Thanks to reviewers: Stacy Rockfall, Mikaceous, and Leafshadow

Thanks to the Warriors Guide by XxMuddy-PiexX, which I used for the herbs in this chapter and the next.


Chapter 6: StarClan Speaks

"What did you do? What did you do, Redfur?!"

Redfur laid his ears flat as the gray tabby she-cat loomed over him. Her teeth were bared. He watched as her claws darted out. He knew he shouldn't have been scared. Twistedbriar hadn't trained as a warrior; she didn't know how to fight, but at that moment she terrified him more than a badger.

"What I had to!" Redfur growled back. The words sounded weak in his ears. The stars in his fur dimmed under her furious glare.

"You didn't have to frighten a kit." The soft voice of Lichenfur came from the wall of the cavern.

The long-furred she-cat and Gustystar stood by while Twistedbriar intimidated the warrior. They had seen him too late during the ceremony to stop him from touching Bravepaw's head with his nose. With that touch, he sent her the vision he'd seen no more than a quarter moon ago. Twistedbriar had shoved him away from the Moonstone, breaking contact. She stopped him from doing more, from even speaking to the new apprentice to give her a proper warning. He'd at least gotten the important part passed along.

"She needed to know," Redfur protested. "If you weren't going to tell her, I had to!"

"We told you to do nothing," Gustystar snapped. "You did not give us a chance to even welcome the she-cat!"

"She didn't need to be scared by StarClan on the first meeting," Lichenfur scolded.

None of these cats understood! Redfur glared at them. "You hold back time and time again, from warning WindClan. Each time you hesitate, that murderer is closer to acting once more. I'm doing all I can to keep the vision from coming true!"

"You blame Halfshine for everything," Twistedbriar hissed, leaning closer, "But one thing is certain, he never did harm a kit. Not like you."

With her words, the light in the cavern dimmed. The Moonstone's glow faded as the moon shifted away from the opening. In the darkness, Redfur could hear the apprentice sobbing and Halfshine's consoling words. Slowly the black-and-white tom was coaxing the she-cat from the cavern and into the tunnel. She trailed behind him, tail lowered and shoulders hunched.

Redfur remembered when he'd received the vision. How he'd collapsed and lay on the StarClan more, shivering. The moment he'd received the vision, he knew what it meant. That knowledge had driven him to this moment. Redfur felt his heart lurch. He hadn't meant to hurt her. To scare her. He was only trying to help. "I—"

Twistedbriar snorted and took a step back. Her tail lowered. "Too late now. You can't just apologize. Her first memory of StarClan is nothing but terror. If she were smart, she would give up on being a medicine cat."

"Twistedbriar!" Lichenfur exclaimed.

"I know I would have," the gray she-cat meowed. "If I'd had a choice." Twistedbriar turned her head away from her former mentor as if unable to meet the other cat's eyes.

"Regardless of what is done," Gustystar meowed, stepping forward. "It is over. Redfur, go back to StarClan. I don't want you among the Clans for a moon."

"But Halfshine—"

"Has done nothing. Your actions at the moment are worse than his. You have disobeyed us. You have frightened the newest connection we had with our Clan. You shared a vision without our permission to a cat not capable of interpreting the warning. Go home. Now."

"But—"

"We will deal with your actions," Gustystar meowed, his tail waving divisively. "We will mend the she-cat and pass on the warning in the proper manner. Go."

Redfur glared. His chest felt tight as he slunk toward the darkened Moonstone under the gaze of the three cats. His stars remained dim as he pressed his nose into the stone, thinking of his return to StarClan. He had only done what no one else would, he thought. But maybe he shouldn't have sprung the horror he'd seen on such a young cat.

Had he ruined everything?

-Line-

Bravepaw swallowed the crisp air outside of the Mothermouth, grateful to be out of the darkness. She shivered as she sat on the rocks of the landing beside the tunnel entry. Though Halfshine curled around her, he lacked the warmth she needed.

