Rising Moon

Jedi Goat

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, Swiftstream, Willowcloud and rainstorm007!

----------------------------------------

Chapter 7

"Moonpaw, what's this herb used for?" Leafpool's voice broke the silence of the pleasantly dim den.

The small black she-cat looked up from where she was sorting out their collection of nettle. She sniffed the yellow-flowered plant and glanced blankly up at Leafpool. She'd never seen this herb before.

"It's celandine," Leafpool explained. "Used for eye problems."

"Oh, okay." Moonpaw took a deep breath, inhaling the celandine's scent and adding it to her mental list of herbs.

"Celandine for the eyes," Cinderpaw repeated, shuffling around the stock of dock leaves.

Leafpool counted out a few stems and handed them to Moonpaw. "Take these to Longtail," she instructed.

Moonpaw nodded, clamped the herbs in her jaw, and padded outside. She blinked in the warm greenleaf light and headed for the elders' den.

"Hi, Moonpaw!"

Moonpaw turned, dropped her herbs and cried in surprise, "Oakpaw!"

The white-and brown tom grinned at her. "It's been a while. How's medicine cat life?"

"Oh, it's great!" Moonpaw gushed as Oakpaw picked up the mouse bile-soaked stick and proceeded to part Mousefur's fur with his paws, searching for ticks. "Leafpool's teaching me and Cinderpaw all kinds of stuff! We know about all these herbs – they're all used for different things, and there's so many of them! – and we've even gone to the Moonpool!"

"Reawy?" Oakpaw asked around the branch in his mouth. He set it down for a moment to say, "I've heard all apprentices have to go there before we become warriors. What's it like?"

Green eyes glittering in amusement, Moonpaw shook her head. "You'll have to find out for yourself. But you see StarClan and it's like, wow." She dropped the celandine in front of Longtail. The pale tabby turned at the sound, sightless eyes blinking questioningly at her.

"What is it?" inquired the blind tom.

"I brought you celandine," Moonpaw explained, nudging some of the herbs closer to him.

Longtail bent his head, sniffed the plants, and nodded. "Yes. Thank you…" He searched for her name.

"Moonpaw," the apprentice supplied.

"Thank you, Moonpaw." He quickly chewed up the celandine as Moonpaw drifted back over to Oakpaw and Mousefur.

"Do you want some help?"

Oakpaw nodded gratefully and flicked his tail toward the other elder. "Could you do Longtail?"

Nodding, Moonpaw said, "I'll go get some mouse bile from Leafpool." With that, she bounded off to the medicine cats' den.

The fern curtain swayed as Moonpaw brushed past. "Leafpool, can I have some mouse bile?"

The she-cat pointed to a neat stack of ready twigs. Moonpaw speedily thanked her and rushed outside.

"Don't forget to wash your paws!" her mentor yowled after her.

Moonpaw waved her tail to show she had heard and headed back to the elders' den.

"I'm back!" announced the apprentice, dropping her stick and padding over to Longtail. "I'm going to search your pelt for ticks, okay?" she enunciated slowly.

The tom twitched his tail. "I'm blind, not hard of hearing," he grumbled.

Moonpaw ducked her head, before realizing Longtail couldn't see her. "Sorry."

However, the tom still stretched out in front of her, so Moonpaw assumed she could go ahead with her task. She ignored the amused look Oakpaw gave her and clenched the mouse bile-covered stick between her teeth. With her front paws, she gently spilt his fur and inspected it for ticks.

"Some on my shoulder," he offered helpfully. Moonpaw brushed through the hair there and dabbed some mouse bile on it.

"There. That should be better," she said through her teeth.

At that moment, a dark gray streak shot through the entrance tunnel. With a frantic yowl Rainwhisker skidded to a stop in the middle of the camp. Cats were already surrounding him, curious as to what was going on. Moonpaw and Oakpaw looked up from the elders' pelts.

"Help! Help!" he gasped, eyes wild. He glanced around camp without seeing it, continuing, "My sister! My sister! Great StarClan, where is she?!"

Birchhollow, one of the first cats to arrive on the scene, turned to Honeypaw and ordered, "Get Sorreltail!" He raced off in the other direction, toward Firestar's den.

"Mother!" Honeypaw stuck her head into the warriors' den, and reemerged a moment later with the tortoiseshell she-cat a step behind her. Firestar and Birchhollow were returning to the group, and Leafpool appeared with Cinderpaw trailing behind her.

Moonpaw and Oakpaw exchanged a startled glance. "Let's go see what's up," suggested Oakpaw.

The two apprentices joined the sea of cats just as Firestar could be heard shouting, "Back up! Give us some room here!"

The cats backed away, making a ring around Rainwhisker, Sorreltail, Leafpool and Firestar, who stood in the center of the clearing.

"Now, tell us exactly what is wrong," Firestar commanded, keeping his voice level.

Rainwhisker threw himself at his leader's paws. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, this is my fault! I- I thought I could mentor him, I thought I was ready!" His words spilled out in a tangle as he writhed on the ground.

Leafpool set a paw on his shoulder. "Rainwhisker. Calm down." She turned and called, "Cinderpaw, get me some dandelion leaves. We need to calm him down."

The gray she-cat nodded and whisked through the crowd of cats.

Rainwhisker, oblivious to the onlooking cats, cried to Firestar, "I tried! I really did! But I'm just not fit to be a warrior!"

