The RisingClan cats - her, Slatepaw, Floodpaw, Pantherhaze, Scorchplume, Goldenstar, Russetfrond, and Sagetooth - emerged from the trees into the clearing. Fogpaw made an awe-filled sound of wonder at the sight of the Cornerstones towering up ahead. A white she-cat and a ginger one were sitting on top, bathed in moonlight, their deputies conversing on the rubble beneath them. Goldenstar whispered something to Scorchplume and then went to join them. 

Floodpaw was moving to meet a group of cats who looked close to his age and Fogpaw decided to follow him. Slatepaw followed her, both of them trailing after Floodpaw like ducklets. 

“Have fun and be respectful!” Pantherhaze called after them.

“We will!” squeaked Slatepaw. 

“Hey!” A pale, spotted tabby looked up as Floodpaw approached. “Floodpaw, how’s it going?”

“Great,” purred Floodpaw, “We’ve got some big news tonight. I’m excited for you to hear it.” 

“Ooh, well now I’m invested,” he grinned. 

“You’ve got some kittens stuck to your fur,” said a white she-cat with a ginger striped tail. The ginger cat wearing moth wings next to her smiled in a way that struck Fogpaw as mysterious.

“Oh,” Floodpaw turned to look at them and grimaced a little. “Right, uh, this is Fogpaw and Slatepaw.”

“Hi!” Fogpaw grinned. Slatepaw pressed into her side nervously. 

Floodpaw continued, “Uh, guys, these are my friends.” The white cat huffed a mean laugh. “Boldmoth and Fishtrick are from EarthClan and Fernpaw is from SkyClan.” 

“It’s Fernspeckle now!” beamed the spotted tabby. 

“Aw, really?” frowned Floodpaw. “I mean, congrats, but I was sure I was gonna get my name before you!” 

“Having a leader as your mother has its perks,” Fernspeckle laughed. 

“An admission you graduated before you were ready,” Fishtrick hummed. 

“You’ll get your name soon,” Boldmoth said, looking at Floodpaw. 

“Thanks,” he blushed under her cool, golden gaze.  

“Your mom is the leader?” Fogpaw asked loudly. Floodpaw and his friends all winced. 

“Yeah,” said Fernspeckle, “Snowstar’s my mother.” 

“That’s so cool,” Fogpaw said seriously. “My mom’s dead.” Fernspeckle froze in surprise. Fishtrick raised a brow skeptically. Boldmoth frowned sympathetically.

“Hey, uh,” Floodpaw said quickly, “Look, there’s an apprentice your age, why don’t you guys go talk to him?” FallenClan had arrived and Fogpaw followed Floodpaw’s gaze to a pale ginger tom who looked just a little bit older than her and Slatepaw settling down beside a warrior with brown points. 

“Oh, okay,” she said, wilting a little. She couldn’t help but feel like Floodpaw didn’t want her around. Still, she was interested in making a new friend so she looked at Slatepaw and said, “Come on, let’s go say hi!” Slatepaw gave a worried noise through pursed lips and glanced over at Floodpaw’s friends before nodding. Fogpaw started to make her way through the crowd, Slatepaw pressed against her side.

Behind her, she heard Floodpaw say, “Yikes, sorry about that, guys.” She sighed a little. 

“Fogpaw, why did you say that?” Slatepaw asked quietly. 

“Huh?” she asked, looking over. “Say what?” 

“You know,” Slatepaw chewed her lip worriedly. “About mama.” 

“Oh,” Fogpaw shrugged. She had already forgotten about that. “Cause it’s true?” 

“Right,” Slatepaw said softly. Fogpaw frowned, confused. Shaking her head, she decided to ignore it and focus on meeting this new apprentice. 

As they drew close, she raised her tail and said, “Hi there! I’m Fogpaw and this is my sister Slatepaw! What’s your name?” The apprentice looked over at her apprehensively. 

Beside him, his mentor smiled and said, “I’m Duskstep and this is Lionpaw. We’re from FallenClan.” He nudged Lionpaw’s leg gently.

“It’s nice to meet you,” said Lionpaw, barely audible but in a listless way, not like Slatepaw’s nervous whispering. It was like he didn’t have the energy to speak any louder. Fogpaw immediately decided that he seemed extremely boring. She glanced back over to where Floodpaw was joking with his friends and wished she could just go back and hang out with them. 

