Chapter 15

Mistyfoot led the way to Fourtrees as dawn began to break over the forest.

She picked up the pace, nerves firing in her legs. They were going to be late – what if the others left because she wasn't there in time? What if they hadn't come at all? The traveling herbs she'd devoured in quick gulps threatened to rear their bitter taste again.

Behind her, Nightpaw and Shadepaw kept up. Mistyfoot could hardly look at them. Nightpaw was bad enough, but two apprentices? How could she keep them both safe, when she'd already proven a failure with Shrewpaw? Not to mention what the others would think about Shadepaw's sudden joining… but it wasn't as if Mistyfoot could say no. Their group could use all the help they could get.

Mistyfoot forced herself to glance back. Shadepaw's herb bundles were now split between she and Nightpaw, but the two never seemed to need to talk much to communicate. The young medicine cat apprentice had brought as much as she could carry – the whole group could journey without fear of hunger, at least for a time.

Having her along is a boon, Mistyfoot insisted to herself. I'm sure the others will see it easily.

I hope.

To Mistyfoot's relief, the others were waiting by the Great Rock. Feathertail and Stormfur were talking quietly, while Crowpaw huddled in the shadows, looking grumpy. Stoneheart was on the Great Rock itself, scanning the clearing for others. His eyes caught on Mistyfoot, and he raised his tail in greeting before leaping down.

Mistyfoot led Nightpaw and Shadepaw down the slope. It was strange entering Fourtrees in the daylight, without the press of other Clan cats or the fun of the moonlit Gatherings. Her heart sank as she saw the looks the other cats gave upon seeing Shadepaw.

Crowpaw was bristling. "What, did you bring all of ThunderClan, too?" he spat.

"We were worried you weren't going to make it," Stoneheart commented, lashing his tail at Crowpaw. "Why is she here?"

"StarClan asked me to come," Shadepaw meowed, dropping her herbs. "A medicine cat surely would come in useful for this journey."

"Besides, no one's complaining about Stormfur," Nightpaw put in.

Mistyfoot had to commend Shadepaw for her calmness in the face of her reception. Stoneheart looked back at Stormfur and Feathertail, neither of whom voiced any objections. Crowpaw looked cross, but he said nothing, refusing to look Mistyfoot in the eye.

"It's settled, then," Mistyfoot decided.

Shadepaw began to dole out her herbs, dividing them neatly with her paws. The others accepted them with awkward thanks, while Crowpaw didn't even speak to her. Mistyfoot wanted to rake his ears.

"You sure about this?" Stormfur's breath was in her ear, sour with herbs.

Mistyfoot's spine prickled at his closeness. "It's not my first choice," she admitted quietly. Her heart raced with the thought of trying to protect all of these apprentices. What if one of them died? Tinystar would be even more furious, and heartbroken too. She might never be able to return to ThunderClan, hero or otherwise.

Feathertail's tufted ears flicked. "Everything so far has been guided by StarClan," she soothed, looking at Crowpaw most of all. "Perhaps this was their intent all along."

Mistyfoot swallowed. It wasn't entirely comforting, but it was better than nothing. Even Crowpaw seemed to think so, reluctantly chewing on the herbs at his paws. He grunted his thanks to Shadepaw. Mistyfoot assumed he thought that was a proper thank you.

"We need to get moving," Stormfur announced to the others.

Crowpaw cleaned leaf scraps from his muzzle. "Do we even know where we're going?"

Mistyfoot swallowed as all eyes turned to her. "StarClan didn't show me how to get there," she admitted. "But I believe the lake exists- otherwise why would Mosspaw bring me there and say she was waiting for me?"

Shadepaw tilted her head, and Nightpaw began whispering in her ear.

Crowpaw lashed his tail. "Well, if the vision came to me I'd know where to start," he growled. "WindClan cats know the stars well."

Mistyfoot felt a spike of worry. "Barley or Ravenpaw might know – Ravenpaw told me that the lake might be real, after all."

"It's the only lead we have," Stoneheart pointed out.

Stormfur nodded in agreement.

"Then let's go!" Feathertail meowed, her eyes sparkling. "There's not a moment to lose!"

"Crowpaw, will you lead the way?" Stormfur asked.

Crowpaw curled his lip. "I don't know how you think I'm going to help half a Clan sneak their way through the moors!" he snapped.

"You're the only one who can," Shadepaw pointed out.

Crowpaw glanced at Shadepaw, his eyes flashing. Then he turned his back. "Fine," he snapped. "Come on."

Mistyfoot felt a pang of sympathy for him. This would be the last time for a long time that he would tread on the moorland. She looked back into the forest, at ThunderClan territory. How long would it be before she came home? Would she even make it home?

Would any of them see their Clans again?

Crowpaw led the way across WindClan territory. Mistyfoot was nervous every pawstep of the way – with a patrol likely to come across them at any moment, and Twolegs wandering the Thunderpath, they group had no choice but to cut right across the moors.

