Duckfoot raced swiftly through the tall grasses of the moors belonging to WindClan territory. Her short golden-red hair glistened in the afternoon sun. The sun's rays on her neck made her feel as though she had more energy than usual. A strong scent of game reached her nose, which was abundant in summer. The pile of prey in the camp slowly turned into a great mountain. The hunting patrols returned each time with plenty of food for the clan.
The cat felt at some point that the wind began to ruffle her hair more. She closed her eyes for a moment as she ran in satisfaction, and sped up even more. The clan camp loomed slowly on the horizon. As soon as the distance between her and him narrowed even further, she immediately smelled the strong smell of WindClan cats. She couldn't wait to walk through the entrance and say hello after a day of patrolling with her kin. All she wanted was a long nap in the lair of the warriors. It was just a few tail lengths from the camp.
Just before entering, she slowed down considerably and began to walk calmly. She felt her heart beating very hard. However, she did not want to run into someone inadvertently and thus did not want to hurt someone.

She entered the camp and saw the sight of her brethren sharing their tongues and having a meal together.  Among all these cats, she found her brother and friend;  Grassstorm and Deerfur.  A pair of young cats was lying next to each other, eating the prey together, and Grassstorm licked Deerfur on the ear from time to time.
At first she wanted to go to them right away, but seeing that they were enjoying each other's company, she let a spark of happiness shine in her eyes and continued deeper into the camp.
As she passed more cats, she noticed her mother Heathershade basking in the sun on one of the several larger stones in the camp.  Under the rock she was lying on, Duckfoot noticed her father, Poppyclaw, just washing after a meal.  They both spotted her and flicked their ears in greeting, and Duckfoot nodded back to them cheerfully.
Then she went over to the pile of prey and selected a large rabbit for herself.  She'd gone out with every outgoing patrol all day, so she was very hungry now.  She was about to approach her old Swarthywing mentor when she noticed that the Honeystar, sitting with his deputy Eaglestripe by the leader's lair, summoned her with a flick of his tail.  Dissatisfied with this turn of events, Duckfoot with a rabbit in its mouth turned towards them. Looking at the Honeystar, she felt a pain in her heart all the time.  So far they have not reconciled, although a few sunrises have already passed.  She was sorry for that because she appreciated their friendship very much.
Therefore, in order to do something else, she participated in every single patrol every day, both hunting and ordinary, which began to slowly reflect on her in the form of pains in her paws and a lot of fatigue.
She put the rabbit on the grass and looked uncertainly at the Eaglestripe.  The piebald cat, however, shrugged his shoulders slightly, as if he did not know why the leader called her.  At the same time, the Honeystar sent his deputy with a flick of his ear to be alone with the Duckfoot.  The cat stiffened and she felt the hair on the back of her neck start to bristle.  But she decided to look the leader in the eye to hide her anxiety at least partially.
The long-haired tomcat, however, looked at her with regret and sadness mixed with tenderness.  The cat felt that her paws stung a little from this look, she did not even know why.  The leader sat there for a few more short moments until he finally moved.

We haven't talked for a long time. Duck's Foot ... - he began quite hesitantly - I wanted ... I wanted to apologize to you for what I told you then, near the border with the Thunder Clan ... I want to ask your forgiveness.

The cat looked at the kitten in such a way that she could not even move.  The stinging stopped and it was replaced by tingling paws.  They sat there for a long time when the young warrior saw a hint of regret in Honeystar's eyes.

- Honeystar...of course I forgive you - she said fondly - The only thing I wanted then and now, and what is also my request, is that you try to get along with other leaders and not fight with other clans anymore!  - She blurted out and rubbed against the neck of the leader.
The surprised cat froze and looked down at the she-cat's head.

- It's not that simple. Duckfoot.  You know what the situation is at the lake now...I don't know if I will be able to fulfill your request... - He replied and rested his chin on the warrior's head.

"At least try it," she snuggled into him even more. "If only because of our friendship."

  The cat thought for a moment.

- I promise to try ... but I do not promise that whatever will work - he looked over all the cats of his clan, happy and full, then looked towards the place where the elders buried their dead cats.  Mounds have been arriving recently.

