Once Strong, Always Strong ~CHAPTERS 2, 3, AND 4 POSTED!~

Stormstrike- light grey and silver tom with ice blue eyes (Once RiverClan)
Dawnchaser- pale ginger and cream she cat with pale amber eyes (Once ShadowClan)
Heatherfrost- light brown tabby she cat with ice blue eyes and white paws (Once WindClan)
Waspwhisker- dark brown tabby tom with a flaming ginger underbelly and paws with green eyes (Once ThunderClan)

Fire... The thought raced through his mind. Stormstrike raced through the forest the fire roaring behind him. His heart pounded in his chest like a thousand drums. Screeches filled his ears as smoke filled his lungs. Stormstrike crawled through some brambles and leaped into a nearby river. Going underwater he kept swimming. He didnt know where this river would take him and he knew he would never see RiverClan territory again. The forest was destroyed...
Twolegs soon came, clearing out charred trees. The forest was now a horrible charred wasteland and the clans were destroyed. About 10 cats from each clan had lived and all 10 cats had agreed to stay together or die. But soon sickness had taken over many. Badgers and foxes sought their chance and killed some weak cats. The Survivors were left, 4 cats of each clan. Stormstrike of RiverClan, Dawnchaser of ShadowClan, Heatherfrost of WindClan, and Waspwhisker of ThunderClan. The 4 great clans were gone and it seemed even StarClan was gone. Leaving the 4 cats to nothing...

The four cats stood in the blackened moors staring at the charred black forest below and gazing around at the destroyed moors. Dawnchaser gave a long sigh as she stared at the once full of prey forest. "Were going to die..." She whispered. Unable to look at the sad sight below her she turned around tears streaking down her cheeks. Waspwhisker mewed, "We might as well sit here forever..." He gave a longing look toward ThunderClan territory. "At least the rivers are still ok...well kind of ok but we have a water supply and we need to clean off this soot." Heatherfrost pointed out trying to stay as positive as she could but her smile was a sad pained smile. Stormstrike sighed, "We might as well, if we want to live." The four cats trudged down toward the rivers and RiverClan territory toward the nearest river. They lapped at the water and cleaned off their pelts the soot washing away downriver. They got out of the river and shook out their pelts. "Now." Stormstrike began sitting down with the others facing him. "We need a plan. What should we do now?" He asked the others. "Hunt and rest. We need to find shelter quickly and make sure no badgers or foxes come. And we need to make sure none of us get sick so we have to stay as healthy as we can." Waspwhisker suggested. Dawnchaser nodded. "Lets do that and figure out our real plan once were up and running again." Stormstrike nodded. "Me and Waspwhisker will go hunting while Dawnchaser and Heatherfrost find shelter. Meet back here." He then turned to the two she cats. "If you do find a shelter meet back here and then show us. Come on Waspwhisker." Stormstrike watched the two she cats leave and then Waspwhisker and him turned away from their companions and toward the river. "Wanna learn how to fish?" Stormstrike asked. Waspwhisker shurgged. "Sure." They padded over to the river and Stormstrike stood over the river. He didnt have to worry about his shadow because it was night time. He saw the fish and darted his paw down into the water, clawed the fish, and brought it to the shore giving it a swift bite to the neck. "Nice." Waspwhisker complimented and smiled. "Thanks." Stormstrike replied. Waspwhisker smiled. "Wanna learn how a ThunderClan cat hunts?" He asked with a mischievous smile. Stormstrike nodded. Stormstrike picked up his fish and the two toms padded toward the charred forest. Their was no scent of ThunderClan left and Waspwhisker looked like he was about to burst. Stormstrike touched Waspwhisker's flank reassuringly. Waspwhisker looked at Stormstrike grateful to have a companion with him. "It feels so...lonely." Waspwhisker whispered eyes filled with tears. "Look!" Stormstrike whispered through his fish nudging Waspwhisker. A small mouse was padding around some blackened leaves searching for food. Though it seemed scrawny they needed food. "Watch and learn." Waspwhisker whispered with a sly smile. He stalked toward the mouse like a snake hiding behind some dead ferns. He put all his weight on his hind legs and sprang forward swiftly killing the mouse. "Lets get out of-" Stormstrike began and then he saw Waspwhisker sobbing. He padded over to the ThunderClan warrior and saw below them the ThunderClan camp and dead cats lying in the clearing. Stormstrike looked away sadness bursting in his heart. He lay his tail over Waspwhisker's shoulder's and whispered very gently, "Lets go." Waspwhisker padded numbly through the forest Stormstrike guiding the shocked and grieving tom. They returned back to their meeting place with the fish and mouse. The she cats already there. They smiled as they saw the toms and mewed. "We found shelter!" The four cats padded over the moors and into a nearby cave. They made small nests and shared the food. The four cats fell asleep and wished they would wake up in a prey filled forest in their clan's camp.

