A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long!!! I was at the Keystone State Figure Skating Competition in York, Pennylvania. I got a bronze metal! Anyway, on with chapter 14.

Skyfeather dreamed that night, when Stormstar lost his seventh life to greencough. She couldn't quite make out what was going on, but when she did, she felt overwhelmed and exhilarated.

It was Cherrypaw, and the patrol she'd sent out to find Valley, the cat with a black ending. They were travelling along the sugar river, when suddenly, Mudface, Sandstorm's apprentice, sprang at them. He chased them across the Thunderpath dividing EmberClan's territory and unknown territory, when he was hit by a monster. Cherrypaw and Dustcloud padded across the wide path and lay down some EmberClan fresh-kill next to him when Skyfeather was jolted into consciousness.

He was killed by a monster! Skyfeather wrote herself a mental note to tell Sandstorm at the next Gathering.

The Gathering…

"Stormstar?" Skyfeather leaped to her paws and looked around the small leader's den. The familiar, dark grey pelt was nowhere to be seen.

Anxiously, Skyfeather plunged through the ferns and out of the den. She peered around the Highrock and swept her gaze over the camp. No Stormstar.

"Stormstar?" she called out once more. "Stormstar, where are you?" There was no reply.

Skyfeather padded quietly across the camp. It was still slightly dark out, and no cats were awake yet. She poked her nose into the warriors' den, but Stormstar wasn't there. She checked the nursery, in case he decided to see how Tawnyspot was doing since the greencough epidemic. He wasn't there.

Suddenly, some type of motion caught Skyfeather's attention near the medicine cat's den. Of course, she thought. Why didn't I check Leafstripe's den? Even though she knew Stormstar was there, she apprehensively made her way over to the fern tunnel.

"Skyfeather," she heard a deep meow sound from inside the darkness of the small clearing. Stormstar padded quietly down the tunnel and met Skyfeather there. "Skyfeather…Leafstripe…"

Skyfeather didn't want to hear the rest. She thrust her muzzle against her mate's side and stood there for a moment before Stormstar spoke again.

"Icepaw's only an apprentice," he meowed softly. "We can't make him a full medicine cat yet."

Skyfeather nodded and looked up. "Stormstar, RainClan is dying," she hissed anxiously. "It's dying, when it hasn't even begun. We need more warriors, and definitely more apprentices. Stormstar, why did RainClan have to get greencough now?"

Stormstar shook his head. "I don't know, Skyfeather," he meowed. And for once, Skyfeather thought, he sounded like everything would be hopeless, that even StarClan wouldn't have any answers.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

Skyfeather looked on in depression as only five or six cats gathered around the clearing. She noticed Stormstar's look of pity and sadness too.

"Leafstripe, RainClan's very first medicine cat, has died of greencough," he called out to his small Clan. "Even though he is still a rather young apprentice, I have decided to make Icepaw a full medicine cat in Leafstripe's place."

Skyfeather heard Gingerfoot stifle a mew of distress beside her. Icepaw was her son, and Skyfeather knew that she wouldn't appreciate him becoming a full-fledged medicine cat so soon.

Stormstar hopped down from the Highrock and padded up to where Icepaw was seated. Skyfeather saw a tremour of nervousness creep up the young cat's spine as his leader spoke the ancient words of StarClan: "I, Stormstar, leader of RainClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this young apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and I am sorry that he must be made a full medicine cat so soon. I commend him to you as a true medicine cat in his turn." Stormstar narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Icepaw. "Icepaw, I'm sorry for Leafstripe's death, but we must have a medicine cat. Do you promise to follow the ways of a medicine cat, and to protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Icepaw looked down, unable to hide his nervousness and excitement. "I do," he mewed softly.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I name you Icepool. StarClan honours your bravery in becoming a medicine cat so soon, and we welcome you as a full-fledged medicine cat of RainClan."

"Icepool! Icepool!"

Even as the few RainClan warriors called out Icepool's new name, there was still an air of depression among the cats. Moonflower dragged Leafstripe's body into the clearing and let him go in the centre of the throng of cats.

Skyfeather didn't know Leafstripe that well when he was a live, but she still padded over to him and paid her last respects. Only Stormstar and Icepool stayed with him for the all night vigil.

Skyfeather wanted to talk to Stormstar badly about many things, but she couldn't interrupt him from the vigil. She wanted to follow Gingerfoot into the warriors' den that night, but she knew both Moonflower and her kits wouldn't allow it.

The sun was beginning to set, and Skyfeather stifled a yawn. She watched Tawnyspot obediently pad over to the nursery and creep inside. Skyfeather trotted over to the heap of fresh-kill and knelt down beside it when a soft meow came from beside her.

"You know, you should wait inside the nursery and have an apprentice bring you fresh-kill," Littlerock meowed.

Skyfeather chuckled. "I guess I'm not exactly acting how normal queens should," she purred.

Littlerock nodded. She seemed unusually tranquil to Skyfeather. "Since there are no apprentices, I'll bring you and Tawnyspot fresh-kill from now on."

