Coralstar looked to the ground. "It... I shouldn't tell you," she mewed, shaken. Darkstorm shivered. How bad can it be? "I'll show you. Come, all of you, please." Her usually calm and commanding eyes were scared and hopeless now. Arrowheart sighed.

"Come," He got up and began to walk in the direction of the RiverClan camp. Darkstorm sighed and followed him. All the cats had gotten up and started to walk in the same direction. Is this what the great journey was like? Darkstorm pondered. All the clans together, all heading for the same place? She shook her head. What am I thinking? Nobody knew where they were going in the Great Journey. We do. RiverClan territory. She glanced at Arrowheart. His grey fur was waving in the wind. How could he be the apprentice? It can't be him. It can't. I know it isn't. She nodded determinedly. I trust him, and I know he's not the apprentice. It's Slatepaw. Slatepaw!

"We're here," Arrowheart mewed. 

Darkstorm blinked. His mew had interrupted her train of thought.

"That was quicker than expected." She sighed and looked up. The old RiverClan camp was completely gone; all it was now was a barren field of dirt and mud. "What..." Arrowheart's ears twitched. 

"Shh," he murmured. "There might be Twolegs." They live like us now, Darkstorm realized with horror. It's all Twolegs. 

"But how did the lake die?" she inquired. Coralstar, overhearing, padded over to them. Her gaze held a slight anger. She told Arrowheart to not go near me, Darkstorm remembered. She lifted her head. So what? I don't care. 

"You'll see." She flicked her tail. "You're determined, aren't you." It was more of a statement than a question, but she felt the need to answer.

"Yes. Yes, I am." Coralstar cocked her head.

"You remind me of myself, when I was your age. Stubborn." Darkstorm didn't know what to make of this, so she nodded curtly and continued to walk, this time towards the lake. 

"Oh," she mewed breathlessly. "The lake..." She watched the moon. Clouds drifted around it, careful not to cover the light. ALmost as if StarClan is angry. Oh, the lake... "They're still mad at us," she mewed under her breath. "StarClan is still mad. I can feel it." Gasps rose and filled the air. Stonestar's jaw dropped.

"What happened?" It was obvious, but no one wanted to admit it. The five clans looked at each other.

"Twolegs happened." Darkstorm spoke up. "Didn't they?" She looked at the lake once more. It was a horrible sight. Huge monsters were swimming in the lake, something black mingling in the water. It had lost its usual clear colour. Scraps littered it and Twolegs were building an arc over the whole thing. The rivers were blocked off and dead fish were floating to the surface. Water-birds were flapping weak wings and leaving the water, flying away from their camps. I can't believe it, she thought. The drastic changes to the lake were terrible. 

"But... the island," an apprentice mewed nervously. "Look at it!" Darkstorm followed his gaze and stepped back, shocked. The island was still there, but Twolegs had ridden it of trees. Instead, there was a large building. Twolegs were going in and coming out of it, more than Darkstorm had ever seen. 

"What about the moonpool?" a dappled white cat asked. She's Cloudstorm, SkyClan's medicine cat, Darkstorm recalled. 

"We haven't checked," Coralstar mewed in a fragile voice. "Has any medicine cat gone to the-" Shadeflight, Grassfang, Badgerleap, Thinfur and Yowltail appeared over a mound of mud. 

"What are Yowltail and Thinfur doing out of the medicine den?" Treestar demanded. "I mean, the medicine island?" Shadeflight opened his mouth to speak, but Badgerleap answered instead.

"Twolegs. The beautiful islands are swarming with Twolegs now." She looked at the clans with scared eyes. "We have to make another Great Journey," she pleaded. Coralstar nodded.

"We have to go now." She took a deep breath. "RiverClan is going." Stonestar dipped her head.

"SkyClan, too. We don't want to be separated from the clans again." Quickstar narrowed his eyes, thinking.

"WindClan will join you."

"As will ThunderClan."

"ShadowClan, too." Treestar agreed, sealing the choice. Darkstorm let out a whimper of terror, and Shadeflight spoke her thoughts.

"Can't we... But... Can't we see our territory, our homes, one last time?" he begged. "Please! We have no idea where we're heading. We could all die. This could be the end of the clans." Treestar bit his lip, and Strikestar lifted his tail.

