Chapter Eleven
Silverstar woke a couple days later feeling like her den was too crowded but she was still too tired to open her eyes. Instead she listened to see if there was another cat breathing. Instead she heard hushed murmuring. Straining her ears, Silverstar was able to make out the words.
"They don't know how real love feels. My love is true, that's a matter of fact. And you love me too. It's as simple as that." Snowlion's voice whispered. A tomcat said something in a voice too low for Silverstar to make out.
"They may say some awful things, my love-" Snowlion was cut off.
"But there's no point in listening." The tom interrupted. "I know. Your words are the only ones I believe in anymore."
'That's not Eaglewing.' Silverstar realized, her eyes opening easily now. Breezepelt was crouched over Snowlion, his muzzle close to her head.
"What are you doing in here?" Silverstar asked the Windclan tom.
"Well, Onestar said that three of us needed to go to each clan's camp and Nightcloud wanted me to come here with her." Breezepelt said sardonically.
"I didn't mean here in the camp." Silverstar clarified. "What are you doing in our nursery?"
"I wanted him to meet my kits." Snowlion said coldly. "We're friends."
"More than that, by the sound of it." Silverstar growled back, standing.
"What business is that of yours, human?" Snowlion hissed, also claiming her paws and bristling furiously.
"You already have a mate and kits!"
"You humans, with your pathetic attempts at monogomity." Snowlion sneered. "You still don't understand life as a cat, do you? I enjoy being a mother, raising kittens. And Breezepelt will be a much better father to my young than Eaglewing ever could be."
"And what makes Eaglewing such a terrible father? Is it just because of where he came from?"
"No. It's because he's weak. He can't fight properly, he barely knows how to hunt, he sympathizes with his enemies."
"It's not such a bad thing to sympathize with your enemies."
"Hah! He'll give in to that weakness when the moment comes to strike and he'll get himself injured or killed for it. I'll not have him endangering my kits by teaching them that softness."
"Regardless, Breezepelt is a Windclan cat. It's against the warrior code for cats of different clans to be mates or raise kits."
"And who made up those rules that you all follow like fools? I wonder, did you ever care to think it through?"
"That rule is to prevent disloyalty to your clanmates in battle."
"That's no problem to me." Breezepelt spoke up, brushing his fur against Snowlion's. "Those cats have given me no reason to feel loyalty to them." His voice was thick with bitterness.
"What about Nightcloud?" Silverstar challenged.
"What about her?" Breezepelt asked, his voice flat.
"She clearly loves you!"
"So does Snowlion. And I love her."
Sandpelt poked his head into the nursery and recoiled, nearly left the den completely, at the sight of Silverstar facing off against Snowlion and Breezepelt.
"What's going on?" Sandpelt asked.
"It's nothing." Silverstar insisted, her voice still angry. "What'd you need?"
"Um, Dustpaw came and took Duskmist back to the Fireclan camp. Apparently Wildear's giving birth."
"Thank you for telling me. Has Shiningheart begun sending out patrols yet?"
"Yeah. She wanted you to be in a training group with Mousewhisker and Starlingwing this morning so that you could spend the evening with your kits."
"Who's in the evening training group?"
"Snowlion, Nightcloud, and Duskmist."
Silverstar hesitated. She wanted to move her litter into the leader's den so that she wouldn't have to share a den with Snowlion but she couldn't insist that Snowlion leave her kits to train if she wouldn't do it herself.
"Alright. Tell Mousewhisker and Starlingwing that I'll join them soon."
"'Kay." Sandpelt agreed, gratefully retreating from the tense air in the nursery.
"My kits will be joining me in the leader's den." Silverstar informed Snowlion. "You'll have the nursery to yourself until a new queen needs it." Snowlion inclined her head in acknowledgement and watched as Silverstar nudged her kits to their feet. Silverstar quickly herded them to the other den and sat them down so she could talk to them.
"We'll all be sleeping in here each night until you get your apprentice names."
"Why?" Gingerkit challenged. "You and Snowlion argued but we've got no problem with Kestrelkit or her brothers. So why do we have to stay in this drafty old cave instead of our normal nest?" Silverstar blinked at the fierce young she-kit.
