Moth Flight’s Vision

“Yes.” Moth Flight purred. Rocky had slept the whole day away after he’d swallowed the leaves, but he’d woken brighter and his cough was clearing up.

Pebble Heart’s mew sounded from the darkness behind. “Is he the only cat in your Clan with a cough? Sun Shadow and Raven Pelt have been coughing for days.”

“Dew Nose was a bit wheezy this morning,” Moth Flight told him. “But I think it’s just pollen making her throat tickle.”

“Milkweed and Clover both have coughs,” Cloud Spots meowed.

“Shattered Ice has been croaking like a frog these past days,” Dappled Pelt’s mew echoed around the tunnels walls.

Moth Flight brushed against Micah, frowning. Perhaps newleaf always brought coughs. “Is Tiny Branch still okay?”

“He was spluttering a bit this morning,” Micah confessed. “I told Acorn Fur to keep an eye on him.”

Moth Flight could hear anxiety in his mew. “He’ll be okay if you give him catmint, won’t he?”

Micah’s paws scuffed the rock. “There was a tom on the farm with a cough,” he meowed darkly. “We called it redcough because, at the end, he coughed up blood.”

At the end? Moth Flight shivered. The darkness suddenly seemed to press against her pelt as she padded on.

“I’ve never seen a Clan cat cough blood,” Dappled Spots murmured darkly.

Alarm pricked in Moth Flight’s paws. “Didn’t catmint help?” she asked Micah. “You said there was some behind the barn.”

“Cow tried giving him catmint, but it didn’t work,” Micah explained.

“I know something more powerful than catmint.” Cloud

Spots’s mew sounded at Moth Flight’s tail. She felt his breath stir her fur. “There’s a tree on SkyClan’s land. It oozes sap from cracks in the bark. The sap can cure any cough.”

Moth Flight glanced over her shoulder hopefully. “Even redcough?”

“I’ve never tested it,” Cloud Spots admitted.

Fresh air began to wash Moth Flight’s muzzle. A few more paw steps, and starlight showed through the darkness. Crisp air sent a surge of energy through her fur. She hurried onto the ledge and gazed over the valley. Moonlight drenched the distant moor. “We’ll be home by dawn.” She leaped down, sending stones cracking down the slope, and headed for the meadow.

Paws heavy with weariness, Moth Flight ducked through the gap in the camp wall. Beyond it, the sky showed orange over the forest as dawn pushed the night away. She could hear the gentle snoring of her Clanmates, and make out their pelts, just shadows in the grass as they slept curled in their nests. How good it would feel to slip into her den and snuggle deep into her own nest.

She heard the sound of fur brushing the rocks as she passed them. She turned, blinking, through the half-light. “Who is it?”

Wind Runner’s scent bathed her nose as her mother slid from the rocks.

“You’re back.” The WindClan leader stretched sleepily and touched her nose to Moth Flight’s cheek.

“Did you wait up for me?” Warmth glowed in Moth Flight’s chest.

“I slept a little,” Wind Runner admitted. “But I wanted to make sure you got back safely. It’s a long journey to Highstones.”

“I had Micah with me,” Moth Flight reassured her.

“I know.” Wind Runner wrinkled her nose distastefully. “I can smell his scent on you.”

Moth Flight felt suddenly self-conscious. “Cloud Spots, Dappled Pelt, and Pebble Heart were there too,” she pointed out.

Wind Runner’s gaze slid away. “Did you speak with the spirit-cats?”

“Yes!” Moth Flight lifted her tail excitedly. “StarClan told us we must share the knowledge we have with each other.”

“StarClan?” Wind Runner jerked her gaze back.

“That’s what the spirit-cats are called now. They even have their own hunting grounds.”

Wind Runner’s eyes widened but she didn’t comment.

Instead she tipped her head. “Who has to share knowledge?”

“The medicine cats.” Moth Flight squared her shoulders.

She might as well tell Wind Runner about Micah’s plan now.

“I’m meeting Micah at the border tomorrow. We’re going to visit RiverClan and learn everything Dappled Pelt knows about healing. All the medicine cats are going to visit each other’s camps. It’s what StarClan wants.”

Wind Runner narrowed her eyes. “Clear Sky won’t let

Micah visit other Clans. No matter what StarClan wants.”

“Why not?” Moth Flight met her mother’s gaze. “He’s angry with WindClan, but that has nothing to do with Micah.”

“Clear Sky doesn’t like to be told what to do.”

“Micah will convince him it’s for the good of his Clan,” Moth Flight insisted. “Micah can be very persuasive.”

Wind Runner’s ear twitched uneasily. “I don’t doubt it.”

“I’m tired.” Moth Flight ignored the suspicious glint in her mother’s gaze and headed across the clearing. “I’m going to my nest.”

“There’s a mouse for you on the prey pile,” her mother called after her softly.

“Thanks.” Moth Flight blinked gratefully over her shoulder.

“But I’m too tired to eat.”

“Sleep well, then.” Wind Runner dipped her head. “I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.”