CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

Darkness surrounded RiverClan clamp like a thick cover of leaves. It was impossible to make anything out in the shadows. The only sound that could be heard was the rustling of reeds every now and then.

Scarletfur blinked a few times as she tried imagining what this meant. The possibilities were endless. For so many nights now, her dreams had been haunted with similar visions of the darkness that seemed to surround all of the Clans. She never realized up until than how deadly this darkness was. It seemed to swallow everything up in its path, devastating the Clans. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought.

If such a thing happened, there was no telling what would happen to the Clans. She knew that it was unlikely they would survive. Even if they did, there would be moons of turmoil that followed in the wake of said devastation.

She remembered what Blizzardwind used to tell her when she had dreams like those.

"Don't think of them as a nightmare," the medicine cat would tell her, "Think of them as an omen, and try to interpret what they mean."

I'm not good enough to reach that path, yet, she thought bitterly, closing her eyes as she tried picturing her mentor. I can barely remember the difference between catmint and tansy, and she expects me to interpret signs?

She couldn't even remember why she had chosen to become a medicine cat apprentice. Her mother used to tell her all the time that she was special. Destined for something far greater than she could have imagined. Then again, Scarletfur suspected that was what every queen told their kit to keep them quiet.

"Scarletfur, are you okay?"

Minnowstar's voice brought her back to reality. Scarletfur blinked a few times once more, heart racing when she realized she was still in the leader's den. Minnowstar had called her in to address the problem they were facing with WindClan.

Because of their shared borders, Icestar had been pushing for more territory because he claimed they needed the hunting space. Though, Scarletfur had no doubt that this was more of greed than a need for land. She never trusted Icestar to begin with, but, the moment he became leader was when things went from bad to worse for all of the Clans.

"Sorry... I was just... thinking," she tried excusing herself, feeling her fur prickle with unease as Minnowstar just looked at her apprehensively. "You had something important to tell me?"

The RiverClan leader merely rolled her eyes at Scarletfur's odd behavior, "I was planning on sharing important news regarding our deputy, but, seeing as you're currently busy, I can delay this news."

That was enough for her fur to flush with embarrassment. Not for the first time, Scarletfur mentally scolded herself for drifting off once more. She knew it was a problem she'd faced many times. Blizzardwind used to tell her all the time that she needed to focus on her work, but, the problem was, she found herself mulling over endless scenarios.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.

Minnowstar only shook her head and flicked her tail across Scarletfur's ears, "I know it hasn't been easy since Blizzardwind left, but, you need to focus on what is important. The Clan needs you, now more than ever."

Scarletfur nodded in agreement to that. With leafbare fast approaching, the Clan needed to prepare the dens for the cold weather that would follow. Minnowstar had already been ordering the Clan to put extra moss and branches on the nursery and the elder's den to keep them warm. Foampelt had recently moved into the nursery, and though her kits weren't due for another few moons, it was necessary to keep her warm and well-fed.

"I understand, and I promise I won't try to get so distracted," she reassured the older she-cat.

"Good. Now, what I wanted to share with you is that I am on my last life."

For a moment, Scarletfur could only stare at Minnowstar in confusion. It wasn't unheard of for Clan leaders to share such information with their medicine cats. Blizzardwind was the one who always knew how many lives Minnowstar had. But, for Minnowstar to admit it out loud was unusual, especially given the circumstances.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked curiously, suddenly aware that such information in the wrong paws could be devastating.

"Because, Mintwhisker cannot be made leader," Minnowstar replied with a shrug.

That only added to Scarletfur's confusion.

"Okay, why?" she pressed.

Minnowstar blinked and eyed her cautiously. Not for the first time, Scarletfur found herself wondering what the point of all this was. If Minnowstar was so determined to tell her a secret, it should have been easy to share.

"Long ago, there was a prophecy that the Great four would return to the Clans," the RiverClan leader finally explained. Scarletfur's hackles began to rise at the mention of the Great four. She knew immediately that Minnowstar was referring to the four founders of the Clans. If they were returning, it could only mean bad news for everyone, "I had a dream the night Reedriver was born... the four Clans became five, and then, combined into one large Clan, with the Great Five leading it."

