First Snow

-Before I start, a few words. First, I'll be editing this as I go, but the story is still several years old and I might miss something. If so, please send a PM in regards to any grammar/structure/flow issues you may have. Second, if a character has the same name as you, it is just a coincidence and nothing more. And this last bit is just to say that this first entry will show a list of the non-canon characters and the prologue(I have a tendency to organize fanfics similar to what they were based on). Also, this takes place between the first series and A New Prophecy, after Firestar's Quest. I will also mention this now, so as to avoid confusion, but the chapters interval between Ghostpaw's and Bluenose's point of view. Now that all that is done, here we go.-

Spoiler:

Prologue

There was a cat grooming himself in a lush green forest, surrounded by the sounds and smells of green-leaf. He lifted his head when four cats, all their bodies barely visible, arrived.

"Greetings, Ghostpaw. I am Thunder, the first leader of ThunderClan. Might I ask, what brings a cat like you so deep into StarClan territory?" asked a ginger tom, Thunder.

"I came here to ask for guidance, I figured the cats that founded the clans would understand the most." replied the first cat, Ghostpaw.

"Well then you came to the right place. I am Wind, first leader of WindClan. I'm sure you all ready know that River and Shadow here founded RiverClan and ShadowClan, respectively." remarked a tom with gray fur, Wind.

"It is an honor to meet you all. Now, about my questions...?" mewed an impatient Ghostpaw.

"Yes, yes. Go ahead and ask your questions." sighed Shadow.

"Thank you. As you know, I have never felt like I belonged in ThunderClan, or any of the other clans. I have always felt out of place. I suspect that this is because I am not supposed to be a part of any of these clans, but rather of something else. So, what is StarClan's opinion on the matter of me running off. And if I ever did, who would be leader, or deputy, or medicine cat!?" Ghostpaw asked.

"StarClan does agree that you do not belong in the four clans; in fact, neither do many others." mewed Shadow.

"We believe that your presence in the clans may cause a great imbalance, which could leave to the deaths of many." added River.

"If you were to depart, you would have StarClan's blessing. As for the other question, those answers will come in time." calmly finished Thunder.

Irritated, Ghostpaw padded off without saying farewell. That was no answer! he thought, Well, I can't do anything about it for now. I'll just have to wait. I guess I'll just have to go along in ThunderClan until I get the answers I need!"

Not bad for a start, you seem to have followed the Erin's writing style for prologues, your grammar and vocabulary is okay so far.

Some minor errors (or what I think are errors do correct me if I made a mistake) I spotted:

"Surrounded by the sounds of greenleaf" Shouldn't it be smells?

"Might I ask?" May*

"His voice barely visible" Visible is associated with sight, not sound. In this case it should be audible.

"I came here was to ask for guidance" I came here to ask for guidance.

And the ending there were some coding errors if you read it.

Looking forward to your next chapter!

Thanks and fixed. Chapter One should come along sometime this week.

I'm also looking at the allegiances for your fanfic and the proportions. Let me just give you the count here.
Thunderclan warriors= 13 (excluding leaders and deputies)
Apprentices= 9
Queens= 4
Kits= 7 (that's are named)
Elders= 5

Shadowclan warriors= 7
Apprentices= 2 ( you didn't actually take the time to list so I presume it's just the 2?)
Queens= 1
Kits= 2
Elders= 1

Windclan warriors= 5
Apprentices= 0
Queens= 3
Kits= 0 (is this right if there are 3 listed queens?)
Elders= 0

Riverclan warriors= 6
Apprentices= 0 (again?)
Queens= 1
Kits= 0 (I must say it... Again?)
Elders= 1

Now what I'm gathering from this is you just got tired of making up characters or using ones from the books and putting up the information on them? I'm not sure if this is complete or not but this appears WAY, let me just emphasize this a bit more, WAY out of balance. Thunderclan has more than twice as many characters as any other clan Luce listed. Again I will state that I understand Thunderclan is the primary focus, but I think this will hurt your plot in the future. If you think of the characters in the terms of the books and look at the timeline, yes, you will see periods where clans grow and shrink but it never becomes so out of control that one clan has about twice as much as the next largest. I really do believe that this will only serve to hurt your plot, since the point of having different clans is to create a purpose for conflict and to establish unique traits and personalities based on different upbringings; unless maybe you are trying to suggest in some way that Thunderclan itself is its own problem and that's where all the conflict takes place? In which case, I don't understand the point in even listing the other clans at all.

My suggestion is, when it comes to allegiances, you don't have any characters listed on it that you have not already mentioned in some way and just update it each chapter or you don't have a section for it at all. It's far too easy to overwhelm yourself with too many characters as an inexperienced writer and if you really pay attention, any professional writer really emphasizes no more than 10 to 15 recurring characters and you have more than that number in just Thunderclan alone. That would be an almost overwhelming task to try to distinguish unique traits, characteristics and personalities for each. Not to mention, that I feel that to even attempt that would steer you completely away from the plot you are writing about.

I'm assuming that this is probably the fan fiction version of your characters history, that was mentioned in your character sheet and referenced in the ceremonies topic. I like the plot so far although, right now it is a bit tough to understand and establish a connection with your main character whom at this point I gather is Ghostpaw? Though it seems it might also be Thunder.

Lets start with the connection issue. The thing everyone loves about reading, is in ding that character they relate to. I'm sure you know what it's like to find a great book and get emotionally attached to a character. I'm finding it very difficult to make a connection with Ghostpaw. And I don't say that to be mean, but if you read through what you wrote again, and imagine pulling those emotions that Ghostpaw is experiencing, out of the story of the context I think you may see an issue with the flow of it. This is the pattern I am seeing

Confusion > Impatience > Uncertainty > Impatience

Maybe this doesn't really help on its an to see without explaining it. The point in a main character of a story is to establish a connection between the character and the audience. You need to establish a character that the reader both sympathizes with and a character that reminds readers of themselves in some way. I think that I failed to make that connection because the plot right now is very unclear. I understand that the point is that Ghostpaw grows up and leaves the clans to form a clan of its own. But you are missing the raw emotion behind it. You don't explain why Ghostpaw wants to leave Thunderclan. Or why he feels like the outcast. Those are the things people relate to. Everyone knows what it feels like to be the outcast and to feel like they are alone in some way. It's so important at the beginning to make the character vulnerable. That's what creates the bond between the character and the audience. When you make them vulnerable, you'll reach a whole new level to Ghostpaw that you probably never would have thought of before. It's all about understanding Ghostpaw's past that explains why he acts the way he does and thinks the way he does. All I'm understanding right now is that he is a very confused and angry character with no justification as to why he is that way and it doesn't appear he knows how to feel anything but that. If you are looking for ideas to change this, let me know and I can give you a few.

I believe it would also balance things out and clarify who the main character is if you maybe added a bit personality to River, Shadow and Wind. I understand that it's supposed to be about your character but I think thunder is taking a bit too much of the spotlight away from Ghostpaw. It also seemed to make the other 3 founding leaders presence unimportant because they had no effect on Ghostpaw's thoughts or feelings and they didn't speak at all. It sort of comes off as something that was just thrown in there to raise the word or line count, to me.

Phantom wrote:Not bad for a start, you seem to have followed the Erin's writing style for prologues, your grammar and vocabulary is okay so far.

Some minor errors (or what I think are errors do correct me if I made a mistake) I spotted:

"Surrounded by the sounds of greenleaf" Shouldn't it be smells?

"Might I ask?" May*

"His voice barely visible" Visible is associated with sight, not sound. In this case it should be audible.

"I came here was to ask for guidance" I came here to ask for guidance.

And the ending there were some coding errors if you read it.

Looking forward to your next chapter!

There's actually nothing wrong with him being surrounded by the sounds of greenleaf. I imagine he means maybe the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees or maybe a mouse scuffling about, although I do agree that being surrounded by the smells of green leaf would make a bit more sense and be easier to imagine since I believe in most of the books that the change between the scents of the seasons serves better to tell them when the seasons are actually changing.

