She paced around her camp nervously, her paws clawing at the earth with a short pause after every few chunks of steps. Scarletnose's mind was filled with thoughts and ideas of how to keep her clan busy. Half a moon had passed since the gathering, and her training with Runningpaw had begun to be much more proficient and rushed. The apprentice didn't mind; both of the cats thought that it was helping him instead.

Scarletnose also began to monitor SkyClan's queen and elder much more often, despite Grasstalon's polite protests. It took further persuasion to get Cloudybrook to exercise more, just in case; but once the news of the clans moving had come out, clan life slowly started to die down once more. Scarletnose was surprised that the entirety of SkyClan was fine with leaving; she assumed a warrior or two would disagree, but voices never spoke up.

That's the good side of things. Scarletnose noticed a lower quantity of prey traveling the forest, possibly due to the other clans hoarding what they could for future use before the prey rots. She took on managing the clan's supply, working multiple consecutive days to keep her clan's mood up. Some of her close clanmates, like Leafhawk and Morningwatcher, helped her with these tasks, to keep her company.

Now, just as Morningwatcher padded up towards Scarletnose, Scarletnose meowed, "Morningwatcher, can you walk with me outside of camp? Just in case," she asked.

Morningwatcher's eyes narrowed for a moment, before nodding, "Sure. Where did you want to go?"

"There's a specific spot just at the border... If you don't mind."

Morningwatcher dipped her head while stepping back, "Lead the way, then."

The two she-cats left the camp, and Scarletnose quickly took the lead. Morningwatcher kept a watch of the trees around. Glancing back, Scarletnose looked at the other she-cat. Her beige pelt was being illuminated beautifully by the sunlight, sending a bright white hue that shivered with shiny rays. Morningwatcher's white paws were barely impacted by the forest floor below her, while her blue eyes complimented the cloudless sky perfectly.

"Are you going to miss this forest?" Morningwatcher asked her.

"I think I will..." Scarletnose meowed, "I'll miss the trees. They always gave the best views."

"The views in the new place should be just as good," Morningwatcher adds, "But you're right. The trees of our birthplace can't be replaced."

Scarletnose continued their conversation as she jumped down from a short cliff; looking up at the she-cat behind her, "How's Pistachiopaw?"

"He's doing good," Morningwatcher answers, "He still has this... higher fantasy, though. I've tried to work with it but I'm worried he's still too clingy to his kittypet side."

" I doubt he'd let it go easily... we found him abandoned from twolegs... " Scarletnose silently added, "Have you tried exposing him to more battle training?"

Morningwatcher nodded, "It's the higher fantasy. It's like he thinks injuries are hard to get."

"Maybe I could pair him with runningpaw for a hunt? Runningpaw might be able to help him calm down," Scarletnose suggested. The sunlight above her was brighter as the trees slowly dispersed and thinned out. Scarletnose quickly noticed how the sun shone more on her clanmate's pelt, nearly giving it a pure white overlay. After a moment she turned back to the original path; focused on a figure that slowly came into view. This figure was a grave, made out of a log that stood upright while being weathered down from outside conditions.

Scarletnose silently padded up to sit in front of the grave, replaying some of the memories of the buried cat in her mind; the ones she held the closest.

She could hear the silent paw steps of Morningwatcher come up beside her, her voice quiet; "Are they an important cat you lost?"

"My mother," Scarletnose answered, "I- she led me to the clans for safety."

"I remember her..." Morningwatcher echoed, "When we were apprentices."

Scarletnose gave her a small smile, "She loved us, didn't she?"

Morningwatcher gave a longer reply, but Scarletnose was too preoccupied with the memories to hear her. I wish I could see you again, Mom. I'll find a way . She turned to Morningwatcher once more, and the she-cat gave her a slow nod of understanding. With a few moments that have passed by slowly, Scarletnose stood up and the two turned back to walk away in silence.

