Oh my gosh guys. I'M ON TIME. :D Twice in a row! This must be a miracle or something. I mean seriously. ^^ I might be a little late for my next update however as I've got a ton of tests in the week starting 5th May; French tests, Maths test and a huge science test. I think there might even be more than that, I don't know yet. But, anyway, obviously schoolwork comes first, so I'll have to revise and I'll probably be a bit stressed, so don't just review with 'UPDATE!', 'cause, if anything, that'll slow down me updating. :3 Although, after that awful week of tests, on Saturday 10th, I'm going to Badminton Horse Trials Cross Country day! :D I am so excited! I don't know whether I've told you, but it's my dream to become an International Eventer and win Badminton. And of course later the Grand Slam, but Badminton first. ^^ -sigh- But that's not going to happen of course. Anyway...

Disclaimer ~ Well, I obviously do not own Warriors, otherwise I wouldn't be writing on a fanfiction website. :/

.:Review Replies:.

Numbuh 227 ~ Hehe, I was glad someone guessed it was Rabbitleap! Only one other person did, I think. I thought I'd made it pretty obvious he'd be deputy one day, as in one chapter of A Journey, I even put 'Rabbitleap was always with Sharpclaw and Leafstar, almost like a second deputy', or something along those lines! xD

WyldClaw ~ I know, the division cats are a pretty scary bunch. Wait until you hear about one of the divisions, the Healers. They're really creepy. -shudder- I agree, Rabbitleap will make a great deputy. I've always kind of loved him, ever since SkyClan's Destiny, in the manga at the end. :3 He was little Rabbitpaw then, so cute! :3

Petalwish ~ Aw thank you so much! Sorry I made you cry! :'3

Blazerkitty1229 ~ Thank you! I think Ambersky will eventually tell Bramblestar what she knows about the Twolegplace cats, but right now, I think she doesn't want to worry the clan further, so she hasn't told anyone yet. ^^

Orangeflight ~ :3 Thanks! Yup, Rabbitleap's the ideal deputy really, I'm kind of emotionally attached to him xD

Frostblaze ~ Thank you so much! Yup, Red, Cherryflower's former mate (who she kinda still loves), will be playing a role later on. We haven't seen the last of him don't you worry. ;)

KatieK101 ~ :3 Breezepelt's one of your favourites? I've never been all that keen on him, but recently I've kind of thought about him a bit and I do feel kinda bad for him, his Father pretty much ignores him after all. Poor guy. Glad you enjoyed the chapter! ^^

Snowfeather4876 ~ Thanks for reviewing! I know, poor Stormfur, losing his daughter. This is going to sound really weird, but the Guardian is one of my favourite characters, even though he's kind of evil, he's got a good backstory, which I'm going to be writing a Super Edition for! Thanks again!

Skystar of the Ancients ~ Ooh, hi Skystar! Looking forward to having you in the animation! As soon as we get a voice actor for Firestar, production of the Prologue can begin! Thank you so much for reviewing as well! :)

Brackenflame ~ Aw, thank you so much! -huggles- We'll just have to wait and see what becomes of RedxDew... -evil laugh- I feel so evil, I know how the whole series ends, I'm like an all powerful fortune teller. xD Sorry, that was a bit weird.

arcticfoxlover ~ Wow, that's a lot of 'thank you's. You're welcome! You're welcome! You're welcome! xD I really wish I could update more often, but the trouble is I'm just so busy. I did actually finish this chapter a week early though, although I've waited to post it. :3 I'm not quite sure what you mean by leaving SkyClan? We'll still be having Redflower's p.o.v. from them, although some chapters there may be no SkyClan parts, but they're still a big part of the story. :3

amberleaf4273 ~ Aw, really, I'm your number one author? You don't know how much that means to me! :3 -virtually hugs and hands a cookie-

Cupcake ~ xD That's super weird, because Whitefern's name makes me think of white asparagus too! Thank you for reviewing! :3

Dovewing66 ~ Yay, thank you so much and thanks for reviewing! :3

koilered ~ Thank you! ^^

Anyway, here we go, Chapter Five of Eye of the Storm, enjoy!

