Chapter Nine

I spent a lot of time thinking in my den. The descendants of the five cats who were apprentices during Firestar's time as an apprentice…who would that be? I realized that I had heard an old tale about Firestar's mission to ShadowClan to recover some kits…I had heard about Graypaw and Ravenpaw, then also of Dustpaw and Sandpaw.

So, those were the five. Firestar, Graystar, Ravenfur, Dustpelt, and Sandstorm. Now, what were their youngest descendants?

Firestar and Sandstorm had kits, Squirreltail and Leafstorm, and neither of them had any kits, so it would have to be Squirreltail, because Leafstorm was a medicine cat… As for Graystar, he and a cat named Silverstream had had Feathertail and Stormfur, and Feathertail's daughter was Streamtail, but there was still a chance that she had siblings.

And Dustpelt…Spiderpelt was his son, and my mate. Our kits were Ashenwind, Spiraltail, and Nightcloud. Then Spiraltail had had Blizzardkit and Dovekit, so one of them would be chosen. Then, of course, Ravenfur's kits – or, kit, now – Ebonypaw. He should be a warrior soon, I realized. It might help him take his mind off Mistypaw.

The dark-pelted apprentice hadn't done much since his sister's death, and since Nightcloud wasn't seeing Snowfrost anymore for very obvious reasons, Ebonypaw's mentor was back. But Ravenfur's son didn't seem to want to do any training – he'd be staring into space every time Nightcloud gave him an order, and never really tried when he actually did something. I decided to give him a bit of time off from his training to recover from Mistypaw's death, but I still wondered if that was enough.

I watched him from outside my den. Ebonypaw just returned from hunting, dropping a fair amount of prey into the fresh-kill pile. Judging by the way Nightcloud was surprised by his return, Ebonypaw hadn't been told to go hunting. I sighed and went back to my thoughts.

But Dovekit had also said 'If Glacierstar falls.' That was what had me really worried. Still, she had said 'if.' I was really hoping that I didn't take the if.

However, there was nothing I could do about Flamestorm until she decided to show herself. I had to tend to the Clan like I would have if I wasn't in this sort of tragedy. I padded outside my den and watched the apprentices play fight.

"Ha! Got you!" cried Creampaw.

He pinned Glitterpaw down hard with his wide white paws. His sister hissed playfully and batted him off with her back legs, and leaped upon Creampaw's neck.

"No, you don't," meowed Glitterpaw in his ear.

The white tom growled and bowled her over. Ebonypaw was watching nearby with empty amber eyes, and Creekpaw and Rosepaw were preparing to play in the den.

It suddenly occurred to me that Creampaw and Glitterpaw had not made their trip to the Moonstone yet. Ebonypaw had already gone about a moon ago, and Rosepaw and Creekpaw were too young to make the journey. It was very near time, I realized. I'd take Powderstripe with me because she was Glitterpaw's mentor, and then take the two apprentices to the Moonstone.

So I padded over to them. The four apprentices stopped play fighting very quickly and bowed their heads in deepest respect. Ebonypaw didn't move.

"Good day, apprentices," I greeted, and turned toward the cats I wished to speak with. "Creampaw, Glitterpaw. It is high time you make your apprentice trip to the Moonstone."

Two pairs of amber eyes stared at each other in wide-eyed astonishment, and both cats sat up a little taller. "Really, Glacierstar?" squeaked Creampaw.

I purred in amusement. "Of course. And you two," I added to Creekpaw and Rosepaw, "you are much too young. Your time will come when you get older."

Creekpaw nodded in understanding, but Rosepaw said nothing. Her blue-gray pelted sister gave her a flick from her tail on the shoulder, trying to get her to be polite, but Rosepaw merely stared at me with angry blue eyes. Was she still angry about the whole Petalstripe deal? I almost rolled my eyes.

"Anyway, I will get Powderstripe to accompany us, and you two get some herbs from Leafstorm," I ordered the two young apprentices.

Glitterpaw bounded away in excitement, but Creampaw stayed next to me. "What about Ebonypaw?" he asked.

The dark-pelted tom barely looked up as his name was mentioned.

