The Apprentice's Quest

Determinedly Jayfeather banished his worries. Whatever might happen in the future, life was good in the Clans now. There had been plenty of prey throughout greenleaf, and every cat was healthy. Contentment crept over him like the taste of succulent prey as he closed his eyes, stretched out his neck, and touched his nose to the water of the Moonpool.

Jayfeather became aware of sunlight beating down on his fur. His nose twitched at the scent of green, growing things, carried to him on a warm breeze. Stretching luxuriously, he opened his eyes.

What in the name of StarClan…?

Springing to his paws, Jayfeather stared around him. He was standing in the middle of a stretch of lush grass, bordered by leaf-laden trees. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the gentle bubbling of a stream. And all around him, blinking at one another in confusion, were his fellow medicine cats.

This can’t be right, Jayfeather told himself, every hair on his pelt rising in apprehension. Once he had been able to walk in the dreams of other cats, but he had lost that power after the battle against the cats of the Dark Forest, almost eighteen moons ago. And now we’re walking in one another’s dreams. The medicine cats of all four Clans stood together on the sunny grass of StarClan’s hunting grounds. Does that mean StarClan has an important message for all of us?

“What’s happening?” Kestrelflight asked, his eyes wide and scared.

Littlecloud shook his head in bewilderment. “It’s very odd…,” he mewed.

Leafpool and Willowshine had their heads together and were talking in quick, anxious murmurs. Jayfeather padded toward them, only to halt as he spotted a group of cats approaching from beyond the trees. They moved in a haze of starshine, with a frosty glitter at their paws and around their ears. A noble tom with a flame-colored pelt paced in the lead. A shiver ran through Jayfeather’s pelt as he recognized the former ThunderClan leader.

Leafpool let out a cry of joy. “Firestar!”

A wave of affection flooded over Jayfeather as he watched her race across the grass to touch noses with her father.

Kestrelflight bounded after her to meet Barkface, who had been his mentor in WindClan; the two medicine cats immediately fell into deep conversation. Willowshine padded up to Leopardstar and dipped her head respectfully as she greeted the previous RiverClan leader. Littlecloud and Flametail settled down together on the grass, sharing tongues and purring with delight, while ShadowClan’s former leader Blackstar looked on approvingly.

Jayfeather set off more slowly to greet the StarClan cats. Though he was pleased to see them, his paws still prickled with uneasiness. I want to know what all this is about.

He noticed more cats standing in the shade of the trees, barely visible except as glimmers of starlight. Scanning them closely, Jayfeather realized that he didn’t recognize any of them.

Parting his jaws, he inhaled deeply to draw their scent into his mouth, and he tasted something he had never encountered before.

Narrowing his eyes, Jayfeather strode up to Firestar. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “Who are those strange cats?”

“Greetings to you too, Jayfeather,” Firestar responded.

Jayfeather’s tail-tip twitched impatiently. “Well?”

Firestar cleared his throat and glanced at the other StarClan cats, who broke off their conversations to cluster around him.

“I suppose you can go ahead and speak for us all this time,” Leopardstar remarked drily to the flame-colored tom. “You’re obviously planning to anyway.”

The other medicine cats had drawn closer to Jayfeather, who saw Kestrelflight shifting his paws uneasily, as if he wanted to speak but was uncomfortable with this shared vision.

Jayfeather gave him a prod. “Spit it out,” he growled.

“Maybe each of us medicine cats should speak privately with our own Clanmates,” Kestrelflight suggested diffidently. “There might be things to discuss that are private to our Clans.”

“No,” Barkface meowed gently, touching his nose to Kestrelflight’s shoulder. “We have a prophecy for all of you—one that concerns all the Clans.”

Jayfeather felt his heart start to beat faster. Not another prophecy! he groaned inwardly. Does this mean our seasons of peace are coming to an end?

“A prophecy, and a promise too,” Firestar meowed. He was staring directly into Jayfeather’s eyes, as if he knew the words Jayfeather hadn’t spoken aloud. “A time of great change is coming for all the Clans. Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky.”

He stopped speaking, while the StarClan ancestors gazed impressively at the medicine cats.