Snowfall

The sky was alive with colour that evening. A wash of deep, golden-amber and flicked with soft white clouds, it was certainly a sight to behold. Snowfall lifted his gaze to the sky, taking a heartbeat to simply breathe and take it all in. It was a quiet, peaceful moment in a life that had become increasingly busy over the last two moons. That was how long it had been since the tribe visitors had left, leaving behind an ominous warning. At first the clan had been wild with untamed fear; fear for the tiny lives within the Stone Hollow's nursery, fear of death, fear of attack. Bramblestar had since managed to calm his clanmates, ordering reinforcements of the Thorn barrier, enlarging and strengthening the walls of not just the Nursery, but all of the dens. Border patrols had been increased and Snowfall had caught many warriors practising combat.

He couldn't help but feel an unsettling dread within him. These cats were preparing for battle, for war. Was that really the only way to settle things? How were they to know that these cats from the twolegplace, the division cats, were really coming to the clans to steal their kits, to kill their warriors and steal their prey? They might be coming for help for all they knew; all that the tribe cats had told them was that the division cats were coming to the clans. No reason why, just that they were coming.

Snowfall understood that they had a bad history, but there was no reason to jump to the conclusion that these cats were seeking them out in a negative way. The white-furred tom sat back a little, his spine rippling into a stretch and a tiny yawn escaping his jaws.

Pushing aside the thoughts of the division cats, at least there was some good news in ThunderClan. The apprentices were all excelling in their training and a few sunrises ago, Dovewing had kitted. If anything, this had strengthened the will of the ThunderClan warriors to protect and defend the Stone Hollow, but they were still a welcomed addition to the clan. Four little kits, so Ambersky had told him; the first-born, a little silver tabby with a white underbelly named Featherkit, a dark grey tabby tom called Stonekit, Tigerkit, a small brown tom with darker stripes, and the youngest, a silver-and-white tabby she-kit, who they'd given the name of Silverkit. Their parents couldn't be happier, even if they had been born a half-moon earlier than Leafpool had predicted their arrival. They hadn't yet opened their eyes, if they had, Snowfall was sure Ambersky would have told him about it by now. ThunderClan had been blessed with so many kits in the last few moons, first it had been Cinderheart's litter, then Cherryflower's troublesome two, Squirrelflight's litter and now Dovewing's four little ones.

The snowy-pelted tom had yet to visit ThunderClan's newest members, though he was in no rush. Last night, they'd been mewling for what seemed like hours, which hadn't exactly helped with Snowfall's already existing inability to sleep.

StarClan, having insomnia is annoying! The white tom thought gruffly, sinking his claws into the soft earth. All he wanted was one night of good, undisturbed sleep. One night. Was that too much to ask for?

He'd managed to get a bit of sleep the night before last, but last night he had to give up and go for a moonlight hunt. At least, on the bright side, he caught a squirrel, which he later gave to Seedflight. But that didn't make it any less annoying. Why couldn't he be like his denmates? Ambersky always slept like a log and Dewclaw… Actually, when Snowfall had left for his night hunt the previous night, his brother's nest had been empty, his bedding cold. He'd probed the dark grey tom about it later, who'd brushed it off and told him he went to make dirt, then decided to go hunting. Snowfall was still a little suspicious of him though.

I suppose I'd better head back to camp.

Stifling a yawn, the white tom shook a stray leaf from his pelt and began to cross the clearing, his pawsteps soft and light like clouds. It would be sundown soon, Seedflight would probably be wondering where he was; he'd promised her he wouldn't be long.

His paws instinctively carried him along the lightly treaded path he'd taken from the Stone Hollow to reach the clearing. He paused briefly to uncover an earlier catch of a thrush he'd made on his way and hidden beneath a tangle of oak roots.

Carrying the feathered creature lightly in his jaws, the white-pelted warrior continued on his way, his paws thrumming a steady beat. New-leaf had at last arrived and the forest around him was busy with life, blossom petals scattering the forest floor, the young leaves a bright green, the birds singing enthusiastically at the top of their lungs. It was soothing at least, when he wanted to get away from the hub of camp.

Speaking of which… With all the effort to protect the stone hollow, a group of warriors had been given the responsibility of making the camp entrance more hidden. Well, they've certainly done a good job, the white tom reflected with a light chuckle as he gazed at what he thought was the entrance to ThunderClan's camp. It was almost completely concealed by a thick bramble barrier, with honeysuckle entwined around the thorns.

With great care, the long-haired white tom, ducked under the bramble thicket, taking caution not to get his pelt snagged on the sharp thorns, then slipped under the concealed thorn barrier.

