EOTW: Silent Sacrifice: Chapter Twenty Two

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 6: Silent Sacrifice
Chapter Twenty Two

     “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Tall Stump for a Clan meeting!”

     Excitement sparked through Blazeheart's pelt as cats began crowding around the tree stump. He joined the crowd, coming to sit beside Ambertalon, Snowfall, and Duskpaw as he waited for the leader to continue.

     Mistystar stood atop of the tree stump, her head held high with pride as she looked down at her Clanmates, and the guests of her Clan. Beside her, looming over the smaller leader, was Bramblestar. The two leaders waited as cats from both Clans gathered in front of the stump, waiting for the announcement. Warriors of both Clans were sitting together; Redleaf was chatting quietly with Slushfoot, Pikepaw was sharing an excited glance with Yewpaw, and Squirrelflight sat beside Reedwhisker. Lakebird hesitated a moment as he approached the crowd, poking his head inside the nursery, before scurrying to the crowd. Two days ago, Swanfall had given birth to his kits; a she-kit named Spottedkit, and two toms named Foggykit and Stonekit.

     Five days had passed since Darkbreeze and her friends had returned to the city. With the help of some of the city cats, they had distributed catmint among all three camps, allowing each Clan their share. Since the storm had ended, ThunderClan cats had begun crossing over into other territories to be with their families. Ambertalon had carried Screechkit to WindClan, allowing Lightfoot to reunite with his daughter while she greeted her own. Lilyfrost had left to reside with her sister in ShadowClan, and Lionblaze had crossed over from ShadowClan to be with his son.

     It wasn't just within Clan boundaries that things had changed. The ThunderClan cats who had been chased out of Clan territory had returned. ThunderClan territory was still under the control of the Dark Forest, but now that the borders weren't being guarded, they were free to travel to the other Clans. It had been decided that it was too much to expect any of the Clans to support an entire other Clan in the middle of leafbare, so ThunderClan had remained divided, spreading themselves between all three of the other Clans to give themselves the best chance.

     Bramblestar had come to stay with RiverClan, while Squirrelflight had migrated to WindClan. Finchwing had stayed in ShadowClan, the three of them trying to make sure that someone was in charge of ThunderClan in all three of the camps. Toadstep had joined Ivypool in WindClan, while Redleaf and Ripplewing had left to join Skystripe in RiverClan, Dovewing and her apprentice departing from ShadowClan in order to join Bumblestripe in RiverClan. Cinderheart had returned with the others from outside of Clan territory, and was staying with WindClan now, with her mate and son. On this particular day, the entirety of ThunderClan had migrated to RiverClan's camp, sitting around the Tall Stump in order to witness the ceremony. All of Blazeheart's family was together again – except for one.

     Once all of the cats were gathered, Bramblestar began. “I am grateful to Mistystar, and to RiverClan, for allowing a ThunderClan ceremony to take place their camp,” he rumbled, dipping his head to the elderly she-cat beside him. “And for allowing ThunderClan cats, those staying in your camp and otherwise, to attend today's ceremony. Even if we have lost our home, we can still stand together in celebrating our Clan.”

     Mistystar gave a small nod of acknowledgment, then continued. “The four cats that we wish to honor today have suffered great losses in the last few moons, just as all of the Clans have,” she called out, her mew cracking with age. “But they have faced their losses with the courage, loyalty, and strength that the Clans always call upon in the face of destruction. We will always face hardships, but as the last few days have shown, we will always find a way to overcome them, and grow stronger together. Today, we honor that courage by recognizing these cats as true warriors.”

     Bramblestar lifted his head, fierce pride gleaming in his eyes. “Duskpaw, Graypaw, and Stormpaw, step forward!” he called.

     “And step forward, Dewpaw!” Mistystar added.

