The Beckoning

Allegiances
DuskClan:

leader =

Deadstar-scarred dark gray tom with clear green eyes
 * deputy = Dawnstream-cream colored she-cat with light brown tabby markings
 * medcat = Sageclaw-pale tabby tom with amber eyes
 * warriors = Cedarfoot- tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Sablefur-dark red tom with a white underbelly Apprentice, Hiddenpaw

Dapplebelly- black and white she-cat

Cloudpath- white tom with light silver patches and paws

Yellowfern- golden tabby tom with ice blue eyes Apprentice, Darkpaw

Ripplewing- light brown tom

Birdcry- large dappled gray tom with light gray eyes Apprentice, Silverpaw

Shadowstorm- pure black tom with a white dash on chest and one eye

Leafcloud- pale brown she-cat with blue eyes

Icethorn- very pale gray, almost white tom with darker gray stripes

Streamheart- sleek dark brown tabby tom with clear green eyes

Sharpstream- brown tom with green eyes

Hollowspirit- dark ginger tom

Rowantail- gray and brown tabby with white spots on his ears and blue eyes Apprentice, Thrushpaw

Birchleaf- swift white tom with dark gray and light brown spots and leafy green eyes
 * apprentices = Hiddenpaw- long furred tortoiseshell she-cat

Silverpaw- dark silver tabby she-cat

Thrushpaw- sand colored tom
 * queens = Willowflame- scrawny tabby and white she-cat (mother to Solarkit-soft mottled dark brown tom with smokey blue eyes, and Snakekit- ginger tom)

Ferngaze- skinny dusty cream she-cat with a brown muzzle and iridescent blue eyes (expecting Hollowspirit's kits)

}}
 * elders = Specklerain- speckled brown she-cat

DawnClan:

Leader: Hazelstar- red and white she-cat

Deputy: Brokenhaze (forbidden mate of Birchleaf)- fluffy ginger she-cat with darker stripes and violet eyes

Medicine cat: Goldenflame- golden tabby tom

Warriors:

Mistyclaw- dark gray and white tom with foggy blue eyes

Apprentice, Silentpaw

Windflower- light brown tabby she-cat

Shrewfang- skinny gray and brown tom

Apprentice, Riverpaw

Duskfire- black and white tom

Grayheart- solid gray she-cat (Hollowspirit's forbidden mate)

Crowshine- gray-black tom with smokey blue eyes (Willowflame's forbidden mate)

Apprentices:

Silentpaw- silver she-cat with glowing green eyes

Riverpaw- golden tom with bright blue eyes

Queens:

Larkwish- long furred black she-cat with hazel eyes (Mother of Shrewfang's Kits: Crookedkit, Cloverkit, and Finchkit)

Rainsong- beautiful gray she-cat with black, brown, and ginger blecks (Expecting Crowshine's Kits)

Elders:

None

Rogues, Loners, and Kittypets:

Jazira- cream colored she-cat with clear green eyes

Winter- Small ginger tom with ice-blue eyes

Puma- tortoiseshell tom

Lava- reddish tabby tom

Bella- swift she-cat (Mother of two kits- Feather and Frisk)

Mint- tabby kittypet

Lottie- gray and black kittypet with yellow eyes

Rabbit- light brown and white tom

Prologue
Stars twinkled clearly in the indigo blue sky, lighting it like a million little flames. Not far away, two cats moved as one, their tails entertwined and faces pulled into frowns. One was the deceased Ashstar and the other his mate- Pineflower. Both were occupied in thought as they saw a young warrior appear to them beside a rocky ledge, shaking.

"Where am I?" The dark gray tom exclaimed, whirling around every which way. This wasn't a place that he'd been to before, which made him shiver. Clear green eyes gleaming with untold fright, the tom stopped when he saw two cats coming closer. They had stars in their thick coats, and were vaguely familiar.

Ashstar sighed as he caught sight of his son. Identical green eyes narrowing with contempt, the old cat led out a hmmph of annoyance. White tail flicking back and forth, he padded forward until he was nose to nose with the youngster. Ashstar had died in battle three sunrises before his sons were born to Pineflower, a dusty cream she-cat with dark blue eyes. She herself had more sympathy in her soft gaze as she took in her kit.

"Don't be afraid, Deadbranch." Pineflower mewed in a soothing manner.

Deadbranch's bristling pelt fell flat once more, and he recognized his mother at last. She had returned to him, but the tom was unknown. He remembered when the rogues had attacked their camp when he was a kit, and slaughtered all the queens (and most of the kits) in the nursery. In that hour, only he and his brother, plus his mate, Lilyfrost had survived the attack on the nursery.

Ashstar grunted, and caught Deadbranch's attention. Glad to have the young cat looking on him with something other than suspicion at last, Ashstar butted Pineflower out of the way to speak. She had told him all about Deadbranch and Sharpstream, but now was not the time to have a reunion. Buisness first. Family later.

