Fallenstar's Reign: Part 2

'''Cats that have been added to ThunderClan:

Mothflight-golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

Blackcloud-black and gray tom with blue eyes.

Thrushwing-pale brown she-cat with yellow eyes.

Whiteclaw-white tom with blue eyes.'''

Chapter 4: Surprise!
Fallenstar padded to Snowfrost's den. Her stomach had been giving her problems the past few days, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She pushed her way past the bramble screen and into the dim cave-den.

"Snowfrost?" The black she-cat called.

"I'm over here, Fallenstar." Fallenstar walked around the corner and found the white she-cat soaking moss in the small pool.

"Do you have anything for stomachaches? It's been bugging me for the past three days!" Fallenstar asked. Snowfrost's blue eyes had a glint of amusement in them. What was so funny?

"Let me check you out. Lay on your side," Snowfrost instructed.

Fallenstar did as told, and felt Snowfrost's paws push down on her sides. She stopped after a moment and looked at Fallenstar.

"So?" Fallenstar mewed.

"You're expecting kits!" Snowfrost mewed excitedly.

"No, I can't be. You're wrong!" Fallenstar hissed. There was no way she was having kits, how would she take care of the clan?

"Was I wrong about Hawkfeather or Whitedawn? Or Honeystreak? No I wasn't. Trust me, Fallenstar, you're going to be fine." Snowfrost rested her tail on Fallenstar's shoulder in reassurance.

"How long until they're due?"

"About a moon and a half. You don't have to go to the nursery, you can stay in your den." Snowfrost mewed. Fallenstar groaned in unhappiness, "Okay, thanks."

She walked out of the medicine den, shaking. She looked for Lakepelt, he needed to know. There was no sign of him in the warrior's den or anywhere else in camp.

"Have you seen Lakepelt, Sparrowtalon?" Fallenstar asked the dark tabby tom.

"Yeah, he went on Leafheart's patrol." Sparrowtalon's ear flicked as a fly buzzed.

"Okay, thanks." Fallenstar mewed and then bounded to the Highledge. She scrambled up the rocks and then slid into her den. She layed on her mossy nest, ears flat and fur bristling.

''I'm not having kits, Snowfrost is a liar! No...I can't say that. StarClan I don't want these kits!''

Fallenstar raised her head as a voice sounded at the lichen that hid the cave entrance.

"Come in, Darkclaw!" She called. The black-furred tom pushed his way through the lichen and sat beside Fallenstar.

"Isn't it time that my and Leafheart's kits are made warriors?" He asked, blue eyes flickering.

"Yes. But I'll wait to discuss this when Leafheart comes back. Surely you two would like to pick out their warrior names together?" Fallenstar mewed.

"Okay. Yes I would like her to be here too, I was just asking if it's time." Darkclaw said, padding towards the entrance.

"Their ceremony will be tonight after the clan has eaten," Fallenstar called after him as he left.

She got up out of her nest and looked at the rocky walls in the cave. She studied it, seeing paw marks left on it. Walking on the sandy floor, she stained her forepad on a clump of purple berries that grew in the very back of the dim cave. Fallenstar raised that paw and placed it on the wall, holding it for a few heartbeats then sliding back to the ground.

Were any of these prints made by Firestar or Bluestar? Of course, Fallenstar had no knowledge of ThunderClan back then, but she knew of Firestar and Bluestar.

Well now my pawprint is on the wall, I'll be here forever!

She bounded out of the den upon hearing Lakepelt's voice talking to Nightshadow.

"Lakepelt!" She yowled, bursting down the Highledge.

Lakepelt stared at her in surprise at her sudden loudness and excitement. But underneath all that was a shadow in Fallenstar's eyes that represented regret and anger.

"I have to speak with you, now!" Fallenstar mewed, flicking her tail in apology to Nightshadow.

"Okay..." Lakepelt trailed off, following Fallenstar back up the rocky ledge and into her cave.

