Snow crunched under Smokeflood's paw as she swiveled, swinging her claws up. A stream of water followed her paw, but rather than simply splashing the target with a harsh spray, it curved in a razor thin blade of water. Lightspark quickly ducked down, avoiding the attack, and rather it cut into the pine tree he had been directly in front of. The wood splintered, and a cut a claw-length deep scored the smooth bark. The tom stood up with an impressed nod.

"I think it's safe to say you've mastered that move," the silvery lightning tom purred. "Are you finally going to give it a cool name now that you've finally perfected it?" He tipped his head to the side.

"I dunno. Does it need a name?" Smokeflood sat down in the icy, slushy snow, still playing with the stream of water. Leafbare winds buffeted at her thick mottled gray pelt, but her fur kept out a lot of the cold and kept her comfortable.

"Naming moves is always the best part of making them up. I've made up half of my own moves since there's no cat to teach me electric moves," the tom paced in a circle. His usual resting face of boredom was replaced with a passionate gleam in his eyes. Smokeflood purred; they had started training together just before the leaves started to fall, and she had been able to get through his icy exterior. Sometimes I wonder if other cats think I have an icy exterior, too. I want cats, especially my clanmates, to see me. See me for who I am, not some stuck-up jerk. I've grown up. I'm different. I just wish other can see who I am. "You could call it Slashing Aqua Slicer. Or...," he thought a moment.

"Why not just Water Cutter?" She questioned, and he tipped his head to the side.

"It's good... but what about Water Blade?"

"It's a little pretentious," she thought, but he shrugged in response.

"Who cares? Oh, it's almost sunhigh," he noted, his bored expression returning. He started away from the snow-frosted training grounds, Smokeflood at his tail.

"Wait, Lightspark...." She stopped. He turned, his golden eyes holding a warmth. She blinked. "Do you... do you see me?" He quirked a smile.

"Um... yeah," he gave a small purr of amusement. She felt her fur grow warm. This is stupid he probably thinks I have fleas in my head now. Can you see me?!' Of course he can see me; I'm not a ghost. He's not blind. "Come on, or else we'll be late. The intel patrol will be returning soon with updates on ThunderClan." His breath came out as a cloud in the cold, and a chill passed through her. They started off through the slowly melting snow, careful to tread where previous paws had indented the snow and trampled it down. They had taken the morning of most days to train, working at developing a new move for each of them, and honing old ones. It was easy to bond with him; I can relate to him so well. But... I still feel like I know nothing about him. It's strange, we've talked every day about more than just fighting. Shallow stuff, like what RiverClan was like. What Minstar was like, what sunning by the river after a swim feels like. But also deep stuff, like what I've learned about myself. Yet, I still feel like there's more about him I need to learn.

The bramble and fern walls of ShadowClan camp were dusted gently with snow, and as the pair slipped through the narrow opening, a clump of snow shook loose and dropped right between Lightspark's ears. A static wave sent his fur on end with shock, crackling lightly at the air. Smokeflood raised her eyebrows at the spectacle, and gave a purr of amusement. He ducked his head, static lightly flickering away from his fur. She picked her eyes up, noticing a few warriors.

"Hey, the intelligence patrol is back!" She bounded away toward the fallen pine tree that's roots served as medicine den, and branches served as the warriors den. The patrol was small, only three cats. She had grown to know their names and faces over the course of intel meetings they held at sunrise after the quarter moon. They nodded with smiles on their faces as she approached

"You won't believe what our ThunderClan informant has let us in on today...!" The leader of the patrol, Maplesong, spoke. At the ginger-tabby's side was a black-furred shadow elemental, Spiderstep, and Slatepaw, now Slateshard. The chocolate tortoiseshell warrior flicked her ear in greeting, her dull blue eyes icily studying Smokeflood. Even after she became a warrior, she still was constantly competing with the RiverClan warrior. The worst part about these meetings is Slateshard thinking she's better than me because she's on the intelligence team. Everytime she gets done talking she'll look right at me...

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lightspark mused lightly, eyes half-closed lazily. Maplesong dipped her head.

"Cherrystar and the others are already gathered in the Meeting Opening," Maplesong led the way to one of the many side-passages of the camp, pulling through the brambles that were lightly cushioned with fern fronds. Smokeflood pushed through with the patrol in front of her and Lightspark at her tail. The last time I spent time in one of these side passages is when I caught Lightspark with Ferntail. Lightspark hasn't even really mentioned him since they broke up, either. I think he's gotten over it, but I know it's like poison for him; it's creeped into his whole body and lays latent to attack him with feelings, feelings he's only learning how to feel. I've tried to help him work through though that kind of stuff but... he still seems so closed off. A shiver passed through her as she recalled Pearstar ask her what she believed poison was just before he attacked RiverClan.

"Yeah. And how does it kill you?" Pearstar looked down on her, eyes slits. Smokeflood, still Smokepaw, looked desperately up to Miststar for some kind of support, but the leader never dropped her gaze from the poison tom. "It spreads through the body. It spreads and kills and takes over and then you're dead. If you were to survive miraculously, there's always something that dies. Whether it's physical or mental. The poison destroys. The poison kills." She stepped out into the clearing which was encircled with brambles. The russet Cherrystar was sitting, quietly talking with her deputy Deerskip. A few senior warriors of ShadowClan and RiverClan were also in the arena-like area, and Smokeflood made her way toward a great white tom. Pearlfrost. His fur was long and well-groomed, and as he turned his head to look as she approached, an intimidating, thin scar ran down the corner of his left eye. He purred as she approached, standing.