Both might or may are grammatically correct in that sentence and although the sentence does admittedly sound incomplete when you use the word might, it does have a subject and verb in it, so there is nothing wrong. In fact I believe that originally, might is actually the only one that would have been grammatically correct in the English language.

Yes. Visible should be audible.

If you have not already corrected the coding error, you just missed the second half of the italicize code. Easy fix.

I hope you don't feel like I was bashing on your whole story, my only intention was to help you developed your writing skills.

Well, first off, it says his BODY is barely visible. Fixed the coding. Modifying the Allegiances(just gonna have non-canon characters). And as for the plot and development stuff, the prologue isn't really meant to connect to Ghostfur so much as foreshadow the apex of the story; that stuff will come more in the early chapters. Also gonna try and characterize the other founding cats a bit more. Also, some issues may occur just because I wrote this several years ago, though I am editing it as best I can without rewriting the whole thing.

~This chapter took a lot of editing, so if something is off please let me know~

Chapter 1

Ghostpaw felt a tingle of impatience crawl through his pelt as he waited for his mentor, Firestar. "It's almost sunhigh, where is he?" he mewed, sitting near the bramble tunnel, "He was going to train me how to fight ShadowClan cats today!" Is it possible he forgot? After all, it wouldn't be the first time, I can be pretty forgettable. Maybe I don't...

"How's it going Ghostpaw!" Hawkpaw greeted, snapping Ghostpaw back to reality. Hawkpaw was an apprentice like Ghostpaw, and his best friend. Her mentor was the clan's deputy, Graystripe.

"I was just wondering where Firestar is. I've been waiting for him here for a while." Ghostpaw said, in a slightly better mood. Somehow, whenever he was around Hawkpaw, Ghostpaw always seemed to be a bit happier.

"Really, I saw him talking with the hunting party a little bit ago, over by the Highrock. They looked pretty serious." mewed Hawkpaw, looking to be deep in thought. Ghostpaw figured she was wondering why they were so serious. She liked knowing what other people were thinking.

"Come on Ghostpaw, time for some special battle training. Graystripe, organize the rest of the patrols and then come along with Hawkpaw." Firestar said as he and Graystrip were padding over from the other side of the Highrock. Graystripe nodded and strided over to where some of the warriors were enjoying the warm sun, too lazy to walk all the way to Sunningrocks. Ghostpaw noticed that Firestar seemed to be lacking his normal, more relaxed mood. Now he looked as tense as if the dog pack from the elder's tales were breathing down his scruff.

"Really, neat! But, what's going on? Does it have something to do with those strange scents coming from Fourtrees?" Ghostpaw asked curiously.

"We'll discuss this at the sandy hollow." Firestar responded. Ghostpaw thought he detected a bit of worry in his mentor's voice, which made him worry about what was going on even more.

"Okay, coming Firestar." he mewed to his mentor before following Firestar through the bramble tunnel.

Graystripe and Hawkpaw caught up with them right as they reached the sandy hollow. The hollow was empty and smelled of Thunderclan, as usual, but there was something else. It wasn't as strong as the cat scent but Ghostpaw was sure he wasn't imagining it. Fox! His pelt bristled as he recognized the scent. He could tell it was fresh, too. Ghostpaw was about to tell the others, but saw that they had also caught the scent.

Ghostpaw nearly jumped out of his fur when some bushes nearby shook and the fox emerged, it's red fur glinting in the sunlight. Ghostpaw could feel Hawkpaw next to him and knew that they both had the same idea. Remembering when they would prank the apprentices when they were kits, how Ghostpaw would get their attention and Hawkpaw snuck around, Ghostpaw lunged toward the fox.

He jumped and managed to land squarely on the fox's back, and dug his claws into it's fur. Ghostpaw tried to hold on and keep the fox busy, but it threw him off easily and Ghostpaw landed hard a tail-length away. Winded, he was unable to get up as the fox came over to finish him.

The fox was about to bite his throat when something shoved it off. Ghostpaw looked up and saw that it was Hawkpaw who had knocked the fox away. The plan worked! It didn't go as planned, but it worked! Hawkpaw helped him up while he tried to catch his breath. Once again Ghostpaw was reminded how much happier he was around Hawkpaw. Then he remembered the fox.

Ghostpaw looked up in time to see the fox biting into Graystripe's tail as Firestar raked his claws across it's russet colored flank. Ghostpaw regained his composure and leaped back onto the fox's back, but this managed to bite into the creature's neck before being thrown off again. After a few more moments, the fox turned-tail and fled back into the forest, heading towards the RiverClan border.

After they checked to make sure that the fox had left their territory, the four cats made their way back to the camp. Once they got there, Ghostpaw noticed that several warriors looked over at them in surprise, and Firestar told Ghostpaw and Hawkfire to go to the medicine den while he met with some of the warriors. Stepping into the medicine den, Ghostpaw noticed that only his brother, Bluepaw, who was the medicine cat apprentice was there.

"What happened to you two?" asked Bluepaw, obviously shocked to see them all scratched up.

"We fought a fox!" mewed Hawkpaw excitedly. Ghostpaw was too tired to speak, so he just nodded his head as Hawkpaw explained what had happened. Once Hawkpaw finished, Bluepaw let out a laugh.

"Well, it's no wonder you look like a bedraggled mouse!" laughed Bluepaw, before starting to work on their wounds.

After getting their wounds checked, Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw walked over to the fresh-kill pile and decided to share a mouse. They ate by the old tree stump, and Ghostpaw was perfectly content to just relax there after they had finished the mouse.

"When do you think we'll be made warriors? I bet it will be soon, especially after we fought off that fox!" mewed Hawkpaw excitedly. Ghostpaw thought that maybe he had heard something else in her voice, but dismissed it quickly as his imagination.

"I don't know, but the sooner the better." he replied. After that fight with the fox, Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw got the rest of the day off from training, and they spent most of the day lounging around camp and playing with the kits. As the sun sank in the sky, they both decided to go and get some extra sleep and curled up in their nests in the apprentice's den.

I think this is a big improvement so far. There's a few spelling errors here and there but it looks pretty good.

Thanks! Any particular comments or concerns with this chapter(especially regarding the fox fight, as I had a hard time editing that from the original)?

I think it is great, probably better than my fanfic Darkness comes, but I really like it.Can't wait for chapter two!

~As a note, I would like to mention that the point of view alternates between two characters(which will provide a better idea of what is happening at times later in the story), which are Ghostpaw and Bluepaw. And so, here is your first look at the Bluepaw POV.~

Chapter 2

After treating Ghostpaw and the others, Bluepaw decided to check on the herb store to see what they were low on. He walked over and looked into the store. Looks like we're low on goldenrod. thought Bluepaw.

"Well, looks like I didn't even need to come here to tell you what to do." mewed a voice from behind him. Bluepaw turned around startled, but realized it was just his mentor, Cinderpelt.

"I was just about to go out for some goldenrod. Should I take an escort with me?" Blupaw mewed to his mentor.

"No, I trust you'll be fine on your own. But please look out for foxes, they seem to be everywhere lately." replied Cinderpelt, with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Okay, and don't worry, I'll be fine." mewed Bluepaw as he turned to leave. After leaving the camp, he headed straight for the nearest patch of goldenrod that he could think of. Finding his way was difficult, however, as all Bluepaw could smell was fox. Cinderpelt was right, foxes are everywhere nowadays. Especially if they are coming this close to the camp. Bluepaw thought nervously. "The path should be right about... Great StarClan, NO!" screeched Bluepaw, anger and worry welling up inside of him. Fox scent was everywhere and all the goldenrod was crushed.

After checking all the other patches he knew of, and finding them in the smae condition, Bluepaw gathered what he could and headed home to report this to Cinderheart.

Back at camp, Cinderpelt saw him almost as soon as he entered the medicine den. "Is that all of it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the measly clump that Bluenose held in his jaws.

"Yes. The rest was crushed by foxes!" Bluepaw mewed after setting down the goldenrod.