"I saw. . ." Bravepaw whispered. "Cats dying. They were in the tall grass around me. Choking. Blood poured from their mouths and coiled around my paws. I couldn't help them!"

Halfshine made a sympathetic sound and licked her forehead. She knew he was trying to calm her. Cedarberry used to clean her and her siblings before they slept at night, but she wasn't a kit any longer. This soothing was not enough to drive away what had happened tonight.

"Did StarClan say anything?" he asked quietly.

"I didn't see StarClan," she sobbed. "It was dark."

"There were no stars, no moon?" His ears lifted and the haunted look she remembered seeing before the ceremony returned. His nostrils flared as he glared back toward the tunnel. A quiet hiss swelled his chest.

"They are my mistakes. Mine," she heard him mutter. "How dare you punish her for them!"

"N-no," Bravepaw shivered. "There was a moon. It was as red as the blood! It was dripping with blood onto the cats, drowning them. You woke me before I could see more."

His body remained tense, but the anger did leave his voice. "You should not have seen any of that," Halfshine meowed quietly. He resumed grooming her back.

"Was this what happened during your ceremony?" Bravepaw whispered.

"No. I—" He paused.

"Tell me," she pleaded. She had to know. What this what it would be like every time she came to the Moonstone? Blood and terror every time StarClan spoke to her?

"I saw my mother," Halfshine meowed, lowering his head onto her shoulders. She could feel his voice rumble against her spine. "She told me how proud she was that I had chosen to be a medicine cat."

Bravepaw sobbed. Why couldn't she have seen that instead? Was it because she knew no one that had died? Had Hedgepaw been meant to perish yesterday so that her sister could guide Bravepaw with secrets of StarClan? No, Bravepaw refused to accept that!

"They shouldn't have done that to you," Halfshine meowed. "Your ceremony should have been better. Happier."

"What did they tell you?" Bravepaw sniffed.

She felt him stiffen. His fur bristled and she watched his claws sneak from their sheathes to tap the rock.

"They did not speak with me." She could feel how hard it was for him to get the words out. "StarClan. . . has not spoken to me in a while."

Harestar's words came crashing back to her. "When StarClan speaks, disaster isn't far behind."

Bravepaw lowered her head onto her forepaws. She saw again and again the cat dying in front of her. Who had it been? No cat had been distinct, and yet the tall grass meant WindClan. Danger was coming. She clenched her eyes shut. Why? Why?

"But they spoke to you!" Halfshine meowed. She heard his voice brighten, but she could detect the stress of the dishonesty.

"Was it StarClan?" she whispered. "Would they show me something like that?"

"Who else would it be?" He muttered. His voice reverted back to the anxious tone he'd had ever since she'd woken in the cavern. He sighed. "Listen, Bravepaw. StarClan isn't. . . what you expect. I tried to explain earlier, but I didn't know how. Maybe now you'll understand. Just because a cat dies, doesn't make them any better than they were when they were living. They are just dead."

Bravepaw listened, ears lowered. She wanted to deny his words. She'd heard all the stories of how great and powerful StarClan was, and yet, his words made terrible sense. Just because you died, what sort of knowledge did that give you? None of course.

"They have their same grudges, their same thoughts. They still seek to protect their territories," Halfshine went on. "We were all taught to view StarClan as one entity, but there are four groups, one for each of the living Clans. Each with their own agendas. The only power they have are the visions they pass along, but if they understand it themselves? I don't know. I don't know what they showed you, or why, but we'll work it out, all right? We'll find out what StarClan wants, what they are trying to warn us of."

"We need to do it before the half moon," Bravepaw meowed, eyes closed tightly. "That's the last thing I saw before you woke me. A half-moon covered in blood."

