Jaystar's Dream/Chapter 6

"Jaywing! You have to come now!" Ashclaw was standing over him.

Jaywing shot up. "What's wrong?"

"Darkstar is sick!"

"Is it a cough?" Jaywing asked.

"Yes! And Mousepelt says it's whitecough," Darkstar's daughter mewed.

"I'm coming." Jaywing bounded towards Darkstar's den. He was laying down, and Mousepelt was treating him. At the last half-moon, Starleaf had received her medicine cat name.

Jaywing felt a pang of grief when the way Darkstar was lying down reminded him of Rowanstar. The kind leader had died of a cough. ''Wow, that was six moons ago. Time flies.''

He padded up to Mousepelt. "How is he?" he asked.

The ginger tom looked worried for his younger brother. "He's got whitecough, and it may turn to greencough."

''Please, StarClan, don't take Darkstar and leave me to lead NightClan. If you do take him, please take me first. ''Then Jaywing remembered Darkstar had eight remaining lives. ''Thank StarClan. ''If the cough got worse, it could take all his lives, but Darkstar was in good paws.

"He's awake," Mousepelt announced. Jaywing looked at Darkstar. His eyes were open. Slowly the leader sat up.

"The Gathering," Darkstar meowed.

"What about the Gathering?" Jaywing asked.

"We have to go now," Darkstar mewed. "The Gathering will start without us."

"Darkstar," Starleaf mewed gently. "The Gathering is not until tomorrow night."

"Oh." Darkstar closed his eyes.

"He has a fever," Mousepelt meowed. "We'll give him some borage. I gave him some feverfew before."

Starleaf picked out a plant with blue flowers, than gave it to Darkstar. "Eat."

Darkstar slowly ate the leaves. Please StarClan, cure Darkstar.

"Is that all you could find?" Jaywing asked. Cinderpaw had caught a mouse.

"Sorry Jaywing, all they prey must be hiding," Cinderpaw mewed, burying her prey.

Jaywing sighed. It was after sunhigh, and Jaywing had taken Cinderpaw hunting.

''She really is a nice cat. ''Every day, Jaywing was more and more aware that he was thinking of Cinderpaw like that. He liked her more than a mentor's like for his apprentice, he liked her more than just a friend.

"What?" Jaywing shook himself.

"What?" he asked.

"Why are you staring at me?" Cinderpaw asked.

"Uh . . . I don't know," Jaywing meowed, turning quickly. "Come on," he mewed. "We need to find some more prey."

"Jaywing."

"What?" Jaywing turned to his apprentice.

"Why were you staring at me?" she asked.

"Cinderpaw, come," Jaywing mewed. Perhaps it's time I told her about my feelings.

"I'm coming," the tabby mewed.

They got further away from camp, and Jaywing sat down. "I need to tell you something," he meowed.

"What?"

"Well..."

"I'm listening, go ahead. Talk."

"I just wanted to say...I just like you more than a friend," Jaywing meowed.

Cinderpaw's eyes were wide. "What?"

"I find myself always thinking of you, how kind you are, how pretty you are," Jaywing meowed.

Cinderpaw blinked. "So..."

"I wanted to ask you if you'd be my mate," Jaywing finished.

Cinderpaw closed her eyes for a moment, then stretched out to touch her nose to his. Jaywing noticed she was almost as tall as he was now.

"I'm not sure, Jaywing. Aren't I too young for a mate?" Cinderpaw asked.

"Well...you're almost a warrior, so you probably aren't," Jaywing replied. Will she accept?

"I need to think about this, Jaywing," Cinderpaw meowed. "But even if I don't accept, you'll always be my favourite cat in this Clan."

Jaywing and Cinderpaw returned to camp with two mice and three voles. Not enough for the whole Clan.

He was happy to see the fresh-kill pile was large. The other hunters must have had more luck then Jaywing and Cinderpaw.

He padded over to the fresh-kill pile and pulled out a squirrel. "Cinderpaw!" he called. "Do you want to share?"

Cinderpaw turned and nodded. "Okay."

Cinderpaw had passed her warrior assessment almost a moon ago. She deserved to become a warrior, she was the most skilled apprentice.

"Jaywing." Jaywing turned from the squirrel to see his mother and father.

"Yes?"

"We need to tell you something," Windwhisper mewed.

"What?" Jaywing wondered what his parents wanted.

"I'm expecting kits," Windwhisper told him.

''I'll have more siblings! I haven't had any since Dewkit died. ''Then he remembered these siblings would be way younger than him. ''Never mind, I have Snakestrike, Ashclaw, and Cinderpaw. ''He had grown up with Snakestrike and Ashclaw, and he knew them better than anyone except Darkstar, their father.

And Cinderpaw...

"Well, congratulations! When are they due?" Jaywing asked.

"In just under two moons," Clearpelt meowed proudly.

"Congratulations," Cinderpaw meowed from beside Jaywing.

"Thank you." Clearpelt dipped his head to her.

The two mates padded away, and suddenly Jaywing felt awkward with Cinderpaw next to him.

