It's an upload one day after the last upload! :D I'm excited, are you?

catbooklover2004: Yup, I got that message two days ago and I'm still uploading the next chapter. Sorry, but I really don't believe in those sorts of things. They're meant to scare people who read them into spreading messages all over the place. And I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but I'm not sure you really read the chapter...?

Anova00: Aw :( I'd have loved to hear your first idea! But I'm glad you're a FanFiction member now, and not a Guest. :)

ShadowHawk: My cats always walk over my keyboard when I'm trying to type something, but I always move them off because I'm scared they'll accidentally step on a button and the entire document will disappear or they'll sit on the backspace button. XD And that's a cool idea, even though I don't know anything about pokemon! :P

MistClan505: I'm thinking about maybe taking a part of your idea, if that's okay? :-/ That's really cool how you can work that idea into many different story ideas, though! And sorry for being confusing. XD First it's me telling you you're being confusing, then it's you telling me I'm being confusing! Wow, that's pretty funny.

EradrinSkyleaf: Let's see... *googles intenseness* The definition is: depth of feeling. Yes, it is a word! XD And I tried rewriting my first uploaded FanFiction, but lost my motivation pretty quickly. :P You must have more motivation than me to actually edit!

Rainpaw's POV

"I can't believe it. This is bad. This is very, very bad."

I sat in the Leader's Den, watching as Sootpaw paced back and forth, tail lashing from side to side. "There were seven warriors, you say, Cinderpaw?" he checked.

Cinderpaw, who was crouched next to the mossy nest, nodded. "Yeah. They all hadn't quite healed from the battle, but they were fit enough."

"Ready to fight," Sootpaw muttered, turning and pacing back across the den. "They could theoretically attack at any time. And they'd most certainly win, with so many warriors trained and ready for battle." He paused, head bent, eyes shut. Every muscle remained still

I remained quiet, watching as the cogs worked in his mind. Sootpaw had always been the smartest of the three of us, with a highly tactical mind and floods of new ideas at all times. I knew that he could figure it out. He would know what to do.

Sootpaw suddenly threw back his head and let out a noise somewhere between a growl and a hiss. "No!" he yowled, slicing his claws through the dust. "No!"

"What is it?" Cinderpaw asked, her brow furrowing with worry. She also knew Sootpaw was the smartest. If he seemed to be at a loss, then we would have to ask the Clan at large. Cinderpaw wouldn't want to show that much weakness.

"We have too few warriors," Sootpaw hissed, pounding his paw against the stone. I winced – it looked like it hurt, but Sootpaw acted like it was nothing. "We can't hold our own against NightClan."

"So what do we do?" Cinderpaw asked, her eyes growing wide. "We can't just magically pull cats out of nothing. It takes time to train cats and we've already promoted all the cats we can. It takes too much time to train apprentices."

"I know," Sootpaw growled, beginning to pace again. "But if we don't find backup, then we're already dead. Where can we find cats both able and willing to fight for us?"

Silence followed his words. I tried my hardest, but I couldn't think of anything. For some reason, that old story Lightwing had told us as kits about how the Clans had fallen kept invading into my mind. Pushing it aside in irritation, I tried to focus.

What would I think to do if I were smarter? What did the smartest cats do when the Clans fell? No. I can't get distracted by that now. But why was it trying to distract me anyway?

I thought through the story. Bramblestar had gotten into a disagreement with Rowanstar, and eventually killed each other. WindClan tried to keep the peace but eventually got involved in the war. RiverClan left…

"The smart cats!" I blurted out.

Both Sootpaw and Cinderpaw looked at me as though I had four legs and leaves for ears. "What?" Cinderpaw asked, sounding incredulous.

"The – the RiverClan cats," I stammered, my heart racing with both nerves and excitement. What if my littermates thought my idea was stupid? "They left the lake, didn't they? And they went to go live a life away from the lake. Sort of like the peaceful cats Lightwing went with."

"What about them?" Sootpaw asked, eyebrows knitting with confusion.

"Um… maybe we could sort of go find them?" I trailed off into silence, looking at my paws.

"What did you say? I didn't quite hear you," Sootpaw meowed.

I looked up and repeated myself louder. "Maybe we could go find the RiverClan cats and they could help us reclaim the lake."

Cinderpaw suddenly looked interested. "That's a good idea, Rainpaw. Yeah, the RiverClan cats could help us!"

But Sootpaw was shaking his head. "We don't know where they went, Rainpaw," he said sadly. "And even if we did, do you really think they'd join us? They left for peace, after all. Would they really return to fight a war?"

My spirits plummeted like they'd just been crushed beneath a falling tree. My idea wasn't going to work.

