A/N: Heh, Chapter 3 is finally here. Okay, so, I'm finally on summer break, so the chapters should be posted daily, but any specific day, that, I'm not quite sure. But, I want you to know that during my summer break, I should be posting daily. And also, I have got to say that this is my longest chapter yet O.O Right, with that said and done, onto review replies~

Bunnyfang - Well, if you say so... I guess I should continue it.. :3 Of course, I'm going to continue it, this is my favorite project so far :D

Springflower - Hmm, you'll find out in this long chapter that I spent a lot of time on, writing. O.O Anyways, I hope you enjoy it :D I'll tell you when I should have the next chapter up. ^-^

Enjoy this chapter~

~Frost

Chapter 3:

The StormClan cats raced over the terrain, their paws pounding the ground with desperation to reach where the yowl had come from.

Once further in DuskClan territory, the patrol stopped to scent the air, to see if they were going in the right direction. Speckwind swiveled her ears, her nose pointed towards the breeze that was blowing towards them.

After a long moment of silence, Speckwind called out, "Come on, I scent something over there!" She then ran off, her tail swaying in the breeze as she went.

"Let's go!" Pebblestone said to the others, preparing to run after Speckwind. As the cats followed the white she-cat, they could begin to hear the yowls of battle and terror growing closer and closer.

Just as Pebblestone, Ashtail, Maplecreek, and Ripplepaw were about to reach Speckwind, who had stopped once more to survey the surrounding, a bright flash of orange tabby fur streaked past them, making them yowl in surprise and unsheathe their claws.

"Get out of the way!" snarled the cat with the bright orange fur, whirling around to face the StormClan cats before she turned around to face whatever danger was approaching the Clan cats.

"Wait, Pondfeather, what's going on?" Ashtail tried to ask the DuskClan warrior, stepping forward. "We're under attack by a pack of savage dogs. They came into our camp, barking like mad, yesterday morning," Pondfeather replied tersely, still glancing around warily.

"How did you fend them off when they came yesterday?" Pebblestone inquired, stepping forward as well.

"We had to take cover, and by that, I mean hide in the trees that surrounds our camp before we actually came up with a plan to drive the dogs away from the camp and where some of the other warriors were waiting to launch a full-blown attack."

"Where are they now?" Ashtail asked, looking behind her shoulder as the yowls got more louder and louder.

"They're at the Moss Clearing, just a few bounds from our camp," the she-cat informed the StormClan patrol, turning around once more, her blue gaze sharp as she looked at them.

At that moment, when the orange she-cat had let her guard down slightly, a sudden flash of brown and black fur shot by the StormClan cats and tackled Pondfeather to the ground, hard.

Yowls of anger and shock erupted from the gathered StormClan cats as they prepared themselves to lunge at the dog on top of the DuskClan warrior. But, as they were about to lunge, a screech from Pondfeather stopped them in their tracks. "Go! Save the others! I got this one!" With those words, Pondfeather then thrust her back claws upwards at the dog's belly, sending it flying across the small clearing, and then got up to her paws. The dog quickly got up to its paws as well, barking madly as it watched the orange tabby's movements before lunging forward.

"But..." Pebblestone objected, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he gazed at the DuskClan she-cat. "I said, go! Or do you want to be killed?" Pondfeather snapped back at the cats, dodging a swift bite from the dog that would have been fatal.

Still tense and crouched into attack position, the StormClan patrol hesitated before Pebblestone flickered his tail at them to rise and move. "Come on, we have to find Speckwind," he murmured, turning away while casting a quick glance over his shoulder to look at the brave she-cat for what could be the last time.

Ashtail, Maplecreek, and Ripplepaw followed the grey tom reluctantly, glancing back over their shoulders as well. Once they were about to head into the undergrowth, the patrol stopped once more to look at the cat they had just left behind to fend for her life. They watched a few seconds of the intense battle between the dog and the orange DuskClan cat before they turned away. May StarClan be with you, Pondfeather, Pebblestone thought silently as he turned to lead the patrol into the Moss Clearing, where hopefully, Speckwind will be and the remnants of DuskClan.

