I'm sorry this took so long to come out. :( I wasn't feeling much like writing this past week and I have camp next week so that might affect my writing time. I'll try to get out the next chapter in about a week.

Leopardstar2002: Yeah, I was the same until this summer. Now I'm incredibly busy! :O

ShadowHawk540: I've never actually known anyone who played baseball before. Is it fun? And I definitely feel the math. I've still got summer homework to do. (bleh...)

QLKwriter: ^^ I'll take good care of Willowkit! And there's a little more about the food issue in this chapter.

walkswithwheels: Happy late birthday! :D I definitely feel like there's less plot in this book than in the other ones, but I guess it doesn't really matter if this book is shorter. I'm intending for Foxtooth to be injured for a majority of the book but still be alert so he can talk to Cinderstar and give her advice if she wants. It would probably also affect the food problem with having to feed him while he can't hunt for the Clan. He will recover, though. And I meant for the three previous POVs to stretch through two days, with Sootstar living through the first morning and afternoon, then Cinderstar the afternoon and night, then Rainstar the next day. But I will consider the triple-POVs for later on. And do you mean Rowanpaw's comment? Because he and Rainstar are actually about 3-4 moons apart. Lionpaw is much younger, at about 10 moons in comparison to Rainstar's about 17.

ilovewarriorcats: Yeah, when I was partway through Misty Horizon I PMed Leafsplash because her series was so successful and mine had only one person reading each chapter. She gave me some useful tips and she offered to recommend my story. Her help made this series so successful. :) Incidentally, I also knew about half of those facts, but some I hadn't heard before, like how orange and black are sex-linked (I knew about the tortoiseshell though) and the purple eyes (but yeah, I knew about the pink). The strange thing is that walkswithwheels also recommended I include an albino kit in one of the litters. :P My camp was sleep-away for two weeks meaning I had to do laundry and be healthy and stuff all on my own, which was actually a pretty big responsibility. The camp counselors lessened that stress by making sure we always knew what we were doing at a specific time, though. And I'm almost finished with the drawing of Foxtooth and Cinderstar. I have their outlines and fur finished but still have to do the shading and background, though the background shouldn't be too hard to do. I'm planning on just a greenish smear thing. :P

RANDOM PERSON: Yep, here's a RiverClan-ish chapter. :) There will be more from Mossystar's POV, though, so you will get to know RiverClan a little better. You'll find out about SkyClan this chapter. ;)

Willowdream of ForestClan: There will be more litters if you want to submit a kit of your own! :) You could put one in Lightwing's and Hyperion's litter or maybe even Cinderstar's or Rainstar's. I'll put an epilogue at the end with their kits.

Shadows of Weeping Wolves: Girl's Camp sounds fun! What do you do there?

TheDarkDominion: Thank you so so much for reading my series! :D It really means so much to me! And your fanfic series sounds really cool. Maybe for the title you could do something like The Youngest Leader except that sounds kind of lame, so maybe you'd want to change it to something else. You could probably start with the scene where the leader and deputy die and then StarClan comes in and chooses the kit to be leader. Hope this helps! :)

ThiefofSong: I'll take good care of Sagekit, I promise! ;) It's cool that you do one big family something every year, though. I tend to go to a lot of camps and with both my parents working now that my brother and I are old enough to be left at home alone, I see not so much of them. :( And chilling with friends is always fun, too. Mostly during school for me, all of my friends (though they're a grade below me) have much more work than I do and I end up not seeing them except for at lunch a couple days a week. I think they just take longer than I do at doing homework, though I take a long time to do it myself as I constantly get distracted. :P

Mossystar's POV

The full moon came and with it the Gathering. I led the way across the slippery tree-bridge, webbed paws firmly gripping the wet wood. Beckoning with my tail, I led the way through the thick foliage protecting the clear center from Twolegs. When I emerged, I found it to be empty.

Of course the other leaders would make me and the rest of RiverClan wait. Probably they were getting together on the mainland and having an emotional reunion like they most likely did every single full moon. Didn't they realize we were separate Clans? It'd been moons, for StarClan's sake!

I sat with my Clan in relative silence, waiting for the other Clans. Sootstar, Cinderstar, and Rainstar were sure taking their sweet time! Finally, though, I heard movement.

