Yes, I know this upload is also pretty late. But I had a lot of homework and stuff to get done, I'm afraid. :( Now that it's spring break, though, I should be able to upload much more frequently, as I'm not going anywhere. I'm afraid I have to get my wisdom teeth removed next Monday. -.- Bleh.

QLKwriter: Yeah, I can see what you mean about Rushstar hiding her sickness. It was pretty sudden. You're so lucky to not have any allergies!

walkswithwheels: Yeah, but what would they do if there weren't any Twolegs nearby? And it would probably be hard to rebuild seeing as a good part of the Clan was killed by the sickness, but maybe two small Clans could combine into one larger one. I also have cats as pets, despite technically being allergic. :P

Nightfeather: Same! XD Lollipops... My favorite Owl City songs are Fireflies and If My Heart Was A House. You might have to wait a little while, I'm afraid, before Cinder x Fox will become a reality. ;) Aw, I forgot to do the time thing. Maybe next chapter I'll remember. And I just played that game thing on Google. I kept almost getting that one last tile but missing it by a hair!

ShadowHawk540: I'm sorry. :( I'm luckily not allergic to penicillin.

Silverkitty16: Well, it's certainly a good thing you're not more like Rushstar! And yes, you are really lucky not to have any allergies. ;)

ilovewarriorcats: Yes, you definitely are lucky! Allergies aren't fun, let me tell you. I like yellow, silver, and... um, probably blue. In that order. I think I got the extra credit, though I might be wrong. I don't check my grades as often as I probably should. :P

The Guardian of the Sky:Ooh, that allergy must not be very fun. :( (not that other allergies are any funner :P)

EradrinSkyleaf: I hadn't even noticed you hadn't reviewed! I feel like such a bad Fanfiction author, not noticing that one of her fans didn't review... oh well. XD I'm glad your intolerance went away! Gosh, if I was allergic to dairy stuff like milk I'd just roll over and die. I love milk.

Rainsky's POV

The cats of the peace forest rose with the sun the next morning. I washed myself after I woke up, then went hunting briefly. I'd gotten very good at it since Hyperion first taught me in the Twolegplace—I managed to catch a thrush and a fat vole, both of which I proudly brought back to Lightwing's den. Though she was pleased with my catch and though I protested that I'd already done so, she insisted on washing me again. Finally, our bellies full and my fur the cleanest it's been since kithood, we padded out into the dawn sunlight.

Everyone was up and moving by the time we reached the clearing, every cat bustling around making last minute checks and swallowing a few last mouthfuls of mouse. I made my way slowly through the crowd, glancing around to make sure all were present.

I first passed Adderpaw and his parents, moving rather faster than normal. It seemed Adderpaw was loudly complaining about something, maybe leaving the forest or not eating more than a small blackbird or having to swallow traveling herbs or something. With Adderpaw, it didn't really matter what the scenario was—there was always something to complain about.

After I made it past that initial trio, I spotted Whistlefur, Tansyfoot, Hopkit, and Lionkit between two large beech trees, for once sitting still as the kits watched me pass with wide eyes. I smiled and nodded at them. Hopkit glanced up eagerly at his mother while Lionkit puffed up his chest, proud at being acknowledged by a warrior.

Beside the family of four sat Rowanpaw, Honeypaw, and Oakpaw, all three watching as their parents nervously kneaded the ground, staring around at the clearing as though worried they'd forgotten something. I grinned at the apprentices and received grins in return from the two toms. Honeypaw, as always, remained silent, staring at the ground.

Nearer to the stream lounged Tortoiseheart, Breezelark, and Crowtail. Beside them, anxiously waiting for Lightwing and I, sat Robinchest, her blue eyes wide as she spotted me and turned to tell her family. I lifted my tail in greeting and Crowtail nodded back, his blue eyes glittering with excitement.

