"Why didn't you go after her?"

The moon was high in the black sky with stars twinkling beyond. The field was peaceful. Everyone was crowding around a clump of brush, a temporary shelter and camp for the night. The monsters became scarce, quiet "hoos" of the owl could be heard, and all other noises seemed to be in harmony with the others.

However, the night wasn't promising. Dawnpaw and Squirrelflight were able to get to sleep, but the rest of them were looking at each other in a small circle. Mudpaw had an aggressive tone with Dovewing. Lionblaze and Cinderheart leaned against each other and Echopaw sat unnaturally still. He still felt guilty of letting Gingerpaw get captured, and so did Mudpaw. Mudpaw was trying to pin the blame on the warriors. Oh, if Crowpaw was awake, it would be too hectic to handle.

"Mudpaw, we wouldn't have gotten to her in time. Even if we did, we would have left you all to die." Dovewing continued to offer sense to Mudpaw.

Mudpaw wasn't accepting any. "You could have split up. Half of you could have rushed to her side."

"There were too many loners with Gingerpaw for us to fight seperately." Dovewing raised her paws, "That's it, I'm done trying to convince you. I'm going to tell you a secret. Do you know how we found you, or how I saw Gingerpaw get captured?"

Mudpaw opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His eyes were shaky and Echopaw could tell he didn't know.

Lionbaze spoke up. "We have special... powers. Me and Dovewing. That's why we were chosen to aid you."

Dovewing closed her eyes and sighed. "I can see, hear, and smell much farther distances than any of you. Right now, I am tracking Gingerpaw with the loners. She is safe, for now."

Mudpaw stood up. "Then let's go get her!"

"No." Lionblaze broke in again. "Even I believe that is a rash decision. We do not know how tough these loners are, or if they are with BloodClan at all. We don't need to start a war with BloodClan we can't win."

Echopaw, under his breath, shyly said, "Scourge..."

Cinderheart nodded her head. "Lionblaze's power is to fight unbelievably well, but even he knows when he can't handle a duel with strange new cats."

Echopaw looked up to him. "What do you mean by 'fight unbelievably well?'"

Lionblaze stretched his neck. "See any injuries on me from the fight with the burly tom?"

Echopaw just noticed him. He was scratch-free. The tom had horribly massacred Crowpaw, but Lionblaze wasn't scathed by him. Amazing.

Mudpaw sat back down. "We need to rescue her as soon as possible."

"Right now, that is a mission for us to accomplish in the far future." Dovewing grimly glimpsed at Mudpaw.

"What do you mean? What if she is killed? I'm not letting my mother die!"

"No, they won't do that." Dovewing squinted her eyes closed and flicked her ears. She was focusing. "I can hear one of them. The loners. He's saying, 'This cat must be kept secluded from any other cats. Keep her in the 'cage' until we need her to tell us more about the warriors that crossed the twolegplace earlier.' I don't know what the 'cage' is, but it seems to me that her knowledge is worth more value than her life right now. She'll be safe if she keeps calm around them."

Mudpaw seemed to relax. He felt a little closure with Dovewing's information. Cinderheart leaned against Lionblaze again. Echopaw saw that the conversation had come to a close, so he decided that he could start asking his own questions. "Lionblaze, I was told we were to gather cats into StoneClan to fight BloodClan AND this other cat. I think StarClan called him Sol. Who is he?"

"Sol..." Lionblaze shook his head and unsheathed his claws. "I regret letting him escape my grasp last time in the tunnels." Lionblaze seemed to drift off for a few moments. "Sol is an evil cat, almost as evil as BloodClan, but he leads cats in a different way. He believed that he was another StarClan, leading cats to a future he saw in the clans that involved destroying them in the process."

Echopaw widened his eyes. "Was he that evil?"

"Oh yes." Lionblaze looked directly at Echopaw. "He stole a prediction from a good friend of ours and claimed it as his own. He told the clans that the sun would be covered by the moon forever unless they listened to him."

Echopaw became still. A freezing wind blanketed his body. He shivered uncontrollably. The voice from his vision came back to him. "Are you looking for someone?"

He was suddenly in the third vision again. The tunnel of wind appeared out of nowhere again. It ravaged the dens far beyond as it came closer to Echopaw and the figure on the big rock. The figure's form was more clear. It was a huge tortoise-shelled cat with yellow eyes. His voice was cackled. "Don't you see?! The wind of change has come! Like the sun being engulfed in shadow, you will all be consumed in the tunnel of sharp wind! Aah haa haaaaa!"

"Echopaw, are you okay?" Cinderheart looked at him questionably.

Echopaw noticed that he had clenched the ground with his claws and his fur was ruffled. The wind that he felt course through his body had all but disappeared. He was breathing a bit deeply. Echopaw shaped up and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. A little chill of wind got through the brush. I don't like being cold."

Mudpaw pointed his paw toward a grass clump. "There's a nice place over there that you can sleep in. I don't think much wind can get through the brush there. It's has been a long day, too."