Rainstar emerged from the foliage, WindClan pouring into the clearing behind him. I nodded to him, a respectful, leader-to-leader acknowledgement, but he barely glanced at me before turning to his deputy, a burly lilac tabby with constantly narrowed brown eyes. "Where do you think they are?" he asked, his voice a mixture of eagerness and worry.

"They'll be here eventually," Adderclaw reassured him. "They've never missed a Gathering yet."

"Yeah, I guess so." Rainstar gazed anxiously in the direction he'd come. Sighing quietly to myself, I padded over to him. By the time I reached him, Adderclaw had slipped away into the crowd.

"Good evening, Rainstar," I meowed, dipping my head again.

He glanced in my direction, shocked that I'd come talk to him. I growled inwardly—I was a leader too, for StarClan's sake!

"Oh, hi," he said awkwardly. "Um… how's the prey running—I mean swimming?"

"As much as is expected for the first days of Leafbare," I replied coolly. Man, the nerve of this cat! Was he really trying to point out how weak my Clan was already? He had a lifelong peace treaty with ThunderClan and ShadowClan, but I knew that at any point they could turn on me and drive RiverClan from the lake once more. Seeing what happened before with life outside the lake, I wasn't too keen on experiencing it again.

Sootstar bounded through the foliage at that moment, blue eyes bright with the reflected light of the full moon as he scanned the clearing. I sighed, turning away as Rainstar raced over to his brother and the two embraced, rubbing their chins over each other's shoulders. Their purrs were audible from across the clearing.

I turned away, but couldn't block out their voices.

"Where's Cinderstar?" That was Rainstar. I pictured him glancing worriedly around the clearing.

"Dunno, maybe she's running late." Sootstar, of course, wouldn't be as worried, having just gotten here himself.

But just as Rainstar started to say something else, a rustling around the edges of the clearing announced ShadowClan's arrival. I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally we could get this Gathering started and I could get RiverClan home, away from the sappy catching up the other three Clans participated in routinely every full moon.

"Cats of the Clans!" I yowled, bounding up the Great Tree. "Let the Gathering begin!"

Cinderstar, who had just padded through a clump of bushes, shot me an annoyed glance as she rubbed affectionately past her brothers. I turned away so she wouldn't see me roll my eyes. They could talk later while I led my Clan on its solitary way home.

The other three leaders, nearly identical streaks of gray, climbed swiftly into the tree. I let them sit down before I spoke again.

"RiverClan is doing well," I announced. "Though Leafbare has come, the river has not yet frozen over and we are still able to catch fish." Whatever fish hadn't yet sunk into the mud to hibernate from the cold, that is. I caught a glimpse of a few of my warriors, Rockstorm, Runningpool, and Sandpath, sitting alone near the edge of the clearing, their normally sleek, plump shapes suddenly much thinner. I wondered if the other three Clans would team up to attack us if they found out how weak we really were.

"Our newest warrior, Badgertongue, chased off a couple Twoleg kits a half moon ago." I glanced down at the black and white she-cat. Though she had been a rogue for most of her life, she was fitting into Clan life relatively well, and even had been swimming for the past two moons.

"Bluepaw, our medicine cat, is also showing great promise. Her full title as medicine cat is surely not far off." The other used-to-be rogue, Bluepaw, ducked her head as her Clan cheered her on, helped feebly by the other medicine cats. I sighed to myself; weren't Gatherings supposed to be times of mutual unity and common support between Clans? Rainstar, Cinderstar, and Sootstar were obviously too young to be proper leaders. I shuddered to think what example they must be setting for their Clans.

Cinderstar stood up next. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I am sorry to say that last night I lost a life."

I stared at her, speechless. What was she doing, revealing her weaknesses to all four Clans? Why was she making it public that she was now down to only eight lives? I felt a sudden flash of jealousy. Was she really that comfortable in her position as leader of ShadowClan that she had no second thoughts about revealing something that personal at a Gathering?

Sootstar and Rainstar both looked flabbergasted. Rainstar appeared to quickly swipe away a couple tears from his eyes. Sure, I could tell what he was thinking, that his sister was one step closer to death, but shouldn't he keep his emotions in check? At a Gathering? In front of all four Clans?

