Chapter Twenty Two: Jayfeather
I've left Lionblaze and am heading to find Brightheart. My brother's eased my worry about Hollyleaf, but what I might find tonight is still haunting me. I don't know who else will be there, Littlecloud is sneaking away sometimes. Ever since the "you have to stand alone" prophecy came, none of us are really sure what the point is of annually meeting at the moonpool anyway. We just do it so that our Clanmates won't notice that anything's wrong. Enough bad things are happening already.
Brightheart agrees immediately and I leave. I want to get this over with. Mothwing, Willowshine and Kestrelflight meet me at the border.
"All is well I hope?" Mothwing mews and I feel the air shift as she swings her head around.
I murmur my assent along with everyone else. We are all strained and our emotions feel like nothing is well - and it isn't. We just can't tell each other that. I mull over my problem in my mind. Do I tell them? And if I do how? We've made it to the moonpool before I reach a decision. Littlecloud shows up as we are walking down, whispering his apologies.
"I, uh, I have some news." I mew hesitantly and I hear the other cats turn toward me.
"Hollyleaf's pregnant." I mew quickly.
"Oh that's wonderful!" Willowshine mews happily, "Wish her well for me will you?"
"Uh sure." I answer.
"What's wrong with her?" Kestrelflight asks, uncharacteristically sharp, "We could have found that out at the gathering, why tell us now?"
"Because you're right, something is wrong. She just found out a few days ago and she's already progressed a moon in. I've never seen anything like it, I need help." I mew, talking quickly to make the confession easier.
"That's impossible!" Mothwing mews flatly. I knew she wouldn't be much help.
"It's an omen." Littlecloud's voice heavy with sorrow, hangs in the air.
"From who?" I snap forgetting to be careful.
"I don't know. Either way it won't be an easy kitting. I wish you luck." Littlecloud replies seriously. Willowshine is flicking her tail and I can feel her worry. We go to the edge of the pool and my mind is still obsessed with Littlecloud's warning. I wish I hadn't said anything! The water is cold and I try to relax so I can focus on what needs to be done.
I stand in the Dark Forest. Great, just what I need right now. I'm shrouded in plant life and I freeze trying to figure out where I am and why I'm here. Tigerstar's chilling voice comes from somewhere in front of me,
"We'll attack in three sunrises, wherever they have the most warriors." (Um fox dung!)
"Wouldn't it be better to attack where they have the least?" Hawkfrost's low growl asks.
"No. They don't yet know how far we are willing to go. They can't know until the last possible moment, besides we want them to let their guard down, if we attack many and loose – while maiming as many as we can – they will not be prepared for our next attack." Tigerstar sounds certain. "Remember we must always be prepared!" And then, I promise I am telling the truth, he starts singing, and our bad guy leader – well he's also tone deaf. If you think it's scary you're not the one who has to hear it!
"Be prepared! We must always be ready for a fight! We must always be ready to win! No more sulking about on the lowest rung of the fooooood chain! We can be strong! We will be strong! We will triumph, we will prevail! We will wiiiiiiinnnnn! Yes we will always win! If weeeee- if weeeee, are prepared! We will fight, we will win, we will fight, we will win, we will fight, we will WIN! If we and we will, be PREPARED! So," he switches back to talking thank StarClan! That was awful, "we know what to do?"
"Yes. A wise plan Tigerstar. We choose well when we had you lead us."
"Nonsense Brokenstar, I'm just doing my duty, I'm sure you'd do the same. Now we don't want them to know I'm the leader yet, so Hawkfrost, you will go in my place."
"Of course father, but I will have to kill the traitor Brambleclaw." Hawkfrost sounds hungry, like he's been waiting his whole dead life for this, and he probably has. But he is not taking Brambleclaw! Not if I can do anything about it!
"Good idea. That will cripple them. And shake the old weakling Firestar to his core! Our battle plan is drawn. Alert the troops!" Hawkfrost gives a loud screech and thousands of cats appear from the mist.
"Are you all prepared?" Tigerstar asks, oh no! Not again! There is a collective murmuring.
"Good. Then we will prevail! We will win! We will raze these sorry excuses for cats! We will win! All together now!" Okay so none of the Dark Forest cats can sing. I suppose it's what you get for being evil.
"Be prepared for victory! Be prepared for our victory! Be ready to win! Be ready to fight! And never ever back down! Because we can win! And we will win! First ThunderClan then all of them! Because weeeee are prepared! Yes! We are prepared!" I think my ears just died.
"Go and train as hard as possible. We have two missions, kill the traitor Brambleclaw and maim and many as possible so they will not be ready for our next attack! Go!"
It's going to take me a little while to recover from that, I mean did they seriously just start singing? Like really? When I finally get my brain back I pull myself out of the Dark Forest.
I guess my dream was too short or something because Mothwing's the only other one up. She's facing the starlight pool so I assume she's starting at it.
"Is it real Jayfeather?" Her voice is cracked, almost like she wants to believe.
"Yes. All of it." I reply, praying she'll believe me.
"You know what so impressed me the first time I saw the Clans?" She mews softly.
"What?" I ask, hoping that this is what I'm supposed to do.
"How close knit you all are. And not just one Clan, the relationship between all of the Clans. And now we're losing that, I don't know why and I want to stop it. I can tell that there's danger up ahead and we'll need to stick together to be able to survive through it."
"Funny you say that," I mew walking to her and sitting down, "Because StarClan says just the opposite."
I hear her ear twitch, "Want to know what kept me from believing? Because I did believe, for a short time at least." I nod not sure where this is going.
"Hawkfrost." The name shoots a jolt of panic through me, the Dark Forest is about to attack and I'm chatting! "My own horrible brother… he ruined it for me."
"You're what?" I gasp as soon as air has returned to my lungs.
"He was my brother. He faked the sign that had Mudfur take me as an apprentice. Once he told me and took all my belief, he left. He ruined my life. And the sorry excuse for a cat can't even stay dead!" Her snarl surprises me.
"Wait, you saw him?" I breathe.
"He was in our camp, whispering in the ear of an apprentice. I could see the Darkness around him. I tried to save the apprentice but I fear it's too late. What are they doing?"
"They're gathering an army of Dark cats. To destroy us all." I whisper softly.
"I feared as much. He always was a blood-thirsty power-hungry fox heart. He won't take RiverClan!"
I shake my head at her vow. "You see the thing is Mothwing, he already has."
"How do you know?" I can tell by her voice that she doesn't want to believe me.
"We have a spy on the inside, and they have given us information, there are RiverClan cat's in the Dark Forest. I'm sorry." Mothwing pulls away from me, and at this exact moment, everyone else wakes up.
Willowshine jumps up horror flooding from her, "Mothwing! We have to get home! Now!" She gasps and races off, Mothwing on her heels.
"Bye." Kestrelflight hisses and hauls himself up, just as fearful, even old Littlecloud seems to want to get out fast, but I bypass both of them. There is only one thought on my mind: get home now! We are all in mortal danger. Never has the threat if the Dark Forest seemed so close. I can hardly breathe I'm running so fast, I don't know what guides me, maybe just my crazy desire to get home and save my Clan.
I burst through the thorn tunnel and head straight for my den. Lionblaze's slips in right after me.
"Jayfeather, what happened?" He mews, worry weighing down the words.
I look at him shaking and mew, "Something is very, very wrong. We are in huge trouble. We're as good as dead." Horror lights his blood as I hiss,
"We need to go see Firestar, NOW!"