Ok, not much to say here, just that the action is going to start very soon. If it doesn't start this chapter, it's most definitely going to be the next. And also, I highly doubt this story is going to be more than 30 chapters since I write such long ones, maybe 31 if I put in an epilogue. So right now we're on chapter 22 and I think I have an idea of how I'm going to end this. :D Well, anyway, on to the comments!

Guest: Even though you reviewed for chapter one instead of chapter 23 (well, actually 21 but whatever), I'll still reply. I know what you mean, so many of those stories end where the kits find out they're half-Clan and then it's so predictable what happens. I know what I'm going to do with Tinyfeather and Blackfrost so you'll just have to continue reading to find out!

Iceflower of ThunderClan: WOW that was probably the longest review you've ever left! :P Actually, when I first began this story, I had it in my mind that Pinepaw would be in love with Tinyfeather but she wouldn't love him but he would accept the kits as his own and all that crap. Then, I realized how utterly predictable that would be so I decided against it. I mean, he's still in love with her but of course he's dead so….:\ As for Echowing, I do not plan on Rowanstrike getting with another she-cat if she says no to wanting kits. It would just be completely unexpected and ridiculous and make the story drag out too much and like I said at the beginning, I really only want to make it 30 or 31 chapters. So if you were expecting that kind of drama, sorry. Lol And just go on my favorite's list, there's about 200 favorited stories and I recommend them all to you. :3

Quadethepeanutbutter: Ohhh….that makes much more sense lol. And you're welcome. Cool, you're coming to America? Where is it that you live? (:

Butterfly hat flies at dawn: LOL, we'll see….

Spottedfire7: Yeah, I don't think she is either. I mean come on; it's just a stupid Code. Lol :P

Mossflower32: Aw, why thank you!

Whitewarrior101: I'll try to, don't worry. :D I have the ending mostly planned out in my head so this story should be done very soon if I can get myself to write. Oh and thank you very much.

Okay, readers, bear with me while I try to get some action in here. (:

"Ugh, I hate Leaf-bare!" Tanglewhisper groaned, clawing at the scrawny meat on the squirrel he and Rowanstrike were sharing. "There's never any good fresh-kill to eat."

"Well unless you want to go ask ShadowClan if they could share some of their prey with us, you'll have to deal with this," Echowing meowed, swallowing a particularly stringy mouthful of a vole she had barely managed to catch. She pushed the small prey towards Tinyfeather and the silver she-cat bent her head to take a bite.

"No, I'd ask Swallowstar," commented Rowanstrike as he licked his jaws to try and catch any traces of squirrel that were stuck on his muzzle. "I'm not fond of rabbit but any prey is better than no prey. Plus, he won't claw our ears off if we ask for a little food."

Tanglewhisper let out an amused purr. "Since when have you ever tried rabbit?"

The ginger tom waved his tail dismissively even though he'd been caught in his lie. "That's not the point, brother. "

"Then, pray tell, what is the point?" Echowing asked as she licked her paw and ran it over her ear.

Rowanstrike shrugged. "Well, there really isn't much of a point to be honest. It just sounded like something good to say at the moment. Oh hush you two!" he added when he noticed Tanglewhisper and Echowing exchange a humorous glance.

"We're not talking though," the brown tom pointed out.

Rowanstrike muttered something unintelligible and then turned to his sister who had been quiet up till now. "Tinyfeather, what's with the silence? You've always been one to voice your thoughts."

"I'm just tired…" Tinyfeather mewed, not looking up from the fresh-kill.

Tanglewhisper nodded. "These extra hunting patrols have made everyone exhausted," he agreed.

"I don't know why Hawkstar's making us continuously hunt. It's not like there's much prey left out there anyway." Rowanstrike nudged the remains of the squirrel in disappointment. "And what is left is barely enough for three mouthfuls."

