Hai everyone! So sorry this is a day late! I finished it yesterday, but when I tried to post it on , the website was down. :/ Yeah, so sorry about that. I'm so sorry that I'm always late with updates! I feel so terrible whenever I'm late and I know I always say that I'm busy, but it's not really that. It's more the fact that, although I love writing Blue Moon, I lack motivation at times and I am SO easily distracted. Everything is too distracting! Yeah, so sorry about that.

But hey, if the fanfiction website hadn't been down, I would've been able to post this on time. :3

Oh and you guys, thank you so much to each and everyone of you that actually reviews this story. It really means so much to me, you taking a few minutes out of your day to read my story and then leave some words on it. Your reviews are what motivate me to write! I'm going to update the Blue Moon website later today with some more of your lovely reviews, so leave some nice stuff and you might get up there! Also, the Blue Moon website now has a Q+A section, which one of you suggested (KatieK101 I think it was?) and I've answered all the Q+A's that you've ever left in your reviews. So check that out and leave me some more questions! I love answering them. ^^

The Blue Moon website link is on my profile if you're interested. :3

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, unfortunately.

.:Review Replies:.

Stunna13 ~ Really? Oh good. I always worry that people get bored or can't be bothered to read long chapters. ;w; Thank you once again!

WyldClaw ~ Aw, really? I always kinda feel a little bad when I make people cry when they read my writing, 'cause I don't want you guys to be sad! ^^'

Numbuh 227 ~ Haha, thanks! Rabbitleap would make a good deputy, I agree, you'll just have to wait and see though. ^^ Aha, no, Brightwing's not pregnant, yet. And in honesty, I don't know where I got the idea for Amber, Snowy and Dew-Dew (excuse my strange nicknames for them) to be reincarnated SkyClan warriors from, it just kind happened. ;w;

Petalwish ~ Oh mah gudness, you didn't tell me you won this account! Bad ForeverWifeh. xD Just kidding. I checked out your stories, they're awesome! Are you still continuing your stories from your old account? Cloudfoot would be an awesome deputy, but nope, he's not the new deputy.

Orangeflight ~ I know, I feel so bad for Cherrytail and Redflower. Brightwing, although she probably would make a great deputy, isn't really looking for that kind of responsibility. She's perfectly content in her life as a normal warrior, serving her clan. ^^ Oh, and I answered your Q&A on the Blue Moon website. :3

Raven cries Nevermore ~ Yup, we will be getting p.o.v.'s from Redflower, probably quite frequently, from here on out. There probably will also be more p.o.v.'s from Seedflight and occasionally Lilystream in future chapters. :3

Alwayssearching2012 ~ Aw, thanks, but I just know I could've taken more care with this chapter and written it better. Poor Sharpclaw, yes. The thing is, he probably wouldn't have ever accepted that he was too old to be deputy and stepped down from his position because he's quite stubborn, he never really would've gone to the Elders' den. :/ Sad times, indeed.

Cupcake ~ Poor Cherrytail and Redflower, and Whitefern as well, although she tends to hide her emotions and cover up. Tough times for all of them really. :/

Snowfeather487 ~ Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying my writing. :3 Thanks for the tip! I haven't really come across many points where I've needed to use distances so far, but I'll remember that for future! ^^

Silkbreeze-of-ThunderClan ~ Awh, thank you. :3 Splashy… That's an awesome nickname.

Blazerkitty1229 ~ He he, it's funny people are suggesting Brightwing as deputy, it never even crossed my mind that she'd be deputy. Aha, Redflower as deputy. That would be hilarious really. xD

KatieK101 ~ Yup! I answered all your other Q&A questions on the Blue Moon website. :3 Rabbitleap as deputy… We'll have to see, won't we? ;)

Arcticfoxlover ~ Thank you 3

Holystar ~ Oh my goodness, that's a lot of jumbled up letters. xD Thank you for such a lovely review! And don't worry, I don't ever intent on stopping writing this series, well not until I've finished the last book! :3

Goldentail-of-WindClan ~ Thank you! In honesty, I might change my name to something more simple, like just Leafsplash, or even Leafy. :3

Koilered ~ Thank you! I will answer your Q&A on the Blue Moon website as soon as I can. :3

