Sorry for not posting! I've had school and homework and general life stuff. My birthday was on the 25th, so family and friends were coming over to celebrate. I started this last weekend, but didn't have enough time to finish it. Well, it's finally done. This chapter and a new drawing also. ;)

Sorry if the first five or so replies aren't as good as I usually do. My cat stepped on the trackpad of my computer and just closed the window as I was typing these review replies. :( -.- Ugh! I'll try to retype them as best as I can remember...

The Age of Awesomeness: Those are great names! I love all of them, especially Sootstrike, Sootblaze, and Sootfire. Though I might have used one of those suffixes for Cinderpaw... :-\

EradrinSkyleaf: I figured it was about time to bring back Ashthorn into the story. ;) He was in the prologue, but hasn't been in touch since then! Let's see, I liked Sootstorm and Sootfire... funny, the same ones you ended up liking best. :P I guess we both know him pretty well/have good taste in names.

QLKwriter: Yeah, Sootpaw was definitely the hardest to find a warrior name for. How about... Sootnormal? XD I do like Sootstep though. I don't know why but I do.

catbooklover2004: Yeah, I like the idea of naming Sootpaw after his father, but Sootthorn sounds slightly strange because of the two t's. But Sootfire also sounds good, so there's another possibility. :)

ShadowHawk540: I haven't heard Sootstone before. That's actually a really nice name. :) Schoolwork I get, I should actually go do that, too. I literally got home from school, ate food, wrote this chapter, finished the drawing, posted the drawing, and posted this chapter, in that order. And I've got an English test tomorrow. Oh well. But yeah, those numbers get me from time to time, too. :( Maybe try again?

walkswithwheels: I like the idea of Sootpaw being named after his parents, though I might try the last parts of their name instead of the first parts. I don't know, but those might work a little better. Maybe not. And don't worry, I have an idea for how they'll get their warrior names. :) It'll happen at the end of this book. And yeah, the whole leadership thing is completely planned out by me, so it's okay. No, one Clan won't have three leaders. I agree, that would be completely crazy. :P And I think you're starting to figure out the plot for the third book.

Silverkitty16: I used to be a silent reader and I still sometimes am when I'm really into a certain FanFiction, but I generally try to review every chapter I read to give the author some support. No, I'm not saying I need extra support, I've actually been really fortunate in that area. So if you forget to review, that's perfectly fine. :) And Sootfeather is a cool-sounding name! Personally I also like Sootblaze, but Sootfeather really is a cool name. :)

Nightfeather: Sootdawn! That would actually be really sweet for Dawnpaw. :) And the hamburger yo-yo sounds wonderful. That huge long explanation was sort of confusing, but I think I get your general train of thought. Sootheart is a pretty good name (even though I like Sootdawn better...). XD Pressing 'send' is pretty important. I love reading about what you think of my chapters!

Willowdream of ForestClan: Sometimes FanFiction randomly logs me out of my account, too. I wonder why...? I've actually never heard of Finchwing, so I'll have to go check them out. Or maybe I won't because then I'll just think my drawings are all the more terrible. XD Nah, I'll go and steal some techniques from them and improve my drawing skills or something. And I also hadn't heard about Switchfoot like that. Now here I go to look up the lyrics to some of their songs... Sootheart is a pretty good name. Sort of cliche but also suited for him. I might use that one, but I might try to find something better.. :P

Scarletpool: I'm a little confused about how all those names relate to the characters, but I agree that they're good names! I think my favorites were... Sootfire and Sootthorn, even though Sootthorn sounds slightly strange. Ah well, I'll give it some thought.

Cinderpaw's POV

Horrified, I took a step back. "Stop!" Rushstar cried, looking terrified. Turning, I realized I'd almost stepped on a cat. "You can't touch the bodies!"

I pressed closer to her and Foxtooth, away from the camp strewn with the dead and dying. How bad must this sickness be if so many were gone? Would those still alive want to help us reclaim the lake? Was this quest all in vain?

