The sun was slowly starting to sink in the evening sky as Birdpaw lifted a marigold leaf with her claws. She sniffed it intensely, and compared to the others in the pile, it was stale and dry. She frowned and looked over her shoulder, searching for her mentor. Stormbrook was hunched over, mixing herbs together.
"Stormbrook?" Birdpaw asked.
"What is it?" Stormbrook replied, not looking from where he was working.
"Is this leaf any good?" Birdpaw lifted the marigold petal with her claw.
"What do you think?" Stormbrook asked.
Annoyance burned in Birdpaw's pelt at her mentor's nonchalant tone. "I don't know!" she exclaimed. "I've only been training for three days! That's why I'm asking you!"
"You must learn to trust yourself," Stormbrook meowed calmly.
"Eventually, maybe," Birdpaw argued. "But not in three days! I haven't even been to the Moonpool yet."
"Tonight you will." Stormbrook rose to his paws and pushed the mixture he had been mixing in front of Birdpaw. "This is for you. Usually medicine cats don't eat before their journey to the Moonpool, but it is a far journey, and this is your first trip there. You'll need the energy."
Birdpaw looked down at the mixture of various herbs. She chewed the poultice up, wincing at the bitter taste and asked, "What herbs are in here?"
"Sorrel, daisy, chamomile, and burnet," Stormbrook replied. "The mixture of all four will suppress your hunger and give you the energy you need to make the journey."
Birdpaw nodded, running through the names of the herbs he had listed in her mind. Hunger suppression and energy. Got it. I'm sure there's more to them separately, but for now, those are the traveling herbs. When Birdpaw swallowed the entire mixture, she got to her paws, and surprisingly, she already felt stronger. She tensed her shoulders and looked at Stormbrook. "When are we leaving?"
"Now." Stormbrook peered out the den to see the setting sun. He narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Birdpaw. "After tonight, Birdpaw, your life is going to be completely different."
"Isn't it already different?" Birdpaw quipped.
Stormbrook chuckled dryly. "Tonight, you will officially be a medicine cat apprentice, in the eyes of StarClan. Your life will never be the same as a warrior's. You will not be able to take a mate or kits. You will treat every Clan member as if they were your own family, and you must not show any favoritism. You cannot fall in love."
Birdpaw blinked twice at Stormbrook. She had never thought much about love – what did it matter? If she was going to be a medicine cat, she would abide by the rules. She wouldn't fall in love. "I don't think you need to worry about that, Stormbrook."
A shadow fell across Stormbrook's eyes. "No, Birdpaw. This is the part you must understand. You cannot allow yourself to fall in love. As a medicine cat, love is your worst enemy. It clouds you of your focus, robs you of your thoughts. You cannot treat your Clanmates if you are focusing on a single cat. Lives may be lost."
Stormbrook? Birdpaw gazed at her mentor. It seems like you're talking from experience.
"Going on," Stormbrook meowed, shaking his head, "you will speak to StarClan, and you will receive visions and omens from them as well. No other cat in the Clan will have that power except you and me. This power is lonely. And sometimes, there are cats that cannot be saved, no matter how hard you try. I just want you to be prepared."
"Is there anything good in being a medicine cat?" Birdpaw asked, suddenly feeling as if Stormbrook was just telling her all the reasons she should train as a warrior instead. She didn't think Talonpaw got a lesson like this from Sparrowflight.
"Yes." Stormbrook lifted his head. "Your Clanmates come to you for advice, for help, including your Clan leader. If one of your Clanmates is sick, you can make them feel well again. You will save lives, and by reading StarClan's omens or interpreting your visions correctly, you may very well save your Clan one day by diverting a disaster that you have been warned about." The gray-and-black tom gazed steadily at Birdpaw. "Being a medicine cat is the world's greatest blessing and curse."
Birdpaw was quiet, Stormbrook's words giving her much to think about as she followed her mentor out of the medicine den and across camp. Birdpaw skidded to a halt when she saw Talonpaw bounding over to her. The tabby tom was out of breath, and his fur was ruffled. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "Are you going to the Moonpool?"
Birdpaw nodded. "When I come back, I'll officially be a medicine cat apprentice."