-Line-

When Bravepaw was finally able to get to her feet, she followed Halfshine away from the empty maw of the Mothermouth. As they leapt down the piles of rock that littered the mountain side, her mind was not on her surroundings. He did not move quickly and she didn't know if that was for her benefit or the soreness of his own paws.

The walk home was long, and yet it seemed as quickly over as it had begun. She was stumbling the last stretch of moorland with its easy rise and fall of the tall grass. The only sound was the slow chirp of crickets and the grass as they strode through the strands. The sliver of moon was sinking behind the horizon. Now there was only starlight to guide them. Half of the night had passed by the time they reached the camp.

Bravepaw's limbs ached. The dull throb had started once they crossed the Thunderpath. There were no monsters in sight the black river and they were on the other side without incidence. Within the past two days she'd walked the most she'd ever in her young life. She was tired. Her throat was dry and it was hard to keep her feet when they padded down the slope into the gully. In the faint light she could see the mounds of the warriors sleeping under the stars. The night guard nodded at their approach. In her state, Bravepaw did not recognize who it was and she didn't care.

Halfshine greeted the guard quietly and guided his apprentice back to the medicine den. She stumbled to her nest, collapsing beside her sister and the large form of her mother. Cedarberry stirred in her sleep. The silver-and-red warrior purred when she realized it was her daughter. She rearranged herself to where she could touch both of them, curling her tail over Bravepaw.

Bravepaw snuggled close, breathing in her mother's scent. For a moment it was like she was a kit again in the nursery.

"How is she doing?" Halfshine asked quietly.

Bravepaw's eyes trembled and she lifted them to look up at her mentor. He stood by the nest, peering at Cedarberry and Hedgepaw.

"I gave her a poppy at sunset like you said," Cedarberry meowed, "but she feels warm. She's panting in her sleep."

Halfshine's eyes narrowed and he leaned downward, pressing his nose into Hedgepaw's forehead. The gray she-cat was panting. Halfshine rested his nose for a few breaths. Hedgepaw's flank lifted and fell rapidly as though she were in pain even as she slept. When Halfshine pulled back, there was a scowl on his face.

Bravepaw stirred. What was wrong?

Halfshine's eyes flicked in her direction. "No. Sleep. I'll be back."

He turned and headed to his herb store. Bravepaw wanted to help, but her legs, now that she was down, refused to hold her weight.

"He'll take care of it," Cedarberry meowed and licked Hedgepaw's forehead. Despite the warrior's words, Bravepaw could hear the worry. "How was the Moonstone?"

Bravepaw shivered and was glad when her mother did not turn her way. "Bright. Far."

"Sleep, Bravepaw," Cedarberry meowed, brushing her tail along Bravepaw's cheek. "Everything will be fine in the morning."

Bravepaw hoped so. She lowered her head, but could not sleep. Her heart pounded. She was tired and her eyes ached, but the vision of the moon and blood flashed against her eyelids. The exhaustion seemed to leak away as her mind raced. Hedgepaw's broken tail and panting body slid in with the images. A round of worries for the future landing on her whiskers like a fly. But not just a little insect, the large ones that Cedarberry called "horse-flies". They bit. It didn't matter if, but when, and they left welts that ached long after they made the wound.

When Halfshine returned, he dragged a long-bristled plant reed. It was either horsetail or comfrey, Bravepaw's tired mine supplied. He dropped the tall plant and unwrapped the burdock leaves and spiderwebs on Hedgepaw's tail. Hedgepaw woke at his ministration.

"Cedarberry?" she squeaked.

"Here, little kit." Cedarberry nuzzled her daughter's muzzle.

Halfshine's intake of breath and growl caught Bravepaw's attention. In the glow of the moss, Bravepaw's eyes locked on to her sister's swollen tail. A putrid scent wafted from the uncovered wound. Bravepaw didn't need to be told what caused it. Infection had set in.

Cedarberry rose over Hedgepaw, who had drifted off into her fevered half-sleep again. "What's wrong?"

