It was not until after sun-high that a patrol found Emberpaw. The ginger apprentice was glaring at her brother when she entered camp with Waterfall, Patchfire, and Speckledfur.
"How come you went back to camp without me?" she snapped.
Ashheart ran to her kit and nuzzled her. "You're safe!"
"Of course I'm safe," Emberpaw replied tartly. "Riverpaw just got the mouse-brained idea to go back without me."
"I couldn't find you!" Riverpaw protested.
"You couldn't see me," Emberpaw corrected. "You didn't look for me."
Riverpaw was silent.
"Aren't apprentices not allowed to go out of camp without their mentors or some other warrior?" Wavepelt asked. "Patchfire and Elmwood were still here in camp." She narrowed her eyes. "You told me you both were going with your mentors."
"Riverpaw was the one who said that!" Emberpaw exclaimed. "I told him that we couldn't go out of camp without our mentors, but he didn't listen." She let out a harrumph.
"It's dangerous for you two to be out there without any older warrior," Wavepelt reminded them gently but firmly. "You could get killed. That's why the rule is set in place right now." She paused. "I will talk with Flamestar about this. There may be a punishment." Then she turned and started walking to Flamestar's den.
"This is all your fault!" Emberpaw exclaimed to Riverpaw.
"What do you mean, my fault?" Riverpaw retorted. "You did it too."
"All I wanted to do was to go hunting!" Emberpaw sounded exasperated. "All you ever do is mess everything up."
"Enough!" Ashheart exclaimed. "You two are behaving like kits! Do you really want to set an example for the younger apprentices?" She glanced at Wolfpaw, who was with Leafdawn and watching intently. "If so, it's not working. Go to your mentors, they'll give you something to do besides argue." With a sigh, she padded over to Bushtail.
Midnightsky suppressed a smile. I wonder if they'll be like that when they become warriors. That's in about four moons. A while from then.
An idea popped in her head and she went over to Elmwood.
"I was thinking that I could borrow Riverpaw for herb collecting," she meowed. "We're getting low on some storages and I could use the help. Also, he could be a guardian." She winked.
Elmwood laughed. "Sure, that would be great. I'll go get him." She trotted off to where Riverpaw was still standing and muttering under his breath. A few heartbeats later, he let out a sigh and walked over to Midnightsky.
"Okay, I'm ready," he grumbled. "Why am I doing this exactly?"
"I need a cat to protect me," Midnightsky replied.
"Everyone says that," Riverpaw muttered.
"Then you must be a very good protector, then." Midnightsky waved her tail and started to pad out the gorse tunnel. "Come on, we're collecting horsetail."
Riverpaw sighed again and caught up to her.
"Herbs are so boring," he complained. "Why would any cat want to be a medicine cat?"
"Being a medicine cat is more than just herbs, you know," Midnightsky mewed. "Besides, it's what I enjoy. You like being a warrior, I like being a medicine cat."
"I guess," Riverpaw said.
They were silent for a few heartbeats before Riverpaw said:
"Where are we going, anyway?"
"Tallpines," Midnightsky answered.
"Are we going to meet any ShadowClan cats?"
"Hopefully not." If ShadowClan also was starting to be a problem Midnightsky would feel like she was about to explode.
"It would be cool to meet a ShadowClan cat." Riverpaw's eyes gleamed. "I'd tear it to shreds."
"Maybe, if it was blind!" Midnightsky teased.
Riverpaw shrugged. "Can I hunt?"
Can this cat ever stop talking? "Weren't you just hunting with Emberpaw?" Midnightsky asked.
Riverpaw nodded. "But I'm hungry."
"Well then, catch something quickly," Midnightsky told him.
Riverpaw swiped his tongue over his jaws, stopping to crouch. A few heartbeats later, he pounced, bringing up a mouse.
After eating it in a few quick bites, he ran to catch up to Midnightsky.
"Do medicine cats every hunt?" he asked. "Or fight?"
"They do learn some basic hunting and fighting skills," Midnightsky answered. "I trained as a warrior for a moon before switching to a medicine cat apprentice, so I know a little more fighting moves than a standard medicine cat."
