"Are you sure you have to leave so soon?" Barley asked as the group stood just outside the barn door. "It's nice having clancats around again."
"We'd like to stay but we've been gone for nearly a moon and we still need to make it home," Jayfeather said. "Lionblaze has kits coming soon and it's my duty as a medicine cat to be there when his mate kits."
Barley murmured a congratulations to Lionblaze then looked back to the group. "Well then, I wish you safe travels."
"It was nice to meet you," Crane's Wing said.
"Yeah, the cats back home will like to hear that you're doing well," Dovewing added.
"Thanks for letting us stay with you," Lionblaze added.
The cats began to walk away but Jayfeather lingered a moment. "Take care of yourself Barley."
Jayfeather was exhausted. He had surprisingly good endurance so that was saying something. A moon had passed since the four cats had left Barley's barn and they'd walked so much that Jayfeather doubted dock would soothe their aching paws at all. Even Crane's Wing, who had traveled for seasons, was tired.
"We should stop for the night," Lionblaze finally suggested.
Jayfeather couldn't agree faster. "I smelled moss nearby, we could probably all just find a good patch then just sleep there."
"Sounds like a plan."
"I'm too tired to even hunt," Dovewing complained.
"I'm not," Crane's Wing said. "It's good to eat when you're tired. I'm going to go see if I can find some prey while you guys find that moss patch. I'll come find you."
"Alright," Jayfeather said. He was too tired to say much more than that. He beckoned his clanmates with his tail. "Come on, I've got the best nose here. I can find moss pretty quickly."
Jayfeather awoke to the warm sun on his face, a feeling that he was still not yet used to. He instinctively blinked several times despite the action being a useless one to ward off the light of the sun.
Jayfeather sat up stiffly and arched his back, relieving his sore muscles. I can't wake to get back home. No more walking all day. I can just sit in my den and sort herbs…
A loud yawn sounded beside him. Dovewing was up. She sat up in the moss beside him and licked her paw before running it over her head. None of them had much time to groom recently.
"We're almost home," Jayfeather told her. "Maybe a day's journey. You can do that when we get home."
"I know," Dovewing said. "But if we walk into camp looking like we got trampled by a pack of badgers, our kin will be all over us."
Jayfeather shuddered, imagining Leafpool and Squirrelflight fussing over him.
Jayfeather heard pawsteps. Lionblaze was approaching the moss patch. "Have any of you seen Crane's Wing?" Lionblaze asked.
"He didn't come back?" Dovewing questioned. Lionblaze shook his head. Jayfeather sighed. They were so close to home, he didn't want to waste time looking for his look alike.
"Maybe he went ahead," Jayfeather suggested. "Or he got an early start on his journey back to his tribe."
Lionblaze didn't look convinced. "I don't think he'd just leave. I've been trying to find his scent, it doesn't seem like he went far. Its like he just disappeared."
"Cats don't just disappear," Dovewing said.
Jayfeather nodded. "We know where cats actually go when they disappear." His two clanmates looked at him in confusion. Jayfeather sighed again. "He's either found an entrance to the tunnels or somehow got swept away by a river," he said with sarcasm.
Lionblaze didn't say anything but Jayfeather heard his tail brush against a leaf as he flicked it in beckoning. Jayfeather began sniffing, trying to catch the tribe cat's scent.
"I'm going to head out a bit farther," Dovewing said. "You know, cover more ground."
"Wait, I think I've got something," Jayfeather said.
"Really?" Lionblaze questioned. "I don't smell anything."
"My nose is sharper than yours," Jayfeather reminded but not in a condescending way. The grey tom lowered his head and began to follow the trail. "Its faint. He was nearby." Lionblaze and Dovewing followed Jayfeather until they too caught their friend's scent. "Now would be a good time to spread out."
"Hey guys!" Crane's Wing suddenly burst out of a bush, startling Jayfeather. He jumped back then immediately felt his pelt get hot with embarrassment. He usually didn't scare so easily.
"Where were you?" Lionblaze demanded.
"Come on, I gotta show you something," Crane's Wing said excitedly and darted away. The ThunderClan cats exchanged a glance before following him deeper into the trees.
"Where are you taking us?" Dovewing asked. She, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze were walking quickly to keep up with the excited Crane's Wing's pace.
Crane's Wing glanced back over his shoulder to look at her, his eyes gleaming. "I don't really know how to describe it but its… its… just wait until you get there."
"Can you at least try to describe it?"
Crane's Wing's speed slowed a bit as he thought then picked right back up as he started talking again. "Well, it's a tunnel. But it's more than that, there's some weird stuff about it."