Halfshine made a noise in his throat. "The burdock was supposed to stave off infection. I need something stronger now."

"Will she be alright?"

"I will do my best."

"What can I do?" Bravepaw meowed, rolling to her paws.

"Sleep," Halfshine meowed. "You are exhausted."

"But you need me."

"I need you to rest. Cedarberry?"

The queen swallowed and looked at the medicine cat.

"I will be gone for a while, but I will be back before morning."

Bravepaw heaved herself to her paws.

"Bravepaw," Cedarberry protested.

"I am a medicine cat apprentice," Bravepaw meowed. "I—"

"Don't need to be everywhere at once," Halfshine meowed. "I can show you how to get honey another day."

"Honey?" Bravepaw recalled the sweet liquid. That was the one thing in his herb store she had tasted without permission when she was a kit.

It had been the early days after her injury, when she first started visiting his den. She'd been "helping" and when he'd gone into his herb store to retrieve something, she'd followed. She'd nosed among the leaves and roots, pestering him about each. He hadn't turned her way, instead sorting through his own pile. When she'd gone quiet he must have been relieved.

Among one of his shelves carved into the den wall she'd found soft "stone" about the size of her head that was all angles. It was drenched in a golden liquid. She sniffed it, and the substance clung to her nose. She licked it off, and delighted by the sweetness dove in for another taste. When Halfshine glanced over, ready to leave, she'd been enjoying the treat so much it was halfway gone. He swatted her aside, claws sheathed. The kit tumbled out of the store, Halfshine's growl following her.

The black and white cat loomed from the store, his lip lifted in a snarl, "Don't you know how dangerous herbs can be? I don't need you killing yourself after I've saved your life!"

She'd never heard him snarl at her before. The tone was one she rarely heard used again. Even the ill warrior had been shocked. The warrior said nothing, but hunkered down and watched as Halfshine had escorted Bravekit back to the nursery. He'd told Cedarberry exactly what she'd done. Cedarberry had been shocked and just as angry with Bravekit, telling the kit she was not allowed outside of the den for two days and she couldn't play catch-the-feather with her siblings. Halfshine made it clear Bravekit was not allowed back into the medicine den if she was going to eat his herbs and potentially get herself killed.

For days after the incident she'd been too terrified to return. Her belly felt tight whenever she thought about it. Was she not allowed to see Halfshine now that he'd forbidden her from entering the medicine den? She worried the sweet golden liquid was killing her. It had tasted so good! She'd never thought something so delightful could be so harmful. Would she die? Fearful of Halfshine's wrath but terrified the pit in her stomach would lead to her demise, she swallowed down the lump of terror and went to find him one evening when Cedarberry was resting. While her siblings headed to the elders for a story, Bravekit left the group and located Halfshine beside Harestar and the Rock Pile. They were sharing a vole.

The medicine cat watched her silently as she crept in his direction. She halted in front of him, her legs trembling. "Halfshine, I'm sorry. I won't ever eat any of your herbs again!"

He closed his eyes and tilted his head away from her. She was nervous he was trying to ignore her. Hunterkit and the others did that sometimes, pretending to sleep. Which was fair, she did that too sometimes to them.

"I don't want to be forbidden from entering the medicine den!" she wailed. "I think I'm sick from that sweet water! I don't want to die!"

Halfshine's eyes popped open. "You aren't going to die. Honey isn't going to kill you."

"But you said if I ate your herbs, I would die," Bravekit whimpered. "And I feel sick. My belly hurts and I can't breathe when I think about it and its been a few days, but I still feel terrible and—"

Harestar chuckled. When her eyes shot in the leader's direction, he swiped a forepaw down his nose, hiding his muzzle in a quick wash. Halfshine glanced in the brown tom's direction before turning back to the anxious kit. His ears half-lowered.