"No! This has gotten out of control, we must report this to Firestar! He needs to send out some warriors to find these foxes and drive them out, now! angrily mewed Cinderpelt as she lashed her tail.

When they stepped out into the clearing, Bluepaw noticed all the cats had gathered by the Highrock, even Frozentail! This must be important, thought Bluepaw, Frozentail almost never leaves the elder's den! Not even for meetings!

"What's going on?" asked a voice that startled Bluepaw. He turned and saw Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw coming over to where he was.

"I don't know. I just came out and saw every cat was gathered." replied Bluepaw. Then he saw Firestar enter camp through the gorse tunnel.

"What is going on here?" Firestar demanded when he noticed the clan gathered in the clearing.

"Firestar, we need to take action against these foxes. I can smell them from here!" mewed Lightningtail, who was sitting by the Highrock with Jaywing at his side.

"Can it wait until morning Lightningtail, some cats need to sleep. This fox problem isn't going to be solved overnight anyway." Firestar responded. Bluepaw noticed Firestar had been looking at Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw when he said that.

"I suppose we can let the apprentices rest." mewed Lightningtail, not looking happy with Firestar's decision in the slightest.

"Why don't you get som rest too. I'll go talk to Firestar." mewed Cinderpelt. Bluepaw had been so focused on the meeting that he hadn't noticed her come to sit by him.

"Okay." mewed Bluepaw, just now realizing that the sun had nearly set. He padded over to his nest in the medicine den. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. thought Bluepaw as he drifted into sleep.

~for anyone who likes reading this, sorry for the long wait, summer has been very busy lately. But now I can finally add another chapter! Enjoy!~

Chapter 3

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Firestar's yowl pierced the quiet of the camp and woke Ghostpaw. When he padded out of the apprentice's den he realized it was nearly sunhigh! He quickly padded over to join Hawkpaw next to Treepaw and Sharppaw.

"Thank StarClan you're up!" mewed Hawkpaw as Ghostpaw settled down next to her.

"Yeah, you almost missed the meeting. And I thought Nopaw slept deeply!" added Sharppaw.

"You have bees in your brain if you think I'd miss this meeting, Sharppaw!" Ghostpaw mewed in reply.

"Before we discuss the problem with the foxes, I have a few ceremonies to conduct. If we are to face these foxes, we will need warriors, and two apprentices have shown they are ready." Firestar mewed, clearly glancing down at Nopaw and Riverpaw. "Nopaw, Riverpaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" exclaimed Riverpaw, who was shaking with excitement.

"I do." Nopaw mewed a bit more tentatively, though Ghostpaw could tell that Nopaw was just as excited as Riverpaw.

"Good, then in the power of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Nopaw, from this moment on you will be known as Noclaw. StarClan honors you strength and creativity and welcomes you as a warrior of ThunderClan. Riverpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Riverstone. StarClan honors your bravery and loyalty and welcomes you as a warrior of ThunderClan." Firestar said.

"Noclaw! Riverstone!" the clan yowled their new names, and Ghostpaw saw his former denmates beaming with pride at their new names. Even the usually reserved Noclaw wasn't containing his excitement.

"And now we must also train more warriors if we are to remain strong, and Longshadow's litter has reached their sixth moon. Step forward Flamekit, Firekit, Nightkit, and Lostkit." mewed Firestar, and the eager kits stumbled over to the Highrock. "Flamekit, you shall be known as Flamepaw. Lightningtail shall be your mentor. Firekit, from now on you will Firepaw. Rainwhisker, you shall mentor him. Nightkit, from now on you will be Nightpaw, and your mentor will be Ashfur. And Lostkit, you will be Lostpaw. Brokenfang, you did a good job training Noclaw, and now you shall mentor Lostpaw." As Firestar named each mentor they touched noses with their new apprentices, though Lostpaw was so excited he bumped into Brokenfang a bit too hard and Brokenfang stumbled backwards. Then the clan yowled out the new apprentices name's, with Longshadow's voice ringing out loudest.

"Now how are we going to sleep! The den is going to be stuffed, and every cat knows how energetic Lostpaw is!" Sharppaw exclaimed quietly.

"Well I bet the queens will be happy, four less cats in there now. I bet Ravenwing's kits will be happy with the extra space." mewed Treepaw.

"Now can we discuss those foxes!" yowled Frozentail before Firestar could continue.

"Yes, I was just getting to that. I'll send a battle patrol to track down and drive those foxes out of our territory for good." Firestar announced. He was greeted by yowls of approval from the whole clan. "Mousefur will lead the patrol. Brambleclaw, Dustpelt, Lightningtail, Flamepaw, Ghostpaw, and Treepaw will go with. You will depart at sunset. But if the scent trail leads you into another clan's territory then don't follow it. If that's the case I'll bring it up at the next Gathering." Firestar said before jumping down the Highrock, ending the meeting.

"Wow! You get to go with the battle patrol! You're so lucky!" mewed Hawkpaw excitedly.

"This will be fun. Maybe Firestar'll even make us warriors if we succeed!" exclaimed Treepaw.

"Come on Treepaw. We should get some rest. We can't shred Foxes if we're too tired to lift a paw!" Ghostpaw said. Sharppaw grumbled and strode away and Hawkpaw went to join her mentor in a hunting patrol while Ghostpaw and Treepaw walked over to the apprentice's den to rest up for the fox hunt.

~I suppose it's time to post another chapter, so here it is. Once again the POV alternates between Ghostpaw(odd numbered) and Bluepaw(even numbered).~

Chapter 4

Bluepaw stayed where he was for a bit as the gathered cats began to break into small groups. He was startled when a whail rose up from across the clearing, near the nursery.

"Smokekit! Smokekit! Where are you!" Ravenwing wailed. Bluepaw saw several cats spring to their feet at the news that a kit might be missing, and he began to pad over to the wailing queen to try and calm her and find out what happened. Before he could get half way to Ravenwing, Bluepaw saw Jaywing burst into the clearing carrying a small gray bundle. When Jaywing got closer Bluepaw recognaized that the small bundle was Smokekit.

"Bluepaw! I found Smokekit. He was halfway up the ravine eating some of these berries, I think they're deathberries." Jaywing said as he set down Smokekit and nudged forward a stick with bright red berries on it. By now Ravenwing had come over and watched in silent horror.

"You're right! Bring him to the medicine den and then begin scooping as many chunks of those berries out as you can! Ravenwing, I know you want to be with Smokekit, but I need you to bring these berries out of the camp and bury them, but don't use your mouth to carry it. Once you're done wash your paws in a stream." Bluepaw said. Ravenwing just nodded and began carrying the stick out of camp. If only Cinderpelt were here, but she went out into the woods to try and find some hidden herbs that may have survived the foxes! Bluepaw thought as he followed Jaywing into the medicine den. While Jaywing set about trying to get the deathberries out of Smokekit's mouth, Bluepaw ran into the back of the den where the herbs were stored. Good. We still have some. he thought as he pulled out a couple of almost dry leaves and carried them back to where Smokekit lay and began chewing the foul tasting herb into a poultice.

"Is this good?" Jaywing asked. Bluepaw looked down Smokekit's throat and saw that most of the red flecks were gone.

"Yes. Now take some of this and try to get Smokekit to swallow some. It's yarrow, it will make him sick and the rest of the deathberries should come out." Bluepaw said as Jaywing began feeding the small kit the yarrow. "That's it, get rid of all the berry Smokekit. You're going to be fine." Bluepaw said when Smokekit began retching up little red bits. "He should be fine. You should go clean your paws in a stream. After that just leave Smokekit some space." Bluepaw said, dismissing Jaywing.

Shortly after the dark gray tom left, Bluepaw was startled by a voice from the den's entrance, "Was that Jaywing? What happened?" Bluepaw turned as Cinderpelt came in carrying a pitiable mouthful of only two or three stems of goldenrod.

"You're back! While you were out, Smokekit snuck out and ate some deathberries. I ah, fed him some yarrow to make him sick. That was the right thing to do, nothing that I forgot?" Bluepaw asked shyly.