Entering camp, the white tom was met with warm welcomes as he crossed to where Seedflight lay sprawled out in the sun, almost golden in the fading light. For a moment he just admired the way the sunlight played upon her pelt, amber gaze soft, then he mewed, soft and gentle, "Seedflight, I caught a thrush for you," he dropped the plump bird at her paws.

The pale ginger warrior gave a rumbling purr, sitting up and blinking open those beautiful, bright green eyes, "Aw, really?" her green gaze rested on the white tom, then slowly drifted to his offering, "Thank you, but you really didn't have to," she smiled softly, their eyes meeting for a heartbeat, "We can share it if you like? I'm not massively hungry."
Snowfall smiled, amber eyes bright, "Y-Yeah, sure," he sat down next to the young warrior, his gaze flickering over the light ginger she-cat.

Seedflight gave a joyous purr, nuzzling the white tom softly and nosing the thrush so that it lay between them, beckoning for him to make a start on the fresh-kill.

Snowfall took a neat bite of the thrush, letting the taste melt on his tongue and trying to ignore the feathers that tickled lightly at his throat. Seedflight followed his lead, taking a mouthful of thrush.

Around them, ThunderClan buzzed about their duties, like bees in a hive; each with an individual role. Berrynose had just dissapeared under the Thorn Barrier along with his apprentice, Puddlepaw, and Whitewing and her apprentice, Stormpaw. Meanwhile, across the clearing, Jayfeather had just entered the Nursery, jaws clamped around a herb bundle for Dovewing. The tiny mewling of the pale grey queen's young kits was just audible from where Snowfall and Seedflight were sitting in the sunshine.

A group of warriors, consisting of Foxleap, Spiderleg, Blossomfall and Ivypool were working on a secret camp exit, in case of an attack, so that a quick, un-noticed evacuation could take place. Just across from the four warriors, Redkit, Nettlekit and Finchkit were playing fox-tag. Squirrelflight was watching them play blissfully, soaking up the last rays of sunlight. Lakekit, who'd been playing moss-ball with Flamekit, approached the dark ginger queen confidently, "Squirrelflight, can we play with Dovewing's kits yet?"

Squirrelflight chuckled softly, touching her tail-tip lightly to the ginger-and-white she-kit, "They're still only very little," she murmured gently, "When they've opened their eyes, you can play with them."

Lakekit didn't seem satisfied, "But when will that be? They've had their eyes closed for two whole days, almost three! That's forever!"

"Hey, Lakekit! Are you still playing or what?" Flamekit's meowed demandingly, watching from afar, a bundle of moss at her paws.

The pale ginger-and-white she-kit glanced up, then trotted back over to her friend, "Still playing," she mewed brightly, enthusiasm in her bright blue eyes, "I'm totally going to win this time, I'm amazing at moss-ball."

"Oh is that so?" Flamekit didn't look mildly impressed, rolling her eyes, "Let's see about that."

The two kits leapt at the moss-ball, scuffling about madly, squealing in delight as the bundle of moss flew high into the air. Both kits raced after it, desperate to be the one to catch it when it fell to earth.

Snowfall chuckled lightly, taking another bite of the thrush, amber gaze soft, Kits… I wonder if I'll ever have any?

Seedflight picked up on his thoughts, "Aren't those two adorable?" she agreed, leaning her head lightly against him, "Just think, one day those two will be grown up; fierce, brave warriors with little kits of their own."

The long-furred white tom smiled, hesiating before asking, uncertainty in his amber gaze, "Have you ever… Have you ever considered having kits?"

The pale ginger she-cat paused, slowly turning her head to meet his eyes for a moment before resuming her earlier postion, leaning against him and entwining her tail around his, "Yes. I've dreamed about it quite a lot," she admitted, her voice smooth and gentle, sending shivers down Snowfall's spine, "I've always imagined that I'd have two little kits. Two little daughters," she purred, a content, faraway look in her eyes, "A little family of my own. My two kits; they'd always be there for each other, they'd be very close, and I'd love them dearly. But…" she broke off, wistfulness creeping into her gaze.

"But, what?" Snowfall pressed, his amber gaze flickering over the pretty she-cat before locking with her deep green eyes. He tried to search them, but she turned away, shutting him out.

"Nothing," she sighed.

For a moment, the pair sat in silence. Then Snowfall gently nudged the thrush towards Seedflight, "I'm full, you can finish it if you like," he offered, tone gentle.

