Night Whispers

“Being a medicine cat is as much about faith as about herbs.” Leafpool swept her tail along Jayfeather’s flank.

Jayfeather jerked away. “I can deal with this by myself, Leafpool!”

But Millie was muzzle to muzzle with ThunderClan’s old medicine cat. “Faith?” she hissed. “If your warrior ancestors are so powerful, why don’t they cure her? If this had happened in my old home, my housefolk would have fixed her.”

“Millie?” Graystripe’s shocked whisper sounded from the entrance as he padded into the clearing. “Is that what you really think?”

Millie backed away. “I don’t know what to think,” she rasped. “I only see my kit, broken and helpless, struggling through each day, with death stalking her like a fox…” Her mew trailed into silence.

“But she’s alive.” Graystripe blinked. “She’s here with us.”

Millie drew a deep breath. “She has to watch her littermates living the lives of warriors, while she just yowls and coughs and drags herself to and from the fresh-kill pile!”

The brambles at the entrance to the medicine den shifted. Briarlight’s paws jabbed through the prickly stems as she began to haul herself out. The hollow was silent except for the sound of Briarlight’s belly fur dragging over the frozen earth. She stared at Millie. “I’m getting better, aren’t I?”

Millie rushed to her kit and licked her cheek fiercely. “Yes, yes you are.”

“I’ll do all my exercises,” Briarlight promised.

“I know you will,” Millie soothed. “And I’ll help you.”

“They make me tired, but they don’t hurt me.”

“Thank StarClan Bumblestripe and Blossomfall weren’t around to hear that.” Dovepaw jumped as Poppyfrost’s mew breathed in her ear. Closing her eyes, Dovepaw reached out with her senses until she could hear Bumblestripe and Blossomfall pounding along the shore, purring as they raced each other to the stream.

They were lucky. Safe in their small world, they couldn’t hear every sound.

Dovepaw glanced around the hollow. Leafpool had returned to her work. Berrynose had carried the sparrow from the fresh-kill pile and was busy gulping it down. Graystripe stood alone in the clearing. Snow was beginning to fall, and the tiny flakes caught in his pelt.

Dovepaw felt a pang of guilt. Her heart was light. She was going to meet Tigerheart tonight.

Chapter 10

Afternoon sunlight flashed through thinning clouds as Flametail slipped into the ShadowClan camp. He glanced guiltily around the clearing. He’d only planned to close his eyes for a moment beside the Moonpool, but he’d been so tired he’d woken to find the night gone and the bright air shimmering with snowflakes.

Ivytail was washing outside the nursery, and she looked up as Flametail crossed the snow-dusted clearing. He dipped his head and hurried past her in silence. He had to make his first report to his mentor and then to Blackstar.

As Flametail pushed through the prickly wall of the medicine den, he was relieved to see Littlecloud out of his nest and sorting through a pile of dried herbs. They were smoky with dust, and he coughed as he pawed through them.

“We’ll need fresh supplies before the frost withers everything,” Littlecloud meowed to Flametail without looking up.

“Perhaps you should take a little of the coltsfoot,” Flametail suggested. “It might ease that cough.”

“It’s just the dust.”

Flametail halted beside his mentor. “How are you feeling?” There was less heat flooding from his pelt, but his eyes still looked milky.

“Better,” Littlecloud insisted. “A good night’s sleep is all I needed. What happened at the Moonpool? You’ve been gone a long time.”

Flametail stared at his paws. “I fell asleep in the hollow.”

“It’s a hard journey to the Moonpool, and you were already exhausted.”

“But I should have come straight back after a vision like that!”

Littlecloud leaned forward. “What?”

“StarClan warned me that trouble is coming.”

Littlecloud frowned. “What sort of trouble?”

“They won’t say exactly, but it’s serious.” Flametail shivered. “There was fire in the hollow. It was everywhere. Raggedstar said war was coming.”

“War?” Littlecloud pricked his ears. “What else did he say?”

“That we must forget all of our allegiances and look after our Clan alone.”

“Forget all of our allegiances?” Littlecloud’s tail began to twitch.

“Even our allegiances with the other medicine cats.”

Littlecloud blinked. “That’s never happened before!”

Flametail willed Littlecloud to understand. “Even StarClan is divided now. We can’t trust anyone but ourselves and our own ancestors.”

Littlecloud hurried to the entrance. “We must tell Blackstar.”

Outside, Blackstar had joined Rowanclaw at the head of the clearing. Oakfur was bounding toward the camp entrance with Snowbird and Ratscar at his heels. Crowfrost and Scorchfur were awaiting orders, while Olivenose and Owlclaw paced impatiently around them.

Littlecloud caught Blackstar’s eye.

Blackstar nodded to him. “Crowfrost!”

The black-and-white tom straightened up. “Yes?”