Cats gasped; Sorreltail pushed her nose comfortingly into her brother's fur. He shook her off, unable to look at anyone other than Firestar.

The circle broke open to let in Whitedove, who had just entered camp with a bloody bundle clamped in her jaws. All eyes were suddenly on her as she padded up to Firestar and laid the body at his paws.

"And now…" Rainwhisker's voice rose to a wail, "Molepaw is dead!"

For a moment, there was dead silence, except for Rainwhisker's panting as he waited for the clan leader to respond.

Then Sorreltail screamed, rushing to her dead son's side. She buried her nose in his broken body, as if she could bring him back to life by her sheer will alone. Brackenfur approached, wrapping his tail around his mate.

Moonpaw felt faint; her ears were ringing with her foster mother's anguished cry.

Everything happened in a sort of dazed slow motion. Cinderpaw passed by them, took in the scene and gasped, dropping the dandelion leaves. She stepped forward slowly, nudging Molepaw's body. She shook her head and tears glistened in her eyes. Across the clearing, Honeypaw was watching with the same undisguised grief and horror.

Moonpaw's vision swam. Her legs trembled. No. This can't be happening. Molepaw was the strongest, the bravest. He can't be dead. He can't be!

Taking a shuddering breath, she sank to a sitting position. Warm fur pressed against her and she blinked back tears to see Oakpaw sitting beside her. She pushed her head into his fur, allowing the tears to fall freely now.

Meanwhile, Firestar turned to Whitedove, asking sharply, "How did this happen?"

The white she-cat shook her head. "The three of us were out on a hunting patrol. Rainwhisker got separated from him –"

"I only turned away for a second!" the hysterical cat interjected.

Firestar flicked his tail at Leafpool; she curled her tail around Rainwhisker and guided him from the circle, picking up the dandelion herbs on the way out.

"Go on."

Whitedove shuddered. "We heard a scream and came running. We didn't see anything – just Molepaw. Dead."

The ThunderClan leader bent his head and sniffed the body. "We'll get Leafpool to take a look," he sighed. "Tonight, we stand vigil for him. Until then," he glanced at Sorreltail, leaning heavily against Brackenfur, looking shocked. "Duties will continue as normal. No apprentice or warrior should be out of camp alone until we discover what killed Molepaw. It might still be out there."

After Rainwhisker had been tended to, and had been sent back to the warriors' den, Leafpool and her apprentices approached Molepaw's body. He had been left lying in the center of the clearing; his curled-up position made it look like he might have been simply taking a nap, if not for his blood-soaked pelt.

Cinderpaw choked back a sob and lingered behind her mentor. Leafpool swept her tail over her soothingly and nudged her forward.

Moonpaw held back her tears as she looked down on her foster brother. She knew she had to be strong, but seeing the apprentice, who had once been so lively and quick, lying still and cold made her shiver with fear. What could have taken him from us so soon?

Leafpool sniffed him cautiously. She curled her lip. "Cinderpaw, Moonpaw, can you smell that?"

Moonpaw dreaded this motion, but she still took a step forward and scented Molepaw's body. The strange scent lingering on his fur…what was it?

She thought for a long moment, seeing the same confusion mirrored on Leafpool and Cinderpaw's faces. It was vaguely of fur, of a large animal.

"It's not a badger," Cinderpaw mewed thoughtfully. "But it's like it."

"Look at the tooth marks." Leafpool's voice was hushed as she prodded at Molepaw, revealing all the deep gouges in his fur. Cinderpaw choked back a sob.

"Danger is coming to the forest," Leafpool murmured, more to herself than anyone else. She shuddered. "Whatever killed Molepaw might come back. Firestar's right; we have to be careful."

Leafpool stretched out that evening after moonhigh, watching her apprentices fall into a restless sleep. She knew how hard it must be for them: their brother had just mysteriously died and been buried. By tradition, the elders, Mousefur and Longtail, had gone to bury the body. Firestar had ordered two warriors to go with them; true to his word, no cats were allowed out of camp without at least one warrior guard.

The medicine cat sighed. StarClan, why did you take Molepaw away so young? And, closing her eyes, she too drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

"Leafpool." A voice called to her from the darkness. Leafpool slowly blinked open her eyes.

"Spottedleaf!"

The ancient cat smiled sadly. "Hello, Leafpool. StarClan brings you grave news."

"Do you know what killed Molepaw?" Leafpool's eyes widened.

"Yes." Spottedleaf's eyes glittered with all the secrets of StarClan. "But I cannot tell you. I can only say this: the danger has come." She leaned closer and murmured the echoes of her prophecy:

"Betrayal will spill blood of old wounds. A terrible danger comes to prowl the forest. Night will send aid, and will replenish the spirit of the forest." She turned, and her gaze settled on the three stars that still shone above in Silverpelt. Leafpool had noticed them long ago, and Spottedleaf had told her that they represented cats she had yet to meet, but who would change her life forever. "Three cats have been chosen," Spottedleaf prophesized. "They alone can save the clans."

Spottedleaf touched her nose to Leafpool's, and her warmth faded into a surprising chill. The scene dissolved and Leafpool jolted awake, her nose pressed against the cold stone wall of her den. She shook herself and padded outside to see dawn just creeping into the sky. The three stars remained, hanging high above her head. Leafpool sat, curling her tail around her paws.

"Oh, StarClan, please help us," she whispered.

To be continued...

----------------------------------------

Please review!