"Ebonypaw has already made his trip to the Moonstone," I replied. "Hurry up, Creampaw. We're leaving awfully soon."

He nodded, dipped his head respectfully, and padded away after his sister. I watched him go, and walked over to Ebonypaw under the apprentices' den. I nudged him with a flick of my tail.

"Ebonypaw," I murmured in a quiet voice, "don't be so down. After all, you will be made into a warrior soon."

He looked up with an actual interest. "A warrior?"

"Yes, a warrior. I'll hold your ceremony as soon as I get back, in fact."

"A warrior…" Ebonypaw's amber eyes clouded and I knew he was remembering what Mistypaw's last words had been. He nodded slightly to me – the first hint he had ever given that I existed since Mistypaw died – and went to sit by his sister's grave.

I headed toward the medicine cat's den last after Creampaw and Glitterpaw were done eating their herbs. Powderstripe was in there, munching on a rolled-up leaf with an…interesting expression on her face. I purred at the sight.

"Tastes good, doesn't it?" I mewed.

Powderstripe merely grunted as she swallowed the rest of the herbs. "I'll never get used to those things," the white she-cat with gray patches grumbled.

"I'll take it you'll want some too, Glacierstar." It was Leafstorm, just entering from further inside the den.

I nodded. "Yes, please."

"Blizzardkit!" called the medicine cat. The little gray tom came rushing outside. He was about four moons old by now. He stopped in front of Leafstorm, blue eyes wide.

"Yes?" he mewed politely.

"Traveling herbs for Glacierstar, Blizzardkit. Just do what you for the others for Glacierstar, okay?"

Blizzardkit nodded excitedly and bounded off into the darker part of the den. I almost mentioned that I did not feel comfortable having a kit get the herbs for me, but if Leafstorm trusted him, then I supposed I should as well. Blizzardkit was certainly going to be a medicine cat.

A moment later, Dovekit's brother reappeared, swishing his tail happily. He dropped the little package in front of me and blinked.

"How's that?" he mewed.

Leafstorm purred. "Very, very good, Blizzardkit!"

As I munched on the disgusting-tasting herbs, Spiraltail stuck her head inside the den. "Blizzardkit," she called to her son. "Feeding time."

"All right!" cried the young gray kit, and charged out of the den. "Bye, Leafstorm, Glacierstar!" he added, just before disappearing.

I finished my herbs and looked up. Leafstorm was staring after him with a thoughtful, almost sad expression. "I never knew who his father was," she mewed.

I stared at her in surprise. That thought had never even come to me, to be honest. Just who was Spiraltail's mate? "I'll ask Spiraltail when I return, perhaps," I told her.

"There might be a reason why she doesn't want anyone to know," mewed Leafstorm.

I shrugged. "She'll tell me."

I said good-bye to Leafstorm before padding outside to meet Powderstripe, Creampaw, and Glitterpaw, who were all waiting patiently for me. I called over Dragonheart with a flick of my tail.

"You're in charge of the camp," I told her. "Guard it well."

The tricolor she-cat nodded. "I shall, Glacierstar."

"Right," I meowed, and looked at the cats that were coming with me. "Let's go."

The four of us traveled through the forest at a steady pace. Even though Creampaw seemed awfully excited, he wasn't going ahead like he usually was. My senses had become more alert since the Snowfrost episode, and I hoped that her Clan wouldn't attack while the leader was out of the camp.

"This is great!" cried Creampaw as we trotted through the forest. "The Moonstone, the Gathering…when are we going to be made warriors?"

I shared a glance with Powderstripe before replying. "When you are ready," I mewed.

"You don't get to be made a warrior just because you've been an apprentice for a long time," added Powderstripe. "You earn it."

"I think we've earned it," commented Glitterpaw as she leapt over a fallen log.

I decided to change the subject. These two apprentices would be warriors in about a moon – but I wasn't about to tell them that. "Remember, apprentices," I told them, "this will be your first time crossing the Thunderpath. Be on your guard."

Glitterpaw and Creampaw exchanged a glance and I knew I had just killed their excitement and confidence. They'll do fine, I thought. After all, Creampaw was my apprentice.

