Chapter 2

Stormsong was twitching in her nest. Every now and than her ear would flick from side to side irritably. Her dreams were becoming more violent now. Fur and blood flew in either directions as cats fought each other. Territories were either burned or flooded.

She could do nothing but watch as cats died needlessly. The horror she felt was nothing compared to what would happen next.

The pale blue eyes of Frostwind would glare down at her maliciously. Frostwind, the cat they had thought would save the Clans was still alive. Somehow Stormsong knew that she was alive, and that was what gave her the nightmares.

"Wake up!" Stormsong was jolted awake from her sleep when she heard someone call out to her. "ShadowClan is attacking!"

Her claws unsheathed almost immediately when she realized it was Squirreltail trying to wake her.

Stormsong jumped to her paws and bounded out of the warrior's den. Sure enough there were ShadowClan warriors everywhere. Cats were screeching in fury as they struggled to keep one another at bay. Stormsong recognized Talonclaw from a previous Gathering she'd attended.

Her pelt stood on end with fury as she rushed forward and struck his nose with her claws. Talonclaw screeched in surprise at her sudden retaliation.

"Get out of our camp!" she spat when she managed to pin him to the ground.

"Not until you give up this forest," he shot back. Without warning his claws began to scramble against her belly. Stormsong hissed in pain when she pulled back.

The pale tabby suddenly sprang to his paws when he was released. He raced through the crowd until his pelt was swallowed by the bodies of his Clanmates.

StarClan, why did they choose to attack now? Stormsong wondered when she felt teeth grip her shoulder. She shook her attacker off and swung a paw across her face. It was Rowanclaw, one of the senior warriors of ShadowClan.

"Keep them away from the nursery!" Firestar's yowl rose above the noise of fighting as he struggled to keep his own attacker at bay.

A grin spread across Stormsong's face when she felt heat rush to her paws. Smoke plumed from beneath them, and when she lifted them scorch marks showed where they had been. Rowanclaw's eyes widened in disbelief when Stormsong struck her face hard with her paws.

"Don't you ever come back unless you're prepared," she snarled when Rowanclaw fled the clearing.

Soon the clearing was emptying of ShadowClan warriors. Firestar stood still when Blackstar looked over his shoulder.

"This is far from over, Firestar," he spat before disappearing through the gorse tunnel.

I don't doubt that, Stormsong thought angrily.

"Who's injured?" Firestar ignored his own wounds and began to look over those who were injured the most. Stormsong winced when she felt her own wounds sting.

"Cinderpelt's dead!" Leafpaw's cry suddenly caught every cat's attention. "She died...protecting me!"

"Calm down Leafpaw, are you injured as well?" Sandstorm sniffed her daughter over when Leafpaw trudged out of the medicine cat's den.

Stormsong's ears flattened in dismay when she realized that Leafpaw must be right. By now Cinderpelt would have come out of the den to see who needed treatment. What could the Clan do now that their medicine cat was gone?

"Alright everyone, I'll treat your wounds," Sandstorm announced when the Clan gathered around her and Leafpaw. "Cinderpelt taught me some herbs that could be useful. Leafpaw, grab some cobwebs and marigold."

The light brown tabby nodded and bounded off. Stormsong felt her stomach clench with pity when she wondered what would happen next. With Cinderpelt gone who else would teach Leafpaw the skills she needed?

"She was my first apprentice," Firestar murmured when Stormsong got close enough. "To lose Cinderpelt after that horrible accident..." He shuddered and buried his muzzle into Sandstorm's shoulder.

"Cinderpelt died saving our daughter," the pale ginger she-cat tried to reassure him. Stormsong had never seen this side of Firestar. He had been a father to her before she discovered that Ravenpaw was her father. Sandstorm was her mother - the cat that had raised her since the day she was found by Spiderfang. "She wouldn't have wanted you to mourn."

"You've been wounded as well," Leafpaw sighed when she reached Stormsong. "Here, these should help."

"I'm sorry about Cinderpelt," Stormsong murmured after the stinging had faded.

"Cinderpelt said that her time was coming," the apprentice mewed. Her voice was so quiet that Stormsong had to strain in order to hear. "I just didn't know when it would come."

Stormsong had never seen Leafpaw act this way. The apprentice was once spunky and determined to always prove herself. Now she seemed more depressed than ever. Stormsong shook her head when Leafpaw left her.

Once the clearing became empty of warriors Stormsong saw that Sandstorm and Graystripe had dragged Cinderpelt's body out of her den. Brackenfur and Brightheart were at her body's side in heartbeats. Since she was their sister they were of course going to mourn for her. They had already lost Thornclaw, and now they had lost Cinderpelt.

"She will be missed for moons to come," Firestar meowed when he bowed his head.

"Her spirit lives within StarClan," Frostfur, their mother, murmured. The elderly white she-cat gave her daughter a gentle lick before stepping back.

"I'm sorry mother. I wish there was something we could do to bring her back," Brackenfur meowed. Just as he said that Sorreltail sauntered forward to join him. Her belly was swollen with his kits, but she was still a couple of moons away from giving birth.

"Only StarClan knows who and when will join them," the white elder rasped. "It is best not to question their methods."