Author's Note:

Okay, I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. Like I've said pretty much every chapter so far, school is very demanding and I haven't had a lot of time to myself to work on it. I meant to put it up in November over my Thanksgiving break, but unfortunately the time really ran away from me and I didn't get to finish it.

Secondly, I'd like to thank a few people. Thank you Silverstar the ice princess, HollerChristina, and wildspiritontheloose for your wonderful reviews. They made me really happy. :) I meant to thank you in my last chapter, but I totally forgot until after I posted it. Sorry!

Anyway, thank you all for reading my story. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or anything that has to do with it.

Chapter Four: A Tale Told by Rainwater

Branchpaw sat at the edge of the medicine clearing and watched the events of a busy morning at camp. He longed to join the warriors as they dispersed for training, patrols, and hunting, but unfortunately, Nightwatcher had forbidden him from trying to go anywhere without someone helping him. After resting for two whole days, his leg was starting to heal, though he felt a twinge of pain in it if he put too much weight on it. And after spending two full days in camp by himself, the boredom of doing nothing was becoming too much for him.

Branchpaw watched as a hunting patrol got ready to leave. Wolftail waited by the rock slope leading out of camp as Featherwing rounded up some more cats to go with them. The silver tabby marched over to Pineclaw, who was resting by the stump in the middle of camp. "Come on, lazybones, let's go," she mewed cheerfully, prodding him with one paw. He covered his ears with his tail, giving an exaggerated groan of protest. Wolftail rolled his eyes, looking exasperated with their antics.

Featherwing spotted the apprentice watching them and waved her tail in greeting as she passed by. Pineclaw trotted reluctantly after her, muttering to himself. Branchpaw returned Featherwing's greeting, feeling a pang of loneliness as the two headed out of camp with Wolftail. Vixenpaw had dropped in briefly to say hello that morning, before she'd been dragged out for training with Hazelclaw. Flamepaw had dutifully brought him news soon after, but he'd seemed very distracted and left before long. Icepaw had come in to tell him every detail of her hunting patrol, excitedly reporting every single piece of prey that she had chased. Branchpaw was glad to be relieved of his boredom, no matter how ordinary her story was, and was disappointed when she had been forced to leave. Stormpaw had thoughtfully brought him some prey, but didn't stay to talk. And Blackpaw hadn't visited him at all, though that was expected. The older apprentice had never liked him in the first place.

What upset him more than anything was that Tigerfang had never come to see him either. Gingerpelt had said that his father was thinking about him, but the mottled warrior had never even glanced at the medicine den as he passed. Branchpaw tried not to feel hurt, telling himself that Tigerfang was busy with his duties and training his apprentice, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that his father didn't care about him at all.

He pushed away the thought, turning to see if Nightwatcher was paying attention to him. The medicine cat was resting with his head on his paws, his eyes closed and his flanks moving slowly with even breaths. Branchpaw was normally irritated by Nightwatcher's constant naps, since it was his own fault he stayed up all night, but now he was thankful that he was sleeping. That meant he could slip away. He got to his paws and tried to tip-toe out of the clearing, but Nightwatcher wasn't as asleep as he appeared to be.

"Nice try," he mewed, opening one eye. Branchpaw cursed silently. "But you're not going anywhere until I say you can."

"But it's so boring in here," Branchpaw protested. All you do is sleep and everyone else is too busy to come see me. He lowered his gaze, suddenly feeling as though Nightwatcher could read his mind.

"Daydream," the medicine cat advised dryly. "Count the leaves on the trees. Or sleep, like you're supposed to."

Sighing, Branchpaw tried to limp back to his nest. Nightwatcher glared at him until he paused, allowing the black tom to help him. Nightwatcher propped his shoulder underneath Branchpaw's, taking most of the weight off the apprentice's injured shoulder. Together, they hobbled into the medicine den.

