Chapter 5

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting!" Badgerstar's yowl rang out in the afternoon air, echoing on the rocks. Within moments the cats began appearing from their dens and gathering in the gorge.

Waterpaw's paws trembled as he knew what Badgerstar had to say. Soon the whole Clan would know that he was different. A freak.

"Cats of SkyClan," Badgerstar began as soon as the Clan had assembled, "you have all heard tales of the other Clan far away, ThunderClan. The place where the great leader Firestar came from, and where his descendants still live. It seems the destiny of one SkyClan cat will soon mingle with theirs."

Murmurs passed among the gathered cats.

"ThunderClan?"

"Firestar?"

"What've they got to do with us?"

Badgerstar ignored the speculative mumbles of the SkyClan warriors and went on, "StarClan has spoken of a prophecy in which a member of SkyClan will fulfill a prophecy with four others from this distant Clan. This cat has a special power which will help them save the Clan. And this cat is Waterpaw."

"Waterpaw?"

"What kind of power could he have?"

Waterpaw ducked down to avoid the stares of every one of his Clanmates. He wished the dusty ground would open up and swallow him. If they were going to stare, couldn't they be polite about it?

"Waterpaw's power is that he can never get tired. He can stay awake for days on end and run across the entire territory unfazed."

More mutters of speculation and scorn met this announcement.

"Soon, Waterpaw will go on a journey to find the other Clan," the leader continued. "He will need as much training as possible in that time. For that reason, I am going to take advantage of his power and give him night training. Snowspots will continue his training during the day, but Windfur, Ashbreeze and Briartail will trade off to train him by night."

"What I want to know is, why should we be concerned about ThunderClan?" Stonegaze yowled. "They live miles away from here. We haven't had anything to do with them in longer than any living cat can remember. Why should we care what happens to them?"

"Why shouldn't we?" Badgerstar countered. "If StarClan says that we must help these cats, then we must. Firestar went on a journey to revive SkyClan, and he was his Clan's leader. If he could leave his position to rebuild a long-lost Clan, we can send a cat to help his descendants if they're in trouble."

Stonegaze grunted impatiently and sat down again.

"Life in the rest of the Clan will go on as normal. But you all deserve to know what's going on. As soon as Waterpaw can fully defend himself, he and all four of these cats will go on a journey to find ThunderClan."

"You can't just send one of our apprentices out on his own, and you also can't afford the warriors you would need to send along with him." Waterpaw couldn't tell where this protest came from.

"My decision is final," Badgerstar growled, growing impatient. "You can all be grateful I bothered to tell you what's going on, but I didn't ask for your input. This meeting is over."

The meeting broke up with several of the cats looking disgruntled. Badgerstar's outburst was nothing too unusual; he was a leader with a short temper most of the time. But Waterpaw wished the Clan meeting had gone on longer. The moment Badgerstar bounded down from the Rockpile, every pair of eyes turned to the pale gray apprentice. With his head down to avoid meeting any cat's gaze, Waterpaw hurried toward the apprentices' den.

Not that that was any safer. Fishpaw had gotten there first. The cats in the clearing, at least, had been asking him questions, curious to know whether it was true or demanding why they hadn't known. But Fishpaw just stared. The silence was deafening.

Waterpaw attempted to turn his back on Fishpaw, trying to ignore his denmate's stare by busying himself with the knots in his fur. But Fishpaw's yellow eyes bore into his fur with a force that he could physically feel, and after a while he couldn't take it anymore.

"Could you quit it?" he demanded irritably.

"Sorry," Fishpaw apologized, turning his head away.

Waterpaw breathed a huffy sigh and went back to grooming his pelt. Moments later, he became aware of the fact that he was being stared at again. He turned his head sharply to Fishpaw again, who immediately looked away.

I'm done with this. Waterpaw got up and left the den without a word, each paw stabbing the dusty ground as he bounded stiffly up the cliff to the top of the gorge.

Perhaps a run would make him feel better. A run always made him feel better. Bunching his muscles, Waterpaw bounded away. He didn't know or care where he was going; all he knew was that he was running. He had been right – running was making him feel a bit better. He blocked out all the sensations around him, aware only of the smooth movements of his muscles, the feel of his paws slamming the ground, and the wind through his fur.

Suddenly he caught a scent on said wind. A familiar scent, and close by. He scrambled to a stop.

"Hey, son," meowed an all-too-familiar voice.

Waterpaw turned around slowly. "Hello, Mudtail," he greeted his father reluctantly. He liked his father, most of the time. But today he just wanted to be alone. Mudtail was likely to be more persistent than any cat; he would feel more justified, being Waterpaw's father.

"Tell me about this prophecy," Mudtail prompted, continuing to walk and sweeping Waterpaw along with him and though it were a perfectly normal day and they weren't discussing the huge prophecy that he had only just heard about.

"Do I have to?" Waterpaw didn't want to be rude to his father, but if Mudtail mistakenly thought Waterpaw wanted to discuss the prophecy, that should be corrected, because the pale-furred apprentice definitely didn't.

Mudtail sighed. "Well, no, not if you don't want to. I won't make you. But you know that if you ever do, I'm here whenever."

Waterpaw's early relationship with his father had been an odd one. For the first moon of his life, he had had no idea who his father was, nor had any other cat. But after Owlstare's death, Mudtail had revealed himself as her mate, wanting to be more of a father to Waterpaw now that he had no mother. Surprisingly, Waterpaw felt no bitterness toward him for not doing anything until after his mother had died. He was just glad he was here now.

"Thanks, Dad," he mewed. "I will."

Thinking about the early stages of his kithood, he realized, not for the first time, that he really had no idea how Owlstare had died. He had been very young at the time; all he could remember from that day was the panic that the death had caused. But whenever he tried to ask some cat about it, he never got a straight answer. They would find some way to avoid answering, leave quickly, and Waterpaw would be left not knowing any more about his mother's death than before, other than the fact that it was somehow a secret, which, of course, made him even more curious to find out the truth.

What if he asked Mudtail about it now? He knew it was pointless. His father had been one of the first cats he'd asked, and he hadn't given any more away than any other cat. But maybe now, isolated from the business in the camp, he could get some answers...it was worth a try, anyway.

But Mudtail spoke first. "All right. Well, if you want to be alone, I guess I'll head back to camp, then."

Waterpaw almost changed his mind. He couldn't make himself call his father back now. But he did.

"Wait — Mudtail?"

"Yes?"

Waterpaw gulped. "How — how did Owlstare die?"

Something flickered in Mudtail's eyes. Was it . . . fear? The dark tom blinked it away. He sighed. "Sit down, son."

Waterpaw obeyed. Was he about to get an answer? he wondered hopefully.

Mudtail sighed again. "Son, I . . . I'd like to tell you what happened. I really would. But I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm sorry. It's nothing personal, I just . . . can't tell you."

"Can't tell me what?" Suddenly Waterpaw wished he hadn't asked. He hadn't gotten his question answered, and now he had hundreds more.

"I'm sorry," Mudtail repeated. "I need to get back to camp. Are you coming with me?"

Waterpaw shook his head. "No."

"Well, bye then," his father mewed with forced cheerfulness. "I'll see you later."

Waterpaw sighed, laying down on the grass with his head on his paws. He'd tried to ignore the fact that the whole Clan was keeping it from him, but now he couldn't any longer. How had Owlstare died?

Suddenly he realized something. He could just ask her the next time she appeared to him. Why didn't I think of that?

Suddenly more confident, he got up, hurrying to catch up with his father.