Annnnddd I'm back! Wow it's been about two weeks since I updated anything! Sorry I took so long. I had that giant Test Rush last week, WHICH I NAILED IT SUCK IT HORRIBLE TEACHER! Actually I didn't do good on that particular test cause I knew what I was doing, I did good because I totally looked up all the answers. What the teacher won't know won't hurt him. Then I had to pick classes for the next semester and then all the craziness of Election Day happened... oof sorry guys looks like Trump has to leave office I don't make the rules. :)
So I'm back to updating, or at least until December hits and I have presentations and finals and the Christmas Rush at work that they'll inevitably call me in for.
Reviews are appreciated!
Jayfeather shivered, a cold wind blowing into the damaged medicine den. Thankfully, none of the herbs currently stored were being blown into the wind, the den having been repaired prior. It didn't matter to Jayfeather though, he might as well have no herbs after the blaze had wiped out a good chunk of his stores. It had been a busy quarter moon trying to replenish the herb stocks, to no avail. If he needed any herbs, he would have to wait until new-leaf when everything grew back. Until then...
'We're all going to get picked apart by the Dark Forest,' he thought glumly. He would never forgive himself if he was unable to help heal his clanmates just because he didn't have enough herbs.
There was a foreboding feeling in the air; the feeling of the calm before the storm. He knew that the Dark Forest was going to be making their move very soon.
'And Starclan and the clans are still divided!' he wailed in his head. There was only one thing he could do tonight if the clans had any chance of survival. His ears perked up as he heard Briarlight drag herself back into the den and onto her nest, shivering from the cold.
"Any news?" he questioned without looking up.
"Well, the patrols didn't bring back a whole lot of prey. Other than that, nothing," she replied. His ears flattened themselves onto his head. They had been struggling with getting enough prey lately, every scrap going to the elders and queens. It could have been worse- Thunderclan could have chosen to not hunt outside the territory and then everyone in the clan would be starving as if it were already in the middle of leaf-bare.
While the lack of prey was worrying, what he really wanted to know was if the search party was okay. He hoped that they would bring back Firestar soon. The cat's enhanced strength and claws would be really helpful against the Dark Forest, granted they got him back in time for the battle. And Jayfeather had a feeling that the battle was going to be sooner than he thought.
"I really hope Brightheart will be okay though, she's really close to kitting," Briarlight fretted.
"Stop worrying. The last thing you need is to stress out too much," he chided.
"Because stressing out is your job?" she purred.
He let out a snort. "Very funny." He moved over into his nest and curled up into a ball. "Get some sleep will you?" She sighed and closed her eyes, her breathing eventually evening out. He too closed his eyes, but sleep wasn't what he desired at the moment. What he really wanted was to get to Starclan's territory. A cold wind ruffled his fur, and he opened his eyes to see a startled tortoiseshell in front of him, her fur bristling in alarm.
"Jayfeather! You startled me!" Spottedleaf exclaimed. "What are doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Dark Forest is going to attack us at any moment and the clans aren't a united front against them," he said, explaining as he raced through Starclan, Spottedleaf at his heels.
"I get what you're saying, but uniting even Starclan isn't an easy task as you think," she huffed.
"Well, there's only one way to get Starclan to listen then." He stopped and turned around to face her. "Look, I need to get the other three medicine cats here. If all four medicine cats tell Starclan to get their act together, then they'll have to listen right? At the very least we can get a meeting set up between the leaders and tell them what's going on," he explained. "I need you to bring Kestrelflight here, can you do that?"
"Why me? Wouldn't you want one of Windclan's former medicine cats to do that instead?" she frowned.
"I seriously doubt Kestrelflight will listen to me, given with all that's happened over the past moon," he meowed frustrated. "But maybe he'll listen to a Starclan cat. As for you? He doesn't know you and we don't have time to be looking for any Windclan cats."
Spottedleaf stared at him for a few moments, and Jayfeather wondered if she was going to say no. But she gave a conceding sigh. "Alright, we'll meet back here once we've gathered them all," she said, before bounding off into the territory. Jayfeather himself ran off, trying to sense Willowshine or Littlecloud. They had to be around here somewhere!
"Well, you're going somewhere awfully fast, aren't you?" a voice drawled. He stopped suddenly, recognizing the voice.
"Flametail..." he muttered. The flame-colored tom was lounging just a few ways away from him, gazing at Jayfeather with a critical eye. Jayfeather felt bad for the tom, he really did. Flametail had so much to live for. Jayfeather had tried his best to save him, but the blind medicine cat couldn't save everyone.
He shook his head. He had more important things to worry about at the moment. "I'm sorry, but I've got to find Willowshine and Littlecloud."
Flametail only rolled his eyes. "Of course. I'm never important enough for anyone am I?"
Jayfeather turned around to face him. "Excuse me?" he murmured in a low tone.
