"There are lots of grasses. Some are yellow some are green but none really look like anything we could use." said Brightheart.
Jaypaw felt a sharp prick of anger. How could this happen. How could StarClan let this happen? Was it part of their stupid prophecy? Jaypaw sighed it likely wasn't their doing at all he had seen their powers he even had powers beyond their but… It didn't really matter anymore. He felt the sharp brush of the grass as he searched for herbs. No, he was likely just a normal cat now no powers no prophecy no nothing.
"There is a small patch of light blue flowers over by a group of rocks."
Jaypaw's train of thought was broken by Brightheart's voice. He had to focus on his clan now as the only medicine cat he had to find something to use. He padded over to where Brightheart's voice came from and tried to see if he could remember identify the flowers by scent. The patch had an odd scent something Jaypaw couldn't quiet say he understood.
He dug his claws into the ashy ground and bit back his urge to yowl at the sky. Vision would have been a very useful thing at this point. Or maybe if he had dreamed last night he could have looked through someone else's eye and seen the plants. He wanted to just give up and collapse, sleep until it all went away. He shook his head. There was no need for thoughts like that and certainly no time either. He though back to the summit. One of the wolves said they were some sort of a healer, Herb master he believed. Hopefully he would come help the clans. Jaypaw returned to small pile he and Brightheart gathered. It was made mostly of roots and tiny petals but it was better than nothing.
A scent drifted towards Jaypaw's nose the patrol had returned and with them something unidentified. He bristled. "What is it?" Jaypaw asked Brightheart.
"The patrol has returned. They have a wolf with them, a tiny thing." She said voice coming out as a hiss. Jaypaw's pelt bristled was this wolf a friend or a foe. He drew in the scent again. It wasn't like the Glider's tribute members. It was raw and rotting like a rat or rouge.
"Wow so this is the rest of your clan it's pretty big" said a feminine voice Jaypaw did not recognize. His fur laid a little lower. The she-wolf didn't sound like a threat her voice carried the same gentleness of Coraline but you he couldn't be too careless.
"This is amazing I haven't been around this many creatures in… ever!" she cried.
"It was even more impressive when we had all our members," Firestar whispered under his breath.
He could hear paws scrambling to get up on a surface. "ThunderClan" said Firestar. "What Coraline spoke is true, this is Feara she will be taking us to shelter". There was a murmuring among the clan but it went silent when Firestar raised his paw.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Birchfall called from below. Jaypaw worried too. They didn't know if they could trust anything Coraline said let alone what a stray wolf said.
"It's the best chance we have" he replied. "We don't know this territory so there could be any number of troubles we aren't aware. It would be best if we had a well-guarded place to address everything"
There was no reply then a small wave of agreement followed.
"Feara" Firestar was now addressing the she-wolf. "Would you show us the entrance now?"
"Of course" replied Feara. Jaypaw waited with baited breath as he heard a scritch scritch across the stone walls.
"Alright" Feara said. "Everyone please back up". Jaypaw took a few paw steps back. What was going one?
Then he heard it the thump.
Lionpaw stood there with his mouth agape. Feara just ran into one of the volcano's craggy edges. He felt his pulse quicken as the dust slowly cleared the air. He gasped lightly. Instead of Feara lying dead with her head cracked open. She was laying half in and half out of a newly made hole.
Feara groaned. She weakly stood and wiped the dust from her pelt. "Through this passage lay a system of tunnels that led to the opening in the volcano."
Feara looked at the clan cats then leapt through the hole. Firestar and Sandstorm shared a glance then followed. Squirrelflight and Berrynose quickly joined them. Hollypaw and Jaypaw came up behind.
"This is all strange" Hollypaw said. Lionpaw nodded in agreement.
"Yes but we can't stop now. We have to keep moving forward." Lionpaw felt a pang of remorse as he remembered the time that he and Heatherpaw spent in the tunnels underground but he quickly shook the thought away. It wasn't the time or the place or even mattered. All that mattered now was living through the day.
