Saving The River(ON HOLD)

~Chapter 4~

"Hurry up! We want to get to moonpool before sunrise, you know," Bluemuzzle growled at Dewkit. Dewkit didn't mind though, she was too excited. It had taken three whole sunrises to get to half-moon. She had rarely even been out of the camp, but now she would get to go all the way through WindClan and ThunderClan territory. She was mostly excited to get her apprentice name, because she hated to still be Dewkit when her littermates were 'paws. "And remember, stay near the lake," Bluemuzzle hissed. Dewkit nodded, and they set off.

Dewkit looked up and spotted a silver glimmer up ahead. The Moonpool! We're almost there! She started running as fast as her paws would let her. Bluemuzzle yowled, "Dewkit! Come back here!" Dewkit rolled her eyes at the cranky she-cat and gloomily trudged back to her mentor. When she had convinced Bluemuzzle to speed up just a little, she noticed little blurbs that looked like cats around the Moonpool. But they were cats, not blurbs, and they all turned to look at Bluemuzzle.

"Bluemuzzle! We were wondering what was taking you so long!" called a black tom, eyeing Dewkit in the dim moonlight. "Have you finally taken on an apprentice? I thought all of StarClan would have to push its weight to make you get one!" he called again, and a young white she-cat with dark spots, seemed to be holding back a laugh.

Bluemuzzle puffed out her chest with dignity. "This one has plenty of talent, Russetcall, and it was my time. I feel older every sunrise, and she will most definitely outlive me with all the energy she has in her kit brain," Bluemuzzle growled, seeming a bit annoyed just thinking about it and Dewkit flushed pink through her silver fur.

"Don't be too hard on her!" a yellow she-cat meowed. "I can tell by past experiences you will enjoy having an apprentice around." The light yellow she-cat looked at a younger she-cat beside her, and a tom about the size of a new apprentice.

"Yes, well, can we just get on with the ceremony?" Bluemuzzle growled, pawing the dirt beneath her. She looked up, took a deep breath and spoke, "Dewkit, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" She gazed expectantly at Dewkit.

Dewkit tried to squeak the words out, but couldn't. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat and mewed more calmly, "It is."

Bluemuzzle looked at her in satisfaction, calling to her, "then come forward." She placed her paw behind Dewkit and led her in front of the moon pool and the six other cats sitting around it. Bluemuzzle closed her yellow eyes and meowed to the air. "Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this new apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her clan in accordance with your will," she finished, and spoke once more, softly to Dewkit. "Now touch your nose to the Moonpool and we will share a dream with StarClan." Dewkit obliged. She felt the cold trickle of water flood over her kit nose, and was surrounded by blackness.

Dewkit awoke to a blinding light. She was standing in a faint creek, quite shallow. She stepped out, and gazed around the brightness. Not many cats were around, or so she thought at first glance. Dewkit looked close, and saw a large dark brown tom, who appeared to be slightly transparent. Beside him sat a less transparent she-cat. They were talking, and only when the she-cat saw Dewkit did they stop. The she-cat stood up, and walked away behind a gorse bush, and came back a few moments later with a wiry she-cat.

"Hello, Dewkit," the she-cat spoke, sitting down. "It is a pleasure to meet you. If you didn't know, I was the RiverClan leader before Rapidstar. I am delighted your paws have been set to the path of a medicine cat."

Dewkit nodded fiercely in awe.

"There is a prophecy in RiverClan right now; one that I wish to share with you. I trust you with this," she mewed once more. Dewkit's mouth hung open and she gasped.

"A prophecy? Woah! Is it going to happen soon? When I get back to the camp will there be a big battle? I don't want to fight! Or am I supposed to fight? Maybe Splashpaw and Silverpaw will fight!" she chattered on, only stopping when the strange she-cat rested a paw on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, it will come in time. You will need training." She cleared her throat and spoke. Dewkit vowed she wouldn't ever forget them, because they could be too important; "When birds lose their wings and fish lose their fins to silver liquid of evil, watch for a leaf of dew and a pool of splashes."

It sounded so ominous, Dewkit couldn't help it when her pelt bristled. The tortoiseshell let out a mrrow of laughter, and put her paw on Dewkit's shoulder again. Caringly, she mewed quietly, "Don't worry, you will have plenty of time before you'll have to worry much. Now I will send you back as Dewpaw, we shall light your path always."

Dewpaw breathed out, slowly, and asked quickly, "Who are you?" It came out as a squeak, and the she-cat looked at her gently.

"I am Maplestar," she whispered, "you're grandmother." And then Dewpaw felt cold trickle over her again and she woke up in the dark area of the moonpool. The rest of the medicine cats were looking expectantly at her, and Bluemuzzle began stirring. When she had awoken fully Dewpaw started to whisper, "Bluemuzzle! I spoke with StarClan and they told me-" before Bluemuzzle gave her a stern look and shushed her.
"We don't talk about what we have seen unless we have more of an understanding of these things, Dewkit," she hissed.

"Oh, okay." Dewpaw thought for a moment before adding, "It's Dewpaw, now." Bluemuzzle's pelt started warming with embarrassment.

"I knew that," she snapped, and, dipping her head gently towards the other medicine cats, she turned around, beckoning with her tail for Dewpaw to follow, and they whisked out of the Moonpool back towards RiverClan camp.