Another Mossy chapter! :3 I tried to put a little more action in this one, even though it starts off a lot like the other chapters.

Leopardstar2002: Those ship feels... :3

QLKwriter: Yeah I do a ton of guest reviews too. ^^; Sometimes I log in but then it automatically logs me out again once every couple months again and it's just easier to review as a guest until I post another chapter or reply to a PM or something.

EradrinSkyleaf: That sounds like so much fun! Yeah my camp was amazing and so much fun! :D Hope yours is/was too! I loved the quotes you typed up in your review. :) Made me so proud I'd actually written stuff like that. *huggles plushies* Thank you!

ShdowHwk540: That's great that your sleep schedule is back to normal. :) I managed to do that too but instead of staying up I slept in until like 11:30 and it was amazingly refreshing, especially after several 7-hours-of-sleep nights.

EmilyOwl1: Thank you so much for reading my story! :D Means a ton! Sorry I'm not posting chapters as often as I used to ;-; too much work and too many camps on this end I'm afraid. OCs for kits are still open, but Dawnshine's litter is full. Maybe you could put one in for Lightwing's litter? Or if you want your OC to be one of the trio's kits you can put one in and they'll be mentioned in the epilogue.

Willowdream of ForestClan: Hurrah for Aspensplash! :D

ilovewarriorcats: Silverdapple was like four moons older than him, three or four. So not too much older, but she's still kind of dead. Sorry about the lack of action. I tried to put a little more in this chapter and some more will definitely be in next chapter, hope it's better. But yeah, you're right, there's not been a lot of action lately. I'll make the trio awesome at the end again, I promise! They have gotten kind of lame now, though. :'( But yeah, Spotted x Fire is like Jay x Stick. Honestly it could never really have happened plus I never liked Spottedleaf. That's weird that you never get tired though. Do you drink coffee or look at electronic screens all day? Because I've heard both of those can keep people up at night. Also, I'm 15 and a teenager so that definitely affects my tiredness levels. xD But I get the no nap thing, I start feeling nauseous whenever I try to take a nap.

Firestream of Ice: Thanks! I loved those kits, they were really cute. :3 I felt so bad when I had to reject them. But I might still use one later on if that's okay? For another litter?

Mossystar's POV

"Send out patrols," I ordered, pacing across the clearing. "The Clan is starving to death."

Troutstream nodded. "I'll send out Badgertongue. She's the most experienced of all of us in catching land prey." She bounded away, tail drifting just high enough to clear the snow. I frowned; my usually upbeat deputy seemed to have caught a taste of Leafbare misery. We were barely a half moon in. How would we survive until the end?

I glanced around. All throughout the clearing, cats clustered in groups, exchanging information about possible hunting grounds and grooming each other's fur, tight over bony ribs. I grimaced, wondering how the other Clans were faring. Did they have more prey? Would it be beneficial to attack, say, WindClan and gain more hunting grounds?

Dismissing that idea with a shake of my head, for RiverClan was obviously too weak to lift two claws to defend itself, I bounded over to where Troutstream stood issuing patrols. "We need to try exploring out," I insisted. "Prey could be found there."

Troutstream glanced my way, surprise lighting her green eyes. It was a mark of how harsh the times were, I reflected bitterly, that only the rare flicker of surprise could light Troutstream's eyes.

"Very well," she meowed, dipping her head.

"Meanwhile," I continued, "I will travel to the Moonpool. Maybe our ancestors have some advice for us." I gazed around the camp once more, lowering my voice as Curlwhisker's three kits tumbled past, the only ones with any energy to spare. "Our cats are starving to death. Surely we can find sustenance elsewhere?"

Troutstream looked worried. "SkyClan may not like you crossing into their territory," she warned. "With the new boundaries, the Moonpool stream flows directly through their hunting grounds."

"I'll manage," I replied shortly. "I'm pretty sure Rockstar is our ally. He'll understand."

Dipping her head in acceptance, my deputy backed away, returning to her patrol assigning. "Will you take Ripplefur with you?"

I nodded. "I'll leave all the warriors. They're needed for hunting patrols, I presume." Turning, I padded across the clearing to Ripplefur's den. Inside, he and Bluepaw sat organizing their herbs. A great surge of relief swept through me when I saw how many herbs there were. At least this Clan would stay healthy until it died of starvation.

"Ripplefur, I'm traveling to the Moonpool tonight," I announced.

Ripplefur glanced up, startled. But after one glance at my grim, determined expression, he clenched his teeth and nodded once. "Very well." He turned to his apprentice. "Bluepaw, do you know what you're doing?"

She nodded. "Of course I do."

