Chapter 5

A wail sounded from within the medicine cat's den. Stormsong knew almost immediately that Hollykit had died in her sleep. Ferncloud had spent the night with Hollykit while Leafpaw continued keeping an eye on her. In the end sadly though Stormsong knew what fate lay in Hollykit's future.

Another cat has joined you StarClan, she thought as she looked up at the roof of the warrior's den.

Squirreltail was jolted from her nest beside Brambleclaw. The dark brown tabby tom had taken quite the shining to Squirreltail since her return with Hollykit. He'd refused to leave Squirreltail's side since they returned that night.

The silver and black she-cat sighed before she crept out of her nest. Cats were already awake after hearing Ferncloud's wail. Dustpelt was pacing outside the medicine cat's den, while Sorreltail looked after Larchkit and Birchkit. There was no telling what would happen next.

"Hollykit lost her battle just before you woke," Ashfur meowed when he noticed her awaken.

"I'm sorry, Ferncloud must be devastated," she whispered sympathetically. Ashfur simply flicked his tail before he joined the dawn patrol. Stormsong wondered if he had any feelings for his sister at all. She remembered hearing tales of how he and Ferncloud as apprentices led the dogs towards the gorge. "I'll go hunting," she announced to Graystripe when he was about to open his mouth. He was sitting beside the fresh-kill pile with Firestar and Sandstorm.

He simply shrugged and nodded before continuing his conversation with them. Stormsong shook her head and trotted out of camp, eager to get away from the constant sorrow that seemed to surround the air. First Cinderpelt had died in ShadowClan's ambush, than Hollykit was found severely injured. Stormsong had no doubts that once again ShadowClan had struck.

Her thoughts were churning with anger and sympathy towards Ferncloud and her family. The young queen didn't deserve to lose so many kits. Shrewpaw and Spiderfang had died. Now Hollykit was gone because of something ShadowClan had likely done.

It took Stormsong a few heartbeats to realize that she had reached Sunningrocks. Her whiskers twitched when she checked the area for mice or voles that might be hiding between the cracks or openings.

Disappointment filled her sigh when she sat back.

"Looking for some prey?" Stormsong nearly leaped out of her fur when a voice sounded from the other side.

Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw Hawkfrost standing over a fish. His blue eyes were glowing with laughter when he noticed her surprise.

"No, I just wanted to warm my fur," she snapped.

"We can share if you want." Hawkfrost moved away from the fish, but Stormsong's lips curled at the thought of trying one of those slimy looking things. "They're not that bad," he added as if he'd read her thoughts.

"You should be feeding the elders with that," she grumbled. "They need fresh-kill more than we do."

"Not our elders," he meowed with a roll of his eyes. "They're so fat I doubt they could hold down any fresh-kill."

Stupid, arrogant furball! Her claws unsheathed when those thoughts screamed in her mind. Hawkfrost's eyes widened and he took a step back. Confusion seeped through Stormsong and her fur flattened when she realized that she had frightened him.

"Sorry, I'm just going through a tough time right now," she finally sighed.

"Sounds like you could use a friend." His words caught her off guard, and her ears flattened in disbelief. Squirreltail and Snowpaw were her best friends, but the two were always so busy that they rarely spent time with each other. Maybe he was right. Having more friends would come in handy in the future. "Or maybe... more than a friend."

The silver and black she-cat took a few steps back after he said that. "No," she snarled. "I'm not ready for that yet, especially from a tom who lives in another Clan."

Hawkfrost stared at her in confusion before she whirled around and fled.

She wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. Her heart pounded with fear and confusion when she returned to camp empty-pawed. What Hawkfrost said had frightened her more than anything else. She was always so confused around him - her mind churned constantly when she thought of the RiverClan warrior.

Graystripe had asked why she didn't come back with fresh-kill. When she told him it had been scared off by a wandering patrol, he didn't bother questioning her. Stormsong was grateful that he didn't question her motives for leaving camp.

Maybe some rest would help clear her mind. Rest was definitely what she needed after thinking about Hollykit, Spiderfang and than Hawkfrost.

OoOo

Almost as soon as her eyes snapped open Stormsong knew that she was dreaming once more. She found herself in the same clearing where she first met Spottedleaf and Bluestar. This was where she had discovered the gifts they gave her.

"Why am I here again?" she asked out loud.

She nearly leaped out of her fur when a pair of green eyes glowed in the darkness. Sure enough the speckled form of Spottedleaf emerged from the shadows. Her gaze was filled with worry and fear when she touched noses with Stormsong, who was too shocked to pull back.

"Stormsong, you were brought here for a reason," she murmured. "Do you remember what Frostwind said before you killed her?"

"Yeah... Firestar said she had more than one life," Stormsong replied.

The former medicine cat nodded at her words.

"Frostwind had one more life after you killed her," she rasped. Stormsong's eyes widened in shock, but Spottedleaf swept on, "We thought that she was dead. We could see nothing but darkness for the longest time. But recently we have seen activity in both WindClan and ShadowClan. I sense that they are reforming their battle group."

"But I killed her!" Stormsong protested. "I saw with my own eyes that she was dead."

"Always remember that looks can be deceiving." Spottedleaf's words sent chills down Stormsong's spine. "Out of rain and sky comes the frost that falls."

Her words only made Stormsong feel more confused than ever. Once Spottedleaf's image faded, she knew that it had been a prophecy. But what kind of prophecy was it, and what did it mean for the Clans?