C h a p t e r 20
Jaypaw's quiet coughs rang out in the tunnels; the rest of the group was silent, not wanting to admit the thoughts that were floating through their minds. Jaypaw was sick, that much was certain; the only question was how sick he was.
Please, StarClan, don't let him have the chilling disease, Sootpaw prayed. He's a good cat, he doesn't deserve it...not that Silverstar did, of course, or those other PeakClan cats...I really want to go on this journey, you know that, but not at the cost of one of my Clanmates...She couldn't quite finish the thought, couldn't make herself say 'dying,' even when it was only in her head. It had been bad enough to lose Silverstar, and Silverstar still had several lives left to lose; Jaypaw only had one, and she couldn't imagine waking up in the apprentice den without him or any of the other apprentices.
I guess that's our responsibility though, isn't it? We're the ones that chose to come on this journey. The rest of the Clan is depending on us now, because no one else can save them. If we succeed, we're heroes. If we fail...we cause the downfall of the Clans.
"It's not much farther now," Northstar said softly; he was the first to speak in hours, since about the time that they had gotten up. Sootpaw wondered what time it was; there was no way to tell in the belly of the mountains, of course, but her stomach was rumbling loudly; she guessed it was around sun-high above ground.
"Good, I'm tired of running into Rainwind, and I'm sure he's tired of it too!" Rabbitleap joked; her cheery tone seemed oddly out of place in the darkness, bouncing off of invisible walls and smothering the sounds of Jaypaw's quiet coughing.
The tunnel felt as if it was sloping upwards; that was nothing unusual, since it had been sloping upwards and downwards ever since they entered it, but Sootpaw fervently hoped that this time it meant they were close to the exit. It was chilly in the tunnels, where light had never warmed the dark stone, and even after Moonpaw had reassured her that she was safe, she couldn't feel but help uneasy when she looked up and saw inky blackness instead of the comforting lights of stars.
It took her a moment to realize that the tunnel seemed grayer than before; as they continued, the shades of grayness became lighter and lighter, and her heart rose as she realized they really were nearing the end.
"It will be very bright," Northstar warned. "Your eyes will need time to adjust properly."
Sootpaw was only half-listening; it was all she could do not to leap over Reedrush's head and charge over the rest of the party. Anything would be better than being stuck in the darkness.
Finally, she saw it, the shining mouth of the tunnel; Reedrush was in her way at first, blocking most of the light with her body, but then suddenly Reedrush had moved to the side and Sootpaw was outside and there was a cold breeze brushing her fur and the light was-
Oh!
Northstar hadn't been kidding; the sunlight was so bright that it felt as if it was sinking its claws into her eyes. She closed them quickly, lowering her head and giving herself a good shake. She couldn't imagine being a FrozenClan cat, always walking on the edge between the darkness and the light.
It was several minutes before she could open her eyes again; when she did, she gasped at the breath-taking view before them, and she saw that she was not alone.
The entire valley spread out before them, sheltered by the gray mountains; she could see the bountiful forest, the dark marsh, the white sands that bordered the...she couldn't even remember the word at first.
Ocean, she thought, almost reverently; the word seemed to perfectly capture the beauty in the rolling waves that she saw before her. They were far away, but she thought she could see the white crests of the waves, the sun glinting over the water, seabirds calling loudly as they looked for tasty fish.
It was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Reedrush asked softly, touching Sootpaw's flank with her tail. Sootpaw blinked up at the silver tabby, and realized that she looked a little bit sad.
"This is where I would have grown up, if my mother hadn't taken me away," Reedrush mewed. "But...I suppose I'm glad she did, or I wouldn't have met your mother, or anyone else in the Clan...well, I might have met them in battle, but that definitely wouldn't have been a good thing."
Northstar was looking impatient. "We can't stand here and gawk at the view. There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, we need to tell Tremor and his cats that we're here."
"Where do you think they are?" Rainwind wondered. "A lot of them are FrozenClan cats, so they might be at your old camp..."
Northstar shook his head. "It was TalonClan's camp too, and I'm sure many of them would prefer to forget those times now."