"Yes, that was perfect!" Cinderpelt said, "There isn't much left that I can teach you. I suppose it's about time you stopped being my apprentice. Why don't you go get yourself some fresh-kill."

I'm going to get my full medicine cat name! Bluepaw thought excitedly, Just wait 'till I tell Ghostpaw! "Th-Thanks Cinderpelt!" he stammered. As he walked to go get some fresh-kill, Bluepaw felt a sudden chill as a thought came to mind. I'm finally going be accepted as a full medicine cat! So why do I still feel like ThunderClan isn't my home? Bluepaw didn't have an answer, but he was content to push those thoughts aside as he began crunching down on a plump blackbird as he brimmed with excitement about becoming a full medicine cat.

~as a quick note that doesn't mean much, this chapter probably required the most change from it's original form than any other, so please forgive me if there are grammar issues or if it sounds a bit choppy or whatever~

Chapter 5

Ghostpaw was running through a lush forest. He knew it was dreaming because the trees were lush and full while back in ThunderClan most trees were still bare this early in newleaf. But he also knew that he had a specific purpose for being here and that he would probably wake up soon, so he didn't have much time. Suddenly he burst through the undergrowth and found himself in a bright clearing filled with cats that shimmered with stars in their pelts. Most of the StarClan cats looked at him in surprise, as if they couldn't believe that a living cat, and an apprentice at that, had managed to find their way here without a guide.

"Cats of StarClan, I seek guidance. Please lend me your wisdom." Ghostpaw asked.

"What are you doing here!" asked a cat as she stalked out of the shadows. It took a moment for Ghostpaw to recognize Shadow.

"Ah, Shadow. I hadn't expected to find you again, but I figure you are probably one of the best cats to answer my questions." Ghostpaw mewed, bowing his head in respect to the founder of ShadowClan.

"Well? You're here now, get on with it!" snapped Shadow.

"Er, right. I came here because even though I was chosen for the fox patrol, I still don't feel entirely at home in ThunderClan. I was wondering if you could help me, I've decided that I can't just run off on my own, I have too many friends in the clan. So what do I do?" Ghostpaw asked. He noticed that most of the other StarClan cats had stopped paying attention, while the others watched on with expressionless faces. He was waiting for Shadow to respond when Ghostpaw felt a sudden jab in his side. He turned quickly to see who had jabbed him, but instead found that everything was going dark, and he knew he was waking up. No! he thought as he felt himself get jabbed again, and he thought he could feel claws this time.

"Wake up Ghostpaw, it's sunset." mewed a voice right above Ghostpaw's head. By scent he could tell it was Brambleclaw.

"Keep your claws sheathed and I'll be ready!" Ghostpaw snapped as he shook himself from his dream. So close! What will it take to get an answer from those cats! Brambleclaw just nodded and stepped out of the apprentice's den. Mouse-brained badger. Let me get up before you start clawing me. he thought as he stretched and stepped out into the clearing. As the patrol got ready to leave, Ghostpaw saw the cats in the clearing were calling words of encouragement, as if they were going off to some big battle.
~
The patrol had been following the scent for awhile, it wasn't so much that it was difficult to find as it was difficult to figure out where it came from. It took a good portion of the night before they found that the scent was especially strong near Foutrees.

"The den must be in Fourtrees! And by the smell, their has to be at least twice as many foxes as us!" Mousefur mewed quietly. "There's nothing we can do with that many foxes. We'll just have to go back and report this to Firestar."

"If the foxes are holed up in Fourtrees, then how will we meet at the full moon? Are we going to politely ask the foxes to leave for one night?" Lightningtail spat, though Ghostpaw just figured it was more out of frustration that aggression right now. The others didn't pay him much mind and the patrol turned back into ThunderClan territory. what will we do if their are just too many? Will the clans have to unite like they did to drive our BloodClan, would they even be willing? Ghospaw thought as they trudged through the undergrowth.
~
When they got back to camp, Mousefur went off to report to Firestar while the others dispersed. Even though it was nearing moonhigh, Ghostpaw was full of energy. He had slept most of the day and had been eager to chase off some foxes. He padded over to the apprentice's den and looked inside, but the others were all asleep, and he didn't want to disturb them. Ghostpaw backed out of the den and spotted Bluepaw sitting by the old tree stump looking excited, and Ghostpaw decided to go see what got his brother so excited.

"Hey Bluepaw. How's it going?" he asked casually, knowing his brother would likely tell him.

"I should be asking you that. You're all back yet it looks like you didn't fight anything, foxes or otherwise." Bluepaw replied.

"Yeah, well, we found them. But we didn't dare attack. We didn't even get to where we could see them, but the scent was so strong that there must have been a lot, and they are holed up at Fourtrees! But I'm sure you'd have found out about it soon enough, now are you going to tell what has you so excited? I haven't seen you like this since we sneeked out of camp as kits!" Ghostpaw said.

"Cinderpelt says she's going to give me my full name at halfmoon tomorrow! I'm going to be a full medicine cat!" Bluepaw said with a little bounce.

"Congradulations, you lucky furball! I haven't even been to the Moonstone yet, so I could still be an apprentice for moons!" Ghostpaw said, a little disappointed that he wouldn't get his full name at the same time as his brother. Then an idea popped into his head, and he thought he heard a voice whisper Your brother does not belong. Ask if you doubt it. For a moment Ghostpaw thought he could even pick up Shadow's scent. "Hey, um Bluepaw? This may be a really strange question, especially to ask it right now, but, do you truly feel like you belong in ThunderClan?" Ghostpaw asked hesitantly, not sure whether his brother will doubt his own loyalty or just mock him.

Bluepaw didn't answer right away, and Ghostpaw got more nervous the longer the silence lasted. "No, not really." Bluepaw said at last.

"So I'm not alone. Also, can you keep a secret?" Ghostpaw said. He could tell his brother was becoming more and more uncomfortable with this conversation, but now he felt like he needed to just get it all out.

"Sure, what is it Ghostpaw?" Bluepaw asked, and Ghostpaw coild tell that Bluepaw was becoming a bit more edgy.

"Well, I kind of have these dreams. Dreams about StarClan. Lately I've been talking to them a lot, but what I find strange is that I can go to them at will." Ghostpaw said, feeling lighter now that he has revealed his secret to someone else.

"Really! Normally only medicine cats and leaders visit StarClan, and never freely! But you're not the only one with some rather strange abilities." Bluepaw said, sounding much more interested in the conversation now. "You remember how when we snuck out of camp as kits, I knew exactly where to go and where everything was? That is my ability, it seems to work everywhere. Right now I could lead you anywhere in WindClan territory, even though I've only ever just passed through on the way to Mothermouth."

"Strange. I wonder what this means? Let's not talk about this unless one of finds something else out. Agreed?" Ghostpaw asked, his head reeling at what this all could mean.

"Of course. Now go and rest, we'll both need it." Bluepaw said, sounding relieved that the conversation was over. Without another word, the two apprentices padded off to their respective dens. So there are two of us. I wonder if there are others? I'll need to ask StarClan. he thought as he padded over to his nest. Who knows, maybe Hawkpaw is one of us too, I hope so anyway. Ghostpaw thought as he curled up in his nest by Hawkpaw, suddenly feeling tired as if the conversation had taken the effort of fighting a whole patrol on his own, and dozing off into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 6

The next day was somewhat uneventful. There had been the initial excitement when Firestar announced what the fox hunting patrol had learned, but by then most cats already knew the story. All Firestar had revealed about his plans to deal with the problem was that he had an idea that might work. Other than that it was just another day in ThunderClan, with Bluenose sorting herbs and tending to any aches the elders might of had. It was nearing sunhigh, and Bluepaw was sorting through the herbs when he felt a sudden chill. Bluepaw looked up from the herbs and suddenly he felt the temperature drop even more, and he saw that frost was starting to form on the walls of the den. The frost crackled across the floor of the den and Bluepaw was struck when he could make out words in the cracking sounds.

"Ice and snow shall come. And their ghost shall be seen by all." said the strange voice in the cracking.

