CHAPTER 37-A Trail of Tears

I slowly gnawed at a mouse in a corner of the clearing, my mind on other things. There was a heavy weight on my shoulders, a boulder that was slowly crushing me and suffocating me. I knew how much of a burden it felt to be in the center of a prophecy. Everyone was counting on me to lead them to safety, to justice. But what if I failed?

Snowstorm padded towards me and I quickly straightened up.

"Is Dewstep going to be okay?" he asked.

I forced a smile. "Yup. Briarlight said that his wounds will heal if he rests."

He sighed in relief. "That's great."

I noticed how close he was with his brother. The two of them rarely left each other's side, and even though they bickered often, they forgave each other easily.

They care about each other a lot, I thought, before I was mildly jolted out of my thoughts by Snowstorm settling down next to me.

I nudged the mouse toward him. "You can finish it," I said. I wasn't that hungry anyway.

My gaze drifted across the clearing. The warm sunlight dappled the frost on the ground and melted it into a light, buttery white painting. The bare trees hung their fingers over the camp, shielding it from any intruders in the outside world. Kits tumbled around outside of the nursery, and elders watched them sleepily from their den. It seemed so peaceful. It was hard to imagine anything bad happening to ThunderClan.

Cloudtail and Brightheart were sharing tongues nearby, chatting softly and grooming eachother's fur. Cloudtail had a soft, dreamy look in his eyes whenever he saw his mate. It was a look mingled with gentleness and affection, a feeling that spoke of quiet love.

I want someone to look at me that way.

Snowstorm stood up and ruffled his fur. "You wanna go for a walk?" he asked.

At first, I hesitated, but after looking up at the sky, I decided that it was safe. The bright sunlight beamed across the horizon, flooding the vast expanse with brightness. Furled Bracken had said that the light repelled the Darklings. The forest was protected, for now.

"Sure," I replied. "Where to?"

"I spotted a few rabbits near the stream the other day. Amberlight loves them. We should go catch some."

The two of us padded out of the camp and we busied ourselves with hunting.

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The cool wind teased my fur. The snow was beginning to melt, forming white puddles on the ground that spoke of long-ago things. Icicles dripped steadily from branches. We were nearing the WindClan border where the stream gurgled continuously. The same rotten, slightly acidic tang of the WindClan cats made me wrinkle my nose.

Snowstorm grimaced.

I asked, "Should we ask Bramblestar to help them? Maybe they don't have enough herbs to cure the disease..."

He shrugged. "I don't think Onestar would be too happy if we offered to help them. And besides, we shouldn't go near them. It might be contagious."

"Yeah, but still..."

I gazed off at the WindClan territory. The same, endless flowing grass waved lazily across the pale dirt. A lark chirped its hearty tune, its call echoing across the moor. It seemed as ordinary as ever. Should I really be worrying?

Without warning, a fluffy brown shape suddenly darted out of a clump of grass right in front of me.

I quickly lunged, but the rabbit was already zigzagging its way across the ground, its ears flat across its back and its black eyes wide and frightened.

Snowstorm leaped towards it. He opened his mouth, but his teeth sank into nothing but open air. I bunched up my muscles and gave chase. I couldn't let it get away!

The rabbit sprinted desperately away from me, its hind legs pounding on the ground and kicking up dirt. I bounded forward, my lungs heaving, and gave one final swipe.

My claws dug deep into tan fur. Yes! I finished it off with a swift bite to the neck, and looked up at Snowstorm proudly as I clutched the dead rabbit in my mouth.

"That was amazing!" he purred, smiling. He nuzzled my cheek. The warm feeling of his fur on mine remained long after he had pulled away.

Something abruptly rustled in the bushes nearby. Was it more prey?

A cold wind blew the scent over to us, and my hackles rose when I realized that it was WindClan scent. What was a WindClan cat doing on our territory?

Snowstorm growled and stood in front of me. "Show yourself!" he hissed.

The bushes rustled again and lay still. I flattened my ears, waiting for the trespassing warrior to leap out and tackle us.

Instead, a small, tawny head popped up, her green eyes widening in fear when she saw us. From her size, I could tell that she wasn't any older than an apprentice.

"Don't hurt her," I whispered to Snowstorm.

The WindClan apprentice leaped out of the bush and stammered, "I-I, um, I'm sorry! I wasn't stealing p-prey or anything!"