"Yeah, I need some rest." Echopaw walked away from the group. Mudpaw started to bring up the previous discussion again about his mother. It seemed that Mudpaw would hold that guilt for a while. Echopaw, on the other hand, was unable to compensate for any of his dreams until now. The third cat. Was it Sol?

And what of the first two? Who were they? Echopaw got barely any sleep. He was too busy thinking about what he should do next. The vision might have cleared up partly, but he felt like he had received the information he wanted least. He drifted to sleep after thinking too hard.

In the morning, Echopaw had to be woken up early. Echopaw still didn't want to get up. He was too tired. It took a lot of pushes from Dawnpaw, but Echopaw had finally woken up. The warriors had already cleared the camp of the brush wall and were probably out hunting. Mudpaw was aside his father, still looking for ways to help him. Echopaw felt clumsy on his feet as he walked into the fields. The sun felt good on his pelt after the cold night last night. The monsters had started their daily routine on the thunderpaths. The silent call of the twolegplace continued to lure Echopaw. His journey to build StoneClan was getting closer to starting with the warriors preparing to train him.

"Echopaw, we need to find the warriors. Maybe we can see them in action with hunting. You in?" Dawnpaw's inviting smile was undeniable.

"I guess. Isn't there something against that though?"

"What are you talking about? It's not against the code, silly. You need to wake up."

Dawnpaw led him to the trees that separated the field from the nearby forest. In the shade of the trees, Echopaw felt rejuvenated by the fresh scent of prey, like squirrels and mice. Echopaw had never tasted squirrel before. He wondered if he would be taught to catch squirrels. Dawnpaw had reached a big bramble bush when she stopped. She motioned her tail for Echopaw to stop too. Dawnpaw made a quiet "shh" and looked around the bramble bush. Echopaw peeked a look around the other side.

Far away in the distance, in the piercing light through the tree's opening, was a plump squirrel begging to be caught. Echopaw almost would have jumped at it if Dawnpaw wasn't watching. He couldn't smell anything other than the squirrel, so where were the warriors? Time passed quickly, and the squirrel was about to dash away. Echopaw saw it lift it's head and look away from them.

Instantly, Squrrelflight popped out of the brush and had her jaws on the prey's neck. It was a clean kill! Echopaw stood in awe. It was almost too fast for him to see. When he hunted for mice, Mudpaw had taught him to chase them and recognize their pattern of movement. Echopaw would catch them with precise leaps and jumps, but these cats were able to quickly pounce on the prey and kill it without any excess running. Echopaw could already see that he had some skills to improve on.

Dawnpaw watched intensively. She smiled, eyes glittering when Squirrelflight made her move. She also hopped a couple times in joy. The way they hunted was nothing compared to the warrior way.

Dawnpaw and Echopaw retreated behind the bramble. Dawnpaw was the first to react. "Did you see that? It's way better than what we were taught. This is so exciting. I think that we will be trained to do that."

"Do you really think so? I mean... will we be able to catch squirrels too?" Echopaw was as excited as a kit with a ball of moss.

"Let's see if the other warriors are back at the camp. They already might have prey for us to eat." Dawnpaw hurriedly ran across the grass. Echopaw had no choice but to follow. Prey. His belly rumbled at the thought of it. He was hungry for a piece of that squirrel.

They exited the shadow of the leaves and approached the camp. Crowpaw was still asleep with Mudpaw close by, but Lionblaze and Cinderheart had come back with some food. Echopaw could see a squirrel underneath some of the mice. He wondered if he would be able to have it.

"Hey, where were you two?" Cinderheart smirked in a way that reminded Echopaw of Firestar's smirk. Oh great, he thought. This was going to be a never-ending topic.

"Nowhere. Can we eat?" Dawnpaw's excitement still lingered. Even Echopaw could see that Cinderheart could tell "nowhere" wasn't actually nowhere.

"Sure, let's get some prey for Crowpaw first. A rule that all clans follow. Feed elders, kits, and queens before any warriors or apprentices. It's very important to understand that." Cinderheart picked up a mouse and set it next to Crowpaw. Hopefully he would wake up soon. Then, Mudpaw came to the pile and picked out a mouse. Lionheart picked out a mouse. Cinderheart grabbed a mouse. Yes, Echopaw thought. The squirrel is mine.

Dawnpaw walked to the pile and snatched the squirrel. No!

Echopaw's belly felt wretched. He really wanted that squirrel. He had no choice but to grab the other mouse that was left. He had been eating mouse for so long that the taste wasn't good to him anymore. He wanted something new.

"Here." Dawnpaw sat next to him. She pushed her half eaten squirrel over to Echopaw. "You can have the rest of this if you give me the rest of your mouse. I like mouse better anyways."

Without thinking, Echopaw immediately grabbed the squirrel and dug into it. It tasted soooo good. He felt excited to be finally eating something other than mouse. After a few bites, his manners returned. "Thanks Dawnpaw."

She grabbed the mouse. "No problem."

The morning seemed great to him. But the mood changed as instantly as Squirrelflight's pounce. Dovewing rushed through the camp. "Everyone, we have company."

