Here's a really nice long chapter for you guys to make up for the past few chapters being pretty short. Have fun!
11.2.18: rereading all of this and finding all of these plotholes kills me
By the time the RiverClan cats returned to the camp, most of the Clan was already asleep. Salmonpaw and Amberpaw seemed to be sound asleep, but when Flamepaw stepped over Skypaw's nest to reach his beside Amberpaw, she raised her head and Salmonpaw yawned.
"How was the Gathering?" she meowed sleepily.
Skypaw's head was spinning with exhaustion; she merely shook her head and sank into her nest.
"I'm sure you're tired." Salmonpaw sounded somewhat bitter. Skypaw looked over at him and saw his bright eyes watching Featherpaw as she turned in circles in her nest beside Skypaw. When he saw Skypaw watching, he rolled over and curled up tightly.
She felt a flash of pity for the arrogant tom. Maybe he's just being mean because he felt left out like I did. Like I do half the time. As Flamepaw and Amberpaw curled up together, Skypaw turned to Featherpaw, who was kneading the heron feathers in her nest. "I think Salmonpaw is kind of lonely," she whispered. Featherpaw shrugged, dropping into her nest with a heavy exhale.
"He's just being a grumpy badger," Featherpaw murmured back, her eyes already closed. "Don't worry about him." Not long after that statement, her breathing became deep and even, and Skypaw figured she was asleep. She sighed softly and settled down beside her sister, their pelts brushing.
Even for how exhausted Skypaw was, it took a while before she fell asleep.
. . . . .
Three sunrises later, Mossytail, Graymist, Tawnytalon, Flamepaw, and Sparklesong, on a border patrol, escorted the ThunderClan patrol into the camp. It was a small patrol—Brightheart, the gray tom named Jayfeather, and a small brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws. Skypaw, who had just returned from a hunting patrol with Featherpaw, Rushsplash, and Hollowfeather, turned towards the reed barrier with her fat fish still in her mouth. Featherpaw was licking her paws, pulling feathers from between her claws, her thrush laying on the fresh-kill pile.
Mistystar emerged from her den to greet the patrol. Tawnytalon approached from behind the two apprentices as Sparklesong went to stand with her leader.
"That's a nice fish," he commented to Skypaw. Her tail flicked happily. "Why not offer it to one of the medicine cats?"
"Who's the one beside Jayfeather?" Featherpaw asked.
"That's Leafpool," Tawnytalon said. "She's ThunderClan's other medicine cat." He nudged Skypaw's shoulder with his. "Go on, see if they'd like to share."
Skypaw nodded and approached the patrol shyly. Jayfeather suddenly spun to focus his sightless blue eyes on her, and she stopped dead. His shoulders began to bristle slightly.
"Who's that?" he demanded. Leafpool glanced over.
Skypaw put the fish down and dipped her head respectfully. "My name's Skypaw," she said nervously. "I—I just thought you might be tired and would like to eat before you went home."
Jayfeather let his fur lie flat after a moment, and turned away. "No thanks," he said curtly. Leafpool came over to the tiny apprentice and touched noses with her. She smelled strongly of the forest, of thick undergrowth and wet plants, as well as lots of sharp-smelling herbs.
"Thank you," she murmured, "but we ate before we came. Pay no attention to Jayfeather; he's just a grumpy old badger today."
He scoffed. Leafpool turned when Mistystar meowed her name.
"If you would like to see Brightheart to the warriors' den before you leave...?" she offered. Brightheart, though, shook her head.
"You two go on, you'll won't be back until nightfall already," she meowed. Skypaw forced herself not to flinch at the she-cat's maimed face.
"Great, let's go home," Jayfeather muttered, standing up and shaking himself.
"Are you sure?" Leafpool asked the white queen as they brushed cheeks. "We could stay to ensure you get settled."
"I'm no kit anymore, Leafpool," she teased. "I'll be okay." She blinked kindly at the two medicine cats. "Thank you for escorting me."
"You two can share tongues when she gets back," Jayfeather grumbled.
"Where are Willowshine and Heatherheart?" Leafpool asked of Mistystar, overtop of the pale gray tom. He growled.
"They're out herb collecting," Featherpaw answered for her, coming to stand beside her sister. "You just missed them."
Jayfeather was already taking a few steps towards the reed barrier. "Well, have fun, Brightheart, so sorry we missed Willowshine, we'll see you in a moon, let's go, Leafpool, we're wasting sunlight."
Leafpool cast him a withering look. "I apologize for his rudeness, Mistystar," she meowed. She merely purred.
