EOTW: Waning Moon: Chapter Twelve

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 3: Waning Moon
Chapter Twelve

     Silentstorm poked her head inside the medicine den. “Are you ready yet?”

     She was greeted with a swipe of claws towards her face, which she easily avoided. “Go away! I'm still working on something,” Jayfeather hissed.

     “Well, finish up so we can get going,” Silentstorm sniffed. She backed out of the den, returning to the spot by the fallen birch where her brother waited. Blazeheart was sitting close to the birch, sniffing the air in the direction of the fresh-kill pile. His stommach gave a loud rumbling noise, and Silentstorm felt hers wasn't far behind, as it clenched tight with hunger.

     It was nearing sunhigh, and both cats had been awake since early morning, helping stock the fresh-kill pile and preparing the camp's defenses. Silentstorm's legs already ached from her work, and her belly was maddeningly empty, hunger pangs racking through her body. It was bad enough that leafbare had made prey scarce and most of the prey was being given to the kits and elders. But Jayfeather, without explaining why, had told them not to stuff themselves with prey.

     At least her hunger was keeping her mind off of darker thoughts. The day of the half moon had finally come. ThunderClan had not abandoned their camp, each other, or the warrior code as Breeze had ordered. And now, they would have to face Breeze's punishment, whatever that would be. The entire Clan was on edge. Barely anyone was speaking to each other, and she had heard a few snarling fits break out between cats who were usually friends.

     Bramblestar was keeping patrols as light as possible today, sending as few patrols with as many cats as he could, so if Breeze and his cats did decide to attack, there would be enough cats to face him. Silentstorm could only hope that it would be enough. She knew how many cats followed Breeze. If he decided to lead a full attack on ThunderClan, she wasn't sure they could survive it.

     A violent rumble from her stomach drew the she-cat out of her thoughts. She shook her head, giving a low growl. Jayfeather was taking too long, and without being allowed to eat all day, she was crabby and hungry.

     “Interfering old tabby,” Silentstorm grumbled. She swung her head towards the fresh-kill pile, tasing the tantilizing scent of prey wafting her way. As Blazeheart ducked his head against the cold, she nudged his shoulder with one paw, joking, “I bet you a moon's worth of patrols I can sneak over and down two mice before he notices a thing. He'll never have to know.”

     Blazeheart's whiskers twitched. “You're too slow,” he teased. “I'm lighter and faster. You go distract him, and I'll get the prey.”

     “That's mousebrained,” Silentstorm snorted. “He'd see my thoughts and know what we were up to.”

     Her brother replied, “He's a scrawny little thing. Just sit on him and keep him from stopping me.”

     Mrowrrs of laughter burst from the hefty she-cat. Even with the threat of attack from Breeze hanging over the camp like a stormcloud, she was glad she could still joke with her brother. She was about to reply when nearby pawsteps alerted her. Jayfeather had left his den, and was approaching the siblings.

     As he reached them, Silentstorm scented something in his jaws, which was dropped by his paws. “Sniggering to each other like half-moon-old kits?” the small tom grumbled. He paused, no doubt reading their thoughts, then swiveled his ears towards Silenstorm. He threatened in a low growl, “Try it, and you'll have fleas in your nest for a moon.”

     Blazeheart gave a mrowrr of amusement. “It'd be worth it to see you being sat on like an oversized kit,” he joked. The young tom rose to his paws, leaning his muzzle down to smell what had dropped by Jayfeather's paws. Silentstorm leaned forward from where she was sitting, sniffing towards his paws, recongizing the scent of leaves. “What're these herbs for?” her brother asked.

     “You,” Jayfeather grunted. With one paw, he separated the bundle of leaves and flowers into two neat piles. “Sorrel, burnet, and chamomile. Eat up.”

     Silentstorm recoiled, lip curling. “You want us to eat those?” she demanded.

     Jayfeather's whiskers twitched at her disgusted reaction. “Yes,” he told her. “These are traveling herbs. They will give you the strength and energy you'll need to make the journey to the Moonpool, and they will keep your hunger at bay.”

     The she-cat's nose wrinkled in disgust. It was bad enough when foul-smelling herbs and disgusting poultices were slathered over her wounds. Now she actually had to eat the revolting things? “Why can't we just eat a mouse to give us energy?” she asked.

     “It won't fill you enough,” Jayfeather replied. “You'll need enough to keep you going until moonhigh, and we can't hunt outside our territory. Come on.” He nudged the herbs closer to her, mewing, “Eat, so we can get going.”

