Darkstorm yawned, walking tiredly out of the hollow. "Let's look," she suggested. "The clans don't need us forever. We can walk around some more." Arrowheart followed her out, agreeing. 

They padded through the forest. Like they thought, it was full of undergrowth, a good terrain for ThunderClan. All they needed to do now was find a moon-place and a gathering place... And find the danger. They didn't want to be struck unprepared.

"Let's go this way, we haven't gone here yet," Arrowheart suggested, nodding in a direction. They walked through the brambles. Darksotrm shook herself. "You haven't really woken up yet, have you?" Arrowheart guessed. "Take a dip in the stream. It'll help." Before she could argue, he flicked his tail over her mouth. "I know you aren't RiverClan, but it will help."

"Okay," Darkstorm agreed. "Either way, you're too stubborn to let me keep walking and wake up normally." He snorted and led her to the river. Darkstorm blinked and followed Arrowheart in.

"It's cold!" she yelped, shivering. Arrowheart snorted again. "What? I'm not a fish!"

"Now get out," he mewed. She obeyed. "You're awake, though, aren't you? See, it worked!" Darkstorm nipped his ear lightly in response. "I was right, though!" 

"Hmmph!" Darkstorm snapped, pretending to be annoyed. She dropped her act. "Come on, let's keep looking. There has to be someplace we can use." Arrowheart nodded thoughtfully, this time Darkstorm leading and the grey tom following.

Please, StarClan! Lead us to a moon-place. We can find a gathering place in a territory, if needed, but we have to find the moon-place!

...

"We're back!" Darkstorm yowled. "We found a territory for each clan, but not a moon-place or a gathering place." Her eyes dropped to her paws. "We'll look again, if nobody else found anything?" Cloudstorm tapped her shoulder with her tail.

"After," she mewed. "Orangetail's kits came." Darkstorm's eyes widened.

"What? Of course I couldn't help her! Where is she?"

"Come, both of you." Cloudstorm led them to a small clearing behind a wall of ferns, revealing Orangetail and Snarlfang with four kits.

"Orangetail!" Darkstorm yowled. "Are you okay?" The ginger she-cat nodded tiredly, her tongue flashing out to lick her chest fur.

"Look," she mewed, nudging the three forward. One was a tortoiseshell she-kit, the second a yellow she-kit, another a dark ginger tabby tom, and the last a grey-and-yellow tom. "The she-kit is Flowkit," she announced. "And the ginger one's Redkit. The yellow one is Shardkit." Her gaze saddened as her eyes reached the last one. "And this is Shadekit."

"Orangetail..." Darkstorm paused, trying to find the right words, not knowing what to say. "Thank you so, so much."

"Your littermate will be remembered," Snarlfang mewed. "He saved a kit and was killed for it. And if he hadn't been killed, your father would have killed you. And you're the one who changed the code." Darkstorm sighed.

"Without him, I wouldn't be here." She closed her eyes. "I can't thank you enough." Orangetail exchanged a glance with Snarlfang and dipped her head.

"We're honored to have our kit to remember him by,"

"Let all clan cats gather!" Mouseflight yowled, stopping their discussion. Arrowheart's ears pricked.

"Maybe a moon-place?" The four cats came out of the little den-area, each holding a kit by the scruff.

"Darkstorm, Fishstar and I need to get nine lives, and we have to find places to live and gather. Did anyone find anywhere that could be used while exploring?" Darkstorm padded up to the stump, taking her place beside the leaders.

"Arrowheart and I found places ideal for each clan to live," she announced. "Pines and marshes for ShadowClan, tall trees for SkyClan, a river and waterfall for RiverClan, moor for WindClan, and undergrowth for ThunderClan." Strikestar blinked.

"So all we need to find is a gathering andd moon-place," he concluded. "Nobody else found anywhere?" Bushpaw raised his tail slowly. Strikestar glanced at the apprentice. "Yes, Bushpaw?"

"I think I found a gathering place," he mewed, sounding a little shy of all the cats listening. "There was a little river going into the island from the outside, with lots of ice, and I followed it. It was amazing!" He paused, as if memorizing the glamorous scene, and then continued. "There was a huge stone den, big enough for all the clans. And on top, there was nothing! I was like a Twoleg den, but without the top!" His tail curled happily. "And the river kept running past it. The moon would reflect onto the river at moonhigh!" Strikestar slowly nodded.

"I think it might work," he mewed. Darkstorm nodded.

"It doesn't seem to much like a moon-place, but a gathering place, why not?" Bushpaw grinned.

"So it could work!" The other clan leaders nodded slowly.

"Bushpaw," Strikestar mewed, "I think we're forgetting something." Bushpaw's face fell. Huh? But... It sounds great! "You've been an apprentice for as long as Darkstorm. You had hurt your tail badly, back in the old territories, so that put your training behind, and the journey didn't help you, either. It's time for you to become a warrior. You were trained by my littermate, Boltfur, and I know she would agree that you are ready." Bushpaw sat upright, shaking a leaf off himself.

"I, Strikestar of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn.

"Bushpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Bushpaw replied steadily, the two toms meeting each others gaze.

"Then by the powers of , I give you your warrior name. Bushpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Bushstorm. StarClan honors your happiness and thoughtfulness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Cheers rose from the cats, ThunderClan and the once-members of DarkClan cheering the loudest.

Bushstorm deserves this. Actually, he's deserved this for a while.

Bushstorm flicked his tail as the cheering slowly came to an end, dipping his head and rushing towards his mother. Heatpelt seemed much nicer to her kit than to anyone else, murmuring a congratulations.

Orangetail met eyes with the black she-cat's yellow ones, and Darkstorm nodded understandingly. "ShadowClan has news, too," she mewed. "Orangetail, Snarlfang?" Snarlfang walked up to the deputy's side, the four kits in front of them.

"Our kits are Redkit, Flowkit, Shardkit and Shadekit. And even though none were named Badgerleap, she'll be remembered." Snarlfang nodded.

"And I'll be joining Orangetail in ShadowClan soon. All we need is to have a new medicine cat, for ThunderClan. Speaking of that, what will happen to Starkit and Duskit?" Coralfall opened her mouth and Sparrownose wrapped his tail around Starkit.

"Actually," Cloudstorm mewed, "Starkit will be staying with SkyClan. I'm growing old. I need an apprentice." She let a mrrow of laughter. "I've had long, good years, and I'll be joining the elders soon." Darkstorm blinked. Cloudstorm had been a good friend to her. She hadn't noticed her fur turning grey.

"So Starkit stays," Snarlfang mewed. "RiverClan has a medicine cat. So Duskkit can go to ThunderClan, ShadowClan or WindCla-"

"No," Sparrownose spat. "She stays with us."

"She's not your kit," Fishstar contradicted. "Why should-"

"Stop it!" Darkstorm screeched. "We can't fight, not when there's so much to do. We have to send patrols, a lot of them, out to the island, so that we can find a moon-place. And we have to fight the danger, and make our camps. So Arrowheart can show RiverClan, WindClan and ThhunderClan their territory, and I'll show ShadowClan and SkyClan. That way, we can focus on living here." Quickstar flicked his tail, looking at Arrowheart.

"Lead the way."

...

Moleflight nodded his thanks once more. "We'll meet you at the place we where before in two moonhighs. But for now, we need to gather ourselves and our camp." He blinked. "It's hard, being a leader, isn't it? And you never even got to be a deputy, or have an apprentice. It makes us realize how small we are in the world, especially with the journey. You're a natural leader."

Darkstorm found her self not knowing what to say at the younger leader's praise. 

"Thanks," she decided on. "That really helps me, knowing others think I can do this." Moleflight blinked.

"You led half of the clans for three moons," he mewed. "We all think you can do this. We all know you can do this." His words rang in her ears as she led her clan towards the camp she and Arrowheart had found. Really? Everyone thinks I can do this? She straightened her back, watching Orangetail carefully. Her friend was carrying Shadekit and Flowkit, and Comfreytail Shardkit and Redkit.

"We're here," she realized. "ShadowClan. We're here. This is where the medicine den should be." She flicked her tail at the tunnel-cave. She slowly led them in, sad at how small her clan was. Orangetail, Arrowheart, Comfreytail, Redkit, Shadekit, Flowkit, Shardkit, Yowltail and Snarlfang were the only cats who made up ShadowClan- and Snarlfang wouldn't be with them, not for a while. She wished Arrowheart was here, not with the other clans, helping her show her clan their new home.

A low growling made her spin around and yelp. "What was that?" Orangetail raised her hackles, glaring everywhere.

"That sounded like a fox," she snarled. "It'd better not be. If it comes anywhere near my kits, I'll tear it to shreds!"

"Stay calm," Darkstorm ordered, all though her heart was most likely beating the fastest. "You're right, it sounded like a fox. We have to be careful. The tiny clan paused, holding their breaths, waiting to see if anything would come out of the bushes. Redkit squeaked, and Orangetail pulled her and the rest of the kits closer with her tail.

"Who are you?" came a low growl. Darkstorm's fur stood up.

"Where are you?" she demanded. "I'm leader of ShadowClan. My name is Darkstorm. Are you a loner?"

"You could say that. I'm more of a fox." An oddly pale-coloured fox stepped out of the shadows.

"You can talk!" Yowltail screeched in horror, both at this discovery and that there was a fox in front of them. The fox snorted.

"'Course I can. You're leader of ShadowClan, you say? Have you heard of Midnight?"

"The ba-badger?" Darkstorm squeaked, feeling pathetically small and confused. The white fox nodded.

"I'm like her, but an arctic fox. Warm here, ain't it?" Darkstorm said nothing. Warm? "Name's Fox."

"Isn't that sort of like calling a cat 'Cat'?" Orangetail asked, the only one brave enough to. Fox snorted again.

"Sure it is, I guess. I was told the clans would come. I mostly try to help- and end up scaring- lost loners. Sometimes rogues." Darkstorm was still silent, until a question popped up in her mind.

