For a heartbeat, Minnow could hear nothing but the sound of wind rushing in her ears as she stared wide-eyed at the river. Before she knew it, her paws were pounding across the stones as she raced for the river's edge, her eyes locked on Apollo's flailing form the entire way. The black tom's face held panic and terror as he thrashed in the quick-moving current, and Minnow knew that all his swimming skill in the pond would do nothing for him in the river, especially with the recent rain. She moved faster, ignoring every ache and still-bleeding wound. "Apollo!" she screeched as she neared the water's edge. The gathered RiverClan cats watched in horror as the black-pelted tom tumbled downstream, and Minnow barely met Birchstar's gaze before she threw herself into the river.
Minnow churned the water with her paws, swimming harder and faster than she ever had before. She streamed quickly through the water after Apollo, but he was still several tail-lengths ahead of her, fighting desperately to find a rhythm. His movements were growing slower and weaker, and Minnow kicked faster, praying desperately to reach him in time. Her heart dropped as she remembered her curse, and a new wave of panic gripped her tight as she thought about the consequences of returning to the Clans. It will take those close to you, she heard the words hauntingly in her mind. She had left the forest to protect the cats close to her, but since leaving, Apollo had become the closest cat to her; he had become her greatest friend. And maybe, a small voice said in the back of Minnow's mind, it was more than that. And now she had brought him into Clan territories, into danger, with her.
Apollo still drifted farther away from Minnow, and now he seemed to be unconscious, carried along solely by the roaring river. Minnow pushed on, willing herself to move faster, so she could reach him before they got to the deadly gorge. StarClan, don't take him from me, too! She thought frantically. She was getting closer to him now, and she could barely breathe; every muscle in her body ached and her lungs were on fire, but she knew she couldn't stop. Three tail-lengths, two, one...
Minnow slammed into Apollo's water-soaked body, grabbing his scruff in her teeth. Her head pounded and for a moment the forest swayed in her vision, dizziness threatening to drag her beneath the surface of the river. Apollo weighed her down and she slowed, trying to turn towards the river bank. She could see the RiverClan cats, along with Jay and Smokey, bounding along the edge of the water towards her. It looked like they were calling to Minnow, but her hearing was fading, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer in the river. She swam madly for the river's edge, and black spots started to appear in her vision. The tips of her claws grazed stones on the riverbanks and she knew she just had to push a little harder, but carrying Apollo onto the bank seemed impossible. Craning her neck forward as far as she could, she weakly tossed his body halfway onto the bank, safely out of the current's reach.
As soon as the extra weight was off of her, Minnow was torn from Apollo and spun uncontrollably back into the river. She flailed and grasped for something to hold onto, but she was growing weaker, and her hearing and vision were quickly fading out. Is this it? She thought weakly. Her claws met something that felt like a thick branch, and she grabbed on tight just before her world faded to black.
All Minnow knew was that her pain was gone. The sting of her wounds, the burning in her lungs, the pounding ache in her head; all gone, replaced by the most comforting warmth she'd ever known. It reminded her of suckling at Ashflower's belly in the nursery, sweet and soothing and safe. Minnow wanted to feel like this forever.
Then Minnow's eyes opened and she found herself staring at the empty hollow of Fourtrees, the darkness of night broken by the silver moonlight that washed the ground. The tall grass swayed gently, and no noise sounded. Minnow stood, inspecting her pelt, but she couldn't see any of her wounds, and she felt better than she ever had in her life. She glanced around, confused, seeing nothing but Fourtrees and the moor. But she could smell starlight, and the distant but familiar scent of StarClan cats, and as soon as she recognized it, anger pulsed through her.
Why am I in StarClan? She thought angrily. Had she died trying to save Apollo? Even if she had, hadn't he been condemned to not walk in StarClan because of her curse? Minnow looked into the distance, towards the eerie shadowy forest that she knew as the Place of No Stars. If she were truly dead, wouldn't that be her destination?
And still Minnow was alone. She couldn't see any other cat around her. "Hello?" She called out tentatively. "Is anyone there?"
As if her words were a cue, Minnow heard soft pawsteps approaching her from behind, and she spun to see a small group of cats padding towards her. Immediately she recognized them: Frostfoot, Hawkshade, Ivyclaw, Maplefur, and Sunheart, the cats she'd spoken to before. When she had gone to the Moonstone to seek answers about her curse, these were the cats she had seen. She had only spoken to Hawkshade and Frostfoot, but she knew all five of them had been involved in the decision to send her back to RiverClan after her accident in the river; they had caused her curse. And now she was seeing them again, and she drew her claws out with a growl.
"Hello, Minnow." Frostfoot was the first to speak, sitting calmly on the grass. Her pale fur glittered with stars.
Minnow couldn't match the StarClan cat's gentle attitude, even though she knew Frostfoot was kind. "Why am I here?" She demanded. She raked her claws on the grass. "I want nothing to do with StarClan! You threw me out of the forest, you gave up on me and cursed me, and now you have the nerve to bring me here! How dare you show your faces to me!" She growled again, and once more wondered if she was dead. She didn't want to be; she wanted to be back by the river with Apollo, to know he was okay, and that she hadn't caused his death like she'd caused the others. "Just let me go! Dead or alive, I want out of here! I'm not a Clan cat anymore."
