The Fourth Apprentice/Chapter 23

==Chapter description==
:Jayfeather opens his eyes to the sound of Poppyfrost pleading with him to awaken. She is relieved to see him alive, expressing that she was unaware of Breezepelt following her to the Moonpool. Jayfeather then remembers the fight against the WindClan warrior and the unknown cat that had been aiding him. The medicine cat tells Poppyfrost that he is alright, despite the deep scratch down his side. He then tells her that Honeyfern had visited her and that she was delighted that Berrynose had chosen her. He reminds the queen that Berrynose really does love her, but she is unconvinced.
:The ThunderClan cats begin to head back to camp. Jayfeather thinks to himself why Breezepelt had followed Poppyfrost, due to the fact that she had nothing to do with the lies surrounding his family. He senses a storm coming, and tries to scent Breezepelt at the WindClan border, but finds nothing. Poppyfrost jumps, startling him, saying that a streak of lightning had spooked her. Jayfeather thinks about the lurking danger of the Dark Forest, and then informs Poppyfrost that he needs to rest.
:Jayfeather and Poppyfrost return to camp at sunhigh. Immediately, Berrynose meets them, demanding to know where his mate had been. He expresses that he did not want to lose her as well, and that she needs to return to the nursery. Jayfeather is confused as to how two she-cats had loved the tom, thinking of him as a pain in the tail. After hearing Poppyfrost duck back inside the nursery, he heads towards the medicine cat's den.
:Jayfeather fails to get comfortable in his den with the thoughts of the Dark Forest swirling about his mind. He decides to head towards the lake and find his stick. On his way out of camp, Cinderheart thanks him for bringing Poppyfrost back safely. She asks if he is okay, noticing the scratch along his side, and corrals him back inside of his den despite his protests. She chews up chervil and plasters it on the wound. Jayfeather thinks about Cinderpelt, and when the right time would be to tell the warrior of her previous life.
:After Cinderheart had finished, Jayfeather heads towards the lake once more. He hears a patrol catching up to him, with Foxleap excitedly talking about the rain. Squirrelflight scolds the tom for dropping and dirtying his moss. Jayfeather leaves the patrol behind. He finds his stick and runs his paw over the scratches, asking Rock for answers.
:Rock replies by saying that he does know what is happening in the Dark Forest, but cannot speak of it. When asked why, he says that old grievances must be settled within the Clans. Jayfeather asks the ancient cat if he knew about Leafpool and Crowfeather, and Rock replies that he did. Jayfeather is angry, demanding to know why he hadn't been told sooner, but Rock replies by saying that it was his destiny to be trained in medicine by his own mother. The medicine cat is enraged, and says that he had thought Rock was his friend. The ancient cat states that he knows too much to be any cat's friend, and is powerless to change any destiny.
:Rock vanishes, leaving Jayfeather alone with the stick. He searches for a stone on the ground, and then smashes it down on one end of the stick, causing for it to snap. Jayfeather crouches down as rain began to crash down onto the earth below, wrapping his paws over his ears.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
fr:La quatrième apprentie/Chapitre 23
Category:The Fourth Apprentice
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Omen of the Stars arc