Sunrises after Harestar took in the SwiftClan cats, the two Clans were finally beginning to mingle with one another. Cats from both Clans were sharing tongues, offering prey to one another, and sharing stories as the SwiftClan cats recovered from their injuries and started helping with hunting and gathering. Mosspuddle had become acquainted with two younger warriors who had introduced themselves as Sandstripe and Whitebriar, and often sat with them throughout the day while Spottedpath and Mouseberry chatted.
Not far from the medicine den, Spottedpath noticed Juniperstorm sitting next to Cottontuft, grief written on both of their faces. Along the opposite walls of the camp, Dapplecloud and Haildapple sat together with their heads lowered. Brackenclaw was nearby, his head only slightly lowered compared to the two mollies, as if he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Spottedpath let her gaze travel to a group of NightClan cats and noticed Birchtail and Mirepelt sitting with them, the former sporting several sizable wounds from her fight with Frostheart. For the first time, Spottedpath realized the two warriors shared similar builds—lean, like Fishstar, from moons of running on the moorlands, but not nearly as muscular as Brackenclaw.
Leaning up against the massive tree that sheltered the camp were several piles of large boulders. At the base of one pile, where two boulders leaned against one another to form a cave beneath them, Spottedpath could see Harestar speaking with Fishstar. Just as she was about to point them out to Mouseberry, who had been gawking at the scenery of the NightClan camp, the two leaders climbed onto a thick root that jutted out of the ground. The conversations that buzzed around the camp died off slowly when cats noticed their patient position.
"Now that the cats of SwiftClan are in a more stable state, I have decided to send Gorsefeather and Dewfrost to RushClan," Harestar spoke, her light voice ringing around the camp. "Kinkstar needs to know about what has happened, and those two are the swiftest warriors in the Clan. It won't be long before they return."
Spottedpath inched forward slowly with Mouseberry close behind her. Every movement caused her aching wounds to burn, but she wanted to get a better spot to listen to the announcements. When she got close enough, Spottedpath noticed that Fishstar had an uneasy look in his usually confident green eyes. He's on his final life, now, Spottedpath reminded herself, feeling worry form in her stomach. Though he'd physically recovered from losing a life in the battle at the SwiftClan camp, it was clear to Spottedpath that he had fallen into a state of anxiety.
"I know this is sudden," Harestar continued speaking, her tone level as she addressed her Clanmates, "but keep in mind that these cats just lost their home—their entire territory. We cannot expect Deadeye to end it at that, so we must prepare for the event of a declaration of war against the Clans."
"That's right," Mouseberry murmured gravely from behind Spottedpath, startling her. "He won't stop until he controls the entire forest." Spottedpath frowned as sympathy for her friend rose within her. He's been so much more serious since the attack, she thought sadly. He's hardly even spoken to the NightClan cats.
"They've already murdered the previous SwiftClan deputy, Grassheart, in cold blood," Harestar narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, while Fishstar lowered his head slightly. "Now, he's taken more lives and even stooped to kidnapping kits. It's an inexcusable crime of war, and no matter what happens, Deadeye must answer for his actions."
Immediately, the clearing erupted with howls of agreement. The chorus of support rang from cats of both Clans, with some of the NightClan cats just as loud as those from SwiftClan. Spottedpath glanced around in surprise. I didn't expect the NightClan cats to be so supportive! she thought in astonishment when a golden molly that she came to know as Honeyheart leaped to the front of the crowd.
"We'll make them pay!" she cried out, determination dripping from her voice. Behind her, Petalheart sat with her head held high. Brackenclaw had appeared next to the NightClan deputy, and Spottedpath caught sight of an unsettling glint as it flashed in his eyes. Lionpelt, a thick-furred golden tabby, and Greythorn, a grey molly with long, tangled fur, stepped forward after Honeyheart disappeared back into the crowd.
"This is war! This is war!" they started chanting while walking in circles, stomping their paws dramatically against the forest floor with every step. Soon, the entire clearing had joined in with the chant, the crowd rippling back and forth as they did so. Spottedpath blinked and exchanged a glance with Mouseberry. The atmosphere of the clearing filled her with an odd mixture of anxiety and determination, and she could see the same feelings swimming in her friend's eyes. Everyone is ready to jump right into war, she thought uneasily.
