“For me?” Moth Flight stepped back, surprised. “Do you know me?” The spirit-cats had looked straight through her in her dreams; they never even saw her.
Half Moon seemed to read her thoughts. “We know every cat.”
“How?” Moth Flight blinked at her.
“We watch over you.” She gazed wistfully at the hole in the roof.
Moth Flight glanced at the stars twinkling outside. Did the spirit-cats live up there like some kind of . . . Clan?
Half Moon’s gaze flashed toward her once more. “Like the stars, we light your way when it grows dark. We know what is in your hearts and your dreams.”
“Then why couldn’t you see me in my dreams about the blue-gray she-cat?” Moth Flight glanced around the glittering cats. Was the she-cat here? There was no sign of her. “You were right in this cave with her. I saw you!”
Half Moon dipped her head. “Some dreams you must dream alone.”
Moth Flight narrowed her eyes. “But my dreams led me here.”
“The moth led you here,” Half Moon reminded her.
“Did you send it?” Moth Flight didn’t wait for a reply. Of course they sent it! “How did you know I’d follow it?”
“We didn’t,” Half Moon told her. “We only hoped. It was the only way we could be sure that you were the one.”
“The one?” Moth Flight’s tail tip twitched anxiously. She suddenly felt very far from home. She glanced at Gray Wing’s familiar face, hungry for reassurance.
But Gray Wing dipped his head and stepped back. “Half Moon will explain.”
The white she-cat sat down and tucked her tail over her paws. “We brought you here for a reason,” she began.
“Why me? I’m not special. I’m just a—”
Half Moon silenced her with a look. “You are special.”
Moth Flight remembered Gorse Fur’s words on the moortop. Dust Muzzle will make a fine hunter one day, but Moth Flight is special. She stared at her paws. “I can’t hunt as well as the others. I keep getting distracted.” Had the spirit-cats brought her all this way to tell her she wasn’t good enough to be a Clan cat?
“We know,” Half Moon meowed softly. “But that’s not a bad thing. We want you to carry on being yourself.”
“Being myself?” What did that mean?
“Honor the qualities that make you who you are,” Half Moon went on gently. “Your curiosity, your dreams, your openness to the world around you.”
Moth Flight blinked at her in surprise. “But they are useless qualities in a Clan. Curiosity and dreams don’t feed hungry bellies.” Moth Flight could hear her mother’s voice as she spoke.
Half Moon’s tail twitched. “Let your Clanmates fill empty bellies. They will always be better hunters than you.”
Moth Flight’s pelt burned with shame.
“You have strengths no other cat has,” Half Moon went on. “Of course curiosity is no good for a hunter, nor is an open mind. A hunter must focus on the prey in front of his nose. He misses the things that you notice.”
Moth Flight struggled to understand. “But all I see are stars in puddles and interesting plants!”
“You saw this cave in your dreams,” Half Moon pointed out. “You clearly have a stronger connection with us than any other cat has.”
“But other cats have seen you!” Moth Flight argued.
“That was at the beginning. Before the Clans had found their way. Now things must change.” Half Moon glanced around her starry companions. “The Clans need more than leadership and strength; they need nurture and care. But it must come from within. We can’t guide their paws in everything. That is why we have chosen you to be the first medicine cat.”
Moth Flight’s pelt rippled along her spine. “Medicine cat? What do you mean?”
Half Moon tipped her head. “You will learn to heal your Clanmates when they are sick or wounded using plants from the moor, forest, and river.”
Moth Flight remembered each of the leaves she’d brought back to camp over the past few moons. Could some of them be used to heal? How would she know? She shifted her paws, her thoughts quickening. When she’d been a kit, her littermate, Morning Whisker, had died from the sickness that had swept through the Clans. Then Cloud Spots had figured out that an herb—the Blazing Star—could fight the illness, and the sick cats were cured. And there were already cats skilled in helping others. Last leafbare, when every cat had been coughing and many became so sick they could not hunt, Pebble Heart from ShadowClan had brought herbs to cure them. Dappled Pelt had come from RiverClan and helped Slate birth her kits. She could start by learning from these cats.