Hearing a loud warning yowl just up ahead, the cats broke into a brisk yet swift run, their tails flowing out behind them as they raced across the misty area, storm clouds moving in slowly with their bellies a dark blue-grey. Thunder crashed around the cats as they desperately and determinedly searched for their missing comrade and the cats of DuskClan.

Once they came to a slight dip in the ground, the cats stopped to survey the area warily. The tension was almost palpable and silence once again, took its hold on the StormClan cats. Sniffing the air, Pebblestone looked around from side to side, his tail lashing behind him and the fur on his shoulders beginning to bristle.

He then cast a swift glance over his shoulder to look at his fellow Clanmates. Ashtail and Maplecreek were both scenting the air while the blue-grey apprentice was shifting her paws slightly, but nervously. Seeing this, Pebblestone flicked his tail at the two she-cats to keep trying to locate where DuskClan and Speckwind could be, Pebblestone padded back to where Ripplepaw was standing.

Once he got closer, the grey warrior could see that the young apprentice's shoulders were trembling. Whether with fear or sadness, he couldn't tell. "Hello, Ripplepaw," he mewed softly, looking down at the blue-grey apprentice. This made her look up quickly, surprise flitting over her face before it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Oh, hello, Pebblestone," she murmured quietly, looking down again.

"What's wrong, Ripplepaw?" Pebblestone crouched down to the ground to get on eye level with Ripplepaw. "It's nothing," Ripplepaw replied, still not wanting to meet the grey warrior's sky-blue gaze. "Now you know that's not true," Pebblestone said calmly. "You can trust me, Ripplepaw."

"I know, Pebblestone."

"Then, what is wrong?" Pebblestone inquired, tilting his head slightly to the left as he continued looking at the young she-cat.

"Well, it's just..." Ripplepaw hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting away from the curious warrior.

"Just, what?"

"It's silly," Ripplepaw murmured, her eyes still averted from Pebblestone's sky-blue gaze.

"Nothing is silly, Ripplepaw. Now tell me what you mean," Pebblestone instructed, gently but firmly.

"It's just, sometimes I wonder, if we can all make it back alive from this," the apprentice answered reluctantly, her head lowered as her ears flattened against her head.

Pebblestone was a little surprised at the apprentice's thought, but he answered, "We will make it back alive from this battle, Ripplepaw. StormClan will never back down from a challenge, whether it's easy or not."

"I know, but it's still worrying me that we might not. That someone might even die."

"There are always chances of someone dying everyday, but we just learn to live with it and simply move on, however tragic the death was," Pebblestone said softly to the young apprentice he was looking down upon.

Ripplepaw sighed and shifted her paws slightly, choosing not to respond to that statement she knew was true. Pebblestone frowned, then remarked, "The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes."

The blue-grey apprentice looked up at the warrior with confusion flickering in her eyes. "What?"

"The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes," Pebblestone repeated, his gaze turning distant as he recalled those specific words.

"But what does that mean, though?" Ripplepaw persisted, her eyes still flickering with interest. Pebblestone snapped back to attention, looking at the she-cat once more. Instead of answering her question directly, he asked, "Do you know who told me those words that I just said?"

Ripplepaw shook her head, clearly still bewildered. "My old mentor said those to me. She was a great mentor and a great warrior, she was also very courageous and had served her Clan until it was simply her time. But turning back to the topic at hand, those words mean much more than what you had heard, Ripplepaw. They speak of obstacles that are in another cat's path and them moving quickly, however violent or dangerous or even tempting they may be. Do you understand?"

"Sort of... but not much," Ripplepaw replied, her head tilting slightly.

"Alright, well, think about a storm. A storm is normally violent or sometimes dangerous to be in, right?" Pebblestone inquired quietly. In reply, Ripplepaw nodded slowly, wondering where the grey tom was going with this.