The two cats returned to their camp, Scarletnose sticking closer to Morningwatcher as they trekked through the forest. The sun was going down by the time they returned, which meant that the clan had to be ready to leave their camp with the resources that they had chosen- for good. A few pieces of freshly caught prey were chosen, while the rest were eaten as one large, final meal. Falconkit was then later adamant to bring a very specific ball of moss with her, to show the other kits and to play with them. This gave Scarletnose the idea to bring bundles of fresh moss, just in case the travelers needed nests. Those beds will spoil quickly, but they would be good for temporary use.

Scarletnose employed Leafhawk to keep careful watch from the front, while Morningwatcher took the middle and Scarletnose from the back. The group of cats stayed organized for a good while- apart from Falconkit racing around everyone's paws, asking questions to the older warriors. Once Cloudybrook tripped over Falconkit's paws, Grasstalon took her kit by the scruff and carried her for the rest of the trek, to which Scarletnose was relieved.

Once the cats arrived on the island, they discovered that WindClan had already arrived. Weaving in through the crowd Scarletnose padded up to their deputy, giving him a nod of greeting. Icefoot followed, turning to resolve an issue between two cats that had come up to them. Scarletnose waited. With an unidentifiable expression, Icefoot cocked his head to her.

"Are you planning on staying here?" Icefoot asked.

"Maybe," Scarletnose meowed back a reply, "I was just also looking over your clan. It's..." her words trailed off, unsure how to continue while not upsetting the tom.

"Small? Weak?" Icefoot added the last word quietly with a hiss, "We handled ourselves fine," his tail-tip tapped the ground with slight irritation, looking behind Scarletnose, "ShadowClan's on time," he commented.

Scarletnose turned to face the arriving clan. Many ShadowClan cats looked healthy and well-rested, ready for anything that would come up. However, her eyes scanned over towards a grey tortoiseshell cat, who was visibly carrying kits. Scarletnose wondered if she would be okay. She has to be.

Meanwhile, Mountainstar padded up to the two recently conversating cats. He gave them a dip of his head, before meowing; "How are your clans?"

"SkyClan is doing fine," Scarletnose was the one to reply before being followed by a simple "WindClan as well," from Icefoot.

The leader nodded, before turning to look at the large group of cats before them. Scanning his gaze, Scarletnose found it unreadable; apart from a small mix of possible trust or faith within the cats in front of them. After that short moment, the leader took a spot on a low branch of the massive tree in the middle of the island, his silent gaze full of thought.

Thunderclan arrived soon after. Many warriors were helping Oaknose carry as many herbs and remedies as they could, setting them down nearby where other cats had put their supplies earlier.

Riverclan followed suit. Wingripple led her cats in an organized manner, checking over the supplies before she padded over to the queens of the other clans to check her condition. Through Scarletnose's eyes, their inspections went well and Wingripple gave some sort of approval to Mountainstar. She always had thought that RiverClan was lucky to have such a cautious medicine cat, and small moments like these proved her right.

Scarletnose watched as the cats conversed amongst themselves, chatting about their day and the trip itself. Her eyes caught on to Leafhawk, who met her gaze moments after. The tom flicked his tail to Scarletnose, inviting her to the group of cats with him.

Scarletnose jumped down, meowing out a greeting, "Hello."

"Scarletnose, these are my friends!" Leafhawk meowed back, "Lizardscratch and Sandspring."

Lizardscratch, a dark brown tabby, dipped his head in greeting, "Hi, Scarletnose."

Sandspring, a dark sand-coloured tabby dipped his head right after, "Is Leafhawk being a good cat like he says he is?"

"Wha-" Scarletnose started, but the tom must have been joking, "Of course not. He hasn't caught anything the past moon."

" Scarletnose!" Leafhawk immediately gave us a quiet growl, "I think she means I've caught everything."

"Of course she has," Sandspring murmured with a hint of sarcasm, "Anyways, Leafhawk keeps talking about his kit. Can we change the subject? Are you interested in this trip?"

"Erm… Yeah!" Scarletnose meowed, sitting down on the ground now, "I am. With the new territories."

