The Three Version 2

The Three

Chapter One

"Dovewing, can you hear what the other clans are saying?" Jayfeather asked. Dovewing shook her head, looking grim. She displayed a look of happiness as Bumblestripe called to her and she trotted off.

Jayfeather sighed and looked to Lionblaze, who had a guilty look in his eye. Jayfeather knew his brother was waiting for someone. Cinderheart, Jayfeather thought. Then he heard Cinderheart's meow ring through the air.

"Lionblaze, are you ready to go hunting?" She asked. Lionblaze nodded and then looked at Jayfeather apologetically.

"Sorry, Jayfeather. I'll talk to you later." With that Lionblaze trotted off. He walked over to his den, and heard Briarlight gently coughing.

"Briarlight, maybe you should come outside and let the air silence that cough!" He told her. Her slight chuckle was cut off in a coughing fit. Jayfeather sighed, and grabbed some juniper berries coated in honey.

"Eat those. It'll soothe your throat as well as your belly."

"Alright, Jayfeather. It's probably just me coughing on a snowflake, that's all." She replied soundly. He laughed and shook his head.

"Briarlight, we're all breathing in snowflakes, and your the only one coughing!" Jayfeather nudged her. "Do your excersizes." She sighed, and started them. Jayfeather walked out of the Medicine cat's den. He walked towards Firestar's den.

"Firestar, are you okay?" Jayfeather asked. Firestar nodded, giving a slight wheeze. Jayfeather sighed. How many more cats are going to get sick? Or even die? Jayfeather looked over to the gorse tunnel as he walked out, and saw Cinderheart and Lionblaze squeezing through the thorns. Jayfeather walked to his brother. He gasped in horror and pain as he felt claws sink into his back.

"Jayfeather? What's wrong?" Cinderheart sounded worried and she also gasped in horror at the long claw marks down his back, appearing ever so slowly. He could see Lionblaze bristling and with that he knew who it was. The only person who would want to do this to a ThunderClan cat.

Tigerstar.

"Jayfeather, stay awake...no! Don't close your eyes...not yet, don't lea-" Jayfeather heard his sister's panicked voice, and thought, Don't worry...we'll all be dead, soon enough. With that he closed his eyes, leaping into the oblivion.

Chapter Two

Lionblaze & Cinderheart

"Sorry, Jayfeather. I'll talk to you later." Lionblaze trotted over to Cinderheart, and purred happily when she brushed against him. She looked at him, her eyes dark, dark pools.

"Let's go," Cinderheart exclaimed. She squeezed through the thorn barrier, Lionblaze right behind her. She turned, and Lionblaze stifled a look of horror and hatred. He looked behind her and saw Tigerstar's pitifully dark coat race through the undergrowth.

"Let's hunt here..."

A few moments later, surprisingly, Cinderheart came back with herbs, and not prey. She looked at Lionblaze, and a frown came upon her face. Her look softened as he turned and sat next to her. Cinderheart bounded forward, carrying the bundle of herbs with her. They squeezed back through the thorn barrier. He saw Jayfeather looking at them, with big, blind, blue-eyed stare. Lionblaze gasped in horror when he saw the Dark Forest warrior claw Jayfeather's back, and he saw Hollyleaf's eyes as she watched Jayfeather's cuts slowly start to gush blood...faster...faster. Hollyleaf cried into his ear,

"Jayfeather, stay awake...no! Don't close your eyes...not yet, don't lea-" Her cry ended as her neck suddenly split.

"Hollyleaf! No! Jayfeather?" Lionblaze whimpered. Suddenly, a voice caught his attention,

"Lionblaze, you will not win. If the three join the Dark Forest, ThunderClan will be spared." Lionblaze whirled around. He stared into the dark, sinister eyes of Tigerstar.

"You traitor! You...you killed them!" Lionblaze exclaimed. Suddenly he felt ashamed, because he should have fought Tigerstar from the beginning.

Tigerstar chuckled.

"Oh, no. They are not dead," Now, Tigerstar's voice was only in the wind. "Yet. Lionblaze, join the Dark Forest, and you won't lose your litter-mates."

