Everything was eerily silent despite the many, many cats that stood in the place that I now knew to be called Fourtrees – the place where all four of the Clans met every full moon in a truce.

Of course, I knew that now, the truce that was happening here was more needed and vital than ever – with all four Clans gathered together now, ready to face the treachery that was BloodClan.

As of now, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan had made it to the hollow, and I was incredibly antsy at the thought of BloodClan possibly arriving before WindClan had the chance to do it first. And what about Ravenpaw and Barley? I then thought anxiously as I frantically scanned my eyes around the clearing, having hoped that I'd be able to see my old friend before the chaos that could lead to... who knows what.

And to be honest, I was more than thankful that Firestar had trusted me and allowed me to fight in this battle, rather than having to stay back at camp and simply wonder what was happening, and worry about whether or not cats I cared about – like Barley – were okay.

As soon as I had returned to camp the night before, I luckily had quickly found Firestar standing outside of his den, and after I had expressed my desire and passion to fight with them, he barely showed hesitation and honestly seemed relieved that yet another set of paws would be on their side.

Of course, the one thing that I hated about this was the fact that I wasn't with my dear Wrenkit. However, I was glad that the little one was safe back at camp, and in a way, I actually felt like I was protecting her and taking care of her just as much in this way – fighting to protect my new home.

I then flicked my ears, surprised by my own internal words. Is this my new home? I then couldn't help but ask myself. I mean, I've stayed with them for a few days now, and I'm fighting with them... but so are Ravenpaw and Barley. Either way, do I want this to be my new home?

I then sniffed, tilting my head to the side. Maybe.

I then gave a quick shake of my own head. Definitely not the most pressing matter right now, I told myself, trying to stay in the moment as I watched some of the Clan cats wander the area and listen to Firestar's directions.

"Graystripe, Mousefur – scout around the hollow," the flame-colored tom commanded two of his cats. "Don't show yourselves. If you see any cats, come back and tell me."

And after Graystripe and Mousefur did as they were told, I genuinely wasn't sure if they were only gone for a few moments, or several, but soon enough, I pulled myself out of my anxious, swirling thoughts once again as I noticed Graystripe emerge back into the clearing, followed by a very tall, lean black and white tom that I had never seen before.

And just as I furrowed my eyebrows in intrigue and confusion, I felt a cat's warmth breath right next to my ear. "That's Tallstar, leader of WindClan," Sandstorm muttered to me as she brushed past me. She then let out a sniff, looking over her shoulder back at me with narrowed eyes. "About time he showed up."

I was able to give the light ginger she-cat a small purr of amusement in response before the WindClan leader began to speak on the other side of the clearing. "Greetings, Firestar," the tom called out as he padded forward to meet the ginger tom. "WindClan are here. All our warriors – and your friends, Barley and Ravenpaw."

Wait, really?

I was then overwhelmed with relief and joy at Tallstar's words, and I actually had to hold back a purr as Ravenpaw and Barley came into sight. Barley and I immediately locked gazes, his blue eyes also full of relief, as him and his dear friend also padded up to approach Firestar.

"We came to help as we promised," Ravenpaw meowed warmly as he twinned his tail with Firestar's in greeting. "We'll fight alongside you, if you'll have us."

"If we'll have you?" Firestar then beamed, looking shocked by his friend's words. "You're welcome; you know that."

Barley then gave the leader a nod and a dip of his head. "We're proud to fight with you," he then meowed. And as Ravenpaw then began to be flooded by the pelts of his old Clanmates, Barley met my gaze again and eagerly trotted over to me. "And who knew I'd ever see the day where I'd get to fight beside you?"

I let out a sigh and shrugged. "Gosh, I can hardly believe it myself!" I then purred. I then felt a wave of affection as I met the tom's warm gaze once again. "But it means so much to me, you have no idea."

"Ah, I luckily have some idea," Barley then purred as he nudged me lightly with his tail.

"Well, good," I then replied. And after taking another anxious glance at the Fourtrees clearing, where all four Clans were now gathering, I looked back at my friend with wide eyes. "Are you nervous at all?"

To my surprise, Barley immediately let out a snort. "Am I nervous? Of course!" Then, as he began to lash his tail quickly back and forth, I realized that the older tom was likely just as antsy as I was – understandably. "I mean, having to fight against the cats you once lived with? Odd would be an understatement."

