Blaze: hi what's up?
Tigerstar: nothing, what was that about?
Blaze: okay, I don't know
Crimsonstar: so…
Tigerstar: so…
Blaze: here is chapter 7 and as for chapter 5, sorry I forgot Leafpool was still missing.
Chapter 7
Shadowed Message
Snow fell down in gentle drifts onto the sandy ground below and a cold breeze drifted through the clearing, ruffling Jayfeather's fur. The young gray medicine cat apprentice shivered slightly before gazing around the clearing, raising his head to sniff the air. He padded into the medicine cats den before slipping into where his mentor stored their herbs.
He grabbed some borage before padding out of the den and padding across the snow-covered clearing toward the nursery. When he had visited the nursery earlier, he had noticed Ferncloud had a slight fever and he hoped it hadn't gotten worse than that. He slipped inside before padding over to Ferncloud. The she cat was nearly old enough to be joining the elders, Jayfeather knew this and was beginning to wonder when she will join them.
"Is that borage, Jayfeather?" Ferncloud's voice meowed and Jayfeather was startled when he heard it rasp. The gray she cat was old, yes, but the rasping sound sounded weird. Pushing the borage forward, Jayfeather sniffed the air before placing a paw on Ferncloud's flank.
"Yes, just eat it and if the fever doesn't go away, come to Leafpool's den right away," Jayfeather ordered.
"All right, Jayfeather," Ferncloud meowed and the gray apprentice stepped back, the she cat lowered her head before licking up the borage and chewing it before swallowing it. "Thank you," she added as Jayfeather turned around before padding out of the den. He twisted his head slightly, scenting the familiar scents of Hollyleaf and Tigerpaw padding toward him.
"Hello Jayfeather," his sister greeted him.
"Hollyleaf," Jayfeather replied, dipping his head slightly to the ThunderClan deputy. "Hello Tigerpaw."
"Hi Jayfeather," Tigerpaw greeted him enthusiastically. Jayfeather couldn't help but purr in amusement, Tigerpaw has only been an apprentice for two days now and the gray tom figured that was why he was so enthusiastic.
"I'm taking Tigerpaw out hunting, would you like to come with us? We haven't been on a patrol together in a long time," Hollyleaf meowed.
"Sure, just let me check the store of herbs so that I can collect more," Jayfeather meowed in reply.
"All right, we'll wait for you at the entrance to the camp," Hollyleaf meowed before adding, "come on, Tigerpaw."
"All right, Hollyleaf," Tigerpaw replied before following his mentor to the entrance to the ThunderClan camp. Jayfeather watched them go before padding to the medicine cats den and slipping inside.
He padded into where the herbs were stored before slipping inside and sniffing the air, noticing that there was hardly any marigold and they were almost completely out of catmint.
I hope we go by the SkyClan border so that I can get some catmint, he thought as he padded out of the den and made his way over to join Hollyleaf and Tigerpaw.
The snow started to fall lightly and not as rapid as earlier and the sun peeked out from behind the snowy white clouds. Thin rays of sunlight streamed down onto the forest below as Jayfeather followed Hollyleaf and Tigerpaw deeper into the forest. They were currently heading toward the SkyClan border so Jayfeather could get some stalks of catmint.
Raising his head to sniff the air, Jayfeather shivered again as a cold breeze ruffled his fur. The trees swayed in the breeze and the remaining leaves on the trees fell. Twigs and leaves crunched underpaw as Jayfeather made his way deeper into the forest. He paused every now and then to sniff the air and search for some stalks of marigold. They neared the SkyClan border and the smell of water came into Jayfeather's nostrils.
Hollyleaf stopped. "There's SkyClan scent here," she murmured.
"But isn't our border over there?" Tigerpaw asked and Jayfeather pictured him pointing with his nose toward the small river that flowed to the twolegnest before veering deeper into ThunderClan territory and going around the nest.
"It is, why would SkyClan be on our territory?" Hollyleaf murmured before padding forward with Tigerpaw just behind him and Jayfeather bringing up the rear of the group. Hollyleaf paused and Jayfeather heard a snarl erupt from her lips. "What are you doing on our side of the border?"
"Please, don't hurt me, I'm just waiting for someone," a voice replied.
