I'm posting later than usual because I had the stress of presenting a project and talking with a teacher about recommendation for University and such.

Anyway, thanks to the following for reviewing:

-randomwarriorfan

-AtlierSky (I meant how they saved Snowkit just seemed cartoon-ish to me like how the hawk flew over SkyClan territory at the moment they were in the trees, lol. And yes, I love that I saved Snowkit this book.)

-JustCurious (They'll be together soon -I apologize beforehand. I'm not great at writing relationships much. I'm more of a adventurer and friend group writer- and BrightCloud will happen...you'll see how that plays out sooner or later)

Gorsepaw watched the buzzard lazily circle in the sky. Either it didn't notice him or just wasn't hungry right now. The ginger and white tom crouched in the tall grass to avoid being spotted either way, even if he was the size of a young warrior by now.

His blue eyes scanned the moor for prey. Onewhisker had allowed him to go on a solo hunting trip since the light tabby had twisted his paw that morning, tripping in a rabbit hole. The other apprentices were practicing their battle moves with their mentors on the other side of the moor.

It felt good to be hunting alone. Everything was quiet, and he felt at peace without the constant noise of the camp. WindClan had grown in numbers since Gorse Fur and his family, Slate and her friends had joined.

In the distance, he spotted Barkface showing Moth Flight some herbs. Even if she wasn't an apprentice yet, she was close to being one and Gorsepaw was pretty sure she would follow Barkface's pawsteps.

As he walked on he heard the chattering of one of the streams ahead. Gorsepaw could see it glittering from here. He licked his lips, realizing that his mouth was dry.

As he neared, movement in his vision made him freeze. A rabbit had ventured from its burrow and was nibbling on some grass calmly. It was nice and fat and would feed many cats.

Gorsepaw tensed his muscles, preparing himself to chase it down. He stalked around, so that the rabbit couldn't get to its burrow before he charged. The rabbit squealed and bolted through the grass, but Gorsepaw took long strides and with a mighty leap, he was on it.

After quickly ending its life, he picked it up in his jaws and turned.

A black-furred face was staring back at him through a patch of heather.

Gorsepaw dropped into a defensive crouch with a hiss. "Get out of here," he growled.

"That's my rabbit," the tom meowed. He stepped out of the heather, tall grass snagged in his black pelt that was spotted with ginger. He had bright amber eyes that looked dull right now.

"What are you talking about?" Gorsepaw growled. "This is my Clan's territory! Not some rogue's hideout!"

"I was stalking it."

The tom didn't seem angry or scared of him. But he was definitely hungry. He was skinnier than Gorsepaw and not in a good way.

Gorsepaw closed his eyes and scented the air, trying to identify if this rogue was one of the wretched cats from Twolegplace that had terrorized SkyClan for a while or just a random one from somewhere else.

Instead, beneath the heather and other scents from the places he'd been, Gorsepaw picked up stone and water. Huh?

"Where are you from?" The apprentice demanded.

"We come from far away," the tom meowed, staring at the rabbit still at his paws. "We came from the mountains."

"The mountains?" Gorsepaw gasped. "And wait…what do you mean by 'we?'"

The tom flicked his tail behind him.

Gorsepaw grabbed his rabbit, then followed. The stranger pushed through the heather he had been sheltering in. An elderly she-cat with gray speckled fur and blue eyes crouched in a nest of grass. She raised her head when they approached.

"Who's this?" she glared.

"I don't know," the tom answered.

"Does he know my sons? Does he-" The she-cat broke off into a coughing fit, her frail body shuddering.

The tom pressed against her worriedly. She was even skinnier than him. There was a raw wound on one of her hindlegs.

"Are you alright?" Gorsepaw asked.

"I'm fine," she rasped.

"My Clan medicine cat can heal you," Gorsepaw offered. "He was somewhere over there last I saw him," he flicked his ginger tail in one direction. "I can go get him."

"It's fine," the she-cat muttered stubbornly.

