Dreamcloud and the other ThunderClan warriors had reached the camp, including their frail leader Lilystar, and the worried deputy Stormcloud, who was watching Lilystar with anxious eyes.

Dreamcloud pricked her ears. There was a sound of leaves crackling.

Dreamcloud braced herself, ready to defend her Clan even at the cost of her life. Wriggling her haunches, she prepared to launch an attack on any ShadowClan intruder that dared stray into her sight. If...Flywhisker was correct.

Dreamcloud exhaled relief when she saw three familiar pelts, one black and white, one gray, and one gray with black spots with a white chest. It was only Braveclaw, Graypelt, and Spotfur, her clanmates who ambushed the ShadowClan cats!

Dreamcloud greeted them, mewing," It's great to see you unharmed. I hope you are all well enough to fight. May StarClan help us win the battle." She delicately stepped aside, for she was at the camp entrance.

Dreamcloud squinted, desperately trying to find all of ShadowClan's warriors, hatred in their eyes, and fur tattered after the ambush.

"Hopefully they don't come," Dreamcloud thought, "then no more blood will be spillled."

Thoughts buzzed in Dreamcloud's mind.

Then a certain thought struck her like a badger had sliced her muzzle.

"If I still refused to ambush Lilystar after all the things she said Tigerpelt would do, maybe she wouldn't be hurt so badly!" Dreamcloud thought, guilt tugging at her stomach.

"Oh StarClan, please help Lilystar! Don't let her join you so soon!" Dreamcloud prayed silently, looking at the starless sky.

Dreamcloud wondered if StarClan was still above her head in Silverpelt, purring as she remembered young Silverstripe, her daughter who she had named after Silverpelt, who joined WindClan shortly after she became a warrior because of her fondness of eating rabbits and being closer to what her name came from. Coppershine, Silverstripe's sister had joined WindClan with her because of her fondness of eating hares and her love for Silverstripe.

"If StarClan is still above our head, they sure lost their shine!" Dreamcloud thought.

Dreamcloud sighed.

Head and tail drooping, Dreamcloud turned and began to pad back to camp when a piercing and hot pain shot at her back.

Dreamcloud spun around to face her opponent. It was Surgepelt, Tigerpelt's mate who dug her claws deep into Dreamcloud's back.

Dreamcloud let out a yowl of pain and threw Surgepelt off of her, racing into the ThunderClan camp and shrieked, "ShadowClan reached the camp!"

The cats poured out of their dens, yowling challenges and insults to the ShadowClan cats.

"Fox-hearts!" Lilystar screeched, "We let you take our prey the first time, then only chased you out, then we had to give Rabbitstep a scar so ShadowClan wouldn't come anymore!"

"You dare attack our camp?" snarled Lightningfire, standing protectively over the nursery with Breezefoot, and Curlpaw, while Rabbitbreeze, Lionpelt, Starshine, Cloudsky and Dreampaw watched the Shadowclan cats with hostile gleams in their eyes, "Leave now, before a fight begins."

Dreamcloud mind whirled.

"Ha!" Flaxfoot sneered, "I suppose ThunderClan are all scaredy-mice and soft kittypets, and too scared to fight the ferocious ShadowClan!"

Dreamcloud felt rage swamping over her.

"How dare ShadowClan call us scaredy-mice and soft kittypets!" Dreamcloud thought, her tortoiseshell fur burning all over.

Pouncestar gave a nod of approval to Flaxfoot's sneer.

"Yes, ThunderClan is nothing but a bunch of flea-bags that can't look after themselves." Dragonblaze jeered.

Dreamcloud couldn't believe what her ears were hearing.

"My own father, talking about me and my clan like this!" Dreamcloud thought, her pelt burning hotter and hotter.

The ShadowClan cats let out mrrows of laughter.

Dreamcloud's pelt burned hotter than fire.

"Oh, are you sure you can defeat ThunderClan? It looks like you're not brave enough to fight us, so you're trying to annoy us enough to stop telling you to get off of our territory," Dreamcloud retorted, fighting the urge to claw all of the ShadowClan cats' smug expressions off of their face.

Lilystar smiled at Dreamcloud warmly, and Dreamcloud knew she mewed the right thing.

Dreamcloud smiled at Lilystar, then faced the ShadowClan cats defiantly, wrinkling her nose and trying not to breathe in too much of ShadowClan's foul scent.

Pouncestar let out a yowl of rage.

"ShadowClan is scared of nothing!" Pouncestar yowled, "ShadowClan, attack!"

Lilystar commanded, "ThunderClan, attack!"

