Here's the next chapter, in Dawnstar's point of view! Oh, and I've decided to borrow Shadow's idea of author notes (Hope she doesn't mind) so here we go:

xxSnowfirexx - I see you've read every chapter so far, so thanks. And of course, Silverpond may or may not go insane. You'll have to keep reading to find out^^

Moonstreak1 - Am I updating fast enough?

Chasonbird or Butterfliee - lol I can see you're back. Thanks for reviewing all my chapters, it means a lot!

flareon200 - xd am I really you're favorite author? That means a lot! Surprisingly I've only been writing for...two years I think? And each month my writing just got better and better after observing everyone's works.

And now on to the story:

~Chapter 3~

It was getting warmer out as Dawnstar and the other leaders led their Clans towards the mountains. They had just crossed the last of the Thunderpaths for a while, and rugged landscape greeted them up ahead.

Though she had never been to the mountains herself, Tawnypelt had told Dawnstar and her siblings about them. Her mother described how dangerous the mountains could be, and how dark they seemed. But they never lost hope when they started to cross it. And then they met the Tribe of Rushing Waters.

Tawnypelt had so many stories about the Tribe. Of how they had fought Sharptooth, the dangerous creature that could kill cats, and of their hospitality during the second part of the journey. And Tawnypelt told them that Stormfur, one of the traveling cats, decided to stay behind. Dawnstar had often asked why he stayed, but her mother would just shake her head sadly, as if the question was too difficult to answer.

"Look what I found!" Duskpaw's cry made all cats stop in their tracks.

Dawnstar narrowed her eyes at what he found. It was a lizard, but it was brightly colored, as though it was warning them of something. Luckily he had killed it with his claws, otherwise it would have poisoned him.

Poisonous lizards were a common sight back in ShadowClan territory, but that was before the fire had struck. Duskpaw didn't have the proper training to know what to eat and what not to eat.

"Don't eat that!" Tigerheart, his mentor and her brother, hissed. He swatted the prey onto the ground, and Duskpaw just gaped at it and than glared at him.

"Why shouldn't we?" he demanded, the fur along his spine bristling as he spoke.

There were a few murmurs that came from ThunderClan and RiverClan. Leapordblaze's eyes were filled with curiosity as he stared at it, while Squirrelflight only looked confused. Whitewing kept her kits close to her belly, as though she feared they might venture forward and start eating the lizard.

"Because it's full of venom," Flamecloud answered for his brother.

The medicine cat padded forward and sliced open the lizard's belly with a claw. Strange, fowl smelling blood poured out as it seeped onto the ground like a pool of water. Dawnstar wrinkled her nose at the stench as she remembered her own mentor, Ivytail, showing her this.

"Now, why don't we rest and see if there's anything to eat," Cinderstar meowed as the apprentice sat down with a shocked plop.

Dawnstar nodded in agreement. She knew their journey would be a tough one, so it might be wise to fatten up before they trekked across the mountains.

Suddenly she felt a longing to go hunting with her Clanmates, like she had when she was deputy. One patrol couldn't hurt, she thought with a wide grin. She padded towards where Scorchfur was ordering Ivytail, Toadfoot, his apprentice, Specklepaw and Lichenfur to go out.

"I would like to come as well," she meowed.

Her words must have shocked them, because Toadfoot, who was older than her, looked up in surprise. But Scorchfur looked rather pleased with the idea, and blinked at the patrol before going off to join his sister, who was plucking the ground with her claws.

Ever since she had been forbidden to see Flamecloud, Shrewfoot had been growing more and more frustrated. Dawnstar just hoped that she would learn that it was dangerous to see a medicine cat, and bare his kits.

She looked at her patrol and blinked. Toadfoot was leading it, so she allowed him to go into the front, though he still looked surprised.

As the patrol moved on, Dawnstar opened her mouth to taste the air. It was laidened with the scents of leaves and undergrowth, but she could catch no scents of prey. And even when they checked the bushes, there seemed to be no prey.

The ShadowClan leader was starting to get frustrated, but than suddenly a strong scent of vole hit her nose. She dropped to the ground in a crouch and looked around her surroundings.

There. The vole was searching for grubs, among the dead leaves that littered the ground. It must have been starving if it didn't even notice her, because she approached it quickly, and without hesitating, she killed it with one quick bite. The vole wouldn't have even known it was dead.

Their hunt had ended in success. Dawnstar carried her vole proudly, while Toadfoot had caught a frog and a sparrow. Ivytail only caught one mouse, but she didn't look disappointed.

"It's better than nothing," she mumbled through the mouse's fur.

Specklepaw had caught a small frog as well, and was carrying it as though it was the best piece of fresh-kill they had. Dawnstar stifled a purr of amusement as they reached the makeshift camp.

There were expectant eyes that flashed up as they approached. Dawnstar gave her vole to Whitewater, who ate it ravenously. Ivytail, Toadfoot and Specklepaw just dropped their fresh-kill on a pile and waited for someone to take it.

The Clan's enthusiasm was staring to work through Dawnstar as she watched Whitewing's kits play with Driftkit and Fallowkit, the two RiverClan kits who had lost their mother. They seemed completely unphased by what had happened to their Clan as the five kits squealed happily.

Even Dawnstar felt like joining in, but she tried desperately to control herself. Leaders rarely played with kits, unless of course they were their own. And she-cat leaders couldn't have kits, because they had the whole Clan to take care of.

But Cinderstar had kits, she thought as she stared at the gray tabby who was sitting close to Peppermint and Mousewhisker. And she wasn't even deputy than, another voice told her.

Dawnstar shook her head in utter confusion. What was that feeling she wanted, to have kits? To love someone who was part of her family? If that were the case, than she could take care of her siblings, Tigerheart, Flamecloud, Specklepaw, Duskpaw and Darkpaw.

No, she wanted kits of her own. And every time she glanced at Scorchfur, she felt her fur crawl as though he was sitting next to her. Could she possibly fall in love with him? Was it really forbidden for a she-cat leader to have kits?

As she glanced down in embarrassment, she realized that there was nothing in the warrior code that said they couldn't. And even Bluestar, the former leader of ThunderClan, had kits when she became deputy, they just grew up in RiverClan.

When the moon started to rise, the Clans settled down once more. Dawnstar padded over to where she made her make-shift nest, and curled up to sleep. And as she did so, she felt another cat's body close by. She opened her eyes, and smiled inwardly.