Echowing couldn't help but agree even though she knew her father was just trying to make sure every cat got something to eat. He had even given up some of his meals and when she had tried to confront him about it he'd said, "Only after my cats have had something to eat will I take anything for myself." He was not the only cat who was giving up what little fresh-kill they could eat. Fishleap had started giving some of his to Ivypetal whose stomach was now heavy with unborn kits and Hollyfrost had taken her share to the Elders. Tinyfeather had wanted to do the same as well but Echowing soon reminded her about her own kits and the she-cat had reluctantly agreed.

A half-moon had passed since the Gathering and Echowing knew the tonight would be when Littlewhisker and Iceheart would travel to the Moonpool to share tongues with StarClan. She hoped they would have good news when they came back because she was lost as to why Crowstar had been so silent lately. She knew he was planning something and she prayed that StarClan would give them something to help them try and figure out what was going to happen.

"Echowing?" Tanglewhisper's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked at him and realized he and Rowanstrike were staring at her.

"What?"

"Nothing," Rowanstrike answered. "You just kind of spaced there for a moment."

Echowing got abruptly to her paws and with a hasty "See you later" she padded quickly to the ferns that marked the Medicine Cat den. She pushed her way inside and the strong scent of herbs made her sneeze. Littlewhisker poked his head out from behind the rock that held the herbs and exclaimed, "Echowing, what are you doing in here?"

She walked up to him and noticed that he had a bit of a green leaf hanging from his chin but she ignored it. "Is Iceheart in here?"

"Yeah, she's in the back preparing herself some traveling herbs to eat before we go," the small tom replied, turning back to his sorting.

She mumbled her thanks and slipped into the back of the den where Iceheart sat. The white she-cat was muttering under her breath as she hooked a claw through a leaf and cocked her head when Echowing entered.

"I'm surprised you're here," Iceheart meowed, sending a glance at her over her shoulder.

Echowing trotted forward, trying not to step on any of the carefully laid out leaves. "I wanted to ask you if you've heard anything from StarClan recently."

Iceheart swiveled her head around and locked her gaze with the warrior. "Why would you ask me that? Shouldn't you be asking your actual Medicine Cat?"

Echowing sighed. "You know why I'm asking you Iceheart. Littlewhisker knows Crowstar's no good but he doesn't understand just how evil he is. I'm asking you because you know what he is capable of as well as I do but I need to know if StarClan has shared anything with you. The fate of the Clans could be hanging in the air if we don't find out exactly what he's planning!"

Iceheart narrowed her blue eyes. "You don't think I know that? I haven't heard a word from our ancestors and it's killing me. That's why I need to go to the Moonpool tonight because I think that's the only way I can speak with them now."

"Why are they being so silent though?" Echowing growled in frustration, her tail twitching. "Don't they see what's happening to the Clans?"

"I don't know any more than you do." Her friend frowned and stared at the herbs as if they could somehow hold all the answers they needed. "But what I do know is that everything our ancestors do, they do it for a reason."

Echoing blinked in disbelief. "So what you're saying is that StarClan is silent because they're trying to let us figure it out on our own?" she asked, incredulous. "But that's the most mouse-brained thing I've ever heard!"

Iceheart pinned her with a look of warning. "StarClan works in mysterious ways, Echowing, many of which we will never understand. The point is to not lose faith just because they speak in riddles and chose when and not to speak with us."

"I can't believe they'd just stand by and watch the Clans fall and not do anything to try and stop it," Echowing snapped. "They'd rather watch us fail then try and interfere."

"Do not act as if you know everything about StarClan," Iceheart advised. "We don't know what they are thinking or planning to do. All we can do is not lose faith."

Echowing snorted and stalked out of the Medicine Cat den, her paws itching in irritation. Faith. They're not exactly giving me much reason to have any of it lately. She stormed furiously over to a tree and sat down hard on her haunches a little way away from it. She unsheathed her claws and dug them into the soft snow beneath her. No matter what Iceheart told her, she just could wrap her head around the fact that StarClan seemed to be abandoning them in their time of need.

Suddenly, multiple pawsteps thundered against the ground and the cats in the clearing raised their heads in surprise as Adderflight, Windfur, and Dawnfeather poured into the camp. The tortoiseshell tom raised his voice in a yowl. "Hawkstar!"

