Dovepaw followed Badgertooth along the path back to the camp. She didn't talk to him much unless she needed to, because she knew that something was wrong. Something wasn't right. There was no way in StarClan that Moonclaw was just normal.
As they approached the medicine den, Dovepaw paused when Mousepaw passed her field of vision. Maybe she can help. Surely she won't be as mouse-brained as Badgertooth. "Can I go talk to Mousepaw?"
Badgertooth stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Sure. You did well today, Dovepaw. You deserve it."
Dovepaw purred and walked away towards Mousepaw. Mousepaw was meowing quietly to Skypaw. There's something going on between those two. They've been spending a lot of time together. She limped towards them. "Do you have a moment, Mousepaw? I need to talk to you about something."
Mousepaw glanced at Skypaw. ". . . Sure, Dovepaw. I'd love to. I'll talk to you later, Skypaw, I promise on my life!"
Skypaw purred, his green eyes glowing. "Okay. I'll be waiting." He turned and padded towards his littermates, Spottedpaw and Cloudpaw.
Dovepaw led Mousepaw outside of the camp where no cat could eavesdrop on their conversation. She sat down and Mousepaw sat close beside her. She looked very confused. "So, what is it, Dovepaw? You seem to be in a hurry," Mousepaw meowed, concern tainting her voice.
"I am. Remember when Streamstar announced that Moonclaw was the new medicine cat of RiverClan?" Dovepaw began. When Mousepaw nodded she continued, "There's something not quite right about Moonclaw. You know what I mean?"
Mousepaw tilted her head to one side to convey that she was puzzled. "I haven't met her, and I haven't gotten a close look at her. Can you explain this to me?"
"Sure. So Moonclaw is very unnatural. I can't explain it very well . . . but she gives me that weird feeling inside, like she isn't real or something, and her voice is also peculiar. Her voice is gentle and smooth, but not like a normal she-cat's voice would be. It's odd. And her eyes are a bright green, almost like Sparrowfeather or Snowtail, but in a very extraordinary way. You need to meet her to get more details," Dovepaw explained. She let out a breath of exhaustion, from the intensity and the amount of talking.
Mousepaw looked very focused. Her eyes were narrowed and her ears were pricked as she listened. "That's very strange. Yes, I will have to meet her, but even without laying an eye on her, I can tell that her presence is very irregular."
"Very. And Badgertooth doesn't seem to agree with me, even though he claims he had a little conversation with her. I'm starting to think that she's still working for MoonClan, even though the stories affirm that she decided to lead the life of a normal cat," Dovepaw meowed. "I need to know more, but I don't know how . . ."
"Maybe you could talk to the other medicine cats?" Mousepaw suggested. "Maybe Mapleleaf is gathering herbs now, and you can find her at the scent markers."
"Maybe," Dovepaw repeated. "But maybe not."
Mousepaw cuffed Dovepaw fervently around the ear. "Stop being so pessimistic, Dovepaw! Maybe she is gathering herbs." She lowered her voice to a whisper to add dramatic effect. "Right. Now."
"Okay, then why don't you come with me?" Dovepaw asked, her heart racing. What if Mapleleaf had the same reaction as Badgertooth? Did Moonclaw somehow make her as mouse-brained as she did Badgertooth?
Mousepaw sighed. "I was hoping that you could be independent and do it yourself, but I guess I'll come." She stood up and waited for Dovepaw to go.
Dovepaw sighed also. "I'm not sure what—"
Mousepaw slapped her strong tail across Dovepaw's mouth. The blow made Dovepaw's mouth hurt a bit. Dovepaw batted her tail away and touched her own mouth with her paw, glaring at Mousepaw. "What did I just say?" Mousepaw demanded, ignoring her sister's glare.
"Okay, okay! Let's just go before our Clanmates begin to worry. Before Skypaw begins to worry."
Mousepaw's ears flattened and she crouched slightly, looking up at Dovepaw, a glimmer of embarrassment in her blue eyes.
