Chapter Ten

"Feeling better, Weedkit?"

"Mostly," the mottled young tom replied with a shrug, though his eys betrayed slight worry. "Do you think I'm okay, Basilpaw?"

"I think so," the apprentice replied. She couldn't help but feel guilty that she couldn't do more to help Weedkit's near-constant anxiety. The tom, two moons younger but already almost as big as Basilpaw, nodded curtly.

"Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry for bothering you."

"Nonsense!" Basilpaw meowed. She flicked the younger tom's nose. "Come visit whenever you need to."

Weedkit exited the den, and Basilpaw was left to herself. The medicine den seemed to darken as her thoughts crowded back into her mind.

The half-moon gathering. The dream. The warning.

Basilpaw's cream-colored fur prickled. SteppeClan hadn't done anything, yet, and she wanted to dismiss the dream as just an overactive imagination-after all, why would StarClan choose her to carry the message- but it had all felt so real; the delicate, intoxicating smell of violets, the river, dark and menacing. The fire roaring towards her.

And, oh StarClan, if that had been a sign? If she was keeping a sign from her clan? If her uncertainty led to the injury- death- of her clanmates?

Don't think about it, she told herself. Something in that dream was dark. Evil.

But Basilpaw couldn't convince herself.

"Basilpaw!" a voice said from the entrance of the den.

The small she-cat turned around and saw Skyfern standing in the entrance. She was smiling, and her eyes sparkled almost kindly.

"Hi, Skyfern," Basilpaw replied. She padded toward the deputy tentatively. "Are you alright?"

The gray she-cat nodded. "Oh, yes, I'm fine," she mreowed. She placed one paw in the medicine den and tilter her head to one side. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure," Basilpaw meowed, trying to keep the uncertainty out of her voice. What was it about the Skyfern that made her so uneasy? "Come on in."

Basilpaw led the older she-cat into the den. She sat down as Skyfern inspected the herbs fastened to the walls and hanging from the ceiling.

"Look at all these herbs!" Skyfern meowed approvingly. She reached up a paw and lightly touched a sprig of goldenrod hanging by a piece if grass. "You and Goldenfur have been gathering a lot lately, haven't you?"

"I guess so," Basilpaw replied. "There's a lot of flowering herbs right now."

Skyfern purred as she sat down. "I trained as a medicine cat for a while, you know," she explained. "The medicine cat before Goldenfur taught me for a few moons."

"Really?" Basilpaw asked. Her ears perked with genuine curiosity as she looked up from her work. "Who was medicine cat before Goldenfur?"

"A tom," Skyfern recalled. "Named Stagstep. He was a great teacher."

"What made you take the path of a warrior?"

Skyfern looked uneasy for a moment before answering. "I was never meant to be a medicine cat," she admitted. "Stagstep couldn't stop me from joining my clanmates in battle; I was too impulsive." The gray she-cat mreowed with laughter. "I don't remember much from my apprenticeship. Only that violets are good for cuts. Which reminds me, would you mind gathering some?"

Basilpaw searched Skyfern's face. She was smiling, but not intimidatingly; in fact, she looked kind, her pale blue eyes sparkling pleasantly. Maybe I've been wrong, Basilpaw thought. Maybe Skyfern really is just trying to be a good deputy. After all, how can a former medicine cat be dangerous?

"Sure," Basilpaw answered. "Do you know where I can find some?"

"I think there's some on the border of the glade and the meadow, near the old twoleg dumping grounds," Skyfern meowed. She bounded over to Basilpaw in two swift leaps and headbutted her shoulder greatfully. "Thank you, Basilpaw. I'll let Goldenfur know where you are."

"Thanks. I'll try to be quick," the apprentice replied. As she left the medicine den, her spirit felt light, and all worries about her vision evaporated in the sunlight filtering through the leaves above.

Leaves crunched under Basilpaw's pawpads. Buntings flicked in and out between the branches, their indigo feathers flashing in the filtered sunlight, playfully chirping and singing to each other. It was a beautiful Heat-Sky day, and the young she-cat was glad that Skyfern had given her the job. She had spent the past few days sorting and drying herbs, and it was nice to take a quiet walk by herself.

