Chapter 2

The Prophecy is Revealed

Bushnose POV

"But he just became a warrior!" Boulderstrike yowled.

"He hasn't even had an apprentice!" Stormfall growled.

"Well, as for an apprentice, I can take care of that. Bushytail, your kits are six moons old now and ready to become apprentices. Flyingkit, step forward. Bushnose, step forth. You trained with Iceflight, and I hope you can pass on the skills you learned from her to this new apprentice. Flyingkit, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your Clan with your life?" Featherstar asked solemnly.

"I do!" the kit squeaked.

"Then for now on, you will be known as Flyingpaw."

Bushnose touched his nose with the apprentice's. His heart was pumping so hard, he thought it would wake up the fish in the stream. I'm deputy? He thought, hardly believing himself.

"I bet you're the best warrior ever! That's why Featherstar made you the deputy!" Flyingpaw mewed gleefully. She jumped over to her mother and yowled, "I'm the deputy's apprentice!" Bushytail purred happily.

I'm a mentor, too! Bushnose told himself silently.

"Hush, the ceremony is not over, your littermates don't have their apprentice names yet," Windflight shushed.

Featherstar beckoned Dustclaw and Softkit forward. "Dustclaw, you trained with Littlewind, and I hope you can pass on the skills you learned from him to this new apprentice. Softkit, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect your clan with your life?"

"I do!" the kit mewed.

"Then from now on, you will be known as Softpaw," Featherstar said. The two cats touched noses and stood to let the next mentor and apprentice take the stand. "Birdcall, Tinykit, step forth. Birdcall, you trained with Windflight, and I hope you can pass on the skills you learned from him to this new apprentice. Tinykit, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect your clan with your life?" Featherstar asked.

"I do!" Tinykit shouted.

"Then from now on, you shall be known as Tinypaw!" Featherstar yowled, concluding the ceremony.

"Flyingpaw! Softpaw!Tinypaw! Flyingpaw! Softpaw! Tinypaw!" the clan chorused. Bushnose lifted his muzzle and yowled with his clan.

"Boulderstrike, Stormfall, Iceflight, choose a warrior of your choice to come on the dawn patrol with you," Bushnose said. "I'm going to take out an early hunting patrol. Flyingpaw, we're going hunting!Dustclaw, get your apprentice; you can come too."

As they bounded into the forest, Dustclaw whispered, "Do you think you got the hang of this deputy stuff?"
"Yeah, but its really hard, waking up at sunrise every day, but it's okay. How do you like being a mentor?" Bushnose asked.

"It's great, but I wish I knew how to do that one move better. Softpaw laughs at me every time I try to show her a move," Dustclaw said with a laugh.

Bushnose heard a yowl that he recognized as Featherstar's. He ran back to camp.

"Deathberries," she rasped. "Someone put deathberries in my prey.

"Flametoe!" Bushnose called. "Featherstar needs help! Deathberries!" Flametoe ran over with a strange looking herb. "What's that?" Bushnose asked.

"It's yarrow. It'll make her vomit up the poison," Flametoe replied. He tried to make her eat the yarrow, but it wasn't working. She would not swallow it. Her eyes glazed over, then came back.

"She just needs rest. I think I'll go get some poppy-seed," Bushnose followed Flametoe into the medicine cat den.

"How many lives does Featherstar have left?" he asked.

"I-I think she has five, Bushnose," Flametoe answered.

A rasping cough came from the back of the den. "I think I'm on my last life," Feathertwist joked.

"No you're not! You just have a little cold, probably whitecough," Flametoe told her. "Brownpaw, could you get Feathertwist a bit of catmint?"

Brownpaw returned to his mentor with empty paws, shaking his head. "We're all out of catmint," she said.

"Bushnose, could you take your apprentice or another warrior out for catmint for Feathertwist?" Flametoe asked.

"Sure!" Bushnose replied. He padded out of the medicine cat den, and called for Whitedew. "Whitedew! Could you come and fetch some catmint with me?"

"'Course, Bushnose," Whitedew said, purring.

The pair were walking near the SkyClan border, and Watertail padded up to Bushnose and Whitedew. "What are you doing in SkyClan territory, you RockClan pieces of fox dung?" she spat.

