A chilling wind swept across an empty moorland, a sign that the Cold Season was unwilling to be finished with the Lakefront. The tall grass and heather swayed with each pulse of the breeze, and it provided Sorrelsong a sense of comfort.

The Moor Cat molly wrapped her tail around her paws as she took in a deep breath. Today is the day, she mused to herself. It's quiet, but I know someone is nearby. I can smell them!

Just as she heard something rustle, Sorrelsong bounded to the side, and a loud thud was heard from where she had stood not even a second ago. Sorrelsong turned her head barely enough to see a short white tom jump to his jet black paws, his large blue eyes betraying his frustration.

"Hare-dung," the white tom spat as he swayed his long tail to and fro. "I almost had you!"

"Frostpaw!" A voice scolded from behind a thick patch of heather, a silver tabby head now poking out of it. "That is no way to speak to a senior warrior! Apologise to her at once!"

The head became a full body as a large, muscular silver tabby tom bounded towards his loud-mouthed trainee. Ironwing dipped his head towards Sorrelsong. Sorrelsong reciprocated.

Frostpaw looked down at his paws in shame as his mentor stood next to him. "I'm sorry, Sorrelsong..."

"It's fine," Sorrelsong reassured the young tom, looking up to see the sky beginning to darken. "You've done this exercise multiple times for what feels like moons. I don't blame you for being upset." Sorrelsong turned to Ironwing. "I think we should finish up here. No doubt part of Frostpaw's frustration is that he's hungry."

Ironwing nodded hesitantly. He flicked a tail ordering Frostpaw to return to camp. Sorrelsong's paws brushed gently against the grass as she began to stand beside the silver warrior.

"He's a good trainee, you know?" Sorrelsong mewed calmly once she knew Frostpaw was out of earshot.

"I know," Ironwing let out a mutter. "He's just impatient. It makes him come off as rude and disrespectful...and we both know what happens to disrespectful cats."

Sorrelsong narrowed her eyes, letting a growl rumble from her throat. "It's completely ludicrous to banish cats for something as trivial as back-talking!"

"I know that too," Ironwing quietly hissed. "But there's nothing I can do about it! Jollystar and Opalfur have no intention of changing anything!"

Ironwing spun around, turning his back to Sorrelsong as he walked towards his trainee. Frostpaw, who had been sitting idly at the top of a hill's crest, bounded towards his mentor and the two began their trek back to camp. Sorrelsong let out a sigh as she followed them.

As the three moorland cats travelled up an incline, two cats shoved their heads through a thick patch of heather. They simply nodded at the approaching cats, and their heads vanished from sight. Frostpaw clambered up an especially steep slope, his eyes shining with pride once he made it to the top without issue — or assistance.

Ironwing beckoned Frostpaw to go get something to eat, who did so with much delight as the young trainee ran through the heathers, and the silver tabby entered the patch of heathers and also vanished from Sorrelsong's sight. Sorrelsong rounded the patch, choosing to enter the part of the Moor Cat camp border nearest to the warriors' sector. It was almost like a routine.

The heathers swayed and brushed aside as Sorrelsong pushed her way through. As soon as the inside of the camp was within sight, Sorrelsong could see no difference between the inside of the camp and the outside of it. It looked exactly the same besides the camp itself being inside of a ditch on the top of a hill covered in moorland dirt and grass. Sorrelsong turned her head to her immediate left. There was a stone opening plastered with dirt and soil. The nursery.

She turned right from the nursery towards a collection of cats. The warriors' sector was always out in the open. They needed to be outside and ready in case the Rippling Lake Empire and Dusk Hollow forces breached the Roots' territory and invaded the Territory of the Moor Cats. The trainees were encouraged to do the same, but they weren't required to until their last two moons of training.

There wasn't the risk of flooding, thankfully. Even though the camp was inside of a ditch, Moor Cat warriors from the past had dug a strong tunnel leading out of the hill. However, the tunnel required constant management to prevent it from collapsing due to age, and to remove anything hiding in it.

Flooding may be an issue in the future, however, Sorrelsong figured. I should let Jollystar or Opalfur know of this when I get the chance.

As she broke from her thoughts, Sorrelsong could see a brown molly with black tabby stripes break away from two warriors — Thornscorch and Harefeather — and began walking towards her. The molly, Aspenshade, looked up to see Sorrelsong, and her eyes immediately shone with joy.

"Sorrelsong!" Aspenshade meowed aloud, bounding towards Sorrelsong. "How did it go?"

"It went alright," Sorrelsong replied. "Frostpaw will probably need tomorrow for more training, though."