"Bravekit," Halfshine meowed, "I shouldn't have yelled at you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but I do have some dangerous herbs that used in excess can cause serious illness. I should have kept a better eye on you if I didn't want you eating my herbs. However, honey is the least dangerous thing you could have eaten from my store. It's been days, if anything was going to happen to you, it would have."

"Then why do I feel so bad?"

"Guilt I suspect," Halfshine meowed. "It's like a stone that just keeps getting bigger and bigger, right? You feel heavy just thinking about what happened and having to talk to me? To ask if you were going to die?"

She nodded and stared at him. How did he know? Had he ever felt "guilty" too?

"Halfshine isn't angry with you," Harestar meowed. "You don't need to worry about that."

"H-how do you know?" Bravekit meowed, looking up at the WindClan leader. "He yelled at me. He struck me."

Halfshine closed his eyes again briefly. He gave a sigh. "I'm not mad at you, Bravekit. I'm mad at myself. I was scared and I yelled at you and yes, I swatted you. That scared you and I am sorry. I should have kept a better eye on you and explained how dangerous my herbs can be rather than forcing you away from them. That would have been nicer than frightening you."

"S-so you don't want me to die?"

"Why would I want that?" He blinked at her.

"You don't want me back in your den."

"I don't want you foolishly eating my herbs again. Next time you could actually die."

"I won't! I promise! Can I come back?"

He tilted his head and seemed to consider her words. "If you ever feel sick or need to talk, you can come back. Only if you've learned your lesson and don't poke around my herb store and eat things you don't recognize. And even then, don't."

"I promise," Bravekit meowed eagerly.

The next day she was back in his den. To her surprise he sat her down and showed her various leaves, roots, and sprigs. He taught her names and explained how dangerous each plant could be. From that day on, she never did eat his herbs. She was allowed back into his store to fetch what he needed to care for each cat who visited. She would always remember the honey incident and the respect she learned for herbs; Even the most helpful could be dangerous if used incorrectly.

"Honey?" Bravepaw meowed once more, thoughts of the past rushing back at the single word. "I can help you fetch it. Is it in your store?"

She pushed herself to her feet, fighting back the prolonged ache in her joints. Although weary to exhaustion, it was her duty as a medicine cat apprentice to help her mentor.

"What I have is too crystalized now," Halfshine meowed. "While it is one of the herbs that will never get too old to use, to put it on your sister's wound, I need something I can smear easily."

"Where do you get it then?"

Out of all the herbs Halfshine had showed her, that sweet golden "water" did not come from a plant. It wasn't like berry juice or like a mashed poultice. She didn't know where he got it from, and her mind was desperate to latch on to something so she didn't have to think about the Moonstone or StarClan. If she could she would push out any memories of them all together. She didn't want StarClan or their disasters!

Halfshine looked at her swaying form. "I collect honey from bees. You are too tired to go to the RiverClan border."

"So are you!" she protested. He'd run just as far as she had. If he could keep working, then so could she. It was her duty. Her sister was hurting, and she had to help.

"I am not six moons old. My muscles are adapted to longer journeys. I need to help your sister now. You rest. Cedarberry."

"No," Bravepaw snapped. "I am your apprentice! Don't send my mother to deal with me!"

Cedarberry stared between them both. Torn between listening to the medicine cat, and taking care of her clearly exhausted daughter. Hedgepaw whimpered in her sleep, having passed out yet again. The leaves loosely wrapped around her broken tail fell off as she spasmed in pain.

Cedarberry made her choice. She lay down beside the young she-cat and looked up at Halfshine. "You ask for Bravepaw to be your apprentice. Deal with her as a mentor. My other daughter needs me right now. And she needs you, so sort out your difficulties before this gets worse."

Halfshine opened his mouth to protest, but Cedarberry had already turned to Bravepaw and spoke over him. "If you want my opinion, Bravepaw, you need to sleep, but you don't live in the nursery anymore and it is not my place to tell you what to do. You should listen to your mentor for your own health."

