The Prophecy of DawnClan

Chapter 1

It was an ordinary, warm Newleaf day, just like any other in DawnClan. Blossompetal’s kits were playing outside of the nursery while she was sunning herself next to the entrance. “Don’t get underneath any of the warriors’ paws please!” Blossompetal called out to them. In unison, the kits yowled back at her, “We won’t!”, though seconds later Falconkit pounced on a bramble being carried by Graytooth to reinforce the apprentice’s den.

Graytooth tripped on him and then he began to scold him while Blossompetal walked over at apologised to Graytooth. “Say you’re sorry, Falconkit" Blossompetal told her son. “I’m sorry Graytooth" Falconkit muttered while scuffling his paws in the sandy earth. “It’s alright,” Graytooth told Falconkit, “just don’t do it again”. As Graytooth went back to work, Falconkit scrambled away to continue wrestling with his siblings.

Once Falconkit got back to playing, Echokit backed away to watch them. Just then, Icepaw came walking over to the kits and then darted away to behind medicine den. Echokit watched her, wondering if she was trying to play hide-and-seek. Echokit was just about to follow her, and then Icepaw then came bursting back out with a clump of moss in her mouth. Echokit squealed at her siblings, “Icepaw’s brought us some moss!”. Dovekit and Falconkit sprang apart, panting, and Icepaw shaped the moss into a ball.

Dovekit was bouncing up and down while Icepaw meowed, “Are you three ready?”. “Yes!” the kits yowled excitedly. Icepaw threw the moss ball up into the air and Dovekit bounced up to swat at it. Falconkit pounced on it and then threw it to Echokit. Echokit clamped her jaws around it in midair but she didn’t land right.

She fell over and squealed in pain. Blossompetal ran over and Icepaw was already crouched next to her. “I’ll go get Brookgaze!” Falconkit meowed. Falconkit darted away to the medicine den. He was yowling at the top of his lungs, “Brookgaze, Brookgaze, Echokit’s hurt! Come help her!” and Brookgaze looked up from her herb store.

“Shhh, you’ll wake up every cat from here to SunClan ," she told Falconkit. “But she needs help" Falconkit protested. “Yes, yes, I know. What happened?” Brookgaze asked him. “She jumped really high and landed wrong and it looked like it really hurt!” Falconkit responded. Outside the den, Falconkit heard his sister groaning in pain.

“Please hurry," He begged. “Okay, I’m coming," Brookgaze told him. Falconkit bounded back out into the hollow with Brookgaze following behind him. “Icepaw and Blossompetal, I’m going to have to ask the two of you to back away so that I can examine her," Brookgaze told the she-cats. “Oh, my poor kit!” Blossompetal meowed.

By now, more cats had emerged from their dens to see what was happening. Brookgaze sniffed Echokit carefully and at last her head popped up. “I’m happy to say that she hasn’t broken any bones. But, she did sprain her front paw" Brookgaze announced. “Will she have to stay in your den?” Blossompetal asked, worried. Brookgaze told her, “No, she should be fine in the nursery, just so long as the two of you,” she looked at Dovekit and Falconkit, “make sure not to be too rough with her".

Dovekit mewed, “We won’t hurt her" and Falconkit nodded his head in agreement. Suddenly, Swallowflight, Newtpuddle, and Meadowpaw burst through the camp entrance. Meadowpaw was panting as he hauled himself away. Swallowflight yowled, “CrookedClan are invading!”.

Chapter 2

Sudden panic struck the Clan like lighting. Blossompetal yowled at her kits to get to the nursery and grabbed Echokit by the scruff, making her squeak. Dovekit began to barrel straight for the nursery when she noticed Falconkit wasn’t running by her side. She halted and instantly whirled around to see Falconkit begging Newtpuddle to help defend the camp. Newtpuddle meowed to him, “No, you’re only four and a half moons old. Now get to the nursery before CrookedClan tears you apart!"

