Snowfeather awoke to Lionstripe gently touching her with his tail. She smiled at him as she got up, just like every morning.
            It had been a moon since the two had become mates. Skyblossom, angered, fully avoided Snowfeather, Lionstripe, and Rivertail. Snowfeather had tried to talk to her, though Skyblossom refused to discuss the subject. When Snowfeather had turned to Rivertail for guidance, Rivertail had replied, "It is best for her. She'll find her mate soon enough."
            Now that Skyblossom was out of the picture, Snowfeather was having the time of her life. She had Lionstripe, her beloved mate, all to herself, and her best friend, Rivertail. She couldn't believe how great it felt to be loved, for she had never truly experienced it before.
            "Ready to go on morning patrol?" Lionstripe asked.
            Snowfeather nodded. She padded outside with Lionstripe, and together, they padded over to Rivertail who nibbled on a squirrel. Snowfeather had to admit that she missed the days Rivertail would wake her up and share a meal with her.
            But time had moved forward, just like it always did. Lionstripe had not come in between Rivertail and Snowfeather, for Snowfeather made sure that she spended an equal amount of time with both. She only wondered how long it would last though...
            Lionstripe grabbed a mouse for him and Snowfeather to share, and the two sat in the camp, discussing what might happen on morning patrol.
            "Probably just Fishstorm screaming at the apprentices," Rivertail muttered.
            "He does like to do that," Snowfeather admitted. "Maybe we'll find the largest mouse of them all today."
            "I doubt it," Lionstripe said. "Leaf-fall is almost over. Leaf-bare will be approaching soon."
            "Don't remind me," Rivertail muttered.
            Snowfeather did not reply though. She thought back to the first snowfall she ever experienced. She had been hiding from Wavekit, and the snow had provided excellent camouflage for her.
            "It's not that bad," Snowfeather admitted. "The snow and all. I know how to find prey during leaf-bare."
            "How?" Lionstripe asked.
            "By digging up the snow. The animals are burrowed, and sometimes, they fling out when you uncover their burrow. It was how I kept myself fed all winter," Snowfeather told him.
            "What about the other cats in your clan?"
            Snowfeather stiffened. Rivertail and Lionstripe still did not know all about her past, and she knew she needed to tell them soon. The more she waited, the more betrayed they would feel. "I—"
            She was cut off by Fishstorm. "ALL CATS FOR MORNING PATROL, COME ON!" he shouted.
            "Why is he so grumpy all the time?" Snowfeather muttered.
            "Because his fur is too thin to keep him warm for leaf-bare," Lionstripe joked. This made Snowfeather and Rivertail laugh.
            They continued through the woods, and Snowfeather shivered a little as the wind flew against her pelt. Almost all the leaves had fallen off the trees, and Snowfeather could tell the first snowflake would fall soon.
            Rivertail shivered a little beside her, and Snowfeather brushed her pelt against her friend, attempting to keep her warm. Rivertail gave a warm smile as they continued on.
            The patrol was even more boring than it usually was. There were no borders to remark, no prey to be found, and Fishstorm seemed to be in the worst mood he had ever been. Just as they were about to turn around, a sudden yowl made Snowfeather jump.
            She turned, seeing five or so cats beginning to surround the patrol. One was a dark black whose yellow eyes seemed to gaze into Snowfeather's soul. She froze, remembering BloodClan. Lionstripe took a step in front of her, hissing.
            "Pantherstar!" Fishstorm spat, unsheathing his claws. "What are you doing in MoonClan borders?!"
            "Isn't it obvious, Fishstorm?" the black tom asked, walking past the cats who stood frozen in fear. "We're taking back what's rightfully ours," the tom spoke.
            "MoonClan and DuskClan have lived in peace for years," Fishstorm told him. "Why is it you want our territory now?"
            Snowfeather stood, confused. Who were these cats? She didn't know there was a DuskClan in the forest. It made no sense.
            Lionstripe still stood in front of Snowfeather, glaring at Pantherstar. Pantherstar's yellow eyes gazed at Snowfeather's again, then he turned, facing Fishstorm.
            "You do recall the last time we took over, do you not?" Pantherstar asked.
            Fishstorm gulped. "I remember."
            Snowfeather felt Rivertail stiffen beside her, and she turned, facing her friend who shook in fear.
            "Well, we've been working, Fishstorm. We've been working very hard, and we plan to take over your forest soon," Pantherstar spoke. "You have two choices, either surrender and become our slaves, or die."
            Snowfeather pushed Lionstripe aside, hissing, "Never!"
            Cats looked at her in shock, as did Lionstripe. Snowfeather was not scared of this cat though. She felt as if her BloodClan experience gave her courage. This cat was no worse than a BloodClan cat.
            "What a brave kitty here," Pantherstar laughed. "What's your name?" he asked.