Branchpaw thanked his caretaker and curled up in his nest, covering his nose with his tail. Nightwatcher stood over him for a moment, then walked off to sort herbs. Branchpaw listened to the sounds of the leaves scraping over the stone floor. He closed his eyes, forcing his breathing to slow and making it as even as he could manage. He relaxed all his muscles, hoping that he looked asleep.

Nightwatcher stopped to look at him as he finished what he was doing. Then, to Branchpaw's great triumph, he turned and padded out of the medicine den. The ferns at the edge of the clearing rustled as he passed through them and into the camp.

Yes! thought Branchpaw. He waited until he was sure that Nightwatcher had had enough time to leave the camp, hopefully in search of an herb that grew far away. Then he got out of his nest and limped as carefully as he could out of the medicine den.

The camp was mostly empty by this time. Many of the cats had gone out on patrol, and all of the apprentices except for him were out training. Only Honeyflame, Sandfoot, Ravenflight, Snowfall, and Cloudfur were still at camp.

"Hello, Branchpaw," Cloudfur greeted him, padding towards him. He felt a rush of affection for the gray and white queen. She was, in his opinion, the kindest cat in ThunderClan. While Gingerpelt had always been fair-minded, it was Cloudfur who had shown him the most sympathy and understanding during his days in the nursery. She had offered all the kits and apprentices advice whenever they needed it, and comforted them when no one else would listen. And after Duskfern's death, it was Cloudfur who had nursed her only kit, Blackpaw.

"Hi, Cloudfur," mewed Branchpaw. "I feel like doing something useful around camp. Is there anything that needs to be done?"

She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Vixenpaw brought some prey to Rainwater this morning. She shouldn't be hungry yet. But perhaps she could use some company."

"Okay," he said, brightening up. "I'll go see her." He turned to go to the elders' den, preparing to limp the long distance.

"Need help?" Cloudfur offered.

"I suppose I could use some," he admitted. Nightwatcher will be less likely to kill me when he gets back if I don't make my injury worse.

Cloudfur crouched down slightly to let him lean on her shoulder. With her help, he made it to the elders' den within a relatively short amount of time.

"Thanks," he mewed gratefully.

"No problem," she purred. "If you need any help getting back, just let me know." The warrior queen turned and trotted away to speak with Sandfoot, who was on guard duty. Branchpaw watched her for a moment, then took the last few steps into the elders' den.

It was much darker inside the den than outside in the rest of the camp and Branchpaw blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in lighting. The shadows and warmth of the den gathered around him like a mother cat curled around her kittens, making him feel comfortable and a little sleepy. Little dots of light shone through the gaps in the ceiling, making it look almost like a starry sky at night.

Rainwater was curled up in her nest, but she raised her head when the apprentice approached. "Hello, young Branchpaw," she meowed, stretching out her forepaws with a massive yawn. "Still stuck in camp, I see."

"Yeah," he said ruefully. Rainwater blinked at him sympathetically.

"I know how you feel," she mewed. "I hardly ever get to leave the camp. But it's not as bad for an old cat like me," she added with a rusty purr. "Every day seems to go by so fast when you're my age. But I remember what it was like when I was an apprentice."

Branchpaw sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws. "Nightwatcher says I'm getting better, though," he meowed. "Hopefully it won't be long before I'm back to my apprentice duties."

"You're a strong young cat," said the gray-furred elder. "You should be better in no time." She yawned again and propped herself up into a sitting position. "But while you're here, I might as well enjoy the company. Want to hear a story?"

"Sure," said Branchpaw. He made himself comfortable, lying down and tucking his paws underneath his chest. His injured shoulder gave a twinge of protest, so he shifted most of his weight onto his other side and hoped that would help.

Rainwater narrowed her blue eyes thoughtfully. "Let's see," she murmured softly. "I'll tell you the story of Star."

He tipped his head to one side. He'd never heard this story before, which was saying something. He'd already heard most of the stories Rainwater had to tell when he was a kit.

