Icy: So it's been a while...

Wingpaw: Really? I couldn't tell...

Flarepaw: Oh, come on, are we really going to play this game time and time again? How about we just let Icy get along with the chapter?

Icy: Thanks Flarepaw!

Wingpaw: Ugh... Fine. There're only a couple chapters left anyway...

Icy: Exactly. Alright, let's get with it!


Chapter Forty-Eight

An Unlikely Source of Assistance


Great StarClan, Thistleclaw is about to kill Sunstar and I'm stuck back at camp with greencough and no idea how to get to the Moonstone!

Mosspaw forced herself not to panic. A coughing bout threatened to take over her, but she fought against it, determined to let no one else know she had greencough. Or at least what I think is greencough, Mosspaw retorted to herself. No, I know what greencough is. Mistypaw had it…

Mosspaw paused for a moment. Am I going to die just like Mistypaw died? Am I going to die of greencough, unable to complete the prophecy after all?

No, Mosspaw answered herself. Mistypaw didn't die of greencough, she died of the deathberries that Goosefeather gave her…

Mosspaw's thoughts lost focus yet again. Why did Goosefeather feed her those, anyway? Is it because he's a deranged old tom who should have retired long before he did? Mosspaw had uncovered the mystery of the cause of her sister's death, but she had never learned why Goosefeather did it. Why did I never figure this out?

Mosspaw shook her head in an attempt to clear it. I need to focus on Thistleclaw right now. He's probably going to kill Sunstar while he is dreaming. They go to sleep when they're at the Moonstone, don't they? I remember Spottedpaw telling me about that… Sunstar is going to be helpless. What if he's already dreaming? Am I too late? I have to hurry!

In the midst of her thoughts, Mosspaw started to get dizzy from shaking her head. I have to get catmint or something. Otherwise I'm not going to make it to Thistleclaw in time!

Mosspaw padded around the crowd of ThunderClan cats, still crowded around the middle of camp trying to find out why their leader and deputy left the camp without telling them, and slowly made her way to the medicine cat den.

"Spottedpaw?" Mosspaw called as she entered the den.

Featherwhisker emerged instead. "Spottedpaw is out gathering herbs," he explained. "Most of the catmint is dead. If anyone gets greencough and it spreads then it could be the end of ThunderClan."

"Oh... Well that would be terrible," Mosspaw meowed. Foxdung! I can't let him know! I can't ask for herbs! He'll force me to stay here in the medicine cat den and I can't do that!

"What did you need Spottedpaw for?" Featherwhisker asked.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to her about something, but it can wait," Mosspaw lied in reply.

"Is it about the prophecy?" Featherwhisker asked.

"Umm… kind of, but it can wait," Mosspaw replied.

"Are you sure?" Featherwhisker asked.

"Yep," Mosspaw replied.

"Alright then," Featherwhisker meowed. "I've got a camp full of cats asking me questions because Sunstar put me in charge, so I've got to go," he added.

"Alright. I'll show myself out," Mosspaw meowed, turning around and exiting the den.

Mosspaw wandered over to the apprentices' den and stood in front of it. What should I do? I need catmint, but I don't know what it looks like, plus I don't want to steal it from the rest of the Clan… but I won't make it to save Sunstar if I don't have any! What should I do?

Mosspaw closed her eyes to try and relax herself, but she started to feel herself sway and lose her balance so she forced them back open.

Think, Mosspaw, think! There's got to be something you can do! Is there someone that can help you?

Mosspaw blinked.

Oh.

Mosspaw stood still during her sudden realization.

He could help me, but I don't want his help… The only cat I hate more than this cat is Thistleclaw, but I don't have any choice, do I?

Mosspaw let out a low growl of anger as she padded over to the elders' den. She poked her head through the entrance.

"Is Goosefeather in here?" she asked.

"I am," the speckled gray tom replied. "I'm the only one, actually."

"Okay," Mosspaw meowed, padding into the den. "Where are the others?"

"Out with everyone else," Goosefeather replied, pointing outside the den with his tail. "It seems that I picked a good time to retire."

"Yeah, because it was your choice to retire," Mosspaw meowed coldly. "If I recall, I was the one who forced you to retire. If you hadn't retired, then I would have told the whole Clan that you killed my sister."

Goosefeather blinked. "There's more to it than that, and you know it."

"Is there really?" Mosspaw asked.

"Why are you in here?" Goosefeather asked. "Obviously you need my help. Otherwise, you would never talk to me."

Mosspaw sighed. "You're right, I do need your help. I need to go to the Moonstone, but have no idea…" Mosspaw broke off into a coughing fit.

"No idea how to get there?" Goosefeather offered.

"Yeah," Mosspaw meowed between coughs. "That."

"And you have greencough?" Goosefeather asked.

"Yes, I think so," Mosspaw replied.

"Did you tell Featherwhisker?" Goosefeather asked.

"No. I can't risk him keeping me in camp. Did you hear his announcement?" Mosspaw asked.

"No, nor do I care to," Goosefeather replied. "It's probably not important…"

"Sunstar and Thistleclaw went to the Moonstone! It's just the two of them!" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"What?" Goosefeather asked sharply.