He glanced upwards, frowning to himself. "Checking FrozenClan's camp would be the smartest idea, but it's a bit of a trek for untrained cats like yourselves."
"We live on the Peak," Brackenpaw reminded his father somewhat timidly. "We're used to that sort of thing."
Northstar glanced at him. "You're used to walking well-traveled paths, not up cliff faces," he replied. "I'll go up by myself, and return if there is any sign of them there."
Sootpaw was uneasy with Northstar leaving the rest of them behind in unknown territory, but she rationalized that it probably wasn't very far, and there were a good many warriors to take care of any dangerous rogues that might be passing through.
"Wait!" a deep voice rumbled, and she turned with surprise, peering downwards; her eyes widened as she saw several cats moving towards them from below. They seemed to be leaping from outcropping to outcropping, working their way up the mountain.
Northstar peered over the edge with her, his eyes narrowing with surprise; he seemed to recognize them. He flicked his tail to the rest of the group, telling them to move backwards, before stepping aside himself as the cats pulled themselves over the lip of the cliff.
"That never gets any easier, honestly," one of the cats, a slim silver tabby, meowed. Sootpaw was barely paying attention to her; her attention was focused on the large brown tom that was sizing their group up.
Tremor, she thought, and her gaze drifted towards the silver tabby. So, is she Minnow?
Minnow suddenly turned, and meowed an apology to someone that Sootpaw couldn't see; she moved to the side, and two more cats pulled themselves up, the second with the help of the first. Sootpaw blinked at the two of them – a white tom and a gray-and-white she-cat – before returning her attention to Tremor.
"Hello again, Northstar," Tremor said, dipping his head respectfully; Northstar did the same.
"How did you know we would be here?" PeakClan's deputy rumbled.
"Feather alerted me; StarClan told her in her dreams that we would be receiving visitors...although I admit this is not what I had expected. There are quite a few cats here." He turned his amber eyes on them, and Sootpaw shrank back despite herself; his eyes were kind, but he was large, about as large as Northstar, and almost as intimidating.
"Yes. We're not here for pleasure, of course. StarClan has sent us, but I'll get to that in a moment. These are Reedrush, Thistlethorn, Bluepaw, Jaypaw, and Sootpaw of AshClan, along with Rainwind, Rabbitleap, Brackenpaw, and Swanpaw of my own Clan."
Minnow's gaze flitted over them, stopping as she reached Sootpaw. Her eyes widened with surprise; Sootpaw stiffened, wondering if she had done something wrong, but Minnow said nothing, simply giving Tremor a nudge with her shoulder. His gaze flitted to her as well, and Sootpaw's ears flattened; she wanted to hide behind Reedrush, but didn't want to appear a coward.
"I see," Tremor said slowly, and gave the group another nod. "Well-met. What are you here for?"
Northstar quickly explained their situation, about the prophecy for the cure as well as his own smaller mission to claim the cure for the normal forest-sickness, in hopes that it could help stave off the chilling disease as well. Tremor looked interested.
"We've been having the same problems ourselves; many of the former TalonClan cats are ill. I do not know where the cure for the forest-sickness is, however," he meowed.
Northstar smiled. "Of course not. I'm the only cat alive that does...now, at least."
"Do you think that the cure for the forest-sickness will truly help?" Tremor asked. "We've received no prophecy for fighting the...chilling disease, as you call it. That's why we came here to meet you; taking you back to camp would be ill advised."
Northstar shrugged. "I'm not sure whether it will or not, but we have to try it; we don't have many other choices. We aren't sure what the prophecy means yet, so we'll need time to figure it out – or at least they will."
"I'm sure it won't be too hard," Bluepaw chirped. "StarClan wouldn't make a mystery that we couldn't solve."
Minnow purred quietly. "That's the spirit. Are you going to look for the forest-sickness cure right away, then?"
"I would be happy to," he answered, "but my comrades are probably hungry. They aren't used to going so long without eating."
Tremor nodded with understanding. "We can hunt for you, if you like."