"Can you think of something better, then?" Cinderpaw asked, getting to her paws and glaring at Sootpaw. "Because if so, then I'd love to hear it. But from what you said before, you've got nothing. And I've got nothing, too. Rainpaw's the only one with an idea, and I think it's at least worth a try."

"But if we leave to go on a quest, then who will lead the Clan? And what if NightClan attacks while we're gone?"

"If you'd rather sit around here and try to prepare for an attack we'll most certainly lose against–"

"Who says we're going to lose this battle?" Sootpaw growled. "There's still a chance we might win!"

"You and I both know that's not true!" Cinderpaw hissed. She and Sootpaw glared at each other for a heartbeat. I looked on, terrified they would throw themselves at each other, all because of something I'd said. What had become of us?

Then, Cinderpaw's expression softened. "Sootpaw, I know how much you like us to stick together and I realize you have a duty to protect LeopardClan because of Ashthorn. But I'm afraid you're going to have to give up one of those."

The fight left Sootpaw in a rush. His chin fell, his eyes closed, his tail drooped to rest on the ground, and the fur along his spine flattened. He looked utterly defeated. "I just don't think we should be separated," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Rainpaw, for trying to put down your idea, but I just don't like it."

"I don't like it either," I said swiftly.

"We have to do something," Cinderpaw reminded us.

"I know," Sootpaw murmured. He sighed and lifted his head again. "How about this. Just in case RiverClan decides not to fight, we need a backup plan. What other cats used to be Clan cats? The peaceful cats in the forest."

My jaw dropped. "I thought you thought that idea was stupid because they wouldn't fight! If RiverClan won't fight, the peace-loving cats would be impossible to convince to return to the lake!"

"Well, it's worth a try," Sootpaw said with a wry smile. "Most of them left to raise their kits in peace. All of those kits would be about the same age as us, and here we are, leading a Clan. The cats there might actually be homesick for the lake. If we can promise to return the four Clans to them, I bet at least some of them will be willing to fight."

Cinderpaw nodded. "But there's still the problem of who will go," she reminded Sootpaw. "Are you proposing we all go to RiverClan then return here and continue on to the forest, then come back and fight? NightClan most certainly wouldn't wait that long before attacking."

Sootpaw growled low under his breath. "I know," he muttered, scoring his claws though the dirt again. "But I think it's the only way. We'll have to split up."

I stared at Sootpaw. Was he seriously proposing we go separate ways? After all we'd been through?

"Cinderpaw, you might have the best luck with RiverClan. Who knows what dangers lurk between here and RiverClan? And Rainpaw, I'm sure you'd love to see Hyperion again, so you should head back to the forest to the peaceful cats. I…" he swallowed, "…I'll stay here and keep the Clan running."

"Are you sure, Sootpaw?" Cinderpaw asked.

Sootpaw nodded. "Yes. It's the only way. Unless if you have a better idea?" he teased.

Cinderpaw shoved him roughly. "Well, I'm sure you'd love to stay only for the leadership position. How'd this morning go with Dawnpaw?"

Sootpaw pushed her back, laughing, but froze partway through, his eyes flicking to me. Cinderpaw seemed to realize what they'd said half a second later and imitated Sootpaw.

I felt my throat begin to get sore as my eyes welled with sudden tears. Silverdapple. My one true love. We would have been together forever if not for Birdclaw.

But I forced the grief down. I couldn't show weakness and I couldn't make my littermates feel awkward. They didn't deserve that. So I pretended like I hadn't noticed anything.

"What?" I asked, looking from one to the other, miming confusion. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

Both of them looked away immediately. "No reason," Cinderpaw said, her voice unnaturally light and casual. "So… um… are we leaving tomorrow morning?"

"So soon?" Sootpaw asked, looking surprised.

Cinderpaw shrugged. "The sooner the better. The later we leave, the later we get back and the more time Nightstar has to attack us."

I nodded. "Cinderpaw's right. We should go as soon as possible."

Sootpaw closed his eyes, fighting to turn a grimace into a smile. He didn't quite manage it. "Okay," he meowed in a choked sort of voice. "Tomorrow."

And so ends the third chapter of Misty Destinies. How'd you like it? :) I'm sorry, but I'm too lazy to think up some advice for you guys today. Maybe next upload I'll have something. Sorry!

AOTD: If you want, you can check out my first FanFiction I actually posted. It's called The Lost Snow. But the first FanFiction I thought up and began writing on paper was a trilogy with winged cats. The books were called Into the Sky, Airborne, and Flight. I thought it was pretty cool how they worked like how a bird (or a cat, in this case) takes off INTO THE SKY, remains AIRBORNE, and finally begins FLYING. But I forgot to add in seasons so it never really went past the first ten chapters or so. X3

QOTD: How do you think each of the trio will react to separation from the other two?