"So, I went to Snowfrost today, and I got some surprising news..." Fallenstar started. She saw Lakepelt's blue eyes light up, as if he already knew.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm having kits!" Fallenstar yowled happily, she felt better after moments of thinking about it, and maybe having kits wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Really? That's great! When are you going to tell the clan?" Lakepelt purred.

"I was thinking tonight, after I have Birchpaw, Darkpaw, Ravenpaw and Tigerpaw's ceremony." Fallenstar's eyes brightened up.

"Great! When will they be due?" Lakepelt asked.

"Snowfrost said in almost two moons," Fallenstar answered. "I have to let you go, Leafheart and Darkclaw are going to speak with me about their kits."

She watched Lakepelt leave her den, and she followed moments after.

Chapter 5: Gone
"Leafheart, would you like to speak about the names for your kits?" Fallenstar asked, walking up to the tortoiseshell she-cat who was sharing-tongues with Darkclaw.

"Yes," Leafheart mewed. Fallenstar didn't feel like walking all the way back up to her den, so instead they went beneath the Highledge, away from the noise of the camp.

"I would like Ravenpaw's name to be Ravenfeather, and Birchpaw to be Birchflame," Darkclaw suggested.

"Yeah and Darkpaw's to be Darktail and Tigerpaw to be Tigerpelt," Leafheart added.

"Very well, you chose excellent names. I'll hold their ceremony after the evening hunting patrol returns," Fallenstar dipped her head to the two warriors and then left to the river.

She pulled herself through the tight thorn tunnel, snagging fur along the way. She bounded through the silent forest, feeling the freedom of it instead of being locked away in camp.

The lake was just up ahead, Fallenstar could scent the salt and sand-familiar scents of the lake.

She spotted a small figure near the shoreline, and a bigger cat a little ways off.

That's weird, I'll go see who it is.

She ran to the shoreline cat and noticed it was Tigerpaw.

"What are you doing out of camp? Your warrior's ceremony is tonight!" Fallenstar mewed.

Tigerpaw jumped, his fur fluffing in surprise, "Oh! I didn't hear you coming. I just felt like taking a walk."

Fallenstar turned to look at the shadow of the cat that was in the distance, but she noticed it disappeared.

"You should really be careful out here alone. You never know what could happen," Fallenstar added, sitting down on the soft sand. She sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of a cat that was familiar, but the air was clean and only smelled of water and salt.

She turned to lick sand off of her tail, and when she turned back around, Tigerpaw was gone.

"He must've gone back to camp. I guess I'll hunt before I go back," she mewed to herself.

She left the shoreline and entered the forest once more, opening her jaws to scent for prey.

Squirrel!

Fallenstar looked up into the fork of a big oak tree, spotting it's fluffy tail hanging off.

She leaped into the tree, gripping the bark silently. She bounded upwards and slunk through the leaves, careful not to rustle them.

Gotcha! Fallenstar pounced onto the squirrel, killing it with a nip to the spine. She leaped down from the tree and headed for camp. She snapped a twig on accident as she walked, making a thrush take flight.

"Fox-dung!" A hiss of frustration came from around the other side of the tree.

Looks like I ruined Blackcloud's catch...

"Sorry!" Fallenstar mew came muffled as she turned the corner.

"Oh that was you? I'd think a clan leader would have more sense to watch where they're putting their paws other than snapping a twig!" Blackcloud growled.

"Watch what you're saying, Blackcloud! You want to go rogue again?" Fallenstar snapped.

"No..." Blackcloud mewed softly. Fallenstar accepted him into ThunderClan three moons ago when she found him wounded in twolegplace as a rogue.

"Okay then. Never disrespect your clan leader again," Fallenstar mewed, walking off.

She entered camp and set the squirrel on the fresh-kill pile.

"Have you seen Tigerpaw?" Leafheart asked, her amber eyes glinted with worry for her son.

"Yeah when I went down to the lake. Then he just disappeared," Fallenstar mewed.

