Icefoot padded along the rough, unfamiliar earth. All of his senses were on high alert- despite the darkness surrounding him. He glanced back every few moments to make sure his group was following him, possibly out of a slight paranoia that he could not remove. Scarletnose's movements while she slept had worried him as well; the ones of her thrashing violently with her mouth opened in a yowl; no sound coming out.

He took his mind off of the she-cat, looking at the forest ahead. His white pelt ruffled through the flying leaves, with more of them crunching underneath his paws. There was a very faint smell of cats around him, making him think of kittypets. They probably passed by a moon ago and forgot to 'watch over' their territory. Even so, he flicked his tail- warning the warriors behind him to keep their guards up.

"Are you sure about this?" a cat beside him- that he had identified as Wildheart earlier; murmured quietly, "We really could be disturbing another cat's home."

"Unlikely," Icefoot muttered, "Can you split the group? Bring Twigshine with you. I'll take Ottertooth."

Wildheart nodded, falling behind to take the mentioned she-cat towards another pathway. Ottertooth came forward with a trot, nodding towards Icefoot. Icefoot took notice of the distinctive trait of this cat; two of her fangs were outside of her mouth, one of them oriented in an odd position. It would be good to identify each cat with something of their own, now that they may be closer.

He knew that Ottertooth was a good tracker as well; her eyes catching on the smallest webs as they passed by, "Wingripple told us to keep track of them," she once told the patrol as they walked on, "That means a lot more bugs are there. Which means spiders and so more webs can arrive in the next seasons."

Anyways, the new smaller group continued to pad through the forest. Prey smell was fresh everywhere; with an odd smell that seemed... new to them. It was strong, but not as dangerous yet.

"Are you looking for anything specific?" Ottertooth asked him.

"Not yet," Icefoot replied.

Ottertooth nodded as she jumped above for a heartbeat; landing on a large rock above the deputy. She glanced out forward as if looking for something. She then shook her head as she jumped back down onto her paws hitting the dirt, with the words; "We just have more trees further ahead," she perked her ears to the side for a moment, "I hear the river nearby. Can we check if there's fish?"

The deputy nodded, and the two cats parted towards the river. After a few moments, Icefoot picked up the sound. Am I going deaf? he wondered, I should've heard it at the same time as Ottertooth. Maybe... she just has better senses than me. Shaking his head away from the thought, he padded close to the water's edge once it appeared. Ottertooth stood behind, her eyes narrowing at the flowing water, before smiling to herself, "I saw some fish just now," she meowed, "I think we're good," while jumping into the river.

Icefoot quickly dodged out of the way, his white fur barely getting splashed from her impact.

"Easy to swim in, too," Ottertooth said as she took a few very short laps, "Although..." she muttered with a pause as she went onto the other side of the shore, her eyes narrowing with slight suspicion, "The scent's much stronger than here. A lot stronger than something that hasn't been here for a while," she muttered.

"Really?" Icefoot asked, "Can you tell how many animals made the scent?"

"They're all the same one, but there's more than one for sure... I think," Ottertooth meowed, "no animal walking alone can make a border this strong."

The deputy nodded with consideration, flicking his tail and beckoning for the she-cat to swim back. As she did so, Icefoot etched closer to the river; not close enough to fall, but close enough to catch the strong scent. His nose wrinkled as he does so; It's definitely not an animal that the clans know about, and it would be better to leave the scent alone.

"Let's move away from the river," he suggested to the she-cat, "We don't need this animal to follow after us."

Ottertooth nodded, dipping herself back into the river for another quick soak; to clean her pelt off of the mystery scent. The two cats then continued to pad throughout the forest, taking in the sights once more. The smaller cat scent continued on and showed no signs of stopping.

"Maybe the kittypets or whoever has here thought this entire forest was to themselves?" Ottertooth meowed to the deputy.

"A group that's willing to go this far out at night?" Icefoot meowed, echoing Ottertooth's emphasis on the kittypets, "That sounds hard to believe. They'd need to have powers of their own or have their head constantly in clouds."

"Could we consider the idea of a rogue group actively living here? " Ottertooth then asked.

"Yes, we can. But then we will have to with Fograge's plan and make a sort of deal with them," he paused, taking in the glance that the she-cat was giving him, "no, we aren't traveling again. With Shinenose's kits being born during the Thundersnake ride, we'll have to carefully take care of newborns. Also, many cats may not have the motivation to travel after what could be risking their lives with it."

Suddenly, the bushes rustled around them. Ottertooth's head immediately yanked up, her ears perking towards the sound, "Someone's nearby..." she whispered to the alert deputy, "They've hidden their scent... I can't tell if it's from our clan or a rogue."

