Fireheart said StarClan led him to me, but I think it was luck that I ran into his friend Ravenpaw near the Twolegs’ new nest. Either way, when I saw Fireheart through the window, it felt like all of LionClan had come to rescue me. I was so happy that ThunderClan wanted me back.
Fireheart was angry, of course. But Sandstorm was nice about it. Ashpaw was excited to see me again, and the elders loved hearing the story of my capture; I couldn’t help exaggerating a bit. I loved the way they thought I had been on some heroic quest instead of misbehaving.
After all that, I knew better than to go near Twolegs again. And I realized there were parts of the warrior code that I might not understand but that were there for a reason. Seeing my Clanmates listen to my story so eagerly made me want to be a warrior, like Fireheart, who really was a hero.
More than anything, I wanted to be a loyal ThunderClan warrior.
CROWFEATHER SPEAKS:
A Forbidden Love
Have you ever loved another cat so much it made your heart ache and your fur tremble?
Feathertail understood me, and she listened to me. Her eyes were the clear blue of her river home. She died saving us all from Sharpclaw. After that, I wanted only to serve my Clan to the limits of my strength, and then to join Feathertail in StarClan.
But then I met Leafpaw. She was patient and kind. Her voice was like water flowing over pebbles, and her scent had hints of wildflowers in it.
What was happening to me? How could I fall in love with anyone—let alone a ThunderClan cat—let alone a ThunderClan medicine cat? I know the warrior code! I’ve always been a loyal WindClan cat. I knew that if I let myself fall for her, it could endanger my Clan. If my loyalties were divided, how could I be a true warrior? How could I defend WindClan against a ThunderClan attack, knowing that I might hurt her or someone Leafpaw loves?
And medicine cats are especially forbidden to fall in love. She cannot be thinking of me instead of her Clanmates—they depend on her too much. And StarClan might have trouble reaching her if her thoughts were all wound up in me. I knew they would be very angry with us. I wished I could fall in love with a WindClan she-cat—I wished I could feel this way without breaking the warrior code. But there is no cat in WindClan like Leafpaw.
I thought that when we reached the lake and went our separate ways I’d be able to forget her. But first she came to our camp to bring watermint to our sick cats, Morningflower and Darkfoot. And the way I felt when I saw her—it made me angry to realize how little I could control my feelings. Onewhisker asked me to escort her home. I went as fast as I could; if I spoke to her, my secret might come spilling out. As I left her camp, Leafpaw thanked me in this sweet, natural way, as if I hadn’t been behaving like a badger with its fur clawed off. I had to get out of there before every cat could see what I was trying so hard to fight.
After Leafpaw found the Moonpool, she brought me a message from Feathertail. She said I should stop grieving and open my eyes to the living. What did that mean? Could Feathertail approve of my love for Leafpaw? Wasn’t she angry?
It was raining the night everything changed. Onewhisker was planning to travel to the Moonpool to receive his nine lives. I’d noticed Mudclaw’s whispers and looks, but I never thought he’d try anything so reckless as attack to Onewhisker—and bring other Clans to help him too!
As the battle was breaking up, Brambleclaw sent me chasing after two ShadowClan cats who made a run for it. We tore across the moors and into the ThunderClan woods. Branches whipped at my face, and rain sliced through my fur, but I ran on, determined to catch the traitors and punish them for all the wrongs done to my Clan.
I heard yowling ahead of me, and I crashed through some bushes, and there she was. The two ShadowClan warriors had fallen to their deaths, but Leafpaw was clinging desperately to the edge of a cliff, her claws scrabbling on the slick, wet rock. Her wild amber eyes met-mine, and she called for help. I was frozen. ... All I could think of was how I had failed Feathertail, how she had died because I couldn’t save her.
But I saved Leafpaw. She brought me back. She helped me shake off the memories as I reached forward and pulled her to safety. We lay there on the ground, gasping for breath, and I knew in that moment that I couldn’t fight my feelings anymore. I loved Leafpaw, and I told her so.
