"Help me carry Leafdawn!" Midnightpaw pleaded.
Wheatwing nodded, watching the crowd of rogues coming toward them. "We need to be quick!"
They hoisted Leafdawn onto Midnightpaw's back, to Wheatwing's protest.
"Don't worry, Leafdawn," Midnightpaw whispered. "We'll get out of here."
But the crowd of rogues was closing in.
Suddenly, two cats appeared, sending out a flash of light that almost blinded Midnightpaw. When she blinked, she saw the two starry outlines.
"Wolftooth! Flowerpaw!" she exclaimed.
"We'll keep them busy," Flowerpaw promised, a glint of excitement in her eyes. "Get out of here!" Then she charged at the rogues.
Midnightpaw spotted a gap in the crowd. "There!" She and Wheatwing dashed through and didn't stop until they reached the familiar path leading back from Highstones.
Midnightpaw let out a deep breath, setting Leafdawn down. "Leafdawn? We're safe. We're almost at ThunderClan territory."
Leafdawn didn't move.
"Midnightpaw..."
Midnightpaw turned, expecting Wheatwing, but Flowerpaw was there.
"She's dead," the tortoiseshell murmured.
"No...No!" Midnightpaw yowled. "She had a dream! We were going to go to ThunderClan together! She could have had a happy life..."
"She will." Flowerpaw gazed at Midnightpaw. "Midnightpaw, I know that we're technically friends now. But I'd prefer for you to have a friend on solid ground than up in the stars."
"Flowerpaw... what do you mean?" Midnightpaw asked softly.
"Tell Vinepaw I miss him. And Speckledfur and Barkstripe. I will always remember them. Tell them I gave my life for a good cause." Flowerpaw looked at Midnightpaw one last time, then faded away.
"Flowerpaw? Where are you?" Panicked, Midnightpaw glanced around.
Suddenly Leafdawn coughed. "Midnightpaw? Am I dead?"
"Leafdawn!" Midnightpaw nuzzled the tabby. "You're alive! Bloodclaw almost killed you, but you're safe now." She understood now. Flowerpaw sacrificed herself to let Leafdawn live... I will always remember her.
She noticed that Leafdawn's back paw had turned white when it used to be yellow. Thank you, Flowerpaw.
Strangely, Leafdawn's wounds had healed, and there was a scar where Bloodclaw had clawed her neck.
"So it is not a dream?" Leafdawn murmured. "Am I going to ThunderClan?"
"You are." Midnightpaw smiled. "You're going to a new home."
Leafdawn smiled a little. "I hope they'll like me."
"They will." That was the first time Wheatwing had spoken since they had escaped the rogues. "I may not know you very well, but I know my sister. She brought my mate into ThunderClan. She'll understand, don't worry."
"...Thanks," Leafdawn mewed. "I promise I'll do things. I can do everything! I just don't want to go back to my brother..."
"Relax!" Midnightpaw told her. "Let's just go to camp. I know the way." She had been to the Moonstone only once but she remembered the path. "We'll have to go through WindClan territory, but they're usually fine with it on the way to the Moonstone." But as she said that, uncertainty pounded in her heart. We're not attacking.
Then she remembered something. "We don't have to worry! I'm a medicine cat! I can go across borders freely as long as I'm not stealing prey or anything. I can just say that we're returning from Highstones if we cross a patrol."
"Okay." Leafdawn seemed a little confused but she nodded.
***
Luckily, they didn't cross into any patrols. Midnightpaw tasted the air happily as she crossed over the ThunderClan border. "Home!"
Wheatwing seemed ecstatic. Her eyes were bright, and every step she took was almost a bounce. Midnightpaw knew that her mother was excited to be back.
"How's our territory?" she asked Leafdawn. The tabby was looking around wide-eyed.
"Amazing!" she breathed. "You're so lucky..."
Midnightpaw padded through the forest, happy to be under the trees again. She tasted the crisp, clean air of the trees and almost forgot that it was leaf-bare.
"I can see the gorse tunnel!" Wheatwing exclaimed suddenly. She was right. Midnightpaw spotted it straight ahead.
"The camp's in there?" Leafdawn asked.