"What if Thistleclaw tries to kill Sunstar while he's dreaming?" Mosspaw asked. "I have to get there and save him! This could be what the prophecy was talking about! I'm the only one that can save him, and I need your help to do it!"

"Alright," Goosefeather meowed, getting to his paws. "I'll help you. Come on, let's go. There's no time to waste."


"What is this?" Mosspaw asked as Goosefeather gave her a strange looking plant.

"Catmint," Goosefeather replied. "You'll need it."

"But the rest of the Clan needs it! Featherwhisker said most of the plants are dead!" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"You need it more," Goosefeather meowed. "No one else has greencough yet. You're taking it so it doesn't spread, okay? Think of it like that if it makes you feel better."

"If it makes me feel better? Nothing you say will make me feel better. How do I know these don't have little deathberries on them?" Mosspaw added.

"You just saw me pull the leaves off the plant!" Goosefeather replied harshly. "You've been watching me the whole time! Just eat them for StarClan's sake!"

Mosspaw bent down to eat the leaves, but she stopped and scented them first. It doesn't smell like the deathberries that were in his den before… Mosspaw tentatively took a bite. She chewed a leaf and ate a little more.

"Better?"

"Helped a little bit," Mosspaw admitted when she was done.

"That will temporarily help with your symptoms, but if we keep moving instead of stopping and resting, then it won't help for long," Goosefeather explained.

"Stopping isn't an option," Mosspaw reminded him. "We need to get going."

"Then let's get walking," Goosefeather meowed, turning around to take the lead.

"You know, I never asked why," Mosspaw meowed, making conversation as they made their way to WindClan territory.

"Why what?" Goosefeather asked, not stopping to face her.

"Why you killed my sister," Mosspaw replied coldly.

"Why I killed Mistypaw? You know why," Goosefeather meowed.

"I know how, but not why," Mosspaw reminded him.

"You think I killed her for no reason?" Goosefeather asked.

"I think you killed her because you're old and deranged," Mosspaw replied honestly.

"That's not true," Goosefeather meowed. "I had a good reason for it. Not one that you'll like, but a good reason."

"Really? And what's that?" Mosspaw asked.

"It was the will of StarClan."

"I don't believe that," Mosspaw meowed. "Not for a heartbeat."

"It's true," Goosefeather insisted. "Bluefur was supposed to be deputy instead of Thistleclaw. Had she been deputy, then you wouldn't be doing what you're doing right now. Had she followed her destiny, then Thistleclaw would have never been deputy and ThunderClan would be much more peaceful than it is. Bluefur was supposed to be deputy, but she ignored her destiny and had kits instead."

"She faced her destiny during the battle! Stonepaw told me what Bluefur told him right before she died!" Mosspaw exclaimed.

"When I killed Mistypaw, she had yet to face her destiny. She was still ignoring it and simply focusing on trying to be a good mother. She was taking care of the three of you. Mistypaw's death was Bluefur's punishment from StarClan," Goosefeather explained. "They asked me to carry it out."

"That…" Mosspaw wanted to argue against it, but she couldn't think of anything to counter what Goosefeather had said.

"It is rare for StarClan to punish, I know, but they were hoping Mistypaw's death would resurface Bluefur's will to follow her destiny, and it did, as she showed during the battle," Goosefeather added.

"So Mistypaw's death was all a part of the prophecy, and you knew that when you did it?" Mosspaw asked.

"Yes," Goosefeather replied. "Now do you understand? Now can you stop calling me an old, deranged cat?"

"Hmm…" Mosspaw meowed in thought. "Maybe I can change the deranged part, but not the old part."

"Apprentices…" Goosefeather muttered as they crossed the WindClan border. Mosspaw purred in amusement.

Mosspaw was about to comment on how she hadn't fully forgiven him, only slightly forgiven him, but someone else spoke before she could.

"What are you doing on WindClan territory?"

A WindClan patrol! Mousedung!

"Hello, Talltail," Goosefeather greeted the WindClan patrol, led by a black-and-white tom with a long tail. A dark ginger tom and a pale brown she-cat accompanied him.

"What are you doing on WindClan territory?" Talltail repeated his question. "Are you the ones who fed deathberries to Dawnstripe, Applepaw, Spottedtail, and Morningpaw?"


Icy: Dun dun dun!

Flarepaw: Icy! You end one cliffhanger with another! Every time!

Wingpaw: At least we've only got a couple more chapters of this nonsense.

Icy: Two! Two more chapters! It gets intense! We're tying up a lot of loose ends, as you can tell with Goosefeather's reappearance. Prepare yourselves for a lot of sadness in the next two chapters. The next chapter gets you ready for the big showdown, plus tying up a couple loose ends, and then chapter fifty is the big showdown! Then there's the epilogue, which we can't talk about until after chapter fifty, because spoilers.

Wingpaw: You need to update again soon!

Flarepaw: Please!

Icy: I can't make any promises, you know that. Alright, well, prepare yourselves for a lot of sadness next chapter! You may or may not need some tissues!

Flarepaw: It's that sad?

Wingpaw: Icy, no!

Icy: Yes! Prepare yourselves! See you next time!

~Icy and the crew