"If you wanted to stay in there, I suppose you could. But I intend on sleeping in here and you can join me whenever you'd like." Silverstar decided. Gingerkit turned and left without answering.
"I'll stay with you, Mom." Ryekit promised.
"Thank you, Ryekit." Silverstar ruffled the fur on top of his head as she leaned down to brush him with her nose.
"I'm actually going to keep Gingerkit company. I think she'll get lonely. This is the first time she's not shared a nest with all of us." Amberkit explained.
"That's very considerate of you Amberkit."
"I'm also going with them." Tigerkit added.
"Take care of your sisters, my little medicine cat." Tigerkit purred with pride at Silverstar's words before he and Amberkit went back to the nursery.
"I'm going to stay in here." Rowankit stated. Dovekit nodded in agreement.
"Please, stay in camp. There are dangerous cats exploring our territory and I am going to be busy preparing our allies for battle. I won't be able to keep an eye on you so I need to know that you'll stay where it's safe." Silverstar begged the three kittens.
"We could help fight." Rowankit offered.
"No! These cats are vicious. They wouldn't think twice about killing kits. When the time comes to fight, you'll all need to hide until someone you recognize and know you can trust tells you that it's safe."
"We'll do our best to stay safe." Dovekit promised in her sweet voice. Ryekit and Rowankit nodded in solemn agreement.
"Thank you, my loves. Now, I need to go train. You can wander around camp but don't get in anyones way and don't leave camp."
All three of them nodded again and Silverstar turned and left. She hurried to the camp entrance where Mousewhisker and Starlingwing were waiting.
"Sorry that took so long. I needed to talk with my kits."
"We saw." Starlingwing said. Mousewhisker shot him a sharp look and Starlingwing shut his mouth.
"That's fine." Mousewhisker said. "Shall we go?"
Silverstar nodded and led them out to the place where the Windclan border met the lake's edge; her preferred place to train. Silverstar stepped forward first to show them an attack she had helped work out with Tornadoclaw and Wolffang. After watching her perform it a couple times, Mousewhisker and Starlingwing practiced it, first individually and then against each other. After they got it figured out, Mousewhisker stepped forward to show a Thunderclan attack. After Silverstar and Starlingwing had practiced Mousewhisker's move a few times, Starlingwing stepped forward for his turn. The three of them continued practicing until the sun was high in the sky, then they returned to camp.
Silverstar was glad to see that a hunting patrol had already returned and took no time in picking out a plump shrew and a mouse for her kits to share. She carried both prey pieces to the nursery, intending on collecting the three kits of hers in there first but when she looked in she saw that Gingerkit, Tigerkit, and Amberkit were finishing a rabbit with Snowlion, Breezepelt, Quailkit, Owlkit, and Kestrelkit.
Tigerkit looked up when Silverstar came in and licked his whiskers guiltily. Gingerkit ignored her completely and Amberkit looked up to mew "hi" before continuing her meal.
"Did you need something, Silverstar?" Snowlion asked, grooming her paws.
"I just wanted to see if my kittens were hungry but I see they've eaten." Silverstar responded, setting her prey next to her paw so she could speak.
"Ah, okay. Last I saw, Rowankit, Ryekit, and Dovekit were talking to Spruceheart next to the elder's den."
"Thank you." Silverstar said before picking the prey up again and leaving. She went to the elder's den and was relieved to hear Rowankit and Dovekit talking. Entering, she saw that all three of them were working together to clear away stale moss and spread fresh, soft moss.
"This is a nice surprise." She said happily, setting the mouse and shrew next the the den entrance.
"We got bored and Spruceheart said we could help out by doing this." Ryekit explained.
"Did you invite your siblings to help?" Silverstar asked.
"They were playing with Quailkit and his siblings." Rowankit responded, tucking a bit of moss firmly into place. "So, is that Windclan cat going to be Snowlion's new mate?"
"If she gets her way, yes. But it's against the warrior code and no clan cat will willingly accept it. Why don't you invite the other kits to help out now? They just finished eating and they could give you a break so that you can have your share of food."