His eyes then flashed with concern, and he gave my ear a flick with his tail. "What about you?"

I found myself sighing and immediately letting my head fall to the ground as I began to air out what had also been bugging me since I'd first opened my eyes that morning. "Funny enough, we're in quite similar situations," I muttered, a bit of laughter in my voice.

I could just barely see Barley giving me a slow nod, and just a moment later, I felt his tail rest on my shoulder. "Yes, we are," he then replied back more softly.

As I spiraled deeper and deeper in my thoughts by the heartbeat, I began to shake my head and spill it all of my worries out to the black and white tom, ones that had been jabbing at me like a thorn in my nest that stayed in place and poked at me no matter how hard I tried to get rid of it. "I mean, I know that I want to fight on this side, but... it's like you said for yourself, these are cats that I once lived with for so long..."

I then shut my eyes for a moment. "I became friends with some of them... maybe. And I share a kit with their leader, for StarClan's sake! What if..."

I then cut myself off briefly, almost questioning if I should even say my next words, as I was sure that they would sound completely pitiful. But nevertheless, I went on, deciding that I would just give Barley a warning. "Pardon me for sounding dramatic, but... what if it's too much for me to face? I mean, what if I can't even move past my... past enough to fight?"

I lifted my head up slightly as I heard Barley let out a purr and wrap his tail around my shoulders. "Well, first off, you're not being dramatic." I then raised my eyebrows in surprise when his next words came out quite a bit louder. "I live with Ravenpaw – I know what dramatic is."

As I then had to suppress laughter, I watched as Ravenpaw looked over his shoulder back at us, his green eyes narrowed. "What was that?"

"Nothing, Ravenpaw," Barley then called back to the tom before turning back to me and giving me a wink. Then, after a moment, he let out a sigh, his tone growing more solemn. "Look, Mist, I completely understand – I mean, you know that I do. But then again... I have to admit, loving someone deeply is never something I experienced while I was there."

"Ah, yeah..." I then murmured as I gave the tom a nudge. "You found that somewhere else."

"Shhhhhh," Barley then hissed to me, his eyes gleaming with humor as he brushed his tail over my mouth, causing me to purr. "Anyway... listen, Mist – yes, having cared for Scourge in the way that you did will make it all a bit harder, but you sure did leave for a reason, right?"

I immediately let out a snort. "Oh yeah, I sure did." Then, as Barley's words further began to process, I found myself lifting my head up fully. "Yeah, I did..."

"I thought so," Barley then meowed as he gave me a sharp nod. "Sure, even despite that, that will make fighting BloodClan difficult, I know, but..." He then nodded towards the clearing of Clan cats. "After what we talked about yesterday, I can't help but wonder if it would be about as hard... if not harder, to fight against this side."

My eyes widened at the tom's words, practically shocked by how much that resonated with me. "Maybe that's what's worrying me... because you're right!" I then exclaimed as I followed the farm cat's gaze towards the assembled Clans ahead of us, my head filling with confused thoughts all over again. "I've only known these cats for, well, three sunrises... yet it's so easy to want to stand with them. Why?" Maybe Scourge was right... and I am easily manipulated...

Luckily, Barley's words seemed to refute my own thoughts, and he was able to bring me back to rational thinking. "You said it yesterday, Mist – they have something to stand for," he meowed to me. "BloodClan doesn't, and knowing your heart – that's why you left."

I simply nodded back at the tom in awe and agreement, waiting for him to say more. "You're right – it's going to be hard, and it's going to feel weird as heck, but you're stronger than that," he went on. His gaze then softened with grief and sympathy as he tightened his tail's grip on my shoulders. "Knowing you, and your parents, change is nothing to you. You can face it, and..."

He then gave me another wink. "You can move past your past," he then meowed to me warmly, causing my heart to both smile and feel so heavy at the same time. "Only if you want to."

I then had to blink back the emotion that was welling up my eyes. These were simple words that Barley had given me, yet they meant so much. "And I sure do want to," I then meowed hoarsely before giving the tom a nudge, my heart now filling with gratitude. "But I hope you know that you're a part of my past that I'm so glad has returned."

"Me too, Mist," Barley then purred. I then closed my eyes as he bent down and touched his muzzle to my head. "Good luck out there."

