CHAPTER 39-Happiness

I slowly opened my eyes to find myself lying in the darkness of a den. The sharp, spicy smell of herbs wafted in the air all around me. I sat up stiffly and winced, waiting for the pounding pain in my head to flare up again.

I suddenly felt light and energetic, not at all sluggish and ill like before. I quickly pressed a paw up to my forehead. The fever was gone.

A tabby tom poked his head into the room and smiled in relief when he saw me. It was Kestrelflight, and he looked a lot more rested and at ease.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes. But what happened? How did I get here?"

The medicine cat explained, "Snowstorm told me everything. You took him over to a large cliff at the very edge of the territory, and that's where you found the healing herb. Turns out, it was the leaf of a peppermint that cured the fever."

He grinned happily. "WindClan will be saved!"

I smiled too. His happiness radiated and glowed until it filled up the whole den. I stood up and followed him deeper into the cave. All around us, the sick cats were opening their eyes and stirring awake from their illness. Snowstorm, Larksong, Aspenpaw, and a few other cats were feeding them peppermint leaves.

I suddenly halted and tensed up when Onestar padded into view. He stood tall and firm and regarded me quietly with his amber eyes. His expression was still and calm, so I had no idea what was going on in his mind. I crouched still, ready to run if he tried to attack me. Ashfoot stood silently by his side.

My eyes widened when he abruptly crouched down and dipped his head at me, like he was bowing. Ashfoot closed her eyes and did the same. All around me, cats were weakly standing up and regarding me, acknowledging me for saving them.

I wasn't sure what to say. I was flattered and blushed from all the attention.

Onestar straightened up. When he gazed at me, his eyes were soft and kind.

"Thank you, Shadefrost," he breathed. "If it weren't for you, who knows what might have happened to WindClan. You've helped us all."

He swept his tail over to Snowstorm. "Thanks to you and your friend."

I dipped my head in respect and replied, "Thank you, Onestar. But really, it wasn't because of me. StarClan sent me a dream and told me where the herb was." I breathed a silent prayer of gratitude to Feathertail, wherever she may be.

The leader grinned. "That may be true, but nonetheless, you were a hero. Because of your determination and compassion, your perseverance and sympathy, WindClan will live. We owe it to you. Is there anything you need?"

I hesitated, thinking. "I ask for nothing except for peace for my Clan."

I ducked my head and looked up at him shyly. "And, uh, is it alright if you don't tell any of this to Bramblestar? He'll be really upset if he found out that I was here."

He nodded gratefully. "I won't say a word of this to anyone."

Ashfoot flicked her tail, and all of the WindClan cats began chanting me and Snowstorm's name.

"Shadefrost! Snowstorm! Shadefrost! Snowstorm!"

The happiness and relief was evident on their faces. A huge wave of warmth swept over me.

Onestar meowed, "And, uh, sorry for attacking you earlier. I only thought you were an intruder."

I smiled and nodded, letting him know that I forgave him.

"Shadefrost!"

Aspenpaw bounded energetically toward me and tackled me playfully to the ground.

"Thank you so much!" she squeaked. I grinned back.

I did it. I actually did it. I saved a Clan. I closed my eyes in gratitude. Maybe now, I can finally call myself the Prophecy's chosen cat.

OoOOooOOoOoOoOoOoOoooOoOoOoOOoOoOooOoOo

After the excitement died down, Snowstorm and I prepared to leave.

"So it's over now? You don't need anything else?" I asked.

Larksong nodded. "Yes. I know I've already told you this a million times now, but thank you for everything."

Kestrelflight added, "Take care of yourselves."

Larksong escorted us back to our territory. We stopped at the border, exchanging our final farewells.

She purred and nuzzled my fur, and I licked her ear.

She murmured quietly, "I have no doubt that you are the rightful cat for the prophecy. May StarClan light your path, no matter what comes your way."

I gazed at her. "What makes you think I'm the right cat?" Part of me already knew, but I wanted to hear her say it.

"You've proven it today. You were as gentle as a doe, as fierce as a badger when you needed to be, and overall, because of your kind heart, WindClan will be forever grateful to you."

She nodded at Snowstorm, who was standing some distance away, too far away to hear the conversation. "Your companion, too. He stood by your side no matter what happened. He was as determined as a high-flying eagle and as loyal as a lion."

She pressed her forehead to mine. "Goodbye, Shadefrost."

"Bye, Larksong."

I watched as she disappeared among the tall, moorland grass.

When I turned back to Snowstorm, he gave me a weak smile.

"Well, let's hope we're prepared to face Bramblestar's wrath," he mewed.

OooOoOoOoOoOOoOoOoOOoOooOoOoOOoOoOOoOooOoOo

Luckily, Bramblestar's punishment for us wasn't too severe. I made up an excuse that Snowstorm and I had gone hunting, and we had strayed too far from the Lake and got lost. We backed it up by showing him some prey that we had caught while we were returning from WindClan.

He was skeptical, of course.

"Two months ago, you went missing, claiming that it was because StarClan sent you to the mountains. Now you go missing again and say it was because you got lost. What am I supposed to do with you two if you keep disappearing every few moons?" he growled. But I could tell that he wasn't as angry as he sounded.

He made us stay confined to the camp for three days, which made me breathe a sigh of relief. The punishment could have been a lot worse.

During those three days, Dewstep quickly healed.

"So what was the real reason you were gone?" he asked.

Snowstorm shrugged. "Oh, you know, we got stuck in WindClan, were temporarily kept as prisoners on the territory, Shadefrost almost died from a fever, but all in all, it was an exciting adventure."

Dewstep shoved his brother away, almost playfully, and growled grumpily, "Next time, wait for me before you do anything stupid like that. I wanted to join you guys."

I laughed softly, glad that things had gone right.

There were still a lot of things that the prophecy hadn't revealed yet, like who the "winged lion", the "snake with golden scales", and "the leopard" were, and the evil that I had to face. I knew that in time, everything would be revealed. I only hoped that I would be prepared when that time came.