"It's interesting to see the bigger world outside the lake," Lizardscratch added, "If we had a different territory before, and the Thundersnake path exists, what else could there be?"

"I think the world is endless," Sandspring meows, "Just imagine the different groups of cats possible. The kind of prey out there we've never seen exist."

Scarletnose nodded in agreement. Just then, Mountainstar yowled out to all of the cats to pay attention. Scarletnose dipped her head out of respect to them once more, before quickly getting a spot back in the tree.

"Cats of all clans," Mountainstar began, "Thank you all for a greeting to this plan, firstly. Secondly, thanks to Icefoot's report we seem to be on time with the Thundersnake. It might wake up soon, so we should hurry. Are there any cats that have difficulties with leaping high?"

An elder of ShadowClan scent raised their tail, along with some of the kits who attempted to bound as proof- and annoy some warriors as they did.

Mountainstar nodded, "We can get some SkyClan cats to help catch you, and anyone else who needs help."

The cats in the clearing looked at each other with various glances, considering whether to help one another or not.

"And- please help the kits too, if any of you can," Scarletnose added, "they'll be more tired than any of us combined once we move."

Mountainstar's ears flicked towards her direction, "Thank you, Scarletnose. Those too," the leader then turned to the other cats near him on the tree, "Do any of you have something else to say?"

They shook their heads, which prompted the leader to jump down onto the soft earth, "We should begin moving now..." he quietly mumbled.

ShadowClan followed after him, and Scarletnose took the lead of her clan once those cats crossed the bridging tree. She took a look back at the gathering island; taking in the sight and the countless pawprints that span across, now going to be left alone. Maybe a new group of cats will come by someday and discover the lake just like we did? she wondered with a cocked head, taking a deep breath before catching up with Leafhawk, who was waiting for her while standing alone among the passing cats.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Wingripple immediately asked at the sight of the open belly of the Thundersnake. there were three open sections, each filled with what seemed to be wood remains condensed into an odd, box-like shape.

"If it weren't, I wouldn't have brought the clans here," Icefoot retorted, "twolegs rarely come by these sections of the Thundersnake. To close and open the belly to be specific, but sometimes to feed the monster itself," he paused for a moment considerably, "If you want to have a better chance of being hidden, let's split up. Three groups of cats."

Scarletnose nodded, leaping up onto the first section's belly. The ground below her felt rough and dry, with the scent of twolegs and unidentifiable objects scattered around. She winced at the sharp smell, turning to face down the gathered cats, "Leafhawk! Morningwatcher! Could you two take over the other two sections and help the cats from there?" she meowed. The two cats nodded, walking a few paw steps forward before leaping up on their own.

Then Scarletnose began helping the others. When a cat seemed to have missed the jump, she'd carefully grab them by the shoulder or scruff to help them further. This was a bigger issue with apprentices- of whom were small, and nearly too swift for Scarletnose to catch. A RiverClan apprentice, Berrypaw, had to jump up a second time after Scarletnose failed to catch him the first time. She also took a careful approach towards one of the queens; who was pregnant with kits. It took a quick glance from Mountainstar for her to figure out this she-cat was Fadestone; Mountainstar's littermate. Fadestone gave him a short murmur, which seemed to have calmed him down. Her kits followed after her, and Scarletnose was immediately worried for the one that had a missing leg. But the apprentice managed on his own.

According to Mountainstar, the two medicine cats had spaced themselves out just in case any emergencies happened. They first distributed the supplies equally, before parting their ways. Icefoot was the last cat to jump up, joining Scarletnose. The cats stood around, checking the large stomachs and clawing at the wood before loud footsteps followed. With a quiet yowl, she ordered the cats to hide- and they did quickly, and successfully.

Some twolegs approached, loudly conversing with each other in an odd, scratchy language. They took a quick look inside before the door closed shut. Darkness took over the cats, and Scarletnose carefully padded out from behind her spot. Her eyes adjusted to the dark quickly, forms of other cats just barely visible when she looked around.