From the look in her eyes, I knew she felt the same way. She said everything I’d been feeling—that this couldn’t happen, that she was a medicine cat. But I could see her heart blazing in the depths of her eyes. I could see how much she cared for me too. I’d seen the same look in Feathertail’s eyes … but this was different. This was more dangerous, more forbidden. There was a feeling like lightning prickling along my fur every time I looked at Leafpaw. And now I knew she felt it too.
I decided at that moment that we would find a way to be together. The future was terrifying, but we would face it together … our pelts brushing, our tails twined. Our hearts in love, forever.
PROPHECIES AND OMENS
StarClan’s messages are not always clear. Perhaps the hardest part of a medicine cat’s job is reading the omens that are hidden in the natural world. Do they truly come from StarClan? What do they mean? How can they guide our pawsteps?
It is easy to misread their meanings or to manipulate how they are read. For instance, RiverClan’s medicine cat, Mudfur, found a moth’s wing lying outside his den, which he took to be a sign that Mothwing should be his apprentice, even though she was the daughter of a rogue cat and Tigerstar. However, as Leafpool later discovered, Mothwing’s brother Hawkfrost actually left the moth’s wing there on purpose, intending to trick Mudfur into believing it was a sign. His plan succeeded, paving the way for Hawkfrost to blackmail his sister into manipulating future signs to his benefit as well.
Some cats see signs everywhere; others doubt that StarClan is behind them. If our spirit ancestors can walk in our dreams and speak with us, why would they need to use such cryptic messages?
But there have been some undeniable omens. Before the battle with BloodClan, Firestar saw instead of his own reflection the face of a lion in a pool. He realized this was a reference to the lion and tiger prophecy (see Major Prophecies) and that only by combining the four Clans into LionClan could he save the forest.
As WindClan returned from their exile, the WindClan medicine cat, Barkface, saw the dawn clouds stained with blood. He interpreted that the day would bring an unnecessary death. It was true. On their way back to the ThunderClan camp, Fireheart and Graystripe were attacked by a RiverClan patrol, and a warrior named Whiteclaw fell to his death over the edge of the Gorge.
Prophecies, on the other hand, are proclamations from StarClan that foretell huge events in the future of the Clans. Although they may seem ominous and hard to understand, they mark significant turning points in the span of Clan history.
MAJOR PROPHECIES
BLUESTAR SPEAKS:
Fire Alone Can Save Our Clan
Spottedleaf received this message from StarClan on the night of the battle at Sunningrocks. It was my first defeat as ThunderClan’s leader. Morale was low, and there were stirrings of trouble from ShadowClan. ThunderClan needed more warriors, and I needed a sign from StarClan. But what we got didn’t make sense.
“Fire alone can save our Clan.”
But fire is feared by all the Clans. How could it save us?
A few days later, I was leading a patrol along the edge of the woods near Twolegplace. Tigerclaw had gone on ahead with Ravenpaw, and I was turning to ask Redtail a question when I spotted a cat sitting on a fence, looking out at the forest. From the way he held himself, I thought he must be a Clan cat. He looked proud and restless and curious, ready to charge into battle. A ray of sunshine broke through the clouds and touched his orange pelt. It lit up like a blaze of flame. In the next instant, the clouds closed in, and the fire dimmed; the cat began washing his paws with quick, delicate strokes. I realized he was just a kittypet—the prophecy must have muddled my brain. A kittypet would be about as mu
ch use to us as fire!
Still, I kept thinking about him, and I wasn’t surprised when we ran into him again on a patrol. Lionheart and I saw him hunting a mouse. He had excellent form and sharp eyes. When Graypaw attacked him, rather than running like a regular kittypet, he turned to defend himself.
Maybe there was something to my theory after all....
That’s why I invited him to join the Clan. That’s why I named him Firepaw—part of me was hoping that he was a cat of prophecy and destiny.
