CHAPTER 27-Fever

My limbs wouldn't move and my head ached as if it had been crushed by a rock. It burned too, with a fiery fury that flickered and smothered like a fireplace. My eyes wouldn't open, so everything that stood before me was an empty black hole. The heat sizzled.

A pang of fear stabbed through me and I wildlylooked around. The weight on my head forced me to move slowly. Where was I? What was happening?

"Ashley..." a voice whispered. Or, rather, a she-cat's voice.

"Who's there?" I asked, my hackles rising.

A silvery she-cat stepped out of the darkness, her light grey tabby pelt shimmering with stars. She dipped her head.

She mewed, "Greetings, Ashley. I am Feathertail." She blinked warmly.

My breath caught in my throat. Feathertail? Am I in StarClan?

She looked around, and I noticed that she seemed nervous. Even though her eyes were bright and warm, her ears were laid flat against her head, and the fur on her back was bristling.

"It's not safe here anymore," she whispered softly. I blinked.

She looked around warily, and then let out a deep sigh. The cat sat down and curled her tail around her paws.

She smiled. "You made the journey to the mountains safely. I'm glad."

I nodded, waiting for her to continue to talk.

She gazed around at the black void. "To the Clans, it is known as StarClan. But it has other names as well. 'Dreamland', the 'Great Constellation', 'Starpool', and many others."

I hesitated, and then meowed, "The prophecy. I'm sorry, I can't do it."

Feathertail's eyes widened in surprise, and then they clouded over in desperation. "But you have to. If you can't save us, then no one can." I took a hesitant step backwards.

I looked down at my paws and meowed quietly, "The price is too high. And besides, I'm too weak, and...and...insignificant. You can choose someone stronger and better than me, can't you?"

Feathertail sighed. She padded forward and brushed her chin against my shoulder. I flicked my ear nervously.

She sighed again. "No, it has to be you. Firestar was the one who chose you, after all."

My eyes widened in surprise. "He...he chose me? But why?"

Her whiskers twitched. "I'll show you," she replied. The cat leaned forward and touched her nose to my forehead. I immediatley shrank back, but a bright light abruptly exploded inside my head. A flame burned red behind my eyes.

The black emptiness disappeared, and suddenly, I found myself standing in front of a silvery pool. The water was still and calm and shimmered with the reflection of stars. A group of cats were seated all around, quietly staring into the body of water.

A tall and lean black and white tom straightened his back and rasped, "It is now time to choose the cat. Is everyone ready?" The others nodded.

My brow twitched in confusion. Why were they acting as if I wasn't there? Could it be that I was invisible to them?

In the pool, a figure of a cat appeared, lean and well-muscled with very dark grey fur. The black and white tom continued, "I think Crowfeather is able. Yes, he is short-tempered and wary, but he is loyal and will stop at nothing to defend WindClan. He is strong enough and will surely prevail." The cats around him silently regarded the figure in the pool.

A ginger tom, Firestar, sat at the farthest edge. He mewed, "Crowfeather does have the devotion and loyalty, but I think that there is a better choice, Tallstar."

Tallstar, the black and white tom, lashed his long tail but said nothing.

He nodded at a tabby tom next to him. His amber eyes were bright and his pelt was torn and shabby, and I recognized him as Raggedstar. The tom stepped foward and meowed in a loud voice, "The chosen cat should be Rowanclaw." The pool shimmered and rippled, and the form of Rowanclaw appeared.

The cats murmured and peered down at the shape, admiring his strength and the determined look on his face.

Raggedstar continued, "He is strong and carries the pride of ShadowClan on his shoulders. He is an excellent choice."

One cat spoke up. "But his pride only extends to ShadowClan. What about the other three Clans? Will he be devoted in protecting them too?"

Tallstar nodded. "Remember, the evil will affect all of the Clans in the Lake. We can't have a cat who is devoted to aiding only one."

Raggedstar growled softly, but didn't object. A spotted she-cat on the opposite side straightened up, and from her appearance, I could tell that it was Leopardstar. She murmured, "I choose Mistystar. I hope you approve my choice."

The soft grey she-cat's reflection rippled across the surface of the water.

Leopardstar meowed, "She was the best deputy I could have ever asked for, and a great leader as well."

The cats murmured among eachother, their voices sounding like the soft hush of wind against leaves.

Firestar twitched his ears, thinking, and then he finally said, "She is a great leader, but she's not strong enough to fight the evil."

