Hi :3

Recap: Snowcloud dreams she's in StarClan, and thinks about Frostpaw. A tom appears, telling her that he wants to show her a secret that only three other living cats know, but Furzetail wakes her up first. She goes on a patrol into ThunderClan's old territory, and Icewhisker talks to Snowcloud about Furzetail. Then, they run into a stranger who seems to know a lot about the Clans. He tells them that danger lies beyond the Clans, and that there's nothing they can do but prepare for the inevitable. He tells them that his name is Leo before leaving.

Chapter 23

Mysteries

[Willowfall]

"...I'm sure you heard about it already," the white medicine cat apprentice was saying as she tore up some dead moss, blue eyes portraying that she was deep in thought, "but the patrol yesterday found an intruder on our territory. Ratpaw told me about it."

Willowfall was nodding mechanically as she stared out of the medicine den's entrance and out into the camp. It was almost dark; just a little bit of light remained, but it would soon be gone. It was quiet in camp, even after the addition of the ThunderClan cats. The medicine den was unusually empty, as well. Willowfall had gotten quite used to Cedarpaw being there, and perhaps Olivepaw, too.

But that's not what she was concerned about. That wasn't the reason that she was staring off into space, her blue eyes flickering with a complicated emotion that included sparks of worry and sorrow. And that certainly wasn't the reason why she was waiting, watching the last bits of light disappear from the snowy clearing, waiting for darkness to take hold of the woods, waiting for everyone to go to sleep.

"...Ratpaw said he sounded crazy," Frostpaw was murmuring, seemingly to herself until she glanced at her mentor and said, "Hey, Willowfall, are you listening?"

The older cat blinked, looking at her apprentice. "Of course I was listening. I'm just... a bit tired, is all."

Frostpaw stared at her, and Willowfall knew very well that she didn't believe her.

After a moment of hesitation, Frostpaw mewed, "Is... Is something wrong, Willowfall? You've been sort of... out of it all day." There was another pause before she said, her voice lowering, "You can tell me if there's something bothering you, you know. I'd listen."

Willowfall blinked in surprise, feeling quite touched by her apprentice's words. But she knew that she couldn't tell her what was bothering her, even if she wanted to.

"Thanks, Frostpaw," Willowfall sighed after a moment, quickly adding a soft smile. "I suppose I'm still thinking about Icepaw." This was not entirely a lie.

Frostpaw's expression darkened, and she suddenly looked at her paws, ears flattened.

"I still think about her, too," the apprentice admitted quietly. "It's just... She was the first patient I ever had who ended up dying."

Willowfall looked at her, feeling sympathy swell up in her. She let her tail rest on the younger cat's shoulder, and Frostpaw looked up.

"Not everyone can be saved," Willowfall murmured, an image of Badgerkit flashing before her eyes. "And that's something that every medicine cat has to learn at some point. The sooner the better. We always do what we can, though, and sometimes, that really is all we can do."

Frostpaw nodded slightly, apparently thinking this over in her mind. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she muttered. "Thanks."

Willowfall smiled slightly, but her gaze flickered back towards the camp outside. The sun had finally set.

. . .

By the time Willowfall was making her way hurriedly through the shadowy forest, the clouds had, to her surprise, made way for the nearly-halfmoon, giving her a bit of light. With ever step she took, she swore her heart began to drum even harder against her chest. She swallowed, her throat dry, her head aching. She tried to calm herself down. What did she have to worry about?

She flattened her ears, bitterly reminding herself that she knew why she was worried. She was worried that talking to him, even seeing him would set off that same string of memories in her mind that would remind her how happy they had been together, moons ago. She had been trying her hardest not to think about him, and had almost been annoyed when he'd asked her to meet with her. She blinked softly, the scene replaying in her head. She had just gone with Minnowstar and most of her other Clanmates to RiverClan to rescue Olivepaw, Ratpaw, Cedarpaw and Frostpaw. He had caught her gaze just as she was turning to leave, had flicked his tail to beckon her over, had looked at her with a nearly expressionless face as he told her he had something important he wanted to tell her, but that she would have to wait until they could discuss it in private.

She flattened her ears, trying to make herself annoyed with him. When she had talked to him the last time they were at the docks, it had been pretty clear that he didn't want anything to do with her anymore. Not since she had confided to him that she had killed Graystar, which had finally began the demise of their relationship. The nerve of him, asking her back to the docks after he had been so cold to her! What could possibly be so important?

And, the more she thought about it, the more worried she got as an endless stream of possibilities flooded her thoughts. Had someone found out about Graystar? Did someone know about their kits? Was something wrong with him? Maybe he was sick, maybe he'd gotten some horrible disease and was about to die and wanted to see her one last time to tell her he still loved her-

She let out a loud hiss, intensely frustrated with herself. She knew he didn't love her anymore, it'd been made clear quite a while ago.

So then why did these almost hopeful thoughts keep popping up?

