Chapter 4(:

Hailpaw kneaded the ground beneath his paws, earning an amused purr from Littlecloud—the ShadowClan medicine cat that he had only just met. Yellowfang rolled her eyes. "Settle down, Hailpaw, we'll be leaving soon enough."

With a sheepish flick of his ears, Hailpaw sat, bending to lick his chest fur self-consciously. "Sorry, Yellowfang."

The old gray she-cat's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Don't be. I remember being young and excited—even nervous once."

Littlecloud purred again. "I remember well."

Yellowfang scoffed good-naturedly. "Of course you do—you're hardly a kit!"

Hailpaw felt more relaxed as he listened to their playful banter, but a sudden rustle in the ferns on the RiverClan side of the slope had him leaping to his paws again. Mudfur padded calmly into the clearing, his amber eyes glowing as if he were already in the light of the fabled moonstone.

"Greetins." He rumbled. His eyes fell curiously to Hailpaw, who straightened himself under the RiverClan tom's careful examination, wanting—as with the other medicine cats, as well—to make a good first impression. These were the cats he would be serving alongside to keep the clans safe from all that didn't necessarily cross their borders—and even the things that did. Medicine cats followed different rules than warriors, and Hailpaw was ready to learn every one of them for his clan.

"This is Hailpaw," Yellowfang was meowing, looking far more proud than Hailpaw had expected her to be when introducing him. "My apprentice."

Mudfur dipped his head. "It's nice to see a young, eager medicine cat apprentice again."

Hailpaw dipped his head respectfully to the older tom.

"Speaking of eager, he's been fidgeting since first light this morning, and I'm sure Barkface is waiting for us at the edge of WindClan's territory." Yellowfang stood stiffly, and Hailpaw immediately sprang to his paws. Littlecloud stood as well, and Mudfur took the lead as they padded up the WindClan side of Fourtrees.

"Wow," Hailpaw breathed, surveying the moorland with wide eyes. "WindClan lives out here?"

"They do," Littlecloud nodded, before shaking his head. "I wouldn't be able to stand not having any trees. Even in the marsh the pine trees give us cover." Hailpaw shivered himself, missing the trees of his forest.

"But they can't stand the trees blocking their view of the sky." Mudfur commented, glancing towards the snow-laden clouds overhead. Hailpaw followed his gaze curiously.

"That makes sense," he thought aloud, tilting his head, before mimicking Littlecloud and shaking himself—mostly to remove the snow that was gathering on his pelt.

"There you are!"

Hailpaw had been relatively sure they were lost in the snowy hills, finding it nearly impossible to keep track of landmarks, when a cat's impatient yowl startled him out of his thoughts. "Hello to you, too, Barkface!" Mudfur called, his whiskers twitching in amusement. Hailpaw looked up to the rise of the next hill, seeing a small, lithe cat standing there. He had a mottled brown pelt and gray flecks around his muzzle, much like Mudfur, and the apprentice wondered if they had trained to become medicine cats around the same time.

"And who is this?"

"My apprentice, Hailpaw," Yellowfang beckoned him forward. Barkface examined him thoughtfully for a moment, before dipping his head.

"I see StarClan has touched your paws already." The tabby tom rumbled, his eyes flashing.

Hailpaw was surprised for a moment, before he dipped his head in return. "They touch the paws of all cats from the day they are born," he murmured, thinking back to his conversation with Oakheart when he had been but a kit, walking on the edge of life and his place in StarClan. The StarClan warrior had not only spoken of him, but of Foxpaw, Stormpaw, and Featherpaw as well.

"Very true." Barkface purred, before turning around. "This is the edge of WindClan's territory," he told him, motioning the land that now lay before them. "From here on out, we'll be travelling outside of the Clans' territories."

Hailpaw moved to stand beside the older tom, taking in the path before him. In the distance, he could just make out the rocky outline of what had to be Highstones. His paws were tingling, warmth rushing through him to the point that he was sure the snow was melting beneath his paws.

