Check out the poll on my profile page! I love to write to music! I listen to a song, and base a character's story, personality, etc, on its tempo, lyrics, whatever I feel. I need help picking a great song for the characters Star and Stoneclaw, especially for the upcoming battle scene in 'Shatter'! Thanks!

A big thanks to my reviewers! (snidely and Talonclaw11)

Snidely, I thank you for the very detailed review. I fixed the errors, and decided to rename Tigerwish. (Now that I think about it, it does sound like a perfume.) He will now be known as Tigerstripe!

Talonclaw11, I'm glad you like it! At your request, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 1

Breezetail heard a noise from the undergrowth near the top of the camp. Frowning, she slowly stood, padding up the ledges of the quarry camp. Her ears strained to listen over the loud chirps of crickets and other nighttime insects.

Something brown flew out of the bush. Breezetail screeched, ducking just in time so it misses her face by mere inches. She looks down the ledge and gasps in shock. A squirrel?! What mousebrain throws a squirrel?!

In her moment of distraction, something else leaps on top of her, sinking its claws into her shoulders. She starts to thrash, trying to break her attacker's grip. One paw lifts off her shoulders, smacking at her muzzle to try and keep her quiet. Yowling, she stumbles near the edge and her paw slips. Off-balance, she and her attacker tumble down the cliff ledge, landing hard in the middle of the camp. She hears a loud snarl, and the weight off of her back is lifted and tossed away. A shadow whips over her. She turns toward the sound of the thud, and sees Tigerstripe slashing his thorn-sharp claws at a skinny brown-and-white tom, who was hissing furiously, trying to connect his back paws with her brother's stomach.

A few more cats rush out of the bushes into the camp. She counts about five in all, including the brown-and-white tom. This is all the loners have? Half of the warriors were fighting off the rouges, while the other protected the little fresh-kill pile, which the squirrel was added to. Rainheart, who was among said group, was batting at a sleek silver tabby she-cat. Breezetail noticed Adderclaw fending off a solid brown tom. A growl rumbled in her chest as her claws tapped the soil. She flung herself onto the cat, causing it to roll. She leapt off, landing side-by-side with Adderclaw. The tom, with his brown pelt a shade darker, gave a loud hiss before standing. The two Thunderclan warriors stalked around him in circles, one swiping out when he was turned toward the other. Breezetail nicked his flank, while Adderclaw causes crimson lines to form on his muzzle and chest. He yowled in defeat before racing off up and out of camp, empty-pawed. They heard another yowl before a pure white she, now covered in dirt and leaves and a nasty bite mark on her shoulder, half-ran, half-limped, after the brown tom. The brown-and-white tom ran past the chaos and jumped on the cliff ledge, yowling "Retreat!" The remaining loners started to take off. The fresh-kill protection group had gone to attend to Swiftstar, who had a deep side wound from the brown-and-white tom before he called a retreat. Lakestep ran out of his den, an herb-filled leaf in his jaws.

Sighing, Breezetail started to pad over, when she hears the quiet sound of falling pebbles. A grey tom had scrabbled up the edge with something swinging from his clawed jaws. His amber eyes widened when he noticed Breezetail's own ice-blue ones on him. In his mouth held a plump mouse, one that Breezetail had caught on her hunting patrol, her only catch that evening.

Hey! That's mine! She bared her fangs and sprinted up the cliff edge and crashed through the tunnel after the tom. He had a bloodied shoulder, but he was still fast. Breezetail dug her claws in deeper as she steady caught up to him. She sprung, landing squarely on his shoulders. He crumpled into the ground face-first. She tumbled over him, and because she was still holding onto his shoulders, she caused him to flip over onto her. She squirmed, biting any grey she saw. His cries of pain rang out, and she felt the weight lift off of her. She scrambled to her paws, growling. "That's my mouse, loner. You better give it back and get lost."

The tom sat quietly, the mouse at his paws. "Please. It's for Patch and her kits. You know as well as I do there's hardly any prey left in loner territory with all the Twolegs, and the clan has enough prey. Can't you just spare one little mouse?"

"NO! What about OUR kits? Who's going to feed them, or their mothers?" spat Breezetail harshly.

"Maybe if you saw for yourself, you would understand."

"I can't, loner. I'm a warrior, bound by the Warrior Code." Breezetail's voice had softened. Her eyes were cast down, looking at her paws.

"So? How does that affect you? I thought that just ment you can't kill other cats, but that's common sense anyway."

"No, there are other rules, like not leaving the territory."

He could read the longing in her eyes. "But you want to…"

"Yeah, but my brother's the deputy. I have to live up to his expectations, and Starclan's. What would he say?"

The tom let out a deep exhale. "Look. I'm sure that you could. Just say you were getting the mouse." He flashed her a goofy, crooked grin.

She laughed. "Well, ok. When you put it that way. I'm Breezetail, by the way."

The tom dipped his head. "Stone. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." He grabbed the mouse, and the two cats headed to the border toward Horseplace. When they arrived, Breezetail slowed, stopping at the scent markers. Stone set the mouse down and looked over his shoulder, already across. "What's wrong?"

"I've never been across before. I'd break so many rules…"

"Rules were ment to be broken. Just trust me."

The look in his eyes made her heart beat louder. She, with a determined look settling upon her face, leapt over the border. "I did it!" She proclaimed with a triumphant grin, as if she jumped a large gorge instead of over a scent marked. Stone chuckled, grabbing the mouse. "Race ya!" He called through mouse fur as he took off.

"Oh no you don't, prey-stealer!" She cried out playfully as they ran beside the gentle, lapping water on the shores of the lake.