Go and fulfill the prophecy as soon as you can, and bring StarClan back together. The words rung in Frostfire's mind, and despite how much she tried shaking Moonflower's pleading words out of her mind, they stayed, much to her annoyance.
"Well?" Ashflame asked. The two were on a hunting patrol, and were hunting together.
Frostfire snapped back to focus. "Sorry, what?"
Ashflame sighed. "You've been different lately, ever since the battle with WindClan. You've been in your own world, more or less. There was that day when a patrol found you by the lake, alone, just staring at nothing. And you've been moping around for so long, or, at least, being unhappy for so long, Frostfire."
"Is that my fault?" Frostfire snapped, jerking her head around to face her mate.
"Well, no, but-"
"Actually, there's something I haven't told you yet," Frostfire mewed urgently. "It's about Moonflower."
"What's a moonflower?" Ashflame asked, looking perplexed.
Frostfire would have laughed out loud, but she couldn't, not with her current situation. "No, she's a cat. A StarClan cat, and... she's veen visiting my dreams." She reached a paw out to silence Ashflame, as he was about to speak. "Well... it's just that she said that I'm the one who's supposed to stop Nightclaw, but I don't know how!" Her voice rose to a wail, and she left out about how she had divided StarClan.
Ashflame looked shocked. "Let me get this straight. A StarClan cat decided to visit you and told you that you had to bring down one of the strongest warriors in all the clans?"
"Well..." Frostfire was uncomfortable. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
To her horror, Ashflame drew away from her abruptly, and Frostfire was startled to see that he was almost in tears. "I can't do this."
"What?"
"I'd only stop you from achieving your destiny!" Ashflame mewed, anguished. "I love you, Frostfire, and I don't want that to happen." With that, he whirled around and bounded away through the trees, leaving Frostfire staring, open-jawed, after him.
No! Why did I say that? Frostfire swallowed a wail and felt tears spring to her own eyes. Ashflame, whom she loved more than anything, though that she had too important a destiny to have time for him. No, he got it wrong. Drawing in a deep breath, Frostfire turned and raced after him. The whind whipped hard against her face, almost blinding her as she ran after the gray tom.
Where did he go? Ashflame's scent seemed to have vanished into nothing.
Heartbeats later, Frostfire spotted the familiar light gray pelt a few tree-lengths away. Though she was faster, her legs were weak from sadness and worry, and she probably could not reach him soon. Still, she charged after him, heading toward ShadowClan territory. Her vision narrowed, and for a while she could only see Ashflame and nothing else surrounding.
Ashflame's thick gray pelt the only thing in her mind, Frostfire raced after him. Where did he go?
She skidded to a halt, realizing that she had lost sight of her mate - or should she still call him that now? As she scanned the area, she let out a gasp of horror, taking in her surroundings. The ground beneath her was hard and gray, unlike the soft forest ground of ThunderClan territory, and the air reeked of a burning scent.
She was standing in the middle of the Thunderpath.
Frostfire stood stone-still, unable to move, her paws rooted to the spot. She was frozen in fear as her blue gaze landed on a distinctive, large reddish shape, growing larger and larger as it raced toward her. A monster!
Frostfire stood, frozen with terror. Suddenly, she was jolted back. Move! she told herself fiercely, but she knew it was useless. She felt pain scorch her body as she crumpled to the ground, and the last thing she saw was the monster vanishing into the distance, before the world went black.
oO0Oo
Frostfire awoke, feeling a stabbing pain in her hind leg as she opened her eyes. Everything was blurred for a few heartbeats before she made out that she was in the medicine den, Snowpaw and Poppylight standing anxiously above her. Painfully pushing herself to a sitting position, Frostfire blinked. "What happened?"
"We found you on the Thunderpath," Snowpaw mewed quietly.
"How long have I been unconscious?" Frostfire asked, a dull pain in her leg making her wince a little.
Poppylight swallowed. "A little less than a quarter moon."
"What?" Frostfire jumped to her paws, stifling a yowl of pain as her hind leg touched the ground. Whimpering, she lifted the leg up as she walked.
"It was bleeding badly," Snowpaw mewed. "And it was twisted. I'd say you're lucky, Frostfire. Most cats don't come out of the Thunderpath after being hit without a broken bone. Anyway... it'll heal. You'll be fine."
Frostfire forced out a purr. "Thanks, Snowpaw."
Snowpaw shot a glance at her red-furred mentor, who nodded. "Actually... well, it's Snowblossom, now," the brown-and-white she-cat mewed. "The day you were hit... it was the half-moon, remember?"
"Congratulations!" Frostfire mewed fervently, dipping her head. "You deserve it!"
Heartbeats later, Ashflame padded into the den. Frostfire eyed him warily, but he showed no signs of anger. "I was so worried, Frostfire. How are you?"
"It's twisted, and I'll be okay in a few days," Frostfire mewed. Ashflame touched noses to her gently, then sat up in the nest beside her. His face softened into a smile, and his blue eyes gleamed with affection.
"Uh... should I leave you two?" It was Snowblossom, looking uncomfortable. Frostfire purred, then shrugged, to which she responded by padding away.
"About what I said-" Frostfire began.
Ashflame stiffened. "I stand by what I say," he mewed. "I don't want to come in your way. Just know that I always love you, Frostfire."
Frostfire shut her eyes, pain, aside from the one in her leg, flooding her senses. "Ashflame... please... it won't come in the way... besides, if StarClan knew I had such an important destiny, wouldn't they send something to keep us apart? It won't come in the way, I promise!"
Ashflame's tail-tip twitched uncertainly.
"Please, Ashflame. StarClan wouldn't object. I mean, if they knew you'd come in the way, they'd do something. StarClan aren't mouse-brained, Ashflame," she added, with a touch of her old enthusiasm. "They wouldn't let the clan be destroyed."
Ashflame let out a purr. "I was hoping nothing would keep us apart," he murmured. "But when this came up... well... I thought it would be bad for the clan, getting in the way of something so important. But now I see what you mean. Nothing can separate us now." He purred. "I promise."