As the tom then pulled away, I met the tom's gaze with warm eyes. It truly is an honor to be able to fight beside him, after all that he has taught me and done for me. "Thank-"

I then cut my own words off, quickly realizing that the small murmurs that had just been happening all around us very abruptly fell into complete silence – an experience as ominous as if the most vicious thunderstorm suddenly stopped, only leaving a strange overcast calm.

I then felt an immense amount of dread as I noticed that every single cat around me seemed to be facing the same direction. And for a moment, I hesitated to follow the countless gazes, terrified of what I might see, before eventually forcing myself to do so – there hopefully won't be anything there that I'm not already expecting.

However, despite telling myself this, I still felt my stomach drop as I looked over to see all of the familiar faces emerge from the opposite side of the clearing – ones that I hadn't seen in only three days, but it truly felt like seasons had gone by since we'd departed. And as I had just talked about with Barley, sure, as proud as I was to have left, I also was filled with so much guilt and discomfort at the sight of cats like Gremlin, Brick, or Fury.

And, of course, seeing Scourge at the front was weirder than anything else, and chills ran down my spine as I heard him speak and break the horrible silence.

"I know you're there!" he called out menacingly. "Come and give me your answer."

And as I closed my eyes, I felt Barley wrap his tail around my shoulders once again, and in that moment, I truly wasn't sure if I could be any more thankful for his support. Not only had we known each other for so long, but he is someone who completely understands my past...

Clinging onto that support, I tried to stay calm as Firestar seemed to exchange a few words with the other two Clan leaders – Leopardstar and Tallstar – before bravely stepping forward towards Scourge.

The black tom narrowed his eyes at the gesture, and I felt another chill run down my spine as I observed just how proud he appeared to be. "Greetings," he then meowed just before swiping his tongue around his jaws. "Have you decided to leave? Or do you presume that you can fight against BloodClan?"

"We don't have to fight," Firestar replied, his voice impressively calm. "We will let you go back to the Twolegplace in peace."

Peace? I then thought, actually having to hold back a snort with the ThunderClan leader's words. Since when has peace ever mattered to BloodClan? That won't sound appealing to them at all.

And sure enough, Scourge confirmed my thoughts with the cold mrrow of laughter he let out. "Go back? Do you really think we are such cowards? No, this is our home now."

I narrowed my eyes, staring back at the tom with a sharp gaze despite knowing that he hadn't noticed me. You are more than cowardly if you think that this is how you should prove that.

"The forest is ours," Firestar then demanded, his voice still even. "We rule here by the will of StarClan."

Scourge then purred with amusement once again, giving a roll of his blue eyes. "StarClan! Tales for kits," he then sneered, his gaze now burning with determination as he looked back at Firestar. "Forest fool, StarClan won't help you now."

Says the tom who wants to become a forest fool, I thought, my heart then beginning to pound even faster as I noticed Scourge seem to crouch down, preparing to pounce. Oh, no.

Then, time simultaneously seemed to freeze, but also go at double the time, as the tom then leapt forward. "Attack!"

"LionClan, attack!" Firestar then called out.

Well, I guess that is me!

And with that, with me now going off of nothing but adrenaline, I also leapt forward, not even sure where I would land or who I would land on, but nevertheless, as mentally prepared as I could be.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Firestar going straight for Scourge, and within moments the two of them seemed to disappear among the dozens of BloodClan and LionClan pelts blending together. I honestly I honestly hated that I was desperate to see if I could get a view of the two of them – not only to check for Firestar's safety, but for Scourge's. I hate that I still worry about him... despite everything, I thought in frustration. I hate it so, so much.

But luckily and unluckily for me, there was no time to worry about either of them, and I had no choice but to fully leap into the battle – jumping on the first cat that reeked of the Twolegplace. At first, I had no idea who I was leaping at, but, as I managed to pin down the cat, I felt my heart drop as I immediately recognized Fury.

Below me, her one good eye was blazing with nothing but rage. "You!" she then growled up at me. "You traitor!"

I then let out a pained hiss, my teeth barred as the she-cat then slashed me across the muzzle with large, unsheathed claws, my muzzle immediately feeling warm as blood spilled out of the wound. "Please!" I forced out through the pain. "Would you even welcome me if I ever decided to come back?"

"Don't even try!"

I then gasped in surprise as Fury managed to easily push me away from her. Luckily, I was able to make a smooth landing after being briefly airborne, but just as I was able to stand up straight, Fury attempted to make a leap at me. I dodged as quickly as I could, but was then thrown off as fury immediately tried again. She then proceeded to dive right into my side – hitting right where it hurt.

