Chapter 8

Tending the Flames

I climbed higher up the crest of the hill trailing directly behind her ginger-furred guide. My paws were numb, and the moon was climbing high into the night sky as stars sailed overhead. As I lifted her head, I could see a large mass of stones overlooking a crystalline pool reflecting like a sheen mirror. The stars reflected their light into the pale darkness of the pool.

"The Moonpool," Flametail explained as the pair wandered closer to the water. I could hear the exhaustion seeping from his breath as he flopped himself next to the water. "Give me a moment." He breathed.

I nodded and sat down to stare at the still water. "What's this place for?"

"It's where medicine cats like me go to commune with our ancestors." He inhaled slowly and curled his tail over his frosted paws. "Normally we visit every half moon, but Blackstar had decided the attack from ThunderClan is enough of an emergency to send me here. He wants me to get answers from StarClan."

I nodded in understanding. I was never a particularly religious person, but I could see the appeal. However, Shadowstar's appearance before my demise was enough to make me believe in something. "StarClan are your ancestors, right?"

"Yes, and every star in Silverpelt is each one of them." He flashed a look up towards the frozen winter sky to make a point. "Including Russetfur."

My heart dropped at the mention of my mentor, but I didn't respond. I found myself mesmerized by the cool, black water. I shuffled my paws in an effort to find warmth as I motioned to the pond. "The sooner we talk to them, the sooner we can go back to camp. It's freezing out here."

"I agree," replied Flametail with a halfhearted chuckle. That's when he gave a slow blink and glanced awkwardly at the water. "If you want, you can try and commune with our ancestors yourself."

My stare returned to the cold mirror. While it was tempting to attempt to reach out to StarClan, perhaps even Shadowstar or Russetfur, something held me back. It didn't feel right, like I would be intruding on Flametail's space. I wasn't a medicine cat after all, and this was not my mission sent by Blackstar. I wasn't even sure if I was emotionally ready to commune with the dead.

With the thoughts in my mind, I shook my head respectfully. "I'll keep watch. You go do your thing."

I caught a streak of disappointment flickering in his cool, watery eyes but he didn't say anything. He only shrugged slightly and crouched next to the water to press his nose to the liquid. As he shut his eyes, I paced around the area while keeping my ears pricked for any movement or sounds in the grass. I was wary, considering I heard from the previous gathering that a fox was driven off from ThunderClan territory. While as a twoleg I understood that foxes were not much more of a threat other than digging in garbage and eating chickens, an instinctual fear crawled down my spine.

I am so much smaller now.

"Smaller, but no less powerful."

I immediately whipped myself around hearing a voice, my hackles raising as my blood crackled with adrenaline. My teeth bore as a snarl gathered in my throat. Before I could demand who was there, I saw a flicker of a pair of green eyes trailing where I first came from. The scent of something warm and ethereal enveloped my senses, and my heart began to beat faster.

I tilted my head and took a few cautious pawsteps closer. "Shadowstar?" I asked, nearly dumbfounded.

A tall figure stepped out from the frosted ferns and close to me.

She's so much bigger now…! She looked like any other cat when I was a human.

I saw a smile curl on Shadowstar's muzzle. "Good evening, Autumn. I see you've settled in quite well into ShadowClan."

I glanced over my shoulder cautiously to look at Flametail, who was still curled up next to the glistening water of the Moonpool. "I'm doing fine, but what are you doing here?"

The shadowy wisp of a cat began to circle and pace around me, pawsteps glittering like snowflakes and starlight as silent and translucent as flowing water. If I didn't know any better, I would have mistaken her for a different cat melting into the shadows. "There is more than one message that must be delivered tonight. The time of thunder is over, and it is time for the shadows to rise. But you must not let the darkness consume you, for there is comfort in the flames."

"I'm not a poet," I chided, "Try again."

"Stay true to your Clan, Fallenpaw. Be warned that not only StarClan desires your twoleg insight. Darkness draws closer to your home, and you must not fall prey to the false musings of them." The shadowy cat's bright green eyes flickered to Flametail. "Tend to the flames, and they will provide warmth in return."

The realization began to slowly click for me as I looked across Flametail's fiery ginger pelt. My heart lurched, wondering what sort of message he would be provided on this dark winter night. With shadows creeping, I had to stay close to the medicine cat. "Are you saying he may be hurt?"

"There is a possibility," Shadowstar admitted, "even the hottest of flames can be doused by water. Be sure to not let such a thing happen."

I felt a chill go down my spine, but I nodded. "I'll protect him." I promised. "ShadowClan needs him."

Shadowstar dipped her head in acknowledgement and soon melted back into the darkness around me.

I barely had a moment to myself before I heard a distressed gasp come from Flametail. His head snapped up to look around frantically before his gaze landed on me. His ears flicked, blinking away the sleepiness a few times before he stood up shakily. The hollow dark and silence wreathed around us except for the breeze whispering over the water. "I'll remember," he whispered to himself, barely audible. "I'll protect my Clan, whatever it takes."

"What did you dream of?" I asked gently.

He shook his head and padded closer to me. "A fire… a great fire circled around Moonpool, it was blinding. I saw all of ShadowClan's ancestors. They told me that I burn as brightly as the fire to protect my Clan. But most distressing was that they told me I must forget the code of medicine cats and waive my allegiance to the other Clan." His eyes burned with the despairing flicker of ethereal realization. "From now on, ShadowClan has no allies."

My heart leapt in my throat. I thought that the medicine cats did not recognize the borders and moved as they pleased? It was distressing to hear that we had to stand alone, now. It was going to be more difficult than ever now with our warriors injured from ThunderClan's attack. I wanted to do something to comfort him, but I was frozen to where I stood.

My promise to Shadowstar rang in my mind like bells. I needed to tend to the flames. If Flametail was that fire, then I needed to ensure that he lived at any cost.

I nudged his shoulder gently. "Let's return to the Clan and report to Blackstar. You should get rest when we return."

Flametail nodded wearily, his shoulders sagging from exhaustion. Tiredly, the pair of us began our walk back where we came from to ShadowClan. The weight of StarClan's warnings weighing on our shoulders, and I wasn't ready to face the consequences of failing.