Echoheart watched Jasminekit opening her eyes. It had been a quiet half-moon since Whispersong's and Bumblefrost's daughter had been born. And in that half-moon, every cat in DawnClan seemed to have finally accepted Bumblefrost and Whispersong. The birth of a new DawnClan kit, and seeing what a great father Bumblefrost was, had finally proven to DawnClan that Bumblefrost could belong in this Clan. Yes, some cats were still wary and skeptical of having a former DayClan warrior and his half-Clan kit in DawnClan, but no cat let that show. Jasminekit would be DawnClan through and through; she'd never second guess her loyalty to her Clan
Jasminekit let out a squeak of happiness as she saw her mother's face. Whispersong purred. "Mother's here." Jasminekit half-giggled, half-squealed.
Echoheart smiled. Jasminekit looked exactly like Whispersong: silver tabby fur with thin stripes and a long, thin tail. But she did have the subtle, muscled build of her father; long, strong legs meant for chasing prey over the grasslands.
Meadowheart's kits, now just over two and a half moons old, were watching Jasminekit in wonder.
"Over here, Jasminekit!" Pansykit squealed, trying to get the small kit to look at her.
Jasminekit giggled again, letting out a small squeal, then rolled onto her back clumsily. She looked upside down at Meadowheart's kits, batting at them.
"Hey!" Acornkit mewled in surprise.
Cricketkit and Pollenkit laughed.
Whispersong was smiling wider than Echoheart had seen in awhile, which made Echoheart smile.
Jasminekit tried to stand up again, but wobbled and fell, then proceeded to crawl awkwardly toward Whispersong. Whispersong licked her daughter affectionately on her tiny head.
Just then Bumblefrost stepped inside the den, a small vole in his jaws. Jasminekit let out an excited squeal as she saw her father, and Bumblefrost's pale green eyes lit up. He dropped the vole then touched noses with Whispersong and licked Jasminekit's small head.
Bumblefrost meowed, "I caught this for you on the hunting patrol."
"How was it?" Whispersong asked.
Bumblefrost shrugged. "Getting better. Rustypelt still won't talk to me, but he's not being mean or glaring at me, so that's an improvement. And all the apprentices are warmed up to me, even Cherrypaw and Lilacpaw. The older warriors are still a little wary of me, but Eveningstar, I think, has finally accepted me."
Whispersong nodded and smiled.
"But they still won't let me near the DayClan border; not that I want to anyway. Eveningstar says it's just to keep DayClan from becoming provoked if they see me. I mean, I understand his reasoning; you can't trust some of the DayClan cats' judgement, not since Rainstar brainwashed them. Although, I suppose it's better now that Nettlestar is leader..." he sighed and shrugged. "But it doesn't even matter. I don't even want to go near DayClan. They'd punish me for betraying them, just like R—" he cut off, shook his head and looked away, then mumbled, "Nevermind."
"I'm sure it will all calm down eventually," Echoheart meowed. "Every cat will accept you are now a DawnClan cat, and when you go to Gatherings—"
"I don't want to go to any Gatherings," Bumblefrost meowed quietly, still looking away at the den entrance, a distant look in his eyes.
"You don't have to," Whispersong murmured.
"I want to go to Gatherings!" Pollenkit squealed from behind Meadowheart, bouncing up and down beside his siblings, who nodded vigorously in agreement.
"You will," Meadowheart assured them. "In time." The tortoiseshell queen glanced at Whispersong, then meowed, "Come on, let's go outside."
Jasminekit was fast asleep, pressed up against Whispersong. Whispersong's eyes were closing. She must not have gotten much sleep last night.
"But it's cold outside!" Pansykit protested.
"Whispersong and Jasminekit need to sleep," Meadowheart replied. "Come on." Then she and her kits exited the den quietly and headed out to the clearing.
Echoheart smiled as Whispersong fell asleep beside her daughter.
"I'm going to stay here with them," Bumblefrost meowed quietly, still looking distant.
"I'll see you later then," Echoheart replied, blinking. Then she turned and headed toward the den entrance, and, with one backward glance at Bumblefrost lying beside Whispersong, Echoheart stepped out of the den.