The pale ginger warrior's gaze slowly drifted across to the white tom, "Thanks," she mewed softly, but the gentle warmth in her eyes had faded to be replaced by a clouded confusion of emotions.

Tentatively, she took small bites of the thrush, pecking away at it until nothing remained. She swiped her tongue around her jaws, savouring the taste that lingered on her tongue. Her gaze briefly rose to the sky and she muttered a thanks to StarClan for the prey.

Snowfall purred softly, "I think I might go to my nest early tonight, I didn't get much sleep last night," he told the pretty ginger she-cat, rising to his paws and his gaze racing over to the Warriors' Den, across the hollow.

The pale ginger warrior nodded slowly, then suddenly, as if suddenly realising something, she meowed, "I almost forgot!" she burst out, then added shyly, "I made a nest for the both of us to share."

The white tom wasn't sure how to respond for a moment, then he beamed brightly, "Really?"

Seedflight nodded vigourously, jumping to her paws, "I'll show you it, I was thinking about going to my, I mean, our, nest a little earlier tonight anyway," she began to pad across the clearing to the Warriors' Den, "Dovewing's kits kept waking me up last night with their mewling, so I'm pretty tired too," there was a spark of amusement in her green gaze.

"You too?"

They entered the den side by side and Seedflight immediately rushed forward, motioning to a large nest towards the edge of the bramble den, "Over here, see?"

Seedflight had obviously taken a lot of time over it; the moss was soft and freshly collected, tidily arranged and flecked with little, tiny, white feathers. Snowfall couldn't help but smile, a purr rising in his throat.

"I love it," he murmured softly, realising he hadn't yet made a comment on Seedflight's efforts. He leaned in and licked her cheek softly, "You really did all this?"

Seedflight nodded shyly, her gaze not quite meeting Snowfall's.

The white warrior purred, "As much as I'd love to admire it all day, I'm exhausted," wary of messing up Seedflight's hard work, he carefully stepped into the nest, the moss springing beneath his weight, "I'm going to call it a day."

The long-pelted tom slowly sank into the nest, the moss embracing him and sending shivers of comfort rippling through him. Seedflight smiled softly, green eyes dancing with warmth, "I think I'll join you."

She climbed into the nest and lay beside him, their pelts pressing together, a blend of ginger and white fur. Snowfall could feel her warmth seeping into him and he purred quietly, amber eyes alive with warmth and… love. Love. At last he could finally admit it, even if it was just to himself, he didn't plan on telling her for a little while. I love you. He wanted to whisper those three little words softly, but he held his tongue. He'd wait for the right moment to tell her; right now, he was too tired to lift a single paw. So instead, he just savoured the moment.

The pale ginger she-cat smiled softly, curling up around him, resting her head on his flank. Snowfall was surprised his heart hadn't gone and leapt right out of his chest; he could swear there were a million butterflies right there in his chest. Laying his own head on his paws, he was still for a moment and he found himself picking up the beating of Seedflight's heart; steady and consistent, like pawsteps.

Gaze soft, he simply admired the pretty she-cat for a moment. He was surprised she didn't already have a thousand toms chasing after her, she was simply the most beautiful she-cat he'd ever laid eyes on. Can no one else see how beautifully perfect she is? On the outside and in?

Drowsiness weighing down his eyelids, he touched his muzzle to her ear and whispered, soft and slow, "Night, night, sleep tight."

A grin crept onto Seedflight's face and she gave a purr, "Don't let the beetles bite."

The white tom gave a small smile, silently promising, Don't worry, I won't. I won't ever let anyone hurt you. Ever. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was a soft ginger pelt and a pair of beautiful green eyes. As he drifted off, that image lingered in his mind, reluctant to leave.

For what seemed like the first time, Snowfall slept soundly that night.

Dewclaw

It was crouched amongst the twisted, tangled roots of a wizened oak tree that it sat. A small mouse, with a soft brown pelt, dark coal eyes and a plump body, well rounded with the plentiful berries that mid New-Leaf had brought. Dewclaw's eyes didn't stray from it once as he crouched low behind the cover of a juniper bush, his dark grey belly fur brushing the grassy forest floor. He gave a smirk, imagining the little mouse at his paws, dead. Prey for him and ThunderClan's ever growing numbers.

With great fluidity in his limbs, he slipped forward, closing the distance between himself and his target. It wouldn't be long now, he just needed to get a little closer, then he could make his move. Just you wait, little mouse, you won't know what hit you.