"We have something important to tell you, your mother and I," he growled in a testy voice.

This was often the way with Ashstar, good as he was, the tom was still short tempered and impatient with young cats- especially suspicious warriors that had never really believed in StarClan or paid attention to old legends.

"What is it?!!" Deadbranch piped up excitedly like a little kit.

Rolling his eyes, Ashstar let out a long, shaky sigh. Hyper cats were beyond him, even his own son.

"Two shall thrive inside one, and when push comes to shove, one will win over the other," Pineflower and Ashstar chanted, going into a trance like state, their eyes becoming blank and limbs stiffening.

Watching with wonder in his clear green eyes, Deadbranch shivered slightly, and took a step back unconciously. Wrong move. Suddenly, he was falling into an ever blackening abyss of silence....

Chapter One
Cold frost glittered on the branches of the silent DuskClan camp. Golden leaves were outlined with brilliant sunlight, and frigid air swept through the still sleeping camp. Few cats were awake, save for a guard and then those up for the Dawn Patrol. Standing stiffly at the camp entrance, Birchleaf tried not to sleep on duty, but it was hard. He had come back from a visit with his DawnClan mate- Brokenhaze, who was the deputy of DawnClan. White and dark gray and ginger coat fluffed up against the chill, he shivered slightly, eyelids drooping. Trying to shake himself out of it in vain, he was only kept awake as a rather loud voice sounded into his ear. Her scent was familiar to him, and with it was the same, arrogant air she held herself with. Ferngaze, mate to Hollowspirit, and expecting her first litter of kits. She was also his sister, and like Birchleaf, a kit of Deadstar's. Their father was old and tired, and rarely left the camp nowadays, save for an occasional patrol or gathering or ceremonies.

"You went out again, didn't you?" She demanded in his ear, sending Birchleaf into a shower of brambles, making her purr in amusement briefly.

"H-how did you know?" The tom asked, dodging the question and fixing his sister with a glare. Not at all swayed by it, Ferngaze shook her head in disgust and strode over, tail held high in the air.

"No one except for you would be so foolish as to keep going to see Brokenhaze, the DawnClan deputy, even after you were nearly caught by a patrol last time. She had to push you into a river so that they wouldn't spot you. You know how paranoid Hazelstar is! And Deadstar doesn't need another reason to worry about the affairs of his warriors," she snarled, ears flat against her head.

Struck dumb by her unusually long speech, Birchleaf opened his mouth to snap out a retort, but found that he couldn't. Ferngaze looked down upon her brother with a sneering contempt that bordered on hatred before she whisked away to the nursery, grumbling to herself all the while. Bowing his head, Birchleaf fought an internal struggle with himself. She was partially right, it was mouse-brained to keep seeing Brokenhaze, but at the same time, both were in love. Couldn't she understand that? At least with Hollowspirit? Because Birchleaf knew a secret about that tom. Hollowspirit had a mate in DawnClan, just like he did. Her name was Grayheart, and he'd met her at a gathering once. Not the nicest of she-cats, well, then again, neither was his sister. She cares about your safety, an internal voice reprimanded him sharply, and he sighed. She doesn't have to worry about me, Birchleaf argued back, but all the fire was out of the argument. Once, Birchleaf would've fought without thought for Brokenhaze, but that was when they were still both warriors, and Hazelstar had been deputy. ''Then why do I still cling to her? ''He wondered, and that was a question he found that he couldn't answer.

Grumbling about the sharp thorns pricking into his sides, gingerly, Birchleaf untangled himself just in time to see the dawn patrol return. Hollowspirit was leading it this time, and the dark ginger warrior gave him a glare through narrowed gray eyes before passing on without a word. The other three- Silverpaw, Shadowstorm, and Dapplebelly all gave Birchleaf small greetings before going on to their own buisness. Dapplebelly gave Birchleaf a bad vibe, but he ignored it for the time being. She was below his attention, even if she was one of the more beautiful cats in the clan and his cousin.

Interested now that the camp was starting to bustle with activity, Birchleaf let his attention slide to watch the cats. Dapplebelly apparently was with her on again, off-again mate Rowantail, as both were sharing tongues quite comfortably. Her lazy grin had been replaced with lust, which the warrior hated. She was just playing with Rowantail, as she liked to do with every tom in the clan, but that didn't necessarily make her evil. You just didn't want to get on her bad side, that was all. However, most things were the usual, except for the fact that Deadstar was out and about. The old dark gray tom's scarred pelt marked him out from the other well fed warriors as he ate a mouse and looked thoughtful. Despite the fact that their leader was aging, Deadstar's clear green gaze still held power and energy that even the most enthusiastic warrior lacked. My father is sure one of a kind, he thought, feeling a twinge of mixed warmth and frustration.