Chapter 9

All things considered they hadn't done terribly. Whispervoice had managed to catch a mouse and Bronzestone a rabbit. The three walked back into camp. Inside Omenstar was lying near the fresh kill pile rithing around on the ground.

Whispervoice dropped her mouse. "Omenstar!" Wishfall cried. She ran over. "What's going on?"

"Some of the prey was poisoned." Creamcoat explained, dodge Omenstar's kicking legs.

"Well do something!" Wishfall ordered.

"I'm trying!" Creamcoat snapped back. She slammed her paws against Omenstar, trying to get him to puke up the prey. It didn't work. Omenstar's kicks slowed and eventually stopped altogether. All the cats bowed their heads.

Then Omenstar drew in a deep breath. The cats in the clearing relaxed. It hadn't been his last life. Still, he doesn't have many left. Whispervoice thought, frowning.

"Omenstar, are you alright?" Creamcoat asked.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." Omenstar got up.

Bronzestone set his rabbit down. "I think I've lost my appitite." He joked.

"Oh. In that case. . ." Crinklepaw said, starting towards the rabbit.

She'd only been joking too, but Bronzestone exploded. "I was joking! I want to eat you dim witted apprentice!" He stepped closer in attack position. Crinklepaw's eyes grew wide and she stepped back in fear. "Do you believe everything you hear?!"

Crinklepaw shook her head, tears starting to appear in her eyes.

Then Omenstar stepped between them. "Enough of this! These are tough times, but fighting about it won't help things." He turned to the medicine cat. "Creamcoat, is their prey clean."

Creamcoat slid forward and investigated the rabbit and the mouse. "They're both good." She confirmed.

Omenstar nodded. "Good. Bronzestone, why don't you take the mouse to Silentsnow?"

Bronzestone glared. He snatched the mouse up and stomped out of camp.

"Silentsnow is from our clan, you just sent a warrior from your clan." Mintstar called out on him.

"What? Don't trust my warriors?" Omenstar asked.

"Oh I trust them, but do you trust my clan?"

Omenstar turned to her. "Of course." But his expression didn't match his words.

There was a long, long, pause. Mintstar eventually broke it. "Creamcoat, tonight you and the medicine cats go to moonpool, yes?" Creamcoat nodded. "Find out how Pineneedle is doing while you're there."


Whispervoice woke up in the night. She wasn't sure right away, then she saw the nest next to her was empty. Lostwhisker slept there. What's he doing up? She wondered. She got up and crept towards the enterance. Outside a cat was looking up at the sky. She couldn't see the exact details, but it was obviously Lostwhisker.

Whispervoice considered leaving him be and going back to sleep when Creamcoat came walking back into camp. She had a stunned look on her face and didn't seem to be paying attention to anything happening around her. That, and the fact that it was too early for Creamcoat to be back, bothered Whispervoice. She walked out. She would later realize that's what saved her life.

"Creamcoat, are you alright?" She whispered.

Her voice broke Lostwhisker out of his thoughts and he turned around, looking at them curiously. "No. No I'm not alright." Creamcoat replied, shaking her head. "I have to talk to Omenstar!"

"Right here." Omenstar spoke up. He and Mintstar were standing at the entrance of the leaders den. They both came down. "What is it?"

"Moonpool has clouded over!" Creamcoat exclaimed. Mintstar gasped and Omenstar's jaw dropped a bit. Creamcoat explained more thouroughly. "It turned all green and murky. We tried to contact Starclan anyway, but we couldn't."

Mintstar and Omenstar looked at each other. "What does this mean?" Lostwhisker breathed.

"It means, Starclan can no longer help us." Omenstar spoke. "We're on our own." Whispervoice gulped. She had heard the stories about Firestar saving the clans from Bloodclan, and the three saving the clans from Dark Forest, but there was no one around to save them now. Probably because this time, they weren't up against cats.

That's when the entire world lit up for a moment. It was probably for less than a second, but it felt longer than that.

BANG!

After that, the world was still.