Basilpaw scented the air. She caught the tangy, sharp scent of twoleg refuse, and turned to follow the scent. She had only been taken to the dumping grounds once before- catmint sprouted up between the dead monsters like weeds, and Goldenfur had showed her how he waters the plants and removes any dead leaves.

She remembered the way well, though; it wasn't long before she entered a clearing. In the middle of the clearing were several twoleg monsters, rusted and brown. Several of them were missing eyes, and one of them was missing a head. Sprinkled amongst the catmint were other twoleg belongings- hollow containers made of the same rusty, shiny material as the monsters, rotted slabs of wood, small spikes with one pointed end and a flat disc at the other.

It was strange- unnatural- to see all this twoleg refuse in the middle of the woods. The dumping grounds had a creepy feel to them; Basilpaw shuddered as she passed the monster corpses, their broken eyes seeming to watch her as she hurried past.

Basilpaw breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the other side of the clearing. Only a few trees separted the clearing from the beginning of the meadow, and as she crept towards the sunlight, the smell of twoleg refuse was overpowered by the intoxicating scent of violets. The creamy she-cat stepped out of the shadow of the forest and into the strong sunlight. She swivelled her head, searching for purple, and saw the flowers she was looking for, only a few tree-lengths down the border.

She bounded through the grass, giggling as it tickled her belly fur. In one long leap she leapt into the violets. Purring, Basilpaw flopped onto her side and rolled around in the flowers, luxuriating in their strong scent.

After a few more moments of indulgence, Basilpaw stood to her paws. Might as well get to work, she thought. She bent down, and realized that Skyfern hadn't told her what part of the flower to harvest. Fox dung! Basilpaw exclaimed internally. Do I need to gather roots, or leaves? She sighed. Guess I'll just have to bring the whole plant.

So the apprentice set to digging. The roots went deep, and the sun was almost setting by the time Basilpaw had only a small pile of violets. She was mentally debating whether she should head back to camp for stay and harvest a few more when something suddenly felt... off. There was the sensation of a dip in air pressure, and electricity prickled her pelt.

It felt like her dream.

Basilpaw crouched, paralysed. Suddenly, the sun set, and it was night. Stars and moon blazed overhead. And racing towards her across the meadow, coming from SteppeClan territory, was a blazing fire. It was made of fiery cats, screaming and yowling, exactly like the dream at the moonglow, only this time even more fierce and terrifying. Their eyes blazed with white heat as they came at her like a wave.

And as the inferno bore down on her, a voice whispered in her ear:

Before dawn breaks, fire shall roar across the glade, carried on the dry wind of the steppes.

Basilpaw gasped, her pelt burning, and squeezed her eyes shut. After a heartbeat she snapped them open. These fiery cats were gone, and the night sky was replaced with the sun just beginning to set.

"Another vision," Basilpaw whispered aloud. She stood frozen for a few moments, processing what she had just seen. After some consideration, she scooped up the violets she had collected, and tore off back to camp.

"Goldenfur?"

Basilpaw crept into the medicine den. Her mentor looked up from his work and smiled. "Hi, Basilpaw," he meowed. "You brought back the violets?"

"Yes," she meowed, placing the plants on the ground. "I need to talk to you about something."

The golden tom's face wrinkled in concern. "What's wrong?"

Basilpaw let out a shaky breath. "I... I had a vision."

The young she-cat recounted her vision to her mentor. "It's the second time I've had a warning about SteppeClan," she meowed uncertainly. "I don't know what to do."

Goldenfur's tail flicked worriedly. "Do you have any ideas what it could mean?" he asked.

"Well..." Basilpaw hesitated. "I think... it means that SteppeClan is going to attack. Tonight."

"I think the same thing," Goldenfur agreed grimly. "We need to talk to Thrushstar."

The golden tom sqiftly left the medicine den. Basilpaw trotted after him worriedly. "But what if... what if I'm wrong?" she stammered. "What if it means something else? Cats could get hurt because of me!"

Goldenfur turned to looked at her for a brief second. "Being a medicine cat means making hard decision," he meowed. "You have intuition, Basilpaw. If you think think your vision means that SteppeClan is going to attack, I trust you." Goldenfur's face softened. "What do you think?"

Basilpaw gulped. "I... I think we should tell Flightstar."