Aspenpaw and Alderpaw lay right beside the stream, both breathing rather heavily and with rather wet fur. I raised my eyebrows at them, glancing between them. "Were you playing in the stream?" I asked suspiciously.

"What gives you that idea?" Aspenpaw asked, laughing as she glanced over at her brother.

Shaking my head in mock exasperation, I leaped onto the largest rock. As I turned around, the clearing seemed to quieten, all faces turning toward me. I suddenly realized I could see my shadow in front of me, meaning the sun must be directly behind me. I fought to contain my smirk as I imagined how dramatic I must look, silhouetted by the sun.

"The time has come!" I yowled, though there really was no need to raise my voice. "We must go to aid the cats by the lake and reclaim our birthrights as warrior cats!"

"Yeah!" Aspenpaw called, leaping to her feet. Alderpaw followed her, as did Rowanpaw and Lionkit. I was surprised to see Honeypaw also stand, even before Oakpaw. Crowtail and Robinchest rose with shouts like Aspenpaw's, their parents right behind them.

Lightwing reared onto her hind paws, twisting around to address the peace cats. "We will follow Rainsky to the lake!" she yowled. "He has made the journey twice already—he knows the way well!"

At my mother's words, I quickly traced a route to the lake in my head. Through the forest, across the plains, over the river, and…

…through the Twolegplace.

I swallowed hard. Would Hyperion be there to guide us back again? Surely he would—I'd told him I needed to get back to the lake, that I'd be leading the peace cats with me. Surely he'd be there to help me?

But what if he wasn't? What if he thought I could make the journey by myself now, having made it twice before? But that Twolegplace was so confusing, how could he think that?

Could he?

"Let's go!"

I was jolted out of my thoughts by Lightwing's next words. She leaped forward, racing around my rock, Aspenpaw and Alderpaw beside her and the rest of the cats behind. Quickly, I followed, bounding to the edge of the rock and jumping from the edge, soaring over the stream and landing on the other side in an easy run, my paws thudding on the ground. I quickened my pace until I was racing alongside Lightwing, the wind flattening my fur against my face and my tail jauntily high. Despite my earlier forebodings, I couldn't help but feel sheer joy. We were on our way! I sent a quick thought to Sootpaw, though I knew he couldn't hear me.

I'm coming! Just hold on a little longer—we'll be there to help you win this war. Just hold on!

We made good time through the forest. Tortoiseheart and Breezelark, being rather older than the others, began panting long before the rest of us, and so were helped by Crowtail and Robinchest. The kits, Hopkit and Lionkit, swung from their parents' jaws.

The sun was setting by the time we reached the edge of the forest. "We'll camp here for the night!" I called to the crowd before turning to Lightwing, Aspenpaw, and Alderpaw. "Come on," I meowed, "Let's find a place to sleep."

The crowd began to disperse. I opened my mouth to suggest we camp behind a hollow log when a low growl cut through the clearing. Every cat froze, all eyes turned to a thick clump of bushes. Inside, I could see a pair of black, beady eyes staring out from the leaves.

Three foxes crept out from amongst the leafy branches, snarls curling their white muzzles, dark eyes narrowed in hatred. I swallowed, nervously unsheathing my claws and fluffing up the fur along my spine and tail. I was never very good at fighting, but these cats didn't know that. Would they expect me to lead the charge into battle?

"Stay away!" came a tiny squeak from the middle of the clearing. I turned, shock welling up inside me, to see Lionkit standing right in front of the foxes, his little teeth poking out from under his lip as he hissed at the monstrous creatures.

"Lionkit!" Tansyfoot leaped forward, trying to pull her kit out of harm's way, but one of the foxes bounded over Lionkit's head and pinned her to the ground. The other two foxes circled around, snarling at any cat who tried to come any closer, glaring devilishly at Whistlefur, curled protectively around his remaining kit.

