Fading Echoes

“He’s dead, thank StarClan.” Jayfeather didn’t look up from his work, though his paws slowed down as if memories distracted him.

“Have you seen him in StarClan?” Dovepaw asked.

“Hurry up.” Jayfeather ignored her question. “I want all these leaves laid out by the time the sun’s up, to give them enough time to dry.”

Has he seen Rippletail? she wondered, laying out a new leaf. The memory of the dead RiverClan warrior stabbed her heart.

Jayfeather padded away to the cleft and fetched a new bundle of damp leaves. “Was it Mistyfoot and Mothwing who woke you so early?”

Dovepaw looked up, blinking.

“Did they disturb your dreams?” he pressed.

Dovepaw shook her head. She didn’t want to share the dream that had broken her sleep.

“Were you dreaming of Rippletail?”

Dovepaw looked up sharply, as surprised by the gentleness in Jayfeather’s mew as she was by the question. Had he been there in her dream?

The medicine cat shook his head. “I didn’t walk in your dreams.”

Is he reading my thoughts right now? Dovepaw flinched away, but Jayfeather went on.

“I can tell that you’re troubled and I can feel your grief. It’s like a nettle in your heart, stinging any paw that tries to pluck it out.”

Dovepaw began peeling and laying out leaves as though it were the most important duty she’d ever had. She’d tried so hard to hide her feelings. What would he think of her now that he knew how soft she was? Would he be disappointed that she was one of the Three?

But Jayfeather carried on calmly separating the herbs. “You might feel as if you are responsible for his death, but you’re not,” he told her. “You have a destiny, but so does every other cat. Rippletail was always going to be part of the quest to unblock the stream. He was born with courage, and you couldn’t have succeeded without him. His death steered your path, helped you find another way to defeat the beavers. He died saving the lives of his Clanmates. StarClan led him to the battle that killed him, not you.”

Dovepaw stared deep into the medicine cat’s blue gaze. “Is that true?”

“It’s true.” He rolled a torn leaf into a tight knot and wrapped it in another. His mew grew brisk once more. “The fresh leaf’s juices will leach out and make the damaged leaf stronger,” he explained.

Dovepaw nodded without really hearing. Jayfeather had managed to touch the nettle in her heart and release its sting. For the first time since Rippletail’s death, she felt peace. Was it that simple? Should she just follow her own destiny and leave the rest to StarClan?

But one day she’d be stronger than StarClan. Lionblaze had promised her that. What then?

She sat back on her haunches. Sunshine was beginning to ripple through the trailing brambles at the cave entrance. Long lines of leaves lay drying in front of her. “Firestar will be awake by now. Should we tell him about Leopardstar?”

Jayfeather’s eyes flashed. “And how would you explain what you know?”

Dovepaw frowned. “Shouldn’t Firestar know about my power?” Firestar had assumed that she had learned about the beavers in a dream sent by StarClan, and Dovepaw had said nothing to change his mind. But how likely was it that she would dream about the death of another Clan’s leader?

“No.” Jayfeather plucked up a leaf, dark with the beginnings of rot, and flung it to the edge of the den. “Things are complicated enough.”

“Doesn’t he know about your powers?”

Jayfeather began to sweep dust away from the leaves with his tail. “He doesn’t even know we’re the Three.”

Worry dropped like a cold stone in Dovepaw’s belly. “Doesn’t know?” Why not? Why should they hide their powers if they were going to protect the future of the Clans? And the prophecy had come to Firestar first of all. “Surely StarClan wouldn’t have shared the prophecy with him if they hadn’t wanted him to know—”

Jayfeather cut her off. “You should join a patrol,” he mewed. “I’ll finish up here.”

She opened her mouth to argue but Jayfeather went on. “I can hear Brambleclaw coming out of his den. He won’t want to be kept waiting.”

Reluctantly, Dovepaw turned away. Jayfeather wasn’t going to give any more answers. As she nosed her way out of the medicine den, she saw Brambleclaw sitting beside the tumbled rocks leading to Highledge. Cinderheart was pacing in front of him while the other warriors emerged from their dens to hear their duties for the day. She saw the flash of surprise in the deputy’s eyes as she padded out of Jayfeather’s den.

“Are you okay?” Brambleclaw called.

Dovepaw forced her ears to stop twitching. “Just a bit of a bellyache,” she lied. “It’s better now.”

Brambleclaw nodded. “In that case you can join the patrol with me and Lionblaze.”

“Did someone say my name?” Lionblaze was emerging from the warriors’ den, yawning.

“You’re joining the dawn patrol,” Brambleclaw told him.

The golden warrior’s eyes brightened. Then he spotted Dovepaw and frowned, his gaze questioning. He could clearly sense that something was up. She gave a quick shake of her head.