Grr fanfiction. I keep trying to center my chapter numbers and they ruin it...I'm getting pretty frustrated with them...Anyways, thanks Moonstreak1, TerraYoung and flareon200 for reviewing! Oh, and forgive me if I got the spot where Silverstream died; I wasn't entirely sure how this played out...

~Chapter 22~

Reedstar felt his eyes widen in excitement as they reached what looked like RiverClan camp. But his excitement didn't last when he spotted it, or, the remains of the camp.

He knew that the forest had been destroyed, but he didn't think that it would be this bad. Dens, or at least what was left of the dens, were scattered everywhere. He spotted the reeds where the apprentices used to sleep, and the bracken bush the warriors had slept in. But they were in peaces. He looked around and spotted what used to be the river.

It had once been RiverClan's source of life. But now, it was nothing more then a trickle; not even a stream.

An anger rushed through Reedstar as he shook his head. How could the Twolegs do this? Hadn't they known that the Clans lived here?

He gazed at the rest of the Clans, who were sharing his own dismay. Cinderstar's eyes were strangely gleaming with recognition. She was gazing towards a ridge. Reedstar followed her gaze, and suddenly, a gasp escaped his jaws.

That was the spot where Silverstream had been buried. Mistystar had taken him to that spot when he was barely an apprentice; the memories of the anguish he felt when he heard the story still ran deep within his mind.

"Come on, we'll need to find a place to stay," he meowed, hoping he sounded more optimistic then he felt.

The Clans would need a safe place to shelter. Obviously, this wasn't going to be one of those places.

He shot one more glance back at the remains of the old camp, and let out a sigh. Perhaps StarClan really were powerless against Twolegs. And perhaps StarClan was trying to get a better understanding of Twolegs.

"What was the old territory like?" Dovekit asked. Her fluffy gray fur gleamed under the bright sunlight, and she looked strong, despite the deep snows that had fallen.

Whitewing bent her head and looked at her daughter warmly. "ThunderClan had the largest amount of territory," she explained as she pictured her old camp. "We had a ravine, the Sunningrocks, part of Fourtrees..."

Reedstar stopped listening when she reached Sunningrocks. He remembered the bitter quarrels that had taken place over those rocks. He never took part in it because he had only been a young apprentice, but he remembered his Clanmates returning with many battle scars and wounds.

It was almost dark out when they reached a small wooded area. The snow had fallen less here, but Reedstar knew they would need to clear the area. He waited patiently as they filed into a small spot. Dawnstar's ears were flattened in disgust, while Weaselstar wrinkled his nose at the scent of the thick and silent woods.

"I think I know how we can get shelter," mewed Emberpaw suddenly.

The light tortoiseshell had been sitting close to Solar. The golden tabby's long pelt seemed to glow majestically as he stared at the Clans. But now, his ears were pricked with interest as Emberpaw stood up.

"Stormfur taught me this trick when I was still a To-Be," Emberpaw said as she began to dig in a pile of snow near her. Her paws scrabbled against it, until it began to form a hole. "The hole will be warmer then the outside." She looked up and there was pride in her eyes. "All Tribe cats were taught this at one point because we could easily get caught in a snowstorm," she explained.

Reedstar let out a purr. It could work to their advantage. So the Clans began to dig in the snow furiously, until finally, they made a den that was large enough for every cat to sleep in. The kits of course would sleep in the middle. Mosspelt had offered to sleep in the front of the cave, but Reedstar refused. Her life was more valuable than his, so he took her place for her.

Emberpaw had been right in the end. The small den had kept them sheltered through the bitterly cold winds, and they stayed warm and protected from the snow below them. All and all, they slept fitfully that night.

The next morning, Reedstar saw that it was clear and sunny out. But that didn't stop the icy chill that went through his spine. Sapkit was staring at him through strange looking eyes. The eyes of a cat who was much older, and shouldn't be alive.

He shook the thoughts away and waited for every other warrior and queen to wake. It seemed like forever until they finally all came out. Than Reedstar padded over to Rainshower, who was looking at Rosefoot curiously. The medicine cat's tail was pressed firmly against her belly, and he nodded as if he had said something important.

"You're expecting kits," he purred.

Rosefoot's eyes widened in disbelief as she took in his words. Reedstar had noticed that her belly grew rather plump over the last moon. He wondered who her mate was, until he glanced at Bumblestripe. The pale gray tom's eyes were gleaming with pride as she padded over to him and nudged him playfully.

The RiverClan leader sighed and joined the other leaders. They had gathered around a young birch tree and were now discussing what to do next. Solar was sitting with them, though he only listened to what they said.

Reedstar was relieved that Solar didn't suggest anything. Solar was nothing like Sol, and he was quite happy to feel that way. The last thing the Clans needed was another Sol, especially after Hollystar's battle with Snakeclaw.

"Why don't we try crossing that Thunderpath?" Weaselstar suggested as the leaders tried to picture the route to the new territory.

In their last dream, StarClan had shown them the best way to reach it. But it was often hard to remember the pictures, and sometimes the leaders argued over which way they should go.

"Are you mouse-brained?" Dawnstar hissed as she lashed her tail. She glared at the WindClan leader through icy blue eyes. "The last thing we need is to cross more Thunderpaths."

Cinderstar glanced at the two and shook her head, looking slightly dumbfounded at the arguing cats. Reedstar wondered if Dawnstar just liked to pick fights with others. She was always busy complaining about something, that she didn't have time to think or worry about anyone else.

"We don't really have a choice," he finally meowed as he pictured the route. Of course, a Thunderpath, bigger then any others the Clans had ever seen, clouded his vision. It would create chaos and uncertainty to the Clans, and Reedstar knew some cats would perish.

The other cats nodded in silent agreement, and their journey silently continued. But as Reedstar led RiverClan towards their destination, he began to wonder is this large Thunderpath was worth crossing at all.