Sorry I haven't gotten out a chapter! I've been busy working on the 200-review special, a drawing of 12 main characters in this series. :) I'm about halfway done and I've been working on it on and off with homework all week. Hopefully I can finish it by next week!

QLKwriter: Yeah, but if the disease was like other diseases of before, the medicine cat would have already cured it. And I agree, if there's no cure Rushstar doesn't deserve to die. She needs to have this horribly extended life because of how suicidal she was for the majority of her leadership. :P

catbooklover2004: XD That would be hilarious! Yeah, pine needles could be used... hmm...

The Age of Awesomeness: Oh, that's actually pretty smart! I might actually use that, though I'll probably combine it with something else someone else submitted. I do like the risk factor, though. :)

walkswithwheels: Yeah, if all three of them ended up trying to lead one Clan when peace is restored, that would get really complicated. And I agree, Rushstar had a pretty sucky life, she at least deserves a bit of happiness before she dies. I agree that the cure should be something the cats don't normally use, but that's interesting that you think it should be something normally overlooked but super common. That would be ironic.

Willowdream of ForestClan: I'm glad you thought so! :) And yeah, Rushstar hasn't really done anything yet and she has so much potential as a character. It wouldn't be fun if she just randomly dies in her sleep. Nah, I agree with you that she needs to stick around and be a hero for some reason.

Nightfeather: I agree that it should be really random, maybe something right underneath their noses that whole time. Like grass. XD I meant for Sootpaw letting Molewhisker off duty to play with his kits to show how caring he is for his Clanmates and how he's becoming a great leader. Happy Chinese New Year! :) I think in Chinese years I'm a rabbit. I think. And it would be interesting if they have to ask NightClan for the remedy, though NightClan and the lake are about a quarter moon's travel away. If it wasn't, then I would probably have used that! :)

EradrinSkyleaf: *eats cookies* I also like that chapter. :) It shows how Sootpaw's growing up. Chamomile... *inwardly groans* Once I had chamomile tea. Emphasis on the once. Emphasis on the I didn't finish it.

ShadowHawk: Ooh, deathberry leaves weren't really used at all during the regular series, so that might be interesting. Ahh, the RiverClan leader drowning. Such irony there. XD

Scarletpool: I actually haven't heard of swamp milkweed, but you're right, it sounds like it would grow around their area. :) I'll have to think about using that. And I haven't said so in the story, but the deputy died from the disease and Rushstar just sort of never named another. XP Maybe the medicine cat could do that?

Cinderpaw's POV

Rushstar irked me.

No, there was no way I was going to work with her. No way at all. No, I'd just have to work on my own without, and preferably against, her. What wouldn't she want? Her Clan to have a chance. What would she want? Her Clan to die. I couldn't let RiverClan die. I had to at least try to save them. Not all of them could have lost hope like Rushstar, could they?

I leaped onto a rock right beside Rushstar's den, hoping she would be able to hear me as I yowled, "Cats of RiverClan! Gather to hear my message!"

Out of crevices in the rocks, from underneath bushes, and from even out of the river cats came, slinking low to the ground so they looked more like running water than cats, even those with ginger or brown fur. I blinked and the clearing in front of me was filled with cats. Creepy.

Suppressing a shiver, I raised my chin and stared out over the cats, trying to look like a leader, or at least more so than Rushstar, though that wasn't hard at all. "RiverClan," I began, "I have come to you with a mes–"

"Who are you?"

I glared down at the cat who'd spoken. "Excuse me?"

He stared insolently right back at me. "You just come in here and start talking to us like you're our leader. Do you really expect us to follow you?"

He had a point, though I'd never say so aloud. Instead, I meowed, "What is your name?"

"You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine."

I narrowed my eyes.

"I asked first."

"Fine," I nearly spat, though I managed to hold in my temper with difficulty. Better not to explode in front of these cats. They were already suspicious about following me. "I'm Cinderpaw."

"I'm Tanglefur." The tom nodded at Foxtooth. "Who's your companion?"

"I'm Foxtooth." Foxtooth had stood up at the base of the rock. He was staring hard at Tanglefur. "You may not know me, but you'd know my parents. I am the son of Squirrelflight and Bramblestar."

I stared at him along with everyone else. How had I not known who his parents were? How could he have kept his awe-inspiring lineage a secret?

Though, of course, I wasn't awed. I was never awed. I awed other cats, not the other way around.

Shaking my head, I glanced back at Tanglefur, who said incredulously, "You're Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's son?" He glanced up at me, then back at him. "Then why is she up there and not you? I'd listen to you; you must have good instincts inherited from them!"

"Because…" Foxtooth trailed off, looking up at me. I took up where he left off.

"Because in the end, Bramblestar and Squirrelflight fell to the rage of battle. No offense," I added to Foxtooth, who dipped his head. When had he gotten so mature? I turned back to Tanglefur. "Who stepped up to take charge then and restore peace to the lake? My father did."

"Yeah?" Tanglefur looked unconvinced. "Sure. The great and powerful Ashthorn is your father. Whatever. Foxtooth, get up there and push her down."

"No, it's true." Foxtooth nodded up at me. "She is the daughter of Ashthorn. I was there when he named her and her brothers his heirs."

Tanglefur's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, his heirs?"

I bowed my head, memories of that last battle seeping back into my mind. "He was slain by Nightstar. He now resides in StarClan."

Tanglefur looked horrified. "Then the battle's lost?" he gasped. "War now reigns at the lake?"

"No!" I stepped forward to add emphasis to my words. "No, it's not over. LeopardClan is horribly outnumbered, but it's not over yet! That was my message to give to you; we need you back at the lake to help us win one last battle."