“It’s nice to meet you too,” smiled Slatepaw as they sat down. “Do you know Poppybird?”

“Yes,” purred Duskstep, “she’s our Clan’s mediator.” 

“She was friends with our mama,” Slatepaw said. “She comes and visits us sometimes.” 

“That’s nice,” said Duskstep. 

“She mentioned you,” said Slatepaw, looking at Lionpaw. He sat up a little straighter and blinked at her. Fogpaw yawned. 

“She did?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Slatepaw said. “We asked her about the kits in FallenClan and she talked about you.” Fogpaw groaned and stood to go find someone else to sit with. She wasn’t going to stay here and listen to boring small talk all gathering. 

“W- Fogpaw, where are you going?” asked Slatepaw. 

“I dunno,” Fogpaw shrugged, “to find Scorchplume or something.” 

“Oh, okay…” Slatepaw frowned. Fogpaw wasn’t sure why she was upset but it annoyed her. Huffling she turned and stomped away. 

The meeting was packed. Fogpaw hadn’t seen this many cats since they had gathered in camp for the big battle. The noise of it made her hackles prickle unconsciously. She reared onto her hind legs to try and spot her mentor’s bright ginger pelt. It was difficult with the height of the other cats. She padded a bit to the side to try and find a better vantage point, then someone right next to her spoke, throwing her off guard.

“Oh! Look at that!” said a she-cat nearby. Fogpaw looked on instinct and realized the grey tabby was looking right at her. 

“Uh…” She glanced around to make sure there wasn’t something else the cat could be looking at. 

“I know that pelt,” continued the cat. “You look just like the old tom Snowstar was fighting in the snowstorm battle!”

“Really?” asked the brown tabby next to her. This one narrowed her eyes at Fogpaw, making her want to squirm. “One of the rogues?” 

“Yes, exactly,” said the first cat. “Hello there, kit, what’s your name?” Fogpaw swallowed. At least they were talking to her now instead of about her. 

“Fogpaw,” she said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Greyvoice,” said the first cat with a smile, “and this is Perchingcall. Please, why don’t you come sit with us?” 

“Um, okay,” said Fogpaw. The idea that two grown ups wanted her to sit with them was exciting. Smiling, she settled down near them. 

Greyvoice scooted closer to her and said, “This is your first gathering, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah,” nodded Fogpaw. “I got apprenticed last week!”

“That’s so exciting,” purred Greyvoice, attentive and warm. Perchingcall smiled too but it didn’t feel right to Fogpaw. “You’re, um, Smokyrose’s kit, right?” 

“Yeah,” Fogpaw nodded again. 

“Such a shame about her, by the way,” Greyvoice frowned briefly. “I hope you’re doing alright.” 

“I’m fine,” said Fogpaw. Her tail tip twitched a bit - she hated when cats pitied her - but Greyvoice moved on quickly so she let it go.

“I’m so curious though,” said Greyvoice, “I mean, I’ve only heard rumors, so I have to ask: Is it true your father is the rogues’ deputy?” 

“Um,” Fogpaw screwed her mouth to the side as she thought. “I think so. His name’s Ghost. He’s the reason our mom is dead.” Or something like that. No one would tell her for certain what had happened. She had been forced to glean a few details from overheard conversations. 

Greyvoice and Perchingcall at least didn’t get those weird, surprised expressions on their faces like Floodpaw's friends had. Perchingcall frowned like she wanted to tear Ghost’s pelt and Greyvoice let out a soft little noise of sympathy.

“That’s terrible,” said Greyvoice. “What do you mean, he’s the reason why? I only heard that she had died, I didn’t hear what happened.” 

“And you won’t,” said Scorchplume, appearing suddenly behind Fogpaw. Her sharp blue eyes were narrowed at Greyvoice as she said, “Fogpaw get up. You’re going to come sit with me.” 

“But-” Fogpaw bristled in protest, “But I was just making friends!” 

“We don’t make friends with other Clans,” Scorchplume scowled, still not looking at her. “A warrior should know better.” Her words felt pointed at Greyvoice, just as sharp as her eyes. Fogpaw frowned and got to her feet. 

“Fine,” she grumbled. Maybe her spell had been wrong and Scorchplume wasn’t a good mentor. 

Greyvoice preened her chest a bit and said, “Well I’m fine considering us friends, Fogpaw. Maybe I’ll see you some other time.” 