"Yes. Why don't we make a circle, all the clans together, around the lake? Let's remember how safe and beautiful it used to be. And we'll go to the moonpool and see what StarClan has to say." Cloudstar, Coralstar and Quickstar nodded. 

"No!" Thinfur screeched. "After we go there, we must go to Rabbitear! We can save her!" Treestar stared at him.

"You don't make ShadowClan's descisions. We will go around the lake, and then to the moonpool. And then... we'll see." Quickstar snarled.

"Rabbitear disappeared moons ago," he hissed. "She's dead. We're not falling into your trap." Thinfur unsheathed his claws, his fur spiking.

"Stop!" Snarlfang yowled. "There's a truce! And that truce will last until we find a new home!" Quickstar and Thinfur glared at each other, sheathing their claws. Didn't he say that Rabbitear's our mother? A WindClan cat, our mother. Actually, I don't mind. I agree with Orangetail- there should be no law in the code about loving.

"Let's go," Strikestar mewed. The cats murmured to each other as they went. 

"The lake," Yowltail flattened her ears sadly.  "I can't... I've lived a long life here. My fur is turning gray. I always thought I would die an elder, beside the lake with a huge, thriving clan beside me." She looked down. "It's terrible. I don't want this to be real- I want this all to be a dream." Darkstorm felt weird, having a senior warrior and deputy confide in her. Grassfang sighed.

"Me too. But once we leave, we'll never see the lake or the tribe of Rushing Water again." Darkstorm blinked. She had heard of the mountain cats, but had never met them. "Stoneteller was kind. And that to-be, Eagle's Wing Under Teeth. She must be a cave-guard by now." 

"And Flower That Blows Through Wind," Thinfur added. "He was training to be Stoneteller, no?" Yowltail nodded.

"But we won't see them," she repeated sadly. "Ever." Darkstorm looked at Arrowheart. 

"Come," he mewed. "Let's look at my camp." He was trembling, scared. His camp. There isn't much of it left either way... The whole of the clans saw. Poor RiverClan. Poor Arrowheart. She nudged his side. 

"I can go, if you want," she offered. Arrowheart shook his head.

"Stay." His fur brushed hers, and he closed his eyes. "You know how hard this is. You have to leave the lake, too. But RiverClan... We live by the water. We use it. We drink it. We fight in it. We hunt in it. We swim in it. But now... We're leaving the lake. And we won't be following a river on the journey. We'll be guided by StarClan, and StarClan is mad at us." He muttered something else under his breath.

"Don't worry," Darkstorm mewed reassuringly. "I know this is hard, but... It'll be okay. We'll live- all of us, all of the clans." Darkstorm watched as Coralstar announced the news to the rest of RiverClan, and they joined the cats. Arrowheart sniffed a bed of reeds. 

"It smells of fish," He took a deep breath. "I want that smell to be with me, always. Of rivers and the lake and prey." Darkstorm sighed.

"I'm sorry," Shadeflight mewed, coming from behind them. "Even StarClan cannot promise that."

...

Darkstorm watched as WindClan set on their way. So now we'll go to the ThunderClan camp... And Orangetail. She padded through the bracken. "How do ThunderClan walk and hunt with all this undergrowth?" Arrowheart purred with amusement.

"How do RiverClan cats swim? They learn!" 

"Our hollow," Strikestar mewed bleakly. "We're leaving our hollow. ThunderClan!"

"Str- Why is every clan here?" a white tom with spiky fur demanded. The rest of ThunderClan slowly gathered, asking the same question. 

"Slatepaw needs quiet!" Snarlfang barked from beside Strikestar and Boltfur. "The lake is dead and we're leaving. You'll see it when we leave. Trust me, we must le-"

"Why, exactly, should we trust you?" Darkstorm recognized Mousesong. "Everyone knows that you were first a warrior! You never were fit to heal us, and you're eccentric!" Snarlfang unsheathed his claws. 

"Strikestar made these decisions. We will leave. But first, we will thank StarClan for giving us a safe camp for many moons." A reddish tabby she-cat flicked her tail for attention.

"My mate is right. You're eccentric. And didn't you say that StarClan is mad at us?" 

"They are. But that doesn't mean they don't guide us." Furrypaw stepped up.

"I don't know much about StarClan," he mewed, "but I do know that they work in mysterious ways. And Strikestar is telling us to leave. Will you obey the warrior code, or not?" Heatpelt scowled.