"You didn't see him on your way back to camp?" The tortoiseshell warrior asked.

"No." Fallenstar didn't care to answer any questions right now, and padded away.

''Why's she worrying so much? He could just be out hunting.''

Then she got a sick feeling to her stomach, a feeling of doubt and worry. Her intuition was telling her that Tigerpaw was gone, that the shadow she saw by the lake wasn't one of her warriors.

"Come with me," Fallenstar mewed, returning to Leafheart and then racing out of camp. She didn't care about the feeling of soft earth under her paws, or the sound of the water as it lapped at the shore. She had a bad feeling about Tigerpaw, and she wasn't going to ignore it.

"What is it?" Leafheart asked, panting.

"I have a bad feeling, Leafheart. I think Tigerpaw might've been..." Fallenstar didn't want to say it.

She rounded a bunch of trees and skidded to a halt as she found a dark tabby tom sitting near the body of another tom.

"Tigerpaw!" Leafheart cried out, leaping to the body of her son.

The large dark tabby tom hissed, placing his paw over the body of the apprentice, "I know you know who Tigerpaw's real father is! You just won't tell Darkclaw, will you?"

"What are you talking about? I've known Tigerpaw for nine moons!" Fallenstar snapped, stepping forward. She glanced down as she felt her paws become wet and sticky, and she saw the crimson blood stain the grass beneath her paws, gushing from a deep wound to Tigerpaw's throat. Fallenstar swallowed back her frustration and anger, controlling herself not to lash out at this stranger.

"I'm Tigerpaw's father, not Darkclaw!" The dark tabby hissed, his dark amber eyes glinted with revenge and anger as he looked Leafheart right in the eye. "This worthless cat just won't admit it. She took him away from me the moment he was born, and she left, joining this clan!"

"ThunderClan is none of your business, cat!" Fallenstar spat, barreling into him. She raked her claws down his face, and she felt the warm blood spray.

"Stop, Shredder!" Leafheart yowled.

''Shredder? Odd name...'' Fallenstar thought as she pushed herself free from Shredder's claws.

"Shame pulses through my heart from the things I've done to you. It's hard to face but the fact remains that this is nothing new." Leafheart's eyes flashed with regret and resentment, as if thinking back to old memories.

"You'd better feel shame!" Shredder spat, "Taking my son away from from me, what kinda mother would do that?"

"Well I'm sorry but you shouldn't have treated me the way you did!" Leafheart snarled.

Fallenstar gathered all her strength, not being able to stand this anymore. She unsheathed her claws and flew at Shredder, her claws slicing his throat.

"You'll regret this!" Shredder's voice stammered as he was losing consciousness, and then lost it foREVer.

Fallenstar glanced at Leafheart. The she-cat's amber eyes looked grief-stricken and filled with pain. She buried her face in Shredder's fur, and then licked Tigerpaw's ears.

"I'm confused..." Fallenstar mewed.

"About what?"

"About all of that. Why was Shredder so angry at you? Why did he kill Tigerpaw?" Fallenstar's head buzzed with unanswered questions.

"I guess I'll give you the whole story, might as well. Before I ever met Darkclaw, I was mates with Shredder, even though I knew he was a ruthless killer. I had Tigerpaw not long after, and I didn't want my son to be around a father like that, and soon I met Darkclaw. We had kits, who you know as Darkpaw, Ravenpaw and Birchpaw. Shredder wanted revenge on me for taking his son, and he got his revenge by killing his own kit just to see my pain," Leafheart's mew was shaky and she kept her head low the whole time they walked to camp.

"Well that makes sense, I'm sorry for your loss." Fallenstar flicked her warrior's shoulder and then bounded up to the Highledge where she summoned ThunderClan. The cats soon crowded around, and Fallenstar noticed Leafheart sticking towards the back.

"Birchpaw, Darkpaw and Ravenpaw. You have reached the age of 6 moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed," Fallenstar was interrupted.

