The Shadow Glare

Chapter 26

Riverpaw hurried down the slope on her way to the MoonTree. She'd been here before with Blackwave, sharing tongues with her ancestors and interpreting signs. But now Blackwave was gone. What would she do.
Stay calm. You need to be. Everybody needs you to be.
The silence broke as she reached the Gathering place. The other medicine cats were milling around happily, exchanging talk about different herbs and their uses.
Oakpool; the ShadeClan Medicine cat was the first to notice her. Her light violet eyes immediately clouded over.

"Riverpaw, where's Blackwave? Is she all right?" The black she-cat asked.

Riverpaw dipped her head to the older medicine cat. "She . . . She died when Scratchkit was born. It was a sign . . . She told me."

"What was the sign?"

"She said that for every cat to come into this world, a cat will be taken away."

Oakpool gasped. "Oh no! Do you think it applied to all the Clans?"

"I don't know . . . But I think it has do to with Hawkstar."
Riverpaw stopped speaking as the other medicine cats padded over. Reedpelt tilted his head in confusion as Sweetberry opened her mouth to ask a question.

"Blackwave's dead." Riverpaw explained before they could ask.
Then, Riverpaw noticed a small cat beside Reedpelt who's eyes stretched wide in terror.
"Don't scare Lightningpaw." Reedpelt ordered. "He's my new apprentice."

As Sweetberry opened her mouth to speak, Riverpaw frowned. "I don't know what I'll do."

Oakpool touched her tail to Riverpaw's shoulder reassuringly. "I can give you your name, if you like."

Riverpaw dipped her head. "Yes. That way I can serve my Clan better."

All five medicine cats padded along in silence until the reached the MoonTree.
It's wood shine solved in the half-moon. Oakpool lifted her head and yowled to the sky.
"Riverpaw has trained hard in the ways of a medicine cat, and it is time for her to receive her full name." She turned to Riverpaw. "Do you promise to protect your Clanmates from illness and injuries, even at the cost of your life?"

Riverpaw nodded. "I do."
Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your new name, Riverwave, in honour of Blackwave, who was a brave and trustworthy cat."
As the medicine cats began to chant her new name, Riverwave saw a shimmer of starlight and she turned to it. The shape of Blackwave was emerging. The black and silver she-cat's blue haze scorched her fur. "You've done well, young one, and I know you will take care of your Clan well."
Then Blackwave disappeared, and Riverwave was in total darkness.

"Wake up, wake up!" A voice called from above her.
Riverpaw, no Riverwave lifted her head to see Lightningpaw staring down at her. The small yellow tom tilted his head. "Why are you in my dream? I saw you earlier. You just became a medicine cat, didn't you?"

"Yes," Riverwave meowed.

"I need your help." Lightningpaw admitted reluctantly. "I have a plan to stop Hawkstar."

Riverwave frowned. "How? You're barely out of the nursery. How would you know this stuff?"

Lightningpaw shrugged. "I don't know. It just comes to me. My mom says I get it from her. She's smart too." He puffed out his chest in pride.

"Well," Riverwave prodded. "Tell me the plan."

"Well, Hawkstar only thinks he's big and bad. What if we could make him think that was true?" Lightningpaw said.

"How would that help?"

"Well, it would make him way overconfident, and that's a good thing. It will trick him into thinking he can win!" Lightningpaw told her.

"But why are you thinking of this stuff? Your a medicine cat. Not a think-of-all-the-battle-strategies-I-can-cat."

"If it's useful, why not use it? And to be honest, my brother Thunderpaw is the one who thought of the battle plan. I just thought of making him overconfident."

Riverwave saw that Lightningpaw was starting to fade. "Ok. I'll think about it. I'll talk to Pebblestar about it. Ok? Ok. Bye. Don't mention that we walked in each others dreams!"

Lightningpaw blinked before fading completely, and Riverwave woke up.
This'll be a long day.

Riverwave sorted through a pile of strong smelling herbs when Shadowleap walked in, her belly swinging massively below her. "Hi Riverpaw." She mewed.

Riverwave snorted. "I'm not Riverpaw anymore. I'm Riverwave."

Shadowleap immediately brightened up. "And you didn't tell me! What? Why!"

Riverwave shrugged. "You were sleeping."

Shadowleap rolled her icy blue eyes and snorted. "Yah, so."

"You're expecting kits. I didn't want to wake you."

Shadowleap tensed at this. "Um. Speaking about kits, I have to go."

Shadowleap whirled out of the den. Riverwave waited a few moments before following. She plodded a few fox-lengths behind Shadowleap for a while, dodging behind trees when her sister turned back to look.
Then they reached the ShadeClan border. What is she doing here? Riverwave thought. We're at war with ShadeClan right now!

Shadowleap glanced around one more time before stepping lightly across the border.
The black she-cat sat down. She seemed to be waiting for something. Or someone.
Riverwave crouched under a prickly bush and waited for whatever her sister was waiting for.
Then, a large brown tom leaped down from a tree. "Shadowleap!" He called.

So they've met before.
But when the brown tom came closer, Riverwave realized who it actually was.
It was Hawkstar.
"Hello, my love." Hawkstar mewed.

"And to you, too." Shadowleap purred.

I can't believe her! Those kits are Hawkstar's, not Cloudswirl's!
Hawkstar twined his tail with hers as he sat down.
"I can't believe none of your Clanmates have found out yet." He growled.

"I can," Shadowleap said dreamily. "I covered all the scent trails like you told me too, and made false ones, and I always walk as quietly as possible. I follow all the precautions."

"I'm glad to hear. I wouldn't want anyone to ruin our fun." Hawkstar sai in a throaty growl.
Riverwave seriously couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her own sister was mates with Hawkstar?

Then Hawkstar spoke again. "How are the kits? When are they coming? You know, you have to come to ShadeClan before they're born- it would be so much harder to get them here after they're born."

"They're due in the next quarter moon. I'm coming with you today. I can't take it anymore; lying to my Clanmates."

"They're not your Clanmates anymore. But I am." Hawkstar twitched the tip of his tail for her to follow and they went of into the dark pines.