Froststar was gulping down her last piece of prey when Appleshade rushed towards her, her eyes wild with fear.

"Froststar! Froststar!" she yowled, skidding to a stop. The ThunderClan leader pricked her ears and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Rockpelt and Fireclaw went missing," Appleshade replied, her voice filled with panic. "They were on the hunting partol by near Tallpines and when both of them went to chase prey, Grassheart told me that they didn't come back."

"They may be doing some extra hunting," Froststar suggested. "Leaf-fall is coming and everyone understands that we need prey." 

Appleshade shook her head. "No, they said that they will be back by sundown. But it is already close to moonhigh."

"If they are not back tomorrow," she mewed. "I will lead a search patrol to search for them."

Appleshade nodded reluctantly.

~~~~

Froststar led a search patrol, consisting of Goldenfeather, her apprentice, Lilypaw, Stormleaf and Patchheart.

"Lilypaw, can you pick up their scent?" Goldenfeather asked. Lilypaw was one of the best trackers.

"There is a very faint scent," she replied. "It leads to the Twolegplace."

"Lead on," Froststar ordered, worry pricking at her paws. Lilypaw darted off quickly, her nose wrinkling at a scent.

"Their scent leads inside Twolegplace," she mewed finally. "Should we go in?"

She nodded and Lilypaw carefully padded in, her light paws making little sound while walking.

After walking a few fox-lengths, Lilypaw stopped at a dark den. "It stinks of the Thunderpath and the monsters," she commented.

Froststar stared at an opening, the darkness unwelcoming. "Everyone stay here. I will go in."

"But it's dangerous!" Patchheart argued. "Stay here," this time Froststar made it clear that it was an order.

He reluctantly nodded and stepped back, allowing her to go into the den.

~~~~

Silvercloud was watching Appleshade organise the patrols. She wondered how it was like to be a deputy, serving the clan with many responsibilities on her shoulders.

"I would lead a patrol with Dewsplash and Honeyfrost," Appleshade mewed. "The others will stay on your guard in case of an attack."

The cats closer to the deputy nodded as Dewsplash and Honeyfrost followed the ThunderClan deputy out the camp.

Silvercloud remembered when she was Froststar's apprentice, eagerly learning about fighting techniques and hunting skills.

Then, when she saw a RiverClan warrior swimming to catch a fish, she took interest in swimming and fishing.

Silvercloud had then asked her mentor to teach her, but she said that she didn't know how to, as she is not a RiverClan cat.

Later in her apprenticeship, she spotted Specklebreeze, Froststar's aunt, swimming in a stream gracefully.

When she asked for Specklebreeze to teach her, she agreed.

Unlike the other ThunderClan warriors, Silvercloud didn't mind getting her fur wet, as water easily dripped from her pelt. She also didn't mind the watery taste of fish.

Before she became a warrior, Froststar, then deputy that time, led a battle patrol to show WindClan that they should stop trespassing.

Her former mentor had jumped in the gorge to rescue a WindClan warrior, and could have drowned if Silvercloud didn't notice and jumped in time.

It was then the time that she became a warrior. She remembered her father's and mother's proud faces.

But now, her father, Brownstar is not here. And her mother had retired to the elder's den. Luckily, she had many littermates that cared for her.

Silvercloud was still buried in her thoughts when a cat, its fur torn and bleeding, rushed into the camp.

It was Patchheart. The cream tom was panting heavily and his fear scent was overwhelming.

"Patchheart! What's wrong? Where is Froststar?" Specklebreeze demanded.

"We... were ambushed," he managed to mew. "Froststar... and Appleshade are... in trouble."

"We need to rescue them!" Specklebreeze yowled.

"No wait," Silvercloud interupted. "We need a plan. What if the attackers wanted to invade the camp?"

The light gray she-cat fell silent as the remaining cats, Sparrowshadow, Dustfur, Icetail, Timberclaw, Webfoot, Softfoot, the elders and Stagwind and her apprentice, Sunpaw listened intently.

"Any suggestions?" she asked.

"What about asking help from another clan?" Specklebreeze asked hesitantly. Dustfur snorted. "Like ShadowClan is going to help us."

"Specklebreeze, you can go to RiverClan to ask for help. Softfoot, accompany her," Silvercloud instructed calmly.

The two she-cats ran off quickly.

"I will lead a patrol," she continued. "But as little as possible. Sparrowshadow, you are the most senior warrior. You will be charge of the camp. Webfoot and Icetail will come with me."

To her relief, they obeyed her orders and Silvercloud led her small patrol towards Twolegplace.

Don't worry, Froststar, I am coming, Silvercloud thought with determination.

------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Sorry for the many cliffhangers and don't you think that Silvercloud is suitable to become the next leader?