CHAPTER 15
Everyone seemed concerned but I could tell by the awkward glances I got, no one really cared.
Peeling my eyes from them I padded towards Reedstar who gave me a sad glance and then he stood and met up with me, mewing softly, "Dawnstripe is going to be okay, the attack wasn't that bad, I promise we won't lose her."
"DarkClan isn't going to give up so easily. That attack was just the beginning." I felt myself holding the sorrow inside of me. His mate had been ambushed, taking a break from her kits to hunt, leaving Mudkit and Firekit with the apprentices who protected them bravely. DarkClan had not been kind to her. It had been a warning about Echofur who Reedstar agreed to give back.
My leader nodded. "I know Dawnpool, but I can handle it." Then he padded towards the nursery where I saw Whitepaw slip in with a plump juicy rabbit.
Russettail was sitting on the other side of the clearing, staring at Moonpaw who was trotting towards Whitefang, her mentor, with some bracken for the warriors den. Her brother seemed to be latched onto the apprentice since the day she was born, and Moonpaw seemed to enjoy it.
DarkClan had grown, according to Russettail. They had another queen that was almost ready for her kits and soon they would be apprenticed, and then warriors within a short period of time they'd die and I knew I had to do something, but what? The prophecy now stated that we were missing another cat.
"Dawnpool!" Whitefang padded towards me, tail moving slowly in a calm motion. "Scratchtail is asking what to put on Dawnstripe's pad. She says it hurts."
I blinked, coming out of my daydream, I was hesitant. "Go ask Mothflower, I'm busy..." I muttered quickly walking out of camp, passing Russettail and Pinepaw who were laughing. They clicked instantly.
The snow was gone and the sun was out, high in the sky with a few clouds giving us some shade once in a while.
A moon had almost passed and the Clan was doing well, soon we'd be fighting DarkClan and I knew Russettail was hesitant to let Pinepaw be a warrior due to Redstorm dying. My brother knew he wouldn't last a second, but he was small and could come in use.
What do I do when the Clan expects me to take care of them? Mothflower won't dare go into battle but I could... I thought and shook my head, knowing it was a mouse-brained idea. I let out a yawn and glanced around, noticing I'd walked to the Steppe, deep in thought.
Light pawsteps made me look up and I saw Reedstar approaching slowly. "Greetings Dawnpool."
My eyes were wide as I examined the leader. He looked old: his muzzle was gray and his pelt was baggy, he looked worn out, and his eyes were dull with pain.
I nodded at him in greeting. "What're you doing out of camp?"
Reedstar sighed, swishing his tail he sat down. "I do believe it is time for Russettail to take over as leader."
I gaped at him. "Are you sure? You still have potential, Reedstar..." My heart pounded. Reedstar only had one life left. I couldn't believe that our leader was dying so soon.
"The DarkClan battle is tomorrow at sunhigh, Dawnpool," he told me. "That will be my last battle. You and Russettail are special cats, Dawnpool. Make sure he leads well."
The battle can't be tomorrow! We have to find that last cat! I felt my head swirling with thoughts and I got dizzy as Reedstar kept talking.
Suddenly, a large fire erupted in front of me and a kit was in the middle, it's eyes glowing a leafy-green color. And then it was gone and Reedstar was staring at me with concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked and looked behind him to see nothing, only a few rabbits in the distance.
There was a kit on fire! I blinked in confusion. Firekit! Could it be Firekit? "I-I have to go," I told Reedstar and then I raced away, towards camp where Russettail would be so we could talk.
When I entered camp, Dawnstripe was in the nursery and I could hear the kits squealing while Whitefang was showing Moonpaw how to cut moss for her gathering skills and Russettail was talking to Mothflower about something I couldn't hear.
Instantly I trotted over, breathing heavily I managed to spit out, "Firekit! Firekit is the Fourth cat!"
Their ears pricked with interest. "Are you sure? Because you could be wrong..." Mothflower mewed with a worried glance.
Russettail sighed. "She's a kit, Dawnpool... Did StarClan show you a sign or something?" he asked with an annoyed twitch of his tail.
I nodded excitedly. "Yes, they showed me a sign! A kit in the middle of a fire. That's Firekit, right?"
Mothflower's eyes suddenly lit up with happiness, now realizing that now all we have yet to do was fight DarkClan and win, with the power of the Four!
A loud cracking noise made me look up and I saw gray clouds now above us and then suddenly, it began to rain and I could hear the thunder in the distance. Then rain drops began landing lightly on my pelt I saw everyone rush to the dens for cover.
A flash of lighting made my fur prickle in unease.
"C'mon Mothflower!" I mewed. "To the medicine den!" I trotted towards the den and slipped in, shaking my wet pelt. I curled up in my nest, watching Mothflower look at the clean den proudly.
The young medicine cat lay in her nest on the other side of the den across from mine and she sighed. "Hey Dawnpool?"
