Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! So sorry that I missed last week's scheduled chapter release, but I had some real life things that got in the way.

Today's featured story is Five Poisoned Paths by Infinity Striker. "When six kittens are too much to take, a desperate mother leaves them in the forest, alone. But six unsuspecting kittens catch a ray of hope, and are welcomed into the Clans. But when a rumor turns into a curse, Chase will be scorned, rejected, and unloved. Her path is poisoned, but her littermates are no different. One will turn away. Which Clan will really welcome them?" Stories about kits with disorders, disabilities, and other imperfections are extremely popular right now, and for good reason. This story is one of those that supports the success of the style. If you're a fan of what's most popular right now in the Warriors fanfic universe, I suggest checking this story out.

"Fox dung! Thornsting, why can't you watch where you're going?"

I looked up, my eyes meeting my brother's from across the clearing. Sunflight looked at me angrily, his amber eyes glittering with annoyance. It took me a moment to realize that my stepping on that twig had scared off the prey he'd been chasing. "Sorry," I murmured, flattening my ears.

"Whatever," he huffed. "Just watch where you're going next time, okay?"

I nodded, knowing better than to try and mock him for his cranky attitude. Everyone was on edge. The fights had gotten less frequent, but they were still just as bad as they'd always been when they did happen. It had been two weeks since the Clans had left the lake. Since then, Hollyheart had given birth to her kits. Two toms and a she-cat. The she-cat was named Mistlekit, and was a pale brown tabby she-cat with cream underbelly and paws. One tom was black like his mother and was known as Frogkit, while the other was a brown tom known as Barkkit in honor of his father. The fact that the color of his fur was the same as Barkfoot's made my throat catch every time. I missed him so bad.

Deviating my attention from my brother, I focused on the hunt. Prey was scarce around these parts, likely because of the distant roar of Twoleg life. A couple of scouts had reported that we were coming up on an extremely large Twolegplace, with nests taller than any we'd ever thought possible and enough monsters to equal the whole of StarClan. Even though we all knew it would be dangerous, the Clans had decided to venture into this Twolegplace. When the decision of the leaders was brought into question, Bramblestar had explained that if we could get to the top of one of those enormous Twoleg nests, we might be able to see something of interest in the distance. It was a reasonable plan.

Tasting the air, I caught the scent of mouse. Dropping into a hunter's crouch, I began advancing toward the tiny creature. It was all I could do to keep my stomach from rumbling. It had been ages since I'd eaten, mainly thanks to that prey shortage I mentioned earlier. I was mere whisker-lengths away from my next meal when someone stomped on the ground behind me.

The bush rustled as the mouse scurried away. Whirling around, I saw my ginger-and-brown-furred brother standing behind me, an innocent look on his face. Upon realizing that he had purposefully scared that mouse away, I sprang at him. He sidestepped my attempt, and I landed hard on the dirt where he'd been just a moment before.

"You mangy piece of dung!" I spat. "What'd you do that for?"

He smirked. "You scare my prey, I scare your's. Now we're equal."

I lashed my tail, extremely annoyed with my brother's snottiness. "I didn't mean to step on that twig, you stupid flea! It was an accident!"

"An accident, he says," my brother jostled. "It's the third time this week that you've scared someone's potential catch away. I believed that it was an accident the first two times. Now I'm just sure you're trying to be annoying."

"What in the name of the Dark Forest is the matter with you?" I demanded. "Do you honestly think I'd purposefully deprive other warriors of food, especially you? I don't know what's got you in such a crabby mood today, but just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean you can take it out on me!"

Sunflight opened his jaws to make a retort, then snapped them shut again. He sighed, lowering his head. "Sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me lately. I guess losing Barkfoot has hurt me more than I thought it would."

I looked at him, incredulous. "Did you honestly think it wouldn't hurt? He's our brother!"

He shook his head. "No, I knew it would hurt. I just didn't think it would change me like this. I figured, you know, I'd feel numb for a few days, maybe a few weeks. Then, the grief would fade, retreating to the back of my mind. It'd still be there, but not as strong."

