Silverstar's POV:

It was coming up to sunhigh by the time Slowsky and Bigstep returned to camp after burying Whitetail. The two elders padded slowly back to their dens with small nods in Silverstar's direction.

Silverstar smiled back from the shadows of the medicine den. She sat by the entrance, watching the clan. She hadn't yet confronted Mousenose; if the brown she cat wanted to announce that she was expecting kits, she would do so. Silverstar could see she was extremely nervous and wasn't planning on telling anyone but soon the lump forming in her stomach would attract attention.

Silverstar wondered why Mousenose was being to secretive. She hadn't shown any signs of having a mate or crush...

Then it suddenly clicked.

Just a moon ago, Silverstar had noticed Mousenose sneaking out of camp during the afternoons and returning quite late at night. She always returned with a happy smile on her face. When she returned to camp, she always brought a single piece of prey with her. A mouse, a vole and even a rabbit at times. Silverstar shook her head in disbelief.

Mousenose has a secret mate from either twolegplace or another clan.

A breeze picked up around camp, signalling Silverstar's emotions were getting out of control. She quickly calmed the wind down and then took a couple of deep breathes to calm her mixed feelings. She felt a little shocked but mainly angry and upset that one of her own warriors had been sneaking out to meet a secret mate. "And now she is pregnant." Silverstar muttered under her breath.

"Still thinking of Mousenose?" Stormflame wheezed from behind Silverstar. The black tom's cough had grown into more of a chesty cough and he had been wheezing a lot from the phlegm in his thoat. Nutwhisker had agreed with Silverstar that Stormflame's whitecough was developing into greencough.

"Yes." Silverstar meowed. She didn't bother voicing her thoughts about how Mousenose could have a secret mate. Luckily Stormflame didn't continue the conversation.

"I'm worried." Stormflame croaked and a cough racked his body from beside Silverstar.

"Oh, I didn't notice." Silverstar retorted with a hint of a bitterly sarcastic snarl. Then her face softened and she un-scrunched her muzzle, "Sorry."

"It's alright," Stormflame breathed. "We're all stressed out and worried about our clan."

"With leaf-bare approaching, no prey in the forest, and an outbreak of whitecough..." Silverstar paused and lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper, "Is there still hope for Lightclan?"Silence met her question and Silverstar glanced over at Stormflame to see the black tom deep in thought.

Then a voice sounded behind them. "Lightclan will survive. Just stay strong and have faith." Silverstar turned around to see Watersplash padding up to them. The unyielding scent of herbs stuck to her pelt and hints of berry juice were splattered on her smokey grey paws.

"If you say so." Silverstar shrugged and turned her gaze back to camp to see the hunting patrol of four cats return with only two scrawny mice.

"If you say so." Silverstar repeated, much quieter this time.

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Clearlight's POV:

As Clearlight's patrol reached the Magiclan border, Clearlight slowed when he noticed the scent markers had been changed. They now started right at the tree line, at least three fox lengths away from where they usually should be.

"Magiclan has taken some of our territory!" Demonpelt hissed angrily but her hiss was interrupted by an abrupt cough. Clearlight narrowed his eyes at the dark furred she cat and she waved her tail in dismissal. "Just a tickle, nothing to worry about."

"Okay.." Clearlight shrugged and then turned his attention back to the border. He frowned and scanned the area for any signs of an ambush from Magiclan but surprisingly he found none. Either they weren't there or they were very good at hiding...

"Let's change the scent markers back to where they are supposed to be!" Foxclaw hissed impatiently.

"Yeah!" Demonpelt snarled and stepped over the border and towards the cluster of shrubs where the border was supposed to be.

Clearlight meowed, "Be careful. These scent markers seem fresh..."

"Oh it's fine." Demonpelt insisted with a confident twitch of her whiskers.

"Demonpelt come back here!" Clearlight ordered and began following her. Incase Magiclan were planning on ambushing the patrol, Clearlight didn't want them to be separated. He flicked his tail for Foxclaw to follow and didn't bother look back to see if the ginger tom followed or not.