"I understand, all toms have their days," she laughed fondly. Leafpool purred and, after touching noses with Brightheart in one more farewell, followed Jayfeather out through the reeds. Brightheart then turned to Skypaw. She couldn't help her ears flattening in surprise as she saw the she-cat from straight on.
"Hello, little one," she purred. "You're Skypaw?"
She nodded mutely. Brightheart's kind gaze flickered for a moment before she sat down.
"I know my face is a little much to take in right now," she murmured. "It took me a while to get used to it myself."
"Furzepaw said you were attacked by dogs?" Featherpaw inquired timidly.
"When I was a very young cat," Brightheart said, nodding. "If you want, I can tell you kits the story over this fish. Of course"—she looked over to Tawnytalon, who was watching the two younger cats with amusement—"only if your mentors don't have anything else for you to do."
"Oh, I'm not a mentor," Tawnytalon purred. "Their mentors are Rushsplash and Pebblefoot—well, Hollowfeather is filling in. They've already been on patrol today and I'm sure their mentors wouldn't be opposed to them becoming acquainted with the Clan's newest member."
Brightheart purred awkwardly. "You make it sound like I'm staying forever, Tawnytalon."
"Well…" He lowered his voice as he padded past Featherpaw to murmur something in Brightheart's ear. Without a word, Brightheart padded past him and focused her attention on Skypaw. Tawnytalon shrugged and padded away to where Sparklesong and a patrol was forming at the entrance to camp.
"Let's share this fish, and I can tell you a story," Brightheart meowed kindly. "How's that?"
Featherpaw and Skypaw exchanged looks. They hadn't missed the dark, somewhat hostile look that had passed over Brightheart's face while Tawnytalon had been whispering to her. But why would the she-cat tell them what he had said? It was obvious he hadn't wanted them to hear.
Shaking the thoughts off, Skypaw nodded to Brightheart, and the three cats moved away to share the fish.
. . . . .
Five sunsets after Brightheart had arrived in the camp, Skypaw bedded down to sleep early. Her ear was coated in a sticky poultice that Heatherheart had put on after she had quarreled with a bramble bush during hunting. Salmonpaw had stopped being such a stick-in-the-mud, as Featherpaw called him, and he and Featherpaw had been training and hunting together.
Flamepaw and Amberpaw were closer than ever. They always patrolled together, trained together, hunted together… Skypaw was beginning to feel like she had lost both of her siblings—Flamepaw to Amberpaw, and Featherpaw to Salmonpaw.
If they both have their own destiny, a cruel voice whispered in the back of her head, where does that leave you? Alone, friendless, an outcast—
"Shut up," Skypaw muttered into her paws. She was the only one in the den. I'm so tired I'm imagining voices.
Are you sure?
This time it was Crookedstar's mew. Skypaw's head jerked up. Crookedstar was sitting on top of Flamepaw's nest, staring at her with his bright green eyes and his twisted jaw.
"What do you want?" she demanded. "Come to give me another riddle?"
I only wish to guide you, young Skypaw. Your journey is one of hard paths and peril. Even StarClan does not know where it ends.
"StarClan knows everything," Skypaw snapped.
We do not. Sometimes we are just cats too. We can only deliver messages; sometimes we don't know what they mean.
Messages? Skypaw suddenly thought of what he had told her last time.
"What you said before." Her claws curled into her nest as her heart suddenly started to pound. "The feathers of the dove are soft and the flames of the sun bring life, but neither would survive without the everlasting sky, understanding and kind. What does it mean?"
Crookedstar shook his head. You know as much as I do.
She jumped to her paws, digging her claws into her nest. "You have to know what it means!" she demanded. "You can't just be running blind!"
Crookedstar looked hard at her.
"What's wrong, Skypaw?"
Skypaw twisted to look over her shoulder. Flamepaw was nudging his way into the bramble den, his normally orange paws tipped with mud instead. His fur was spiked up in random places, and a bit of moss was clinging to one ear.
Skypaw turned back to look at Crookedstar, to see him watching Flamepaw.
He cannot see me. His low rumbling voice echoed in Skypaw's head. You must stay strong, Skypaw. For yourself, and for RiverClan.
Then he stood up and padded towards the wall of the bramble den before vanishing.
"What's wrong?" Flamepaw repeated.
Skypaw hesitated for a minute, then shook her head. "Nothing, I guess," she said wearily. "Shouldn't you be with Amberpaw?" She tried to keep the bitterness from her mew.
"Don't you like Amberpaw?" Apparently she had failed. Flamepaw came over to her and stood by her nest. "Mind if I join you?"
"Amberpaw is stuck-up," Skypaw burst out by way of response. Flamepaw settled down next to her and she sat down heavily. "She thinks she's better than the rest of us."