"Five? But I thought there were only four Clans," Scarletfur admitted.

Something isn't right, she thought.

"At any rate, Reedriver is one of those cats mentioned in the prophecy," Minnowstar went on, ignoring Scarletfur's question.

The medicine cat only rolled her eyes at that. She didn't bother asking how Minnowstar had known Reedriver was one of the cats. From everything she had seen regarding the young warrior, Reedriver was about as obnoxious as they got. She may not have spent much time getting to know him, but, Scarletfur knew for a fact that she didn't want to.

"Minnowstar, you're not making any sense," she sighed.

She knew it was mousebrained to question the RiverClan leader's sanity. A prophecy that involved the founding Clan leaders meant that chaos would soon follow. Her claws sheathed and unsheathed at the thought. She hadn't missed the tension between all four Clans during the last Gathering, and if it had anything to do with said prophecy, trouble wasn't far behind.

"I know it may not make sense, but, it is the truth," Minnowstar dipped her head, as if trying to acknowledge that what she said sounded mousebrained.

Scarletfur let out a sigh of frustration when Minnowstar left it at that. She knew there was more going on. StarClan hadn't sent her any messages, yet Minnowstar seemed convinced the four founding leaders had returned in the form of young warriors. Something needed to be done about that. And, Scarletfur suspected that something would occur sooner rather than later.

...

"Blizzardwind said this should help with any scrapes you find yourself in," Acorntail meowed after pressing the cobweb against Reedriver's open wound.

He had to grind his teeth together at the sudden pain that bolted through him. Of all the mousebrained schemes he'd gotten himself into, getting caught in a bush was by far the worse. He had been hunting with Frozenfoot when he tumbled over an area with loose pebbles. The whole thing had been embarrassing, especially since it was Frozenfoot who freed him from his predicament. The only relief he had was that she hadn't laughed at him.

"Thanks, Acorntail," he sighed in relief once the golden brown tabby was finished.

The former medicine cat had taken it upon herself to teach them some basic herb knowledge before they left her. Reedriver hadn't recalled most of her teachings. Luckily, Acorntail had.

"I still don't know how you managed to snare your pelt like that," he shook his head in amusement, "You're lucky Frozenfoot was there to help you."

Reedriver felt his fur bristle at the mention of Frozenfoot. He had to give his chest fur a few quick licks as Acorntail caught his reaction. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to grow suspicious of the time they were spending together.

Frozenfoot had taken him by surprise with her attitude and behavior. She was charming in her own way. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Nothing could have prepared him for the fact that he had feelings for the SkyClan warrior.

A shiver of unease swept through Reedriver at the thought. While forbidden romance was one of the most cliche things to occur in a Clan, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of her. They'd spent more time together over the last few days than he expected. Traveling together hadn't helped matters, and cats were already beginning to ask questions.

"She knew how to get me out without causing more damage than there already was," he admitted briskly.

"I'm curious as to how you were hunting together in the first place." He couldn't help but stiffen in surprise. Acorntail's gaze never wavered as their eyes locked. "I know what you are up to, Reedriver. And, it isn't going to end well."

He bit back a sigh of annoyance. Arguing with Acorntail wasn't going to get him anywhere. Besides, it would only prove that he had something to hide. His mind began racing with a dozen excuses to get himself out of the hole he'd dug himself in. If Acorntail saw right through his ruse, others would notice as well.

"We're just friends," he tried defending himself. He desperately tried to ignore the burning accusation in Acorntail's gaze. "Besides, we're all traveling together, and working together means that we'll have a better chance of finding more prey out here."

It was a poor excuse. But, it was the only excuse he could think of at the time.

A few heartbeats of uneasy silence settled between them. Reedriver could tell that Acorntail had more than a few comments to say to that. To his relief, tough, Acorntail finally decided to drop the subject.