"Let's go then," Yellowfang rasped, taking the lead as she padded down the slope and into foreign territory. Hailpaw felt a thrill of excitement. I'm almost there!

The day should have drug on, but to Hailpaw, it flew past, and he found himself standing at the gaping entrance of Mothermouth, his fur bristling in a mixture of fear and excitement.

"Are you ready?"

Hailpaw nearly jumped out of his fur at Yellowfang's quiet question, but he nodded. "I've never been more ready for something in my life."

Yellowfang purred. "Let's go, then."

The other medicine cats nodded their consent, and with Yellowfang in the lead, they set off down the dark tunnel in front of them. Hailpaw didn't feel daunted by the tight tunnels they wandered through, nor did he feel fear. Only adrenaline worked through his veins, making him eager to rush ahead of his mentor, though he knew there wasn't nearly enough room.

"We're almost there." Yellowfang rasped quietly, and sure enough, a few pawsteps later the tunnel opened up into a large cavern Hailpaw's ice blue eyes grew wide with wonder, and he stepped closer to the Moonstone, which was still dull and lifeless. Yellowfang stepped forward beside him.

"Are you sure about this, Hailpaw?"

The pale tabby lifted his chin, his eyes flashing with determination. "I've never been more certain." He saw the other medicine cats all share an approving look, his heart swelling.

"Then it is time." Yellowfang rumbled. The half-moon finally peaked, a brilliant silver beam of light touching the Moonstone and illuminating the cavern. Yellowfang's fur looked nearly silver, and Hailpaw imagined his must be like snow. The old medicine cat turned towards him. "Hailpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?"

Hailpaw remembered waking up for the first time in moons inside Yellowfang's den. He remembered the pain he felt, and the loss already shining in Cindercloud's eyes. He remembered the light and luster that slowly returned to Foxpaw and the others as he slowly fought his way through his recovery. Most of all, he remembered his dream, and the burning desire within him to one day do the same—to save lives.

"It is." He answered strongly, his chin held high.

"Then come forward." Yellowfang gave him a reassuring look through wise amber eyes as stepped forward, before turning to face the Moonstone again. "Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may understand your ways and heal his clan in accordance with your will."

At the flick of Yellowfang's tail, Hailpaw stepped forward, following her lead as she crouched beside the shimmering rock. The other medicine cats did the same, spread out in a semi-circle around the glowing stone. "Touch your nose to the rock," Yellowfang murmured, closing her eyes. Hailpaw nodded, resting his chin on his paws and touching his nose the Moonstone. It was startlingly cold, but Hailpaw resisted the urge to flinch away, letting his eyes slip shut as the world fell away, bathing him in darkness.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Hailpaw blinked groggily, rising slowly to his paws. In front of him was Oakheart, his reddish-brown fur shimmering with starlight. "Oakheart." He blinked back his surprise.

The StarClan warrior bowed his head. "It's a pleasure to see that you've chosen the path of a medicine cat, Hailpaw."

Hailpaw dipped his head respectfully.

"Are you ready for your first dream?" The pale tabby whirled around, his eyes widening as he saw a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat padding delicately towards them.

"Spottedleaf." Oakheart purred in greeting. The tortoiseshell dipped her head.

"Greetings, Oakheart, and Hailpaw." She turned warm amber eyes on the tom. "I was ThunderClan's medicine cat before Yellowfang," she explained gently.

Hailpaw blinked, suddenly recognizing her from the stories Fireheart had told him and Foxpaw. "My father told me about you." He mewed softly. Her eyes shone, as if she were touched by his words.

"He would." Oakheart rolled his eyes, standing. "Come with me, Hailpaw, there's a lot to show you tonight."

