Chapter 3

Stormsong could only watch helplessly as Cinderpelt's body was dragged off to be buried. Yet another Clanmate had been killed in the heat of battle. No one was sure why ShadowClan had ambushed them. Attacking in the middle of ThunderClan's camp was mousebrained to say the least.

Rain had begun to fall after the clouds suddenly erupted. Stormsong's pelt was soaked to the bone when she finished cleaning up the clearing. Debris from dens that were torn apart during the battle had been pulled away. The gorse tunnel needed to be repaired after the ShadowClan cats had torn through it.

"Tawnypelt was the only one who stayed out of the battle," Brambleclaw grumbled when he worked alongside Squirreltail. "At least she remembered her loyalty."

I doubt it has anything to do with loyalty, Stormsong thought.

She thought about what they could do now that ShadowClan had raided their camp. It reminded her of what Firestar used to say about Spottedleaf. A warrior named Clawface had killed the medicine cat during a ShadowClan raid.

"Stormsong, why don't you help Sootpelt and Brackenfur repair the apprentice's den," Graystripe suggested when he approached her. "Snowpaw and Whitepaw are out training right now. They need the break after what they went through."

The silver and black she-cat glanced at Graystripe before nodding. Snowpaw and Whitepaw had been through enough at the moment. Right now she needed to focus on repairing the camp before leafbare came.

Brackenfur greeted her warmly before he pulled a branch off of the den. Patches of tall grass and ferns had been torn apart. Sootpelt was trying to repair them by twining them through the bush that surrounded the little cave.

Stormsong went to work immediately and found herself enjoying the job. It gave her a sense of accomplishment when Brackenfur said she was finished.

The golden brown tabby had stalked off to join Sorreltail outside the nursery. Ferncloud's kits were busy playfighting while the two shared tongues. Stormsong pulled out a large branch that had gotten caught near the elder's den.

"I'll take that," Sootpelt meowed when he saw the branch.

With a thankful nod she left him to continue the work alone. Most of the repairs were already finished when sunhigh came and went. Leafpaw had finished checking on everyone's wounds. The camp was at peace once more, but Stormsong had a feeling that peace wasn't going to last.

"It's not fair," Leafpaw muttered when Stormsong sat beside her. "Cinderpelt was always there for me. Now she's gone!"

"No she isn't," Stormsong murmured. "She's in StarClan, watching over you."

Leafpaw looked at her littermate as if to challenge what she had said. Instead she shook her head and groaned.

"How am I going to receive my full medicine cat name?" she demanded.

"I guess that's something you'll have to find out on your own," Stormsong replied with a shrug. "I know nothing about medicine cat life."

"Of course you wouldn't," Leafpaw suddenly snapped.

Confusion swept through Stormsong when Leafpaw's attitude had suddenly changed. The light brown tabby apprentice was always behaving like this. Ever since Stormsong and Squirreltail had prepared to leave for their journey Leafpaw had changed.

Something was off. Stormsong didn't know what it was, but something else was bothering Leafpaw. Cinderpelt's death shouldn't have shaken her that much.

Stormsong was about to ask Graystripe if she could join a border patrol when she spotted Snowpaw returning with Brightheart at her side. The little apprentice's tail was held high when she dragged a rabbit across the clearing.

A purr rose in Stormsong's throat when she realized Snowpaw was becoming a skilled hunter. Snowpaw had been one of the cats from the mountains to return to the forest. Speckletail had discovered that Snowpaw was her lost kit, Snowkit. In turn Firestar had announced that Snowpaw would train alongside Whitepaw, despite their age and size difference.

"Brightheart says my training is coming along smoothly," Snowpaw explained when she bounded over to Stormsong's side. "She said maybe within a moon or two I'll become a warrior!"

"Congratulations Snowpaw, you deserve it," Stormsong purred. She nuzzled her friend affectionately before glancing at Firestar.

The flame-colored leader was busy speaking to Graystripe. Sandstorm had finished helping Leafpaw organize her herbs and was just now emerging from the den.

"I hope Speckletail's alive long enough to see my ceremony," Snowpaw suddenly mewed. Her voice dropped to a whisper when she looked down at her paws in embarrassment. "We've been trying to catch up."

"I hope so too," Stormsong agreed.

Snowpaw beamed a little at those words before she returned to the apprentice's den. It was getting late, and Stormsong's shoulders felt heavy with exhaustion.

Once she was left alone Stormsong decided now was the time to return to her own nest. She had been up since dawn. The ShadowClan raid had started her day off. Now she would end it by thinking about what the Clan could do to protect themselves against those mousebrained furballs.

OoOoOo

Silvery wisps of clouds circled the moon when Stormsong opened her eyes again. She realized that this was just another dream.

The silver and black she-cat stalked through the ferns and leaves that carpeted the forest. Nearby a stream gurgled between two boulders. Reeds grew around the stream, shielding any cat that might be hiding within them.

Stormsong stopped when she caught a familiar scent in the air. It reminded her of Spottedleaf, but it was a different kind of scent.

"Cinderpelt?" She barely whispered the question when a pair of dark blue eyes gleamed in front of her. Stormsong gave a startled yelp when Cinderpelt approached her. "It really is you!" she exclaimed.

"Spottedleaf said I should come visit you," the dark gray she-cat rasped. "She said it was time you learned what your second gift is."

Another gift, Stormsong thought. Spottedleaf didn't tell me there were more.

"This one came from Bluestar, leader before Firestar," Cinderpelt explained. "She said it will come in handy for the future. It's the ability to read the thoughts of others. Some minds are difficult to read because they are blocked, but most will be easy for you."

"Mind reading...isn't that kind of like cheating?" Stormsong asked.

"Not if you use this power wisely." Cinderpelt's eyes glowed when she met Stormsong's gaze. "Stormsong, I also want you to tell Leafpaw not to worry about her full medicine cat name. It will be given to her on the next half moon." Her voice suddenly became distant, and her pelt began to fade.

Leafpaw...Cinderpelt worries about you. Stormsong closed her mind and thought of those words before she was woken up from her dream.

Tomorrow she would tell Leafpaw what Cinderpelt had told her. The half moon was coming up soon. All medicine cats met at the half moon according to what Leafpaw had said. By than Leafpaw needn't worry about her future.