Shattered Sky

“SkyClan ancestors!” Leafpool’s delighted mew answered for him. “Now that SkyClan has returned to us, the spirits of their warrior ancestors can walk these skies with our own StarClan.”

Alderheart’s gaze devoured the newcomers; he knew that each of them would have a story to tell, and he wondered whether he would ever know what those stories were. In particular, he noticed a mottled she-cat who fixed him with an intent look, as if she wanted to ask him something, though she didn’t speak.

The air tingled with the happiness that surged through his fellow medicine cats, and for a few moments Alderheart relaxed, content just to enjoy it.

Firestar padded into the middle of the clearing, beckoning with his tail for the medicine cats to join him there. As he stepped forward, Alderheart saw that the flame-colored tom was standing beside a five-pointed leaf that had the same flame color as his pelt. One of the points of the leaf was bent backward.

“Do you know what this means?” Firestar asked, pointing to the bent point with one paw.

“I’m not sure,” Alderheart mewed hesitantly when he had studied the leaf for several heartbeats. “The five points stand for the five Clans, right? But why is that point bent?”

“That point stands for ShadowClan.” It was Yellowfang who replied, bounding up to stand beside Firestar. “The five Clans must live together, peacefully, on your shared territory. But part of that territory—my old Clan’s home—is lost. It must be reclaimed. Do you understand now?”

A murmur of agreement came from all the medicine cats. “Yes, now I do,” Alderheart meowed, speaking for them all. “Before we can decide how to live peacefully in the territory we have, we must secure all of that territory. We must reclaim ShadowClan’s land.”

Firestar nodded. “Exactly. And to do that,” he added, “the Clans must remember their names.”

Alderheart stared at the former ThunderClan leader, trying to work out what that meant. But when he looked to the other medicine cats, he could see that they were just as bewildered as he felt.

Does Firestar mean we should remember our own names? Or does he mean the names of the StarClan cats? Is that where the answer is?

Already the StarClan cats were beginning to fade, their outlines blurring until they looked like patches of mist among the trees, and then were gone. The sunlight in the clearing faded too, and the rustling of the leaves died into silence, until the medicine cats were standing in a dark void.

Alderheart opened his eyes to find himself once more beside the Moonpool, with the other medicine cats waking around him, blinking at one another in a mixture of hope and confusion.

It was Jayfeather who broke the silence, rising to his paws with an impatient lash of his tail. “They’ve done it again!” he snarled. “Why does StarClan have to be so vague?”

A pale sun shone down into the stone hollow, though it gave little warmth, and the air felt damp; Alderheart thought there might be rain to come. It was the day after the medicine cats had met at the Moonpool, and at the first glimmering signs of dawn, Bramblestar had sent out as many hunting patrols as he could muster, with instructions to bring back all the fresh-kill they could find.

“Every cat will need strength today,” he had meowed. “Because today… this ends.”

Now the hunting patrols had returned, and the cats of ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan were finishing their prey. Alderheart could feel the excitement thrumming through the camp. Now that the Clans were united again, every cat was hopeful that this time Darktail and his rogues could be dealt with for good.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a meeting of the Clans!”

Bramblestar’s voice rang out across the stone hollow. Rowanstar, Mistystar, and Leafstar sat beside him on the Highledge; the cats already in the clearing turned toward them. Leafpool and Jayfeather emerged from the medicine cats’ den, followed by Briarlight, who dragged herself into the open to listen. Graystripe, Ratscar, Oakfur, and Millie sat outside the elders’ den, while Snowbird and Blossomfall appeared at the entrance to the nursery, their kits frisking around them. Tinycloud, who still hadn’t given birth, sank down beside the two queens and tucked her paws underneath her.

Sparkpelt raced across the clearing and plopped herself down beside Alderheart. “This is it!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. “Bramblestar must give the order to attack.”

“Wait and see,” Alderheart murmured. “We still don’t know what StarClan meant about ‘remembering our names.’”

Sparkpelt shrugged, working her claws impatiently into the ground. “Whatever. Now that WindClan has agreed to join us, we have plenty of cats to deal with Darktail!”