Bravepaw's foggy thoughts couldn't quite understand the words. Who was Cedarberry trying to support right now? It sounded like she was telling both of them to jump into the gorge because she didn't want to deal with either of them. And why should she? Hedgepaw was the one who needed the help. They were wasting time.

"Come on," Bravepaw meowed. "Let's get this honey. My sister needs it."

She lumbered for the entry.

"You need sleep, Bravepaw," Halfshine protested, hurrying after.

"I don't want to sleep."

She couldn't. Not right now. As long as she was doing something, she didn't have to think about the vision StarClan had given her. When her legs were still, her mind could wander. But if she thought only how to keep each paw moving in front of the other, maybe the red river wouldn't fill her eyes.

The night guard looked up as they returned. The tilted of his head and tail were clearly confused. They said nothing to him and he said nothing back. The warriors continued to sleep as Bravepaw and Halfshine stumbled from the gully.

When they were on the slope, Bravepaw turned to Halfshine, "Where do we go?" she mumbled.

"RiverClan border. I can get this done faster if you stay behind. I don't need you passing out on the moor and having to drag you back to camp."

"I told you I don't want to sleep!"

"Hurting yourself to save your sister, won't help her," Halfshine meowed quietly. "You can't run yourself ragged. It's like trying to chase a rabbit while lying on your back. Go back inside and I'll deal with this. Listen to me, as your mentor and medicine cat. I know what's best. Right now, you are too exhausted to help me."

"I'm not a kit anymore."

"You are still young. These past few days have been more than some warriors can handle."

Bravepaw was silent. "Do we tell Harestar?"

"Tell him what?" Halfshine sighed.

"About my vision. That WindClan is in danger. That come the half-moon, cats will die."

"Bravepaw."

Her eyes hurt, but she forced herself to look at him. He was hard to see in the darkness with only the starlight to illuminate his white splotches of fur. Was her own brown and white pelt hard to see? She hoped so. She didn't want him to see the droop of her ears and tail.

"We don't tell Harestar anything," he meowed.

Bravepaw inhaled sharply. For a moment the world clarified before shattering away into confused thoughts. "But he's our leader, we have to—"

"No. We don't. Not until we understand what you saw. As medicine cats we protect the Clan. There is no need to cause terror or turmoil over something we don't understand. Until we know what StarClan wanted to warn us about, we say nothing."

"But we know! The Clan is in danger."

"From?"

She blinked. "From. . ." She couldn't even say. Now that she thought on it, her vision had given her no details, just a massacre of cats bleeding to death under the half-moon. What had caused it? When did it start?

"We say nothing," Halfshine repeated. "We will think and contemplate on what you saw. We will work out what StarClan was trying to warn us of, but we do not tell Harestar or anyone else until we understand. And right now, we have more immediate problems than StarClan's vision: your sister needs our help. Let us deal with something we can understand. First, you return to the medicine den. Second, you sleep. I will get the honey and burdock and work on your sister."

"I can help."

"The biggest help you could give me, is letting me know you are safe. Keep up your strength or I will have to confine you to the medicine cat den on forced rest. I will relieve you of your duties if you force my paws."

Bravepaw lowered her head. "Yes, Halfshine."

It felt as though her legs were stone when she finally turned back to the slope leading into the camp. She stumbled downward and headed for the den. The guard got to his feet, but she made no move toward him as she dragged her paws into the burrow. He let her pass, though the scent of his confusion carried in the breeze.

Cedarberry opened her eyes as Bravepaw entered. The light from the moss reflected, making her eyes shine.

"Thank, StarClan," she thought she heard her mother say, and then louder, "Lay with me."

Bravepaw stumbled to her mother's side, careful not to bump into her sister. As she closed her eyes, she didn't thank StarClan that Halfshine had talked sense into her. She didn't want anything to do with StarClan. Not now. She didn't want to receive any more visions from them. She knew better now. For when StarClan spoke, nothing good followed.