"MistClan must allow my Warriors to hunt on your territory."
Sandstar's words rang again in Flamewind's mind.

"What?!" Riverpelt yowled, rising angrily to his paws. More yowls of shock and outrage rose around him.

"Never!" Fireleap spat.

"Who do you think you are?!" Sunstreak hissed.

"There are borders for a reason!" Scorchfur growled beside him.

Spottedfern took a pawstep back, and Oakpelt's fur bristled, but Sandstar just raised her chin and looked at Silverstar, who returned her steely gaze. Riverpelt growled low in his throat, and the yowls grew around them. Flamewind's mind reeled. How could EarthClan even think of stirring up all of this trouble now? He looked around and caught sight of Mintleaf, the old cat looked agitated and glanced around at the two clans.

"Sandstar." Silverstar's quiet mew brought the camp to silence, and the accusations died out. "What is the meaning of this? Clans have never shared hunting territories."

Sandstar's eyes flashed but when she spoke her voice was calm. "But we have taken in another clan. We are sharing our territory, and it cannot support us all. Surely you understand." Uneasy murmurings broke out in the camp and cats glanced at each other. Sandstar raise her chin authoritatively. "You must remember Silverstar, the rogues have weakened us all." She said icily, her gaze raking across the half-filled camp.

Riverpelt growled at the veiled threat, and Silverstar's eyes flashed. She drew herself up and her voice was brittle when she spoke. "Yes, Sandstar you are right. I have less cats right now, and our own fresh-kill pile is low." She stared back defiantly, glancing to Oakpelt and Spottedfern swiftly before continuing. "EarthClan will not hunt on MistClan territory."

Sandstar curled her lip and Oakpelt growled. They were met with menacing hisses and unsheathed claws from MistClan. Flamewind looked around wildly. They shouldn't be fighting! Not them, the real enemies were in RainClan territory. "I had hoped you would be smarter than that, Silverstar." Oakpelt growled out. Riverpelt growled warningly, and he unsheathed his claws.

Silverstar raised her tail, and Flamewind couldn't help but admire his leader, Sandstar too, at how calm the two she-cats were able to keep themselves. At closer glance one could see the anger sparking off the both of them, and the tension crackled like lightning between the parties. "I was not finished." The silver-furred she cat said. "We have not enough cats, you have too many. The answer is obvious now isn't it?"

"We will not send our warriors to you! And leave us with the sick and helpless!" Sandstar said, fire in her eyes.

"I did not say that." Silverstar said coolly, but her tail twitched and Flamewind guessed she'd like nothing more than to dig her claws into Sandstar's pelt. He knew he felt the same way. "Send us RainClan, so that our clans may be equal. How many cats have come to shelter with you?"

Sandstar considered for a moment before speaking. "I will leave you now, and think." she glanced at the darkening sky. "Expect my answer by dawn." And with that she turned and padded away, with no more of a goodbye. Oakpelt growled and left with a contemptuous flick of his tail and Spottedfern glared before leaving. Growls followed them and Riverpelt raised his voice.

"Scorchfur, Mossflight, make sure they leave, and stay close to the border to receive them when they come back. I'll send a relief soon."

The two she cats nodded and whisked away after the EarthClan cats. Almost as soon as Riverpelt stepped down, whispers and accusations exploded in the camp. Flamewind caught snippets of conversations around him, but he was much to confused and tired to join in.

"How dare she? EarthClan is full of nothing but mouse-hearted cats!"
"But they took in RainClan.."
"What else could they do?!"

"She should have taken Silverstar's offer. It's fair!"
"Yes, but she shouldn't have admitted we're struggling."
"But we are! We need more paws!"
"Yes! But we don't need EarthClan knowing that right now!"
"It seems they already do."

"RainClan has no purpose here."
"We're doing fine on our own!"
"I'll eat a scorpion before I see my clan take help from EarthClan."

"I'd like to wipe that smug smile off her face!"

"Should we accept the help?"

"She'll never give in! Proud fox-heart."

"No!"

"Silverstar's right."

"She shouldn't have said anything."

The voices rose around the young tom, buffeting him this way and that. Flamewind's mind was reeling. The whole clan was worked up about this? This, when they should be worrying about the rogues, about Briarpelt and Badgerclaw and all the others.