     Beside Blazeheart, Duskpaw was quivering with excitement. Blazeheart's whiskers twitched as she glanced up at him, amber eyes blazing with joy. While the tortoiseshell had seen less than five moons of training, she was nearly a warrior's age, and had faced the dangers of the last moons with a warrior's courage. Blazeheart knew that his apprentice deserved this honor, and could feel pride for the little tortoiseshell burning in his chest. “Go on,” he murmured, nudging her.

     The tortoiseshell leaped to her paws, clearly trying to contain her excitement as she padded through the crowd. She was the last to come stand before the Tall Stump, joining her three littermates as they stared up at their leaders. Blazeheart felt a rush of fierce joy as he spotted Dewpaw sitting beside her littermates; even though they had chosen different Clans, Blossomfall's kits would earn their warrior names together after all. He could see Silvershine and Grasspelt in the crowd, staring at the apprentices with all of the love and pride that any parents would show. I hope Blossomfall and Mousewhisker are watching them too, the tabby thought.

     Both leaders leaped down from the Tall Stump, coming to stand before the apprentices. In his deep rumble, Bramblestar announced, “I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.” He looked over the four cats in front of him. “Duskpaw, Graypaw, Stormpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior  code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

     “I do!” the three apprentices rang out together. Graypaw had fierce joy glowing in her eyes, and while Stormpaw's expression was calm, the bristling of his hackles betrayed his similar excitement. Duskpaw's pelt was quivering with it, joy radiating from every hair on her pelt.

     “I, Mistystar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice,” Mistystar picked up her half of the ceremony. “She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” She looked at the last of the littermates, the pale tortoiseshell staring back with eyes that shone with joy. “Dewpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

     Dewpaw ducked her head, her mew ringing with clear conviction as she said, “I do.”

     “Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior names,” Bramblestar announced. Mistystar echoed him, glancing at Dewpaw. Bramblestar scanned the littermates in front of him, before his gaze settled on Stormpaw. “Before your mother died, she spoke with me about how she wished some of her kits to be named,” he called out clearly to all of the listening cats. The apprentices reacted with surprised mews. “Today, to honor her sacrifice for this Clan, I will bestow the names she chose for her kits.”

     “Stormpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Stormbriar.” The pale tom stiffened, surprise flashing in his eyes. Blazeheart felt a jolt of understanding – Blossomfall had chosen to name her son after her lost sister, Briarlight. “StarClan honors your patience and your wisdom, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” Stormbriar hesitated, then dipped his head to his leader, allowing Bramblestar to lay his chin over his head.

     Once he had finished with Stormbriar, Bramblestar turned next to the she-cats. “Graypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Graymouse.” The new warrior reacted in similar kind, but the crowd seemed less surprised this time. It was no secret that Graymouse was the spitting image of her father, Mousewhisker. It was no wonder Blossomfall had wanted her named after him. “StarClan honors your compassion, and your dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”

     That just left Duskpaw. The tortoiseshell was quivering with excitement as Bramblestar finally turned his gaze on her. “This name was not chosen by your mother,” he informed the tortoiseshell. “But it reflects the spirit she had, a spirit and fierce loyalty that she passed onto you.”

     Blazeheart listened, ready to burst with pride, as Bramblestar continued, “Duskpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Duskfire. StarClan honors your enthusiasm, and your curiosity, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”

     Duskfire gave a small, shrill sound of joy as her new name was passed onto her. As she dipped her head to Bramblestar, Blazeheart felt fierce pride searing through his blood. Duskfire – for the fire she had always shown, a fierce refusal to accept any answer she was given, a passion and curiosity for any new information she could get her paws on. Duskfire had always carried the fierce energy of fire in everything she did – and now her name reflected it.

     Before any cat could begin to chant for the new warriors, Mistystar spoke. “This name was not chosen by your mother either,” she informed Dewpaw. “But as a cat who carries the same fierce devotion to family, and the same courage to make hard choices, I thought there could be no better name for you.” The fluffy she-cat stiffened in shock as Mistystar continued, “Dewpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Dewblossom. StarClan honors your loyalty, and your compassion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan.”

