Edited ✔️

The moon was completely full tonight, yet it was dim. The gathering place was darker than usual, as if the darkness of the prophecy was at the very edge of the tree leaves, hiding behind the massive oaks, waiting for Icepaw to come close enough so it can grab him. He sat by two CloudClan apprentices, one StreamClan apprentice and one MarshClan apprentice. Dawnpaw was right beside him.

"So I was there when the fight with DarkClan broke out," Flarepaw explained, his tail lashing excitedly. "We were so badly outnumbered, too! But CloudClan never ever gave up, and we fought them off and won!"

"Wow," said Silkpaw, the StreamClan apprentice.

"What bravery! Me and my Clanmates would knock them off their paws whole," laughed Frogpaw, the MarshClan apprentice.

Dawnpaw's tail lashed. "Humph. CloudClan would of lost without the help of MoonClan," she boasted. "DarkClan tend to travel large. They were fortunate we were there."

"I'm sure any Clan would've need help," mumbled Icepaw.

"MarshClan needs no cat to back them up!" Frogpaw insisted.

"StreamClan stands alone too!" declared Silkpaw. "No cat may get in our way as long as we live."

Icepaw looked over his shoulder, to the entrance of the gathering place. Everyone was still waiting for DarkClan, but for a while now, no cat of their Clan had made an appearence.

Dawnpaw got up from her spot, and began to walk in a different direction, over to more MoonClan cats. "C'mon Icepaw," she meowed. "Dewpaw's waiting."

Grateful, Icepaw nodded. "Bye, everyone. I-I'll see you sometime," he mewed, following his Clanmate down the narrow ways. Cats crowded the gathering place, even when DarkClan wasn't there yet. Icepaw hated small spaces ever since he had went into the cave of mosses for the second time. A river of blood had haunted him that day when he fell in the undergrownd pool below the hidden tunnels, and for some reason, he felt his lungs were suffocating in blood all over again from the crowded clearing.

He looked up to the black sky—at least the stars still shone tonight. It seemed like they were shining brighter without the moon's light. The thought of StarClan watching over Icepaw comforted him in many ways, it made him feel a bit better.

"Icepaw!" someone called, trotting up. It was obviously Dewpaw. "Hey, Ice!"

Icepaw turned. He saw his brother padding up eagerly. "Yes?" Icepaw asked him.

"Hey, let's sit by each other," he went on. "I asked Mousetail to save us two spots in the front of everyone."

Icepaw shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."

"Great!" his brother mewed enthusiastically. "Icepaw, cheer up, will you? There's nothing to be sad about, we're at a gathering!" He began to pad forward, leaving Icepaw to follow him.

No reason to be sad? he thought in response. I'll give you several reasons, you big traitor! Why did Dewpaw not care about Featherbreeze or Ripplefur or Spottedkit anymore? Didn't Ashtail's wounds affect Dewpaw? Didn't the anger of losing in battle fill his brother's heart? Didn't he recieve bad dreams every night?

Icepaw, please, listen to Dewpaw, Featherbreeze's voice whispered in his mind. Icepaw was sure it was his own subconscious disciplining himself. There's no way StarClan would be able to talk to someone other than a medicine cat. It's been moons since I have died. Every cat lives and dies eventually. Get over it . . . don't live in your past, Icepaw.

This made his claws scrunch to the ground as he sat down in his spot that Dewpaw had saved. This was not what he wanted. He wanted to be left alone from these cats! He wished there were no StarClan existing, then prophecies would not exist either.

Stoneheart, the gray tabby deputy of MarshClan, stood high upon the rocks. "Listen!" she called, her young and wild eyes burning brightly. "DarkClan have taken far too long to come to our gathering tonight. We decided we will start without them."

Murmurs of shock rose among the crowds. Icepaw's bristled fur relaxed a bit. DarkClan most likely will not be coming tonight. That was in his opinion. But everyone else looked worried.

"Will StarClan be angry?"

"Will they take away the moon?"

"Is DarkClan planning something?"

"Silence!" Stoneheart called again. "No words about DarkClan will be said furthur on when or if they come. Now, I will be the first speaker, as I have important news."

"Go ahead," Brightstar meowed, dipping her head. Lakestar and Swiftstar nodded of appoval as well, backing up to give Stoneheart the space she needed on the rock.

"As some may know," Stoneheart began, "Our faithful leader, Rabbitstar, had lost his ninth life two days ago." There was a long pause as if every cat was taking a moment of silence for him. Rest well in StarClan, Icepaw thought, wondering if a new star appeared on the sky two days ago. "So, I have become Stonestar," she continued, sitting down comfortably. "My new deputy will be Berryheart. He has been an honorable cat for many moons, and many moons to come."

