When the cats returned to camp, Mossclaw immediately went to find Barkstar. Ghostface ignored the curious looks he got as the other clan cats stared at his soaked pelt. Prairieheart padded over to the fresh-kill pile and selected a large hare. "Want to share?"
Ghostface nodded and began to eat. The water had started to soak through his fur and chill his skin. He shivered and gulped down his share. When they finished, Prairieheart started to share tongues with him. She spit water out from his damp fur. "Bleh. You must be freezing!" She said, continuing to wash his back.
Ghostface just shrugged and started on the base of her tail. He spotted Mottledsong on the other side of the clearing sharing tongues with Icetail. They seemed to be on better terms then when Ghostface last saw them together. Suddenly Prairieheart stopped. "Why are there some dark hairs here?" She asked curiously, picking out some brownish black hairs from his pelt. Ghostface tensed up. Were those from Fawnshadow's tail or face?
"Probably from when Mossclaw fell on me." He said, thinking quickly.
Prairieheart sat up straight and looked at him suspiciously. "It was you that smelled of HillsClan, wasn't it?"
"No. What are you thinking?"
Prairieheart lowered her voice to a whisper as she said, "I followed you this morning."
"What!" Ghostface said, hissing slightly as his fur began to prickle.
"Not all the way." She said, leaning closer to him. "I just looked to where you went from a look out post."
Ghostface's eyes narrowed.
"I saw you went to boulder rock place and then… just disappeared behind some bushes."
"That doesn't prove anything!" Ghostface said, flicking his tail nervously.
"No. It doesn't. So where have you been going?" Ghostface didn't answer. The golden she-cat said, "Look, if you don't tell me, I'll just find out on my own."
Ghostface glared at her, then said, "Can I trust you?" She nodded and Ghostface continued, "Do you remember that cream colored she cat with blackish brown points from the gathering? Well, I ran into her at the boulder rock place when I was hunting. We just sorta talked."
Prairieheart gasped. "You can't just start seeing her!"
"Ssshhhh! Keep it down!" Ghostface said. "We both were visited by StarClan in our dreams."
"But you can't just keep seeing her!" She said again.
Suddenly Barkstar called out from deadtrunk, "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet beneath deadtrunk for a clan meeting!"
Shadedpelt was talking with Mossclaw beneath deadtrunk. Ghostface padded over quickly, avoiding Prairiehearts angry gaze. A returning hunting patrol joined the cats beneath deadtrunk as they all waited.
"For about a moon now we have scented HillsClan on the boulder rock place which belongs to GrassClan." Barkstar said, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "I spoke at the gathering, but they still have not stopped. Action must be taken! For a quarter moon we will have increased patrols on the area, and if they do not stop, we will raid!"
Yowls of agreement rose up and soon all of the cats were calling out and chanting, "Raid! Raid! Raid!" Ghostface joined in half-heartedly and he could hear Prairieheart beside him the loudest.
Barkstar silenced them with a flick of his tail and said, "We will have patrols in between patrols to check boulder rock place." He leapt down and than said, "If I may speak to my senior warriors, please." He padded into his den and Coldpelt and Shadedpelt followed.
Ghostface winced as he felt a rush of hot air blow into his ear as Prairieheart said, "Ghostface! You can't just keep seeing her!"
"Be quiet!" Ghostface said, looking around. He dashed over to a secluded corner of the camp and sat down. She sat down beside him.
"Look, I know his sounds weird but StarClan spoke to us both. We both had similar dreams. There was a strange prophecy and it sounds as if Starclan wants us together."
Prairieheart looked at him unbelievingly. "Ghostface, you're new here. You probably don't underst—"
"I understand perfectly fine! It's you who doesn't understand! Starclan spoke to us!"
"But Ghostface you can't!" Prairieheart said, sounding more exhasperated now.
"Why not?"
Prairieheart shot him a hateful look and then dashed off to the other side of camp. Ghostface sat, confused, then he stood slowly and padded slowly across camp. Barkstar, Shadedpelt and Coldpelt emerged from the den. Barkstar stopped Ghostface and said, "Ghostface, you shouldn't be getting wet around this season, you don't want to get sick and spread greencough around camp."
Ghostface glanced at his pelt. He was still wet, but he hardly noticed because of Prairieheart.
"Why don't you go see Shrubfoot, I think she's got something to help prevent a cough. I don't want to risk it this season."
The pale tom nodded at his leader and jogged swiftly towards Shrubfoots den, glad that he didn't have to go to the warriors den where Prairieheart probably was. He paused outside of the den entrance and meowed, "Shrubfoot?"
The black and white medicine cat stepped out and said, "Oh, Ghostface. You're soaked! Come in, come in." Ghostface followed her in. The spacious den was warm and smelled of various herbs.
"Do you have a cough or do you just want me to give you some herbs just in case?"
"Barkstar said he doesn't want to risk Greencough spreading this season, so I guess I just need some herbs that might help prevent anything." Ghostface said, gazing around at the herb piles.
Shrubfoot nodded and began selecting herbs and dropping them into a pile while muttering the ingredients to herself. "Hmm… let's see. Perhaps some catnip, a sprinkle of feverfew, comfrey root, mint…" Suddenly she froze up while her back was to him. She paused and fell into a laying position with her paws out in front of her. Ghostface stood, and looked at her, concern showing in his eyes.
"Shrubfoot? Shrubfoot are you all right?" He padded out in front of her and saw that her claws were extended and digging into the packed earth floor and her eyes were open, but unfocused. "Shrubfoot!" The medicine cat didn't move. Ghostface was about to dash out when she rasped, "Only in the land of stones where the wind howls at the place that the moon falls and the spirits reside can the pelts of the tainted be clean again. Ailing, broken, battered and dying must go, led by the pale remnants of high."
Ghostface blinked, what in the world was she saying? Her voice, though rasped didn't sound like her it all. It sounded like a voice from a distance, like a cat stuck at the bottom of a well, muttering darkly.
"Sh-sh-Shrubfoot?" Ghostface meowed. The she-cat blinked her eyes and then looked at him, a look of alarm showing in her eyes.