     For a moment, pain clawed at Blazeheart's heart. Now two of Blossomfall and Mousewhisker's kits carried their names, but they would never know them, not until they joined them in StarClan. There had been so many losses in the last moons.

     But as he watched, the scene in front of him was not one of loss. The newly named warriors turned to face their Clanmates as their names were called. “Stormbriar! Graymouse! Duskfire! Dewblossom!” the crowd chanted, cats from both Clans cheering for the new warriors without reservation. The four littermates stood side by side, holding their heads high with pride as their names were called.

     Silvershine was the first to reach them. The silver tabby was purring with delight as she greeted her adopted kits, brushing muzzles with each of them and murmuring something that Blazeheart couldn't hear. Grasspelt was right behind her, purring proudly as he approached the cats he had been a father to, with Graypaw and Pikepaw right on his heels. Lilyfrost, Dovewing, and Hurricane were there as well to greet their apprentices, and Bumblestripe and Hazeltail were purring with pride as they approached their kin.

     A sense of contentment settled over Blazeheart. Their parents might be gone, he thought. But these four cats still have a family, and they have known so much love.

     He pushed himself onto his paws, approaching the gathered cats. Duskfire's eyes lit up with joy as he approached, the tortoiseshell purring fiercely as she bumped her muzzle against his. He touched his nose to her forehead, giving a fierce purr. “I'm so proud of you,” he told the new warrior. “You've earned this, and you're going to make a great warrior.”

     “Thank you, Blazeheart!” Duskfire purred, amber eyes blazing with joy, and warmth for her former mentor. After a moment, she grew more subdued. “Seriously, thank you,” she told him. “You were a really great mentor, and I learned a lot. I owe you a lot for that.”

     Blazeheart's ears flicked back in surprise, touched by the new warrior's words. He really had grown close with Duskfire through their training, and for all of her teasing and scoffing at authority, he was glad to hear she respected and appreciated him. After a moment, he purred, “Well, I'm glad all of that training paid off.” He flicked his tail, mewing, “Come on. Ready to go sit vigil back at camp?”

     The tortoiseshell glanced back at her littermates. “Actually, we've talked with Mistystar and Bramblestar, and they've agreed to let Graymouse and I sit vigil here for the night.” For a moment, her gaze lit up with determination. “We may not all be in the same Clan, but we want to sit our warrior vigil together.”

     A moon ago, Blazeheart would have felt a twinge of worry at the thought of Duskfire's divided loyalties. But now, he simply dipped his head in acceptance. “Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, then.” Duskfire purred her agreement, before turning back to her littermates. Blazeheart left the new warriors behind, rejoining Ambertalon and Snowfall as they grouped with the rest of the ThunderClan cats bound for WindClan's camp. After some final farewells, they set off for the moorland, Squirrelflight at the lead as they headed for their temporary home.

     As they padded through the snowy territory, Blazeheart wondered at just how much the Clans had changed in the last few moons. When he was an apprentice, borders were defended, even during times of peace. But now Clan cats moved freely between territories, as though it were as easy as visiting a denmate. Cats could move from one camp to another freely, because the danger they faced had forced them to work together. But it went just beyond the danger they faced – something had changed in the very heart of the warrior code, and in the way the Clans interacted. Something, Blazeheart guessed, which would have implications for the Clans' future even after the danger had passed.

     But now, somehow, he didn't mind. He knew that there were still problems that could come with the Clans becoming too close. But he could see, more clearly than ever, that what mattered most was helping good cats to survive. The rest could come later – keeping each other alive, and not letting pride or fear of the other Clans get in the way of it, was what was most important. As long as he could keep his Clanmates alive, and preserve the Clans as a whole, he wasn't going to worry about borders or Clan pride. Survival mattered more.

     As Blazeheart walked along beside Ambertalon, Cinderheart and Lionblaze sped up to walk beside their son. “Congratulations!” Lionblaze mewed, while Cinderheart touched her nose to Blazeheart's cheek with a purr. “Your first apprentice is finally a warrior. That's a big achievement.”

