Flames & Shadows

Chapter 3

Hey, everyone!

Sorry it's been a few weeks since I last updated this, but I wasn't feeling it as quickly as I did with the previous chapters.

It took some time to get this written the way I wanted, but it's now up for you readers to enjoy!

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Featherstar looks around the camp, horrified. "What happened here?" She turns to Cinderfrost.

The smoky-gray she-cat shrugs. "I don't know, but I'll go find out." She rushes away and leaves her leader standing there with the cats who went to the Gathering.

The regal gray she-cat turns to Robintail, who's now grieving over her brother.

"Featherstar."

She turns to see Smallflame pad up to her. He silently beckons for her to follow as he pads to the medicine den.

"What is it, Smallflame?" Featherstar sits down once they've gone inside the den.

The small ginger tabby sighs. "We didn't lose Lightcloud and Mosstalon."

She sighs. "That's a relief."

He looks away, his eyes clouded with worry. "They're both fine, but there were ... complications." He turns to look at his leader. "Lightcloud has a very badly injured leg and both of Mosstalon's eyes are infected. I can't do anything more to help them as they currently are."

Featherstar sighs and hangs her head. "The important thing is that they're both alive and we didn't lose any warriors."

"What will happen to Lightcloud and Mosstalon?"

She bows her head. "I don't know." She gazes up at him, determined. "But we have to support them both in these hard times."

Smallflame dips his head in understanding. "Who's going to teach them how to survive? We have no cats in any clan that has been affected like they both have."

Featherstar starts to speak, but the den suddenly grows chilly and the air stills.

"I believe that we can help with that."

Both the clan leader and the medicine cat turn to see two cats standing before them, stars scattered in their pelts.

"Hello there." A smoky gray she-cat with blue eyes appears in front of them.

Featherstar dips her head and Smallflame follows suit.

"We've been sent by Starclan as aides to help your injured cats once they've healed enough to leave the medicine den."

The medicine cat studies the three cats for a while and his eyes widen in shock. "You-You're Cinderpelt! I've heard stories about you from one of the elders. You were made a medicine cat because of a leg injury that prevented you from being a warrior."

Cinderpelt dips her head. "Indeed. I believe that I can help the cat with a leg injury very similar to the one I had. He is destined to be a warrior and I will help him achieve that."

Featherstar looks at the other two cats accompanying the former medicine cat.

Cinderpelt notices and decides to introduce the other two. "This is Brightheart." Her fluffy tail flicks towards a white she-cat with ginger tabby patches, the warrior dipping her head in greeting. "And this is Jayfeather." A lithe gray tabby tom with blue eyes nods to the two, his disinterest clear in his ice blue eyes.

Featherstar's eyes widen. "It's such an honor to meet one of the Three. And an ancestor of one of my senior warriors." She dips her head in respect.

Brightheart pads forward. "Your warriors will still be able to do what they were doing. You just have to be patient and help them adjust to their new circumstances."