AN: I'm up rather late, aren't I? I got this chapter finished at 9:42 PM exactly. Believe me, I wanted to get this done today. So three more chapters left and than maybe an epilogue. There won't be any sequels though, just to warn those who were interested in one.
-Chapter 10-
Anxiety coursed through Willowshine. She paced along the lake's shore for the next few heartbeats. After her discussion with Blue, she wasn't sure what to expect from this Darkness.
A day had passed since her meeting with StarClan. Now she was sure that the Darkness would soon strike.
Her fur bristled as she imagined what the Darkness could do to her Clanmates. Mosspelt was already dead because of the Darkness. How many more lives would be lost? She wished that there was a way to know when the Darkness would come.
"Willowshine?" The medicine cat apprentice stiffened when her name was called.
She turned her neck to see the lithe ginger and white form of Pouncetail padding towards her. Why would he need me? she wondered when he stopped about a tail-length in front of her.
"I was wondering where you went," he meowed after he saw the look in her eyes.
"Pouncetail, is something wrong with the Clan?" she demanded.
Trust was a hard thing to come by for her. She was wary of any cat in the Clan. The Darkness could have taken over anything as far as she knew. Pouncetail could easily be one of the warriors it took over.
The older cat looked surprised by the anger of her tone. He shook his head and flicked his tail before replying, "No, nothing is wrong."
"Than leave me be," Willowshine snapped.
Pouncetail stared at her in shock. He looked around as if he was afraid some cat was watching. Willowshine had begun to notice this as well. She peered through a frond of reeds that grew on the opposite side of a stream that ran into the lake. To her relief, there were no other cats lurking in the shadows.
She let out a sigh of relief. I'm acting like a terrified mouse, she thought with a lash of her tail.
The gray tabby she-cat blinked when she realized that Pouncetail was still watching her. He looked as nervous as she felt. She stared at him for a few heartbeats before looking away in disgust.
"Look, I've only come because of a dream I had," Pouncetail muttered when he realized that Willowshine wouldn't listen to him.
That got her attention. Her blue eyes widened in shock, and she gave him a cold look. "What do you know about dreams?" she spat.
"There was a cat speaking to me," he murmured. Willowshine's fur bristled when she heard the fear in his voice. She wondered if he even knew the meaning of fear. "He had star gleaming in his fur. But...It was like he didn't know where he was."
Willowshine forced herself to hide a gasp of disbelief. It sounded like he really did have a dream from StarClan. She met his gaze and saw fear gleaming within his amber eyes. It was a look that she became familiar with far too quickly.
For moons I've been wading in a pool of fear, she thought grimly. Was it really possible that there was a cat who understood?
"You know who the Darkness is, don't you?" she asked softly.
The ginger and white warrior looked down at his paws. "I have an idea," he replied.
xXx
I knew it! The thought rang through Willowshine's mind as she led Pouncetail back into camp. She should have known the whole time.
Even when she looked at the warrior that Pouncetail mentioned, she told herself that it was obvious. His usually calm nature was just a mask. She'd seen what he could do even while he followed the warrior code.
Her mind reeled with the information Pouncetail just gave her. He knew far more than she would have imagined. He was the one who had followed Hollowstorm first. Hollowstorm trusted him above the other cats that had joined him.
Mistystar was sitting in front of her den, grooming her chest. Willowshine's eyes narrowed slightly when she spotted Hollowstorm watching the leader closely. He was waiting for the right time to strike. She knew that he would wait until no cat was watching.
Willowshine lashed her tail as she thought of how to keep Mistystar under her watchful gaze. Hollowstorm wasn't the deputy, but by killing Mistystar it would give him a chance to become the next deputy after Reedwhisker. If that happened, than Willowshine knew that the Clan would suffer under Hollowstorm's reign.
"Why are you standing around doing nothing?" Mothwing's sharp mew broke Willowshine from her thoughts.
"I'm sorry, Mothwing," she murmured with a dip of her head.
"Go and fetch some borage for Petalfur," Mothwing ordered after Willowshine settled down in front of her mentor.
The young apprentice nodded briskly before she bounded into the medicine cat's den. Mothwing was a strict mentor, much like Mistystar. Yet Mothwing's gentle composure allowed her to become one of the most well-known cats in RiverClan.
When she spotted the borage next to a pile of dock, she picked up what she could. She could already feel Mothwing's impatience growing.