The cold evening air slapped Echoheart across the face. She winced as the wind came a heartbeat later and scratched her with its icy claws, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Shivering, she quickly made her way across the camp to a group of warriors huddled under a low-hanging pine tree branch by the High-stone. Eveningstar meowed over the rising wind, "I think that a storm is coming in, and I don't want an evening patrol out with this risk."
"We've carried out patrols through storms, heat, and cold," Creekfall argued. "We can't just let one possible storm stop us from securing our borders!"
"But a storm isn't the only danger!" Eveningstar replied angrily. "Something is killing cats, Creekfall—"
"I know that!" Creekfall retorted. "But—"
"Well, I do not want to risk anything happening to any more of my cats! I don't want to risk your lives for one patrol! It just isn't necessary! Just because there is a large group doesn't mean you won't be in danger," the DawnClan leader added as Gravelpelt opened his mouth to protest. "And if you come across the thing killing these cats, you will be at a disadvantage with this storm, even if there are four or five of you against one! I will not risk any one of my cats' safety!" Eveningstar growled with finality.
"So no evening patrol? Shouldn't we make sure the borders are secure, that it's safe for us and for our kits?" Eaglefeather growled in anger.
"We can have three cats posted at the entrance of the camp tonight then," Eveningstar meowed. "And they can be switched out halfway through the night. Agreed?" Every one of the warriors around him nodded. "We can take out a border patrol first thing in the morning, if the weather improves. Listen. I just want what's best for the Clan, what's best for each and every one of you. I don't want to put you at unnecessary risk, understand?" Everyone nodded. "Sunfur, Eaglefeather, Aspenleaf? Can you take the first shift?" They nodded. "Good, then at moonhigh... well I guess we won't be able to tell when it's moonhigh with all this fog... whenever you're getting tired, switch out with the second shift. Hailstorm, Bronzepelt, and Moonshine, can you be the second shift?" The three warriors nodded. "Then we're all set. Now, get some rest. We're going to need the help of nearly every cat tomorrow."
The warriors dispersed, and Echoheart found Hailstorm then walked beside him as they headed to the warriors' den.
"How's Whispersong?" Hailstorm asked.
"Tired, and happy for the first time in what seems like forever," Echoheart smiled.
"And Bumblefrost?"
"Better."
Hailstorm nodded thoughtfully, looking ahead and squinting against the wind. "He's been different since their kit was born. I like this Bumblefrost better. He's more like Whispersong describes him as, and less like... he used to be."
Echoheart nodded.
"He'll fit in more with time. And everyone will trust him." Hailstorm turned to Echoheart. "It will work out, like you said."
Echoheart half-smiled, then sighed. "But everything hasn't worked out yet."
"What do you mean?" Hailstorm asked as they reached the den entrance.
Echoheart stopped, and Hailstorm halted beside her. She turned to him, looking into his eyes sadly. "Cats are dying all around us. We don't know who will be next. It could be us for all we know."
"Don't say that."
"Its true. We don't know. And on top of all this, the prophecy is going to unfold! The danger may destroy us! The bear will be coming, and the Clans will be destroyed if we can't unite them like the prophecy told Whispersong and I. That'll be nearly impossible. And what happens if it arrives tomorrow? Whispersong has to care for Jasminekit! She won't be able to devote all of her time into protecting the Clans! What happens if we fail, Hailstorm? Every cat will die because of us."
"You don't need to worry about this at the moment," Hailstorm cut her off sternly. "There's no need to stress yourself out about this yet—"
"What do you know?" Echoheart retorted angrily, all of her stress exploding inside her. "What do you know about having the weight of all the Clans' survival put on your shoulders? Since I was a kit I've had to deal with the fear, the terror, of having my Clanmates die around me, because of me! I've had to live with the constant agony of knowing that one day I'd have to fulfill a prophecy, fight a monsterous, murderous creature alongside my Clanmates, lead them into a danger that could surely kill them!"
