"So they knew I was coming?" I hiss. Thundertail turns around. "Yes," he whispers. "So they did nothing to stop the fox?" I growl. "They were powerless. There was no choice." "There is ALWAYS a choice!" I yowl. "What's wrong? A little while ago, you were fine with being here! And you told your medicine cat to treat your daughter, not you!" "I was too young! I won't be able to see Willowstream's kits, or watch her grow up like I should! Or be able to congratulate her if she wins a battle, or gets an apprentice! Or mates!" "You can still watch that!" "But it's not the same!" I wail. "Well," he whispers, barely audible, "We could, no. We will consult the ancestors. See what they think." he mutters. "What?" I mew. "Nothing, nothing." Then, a rustle in the bracken. Three cats step out of the shadows. I recognize two of them. The first is the deputy before Rainpetal, Graynose. The second cat is Bluetail, she was a warrior also. The last cat is unknown to me. "Welcome. We are glad to have you here with us tonight." "What do you mean you're glad? So you're happy I'm in StarClan!?" I snap, "No no no, we are happy to see you again, but grief- stricken that you had to join us so soon." soothes Bluetail. "Well, what did you want to see me about?" I meow, recovered quickly from my bout of anger. They exchange a glance, lasting less than a heartbeat, making me think I imagined it. "Well, we thought, that, maybe, well," they mutter, mainly to themselves, "We were thinking of giving you a second chance, or, another life. We don't know how, because you can't watch Willowshine grow up as a kit, so, we could put life back into your old body, and you could live life again, and still be with Stormfeather, but we don't know how to send a sign to your clan. Since time is slower in the Clans, it has only been a sunset to moonhigh." "I know!" I yowled triumphantly, "You could send a sign to Moonsripe, a sign of a fern dappled in shadow, but their will be no shadow anywhere!" All three cats nod their heads in agreement. Now Thundertail looks less nervous. I give a little bounce. "Now, Thudertail, since you were their past medicine cat, you may send the sign if you wish." says Bluetail. Thundertail nods. I yawn quite loudly. "You must be extremely tired after today and yesterdays travels. Once you go to sleep, you will be back in the Clans. When you wake up, do not fret. We will always be with you, remember that." says Graynose. "May StarClan light your path." they all say in 3 part harmony. "Thanks." I say, almost interrupted by another yawn. The next morning, I wake up to find myself alone in the den of the tree. Apparently Thundertail hasn't been here all night since his scent is stale. Like, a day ago stale. I follow the old scent trail to where he brought me to see the starry cats. I last remember being here, so how did I get to tree den? I ponder this thoughtfully for a second, then remember what I first set out to do. I need to find him. The scent is confusing, going in circles, overlapping each other, apparently, it seems he was looking for the "perfect" spot. But wait, wasn't I supposed to be in the forest? In the real Clans? Wait, wait wait, this all a dream, isn't it? I'll wake up, and I'll be back, safe and sound, in the Clans. I shut my eyes, and will myself to sleep, but I can't. I am either still in StarClan, or I am dreaming. I hope I am dreaming. I jolt up. I realize that if I am in StarClan still, that means that Thundertail didn't send the sign! They said that when I wake up, I'lll be back with the Clans! I have to go find the 3 cats! I pound through the forest, making the ground shake, making prey scatter like leaves in front of me. It seems that I am not getting any closer to anywhere I need to. I skid to a stop. I wasn't following the scent trail! No! Oh fox-dung. I tense up. A rustle in the leaves. I stare around, scanning the underbrush as if it was a matter of life and death. A head pops out. I startle, and trip on a root, again, for the 3rd time so far. So, here I am, face down in the dirt. Again. I try to scrabble upwards, but I trip on the root still. Apparently, my paw is stuck in the root! Oh no! All this time, the cat was still sitting there, looking amused. I have to stop moving, and scan their face for a few seconds, before I realize who it is. Its is Snowstar! But wait, no, that can't happen! He still had at least 4 lives left when I died! It hasn't been more than a few minutes in the Clans! "Hello again, Fernshade!" says the mysterious cat. Oh wow, its just Thundertail. I must've been too surprised by my trip with the root, or maybe my head got hurt because of how many times I've tripped. Or my thoughts were somewhere else. I don't know. "Here, let me help you," he offers. "No!" I hiss, my thoughts coming back now, "I can manage, thanks!" "Fernsahde! Whats wrong!?" he asked, acting surprised. "You should know, you liar!" I snarl. "What!?" he exclaims. "Why didn't you send the sign! The cats said that I would be in the Clans when I wake up. Don't I look like I'm awake!? Yes! And am I in the Clans!? No! Why didn't you send it!?" He paws the ground. Licks his chest fur. Stares around, as if looking for something. After a minute of silence and avoiding the question, I become exasperated. "Why didn't you send it!?" I question. I back him into a boulder, so he can't escape. "Why?" I