"We came to bring the prey ... where're the kits?" Blacksmoke stepped forward and sat next to her sister, muttering something, I left my prey before the other queen. The sound of leaves moving made me raise my ears, the kits weren't there, but their mothers seemed very calm about it. Small silhouettes jumped from behind SunnySky. "GET HER MY WARRIORS!" many voices rang out as the kits came out and pounced on me. I yelped in surprise, but once I had the kits on top of me playing with my tail I let out a sigh along with a laughing purr, “oh no! I have been defeated by some great warriors, oh great StarClan, who would save me now? " The kits began to climb, fingering my wounds with their claws " "Kits, don't be so rough, her wounds could reopen if you don't treat her carefully" SunnySky meowed as she pulled a dark spotted kit towards her with her tail and began to clean him. Then a reddish tortoiseshell she-kit began to get off my back using her claws to slow down the descent with her ears lowered and her tail tilting from one side to the other. "But if her wounds heal ... she'll go away, and we won't be able to play with her anymore, right, mom?" The ears of Lynxshine's kits lowered as the tortoiseshell bit my tail with her sharp little fangs. "Cherrykit, my tail" "Deal with it! You aren't going anywhere! And it will continue like this until StarClan comes to tell me otherwise. ” The she-kit growled, scratching the ground with her claws, her eyes were sharp, as her ears fell back. The other kit came and joined Cherrykit. My ears flopped at the reminder that I would have to go soon. Honestly, I can't abuse the hospitality of the CrystalStar and the clan for any longer..... but those days that I was with the clan I had had so much fun, I'd made some friends and the leader seemed to be happy when Blacksmoke and I brought so much prey after our hunting parties. "Relax little ones, when you are old enough to be apprentices, we will see each other again." "But we still have many moons to go for that!" Hopekit protested, "do you really have to go?"

"Actually I..." “The clan is doing well as it is, their wounds will heal soon, and the loners don't belong in a clan. CrystalStar allowed her to stay while she recovered, but only that. " "Whiteblaze, do us all a favor and if you're not going to say anything positive, then get out of here. Don't you have patrols to assign?" "But isn't the deputy the one who should assign them?" Cherrykit meowed. "Whiteblaze is a just warrior."