Hailstorm looked taken aback at Echoheart's sudden outburst. Echoheart didn't even notice; she raised her voice over the wind, narrowing her eyes at Hailstorm angrily. "And not only are all the Clans in this forest relying on me, but StarClan is relying on me! Our warrior ancestors! They chose me for this, and what if I let them down? If I let them down, their former Clans that they risked everything to protect, died to protect, will be gone! Do you know how much weight is on mine and Whispersong's shoulders? And now every cat expects me to act normal! I can't even sleep at night because of the stress that haunts me nearly every moment of my life!"
She was crying now, crumpling to the cold, hard ground, shaking, shivering. She felt alone, more alone than she'd ever felt before, isolated in this world of darkening shadows. There was no sign of light, no way out, only darkness, and she had to lead her Clanmates right into it.
* * *
Echoheart blinked open her eyes. Hailstorm lay beside her in her nest, eyes heavy with sleepiness and concern.
The memories rushed back to her... the yowling, the anger, the immeasurable stress. Then guilt filled her chest. "I'm sorry," she murmured to Hailstorm, voice cracking from all the yelling she'd done last night.
Hailstorm smiled sadly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm... I'm good now... I guess."
"I'm sorry you've had to deal with this. You've had to keep this secret, had to leave your Clan to the mountains for it, had to hold all the stress inside you for the sake of your Clanmates... everyone has underestimated you."
Echoheart's vision was blurred by tears. "I don't know how to deal with this..." she choked out.
Hailstorm looked pained to see her in pain. "Echoheart, you've got cats all around you won't hesitate to follow you, to fight beside you. We'll fight beside you to protect this Clan, and the other Clans. You can always trust us. We all love you. I love you."
Echoheart sniffled. "I love you too, Hailstorm," she whispered, leaning against him, staring up at the stone den around her. Then Echoheart sat up. They were in a stone den. "Are we in the medicine cats den?" she asked in confusion.
Hailstorm nodded. "Yellowflower insisted you sleep in here to get your mind off things without having to have other cats all around you. She wanted you to get a peaceful rest. And I said I'd come with you."
Echoheart nodded. "Where is Yellowflower?"
"Sleeping in the other part of the den, by the herbs I think."
Echoheart looked around. It was still pitch black outside. She blinked. "I thought it was morning."
"No," Hailstorm shook his head. "It's still the middle of the night. You were mumbling in your sleep, so I woke you up."
"Oh." She paused, then asked, "Weren't you supposed to take the second guard shift?"
"Yeah," Hailstorm meowed, "But I didn't want to leave you, so they found another cat to take my place," he purred, turning to lick her nose gently.
It warmed Echoheart's heart to know that she had someone who would stick by her no matter what. Even though she had yelled at Hailstorm last night, he still stayed by her side. "Thanks for staying with me," Echoheart meowed, leaning against him with happiness.
Hailstorm purred. "Always."
When the first light of dawn finally illuminated the camp, Echoheart still lay wide awake, listening to the steady breathing of Hailstorm fast asleep beside her.
Yellowflower walked around the corner, stretching. "You alright?"
"I'm good," Echoheart nodded, yawning. "Thanks for letting me sleep in your den, Yellowflower."
The medicine cat smiled. "The dawn patrol will probably be leaving soon. You should join it, to get your mind off things."
"Alright," Echoheart meowed. She turned to Hailstorm and woke him. He groggily opened his eyes, and Echoheart told him they were going to join the dawn patrol.
"Okay," he yawned, then he got up and arched his back in a long stretch.
Echoheart, Hailstorm, and Yellowflower exited the den together into the frosted camp. The weather was still chilly, but the fog had gone and the sun was shining down upon the forest. Echoheart soaked up the sun's rays.
The three headed toward the fresh-kill pile, where nearly the whole Clan was.
Once they finished their small meals, Echoheart found Sunfur. "Hailstorm and I want to join the dawn patrol," she told the deputy.
Sunfur nodded. "Creekfall is leading it. He's over by the apprentices' den with Aspenleaf."
Echoheart nodded, then she and Hailstorm padded across the camp to Creekfall and Aspenleaf, who were talking with their three kits. Creekfall turned as he saw Echoheart and Hailstorm.
