Warriors: The Power of One: Chapter Six
Nightpaw woke to the sound of Brightheart's yowl. The medicine cat was telling her to get up. Nightpaw stretched, wishing for a few more moments of rest.
It had been more than two moons since Nightpaw and her siblings had snuck out to meet the WindClan apprentices, and much had taken place in that time. The most pressing in Nightpaw's mind, the clan had been sick with greencough. Luckily most of the cats were already completely healed. Only Mousefur and Longtail were still being monitored by the medicine cats, but both had returned to the elder's den and would probably not suffer a return of the cough in their lifetimes.
Nightpaw shook herself and cleared her head. Molepaw was already sitting up, and Brightheart was motioning for him to stand. Molepaw shakily got up, using Brightheart for extra balance. Nightpaw walked over to help, but she wasn't needed. Molepaw was already walking next to Brightheart. Slowly, the three made their way out of the cave.
Once outside, Brightheart explained what they would be doing today. "While you were sleeping, I used the last of our catmint to administer treatment to Longtail and Mousefur," Brightheart said. "Today we'll go to a place I know we can get more."
"Where is that?" asked Nightpaw.
"There's usually some growing around the outside of the abandoned Two-leg nest," Brightheart answered. "Birchfall!" she called.
The light brown tabby tom walked over from where he had been sharing tongues with his mate, Whitewing, limping slightly, "Yes, Brightheart?"
Brightheart flicked her tail toward the entrance of the camp. "Come with us, please. We will need a warrior's protection since we'll be so close to those two nasty kittypets' home. And," she added, "I want to get a feel for how well your leg has been healing. I see you still have a slight limp?"
Birchfall looked as though he wanted to protest, but seeing the look on Brightheart's face, he relented, "Alright. Let me say good-bye to Whitewing." Birchfall padded over to where his mate lay. Nightpaw could tell he was clearly trying not to show his limp.
About a moon ago, Birchfall had been on a hunting patrol during a thunderstorm when a large tree branch had fallen on one of his back legs. Birchfall had been pinned down, but other cats had managed to move the tree enough for Birchfall to slip out. His leg had healed, but Brightheart was convinced that his limp was permanent. In an odd twist of fate, the tree that lost a branch was actually a birch tree. StarClan's idea of humor, Birchfall had supposed.
"Make it quick!" Brightheart shouted, "We haven't got all day!"
The medicine cat and her apprentices got a head start out into the forest, and after a little while, Birchfall caught up. They began descending the hill behind the ThunderClan camp, making sure that Molepaw was able to keep up, steadied by Brightheart.
Nightpaw was able to think as they trudged slowly through the forest. The four siblings hadn't spoken much about their trip to WindClan territory. Even when all four had been at the Gathering and had seen Heatherpaw, they had only talked about training and how the prey was running. No mention was made of the encounter with the badger.
She had wondered whether or not she should have told her father or Firestar about the badger, but Nightpaw had decided not to tell anyone. After all, the badger was outside WindClan territory, not even close to ThunderClan. Surely Heatherpaw or Sunpaw came up with something to tell Onestar about scenting a badger. There was no way they had told their clan the truth, either. Sneaking out in the night with apprentices from another clan wasn't something a cat publicized.
Never, ever again, Nightpaw vowed to herself, will I do something so mouse-brained.
The four cats reached the crest of a small hill and Nightpaw could see the abandoned Two-leg nest through the trees. She had first learned of this place when Brightheart took her here to find more herbs. Around the nest was a plethora of the supplies medicine cats used. Catmint, cobwebs, marigold, tansy, poppy seeds, nearly everything they used regularly could be found here.
Making short work of their task, they picked some of the catmint, which Nightpaw held in her teeth. As an afterthought Brightheart rolled some poppy seeds into a leaf and carried the bundle herself. Their journey back to camp was as slow but thankfully uneventful as the trip there had been.
