AN: I think at this point most readers who have been keeping up with this story know that I try to update at least once a month. With that being said, I'm sorry it's been so long. I actually did have this chapter all typed up, but I never got around to posting it. I also wanted to thank everyone for keeping up with this story, despite my lack of updates; your reviews mean more than I could ever express in words. (I also apologize for the terrible chapter title; I'm running out of ideas...) Thanks to DappledleafTheBootiful, Clear Water and Theronis for reviewing!

DappledleafTheBootiful - You're more than welcome to if you want to give it a shot. I normally lurk when it comes to reading stories (I know; I'm terrible for not reviewing like I should), but if you post your one-shot, feel free to let me know!

Clear Water - Only time will tell whether or not she seeks him out... It would make for an interesting confrontation between Smokefrost and the rest of the Clan.

Theronis - Thank you for your reviews! Yeah, when I first started writing this, I made a lot of grammatical errors. Currently, I'm trying to go through the older chapters and fix them best as I can. To be fair, this was written four years ago back when I knew next to nothing about writing XD As for shorter chapters, I'm afraid that won't be happening too often. My goal is to make my chapters longer word-wise (I'm still working on it, as you can see), so unfortunately that's probably not going to happen. As for your suggestions, I may take them into consideration... it depends on whether or not I can squeeze them into the story. And finally, I'm afraid I'm not taking story requests at the time. I'm having a difficult enough time trying to get this piece of work finished, let alone working on newer stories. Plus I'm thinking of rewriting my other story, which means that'll take up most of my attention. Again, I'm sorry I can't take your request /=

CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN

"I'm beginning to think that Icestar wants the Clan to suffer through the rest of leafbare," Furzewhisker growled through clenched teeth.

She carefully nudged a pile of dried leaves into the corner of her den, hoping that the supply would last her throughout the rest of leafbare. She knew it wasn't much. Borage was good for the queens who were heavily pregnant. With Leafshine getting closer and closer to kitting, she realized that the tortoiseshell queen would need the herbs sooner rather than later. And with so many other queens expecting, she was running low on the herb.

"I don't get why he's making it a rule for every she-cat in the Clan to be pregnant," Redstripe complained while watching her sort through the pile of leaves.

The medicine cat glanced at the dark ginger elder. Redstripe had been suffering with whitecough over the last couple of days. The moment she found out he had whitecough was when she confined him to her den until he recovered. With leafbare in full swing, catmint and watermint was difficult to come by. The last thing she needed was for the sickness to spread or to turn into something worse.

"He wants the Clan to rise in numbers," she rolled her eyes knowingly. Furzewhisker lashed her tail when she thought of his poor excuse in asking if she would have kits. The question had taken her completely by surprise, especially since every cat in the Clan knew it was against the code for medicine cats to have kits. "And he doesn't realize how dangerous that can be during leafbare."

"I know for a fact that the former WindClan leader wouldn't have resorted to such nonsense," Redstripe grumbled crossly. Furzewhisker glanced at him warily as she noticed how hoarse his voice sounded. She went for the moss that hung loosely on the small rock that lay in the back of her den, hoping to soothe his sore throat with some moisture. "And he certainly wouldn't have formed an alliance with ShadowClan."

Furzewhisker stiffened at the mention of WindClan's uneasy alliance with ShadowClan.

Ever since Icestar gave the Clan an order to allow ShadowClan cats on the moor, everyone had been on edge. She couldn't see how his plan to combine two Clans together would end well. There had always been four Clans around the lake, and nothing would ever change that.

Not to mention with leafbare in full-swing, prey was getting harder and harder to find on the moor. She had seen how thin some of the WindClan cats were getting because rabbits were difficult to come by. Worry gnawed at her heart as she thought of ways to prevent starvation from getting the better of the Clan.

With more kits on the way, we can't afford to let any warriors starve or get sick, she reminded herself silently.

Furzewhisker closed her eyes for a brief moment as she thought of what her mentor once told her.

"Hunger makes us vulnerable and weak. When we are hungry, it makes us weak to greencough and whitecough."

Her heart sank at the weight of his words. She was only just beginning to realize how right he had been. And she couldn't do anything more than provide a bundle of herbs that would temporarily halt their growing hunger.

"Icestar has flees for brains if he thinks this is going to end well for us," she sighed after returning with a wad of moss. "Here, have some water… I'll have to go out and fetch some honey for later."

Redstripe gave her a thankful look as he took carefully drank the water from the soaked moss. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. And gathering honey along with other herbs might be her best excuse to check on Wildheart and his family. It had been a few days since she last saw them; Icestar had been keeping her confined to the camp when he noticed how long she took during her last trek.

He was already on edge regarding his deal with Russetstar. Furzewhisker knew that to leaders like Icestar and Russetstar, loyalty was everything. Yet, in the back of her mind, treating cats and fulfilling her duties as a medicine cat meant so much more.

