Chapter 18

Snow crunched underpaw as Ripplesky made his way towards Highstones. It was the night of a half-moon, meaning a medicine cat meeting was to be held. Truth be told, he hated attending the meetings. They were a complete waste of time, as he never dreamed anything. Not even the Dark Forest cats tried to walk in his dreams.

As he walked, Ripplesky began to ponder about Birchstar's nine lives ceremony almost two moons ago. StarClan had visited him then, so why didn't they come to him when he was by himself? Perhaps they were threatening me, he thought, narrowing his eyes. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he felt. After all, each cat that given a life had warned Birchstar of some ominous disaster looming in the horizon. They must have been talking about me.

You're a monster.

Nightsky's words rang in his head, filling Ripplesky with guilt. No! Snowdust tricked you! You're not a monster, he reminded himself, trying to shake the thoughts from his head.

"Ripplesky, wait up!" Bumblebee's familiar voice alerted the RiverClan tom. Spinning around, he spotted Bumblebee and Fawnstep bounding towards him. Their fur was fluffed out against the cold, but their eyes were bright with excitement. "My paws are turning to icicles," Bumblebee joked as she neared him.

Fawnstep's whiskers twitched in agreement. "I can't wait for newleaf," she sighed.

As they began to climb the steep slope that lead to WindClan, Ripplesky asked, "Have you seen Acornleaf and Kestrelpaw?"

Bumblebee narrowed her eyes in disgust. "Who cares? Let's keep going."

The silver tom blinked at her, surprised. "Did something happen with Acornleaf...?" He didn't understand why Bumblebee was so mad at the ThunderClan medicine cats. While things had been tense with ThunderClan, Acornleaf and her new apprentice, Kestrelpaw, had always been friendly. He then thought of how Acornleaf had saved his life all those moons ago. If it hadn't been for her, I would have died.

"They've been stealing herbs from us!" Fawnstep spoke up, lashing her tail.

Ripplesky's eyes widened. "What? How do you know?"

Bumblebee quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure no cat was nearby. Lowing her voice she meowed, "There's a fallen birch tree deep in the heart of our territory. Beside it grows a patch of wild catmint. However, when we went to gather some for Squirrelstep, it was all gone! The entire place smelled of ThunderClan, and Fawnstep found a tuft of brown fur caught on a branch nearby."

Ripplesky stared at her in shock. "You're kidding me..." When Bumblebee shook her head no, he said, "I have some catmint I can spare."

"It's too late." Bumblebee's eyes clouded as she spoke. "Squirrelstep died."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," he whispered, his heart twisting. "Thank you for sharing this with me, though. I'll have to warn Birchstar about it immediately."

"Flystar is planning a raid on ThunderClan," Bumblebee told him. "He wants to drive them out of the forest, with the help of RiverClan and WindClan."

"Drive them from the forest?!" The RiverClan medicine cat's eyes widened with disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm completely serious," the yellow medicine cat meowed. "It's the only way we can stop ThunderClan from their reign of terror. Besides, they tried to drive ShadowClan away once. They clearly have no respect for the other Clans in the forest, and we need to put a stop to it before it's too late." Her voice was filled with pain as she spoke, but her eyes were determined.

Suddenly, a small silhouette appeared at the top of the moorland. "It's Larkpaw," Fawnstep announced.

Larkpaw began to race towards them, her fur fluffed out. Finally, the young medicine cat stopped in front of them, panting hard. Watching her made Ripplesky realize how much his lungs hurt. He tried his best to ignore the pain, but the freezing cold tugged at his chest like a claw. He would have to stop and rest.

"Where's Breezetail?" Bumblebee asked.

"She can't come," Larkpaw meowed sadly. "She isn't feeling well enough to make the trip." This was the third time Breezetail had been too ill to attend the medicine cat meeting. It was obvious the elderly medicine cat was dying. She probably won't make it to newleaf, Ripplesky thought sadly. Larkpaw was still so young, and with Breezetail so sick, it was evident she wasn't receiving proper training.

"Poor thing," Fawnstep murmured. "If WindClan ever needs help, I'd be glad to spend a few days in your camp." Glancing at Bumblebee she added, "if it's all right with you, of course."

"I don't mind."

Once Ripplesky and Larkpaw had caught their breath, the four medicine cats continued their trek across the moorland. The snow stung their paws, and the freezing wind shook their pelts. When they reached the Thunderpath, Ripplesky wasn't sure he would be able to make it across. His paws were so numb, and his eyes were bleary from the wind.

Bumblebee paused beside Larkpaw, before glancing down at the young she-cat. "I'll help you cross," she told the apprentice. "Just stay by my side, and when I tell you go, run as fast as you can. Okay?"

Larkpaw nodded slowly, her eyes full of fear.

"Go!" Bumblebee yowled, before springing out onto the black path. Larkpaw followed after her, trembling with fear. As Ripplesky watched her, his stomach churned nervously. Don't stop! he begged silently. Finally, both medicine cats reached the opposite side of the Thunderpath, completely unharmed.

Fawnstep nudged Ripplesky to his paws. "Are you ready?" she asked.

He nodded quickly, locking his blue eyes on the busy Thunderpath. Monsters roared past them, their stinking scents hitting the cats in the face. Finally, a gap between monsters appeared. Ripplesky and Fawnstep raced across the path as fast as they could. As they ran, the sharp stones dug into Ripplesky's cold paws, making him wince. In the distance, he could hear a monster roaring towards them. The silver medicine cat tried to pick up the pace, but his paws were too cold.

"Hurry!" Larkpaw screeched.

Bunching his muscles, Ripplesky leaped onto the safety of the grass. A few seconds later, the monster hurled past them, making loud honking noises as it went.