     Reluctantly, Silentstorm crouch, lapping up the collection of leaves. She fought the urge to gag as a bitter, foul taste flooded her senses. “Blech!” Beside her, Blazeheart made a sound of disgust as he ate his herbs, but didn't protest further. It took a considerable amount of willpower to finishing chewing and swallowing the revolting leaves instead of spitting them out.

     Once she has finished off the herbs, Silentstorm began grooming, desperate to get the filthy taste off of her tongue. Between laps, she grumbled, “I'm never going to get that smell out of my nose.”

     “Tough,” Jayfeather mewed briskly, rising to his paws. “Come on, let's get going. We need to meet the others by sundown.”

     Still grumbling, Silentstorm got up, following him and Blazeheart as they began padding out of camp. “Is it just me, or is he more grumpy than usual?” she grumbled to her brother. Not that she could blame him, with the threat of Breeze's punishment.

     Blazeheart gave a soft mrowrr. “You always were such a kit when it came to taking your herbs,” he teased his sister, his tail flicking gently against her side. She chose to ignore him, licking her lips, still trying to wash the taste from her mouth, and to fend off the feeling of gloom and fear.

SCENEBREAK

     By the time they reached the WindClan border, the sun's warmth had all but faded, the sun setting fast. As much as she still hated the taste of the herbs, Silentstorm had to admit that they'd been effective. Her veins were surging with energy; she felt more than ready for the trek across the moorland.

     Silentstorm caught several unfamiliar scents as they approached the border, and the greeting mews of nearby cats.

     “Jayfeather!” a bright mew called. Silentstorm heard the unfamiliar tom hop onto his paws, bounding forward to touch noses with Jayfeather. She was surprised at the cheerful greeting, and the fact that Jayfeather let it slide without a retort. “How's the prey running?”

     “Well enough, considering it's leafbare,” Jayfeather answered evenly. He waved his tail towards his escorts, mewing “Silentstorm, Blazeheart, this is Kestrelflight. Kestrelflight, these are my brother's kits.” Soft pawsteps approached. “And this is Icefur,” Jayfeather added, “Kestrelflight's apprentice.”

     Silentstorm recognized the names of WindClan's medicine cats. “Nice to meet you,” Icefur mewed in a soft voice.

     “Oh yes, I remember, you two were made warriors last moon,” Kestrelflight recalled in a cheery tone. “Congratulations!” To Silentstorm's surprise, he strode right up to her, giving her the same familiar nose-to-nose greeting he had given Jayfeather. “You must have your father's strength, and your mother's wisdom.” Kestrelflight moved to her brother next, touching noses eagerly with him as well.

     The warrior blinked a few times, taking a moment to process what had just happened. Then, after a moment's consideration, she purred. “I certainly hope so,” she told the medicine cat.

     As Kestrelflight puleld away, freetings were being exchanged all around them by the medicine cats. But not every cat shared their feelings of friendly ease. Every medicine cat had brought one or two warriors to escort them, and from the way she heard several pelts bristling uncomfortably, she guessed they were less inclined to be so friendly to warriors from other Clans.

     Silentstorm recognized Emberfoot and Crouchfoot of WindClan, standing close together and watching the cats around them warily. Grasspelt and Leafdrift of RiverClan were staying pretty close to Willowshine, and she couldn't yet scent the cat Twigclaw had brougth along with him. All of the warriors were staying fairly separate. But Blazeheart went to rejoin Jayfeather, Silentstorm padded over to the RiverClan cats anyway. “Good to see you again, Willowshine,” she purred, brushing muzzle with the fluffy she-cat.

     Willowshine gave a friendly purr as she touched noses with the blind she-cat. “Silentstorm! Wonderful to see you.” Grasspelt and Leafdrift also stepped forward to greet Silentstorm, purring and mewing greetings, seeming more relaxed in the presence of a cat they knew well. The ThunderClan warrior was surrounded on all sides by purring RiverClan cats. She closed her eyes, overcome with a sense of contentment to see her old friends again.

     “How's Slushpaw's training coming along, Leafdrift?” Silentstorm asked as the cats all pulled away.

     Leafdrift mewed, “Well. He's becoming a great swimmer; that thick pelt of his helps him keep warm, even in leafbare-cold water.”

