"ThunderClan cats can't swim, fish-brain!" Peakrise called to Stormpaw, who returned his remark with a glare. To travel to this other forest, they had to cross the river. All the cats had crossed, except the ThunderClan apprentice.

"C'mon!" Cloudfrost urged, "Show these RiverClan mouse-brains you can swim!" Stormpaw nodded, and waded into the river, wincing as it got his pelt wet.

"ThunderClan cats are weird," Shadowpaw whispered to Peakrise, "what kind of insult is mouse-brain?"  Peakrise nodded agreement.

Stormpaw made it across, and the eight cats continued their journey. Soon, they'd left RiverClan territory and were passing WindClan's moor. But they were out of their forest.

"Shadowpaw! Look at this!" Redpaw called from where she was chatting with Nettleclaw at the front of the group, "Look what we found!"

The whole group crowded around Redpaw and Nettleclaw, oblivious to the fact she'd called for the RiverClan apprentice. Shadowpaw peered at the markings in the ground Redpaw had pointed out- paw prints! And the scents of those mangy, vicious, Outcasted cats!

"I can smell them!" Shadowpaw told her seven companions. Tornwhisker nodded. He was the best tracker in all four clans, and he took the lead, constantly pressing his muzzle to the ground to pick up the scents where he'd briefly lost it.

Soon they were weaving up a hill. When they got to the top, Shadowpaw gasped. Rolling hills covered the vast expanse of land she saw in front of her. A twolegplace was nestled in a clump of hills. and beyond that-

"The forest!" Roguepaw called, flexing his claws in and out, "that must be where those frog-hearted mange-pelts live!"

Shadowpaw was sure Roguepaw would've said a few more, slightly colorful things, but Tornwhisker flicked his tail over the young cat's mouth, "We've got a long way to go," he mewed loudly, "We should go to the twolegplace- the hills are too hard to cross, and the twolegplace is a straighter route."

A few cats murmured agreement, but Shadowpaw saw Peakrise and Nettleclaw exchanging a glance. It was clear Tornwhisker was the best suited cat to become leader, but it was also clear not every cat would agree to his decisions.

"We should get some rest," Cloudfrost suggested.

"Peakrise, look!" Shadowpaw called, pointing with her tail to a large stream that gurgled at the foot of the hill, "We can hunt there!"

Tornwhisker nodded, "Good idea, Shadowpaw. Take Peakrise with you, and we'll stay here to make a camp."

Parkas followed Shadowpaw to the stream, and it was driving with fish. She had never seen a river so full before! She hoped her companions liked salmon as much as she did.

"These fish must not have seen cats before," Peakrise remarked. Shadowpaw nodded.

"I want to show you something," she told him, and, holding her breath, jumped into the stream. Fish parted above her. The stream was not deep, but the fish just went around her, not slide into secret holes. She opened her mouth, keeping her nostrils plugged, and, when a bunch of fish passed over her, she leapt up in an arch, leaving four fish flailing on the shore. Peakrise's eyes glowed, and he tried it too. Soon, he had caught five fish. Shadowpaw caught one more just by flicking her paw in and out of the water, and they each carried two fish into camp.

"That was quick," Redpaw remarked, "Got any more?"

"Six," Peakrise informed her, "Come and help."

Redpaw obeyed, following the RiverClan cats to the water's edge and carrying the fish back to the make-shift camp on the hill. The cats on the hill were surprised at the amount of fish Shadowpaw and Peakrise had caught, but were happy enough for it.

Redpaw ate a bite of fish. Her eyes lit up, "This is good!" She said, digging into the fish. Nettleclaw slowly made his way to another fish (since Redpaw's was almost gone). He took a bite.

"It tastes a little like rabbits," he said thoughtfully. All the other cats thought the fish were at least okay- which was good, because there were plenty.

Night was falling, and the eight cats curled up to rest. With a pang, Shadowpaw noticed the cats were sleeping near their clanmate, "I'll take first watch," she said. The other cats nodded. She padded to the edge of the nests and looked out over the hills. Lights sparkled in the twolegplace. She could just see the other forest. She thought about the Outcasted. Did they really live there? Or were they planning another raid on the clans?

She felt something press against her, and jumped up, her fur spiked. But it was only Redpaw, "What are you doing? You should be asleep." Shadowpaw told her.

"I couldn't sleep. I was too worried."

"About what?"

"If we should really be doing this."

"Fish-brain! Eight cats from the clans have traveled together before, and they didn't even have a sign from StarClan. We did."

"A cat died on that journey. A RiverClan cat."

"I'm not going to die."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"Shut up."

"Wha-" Redpaw slapped her tail over Shadowpaw's mouth, her ears pricked and her fur standing on end. Shadowpaw couldn't hear anything over Stormpaw's snores, but Redpaw's hearing was pitch-perfect.

Then, Shadowpaw could hear it. Pawsteps. Two sets of them. Shadowpaw looked down the hill, "BADGERS!" She yowled, "BADGERS! GET UP!" Redpaw looked at her, startled- probably from how loud she was. Cloudfrost and Peakrise jumped up, probabaly never asleep in the first place. Nettleclaw and Tornwhisker looked up groggily. Nettleclaw was muttering something about a giant rabbit, but Shadowpaw didn't have time for that."

"BADGERS!" That woke Stormpaw and Roguepaw. Tornwhisker looked like he'd gone deaf, and Redpaw jumped away. With a yowl, Shadowpaw flung herself down the hill, and landed on a badger's head, clawing wildly at it's muzzle. Redpaw joined her, Stormpaw and Peakrise not far behind. Soon everyone was fighting. The badger Shadowpaw had leapt onto ran away. Shadowpaw broke away, breathing heavily. She saw Stormpaw hit the hill, and ran over to him. he was bleeding from a wound in the side.

"REDPAW!" Shadowpaw yowled. Redpaw hurried over. When she saw Stormpaw, her eyes widened.

"Fetch cobweb. Now." She said to Shadowpaw. Shadowpaw hurried away, and found a huge wad of cobweb suck to a tree. She grabbed it and dropped it at Redpaw's feet. Redpaw pushed it onto Stormpaw's head, and ordered Shadowpaw to fetch dock and dandelion. When Shadowpaw returned with the herbs, Redpaw chewed them into a pulp and pressed it onto Stormpaw's head. He moaned slightly.

By then, Shadowpaw could hear the receding pawsteps of the badger. Tornwhisker stumbled over to Shadowpaw, "Fetch me an orange leaf."

Confused, Shadowpaw walked over to the nearest tree. She found a yellowish leaf, and hoped that would do. Why in StarClan was Tornwhisker asking her to do this?

"It's not orange, it's yellow." She told Tornwhisker, dropping the leaf at his feet. He squinted at it, then inhaled sharply. Shadowpaw was still confused, but Tornwhisker turned to Stormpaw.

"Take him into the camp," he ordered. Nettleclaw and Cloudfrost heaved him onto their back and, stumbling, brought him into the camp, leaving a scarlet stain on the hill.