Lost Stars

“Bramblestar is feeling unwell,” she explained. Shadowpaw caught a hint of awkwardness in her voice. Bramblestar’s illness is more than “feeling unwell”! “I will be representing ThunderClan tonight,” Squirrelflight finished.

As soon as every cat was settled, Tigerstar rose to his paws. “I have called this emergency Gathering,” he began, “because Shadowpaw has had another vision from StarClan. Shadowpaw, please tell every cat what it was you saw.”

Shadowpaw’s legs felt wobbly as he stood up to address the Clans. He was aware of some muttering after Tigerstar’s announcement.

“You mean we’ve all been dragged out here in the pitch dark to listen to an apprentice?” Berrynose of ThunderClan demanded.

Shadowpaw did his best to ignore the criticism. Catching a glimpse of Rootpaw, sitting erect with his gaze firmly fixed on him, he felt heartened knowing that at least one cat wanted to hear what he had to tell. He made his voice ring out clear and steady as he began to speak.

“I was sitting on a rock in the forest. . . .” Shadowpaw described how the lake had turned red with fire, and how the fire had spread, separating each Clan from the others and devouring the forest, the camps, and the cats themselves. “I know it was a warning that the Clans might be destroyed,” he finished. “We have to do something about it.”

Shadowpaw was encouraged by the murmurs of agreement that came from some of the other medicine cats, but the feeling died almost immediately when Harestar spoke.

“I still don’t understand why StarClan would only communicate through an apprentice. Why him, and not a real medicine cat?”

Shadowpaw’s pelt grew hot with anger, but he didn’t dare argue with the WindClan leader. To his surprise, it was Jayfeather who responded, his tone edged with sarcasm. “An apprentice is a real medicine cat, thank you very much. And it’s not for us to tell StarClan where to send their messages.”

“That doesn’t help us much, though,” Leafstar commented. “Even if this is a genuine message, it doesn’t tell us what we should do about it. If we’re not careful, we could be bringing on the destruction, not preventing it.”

“That’s true,” Mistystar responded, her pale blue-gray pelt glimmering among the branches of the Great Oak. “But this vision makes sense to me. StarClan warned us after we got rid of Darktail that it was important for all five Clans to stay together.”

Squirrelflight moved to the end of her branch so that she could look down at Shadowpaw. He gazed up at her, nervous but managing to meet her green gaze.

“Did StarClan say anything?” she asked.

Shadowpaw shook his head. “No, not a word.”

“And the fire came from the lake? Not from any one of the Clans?”

Not from ShadowClan, Shadowpaw wanted to reply, guessing what Squirrelflight was getting at. “From the very center of the lake,” he mewed aloud. “And the flames seemed to reach every Clan at the same time.”

“I see . . .” Squirrelflight let her voice die away, and when she spoke again, it was with new decision. “Bramblestar supported you at the last Gathering,” she told Shadowpaw. “I confess I’m not entirely convinced that you’ve had a true vision, but for the time being I’ll take you seriously, for Bramblestar’s sake.”

“We all believe in Shadowpaw’s vision.” Willowshine rose to her paws and spoke for her fellow medicine cats. “And we think that it couldn’t be more important. Whether the fire is real or symbolic, it could destroy all our Clans.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Jayfeather added. “But all the same, I think there’s something . . . something not quite right about this vision. Oh, I don’t think you’re lying or making it up, Shadowpaw. I just think we have to go forward very carefully.”

“Right or not, it’s all we have to go on,” Alderheart reminded his Clanmate, letting his tail rest for a moment on Shadowpaw’s shoulders. “The rest of us have tried, and failed, to make contact with StarClan for a couple of moons now. Shadowpaw’s vision is the only direction we have.”

Shadowpaw felt that most cats were moving toward accepting what he had told them. But then Tree rose to his paws from where he was sitting with a few of the other SkyClan cats.

“Yes, that’s all very well,” the yellow tom meowed. “But what exactly does it mean to believe Shadowpaw? What are we supposed to do?”

“And is this vision connected to what Shadowpaw told us last time?” Harestar asked. “About the darkness in the Clans?”

Shadowpaw looked up at his father, remembering the other part of his vision, about the codebreakers, and the shock he had felt when his vision showed him his mother, Dovewing. But Tigerstar stared straight ahead, not meeting Shadowpaw’s gaze. Shadowpaw tried not to let his expression give anything away. He decided to say nothing; he sensed that the other Clans were still a little hostile to ShadowClan and its leader.