(As you know, credits for the above!)

Copperheart wished that he didn't have to watch Echoclaw pacing around camp in the rain, shaking, or wandering out of camp alone just to yowl her frustration. He would have much rather took all of her visions, and all of her stress, to have her be happy and...and.....grumpy again. Just normal. "Echoclaw....?" Poppykit meowed from the nursery, her voice rising in pitch. Echoclaw popped her head back into camp, her eyes narrowing. "I'm coming," She breathed, trying to sound angry but failing miserably. At this point in the day, all she sounded like was an exasperated and tired cat Copperheart had never knew.

"Echoclaw, Whitefeather's up!" Duskheart exclaimed excitedly, her sandy colored pelt ruffled with excitement. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Echoclaw murmured, steering away from Poppykit and towards the den. "Echopaw, it's time to go gather herbs." Whitefeather declared from his nest, his eyes a bit more clear and focused. Echoclaw hurried over to him, snatching up a bundle of herbs from a pile of herbs that looked.....all the same.

"I'm Echoclaw now." She corrected impatiently. Whitefeather's eyes widened. "Congratulations!" He meowed. "Fogbranch alway was the best of mentors," He added wistfully. Copperheart turned away, unable to watch the two poor medicine cats for any longer. "Super upsetting, huh?" Robinflight asked as he padded towards the fresh-kill pile. "Whitefeather? Or that my apprentice is still fixing dens and replacing moss instead of going out on patrols?" He grunted.

"I was talking about all the stress Echoclaw's under. You seem as upset as her, maybe even more!" Robinflight joked, prodding him playfully with a paw after she ducked down and grabbed a mouse by its tail. Copperheart leaned at the push before wordlessly padding out of camp, where he would head to his field. He could never tell Robinflight why he was so upset, or why Echoclaw seemed so helpless all of the sudden. He barely even knew what was going on. The one thing Copperheart did know was that ShadowClan was in a whole bunch of trouble.

"Hey, you can't just walk out like that!" Robinflight hissed, dashing after him. Copperheart narrowed his eyes at the mud-veiled ground. "It's c-cold, we'd better get back to camp," the brown tabby added more pleasantly. "You can, but I'll be out for a while. Tell Curltail I'm going to hunt, also." He added, still walking away. "Copperheart, you've been acting.....different lately." The she-cat began. "I'm growing up, Robinflight." He muttered. You should, too. He thought, curling his claws into the ground. Though, he did know that he had been acting less optimistic and playful lately. I just don't feel like it!

"Nonononono, your personality doesn't change over a moon's time." Robinflight argued, sliding in beside him, her ears flattened against the rain. Copperheart sighed. "Can't you tell I'm genuinely concerned about you?" She meowed. "Yes, I can. I'm telling you, nothing is wrong!" He exclaimed, wishing he could tell her what he was worried about. Or more like who he was worried about.

Robinflight fell silent and slowed her pace. "O-okay, I'll tell Curltail that you're hunting." She said sulkily. "But I'll be here to listen to you, unlike Echoclaw, I'll listen to your problems, not give you more."
. . .
"Woah!" Echoclaw raised her head at Stemthorn's voice. "I was on a walk with Shardstorm, and you all know that huge dip I'm the territory? Well, it's flooded!" The young queen exclaimed. Whirlwind dropped the paw that she was dressing with a gasp. "The dip?" He asked disbelievingly. "It hasn't been flooded in all my lifetime," he breathed. "It's more like a ditch," Petalbreeze commented from the shelter of the elders den.

Echoclaw jerked Whirlwind's claw back into her grasp with a hiss of annoyance, wiping off the dirtied poultice and restarting on it. "Yes, it's flooded over, deep enough a cat could fall in and drown!" Poppykit whimpered as Mistnose let out a cry of worry for her kits. "Let's block it off, then." Reedstar announced, his voice carrying across camp. "With what?" Curltail asked his leader.

"With sticks, and twigs. We can put a strong scent marker around it just in case any cat accidentally strays near it." Echoclaw felt her chest puff out with pride for her father before she realized what this meant. The water level would only continue to rise, and it would eventually become too much for her to keep to herself. Oh, if only Whitefeather would come to his senses! Echoclaw thought desperately, knowing that her old mentor would know how to sort all of this out.