"Good luck!" Talonpaw touched noses with Birdpaw. "I know Thistlesnow and Sparrowflight wanted to say it too, but they're out today. I just got back to camp in time to say bye to you. Don't forget about me when you're the medicine cat!" His striped tail waved in excitement, and Birdpaw forced a smile. She wished she was as excited to be a medicine cat as Talonpaw was for her. He doesn't understand how lonely it'll be, Birdpaw thought. He's going to have his denmates, he'll fall in love one day and maybe have kits, he'll be surrounded by all the cats who love him, but who will I have? I'll be spending my days with Stormbrook, herbs, and dead cats. Is this really what I'm meant to be?
Birdpaw brushed her muzzle against Talonpaw's, keenly aware of Stormbrook's tail-tip twitching in thinly veiled irritation. She padded away from her brother and followed Stormbrook as they crossed the clearing, the warm winds of greenleaf brushing their pelts. Stormbrook cut through the thorn tunnel that made both the entrance and exit of camp, exiting the hollow. Birdpaw was on his heels as the two cats entered the pine forest.
The tall, intimidating pine trees stood starkly against the darkening evening sky, casting shadows on the smooth forest floor. Birdpaw could feel the wind blowing from the lake as Stormbrook led her through a weaving path of smaller trees. Birdpaw found herself quickening her pace, thanking the strength from the traveling herbs, and watched as the shadows became more and more prominent. As Stormbrook and Birdpaw traveled further, Birdpaw could see a large expanse of dark blue, and she let out a gasp.
"Is that the lake?" she asked Stormbrook.
Stormbrook nodded. "We're allowed to travel within three fox-lengths of it to get to the Moonpool. Even though we're medicine cats, we have to abide by the same territory laws as all other cats do."
Birdpaw raced further, wanting to see the lake up close. Just as she nearly approached the lakeshore, she could see all the Clans' territories – the marshes just east of ShadowClan, the rolling hills of the moor in the north, and the oak forest in the west. She could spot the patch of land near the middle of the lake that she assumed was the island, using her sharp eyes to spot the foliage that surrounded the land. In the far distance, she swore she saw the outlines of the mountains the elders spoke about. The indigo of the water rippled softly, reflecting the rising half-moon. Birdpaw padded over to the sandy lakeshore and gazed at her reflection in the water. She saw a small gray-and-white apprentice – not the future medicine cat of ShadowClan, with the powers that Stormbrook had told her about.
"Do you want to get left behind?" Stormbrook quipped as he followed her.
"You didn't show me the lake," Birdpaw pointed out. "I wanted to see it."
"I was going to, one day." Stormbrook turned on his heel. "Come. We still have to cross through ThunderClan and WindClan territory, and there's more to go after that."
Birdpaw nodded and followed Stormbrook as he took off at a brisk pace. They stayed close to the lakeshore, their paws imprinting marks in the sand until they reached the stream that marked the border between WindClan and ThunderClan. Birdpaw studied the stark difference on the different sides of the stream – on ThunderClan's side, all she saw was forest, while further on the opposite side of the stream, the hills started to roll. Stormbrook wiggled his haunches and leaped over the stream, on WindClan's side of the territory. Birdpaw followed him, thankful for her strong hind legs. Falling in the stream on her first journey to the Moonpool wouldn't be a great start.
Stormbrook continued to follow the stream, the water dark and glimmering. As they continued their descent, the bubbling of the stream continued to grow slightly louder until they reached a cleft in the hills. The valley was lined with countless patches of gorse and bracken, and it grew much steeper and narrower as they continued downwards, dotted with broken rocks. When they reached the end of the valley, it led to a massive, rocky slope. Stormbrook started to climb the slope, his movements quick and practiced, showing that he had been here multiple times before. Birdpaw, on the other hand, was picking her way up the slope much more slowly, searching for rocks that wouldn't loosen when she sank her claws in them.
"Are you all right?" Stormbrook asked over his shoulder just as he ascended towards the top of the slope.