Dovekit ran over to her brother and yowled, “Do you want to die? Because if you don’t, then come with me now". She led the way through the crowding warriors back to the nursery. Dovekit heard Blossompetal yowling, “My kits! My kits! Falconkit, Dovekit! Where are you two?”. She ran towards her mother’s voice and her heart flooded with relief when she found her. She shoved them inside the nursery and they went to their nest.

The leaves of the holly bush sheltered Blossompetal and her kits, Mousecloud and her young kits, and Ashwing with her quite swollen belly. Blossompetal quietly thanked SunClan that the warriors had reinforced the nursery yesterday. Outside, Dovekit heard yowling and screeching as the first CrookedClan warriors broke through the thorn barrier. She moved closer to her mother’s warm fur to comfort herself. Blossompetal meowed to her kits, “I’m the only one in here prepared to fight if CrookedClan breaks in. I need to guard the entrance".

“Please don’t, you could get hurt!” Echokit pleaded. “If I don’t protect the entrance then all the cats in here could get hurt,” Blossompetal explained, “ and our nest is right next to the entrance. I’ll be near you the whole time”. Blossompetal stood up and walked over to the corner of their nest so that she couldn’t be seen by any warriors breaking through. Echokit, Dovekit, and Falconkit backed into the opposite corner of the nest and huddled together in a heap of fur. “I’m scared” Echokit whispered and Dovekit muttered back, “Me too”.

Falconkit, being the brave kit he was, responded, “Well, I’m not”. Though his sisters could tell he was lying by the shakiness of his voice, they kept quiet. All of a sudden, a CrookedClan warrior jumped through the entrance, but Blossompetal was ready. She slashed at his muzzle with sharp claws and then tossed him out of the bush with strong hind legs. “Wow,” Falconkit breathed, “I want to be just like you when I get older!”.

Chapter 3

Suddenly the sound of fighting cats changed to wails of terror from CrookedClan as the DawnClan warriors began to herd their enemies to the thorn tunnel. “Retreat!” yowled a CrookedClan warrior, and then all was quiet. Blossompetal stuck her head out the nursery and gasped. She bolted out the entrance and Falconkit ran after her, leaving Echokit and Dovekit in the nursery. “Don’t worry Echokit, I’ll stay here with you until they get back,” Dovekit meowed to her sister, “I’m just going to poke my head out and see what happened”.

Dovekit looked out the entrance and saw Blossompetal and Falconkit crouched next to a cat that she couldn’t recognise from there. Unease began to prick at Dovekit’s pelt and she began to imagine who was laying there. Brookgaze rushed over to her mother and brother, making Dovekit even more worried. ''Don’t let it be one of our older siblings. Don’t let it be our father'', Dovekit prayed to SunClan. “Dovekit, is something wrong out there?” Echokit meowed quietly to her sister.

“I don’t know yet. Mother and Falconkit are sitting next to a cat, but I can’t tell who it is from here" Dovekit replied. Blossompetal meowed something to Falconkit and they walked back to the nursery. “They’re coming back,” Dovekit told Echokit. Dovekit went back and sat down next to her sister. Blossompetal and Falconkit then came in the entrance and both of them looked very sad.

Blossompetal announced to her daughters, “It’s Oakberry”. Echokit and Dovekit wailed in despair. “No! Father can’t be dead!” Echokit yowled. Blossompetal meowed, “He isn’t dead, but he’s badly injured”. Just then, Grassbreeze walked into the nursery to check on Ashwing, his mate.

Then he turned to Blossompetal and meowed, “I just heard about Oakberry. Are you alright?”. “I’m so worried about his injuries,” Blossompetal replied, “I don’t know what I’ll do if he… if he dies”. Grassbreeze tried to reassure his sister, “I’m sure that won’t happen. He has Brookgaze to look after him, and she’s a great medicine cat”. “Mother?” Echokit spoke, “Can we play outside?”. “No, it is time to go to sleep now,” Blossompetal told her kits as she swept them against her with her tail.