"What about Tigerpaw?" Darkclaw's growl sounded.

"Tigerpaw? He...I'll say later," Fallenstar stammered.

"Birchpaw, you will now be known as Birchflame, StarClan honors your courage and loyalty. Darkpaw, you will be known as Darktail, StarClan honors your courage and bravery. Ravenpaw, you'll be known as Ravenfeather, StarClan honors your bravery and determination."

"Birchflame! Darktail! Ravenfeather!"

"So, about Tigerpaw?" Darkclaw mewed.

"Right. Leafheart and I found him in the forest, dead. A rogue killed him, I'm sorry Darkclaw." Fallenstar felt sympathy for the dark warrior-he never knew that Tigerpaw wasn't his son, or that Leafheart had a mate before him.

"What?! Where were you, Ashcloud? You should've been with him!" Darkclaw snarled, turning to Tigerpaw's former mentor.

"I'm sorry! He asked for my permission just to go down to lake for a drink and I let him! How was I supposed to know he would be murdered?" Ashcloud hissed.

Darkclaw whirled on her, claws unsheathed, fangs bared.

"Stop!" Fallenstar yowled. "Cats die, everyone does. You have to live with it, Darkclaw."

Darkclaw gave her a cold glare and padded into the warrior's den.

Chapter 6: A Glimpse of the Afterlife
Fallenstar shook the morning few out of her fur. She had sat vigil for Tigerpaw along with Darkclaw, Leafheart and his siblings-or so-called siblings. Cold wind scraped along her pelt, giving her chills.

"Leaf-bare's coming, better stock up on herbs." Snowfrost padded up to Fallenstar, gazing at the still-visible moon.

"Do you think Tigerpaw's up there now, with StarClan?" Snowfrost added.

"I know he is. StarClan wouldn't cast a cat out like that, he never did anything wrong." Fallenstar fluffed out her pelt.

"Hey." Lakepelt came to sit beside her. Only the three of them were out this early in the morning, everyone was sleeping, and Fallenstar could hear the faint snoring of Adderstripe.

"Here, I brought you this, eat." Lakepelt dropped a thrush at Fallenstar's paws.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Fallenstar mewed.

"Eat it. Have you realized how close you've gotten to kitting?" Lakepelt mewed firmly.

Fallenstar rolled her eyes, then took a bite out of the thrush, spitting out the feathers.

"To think that a warrior can boss around the clan leader." Snowfrost's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"I'd better get a bit of sleep before everyone starts waking up." Fallenstar picked her way up the rocky ledge, and entered her den. She curled up on the springy bed of moss, tucking her head into her paws and setting her tail over her nose. -

Expecting to wake up to the cave like normal, Fallenstar woke into the familiar clearing of StarClan. She thought she would meet Lionblaze again, but almost a year had passed and she highly doubted they would ever meet again.

"Welcome to StarClan." A large gray tom with a darker stripe down his spine walked up to Fallenstar.

"Um I've been in StarClan before...Who are you?" Fallenstar asked.

"I'm Graystripe, former deputy of ThunderClan, I served as a warrior under Firestar. And you are Fallenstar, I'm told?" Graystripe mewed.

"Yes I'm Fallenstar. Why am I here?"

"You've fallen into this place, we're just giving you a small taste of your afterlife here so stay, 'cause you'll be back here soon anyway." Graystripe led her away from the clearing, and led Fallenstar away from the only spot in StarClan she'd ever been.

They raced through a forest similar to ThunderClan's, filled with starry cats and plentiful prey. That opened up into a large clearing filled with apprentices laughing and playing with each other. Two elders fished side-by-side in the river.

"This is where you'll be soon, Fallenstar. Savor your time with your family and clanmates before you come here." Graystripe faded away, and Fallenstar woke in her cave. -

''Of my afterlife there to stay? I'll be back soon anyway? What?!'' Fallenstar was filled with worry. She wasn't ready for death anytime soon. Panic filled her chest, That means either I'll lose my nine lives quickly, or I'll die a horrible death and have them all ripped away from me... she shivered at the last thought.

