Well, 'Together At Last' is back. I have done some editing on the chapters, as well as thought out the ideas for the story much more clearly. Thank-you so much to all the people who reviewed on TAL 1.0, I hope I hear from you guys again!

Dedication: Thank-you to all of the faithful readers of 'Together At Last'. Without you, Leafpool would never have come this far.

Disclaimer: I am not Erin Hunter, and I do not own warriors or any of the fabulous characters in the warriors books, though I wish I was/did.

"Speaking"

Thoughts

Leafpool squeezed her eyes tight as another spasm of pain wracked through her body. She felt as though she were being ripped apart from the inside, as though flames tore through her skin to reach the air.

This is impossible! It isn't happening!

Leafpool yowled in pain, and scored her claws against the harsh rock below her, feeling her pads tear and bleed as they scraped across the rough surface. The blood mingled with the rainwater and the blood on the ground already, joining the pale rusty pool that stained her pelt and rippled over the bare stone as the screeching wind and rain mixed it with the lake-sized puddles all around.

It can't be!

"Leafpool!" a voice called. It seemed as if she heard it from a great distance away, or as though she were under water, and a cat called to her from the shore. The wind howled louder and louder; as if it were trying to drown out all other sounds, brutishly pulling all noise into itself, leaving nothing left but the sound of the rain as it pelted the ground. "Leafpool!"

It is.

Leafpool lay stretched out under a scrawny bush, its leaves gone, its bare branches proving pathetic shelter from the elements. The pretty she-cat rested, her sides heaving, in the pouring rain and howling wind, freezing and soaked to the bone, and feeling as though she had just fought five badgers.

She felt the squirming of her newborn kits by her belly, but she didn't have enough strength even to lick their fur dry or to properly welcome them into the world. Feebly, she wrapped her thin tail over the kits, trying her best to shelter them from the screeching wind and icey rain pelting down from the emotionless grey clouds above. A grey figure pressed near to her covering her scarred ears with tender licks and trying desperatly to keep her warm through the storm.

"I can't lose you too!" A voice filled with desperation and panic wailed to the lightning-creased, unforgiving sky. Leafpool opened bleary eyes, and she let out a painful purr as she saw the cat that lay next to her. His fur was matted with water and mud, but as miserable as he was, he still crouched over their kits, absorbing the cold and the wet into his own being as much as possible, so as to save them from the weather. His blue eyes were shattered as he looked into her face; as though he knew exactly how much she was hurting, as though he wanted to lift her burden onto his own shoulders but knew he couldn't take the pain away.

"You…aren't going…to lose me," Leafpool gasped out, feeling as though every last drop of energy were being sucked from her, "Crowfeather." Slowly, she closed her eyes, exhausted. Crowfeather gently began to lick the blood from her fur, gently murmuring in her ear. And amidst the torrential rain and gusting wind, Leafpool slowly felt sleep creep into her senses, dulling them and pulling her into its calming grasp. Her last sensation as slumber pulled her into its embrace was of Crowfeather's gentle grooming, and the tiny bundles of fur pressed close to her.

As you can probably tell, those who read TAL 1.0, I added a lot more detail to this chapter. I look forward to seeing a lot of reviews in my e-mail inbox soon!

Exerpt from Chapter 2 - First Dawn:

"They are perfect." Crowfeather's voice was chocked with emotion, and Leafpool knew he was thinking of the fourth kit, a tiny silver tabby that had died shortly after midnight. She had been too weak for the elements, and Crowfeather had buried her that morning by the trunk of a tiny sapling tree. Leafpool felt a stab of grief for their second daughter, who never lived to even see the sun. She would never know the joy of racing across the ground, free as a bird; never know the exhilaration of the hunt. Leafpool glanced over at the minature tree, sorrow cutting sharply across her face. Would the tree survive the following days, moons, years? Would it grow strong and tall to protect her precious kit, or would it too fall, its life cut short?