Midnightpaw nodded. "It's awesome, you'll see! And there are plenty of cats you should see. There's my sister, Silkpaw, who's training to be a warrior. She can help you get used to this."
"That would be nice." Leafdawn smiled.
Midnightpaw took a deep breath as they crossed the gorse tunnel.
The first cat she saw was Wavepelt. The deputy was at the fresh-kill pile, her four kits running beside her. Her eyes widened. "Wheatwing! Midnightpaw!" She ran and nuzzled them both. She glanced at Leafdawn. "Who's this?"
"Leafdawn," Midnightpaw meowed, then she turned to Leafdawn. "This is Wavepelt."
"I...uh...I want to join ThunderClan," Leafdawn mewed. "But because I'm a rogue and Bloodclaw's sister I don't expect you to accept."
"You deserve freedom if you're Bloodclaw's sister." Wavepelt stepped closer and gazed at the tabby. "We can talk about it with Flamestar. But knowing him, he'll let you join." She grinned.
"Thank..." Leafdawn murmured.
"Come on!" Wavepelt beckoned Leafdawn with her tail. "Let's go see Flamestar." She started padding off toward the leader's den. Leafdawn glanced nervously at Midnightpaw.
"Go," the apprentice told her. "It'll be fine."
Leafdawn nodded and caught up to Wavepelt.
Midnightpaw gazed around the camp, taking it all in. The warriors den, the apprentices den, the medicine den, the elders den, the leaders den... Everything was—
"Midnightpaw!"
Midnightpaw almost fell over when Silkpaw barreled into her.
"I was so worried when you disappeared!" Silkpaw's words came out in a rush. "But then Flamestar told everyone what you were doing. You were so brave!" Then she noticed Wheatwing. "Wheatwing!" She ran to nuzzle her mother. "I missed you..."
"I did too," Wheatwing murmured.
"I saw someone go with Wavepelt to the leader's den!" Silkpaw exclaimed. "Who is she?"
"You'll see," Midnightpaw told her. Her eyes darted around the camp, looking for someone in particular.
"You came back."
Midnightpaw turned and saw Mintleaf there, moss in his jaws.
"Mintleaf!" Midnightpaw ran up to nuzzle him. "See? I told you I could do it." She smiled.
"You did." Mintleaf's eyes shone as he gazed down at Midnightpaw. Midnightpaw wanted to be there forever, reunited with her Clanmates, but she knew that she needed to go into the clearing.
Cats came running out of the dens when Wheatwing and Midnightpaw stepped into the clearing.
"Wheatwing!" Ashheart shot of the nursery, nuzzling Wheatwing and closing her eyes. "You're back."
Inside the nursery, Midnightpaw could hear Emberkit and Riverkit bickering once more.
"I bet I'm faster than you."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah." Midnightpaw imagined Emberkit puffing out her chest.
"Well then, let's race."
"Sure you don't want to be beaten?"
"How do you know you're not going to be beaten?"
"Because I'm not, that's why. Ready...go!"
Two blurs shot out of the nursery and skidded to a halt in front of the fresh-kill pile. They had finished at pretty much the exact same time.
"Ha! I told you I was faster," Emberkit mewed.
"No! I beat you," Riverkit retorted.
Emberkit ran up to Midnightpaw. "You! Did you see our race?"
"Uh...yeah?" Midnightpaw was a little surprised by her comment.
"Who won?"
Great, Midnightpaw thought.
"Well...how I saw it, it was a tie," she told Emberkit. "You finished at exactly the same time."
"Really?" Emberkit asked. "I didn't beat Riverkit just a tiny bit?"
Midnightpaw shook her head.
"Humph," Emberkit mumbled.
"Go play with Wavepelt's kits," Ashheart told her kits. "Perhaps you can do something other than arguing for once..." She sighed.
"Yeah!" Spikekit exclaimed. "Come and play with us!"
"...Okay." Emberkit shot a glare at Riverkit and trotted over to Spikekit.
Midnightpaw's attention drifted away from them and she turned to Silkpaw.
"I'm glad that that plan went well," she told her sister. "Really glad." And it couldn't have gone better... except for Flowerpaw.
