A/N, okay I don't know how I feel about this chapter...I don't really like it but I thought it was about time for an update soooo.... Let me know what you think!

"Okay, just don't lick that off!" Mintleaf said to Bramblestrike. The cat grumbled good-naturedly, flicking his tail. Mintleaf walked out, settling in his nest. He sighed deeply. 'Why haven't StarClan warned me about this?' He thought dejectedly. He looked up at the sound of voices in the clearing. The scent of EarthClan hit him, and he walked out of his den. The EarthClan deputy and three other Warriors were talking with Silverstar and Riverpelt. The RainClan cat, Foxflight was listening too, and he looked eager and elated. 'Did something happen with RainClan?'

Silverstar nodded, and she looked happy as well. She leapt to the Great Rock, giving the customary call. "RainClan has not all been lost!" She said happily. Gasps sounded around the medicine cat and his heart soared. 'RainClan is alive! The rouges are smaller than we had feared!' "Their old, young, and nursing stay with EarthClan, as well as some warriors and apprentices who made it away." Silverstar continued. "We are sending Foxflight back with them so that he may be with his clan."

Mintleaf looked to the EarthClan warriors, and saw to his surprise, that most of them didn't look happy. Darkpelt exchanged a look with Featherlight, but neither said anything. He frowned but had no time to ponder it, as Deerpaw burst into the camp. "Brightstorm--Flamewind, Liondusk! Trouble--hurt-help!" She gasped out between breaths.

"What? Where!" Mintleaf yowled, similar mews sounding around him. Riverpelt rushed over.

"T-they're by Rain-Clan, rouges *pant* got them, maybe more coming." The deputy nodded.

"Scorchfur! Fireleap!" He called, and then trotted swiftly out of camp. Mintleaf laid a soothing tail on the apprentice's shoulder. It must be traumatizing to have your first trip out of camp so eventful! He led her into his den, giving her some herbs for the shock. The tabby tom laid her down and stayed with her until she slept. The medicine cat sighed. The flash of joy lost in the lingering cloud of despair. Would they be able to rid the forest of these rouges? He though despondently. He kept an eye on the new apprentice, sorting out his herbs. He had sent Rosepaw out to find some more marigold. Their stocks were running low and with the rouges, you can never know when a battle could happen. It's best to be prepared. Soon Flamewind, Liondusk and Brightstorm came into his den. He looked up worriedly, but they didn't look too bad.

"Come in!" He meowed. By that time Rosepaw had come back, and he told her to see to Liondusk's scratches. He looked over Flamewind, stifling a sigh. The young tom had reopened his old wounds. The silver tabby managed a smile. "I'm getting tired of seeing you in my den, young warrior." He said lightly. Flamewind gave a dry laugh, but Mintleaf could tell his mind was elsewhere. He wrapped cobwebs over the gashes, and helped Brightstorm, whose only wound was a scratch under her eyes, along with minor wounds over her pelt. He shooed them out, going in to check on Redstorm and Bramblestrike.

The two toms were healing well, and he suspected he could let Redstorm out of the den in a sunrise or two. The tom's brow frrowed when he thought of how little warriors were left to go on patrols. The fresh kill pile was looking smaller these days, and leading up into leaf-bare... Mintleaf shook his head, banishing these dark thoughts. He glanced up. 'Rosepaw and I will go to StarClan's camp in two sunrises.' he thought. Glancing around he saw Elmbreeze walk despondently over to the fresh kill pile, burdened by her swollen belly. She picked up a mouse and stared at it, replacing it without taking a bite. The old medicine cat sighed. Badgerclaw's loss had struck the young queen hard,and she hadn't been eating enough. He was worried for her and the kits. Perhaps he would send Rosepaw to  StarClan's camp without him. His worry increased when he saw Mossflight, Cypresspaw, and Amberpaw returning from patrol. They all looked exhausted and Warriors were stretched thin if two apprentices and one warrior made a patrol. Mintleaf shook his head despairingly. His clan was falling apart, and there was nothing he could do about it. He hoped StarClan would visit with them soon, and tell them how to defeat the rogues.

                                                                                                 ~~~     

Mintleaf sighed. That was one less cat to worry about. He had discharged Redstorm from the medicine den, and Bramblestrike wold be able to leave soon as well. The brief ray of sunshine fell victim to the encroaching blackness as Flamewind padded up. The old wounds were opened again. "What were you doing?" Mintleaf said exasperatedly. "They'll never heal at this rate!"

"I wrenched my shoulder."The young tom said mutinously. "I was chasing a squirrel, then I fell out of the tree." The medicine cat scoffed.