Dreamcloud felt a deep pain scorch her belly.

Dreamcloud jumped away, recognizing the calico she-cat standing in front of her.

"Hopwhisker," Dreamcloud growled, unsheathing her claws, "You've been hunting on our territory!"

"So what?" demanded Hopwhisker, her eyes wide with innocence.

"You snake-heart!" Dreamcloud yowled, raking Hopwhisker's muzzle.

Hopwhisker flinched for a second, and then she meowed, "My clan is starving!"

Dreamcloud meowed, "You can ask ThunderClan for some prey! There's a difference between stealing and receiving!"

Hopwhisker shrugged.

"We didn't think you would let us," Hopwhisker meowed.

"Well, we would." Dreamcloud mewed.

"But, we will still have revenge for Rabbitstep!" Hopwhisker yowled unexpectedly, pouncing onto Dreamcloud, and nipping Dreamcloud's ear tip.

"This battle doesn't have to be fought!" Dreamcloud growled, swinging Hopwhisker off of her.

"Not bad, little warrior," mewed Hopwhisker.

"Thanks, I guess," Dreamcloud muttered under her breath.

"Owwww!" Hopwhisker yowled, turning around to find Sparkpelt facing Hopwhisker, lip curled, revealing sharp teeth.

Dreamcloud smiled.

Sparkpelt clawed Hopwhiskers back again, and as Hopwhisker lashed out a paw, revealing the front paw blow, Sparkpelt responding by doing the duck and twist move.

Dreamcloud sent a flurry of blows on Hopwhisker's head.

Hopwhisker thrashed wildly, while Dreamcloud pinned her down.

Hopwhisker went limp and Dreamcloud relaxed her grip.

Abruptly, Hopwhisker threw Dreamcloud off of her.

Before Hopwhisker could get to Dreamcloud, Dreamcloud did a back kick.

Sparkpelt did a half turn belly rake on Hopwhisker.

Hopwhisker let out a muffled cry of pain, but she bit down hard on Dreamcloud's leg.

Dreamcloud let out a yelp of shock and pain.

Dreamcloud did a shoulder pound on Hopwhisker, while Sparkpelt did an upright lock.

Hopwhisker scrambled back over the border.

Dreamcloud froze.

Fear scent! Coming from the nursery!

Dreamcloud raced over to the nursery, taking a quick glimpse at Lightningfire, Breezefoot, and Curlpaw, their fur matted with dry blood.

Three full grown warriors and an apprentice were trying to charge into the nursery, and destroy the bedding in there.

Dreamcloud leapt forward and raked a paw down the apprentice, Volepaw's muzzle.

Lightningfire pounced on Pinebreeze, Breezefoot on Thrushwing, and Curlpaw on Volepaw.

Dreamcloud breathed deeply, concentrating on which way Starlingflight would attack her.

Starlingflight tensed, and Dreamcloud knew this was it.

Starlingflight pounced, and Dreamcloud simply stepped aside as if nothing had happened.

Dreamcloud shot out a paw, unbalancing Starlingflight and making him trip over his paws.

Dreamcloud sprang onto Starlingflight's back, battering her unsheathed claws at his head.

Tufts of Starlingflight's black fur flew out.

Dreamcloud released a flurry of blows on Starlingflights head and dug her claws deep into Starlingflight's shoulder, feeling soft flesh tear under her claws.

Starlingflight shrieked with agony and ripped himself out of Dreamcloud's grip and limped out of the nursery, Thrushwing, Pinebreeze, and Volepaw on his tail.

"I wanted to fight, Snowfall!" Whitekit complained.

"Yeah, why didn't you let us, Snowfall?" Icekit whined.

Snowfall's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"You two aren't old enough to become apprentices, and you don't know any battle moves," Snowfall meowed gently.

"Dreamcloud taught us a leap and hold, and we're becoming apprentices tomorrow!" Whitekit protested.

Dreamcloud ducked her head.

"Well, I thought maybe they would be safer if they knew a battle move," Dreamcloud mewed.

"What am I going to do with you?" Snowfall asked, though her eyes were shining with love.

Dreamcloud poked her head out of the nursery to find Sweetcloud fighting Goldenfur.

Sweetcloud was swiping at Goldenfur's muzzle, while Goldenfur dodged her swipes.

Goldenfur was about to do an upright lock on Sweetcloud when Dreamcloud bit down on Goldenfur's tail and yanked her off of Sweetcloud.

Goldenfur yanked her tail out of Dreamcloud's grip.