Scorchplume growled a warning. “Stay away from my apprentice, Greyvoice.” The warrior in question huffed irritably but made no further comments. Scorchplume nudged Fogpaw towards the back of the crowd, saying, “That way.” 

“I’m going!” Fogpaw griped, stomping off. When they were nearing the back of the crowd, she added, “What was that for? I thought Russetfrond was the one who’s all ‘don’t talk to anybody ever!’” She bobbled her head and deepened her voice as she imitated him. 

Scorchplume flicked her tail and wrapped it around Fogpaw to urge her to sit. “Oh, I don’t care about talking to other Clans,” she said, and Fogpaw’s mouth fell open in confusion.

“Then, what-”

“Greyvoice was taking advantage of you,” said Scorchplume simply. “She doesn’t actually want to be your friend, she just wants to know the gossip about your father.” 

“Wait, really?” Fogpaw’s ears slid back against her head. She hadn’t been able to tell at all. Her stomach turned into a heavy, nauseous lump.

“Mhm,” said Scorchplume, glancing sideways at her. “I’m not going to let someone like that take advantage of my apprentice.” Her voice caught in her throat on the word, a growl that made Fogpaw feel like Scorchplume would fight a lion for her.

“But, then, why did you lie?” asked Fogpaw. 

Scorchplume glanced around as if making sure no one could hear before she said softly, “It’s better if I let her think I haven’t noticed what she actually wants. That way, she underestimates me. That way, I have the advantage next time we meet.” Fogpaw’s eyes were as wide and round as the moon. “So I got you out without tipping her off. I hope I wasn’t too harsh.”

“No, that’s amazing!” Fogpaw breathed. “It’s like magic! You have to teach me!” 

Scorchplume’s eyes flickered over her again, a tiny smile poking at the corners of her mouth. “It would be my pleasure,” she said. Fogpaw grinned, kneading the dirt with her paws. The spell had definitely worked. 

“Where do we start?” she asked. 

“Well-”

Snowstar’s voice boomed over the crowd. “Alright! I think it’s about time we got started!” The assembled cats hushed each other and fell quiet. 

“The first step,” Scorchplume spoke quickly and quietly, like she was giving Fogpaw an urgent secret, “is to figure out what cats want. Once you master that, you can start using it to your advantage.”

“Got it,” Fogpaw whispered back. 

“As a bit of good news to start off with,” Snowstar continued, “SkyClan welcomes a new warrior, the first of the kits to have survived Red Gut! Fernspeckle has shown himself to be a cat with a quick tongue and a quicker wit and we are beyond proud to have him among our ranks!” 

“She’s Fernspeckle’s mom,” Fogpaw whispered to Scorchplume.

Scorchplume raised a brow in interest. “Good to know.” 

When the crowd finished chanting Fernspeckle’s name, Snowstar said, “As well, Newleaf has been kind to us. Prey is flowing well and we are happy to continue sharing with our less fortunate neighbors if need be.” 

“What does Snowstar want?” Scorchplume whispered to Fogpaw. 

“Um… I don’t know.” Fogpaw shrugged. How was she supposed to be able to tell from that?

“She wants to be seen as strong and generous,” answered Scorchplume. “See the way she’s offering to help us like it makes her special? Sometimes what a cat wants is to look a certain way to other people. Remember that.” Fogpaw hummed as she nodded. This was harder than she had expected. 

“It’s most appreciated,” Orangestar said, voice wobbling tiredly. 

“Yes,” Goldenstar agreed, much firmer, “but RisingClan would like to be self-sufficient again as soon as possible. It is in that vein that I would like to propose another alliance, like the one we made for the battle of the snowstorm.” 

“Has there been another prophecy?” Snowstar asked. 

“No,” Goldenstar said, “but we have a plan.” She stood and raised her tail confidently and none of the other leaders tried to interrupt her so she continued. “It has recently come to my attention that Razor, the leader of the rogues, is interested in a one on one meeting with me. This meeting will almost certainly be a trap in which he intends to kill me, who he believes to be the Clans’ only leader. We will give him this meeting but we will spring a trap of our own instead!” 

RisingClan’s warriors and a few other Clan cats cheered in response. Scorchplume stayed silent so Fogpaw did the same. 

“And you need our help to do so,” said Flightstar as if he’d caught her trying to sneak it past him. 

“Yes,” said Goldenstar. “RisingClan alone won’t be able to stand against Razor but together we will most definitely be able to overpower him and put an end to this war.” 