"We want to join the dawn patrol," Echoheart meowed.
Creekfall nodded. "Alright."
"Ooh, can I come? Please!" Needlepaw pleaded. "I'll ask Rustypelt first!"
"Oh, alright. Only if he says it's okay," Creekfall meowed, watching his son sprint toward his mentor.
"You should bring Cherrypaw, Echoheart," Aspenleaf meowed. "She hasn't been on many border patrols."
Echoheart nodded, then padded across the camp to look for her apprentice. Echoheart approached Sagetail. "Have you seen Cherrypaw?" she asked the cream she-cat.
Sagetail nodded. "She's with Bronzepelt and Rayclaw by the fresh-kill pile."
Echoheart trotted to the fresh-kill pile. "Cherrypaw, we're going on the dawn patrol."
Cherrypaw's green eyes lit up with excitement. "Okay!" she purred. "I'll see you later then," she meowed to her father and older brother. Cherrypaw followed Echoheart back toward Aspenleaf, Creekfall, Hailstorm, and Needlepaw.
But before she reached them, Bumblefrost came jogging over to her. "Whispersong needs to talk to you."
"Is something wrong?" Echoheart asked sharply, with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"I don't know; she didn't tell me what she's going to tell you. But she didn't look too worried I don't think."
Too worried? She didn't look too worried? What is that supposed to mean? Echoheart thought in concern. She turned to Cherrypaw. "Tell Creekfall and Aspenleaf that I'll be there in a few heartbeats." Cherrypaw nodded and padded over to the two warriors.
Echoheart followed Bumblefrost to the nursery, where Whispersong sat, Jasminekit asleep peacefully beneath her.
"What's wrong, Whispersong?" Echoheart asked her sister.
"Nothing yet. But," she sighed, "I have to tell you: I saw the eyes again last night."
Echoheart froze. "Again?"
Bumblefrost growled. "You saw those StarClan-ridden eyes again?"
"Yes, and it's not good," Whispersong shivered. "Do you remember the last time I saw these eyes, nearly a moon ago? We discussed something."
Echoheart nodded slowly.
"You said that maybe everytime we see the eyes, something to do with the prophecy happens."
Echoheart nodded again, mind reeling.
"Well, I think it's true. I... I realized this this morning, but," she took a deep breath, "the last time I saw the eyes... It was at night. And the next day, Goldheart was found dead."
Echoheart took in a sharp breath. Her heart skipped a beat. "Are you saying...?"
"Yes, I think that someone is... is murdered every time we see those eyes. And if the eyes are a sign having to do with the prophecy, then these death that happen after we see the eyes must have to do with the prophecy too."
Echoheart's heart was pounding. "So..."
"Yes, all these cats dying, disappearing... I don't think it's Rainstar's doing after all." She paused, shuddering. "I think... the danger has finally arrived upon the forest, and it's what is killing all these cats."
"But... But..." Echoheart couldn't think straight. "You mean... You mean that a bear has been lurking in these forests, and killing these cats? But... But we're not ready yet! We... Oh no, Whispersong! We have to unite the Clans... We have to... we..."
Star burst into the den. "I'm sorry, but I overheard you talking and... The bear is here?" she exclaimed in terror.
"It's in the area we think." Whispersong shuddered.
"Star," Echoheart turned to the silver she-cat. "You know about bears. When do you think it'll attack?" Her voice was filled with desperation.
Star blinked in thought. "Well, bears hibernate, or sleep, most of leaf-bare; so this bear must only be killing off cats that come near it. Bears are territorial too; it's probably trying to mark its territory if it's killing cats and not eating them. It won't fully attack until it's stronger, which will be in new-leaf." Star sighed. "By the way, I had another darkness dream a few nights ago. I spoke to Yellowflower. She had one too. These shadows are growing darker, and the time is drawing nearer. More cats are going to die before this is over." She paused, then sighed. "None of us can breathe a word of this to any other cat. I'll tell Eveningstar later when he takes me out training; he's the leader, and he deserves to know. And if any one of us has another dream, or sees another sign, can we agree to meet up and tell each other?"
