Warriors: Feather's Path

Chapter 20

Feathercloud settled in her nest that night. Dustpaw, Nightpatch, and Volefoot had left for their journey, and Ravenpaw had to be given a new mentor, now Blackstorm. Dustpaw's brother and his two friends have been proved that Dustpaw was meant for something, and wasn't just a useless pile of dirt. She knew more than anyone in the clan now, and Feathercloud easily fell into sleep next to Hawkclaw that night.

She opened her eyes to another familiar dream with the same sandy-colored tom.

"This wasn't exactly supposed to happen." Sandstar meowed.

Feathercloud looked blankly at the former WindClan leader. "What do you mean?"

"For you to have kits." He said. "Well this early, to be exact.

"Why?" The small she-cat sat down.

Sandstar looked up. "It's not exactly easy to give a tribe cat a destiny. here all the way from StarClan." He sighed. "Things don't always go as planned."

"Did something happen that wasn't supposed to?"

"No," Sandstar shook his head. "It's all right. You've done what has needed to be done."

"Really?" Feathercloiud let out a sigh or relief. 

Sandstar nodded. "Yes. Dustpaw, Nightpatch, and Volefoot are on their way to BreezeClan with StarClan watching over them."

"Thank StarClan." Feathercloud breathed. She paused. "So if I've fulfilled my destiny, does that mean I get to go back to the mountain-" 

"But something else is in your way." Sandstar looked at the she-cat with cold eyes as he cut her off. "Something will block your path..."

What?! Feathercloud thought with surprise as the sand-colored tom began to fade just as he did in the other dreams. I have to do something else here too? But he said I was done!

The small tabby she-cat woke to the sun just beginning to rise. Only four nests were empty in the warriors den, not counting Nightpatch and Volefoot's former ones. Feathercloud stood up only to fall back to her nest, her legs shaky and weak.

As she fell, she awoke Hakwclaw, and the tom jumped up to help his mate up. "What's wrong?" He asked her groggily.

"My legs." Feathercloud panted. "They're so weak!"

"Do you want me to go get Seedstripe?" The tom asked.

Feathercloud shook her head as she staggered up again. "No." She managed to shake out her pelt. "I'm fine."

"I don't think so." Hawkclaw followed the she-cat outside. "I think it's time for you to sleep in the nursery now."

Feathercloud turned to Hawkclaw. "But then I wouldn't be able to sleep with you!"

"It'll only be for a couple days until our kits come." The golden tom murmured. 

The small tabby she-cat nodded. "Fine. But I need to speak with Seedstripe."

"About the kits?" Hawkclaw asked.

"No." Feathercloud shook her head. "I had another dream."

"What do you mean 'something will block your path'?" Seedstripe wrapped her tail over her paws. "There couldn't be anything else for you to do here."

Hawkclaw turned to Feathercloud while Seedstripe pulled answers from her in the privacy of the medicine den. Fawnstar sat silently beside the medicine cat, listening to every word.