“Then SkyClan will be there,” said Snowstar. “We would see this conflict put to rest for the good of every Clan.” 

“FallenClan as well,” said Flightstar with a twitch of his ear. “Where there’s a fight to be fought you will find the warriors of the deep woods.” A few FallenClan cats crowed proudly. 

“What does Flightstar want?” Scorchplume whispered again. 

“Um… is it to look a certain way?” asked Fogpaw.

“Mhm.” 

“Um… He wants to look brave?” 

“Good,” purred Scorchplume. “He wants to look brave and strong and to tell everyone that they couldn’t beat him if they tried.” 

“Huh,” Fogpaw squinted up at him. That made sense, she thought. 

“What about EarthClan?” Goldenstar asked, looking at Orangestar. “We were hoping to use the edge of your forest for the meeting spot, to help hide our warriors and provide a terrain advantage.” 

Orangestar shifted and nodded. “Yes. EarthClan will stand by you. StarClan willing, this is the final battle of this war.” 

“StarClan willing,” nodded Snowstar. 

“Excellent,” Goldenstar said. “I will reach out to you to pick the location of the ambush. After that, I’ll send for a meeting with the leaders and things will be put into motion.” She shifted her posture to something a little more open and said, “In other news, we have two new apprentices with us today, Fogpaw and Slatepaw.” 

Fogpaw jumped to her feet and stood up tall so everyone could see her. A few cats tossed glances her way. She noticed Greyvoice among them. Scorchplume’s tail swished over her back, urging her to sit, and she did. The meeting moved on. The other Clans had very little news to share and soon after, RisingClan was heading home. 

“Thanks for teaching me,” Fogpaw said as she padded with Scorchplume to join the others.

“It’s my job isn’t it?” asked her mentor.

“Yeah, but I don’t think this is part of normal warrior stuff. I knew you were special.” 

“Stars guide you!” Nightfrost called after them. 

Goldenstar gave her one last glance and replied in kind. “Same to you!” Her eyes flicked over to where Scorch was sitting with Yarrowshade. The rogue’s bright blue eyes were on her but twitched away the moment they met Goldenstar’s. Goldenstar sighed and turned back to watch where she was going. 

“They’ll be fine,” huffed Sagetooth, limping beside her, still bothered by her sprain. “It’s not like you’ve never been out of camp before.” 

“I know, I just… I don’t know.” She twitched her tail, frustrated by her lack of words. 

“It’s alright to be nervous,” Smokyrose said on her other side. “But you would want them to trust you if the places were reversed, right?” 

