About halfway to the SnowClan camp, Thorncloud finally slowed down, her chest heaving with the effort of running. She could sleep for a moon, she was sure. Picking up a slow trot, she examined her surroundings. She was near the sandy hollow where apprentices normally trained. A grim feeling ate at her insides. Poor Twigpaw. First he'd lost Blizzardpelt as a mentor when the old cat retired, and now Copperfur, his replacement mentor, was dead.
She heard voices as she approached the sandy hollow. Peering through the undergrowth, she saw Windheart and Ivypaw practicing a tricky battle move, while Berryleaf sat at the side with his apprentice, Owlpaw. She watched for a moment as the SnowClan deputy muttered commentary into Owlpaw's ear; the apprentice nodded along eagerly.
Windheart lunged at her apprentice, and Ivypaw leapt over her, anticipating the attack, and landed easily on the blue and cream warrior's back. "Great! Now get off," Windheart grunted. Ivypaw bounded to the side, her eyes bright with pride.
Thorncloud emerged into the clearing, rustling a bush loudly to alert the others of her arrival. All four cats looked up. Both apprentices' jaws dropped at the sight of her. She must have looked wild, with a blood-stained coat and a torn ear, not to mention grossly ungroomed.
"Thorncloud!" Windheart exclaimed. She and Berryleaf both rushed to her side. "You're back! But where's Copperfur?"
Thorncloud just shook her head ever so slightly. Windheart rested her tail on Thorncloud's shoulders sympathetically.
"You're hurt," Berryleaf said, snapping into deputy mode. "We have to get you back to camp. Owlpaw, run ahead and tell Tallfeather to prepare – Ivypaw, go alert Rainstar that Thorncloud is back. Say nothing to any other cat."
Both apprentices shot into the trees and disappeared in the direction of camp. Thorncloud was at least grateful that Twigpaw hadn't been here to see that his mentor was absent. "I'm sure you have much to tell the clan," Windheart said, her eyes wide with concern.
"Tallfeather will tend to her first," Berryleaf said. "That ear looks nasty."
"It can't be saved now," Thorncloud muttered. "As long as it doesn't get infected, I don't care. I've got another wound on my flank, too. Sunstar did a number on us."
"Sunstar?" Berryleaf echoed. "Great StarClan, you do have a tale to tell. Let's get you back to camp."
The two warriors flanked her on either side on the way back. She was able to walk fine, but it was nice to have the brush of another cat's fur to keep her company. The sun was rising well into the sky now, and all the clan would be awake. She wasn't sure if she was prepared for their questions.
By the time they herded her through the gorse tunnel, cats were already emerging into the clearing. Despite Berryleaf's orders, it seemed that they already had an idea of what was to come. Eyes fell on her as she padded into the clearing, and filled with sorrow as they realized Copperfur wasn't with her.
Berryleaf went to join Rainstar, who was waiting at the base of the Highrock, as Windheart guided Thorncloud to Tallfeather's den. The medicine cat was carrying herbs into the clearing when they entered, and his eyes widened as he stared at her. "Oh, Thorncloud – you've been through it, haven't you?" he murmured, and beckoned her over with his tail. "Thank you, Windheart; I can take it from here. Go tell the rest of the clan that she'll be ready to speak later."
Thorncloud padded to the centre of the clearing, her eyes somewhat glazed with shock. Now that she was back, the severity of the situation seemed a thousand times worse. Sunstar was out for blood. He hadn't so much as blinked at Copperfur's death, hadn't scolded his warrior for the needless murder. It was such a contrast to the reaction when Tigerfang killed Brookpelt.
Vaguely, she felt Tallfeather's tongue rasping gently along her ear, cleansing the wound. A trickle of blood ran down her head as it reopened, and Tallfeather hissed in frustration. "Does it hurt?" he asked.
"Not so much anymore," Thorncloud whispered.
