight during the eruption.

Four suns ago, the lake erupted, sending a gaint wave of water and lava over the forest. It had devastated the Clan, forcing them to leave their home. And thanks to that eruption, Runningmoon was gone.

Silverpond had been hit the most. Her eyes were still blank with grief, no matter how much Leapordblaze tried to comfort her. And every night, she would look at the moon and let out an eerie wail. It had been like this since the night the Clan found out.

"Should we cross now, or stay for the night?" Dawnstar asked.

ShadowClan were relatively used to Thunderpaths. In fact, one ran through their territory. Cinderstar wrinkled her nose at the thought of spending the night here.

"We should keep going," Weaselstar meowed, obviously feeling the same way.

Cinderstar let out a sigh of relief when Dawnstar nodded. Though she normally would have argued, the sense that they should keep moving was too great. And Dawnstar really showed higher expectations than Cinderstar understood.

The rest of the Clans were pacing around the border, keeping an eye on the kits and apprentices. Leapordblaze crouched nearby at Silverpond's side, while Peppermint and Mousewhisker stood together, fur bristling and eyes wary. Mosspelt, the only elder among the Clans, was trying to comfort the kits by talking to them or licking them gently.

"How should we procceed?" Reedstar asked.

The four leaders looked each other for a moment. "I'll lead ShadowClan first," Dawnstar replied. Her blue eyes gleamed at the thought of being the first to cross.

There was no point in arguing, so the others murmured in agreement. Cinderstar watched as Dawnstar crouched in front of her Clan. There weren't that many ShadowClan cats, so she shouldn't have too much difficulty getting across.

With a fierce yowl, she led them across the first Thunderpath. Toadfoot's fur stood on end as he led his apprentice, Specklepaw, across. Kinkfur and Owlflight raced together, while Tigerheart, Lichenfur, Snowbird and Ivytail stuck together and crossed. Shrewfoot and Whitewater were the last to cross, though their swollen bellies made it a little tougher.

When ShadowClan was across, WindClan moved next. Weaselstar waited until there was a gap between monsters. Than, with a wave of his tail, he led his Clanmates across.

But his plan went astray when one of Swallowflight's kits dashed away from the group. The dark gray queen let out a sharp yowl as the kit bounded closer towards a moving monster. Almost instantly Silverpond was at the kit. She crashed to the ground and grabbed the pale gray tabby kit, than dashed forward.

The kit dangled from her jaws and she dropped it at her paws. Swallowflight let out a murmur of relief as she licked the tiny kit. Silverpond's eyes were bright as though she thought the kit was her own.

Shaking her head, Cinderstar just hoped that there wouldn't be an argument over this. Next, it was Reedstar's turn. He was rather reluctant about leading his Clan across the Thunderpath, and finally Shellspots led them across, with the RiverClan leader following closely.

Finally it was Cinderstar's turn. With Silverpond across, it meant there was one less cat to worry about, but she wanted to make sure that they all crossed safely.

Monsters whirled by endlessly, until finally, it cleared. That was when Cinderstar led them across. The Clan seemed to move as one as they crossed. Mangokit, Dovekit and Brownkit were carried by Whitewing, Emberfoot and Birchfall.

When all Clans were across, Cinderstar felt a wave of relief. With the Thunderpath behind them, they could procceed on their journey. But when the gray tabby looked up, she saw that mountains towered above them.

Right, she thought, suddenly feeling a bit unnerved by how huge they were, looks like this will be tougher then we thought.

As they settled down for the night, Cinderstar padded over to Leapordblaze. He was crooning over Silverpond, who had started to breath raggedly. She didn't look normal, like she had back in the moons when Moonpaw and Runningmoon were alive.

"Is everything alright?" Cinderstar asked, though she already knew the answer.

Leapordblaze glanced at her, and his eyes were filled with worry. "I'm not sure how much longer she can handle this," he murmured. He glanced at his mate, and she didn't respond. There was a sad look in his eyes as he glanced back. "And I'm not sure if I can bare to see her like this."