"Don't think I didn't notice, mouse-brain," Dovepaw mewed mischievously. "Now let's go."
Mousepaw stood straight up and followed.
When the two she-cats reached the point where ThunderClan and FrostClan scent collided into one, they stopped and looked around. Dovepaw glanced at Mousepaw. "Walk along the border and see if you see Mapleleaf anywhere. If you see her then call my name," she instructed.
Mousepaw nodded, a serious look lining her face, and left towards the far side of the border.
Dovepaw turned around and began to search alongside the border. She looked all up and down the paths for the beautiful dark red fur of the ThunderClan medicine cat. "Mapleleaf?" she called quietly. Her call faded into the air and was left unanswered.
"Dovepaw! I found her!"
That was quick, Dovepaw thought. She turned and limped quickly towards her sister's voice. Mousepaw was standing between two large borage bushes. She caught a small glimpse of Mapleleaf beside Mousepaw. "That was quick," she meowed when she approached Mousepaw. "Hi, Mapleleaf." She found the dark red she-cat behind the bush, holding a leaf wrap in her jaws. She put it down and dipped her head.
"Hello. Mousepaw here tells me that she was helping you find me because of something you need help with?" she asked. Confusion clouded her eyes. "Couldn't one of your Clanmates help?"
"I'm going back to camp. Whitefoot will be wondering where I am," Mousepaw meowed as she began to leave.
"Okay. Goodbye." Turning back to Mapleleaf, Dovepaw sighed. "No. Because this is about Moonclaw. They wouldn't be willing to help, much less even be helpful to me."
Tipping her head to one side, Mapleleaf meowed, "Then what about Badgertooth?"
"He's been a mouse-brain lately. I mention Moonclaw, and he acts as if there is nothing wrong with her. But there is! You have got to have seen it, too!" Dovepaw realized her voice was rising in desperation.
Mapleleaf's ear twitched curiously. "Huh. I guess I did notice something a bit odd about her. But what are your assumptions about her and what do you think needs to be done?"
Dovepaw took a long, deep breath and explained everything that she explained to Mousepaw. "So I'm starting to think that maybe I should do some investigating or something. Or maybe I should get a RiverClan cat to keep a close eye on Moonclaw."
Mapleleaf was nodding inquisitively. "Okay. Yes. I have noticed that, but I was starting to think that was a figment of my imagination. But that is a very good thought. Maybe at the next Gathering—"
"That's too long of a wait! I need answers as soon as possible. If that is possible, I will try as hard as I can to get my answers," Dovepaw interrupted bravely.
"Okay. Maybe the next Gathering is a long wait. But what do you expect me to do? Just stroll into the RiverClan camp and ask a random cat to keep an eye on Moonclaw? I don't think there's a way in StarClan that that's going to happen." Mapleleaf shook her head doubtfully.
Dovepaw's tail tip twitched in irritation. She looked at her paws, thinking hard. "Okay . . . we can just think of ideas and meet here tomorrow," she mewed. She looked up at Mapleleaf.
Suddenly the dark red she-cat gasped. "I got it! Well, an idea to get a few answers. Why don't we go to the Moonpool and see if we can get some good advice?"
I already asked Frostfeather for advice on the Moonclaw situation, but I guess another try wouldn't do any harm. Dovepaw nodded briskly, her heart beginning to speed up in eagerness. "What if a passing patrol finds my scent on ThunderClan territory?"
"Then I'll have some explaining to do. Let's go." Mapleleaf arched her tail over her back to tell Dovepaw to follow her and they were off towards the Moonpool.
***
Dovepaw stayed close behind Mapleleaf as they descended down the spiral path to the large and starry Moonpool. "I don't think there is anything nearly as enchanting as the Moonpool."
Mapleleaf nodded. "When I was a young apprentice, I always said things like that to my mentor and the other medicine cats."
It was hard to Mapleleaf as Maplepaw. She seemed to be a natural with medicine cat stuff, but Dovepaw knew that every cat that is good at something was a beginner at first. Dovepaw and Mapleleaf padded to the edge of the pool and laid down there. "I hope I get an answer," Dovepaw meowed nervously. "I've been thinking about it all the time."