Tallfeather eyed her curiously. "Something bad happened, I can tell," he said. "Wait here." He went briefly to his stores and returned with a poppy flowerhead. He shook out a few poppy seeds and nudged them towards her. "Here, chew on these. It'll help with the shock. It'll make you tired. If you fall asleep, don't worry. The clan can wait to hear you speak."
She did as instructed. Tallfeather was looking at her in a way she didn't like. Pity, she thought bitterly. She chewed faster, and felt the effects of drowsiness almost immediately. She lay down on the floor of the den, allowing Tallfeather to bustle around her, tending to every wound. Before long, darkness overtook her, and she was happy to let it.
She didn't know how long she slept, but Tallfeather was no longer next to her when she awoke. He was perched on the other end of the clearing, watching her intently. When she lifted her head, he smiled faintly. "Sleep well?" he asked.
Thorncloud nodded. Her wounds stung when she sat up, but she knew that just meant Tallfeather had done his job. "Thank you," she said, examining the pad of her paw. He'd even noticed the cut on her paw and had cleaned it and and applied a poultice to it.
"You can walk on it," Tallfeather said. "The poultice will rub off, but by now enough should have set in. I can always apply more later." He glanced towards the entrance to the den. Thorncloud noted how quiet the camp sounded outside. "It's almost sunset. The clan is getting impatient. If you're ready to speak, I know they're eager to listen."
Thorncloud took a deep breath, then nodded. Tallfeather swept over to her side and guided her out of the den. She noted that he didn't walk close enough for their fur to brush. In the grogginess of just having woken up, she didn't think much of it, but a voice at the back of her mind told her that normally Tallfeather would've gotten as close to her as he could.
Out in the clearing, cats milled around in silence. It seemed that nearly every cat was present. They looked up as she began walking towards the Highrock. Ivypaw and Owlpaw were sharing tongues with a distraught-looking Twigpaw. Tigerfang and Springfoot sat together by the tree stump, and Rosewhisker's three young kits tumbled around play-fighting, blissfully unaware of the shifting mood of the camp.
Berryleaf sat with Rainstar by the base of the Highrock. As Thorncloud approached, Rainstar stood up. "Thorncloud," she greeted. "We're eager to hear how the mission went, but first – is it true that Copperfur is dead?"
Thorncloud could only nod. Cats began to gather around the Highrock. Rainstar's ears flattened slightly. "Copperfur will be missed. We'll hold a vigil for him tonight. But until then," she said, flicking her tail towards the Highrock. "Come, let's recount for the clan what you've discovered at Highstones."
Thorncloud blinked as Rainstar leapt onto the Highrock and called out the summons. Tallfeather nudged her. "She wants you up there," he murmured.
Bewildered at being invited to speak at the Highrock, Thorncloud awkwardly scrambled up to sit next to Rainstar. The old she-cat was looking at her expectantly. Thorncloud could hardly stomach the view from up here; she could see the whole clearing, and all of the eager faces gazing up at her.
"U-Um, hello," she stammered. Her eyes flickered over to Springfoot. She nodded encouragingly. Thorncloud took a deep breath, and began speaking. It took a while to recount every detail. She went over the cats that had been chosen, to which there were murmurs of approval; the discovery that rogues and kittypets were being recruited to Sunstar's new clan, to which there were yowls of anger and gasps of shock; the plan to speak with Sunstar civilly – she saw Rainstar nodding at this; and Sunstar's attempt on her own life when he wanted to threaten the forest clans.
Then came the hardest part of the story. Her voice shook as she told them about the fight. The numbers they were against, the way the rogues fought… and finally, Copperfur's murder. The clan fell silent, rapt with attention.
Thorncloud left out her threat to Sunstar. No cat needed to know about that, and she felt embarrassed at losing her temper. She finished by brushing over their journey back, and SunClan's threats on their back as they ran from the rocklands. When she finished speaking, there was a hush over the camp.
"I wish I could've done more," she finished.