Demonpelt reached the shrubs and sat down with a pointed glance at Clearlight. "See? What did I tell yo-" her eyes suddenly went wide and she yowled, "Foxclaw watch out!"

Clearlight spun around to see three Magiclan warriors burst from the bushes on Lightclan's side of the border and pounce on Foxclaw.

Foxclaw let out a shock yowl and kicked wildly at his attackers. Clearlight leapt to help Foxclaw but Demonpelt, being more nimble than him, jumped ahead and lunged for one of the attackers. She landed on the brown tom, Ratbreeze. The two cats tumbled away in a ball of angry screeches and flashing claws. Clearlight reached the frenzy and knocked away Secretbee, leaving Willowfire to fight Foxclaw.

Clearlight leapt at Secretbee. Mid-jump he shifted his paws into lion paws. Then he slashed his new lion claws down Secretbee's muzzle. The Magiclan deputy snarled and reeled backwards, blood splattered on the ground and splashed on Clearlight's chest. Secretbee recovered quickly, however and clawed wildly at him. Clearlight ducked out of the way but Secretbee's claws pierced the tip of his left ear, drawing blood.

Clearlight snarled and lunged forwards, grabbing onto Secretbee's forepaw in his jaws and bit down hard. The Magiclan deputy yowled and ripped his paws free.

An ear-piercing wail sounded behind Clearlight and he twisted around to see Demonpelt wriggling on the ground, Razbreeze's jaws were wrapped around her neck. Blood pooled around the two fierce warriors.

Clearlight felt fury rise inside of him. Lightclan blood was being spilled all because Magiclan wanted to cause trouble. Though it was obvious that Magiclan were winning because they were fitter and less skinny than the Lightclan patrol, Clearlight continued attacking and didn't order a retreat.

Clearlight slammed his paws onto Secretbee's side, knocking him down onto the blood-stained ground. Clearlight was about to sink his claws into the grey tom's stomach but he rolled out of the way and Clearlight sank his claws into soil. He growled and scored his claws down Secretbee's side. The deputy snarled and twisted around, lashing out with his claws. He found his target; Clearlight's chest, and he tore through the skin. Clearlight yowled angrily and flicked his paw up, causing roots to grow out of the ground and wrap themselves tightly around Secretbee.

As Clearlight regained his posture, he saw Demonopelt go limp out of the corner of his eye and he gasped. Did Razbreeze actually kill her?

A snarl sounded and Clearlight ducked as Secretbee swung at him, momentarily allowing Clearlight to look closer at Demonpelt. The black furred she cat lay limp with Razbreeze standing over her triumphantly.

Clearlight felt his heart pound faster in his chest and blood roared in his ears as he swiped at Secretbee, his lion claws tore at Secretbee's shoulder. More blood sprayed onto the ground but Clearlight didn't notice. He felt his vision go red with rage and he screeched loudly, rising onto his hind legs to crash down ontop of Secretbee.

Secretbee matched Clearlight's movement and rose to meet him. The two toms clashed together and wrestled to pin the other. Clearlight saw a small rock behind Secretbee and tried pushing the deputy towards it so he tripped. It worked and Secretbee staggered as his hind paw hit the rock. Ducking underneath Secretbee, Clearlight swiped at his hind leg, causing him to fall. Unfortunately, Secretbee fell onto Clearlight which allowed the tom to sink his teeth into Clearlight's shoulder. Pain scorched through Clearlight and he reared backwards, throwing Secretbee off.

He was about to sink his deadly claws into Secretbee's throat but claws pierced his flank and Clearlight spun around to see Rabbitstar had appeared with three fresh warriors behind him. Clearlight's insane rage seemed to evaporate in a millisecond and he froze. Rabbitstar snarled, "Get out of here mouse-brain!"

Clearlight growled and twisted away, leaving most of the fur from his flank in Rabbitstar's claws. "Lightclan retreat!" He yowled and dived into the cover of bushes. He spun around to see Foxclaw dragging Demonpelt. He slowly made his way to Clearlight.

Yowls rose from Rabbitstar as the Magiclan cats celebrated their victory.

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