Two she-cats stepped up beside Tanglefur. "I'm sorry, but that's not an option," one of them said.

I glared at them. "Why not, um…" I hesitated.

"Mossyfoot," the she-cat meowed. "I'm Mossyfoot and this is Troutstream."

The second she-cat nodded. "We left the lake to avoid all the war. All we wanted was peace! We found it here. If you want to join us, then you're welcome, daughter of Ashthorn and son of Squirrelflight and Bramblestar."

"Really?" Foxtooth padded around to the front of the rock. "Really?" he repeated. "Are you really at peace here? Do you really think that there's only one type of war—cats against cats?" He shook his head. "You can also fight those that don't have bodies. You can war against invisible beings that attack your body, ripping it apart from the inside out." At the confused looks that greeted this speech, he clarified, "Sickness. You're currently fighting a battle against sickness. And I'm afraid to say I think the sickness is winning."

I noticed all three cats looked doubtful. Troutstream opened her mouth, hesitated, then said, "But we can't fight this sickness. If we can't fight back, then it can't be a war."

Mossyfoot nodded. "Troutstream's right. This isn't a battle."

"Then what is it, a massacre?" I leaped down to stand beside Foxtooth—maybe my being above the Clan was making them nervous. "Why don't you run away?"

"There's nowhere to run to," Tanglefur said sorrowfully. "This is the only home we have."

"The only home you have is going to be your death!" I protested. "Sickness reigns here, not cats. You can't just give up like Rushstar!"

A shocked silence met my words. The three cats standing before us exchanged uneasy glances. Then, Mossyfoot spoke. "Rushstar's given up?"

I rolled my eyes at the sky. "Well, what else would she be doing holed up in her den, slowly dying over and over again?"

"She told us she was working on a plan," Tanglefur muttered, though I could detect nervousness in his voice. "A plan to help us survive."

"No, she's working on a plan to help you die slowly, one by one," I meowed disparagingly. "She's given up on you."

"No, that can't be true." Troutstream sat down hard. "I grew up with Rushstar. She was always so optimistic and had such good ideas all the time. This can't be her. She must be helping us."

"I don't think she is." A new voice amongst the sea of cats piped up. I glanced around and spotted a young apprentice making her way through the others, the white spots amongst her brown tabby fur standing out like a single pink flower on a dark green bush. The she-cat bounded over to stand slightly in front of the three senior warriors.

"Mousepaw!" Troutstream hissed, attempting to paw the apprentice back into the crowd. "I've trained you better than this!"

But Mousepaw dodged her mentor's paw and meowed, "Rushstar's my mother. She hasn't been herself for moons. She barely even glanced at me when I showed her the perfected battle move I'd been working on for such a long time. She hasn't spoken to me since she sort of congratulated me on my first kill." She glanced up at her mentor. "I think somehow she's changed," she murmured. "I remember the first time she caught the illness, she fought hard against it, even though she refused Ripplefur's medicine. After she lost her first life, she just… sank inward."

Silence fell as RiverClan felt the impact of her words. It was broken in moments, however, by the appearances of two more apprentices, who tumbled out from the mass of cats to sit beside Mousepaw. "I'm Volepaw," one said, "Mousepaw's brother. I just wanted to say Rushstar hasn't even come out of her den in several sunrises. I tried bringing her fresh-kill, but she told me to eat it myself. I told her no, that would be breaking the warrior code, as the Clan hadn't been fed yet, but she insisted she didn't need any. So I brought it to the queens instead."

The second tom nudged Volepaw to get him to stop talking. "I'm Heronpaw," he said, puffing up his chest importantly. "These are my littermates Volepaw and Mousepaw. I fully support what they're saying."

Volepaw shoved his brother back. "Stop sounding like an elder!" he complained.

Mossyfoot pushed her way between the now bickering apprentices and stared me levelly in the eyes. "Very well," she said. "We believe that Rushstar no longer has our best interests at heart. But the problems remain that we have nowhere to go and no cure for the disease."

"Well," I said, glancing sideways at Foxtooth, "I don't know about a cure, but I think we've found a place for you to stay. Well, at least the healthy cats."

Tanglefur nodded. "All sick cats are either with Ripplefur or in their own dens. RiverClan's had plague before—we know how to handle it," he added almost defensively. "It's how so many of us have remained healthy this long."

"You won't for much longer unless you agree to move to the camp we found across the river," I warned.

Tanglefur nodded again. "Fine. Son of Squirrelflight and Bramblestar, daughter of Ashthorn, we will trust you to lead us to a better camp." He hesitated. "But in return, you must agree to help us try to find a cure. We won't leave without at least trying to save our Clanmates."

I glanced sideways at Foxtooth again. My worries were mirrored in his hazel eyes, and I suddenly remembered he also had a beloved brother back at the lake. "We can't stay long," I warned.

Tanglefur's eyes narrowed in unsure thought. In his silence, Mossyfoot cut in. "If we haven't found a cure in a quarter moon we'll leave," she meowed. Then, louder to the Clan, she called, "Does that sound reasonable?"

General murmurs of assent rose from the crowd, including Troutstream and the three apprentices before me. I grimaced, but nodded all the same. A quarter moon was a long time, but at least it was better than a half moon.

"Very well," I agreed reluctantly. "Now, follow us and we'll lead you to the other camp!"

Wow, this chapter might be really bad or not. I'm really tired, see. It's almost midnight where I am, so... yeah. So I type things like so... yeah.

AOTD: Well, I was thinking obviously they'd eat grass and magically get better. *sarcasm* Yeah, I'll just combine things of what you all told me and use that.

QOTD: I'm currently listening to Wicked music. So... um... *too tired to think of anything else* Do you like the musical Wicked?