"I came to tell you something," the black loner mewed to Frostleaf. "Luckily, I got here in time to stop him."

Frostleaf looked at Softpaw, who was being checked over by Stagwind. "She is your kit, isn't she?"

"Yes," Jet replied, catching Brownstar's wary gaze. "I better get going but first I need to talk to you."

She led him to a shady spot, away from the earshot of the clan. Brownstar sat down in the middle of the camp, waiting patiently.

"Longdrop is training rogues," he growled. "I've seen them practicing your clan's moves in the night."

Frostleaf unsheathed her claws in anger. "How dare they?"

"Jaws is helping him to get other rogues and loners to join," Jet continued. "They plan a strike in a few moons, at the Gathering."

"Is that all?" she asked. The loner nodded and mewed, "I need to go now. Take care of Softpaw for me."

She nodded, taking a quick glance at the white furred apprentice. Softpaw touched nose with her father, purring happily. Jet smiled and waved his tail in goodbye.

When he left the camp, Brownstar jumped onto the Highledge called the clan together. "After considering, I have decided to double the patrols. There will be two cats guarding at the camp at all times."

Nods came from the clan, although some looked doubtful. "Will that work?" Goldenfeather asked, looking at her kits. "I don't want my kits to get hurt."

"I don't need protecting!" Rockkit declared. "I almost shreded that rogue!"

"With our help," Lilykit pointed out. "And you could have been clawed if that loner didn't save you."

For once, Rockkit didn't say anything. Goldenfeather gave Brownstar an apologetic look and herded her kits and Lilykit into the nursery.

"Hopefully, the patrols will work," the ThunderClan leader continued. "But it doesn't, we will need a new plan."

~~~~

Half a moon later, it was the Gathering. The patrols have been fairly effective so far. Not even a mouse can walk through the thorn barrier without being seen.

Brownstar led the cats chosen to the Gathering swiftly. None of them spoke a single word as they rushed through familiar forest.

When they arrived, ShadowClan and RiverClan was there already. A few of them were sharing tougues, which was surprising. ShadowClan has never been any clans' friends.

Greenstar dipped her head in greeting when Brownstar jumped onto the rock while Duskstar simply nodded.

"I wonder why WindClan is taking so long," Frostleaf muttered to the cat beside her, who was a ShadowClan apprentice.

She shrugged. "Some problems maybe."

WindClan finally arrived and Dovebreeze jumped onto the Great Rock instead of Rabbitstar. She talked to the other leaders in hushed voices and they nodded.

Duskstar gave a yowl to signify the start of the Gathering and the cats of all clan settled down quickly.

Dovebreeze spoke first. "Our great leader, Rabbitstar, have lost his ninth life and joined our noble ancestors. I went to Moonstone a few sunrises ago and received my nine lives and name."

"Dovestar! Dovestar!" the cats yowled, mostly WindClan.

Dovestar dipped her head and continued, "Dawnflight is our new deputy and we have two new apprentices: Woodpaw and Berrypaw."

"Woodpaw! Berrypaw!" the clans called out the names of the new apprentices.

Dovestar stepped back to let Duskstar speak next. "Prey is running well in ShadowClan," he rasped. "We also welcome the new kits to our clan: Fallowkit and Hawkkit."

Frostleaf saw Littletail puffed out his chest with pride as Brownstar spoke next.

"Our clan was attacked by rogues half a moon ago, but our warriors managed to drive them off and they stopped bothering us. We also have a new apprentice, Softpaw," he mewed.

For now, Frostleaf thought darkly as Softpaw's name was called.

Greenstar padded forward as Brownstar ended his report.

"RiverClan have been doing well. One of our queens is expecting kits and Foxpaw have received her full medicine cat name of Foxspring," she announced.

"Foxspring! Foxspring!" they yowled. Frostleaf smiled at the newly named medicine cat apprentice and she smiled back.

"Why didn't you come to the previous Gathering?" she asked.

"My clan have sick cats that need a medicine cat to look after, so I had to stay behind," Foxspring replied.

Brownstar gestured for the clan to follow him as the Gathering ended. Frostleaf looked at the sky, noticing that storm clouds began to gather near the moon, blocking out its light.

Revenge is near, a voice whispered in her ear. Soon the clans will fall...

Suddenly, Frostleaf was consumed by darkness. She tried to run but her paws were rooted to the ground.

"Time for revenge!" a savage voice snarled as a strange cat pounced onto her, its claws at her throat.

"Who are you?" she screeched, swiping at the cat but the cat was unharmed.

"Your worse nightmare!" the cat yowled, sinking its sharp fangs into her throat. Frostleaf felt her eyes closing slowly as the cat stared at her in triumph.

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A/N: Hmm... who is that unknown cat?