I can't keep this up forever, she thought angrily. Sooner or later, he's going to find out that I've been helping Wildheart and Palemist.

She tried pushing the uneasy thoughts aside as she slipped out of the den.

A shiver swept through her when a rush of cold air followed. Fresh snow had fallen a couple of days ago, leaving the camp white with visible pawprints from where cats had been. Though the sun shown brightly overhead, she could still feel the cold rush of wind that gripped the air.

Furzewhisker narrowed her eyes when she spotted Twigfur sharing tongues with Whitebirch outside the nursery. Rowantail and Owlflight were sitting close together, whispering to one another as Icestar watched the Clan carefully.

The WindClan leader had been slipping in and out of camp more often since he'd made an agreement to share hunting grounds with ShadowClan. Unease clawed at Furzewhisker as she thought of his nightly meetings with Russetstar. She couldn't help but worry over the fate of her Clan as Icestar became more determined than ever to destroy what was left of the warrior code.

WindClan had always been bound by the warrior code. Because they spent most of their lives outside under the stars, the Clan felt closest to StarClan. But under Icestar's rule, Furzewhisker began to wonder how long that would last.

"I need to collect more borage and honey for Redstripe's cough," she announced when Icestar's piercing gaze swept over to her. She held her ground, raising her chin slightly to assert her authority as a medicine cat. He might have been the Clan leader, but he only held so much power over her. "The queens are going to need that borage to produce milk during leafbare, since prey is short in supply."

Icestar narrowed his eyes, and it looked as if he was about to argue when he seemed to think better of it. Confusion swept through Furzewhisker when he flicked his tail in Rowantail's direction.

"Rowantail, perhaps you can be her escort for the day," he suggested when the WindClan deputy reached them. Furzewhisker tried to mask the surprise that followed as she realized what his intentions were. "After you returned so late during your last search for herbs, I realized that an escort is necessary. We wouldn't want anything happening to our medicine cat, after all."

The edge in his voice was enough for her to flinch visibly.

StarClan, what am I going to do now? she wondered.

Rowantail was a close follower of Icestar. It was the only reason she remained his deputy for as long as she had. Though when Furzewhisker glanced at the WindClan deputy, she noticed with a start how uneasy she looked.

"We'll be back before sunhigh," Rowantail meowed with a dip of her head.

Furzewhisker's belly churned with anxiety when Rowantail led the way out of camp without another word. She couldn't help but glance back at Icestar warily. She knew in the back of her mind that looking for Wildheart and his family was out of the question. Rowantail would surely give away their positions, and the last thing she wanted was for their family to suffer once again.

…

Spruceleaf held back a purr of amusement as she felt tiny paws jab at her belly fur. The slim gray and white form of Harepaw ducked for cover when Gorsepaw tried tackling him. Both young apprentices let out growls of frustration as they tried to best each other in a match of chase, something Spruceleaf herself did when she was a kit.

It was hard to believe that so much time had passed since the days she was in the nursery. She had to grow up fast when her father was killed, and her mother murdered right before her eyes. Spruceleaf was only just beginning to realize how lucky Harepaw and Gorsepaw were to have two parents looking after them. Though Wildheart complained constantly about how fast they were growing, and how much of a pawful they could be, he never stopped loving his sons.

"It is good to see how much they're learning thanks to their sister," Palemist purred when she finally had a break from watching them.

She and Pinion had gone off hunting together just to talk, and Spruceleaf offered to watch them since the barn was full of places where they could hide. With the rest of SkyClan lingering in the background, she knew that it was easy for Harepaw and Gorsepaw to get themselves into trouble.

"Well, I wouldn't want them getting into trouble with SkyClan," she admitted with a shrug. "Besides, it's fun watching them… I've been teaching them some of the games that I played when I was a kit."

Palemist's eyes glowed with amusement at the prospect of her sons acting like kits again. They had been treating their time in the barn as if it was one big adventure. Spruceleaf supposed that was a good thing – she didn't want them to realize that their lives were in danger thanks to Icestar. The barn was a safe haven for those who wanted to escape the Clans, but keep a close enough eye on them for signs of danger.

"How long do you think it's going to take for SkyClan to announce themselves to the rest of the Clans?" Wildheart asked when he joined them moments later.

"Emberstar wanted to wait until the next Gathering to announce their arrival," Spruceleaf explained.

"That makes sense," Palemist meowed thoughtfully. "The Gathering is a time of peace… though I often wonder if they'll receive a warm welcoming since tension among the Clans are so high right now."

Confusion swept through Spruceleaf as she wondered how they would have known that. Since she, Flamestrike and Birdpaw had agreed to meet up again, she knew that she would be able to find out what was happening around the Clans. But Palemist and Wildheart couldn't have possibly known what was happening at the moment. Not unless someone from the Clans had been delivering news to them.

