Before the Moonstone, Clouberry speaks the words to name Goosefeather. The unseen cats chant his new name, making him wince, then Sagepaw starts chanting his name, making him feel better. Goosefeather hears the dead cats again, speaking of things yet to come. (Blood spilling blood - Brambleclaw killing Hawkfrost. Darkness, air, water, and sky uniting - I believe that was the wording used when they united against Scourge. Someone being a kittypet - probably Firestar but could also be Pinestar or Cloudtail. Water destroying someone female - I assume Feathertail dying for the Tribe but I not sure. Fire saving the clan - the prophecy about Firestar.) Later on, back at the camp, Cloudberry sends Goosefeather out to collect herbs. Stormtail leads the badger to him then runs away. Goosefeather realizes this is the moment and accepts his death at first, but then decides to attack back. Moonpaw rescues him, but she lashes out at him, angry at him. When he tries to tell her that it was Stormtail's fault she doesn't believe him, telling him that Stormtail is the one who went to the clan and told them Goosefeather was in danger, and leaves him.
The cat from his vision of the kittypets attacking finds him and offers to teach him how to fight. After they practice he asks her name and she says it is Mapleshade. Goosefeather goes back to camp where Moonpaw apologizes and offers to teach him how to fight but they just wind up arguing over him being a medicine cat. He confronts Stormtail, who denies everything. Then he is summoned to help Larksong deliver her kits. As he touches them he realizes the one will be clan leader and the other a medicine cat. He wants to tell Doestar but Cloudberry won't let him, telling him that every kit is special, and that these kits deserve to grow up without knowing the future.
Days pass and Cloudberry and Goosefeather watch Sunkit and Featherkit play and grow. Cloudberry warns Goosefeather not to let the future blind him to the present. Cloudberry tries to get Doestar to eat, but she refuses. Leaf bare is on the way and while her clan is strong she worries how they will eat all winter - especially when three litters were just born. One night while sleeping, Goosefeather wakes up to a bitter cold. He leaves the den and enters the clearing where he finds his clan starving to death around him, and a dead cat lying there. He races to Doestar's den and wakes her with the news of his vision. Pineheart comes in, having seen Goosefeather race in. He is unsure of Goosefeather's vision. Doestar has Goosefeather bring Cloudberry in and the four cats discuss what to do. Cloudberry has the idea of burying prey to save it for later. Everyone works on burying food. Stormtail asks Goosefeather if this is his doing. Goosefeather responds that Doestar wishes this, but he also mocks Stormtail, implying he can see his future. He leaves the camp and works his way towards snakerocks. While there he sees Mapleshade kill another cat. Seeing Mapleshade he asks her if this is true. Mapleshade says yes, that he hates ThunderClan and will not rest until she has her vengeance. Shocked, Goosefeather points out that she helped him. She responds that it doesn't matter, because Goosefeather has been doomed by StarClan. As she leaves him he realizes he has never seen his own future.
The clans are at the Gathering. Rain starts so they all leave. As they go Goosefeather realizes his mother is getting old. Back at camp Cloudberry says she would rather have cold then rain, since rain makes her ache. Goosefeather assures her that the rain will go away. But it doesn't and Goosefeather realizes the rain will rot the stored food. He tells Pineheart that they must dig it up immediately. They race to the food but when they unearth it, it is already rotten. Goosefeather looks to Doestar and realizes she is scared. He understands that his prophecy is going to come true and there is no way to stop it. As the seasons turn deep snow comes. Clanmates starve to death and Nettlebreeze lies dead in the clearing just like Goosefeather saw. Some of the cats resort to eating worms and bark to survive. Cloudberry tries to comfort Goosefeather, telling him there was nothing he could have done to prevent this but Goosefeather blames himself. He leaves the camp and Pearnose finds him. She tells him that his path is a difficult one - to know the future and be unable to change it.
The snow melts and the weather turns warmer. Doestar makes all the apprentices into warriors. Cloudberry fears that Doestar will die soon. She tells Goosefeather that she will care for Doestar personally, and no one is to go near her. Doestar dies quickly and Cloudberry will let no one but herself sit vigil with their leader. After sitting vigil, Cloudberry tells Goosefeather that she will bury Doestar alone and that he must take Pineheart to the Moonstone. Goosefeather realizes that Cloudberry's days are numbered. At the Moonstone Goosefeather watches as Pinestar receives his nine lives. As the ninth one is given to him he has a vision of Pinestar with a twoleg. The vision fades and Pinestar excitedly tells him he received his nine lives. Goosefeather can only nod as he realizes he has seen the future and in it Pinestar betrays his clan - and there is nothing Goosefeather can do to stop it.
So I enjoyed this story. It gave a glimpse into what lead up to Firestar's story. I was hoping for confirmation (one way or the other) on Firestar's parentage, but no luck. And I was also hoping that Goosefeather's vision of attacking the WindClan herb store would be explained but no luck.
It must be hard to see the future and be powerless to stop it. That must be a hard burden for Goosefeather to carry - and a hard life to live. All along I thought Pinestar had a choice - and at every moment he did - but in another way he really had no choice at all. I stand by my initial thought that he never should have been given the burden of leadership. He might have been okay as just a warrior, but never more then that.
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