"My own kit is telling me to obey the warrior code." She looked at Strikestar. "Have it your way. I won't argue." She sighed and walked into the crowd. Mousesong and a blue-eyed apprentice followed. She's sort of nasty, Darkstorm thought. Huh. Mousesong too. No wonder Slatepaw is so mean- but Furrypaw isn't, and he's also their kit. 

"Orangetail!" Badgerleap cried. Orangetail? A bright ginger she-cat made her way towards them. Darkstorm grinned, recognizing her friend.

"Arrowheart, you and Orangetail haven't really met. Arrowheart, Orangetail. Orangetail, Arrowheart." 

"Hey," Orangetail mewed. "Sorry I left. But Snarlfang's here, and the only way to be with him is to be in ThunderClan. I have to change the medicine cat code now, too," she added ruefully. Badgerleap nuzzled her kit, and Darkstorm left them, talking to Arrowheart. Ha. When I met him, I thought he wasn't talkative. I was wrong. 

"We'll go now," Strikestar announced. His eyes darted to Snarlfang. "Maybe you should bring herbs?" Snarlfang sighed. 

"Yes, I'll take traveling herbs and make them into a poultice along the way."

"I'll help," Shadeflight offered. "Just until we get to ShadowClan territ-"

A loud crash interrupted them. 

"Twolegs!" a queen screeched. "We'll go to SkyClan using the tunnels!" Tunnel training was expected from all ThunderClan cats, as the main network of them was in their territory. Another thing we can miss. The ancient cats lived here once. This is an important place in clan history. The cats darted through the tunnels, led by ThunderClan. Darkstorm helped an elder manage her way through a rockier ground.

"We're here!" someone shouted. "Those stones, turn them!" A group of cats obeyed, and a shaft of light filtered into the tunnels. Darkstorm didn't mind the dark, but was thankful for open space as they walked through the SkyClan camp.

"It feels weird," she confided in Arrowheart. "I mean, ShadowClan has been enemies with SkyClan for so long now, and here we are, strolling through their camp." Arrowheart nodded understandingly.

"Like WindClan and ThunderClan. RiverClan... doesn't try to make enemies." He flashed her a mocking grin. "You mange-pelt ShadowClan cats love to, of course."

"Yeah, right!" Darkstorm retorted. This feels good. Even though we're under all this pressure, I can trust Arrowheart, and he can trust me. 

"That will change," Stonestar mewed, overhearing. "Hopefully we won't all be enemies after this. I trust that we'll survive- StarClan will lead us." Darkstorm nodded. Finally. A SkyClan leader that isn't set for attacking ShadowClan. Maybe leaving the lake will have benefits. Yeah. It will.

As Darkstorm stared at her old camp, her hopes plummeted. This won't have any benefits! She wordlessly howled her grief. "I'm here," Arrowheart reminded her. "I'll keep you safe. This hurts, but it'll be okay. It'll be okay. It'll be okay," he repeated. She let the words soothe her. She could hear yowling Twolegs and roaring monsters in the near distance, but she didn't care. Her camp that she had grown up in. Her camp where she had recieved her warrior name. She was leaving it. Am I selfish? she wondered. It's just a place. But... I can't imagine life without it. 

She padded over to the medicine den, where the four medicine cats were busy making traveling herbs. Before, the scent disagreed with me. She inhaled, smelling the bitter herbs and sweet honey. Now, I never want to leave it. 

She hooked her claws into the ground as she entered the apprentice's den. I remember this place so, so well. When I was Darkpaw, I never realized the weight of my responsibilities- the weight of the prophecy. I wish it was still like that. She walked into the elder's den. 

It smells like Badgerleap here. She probably wanted to die here, where she was born. A fierce wave of protectiveness rushed into Darkstorm. Well, she won't. She'll die in a better place, with a better code, and a better everything. I won't let her give up. The prophecy will guide us to a new territory. Then she looked to the nursing den. 

I was a kit here. I didn't know about the prophecy then. It was fun. It was an easy, laid-back life. She ran out, not wanting the memories. If she didn't have them, she wouldn't feel so bad. She dashed into the leader's den. 

Fernstar's den, she remembered. She didn't trust us. At the end, she wasn't well. But before that, I've heard that she was a great leader. The best. Sadness choked her, and she leaned against Arrowheart. She sat in front of the warriors den, her tail wrapped around her paws. 