"....Shardstorm, Stripeheart, and Mousestrike, come with me." Reedstar ordered firmly. "I can-" Shardstorm protested. "I'll watch Stemthorn for you," Streamfang muttered, annoyed. "I'll make sure she doesn't give birth two moons early, or drown in a puddle." She added sarcastically. Echoclaw snorted as she wrapped a leaf securely around Whirlwind's paw. "Ah, you think that's funny?" Whirlwind asked playfully. "I'd like to go and see you tell that to Shardstorm," He rasped. "On a day I would like my ears clawed off, maybe I will," She agreed, feeling a jolt of happiness for the first time since Whitefeather had gotten injured.

"Favorite cat," Echoclaw heard the old warrior snort as he limped away, keeping his paw off of the ground. She turned back into the elder's den, where she was still keeping Whitefeather while the medicine den got reinforced. "Whenever you're finished with Whitefeather, I need some stuff for my joints." Petalbreeze meowed, tired from......from.....being old.

"Alright." Echoclaw answered, rubbing a pad against Whitefeather's head. She drew it away, pleased to sense the bump's swelling had gone down. "He'll be better in no time at all," Orbeye meowed cheerfully through a mouthful of moss. "Here, sit up, Petalbreeze, I'll put this in your nest," He offered patiently. Echoclaw left the elders den to check on the kits.

"Branchkit, Poppykit, Ripplekit, Birchkit, Splotchkit, Velvetkit, over here!" She called from under the shelter of a bush. The six kits let out high-pitched squeaks as the raindrops penetrated their fluffy fur all the way to Echoclaw. "Here, tell me if any of you feel sick," She said, wanting to make this as quick as she could. "Uh, I was coughing yesterday." Velvetkit meowed. "For how long, how many times?" Echoclaw queried, leaning towards the fluffy brown kit.

"She choked on a crow's feather for.....for....infinite heartbeats!" Splotchkit laughed. Birchkit and Branchkit giggled with him, their laughs turning into cackles. "You all are creepy." Velvetkit muttered, clearly embarrassed. "Uh, anything else?" Echoclaw asked, just wanting some spare time to walk in the forest.....or more like finding Copperheart, he still hadn't gone back to camp. Robinflight had said that he had gone hunting, but Echoclaw didn't trust that she-cat worth a mouse-dung.

When she was pulled out of her train of thought, she realized that the kits had scampered away, back into the nursery. "I'm going out!" Echoclaw announced to no cat in particular, leaving the bush and taking confident strides across the soaked ground. "Copperheart?" She called, padding through the dripping-wet forest. "Echoclaw?" A voice called, one that didn't belong to Copperheart. "It's not a medicine cat's duty to go searching for warriors." Whispershade muttered. "Well, no other cat is looking for him, he's been gone all day!" She growled angrily.

"Copperheart can take care of himself."

"He shouldn't be off alone."

"He can do what he likes, he's a warrior."

"What if a badger attacks him?" Echoclaw asked with a sudden wave of anxiety.

"He's gone hunting, the badgers were chased out of where we usually hunt, around the border." Whispershade answered.

"I don't believe Robinflight."

Whispershade chuckled. "To be honest, I don't either." He laughed. "But she has no reason to lie about that."

Echoclaw let out a grunt of dissatisfaction. "I'm checking on him, I think I know where he is." She muttered.

Whispershade fell silent and padded away. "Don't get yourself killed," He added under his breath.

Suddenly, Echoclaw was aware of how hungry she had been feeling, a random realization, but prey had been low. She walked through the mud, her ears pricked for any noise of a patrol she would have to avoid. If she didn't want to get sent back to camp, of course. "Great StarClan, Echoclaw! You're...." Copperheart's surprised voice trailed off. "I'm what?" Echoclaw snapped, back to her regular self for the time being.

"You're....amazing." He breathed before scuffling his paws. "Sorry." He muttered. Echoclaw rolled her eyes. "I know I'm a mess, shut up, mouse-brain." She growled. "You shouldn't have left camp without telling any cat." She hissed, lashing her tail. "I told Robinflight," Copperheart argued. "And I can look out for myself." He added defensively.

Echoclaw let out a loud sigh, sitting down on her haunches. "I know, I know, I was just worried after all of my visions." She confessed, closing her eyes. "They've just been getting worse, I need to tell some cat." She meowed. Copperheart pressed his sodden pelt against hers. "We already have, but if you really wanted to, I could come with you to tell Reedstar," He offered.