     Blazeheart gave a proud purr. “Thanks,” he mewed. “I'm glad her whole family got to be there – I know it means a lot to her that Dewblossom got to receive her name with them.”

     For a moment, sadness gleamed in Lionblaze's eyes. “I just wish your whole family could have been there to congratulate you,” he murmured.

     Cinderheart gave her mate a reproachful glance. “Not now,” she warned him in a low voice. “This is a day to celebrate.”

     Blazeheart felt a pang of regret. When his parents had come to WindClan, they had been told that their daughter was missing. They'd gone on patrols to search for her, but no cat had been able to find her in the half moon since she'd disappeared. Cinderheart and Lionblaze had grown more worried and withdrawn the last few days, though they still spent time with their son and the three kits that were their kin.

     “It's alright,” Blazeheart assured his father, flicking his tail against the massive tabby's flank. “I don't mind talking about her.” He couldn't blame his parents for wanting to tip-toe around the subject – last time Silentstorm had gone missing, he had been perpetually moody whenever she was mentioned. But this time, she had trusted him, and he had the small comfort of knowing why she'd left. “I just hope she comes back soon.”

     Cinderheart's gaze was dark with worry, and she didn't reply. Lionblaze, on the other paw, seemed to be trying to take comfort in his son's words. “Last time we lost her, she came back safe and sound,” he reminded his mate gently. “We have to believe it can happen again. Silentstorm will be fine; she has to be.”

     Cinderheart gazed at her mate for a moment, before sighing, pressing her muzzle against his neck. “I hope you're right,” she murmured. Blazeheart could tell that after a half moon of being missing, Cinderheart feared the worst for their daughter. He only wished he could reassure her with the truth – but the truth would only bring more worry. Silentstorm was facing the most dangerous battle of her life, and there was a great chance that she would not come out of it alive.

     All Blazeheart could do was follow his father's example, and hope.

SCENEBREAK

     The sun was starting to set by the time the patrol returned to WindClan's camp. Ambertalon slipped straight off into the nursery. It was clear that, in the last five days, she'd been trying to make up for the time lost with Wrenkit. Snowfall headed off to chat with Cosima, while Cinderheart and Lionblaze started to pad towards the fresh-kill pile. Blazeheart frowned as he noticed the size of the pile; while prey was more plentiful now that the storm was over, the fresh-kill pile was currently smaller than Blazeheart would have liked.

     Even though his legs ached from the walk to and from RiverClan, he approached Snowfall and Cosima, who were chatting with Antpaw, Crouchfoot, and Flintpaw. “Anyway fancy going hunting?” he asked, catching the attention of the gathered cats. “We could try to bring some prey back for the warriors' evening meals, if we get back in time.”

     The cats looked at each other, then shrugged. “I'm not too tired for another hunt,” Crouchfoot agreed easily. The tom's voice still sounded hoarse, but his eyes and nose were no longer streaming, and he looked far more awake. He, and the rest of the greencough-infected cats, had begun to heal now that Icefur could treat them with the catmint Darkbreeze and her patrol had brought back. Some of the cats were still recovering, but Crouchfoot had been deemed well enough to return to warrior duties the previous day.

     Snowfall and Cosima seemed more tired, but the didn't protest as Blazeheart began leading them away. The apprentices trailed after them, flicking their tails eagerly. Flintpaw's mentor, Quickhare, had died from greencough, so Sorrelspike had been assigned as her new mentor once he had recovered. Sorrelspike had already retired to his den for the night, so the apprentice followed after her father and the other warriors as Blazeheart started to lead them out of camp.

     “Wait!” The patrol turned to see Cosmo hurrying out of the nursery. The kittypet's collar had been removed, carefully so as not to damage it, and was currently being kept by his nest in the medicine den. The tom's green gaze was bright and eager as he called, “Can I come hunt with you?”

     Blazeheart glanced at his patrol for confirmation, then turned back to Cosmo with a friendly flick of his tail. “Sure!” he agreed easily. Cosmo's tail curled in pleasure as he padded after the patrol.

