So...I've come up with how many chapters will be in this story. There will hopefully be forty or fifty chapters, like Stars of Glory. Somehow, I didn't think this was going to get as popular as it did...Well this should probably be posted at the very last book but...anyways, thanks flareon200, Willowpool and Moonstreak1 for reviewing! Oh, and I realized I made some sort of mistake. It said that Peppermint was getting closer to Mousewhisker, when in fact, she's getting close to Eagleheart's kits. I don't know, you forget things...

~Chapter 21~

A cold blanket of snow drifted over the mouth of the Moonstone. Cinderstar shivered, though it wasn't from the snow. No, something more troubling had come to her attention. It was the way Weaselstar was looking at Sapkit. It was as if the WindClan leader was foretelling something that could happen. Something dangerous.

"What are you gawking at?" Squrirelflight asked. Her dark ginger fur was plastered against her bony frame, and Cinderstar was suddenly reminded of how old Squirrelflight was.

"Nothing," Cinderstar replied with a fake grin. It was hard to lie to her friend. She had gotten quite close to Firestar's daughter. For some reason, she felt an unusually strong connection to Squirrelflight. And that connection had only gotten strong after Leafpool died.

Sorreltail was helping Whitewing take care of Dovekit, Brownkit and Mangokit. The three kits had become quite a handful. Everyday they would come up with some new game to annoy their Clanmates. Dovekit was the only sensible one. She seemed calm and collective, unlike her sister and Mangokit.

"Can we pleaseplay with Swallowflight's kits?" Mangokit asked, her eyes wide as she looked at her foster mother.

"Yeah, Sapkit and Flowerkit are too little," added Brownkit. "And Driftkit and Fallowkit never want to play."

Cinderstar followed the kits' gaze towards the two RiverClan kits. It was strangely true. Fallowkit and Driftkit were unusually quiet for kits their age. She remembered that their mother had been killed during the eruption, and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

She remembered losing her brother, Molepaw. And she remembered losing Honeyfern to the adder. But the worst part was watching her father die. He had died at the claws of a ShadowClan warrior.

"As long as it's okay with Swallowflight," Whitewing replied, looking at Sorreltail with a hint of amusement in her green eyes.

The three kits let out excited squeals and bounded past Peppermint, who was sitting close to Eagleheart. Cinderstar noticed that her grandaughter's belly was getting bigger. She knew for a fact that it wasn't from eating too much prey. The ThunderClan leader grinned as she realized that Peppermint must be expecting kits.

It was good news for ThunderClan. Cinderstar knew that the Clan could use more kits, especially since Whitewing's were the only litter, aside from Mangokit.

She sighed and curled up beside Squirrelflight and Brightheart, relishing the warmth of their fur. Soon, the Clans would be on the move again, and that meant they'd be one step closer to their new territory.

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Bright sunlight poked through the hole that overlooked the Moonstone. Cinderstar blinked her eyes open, and saw that the rest of the Clans had already started waking up. She slowly rose to her paws, feeling slightly shaken with sleep.

She padded towards her own Clanmates, who were waiting impatiently to get started with the journey again. Cinderstar noticed that Emberfoot was speaking quietly to Firespirit, whose head was bowed as if in respect. She cocked her head in confusion as she watched the scene.

Emberfoot had always been close to the kits, though Cinderstar could never understand why. Cinderstar had already guessed even before she was deputy that Hollystar knew, though her own daughter had many secrets of her own. Cinderstar knew that from birth Hollystar was special. Perhaps that was why she treated her so differently compared to Lynxclaw. Perhaps she should have been more fair to Hollystar's brother.

They're all gone, Cinderstar thought bitterly as she pictured her family in her head. First Molekit, Honeyfern, Brackenfur. Than Hollystar, Moonpaw, Runningmoon and Silverpond. Almost all of her family was gone. But there's always hope, she told herself as she gazed at Peppermint, Hollystar's last surviving kit. And Sorreltail was also still alive. That was significant in itself. It was surprising that Sorreltail hadn't gone mad, considering how much she lost.

"Shall we start moving?" Dawnstar asked as she stood up. Scorchfur was close by her side, looking rather pleased with himself. He had just caught Flowerkit, who had been running around the cave as though it was their new home. Now, the little kit was dangling from his jaws, her body limp.

"Of course," Cinderstar replied, suddenly feeling exhilerated. She was desperate to get out of this cave, no matter how much it was close to StarClan. When the Moonstone wasn't glowing, it was almost...scary.

They padded single file through the narrow tunnels that would eventually reach the entrance of the cave. Cinderstar's whiskers grazed on the stone, sending a shiver, and a signal through her. The walls were damp and the sound of dripping water could be heard over the sounds of the cats' pads scraping on the ground.

By the time they reached the entrance, Cinderstar's paws already felt like they might fall off. But she kept a firm gaze on the path ahead, and finally, her eyes met daylight. The sun filtered through the hole, nearly blinding all of the cats. They had gotten used to the darkness after a while, but, with time, their eyes adjusted to the bright light.

"Wow!" Emberpaw's mew reached Cinderstar, and she saw the light tortoiseshell standing close to Whitewing. "I've never seen the snow like this before." Her eyes were wide with wonder, and Cinderstar nodded with agreement.

It had certainly snowed a lot. In fact, this was the harshest snow the Clans had ever seen. It was very deep in certain places, and they had to carry the kits in order to protect their pelts from getting wet. The snow hung from the tall branches, and it glittered in the sunlight. It was a beautiful, but dangerous sight.

"We'll have to move at a faster pace if we want to get out of here," Shellspots growled as a blanket of snow landed on her back. The RiverClan deputy shivered from its cold touch, and nearly ran into Lichenfur.

The mottled brown warrior whirled on her and snarled. "Keep to yourself!"

Shellspots glanced at Cinderstar as he stalked off towards his own Clan. With a shrug, Cinderstar meowed, "I guess some cats never change."

Lichenfur had been one of Snakeclaw's closest followers. In fact, he would have done anything to get on Snakeclaw's good side. But after witnessing the dark tabby's defeat, Lichenfur snapped out of Snakeclaw's...spell.

"You can't blame him," Shellspots murmured with a sad shake of her head. "After all, none of his Clanmates trust him."

Cinderstar realized she was right. She had begun to notice the incredulous look Dawnstar gave him everytime he went near Whitewater or Shrewfoot. And she noticed how furious Flamecloud looked around him.

"I suppose you're right," she replied, though inside, doubt was clouding Cinderstar's mind.

She shook the thoughts away and stepped in beside the RiverClan deputy, glad of her company. Shellspots was a good friend, and had good intensions. If she succeeded Reedstar, than ThunderClan could have a good ally.

Soon the Clans reached a gorge. The river was nothing but a trickle here, and Mosspelt shuddered as she stared down at it. Cinderstar realized that bones littered the bottom. Bones of cats.

"Many cats died here," Mosspelt whispered, but her voice was loud enough for Cinderstar to hear.

"Come on, lets see if RiverClan camp is still there," Reedstar meowed excitedly.

For the first time since reaching the old forest, Cinderstar shared his own excitement. Not everything could have been taken by the Twolegs. She just had to believe that.