"But why are you all still in the camp?" Badger asked, a note of impatience in her voice. I bristled; couldn't she see what these cats were going through? She shouldn't treat them like they were kits!

Rushstar shook her head. "We've tried moving the bodies somewhere else, but there's just nowhere sheltered enough to leave them while we try to find spots to bury them."

"No, I mean why didn't you-"

"Use your common sense, Badger!" I snapped, cutting across her insolent meow. "If there was nowhere sheltered enough for a bunch of dead bodies, do you really think there'd be somewhere sheltered enough for a Clan of living cats?"

Badger glared at me, but I was happy to see she didn't have a reply. My point made, I turned back to Rushstar. "Isn't there anywhere else you can go?" I asked, a note of desperation injected into my voice as my thoughts returned to Sootpaw and the lake.

Rushstar shook her head. "No. I'm afraid not. We've searched endlessly for a place, but-"

"But you'd rather die." I turned away in disgust. "How can you have given up so easily?"

Rushstar's voice suddenly turned icy cold. "If you watched your Clanmates, your family, your friends die before your eyes, over and over again, knowing there was nothing you could do to stop it, would you try to keep on living?"

Yes, I almost said, but the word seemed to freeze on my tongue. Would I really continue if I lost Lightwing and my brothers? Would I really go on if they joined Ashthorn in StarClan or would I merely wait to join them again?

"Exactly," Rushstar meowed in a satisfied tone, obviously thinking my indecision translated to a No. She turned away, heading back to her den.

"We need your help," I meowed quietly, realizing with a flash of panic that my chance to convince her to help was gradually slipping away. "The lake needs your help."

Rushstar snorted. "The lake is lost," she replied. "If you still think you can save it, you're kidding yourself."

"But it's not lost!" I protested, anger flaring up inside me once again. "We're fighting back. If you help us, we might just be able to win." I waited a few heartbeats for Rushstar to respond, but when all I heard was silence, I continued in a softer voice, "Wouldn't you like to see the lake back the way it was before NightClan took control?"

Rushstar turned around, her yellow eyes flashing. "Stop teasing me," she hissed. "The lake is gone. A leader is given nine lives to protect her Clan at all costs. I will not abandon it like this."

"And how many of those nine lives do you have left?" I asked quietly.

Rushstar spat on the ground. "Three. I lost two before we left the lake and spent four more on the disease. I'm waiting for it to take me another three times so I can finally go rejoin my kin." She vanished into her den with a flick of her light brown tabby tail.

Desperately, I called after her, "But what if we look around and find a safe place for you and your Clan? Will you move to it?"

Rushstar's voice echoed out from under the vine-laden rocks. "You're kidding yourself, lake cat. There is no safe place here."

I looked at the ground, dejectedly kicking at a pebble. It bounced down a small slope until it finally hit the fur of a cat lying sprawled by a pool of water. The cat didn't react.

"Well, that went well," Badger drawled.

I glanced up at her, glaring with every ounce of rage and frustration I could muster. "Don't even start!" I growled before whirling around and stalking out of the RiverClan camp. I couldn't deal with both Rushstar's refusal and Badger's insolence right now. It was just too much to handle.

I heard thumping pawsteps behind me and almost whirled around, claws extended. If Badger had come to infuriate me still further, she would feel my wrath with slashing and whirling claws and teeth.

"Cinderpaw?" It was Foxtooth. I almost yowled my frustration to the skies. He was little better than that she-cat.

"What?" I growled, walking onward, the fur along my spine prickling up and my tail whipping through the air.

"Um, well," he muttered.

I whipped around, eyes blazing with blue fire. "What?" I spat. "Stop wasting my time!"

Foxtooth took a few steps back, as he should. "Um, I was just wondering if you'd like to go down by the river with me," he meowed awkwardly. "I know it's probably a bad time, but I thought maybe we could try catching some fish to eat or something."

"You don't even know how to fish," I muttered, turning around again.

"But that's half the fun, isn't it?" Foxtooth insisted. I rolled my eyes as he continued, "Please, Cinderpaw? Just this once?"

