Moonshade watched Stonewhisker wrap comfrey, marigold, and cobweb around her paw. She had disposed of the little rock after she cut her paw, and wasted no more time pondering on who put it there. Moonshade went over her mental list.
Herontail will be coming, and so will Duskpelt, Slightshadow, Treeclaw, and Twistsnout.
Marigoldheart, Whiskerear, Tulipheart, Myrtletail, Leafnose, Mother, Morningflame, and Litchenfeather will not. My kits, Whiskerear's kits, Mintnose, Greenlight, and Twinklepelt will come as well.
Moonshade nodded to herself. "You done yet?" Stonewhisker meowed harshly. "Or are you still reminiscing on all the thistlefluff in your brain?" Moonshade shook her head, banishing the Gathering list in her head. She turned to Stonewhisker. "Thank you. Please, after you finish up here, can you please look at Laurelstar? She was coughing quite a lot..." Stonewhisker looked down. "I know. She's starting to show her age-" Moonshade nearly bit him. "NO! She's not showing any sort of age! She is not going to... going to..." Moonshade's eyes suddenly filled with moisture. What if Laurelstar actually died? Moonshade would have to fill her place as leader... Moonshade blinked her eyes rapidly.
"Thank you, yet again, for your assistance." Then she bolted for the door, keeping her injured paw off the ground. Moonshade hobbled out of the Medicine den, and leaped- as much as she could- up the Highledge. She opened her mouth to call cats together, but stopped. Many cats were out patrolling and hunting. Shadepaw, Herontail, Meadowpaw and Treeclaw were the only ones in camp. Moonshade jumped down clumsily and padded over to them, and watched Meadowpaw and Shadepaw square up against each other. As soon as the mock battle started, it was interrupted. "Moonshade!" Stonewhisker was calling her. Too bad Greyleaf is out gathering herbs. Moonshade walked away from her kits, giving them both a proud nod- to show them she wasn't walking away out of disappointment- and bowed her head to Stonewhisker. "What is it now?" She asked, sounding harsher than she intended. The ancient medicine cat took no notice. "Fetch Laurelstar. I need her." Moonshade nodded. It was probably for her leader's health. Moonshade walked up to the Highledge, again, and bounded up the rock face as well as she could. "Laurelstar?" Moonshade called into her leader's den. No answer. She called again. "Laurelstar?" Still no answer. She padded inside, expecting for her leader to be sprawled out, ice cold, but she wasn't. She was asleep. Moonshade dipped her head to her sleeping friend. She went back to Stonewhisker. "Well, where is she?" He meowed grumpily. "Sleeping." Moonshade replied. Stonewhisker huffed angrily. "Fine then. I've had a ... prophecy." Moonshade widened her eyes, too speechless to contradict him. Stonewhisker, without being asked, repeated whatever mystic mumbo-jumbo he had heard from Starclan.
"Paws of Chaos, clawing at the threads, that seperate clans from many threats. Perfected darkness will save us from them, the too many eyes and too many ends."
Moonshade blinked once, twice. "Wow. Who-" Stonewhisker held up a paw. "No questions. I haven't figured it out myself. I'll go and see Laurelstar when she wakes. Leave me now." Moonshade ducked out of the medicine den. She sat on a small rock, and watched one of the hunting patrols arrive. "I have to do it one line at a time." Moonshade murmured to herself. She pondered the prophecy.
Paws of Chaos, clawing at the threads, that seperate clans from many threats.
"That obviously means that the so-called 'Paws of Chaos' are breaking the barrier between the threats and the clans."
Perfected darkness will save us from them, the too many eyes and too many ends.
"I don't know who the 'Perfected darkness' is, but apparently they're a hero. Too many eyes... it might mean too many witnesses? Or too many cats. Too many ends... I have no idea."
Moonshade jumped as a thought hit her, and without really meaning to, she whispered it out loud. "What if the 'Perfected darkness' is a cat with 'dark' in their name? Or 'shadow'?"
Moonshade continued to watch the thorn tunnel without really seeing. She didn't realize there was one more thing that represented darkness.
Shade.
***
Moonshade was running over the many cats with shadow and darkness-related things in their names. "Slightshadow has shadow in his name... There's Nightfur of Windclan... and Dusk is when the sky is getting dark, so Duskpelt could qualify..." Moonshade racked her brain over and over again, but found no more names.
She flicked her tail at Mintnose and Greenlight, who were taking their apprentices out for a hunting expedition. Moonshade then searched for her own apprentice. She peered into the apprentices' den, and found only Larkpaw, who had gone on the dawn patrol with her mentor. Moonshade retreated from the den, and continued to scan the camp. He wasn't at the fresh-kill pile, where Driftpaw and Meadowpaw were sharing a small sparrow. She checked the medicine den, and Vinepaw wasn't there either. Only Stonewhisker, curled into a painful looking ball, was there. He was muttering in his sleep.