"I'm sure you'll get an answer, don't you worry," Mapleleaf assured.
Dovepaw took a deep breath and nodded. She lapped at the water and curled up at the side of the Moonpool, thinking, StarClan, please give me something to work with.
Lush forest surrounded Dovepaw now. The air was moist and the soil felt fertile under her pads. She looked around before pushing onward into the undergrowth.
A light, sparkly mist swirled in front of Dovepaw, and she came to a halt. In a few heartbeats there was a beautiful white she-cat with some black specks that flecked her face. "Frostfeather!" Dovepaw exclaimed. "Mapleleaf wanted to come and meet with someone . . . and I know you already talked to me, but I thought that maybe I could—"
"I understand. And I know you want answers. But I simply cannot share anything in view of the fact that I have no knowledge of the answer," Frostfeather meowed solemnly. "Like I have already said, you must seek out answers on your own."
"What if you get an answer? Will you tell me?" Dovepaw asked hopefully.
"If I get an answer, which is highly unlikely, I will tell you, yes, but not in the way that you hope. This is your problem to deal with. I am only helping you out," Frostfeather explained. "I'm sorry."
No! I won't be able to find an answer at all, and even if I do, I bet my life that it'll be too late by then! Dovepaw sighed instead of telling Frostfeather her doubts. "Okay."
Frostfeather nodded, her green eyes sparkling. Then her starry pelt began to fade until it was just a wisp above the lush ground. Then there was nothing. As the dream began to fade, Dovepaw felt a sense of hopelessness. She knew she wouldn't be able to solve anything, and with Moonclaw being in the center of this, it would be even harder because Dovepaw didn't even know what she could do.
She awoke in the Moonpool hollow. The pebbles were cool under her belly, and she didn't want to get up. Mapleleaf was stirring also. She opened her amber eyes. Her gaze immediately rested on Dovepaw. "Nothing," she meowed solemnly.
Dovepaw shook her head. "Me neither." The two she-cats both stood up and escalated up the spiral path. "Should we tell the others?"
"You specifically said that Badgertooth wasn't listening to you." Mapleleaf twitched her ear to convey her confusion.
"The others!" Dovepaw interrupted. "Like, Fawnspots, Fogsight . . . you know."
"Oh. Sorry, I'm just tired," Mapleleaf meowed. She sounded hesitant, as if she was lying. "We could go tell the others tomorrow. We can meet up at the borage bush at the border between our land at midday and then split up and tell the other medicine cats."
"Sounds like a deal." Dovepaw nodded approvingly. "I guess we should get back to our Clans. I'll see you tomorrow."
Mapleleaf turned, waving her tail in the air in farewell. "Okay. See you later." She bounded towards the ThunderClan border and disappeared in the distance.
Her mind whirling with all the possibilities of the next day, Dovepaw turned and left.
When she entered the camp Mousepaw rushed towards her. She stopped when she was beside Dovepaw and she could walk with her. "How'd it go?" she asked. "Any answers?" Skypaw was following close behind her.
"It was fine, but no answers," Dovepaw answered grimly. "Mapleleaf and I will spread the message." She looked around the camp. She leaned in and whispered in Mousepaw's ear, "Don't tell anyone. Not even Badgertooth." She looked at Skypaw. "Don't tell anyone, okay? No one."
Skypaw nodded, looking confused. But he didn't protest.
"What are you doing with Mapleleaf?" Skypaw asked in a hushed voice.
"Spreading the message. To keep an eye out for clues," Dovepaw whispered. "Promise you won't tell anyone? You won't tell anyone anything about it?"
Mousepaw pressed against Dovepaw reassuringly. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. With us." She nodded to Skypaw, who nodded swiftly and with assurance.
"Thank you," Dovepaw mewed gratefully, touching Mousepaw's nose with hers and began to head towards the medicine den.