I decided to completely avoid WindClan territory and walk along the edge of ShadowClan territory. I didn't want the others knowing about what had happened with Snowfrost and Nightcloud. We walked along the river as it thinned out toward ShadowClan territory, and stopped by the monstrous road when it disappeared below it.

"Right," I mewed, stepping forward. "I'll go first, and the apprentices follow after me."

I walked onto the edge of the Thunderpath and listened for an oncoming monster. Everything was totally peaceful, so I hurried forward, claws scraping the disgusting material of the Thunderpath, and stopped on the edge of ShadowClan territory.

I called to the apprentices. "Creampaw, you next," I ordered.

Creampaw exchanged a nervous glance with his sister before heading to the edge where I had stood moments before. A huge monster, bigger than most, roared past, and Creampaw hid in the bushes with his ears flattened in fear. When it was past, he rose slowly, and darted across. The Thunderpath was clear; he'd done it perfectly.

"Your turn, Glitterpaw!" cried Creampaw, his confidence returned.

His white-pelted sister stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Powderstripe, her mentor, was murmuring to her. Glitterpaw nodded and placed a single paw on the road, glanced down the Thunderpath, and quickly bolted across. Powderstripe followed just as easily.

"Very good, you two," I told Glitterpaw and Creampaw as they panted next to me. "But remember, there's still one more Thunderpath to cross before we get to Highstones."

The others followed me through the edge of ShadowClan territory. Whenever a monster came along the Thunderpath, we crouched low to the ground, hiding in the bushes, to keep the grit from spraying on our pelts. I began to wonder what I'd find when I shared dreams with StarClan – would I really see my ancestors or would I see Flamestorm?

"And here's the second one," I told the other three as I paused. A monster blew past me. As soon as it was gone, I raced across and stopped when I felt the rocky terrain of Highstones under my feet. "Come on, Creampaw."

Creampaw followed just as easily as the first time. When Glitterpaw went, a monster picked up speed with amazing swiftness and charged at her – I yowled a warning and dug my claws into the earth as Creampaw gasped – but Glitterpaw hug to the ground, and the monster roared over her. She joined us on the other side, her tail fluffed out and her eyes wide. Powderstripe hurried over to us and gave Glitterpaw a quick lick.

"That was so scary," mumbled Glitterpaw.

I let her rest for a few moments before we trudged on, toward the Highstones. The apprentices were amazed at what they saw: a huge, cliffy hole in the ground leading to a dark passageway. I had been here about five moons ago to receive my nine lives. Eight now, I thought bitterly.

"If you want to hunt, do it now," I told the other three cats. "I can't, if I want to share dreams with StarClan."

"I'm starving," announced Creampaw, and took his sister to the patch of trees behind the cliffs. Powderstripe nodded to me before heading after them to assess their hunting skills.

A few moments later, all three cats returned, having caught a decent catch. I watched them eat the fresh-kill almost enviously, and wished that the old traditions didn't apply to cats that had formerly been Twolegs.

"It's time," I mewed suddenly, standing up. The moon was very high in the sky. "Follow me."

We went around the cliff and near the Thunderpath, walking slowly onto the slanting ground that led into Mothermouth. The apprentices' claws were unsheathed as they slid across the stone. I walked calmly toward the cave and waited for them.

"Do we get to go inside?" asked Glitterpaw eagerly.

"Do we get to see the Moonstone?" inquired Creampaw.

"Yes," I replied. "Powderstripe, would you mind guarding the entrance?"

Powderstripe hesitated, and then nodded reluctantly. "I will, Glacierstar," she mewed.

"Good." I glanced toward the other two cats. "Let's go, apprentices."

Creampaw and Glitterpaw followed me into the dark cave. It was so dark that I could barely see where I was going. I had to memorize the route that Leafstorm had told me about to get through.

"It's dark," complained Creampaw. I heard a sudden thud. "Ouch!"

"He tripped," explained Glitterpaw quietly. "Come on, Creampaw, you clumsy badger. We have to keep going."

Creampaw grunted as he hauled himself to his paws. The apprentices followed my scent through the winding trails of Mothermouth. I stopped suddenly when I saw a blinding white light ahead.

"Here we are," I announced. I climbed up the ledge and pulled the apprentices up after me, who stared at the Moonstone in wide-eyed amazement.

