I'm sorry everyone! I know I haven't posted a new chapter in a long time, and I really have no good reason for it. I'm so sorry. :( But now here it is, and I hope you enjoy!

EradrinSkyleaf: Here it is (finally)! :)

MistClan505: I know! My mind just sort of drifts away sometimes. It's like it's conspiring against me. *suspiciously glances at mind* And quite honestly, I wasn't even typing up the wrong chapter. I wasn't typing up any chapter. :( So how can I blame you for typing up the wrong chapter? ;)

QLKwriter: Yes, so much stuff will go on as Cinderpaw and Rainpaw are gone, but I'm afraid it'll probably be mostly from Rainpaw's and Cinderpaw's POVs. I'll have to think about what to do about Sootpaw...

ShadowHawk: No, you only reviewed once, don't worry. ;) And today I'll definitely have more advice! I'm glad you enjoy it!

Anova00: Yes, I am Christian. And she was going to go alone. What do you mean by "alone"? If you mean Rainpaw and Sootpaw don't go with her, then yes, she's alone.

Nightfeather: Then if you were in the Clan, you'd be one of the few cats. XD I'm kidding. I meant for the entire Clan to get mad, but only a few sentences would be able to be heard above the clamor of cats in general. Sorry if that was unclear. And of course it's one step on the way to being famous! ;) You can be famous someday for your writing. Well, if you practice writing, then you can become famous.

Bobbie1776: You're welcome for the tip! And I know - Sootpaw'll be so sad in the next chapter from his POV, probably! :'(

Cinderpaw's POV

I bounded through the thorn barrier, leaving Sootpaw and Rainpaw behind in the clearing to say their goodbyes. I'd left partially to give them some alone time (if you didn't count the entire rest of the Clan watching) and partially because I didn't want them to see my sadness. As I climbed up the ravine outside of camp, I even felt a prickling sensation in my eyes that I'd only felt a few times in my life.

Shaking my head, I began bounding along a forest path leading to the old border with WindClan. I'd have to go around the lake the long way because of the risks of traveling through NightClan territory. I couldn't show weakness. I had to be strong if I wanted to find RiverClan and lead them back to the lake.

By the time I'd reached the lakeshore near the boundary, I heard hurried pawsteps thudding against the ground behind me. I couldn't believe it. Had Sootpaw really come after me? He knew he couldn't come! He had to lead the Clan in Rainpaw's and my absence!

I turned, a sharp retort on the tip of my tongue, but it seemed to disappear when I saw who it was. As the tom sprinted into sight around the trunk of a tree, skidding slightly on the fallen leaves, I saw that his pelt was not gray, but red-orange.

"Foxtooth?" I asked. I'd barely gotten the word out when he collided with me, knocking me to the ground.

"Cinderpaw! I'm so sorry!"

"That's okay," I coughed, gasping air into my flattened lungs. I got to my paws and faced Foxtooth. "What are you doing here?"

Foxtooth glanced down, scraping one paw awkwardly across the sandy lakeshore. "Well, I just… um… thought that maybe you'd… like some company on your journey?" He looked up hopefully.

I was half confused and half speechless with shock. My fall must have knocked my common sense out of whack. Shaking my head, I tried to think.

"Oh." Foxtooth looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry." He turned and began padding back the way he'd come.

"Wait!" I called. "Where are you going?"

Foxtooth whirled around, a glint of confusion in his hazel eyes. "Back to camp. You shook your head no."

"No, I was just thinking," I said uncertainly.

Foxtooth's face lit up. "So I can come?" he asked excitedly.

I'd originally planned on telling him to return to the camp, but now how could I? I'd just let him think he wasn't wanted on the journey and then, like the super-smart feline I was, given him false hope again. I couldn't just crush him twice!

"Fine," I muttered, turning away toward WindClan territory again. "You can come. But if Sootpaw gets mad at you when we get back, it's not my fault."

Foxtooth's face split in a wide grin. "Thanks, Cinderpaw!" he exclaimed joyfully, bounding alongside me. I fought to keep from rolling my eyes. He could be so immature at times. Sure, he was a good and loyal friend, but he'd been constantly hanging around me recently. It was starting to get on my nerves.

We walked through WindClan territory, sticking close to the shore. Foxtooth chattered on and on until, about halfway through, he seemed to realize I never said much back to him. Thankfully, he shut up, and we progressed in silence. Finally, we reached a river and saw that the hills ended on its bank.

"We must be at the old border between RiverClan and WindClan," I meowed, speaking for the first time in hours.