I shook my head. "Grief doesn't just go away like that, Sunflight. It stays with you, becomes a part of who you are. If it went away, so would the memory of Barkfoot." I took a step closer to him. "But just because we grieve for Barkfoot doesn't mean we should take it out on our Clanmates. Every single warrior loses someone they love. It's a part of life. We can't stop it, so we just have to learn to live with it."

He studied his paws for a count of ten before looking up at me. "I know, Thornsting. It's just hard. Barkfoot was always there with us since the day we were kitted. Not having him here now is worse than not being at the lake. I'd give up whatever I had to if it meant I could get him back. Not just for me, either. For his kits. The ones who will grow up without ever knowing their father. It makes my heart crack whenever I think about it. Bramblestar has always been such a big part of our lives. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like if he had died before we were kitted."

"Me neither," I admitted. "We'll just have to fill that role for them. Be the father that Barkfoot can't. That's our job. We have to make sure our brother's kits know who their father was, even if they'll never know him. Okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. For Barkfoot."

"For Barkfoot," I agreed. "Come on, man. Let's get on with this hunt before they send a search party after us."

My brother smiled. Together, we started toward another part of the area, hoping we would have better luck there. We were just getting out of the clearing when a branch snapped above us. The next thing I knew, I was lying underneath a ball of fur. Almost as soon as the thing had landed, Sunflight was lifting it off of me. Grateful, I got to my paws and turned toward it. Much to my surprise, it was a cat. She was young, looking to be about apprentice-aged. The first thing I noticed about her were her eyes, which were a striking sky blue with a hint of turquoise and teal. They were quite mesmerizing, so much so that Sunflight had to shove me to draw me out of my trance. Clearing my throat, I asked, "Who are you?"

"Amaia," she answered. Her voice was soft and sweet. Another thing I liked about her. Forcing myself not to get lost in another trance, I greeted her. "Hello. I'm Thornsting, and this is my brother Sunflight." I tipped my head to one side. "Are you okay? You took quite a fall from that tree."

She shook the leaves and dust out of her cream-colored fur. "Yeah, I think so. So Thornsting and Sunflight are your names? Kind of weird ones, aren't they?"

"So is Amaia," Sunflight retorted, clearly offended by her calling out his name.

"It was my mother's name," she snapped. "It's the only connection I have left with her, since she's gone now and everything."

An apologetic look immediately crossed Sunflight's face. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't know. My name is just kind of special to me, too, so I don't like it when it's criticized."

The angry look in Amaia's eyes faded. "It's okay," she mewed. "Hey, do you happen to know of a group of cats who call themselves ThunderClan? This rogue told me about them, and-"

I cut her off. "Wait, ThunderClan? You know about us?"

"Us?" she echoed. "You mean, you and your brother are from there?"

I nodded. "Yeah, we are. What do you know about ThunderClan?"

She blinked. "Just that they're a group of cats who are open to taking in outsiders. My parents are dead, see, and I've been looking for some cats to live with for some time now."

Before I could say anything, Sunflight stepped forward. "If you join ThunderClan, you have to be willing to pull your own weight. We don't accept freeloaders. You join, you respect our rules and our way of life. Got it?"

I really wished my brother would calm down. If he didn't, I had a feeling he would scare this cat away from our Clan.

Thankfully, she didn't seem too fearful yet. Excited, rather. "Oh, I can take care of myself. I know how to hunt, and I'm good at following rules. I just need cats around to teach me everything else I need to know to actually survive. I've been spending the past couple of months holed up in an abandoned fox den, trying not to die. I was just hoping I could join you so that I could finally sleep with some peace of mind."

I exchanged a look with Sunflight, and he nodded. Turning back to the tiny she-cat, I meowed, "Alright. We'll take you back with us. You'll have to talk to our leader before you can join, but he's pretty welcoming. Just don't say anything stupid, and he'll take you in."

She nodded, ears perked. "Thank you! You don't know how much it means to me that you're considering letting me join. No idea!" She darted off in the opposite direction of where our camp was.

"Wait!" I called, running after her. She was extremely fast- so fast that I wondered if she'd be better off in WindClan. I was just beginning to catch up to her when I heard her scream.