Amberleaf4273 ~Thank you so much! I post a new chapter (when I can) every two weeks, usually on a Friday. He he, glad you're one of the few people who like Dewclaw. He needs more love. 3

Agreed, DewxRed and SnowxSeed are both adorable. I'm a real AmberxMole shipper though, I just… They're too adorable. Cinderheart's kits are super cute! I'm same as you, I love Pebblepaw and Honeypaw, but I'm also rather attached to dear little Stormpaw. 3 They will be featuring more in the future, but not as absolute main characters. ^^ Poor Sharpclaw. :/ Thank you so much! I checked out your story (can't remember if I reviewed or not), but I love it so far! :3 Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely, long review, I enjoyed reading it! :3

Anyway, that's all from me. Enjoy! Don't forget to read and review! :3

Redflower

The body had grown cold with the approach of night. When the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat looked at it, she no longer saw her father, but rather a shadow of his former self. He was with StarClan now, hunting amongst the stars with his warrior ancestors. He'd be with Sparrowpelt now, his old denmate. Redflower wondered whether Breezepaw had been there to welcome him. Her sister had been a kittypet when she'd left this world, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be welcomed into StarClan's hunting grounds upon death. Breezepaw had always had the heart of a warrior, Redflower was sure she was with StarClan now.

She never should've left SkyClan. She might still be here if she hadn't.

Swallowing, the young warrior pressed her nose into Sharpclaw's thick ginger pelt. He no longer bore that familiar scent, that reassuring smell that whisked the dappled warrior back to when she was a kit and made her feel safe. It had been overpowered by the strong smelling herbs that her mother and Echosong had entwined into his pelt. They said it took away the scent of death, but it didn't. It didn't at all.

It was a cold, musty scent; death. It had lingered, refusing to leave now that it had laid claim to the life of Sharpclaw. Redflower had wanted to yowl to Cherrytail that they were trying to cover it up, trying to smother the fact that Sharpclaw was dead. Her father, Cherrytail's mate, SkyClan's deputy, was dead. He wasn't going to just magically awaken, he was dead. It was no use tiptoing over it, pretending it had never happened. It had happened; Sharpclaw was dead.

Cloudfoot, who'd also been trapped under the rock-pile, was currently still being treated by Frecklewish and Brackenpaw. From what Redflower had heard, however, he was on the path to recovery.

The tortoiseshell-and-white warrior's gaze washed over the dark ginger form that was Sharpclaw's lifeless body. Cloudfoot had been lucky, so so lucky. I'd give anything for just one more moment with him, just one more day. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, realising that they'd never get to go on that hunt that Sharpclaw had promised he'd take her on.

"There's always later, or tomorrow maybe?"

Her father's words rang in her ears. Later, tomorrow. There is no tomorrow, not for Sharpclaw. A sob escaped her jaws, shaking her whole body. Breathing shakily, the young warrior buried her head in her Father's fur once more.

She still couldn't quite get over the fact that this had happened. This was real. This was no dream, not a nightmare even, her Father was dead. Dead.

Why couldn't it have been me that was buried under that rock-pile?

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, beside her father's body sitting vigil. It was just before moonhigh when she felt a light touch to her ear and a soft murmur, "Redflower, it's time."

It was Brightwing. Sitting up, Redflower faked a smile for her friend, before asking, "Time for what?"

The ginger-and-white warrior gave her a sympathetic smile, "It's moonhigh. Leafstar's going to name the new deputy."

What? Already?

Blinking, the dappled tortoiseshell-and-white warrior glanced over at her mother, Cherrytail, who had been laying against Sharpclaw's other side, her muzzle pressed into his fur. She hadn't moved once since the vigil had begun. She was flanked by Robinsong and Flintclaw, Redflower's older siblings.

Whitefern had yet to pay her respects to her father. In fact, the dappled warrior hadn't seen her sister since earlier, when she'd shown the rescue patrol where the rock-pile had collapsed, trapping Cloudfoot and her father. She'd run off shortly.

Redflower wasn't sure if it was grief or something else, but it saddenned her not to have her littermate at her side, a source of comfort in a whirlpool of grief and dismay. The dappled warrior wondered if her sister was still ignoring her.

