Chapter 19

"Jaysong!" A voice called, trying to drag Jaysong's from her sleep. Jaysong opened up one gray eye and recognized the light gray fur of Ferncloud. In Ferncloud's mouth was a plump squirrel and the queen dropped the fresh kill, meowing, "Dustpelt brought this for you. He led an early hunting patrol with Spiderleg and Lionblaze and they brought back enough prey for all of us to have our own." Ferncloud flicked her tail to the other queens. Daisy was chewing a mouse with delicate bites while Stripepool quickly devoured a water vole. Icestorm was tearing large chunks of meet off a rabbit and Jaysong saw a pigeon lying in Ferncloud's nest.

"Thanks," Jaysong mewed and begun to chew the squirrel, but after realizing how hungry she was devoured it in a couple rapid gulps. Jaysong looked around the nursery realizing that the last time she had been in it had been when she was still a kit suckling from Sorreltail's stomach. Jaysong's paws had first led her to the medicine cat's den then to the apprentices' den then to the warriors' den, but never had she imagined spending moons in the nursery. If it was anyone else, but Blackstar then I probably would have disobeyed Firestar's orders to stay in camp, Jaysong thought affectionately looking at her swollen stomach.

"It feels like it's going to be two kits." Daisy's muffled voice made Jaysong look up in surprise. Daisy had her paws pressed to Icestorm's stomach and then nodded with satisfaction. "Yes it's defiantly going to be two kits. I remember when I was carrying Berrynose, Hazeltail, and Mousewhisker. It was pretty obvious I was having three kits and for you it seems like one less. That's good. That way you can have an eye on each." Daisy gave Icestorm's ear a congratulating lick before meowing curiously, "Have you and Lionblaze decided on names?"

"I was thinking of Turtlekit if it's a she-cat and Bramblekit if it's a tom for Lionblaze's father," Icestorm mewed and Jaysong felt her fur prickle as she remembered Squirrelflight's secret. Brambleclaw was not Lionblaze and his sister, Hollyleaf's, father. That title belonged to the WindClan warrior, Crowfeather, who had fathered Leafpool's kits, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf's real mother. "I was going to surprise Lionblaze with it."

"I like those names," Stripepool meowed and Ferncloud and Daisy echoed the comment. All eyes suddenly turned onto Jaysong and the golden brown warrior managed to choke out, "Both names are great, Icestorm, especially Bramblekit." Jaysong lied about the last part wondering how Lionblaze would feel when Icestorm named his kit after a cat who wasn't his father. Getting to her paws, Jaysong mewed, "I'm going to go out for a bit of fresh air. I promise I won't leave the camp, Ferncloud." The gray queen nodded before returning to gossip with her friends. Jaysong padded away just in time to hear Ferncloud meow, "So Stripepool, have you thought of any names?"

Jaysong pushed her way out of the nursery and watched Clan life. Firestar was padding out of his den with Brambleclaw, Leafpool, and Applepaw. Blossomwhisker was leading a hunting patrol in, Squirrelflight and Foxfang following her. They dropped they catches on the fresh kill pile and nearby Sandstorm was meowing something to Ashpaw. The white apprentice nodded before following Sandstorm out of camp. Cloudtail, Brackenfur, and Sorreltail were talking amongst themselves while Thornclaw and Brightheart shared tongues nearby. Whitewing dropped a squirrel at Birchfall's side and the two cats crouched down to share the bountiful prey. Berrynose, Mousewhisker, Hollyleaf, and Cinderheart all padded into camp, obviously coming back from sunhigh patrol. Berrynose padded over to Firestar and Brambleclaw, reporting whatever they had discovered. Jaysong watched Cinderheart, still marveling that her sister was the reincarnation of Cinderpelt. Jaysong's eyes were drawn to a tussle of ginger and gray fur near the entrance to the warriors' den. Rosestripe and Bumblethroat were play-fighting; Hazeltail and Graystripe watched them with amusement in their eyes. Jaysong watched them with amusement before a familiar scent wafted over her, "Jayfeather?"

"Shh, just watch," Jaysong watched the fighting cats and suddenly the scene before her changed. Jaysong was whisked away to the lakeside, but still the fighting cats remained. Rosestripe's ginger fur darkened and suddenly glowed in the moonlight that had appeared over their heads. Rosestripe's amber eyes turned green and Jaysong suddenly realized she was looking at Squirrelflight. Bumblethroat's coat turned a light gray and dark dapples decorated his pelt. Bumblethroat's eyes stayed the same blue, but they darkened until they were almost black. The gray cat's dark blue eyes flashed as though he held a secret that Squirrelflight was trying to keep hidden. Both cats'- one familiar and one not- claws gleamed in the moonlight when usually play fighting required no unsheathed claws. Squirrelflight suddenly brought her claw to the gray cat's throat and slashed it open. Rain fell from the sky, washing the gray cat's blood into the lake. Jaysong blinked and suddenly she was back in the camp, watching Rosestripe and Bumblethroat's fight. Jayfeather was gone.

Looking around camp, Jaysong spotted Applepaw and was alarmed when the brown tabby's green eyes were widened with horror. Beckoning his mentor with his tail, Applepaw began meowing something to Leafpool, his urgent mew to low for Jaysong to understand, but the golden brown warrior knew one thing. Applepaw had seen the same vision as her, but hadn't understood it like Jaysong did.

Of three things, Jaysong was positive about. First, the gray was a copy of Ferncloud except with blue eyes. Jaysong knew that Ferncloud had a brother who had died before Jaysong was born. Jaysong knew that the gray cat she had seen was Ashfur, Ashpaw's namesake. Second, Jaysong knew what the secret was that Ashfur knew. There was only one secret in the world that would make Squirrelflight angry enough to hurt a fellow warrior. Ashfur had obviously found out about Lionblaze and Hollyleaf and was threatening to tell some other cat. Third, Squirrelflight had killed Ashfur.