"I'll ask them." Dovekit volunteered, passing Silverstar to go to the nursery.
"I'll leave the shrew here for the three of you to share." Silverstar told the two young toms.
"Thanks Mom." Ryekit purred.
"I love you, my dears. I'll be out in the camp if you need me." Ryekit and Rowankit nodded and Silverstar took the mouse and left.
She settled in front of her den to eat her meal and watched as patrols came and left. Silverstar stood when she saw Willowshine, the Riverclan medicine cat, come in and look around. Willowshine saw Silverstar and hurried over to her.
"Where's Snaketail?" Willowshine asked.
"I'm not sure but we can check her den." Silverstar led the dark gray tabby she-cat over to the hollow tree where Snaketail usually hung out and found her sleeping inside, shaded from the sun by the tall sides.
"Snaketail?" Silverstar asked, laying a paw on Snaketail's shoulder. "Snaketail, wake up!"
Snaketail woke with a startled hiss and swiped a paw at Silverstar.
"Sorry." Snaketail apologized, climbing to her paws and shaking the sleep away. "What's up?"
"We're all meeting at the Moonpool." Willowshine explained. "Jayfeather, Flametail, and Spottedleaf visited the rest of us in our dreams and Jayfeather called us to meet at the Moonpool today."
"Thank you for getting me." Snaketail said, walking beside Willowshine to the camp entrance. "I should be back later tonight or early tomorrow morning." Snaketail told Silverstar before the two gray tabbies left.
They had walked in silence halfway through Windclan's territory before Willowshine spoke up.
"So, why didn't you join us in Starclan's territory last night?" She asked.
"I was busy." Snaketail avoided explaining.
"What do you know about Mothwing?" Willowshine questioned.
"Only rumors." Snaketail dodged. "I've not spoken with her much."
"What sort of rumors?" Snaketail licked her lips slowly to give herself more time to think.
"I've heard that she's the daughter of Tigerstar and a rogue. I've heard that she used to have a brother but he was found dead on Thunderclan territory." Snaketail cast around for other things she could reasonably have heard from cats from other clans. "I heard that Mistystar almost made her retire but changed her mind, though no cat seems to know why. Why do you ask?"
"It's just, it's not impossible for a clan cat to not believe in Starclan. Cloudtail of Thunderclan doesn't."
"That's not the reason I didn't come." Snaketail said. 'She trusted me with a sort-of secret. I suppose it's only fair to trust her with one.' "I wasn't there because I was training with the Dark Forest."
"What?!" Willowshine asked. She stopped and bristled her fur nervously.
"I decided that any extra training would be helpful. I saw no reason to stop when I found out their plans. I figured I'd continue to train with them until the day of the battle and then use the attacks I learned to better defend my clanmates."
"How does anyone know that you'll actually fight on our side?" Willowshine challenged.
"I guess you'll just have to trust me." Snaketail said coolly. "My clanmates already know that I'm training in the Dark Forest and they still trust me."
Willowshine's tail flicked back and forth uncertainly but her fur flattened.
"I'll not betray the cats I love." Snaketail promised. "Now then, let's go catch up with the other medicine cats before they decide we're not coming." Willowshine nodded and the two of them ran the rest of the way to the Moonpool.
As they scrabbled to a stop at the top of the hollow, a stone clattered down and an angry yowl responded.
"Watch out!"
"Sorry!" Willowshine called out as she and Snaketail picked their way down the spiral path to the pool itself.
"Willowshine, is that you?" Jayfeather asked.
"Snaketail too." Willowshine responded. "Mothwing sends good wishes."
"Why didn't you wait for us by the stream?" Kestrelflight asked.
"I wasn't sure you'd come." Jayfeather shifted his paws.
"We told you we would be here." Littlecloud said, walking stiffly down the path.
"I've had to leave a camp full of sneezing warriors." Kestrelflight complained, his fur fluffed out. "The first cold of leaf-bare has brought sickness."
"Anything serious?" Littlecloud asked.
"Nothing more than runny noses and a cough or two." Kestrelflight said with obvious relief. "I've left Whitetail in charge of the herb store. She knows how to treat a sore throat."