"Wait. Please, what does that mean? I don't understand!" Bluepaw said as the frost all melted as fast as it had come.

"Bluepaw, are you all right? You look as if you found a fox in your nest!" Cinderpelt asked.

"Yes Cinderpelt. I'm fine." Bluepaw replied absently, still focused on what that prophecy could have meant.

"Okay, then you wouldn't mind checking on the nursery? Squirrelkit is complaining about a sore stomach. You know what to do." Cinderpelt said. Bluepaw just nodded and grabbed the herbs he might need and padded over to the nursery.
~
The rest of the day went along as most days do, but Bluepaw was excited as the halfmoon rose above the horizon, forgetting about the strange omen he had received earlier.

"Let's get going Bluepaw, we're wasting moonlight." Cinderpelt said, and they started on toward Fourtrees. They could have gotten there sooner, but Bluepaw could tell that his mentor's old wound was bothering her, and so he had insisted they take it more slowly. It wasn't until they got closer to Fourtrees that they remembered the fox problem.

"We'll have to go around, through Riverclan territory. Come on." Cinderpelt said, turning toward the RiverClan border. As they padded through RiverClan's territory, keeping clear of Fourtrees, they met up with the RiverClan medicine cat, Mudfur.

"I see you are already aware that the foxes are in Fourtrees. I would have done no cat good if you two somehow stumbled into their den unaware." Mudfur said in greeting. Bluepaw saw Cinderpelt nod in greeting and the three of them continued around Fourtrees until they found Littlecloud and Barkface waiting in WhindClan territory.

"Oh thank StarClan! I was beginning to worry that something may have happened to you!" Littlecloud exclaimed, who padded up to greet Cinderpelt. Bluepaw knew just how close Littlecloud and Cinderpelt were, and wasn't surprised by the very affectionate greeting shared by the ShadowClan medicine cat and Bluepaw's mentor.

"We're fine. But the foxes have been trouble with our herb stores. Thank StarClan it's newleaf." Cinderpelt replied.

"They have caused issues in all out territories. Now may we get a move on, we don't want to miss the Moonstone!" Barkface said. After that the medicine cats padded on in silence, giving Bluepaw time to think about his impending medicine cat ceremony. Once all five of them were beside the Moonstone, Cinderpelt got the attention of the others.

"Before we share dreams with StarClan, I have a special task to attend to. Bluepaw, do you promise to uphold the way of a medicine cat, to stand apart from the rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." mewed Bluepaw, his fur brimming with excitement.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Bluepaw, from this moment you mill be known as Bluenose." Cinderpelt finished, putting her nose on his head as he licked her shouulder respectfully.

"Bluenose! Bluenose!" the other medicine cats called. This is it! Bluenose thought, I'm finally a full medicine cat!

"Now touch your nose to the Moonstone so you may meet your warrior ancestors as a full medicine cat." Cinderpelt mewed. Bluenose touched his nose against the cold stone and closed his eyes. His dream was quick and confused, filled with scenes of mountains and snow. No cat spoke on the way back except when they would split up to return to their own camps. Bluenose fell asleep almost as soon as he curled up in his nest.

Chapter 7

Several murmuring voices outside the apprentice's den woke Ghostpaw. He got up and stretched, but then he noticed that based on the light it couldn't be very long past dawn! Ghostpaw stepped out into the clearing and found the source of the commotion. Sitting in the clearing, near the Highrock, were a white tom and a brown tabby tom.

"There you are! You almost slept through another meeting!" mewed Sharppaw as Ghostpaw joined the other apprentices.

"What is happening? And why does no cat ever try to wake me when something interesting is going on!?" Ghostpaw asked.

"I was going to, but grumpy old Frozentail was in the way." Hawkpaw mewed from beside him.

"And no cat knows what is going on, but Firestar is about to call a meeting. Any cat knows that." Treepaw added. Right as Treepaw said that, Firesar jumped up onto the Highrock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting." Firestar yowled, though most of the clan was already gathered. "As many of you have learned, these two rogues were found in our territory. They had asked our dawn patrol if they could speak with the clan and I have been talking with them. We shall listen to what these rogues have to say and then they will leave." Firestar announced, nodding to the rogues to signal that they may speak.

"Thank you, Firestar. My name is Ice, and my friend here is called Jack. We have been following a group of foxes for sometime now and it has come to our attention that they have settled by your territory." Ice said in a clear and confident voice.

"Almost sounds like a leader, doesn't he." Ghostpaw muttered.

"Shut up Ghostpaw! I'm trying to listen." Sharppaw hissed. Ghostpaw didn't respond, his attention focused on the strange cats.

"I should warn you that these are no ordinary foxes. They are more intelligent than most, and have a dangerous leader. They are led by a fox who can speak cat, and he is obsessed with killing all cats. From what Jack and I have found, he goes by the name of Fear." Ice said.

"What do we care if their leader can speak with us? We still have to drive them out anyway!" Lightningtail called out.

"Be quiet Lightningtail, there is more." Firestar said. Lightningtail grumbled but he didn't argue further, Ghostpaw figured he wouldn't want to make the clan seem weak in front of two rogues.

"There is indeed more. The foxes have an ally. A badger who can speak fox, cat, and who knows what else. He has a very deep hatred for cats and has joined up with Fear. The badger goes by Rage." Ice continued.

"We also believe Rage to be quite manipulative. He has gathered a band of badgers and even some cats who are entirely loyal to him." Jack added, speaking up for the first time.

"This all sounds like a load of fox-dung! Whoever heard of a cat following a badger, or a badger that can speak cat!" challenged Lightningtail.

"While it is hard to believe, we should not ignore this information. Thank you for telling us this." Firestar said, dipping his head to the rogues.

"Thank you for letting us speak. But we shall be on our way now, we needn't be a burden to you." Ice said, turning around and waiving his tail for Jack to follow.

"First foxes, and now badgers! When will it end!?" Ravenwing wailed once Ice and Jack had left.

"Don't worry, our kits are safe. We'll drive out those foxes, you'll see." purred Jaywing, soothing his mate.

"Jaywing is correct, we will deal with this. ThunderClan has survived much, and we won't be driven out by a few foxes." Firestar said before jumping down from the Highrock, signaling the meeting was over.

"It has begun. You must find your closest allies in the time to come. Follow your heart, young Ghostpaw." mewed a voice in the wind. Ghostpaw nearly fell over when he realized it was Shadow. Out of all the cats in StarClan, why is Shadow the one helping me the most!? he thought as he quickly licked his chest to hide how startled he had been.

"Are you alright Ghostpaw?" Hawkpaw asked. Even though most of the clan had split up into groups, Hawkpaw had stayed with him. Ghostpaw looked at her and knew that she had noticed him get startled.

"Um yeah, I guess. Can we talk somewhere without so many cats around?" Ghostfur asked.

"Sure, we can use that gap between the dirt-place and the nursery. Why?" Hawkpaw asked. Once they were out of earshot of the other cats, Ghostpaw turned to face Hawkpaw.

"Well, I kind of plan on sneaking out to visit the Moonstone. Bluenose and I haven't ever really felt like we belong here, and on top of that we both have strange and unusual powers. We're going to go to Moonstone to ask StarClan where we truly belong." Ghostpaw explained, "I want you to cover for us while we're away."

"Well then you'll have to find some other cat to do it! I've also felt out of place, and I can certainly jump higher and farther than any other cat. So I'm coming with." Hawkpaw replied, and Ghostpaw saw a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"Oh fine." Ghostpaw sighed. As they slipped back into the clearing, Ghostpaw asked, changing the subject, "So, what does Graystripe have you doing today?"

"He wants me to hunt for the queens. Why, what are you doing?" Hawkpaw asked.

"Firestar has me taking care of the elders. And I'll bet Frozentail has picked a bunch of ticks!" Ghostpaw mewed.

"Good luck! Try not to get your ears clawed off by Frozentail!" Hawkpaw mewed as she began padding toward Graystripe's hunting patrol that was gathering by the fern tunnel.