Cinderstar continued speaking as the noise from the clearing died away, almost as if she didn't know what she'd said. "Foxtooth is injured, but I am assured he will make a recovery in due time. We have also found a new prey source to keep us fed through the hungry Leafbare moons." She sat down, glancing sideways at her brothers.

So ShadowClan at least was also experiencing prey problems. I leaned over the edge of my branch, gazing intently down at the two gray toms. Would they also reveal their prey situations?

Rainstar stood up next. "I am pleased to announce the coming arrival of a litter of kits. Lightwing will soon be in the nursery."

Sootstar and Cinderstar both looked shocked. Then Sootstar's face turned into one of pleasure and I heard him purr as he gazed down into the sea of cats, no doubt searching for his mother. Cinderstar, however, looked troubled as she glanced downward. I searched the upturned faces, but couldn't see Lightwing present. Of course, I might just have forgotten what she looked like, as I didn't go on regular trips to my littermates' camps.

Rainstar continued, "Leafbare has hit the hills hard and snow is piling up in drifts. However, we still manage to get enough to eat."

That was unexpected. Rainstar, the softest of the leaders, following my example in saying his Clan was still strong despite the sudden snow and cold? Interesting. But I could see he and his Clan looked rather skinnier than normal and deduced he must also be lacking in prey.

Sootstar's turn was next. He stood up and said in a voice loud enough to carry over the sudden wind, "ThunderClan is also doing well. I am pleased to say that Dawnshine is also expecting kits."

Rainstar looked puzzled. Leaning over, he murmured in Sootstar's ear. I crouched, angling my head discreetly to hear better.

"But we're so young. What do you want kits already for?"

"We came to leadership young, how different will parenting be?"

"But…"

"ThunderClan needs kits. Better now than later, right?"

"I guess."

Cinderstar's expression had turned into one mildly horrified. "Kits?!" she muttered to herself. "Oh, StarClan, what has he gotten himself into?"

I shook my head. Honestly, if Sootstar wanted kits and thought he was ready to be a father, then that was his choice. If I had littermates as nosy as his, I might just accidentally-on-purpose push them into the lake.

Sootstar opened his mouth again and I leaned forward to try and hear again. Maybe he would enlighten us on his exact prey situation, just like Cinderstar did. But just as his first words were said, a yowl rent the air. I whipped around, staring in amazement as a group of cats swarmed into the clearing, led by a black tom. He skidded to a halt in the center of the clearing, tail raised, his Clan spreading out around him like a flood of water splitting around a boulder. He stared up at us through deep blue eyes.

"My name is Rockstar," he called. "I am the leader of SkyClan. I have come to join the other four Clans once more!"

It took a while for the Clans to settle down again. Once the gasps and yowls had mostly disappeared, I stood on my branch to address this Rockstar. I figured that, as the oldest of the leaders, I should be the one to speak to him.

"I am Mossystar, leader of RiverClan," I meowed. "This is Cinderstar of ShadowClan, Rainstar of WindClan, and Sootstar of ThunderClan. I believe I speak for all four of us in asking who you are and what you are doing here."

Rockstar flicked his tail irritably. "I already told you," he replied, a touch of annoyance in his voice. "I am Rockstar and this is my Clan, SkyClan. We have come to rejoin the other four Clans."

I immediately realized my mistake. I'd successfully turned Rockstar away from me in my first three sentences to him. Inwardly, I hissed at myself.

Idiot. If he really was coming to stay, he could be a good ally to have.

I dipped my head. "Apologies, Rockstar. But I'm afraid neither I nor my Clan have heard of SkyClan before."

Rockstar growled. I gripped my branch with my claws—why did I have to mess everything up?—but it didn't look like he was mad at me in particular. "Of course," he spat, his voice barely audible over the wind. "The old Clans would have forgotten to tell their descendants about us." He looked up at me again. "If you and the other leaders would come down, I could tell the story of SkyClan."

I didn't dare refuse in case it would give him the impression I was too proud to be a good ally. In any case, Cinderstar, Sootstar, and Rainstar were already descending the trunk. I quickly clawed my way down to the grass, my webbed toes catching painfully on bits of bark in my rush. Finally, all five leaders stood together at the base of the Great Tree.