"What if a cat comes in here with a claw ripped out? What will you do?"

"Marigold or oak leaf to prevent infection, cobwebs to stop bleeding," she recited promptly. "Also a bit of dock for good measure. Maybe a poppy seed if it's paining them too much."

"Eye scratch?"

"Marigold's too strong a sting for eye wounds, so celandine would work better. But still give them a poppy seed for numbness beforehand."

"Ear infection?"

Bluepaw snorted. "Who'd be swimming in this weather? I'd have to treat them for frostbite before the water even touched their ears!"

Ripplefur relaxed. "Okay," he relented. Padding quickly into the back of the den, he retrieved a few herbs from one pile, a couple from another.

"Tonight, Ripplefur?" I prompted impatiently.

"Keep your fur on," Ripplefur muttered, reappearing and dropping a pawful of herbs in front of me. "You need traveling herbs if you're going all the way to the Moonpool. Across two territories and all. Especially in your state."

"My state—"

"You're starving," Bluepaw pointed out. "You're probably rather weak too. Even if everything went smoothly, you'd need that extra boost of energy."

Ripplefur glanced over at her proudly. "You'll be getting your medicine cat name before too long," he meowed proudly. "We didn't take you into this Clan for nothing, after all."

I licked up my herbs, chewing them as fast as I could. They seemed to numb my tongue a little and I almost spat them out, but with one great swallow they were down. Turning, I glanced over my shoulder once to make sure Ripplefur was following before bounding across camp to the entrance.

We crossed RiverClan territory easily. The herbs had worked their way down to my belly and seemed to also numb the hunger pangs that had become a constant companion these past few sunrises. I set a brisk pace, keeping one eye constantly on the sun. It had drifted just past sunhigh, leaving only half the day before nightfall. If I wanted to speak with my ancestors for the maximum amount of time possible, from dusk to dawn, I needed to move fast.

The lake hadn't yet frozen over, but instead lapped at the pebbles underpaw as we made our way past WindClan territory. The water, albeit icy to the touch, melted the snow around the lake anyway, replacing it with slippery wetness that would probably freeze overnight, sending unwary cats splashing into the lake. Bluepaw might have to treat a couple ear infections before we get back, I thought, suppressing a chuckle.

The sun had slipped halfway down the sky by the time we reached SkyClan's unfamiliar scent markers. I looked ahead nervously, spotting the stream winding through the deciduous forest ahead. I wondered if Rockstar would be mad we were trespassing. Then again, he was our ally. If the triplets' alliance was any model, allies could basically walk all over each other's territories without any questions being asked.

Ripplefur and I began padding up through the trees alongside the stream. It was odd to feel shadows dappling my fur after the constant sun of the lakeside moor. The cool caresses reminded me of the approaching night and I sped up, bounding alongside the stream. If only we could get there before sundown…

"What in StarClan's name do you think you're doing?" came an angry voice from overhead. I skidded to a halt, staring all around for its source. I didn't have to wait long to find out, however, as a few heartbeats later a cat dropped from a branch, blocking my path. She glared at me, hostile as a fox.

I scrambled to keep my cool. I had every right to be here, after all. Lifting my chin, I meowed, "I am Mossystar of River—"

"Yeah, yeah," the she-cat broke in impatiently. "I know who you are. You're not SkyClan, you're in our territory, so we get to take you prisoner."

"What—"

The she-cat signaled and four other cats dropped from all around us, leaping down from branches or shimmying down trunks. I glanced quickly around to see four sets of unsheathed claws, four pairs of glinting eyes, four bushy tails.

I struggled to remember the lead she-cat's name. Wasn't she the deputy? I should know this! "Mintfur!" I burst out. I paused, looking uncertainly at her to make sure I'd gotten the name right.

The she-cat flicked her tail. "Yes?" she asked coolly.

I was right. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I continued, "My medicine cat and I are on our way to—"

"Save it for Rockstar," Mintfur hissed.

"But we're in a hurry!" I argued, frustration boiling beneath my pelt. If I was held up much longer here I'd have to start sprinting to make it in time.

"Then go around our territory," Mintfur meowed unhelpfully. "Right now you're coming with us."

I dug my claws into the ground in anger, but there was nothing I could do. I could waste three or so lives beating back the patrol, but what would that accomplish? I'd still be late for the Moonpool. Ripplefur might even get hurt—he couldn't fight as well, having not had the proper training. I had no choice but to go along with the SkyClan patrol and hope for the best.

"Fine," I muttered, glaring at her. "A fine way to treat your allies, taking them prisoner."