She gave each one a lick between the ears and she sensed them beginning to fade off to sleep. Slowly their breathing became mingled as one deep, rhythmic purring sound. Blossompetal began to feel very tired as well, and she soon found herself dreaming.

Chapter 4

One and a half moons later…

“Give it back Juniperpaw!” Willowpaw was yowling at her brother. “Nuh-uh!” Juniperpaw sneered back at her. Blossompetal, their mother, emerged from the nursery followed by Falconkit, Dovekit, and Echokit, their younger siblings. Blossompetal turned to look at what her older kits were fighting over and she told her younger three to stay where they were and play around. “You two are acting like kits! Juniperpaw, give back her sparrow and go get your own fresh kill” Blossompetal scolded them.

“Oh, alright. I was just trying to have some fun” Juniperpaw complained as he stalked over to the well-stocked fresh-kill pile and picked up a thrush. He walked over to a group of apprentices that consisted of Icepaw, Darkpaw, Meadowpaw, and Flintpaw. Mintpaw spoke up from her place next to Willowpaw, “Toms. We’ll never know why they act that way”. Willowpaw fell over, bursting with laughter and Mintpaw started to crack up too. Willowpaw tried to calm down and scanned the clearing.

She saw Driftshade walking over to join them and Blossompetal meowed goodbye and walked back to her younger kits. “Are you up for a hunt?” Driftshade asked her apprentice. “Yeah, that sounds like fun! Can Mintpaw and Russetmoon come too?” Willowpaw asked eagerly. Mintpaw spoke up this time and meowed proudly, “Actually, we can’t. I have an assessment today”. She had a wild grin on her face that told her that this was her final assessment.

The thought made Willowpaw sad because once Mintpaw was a warrior, they would be apart until Willowpaw received her warrior name. Mintpaw must have realised this too because her eyes became clouded with grief. “Don’t worry, we can still be friends. Even though I’m two moons older than you doesn’t mean you’ll never get your warrior title” Mintpaw tried to reassure not only Willowpaw, but herself too. “Okay then. I don’t want to keep you from your assessment. Bye” Willowpaw told Mintpaw. “Alright, bye” Mintpaw called out to Willowpaw as she and her mentor were leaving.

……………

“You did really well today, Mintpaw,” Russetmoon told his apprentice, “A thrush, two mice and a sparrow! I’ll go tell Amberstar, and she will be very pleased”. As Russetmoon walked off, Mintpaw knew this might be her last day as an apprentice. She spotted Willowpaw and walked over to her. Once Mintpaw sat down next to her she meowed, “Guess what I caught in the assessment”. “Hmmm I don’t know, but I do know you probably did pretty well!” Willowpaw told her friend.

“I caught a thrush, a sparrow, and two mice,” Mintpaw exclaimed, “And Russetmoon is telling Amberstar right now”. “Wow, that is amazing! The Clan will be well fed tonight,” Willowpaw congratulated her friend, “but… this is your last day as an apprentice, isn’t it? I’ll miss you so much”. “I know you will and I will miss you too, but I’ll just be in the den right next to you. Even though we’ll have different duties, we can still be friends” Mintpaw told Willowpaw.

Chapter 5

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!” Amberstar’s summon rang out around the hollow as Mintpaw walked, well groomed, up to the Highledge.

All the apprentices sat in a group, Willowpaw, Splashpaw, Juniperpaw, Meadowpaw, Darkpaw, Flintpaw, and Icepaw. Next to them were the warriors and elders. The queens watched from in front of their den and Ashwing had a smile on her face, even though she couldn’t move because her newborn kits demanded it. The apprentices cheered Mintpaw on as she walked up to stand beside her leader.