"Berryheart! Berryheart!" everyone cheered. Icepaw even cheered himself, because he knew if it were him up there, he'd want every cat to cheer for him.

"And," Stonestar meowed. "We have a new apprentice. His name is Frogpaw, and he's here with us tonight." She gestured her tail to where Frogpaw sat, his chest puffed out proudly.

"Frogpaw! Frogpaw!" everyone chanted once more. Icepaw felt glad for his new friend. So tonight had been his first gathering.

"This concludes my announcements for tonight." Stonestar sat back in her place next to Brightstar and Lakestar. Swiftstar shrugged and padded forward, and the leaders respectively remained in their spots.

The large black tom sat on the front of the rock, and looked down to all Clans. "I am going next." No rejections. "So, CloudClan had been doing very well. We just have been attacked the other day by DarkClan cats." Some CloudClan cats growled of anger, and the other Clans looked surprised. "But, I have to admit that without MoonClan's help, we would of not made it out in one piece. Thanks to us working together, we have defeated them in battle."

Everyone cheered. Not many cats must like DarkClan.

"And," he went on, "Due to the bravery of an apprentice of my Clan, she had become a warrior, now named Featherfall."

"Featherfall! Featherfall!" everyone cheered.

It's like Featherbreeze, he thought sadly.

Featherfall was a beautiful brown tabby she-cat with crisp amber eyes, a cat he had seen the day of the fight. She seemed to be a good fighter. Her skills were impressive, sure, but he could not actually clearly remember her. He never had heard of a cat named Featherpaw in the past.

Swiftstar sighed from his short speech and sat back down in his spot. Brightstar stepped up, guessing that he had finished. Lakestar nodded of approval to her, and she dipped her head in response, calling down to the Clans.

"So, I will start off by saying that MoonClan had grown tough during this rough leaf-bare," she said. "That we are ready to fend off any cat who threatens us. I will also say that I will be extending our border patrols. DarkClan may not be here to know, but I will let the other three Clans know. Any cat, if not nessesary, that steps over our borders, will be shredded if a threat or taken to our camp to be escorted later back to their own camps."

Lakestar's tail tip twitched. "And why is that, Brightstar?" he asked.

"Because we want to show DarkClan that they do not own the other Clans," she growled, mostly to herself. "I'm tired of them being stuck up to us. So I will be tough on every cat, especially those fools!"

"I completely agree with you," Swiftstar rose up. "I will do the same. Especially since DarkClan targets us the most."

"Well, they would not have to target us if it weren't for Icepaw and Dewpaw," growled Sharpfang, who was more towards the middle of the clearing.

Icepaw's head shot up. "What?" he snarled.

Brightstar cast him a sharp glance. "Sharpfang!"

"It's true! If it weren't for their mother—"

"Featherbreeze did nothing wrong!" spat Icepaw, his fur bristling up again. All his scratches began to sting again. Feeling began to be brought back to his scars, and anger rose in his chest.

"Sharpfang, shut your mouth!" ordered Brightstar, her tail lashing. "Icepaw is right, Featherbreeze has nothing to do with this!"

Dewpaw's eyes were wide with surprise. "Icepaw, calm down!" he whispered, resting his tail on his brother's back. Slowly, Icepaw sat down again, his anger being calmed as well. "You don't want the other Clans to think we are crazy."

"It's not me, it's Sharpfang! He hates me now for some reason! That's not fair!" he whispered back angrily.

Dewpaw sighed, shook his head, and looked back up to Brightstar. The other leaders were bristling, and so was she.

"Anyways, moving on . . ." she mewed, calming herself down as well. "Our Clan is well. Silverkit and Squirrelkit are growing up fine, and so are our other kits. All is very well."

* * *

Icepaw was relieved to finally get back to camp. The night was cold, much colder than the day times, and he badly needed his rest. But, as soon as he put paw into the camp, everything looked like chaos. Volepaw was searching all around in the nursery with Nightrose, and her three kits were laying in the elder's den, their fur bristled, as the two elders comforted and protected them.

Shadowheart, who was left in charge, ran up to Brightstar immediately after he had seen her. Icepaw looked down to his paws, not wanting to look at him.

"What happened?" demanded Brightstar.

"It's Silverkit and Squirrelkit!" he gasped. "DarkClan has taken them!"

"What?" Brightstar growled. She pushed past him, but he still followed her. Icepaw followed the two of them as well. "Tell me what's going on!"