"Is something wrong, Jaywing?" Cinderpaw asked.

"No," Jaywing replied. Cinderpaw stared at him for a few moments, then settled down to eat.

"So when do you think I'll become a warrior?" Cinderpaw mewed.

"Probably after Darkstar recovers," Jaywing meowed.

"I hope so," Cinderpaw meowed. "I've worked hard to become a warrior."

"You have."

"And it's all thanks to you, Jaywing that I am this skilled." To his surprise, she rubbed her cheek against his.

"It was my pleasure training you," Jaywing told her. They finished the squirrel. Jaywing felt sad again that Cinderpaw didn't seem like she wanted to be his mate.

"Is something wrong, Jaywing?" Cinderpaw asked.

"Yes, and you know what!" Jaywing exploded.

Cinderpaw got up and turned, and started walking away. She threw a glance at Jaywing, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, I never said no."

Jaywing crept up on the mouse. Closer...Closer...and then he leapt. He killed the mouse in one bite. He was tired from last night's training with Skyheart.

"Good job." Jaywing turned to see Cinderpaw. A blackbird hung from her jaws.

"I got a vole and a shrew before, and they're buried," his apprentice meowed.

"Good work," Jaywing meowed.

"Thanks," Cinderpaw meowed. "I'll go get the other prey." She bounded off, and returned with a shrew, a vole, and a mouse.

"I caught this mouse on the way there," she told him. Jaywing nodded.

When they got back to camp, Mousepelt padded up to them. "Jaywing, have a moment?" the medicine cat asked. Jaywing nodded.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"Well..." the ginger tom cast a look towards Darkstar's den. "Darkstar is in no shape to go to the Gathering tonight."

"And . . . ?"

"Can you take the Clan?" Mousepelt asked.

Jaywing turned away for a moment to think.'' Can I really lead the Clan to the Gathering? ''Jaywing hadn't been deputy for long. This is for Darkstar.

Turning to Mousepelt he meowed, "Okay."

"Is every cat ready?" Jaywing asked. Cinderpaw, Ashclaw, Sandthistle, Clearpelt and Starleaf were lined up behind him. Mousepelt had insisted on staying to look after Darkstar.

"Darkstar's lives are slipping away," he meowed. Now Jaywing was even more worried knowing their leader was losing lives.

"Yes," all the cats meowed.

"Then let's go." Jaywing meowed. He turned and started walking. The cats behind him followed.

They padded through the forest, and soon they could see the Newsrock, where the leaders stood. But today, a deputy will stand up there.

When they arrived, only SquirrelClan was there. Stormstar was talking with this deputy, Thunder, and his eyes widened when he saw NightClan.

"Jaywing?" he asked. "Where's Darkstar?"

Jaywing explained how Darkstar had fallen ill.

"May StarClan heal him," the leader meowed.

CloudClan soon arrived, and they just had to wait for BlazeClan. Flamestar didn't seem surprised when he didn't see Darkstar among the NightClan cats, only nodded to Jaywing and Stormstar.

''How can he nod to me when he knows he's caused harm to our Clan? ''Jaywing thought, enraged. Flamestar is surely a fool.

They waited and waited, but BlazeClan still didn't arrive. "I say we start without them," Flamestar meowed.

Jaywing and Stormstar nodded in agreement. The leaders jumped onto the rock, and Stormstar, being the eldest, started the Gathering.

"Cats of all the Clans, welcome to the Gathering!" he yowled. "Flamestar, go first."

The CloudClan leader stepped forward. "CloudClan has lots of prey, but our deputy Cyclone died from greencough."

Jaywing felt a pang of grief; unlike Flamestar Cyclone was a sensible cat, and now he would never be able to revive the good CloudClan after Flamestar's death.

"In his place Ashtail had been made our deputy," Flamestar continued.

"Ashtail! Ashtail!" the Clans yowled.

Ashtail joined Thunder in the deputies' spot, his chest puffed up with pride. His apprentice, Olivepaw, yowled the loudest, clearly proud of her mentor.

Stormstar nodded to Jaywing. "You can go next."

Jaywing stepped forward. "NightClan is well, but Darkstar has been sick since yesterday."

"We pray for his recovery," Stormstar meowed.

Jaywing continued. "Other than that, we are fine."

Stormstar stepped forward. "SquirrelClan is well, and I am proud to report that Rabbitfur and Turtleshade have three new kits: Volekit, Aspenkit, and Stripedkit.

"Prey is running well, and we hope that all the Clans have peace for the rest of leaf-bare. Because Chasestar is not here to report, all you cats down below can start talking."

The leaders jumped down, and Jaywing followed them. He bumped into his friend Ashtail.

"Congratulations on becoming deputy," he meowed.

Ashtail dipped his head. "Thank you."

The cats at the Gathering chatted with the cats from the other Clans, and soon Jaywing called the NightClan cats.

"Let's go back to camp," he mewed.

They got back to camp, and Mousepelt came running towards them. Jaywing heard what he wanted, no, needed, to here.

"Darkstar is better!"