“I, Amberstar, leader of DawnClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Mintpaw, Meadowpaw, and Darkpaw, do you three promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” Amberstar’s words were loud around the clearing as the leader spoke the familiar words. “I do” Mintpaw meowed strongly. “I do” Meadowpaw meowed. “I do” Darkpaw meowed loudly. “Then by the powers of SunClan, I give you your warrior names. Mintpaw, from this moment you will be known as Mintleaf. SunClan honors your bravery and loyalty and we welcome you as a full warrior of DawnClan. Darkpaw, from this moment you will be known as Darkstrike. SunClan honors your honor and skill. Meadowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Meadowgrass".

Suddenly, the whole clearing was abuzz with cheering. “Mintleaf! Darkstrike! Meadowgrass!”. The Clan still waited patiently because Amberstar hadn’t yet announced that the meeting was over. Willowpaw had already guessed it; her younger siblings were about to become apprentices.

Amberstar began the apprenticeship ceremony, “Echokit, Dovekit, and Falconkit, the three of you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Echopaw, Dovepaw, and Falconpaw”. She continued, aware that the speech was very awkward being that she was making three new apprentices, not one.

“Mintleaf, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Russetmoon, and you have shown yourself to be brave and loyal. You will be the mentor of Echopaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her".

“Maplecall, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Dawnflower, and you have shown yourself to be humble and courteous. You will be the mentor of Dovepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her".

“Dapplewing, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Swallowflight, and you have shown yourself to be helpful and caring. You will be the mentor of Falconpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him".

The mentors walked up and touched noses with their apprentices. And then the cheering began, possibly loud enough to wake up SunClan themselves. “Echopaw! Dovepaw! Falconpaw!”. Amberstar waited for the noise to quiet down and announced, “The Clan meeting is over”.

Chapter 6

Echopaw, Dovepaw, and Falconpaw were practicing battle moves in the mossy hollow with their mentors. “You have to run in swiftly, and then trip them. Maplecall and I will demonstrate” Dapplewing told the apprentices. Dapplewing dashed past where Maplecall was standing, and as she neared him, stuck a paw out and tripped him. Maplecall was knocked straight off his paws and ate a mouthful of dirt. Mintleaf began to explain, “Then, when they’ve been caught off guard, you can sometimes jump onto their back. You can rake your claws on their spine and it really hurts. Trust me, I’ve felt it”. She lowered her back to show nasty looking scars.

“Now you guys try. First, Echopaw trip Dovepaw, then Dovepaw trip Falconpaw, and finally, Falconpaw trip Echopaw” Dapplewing meowed while Maplecall was still brushing dirt off his face. Echopaw ran at where Dovepaw was standing and as she ran past, stuck out a foreleg, sending Dovepaw toppling over and spitting out dirt. Dovepaw and Falconpaw did the same and were successful. “Tomorrow, we’ll practice hunting tactics, but for now, let’s get back to camp, it’s getting dark” Mintleaf told the tired apprentices. “Okay” they all meowed in unison.

……………

The next morning, the Clan were awoken to the sound of Mousecloud crying out, “My kits! Where are they? Has anybody seen them?”. The apprentices walked out of their den, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Amberstar emerged from her den and told Mousecloud to calm down. “We’ll send a search patrol out. Who wants to go?”. At once all the apprentices were fully awake and yowling, “We do! We do! Send us! Please?”.

Amberstar sighed and meowed, “Icepaw and Flintpaw along with their mentors,”. They all walked out the entrance in search of the kits, though Mousecloud was still very upset.

……………

Thankfully, the four kits had been found, unharmed except for a few scratches. Brookgaze lay down in her nest and sleep came to her quite fast. She opened her eyes to find herself in SunClan ’s hunting grounds. She padded over to Leafwing, the DawnClan medicine cat before Brookgaze, her mentor. Leafwing meowed to her, Reject what you find in the shadows, for it will cause cause eternal darkness.

Brookgaze was smart enough to know that even if she tried to ask questions, she wouldn’t get answers, but she asked them anyways, “What will be in the shadows, and what destruction will it cause?”. Leafwing replied, “You already know that even SunClan don’t know everything, so I cannot tell you”. The medicine cat drifted away into the sky, and Brookgaze awoke.