Completely unaware of the danger it was in, the mouse began to clean itself, licking neatly at its tiny paws, then drawing them behind his ears in a circular movement. Dewclaw simply watched as the little creature went on grooming itself, taking the opportunity to get a little closer to his prey. Just one more step. There.

He was a mere fox-length from the mouse, pressed against the forest floor, thorn-sharp claws unsheathed, his dark amber gaze steady and focused on his target. He gave himself a few more moments before at last inhaling a quiet, soft breath and preparing himself for the kill.

Bunching his muscles, the dark grey warrior could feel power rippling through him, building up within him as he steadied his breathing and made himself ready. Breathe in, breathe out. One inhale and exhale and he was ready. He counted down in his head, amber eyes narrowing to slits, Three. Two. One.

In three swift, flowing movements; leap, land, kill, the mouse was dead. The tiny creature didn't realise what was happening until just moments before, when it was too late. It was rather pitiful really, to be greeted with death so suddenly, at such an unexpected moment.

Silently giving thanks to StarClan for the prey, the dark grey tom neatly picked up the small brown creature, its body limp and lifeless. His gaze slowly drifted to the sky above, which was heavily clouded, with only a few tiny patches of blue. It had just passed sun-high.

Oh mouse-dung!

Today was Redkit and Lakekit's apprentice ceremony! He'd forgotten about it! His heart picking up its pace a little, he began to stride forwards, his pace rushed and unsteady. The mouse swayed in his jaws.

Ugh, how could I forget? Dewclaw had been looking forward to this day, after all, new apprentices meant new mentors, and as soon as the dark grey tom had mentored an apprentice, he'd be eligible for the rank of deputy.

Dewclaw thought he was a pretty obvious choice for a mentor; he'd made the treacherous journey to return SkyClan with his littermates, risking his life to serve StarClan, and he was a courageous fighter, what more could you want? Admittedly, the dark grey tom could be a little clumsy hunting and he had a fear of tree climbing, but hey, he'd caught that mouse, hadn't he? Oh, and he'd killed that hawk in the mountains.

I'm bound to be picked as a mentor. He was certain of it.

I'm going to be late! Great StarClan, that won't leave a good impression on my new apprentice.

The dark grey tom began to race forwards, weaving tightly in and out of the trees, ducking through the thick undergrowth. At least I chose somewhere to hunt that wasn't too far from camp.

Paws thrumming against the ground like thunder, Dewclaw rounded a great oak and leapt under the secretively hidden thorn-barrier, bundling into camp, and straight into none other than Sandstorm. Oh StarClan, give me strength.

The ginger she-cat drew her lips back in a snarl, "Stupid tom! What do you think you're doing?" anger burned intensely behind her green gaze, "Interrupting an apprentice ceremony, watch where you're putting you're paws!"

The dark grey tom was sure that he'd done almost exactly the same thing as a kit, only then the ginger elder had been much more forgiving. He ducked his head apologetically, spitting out, "Sorry!"

It was only then that he realised the whole clan were glaring at him. She's made a fool of me! She didn't have to cause such a scene, great StarClan.

From the Highledge, Bramblestar frowned at the dark grey warrior, before sighing and continuing where he'd left off, "Lake-kit, you have reached the age of six moons," the broad-shouldered dark tabby motioned for the kit to take a step forward with a flick of his thick striped tail. The ginger-and-white she-kit obeyed, taking two trembling steps forward, her blue eyes wide with bubbles of apprehension and excitement.

Dewclaw, conscious of embarrassing himself even more by stepping on someone's tail, wound in and out of the gathered warriors until he reached where Ambersky was sat beside Lilystream. The pale grey-and-white she-cat and her friend acknowledged his presence with friendly dips of the head, but their eyes hardly strayed from the ceremony.

The ThunderClan leader tensed his muscles and sprung down from the Highledge so that he stood before the excited kit. He gave her a smile, whiskers twitching in amusement, "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lakepaw," the dark brown tabby tom meowed, his voice thick with pride and carried high into the air, bouncing off the walls of the stone-hollow in echoes, "Your mentor will be Blossomfall."

Dewclaw's face fell. Mouse-dung. That means I'm stuck with puny, little Redkit as my apprentice.

The dappled tortoiseshell warrior looked pleasantly surprised at the choice in mentor. Though her surprise was quickly replaced by a sort of cocky, confidence as she strode forward, nose high in the air, to greet her apprentice. Dewclaw rolled his eyes. Arrogant furball.

