Chapter 23

Birchstar stared at Ripplesky in shock, before shouting, "No! I don't believe it."

"It's true. I did it," Ripplesky meowed, looking down at his paws. "I lead Nightsky away from camp and killed her, before dumping her body into the gorge."

"Stop lying to me, Ripplesky. I know you would never do anything like that. You're a good cat." Birchstar paced back and forth, his eyes wide. "Please tell me you're lying."

The silver tom slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid not." Will Birchstar exile me? Or worse... What if he kills me?

The den was silent for several long moments, before the RiverClan leader growled, "Why did you do it?"

Ripplesky gulped. "I-I had to. Nightsky was a horrible medicine cat. If I hadn't killed her, RiverClan would be in danger." For a second, he was tempted to tell Birchstar about Snowdust, but he kept his mouth shut. That would make the entire situation worse, he decided.

Birchstar lashed his tail back and forth, a growl sounding in his throat. "Nightsky may have been scatterbrained, but in no way was she a danger to the Clan." He was quiet for a few more seconds before adding, "The Clan must never know the truth. They must always think Ember killed her, or else everything will fall apart."

The medicine cats eyes widened. "You're not going to punish me?"

Birchstar shook his head. "I can't. You're our only medicine cat. If I exiled you, we would be vulnerable. Let's just pretend this conversation never happened, and that Ember really did do it. Okay?"

Ripplesky nodded. "Okay," he whispered, before backing out of the den.


Five sunrises had passed since Ripplesky had told Birchstar the truth. Since then, Birchstar had been avoiding him.

Suddenly, the leader slipped out of his den, catching Ripplesky's attention. "Let all cats old enough to swim gather for a Clan meeting!" Birchstar yowled, his head held high.

Ripplesky's stomach churned nervously as he padded forward. What if Birchstar changed his mind? he thought in a panic. What if he really does exile me?

To his relief, he spotted Lilypelt and her kits pad forward. Nick trailed after them, his eyes wide. "Who are all these cats?" he squeaked.

Lilypelt wrapped her tail around Nick's tiny shoulders. "They're here to watch your ceremony," she meowed.

"I don't want a ceremony," Nick protested, wriggling out of her grip. "I just want my daddy to come home. He's been gone forever!"

A flash of sadness crossed the queen's face, but she said nothing. Instead she just have the little ginger tom a few licks on the forehead, in an attempt to calm him down.

Once every cat had settled, Birchstar beckoned for Nick to come forward. "From this day forward, you shall be known as Foxkit. StarClan welcomes you as a new member of RiverClan." The leader's eyes were full of pride as he bent down to touch his nose to Foxkit.

Foxkit pulled back in alarm. "I don't want to change my name," he cried out.

"What do you mean? Don't you want to be a RiverClan cat?" Sloekit squeaked, narrowing her eyes.

Foxkit shook his head. "I just want to go home, with my dad. I-It's nice here and all, but I miss my family."

Sloekit let out a sigh. "You don't get it, do you?" she whispered. "Your dad is never coming back."

"Sloekit!" Lilypelt scolded, pulling her daughter away. "Keep your mouth shut!"

The little she-cat flattened her ears to her head. "Why do you keep lying to him? He's going to find out sooner or later!" she spat.

Lilypelt glared at her daughter. "He's too young to know," she said in a hushed tone.

Foxkit stared at the two she-cats, a hurt look plastered on his face. "What's going on?" he asked, his eyes filling up with tears. "Please, just tell me."

This time, Birchstar was the one to speak. "Your father isn't coming back. He's dead."

Foxkit's eyes widened in horror. "What?" Before any cat could comfort him, Foxkit raced towards the nursery. Lilypelt hesitated for a few moments, before following after him. Sloekit, Duckkit and Cloudkit tried to follow after her, but their father, Puddlefur, stopped them.

"Why don't you see if Sootpelt has some stories for you?" the black-and-white tom said, nudging his kits in the direction of the elders den.