"We can hunt for ourselves-" Reedrush said quickly, but Tremor shook his head.
"There's no reason to wear down your paws now; you'll need them on your journey," he purred, his voice deep and smooth. "Just wait here. Swift, come with me. Sage, you can go with Minnow."
The young gray-and-white she-cat rose to follow Tremor, while the white tom followed Minnow; they headed in opposite directions, quickly moving out of sight thanks to the jagged edges of the mountain.
"I wonder what that was about," Sootpaw mewed as she sidling up alongside Bluepaw. Bluepaw looked curious.
"What are you talking about? They just went to get us some food. I think it's rather nice of them, don't you?"
"Yeah, but that's not what I was talking about. Did you see how Minnow looked at me? And Tremor did to. It was weird." She shivered, her fur ruffling slightly.
Bluepaw shrugged. "Maybe they just think your face looks weird," she giggled, poking Sootpaw's nose playfully; Sootpaw growled and nipped her ear. Bluepaw giggled, and if it hadn't been for Northstar's stern glare, the two of them probably would have attempted to tackle one another.
Tremor's group returned a short time later, with prey in their jaws; they set it down in a small pile, and the cats quickly approached to pick out their pieces to share. Sootpaw grabbed a mouse for herself and Bluepaw, and invited Jaypaw with the flick of her ear. He padded over to them, coughing quietly.
"You feeling okay?" Bluepaw asked anxiously, touching his flank with her tail.
"Fine," he replied; his voice had a slight rasp to it. "I'm just kind of tired."
"You want some?" she asked, flicking her tail towards the mouse that she and Sootpaw were sharing. Jaypaw blinked down at it, then shook his head.
"No. Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."
Sootpaw's heart sank. "You haven't eaten in days," she pointed out. "Surely you're a little bit hungry? Just a little?"
He shook his head again, and she realized that his amber eyes looked dull and dim.
Please don't let him be sick, she thought again.
"Excuse me," she heard a deep voice meow; it was surprisingly soft, and when she glanced up to see who had spoken, she blinked with surprise as she stared up into a white face.
"Sorry to bother you three, but I noticed that you look a bit unwell," Sage said gently. His green eyes were gentle but concerned as he blinked down at Jaypaw.
"I'm fine," Jaypaw meowed, but the validity of his statement was hampered by another cough.
"If I may," Sage said gently, reaching out with one paw; when Jaypaw didn't refuse, he touched the gray tom's flank, and nodded slowly to himself before moving to touch Jaypaw's forehead.
"You have a slight fever, and your eyes are a bit unfocused. Your coughing worries me quite a bit as well. How long have you been without an appetite, and how long have you been coughing?"
"I've had a little bit of a cough for...I don't know, maybe a week? But Bluepaw and Shimmerfrost didn't think it was too serious then." Jaypaw gave Bluepaw a glance, and she nodded. "As for the eating...well, there's just no reason for me to eat when we've got so much work to do. And if I'm not hungry, I shouldn't waste the time, right? We've got a lot of ground to cover. Lives are at stake."
"It was just a little cough...no big deal, right?" Bluepaw mewed. Sage looked grave.
"That's what we said, too...but we've already lost several cats to the chilling disease," he answered. "I can't say for certain myself – Feather is much more gifted than I – but I do not believe this is a mild cold. I would go so far as to venture that this might be something quite serious. In any case, you should not be going on this journey."
Jaypaw's eyes widened, and his fur bristled. "You can't be serious. I've already come this far. There's no way I'm turning back now, not because of some stupid cough!"
Sage's green eyes were calm. "I understand your feelings, but I cannot in good faith allow you to endanger your life. It is possible that you might have inherited some resistance to the disease from your parents; if I have heard correctly, both of your parents were Clanborn. But it will not be enough to keep the disease at bay for long if you continue to push yourself. If you will not tell your journeymates, then I will."
Jaypaw's fur flattened, and he looked abruptly defeated. "I can't go home now," he said. "I can't. Robinpaw is depending on me. I promised that I'd protect her, I can't be sick..."
