"What do you mean you can't leave?" Heronpaw said, bewildered. Petalpaw looked up at him, a cold fire of determination in her eyes. Her paws were still pressed down on her patient.
"If I leave now Hornedpaw will die." She said. Heronpaw looked down at the wounded apprentice. His flank rose faintly and his eyes were squeezed shut. The grizzly wound at his side was packed with cobwebs.
"Can't his own Clan take care of him?" Heronpaw asked, growing frantic. Petalpaw had to come back. He couldn't leave her here. They had to go back to save the Clan!
"No." Petalpaw said firmly. "We're too far away. He'll die before Finchfoot can see him."
Skyclaw's ears drew back and her eyes widened.
"I thought you stopped his bleeding." She said in a tiny voice. The normally calm, confident she-cat looked terrified for her apprentice. Heronpaw's thoughts fled to his own mentor. Was Kestrelfeather feeling that same fear?
"I did." Petalpaw grunted as she shifted her straining forelegs slightly. "But if I stop holding pressure it will start again."
Skyclaw whimpered. Heronpaw grew frustrated.
"CedarClan needs us!" He growled. "Are you really risking their lives for him?" The moment the words were out of his mouth he regretted them. Petalpaw raised her eyes to meet his gaze. They smoldered with a dark green anger.
"You think that I don't know that?" She hissed. Heronpaw took a step back from her sudden fury. "You think that I'm not agonizing over this?"
"Of-of course not." Heronpaw stammered. "I just- "
"You just don't understand what it means to be a medicine cat." The disdain in her voice was shocking. Petalpaw had never spoken to him like this before.
"I'm sorry." He managed to say after a moment. There was a horrible tightness in his chest.
"If you're sorry, leave. You know the prophecy. You can help." Petalpaw said without looking at him. Heronpaw's worries wriggled in his belly.
"What do I tell them?" He said.
"The truth." Petalpaw replied, still avoiding eye contact.
"When will you come back?"
Petalpaw finally looked up. Her eyes were cold.
"When I'm sure he'll be okay." She said.
"I'll make sure she is well cared for." Skyclaw added. Heronpaw had forgotten she was even still there. He looked at the AlderClan warrior. She had lost her terror. Her shoulders were squared and she looked Heronpaw in the eye. He could trust this cat.
He thought of his Clan and how they needed him. Petalpaw was right. He had all the information he needed. He could do this on his own. He took a deep breath and steeled himself.
"Okay. I'll go." He looked deep into Petalpaw's green eyes. "May StarClan light your path."
Her gaze softened slightly.
"And you." She said quietly. They held eye contact for a heartbeat. Then Heronpaw turned away. He straightened his posture, trying to fool himself into feeling more confident. He strode over to Nighthawk and Daisyspring. Warmth spread to his ears when he realized they had been watching.
"I will be returning alone." He said to the warriors. Nighthawk dipped his head.
"Very well. Thank you for your help." He said.
"We will make sure Petalpaw returns to you safely." Daisyspring added, nodding.
Heronpaw bowed his head to the warriors. "Thank you." He said. The AlderClan cats stepped to the side to let Heronpaw through. He exhaled through his nose and set out.
The rest of AlderClan territory was thin forests with trees that lost their leaves during the cold moons. The snow on the ground was mixed with leaf litter and a gravelly dirt. His paws were aching from scrambling up and down rough rocks for the past day. His pads longed for the cool touch of CedarClan's soft dirt.
He made his way along the tree line, always keeping the lake in sight. It was the only landmark he knew and without it he would have no clue how to get home. The sun was drifting down from its sunhigh perch by the time Heronpaw caught the scent of a musty, sap-laden smell. PineClan. He had reached the border.
He looked around for some sort of landmark that could act as a natural border. In CedarClan they had the river and the twoleg path to separate their territories from other Clans. Here there seemed to be nothing other than the scent markers.
He paused at the border, wondering if he should wait for a passing patrol. He decided against it, reasoning that the sun-high patrol should have just passed and it would be easy for him to stay out of sight. He gingerly stepped over the scent line.