"I hope Blossomfall will pass down all she knows to you," Bramblestar continued, ignoring Blossomfall's overly confident behaviour, "Blossomfall,you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Hazeltail, and you have shown yourself to be skilled in battle and a brave warrior. You will be the mentor of Lakepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

The new apprentice, eyes wide with excitement, stepped towards her new mentor and the pair touched noses briefly. Blossomfall uttered a few words to her new apprentice and Lakepaw's eyes grew even wider and she nodded vigourously, grinning widely.

The clan watched on with warm eyes, several murmurs of encouragement rippling amongst those gathered. Dewclaw simply watched as Lakepaw and her mentor moved away and Redkit was called forward to take his place. Self-conscious of his appearance, the dark grey tom made an attempt to smooth down his ruffled pelt; when he became a mentor, he wanted to look his best, he couldn't risk embarrassing himself anymore.

"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Redpaw. Your mentor will be"-

Dewclaw didn't wait to hear the rest, rising to his paws to move forward and greet his new apprentice. He gave a rumbling purr and was about to stride forwards when Ambersky grabbed his tail, hissing, "You mouse-brain! You're not his mentor, weren't you listening?" she dragged him to his paws.

What?!

His gaze raked over the camp, until he spotted Molespots, who had risen to his paws and was greeting the newly-named Redpaw. What's going on? I'm supposed to be his mentor!

Bramblestar didn't seem to have noticed Dewclaw's anger and continued with the ceremony, "I hope Molespots will pass down all he knows to you."

Dewclaw was silently fuming, lashing his tail in frustration and his amber eyes ablaze, What is he doing?! I'm the perfect mentor, Bramblestar should be begging for me to mentor an apprentice! He didn't mean any disrespect to Molespots, he was a great cat after all, but… but… I should be a mentor!

"Molespots, you are ready to take on an apprentice," Bramblestar meowed, his gaze following the brown-and-cream spotted tom as he made his way to stand beside his new apprentice and leader, "You had received excellent training from Rosepetal, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and honest. You will be the mentor of Redpaw and I expect you to pass on all you know to Redpaw."

Molespots, wearing a wide grin, leant down and touched his nose lightly to Redpaw. The little fox-red tom
was quivering ever so slightly, with all eyes on him, but the light in his eyes revealed his inner happiness as the clan began to chant his and his sister's names.

"Lakepaw! Redpaw! Lakepaw! Redpaw!"

Dewclaw joined in unenthusiastically, his expression blank, "Lakepaw! Redpaw!"
The calling died down as Bramblestar signified the end of the meeting with a flourish of his tail and the clan began to break away. But Dewclaw didn't move from his spot, staring at the two new mentor-apprentice pairs, bitter thoughts floating through his mind, I should be a mentor. Not them. I can't ever become deputy if I don't mentor an apprentice.

He sighed, I suppose I'll have to wait until Squirrelflight's kits are apprenticed, he realised, I'll have to be chosen as a mentor then.

"Hey Dewclaw, want to go hunting?"

It was Ambersky. The pale grey-and-white she-cat was gazing at him expectantly, Lilystream at her side. But I just went hunting… Oh, I might as well, I've not got anything better to do.

Taking a deep breath, the dark grey warrior nodded, "Sure."

Redflower

It had been almost three moons since Sharpclaw's death and at last, SkyClan seemed to have returned to normal. That didn't mean Redflower didn't think about her father every day, but she was coping with it much better now. Rabbitleap had settled into his new responsibilities quickly and, the dappled tortoiseshell warrior had to admit, he was a brilliant deputy for the clan. He just had the qualities you needed in a leader and, StarClan forbid, when it was time for Leafstar to join the ranks of her ancestors, Redflower was sure he'd prove a fine leader for the clan.