Sorrelsong felt her fur brush heavily against Aspenshade's as the brown molly began to sit next to her. "I'm sure he'll get the hang of it soon," Aspenshade calmly reassured. "Perhaps you should request that he train with Shinepaw instead? I've noticed the two tend to do much better in each other's presence."

Sorrelsong stifled a mrow of laughter. "Yeah, those two seem inseparable at times. I wonder why that could be?"

"Are you implying trainee-love?" Aspenshade questioned, her beautiful green eyes sparkling with confusion. "I meant they are close friends, but that can be it too. We'll have to wait and see about that one."

"That's how we got together, right?" Sorrelsong taunted.

"You shush!" Aspenshade replied in a scolding, yet humorous tone. "I was willing to bide my time, while you leapt forward without even looking!"

A purr rose in Sorrelsong's throat as she rested her head on Aspenshade's shoulder. She grew up with Aspenshade. The two practically did everything together. After they became warriors due to their bravery in a battle against the Rippling Lake Empire, Sorrelsong began to see life with Aspenshade a little differently — something bigger than just being tight-knit friends.

"And I don't regret it." Sorrelsong finally mewed in reply.

The two lovers sat beside each other for what felt like moons, but the peace was swiftly broken by the sound of a molly's voice calling to Sorrelsong. Sorrelsong flicked her head towards the source of the youthful voice to see a ginger-and-black tortoiseshell staring at Sorrelsong with a stern amber gaze.

"What does Opalfur want now?" Sorrelsong grumbled, flicking her tail and ears with annoyance.

Aspenshade rested her tail on Sorrelsong's. "It's alright, love. I know you two aren't exactly on...fantastic terms, but she might just want you on a patrol."

With a low exhale, Sorrelsong reluctantly agreed. "But if she just wants to continue our argument from yesterday, I will claw her ears out, Deputy or not."

Sorrelsong and Aspenshade bid each other farewell. Sorrelsong bounded towards Opalfur, hopeful that Aspenshade was right. The young warrior continued her stern stare as Sorrelsong approached.

Is there anything you want me to do?" Sorrelsong queried once she was within a few mouse-lengths of the young Deputy, praying to the Swirling Stars that the matter didn't concern their argument about the Moor Cats' alliance with the Roots.

"Yes," Opalfur answered with a swift flick of her tail, indicating to three cats speaking to each other just next to the nursery. "I need you to lead a border patrol to mark our border with the Birch Federation. I'd appreciate it if you also forward a message to any Federation Defence patrol you see from Jollystar."

Curiosity instantly sparked Sorrelsong's interest. "What's the message?"

Opalfur instantly narrowed her eyes at the question and shifted her paws slightly, garnering Sorrelsong's further interest. "Jollystar would like to meet with Thunderstar to discuss the possibility of turning the Birch Federation's Rooted Lake territory a shared zone between us and them, giving the Moor Cats access to the sacred Centre Lake."

Sorrelsong did not appreciate Opalfur's body language implying that the Deputy was suspicious of her, but she did her best not to show her growing frustration. "I'll be sure to forward Jollystar's message to any patrol I see."

Sorrelsong didn't even bother dipping her head as she turned around and walked away from Opalfur. The Deputy could remain sceptical of Sorrelsong's distrust of the Roots' Commander, Echostar, for all she cared. If Opalfur couldn't be bothered to understand Sorrelsong's grievances, then she didn't deserve Sorrelsong's respect regardless of the fact that Opalfur was a higher rank than Sorrelsong.

The three cats Opalfur indicated to — Harefeather, Thornscorch, and Firewave — caught Sorrelsong's eye and Firewave beckoned Sorrelsong over with the subtle flick of his striped ginger tail. As Sorrelsong walked over, Thornscorch gave a quick dip of his head while Harefeather's eyes seemed to shine bright with excitement.

"It's great to have you on this patrol and lead it!" Harefeather blurted out.

Although mildly annoyed, Sorrelsong couldn't blame Harefeather for being excited. Harefeather had been a trainee not too long ago, and her mentor throughout her training was Sorrelsong herself. She had grown used to Harefeather's eccentric personality.

Sorrelsong nodded to her former trainee before turning her attention to Firewave. "I hear we are to patrol the border with the Birch Federation."

"That would be correct," Firewave responded, dragging his tail against a patch of dusty dirt to define the shape of the border. "Although our mission is to send a message to one of Thunderstar's patrols, we are still a border patrol. I suggest we begin along the Bareskin's Divide," Firewave pointed a paw at one of the corners of the drawn-out line that shaped the Moor Cats Territory. "Thunderstar mentioned something about suspicious activity around the area last moon's Truce, and, although we have already checked it, I'd personally rather be safe than sorry."