PineClan territory was much flatter than any other Clan's. The maples and birches that dotted AlderClan territory soon faded into thicker pine woods. A darkness cast over the ground as Heronpaw entered forest where the trees kept their needles during leaf-bare. The trees caused the snow to form dipped rings around their trunks. The air was still and cold.
Heronpaw kept the lake to his right as he traveled. He could see it peeking through the trees, reflecting the bright sun. The glittering light caused the whole area to feel slightly ethereal.
A sudden sound caused Heronpaw to jump. He quickly dove under a fallen log and waited, heart pounding. A pair of PineClan cats came into view from behind a tree. The lack of undergrowth and the snow had masked the sound of their approaching pawsteps. Heronpaw cursed himself for not realizing that would be an issue here.
"I swear I smelled fox." A small white she-cat, an apprentice, was saying. The cat that Heronpaw guessed was her mentor, a tall black tom with a white chest and belly, tasted the air. His pale-yellow eyes darted around and his neck fur bristled.
Heronpaw's belly clenched. Another fox? He drew the chill air into his mouth. The scent of fox exploded around him. Panic gripped Heronpaw. Had he accidentally found a fox's den? He turned awkwardly in the confined space under the log, trying to see. All he saw was his shoulders and back which were stained with blood.
The fox's blood.
Idiot! Heronpaw thought. He had completely forgotten to rid himself of the pungent residue. Now he reeked of fox and would surely be discovered. His mind raced.
"It smells…wrong." The black and white warrior said after a moment.
"What smells wrong?" A cheerful mew announced the arrival of a third cat; a little cream colored she-cat. She had a mouse in her jaws and was looking around curiously.
"Frostpaw scented a fox." The black tom said. "I smell it too, but there's something off."
The cream she-cat's eyes widened and she dropped her mouse. Her tail started to bush out and she opened her mouth to taste the air.
"It smells like fox blood." She concluded after a moment. "And…and Alder, no, CedarClan?"
Heronpaw's stomach tightened. Of course he had to cross paths with the cat with the best nose in the forest.
Tthe black and white tom stiffened and turned his head directly at the log that Heronpaw was hiding under.
"Come out! We know you're there." He demanded.
Heronpaw froze. Was he bluffing? No, the warrior was looking right at him through the wood. Besides, the patrol would never leave a place reeking of fox and rival Clans without investigating further. With a deep sigh, Heronpaw called out softly.
"I'm here. I mean no harm."
The apprentice jumped but the warriors only narrowed their eyes.
Heronpaw slowly dragged himself out from under the log and into the open. The tall warrior looked him up and down.
"Who are you?" he said after a few excruciating heartbeats.
Heronpaw opened his mouth to reply but Frostpaw interrupted.
"I know him, Longshadow! He's Heronpaw of CedarClan." She said, her tail shooting up.
"I knew I smelled CedarClan." The cream she-cat said, her eyes glinting. Longshadow rolled his eyes.
"Yes, Littlerose, I'm sure you did." He said, a hint of sarcasm tinging his mew. He fixed his eyes on Heronpaw. "You're one of the missing apprentices, yes?"
Heronpaw nodded. These cats were acting unusually calm despite finding a rival Clan's cat on their land covered in fox blood.
"Why are you here of all places?" Littlerose interjected. She looked genuinely curious instead of suspicious.
"I, uh," Heronpaw began but the tall warrior shook his head.
"Does it matter?" He said, twitching his long tail. "Let's just take him back to camp." Heronpaw's heart sank. He couldn't afford another detour. He cursed himself again for his short-sightedness.
Littlerose gaped at her Clanmate. "You aren't curious? He's covered in fox blood and he came from AlderClan."
Longshadow rolled his eyes again. "Not particularly."
Heronpaw was hardly listening anymore. Not after he had spotted the white shape among the trees just behind the patrol. Was that…? Yes, it had to be. She faded in and out of the air like mist as she wove among the trees. She turned her glowing eyes on him and gestured towards CedarClan territory with her head. There was an urgency to her gesture that sent Heronpaw's belly roiling with anxiety.
"I know." He hissed between gritted teeth. I can't very well run away! He thought to himself.
To his astonishment the white cat nodded, like she had understood him. Longshadow and Littlerose were still arguing about what to do with him. Heronpaw cast them a side-long glance.