Mintfur snorted. "If it's not officially recognized by both leaders, it's not in place." She turned and led the way through the forest, following a path invisible to my untrained eyes. Beside and behind us, the other four warriors jostled Ripplefur and me, pushing us forward. I almost stumbled over an exposed tree root but caught myself, lifting my head proudly. I was still the leader of RiverClan, no matter how many times other Clans thought they could take me hostage.

The journey probably wasn't actually that long, but painfully aware as I was of the sunlight constantly slipping away, it felt much longer. I even went as far as stepping purposefully on Mintfur's tail to see if it would encourage her to walk a little faster. After throwing a glare over her shoulder, she complied.

We reached the camp, a stand of thick trees surrounded by thick clumps of bushes. I was surprised; it really wasn't much of a proper camp and probably would be easy to attack. Why had the SkyClan cats picked this particular spot for a camp?

Maybe there weren't any other good spots for camps in this territory. It was made up mainly of leftover ThunderClan and WindClan territory, after all. Maybe the SkyClan cats had to make do with sleeping in trees.

As we approached I saw a dark-furred cat leap out of a tree. Rockstar. Butterflies suddenly swarmed my intestines and I swallowed hard. What had I been thinking to just walk through another Clan's territory! I'd probably doomed any chance I could have had of forging an alliance with SkyClan. Now Rockstar would ally himself with the trio and I'd be left to fend for myself. Again.

"What is this?" he demanded, stalking over to us, his eyes flitting between Mintfur to me to Ripplefur.

"My patrol caught these two trespassing on our territory," Mintfur reported. I glanced at her and saw her self-satisfied smirk, turned as she was to hide it from Rockstar.

"But you were a hunting patrol," Rockstar growled, glaring at his deputy as though he could see right through her muzzle to that smirk. "I told you specifically not to go near the borders as that might spike unnecessary tension with the other Clans!"

"We didn't go anywhere near the borders, Rockstar!" Mintfur protested. "No, these two thought it would be fun to walk right through the middle of our territory!"

Rockstar turned his icy glare on us instead. "Is this true?" he asked, his deadly calm voice a betrayal of his growing anger.

I almost swallowed, but managed to keep face for him. Instead, I mirrored his earlier cool stare. "My medicine cat and I are on our way to the Moonpool to speak with our ancestors," I meowed loftily. "We are under StarClan's protection and have every right to travel through whatever territory needed to reach our destination."

Rockstar didn't move. Though his expression didn't change, I got the feeling he was thinking hard. His face had that frozen look Troutstream told me I got whenever faced with a problem I didn't readily have a solution for.

"In the old forest it was WindClan who had to bear the passing through of other Clans," I meowed in a softer tone. "Now it looks as though that task has fallen to you."

Rockstar glared at me and I stepped back, scared I'd said something wrong. "Who had it before?" he spat.

"Um—WindClan and ThunderClan," I stammered. Immediately after, I cursed myself. Why did I have to start stuttering now? I took a deep breath and continued. "They shared it. The stream I traveled along was their border."

Rockstar turned away, twitching his tail in irritation. After a long pause during which I waited, heart in my throat, he finally meowed, "Very well. You may pass through our territory unhindered."

I breathed out in relief, but Rockstar wasn't finished yet. "If I ever catch you strolling through my territory again without the excuse of a Moonpool visit, however, you will be taken here again as a prisoner."

I clenched my teeth in shock. "I thought… we were allies," I said in a low voice.

Rockstar snorted. "Allies? Yes. If one of us is attacked the other will come to their aid. But allies don't go for walks to each other's camps. We are separate Clans, after all."

I nodded hastily and backed away, beckoning to Ripplefur to follow. As we padded out of camp, I had to force myself to walk at a normal speed rather than racing to get out get time to think, aware as I was of all of SkyClan staring after me. As soon as I exited the camp and rounded a clump of thick bushes, however, I broke into an all-out sprint, pounding through the trees toward the Moonpool.

So this was what being allies meant. I wondered if the trio knew. I wondered if even now they were all catching up over a nice, long hunt on ThunderClan territory. I hissed to myself. They weren't proper leaders at all. I wondered what would happen—what could happen—to finally drive them apart like the good leaders they should be.

So THAT'S what being allies means! I think everyone's trying to figure this out as SkyClan and RiverClan were off living by themselves for so long and, well, the trio is the trio. They aren't going to break up that easily.

AOTD: I think Aspensplash is being really obvious about her crush, but maybe that's a good thing. It lets Rainstar know she's interested, whether or not he is.

QOTD: I'm going to the Bahamas soon! What are your opinions on islands? Do you like them or think they're scary or just too much sand or what?