Gorsepaw decided not to argue. He barely knew these cats after all…but if they came from the mountains they must know the-now SkyClan cats. "At least take this rabbit." He nudged it to her.

She stared at him in disbelief. "You'd give me your prey?"

"It's rightfully your friend's. He saw it first." Gorsepaw shuffled his paws. He knew he should chase them off, but what was the harm in them? "Even if usually we don't give our prey away."

The tom nodded gratefully. "Please eat it, Quiet Rain."

After a moment, Quiet Rain nodded. "This is the first kindness I've seen in a long time."

Gorsepaw smiled and shrugged modestly.

After she ate, Quiet Rain asked, "What did you mean you shouldn't usually share?"

"With outsiders," Gorsepaw explained. "In the Clans -my Clan is called WindClan- we take care of each other and only catch prey for our clanmates. If there are intruders we chase them off. But well, things kinda changed when SkyClan arrived."

"I thought we were coming to a land of peace," the she-cat growled then paused. "SkyClan….?" She looked at the apprentice. "What's your name?"

"Gorsepaw," he replied.

Quiet Rain narrowed her eyes. " So you say you're from WindClan…do you know anyone named Gray Wing, Jagged Peak or Clear Sky? Do they live in any Clan?"

Sun Shadow leaned forward. "Or Moon Shadow? He's my father."

So they are from the tribe! Wait till SkyClan hears about this…although not all of them are in SkyClan anymore. Maybe I can take them to see them all.

But then Gorsepaw remembered most of them weren't alive…these tribe cats didn't know and the tom's father was Moon Shadow. Gorsepaw had heard about the fight at the gorge, after Fire Heart and his friends had brought his Clan back. Moon Shadow and two other warriors had fallen over the edge.

But Moon Shadow has kin! In ShadowClan!

"I know…Tall Shadow," he said cautiously. "Well, she's Shadowstar now since she's leader of ShadowClan."

Sun Shadow grinned. "That's my aunt!"

"And what about the others?" Quiet Rain said, her eyes lighting up. "Please, I need to find them. They're my sons."

"Gray Wing is SkyClan's deputy and Skystar is the leader of that Clan. Jagged Peak used to live with them but he's with his mate and kits in Shadowstar's Clan," Gorsepaw explained. He flicked his tail towards the pines. "I can take you there."

Quiet Rain struggled to her paws. "Are they well?"

"Yes, last time I saw or heard from them."

"What about my father?" Sun Shadow asked eagerly.

"Um, I don't know them all much, just Gray Wing's kits," Gorsepaw mewed quickly. "I'm sure Shadowstar will have answers."

"Gray Wing had kits?" Quiet Rain's eyes shone.

"Yes," Gorsepaw mewed, smiling. "Their names are Sparrow Fur, Pebble Heart, and Owl Eyes. Turtle Tail is their mother."

Quiet Rain purred. "I knew he and Turtle Tail would be mates one day! I can't wait to meet them. Let's go!"

"Wait, I have to let someone know! One of my clanmates," Gorsepaw said. "I'm only an apprentice, so I have to let my mentor or someone know before I wander off."

Quiet Rain hesitated before she nodded. "Alright. I'll use the time to rest while we wait for you."

Gorsepaw grinned and turned tail, racing back towards camp. He nearly crashed into Reed.

"Hey, Reed! Some cats from the tribe need my help! I'm taking them to ShadowClan! Tell the Clan, will ya? Thanks, bye!" He mewed very fast and sped away, leaving behind a dumbstruck Reed.

Gray Wing and Fern made it to the center of Twolegplace where a circle with water sprinkling out of it was. A few twolegs walked here and there and some stray cats slipped around corners.

"This is the fountain where Slash sometimes holds his meetings for our rogues," Fern meowed. "When it's very late and there aren't any twolegs around, of course."

The two cats backed under a wooden thing where a young twoleg was splayed across on, to avoid a dog off its leash.

"So where can we find Slash?" Gray Wing growled. "I wanna have a word with him!" Fern looked nervous, but shook her head.