Goldenfur nodded, and paced across the tree-hollow that made up the center of camp. Basilpaw lagged behind, her mind swimming with anxiety. She arrived at the leader's den and stood next to her mentor.

Thrushstar and Skyfern with sharing tongues inside the den. The two cats looked up abruptly.

"Goldenfur. Basilpaw," Thrushstar greeted as he dipped his head.

Goldenfur stepped forward. "Thrushstar, there's something you need to hear," the golden tom meowed. The leader's face wrinkled with concern. The medicine cat continued. "Basilpaw has had a vision, and I think it's imperative that you hear what it is."

Thrushstar nodded. "Alright, Basilpaw, go ahead." Skyfern looked on with curious, almost eager, eyes. Is Thrushstar going to let her stay and listen? Basilpaw thought, annoyed.

"I was near the dumping grounds," she whispered. "I was gathering violets on the border of the meadow and the glade. Suddenly it was night time, and it got very, very still, like a storm about to break. I looked up at the river, towards SteppeClan territory, and I saw a fire." Basilpaw shivered as the image played in her head. "As the fire grew closer, I realized they were cats- yowling and clawing to attack me."

Basilpaw could almost see the shadow darken her leader's pelt. His spine bristled. "That pack of foxes," Skyfern snarled. "Do they mean to attack?"

"Basilpaw thinks that they plan attack tonight," Goldenfur meowed. His voice was soft but firm.

"They're coming for our herbs," Thrushstar said, standing up. "Those scrub-dwellers have always been jealous of our rich earth." The tom padded close, and he was shining with a confident fearlessness that he didn't very often have the need to show. He turned his gaze to Basilpaw. "Thank you for sharing your vision," he meowed, his voice grateful and stoic. "You have done a great thing for your clan."

The tom padded out of the den, and Skyfern bounded after her mate. Thrushstar flicked his tail for the medicine cats to follow. Basilpaw trailed behind in a daze. Thrushstar is furious with SteppeClan, she fretted. She sat down next to Goldenfur at the base of the HighBranch, and watched in a stupor as Thrushstar mounted the branch, Skyfern sitting down beside him.

"All cats old enough to cat your own prey, gather beneath the HighBranch for a clan meeting!" Cats gathered in the hollow below. Laurelflower stepped out of the shade of the nursery, Bluebellkit and Weedkit abandoning their game to sit at her paws. Pantherpaw and his mentor, Twinkletoe, deposited some prey onto the fresh-kill pile before joining the meeting.

"StarClan has showed Basilpaw a vision," Thrushstar meowed once the clan had gathered. "SteppeClan is planning to attack us, tonight!"

"Foxhearts," Hickoryfur growled, his brown fur rising.

"We must lead an attack, before they have a chance to," Thrushstar yowled. "Warriors of GladeClan, tonight, we go to battle!"

Thrushstar let out a furious caterwaul, and all of GladeClan joined him- except Basilpaw. Her stomach churned at the thought of her clanmates going into battle, and it made her sick that she was the reason why.

The leader leapt from his place on the HighBranch. "Grassleap, Balmleaf, Hickoryfur, Stingclaw. And Twinkletoe and Pantherpaw. You'll come for the attack. Otterpelt, Beechbranch, and Owlscreech, stay here and guard the camp in case SteppeClan attacks." Thrushstar turned to Basilpaw and Goldenfur. "This battle might be bloody. Both of you, come with us."

"I'm going to battle?" Basilpaw sputtered, but Flightstar had already whipped away. "Of course," Goldenfur meowed. "It was your vision, wasn't it?"

Basilpaw didn't have time to say anything before Flightstar yowled and began leading the war party out of the camp. The young medicine cat followed in the middle of the patrol, her ears burning with guilt under the remaining clan cats proud gazes.

GladeClan is going to battle, Basilpaw agonized, and it's all because of me.

wow its been a while! sorry for the hiatus, I've been working a lot and I dont have a lot of time to write. anyway, here's chapter ten. the tension between steppeclan and gladeclan is finally causing breaks in the peace between clans, and basilpaw is... not doing great. poor sensitive basilpaw. anyway you know i love reading your reviews and comments, so please let me know what you think of the story so far! see yall next chapter~