     Nearby, Grasspelt purred. “My kits can't wait to be the greatest warriors they can for RiverClan.” Silentstorm had almost forgotten the apprentices were his kits. “They still talk about you, Silentstorm. Swanpaw caught a squirrel the other day; she says she wants to keep the skills you taught us sharp, so she can keep our Clan safe if we lose the lake again.”

     Silentstorm's chest swelled up with pride. As glad as she was that she had returned to ThunderClan, rather than remaining as a RiverClan cat, it made her proud to know that she'd had a significant impact on her friends there. “I'm sure they'll be great warriors, Grasspelt,” she purred.

     “Silentstorm.” The blind she-cat paused, turning to face the new cat who had spoken. A familiar ShadowClan warrior was approaching, tail flicking behind her in a friendly manner.

     Her ears perked immediately. “Specklefoot!” Silentstorm rose to her paws, leaving her RiverClan friends and coming to touch noses with Specklefoot. “Twigclaw brought you as his escort?”

     “Yes,” Specklefoot replied. “He said he could go alone, but Tigerstar wouldn't let him go alone. Not with Breeze out there. So I said I'd go.” Silentstorm didn't miss the hitch in her friend's tone. Twigclaw was Specklefoot's brother, and from the little Specklefoot had told her, she had gathered that it wasn't the best relationship. Having to escort him alone must have been awkward, and it brought up the question of why Specklefoot had offered to escort him in the first place.

     She spared Specklefoot from having to explain further by changing the subject. “So, how are the kittypets settling in?”

     “Very well,” the older warrior said. “They've really stepped up to the task of helping the Clan through leafbare. I've never met any cat who hunts as much as Mintleaf, and Vinescar is always out patrolling the borders. Stoatpaw gets along with all of the apprentices, and she's really advanced in her training, and Oddtail and Pepperpelt go on every patrol they can catch.”

     Before Silentstorm could respond, Jayfeather's growl sounded a few paces away. “Enough chatter. Come on, we have to reach the Moonpool before Moonhigh.”

     With a shuffling of many paws, the jumble of cats set off together, veering away from ThunderClan's forest and setting out into the open moorland. Silentstorm's ears flattened against her head. The familiar sound of the wind weaving through the trees had replaced by the roar of wind sweeping over the open moors.

     Specklefoot was padding alongside Silentstorm, helping guide the blind cat through the unfamiliar moorland. Silentstorm always felt uncomfortable with unfamiliar ground under her paws, and the way the wind blasted in her ears, without being muffled by the trees, made it worse. She grumbled to Specklefoot, “I swear, I don't understand how WindClan can live out in the open like this. I feel so exposed out here.”

     The ShadowClan warrior merely mrowrred in reply. A few paces ahead of them, Kestrelflight called back, “I know it feels weird to you, but it feels just as strange to me when I'm in your forest. All those trees blocking out the sky, muffling all the sounds of the wind and the hares and birds.” His whiskers twitched. “Besides, how are you supposed to chase down hares with all those trees in the way? We'd be running into those things left and right!”

     Silentstorm purred in amusement. More and more, she was finding that she liked Kestrelflight. His bright, cheery nature reminded her a lot of Darkbreeze. “I'm sure I'd be tripping into rabbitholes if I was left out on the moor for too long, so we're even,” she joked. She could hear Kestrelflight mrowrring as he went further ahead to speak with Willowshine.

     Once he was out of earshot, Silentstorm turned back to Specklefoot. “Thanks for helping me, anyway,” she mewed. “I can make my way well enough on my own territory, but I don't know the moor that well.”

     Specklefoot shrugged. “No problem.” She hesitated, then added gruffly, “What are friends for?”

     Silentstorm's ears perked. She liked to consider herself and the ShadowClan warrior friends, but after how suspicious Specklefoot had initally been of her, and how stand-offish the she-cat could sometimes be, it was nice to hear her acknowledge it. Her Clanmates probably wouldn't be thrilled to know she had close friends in all four Clans, but then, they didn't need to know.

     And besides, she reflected as she could hear the uncomfortable bristling of the warriors around her, perhaps it wouldn't be bad to have friends across Clan borders in these hard times.

SCENEBREAK

     They continued their friendly chatter as they trekked through the moorlands. The bitter frost of night was settling over the moor, leaving Silentstorm's pelt chilled. She and Specklefoot walked close together, pelts brushing to try and stay warm. The whole group was walking in a tight formation, cats of all four Clans huddling reluctantly together in an effort to keep warm.