She was scrawny and thin, and her russet pelt was bedraggled and looked as if it hadn't been groomed in days. Her emerald eyes were fearful, and her ears were laid flat against her head. Even though her fur was dull and dirty, her eyes still looked bright. Despite her bedraggled appearance, I thought she still looked pretty.

Snowstorm relaxed and sheathed his claws.

He demanded, "What are you doing on ThunderClan's territory? You know you crossed the border, right?"

She scuffled her paws on the earth. "I...I know," she murmured. "But I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to escape from the camp for a while."

I was suddenly filled with curiosity. Now was the chance to see what was wrong with WindClan.

"I've been noticing a weird scent coming from your Clan," I meowed. "Is everything alright?"

The she-cat looked startled for a bit, but then ducked her head.

"It's what I've been running away from," she murmured quietly.

Snowstorm tipped his head to one side, as confused as I was.

She looked away. "Onestar will be angry if I told you."

I sighed. "Alright, then. If you don't want to tell me, then you don't have to. Do you want us to escort you back?"

She didn't respond. She seemed to be debating with herself, for her eyes were stern and unfocused.

Finally, she mewed hesitatingly, "If I tell you, will you promise to help my Clan?"

She lowered her gaze. "It killed off my parents, and the elders, and some of the warriors and apprentices too. I was one of the lucky ones who survived. It's some kind of sickness. Kestrelflight is trying his best to cure it, but I don't think he can."

She blinked at us desperately. "Please help. The whole Clan is in danger. I was so tired of the stench of death, of the sound of cats wailing, that I decided to run away for a while. To empty my mind of the thoughts. And that's how I ended up here."

I looked over at Snowstorm.

"Should we help her?" I asked haltingly. Bramblestar wouldn't like it much if he found out we were aiding another Clan. I shivered when I imagined him glowering over me, his amber eyes glowing hauntingly bright and his lips drawn back into an angry snarl.

The apprentice looked away dejectedly, and began half-heartedly trudging back toward her Clan.

The diseased stench coming from WindClan was as strong as ever.

I gulped.

"Snowstorm...I think we should help her," I meowed.

His eyes widened. "What? We'll get into trouble!"

"We can sneak in and talk to the medicine cat. To try to figure out what's wrong. And besides, if it really is as bad as she said, that everyone is dying, then we really should help."

I wanted to prove to myself that I really was as brave and strong as Firestar saw me to be. If I couldn't rescue even one Clan, then how could I save all four?

Snowstorm stared at me, gaping.

Finally, when he realized that I was serious, he sighed and said, "Alright, then. But don't blame me if Bramblestar flays us alive."

The WindClan cat's eyes grew wide with joy. "Really? You'll help?"

She threw her arms around Snowstorm, burying her face in his fur. "Thank you!"

The white warrior flattened his ears awkwardly and grinned. "Yeah, sure."

She turned away and grew serious all of a sudden.

"There's a gap in the gorse tunnel, so we can sneak through there. Keep low, because the morning patrol is still out there somewhere," she whispered.

We crouched down until our bellies brushed the stiff grass. I sneezed as a dandelion trailed into my nose.

The river separating the ThunderClan and WindClan territories gurgled noisily. Cracked remnants of frost still clung stubbornly to the banks. It was about ten feet wide, and the other side loomed in front of me, taunting me to try to reach it.

I peered down. The river wasn't deep, but it wasn't shallow either. I dipped a paw into it and immediately jumped back in alarm. It was freezing! I shivered and stepped back, glancing up at the other two cats.

"Come on," the apprentice whispered, and splashed into the stream. She jolted a bit, as if she was struck by electricity, but then continued to wade and splash to the opposite bank. She slipped onto the mud and gasped, "What are you waiting for?" Her teeth were chattering.

Snowstorm took a deep breath and dove headfirst into the water. He came up gasping for air and flailed around wildly. Shivering, he crawled up next to the she-cat.

Now it was my turn. I steadied myself and peered down at the surface of the water. I saw my reflection, twisted and distorted by the ripples. The river's silvery sheen made my face look ashen gray. I gulped, and leaped into it. The sharp cold pierced into me like icy teeth. I floundered around crazily, trying to reach my feet down to touch the river bottom. How deep was it? I felt myself sinking. Droplets splashed into my eyes and blinded me, and I managed to somehow swim my way to the opposite bank by thrashing my arms in every direction. I hung on to the grass tightly and scrabbled upward. Snowstorm hauled me out the rest of the way, and I blinked at him gratefully.

The three of us crept along the moorland, slithering among the stalks like adders.