"Settle down, everyone!" Harestar called out, though pride glimmered clearly in her amber eyes as she watched her Clan. "I believe it is also time to tell you of a prophecy that was delivered to some of the medicine cats many moons ago—during the coldest moon of the last leafbare. The prophecy says that all four Clans must work together to defeat Deadeye—if we can manage that, we will earn our victory!" Spottedpath hid her surprise at the revelation, though she couldn't keep it from setting her thoughts ablaze, not unlike the buzz of excitement that rose from the surrounding crowd. Another prophecy? she wondered, letting her gaze briefly flicker to Muddapple. The brown-furred medicine cat's expression was unreadable, as were those of his fellow medicine cats. From before . . . before I was even born? Is that why they were so adamant about me being in SwiftClan? Mouseberry nudged Spottedpath suddenly, startling her and dragging her out of her thoughts.
"We're making history here, Spottedpath!" he whispered excitedly, his blue and yellow eyes twinkling. His previous anxiety had vanished entirely from his expression, though the determination was still present. "This'll be a battle they talk about for seasons! They'll tell stories of it, even after we die! We could become heroes, Spottedpath!"
Spottedpath couldn't help cringing at his words as they reminded her of the weight that had settled on her shoulders. No matter how hard she rejected Shadestar and his delirious dreams, Spottedpath knew now that she had to do everything she could think of to help the Clans. According to their starry-furred ancestors, she was the only one who could truly change the tides of this war. They had rested all their hope, the hope of past legends, on her. The knowledge of their expectations made Spottedpath want to do nothing other than disappear, though she knew she couldn't.
She wasn't given too much time to worry about her responsibilities to the Clans, however. The bramble tunnel that served as the entrance to the camp quivered violently, silencing the cats inside the camp as it demanded their attention. After a few apprehensive moments, Gorsefeather and Dewfrost emerged from the tunnel. The tense atmosphere immediately dissipated, though Spottedpath's remained when she saw how winded they were. They look like they were in a hurry to return, she thought, growing worried. Harestar's attention immediately zeroed in on the two breathless warriors, her ears perked curiously.
"What did Kinkstar have to say?" she queried, twitching the tip of her tail at the end of her question. The two messengers exchanged an uneasy glance that confirmed Spottedpath's worries. Spottedpath held her breath as Gorsefeather stepped forward to answer Harestar's question.
"Actually, they've found themselves caught in a . . . rather similar situation," the orange-and-white tabby mewed hesitantly. Spottedpath frowned at the response, glancing back to the two leaders briefly.
"What do you mean?" Harestar's voice fell flat, though now there was a slight edge to it; it was an edge that ignited a tangible feeling of unease across the clearing. Beside her, Fishstar leaned forward, worry written across his face and his tail twitching quickly. The warriors surrounding Spottedpath gave murmurs that matched his concern.
"Deadeye sent warriors to drive out the BlazeClan cats the same night they drove out SwiftClan. They stole kits from BlazeClan, too, and a queen was injured trying to save them," Dewfrost spoke up this time, her pale blue-grey fur bristling more and more with each word. "Their medicine cat was wounded, too, and it sounds like they've many more who are suffering from grave injuries."
"Oh, StarClan."
Whispers immediately spread through the camp as Harestar dug her claws furiously into the root she perched on with Fishstar. Spottedpath found herself leaning forward as worry formed a pit in her stomach. Blueheart or Skyfeather got attacked? And they hurt Spiderclaw for trying to defend her kits? she fretted internally, pacing on her front paws anxiously. And StarClan knows how many others are hurt! This is worse than I thought—Deadeye needs to be stopped. When he noticed Spottedpath's fretting, Mouseberry stepped forward and caught her attention with a gentle prod to her shoulder.
"Hey, they were strong enough to survive this far. They'll be okay, don't worry," he murmured reassuringly, his eyes soft with concern. "Besides, all of the Clans are supporting each other. Nothing could go wrong here—we'll win this in the end." Spottedpath held his gaze for a few moments before forcing a hesitant nod.
