Hey, everyone!

Sorry it's been a few weeks since I last updated this, but I wasn't feeling it as quickly as I did with the previous chapters.

It took some time to get this written the way I wanted, but it's now up for you readers to enjoy!

~~=—+O+—=~~

Featherstar looks around the camp, horrified. "What happened here?" She turns to Cinderfrost.

The smoky-gray she-cat shrugs. "I don't know, but I'll go find out." She rushes away and leaves her leader standing there with the cats who went to the Gathering.

The regal gray she-cat turns to Robintail, who's now grieving over her brother.

"Featherstar."

She turns to see Smallflame pad up to her. He silently beckons for her to follow as he pads to the medicine den.

"What is it, Smallflame?" Featherstar sits down once they've gone inside the den.

The small ginger tabby sighs. "We didn't lose Lightcloud and Mosstalon."

She sighs. "That's a relief."

He looks away, his eyes clouded with worry. "They're both fine, but there were ... complications." He turns to look at his leader. "Lightcloud has a very badly injured leg and both of Mosstalon's eyes are infected. I can't do anything more to help them as they currently are."

Featherstar sighs and hangs her head. "The important thing is that they're both alive and we didn't lose any warriors."

"What will happen to Lightcloud and Mosstalon?"

She bows her head. "I don't know." She gazes up at him, determined. "But we have to support them both in these hard times."

Smallflame dips his head in understanding. "Who's going to teach them how to survive? We have no cats in any clan that has been affected like they both have."

Featherstar starts to speak, but the den suddenly grows chilly and the air stills.

"I believe that we can help with that."

Both the clan leader and the medicine cat turn to see two cats standing before them, stars scattered in their pelts.

"Hello there." A smoky gray she-cat with blue eyes appears in front of them.

Featherstar dips her head and Smallflame follows suit.

"We've been sent by Starclan as aides to help your injured cats once they've healed enough to leave the medicine den."

The medicine cat studies the three cats for a while and his eyes widen in shock. "You-You're Cinderpelt! I've heard stories about you from one of the elders. You were made a medicine cat because of a leg injury that prevented you from being a warrior."

Cinderpelt dips her head. "Indeed. I believe that I can help the cat with a leg injury very similar to the one I had. He is destined to be a warrior and I will help him achieve that."

Featherstar looks at the other two cats accompanying the former medicine cat.

Cinderpelt notices and decides to introduce the other two. "This is Brightheart." Her fluffy tail flicks towards a white she-cat with ginger tabby patches, the warrior dipping her head in greeting. "And this is Jayfeather." A lithe gray tabby tom with blue eyes nods to the two, his disinterest clear in his ice blue eyes.

Featherstar's eyes widen. "It's such an honor to meet one of the Three. And an ancestor of one of my senior warriors." She dips her head in respect.

Brightheart pads forward. "Your warriors will still be able to do what they were doing. You just have to be patient and help them adjust to their new circumstances."

Cinderpelt nods. "I believe that they can adapt. I know that all three of us did." She glances at Brightheart first and then Jayfeather.

Smallflame sits down. "When will the training for Mosstalon and Lightcloud begin?"

"As soon as they've healed enough for both of them to leave your den." Brightheart sighs. "It's going to be quite a shock for both of them. Especially Mosstalon."

Jayfeather steps forward. "Don't go feeling too badly about it. We'll help them get back to being warriors." His lip curls up into a sneer of distain as he fades away.

"We'll be returning in the next few moons to check on the hurt cats." Cinderpelt and Brightheart disappear, leaving both leader and medicine cat in the dim cave.

"How long will Mosstalon and Lightcloud be confined to your den?" Featherstar looks at Smallflame.

The tom shakes his head. "It all depends on how quickly they heal."

The she-cat sighs. "We must tell the clan. They deserve to know that Mosstalon and Lightcloud didn't go to Starclan."

Smallflame nods and he follows her out of the den, pausing to turn to Pinetooth. "Watch over them please."

The brown tom dips his head silently and Smallflame pads forward to catch up with his leader.

~~=—+O+—=~~

"Cats of Thunderclan, I have some good news." Featherstar gazes at her clan. "Mosstalon and Lightcloud will live."

Murmurs of relief spread throughout the group and Robintail sits down in exhaustion.

The clan leader sighs. "But they've been injured too badly for us to brush it off lightly."

"What do we have to do, Featherstar?" A ginger she-cat asks.

Featherstar looks at her clanmate. "We have to remember that, while their limitations keep them from doing things as quickly as the rest of us can, they are no less our Clanmates and should be treated no less."

Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the group.

The she-cat sighs. "What needs to be dealt with is who would have struck the camp when we had hardly any cats guarding it." Her face steels up with cold anger. "And why they felt the need to attack two of my warriors."

"If those intruders dare attack us again, I'll claw their eyes out and give them something to remember us by!" Ravenstorm yowls. Murmurs and yowls of agreement ripple through the crowd like water and Featherstar silences the gathered cats with a caterwaul.