Leaping over a fallen tree, I ended up on a riverbank. Amaia was standing there, wide-eyed, staring at one of the trees that lined the bank. I ran up to her. "What's wrong?" I demanded.

"T-t-there's a s-spider," she stammered. Her dark brown ears were flattened against her head and her tail tucked between her legs.

"For StarClan's sake," Sunflight muttered over my shoulder. "She's afraid of spiders? What kind of warrior is afraid of spiders?"

I glared at him. "Give her a break. She's only like, ten moons old or something. I'm sure you were afraid of plenty when you were little."

He sniffed.

Slowly, I walked up to her. She jumped as I lay my tail over her shoulder in a comforting manner. The spider before her on the tree was claw-sized, nothing big enough to hurt her. I told her just that as I tried to assure her everything was okay. I could tell from the way her muscles started relaxing that she believed me, but she didn't move away from the spider. In the end, I ended up having to carry her away from the area.

Once we were back at our original meeting place, I dropped her and mewed, "So, any other fears you'd like to tell us about?"

She shook her head. "Just that one. I'm sorry about that, Thornsting. Really, I am. I've been afraid of spiders since I was little. Always used to frustrate my parents. I don't know why I've got it, but every time I see a spider I just freeze up. Thank you for helping me."

I nodded. "Sure thing. Now, follow us this time. We know the way back to our camp."

And so I took the lead, Amaia and Sunflight following close behind. The two made small talk, discussing things like the prey shortage and recent weather. They may not be hitting it off the way I wished they would, but at least Sunflight seemed to have gotten beyond his hostility.

To my surprise, nobody questioned us as we strolled into the camp with Amaia by our side. I guess they were all either in too bad of a mood to care or just expected this sort of thing out of ThunderClan cats. As soon as he caught sight of us, Bramblestar left his vole and strolled over.

"Who's this?" he asked, his voice rumbling deep in his throat. Amaia stared up at him, wide-eyed. Bending down over her, I whispered, "Don't be afraid. This is our father, Bramblestar. He's the leader of ThunderClan."

Nodding, the tiny she-cat introduced herself. "Hi. I'm Amaia, and I'd like to join ThunderClan."

Bramblestar's whiskers twitched, his eyes shimmering with curiosity. "Are you alone, Amaia?"

She nodded. "My parents were killed in the storm. I've been on my own ever since. I've been here now for about two moons, trying to stay alive in an old fox den. I was hoping being in a Clan would offer me the protection I need. I can still hunt for myself, and I do know some basic herbal remedies. I'm a good listener and I don't break the rules."

The tabby leader studied her for a few moments. At last, he said, "I see. Very well. You look harmless enough. We'll hold your acceptance ceremony right away."

Amaia's eyes lit up at his approval. "Really? Wow, and here I was thinking that it would be so much harder to get your acceptance!"

He purred. "I'm not as nasty as I look, young one." He threw back his head in preparation to call the cats together, but was cut off by a ferocious snarl.

"Who in the name of StarClan is that?"

My father turned as Rowanstar stalked toward him. It was hard for me to hold back my laughter as I noticed a feather caught in his whiskers. One look at Sunflight told me that he was struggling just as much.

Bramblestar flicked his tail toward the newcomer. "This is Amaia. She's going to be joining my Clan. Amaia, this is Rowanstar, the leader of ShadowClan."

She blinked. "There's a ShadowClan, too?"

"That's right," Rowanstar spat. "And ShadowClan are famous for doing all sorts of violent, nasty stuff to intruders." He started toward her, claws unsheathed. She shrank behind me, suddenly trembling with fear.

Bramblestar stepped in front of the ginger leader. "That's enough," he snapped. "Amaia is not an intruder. Thornsting and Sunflight brought her here so that she can join ThunderClan, and I intend to let her do so."

At that, Rowanstar laughed. "Nothing's changed since Firestar's days. ThunderClan's still full of a bunch of softies ready to accept any and all outsiders into their Clan. No wonder none of the other Clans have respect for ThunderClan warriors anymore!"

