Dawnstar's Message

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

The sun was rising as the EarthClan cats walked into camp. The usually tall oak tree was charred and broken; it was the lightning-struck tree that Aldergaze had panicked about. Shortwhisker, a brown tom with white flashes, greeted them at the crevice entrance. Dawnstar nodded, and asked him to follow them into camp, because he deserved some rest. The Gathering patrol went to their seperate dens, and most fell asleep as soon as their eyes closed. Dawnstar lumbered off to his own den, leaped clumsily up the rocks, and settled into his warm nest.

When he opened his eyes, red light filtered through the vines overhanging the dusty entrance. Dawnstar sat up in his mossy nest, stretched his limbs, and yawned; he was still asleep on his paws. His belly growled; he hadn't eaten anything since before last night's gathering. He slipped through the vines and jumped down the rocks to the ground. Dawnstar looked around the clearing; it was almost sundown, and the sunset glowed on the rock walls. He spotted his mate's golden pelt next to Lightwing by the fresh kill pile and trotted over to her.

Specklegaze looked up when Dawnstar approached. "Good evening, sleepy head!" She purred. "You slept like a badger last night!"

Dawnstar purred. "Thanks. I'm starving!"

Specklegaze slid her mole over to his paws. "You can have it; I'm not hungry."

Lightwing pushed her mouse over to Specklegaze. "You've been patrolling all day, you have to eat!"

Specklegaze nodded. "Thanks." She bit into Lightwing's mouse with gratitude.

After Dawnstar wolfed down Specklegaze's mole, he wandered over to the medicine den. He slipped through the crack in the roc. Cherryfoot was bent over Whisperpaw, Dawnstar's daughter. Her leg was coated in a green paste, and Cherryfoot was putting something above her eye.

"Hi Dawnstar!" Whisperpaw mewed when he walked in. Dawnstar purred. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

Cherryfoot stopped putting the stuff above Whisperpaw's eye. "Hello, Dawnstar. She is doing well, and the infection is gone. A few more sunrises and she should be able to hunt again."

Whisperpaw looked at Cherryfoot with excitement. "Really? I can't wait!"

Dawnstar nodded. "I think you should train for a few more days. I was planning to assess you to become a warrior after the battle, but if you train a little harder, you might be able to become a warrior with some of the other apprentices."

Whisperpaw yawned. Cherryfoot shooed Dawnstar out of the den. "She need to rest, Dawnstar. Out, if you want her to take her assessment."

Dawnstar stalked out the den and slid down the rock wall to the nursery. The smell of milk reached his nose before he even went into the cave. When he walked in, Mistyfur was curled up in sleep, while her kits tumbled around the nest. Patchkit swatted his paw at his sister, Springkit, and she ducked and swatted back at him. They rolled around on the floor until they saw Dawnstar, and they stopped and stood up. "Hi, Dawnstar!"

"Look what I can do, Dawnstar!" Patchkit tensed his muscles and leaped, right onto Dawnstar's tail. He batted it around, satisfied until Dawnstar pulled his tail away. "That's very nice," mewed Dawnstar.

Mistyfur rose her gray head. "Hi, Dawnstar." She laid back down and closed her eyes. "Come on, kits. Its almost nighttime." Her kits yawned and lay down in the mossy nest, but Dawnstar found out as soon as he left that the Springkit and Patchkit got right back up and started playing again.

Dawnstar sighed. What could happen to these kits, his Clan, his friends? He growled to himself, and retreated to the clearing outside. Dawnstar beckoned to Sunpaw; it was time for her warrior assessment. Sableheart came with her. The small patrol slipped out into the forest. There were things he had to do.

--------

Dawnstar made a beeline for the entrance to camp. It had been three days since Sunpaw had taken her assessment, and she had passed easily. Sunpaw had caught two mice, a squirrel and two moles; all were given to the Clan, and they congradulated her. The golden she-cat could climb and dig, and she was amazing. He tasted the air beside the exit to camp. Clovermist, a gray-and-white she cat, was on guard now. The rock had Cherryfoot's scent on it, too; she had gone out to collect herbs with... Creamflight, a curly-furred cream tom. He was a new warrior; he wouldn't mind hunting by himself for a bit while he talked with Cherryfoot. Dawnstar had to consult his medicine cat about the prophecy.

He quietly slipped out of the EarthClan camp, and sneaked past Clovermist. The forest was full of interesting scents; the herbs on the ground, the prey in the forest. But Dawnstar homed in on Cherryfoot's sweet scent and followed it through the forest, until he padded into the mossy clearing. It was the soft-grounded space used to train apprentices, and Cherryfoot was nipping leaves off a borage plant.

Creamflight spotted Dawnstar as he scanned the clearing for anything that could harm his medicine cat. His blue eyes lit up when his gaze rested on his leader. "Hello, Dawnstar! Cherryfoot, look!" He was a very excitable cat. Cherryfoot looked up with her bright green eyes. Her jaws were stuffed with borage leaves, but she mewed around them.

"Hello, Dawnstar! What do you need? Couldn't wait until I got back to camp?" She looked confused.

Dawnstar sighed and turned to Creamflight. "Could you go look for some prey? I scented a mole hole behind those trees." He motioned behind the young warrior. "Please?"

 Creamflight nodded excitedly. He was pleased to be given an order from his leader. He ran quickly but silently through the shrubs, his light pelt flashing in front of the green bushes.

Dawnstar turned to Cherryfoot when the young warrior's pawsteps faded into the forest. "Cherryfoot, I recieved a prophecy from StarClan the night I got my nine lives. It was Whiteberry, and she said some strange stuff."

Cherryfoot gasped. "Really? What did it say....?"

" 'When lightning strikes, rain will fall and sun will rise. Thunder must sound for the storm to end, and the sun will set."

Cherryfoot humphed and started pacing. "I had that same prophecy! I couldn't tell you... but what if?.... and then Sunpaw..... or maybe not Sunpaw..... Rainfeather, maybe..... but lightning already struck...... Sun....." She stopped and looked up. "Did you know lightning struck the FieldClan camp and killed Rainfeather a moon ago? He was a very evil cat.... Haileyes told me he had a vision about him, and he almost killed the deputy. What's his name...? Never mind. They didn't say at the Gathering, of course....." Cherryfoot paced again.

Dawnstar sat down. Rainfeather? He remembered him from gatherings, vaguely. If that happened a moon ago, then the prophecy was already beginning! Sun would rise.... Maybe that was Sunpaw. She was about to become a warrior anyway. But what role did she play? What impact would this have on EarthClan? Thunder..... the sun will set..... It would set? He shook the thoughts from his head as Cherryfoot stopped pacing.

"I need some time to work it out---" she flinched. "Er, I need some tansy for the medicine den."

Dawnstar cocked his head. What was she talking about? He realized her strange words as Creamflight trotted satisfied up to them with a mole dangling from his jaws. "I caught it! It was so stupid, just sitting outside its hole!"

Cherryfoot nodded. "I'm sure that Mistyfur will appreciate that. I have enough marigold for moons. Let's go." She padded off through the forest. Dawnstar and Creamflight followed her to the EarthClan camp quietly and quickly.

--------

As soon as Dawnstar walked into camp, Specklegaze ran up to him. Dawnstar let out a confused mew and asked what the hurry was about, but she stayed quiet and ushered him to the medicine den. The two cats slipped in through the crevice and Dawnstar gasped.