"Do you know where a moon-place is? A place to connect with StarClan?" she clarified, somehow understanding his confused expression. I'll trust him. It's not every day that I meet a cat-speaking fox.

"Oh, yeah. But aren't you doing something right now?" Darkstorm nodded slowly.

"Can you come with us in two moonhighs?"

"Sure."

"Did you kill the deer?" Comfreytail inquired, seizing the chance to get an answer. Darkstorm cocked her head; she wanted to know, too.

"Deer? I kill lots of deer, but not on this island. I guess if Imma stay here, I'd better get a new diet of rabbits, eh?" Darkstorm didn't know what 'diet' was, so she just nodded once again. Fox wagged his tail. "See ya in two moonhighs. Okay?... Darkstorm looked at her clan as the strange fox left.

"Well, that was..."

"Weird?" Yowltail guessed. "Yes, it was. But let's just not think about that right now. Where's the rest of the camp?"

"Through here," she mewed. "The mother-tree, where the rest of the dens will be." The mother-tree. That sounds about right. Just like I thought all that time ago, in our old home, the tree is like a mother protecting her kits. She glanced at Orangetail, forcing back a sad mew. Why am I so sad all of a sudden? 

"It's amazing," Orangetail breathed. Yowltail nodded.

"Magnificent."

"More beautiful than the moor, and I thought the moor was the most beautiful thing ever," Comfreytail put in. "The kits will be happy here." Orangetail nodded.

"Where will all the dens be?" Yowltail asked. "I mean, I see where they'll be, but which for whom? We need to know the size to build it." Darkstorm nodded, narrowing her eyes to think.

"Well, I'd say the smallest place for the leader's den," she began. "The elder's den should be big, but not huge. Maybe that one." She nodded at a part where the den-thing was sort of big, but not really. "Apprentices should have the second-largest den, and the nursery should be the biggest. And the last one should be the warrior's den. And the big clump of roots," she added, flicking her tail towards the outside of the mother-tree, "could be where to put the fresh-kill, if we enforce it with something. Maybe pine needles? So that foxes and badgers won't get at it?"

Orangetail nodded. 

"Yowltail and Comfreytail, could you collect some moss? Darkstorm and I will get started on the actual dens, and I'll put the kits in the nursery. This will work, this place. When Snarlfang comes, and I'm sure he'll visit, he can start collecting herbs. The tunnel itself is made out of yarrow, so we won't have to worry about poison," she joked. Comfreytail snorted.

"That's not the only thing yarrow does," she reprimanded good-naturedly. "It's good for cracked pads and other stuff, too!" She and Yowltail made their way out of the mother-tree. Darkstorm blinked. 

"Okay, so you put the kits in the nursery, and I'll start bending the branches a bit to make wall-things." Orangetail nodded, ushering her kits away and promising them that the walking was over. They think the walk from the place where we were before to here is long. I guess I would of thought the same thing at their age... But it's hard to understand, with the journey. I wonder what we'll call it. 'The Second Great Journey'? 'The Journey Past The Lake'?

She jumped onto the bottom of a branch, her back feet pushing against the ground, and her front paws clinging on. Move, mouse-brained branch! Move! She let out a sigh of relief as it moved. She ran out and brought some pines, weaving them into the branches with her teeth. And we should have one entrance. And a hidden back exit, just in case. I don't think that the clans will be friendly for long.

"Darkstorm!" Arrowheart's voice called. "Snarlfang and I are here! He's going to stay to help us get the camp ready." Orangetail ran over to Snarlfang, licking his forehead and murmuring something. Darkstorm blinked, quickly telling them about Fox. Snarlfang seemed to accept it easily, but Arrowheart wouldn't let it go, saying how weird it must have been.

"Snarlfang, can you gather herbs?" Snarlfang nodded, touching noses with his mate before heading off. "Orangetail... The medicine den is pretty good, but can you make sure it and the tunnel is safe from intruders?" Her friend and deputy agreed and walked away, leaving Darkstorm and Arrowheart. "Help me fix the dens up. Can you also keep an eye on the kits?" Darkstorm asked. Arrowheart dipped his head.

"What happened to that warrior, the red one? Does she still train you?" Arrowheart looked away, hesitating to answer. "What is it? Did something go wrong?"

"Dashleaf turned out to be a Dark Forest warrior," he admitted slowly. Darkstorm's eyes widened. "A medicine cat, and old RiverClan one, told me that I would be alright, as long as I stopped listening to her. And so I agreed. I knew that there was something weird about her." Darkstorm licked him.

"Don't worry. If you want, we can train, together, every time we go hunting." Arrowheart flicked his tail.

"I would like that."

"Then we'll train." He helped her continue weaving the pines through the mother-tree, not talking, but obviously thankful.

"It's so good to be with you again," he murmured quietly. "I missed you so much." Darkstorm tipped her head so that her nose would touch his.

"Me too." Arrowheart sighed, looking off into the distance.

"There's something I want to ask you," he began carefully. Darkstorm flicked her tail.

"Anything." 

She wasn't prepared for what came next.

"Will you be my mate?"