"Long ago, before the days of the Clans, there was a little black tom named Star," Rainwater began. "He had two littermates, one a silver she-cat named Moon and the other a golden tom named Sun. Sun ruled the world during the day, while his sister Moon ruled the world during the night. Sun and Moon were wise and noble leaders and all the world revered them.

"Star, however, was not so wise. His heart was in the right place, but he was impatient and stubborn. He believed that if he wanted anything, he would have to get it himself, for he trusted the charity of no one.

"One day, the mother of these three good cats fell ill. Star tried to nurse her back to health, but despite his efforts, he could not do anything to heal her. Finally, he was forced to accept that it was beyond his power to help her. Instead, he turned to Sun and Moon, who were much more powerful than he, and begged them to call upon the powers of nature to heal their mother.

"Sun promised Star he would do everything he could for their mother. He sent his brother away and asked the wind spirits to cure her. They told Sun that they would do as he asked and departed from him.

"Star watched his mother anxiously for any sign that she was recovering from her illness. After a few days, he came to the conclusion that the spirits had not kept their promise, for his mother was no better than she had been before he asked for help. He went back to his brother, annoyed, and asked him to call upon the spirits again. 'Our mother is just as sick as she was before,' he told Sun. 'Your spirits haven't done anything for her.'

"Sun agreed to speak to them again, and when Star had gone, he called upon them. 'Have you cured my mother yet?' he asked. 'My brother sees no change in her condition.'

"'Have faith, Sun,' they told him. 'We will heal her in good time. Your mother shall not die.'

"Feeling reassured, Sun called Star to him and told him that the spirits were taking care of their mother. Star was doubtful, but he decided to trust what his brother had said. He thanked him and left, but still didn't believe that the spirits would help their mother. He did not believe that anyone could make a difference unless he took action himself, and his inability to help his mother frustrated him. When three more days passed and his mother's condition did not improve, he lost his temper. 'Your spirits are worthless!' he snarled at Sun. 'I have come to doubt that they exist at all. They are simply a story you came up with to reassure me while you dithered around doing nothing to help our mother. I deny the spirits! I will help our mother myself, even if I have to walk the entire world to find a cure!' With these words, he stalked away, leaving a dismayed Sun behind.

"Feeling troubled, the wise leader Sun turned to Moon for guidance, for that was what the ruler of the night was best at giving. 'Poor Star is faithless,' he said to her. 'He does not believe in the spirits because he cannot see them. Perhaps the spirits will not heal our mother because he doubts their ability to do so.'

"'Our little brother must learn a lesson or two about faith,' Moon decided. She called upon the spirits and they agreed to do her a favor...

"The next morning, Star went to a wise old elder who knew a lot about herbs and healing. He asked him for help, but the elder didn't seem to hear him. Even when he shouted, the elder did not hear a word he said. He waved his tail in front of the elder's face, but he didn't even blink.

"Star marched off in a furious rage, thinking that the elder was simply ignoring him. He went to his friends Forest, Cloud, and Faith for some sympathy, but they too, seemed to ignore him. Forest and Cloud heard nothing he said, but Faith twitched her ears as though she heard something, but couldn't identify what it was.

"Star began to feel very upset and went to his brother for help. He was worried that Sun wouldn't pay him any attention either, but the golden tom saw him clearly and acknowledged him.

"'Everyone has ignored me today!' Star cried. 'They pretended they couldn't hear me or see me! Please, Sun, you have to help me!'

"'They were not pretending,' said Sun with a solemn look. 'They cannot see you or hear you. You are invisible to them, even non-existent.'

"A horrible anger came over Star. 'Is this something you did?' he asked in a trembling voice. 'Is it your fault that no one notices me? Are you trying to punish me for what I said to you yesterday?'

"'No,' said Sun. 'This is not a punishment, but a lesson. It is no one's fault but your own that you are invisible to the eyes of the faithless. The reason no one can see you is that they do not believe that you are there. Only when someone has true faith in your presence will they be able to see you. Then, and only then, might your curse be broken.'

