CHAPTER TWO

Sunset approached the forest, and Mapleleaf headed towards the BreezeClan border. Traveling straight through the rival Clan's territory would have been far easier, but, even though she was a medicine cat, one could never be too careful.

She soon spotted the MossClan medicine cat, Streamback, and his quick-mouthed apprentice, Dalepaw. The she-cat could see the effort in Streamback's every lope. He had been medicine cat when she had been just a kit. Even though he should have become an elder by then, he refused to leave his position. Part of this stubbornness probably came from the fact that Dalepaw still needed training. While he had already mastered herbs and interpreting dreams, the warrior-aged apprentice did not have the kind tenderness of a medicine cat. Physically, he was a medicine cat, but, mentally, he was a warrior. He became upset whenever Streamback held him back from fights, and he cared too little about truce between medicine cats.

Soon, they came across the Moonstump, where Vinefoot and Furysong, the medicine cats of BreezeClan and SporeClan, were already chatting quietly while waiting for the other medicine cats. After exchanging greetings, they all lay on the large stump and slept, while the warriors of StarClan shined down on them.

That night, all five medicine cats from all four Clans had dreams that, as they would later find, connect. In Mapleleaf's dream, the she-cat found herself in a dark forest. The sky was dark and hidden by eerie gray clouds. Thunder roared, startling her, and furious rain caused small, shallow pools of water in the ground here and there. "Mapleleaf!" Suddenly, she heard a cat call her name and turned around to see a black tomcat sheltered in a cave. Seeking someplace dry, away from the rain and thunder, she dashed over without a second thought.

"I am Hiddenstar, the previous leader of WillowClan." His voice was rushed, like he had little time to tell her what he needed to say. "Mapleleaf, you must find the haven in the thunder."

"What?" the she-cat inquired.

But the tom had already started to fade away. "Find the haven in the thunder!" his voice echoed. It was the last thing she heard before waking up. When she rose on her paws, Dalepaw cut off whatever he was saying and looking awkwardly at the WillowClan she-cat. "What is it?" Mapleleaf asked.

"Nothing that you need to know about!" he spat. "It's not something for the likes of WillowClan!"

Streamback cuffed him with a paw. "You needn't be so rude! Mapleleaf won't tell her Clan about MossClan's business."

"What's all this ruckus?" Vinefoot had woken up, followed by Furysong.

"But Vinefoot and Furysong might," Dalepaw hissed into his mentor's ear.
"No, they won't. Medicine cats keep promises between themselves, and they have no care about the weakness or strength of another Clan," Streamback told him sharply before turning to the other medicine cats. "I had… a dream. I saw a humongous brown creature—larger than a Twoleg, even!" Gasps rose from his audience. "Cats were attacking from all sides, but it batted them away effortlessly with one of its claws. And it's every roar, every time its claws met the earth, it made a sound that sounded like thunder."Gasping, Furysong leapt onto four paws from her previous laying position. "Oh, my! What a strange dream, indeed! I had a StarClan warrior tell me, 'Beware of claws like thunder!'"

"Dalepaw!" Streamback exclaimed. When the apprentice replied with a disrespectful, "What?" the elderly medicine cat continued, "Tell them about your dream."

"Okay, okay! You don't have to be so pushy," he spat. When I have an apprentice, I hope he or she isn't going to be anything like Dalepaw! Mapleleaf thought. "Some cat just told me, 'You must not be reckless and charge into battle without your head.' That's so dumb! What's that supposed to mean anyways?"

"That's simple," Vinefoot now spoke. "It means that you should have a strategy before you fight." He ignored the apprentice's scoff. "In my dream, I was told, 'Strength comes in numbers, and four must become one." He turned his head to the WillowClan medicine cat. "Mapleleaf, you've been quiet."

"StarClan told me…" The dream replayed her mind. "To find the haven in the thunder," the she-cat finished.

"That's quite an obscure dream," Furysong murmured. "Streamback, you have the most experience out of all of us. Do you know what it might mean?"

"I've not a clue, I'm afraid. However, I do think that all these dreams are connected. The word 'thunder' seems to occur often. I say it's best to return home now. If anyone sees anything peculiar, let the other medicine cats know immediately."

"What?" Dalepaw gawked. "We can't just wait and watch! This 'Thunder Claws' thing could be attacking MossClan right now!"

"What else can we do?" Mapleleaf contradicted. "At the moment, we don't have enough information. Just tell your Clans to keep their senses sharp. ." The medicine cats—excluding Dalepaw—passed a murmur of agreement, and the meeting came to a close.

Find the haven in the thunder. Find the haven in the thunder. During the long trek back to WillowClan, the prophecy would not leave Mapleleaf alone. She was almost positive that the thunder was the same thunder in the dreams of Streamback and Furysong. To find the haven, did she have to go somewhere? To find someplace that the cats could hide from this thunder? There was her sister Havenpool, but she doubted that meant anything. Would StarClan really expect a queen with kits to do something against the terrifying beast in Streamback's dream?