StarClan seemed to be on their side, however – they made it without any difficulty, and Crowpaw looked annoyingly smug about the whole thing as they crossed WindClan's boundaries and headed for the Twoleg lands beyond.

"We need to keep a lookout," Stormfur pointed out, lengthening his stride. He overtook Crowpaw in a few bounds, stopping the group before they went any further with a flick of his tail. "There are rats and dogs around here."

Crowpaw's whiskers twitched with annoyance.

"If we get injured here, the journey ends before it's even begun," Shadepaw added, narrowing her amber eyes at Crowpaw. The dark gray apprentice hung back, sulking.

Mistyfoot resisted rolling her eyes. Was he only going to be a pain in the tail?

"We should try to make it to Highstones before dark," Nightpaw offered, looking up at the sky. Mistyfoot followed suit – it was already midday, and the sun would disappear soon.

Feathertail's tail twitched. "Wouldn't staying with Barley and Ravenpaw a night be a good thing?" she suggested. "We could build up our strength there and start fresh tomorrow."

"Makes sense," Mistyfoot agreed. "That way we can get all the information we need from them before we go."

Stoneheart nodded. "Better than heading out blind." Stormfur and Shadepaw both nodded in agreement as well.

Mistyfoot glanced over at Nightpaw and Crowpaw. Would they protest? But Nightpaw nodded after a moment, and Crowpaw only groaned at the futility of voicing his opinion. Mistyfoot frowned, but felt a little relief that he hadn't fought Feathertail's idea. Crowpaw is annoying, but I don't want him to not have a say.

"Then it's decided," Stormfur mewed decisively. "Mistyfoot, Stoneheart, watch our flanks. We're heading out."

Mistyfoot took her place at the outskirts of the group, huddling the apprentices and Feathertail in the middle of she and Stoneheart while Stormfur took the lead. She watched the countryside roll out before her – this was the farthest outside of Clan territory she had ever been, and had never thought she'd find herself going any further.

Up ahead there was a Twoleg nest, where Cloudtail had reportedly been kept hostage moons ago. Mistyfoot often wondered about the truth of that story, but she had been a kit when it happened. Fields of corn and wheat stretched for as far as she could see all around the house, and Mistyfoot wondered if they were in for more of these sights as they went. Twolegs can't be everywhere, can they?

They reached a fenced-in Twoleg field, and Stormfur paused them again with a flick of his tail. The group halted while Stormfur and Stoneheart sniffed for threats. Mistyfoot's ear caught Crowpaw's grunt: "He's not even part of the prophecy, why's he in charge?"

Mistyfoot glanced over at the dark gray cat. If they didn't figure out how to deal with Crowpaw's attitude, it would definitely threaten the journey.

It only took a moment for Stormfur to give the go-ahead to keep moving. They padded around the Twoleg fence and headed for Barley's barn, which rose promisingly in the distance. Despite the traveling herbs, Mistyfoot felt her belly rumble. The mice there were always fat off of the Twoleg grain.

They managed to make their way to the barn without any Twoleg spotting them. Mistyfoot could only imagine a Twoleg attacking the group out of fear of their sheer numbers. They passed Barley and Ravenpaw's scent markers, smelling strongly of hay and mouse, and Mistyfoot felt herself relax.

Barley met them before they entered the barn. The black and white tom was large and plump, with a few scars showing an early life of hardship. His eyes went wide as the moon as he took in all the cats.

"What's this now?" he wondered. He turned back to the barn and called, "Ravenpaw!"

Ravenpaw appeared quickly, sliding out of a gap in the barn door like a shadow. He looked so slender beside his mate, and he raised his tail in greeting when his eyes rested on Mistyfoot. His eyes sparkled with confusion, but his mew was warm: "Welcome!"

Mistyfoot stepped forward. "Ravenpaw," she meowed. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but… we're going to the lake."

Ravenpaw's eyes flashed. "The lake?"

"I asked you about it not long ago," Mistyfoot reminded him. "The truth is… StarClan wants us to go."

"All of you?" Ravenpaw looked at the group. "It must be important, then. Come on inside."

Mistyfoot followed Ravenpaw into the barn. The smell of hay assaulted her senses, but beneath it was the tantalizing scent of mouse. The barn was made of old Twoleg wood that stood tall and made a roof over their head like a gathering of tree branches. Hay was stacked into mountains in the corners. It was quiet and warm inside.

"I'll go and fetch some mice," Barley offered. He padded off quickly, before any cat could offer to help – Barley was characteristically uncomfortable around large amounts of strangers.

Ravenpaw tucked his paws beneath him as he settled on a soft mound of hay. He gestured for the others to do the same. Mistyfoot curled her tail around her paws, kneading the hay into a suitable spot. Crowpaw, behind her, swore about hay poking his backside.

"Do your leaders know about this?" Ravenpaw asked when they were all settled. "Did Tinystar really let Nightpaw and Shadepaw come along with you?"