"Well, stay out of trees!" he meowed. The warrior's only response was a gloomy flick of his tail. Mintleaf laid a poultice on the old claw marks, and bound it with cobwebs. "Stay. In. Camp." he ordered him. Flamewind sighed, but nodded. Mintleaf put his tail on his flank as he passed. "I know it's been hard, but she needs you to keep her clan strong." Flamewind paused and nodded to him, eyes conveying what words couldn't. Mintleaf watched him go, then looked up worriedly, glancing at the sky. Soon, he and Rosepaw would travel to StarClan's camp to share dreams with their warrior ancestors. The silver tom sighed heavily, when would the forest be rid of these horrible rogues? He hoped that StarClan held the answers.

"Mintleaf!" a yowl broke thorugh the medicine cat's thought. "Mintleaf come quick!" Goldberry came pelting towards him, her kits bundling after her. "Elmbreeze is kitting!"Mintleaf immediately sprung into action, dashing to the nursery. He nodded as he saw Rosepaw running past him, towards the den.

"Thornpaw!" he yowled at the apprentice. "Bring me some soaked moss!" the young tom nodded and dashed out. "Amberpaw! Find Elmbreeze a strong small stick." He hurried into the nursery, laying a paw on the queen's swollen belly. Powerful ripples passed through her, but she looked exhausted already. "Elmbreeze, come on.  You can do it." anxiety pulsed torugh his pelt. 'Why are the kits so early?' he thought. Thornpaw came in panting, holding a wad of dripping moss and held it out to the queen, and she licked a few drops from it. "That's right Elmbreeze, your kits are coming." The light brown she cat took a deep breath and a strong ripple passed through her.

"It's a tom!" Goldberry exclaimed as a dark brown kit tumbled out. She began licking it quickly, helping it to breathe.

Elmbreeze smiled weakly, but she seemed so tired already. "You've got more coming Elmbreeze." his brow furrowed, would she have enough strength to push all of them out? She cried out in pain as another ripple passed through her. "Come on little kits, your mother needs you out." he muttered. Rosepaw came in, with another wad of moss and a stick. She gave the stick to Elmbreeze to bite on and spoke soothing words to her. She laid her paws on her belly and in another tremendous push a white and gold kit tumbled out. Mintleaf began licking this one, watching the queen closely.

"You can do this Elmbreeze." Rosepaw said softly to the queen. "Do it for Badgerclaw, he is watching you and your kits. You can do it." her words seemed to spark something inside the queen and in quick succession, a tortoiseshell kit and a light brown tabby were brought into the world.

Mintleaf sighed, pushing the kits towards their mother, where they began to suckle hungrily. "That's the last. You did brilliantly." Elmbreeze looked as if she had run to the moon and back, but love and joy emanated from her, tainted with an overwhelming sorrow. Rosepaw gave the queen some borage, so her milk would come, then the two medicine cats left the queen with her kits. While kittings were one of the greatest gifts from StarClan, this one was tainted. Badgerclaw should have been there to receive his sons and daughters, but instead he was somewhere is the forest, turned dark and evil by rogues. "Rosepaw." He said in a low voice to his apprentice. "Go on to StarClan's camp without me tonight. I will stay to watch over Elmbreeze and her new kits." Rosepaw jumped up.

"Oh, no Mintleaf! You need to share tongues with StarClan! We need to hear from them now more than ever. I can watch Elmbreeze and the kits."

Mintleaf hesitated. Rosepaw was a good apprentice, and she had learned much. It was time to let her do some things on her own. 'But with something so important?' He thought. "Are you sure? You know what to do?"

Rosepaw nodded vigorously. "I watched when Goldberry had her kits."

"Okay." Mintleaf said. "If you need help ask Goldberry or Fallowtail. Silverstar should know some basic herbs as well..."

"Mintleaf." Rosepaw cut him off. "I'll be fine. I know what to do. Elmbreeze will be okay, and her kits too." The silver tom smiled.

"I know they're in safe paws."