The Moonstone was about as big as a full-grown cat. From the top of the cave, there was a hole. I could see the moon perfectly above it, shining light on the stone beneath us. I swallowed nervously as I approached it, and faced the two apprentices.

"Don't make any noises as I am sharing dreams," I told them. Creampaw and Glitterpaw nodded.

I pressed my nose against the cold, cold rock, and closed my eyes. An incredible wave of sleep came over me. I blinked slowly and squinted; I was standing next to Bramblestar.

"Bramblestar!" I cried in shock.

I glanced around me. Firestar and Sandstorm were sitting nearby, with Cloudtail and Brightheart close to them. I saw Cinderpelt and an old gray she-cat I didn't recognize, as well as Ravenfur. Sitting next to him was his daughter: Mistypaw.

I gasped and walked toward her. The light gray she-cat stared at me with happy green eyes. "Mistypaw," I whispered, "I'm so sorry about what happened to you…"

"It turned out for the best," she whispered. "Ebonypaw will be made an excellent warrior. That is all I wanted." Mistypaw closed her eyes briefly. "Choose the best name for him."

"I will," I promised. I glanced around the clearing. "Have you heard anything about the threat of Flamestorm?"

"Of course we have." It was Graystar, his long gray fur sweeping in the slight breeze. "Flamestorm will be stopped, Glacierstar. But when, we cannot say."

"Could you tell me who the descendants are?" I asked them.

Firestar answered me. "Squrreltail, Dovekit, Ebonypaw, and Elmheart," he replied.

"Elmheart?" I blinked in confusion.

"Streamtail's brother," explained Graystar. "Feathertail's son."

At least now I knew those four cats. I couldn't believe that it had come to a cat as young as Dovekit, but she would be made an apprentice soon.

"Glacierstar." It was Mistypaw again. I stared down at her. "Be prepared to meet a friend you thought was gone. But beware of the disloyalty the cat will bring."

There was a sudden flash, and StarClan disappeared. I was staring into the incredible brightness of the Moonstone. I repeated Mistypaw's words over and over in my head again. She had said a 'friend' – so I figured it couldn't be too bad. But how had this cat been disloyal?

"Creampaw? Glitterpaw?" I whispered. The two cats jumped in surprise.

"Glacierstar!" exclaimed Creampaw. "What did you –" Glitterpaw nudged him angrily and hissed something in his ear.

I got to my feet, purring in amusement. "You will know when you become Clan leader," I told them. "Come on. I want to return to the camp."

We left the Moonstone behind and greeted Powderstripe at the front of the cave. Just as we were preparing to leave, I noticed a small group of cats across the Thunderpath to the left.

"ShadowClan," I whispered. "We're going to have to go across WindClan territory." I was not pleased at all to do that. If we ran into any WindClan warriors…

I waited at the larger Thunderpath for any monsters. When all was peaceful, I raced hurriedly across. I was slower than I had been the first time due to exhaustion. At that moment, I was very tired. I was relieved that the other three cats made it across the Thunderpath easily.

"Right," I panted. "Let's go."

"Could we rest first?" asked Glitterpaw suddenly. I was surprised; normally she never would have admitted that she was tired. Powderstripe gave her a look.

I hesitated. I was very tempted to keep going, but the others seemed tired. I had scraped a pad on a sharp stone in Mothermouth, as well. So I nodded and mewed, "All right. We'll rest over there." I nodded toward the farm – formerly known as Barley's farm so many seasons ago, when I was just an apprentice.

Glitterpaw's face lit up. "Thank you, Glacierstar!" she exclaimed.

I nodded slightly. "We won't stay long, however," I added. "There are always plenty of mice on the farm, so we'll be able to hunt quite a bit."

We padded silently across WindClan territory until the huge, red, Twoleg nest came into view. The four of us entered the barn, I remembered it being, and plopped down on the hay, too exhausted to move any further.

"Who's there?"

A she-cat's voice made us jump; Powderstripe sprang forward, swishing her tail in a threatening way. "Show yourself!" she snapped.

