Frostpaw was greeted with welcoming purrs when they returned to the DragonClan camp.

"You managed to get it!" Quailbreeze mewed in relief, carefully taking the horsetail stalks from her.

"I'm just wondering," Frostpaw meowed. "Why can't you go yourself to take it?"

"Forestbrook is too old to make such a journey," Quailbreeze replied, glancing at her mentor. "And there's a lot for me to do..."

She trailed off at the last part. Frostpaw narrowed her eyes in frustration. So many things kept from me...

"Goldenstar will send a patrol to help your Clan soon," Quailbreeze mewed. "You should be able to return to your Clan tomorrow."

Frostpaw sighed as she thought of herself struggling back to ThunderClan.

"Don't worry about another journey to get back to your Clan," Forestbrook rasped in amusement. "We have a way to get to your Clan quite fast."

"How?" Frostpaw blinked wonderingly.

"You will find out how tomorrow," the medicine cat mewed. "Goldenstar is calling a meeting."

"Let all cats who are old enough to catch their own prey to gather at the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Goldenstar yowled a heartbeat later.

Frostpaw exited the den and lifted her head to look at the leader.

"Today, myself, Wavetail and Frostpaw went to the marsh area to collect horsetail for our medicine cats," Goldenstar began. "I am pleased to say that Frostpaw is worthy of our-"

"Come on!" Rushingstorm exclaimed. "It's just walking around the lake and grabbing horsetail. You call that a challenge?"

That earned a cuff from Fourbeam. "No cat asked you for your opinion," he hissed.

"As I was saying," Goldenstar continued, glaring at Rushingstorm, "while we are at the pine forest, the ground suddenly trembled and split into two."

"We felt the ground trembling as well," Snowflame mewed. "We panicked, but the ground didn't break. Only a few small trees fell outside the camp."

"That's a relief to know," the DragonClan leader meowed. "But as the ground split at our feet, Frostpaw fell in the gap but managed to grab hold of a root to prevent herself from falling."

Will Goldenstar mention Thornshadow? Frostpaw thought anxiously.

"But luckily," Goldenstar mewed with a glance at her, "a loner helped her up. The loner had walked off before we could talk to him. I would have saved her myself, but the falling trees had blocked mine and Wavetail's paths. It was unexpected, but all of us managed to come back alive and well. Rushingstorm, tell me, is that not challenging enough for you?"

Rushingstorm didn't reply.

"So, it is decided," the golden pelted tom announced firmly. "We will help Frostpaw's Clan. Clan dismissed."

The Clan dispersed. Russetpaw padded to Frostpaw.

"You are going to leave tomorrow?" she asked sadly.

"Yes." Frostpaw suddenly remembered the time when she and Sofie left in their separate ways.

"Can you come back one day?" Russetpaw asked.

Frostpaw didn't know how to answer that question. "I don't know," she admitted. "I just hope that... things will be once again whole."

"Me too," Russetpaw mewed with a small sigh.

"Are you coming back to the den?" Frostpaw asked as she padded into the apprentice's den.

"I want to see the sky first," she meowed, lifting up her gaze to look at their stary ancestors.

Maybe. Just maybe I could survive whatever that comes.

~~~~

"This is the Moonpool," Goldenstar announced solemnly. "Long ago StarClan wanted to connect itself to a different set of skies. Some of the StarClan cats gave up their existence to make this possible. Now, not only we can talk with our warrior ancestors, we can go somewhere else, far away."

"Wow," Frostpaw stared at the pool. It was calm and it reflected the light blue sky. How can something like this do something so large?

"Only a worthy warrior in StarClan's eyes is able to use it," he continued. "That's also partially why I have asked you to collect horsetail for the medicine cats."

I understand now!

"Lay down beside the pool and relax," Goldenstar meowed.

Frostpaw obeyed, flinching slightly at the colder stone. She relaxed, and not long after, she fell in a deep sleep.

~~~~

When Frostpaw woke up, she realised she was inside Rocktip. I'm back in ThunderClan!

Excited, she raced out of Rocktip and towards the camp. She welcomed the familiar scent of her Clan as she ran.

Frostpaw stopped as she nearly bumped into a cat she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Timberclaw, I'm back!" she mewed happily.