Sorry I haven't updated in forever! D: I was at camp for two weeks, and then I started school so I've been busy as bricks... I'm going to be pretty busy for a while with lots of homework, and applying for colleges and stuff like that, too. And I'm in a play and we have rehearsal almost every night *dead* Thanks for your patience!

Recap: Everyone's freaking out because Olivepaw found Cedarpaw half-dead way outside ShadowClan territory. Onespot and Willowfall tell them that it had to have been the work of a spirit to cause such wounds. Onespot suggests they take him to the Moonpool, so he goes with Ratpaw, Olivepaw, and Frostpaw. Frostpaw tells Ratpaw about the visions she saw at the Moonpool. When they get there, they see many StarClan cats, including Graystar, who almost reveals that Willowfall had killed her. They heal Cedarpaw and say he'll wake up soon. Later, Olivepaw and Ratpaw tell each other what they know about Willowfall- that she had killed Graystar and Emberheart.

Thanks guys heartheart!

Chapter 27

For the Good of the Clans

[Snowcloud]

The snow was falling fast and hard that day; the white she-cat walking through the woods let out a shiver, ears flattened. She and Ratpaw had agreed that they'd go on a walk together to catch up and so he could finally tell her what had happened with Cedarpaw at the Moonpool a few days ago.

"So, what's the deal with him, anyway?" mewed Snowcloud as the two of them walked together towards nowhere in particular. "Why'd he just run off like that?"

Ratpaw frowned, dark gray fur ruffling in the wind. "No one really knows why. I guess everyone's more concerned with the fact that he did."

"And Onespot said that someone dead did this to him?" she asked, repeating what he'd told her. "Doesn't that seem a little weird?"

"That's what I thought at first, too," Ratpaw sighed. "But when we went to the Moonpool, they pretty much confirmed it."

"I swear, it's one thing after another with that tom," she mewed, lashing her tail. "First his brother... Then his father... Then when he collapsed two moons ago, his fight with Sunnyheart, and now this?"

"Well, try to imagine how you'd feel," Ratpaw mewed. "What if Frostpaw and Furzetail died? You'd never be the same after that."

Snowcloud frowned deeply at the mention of her sister, and Ratpaw noticed.

"Snowcloud, come on. Would you just make up with her already?" he sighed, exasperated. "I don't even get what she did wrong!"

"You wouldn't understand," the warrior muttered under her breath. Ratpaw looked at her.

"Try me."

Snowcloud glanced at him and smiled faintly. She appreciated the concern, but she knew that she couldn't tell him even if she wanted to. She had promised that she wouldn't.

"Just... Try not to trust her too much, okay?" she said quietly and seriously. "If something's wrong, come to me, not her. Please."

Ratpaw raised an eyebrow.

"It seems to me like you're jealous just because you're not my only friend."

Snowcloud stared at him, eyes wide.

"Ratpaw, that isn't it at all!"

"No, I get it," he continued. "It's because Frostpaw's your sister, and you think I'm replacing you. But you don't have to worry, Snowcloud. You're one of my best friends."

Snowcloud was at a loss for words. She wanted to smack him across the face and tell him how completely wrong about all of this he was, but somehow she didn't think that would make things any better. She stopped walking, a frown on her face, for some reason suddenly feeling miserable. Ever since she'd found out about the prophecy, everything had been different, and she realized with a jolt how happier she'd been before.

Things have changed, she told herself. It's as simple as that.

"Snowcloud, what's wrong?" Ratpaw mewed, coming to a halt and looking at her with concern. "I didn't mean to upset you-"

"It's nothing," the she-cat murmured, forcing a smile. "Let's keep going. I want to hear more about what happened at the Moonpool."

But even as he described how the StarClan cats had appeared out of nowhere and had begun to circle them, Snowcloud was only faintly listening. Her thoughts had wandered back to two nights ago, when she'd finally discovered what StarClan had wanted her to. What she had been about to discover the day they'd found Leo in the forest.

The red poppies had been blowing in the wind that day, that night, that dream. The moment she saw them, hope had flared inside of her, remembering the promise she'd been given, that she was about to uncover a secret that only a few other living cats knew. She'd stood alone for a few moments, the green grass spotted with dew, the tall trees rustling, the white sky as cloudless as always. She'd flicked an ear, looking around. A crow cawed and flew overhead; a black feather fell softly in the air, landing a few taillengths away from where she stood.

She'd felt a shiver going down her spine, and she'd wondered why; it wasn't cold.

A moment later, she'd heard faint pawsteps behind her, and her tail lifted. She turned, expecting to see the tom, but instead saw the ginger she-cat that she'd now met so often in her dreams, the she-cat that she could talk to, the she-cat that would listen to her and never judge her. A she-cat that was, she had realized that night, probably one of her best friends. Of course, there was Ratpaw, but Snowcloud could never really tell him everything she had to say without thinking she was crazy or trying to convince her she was wrong. This cat would never do that. She contemplated how pathetic it was that one of her best friends was dead.

"Hey," Snowcloud had breathed with a smile, bounding over to where the spirit was standing. The ghost had smiled kindly back at her, bowing her head slightly.