I mean, anywhere would have hurt, but this really hurt.

I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to heave through the pain despite how much I already wanted to surrender. Remember all that you are fighting for, Mist, I then tried to tell myself. While you are fighting for your new friends, for Wrenkit, and your parents, Fury gets nothing out of this except for a dead cat at her paws.

And with this, the adrenaline kicked in once again, and without hesitation I let out a hiss and forcibly rolled over, smashing Fury into the ground and seemingly knocking the air out of her. While the BloodClan cat was trying to stand up and catch her breath, I took advantage of the opportunity and made a deep gash in her flank.

Then, still taking advantage of the moment, I almost let the BloodClan cat in me come out as I then sank my claws deeper into the wound I'd just made, and then lightly put my other front paw to Fury's throat. "Don't worry, I didn't plan on coming back," I growled through gritted teeth to Fury, who was still struggling for breath. "Either way, it doesn't look like there's much you can do about it now."

Rather than pushing harder on the she-cat's throat, I sank my claws of my other paw deeper into Fury's wound. I tried to ignore her pained, hoarse hiss as I then meowed, "Are you really going to try and give this traitor the time of day anymore?"

Fury still managed to roll her eyes as she was just beginning to get her breath back. And I almost felt relieved to be able to step off of the she-cat, and watch her as she ran away. Good riddance.

I had managed to chase off one opponent, but it was hard to feel even a little bit of triumph from where I stood practically in the heart of the battle. And despite so much going on, I tried to look around at the chaos around me, still not being able to help wondering where Scourge was, who he was fighting or if he was okay. But I quickly had to come to the conclusion that once again, he was out of sight. How about out of mind too?

This actually somewhat managed to occur once my eyes fell on something else that was happening just a couple of fox-lengths away from me.

I was suddenly alarmed when I immediately recognized the large, muscular figure of Bone menacingly approaching Barley and Ravenpaw, who were currently fighting side by side against two gray tabbies, and I was certain that they had no idea that Bone was behind them.

So, without hesitation, I jumped straight at Bone, not even considering for one moment that this was a ridiculously dumb thing to do. It had always seemed like the tom was almost twice my size, and he verged at the same amount of viciousness and heartlessness that Scourge carried, if not more. And the fact that we used to be in the same group of cats – that I was known as a "traitor" now – certainly wouldn't help matters.

And sure enough, his narrowed eyes flashed with anger as he immediately tossed me off of him, causing me to land hard on the ground. From there, Bone was easily able to slash my flank and pin me down, restraining my movement and preventing me from defending myself in any way.

And with this, I was certain that there was no way that I could push him off of me – he was too big and too strong. And making me feel even more hopeless was the completely victorious look that Bone carried on his face. "Too easy!" he then purred sickeningly as he stared down at me, his claws sinking into my shoulders. "I should have known all along that you never belonged in BloodClan. I tried to tell Scourge that you were a lost cause – so weak and soft."

Despite its uselessness, I still squirmed and tried to struggle under the tom's grip. "I'd take weak and soft over being even a quarter of what you are!"

I then let out a yowl of pain as Bone then scratched across my neck with a single claw. "That's just a small preview of what I'm about to do..." I then felt my eyes widen, and I felt my heart sink into the ground below me as I then watched Bone slowly lift that same front paw straight up in the air. "Scourge taught you this move, did he not?"

I then screwed my eyes shut, not knowing what else to do except brace for the pain, and hope that it would all be quick. I ruthlessly tried to ignore the grief and sadness that was already tugging at me, and trying to remind me of just how much I was having to lose and to leave.

But at the same time, I was so thankful that I now had so much to lose.

But of course, that didn't make this moment any less scary or hurt any less, and with my eyes still shut, I tried my hardest to wriggle out of Bone's grip before he brought down his paw, which could happen at any moment.

So, I was more than bewildered when Bone's claws were suddenly ripped from my grip.

And actually somewhat not believing that this was even happening, I still brought myself to get up onto my paws and catch my breath – truly never more thankful to be alive. What the heck just happened? I wondered, still baffled. Did someone in ThunderClan help me?

I then frantically looked around, hoping that I could find my rescuer and thank them, but as I simply looked to the side of me, my eyes seemed to widen bigger than my own face when I actually saw Scourge's smaller pelt pinning Bone down. He then gave him a light scratch on the shoulder and then let him up.

