Mountainstar stepped out of her den, the bitter cold stone beneath her paws making her wince. Leaf-bare seems harsher here than it did in my old home. Mountainstar thought to herself. But we were in a sheltered cave. She had to remind herself. Despite her strong dislike of the cold, she did love her new home.

Mountainstar stretched out to wake herself up then ventured down into the main MountainClan camp. She saw some warriors getting ready for the day, huddling close together or hiding in the warrior's den to keep warm until they were needed. Mountainstar took clear notice of Antwhisker and Riverstep. The two were standing next to each other, their tails intertwined as they huddled close together.

Mountainstar felt warmth in her chest watching them, it was clear that the two of them had becomes mates, and Mountainstar quietly prayed that they would have kits together. She would be so excited to welcome the forest kits born into MountainClan, to her it seemed almost as a blessing from StarClan that her Clan would succeed.

Mountainstar turned her attention away from the two cats and decided to go to the medicine cat den to check on Sorrelfern. It had been several days since Oneflight visited to help Mothflower treat the she-cat's injury and Mountainstar had been making sure to keep an eye on her to make sure everything was going well.

Mountainstar crossed the camp quickly and peered into Mothflower's den. The medicine cat was sitting near the back of her den, and the scent of infection had faded leaving only the scent of herbs. Sorrelfern was sitting up in her nest, giving herself a wash as her injured leg was sticking out.

"Good morning you two." Mountainstar greeted as she stepped inside. Mothflower jumped slightly but turned around, her eyes relaxing.

"Oh, good morning, Mountainstar."

"Good morning." Sorrelfern mewed, she looked a lot better than she had in previous days.

"How is the wound healing up?"

"It's going well, thanks to Oneflight." Mothflower mewed awkwardly. "I've been following his instructions and the wound is healing well."
"I'm really glad to hear that." Mountainstar purred. "Any idea when she will be able to return to her duties? I don't mean to rush, I'm just curious."

A shadow of doubt crossed Mothflower's face. "I'm...not sure." She said, looking at Sorrelfern. "I don't want to put her out too early. Maybe in a few more days?" She was clearly doubting her skills too, she refused to take any credit for healing the injury and would only ever say Oneflight was the one who did it.

Mountainstar withheld a sigh. "Well, I'm glad to hear she's doing better. Keep up the good work, Mothflower." She did her best to build Mothflower's confidence, but it was clear that it had little to no effect on her. Mountainstar slumped her shoulders and turned out of the den, back into the cold morning air. I just don't know what I can do to help her. Mountainstar sighed. She's doing a good job, I just wish she could see it. Mountainstar shoved the thoughts away, she was just glad that Sorrelfern would be okay, that was the main concern. She felt like she had spent so much time fretting over Mothflower, she needed a break.

She looked across the camp and found Nettleheart organizing patrols. I need to get out of camp. Mountainstar trotted over to the deputy. "Good morning, Nettleheart." She instantly felt better as Nettleheart turned her amber gaze onto her.

"Good morning." Nettleheart mewed, waving her tail. "Sleep well?"

"I did." Mountainstar purred, feeling her voice grow soft upon speaking to her deputy. "I was wondering if you could put me on a hunting patrol. I wanna warm myself up."

"Of course." Nettleheart replied, her voice just as soft, almost like honey to Mountainstar's ears. She noticed the nearby warriors giving them a strange look which caused Mountainstar's pelt to burn slightly. "I've got Dewleaf leading, Sparrowpaw, Flintfoot, and Poppysong a hunt near towards the LichenClan border. You can join them."

"Sounds like a plan." Mountainstar purred, she was happy to be hunting alongside one of her kits so she could see up close how they were improving, but she also felt a slight twinge of doubt as Flintfoot was hunting near the LichenClan border. After their discussion, Mountainstar and Nettleheart had worked together to gradually trust Flintfoot more and hope he wouldn't cross the border, and it seemed like now they were finally letting him hunt near LichenClan's territory. I have to trust him. He's my Clanmate.