And this... This was the hard place. I started being responsible here. I started thinking properly. She slowly went forward, her fur spiking. This is the last place in my camp that I'll see. I won't mess this up. I know that this is hard. Everyone knows. But I will never forget this place. She narrowed her sharp yellow eyes. Never.

...

As WindClan finished their good-byes and the clans headed for the moonpool, Shadeflight raised his tail. "Everyone. Kits, queens and elders, come forward first. We don't have traveling herbs for everyone, and you need them most." The medicine cats divided the traveling herbs between the chosen cats. Darkstorm froze in embarrassment as her belly let out a huge rumble. 

"Um..." she muttered. "We're near the moonpool, right?" Shadeflight nodded. 

"Just over that bend." He pointed with his tail. The cats trotted over, and Darkstorm stifled a gasp.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. "The Twolegs haven't reached here yet." 

"They will," a brown tom guessed grimly. "I'm Beechleap. The WindClan medicine cat. You?"

"I'm Darkstorm. This is Arrowheart. What do you think StarClan will tell you?" Beechleap shrugged. 

"Who knows? Most likely where to go." 

"Oh."

"It's getting late," Finspot mewed, coming to nudge Beechleap. "We have to go and meet with StarClan. Hopefully they'll tell us something about where to go." The cats were already settling down to sleep. Darkstorm sighed and lay down, closing her eyes tiredly. Everything will be better in the morning. Everything.

"Follow the brightest star," a voice whispered in her ear. Darkstorm spun around to see a bright orange tom. 

"Who are you?"

"Firestar. You want to know where to go and why StarClan is mad, yes? Follow the brightest star until you reach the moon." Firestar began to walk away. 

"Wait! What moon? What star?" Darkstorm demanded. Firestar looked at her closely.

"I would tell you. But the roots of the clans are mad, and I can't disobey them. You'll reach the moon. Just follow the brightest star." Darkstorm jerked her eyes open. The brightest star? She looked up at Silverpelt. There was a star that was brighter than the rest, as if it was an important warrior leading the way. We have to follow it, Darkstorm thought. That's the star! She closed her eyes once more. I'll tell them in the morning. Anyone else could be having impor... her thoughts stopped. Where's Arrowheart? She sniffed the air, following a trail of scent.

"Arrowheart!" she whispered. "Where are you?" A loud growl made her run forward. "Arrowheart!" she called frantically. She was well away from the moonpool. Why had he gone so far? His scent washed away in a river. Darkstorm paused, deciding where to go, and began to follow it. The water led in the direction of the growling, and she figured it would lead to him. "Arrowh-"

"I asked you, if you're StarClan, then where do we go?" Arrowheart's voice interrupted. He stopped, as if listening to someone, and continued. "Great answer! Why should the medicine cats ask the rest of StarClan if you can tell us in two heartbeats?"

"Arrowheart!" Darkstorm yowled. She burst through a thick bush and stopped. "Arrowheart?" The broad-shouldered RiverClan cat was dripping with blood, but not another scent. The red StarClan warrior! she recalled. Is that who he's talking to? But... StarClan shouldn't hurt him! She unsheathed her claws.

"Who attacked you?" she demanded. Arrowheart turned.

"You followed me!" He didn't seem to be mad, although his fur was bristling. "I'm training with the red warrior," he explained. "I don't want for her to train me how to play-fight. I want to learn to be a real warrior. She says that means I have to train with unsheathed claws." He spun around, jaws snapping, as a red scratch appeared on his side. 

"Arrowheart! Who is this cat, though?"

"Redleaf. She was a deputy when she died." Darkstorm relaxed. Then she knows what she's doing.

"Oh." Arrowheart lashed out with his claws at an invisible force, a triumphant grin on his muzzle as his claws turned red. 

"I'll go now," Darkstorm mewed queasily. She padded away.

...

"We have to follow the brightest star," she blurted. "Firestar visited me in a dream. He said that we have to follow the brightest star until we reach the moon, and then we'll know what to do." Thinfur's eyes widened, but he said nothing. Treestar paced around in a circle.

"I say we follow it. Shadeflight, you didn't have any dreams?"

"No. Neither did the rest of us," Shadeflight mewed, his gaze flicking to the rest of the medicine cats. 

"Then we should," Coralstar agreed. Quickstar and Strikestar nodded. Stonestar shuffled her paws nervously.