I could do nothing but watch, and not shockingly, Bone looked just as flabbergasted as I felt. "What are you doing, you idiot?" he barked at his leader. "Are you out of your mind?"

I almost couldn't bring myself to look back at Scourge, but I did. "Forget it, Bone!" the black tom growled back in reply. "Get back into battle!"

"Scourge!" Bone then growled back, truly looking angrier than I had ever seen him. "You-"

"Shut up! Forget it!" Scourge then hissed back, his bristling fur making him look almost double his size. "Would you rather spend time interpreting my actions or winning the forest? Get out of here!"

Bone then only hesitated for a moment before flashing his leader an angry, yet somewhat concerned look and finally deciding to leap back into the battle. Scourge watched him go for a moment, and I then completely froze as Scourge looked over his shoulder, back at me.

And as usual, it was a gaze that revealed absolutely nothing.

And it only lasted a moment, before he himself followed Bone back into the chaos.

Of course, I was left there wondering why the heck Scourge had done what he did. He... he saved my life. He pushed away his own Clanmate to save me, I thought in complete amazement. After all that he has said about never caring for me, why would he do that?

I then let out a hiss of frustration, and gave a quick shake of my head. You know what, like Scourge said, I could go and try to interpret it for days on end, I then told myself. But it's not worth it.

I then took a deep breath, trying to cling onto that last thought, and also remember everything that Barley and I had talked about just earlier. Any good deed that Scourge has done is only dangerous to me. And no matter where in his heart that deed came from, nothing will or should be enough for me to give him a sliver of forgiveness. Not when I now already have so much more.

But despite these thoughts, my heart still felt confused and heavy as I dove back into the battle once again, and as time seemed to go as quickly as the breeze of a hurricane, I managed to chase off a couple more BloodClan cats – fighting alongside Sandstorm in one of them. Luckily, these two BloodClan cats had been ones that I'd maybe talked to once, making the fight hurt a bit less, and the fight a bit easier. But it also all felt easy just being able to see just how easily the Clans seemed to be staying strong, chasing away one BloodClan cat after the other.

However, I knew that there was no way that BloodClan was fully going to give up or go down unless their leader did – a thought that both relieved me and terrified me immensely. But it was true – if anything, that's who BloodClan stood for – completely blindly, but they did.

And that leader is not someone that I had seen in any capacity since he had saved me from Bone. At least, not until I decided to look up at the large stone known as the Great Rock that stood in the middle of Fourtrees, where I could see Firestar and Scourge facing each other.

I felt my heart drop once again, having no idea where this confrontation could lead.

To my horror, both of them looked gravely injured, and in that moment, for some reason, Scourge looked appalled as Firestar stared back at him – almost as if he was surprised that he was there at all.

But once again, I didn't have time to fully grasp the situation, as terrified and worried as I was. But once again, something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention just a bit more, where I noticed Ravenpaw seeming to help Barley stand up and try to walk him away from the battling cats. And I felt my heart practically skip a beat when I then noticed the deep gash on the black and white tom's shoulder. I both assumed and hoped that my friend would be fine, but there was no way that he would safely be able to fight anymore.

I found myself urgently running over to meet them, standing on Barley's other side to speed the process along. And despite Barley's insistence that he was fine, neither me or Ravenpaw wanted to take any chances.

Then, as we both laid Barley down, with me staying next to Barley while Ravenpaw tried to fetch Cinderpelt, I took the opportunity to take another glance up at the Great Rock.

And I truly didn't know quite how I felt when I saw both Firestar and Scourge all the way back down on the grass...

And this time, Firestar fully had the BloodClan leader pinned down, with Scourge gravely injured and not seeming to be able to do much to defend himself. Oh, dear... oh, no. Oh, no.

Firestar then bent his head down, his teeth meeting the fur of Scourge's throat.

Once again, time seemed to freeze.

And the most violent shudder then ran down my spine as I almost immediately saw the blood that welled from Scourge's neck, and the way that his body began to jerk convulsively. Oh, no...

Then, almost simultaneously, he grew still, and his blue eyes stared lifelessly at the sky above.

Oh, dear...

Suddenly, I found that all of my legs were shaking, and my heart was beating so strongly and loudly that I could feel it and hear it in my ears.

I could just barely hear a cat's voice calling out in the distance. "Scourge! No, no!"