Back at the camp Brightheart dismissed Birchfall, telling him to stretch out his leg as much as possible, and Nightpaw guided Molepaw back to the medicine cave. Nightpaw and Brightheart put the catmint and poppy seeds into their place in the stores while Molepaw lay down.
Speaking low so Molepaw couldn't hear them, Brightheart mewed, "That was a lot of exertion for him. I don't think he should go to the medicine cat meeting today."
Nightpaw had forgotten about the meeting. But she agreed, nodding. "We can ask someone to keep a watch on him while we go," she suggested.
Brightheart frowned. "No," she muttered, "You'll have to go alone this time. Do you think you can remember the way?"
Nightpaw looked concerned, "Yes," she whispered, hesitating to say anything else.
"He's going to be okay," Brightheart reassured. "I just need to make sure he rests today."
Nightpaw nodded, only slightly reassured. Molepaw had also gotten the cough. His already weak body from the mysterious illness he had suffered from as a kit was wracked with spasms that left him unable to respond. His fever and despondence had nearly every cat in the clan expecting his death. Every cat except for Brightheart, that is. Like she had when Molepaw was a kit, Brightheart had brought her brother's son back from the brink of death, much to the amazement of the entire clan. Nightpaw looked at her mentor with pride. Brightheart may have only been a medicine cat for long and almost by accident, but Nightpaw was honored to be her apprentice.
"What are you staring at?" Brightheart asked teasingly. Turning around to Molepaw, she explained, "Molepaw, I've decided to stay behind from the medicine cat meeting at the Moonpool today. You and I will rest while Nightpaw goes to learn the news and dream with StarClan."
Molepaw looked as if he were about to argue, but Brightheart cut him off, "It'll do no good to argue, you know that. I've made up my mind, and you and I are going to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation this afternoon."
Nightpaw looked apologetically at him. This would be her third medicine cat meeting, while Molepaw had been an apprentice longer and had only been to one. "Next time, we'll go together, I promise," she said.
Brightheart waved her on with her tail, "You had best be going. It will take a while to get to the Moonpool, and you want to have time to socialize before you dream."
Nightpaw said good-bye and left the camp again, heading a slightly different direction than before. Her trip was calm and peaceful, and she walked as she listened to the sounds of the forest around her. Just before she reached the stream leading to the Moonpool, she heard a cat behind her, calling her name.
She turned and saw Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat. Littlecloud had helped to train Brightheart when she was left to be the ThunderClan medicine cat, and Nightpaw had grown fond of the small old tom in the many times she had trained with Brightheart before she was an apprentice. Nightpaw waited for him to catch up and she rubbed muzzles with him, greeting him as if he were her own clanmate. "Littlecloud, you old fur-ball!" she exclaimed affectionately, "Isn't it about time you got an apprentice? By StarClan, you must be older than Firestar!"
Littlecloud pretended to be offended. "One should watch the way they speak to their elders," he reprimanded, purring, "As a matter of fact I am older than your clan leader, and I have begun to train one of Tawnypelt's kits, Flamekit. He is nearly five moons old, and has shown a lot of interest so far."
Nightpaw tried to seem pleased. In truth, she had mixed emotions concerning the news. Littlecloud would soon retire, and Nightpaw would miss the old ShadowClan cat. But Tawnypelt had once been a ThunderClan cat, and was her father's sister. That meant that Flamekit was her kin. It would be interesting to get to know her kin from another clan.
"Well don't look too happy," Littlecloud mewed. "I'm not dead yet, and I certainly plan to be around for quite a long time still. Come, let's get to the Moonpool. Surely the other two clans are there by now. I assume Brightheart stayed behind with Molepaw?"
"Yes. Molepaw has recovered mostly from the cough, but he's still very weak. We gathered herbs today and he was pretty spent afterwards," Nightpaw explained as they continued on their way. Soon, the two cats reached the Moonpool.