"We need to keep alert for these rogues. Cinderfrost, I want you to organize extra patrols."

The dark gray deputy dips her head. "If the rogues make another attempt to invade, we'll know about it."

Featherstar's tail twitches. "The Clan meeting is dismissed."

Cinderfrost begins to sort out the patrols and Redpaw notices that his sister Snowpaw had disappeared from next to him. He glances around the clearing and notices her white fluffy tail sliding through the vines of the entrance to the medicine cat clearing.

'What is she up to?'

~~=•+—O—+•=~~

Several sunrises have passed since the rogues attacked and both Mosstalon and Lightcloud were injured. Smallflame and Pinetooth have been diligently caring for their patients and Featherstar comes to visit every sunhigh.

Lightcloud blinks and grunts as he lifts his head up to look around. 'Why am I in the ... medicine den?' He sits up, his stiff muscles protesting.

"Lightcloud, you've awoken. Thank Starclan."

The white tom turns to see Pinetooth crouching over another cat, busy as ever.

Lightcloud shakes his head, dazed. "What happened?"

"What happened is you didn't go to Starclan." Smallflame pads up to him, carrying a variety of different herbs in his paws. "I'm giving you some poppy seeds for the pain you're probably experiencing."

The white tom leans forward to lick up the seeds when pain erupts in one of his back legs.

"Great Starclan! The wound opened up. Pinetooth, fetch me some horsetail, comfrey, and some cobwebs."

The brown tom nods and disappears into the medicine den.

Lightcloud turns to see one of his back legs is missing fur and skin in many places, revealing the sensitive muscles and swollen skin around the gaping wound.

Pinetooth soon returns and he helps Smallflame make a poultice for Lightcloud's leg.

"Your leg is healing well. But you will need to stay off of it once you've been allowed to leave the medicine den."

The white tom stares at the two medicine cats, his eyes wide in shock. "Will ... Will I still be able to ... be a warrior?"

Smallflame and Pinetooth turn to each other. "That question will be answered in the coming moons." The elder medicine cat sits down in front of the white tom.

"What you should be focused on right now is getting yourself completely healed up." Pinetooth applies some chervil juice to the edges of the poultice and hops away to put the herbs back in the storage.

"I have to check on Mosstalon now," Smallflame says, getting to his paws. "I need you to rest and let your leg heal." He pads over to his other patient and Lightcloud is left to his own thoughts.

~~=—+O+—=~~

A few sunrises have passed since Lightcloud woke up and Mosstalon had begun to stir from the unconsciousness, during which his sister, Robintail, and Snowpaw were present for.

The gray-and-white tom blinks and, slowly, the sleep clears from his eyes. The first thing he notices is that he can't see like he used to, that everything around him is blurry.

"You're awake... We were so scared that you'd gone to Starclan."

Mosstalon turns his head and tries to pinpoint where the voice came from.

"Mosstalon, it's me. It's Robintail."

The blind tom calms down a little. "Robintail? Wh-What are you...?"

"You were injured. Very badly." Smallflame pads forward. "I've done all I can. I can't heal your eyes, though."

"But... how can I fulfill my warrior duties? I can't see anything." Mosstalon, at this point, is making attempts to stand up on his own, but fails and falls over.

"We'll work on that once you've fully healed." Smallflame pads past the tom. "For now, just rest."

Once the medicine cat leaves, Mosstalon lays his head on his paws. "I wish Featherstar had chosen me to go to the Gathering." His blind gaze shifts to the blurry figure of his sister. "Then this wouldn't have happened to me, Robintail."

The she-cat sighs and taps her striped tail on the soft grass. "Featherstar made a wise decision to have you remain behind to guard the camp."

Her brother sighs sadly. "I still really wanted to go with you to our first Gathering together as warriors."

"Mosstalon, don't believe that Starclan is against you. Featherstar wouldn't have assigned you to stay behind if she didn't value your skills as a warrior." Snowpaw tries to reassure him. "I believe that she made the very best decision. She trusts that you have the valor and honor that she looks for in her warriors."

Mosstalon lifts his head to look at her blurry form. "Thanks, uh... Mousedung, I forgot your name." He looks down in embarrassment.

"Snowpaw."

He looks up at her. "Snowpaw, thank you."

She dips her head in embarrassment and pads out of the medicine den clearing.

Robintail buries her nose in her brother's long fur. "I'll come back after dusk to see you." She pads out of the clearing and Mosstalon rests his head on his paws.

'What am I going to do now?'

~~=—+O+—=~~

That was a lot of emotional stuff—

I especially like the little hint that I gave for a future ship. Just enough to be present, but subtle enough to not ruin the bonding moment between Mosstalon and Robintail.

For those who don't know, Mosstalon and Robintail are siblings.

I think this chapter turned out really well.

Cya all in the next chapter!