"You're right." She looked around the area. Gray Wing glanced at the sky to see how late it was. It was a little past sunhigh by now. If they were quick they could get back to SkyClan at sunset.

Suddenly, he stiffened when he spotted a familiar pelt. It was the ginger tabby pelt of Brick with his red collar studded with teeth and claws.

"Brick!" Fern yowled, shooting forward, Gray Wing on her tail. The BloodClan tom turned to her, green eyes wide before he snarled.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the traitor," he sneered. "Slash'll love this."

"Good thing we're looking for him," Gray Wing growled. "Mind taking us to him?"

"He won't be pleased to see y'all."

"I don't wanna see him either, buddy," Gray Wing muttered. "But we need a word with him."

Brick shrugged. "Hey, some cats have a death wish, you've reached yours." He turned and flicked his tail, growling, "follow me."

Monsters roared past, and Brick paused, glancing down. There was a dead kit on the side of the large Thunderpath they were near. Gray Wing gasped, but Brick pushed forward without sparing another glance towards the little thing. "Great StarClan, whatever did the poor thing deserve to live a life like this," Gray Wing muttered.

Fern sighed. "a twoleg will pick the body up eventually. Or a rat might eat it."

Gray Wing stared wide-eyed at her nonchalance. He couldn't believe someone sweet like her had lived her whole life like a…rogue.

"Hey Brick!" came a yowl, and Gray Wing jumped, hissing and arching his back. A tortoiseshell was on top of the roof of a Twoleg den, peering down. Gray Wing realized she looked familiar. She had been one of the cats that had helped take over SkyClan moons before the forest fire. "Is that Fern?"

"Yep," Brick growled. "Stupid cat wanted to see Slash, even if she nows he'll kill her now." Gray Wing growled as Fern tensed, but she just straightened up defiantly.

The tortoiseshell blinked slowly then turned her head over her shoulder. "Scraps! Come look who it is!"

An identical tortoiseshell appeared and looked uneasily at Fern. "Um, you know it isn't safe for you to be here, right? Slash literally wandered all the way to that place with the four big trees just to find you."

Fern and Gray Wing gaped. He had gone that far in between Clan territories. Had one of the Clans spotted him at all?

"Enough! I'm gonna take them to Slash and get them outta my fur!" Brick snapped and moved on.

They took a few more turns and entered BloodClan's camp. Gray Wing spotted many angry gazes on him and the stench of sickness was in the air. The cats on the other side, Slash's rogues, were collarless. And aside from a trio of toms and one she-cat the rest of them looked quite friendly. Afraid. They didn't want to be there and they looked starved.

Like Fern, Gray Wing realized, glancing at his companion, who marched forth with a determination she wouldn't have been able to muster a moon ago.

Fern was looking around, relieved and she leaned to Gray Wing and whispered, "BloodClan's leader isn't here right now, so we'll only have Slash to deal with really."

No cat approached them as Brick led them onwards. Still, Gray Wing's heart started to beat as cats raised their heads or completely stood up. No matter what, they were outnumbered in the end.

Brick paused at a tower of boxes. "Get Slash," he ordered a solid ginger tom from Slash's side. The tom hurried away, looking at his fellow allies nervously.

"What the…?" growled a dark tabby she-cat with a scarred over eye. Fury. Gray Wing remembered her. "Fern, is that you, you coward!" She glared at Brick. "What're they doing here?"

"That's for Slash to find out and you to never know," Brick taunted. Fern and Gray Wing exchanged nervous looks as Fury bristled.

Finally, the dark ginger tom reappeared with a brown tom. His yellow eyes latched balefully onto Fern, completely ignoring Gray Wing.

"Well…isn't this a pleasant surprise!" He growled darkly, claws immediately unsheathing. Around them, many cats did the same.

Should have seen this coming… Gray Wing thought with despair.

Wind whipped Gorsepaw's face as he led Quiet Rain and Sun Shadow along the river near RiverClan territory. He knew he couldn't have led two strangers into ThunderClan territory or there would have been major consequences.