Rainstar's tail came to rest on her shoulders. "You did all you could," she said kindly. "Copperfur's death will not be forgotten. His closest friends will sit vigil for him tonight. You, however, must get some rest. That's an order, Thorncloud," she added as the tortoiseshell warrior opened her jaws to protest. Rainstar turned to the rest of the clan. "We've learned much from Thorncloud's brave tale. I will consider our options going forward. But be assured, StarClan is watching over us."
"But StarClan seems to approve of SunClan, do they not?" Foxtail called from below. "They granted Sunstar nine lives!"
Mutterings of anger erupted from the crowd. Rainstar looked to Tallfeather. "Have StarClan spoken with you about this?" she asked.
"No," Tallfeather answered, bowing his head. "I've heard nothing. But I believe we shouldn't rush to conclusions." He met Thorncloud's eyes. "I have reasons to believe this is not the will of StarClan."
Thorncloud frowned. Was he talking about her dream. His eyes bore into hers, and she suddenly realized what he was trying to tell her. He wanted her to tell the clan about her prophecy. She shook her head slightly, and Tallfeather looked away, disappointed. Guilt made her stomach turn, but she couldn't bring herself to betray Bumblestripe's trust when they had agreed to keep silent.
"Thank you, Tallfeather," Rainstar said. "And you, Thorncloud." She dipped her head to the young warrior. Ah. Thorncloud was being dismissed. She bowed respectfully to the leader and jumped down onto the grass, wincing as her wounds twinged painfully. She limped over to Springfoot's side. Her foster mother gave her a few reassuring licks.
"Cats of SnowClan," Rainstar continued. "Even with this new information, we can't act yet. I must discuss this with my deputy, our medicine cat, as well as the other clans. We must act as one force, and I hope the other three clans will agree." She emphasized the number of clans. Yowls of approval rose up. "That being said, there are other duties to attend to. First, the matter of Twigpaw's mentor."
Twigpaw looked up, and slowly padded forward. Rainstar looked down at him with sadness in her eyes. "Twigpaw, you have already had two mentors. You must now be passed on to your third. Stoneclaw, please step forward."
The grey tabby padded forward. Such a ceremony would usually be one of pride, but the warrior looked solemn to take the position of another warrior. "Stoneclaw, you are ready for another apprentice. You will be Twigpaw's new mentor, and I hope you pass on all you know to him," Rainstar recited.
Stoneclaw and Twigpaw lightly touched noses. Thorncloud noted Barktail's kits, Leafkit and Daisykit, watching intently. The kits would be about six moons old now, she realized, and would be having their own apprentice ceremonies within days. Behind them, Tigerfang, still acting as an apprentice, watched with narrowed eyes. It seemed like she looked even less happy than when Thorncloud left.
Not long ago, yet it felt so far away, Tigerfang had been boasting about being given her first apprentice soon. Now, Thorncloud knew that was an impossibility. She was bound to be humiliated if the kit she thought she would be mentoring would soon share a den with her and the other apprentices.
As if sensing that she was being watched, Tigerfang's gaze flickered over to Thorncloud. Thorncloud subtly waved her tail. Tigerfang just stared at her, and turned away, padding towards the apprentices' den as the clan meeting came to an end.
The other cats left Thorncloud alone as she padded back to the warriors' den. Even though she had just woken up, she was ready to sleep again. The idea of staying up to give Copperfur his vigil was tempting, but the exhaustion of telling everyone about the journey had left her feeling hollow inside. Rainstar was right; sleep was what she needed.
As she was settling down in her nest – the moss had been changed since she left, which she silently thanked the apprentices for – Windheart entered with a leaf curled in her jaws. She shook it in front of Thorncloud, and a few more poppy seeds fell out. "Tallfeather said to give you these, to help you sleep," she said.
"Thanks." Thorncloud happily lapped them up, and lay down in her nest. It was far comfier than the past nights she had spent the rocklands, and it didn't take her very long to drift off to sleep.