And I was right.
When I died and joined StarClan, I knew that Fireheart had saved ThunderClan many times over and would do so again as leader. He is living fire: he has the warmth of fire to protect his Clan and the ferocity of fire to defend it.
FIRESTAR SPEAKS:
Four Will Become Two, Lion and Tiger Will Meet in Battle, and Blood Will Rule the Forest
This prophecy came to me during my leadership ceremony. I had received my nine lives and my Clan leader name. Then, even as StarClan welcomed me, I saw a hill of bones spattered with blood. I heard Bluestar whisper, “Something terrible is coming, Firestar. Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest.”
The meaning of the prophecy revealed itself to me gradually. Four will become two—that meant the forest Clans. RiverClan joined ShadowClan under Tigerstar’s leadership, calling themselves TigerClan. ThunderClan joined WindClan to make LionClan … two Clans where there used to be four. Then lion and tiger would meet in battle.
I had no way of knowing about BloodClan, of course, until Tigerstar revealed his alliance with Scourge. That’s when I discovered our real enemy. LionClan and TigerClan had to unite to drive out Scourge, or else Blood really would rule the forest.
Luckily I had something Scourge did not—faith in StarClan. With my nine lives and my warrior ancestors fighting beside me, I defeated BloodClan.
In the end, peace, not blood, ruled the forest.
BRAMBLECLAW SPEAKS:
Darkness, Air, Water, and Sky Will Come Together and Shake the Forest to Its Roots
This prophecy came to me, Brambleclaw, not to a medicine cat or a leader. Bluestar, the former ThunderClan leader, told me in a dream that I had to meet with three other cats at the new moon and listen to midnight.
Have you ever heard anything more peculiar? Who were these cats, where were we supposed to meet, and how could midnight tell us anything?
I learned the full prophecy later, after much traveling and danger. “Darkness, air, water, and sky will come together and shake the forest to its roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before.”
Can you guess what this meant? It meant that four cats from each Clan would come together. ShadowClan was darkness, WindClan was air, RiverClan was water, and ThunderClan was sky. We did shake the forest to its roots, but we had no choice. The Twolegs were destroying our home with their monsters. There was no safe way for cats to live in the forest anymore. Tawnypelt, Crowpaw, Feathertail, and I were chosen to lead our Clanmates to a new home.
That’s what StarClan meant when they said, “Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before.” From the moment we set paw outside the forest, with the cats of all four Clans following us, I knew that wherever we went and wherever we settled, nothing could ever be the same.
LEAFPOOL SPEAKS:
Before There Is Peace, Blood Will Spill Blood, and the Lake Will Run Red
This prophecy came to me on our first night in the new camp, in a dream. I am Leafpool, the ThunderClan medicine cat. In my dream, I was gazing at the stars reflected on the lake when the water turned bloodred. Then I heard a voice whisper, “Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red.”
I knew it meant that there would be bloodshed before there could be peace. But what could I do about it? And when would it happen?
When Mudclaw and Hawkfrost rose up against Onewhisker, I wondered if that was the event in the prophecy. Later, I thought it might be the badger attack. But the prophecy kept returning to my dreams.
I knew that Brambleclaw was meeting his father, Tigerstar, in his dreams, and, of course, I was afraid of where that might lead. So when I heard that Firestar was in mortal danger, I thought he had been betrayed by Brambleclaw. I blamed myself for not having warned my father in time.
But I was wrong.
Brambleclaw’s brother, Hawkfrost, had set a trap for Firestar. Brambleclaw had fought and killed Hawkfrost to protect his leader. That’s what the prophecy meant by “blood will spill blood”—the death of Hawkfrost at the paws of his brother.
As Hawkfrost’s blood spilled into the lake, turning the water red, I knew that I could never fight a cat of my own blood. I couldn’t imagine how Brambleclaw must be feeling.
At least now, I thought, there can finally be peace.