Echoheart and Whispersong nodded.
"Remember, I'll stick with you," Star vowed, "until the end."
* * *
Echoheart followed Creekfall, Aspenleaf, Hailstorm, Needlepaw, and Cherrypaw out of the camp and through the forest, glowing pale yellow in the sunrise. She had acted as normal as she could when she had rejoined them. She tried to push the conversation from her mind, but without success. The bear really was lurking about. It wasn't Rainstar for once. But what she really couldn't get from her mind was that some cat was going to die very soon.
She jumped at the crack of a twig and whipped her head around.
"Sorry," Needlepaw meowed quietly, then he and Cherrypaw hurried after Creekfall and Aspenleaf.
Hailstorm fell back to walk with her. "Why are you all of a sudden on edge? Does it have to do with something Whispersong told you?"
Echoheart stared ahead determinedly, trying to steady her breathing. She didn't answer, then thought, He deserves to know. He has stuck by me all this time... And he's continued to stick by me. He did deserve to know. Echoheart turned to him and looked into his deep blue eyes. "Whispersong doesn't think Rainstar is the one killing all these cats," she whispered.
"What?" Hailstorm exclaimed loudly.
"Shh!" she hissed, looking at the four cats ahead of them, who didn't seem to hear Hailstorm.
"Why?" he asked in frustration. "Of course it's Rainstar! Who else—"
"It's not a 'who', Hailstorm. We don't think it's even a cat."
"What else in the name of StarClan would it be then?"
"Do you remember us telling the Clan about the prophecy when we returned from the mountains, and what we discovered about it while there?" Echoheart asked quietly.
Hailstorm nodded. "You and Whispersong have to save the four Clans from a creature... What was it?"
"A bear." Echoheart shuddered at the word. "Ten times as big as a badger, ten times as strong, with claws and teeth bigger than anything we've ever encountered. The Clans have never seen one before, but Whispersong and I did, and Star has seen them numerous times. They aren't a danger up in the mountains—"
"Then why will they be a danger here?" Hailstorm asked, voice filled with fear.
"Because in the mountains, there is nearly unlimited amount of territory for the bears to roam, hunt, and live. Here, the bear that is moving in has Thunderpaths, Twolegplaces, and four Clans of cats to deal with. It wants territory for itself, and it'll get angry with everything preventing it from doing so." She sighed. "Star said that come new-leaf, which is when bears are stronger, it will want to attack and drive us out in order to get the territory it wants."
Hailstorm blinked, eyes wide. "Then why, if it's weak now, is it attacking cats all over the Clans?"
"Its angry; that's what Star said." Echoheart shuddered. "It's trying to claim the forest as its territory."
"So the prophecy isn't only warning us about a bear, it's warning that the Clans will be driven from their homes? No! We can't be!"
"I know. That's why we need to unite all the Clans. If every single cat in all four Clans fights for our homes, then we may be able to beat this bear. Uniting the Clans will take some time, though, especially after everything that's happened between them in the past."
"If they're desperate, they'll agree. Don't worry. They'll do anything to protect their homes, their Clanmates, and their families. You'll see," Hailstorm murmured.
Echoheart blinked. "I hope so." It was still overwhelming, especially with how close it was getting. "We'll need some time. And with new-leaf coming closer each day, the sooner we inform the Clans the better. I... I think... maybe we might have to do it at the next Gathering."
Hailstorm gasped. "That soon? That's in a few days! No, I'd wait, at least until you know for sure it is a bear. You, Whispersong, Bumblefrost, and Star should take a patrol sometime and look around for any scents that Star could recognize as a bear. Then you need to tell all of DawnClan, which will take some convincing since all of them hardly believe a bear is real. You'll need proof. Some will take your word for it, but others will be skeptical. They want something concrete to blame. Something they can easily get revenge on, like Rainstar." He paused. "And only after you convince DawnClan should you tell the other Clans at a Gathering. Wait another moon. It could be Rainstar, even if the bear is a more likely a reason. Find out for sure first."
Echoheart nodded. "Good idea. We can take the evening patrol tomorrow: me, you, Star, Bumblefrost, and Eveningstar—"
"Eveningstar?"