"Paws... clawing... clans..." Moonshade retreated from there too. She checked the elder's den, and that was where she found him. Vinepaw was pulling ticks off of the Starlingmist's pelt, wonder written all over his face. "... And the great Firestar slashed at his enemy, tearing out great pawfuls of fur. He pinned his adversary beneath his paws, and killed him with one blow. The rougues comrades fled after seeing their leader was dead. They feared that they would get the same treatment. At that time, Skyclan was not with us. Firestar left the battlefield, the other three clans celebrating their victory in the four treed place." Moonshade walked in, and asked her apprentice, "Did you get in trouble?" Vinepaw shook his head. "I wanted to hear a story, so I decided to do Starlingmist's ticks and fleas while I was at it." Moonshade looked at her apprentice for a moment longer, then said, " How very nice of you. When you finish, you can meet me in the clearing." Moonshade padded out of the den, and waited for Vinepaw. When he came out of the elder's den, he bounced around her. "So what are we going to do? Are we gonna hunt? Are we gonna fight?" Vinepaw continued to bounce around Moonshade, looking up at her with eager eyes. It was so much like her first day as an apprentice... Moonshade bent her head to be eye level with the young cat. "What do you want to do?" Vinepaw's eyes widened, for he had not been expecting to be able to chose what he did. "Can we fight?" He asked, his voice falling to a near whisper. She nodded. "Race you to the training hollow?" Vinepaw nodded, and started to pelt towards the thorn tunnel. Moonshade followed, and outpaced her apprentice. They passed a patrol, consisting of Slightshadow, Mintnose and Slatepaw, and Duskpelt and Larkpaw. Slightshadow chased them, leaving the rest of his patrol behind. "Hey," He panted, trying to stop them. "Might want to leave your apprentice with the others. Got something to show you." Moonshade tilted her head. "Do I have to go right now?" Slightshadow nodded. Moonshade turned to Vinepaw. "Sorry Vinepaw. Can you go with the rest of the patrol?" Vinepaw dipped his head, disappointment written in every line of his body. Moonshade bent her head to the dejected young tom. "I promise I will bring you to the Gathering, and I will take you for fight practice as soon as possible." Vinepaw brightened considerably. He chased after the left-behind patrol. Moonshade followed Slightshadow, heading for the Windclan border. They ran, feeling like they were going faster than the fastest Windclan cat in the clans. They emerged into the sunlight, and immediately hid behind a bush. Three of the five leaders were sitting on the Thunderclan side of the stream. Moonshade came up with a quick plan. "Slightshadow, you are my second in command." Slightshadow didn't have the time to look surprised. "You can get more information out of them than I can. I'm going to pretend I'm sick. You are going to pretend to come and fetch me from a patrol, because I'm out with my clanmates against my medicine cat's orders." Slightshadow nodded, and emerged from the bush. The three leaders- Coldstar, Cypresstar, and Pikestar- turned towards him. "Good day," Slightshadow said, dipping his head in respect. "What are you doing on our side of the border?" Coldstar dipped her head as well. "We are looking for Laurelstar." Slightshadow looked at the ground, apparently sad. "She is sick, and so is Moonshade." The three leaders dipped their heads in unison. "Is Moonshade able to meet with us?" Slightshadow laughed. "Well yes, she is. She is out against her medicine cat's orders, and not far away." Coldstar nodded. "Bring her to us please." Slightshadow dipped his head once more, and ran into the woods. He waited for a few minutes, then brought Moonshade into the sunlight. She bent her head, and coughed slightly. She continued her small hacking fit, for a little while, or at least until she had reached the other leaders. Moonshade dipped her head to the leaders. She coughed again, careful to bend her head away from the other cats. "Hello. Slightshadow- *cough* - is my second in command. He'll be- *cough* - the one talking." Coldstar closed her eyes briefly. "How did Moonshade and Laurelstar get sick- '' She broke off her question as Moonshade coughed again. Slightshadow replied. " We have no idea. Laurelstar and Moonshade are the only ones sick. It's very strange, seeing as no other cat has gotten sick yet..." Slightshadow glanced at Moonshade, his face a mask of pity. She coughed again. Moonshade apologized profusely, but she wasn't sorry. Not one bit. Her little spot of glee was extinguished as Coldstar padded forwards a few pawsteps. "We think Windclan is trying to take territories. We believe he will attack yours first."