Heathertail ran beside her leader, her senses sharp for any sign of the Windclan cats. How dare they! She thought, rage building up in her as she thought of what her former clanmates where doing. Thronclaw kept glancing around, as if a Windclan patrol could pop out at any moment. And for all I know, he's right to be cautious. Onestar has been training us in the ways of... Her thought stoppered abruptly, and sheering guild flooded through her mind. Why didn't I tell Bramblestar what Onestar was teaching us about hiding in the trees. However, right as she thought that, a heavy weight crashed down on her.
"Now you die!" An all too familiar voice hissed in her ear. Breezepelt. The cat who started all of this trouble for me in Windclan to begin with, she thought to herself. However, the weight lifted off her and she looked up to see Lionblaze had knocked the tom off her and had him pinned to the ground. However, Breezepelt was stronger, and reversed the pin, and prepared to bite down on the yellow tom.
"Now you die, half brother," He meowed. No, he isn't She thought, and rammed into him, knocking the tom to the ground. "You still defend him, even after all he's done to you?" He meowed, looking appalled.
Heathertail didn't answer just jumped on him again, and began scoring hits across his stomach with blow after blow. Pain flooded though her stomach as one of his claws scored a hit, giving her a small scratch, but she didn't let up. The two eventually broke apart, Breezepelt heaving with great effort while the other cats looked around, and to their surprise, didn't see any other Windclan cats there.
Lionblaze and Amberpaw padded up to the group of cats, not looking like they where in any hurry. "All is quiet on the Windclan border." Amberpaw reported. Lionblaze gave a curt nod to the apprentice. "All tunnel entrances are collapsed. Though it doesn't look or smell like like they where any Windclan cats used it recently." He added.
Bramblestar looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Ravenpaw wouldn't have known that Breezepelt had been exiled from Windclan, and it is possible that if Windclan are not here, then he could have confused Breezepelt with a Windclan attack." He deducted. Some of the cats looked surprised, Heathertail herself being one of them. Though she didn't know if it was from the trouble this cat had caused or if it was from the fact that Ravenpaw had returned to Thunderclan after all this time.
The trek back to the clans was long for Heathertail and she couldn't wait to get back to her nest and sleep. The battle, fight really, had drained her of the energy that she still had. However, the wound on her belly was stinging, and blood had stained her fur, thus requiring it to be treated. Once the camp was in sight, she normally would have briskly walked right in, but had to lead on Thornclaw for support.
Arriving in the medicine cat's den, Leafpool and Thornclaw helped get herself settled in to her nest, and Leafpool began dressing her wound. "You are lucky not to have been injured. But still, I'll want to to stay in camp for a few days, and absolutely no roughhousing." The brown tabby medicine cat meowed sternly.
Heathertail let out a nod. "Thank Leafpool, and don't worry, I don't think I feel like roughhousing even if I wanted to." She replied. Besides, I just want to sleep and heal for when the next battle takes place. The clans will need me. She replied, drifting into sleep.
Waking up, the light brown tabby she cat noticed a black tomcat with the white spot on his chest and tail padding up to her, stars in his fur. "Hello there, Heathertail, is it?" He meowed.
"Yes," She meowed, though her voice held sorrow. If Ravenpaw had stars in his fur, that must have meant that he had died in the night.
Ravenpaw let out a little chuckle. "It's alright Heathertail, I'm happy here. Though I do wish I could have shared tongues with the clan once more before I had died." He flicked his tail. "However, there is a prophecy that I need to share with you." He added.
Heathertail's eyes widened suddenly. A prophecy? She thought, looking interested She sat down and motioned to him. "I'm listening Ravenpaw. But surely a prophecy should be shared with a medicine cat or a clan leader, right?"
Ravenpaw shook his head. "No, it's meant for your ears and that of kin of yours that you have yet to meet. And between you in that kin only." He cautioned, before continuing. "Out of a shadowed breeze shall scarlet blood be reborn. But from a heather's sprout displaced by false treason shall the ash scorch the land, saving the innocent."
Heathertail had to admit, she didn't like what the cat had said, but what else could she do. The prophecy had been spoken. "Thank you for telling me this Ravenpaw." She meowed.
Ravenpaw nodded. "I know it isn't much condolence, but the only thing I can tell you Is that the prophecy will not even begin to take place for a long time, so try not to dwell on it and miss out on your life." he told her.
Heathertail tipped her head in confusion. "How long?"
Ravenpaw shrugged. "No one told me for sure, but it probably will not take place until you are an elder." He replied before vanishing.
The light brown tabby she cat looked for a while, then felt herself falling into a black void. Waking up, she rose out of her nest and padded up to Ravenpaw. No movement. She gingerly placed her paw on his sholdure, already knowing the result but desperately wanting to be wrong. He felt cold. She had to hold back a sob.
Looking around, she spotted Leafpool sleeping in her nest. Padding up to her, she shook the medicine cat's sholdure lightly to wake her up.
"Huh, Heathertail?" Leafpool meowed groggily, getting up and looking at her. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" When Heathertail looked down, the medicine cat suddenly sensed that something was wrong. "What is it, Heathertail?"
Heathertail found it hard to speak. "I...I think Ravenpaw is dead," She meowed, letting out a sob. Leafpool's eyes widened as the brown she cat tried to continued. "When I woke up, I noticed he wasn't... wasn't moving and he... he was so cold," Heathertail couldn't continue, she just slumped down and let the tears fall.
Leafpool then jumped into action. She first rushed over to to Ravenpaw and felt him, her eyes too clouding when she noticed that he was dead. She rushed out of the den.
Heathertail was still crying when she felt fur brush against hers. "I'm here," The tom meowed, and she looked and saw Mousewhisker, a solemn look on his face. "I woke up and he..." She began, but mousewhisker nodded, licking her ears gently to calm her down. It worked, and Heathertail soon regained her composure.
"Thank you Mousewhisker," she meowed. He nodded. "Anytime you need me, I'm here," He meowed gently.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the high rock for a clan meeting." Hearing the familiar call, Heathertail allowed Mousewhisker to lead her to the Highrock, and the two sat down, their eyes glazed with sorrow.
"As you all know, yesterday Ravenpaw returned, seeking treatment for wounds he claimed where by Windclan." Apprehensive meows fluttered through the camp. We found no windclan cat except Breezepelt, so we think he had acted alone. However, this you already know. What is new is that dispute the fact that Leafpool and Jayfeather tried their best, but Ravenpaw," He paused for a moment. "Ravenpaw died during the middle of the night." He didn't need to go on, the clan's faces held sorrow, especially within the elders of the group.
"He was a good friend, and a fine warrior." Sandstrom meowed, bringing his body into the clearing with the help of Graystripe and Purdy. Time seemed to pass to Heathertail as the clan went up to mourn the hero.
When it came her time, she simply dipped her head and mummered a soft farewell to the tom. Stepping back she felt herself getting dizzy and fall down, exhaustion and pain flooding through her. The last thing that she heard was Leafpool mentioning that she had opened her stomach wound.