My voice was colder than I had imagined it and it sounded tired and almost old, "Yeah?" I opened an eye to look at her.
"If you live to see past two days, I just want you to know you're the best medicine cat ever," she stated, a large smile on her face as she blinked her hazel eyes at me.
Feeling myself giggle softly, I shook my head slowly. "You'll be the best medicine cat. I promise." Falling asleep, I knew that everything would be okay.
***
"Wake up! Dawnpool wake up, now!" screeched a cat I couldn't quite identify.
But my eyes flickered open and I was in my nest, looking up at Shadeclaw who was tugging at my fur. "Fire!" he yowled. "There's a fire!"
I instantly stood up, panicking. I shoved him out of the den and saw that Dawnstripe, Mudkit, and Firekit were racing out of camp with Moonpaw and Pinepaw following after. Russettail was guiding Cherryheart out of camp, Littlecloud trailing behind and Flowerwhisker and Cinderleaf were already out of camp. A huge, bright, blazing fire started on the apprentices den where I rushed to and checked but it was empty.
"Dawnpool," Reedstar yowled, looking at the entrance, "Everyone's out, let's move!"
Racing forward, I heard a wailing sound and I turning around, pausing at the edge of camp to see a kit in the middle of camp, a large fire engulfing it and it's leafy-green eyes were flashing at me with panic.
The kit in my vision! My heart raced and I darted forward, grabbing the kit's scruff and looking around for an escape route, noticing that the camp entrance wouldn't be hard to get to.
I rushed through the fire, feeling it burning at my pelt, but I pushed forwards to Reedstar and the Clan who were watching me with scared looks.
"Whitepaw!" Pinepaw cried and darted forward to greeting his sister with Moonpaw following.
Mothflower and Russettail were off to the side, watching me pad over I fell to the ground and looked up at them, my fur was singed in some places.
My pelt still burning, I coughed and laid my head on my paws, mewing, "Whitepaw is the cat in my vision, Whitepaw is the Fourth cat... Not Firekit."
They nodded together but Russettail spoke. "Makes sense. She's brave, smart, and loyal. The fire should be going down, that's good..."
"We'll stay outside of camp for tonight and come back in the morning for further inspections," Reedstar announced and curled up around Dawnstripe and their kits while everyone found their own areas to lie down in.
I closed my eyes, too tired to form a nest. I fell asleep into a peaceful dream.
***
"I call a Clan meeting!" I heard Reedstar yell and I jolted back into reality where I was laying on the ground, the Clan walking past me. I sat up and walked to Reedstar who stood on a small rock.
Everyone was looking at him curiously, wondering what he had to say.
"Moonpaw, Whitepaw and Pinepaw are doing their warrior assignments and they will become warriors, fighting with us against DarkClan tomorrow." He raised his head high as everyone let hoots and hollers. "As will the rest of you, dividing into patrols. Russettail will lead one with Pinepaw, Mothflower, Shadeclaw, Cherryheart, Littlecloud, Scratchtail, and Cinderleaf. Dawnpool, Whitefang, Moonpaw, Whitepaw, Flowerwhisker, and Shrewclaw will join my patrol that'll face DarkClan head on while later we'll send in a fresh patrol, they will switch while our medicine cats are on either side of the clearing. Mothflower you're paired up with Stonepaw who has got his warrior name, Stoneleaf, and Dawnpool you'll be with Graypaw, RiverClan's new medicine cat apprentice."
Suddenly, a loud rustling sound made us all look around and I saw the ground cracking beneath our paws, it was small and couldn't hurt anybody, but everyone fell over and a few yowls of panic echoed in my ears until a few seconds later when it stopped.
"Is everyone okay?" Reedstar called, looking around and everyone nodded.
Moonpaw bursting in, panting she let out a wail. "It's Pinepaw, he fell in a giant hole into nothingness!"
Whitepaw walked towards us, carrying a rabbit her eyes widened and Russettail walked in.
"I-I lost my apprentice... To a h-hole?" He looked painfully stressed out and upset, losing another apprentice yet again.
"Moonpaw and Whitepaw have passed their assignments and we are sorry for Pinepaw." He sighed and glanced at the ground sadly. "I, Reedstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Moonpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
She glanced at her leader, her eyes full of pain, and everyone else and slowly said, "I do."
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Moonpaw, from this moment you will be known as Moonfall. StarClan honors your strength and happiness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." The leader dipped his head respectfully. "Whitepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?"
Whitepaw had her head high but she didn't look happy her brother wasn't here to share the happiness. "I do."
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Whitepaw, from this moment you will be known as Whitefoot. StarClan honors your loyalty, bravery, and wisdom, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan," Reedstar purred, looking down at the young warriors who purred.
My heart rose with pride, but a pang of sadness sat beneath my pelt. The Four will come together and strike down DarkClan, I promise...