Flamefoot stared around in awe as he took in the scene before him. His squirrel forgotten, he padded forward, going farther into the enclosed space he had discovered.

Around him was a large collection of stones and boulders that appeared to be randomly clumped together at first glance. But when he paid closer attention, Flamefoot could see that the crevasses and small caves they formed were sheltered and safe from harm; almost as perfect as the dens they had back in ShadowClan.

He inspected the inside of a particularly large cave, and discovered that small cracks between the great rocks allowed a slight breeze to float across the space, filling the cave with fresh air. This would make a good warriors den, he thought, his mind going back to his idea.

His paws began to subconsciously take him away from the spacious den, and he remembered the prophecy, which had foretold a great change. Was this where that change would start? A new camp for a new beginning?

After leaving the larger cave, Flamefoot headed towards the other piles of stone, a whirl of thought going through his head as he imagined cats moving to and fro around the camp, happily going about their lives.

However, his train of thoughts was cut short as a call sounded behind him. He looked over to see Frostfang and Lightspot standing just beyond a few bramble bushes. They weaved around the prickly branches and stopped just short of him, their eyes taking in the view of the area.

"This is perfect!" Lightspot mewed eagerly, clearly excited to be the first group to find shelter.

"It is," Flamefoot agreed, a sparkle of hope in his eyes. This place was indeed perfect. He desperately wanted to explore and see what caves would be good to use. But I'll have to go back to the meeting place to tell the others.

Frostfang ended up saving him, though. "Flamefoot, you have that look in your eye."

"What look?"

"An explorer's look. You want to keep inspecting this place, don't you?"

Flamefoot stared for a second, his jaw agape. Nobody could have read him that well. Except for Rocktail, of course. But he hardly knew this cat; barely even knew his name. Am I that readable?

"How did you know?" Flamefoot asked warily.

"I just did! I guess I'm good at reading cats." Frostfang said happily. "Anyways, go ahead and check it out, we'll go back to the meeting place. Right Lightspot?"

The black-and-white she-cat looked like she wanted to protest, but Frostfang was already scrambling back up the entrance, his tail waving high in the air. Flamefoot could tell that she desperately wanted to keep exploring along with him, but she turned around and followed Frostfang up the slope.

Flamefoot's whiskers twitched, and he continued to explore around the amazing site.

***

The soft noise of paws thudding on earth alerted him, and his green gaze swung towards the place where Frostfang had disappeared a while before. Now, all of the cats from the clans were here, and they picked their way into the clearing, eyes round as they took in the massive caves and stones.

Frostfang stepped away from the crowd and made his way towards Flamefoot. "I think the others like it!" He remarked, and Flamefoot had to agree. All of the cats seemed to be enjoying the clearing, as well as the caves and crevices that were littered throughout.

The sound of raised voices drew his attention, however, and he pricked his ears. his paws carried him towards the noise, and he came upon Willowpaw and a ThunderClan apprentice.

"What did you say about ShadowClan?" She growled, her hackles raised.

"I said you're all looking for a chance to steal territory! So why should I have to trust you? You could be plotting to take this place right out from under our noses!" He sneered.

Willowpaw snarled, looking as if she was barely keeping herself from attacking. "Say that to my face, coward!"

The ThunderClan apprentice lunged, his claws outstretched. Flamefoot watched, appalled, as the two cats turned into a writhing knot of fur. I have to stop this! He thought worriedly.

"Stop! Stop this nonsense!" He yelled, shoving the young cats apart. The ThunderClan apprentice panted, glaring, and Willowpaw spat defiantly. Flamefoot shot her a look through narrowed eyes. "Willowpaw, what was that? That was completely unlike you!"

"It wasn't my fault," she muttered. "He started it."

"That's not true!" The brown apprentice protested, but he was shushed by Frostfang. Flamefoot looked up in surprise at Frostfang's cold voice.

"What did you say about ShadowClan, Bearpaw?"

Bearpaw's tail twitched nervously, but he still spoke bravely.

"I said that they were probably going to give the rest of us trouble."

"And why exactly do you think that?"

"Well... because they're ShadowClan!"

Frostfang snorted. "And that makes them evil? You have a lot to learn if you're believing nursery tales. In case you haven't noticed, we're stuck out here with no idea where the clans are, and we need to cooperate with each other if we have any hope of getting home."

Bearpaw looked down at his feet, embarrassed, while Frostfang stalked off. Willowpaw opened her jaws to say something more, but thought better of it and stayed silent. Flamefoot nodded coldly at her, glad that she didn't try to gloat. Still, I had a feeling something like this would happen. He thought somberly. Tensions are high even at gatherings, and that's only one night. All four clans are going to have to band together if we want to survive and reach home again, but we might very well tear ourselves apart first.

{Author's Note: so sorry I haven't updated sooner, I had a case of Writer's Block for the longest time. Hopefully it'll be completely gone by the next chapter! Eheh...}