"I hope you're right," she whispered, though she didn't feel at all convinced by his words. Sure, the BlazeClan cats were hardy, but Deadeye was ruthless, as were his warriors. Spottedpath knew—no, everyone in the Clans knew of the horrors Deadeye could inflict, no matter how ignorant they pretended to be.
"Our medicine cats," Fishstar's voice startled Spottedpath, "should visit Starfalls for guidance while the rest of of prepare. Perhaps we should call an emergency Gathering, as well—excluding the Gorge." Visit Starfalls for what? she thought, and for once it was more curious than bitter. Do they really think the ancestors can give us more advice than they already have? An emergency Gathering would be much more productive. Spottedpath shook her head free of her thoughts as Harestar moved to respond.
"It only takes one," Harestar reminded him cautiously, lowering her voice. Spottedpath shot Mouseberry a pointed glance and started inching closer to the arching root. "Tigerflight should stay and ensure that the medicine den is stocked, and one of your medicine cats should stay to help him. We can't waste any time preparing ourselves."
"I'll go," Muddapple spoke up not far from Spottedpath. Without waiting for a response from the leaders, he turned to the golden warrior, his own amber gaze searching hers. "Spottedpath can accompany me when I go." Spottedpath opened her mouth to respond, but Harestar beat her to it.
"Why?" The light brown tabby watched Spottedpath curiously, making the young molly's fur crawl. She knew that a fair amount of these cats recognized her as that tiny Gorge apprentice from several moons ago—it was clear in the way they cast her glances when they thought she wasn't looking.
"In case you've forgotten, Deadeye just caused the deaths of several cats and kidnapped kits from two Clans—on top of that, he's driven both of those Clans out of their territory. Forgive me if I'd feel just a tad bit safer if a warrior from my own Clan accompanied me to Starfalls." Muddapple whipped around and fixed Harestar with a steady gaze, though the tone he took surprised Spottedpath. The last time she'd seen any kind of medicine cat address a leader so confidently was when Frozenleaf was criticizing Deadeye for making his kits apprentices.
Harestar opened her mouth to speak, clearly taken aback by the suddenness of Muddapple's tone. Spottedpath winced in preparation for a swift retort from the NightClan leader. Instead, right when she was about to speak, Fishstar took a few pawsteps forward and cleared his throat to catch Harestar's attention. After Spottedpath watched them share a silent but meaningful glance, Harestar gave a sigh and turned back to the SwiftClan medicine cat.
"Very well. Try not to take too long—we need as much help as we can get around here." The light brown tabby waved him off with her paw, clearly still a bit flustered by the tone he took with her.
Muddapple nodded dutifully and sent another glance toward Spottedpath's direction. "I'll stay and help until the sun sets. It's better to visit Starfalls during the night, anyways. Spottedpath, I'll fetch you when I'm ready."
With that, Muddapple turned and found his way to Tigerflight. The leaders hopped off of the tree root and retreated into Harestar's den—the cave that Spottedpath had noticed was wedged between two massive boulders. Spottedpath watched them wordlessly, dazed from the interaction she'd just had and the fact that she hadn't gotten a word in edgewise. Mouseberry let out a gentle laugh from beside her when he noticed the state she was in.
"He didn't really give you time to accept that, did he?" Mouseberry chuckled. "My dad said he's a lot like Fishstar in that aspect."
"Like Fishstar?" Spottedpath echoed softly, not sure what that was supposed to mean. Mouseberry must have seen the confusion written on her face, because he gave another amused snort.
"You didn't know? Muddapple is Fishstar's son!" Mouseberry snorted playfully.
"Well I knew Mirepelt was, at least!" Spottedpath retorted, mocking exasperation with a playful huff. "Is Birchtail their sister? I noticed she and Mirepelt look alike—like smaller versions Fishstar, almost!"
Mouseberry nodded quickly. "Yep! They're pretty quiet about it because older warriors used to accuse Fishstar of favoring them." Spottedpath felt a pang of sympathy for the family. She might not have been close to everyone in her family, but she still couldn't have imagined feeling pressured to stay quiet about her lineage.
"Wow, that's terrible. I can't believe anyone thought he would do that!" she murmured softly. Her gaze made its way to Dapplecloud again, where the tortoiseshell molly sat alone at the edge of the camp. "What about Dapplecloud? H-Her family besides Fernwillow, I mean."