Sootpaw felt a surge of pity for the gray tom, and against her better instincts she nuzzled his shoulder sympathetically.
"I'm sorry," Sage said quietly. "I'll give you time to let it sink in, but if you do not tell your journeymates before nightfall about your condition, I will be forced to." He gave Bluepaw and nod, then paused a moment to blink at Sootpaw.
"I know of Bluepaw's origins – she came from Twolegplace, or so Minnow says – but what of yours?" he asked, a note of curiosity in his voice.
"I'm Ravenwing's daughter," she mewed, then added, "Eaglestrike's too, of course."
Sage nodded in understanding. "I see. It's good to meet you three." He rose to his paws and padded away, going to stand beside Swift, who Sootpaw guessed was his sister.
"Who do you think they are?" Sootpaw whispered to Bluepaw inquisitively. "They don't look that old."
"They're probably about our age...although Sage is pretty big, so maybe a bit older," Bluepaw observed. "Could they be Minnow's?"
"I don't think she had kits, at least not during Lion's battle," Sootpaw said, trying to remember the stories that her mother had told her; she wasn't even sure if Ravenwing had ever met Minnow, although she'd heard of her. "They'd have to be two moons younger than us, if that was the case...it kind of makes sense, since Swift is silver like her, and Sage has green eyes, but I don't think they're that much younger than us."
"Hmm," was all Bluepaw said, before blinking at Jaypaw with concern. "Are you okay?"
Jaypaw stared down at his paws silently; he didn't speak a word, and Bluepaw and Sootpaw exchanged worried glances.
"It's not the end of the world," Sootpaw assured him, touching his flank with her tail. "I'm sure it's just a little cold. Shimmerfrost will patch you right up."
"That's not the point. I wanted to help Robinpaw, but if I have to go home...Can't you help me?" A pleading note entered his voice as he stared at Bluepaw. "Can't you just use some herb to make the cough go away?"
Her blue-gray ears flattened. "I want to, but I don't know what sort of herbs are around here...and they said it's too dangerous for us to go down into the forest, in case we get sick," she mewed. "I'm sorry, Jaypaw, I would really like to help, but..." She trailed off, and Jaypaw rose to his feet, padding away; Bluepaw looked after him helplessly, before turning to Sootpaw, her eyes wide and sorrowful.
"It was only a little cough," she mewed helplessly.
. . .
"So, where is this cure for the forest-sickness?" Tremor asked keenly; the party had finished their meal, and Northstar now held their full attention.
Northstar smiled. "It's an interesting place. I can't quite explain it to you. You'll have to see it for yourselves." He turned towards the members of his party. "I'm sure you'll be happy to learn that we're going back into the tunnels."
Bluepaw let out a melodramatic groan. "Do we have to?"
"No," he answered, "and this goes for all of you. You can remain behind and stay here, I don't care. It's your choice. I'd prefer it, really, if most of you stayed behind, but there's nothing I can do to stop you. And there are a few of you that must come." He gave Tremor a small nod.
"I already know about the Carvings from the ex-FrozenClan cats," Tremor said. "We've thoroughly explored the Carved tunnels, and have found no sort of cure."
Northstar's eyes gleamed. "Precisely. The tunnels that we will be passing through are not Carved at all."
Sootpaw's eyes widened. Is that safe? She thought nervously. He told us himself that cats get lost...who's to say that he won't have forgotten the way? It's been a long time since he was last here...
"How do you know the way, if it is un-Carved?" Tremor asked; his voice was not suspicious, merely curious.
Northstar flicked his tail. "As my party has already found, I really dislike wasting time with explanations. I'll fill you all in on more details as we go." He began walking away; Tremor waited a moment before following him.
"I think I'll stay here; you all are welcome to," Minnow said cheerfully. Swift sat down beside her, looking somewhat nervous.