As soon as everything calmed down, Ripplesky quickly headed back to his den. Sighing, the silver tom began to sort through his herbs. It was a boring task and he hated every minute of it, but he knew it had to be done. "Looks like we're running low on sorrel," he whispered to himself.

"Can I speak with you?" Birchstar's voice sounded at the entrance of his den.

Ripplesky nodded slowly, his throat tightening up. "What is it?" he whispered, slightly afraid of Birchstar.

"I've made up my mind," Birchstar began, circling around the medicine cat. "As soon as Lilypelt's kits as six moons old, you are to take one as your apprentice. Once they've completed their training and have received their full medicine cat name, you are to leave and never come back. I will tell the Clan you have been killed by rogues, and if I catch you on our territory I will kill you myself. Is that clear?" Birchstar's gaze was filled with fury as he glared at Ripplesky.

A growl rose up in Ripplesky's throat. "No! I'm not going to do that, and you can't make me."

"I'm the leader, I can do whatever I want!" Birchstar hissed, lashing his tail back and forth.

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" he cried out.

"Have you forgotten you killed Nightsky? That's against the warrior code and you know it. I have every right to exile you," Birchstar said.

Without saying another word, Ripplesky stormed past his leader. As quick as he could, the silver tom raced for the Twoleg bridge. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but he knew he had to be quick. I can't believe he's trying to get rid of me! Doesn't he realize I've done him a favor? Letting out a hiss of frustration, Ripplesky plopped down on the ground.

As he sat there, he listened to the thawing undergrowth around him. All of a sudden, the undergrowth began to rustle violently. "Who's there?" the medicine cat demanded. When no reply came he snorted, "This isn't funny, Birchstar. Stop trying to scare me."

A stinking scent began to fill the clearing, alerting the medicine cat. "I need to get out of here," he whispered, leaping to his paws. Slowly, he began to head towards the Twoleg Bridge, his heart pounding wildly. As he walked, a loud thumping sound followed after him. Great! I'm being followed. I can't go back to camp now. Spinning around, Ripplesky unsheathed his claws, ready to defend himself against whatever beast was following him.

A few moments later, a dog stepped out. It's black eyes were bright with excitement, and it wagged it's tail wildly. Before Ripplesky could react, the dog lunged forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. Letting out a screech, Ripplesky pulled himself free. The dog's teeth ripped his skin and fur, causing blood to splatter everywhere. The medicine cat began to limp away as fast as he could, but the dog was too quick for him.

Again, the slobbering beast jumped on him and began to clamp his jaws around Ripplesky's body. I'm going to die! he thought in alarm. Finally, the dog let him go, leaving Ripplesky alone. As he lay there, the silver tom gasped for breath. His entire body was stinging, and there was blood in his eyes. He could hear the dog circle back towards him, but before it reached him, Ripplesky blacked out.


"Ripplesky! Ripplesky, wake up!"

"Where am I?" he groaned, slowly sitting up. As he blinked his eyes open, all Ripplesky could see where dark shapes. The smell of toadstool and pine washed over him, making him panic. Am I in the Dark Forest?

"You're in ShadowClan's camp," a familiar voice whispered. Ripplesky tried to figure out who was speaking to him, but his mind was hazy.

"Why am I in ShadowClan?" he slurred, still groggy. Before the cat could respond, Ripplesky slipped back into unconsciousness.

A few hours later, the medicine cat sat up, fully awake. In the distance, he could see the glow of pale sunlight. I must have been knocked out all day, Ripplesky thought, standing to his paws. As he stretched, he could feel his wounds tearing open.

"Ripplesky, sit back down!" the voice from earlier shrieked, pushing him back down in his nest. "You'll tear your wounds back open, and that's the last thing we need."

"Is this Willowblaze?" he asked, still slightly confused.

"Yes," she told him quietly as she applied a poultice to his wounds.

"What am I doing in ShadowClan?" Ripplesky wondered.