"Star is telling him today. He's the Clan leader. He should know." Echoheart paused. "Can you promise me something?"
"Of course."
"Don't tell any other cat what I've just been telling you. Let them still believe it's Rainstar. When Eveningstar is ready for the Clan to know, we'll tell them. Okay?"
"I won't tell anyone," Hailstorm promised. Then he turned forward as they crossed the stream. Echoheart pressed her shoulder against his, then followed him across the log-bridge.
Echoheart watched Needlepaw and Cherrypaw, leaping through the snow drifts that still hadn't melted from the previous few snow storms. Cherrypaw ran up from behind the silver tabby apprentice and shoved into him. Needlepaw let out a huff of breath, then turned and pushed her into the snow, laughing. "Ha! Got you back!"
Echoheart snorted.
"Needlepaw, Cherrypaw," Creekfall meowed sternly. "This is a patrol, not a play session."
"Oh, come on, Creekfall," Aspenleaf meowed. "They're only having fun. There isn't much of that to come by these days. And we haven't reached any borders yet."
Creekfall grunted. "Just try to act like behaved apprentices, okay?"
Needlepaw nodded, looking a little downcast to have disappointed his father. But Cherrypaw nudged Needlepaw again with her shoulder when Creekfall wasn't looking, giggling quietly.
"You've sure got your paws full with that apprentice," Hailstorm murmured in amusement. "She doesn't listen to anyone."
Echoheart nodded. "Yeah, true. But she's eager to learn everything, and listens to me now, thank StarClan."
Hailstorm chuckled.
"We're going to check the far border first," Creekfall announced from up ahead. "Then we'll follow the river downstream along the DayClan border and to the Thunderpath and NightClan's border."
Everyone nodded, then followed the silver warrior toward the right, toward the far border that DawnClan didn't share with another Clan. That border was quiet. Cherrypaw and Needlepaw got to help remark the borders for the first time, and Cherrypaw had been thrilled.
Echoheart trotted beside her apprentice as they neared the riverbank. The grass in the meadow was cold and hard on their paws; the tall, brown blades hung with the heavy weight of the frost. Parts of the river were iced over, and Echoheart imagined that the water was very, very cold, and she shivered. The sky was covered in high, gray clouds that had taken the previous blue sky away from them. A chilly breeze swept from the moor, carrying the sharp scent of cold moisture that stung Echoheart's nose.
Cherrypaw shivered violently. "It got cold fast!" she meowed, teeth chattering loudly.
Needlepaw nodded in agreement, the tips of his whiskers hanging down with frost.
Aspenleaf sighed. "Another storm's coming I think. We'd better hurry. Creekfall: you, Needlepaw, and I will remark the border from here to the stepping-stones, and Hailstorm, Echoheart, and Cherrypaw, you'll remark from the stepping-stones to the Thunderpath. Well meet you at the Thunderpath."
Echoheart nodded, then lead the way quickly to the stepping stones protruding from the icy water. Then she, Hailstorm, and Cherrypaw, through chattering teeth and spiked fur, remarked the border.
"Hey!" a voice shouted.
Echoheart looked up at Hailstorm. "What?" she asked.
"That wasn't me," Hailstorm replied in confusion.
"Hey!"
"Cherrypaw?" Echoheart hollered.
"It wasn't me either!" Cherrypaw shouted, emerging from the frozen reads after remarking the border.
Echoheart looked at Aspenleaf, Creekfall, and Needlepaw upstream, hardly visible in the thickening fog. But from what she could see, they weren't the ones yelling either. They seemed to have heard it too, and were jogging towards them.
"Who was that?" Aspenleaf called.
"Hello?"
"There!" Needlepaw called, pointing across the river at a large silhouette approaching them.
Echoheart narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, trying to make out the shape. As it got closer, she realized it was more than one shape, and the shapes were cats.
"DayClan cats!" Cherrypaw exclaimed in fear, red fur on end.
"They sound worried," Hailstorm commented.
"What do you want?" Creekfall called, stepping in front of his mate and son to shield them.