"Big brother will come back soon, sweetie." Sunnysky meowed. "HollyFur wants to see you loner, hurry up!" And with a dry meow he turned around, heading back under the high rock. Sunny Sky took Cherrykit while I was leaving the nursery ward to go to Holly Fur's den, when I arrived the healer was ...... still, with glowing white eyes. "Holly Fur! Are you okay?" I approached and lightly touched his shoulder with my tail, when she began to mutter something. "Keep the sight in the storm of the winds before the rain of blood, before its waters swallow the voices." Then the light faded, HollyFur shook her head and looked around him until her gaze met mine and with a few quick licks on his chest she went back to her attitude and usual tone. "Holly Fur, are you okay?" "Y-yes dear, excuse me, did Whiteblaze called you to come, right?" I nodded as I sat on the closest nest and let her check my wounds in silence. "Whiteblaze told me you wanted to see me ..." the healer surrounded her paws with her tail and looked at me in silence. "There's something wrong, dear? You should be happy, your wounds are almost healed. “And I am but…. HollyFur, do you need help with something? I can go pick more herbs if you want." "What do you think if we go together? I'm curious to know about your life as a loner. ” The spotted medicine cat asked, meanwhile she takes the last reserves of some plants that she had, moving her whiskers curiously. "No problem, but won't Crystalstar get angry if you're not there in case of an injured one?" I asked. "Don't you have an apprentice to stay in your place?" Hollyfur shook her head. "We won't go far, don't worry, dear." Hollyfur and I left the camp together. A strong wind had started to pick up. "This will make it difficult to follow the scent of the plants," Hollyfur mewed. "Well, my dear, tell me how is your life as a loner?" "Boring by far" I replied. Hollyfur wagged her tail. “I understood that loner cats went where they wanted. How boring can it be to travel through unknown places? " “Well, that is how it used to be before, but since the <<Diablo era>>, things have been complicated for both loners and kittypets. The muddies, I mean the shadows, appeared and since then they have tried to take territory by force. As a result, many loners left the neighborhood out of fear. Leaving the territory defenseless. " I explained. My claws firmly fixed on the ground. "I guess you didn't want to leave, did you?" “If I had done so, I wouldn't have discovered that the clans were real. Besides, it's not like I could just leave ... " "Why not? Did they force you to stay, dear? " Hollyfur meowed in concern. "No, not at all. Let's say it was more out of proud, I'm… let's say I am something similar to you for loner cats. " "A medicine cat?" "More or less" “And what is boring about that? Being a medicine cat is an honor, my dear. Not many have our knowledge. ” The medicine cat meowed with pride. Without realizing it, we had reached the old thunderpath. "You may be right, but where's the value of that knowledge if you don't have anyone to share it?" "What do you mean?" Hollyfur asked. "Delusions of a loner, don't take me seriously." From that border, I could see the lights of the two-legs houses start to turn on, but the sensation in my chest was one of emptiness. "Is there anything left for me there?" I thought. "Are you okay, Tigress?" Hollyfur asked, putting her tail on my shoulders. "Excuse me, I was lost in memories" A chill ran through my body, and reacting instinctively I ducked down. A powerful wind nearly sent me flying when I heard Hollyfur scream. The wind had blown the healer away, I quickly got up and tied my tail around the spotted she-cat belly. The wind ceased in a breeze that carried wheat blades into the forest surrounding the clan's territory. "Are you okay, Hollyfur?" I asked once the medecine cat landed. "This wind has been strong." “Yes, calm down, that force is normal in this time. The windy season is approaching, but we better go back to camp. Thanks for your help" "Okay ..." We both went back. Hearing Hollyfur thank me filled the void I felt. As precution I didn't release my tail until we reach the roch tunnel.

"You finally show up!" said a deep meowed. A dark silhouette watched me with their bright amber eyes. "Night?" “No, I'm your aunt from the town. Of course I'm Night! Can you tell me where you've been for almost a week?" “Night, you won't believe it, I found the clans! The ones in the stories, are real! " "Again with that? I've been looking for you all these days after you disappeared without warning, and you were chasing stories ?! " “They are not just stories! Come with me and I'll show you." “Tigress. I know these stories are important to you, but that's no reason to just walk away like that. How will the patrols recover if the healer disappears? Haven't you heard that there've been more muddy attacks? I have the barn full of injured ones. You have to go back!"

"What do you mean?" "These weeks that I've been with the EchoClan have been the best since mom and dad died." I told Night everything that happened, how I met Lynxshine's kits, my hunting parties with Blacksmoke, and how was being inside a clan camp were the leader let me stay until my wounds healed. "You have always had a very active imagination, Tigress." I lowered my ears, is possible that Night think that I was lying? “I'm sorry to be the mailman of bad news, but in the long run those kits will forget about you, you helped in a time of need, and that's a great thing of you." Night put his tail arround my shoulders. "But ours need you, and they need you now! I don't have all your knowledge. The situation could get worse if you don't come back. " "But the clan ..." "Please Tigress." Night stepped back and helped me up. I doubtfully looked both ways and with a sigh I meowed "In the barn there aren't enough herbs, wait a minute" I ran to that area where I found so many herbs the day that Blacksmoke almost fell into the void of bones and I hurried back with Night to the barn.

Several patrols had been injured in an attempted attack, with wounds that took most of the night to heal. A few hours to sunrise, Night and the patrol loners were sleeping peacefully. Night's words kept haunting my mind, was that the Night I know? With my head on the clouds I barely had energy to keep myself awake when I crossed the thunderpath again. Fatigue overcame me and I collapsed at the entrance to the territory.