Skyfeather shook her head. "Littlerock, have Silverwing or Darkstep do it," she mewed. "They're the most recent able warriors."

Littlerock seemed unable to say something. She looked down at her paws and shuffled them around in the earth. "Skyfeather," she finally began, "I think you know where Dustcloud, and even Cherrypaw went."

Skyfeather's hackles rose slightly. How could Littlerock possibly know? "Come on," she meowed quietly. "Let's go and eat our fresh-kill in the nursery."

The two cats padded into the nursery. Tawnyspot was grooming herself in the far corner, the bones and fur of a water vole lying beside her front paws.

Skyfeather placed her squirrel down and took a bite of it while Littlerock absent-mindedly nibbled on a mouse. Skyfeather glanced at the wood mouse, a tremour suddenly shaking her. Cherrypaw, she thought, although she didn't know why.

"Skyfeather," Littlerock began once more, "I'm right aren't I? You know where Dustcloud, and Cherrypaw, and the others are, don't you?"

Tawnyspot looked up from her bath.

Skyfeather sighed and looked down at her squirrel. "Littlerock, how do you know this?"

Littlerock inhaled deeply before exhaling. "I was bringing Tawnyspot here a piece of fresh-kill at least a moon ago, and I overheard you talking to Snowstorm, Frostfur, Dustcloud, and Cherrypaw," she mumbled under her breath, her voice shaky. "I thought twice about listening, but I couldn't help it. You mentioned prophecies, and Firestar, and I had to know what it was all about."

Skyfeather nodded, allowing Littlerock to continue.

"You sent them, and Whitepaw, on a journey to find a cat. I think you mentioned something about a valley…"

"The cat's name is Valley," Tawnyspot corrected quietly. "He's supposed to be the cat with a black ending. Apparently he has an all-black tail."

Skyfeather nodded. "Tawnyspot's right," she muttered. "And Littlerock, I'm not mad at you for hearing this," she added after taking one look at Littlerock's depressed expression. "I was merely told by Firestar to try and keep it a secret. Tawnyspot and Goldenheart are in on it…"

As Skyfeather spoke Goldenheart's name, she was unpleasantly reminded that her dearly respected elder could possibly be living her last days.

"Littlerock, why don't you go and get some sleep?" Tawnyspot murmured, sensing Skyfeather's emotions. "It's been a long day."

Littlerock nodded aloofly and picked up the rest of her food. She carried it out of the nursery and out of sight.

"Skyfeather, go and see Goldenheart before she settles in for the night," Tawnyspot mewed. "Maybe Moonflower will be sleeping."

Skyfeather chuckled softly. "Good thinking, Tawnyspot." She silently padded out of the brambles and into the clearing. There was no cat in sight, though the smell of Littlerock lingered toward the centre. At a snail's pace, Skyfeather gradually made her way across the earthy clearing to the elders' den. She tiptoed inside, grateful to see Moonflower was indeed sleeping as Tawnyspot predicted.

The den was eerily silent. Skyfeather glanced around, looking for any sign that noise could be made. But when there was no resonance, Skyfeather slinked in with trepidation.

Suddenly, just as Skyfeather settled down beside Goldenheart's wheezing body, Icepool padded into the small clearing. He was unsurprised to see Skyfeather there, for he knelt down next to her and pressed his nose into her side.

"Skyfeather," he murmured after some time, "I'm so scared."

Skyfeather blinked. "You're scared?" she echoed, pulling away from the white medicine cat. "Icepool, we don't have time for scared! I know you're afraid, but it's been done. Leafstripe's with StarClan now, and you have to accept this."

"But I can't help feeling that somehow, Leafstripe's death was my fault!" Icepool persisted. "I've only been apprenticed for at least three moons. I can't be a full medicine cat!"

Skyfeather rasped her tongue gently over Icepool's ears. "Don't worry, Icepool," she purred softly. "You'll be the greatest medicine cat RainClan has ever seen."

"But I couldn't save Stormstar," Icepool mewed despairingly. "Now he only has six lives left, and it's my entire fault."

"Icepool," Skyfeather meowed sternly, "Nothing is ever your fault. Nothing is ever any medicine cat's fault. Greencough struck the Clan, not you. Leafstripe and Stormstar lost their lives from greencough, not you! You tried your best, Icepool."

Icepool hesitated, but finally nodded in agreement. "I'll try harder to save Goldenheart, Skyfeather," he mewed.

"Not just Goldenheart," an icy voice meowed quietly from behind Skyfeather. The silver queen spun around to see her mother, Moonflower creeping silently toward the two. "You'll also have to save Skyfeather's life when I'm through with her!"

A/N: I guess Skyfeather was being a bit too loud.

OMG I have to thank Niah-Miyoki SO MANY TIMES for doing this for me!!!!! She made a trailer for the first book, A New Beginning on YouTube!!! Here's the link:

http:// www youtube com / watch?vmolFu4766VI

And all of a sudden, my font turned blue. Anyway! Please watch it and thank Niah-Miyoki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!