"Good hunting! Say hi to Squirrelkit and Leafkit for me. You know how much they love playing with my tail." Ghostfur mewed, padding to the elder's den.

Great story! I wish i could write as well as you.

Thanks!  Though I have it easier because I'm not making it from scratch, I have my really bad old one I wrote years ago as a base.

Chapter 8

A quarter moon has passed since Ice and Jack visited, and the encounter was still spoken of around camp. All the while, the foxes have been taking more territory, to the point that no cats were allowed to go past the Owl Tree.

Bluenose was worriedly going through the herbs, since he and Cinderpelt haven't been able to get to most of them, and was not at all pleased with what he found. "Cinderpelt! I've got some bad news." Bluenose called.

"What is it Bluenose?" Cinderpelt asked, with a glint of worry in her eyes.

"I just went through the herb stores, we're out of goldenrod and burdock root. I also noticed that we are low on poppy seeds as well as yarrow." Bluenose reported.

"That's not good. I there were a battle, we wouldn't be able to tend to any injuries worse than a scrape." Cinderpelt mewed, and Bluenose was sad to see her in such a resigned state.

"Cinderpelt! Cinderpelt!" called a voice from outside, before Bluenose saw Ashfur poke his head inside the medicine den. "Cinderpelt, Lostpaw and Treepaw are hurt." he said.

"Bring them in, I'll have a look at them." Cinderpelt sighed as she gathered up some herbs. "Bluenose, you've been fretting over the herb stores almost constantly. I want you to take the day off, I can handle Lostpaw and Treepaw." Cinderpelt meowed.

"But I haven't..." Bluenose began, but was interrupted by Cinderpelt.

"I can more than handle a couple of hurt apprentices. Now go, if I need you I'll call for you." she said, sounding a bit more like her old self.

"Of course." Bluenose said before turning and padding out of the den, passing Ashfur and the apprentices. They looked a bit worse than Ashfur had let on, but Bluenose was not about to go back against Cinderpelt's wishes, he rather enjoyed having all his fur on him. As he padded out into the clearing, Bluenose was reminded just how bad the fox problem was. The fresh-kill pile was pitifully small, and over by the apprentice's den Bluenose could see Firepaw and Smokepaw crouched down quietly, not playing like most new apprentice's do.

"Hey, Bluenose! Can we talk?" Bluenose heard Ghostpaw call, and turned to wait for his brother.

"Sure, what is it?" Bluenose asked, but Ghostpaw didn't respond, instead he guided him to a spot in the clearing that was well out of earshot of the other cats.

"I just spoke with Hawkpaw not long ago. It appears she is also out of place here." Ghostpaw whispered, though there was no cat close enough to overhear anyway.

"She is?" Bluenose asked, a little surprised. He had thought that it was just the two of them who didn't truly belong in ThunderClan, or any of the other clans.

"Yes, and we've decided to go to Mothermouth to share dreams with StarClan. We hope they will help us find where we really belong." Ghostpaw mewed.

"But only clan leaders and medicine cats share dreams at the Moonstone! What if a WindClan patrol found you!" Bluenose hissed, shocked by his brother's bold plan.

"And that brings me to why I'm telling you right now. I want you to come with. You're a full medicine cat now, so to WindClan it would just appear as if you were making the journey with an escort, which would probably be accepted with the foxes about. Plus, I kind of already told Hawkpaw that you agreed to come, so it would be strange if you decide not to." Ghostpaw mewed urgently.

"Fine, I'll come. I sure hope you know what you're doing, though." Bluenose sighed. He really hated it when Ghostpaw traps him in one of these crazy plans of his.

"Great! We'll go there in two sunrises, if that's okay." Ghospaw asked, looking relieved now that Bluenose had agreed to go. Bluenose nodded that he was okay with that plan and got up to to find a sunny spot to lay in. What kind of trouble will my brother get us into now? Bluenose thought to himself as he began sunning himself.

~Sorry it took so long for me to put this chapter up, but this summer has been busy, but here it finally is~

Chapter 9

The morning after his talk with both Bluenose and Hawkpaw, Ghostpaw kept wondering what would happen if they met any patrols while they were out. Even though it would be okay for Bluenose to be going to Highstones, Ghostpaw had a feeling that it would look suspicious if WindClan saw that Bluenose's escort was two apprentices and no warriors. And even worse, what if a ThunderClan patrol spotted them! How would they explain all this to Firestar if he found out what they were up to.

By sunhigh all Ghostpaw had been told to do was to check the elders for ticks, meanwhile Hawkpaw was clearing their old bedding. "I never knew Frozentail could have so many ticks in his pelt! His tail was practically crawling with them!" Ghostpaw exclaimed as they both headed out of the clearing.

"I know! I didn't even want to touch his bedding because it was filled with dead ones that had fallen off! And while we have to deal with this, Treepaw and Sharppaw get to practice battle moves and Longshadow's kits get to learn how to hunt!" Hawkpaw replied. Lowering her voice she added, "But at least we're going to Highstones tomorrow. I just hope we don't get caught."

"We won't be." Ghostpaw replied confidently. After that they split paths, Hawkpaw to go gather one last load of moss and Ghostpaw to go wash his paws in a stream. On his way, Ghostpaw spotted several spots where the foxes had wandered into ThunderClan territory and crushed everything. "This needs to end soon, otherwise there won't be any prey left for us to eat." Ghostpaw muttered to himself.

Just as he got to the stream, an icy wind blew past Ghostpaw and a voice that he recognized as Shadow spoke. "Find the ice, it will help you and bring forward the snow that will not melt." After that the cold wind died down and Ghostpaw noticed he had closed his eyes. When he opened them, Ghostpaw was shocked to see that the entire area around him was covered in a light snow, though it was already melting in the sun's heat.

"Okay Shadow, I get it. If I don't do what you told me, then it will have a big impact on the clans. But maybe giving clearer instructions would help, instead of these riddles." Gostfur said as he began washing his paws in the now cold stream.
~
Later that day, Ghostpaw still didn't understand what exactly Shadow had been trying to tell him. Hawkpaw had even noticed that he was distracted during the late-day meal, though Ghostpaw couldn't bring himself to tell her about it. Several times he wanted to try talking to Bluenose about it, but Cinderpelt was always there. Finally as the sun started to dip below the trees, Cinderpelt left the medicine den and Ghostpaw took his chance. "Hey Bluenose! Can I talk to you real quick?" Ghostpaw called into the medicine den.

"Sure, what is it?" Bluenose said as he came out from the medicine den.

"Well, I sort of had an omen while I was in the forest. It said to find ice and that the ice will help us. The weird thing was that when it was over, everything was covered in snow! Which is impossible when it still isn't even leaf-fall!" Ghostpaw said.

"Really? Something like that happened to me right before those two rogues showed up in camp. But it told me that ice was coming and covered the den in frost!" Bluenose replied.

"Do you have any idea what it could mean, Bluenose?" Ghostpaw asked.

"Well, I'll bet that ice is referring ti the rogue Ice, though how we'd find him is beyond me. And seeing as my omen only had frost while yours snowed makes me think that whatever big event that's coming must be getting closer, so things are more urgent. Other than that I don't know, maybe we'll learn more at the Moonstone tomorrow." Bluenose said.

"I sure hope you're right. Speaking of which, I think we should all sneak out of camp separately so that we don't draw as much attention to ourselves. We can meet up at Sunningrocks before traveling to Highstones." Ghostfur suggested casually.

"Oh all right. See you tomorrow." Bluenose said before ducking back inside the medicine den.

After that, Ghostpaw turned and padded over to where Hawkpaw was laying. "Huh, oh hey Ghostpaw. What is it?" Hawkpaw asked as he approached.

"Oh, just got an update for the plan for tomorrow. Bluenose and I decided that it would be better if we all left camp separately, and then meet up at Sunningrocks before heading off to Highstones." Ghostpaw said as he sat beside Hawkpaw.

"Oh, okay then. Let's go ahead and get some sleep then, it would be good to get some rest before a long trip like that." Hawkpaw said with a yawn before padding off to the apprentice's den. Ghostpaw sat where he was thinking about Shadow's message before also going to the apprentice's den to get some rest.