Hawkstar raced forward and skidded to a halt in front of his warriors while Echowing and her Clanmates gathered closer to hear. Petalstream worriedly padded up to stand next to the leader. "What's wrong?" he demanded, casting a glance at the entrance to see if someone was attacking them.

"We were hunting by the ShadowClan border and Dawnfeather saw a dead mouse on our side of the border covered in ShadowClan scent," Windfur explained with wide eyes.

"They've been hunting on our territory!" Adderflight growled, tail lashing. By now, even the Elders were out of their den listening to the report the warrior made.

"We have to attack them to show them not to mess with our prey!" Dustclaw called from the back of the group. Several shouts of agreement rose up to meet him but Hawkstar raised his tail for silence.

"Something doesn't seem right though," he meowed, eyes narrowed in concentration. "You said the prey was left on our side of the border?"

Adderflight blinked. "What does that have to do with anything? We need to teach them a lesson or else they'll think they can hunt on our territory whenever they want to!"

"We don't have any prey to spare, Hawkstar," Jaypath interjected, glancing worriedly at Ivypetal who was leaning on Fishleap's shoulder.

"But why would ShadowClan kill a mouse of ours and not take it back to their own camp to eat?" Echowing protested. Something about the whole thing seemed off. "Surely they are suffering from lack of food just as we are."

Petalstream nodded slightly. "It does seem a bit strange," she admitted.

Adderflight looked shocked as he turned to Echowing. "Are you proposing that we do nothing then?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all," she defended herself. "But don't you think it's even a little bit weird that they had the perfect chance to get free fresh-kill to feed their Clan and they didn't take it?"

Hawkstar looked at her in approval before directing his words to the tom. "Echowing's right, it seems too strange that ShadowClan would just leave free prey."

"So what, we're not going to attack?" Dustclaw asked in bafflement. "We're just going to let them get away with this?"

"No," Hawkstar explained. "We're not going to attack. But," he pressed on through the cries of outrage. "I am going to visit ShadowClan and inform Shadestar about this because he might not know what his warriors are doing."

Yeah, and hedgehogs fly, Echowing thought but didn't say. She knew her Clanmates were thinking the same thing from their exchanged glances of skepticism but none voiced their thoughts. She had a feeling Shadestar knew exactly what was going on and had probably told his warriors to do it.

"Who are you taking?" Sunwhisper called out.

The tabby leader scanned the faces of his cats and answered, "Littlewhisker I want you to come with me so that Shadestar knows this isn't an attack. I'll also take Whitepelt and Sandfur."

"But Hawkstar, I have to leave for the Moonpool soon," Littlewhisker reminded him, green eyes apologetic.

The ThunderClan leader blinked as if he'd completely forgotten about that. "Oh. Right. Okay, then Echowing, you'll come with us."

"Me?" she echoed.

"No offense, but you're the size of an apprentice so that should make Shadestar lower his guard a bit," her father meowed gently.

Echowing sniffed and tried not to be insulted. Besides, if it would help get answers out of Shadestar, she guessed Hawkstar was right about her size. Still, he didn't have to say that in front of the whole Clan, she thought miserably. Her size was always a sore subject for her.

"When are you leaving then?" Petalstream questioned.

Hawkstar glanced at up and nodded when he saw that it was just a little bit past sunhigh. "We'll go right now." Without wasting any time, he began to head towards the entrance with Whitepelt and Sandfur behind him. Before she could follow, her three friends bounded up to her and blocked her path.

"Promise you'll tell us everything that happens?" Tanglewhisper meowed excitedly.

"Yeah," Tinyfeather repeated. "Everything, please."

Echowing gave her a knowing look and nodded to all three of them before dashing to catch up with the rest of the patrol. When they were out in the forest Hawkstar led them to the ShadowClan border and the air was crackled with anticipation as they settled down just on their side of the border to wait for a passing patrol.

Whitepelt stalked up and down the length of the scent mark, tail twitching in impatience, while Sandfur sat staring at the pine trees that marked the beginning of ShadowClan territory. Hawkstar arranged himself in a crouch with his eyes half closed as he tried to soak up as much heat as he could from the sun.