Three other cats were already there. Barkface, the old WindClan medicine cat seemed pleased to see Littlecloud. The two had been friends since long before Nightpaw had been born. Also present was Kestrelpaw, Barkface's apprentice. The brown tabby was only a little older than Nightpaw was, but Nightpaw didn't know him very well. He had always seemed a little odd and quiet to her. He was a nice enough cat, but not someone Nightpaw would normally want to spend a lot of time around. The third cat by the Moonpool was Willowpaw, the RiverClan medicine cat apprentice. Nightpaw and Willowpaw had become instant friends the moment they met.
Willowpaw ran to greet Nightpaw, rubbing muzzles with her friend. "I was hoping you would show earlier," she meowed, glancing at the WindClan medicine cats. "The company was a little dry for my taste."
Nightpaw purred. "Sorry, I was running late," she explained, "Brightheart, Molepaw, and I went to gather catmint this morning. I came as soon as I could."
"Looks like someone else was late," she teased Littlecloud.
Littlecloud glanced over coyly, "Looks like someone's mentor isn't here…again."
Willowpaw looked at the ground sheepishly. It was true. Willowpaw's mentor, Mothwing, rarely came to Moonpool meetings. Instead, she sent her apprentice and stayed behind for unknown reasons. Usually Willowpaw gave some reason, but Nightpaw suspected they were excuses. Nightpaw had actually only met Mothwing once.
"Does anyone have any useful news to share before we dream with StarClan?" asked Barkface, "We don't have much time to visit."
None of the cats volunteered anything, so without skipping a beat Barkface turned and walked to the edge of the pool. The other four cats followed behind, taking their places around the edge.
Nightpaw wondered what she would dream about today. The past three times she had dreamed, it hadn't been particularly special. Of course, she had met Bluestar, Lionheart, Whitestorm, and Cinderpelt, former important ThunderClan cats and now StarClan warriors. But they hadn't told her or done anything spectacular. She and Brightheart had gotten help from them on where to find catmint when the clan was first stricken with greencough, but other than that Nightpaw was always unsure of what to expect from her starry ancestors. She hoped that this time would be more exciting.
Laying down and placing her tail into the water, Nightpaw closed her eyes and began to slowly drift off to sleep. When she opened her eyes, she was next to the lake on the WindClan border. No StarClan cats were in sight. She began to smell a sweet aroma, and saw a cat she didn't know walking across the lake. The cat was a tortoiseshell, and she walked across the water as if it were land. Following behind the starry cat was a second cat that Nightpaw could see was actually sort of ugly with a flat face and longer fur that was matted in certain areas. A second, strong musky smell passed over Nightpaw. It wasn't unpleasant, but Nightpaw preferred the sweet smell.
The two cats, she-cats, Nightpaw noticed, approached her calmly. "Hello?" she mewed quietly, "Are you StarClan warriors?"
The slender tortoiseshell answered, "We are former medicine cats of ThunderClan. I was ThunderClan's medicine cat when Firestar first came to the clans. I was killed and Yellowfang took my place. My name is Spottedleaf."
The flat-faced she-cat nodded. "I am Yellowfang," she rasped, "Brokenstar's mother and Brokenstar's murderer." She offered no explanation of her words, only looking back to Spottedleaf.
Spottedleaf didn't explain either. "We have dire news."
Nightpaw instantly forgot any questions she had about how the cats were able to walk on water, who Brokenstar was, or why a murderer was in StarClan. Dire news was not something she'd wanted to hear when she'd hoped her visit to StarClan would be exciting. "Yes?" she asked, "Will the cough come back?"
Yellowfang wheezed, and Nightpaw realized she was laughing incredulously. "My young cat, there will be a time when you will wish that the reason for our visit was merely to warn you of another outbreak of greencough," she paused then continued, "We warn of war."
War. There hadn't been an all-out war in the clans since the clans had moved to their territories around the lake. Nightpaw wanted to know more. "A war with whom? Will all the clans be involved? How do I stop -?"
She was cut off by Spottedleaf, the tortoiseshell's sweet scent still filling the air around them. "We cannot speak much more. It is forbidden to speak of certain things when it is not time for them to be spoken of."
