The Gathering ended, and Thorncloud followed her clan back through the forest. She spoke to no one; her mind was reeling at the realizations that were swirling through her head. Bumblestripe had tried making his way over to her when the meeting ended – perhaps he'd had the same thought – but Thorncloud had turned away, unable to speak about it until she had fully worked out her thoughts.
A sapling grows at Fourtrees.
Of course, there had always been four great oaks, one for each clan, just as there were four seasons. No wonder Thorncloud hadn't been able to find a real sapling all those nights ago at Fourtrees when she and Bumblestripe spoke about their shared dream for the first time. That felt so long ago now that it was but a distant memory.
But the words of her dream had new meaning now. At least, some of them. Perhaps StarClan meant that the 'sapling' that Thorncloud had misinterpreted, was actually the beginning of a new clan – a new group formed by the exiled Sunstream of RainClan.
And they were making their base near Highstones. Of that, Thorncloud was relatively certain. It would explain why she and Bumblestripe had dreamt they were wandering in the rocklands. Starflower had been trying to give them a clue of where to go. Now she was especially annoyed that she hadn't ventured to Highstones at the half-moon.
Both sun and rain cannot co-exist.
Thorncloud mulled it over in her mind, but this part of the prophecy she couldn't decipher. Her first instinct was to think of the weather. She knew better than to take it at face value, though. The only thing related to the sun and rain that could think of were Sunstream and RainClan… yet it was too obvious to her that Sunstream couldn't co-exist with RainClan, the clan he was exiled from.
Putting aside the thoughts for now, she was reminded of the strange RainClan-like scent she had encountered at the half-moon, when she guarded SnowClan's camp. She had completely forgotten! That could have been Sunstream or one of his allies. Knowing that it was the half-moon and they could be spotted at Highstones, maybe they'd slunk back into the forest to keep their presence a secret. She couldn't believe it had slipped her mind.
At once, she knew she had to speak with Rainstar. None of these realizations would be worth it if she couldn't get a place in the group that would travel to Highstones. If she wasn't chosen, she would have to find a way to follow them.
One thing was for certain: she needed to see if her suspicions were correct.
Because she was trailing at the back of the group, lost in thought, Thorncloud was the last cat to get to camp. Already it seemed as if the news had spread amongst the other ccats, and nearly every SnowClan cat had gathered below the Highrock as if expecting Rainstar to speak.
There was a reluctance to her gait as Rainstar climbed to the top of the rock. There was no need to call the usual summons; everyone was already there. "SnowClan, by now you've heard at least part of the story from the Gathering tonight," she began, and then recounted the discussion that had gone on for those who weren't present. By the end of the tale, every cat was buzzing with a mixture of worry and excitement.
"Who will be chosen to go?" Foxtail called, voicing the question that was on every cat's mind.
"It will take me some time to decide," Rainstar answered calmly. Thorncloud breathed a sigh of relief. She would have a chance to make her case. "For now, every cat should continue their duties as usual. Sunstream's threat will not let us forget that we still have to function normally."
Without another word, she ended the meeting and went straight to her den. The clan dispersed, chattering animatedly. Thorncloud spotted Tallfeather lingering by the entrance to the medicine den, deep in thought. When he caught her eye, she padded over to him.
"You need to be one of the cats that go," he said right away, surprising Thorncloud with the tenacity in his tone. "This is related to your dream, isn't it?" He made sure to keep his voice low so no other cat could hear.
"I'm glad you think so, too," Thorncloud said. "I thought I might've been jumping to conclusions."
"No, it all makes sense." She expected him to be just as excited about the discovery as she was, but instead his expression was laced with concern. "I think you should tell Rainstar about your dream."
Thorncloud certainly hadn't been expecting that. "Absolutely not," she said quickly.
"But you could be an asset to the journey," Tallfeather pressed. "It would give Rainstar a reason to choose you. StarClan obviously wants us to know of this threat, or they wouldn't have sent you the dream."
Thorncloud shook her head. Something was stopping her from passing on the information to anyone. Bumblestripe certainly wouldn't be happy, even if she left him out of the story. "No, Tallfeather, I can't. First I want to see if I'm right before I go spreading around messages from StarClan." She looked at him pleadingly. "You understand, don't you?"
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Alright," he conceded. "But I'm going to recommend you to Rainstar tomorrow. I think she'll agree. You're one of our most promising young warriors." Affection sparkled in his eyes.
"Thank you," Thorncloud said, lowering her head, embarrassed. "I appreciate that."