Birdpaw nodded wearily. "I'm right behind you." She scrambled her way upwards, using her tail and her back claws to push her up until she balanced precariously on the edge of the slope next to Stormbrook. Birdpaw looked down, and for a moment, she was lost for words as she stared at the most beautiful sight she had ever seen in her entire life. She stood on the bank of a stream that poured down a deep channel in the rocks, with starlight glimmering on the surface of the water as it trickled over the stones and poured into a small pool. The surface of the pool danced and reflected with shining stars, and Birdpaw found herself unable to speak.
Stormbrook picked his way down the steep stone hollow, avoiding the thorn bushes and sharp rocks that guarded it. The sheer cliff was ridden with moss and ferns, and the sound that came from the water that bubbled in the cleft that led to the pool grew louder as Birdpaw came closer. Stormbrook landed on a rocky path, dimpled with ancient paw prints, and Birdpaw leaped next to him. She stared at the pawprints, knowing just how much history laid in the pool. She took a deep breath, following Stormbrook and the path until they reached the Moonpool.
"Welcome to the Moonpool, Birdpaw," Stormbrook whispered in Birdpaw's ear, but his voice was miles away. The only thing Birdpaw was focusing on was the Moonpool, its glittering waves and shining ripples captivating Birdpaw. What finally got her to move was the scent of oak and squirrel, and both Birdpaw and Stormbrook looked over their shoulders.
A stunning, lithe, silver-furred she-cat with rippling dark stripes approached the Moonpool, her blue eyes the exact same color of the Moonpool's. Her face was kind, but there was a strange tension in the air as she met Stormbrook's gaze. She gave him a curt nod, but her gaze wavered on him a tad too long for Birdpaw to assume that their relationship was just the camaraderie of two medicine cats.
"Stormbrook," the she-cat meowed.
"Ashenhawk," Stormbrook said quietly. They were silent until Birdpaw cleared her throat. Stormbrook glanced at his apprentice and waved his tail towards her. "This is my apprentice, Birdpaw. I am introducing her to StarClan for the first time. Birdpaw, this is Ashenhawk. She's…" His voice trailed off.
"…the ThunderClan medicine cat," Ashenhawk finished.
"Yeah," Stormbrook agreed quietly. "The ThunderClan medicine cat."
Birdpaw's gaze darted from the two cats. They know each other. Too well. Something happened between them, but I'm sure I'll just make it worse if I comment on it. But I want to know more. Birdpaw lowered her head to Ashenhawk. "Greetings, Ashenhawk. I'm Birdpaw, Stormbrook's apprentice."
"Are you excited to be here?" Ashenhawk asked her.
Birdpaw blinked, realizing that she couldn't answer that question. Ashenhawk's face softened. "It's all right if you're not. It's frightening the first time, but it gets easier, I promise."
"I sure hope so," Birdpaw murmured.
Stormbrook looked around. "Is Cinderpool not here yet? She's usually the first, since WindClan is so close."
"Maybe she's waiting for Pale-eye," Ashenhawk suggested.
Stormbrook shook his head. "I doubt it. WindClan and RiverClan have been at each other's throats in the past moon. I don't even think Cinderpool wants to risk making things worse."
"They're medicine cats," Ashenhawk argued. "RiverClan can't hurt Cinderpool or Violetpaw."
"Not in this day and age," Stormbrook growled deeply. Ashenhawk flinched, as if Stormbrook had harmed her physically. Birdpaw looked around, wishing one of the other Clan medicine cats would arrive so she wouldn't have to watch this tension anymore. As if StarClan had answered her prayers, pebbles clattered on the ground, and all three cats looked up to see a small light gray she-cat pick her way down the hollow and towards the path. This cat held the scent of the moor and rabbit, and Birdpaw guessed that this was Cinderpool, WindClan's medicine cat.
"Cinderpool," Ashenhawk meowed, confirming Birdpaw's suspicions. Stormbrook nodded to the WindClan medicine cat, and Birdpaw noticed that a small gray she-cat was following her. "Violetpaw, it's great to see you."
Cinderpool nodded briskly to the two medicine cats until she approached the ripples of the pool. The small cat behind her, who Birdpaw assumed was Violetpaw, stood close by her mentor. Her blue eyes were as vivid as the sky as she looked up and met Birdpaw's gaze. Cinderpool tilted her head.