"Alright," Icefoot padded out from behind her, "We'll stay until the twolegs open the belly again. We don't know when that'll be, but we will be at a different location and the lake may be hard to find once we arrive there. Are all of you sure you've seen your kin on your way here?"

The cats glanced at each other for a moment, before nodding.

"Good," Icefoot murmured, "for now, do what you'd like. This could take longer than what we expect."

The cats dispersed amongst themselves, taking their eyes off Icefoot as he finished talking.

"That was a good announcement," Scarletnose commented, "You cared for other kin?"

"Why wouldn't I?" the tom narrowed his eyes at her.

Scarletnose didn't know how to respond, "Sorry... you just always give off the feeling that you'd hate close kin."

The WindClan deputy let out a loud sigh, glancing away as he spoke up once again, "I did have a mate. And I was close to having kits of my own, too."

"Oh... how was she?"

The tom didn't reply, instead silently staring at the wall. She had hit a rough spot on the tom's flank, the air around them immediately uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry for asking," Scarletnose murmured, before padding away to check on the cats on the other side of the enclosed space. She spotted a group of four kits chatting excitedly amongst themselves while being watched by their mother. Small groups of warriors were formed inside the cramped space as well, their words low and quiet. Not out of fear of being found- Scarletnose noticed, but rather out of respect for the echoes that seemed to pass loudly amongst them. Leaping up onto one of the pieces of boxed wood, she laid down on her side and closed her eyes- hoping to get some sleep before the arrival.

Her dreams were filled with scenery from the lake. The clear night sky was shining down, illuminating the water with countless tiny stars glittering peacefully. She bent down to take a drink from the lake, her throat burning with thirst after her run through the forest; before she looked up to see a figure.

It was a cat, but nearly three times her size. This figure's pelt was decorated with stars as well, eyes shining as bright as the sun itself. The cat immediately caught her gaze- and ran off between the bushes. Without a moment to think, Scarletnose suddenly had the urge to follow after this unknown cat-like creature; to find out what it was. Despite the lake's depth, her pause skittered across easily- as if the water was merely nothing but a puddle. The figure's abnormally long tail was soon in sight, trailing stars as if they were running across the night sky.

The trees began to disappear around her. She looked back, trying to see if she simply ended up at WindClan's moor; but nothing was around her. She was in a blank, empty plane of space, the cat-like creature standing a few fox-lengths away from her, eyes sharp. The creature's mouth suddenly moved, meowing in a sound that sounded like countless meows combined; "Find me."

Scarletnose tried to move; to reply. Her body didn't budge. How? Who are you? she wondered in her mind.

"you'll find out in due time," the creature's many voices replied to her thoughts, dipping its head cautiously, "Find me. To prevent the worst happening for many."

Scarletnose tried to move again, as the creature began to pad away. Wait! she internally yowled, but only silence followed. The paw steps themselves made no sound- only faint pawprints in the unseen ground below her.

Another voice sounded out in the distance. A voice calling out to her, bringing her away from this void-like place. Scarletnose follows it, until...

"Scarletnose!" Icefoot's growl overpowers them all, jerking her awake.

Her head immediately bolts upright, glancing around the belly. She was somehow moved back to the ground, but there was a distant, bright light shining through. Blinking her eyes open Scarletnose immediately noticed something on the outside; another Thundersnake was to their side.

"Some warriors and I scanned ahead; don't worry," Icefoot muttered as Scarletnose stood up onto her paws, "We're in some sort of Thundersnake den. But there's a forest beyond it, so I've started helping cats get down. Mountainstar and I talked; we'd rather stop here than continue further inside the Thundersnake."

Scarletnose nodded, her eyes still groggy from the sudden sunlight. As she jumped down on her own, she remembered her dream; the strange creature that had visited her. It must've been a coincidence, she thought, no Starclan cat or Dark Forest cat can enter our dreams when their connections are already severed... but what made her uneasy was the memory of the voice of the creature. All of those voices were speaking in a perfect tone and perfect unison. She shook her head, getting rid of the memory as she padded forward to meet her clanmates- who were all hiding with the rest of the clans huddled together, and Mountainstar was at the front for quick surveillance, making sure no cat was lost.

