Chapter Six
"We'll have to defeat Bluestar and Yellowfang in some way or another," meowed Spottedleaf.
"We could banish them to the dark forest," Hollyleaf suggested.
"But we do not have the authority." Spottedleaf sighed. "Bluestar and Yellowfang did nothing wrong while they were alive."
The word stirred Hollyleaf's emotions. "Jayfeather does not have much time left," she whispered sadly.
Spottedleaf drew her tail over the young cat's shoulders. "I'm so sorry."
"Is there nothing that can be done?" Hollyleaf asked, foolishly allowing herself to hope that he could survive.
"This is the path StarClan have laid out for him," Spottedleaf admitted.
"Why?" asked Hollyleaf. "Hasn't the Three suffered enough confusion? Surely there can't be one other than Jayfeather! Not Ivypaw, that's for sure."
"Jayfeather has served his part in the prophecy," mewed the former medicine cat carefully.
"And now he's disposable?" Hollyleaf snapped, standing up. "You can plan all you want, but I'm going after Bluestar and Yellowfang now! They can't do this to me – to my brothers." She stormed out of the clearing.
"Hollyleaf
– wait!" called Spottedleaf. "You're no match for them!"
The
black she-cat padded onward as if she hadn't heard her.
Spottedleaf sighed. "Is there nothing I can do to stop the prophecy
from coming?"
* * *
Lionblaze padded alongside Ivypaw, hanging at the back of the patrol. Firestar was heading their patrol to check the ShadowClan border.
Every plant in the forest groaned under the weight of the water. At the instant Dovepaw had flown to StarClan, the heavens had unleashed a torrential rain. Lionblaze wondered what they would see at ShadowClan territory. Most of the ground by the border was marshy. He also wondered what StarClan territory was like when it was raining, or snowing, or when it was nighttime.
The golden warrior was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost walked into Firestar, who was standing at the border, bristling in shock.
"Great StarClan!" he yowled. Lionblaze peered around his leader and instantly felt like yowling alongside him.
ShadowClan territory was flooded. Not just the marsh, the whole thing. Standing water stretched as far as the ThunderClan patrol could see. Lionblaze estimated that it was about four fox-lengths deep. The trees stuck up oddly here and there; some were almost completely submerged, only the tips sticking out of the water. ThunderClan were incredibly lucky that there was a sudden valley at their edge of their territory, for they hadn't gotten much flooding.
A terrified screech split the air, followed by yowling and odd gurgling noises. Ripples stirred the surface of the water, and a small cat thrust itself to the surface.
"Tigerpaw!" Lionblaze gasped. His muscles tensed as he prepared to leap into the water and save the apprentice, but Firestar was already lunging. The flame-colored tom disappeared briefly with a splash but then bobbed to the surface. He swam to Tigerpaw and grabbed the apprentice's tail in his teeth. Firestar tried to drag him to the ThunderClan border, but Tigerpaw thrashed around and wailed.
"Dawnpaw's still under!" he yowled. Lionblaze dove into the water and pulled the apprentice up by the scruff; Firestar had already darted back to where he had found Tigerpaw. The ThunderClan leader disappeared, but Lionblaze and Ivypaw could see his shadow under the water. Ivypaw was shivering next to Lionblaze even though she hadn't gotten wet.
Several moments passed, and Firestar still didn't reappear. However, Dawnpaw broke the surface and swam quickly to the border. She spat out water, and gasped:
"Firestar's still under there! He went all stiff and his eyes closed and now he's just sitting there."
Lionblaze froze. Dawnpaw had described the trance leaders went into while they were losing a life. StarClan could heal wounds on a leader, or take away the sickness, but they wouldn't be able to get him out of the water. Firestar would down over and over.
The golden-furred warrior leapt back into the water, ready to rescue his leader from its clutches. But it was too late. Firestar's body floated to the surface, non-moving and very cold when Lionblaze pressed his paw to it. He let out a yowl of grief. Lionblaze gripped Firestar's tail in his jaws and slowly dragged the body back to shore.
Ivypaw pressed her nose into the bright orange fur. She licked his pelt with slow, rhythmic strokes, smoothing it where it was ruffled. Lionblaze was about to join her, but he stood up.
"We need to get back to camp," he announced. "Some ShadowClan cats are in danger." Dawnpaw and Tigerpaw nodded.
"Blackstar was evacuating the camp. He told us to head for a border, but we didn't hear which. So we went to your border, but we didn't realize that was where the flood was," Tigerpaw explained.
"Flamepaw went with us," Dawnpaw added. She dropped her gaze to her paws. "But he couldn't swim. We – we were very lucky, Tigerpaw and I."
Lionblaze stroked her pelt with his tail. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. They carried the ThunderClan leader's body to the camp together.
He left the apprentices to it when they reached camp. He sought out Brambleclaw in the warriors' den and told him what happened.
"No!" Brambleclaw yowled in shock. By then most everyone in the camp knew. Lionblaze could hear their soft mews of grief.
"You are our leader now," Lionblaze mewed, dipping his head to the cat he had once thought was his father. "You must go to the Moonpool and receive your nine lives."