Bramblestar bared his teeth. "I think you'll find that cats who don't respect me as a leader are a minority. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ceremony to perform."

I expected Rowanstar to make some sort of stupid angry remark, but he didn't. Throwing his head back, Bramblestar called the cats of the Clans together.

"Cats of all Clans, today is a special day. My sons, Thornsting and Sunflight, have brought to me a cat who calls herself Amaia. Her parents were killed in the storm that ravaged our home, and now she seeks a group of cats to help her learn how to survive. She knows how to hunt and treat her injuries, and has been fending for herself for quite some time now. I see no reason as to why I should turn her away now. Amaia, from this moment on, you shall be known as Lightpaw in honor of the courageous light that shines within you. I-"

"Wait!"

Several gasps greeted Amaia's interruption. Bramblestar looked down at her, an irritated look flashing through his eyes. I held my breath. Nobody interrupted a Clan leader when they were performing a ceremony.

"What is it?" My father's irritation was evident in his tone.

"While Lightpaw is a good name and all, and I appreciate the effort behind it, I don't want to change my name," she explained.

Even I had to gasp at that.

Bramblestar's eyes glittered as he stared down at the tiny she-cat. "The Clans have a very specific way of naming their cats. It is customary for all outsiders to take on appropriate Clan names when they join. Are you attempting to challenge this system?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not! I respect your naming system. I just want to keep this name because I shared it with my mother. Now that she's dead, it's all that I have left of her. If I change it, it'll be like I'm turning away from her. So, I'd like to keep my name the way it is."

Cats exchanged looks with one another. From the crowd, Rowanstar called, "Turn her away, Bramblestar! If she isn't willing to respect our traditions, then she doesn't belong here!" Several cats murmured their agreement. I had to admit, this was one of the few times I actually agreed with Rowanstar myself. Amaia had made an agreement with Sunflight that she would respect our ways. Now that she was rejecting them, I felt like she'd broken her promise to us. I hoped Bramblestar would turn her away.

Unfortunately, he didn't. "I understand your feelings regarding this situation, Rowanstar, but I cannot turn Amaia away simply because she wishes to keep her connection with her mother. I respect her wishes, and I will accept her as she is. Amaia, from this moment on you are now a member of ThunderClan. Lionblaze will be your mentor."

I watched as the golden tabby tom went up and touched noses with his apprentice. I knew exactly why Bramblestar had chosen Lionblaze. The golden warrior was an avid supporter of Bramblestar, and he had never once openly challenged any of his decisions as leader. My father was obviously saving himself a lot of trouble later. I wasn't sure if that was selfish or smart.

Almost as soon as the ceremony had concluded, Bramblestar announced that we would be moving on again. He explained the reasoning behind it was that the sooner we got out of such a prey-poor area, the better. I was glad to leave the place.

The Twolegplace thankfully wasn't far. It only took us about an hour or two to reach it. The sun was dipping below the horizon as we came up before the place. The giant Twoleg nests looked even more intimidating up close, covered in a weird material that reflected the sunlight. We all stared up at them in awe, the roar of countless monsters drowning out anything any of us could have said.

All of a sudden, a lot of snarling broke out up front, enough to break through the sound barrier. Unsheathing my claws and shoving my way up to the front, I was greeted by a small group of mangy-looking cats.

"Who are you?" Bramblestar demanded, his lips drawn back to reveal thorn-sharp white teeth.

One of the cats, likely the leader, stepped forward. He was a massive tom, his long brown fur sticky with weird substances. He smiled, revealing rows of cracked, yellow teeth. His bushy tail waved back and forth.

"Greetings. My name is Fleck, and these here are my associates. Together, we make up the Reapers. Welcome to Raleigh."

Credit for Amaia goes to Whisker Sage. Again, truly sorry about missing last week's chapter update. Unfortunately, there's this thing called school that takes priority. Summer is coming, though, and with it will come lots of free time. I've got quite a lot of stuff planned for all of my readers to celebrate the end of a long, arduous school year and the start of what I can already tell will be an awesome summer! If any of you all who are reading live in North Carolina, let me know and I'll give you a shoutout next chapter! Hasta la vista!