"This isn't SkyClan territory, and for your information, you're the piece of fox dung!" Whitedew hissed.

"Well, you were. I've scented RockClan stench on my territory. Do you think you want to lie to me about crossing the border?"

"No! We were never over there. Why would we want to smell like SkyClan dung?" Bushnose spat.

"Look at this!" Watertail snarled, revealed the bush she was standing in front of. A tuft of brown fur and the stale scent of Dustclaw were stuck to the bush.

"Why would Dustclaw want to be on SkyClan territory?" Bushnose asked.

"So it's Dustclaw, is it. He'll be getting a good clawing his next visit." Watertail mused happily.

"No he won't! He must've just sleepwalked, or maybe you don't mark your borders enough, so he did it on accident! You must've attacked during the night and stole his fur. That's how much fox dung you're full of!" Bushnose hissed back.

"Say that again, mouse-heart!" Watertail challenged.

"You're full, of fox dung," Bushnose said, enunciating smoothly. With that, Watertail leaped on top of him, and hissing and clawing and tearing with her claws anything she could reach. Whitedew hissed in fury and bit Watertail's tail and pulled her back. She wheeled around and jumped on top of her other attacker. She was twice the size of Whitedew, and ten times more experienced in fighting.

Bushnose repeated the same thing Whitedew had done, and before Watertail could turn around, Whitedew was on top of her again. Watertail tried to flip and and crush her, but she made the mistake of exposing her soft underbelly, which Bushnose clawed a few times before she could get away. They continued the pull-on-her-tail move a few more times before she tried it on them. She pulled Bushnose's tail, he flipped, and she had got a tight grip on his throat. It was getting harder and harder to breath.

Suddenly Whitedew slashed at Watertail's spine as hard as she could. Watertail whipped around, but Whitedew wasn't there. She was at Bushnose's side, and they were doing something very unusual. They stood up on their hind legs, stretched their forepaws out as far as they could, stretching out their claws, and trying to slowly inch forward. They fell a few times, because standing on their hind legs was not something they had practiced.

They were exposing their stomachs and had gotten scratched quite a few times, so they would have to try and do this some other way. They came down on their forepaws, and starting walking towards. Every time she tried to claw them, they slashed out a paw and defended themselves. They were slowly putting her back inside the border. Soon she was back on her side of the border.

"You can't cross the border either! Especially when we haven't!" Bushnose yowled.

"I'll get you mouse-hearts some day!" Watertail growled.

"Bushnose! Look at your neck! It's bleeding like crazy! And look at your legs! And-and all of you! We have to get you back." Whitedew said worriedly. Bushnose shook his head.

"We have to get the catmint for Feathertwist!" he objected. He took a step in the direction of the catmint, but instantly fell to his knees.

"We have to get you back now. You might be dead before we get there. I don't want to lose you." Whitedew sobbed. She stared into Bushnose's eyes. "I love you."

Bushnose was shocked by the last three words that tumbled out of her mouth. "I-I love you too, Whitedew," he purred. "We need to get back to camp. You've got some pretty bad wounds too." he told her.

They both slowly limped back to camp.

"Is Feathertwist gonna be alright?" Bushnose asked worriedly.

"Without the catmint, I don't know. I think it's turned into greencough," Flametoe answered regretfully.

"Fla-Flametoe?" Feathertwist rasped. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Flametoe prompted, leaning close to his patient.

"Before Leopardfrolic died, he said something. Watertail and I were the only two to hear it. I was too scared to tell anyone before, but I'm going to die, and you need to know. Bushnose, you need to hear this too." Feathertwist said.

But Bushnose was already listening curiously, wondering what in StarClan his mother was talking about. "Alright." he answered, waiting for her to speak.

"It was... the bushes will rustle, and water will flee, and the sky will fall to the rocks," she said, recalling the medicine cats strange words. "Good-bye, Bushnose. I have struggled to stay alive too long. It is time for me to go to StarClan and be with your father."

"Please don't go. I don't want lose you and Fallear. Please don't die." he pleaded. But her eyes were starting to glaze over. Bushnose bowed his head, having to accept that her time had come.