"Hello!" A familiar voice made him raise his head. He turned to see River Ripple standing near the shore. He didn't know him that much either, but he'd seen him at Gatherings before.

"Who's that?" Sun Shadow asked with narrowed eyes.

"Don't worry," Gorsepaw mewed as River Ripple approached. "He's friendly. He's a RiverClan cat."

The silver tom bounded over to their side. He glanced at Quiet Rain and Sun Shadow. The old gray she-cat was looking him up and down. "You're all soaked."

"I swam here," River Ripple explained. "I live with RiverClan on that island, after all." He flicked his tail to the floating island in the distance.

Quiet Rain recoiled. "How strange."

"Tell me about it," Gorsepaw murmured and the older cats chuckled.

"We like it there," River Ripple meowed. "The river offers plenty of fish to eat."

Quiet Rain turned to Sun Shadow, her eyes wide. "Isn't he odd?"

River Ripple smiled and Gorsepaw guessed he'd take it as a compliment. "Where are you lot off to?"

"To ShadowClan camp," Gorsepaw meowed.

"Does your Clan know? After all, you're only an apprentice. Too young to lead missions like this."

Gorsepaw shuffled his paws. "I let one of my clanmates know and besides I'd know how to help them better since I'm friends with Gray Wing's kits. She's his mother." He flicked his tail at Quiet Rain.

River Ripple's eyes widened with surprise. "Are you really? You must be from the mountains then."

"You know my sons?" Quiet Rain asked.

"I'm taking them to see Shadowstar and Jagged Peak. Sun Shadow here is Moon Shadow's son."

River Ripple frowned. "Moon Shadow was a fine cat."

"Was?" Sun Shadow repeated, eyes wide.

River Ripple caught Gorsepaw's eye. "Maybe you should hurry to ShadowClan. I think it would be best if they got the full story from their kin."

Gorsepaw nodded. "Come on." He led them onwards to the swampland beyond.

Gray Wing's dark gray fur rose along his shoulders, curling his lips exposing his fangs. "We're here to say that whatever you have planned against SkyClan, we're ready!"

Slash blinked mockingly. "And how do you know we have plans against you?" He glared at Fern. "Did a little snitch tell you?"

"Whatever, we just wanna let you know."

"Like. I. Care," Slash meowed, tail waving calmly behind him. Cats started snickering, watching the clancats with open amusement.

"I also want my sister to come with me!" Fern exploded. "Beech!"

From the huddle of nervous rogues a light brown she-cat hurried forward.

"No, she can't come with you," Slash sneered. "I would have killed you already, but keeping your sister imprisoned seems like a better revenge, doesn't it? And then you can watch all your friends suffer because of you!"

The rogues winced. Gray Wing curled his claws into the ground to stop himself from attacking the horrendous tom. How do we get out of this? Fern would be relying on him.

"And after we finish destroying SkyClan…ThunderClan~!" Slash sang and cats snickered again.

"ThunderClan?" Gray Wing echoed. Did they just want to hurt the Clans for fun…or did they have a personal grudge against ThunderClan? "What'd they do?"

"Personal stuff for my comrade," Slash meowed.

"Also known as nunya," Fury growled.

"Now leave!" Slash ordered.

Just like that? Gray Wing backed away. "Um, okay…we'll leave right away."

"If you say so…Run!" With the smallest flick of his tail, cats all around suddenly lunged forward.

Gray Wing yelped in surprise as fangs snapped around his front paw. A brown and black tom was the attacker. He raked his other paw across the gravel under them and flung it in his eyes. The tom screamed, letting go. Quickly, he whipped around, ramming unintentionally into a BloodClan cat who had pounced forth. He struggled to his paws again.

Cats were already swarming the exit, and his heart pounded, his chest aching from fear. "I've got you!" Fern pressed against his side. Her sister, Beech led the way, slashing out at anyone who came forth.

Fern sent Fury tumbling when the she-cat lunged at them. Gray Wing needed to stop. His chest was clenching harshly and if he kept going he'd pass out. But he had to!