            "Snowfeather," she growled.
            "Snowfeather," Lionstripe pleaded, trying to drag her back. Snowfeather refused to move though. She watched as Pantherstar seemed to circle her. She stood tall, not scared of the tom.
            "My, you seem to be fearless. You aren't from here, are you?" Pantherstar asked. "I've never seen such a brave MoonClan cat before."
            "No, I'm not from here," Snowfeather told him.
            "Where are you from then?" Pantherstar asked.
            Snowfeather gulped. "BloodClan..."
            Cats gasped, and Snowfeather couldn't dare to look back at Lionstripe to see what his expression was.
            Pantherstar laughed. "BloodClan, very good. But you aren't there, are you? Why are you here in MoonClan?"
            "That's none of your business," Snowfeather spat. "All I know is that you can't take over this clan, and if you do—"
            "And if I do, what? None of your fellow clanmates are brave enough to fight against us. Face it, BloodClan cat, you're the only one," he said, pushing her to the ground. She felt Lionstripe step forward, hearing his growl, though Snowfeather quickly pushed the tom off, hissing.
            Pantherstar turned to Fishstorm now. "Go tell your pathetic Nightstar our plan. We'll be back in a moon," he said, disappearing with his clanmates.
            Fishstorm sighed in relief, though Snowfeather watched as all the cats glared at her.
            "Come on," Lionstripe said, leading her away back to camp.
            "I'm confused," Snowfeather whispered. "Who were those cats?"
            "No, I'm confused," Lionstripe told her, facing her. "You're a BloodClan cat?! Why didn't you tell me?"
            "I'm not a BloodClan cat," Snowfeather told him. "And...I don't know. You have to trust me on this. Look, I'll explain everything to you if you just explain this DuskClan to me."
            "Alright, fine," Lionstripe muttered. "When we were kits, DuskClan took over. Pantherstar was their new leader, and he believed we were soft-hearted kittypets who did not deserve this forest. He tried to attack, and several died in battle, but we were able to overthrow them...barely. We put up the rocks around our camp to try to keep them out. They haven't bugged us in moons, but now...We'll just see what Nightstar does."
            "That makes more sense," Snowfeather muttered.
            "Now what's with this BloodClan stuff?" Lionstripe asked. Rivertail, who stood next to her, nodded.
            "Yeah, why didn't you tell us?"
            Snowfeather sighed. "I'm not a cruel BloodClan cat, I assure you." She begin to explain her whole story, how she was exiled as a kit, how she almost died. She explained Oceankit and Wavekit, the StarClan cats, though she left out Bear, and she explained how StarClan told her to travel to MoonClan in search of her family. Little did she know that she had gone to the wrong one.
            "So you're not a vicious BloodClan cat?" Lionstripe asked.
            "No!" Snowfeather told him. "Neither was my mother. My siblings and my father...that's a different story. That's why I was so upset when I saw my sister. It seemed she and my father didn't change. I guess my brother did though..."
            "That's good though, isn't it?" Rivertail asked.
            "But he's dead. He died for a good cause...I-please, you have to get the others to believe me," Snowfeather begged.
            "CATS OF MOONCLAN!" Nightstar's yowl rang across the camp.
            Cats turned to their leader, hoping for a solution to the problem. Snowfeather noticed the worry on Nightstar's aged face, and she sighed.
            "I have heard that Pantherstar has made a return, and I have heard that one of our cats is not who they say they are," Nightstar muttered. "We cannot back down or surrender. If we are not threatened any longer, we will fight for this clan. I can only hope we will survive..."
            "Snowfeather," she spoke, her eyes gazing at Snowfeather in disgust. "I have heard you are a BloodClan cat."
            Snowfeather nodded. "You are correct," she said. The whole clan fell silent as they listened to the two talking. "But I am not who you think I am. Yes, I was born in BloodClan, but to a loving mother. I was different from the others, Nightstar. I was exiled as a kit."
            "Is it then you joined SnowClan?"
            Snowfeather shook her head. "No, Nightstar. I was trained to be a warrior by StarClan cats. Call me insane, but it's true. They taught me herbs, fighting, and hunting skills. Please, you must believe me. I promise I am not a vicious BloodClan cat like you think I am..."
            "I believe you for now," Nightstar told her. "But if you get out of line, I'm not afraid to exile you. Do you understand?"
            "Yes, Nightstar," Snowfeather told her.
            The cats left, still glaring at Snowfeather. Snowfeather could not believe how quickly her new life had fallen apart. Lionstripe rested his tail on her shoulder. "No matter what your history is, I still love you," he told her.
            "And no matter what clan you're from, you'll always be my friend," Rivertail told her.
            Snowfeather smiled, but something told her that MoonClan would be coming to an end very soon...