Beside Mountainstar was Fograge, Mountainstar's father and deputy. Fograge was pacing around, his flank bristling with slight nervousness as he was answering various questions that many cats had. He was the first one to find Scarletnose from afar pad closer to them, so he dipped his head in greeting.

Scarletnose dipped her head back at him for a moment, before continuing forwards. Now all that was left was to wait for the leader to start the journey...

The cats were quick to do so. However, once they left the Thundersnake den, Scarletnose had to pause to take in the sight; Behind them seemed to be a massive valley between mountains, filled with its wide clearing, many oak trees, and a wide river that flowed through, ending somewhere below the mountains. On the other side, it was a vast dense forest, with very minimal signs of any twoleg interaction.

"It looks amazing, doesn't it?" Scarletnose heard Morningwatcher's voice from behind.

She watched the beige she-cat pad closer, admiring the view as well, "It does," Scarletnose admitted, "And it's massive... for just the five clans."

Morningwatcher nodded in agreement, "So... What's your next step?"

"Finding how to re-connect with StarClan," she meowed.

Morningwatcher murmured, "That's a good goal. Hopefully, you'll get it."

"Thank you..." Scarletnose meowed, blinking at her with appreciation. Looking over to the other cats, she saw determined looks in their eyes. Kits were scampering around, begging to be allowed to go further. Apprentices had their eyes wide with awe. Warriors were approaching, glancing at the new territory as well.

"Shall we find a suitable camp?" Mountainstar offered. Fograge and Icefoot nodded, and the cats were led down the steep, small mountain that they had ended up in.

"Should we also be careful to see if another group of cats lives here? Just in case," Scarletnose meowed, "Both... Talondancer and Pinenight could have passed this place. We might find cats who won't like us."

"Those sound like slim chances," Fograge commented, "If that does happen, we'll make a compromise. We'll need this territory anyways."

Scarletnose narrowed her eyes at that comment. She didn't want to kick another group of cats away from their current home, despite the amount of warriors that were still alive. And those that could still fight. Claws won't be the way they get their new territory settled. Soon enough, the cats began to pad downwards. They went over towards the valley, staying close to their side of the river. Soon, a warrior spotted a small den-like structure between a few ledges. Scarletnose picked up the smell of an unknown creature, yet it was very stale; barely noticeable to cats who had a weaker sense of smell than her. Maybe Sandspring was right, an animal we've never seen before used to live in this den... she inspected it further, but it seemed big. Too big for one animal...

The cats slowly got settled, putting down the remains of their moss beds as a temporary cover for the dusty floor, with herbs being stocked in small holes at a far wall of the den. Some warriors were working on puncturing holes through some sections of the dirt wall just in case, letting even the smallest bits of light seep in. Scarletnose then turned her head towards the WindClan deputy, who was gathering a small group of cats on his own.

She padded up towards him, with the question; "Where are you going?"

"I'll be going on a quick hunt. And a short scouting mission of the territory," Icefoot replied, flicking his tail towards the warriors, "We'll split up into smaller groups, to cover more space."

She nodded, before looking up at the... dark sky, "Isn't it almost night?"

"That means that we could have less trouble running into another group of animals, twolegs... or cats even," Icefoot meowed, "Besides, Mountainstar wants us to return as fast as possible. We won't be catching anything big until we're sure about where we are," he continued.

"Well... good luck," Scarletnose murmured, glancing back at the other cats. Her whiskers twitched at the sight of them working, her paws itching to join in and help them, "I'll be... here. If you need me. I'll probably help build up this temporary den."

Icefoot nodded and began to pad away from Scartletnose, but not without giving her one final glance. His eyes spoke something to her, something unreadable; but Scarletnose had a feeling he meant to silently say something. Instead, she parted ways too, joining a RiverClan cat who was having trouble heaving a large log to build up an extra wall for their temporary home.