Chapter 7

“Now that my kits are apprentices, I guess I’ll be moving out of the nursery. Goodbye, I’ll miss you two,” Blossompetal told the other queens. “Well, I’ll be joining you soon, since my kits are about half a moon away from becoming apprentices,” Mousecloud replied. “Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right,” Blossompetal replied, “I’ll be happy to have you around again in the warriors’ den”. “Goodbye Ashwing, Briarkit, Leafkit, Marshkit, Lilykit, Snowkit, and Morningkit” Blossompetal meowed to the kits. “Goodbye!” they squeaked.

Blossompetal walked over to the Highledge and bounded up the rocks to Amberstar’s den. She called out her reason for visit into her den and entered when Amberstar told her to. “Hello Amberstar, since my youngest kits are apprentices now, I’ll be moving back to warrior duties” she told the leader. “Okay, thank you for notifying me” Amberstar replied. Blossompetal left the leader’s den and went to find a nest in the warriors’ den.

This was very exciting for her because she hadn’t slept in the warriors den for many moons, about 6 seasons. She hadn’t gone back to the warriors’ den in between her two litters because less than a moon after they became apprentices, she was expecting more kits. She hadn’t even been a warrior for long before she was expecting her first litter.

……………

“Wow, that hunt was amazing! I haven’t done one in so long,” Blossompetal meowed after going on a hunting patrol. “Yeah, you did pretty well for your first day back as a warrior,” Russetmoon praised her. Blossompetal laid her prey down on the fresh-kill pile. She walked over to where Talonheart, the deputy, and Swallowflight, his mate, were sunning themselves and asked if she was needed for anything. Talonheart thought for a second before responding, “Maybe Brookgaze needs some help collecting herbs. Leaf-fall will be coming soon, and we want to have enough herbs”.

“Oh, okay. I’ll go and see to that,” she responded. Once she walked across the clearing to the cave that was the medicine den, she poked her head through the brambles and called out, “Brookgaze, it’s me, Blossompetal. May I enter?”. “Yes, what is it?” Brookgaze replied, sounding rather agitated. “Are you okay? If this is a bad time, I’ll leave,” Blossompetal meowed, wondering what could be upsetting Brookgaze. “No, no it’s fine. Come in,” she meowed to Blossompetal, not as angry as before.

Blossompetal stepped in to see that herbs were everywhere. “Are you injured or sick?” Brookgaze asked her. “Well, I’m rather fine, but Talonheart asked me to see if you needed help with anything, and it seems like you do,” Blossompetal meowed. “Oh, these herbs? Yes, a helper would be nice,” Brookgaze replied. Blossompetal did her best to separate them by sight, but a lot of them still looked similar to each other. “So, what happened in here?” Blossompetal meowed.

“Well, funny story, but I don’t even know,” Brookgaze replied with laughter in her voice, “I woke up and there were herbs everywhere. My best guess is that a sneaky kit crept in here and played around while I slept”. “Kits do have a tendency to do that sort of stuff. Trust me, I’ve had six of them,” Blossompetal told her, “Oh, and I think I know who did this”. Brookgaze asked her, “Really? Which one?”. “Not one, ones. It was probably Marshkit and Morningkit,” Blossompetal meowed, “Because it couldn’t be either of Ashwing’s kits, they’re far too young, but Lilykit and Snowkit don’t do this sort of thing”. “I guess you’re right. Let’s go ask them” Brookgaze meowed.

They walked over to where the two kits were playing around, their other sisters were farther away, playing moss ball. They instantly sprang apart when they saw the two cats padding towards them. They had a worried look in their eyes, but they tried to look confident. Brookgaze began slowly, “So, did you two do anything in my den while I was sleeping?”. Morningkit suddenly blurted out, “We’re sorry, we just wanted to taste one of the herbs because Darkpaw told us that it was yummy! He said it was called thyme, but we didn’t want to wake you up so we looked for it ourselves”.