"Yes," meowed Brambleclaw. "After we keep vigil, though."
"Of course," Lionblaze murmured. He left the den to the clearing to grieve for his fallen leader.
***
Leafpool brought a bundle of dripping moss to Jayfeather's lips. She rubbed her paws along his throat to make sure he swallowed. He had been unconscious for most of the day. She wasn't worried about her other patients, and she realized that this was why medicine cats were forbidden to have kits. She couldn't favor one patient over another. And yet she had to. Jayfeather was her son, for StarClan's sake! She couldn't just let him die because the other sick cats needed her.
Fever was coming off of Jayfeather in waves. His breathing was very shallow. Leafpool realized with a burst of grief that there was nothing she could do for him.
The medicine cat wanted to wail to StarClan for help. She was losing everyone she had ever loved. Hollyleaf had been gone for over six moons, Firestar had drowned, Sandstorm was ill with greencough, and Jayfeather was dying! At least she had Lionblaze. It was a comfort to her that once all of this was over, she would still have one kit. Lionblaze is strong, she told herself over and over. He'll live through this.
Leafpool padded into the clearing. The moon floated high in the sky. It was two moonrises since Firestar's death, and Brambleclaw was on his way to the Moonpool to receive his lives and name. She wanted to go with him, but she couldn't leave the sick cats. Normally she would send Jayfeather, but…
She found Lionblaze in the warriors den. He followed her back into the clearing. In hushed tones, she told him, "Come to my den. Bring Dovepaw and Ivypaw with you."
Lionblaze's neck fur bristled. With all the panic of Firestar dying, no one had noticed that Dovepaw was missing. But Leafpool would notice if he went without the gray apprentice.
"What's wrong?" Leafpool asked.
"I'll tell you later," Lionblaze meowed evasively. "I'll go get the apprentices."
They met Leafpool in her den. All the sick cats but Jayfeather had been moved to the apprentices' den. Leafpool liked to keep her kit close.
Lionblaze stifled a gasp. Jayfeather was even worse than he could have imagined. His flanks barely rose and fell and he could see every rib through his brother's pelt. But Jayfeather's pelt was neatly groomed. Leafpool had been taking good care of her favorite patient.
"There is nothing I can do for him," Leafpool mewed quietly. Shock radiated from Lionblaze and Ivypaw, and then grief, and then anger.
"What do you mean?" asked Lionblaze. "Why aren't you treating him with catmint? You said yourself that the plants were sheltered!"
"I don't know," Leafpool admitted. "I really don't know. But Jayfeather is on his way to StarClan."
A growl escaped from Lionblaze's throat. He was about to lunge at Leafpool when the medicine cat den dissolved around him. At first Lionblaze thought he was delirious, but then it formed into new surroundings. Ivypaw was gone, but Jayfeather was there, looking completely healthy. The stench of the sickness was gone.
"Lionblaze." Jayfeather stepped towards his brother. He rubbed up against him and wound his tail around Lionblaze's.
"Jayfeather," Lionblaze mewed. "Why?" Nothing more needed to be sent.
"I served my part in the prophecy. I am no longer needed here," Jayfeather meowed solemnly.
"But – the fire saved the Clan, and he's still here!" Lionblaze protested.
"Was," Jayfeather corrected him.
"But all cats have to die at some point," meowed Lionblaze.
"Firestar had five lives ahead of him," Jayfeather pointed out. "StarClan remove the cats from the prophecies that are no longer needed."
"But what about Brambleclaw?" Lionblaze asked. "He was part of the prophecy when the forest was destroyed."
"Actually, no," Jayfeather contradicted him. "The prophecy was 'Darkness, air, water, and sky will come together and shake the forest to its roots.' Brambleclaw was never mentioned."
"StarClan are evil!" Lionblaze yowled.
"I know," Jayfeather agreed. "I know they are. But they are calling me. I must go."
"No!"
It started raining. But this wasn't normal rain. It sparkled like the stars themselves. Jayfeather tipped his head to the heavens and opened his eyes as wide as he could. The rainwater washed into them, as though rinsing them. Gradually the rain tapered off. Jayfeather turned his eyes on Lionblaze.
He gasped. Gone was the fog that clouded his brother's vision. Jayfeather seemed to see like every cat did. As Tigerpaw had once said, his eyes were no longer 'stare-y.'
"StarClan have given me the gift of sight," Jayfeather meowed. The scenery was dissolving again, and Lionblaze was back in the medicine den. It was as though no time had passed. Leafpool and Ivypaw were still crouched over Jayfeather's non-moving body. His voice echoed in Lionblaze's ears: "Hold my paw."
Lionblaze had no idea what Jayfeather meant, but he had to do it, as his brother's last wish. He grabbed Ivypaw's paw in his and pressed him both to Jayfeather's. Instantly the den swirled around them yet again. Everything went black. When Lionblaze opened his eyes this time, they were in a lush forest at the height of greenleaf. The clearing was lit as though it were sunhigh, but the stars sparkled brightly above. Lionblaze gasped.
"We're at StarClan's hunting grounds!"