"If they hid it, they're a rogue," Icefoot muttered with annoyance, unsheathing his claws, "I know you probably won't listen to me- but only attack if they attack first. Let them talk if they need to."

To his surprise, Ottertooth nodded and stood at his side, her claws unsheathing as well.

Suddenly, out of the bushes sprang four cats. The first one, a black-and-white cat with glowing yellow eyes hissed, "What are you doing in our territory, traveler?" their voice sounded off; a mix of something that belonged to both a tom and a she-cat, that Icefoot couldn't decipher.

"They're not travelers," a second cat, a grey-and-white patched tom hissed, "they smell like the clan. Were they spying across their border?"

The first cat flicked their tail, silencing the second cat. The third cat, a white she-cat with green eyes padded around, scanning her eyes across their pelts, "The white cat doesn't look like he's related to the clan. Through any roots."

"Sorry? Who are you?" Icefoot meowed.

"We're the cats who reside in this forest, did you forget?" the first cat meowed, "Come with us, maybe we'll decide what to do with you later."

As the fourth cat; a black tabby tom approached, Ottertooth sent out a false, sheathed paw swipe to his muzzle, "We aren't going anywhere. We were only traveling, leave us alone."

"The she-cat looks like she's a littermate of one of them," the third cat meowed, "A few of them, actually. I have my guesses."

"Thank you, Shuttle," the first cat meowed, "our commander will want to speak with them. Why are they breaking our treaty now when we enforced it days ago?"

Shuttle? What kind of name is that? Icefoot wanted to ask. Instead, he opened his mouth to speak, "Listen, as my groupmate has said, we are only traveling. We'll be out of your territory in moments if you let us pass."

"These are precautions for broken rules, cat," the first cat meowed, "What's your name? I'm Gemini."

Icefoot stared at Gemini; he wasn't the cat to exchange pleasantries, but it was worth a try if this cat didn't want a fight, "I'm Icefoot," Ottertooth looked immediately alarmed at his reply, yet she did not say her own name.

Shuttle's eyes immediately narrowed, glancing up at Gemini for help.

Gemini sighed, "Look, we just need to take you to our commander. For a small talk. Our commander can decide what to do with you about this... trespassing situation."

Icefoot glanced at the RiverClan cat beside him. Her tail lashed uncomfortably, but she meowed out anyway; "We can follow you. But we will be sent back by dawn."

Gemini blinked, "We can try and arrange that. Please, follow us."

Gemini turned, beginning to pad back through the bushes where the group of cats came from. Icefoot considered making a quick run, but the three others surrounded the two clanned cats on all sides; their eyes all weary of a possible escape plan. Despite the pressing darkness, Gemini traveled through the forest with no effort, sparing no heartbeat to glance at the ground and the roots they could trip across. Even the cat that was standing behind Icefoot seemed to be slightly irritated for constantly stopping to allow the clan cats to pass through some small obstacles.

Soon enough, they arrive at what seems to be a den that droops down underground quickly. The walls pressed around Icefoot's whiskers tightly, and any previous sources of light were immediately gone. The only thing that helped him see through this tunnel was a few holes at the top, barely emitting moonlight. In this specific tunnel, many smaller entrances surrounded a large underground clearing. Cats seemed to be active , too; chatting amongst themselves before most of them turned to look at Icefoot and Ottertooth.

"Why... why is everyone up right now?" Icefoot asked Shuttle.

"We live at night. Haven't you heard? the sun curses us," Shuttle muttered.

The sun curses you? That's an interesting thought, Icefoot thought. But maybe it was their version of the rules?

"And the moon helps your... ancestors?" Icefoot guessed.

"No. Andromeda carries our ancestors. The night's what blessed us for generations, and so we went out and found you during a patrol."

Icefoot took another look around. Kits were tumbling across the den's floor, too; at least to his senses. The kits suddenly stopped, pausing to look at the two newcomers with curious eyes, "Enemies! What are you doing in our territory?" the first kit yelped, stepping over a second kit as she let out a weak growl.

" We are visiting your leader," Ottertooth meowed with a hidden growl.

Maybe it was her sharp tone of voice or the visible fangs, but the kits immediately scampered off out of nervousness or fear. Ottertooth sighed, glancing around impatiently.

After a few moments, Gemini emerged from one of the dens; followed by a thick-furred she-cat with pelt colours hidden by the darkness.

"Gemini told me you were trespassing our territory," the she-cat meowed as she dipped her head, "I assume for a very good reason?"