"No." She shook her head. "They're my visions, you don't have to try and help." "But I want to." The warrior said softly. "I'm part of the prophecy, just like you. StarClan obviously intended for us to share the burden together." Echoclaw had to admit that made sense, at least now she didn't have to ask for his company, which was what she longed for so badly. But I'd never tell him that! Echoclaw shook out her fur and headed back along her fading scent trail. "Shouldn't we be going, if we want to tell Reedstar before nightfall?" She asked.

"Oh, yes!" Copperheart replied, falling in beside her. I wish I could let him know how much I really care about him, Echoclaw thought sadly. But it's a medicine cat's duty not to.
. . .
Copperheart's tail twitched uneasily as he stood beside Echoclaw at the entrance to Reedstar's den. "Come in!" The gray tom said cheerfully. Echoclaw ducked in first, then Copperheart. "YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!" Echoclaw exclaimed, digging her claws into the hard stone floor, her blue eyes wild with moons of confined secrets. Suddenly, a pang of sympathy for the blind she-cat almost sent Copperheart staggering. She had to deal with more than most leaders dealt with in their lifetime.

"Okay...." Her father agreed, his amber eyes flicking questioningly towards him. Copperheart didn't know if he should begin or not, sagging in relief when Echoclaw began. "I told you all at the Gathering, the visions of water! Copperheart sees the future-" "Wait, what?" Reedstar interrupted her. "Copperheart?" He echoed. Echoclaw nodded earnestly. "Yeah, and I see the past, we b-" "What? I always knew you were special, Echoclaw, but you see visions?" He let out a purr.

"Birchwing always said you were." The ShadowClan leader murmured, his gaze turning towards Copperheart. "But why Copperheart?" Copperheart knew the tom didn't intend to sound rude, but it had came out like that, and he dug his claws into the stone floor of the ground. "Anyways, so we see things that did happen, or will happen, and they all have to do with water....." Echoclaw went into detail about all of the visions, Copperheart chipping inattentive times to point out where the truth had been stretched.

"Um....so...the Clans need to leave?" Reedstar asked once they had finished, his fur ruffled uneasily. Curltail had barged in during the conversation, and now he was staring at Echoclaw and Copperheart, baffled. Echoclaw nodded earnestly, her blue eyes wide with anticipation for what the ShadowClan leader would say. "Echoclaw.......I can't just lead my Clan-and the others-out of their territory based off of....unsupported information." The tom bowed his head and looked up at his daughter. "I'm sorry....it's jut a risk we can't afford to take." He murmured.

It was Copperheart's turn to say something. "All of this weather, it will flood our camp!" He exclaimed. Curltail bowed his head, agreeing with his leader. "This is just some bad weather." He meowed. Echoclaw's tail lashed angrily."Are you all serious? You think I made this up? Well you are wrong!" She hissed, baring her teeth. "StarClan didn't give me visions just to torture me with them!" Copperheart stood closer beside her. "It's true, there's no reason for it if they didn't want us to share our visions." He offered calmly.

Reedstar closed his eyes, his tail flicking back and forth uneasily. "I can't just order the Clans to leave, we need a sign from StarClan!" He exclaimed. "We are your signs!" Echoclaw insisted. Copperheart gave her an encouraging nod, though he knew she couldn't see it. Reedstar sighed, his sadness clear in his voice as he flicked his tail towards the entrance of the den. "You all should get back to your duties," He ordered, his fur prickling uneasily.

Echoclaw opened her jaws to protest before obviously thinking better of it, snapping them shut with a fierce glare. Copperheart led the way out of the den, his heartbeat thumping rapidly in his chest. He had just argued with Reedstar! What. If he banishes us? Exile? He thought breathlessly. "Echoclaw, what if he banishes us?" He asked worriedly. "Because we argued with him?" She asked with a snort. "Imagine how many times he and Curltail have argued, or him and Birchwing!" She snorted.

"He won't banish us." Echoclaw concluded. "Besides, I'm his daughter. And you're....you're like the future deputy or something." She meowed, bristled tail angrily. "But he should've known better than to ignore our warnings." She growled. "They'll all pay." She said, her paws twitching. "What do you mean?" Copperheart asked uneasily. "I mean we're all going to die!" Echoclaw yowled, loud enough for Duskheart and Curltail to stop sharing tongues from under the shelter of Meeting Rock and look at her with disturbed expressions.

