"No," Dewpaw whispered. "No, no no!" His voice rose to a wail. "This can't be happening! My home can't be gone!" Frostheart came up to comfort him, a small creature of peace.

"It'll be okay," Frostheart whispered. "Don't worry, shh." Dewpaw wasn't listening. He was looking at the water that covered the clan territories. It stretched far, like the lake that they had discovered on the journey. Dewpaw knew they were dead. They couldn't have lived that, it'd be impossible.

"They're all gone," he murmured. "Gone!"

"No," Frostheart comforted him. "They're alive. I'm sure of it." Dewpaw shook his head. He didn't believe her. How could he?

"How," Oaktail whispered, coming to stand at the front of the patrol. As he got closer, Dewpaw could see how old and tired the deputy looked. Maybe soon it would be time for him to retire to the elder's den. If it even was still there. The brown tabby tom turned around to face his clanmates, trying to look strong.

"Whatever happens down there," he meowed. "We do it together." The patrol let out meows of agreement, trying to stay faithful. Oaktail turned tail and sped down the hill, his patrol following with every step. Dewpaw stayed at the front with Oaktail, suddenly having a change of heart.

"We'll be fine," Frostheart meowed, coming up to run beside him. "Trust me." Dewpaw didn't know what to say. He just nodded and continued to race down the slope. When they got to the bottom, the water had already began to creep up the slope. Dewpaw dipped a paw in and flinched. It was cold.

"We go to Moonclan first!" Oaktail declared. "Some of our clanmates might of been caught there, looking for us, the patrol that got washed away. We'll go to our camp next, if possible." He led the cats right into the water. It wasn't very deep, Dewpaw could just barely wade. The ground sloped downward, straight into the marsh that bordered Moonclan Rockclan territory.

"Hmm," Frostheart meowed. "Maybe it should've been a better idea to cut left at the hill, so we wouldn't have to cross the river."

"Good thinking," Dewpaw mewed. "But it's too late to turn back now." Frostheart nodded in agreement.

"We'll try our best," she vowed. Dewpaw gulped. He knew the river would be impossible to cross. They would have to find something to help them get across. Maybe a small tree trunk? But how would they get such a massive object down? 

He didn't know. The water got deeper, and Dewpaw was trying to wade, but ended up having to swim to a small patch of ground untouched. The patrol padded on, until the waters grew high. Dewpaw knew they were no where near the river. They had to find a way to get across.

"Maybe we should go around?" Doefur suggested.

"I"m not sure," Oaktail admitted. "It looks far. Don't worry, I don't think this water is moving. It's still, see? Once we get to the actual river, that's when it will be moving. We'll deal with that when get to it." He began to wade into the water until he was swimming. Dewpaw followed him on tired paws. He realized that the sun was beginning to sink behind the trees. How could they cross the river in the dark? Dewpaw began to feel his strength ebbing away, but Frostheart was right behind him, supporting him.

"Almost there," she whispered. Dewpaw  realized that Frostheart reminded him of Frostpool, that's why he was attatched to this friendly she-cat. She even looked similar to the former medicine cat of Lightclan.

Gradually, Dewpaw felt ground under his paws again. But now he knew they were almost to the river. Up ahead, a churning mass of water broke through the stillness of it. It was very unlike the lake, which was still and calming.

Once again the ground underpaw became muddy. He shook globs of brown from his paws as they got entwined in his claws. Dewpaw froze as a tide of water passed through them. The river was stronger then ever! Suddenly, they were washed into the churning waves.

"Help us!" Dewpaw yowled. His head went under, and he thrashed wildly under the water. The water above him was dark and misgiving, and Dewpaw knew he had little time left. His lungs were gasping for air, and when he thought he might drown, he felt a mouth on his scruff pulling him out of the water. Dewpaw turned, expecting to see Frostheart, but his eyes went wide at what he saw.

Standing in front of him were Fawnstar, Blossompaw, Patchpaw, a black cat who must be Night, a ginger tom, and a tabby queen with her kits.

"Fawnstar?" Dewpaw stammered. "You're back!" Fawnstar let out a purr and put her head on his.

"Yes, Dewpaw. We're back." Dewpaw looked over to Blossompaw and Patchpaw who were looking at their paws, embarassed. Dewpaw padded over to them.

"Hello, Blossompaw, Patchpaw," he meowed. Patchpaw's face brightened at that.

"No, furball!" he laughed. "It's Patchfoot and Blossomshine! Fawnstar made us warriors when we got to the mountains!" Dewpaw's eyes opened wide.

"Really? Congratulations! What happened there? What did you find?" As Dewpaw hammered them with questions, the black cat came and walked over to him. "H-hi," Dewpaw meowed shyly. "Are you Night?" He nodded.

"I'm pleased to finally meet you," he meowed, with a deep voice like no other. "Fawnstar's been telling me all about you." 

"You too Night," Dewpaw replied. "And, I got to see your mother, Jessy! You remember her, right?" Night let out a long chuckle.

"Of course! She's my mother!" Dewpaw smiled. Night seemed to be much like his mother, Jessy, as far as looks and his personality. Suddenly, Oaktail padded up to Fawnstar.

"Hello, Fawnstar," he meowed, dipping his head. "It's great to finally have you back."

"It's good to be back," Fawnstar anwsered, surveying the cats around her. "But what happened here?" Oaktail began to describe how it had rained, and the river had flooded, washing the patrol away. But they had come back, and were trying to help Moonclan first. Fawnstar nodded. "Oaktail, Birchstripe, Doefur, and Piper and the kits," she meowed, trying to focus. (Dewpaw guessed Piper was the tabby queen.) "I want you three to head to the Lightclan camp to check on them. Make sure every cat is okay. Stay there, though. I don't want any cat getting hurt."

"But what about you, Fawnstar?" Oaktail meowed worriedly. She laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. The rest of us, Briarspot, Frostheart, Appleleap, Dash, Night, and Dewpaw will go to Moonclan and help them. We'll return as soon as we can. I trust you to be in charge of the camp, Oaktail." The tabby tom dipped his head and led Birchstripe, Doefur, Piper, and her two kits away into the swamp.

"Why did I stay?" Dewpaw murmured to Fawnstar. 

"Because," she meowed. "We need a medicine cat apprentice like you." Dewpaw smiled and followed right behind the Lightclan leader. "Now, everyone," she meowed, turning to face the patrol. "We are going to cross the river, but we'll need something to get across. Any ideas?"

"Ahem," Night meowed. He pointed to a small birch tree growing at the edge of the river. "We could use that as a bridge to get across."

"Hmm," Fawnstar thought. "But how would we cut it down? If we managed to get it down, it would be easy to put in the water." 

"This is how," Night replied. He padded over to the small tree. Dewpaw realized that it was quite small, and thought it would just barely hold Night's wait. The black cat jumped into the small branches of the tree, and began rocking it back in forth. "If more cats get up here, we should be able to knock it down into the water!"

Fawnstar nodded. She raced over to the tree with Dash and Appleleap following. "Get up into it," she ordered, "Just as Night said." Fawnstar leaped up to sit beside Night, and the other two followed. All four of them rocked back and forth until the tree was swaying a lot.

"We need more power!" Appleleap called. Dewpaw and Frostheart decided to go over. They jumped up into the tree and rocked along with the other cats. Suddenly, Dewpaw heard a snap.

"Get off, everyone!" Fawnstar yowled. "It's going to fall!" Dewpaw scrambled down from the tree just in time to see it crash down to the other side of the river. A perfect bridge!

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I am so sorry for the long delay guys! I've just had a lot of school work :p

-IMTmsytlcal_fawn