"And a storm always moves on quickly, after it 'dispels' some of its violence into the world, whether it's thunder, rain or snow. It's the same with obstacles that are there for a specific cat or for a specific Clan. These dogs," Pebblestone gestured out where DuskClan was supposedly reported to be along with Speckwind, with his tail before continuing, "they are simply another obstacle that are in DuskClan's path, and it is their job to meet it with courage and honor as warriors. Faith also comes into play here because without faith in our warrior ancestors, where would we be in this world? We won't have the warrior code to live and follow by, we'll simply just be rogues in a pack who have no honor for ourselves and for others. That is why we must have faith in StarClan that the obstacles in each of our paths, whether it's only one cat or a whole Clan, they must meet it with courage, honor, and above all, faith."

After the brief lecture from Pebblestone, Ripplepaw was silent as she gazed in wonder at the grey warrior while pondering over the things that he had said.

Pebblestone was silent as well, understanding that Ripplepaw needed a few moments of silence as she pondered over his words. After a brief few moments of thick silence hanging in the misty air, he asked Ripplepaw, almost solemnly, "Do you understand now by what I told you what my mentor had told me a long time ago, Ripplepaw?"

Hesitating, Ripplepaw shifted her paws again as she thought some more. A few heartbeats later, she nodded, finally understanding what the senior warrior had meant by "The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes."

"Good, now we must get back to Maplecreek and Ashtail before they wonder what we're talking about," Pebblestone remarked lightly, rising up to his paws, motioning for Ripplepaw to follow. Ripplepaw stood up as well, although slowly, and made her way over to where the three warriors were standing.

"Have you scented anything new, Maplecreek?" Pebblestone asked, his eyes glancing at the white she-cat stood beside him. "Not yet, it seems that DuskClan, the dogs, and possibly Speckwind if she's with them of course, have moved further on for some reason."

"Hm, interesting," Pebblestone murmured, frowning as he glanced around the small misty clearing, opening his mouth slightly to let the scents reach the roof of his mouth. "Wait, I smell something," Ashtail broke in, her eyes narrowed and her tail lashing.

At this, Ripplepaw grew alert, and quickly glanced around, her claws unsheathing and sheathing nervously. "What is it, Ashtail?" Pebblestone turned to the grey she-cat, frowning.

"I smell something strange, like a scent we had scented before, but it's a little different," Ashtail struggled to explain the new scent that had wafted over to the tense patrol. Maplecreek scowled and sharply inquired, "Is it a cat?"

Ashtail nodded slightly, remaining calm, but the tip of her tail was twitching showing that she was nervous yet angry. Pebblestone frowned, then opened his mouth once more, allowing the scent to wash over him. "Wait, I know that scent. It's the scent we scented earlier before we heard the yowl that obviously came from a DuskClan cat."

Instantly, the bushes rustled slightly and Maplecreek sharply looked at the bushes behind her, her amber eyes narrowed dangerously and her claws automatically unsheathing. "Wait," Pebblestone murmured to the crouching white she-cat. She spared a glance at her fellow warrior before her gaze darted back to the bush.

Quietly and quickly as he could manage, Pebblestone moved away from the patrol and to the nearest tree. "What's he doing?" Ripplepaw asked Ashtail, her eyes wide. As if in reply, Ashtail rolled her moss-green eyes, automatically knowing what her brother was doing. "He's going to try to sneak up behind the cat, or whatever it is that's behind the bush, and chase him out here where we're waiting."

Meanwhile, Pebblestone was nearing the cat who crouched behind the bushes, lowering into a crouch as he got nearer and nearer. Now, he could tell who was crouching behind the bush. It was a white she-cat with three scars on her flank. From the scent that he and his Clanmates had scented, she was a rogue. But what is she doing here? Pebblestone thought, confused.

Deciding to move his plan along, he let out a small hiss which alerted the rogue she-cat and quickly turned around, her face twisted in a snarl. Pebblestone snarled, "What are you doing here?" The she-cat gazed at him for a long moment, her cold dark-brown eyes calculating and glinting with a fierce light.

