Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you're having a great summer! It's really warm where I live, and I'm happy to be enjoying the weather and being done with school! I have a couple things I want to talk about today.
One: Summer plans. I'm going to try to keep up my writing as much as I can this summer, and I might even get more writing done now that I don't have any schoolwork, but I also have a couple camping trips planned, which means there might be a couple weeks where I'm away from home and won't be able to do any writing. Again, I'll try to upload as frequently as possible, but updates might be a little less consistent over the next few months.
Two: My new cover! If you haven't seen already, I've put a new cover in for The Last Star. Sorry it's not the best, art isn't really my strong suit. (I'm much better at writing lol). However, I thought it would be nice to have a personal, handmade cover instead of just some random image off the internet. Plus, now you get to see what a couple of my characters look like! I drew it using pencils and colored pencils, I hope you enjoy it! It got a little cut off on the edges because of the size limit for pictures on this website, but you can see most of it. I know it's kind of hard and small to see, although if you click on the photo, it should show you an enlarged version. The cat on the left is Smolderpaw, and the cat on the right is Briarpaw.
Thanks for reading that whole thing, sorry it was kind of long lol. As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, and favoriting/following. The support really helps, and I'm glad to hear from you. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Have an amazing day,
-Rosie ;)
Chapter Sixteen
"Are you coming to the gathering tonight?" Briarpaw looked up to see Duskpaw trotting over.
"Well, I was supposed to."
He cocked his head at her, before sitting down next to her. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not even sure if there's going to be a Gathering." She flicked her tail towards the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. They were still a long way off, but there was no doubt that they were coming in the direction of the Clans.
"How bad do you think it's going to be?"
"It's been brewing for days. I'd say pretty bad."
"Well, maybe it's a good thing that it's finally breaking. I mean, the humidity's been so bad, and only getting worse."
"Tell me about it," Briarpaw muttered. The air was so wet that the moisture was actually dampening her pelt slightly.
"Perhaps once this storm breaks, we'll get a bit of relief."
"I hope so," Briarpaw sighed. But at what cost? Was it just a coincidence that she had dreamt about a storm just a couple days before, or did it mean something?
Suddenly, she remembered the words that Breezecloud had spoken in the prophecy. A storm that is raging deep within will shake the earth to its core.
Could that be referring to this storm? Briarpaw felt a bolt of fear at the thought. Whatever the prophecy was foretelling, she had imagined it would be a little ways away, and that she would have time to prepare. But what would she do if it was coming now? Despite the heat, she felt a shiver rack her body.
"Are you ok?" Duskpaw asked, and Briarpaw glanced up, startled. She had been so lost in thought, that she had forgotten he was there. She gave a quick nod and looked around the camp.
At least the Clan was prepared. They could sense that the coming storm was big, and potentially dangerous. Otterwish, Frecklestorm, and Cherrytail were dragging bramble tendrils over the nursery for extra reinforcement. Amberpaw and Ebonypaw, along with their mentors, Mintfur and Palefire, were dragging the nests inside the tunnels, along with Tawnystar and several of the warriors. Mossfoot dashed into camp with a bundle of last-minute herbs, in case any were destroyed in the storm. Lionpaw and Smolderpaw carried leaf bundles, and when they sat them down, Briarpaw saw they contained small rocks. Mossfoot led them into her den, and showed them how to use the rocks to hold down the herbs so they wouldn't blow away if the wind picked up.
Wait… She went over the words in her mind again. A storm that is raging deep within will shake the earth to its core. What does the 'raging deep within' part mean?
She suppressed a sigh. She had no idea what it meant. She didn't know what any of it meant. She wasn't really any better off than she had been before, except for the fact that she knew that the 'darkness' may or may not be coming today.
What a great help to my Clan I'm being. Oh, StarClan, why didn't you pick a cat who knew what she was doing?
…
Briarpaw winced at the earthy taste in her mouth as she groomed her paws. She had just helped Daisypaw and Tigerblossom bury the fresh kill pile, so that the rain wouldn't soak, and ruin, the prey.
She glanced up from her grooming to see Tawnystar speaking with Thistlevine. She guessed that they were discussing whether to go to the Gathering or not. Turning her gaze skyward, she could see that the storm clouds, which were almost as dark as the night sky, were definitely moving closer, although the storm still hadn't broken. The cats had expected it to arrive a while ago, and all the waiting was just making cats tense and anxious.
Briarpaw wondered if StarClan was waiting for her to do something, and until she did it, they were holding back the storm. Can they do that? If they can do that, then why not just stop the storm altogether?