Mountainstar turned to the cats on her patrol, it was clear that Dewleaf seemed a bit nervous about taking lead on this patrol since she was now on it, he almost seemed to be waiting for her command. "This is your patrol." Mountainstar assured him. "You take the lead, don't mind me."

"Alright." Dewleaf gave a small nod and looked at the patrol. "Let's head out. The sooner we get back the sooner we can warm up." Dewleaf lead the cats out of the camp and Sparrowpaw fell behind, standing next to Mountainstar.

Mountainstar took a good look at her son, noticing how much he had grown. He no longer had his kit fluff, he walked confidently and was starting to get some defined muscles. He was always the biggest. She thought fondly, her mind briefly drifting back to when she found Sparrowpaw and his siblings.

They had been so small and helpless, there had even been moments when Mountainstar had worried they wouldn't survive. And now they are strong and healthy. She couldn't help but feel a rush of warm pride spreading through her body. She was glad they got to live this life. "How is your training going?" Mountainstar questioned, looking down at the young tom.

"It's going really well." Sparrowpaw replied, waving his tail happily. "I love working with Dewleaf. He's really nice and I like training with him."

"I'm glad." Mountainstar let out a quiet purr. "You'll be warriors before you know it." Mountainstar had been longing for the day that she would be able to name warriors. She had decided that all their apprentices would becoming warriors on the same day since they all started training at the same time. MountainClan would be without apprentices, but she knew that kits were just over the horizon.

While thinking about the future warrior ceremony, the hunting patrol reached the area they were scheduled to hunt. Dewleaf turned to the patrol, meeting Mountainstar's gaze for a moment before he began. "Me and Sparrowpaw will be hunting towards the gathering hollow. Flintfoot, Poppysong and Mountainstar you can all hunt in the remaining areas near the LichenClan border as well as near the mountains."

The patrol agreed and they all separated. Mountainstar took note that Flintfoot was heading directly towards the LichenClan border. Her tail twitched in anxiety. Just trust him. Mountainstar scolded herself. Trust your warriors. She shook her head and ventured into the woods. She tried her best to get her mind off Flintfoot and she did for a while as she managed to track down and catch a rabbit.

She buried her catch proudly and continued, though as she grew closer to the LichenClan border she couldn't shake her anxiety. I can't have Flintfoot breaking the warrior code, it makes the entire Clan look bad. She forced the thought away once again. She needed to focus on hunting. Flintfoot is fine. He's fine. She told herself repeatedly.

She continued her hunt, but her mind was getting harder and harder to control. She tracked down another rabbit, but this one she accidentally alerted by shifting a loose stone with her paw. Focus! She yelled at herself and tracked down another piece of prey, a squirrel which she managed to catch. She was very grateful that they still had a decent amount of prey, even with the cold weather and snow.

Her luck seemed to run out as she struggled to find more, but she did find Flintfoot's scent trail. She tensed a bit, and her anxieties returned. In order to quell her raging thoughts, Mountainstar made the decision to follow his trail. If she found that he didn't cross the border than she could finally put her doubts to rest.

She quickly followed the tom's trail, she picked up the scent of squirrel and found a few small spots of blood on the ground where he killed the squirrel. She continued following him and realized she grew closer and closer towards the LichenClan border. She caught the faint scent of mouse, but figured it must have gotten away from him cause she couldn't find where he caught it.

Mountainstar continued tracking, his scent trail still going strong until she reached the LichenClan border. The scent of LichenClan filled the air, but she could still pick his sent through it. Mountainstar very cautiously placed her paw on the border itself, taking great care not too actually step over the border.

She extended her neck into LichenClan territory and sure enough, Flintfoot's scent was strong on the other side. She also could see through the thick trees, a small are of struggle where Flintfoot had clearly caught some type of prey. She stepped back and let out an annoyed sigh. He was upset at me for not trusting him, but he's still proving that I can't trust him. She muttered out a swear under her breath and then turned back to gather her own prey quickly.