Dawnchaser gazed at the sun rising over the horizon. She had a brilliant plan for the others and couldn't wait for them to wake up. Soon, the four cats sat together discussing ideas on what to do. Dawnchaser sat up straight and mewed. "Lets make our own, clan. Just us and we can expand our clan. We can recruit loners, rouges and kittypets and we'll be the leaders." Stormstrike shook his head. "What about medicine cats and StarClan? Huh? And there is no where to go. The forest is ruined." Dawnchaser leaped to her paws. "No! We'll find a different forest! We cant just stay here forever wishing our clan mates were here! We have to unite and become one! Once strong, always strong!" Dawnchaser yowled determined. "She has a point." Waspwhisker mewed. "Im in." The tom stood to his paws to stand beside Dawnchaser. Heatherfrost narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Im in." The tabby she cat mewed and got to her paws standing on Dawnchaser's other side. "Come on Stormstrike. We cant do this without you." Waspwhisker urged. Stormstrike smiled. "Well...Im in." He mewed and got to his paws. Refreshed, they agreed to go on one of the biggest journey of their lives to find a new home.

Heatherfrost followed them as they padded far away from the charred forest. They traveled across the moors and looked back one last time. "Goodbye..." She whispered. Happy to start a new life with her new clan mates but terribly sad about loosing her old clan mates Heatherfrost padded on with the others and keeping their heads up they traveled on. The group padded through farm land and skirted around barns and far away from twolegs. They soon came to twoleg place. Heatherfrost raced across Thunderpaths and trudged on. "Where are we going?" She asked. Stormstrike's eyes widened and trying to keep a happy spirit he mewed. "Where we can start over." Heatherfrost sighed wishing this had never happened and they walked on. Finally they were out of Twoleg place and the sun was already halfway in the sky. "Wow. Time goes by way too fast." Heatherfrost commented. The others mumbled in agreement. Heatherfrost padded beside Dawnchaser froze and pricked her ears hearing pawsteps. She growled and whispered, "Rouges!" Heatherfrost saw the others unsheathe their claws and snarl. A dusty tabby tom stepped forward. He looked young about the age of an apprentice. "Who are you all?" He asked curiously. "Were, warriors." Heatherfrost answered simply. The tom narrowed his eyes and growled, "Get off RogueClan territory! We need all the prey we can get! Now go!" The 4 cats hissed one last time at the young RogueClan apprentice and padded away. "I didnt know their were other clans." Heatherfrost mewed curious. "I didnt either until now." Waspwhisker admitted. "Me too." Dawnchaser and Stormstrike mewed. "Hmmm, lets keep going." Heatherfrost mewed and they kept walking. They got very good distance until they stopped to rest for the night the sun beginning to set down slowly ever so slowly. They found a tree with a rabbit hole below it. "I got it. We used to check badger dens in WindClan territory." Heatherfrost mewed smiling and stepping forward. She bent her head and scented that the rabbits had left a very long time ago and nothing unexpecting was awaiting them. "All clear!" She mewed happily. They crawled into the rabbit hole and found a large dirt room. They quickly made make shift nests and settled down closing their eyes while Stormstrike kept watch outside.