"Hello again, Snowcloud," she'd mewed, the soft smile never leaving her face. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to reach you for a few days, I've been busy."

"With what?" Snowcloud had chimed, tilting her head in curiosity. But the spirit laughed slightly, shaking her head.

"Nothing you need to worry about right now. Right now, you need to learn what you were promised you would learn."

The white she-cat could hardly contain the excited grin that erupted from her face. She nodded eagerly, taking a step closer.

"Tell me."

And the spirit had. Scenes had flashed before Snowcloud's eyes as she'd watch, frozen, at what was unfolding in front of her. She'd asked the spirit if what she had seen was really true, and they had responded yes, it was, every piece of it, that any cat in StarClan could confirm it. She'd said with with such emotion that Snowcloud had believed her, all of her doubts having been washed away.

She'd awoken from the dream; it had been the middle of the night, and she couldn't fall back to sleep. What she had just learned, what she had just witnessed kept replaying in her mind over and over. After most of the shock had went away, she'd begun to feel a string of emotions- fright, disbelief, even hatred... She had asked the spirit if she should tell anyone, and they'd said no, not yet, but soon. And since Snowcloud had had that dream, she hadn't been able to get it over her head.

"...Snowcloud?" Ratpaw mewed, causing the she-cat to flinch.

"What?" she snapped, much louder than she'd meant to. The tom raised an eyebrow.

"You were about to walk into a tree." He sighed. "Snowcloud, what's up with you? Were you listening to a word I said?"

"Sorry," she quickly mewed, smiling feebly. "Yeah, I was listening. And I didn't mean to snap. Please continue."

Ratpaw stared at her with skepticism, clearly aware that something was wrong, but he didn't say anything and kept talking about what StarClan had told him and the others at the Moonpool. Snowcloud tried her hardest to pay attention.

They continued on, the snow never seeming to lighten. After a while, Snowcloud let out a shiver, glancing over at Ratpaw.

"Remind me again who's bright idea it was to take a walk in this weather?"

The tom looked at her, whiskers twitching with amusement.

"Yours," he said with a faint purr, though he was shivering himself.

"Well, my idea kind of sucked, didn't it?" mewed Snowcloud, ears flattening as another harsh wind swept by. "Let's start heading back. Besides, I'm starving."

Ratpaw frowned at this. "I wouldn't count on getting anything to eat any time soon. You know how low prey's running, and the elders and queens always get it first. I'm getting worried. Have you noticed how bony everyone's been getting? And just this morning Olivepaw was telling me she felt dizzy..."

Snowcloud's tail twitched, a deep frown on her face. She was worried, too. What if the same thing that happened to Icepaw were to happen to anyone else? And the harshness of the cold wasn't making it any easier.

"Well, you never know," she said, "maybe we'll find some prey on the way back to camp. Maybe then we... Ratpaw, are you listening?"

But the dark gray tom had stopped in his tracks and was staring at something in the distance. Sensing trouble, Snowcloud halted, too, and followed his gaze. About a dozen foxlengths away was the RiverClan border, and lying on the ground was...

"Somebody's there!" whispered Ratpaw urgently. "Someone's hurt! Let's go!"

The two cats ran forward, dashing through the trees that were beginning to thin out. When they reached the border, they froze.

Lying sprawled out in the snow was a tom with a pelt of black, brown and golden spots. Though normally handsome, he now looked sickly and weak; his usually glossy pelt was paler and brittler, even beginning to fall out in a few places. His half-closed green eyes were dull, his breathing was shallow and uneven, the tip of his tail was twitching restlessly. He gazed up at the newcomers; he opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead a violent cough came out.

"Jaguarpaw!" explained Snowcloud, immediately recognizing the medicine cat apprentice that had once been in WindClan. "Jaguarpaw, what's wrong?"

"He's sick," Ratpaw murmured, eyes shining worriedly. "But how did he end up so far from RiverClan camp...?"

"Who cares?" Snowcloud snapped. "If we leave him out here, he'll freeze to death for sure. We have to take him back to ShadowClan camp." She took a step forward, but Ratpaw blocked her way.

"Wait, this could be a trap," Ratpaw whispered. "What if there's a RiverClan patrol just waiting for us to take one step into their territory before they ambush us?"

"It doesn't smell like anyone else has been here recently," protested the she-cat. "C'mon, Ratpaw, we have to get him to camp. Help me lift him onto my back."

Though the tom seemed hesitant, he complied and managed to heave the sick tom onto Snowcloud's back. The she-cat struggled with keeping him up; she swallowed and looked at Ratpaw, giving him a nod.

"See? No ambush. Now c'mon. We have to get him back."

The two cats made their way back towards camp in complete silence, for they were both occupied with their own thoughts. Snowcloud's eyes were narrowed slightly. What was Jaguarpaw doing so far from his own camp? Did he run away? But why? They would just have to take him to Onespot, Willowfall, and Frostpaw... She clenched her jaw so tightly that it hurt.

The familiar scent of camp soon wafted past, and the young cats stopped only when they reached the top of the shallow hollow.