Maybe she was just thinking crazy. Or maybe it's my conscience eating at me.
Should I go tell Mossfoot? Surely she'll know what to do.
But what if she tells me to be a medicine cat? What if I have to stop being a warrior apprentice?
Inwardly, she scolded herself. Cats are in danger! This is no time to think about what I want!
She glanced at Mossfoot's den, painfully aware that every second she spent waiting gave her a smaller and smaller time period to go talk to the Clan's medicine cat before it was too late.
I don't want cats to get hurt because of me, she decided finally. I have to do this. A good warrior always does what's best for the Clan, not what's best for herself.
Even if it means giving up her warriorship.
Slowly, she made her way over to the medicine den. Each time she lifted a paw, it felt like there were a bunch of rocks tied to it. Finally reaching the mouth of the den, she looked in and saw Mossfoot securing down the last of the herbs. She was alone. There was no better time than now.
Taking a deep breath, she meowed, in a voice that was much more shaky and quiet than she had hoped for, "Mossfoot-"
But before she could get any further, she heard Tawnystar call the Clan from outside the den. Feeling both relieved and frustrated, Briarpaw turned towards him. A few moments later, Mossfoot's head popped out of the den beside her. They were only a few tail-lengths apart now, but there were too many cats around for Briarpaw to say anything to the medicine cat without risking being overheard.
"Thistlevine and I have decided that we will be going to the Gathering after all, but we are going to take a smaller patrol. Squirrelleap, Spotfur, Tinyspider, Prickleleaf, and Fogstripe will be staying here. I want you to help prepare the camp for the storm, in any other way you can. And don't go far from camp, if you decide to leave, and definitely stay away from the lake and the ThunderClan border stream, as if the rain is heavy enough, there might be flooding. Snowhawk, you're in charge while we're gone."
He bounded down from the boulder he had been standing on, and towards the entrance to camp. The cats who had been selected for the Gathering, and who hadn't been told to stay behind, gathered around him. As Briarpaw padded over to join them it felt very different to be bringing such a small patrol to the gathering. It was only Tawnystar, Thistlevine, Mossfoot, Swiftwing, Doespring, Slatefrost, Duskpaw, Crowtalon, and herself.
"This patrol feels so weird with a bunch of cats staying home, right?" Duskpaw's words echoed her thoughts.
"Yeah… I wonder if the other Clans are doing the same."
"Only one way to find out," he meowed, before streaming after the departing patrol.
As they approached the RiverClan border, they slowed to a halt. Tawnystar flicked his tail, signaling for silence, as his eyes scoured the landscape. Briarpaw followed his gaze towards the sheep. They were far off in the distance, their white pelts looking ghostly in the night. Deciding it was safe, he led the patrol on again.
On their way to the island, Briarpaw noticed that Mossfoot was standing in front of her now.
Should I tell her? I could, right now. This could be my last chance.
She glanced anxiously at the cats around them. This wasn't as private of a setting as she would've liked. What if someone overheard them?
So what? If this ends up being important, Mossfoot might have to tell the rest of the Clan anyway.
So then why am I hesitating?
Just do it, don't overthink it.
She opened her mouth to call out to the medicine cat, when suddenly she disappeared over the top of a rise. The rest of the patrol streamed after her, and Briarpaw hurried to catch up. She had waited too long. They had reached the island.
Briarpaw jumped up onto the tree bridge behind Duskpaw. I can't possibly tell Mossfoot now, can I? We're at a Gathering! In front of all the other Clans! Surely my Clan would be upset at me for revealing any possible WindClan weaknesses?
As they pushed their way through the bushes, Briarpaw could tell that WindClan wasn't the only Clan who had brought less cats. The clearing seemed much less full than usual.
Briarpaw glanced around for Mossfoot. She spotted the brown and tan she-cat with the other medicine cats, near the base of the giant oak. There was no way she would be able to get to her now, not without the other medicine cats overhearing.
"Who're you looking for?" Duskpaw asked, padding up to her.
"Oh- no one."
"Hey, look! Mistypaw's here!" He flicked his tail towards the fluffy gray she-cat, who was meowing to a pair of ThunderClan apprentices, her fur bushed up excitedly.
"Hi Briarpaw! Hi Duskpaw!" she called as she caught sight of them, waving them over with her tail. "Have you met Cherrypaw and Spiderpaw? I was just telling them about the huge fish I caught a few sunrises ago!"
