Bluestar's Prophecy

She glimpsed Stormtail’s pelt disappearing over the top of the slope. Did he realize Moonflower was dead? She waited for her heart to twist with more pain, but she felt nothing. Determination surged through her. She would take care of Snowpaw, and she would take care of her Clan. She would never lose another cat that she cared for, not like this. She got to her paws and followed her Clanmates up the slope, her heart thumping dully in her chest.

The rain eased as they crossed the moor to the border with Fourtrees. As the shattered Clan passed beneath the four giant oaks, the wind dropped and their branches fell still. Was the silence sent by StarClan? Was it disapproval, a condemnation of the attack? Are they mourning Moonflower? Bluepaw stared up through the heavy branches, their bark soaked black. Suddenly she felt loneliness like a thorn in her heart. She hunched her shoulders and padded after her Clanmates toward home.

Leopardpaw was limping, but the cobwebs had staunched her bleeding. Dappletail still leaned on Stormtail, and his gaze never left her. Adderfang and Swiftbreeze were helping Pinestar take the weight of Moonflower’s body. Featherwhisker walked beside Smallear, keeping an eye on the unsteady warrior. Snowpaw trailed after, her tail dragging along the ground, caked with mud.

Bluepaw wondered whether to catch up to her, but she couldn’t think of anything to say that might make either of them feel better. Stonepelt halted and looked back; his eyes met hers, brimming with sympathy. He said nothing but waited for her to catch up, then fell in beside her, padding close enough to share his warmth, but not touching. The gash in his shoulder was still streaming blood. It must be deep.

“Has Featherwhisker looked at your wound?” Bluepaw asked. She was surprised by how steady her voice was.

“It can wait till we get back to camp.”

They fell into silence once more as they entered the shelter of the forest and followed the trail back to camp.

By the time Bluepaw entered the clearing, Windflight and Fuzzypelt were circling their battered and injured Clanmates, pelts bristling with alarm. Speckletail came running from the nursery and greeted Smallear with a worried mew, sniffing his pelt to check his injuries.

Goosefeather padded from the medicine den, yawning. “How’d it go?” His eyes widened in surprise as Pinestar laid Moonflower on the ground in front of him and stepped back.

“I don’t know if she managed to destroy their supplies before she died,” he growled.

Goosefeather opened his mouth but no words came out.

“You killed her!” Swiftbreeze’s screech took Bluepaw by surprise, and she flinched as the she-cat lunged at Goosefeather and knocked him to the ground, hissing in his face. “This time one of your ridiculous omens has killed one of your Clanmates!”

“Stop!” Pinestar called.

But Swiftbreeze had already raised her paw, claws unsheathed.

Adderfang and Tawnyspots streaked from the clearing and dragged Swiftbreeze off the shocked medicine cat. They held her back as Goosefeather scrambled to his paws and shook out his ruffled pelt.

Larksong, Mumblefoot, and Weedwhisker had ventured from the tangled branches of the fallen tree.

“You lost?” Larksong sounded as though she could hardly believe her eyes.

Pinestar nodded. “We had to retreat…and Moonflower is dead.”

A wail of grief came from outside the nursery. Poppydawn raced to Moonflower’s body and crouched over her, burying her nose in her pelt.

“What’s wrong?” Thistlekit, Sweetkit, and Rosekit came scampering after her, slithering to a halt when they saw their mother grieving over Moonflower’s lifeless body.

Sweetkit turned her big, round eyes on Bluepaw. “Is she really…dead?” she breathed.

Bluepaw stared back, words stuck in her throat. She glanced at Snowpaw, but her sister was staring at the ground.

Stonepelt stepped forward and glared at Goosefeather. “We should never have been sent into battle!”

“I was only interpreting the signs from StarClan,” Goosefeather defended himself calmly.

“Perhaps you should learn to interpret weather rather than prey.” Robinwing pushed ahead of Pinestar to join Stonepelt. “Would StarClan have blessed a battle with a storm like that?”

Sunfall narrowed his eyes, his gaze flicking to Adderfang and Stormtail. “Perhaps Goosefeather was more eager to satisfy his Clanmates’ wishes than those of StarClan.”

Pinestar shouldered his way to the front. “Enough!” he growled. “Goosefeather is not to blame for our defeat. All warriors risk their lives for the sake of the Clan. It’s part of the warrior code. Our wounded need attention. Arguing won’t help them!”

Featherwhisker hurried forward. “I’ll get more supplies.” He disappeared down the fern tunnel, followed quickly by Goosefeather.

“You can hide from your Clanmates,” Swiftbreeze muttered under her breath. “It’ll be StarClan that judges you.”