CHAPTER 2
The leaving of the great one

“Are you kidding me?”
Scarpaw meowed with alarm, her tail fluffed up.  “She couldn’t be…. Gone…”
Burntleaf sighed slowly. “Skypaw’s been missing since moonhigh. Now, tell me. Did you tell her anything?”
Scarpaw gulped and thought about the prophecy. If the prophecy truly was baced on Skypaw, where was she now? Had she fallowed Firestar? She shook herself. No. She wouldn’t be that stupid. Skypaw could be stubborn, but not like this. Scarpaw pictured her out hunting, not knowing of any part of the talking to she was receiving from Burntleaf.
“I’m sure she’s fine.” She mewed, though her pelt still prickled with unease.
Burntleaf sighed once more and turned to leave the den. “Come on.” She called, waving her tail. Scarpaw raced across the camp until she stood beside the large white cat. Her one brown paw dug into the dirt as she glanced at Scarpaw. “Let’s at least look for her.” she meowed, padding out of the camp entrance. “She has to be around here somewhere.”
Scarpaw was relieved. Maybe they would find Skypaw simply looking for prey, a big fat vole. And Scarpaw gave a murrow of laughter and thought of her expression when she was found by them.
Burntleaf lead them farther and farther into the forest and deeper into the undergroth. Scarpaw’s hope soared.
She brushed through the ferns and felt the soft grass on her paws. She felt almost peacefull in the cool night, but the anxious feeling still lay like a stone in her stomach.
Suddenly a scent caught her scent glands and her ears pricked. “Skypaw.” She confirmed to herself, leaning forward to get a better wiff. She lifted her head to call out to Burntleaf, but the medicine cat had disappeared. Scarpaw sighed and went out on her own, into more thick undergroth covered with roots and bushes.
The path Scarpaw fallowed seemed to go in a straight line, and she wondered if Skypaw knew her way through here, or if… or if what? What else could have come through here…? Scarpaw took a deep breath of air and began to identify a second scent. Her fur stood on end. The scent was growing stronger. Frozen with fear, Scarpaw sat watching the bushes and trees. “W—Who are you?” She called, her tail fluffed out.
“Turn around and see.” A voice answered.
Scarpaw turned to see an orange tom with unblinking eyes staring at her intently.
There was a long pause, as if the earth had slowed and had stopped rotating.
“Firestar…” She muttered slowly, dipping her head.
“I am surprised that you know my name.” He meowed quietly, licking a paw. “Very surprised indeed.”
Scarpaw lifted her head and let her fur lie flat on her flank. “My mother taught me… She believed in… you know…”
“Starclan?”
“Yes.”
Firestar sighed warily. “She must have been just about the only one left. Prophecies and omens come from some other place, as the clans now see it.”
Scarpaw felt her strength growing, and she finally let go of her thoughts. “She’s started on her journey already, hasn’t she? Skypaw has gone?”
For a moment the swaying of the trees in the gentle breeze was the only sound. Though this length of time only lasted for a few seconds, it seemed to stretch out into a lifetime, and Scarpaw was afraid Firestar would not answer.
Firestar curled his tail around him and sat staring at the stars, twinkling and casting long shadows across the foliage of the forest.
“…Yes.” He mewed finally, so quiet that Scarpaw could scarcely hear him.
“Her Journey has truly begun.”

“Come on… You aren’t serious…” Cloverfoot growled with annoyance, flicking his tail. “We can’t go on some stupid journey because you had a DREAM. We’d be with cats from rival clans, you dolt! And our leader! What will HE think of this???”
Skypaw flicked her tail irritably. “Don’t you understand?! The lives of all the clans are at stake. Whether we’re with cats from other clans or not, we must do this!”
Cloverfoot gave out an annoyed snort and turned warily to face the other cats, whose fur prickled uneasily. “What do you all think about this?” He spat, glaring at them. “You aren’t possibly so un-loyal that you’d be willing to leave your leaders and your clans to go on some… some…. QUEST,” He spoke the word so bitterly that Skybird flinched, “Some quest that has no meaning!”
There was a short pause.
Icepaw clawed at a tuft of grass and Swanpaw looked at the ground, her eyes betraying her unease.
“Well?” Cloverfoot growled, unsheathing and re-sheathing his claws.
Silence held in the air for a few last seconds, then Ashpaw slowly stepped forward. “Cloverfoot, you are a loyal cat, and I respect that… but the clans really ARE in danger, and we have to help them.”
Cloverfoot let out a hiss.
“So you’re willing to betray your clan?”
“I won’t be betraying it, but instead I’ll be helping it.”
“So you and all you other traitors believe this garbage?”
Icepaw, Swanpaw and Ashpaw all looked at each other in question. Skypaw flicked her tail back and forth as she waited for their answer.
Then Swanpaw stepped forward to join Ashpaw. “I do.” She meowed calmly. “I believe every word of it. I don’t know about you, Cloverfoot, but I’m going to save my clan.”
“Me too.” Icepaw meowed reluctantly, standing beside them to form a cat wall.
Cloverfoot cursed and whipped around to face Skypaw, his neck fur raised. “So, what, exactly, do you suppose you’re going to do with me? What makes you think I’ll pause even a moment to tell your leaders of your treachery?”
Skypaw felt her fur bristle as she replied, “You’re coming with us.”
Cloverfoot’s mouth dropped open. Then he tightened his lips in a snarl. “You wouldn’t dare…”
“Try to run, why don’t you?” Skypaw asked with a smirk. “You’re out numbered; you wouldn’t get far.”
Cloverfoot’s expression was outraged, but common sense kept him from fighting, for he new of his out numbered situation. However, Skypaw spotted his claws slide out in a sign of aggression.
She turned then to the other clan cats, cats who were enemies to her, yet cats who would accompany her on the journey. Everything suddenly seemed so hard. She sighed and wondered for the hundreth time if she was making the right decision. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them slowly, as if awaking from a nap.
“Are you ready?” Skypaw finally asked, flexing her claws.
“….Sort of.” Swanpaw mewed. Ashpaw and Icepaw didn’t reply.
Skypaw gazed at them for a moment before turning towards the mountains. “All right, then.” She muttered, flicking her tail towards the horizon. “Off we go. And may all of StarClan wish us luck.”
Cloverfoot stared at her strangely after hearing his sister speak a new clan name, but the other cats simply sighed and lifted their paws.
What a journey lay ahead.