Can you distract them? He thought, feeling slightly foolish. He was dumbfounded when the white cat nodded again. Then, before Heronpaw could properly react, she raised her muzzle and a piercing, haunting shriek shot through the forest.
The PineClan warriors jumped and whirled around. Frostpaw yowled and crouched to the ground, eyes wild. Heronpaw didn't think, he just took off.
He ran just as hard as he had when the cougar was hot on his trail. He faintly heard Longshadow howl with shock as he sped away. He weaved through the pines, his heart pounding. Ahead of him, the white cat appeared again and gestured to the right with a frantic wave of her plumy tail. Without thinking Heronpaw veered towards the lake.
He burst out on the bank and found it much easier to run. He picked up the pace and shot along the water's edge. He could hear the alarm calls from PineClan cats behind him. He paid them no heed. He had to run.
Adrenaline carried his paws across the stony bank and towards a familiar tree line. In the near distance he could see the twoleg structure that marked the end of the disused path. He was almost there!
With a final burst of speed that sent his tired muscles into a screaming fury, Heronpaw covered the distance to the border in six heartbeats. He swerved up the shore and scrambled up the hanging bank. He wrenched his paw free from a curling root sticking out of the side and hopped up onto the snow-covered plateau.
His paws skimmed over the wooden twoleg thing and CedarClan's blessed scent blasted his face. He skidded to a halt and looked back over his shoulder.
Longshadow, Littlerose, and Frostpaw had followed him but they had been too late. Longshadow slowed to an angry pace when he saw that his quarry had gotten away. The tom lashed his long tail and yowled with frustration. Heronpaw felt a rush of satisfaction. He had done it! He turned and headed into the trees.
. . .
Oddly, Heronpaw didn't run into a patrol on his way back to camp. This gave him time to think about what he was going to say, though his strange encounter with the white cat made that hard. Apparently, she could understand his thoughts, respond to them, and make sounds. And what a sound it had been.
The adrenaline rush of the moment had kept him on his paws but if he had been caught completely off-guard, he knew that he would've been paralyzed with fear. The earsplitting sound had been like nothing he had ever heard before. It was like the wail of a cat in distress mixed with the high pitched, sheering calls of a hawk.
He shivered as he recalled it. He could go the rest of his life without hearing it again. He forced his mind to the task at hand. How was he going to explain himself? What would he say? He remembered what Petalpaw had told him.
"Tell the truth."
It seemed like the best option, but what if the Clan didn't believe him because Petalpaw wasn't with him? A small voiced thought occurred to him.
Did he really have to convince the entire Clan? Wouldn't it be enough if he convinced the one the prophecy was about? Dawnheart was a reasonable cat. Heronpaw felt more confident. If he could persuade Dawnheart, it didn't matter if the rest of the Clan thought he was completely mad. He purred and shrugged to himself. Maybe he was mad.
As he walked back to camp through the gradually darkening forest, he grew nervous. Surely, he should've run into some Clanmates by now? He was using the most trafficked paths in the territory. He looked down at his paws, hoping to see some paw prints. At his feet lay a thin layer of untouched snow. A shiver ran up Heronpaw's spine.
He looked behind him. His were the only paw prints that dotted the track between walls of elbow-deep snow. Cold began to seep into Heronpaw's limbs. He turned and broke into a run.
. . .
The first cat Heronpaw came across was, unfortunately, Falconstorm. The large tabby tom was standing guard at the fern tunnel entrance. He didn't notice Heronpaw's approach until he turned. The warrior's amber eyes widened and he stood up abruptly. Heronpaw slowed to a stop in front of his father. There was a moment of silence while Falconstorm regarded his son. Then he spoke.
"Where is she?" He rasped. Heronpaw's heart sank.
"I need to speak to Blizzardstar." He said, squaring his shoulders. Falconstorm narrowed his eyes and took a step towards the apprentice. It took all of Heronpaw's resolve to stand his ground.
"Is she alive?" Falconstorm said. Heronpaw nodded. "Where?" the warrior demanded.
