"Smoke Mountains"@en . . "Hollyfrost moved forwards. Frost crunched under her paws an icy wind ruffled her fur the wrong way. It was getting colder. The branches of the trees were bare and leafless. They had stayed by Horseplace for several days and would have stayed longer except Seedwhisker had decided it would be dangerous to stay at one place for too long. \u201CHey,\u201D meowed a voice. Hollyfrost turned, flicking her ears. It was newly named Bramblethorn. His green eyes were soft as they bore into hers. \u201CWhat?\u201D Hollyfrost meowed, walking forwards. Different? (Yes.) (I suppose...) \u201CHey!\u201D"@en . . . . "Newcomers"@en . . . . "Hollyfrost moved forwards. Frost crunched under her paws an icy wind ruffled her fur the wrong way. It was getting colder. The branches of the trees were bare and leafless. They had stayed by Horseplace for several days and would have stayed longer except Seedwhisker had decided it would be dangerous to stay at one place for too long. \u201CHey,\u201D meowed a voice. Hollyfrost turned, flicking her ears. It was newly named Bramblethorn. His green eyes were soft as they bore into hers. \u201CWhat?\u201D Hollyfrost meowed, walking forwards. \u201CI was just...\u201D Bramblethorn trailed off. \u201CI mean you\u2019re my sister. What were Snowkit and Jadekit like?\u201D Hollyfrost stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. \u201CSnowpaw was a DeathClan cat but when we got to the stone hollow she wasn\u2019t there,\u201D her voice was quiet and trembling. \u201CI haven\u2019t seen her in ages. I don\u2019t even know who this Jadekit is.\u201D Bramblethorn looked slightly taken aback. \u201CSorry...\u201D he meowed. \u201CJadekit is our sister by the way. She seems to have disappeared just as I did. I wonder if she\u2019s back in Fox Town Village where I grew up. Or maybe a fox got her and Rowena didn\u2019t tell anyone... Or maybe she\u2019s up in the Smoke Mountains! There\u2019s said to be cats that live up there!\u201D Hollyfrost tipped her head to one side. Smoke Mountains? Fox Town Village? \u201CFox Town Village is an abandoned twoleg town that\u2019s infested with foxes and the occasional dog,\u201D Bramblethorn explained. \u201CSmoke Mountains is right up there. Every full moon there is smoke at the very top.\u201D Bramblethorn was pointing with his tail to the top of the mountain that they were climbing. Seedwhisker had decided that it would be best to see what was on the other side. Hollyfrost stared up at the mountain peak wonderingly. \u201CWhen I was little Runningfox used to tell me stories about The Great Journey,\u201D she mewed. \u201CCenturies ago, the Clans used to live in another forest but when it was destroyed they had to find another home. They say they found a group of cats called The Tribe of Rushing Water up in these mountains.\u201D Bramblethorn nodded enthusiastically. \u201CI bet they are the same cats!\u201D he meowed. \u201CI hope we meet them!\u201D Hollyfrost shrugged. She wasn\u2019t sure if she wanted to meet these mountain cats. They sounded... Well... Different? (Yes.) But different can be good. I mean you wouldn\u2019t want to only eat mice. You\u2019d like to have a squirrel or a rabbit once in a while. (I suppose...) Hollyfrost turned her attention back to the steep, winding path. It was hard not to trip so she needed to concentrate. Her fur puffed out in an attempt to keep the wind out and her claws dug into the crumbly ground as she moved forwards. Hollyfrost had only moved a few paces when Jay caught up with her. Larkkit and Marshkit were at either side of her and one of Appleseed\u2019s tiny newborns hung from her jaws. Hollyfrost couldn\u2019t help staring at the tiny kitten. It was so sweet! A bundle ginger tabby fur. \u201CHello,\u201D Jay mewed. \u201CThis is Tigerkit.\u201D Hollyfrost snapped her gaze from the cute tabby and looked up at Jay. \u201CDo you want to carry her? I\u2019m tired out.\u201D \u201CSure,\u201D Hollyfrost replied and she took Tigerkit from Jay. She was surprisingly light and swayed in the wind. \u201CHave you ever heard of Fox Town Village or Smoke Mountains?\u201D Jay nodded. \u201CFox Town Village is where I used to live,\u201D she mewed. \u201CWe could see Smoke Mountains out of the windows of the top rooms. Why?\u201D Hollyfrost shrugged. \u201CI was just wondering,\u201D she mewed. \u201CIt\u2019s every full moon there\u2019s smoke right?\u201D \u201CYes,\u201D Jay replied. \u201CMaybe it\u2019s their own kind of Gathering...\u201D Jay\u2019s voice suddenly trailed off and her head snapped up so her eyes met with Hollyfrost\u2019s. They were suddenly sparkling with the same enthusiasm as Bramblethorn\u2019s. \u201CDo you think they know about Gatherings? Do you think they\u2019re trying to send us a message? Or if they want us to come to the mountains?\u201D Hollyfrost knew Jay was right as soon as she said it. The Tribe cats were trying to tell them that they wanted them to come to the mountains! She gave Tigerkit back to Jay and her pace quickened until she was almost running. Suddenly she wanted to get to the top just as much as Bramblethorn or Jay. She was happier than she had been ages as she leaped up the mountain path. It was nice to feel the wind in her fur, even if it was a bit cold. It was nice to feel the rocky ground beneath her paws, even if the stones could be a bit sharp. But most of all it was nice to be free. Out in the open and up so high, it made Hollyfrost think of eagles gliding through the air. Careless and free. \u201CI wonder what it would be like to fly!\u201D Hollyfrost mewed out loud. \u201CHey!\u201D Hollyfrost froze and turned around. It was a voice she hadn\u2019t heard in a while. But it was still as beautiful as ever. \u201CAny cat would have thought you were a kit,\u201D Robinsong purred. \u201CThe way you act.\u201D Hollyfrost couldn\u2019t help purring as well as she pressed against his side. His dark ginger fur mixed with her pale. She was somehow reminded of the time after the battle when she had sat outside the Moonpool clearing with him. Even though that should have been a dreadful moment it was the happiest moment of her life. \u201CI\u2019m sorry,\u201D Hollyfrost whispered. Robinsong\u2019s ear twitched. \u201CFor what?\u201D he asked. Hollyfrost sighed as their tails twined. \u201CFor being so grumpy,\u201D she meowed. \u201CI haven\u2019t seen you in ages.\u201D Robinsong shrugged and backed away a few paces. \u201CIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201D he mewed. \u201CWhat matters is getting to some place that is safe.\u201D \u201CI guess you\u2019re right,\u201D Hollyfrost meowed. But as they began to walk again, she wasn\u2019t quite sure that he had forgiven her. There was just something about him that seemed sad and upset even though he was purring. Hollyfrost sighed, suddenly exhausted. She could barely move one paw in front of the other. Robinsong let her lean against his side as they moved further up the mountain path. They travelled in silence the rest of the bitterly cold afternoon. Soon the things that Hollyfrost had found nice just moments ago seemed horrible and sore and icy cold."@en . . . . . "Smoke Mountains"@en . .