"Star was filled with remorse. 'I understand,' he said. 'This is because I didn't believe in the spirits. Now I am like them. I must trust in the faith of others to be seen.'

"Star went away, sad, but determined. He searched restlessly for someone of strong faith, hoping they might break his curse.

"Forest, Cloud, and Faith were also looking for their friend. They had not seen him for some time and were quite worried. 'Perhaps he has caught his mother's illness,' said Forest. They checked the camp where Star's mother was resting, but could not find the black tom. They went to all their favorite places, but could not find him anywhere.

"Finally, Cloud said to the others, 'Our friend is gone. He will not return. We should give up looking for him. If he wanted to be found, we would have found him already.'

"'No!' said Faith. 'We should keep searching. He is our friend; we must not give up on him.'

"Forest was torn between them, but Cloud convinced him that the search was hopeless. Reluctantly, he gave up trying to find Star. But Faith stubbornly refused. She searched for many days, always hoping to find him. Whenever she felt her faith starting to ebb, she looked up at the stars in the night sky and was reminded of how important her friend was to her.

"One night, Faith was unable to sleep in the cave she had taken shelter in, far from her home. Star had followed her in her journey, always calling out to her, but she had not heard him. Now, she sat beneath the stars in the sky and wished desperately to find him.

"'Faith!' he called. 'Faith, please, believe in me! I've learned how powerful faith can be; I've learned my lesson. Please, forgive me,' he begged the spirits.

"And Faith heard his voice at last. She turned and saw him, standing before her, his green eyes shining like the stars, his black pelt gleaming in the moonlight. And she was filled with joy. 'Star!' she mewed. 'I've found you! I knew I would!'

"'Thank you,' he said. 'You believed in me when no one else would.'

"And so, as a result of the priceless lesson he had learned, Star became one of the most faithful cats to walk the earth. At long last, the spirits healed his mother from her illness. And Star gained the wisdom and faith he needed to become a cat as noble and true as the two siblings who had worked so hard to teach him this lesson."

There was silence in the elder's den as Rainwater finished her tale. That story wasn't like any other I've ever heard, Branchpaw thought. Most of Rainwater's stories were true ones, maybe with a little bit of exaggeration or fantasy mixed in to make it more memorable. But this one was purely legend, and probably the strangest one he'd ever been told.

After a few more moments of silence, Branchpaw noticed that Rainwater was watching him intently. "Er, that was an... interesting story," he mewed.

Rainwater blinked, and for a heartbeat she looked almost disappointed. But before Branchpaw could tell whether he imagined it or not, she broke into a purr. "You look so confused," she mrrowed. "I'll admit that story wasn't the most easy to follow."

"No, it was fine," Branchpaw said. "I guess I just wasn't expecting something so mystical."

Rainwater gave another mrrow of laughter. "I think you'd better go," she meowed, her eyes glittering with amusement. "I heard that Nightwatcher didn't want you going anywhere, not even to the fresh-kill pile. If he finds you here, he'll make mousedust out of you."

"True," Branchpaw mewed. He got to his paws, wincing as he stretched. He'd gotten very stiff while he was lying there. "Thanks for telling me the story."

"You're very welcome," Rainwater purred. "Now, hurry along."

"See you," Branchpaw said, ducking out of the den. The sun shone down warmly on him and he relaxed as a soft breeze billowed through his whiskers. He looked up at the bright blue sky and felt a rush of joy. The day was so beautiful and clear that it took any worries off his mind. For the first time since he had been confined to camp, he was content to wait peacefully for his injury to heal. I'll take everything one step at a time, he thought. I'll enjoy this peaceful day while it lasts.

Author's Note:

Please review! Reviews are awesome and really make my day. Please tell me what you like about this story and what I can work on. Feedback will help me improve as a writer and help me know what you want to see more of or less of as the readers. I can't promise that your reviews will directly affect the plot, but I will take your opinions and suggestions into consideration. Thanks!