Chapter 10
Lightningpaw stood at the entrance to the medicine den, doubts still raging in his mind. The dawn sun was invisible due to the overcast of grayish clouds.. Specklepaw sat next to him reassurance in her blue gaze. Lightningpaw took a deep breath and stuck his head inside. Tornfur was laying in his nest his flanks rising and falling steadily telling Lightningpaw the graying dark brown medicine cat was asleep.
"Tornfur?" mewed Lightningpaw tentatively.
"Eh?" Tornfur open one eye and then the other. He got up and raised his haunches in a luxurious stretch and opened his mouth in a humungous yawn revealing two incomplete rows of teeth. He suddenly winced as if in pain.
"Better get some daisy for my back," he mewed half to himself.
"Tornfur…" Lightningpaw began not knowing how to start. "I need to talk to you."
"Talk all that you need Lightningpaw," Tornfur mewed resting himself on his haunches and folding his tail neatly over his paws, "I am listening."
Lightningpaw launched himself into his story, his dreams, the strange tabby cat and his ominous words, everything.
Tornfur sat still, motionless. Finally he spoke. "Lightningpaw," he began, "That gray tabby that you saw, his name was Jayfeather," he stumbled over his words as if he was choking to get them out. "But it amazes me Lightningpaw, is that StarClan would choose you, to carry a prophecy on your shoulders."
A prophecy! So Specklepaw was right!
"Have you met him?" Lightningpaw mewed excitedly, all of his previous doubts evaporated. A prophecy who knew? But suddenly a new thought struck him. Why me? Why would StarClan choose me? And what does the prophecy mean?
He opened his mouth to meow his concerns but Tornfur interrupted him. "I mean you are just an apprentice!" he ranted on amazement ringing in his voice. "You have a closer connection to StarClan than me!" Tornfur continued starting to sound like an overexcited kit for his advanced age as he paced back and forth rapidly in his den. Suddenly hearing Lightningpaw's mew he stopped. "Oh, yes," he meowed, "I had never met Jayfeather but Tinyroot has," he meowed his voice growing cold again; "He described him to me but nothing else."
"Okay but what does the prophecy mean?" Lightningpaw asked.
"'Great change'," Tornfur muttered. "That could mean anything!" He meowed tail lashing, seeming to get back to the reality that the prophecy's meaning had not yet been found out.
Lightningpaw realized that Tornfur was right. The prophecy could mean anything. The guilty would become innocent, a journey? Lightningpaw hung his head; he couldn't make heads or tails of them. The guilty, maybe Tinyroot, Lightningpaw wondered but he quickly pushed the thought away, No way he can be innocent; the traitor!
"Lightningpaw," Pepperflight's cross mew bounded into his ears through the bramble screen. With a jolt Lightningpaw realized that he must have spent quite a bit of time in the medicine den talking to Tornfur! Shoving all of his misgivings down he meowed a quick farewell to Tornfur and bounded through the bramble screen and out into the clearing where Pepperflight was standing the fur along her neck raised in frustration.
"Where were you?" she spat. "I had to miss a hunting patrol I was supposed to lead just looking for you?"
Lightningpaw looked around for Specklepaw.
Surely she would be able to get me out of this!
But she was nowhere to be found. Fox-dung! Lightningpaw cursed inwardly. What will become of him now?
"Well Lightningpaw if you are going to keep me behind on my patrols you can spend the rest of the day cleaning out the nursery!" Pepperflight hissed looking as if she would shred him to mouse-meat for a couple of mouse-tails.
Great, where is Specklepaw when I need her? Lightningpaw thought crossly as he stalked off towards the nursery.