Third chapter in the Warrior's Rain series. For those who don't know this story takes place about 175 years after the Sight. Warning this story includes spoilers for Firestar's Quest
Snowpaw, Desertpaw, Darkpaw, and Sandpaw trecked back through the forest toward ShadowClan's territory. Snowpaw noticed that the journey seemed to take longer to get back then it did to get there. Perhaps it was just because there was now smoke to cloud his mind or maybe they had already passed the markers.
"Wait a second. Shouldn't we be in ShadowClan territory by now?" Desertpaw asked, looking around at thier surroundings.
"Maybe we are in ShadowClan's land but the smell of burnt plants drowned out the scent markers." Sandpaw suggested, pausing to sniff the air.
"Impossible." Darkpaw snorted. "It would take much more than a stupid fire to get rid of Shadow-" the apprentince trailed off as the group came face to face with an oddly shaped pile of charred sticks. Only they weren't sticks, Snowpaw realized, they were bones.
Darkpaw's green eyes widened and everything seemed to be in slow motion from him as he bent down to identify his Clanmate.
"So who is this?" the young WindClan apprentince asked, ear twitching in impatience.
"Well this was Thistlestar. You are to young to have seen him in a Gathering but he was ShadowClan's leader." Darkpaw explained, dipping his head in respect. Snowpaw dimly remembered his last Gathering. Thistlestar had been a big strong pale brown tabby tom with gray eyes. At first sight it appeared that he was immune to silly things such as death, but here was such a powerful cat's remains before them.
"Come on let's go see if any survivors took shelter in your camp Darkpaw." Snowpaw meowed, leading the three others down a gentle slope to the ruins of the camp. Bones and charred pelts littered the ground. This camp that had been a center of life for moons was now a silent tomb.
"Desertpaw and I will check the apprentince den and warrior's den for any survivors. Why don't you two check the nursery." The long furred RiverClan tom advised as he led the WindClan apprentince to the left side of the camp.
As Darkpaw and Snowpaw entered the nursery both let out involatary gasps at what they saw. The tiny scattered skelatons of kits were all around the den. A queen's corpse was still on top of her litter, trying to sheild the young cats from the flames. Looking around Snowpaw felt his heart lift up as he saw two sootstained pelts crammed in the corner of the nursery.
"Darkpaw there are survivors!" he called, rushing forward to the kits.
"Tabbykit! Riverkit!" the gray cat yowled, dashing over to the still bodies. As he picked a light gray tom up by the scruff he froze and back away slowly, eyes clouding with greif.
"Riverkit's dead." he reported sadly. Snowpaw glanced over at the tomkit's sister, a pale orange she-cat with black stripes. Her stripped form began to move feebly and she gave a weak cry.
"Darkpaw she's alive!" Snowpaw yelled gleefully, silently thanking StarClan that they had allowed at least one cat to survive. Tabbykit was about five moons old, she opened her blue eyes and asked weakly "Where's Riverkit and Heronflight?"
Darkpaw dipped his head and licked her shoulder in comfort. "They are dead. We are the only ShadowClan cats left that have not joined StarClan." Tabbykit's blue eyes began to brim with tears as she broke into a sobbing fit. She broke off as she gave a violent coughing fit.
Sandpaw and Desertpaw entered the den, something golden was on the RiverClan cat's paw. He padded over to the young kit and fed her the golden stuff that had a sweet sent.
"How do you deel now?" he asked gently after Tabbykit ate the golden stuff.
"Much better thank you." she meowed greatfully. Desertpaw's amber eyes widened as he sniffed the golden stuff.
"This is honey. How do you know it would soothe Tabbykit's throat?" the young WindClan cat asked.
Sandpaw shrugged. "My older sister Goldenstream was Redfoot's apprentince. You know our medicine cat? She always used to teach me stuff about herbs and healing ever case it was needed."
Snowpaw's paws itched to go back to his camp to see if Gingerstep was still alive. "Look Tabbykit must be very weak after having to deal with the fires. Desertpaw and Sandpaw take Tabbykit to a den with no uhh...Clanmates in it and make sure she gets some rest. Darkpaw come with me and see if any cat of ThunderClan survives." he ordered, eager to get back home.
The ShadowClan tom nodded and both set off at a brisk pace to the gorge that the ThunderClan cats had sheltered in. Snowpaw kept his eyes fixed on his white paws, trying not to identify any of the fallen.
"Snowpaw I think you should take a look at this." Darkpaw called from the other end of the cat from near the warrior's den. The white tom hesitantly walked toward the other cat. At the sight of the fallen warrior he layed eyes upon all sanity left him.
Although his mind screamed that his father wasn't dead the burnt body of Gingerstep laid before him. From the stained dark ginger pelt from the destincable smell of crushed pine needles and junipers all sighns pointed to that this was the former ThunderClan deputy.
He buried his nose into the charred fur and began to yowl and wail in grief. After what seemed like hours a faint fit of coughing erupted from the medicine den.
"Iceclaw!" he shouted, tearing away from his father and to the medicine den. The medicine cat lay at the center of the den sputtering and choking violently. His dark gray fur was matted with sweat and blood and his dark blue eyes were misted with pain. A large bloodied sharp rock lay near him and the red liquid still flowed from a wound in his head, suggesting that a rock had fallen from the roof of the medicine den and wounded the cat badly.
At the sight of Snowpaw Iceclaw weakly beckoned him forward with his tail, nodding to Darkpaw that he should listen as well. Both toms made thier way to the ThunderClan medicine cat.
"Snowpaw thank StarClan you survived. Last night before the fire hit I had a dream from StarClan. They said to me that all five Clans are finished and the end of the world has come. Five cats, one from each Clan will survive and they would lead the way to Paradise." the old medicine rasped, struggling for every breath.
"Iceclaw I think the smoke has fogged your mind. There are only four Clans." the dark gray apprentince pointed out.
"No. Long ago a fift Clan, SkyClan, was banished from the old forest due to the Twolegs destroying thier land. The legendary Firestar reformed SkyClan and they lived peacefully in thier new territory. By now SkyClan should be nearing another final, permanate destruction." Iceclaw explained.
"And what do you want us to do about it?" Darkpaw asked, tail twitching in annoyance.
The medicine cat went into another coughing fit. Finally he managed to croak "You, Snowpaw, Desertpaw, Sandpaw, and another, a she-cat with eyes bluer than the sky itself, shall lead the remainder of cats to Paradise." His dark blue eyes were glowing white now, chest barely rising, when he spoke hs voice was joined with the voices of countless members of StarClan "Sky, Wind, Water, Darkness, and Storm shall open Paradise." His eyes dimmed back to dark blue and Iceclaw fell to the ground, dead.
"You heard what he said right?" the ShadowClan apprentince meowed, double checking.
"Yes. He wants all five of us to open a place called Paradise." Snowpaw responded.
After going back to ShadowClan's medicine den and telling Desertpaw and Sandpaw of Iceclaw's omnious words all four cats pondered thier meaning, Tabbykit had long since fallen asleep.
"You know what this means right?" the young WindClan apprentince told the others.
"Yes and we do it together. As one single Clan." Sandpaw answered.
"We are LostClan, the last warriors that have not joined StarClan." Darkpaw meowed.
"United we Stand." they all said as one.
Stay tuned for the next chapter: A Stirring Darkness