Jaypaw padded forward. "We're getting left behind." He carefully felt around the tunnel passage then once he determined its height leapt through. Hollypaw followed a moment after. Lionpaw turned and looked up at the sky, it looked just as it did in the forest. He blinked and turned back to the hole. He jumped.
"Are you okay?" called Feara down from a rock bridge.
Firestar licked his bristling pelt "Yes". He replied after it lay flat.
Sandstorm and Firestar had been underneath a stalagmite that fell from the ceiling. It barely grazed Firestar's whisker but left the leader shaking.
"Are we nearly to there" called Sandstorm to the ginger she-wolf. Firestar peered around the cavern in search of a tunnel that Feara had mentioned. Even though it was a cave it very well lite by various cracks and what appeared to be small crystals he couldn't see the giant rock they were looking for.
"Uh" Feara said. "Wait- Yes I do" She slide down from the bridge and stopped in front of Firestar. "It's over this way". She ran back up the bridge. "Up here". Firestar followed and from there he saw it. The giant stone in front of the entrance. Feara quickly raced across the bridge and leapt down to where the stone was. Firestar followed at a slower pace being sure not to disturb anymore ceiling hangings.
Feara and Firestar slipped behind the stone "Here it is". The tunnel was a little small but Feara was slipping through it like a mouse. Firestar could see light shine through the cracks around Feara's body he quickly followed her up into the tunnel. Finally, Feara and Firestar slipped from the tunnel.
Firestar was amazed.
"Uh Firestar…! Feara waved her paw In front of the leader's face but Firestar was too captivated to acknowledge it. The volcano's clearing was beautiful. Crystals jutted up every so often from the walls and floors. Part of the ceiling to the southern part of the cavern was blown out so the gentle sunset shone through and highlighted both the interior and exterior formations. The ground looked surprisingly soft, there was a large circle of grass that gave way to a barren and dark cavern floor. Finally, various sized stones, some rough some smooth, littered the clearing slightly sparkling in the light.
"Firestar!"
Firestar gasped he was so preoccupied with the beauty of the cave he hadn't even noticed he had landed on Feara. He immediately leapt off her. "Sorry!"
Feara shook her head. "It's fine" she drew her tail around her paws. "This is good? I led you well?"
Firestar nodded. "Yes thank you. You did very well."
The last bits of sunlight disappeared from sky and everything grew dark and silent.
The moon shone overhead as the remaining ThunderClan members gathered in the clearing. Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw sat close by Squrrielflight. Firestar and Sandstorm sat nearby. Berrynose and Hazeltail were on either side of Daisy each ever so often giving her ears a lick. Birchfall and Spiderleg sat next to Longtail and Mousefur while Brightheart was comforting Icepaw close by. Feara sat a little ways off from the clan cats but still was in the circle of moonlight. Firestar sighed.
"I don't know what to tell you all." He looked at the sky.
"What's to tell," Berrynose said. "We are who knows where, are separated from half the clan, and are in this crazy world where cats and dogs can get along."
Feara flinched. She stood but Firestar indicated for her scoot closer and lie back down. Berrynose sheepishly glanced at her.
"Sorry," he apologized. "You were a great help today. I didn't mean…" Daisy turned to him and licked his ear.
Feara shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I can't imagine… I will help as long as you need me." She moved a little closer inside the circle.
"Thank you." said Berrynose quietly. Everyone was silent.
"I miss Cloudtail," whispered Brightheart. "And Whitewing"
"I miss Ferncloud and Dustpelt." cried Icepaw pressing herself against the ground.
"Why would StarClan let this happen?" said Birchfall.
"I don't think StarClan had anything to do with this." Jaypaw said. "I don't even know if…"
Birchfall placed his paws over his ears and shut his eyes. Jaypaw stopped and scooted closer to Squirrelflight.
"Will we ever get back" Hollypaw said finally asking the question on everyone's mind.
Firestar shrugged. "I don't know." Everything was quiet again. Then wordlessly the Clan ca- creatures scooted closer together. Then as one they turned to the moon and watched until sleep came.