Flamepaw looked at her, pausing in washing his paws. "You haven't gotten to know her at all, have you? When was the last time you patrolled with her, or hunted with her?"
Skypaw realized she really hadn't—ever. Her pelt burned and she looked away, holding her tongue.
"Give Amberpaw a chance," Flamepaw continued, finishing on one paw and moving to the other. "I think you two will get along. And to answer your earlier question, Amberpaw is on elders' duty."
Skypaw shrugged, flicking the piece of moss from Flamepaw's ear with her paw. I don't want to get to know her.
"What's wrong?" Flamepaw asked for a third time.
Skypaw wanted to lie. She really did. She wanted to say nothing was wrong—this wasn't Flamepaw's struggle, anyway; it was hers. But looking into her brother's blue-green eyes, she found herself choked up when she thought about lying. She turned her gaze back to her soft grey paws.
"I don't know," she finally admitted. "You'll think I'm mouse-dung crazy if I told you everything."
Flamepaw blinked amusedly. "Try me, feather-brain."
Skypaw managed a purr at their old good-natured nursery insult. Then, with a sigh, she started telling Flamepaw about her dreams. She decided to leave out the parts about Heatherheart and Creamfeather and their odd conversations; no need worrying him over nothing.
Flamepaw was quiet after she finished, thinking hard. "Well," he finally said, "if you don't want to talk to Willowshine and Heatherheart about it, I can help you puzzle out the prophecy."
"Well, I don't know if it's a prophecy," Skypaw insisted lamely. The more she denied it, even to herself, the more pathetic it sounded.
"Feathers, flame, and sky," Flamepaw said, obviously ignoring her protest. "That could be the three of us. Maybe you're destined for something bigger, Skypaw. Something bigger than RiverClan—maybe even the whole lake."
A chill ran through Skypaw's pelt. Flamepaw's words sounded so ominous. Her belly tightened and she suddenly felt sick. Something bigger than RiverClan? Bigger than every other Clan combined? Did Flamepaw know something?
As if he had read her mind, Flamepaw touched his nose to his sister's cheek reassuringly. "I'm sure it's nothing dangerous," he purred. Despite his words, Skypaw felt anything but calmed. She didn't want to worry him, though.
"You should be a medicine cat with all of your good advice," Skypaw teased. It was true—Flamepaw had matured quickly for his age, and his eyes held depths of wisdom that even some of the warriors strove for.
"I would never make it," he joked back. "Blood makes me too nervous."
Skypaw purred, for real this time. How could she have ever thought Flamepaw would abandon her? They had always been close. Why would a stuck-up she-cat change that? It was the three of them against the world.
Just as she thought that, Featherpaw brushed into the reeds, looking thoughtful. Flamepaw looked over at her.
"It's a regular family reunion in here," he joked at her.
Featherpaw looked up, startled, as if she hadn't seen them. "Hey, I have a question."
Skypaw blinked at the abruptness of the question. "Sure," she meowed, unsure what else to say.
"Where do snakes live around here?"
"Snakes?" Flamepaw asked, as an image suddenly flashed through Skypaw's head, a buried memory from many moons ago, of black and white fur, forest green eyes, a blue collar-cloth, and a meow like the deep call of an owl.
"Why?" Skypaw said, and then flinched at how defensive she sounded.
"I heard Creamfeather talking to Heatherheart about a snake," Featherpaw said. "When I asked what they were talking about Heatherheart growled at me and made me leave."
Skypaw's heart pounded. Her ears started ringing.
"I'm an old friend of your mother's. I won't hurt you."
They were still talking about that tom. Skypaw was sure of it now, sure that they were hiding something, sure that Snake meant more to the sisters than either one was letting on. She didn't know why it scared her so much.
"Skypaw?"
She jumped and jerked her head to look at her sister. Featherpaw was looking at her in confusion, and even Flamepaw looked concerned.
Have they really not made the connection yet?
"Snake," Skypaw said, her voice catching in her throat. "Remember him?"
They were quiet, and then it slowly dawned on each of their faces as they remembered the kittypet with dark green eyes.
"Do you think?" Featherpaw whispered.
Skypaw mutely shook her head as she realized she had never spoken to either of her littermates about the times she had eavesdropped on the two queens. Maybe I should have, all those moons ago.
Featherpaw stared at her paws, and then turned away and settled into her nest without another word. Flamepaw sat down, a dull look of surprise in his beautiful green eyes.
"Why would they be talking about Snake? We haven't seen him in…I don't know how many moons," Flamepaw murmured.
A sneaking suspicion had burrowed into Skypaw's heart, but she kept her mouth shut. She simply shook her head again at her brother as her heart throbbed like the flooding river.