Mudpaw protected his father. Lionblaze stood with Dovewing staring toward the top of the hill. Echopaw and Dawnpaw ended their meals and readied themselves for another fight. Echopaw concentrated his focus to the top if the hill that was bordered with small brush. Would they ever be able to live a day without so much action?

It took a bit of patience, but a cat came out of the dark brush. Echopaw could see it's traits easily in the light. It was a tom with a gray mottled brown pelt, had small nicks on both his ears, three gray paws, a broad face, and a noticeable scar across the side of his neck.

Another cat appeared beside him. It was a lithe brown tiger striped she-cat with sharp chest fur, oddly shaped ears, and narrowed eyes. She was no taller than Dawnpaw, but she looked twice as old as her.

The two cats saw the group. Strangely, they didn't start to rush towards Echopaw and the others, nor did they run away. They just slowly made their way down the hill.

"These are the warriors? Are you sure?" The big tom spoke quietly to his partner.

"Yes sir. These are the cats. Except it seems that they have a few more numbers than we expected." The small she-cat talked straight-forwardly. She sounded like one of those cats who obeyed well.

"Hmm. Well, let's just hope that they're friendly, eh." The tom came closer and approached Lionblaze. About two fox-lengths away, the tom spoke up. "You are the warriors of the forest, are you not?"

Dovewing crouched and readied for any sign of hostility in the tom. "We'll tell you when you tell us who you are."

"Ah, how rude of me. I didn't know I insulted you with my unscheduled arrival and abrupt tone. My partner and I are not the most organized. We have been tracking you as you traveled around the twolegplace. My name is Silas. Accompanying me here is my good friend Okani. We belong to the Upwalker group of cats in the twolegplace. I'm very pleased to meet your acquaintance." Silas sat down and bowed his head.

Woah. Echopaw didn't know what to think of him. He seemed so polite that it was hard to mistake him for an enemy. Dovewing was even confused from the surprising introduction. Lionblaze calmed down and walked closer to Silas. "Silas, you seem to be here for a request. What is it?"

Silas cracked a small smile. "Well, I do require assistance, but how am I to be certain you are the supposed warriors Okani stalked around the twolegplace?"

Dovewing marched timidly toward Okani. "You followed us? But why didn't I notice you?"

Lionblaze answered, "Yes, we are the warriors, but why would a kittypet want to ally with us?"

Silas cleared his throat and bowed again. "Our group has suffered under the other dangerous cats in the twolegplace. You were lucky to avoid most of the assassins because you detoured around the twolegplace. My master seeks an audience with the one in charge here so that we may come to an agreement that you might help us defend ourselves from the... other groups."

"Assassins? What are those?" Dawnpaw sauntered behind Lionblaze.

Okani spoke. "Assassins are the cats assigned by their respective leaders to kill cats swiftly and stealthily without any evidence that they killed any cats. They only hunt those who peak the leaders interest."

Dovewing studied Okani. "I still don't understand. Why didn't I see you..."

Lionblaze lifted his chin. "Do these other groups include BloodClan?"

"Indeed." Silas looked back around at the brush. "Then there's two others. All are putrid enough to pick fights with us diligent and sagacious cats. My leader believes in peace between both cats and Upwalkers, but those miscreants make sure that dream never comes true. All I require is for you to concur with the audience request and meet my leader so that we may aid each other in combat and protection against the outcast cats."

Echopaw guessed that the Upwalkers must be the twolegs since they were kittypets. He couldn't believe that there was already cats wanting to join StoneClan, sort of. If they could establish a connection with another group of cats that want to become strong, it might become a good base for StoneClan's apprenticeship . Echopaw strolled in front of all the others a tail-length in front of Silas. "Silas, I am soon to be leader of this clan we call StoneClan. I would be pleased to meet another leader who sees BloodClan as their maniacal selves. I am Echopaw."

"Not surprising to see that such a young face would bear such a responsibility of his clan's lives. Be warned that traveling to meet my master will not be an easy trek. Many cats will find ways to take you down. But, if you can be prepared to leave in 14 nights from now, my small band of cats will guide you through the forest of Upwalker dens the safest way possible." Silas came in closer. His voice seemed to darken. "I also recommend you visit the Tenkai Twins. They have been expecting a cat from a strange land with smoky gray fur."

The last comment he made was only loud enough for Echopaw to hear. Dovewing was too bothered by Okani's unbelievable stealthiness to focus in on it. The Tenkai Twins... Echopaw pondered the name. Echopaw turned to the rest of the group. It seemed that they agreed with my decision. Turning back to Silas and Okani, Echopaw nodded abruptly. "We'll be sure to find a way to leave as soon as we can."

"I look forward to it. We will come back in 14 nights and see what you all decide on. For now, we must be going. I have other things to attend to." Silas bowed once again and trotted back up the hill with Okani. Silas disappeared back into the brush the place he appeared from.

Echopaw had now made his first friend in the twolegplace, and he hadn't even started to train with the warriors. This was turning out to look a bit easier for him.

Dovewing scratched her head. "I can't... Why couldn't I sense she was following us!?"