Unsteadily, Redflower rose to her paws. Her legs felt like young willow, thin and bendy, like they couldn't support her weight and would snap any second. Brightwing gave her a supportive nudge, "I'm so sorry, Redflower," she murmured.

The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat swallowed, but didn't speak. Her gaze slowly drifted up to the Meeting Stone, where Leafstar was slowly climbing. The brown-and-cream tabby she-cat took a deep breath before yowling, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Meeting Stone for a clan meeting!"

With weary limbs, the young warrior followed Brightwing to a spot beneath the large boulder that had become SkyClan's meeting point. Flintclaw and Robinsong rose from Sharpclaw's side and followed their younger sister, sitting down behind her.

SkyClan slowly began to spill out into the red-stone hollow, which was bathed in pale moonlight, giving it a silver glow to it. Some of the older warriors and elders still seemed rather distraught whilst the younger members were excited about who the new deputy would be.

"I think it's going to be Billystorm!" Redflower heard Sootkit meow brightly, "He's a great warrior and he's Leafstar's mate, so she's bound to choose him."

His sister Aspenkit scoffed, "No way, Billystorm's way too old. I think Birdflight will be deputy, she mentored Berrystep, who's a really good warrior, and she's an amazing fighter. Or maybe it'll be Rabbitleap?"

Redflower thought it too soon to start thinking about who would be SkyClan's deputy now. Like it or not, there would be a new deputy named before moonhigh, but the young she-cat couldn't bear thinking about anyone being deputy other than her father. It was like they were replacing him. No, they were replacing him.

When satisfied that everyone had come together, Leafstar at last began to speak, her voice low and raspy, her eyes hollow with grief, "Today, we have lost a great warrior," the SkyClan leader's gaze travelled to where Sharpclaw lay, "Sharpclaw served SkyClan from the very beginning, when Firestar and Sandstorm regrouped the lost clan. At first I was unsure of whether I'd made the right choice in a deputy," her gaze flickered back from the former deputy to her clan, "But then I realised, there was no cat I'd rather have at my side. He tested me as a leader, questioning my decisions, but he was always there to back up my choices, I couldn't have hoped for a better deputy."
Many of the clan bowed their heads in respect to the fallen deputy. The brown-and-cream tabby lifted her head to the indigo sky, flecked with stars, "May he find good hunting, swift running and shelter where he sleeps."

Murmurs of agreement spread amongst those gathered. Redflower swallowed, managing to contain the sobs she could feel welling up inside her. Be strong. Be strong. For Sharpclaw, it's the least you can do.

Her eyes briefly wandered the red-stone gorge, lingering on a white she-cat with green eyes. Whitefern had returned. The young warrior had just approached the body of her father, leaf-green eyes glazed with grief. She slowly lay down beside the dark ginger tom, pressing her nose into his pelt. Redflower decided to leave her be, trying to focus on the meeting instead.

"Sharpclaw was an excellent deputy and he would've made an even better leader," Leafstar's tone was wistful and her amber gaze clouded for a moment, "But we can't change the path that StarClan has laid out for us. SkyClan must have a new deputy."

Several excited mews rippled across the hollow. Redflower wasn't amongst those excited, her gaze fixed blankly on her clan leader. She'd never really noticed it before, but Leafstar seemed particularly frail. Her pelt was dull, no longer glossy, her eyes hollow with grief. White hairs flecked her muzzle and her movements were stiff and forced. How many lives does she have left?

"I say these words before the body of Sharpclaw, so that his spirit may hear and approve of my choice," Leafstar rasped, her eyes briefly resting on Sharpclaw's limp body, then straying to the gathering of cats, seeking out a particular pelt amongst many, "The new deputy of SkyClan will be Rabbitleap!"

The dappled tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat's gaze followed Leafstar's until it reached the very pale brown tom. Rabbitleap looked completely astounded by Leafstar's choice. Eyes wide, he rose to his paws, his mate Mintfur purring a string of soft, encouraging words to him. He meowed, voice a little shaky, "I'm honoured to be chosen Leafstar, and I hope that I can serve my clan as well as Sharpclaw."

Leafstar mewed softly, "I'm sure you will."