"Stop. Stop!" Silverstar's loud mew broke through the tumult. Gradually the side conversations died out, and the camp was still. Flamewind looked up expectantly, surprised to see his usually calm leader's fur fluffed up, and the angry gleam in her eye. "Sandstar has left to make her decision. We should make the camp ready to receive the other clan's cats."

"But you don't know whether or not she'll agree." Brightstorm called out.

Silverstar looked down. "I am sure she will come to the reasonable decision." she turned to adress the whole clan. "I don't want to hear that my cats were unwelcoming. As much as it may pain me to admit, we need more paws."

Uneasy murmurings broke out and Flamewind nodded slowly. Silverstar was right; they needed more cats, but he did feel a bit resentful that it had to be from EarthClan. The cats around him continued to debate as Silverstar leapt down from the Great Rock. Suddenly everything felt like too much, and he just needed to lie down and sleep. With heavy paws he dragged himself to the warrior's den, curled up in his nest, tucked his nose under his tail, and drifted off to sleep.

~~~

"Flamewind." the orange tom blinked awake slowly to see Riverpelt standing over him. "It's time to relieve them. You and Bramblestrike are going to the border." Flamewind nodded, pulling himself up. He padded out of the den and stretched in the cold moonlight. Bramblestrike was already waiting for him by the entrance. He looked strong, and fully healed.

"Ready?" he asked him, fluffing up his fur agaisnt the chill.

"Let's go." Flamewind said. He followed the broad-shouldered tom through the forest. They walked in companionable silence and he had time to slow down, time to think. As it tended to at times like this, the pang of grief for Cloudstream, Briarpelt, and Ashpaw swept over him. It hardened to hate and a tiny ember glowed in his heart. He thudded his paws down angrily and wasn't watching where he placed them.

"Hey!" Bramblestrike mewed, jumping up as Flamewind's paw caught his tail. "What's the matter with you?"

"Sorry." He meowed sullenly. They plodded along in silence the rest of the way, and soon he caught sight of Mossflight's mottled pelt. Scorchfur saw them first, rising to her paws and stretching.

"I thought you would never show up." She said, flicking her tail good-naturedly. Mossflight stood and shook beside her.

"Me too." She said with a shiver. "Have fun waiting for them." She said. Flamewind caught Scorchfur glance back at her with a disapproving glare, but she turned back quickly.

The warrior paused before turning back, but when she did the only thing she said was, "Be prepared for a long night." Flamewind nodded. It was obvious she felt that EarthClan wouldn't come. Mossflight seemed more optimistic. Flamewind himself was on the fence. He was sure Sandstar wouldn't like giving in to Silverstar's proposal, but he didn't think she was mouse brained enough to wage war instead. He settled himself next to Bramblestrike, fluffing his fur against the night chill. The air was colder than usual, bringing with it the promise of a cold leaf-bare.

He stretched his head up to the moon, gazing into it's cold depths. In the silence the weight of all his worries fell back upon him. All the grief, all the pain, all the things that had happened in the last few days, and everything that had happened before. From his earliest kit memories, faint scent of Snowytail and Rainstorm. He felt a twinge of pain as he thought of his mother and father he never knew. His apprentice ceremony, sitting so tall and proud beside his sisters. The long moons of training with Riverpelt. Even the grief that had struck the clan when Foxstar died. More recently, stronger emotions boiled out of him. Anger at the rogues, sorrow for all he had lost, guilt for not being able to protect them, and confusion at all the tensions between the clans when the only enemy they should be worrying about were the Night Raiders. At the very centre was not the hate he expected to find, but instead it was love. And even in this surprise there was another. He expected to see his life-long littermate and adopted sister Cloudstream, but instead found what he had been looking away from all this time. Briarpelt. And he loved her.

Flamewind looked down eyes misting over. He had to save her, and all of his other clanmates from these dark cats, but this thought came without the familiar rush of hate, only a cold knowledge and determination. He loved Cloudstream, he loved Briarpelt, and he would fight for them. Not driven by reckless hate, but by the fierce kind of love a queen feels when battling for her kit's lives. Flamewind inhaled deeply as Cloudstream's scent washed over him and he finally understood her message. "Thank you, Cloudstream." He whispered to the wind, and he could've sworn he was a cat's outline appear beside him before the wind swept her away.

A/N, yeah I know. Shortish chapter and not very exciting but hey, it came out four days after the last chapter and that's like a record for me! Sorry I take so long to write... Sooo, what did you think? Good? Bad? Constructive criticism is always welcome!