Aspenpaw strode towards the camp, the two newcomers following behind her.

"You know, without all that fluff, she's tiny." Xerxes sniggered.

"Shut up!" hissed Dry, giving him a shove before looking back at the apprentice. "We really appreciate what you're doing." She said softly. "You have no idea how much this means to us."

She frowned at them. "What's the deal with you two then?" she asked. "You clearly haven't come from the same place."

"We both came from the housefolk place." He hesitated. "I mean two-leg place." He glanced at Dry. "That's what you said they call them right?"

Dry nodded. "Xerxes was a kittypet but I was a loner. I lived off near the mountains."

Aspenpaw's eyes widened. "That's an awfully long way away."

"It is." Dry agreed. "My mother always told me about the clan cats who lived near the lake and I decided that was where I wanted to be..."

She glanced at Xerxes. "What about you?"

"My mother also told me about the clans." He said, puffing out his chest. "I know that I belong out here because my father is a Shadowclan cat."

She stared at him. "I'm sorry?"

"My father is Blackfang." He says puffing out his chest proudly. "You might have heard of him?"

She shook her head. "I've never heard of him." She confessed. "But, I'm only seven moons old. And..." She hesitated. "Shadowclan hasn't been here for many, many moons."

He blinked. "Uh, moons..." he said slowly. "That... that's nights, right? Because if they've only been gone a few days, I can find them."

She shook her head. "No... moons are how long it takes for the moon to be full again."

"Look, I'm new to this whole forest thing, but I don't have time for your jokes. I have to find my father!"

She stared at the tom, feeling a pang in her heart, imagining how painful it would be when she told him. "No... Shadowclan fell long ago... back when my mentor was a kit..."

"How many moons?" he demanded, his hackles beginning to rise. "How many moons exactly? Then take me to your mentor, or someone older! Someone must know who he is!" His eyes were wide, frantic with the horror that he might never find his father.

Dry laid a tail over his shoulders. "Be calm." She murmured. "We'll find him..."

His hackles began to drop and he turned his gaze back to Aspenpaw, his eyes hardening. "You know what? You're just a kit. And I don't know you, how can I trust you?" Before she could answer he turned to stride through the woods. "I can't. I'm going to find him! Just you watch."

"Look, if he was in Shadowclan, two things could have happened." Said Aspenpaw. Xerxes's head snapped back, his eyes alight with interest. "Either he joined another clan..." she hesitated. "Or he died in the sickness."

"Then he's in a clan." Xerxes decided. "Not yours maybe, but one of the others?"

She shrugged. "I can only speak for Thunderclan."

"Then let's go, Dry, we can go to one of the other clans."

She hesitated. "To tell the truth... Thunderclan was the one I was looking for..."

He looked back at her. "What?"

"You remember I told you? Lark told me that when her father left his home clan, Thunderclan took him and her mother in until they decided to return to the mountains. I want to find them."

His hackles rose a little. "Go on then. Go to Thunderclan, but I'm going to find him."

"You won't get anywhere tonight." Aspenpaw said as he began to turn away. "And... well the clans don't like strangers on their land. If you come with us, maybe someone will know something, rather than you wandering around the lake all night."

Xerxes scowled. "Thunderclan it is then." He grunted striding back to the two she-cats. "But once I know where he is, I'm gone."

"Fine." Said Aspenpaw turning and leading them towards the camp.

"Aspenpaw?" called a voice. She looked up as Tigerfang appeared through the bushes. "What in Starclan is taking you so long? Have you caught any..." he stopped staring at the newcomers. "When I said catch prey, I meant mice..."

She glanced at the cats. "This is Dry and Xerxes. Dry wants to join us and Xerxes is trying to find someone..."

Tigerfang looked back at his apprentice. "And that affects us... how?"

"Well I thought..."

"Aspenpaw... leaf-bare is coming... we can't take in more mouths to feed." He said sternly. "And you know Silverstar won't let them stay."

She looked up at him. "Well we can ask."

He turned his one cold eye on the strangers. Dry flinched and looked away while Xerxes seemed to try to maintain eye contact with him, though Aspenpaw thought she could see him shake. She couldn't blame him. Tigerfang was probably terrifying the first time you saw him. "Come on then. Let's get you to the camp." He said turning and walking back the way he had come.

They both looked to Aspenpaw who nodded to them to follow. They turned and began to trot after the huge cat.

As they entered the camp, Tigerfang bounded over to Ravencall, lowering his head and talking to him earnestly. Ravencall nodded and turned towards Silverstar's den. Robinblaze made his way over to the apprentice. "Quietkit, what's going on?"

"I found a few intruders." She told him. "They want to join us."

"Uh huh..." he muttered. "This is gonna go down well." Then he looked at the strangers, and his expression changed.

She followed his gaze and realised he was staring at Dry, his eyes wide. "Robinblaze, what is it?"

"What is this?" snapped a voice and the four of them looked up as Silverstar approached, her coat bristling with anger. "Aspenpaw, who do you think you are, inviting strangers into the camp. You might as well tear down the walls to the camp and invite the foxes in."

Aspenpaw didn't react, dipping her head to the leader. Nothing Silverstar said really had an effect anymore. Anytime that the leader saw the apprentice, if she said anything it was to criticise. She no longer felt the horrible pang of hurt at her words.

"If I may..." Dry stepped forward with a sympathetic look at the apprentice. "Aspenpaw didn't invite us... we asked."

