Chapter Three

That night Jayfeather lay in his nest tossing and turning the dark thoughts lay in his mind it was impossible to sleep. With all the thoughts gurgling threw his mind, it was impossible to sleep. Air, that's what he needed to clear his mind and be able to think straight. Carefully he slipped out of the cleft in the rock, which held his herbs. And padded with careful paws; trying not to wake Briarlight. When he was out of his den, he looked around to make sure nobody was around.

Only Berrynose was there, keeping watch at the entrance to the thorn barrier. Keeping to the shadows, he crept along until he came to the nursery, and took the dirt place tunnel out of camp.

Not wanting anyone to know he's there, Jayfether took to the lake, it always helps him to clear his mind "Well, only a little." Jayfether whispered to himself.

When he reached it he trotted down the pebbly shore until he felt the water lapping over his paws. Even though he could not see the lake because of the sightless eyes he had been born with, he could see it in his head very clearly. Waves gently washing over the surface until they then at last reach the pebbles and make a light splash, hardly making any noise at all. Moonlight flickered on the lake surface making it shine in the night.

Going back to the questions and thoughts, which Jayfether desperately needed an answer to, whirling around his mind. Making it impossible to sleep. When will the dark forest attack? Who else in Thunderclan is in the dark forest? Is there something Ivypool is not telling us? Should I question her, or will that just make things worse? Who in all the clans are fighting against us? And what about the forth cat in the prophesy he had received at the mountains?

Ouch! That hurt. It was liked someone had clawed him, as the memory of Half moon, the ancient cat that has been dead for many moons, and which he once had loved. He had wanted a life with her, the chance to have kits, be a father, grow old and die with his family. But all that hope had been taken away from him when he had to tell her that it couldn't be, that that she had to become the first ever stoneteller. As he thought about the beautiful cat, he thought he smelled her scent and herd her whisper "Jay's wing" the word would go through his mind, until it was unbearable. And he had to turn around and pelt threw the trees until he finally reached the stone hollow.

Leaping threw the entrance; he startled Berrynose who then jumped back in terror as Jayfether bolted past him. Berrynose's fur was spiked up and he looked twice his normal size. "What's happening? Is there an attack? How did you get out of camp without me seeing you?" He asked Jayfether who was now lying on the floor panting.

Jayfether stared at him; it looked as though he could actually see out of his sightless blue eyes. "Nothing you need to worry about, no, and dirt place way."

"Then why are you making such a fuss about it?" Berrynose asked him, but before he could answer he fell in to complete darkness.

Jayfether awoke in a long outstretching meadow, for a moment he wondered whether he was in the dark forest. Ivypool had said that when she first met Hawkfrost it was in a meadow. Jayfether jumped up, startled, looking around trying to see if any cat was around.

In the distance he saw a cat bouncing its way towards him. And he was grateful that he could see in dreams, otherwise he would of never been able to smell the cat before it was too late. Just as he was about to flee into the unknown forest behind him, he saw the cat clearly for the first time and realized it was a she-cat. But not only that he recognized the cat, and, when she came closer he was able to see that that cat was Half moon.

Feeling overjoyed Jayfether jumped up and ran out to meet her. "Half moon"! Jayfether breathed when they both stopped and was facing each other. She was as pretty as he had remembered.

"Jay's wing" she whispered back, the name which he had been in the mountains.

Neither of them spoke as they stood there, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Before Half moon broke the silence by saying "be prepared, Jayfeather, as danger and darkness is hiding in the fog."

"What?" Jayfether didn't know what she meant. But the Half moon started to disappear and was now no more than a shadow. "Wait! Half moon! Don't go, what do you mean?" Jayfether franticly shouted at nothingness because now Half moon had gone and he was alone again.

"A clan emerges." She whispered in Jayfether's ear.

