"About time," the old cat grumbled. "My paws feel as if they're burnin' off." He lay down on his side, sticking out his paws for Jayfeather to examine.

Jayfeather felt careful y over al four of the elder's feet. They were cracked-probably from his long journey-and they felt hot and swol en. "This ointment wil help," he mewed, beginning to smooth it on. "Try to stay off your paws as much as you can. The apprentices wil bring you fresh-kil ."

Purdy let out a long sigh. "That's much better, young 'un. You may be a scrawny young piece o'

nothin', but you know what you're doin'."

"Thanks a bunch," Jayfeather muttered. "I'l come every day and-" He broke off as Longtail stretched out his neck to sniff the young cat's pelt.

"Jayfeather, that herb..."

"What herb?"

"Sticking to your pelt. I'm not sure, but I think- Mousefur, come over here," the blind elder cal ed.

"What?" Mousefur stil sounded grouchy, but she padded back to Jayfeather and sniffed at his fur.

Then he felt her lick off one of the stems he must have picked up when he crawled into the back of the store. She chewed slowly.

"What are you doing?" Jayfeather asked.

"That's it!" Mousefur's voice was shril with surprise. "Jayfeather, that's the herb Leafpool mixed in with my tansy!"

CHAPTER 20.

Jayfeather wriggled around and sniffed where some scraps of the herb stil clung to his pelt. The scent was sharp, and as he pushed his nose against the dried leaves, he felt a crinkled edge. He had no idea what the herb was. Leafpool must hardly ever use it; she certainly had never told him about it.

Rapidly he finished spreading yarrow ointment on Purdy's pads. "That should be fine," he meowed. "I'l fetch you some more tomorrow."

He whirled around and slipped out of the den, ignoring Purdy's plaintive cry of "What was al that about?"

Racing back to his own den, he found Leafpool curled up in her nest. "Leafpool, what-?" he began, skidding to a halt beside her. Then he broke off. He remembered how defensive Leafpool had been the first time he had questioned her about the mysterious herb. Better keep quiet, and find out what I can by myself.

"Jayfeather, why are you rushing around like that?"

Leafpool mewed; she sounded bone-weary. "I want to have a quick nap before sunset. The Clan is sitting vigil for Honeyfern tonight."

"Sorry," Jayfeather mumbled. To his relief, Leafpool didn't ask him what he had been about to say.

"This is the night we should travel to the Moonpool," she went on. "You'l have to go by yourself. I can't leave the vigil."

Jayfeather nodded. "Okay." He made himself sound calm, but he wanted to bounce up and down like an excited kit. Without Leafpool, surely he could find out something about the mystery herb from the other medicine cats?

A brisk evening breeze rattled the bare branches as Jayfeather padded through the forest. His earlier excitement had faded; he set his paws down confidently, but inwardly he was ful of doubt. What would the other medicine cats say about Sol?

When he reached the top of the ridge, he found Barkface and Kestrelpaw waiting for him beside the stream. Just as he reached them, Littlecloud came bounding up from the direction of ShadowClan.

Jayfeather's ears pricked with surprise as he picked up another cat's scent along with him. "Flamepaw!"

he exclaimed.

"You remember me!" Flamepaw was bubbling over with excitement, like a pool in a rainstorm. "I saw you when Tawnypelt brought me to your camp with Tigerpaw and Dawnpaw. We're kin," he added proudly.

No, we're not. A pang of regret shook Jayfeather.

He liked the three eager young apprentices.

"Flamepaw is my apprentice now," Littlecloud announced. "Tonight I'l introduce him to StarClan."

"Congratulations," Jayfeather meowed, touching the young cat on the shoulder with his tail. He remembered how disappointed Flamepaw had been when he and his littermates came to the ThunderClan camp, because Sol had convinced Blackstar that ShadowClan didn't need a medicine cat. It was great to hear that he was happy now, fol owing the path StarClan had laid out for him. This wasn't the right time to tel him that they weren't kin after al .