She would have to talk to him about this, but she wouldn't do it in front of everyone. She would bring him to her den once they got back so they could have a serious discussion about it. She could no longer let this slide, it would only be so long before LichenClan ran out of patience with her warriors.

Mountainstar had to quickly gather the three pieces of prey she caught before meeting up with the rest of the hunting patrol. She was the last one to arrive and when she did, she noticed Flintfoot was standing with his stolen prey in his mouth casually, not seeming to care or show any guilt or fear about what he did. Mountainstar met his gaze, and his expression didn't shift. He either doesn't know I know, or he doesn't care. And Mountainstar wasn't sure which one annoyed her more.

Dewleaf led the patrol back to camp and during the walk, Mountainstar felt anxiety weighing in her stomach like a stone, she didn't want to have this conversation with one of her warriors but she knew she had to do. She needed to prove that her Clan of rouges, loners and kittypets could handle living under the warrior code, and Flintfoot showing no regard for borders or the warrior code reflected poorly on her and her ability to guide and hold her warriors accountable. She had to do this.

The walked to camp seemed to take forever, and Mountainstar made sure to waste no time dropping her prey on the fresh-kill pile and once Flintfoot did the same she turned towards the tom. "Flintfoot, could you please come into my den. I need to talk to you about something."

Flintfoot flicked his ear in annoyance, if he didn't know that she knew now, he certainly did now. "Why?" He responded. You know why. Mountainstar thought, feeling annoyance spark in her chest, but she did her best to keep her temper at bay.

"I will explain once we get into my den. This doesn't need to be a public matter." She explained calmly. Flintfloot held her gaze unflinching. She saw from the corner of her eyes that other cats were starting to take notice of the conversation.

"If you have a problem, Mountainstar," Flintfoot stared her down, he knew exactly what he was doing. "Then you can just tell me right here and now. I'm not ashamed of anything I've done."

That comment made the anger in Mountainstar burn hotter, she breathed out through her nose. Not ashamed? Will I even be able to get home to change? "Fine. If that's what you want." She raised her head. "You crossed the LichenClan border and stole prey from them. Again."

"I didn't steal anything from LichenClan. It started in our territory and I chased it into theirs. It was mine."

"That's not how things work here, Flintfoot." Mountainstar raised her voice. "And you know that. We discussed this when we were forming the Clan."

"It was my prey, just because it crosses some invisible border doesn't mean that it suddenly belongs to LichenClan."

"Yes it does." Mountainstar countered. "That's why we have borders, that's why we have the warrior code."

Flintfoot rolled his eyes the moment she said the words "warrior code". "Please, why should we care about some stupid rules that cats we'll never meet made? When I was a rouge I hunted where I wanted, when I wanted and I was bound by these stupid, nonsensical rules."

"You're not a rouge anymore." Mountainstar let out a growl. " You are a warrior, you agreed to defend the warrior code with your life when you became a warrior. Rouges and loners may not have rules to follow and no borders, but you don't have herbs to heal you, you don't have a guaranteed home and you don't have your fellow warriors to support you."

She could tell that Flintfoot was getting increasingly more annoyed, and so was she. It felt like she was talking to a kit. "I was doing just fine on my own before I joined this Clan."
"Then why did you join in the first place?" Mountainstar spat. "You agreed to join us, you agreed to make this journey with us so why, why if your life was so perfect did you join us only to break our rules and disrespect me at every single turn?"

"I'm disrespecting you? You haven't trusted me a single moment since I've been in this Clan."

"And clearly I had good reason." Mountainstar lashed her tail.

"Who even decided that you get to be our leader? Some stupid dead cats? You're just as crazy as the other Clan cats for believing in this stupid StarClan nonsense."

"StarClan is real, I know this because I have seen them myself."

"You're insane." Flintfoot hissed, the way he talked and looked at her filled Mountainstar with even more rage, it was getting harder and harder to hold it back.