For a second, I scented a whiff of other WindClan warriors nearby, but we hurried away before I could see them.

The camp came into view. It was surrounded by a high wall made out of nettles and gorse. A few cats bustled in and out, and the high wind carried their voices toward us.

The apprentice whispered quietly, "Follow me. There's a gap on the other side."

We carefully crept around the barrier, and sure enough, a hole was protruding from the wall. It was tangled with thorns and bracken and looked like it could hardly squeeze a full grown cat through.

She turned to look at us.

She mewed, "You wait here while I slip in. I'll tell Kestrelflight you're here. He's really soft-spoken and nice, so it'll be fine."

She padded through the hole and vanished inside. The putrid smell was stronger here. It reeked of rotten breath and sickness. I gagged.

My fur was bristling even though I knew that we were well hidden among the tall grass. This was enemy territory. We shouldn't be here. I had broken the warrior code by trespassing on another Clan's land.

But still, I had to do this. I couldn't just let WindClan suffer, and besides, I was StarClan's chosen cat. I wanted to prove myself worthy.

Snowstorm was quiet. He was gazing at me, but then abruptly looked away.

I said, "You can go back if you want. I can do this by myself."

He chuckled softly. "It's a little too late to say that, since we're already here. But it's alright. I can't let you get mauled by angry WindClan warriors on your own."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Part of me didn't want him to leave.

I straightened up and waited for the she-cat to come back. The tom next to me was silent again, his shoulders rigid and his amber eyes blank. He suddenly looked old, a lot older than before, but he wasn't frail. Instead, he was stronger and more mature. His muscles rippled underneath his thick pelt. I remembered the day when I first joined ThunderClan, when he and Dewstep were only small, tumbling kits. That seemed like a century ago.

The she-cat's head poked out of the hole. Her green eyes were wide with joy, and she squeaked, "Come inside! Stay low to the ground, so the others won't see you. I told Kestrelflight you were here."

Snowstorm and I looked at each other. His eyes were questioning, as if they were asking me if I really wanted to do this. I averted my gaze and swept my eyes over to the moorland. The stench of illness writhed and contorted, and it was so strong that I could almost see it slithering across the ground. I nodded at the tom and followed the apprentice inside.

We crept carefully and quietly among the shadows. The camp was unusually quiet and filled with elders, queens, and kits. The kits were usually playful, but today, they just moped around silently. The older cats gazed off into the distance. A lot of them were coughing and had bedraggled appearances.

The she-cat secretly hurried us toward the medicine cat's den. Once inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was too close to the WindClan warriors for comfort.

The den smelled like a mixture of sharp herbs and harsh disease. Further back in another room, I could hear cats coughing and retching.

A skinny shape moved in the darkness of the den. Kestrelflight stepped into the daylight that filtered in through a small hole and I could see all of his features. His fur was thin and messy. His pelt was faded and dull, and his green eyes were tired and fearful. He hadn't slept for many nights. There was a haunted look to his gaze as he studied us quietly. I resisted the urge to hide behind Snowstorm.

Finally, he turned and meowed sternly to the apprentice, "Aspenpaw, why did you do this? You let two ThunderClan warriors onto our territory. You showed them our weakness."

The russet-furred apprentice, Aspenpaw, scuffled her paws and mewed, "I'm sorry, Kestrelflight. But I had to do this. They promised they'd help, and—"

The medicine cat snarled and hissed, "Don't trust anyone outside of the Clan! Honestly, sometimes you make me so angry..."

He suddenly straightened up and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, he sounded calmer.

He turned to me and asked, "Are you sure you really want to help? You're not enemies?"

I nodded and replied, "Yes. I couldn't help but notice the scent coming from WindClan. Snowstorm and I can aid you if you let us."

He sighed. He wound his ragged tail around his paws and mewed tiredly, "Alright, then. Keep your voices low. I have some sick warriors further back inside, but they won't be able to recognize your voices if you whisper."

The mottled tom looked up at us with a pleading expression on his face, with his green eyes wide with fear despite his fatigue. It wrenched my heart.

He whispered, "Please help my Clan. A few moons ago, a mysterious illness swept through the camp. Everyone began to fall ill. Most of them died. I don't know what caused it. I've tried every herb I know, and I tried my best, but they died anyway. If this keeps going on, what will be left of us?"

Snowstorm nudged his ear gently. "Don't worry," he mewed. "We'll help." The medicine cat looked ever so slightly relieved. He pointed his tail toward a pile of herbs. "Rub those on your fur. It'll mask your ThunderClan scent."