"Yuck!" Goldenfur yowled, "I'll stink of ThunderClan for a moon!"

Dreamcloud and Sweetcloud attacked Goldenfur, side by side, sinking their claws into Goldenfur's thick golden fur.

Goldenfur fought back, raking Dreamcloud's nose, and tearing off a chunk of Sweetheart's ear.

Dreamcloud and Sweetcloud backed Goldenfur into a corner.

Goldenfur yowled, "You would have been amazing in ShadowClan like your father, Dragonblaze!"

"We aren't ShadowClan," Dreamcloud snarled, "We're ThunderClan!"

"Now leave!" Sweetcloud growled, shaking scarlet droplets of blood onto the ground.

Goldenfur scampered over the border.

"Join ShadowClan, and you won't get hurt," Dragonblaze snarled to Dreamcloud and Sweetcloud.

"Never!" Dreamcloud and Sweetcloud yowled, launching flurries of blows on Dragonblaze.

"ShadowClan, retreat!" Pouncestar yowled, turning to face Lilystar, "This isn't over!"

"Very well," Lilystar shot back, "We don't want to cause more bloodshed today."

For the first time, Dreamcloud saw how exhausted the ShadowClan cats looked.

Their eyes dull with pain, the Shadowclan cats limped away.

A wave of sympathy washed over Dreamcloud for the ShadowClan cats, until she remembered how their desire for revenge over a tiny scar.

Dreamcloud picked up some fresh-kill and took it to the elders'den and the nursery.

Dreamcloud's mouth watered at the warm and musky scent of the two plump blackbirds she had taken to the elders'den, and the delicious smell of the two fat thrushes she had taken to the nursery.

"Stop it!" Dreamcloud scolded herself, "Eating prey before the queens, elders, and kits are against the warrior code!"

"We're done with the blackbirds," Cherryfall called, "Thank you!"

"Yeah, us too!" squeaked Whitekit.

Dreamcloud gave the elders, Snowfall, and the kits each a wink.

Dreamcloud padded to the fresh-kill pile, which was awfully small.

Dreamcloud sighed.

"Leaf-bare always brings scrawny prey," Dreamcloud thought, "The two plump blackbirds and two fat thrushes were the only big, fat fresh kill, and they were caught by luck."

Dreamcloud picked out a scrawny vole and a small squirrel for Sparkshine.

Dreamcloud took the fresh-kill out to the edge of camp, where Sparkshine always sits quietly.

"Hey love, I brought you your fave," Dreamcloud meowed, pushing the squirrel to Sparkshine's paws.

"Thanks," Sparkshine meowed, without looking at Dreamcloud, "Look, I'm sorry for being so quiet, I just feel betrayed by Silverstripe and Coppershine for leaving me, you, and dad."

"I miss them a lot too sweetie, but ThunderClan needs you," Dreamcloud sighed, pressing against Sparkshine's warm brown fur, "It's been six moons since that happened."

Dreamcloud continued, "You can't just hide in the corner every day, and remember, me and Acornfall will always be here for you."

Sparkshine nodded at Dreamcloud.

"Thank you, Dreamcloud," Sparkshine whispered.

Dreamcloud smiled.

"Anytime," Dreamcloud meowed.

Sparkshine bit into the squirrel's juicy rump and started chewing.

After a while, Sparkshine rose on her paws.

"I'm done," Sparkshine mewed, burying the remains of the squirrel.

Dreamcloud mewed, "Okay."

Swallowing the last mouthful of the scrawny vole, Dreamcloud buried her remains, and began to pad to the warriors' den.

"Dreamcloud!" Lilystar called, "Hawkfeather!"

Dreamcloud froze in fear.

"Did I do something wrong in the battle?" Dreamcloud asked, her eyes wide and anxious.

"No," Lilystar answered, "You did well."

Hawkfeather stormed into the den.

"What is so important that you won't let me sleep, Lilystar?" Hawkfeather growled.

"I would like you to be mentors," Lilystar mewed.

"Dreamcloud, I would like you to mentor Whitepaw," Lilystar mewed.

Dreamcloud's paws tingled with excitement. She felt as stunned as a badger defeated by a clan cat alone.

"Hawkfeather, I would like you to mentor Icepaw." Lilystar mewed.

Hawkfeather dipped his head, though his amber eyes were expressionless.

Lilystar mewed, "You should get some sleep."

Dreamcloud heard Hawkfeather mutter under his breath, "Finally."

Dreamcloud padded over to the warriors' den again.

Dreamcloud lay down in her moss nest, and drifted off to sleep.