Chapter 32: The Search- Part 3
Silverstar woke to a paw prodding her gently. She yawned, then opened her eyes to see a unfamiliar orange face staring at her.
She leaped up, a warning growl rumbling in her throat, but Birdflight immediately leaped down from her perch in the birch tree and soothed her mother, "It's alright, they're with us."
The young apprentice looked taken aback at Silverstar's fierceness, then mewed tentatively, "I'm Robinpaw, remember?"
Silverstar relaxed as the night's events flooded back to her. "Hello," she meowed. "I'm Silverstar. And you must be Dovepaw." She nodded to the silvery gray cat behind Robinpaw. The apprentice dipped her head shyly.
"Where's your mother?" Sandpelt had padded up to Silverstar's shoulder. "We need to speak to her." Sandpelt's words were firm, but her voice was kind.
"Over there," meowed Robinpaw. She pointed with her tail towards a hollow log a few foxlengths away.
Silverstar summoned her warriors with her tail, and together, they headed towards the hollow with the apprentices right behind them.
The cats entered the log, and found Iceshard waiting for them. "Sit down," she meowed.
Graynose bristled. "You don't tell us what to do in our territory," he spat.
Iceshard shrank back. "Sorry," she mewed quietly.
Silverstar, Sandpelt, and Birdflight sat down as Graynose hissed in annoyance and stalked out.
"Sorry," Sandpelt apologized for her former apprentice. "He can be as grumpy as an elder in the morning. Especially with an emp---"
She was cut off by another hiss from outside. "I'm going hunting," the cats heard.
"---ty belly," Sandpelt finished.
Iceshard's eyes sparkled with amusement. "I know exactly what it feels like." She purred.
"Okay, let's get down to business," meowed Birdflight. "What's your whole story?"
The band listened patiently as Iceshard explained about Lightningstar's death, and her moons spent with Brightstar as his supposed mate. Her voice shook with grief as she described Finchkit's unruly death. But then she gave them a valuable piece of information. "Lightningstar didn't really die. StarClan needed Brightstar to believe he was dead, so they only took one of Lightningstar's lives, then put him into a season long slumber so he could wake at the right time. He would gladly invite you into StormClan to plan how to kill off FearClan."
The HeatherClan cats were shocked. Lightningstar was alive! But then they remembered their mission.
"We have to find WaveClan," explained Silverstar. "They're our only hope at defeating FearClan, NightClan, and the Dark Forest cats."
Robinpaw and Dovepaw looked interested. "We know something that could help you," mewed Dovepaw softly. "Just yesterday we encountered a fish-smelling cat by the river. She was collecting a bunch of leaves, and looked scared that we discovered her, and she ran away before we could stop her."
"WaveClan!" Birdflight exclaimed.
"What did she look like?" asked Iceshard.
"She was a pale tabby," Robinpaw recalled. "With slightly darker ripples down her flanks. She smelled distinctly of herbs."
There was a scuffling sound, and Graynose came back in. He had two voles and a rabbit in his mouth. "Here," he mewed. "There's enough for all of us." He paused. "And the cat you were talking about is Leafstream."
"Leafstream!" Silverstar gasped. "The WaveClan medicine cat!"
"We tracked her," Dovepaw mewed through bites of the rabbit. "So we know relatively where she's living."
"And where ever she is, the rest of WaveClan will be!" Sandpelt exclaimed. "Thank you. All of you."
"Yes," Birdflight agreed. "You've been a great help."
"Could you show us where Leafstream went?" asked Silverstar, munching on a vole bone.
The two apprentices looked to their mother. "Yes, you may show them," Iceshard meowed. "But I will go with you. Also, we cannot go with you the whole way. Brightstar will be sending out patrols to look for me soon, and we don't want to be caught."
Silverstar gave a terse nod. "Let's go."
"Now?" asked Birdflight.
"What better time could there be?" asked Sandpelt. "We just ate, so we're full, thanks to Graynose."
Her former apprentice dipped his head. "Also, we're rested. So, let's go!"
"Wow, his mood changed fast," Robinpaw remarked to Birdflight as they padded along. "A moment ago, he was as grouchy as an elder. And now, he's as happy as a kitten in a patch of catnip."
"Yeah," Dovepaw agreed. "I wonder if h---"
But Dovepaw never got to finish her wonder, because just then, the ground beneath her paws disappeared.
"Help!" Dovepaw yowled. Robinpaw raced to where her sister's voice was coming from.
"She's buried in an old badger set!" she meowed, pawing frantically at the loose dirt. "Help me!"
The HeatherClan cats, along with Iceshard, raced over and began to dig. Slowly but surely, Dovepaw clambered out, coughing out dirt.
"Are you okay?" Birdflight asked.
"I'm fine," Dovepaw managed to say, before another coughing fit shook her body.
"We need to clear the dirt from her throat," Graynose meowed. "Robinpaw, you're the smallest. Reach your paw down your sister's throat and scoop out as much dirt as you can.
Trembling, Robinpaw reached out a paw and lowered it into Dovepaw's mouth. Gently, she cleaned out the dirt. Soon, Dovepaw could breathe freely again.
"Thanks," she gasped. "You saved my life!"
"It's what we do," Sandpelt mewed, purring with relief.
"But you can't travel much farther now. We should go back to camp," Iceshard meowed.
"Could you point out the direction we should go?" asked Silverstar.
"Yes," meowed Robinpaw. "Keep going until you reach a small river. Then, follow the river downstream until you reach a ditch. The scent is strongest there. You should be able to find WaveClan."
"Thank you," Birdflight mewed gratefully. "We won't forget the help you've given us."
"And I won't forget that you dug me out of that badger set!" Davepaw shuddered.
"Well, we should go now," Silverstar meowed. "May StarClan light your paths!"
"You too," Iceshard mewed.
"Bye!" meowed Robinpaw. "See you later!"
And so, the cats parted, and the HeatherClan cats continued their journey.
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