I'm pathetic, she thought bitterly, trying to focus solely on the path before her.

Soon enough, the trees began to thin out, and the scent of RiverClan grew stronger. She soon reached the old Thunderpath that divided the two territories; with a cautious look in either direction, she crossed into RiverClan, hurriedly making her way towards the docks, the lake's reflection of the moon bouncing around in the corner of her eye.

It was more dangerous than ever to cross into RiverClan territory, and she was mildly surprised to see that there weren't any cats guarding the border, even in the dead of night. She spotted the dock; taking in a deep breath, she stepped onto the snow-covered wood, slowly making her way to the end until she reached the edge. He wasn't there, yet.

She let out a shiver as she rigidly sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws as she looked out at the water. The lake was as beautiful as always, especially with the moon turning it silver. She could hear the gentle lapping of waves against the shore underneath her, the rustling of the trees, and, every now and then, a few owls hooting. It was hard to believe that the Clans were facing such hard times in such a serene place.

Only about a minute passed before a familiar smell suddenly wafted by her as she heard soft pawsteps approaching. She swallowed, trying to steady her breathing, trying to ignore the fact that her heart had just begun to beat fiercely. For a moment, she didn't want to turn around. Maybe she could pretend she didn't hear him. But after a moment, she couldn't take it. Drawing in a deep breath, she got to her paws and looked over her shoulder.

And there he was. His black fur was as neat and well-groomed as usual, and though he was still quite muscular, he'd grown noticeably thinner. His green eyes were gazing at her, and it seemed as if a thousand emotions were darting through them, making it impossible for Willowfall to tell how he could be feeling. He swallowed, giving an awkward nod.

"Hello, Willowfall."

"Blacktail," Willowfall responded quite coolly, determined to make him feel worse about the way he had been treating her.

Blacktail let out a long sigh. "Listen, I think you'd better sit down. I need you to listen to what I have to say."

"Funny," Willowfall said swiftly, "I remember you saying last time that you expected us to 'keep living our lives as if we never even knew each other.' What made you change your mind so suddenly? I don't know if you were aware, Blacktail, but I've had quite a lot to deal with in ShadowClan-"

"I have kits," Blacktail quickly said, as if he wanted to get it over with quickly.

She stared at him, nonplussed.

"I know," she said, a bit startled, but quickly added that coolness to her voice, determined not to appear weak. "I think I would know better than you, seeing as you left me alone, never making even one contribution-"

"No," he cut in with a quick sigh. He was now looking away. "I mean, I have other kits, now." There was a pause. "...They were born last week."

Willowfall stared at him, her mouth hanging open, her head beginning to pound. Had she heard him right? Maybe... Maybe this was just some joke... A cruel one, but still... He couldn't have... He couldn't have possibly...

"The mother is Maplenose," Blacktail continued quietly, now looking at his paws. "She's... my mate, now. I thought that you should know."

There was a long, highly uncomfortable silence during which neither of them said a word. Willowfall was still trying to grasp what he had said, determined to find any sign that he was lying. But she couldn't.

After a few moments had passed and she still hadn't responded, Blacktail let out another long sigh, shaking his head softly and lifting his gaze.

"Please don't be upset, Willowfall," he murmured. "You know as well as I do that whatever we had together is over-"

"I... I know," she said in an almost confused manner. She blinked several times, staring at him.

"I just thought that you should know."

She nodded slowly, her mind churning. Finally, after what seemed like years, she blurted out, "What are their names?"

Blacktail gave a tiny smile, but it was quite forced.

"The tom's name is Nightkit. The she-cat's name..." He drifted off, looking uncomfortable before letting out another quick sigh. "The she-cat's name is Willowkit."

Willowfall stared at him, growing more and more unable to react.

"Willow-"

"Maplenose chose it," he said quickly and quietly. "She liked the name, is all."

"Of... Of course," murmured Willowfall, nodding faintly. She looked up at the sky; millions of stars twinkled brightly, but even then, dark clouds were beginning to roll in, threatening to block out the moonlight. She wondered vaguely why she didn't feel angry. A little demon inside her seemed to be yelling at her, telling her that she didn't deserve this, any of this, that she should kill this cat named Maplenose after giving Blacktail the same fate that Graystar had. A chill went down her spine, shocked that these thoughts had even entered her head. But they quickly went away, and she was left with this sort of blank feeling. She didn't know what to do, or say, or even think. All that she was aware of was how pretty the stars looked tonight.

Blacktail cleared his throat, getting to his paws. "Well," he said awkwardly, "I... suppose that I should head back to RiverClan. I don't want Blossomstar to notice that I'm gone..."

Willowfall didn't respond. She'd barely even heard him. After a moment, though, she gave a tiny nod.

Blacktail looked even more uncomfortable. Lowering his head, he muttered, "I'll see you later, Willowfall," before turning and disappearing into the darkness, leaving the medicine cat alone on the dock.