"Creekfall," Aspenleaf scolded. "They sound scared. Give them a chance to explain."
As they got closer, Echoheart could see who it was: Clayfur and Coalpelt, with their apprentices Waterpaw and Olivepaw. Their faces were stark with horror, bland, and devoid of the usual sneers on their faces. This really worried Echoheart. If these DayClan cats, who were normally vicious and protective, were scared, something really bad must have happened.
"Clayfur?" Creekfall asked the DayClan deputy in confusion as he saw their expressions. Then he whispered to Echoheart, Aspenleaf, Hailstorm, and the two apprentices, "Don't say anything. I'll deal with it."
"We... came to the nearest cats we could. We need to ask you something. This has happened before... But I never thought... to... DayClan..."
Echoheart's blood turned to ice. She knew where this was going to go.
"What?" Creekfall demanded.
"We haven't even gone back to camp yet!" Olivepaw screeched, dark gray fur on edge and green eyes wide in horror. His sister, Waterpaw, nodded next to him, her gray tabby body shivering.
Coalpelt turned to the apprentices and shushed them sternly.
Clayfur spoke up again, shouting through the freezing wind to the DawnClan cats across the river. "We were patrolling the borders... and... it's happened to us! Songtail is dead! Bloodied, frozen solid, mauled, mangled, broken, body parts missing, frozen to the ground in her frozen pool of blood!"
Echoheart resisted the urge to vomit, but Needlepaw didn't do so well. He gagged, staggered, them turned and stumbled into the reeds by the river. Cherrypaw cringed against Echoheart, jerking with the effort of trying not to gag. Hailstorm pressed into Echoheart's other side, shaking with what Echoheart thought was fear and disgust. Aspenleaf was shaking her head vigorously, and Creekfall was stiff.
"Like Freezepaw, Robintail, and Goldheart?" Creekfall shouted, voice filled with disgust.
Coalpelt nodded slowly.
"Wait, what? Goldheart is dead?" Clayfur exclaimed, yellow eyes narrowed.
They all nodded sadly.
"Then it's happened to all of us; all four Clans," Clayfur commented angrily.
"But we never thought Rainstar would attack DayClan! Her own Clan!" Coalpelt snarled.
"She wants revenge on all the Clans," Creekfall growled.
"But there was something weird about the smell on her body," Olivepaw started, eyes shut tight.
Coalpelt silenced her with a shake of his head. "No. That was just... just the blood and..."
"But there was!" Waterpaw insisted. "You even said it didn't smell like Rainstar's scent on Songtail's body!"
"Yes, but it had to have been Rainstar that killed her; what else could it be? We didn't smell any badgers or foxes near her body. But the scent doesn't matter anymore; we need revenge."
Creekfall nodded. "I'm sorry, Clayfur. I will tell Eveningstar of this terrible news. We need to keep the whole forest informed so we can keep track of Rainstar's movements."
"And I'll tell Nettlestar yours," Clayfur meowed with deep sadness, dipping his head, then, leading his Clanmates, he headed back toward their camp.
Hailstorm leaned toward Echoheart as the four DayClan cats walked away and whispered, "This is very weird. DayClan cats showing respect toward other Clans! Just a few seasons ago we were all on edge and invading DayClan's camp. Everyone hated each other! Maybe you'll have an easy chance of uniting all the Clans after all," he added in an even quieter voice.
Echoheart nodded, hardly thinking about that at the moment. So Whispersong was right. Every time one of us sees those StarClan-ridden eyes, some cat dies! Echoheart shuddered. She silently prayed to StarClan: don't let any other cat die! Guide us, tell us what we need to do!Then Echoheart turned and looked toward the far side of DayClan, toward the mountains. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew the sky above the mountains was filled with Star's ancestors. For the first time, Echoheart prayed to the Tribe of Endless Hunting.
Please don't send us that sign anymore! Please, if you have any power over the prophecy, any say with StarClan, don't let another cat die! Show us what we need to do next! Tell Star what her destiny is; I know it has to do with StarClan's prophecy! And please, both StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting, lead us from these dark shadows taking over our world!