"You can't decide what is real and isn't, just like you can't pick and choose what rules to follow. You agreed to the warrior code when you joined, you knew what you were getting in to and now you have the audacity to parade around like the rules don't apply to you."

"I regret ever agreeing to those stupid rules!"
"Then leave!" Mountainstar finally reached her breaking point, her anger exploding inside of her like a bolt of lightning. Flintfoot's ears flattened and there was brief shock in eyes his eyes that was quickly replaced by anger.

"Fine." Flintfoot turned away, sprinting out of the camp, vanishing into the forest. Mountainstar's anger vanished in an instant and she was left standing there alone, all MountainClan eyes on her. Her ears dropped slowly as the reality set in. What did I just do?

Mountainstar's breath was shaky, her entire body trembled with it. She looked at her Clanmates, they all seemed as shocked as she felt. "I-" She opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry that you all had to see that, it was never my intention to send him away I just--" She was struggling to find the right words to say, she didn't feel like a leader right now. She felt like a failure.

"It's okay, Mountainstar." A voice chimed in, it belonged to Poppysong. "Flintfoot was breaking the rules. We all agreed to the warrior code, we knew the drawbacks as well as the benefits. It was clearly not a life he could live. It's not your fault."

Her words seemed to just bounce off Mountainstar, she dipped her head in thanks but she still felt just as guilty. "I need to go to my den to think." It was taking all of her remaining strength and energy not to break down. She turned around and padded to her den, climbing the small path.

Once she got into the den, her legs gave out and she slumped down in her nest. I failed as a leader. "I could've helped him...I could've..."

"What?" A different voice spoke, Mountainstar's head snapped around to see Nettleheart standing in the entrance to her den. "You could've changed him?"

"I don't know." Mountainstar said painfully. "I just know I could've done better."

"Flintfoot proved time and time again that we couldn't trust him not to cross the border."

"But then why did he agree to the rules just to break them?" Mountainstar asked, she didn't know if Nettleheart had the answers, she didn't think she did, she just didn't know what else to say.

"I don't know." Nettleheart limped into the den. "Maybe he thought this life would be easy and it became too much for him, maybe he thought the rules wouldn't be so strict. We can't know, only he knows. All I know is that he clearly wasn't meant to live the life of a warrior."

Mountainstar turned away, ducking her head more. "I just feel like I failed him."

"Maybe there was something you could've done, maybe not." Nettleheart sat down beside Mountainstar, their pelts touching. "But I know you did your best. You tried to handle the situation peacefully but he didn't want to. He wanted a fight, maybe he wanted a reason to leave. You can't blame yourself for a single cat's actions."

Mountainstar didn't respond, she just stared at her paws. She recalled the look in Flintfoot's eyes, he seemed shocked that she had told him to leave. She didn't know if that meant he didn't want to, or he just didn't think she had the guts to do it. Either way, Nettleheart's words did make her feel a bit better.

"Thank you, Nettleheart." She mewed quietly.

"Always." Nettleheart leaned in closer, her pelt now pressing against the leader's. Mountainstar lifted her head to look at her deputy. Their muzzles nearly touching as she stared deep into Nettleheart's beautiful amber eyes. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest and suddenly the image of Flintfoot was vanishing from her mind. She felt for a long time that she would never feel this way about another cat, but after what happened she didn't want to ignore her feelings.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" Mountainstar asked, mustering her remaining courage to ask for the she-cats company throughout the night.

"I thought you would never ask." Nettleheart closed the gap and touched her nose to Mountainstar's. Her body suddenly was burning despite the cold forest outside. She breathed in Nettleheart's sweet, calming and familiar scent. Nettleheart nudged Mountainstar to lay down and she did so.

Nettleheart leaned down, rasping her tongue over Mountainstar's ears. She closed her eyes, she had never felt this kind of companionship before and it seemed to melt all her worries away. In this moment with Nettleheart, all she felt was pure bliss.