hiss. "Why?" Instead of hissing it or growling in an angry way, I say this in a sad tone of voice. I pin him to the boulder with one paw on his chest. His eyes are as wide as moons. "Why?" "I, I , I di-didn't want you to g-go." he stutters, "I love you." All of a sudden, the world seems to stop, my whole world, the world I thought I knew everything about, just fell down a bit around me. I should've guessed. Seen the signals. The signs. I sigh. "Thundertail, I can't, I just can't. I have a life to live. I am running out of time. At dawn, they will bury my body. Then, if I come back to life, I will suffocate, and die again. Be gone forever. I have a role. A destiny that I don't know about, but have to live through. I'm sorry. But, that's no excuse to not send the sign! The ancestors depend on you! I depend on you! Anyways, if I stay, it'll disrupt the warrior code, even though its StarClan. The warrior code and medicine code still apply. I am so, so very sorry. Now c'mon. Lets go. " He looks at me as if I have two heads or something. Is he scared of me? Does he hate me now? I didn't mean to be harsh! He starts to back away. "Thundertail!" I call. But hes gone. Gone. I sink to the ground in defeat. All I meant was to get my point across! Oh no... Chapter 4 Apparently, I was able to go to sleep, even after worrying forever about Thundertail. I still worry if he hates me or not. Wait, wait, where is he anyway? I wonder if he is with the ancestors, brewing his hate. I blink open my eyes, stand up, and I hear a screech. I whip around. Yowch!My neck! I swivel my ears around instead. Why does this look so familiar? I can't tell why, but it seems familiar. I am very, very hungry, so I pad out of this place. And hunt. I end up scaring off a blackbird, and so the bird sends off an alarm, so my chances of hunting are ruined. Ewww, whats that stench? I pad onward, trying to locate the disgruntling scent. My paw sinks into something wet and sticky. Even though it is dark out, I can tell. It smells like death. This is the spot I got mauled by the fox. So Thundertail did send the sign! The place that was so familiar was camp! I try to sprint back to camp, but my neck still has the fresh wound. I take my time, passing every familiar sight, breathing in the fresh scent of the territory. As I am at the fern tunnel that leads into camp, I can see a faint light starting to pierce through the clouds of night. Then, an earsplitting screech. I shrink back into the brush. I hear a frantic voice calling "Fernshade! Where is her body! What gruesome, evil, disgusting excuse for a cat would do this!?" I can't identify who it is, but I hear a much more familiar voice trying to calm down the wailing cat. I am trying to decide how to go about introducing myself back into the Clan, after dying. I honestly don't get how I am alive now. I was gonna die of blood loss, but yet I seem to have enough blood to live now, whatever. I push it to the back of my thoughts. I have more important tasks at hand. Eventually, the dawn patrol will come through the tunnel, or some cat will scent me, or a curious kit that escapes the nursery and decides to go exploring on its own, labels me as an intruder, and yowls to the whole camp. I have to go sooner than later. But I don't know how to explain to them what happened. Maybe I can make up something... Aha! I will say that I was, no, no that won't work. Well,just no. I will just have to tell the truth. I take a deep breath. But will any cat believe me? I'll have to take that chance. I pad into camp a couple of mouse lengths, and I have a dozen pair of eyes upon me. Even the kits stop to stare. I start to get cold just standing here. This snow is pretty cold. I never noticed that there wasn't any in StarClan and there was here. Quite a few mouths are gaping. Then, a silver and black striped cat comes out of Snowstars den. It is Moonstripe! I thought he would have warned the Clan, I guess not. All of a sudden, the world fades out, and all I see is black. I can't hear a thing, as if I were underwater; everything is muffled. I am suddenly, very, very tired. Chapter 5 When I wake up, I think I am in the medicine den. Some cat is licking my fur rhythmically, it relaxes me. But I can't sleep now, I have to explain what happened. I quickly jolt upright, only to cringe and fall back into the soft moss. "Relax Fernshade. You're in the medicine den. That sure was a bad gash you had. You alright? You kept mumbling in your sleep. And thrashing around." says Moonstripe, I think. That is him, right? I dunno. But wait, what? Thrashing and mumbling in my sleep? I didn't dream. Was that all a dream? But it was so vivid. Moonstripe tries to stiffle a mew of amusement, but fails miserably. "What?" I ask. He tries to explain that I actually went to StarClan, but I don't believe him. I started to believe that it was a dream, and he explained that it was a dream, in a way, but more of a vision. It actually happened, but in my dreams. I am still confused a tad, but I don't care. At least Moonstripe understands. I am saved. He said he wanted to see what my reaction would be if I thought it was a dream. He found it hysterical. Of course. I can finally relax, and not worry, for now. For what I did not know though, something big was looming on the horizon. Later... Sorry this took so long to write! I have had lotsa homework!