Flametail held his gaze. "You heard me. I'm never important enough." His gaze turned into a frosty glare. "Everyone forgot about me in the wake of Firestar's transformation. Cats remembered me until everything was about him! Not even Dawnpelt and Tigerheart care about my death anymore. Everyone only talks about your leader, even when he's nowhere near the clans!" he cried.
Jayfeather's eyes narrowed. "Oh no, you're not making this about yourself!" He stomped up to the dead medicine cat until he was up in his face. "Look, I get it! You died a horrible death but that doesn't mean cats should have to be hung up over it! I thought you were important enough to jump into freezing water and try to save you!"
"Well you did a poor job of 'saving' me," Flametail growled.
"Well I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. I'm sorry that no one from Shadowclan even tried to save you. But standing around Starclan being sorry for yourself helps no one," Jayfeather hissed. He took in a deep breath and softened his tone. "Look, you can either help me get Littlecloud and help bring the clans together, or you can continue sulking around Starclan. Your choice."
Flametail looked contemplative. "If I help get Littlecloud, I'll be important again?"
"You'll always be important Flametail. I seriously doubt any of your family or clanmates has forgotten about you. No doubt, Littlecloud will be happy to see you again," Jayfeather murmured. He was beginning to get impatient; Jayfeather needed to get going before the dream ended. To his relief, Flametail nodded and got up to his paws. Without a word, the flame-colored tom raced off, most likely in Littlecloud's direction.
As for Jayfeather, it didn't take long to reach Willowshine, who was wandering around in the hilltops of Starclan. The she-cat looked surprised as he approached.
"Willowshine, I need you to come with me."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Because the fate of the clans counts on it."
"Well, when you put it like that..."
.
.
.
.
Jayfeather wondered how much time he had wasted trying to get all the medicine cats together. He and Willowshine found Littlecloud and Flametail talking amicably alongside Kestrelflight and Spottedleaf, the Windclan medicine cat pulling a face at the sight of the Thunderclan medicine cat.
"Why is he here?" Kestrelflight growled.
"Who do you think asked for all of us to gather? Certainly not Spottedleaf," Jayfeather snorted.
"So why did you bring us here Jayfeather?" Littlecloud questioned.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush. The Dark Forest has found a way of crossing over from the Place of No Stars into our territory." All the living medicine cats gave little jumps, their eyes wide in shock. Flametail lashed his tail, eyes unfocused and lost in memories only he was privy to.
Littlecloud's claws dug into the ground. "It's been them all along hasn't it? Those foreign scents we've been scenting were Dark Forest warriors sneaking into our territory!"
"Into all of our territories," Jayfeather corrected him. "They're looking for the best places to fight." He exchanged a glance with Spottedleaf. "We think they're going to attack any day now."
"Why should we believe anything you say?" Kestrelflight growled.
Jayfeather growled angrily. "Look, I don't care about whatever hatred you still harbor against Firestar, but I'm telling the truth! These cats have been training our clanmates in their dreams, promising them training in order to better serve their clans. They don't know they're being used to fight against us." He ignored the shock sparking from the pelts around him.
They were silent for a few moments before Willowshine spoke up. "So what do you want us to do about it? We're just a couple of medicine cats."
Jayfeather sighed. "I have to unite Starclan. If all of us tell Starclan they need to unite, then they'll have to listen right?" He only received unsure glances. He noticed in alarm that the landscape around him was fading into white.
"The dream is ending," Spottedleaf said.
"We need to meet at the Moonpool tomorrow night! Please!" he pleaded to the others.
"I'll be there!" Willowshine called. Littlecloud also gave his affirmative.
Kestrelflight grumbled before nodding in agreement. Jayfeather gave a sigh of relief as he woke up to darkness.
'Well, at least that's one step completed. Now we need to get Starclan together and then unite the clans. The Dark Forest won't win this one,' he thought determinedly.
Sorry you waited this long for a garbo chapter. It's literally what went down in the Last Hope except everyone(including Dawnpelt) forgot about Flametail, so Jayfeather isn't being accused of murder here. The whole point of Jayfeather and Flametail was that 1) Jay thought Flame was the Fourth and 2) needed Flame to convince the other medicine cats that Jay didn't murder Flame. No murder means none of that here, but Flametail's still salty cause he wanted to control his own destiny and feel important. Don't say I didn't make you semi-important here Flametail. :P
This was originally going to be longer and the medicine cats would gather at the Moonpool the next night to unite Starclan, Jayfeather would threaten Kestrel and the Windclan parts of Starclan and all that jazz, but that will probably be next chapter. I made you all wait long enough.
Also if you catch any errors in any of my fics, please let me know. I got through them every once in a while and I'm still catching stupid little mistakes. None of these are beta read.
Tell me how I did.