There was a scuffle, and a terrified-looking she-cat came into view. Her long white pelt was fluffed up in fear, and her green eyes were darting from Powderstripe, to me, to the two apprentices. She was relatively plump. Powderstripe growled and trudged forward.

"Get away from here, kittypet," she snarled.

The she-cat's eyes locked on me, and she froze. "Glacierclaw?" she whispered.

I stared at her in shock. "Who are you?" I demanded. "I don't recognize you."

"It's me…" She pushed past Powderstripe. "Whiteflower!"

I let out a yowl of pure happiness and rushed to greet my old friend. "Whiteflower, I can't believe it's you!"

"You've changed a lot, Glacierclaw," she commented.

"Actually, it's Glacierstar, now," I told her.

Whiteflower stared. "You're leader! Oh, great StarClan, that is great news! But what happened to Bramblestar?"

"He was killed by Robinstar." This time Powderstripe answered, sidling up next to me. "It is good to see you again, friend. How did you escape the Twolegs?"
Whiteflower hesitated. "I am not so keen to tell the story," she mewed.

"Please tell us." Creampaw and Glitterpaw stepped forward.

"Oh, this cannot be Creampaw!" exclaimed Whiteflower, giving his forehead a lick.

"He just went to the Moonstone," I explained. "As did Glitterpaw."

"So what's the story?" asked Creampaw's sister.

Whiteflower lay down in the hay and began to tell her story. I sat next to her. "Well, when the Twolegs captured me, I was sure that I'd never see ThunderClan again. The Twolegs brought me home, where a…a tom was waiting for me." She glanced at her belly.

I gasped in pure shock. "You're…you're pregnant," I whispered.

"A kittypet?" demanded Powderstripe.

"Yes…his name was Mikey. I told him stories about my time in ThunderClan, and he felt sorry for me for being taken away from my home. We have been planning for my escape ever since. I was very surprised when I spotted the Highstones not all that far away, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for the journey."

Whiteflower glanced around us. "Mikey helped me escape from the Twoleg nest, and I have been traveling for about two days now. I am resting here, and I never expected to meet you four."

I remembered Mistypaw's prophecy. So this was the disloyalty she was talking about, I thought. Whiteflower's mate is a kittypet…

"Will you take me home?" asked Whiteflower with a touch of fear. "Even though my kits have kittypet blood?"

I hesitated. Then, "Yes, Whiteflower. Of course. We'd take you back no matter what."

Powderstripe glanced at me in surprise. She wasn't so keen on taking this she-cat back to her home. But Whiteflower was my friend. She had been since I had been brought to the Clan as a six-moon-old kit.

"Right," I mewed. "We'll rest here, and then keep going to ThunderClan territory."

"You don't have to," mewed Whiteflower, climbing to her feet. "We can keep going. I want to see the camp again."

I nodded and got up as well. "Okay, if that's what you want," I meowed.

"Creampaw, Glitterpaw, escort Whiteflower out of here," ordered Powderstripe. Both apprentices nodded and stepped on either side of the white she-cat, leading her out of the barn.

Powderstripe turned to me. "Glacierstar, are you sure that you want this…kittypet to be back in the Clan? She might not make it, having been used to a comfortable life."

I purred. "Whiteflower has been with the Clan longer than she has with the Twolegs," I pointed out. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"But her kits." Powderstripe's amber eyes were worried. "How will the Clan react to her having kits?"

I hesitated. "We'll try to keep it a secret from the other Clans," I mewed. "There has been a number of kittypets, loners, and rogues in ThunderClan. We have to break that tradition."

Powderstripe nodded, not completely convinced.

"I can't believe I'm home," whispered Whiteflower as we pushed through the entrance to the camp.

At once, the entire Clan stared at her in suspicion and shock. But then Branchtail, a light brown tom with white stripes, rushed forward, crying, "Whiteflower's back!" It was not surprising that he recognized Whiteflower first; Branchtail was Whiteflower's son. And soon he'd have more siblings, I thought bitterly. How are we going to cover this up?

Squirreltail rushed forward in happiness. "Whiteflower, I am so glad to see you," she murmured.

"Welcome back, Whiteflower." It was Spiderpelt, giving her a lick on the forehead.