Rosepaw smiled up at him, and Mintleaf nodded. He padded out of camp, waving his tail in farewell, and hoping he had made the right decision.

~~~

"Hi Mintleaf." Aspenlight said. "How's prey running?"

"Fine." Mintleaf replied. "And with StormClan?"

"Well." She replied. Aspenlight sighed looking across the border to RainClan. "I-I suppose Gingersplash won't be joining us tonight. Or Applepaw."

Mintleaf shook his head sadly. "I guess not."

They continued on for a while, until Aspenlight spoke. "A-are you still having trouble with the rogues?" She asked tentatively.

"Well-" Mintleaf was saved from having to answer by the appearance of Hollyfrost and her apprentice, Acornpaw. "Greetings." The tom said.

"Hi!" Acornpaw chirped happily. He was a spirited cat and still young, but dedicated to his work and a fast learner. "Where's Rose--" Hollyfrost touched him lightly with her tail, silencing his talk.

"Hello." She said icily. Mintleaf was a little taken aback by her coldness. Aspenlight looked between them curiously.

Mintleaf nodded to her and turned to Acornpaw. "Elmbreeze kitted today. Rosepaw has stayed back at camp with her."

"Oh wow!" Acornpaw said. "That's great!" Hollyfrost shot him a look, but continued walking.

"Congratulations." Aspenlight said. "Did everything go alright?" Mintleaf nodded.

"You think it wise to leave newborns and a shocked queen with an apprentice?" Hollyfrost mewed.

Mintleaf was startled. What got under her fur? "Rosepaw is competent." He replied cooly, meeting her ice blue gaze. She just twitched an ear and continued on. The rest of the trek was strangely silent, tensions crackling between himself and Hollyfrost. He didn't know what had happened to make her so mad at him. Aspenlight stayed out of it, talking quietly with Acornpaw at times. Soon they arrived in a grassy clearing, lit by soft moonlight. They each laid down on top of the Calling Rock. Mintleaf closed his eyes and felt sleep take him. Soon he blinked awake.

Mintleaf was in the same clearing, but now it was Greenleaf and bright and sunny. The cold threat of leaf-fall had disappeared, and the clearing was alive with cats. He saw Hollyfrost walking away and spotted Aspenlight entering a den in the camp. "Mintleaf." A voice said from behind him.

"Finchstar!" He greeted the former leader of MistClan. The medicine cat padded over quickly, following Finchstar into the surrounding forest.

"Look, Mintleaf. Your clan is in danger."

The silver tom looked around. They were in RainClan territory by the looks of it, and the hollow in the ground was sheltered by brambles and tree branches. 'Must be their camp.' Mintleaf thought. Finchstar was walking towards the camp, pushing past the bramble screen and into the camp itself. Mintleaf hurried after her, keeping her sandy brown pelt in sight. Inside the camp opened up to reveal a clearing with many dens lining the outer rim. Mintleaf gasped and looked around wildly. Rogues were padding around everywhere. All jet back, black wasn't even the right word for it...it was more like the absence of...anything. The cats were all warriors and apprentices, no kits queens or elders were to be seen, and it was all strangely silent. Nocat talked to his neighbor, and none of them spoke a word as they went about their business. "Come. See." Finchstar said.

The grey tom padded over, still stunned into silence himself. The quiet seemed almost stifling, as if he who broke the silence would suffer. Finchstar was sitting beside a cat who was eating a piece of fresh kill. Suddenly the cat looked up and stared straight at Mintleaf. The medicine cat scrambled backwards, but the rogue looked right through him. "See what you are looking at." Finchstar said ambiguously. Mintleaf turned back to the rogue, and gasped with sudden recognition.

"Mousewing?" He breathed. His clan mates were here, enslaved in a sense, but they were here, and alive. He looked around,earnestly now, and recognized his other clanmates' eyes. "Greyflower, Rowanpaw, Icepaw, Badgerclaw." He listed a few. A pang shot through him as he remembered Elmbreeze, back at the nursery. 'Badgerclaw should be with her. Not here! She needs him, and her kits need him; she loves him.' Badgerclaw looked up at Mintleaf, and the old medicine cat could have sworn that the amber eyes flickered with recognition, before turning cold and desolate again. "Finchstar... What does it mean? How can we defeat them? How can we be asked to fight against our own clanmates?" The camp around him blurred, going out of focus, until only he and Finchstar remained, suspended in a blurry green and brown landscape.

Finchstar turned and looked him in the eyes. "Darkness is coming." She said ominously. "Four must become one, and want for revenge, must cease. Hate has no part in this battle."

"What? Finchstar!" Mintleaf exclaimed as the sandy she cat began to fade. Mintleaf felt cold seeping back into his body, and he blinked his eye open, back in the waking world. What did it mean? It didn't really seem like a prophecy, more like cautionary advice. Mintleaf shook his head and looked around to the other medicine cats, Acornpaw looked happy as usual, Hollyfrost had a carefully indifferent look, but Aspenlight seemed troubled. Perhaps they had received the same warning of darkness he had. 'Darkness is coming. Four must become one, and want for revenge must cease. Hate has no part in this battle.' Mintleaf thought to himself, repeating Finchstar's message. 'Oh StarClan, help us fight these rogues.'

A/N soooo what did you think? Good? Bad? Constructive criticism is always welcome!