The white she-cat with gray splotches rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because we totally want to hear all about that."
"Cherrypaw, shhh," the tom scolded, flicking her with his tail. He was brown with swirling black stripes all over his body.
"Well, seeing as you know these two," she gestured with her paw towards Briarpaw and Duskpaw, "we'll leave you to brag… er… inform them instead. My mentor will be wondering where I am."
She and Spiderpaw turned around and padded away. After a moment, Briarpaw caught Cherrypaw hissing under her breath to her Clanmate, "Seriously! As if the other Clans would care about fish! All that fish-slime must be getting to their heads."
"Hush!" Spiderpaw whispered, glancing back at them. "They can still hear us!"
If she had heard, though, Mistypaw gave no sign. Bouncing over to them, the cheery RiverClan apprentice meowed, "Have you seen these big clouds? They're practically black!"
"I think everyone's seen them, Mistypaw." Duskpaw's voice was gentle, but there was a hint of impatience in it.
"Do you think there's going to be a storm? Here?"
"Let's hope it holds off until after we get back to our camps," Briarpaw replied. The words had barely escaped her mouth when a rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
Feeling a bolt of unease, she glanced at Mistypaw to see that the gray apprentice actually looked serious for once.
"Come on," Duskpaw called at last, "I think the meeting's starting. He walked closer to the tree to get a better view, and Briarpaw and Mistypaw followed.
Tawnystar was hauling himself up the tree to sit beside the other leaders, and Thistlevine and Sandfur, the ThunderClan deputy, scrambled up onto the roots of the tree beside the other deputies.
"Cats of all Clans," Tawnystar called out. "We will try to make this meeting brief, so we can leave before the storm begins. Unfortunately, WindClan brings bad news today. Foxes attacked our camp, and although all our warriors are now recovered, and WindClan is back to full strength, Breezecloud was killed in the attack."
Shocked murmurs spread throughout the clearing, and, beside her, Mistypaw laid her tail over Briarpaw's shoulders in a gesture of comfort. Briarpaw shot her friend a grateful look.
"We hold her dear in our memories. She was young, and provided our Clan with a strong young cat. We hope that she will find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where she sleeps in StarClan." Stepping back, he nodded to Shellstar.
The RiverClan leader stepped forward. "We are sorry to hear of your loss, Tawnystar, and hope that your Clan is making a swift recovery. We found a few foxes in our territory, which probably strayed over the border after they attacked you, although we were able to chase them off without too much trouble. You must've scared them, they seemed to have enough of cats for one day."
Amused purrs spread throughout the clearing. Briarpaw felt admiration for Shellstar's ability to lighten the mood and spread unity throughout the Clans.
Raindrops splashed down on her head, and another rumble of thunder sounded. Some of the cats hissed in annoyance, and many fluffed out their fur to provide protection from the rain.
Smokestar spoke quickly as he stepped forward, and Briarpaw guessed he wanted to get out of the rain as much as any of them, even though he had the cover of the great oak above him. "ThunderClan has encountered some foxes over the past moon as well, but, like RiverClan, we chased them off easily. Also, Berrytuft's apprentice, Shimmerpaw, has earned her full medicine cat title. She is now known as Shimmerstone."
"Shimmerstone! Shimmersto…" The cats' chanting faded as a loud boom of thunder echoed through the clearing.
Mudstar quickly stepped forward. Although his fur was slicked by rain, Briarpaw could tell that it was bristling anxiously. "ShadowClan has been fortunate-"
He was cut off as a crack of lightning shot through the air, followed by thunder that seemed to shake the ground beneath them. The clearing seemed to descend into chaos, cats yowling and running around to find shelter.
"Stay calm!" Mudstar called over the roar of the wind. "The Gathering is ending. Don't panic, and don't rush on the tree bridge. We don't want anyone falling into the lake."
Cats started to swarm towards the exit, and Briarpaw doubted that any of them had heard a word the ShadowClan leader had just said, and even if they had, they weren't listening. Everywhere, she saw wide eyes, bristling fur, and cats sprinting towards the tree bridge.
So much for staying calm.
Briarpaw didn't blame them, though. Even though they didn't have a looming prophecy and threatening dreams to worry about, the storm had escalated quicker than anyone had imagined.
When Briarpaw, Duskpaw, and Mistypaw finally made their way to the shore of the island, they saw that a large swathe of cats still separated them from the tree bridge. Briarpaw couldn't believe she had thought that it seemed like there had been very few cats before, because it seemed like every cat in the Clans was here now.