Rockstar told us what I felt must be a rather detailed and long-winded story of how the other Clans had savagely chased SkyClan out of the old forest, claws and teeth out and ripping. He told how rats had disbanded their Clan, forcing them into Twoleg homes and secluded forests, standing guard in the gorge they lived in. Then Firestar and Sandstorm, two glowing cats from the Clans, came to help rebuild the Clan.

"Hang on," Sootstar broke in. "Cats can't glow. And I know for a fact Firestar didn't."

Rockstar looked intently at Sootstar. "You knew Firestar?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Sootstar said hurriedly. "He's a legend in the Clans, though. Even after we broke apart and had to fight off those rogues."

Rockstar blinked. "What was that?"

I broke in. "I think it's our turn to tell you our story." In a much more succinct version than his, I relayed to Rockstar the story of how the Clans destroyed the peace, how Nightstar had come in with NightClan, and how RiverClan had decided to leave the forest before coming back to face one last battle, defeating Nightstar once and for all.

Rockstar nodded. "So that would be why the legend of SkyClan died with Firestar." He glanced around at the four Clans plus SkyClan. "But legends and stories aside, are we welcome at this lake?"

I glanced around at the other three leaders. Sure, we were smaller versions of the Clans, but food was still scarce. Also, we'd have to rearrange our borders to make room for another whole Clan. How in StarClan would that work?

"Sure," Rainstar said, smiling. "But I think you might have to stay here on the island for tonight."

Sootstar nodded. "How about just the leaders and maybe the senior warriors and medicine cats meet here tomorrow morning and we can figure out the new borders?"

Cinderstar grinned. "Yeah. But we'll probably all have to think about this tonight. What type of territory does SkyClan like?"

"We are good at jumping and climbing trees," Rockstar said firmly.

"Do you like pine trees?"

He wrinkled his nose. "No, we definitely prefer deciduous."

Cinderstar nodded thoughtfully before turning to Sootstar and muttering in his ear. Rainstar turned his head to listen in.

Rockstar leaned closer to me. I felt my heart swell with sudden triumph—I might just have an ally in SkyClan. "Those three are pretty close, aren't they?" he murmured.

I nodded. "They're littermates, actually, but their father told them he wanted them to lead the three Clans. Ashthorn led the rebellion against NightClan originally, but died in the fighting."

Rockstar nodded. "Oh, okay. That makes sense then." He indicated the leaders, with their gray fur, blue eyes, and physically close positions."

"It's sometimes a little hard to feel allied with any of them in the peace that should be here," I meowed bitterly, hoping Rockstar would pick up on my hint. But he only nodded again and pulled away.

"My Clan is tired," he announced, turning to the Clans at large. He nodded to a small white she-cat, who padded forward and placed a white she-kit on the ground. Beside her walked a brown tom who carried a small brown tom-kit. "Tinycloud," he meowed in a quieter voice. "Are you okay? Are your kits up for spending another night in a makeshift den?"

Tinycloud purred, rubbing her nose along Rockstar's jaw. "You worry too much, brother," she laughed. "We're fine. Rabbitleap and I can take care of our kits. You look after the rest of the Clan."

I stood up. "The Gathering is officially over!" I called. "We need to let SkyClan sleep. They had a hard journey here."

Rockstar grinned at me. "Thanks," he meowed.

"No problem," I replied, padding past him and beckoning my Clan to follow me out of the clearing. Before I passed through the thick barrier of foliage, however, I glanced back at Rockstar and the strange cats milling about in the clearing.

It would be hard to fit them in. But if the other leaders were willing to try, I wasn't about to decline a possible ally. At least now if ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan decided to attack RiverClan, I could count on SkyClan's support to prevent us from being chased out of our territory again.

And here comes SkyClan, as requested. :) I'll post the Allegiances next so you have a good idea of how big the Clan is. It's not much bigger than the four Clans because cats kept getting killed on the journey from exhaustion or cold or sickness or foxes or something.

AOTD: I swim during the summer and I've started learning how to row recently. When school starts again I'm hoping to start into horseback riding, but I'll be too busy until then. I have two camps coming up right after each other and then a break for one week, then another sleepaway camp farther away (this QOTD was a bit for letting you know what my updating schedule will most likely be like for the rest of the summer).

QOTD: What do you think the new boundaries will be like?