She shuffled her paws in the dirt, and Marshkit muttered to her, “You weren’t supposed to tell!”. “Just don’t do it again” Brookgaze told them softly. They nodded their heads and went to join their sisters in moss ball. Blossompetal looked around and padded over to her mate, Oakberry. Oakberry meowed to her, “Hi, Blossompetal. I see that you’ve moved out of the nurs-”.

His words were cut short by panic that flashed through his eyes. Blossompetal felt it too. It was getting hotter. Amberstar burst through the lichen in front of her cave and her pelt began to bristle. She sounded the alarm that brought the last of the cats out of their dens.

“Fire!” she yowled. Blossompetal panicked and bolted over to the nursery to help get the kits out. She was praying to SunClan that they would all be safe. Oakberry was right behind her and Blossompetal picked up Lilykit and placed it in front of her mate. “Take the kit,” she told her mate.

Lilykit was mewling in protest but suddenly stopped when she spotted the flames licking the top of the stone hollow. Oakberry’s eyes clouded with grief. “I can’t lose you, Blossompetal” he meowed through fur. “Just run!” She yowled at Oakberry, “Please!”. He took one last look at her and then ran to the thorn barrier. The next cat was there to take a kit.

She gave Snowkit to Swallowflight, Marshkit to Amberstar, Morningkit to Mousecloud, Briarkit to Talonheart, and took Leafkit herself. By the time the last kit had gotten out of the nursery, there weren’t many cats left in camp. She saw Bramblebush struggling to free himself from some brambles near the elder’s den, and Dawnflower and Mistylight were trying to help him. Brookgaze ran up to Blossompetal and meowed, “I’ll take Leafkit. Help the elders”. Blossompetal put Leafkit down and Brookgaze picked her up, trying not to injure the tiny kit as they headed for the thorn tunnel.

Blossompetal ran toward the elders and bit through the bramble and then helped the elders hobble towards the camp entrance. Suddenly, as a flaming branch came falling down, Blossompetal shoved the elders on the side closer to the entrance, hoping that they could make it out safe. Blossompetal was trapped.

 Chapter 8

Flames were beginning to engulf the apprentices den, and Blossompetal heard a shrill squeal of terror from inside. She ran over to find Flintpaw trapped underneath a fallen branch that was starting to burn. She began to drag the branch off him, but the air was filling with smoke. Once Flintpaw was freed, she motioned with her tail for Flintpaw to follow her, unable to speak because of all the smoke. She pointed toward Highledge, and Flintpaw understood.

The elders and queens sheltered inside Amberstar’s den during battle, so hopefully it would be safe to stay in there until the fire passed. They bolted across the flaming clearing and bounded up the rockfall that led to the den. Once they got inside, Blossompetal pushed Flintpaw protectively toward the back of the den. The smoke wasn’t as bad in there, so they were finally able to speak. “We’ll stay here until it’s safe to get out,” Blossompetal meowed.

Flintpaw was very scared, and Blossompetal didn’t know how to comfort him, since she had never been in this situation before. Blossompetal was watching the flames that were growing stronger and bigger by each heartbeat. Out of nowhere, rain began to pour, as if SunClan themselves were crying for them. The sound of hissing and spitting came from the fire as it was extinguished. Instead of just smoke, now that, and very hot steam began to fill the clearing, threatening to fill the cave.

She pushed Flintpaw and herself into the very back of the cave, crouching down. As fast as it came, the rain was suddenly gone, leaving everything charred, steaming, and smoking. Blossompetal peered through the lichen, only to see her Clanmates filing back through the thorn tunnel, looking around at their burt camp in dismay. Blossompetal told Flintpaw, “It’s safe, we can get out now”. They walked out onto Highledge and saw Oakberry looking around frantically.

“Oakberry, I’m safe! Flintpaw and I are up here!”. She saw Oakberry, Grassbreeze, and Ashwing running up to Highledge. Blossompetal ran to her mate, and Flintpaw ran to his parents. “Where are our kits?” Blossompetal asked Oakberry. “They are helping to see if anybody is hurt and collecting new moss for rebuilding the dens,” Oakberry meowed.