Redflower couldn't help but give a small smile; if there was any cat worthy of the title of deputy, it was Rabbitleap. He was a brave and loyal warrior, very popular amongst his clanmates, and one of the clan's best hunters.

The clan began to chant, softly at first, but gradually growing loud, piercing the icy silence of the night, "Rabbitleap! Rabbitleap! Rabbitleap!"

Ambersky

"Ambersky! Ambersky! Wake up!"

Heart racing and threatening to burst out of her chest, the young warrior jerked awake, eyes snapping open, "What is it? What's wrong?" her gaze raced back and forth the Warriors' Den, trying to place what was going on. Eventually it rested on the cat standing before her, looking perfectly content and wearing an excited smile. It was Lilystream.

Her heart breathed a sigh of relief and Ambersky sank deeper into her nest, "You shouldn't wake me up like that, Lilystream, you almost made me jump our of my fur!" she took a moment to recover, letting her heart rate slowly return to normal, before sitting up a little and starting to smooth down her ruffled grey-and-white pelt, "Why did you wake me up anyway? What's going on?"

The dark brown-and-white tabby warrior was grinning from ear to ear, "We have visitors!" she burst out, her tail flourishing from side to side with great enthusiasm, "Some tribe cats have come to visit us!"

Tribe cats? Ambersky blinked in confusion, Whatever could cats from the tribe be visiting us for? She pulled herself to her paws, shaking off the weariness, "Why are they"- she was interrupted by a wide yawn, "Why are they here?"

Lilystream shrugged, "I don't know, but let's go see!" grinning, she gave her a friend a friendly shove before racing out of the den. Ambersky gave a warm smile at her friend's enthusiasm, but before following her, let her gaze wander the Warriors' Den for a moment. It seemed word had already got around about the arrival of visitors as most of the nests were empty.

Shaking a little moss from her pelt, the young grey-and-white warrior crossed the den, emerging into the soft light of day. It was a little past dawn, when Ambersky would usually be awaking. It wasn't at all hard to locate the visiting tribe cats; a large crowd of ThunderClan members, varying in ages from young kits to elders, were swarming around them. The cats crowding around them made it impossible for the young warrior to identify the visitors.

Ambersky began to move forwards to try and speak to the tribe visitors, but she was stopped by a delighted meow from the Highledge, "Stormfur! Screech! It's good to see you!"

Bramblestar leapt down in an easy bound to greet his old friends, the gathering of cats parting for their clan leader. Ambersky smiled when she spotted the former RiverClan warrior, Stormfur, Screech, a black tom, and a speckled grey she-cat, who she took a moment to recognise as Rain.

"It's good to see you too, old friend," Stormfur purred, warmth in his amber gaze, "I just wish it would be on different circumstances," for a moment a hint of wistfulness crept into his gaze, then the dark grey tom turned away.

Bramblestar frowned, his amber gaze clouding, "I think we'd better speak," his gaze briefly flickered upwards and flitted around the hollow, "Somewhere more private," he beckoned with a dip of his head towards his den.

Stormfur nodded slowly, "Yes, that might be a good idea."

Letting her gaze follow the pair as they disappeared in the shadows of the clan leader's den, Ambersky almost didn't notice Dewclaw approach, "What's all the fuss about?"

The pale grey-and-white she-cat slowly turned to her brother, worry flitting behind her intelligent, amber gaze, "We have some visitors from the tribe. Stormfur's just gone to speak with Bramblestar in his den," she informed her brother, giving a little smile. What could the tribe cats be visiting them for? Was there something amiss amongst the tribe, did they need help from ThunderClan?

"Oh, that's it?" Dewclaw didn't seem particularly worried or interested in the visitors. He appeared to have just returned from a hunting patrol, his pelt a little ruffled. Ambersky couldn't help but notice the wounds that still remained from the Gathering.

The dark grey tom's amber gaze briefly rested on the Highledge, then it flickered away. He sat upon his haunches and began to smooth down his thick grey pelt in short quick rasps of the tongue.

The conversation didn't go much further, because it was at that point that a certain spotted brown-and-cream pelt caught Ambersky's gaze, "Sorry, got to go!" she muttered briefly to her brother, before racing off.

"Molespots!" Ambersky meowed brightly, almost running right into the young warrior, "Hi!"