"Then that's what we'll do," Sorrelsong responded. "Any objections?"

Thornscorch and Harefeather gave each other slight glances before they shook their heads. Firewave nodded to Sorrelsong, a subtle acknowledgment that she was the patrol's leader. Sorrelsong lifted her tail as she indicated to the patrol to begin their trek out of the camp.

***

The Moor Cat terrain soon began to flatten as the patrol carried on, signifying the patrol's departure from the Rippling Hills Zone. Sorrelsong could see in the distance the green outlines of the birch forest the Birch Federation inhabited. She couldn't help but feel intimidated by the vast size of it. Sorrelsong looked to her left to see a similar nervous expression on Firewave's face. The ginger tom noticed Sorrelsong glancing at him.

"To think the birch forest is even bigger than what we see right now," Firewave meowed nervously. "I have to admit that it is quite terrifying to think about."

Harefeather rushed to Firewave's side. "It's so big that it is more than enough for even the Federation's already massive population."

Thornscorch let out a huff. "It's a bad omen, I'll tell you that much!"

Sorrelsong turned around. "What do you mean by that?"

She couldn't imagine how it was a bad thing for the Federation. The Federation's tight control over its zones and subzones was quite admirable, and not even the Rippling Lake Empire dared to touch a scrap of Federation territory due to the Federation's superior strength and numbers.

"Think of it like this," Thornscorch replied as he caught up with the others. "The Federation has way more territory than it can truly hold. It's so massive that it has to divide its own population; who's to say that the population in one of the secondary camps won't feel detached from the Federation and try to secede from it just like the Roots did during the Second Birch Federation Civil War?"

"Now you're just talking crazy," Firewave hissed, flicking his amber gaze to Thornscorch. "The Federation has existed for nearly six hundred moons, and it has proven to be one of the most powerful Territories of the Lakefront. The Second Birch Federation Civil War would have been an overwhelming Federation victory if Dusk Hollow hadn't gotten involved. I also strongly doubt the other camps are going to try to form their own nations; they identify strongly with the Birch Federation identity. For the Star's Sake, the only reason the northern territories even seceded in the first place was because of Willowstar and Dawnstar's mistreatment of them. If those two barbaric Commanders actually had functional brains, us and the Roots wouldn't have our own identity."

Thornscorch shook his head slightly. "See it whichever way you want," he growled with irritation. "It doesn't change the fact the Federation overextended itself."

Harefeather eyed Firewave and Thornscorch with uncertainty in her eyes, gradually moving away from them and towards Sorrelsong. Sorrelsong could hardly blame the young molly. Firewave and Thornscorch were known for their constant bickering, especially as Thornscorch was more of the conspiratorial type. Even then, Sorrelsong knew deep down that the two respected each other immensely, just not when it came to conspiracies.

Sorrelsong could see that the forest was much closer now, and the unmistakable stench of the Bareskin Divide filled her scent glands. Sorrelsong forced every bit of her body not to recoil as she gave out commands.

"Harefeather," the young white molly turned her head to face Sorrelsong. "I want you to mark the bracken near the boulder pointing out from in between two of those trees," Sorrelsong pointed her tail to the bracken. "Thornscorch, I want you to mark the patch of grass growing near the bulging hill. It should be the hill not far to the right of where Harefeather'll be. Firewave, I want you with me to mark the far edge closest to the Divide."

Harefeather raced to the bracken, and Thornscorch silently obliged. Firewave padded beside Sorrelsong, confusion clouding his eyes.

"Why do you need me to go with you," he questioned. "Certainly the Divide should be safe enough for a senior warrior like yourself to do on your own?"

"Because," Sorrelsong started. "I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"And those questions being?" Firewave questioned again with a curious gaze.

Sorrelsong looked behind herself, in the direction of the Roots' territory. "What do you think of Echostar and her leadership over the Roots? Do you think she and Rowanlight are doing any good, or are they misguided by a false sense of justice?"

Firewave looked out into the Birch Federation's territory, a conflicted expression on his face. "I...those are rather difficult questions to answer. I do believe that Echostar and Rowanlight certainly are doing good, as the Rippling Lake certainly started the Lakefront War and thus Echostar and Rowanlight couldn't be led by misguided justice. However," Firewave paused for a second, and Sorrelsong wondered what he should say next. "I will say that Echostar in particular has set a terrible precedent for the future of the Territory of the Roots. They used to elect their next Deputy, but now everything is run by the Commander, and the Deputy is purely appointed by the Commander. Everything changed when the Lakefront War began."

