Moon Of Warning - Warrior Cat Fanfiction

Chapter Seventeen

Moonshade curled her claws into the dirt. Now she had to be worried for two cats. Moonshade started pacing around the medicine den. Vinepaw was breathing again, but still unconscious. The Gathering was tonight, and if Vinepaw and Meadowpaw weren't better, they wouldn't be able to go. Moonshade sighed. It was already past sun-high. She continued to pace, and her tail flicked back and forth angrily. Now she was even more infuriated by the fact that it was all Windclan's fault. Well, that was at least what she thought. Vinepaw's illness was completely new, and had no link to Windclan whatsoever, but Moonshade was planning to call Windclan out on their behavior towards her daughter. Eventually, Stonewhisker demanded she leave the medicine den to give the apprentices some peace. She paused in her pacing and huffed, her body rigid and her face agitated. She obeyed him with a bit of hesitation. She didn't wish to leave her daughter or her apprentice. She exited the den with nothing to do, since she had told the patrolds to leave already. Moonshade curled beneath the Highledge, and glared at the thorn tunnel until nightfall.

***

Moonshade gathered all of the cats she had brought for the Gathering. She stalked towards the island, and waited for all of her clanmates to cross the tree-bridge first, before she followed. Most of the clans were already there, Riverclan being the one who wasn't. Moonshade climbed the tree, and sat by one of the leaders she distasted the most. Cypresstar. He looked her way, and cast a look at Orangestar. "I take it he has one of your cats hostage too?" Mooonshade looked up at him. "Meadowpaw, my daughter. We raided the camp and took her back. At the time there was only one bramble nest, so I think they captured your cat after my daughter was rescued." She looked down sadly. "Is she wounded?" Moonshade nodded. "She is. And Stonewhisker says she might not.... might not...." Moonshade trailed away, looking down again. Cypresstar nodded. "They have one of our warriors. Copperlimb." Moonshade remembered the bronze she-cat. Moonshade turned as Coldstar added, "They have my daughter too." Coldstar looked so angry, it almost leveled Moonshade's own fury. Moonshade looked away as Orangestar tried to meet her gaze. When Riverclan arrived, it was even worse. Pikestar immediatly climbed the tree, and yelled for the Gathering to begin. Coldstar yowled at Orangestar. "Give us our clanmates back, you theiving coward!" Orangestar closed his eyes and turned his head, not speaking. Coldstar's fur stood on end, and her claws peeked out slightly. "Alright then, I have nothing more to say." She turned away as well. Cypresstar stood, his gaze fixed on the clearing. "Look." He yelled, "Stormwhisper!" at one of the grey cats down below, who was sitting by... "Treeclaw! What are you doing?" The yellow tom was making different motions with his paws, and directing them at the warrior. And after each sign, He would pause, and say a word. For the most recent one, he made a angry face, and straitened his shoulders. "Mad." He said, speaking over the cats. Stormwhisper copied him. Yet when he was supposed to say, 'mad', he only mouthed it. Then he nodded, and placed a paw on his nose. "Nose." Stormwhisper copied his movements again, except for the words. Treeclaw then placed a paw on his ear, and this time Stormwhisper copied his words as best he could. Treeclaw was completely ignoring his deputy, and was so focused on the other warrior. Now Treeclaw stamped a paw on the ground, and Stormwhisper straightened his shoulders. Treeclaw drew a mouse in the dirt, and instead of saying 'mouse', Stormwhisper said several different words. "Fur. Cold-leaf. Little. Eat." And everytime he said a word, he used a motion to describe it. For fur, he brushed his own pelt with a paw. For Cold-leaf- or leaf bare, he shivered. Little, he motioned with his paws for shrinking, and eat, he opened his mouth. He was telling all the different attributes of the mouse in the dirt, like in leaf-bare, the leaves shriveled up and became the color of the mouse. Stormwhisper's voice sounded strange, like he hadn't been taught to meow properly. Treeclaw pressed a paw on Stormwhisper's back, and the young warrior didn't resist. He laid down, and Treeclaw turned to the clan leaders and Moonshade. "Young cat is deaf. Trying to teach him to speak with paws, not words. Saw Twolegs doing it once." Treeclaw turned back to the tom, and left the Shadowclan leader confused. "How is he deaf? He trained well enough. And whenever we went into battle, he never ran away, unless he was thoroughly beaten." Treeclaw closed his eyes, and Stormwhisper copied him. Then Treeclaw passed a paw through the air, and Stormwhisper didn't even flinch. He stayed still, his whiskers twitching. Then Treeclaw tapped him with the same paw. Stormwhisper opened his eyes and sat up. Cypresstar sighed, and decided to go on with the Gathering. "Mahoganypaw is now Mahoganyheart." He said, and sat down. That was short. Moonshade stepped up. "We have several new apprentices. Meadowpaw, Larkpaw, Shadepaw, Driftpaw, Slatepaw, Scratchpaw, and Vinepaw. Vinepaw has had breathing problems for a little while now, so he will not be attending until he is better. Meadowpaw, my daughter, was abducted by Windclan and looked as if tortured. She might not make it." The cats called out their names half-heartedly, and cast disgusted glances at the Windclan cats. Orangestar stood proud, refusing to speak. A few more words from Coldstar ended the Gathering. Before Windclan could gather up and leave however, Moonshade called, " Orangestar, you messed with the wrong cat. My daughter is feared to die because of you. You will have war for this."