The spotted warrior almost dropped the pigeon he was carrying in his jaws, "Hey Amber," his mew was muffled by the feathered grey bird. He gave a sheepish smile, dropping it on the fresh-kill pile.

"Amber?" the grey-and-white she-cat echoed, did he just call me Amber? She supposed it was meant as a nickname and smiled, Amber. I like it! Better than the nickname Redflower used to have for Dewclaw. Dewy Paws… She smirked.

"I'm sorry, that sort of just came out," the warrior blurted out an apology, "I didn't mean to offend your or anything, I just"-

Ambersky hushed him, moving her tail to his mouth, "No, no, I like it," she purred warmly, amber eyes bright, "No need to apologise," she brushed her tail away.

Molespots gave a relieved smile, then his gaze drifted to behind Ambersky, where many of ThunderClan were still swarming around Screech and Rain, hurling excited questions at them, "Is there something going on? Only normally at this time, almost the whole camp is still asleep."

Ambersky quickly explained about the visiting tribe cats. The brown-and-cream warrior responded almost identically to her, "The tribe? Why are they here? I hope there's not something wrong."

The grey-and-white she-cat shrugged, "Let's hope not," she muttered, "And with luck, we won't have to wait much longer to find out why they're here," her gaze lingered on the Highledge for a moment.

Molespots opened his jaws, as if to reply something, then he snapped them shut. For a moment both the cats were silent, then the brown-and-cream tom meowed, "You know, I was wondering if you'd like to come out hunting with me later, in the evening?" he gave a shy smile, his amber gaze hopeful, but hinted with self-doubt, "There was this place I wanted to show you."
Ambersky's heart gave a flutter and her amber eyes glowed, the warmest of smiles creeping to her face, "That would be great," she purred softly, touching her tail to his shoulder briefly, "I'd love to."
The spotted brown-and-cream tom instantly breathed a sigh of relief, grinning, "Great. That's great," for a moment their eyes locked, then Ambersky glanced away, her heart doing loop-de-loops in her chest. Hunting with Molespots! Already, she couldn't wait for the evening to arrive.

Several heartbeats passed and neither of the two cats exchanged words. The pale grey-and-white she-cat smiled gingerly, her gaze flickering over the spotted brown-and-cream tom. In some ways, it almost frustrated her how excited and happy she was around Molespots. When she was with him, it was her heart speaking and her head had absolutely no control over her actions. She just couldn't help it. He was just such a great cat; kind, honest, well-meaning and surprisingly mature for his age, at least most of the time. He was rather handsome too, at least in Ambersky's eyes, so that helped as well.

The young warrior took a soft breath, glancing up at Molespots to find he was gazing back at her, a faraway look in his usually clear amber eyes. Realising she was looking at him, the brown-and-cream tom glanced away, his ears flattening against his head in quiet embarrassment, "Sorry," he murmured apologetically, not quite holding her gaze, "You… You have very pretty eyes."

The comment didn't register in Ambersky's head for a heartbeat or so. She stared at him blankly, a little unsure if she'd heard correctly, or if she was hearing things and should probably go and see Leafpool to have her ears checked out. Completely unsure of how to respond, the grey-and-white she-cat opened her jaws to speak, then clamped them shut when she realised she had no idea what to say.

Ducking her head in embarrassment, she gave a smile, her amber eyes whispering a silent 'thank you'. Molespots seemed to notice this and returned the smile, shuffling his paws awkwardly.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Highledge for a clan meeting!"

Bramblestar's yowl rang out through the stone hollow. Ambersky lifted her head, her gaze tracing it's way up the stone walls of the hollow until it rested on the proud figure standing on the Highledge. Although Bramblestar was smiling, his eyes betrayed the worry welling up within him.

ThunderClan were quick to collect below the meeting place, most of them already being awake. Ambersky, dipping her head warmly to Molespots, padded over to join them, crossing the clearing to sit beside Poppyfrost and Lilystream. Letting her gaze wander, the pale grey-and-white warrior found that Snowfall had already settled beside Seedflight, the two young cats in a light, friendly discussion. The long-furred white warrior, smiling brightly, leaned forward and licked the pale ginger she-cat's ear fondly, his eyes soft with warmth for his friend. Friend? Ambersky wasn't quite sure what the nature of their relationship was any more. They weren't mates, she knew that at least. For how much longer would that be though? They were certainly closer than ever, Ambersky wouldn't be at all surprised if they took the big step to becoming mates soon.

