Chapter 89
Jaystar stood at the border with ShadowClan, half a dozen of her strongest warriors behind her. Crowfeather and Lionblaze were talking strategy, the first real father son thing they had done since discovering the truth. Beargaze clawed at the ground impatiently while Bumblethroat and Badgerleaf said their goodbyes, not knowing if they would see each other again. Foxfang was giving advice to Butterflypaw, trying to make sure his apprentice was ready to go to such a dangerous battle. Jaystar had not been sure about bring Butterflypaw to the battle with ShadowClan, but the brown apprentice practically demanded to be allowed to fight. Butterflypaw wanted to fight for her Clan and for her deceased father, Brambleheart.
"If you aren't back by sunhigh, I'm sending a group of cats after you," Sandstorm meowed and Jaystar was glad that the pale ginger warrior wanted to help in anyway possible. Jaystar had almost picked Sandstorm to be apart of the offense group until the warrior said she didn't want to join them. It was then that Jaystar realized how old Sandstorm was. Her mate and two daughters as well as two of her grandkits were already in StarClan while she still roamed the forest below Silverpelt. "We will be patrolling the forest until you return." And with, Sandstorm padded away, her patrol of cats behind her. Rushleaf was guiding Coalpaw and Crookedpaw since both apprentices were terrified to be out of the camp in such dangerous times.
Jaystar watched them go before turning to her own group of cats. "Shall we go on?"
When every cat nodded, Jaystar led them towards the ShadowClan border, in the direction of the camp that Jaystar had been to three times in her life. The first was to help ShadowClan during the fire; the second was to say goodbye to Blackstar as he was called to join StarClan; and the most recent, the battle with ShadowClan which resulted in the deaths of Hazeltail and Featherfoot. Jaystar couldn't believe that she was leading such a massive attack against ShadowClan when they were the Clan of her mate, her son, and her grandkits. Was Clan loyalty really more important than the bond you shared with your blood? Yes it was. If it wasn't then Jaystar would've stayed with Smoky and Floss when she learned the truth of her birth. If it wasn't then Brookclaw wouldn't have tried to kill Jaystar. Clan loyalty was the most important thing in a warrior's life. Blood came second.
"Jaystar, doesn't something seem odd to you?" Jaystar turned as Crowfeather padded at a quicker pace to catch up with her, his amber eyes troubled. "Like everything is dead? It was like this when ShadowClan attacked our camp. You could feel the ghosts of a whole Clan that had been destroyed, but you couldn't see it."
"I feel it too, Crowfeather," Lionblaze murmured from behind them, "Except I have a different experience that alerts me to this feeling. When Hollyleaf and Jayfeather died and I was the last of my litter, this is what if felt like. We weren't as large as a whole Clan, but we were a group all the same. I feel like I've lost them again."
"This is how it felt when Dustpelt and Ferncloud died! And when Spiderleg was called to join StarClan!" Foxfang called from the back, where he was making sure that Butterflypaw didn't fall too far behind. But Butterflypaw was doing okay for an apprentice and had something to add to the morbid discussion the senior warriors were having.
"It's like when Brambleheart died!"
Beargaze- who had been silent through the whole conversation- suddenly yowled, "Jaystar, do you smell that?" Jaystar sniffed the air and then turned back to Beargaze, shaking her head at her former apprentice. "It's dog! I'm sure of it!"
"Dog? Why would there be dog-" Jaystar began, but Crowfeather cut across her.
"She is right, Jaystar, I smell it too and not just one dog, but a whole pack."
"I smell it too!" Bumblethroat added and beside him Badgerleaf nodded rapidly.
"Okay if there is a dog or dogs here we need to find them so they don't surprise us when we are in ShadowClan camp." Jaystar then turned to Lionblaze and ordered, "Lionblaze take Beargaze for a quick scan around the territory." Lionblaze nodded and the two cats bounded away, deeper into ShadowClan territory while Jaystar took them through the entrance.
"Wow I haven't been here since... since the fight," Badgerleaf meowed as they entered ShadowClan camp. Jaystar was too having flashbacks of that day. Brookclaw turning on her; losing her life; the limp bodies of Hazeltail and Featherfoot.
"Keep your voice down, Badgerleaf, we don't want to alert-" But Foxfang's mew was cut off as a shape jumped on his back. Expecting to see a ShadowClan warrior, Jaystar was shocked to see that it was Willowshine clinging onto Foxfang's back.
"Willowshine?!"
Willowshine jumped off Foxfang upon hearing her name and stared at Jaystar, embarrassment in her blue eyes. "I'm Jaystar, I thought you guys were the dogs. It's hard to tell from up there." Willowshine nodded towards a tree branch and Jaystar could just barely make out another cat seated down looking at them. After a moment's hesititation, the hidden cat leapt down from the branch, revealing himself to be Brokenheart.
"Brokenheart?!" Jaystar exclaimed, shocked to see her kin with the RiverClan medicine cat. What was going on? "What happened? Why are you both hiding up there?"
"The dogs," Brokenheart spat, his black-and-white fur fluffing up, "They came out of no where. Oakstar had invited Volestar and the rest of RiverClan to stay in ShadowClan camp while they made plans to attack ThunderClan. WindClan was already out of the way," At this Crowfeather snarled. "I'm sorry. Really I am. I told Brookclaw it was a mousebrain idea to tell Oakstar that ShadowClan and RiverClan could rule together side by side if the other Clans were gone. StarClan must have been angry because they sent the dogs on us. We are the only ones left I think."
Jaystar was about to ask something when Lionblaze raced through the entrance, Beargaze beside him. "There was no sign of the dogs other than their scent. If anything it appears they went to RiverClan."
"To track down any remaining survivors," Brokenheart growled while Crowfeather added,
"I don't get it. Dogs normally go where there is more prey scent. Why didn't they head to ThunderClan?"
"Because StarClan only sent the dogs to attack ShadowClan and RiverClan! We were meant to be wiped out!" Willowshine wailed and Jaystar stepped forward, remembering Jayfeather's prophecy.
"StarClan doesn't want ShadowClan and RiverClan to be destroyed. Nor WindClan. They want all the Clans to be destroyed," Jaystar then explained the prophecy to everyone. "I believe that when Jayfeather said that the end of the Clans would come it meant that we would join together as one. ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan."
"Then why is ThunderClan still have the whole Clan together?" Brokenheart growled from beside Willowshine and Jaystar stared him straight in the eye, already knowing the answer.
"Because our threat hasn't come yet."
