Chapter 14

"Welcome, all four clans, to another starlit, moon-high Gathering." Honeystar yowled. "Mudstar , would you like to begin?"

Shadowclan's leader stepped forward, his brown pelt rippling in the moonlight with each movement. "ShadowClan has lost Jadeeye and Treepelt to Greencough. We have two new apprentices, Mosspaw and Ravenpaw and a new litter of kits."

A beautiful white queen with storm green eyes purred happily. That must be the new ShadowClan queen. Sootfall watched with interest, which grew as his mother stood up to share RiverClan's report.

"Vinepaw has had his ceremony at the Moonstone and is known as Vinestem." Silverstar annouced. Sootfall joined in the cheering for his clanmate. Vinestem stood up straight, his whiskers quivering with pride and joy. Sootfall purred with amusement when he saw Flarestep and Whitesnow hurrying up to stand with their brother.

"Flarestep was taken by a twoleg, but Sootfall and Moonfeather rescued him. Rockshade was lost to StarClan this moon and we mourn him." A respectful silence fell over the clan and Sootfall bowed his head as he remembered the brown and black elder. He was Silverstar's father and therefore his kin.

Nodding, Silverstar stepped back and Honeystar took her place. "Ratpaw and Littlepaw have been given their warrior names: Littlestorm and Ratspot." The two new warriors puffed out their chests as all four clans congratulated them. "We have chased off a badger and been free of sickness. Heatherstar? Would you like to share now?" The ThunderClan leader bowed her head stepped away so Heatherstar could be hear.

"Lionwing and Blackshadow have found a way to trace rabbits back to their burrows this moon. And Bramblestripe is expecting kits, so Pebblespots will take over her duties until she can return. Sandpaw is now Sandtail and Cinderfur and Darkfoot have moved in with the elders." Heatherstar purred.

With her words still ringing in the air, the four leaders descended from the Great Rock and mixed in among the rest of the warriors. Sootfall saw his mother go up to Bramblestripe and congratulate her.

"Ratspot!" He yowled so his friend could hear him. The brown tom meowed something quickly to his clanmate and went to brush muzzles with the RiverClan warrior.

"Hi. How's the prey running?" Sootfall asked.

"Fine. I didn't think Silverstar would mention Flarestep was caught." His friend replied.

"Yeah me neither." Sootfall had told his mother about the escapade into Twoleg place for the lost cat while Flarestep himself had been talking to Moonfeather in the forest.

"What are you thinking about" Ratspot asked.

"Huh?" Sootfall shook his head to clear his mind and focused on his friend.

"You were moons away. What was on your mind?" Ratspot looked at the RiverClan warrior with concern.

"Just glad Silverstar didn't mention we crossed the borders."

"Hey Ratspot! Congrats on your warrior ceremony!" Lightheart called. She and her friend Eaglewing were sitting among their clanmates but they never forgot their friends, even if they were from anther clan.

"Sootfall! Find your siblings and let's go! We 're all waiting on you and I have things to do tonight!" It was Galestrike. Sootfall nodded respectfully to his deputy and bid a hasty goodbye to Ratspot. Glancing around, he surveyed the clearing for his brother and sister but there was no sign of them.

"Moonfeather is talking to the new ShadowClan queen, just past The Great Rock. And Birchpath is talking to Sandtail, giving his congratulations about his warrior name." Startled, Sootfall let out a surprised purr and spun around. he rekaxed again easily when he saw it was on Graystorm.

"You frighten me." The RiverClan warrior took a deep breath before adding, "But thank you so much."

"No Sootfall, I wish to thank you. You and your brother and sister. You have brought me even closer to getting what I have desire for a long time." With that, the dead faded away into the night.

"Don't go! Tell me what you mean by that!" Sootfall was desperate for answers.

"Sootfall! Now!" That wasn't the voice the smudgy tom had been hoping for. Galestrike's angry mew rang through Fourtrees and Sootfall scampered off to retrieve his siblings.

With all the RiverClan cats gathered, Silverstar led them home, Galestrike at her shoulder. He eyed the clan critical, with distrustful glint in his eyes.

Shadewhisper was in the center of the group. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she pricked her ears, as though straining to hear a voice through the wind. The medicine cat dropped back till she was standing next to Birchpath, Moonfeather and Sootfall.

"What is it?" Birchpath asked, speaking for the three of them as usual.

"StarClan has spoken. They need me to share this with you now." Urgency colored her tone and words came out half rushed. "You have to go to the Moonstone. Just you three. It is almost time for your destiny to be fulfilled. StarClan has messages for you three."

Her round eyes, filled with confusion. Birchpath remind himself the medicine cat knew nothing of the prophecy or what was to come. Heck, he and his littermates had no idea what they were going up against.

Moonfeather's whiskers twitched and a look of confusion crept up on her. "Why can't they speak to us now as they do with you?"