"We were only scouting the territory around us," Icefoot meowed, "we were going to leave as soon as we were finished."

The she-cat nodded, her eyes pensive; "You're travelers, aren't you? We don't get those cats wandering around during our time very often. What brings you to the valley?"

"The valley? That's what you call your territory?" Icefoot questioned her.

She dipped her head, "Of course. Most of it is surrounded by mountains, and the ocean is on the other side. It's a good home that suits all of us."

Icefoot nodded along before he remembered some words that another cat had said earlier; they smelled like ' the clan. ' It couldn't have been one of the five clans, they had only arrived that day. Could it be... "What's the clan that also lives here? Do they also share this territory?"

The she-cat answered quickly, "PineClan. A group of cats that share a clan-like system, according to them. They have a leader, deputy, and medicine cat to lead them."

The tom froze. Pine Clan? "When did this clan arrive?"

"Some short lifetimes ago. They had a founder- named Pinenight. Apparently, they were trying to find a cure for something, but after a few days, they never did. They wanted to go back, but our ancestors broke the news to them that their method of transport only goes one way. They gave in, settled, and recruited some housecats after a moon or so had passed. Why do you ask?"

"Because... Pinenight, I recognize that name. He belonged to our clans before he left."

"You're a part of the distant clans? We heard stories about them," the she-cat muttered, "Why did you come here?"

"We just want a replacement home," Icefoot admitted.

At his words, Ottertooth turned towards him with a look of growling concern, "You didn't need to share that," her tone was harsh, but concerned. She glanced up at the she-cat, "We aren't going to share where we live."

"That's alright," the she-cat meowed, "My colony and I only pass through the night, as you may have heard. By day, the territory belongs to PineClan. By night, we patrol."

"And... you have enough prey to keep this up?"

The she-cat nodded, "Prey is always plentiful."

"That's good to hear..." Icefoot trailed off, "What's the leader and deputy's names?" he asked out of simple curiosity.

"Tundrastar and Swirlflake," the she-cat replied, "If you wanted to know, I'm Saturn. The commander of The Colony of Stars. My second-in-commands are my mate; Solaris and my two kits; Kallichore and Anomaly."

Icefoot nodded, "We each have a separate leader for our group. There are five clans that are traveling. I'm Icefoot, the deputy and temporary leader of WindClan."

Saturn dipped her head, flicking her thick-pelted tail towards Ottertooth, "And what about you?"

"I'm a RiverClan warrior," she muttered. Saturn waited for a mention of a name, but nothing came up, "WindClan and RiverClan are two of the five clans that had traveled here."

Saturn nodded in understanding, "That seems logical. Have your clans traveled safely?"

What's the change in interest? Icefoot wondered, before nodding.

A cat passed by Saturn, and muttered something to her. Saturn slowly stood up and quickly said "Sorry, I'll be back in a moment." before padding off.

This left Icefoot and Ottertooth alone. The she-cat's claws dug into the soft earth, before she immediately glared at the WindClan deputy while her fur was bristling in uncomforting patterns, "We should leave before she comes back," she growled, "This... Saturn might not be of use to us. Besides, the other cats could be waiting for us somewhere else already."

Icefoot nodded in slight consideration, "We can escape, yes. But these cats don't seem hostile. Don't you think they would have taken us, prisoner, by now? Look around," he flicked his tail towards the clearing ahead of them, "Everyone's ignoring us."

" Everyone can also jump out at us once we stay here for too long. I don't want to risk my death being in a tunnel." Ottertooth grumbled for a moment.

"Alright, fine. If anything happens to us, on a slim chance- I'll fend off these cats. I want you to run as fast as you can back to the clans and tell them about our situation. Don't wait for me. Understood?"

Ottertooth quietly nodded. At that same moment, Saturn returned with a quick trot, "Sorry about that," she meowed, "one of my citizens had trouble organizing a defensive patrol. I had to step in and help them with some recommendations. Anyways..." Saturn paused. Icefoot was about to open his mouth and ask if they were okay, but the commander continued without his input; "My colony doesn't have an interest in fighting you. Really. All we ask is that you keep the night-touched territory for us, and we can return the favor by not going out during the day. As a trade."

Icefoot thought for a moment, "It's an interesting offer," he meowed, "But what about PineClan?"

"That's for your clans to decide. The colony has no relation with your systems, and we'd like to keep it that way."

Ottertooth glanced at Icefoot, who nodded in understanding, "Can you tell us more about the territories at least? So that we know in the future."