     The energy lent to Silentstorm's paws by the herbs was starting to fade. Her paw pads were sore, and her legs ached. They had been walking for nearly half a day.

     Somewhere from the back of the group, Grasspelt grumbled, “Are we there yet?”

     Pawsteps ahead of her fell silent, and Specklefoot nudged her shoulder to warn her to stop walking as the group came to a halt. “Yes,” Jayfeather's mew came from the front. “We're here.”

     Silentstorm's ears flicked forward with interest. They had reached the top of a rocky ridge, overlooking some kind of hollow. She strained her ears, but she couldn't determine how far down it went.

     “Come on,” Twigclaw murmured. “StarClan is waiting.”

     They began the descent down the ridge into the hollow. The snow seemed to receed away from the hollow, giving way to solid ground very shortly under the ridge. Silentstorm felt cold, water-washed stones and dirt under her paws as she followed the others. For a moment, she felt uneasy on this unknown, unstable ground. But Specklefoot guided her with little nudges, murmuring reassurance to her friend, and soon Silentstorm grew more confident.

     As they padded further down the hollow, Silentstorm realized the ground wasn't just unfamiliar. There were indents in the ground, dimples and dips, strangely shaped. It took a few moments for her to realize they were pawprints. Somehow, the realization brought her comfort. Her paws were not the first to walk this path, and she almost thought she could feel pelts of cats brushing against hers, the pelts of those long past, who still watched over her.

     Cold water lapped at her paws, making her flinch back in surprise. They had reached the edge of the Moonpool itself. Awed, Silentstorm lowered her muzzle to the water's surface. She lowered her nose to the water. Her body instantly felt warm, something like ice and starlight burning through her veins, reminding her of snow and ice, but also of the warmth of greenleaf.

     “Lift your muzzle.” Jayfeather's grunt sounded near her ear. Startled, Silentstorm jerked her head up, breaking her contact with the water. The small tom was beside her, Specklefoot still on her other side. “You and the other warriors are here to guard us, but the Moonpool and the dream we will share with StarClan, are only for the medicine cats.”

     “Sorry.” She backed away from the water's edge, listening as Jayfeather settled onto the stones. Twigclaw, Kestrelflight, Icefur, and Willowshine all lay down as well, touching their noses to the water. After a few moments, each cat's breath slowed, as the medicine cats slipped off into dreams with StarClan.

     Once she was sure they were all asleep, Silentstorm turned to the other warriors, meowing aloud, “Well, what now?” Somehow, she knew that they didn't have to whisper; their words would not pull the medicine cats so easily from their dreams.

     “We need eyes around the entire ridge,” Crouchfoot said. The WindClan warrior paused, craning his neck to get a look around the hollow, before mewing, “Four cats on the ridge to keep an eye out for danger, and three cats to stay by the medicine cats, so we can wake them quickly if we need to fight.”

     There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the warriors, though Silentstorm noticed an uneasy edge to some of them. Clearly, not all of these cats were ready to take orders from an enemy warrior. “I can stay with the medicine cats,” Silentstorm volunteered, trying to steer the conversation away from orders and unease. She joked, “You'll probably want cats on watch duty who actually have a pair of working eyes.”

     Her remark earned an amused snort from Leafdrift, and a twitch of Blazeheart's whiskers, but the others didn't react. Silentstorm sobered, feeling the tension in the air. They all knew the stakes, and how dangerous it was to be out in the open like this, so alone and exposed on the day that Breeze had promised to punish them.

     “Blazeheart and I can stay with her,” Specklefoot meowed, after consulting briefly with the tom. “The rest of you can keep a watch above.”

     There was a low snarl from Emberfoot. “Are we supposed to trust the safety of our medicine cats with our enemies?”

     His comment brought on a series of snarls and hisses, the tension spiking. Grasspelt was facing Crouchfoot with a lashing tail, Specklefoot glaring down Emberfoot and Leafdrift. “How do we know we can trust you to keep watch?” Specklefoot challenged in turn, her hackles raised.

     Silentstorm felt a blaze of frustration. She knew they were all scared for their Clanmates, and the threats of Breeze had them all afraid, but they didn't have time for snarling at each other when they needed to be working together.