MEDICINE
MEDICINE CATS
“Leafpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from the rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?”
“I do.”
“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Leafpaw, from this moment you will be known as Leafpool.”
No Clan could survive without a medicine cat’s knowledge of healing herbs and compassion for the sick. In addition, these cats have a spiritual responsibility. Their unusually strong connection to StarClan allows them to receive and interpret visions that can guide the Clan through dark times.
Most medicine cats are born to their destiny. From a young age, these special kits are drawn to the medicine cat den. They are fascinated by the herbs and often have strange dreams of their own. A medicine cat can spot which kit would make a good apprentice. If the kit agrees, he or she is brought to the sacred space (the Moonstone or the Moonpool) and initiated into the ranks of medicine cats through a secret ceremony.
The life of a medicine cat is not easy, but it is very rewarding. Although medicine cats cannot have a mate or kits, they are beloved and respected by the whole Clan. They devote their lives to protecting their Clanmates in a way that ordinary warriors cannot. And they know that there is a special place waiting for them in StarClan.
LEAFPOOL SPEAKS:
Not Just About Herbs
I knew I wanted to be a medicine cat from the time I was a small kit. I watched Cinderpelt taking care of sick cats and checking on my mother in the nursery. I wanted to be that gentle, kind, and intelligent. I wanted to know how to heal and how to read the signs from StarClan. I couldn’t imagine anything more important.
I knew that medicine cats can never have kits. But I didn’t think about what that would mean for me. I didn’t ever expect to fall in love.
Cinderpelt let me help her in her den even before I was an apprentice. My sister was disappointed that we didn’t get to train together as apprentices, but she understood how important this was to me.
Cinderpelt took me to the Moonstone for the initiation ceremony when I became an apprentice. It’s a secret ritual involving the medicine cats of all the Clans and also StarClan—I’ve never felt closer to StarClan than I did then. ... It was amazing. There’s another ritual when we earn our full medicine cat names. I really wish I could tell you about it, but I have not the words. In truth, my experience of these ceremonies is not that of every medicine cat, and for this reason we are forbidden to talk about it. Perhaps it’s true that there are some secrets that should never be told.
That’s the best and also the scariest thing about being a medicine cat. Knowing all the herbs and helping my sick Clanmates is wonderful too, but more than that, I know that StarClan is depending on me. I am the one who has to bring their messages to the Clan. I have to understand what they want us to do or else terrible things could befall us. I am my Clan’s guardian, in a way.
My friend Mothwing is RiverClan’s medicine cat, but she doesn’t believe in StarClan. It makes me sad for her—she’s mi
ssing the most important part of this life. And for a while StarClan had no way to communicate with her, which placed the whole Clan in danger. But now she has Willowpaw, her apprentice. StarClan can speak to her, and so the line of wisdom passed down from our ancestors can continue unbroken.
We get a lot of respect in our Clans, but there is a lot of responsibility too. If I make a mistake, a cat could die. This is why you too have to be careful with your own cat friends. I’m showing you this list of our medicines, but you mustn’t try using them yourself. You are not a medicine cat. Out in the forest, we have to use whatever we find, but kittypets have something called a veterinarian to look after them. My friend Cody told me about this. The veterinarian is like a Twoleg medicine cat, as far as I can tell. They heal cats, but they have many more medicines to work with than we do. Don’t try giving any sick cats these herbs—either come find me, or take them to the veterinarian. Trust me, they’ll thank you for it!
IMPORTANT MEDICINES AND THEIR USES
BORAGE LEAVES To be chewed and eaten. The plant can
be distinguished by its small blue or pink star-shaped flowers and hairy leaves. Great for nursing queens as it helps increase their supply of milk. Also brings down fever.
BURDOCK ROOT A tall-stemmed, sharp-smelling thistle with dark leaves. A medicine cat must dig up the roots, wash off the dirt, and chew them into a pulp, which can be applied to rat bites. Cures infection.