"Certainly," Saturn meowed. Within the dim light, Icefoot could make out her drawing a pattern into the ground below them with her claws, into a clean ellipse-like shape, before she continued; "The territory on the rightmost side- they are the mountains and where the valley rises. We don't travel there often, as humans. Twolegs- in your words, are situated there. On the opposite side is where the creek starts. Once you go down to the forest, you have three main plots to remember; the only one that is on the opposite side of the body of water is the predator dens; where most of our predators come situated for a stay. It does make good land for birds, though."

Icefoot nodded.

"On the side of the creek where you are now; we have the mossy cliffs and moon's eye. The mossy cliffs are a patch of stone and stone-like walls made by twolegs ages ago, where moss has begun to grow. It's a good spot for snakes. Near it is the moon's eye; a clearing where a massive chunk of trees are missing, leaving only grass behind. We call it the moon's eye because the moon stares down at us from this spot once it reaches its highest point."

Icefoot nodded again, "And what about the space closer to PineClan's territory?"

"That's nearing the ocean, and we rarely do cross their scent marker. We don't hunt for fish like they do, you'll have to ask them yourselves."

"Reasonable enough," Icefoot nodded, "Do you... do meetings with PineClan?"

"Every full moon a few PineClan cats come to our camp and share news. We share some back," Saturn meowed.

At least the tradition of gatherings is still alive, Icefoot considered before his next question came up; "What about medicine cats? Do you know how to heal others?"

"Every citizen of the third rank does in our colony. You've met Gemini, they're one of them."

Icefoot nodded. He was curious about what Saturn meant by 'third rank,' but today was not the day to constantly ask questions. Today was the day to ensure that the five clans wouldn't be invaded by these... cats that he had met with.

"Do you have any further questions?" Saturn asked the two cats, but her ears flicked towards Ottertooth. She was suspecting something about the RiverClan warrior. Maybe just her expression, Icefoot reassured himself.

"If you would like it..." Saturn meowed, interrupting his thoughts after she had noticed that both cats did not reply, "I can give you some prey as a parting gift. Our patrols overstocked a few days ago."

"Are you sure? That might be too... generous," Icefoot muttered.

"It's not a problem for us," Saturn shrugged, "Like I said, we are overstocked. Any sharing of prey actually benefits us."

"We can take some, then," Icefoot assured her, "Where are your prey stores?"

"We've brought the prey we can share with you!" much younger cats padded up towards Icefoot and Ottertooth, with some very large mice dangling from their tails in their jaws, "Our commander said we cannot show you where you keep our prey, so she said to come bring it to you!" one of these younger cats happily chirped.

"Thank you," Saturn nodded, "Although, if the rest of you don't mind; I have one request."

"We're listening," Icefoot said.

"Our colony has been hunted down by a pack of wolves for the past few moons. We've lost colony-mates to them, and I'm afraid that I will be losing more soon. We tried to get PineClan to help us, but... they refused as their warriors do not hunt in the night."

Wolves? Icefoot echoed in his mind, They're not just stories, are they? That name for a warrior got lost as we forgot what they look like, but... this could be much more dangerous. They could be just like they were in the stories that were passed down amongst us.

"I'm just asking for your clans' help against these creatures," Saturn meowed, "If you help us drive them out, the colony will stand by your side if PineClan does not like your arrival to the territory. If you can't help... we won't intervene, but no cat will be able to hunt out at night either. Do you understand?"

Icefoot nodded, "Yes... would you mind a day or two to talk with the other leaders about this? Maybe then we can discuss this threat of yours."

Saturn nodded, before flicking her tail towards one of the cats within the tunnel, "It's time for these cats to leave. Would you mind escorting them a good distance?" she asked. The cat immediately nodded and waited at the entrance of the tunnel. With a beckoning of their tail, the two clanned cats followed.

When they traveled through the forest, everything seemed... much quieter now. Even when they met up with the second half of their patrol and explained their situation, Icefoot couldn't shake off an eerie sense of... silence that had dawned on them the moment Saturn had delivered the offer. Wildheart seemed to be the most on edge; her eyes darting side to side as they continued to travel down the forest, back to their temporary camp. Even Twigshine didn't bother saying another word once the WindClan deputy finished his talking. Ottertooth however was still keen on her opinion of not trusting the ' Colony' that they had met. She expressed that even though she believed that PineClan was a lie, she was silenced when Icefoot reminded her that Saturn knew who Pinenight was.

Once they arrived, the sun was starting to appear on the horizon. Icefoot immediately bolted to the camp to find Mountainstar, despite his tired legs; hoping for a good answer from the leader.