Life was pretty much normal, as it should be. There was a little tension amongst the clan, however, with the news a few gatherings ago of a group of dark-hearted cats travelling to the lake. Border patrols had been increased, the entrances to the caves that formed dens reinforced with bramble tendrils, leaving only a tiny gap to duck through into the cave and a lot of focus had been put on battle training. On a more positive note, at the last gathering, SkyClan and WindClan had at last, if a little reluctantly, agreed on borders. The other clans seemed to be at last accepting of the fifth clan, still hostile towards them, but at least tolerant. Other good news; Mousepaw had received her warrior name a few days previous, now taking the name of Mouseleap, and Stormwhisker had birthed a healthy litter of two; Wrenkit and Beekit. Redflower had visited them a few days after their kitting and they were just precious. Wrenkit was a little tortoiseshell she-kit with yellow eyes, whilst Beekit was a pale ginger she-kit with thick darker stripes and amber eyes. Meanwhile, their denmates; Sootkit and Aspenkit, were just a moon away from their apprenticeship and as troublesome as ever, constantly causing chaos amongst the clan.

"Hey, Redflower, want to join our patrol?"

The dappled warrior glanced up from her paws. She'd been sitting alone, simply contemplating life quietly in the pale sunlight. It was Brightwing who'd called to her, the ginger-and-white she-cat gazing at her expectantly, the rest of her patrol pooled behind her, consisting of Greywhisper, Nettlesplash, Mouseleap and Cloudfoot.

The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat let off a soft purr and padded over to greet her clanmates, "Sure, I'll join you," she mewed brightly, her tail flicking from side to side.

"Great," Brightwing purred, touching her tail-tip to Redflower's side before turning to face the rest of the patrol, "Right, let's get going then."
She gave a motion with a flick of her tail and the group of cats began to make to trickle out of camp, making their way up the rock-path. Redflower fell in beside Brightwing, "So, which border are we checking? WindClan border? RiverClan border? Horseplace border?"
Brightwing smiled, "None of those. We're going to cross the Thunderpath and mark the other border, the valley border. We haven't checked it for a day or two," she told her friend.

"The valley border?" Redflower echoed, "I haven't been to the valley border before… This is exciting!" she burst out, dancing from paw to paw excitedly, "What's the point in marking the valley border though? There aren't many other cats out that way."
Brightwing's gaze remained fixed straight ahead as she spoke, "Have you now forgotten about the warning of those twolegplace cats? We need to be on our guard. We should probably be marking the valley border more than we do."

Redflower nodded, falling silent. She hadn't admitted it to anyone, apart from Dewclaw, but she was actually kind of terrified about these cats that were supposed to be coming to the clans. That wasn't the only thing the pretty tortoiseshell-and-white warrior was worried about though. Now that she was meeting Dewclaw frequently, she wasn't getting as much sleep as she'd like and she was starting to worry that her clanmates would notice and she and Dewclaw would be found out. They can't find out, they just can't. Redflower simply couldn't imagine life without the dark grey ThunderClan tom, it was just impossible.
"Hey, you're awfully quiet today," Brightwing moved a little closer to her friend, worry for the dappled warrior hinted in her gaze, "Is everything alright?"
Redflower slowly let her gaze drift to her clanmate, taking a deep breath, "I was just thinking about Sharpclaw, that's all," she lied, avoiding meeting Brightwing's gaze directly.

Brightwing didn't seem to detect the lie, or at least she did, but decided not to press Redflower further, understanding she wasn't ready to talk about what the real problem, and mewed softly, "I'm so sorry about what happened to your father, Redflower, but you can't live your life with your paws in the past. You've got to look up and forward," her gaze rose to the sky, "That doesn't mean you should forget about him. But he'd want you to move on with your life, we only have today, focus on what's important; here and now."

Redflower gave a smile and opened her jaws to reply, but was instead met by the sharp tang of twolegs and their monsters. She wrinkled up her nose in disgust, whiskers twitching, "Eugh. We've obviously reached the Thunder-path," her gaze travelled to the path ahead, to the forest beyond, sliced in half by a dark grey river of stone, flooding with the movement of brightly-coloured twoleg monsters, giving off that awful reek.

Cloudfoot and the rest of the patrol had stopped up ahead, awaiting Brightwing and Redflower. The two young warriors quickly hurried over to them.

"We should probably cross all together at the same time, rather than one by one, I think that would be safest," Nettlesplash suggested. The rest of the patrol nodded in agreement, not uttering a word.

The pale brown warrior smiled, giving a flick of his tail as he padded forward to the edge of the Thunder-path, motioning for his companions to follow, "Okay, when I say go, we all run straight across. No turning back unless I say so; we're looking to get across in one clean sweep, got it?"
"Got it."

"Yup."

The patrol murmured in agreement and nodded. Now all they had to do was wait, crouched by the edge of the Thunder-path, awaiting a clear in the constant stream of monsters so that they might cross. Much to Redflower's surprise, it didn't take long.