"Perhaps it's time you took on an apprentice?" Willowshine suggested.
"Kestrelflight won't need an apprentice if the Dark Forest destroys us!" Jayfeather cut her off.
"Awfully dramatic." Nightshade noted, shaking the cold out of her pelt.
"I believe we can defeat them." Snaketail said in agreement with Nightshade.
"How will we know which clanmates to trust to fight on our side?" Willowshine asked. Snaketail's tail twitched angrily and she opened her mouth to speak but Nightshade pressed her side against her former mentor's to calm her. Snaketail was still irritated at Willowshine but she closed her mouth to let the younger cat speak.
"The only way we can know is by seeing which cats choose to fight alongside their living clanmates when the time comes. Not every cat who's training in the Place of No Stars will betray their clan." Nightshade said calmly.
"I do want to pass a request though." Snaketail said, successfully keeping her voice peaceful. "If anyone gets the chance, kill Brokenstar. He has threatened a punishment worse than death to those of us who betray the Dark Forest. With him gone, your clanmates who have been training with us will feel more confident about fighting on your side."
"Starclan will protect and guide us." Willowshine shifted her paws as she spoke.
"Starclan is divided." Kestrelflight reminded her.
Jayfeather curled his claws into the stone. "They're more scared than we are," he murmured.
"How can we fight the Dark Forest alone?" Willowshine asked, her breath quickening.
"Flametail united us." Jayfeather declared. "Now I will unite Starclan."
"How?" Littlecloud asked with a sharp flick of his tail tip.
"I'll let them see the danger for themselves!" Jayfeather turned and touched his nose tip to the Moonpool. The rest of the cats followed his example, drifting quickly to sleep.
Snaketail opened her eyes to see that they were all on a grassy hilltop, dark clouds skimming overhead.
"Where's the sun gone?" Willowshine asked, looking around.
"Now what?" Littlecloud asked.
"Each of you must go to your own ancestors and bring them here."
Willowshine, Kestrelflight, and Littlecloud each looked to the territories most similar to their own while Snaketail traded a glance with Nightshade.
"Can you do it?" Jayfeather asked, turning to locate the Thunderclan-like area.
"I'll bring every cat I can find." Littlecloud promised, walking away. Kestrelflight broke into a run in the direction of the moors. Jayfeather turned around to face the three cats who were hanging behind.
"Will the Dark Forest warriors come here, too?" Willowshine asked, her tail swishing nervously.
"We won't let them." Jayfeather flattened his ears.
Willowshine flashed him an anxious look and began to trot down to the river.
"What should we do?" Nightshade asked. "We have no ancestors yet, thankfully."
"Find any cats you can. Bring them here." Jayfeather instructed. Nightshade and Snaketail both nodded before Jayfeather began running toward the oak forest.
Nightshade bid Snaketail goodbye and started walking in a direction between Littlecloud and Willowshine. Not sure where to go, Snaketail set off uncertainly in the opposite direction that Nightshade took.
The first cat Snaketail found was a dark mottled gray and brown tomcat.
"This is Windclan territory." He told her, watching her to see what she'd do.
"I need to find as many cats as I can." Snaketail explained. "We're trying to reunite Starclan."
The tom tilted his head to the side as he thought over her words.
"My name's Hawkheart. I'll find everyone I can and meet you here. I suppose that you refer to the living medicine cats when you say 'we'?"
"Yeah." Snaketail said.
"Alright. See you here." Hawkheart ran off with the speed common of Windclan cats. Snaketail watched him leave before running in the direction she chose.
By the time Snaketail returned to the place she found Hawkheart, she had a handful of warriors following her and a few kittens and apprentices. Hawkheart had a crowd of Windclan warriors milling around him when Snaketail returned. She ran past him and he joined her, his group enveloping hers.
When they arrived back at the hilltop, a crowd three times the size of Hawkheart's was already there. Kestrelflight lifted his tail to greet Snaketail before returning to his conversation with Willowshine. Littlecloud sat nearby talking to a ginger Starclan tomcat. Snaketail looked around for Nightshade and Jayfeather but couldn't find either of them.