After we had done so, he led us deeper into the darkness. Dark forms huddled and shivered on moss nests, and I sucked in my breath as the stench of melancholy slowly became unbearable. The sick cats tossed and turned, groaning, their eyes closed.

One of them wheezed, "Kestrelflight, is that you?" Kestrelflight leaned down and gently stroked her forehead. "Yes, it's alright."

He turned and whispered, "Aspenpaw, fetch some water."

The apprentice quickly streaked out of the den.

I slowly crept closer to the sick cat. Her eyes were shut and sunken in. Her limbs were frail and thin, and her pelt was untidy. I couldn't find any bite marks or wounds on her. It seemed that it was just a fever, but the diseased fire was stronger and raged endlessly throughout her body.

Snowstorm nosed her gently, but she only curled up tighter in response. Her eyes never opened.

Kestrelflight whispered, "I've tried catmint, goldenrod, yarrow, feverfew, borage leaves, burdock root, and many more, but nothing works."

Snowstorm asked, "Is it some sort of infection? Do they have any stomach pains or anything?"

The medicine cat shook his head. "No. It's just the fever. It burns through their body and shrivels them up. Most of them can hardly move, and none of them can eat."

The shuddering bodies of the sick filled up the entire room. I was beginning to grow light headed from the aroma of herbs. The small body of a kit lay still and quiet against the wall. A thick sadness shrouded my thoughts. If this continued, then there would be nothing left of WindClan.

Aspenpaw raced into the den with a soaked moss dripping from her jaws. Kestrelflight placed it carefully onto the patient's forehead and pressed it on there.

"I try to do this to lower their fever," he explained. "But it doesn't do much. Still, I go on hoping."

I asked, "Maybe we should search for a new herb. Or at least find out what's causing this."

"That's going to take an awful long time."

"Still, we have to try."

Kestrelflight hesitated. He gazed at the illness gathered into the room. All of the sadness and melancholy was tangled into one ugly grey mess that stood at his feet, and finally, he hung his head and rasped, "If that's the only option, then I suppose we should take it. Aspenpaw, go guide them around the territory and make sure they don't get caught. Take care that you don't step on any deathberries."

Aspenpaw dipped her head and bounded out. I casted one last glance before leaving. Kestrelflight was bending over the cats, his eyes closed and his ears flattened against his head as if he was asleep.

Aspenpaw beckoned us over, and we inched our way along the shadows of the wall. Luckily, there were only a few warriors prowling around, so we managed to escape outside with ease.

Snowstorm sniffed a dandelion. "So, I guess we should just collect some random plants and see if they work or not."

It was a nearly impossible plan, but I couldn't think of anything better. I plucked roots and leaves out of the ground: daisies, mushrooms, berries, and other vegetation that I didn't know the name of. We kept away from the warriors that constantly patrolled the land, and after we had collected a good bundle, we stole away back to the den.

Kestrelflight sniffed the leaves and stems. He flattened his ears and hissed, "I don't know most of these. Some of them might even be poisonous." He nosed a green stalk. "But...I've never tried basil before. This might work."

He bit off a leaf and padded over to one of the cats lying on the moss.

As gently as a mother speaking to a child, he murmured, "Sparrowflight, eat this."

The warrior weakly lifted his head slowly and carefully, as if he didn't have any strength left. He leaned forward and nipped the leaf gently between his teeth and swallowed it.

Kestrelflight turned to look at us uncertainly. He meowed, "It might take a while for the herb's effects to take hold. Let's try another plant in the meantime."

Aspenpaw bolted out of the camp to gather more, while Snowstorm and I stayed inside. We couldn't risk getting out of the den and being spotted by other cats.

The medicine cat continued to rummage through the pile of vegetation and carefully fed some more to the others.

And then we waited. I could sense tension straining from the tom. His eyes were wide open, and his tail was trembling from either fear or from lack of sleep. I hoped with all my heart that the basil will work.

After a couple of minutes, he let out the breath that he had been holding and placed a paw on one of the cats.

He rasped, "It's not working. We have to try something else."

I nodded silently and glanced over at Snowstorm. "What should we do?" I asked. "It'll take forever to try and see if any random plant will work."

The warrior shook his head. "I don't know," he replied.

Someone was padding into the den. "Kestrelflight?" an old she-cat's voice rasped.