Enthusiasm pulsed through her paws. Then she could discover new herbs. One day, she might find her own Blazing Star—an herb that would save her Clanmates! Moth Flight’s heart quickened. She imagined Wind Runner watching her heal a sick cat. She could already see the surprise in her mother’s eyes. She won’t be angry with me anymore! And my Clanmates will stop thinking I’m useless!
A purr sounded in Half Moon’s throat and Moth Flight’s attention snapped back to the starry she-cat. Half Moon was gazing at her fondly. “You look like you relish the challenge.”
“I do.” Moth Flight met her green gaze, suddenly aware that she could feel her paws trembling. “I just hope I’m good enough.”
A brown tabby she-cat pushed past Half Moon. Moth Flight backed away, unnerved by the fierceness in the tabby’s starry gaze.
“You must devote yourself to your Clan,” the she-cat growled.
Moth Flight stiffened crossly. I already do!
Half Moon brushed her tail soothingly along the tabby’s spine. “She will come to know that, Rainswept Flower. In time.”
An orange tabby she-cat called from the far side of the rock. “You must learn the way of healing herbs.”
“And you must learn to recognize the omens we send you!” A tom, his pelt dark as night sky and glittering with stars, padded closer. His gaze was stern. “Only you will know what our omens mean. You must use such knowledge to advise your leader.”
Advise Wind Runner? Moth Flight blinked. “She’ll never listen to me!”
The black tom didn’t blink. “Then you must be strong. You must make her listen.”
Half Moon nodded. “Moon Shadow is right. This is not an easy task we give you. But we are relying on you to keep your Clan safe.”
Moth Flight’s mouth grew dry. “I’ll try,” she promised softly. “But what about the other Clans? Do I have to I keep them safe as well?”
Moon Shadow answered her. “Each Clan will have its own medicine cat.”
Moth Flight blinked. “Have you spoken with them already?”
“You must tell them,” Moon Shadow ordered.
“But how will I know who they are?” Moth Flight felt dizzy. How could she tell other cats how they must live their lives? And was she ready to change her own life—to spend it healing rather than hunting? She would be responsible for her Clanmates!
Half Moon shifted, gently shooing Moon Shadow and Rainswept Flower backward with her tail. She glanced at the empty stone in front of Moth Flight. “Watch.”
Moth Flight followed her gaze, gasping as a shape shimmered into view. “Dappled Pelt!” She recognized the RiverClan she-cat, curled in a nest fast asleep, and wondered how she could be here in the cave. Tentatively, she reached out and tried to touch the she-cat’s pelt. Her paw passed through air.
“She is at home, dreaming in her nest,” Half Moon glanced over her shoulder and beckoned a brown-and-white tabby she-cat closer with a flick of her tail. “Bright Stream. Come and share your blessing with Dappled Pelt.”
Bright Stream padded toward the vision, her gaze warm as she leaned close. She touched her nose to the sleeping head. “Protect them,” she whispered.
Moth Flight half expected Dappled Pelt to wake, but she faded from view and another cat took her place.
Cloud Spots!
As Moth Flight blinked at the sleeping ThunderClan tom, Half Moo
n called to another of her companions. “Jackdaw’s Cry!”
A black tom hurried forward. He looked fondly at the black-and-white cat. “Take care of your Clan.” Jackdaw’s Cry stretched his muzzle to touch his old Tribemate with his nose.
Cloud Spots flashed out of sight and a gray tom replaced him.
Pebble Heart. Moth Flight wasn’t surprised to see the ShadowClan tom appear. He’d always known more about herbs than any cat.
A tortoiseshell she-cat padded past Half Moon. Her pelt shimmered as she stopped beside the vision of Pebble Heart. Moth Flight guessed who she was before Half Moon said her name.
“Be quick, Turtle Tail. The moon is passing.” Half Moon’s mew was thick.
Moth Flight knew that Turtle Tail was Pebble Heart’s mother. She’d been killed by a monster while trying to rescue her kits. She died the day I was born. Moth Flight felt weak with anguish as she saw joy and grief glisten like sunshine through rain in the tortoiseshell’s green gaze.
Turtle Tail touched her nose to her kit’s head. “I always knew you were special,” she murmured. “Take care of them all, my dear.”