     “Enough.” It was Blazeheart who had spoken. Her brother's even mew brought the snarls to a halt, the warriors falling silent. Blazeheart padded up to Emberfoot, facing the senior WindClan warrior calmly. “Emberfoot, Jayfeather is our kin, and Specklefoot is Twigclaw's sister. We will guard these cats with our lives, and we will guard your medicine cats just as fiercly. Do your job, and trust us to do ours.”

     For a moment, Silentstorm feared the WindClan tom would strike her brother. She could hear a low snarl coming from his direction. Then, after a moment, he gave a low sigh. “Fine.” Without another work, the tom turned and padded away, joining Leafdrift, Crouchfoot, and Grasspelt as they ascended up the hollow onto the ridge.

     Silentstorm listened as their pawsteps receeded, waiting for the other warriors to drift out of earshot. Once they were gone, she turned to Specklefoot and Blazeheart. “That could've gone better,” she mewed. “I thought Emberfoot was going to start a real fight there.”

     “Well, it's not surprising he's concerned,” Blazeheart said. “Icefur's his daughter, and he's just left her asleep and vulnerable, under the watch of enemy warriors.”

     She blinked, surprised. No wonder he had been so loathe to leave them alone to guard the medicine cats. “I'm surprised he went to stand watch at all, then,” she murmured.

     Specklefoot was quiet for a moment. “Maybe there's some hope for trust btween the Clans after all,” she said after a moment's thought.

     Silentstorm didn't reply. She turned back towards the sleeping medicine cats, listening to their slow breathing. Jayfeather was just in front of her, with Willowshine a few tail-lengths away on one side, and Kestrelflight closer on the other. Icefur was settled beside her mentor, and Twigclaw lay on Willowshine's other side, his breath making the water ripple as he slept. They all sounded so still and peaceful. Silenstorm wondered what kind of dreams they were having. Did they promise better times for the Clans, peace, safety from Breeze? Safety from Shade?

     For a moment, she felt the presences of starry pelts against her own, and a feeling of comfort and security she hadn't felt in moons. Then, a horribly familiar voice whispered in her mind. “Don't get too comfortable, Silent One. The Moonpool is not safe from me, and neither is your precious StarClan.”

     Silentstorm froze. Shade! The dark creature had followed her even here, to the most sacred place in all of Clan territory. For a moment, despair threatened to consume the she-cat. What hope was there for any cat if StarClan had no power against Shade?

     Then, a warm pelt brushed against Silentstorm, and a soft, oddly familiar voice murmured against her ear. “Don't be afraid, Silentstorm. StarClan has not abandoned you. We will walk beside you, always.” Before she could question the voice, the pelt's warmth faded, and the voice fell silent.

     Silentstorm felt a sense of peace wash over her. Shade was still out there, and still a danger to her Clan. But she knew now that StarClan walked beside her, and that she was not alone in this fight.

SCENEBREAK

     There was no sign of Breeze or his rogues, even as the night drew on and non. Silentstorm stayed on her guard, crouching protectively by the sleeping cats, but the night was eerily silent. As relieved as she was that they didn't have to fight to protect the medicine cats, she felt more and more uneasy. If all was peaceful here, then what was happening to the cats they left behind?

     When the medicine cats finally woke, there had still been no attack, and all of the medicine cats were fairly quiet. Jafeather wouldn't say anything about what StarClan had told him. When Silentstorm asked, all he said was, “They didn't tell me anything they haven't already said before.”

     The cats all returned to the WindClan border, saying their goodbyes to each other as each group set off for their own territory. Silentstorm's fear grew more and more by the moment. She had no idea why, but the further they made it into ThunderClan's territory, the more she felt that something awful had happened, and she hadn't been there to stop it.

     Her heart began to race as she caught a terrible smell. All three cats froze as the wind shifted, sending the putrid scent their way. “Blood,” Blazeheart whispered.

     No, no, no... Silentstorm's heart seemed to stop. The terrible feeling of dread had increased tenfold. She just knew that whatever had gone wrong, whatever Breeze had done, it had finally happened. Without another word, the three cats took off into the snow, screeching towards the blood-scent. Silentstorm felt only despair as they hurtled through the woods. Whatever had happened, they were already too late.

     Silentstorm nearly tripped over a lifeless lump in the snow, scrambling back from it as the other two caught up to her. It was a cat, she realized after prodding it with one paw. A dead cat, pelt cold and lifeless, and stained through with blood.

     Horrified, she lowered her muzzle, taking in the cat's scent. She drew in a sharp breath, horror seizing her.

     “Foxleap!”