Chapter 19: Shadecloud

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SHADECLOUD

            Shadecloud stared at the horizon, where the wind-tunnel was disappearing. Lionstar rose unsteadily to his paws next to her. “I must go find the Clan and then journey onto the Moonpool with Woodpelt,” the ThunderClan leader meowed. “Return to the camp. Your Clanmates will join you shortly.”

            Shadecloud nodded. Lionstar turned to walk away and Shadecloud watched as the golden-furred tom began to fade into the distance. Suddenly, he turned around. “Shadecloud? Find Jayfeather for me, okay?” his voice quivered slightly when he spoke.

            “Yes, I will!” she shouted, even though she had no hope of her former mentor being alive.

            She padded through the ruined forest, leaping over fallen trees, tree branches, and other debris. She finally reached the camp entrance, and when she stepped inside, she couldn’t help but gasp in shock. The entire camp was littered with wreckage from the storm. The elders den had been buried under a large chunk of stone, and a large tree branch had ruined part of the warriors den.

            Shadecloud scurried across the camp towards the elders den, completely certain that Jayfeather and the elders were dead. No cat, probably not even Lionstar, could survive being crushed under an object of that size.

            Her assumptions were correct. An unmoving gray tail, barely visible, stuck out from under the great chunk of rock.

            Shadecloud stared at the ground for a long time, wondering what to do. Sudden pawsteps alerted her of the return of her Clanmates. “Shadecloud!” Thornclaw shouted as soon as he saw his daughter. “Are you okay?”

            “Yes, but Jayfeather and the elders aren’t!” she replied.

            Most of the warriors rushed over. “What happened?” Groundsquirrel asked.

            “He...I mean they got buried and I don’t think they’re still alive,” Shadecloud trailed off, lost in thought.

            “Is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan and to become a medicine cat, dedicated to healing and serving your Clanmates?” Jayfeather asked.

            “Yes!” Shadekit declared.

            “From now on, until your mentor determines that you are ready to receive your full name…” Bramblestar’s voice faded to replaced by another voice.

            “Marigold is good for infected wounds,” Jayfeather explained.

            “I thought you used cobwebs to stop wounds from bleeding!” Shadepaw exclaimed.

            “You do,” the blind medicine cat agreed. “But cobwebs cannot heal infection…”

            The scenery changed. Shadepaw was sitting by Streampaw’s dead body with Jayfeather beside her. “I could’ve saved her!” she wailed miserably. “If only I was a good medicine cat! It’s all my fault!”

            “No, Shadecloud,” Jayfeather insisted for the hundredth time. “It wasn’t your fault. Not even the greatest medicine cat to ever live can complete prevent death. A warrior’s life is dangerous and…”

            Jayfeather’s face changed to Thornclaw’s. “Now that Streampaw’s dead, I’m kind of scared of death,” Shadepaw admitted to her father. “I don’t want to ever feel that kind of pain.”

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