"Well, their parents are Haildapple and Brackenclaw," Mouseberry mumbled, "Brackenclaw never seemed close to the other three, though, but we never questioned it." Spottedpath narrowed her eyes at the mention of the new deputy and began searching the crowd for him.
"Speaking of Brackenclaw," Spottedpath mewed, lowering her voice so that only Mouseberry could hear, "have you noticed anything odd about him lately?"
"No, why?" the odd-eyed warrior leaned back with a twitch of his whiskers. "Have you?" Spottedpath turned toward him, meeting his curious blue-and-gold gaze with one of uncertainty.
"I don't know," she responded quietly, suddenly feeling bad about asking her friend the question. "Maybe it's just nothing. The last few moons have really taken their toll on me, I guess." Spottedpath offered a sheepish shrug when Mouseberry squinted at her.
"Yeah, it seems like they really have," he finally responded after a moment. "A lot has happened, and you've seemed a bit withdrawn ever since—"
"Harestar, one of Deadeye's warriors is heading straight to our camp!"
Within an instant, the cats inside the camp were on their paws. The sound of their surprised voices ripped through the clearing, disorienting Spottedpath as she sprang angrily to her feet. Beside her, Mouseberry stirred restlessly.
"Spottedpath . . . ." She turned to him and saw that he was watching her closely. His eyes traveled to her paws, and she realized that she had started furiously digging her claws into the soft earth beneath her. She turned her head back to the entrance of the camp, her thoughts whirling around vigorously inside her head.
"Mouseberry, why would he only send one warrior?" Spottedpath questioned quietly when she was unable to put meaning to her thoughts.
"To . . . send a message?" Mouseberry responded, though he sounded unsure of his answer. Spottedpath shook her head in response.
"No, we'd never let them leave," Spottedpath narrowed her eyes as a commotion grew from the entrance of the camp. The crowds surged forward, blocking whoever had arrived from Spottedpath's sight. "What if it's a distraction?"
"A distraction?" Mouseberry echoed, finally standing and taking a step forward. "For what?"
The two friends exchanged dark glances that shared their unspoken worries of Deadeye's plots. Without another word, Spottedpath started shouldering her way through the noisy crowd of cats with Mouseberry close on her tail. When she got to the last few cats in her way, they refused to move, so Spottedpath found herself weaving between their bodies to get in front of them. There, cowering meekly in front of the two camp guards who'd met her outside, was Spottedpath's best friend.
"Nightpaw?" she whispered softly, all the anger in her evaporating into a stormy combination of relief and concern. Spottedpath took a few pawsteps forward, only to freeze when she caught the attention of both NightClan and SwiftClan cats.
Cats in the back of the crowd gave startled yelps as another cat forced their way to the camp entrance, undoubtedly stomping on tails as they did so. Spottedpath tore her gaze away from Nightpaw to watch for the newcomer, and felt a pit form in her stomach when she was met with Harestar's fiery gaze.
"Explain yourself," the NightClan leader demanded, the furious tone in her voice causing even her own Clanmates to back away.
"M-My name is Nightstream, ma'am. I— I know, it might be difficult to trust me after what Deadeye has done, but I . . . I want to help the Clans. He's gotten out of control."
A shocked silence settled over the camp as Harestar held Nightstream's gaze. Spottedpath let her gaze flit anxiously between her friend and Harestar. Had she not been crouching, Nightstream would have towered over the leader; though Harestar was still larger than the young warrior in every other aspect, and Spottedpath had come to know she was a force to be reckoned with.
"You expect me to believe that?" Harestar demanded after a few moments. "You expect me to believe that Deadeye would be so careless after so blatantly declaring war on the Clans—so careless that you'd successfully sneak out to help us?" Nightstream slowly stood up as Harestar spoke each venomous word, her amber eyes sparkling with the same determination Spottedpath had felt welling up inside her for so long.
"Please, allow me to help," Nightstream requested again, her voice much more confident than it had been before. "I want to help you rescue those kits."
Author's Note: Soo, Spottedpath did a ton of thinking this chapter—with her overthinking mind, everything gets a second thought and a second glance. The next few chapters are so spicy that I'm almost tempted to post them now, though. o(╥﹏╥)o As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter ♡