I like it.Very interesting.Bout all I can say.

~I know it's been a really long time, but the recent return of activity reminded of this and I figured it would be good if I could try and continue. So without further ado, here's the long delayed 10^th chapter~

Chapter 10

It was a little after sunrise when Bluenose woke up. As he got up and groomed his fur, Bluenose quickly realized that Cinderpelt wasn't there. As Bluenose checked the herb stores, he realized that she was probably out gathering what herbs she could while they're still in usable condition.

"Now's my chance." Bluenose murmured to himself as he began picking out what he needed for travelling herbs from the stores, being careful to take the bare minimum he would need for three doses. Putting the travelling herbs together as quickly as he could, Bluenose then picked them up and slipped out of the medicine den.

Once in the clearing, Bluenose was relieved to find the clearing empty of movement. Still being careful in case some cat came out of their den, Bluenose quickly slipped out of camp and ran to Sunningrocks as fast as he could manage while carrying the travelling herbs in his mouth. Finding a nice prickly bush to hide the travelling herbs under so that nothing came and took or ruined them, Bluenose turned to head back to camp.

While on the way back to camp, Bluenose had been disappointed to not find any useful herbs, but as he came near the training hollow he was distracted by the sounds os several cats talking. Not able to resist his curiosity, Bluenose quietly stalked to the edge of the sandy hollow and peered through a bush to see something rather surprising. Bluenose had apparently come across a secret meeting consisting of Firestar, Graystripe, Cinderpelt, the senior warriors, and even the elders. 'No wonder the camp was empty! Almost a third of the clan is having a secret meeting, and I can bet I know what it's about!' Bluenose thought as he moved around the edge of the hollow to try and get to where he can hear the conversation better. Eavesdropping on the secret meeting for awhile, Bluenose realized his hunch was right, they were indeed talking about the foxes and ways to deal with them. And from he'd heard, the general plan seemed to be for Thunderclan to prepare for a war against the pack of foxes, even the kits and elders would have a role to play.

Realizing that this was big news, Bluenose just couldn't keep this from Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw. It wasn't everyday that every cat in a clan is involved in the war effort. Bluenose backed out of the clearing so fast he nearly bumped into a tree, and then he ran as hard as he could back to camp. Once there he saw Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw waiting for him just inside the clearing.

"What is it? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Hawkpaw asked with concern.

"Yeah, and it's strange how many cats aren't in the camp right now." Ghostpaw added.

"Well what happened is I stumbled upon a secret meeting of all the senior members of the clan at the training hollow. It sounded like they were planning a war against the foxes." Bluenose reported as he caught his breath.

"Why did they have to sneak out of camp to talk about it? It's not like anyone is going to be too surprised by the decision." Hawkpaw asked, looking a little confused.

"Starclan knows what their reason is. I can guess that Firestar probably wants to get a solid plan ready before he gets all of us younger clan members excited with the prospect of a big battle." Bluenose said.

"What's more important is that this is perfect timing! We should leave now while we have the chance!" Ghostpaw said excitedly, eager to hopefully get some answers at the Moonstone.

"Alright, but let's stop at Sunningrocks first. I stored some travelling herbs there and we're definitely going to need them." Bluenose said as they turned to exit camp. 'Especially me, with all this running I've been doing.' Bluenose added silently as they ran through the forest.

"Okay, good planning there Bluenose." was all Ghostpaw responded with as they ran.
~
After they swallowed down their horribly bitter travelling herbs, the group crossed the stepping stones to Riverclan's side of the river so that they could avoid any possible Thunderclan patrols. After what felt like moons of hoping a Riverclan patrol didn't chance upon them, Ghostpaw, Hawkpaw, and Bluenose passed into Windclan territory over the twoleg bridge and started travelling toward Highstones, home of the Moonstone.

Chapter 11

"I never thought Windclan's territory could seem so long! How do they manage to patrol all of this moorland?" Ghostpaw muttered as they finally came close enough to see Mothermouth, home of the Moonstone, in the distance.

"I don't know how they manage it either. Just be glad you don't have to come here every half-moon!" Bluenose said jokingly.

"Ha, that is true. I can leave that in your capable paws!" Ghostpaw replied with a laugh. Despite his outwardly good mood, he was actually quite worried. But what worried him wasn't the possibility of Starclan ignoring him, or even that their absence will most definitely be noticed long before they return to camp, but rather Ghostpaw was worried by the simple fact that Hawkpaw has been very quiet during their entire trip. Normally she would be the last one to quiet down, but right now she wasn't even reacting to his and Bluenose's little conversation. "Let's rest up here until sundown." Ghostpaw said as they finally arrived at the hills just outside Mothermouth. 'This has certainly been an eventful and unusual greenleaf, though I don't really have the life experience to draw any comparisons. Ghostpaw thought as he lay down and relaxed his legs, now sore after travelling all the way across clan territory. Something big was definitely going on, and whatever it was Ghostfur figured that Starclan must be trying to prepare them, all of them, for whatever was to come.
~
As the sun was setting, Ghostpaw got up and stretched his legs. Looking around he spotted Bluenose standing outside the entrance to Mothermouth and Hawkpaw was a little ways away stretching her legs as well.

"Follow me, I know the way. And stay close." Bluenose said as Ghostpaw came up to the cave entrance and met up with the others. When the trio entered the cave, Ghostpaw was slightly amazed that it was so dark that he couldn't even see his paws in front of him. The only things left to guide him were his whiskers and Bluenose's scent.

"We're almost there." Bluenose said after a while. Shortly thereafter the trio stepped out into an opening. Moments later light from the moon began to peer through the hole in the ceiling and before long they were blinded by and intense light. Once his eyes adjusted to the sudden illumination, Ghostpaw stared in amazement as the Moonstone glowed. With a glance up at the hole in the ceiling, Ghostpaw realized he could see the night sky outside, and figured that the Moonstone must be reflecting the light off the moon.

"So what do we do now?" Ghostpaw asked as they approached the Moonstone, though he still felt a little breathless from its beauty.

"Basically just lay down and close your eyes. After that just touch your nose to the Moonstone and wait for Starclan to come to you." Bluenose said in response.

When he touched his nose to the Moonstone, Ghostpaw felt the world tilt around him and began to feel dizzy. Eventually not able to take it any more, Ghostpaw opened his eyes but found he wasn't by the Moonstone anymore, or even still in Mothermouth. It only took a moment for Ghostpaw to recognize where he was, without a doubt he now stood in fourtrees, but something was wrong. As he stood there, Ghostpaw watched as foxes surged and moved throughout the clearing, and in the middle just in front of the greatrock stood a badger and a fox that was clearly larger that all the others.

"Thunderclan alone cannot win against this threat. If you wish to succeed you will need the support of the other clans." said a voice just to Ghostpaw's left, nearly making him jump out of his fur. When he turned Ghostpaw saw that next to him stood a proud looking blue-gray she-cat.

"Who are you?" Ghostpaw managed to ask, though he already had a suspicion of the she-cat's identity.

"I suppose you were still quite young when I was alive, my name is Bluestar." the she-cat replied.

"How do I unite the clans? And why am I even responsible for this in the first place? I'm sure Firestar could unite the clans a lot more easily than I could." Ghostpaw said, hoping he'd get some real answers instead of the riddles Shadow left him with.

"For how you will unite the clans, that is up to you. As for you other question, I can only say that this task has been left to you to prepare you for the future." Bluestar said, the shimmering away before Ghostpaw could ask any more questions.

'Well I guess that was better than one of Shadow's riddles or prophecies, but I guess Starclan doesn't like to give cats a straight answer to their questions.' Ghostpaw thought as he woke up, seeing that Bluenose and Hawkpaw were also waking up. "Well that was fun, but let's go back home now. I'd rather not get punished too much for sneaking out camp." Ghostpaw said.