"Well, that depends. You choose what I'm here for, to either fight you and take your group down or to fight you and take you away from here to a cat who very much wants you," the she-cat's voice was sharp as she addressed Pebblestone, her jagged claws digging into the damp earth, wisps of mists swirling around her, making her look like a cat from the Dark Forest.

Pebblestone was inwardly confused at that last statement, but he didn't let it show on his face. To a cat who very much wants me? For what? With a slight chill, Pebblestone gazed at the rogue before stating, "You're going to have to defeat me and my patrol down first before you do anything."

The rogue she-cat shrugged as if in response. "Your choice." Without a warning, she leapt at the grey warrior who instinctively rolled over onto his back, exposing his soft belly. Hissing, she landed behind him, and turned around to face the tom that was getting up to his paws. "Not as easy as you thought, huh?" Pebblestone remarked lightly, unsheathing his own claws and locking his calm sky-blue eyes with her dark-brown ones.

"Be quiet and I will grant you a merciful killing of your precious patrol when I'm done with you," she snarled before she leapt once more, her outstretched claws aiming toward his shoulder. Swiftly, Pebblestone leapt out of the way, but only to be met with a slash from jagged claws along his side. He yowled in pain and staggered slightly, shaking his head to clear his swaying vision. The warrior turned around to face the smirking she-cat and hissing, charged at her and reared up onto his back legs, before he raked at her face with his claws.

The white she-cat dodged slightly to the left to avoid most of the blow, but got a slash underneath her dark-brown eye. Calmly, she shook her head, clearing the left side of her face of the blood that was dripping down onto her muzzle and staining the grass red. Like an adder striking, she leapt for his throat when he was lowering onto his paws, wincing slightly at the pain in his flank.

Pebblestone looked at the approaching she-cat and narrowed his eyes, turning to his side. Once the rogue met him full on, he then was thrown to the ground in a heap, jagged claws pricking at his back and the upper part of his neck. Growling, he flipped over only to be greeted by a slash of long and jagged claws which dragged themselves down into his neck and stopping at his back.

Gasping with sharp pain, Pebblestone tried to get himself up onto his paws, but failed and fell to the ground, his muzzle hitting the dewy grass with a slight muffled thump. Feeling paws on his shoulders and being slightly rolled over so he was on his back, he stared up at the rogue she-cat with a flicker of anger in his sky-blue gaze.

"So, the noble warrior, beaten by a rogue cat who only delivered a few scratches. Hm, how far we've fallen, my friend," the she-cat drawled in amusement, still keeping her grip on Pebblestone firm and strong. "So, what's your name? I can't take you to the cat who very much wants you without giving him your name first."

Pebblestone grunted with pain and shifted slightly, hoping to throw the she-cat slightly off balance, but to no avail, she kept her grip on his shoulders strong, her claws pricking through his fur. Pebblestone inwardly sighed, then muttered mutinously, "Pebblestone."

"Hm, Pebblestone's your name, then. If you're curious, which I'm sure you are, the name's Ratberry," the she-cat, who Pebblestone now know as Ratberry, commented, keeping her cold and calculating dark-brown gaze fixed onto Pebblestone.

Pebblestone didn't answer and Ratberry shrugged, lowering her head slightly. "Oh. And this is going to hurt." She then dug her claws even deeper into Pebblestone's shoulders which elicited a yowl from Pebblestone, his paws flailing to throw the she-cat off of him. Smirking, she whispered into his ear, "'Night, Pebblestone." Without hesitation, she sank her fangs into his neck, making the warrior draw a long rattling breath as he struggled to breathe with Ratberry's strong grip on his neck.

Pebblestone struggled to keep consciousness, but failed as his eyes begin to close, the darkness overwhelming him as he slipped into the murky blackness of the night.

A/N: *Gasp* I can't believe I did that, I'm so evil. :O But anyways, setting the drama aside, do you think that Pebblestone is truly dead or just unconscious? And who is this cat that would very much like Pebblestone that Ratberry mentioned? As always, review!~

~Frost