Cats were scrambling across the bridge as fast as they dared, and had only gone a few tail lengths before the next cat jumped up. Briarpaw watched the tree cautiously. It was big and strong, but it was also old. There had never been this many cats on it at once before, and Briarpaw felt herself worrying that it wouldn't hold their weight.
Suddenly, a loud snap, followed by a sharp hiss sounded behind them. Briarpaw whipped around to see a charred tree, and bushes around its base erupting into flame.
No! It was just like in her dream! I should have told Mossfoot! Oh, StarClan, why didn''t I say anything?
The flames were slowly licking closer, but Briarpaw felt too shocked to move.
Finally, Briarpaw felt something ram into her side, sending her stumbling.
"Briarpaw! Move!" Duskpaw shouted.
Startled, she hurried over to the tree bridge, Duskpaw close behind, where Mistypaw was waiting for them.
A few cats were still scrambling over the bridge, and a small brown tom almost slipped over the edge in his haste, although a white she-cat caught him by the scruff before he fell.
A pair of young RiverClan warriors were crouching by the shore, staring uncertainty at the swelling waters. Shellstar quickly stepped in front of them. "No! It's too dangerous. The storm has made the waters unsafe, even for a RiverClan cat."
"Come on, hurry!" Swiftwing called, gesturing to the three apprentices. "We don't have much time!"
They hurried towards the tan tom, Duskpaw leaping up onto the log first, closely followed by Mistypaw, then Briarpaw.
"Be as quick as you can," Swiftwing called, "there are still some cats behind you that need to cross. Use the rough bark for traction, so that you don't slip." Gracefully, he darted over the log, and Duskpaw wasted no time in following. Mistypaw hesitated for a moment, holding her tail out for balance, before heading across. Briarpaw began to pick her way after her when suddenly, a flash of light caught her eye.
"Mistypaw! Look out!" She dove at the gray apprentice, pushing her out of the way as the flaming branch crashed down, where they had just been standing a heartbeat before. But the ungraceful lunge had caused her to lose her balance, and before Briarpaw knew it, they were slipping off the edge.
Desperately, she thrashed out, and yowled in pain as sparks ignited on her tail. They were quickly extinguished, however, when she landed with a splash in the ice-cold water.
Thrusting herself upwards, her head finally broke the surface of the water, and she gasped for air. She tried to look around for the shore, but the icy shock had completely disoriented her.
She flailed her paws frantically, trying to keep her head above the water, but she could feel herself sinking downwards. Just as she was about to submerge, something jerked at her scruff. She instantly fell limp, letting the cat drag her along until she felt sand under her feet, at which she stumbled up onto the shore, gasping and shivering.
She glanced up to see her rescuer was a pale gray tabby she-cat, one of the RiverClan cats who had been thinking about swimming across earlier. She also saw Shellstar, and the other cat who had been standing with the pale tabby, a brown tabby tom who she now recognized as Antleg, who had escorted her to the RiverClan camp when she and Amberpaw had rescued Pinekit and Songkit.
"Are you ok?" the pale she-cat asked anxiously, and it took Briarpaw a minute to realize she was talking to Mistypaw, who had just hauled herself up onto the shore.
"I'm fine, Chirpsong. Thanks for saving Briarpaw, though. I never would've managed to get to her."
"I'm glad you're both ok, but we have to get going!" Shellstar urged.
"But how are we going to get across?" Briarpaw turned to see four cats padding towards them. One was Crowtalon, and the other three were ThunderClan cats. Cherrypaw was among them, along with a glossy black she-cat with a gray muzzle and a white tabby tom.
"The bridge is blocked by that flaming branch," the black she-cat continued.
"Could…" Briarpaw began, "could we try jumping over it?"
The cats exchanged hesitant glances, but at last the black she-cat shrugged. "I don't suppose we really have a choice."
"Crowshine's right," the pale tabby meowed. "I'll do it."
"Thank you, Sunclaw." Turning to the RiverClan cats, she meowed, "Are you coming?"
Chirpsong shifted her paws anxiously. "What if we just swam across?"
"I told you, it's too dangerous!" the RiverClan leader snapped.
"More dangerous than jumping over a flaming branch?" Mistypaw murmured.
Shellstar just blinked at her, before dipping her head. "Very well. Do you think you can make it, or do you want to go with the others?"
"We can help you," Antleg assured. "You can swim between me and Chirpsong."