***

Moonshade gathered all of her clanmates that were able to fight when they got back to camp. " I told Orangestar he would have war, so he will have war. I want to rush his camp at dawn, like we did to rescue Meadowpaw. But instead of rescuing her, we are saving Coldstar's daughter and a warrior from Shadowclan. Riverclan said they had no warriors taken, so you need not look for a Riverclan cat." Many cats agreed, there was nothing better they could think up. "I don't think any apprentices should fight in this battle. It's too dangerous, and I don't want to lose anyone." Several little tails drooped. "You can help Stonewhisker, all of you." They trailed away, to go help the medicine cat. Moonshade climbed the Highledge, only to find her leader sprawled over her nest, panting as if she were running to save a clanmate's life. Moonshade bolted for the creamy cat's side, all of a sudden extremely anxious. "Laurelstar?" She whispered into her ear. "I'm ... fine." She huffed, her eyes slightly glazed. She raced down and called for Stonewhisker. "Stonewhisker! Laurelstar isn't breathing right!" She yowled. The ancient grey cat emerged from his den, a leaf-wrap of several herbs hanging from his jaws. He bounded past her, surprisingly fast for his great age. Moonshade tried to follow him, but was interrupted by another voice. "She is older than both me and Stonewhisker." Moonshade turned around, looking at her old mentor. "Starlingmist..." She rubbed her nose against Moonshade's shoulder, and whispered, "I'm probably next." Moonshade gasped. "No! Laurelstar isn't dead yet. And you will not die either!" Starlingmist closed her eyes, and padded back towards the lonely elder's den. Moonshade paced around, now worried far too much. She walked until her pawsteps stumbled, and her eyes started to close. A calico body pressed against hers, stopping her from falling. She instantly melted into Sharpstone, her exhausted body slumping. He curled around her, ignoring everyone else around him. His mate was pressing herself too hard, and she needed her strength for tomorrow. He allowed himself to sleep beside her in the middle of the clearing.

***

When Moonshade woke, she was warmer than she had been in a long time. She turned her head, looking at the tom who had his body around hers. Then she realized the sun was rising. She nudged Sharpstone, and as soon as he opened his eyes, she yowled across the clearing, "Wake up, my clanmates! Today we will attack Windclan!" Several heads poked from the dens, blinking sleep from their eyes. Then they yowled their assent. The warriors of Thunderclan gathered in their clearing, and planned their strategies. Before anycat could leave the camp, however, Stonewhisker poked his head from his den. "Moonshade, come here!" Moonshade pricked her ears, and raced inside, half expecting to see one of the apprentices dead. But instead, she saw Meadowpaw standing on wobbly legs. "Meadowpaw." Moonshade said, pelting for her daughter's side. "She'll be fine." Stonewhisker purred. Moonshade didn't hear him, her own purr was louder than Stonewhisker's voice. Sharpstone poked his head in, his face skeptical. Then he withdrew it, and called for his kits across the clearing. They came in, and the entire family curled gently around Meadowpaw. Vinepaw lifted his head, wondering what every cat's deal was, and saw his mentor and her family. He looked around, and saw his brother looking sadly at the ground. "Scratchpaw..." Vinepaw whispered, bringing his brother closer to him. When Scratchpaw realized he was okay, he pelted his brother with nuzzles and purring and he twined his tail around Vinepaw's and refused to let go. "You're okay!" He kept repeating, every time the hitch in his voice would get more prominent. Moonshade eventually rose from her spot beside her daughter, and realized it was well past dawn.