Pebble Heart stirred, his ear twitching as his mother’s muzzle grazed it. Then he huffed and turned in his sleep, and the vision faded.
Gray Wing moved to Turtle Tail’s side and guided her away, his tail curled protectively across her spine.
Moth Flight watched the pair take their place among their companions. Who next? Medicine cats had been chosen for every Clan except SkyClan. She looked back at the stone and blinked as yellow fur shimmered into view. There’s no yellow cat in SkyClan. She stiffened as she recognized the slender shoulders and smooth back of the tom. “Micah!”
Shock pulsed through her. Unlike the others, Micah wasn’t asleep. He sat, alert, gazing ahead, as though waiting.
He’s waiting for me.
A small tabby she-cat brushed in front of Half Moon.
“Petal.” Half Moon purred fondly as she passed.
Moth Flight stared as Petal approached the vision of Micah. “How can he be a medicine cat?” she gasped. “He doesn’t belong to any Clan!”
“Nor did I, once.” Petal blinked at her, her eyes glittering in the light from the stone. She leaned forward and brushed her muzzle against Micah’s cheek. “Protect your Clan as though they had raised you.”
Micah didn’t flinch, but carried on staring, serenely unaware that spirit-cats were watching him. Moth Flight wanted to call out to him that she was safe and she could see him. But she knew he wouldn’t hear.
As Micah faded away, Half Moon stepped forward once more. “You must return to your Clan now, Moth Flight. Tell the cats what we have shown you.”
Moth Flight stiffened. “All of them?” She’d have to convince every cat that what she’d seen was real. How would she make them believe her?
“Just speak your truth, Moth Flight.” Half Moon’s mew was firm. “Have faith in who and what you are.”
I am a medicine cat. Moth Flight lifted her chin as the white cat went on.
“Next half-moon, and every half-moon after that, you and the other medicine cats must return here and we’ll speak again.”
“Next half-moon? I’ll need more time that that!” Moth Flight spluttered. She pictured Tall Shadow sitting sternly in her bramble den, and Clear Sky’s thick tail flicking scornfully. And Thunder! He was the most powerful tom she’d ever seen. She’d never even spoken to the mysterious River Ripple. And Wind Runner . . .
Her paws felt suddenly hot against the icy stone. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to convince my own mother! “I can’t do it!” Her heart pounded in her chest. “I’ll never be able to do it!”
CHAPTER 12
Half Moon whisked her tail irritably. “Have faith in yourself!”
Moth Flight’s hackles lifted. That was easy for her to say! You’re dead! What do you have to lose? “My Clan thinks I’m feather-headed enough,” she snapped. “If I go back with stories about talking to spirit-cats and telling them that they’re supposed to have medicine cats and I should be one, they’ll think I’m a complete birdbrain!”
“The moonlight will be gone soon. We don’t have long,” Half Moon warned. “This is your destiny, whether you want it or not. You have no choice but to follow it. Every Clan’s destiny depends on you, though they don’t know it yet. But they will. And there will come a time when they will listen to you and you alone. I can tell you this, but it’s up to you to earn their respect.”
“How?” Moth Flight felt frantic. At any moment the moon might pass over the hole and the cave would be plunged into darkness. She’d be alone, to face the Clans by herself. “I haven’t managed to earn any cat’s respect so far! Wind Runner told me I was a danger to my Clan. I lost Slate’s kits. I nearly got Gorse Fur killed by a monster. I’m useless!” Her mew broke as hopelessness overwhelmed her. She dropped her gaze to the moon-washed stone.
Downy fur moved in front of her. She lifted her head to see a tom-kit nosing past Half Moon. He was tiny, and looked hardly more than a day old, although his eyes were open and bright. A she-kit stopped beside him, a little bigger, but less than a moon old. Moth Flight blinked at them, shocked to see kits among the spirit-cats, but then her nose twitched. She recognized their scent. For a moment she was back in Wind Runner’s nest, nuzzling for milk at her mother’s belly beside Dust Muzzle. “Morning Whisker? Is that you?” She stared at the she-kit. Morning Whisker had died in the sickness that swept the Clans. She looked well now, her starry pelt fluffed out, her eyes sparkling.