Jayfeather led a tail of Thunderclan cats into the group before Nightshade arrived and waited quietly for her to come. She came soon after, flanked by a gray and white tom and a long-furred, pale gray she-cat. Jayfeather nodded at the young medicine cat and stood up.
"Starclan! Listen!" He yowled.
"Why?" Yellowfang yowled in response. "We have the wisdom of ages. You have the stupidity of youth!"
"You can leave if you want to!" A bright ginger tom hissed. Yellowfang flattened her ears but didn't respond.
"You must listen to me!" Jayfeather called. "Yellowfang's right. I'm younger than any of you." He paused as a pale gray and white she-kit stepped forward and corrected himself. "Younger than most of you. There is a terrible threat to you all! And to the clans you once lived in. You know the Dark Forest is rising. You can see it in the dead leaves that litter your hunting ground, and the clouds that block out your sun." He lifted his gaze to the gray, clouded sky. "You must face the truth. And the truth is worse than you ever imagined. The Dark Forest must be met and fought. You will not win by huddling together like families of mice. You must stand together or fall divided!"
"But how can we beat an enemy that can bring leaf-bare to Starclan?" A ragged dark brown tabby tom called.
"They have grown stronger than us." A black Shadowclan she-cat added.
"When we sent you the Prophecy of the Three, we didn't know the Dark Forest would grow so powerful." The ginger tom who scolded Yellowfang padded forward to speak again.
"But now they are Four!" Bluestar insisted. "The Ancients gave them an ally to make them strong enough to fight any enemy."
Jayfeather ruffled his pelt. "We don't know who it is yet."
"Isn't it obvious?" Bluestar asked, tipping her head to the side. "You are not the first cats guided by a prophecy. I was promised long ago that fire would save the clan. It has never needed saving as much as it does now." She nodded at Jayfeather. "Get him." She said softly. "He needs to know what is happening."
Jayfeather immediately turned and darted away. His form faded and vanished as he reached the bottom of the hill.
"Now we wait for them." Bluestar stated, sitting down and gazing in the direction Jayfeather ran. Snaketail had time enough to groom one paw before Jayfeather appeared with Firestar beside him.
"You must follow me once more," Jayfeather yowled. "You need to see for yourselves." He waved his tail and led the assembly down the slope into the Place of No Stars. Snaketail's fur lifted in discomfort as she heard faded yowls and screams.
"How can any warrior live in such darkness?" Hawkheart muttered.
"It smells foul."
"Look." Jayfeather instructed with a twitch of his whiskers.
Snaketail obeyed and saw Mapleshade training with Brokenstar and two cats she didn't recognize. Scared that she'd be seen, Snaketail slipped between the Starclan cats until she was thoroughly hidden.
"Where's the sun?" A kitten whimpered.
"Hush, little one!"
Snaketail sighed in relief as Jayfeather led the Starclan cats back to their territory.
"We're back!" The pale kitten from before exclaimed as she scampered onto the grassy slope. "Why did you take us to see those horrible cats?" She asked Jayfeather.
"We have to know our enemy." Bluestar said, brushing the kit's head with her muzzle.
"Now that you have seen them, have heard what they are threatening our clans with, are you afraid to fight?"
"Never!" The dark brown tabby tom bristled.
"But will you fight together?" Jayfeather questioned.
"We can't fight such cruelty while we're divided." Bluestar swished her tail.
"How will we know who to trust?" Yellowfang stepped forward to ask.
"You can trust me." Firestar told her. "And one another."
"How could such horror have thrived?" The ragged tabby growled. "We should have been able to crush it before it grew so strong. After all, we have the power of the stars in our paws."
"No." Jayfeather disagreed steadily. "That is my destiny. Mine and Firestar's."
Firestar nodded. "I am the fourth cat. The prophecy has come true."
Snaketail blinked and found herself waking next to the Moonpool with the rest of the medicine cats.
"Starclan is united." Jayfeather stated. "Now we must return to our camps and prepare for battle."
(There is a Facebook page for this story at pages/One-Step-Further-A-Warriors-Fanfiction/669456403118130?ref=hl )