"Lionblaze! Jayfeather's hurt! Stop staring into space!" Hollyleaf's voice rang out. Lionblaze was suddenly jolted into reality. He saw Jayfeather's convulsing form, and felt tears brim in his eyes. Only then, did Leafpool, joined by Cinderheart, race to Jayfeather with a mountain of cobwebs and a lot of marigold.

"Cinderheart, can you handle the marigold poultice while I clean Jayfeather's wound and dress it in cobwebs?" Leafpool asked. How can she act like that, when she might be losing her own son that she trained? Lionblaze thought.

"Yes, Leafpool." Cinderheart replied. Lionblaze watched his brother gushing blood, and realized that he had no choice. He didn't want his litter-mates dead.

He was going to join the Dark Forest. Tigerstar's voice rang in the wind,

"Good, brave, young warrior."

Chapter Three

Dovewing and Bumblestripe

"Dovewing, are you okay? You look kind of...down." Bumblestripe looked at her. He had a sympathetic look in his eyes. Dovewing looked at him, too, and she nodded.

"Yes, Bumblestripe, you don't need to-" While she was saying that, she had stretched out her senses. She screamed, having a look of horror as if she had heard something horrible.

"Dovewing? Dovewing are you okay?" Bumblestripe gasped and suddenly realized she probably wasn't okay. He followed her as she dashed swiftly through the trees. He gulped as he saw the camp's thorn barrier. They squeezed through and just as his head came through, he saw Jayfeather's back split into four parts, powerful claw marks. Jayfeather convulsed hitting the floor. Then Bumblestripe froze. How had Dovewing know that was supposed to happen? He looked at Dovewing. She was a normal cat. Of course she was.

"Dovewing, we need to talk." Bumblestripe beckoned Dovewing over, and bounded out of camp. She followed. She looked at him, confused.

"What is this about, Bumblestripe?" She asked, with obvious anger. Bumblestripe knew there was something she was keeping from him.

"How do you hear all of those things? How do you know what is going to happen? Why does Firestar talk to you as if you're the most important cat in the clan?" He growled at her. Dovewing gasped, and a hurt look appeared in her eyes.

"...There's a prophecy. That was given to Firestar. There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. I'm one of those cats. Lionblaze and Jayfeather are the other two. I have the power to hear things, and see a little, very far away. Jayfeather can see in other cats dreams even though he is blind, and Lionblaze can't be harmed in battle." She explained. Bumblestripe looked at her, as if to see if she was telling the truth. He found in her eyes that she was, but he knew he had to be certain.

"Then tell me what I do." He bounded away from her. He walked over to the ShadowClan border, then veered to the clan's thorn barrier, and dug a hole, put a few stalks of grass in the hole and filled it in, then raced back to Dovewing.

"Well?" He asked Dovewing answered immediately.

"You walked over to the ShadowClan border, then veered to the clan's thorn barrier, and dug a hole, put a few stalks of grass in the hole and filled it in, then raced back to me." She replied. He gasped, because it was true. Then they turned towards camp, to check on Jayfeather.

"Dovewing, you can come see Jayfeather. He'll be fine, thank StarClan, but he needs rest." Cinderheart told her. Dovewing nodded, walking into the medicine cat's den.

Jayfeather looked around. It was now night time, in StarClan and back in the real world. Jayfeather awoke in StarClan, but knew he wasn't dead. He saw the ragged grey coat and sharp yellow eyes of Yellowfang.

"Yellowfang." He dipped his head. Yellowfang looked at him.

"Your injury was fatal. But you need to visit the other two's dreams, and tell them you're okay." Yellowfang said. Jayfeather nodded, and let himself sink into Lionblaze's dreams. Lionblaze was stalking a mouse, creeping closer and closer. He finally leaped, killing the mouse, Jayfeather, who was sitting behind his brother, cleared his throat, and Lionblaze jumped, dropping his catch.

"Jayfeather! Your not dead, right?" He asked. Jayfeather shook his head. He could fully see their surroundings. They were by the abandoned two-leg place.

"I am not dead, I would be, via Cinderheart hadn't been there." He replied. He immediately saw the relief in Lionblaze's eyes. Lionblaze came to sit by Jayfeather.

"Maybe you should visit Dovewing, too, to reassure her." He replied. Jayfeather nodded, and felt himself slowly evaporate and appear in Dovewing's dream. She dreamed of...Tigerheart?!