"As much as I'd like to stay out of those dingy tunnels, I don't think we can miss this big secret, can we?" Bluepaw asked, cocking her head to once side; Sootpaw quickly shook her head, and the two of them trotted after Northstar, with Reedrush, Brackenpaw, Rabbitleap, Swanpaw, and Jaypaw following behind them. Sootpaw noticed that Rainwind and Thistlethorn were the only ones staying behind to chat with the two loner she-cats.
Northstar moved with remarkable ease, even when the landscape became jagged; Sootpaw was reminded of her earlier lesson with him when she nearly fell as pebbles skidded under her paws; she took one look down at the drop just below her, and shuddered, reminding herself to be more careful of where and how she was putting her paws down.
She spotted the mouth of another tunnel opening; this one was smaller than the last, and she shuddered at the thought of her shoulders brushing up against both sides of the tunnel.
Northstar paused only for a moment, to see who had come along and who had stayed behind, before he disappeared into the darkness. Sootpaw grabbed Bluepaw's tail tightly, and plunging in after her.
The chilling effect was immediate, just as before, and she couldn't help but shiver.
"As I told the other cats earlier, my father realized what an asset the tunnels could be. He was one of the first explorers of them, and one of the few to survive. These tunnels are dangerous if you don't know your way around, and there are too many twists and turns to count." As he spoke, the tunnel forked, and he went left.
"But he did not reveal to FrozenClan all that he learned. My father was crafty and wise; he knew the benefit of keeping information to himself. There is a place deep within these mountains, a secret place, a sacred place. My father and his medicine cat, Leafshadow, were the only cats to know about it when I was young. When my father appointed me deputy against Clan traditions, he shared the secret with me, and so I have kept it, sharing it only with the medicine cat after Leafshadow. Today, I am the only cat alive that knows the way. But that will change. Are you paying attention, Tremor?"
"I am." Tremor's rumble was soft, but deep; she could feel it reverberating through her paws.
"Good." Northstar was quiet again for a long time; the tunnel twisted twice more; Sootpaw was already beginning to have trouble keeping track of the twists and turns.
How did Frozenstar manage to remember this? She wondered. He must have been very intelligent...that's what everyone always said, I guess...but he was crazy too, wasn't he? I guess you can be crazy and crafty at the same time...
"What is this sacred place of yours, exactly?" Rabbitleap asked from behind Sootpaw, almost hesitantly. "I mean, wasn't there a place that the cats communed with StarClan already? FourPool?"
"It is not sacred in the traditional sense, no," he answered. "My father found it before he decided to build FrozenClan, actually, and it was used by him before then. It is not sacred in the idea that it has a connection to StarClan. It has a connection to spirits, yes, but not the ones you know. The Clans are not the only ones with religion. The rogues of the mountains believed in gods long before the Clan cats came. And this place is not sacred only in the spiritual sense, but in the practical sense as well."
"Because of the forest-sickness herbs?" Bluepaw asked.
"Partially," he replied. "It is the only place in our mountains where the forest-sickness herb can grow...we call it the snowberry plant. The forest cats call it-"
"The iceleaf plant," Tremor said quietly, and Sootpaw imagined Northstar nodding.
"Correct. Eating the leaves and berries has an immediate cooling effect, as if the cat had just eaten a block of ice."
"But...how would that help the chilling disease? The forest-sickness had fevers, so that makes sense, but the chilling disease makes you cold," Sootpaw couldn't help but meow.
"It was very effective for cooling forest-sickness fevers, that much is true; we don't know what effect it will have on the chilling disease, but we assume that it can only be good. Those afflicted have the illusion that they are-"
"On fire." The speaker's voice was flat, without malice; Sootpaw almost didn't recognize that it was Swanpaw's. "They think they're on fire. They thrash around and yell, trying to get someone to put out the flames..."
Her sister, Sootpaw thought, with a pang of pity.
"Yes," Northstar said softly. "Sometimes the body has a way of telling the mind exactly what it needs. They feel they are on fire, and the herb has a cooling effect; it is another reason that we are hoping it can help."
