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Chapter Five: Secrets

Dreamcloud panted, her sides heaving up and down. For some reason, they were much, much larger than usual. A spasm of pain shot through her, and she had to find water.

Good. The lake.

But when she took a drink of it, she screeched out in pain, for everything was going wrong. The water only made things worse...

As she collapsed, everything began to darken. But sympathetic green eyes looked upon her.

"Silverstream?" She panted. But the she-cat only bowed her head sadly.

"Help me..."

Windshadow bounded over and stared with a look of horror on his face.

"Dreamcloud!" He cried, nudging her desperately.

"Windshadow..."

And his mate's last breath was taken.

000

"NO!"
Windshadow lept into a standing position, his green eyes wide and scared. Dreamcloud... she had been dying.

"What's wrong?" Applebird's hazel eyes showed worry.

"Nothing," He muttered, but was still trembling all over. Had he seen... had he seen the future?

"No," He hissed to himself, "Dreamcloud's strong. She won't die."

But Firestar... long ago, it was said that one of Firestar's infamous dreams had been of a silver queen leaving her kits. And a queen had died...

Wait...

That queen he had seen standing over Dreamcloud...

Dreamcloud had called her 'Silverstream'. And wasn't-

He halted, staring. For as Windshadow had been padding through the forest, a cat blocked his way.

"Yes, Windshadow," She murmured, "My name is Silverstream. I am the cat you saw in that dream."

At first, the tom was shocked, but then he bared his fangs at her. "Why didn't you help Dreamcloud?"

"It was just a dream."

"Yes... but will it be real?"

Silverstream looked at her paws, unable to answer. "I wish I could tell you," She whispered.

Windshadow glared at her. "So do I."

And he spun off.

000

Calicofur calmly picked up a sprig of mintleaf in her jaws, closing her eyes as she sucked in the wonderful scent...

But then, another scent hit her. This one was different, a cat's scent. It was Thunderclan, but mixed with something else...

"Calicofur."

The raspy purr made her spin around on her paws, to find a stocky gray she-cat. The flat face and amber eyes revealed her for who she was, accompanied by the stars in her fur.

"Yellowfang..." Calicofur's blue eyes were wide open, and her jaw hung in awe. She had heard of the great medicine cat when she was a kit from Cinderpelt, who had been mentored by the old cat.

"Hello, young one," Yellowfang meowed, her eyes sparkling with kindness and intelligence.

"H-hello!"

"Calicofur," Yellowfang meowed, "Every truly great cat is guided specially by Starclan. Firestar was, the cats who brought us here... Leafpool, Dreamcloud, Windshadow. And now you."

"Wait," Calicofur mewed, "I have a question. Are Dreamcloud and Windshadow still-"

"Yes," Yellowfang murmured, "You must help them. It is your destiny."

"Why me?" Calicofur blurted out, digging her claws into the ground. "Mothwing is still in her youth, and Leafpool's nowhere near retiring. Why not them?"

"Mothwing..." Yellowfang looked uneasy. "Starclan isn't sure about her. She, like her father, is ambitious, and-"
"But she's Brambleclaw's half sister!" Calicofur cried, "He's a hero! And Tawnypelt as well!"
"Yes," Yellowfang whispered, "But she also had Hawkfrost as a full brother. Her mother was from Bloodclan, and her father was Tigerstar. We have watched her, and... and she isn't the right cat for this job."

"As for Leafpool," She continued, "You never know where or how our paths may end."

"You don't mean-"

"I don't know."

Calicofur blinked nervously. Yellowfang wasn't revealing enough. That meant one thing.

Something was wrong.

000

Dreamcloud began to pad back to camp, when a strange wailing hit her. She quickened her pace to find Grassflower, mother of Palelegs, moaning, many of her friends comforting her.

A sickening feeling came to the pit of Dreamcloud's stomach.

"What's wrong?" She asked, racing up to Calicofur, who was standing next to Leafpool, looking worried.

"Palelegs... she's gone." Calicofur's blue eyes were wide with fear.

"What do you mean, 'she's gone'?" Dreamcloud demanded.

"She means," Firestar growled, walking over, "That Palelegs has vanished."

Dreamcloud's amber eyes widened. "She can't be gone!" She cried, "How?"

"We don't know," Leafpool said gently, "She didn't come back from hunting, so we sent a patrol out for her. There was nothing."

Grassflower's wails grew louder in her anguish, and Dreamcloud laid down, feeling numb all over. She laid her head on the ground. Her former apprentice, the cat she had helped... gone.

That's when a thought struck her.

That day... when Cloudtail was hit by the stinger... did that have something to do with the Palelegs' disappearance?

She would have to tell Windshadow. Warn him.

000

"Windshadow!" Dreamcloud whispered loudly, hiding in the bushes. The tom stood up straight, his ears pricked. He turned his head to her.

"Dreamcloud? What are you doing here?"

For some reason, relief shone in his pale green eyes. She padded up and pressed her muzzle against his, briefly forgetting why she was here.

"You seem worried," Dreamcloud commented.

"It's nothing," Windshadow sighed.

"Well," She said, remembering, "I have news. Palelegs is missing. And... I think two legs stole her."

"WHAT! That already happened!"

Dreamcloud shrugged. "History can repeat itself."

000

R and R, my pretties! And remember, go to my forum!