Ripplesky crawled underneath a bush, before flopping down on the ground. Fawnstep sat beside him, her eyes wide with fear. "I thought you were crowfood," she confessed, giving her chest fur a couple of licks.

"I did too," he panted.

As they sat there collecting themselves, the undergrowth started to rustle. Honeyleaf and Willowblaze stepped out, their tails held high in the air. "Greetings!" Honeyleaf purred, taking a seat beside Bumblebee.

Willowblaze sat next to Ripplesky, her eyes gleaming. The pretty brown tabby had received her full name at their last meeting, and she still looked as proud as ever. "You look ruffled," she commented, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Almost being hit by a monster does that to you," he sighed, standing to his paws. Glancing at the other medicine cats he asked, "Should we get going?"

Honeyleaf glanced at the dark, cloudy sky. "Definitely. Otherwise we'll be late!"

As they climbed the rocky hill that lead towards Mothermouth, Willowblaze fell into step beside Ripplesky. The hostility from before had completely vanished, meaning the two were getting along fine now. Despite that, Ripplesky couldn't help but feel annoyed with the ShadowClan she-cat. She always treated Ripplesky as if he were a Clanmate, and expected him to treat her the same way. We may be medicine cats, but we can never be close friends. I am loyal to my Clan, and no one else. Why can't Willowblaze be the same way?

Suddenly, she pressed against him. Ripplesky quickly pulled away, his eyes wide. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Willowblaze flattened her ears to her head. "I-I was trying to warm you up," she stammered. "Sorry."

"I'm fine," he retorted harshly, lashing his tail.

A flash of sadness crossed her eyes, but she said nothing. Instead, she pulled back and began to walk beside Honeyleaf. Honeyleaf murmured something into Willowblaze's ear, but Ripplesky could not hear it. I don't care anyways, he thought, before disappearing into Mothermouth.


Dazzling moonlight had already filled the cave by the time the six medicine cats arrived.

"We must hurry," Honeyleaf urged, rushing towards the glimmering stone.

"What about Acornleaf and Kestrelpaw?" Larkpaw wondered, looking back at the tunnel.

Bumblebee nudged the young apprentice towards the Moonstone. "We don't have time to worry about them. We must dream with StarClan before it's too late!"

Ripplesky let out a sigh, before curling up against the cold Moonstone. There was no rush for him, as StarClan never visited him. They hate me, he thought bitterly, unsheathing his claws. Well, I don't need them. I can be the best medicine cat without StarClan's guidance. I'll show them! Squeezing his eyes shut, Ripplesky waited to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

To his surprise, he found himself in a dark, cold forest. The rotting smell of flesh and toadstool overwhelmed him, and made his stomach churn. Oh no! A wave of panic washed over the silver tom as he realized where he was. Quickly, he began to look for an escape route. He had to leave, before Snowdust caught him. She would shred him to pieces if she caught him. To his disappointment, the undergrowth was too tangled for him to make an escape.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Snowdust's voice sounded.

Spinning around, Ripplesky spotted the white she-cat stalking towards him. He quickly unsheathed his claws, ready for a fight if it came down to that.

"Are you deaf? I said I'm not going to hurt you," she growled, her neck fur bristling.

"Why should I trust you? You lied to me for moons! I killed Nightsky because of you," Ripplesky spat.

"You would have killed her anyways," Snowdust told him, narrowing her eyes.

Ripplesky puffed out his chest. "How do you know?"

"You hated her," she meowed. "Eventually, your hatred would have consumed you until you couldn't control it anymore. It would have been a messy killing; one that would get you exiled. I saved you when I tricked you. If it hadn't been for me, you would be a homeless rogue, on the run and hated by all." Snowdust's eyes suddenly filled with pain, but she did not continue.

"I don't believe you," he growled, lashing his tail.

"Just look at Mudfoot's death," Snowdust hissed.

He stiffened. What did Mudfoot's death have to do with Nightsky? "What about it?"

"That was a very messy kill," Snowdust said. "If that ThunderClan patrol hadn't stumbled across the body, Morningstar would have eventually figured out the truth. Despite what you think, she isn't completely mouse-brained. It didn't help you were drenched in Mudfoot's blood, and a tuft of your fur had been left behind."

"I couldn't help it!" Ripplesky argued, glaring at her. "A red haze washed over me. I didn't feel like I was in control of my body when I killed him."

"Exactly." Snowdust began to circle around Ripplesky. Leaning into his ear she whispered, "That just proves my earlier point. You would have killed Nightsky in a rage of fury, just as you did Mudfoot." Stepping back she growled, "I allowed you to succeed, Ripplesky. Think what you want, but it's true. I made your thoughts clear by tricking you. You believed StarClan was on your side, and it gave you the confidence to do what you did. You should be thanking me for all the trouble I went through!"

Ripplesky jerked away, his eyes blazing with fury. "I'll never thank you," he hissed. "You ruined my life!"

"I didn't do anything," Snowdust argued. "Your fate was determined long before either of us were kitted. Now stop blaming me for everything, and own up to your actions."

"I don't believe in fate," Ripplesky responded. "I believe every cat chooses their own path."

"And you have chose your path the second you killed Nightsky," she pointed out. "Face it, Ripplesky. You are a monster, and nothing can ever change that. Not even StarClan themselves."


101 reviews?! Thank you so much everyone! I am very glad all of you are enjoying the story. I had a blast writing this chapter, especially the ending. Even though she's horrible, I love Snowdust. There's a serious lack of female villains in the Warriors world, so it feels good to create my own. The next two chapters will center around two different point of views. I will not tell you who, but feel free to guess! I will try to have them up as soon as possible.

Thank you for reading!