                               🐾🐾🐾

After the evening patrol, three strange cats entered the camp.  The WindClan cats could smell ThunderClan clearly on them.  They glared at them, and several of the younger cats hissed at them.  The newcomers' hair was clearly bristled, which made the cats seem several times larger.
One of them, clearly more powerful in build than the other two, walked at the very end, as if hugging its brown tail.  A dark gray tom walked ahead of him, a very young warrior can be seen, with darker stripes on his coat, and his amber eyes framed by a large dark patch of hair.  His head was lowered and he was casting suspicious glances in all directions.
The first one was a light brown she-cat.  Her head was raised high, which could not be said about the tail, which was almost between the paws. She paid no attention to the hostile cats, and kept her green eyes straight as she stared straight ahead.
All three cats obediently followed the patrol without saying a word.
Honeystar came out of his lair, feeling the tense atmosphere and strange cat smells, he wanted to check what was going on. Noticing the newcomers, he lowered his ears, bristled his fur and tried not to bare his fangs.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the Duckfoot had come out to the front of the crowd of cats, the only one looking at the strange cats with only curiosity. Recalling their earlier conversation, the leader of the WindClan smoothed his coat and tried to hide his exasperation. He did not want to disappoint her, much less break his promise to her.
He raised his head high and sat down in front of the entrance to his lair.

Duckfoot looked from the newcomers to the leader of her clan. She tried to read in his eyes what he was thinking and what he was going to do. She hoped he would treat the alien cats peacefully.  She didn't want another fight and quarrel.  And so there were far too many of them.
Suddenly she felt a strong shiver. Every hair on her skin bristled slightly, and she felt someone's eyes on herself.

She looked over her fellow mates, but no one paid the slightest attention to her.  Everyone was focus on the ThunderClan cats. However, the kitten still felt that piercing gaze on her. Not knowing why, she instinctively fixed her gaze on one of the ThunderClan warriors. The dark gray tabby tom was staring directly at her.  Duckfoot almost felt like exploring the depths of her soul.

Then she remembered.

That day, when, hunting near the border of WindClan and ThunderClan, she felt watched and saw amber eyes in the shade of trees between the branches of bushes. It was him.

Many cats have this eye color, but Duckfoot just felt that this warrior was watching her in the forest. She wanted to look away, but somehow couldn't. She stared at the tomcat and he stared at her.  I don't know why, but she felt a bond with him. Another shiver passed through her body. The warrior who had previously cast suspicious glances was now looking at her kindly. He moved the tip of the tail, giving her a friendly signal.  The kitten, surprised, not knowing whether to answer him, felt something brush her side. She sucked in air, and in addition to the scent of alien cats and other WindClan cats, she caught the strong scent of Deerfur and Grassstorm. They both stood next to her.

-Duckfoot? Why is that ThunderClan fox dung staring at you like that?! - she heard her friend's voice next to her - Not only does he have the audacity to come here with others like him, he also does it!

The light brown fur of the Deerfur began to bristle and she began to beat her tail hard.
Her partner, Grassstorm, rubbed against her and purred softly.

- Don't worry Deerfur.  Whatever they want, the Honeystar will drive them out, he said firmly, soothing his mate a little.

The Duckfoot broke away from the dark gray tom's intense gaze and looked uncertainly at the corner of her eye at her brother. Each cat had a hostile attitude towards a different clan. And that was wrong.  She sincerely hoped that the Honeystar would listen to the visitors as she had asked him to. She glanced surreptitiously at the Thunder Clan warrior. But he had already turned all his attention to the leader of the WindClan;  Honeystar who approached foreign cats. There was deathly silence for a moment.

The Thunder Clan she-cat was the first to speak. She raised her head proudly and put her ears forward. Her coat had dropped a little and she seemed more confident than she had when she entered the camp.

We welcome you Honeystar with all due respect," she nodded. " These two young warriors are Hardfur and Dogleap.  We come for peaceful purposes."

Honeystar looked at her for a moment with his green eyes. Duckfoot couldn't read them, but she had a feeling the leader would be sane in this situation.

- Hello, Treepelt.  You and these two warriors. Why are you here? - also nodded his head to show the substitute respect and that he is also peaceful.

Treepelt seemed to relax a little. She looked at the Honeystar with a calmer gaze. She sat down on the ground.

"We don't want you to take it wrong, Honeystar," she continued, "but we want to clarify the matter of the death of...Spotnose."