Mistyfoot shook her head. "He doesn't know," she meowed. "None of them do."

Ravenpaw's eyes flashed again. "Well," he breathed. "That's… something. You're all welcome to stay here for tonight. I'll help you to Highstones in the morning, and point you in the right direction."

Crowpaw bristled. "We can make it to Highstones," he chided. "What, are we kits?"

"Crowpaw!" hushed Feathertail.

Ravenpaw seemed unbothered by Crowpaw's attitude. "There's been more Twolegs on the Thunderpath than ever before this past season," he pointed out mildly. "It's too dangerous to get close to them. I know where they don't go, so I'll sneak you past them tomorrow."

"Thank you, Ravenpaw," Stoneheart offered.

Ravenpaw looked them all over and sighed. "It's no problem," he said simply. "Happy to help."

The sun was just rising as the group made it to Highstones.

Ravenpaw had been right – sneaking around the Twolegs and their monsters had been difficult. Mistyfoot looked back anxiously. She had never seen so many Twolegs in one place, and their monsters hunkered in the dark like predators about to pounce. On what, Mistyfoot had no idea – with her view, Mistyfoot saw that the monsters lined the whole Thunderpath, all the way to Twolegplace. It made her paws tremble.

"Should I… go in?" Shadepaw wondered. Her voice caught Mistyfoot's attention, and she saw the medicine cat apprentice approach Mothermouth with worry in her eye. Shadepaw looked at the others. "You know, to see if StarClan wants to say anything?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Stoneheart offered, sympathy in his eyes. "We can't stay here too long."

Shadepaw looked down at her paws, and then back up. "Alright," she agreed.

"Now, you see those fields?" Ravenpaw meowed. Mistyfoot's ears pricked and she bounded up to the boulder where Ravenpaw sat. Stormfur was there too, looking out at the lands beyond Highstones. Mistyfoot's eyes widened at the vastness of it all. "From what I've heard, you'll want to head for the sunset. That'll take you across a few Thunderpaths, but it shouldn't be difficult."

"How long do you think it will take?" Feathertail wondered.

Ravenpaw frowned. "I don't know," he admitted. "Two moons? A season? I doubt it would be more to go there and back."

"We'll be back before leaf-bare," Stormfur mewed, his tone optimistic. "Sounds good."

Hopefully that's enough time, Mistyfoot thought. She caught worry in every cat's eye as they contemplated the length of time.

Crowpaw climbed up the rock, squeezing between Stormfur and Ravenpaw. "Did those strangers ever mention any star they followed?" he asked.

Ravenpaw's whiskers twitched. "No, just that they followed the sunset."

Crowpaw looked smug. "Then we'll be following the Father," he stated firmly.

"The what?" asked Nightpaw.

Crowpaw looked down at Nightpaw, his chin tilted proudly. "It's a WindClan thing," he sneered.

Nightpaw looked irritated. Mistyfoot flicked her tail against the small tom's nose from above. If Crowpaw's knowledge of the stars could keep them from getting lost, then it would be worth his smugness about it.

"The Father?" Shadepaw repeated. She looked up at Crowpaw eagerly. "Could you teach me about it?"

If Crowpaw raised his chin any further, Mistyfoot thought he might look like a stork, especially with the way he puffed out his chest self-importantly. "Of course!" he crowed.

Ravenpaw chuckled in amusement. His eyes laid evenly on the traveling cats, and he meowed, "Good luck to you all. Something is wrong in the forest – I can tell, even if I'm not a Clan cat anymore. I hope you uncover the truth."

"So do we," Feathertail mewed.

Mistyfoot touched her nose to Ravenpaw's. "Thank you for your help," she meowed.

Ravenpaw didn't reply. He looked at them all one last time and bounded off of their perch, his tail raised as he padded back towards his barn.

Mistyfoot watched him go… and then trailed her eye over to the forest. ThunderClan would be waking now, discovering that three of their members were gone. The other Clans would find out soon, too. They would all be in fits of worry, no doubt – but, as Mistyfoot looked out at the world beyond Highstones, she knew that Ravenpaw was right. Something was wrong, and they had to find out what. A quick glance at the others showed they were all feeling the same way.

"We should be moving," Stoneheart meowed, breaking the silence. His pale blue eyes flashed in the morning light. "We've a long way to go."

Wordlessly, the group gathered together and began to descend the slope. Mistyfoot's shoulder brushed against Stoneheart's as she walked by her brother's side. Shadepaw and Nightpaw walked together, their tails touching. Crowpaw looked back once before stalking ahead, his sharp shoulders outlined in orange light. Stormfur and Feathertail led the way, tails held high.

Mistyfoot looked back, and already Highstones was small behind them. She could hear in her ears the voices of her Clanmates, hear their worried cries as they looked for their missing Clanmates.

She forced herself to look ahead. This was only the beginning.