At the Gathering Leafpool worries about both Crowfeather and Brambleclaw. As the leaders give their reports there is some grumbling about Firestar taking in Daisy and her kits but the real arguing starts when Onestar gets angry with both ShadowClan and RiverClan for recently accepting the help of ThunderClan. As the cats argue Leafpool sneaks off with Crowfeather. He hints that maybe they should run away together but Leafpool insists that is not the answer. She returns to Cinderpelt to find the medicine cats discussing their shared dream. She is upset as she now realizes Mothwing is not the only cat cut off from StarClan.
Squirrelflight hears Brightheart calling for Daisy - while she was out practicing fighting moves with Cloudtail her kits got into Cinderpelt's supplies making a huge mess. Looking to avoid a fight between Cloudtail and Brightheart, Squirrelflight offers to help clean up the mess. While doing so Ashfur comes around to ask her what she is doing. She tells him how the kits made the mess and he responds that clan born kits would have never done such a thing. Squirrelflight gets upset, feeling Ashfur sees kittypets as less. As the two exchange heated words Cinderpelt and Leafpool return. Leafpool is abrupt in her manner and offers to go collect more supplies. Squirrelflight realizes that Leafpool is feeling guilty and unhappy. She offers to help Leafpool collect more herbs and Ashfur leaves to go hunting. She wants to confide about her fight with Ashfur but feels she cannot since Leafpool is so clearly miserable. She tries to find out what is wrong with her sister but Leafpool brushes her off and then insists they split up to collect the herbs. That night Squirrelflight wakes up and sees Leafpool sneaking off. She follows her but loses her and settles down to wait. She catches Leafpool returning to camp but Leafpool is furious with her for following. The sisters fight and Squirrelflight asks her what is wrong but Leafpool won't confide in her. Knowing the something is wrong Squirrelflight resolves to say nothing to anyone since Leafpool is so upset. When they get back to camp Brambleclaw sees them return. He asks where Leafpool was but Squirrelflight covers for her. She blows him off by saying she is going hunting. He starts to say he is going hunting too but she does not invite him and implies they should hunt in other areas. As she leaves she thinks how once she would have confided her concerns for Leafpool in him.
Leafpool sneaks out to meet Crowfeather again. She is upset over the fight with her sister, upset that Crowfeather keeps asking her to run away with him, upset that she can't confide in Cinderpelt, and upset that Cinderpelt suspects the truth. She finds Crowfeather - but Cinderpelt finds the two of them. Crowfeather leaves as Cinderpelt and Leafpool argue it out. Harsh words are exchanged as Leafpool accuses Cinderpelt of not knowing her pain and Cinderpelt argues that Leafpool has no idea what she has sacrificed. Cinderpelt forbids Leafpool from seeing Crowfeather again but Leafpool refuses and runs away. She finds herself racing towards the Moonpool, and when she reaches there she drinks from the water and falls asleep. She dreams of Spottedleaf, who tells her to follow her heart. When she wakes she seeks out Crowfeather. She tells him she must follow her heart. He thinks that means she must be a medicine cat but instead she says she wants to run away with him. He insists they leave at once, and although she is brokenhearted is agrees.
The next morning Squirrelflight is out hunting with other warriors when Cinderpelt tracks her down. She tells her Leafpool is missing and never slept in the camp last night. Squirrelflight is upset and slips out that Leafpool always returns. Cinderpelt tells her that Leafpool and Crowfeather are in love, but Leafpool does not realize what she is actually giving up. Cinderpelt wants to go to Firestar but Squirrelflight asks her to wait so she can look for Leafpool herself. While looking along the WindClan border she runs into Brambleclaw and confesses everything. To her shock he offers to help her. When they can't find a trace of Leafpool on their side of the border they realize she must be in WindClan territory and enter it after her.
A patrol finds them demanding to know what they are doing there, but Brambleclaw insists they must speak to Onestar. Much to Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight's confusion the patrol says they can guess why they are there. When they reach the WindClan camp Onestar accuses them of stealing one of his warriors but as they talk both clans realize the two cats have run off together. Onestar allows Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight to look with some of his warriors. They follow the scent trail but lose them beyond WindClan's border. The cats are forced to admit defeat and go home. Squirrelflight despairs at never seeing her sister again and tells Brambleclaw she doesn't understand why all the cats who made the journey are leaving them. Back at the camp Brightheart is devastated that she might be the reason Leafpool left. Squirrelflight assures her it wasn't her fault even though she knows Brightheart was making Leafpool unhappy. Brambleclaw reports to Firestar and Cinderpelt is crushed that Leafpool really is gone. Squirrelflight wonders how much Leafpool must have loved Crowfeather to leave everything behind for him. She realizes that she herself would never do that for Ashfur, but she has no answer when it comes down to Brambleclaw.
Okay, finally, Squirrelflight is admitting to herself that it is Brambleclaw she loves, not Ashfur. So yay for that. But that is not the important thing here - I never dreamed Leafpool would run away! I feel like she is making a huge mistake. No matter how much she thinks she loves (or does love) Crowfeather this will never make her happy. She is a medicine cat through and through and no other path will make her happy. I understand completely the ache she feels when she sees other kits in love or with their kits - that must truly hurt so deep. And I think it is a silly rule that says medicine cats cannot have kits - though, I do understand the reasoning behind the rule. A medicine cat with kits would have divided loyalities - and would be in need of a medicine cat herself when most clans only have one. But leaving her sister, her clan, and her way of life will never make Leafpool happy and I think she is going to deeply regret this. The two choices before her now are returning home admitting her mistake or staying away to prove she was right - and both of those are going to hurt.
As for Cinderpelt, I have always wondered if she had feelings for Firestar, and there was a bit of jealousy on Sandstorm's part in the previous series. It would be understandable if Cinderpelt grew up to fall in love with her closest friend. She spoke to Leafpool of not knowing her own struggles and desires - the desire to be a warrior was certainly strong and it is not a far stretch for love for her closest friend either.
Now, back to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, I do hope that Squirrelflight taking a closer look at her feelings resolves this storyline soon.
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