Despite her words and her anger, the StarClan cats' expressions were calm, even the foul-tempered Hawkshade, as they looked at her. Frostfoot stepped forward, pride glittering in her eyes, and the others followed. "You've always been a Clan cat, Minnow," Frostfoot purred.
Sunheart spoke next, his flame-colored fur lit up like the entire night sky. "You gave up everything to save your Clan from the curse," he meowed. "You gave up your entire life and left them, knowing that remaining in RiverClan would destroy everything you loved."
"And in the end, you still returned," Maplefur added. "Despite the curse and what harm it could do, you went back, risking it all to once again save your Clan."
The small dark form of Ivyclaw stood. "That is what it means to be a Clan cat, Minnow. That's what it means to be a warrior."
Minnow didn't know what to make of their words, but in the calm setting of StarClan, she found it hard to hold on to her anger. "What are you talking about?" She snapped. "I'm cursed. Or did you forget what you did to me? I knew I shouldn't have come back, but I did anyway, and I almost lost Apollo! I don't even know if he's okay!" Her heart raced, and the fear that Apollo might be dead hung thickly over her.
"He's alive," Frostfoot said calmly. "You saved him, Minnow. But not without a great cost of your own."
The StarClan warrior's eyes were shadowed with sadness and her words sunk in, and Minnow met her gaze. "So I'm dead?" She said weakly, feeling defeated.
Finally, Hawkshade spoke up, having been silent this whole time. "Normally this would be where we would collect your spirit, to join StarClan," he said, his voice gruff. Then his gaze softened, and the slightest purr escaped him. "But StarClan isn't ready for you yet, young warrior. I'm afraid we'll have to send you back again."
Minnow's eyes flew open, so wide that she thought they might pop out. "No!" She screeched. "Not after what happened before! I was cursed before; who knows what could happen this time?" Her heart raced and she began to panic. "I've already put RiverClan in danger; I can't do the same to Jay and Smokey and Apollo!" Her tail lashed, fluffed out with fear behind her.
Sunheart flicked his tail. "Calm down," he coaxed. "You won't be cursed again. Sending you back isn't what caused the curse in the first place."
Minnow snapped her head towards the ginger StarClan tom. What did he mean by that? "What are you talking about?" She asked, nearly breathless as her mind raced.
Frostfoot spoke again. "We were wrong, Minnow," she said slowly. "It has only been recently that StarClan has become aware of the true cause of your curse. You were always meant to return to your Clan; you have a great deal left to do to serve them. Sending you back wasn't a mistake."
Minnow could barely think. "Then why was I cursed?" She asked, almost frantically. "Why has all of this happened?" Her words were nearly a sob.
Hawkshade's eyes grew dark and his gaze ominous as he met Minnow's. "It was our fault," he murmured. Louder, he added, "I'm sure you remember what Frostfoot showed you, and how divided we were on the decision?"
Minnow thought back to her previous visit with StarClan, when Frostfoot showed her the memory of her warrior ancestors voting on her fate. They had all been either strongly for or against sending her back to RiverClan, and Hawkshade had cursed his companions for wanting to save her life. She nodded.
Hawkshade went on. "Our division is what caused your curse," he meowed, then sighed. It was followed by a long pause before he added darkly, "Bad things happen when StarClan isn't unified. I'm afraid we'll never understand just why we had to decide your fate, but it tested us. And we've learned the kind of destruction that can befall the Clans when their ancestors are divided amongst themselves."
"In the coming moons," Maplefur said, "StarClan will need to be unified more than ever. The Clans are shifting and changing, and they need us to be strong so that they can be strong. You may have won the battle today, Minnow, but it is not over."
"But if there's one thing that StarClan agrees on, it's that it's not your time to die," Ivyclaw said warmly. "We'll be sending you back to the forest again, curse-free." Her normally shy eyes glittered with warmth and a tinge of humor.
A great weight fell off of Minnow in that moment. Not only was she alive, but she wouldn't have to live under the threat of the curse anymore! RiverClan would be safe with her around! She could hardly believe the news and she tried to wrap her mind around what that could mean for her.
But then her heart sank; she could return to RiverClan now, but that would mean saying goodbye to the other barn cats. Suddenly her heart was torn in two. It wouldn't be fair to them, and she would miss them so much. But at the same time, she couldn't ignore the tug she'd been feeling for moons calling her back to the reeds and the river. How could she make such a choice?
"Minnow?" Frostfoot's soft voice interrupted Minnow's thoughts. The StarClan cats were still watching her. "What's wrong?"
Minnow sighed. "Where am I supposed to go?" She asked. It would make her feel a little better about whatever decision she made if StarClan would point her in the right direction.
Frostfoot purred. "That is for you to decide," she meowed, which didn't make Minnow feel any better. "In your heart you are a RiverClan warrior, but you've built a life for yourself outside Clan territories. We can't tell you where to go, but just know that whatever you do, RiverClan will still need you. All the Clans will. In the days coming, all four Clans will need your wisdom and fairness, your compassion and courage. You mean more to the forest than you know, and we will be with you, watching over you, every step of the way."
Minnow's heart lifted a bit. "I suppose I have to go now," she said.
"Not just yet," Frostfoot purred again. "There's someone I think you'd like to see." The five StarClan cats turned and padded away, and as they walked into the distance they passed another cat moving towards Minnow. His achingly familiar pelt flowed like a flaming sunset, glittering with countless stars, eyes as green as newleaf grass, and Minnow's heart caught in her throat.
"Flamepelt!"