Morning Whisker nodded. “It’s good to see you, Moth Flight.”
Moth Flight’s gaze flicked to the tom-kit. He’d died before she could know him, on the day they were born. “Emberkit?”
“Hello, Moth Flight,” he purred.
Morning Whisker padded closer. “You have to do this, Moth Flight,” she urged. “The Clans need you.”
“But I don’t know how,” Moth Flight answered bleakly. “Wind Runner’s never going to listen to me.”
“She will,” Morning Whisker insisted.
“You don’t know that.”
Morning Whisker’s gaze hardened. “We share three things, Moth Flight.”
“What?” How could she share anything with these dead kits?
“Isn’t it obvious?” Emberkit pushed in front, fur spiking. “We share a history, a future, and—”
Morning Whisker interrupted her brother. “Let Moth Flight tell us the third thing.”
Moth Flight frowned, trying to guess. “I don’t kno—” Then she realized. “A mother!” She paused, breathless with anguish. She’d never wondered before about her brother who’d died. And yet, here he was, as bright and strong as a living kit. Their sister stood beside him. She hadn’t thought about Morning Whisker for moons. Her pelt pricked along her spine. Wind Runner was their mother too! Moth Flight was used to sharing Wind Runner with Dust Muzzle, but Dust Muzzle had always seemed independent; he’d never worried about Wind Runner’s approval. He’d never had to; everything came naturally to him. But these kits had been Wind Runner’s too, before they’d been taken from her. Did Wind Runner still think about them? Of course she did! She must miss them! Is Wind Runner missing me too? With a pang, she remembered her mother’s angry words as they’d parted. “I just wish I could please her,” she murmured sadly.
“You will,” Morning Whisker mewed.
“Of course you will!” Emberkit’s tail was twitching excitedly. “In time she will understand everything. Until then, she will support you because you are her kit.”
Moth Flight wasn’t convinced. “She thinks I’m useless.”
“She can be harsh,” Morning Whisker conceded. “But are you surprised? The moor is a harsh place. She lost us there. If she’s strict, it’s because she worries about you, not because she thinks you’re useless.”
Emberkit stepped forward and lifted his muzzle close to Moth Flight’s. His breath felt warm on her nose. “She just wants t
o protect you. It’s a mother’s strongest instinct. When you’re medicine cat and your Clanmates are relying on you, you will feel the same way.”
Moth Flight’s ear twitched uneasily. Will I have to be mother to the whole Clan?
Around her, the starry cats began to fade, becoming so translucent that she could only see the stars in their pelts.
Emberkit was no more than shimmering light before her.
“Don’t go!” Panic blazed beneath her pelt. She called to Half Moon, whose green gaze was growing pale. “You haven’t told me how I can convince the Clans to listen to me! Won’t you come to the full moon Gathering and tell them yourself?”
“No.” Half Moon’s mew was barely an echo. “But we will send a sign when you tell them, to let them know that we speak through you now.”
“A sign?” How would she know it? What should she look for? The cats were disappearing one by one. “What sign?” she mewed desperately as the moon passed out of sight and the cave was swallowed by shadow.
A voice echoed from the blackness. “We will split the sky. And later, stars will rise.”
Split the sky? What did that mean? Moth Flight struggled for breath. The darkness seemed suddenly suffocating. Later, stars will rise. . . .
What could it possibly mean?
CHAPTER 13
Moth Flight followed the tunnel upward, her paws trembling. Was she really going to be responsible for any sick cats in her Clan? How would she explain it all to Wind Runner? Why did the spirit-cats want to speak through her?
Your curiosity, your dreams, your openness to the world around you.
She remembered Half Moon’s words.
The spirit-cats believe in me. . . . Joy surged beneath her pelt, pushing her doubts away. Suddenly, the cold stone beneath her paws felt like it belonged to her. This was her place. She’d found it. Determination hardened in her belly. I won’t let you down, she promised silently.
Starlight showed through the darkness ahead, seeping like water into the tunnel. Moth Flight quickened her pace, breaking into a run as she neared the opening. She leaped from the ledge, sending stones clattering down the steep slope.