I felt dizzy, but I could just barely see Firestar staring at Scourge's body for only a moment before fleeing away from it.

"Scourge!" Another cat then cried out. "Scourge is dead!"

Scourge is dead.

The words that I was hearing didn't even seem real. I couldn't even give one word for what I was feeling, yet I was so overwhelmed with so many feelings at once. So, I found myself sinking down to my paws, not being able to stand anymore. And I let out a small whimper that I had been trying my hardest to suppress, the pounding of several pawsteps fleeing the clearing echoed in my ears.

Scourge was dead. The cat that I had once loved was dead. The father of my kit was dead.

And he'd spent some of his last moments saving me. No matter what the intent was, he still had done it.

I then managed to shake my head. No, Mist. Don't think like that. One good deed doesn't erase the past, I then told myself. As... as big as it was. That tom had brought more than enough harm to myself and to so many others.

And because of that, I really, really didn't know how to feel. I wasn't sure if I ever would.

Being so deep into my thoughts, I actually flinched when I then felt a tail touch my shoulder. Alarmed, I looked back, and immediately let out a sigh of relief when I saw Barley standing there, his blue eyes full of pain, but still glowing with sympathy as he stared down at me.

"It's just me, don't worry," he meowed to me softly, then grunting a bit as he struggled to settle down beside me. "How are you?"

I stared back at my friend in complete shock. "How am I? How are you? I pressed to the tom in bewilderment. "That shoulder injury looked serious!"

I then peered over past the tom's head, trying to get a view of the affected shoulder. "It still looks serious!"

"Oh, don't worry," he meowed to me dismissively as he flicked his tail. "Cinderpelt's making the rounds and will get to it soon enough. It's luckily already stopped bleeding."

I then simply watched as the black and white tom slowly and warily glanced over at where Scourge's body still was, but then, not warily at all, he looked back at me with wide, concerned eyes. "How are you?"

I shook my head slowly, genuinely not knowing how to answer. "Uh..." I then nearly purred, almost amused by the absurdity of this situation. "I... I really don't know, to be honest."

"That's alright," Barley quickly reassured me as he nodded. "You don't have to know, Mist."

I then took a deep breath and closed my eyes. No, I don't. "Okay," I breathed. I then let out a sigh, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed still as I let my head lay on Barley's good shoulder.

I then dove right back into my deep thoughts once again as I took in all of the new sights around me – the last of the still fleeing BloodClan cats, as well as the Clan cats as they tried to get back up to their paws, either trying to make the effort to get their wounds tended to or to help one of their Clanmates to do so.

Again, it was so different than anything I had ever seen before, and like always, it only left me feeling fascinated and inspired. I was truly so, so thankful that I had been able to fight with them.

It was at the cost of many things, but it was worth it. So, so worth it. "Um..."

"Hm?" Barley inquired, prompting me to go on.

"Barley..." I began very hesitantly as I stared out at the Fourtrees clearing. "Is it weird that despite everything, I haven't felt this free in a long time?"

Barley simply let out a sniff. "Nope," he then meowed as he stared proudly down at me. "That makes sense."

I let out an amused sniff as I stared up at the tom. "Good."

Then, after we exchanged a warm glance, I flicked my ears as I noticed the flame-colored pelt of Firestar approaching, his gaze looking just as tired as I felt, but still, it sparkled with triumph.

And despite the opponent that he had just faced and had taken down, of course, I was immensely relieved that he was okay, and I tried to give him a sincere nod in greeting as he stopped in his tracks just in front of us.

"Mist, hello," he breathed, nodding to me in return, and then to the tom next to me. "And Barley. Are you two alright?"

Barley let out a sniff, exchanging an amused glance with me. "Ah, we'll get there."

After an amused purr, Firestar then gave another nod. "Good, good. Um..." I then flicked my ears in surprise as the ThunderClan leader then specifically turned to face me, his green eyes now dark, but full of sympathy. "Mist, I... I'm... I also was coming to talk to you about a couple of things..."

Just by this look in his eyes, I could already tell what he was going to say. "First off, I... I wanted to see how you were doing, with... the... I'm..."

I quickly stood up, my gaze hard as I stared back at the leader. "Oh, don't say a word, Firestar," I meowed sharply to him. "If you feel sorry in any capacity because he was my mate... don't be."