"I don't see you enough, Smokeflood. You seem much more grown these days. I remember when your paws were still too big for you back when you were a kit!" He prodded her shoulder with one of his own massive white paws, and her fur warmed with embarrassment. She had grown nearly to match the height of the impressive RiverClan deputy. She sat down, looking across the way to where Lightspark had taken his place near Deerskip, but still seemingly spaced away from his clanmates.

"Alright, shall we begin?" Cherrystar spoke up over the low meows of the senior warriors gathered. Immediately, silence fell. Maplesong nodded appreciatively, and Cherrystar moved to sit on Pearlfrost's other side. The reddish she-cat looked small compared to the massive, broad tom, but Smokeflood was well aware that the ShadowClan leader was compact with hard-muscle and lots of fighting experience.

"Hello. Thank you for gathering today. We have some very important information to pass on," Maplesong started, her copper eyes moving about to look over all of the warriors. The ginger tabby paused, and nodded. Slateshard stood, waiving her tail as she began to speak.

"Our ThunderClan informant has let us in on the location of the RiverClan captives," Smokeflood felt her heart stop. She gaped, eyes widening. My clanmates. Eelpaw! Mintstar! All of our lost warriors! Pearlfrost shared the same thought, she noticed, as his green eyes widened and he nearly stood up with shock. "It was a secret left only to cats that Pearstar wanted to interact with the RiverClan cats. Obviously the clan knows it's location, but only few have been inside and know the security. Our informant filled in for an ill clanmate whose job was to take them prey, and knows their exact location and it's ins and outs." The tortoiseshell sat back down, and immediately the gathered cats began talking over each other.

"Quiet down!" Cherrystar's voice boomed.

"Our informant said it's in a ravine not far from ThunderClan camp; if we follow the creek that divides our territories it should take us right to them." Maplesong finished. Cherrystar nodded.

"Alright," she flicked her tail, wordlessly opening the discussion. Deerskip spoke first from where he sat, tail wrapped neatly around his paws.

"I'm all for retrieving those warriors. Mintstar will be an integral piece in recovering RiverClan, assuming she's still alive. However," the deputy paused, coppery amber eyes gazing up at the warriors surrounding him. "If we go in and retrieve these warriors, we will loose these last moons of relative peace we've had. We stopped attacking ThunderClan for information mid-leaffall when our informant stepped forward, and ThunderClan has been nothing but peaceful toward us since then."

"True, fights will immediately break out," Lightspark spoke up. "Pearstar has been adamant at gatherings that he will not free the RiverClan cats he has imprisoned. If we force our way in and take them, even if we get out without a scratch, fights will ensue. Possibly war."

"Are you siding that we don't retrieve our warriors?" Murkyripple spoke up. The chocolate RiverClan warrior had been an essential aid to prepping questions for the informant over the past few moons. The electric tom shook his head.

"I'm saying we'll have to be ready for something big. I don't want my clan to suffer the same fate as RiverClan. However, there's always the chance that ThunderClan doesn't even attack us-- Pearstar is very strange, and almost comes up with things on a whim." The cats nodded.

"I agree. Once we rescue these warriors, we'll need to prepare for a big fight. Whether it means ThunderClan attacks us, or we get the upperpaw and attack ThunderClan first," Deerskip remarked. Cherrystar raised a brow at this. He tipped his head as he elaborated, "We'll never be at peace with ThunderClan the way it is now. They're hungry. Either they'll fill their appetite with us, or we take their appetite away." The pale brown tabby deputy settled down so he was laying down, paws tucked in on his little patch free from snow.

"I think we can come up with a plan for stealing appetites once we get our clanmates back. Mintstar is an excellent strategist and she as well as the other warriors will have exponentially more knowledge on ThunderClan than us," Pearlfrost meowed. Cherrystar nodded.

"I agree. We'll rescue the RiverClan captives, and then we'll plan the next step. As of now, our plan for the next step is to be on our guard, and prepare the clan for battle," she stood. "We'll send a patrol of shadow warriors and some fighters for this mission."

"I'll go!" The words left her mouth before she realized they had. Smokeflood swallowed as Cherrystar's gaze went to her. "I'm a fighter, and a friendly face. They'll trust me." Cherrystar nodded.

"Fine by me. Deerskip, organize the patrol, please. They'll leave at sunset; the moonlight should give them cover," he nodded and darted away to gather the cats. The meeting began to break up, and cats started to leave Lightspark stalked forward through the slush.

"You're going?" He meowed thoughtfully.

"I have to. It's my duty." They shared a knowing glance, and he nodded.

"I'm going, too, then. I can't let you die and lose all the progress we've made," he smirked and strode out of the den, Slateshard just behind him and trying to start a conversation.

"I'm going as well," she turned as Pearlfrost spoke. She pricked her ears. He gave a side smile. "I can't let you have all the glory." His eyes darkened though, as he stood, striding out. He's not going for glory. He's going to save his clan.

"Smokeflood," Cherrystar meowed quietly. Most of the cats had left at this time, and she looked over to the leader. "No matter what, if Mintstar is alive, you make sure she gets back here. I don't care about anyone else, no matter how cruel that sounds. That's your mission that I'm entrusting to you. Get your leader; a battle cannot truly be won without a leader to guide. I shouldn't say this, but Mintstar is a one-of-a-kind leader. She's the best of us. Get her back." With that, the leader stalked out of the brush, leaving a stunned Smokeflood behind.

I will. I won't fail this time to save my Clan.