Run Away Bravely (Stormwind)

Jayfeather hissed softly, whipping around and stalking off. 

Leafpool narrowed her eyes a little. “What do you mean?”

Bluestar didn’t speak for some time, keeping her narrowed blue eyes focused on Jayfeather’s hues challengingly.

Spottedleaf shook her head. “Perhaps you could do something for us.”

Jayfeather watched her with narrowed eyes, his fur bristling both at the way she kept deflecting blame and the fact that the infected cats didn’t make it to StarClan. He didn’t say anything, though it was clear to anyone that knew him that he wasn’t accepting her excuses. 

Leafpool ruffled her pelt, frowning deeply and worriedly. “That is really not good.”

“Starclan now has a better idea of the magnitude of the threat,” Bluestar Replied with a wary growl. The former leader stood and began to pad in tight circles around Jayfeather ominously. “Listen closely, Jayfeather. Do you think it was easy for us to sit back and watch our clanmates, our friends, and our kin die? It was not. And Do you know what’s more? Not one of their sounds joined Starclan naturally.” The she-cat had by far lost her usual cool by now, to the point where Firestar might confuse her current behavior for that of the Bluestar he had known on her last life, The erratic and paranoid version of the blue-gray leader.
“The one exception was a young warrior I did not recognize. He knew what was coming, and chose to end his own life before the infection could claim it.”

Spottedleaf nodded sadly. “We have no idea what happens to them after death.”

Jayfeather curled his lip in a sneer, piercing blue eyes glaring accusingly at the older she-cat. “Cowards,” he hissed. “At this rate there won’t be any Clans left to listen because you chose not to help!”

Leafpool’s eyes widened in horror. “What?” She exclaimed. “What could possibly keep a cat from joining StarClan after death?”

“We were not certain that the disease could not cross the boundary between your territories and ours,” Bluestar Replied, somehow managing to keep her voice even as she regarded Jayfeather.  “What would become of the clans if they were to never hear from their ancestors again?”

“This took us by just as much surprise,” Spottedleaf Replied in her sweet voice.  “It is not the work of Starclan, nor the Dark Forest.  What exactly is happening to these cats is beyond our comprehension.”  The former Thunderclan medicine cat glanced sadly off to the side.  “Many of those who are lost to the infection do not join the ranks of Starclan when they die.”

Jayfeather narrowed his eyes. “Why?” He demanded.

“Couldn’t you have at least given us any warnings?” Leafpool asked earnestly, her mewl hurt and scared. How powerful must this infection be to keep StarClan at bay?

”It was not our decision!”

Each of the Starclan cats speaking to Leafpool and Jayfeather cried this out in unison, with Bluestar’s mewl more warm and emphasized.

“We had to stay away.” Bluestar mewed, eyes narrowing at The accusatory tone of the Thunderclan medicine cat.

“The infection occurring in the waking world is... not something we can control.” Spottedleaf admitted to Leafpool.

Jayfeather scoffed. “I’ve never had faith in your decisions. This is just more of the same, really, though on a larger scale.”

“Why hasn’t StarClan been speaking to us?” Leafpool asked, amber eyes round with worry. “We’ve been calling and praying but you haven’t been answering.”

Spottedleaf shared a soft purr with Leafpool, clearly glad to see the She-cat again. It hardly seemed as if Starclan’s supposed ignorance of the clan’s plight had been on purpose based on the starry She-cat’s reaction to meeting the living medicine cat.

Bluestar pinned her ears back against Jayfeather’s angry tirade, but her voice did not waver when she was finally allowed to get a word in edgewise. “You sound as if you’ve lost your faith in our decisions, Jayfeather.”

(Spottedleaf*)

“Spottedleaf!” Leafpool greeted one of her namesakes with a relieved mewl, bounding forward to brush her muzzle against the other she-cat’s with a soft purr.

Jayfeather eyed Bluestar with an unimpressed blue gaze. “Where have you been these past five moons?” He demanded angrily. “We’ve had no word from StarClan since before the infected came, and even then, none of you bothered to warn us!”

Again, there was a long stretch of silence, but eventually each cat was greeted by felines with stars interwoven in their pelts. Leafpool was greeted by Spottedpelt, and Jayfeather by Bluestar.

Leafpool and Jayfeather both blinked awake in different parts of StarClan.

(I’m thinking they will, but they’ll be their usual vague, unhelpful selves. )

(Should StarClan show or not?)

The rest of the medicine cats followed. For some time there was nothing but darkness, as there had been every other night since the infection began to ravage the clans. Starclan seemed as if it would be silent yet again.

Jayfeather lapped up a few droplets of the water, Leafpool following shortly after, then the two cats settled themselves, falling asleep in just a few moments.

Eventually, the other medicine cats joined Jayfeather.  Willowshine lead the way in introducing Flamepaw to Starclan as the tradition called for, and gradually the other medicine cats began to relax into their routine, even as a few warriors kept a watchful eye over the proceedings on the slope above them.

Jayfeather was the first to move, irritated by the hesitation of the other three fully-fledged medicine cats and one medicine cat apprentice, padding up to the edge of the pool. Of course, since this was Flamepaw’s first time to the Moonpool, the tom would have to be traditionally introduced to StarClan. The traditions also helped calm the Clan cats down, allowing them to feel as if they were able to hold on to everything that made them Clan even as their world died around them.

The other medicine cats all gazed at the edge of the pool with a little apprehension. The still water reflected their unsure faces right back at them, along with the glittering backdrop of Silverpelt behind the cats clustered around the sacred pool.

Leafpool gazed at the Moonpool, the one pool that didn’t get frozen during the recent leaf-bare but was still freezing-cold.

Brambleclaw clustered up with the dozen or so other warriors on the patrol, being the one cat to face the Moonpool and watch the medicine cats descend towards it.

Leafpool couldn’t help but wince when Brambleclaw spoke the name of the combined Clans, just being reminded that ThunderClan was no more. She stepped past him, making her way down to the Moonpool with Jayfeather and the other medicine cats following behind her.

Brambleclaw tripped once or twice, having not come this way for quite some time, but eventually found his way over the rise and gazed down at the Moonpool. “We’ve made it,” The tom huffed. “Warriors of Darkclan, gather here. We shouldn’t go any closer to the pool ourselves to avoid drawing the ire of Starclan.” The deputy stepped aside for the medicine cats to pass him.

Leafpool turned her gaze back to the ground in front of her, watching where she placed her paws as it was very dark. It was easier for Jayfeather, who had memorized this path long ago and the light never changed for him.