Moonstripe's Prophecy

Chapter 14

Moonpaw felt himself being shaken awake from his dream. He looked up to see Featherpaw staring down at him. She looked anxious, and then, embarassed, she lifted her paws from Moonpaw's flank.
"Moonpaw...it's Treepool. She's really sick and...I think she's going to die. Soon," she added, and gave him a look that said "Go talk to her, before she joins StarClan." Moonpaw immediately dashed out of the apprentices' den to Treepool's. When he got inside, he saw his own mother and Swiftfire. Moonpaw remembered that Treepool was his mother and Swiftfire's littermate. They didn't try to stop him from coming in. Treepool lay in her nest, while violent fits of coughs racked her body. She looked up when she saw him.
"Moonpaw. It's you," she rasped. How had she gotten so sick, so quickly...? Moonpaw wondered. Lilacpaw stepped out of the shadows, carrying herbs, a determined look on her face. Moonpaw knew she would try everything to save her mentor.
"Here, Treepool. These herbs should help...they must!" Lilacpaw said desperately. Treepool pushed them away.
"Don't bother," she said, "I won't be long before I join StarClan."
Lilacpaw looked shocked.
"But Treepool..."
Treepool shifted in her nest,"No buts," again she looked at Moonpaw. "I think Moonpaw wants to tell me something."
Moonpaw cleared his throat and gestured to Swiftfire and mouthed "It's about the prophecy," but Treepool shook her head.
"Stormstar told the Clan while you were sleeping. You can say whatever you want to say."
"Well...you know how the Clans live in the forest?" Moonpaw said nervously. Treepool nodded.
"Well...they don't. Just let me explain. I had a dream. I was standing on a tall piece of rock called a mountain. I saw many cats, who I now know are the other four Clans. They were travelling. All of them. Then, I was at a lake. The cats were there again, but then a ginger tom with green eyes, came and told me that Twolegs had destroyed the old forest. That they had journeyed to the lake, and they live there now. He said he was Firestar, a past leader of ThunderClan," Moonpaw finished. Treepool, Swiftfire, Echoheart and Lilacpaw all looked shocked.
"Moonpaw," Lilacpaw whispered, "Firestar was the cat who put SkyClan back together again." Now he remembered. Blueflower had told her and Echoheart's kits the story of Firestar and Sandstorm.
"Moonpaw. You do realise that this means you will have to journey to that lake? That this sign was meant to steer you in the right direction and..." Treepool started coughing violently again, but didn't stop.
"TREEPOOL!" Moonpaw yowled. Then, her coughing stilled. Her breath was now nothing more than ragged fits of gasps.
"StarClan is calling me, Moonpaw. Remember that they will always be there to guide you. Always follow the stars," Treepool said. Then her head fell back, and the light went from her eyes. Moonpaw's eyes filled with tears. She was dead.