"She's been through so much," Cinderstar whispered when Silverpond started to fall asleep. "I'm surprised she's made it this far."

Though it was hard and a cruel thing to admit, Cinderstar wassurprised that she made it this far. She had lost her kits, her mother, and even her sister wasn't as close to her as they used to be. Now Peppermint spent all her time with Mousewhisker, or with kits.

"I will see if Rainshower can ease her pain," Cinderstar meowed.

Leapordblaze nodded and swept his tail around his mate's tail. With a sigh, Cinderstar turned and padded to where the medicine cat was sitting. He was sniffing a couple of plants, though his nose was wrinkled in disgust.

"Rainshower, is something wrong?" she asked.

The blue-gray tom looked up at her, and he shook his head. "I was wondering if there might be herbs out here we can use, but apparently there are none." Rainshower lashed his tail as though he was fighting a battle. "I've spent my whole life learning about the herbs Jayfeather showed, but what good is this knowledge if I can't even find them?"

For once Cinderstar felt sorry for him. Rainshower had been through a lot too. Hollystar, her own kit, had been his best friend since they were kits. And Jayfeather had been a good mentor for him as well.

"It'll be alright," she assured him, though inside, she wasn't sure herself. "I know something good will happen in the Clans. We just have to look up to StarClan."

Suddenly there was a look of worry in Rainshower's yellow eyes. "But...what if StarClan are not following us?" he asked. He shuffled his paws in the ground, and Cinderstar understood where he was coming from.

Even I don't know, she thought with a shake of her head. "Don't tell anyone that, or you might get your ears clawed off," she replied, trying to sound amused.

Rainshower lashed his tail again but didn't reply. "Did you need something?" he asked irritably.

Just like Jayfeather, she guessed with a smile. "Silverpond is beginning to grow more anxious," she replied. "Leapordblaze wants to know if there's anything you can do."

The medicine cat closed his eyes for a few moments. When he opened them, they were full of even more worry. "I'm afraid not," he meowed. "I mean, it was easy to find poppy seeds, but that's not enough, and they wouldn't be good for a journey like this."

"Than what should Leapordblaze do?" Cinderstar asked, suddenly feeling as though a whole blanket of responsibility had been weighed down on her shoulders.

"Comfort her as much as he can," Rainshower replied. "But tell him to keep an eye on her. If anything happens, let me know right away."

Cinderstar nodded and turned away. Suddenly, a yowl erupted from the clearing, making the gray tabby spin around. She saw that it was Leapordblaze, and his fur was standing on end.

"What is it Leapordblaze?" she demanded as she raced to his side.

"It's Silverpond!" His voice cracked with a yowl, and he crouched low to the ground. "I...I closed my eyes for only a couple of second, and when I opened them, she was gone!"

Almost instantly the rest of the Clans padded forward. Dawnstar yawned and looked at Cinderstar. Annoyance flashed in her blue eyes as she stared at the ThunderClan leader.

"What's with all this commotion?" she muttered sleepily.

"Silverpond is missing!" Leapordblaze's voice turned into a wail. Cinderstar was upon him instantly, and she stroked her tail over his shoulder as he shuddered violently.

"We'll have to look for her," Reedstar sighed. He didn't look as annoyed as Dawnstar, but there was still a spark in his eyes.

"Why should we waste our time with a single cat?" Dawnstar growled. "Don't we have enough to worry about?"

Cinderstar shot her a cold glare. She knew that if it had been a ShadowClan cat missing, Dawnstar would demand someone to search for them, just like she had demanded the search for Shrewfoot and Flamecloud.

But that was different, Cinderstar thought.

"Specklefoot, organize a patrol to look for this missing cat!" Weaselstar called from where he sat. His deputy dipped her head and padded along the group of WindClan cats, calling out a couple of warriors.

"You too Shellspots," Reedstar added.

When the deputies finished this task, the patrols set off, looking for Silverpond.

Oh StarClan, Cinderstar prayed silently, please let them find her alive.