The lead fox holding down Tansyfoot reached back with a paw, searching around for the little ball of fluff that was Lionkit. I realized what it was trying to do—it wanted to carry Lionkit off to eat him, because evidently kits were tastier than adult cats. It made sense—baby mice tasted better than adult mice. And it wanted to finish Lionkit off before any of us got close enough to save him.

Fear was what propelled me toward them, in the end. I started forward, tail lashing, only to be met with the gnashing teeth of a salivating fox. I shied away from the strands of translucent drool, the fox leaning over me, giving me a deathly stare as if to say, You next.

Lionkit squealed in pain. Though he was obscured by the fox's bushy tail, that didn't stop me from imagining the horrifying things the middle fox must be doing to him. My lack of knowledge probably increased my imagination's hold as I pictured the small, orange tabby kitten lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, the light slowly flickering, fading from his yellow eyes. I couldn't let him die.

I snapped my teeth at the fox. It was startled for a half heartbeat only, but that was enough. Leaping up, I surged over the fox's head, bounding off its shoulders to land in the center of the semicircle, paws splayed on the ground, protecting Lionkit beneath me.

The foxes spun around in confusion, staring at me, probably wondering how in the world I managed to get past their defenses. In their moment of uncertainty, I yowled, "Attack!"

Many cats didn't need telling twice. Crowtail and Whistlefur launched themselves immediately at the fox still holding its claws at Tansyfoot's throat. Rowanpaw joined the attack with interest. Aspenpaw led Alderpaw and Lightwing onto the fox closest to me, all three clinging to its fur, dragging it to the ground. Adderpaw and Oakpaw joined forces in heading straight for the remaining fox, quickly accompanied by Voletail, Forestwind, and Robinchest.

I, meanwhile, didn't even attempt to join in the melee. A quick glance under my belly told me Lionkit was huddled on the ground, eyes wide but otherwise unharmed. I intended for him to stay that way.

Finally, after several minutes full of flying fur and battle cries, the foxes were beaten back into the bushes. When they reached the edge of the clearing, all three turned and fled, leaving us behind.

"Don't chase them!" I called to Adderpaw and Crowtail. "They've learned their lesson. They're not coming back."

"Still, I think we should put up a guard tonight," Whistlefur meowed anxiously before turning to inspect his mate's wounds. Tansyfoot, however, wanted nothing to do with his fussing. She darted over to me and pulled Lionkit out from underneath me, quickly sniffing him over to make sure he was okay.

"Don't ever do something like that again!" she snarled, sounding much the same as she had while facing the foxes.

Lionkit looked at the ground. "I just wanted to be brave, like you and Rainsky." He shot a glance at me.

"That wasn't brave, that was stupid! You don't know any battle moves! A full grown warrior wouldn't dare stand up to a fox alone! You could have been killed!" Tansyfoot glanced around at Whistlefur and Hopkit. "And what would your brother do if you died?"

"I think Lionkit's learned his lesson," Whistlefur murmured, stepping up beside Tansyfoot. "He looks like he had the scare of a lifetime just then. He won't do it again, will you?" His last two words were directed at his son, his eyes narrowing. Lionkit squeaked and shook his head vigorously.

"Thank you, Rainsky," Whistlefur continued, shooting me a grateful look. "Now that was true bravery. You risked your life to save this idiot's life." He glared at Lionkit again. "You could have died because of his mistake. We thank you for our son's life."

I dipped my head, slightly embarrassed by his praise. "Just as long as Lionkit's safe," I muttered quickly. Then, turning to the group at large, I called, "It's time to get some rest, I think. Those foxes won't dare bother us again. Let's hunt then get some rest."

I have future plans for Lionkit. *evil laugh* I'm afraid his turmoil about bravery won't be ending soon.

AOTD: Yes. I'm allergic to so much stuff... amongst that list, peanuts, nuts, soy, peas, shellfish, pretty much all pollen, dust mites, dogs, cats, chickpeas, and probably a bunch more stuff I can't remember at the moment.

QOTD: Again, random! What's your favorite Disney/Pixar animated movie?