Chapter Three
Darkstar woke around sunset the following day. He and half the clan stayed awake all night performing various tasks. Darkstar and Cloudpaw had been training with Shadowlion and Dustpaw. Sandpelt and Crimsonclaw were hunting and Badgerswipe and Embershade went on patrol.
After the meeting yesterday, Darkstar and Brighttalon decided that for one moon half of Fireclan would take up nocturnal habits and the two groups would switch for the next moon. This way every cat would get nighttime training but the territory wouldn't be left undefended during the day.
Brighttalon looked up and, upon seeing that Darkstar was awake, got up and walked over to him.
"Hey." Darkstar greeted him. "Anything news-worthy?"
"Well, in regards to the Place of No Stars, all of the mentors sent their apprentices away early. Apparently they had a meeting they had to go to. Wildear and Snowlion tried to see what the meeting was about but Tawnyheather, Snowlion's mentor, caught them and clawed their ears for not listening when they were first sent away. Nightpaw's already given them some cobwebs but the scratches weren't bad.
"On a different note, Rosethorn and Nightpaw found an entrance to a system of tunnels. They didn't go in very far because they didn't know how stable they were but they saw that a lot of tunnels spread off of the one they went in."
"Okay, I don't want anyone going into the tunnels at least until we can determine their stability."
"'Kay, I'll make it known."
"Thanks." Brighttalon regained his paws and stretched.
"Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Enjoy your night."
"Good night. I'll see you around dawn."
"Yep." Brighttalon agreed with a nod, already heading to his nest.
Looking around, Darkstar was glad to see his group was stirring and waking up.
"Crimsonclaw, Dustpaw." Darkstar called. The two tomcats walked over, Dustpaw favoring one paw.
"How'd training go?"
"Heatherleaf sent me away right from the start." Crimsonclaw complained. "I didn't get any training."
"Rainthistle also sent me away but I was glad for the rest." Dustpaw added.
"Okay. Well, would the two of you take Shadowlion and patrol the Shadowclan border?"
Crimsonclaw nodded and Dustpaw went to fetch his mentor
As Darkstar walked past her to fetch Cloudpaw, Nightpaw sat up.
"I thought you'd be asleep; you were in the daylight group." Darkstar said in surprise.
"It's half moon tonight. I need to get going if I'm to get there on time." Nightpaw said, already halfway to the exit.
"Ah, okay. See you tomorrow."
Nightpaw waved her tail in acknowledgement as she left.
Nightpaw hurried toward Thunderclan territory, remembering from reading the Warriors books that the creek that led to the Moonpool lay on the border between Thunderclan and Windclan.
As she arrived, Nightpaw was surprised to find that only Jayfeather and Snaketail were there.
"Where are the others?" She asked, carefully walking down the path into the hollow.
"Apparently they're not coming." Snaketail answered.
"Why not?"
"Starclan has separated. We were each told to stay away from each other." Jayfeather responded.
"Then why are you here? And why didn't Starclan tell us the same?"
"I'm here because Starclan are being mouse-brained." Jayfeather said bluntly.
"And my theory on why Starclan didn't tell us is because of how we came to be here." Snaketail answered. Jayfeather sent a startled glance in Snaketail's direction disproportionate to her answer.
"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone else." Snaketail said, addressing Jayfeather directly. Nightpaw suddenly remembered that he had the ability to listen in on other cats' thoughts and emotions. "I think it would cause complications if the rest of the clan cats knew that we were once human."
Jayfeather swallowed, visibly collecting himself.
"How?"
"Long ago, a Riverclan tom took to kit-killing. Starclan couldn't stop him so they found a way to let the kits he murdered live. They found willing host bodies to keep the kittens safe until they could be returned to the clans. Once we were all assembled, Starclan gave us feline bodies to better bring us here."
"There are so many secrets and so much strangeness these days. What's one more secret on top of that? I won't tell anyone."
"Thank you, Jayfeather."
"Thanks." Nightpaw added.
"Were all of you originally twolegs?"
"No, but most of us were. Obviously neither of the foxes was. And Duskmist, Badgerswipe, Crimsonclaw, Moonleap, Snowlion, Tornadoclaw, and Silverstar's and Tornadoclaw's kits were all born feline."
"Do any of them know your origin?"
"Badgerswipe, Crimsonclaw, Moonleap, Snowlion, and Tornadoclaw do. The five of them were originally kittypets. Four of them lived with me."
"What about the fifth?"
"Tornadoclaw lived with Silverstar."
"As much as I enjoy conversing, we're wasting moonlight." Nightpaw interrupted them.
"Right." Snaketail agreed, standing again. "I just have one more thing to do before we share tongues with Starclan.
"I, Snaketail, medicine cat of Winterclan, call upon Starclan to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her clan for many moons. Nightpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between clan and clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Nightpaw promised, all the more decidedly after thinking about Starclan's separation.