Jayfether woke with a start to find himself in his own nest in the storage cleft. As he sat back down he could feel his bedding of moss and bracken were flung around all over the place. He could feel the bright light that was flickering through the small hole that was the entrance so he could tell it was around midday. And it was last night that he came jumping into camp and then collapsed on the sandy hollow floor. In a rush the dream of Half moon came back to him and he strained himself to remember what she had whispered to him. His thoughts were interrupted by Briarlight "Jayfether, you're awake finally"

Her head was poking through the small hole; Jayfether could tell she was pleased to see he had woken. "What happened to me?" Jayfether asked

"You came rushing into camp, and then you fainted." Briarlight said calmly, as though she was talking to a kit.

Jayfether just glared at her for treating him like that, he could then realize she was offended; it was coming off her in small gentle waves. "Let me check you" She then said after a heartbeats pause.

"No, I'm fine" Jayfether replied before pushing his way past Briarlight and heading towards the entrance to the medicine cat's den. Jayfether was still annoyed with himself for not remembering his dream.

But before he could reach the entrance Briarlight stopped him. "You're not leaving until I know your ok"

"Fine" Jayfether replied then sat down miserably.

By the time Briarlight had finished "checking" him over, Jayfether felt like he had sat here for a moon. "Finally." He said and stalked out the den.

Before he had taken more than a few paw steps, he heard a scattering of paws coming towards him and Dovewing's voice "Jayfether, Jayfether! You're awake; I need to speak to you."

"Yes?" Jayfether replied lazily and sat down.

"I've still been having bad dreams about swoop being taken away by the eagle" Dovewing sounded worried but Jayfether was so annoyed he didn't really care.

"Why did you come to me about it?" Jayfether said harshly.

Jayfether realized he had hurt Dovewing, but was still focused on trying to remember his dream. "Because I thought you could give me a poppy seed or something like that to help me sleep or something…" She trailed off.

Jayfether then went softer on her, there was pity in his voice "no, there is no herb that can cure memories, you will forget about it soon, don't worry."

Dovewing looked unconvinced but didn't say anymore, just nodded her head and scurried over to Bumblestripe. Those two have got very close lately.

Later on, Jayfether was getting dust off his old herbs in the storage cleft. Briarlight had gone to stretch her broken legs and eat with her littermates Blossemfall and Bumblestripe. So Jayfether was on his own in the den, with the darkening sky it brought coolness to his hot fur. Jayfether was happy for it since every day seemed like they would all disintegrate it was so hot. As Jayfether was putting down some old borage, he heard Sorreltail calling him from outside his den. "Jayfether squirrelflight got a thorn stuck in her pad!"

Squirrelflight was the last cat he wanted to see after all the lies she had told with her sister many moons ago. But he heard squirrelflight limp her way inside. Once she had sat down Jayfether went over to her. "Lift your paw up so I can see" he instructed her.

She did as he said and lifted her right front paw for him to examine. Jayfether felt around for the thorn until he had a grip of it in his mouth, and he tugged it. "Ow ow ow ow." She started shaking in pain.

"Hold still!" Jayfether said angrily "how am I supposed to get this out if you're shaking around like a fox in a fit!" He continued.

"Sorry" She said.

Jayfether yet again tugged on the thorn and it was followed by a howl of pain, Squirrelflight moaned over and over again until the thorn was out and the stench of blood came wafting up Jayfether's nose. "Keep licking it, I'm going to get some herbs."

Jayfether could hear the soft rasping of her tong as he padded over to his herbs. Jayfether then collected some cobwebs and came back with a wad of it stuck on his paw making it difficult to walk. He then carefully secured the wound to the blood couldn't flow out. "There, you need to rest that now, come back tomorrow so I can see how it is." Jayfether instructed quickly.

"Ok, thanks Jayfether, bye." She replied.

Jayfether nodded to her before hearing her stalk out of his den, there was sadness and regret tingling on her that pierced Jayfether's heart. He could picture her perfectly; her head bowed down and her tail drooping on the ground.