"Furzewhisker has been checking in on us every now and then," Wildheart explained when he noticed her confusion. Spruceleaf blinked in surprise at the mention of the WindClan medicine cat. Then again, it sounded just like Furzewhisker to go behind the leader's back and make sure everyone was safe. "She's done a good job at making sure that we don't get sick."

Spruceleaf gave a nod of understanding at that. She was just grateful that someone had been looking after them while they were off looking for SkyClan. Knowing that they had someone backing them made a difference, even if it was just the medicine cat.

"Maybe we should go hunting outside the barn this time," Palemist meowed when she glanced at her two rambunctious sons anxiously. "Gorsepaw and Harepaw are going to need to learn how to hunt outside when they get back to the Clan."

A knot formed in the pit of Spruceleaf's stomach as she listened. She couldn't help but wonder if Gorsepaw or Harepaw would ever get to see what Clan life was like. They had been old enough to see what the camp looked like when they left with their mother and father. But, Spruceleaf knew that as they had been kits, it was possible they now preferred living in the barn than they did out in the open.

"Are you sure it's safe to go out?" Wildheart asked with equal anxiety. "Pinion mentioned that she picked up the scent of fox not far from the barn."

"Even if a fox was hunting near the barn, it would never get close enough to snatch your kits," Pinion growled under her breath when she joined them. She had been avoiding the barn ever since SkyClan moved inside. Ever since Spruceleaf found out what had happened to her, she couldn't blame her aunt for not wanting anything to do with the Clans. "I wouldn't allow it."

Amusement glowed within Wildheart's eyes when he realized what Pinion was implying.

"I am grateful that you're here to protect us, Pinion," he purred while flicking his tail across her shoulder affectionately. "But I can also watch my kits if I need to."

"Really? Is that what happened that time you and Leopardheart tried leaving the nursery as kits one time?" By now, Spruceleaf was stifling a purr of laughter as she watched the two go at it.

She couldn't even remember the last time her life had been so carefree. For the last few moons, she had been struggling to figure out what to do with her life since Icestar banished her from the Clan. It was strange that her family managed to stick close by, despite everything that had happened. But now, she found herself relishing the rare moments where they could be themselves and not worry about what the future held for them.

She was ready to intervene when she felt a tail-tip brush her shoulders. Spruceleaf blinked a few times when she turned to see Birdpaw padding away, indicating to follow. She glanced anxiously in her family's direction until deciding to go after the SkyClan apprentice.

We still have our meeting to worry about, she reminded herself. And something tells me that we'll find out more about the prophecy once we're together.

The good news was, she hadn't had any strange dreams over the last couple of days since they returned to the lake. The bad news was, anxiety had been clawing at her belly as she wondered if she would see Gorsefur or the other ancient WindClan cats. She could still picture the thin cat looking back at her with loving eyes. Though she knew he wasn't technically her mate, she had a sense that deep down, he was in some way. She wished there was an easier way to explain the way they felt towards her, and why it was so important to cling on to those dreams.

"I met with Flamestrike earlier this morning," Birdpaw meowed once they were out of earshot from the others. Spruceleaf's ears pricked forward with interest at the mention of Flamestrike. "I was on patrol with Birchpelt and Frozenfoot, and we were able to talk before the patrol left."

"Did he say anything about our meeting?" she asked curiously.

"Tomorrow night," Birdpaw replied. Relief swept through Spruceleaf as she realized that they would finally get to meet and discuss what they had been dreaming about over the last couple of moons. "I'm going to try and convince Reedriver to join us… Flamestrike said that the birdbrain doesn't want anything to do with the strange dreams we've been having, even though I'm willing to bet that he's part of it as well."

Spruceleaf couldn't help but look down at her paws as she thought of the way Reedriver had reacted to their revelation. The RiverClan cat hadn't been too keen on getting involved with whatever they were discussing, and a small part of her couldn't blame him. It was a huge change in anyone's life, and she had a feeling that the cranky warrior had more important things to worry about. Even so, she hoped that he would at least consider joining them.

Being able to talk about our dreams would be good for all of us, she thought. If my theory is right, then I have a feeling they're more important than any of us realize.

"I'm glad that at least some of us have enough sense to know that something should be done," she sighed irritably.

Birdpaw looked at her thoughtfully as her tail swept across her paws when they sat down.

"I understand what Reedriver is going through," she murmured quietly. "He doesn't want to admit that he's different from the others… it scares him."

Surprise swept through Spruceleaf when Birdpaw said that. To her, it sounded as if she was talking to someone much older and wiser than Birdpaw actually was. She tried to hide her surprise by nodding in agreement, knowing that even if Reedriver didn't join them, they would still have each other to rely on. And that was certainly better than nothing at that point.