Hailpaw did as he was told, following the former RiverClan deputy through the misty trees that surrounded them. Spottedleaf walked beside him, her mottled pelt just barely brushing his own. It was getting colder, Hailpaw realized, watching with wonder as his breath came out in soft, visible puffs. Snow began falling, as it was in the forest at that very moment. A harsh wind whipped up, buffeting the small apprentice as he struggled to move forward. "O-Oakheart, wait…!" He gasped, struggling to make out the StarClan warrior's hunched form in front of him. Spottedleaf's warmth was fading, and with the next gust of wind, her starry form was whipped away, like sand from the training hollow.

Fear gripped Hailpaw's limbs, and he turned desperately, trying to find either of the StarClan cats. A sudden yowl split the air, and with a strangled cry, Hailpaw stumbled backwards, suddenly greeted with the sight of cats—too many cats—rushing towards him. Blood coated their paws, staining the snowy ground with every step as they surged forward. He glanced behind him, his eyes widening in horror as he saw Fireheart standing at the crest of a hill, his dark blue eyes burning with defiance. Then it occurred to Hailpaw that Fireheart's eyes were green and his pelt the shade of flame—not the dark red of a fox's fur. Realization hit Hailpaw like a blow from an enemy warrior, and he spun to race up the hill towards his brother.

"Foxpaw!" He yowled desperately.

"Get down!" Something bowled into him, knocking the air from Hailpaw's lungs as he found himself pinned in the snow. Oakheart crouched above him, shielding his smaller form as the vicious cats raced past them, up the hill and towards his brother

"No!" He gasped, struggling vainly against the reddish brown tom's large paws. Stormpaw stood beside Foxpaw now, his amber eyes dark as he meowed something Hailpaw was too far away to hear in the ginger tom's ear. The dark gray apprentice padded calmly away, like there wasn't a clan of blood-covered cats racing towards them, screeching fury and spitting curses as they finally started up the hill. Only a tail-length separated Foxpaw from the cat leading the attack, when a wave broke over the hill. The liquid—it couldn't have been water, Hailpaw realized, not being that dark—crashed over Foxpaw, though the tom didn't even blink, watching with dark blue eyes—darker than the midnight sky—as it flooded the clearing, washing the enemy cats away as their furious hisses turned to yowls of terror. Slowly, the liquid cleared, leaving the entire clearing drenched and red. B-blood? Hailpaw's eyes widened in horror as Foxpaw lifted one leg, impatiently shaking the thick substance from his paw. A light was glowing behind him, like the sun, illuminating his brother's dark silhouette as Stormpaw returned, Featherpaw beside him. All of them, he realized, seemed to be glowing, emitting their very own light as they turned and padded away over the hill. Foxpaw hesitated for a moment, his eyes locking with Hailpaw's, before with an inviting flick of his tail, as if beckoning him to follow, he turned and disappeared after Stormpaw and Featherpaw into the blinding light.

Slowly, Oakheart let Hailpaw stand, and the pale tabby stumbled into the clearing, ,his heart pounding as he sank nearly up to his belly fur in blood-soaked snow. "I don't… I don't understand…" He choked out. The scent was everywhere—the scent of blood and death.

"In time," Oakheart murmured, resting his tail on the young tom's flank. "Things will be made clear."

"But…" He turned to face the warrior, but the former RiverClan deputy shook his head.

"Your fellow medicine cats are waiting for you to awaken." He spoke softly as the snow faded away, leaving them standing in a familiar grassy clearing. "Welcome, young Hailpaw," he bowed his head. "You fell asleep awaiting our approval, and we now welcome you as a medicine cat apprentice."

"But my dream…!" Hailpaw's objection died even as it left his mouth as a wave crashed over him, coating him in a dark liquid—one that just couldn't be water. I don't understand…

There's chapter 4! This one took longer to put up, and I apologize for that, but I was having some writer's block. Now that I've gotten beyond that, I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this chapter:D Thanks for reading, and extra love to my reviewers! I'm considering some names for Foxpaw and Hailpaw, but I would still love to hear your suggestions as well(: Thanks again for reading and reviewing, if you reviewed. Lots of love~