Meanwhile, Echowing could hardly sit still. Nervous and full of expectant apprehension, the small warrior started to sharpen her claws on of the shorter ThunderClan trees. It felt good to let out all her pent up emotions and she sliced them down the bark until she had made multiple grooves in it that satisfied her.

Finally, after waiting for what felt like seasons, movement on the other side of the border alerted them of an upcoming patrol. Sandfur sprang to his paws and Hawkstar rose to stand at the front of their small group. Whitepelt and Echowing stood to his right side and she braced herself for whatever was going to happened.

Out of the shaded area came three full sized warriors and a smaller tom that she figured was an apprentice. The leader of the patrol, a molted brown tom with an irregular sized fang, drew his tail up and they halted. Echowing thought the tom looked distinctly familiar but she couldn't be sure where'd she'd seen him before.

"Well, well, well, what's ThunderClan doing on our territory?" the stocky warrior sneered.

Hawkstar dipped his head. "Greetings Snakefang, we mean no harm and as you can see we are on our side of the border."

Echowing then recognized him: he was one of the warriors she had met on her first day of being an apprentice. From what her memory told her of that first and only encounter, she highly disliked him.

When Snakefang didn't reply, Hawkstar continued. "I need to speak with Shadestar."

"Why?" the smaller dark brown apprentice demanded, fur bristling. "Are you planning to attack?"

"Hush Talonpaw!" a gray she-cat snapped. Talonpaw stepped back but sent daggers across the border with his eyes.

"He does have a good point though," Snakefang growled. "How do we know this isn't an attack?"

Yeah, because four cats can definitely take on a whole Clan and expect to come out alive.

Talonpaw swiveled his head to scowl at her and she realized that she had accidentally spoken her thoughts out loud. His eyes flashed tauntingly. "You look like a kit," he stated bluntly.

Echowing just rolled her eyes and sighed wearily. "So I've been told," she muttered dryly, knowing there was no use to brag that she actually was a warrior unlike some cats.

Hawkstar shot her a look as if he knew what she was thinking and then faced Snakefang once again. "Please, I just need to speak with Shadestar. I swear on StarClan we are not here to stage an attack on your Clan."

"What do you need to speak with him about?" the gray pelted she-cat demanded, fur rising along her spine.

Hawkstar raised his chin and squared his shoulders. "That is between me and Shadestar, not his warriors."

The cats huddled in a loose group and talked quietly together for a moment before Snakefang waved his tail. "Very well," he hissed. "But you will walk in the middle and if any of you raise a claw, we will fight back."

The tabby leader dipped his head. "I wouldn't have expected any less of you." He motioned for his three warriors to follow him as he stepped over the border and made his way to the ShadowClan cats. Hawkstar stood at the front with Echowing just slightly behind while Sandfur and Whitepelt protected them from the back. The four ShadowClan cats surrounded them and then they began making their way through the icky territory.

Loose mud squished under her pads and Echowing felt exposed with very little trees around her. How do they live like this? she thought repulsively as she tried in vain to flick the sticky dirt off her paws. She was going to have to scrub them on a rock or something to get the feeling of the caked mud off. Already she missed the well-worn paths in the forest and the sandy dirt that never grew muddy even when it rained really heard.

"Keep up," Talonpaw hissed when she stopped yet again to flick off the disgusting mud.

She made a face at his back but finally gave up and tried to ignore the mud. After a while, the scent of ShadowClan cats grew increasingly stronger and Echowing figured they were getting close to the camp. Her thoughts were confirmed when Snakefang led the way through a thorny entrance and into a wide clearing.

Cats were sprawled out everywhere, eating fresh-kill or talking with one another. Many of the heads turned in their direction when they came into view and some leapt to their paws, backs arched threateningly.

"Wait here," Snakefang told them before bounding away to a large den that she guessed was Shadestar's.

By now, almost every cat had come out to see what all the commotion about. Some leered and spat at them while others just looked curious. All the while though, Hawkstar just sat on his haunches and didn't show any sign of hearing what the ShadowClan cats were shouting at him.