"Yeah, it looks like it," Foxtooth said. "Come on, let's go down to the river! We should be able to cross it before the sun sets."

My heart missed a beat when he said the word "cross". My mind flashed back to that terrible rainstorm where I'd nearly dragged Sootpaw and myself to our deaths. I could feel the icy water seeping under my fur, the debris slamming into me as I tumbled head over heels downriver.

"Cinderpaw, are you coming?" Foxtooth was waiting by the bank of the river.

I stuck out my chin and bounded down after him. "Of course," I muttered, flashing him an annoyed look. "Just scanning the terrain is all."

"Are you sure?" he pressed, grinning at me. "You sure you're not scared of crossing the river?"

I bristled. "Of course not!" I nearly hissed.

Foxtooth seemed startled by my reaction. Taking a step back, he meowed, "Okay, okay. You're not scared at all, I get it. But… um… it wouldn't be good to get our fur wet, would it? So how about we head over to those stepping-stones over there?" He pointed upstream with his tail to a set of stones poking above the surface of the river.

Memories tried to surge upward again, trying to overwhelm me, but I forced them down again. It was a clear evening, with not a hint of rain. The river was anything but turbulent. There was nothing to be scared of.

I lifted my chin and walked over to the stepping stones with my tail loftily high. I already hated having company – it meant I had to show off constantly to maintain my reputation. Why couldn't I just be myself for a little while? Why did Foxtooth have to ruin everything?

Standing on the bank of the river, gazing across the water, I tried to imagine myself sprinting across the stones faster than a flash of the brightest lightning. I could just picture it; feeling the smooth, worn stone beneath my paws and the wind in my fur. My eyes narrowed. I could do this. No petty fear was going to stop me.

I leaped from the shore, landing on the first stepping stone. Without pausing to rest, I bounded forward again. I didn't even skid on the third stone, allowing me to soar gracefully to the fourth stone with barely any time taken for my paws to touch the third stone. The river flowed on beneath me as I crossed it, peaceful and docile as a snake sleeping in the sun. I was aware the whole time of how one misstep, one misjudged leap, could send me plunging into the water, awakening the snake. But I continued on, refusing to let that knowledge slow my paws or hinder my jumps.

My paws hit the riverbank and I turned to grin at Foxtooth, standing on the opposite shore still. "How's that for scared?" I called.

"Not bad," Foxtooth replied, beginning to cross himself.

I scoffed under my breath. Not bad? Obviously, he didn't know how terrified of water I was. Obviously, I wasn't going to let him find out.

As soon as Foxtooth finished crossing the stepping stones, I set off. We padded along at a brisk pace, side by side but not speaking. I dissuaded conversation by keeping my eyes fixed on the horizon and flicking my tail agitatedly back and forth.

Just when the sun had touched the tops of the trees, I spotted two fallen trees, one leaning against one still living and the other propped on one of the first fallen tree's branches. Together, along with a few bushes to fill in the gaps, it created a semi-sheltered area under which I could spend the night and, more importantly, provided enough space that I could curl up away from Foxtooth.

Nodding at the "den", I said, "There's a good place to spend the night." I almost added "don't you think" at the end, but stopped myself in time. I wanted there to be no confusion as to who was leading this quest. Quite honestly, I thought Foxtooth would make a terrible leader. But I wasn't going to judge him for that, of course.

Without waiting for Foxtooth's confirmation, I began bounding across the field to the edge of the forest, where the shelter was situated. Upon ducking under the trunk of one tree, I saw that a layer of dried leaves covered the ground. For a heartbeat, I wondered if they were left over from last year, or if they were just early to fall from the trees.

Quickly, I swept my tail through the leaves, pushing a small heap into a corner where a tree touched the ground. Then, I clawed some of the moss from the slowly decaying tree and spread that on top, creating a makeshift nest. It wouldn't have any of the support dried bracken provided, but it would at least be comfy.

Foxtooth seemed to understand that I wanted to sleep apart from him, because he was copying my actions on the other side of the den, where the second tree rested against the ground. Smiling slightly to myself, I curled into my nest, circling several times before flopping down on top of it.

The moss was damp.

Ah, just one more injustice in Cinderpaw's life! Anyway, did you all like the chapter? :) Cinderpaw and Foxtooth, your relationship is so complicated! Are you friends? Do you hate each other? What's going on? XD

QOTD: What do you think will happen between Cinderpaw and Foxtooth?

AdOTD: Always start a new paragraph when there is a new speaker, no matter how short the paragraph will be. It's for clarity's sake.