I then took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment. "Trust me. It's okay, and..." I then flicked my tail towards the clearing of cats. "You did what you needed to do to save your Clans, and all of the Clans." And for me.

I then dipped my head to the tom. "I promise. I'll be fine."

For a moment, Firestar didn't reply, and simply stared back at me as he shook his head back and forth. "You are very strong, Mist," he then eventually meowed, his eyes full of admiration. "You definitely have the resilience of a Clan cat, if not more, knowing all that you've gone through."

To my surprise, the leader then briefly looked over his shoulder, where some of the ThunderClan cats like Sandstorm, Graystripe, and a few others had gathered behind him. "But despite that, you still took the time to help our Clan prepare for this battle, and you fought for us as if you've been here your whole life."

Once again, Firestar looked over his shoulder at his Clanmates, then at Barley for a brief moment – I had no idea why. Then, as he met my gaze again, I truly had no idea what he was going to say next.

"And you're welcome to stay with us for the rest of it, that is, if you'd like to."

I then completely froze, still overwhelmed and hardly being able to believe what I was hearing. Despite all of the hints I'd received up until this point, it still felt unreal and completely outrageous. "R-really?" I then forced out. I then gave a shake of my head. "You really trust me to be a part of your Clan? I was a loyal BloodClan cat a few days ago."

I then heard Cloudtail let out a snort from behind Firestar. "Clearly not that loyal!"

Firestar looked back once again, flashing his kin a warning, yet amused look before he returned his gaze to mine once again. "Well, Mist, what do you say?"

For several moments, I could only stare back at the ThunderClan leader and hesitate. My goodness, not because I was unsure at all. Rather, I was still trying to make sure that this was actually happening. I had felt unsure before, but... now that I was being given this direct open, and this new opportunity to be in a place that I knew made me truly happy and welcome in the time I had been here... there really was no doubt. There was no other place that I would want to me, and no other place that I would want my daughter to grow up in.

And after exchanged yet another look with Barley, my heart barely being able to stand the amount of happiness and pride that glowed in his blue eyes, I looked back at Firestar and gave him another sincere nod. "My goodness, it would truly be my honor."

And my heart began to rush with adrenaline all over again as Firestar gave another nod in return. "It's all mine, Mist."

He then flicked his ears, his green eyes widening. "Oh, by the way, I'd say we should do something about that name of yours, huh?"

At this point, I was completely speechless as Firestar took a few steps closer to me. "Mist, I feel strongly that you will uphold the warrior code to the best of your ability, and you have proven that you would protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your life."

He then gave another single nod. "And with that, I give you the name Mistpelt. StarClan honors you for your resilience and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

I then raised my eyebrows as the leader let out a sniff. "Well, once your kit is six moons old," he then added on. "Until then, you will be one of ThunderClan's queens, and you and Wrenkit will be well taken care of in the nursery."

The whole time Firestar was speaking, I was simply staring back at him as I shook my head back and forth in amazement. "Thank you. I... thank you," I managed to get out after a few moments. "There really are no words. I... Thank you."

"Mistpelt!" I then heard Sandstorm call out from the crowd behind Firestar.

"Mistpelt!" Graystripe then joined in.

"Mistpelt! Mistpelt! Mistpelt!" My eyes then widened as the entire crowd cried out my new name. Mistpelt.

I then simply stood in my place, beaming with pride as the crowd then seemed to break up, helping the more injured cats to stand up, licking their wounds, some coming up to congratulate me, and of course, some grieving the cats that they had lost due to this battle.

I knew that I was absolutely heartbroken that I would never fully get to know cats like Whitestorm, who had died at the paws of Bone. However, now that I was a part of ThunderClan, I was going to try my best to create a legacy like his – a great one. Now that I was in a place like this, I knew that I was more than capable.

I then flicked my ears as I felt a tail on my shoulder once again. And when I looked over that shoulder, I saw that Barley had now managed to stand up again, and was staring back at me with gleaming eyes. "Well, Mistpelt, welcome to the forest. For good," he meowed warmly to me, his words almost making me want to squeal.

The farm cat then gave me a nudge, and he tilted his head to the side. "Now that you're nearby again, and in one place, I hope that you'll visit me and Ravenpaw often?"

I immediately gave Barley a sharp nod. "Oh, definitely count on it," I replied to Barley proudly. I then took a deep breath, taking a moment to glance back out at the Fourtrees clearing. "For once, I am certain that I'm not going anywhere."