MEAN WHILE BACK AT THE STONECLAN CAMP

Amberpaw pads towards the fresh kill pile, a vole in her mouth. She had just returned from an early hunting patrol with her mentor, Snowcloud, his brother Icestorm and his apprentice Galaxypaw.
Galaxypaw had been Hemlockhearts apprentice but was changed to being Icestorms apprentice when she and the others left two days ago.
"Hey Amberpaw!" Rosepetal mews from the nursery entrance.
The queen had just moved into the nursery the day before, her belly growing each day with Halftails kits.
"Hello," Amberpaw replys kindly, "do you want my shrew?"
Rosepetal nods, "I would get up but it seems as if the kits are doing summersaults and I don't want to disturb them," she laughs and her reddish belly sways.
Amberpaw picks her vole back up and trots over to Rosepetal happily and drops the shrew at her paws, "enjoy!"
Amberpaw pads towards the apprentices den where her best friend; Swanpaw, is sitting.
"How was patrol?" Swanpaw asks after swiping one of her white paws over her ear.
"Good," Amberpaw mews, "I caught a vole."
"I saw you give it to Rosepetal," Swanpaw nods absently.
"Is something on your mind?" Amberpaw asks.
"Cocoapaw, he should be here, training with us, hanging out with us," Swanpaw mews, "but instead he's with his other friends, older friends, on an exclusive journey."
"Yeah," Amberpaw nods, "My sisters are gone too."
"Cocoapaw's not my brother, or even my family member, but it bothers me that he's gone and I don't understand why," Swanpaw looks thoughtful.
"Is it possible that you may like him?" Amberpaw smiles mischievously.
"He's our best friend of course I-" Swanpaw pauses, "Oh my Starclan, I do like him."
She looks off into the distance.
Amberpaw gets up and walks over to where Star and Galaxypaw are chatting with Smudgeface and Silvereye.
"Mind if I join you?" Amberpaw asks shyly.
"Sure," Star mews.
Galaxy pats his tail on the ground beside him, indicating for Amberpaw to sit beside him. Her stomach flutters with butterflies as she goes to sit beside him.
The older cats start a conversation about the journeying cats and when they think they'll come back.
"I think they'll come back soon after the next full moon," Amberpaw mews.
Galaxypaw nods his agreement, "I wonder if Hemlockheart will have her kits."
Amberpaw had forgotten all about her sisters coming kits. I may become an aunt soon and I won't even know!
Amberpaw sits quietly while the older cats, Silvereye and Smudgeface, tell stories of the time when her older sisters were born. Just before a fire that threatened the clan greatly, taking Fluffypelts parents; Lotus and Tack, Burntwhiskers brother; Ashkit, Heatherfurs parents; Lilyfoot and Firetail and several other cats in its wrath.
"What happened to Shrewtails parents?" Amberpaw asks. She knew the tom's parents hadn't died in the fire or because of it, but what did happen?
Silvereye and Smudgeface exchange a glance.
"Shrewtail-" Silvereye begins.
"His parents abandoned him," Smudgeface mews, "terrible parents."
"They abandoned him?" Amberpaw felt a wave of sympathy for the gray tom. No wonder he was so protective.
Silvereye nods, "he was four moons old. They left in the middle of the night, only telling the guard what night that they were going out. They took his brother and not him."
"Is it possible that they were abducted?" Star asks.
"No," Smudgeface drops his voice to a whisper, "rumor has it Shrewtail saw them once when he was an apprentice."
"Its said that he saw them with their new kits just outside of the border," Silvereye whispers.
"That's awful!" Amberpaw exclaims, "why would they do that to him!?"
"What were their names?" Star asks, "I used to live out there, I may know them."
"Snowtalon was his mothers name, his father kept his kittypet name; Turnip," Smudgeface mews.
"Snow and Turnip!?" Star jumps up.
"You knew them?" Silvereye asks.
"Knew them!? Snow is my sister!" Star exclaimed.