"We aren't sure about it, but we had scented DarkClan. We think that they're hiding somewhere, or maybe they fled the camp, but I don't know. All we know is that the kits are gone!" Shadowheart explained.

"Send three cats to look for them," Brightstar ordered.

"Already done. I sent Softpelt, Adderclaw and Bluewing just a while ago."

"Tell everyone to search the camp!"

"Volepaw is looking in the nursery, Ashtail is checking the apprentice den, Vinetail and Sweetpaw are in the medicine den and everyone else is looking everywhere else."

"Did you check my den?"

"Yes."

"The tunnel?"

"Yes!"

"Around the camp?!"

"Yes, Brightstar, we checked everywhere!"

"So DarkClan probably has them!" growled Brightstar. "We have to go get them!"

Sparrowheart ran up, his eyes tired and fur shaggedy. "But Brightstar, everyone is tired tonight . . . and DarkClan is too big. We need a proper plan to get them back, we cannot just charge to get them."

"But you don't know what they can do to Silverkit and Squirrelkit!" Icepaw meowed, standing up in Brightstar's place. "We have to get them back if we can't find them!"

"Wait," Brightstar meowed. "Sparrowheart, keep talking."

Icepaw looked at her with disbelief. What? Was she just gonna let the two harmless kits there, hoping that they would not die? Why couldn't they just get Silverkit and Squirrelkit back? They owed it to Ripplefur! They had to get them back!

Sparrowheart nodded. "The gathering had tired out most of our warriors, and we already have search parties out. If Silverkit and Squirrelkit merely left the camp, the patrols will be back before or by dawn with Silverkit and Squirrelkit. If they do not return with them, a fully revised plan will be made out, and it will be easier to think because our heads would have enough sleep. We cannot cause problems with DarkClan without sufficient evidence."

Brightstar sighed. "Alright, Sparrowheart. You are a good deputy of mine. I trust your judgement."

Sparrowheart dipped his head. "Thank you."

The MoonClan leader turned to her Clan, and raised her head. Her voice was loud over all the murmers. "Listen up! Keep your eyes, ears and noses sharp! By dawn, if they have not returned, we will take immediate action!" she announced before returning to her den with Sparrowheart following close behind.

Icepaw's neck fur bristled. Dewpaw was right beside him, and he swiftly turned to his brother. "How dare they! We have to make sure nothing bad happens to Silverkit and Squirrelkit, Dewpaw!"

Dewpaw shrugged. "There's nothing we can do," he pointed out.

Icepaw looked down. Dewpaw was right. There was nothing Icepaw could do right now . . . but there was something he would do when everyone was asleep. If nobody will help him, this mission will be his own weight to carry on his shoulders.

* * *

Dawn was far from coming, yet Icepaw felt fully rested. The cold, yet dark and early morning was crisp. Icepaw could not see much except for the white snow and frost that hung onto trees and dead bushes. It twinkled brightly, standing out.

Before his Clan woke up, he was determined to save Silverkit and Squirrelkit. He's going to keep the two safe from any harm—make sure they won't ever get hurt, and safely return and forget about what those treacherous DarkClan cats did.

After moments of thought and travel, he was close to the borders. The DarkClan stench hung heavy.

He sniffed the air, and he smelled a fresh scent of Silverkit and Squirrelkit. This scent lead over the DarkClan borders, followed by more DarkClan scents . . . and a tang of . . . Dewpaw?

He saw his brother's white pelt over the DarkClan border in the shade of a tree, making him hard to point out. Icepaw ran up to him. "Dewpaw!" he called in a low whisper-voice.

Dewpaw swiftly turned his head and emerged from the shadows. Since the sky was still dark it looked almost pitch black down there. "Icepaw?" he asked, tilting his head. "What are you doing here?"

Icepaw kept his voice down. "I was going to save Silverkit and Squirrelkit," he replied. And I will try and find Flamepaw, Icepaw decided. I want to apologize to him and get answers from him about the prophecy. This is the perfect chance. "And you?"

"I was . . . I mean, I wanted to check if their scents lead over the borders," he mewed unsteadily. "And I also planned on returning to MoonClan to report."

Why was Dewpaw always unsteady around his Clanmates? He was practically their top, most popular and respected apprentice. He wasn't always like this.

"Well I'm going to find their camp," Icepaw said, trotting ahead. "If you want to come with me, I will appreciate the help." He didn't think that huis brother wanted to come.

But it didn't take long for Dewpaw to catch up. "Wait! I'll come. I'll help save Squirrelkit and Silverkit."