“Is everybody safe?” She asked her mate. “We haven’t found any injuries yet,” He replied. “Okay, good” Blossompetal answered. A huge yawn escaped Blossompetal’s mouth and Oakberry told her, “You should go and rest”. “I can’t. There isn’t time, plus the warriors den burnt down,” Blossompetal meowed, “I have to help everyone else”.

She walked over to where the warriors were standing in a group around Amberstar and Talonheart to receive orders. As she walked off, Oakberry noticed her limping and saw a large gash in her flank. He ran after her and meowed urgently, “You’re injured! Go see Brookgaze, now”. “I… What?” she meowed back, drowsily. Oakberry lifted her shoulder to help get her to the cave that was Brookgaze’s den.

Once they got there, he called through the brambles, “Blossompetal is hurt!”. “Enter” she replied. Oakberry brought her in and laid his mate down in a nest at the far end of the cave. When Brookgaze saw where Blossompetal, something shone in her eyes. She asked Oakberry to leave.

“Just until I can assess how bad the damage is. I will let you see her as soon as she’s ready for visitors”. He looked just about ready to protest, but instead he hung his head. “Okay,” he muttered, “but if something happens, you will tell me”. He walked through the brambles and began to help with repairs.

Chapter 9

“Honestly Brookgaze, I’m fine! I’ve been in her for, what, 8 sunrises? I need to help with repairs!” Blossompetal complained. “That branch gave you a pretty nasty cut, and you’re very lucky it didn’t get infected! If you start moving around too much, it’ll reopen and get infected, which will keep you in here for even longer,” Brookgaze told her patient, “and the repairs are nearly finished anyways”. “That’s exactly why I need to help! I want to be a part of my Clan, I need to help them in a time of need!” Blossompetal replied, upset. “No! I’m not changing my mind. I’m just doing what’s best for you” Brookgaze meowed. Blossompetal just grumbled and stared at the cave wall.

Brookgaze decided to take a nap to see if SunClan would come to her. As she fell asleep, she heard Blossompetal muttering to herself about how well she could have done if she was allowed to help. Brookgaze opened her eyes to find herself with Treestar, former leader of DawnClan, and Leafwing, former medicine cat of DawnClan. She bounded over to them and began begging for answers. “Is the prophecy about Blossompetal? Her nest is in the shadows, so maybe? Please-”. She was silenced as Treestar placed his tail tip on her mouth.

He sighed and meowed, “The only thing we currently know is,” he exchanges a glance with Leafwing, “is that it might be Blossompetal. We’re not completely sure, but keep an eye on her just in ca-”. The medicine cat was jolted awake to hear, “Brookgaze, wake up!”. She bounded over to where Blossompetal lay down. “Thank SunClan you’re finally awake! I need some water”. Brookgaze meowed, “Oh okay, I’ll go get you some”.

She walked over to the pool of water and dipped some moss in it. She brought it back to Blossompetal, and couldn’t help but remember her dream. Once she placed it down, she padded through the brambles to stretch and think. I must find out more, She thought, but how? ''Maybe I can ask her if she’s seen anything strange lately. Then again, the prophecy might not even be about her! I go to the Moonpool in 2 sunrises, so hopefully I can find out more then.''

She was jolted out of her thoughst by Ashwing. “Mousecloud and her kits are sick!” Ashwing mewed urgently. They bounded over to the nursery and saw their state. Snowkit had vomited, and Marshkit looked like he was about to aswell. Mousecloud was barely conscious and trying to keep Morningkit awake, who looked nearly dead.

Brookgaze was shocked. “Why didn’t any cat bring this to my attention sooner?” she asked, upset. Ashwing looked very frightened. “I-I didn’t notice until now! The smell 0f vomit made me look and… I didn’t think it was strange that they were spending most of their time in their nest since it’s so hot out! I’m really sorry” she explained frantically. “Okay, that’s fine. Help me get them to my den,” she sniffed each one of them and meowed, “All of them except Lilykit. She isn’t ill”.