A flash of pain crossed Willowblaze's face as she told him, "I was out gathering herbs with Cedarheart and Beechfur, when we heard screaming coming from the opposite side of the Thunderpath. I knew it was you, so we all quickly ran to help you. A dog was attacking you, and if we hadn't arrived when we did, you would have died." She was silent for a few moments before whispering, "I was so scared. I was afraid I'd lose you." Slowly, she leaned forward and pressed her muzzle to his.

Ripplesky pulled back in alarm. What is she doing? "W-Why didn't you take me back to RiverClan?"

Willowblaze looked slightly hurt, but she continued on as if nothing had happened. "Because you wouldn't have anyone to care for you there," she meowed. "Don't worry, though. Bramblestar had Rowancloud tell Birchstar what happened."

"Thank you," Ripplesky purred.

Before Willowblaze could say anything more, Honeyleaf sat up in her nest and yawned. "Hello Ripplesky. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm very sore, but I think I'll be okay," he told her.

Honeyleaf's eyes gleamed. "I'm glad to hear that. I was starting to think there was an ill omen going around. Two medicine cats dead in one night? That wouldn't have been good."

"Two medicine cats?" Ripplesky stared at the ShadowClan she-cat in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Breezetail passed away last night," Willowblaze said softly. "Larkpaw came to share the news with us after she went to the Moonstone to receive her full medicine cat name. She's Larkwing now."

Ripplesky frowned. "How is she doing?"

"She's upset, but she's pulling together," Honeyleaf told him, before sniffing at his wounds. Turning to Willowblaze she ordered, "Fetch some dried oak leaves. I think this wound on his back is starting to get infected."

Willowblaze nodded, before digging through their herb store. A few seconds later she dropped a bundle of oak leaves down in front of her mentor. "Is he going to be all right?"

Honeyleaf nodded, before chewing up the leaves and applying it to Ripplesky's wound. "There you go."

"Thanks," he said, standing to his paws. "Can I go home now?"

Honeyleaf and Willowblaze shook their heads. "You can't go home yet. It's far too dangerous!" Willowblaze protested. "You need to stay here until your wounds have completely healed up."

"I need to get home, though," Ripplesky growled. "There's no one to take care of my Clanmates. What if someone gets hurt?"

"I'll go to RiverClan, then," Honeyleaf meowed. "Willowblaze knows what she's doing, so she can look after the camp."

Ripplesky opened his mouth to protest, but he decided against it. "Fine."

"Great! I'll go tell Bramblestar." Without saying another word, Honeyleaf slipped out of the den, leaving Willowblaze and Ripplesky alone.

"Why did you freak out when I tried to touch you?" she asked, a flash of hurt crossing her face. "I thought you loved me."

The RiverClan tom stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Willowblaze narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Do you have memory loss or something? Don't you remember what you said to me at the last Gathering? You said that you've always liked me."

Ripplesky's eyes widened. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant as a friend."

The pale brown tabby let out a hiss of frustration. "Of course you did!" she spat, her hackles raising. "I feel so stupid! I really thought..." she trailed off, a few tears rolling down her face. "I thought we were mates," Willowblaze whispered. "I should have known better."

Ripplesky stared at her, unsure what to say. "I should have been more clear. I'm really sorry, Willowblaze."

"It's fine," she mumbled, not meeting his gaze. "I'm just a stupid cat, is all."

"You're not stupid," he reassured her, wrapping his tail around her shoulders.

The two cats sat like that for a while, before Willowblaze sniffled, "I'm so sorry, Ripplesky."

"You didn't do anything wrong. It was just a misunderstanding, is all."

Willowblaze pulled away. "I-I have to go collect some herbs. I'll be back later." Before he could offer to go with her, Willowblaze turned and fled from the den, leaving Ripplesky alone.


Hello everyone! I just wanted to say, thank you for all the reviews last chapter! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I had a lot of fun writing it. I was going to write more, but I decided to hold off until the next chapter. I will try to update as soon as I can, but my laptop is still broken and my grandma doesn't like it when I use hers. But I will try my best to get the next chapter up. And yes, Foxkit was a reference to Zootopia. I just couldn't help myself. That movie is so darn good.

As always, thanks for reading! I really appreciate it.