After that they walked in silence; Sootpaw finally lost track of their way, and she hoped that Northstar knew where he was going. It was impossible to say how long they had been walking, or how deep they were in the mountain network now; minutes could have been crawling past or hours could have flown by, she couldn't tell. She felt the old prickle of fear returning, the thought that she might never see the stars or sun again, that she would be trapped in the tunnels of eternal night.
That made her think of Chillpaw and the other Dark Forest cats. She couldn't imagine what their reality, with their skies always dark, the stars extinguished.
And instead of going towards the single remaining star – the north star – they're choosing to go into the darkness...to go even deeper, even farther away from the light...She shuddered. How do they make that choice? How do they tear themselves away from the only comfort in their world? I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to make, following an old legend in hopes that there's something beyond the darkness...
She sighed softly. I hope they're right. I hope there really is something waiting for them. I hope that they can save themselves...no matter what, everyone deserves a second chance, right?
She smiled to herself; she could imagine Ravenwing purring quietly, licking her head, and murmuring, 'Silverstar used to say the same thing.' The dappled apprentice felt a sudden longing for her mother's soft fur, her comforting scent, her glowing green eyes. And she missed her father too, his kind eyes, and even her brother; Spiderpaw's sharp tongue would have set Swanpaw straight the moment she dared open her mouth. He would have been all over her after she pushed Bluepaw; Swanpaw would never have dared to do anything like that again.
I wish I had his courage, she thought, his ears flattening. Sometimes it gets him into trouble, but...he's never afraid. He never thinks that there's something he can't do. He'll push himself and everyone else as far as he has to, to make sure the job gets done.
She closed her eyes. He would be better on this journey than me...he would never quit, never stop to rest, never whine about being hunting. He's a good hunter and already a good fighter; he could handle anything the journey threw at him. Whereas I...well...I'm miserable at everything. If I had more training then maybe I could be good at something too, but...She swallowed. Have I bitten off more than I can chew, by going on this journey? I guess...I guess I can still turn back now. If Jaypaw tells Northstar about his sickness, then he'll have to go home...but no one would stop me from coming home too. Mother and Father would be happy to see me, happy that I was safe...they might not even be mad...
Spiderpaw rose into her mind, his green eyes glinting as she entered camp; she imagined him blinking at her silently, before giving her a disdainful curl of his lip.
'Couldn't go the distance, could you?' she imagined him saying, and her heart sank in her paws.
Spiderpaw wouldn't be happy if I came back. He would know that I quit...that I gave up before seeing what I could really accomplish.
She sighed again, and opened her eyes, blinking with surprise; the lightning had changed while she had been lost in her thoughts. It was grayer now, slightly fuzzy; she could almost make out the twists in the tunnel before they happened.
There's no way we're on the other side of the mountain, it's too soon, she thought with surprise. But how else could it be getting lighter?
There was tension on the air, she realized; it was coming from Northstar, just ahead of her. There was uncertainty in his step, an uneasiness in the way his ear twitched; he was nervous about entering the sacred place. And why wouldn't he be? The last time he had came, his father might have been alive.
Northstar stopped abruptly; Sootpaw bumped into Bluepaw and mumbled an apology.
"There is something you all must understand before we enter," Northstar said softly. "I am breaking the unspoken law, by allowing outsiders into the sacred cavern. I do this with a heavy heart; it flies in the face of the old beliefs. But I must, and it is important; this secret is not meant to die with me. The more cats who know of this place, the better; in it lies the hopes of our Clans, as well as your cats, Tremor."
"Understood," Tremor said softly. "We will treat the cavern with the utmost respect, I promise you."
Sootpaw saw Northstar nod slightly in the gloom, and he began walking again. Sootpaw rose slightly on her paws, craning her neck to see where the light was coming from; her eyes widened as the tunnel widened, the cavern blooming before her like a rose.
It was huge, easily fifty fox-lengths across, and almost completely circular; the stone walls were all a dark blue-gray color, smooth and worn. Her eyes widened as she tilted her head back, seeing that the light was coming from a hole in the ceiling of the cavern; the sunlight shone down through it fiercely, but only a fraction of the light managed to reach the dusty floor, hundreds of fox-lengths below.