Willowshine's fur bristled slightly as she bounded out of the den. The leaves brushed against the entrance of her den as she met Mothwing outside the nursery.
"Good," Mothwing meowed. "Lets go and check on Petalfur, to see how she's doing."
Like anything different has happened, Willowshine thought with a roll of her eyes.
Petalfur didn't change much since the past couple of days after moving into the nursery. Her belly grew larger with each passing day, but that was about it. As far as Willowshine was concerned, the young queen was perfectly happy.
"Your kits are going to be fine," Mothwing murmured when she spotted Petalfur looking at her belly.
Willowshine had finished listening after Mothwing warned Petalfur about the pain. She kept an eye on Hollowstorm, who was now whispering to Minnowtail. Her fur bristled slightly when she saw the dark gray she-cat nod in agreement. They were planning something. Deep within her mind and heart, she knew that it had something to do with Mistystar.
After Mothwing was finished checking on Petalfur, she went over to the elders' den to check on them. Willowshine spotted Tinypaw and Fallenpaw working on the den. Both apprentices looked exhausted after cleaning them out all day.
Tinypaw is one of them, she reminded herself as she relayed Pouncetail's information. He'd told her which cats were following Hollowstorm. Apparently the dark tabby had told them a lie to get them into his plan. She'd heard Pouncetail mention uniting the Clans together.
She shook her head as she followed Mothwing into the elders' den. Blackclaw was telling Fallenpaw a story about the Great Journey. Willowshine's ears pricked forward with interest as she heard him. She'd heard legends of the Great Journey, back to one all of the Clans had been united to reach their destination. Some part of her longed to stay in a single Clan. Where there were no codes against medicine cats not having kits. Than she and Flametail could stay together no matter what happened.
"Willowshine, what is bothering you?" Mothwing's sudden question made Willowshine stare at her in surprise. "You've been acting like a skiddish fish since the last half moon."
Could she tell Mothwing what was happening? Or what was about to happen? She suddenly cast the idea away. Mothwing would never believe her, especially since the dappled medicine cat didn't believe in StarClan.
"It's nothing, really," Willowshine replied.
Mothwing looked at her in concern, but didn't question her any further. Willowshine breathed out a sigh of relief as the medicine cat returned to searching the elders for signs of sickness.
Willowshine was still watching Mistystar when she saw the shadow of a warrior approach the RiverClan deputy. Reedwhisker was busy organizing patrols as usual. His black pelt was sleek like an otters' pelt. When he looked back at her, there was a gleam of pride within his eyes. Willowshine lifted her muzzle and tried to make herself look stronger.
Her eyes widened in dismay when she saw that Minnowtail was approaching Reedwhisker. Her dark gray fur didn't blend in with the sparse undergrowth that covered the clearing. She glanced over at Hollowstorm, who was watching through a guarded expression. Disgust suddenly flared within Willowshine. Didn't Minnowtail feel any ounce of loyalty towards her former mentor?
She tried to look away, but her eyes continued to stray towards the pair of cats. For a moment, she wished that she could hear what they were saying. Than she reminded herself that Minnowtail would likely lead Reedwhisker on some fruitless expedition that would lead to his death. She bared her teeth at the thought of leading any cats to their death. No warrior deserved to die unless it was something that they needed.
The medicine cat apprentice glanced over her shoulder quickly. Mothwing was still concerned with Blackclaw, who was complaining about muscles cramping up from the heat. Willowshine rolled her eyes as she began to pad towards Reedwhisker. She could hear Minnowtail explaining that something strange was found near the lake. Apparently it was something that could threaten the well being of RiverClan.
Reedwhisker was quick to follow her, much to Willowshine's dismay. He shared a few words with Mistystar, who nodded in agreement. The RiverClan leader seemed unaware that something was going on. She only waved her tail goodbye as he left with Minnowtail in the lead.
Willowshine followed the two out of camp, laying low in the bed of reeds that surrounded it. Her pelt brushed against the rough edges as she crept through them. By now their scents were already fading. Clouds had gathered across the sky, telling Willowshine that it would rain soon. She knew that she had to hurry before their scents were completely washed away.
I have to find them, before it's too late, she thought. The future of the Clan depended on her. She had to stop Minnowtail and Hollowstorm before the Clan suffered from Reedwhisker's loss.