Dovewing glanced at Jayfeather but didn't say anything.
"How far are we-?"
"Here it is!" Crane's Wing exclaimed and bounded up a small hill. Dovewing followed him with Lionblaze guiding Jayfeather close behind. Crane's Wing looped around the mound and soon they were standing before an opening in the ground. Crane's Wing began to walk into it.
"Are you sure we should be going down there?" Lionblaze asked. "Did you check for any scents?"
Crane's Wing waved him off with his tail without bothering to turn around. "I spent, like, most of the night down here. Its fine."
Dovewing's paws prickled with skepticism as she followed him into the earth. She could hear Jayfeather and Lionblaze close behind.
"Maybe Jayfeather should lead," Lionblaze said as they went further and the tunnel got darker. Dovewing silently agreed. Jayfeather was used to both the darkness and navigating tunnels.
"Don't worry. I know the way and we're not far," Crane's Wing said.
"Far from where?"
"I dunno."
Dovewing glanced at Lionblaze. She could faintly see him shrug. He seemed to be used to Crane's Wing's antics.
"Haven't you been this way before?" Jayfeather asked. Crane's Wing shook his head. "Then how do you know where to go?"
"Can't you hear them?" Crane's Wing asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Here what?" Lionblaze asked. Dovewing pricked her ears. She felt a flash of annoyance and loss. She'd accepted she lost her powers but that didn't mean she was happy with it.
"I don't hear anything either," Jayfeather said. Dovewing felt a bit of relief that even Jayfeather's sharp ears couldn't hear whatever it was but that relief was soon followed by concern. Crane's Wing was a strange one, she really hoped he didn't suddenly get bees in his brain overnight. She looked ahead in the tunnel and began imagining all kinds of horrors.
She felt a tail tip on her shoulder. She saw Jayfeather beside her, still looking ahead. She was momentarily confused but was still comforted by the unexpected gesture.
"Can you really not hear them?" Crane's Wing asked.
"Hear what?" Lionblaze repeated.
"The whispers."
"What?"
"I mean, they're not that loud but there are a lot of them. I can't really understand what they're saying but they're telling me to take you this way."
"What are you meowing about?"
"Is this another… what do you call them? Sacred place?" Jayfeather asked. "The Cave whispers too but I've always been able to hear them."
"I don't know."
"Great," Lionblaze muttered under his breath. "We're following mouse brain here into a cave because he's hearing voices."
Dovewing extended her tail back and flicked it in his face, warning him not to be so rude though she was in agreement.
"Come on! It's just up ahead!" Crane's Wing announced and shot forward.
"Wait!" Dovewing called but Crane's Wing didn't stop. She glanced at her clanmates before speeding forward. The thuds of pawsteps followed her.
When she finally caught up with Crane's Wing, he was standing in a cave that created a fork in the tunnels but he didn't seem to be trying to decide which tunnel to take. Instead, he was just staring at the ceiling of the surprisingly well lit cave.
"What are we doing here?" Jayfeather asked.
Crane's Wing didn't respond for awhile. "They're here."
"What's here?" Dovewing asked, becoming uneasy.
"You."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Um, Dovewing?" Lionblaze said. "Look."
Dovewing tore her gaze from the tom and looked straight ahead. A pale grey she-cat was standing before her, staring at her with green eyes.
Dovewing squeaked in surprise and took a step back. Two more cats came into view. Standing before Lionblaze was a huge golden tom with amber eyes and before Jayfeather was a thin grey tabby tom with sharp blue eyes. These cats looked exactly like the three.
Dovewing stared at them in shock. They had appeared suddenly. Where did they come from?
"What are they?" Lionblaze spoke first. Dovewing suddenly realized that she could see through them. These aren't normal cats.
The cat that looked like Dovewing suddenly stepped forward and thrust her muzzle against Dovewing's forehead. Dovewing gasped and tried to step back but found she couldn't move. She suddenly felt a strange feeling in her mind and collapsed.
Author's Note: I had writer's block while writing this one and took a month long break while working on it. After that, I decided it was time to finish the story. The story will end at 50 chapters (though I may write a separate epilogue type thing) and the rest of the chapters will be wrapping up everything involving the three spirits.
Reviews-
Wolfjem- Your memory is remarkable. You always remember things that I 100% forget about, thanks. You're right, the Great Rock was flipped but I assume its still there. The twolegs never really finished building. I believe its only been around five years since they started, it takes a long time to build a city. Again, thank you for pointing out the stuff I miss.