“Yeah…” Goldenstar sighed, feeling stupid. “You’re right, you’re right. Let’s just focus on getting to SkyClan before nightfall.” 

~~~

Their pace was slowed by Sagetooth’s limp, much to the healer’s frustration, but it wasn’t too late into the afternoon when they crossed the SkyClan border. The mountains loomed closer than ever and Goldenstar shivered at the cool wind flowing down from their peaks. She never got used to how big they were up close. Sagetooth frowned and looked to the sky and the dark clouds trying to gather overhead. 

“There better not be a heavy storm,” she hissed. “We’ll have to go back if the caves are flooded.” 

“I’m sure SkyClan would be happy to let us stay a day or two until the rains subside,” Smokyrose countered. Already, Goldenstar felt a chilly drop fall on the bridge of her nose. 

“Let’s hope so,” she said. “Because it’s definitely going to rain.” Slowly but surely, the rain started to come down. Despite its freezing temperature, the downpour was light for the moment, and Goldenstar smiled and breathed deeply of the fresh smell coming up from the earth. The rhythmic patter was soothing to her nerves, although she could have done without the muddy slopes. 

Suddenly a hiss stopped the patrol in their tracks and Goldenstar cursed herself for not paying more attention. Leaping down from a rocky outcropping came two she-cats. The first was a brown tabby, her short pelt bristling as she arched her back menacingly at them. The second was a younger, pretty grey tabby whose eyes sparkled with interest. Goldenstar searched her memory for their names and while she didn’t recognize the younger cat, she was pretty sure the older one was named Perchingcall. 

“You’re pretty far from the border,” growled Perchingcall. 

“Calm down,” spat Sagetooth before Goldenstar could get a word in. “Can’t you see you’re talking to a leader, a healer, and a mediator? We’re here to visit the River of the Stars.” Perchingcall rumbled angrily.

Smokyrose stepped forward a bit to try and pull the warrior’s attention. “We would be so grateful if we could rest in your camp for a bit before traveling deeper into the mountains.”

“Sure,” said the younger cat with a shrug and Perchingcall glared at her, hackles prickling. “This way.” 

“Hey!” Perchingcall snapped, “Who’s leading this patrol, you or me?” 

“What, you’re going to turn away cats who want to speak to StarClan?” The grey tabby rolled her eyes. “Don’t be stupid.” She looked over to Goldenstar and said, “I’ll lead you to the camp. Perchingcall can sit in the rain if she wants.” 

“Thanks,” Goldenstar chuckled and padded after her. “What's your name?” 

“Greyvoice,” purred their guide. “Pleasure to meet you officially.” 

“Your hospitality is much appreciated, Greyvoice,” Smokyrose said warmly. Sagetooth let out a tiny growl as she passed Perchingcall who bristled but eventually fell in to take up the rear, ears pressed angrily against her skull as they trekked through the mud towards the camp. 

Skyclan’s camp sat in a cave tucked between two slopes. Goldenstar supported Sagetooth’s weak side as they clambered up the final stretch of cliff, paws slipping over mud and gravel. When they reached the mouth of the cave, they all paused just inside it to shake out their pelts and wipe their paws. Goldenstar looked down over the camp and once again felt her gut tense at the faces looking up at her. Like at the Gathering, she was again reminded that while she felt herself, they saw the leader of RisingClan, and she did her best to carry herself proudly. 

“Snowstar!” Greyvoice called and bounded easily down the tumble of stones into the camp. Smokyrose followed her closely, having been here many times before, and Goldenstar pressed against Sagetooth again to help her down as well. 

“Thanks,” Sagetooth huffed under her breath. Goldenstar smiled. 

Snowstar emerged from a den underneath the stones where they had entered and turned her crooked gaze on them. “Goldenstar!” she said in surprise, “You’re back sooner than expected. Is everything alright?” 

“Yes,” she responded, “Just… have some things I need to speak to StarClan about. I hope it's alright if we stay the night.” 

“Of course,” Snowstar waved her tail dismissively, “make yourselves at home. Are you fasting yet?” Perchingcall grumbled and slunk quietly into the warrior’s den.

“No,” Sagetooth shook her head. “A meal would be great.” 

“Then you’ll have one,” Snowstar boomed with a smile. Goldenstar resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She couldn’t help feeling like Snowstar was pleased at the opportunity to look magnanimous. That was alright, though, she guessed. Snowstar’s actions were more important than her motives after all. 

Snowstar lifted her head and called out, “Robinpaw! Fetch some mice for our esteemed guests.” On the other side of camp, a nearly grown ginger tom sat up straight and hurried to do as he was told. Smokyrose purred and dipped her head respectfully.

“Thank you, very much,” she said. 

“No thanks necessary,” Snowstar lifted a paw to stop her. “It is our duty as the guardians of the River. Now please, sit down and dry off. Just ask if you need anything.” Greyvoice bid them goodbye as well and padded off to talk with a cat Goldenstar recognized as Charredbranch. 

Goldenstar looked around, feeling out of place. She wasn’t quite sure how to make herself at home when everyone was looking at her. Luckily, Smokyrose’s tail brushed against her leg and urged her to follow as the elderly mediator moved to a set of grooves in the ground that seemed to have been worn from repeated usage. Sagetooth and Goldenstar joined her, settling down, and a moment later Robinpaw arrived and dropped mice in front of each of them. Goldenstar immediately tucked in, relishing the taste of prey blood. 

“Thank you, Robinpaw,” Smokyrose thanked him. “How is your eagle wound healing?” 