"Is that your new apprentice, Stormbrook?" Cinderpool asked.
"Yes," Stormbrook replied, his thick black-and-gray tail wrapping around Birdpaw's neck. "This is Birdpaw." His voice grew stern. "Where is Pale-eye? We're wasting moonlight."
"I'm right here." Birdpaw looked up to see a small gray-and-white she-cat standing on top of the slope. The half-moon, at its highest in the sky, illuminated her outline, showing her left eye that was pale and cloudy, and Birdpaw wondered if she could see out of that eye. Pale-eye scrambled down the slope and down the path until she approached the Moonpool. She gave the other medicine cats a nod. "Like you said, Stormbrook, we're wasting time. We may as well get started."
Stormbrook looked slightly taken aback at Pale-eye's brusque demeanor, but he nodded regardless. "Before we share tongues with StarClan, I have a task to do. Birdpaw, come here."
Birdpaw felt a chilly wind ripple her pelt, or maybe that was her own fear, as she stepped towards Stormbrook and stood right at the shore of the Moonpool. She could see her reflection in the dark waves below, and for a moment, she thought she could see starlight in her own pelt. Stormbrook lifted his head, his amber eyes focused solely on Birdpaw.
"Birdpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" the tom asked, his voice a deep rumble in his chest as it seemed to echo in far-off places. Birdpaw gazed steadily at Stormbrook, seeing moons worth of pain reflected in his gaze. She recalled what he had said to her, before they left for the Moonpool, and what he had said on the day she had found Fallensnow. She recalled Littlecloud's words to her, and her brother's encouragement.
"You want to save lives, Birdkit. A ShadowClan warrior is expected to end the lives of his opponents if they do not surrender. But a ShadowClan medicine cat is expected to save the lives she can – even if they come from a different Clan. This may be the answer to your questions."
"Being a medicine cat is the world's greatest blessing and curse."
"You've always said you didn't want to fight. This is how you serve your Clan – you don't need to fight any cat to be one of the most important cats in ShadowClan!"
What do I want? Birdpaw asked herself. She finally realized that Stormbrook was waiting for an answer. The gray-and-white she-cat nodded and meowed, "It is."
Stormbrook's ear twitched. "Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight, so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will." In a lower voice, he added, "Sit down and drink some water from the pool. Then, you will have your first dream."
Birdpaw obeyed instantly, feeling her belly fur brush against the cool ground of the hollow. The other medicine cats, who had their gazes trained intently on Stormbrook and Birdpaw, also laid down, lapping the water from the Moonpool. Birdpaw watched as they shut their eyes and allowed their dreams to take over, and Birdpaw stretched her head to lap a few drops of water from the pool. The water was chilly but somehow tasted like clean starshine. Birdpaw shut her eyes and waited for StarClan to come to her.
When Birdpaw opened her eyes, she was face-to-face with a massive dark brown tabby cat. His fur was sleek but patched, and his amber eyes were striking. He reminded her a bit of her brother, Talonpaw, just bigger and with ragged fur. The tom flicked his tail and gazed down at Birdpaw. Birdpaw felt her breath being taken away as she stared at the stars that shimmered in the tom's amber eyes.
"Birdpaw, welcome to StarClan," he meowed. "My name is Raggedstar. I was the leader of ShadowClan in the old forest, and I made many mistakes which nearly led to my Clan's downfall." His amber eyes shadowed. "Although I must admit, I am glad I am not leading ShadowClan during the time of war you all live in now. It is disheartening to watch from StarClan."
Birdpaw blinked twice, regaining her composure. I'm a medicine cat. I need to learn how to talk to StarClan cats without being lost for words. "Hi, Raggedstar. Is Littlecloud here?" She glanced around, searching for the medicine cat that had helped her when Fallensnow had been injured.
"He is here, but I was chosen to speak to you tonight," Raggedstar meowed. "My message for you relates to a danger threatening your Clan, one that you must pass onto Lionstar."
The new medicine cat apprentice leaned forward, feeling her fur prick on her spine with fear. What could be so dangerous if Birdpaw was the cat to receive the message, and not Stormbrook? Whatever it is, I'll do my best to warn Lionstar, Birdpaw thought. And Stormbrook.