"Not to mention we don't even know much more than you do at this point," Yellowfang pointed out. "Even StarClan is blind to many things."
"What can you tell me?" Nightpaw pleaded. This might be her only chance to save her clan. "What must I do?"
Spottedleaf looked at her kindly. "You have a good heart. You will need to preserve that to survive the perilous times ahead. Your siblings and clanmates will need you to be their light in the darkness. You must do what is right without compromise, even amidst the many evil plots that are being carried out."
Nightpaw was still panicking. How could she stop what was to come if she didn't even know what it was? Evil plots didn't sound good either.
"You and your siblings are very important to all the clans, not just to ThunderClan," Spottedleaf continued. "It is written that one out of fire and tiger will come whose choice in the noise of thunder will determine the future of the clans. The power of just one can change the future of many."
What could all of this mean? "Out of fire and tiger" must refer to Firestar and Tigerstar, her grandfathers, and each other's mortal enemies. One of her siblings or she herself would have to make some choice that would determine the future.
"You can speak of this to no one," Yellowfang gazed at her intently. "No one save your siblings. If anyone else finds out, they may try to change what they should not change. When you feel the time is right, you may confide in your sister and brother."
Nightpaw nodded, explaining that she understood, though she did so unhappily. She had been hoping Brightheart and possibly Molepaw would be able to share this burden with her.
"We must leave you," Spottedleaf said, sadness in her tone. "But remember this: We have never really left. We will always be able to reach you when you need us most and you call for us." Without anything close to an explanation, the two cats began walking into the forest, and Nightpaw watched the stars on their fur until they disappeared altogether.
Suddenly, her vision darkened and soon it was completely black. She saw her territory as she zoomed through the air like a bird. She came to the ThunderClan camp, expecting to see her clanmates going about their daily business. Instead, to her horror, she saw a number of badgers sitting around where her friends and family should be. Then she noticed the bones. All around the badgers were skeletons of cats. Her vision zoomed up to the Highledge, where Firestar sat during clan meetings. A large badger with a deeply scarred muzzle sat, gnawing on a cat bone, blood dripping from his mouth. His eyes were dark and unfeeling. Then he seemed to notice Nightpaw hovering in the air before him, and without hesitation he lunged at her, growling. Nightpaw closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact.
When she opened them, she was lying next to the Moonpool. No badgers were in sight, but Nightpaw couldn't help but want to jump up and run all the way back to camp. Instead she realized that she would have to act like nothing important had happened. When Willowpaw asked about what she dreamed, Nightpaw managed to make up a story about Bluestar showing her a great napping spot, and soon she and Littlecloud began the journey back to their clans together.
She walked more briskly than usual, and Littlecloud noticed. "Are you alright, Nightpaw? You haven't seemed quite like yourself this trip back."
"I'm fine," she said, a little too quickly. "It's just that I'm just anxious to get back to check on Molepaw," she covered smoothly.
Littlecloud's eyes softened, understandingly. "I see. I'm sure he's fast asleep under the watchful eye of your mentor. And worrying has never solved anyone's problems, dear."
When she thought about what he had said, she realized he was right, but in a different way than he had intended. Nightpaw had no clue what the prophecy or vision she had just dreamed of meant, but she didn't need to know now. Whatever happened would happen, Nightpaw just had to follow Spottedleaf's advice and be a light in the darkness to come and do what is right without compromising. Her siblings need not be bothered by this prophecy yet. She would let them live free of this burden for as long as possible.
As she and Littlecloud reached the ThunderClan camp, Littlecloud explained that he wanted to come and visit Brightheart. They walked into camp together, and headed to the medicine cave. A couple of warriors looked up when they scented ShadowClan, but went back to what they were doing when they recognized the medicine cat.
Brightheart was sitting outside of the cave with Cloudtail, her mate. She greeted them warmly, rubbing muzzles with both Nightpaw and Littlecloud as they approached the entrance. "Did you dream of anything interesting, Nightpaw?" she asked.
Nightpaw replied cautiously, "Nothing of significance."
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