"I need to speak to Blizzardstar." Heronpaw repeated. He didn't have time for this! He shoved his way past Falconstorm. He felt a faint sense of surprise as his shoulder brushed along his father's. When had Heronpaw grown so tall?
To Heronpaw's relief, Falconstorm didn't stop him. The warrior followed closely behind as Heronpaw ducked under the dried bracken and into the camp. The sight that greeted him made him pause. Hardly any cats were in the clearing despite this being the time they ate and talked together. The only cats he could see were his brothers sharing a scrawny bird near the fresh-kill pile and Whiteshade vanishing into the warrior's den. He was limping heavily.
"Crowfrost." Falconstorm called. Heronpaw twitched his ear, confused. Who was Crowfrost?
Then Crowfrost looked up from his meal and Heronpaw eyes widened in realization.
"Relieve me at the entrance." Falconstorm said. Crowfrost nodded and rose to his paws. Then his eyes fell on Heronpaw. The new warrior's eyes swept over his brother. Then his neck fur rose. He stalked forward until he was face to face with Heronpaw.
"Where is she?" Crowfrost demanded.
"You're a warrior." Was all Heronpaw managed to say. Crowfrost's blue eyes widened. They burned with a cold fire.
By this point Hawkpaw, if that was still his name, had realized what was going on and had dashed over. He shoved Crowfrost out of the way and touched noses with Heronpaw. His gray eyes were warm instead of icy.
"You're okay!" Hawkpaw purred. His mew shook with relief. Heronpaw gave his head a little shake. Hawkpaw's warmth was unexpected but quite welcome.
"Yeah." He said.
"There's no time for that." Crowfrost growled, shoving Hawkpaw aside. He turned his icy gaze back to his other brother. "Where is Petalpaw?" Crowfrost hissed through his clenched jaw.
Heronpaw opened his mouth to angrily retort but Falconstorm cut him off.
"She is coming. Go stand guard." His tone was final. Crowfrost glared at both his father and Heronpaw before slinking away. Heronpaw watched him go. What had happened to his brother?
"Where have you been?" Hawkpaw pressed. Heronpaw turned to respond when he was yet again interrupted by Falconstorm.
"He needs to speak to Blizzardstar. You can chat later." The dark warrior set off towards Blizzardstar's fallen log den. Heronpaw shot Hawkpaw an apologetic look before following.
Falconstorm announced them at the entrance to Blizzardstar's den. A hoarse croak bid them entrance in response. Heronpaw's ears pricked at the sound. Was Blizzardstar sick?
Falconstorm stood aside and nodded to the entrance. His eyes were cold, just like Crowfrost's. Heronpaw dropped his gaze and pushed his way into the den. Falconstorm didn't follow. Heronpaw stepped gingerly into the dim den. A single hole in the roof of the log allowed the fading light of dusk to filter in. It was barely enough to see by.
"Blizzardstar?" Heronpaw asked hesitantly. A dark mass at the far end of the den shifted. The Clan leader's head rose from a curled-up position. The large tom stretched and sat up. His face and head were cast into relief by the stream of light. Heronpaw gasped.
A ragged wound cut across Blizzardstar's neck. Its redness shone as a stark contrast to the tom's white fur. Cobwebs and bits of green herbs were crusted around the length of the slash, and a sickly-sweet smell drifted from it. Heronpaw felt bile rising in his throat. He swallowed forcefully.
"Heronpaw, you're back." Blizzardstar said in that same raspy voice. His face was a stone wall. There was no way to tell what the great cat was thinking. He stared at Heronpaw expectantly.
"I am." Heronpaw said lamely. Now that he was here and facing his leader all of his earlier confidence melted away like snow falling into a puddle.
"Are you hurt?" Blizzardstar asked. Heronpaw flexed his leg and paw that had been injured in the fall from the tree. They ached, but otherwise he felt fine. He shook his head. Blizzardstar's shoulders relaxed a tiny bit.
"Do you know where Petalpaw is?" The white tom asked. Heronpaw nodded. His mouth was dry. Blizzardstar paused like he was waiting for Heronpaw to elaborate. Heronpaw took a deep breath and delved into an explanation. The true explanation.
