Warriors: Fire and Ice - Book Two (Completed)

Chapter Twelve

Waterlily spent nights studying the herb store. Nothing else popped out at her. She felt exhausted from the lack of sleep, but knew it was worth it if she was able to find something. Cinderpaw was getting stronger mentally and she was capable of ignoring the pain now. Waterlily had one more thing that she was willing to try and help Cinderpaw to become a warrior apprentice again. Cinderpaw was sleeping peacefully without struggle and awoke to Waterlily padding toward her. "How did you sleep?" Mewed Waterlily.

"Have you been sleeping?" Cinderpaw felt fine, but she knew that Waterlily was making herself sick from the lack of sleep.

"Don't change the subject." Waterlily's growl was low, but barely faint.

Cinderpaw narrowed her eyes. "I am fine." She hissed. "But you aren't. I can tell just by looking at you."

Waterlily refused to listen and sniffed Cinderpaw's leg. It didn't smell too infected and she finally became happy with the treatments. "Can you try to get up?" Waterlily looked at Cinderpaw with hope in her eyes.

Cinderpaw felt worried for Waterlily, but she obeyed and nodded her head. She put her front paw up flat on the ground and heaved her front part of the body up. Her two front forepaws held up her chest and she had trouble getting her limp leg to work with her. "Try using your good leg." Ordered Waterlily. Cinderpaw used her good back to try to heave her bottom half up. She unsheathed her claws and dug into the ground trying to get herself steady. She fell back down and sighed with exhaustion. "I'll try again later." Cinderpaw softly mewed, trying to keep her breath steady.

Yellowfang watched from the back of the medicine den. She was amazed with Cinderpaw's sudden movements and how she could hold herself up for so long. She felt ashamed of her actions. All she did was want to give up and let StarClan figure out her destiny. Waterlily has gone far and beyond what she would have thought of. She is now living up to her medicine cat name. Yellowfang had no regrets on training her to be a full medicine cat. 

Later that night, Waterlily remembered the darkness in her dream before she met with Spottedleaf. It haunted her as she padded to her freshly made moss nest. She laid down, tucked in her paws under chest and curled her tail over her front paws. She closed her eyes, slowly and began to dream almost instantly.

The earth felt dry under her paws when she opened them and stood up. She couldn't see anything. It was pure darkness and she felt lost. "Why do I keep coming here?" She mewed quietly to herself. She tried to look around and smell the air, but there was nothing. No scents and nothing that she could see, even in the far distance.

"Hello?" She mewed. Her voice echoed in the darkness. It was met with silence and she turned her head to start heading the other way in hopes that it would lead to StarClan. She felt a shear drop beneath her paws. She jolted awake from her dream, and looked around curiously. Yellowfang was sleeping a few fox-lengths away and breathing softly. She put her head back down onto her paws and sighed, not knowing what that kind of dream meant. She shook her head to clear it and got up to her paws. She padded over to Cinderpaw and looked at her. She was sleeping peacefully, finally. She was laying on her side. Her twisted leg was no longer deformed and it was held straight from the leaf wrapped around it. Waterlily didn't want to wake her up. She slept through the whole night without any fidgeting. This was the first for Cinderpaw and Waterlily felt relieved that Cinderpaw finally got the sleep that she needed. 

Waterlily padded over to the sick laying a few tail-lengths from Yellowfang. Careful not to wake her mentor, she sniffed the sleeping body of Patchpelt. He smelled better than he did the other night and Waterlily was satisfied as to how things were going. She was able to cure the sick cats from leaf-bare, and hopefully recover Cinderpaw's leg. 

***

"RiverClan has stolen some of our prey!"

Waterlily raced out into the clearing and pricked her ears to see who the warrior was that spoke. It was Darkstripe. Longtail, Mousefur and Whitestorm were standing behind him.

Bluestar padded out into the clearing. Waterlily was relieved that she looked and sounded better. "Are you sure?" She mewed, padding onto the highrock and looking down at the tabby warrior.

"Affirmative. We smelled RiverClan scent in our territory." It was Longtail who answered.

Waterlily's jaw dropped. Why would RiverClan want to steal prey from ThunderClan? They rely in fish, not food like mice and squirrels.

Bluestar twitched her nose, "Tigerclaw, send out more patrols and scan our borders for more signs. I am not risking a fight unless we have to."

Tigerclaw swiftly nodded his head then bounded over to Darkstripe and Longtail. He murmured something to them then padded towards the ravine and sat down, waiting. Not after long, Darkstripe and Longtail's apprentices bounded after them, along with Sandpaw and her mentor, Whitestorm. Tigerclaw flicked his tail and they trekked up the ravine and through the gorse tunnel heading out towards RiverClan borders.

Waterlily yawned then looked at the camp. It was empty. Tigerclaw's patrol left, and so did a hunting patrol. The camp almost looked deserted. With everyone gone and no one to protect the camp, or more so, Bluestar, how would they keep her from losing her last life... and worse, giving the position of leader to Tigerclaw!

While most of the camp was out, Waterlily decided it's time to talk with Bluestar. She was worried as to how she would react, but she needed to know. She padded up to Bluestar's den and meowed out her name.

"Waterlily, is that you?"

Waterlily felt at ease hearing Bluestar's voice as calm as this. Perhaps she was more willing to listen.

"Tigerclaw is not a loyal deputy." Waterlily went straight to the point. "He has killed Redtail and hoped to become deputy then, but then you appointed Lionheart. To his luck, Lionheart died in battle and he finally achieved his goal. I believe he will stop at nothing to gain more power and..."

Waterlily was caught off by Bluestar. "Tigerclaw is very ambitious. But he would not kill a deputy. He is very loyal to the Clan. Besides, he said so himself!"

Waterlily felt her fur on her neck stand on edge. She unsheathed her claws and dug them into the ground beneath her. "I don't know how to prove it to you, Bluestar, but I am telling you the truth."

Bluestar flinched at the tone of Waterlily's voice. She pricked her ears, but didn't know how to respond.

Waterlily could see her amazement, and so she continued.  "There's more." She mewed, calmly.

Bluestar tilted her head. "I'm somehow not surprised." She meowed, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.

Waterlily no longer cared if she was going to upset Bluestar. She had to know. "Fireheart is the one to save us. He is the one who must save us and the Clans."

Bluestar widened her eyes. "Fire alone will save the clan." She murmured, half out loud and half to herself.

Waterlily nodded.  "That fire is Fireheart."