"There is a cat in ThunderClan, and he will eventually be known as the God of War," Raggedstar said. "He is striven for a destiny in his own Clan, but that will include constant clashes with ShadowClan. He must be defeated if ShadowClan wants to live in peace."
"Is he a warrior already?" Birdpaw asked.
"He is not dangerous yet." Raggedstar shook his head. "But it is only a matter of time until he is. I cannot give you a name – not yet, at least, but you will know who he is when the time comes."
"Thank you for this wisdom, Raggedstar," Birdpaw meowed, lowering her head to acknowledge his warning. Her paws itched with fear as she wondered who this cat possibly was. "I'll pass it on to Stormbrook and Lionstar, I promise."
"Good." Raggedstar nodded in approval. "StarClan chose well when they picked you for ShadowClan's new medicine cat, Birdpaw. Have faith in yourself and Stormbrook."
"Stormbrook…" This was as good of a time as ever. "Raggedstar, does Stormbrook have some sort of… connection with ThunderClan?" Birdpaw found herself asking.
Raggedstar let out a low growl, his amber eyes flashing with danger. "He has learned his lesson. There will no longer be any soft-hearted connections with ThunderClan! Stormbrook cannot be trusted with news from ThunderClan."
"Is it Ashenhawk?" Birdpaw asked. "Did he fall in love with her?"
The brown tabby tom paused, shadows of anguish in his amber depths. "He did, yes. We allowed him to remain as a medicine cat in ShadowClan because of his skills, but he allowed love to blind him and accidentally destroyed ShadowClan by appeasing to ThunderClan's moves, just to make Ashenhawk happy."
That sounds one-sided, Birdpaw thought to herself, but did not say it out loud. Raggedstar's torn ears twitched. She let out a nod as Raggedstar meowed, "That was why he was so firm with you the other day. He doesn't want you making the mistake that he did. His mistake nearly resulted in the downfall of his Clan, and he still lives with that every day."
"Okay." The intensity of Raggedstar's speech made Birdpaw's blood turn cold, and the news at her mentor's betrayal of his own Clan shocked her even more. Even Stormbrook makes mistakes. Maybe that's why he's so grumpy because he's never forgiven himself. I wonder if this forbidden romance is connected to the dangerous ThunderClan cat Raggedstar is telling me about?
"But that is not what I came here to discuss. Remember, you must warn Lionstar about the God of War. If you don't, ShadowClan will be destroyed."
"Wait!" Birdpaw looked up. "Are we supposed to save ourselves from this danger? Or is there another cat in ShadowClan who will?"
The former ShadowClan leader blinked twice. "What?"
"Is there going to be a hero in our Clan?" Birdpaw pressed. "A cat who will defeat the God of War?"
Raggedstar chuckled. "A hero…" he murmured. "If you are talking about a cat who faces danger when darkness is near, a cat who faces the fiercest foe, a cat who defies Death even though he is afraid. A cat who works for not just for glory, nor gain, because he knows that what he is doing will spare others great pain. A cat who faces battles boldly even though he know he may not win, a cat who faces his fate unflinchingly, and a cat who faces death knowing his life is well-spent… then yes, Birdpaw. Yes, ShadowClan has a hero to combat that danger… and many others."
Raggedstar's star-shimmered outline slowly started to fade, turning him transparent as he blended in with the dark pines around him. Birdpaw watched him fade until he was nothing, and when she blinked again, she was back at the shore of the Moonpool, surrounded by the sleeping medicine cats.
Birdpaw stretched out her paws and looked at Stormbrook, who was blinking open his eyes. The thick-furred tom shifted his weight and asked her, "Did you dream?"
Birdpaw nodded. "Yes."
"Anything of note?" he inquired.
"We're in danger," Birdpaw replied grimly, watching her mentor's face for any sign of emotion. She was surprised when he just cocked his head.
Stormbrook got to his paws, his amber eyes narrowed. "You have received your first message from StarClan, then, if that is true," he declared. "That means you have truly entered the world of a medicine cat. Welcome, Birdpaw."