Beech was wrestling with the two black and white toms. She got them away from the gap that was the exit. Fern grabbed Gray Wing's scruff and half dragged, half threw him towards Beech, who pushed him the rest of the way out.

"RUN!" Beech yowled. Gray Wing scrambled to his paws and bolted. He glanced back and was relieved to see Fern and Beech behind him…but so were the rogues, pouring out of the camp after them.

"Ahh! We need a miracle right about now!" Gray Wing yowled. "StarClan? Help?"

As if for once, they were listening, someone came to the rescue.

"This way!" Gray Wing looked up and gasped. Star Flower! With no time to decide whether to trust her or not, Gray Wing ran towards her. "Up here!" The golden tabby she-cat leaped onto some round, strange Twoleg object that held plants inside of it. Gray Wing followed then, he jumped and dug his claws into fabric, hosting himself up onto what Fern called a roof and then they moved onto a more solid area of it.

Gray Wing turned to see Fury slam into Beech, but Fern had turned and raked her claws across the one-eyed she-cat's face. The sisters joined them on the roof. One of the black and white toms -who Gray Wing realized, looked oddly like that barncat, Barley- jumped after, but he could not reach high enough.

"Outta the way, Ice!" the other black and white tom snarled, leaping up only to knock into his brother.

"Hey, I was here first, Snake!"

"Move, you moronic morons!" Fury screeched.

The cats on the roof had already turned and ran as they argued and soon they were far away to the point they didn't hear them anymore.

"Whoo! What a run!" Star Flower puffed. "Am I right?"

Gray Wing gave her a slight glare. "Just who's side are you on?"

Star Flower dropped her head. "No one's. I left Slash's group because my father died. He was the only reason I was with them in the first place?"

Gray Wing glanced at Fern for confirmation and she nodded. "Well, thanks. But I still don't really trust you."

"Fair enough," Star Flower shrugged. "I manipulated your nephew and helped bad cats hurt you. Anyway, I'll be on my way." She waved her tail. "See you around, maybe."

Gray Wing watched her go, confused.

"What do we do now?" Beech asked after a moment of silence. Gray Wing stared off into the distance. The sun was setting as he had guessed it would be as soon as they had gone through with the rescue.

His wounds stung and his chest still ached. And he was pretty sure he'd ripped a claw…he just wanted to collapse.

Finally he meowed, "we go home."

"Seriously, kittypet? No one wants to eat squirrels! They're too furry!"

Cloud Tail sighed for the millionth time that day. He was on a hunting patrol with Deerfoot, Nutwhisker, and Turtlepaw.

The mottled she-cat gave him a sympathetic glance for once. Nutwhisker gave Deerfoot an annoyed glare.

"Prey is prey, now shut up and let's get back to camp!"

Deerfoot always just wants to find something to blame me for.

He froze when he heard pawsteps and a rustle in the bushes. The others growled and tensed, but Cloud Tail dropped his squirrel and jumped behind the bush.

An old gray she-cat hissed but a familiar apprentice grinned at him. "Hey Cloud Tail! Mind taking us to Shadowstar?"

"No, we mind a lot! Get outta here!"

"Okay," Cloud Tail agreed, ignoring his mentor. He turned to Nutwhisker. "They're not doing any harm, I promise."

"Well, they have an elder with them and well, yeah, like you said they seem harmless," Nutwhisker mused. "Alright, follow us."

"Why is it marshy here?" The old she-cat asked as they walked.

"Because it's a pine forest and that's how it was built!" Deerfoot spat.

"Why does it stink?"

"Um, it's just how it is," Cloud Tail suggested, not really understanding either.

"Why is it dark?"

Cloud Tail exchanged an exasperated look with Turtlepaw before they both started snickering.

They entered the camp and all eyes turned to them. Shadowstar was near the fresh-kill pile, talking with her senior warriors. Holly was outside watching her kits play while Snowbird was curled around her younger newborn kits, Wildkit and Nightkit.

