Chapter 22

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"Where is Berrypaw?" Ivybranch leaned over and whispered into Briarsong's ear as Thornpaw and Rainpaw quizzed each other on the different berries. 

"It's not like her to miss a training." Briarsong agreed. "Something has to be wrong."

"I'll finish up here," Ivybranch offered. "if you want to see if you can figure out why Berrypaw isn't in her training."

"Sounds good." Briarsong agreed and closed her eyes before waking up in the cold Medicine Cat Den with Ivybranch curled up next to her. The night sky had no stars and no moon and the air was a biting cold. She snuck into the Warrior Den and looked around before prodding Patchpelt who let out a small groan and opened one eye.

"I need an escort to Meadowclan. I think something is wrong and I don't want to get lost in the forest with the snow."

"Of course." Patchpelt sat up and stretched. "Let me get Appleblaze and Cloudpelt to join us. We will meet you by the camp entrance." Briarsong nodded and went to wait. Pathpelt brought the two Warriors and the four of them headed out of camp and were met with the white snow. Some of it was already packed down from the cats coming and going from camp, but the further away they got, the icier and higher the snow got.

"What do you think is wrong?" Patchpelt asked as they made their way slowly through the cold snow.

"Berrypaw didn't show up to her training tonight. She's never not showed up before."

"Everyone stay close," Applebalze called back from a fox length ahead. "The wind is picking up." 

The cats lowered their head and trudged forward as the wind blew sharp flecks of ice into their faces. Briarsong squinted hard and followed Appleblaze's black and white pelt, until she realized she wasn't following him at all and was alone. She looked around and called out for her clanmates but her voice was snatched up and blown away as the wind cried and howled through the forest like a dying cat. Looking around she tried to find her baring's but everything was white and she couldn't tell a the sky from the ground. Fear gripped her as she hunched her back against the strong winds and felt the snow piling up around her. 

Then a shimmer caught her eye and she saw the snow swirling in a pattern instead of randomly like before. The snow spun in a cone shape and then back down to the ground where the outline of a cat waited. She couldn't tell who it was, but she slowly moved one paw in front of the other as she trudged her way through the packed snow and ice. The snow cat waited until she was only a fox lengths away before turning and guiding her through the never ending white. Snow Cat led her through what Briarsong could only assume to be Moonclan territory. Every time she thought she lost the Snow Cat, they would reappear just a fox lengths away to guide her steadily forward. 

Then they emerged from the forest and the wind was quicker and harsher than before, telling Briarsong they had arrived to the edge of Meadowclan territory. The world was still a whiteout and the only thing visible was her own paws in front of her. Trusting in whoever Starclan had sent to guide her, Briarsong fought against the cold and followed blindly.

"Who is there?" called a voice from up ahead. Briarsong couldn't see anyone and for a second wondered if she was imagining the voice, but incase she was wrong, she answered.

"Briarsong, Medicine Cat from Moonclan," she called, looking around for the body of the Snow Cat but realizing they were gone.

"Briarsong! Come this way." The body that was attached to the voice emerged from the haze of snow and stood closely by her, using their shoulder to guide her into the Meadowclan camp. Once they were inside camp, the cat shook their pelt of the snow and revealed a ginger tabby pelt underneath. 

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