Blizzardstar listened with the same blank look on his face throughout. Heronpaw left out his visions and the white cat. It was just going to overcomplicate the story and it wasn't yet important. He paused a few times, trying to gauge Blizzardstar's reaction. The white tom said nothing each time so Heronpaw was forced to continue.
The only time Blizzardstar reacted was when Heronpaw told him about Petalpaw's prophecy. His eyes widened slightly but that was it. Heronpaw carried on.
"So, I left her with the AlderClan warriors and made my way home to deliver the prophecy." Heronpaw finished, purposefully leaving out the part about being caught in PineClan territory. He knew that the secret wouldn't stay that way for long but it seemed like the right thing to do. There was a long silence.
"So, you accompanied Petalpaw to the Moontree only out of concern for her safety?" Blizzardstar finally asked. Heronpaw was caught off guard by the question.
"Um, yes." He stammered. Blizzardstar met Heronpaw's eyes with a sharp stare.
"Then you left her in the paws of an enemy Clan?"
Heronpaw froze. He became acutely aware that Petalpaw was Blizzardstar's daughter. Their look of disapproval was almost identical. Panic started to fill Heronpaw's chest.
"She told me to." He said. His voice had jumped up in pitch. "I had to deliver the prophecy. The Clan needed me- "
"The Clan needed you here." Blizzardstar said. His eyes flashed with the first emotion of the night. Anger. Heronpaw swallowed so hard it hurt.
"WillowClan invaded." Blizzardstar continued.
"What?" Heronpaw gasped. Blizzardstar ignored his outburst.
"We won the fight, but at the cost of a warrior's life."
Heronpaw's eyes widened and a jolt of shock jumped through his belly like he had eaten a live rabbit. Somecat had died? Who?
"We needed every cat's claws and you weren't here. We needed both of our medicine cats more than ever and you weren't here." Blizzardstar's voice was growing increasingly harsh, though it still had that airy, raspy undertone. "Did you have so little trust in your Clan's leadership that you thought you needed to take matters into your own paws?"
Heronpaw shrank back from Blizzardstar's reprimand like a fern shied away from frost.
"I thought- "He squeaked.
"You did not think." Blizzardstar snarled. Heronpaw was stunned into silence. This was not going the way he had imagined.
Blizzardstar opened his mouth for more angry words but a coughing fit took him instead. Heronpaw watched his leader, the great and immutable Blizzardstar, hacking so violently that his whole body shook. Heronpaw stood up.
"Blizzardstar." He said when the leader's coughs had subsided. "Be angry with me if you wish, punish me, hold back my warrior name, but Petalpaw's prophecy is real. We have to find out what it means and find the catmint."
There was silence following Heronpaw's brave words. Blizzardstar stared at the apprentice for a good while. The great cat's tail thrashed back and forth but he said nothing. Finally, he narrowed his dark blue eyes and tossed his head in agitation.
"Tell it to me again." He ordered. Heronpaw's heart lifted. Progress!
"Look to the dawn and follow his heart." He repeated from memory.
"Dawnheart." Blizzardstar said. Heronpaw began to nod but stopped when he saw his leader's expression.
"Looking to the dawn could mean the dawn-wards part of the territory, but then what would the 'heart' be?" Blizzardstar mused. He fell silent again.
"Shouldn't we ask Plumleaf?" Heronpaw ventured.
"She is far too busy." Blizzardstar said with another lash of his tail. The implication was obvious. Plumleaf was overwhelmed by battle injuries and sickness without her apprentice. Heronpaw dropped his gaze to his paws.
"You are not to trouble her with this. I will decide what to do." Blizzardstar said after another moment of tense silence. Heronpaw looked up sharply.
"But- "
"Silence." Blizzardstar snapped. Heronpaw obeyed. "Leave me. Report to Kestrelfeather what you have done. I will trust him to deliver your punishment."
Heronpaw didn't argue. He bowed his head and scrambled backwards out of the den. His troubled mind whirled as he stepped out into a silent camp.
Blizzardstar was too angry and worried for the Clan. Heronpaw didn't know for sure if the leader even believed his story. He took a deep breath. If he couldn't count on Blizzardstar or Plumleaf he had one more chance. Dawnheart.