The apprentice twisted to look at the large scar under his right arm and up his side that was regrowing patchy bits of long ginger fur. “Good,” he purred. “I’m still hoping I can catch the eagle and give him one back.” 

Smokyrose chuckled. “Who knows, maybe you’ll get your name for it! Just be careful, alright, dear?” 

“Sure thing,” he nodded and headed off. Sagetooth’s ear twitched irritably and Smokyrose tilted her head curiously. 

“Is everything alright, Sagetooth?” asked Smokyrose politely. 

“Why do you do that?” grumbled Sagetooth. 

“Do what?”

“Why can’t you just eat your food, you have to spend every moment making cats like you.” 

Smokyrose pursed her lips a bit and said, “I just try to make cats feel seen, that’s all.” 

“Right,” huffed Sagetooth, returning to her meal. Goldenstar’s pelt prickled uncomfortably and she glanced between her two counselors. 

Smokyrose took a deep breath and said, “I think I’m going to see if Heatherfuzz is around. Excuse me.” She smiled and stood, taking her meal with her as she sought out the SkyClan mediator. Goldenstar watched her go, stomach churning. She sighed and looked back to Sagetooth who seemed unbothered. 

“You know she means well,” Goldenstar said, causing Sagetooth to look up. 

“All I know is she’s always wanted to be liked. You should have seen how jealous she was when Sunstar got made deputy.” 

“Why does it matter what she wants?” Goldenstar pushed back, a stubborn frown creasing her brow. “She makes people happy, isn’t that all that matters?” 

While Sagetooth didn’t seem to appreciate the comment on her age, she didn’t say much. Both she and Goldenstar spent the majority of the trip panting and focusing on their paws so as not to slip or fall. Goldenstar marveled at the ease with which the SkyClan cats made the climb. Robinpaw didn’t even look at his paws for most of it, eyes trained on the skies, likely searching for that Eagle he had mentioned. 

They paused for a rest every hour or so, during which time Goldenstar was left with nothing to think about aside from her rumbling stomach. The fasting was intended to make it easier for the spirit to leave the body and travel to StarClan in dreaming, but she couldn’t help but watch the birds further down the slope and dream of chasing them down. Mouth watering, she decided she officially didn’t like fasting. 

Sometime around noon, the group reached the mouth of the cave they were here to enter. It wasn’t much more than two tail lengths tall, made of smooth dark stone that twisted and tunneled deeper into the mountain. 

“Here we are,” Charredbranch said, doing a quick glance for hawks or eagles. “We’ll be hunting in the area and swing back around when we’re done. Hopefully we’ll have enough to spare a meal for you when you get out.” 

“That would be lovely,” Goldenstar laughed hungrily. “Good luck. We shouldn’t be too long.” 

Sagetooth, already heading down the tunnel, called back, “Come on, we’re not here for small talk!” 

“Right, coming!” Goldenstar called after her. Charredbranch gave her a sympathetic smile and she grinned back before bounding to catch up with Sagetooth. 

They padded through the tunnel for a good long while, their paw pads making only the slightest of noise on the cool stone floor. Soon the light from outside was obscured by the twists and turns of the tunnels and they were plunged into darkness. Using their whiskers to navigate, they didn’t speak as they ventured deeper, the path slowly sloping downward. Just like the only other time she had been here, Goldenstar’s pelt prickled uneasily. It felt to her like all kinds of ghosts could creep up on them or spy from the darkness. Shuddering, she decided to strike up a conversation. 

“What do you think StarClan will say?” she asked softly. Even in her attempt to make some noise, it felt wrong to talk at full volume in such hallowed passages. 

“StarClan?” Sagetooth mused, “I doubt they’ll like it. But I know at least Sunstar will hear you out.” 

“Good,” Goldenstar nodded to herself - it wasn’t like Sagetooth could see the gesture, “She’s the only one I really want to talk to.” Sagetooth grunted but didn’t continue the conversation. With a sigh, Goldenstar resigned herself to eerie silence. 

After a while - a few minutes? Half an hour? More? It was hard to tell - her ears picked up on the sound of rushing and dripping water ahead. The sound grew louder and louder as the tunnel became thinner and shorter, squeezing down around them until she had to duck and follow behind Sagetooth single file. Still, hope bloomed in her chest as a soft blue glow started to reflect off the ridges of the smooth stone tunnels. Eventually, the light was just up ahead. The tunnel opened up into a grand chamber. Sagetooth padded down the stony bank ahead of them to the edge of a flowing river that emerged out of the rock and disappeared back into it a few meters later. Goldenstar stepped out of the tunnel and looked up, still in awe of the sight that gave the river its name. 

On the roof of the cave was a spread of vibrantly glowing blue dots. They clung to the ceiling, crept down the walls, and reflected off of the dark surface of the river. Goldenstar felt like stepping into that water would cause you to be swallowed by the night sky itself. She slipped out of the tunnel and settled down beside the already loafing Sagetooth. 

“Well, I’ll see you on the other side,” said the healer. She bowed her head to take a drink from the pool and Goldenstar did the same. Greedily, she lapped at the cool, stony tasting water, her empty stomach begging for anything to fill it. She forced herself to stop after a few heavy gulps and pulled back, curling into a ball against Sagetooth’s flank. She closed her eyes, took a few slow, deep breaths, and let the peace of the location take her into the depths of dreaming. 