     The tabby began to feel more awake as they set off across the moor, feeling the leafbare wind tugging at his pelt. Ever since the storm had ended, the forest had grown warmer, and the snow had begun to melt. There was still a thick layer of snow covering the moor, but it wasn't piled too high for cats to safely travel anymore. Blazeheart could feel the sun's warmth on his back, far more than he had in moons, as he began sniffing for prey.

     Suddenly, Blazeheart stiffened. His ears swiveled as the sound of small paws behind a clump of snow-covered clovers caught his attention. His training told him to crouch and creep toward it; but instead he sprang forward, taking off at a sprint towards the sound. The hare broke for cover, with Blazeheart hard on its heels. It tried to turn away, but he swerved effortlessly to follow it, snarling as he lunged forward and caught the hare's spine in his jaws.

     “Nice catch!” Blazeheart turned to see the patrol padding towards him. Snowfall gave Blazeheart a hearty nudge with his shoulder when he reached him, looking impressed. “You've really gotten good at moor hunting.”

     Crouchfoot grunted his agreement. “Not bad for a squirrel-chaser,” he mewed gruffly, though Blazeheart knew the tom well enough now to hear the friendly teasing in his tone.

     “Thanks,” Blazeheart mewed, dipping his head. For the last half moon, he had been doing his best to learn how to hunt like a WindClan cat, in order to keep his Clan fed. While the forest was his home, he was well-suited to the moor. He had the lithe, light build necessary for a moor runner, and he couldn't deny that he loved the feeling of the wind sweeping over his pelt as he raced across the moor after his prey. But now, he was no longer ashamed of the way his resemblance to his WindClan kin. No matter where he learned his hunting from, or how he took down his prey, it was all just another way to serve his Clan.

     He had been spending as much time as possible hunting the last few moons, learning as much as he could about moor hunting, so he could keep his Clan fed through the cold season. Whatever time he wasn't spending hunting was spent looking after his daughter. Now that Ambertalon was in the Clan with him, they were back to switching off between hunting and looking after Wrenkit. Darkbreeze had looked after her while they were at Duskfire's warrior ceremony, but the next day, they would be back to trading patrols. He had never been so busy, or worked so hard, in his life, but it was more rewarding than he could say. His Clan was better fed now that the storm was over, and they were alive and safe in WindClan, in part thanks to him.

     “Are you kidding?” Cosmo mewed, glancing at Crouchfoot. “That was great! I wish I could run like that.” While the kittypet had been given three moons of training in the city, all of those moons had been dedicated to battle training. Cosmo was still new to hunting, and his clumsiness and poor timing kept him from being a successful hunter. But no cat could doubt his eagerness to learn, or his dedication to the Clan he was staying with.

     “If you practice enough, you'll get there,” Blazeheart told the kittypet. “Come on, we can work on your scenting. See if you can scent any prey nearby.”

     Cosmo lifted his muzzle, closing his eyes as he concentrated on sniffing. “All I can smell is heather and snow,” he admitted.

     “Same for me,” Snowfall mewed, glancing at the kittypet. “But there's more to tracking prey than just a bit of sniffing. Think about which way the wind is coming from. Scents are carried on the wind – if you're facing away from the way the wind is blowing, you're not going to scent much.”

     Cosima picked up his thought, explaining, “But you can also use the wind to hide your scent. WindClan cats don't sneak up on their prey the way that ThunderClan cats do, but it can still be useful. If the wind is blowing your scent away from your prey, they won't smell you coming, and those few moments of having the element of surprise can mean all the difference when running down your prey.” The tortoiseshell was standing side by side with Snowfall, to Blazeheart's amusement. It seemed like several cats had started to grow closer over the course of the last half moon. From what Ambertalon had told him, Sunnyflower and Lightningstrike had become mates while staying with ShadowClan, and Redleaf had seemed pretty eager to follow Ripplewing to RiverClan. Even after everything they had suffered, Clan life moved forward.

