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Chapter 11

Batwing padded into the medicine cat den, yawning from lack of sleep. Last night had been a blur of tossing and turning as she struggled to get to sleep. Her mind had been swirling with fears of the future, fears for Shadowclan and for Dawnspirit.

It had been nearly half a moon since she had last seen her friend, and her worries had simply been growing. It was clear that Shadowclan was getting rowdier, each day their actions against Thunderclan were more daring, and more frightening. Although Startail had assured Batwing that the fighting would die down, for it was simply border skirmishes, the tiny battles each day unnerved and frightened Batwing.

She had seen what Shadowclan was capable of when they raided the Thunderclan camp, and she was determined that it would not go that far.

"Batwing, good to see you!" Dewpelt also looked tired, with droopy eyes and a slouched figure. However she managed a bright and cheery smile at the sight of the black she-cat. "What can I do for you?" She was sorting herbs, something which she clearly did not need, for her den already very organized, however the practiced movements brought her comfort.

"I was just wondering if I could talk to you about something," Batwing mewed, watching Dewpelt's quick and well rehearsed movements as she picked up catmint and tansy, moving them around. "Its about a dream I had."

Dewpelt froze, her jaws still clamped around a loose bundle of cobwebs. She placed them down on the dirt and looked back up, her blue eyes now wide. "It wasn't from Starclan, was it?" she asked, her tone puzzled.

"No," Batwing mewed slowly, wondering how she had known that. "It was from-" She paused, her eyes flicking up at Dewpelt, wondering if she could say who had truly visited her.

Dewpelt looked at the warrior kindly. "Its alright, I won't judge, we all have secrets we're ashamed of."

"It was from Nightclaw," Batwing murmured, staring down at her paws, not wanting to face the medicine cat's shocked stare. However when she looked back up, Dewpelt didn't look so surprised.

"He's in the dark forest, isn't he," she mewed quietly. "Because of his plans to overthrow Thunderclan."

Batwing didn't question the fact that she seemed to know so much, just nodded mutely. "He gave me a prophecy, but I don't understand any of it." She closed her eyes slowly, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "As crooked ways corrupt the forest, hope will be found at the light of dawn. Yet until blood is spilled and secrets learned, peace shall not come." As she recited the prophecy, Dewpelt's eyes got wider and wider, and a fearful look entered them.

"Are you sure that was what he said? That exact prophecy?"

Batwing nodded, taken aback by the look on Dewpelt's face. "Y-yes," she said quickly.

Dewpelt looked back down at the ground, her chest rising up and down in a slightly panicked way. "Don't worry about it," she mewed hurriedly. "I'm sure its nothing. It must be referring to Crookedstar and what's going on in Shadowclan, but that will all pass soon." She nudged Batwing out of the door, a forced smile on her face. "Just forget about it, I'll figure out what it means."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Batwing," Dewpelt persisted, pushing her out of the den. "I promise I'll take care of it."

Batwing padded away, out into the camp, puzzled by Dewpelt's reaction. However she pushed it off. With a sigh, she headed towards the gorse tunnel, hoping that some hunting would help her relax. She sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of something juicy, however she ignored the rabbit which was scuffling around in the shrubbery, and the mouse hiding under some leaves, for now her mind was working at full speed.

"The prophecy..." she murmured, her brow furrowed, and heart pounding. "Crooked ways, its about Crookedstar!" She glanced back at the Thunderclan camp, before bounding through the trees, her breathing hard. "Oh, Dawnspirit!"

Dewpelt closed her eyes, willing her mind to relax. Batwing's words had filled her with a raging panic, and she was determined that she would not be fazed by the information. She was not surprised that Nightclaw had chosen Batwing as the receiver of the prophecy, although it had taken her awhile to understand that Nightclaw was the she-cat's father, she had eventually put together the puzzle.

However the thing which bewildered her was why the tom would choose to take over Starclan's responsibilities, surely he couldn't know that their ancestors had chosen to be silent. If he was isolated in the dark forest then how could he know the prophecy, and why would he help the clans?

She shook her head, as if to put her buzzing thoughts in order. One more question filled her mind, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut in annoyance. There was surely a connection between Nightclaw and this strange she-cat who had visited her in the dream, Nina she had called herself.

"But who is she," Dewpelt murmured, her eyes clouding over. "And why is she helping the clans?"

Batwing's head was now pummeling with information, and she forced her paws to slow down as the unpalatable scent of the thunderpath punched her in the face. She shifted her paws nervously, gazing across at Shadowclan territory.

Before she had any time to doubt her decision, she darted forward, her paws smacking the unnatural black stone of the thunderpath. The smoky scent surrounded her as she stepped off into the forest once more. Batwing quickly rolled around in some foxdung to disguise her scent, knowing that if Shadowclan were to discover she had been here, it would be disastrous.

She then raised her nose to the air, gagging at her own scent. "I'm getting lucky today," she muttered with a smile as she caught wind of Dawnspirit, originating from somewhere close to where she was. She followed her nose through the forest until she came upon a small clearing, similar to the one she had met with Dawnspirit in just half a moon ago.

The she-cat was sleeping, her chest heaving up and down rhythmically. Batwing paused for a moment, knowing she should simply let her sleep, however her fear drove her over. She prodded the she-cat, who let a groan of annoyance as her eyes flickered open.

She scrambled to her paws in surprise, blinking rapidly. "Batwing!" Dawnspirit cried. "What are you doing here, what if someone else saw you?"

Batwing shook her head rapidly. "I'm sorry," she mewed. "But I had to see you!"

"I know," Dawnspirit murmured, her eyes sad. "Things have been happening here, horrible things. Everything's only getting worse!" She curled her legs under herself, her body shrunken from defeat. "Crookedstar is destroying Shadowclan, I don't think there's anything that can stop him now."

"Thats not true!" Batwing hissed, her golden eyes sparked with sudden anger and belief. "Listen to me, I know he'll be stopped, we can't give up."

"Whats the point?" Dawnspirit asked, her voice sad. "What can just two cats do? I fear for my life in my very own clan, at any moment Crookedstar could kill me just like he killed Pebbletail!"

"Then you fight back." Batwing's voice was stern, hoping to knock some sense into the hysterical she-cat. "If he ever tries to do anything to you, you fight him with all your might and show him that you're not a cat to be messed with."

Dawnspirit looked down at the ground, her fur puffing up in faint embarrassment. "I can't," she mumbled, her voice a fearful whisper.

"What? You can't what?" Batwing asked, confused.

Dawnspirit ducked her head again, shyly. "I can't fight," she muttered.

"What?!"

"I can't fight," Dawnspirit repeated, her face an abashed scowl. "Pebbletail never taught me how, he wouldn't say why, simply that he had made a promise to a friend a long time ago."

Of course, Batwing thought, groaning. Eaglewing's request. "Why didn't you learn after he died, though? When Crookedstar became leader?"

Dawnspirit laughed, a throaty and angry sound. "He said that fighting wasn't something a medicine cat should learn. He'd punish me if I tried to learn."

Batwing shook her head, the words not making any sense. "Why wouldn't he let you learn to you?" she whispered, bewildered. "Unless..." Unless Dawnspirit's the only one who can stop him. This thought stunned her, however suddenly everything seemed to make sense, the prophecy, the dreams, all of it.

"Hope will be found at the light of dawn," she mewed, her voice so soft and inaudible. "Its you, its always been you."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Batwing mewed quickly. She turned around, her eyes now bright and excited. "I'm going to teach you how to fight."

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