Only a few cats remained outside in the wind and snow, and the ones who were immediately lifted their heads in confusion. When they saw that Jaguarpaw was lying over Snowcloud's back, several- Cinderblaze, Brokenpaw, Littlepaw, Briarclaw, and a white she-cat named Lightclaw who had been from ThunderClan- ran forward to get a closer look as they began shouting out questions.

"Who's that?" squeaked Littlepaw, nudging his brother before turning his wide eyes back on Jaguarpaw.

"Is he dead?" asked Brokenpaw, probably louder than he'd meant.

"Snowcloud, Ratpaw!" breathed Cinderblaze as she ran forward to meet them, Briarclaw and Lightclaw close behind. "What happened? Is... Is that Jaguarpaw?"

"We found him lying by the RiverClan border," Ratpaw quickly explained. "We need to-"

"What's going on?" called a loud voice; heads turned to see Willowfall emerge from the medicine den, Onespot and Frostpaw at her side. A moment later, Olivepaw emerged, too- she must have been inside with Cedarpaw, who had awakened a few days ago but who Willowfall had insisted stay in the den for a bit longer.

"...-get him to the medicine den," finished Ratpaw. He glanced at Snowcloud; "C'mon, let's tell them what happened."

Pushing through the crowd that had suddenly appeared out of curiosity, the two cats followed the medicine cats into their den. Inside, Cedarpaw was asleep.

"Snowcloud, what happened?" mewed Frostpaw anxiously as her sister lay Jaguarpaw down on a bed of moss. Snowcloud's ear twitched, and she could see Ratpaw watching her from the corner of her eye, but she didn't meet his gaze.

"We found him like this," Ratpaw explained before Snowcloud could. "We were out for a walk and found him lying at the RiverClan border."

Jaguarpaw let out another violent cough, his whole body trembling slightly now.

Willowfall exchanged a glance with Onespot.

"...It's greencough," the medicine she-cat muttered. "Bluebird mentioned it at halfmoon. This is a bad case of it, too." Her eyes darkened and suddenly flared with something close to fury. "I bet they did this. RiverClan. I bet they left him to die out there."

"But we can cure him, right?" Frostpaw asked anxiously. "He'll be fine, right?"

Willowfall and Onespot exchanged another glance. Noticing this, Snowcloud and Ratpaw shared their own.

"...We'll do everything we can for him," Willowfall said after a few long moments. But the expression she wore seemed to suggest that all hope had already been lost.

. . .

The soft, warm wind blew gently, just as it always did, ruffling the thousands of bright red poppies, crows cawing and flying through the white sky overhead.

A ginger tabby she-cat soundlessly emerged from the tall, swaying trees; she seemed to be as light as a feather. She paused, her fur ruffling and her pale green eyes scanned the area until they at last fell upon a pretty white she-cat- Snowcloud. The ginger cat smiled softly, eyes shining, and took a few steps forward, approaching her.

The white-furred warrior pricked her ears at the sound of her pawsteps and turned, a huge smile on her face, tail lifted happily.

"There you are, Emberheart!" Snowcloud purred before her bright expression began to show hints of annoyance. "I've been waiting here forever. What took you so long?"

Irritation bubbled inside of Emberheart, and she wanted nothing more than to claw this cat across the face, at the very least. But she held back a growl or a snarl and, with much effort, smiled even wider, laughing lightly. It was almost amazing how much Snowcloud adored her, and how much she thought Emberheart adored her in return. She had had to put up with this for weeks- pretending to like Snowcloud, be kind to her, listen to her complaining and whine just like a bratty little kit who didn't get something they wanted. And how stupid she was! But it would all be worth it in the end, Emberheart kept telling herself. She only had to keep this act up for a little bit longer. Just a little bit longer...

"Sorry, Snowcloud," Emberheart purred, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her legs. "I was talking to someone."

"Who?" the white cat asked at once, cocking her head.

"Never mind that," Emberheart mewed, pausing to lick a paw. She glanced at Snowcloud. "You know what the plan is, right? What you must do at the Gathering next week?"

A frown fell on Snowcloud's face, but a look of resolution crossed her features. She bowed her head.

"Yes," she murmured. She looked down at her paws, hear ears flattened. She seemed almost sad. But she said nothing more.

Emberheart nodded in approval. "Good. Snowcloud, I know you may be scared," she said gently, causing the other she-cat to lift her head hesitantly. "But know that what you're going to do, everything you're going to do, is for the good of the Clans, and that StarClan is with you."

Snowcloud smiled slightly, seemingly a bit reassured.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Emberheart."

"Of course."

And then, slowly but surely, Snowcloud began to disappear. A faint light surrounded her as her shape grew fainter and fainter until she had completely vanished. She had woken up.

Emberheart remained sitting there, grooming herself, lost in her own thoughts. However irksome it was to have to put up with Snowcloud, she could barely contain her excitement for the next Gathering, and the days were passing by quickly.

Finally, she got up silently, lashing her tail. The crows had stopped calling. As she began to make her way back into the trees, a wide smile was on her face.

Bleehhasdfa;slkdfj

I love you all

TNT,

Pearly!