She was shaken from her thoughts when Flamestar called a Clan meeting. She saw Leafdawn and Wavepelt coming out of the leader's den and sitting near Highrock. Midnightpaw bounded over to join them.
"Cats of ThunderClan," Flamestar began when everyone was there. "Midnightpaw and Wheatwing have returned safely. But we have a cat who wishes to join our ranks. She has proved herself already, and I am honoured to make her a ThunderClan warrior. Leafdawn, come forward."
Midnightpaw heard whispers of surprise as Leafdawn nervously padded forward.
"I, Flamestar, leader of ThunderClan, call down my warrior ancestors on this cat. She has trained hard and suffered to prove herself worthy, and I commend her as a warrior in her turn.
"Leafdawn, do you promise to uphold and defend the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Flamestar asked.
"...I do," Leafdawn meowed. Wavepelt had probably told her what to say and do.
"I understand that you already have a Clan name and wish to keep it, so I will not change it," Flamestar continued. "StarClan honours your perseverance and your bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!"
"Leafdawn! Leafdawn! Leafdawn!" Midnightpaw joined in the cheering, and she saw Wheatwing doing the same. But some cats weren't cheering.
"She's a rogue!" Treetail whispered to Barkstripe. "How do we know if we can trust her?"
Midnightpaw stood up, marching up to the two cats. She thrust her muzzle in Treetail's face.
"I brought Leafdawn here because she wanted me to," she declared. "If you had been there, you would have known how much she suffered through to get this. She deserves it." Then she padded away casually, leaving Treetail wide-eyed.
She saw Wavepelt give her a wink. Midnightpaw grinned. She had felt herself change during her stay at the rogue Clan camp. She was no longer a scared, too-shy-to-do-anything cat that was always petrified. She was now a witty, smart cat who knew what risks were.
And she was proud of it.
"Midnightpaw!" Leafdawn ran up.
"Congratulations!" Midnightpaw purred.
"Thank you," Leafdawn replied. "I can never thank you enough."
"Do you want to see the camp?" Midnightpaw asked enthusiastically.
"Sure!" Leafdawn glanced around. "I guess I need to know my way around now that I'm a ThunderClan cat." She grinned.
"Okay!" Midnightpaw padded around the clearing with Leafdawn. "In Highrock, where Flamestar was standing, is Flamestar's den," she said. "I'm guessing you already know that."
Leafdawn nodded.
"This clump of ferns here is the apprentices den." Midnightpaw pointed with her tail to the apprentices den. "Here, apprentices do do some work, like occasionally cleaning the elders den and checking the elders for ticks, but they aren't nearly as low-ranked as the rogue Clan."
They moved on.
"This is the warriors den." Midnightpaw gestured to it. "Nothing much to say about it."
She padded on. 'This is the elders den right here." She pointed to a hollow tree stump.
"What are elders?" Leafdawn asked.
"They're cats who have retired from being a warrior or a medicine cat," Midnightpaw explained. "It's usually of old age, but sometimes it can be because of an injury."
"In the rogue Clan, Bloodclaw throws out cats who are too weak..." Leafdawn shivered.
"Don't worry about him," Midnightpaw comforted her. "You're safe."
They kept going to the next den.
"This is the medicine den," Midnightpaw presented. "My favourite den."
"It looks cozy," Leafdawn commented.
"That's pretty much it," Midnightpaw mewed. "Someone will probably show you ThunderClan's territory some time."
"Okay," Leafdawn replied.
"We should probably find you a nest in the warriors den!" Wheatwing came running up. "Come on, I think there's one that's empty."
Leafdawn followed the other tabby to the warriors den.
There was one cat Midnightpaw hadn't seen yet— Tussledstorm. She looked around the camp and found the dark grey she-cat sitting near the camp entrance, gazing out.
"I'm back," Midnightpaw whispered.
"I know!" Tussledstorm exclaimed happily, nuzzling Midnightpaw. "You did great. I'm really glad you did it."
Midnightpaw smiled. "Me too."
"Leafdawn seems nice," Tussledstorm mewed.
"She's had some trouble," Midnightpaw told her. "But she was able to pull through. She deserves to be in this Clan for everything she's done."
"You know..." Tussledstorm mused. "I think you and Leafdawn are pretty similar."