"Er... She's not even a senior warrior." Her gaze was apologetic. "Why should we listen to her? I mean, I doubt she's lying, but it could've just been a weird dream. Why would StarClan visit her?" The she-cat's eyes narrowed. "Did they ever  visit her?" Darkstorm's fur bristled.

"Half Moon has white fur and green eyes. Shadeflight, am I right?" Her littermate flicked his tail agreeingly.

"You're her littermate," the SkyClan leader pointed out. "Look, I don't want to cause trouble, but we're risking everything. If she's wrong, then maybe we'll die on the journey. I think we should wait until StarClan says something. To us, or the medicine cats." 

"Darkstorm knows the difference between a normal dream and an actual visit from StarClan!" Arrowheart snarled defiantly. Oh, great. Now there's a crowd. A crowd of cats from the other clans. Coralstar hissed.

"There's nothing special about her! Arrowheart," she mewed in a softer yet terrifying tone, "do you like Darkstorm?" She knows the answer, Darkstorm thought anxiously.

"No!" she yowled. "Arrowheart has nothing to do with this. He just thinks I'm right, that's all." Heatpelt unsheathed her claws, followed by Mousesong and a few other cats. ALmost all of RiverClan, she realized in horror.  

"It's against the code!" Stonestar mewed with a frantic look in her eyes. "He can't!" Shut up! Darkstorm thought angrily, her fur bristling. Thinfur pushed forward.

"Darkstorm and Arrowheart are loyal!" he screeched. An amber she-cat pushed her way forward. 

"That's what you say. But you killed my littermates, which is beyond the warrior code!"

"I killed Swiftfoot. But that was to save my leader. Not beyond the warrior code." The she-cat's amber eyes glittered with hate.

"You killed Rabbitear, too! You loved each other! You had kits!" she accused, waving her tail at Darkstorm and Shadeflight. The cats gasped. "But if you had truly loved her, you wouldn't have let her go. You would have made her stay!" A growl rose from the she-cat's throat. Thinfur glared at her.

"Yes, I love her. Yes, she is the mother of my kits. But she is not dead and I did not betray her! I would give my life-"

"Thinfur!" Treestar spat. "Leave!" Thinfur stepped back. 

"But-"

"I said leave! You are a rogue! You broke the code!" He launched himself at Darkstorm's father, scratching his haunches. "Leave!" Thinfur cast a look at Darkstorm and Shadeflight, turned around, and ran. 

"No!" Darkstorm and Shadeflight shrieked simultaneously. Treestar glared at them.

"Be happy you're staying, half-clans." Arrowheart screeched a battle cry and swiped his claws at the leader. Treestar spun around. Arrowheart dodged the brown tom with skill, then ducked under him and swiped at his belly. He's winning, Darkstorm realized. Treestar yowled and rolled over, his teeth meeting Arrowheart's ear. A loud rippppp filled the air, followed by Arrowheart yelping and stumbling back. Part of his ear had been bitten off. Arrowheart turned into a blur, biting and scratching so fast that Treestar couldn't counterattack or dodge. Grassfang leaped into the battle, but still Arrowheart could not be stopped.

Treestar fell to the ground as Arrowheart stopped swiveling, teeth embedded his neck. Grassfang and the rest of the cats ran over to Treestar, except for Darkstorm. 

"Arrowheart," she mewed quietly. "You have to go. They'll kill you. He's losing a life." She rested her muzzle on his shoulder. "You must."

Sadness welled up in their eyes. 

"I'll see you again," Arrowheart whispered. "I will. If I can't find you, I'll make Redleaf show me how."

"Follow the brightest star," Darkstorm pleaded. "I'll convince them to follow it, and we'll meet when we reach the moon, or whatever's at the end of the trail."

"I love you," Arrowheart murmured. "I'm sorry I hurt your leader. But he called you half-clan. He made your father a rogue."

"I love you, too." Darkstorm felt stared heating her pelt and cats running forward. "Go. You have no choice." Arrowheart licked her shoulder like an apprentice to a leader, and turned around, running trough the wind.

Oooh that was sort of romantic. Sorry if the lake didn't 'die' very interestingly. I tried to make it good, but hey, I'm not a published author! This was way longer than I expected, and it took way less time, too. Yay for me! Did you like this?

-Shadowstorm