They still had a lot of ground to cover before finally reaching the lake. Arguing amongst themselves wasn't going to get them anywhere. Reedriver was fully aware that the sooner they reached the lake, the better off they were.

"We're getting close to the Twolegplace we crossed before reaching the mountains," Spruceleaf meowed when she joined them. Her eyes flickered with curiosity when she noticed that they had been arguing with each other. "Flamestrike thinks we should travel at night and rest during the day."

"That's what we did the last time we traveled through there," Acorntail replied.

Since when was Flamestrike put in charge of this group? Reedriver thought angrily.

This wasn't the first time the ThunderClan cats had put themselves in charge. On more than one occasion, either Oakfire, Stormpelt or Flamestrike would try and tell the others what to do. Reedriver nearly rolled his eyes at the thought. They weren't even leaders of a Clan. If anything, Emberstar was the one who should be making their decisions.

"We have more in the group than we did the last time we traveled through," he suddenly put in. Both Acorntail and Spruceleaf looked at Reedriver in surprise, but Spruceleaf seemed to understand where he was getting at with that. "It will be more obvious if the Twolegs spot us... and if that happens..."

"We're all in trouble," she finished for him.

Acorntail finally seemed to understand the situation they were in. With so many cats in their group, it would be easier for a Twoleg to spot them. They needed to be careful about where they traveled. If anything went wrong, Reedriver wasn't sure if he could forgive himself.

We've already been through enough as a group, he reminded himself.

"I think we should let the others know," he meowed thoughtfully. "There has to be another way around Twolegplace."

Spruceleaf nodded in agreement. With one flick of her tail to gesture for him to follow, he did just that.

Acorntail trailed behind them as they joined the larger group. Reedriver hadn't missed the fact that the SkyClan cats were split from the others. Flamestrike, Oakfire and Stormpelt remained in a tight-nit group, while Birdpaw remained with her mother.

It didn't take long for Spruceleaf to gather Flamestrike and Birdpaw together. Reedriver watched warily as she explained his theory to them. It was going to take more time traveling around Twolegplace, but at least they would be safer.

"I'd rather get to the lake sooner than later," Flamestrike muttered under his breath. The anxiety in his voice only added to Reedriver's concern. He knew how anxious everyone in their ragtag group was to get back home. They had to act quickly, and carefully. Acting irrationally would only get them into trouble, and hurt SkyClan in the end. "But, it is safer to go around Twolegplace with so many of us."

"We should leave in the morning and rest here at night," Reedriver suggested. "It's safer here; there's shelter for everyone."

While there were a few cats who were unhappy with the idea, at least no one argued with their logic.

Reedriver's shoulders sagged with relief once a decision was made. Everyone began settling into their own sleeping areas. Because it was so late, no one bothered arguing about where they slept. That alone was a relief for Reedriver, especially as he sank into the grass.

He just hoped they were making the right decision. The longer it took for them to return home, the more anxious he was about finding out what had happened to the Clans. It was going to be an uncomfortable night for him, and the others.


AN: Look at me, finally updating. I know it took way longer for them to travel than it probably should have, but considering the size of their group, I figured this was reasonable. I'm not sure how long it took for the original Clans to reach the lake after traveling the mountains (I'll have to look that up), but hopefully the next couple of chapters will conclude their journey. As far as story-chapters are concerned, I underestimated how many there will be. It's far from over, but at least I finally have the plot figured out ^^ Also, huge thank you to Liquiir, Guest and Niqhtshadow for reviewing! (I also apologize for the terrible chapter title; I'm not very good when it comes to them D:)

Liquiir - Ah, yes... Icestar certainly is set in his ways, unfortunately. I hope that little snippet of RiverClan life was satisfying enough. I'm probably not going to include ThunderClan since it was in an earlier chapter, but I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Guest - Thank you, I'm glad you liked it so much!

Niqhtshadow - Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying this! My earlier chapters weren't all that great, but I like to think I've improved since then... at any rate, I'm glad I was able to write in WindClan's point of view. It's always fun trying to add in Clan politics and everything else. Hopefully you liked this chapter too :)