She rested her ears on her head and looked uncertainly around at the WindClan cats. Her fears were right, because all the cats' mouths showed an expression of indignation and contempt towards the ThunderClan cats.
Honeystar clearly tensed and bristled the coat. There was a hint of rage in his eyes Duckfoot. At the same moment the leader looked at her. She replied with a pleading look and pulled her ears back.  He stared at her for a moment, until the kitten saw that the rage was gone and his coat was smooth again. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her brother and friend. They were all tense and visibly nervous. Duckfoot felt a little uneasy, and to soothe Deerfur a little, she caressed her side with her tail. The cat gave her a friendly look, but immediately focused her attention on the strangers.

- What do you want to clarify? I made it clear at the Gathering that my clan had nothing to do with it, he explained quite calmly. What else do you want to know?

- Honeystar, Swallowstar believes that you are the good leader of your clan, and is sure that you would not tell your warriors to do such a terrible thing.  However, a badly wounded Spotnose body was found on our common border, and we have reason to suspect someone from the WindClan was behind it, Treepelt replied calmly and confidently.

At her words, a dark gray ThunderClan warrior stepped forward.
He looked into Honeystar's eyes, then straight to Duckfoot's. The young cat's heart beat faster. What was he going to do?

"Honeystar, the relationship between the clans is not good and this makes it difficult for us to find the killer of one of our cats. But we ask you to try to find him with us. It will be a fair solution," he said calmly, and sat down on the ground.

Honeystar, surprised by the behavior of the young warrior, stood still and silent for a while. After a long moment of thought, he looked at the Duckfoot again.  The cat nodded. The leader sighed softly and stared blankly at the ThunderClan cats.

"Treepelt, let's go to my lair."  We'll talk more over there, ”he said, then turned to the entrance to the lair and waved his tail over for the deputy leader of the Thunder Clan.

The light brown she-cat followed without hesitation, though surprised in surprise, signaling to the other two warriors to stay outside.

- Grassstorm, Swarthywing, look after the rest of the cats and Duckfoot,  bring them small prey - ordered the Honeystar before he entered the lair. There was an expression of great surprise and indignation on the faces of the WindClan cats.

"And why did he do it?! " Owlfall shouted. "They can't be trusted, these fox dung!"

The WindClan cats talked about the matter among themselves, glaring at the newcomers. Swarthywing and the Grassstorm, clearly indignant and surprised, went to do the task the leader had given them. They sat down opposite them and stared hostile to them.  Duckfoot looked at the whole situation with regret. She sighed loudly and walked over to the pile of prey. She selected two fat voles, took them in her teeth, and walked over to the ThunderClan cats.

She put the dead game in front of them and was about to leave when she felt a light brush on her paw.  She looked at the paw and saw a dark gray tabby tail.  Her gaze automatically shifted to its owner. The cat was staring at her with his amber eyes with a satisfied expression on his face. He wiggled his mustache in a friendly gesture. Duckfoot looked around to see if anyone was looking at them now. Fortunately, her brother and former mentor took care of calming the rest of the clan, who was ready to pounce on two cats.

- Why were you watching me?  she asked in a whisper - Then at the border?

The ThunderClan warrior purred, and there was a spark of amusement in his cat's eye.

- Because I know that you are one of the few cats who have not gone crazy yet.  Besides - his eyes flashed - you were hunting in a funny way. I have not seen any cat have such a technique so far.

Duckfoot felt a burning sensation in the paws.  She didn't know what to make of the words of a warrior from a neighboring clan.

- Which means I'm not crazy? - She made sure that no one is looking at them - What do you mean?

The warrior glared at her again. There was something in that look that Duckfoot was able to trust completely. But she knew that while she craved peace between the clans, she couldn't trust everyone now. The dark gray tomcat, just like her, made sure that nobody was watching them. Two of the guards, however, were busy calming the clan down, and the other ThunderClan cat was eating a bank vole.

- Come to our border tomorrow at sunset.  I want to meet you Duckfoot - he quickly threw very quiet meowing.

Surprised Duckfoot did not know how to react. She stood for a very long moment and looked into the amber eyes of the dark gray warrior. But she didn't have time to reply. Treepelt and Honeystar have just emerged from the leader's lair.