They sun glittered in through the small rabbit hole. Dawnchaser rolled over to her side and moaned, "Somebody stop the light..." Heatherfrost who was blinking away sleep laughed. "But I thought you chased dawn?" Waspwhisker gave a mrrow of amusement. Dawnchaser purred. "Well, not today." Dawnchaser sat up yawning and looked around for a moment. "Wheres Stormstrike?" She asked. Heatherfrost shrugged. "He's still outside. I guess we forgot to switch jobs for guarding." Waspwhisker guessed worry in his eyes. Waspwhisker got to his paws and flicked his tail over to the entrance of the rabbit hole. "Come on." He mewed. Waspwhisker crawled out of the hole blinking as the sun hit his eyes. He crawled out and shook out his pelt looking around for the warrior. "Hmm..." Waspwhisker narrowed his eyes. There was a yowl of surprise behind him and he whipped around seeing Dawnchaser squinting in the light, while Heatherfrost was laughing mewing, "When you grow up in WindClan you get used to it." Dawnchaser rolled her eyes and cleaned her pelt. "So wheres Stormstrike?" Heatherfrost asked narrowing her eyes and tasting the air. "Over here." She mewed keeping her head raised to try to pick up Stormstrike's scent. The three cats raced into the forest the warrior's scent becoming stronger by the second. Heatherfrost raced like the wind through the forest while Dawnchaser leaped over roots and fallen logs. The she cats stopped a moment and mewed eyes wide. "Wheres Waspwhisker?" Slightly terrified they looked around. There was a snap of twigs and there they saw Waspwhisker cleaning his pelt. "Oh hello she cats!" He mewed waving his tail in hello. "Where were you?" Heatherfrost asked. "In the trees like a ThunderClan warrior." Dawnchaser rolled her eyes with a slight giggle. "Come on." She mewed. Dawnchaser leading the way they padded through the forest. "Dawnchaser! Heatherfrost! Waspwhisker! Over here!" It was Stormstrike smiling and waving his tail. He sat on top of a tree branch with a young black and white tom with green eyes. They padded forward looking up at the tree. Stormstrike and the tom landed down together and approached the three cats. "This is Forest." Heatherfrost dipped her head respectfully but confusion was in their eyes. Stormstrike mewed. "He knows the most amazing place for us to live. Theirs cats that live their too. Forest is going to show us the way." Stormstrike explained. "Well, what are we waiting for lets go!" Forest smiled. The young black and white tom led the way deeper into the forest and he called behind his backs. "So uh whats your all's names?" He asked. "Im Dawnchaser." Dawnchaser mewed. Forest snickered and Dawnchaser growled, "What?" Forest mewed. "Bet someone gets up early..." Dawnchaser narrowed her eyes. Heatherfrost's eyes widened and sh quickly mewed. "Im Heatherfrost." Forest giggled. "I bet someone is always freezing her fur off." Heatherfrost narrowed her eyes. "Er, Im Waspwhisker." Forest burst out laughing they had to stop to let the young tom catch his breath. He was laughing so hard he could barely talk. "What.....kind....of....name....is that??!!" Forest laughed panting. "The only sane name is Stormstrike! Hahaha Waspwhisker!" Forest laughed and laughed. Dawnchaser's eyes widened as she saw Waspwhisker unsheathe his claws. Waspwhisker was blushing and snarling showing one of the most angry faces she had seen on a cat. Her eyes wide she gave a small nod. Waspwhisker leaped on Forest and snarling. "Do NOT, tease my name or else their will be trouble. You dont want trouble, got that?" He growled baring his teeth. Dawnchaser and Heatherfrost stood above Forest baring their teeth. Stormstrike growled and pushed Waspwhisker off Forest. "Get off of him! He was stating his opinion." Stormstrike snarled. Forest smiled and sniffed. "Yeah! Lets go. Oh yeah you three. Try to keep up the pace because we wont wait!" With that Forest whipped around tail up with Stormstrike right beside him. Dawnchaser unsheathed her claws and muttered, "Why that little-" Heatherfrost put her tail in front of Dawnchaser. "Just come on." Waspwhisker mewed. "Im sorry Heatherfrost but Im with Dawnchaser on this one." Heatherfrost smiled and mewed, "We'll get revenge later, we dont want to get left behind." With that the light brown tabby she cat raced after the two toms with Waspwhisker and Dawnchaser following in despair. They soon were out of the deep forest and Forest stopped and mewed. "And this is where I leave you all." The four cats looked out seeing the beginnings of a desert. "Travel through the desert and you'll choose your path then. Good luck." With that Forest was gone. Leaving the four alone. "Finally! Im so relived that little fox heart didnt come." Dawnchaser mewed happily. "Yeah." Waspwhisker agreed. "He wasnt that bad guys." Stormstrike pleaded. "That bad? Stormstrike, he was extremely rude!" Heatherfrost growled. Stormstrike mewed, "Not to me." Dawnchaser shook her had sighing. "Anyway come on, lets just travel through this stupid desert." The four cats trudged through the sun and soon felt the sun blazing down on their pelts. "I feel like my pelt is on fire!" Heatherfrost mewed panting. They trudged on and saw the sun slowly going down. "Finally!" Stormstrike panted. "Lets rest outside." They soon settled down closing their eyes. After about an hour Heatherfrost cried, "This is freezing!" Thy dug borrows under the sand to keep warm." Soon they woke up crawling out and seeing the sun starting to rise to cook the cats. They kept on walking getting great distance. "How long will we be in this desert?" Dawnchaser sighed pushing through the others by her side.