Sorrelsong nodded gently, satisfied with Firewave's answer. It was true; the Lakefront War absolutely changed everything. After the Rippling Lake Empire had launched an invasion of Dusk Hollow and taken it over under Riverstar's command all those moons back, the then-leaders of the Roots and Moor Cats, Foxstar and Heatherstar, declared war against the Rippling Lake Empire. Firewave's expression of disapproval for Echostar's direction of the Roots' governance was also something she could also agree with. However, Sorrelsong saw Foxstar as the cat who changed the Roots. He shifted the Territory into a more rigid patrol state rather than maintaining it as a normal Territory. Such a major shift was likely why Echostar was able to abandon the electoral process so easily.

Harefeather let out a sudden yowl of warning, and Sorrelsong turned to see Harefeather and Thornscorch being confronted by a fairly large patrol of cats. Sorrelsong walked towards the confrontation, admittedly feeling a little intimidated given the sheer size of the Birch Federation patrol. Once Sorrelsong was beside Thornscorch, she could see the cats of the patrol better.

A large brown-and-white tabby tom stood at the front of the patrol. Behind him were five more cats: a white-and-black molly, two dark grey toms, a golden tabby tom, and a large golden-and-white tom. The brown-and-white tom nodded his head at Sorrelsong, and she reciprocated the gesture.

"It's not often we run into each other," the brown-and-white tom said with the hint of a humorous tone. "How's the prey running in your Territory?"

"Quite well," Sorrelsong responded, a little irritated that she couldn't just tell the patrol Jollystar's message yet. "How has the hunting been going in the Federation?"

Brackenthorn nodded slowly. "It has seen better days, what with all of the coldness, but it has been improving steadily."

One of the cats in Brackenthorn's patrol, the large golden-and-white tom, suddenly walked forward. "We really should mark the rest of the border before we miss the deadline."

"Yes, I know that, Lightningtail," Brackenthorn shot back with irritation, but also with something else that Sorrelsong couldn't put her tongue on. "Just wait. There's nothing wrong with some friendly banter with a friendly patrol. However," Brackenthorn flicked his gaze apologetically at the Moor Cat patrol. "Lightningtail is correct. We ought to continue our patrol."

Harefeather nudged Sorrelsong just as the Federation patrol began to turn around. Sorrelsong quickly yelled out to Brackenthorn.

"Wait! There's a message Jollystar wants me to tell you so you can share it with Thunderstar!" Brackenthorn turned around with a confused expression. "He wants to meet with Thunderstar about the Rooted Lake Zone, and if it is possible to turn it into a shared zone so that the Moor Cats can access the Centre Lake."

Brackenthorn gave a respectful nod. "I'll be sure to take Jollystar's message to him."

The Birch Federation patrol completely vanished from Sorrelsong's eyesight. Sorrelsong turned to her patrol, telling them to continue with marking their side of the patrol. The patrol moved on, but Sorrelsong found it hard to. Not physically, but with something else...

I don't remember anything to do with patrol deadlines. Is this some new way of patrolling the Federation is testing?

Sorrelsong shook away the thoughts. She was acting like something nefarious was about to occur just because of some new thing. She needed to focus less on the Federation's patrol system and more on providing for her Territory.

[__>~<__]
Hello, this is Lion speaking! If you are one of the people who read the end pieces, I'm sure you have noticed that there is a huge time gap between the release of this chapter and the release of the previous chapter. My life got a bit busy, so I wasn't able to focus slowly on Lakefront Sagas. Unfortunately, I'm still rather busy. Fortunately, I'm still trying to get as much work done on this series as possible. However, this will be the last chapter you'll see from Rising Storm for quite some time. I have made the choice to halt the publication of any chapters until I have a full plan for this story. I haven't even started planning for the fifth chapter, to give you all an idea as to how slow the planning has been and why I need to focus on it.

Without further ado, to the questions!

• What was your favourite part of the chapter?
• Do you have a least favourite part?
• Who's your favourite character so far?
• Who's your least favourite character so far?
• What early theories do you have based on all of the information currently available in this book up to now?

To those who have, thank you for reading this far. It really does mean a lot to me. Truth be told, Lakefront Sagas wouldn't be where it is now if no-one gave it a shot back when it was known as Chaos Sagas and this book was called The Soothing Storm. You are the reason I still write and improve Lakefront Sagas to this day, and you have my eternal gratitude.

(12 October, 2023) - first version
(29 October, 2023) - mild edits + layout edit