Well, I supposed, it's not like I have anything better to do. "Fine," I hissed, turning my pawsteps toward the river.

"Thank you, Cinderpaw!" Foxtooth positively bounced alongside me, his face alight with excitement. "You won't regret this, I promise!"

That's one dangerous thing to promise, I thought, but kept it to myself. He was like a kit – exceptionally annoying, but you still never hurt his feelings if you could help it. But he was right about one thing. As I glanced back toward the camp, I spotted a certain black and white she-cat, her yellow eyes ablaze with jealousy as they followed Foxtooth and I down to the lake. No, I wouldn't regret getting under Badger's skin. That she-cat deserved it.

The lake was a dark, grayish blue, reflecting the clouds overhead. Leaffall, with all its rain and lack of sunlight, must finally be here. The bank wasn't sandy like it had been up by Badger's den, but instead just bare dirt, turned into sticky mud by the recent rain. It definitely wasn't the beautiful, romantic location Foxtooth had been picturing, but I didn't really care. He was just too immature for me.

I squelched through the mud to the water's edge and turned back to face him. "Well?" I asked.

"What?" Foxtooth asked. He joined me by the river and sat down. I didn't blame him when he quickly stood up again, lashing his tail in discomfort as the mud clung to his fur, heavy and cold.

"You said we were fishing," I said, rolling my eyes. "Well?"

"Oh, right." Foxtooth glanced away, giving his chest fur a couple licks. "Um, I'm pretty sure you fish like this." He waded forward tentatively into the water, making sure to keep his hind legs firmly planted on the muddy bank. I resisted the urge to push him in as he felt around underwater.

"Found anything yet?" I asked, turning away to try to find something interesting to watch. I'd been here for mere heartbeats and already I was bored. Why had I agreed to come here?

"Um…" Foxtooth muttered, teeth clenched. "Not sure."

"Not sure? How can you not be sure?" I asked, puzzled. Wouldn't he be able to tell if he felt anything?

"Well, my paws are cold," he meowed, backing out of the water. "That water's freezing!" He lifted a paw, shaking it. "Hang on, I think I might have cut-"

A splash from downstream cut off his words. We both turned downstream to see what had caused it. We both froze as we spotted the cat caught in the current, drifting downstream.

A cat I recognized as Rushstar stood on the bank, her head bowed. Around her were grouped several cats and, shivering at their tails, four kits.

"I wish you a safe journey to StarClan, Cloudwisp," Rushstar meowed, her voice barely audible over the rushing of the river. "You will be missed, but I'm sure your mate will be happy to see you again." Her voice turned bitter as she continued, "Thanks for leaving your kit behind. I'm sure you know she'll have hard times to come."

Turning, Rushstar led the way back up to the camp, leaving the cream tabby queen to float farther downstream. The RiverClan cats followed their leader, but the small, cream kit paused and looked back at the river. She only moved on when a brown tabby returned to pick her up and bring her to rest with the other three kits.

Foxtooth sank onto his haunches. This time, he seemed not to mind the mud, but instead sat with his shoulders hunched, his yellow eyes fixed on the queen's body. I watched, too, as the current pushed it on and on, until it caught on a branch a little ways along the river, sticking out at an angle from the other side. After several minutes, the combined pressure of the cat's body and the current broke the branch free and it spun slowly around in the water until it lay horizontally across the river. Then it seemed to pause.

I reared up onto my hind legs to get a better look, my heart beating fast in my chest. Was this what I thought it was? Had Cloudwisp's body helped create a bridge across the river? Was it, perhaps, possible that the RiverClan cats hadn't yet searched across the river for a new campsite?

"Come on, Foxtooth," I said briskly. "We have work to do." And I sprinted for the new bridge.

So how was that chapter? :)

AOTD: I think my overall favorites were Sootfire, Sootthorn, Sootdawn, Sootheart, Sootstep, and Sootstone. We'll see which one I end up with, whether it's one of these or another. :)

QOTD: Umm... I had one but I lost it. Great. *sarcasm* Oh, I just thought of one! Are you sarcastic at all? (wonder how I thought up that one?)