She smiled at their warm interactions; they both made each other so happy, it was rather adorable really.

Letting a small yawn part her jaws, Ambersky let her eyes brush over her clanmates as they awaited the arrival of the rest of ThunderClan.

Dewclaw was just sitting down to the right of the young warrior, settling himself in the company of Birchfall, Whitewing and Pebblepaw. The golden tabby apprentice immediately began buzzing proudly to the dark grey tom about a training session from the previous day. Dewclaw simply nodded, not looking mildly interested. Ambersky was quite surprised he hadn't snapped at Pebblepaw for bothering him and smiled, whiskers twitching in mild amusement.

Emerging from the dappled shadow of the Nursery, Bumblestripe was escorting his expecting mate, Dovewing, to a place beneath the Highledge. Although the pale grey queen's belly was only ever so slightly, gently rounded with her unborn kits, her mate was always fretting over her, anxious for her wellbeing.

The pair sat themselves down, their gazes firmly fixed on their clan leader, next to Icecloud and Ivypool. From the Nursery entrance, Redkit, a large tom kit with a pelt of dark fox-red and wide amber eyes, was peeking out, excitement lighting his gaze. His sister, Lakekit, a pale ginger-and-white she-kit with green eyes, appeared shortly at his side, fascinated by the visitors from the tribe.

The mother of the kits appeared from the shadows, scolding them softly, "Come, come, you shouldn't be listening in on a clan meeting, you're not old enough," she ushered them further into the den with a flourish of her fluffy ginger tail.

"I killed a grasshopper yesterday, I should be allowed to listen," Lakekit protested, thrashing her tail in frustration.

Redkit rolled his eyes, "That grasshopper was already dying. A blind kit with no paws could have killed it."

Cherryflower shook her head, "Hush you two. Until you're apprentices, you're not allowed to clan meetings."

"Aw, that's not fair!"

Ambersky chuckled as the two young kits disappeared into the den, heads hanging low in dismay.

"Cats of ThunderClan," Bramblestar's confident meow pulled the young warrior's attention back to the Highledge, "We are honoured to find ourselves in the company of visitors from the Tribe of Rushing Water today; Stormfur, Screech and Rain," his mew was soft and as he delivered the words, he motioned for the afore mentioned cats to join him on the Highledge.

The tribe visitors sprung up beside him easily. Their gazes rippled over the gathered clan below.

"They bring words from the mountains," Bramblestar motioned for them to explain further as to why they were here.

Stormfur took a step forward, shooting a brief glance at Rain and Screech in turn, "My name is Stormfur. For those of you that don't know me, I was born into RiverClan in the Old Forest. But when we made the Great Journey, I chose to stay with the tribe," he explained briefly, "I'm afraid we have come to warn you of a danger ahead."

Murmurs of alarm spread through the camp like wildfire. Ambersky's eyes widened in shock, A warning? Of danger… The words took a moment to set in. Danger. Could ThunderClan not live in peace, free of danger? Was it too much to ask just for a few seasons of calm? Yes, probably. Life as a warrior in the clans wasn't easy, Ambersky was well aware of that, but there never seemed to be a moment of just calm.

Stormfur hushed the whispers with a flick of his tail, but he didn't speak. He nodded to Screech standing beside him and the black tom took a step forward, opening his jaws to speak, "Almost four seasons ago a group of cats entered the mountains. At first they kept themselves to themselves, they didn't interfere with our lives so we ignored them, but after a moon or so they started venturing into our territory," he paused, his gaze flickering over the gathered cats before continuing, "They set up camp and even started stealing our prey. We warned them that they were trespassing onto our territory, giving them a few days to either leave or stay and fight us for it. When they refused to leave, we were left with no choice but to chase them out of our territory. It was the middle of Leaf-bare and we couldn't afford to keep losing prey to them."