     Cosmo nodded, eagerly drinking in what the warriors told him. “That makes sense,” he remarked.

     Blazeheart's whiskers twitched. “Come on. We'll show you what we mean – and get some hunting done.”

SCENEBREAK

     Cosmo actually managed to run down a hare before they returned to camp for the night. He held it in his jaws as they padded back into the hollow, holding his head high with pride. While the other warriors took their catches to the fresh-kill pile, Blazeheart saved one of his hares, instead following Cosmo to take it to the nursery.

     Ambertalon was lying beside Darkbreeze when the tom pushed into the den, Wrenkit locked in play with Screechkit and Jaykit. Blazeheart was surprised to see Jaykit throwing herself so eagerly into the play battle – usually, she was more reserved. But ever since Screechkit and Ambertalon had returned from ShadowClan, Jaykit had seemed a lot happier and at ease, more than Blazeheart had ever seen before. It was good to see the shy kit becoming more outgoing, or at least more comfortable with the cats around her.

     Lightfoot was there too, sitting beside Darkbreeze as he watched over his kits, but he rose to his paws and backed off as Cosmo approached. The kittypet dropped his hare in front of Darkbreeze, mewing brightly, “I thought you might be hungry.” Honeyheart was father back in the den, taking a nap, but Heatherstar was still out on patrol.

     Darkbreeze's eyes grew wide. “It's been ages since I had a whole hare to myself!” she exclaimed, reaching a paw out towards the hare to drag it closer. “Are you sure the Clan has enough to spare this?”

     “It should be fine, if you two share it,” Blazeheart told the queen. “Hunting's been a lot better since the storm ended. It's warmer now, and without Dark Forest cats taking all the prey, there's more to go around.”

     Darkbreeze glanced at Cosmo, mewing, “Want to share this, then?”

     “Sure!” The tom crouched beside his mate, sharing the hare between them. Darkbreeze's kits were no longer stuck crawling at her side; in the last day or two, they had started to walk, stumbling around on stubby legs as they tried to get a sense of the world. Mothkit was watching over them, mewing encouragement and helping them up when they stumbled.

     Blazeheart carried his hare to Ambertalon, the queen greeting him with a friendly bump of her muzzle against his chin. With a purr, he dropped the hare in front of her. “Want to share?”

     Ambertalon purred her agreement. She glanced over at the play-fighting kits, calling, “Wrenkit, come eat!”

     The kit abandoned her game, trotting over to her parents. The three cats crouched over the hare, eating in content silence. After Cosmo and Darkbreeze finished their meal, Cosmo trotted over to his kits, purring as he nuzzled each kit in turn. They mewled their excitement as they crowded around his legs, staring up at him with their kitten-blue eyes. The kittypet crouched, rasping his tongue over Stormkit's back as the she-kit rubbed against his muzzle. While Stormkit and Heatherkit snuggled against their father, Cottonkit had stumbled around behind him, and had begun clumsy attempts to catch his tail between her paws. When Cosmo noticed what she was doing, he gave an amused purr, then began waving his tail around for her to try and catch, to Cottonkit's clear delight.

     Blazeheart held back an amused purr. When Darkbreeze had returned from the city asking Heatherstar to let her kittypet mate stay with the Clan, a few cats hadn't been thrilled. It was clear that Cosmo was no warrior – he was a poor hunter, and spoke fondly of the city he would one day return to. But the tom was a hard worker, dividing his time between medicine lessons from Icefur, and learning to hunt for the Clan, as well as looking after his kits. Even for those who doubted his place in the Clan, it was already clear how much he adored his mate and kits, and how hard he was willing to work to learn to provide for his kits. Blazeheart knew that with time, he would be a fine hunter, and a fine healer for the cats of the city.

