Story Part 20 *A New Battle For One*

Snowstar's tail tip disappeared into the medicine cat den. The three apprentices followed. The fourth apprentice lay still on the mossy bedding, breathing lightly and shallowly.
"How is she?" Snowstar asked.
Tawnyflash peered out from the back of the den with goldenrod in her mouth. She padded over to Lilypaw and dropped the herbs. "I'm sorry," she mewed, bowing her head. "I'm not sure I can save her. I'll put another poultice on." She licked up the herbs, chewed them, and put them on Lilypaw's wound.
Snowstar bowed her head. When she spoke, her voice cracked with grief. "I know you and Wavepaw are doing your best, Tawnyflash. That's all I can expect you to do." With that, she turned and left the den, tail dragging in the dust. When she passed Etharpaw, Eaglepaw, and Winterpaw, she brushed her tail over their shoulders. "Come, I'm going to have a ceremony."
The apprentices followed her to IceRock with wide eyes.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath IceRock for a Clan meeting." called Snowstar as she leaped onto the rock, claws dug into the surface to keep from slipping.
The Clan gathered around.
"I have called you together for some important ceremonies today. Eclipsepaw, step forward."
Eclipsepaw stepped forward, eyes glowing.
"Fuzzypelt, to you agree that this apprentice has learned enough of the ways of FrostClan to become a warrior?"
Fuzzypelt stepped forward. "Yes, Snowstar."
"I, Snowstar, leader of FrostClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice, she has trained hard and learned the ways of the code, and I commend her to you as a warrior." Snowstar swung her gaze toward the excited looking calico cat. "Eclipsepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your life?"
"I do."
"Then from this day forward, your name shall be Eclipseshadow. We welcome you as a warrior of FrostClan."
Eclipseshadow! Eclipseshadow! Eclipseshadow! Eclipseshadow!
After the cheering had died down, Snowstar called out once more. "One more thing to do before everyone gets back to their duties. Lionkit, Mousekit, Sunkit, and Foxkit step forward."
The four kits stepped up to the base of the rock.
"Lionkit, Mousekit, Sunkit, and Foxkit, from now on and until you receive your warrior names, you shall be known as Lionpaw, Mousepaw, Sunpaw, and Foxpaw. Lionpaw, your mentor will be Shadowflower, Mousepaw, your mentor shall be Redforest, Sunpaw, your mentor will be Stripetail, and Foxpaw, your mentor shall be Smokepelt."
The mentors and apprentices touched noses.
Lionpaw! Mousepaw! Sunpaw! Foxpaw! Lionpaw! Mousepaw! Sunpaw! Foxpaw!
Snowstar leaped down to congratulate the new apprentices, mentors, and warrior.
"Eclipseshadow, you will sit vigil this night, but first get something to eat. You've been working all day on the camp."
The ceremonies had made Snowstar momentarily forget the crisis of Lilypaw. "Where are Lionflame and Ashfire?" she muttered under her breath. Suddenly, as if the thought of them had made them arrive, they were standing before her.
Lionflame spoke. "You must want to know where we went."
Snowstar looked at them. "Yes."
"We had to go to the SnowyOak." Ashfire meowed. "StarClan spoke to us, but it was faded and not clear. They said to receive an important message, we must go to the SnowyOak, so we did."
"What was the message?" Snowstar was getting interested.
"Well, StarClan told us that the prophecy

'There shall be four of your kin,
Of whom two shall win
The favor of StarClan and their friends
They will stop at naught to make an end
To trouble in the Clan'

"Has been fulfilled." Ashfire replied.

"Ah, it must have been that Eaglepaw and  Etharpaw, bringing you the news of trouble in FrostClan, which was the foxes." Snowstar exclaimed.

"Precicely." Ashfire told her.

"But wait, there's more," Lionflame meowed solemnly. "StarClan said, 'A new prophecy has come..."

"Wait," Snowstar interrupted. "There's a new prophecy already?"

Lionflame went on as though he had never been interrupted. 

"'One cat of the Clan

Will be lost forever, 

But another can

 Come back to mend the five

Heats that were torn asunder'" 

"I-I don't understand..." stuttered Snowstar.

Ashfire snorted. "Prophecies weren't made to be understood."

Snowstar glared at him.

Lionflame slid his cool gaze over Ashfire and Snowstar. "Many prophecies come and go, and all are fulfilled, though not always in the way we think they should be or will be."

Snowstar tried not to gape at him. I didn't know he was so wise. She shook her head as the brothers padded away. 'One cat of the Clan will be lost forever?' That sounds bad. Then her head jerked up. Lilypaw!

*

The forest was light now. The light, rosy cat padded closer to the light, but then the ground suddenly opened underneath her paws. The tabby tom leaped forward, grabbing her scruff, but when he heaved to pull her out from the hole, the ground crumbled beneath his hind paws. He scrambled backward and heaved once more on the light cat's scruff. His eyes flashed with the fire of determination. The rosy cat let out a wail of despair. 

"I'll save you," the tabby screeched through a mouthful of fur. I can't! he thought. I must! he used all the power in his haunches, but the rosy cat's scruff slipped through his teeth. The power of his struggles launched him through the trees and into the light. He scrunched his eyes closed and leaped blindly for the dark of the forest, but slammed into an invisible wall. His eyes flashed open. Oh no! he wailed silently as he saw the rosy cat's paws slip from the edge of the dirt and vanish. How could StarClan let this happen?