Screech inhaled then exhaled, his gaze stone cold, "Whilst we fought them, a group of them managed to reach our cave. Only a small group of our Cave-guards had stayed behind to protect the cave, they were outnumbered. They stole some of our kits," his gaze slowly drifted to Stormfur, then back down to ThunderClan, "And then they left with them. The rest fled the battle and we never heard of them again, until…" he shook his head, eyes clouding over.

Taking a shaky breath, Stormfur continued, "One of the kits they took was my daughter, Lark That Sings At Dawn… Lark."

Ambersky's heart stoppped. Suddenly she was plunged back in time, to a memory from the journey.

Soot seemed very sensitive about the last group of cats, "The Attackers," she mewed, glancing over her shoulder briefly, "Attack the other towns and any other groups of cats, in an attempt to win cats to join the divisions. They sometimes steal kits. Titch's mate was from a group of cats in the mountains, the Tribe of Water or something?"

The Tribe of Rushing Water! Amberpaw thought suddenly. Wait. Perhaps "The Attackers" were the same group of cats who were attacking the tribe that Jayfeather talked of?

Soot seemed to be struggling, "I think her name was Lark at Dawn or something else strange?" she paused for a moment, before flicking her dark tabby-striped tail dismissively, "It was something weird, everyone just calls her Lark though, it's much easier."

The pale grey-and-white warrior's eyes stretched wide with alarm. The realisation had hit her hard, like a great rock, and she was feeling rather dizzy. Soot, Coal and Titch… They were Watchers. They worked with the Attackers. The Attackers have been stealing kits from the Tribe. They stole Lark. Stormfur's daughter. A kit. They stole her.

Her mind was reeling as she tried to process all the new information. The Watchers. The Attackers. Lark. The Tribe. Soot.

"A quarter-moon ago, on a border check, I detected the scent of a strange group of cats," it was Rain speaking this time. Her voice was soft and gentle, though she looked rather nervous at speaking in front of so many, "I told Stoneteller and we checked out the scent again. We followed the scent trail left behind until we reached a group of cats. We stayed hidden, not wanting to stir up trouble with them," she lifted her head to the sky, her mew concerned, "It was them, the cats from before. Only a small group of them, but they'd returned. We heard them speaking to one another, and they were talking about travelling. Travelling to the clans."

A hush fell upon the Stone Hollow for a few heartbeats. Around the camp, cats were gazing up at the tribe visitors wide-eyed and fearful. A moment later, whispers began to ripple across the Stone Hollow.

"We must protect our kits!"
"ThunderClan are strong! We will defeat them!"

"We must warn the other clans."

Lionblaze lifted his head, amber gaze resting on the tribe visitors, "Have you told any of the other clans of this?" he asked, his voice composed and gentle. Ambersky admired his ability to keep calm, she, herself, was certainly not managing to do such a good job.

She was starting to breakdown inside. This couldn't be happening. A group of cats from the twolegplace were coming to the clans. Oh StarClan, they're going to steal our prey! They're going to steal our kits! We can't let that happen! We can't, we just can't!

"We've warned RiverClan, but the other clans…" Stormfur exchanged a glance with Screech, "We tried to speak with ShadowClan, but they weren't all that happy to see us," he motioned to a scar running down his leg and then to Rain and Screech. Screech has a mark just below his eyes and a wound on his flank whilst Rain looked a little better, with only a few small scratches.

"We'll warn them at the next gathering," Bramblestar assured Stormfur, stepping forward to stand beside his old friend, "ThunderClan are thankful that you have made such a journey to warn us of this, you're welcome to stay with us for the night, our medicine cats can see to your wounds," he beckoned to Leafpool and Jayfeather, sat below the Highledge side by side.

"We're fine, we'll"- Screech began.

Stormfur interrupted his clanmate, giving the black tom a look, "We'd be very grateful if you'd let us stay for a night, we plan on returning to the mountains first thing tomorrow," he gave a smile.

From beside Cinderheart, Lionblaze raised his voice again, "How much do you know about this group of cats?"

Stormfur's gaze settled on the golden tabby tom and he paused before replying, "They come from the twolegplace, from some divisions or something. We understand there are four large groups of them, all under the control of one all poweful cat called The Guardian. One thing's certain; he'll do anything for power," he took a deep breath, amber gaze icy cold, "even if it means killing."

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Love Leafy x ;)