“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’ll try it as soon as we get back. Willowshine, 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 hillside and pushed through the bushes to the rim of the hollow where the Moonpool lay. He could hear the gentle plash of the waterfall, and pictured the surface of the water dappled with the light of countless stars.

“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 belly 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 still 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 will.” 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 all he could pick up was the scent of green, growing things.