I leapt upon the Highrock and didn't bother summoning the cats; they were all outside their dens because of Whiteflower's arrival. "Today, an old friend has come back to ThunderClan," I announced. "Whiteflower has returned."

The cats burst into a chorus of "Whiteflower! Whiteflower!" like a new warrior had been named. I continued when the noise had died down.

"I also think that you should hear the story she has to tell," I added.

Whiteflower glanced up at me with nervous green eyes, and leapt upon the Highrock awkwardly. She sat down next to me and cleared her throat. I was surprised that she told the story of her and Mikey without any embarrassment. When she was finished, the Clan was completely stumped. Especially Shrewclaw, her old mate, from his position at the elder's den.

"You should not have come back at all!" he yowled.

Whiteflower looked hurt. "A Twoleg nest is not my home, Shrewclaw. I never could have been happy there."

"But these kits," burst out Graytail, "they are half-kittypet! No Clan would ever respect them."

"We will keep it a secret from the other Clans," I mewed. "At Gatherings, do not tell anyone about Whiteflower's kits – only that she has returned." I glanced at Whiteflower. "Would you like to move into the nursery?"

She nodded. "Yes, that would be best," she replied, and leapt down from the Highrock. I noticed that the Clan edged away from her as she moved toward the nursery.

I hesitated before beginning a special ceremony. "To add to that," I meowed, "an apprentice is very ready to receive his warrior name. Nightcloud." I glanced down at my dark-pelted son. "Do you believe that your apprentice is ready to be a warrior?"

Nightcloud nodded excitedly. "Yes, I do," he replied.

I flicked my tail at Ebonypaw. The black apprentice rose to his paws and padded to sit next to me on the Highrock. His fur had been groomed sleekly for the ceremony. I raised my head to Silverpelt and yowled,

"I, Glacierstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."

I stared down at the calm apprentice and mewed, "Ebonypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

Ebonypaw bowed his head slightly. I knew he was remembering Mistypaw. "I do," he whispered.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Ebonypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ebonyclaw. StarClan honors your strength and confidence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

I rested my head on Ebonyclaw's as he licked my shoulder. The whole camp changed Ebonyclaw's new name.

"Ebonyclaw! Ebonyclaw!"

The new warrior bowed his head and spoke. "Glacierstar, I know I am breaking a tradition, but I have a…request."

I stared at him. "Yes, what is it?"

"I would like you to give a warrior name to…to the cat who should have been made a warrior at this time."

Mistypaw. I glanced at her grave. Ebonyclaw wanted me to give Mistypaw her warrior name. It was not unheard of; just a little late. It was supposed to have been done as soon as she died. But I wasn't about to say no to Ebonyclaw, so I leapt down from the Highrock and sat behind Mistypaw's grave.

"I am calling upon StarClan to look down at this young cat's grave. She would have been made a warrior on this day. She would have promised to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan, at the cost of her own life. She would have been proud to have her name changed – Mistypaw, you will be known as Mistycloud. StarClan honors your determination and loyalty, and we welcome you as a new warrior of ThunderClan."

I bent down and touched my nose to Mistycloud's grave. I could almost see her excited amber eyes staring at me. Ebonyclaw purred loudly and sat next to the grave. I knew he would spend his vigil right there.

"Mistycloud! Mistycloud!" The Clan cheered loudly for this new warrior. Ebonyclaw looked happier than he had been in days.

I was just about to go rest in my den when I remembered a conversation with Leafstorm I had had what seemed like so long ago. I rushed up to Spiraltail as she herded her to kits back into the nursery. "Spiraltail? Can I talk to you?"

The white she-cat nodded. "Just wait in there next to Morningcloud, kits," she told Dovekit and Blizzardkit. "I won't be long." Spiraltail sidled up next to me. "Yes, Glacierstar? What is it?"

I took a deep breath before asking, "Who was your mate?"

Spiraltail hesitated. "I was wondering when you'd ask me that," she admitted. "All right, if you must know: it was Bramblestar."

Whoa! I can't believe I wrote that. XD Spiraltail and Bramblestar? And I know that that wasn't the appropriate ceremony for Mistycloud, but oh well. I don't have the fifth book with me. This was a pretty long chapter, too...

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