Mistypaw nodded. Turning to Briarpaw, she gently touched noses with her friend. "Be careful."
"You too," she replied, and the two groups went their separate ways.
"Ok, Cherrypaw," Sunclaw was meowing. "Tense your hind legs, and get ready to jump higher than you ever have before. Focus on getting high, not getting far. Then dig your claws in for purchase once you reach the other side. Ready?"
The ThunderClan apprentice nodded, and, in a blur of white, she was on the other side.
"I did it!" she cried back.
"Good, now move so I can come across!" Sunclaw cleared the flames, and Crowshine stepped forward to follow him when Crowtalon spoke from behind them.
"I can't do it."
"What?" Crowshine asked, turning to face him.
"I'm not as young… or as limber as I used to be. I can't make that jump!"
"But you have to!" Briarpaw cried. "The only other way is to swim across!"
"I won't make it!" The elder's yellow eye was wide with apprehension. "Go on without me."
"No!" Crowshine growled with a fierceness that startled Briarpaw. "No one gets left behind." Her voice softening, she added, "Come on. We'll help you."
The elder hesitated, before taking a shaky step forward. Crowshine guided her tail along his spine, suggesting adjustments to build more power in his legs.
"Ready?"
"I… I don't…"
"Relax," the ThunderClan warrior assured. "You'll be fine. Ready?"
Taking a deep breath, Crowtalon nodded. He leaped into the air, and Briarpaw sucked in her breath as the flames brushed his leg, but she heard a thump as he landed on the other side, and he called back in a shocked voice, "I made it!"
"It's your turn, Briarpaw," Crowshine urged, glancing back at the approaching flames. "Hurry."
Briarpaw dropped into a crouch, eyeing the wall of fire. It looked a lot higher from this close, and she realized she would have to jump further than she had anticipated.
The ThunderClan cats did it easily, even Cherrypaw. But ThunderClan cats have powerful legs, good for jumping. WindClan has wiry legs, built for running.
But Crowtalon did it. So I can too. Before she had time to change her mind, she sprung into the air. She could feel her heart pounding as the flames licked below her, and she did her best to tuck her legs into her body. Before she knew it, she was on the other side. Unprepared, she almost lost her balance, but Crowtalon steadied her before bounding onto the shore.
Briarpaw followed, and she caught sight of sparks on his tail. Quickly, she pounced on it, pushing down into the water, where the flames dimmed and died. As she glanced at the elder, she noticed there were burns along his flank, but, apart from that, he seemed unharmed.
There was a thud as Crowshine landed on the other side of the branch, and she quickly made her way over to the shore.
"Briarpaw! Thank StarClan you're ok!" Duskpaw cried as he bounded over to her. "I was so scared when that flaming branch fell."
"What about Mistypaw and the others? Did they cross safely?"
Duskpaw nodded, flicking his tail down the shore a little ways, where Mistypaw was standing with Shellstar, Chirpsong, and Antleg. Their pelts were drenched, but they were safe.
Suddenly, a loud grumble of thunder seemed to shake the sky, and then the rain rapidly increased, so much that Briarpaw felt like she was underwater. She didn't complain though, as the torrent began to quench the flames, until all that was left of the brief fire was the ashes. The island had been saved.
Thunder sounded again, but more distant this time. It seemed like the storm was moving on. But that didn't stop the panic that broke out.
"A storm! At a Gathering!" one cat cried.
"And a fire!" called another.
"Why would StarClan do this to us?"
"No one was fighting!"
"Are they trying to warn us?"
"Are we in danger?"
Desperate wails spread throughout the cats, and Mossfoot stepped forward, speaking over the rest. "Calm down, everyone! You're overreacting. StarClan hasn't told us anything yet."
"Mossfoot's right," Brackenflower meowed, stepping up to stand beside her fellow medicine cat. "We can't assume this was a sign of anything, unless StarClan tells us themselves."
"And StarClan sent the rain to quench the fire, didn't they?" added the soft voice of the young ThunderClan medicine cat, Shimmerstone. Her mentor, Berrytuft, nodded approvingly, as she joined the three cats, followed by the rest of the medicine cats, Flintfang and Petalpaw.
"Sometimes a storm is just a storm," Flintfang growled in his grizzly voice. "Not everything is a sign from StarClan."
At the ShadowClan tom's words, several cats flattened their bristling pelts, but Briarpaw could still tell that they still were uneasy, and she couldn't blame them.
As they made their way back to their respective camps, she knew that she wasn't the only one wondering what all of this meant for their future.