Chapter 12

Bluenose woke to the sound of the dawn patrol returning. It had already been two days since that trip to the Moonstone, yet that dream he had still gave Bluenose the chills. In the dream he had spoken to Featherwhisker, who had once been Thunderclan's medicine cat. She had told Bluenose that the ice will need him in due time, and that he should ready himself. Bluenose shuddered at the memory, still unsure as to what the prophecy meant.

Putting the dream and the prophecy to the back of his mind, Bluenose got up to see what was going on outside. It was far too quiet in the camp for this time of day, and as soon as he stuck his head out Bluenose knew why it was so quiet. In the middle of the clearing, looking calm as can be, stood a fox. Its fur was dark ginger and had a cut running along the flank that looked rather fresh, no older than a day. Bluenose also noted that it must be pretty clever for a fox, it had taken the trouble of covering its own scent with that of the forest and had managed to sneak into camp mostly undetected.

"Well this is quite a... surprise." Firestar said cautiously, breaking the silence of the camp. Bluenose noticed that the queens had already moved the kits back into the nursery and the warriors had taken defensive positions around the fox. "However, I don't think we should drive this fox out just yet. He has made no move to harm us. And furthermore I was told in a dream last night that we would receive a... unusual messenger today. I assume that's you?" Firestar added, the last part being directed to the fox. Bluenose could hear the short spout of murmurs ripple through the gathered cats immediately, questioning Firestar's decision, wondering why we should trust a fox and if they can even be spoken to at all. Apparently the fox heard them too.

"Yes, I can speak your tongue just fine." The fox said casually, as if it were an obvious fact.

"It really can talk!" Hawkpaw said quietly, sounding in awe from where she sat by the tree stump next to Ghostpaw. Bluenose heard at least three other cats murmur the same thing.

"Well, now that that fact has been established, why don't you introduce yourself." Firestar asked at the same time Ghostpaw asked "What's your name?". Mentor and apprentice glanced at each other, one cautious of the fox and the other already excited by this new experience. Ghostpaw seemed to understand and Bluenose watched his brother sit back down quietly and wrap his tail around his paws.

"You may call me Scar. I come with knowledge of your enemy, as well as a warning. The fox pack you face is led by my brother, Fear, and he is aided by a new general, a badger calling itself Rage." Scar said calmly as the clan cats watched him quietly and listened to his words. "They plan to attack at the full moon. First they will take to hills, then the island. And later at dark-claw moon, they will take the marshland. And finally at no-moon they shall come here and take this forest. Either you must leave or you must strike, otherwise you will surely die." Scar finished, turning his gaze to lock eyes with Firestar.

"Thank you, Scar. We will be certain to put this information of yours to good use." Firestar said, the caution in his voice obvious. Bluenose was wondering why this fox was here giving them this information, what could it gain by preventing its kin from taking the entire forest. Bluenose could only imagine it was a trap, and he guessed that Firestar had come to that conclusion at the very beginning.

"Whether or not you trust my words is up to you; however, I would like to further extend my offer of help as far as fighting my kin if you so choose to do so. Fear and his allies have lost their pride allowing a badger to lead among them, and they have turned against many other foxes. I will not allow my misguided kin gain any more power, if you choose to fight I can call upon my own allies. They can prevent Fear and Rage from receiving any more aid from outside this forest." Scar said, and Bluenose had a feeling that the fox was being honest about wanting to fight his kin. Looking around the clearing Bluenose noticed that the warriors were starting to get on edge, no doubt fighting the urge to just drive the trespassing fox from their camp and from their territory, and apparently Firestar also noticed this unrest.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation in private. Graystripe, Cinderpelt, Bluenose, I want you three to accompany me and Scar." Firestar said before glancing over at the tree stump where Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw were sitting. "And I would like Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw to joing us as well.Everyone else may go about your business." Firestar added after a moment's thought.

"Us!?" Ghostpaw squeaked, obviously surprised but also clearly excited.

"Yes, you will know why soon enough." Firestar said before turning and heading out into the forest, signaling the others to follow. Bluenose and Graystripe took defensive positions on either side of Scar with Firestaar and Cinderpelt in front and Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw in the rear, and the group turned and started heading straight for the training hollow. During the trip there while keeping an eye on their new fox associate, Bluenose began to wonder just what it was Firestar had in mind for Ghostpaw and Hawkpaw. It was certainly unusual for a couple of apprentices to be asked along on an important meeting that even the senior warriors, aside from Graystripe, weren't a part of.

Chapter 13

"So you're allies that you mentioned are wild dogs!?" Ghostpaw asked, mystified by the claim yet in awe nonetheless.

"Wolves, yes. They get insulted if you compare them to those dogs that the twolegs, as you call them, keep." Scar answered respectfully. His dark ginger fur now smooth after the grooming he had done while explaining things in more detail to the clan cats. "The wolf pack will stalk those high mountains to prevent others from coming in, and thus keeping Rage and my brother from gathering any more allies."

"I'm don't think we should trust a word he says, this is a fox after all." Graystripe murmured to Firestar as the clan cats huddled up to discuss what Scar had told them.

"But we need all the help we can get, and Scar can offer quite a lot of help!" Ghostpaw said a little too angrily, remembering his dream at the Moonstone. His fur bristled for a moment until he realized he had just snapped at the deputy. "Sorry Graystripe." Ghostpaw apologized guiltily, making sure his fur lay flat again.

"It would seem that I am causing you problems. Perhaps I should take my leave and return some other day." Scar said calmly, having noticed Ghostpaw's outburst.

"No, no. You may stay for now, but we'd like some time before we make our decision." Firestar said quickly to the fox before it could turn to leave.

"Wait, we're going to let that thing stay, as in it'll be in our camp!?" Graystripe asked in disbelief. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Firestar." Graytripe added, seeming torn between believing in Firestar's decision and his own opinion on what seemed like a logical choice.

"It's not everyday this happens, but then things aren't exactly peaceful right now." Hawkpaw commented quietly next to Ghostpaw. He just nodded as he watched two friends stare each other down.

"Um, Firestar? I know it's not the best time, but could you perhaps answer why Hawkpaw and I are here? And why aren't the other clans being mentioned in this discussion?" Ghostpaw asked, changing the topic. He could feel all eyes fall on him after he asked his questions and for a second wondered if maybe he shouldn't have.

"Well, the answers to those questions aren't all that different." Firestar said after a moment of nobody saying anything. "Put simply, we will most likely need the help of the other clans to succeed, however most of our warriors will be busy preparing and we have no idea how long it may take to convince the other clans. So we need cats who aren't immediately needed for the preparations but are still notable enough for the other clan leaders to take seriously." Firestar said, looking at Ghostpaw with a look that he knew meant that he was expected to finish the explanation.

"Which means that the apprentices of the leader and deputy would be the best choices left! And since we're going to need to be able to negotiate with the other clans it's best if we ourselves understand the entirety of what is happening so that our arguments carry more weight!" Ghostpaw finished, understanding the plan now.

"That's all great, but how would we convince Shadowclan? They were never really fond of teaming up with us?" Graystripe asked, his previous disagreement with Firestar currently forgotten.

"I have an idea! We could pretend to be rogues! We could hide our scent by rolling in mud and leaves and staying out of camp for a while, then we could perhaps steal some fresh-kill and be chased over the border. If we offer them our stolen prey in exchange for shelter for the night, we could take that time to implant rumors about the plan to drive out the fox pack. And since we haven't been to a gathering yet, the chances of us being recognized are almost none." Hawkpaw said excitedly.

"That's a good idea, but you can't show up with warrior names like that." Cinderpelt commented, speaking up for the first time during the entire meeting.

"Nope! But I could go by "Char", and Ghostpaw could be... "Fog"!" Hawkpaw said, making up rogue-ish sounding names off the top of her head. Though Ghostpaw wasn't sure just how effective these simple names would be in fooling Shadowclan into believing that they're not warriors.

"Which all begs the question, is this our plan?" Ghostpaw asked, directing the conversation back to Firestar.

"Yes, we'll go with this. We will start planning the final details and making our preparations immediately." Firestar decided, effectively ending the meeting.