"Then I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Nightpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Nightshade. Starclan honors your courage in the face of difficulty." Snaketail leaned forward and laid her muzzle atop Nightshade's head. Nightshade licked Snaketail's shoulder in return.
"Thank you, Snaketail. I'll do my best for Fireclan and for all the clans."
"I know you will. I'm just sorry the other four medicine cats weren't here to welcome you."
Nightshade nodded in acknowledgement of their absence and shrugged to show that she didn't really care too much before laying down to drink from the Moonpool. Jayfeather and Snaketail followed her into sleep.
When Nightshade opened her eyes again, she was sitting alone in the stone hollow of Moonpool.
"Is anyone there?" She called, looking around. After a moment, a long-furred pale gray-and-white she-cat walked to the top edge of the hollow, her bright blue eyes scanning around the top before looking down at Nightshade. As her eyes met Nightshade's, they filled with a sorrow and pain difficult to look at.
"Who are you?" Nightshade asked, thinking she looked vaguely familiar. The name Lavenderflame drifted into Nightshade's mind a moment before the other cat spoke.
"I am Lavenderflame of Shadowclan."
"Jayfeather said Starclan was separated."
"We are. But we can still visit our kin."
"Kin?"
"Yes, you were in the first litter of kits who was murdered by my mate's brother. As was your brother, Darkstar. The two of you were in my litter."
"So I was half-clan?" Darkstar's my brother?
"Yes. Pickerelpelt of Riverclan was my mate but his brother, Yellowtail, couldn't stand the idea of his brother breaking the warrior code like that. It drove him to madness. You must help prepare all the clans to face him and cats much like him."
"How?"
"You need to reunite Starclan. Follow Jayfeather." Her voice and image began to fade partway through the last sentence and she was gone not long after it finished.
Nightshade woke to see Snaketail still crouched next to the moonpool, eyes staring blankly forward and Jayfeather just beginning to stir. Jayfeather finished waking and sat up without Snaketail moving at all.
"Did either of you dream?" Nightshade asked, wishing it was more generally accepted to share dreams from Starclan.
"Yeah, I did." Jayfeather agreed.
"I need to return to my camp. I'll see you both later." Snaketail said, her voice slightly off, before she fled from the moonpool hollow back toward Winterclan territory.
"I hope she's okay." Nightshade commented, worried as she watched her former mentor run as though haunted.
"Jayfeather?" A new voice called. Nightshade looked up to see Mothwing of Riverclan approaching the moonpool.
"Are the two of you the only ones who came?"
"Snaketail also came but she left already." Jayfeather answered.
"Willowshine refused." Mothwing padded to the edge of the pool and leaned to sniff at the water. "What is going on with Starclan? Willowshine told me they'd ordered her to stay away from the other medicine cats. It doesn't make sense. Our shared code helps the clans fight sickness. In the past it's helped keep the peace."
Jayfeather looked directly at the golden cat as though he could see her. "Our code is no longer enough. Starclan is frightened."
"Of what?"
"The Dark Forest."
"Willowshine says there will be a battle between Starclan and the Dark Forest." Mothwing walked around the edge of the pool as she spoke.
"She's right. But when it comes, it won't be just in our dreams; it'll be real. It'll be fought between living cats on clan territory."
Mothwing froze. "How can that be?"
"The Dark Forest warriors have been training clan cats as they sleep."
"Some of my clanmates have been acting strange. Restless and argumentative."
"Who?"
"Hollowflight, Icewing –"
"What about Beetlewhisker?"
"How did you know?"
"We need to unite the clans." Jayfeather said, ignoring her question and beginning to pace. "The battle won't be fought over boundaries this time. Our very survival is at stake."
"What can I do to help?" Mothwing asked.
Jayfeather paused in his pacing to look straight at her again. "Hawkfrost is involved."
"My brother? How?"
"He has chosen darkness over light."
"I am not my brother. I have always chosen a different path from him. My loyalty is to living clanmates, not dead littermates."
"So you'd fight him if you had to?"
"Fight him? He's already dead!"
"But the living and dead are training together to destroy the clans! They are using our own clanmates against us."
"How will we know who to trust?"
"We won't until the battle begins. But if we can stop Starclan from driving the clans apart, we stand a chance of winning."
"I can't help you change what dead cats do, but I might be able to help guide the living ones. I'll try to persuade Willowshine to visit the Moonpool again."
"Will she listen to you over Starclan?"
"I don't know. But I have to try. And if I think of a way to make the other medicine cats listen, I'll come and find you." Mothwing leaned forward to brush Jayfeather's muzzle with her own. "You're not alone anymore, Jayfeather." Mothwing led Jayfeather out of the hollow and Nightshade watched them leave. Neither of them thought to see if she was following.