My ears pricked up in alarm. The medicine cat quickly shoved us farther back into a large pile of herbs.

"Hide here," he hissed.

Hidden in the corner, with the sharp scent of herbs engulfing my vision, we peered out as an elder sauntered into the den.

Kestrelflight sniffed her fur and asked desperately, "What's wrong, Larksong? Are you sick too?"

Larksong shook her head and smiled softly.

She mewed, "No, I'm fine. I'm just checking up on the others. Are they beginning to heal?"

He sat down dejectedly and murmured, "No. I don't know what to do anymore."

Larksong nuzzled his cheek gently. "Hey, don't give up now. You're WindClan's faithful medicine cat. You'll think of something."

His tail drooping, he continued to rummage through the pile of plants.

I held my breath as the elder padded closer and closer to our hiding place. What would she do when she discovered us? Would she alert the rest of the clan?

Kestrelflight had disappeared into the deepest corners of the den, so he didn't notice.

Larksong chuckled and murmured, "You two can come out now."

Snowstorm and I froze.

She continued, "I can see your tail poking out."

Snowstorm and I looked uncertainly at each other. Finally, we slowly crept out.

Larksong gazed at us up and down. "Well," she mused. "I wonder why you're here."

Snowstorm put on a hesitant smile. "Uh, well..."

I bunched up my muscles, ready to run if she suddenly alerted the warriors.

"Larkwing!" Aspenpaw cried. The apprentice dashed into the den with a bundle of new plants in her jaws.

Aspenpaw ducked her head and meowed, "Don't worry; they're just here to help. They told me that they'll help us cure the Clan."

The elder leaned forward slowly and studied us. She looked more curious than afraid.

"What Clan are you from?" she asked. "I can't tell with the scent of herbs masking your smell."

Snowstorm spoke up. "We're ThunderClan cats. We decided to aid WindClan after we realized what was happening."

Aspenpaw pleaded, "Please, Larksong, don't tell the others." She looked up at her with her ears flat against her head.

I held my breath, waiting for the elder to reply.

The old cat gazed at Snowstorm, then me, her eyes flickering when she stared into mine.

Finally, she sat back onto her haunches and gave her chest fur a couple of licks. "I don't see why you can't stay for the time being," she replied. "So long as you don't cause any trouble."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

The apprentice jumped up happily and chirped, "Thank you so much!"

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I couldn't help but notice that the elder stared at me more often than usual. When the others were too busy taking care of the sick to notice, she leaned forward and murmured, "You remind me a lot about something..."

My ears pricked up in interest. "Oh?"

She wrapped her tail around her paws and continued, "Kestrelflight and I are close friends, you know. He tells me a lot of things. Like the prophecy that he heard from StarClan ten moons ago." My breath caught in my throat. She knew about the prophecy?

"What is it about?" I managed to say.

"He said that a black she-cat would arrive and settle down near the Lake. He told me that she will save us all from destruction and lead us to victory."

I continued to stare. If Jayfeather and Kestrelflight both knew, then did StarClan tell the ShadowClan and RiverClan medicine cats about it too?

She shifted. "There's also something else that he said. He said, 'There will soon be a beast raging through WindClan, a wild monster that smelled of death. It would leave a trail of fire and tears behind it, and in order to banish it, a certain green must be found. It is the opposite of flame, not quite water, and is located close to the sky and back.' Yes, Kestrelflight tells me a lot of things. I knew him when he was only a kit, you see."

I tipped my head to one side. What did those words from the prophecy mean?

She rasped, "Now, I'm no medicine cat, but I've been thinking about it for a while now. When you're as old as the Lake itself, it gives you a lot of time for thinking. The 'beast' must be the sickness that is ravaging through my Clan right now. It definitely leaves a trail of tears behind it, doesn't it?" She smiled, but her eyes were sad. "The 'fire' is the fever. And in order to banish it, we have to find an herb that is 'the opposite of flame, not quite water, and is located close to the sky and back'."

"Close to the sky and back," I repeated. Was it a leaf on a tree? Or maybe it grew on cliffs...

My fur stood on end when someone slowly padded into the den. Larksong's eyes grew wide in alarm, and I knew that I was in trouble.

A certain brown tabby tom entered the room, his claws trailing lightly over the ground.

"Kestrelflight," he called. "I think you should check on Whiskernose. It's—"

Onestar broke off when he spotted me. We stood staring at each other for a moment, too shocked to think of what to do. My surprise was mingled with fear.

I was caught.