"Snowfrost!" She called after she'd gotten to the center of camp. She ran towards the medicine cat's den.

"Snowfrost!" She called again.

"What? You're probably scaring the kits with all of your yowling!" The white she-cat appeared from her nest.

"I had the craziest dream. I met this StarClan cat named Graystripe, and he showed me a bit of StarClan territory saying 'a glimpse of my afterlife here so stay 'cause I'll be back soon anyway'!" Fallenstar mewed.

"Well...I honestly don't know what to say to that. You have nine lives still, you've got nothing to worry about. Oh and you might want to stay in your den today instead of running around, your kits will be due in the next few days." Snowfrost grabbed a stack of herbs and started organizing them, putting them in separate stacks.

"Okay..." Fallenstar was only a bit pleased with her answer-she did have nine lives after all.

You've fallen into this place, we're just giving you a small taste of your afterlife here so stay, 'cause you'll be back here soon anyway.

Chapter 7: Kits Are Coming!
Fallenstar woke to the most agonizing pain she'd ever experienced.

"Lakepelt!" She hissed through gritted teeth, prodding her mate.

"I'll get her!" Lakepelt yowled, not even looking anywhere before he dashed out of the den. Fallenstar could swear up and down that Lakepelt could've fallen off the Highledge.

Within only a few heartbeats, Snowfrost was in the cave with borage leaves. -skipping disgusting part

After giving it all she had, Fallenstar managed to give birth to a tom and two she-kits. She was exhausted, and her eyes kept shutting on her, but she could imagine Lakepelt jumping for joy. Finally, she gave in to sleep and unconsciousness gripped her. -

"Great you're awake! Now we can name them!" Lakepelt's excited mew seemed to ring through Fallenstar's ears. "You name the tom, I can get the she-kits?"

"For the tom..." Fallenstar glanced at him to see his pelt color and eyes, "How about Jaykit?" She named him after Jayfeather, who her kit resembled in some way with the light gray pelt and light blue eyes, only Jaykit had black tabby stripes.

"The black she-kit can be Hollykit." Lakepelt's eyes were stuck on Hollykit, as if her resemblance to Fallenstar shocked him.

"I think it's only fair that Snowfrost names one, she helped me deliver after all." Fallenstar swept her gaze to the medicine cat.

"No, it's your kit." Snowfrost mewed.

Lakepelt glanced at Fallenstar, "Your go."

"Okay, her name is Rainkit, in honor of OceanClan." Fallenstar swept her tail around her three kits. Jaykit was a mixture of both his parents, Hollykit was the exact same as Fallenstar only with green-blue eyes, and Rainkit was the exact image of Lakepelt.

"I bet it would take you ages to guess where Hollykit's name came from," Lakepelt teased.

"Hmmm....I'll bet it was my mother, Hollyfeather!" Fallenstar mewed.

"How did you know!?" Lakepelt mewed sarcastically.

"Because I know everything." Fallenstar felt a sudden surge of sadness. She wouldn't be able to attend Gatherings most likely, which meant Lakepelt would have to take her place, and she would be confined to her den.

Knowing the clan was waiting for her announcement outside, she left the den once she was feeling enough strength to do so. She left the kits with Snowfrost inside.

"So, what are they?' Whitedawn asked, who was with Graystorm's kit, Sagekit.

"There is one tom-Jaykit and two she-kits, Hollykit and Rainkit. Jaykit is a light gray tom with black tabby stripes, Hollykit is black with blue-green eyes and Rainkit looks just like Lakepelt." Fallenstar could feel the pride swell her chest.

Then a sudden stillness filled the air, as if all life had stopped, even though cats were still moving. Fallenstar sniffed the air, but scented nothing.

Then the cries of battle filled the air and cats streamed into camp. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>