She realized that the floor of the cavern was not rock; it was dirt, loose and dry, sliding through her paws like sand. She scooped some of it up, watching it run through her claws, before blinking as she saw the figures of three small plants near the center of the cavern, where the most light shone through. The three plants were illuminated, captured in the soft beam, their white berries sparkling like dewdrops. They were small, thin, with a reed-like stalk, and somewhat tall and lean. The leaves were large, spread wide.
"This is amazing, Northstar," Rabbitleap whispered, craning her back to stare at the top of the cavern. "It's...it's like..." Words seemed to fail the gray-and-white she-cat for once, and Northstar touched her flank gently with his tail.
"I had always hoped that I would be able to show someone that I cared about this place," he said softly. "Now I can say that I can."
Rabbitleap's blue-green eyes glimmered, and she pressed her nose against her mentor's shoulder.
"What is all of this, Father?" Brackenpaw asked with amazement, trotting up to his father's side. "It's so...huge. And there's lichen everywhere."
Northstar touched the golden tom's shoulder briefly with his tail, before fixing his golden eyes on Tremor. "This is our sacred cavern. This is our burial ground. It is the only place in the mountains where the earth is soft enough to dig into, at any time of year."
"Your...burial ground?" Rabbitleap whispered, and the she-cat gazed around the cavern with new-found awe gleaming in her eyes.
He nodded. "It is also one of the few places that the snowberry plant can grow. Forest cats have fertile soil, but this is all we FrozenClan cats had." He turned to look at the three lone plants in the sunlight. "It took many years for the soil to become rich enough for them, of course, and it is still very poor compared to the forest's soil. The sunlight allowed lichen to thrive here, and when the lichen died it became the earth." He began walking towards the light. "This is where all FrozenClan warriors are buried – along with elders, kits, and apprentices. The most prestigious cats are buried in the center; the others are buried farther away."
Sootpaw and the others trotted after him, stopping when he did; he stared down at a small stone, and Sootpaw's eyes widened as she realized that similar stones, smooth, pale, and unmarked, were scattered all over the den floor, half-buried in the dirt.
"Markers," she whispered, "for the bodies."
Northstar did not move; he continued to stare, and Sootpaw noticed that the three snowberry plants were all near three different grave-markers.
"The most prestigious cats were buried in the center...so is one of them...?" Rabbitleap blinked at Northstar anxiously.
Northstar flicked his tail to one of the plants, the one that was in the very center of the entire cavern. "That one is my father's grave. I carried him here alone, and buried him, then planted a single berry over his grave...it was our custom." He closed his eyes. "I knew to win the war we would need to outlast the forest Clans, and I knew they would succumb to the forest-sickness if their herbs were destroyed. We had to plant the snowberry plants here – as I said, it was the only place. My father knew that the earth was not yet rich enough for them to survive, even with the lichen. And so when a warrior was killed and buried, he would plant a snowberry berry on top of the grave. So that when the warrior's body turned to earth..."
"It would feed the plant," Tremor said, and Northstar nodded.
"He was crafty," Northstar meowed, "but that only meant that every warrior's death was just as much a blessing as a time to mourn. He comforted himself with that; it didn't matter how many warriors died, so long as they fed the plants and allowed the rest of the Clan to survive. I lost my mentor to his foolishness." Gently, he reached out to touch the stone that he had been staring at before. Slowly, hesitantly, Brackenpaw did as well.
"Brackenheart, right? The cat I was named for?" he asked, blinking up at his father. Northstar blinked down at his son, then nodded again.
"Yes. I hoped that you would live up to his legacy," was all that he said.
The plant above Brackenheart's grave is still alive, and so is Frozenstar's, she thought. They have enough sunlight to survive...I wonder who the third grave belongs to?
"Sunlight isn't enough to keep them alive though, surely?" Sage asked thoughtfully. "Don't they need water? Surely not enough of that makes it down here."
