Chapter Nineteen

A half moon hovered in the night's sky, barely illuminating the mountains below. Nettleclaw's tail twitched impatiently as he waited for the other medicine cats. Meadowlark was already here along with Dovepaw, who was more than ready to receive her full medicine cat name. Her eyes were brimming with pride and excitement at the prospect.

Finally Willowshade approached them, with Poppypaw close to her side. The pale golden cat looked just as eager as Dovepaw to share tongues with StarClan. Nettleclaw dipped his head respectfully to Willowshade as she joined him, tail wrapped around her paws as she watched them.

"I thought Whiskerheart would be joining us," she meowed once the tension around the group faded.

"Whiskerheart had to retire to the elders' den," Meadowlark replied. Her voice suddenly grew soft as she looked down at the ground. "I've taken over his responsibilities."

"That's a big honor," Nettleclaw murmured. He remembered the day Cricketspring had made him full medicine cat. It had still left him reeling with shock that he had the weight of the entire Clan on his shoulders.

"Well than, shall we?" Dovepaw tipped her head as she led the way first.

Nettleclaw was beginning to wonder if she would ever get her full medicine cat name. He knew it was only a matter of time before Poppypaw got hers, and Dovepaw had been training longer than her. The young cat already had the responsibility of full medicine cat. She had chosen to take on the roll after RiverClan's medicine cat unexpectedly died.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Nettleclaw followed the familiar path through the darkness. It seemed almost like a tradition not to speak while in the tunnels. No cat ever did unless they were feeling nervous. They just padded on in silence, reveling in the feeling of being close to their ancestors.

After what felt like moons of walking they finally reached the large cavern that made the Moonstone. Nettleclaw looked on in awe as he realized that it was already shining in all of it's glory.

"I know that this is kind of bad timing," Dovepaw suddenly spoke up. She took a step forward and stood in front of the stone; the light of the moon stained her pelt a silvery white, making her look like a warrior from StarClan. "But I wanted to announce that Kindlestar gave me my full medicine cat name," she explained warily. "I'm not sure if it's right for the Clan leader to give a medicine cat their name."

She glanced at Willowshade nervously, who had been particularly close to the young cat. Willowshade simply tipped her head to one side before nodding in acceptance.

"I believe that given the circumstance, StarClan will understand," she rasped.

Dovepaw let out a purr of happiness before continuing. "Then I'll share my name with everyone, under the eyes of StarClan so that they may approve." She looked around nervously, and Nettleclaw suddenly understood why. Something like this had never happened before. StarClan might be angry that Dovepaw was keeping them away. "My name is now known as Doveshine."

"That's a fitting name," Meadowlark meowed. Her eyes glowed with happiness for her friend, while Poppypaw cheered on in the background. Willowshade had to slap her tail over the apprentice's mouth to keep her quiet.

"Now I suppose it's time to share tongues with our ancestors," Willowshade murmured. All five medicine cats took a step forward so that their noses were touching the Moonstone. In an instant a chill swept over Nettleclaw's back, and his body fell to the ground as he lost consciousness.

"You idiot!" Nettleclaw was slammed back into reality as his eyes opened. He let out a yowl of surprise when he realized that Hawkstar was standing on top of him, baring his teeth. "You mousebrained idiot!" he snarled venomously.

Nettleclaw's ears flattened in confusion as he watched the former WindClan leader. Why weren't Cloverstar and Cricketspring here? Shouldn't he be speaking to them?

"Hawkstar, let go of me, please," he begged.

"After the mess you've caused in your Clan, I don't see why I should," Hawkstar snapped. "I gave you a warning, a simple one at that, and you throw it right back at me!" His voice had risen to a yowl again, and Nettleclaw found himself struggling under the larger cat's grip.

"What in StarClan's name are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Hawkstar, that is enough!" The former WindClan leader looked up in surprise at the sound of Cloverstar's voice. "I expected more from you," she added in a softer tone.

Relief washed over Nettleclaw's shoulders when Hawkstar stepped off. The dark brown tabby shot Nettleclaw a final glare before slipping away into the shadows. Cloverstar let out an irritated sigh once he was gone.

"You will have to forgive him," she murmured. "These are dark times."

"What did he mean by that?" Nettleclaw asked warily. He was determined to know what fate lay ahead of WindClan. Were they really doomed to fall? Or was it possible that WindClan could be saved?

...

"Well done, Thornpaw!" Orangestripe's yowl of encouragement was enlightening.

Thornpaw hadn't realized how much she missed this kind of praise. Ashfang was the only cat who had ever given her such praise when she finally trusted her. And now her former mentor would likely kill the next time she was spotted.

She gave a gruff shake of her head before returning to where Orangestripe was waiting. He had asked her to perform some of the moves that he'd taught her earlier that morning. And of course she had perfected them with ease.

"That last move was a bit off," she commented before giving her chest fur a few quick licks. After nearly landing on her left paw the wrong way, she had to make sure that everything was perfect. Her new mentor didn't seem to notice though as he looked down at her in surprise.

"I wouldn't say that," he replied as they started padding forward. "You just need to work on your patience." Thornpaw looked at him doubtfully, but she dared not say anything out loud.

They were patrolling the WindClan border now. According to recent reports from Dustfur, a patrol of WindClan warriors was spotted a bit too close to the border for comfort. Knowing Weedstar, Thornpaw wouldn't be surprised if he did such a thing.

I'm in no hurry to see them again, she thought bitterly. Though it wouldn't hurt to leave a few scars on any trespassers. Especially if they were cats she hated, which was almost everyone. WindClan was the reason she was in this situation. She wouldn't mind if any of those mousebrains ended up in worse conditions than getting a few scratches.

Finally they reached the WindClan border, leading over to Fourtrees. Thornpaw narrowed her eyes as they came to a halt. The scent filling her nose made it wrinkle in annoyance. Sure enough it was stronger than usual. Thornpaw looked at Orangestripe uneasily as his claws unsheathed with outrage.

"Something isn't right," he growled. Thornpaw nodded in agreement before taking a step forward. Crossing the border was dangerous, but at this point she could care less. One way or the other she would live a short life, especially with Weedstar and Thistlestrike in power.

That was when she picked up something strange in the air. Her heart was racing with unease as she padded further through the ferns, ignoring the warning call Orangestripe had given. By now the stench had become almost overwhelming. She didn't stop until she spotted something a few fox-lengths ahead. Thornpaw's heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw what that something was.

Without warning she lunged forward until she had reached that something's side. A body, stained with blood and covered in wounds was sprawled out before her. She let out a horrified wail when she realized who it was.

"Ashfang! Oh StarClan!" she breathed and buried her muzzle into the blood-soaked fur. She didn't care what Orangestripe would say when he found her. A sob raked her body as grief took over. First she had lost Cricketspring, and now Ashfang too. Life had just gotten far more complicated for her.

AN: Blah, I am so sorry for not updating in like, forever. Life has just gotten far too busy for me :( Hopefully the next update won't take as long, but I'm not making any promises... I'm also sorry for not doing review replies either :(

QOTD: Who do you think killed Ashfang?