"Anything for my favourite warrior," Tallfeather teased. The camp was beginning to thin out as cats returned to their dens. Thorncloud yawned, feeling the weight of exhaustion kicking in. "Would you, er…" The pink insides of Tallfeather's ears seemed to turn even brighter pink. "Would you like to join me tonight?"
Thorncloud suppressed the urge to shout yes! as loudly as her lungs could shout it. She forced herself to glance around to make sure nobody was watching, then nodded, and followed Tallfeather inside.
As they settled down to sleep, Thorncloud breathed in Tallfeather's sweet scent and huddled closer to his warm fur. Finally, she thought, things seemed to be looking up.
The days following the Gathering passed sluggishly. It was as if all of SnowClan was waiting with bated breath for Rainstar's decision. Thorncloud made sure to keep herself busy, but she couldn't help glancing over at Rainstar's den to see if the leader was emerging to make the announcement.
Finally, after a few days, Rainstar emerged from her den. She leapt onto the Highrock and called the summons. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Every cat practically raced out into the clearing below the rock, murmuring excitedly. Thorncloud was among the first to arrive, having just returned from helping Tallfeather collect more travelling herbs for the cats that were chosen. He sat next to her as they looked up at Rainstar, and entwined his tail with hers briefly for reassurance.
Thorncloud's whole body was buzzing with what felt like lightning. Tallfeather had kept to his promise and recommended her to Rainstar, but even he could not say how she had taken the suggestion. Rainstar was tricky like that; it was never easy to tell what was lurking behind her icy eyes.
"I'm sure you all know why I've called this meeting," Rainstar began. "In two days, two warriors must travel with cats of other clans to investigate the threat at Highstones. After much deliberation, I've made my choices." She regarded them all with a level gaze. Tension seemed to crackle in the air. "The first cat will be Thorncloud."
Thorncloud's chest could have burst from pride. A murmur of approval rose up from the other cats. She felt Tallfeather nudge her side. "Thank you, Rainstar," she said, forcing herself to be composed. "I won't let you down."
Rainstar nodded. The clearing fell silent again. "The second cat will be a more senior warrior, as every clan agreed." Thorncloud looked around. She wondered who would be accompanying her. Her eyes landed on Stoneclaw, the eager senior warrior. He would be a natural choice. Windheart would also have been a good choice, though not as experienced, and she had an apprentice to attend to. Foxtail and Springfoot were good options, but they were the clan's best hunters, and it would be a shame to lose them for a few days.
"The other cat I've chosen is Copperfur." Rainstar's words hung in the air. Vaguely, Thorncloud heard the others give words of congratulation. She wished the ground would swallow her up, or that some cat from StarClan would descend and make Rainstar change her mind.
Looking over at her fellow warrior, she saw that Copperfur, though meeting the congratulations with a smile, did not look overly pleased. He met her eyes for a moment, and then looked away.
Tallfeather leaned down to whisper in her ear. "It'll be fine," he said, as though he sensed her anxiety. "Just focus on the mission."
Thorncloud nodded, but her paws felt numb. Oh, StarClan, why couldn't it have been any other cat?
A few cats came up to give their praise, and she made herself smile. Springfoot was overjoyed to see her foster daughter chosen for such an important mission, and wouldn't stop grooming her, muttering something about looking presentable for the other clans.
"I don't have to leave for another two days, Springfoot," Thorncloud said, smacking the she-cat playfully with her tail.
"Oh, I know, but I'm just so proud of you!" Springfoot cooed. Thorncloud met Tallfeather's eyes. His whiskers twitched in amusement. She rolled her eyes.
Owlpaw, Twigpaw, and Ivypaw bounded up to her. "Thorncloud, Thorncloud!" Twigpaw exclaimed. "I knew Rainstar would choose you!"
"It's true, he did!" Ivypaw chimed in. "He said it two days ago, he said 'I bet she chooses Thorncloud, she's the best warrior in the clan'!"
"Will you really get to fight a bunch of rogues?" Owlpaw asked, his eyes wide. For a moment, he actually reminded Thorncloud of an owl.
"I hope it won't come to that, but it's possible," Thorncloud said. "I'll make sure to tell you all about it when I get back."
The apprentices chattered excitedly as they left her alone, making bets on whether or not she would get ripped apart by Sunstream. She shook her head. Being an apprentice felt so long ago, and she was still barely a warrior.
And now she had her first mission. A bittersweet taste was on her tongue as she retrieved a mouse from the fresh-kill pile to share with Springfoot. She was finally able to investigate the dream that had haunted her for so many nights.
But she had to do it with Copperfur.