"We're here," Nutwhisker murmured. Some cats growled aggressively while others looked bewildered or curious.

"What's this?" Shadowstar padded up with Scorchwind, Mud Paws, and Mouse Ear. She looked at Gorsepaw. "Why is there a WindClan apprentice?"

"They asked me to take them to you," the ginger and white apprentice explained. "They're from the mountains." He nodded at Pebble Heart, who had appeared from the medicine den, grinning.

"The mountains?" Shadowstar's eyes widened. Cloud Tail knew she and many of his former clanmates in SkyClan had come from the mountains for a new life.

Quiet Rain hobbled forward to meet the ShadowClan leader's gaze, her head held high. Shadowstar stared at her with narrowed eyes, puzzled.

"Don't you recognize me?" Quiet Rain asked, softly.

Shadowstar's eyes widened. "Quiet Rain…?"

Scorchwind turned to her. "You know her?"

Quiet Rain smiled. "Yes, she does."

Shadowstar grinned and moved to touch noses with Quiet Rain. "It's so good to see you! I can't believe you're here. Oh…" She spotted Sun Shadow, eyes glistening. "You must be Moon Shadow and Dewy Leaf's son. You look so much like my brother…"

She shut her eyes for a moment and frowned. The loss of her brother still hurt her immensely. Cloud Tail had never known Moon Shadow, but Turtle Tail had told him stories about the tom. He had been very idiotic but brave all the same.

Sun Shadow returned the smile, holding the same grief in his eyes while Quiet Rain glanced around camp. "Now, where's Gray Wing?"

"In SkyClan camp with Skystar," Shadowstar replied.

"How come you all don't live together?"

"We did when we first arrived, but then Pebble Heart had an important dream -the kind Stoneteller has sometimes- the ancestors said we should choose where we feel we belong," Shadowstar explained.

"Pebble Heart?" Quiet Rain looked around as if she might recognize who that was.

"Gray Wing's son," Gorsepaw whispered to her. "The one I told you about."

Quiet Rain's eyes glistened as the gray tabby stepped up to her. "You look so much like him."

Pebble Heart dipped his head with a smile. "I'll get herbs for your wound." He nodded at her leg. He slipped away as Runningnose hurried up and examined her and Sun Shadow.

"He's the Clan medicine cat," Cloud Tail assured them as they bristled.

"And who may you be?" Quiet Rain asked.

"I'm Fire Heart's nephew. Gray Wing rescued him as a kit when ThunderClan hurt him. And now I'm a part of the Clans too. We came from Twolegplace. Turtle Tail raised me."

"ThunderClan? Who's that?"

Some ShadowClan cats exchanged looks.

"It's another Clan," Rowanberry spoke hesitantly at Quiet Rain's sharp gaze.

"No, but this little one," she flicked her tail at Gorsepaw. "Told me about how the Clans work. He said they don't tolerate intruders, but he never said they attacked them cruelly!"

"Uh, well, ThunderClan is different."

Quiet Rain snorted.

"Mom?"

Jagged Peak had returned from his hunting patrol. He let out a shout of joy and hobbled to his mother, who had brightened for a moment before she gasped in dismay.

"You're crippled!"

Jagged Peak faltered. "Well, yes, but I can still hunt and fight just fine." He shuffled his paws.

"Of course you can," Quiet Rain murmured. "I'm just tired. I had expected a peaceful land when we arrived, but apparently I was wrong."

"Come meet my kits," Jagged Peak suggested, wanting to get off the topic of peace and ThunderClan.

Shadowstar turned to Cloud Tail. "Can you please find Gray Wing? And bring Skystar while you're at it!"

Cloud Tail nodded and looked at Gorsepaw. "Wanna come with?"

"You bet!"

The two apprentices turned and raced side-by-side out of the camp.

I don't know what to do with Star Flower, really. Should she be the good-bad guy, or what?

Anyhoo, Quiet Rain and Sun Shadow have arrived! And of course, things will be different now that nothing is Skystar's fault.

Reviews!