There won't ever be a right time, Jayfeather thought.

By the time the other cats had exchanged greetings, there was stil no sign of Mothwing and Wil owshine from RiverClan.

"We won't wait," Barkface decided. "We've a lot to get through tonight."

"Maybe they'l catch up," Littlecloud meowed.

And maybe Mothwing doesn't feel like trekking all the way to the Moonpool just to catch up on her sleep, Jayfeather thought. She usually sends Willowshine, though.

The medicine cats were beginning the last scramble up the steep slope toward the bushes that surrounded the Moonpool, when they heard a breathless yowl from behind them. "Wait! Wait for us!"

Jayfeather turned and caught the scent of Mothwing and her apprentice, growing rapidly stronger as the two cats raced to catch up.

"Sorry," Mothwing panted as they reached the bottom of the rocks. "We got held up. Petalkit got a thorn in her eye."

"Poor little thing," Barkface murmured. "I hope you got it out."

"Yes, it just took a good lick," Mothwing replied. "I left her asleep in the nursery."

"I don't know if you've tried this," Littlecloud meowed, "but I've always found celandine good for damaged eyes. Just trickle a bit of the juice into her eye to ease the pain."

"Oh, thank you!" Mothwing exclaimed. "I didn't know that. I'l try it as soon as we get back.

Wil owshine, do we have any celandine in the store?"

"I think so," the younger cat replied. "There's not much left, but it should be enough."

"Let's keep going," Barkface mewed. "We're wasting moonlight."

Jayfeather clawed his way up the rocky hil side and pushed through the bushes to the rim of the hol ow where the Moonpool lay. He could hear the gentle plash of the waterfal , and pictured the surface of the water dappled with the light of countless stars.

"I've something to say," Barkface announced as "I've something to say," Barkface announced as the cats settled down beside the pool. "Jayfeather, I know our leaders visited your Clan to talk about Sol."

Jayfeather's bel y clenched; he braced himself for what he thought was coming.

"I want to say that it must have been a very hard decision for Firestar to make," the old medicine cat went on. "I don't think any of us should say that it was the right or the wrong thing to do."

The other medicine cats murmured their agreement.

Jayfeather's ears twitched; that was the last thing he had expected to hear, and he was surprised and touched by his companions' sympathy. "It-it's in the paws of StarClan," he stammered.

"And it's time for us to share tongues with StarClan." Jayfeather heard Littlecloud rise and pad to the very edge of the water. "But first, I must present Flamepaw to the spirits of his warrior ancestors. Flamepaw, are you ready?"

"Yes." The word came out as a squeak; Jayfeather felt Flamepaw's embarrassment mingled with his awe.

"Flamepaw," Littlecloud went on, slipping into the words of the age-old ritual, "is it your wish to enter into the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?"

"It is." Now the young cat had control of his voice, though excitement stil vibrated through it.

"Then come forward."

Flamepaw padded past Jayfeather until he stood in front of his mentor.

"Warriors of StarClan," Littlecloud meowed, "I present to you this apprentice. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may understand your ways and heal his Clan in accordance with your wil ." He paused, then added in a whisper, "Crouch down and drink from the pool."

As Flamepaw obeyed, Jayfeather and the rest of the medicine cats stretched out their necks, too, and lapped a few drops of water from the Moonpool. As the icy liquid trickled down his throat, Jayfeather curled up and tried to relax. Please, StarClan, he begged, show me something useful. My Clan is tearing itself apart.

His eyes opened and he found himself on a narrow forest path, with lush ferns arching over his head on either side. Sunlight warmed his fur and dappled the grass around his paws. But he couldn't see any other cats, and when he tasted the air al he could pick up was the scent of green, growing things.

"Where are they al ?" he muttered to himself, beginning to pad forward.