"So you're a medicine cat that can fight?" Riverpaw sounded surprised.
"Well, I've beaten you in sparring, remember? Both you and Emberpaw at the same time."
"I guess you have," Riverpaw admitted reluctantly.
"We're almost there," Midnightsky mewed all of a sudden. She could see Tallpines in the distance.
"What does horsetail look like?" Riverpaw asked.
"It's a wide, dark green leaf with jagged edges."
They didn't say anything else for the rest of the way there.
As soon as they reached Tallpines Midnightsky spotted a patch of horsetail.
"Right there." She indicated it with her tail. "We'll gather it by the leaf, we don't want to pull the roots out."
She started to swiftly gather the plant. Riverpaw watched her for a few heartbeats, then started taking some as well.
It wasn't long before they both had a huge bundle of horsetail.
"I think this is enough," Midnightsky declared, her voice muffled by the horsetail. "Let's go back to camp."
Riverpaw nodded.
They started to head back to the ThunderClan camp. They didn't really talk because they had bundles of horsetail in their mouth. Midnightsky took this as a chance to think.
My faith in my family and friends will be tested...
How would it be tested? It also wasn't just her. Wavepelt had had the same message.
Midnightsky sighed inwardly. StarClan's messages are always so vague. Why couldn't StarClan just warn them straight out about something instead of saying some strange message? Midnightsky didn't get that.
"Have you ever fought in a battle?"
Riverpaw's muffled voice entered her thoughts. Midnightsky glanced at him and paused before replying.
"Not intentionally," she meowed finally. That was true. She had been in way more battles than a medicine cat should have but that was mostly because of the rogues.
"I'd always want to be in a battle." Riverpaw's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "How could you not want to be in a battle?"
If you've experienced the things I've experienced, Midnightsky said silently. Everything that had to do with battles usually had something to do with the rogues— and the rogues brought back bad memories.
Riverpaw gazed at her for a few moments before shrugging.
"Medicine cats are weird," Midnightsky heard him murmur.
***
That night Midnightsky could barely sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about the two visions she and Wavepelt had.
Finally, she settled into a restless sleep.
And she dreamed.
Well, at least she thought she was dreaming.
Midnightsky couldn't see much, but smoke filled her mouth and she struggled to breathe. She felt burning head all around her and cats were shrieking.
Fire!
She tied to look through the cloud of smoke. Is it here? Please, StarClan, no! We already have enough trouble with the rogues...
Then she was able to distinguish a few of her surroundings.
The moor!
Her heart skipped a beat. Was the rogues' camp on fire? Were their problems finally at an end?
But then she saw that it was not the rogue camp.
WindClan! WindClan's camp is on fire!
They needed to help them!
But how? This wasn't ThunderClan's business. Rabbitstar would probably be annoyed.
But Moorwhisker and Heatherstalk saved Leafdawn's life.
ThunderClan needed to repay that debt.
***
Midnightsky woke with a start. Was the fire happening now? Was that why she had had the dream?
She strained to hear, to see if she could catch any sounds.
Nothing.
Then she tasted the air.
Smoke!
She ran to Flamestar's den. Who cared if it was the middle of the night? WindClan needed their help now.
"Flamestar!" she exclaimed.
Flamestar and Wavepelt had been sleeping together. They both raised their heads blearily.
"Midnightsky, it's the middle of the night," Flamestar mewed. "What's happening?"
"WindClan's camp is on fire!"
That got Wavepelt up, but Flamestar was still confused.
"And why do we need to help them exactly?" he asked.
"Moorwhisker and Heatherstalk saved Leafdawn's life," Midnightsky explained in a rush. "ThunderClan owes them a debt."
"So what do you want to do?" Wavepelt asked.
"I want to take some herbs over and treat the burned cats. Some WindClan herbs might have been destroyed as well."
"Well, a part of warriors should come as well," Flamestar decided. "Wavepelt, go wake up a few able-bodied warriors."
Wavepelt nodded and dashed off.