"Why don't you go back to your flea infested forest, you scrawny ThunderClan cats?"

"Is that all the warriors you could spare, Hawkstar? Because the rest are all starved to death?"

"Warriors? Look at that one, she looks like a kit!"

At this last jeer, Echowing snapped her head around and narrowed her eyes at the speaker, a white tom with gray ears. His green eyes gleamed with reproach and she knew he was trying to get a reaction out of her. With a fierce show of will, she just flicked an ear dismissively and turned her back to the tom even though inside she was steaming with anger. Sandfur cast her a sympathetic glance but she didn't want his pity. Don't stoop to their level, Echowing she told herself over and over again. Keep your cool.

Finally (finally!), Snakefang emerged out of the leader's den followed by the dark furred form of Shadestar. The warrior held back as his leader stalked right up to Hawkstar.

"What do you want?" he growled, not even bothering with pleasantries.

Hawkstar dipped his head. "Greetings, Shadestar. I have come to speak with you."

Shadestar waved his tail. "Then speak."

Her father narrowed his amber eyes slightly. "I was hoping it would be in private," he meowed tersely.

"Whatever you have to say to me will be said in front of my Clan," the ShadowClan leader replied and his voice left no room for argument.

Hawkstar tilted his head forward a bit, acknowledging the other tom. "Very well then. Today a warrior of mine found a dead mouse on our territory and it was covered in ShadowClan scent."

"Are you accusing me of stealing your prey?" The dark tom's fur didn't even bristle at the accusation nor did he look surprised. Echowing's suspicions were then confirmed that the leader had indeed known about the prey stealing.

Hawkstar shook his head slightly. "No, Shadestar, because I am giving you the benefit of the doubt that you knew nothing of it. However, this is a warning to you and your Clan that you stop hunting on ThunderClan territory."

Shadestar leaned forward, eyes challenging. "And if we don't?" he spat.

Hawkstar didn't even blink, just replied simply, "Then we will be forced to attack to protect and defend our borders. But it doesn't have to come to that as long as you keep your cats on your own territory from now on."

Without waiting for a reply, Hawkstar turned on his paws and padded towards the entrance of the clearing with his head held high and the three warriors following. Echowing looked around one last time to see if she could locate Blackfrost but he was nowhere to be found.

"Tallfeather, Tigerfur," she heard Shadestar meow. "Follow them and make sure they get out of our territory."

A white she-cat with a long black stripe down her back and a gray tom with brown paws slipped out into the pine forest after them. Hawkstar glanced back and sighed. "This is not necessary you know."

"Shadestar's orders," the tom growled, padding on the left of the ThunderClan cats while the she-cat walked on the right.

They went on in tense silence until they arrived at the border. Echowing couldn't help herself and she bounded across the scent line and arched her back against one of the oak trees. When all four cats were on ThunderClan territory, Hawkstar turned to face the two warriors.

"I hope it does not come to a battle," he murmured respectfully. The two cats said nothing and disappeared back into the dark shaded area of the pine trees.

"I don't know why you try, Hawkstar," Sandfur commented as they began to make their way back to camp. "You know Shadestar would never have heard you out."

The old leader shrugged and his tail hung low to the ground. Echowing pressed reassuringly against him as he replied heavily, "I just wish he had more sense to realize that not everything has to end in a fight; especially when it's leaf-bare."

"Shadestar is set in his ways," Whitepelt muttered. "All we can do is protect the Clan and defend our territory when it needs to be."

Hawkstar nodded and glanced up at the sky, amber eyes troubled. "Though I fear one day there will be too much bloodshed that even StarClan cannot wash away. "

"So are we going to attack ShadowClan?" Echowing questioned, paws itching with adrenaline.

"Yes," her father answered. His tone was flat and lifeless as he continued, "I will tell every cat to get a good night's rest. We will attack tomorrow at dawn."

Yep, so the next chapter is going to be a great big battle and all that, then there's going to be a few more chapters after that but then that's it! This story is coming to its end and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to make a sequel but there will be another story up shortly after this one is through. I've not decided on the name yet but I'll let you all know. Review, my lovelies.