He looked around at all of the cats, and mewed, "I choose Ashley."

I stiffened at the sound of my name.

Confused looks met his green gaze as the cats quietly whispered, "Ash...ley? Who's she?"

An elder scoffed, "She sounds like a kittypet to me."

The cats sent Firestar accusing glares as they hurriedly whispered among themselves.

The ginger tom chuckled. "Oh don't worry. She certainly isn't a kittypet. Not even close."

The pool bubbled and churned as everyone strained forward to see what Ashley looked like. Finally, the silver water grew still, and the reflection of a human made them all gasp. I felt my chest tighten as I gazed at the scene.

The girl had shoulder-length black hair and dark brown eyes, the form of Ashley, the shape of me.

Tallstar stammered, "This...this is impossible! You can't choose a Twoleg, Firestar!"

The ThunderClan leader blinked calmly. "Ashley's not an ordinary Twoleg. She burns brighter than any star, even brighter than the sun."

Leopardstar hissed, "She's a Twoleg!"

Firestar's eyes hardened. "She's more loyal than Crowfeather, stronger than Rowanclaw, and her heart is gentler than Mistystar. She is an excellent choice."

Loyal. Strong. Gentle. Firestar thought I was all of those things combined. My eyes softened.

Raggedstar studied the image lapping at the water. "But is she brave?" he muttered quietly.

Firestar hesitated, but then insisted, "She will learn. She will become an apprentice and learn the ways of the Clan, she will rise and become a warrior, and when the time is right she will find her wings and soar, higher and higher up into the clouds, and burn the feathers in the sun. And she will rise. She will."

Tallstar shifted uncomfortably. They all did.

He rasped, "Firestar, are you sure?" The ginger tom nodded, his green eyes flashing with determination.

Leopardstar regarded him quietly. She meowed, "Then if you are right, that Ashley really is as strong, loyal, kind, and brave as you say, then the Clans will prosper. But if you are wrong..." Her eyes darkened.

"If you are wrong, then it will be too late to choose another cat. The evil is already gathering even as we speak."

Firestar closed his eyes. The pool and cats dimmed until they had disappeared, and I wrinkled my brow in confusion.

All of a sudden, I was back in the shifting black void with Feathertail standing in front of me. She opened her eyes and said, "That was a flashback of how their meeting went all those moons ago. So, you see? We're all counting on you."

Her blue eyes reflected slight desperation. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. What could I say?

She continued, "If you can't do it, no one can. Be brave."

"I'm not brave. Not in the least," I replied, my voice trembling.

Feathertail dipped her head. "We're all depending on you. Just try, okay?"

Something flickered at the corner of my eye, something large and murky.

I meowed, "I don't even know what the evil is yet. What do I need to fight?"

The she-cat hunched over and looked around nervously. In a much quieter voice, she murmured, "This is StarClan. I can't dare say the evil's true name. But you'll find out soon enough." She began to fade.

My ears perked up. "Wait!" I called, lunging for her. The shape in the corner shifted and flickered again, and it seemed to be watching me.

All at once, the heat in my head pounded against my skull, and it was too much. It felt as if I was on fire, and the dark void began to disappear as it was consumed by lapping flames. Fear gripped my heart.

OooOoOOoOOoOoOoOoOoOoOooOoOoOooooOoooooOoOo

"She's waking up!" a voice exclaimed.

I slowly opened my ears, my vision blurry as I gazed up at the three faces peering down at me. Snowstorm, Dewstep, and Stoneteller. They all had worry etched in their expressions.

My head throbbed. Even though there was a red heat pushing against the back of my eyes, my limbs felt ice-cold and numb. Stoneteller meowed, "You're finally awake. You've got a slight fever from an infected scratch, and I've been trying to treat you."

I groaned and tried to sit up. "It feels as if my head is on fire." Dewstep urged me back down gently. "Don't try to get up," he said. "Just rest."

Snowstorm still looked worried as he curled up next to me. His fluffy white fur brushed against mine.

I let myself fall back against the moss nest and wrapped my tail around me. Feathertail and the dream was still fresh in my mind, and my chest felt weighted down, as if there was a boulder on top of it. Feathertail looked so timid and scared, and all of the StarClan cats were expecting me to save them. Firestar trusted me most of all. But what could I do? I didn't have the strength or the loyalty or the heart. And I wasn't brave. I wasn't brave at all.