Fluffpaw turned to her mentor astonished, but she didn't dare speak. Cats stared curiously at him for objecting to SnakeStar's choice.

"Why can't Fluffpaw go to the meeting FernTail and why should Quakepaw be her replacement," SnakeStar growled.

"Can we talk with you and your deputies in private," FernTail requested.

SnakeStar sighed, "Very well," he flicked his tail for them to follow into his den.

FernTail called over to Quakepaw, "You come too," Quakepaw sat there in shock. SnowFall nudged him forward some he ran up to Fluffpaw who was following her mentor. She was a bit older than him, but was the same size as him. A pang of pity for the tan she-cat hit Quakepaw as she hung her head low when walking. Her own mentor doesn't want her to go.

They slowly entered SnakeStar's den, he and the deputies were lined up inside, "What is the problem FernTail?"

FernTail shuffled his paws slightly before speaking then turned to Fluffpaw, "Tell them what happened.

She nodded and stepped forward, "We were on a night patrol and I scented something odd. I strayed away from the group to the border between us and TreeClan," SnakeStar stared curiously at her. Quakepaw has never seen BladeClan territory. CougarPelt had told him it was a grassy area with few to no trees. It seemed like an odd way to live, "I saw Stone there. He was chatting with a she cat who smelled of TreeClan. I didn't confront him though I ran back," she finished her story.
Stone? What could he be doing with a TreeClan cat?

"Why did you not tell us before?" RatTail questioned. He was known to do that, constantly asking questions until he made up his mind.
"Because she just told me before you made the announcement," FernTail said.

BayFoot looked more worried than the others who were extremely interested and confused. Is he worried for his clan, or does he know something?

"And what does this have to do with Quakepaw?" SnakeStar asked.

"We all know how much Stone grieved NightingGale and he's been a lot happier lately," FernTail said hesitantly as if he wanted to avoid the point to what he was saying as much as possible.

"What are you proposing?" SnakeStar narrowed his eyes.

A silence filled the room for just a moment, just long enough for a breeze to come in and send a shiver up their spines. FernTail was shaky, "We, we think Stone may have, um, taken another mate. In TreeClan."

SnakeStar and his deputies were frozen with astonishment. SnakeStar shook himself out of shock, "Wh-What proof do you have of this?!" He demanded.

"SnakeStar they were sharing tongues! We all have friends from other clans but we don't go off to visit them at night," Fluffpaw piped up, "Which is why Quakepaw needs to go."

"Why does Quakepaw need to go? If anything we should keep him away from TreeClan!" PineCone said.

"Hey! My father would never do such a thing! How dare you falsely accuse him!" Quakepaw yelled defiantly but they all ignored him.

"I over heard them talking a little. Not enough to know for sure but the TreeClan warrior said FeatherStar told her she would go to the next meeting, and for Stone to make sure he didn't come. I ran away after that, afraid she saw me," Fluffpaw told them.

"If she didn't want him at the next meeting there must be a reason! Quakepaw looks exactly like Stone so she'll recognize him and maybe we can find out what's been going on," FernTail suggested.

BayFoot looked to SnakeStar, "It's a good plan."

SnakeStar sighed and stood up, "I'll leave it up to Quakepaw,"

Quakepaw stared at him in awe, "But you the leader, your supposed to make the decisions,"

"I made my decision. Fluffpaw is going, unless you agree with FernTail's accusation against Stone," SnakeStar blinked kindly to try and take off some of the pressure.

Quakepaw opened his mouth to protest that he didn't agree but then another thought occurred to him. SnakeStar is letting me choose. That means I am controlling the situation. Boulders of stress piled on his shoulders. What if I make the wrong choice? I won't go! But if I do go I'll get to prove them wrong. I will go. But what if I'm not able to find anything out and mess up. Then SnakeStar will never allow me to go to meetings again!

"Well?" PineCone said impatiently.

"I'm um...going! I'm going to The 6 Moon Meeting," Quakepaw said quickly, unaware if he made the right choice.

"Good," SnakeStar said then dismissed them all back into the clearing. Everyone except SnakeStar exited down the rocky slope, with the exception of BayFoot. Who stayed on the ledge.

"Quakepaw will be replacing Fluffpaw's spot at The 6 Moon Meeting," BayFoot called then began organizing the evening patrol.

The sky was dark and speckled with stars. Quakepaw gazed up at them. LittleTongue had told him they were all the cats who had died. But he always wondered why they were up in the sky, not in the ground where their bodies were buried, or in the forest where they lived all their lives. I'll ask Stone.
Quakepaw walked over to where his father sat outside the Warrior's Den. Stone looked over at him curiously, "Hello Quakepaw. How is being a warrior?"
"Good," Quakepaw replied awkwardly at the almost automatic statement. He decided to start on his question, "I was looking at the stars,"
"Oh," Stone replied, "What about them?"
"LittleTounge told me they were our fallen ancestors," he chose his words carefully to sound mature in front of Stone.
"He's right,"
"Why are they in the sky? They live in the forest all their lives,"
Stone looked at his paws, his eyes grew distant in thought. After a few moments, he responded, "I don't know. When you die you can ask them." Then he walked in the Warriors den without a chance for Quakepaw to ask him anything else.
When I die? Quakepaw has never thought about himself dying before. It seemed so distant and almost irrelevant. Will I go to the sky when dead, turn into a star that others will look up at? He pondered on the question on his way to the trainee's den, under a thick bush. Then strayed away from it as he curled into his bedding and drifted off into sleep.