"Really?" Midnightpaw thought about that and realized that Tussledstorm was right.
"...Yeah!" she said.
"Midnightpaw!" Mintleaf called. "We need to catch up on training."
"Okay!" Midnightpaw quickly said bye to Tussledstorm and ran to Mintleaf at the medicine den.
"What are we doing?" she asked.
"I think you need a break," Mintleaf told her, "so we won't do much today. But, we will review some herbs."
"Okay." Midnightpaw was pretty confident about her herb knowledge.
She and Mintleaf entered the den. It was just as Midnightpaw had remembered— herb piles lining the edges, bring a crisp, wonderful scent to the den. Two nests lay there for Mintleaf and Midnightpaw, along with a few more for sick or injured cats.
And those nests would probably be occupied soon. Midnightpaw swallowed. It was her first leaf-bare as a medicine cat apprentice. Luckily, no cases had come in yet, but the sickness would come. Greencough.
"Let's start simple." Mintleaf padded to a pile and snagged up a herb. "Do you remember this one?"
Midnightpaw nodded. "Chervil."
Mintleaf approved with a nod and set the chervil down. He moved to another pile. "What about this one?"
"...Watermint."
"This one?"
"Yarrow." Midnightpaw would always remember that one.
"This one?"
"...Parsley?"
"Close," Mintleaf told her. "You're on the right track for use."
Midnightpaw thought for a moment. Then she realized what her mentor was talking about. "Borage!"
"Correct," Mintleaf meowed. He put down the borage plant and gazed at Midnightpaw. "You know, you're pretty smart for a medicine cat apprentice who's barely trained a moon."
Embarrassed, Midnightpaw stared at the ground. "T-thanks."
"I'm glad you remembered your knowledge," Mintleaf continued, "and I am glad you came back safely. You'll make an excellent medicine cat."
Midnightpaw said nothing, too flushed to reply.
Mintleaf smiled. "Now let's continue." Another pile. "What's this one?"
"Juniper!"
As Midnightpaw exclaimed the name of the berry, she pondered Mintleaf's words. You're pretty smart...
You'll make an excellent medicine cat.
Maybe her destiny's bumps would finally smooth out.
***
"Hey, Silkpaw?" Midnightpaw went over to her sister. After the review, Mintleaf had let her relax.
"Grab a piece of prey," he had said, "and do something with your Clanmates."
Midnightpaw had happily obliged.
"What is it?" SIlkpaw glanced up from a scrawny vole she was eating, her voice muffled.
"I thought you didn't like vole," Midnightpaw commented.
"Oh, it's not too bad," Silkpaw mumbled. "What is it?" she asked again, more clearly this time.
"You know Leafdawn?"
"Yeah." Silkpaw looked away.
"Do you think that you could help her?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, she's not used to this territory," Midnightpaw explained. "I thought that you could show her around, and help her hunt... you and Rayfrost could do it."
"Me?" Silkpaw mewed. "Why?"
"Because you're my sister," Midnightpaw told her. "And I trust you."
"I could try," Silkpaw murmured.
"Thank you."
Midnightpaw glanced over and saw Leafdawn standing there.
"It's true that I'm not used to forest hunting," the former rogue admitted, "but I know the basics. And you're very kind to show me the territory."
Silkpaw averted Leafdawn's gaze. "Uh...no problem."
"Midnightpaw!" Leafdawn exclaimed enthusiastically. "Do you want to share a piece of prey?"
"Sure," Midnightpaw replied. "Do you have a preference?"
Leafdawn shook her head. "You pick."
"Okay." Midnightpaw selected a squirrel for them both. She divided it and gave a portion to Leafdawn.
"We never shared in RogueClan," the tabby murmured softly. "Everyone took what they wanted. Apprentices never got any prey."
Midnightpaw gazed at her, waiting for more.
But Leafdawn didn't say anything else. Without a word, she started chewing her part of the squirrel.
"I'm going to go see if Rayfrost needs me," Silkpaw whispered. She slowly padded off.
Silkpaw was acting strangely, Midnightpaw noticed as she ate her section of the squirrel. Why? It's weird. One minute she's almost connected to me... the next she's acting like I'm just a normal cat...