She sat there for a long time, looking out at the water, remembering when, almost a moon ago, she had actually attempted to drown herself because of Blacktail. She tried not to think about it. Blinking softly, she looked out at the scenery, seeing the moors of WindClan stretch out across the lake. She could also see, very vaguely, the shape of the abandoned barn that the Twolegs used to live in. For some reason, she felt an odd tingle go down her spine, but she brushed it off and blamed it on the cold.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, but her eyelids were beginning to droop, and before long, the sharp edges of the dock and the distant trees began to blur. She was dully aware that darkness was surrounding her.

Were those pawsteps she heard? She blinked softly, realizing that she was sitting in complete blackness, the world around her having disappeared.

Those were definitely pawsteps. Turning around, she saw a small black and white kit; Willowfall immediately recognized those big blue eyes that were staring at her, shining brightly. A soft frown was on his face as his pelt twinkled with what seemed like starlight.

"Badgerkit," Willowfall breathed at once, staring at him with surprise. "I... I haven't seen you in a while..." Memories flashed through her head. The last time they'd spoken, he had stopped her from drowning, and they'd been in a place that he'd said was "between life and death."

"Am I dying?" she blurted out, glancing around uneasily. But Badgerkit let out a small laugh.

"Naw, you're just almost asleep."

"Oh," Willowfall murmured, looking at him curiously; she couldn't help but feel another twinge of guilt.

Badgerkit seemed to read her mind. "Y'know, I still don't blame you for what happened to me. I never did." His expression darkened, his ears flattening as he looked at his paws. This sparked a memory in Willowfall's brain.

"Badgerkit," she murmured, "last time I saw you, I asked you who it was that fed you the berries..." His head lowered. "Do you think you can tell me, now?" When he raised his head, looking fearful, she mewed, "I can help you, Badgerkit. I can tell everyone what happened, I can bring this cat to justice-"

"That's impossible," Badgerkit muttered. He suddenly raised his head and stared right into Willowfall's eyes, his own blazing. "Because they're already dead."

The medicine cat stared at him, at a loss for words. But for some reason, a very fleeting image of Emberheart shot through her mind.

"Badger-"

"That isn't why I wanted to talk to you," he said quietly, though it was clear he was avoiding the subject. A deep frown fell on his face as he looked at her with worry. "You're in danger, Willowfall. My mom is planning something. Something big."

Willowfall felt dread creeping down her spine, worry clenching at her chest. Emberheart is dead, she tried to tell herself. She can't do anything... But don't you remember what she said? the other voice asked. She said that even though she was dead, this wasn't over. She would find a way to get her revenge...

She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. She managed to croak, "What... What is she planning...?"

Badgerkit looked at his paws. "I... I'm not exactly sure," he murmured. He looked up again, and Willowfall could tell that he was serious about what he was saying, or what he was about to say. "Just make sure that Snowcloud doesn't go to the next Gathering."

She stared at the kit, her shock clear on her face.

"Snowcloud?" she echoed incredulously. "Why..."

But just as quickly as Badgerkit had appeared, he was already beginning to fade and grow further and further away.

"Be careful, Willowfall," the tom begged, shaking his head as he looked at her desperately. "And make sure she doesn't come..."

Before she could ask anymore questions, he was gone. She was left stranded in darkness for a matter of moments before her eyes shot open. She was still on the dock, the waves still washing peacefully against the shore, the moon still trying to shine as thick clouds began to cover it up.

Her head was spinning as she tried to take in everything that was said. Emberheart was up to something, she knew that much. But how did Badgerkit know? Hadn't she pointed out to Emberheart that her son hadn't been with her when she'd seen her at the Moonpool?

Glancing up at the now almost concealed moon, she remembered, with a sort of feeling of dread, that she would be visiting the Moonpool tomorrow night with the other medicine cats. As much as she wanted to find out what Emberheart was up to, she was scared that whatever it could be, she wouldn't be able to stop it.

And how come she had to make sure Snowcloud wouldn't come to the next Gathering? Why would that matter? How on earth was she supposed to make sure that Minnowstar wouldn't select her? Sheer luck? But Badgerkit had seemed quite serious, as if she had to do anything necessary to make sure she wouldn't be at the Gathering. But how? And what about the cat who had fed deathberries to Badgerkit? If they were already dead, then...?

She let out a long sigh, clenching her eyes shut so tightly they hurt. Mysteries seemed to be swarming around the entire Clan, and as far as she could tell, it would take awhile to solve even one of them. And with this in mind, she slowly made her way back to camp, flurries of snow beginning to fall from the sky.

Willowfall is one of my favorites :)

Oh PS, would it be helpful if I posted an updated allegiances, with the new ShadowClan and RiverClan? Or are y'all fine without it? Let me know if it'd be helpful or not:)

I love you allll xoxoo

Till next time,

Pearl!