Hello, and thank you to whoever is still following this! I'm sorry it took so long and the chapter is short, but between school and writer's block I'm wiped! Anyway, ONWARD!
Tigerstar paced the length of the clearing, waiting as Brokenstar leaned over a pool of filthy water.
"Come on… come on! This ferret-brained pool has to be good for something!"
"With luck it will give us insight to the Clans in a way the cats we already have cannot." Thistleclaw said. "Since we can no longer posses them, we must look to other options."
Well it's taking forever!" Brokenstar swiped the water and the normally clouded surface cleared to show a foggy picture of a tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes talking to two grey she-cats.
"This is the one foretold to bring our doom." Thistleclaw growled. "She is the one we must kill first and the rest will follow like mice into our paws! We will rule the forest! But first… we get rid of those forsaken ThunderClan cats!"
The Dark cats in the clearing snarled and roared with loud, savage yowls of "Kill them!" Their jubilant cries rang into the dark night, trapped by the filthy air they breathed. Tigerstar grinned evilly at his mentor's side. Their plan was finally coming together! They had pawns in each Clan, and when the time was right, they would strike! No one would be able to stop them, not even StarClan! They would destroy those wretched cats! They would rule the Clans… and those cats would regret the day they were kitted.
Ruthen's eyes snapped open and she bolted out of the den. Jayfeather would know what she saw!
"Wake up!" She hissed, prodding the grey tom frantically with a sheathed paw.
"What?!" He groused, stumbling to his feet.
"I was asleep and there was this really creepy place with all these dead trees and thick fog and these cats were all in a clearing! Most of them were standing around waiting but a few of them were trying to look through the nasty puddle of water and they got it to work but it showed us! Every cat in that clearing wanted to kill ThunderClan, Jayfeather, they said it themselves!" She whimpered.
"Calm down!" he muttered. "I can't think with all your panting. Go tell Ashfur and the others and I'll give you a poppy seed so you can go back to sleep."
"I have a bad feeling about this, Jayfeather… something's going to happen tonight!" She hissed. "I don't know what and I don't know when but I don't need to sleep, I have to stay awake!"
"Go tell the others and try to get some sleep. I'll ask some other cat to stand vigil and warn the camp if something happens, will that help?"
"I can't sleep now! Not when everything's happening! Those cats were really bad, Jayfeather!"
"A group of cats, then. Whoever can't sleep will stand vigil so if one gets attacked then others can sound the alarm. We'll have some cats on standby to warn the other Clans. It's close to dawn anyway, so cats will start to get up. Will you be alright?"
"I'll feel better when you find me something to do."
"Ask Brambleclaw for a hunting patrol. When you come back from that, ask some cat to go over basic moves for battle. I'll have something for you by then."
"Thanks, Jayfeather! I'm sorry… I made you stay up the whole night, didn't I?"
"No, Ruthen. It's alright. I couldn't sleep anyway. Go ask for a patrol, keep yourself busy. And let me know if you get any strange feelings or visions or something. I think StarClan is trying to warn us." He wouldn't be able to handle it if she got depressed again. Not when she was doing so well already... she was kind, but he'd never seen a cat so embarrassed when praised or so apologetic! In the last few moons she and Fallen had stayed, she'd been a great help all around. The siblings definitely proved their worth in the Clan's eyes, but seemed ready to run at any second. At least Fallen had Hollyleaf to think about. As strange as it was to imagine his sister having a mate, he was glad for her.
"Will do." Ruthen nodded seriously. "See you around, Jayfeather!"
She'd make a wonderful medicine cat; he'd have to see if Firestar would like having her.