Gougespirit shuffled his feet as he paced restlessly. He could've sworn that IvyClan was spying on them. Their scent crossed the border in multiple places, but when the followed the trails they lead them to seemingly empty and obscure places that even most ThistleClan 猫 don't venture. What in the name of SpiritClan would invite Leopardstar to send her warriors there?

The weirdest part was them leaving without a trace. No 更多 scent trails that lead anywhere, and no markers. Sometimes, though, they'd find blood and fur, 或者 feathers, as a sign of hunting. IvyClan had not only crossed the border, but they had stolen prey.

At first Gougespirit wasn't going to say anything, but then, as time went on and the blood flowed 更多 steadily on their land, he realized that there was no way around it. He needed to make a statement that Leopardstar wouldn't forget.

The decisions had been finalized when the scent trails began to lead dangerously close to the camp. In no way was he going to allow IvyClan to sneak onto his land, steal his food, then stalk his camp! He had kits and elders who needed protecting! And worst of all, his life supply was dwindling. Sooner 或者 later, he would be on his last one.

I'd rather it be later, but there's nothing I can do. It's SpiritClans' will.

At least he knew he could trust his deputy. Firetooth wasn't only a loyal warrior, he was his son. Gougespirit had known since he himself had been made deputy that Firekit would oneday follow his footsteps and take the Clan to a victory unlike any other.

But first, they had to survive the insistant invasion of IvyClan.

"Gougespirit," 说 a calm voice outside. Groaning, the ThistleClan leader recognized it immediatly. Moonface was a great cat, but she was just...a bit too calm for the situation. She was ALWAYS calm, and it ticked him off. Why should she get a free reign above the rest of the Clan. He knew that she was the med. cat, but that didn't change anything. She was still a cat, and she must've had emotions, right? So why bottle them up?

"What?" he asked hatefully. He didn't want to talk to her at the moment, and she was as always, a nuisance to his privacy.

"They've brought in a captive, uh, two captives from the IvyClan border."

That instantly allotted all hate he felt towards the medicine cat. Shoving them aside, he pushed his way out to see her. "Where!?"

"Down 由 the WarmRocks. Firetooth, Grasspoppy, and Marshface were there."

"Who?"

"We don't know. They don't seem familiar." Gougespirit growled low in his throat.

"They must be familiar. They've been on our land like rabbits!"

Moonface shook her head. "No. Really, 你 should see this."

So the ThistleClan leader found himself strutting down to where the WarmRocks met with the earth to form the BrushClan border. There, lying and sunning herself, was a queen.

Moonface--once again--was correct. Stirring up the same impatience he felt since the first time that she-cat had proven herself right, he saw no familiarity in the longfurred gray and white she-cat on the rocks. She was standing, her shoulders stiff and her muscles taut. Behind her was a little gray kitten, with bright blue eyes.

"A queen?" he asked her dubiously. She nodded.

"And her kit."

"They're loners." There was no 问题 about it. Those 猫 were loners. She didn't have the proper stance, and her eyes were averted, in an almost submissive bow. And anyway, no sane Clancat would take her kit outside the camp this far.

Gougespirit passed his deputy and senior warriors. "Who are you?" he asked her. She simply glared at him, baring her teeth.

"Don't come any closer!" He stopped dead in his tracks. She was brave, alright.

"We're not going to harm your kit," he 说 calmly. And it was true. Not a single cat in the Clans around Foursquare would harm a helpless kit. Even if the kit was a loner's child. "We just want to know who 你 are."

"Not harm my kit!" she shrieked in fury. "You've stolen two of mine. Where are they! I want my kits!"

Gougespirit froze. This cat wasn't brave. She was stupid. How could she possibly come onto their territory with her kit and claim they'd stolen it?

All loners are the same, he thought sadly, staring at the lone, small she-kit. Crazy and stupid. Even so, he did not want to put that blame on the kit. She was still too young yet.

But that wouldn't last long. When she was older, that kit was going to be a reign of 火, 消防 over everything, simply because she'd be just like her mother.

"I don't know what you're talking about," spat Gougespirit. "We don't have your kits."

"Yes 你 do!" hissed the she-cat through her nose. "My baby boys! One's a brown tom with green eyes, the other gray with blue eyes."

Gougespirit glared at her. Those descriptions did not ring a bell.

"Listen, she-cat," he growled slowly. "We don't have your kits. Now either give us your name and reason for being here, 或者 get out while 你 can."

The she-cat barely looked threatened. "Ive fought off your kind before. 你 stupid cloud-heads have no idea what you're getting into!"

Gougespirit felt taken aback. Had this loner just 说 that? 或者 was he going insane.

Growling, he stepped forward. "Get out, get off my land!"

The gray she-cat threw herself at him, shrieking insanely the entire time, "Give me my kits!"

Gougespirit wasn't as prepared as he thought. The she-cat slammed into him, biting hard into his throat. He screeched in battle cry and shoved her off. He flung her off to the side and glared at her, seething.

"Your claws don't hurt me," he hissed. "Your bites leave me unmarked." He was lying. Blood was trickling down his neck. "Get out, right this second, 或者 you'll have three kits to look for."

Wild panic seemed to fill her eyes, but she scooped up the kit. "Come, my sweet," she breathed, and the two disappeared over the BrushClan border and down toward Foursquare.

"Should we follow them?" asked Firetooth from where he stood, facing his father. Gougespirit just stood a moment, admiring his son. He was a perfect warrior, and Gougespirit liked it that way.

"No," he ordered. "Let them go. Remark the border, twice a strong, but for now, she's BrushClan's problem." The deputy dipped his head and the three patrolling 猫 took off.

Moonface faced her leader. "Let's get 你 back to camp," she murmured, fear flickering in her gaze as her eyes rested on his neck-wound. "You need rest, and some cobwebs."

They were soon back in camp, and Moonface was firmly placing the white web carefully into Gougespirit's wound. "You know," she said, "One good thing came today."

"Yeah, right," he 说 sarcastically.

"Really."

"Would 你 be so kind as to tell me what that is?"

Moonface stopped what she was doing to stare into Gougespirit's eyes for only a moment. "We at least know who's been invading our territory, and stalking our camp. We even know why."

Gougespirit didn't want to point out that what the she-cat wanted, they didn't have. He was just too tired, suddenly.

"We also know where she's going to get her kits," added Moonface. Gougespirit blinked at her. "IvyClan must have them."

Gougespirit suddenly felt as though a weight had lifted from his shoulders. He felt the 答案 to his problems clicking into place. And he also knew what to do with her now.

Jumping up, he stumbled past the protesting Moonface. "Mushfur, Bigear, Fleetflight!" he cried. "Go to the BrushClan border, 由 the WarmRocks. Find Firetooth and his patrol. Tell them to go and find the loner she-cat at once!"

"What?" asked Bigear cautiously. They had all 由 now heard the story. "But isn't that insanity, Gougespirit."

"Yeah, and what if she's in BrushClan territory?" added Fleetflight.

"Find her anyway!" he ordered. "Tell her that I would like to speak to her right away. Bring her to me."

"She won't likely want to come back," Moonface 说 from behind him. He flicked his tail.

"Oh no, my dear medicine cat. She'll come back."

"How come?" asked Fallenpaw to Blackpaw quietly.

"Because I have news she'll want to here." He turned back to his warriors. The fastest one was Fleetflight. "Go now. Tell her that I know where to find her missing kits."