~~~

Goldenstar sat up suddenly, surrounded by gently swaying dark blue grass. Everything around her seemed to glow with a gentle luminosity. Everything was peacefully quiet, the sound of birds singing being the only real noise. It was interesting. Last time she had been here, she had been surrounded by every cat she’d ever seen die, friends she had lost, the center of a throng of familiar faces. Now she seemed to be… alone. She sat up taller, peering over the grass and frowned. 

“Hello?” she called cautiously. “Sagetooth…? Sunstar?”

No response. She stood, stretched, and looked around a bit. The place was a mirror image of RisingClan’s territory, and she knew exactly the spot she found herself in. Smiling, she took off towards the little tree near the border that Sunstar used to go to relax. She arrived shortly and, sure enough, there was Sunstar, lounging in its branches. 

“Sunstar!” she trilled, picking up her pace to bound the last through meters. 

“Goldensun!” purred the starry cat, lifting her head, “Or well, Goldenstar, I should say. What brings you to my neck of the woods?” 

“I need some advice,” Goldenstar said. She bunched her legs underneath her and sprang up into the tree to join her former mentor. 

“Well, I’ll do my best,” chuckled Sunstar, “But you really ought to learn to run the Clan without me.” 

Goldenstar smiled fondly. “I promise, I’ll give you a rest after this. How much do you… see? Like do you keep eyes on us?” 

“A little bit. I could see more but I’ve mostly been enjoying the peaceful season in paradise.” 

“Have you seen our guest?” 

“The rogue,” Sunstar nodded knowingly. “I had to get a peek. Everyone is talking about her.” 

“That figures,” Goldenstar chuckled, “Smokyrose has helped her bring some concerns to me, things that worry her about Clan life.” Sunstar’s face softened at the mention of her sister but she pulled it into something more serious as Goldenstar continued. “I can tell she needs a home, that she’s… like a stranger in her own life. She seems to think I’m some tyrant who will punish her if she steps a whisker out of line. She called me ‘your excellence.’” 

Sunstar laughed a bit. “I see. Interesting. So you want her to join the Clan.” Goldenstar grinned. Of course, her old mentor and closest confidant knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Yeah, but she has a few worries about the way we do things. And now that she’s pointed them out, I can’t stop seeing them.” 

“Like what?” 

“Well… Mainly, she thinks the Clan is designed to keep cats inside it, like to not allow them to leave.” 

“Well, Is it?” asked Sunstar, and Goldenstar was taken aback by the question. 

“Of course not,” she said instinctively, then, knowing what Sunstar would likely say, added, “or… at least I don’t want it to be.” 

“There you go. So again, I’m gonna ask you, do you think it is designed that way?” 

Goldenstar sighed. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’d like to think cats could leave any time they wanted but… she says they don’t even know they can’t leave most of the time. Or that they can leave, but if they do they get judged or… shunned. And… I mean, I hate to say it, but I think she’s right. I mean think about someone like Redleaf.” Sunstar frowned and nodded and Goldenstar continued. “My question is; what do I do about it?” 

“Hmm. A good question,” Sunstar ran her tongue over her forearm thoughtfully, then passed it over one ear. “But I think you already know the answer.” 

Goldenstar groaned in frustration. “Everyone keeps saying that!” 

“Are they wrong?” 

“I don’t know!” she cried, tail lashing. “I don’t feel like I know what to do! I can’t just… start changing things, I-”

“Why not?” asked Sunstar, stopping Goldenstar in her tracks.

“What do you mean, ‘why not?’” she starred, baffled. 

“Why not?” repeated Sunstar, firmer this time. “You are Goldenstar of RisingClan! You are one of the most powerful cats living in this territory, not to mention the most stubborn, headstrong, passionate cat I know.” Goldenstar blushed a bit under the praise, even if she was upset. “All you have to do is decide to change things and you can! It sounds like Smokyrose is already on your side, and she’s an excellent mediator and a perfect cat to help you through this.” 

Goldenstar sighed and shook her head. “Why do you always have to be right?”