Lost Stars/Chapter 7

==Chapter description==
:Puddleshine and Shadowpaw trudge through the wind on their way to the Moonpool. Since the last half-moon meeting, more cats in ShadowClan had gotten sick and irritable due to the cold. Shadowpaw hopes that StarClan will guide them through the rough leaf-bare. Puddleshine and Shadowpaw arrive at the Moonpool, where the other medicine cats are waiting for them. Each medicine cat comments on the cold and lack of prey in their territory until Jayfeather snaps that they should get started. Shadowpaw looks down at the Moonpool and notices that it is completely frozen over. Mothwing comments that this has never happened before, not even during the leaf-bare when Flametail died. Shadowpaw bends down with the other medicine cats to touch his nose to the pool, but nothing happens.
:Frecklewish pleads with StarClan to talk to them, and Mothwing reassures her that they will get through this. Jayfeather mutters that it is no surprise that she is not worried, and when Mothwing asks what he means by that, Jayfeather hisses that she does not believe in StarClan so it is no loss to her. The other medicine cats gasp, but Mothwing says that after everything that happened in the Great Battle, she no longer denies that StarClan exists. She continues, saying that she does not believe that StarClan's intentions are always good. Alderheart brings up the recent prophecy about SkyClan, but Mothwing says that that lead to Darktail's reign, when many cats died. She calmly finishes by saying that any cat can believe what they want, but she does not think they have to panic.
:Shadowpaw asks if this means the Moonpool is no longer special, instead just a sheet of ice. Willowshine tells him that the ice will melt, but Mothwing points out that it is never been completely frozen over before. Alderheart mews that when Squirrelflight went to StarClan, they told the Clans that they have to grow closer to StarClan, but they cannot do that if StarClan would not speak to them. A silence falls over the medicine cats, and after a few heartbeats, Kestrelflight suggests they try again. The medicine cats touch their noses to the pool once more, but still nothing happens. Shadowpaw glances at his mentor, but neither Puddleshine nor any of the other medicine cats say anything. Kestrelflight once again breaks the silence by saying that they might as well end the meeting. The other medicine cats agree. Dark clouds cover the sky as Puddleshine and Shadowpaw head back to ShadowClan. Snow begins to fall, and thunder rolls overhead. Shadowpaw asks his mentor if there can be snow and lightning at the same time, and Puddleshine replies that it happens sometimes, but it feels like a bad omen to him. 
:A voice causes Shadowpaw to sit up in his nest. He asks who is there, and although there is no reply, Shadowpaw hears a voice in his head telling him to go back to the Moonpool. He asks why and wonders if he should wake Puddleshine, but feels as if something is ordering him not to. Shadowpaw thinks that this is StarClan talking to him, so he leaves his den and sneaks out through the dirtplace tunnel. He makes it to the Moonpool and brushes away the snow covering it so he can touch his nose to the ice. When nothing happens, Shadowpaw shivers and wonders if it was a mistake to come there. A rumble of thunder interrupts his thoughts, and Shadowpaw gazes upward. A white flash blazes down onto the Moonpool, temporarily blinding Shadowpaw. When Shadowpaw regains his vision, he looks around to see flashes of white crowding the sky, and hears thunder building and building to a deafening roar. Shadowpaw crouches in fear and asks what it all means before falling into unconsciousness. He soon wakes and wonders if he was struck by lightning. The voice in his head tells him that there is darkness in the Clans that must be driven out. Shadowpaw scrambles away from the Moonpool in panic, but the voice continues to repeat the message.
==Characters==
===Major===
*Shadowpaw
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
Category:Lost Stars
Category:The Broken Code arc
Category:Chapter subpages