Lionblaze padded to the fresh – kill pile only to see a thin shrew in it. His brother made his way from the medicine cat's den.
'Take it,' muttered Lionblaze, pushing the piece of prey to his brother. They made up.
'You take it,' shook the dark tom his head.
'No you!'
'YOU!'
You're the warrior…'
'.. you're more important. You are the medicine cat.'
'That's right and I said you take it.'
'But, you must… hey, what the?'
Mousewhisker padded up picked up the shrew and padded to Cinderheart to eat it with her.
Jayfeather snorted and looked up.
'It's late, we better go to sleep, say goodnight to Snowflower for me,' he yawned and bounded away, fastly.
Lionblaze sighed and padded toward the nursery. He poked his head inside. Daisy, Millie, Whitewing and Snowflower were all sleeping the kits between them. He sighed again and padded toward the Warriors den.
Sadly looking at Snowflower's nest the golden tom curled in his and fell asleep right away.
'Lionblaze!' someone purred softly and happily.
'Honeyfern,' murmured the tom, 'It's you again.'
The she – cat giggled friendly.
'Come on,' she flicked her tail playfully, 'They told me to bring you too.'
'Who?'
'Be patient,' she smiled kindly, 'Just be silent and follow me.'
They jumped over logs and small bushes, padded over streams. It all seemed to last forever, when Honeyfern stopped.
'Go forward,' she whispered and disappeared.
Lionblaze hung his head darkly. StarClan cats, always talk mysteriously, he hoped not to be like them when he dies. That thought scared the warrior and he shook it away.
Padding forward he looked around. It was so warm here, so prey – full, so…. peaceful?
'LIONBLAZE!' he heard a scared voice and spun around.
'SNOWFLOWER! JAYFEATHER!'
'Did we die?' whispered the white she – cat.
'I hope not,' chuckled Lionblaze worriedly.
'Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Snowflower,' they heard a tom's voice.
All three spun around. It was a dark tom. Next to him stood a small gray she – cat and two toms. One calico and one jet black.
'My name is Riverstar,' purred the small she – cat welcoming, 'We…'
'… We have a mission for you,' nodded the jet black tom, 'I am Thunderstar.'
'But it doesn't mean that you should cut me off,' scoffed Riverstar touchily.
Thunderstar sighed, and looked as thought he would blow up.
'We have a mission for you three,' smiled Windstar glaring at the other two.
'For us?' Jayfeather roared with laughter, 'No… no, seriously? A blind tom, a she – cat expecting kits and only one healthy warrior, I never heard ANYTHING funnier.'
'Sorry,' smiled Snowflower ashamed, 'Ignore him.'
'So… yes…' began Shadowstar warily, 'There is something we forgot in our old forest.'
'What?'
'It's the moon rock.'
'You want us to bring back a cave?' asked Lionblaze sarcastically.
'No,' retorted Riverstar back, 'It's a small stone.'
'Haven't you heard the legend?' asked Thunderstar, nudging Riverstar gently.
'What legend?' the three cats chorused.
'You didn't hear the legend about the Moonrock?' unbelievably staring at them whispered Windstar.
'Uh… I guess we missed that one,' retorted Jayfeather irritably.
'I see…' sighed the small she – cat, 'One day. In a battle, when we all got our 'star' names I found a stone. It was really strange. I decided to show it to the others and when we all put our paws on it… it…'
'…it began shining,' whispered Shadowstar, 'and… and…'
'Our families died, everyone of them, from kit to father,' shuddered Windstar. Riverstar burst into tears.
'No wonder they didn't tell us the legend,' thought Lionblaze darkly.
'So… you want us to bring back the rock thing and kill Snowflower and Squirrelflight and Firestar with Leafpool?' asked Jayfeather full of sarcasm, 'Nice, real nice.'
'No, we want you to destroy it,' sighed Riverstar.
'How?'
'Throw it off a cliff, drown it, I don't know. Anyway!' answered Thunderstar.
'Yeah… but where is it?'
'We buried it at Fourtrees,' nodded Windstar, 'It's still there.'
'But.. but… The clan?' asked Jayfeather nerveously, 'I'm the medicine cat.'
'Brightheart.'
'Snowflower.'
'I'll manage!'
'She'll manage.'
'And… AHHHHHHHHH.'
The ground disappeared under them all.
'Get up, faster,' hissed Jayfeather poking Lionblaze, 'We have to go soon. But first we have to talk to Firestar.'
'Huh… what are you talking about?' yawned Lionblaze, remembering some bizarre dreams about four sicko cats and some rock that killed their families and Snowflower was there and…. It suddenly struck him.
'It was not a dream?' he spat out.
'No get up, get Snowflower and lets go.'
Lionblaze stretched and ran toward the nursery, bumping into his mate.
'Is he there?' she breathed out.
'Where?'
'Talking with Firestar…'
'Eh.. yeah. He told us to wait for him.
'Are you all right?' asked Snowflower worriedly as Lionblaze chewed the traveling herbs one leaf an hour.
'What… Ah. Yes, I am okay, thinking,' replied Lionblaze continuing to chew.
Jayfeather groaned.
'Lets go.'
And they set off.
I miss the old forest. :)