"Can't you wait on your side of the border?" Tigerpaw snarled and Jayfeather was startled by the hostility in his voice. It reminded him of another voice he has heard before but he couldn't place who it was.
"Oh, you think I'm of SkyClan, I'm not, I've just been in their territory for a while now," the voice replied.
"Who are you?" Hollyleaf asked curiously.
"My name's Ferret," the voice replied.
"Wait a minute, aren't you the one that warned us of BloodClan's attack on our camp?" Jayfeather asked curiously before padding quickly to Tigerpaw's side and sniffing the air. The scent was defiantly familiar though it has been a long time since Jayfeather had smelled that scent before.
"Oh, you're here, you were the one I wanted to talk to," Ferret replied and Jayfeather's eyes shot wide, his fur bristling with shock.
"Why?" he asked.
"There's something I must tell you, in private," Ferret replied.
"All right, I have to go get some catmint, you two can continue on with your hunting patrol, you don't have to wait for me," Jayfeather meowed before padding to the twolegnest. He felt Hollyleaf's gaze burn into his pelt before her pawsteps told him she was going.
"What did you have to tell me?" Jayfeather asked as he leaped over the small river before crouching down and leaping onto the fence and Ferret followed him.
"Beware, Jayfeather, a great evil is rising, an evil you have seen before but it will come with greater force than ever before," Ferret whispered as Jayfeather padded toward the snow-covered stalks of catmint.
"What do you mean?" he meowed as he used his paws to brush the snow away before lowering his head and biting the stalks off. He lifted them up in his jaws before turning around and heading back toward the fence.
"I cannot tell you more than that, Jayfeather, I can only warn you of what is to come," Ferret replied.
"Who are you?" the gray medicine cat asked.
"I'm a messenger, sent by StarClan themselves," Ferret replied and Jayfeather's eyes shot wide with surprise.
"You know of StarClan?" he gasped.
Ferret purred. "I'm not like other kittypets or rogues or loners, I know of StarClan all right, I just choose to dwell away from the clans," she meowed before crouching down and leaping to the ground, closely followed by Jayfeather.
"But what do you mean? Why are you telling me this?" Jayfeather asked.
"You need to know what is to come, Jayfeather, you must be warned for a time of great darkness, a darkness that even StarClan cannot stop, is rising," Ferret replied in a low whisper. She dipped her head to the gray tom. "Good luck, Jayfeather, I fear you are going to need it," she meowed before turning around and padding quickly away from the confused gray medicine cat.
Jayfeather shook his head to clear it before padding back toward the forest, he was dimly aware of Tigerpaw and Hollyleaf joining him but his mind was on the message Ferret had given him. What could that message mean? He thought. And why do I have this feeling Ferret is right, this darkness is something even StarClan cannot stop? But if that is true, then does that mean I, along with Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Stormpaw, can stop it ourselves as we have more power than the stars?
Jayfeather shook his head to clear it but the message continued to repeat itself in his mind. He knew darkness was coming and he also knew that the power of three as well as the fourth of fire might not be enough to stop this darkness.
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: yeah, I know it was short
Crimsonstar: I liked it, when will I make another appearance?
Blaze: next chapter
Crimsonstar: cool
Tigerstar: when will I make an appearance?
Crimsonstar: idiot, you already made an appearance, your Tigerpaw remember?
Tigerstar: you used the wrong your
Blaze: stop being the grammar geek (hits Tigerstar upside the head with a guitar)
Crimsonstar: a guitar?
Blaze: what? I was thinking about GuitarHero
Crimsonstar: MORTAL COMBAT
Tigerstar: what the heck?
Crimsonstar: (shots Tigerstar with a flame-thrower)
Tigerstar: HOT! (Runs away)
Crimsonstar: (puts flame-thrower away) God, he doesn't even know what Mortal Combat is
Blaze: true, true
Crimsonstar: I'm going to Starbucks, do you want anything?
Blaze: no thanks
Crimsonstar: all right, I'll be back next chapter (walks off to find a Starbucks)
Blaze: Mortal Combat and Starbucks, what an odd pairing
Tigerstar: (sitting in lake) you're telling me
Blaze: (raises eyebrow) I don't want to know
Tigerstar: you really don't
Blaze: please review and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I possibly can and sorry for the long author's note