"We're going to die!?" Poppykit squealed, raindrops beading on her whiskers. "Yep, we're all going to die." Echoclaw confirmed. "You can blame Reedstar for that." "Reedstar's going to kill us?!" Splotchkit asked disbelievingly, scampering out to the side of his denmate. "No, no, he won't kill you, stop being so foolish!" Sorreltail chided the kits, herding them back into the nursery. "What's going on?" Firepaw bounded away from the almost-finished medicine cat den. "Echoclaw says we're gong to die," Orbeye meowed uneasily. "I've never known her to be a lying cat." He added, his gaze flicking to Echoclaw.

Copperheart shuffled his paws uncomfortably as Streamfang ducked out of the warriors den. "Echoclaw thinks we're all gonna die, huh?" She mumbled, stretching. He cringed at the way she said it so dismissively, like she didn't believe her. "We will, if we don't leave." Echoclaw announced, raising her muzzle. "insane." Copperheart heard Mousestrike murmur. "Hush! That's no way to speak about your medicine cat!" A voice scolded from the elder's den. Whitefeather was dragging himself out of the den, his spine bending disturbingly far as he did.

"Whitefeather's up?" Some voices asked. Echoclaw's ears pricked, her icy blue eyes widening. "Whitefeather!" She exclaimed, rushing up to her former mentor and giving him a boost onto her shoulders. "I'm okay, I just can't walk." The white furred tom meowed, shooting a glare at Mousestrike. "Echoclaw knows what she's talking about." He growled, sliding off of the cream she-cat. Copperheart's pads tingled with apprehension as Reedstar bounded out of his den to get in front of the crippled tom.

"You should be resting." He said, though it came out as more of an order. "And you." He shifted his steady amber gaze over to Echoclaw. "We are not going to die, it's just a little water." "Some water," Whirlwind muttered, raindrops making his pelt cling to his scrawny frame. He raised his eyes to the gloomy gray sky. "It doesn't show signs of stopping." He reported. Suddenly, the downpour hardened. Copperheart shivered as fat raindrops sank beneath his pelt. "Stemthorn, get in the nursery!" Shardstorm yowled.

"I'm going, I'm going." The gray she-cat pelted into the nursery, her fur fluffed out. "Bye!" Copperheart called as Echoclaw guided Whitefeather back to their newly-repaired medicine den. "Copperheart, come on!" Heronpool hissed. "I am not making my nest next to you," Shardstorm laughed. "Unless I want to be Frogstorm by the end of the night." Fuzzfoot snorted from his moss bed next to Robinflight's.

Copperheart noticed that Shardstorm's nest was alone in the corner of the den, and how his littermate looked lonely as he settled into it. "I miss Stemthorn." The warrior admitted. Whirlwind snorted. "She's across camp if you want to see her." He scoffed. "I mean-" Copperheart didn't get the chance to hear the rest of his brother's reply, just thinking about Echoclaw. The whole camp didn't believe her after her claim. Copperheart's heart hurt as he realized that the she-cat was right, they were all going to drown if they didn't leave.

......and he needed to stop thinking about her.

Copperheart looked up at the gray sky, where the moonlight filtered through the dark skies, staining the soaked ground and puddles with milky white light.

This was all Beestar's fault.

That Echoclaw was now distanced. And scared.

He was the one who made her a medicine cat, the first cat to disrespect her.

That small, fluffy, blue eyed....beautiful kit didn't deserve the life she had grown up in.

She didn't deserve to not be able to see her family, only treating unseen wounds and wasting her life away.

Suddenly, a surge of anger overcame Copperheart. This was not his father's fault, it was StarClan's fault. She would have never been a medicine cat if she hadn't have been born blind. Echoclaw would've been sitting beside Copperheart, watching glistening raindrops patter to the ground, making the silver puddles ripple, then still. Or maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she'd be sleeping beside Stemthorn in the nursery. Maybe she'd be carrying his kits.

Not now. Copperheart shuddered and dug his claws into the ground in an attempt to stop himself from yowling at the stars, asking them why it was destined to be this way.

Word count: 3059

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