She pictured Graystorm on her mind. Graystorm appeared to all three of them and spoke with them a number of times. If StarClan had things to tell them, surely Graystorm could just visit them again? She open her mouth to say her thought just as she recalled her brothers had wanted to keep Graystorm a secret.

"You aren't a medicine cat. You won't recognize it is StarClan trying to end you a message. You won't realize it and you would miss it entirely. This way StarClan can ensure their message has been received." Shadewhisper gazed at the three siblings with curious interest. "What's going on anyway? Do you know something you aren't telling me?"

Moonfeather shared an uneasy glance with her brothers. How were they supposed to get around such a direct question?

"I can tell there is more than what you are telling me. For the safety of the clan and all the cats in the forest, you have to tell me. Silverstar and I can help you." Shadewhisper meowed when none of the siblings spoke.

Finally, Birchpath spoke slowly, with clear reluctance, "We were visited, well actually it was only me, by StarClan when we were apprentices."

"Shadewhisper, couldn't we wait to tell you the whole story until Silverstar is with us as well?" Sootfall broke in before his brother could continue.

"Yes, that might be better." With a curt nod, the medicine cat padded back up to the her sister and spoke quietly in her ear. Moonfeather couldn't make out the words, but Silverstar nodded a heartbeat later.

Back at camp, the cats settled down rather quickly, The Gathering had taken longer than usual, so the moon was higher in the sky. Sootfall relished a night such as this one. It would be perfect for some night hunting.

Silverstar talked briefly with Galestrike for a moment before slipping out of camp with her kits and Shadewhisper. Sootfall noticed Galestrike giving him and his littermates a murderous look.

Birchpath followed his brother gaze to see the deputy's glare. Something inside the brown warrior snapped. he marched up to Galestrike defiantly and hissed, "Have you got a problem with my siblings or me? Then tell me and we can fight it out."

Moonfeather was usually the one to calm down her brothers or even her father, but now all she could do was stare at her brother in disbelief. Sootfall glanced at Silverstar and Shadwhisper but they didn't seem to know what to do.

"Well?" Birchpath asked for even Galestrike was staring at him with his mouth hung open.

Galestrike recovered himself and bared his teeth. "Gladly. WIll you like to land the first move or shall I?"

Silvserstar shook her head, as if to clear the confusion, and spoke quickly. "Enough, I will not tolerate this sort of infighting. Galestrike, go to your nest. I will talk to you about this news if it affects you." The deputy nodded and stalked off to the warriors den, murmuring under his breath.

Silverstar gave her son a hard stare as he rejoined them. Birchpath's head was low and his tail drooped as he followed his leader and medicine cat out of camp. He seemed to realize he was too hasty and harsh. Fighting wasn't the right way to solve problems, especially when it was with your former best friend.

Silverstar sat upon the twister roots of an old, gnarled beech tree. Shadewhisper settled next to her and the siblings sat in front of them.

"Ok, start from the beginning." Silverstar meowed.

Birchpath meowed, " I was only a new apprentice when Ferntail visited me in my dreams." Shadewhisper shared a look with Silverstar, sadness and relief dancing in their eyes.

"And she said I would never lose you three." Silverstar said. The three littermates had told her that already.

"Yes. But she also gave me a prophecy." Shadewhisper inhaled in shock. Apprentices receiving messages from StarClan? That was her job, what was the world coming to?

"What was it?" Shadewhisper had to know.

Moonfeather stood and took a step closer, She had each cats' attention as she enunciated the words. "Deception within the Heart, Strength from the Muscles, Will set the Body Right. Follow the Path, Fight the Heart, Save the Stars."

"Have you had any more dreams? Any of you?" Shadewhisper asked. "Any explanation at all?"

"Not exactly. But this cat, Graystorm has been coming to see us, in the waking world." Sootfall meowed. "She hasn't really stated her reasons but surely they can't be bad. She's nice and helped Moonfeather and me when we were drowning in the river."

"I'm not even sure she's connected to the prophecy." Birchpath added.

"hmm." Shadewhisper purred, deep in thought.

"What do we do now?" For all the life saving things she had done in her past, Silverstar look lost, more like a concerned mother than a strong leader.

"You three will go to the Moonstone. That what happens next. Come to my den and I will give you herbs." The three cats followed Shadewhisper back to camp, but Silverstar stayed behind. She realized she should share this news with Oakstorm, but she couldn't right now.

All she could do was stare at the sky, wishing that her kits had never been picked to go through the same thing that nearly tore her apart. I never wanted this for them.

A/N: Yes I realize I am an awful, horrible person. But since getting this new laptop at Christmas, I have lost all my motivation to write since it's so much harder to do so without a plan. I'm doing my best. Also, I'm pretty busy with school and stuff. But if you know me *cough BlueBlizzard cough* you know I'm stubborn so I will finish this. Spring Break is next week, which will lend me more time.

Thanks for reading!