"Yeah." Xerxes stepped forward too, a defiant glow in his eyes. "So, lay off her!"

Silverstar's eyes glittered with rage and Aspenpaw stepped forward. "Please, don't. Just let her be mad at me, she likes that."

Dry turned to face the young cat. "You brought me here because this is where I wanted to be. I'm not going to let you get into trouble."

Xerxes gave a little nod of agreement.

Silverstar sat down, regarding the cats loftily. "Alright... and tell me, why do you want to join the clan?"

Dry hesitated. "I heard stories of the clans when I was a kit, and all I've wanted since is to join you."

Xerxes raised his head. "And I'm looking for my father... and maybe to take out a badger here and there."

Silverstar blinked at his ignorance for a moment before she shook her head. "Neither are good reasons. It's too late for you to travel now... you may stay tonight but by dawn, you'll need to be gone."

"No!" They both cried at once.

"I am leader, my word is law." She snapped.

Dry looked horrified but Xerxes's eyes were blazing. "Don't you understand, I'm trying to find my father! You're taking that away from me!"

She turned her gaze to Xerxes. "Trying to find you father, eh? Who is he?"

"Blackfang of Shadowclan!" Xerxes raised his head, puffing out his chest again.

"Never heard of him." She snapped turning away. Xerxes seemed to deflate a little as she began to walk away. "By dawn, you will be off my territory. Do I make myself clear?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Crystal."

Beside him, Dry appeared to be wilting. "But... but Thunderclan..."

Robinblaze stepped over to her, standing close to her. "I'm sorry." He mewed. "But we have to obey the leader. You can both sleep in the apprentice den for tonight."

Aspenpaw blinked at them. Robinblaze had always been friendly, but there was a tenderness in his eyes as he looked at Dry she had never seen there before.

Tigerfang had been watching the scene play out. As Silverstar walked away, he approached the kittypet. "You said a Shadowclan cat was your father?"

Xerxes looked up. "Yes?"

"You can't be more than 10 moons..." he muttered. "They've been gone many seasons..." Xerxes drooped a little again. "But I do know a Blackfang."

His head snapped up. "You do?"

"He's a Windclan cat." The huge tom nodded. "He's a little older than me so it's entirely possible he was a Shadowclan cat who was displaced when it fell."

The young cat looked up at him, his face lighting up with hope. "He's alive?"

"He was at the last gathering." Nodded Tigerfang. "So tomorrow, you can go to Windclan."

"I can't wait that long!" he mewed jumping to his paws. "Let's go now!"

"It's too late now." said Ravencall who had been standing close by, listening. "Tomorrow, I will arrange for a few warriors to escort you both to Windclan."

Dry still looked at her paws, disappointment emanating off of her. Xerxes was restless. "I'll go on my own then." He snapped. "I have to find him!"

"You'll never find your way there alone." Muttered Tigerfang turning towards the warriors' den. "Rest, and we'll go at dawn."

Robinblaze looked at Dry. "Are you ok?"

She nodded, not looking up. "I just... wanted to stay."

"It would have been lovely if you had been able to." He murmured.

"Come on both of you." Said Aspenpaw, walking towards the fresh-kill pile. "We'll get something to eat, then I'll show you where we sleep."

She trotted over and grabbed three mice from the pile, turning back to see Xerxes striding after her, Dry walking along behind, tail drooping. She placed a mouse before both of them before tearing into her own. Dry began taking delicate bites but Xerxes looked at his in disgust. "What is this?"

"Mouse." She mumbled around her mouthful.

"I can see that much." He muttered turning it over with his paw. "You expect me to eat it?"

"Try it." She said taking another mouthful. "S'good."

The tom looked at it hesitantly before lowering his head and taking a tiny bite. He immediately grimaced, before his expression cleared and he chewed the morsel in his mouth. "Actually, that's not bad." He said going in for another bite.

When they finished their food, Aspenpaw and Dry sat cleaning their whiskers for a few moments before Xerxes got to his paws. "It was good to meet you both, but I'm going to head off."

"Head off?" Dry looked up at him. "Now?"

Aspenpaw raised her head. "You heard the other cats, it's too late to go tonight. We'll go tomorrow."

"Don't you get it?" he snapped turning back. "I can't wait... not when I'm so close! I have to do this... for my mother..."

Aspenpaw tipped her head. "What?"

He looked away. "It's stupid. She said she wanted at least one of us to go to the forest after what he did for her..."

Aspenpaw and Dry looked at one another then back at him. "What happened?" Dry asked after a moment.

"Badgers..." he gave a little growl. "My mother had a litter of kits and one day... while they were out in the twoleg garden... a badger got under the fence and killed all of them."

Aspenpaw gave a little gasp and Dry laid her tail over his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

"My father had been there and between them, they banished the badger. She was lost in her grief for a long time, but he stayed there beside her, encouraging her until she was happy again... then one day, he stopped coming by, at which point she found she was going to have his kits... me and my sisters."

For a moment, Aspenpaw didn't say anything, then she turned and looked up at Silverstar's den, knowing what grief could do to a mother. There was a brief hope in her though, after Xerxes's story that one day her mother might be happy again.

She got to her paws and moved over to the young tom. "Alright." She said. "Come on."

They both looked up at her. "What?"

"We're going to Windclan... right now."

A/N

Dry belongs to Meadow Leon Flower

Xerxes belong to Nicholas Mullen