Northstar nodded. "That is true. One of the medicine cat's duties was to care for these plants; Leafshadow used to go and gather moss, soak it in water, and come here to place the water-soaked moss around the plants to keep them alive. There were many, many more alive then...but without her care most of them have died. Only these three hardly plants have managed to survive. We should count ourselves lucky." He turned to Tremor. "One of these plants is yours, obviously. Take its berries and replant them wherever you see a grave-marker, and soon you will have more. Use the leaves to combat the chilling disease, if you can. We will take the other two, one for PeakClan and one for AshClan. If we move quickly, they will survive the trip."
Tremor nodded quickly. "Thank you, Northstar. This is quite a gift that you have given us."
Northstar didn't say anything, and Tremor glanced at the remaining cats. "If you need some time to yourself, we can wait in the entrance," he said quietly.
Northstar sighed, then shook his head. "I would like it, but there's simply no time to be wasted. I suggest you begin gathering some of the leaves while I dig up these other two."
Tremor nodded, and immediately he began picking the leaves of the third snowberry plant; Sage gently took a few of the round, white berries and began looking for places to plant them.
Northstar began to dig, his massive paws sending up clumps of earth at a time; Rabbitleap and Brackenpaw moved to help, but he simply shook his head, and they hung back.
Northstar dug up the first plant, then the second. He turned towards Sootpaw, and her eyes widened as his hard golden gaze met hers.
"One of these is yours now," he growled to her. "You're coming back with me, you've got to carry one."
She blanched, ears flattening; Sage glanced at her curiously.
"S-sir, I..." she stammered, then trailed off; out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone move.
It was Jaypaw; he stood, and seemed more frail than ever as he gave a small cough.
"Sir," he said quietly. "Sage says that...I'm not well. He doesn't think that it's a good idea for me to continue on this journey."
Northstar's eyes flicked to Sage, and the white tom nodded.
"I don't know if he has the chilling disease, but he is indeed ill," Sage meowed carefully. "It would be unwise for him to come with you."
"I would continue if I could," Jaypaw meowed quickly, his gaze sweeping over the group as if to erase all doubt from their minds. "I just...I can't." His ears flattened, and he slowly reached for one of the snowberry plants; when Northstar didn't stop him, he grasped it firmly in his jaws.
Northstar fixed Sootpaw with his gaze. "I see," he said slowly. "AshClan has lost an apprentice for this journey...and yet StarClan said there must be two. Are you stepping up to take his place now?"
Sootpaw swallowed; the question suddenly seemed much more real to her now, much more pressing.
I could just say no, she thought. No one would think ill of me for it. I've had my taste of adventure; I've been hungry, tired, and wet. I've had my fun away from home. I could go back right now, back to my mother and father and...
Just as before, Spiderpaw rose in her mind, looking disappointed, perhaps even angry, and her ears flattened.
He loves me; of course he does, I'm his sister. And he would be glad to have me back, to know that I'm safe. But he would be disappointed. He would never forgive me for giving up, for turning my back on my Clan...for giving up my responsibilities just because I was scared.
She took a deep, steadying breath, and as she did so, she thought she caught the faintest scent of Spiderpaw's sleek fur. Then, she gave Northstar a smile.
"Of course I'm coming," she meowed. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
AN: I think Belladonna/Nightshade's eyes changed a bajillion times too (why am I so bad at keeping eyes consistent?) but I think usually I said they were gold/amber? At least, I remember doing that a few times, and I like that color for her, so now it's official. Anyway, green eyes can be 'masked' by the more dominant gold eyes, like both Blight and Bella/Night/Mother had, therefore if both Blight and B/N/M carried the recessive gene for green eyes their kits could in theory have green eyes, as Sage does. There's only a ¼ change of that occurring (using really really simplified genetic stuff, and I'm not even sure if that's accurate D:) but since there were three total kits and he's the only green-eyed one it seems pretty close. :p
No, the snowberry/iceleaf plant isn't based on a real plant (although I'm sure something like it exists somewhere. xD). But it does give us a lovely excuse to hear Northy talk, yay. Can we ever get enough of him?
Also, early update for you darlings! Yeeaaah~!