BACK AT FROSTCLAN

Snowfang pads out of the warriors den. Although she is temporarily leader she chooses not to stay in the leaders den. She wants it to be the same when Froststar comes home.
"Snowfang," Shadowblaze calls quietly from by the fresh kill pile, the moon shining down on his black pelt.
Snowfang walks to her mates side, a purr rumbling in her throat.
"Come with me," Shadowblaze purrs.
"Ok," Snowfang follows as the tom leads her out of camp and into the trees.
He climbs up into the highest branches of a large oak tree and perches on a branch facing towards the center of the territories.
Snowfang climbs up and sits beside him. She leans against him, her white pelt and his black pelt blending together.
"When we have kits, I want to bring them up here and tell them stories of the time their mother and father led the clan," Shadowblaze purrs.
"I like that idea," Snowfang looks to the sky, "one day we will lead the clan, officially, as leader and deputy."
"Hopefully we'll have kits before then," Shadowblaze looks at her, the stars reflecting on the pupils in his green eyes.
"Yeah," Snowfang looks to him, "maybe soon."
The two come down out of the trees and walk through the forest.
Shadowblaze shoulders Snowfang lightly. Snowfang shoulders him back. Suddenly Shadowblaze lunges at her with a mrow of laughter, rolling her onto her back. He stands over her and laughs.
"Oh great warrior, what are you going to do?" Snowfang smiles mischievously.
Shadowblaze licks her cheek before rolling over to lay beside her, "I won't hurt you."
"I know," Snowfang looks at him.

BACK AT TREECLAN

Woodspots padded into the clearing, a squirrel held gently in his jaws. He had just got back from a hunting patrol, even though the chilled forest hadn't had much prey. Ashtalon had caught a mouse and Lostpaw almost had one, too. Other than that, no other prey was seen while they were out.
He watched Ashtalon drop his mouse on the fresh kill pile. It wasn't very big, despite hunting patrols being sent out all day.
"Hey, you want to take this to Midnight?" Woodspots requested, setting his squirrel down for him.
"I guess," Lostpaw growled, his silver eyes dull with defeat.
"Hey, everyone misses sometimes," Woodspots purred, "I used to do it all the time."
"Really?" Lostpaw looked up at the white splotched tom.
"Yeah, I know you'll get there soon," Woodspots said, "Now, go give that to Midnight, he must be hungry. Maybe you can even ask him to tell you a story."
"Okay."
Woodspots watched the tom enter the elder's den, and then grabbed a shrew and walked over to the nursery.
"Hello, Woodspots," Willowcloud grinned, "It's nice to see you."
Woodspots set the shrew in between the two queens and then replied, "Nice to see you, too, mom. How are you guys doing?"
"Me and the kits are good," Snowyblossom declared, taking a bite before adding, "But Willowcloud doesn't seem the best."
"What?!" Blurted Woodspots, "What's wrong, mom?"
"I'll tell you later," The fluffy she-cat groaned, "For now, you need to eat something."
"But-" Woodspots started, only to be interrupted again.
"Go." Willowcloud growled.
Woodspots sighed, slumping out of the nursery and waking over to where her sister was eating a mouse.
"Hey," Spruceheart mewed, "Want some?"
"No, I'm fine." Woodspots assured her.
"Are you sure?" She questioned, "You didn't eat yesterday, either."
"I'm fine," Woodspots repeated.
"No, you're not," Spruceheart insisted, "What's so bad that you can't even take a bite?!"
Woodspots sighed. "Well, I'm just worried."
"Worried about..."
“Pinestripe. And mom, I guess.” “What’s wrong with her?”
“She didn’t tell me.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, both of them are strong she-cats. Now, eat.” Spruceheart finished.
Woodspots growled, taking a nibble and then lying down beside his sister. The warmth that the prey gave him didn’t feel right. She nudged him to take another bite, and he reluctantly did.
“See, it’s not too bad,” Spruceheart grinned, then starting to groom the brown tom’s stress-filled fur.
Then, suddenly, a cough arose in the air.
A cough that was dangerously close to Woodspots’s ear.

BACK AT LEAFCLAN

Leafstar lay in her den, not expecting anything interesting to happen. She had expected a day like yesterday; not as much prey as usual, her deputy sending patrols out, and maybe a bit of sickness-related stuff.
Suddenly, Frozenpaw and her mentor, Fireroar, came rushing in.
"Leafstar, we need to talk with you," Fireroar demanded.
"What is it?" Leafstar questioned.
"TreeClan cats entered our territory!" Fireroar yowled, anger tinting his voice.
"And we almost had their throats out!" Frozenpaw added loudly.
"Well why didn't you?" Leafstar growled. She acted tough when saying that, but didn't want a specific cat getting hurt.
"I didn't think you would want that," Frozenpaw stated.
"We didn't even get the chance to think because Frozenpaw stepped on a stick and scared them back to camp!" Hissed Fireroar.
"Sorry!" Frozenpaw blushed, licking her chest fluff in embarrassment.
"Well we should do something!" Leafstar exclaimed, "Now leave so I can get a meeting ready!"'