"Don't do anything that may risk your life," Flamestar warned Midnightsky. "We're doing this for WindClan, not us."
Midnightsky nodded. "I know."
"The party's ready." Wavepelt appeared in the entrance.
"Go, then," Flamestar meowed.
"I'll go get some herbs." Midnightsky ran out of the den, grabbed some herbs in the medicine den, then ran back to meet her party— Leafdawn, Bushtail, Dawnpool, Waterfall, and Smokestorm.
"Let's go," she told them.
They took off into the night, stumbling over branches in the darkness. As they got closer they could hear the occasional shriek, and when they got to Fourtrees they could see the fire.
"Great StarClan, that fire's huge," Waterfall muttered.
"We're almost there." Midnightsky was staring wide-eyed at the fire as well as they ran.
They ran into Pinefoot almost immediately.
"Wha— Midnightsky!" The ginger tom was full of smoke and had a few burns on his flank. "What are you doing here?"
"Repaying a debt. Where are the wounded cats?" Midnightsky demanded.
"We can help get cats out," Bushtail added.
Pinefoot nodded. "Follow me to help. Midnightsky, you should be able to find the medicine cats, they're near the medicine den."
It was hard to tell— everything was engulfed in flames. Midnightsky leapt over everything she could, past shrieking cats, and reached the medicine den, which wasn't really a den anymore. It was pretty much a fireball.
"Midnightsky!" Moorwhisker sounded surprised. "Who cares why you're here— we could really use the help. The injured cats are over there." He gestured with his tail to a spot where there weren't as many flames.
"Where's Heatherstalk?" Midnightsky asked.
"I don't know!" Moorwhisker panicked. "As soon as the medicine den caught fire I ran out but I never saw her come out!"
"I need to go in there—" Midnightsky started, but Moorwhisker held her back.
"No," he stated firmly. "Treat the injured cats."
Midnightsky nodded and dashed over to the spot he had indicated. As she did so she ran into a cloud of smoke. She stopped, breaking out into a fit of coughing and dropping her herbs.
Midnightsky snatched them up immediately, ignoring the coughing she wanted to do. I need to treat the cats.
She made her way to the injured cats.
"I'm here to help you!" she exclaimed. With a pang, she saw Orchidsong among the group of cats.
Pinefoot's mate had a burn on her right hind leg and she was grimacing in pain. Her eyes were glazed over.
It looked the most severe. Midnightsky chewed up some goldenrod. We need water!
She quickly lay a poultice on the burn before turning to another cat. "What's wrong?"
All of the cats were soon treated and Midnightsky sighed with relief— but then broke off into another fit of coughing.
"The fire's — spreading," she realized. "You need to get — out of here."
One of the cats nodded. "We'll do that." You go back to Moorwhisker and Heatherstalk!"
Midnightsky went back to where Moorwhisker was.
"Any sign of Heatherstalk?" she asked.
Moorwhisker shook his head. "No!"
Just then a cry was heard. "Moorwhisker! Help!"
"Heatherstalk!" Moorwhisker sprang up. "Where are you?"
"I'm in the medicine den!" Heatherstalk's voice exclaimed. "I'm trapped!"
"I'm coming!" Moorwhisker, much to Midnightsky's horror, dashed into the blazing medicine den.
"Moorwhisker—" she started.
"Midnightsky!" Leafdawn ran up to her. She was covered with ash and smelled strongly of smoke. She had a small burn on her foreleg but she seemed fine. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just inhaled some smoke— but Moorwhisker and Heatherstalk are in there!" Midnightsky shouted, gesturing to the medicine den.
Leafdawn's eyes widened. "Are they trapped?"
"Heatherstalk is— Moorwhisker went in to save her!"
As if on cue, the medicine den collapsed.
"Moorwhisker! Heatherstalk!" Midnightsky yowled. "I have to go in there!"
"Midnightsky, don't—" Leafdawn yelled, but Midnightsky had already ran into the collapsed heap. The fire burned her pads and she felt immense pain, but she didn't care.
All that mattered was that Moorwhisker and Heatherstalk were stuck.