     While Cosmo was busy with his kits, Lightfoot came to sit beside Ambertalon and Darkbreeze, worry sparking in his eyes. “Have any of you had more dreams about the prophecy?” he asked in a low voice. Blazeheart glanced uneasily at Wrenkit, but the kit didn't seem to have heard. She swiped the last of the hare off of her lips, then bounded off to rejoin Jaykit and Screechkit in battle.

     Blazeheart's good mood began to fade. Everything seemed to be going better for the Clans, and everyone was safe again – except for Silentstorm. His sister's disappearance, and her prophecy, were the only dark cloud left that hung over the Clans. But it was a far darker cloud than most cats could guess. The battle to come would determine the fate of the dark and light. The peace that the Clans had fought so hard for, the progress they had made since they started curing their greencough, was as fragile as a cobweb. It could all be torn away with the flick of a claw by the outcome of the coming battle. But even now, with all that Silentstorm's friends knew, they had no way of knowing when the battle would finally be fought.

     All three cats shook their heads. “Just the one we had together,” Ambertalon mewed. “I think Midnight's told us all she's going to. We know the real meaning of the prophecy now, after all, and we know about Rock and Shade.”

     “Except we still don't know when the battle is going to be fought,” Darkbreeze added, concern lighting in her blue eyes. “How are we supposed to warn our Clans about the Dark Fores coming if Silentstorm loses the battle, if we don't know when it's being fought.”

     Blazeheart sighed. “You heard Midnight,” he reminded Darkbreeze. “If Silentstorm loses, warning them won't do any good. There won't be anywhere to hide.”

     Ambertalon threw her mate a sharp glance. “We can't hide, but we can fight,” she pointed out.

     “And what chance are we supposed to have against all of the dark spirits that Shade can set loose on us?” Blazeheart asked.

     He was chilled by the dark light to his mate's eyes. “I didn't say we had any chance,” she mewed grimly. “But if the Clans are going down, we should go down fighting. I'd rather die on my paws, with my claws out, than being caught by surprise.”

     As the mates and Darkbreeze argued, Lightfoot glanced back at his kits, who had joined some of Honeyheart and Heatherstar's kits in play battle. “She's been gone for over half a moon,” he murmured, grief and pain in his mew. “How much longer will we have to wait? Our kits will be apprentices in just a few moons, and leafbare will be over soon. Will she have to miss that? Or will...” The tom trailed off, looking too miserable and worried to finish his thought. But his unspoken words hung heavy in the air. Will she already be dead?

     Darkbreeze gave the tom a friendly nudge with one paw, trying to look hopeful. “I doubt this Shade will drag it out that long,” she told Lightfoot. “She won't have total control over the light and dark until she fights the battle, so she won't put it off forever. We just have to wait for the battle to start, and Silentstorm to win, then everything can go back to normal.”

     Lightfoot glanced at Darkbreeze, his gaze still filled with misery. He just gave a small nod in reply. Blazeheart felt a fierce rush of sympathy for Lightfoot; he'd lost his parents recently, his brother was still in ShadowClan, and now he had to raise his kits without their mother, and without knowing if she would ever come back. He felt the same fear for Silentstorm in his own heart. Even now that he knew the truth about her prophecy, and the purpose of her battle, it didn't erase that fear.

     Blazeheart sighed, lowering his head to his paws. The fate of the Clans, and all of the light, hung in the balance. He had no way of knowing when the battle would happen; but each day, he felt more and more that the Clans, and his sister, were drawing closer to their destiny. Fear for his daughter, his mate, and his Clan hung heavy in Blazeheart's heart – the battle's outcome would determine their fate. But even beyond the fate of the light, he worried about the fate of his sister. Victory for the light didn't necessarily ensure her survival – even if the rest of his family was saved, he could still lose her.

     He glanced back at Lightfoot, his eyes still glazed over with misery, and at the two kits locked in battle. You're still needed here, Silentstorm, he thought, his heart aching with fear for his sister. Please, StarClan, don't make her life the sacrifice that's needed to defeat the darkness.

     And please, let the battle come soon, so this can all be over. He held back a sigh. One way, or another.