"Everyone go!"

Heart in her throat, Redflower blindly raced forwards. The thunder-like rumbling of monsters has paused as the the Thunder-path grew silent, the monsters disappearing from sight. The stone was hot and sticky beneath the dappled tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat's paws and the scent made her want to wretch, but as quickly as it had started it was over and they'd reached the other side. The rest of patrol reached the safety of the other side of the Thunder-path shortly and for a moment, the group paused to catch their breath. All Redflower could think of, however, was Breezepaw. Breezepaw. Her sister who'd been killed by a monster on a Thunder-path that raced through the twolegplace near the old gorge. Scenes of her lifeless body, streaked with crimson, her eyes glazed and hollow, floated into mind, and the dappled warrior had to shake it away, her whole body shaking.

"You okay?" Brightwing asked.

Redflower took a moment to breathe, then nodded, "I'm fine."

The ginger-and-white warrior smiled, amber eyes soft, "Good. Let's get going then."

Compared to the other side of the Thunder-path; SkyClan's main expanse of territory, this area was rather different. Whereas the main territory was more rocky, dotted with several little forests, this side of the Thunder-path was thick with decidous oaks and birches, jutting high into the sky and blocking out most of the light. The ground was much less rocky, much more earthy and soft. The patrol began to move onwards, the canopy casting dappled shadows onto their pelts, and Redflower drank in a deep breath of the fresh air, finding it to be swimming with the scents of prey and… and…. Something else.

Redflower frowned. It was a strange scent, reminding her a little of the reek the thunder-path gave off. She pushed it away, blinking and focusing her mind on other more important matters, Probably nothing. She decided.

The forest was a lush green, alive with bird song and flooding with life. Redflower was so glad New-leaf was here, it was her favourite season, at least one of her favourite seasons. She also adored Green-leaf, mostly because everything was so green with life! She loved green. It was such a pretty colour. Colours are so pretty.

The spotted tortoiseshell-and-white warrior had vivid memories from when she was a kit of gazing out of the Nursery, through the rain, to see a sky alive with colour. A rainbow.

She treasured that memory, it reminded that, even through it all, things would be alright. Like how rain brought life to the forest, or how whenever the sun set, it only did so to rise the next morning. A few hours of darkness was a small price to pay in return for a whole day of light and colour.

It was these things that Redflower loved and treasured, these things that reassured her, even with the death of her father looming over her like a dark cloud, she knew things would turn out alright.

"Redflower, you're about to cross the border."
The young warrior stopped glancing down at her paws, "Huh? Oh."

Oops, I drifted off again.

The tortoiseshell-and-white warrior smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I was daydreaming," she apologised, ducking her head. Brightwing smiled, before padding off to go and mark the border. Nettlesplash, Cloudfoot and Greywhisper had headed a bit further down the border to renew scents there, whilst Mouseleap had followed Brightwing. Redflower figured she'd just mark the border where she was.

It was just as she was leaving her scent that she detected that strange scent again. Redflower paused, concern pooling in her green gaze. She inhaled a deep breath. Yes, it was definitely the same scent, only it was a little clearer than back where she'd first scented it. She could tell it was definitely cats, a group of them, some pretty strange smelling cats she decided. Ugh, they reek! Just like the thunder-path, do they live amongst twolegs or something? Weird cats.

It took a moment for her to realise. Her eyes widened in alarm and shock struck her like a lightning bolt, racing through her, her heart beating fast. Cats from twolegplace. Twolegplace cats. Redflower tried to calm herself, to slow her breathing, but she couldn't help it. A deep dread pulsed through her and she just wanted to wail in despair, It's the cats we were warned of, from the twolegplace. The kit-stealing, dark-hearted, murderous cats. They're here. They're here.

Dun Dun Dun! -cue dramatic music- Left you on another cliffie! -evil laugh-

Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, they actually motivated me to write so much that I finished this chapter a week early and therefore was able to finish on time! Reviews = Faster Updates/Updates that aren't lateAnyway, don't forget to check out the Warriors Blue Moon website and for the Warriors Blue Moon animation of Untold Secrets, we still need a voice actor for Firestar, just for the Prologue! We have almost everyone else. :3

Next time we have:

~ Ambersky and Molespots talk about stuff.

~ Seedflight receives a dream

~ Redflower tells the clan about the scents she detected on the border.

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