𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 #3: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄

Sunlight streamed through the thick bramble covering on the entrance of the den. The warmth of it seeped into Dovesong's fur enticingly. She desperately wanted to be outside in the warmth of the sun and the freshness of the outside. She listened to the sounds of the camp, the cats bustling around and the business of the MoonClan camp. They were the only sounds she was able to hear in the den. Not that she wanted to listen to them. They sometimes talked about terrible things. Things related to killing off the FrostClan cats. About getting their revenge. Whatever that meant.

It had been a quarter-moon of being prisoners in the MoonClan camp. Dovesong and Moonclaw had been forced to do terrible things. Moonclaw was so sad now, sleeping most of the day to avoid the pain of the real world. Dovesong usually sat by the enclosed den entrance and listened to the sounds of Clan life, wishing that someone would come that day to save them.

Dovesong closed her eyes, feeling sleep tugging at her from the warm sunlight. As she slid into sleep, she prayed to StarClan that someone would save them soon.

She opened her eyes again in a snowy plain. A sinking feeling came to her. She knew that StarClan would scold her for letting the knowledge of her ability get into the wrong paws. "If you're here," she called out to whoever was listening, "I don't need to hear what you have to say. I already know what I did."

The starry form of Softcloud appeared beside her. "I know you understand what you did. But blaming yourself for your mistake is not the reasonable thing to do. You must fix it."

"How am I supposed to fix it if I'm stuck in a prison with no way out?" Dovesong asked. "Moonclaw won't help anymore. I have no way of telling any of my Clanmates or the other medicine cats, so what am I supposed to do?"

"Do not lose hope," Softcloud responded. "Do not lose hope in the fact that you will escape and the Clans will be safe. Dovesong, why do you think I gave you that prophecy? Why do you think I put all of my faith in you alone?"

Dovesong returned her gaze, startled and out of words to say. I never thought about that. Why did she give me that prophecy? "I don't know. Why?"

"Think about it," Softcloud urged.

". . . This ability? Is that why?" Dovesong guessed, looking at Softcloud with uncertainty.

"That's exactly right," Softcloud mewed. "It got you into this situation, and it can get you out. Just trust yourself. Don't lose hope."

Dovesong opened her eyes in the den, halfway expecting to be back in the FrostClan camp. But when she realized that she was in the MoonClan camp, her heart sank. But she had no idea why. She knew that she would wake up in the MoonClan camp. She had been here for over a quarter-moon. No one was coming any time soon.

"If I know what a cat looks like when they wake up from a disturbing dream, I'd say you just had a concerning dream," Moonclaw meowed from across the den. "What did you dream about?"

"I still have to sort it all out, but it was a dream from StarClan," Dovesong responded. When Moonclaw still gave her the same look, she sighed in defeat. "Fine. Fine. I'll tell you. Softcloud came to me and told me that my ability got me in here, and it can get me out. But I have no idea what that means."

"I can help figure that out. I don't really know what it means, either, but I can try my best," Moonclaw offered. "Just give me time. And with you trying to figure it out at the same time, it should be easy." Moonclaw sounded convinced that it would work. Dovesong envied her confidence.

"If you say so. But, Moonclaw, is there something going on? You've been very . . . distant lately. Is it because of what they made you do?" Dovesong asked.

"A little bit. Dovesong, I killed two ThunderClan cats! How can anyone forgive me now? They know what I can do. Any warrior would kill me on sight. What am I supposed to do?" Moonclaw's fur was bristling and her eyes flashed with frustration.

Dovesong stared at her in shock. "You killed those ThunderClan cats? My Clan is searching for the murderer like crazy because they're convinced that it's MoonClan's doing. You know, because only MoonClan hates ThunderClan that much."

"No, but the thing is, I didn't kill them with my own claws. I was forced to make Brindlemist kill them. And if they find out that it was her, they'll kill her, but it was really my fault! I don't want innocent cats to die because of what I did to them!"

"Moonclaw!"

At the harsh call from outside, Dovesong and Moonclaw looked at the dense undergrowth. "They want me." Moonclaw's meow was barely audible. "I have to go." Her voice shook. The brambles shook and Stonefrost appeared and beckoned Moonclaw forward. Moonclaw shot Dovesong a scared look, and Dovesong silently wished her luck as she disappeared in the brambles.

Dovesong felt a foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach as Moonclaw and Stonefrost vanished from her view. She silently prayed that Moonclaw would be alright. She knew how desperately Moonclaw despised using her ability for MoonClan-or for anyone, for that matter.

But Dovesong's thoughts quickly drifted to How can I use my powers to get out of here? She looked around the den over and over again, but she still couldn't figure it out. How could she use her ability to get out? Was there something else she could do that she didn't know about yet? Her abilities were just healing abilities; how could they help her break out of prison? Out of MoonClan's prison? It seemed impossible.

Dovesong felt like breaking down and wailing like a lost kit. This is terrible. There's no way we can escape. She sat down heavily, suddenly feeling exhausted because of all that had been happening, and gazed at the brambles that forced them to stay in. She had tried to push through the brambles, but thorns covered the entire front of the dense growth. I wonder what they are having Moonclaw do. She's been doing their work for them this entire time, right? What do they need now?

Her question was answered when she heard a painful yowl outside of the den that was unmistakably Moonclaw's. Her heart began to pound against her chest as she stood erect and tried as hard as she could to listen to what was happening. She glanced at the brambles for a moment, thinking that she could push through the brambles, but she knew her stay would be even more painful if she pushed through the thorns.

Dovesong limped to the brambles and tried to see through the little light that shone from the top of the mouth of the den. Is Moonclaw alright? She strained to hear what was happening outside of the den. All she heard were curious murmurs from the other MoonClan cats. I wish I could help! I would have ripped Cypressstar to shreds by now if I could. He's so ruthless toward Moonclaw. She doesn't deserve any of this, anyway.

After attempting and failing to see what was happening, Dovesong sighed and dropped back onto all fours. Fox dung, she cursed under her breath. There was no way she would be able to help Moonclaw. If they were hurting her, they wouldn't kill her, would they? They wanted her to work for them so badly. Why would they kill her? Even though she partly convinced herself that Moonclaw wouldn't be harmed, she still had a terrible feeling that she was suffering. I can't let them hurt her. I won't let them hurt her, she thought determinedly. If only I knew how.