Suddenly he heard a rustling from the undergrowth ahead of him, and the fern fronds dipped and swayed. Jayfeather sniffed eagerly, but the scent he picked up wasn't any of the ones he had hoped for.

"Flamepaw!" he exclaimed, as the young apprentice burst into the open and stood gazing around with wide eyes, his fur fluffed up in a mixture of excitement and fear.

"Jayfeather, it's you!" he exclaimed. "Where are we? Is this what's supposed to happen?"

"Calm down," Jayfeather responded. "Everything's fine."

Mouse dung! he added inwardly. I'm in his dream! What good will that do?

"I was hoping to meet Tigerstar," Flamepaw confessed, gazing up and down the path with bright, curious eyes. "He's my kin, and I've heard so much about him!"

"I'm not sure where Tigerstar is," Jayfeather replied, careful not to tel the new apprentice about the dark forest. "You should be glad to meet any warriors of StarClan."

"I know, but...wil they be glad to meet me?"

Flamepaw crouched down, looking very smal and scared. "I don't know what to say to them!"

Jayfeather touched the apprentice's shoulder with the tip of his tail. "When you see them, you'l be fine,"

he promised. "You just have to listen."

Flamepaw gave him a doubtful look, but he rose determinedly to his paws and set off down the path.

"See you later, then," he mewed.

Right now, I'd be happy to see any of the StarClan warriors, Jayfeather thought. Are they deliberately hiding from me?

He padded down the path in the opposite direction from Flamepaw until he reached a clearing where sweet-smel ing herbs grew around a smal pool. He remembered finding this place before, when he had spoken with Spottedleaf, but there was no sign of the tortoiseshel she-cat now.

Bounding over to the pool and looking down into the water, Jayfeather froze with shock. Though the sun stil shone, the green depths glittered with sun stil shone, the green depths glittered with countless stars.

"What are you doing down there?" he yowled, clawing at the grass. "Come talk to me!"

The only answer was a thick, stifling pelt of darkness fal ing over him; disoriented, he staggered and found his claws scraping on stone instead of grass. He was awake again, back beside the Moonpool. The other medicine cats around him were beginning to rise to their paws.

Stil frustrated and troubled by his dream, Jayfeather stood up with the other cats and climbed back up the spiral path. When they had scrambled down the rocky slope to the moorland, he found himself padding next to Littlecloud.

"I think Flamepaw managed very wel for his first time," the ShadowClan cat meowed. "He met Nightstar, who was our leader back in the old forest."

"That's good,"

Jayfeather murmured, not mentioning that he had seen the young apprentice in his dream.

"I think he'l be a great medicine cat," Littlecloud went on. "He already knows a good number of herbs."

Herbs! In his desperation to meet with StarClan, Jayfeather had forgotten about the question he had meant to ask.

"I came across this herb," he began, "and I don't know what it is." Please, StarClan, don't let him wonder why I haven't asked Leafpool!

"What sort of herb?" Littlecloud queried.

"It has a sharp scent, and the leaves feel crinkly,"

Jayfeather meowed, wishing he could have told the ShadowClan medicine cat what it looked like; even if he had been able to see it, the shriveled stalk wouldn't have given him much of a clue to the fresh herb. "It tastes cold, like frost on fur, and even the dried leaves taste fresh like grass," he added, remembering what Mousefur had told him.

"Hmm..." Littlecloud padded on thoughtful y for a few heartbeats. "It sounds like parsley to me. Its leaves have a very distinctive shape, like tiny shal ow claws around the edge, and it tastes the same fresh or dried."

"And what's that used for?" Jayfeather struggled to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"Not much," Littlecloud replied. "But it's good for stopping milk in nursing queens if their kits die."

Jayfeather stopped dead.

Or if their kits didn't die, but were given to a different cat!

His heart was pounding so hard that he thought it would burst out of his chest. Al the separate scraps of knowledge that he had gathered about his birth suddenly tumbled together into a terrifying pattern.