Brookgaze supported Mousecloud as they walked over, and Ashwing lifted Morningkit up, who went limp in her jaws. Once they were in the cave, they went back for Marshkit and Snowkit and Ashwing left to go comfort Lilykit. Brookgaze heard Blossompetal exclaim from the back of the cave, “What happened?”. She stood up and padded over to Mousecloud, but Brookgaze was too focused to tell her not to. Brookgaze was asking them what symptoms they had, and Mousecloud told her that she had a cough and fever, but her kits were doing worse.

Morningkit wasn’t conscious while Snowkit was gently poking her. Marshkit looked like he was about to vomit, so Brookgaze brought over a large leaf. She began by bringing over borage for the fever, tansy to help ease breathing, and watermint, hoping that it was only whitecough and not the deadly greencough. Snowkit was sneezing and all the cats’ ribs were showing through their pelts. She gave each of them the herbs they needed, brought them water-soaked moss, and got a mouse from the fresh-kill pile.

Brookgaze told Mousecloud to coax her kits to eat and drink as much water as possible. She padded over the apprentice den and poked her head inside. Flintpaw and Willowpaw were sharing tongues in one corner, while Juniperpaw and Icepaw were in another corner. Dovepaw was licking Echopaw’s sleeping body, and she was looking half-asleep. Brookgaze told Willowpaw and Flintpaw to clear out the bedding in the nursery and put it far from the camp.

She then leaped up the rockfall to Amberstar’s den and called out, “May I enter?” and Amberstar told her to come in. “What is it Brookgaze?” Amberstar asked her medicine cat. “It’s Mousecloud and her kits. All of them except Lilykit have fallen ill,” Brookgaze explained, “There isn’t any one symptom, they all just have fevers, coughs, sneezing, and vomiting. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before”. Amberstar looked panicked. “Is there anything you can do?” she asked worriedly. “All I can do is just give them herbs, water, and food and hope that that’s enough” she replied.

Chapter 10

Half a moon later…

Blossompetal was watching Mousecloud and her kits sleep in the nursery, flinching every time one of them moved. Even though it had been a while since they were released from Brookgaze’s den, Blossompetal was still worried about them. Then she remembered, ''Her kits will become apprentices tomorrow, and mine will become warriors! And I get to stay in the nursery with Mousecloud''. She looked down at her swollen belly and wondered how many kits she would have in her next litter. ''I hope I have four. I’ve always wanted to see four of my kits as apprentices, and then warriors!''

She thought about her first litter. ''Splashkit, Willowkit, Juniperkit, and Otterkit. I wish Otterkit could have been made a warrior with her siblings.'' As she was thinking about her kits, Mousecloud awoke. “What are you protecting us from, sickness?” she rasped lightheartedly. “No, I just was waiting for you to wake up to see if you needed anything.” Blossompetal responded.

“Well I am beginning to feel hungrier each day, so a bit of fresh-kill and water would be nice.” Mousecloud responded as she woke her kits up. Blossompetal padded over to the fresh-kill pile and picked up a large mouse and dropped it in front of Mousecloud. She then padded to Brookgaze’s den and asked for water. She brought it back to the nursery and placed the water-soaked moss in front of Mousecloud’s nest. Then, she padded out of the nursery and picked up a nice-looking pigeon for herself.

Blossompetal brought it back to her nest and began to pluck its feathers off and put them in a pile. After she finished eating it, she spread the feathers around her nest. Blossompetal then walked out of the nursery and spotted Oakberry laying underneath the Halfrock. She layed down next to him, and they shared tongues. “How many kits do you think will be in this litter?” Blossompetal asked her mate.

He felt her belly and meowed after a while, “I think there’s four, but I could be wrong. Go ask Brookgaze, she will know”. “I don’t want to know for sure until they’re kitted. I was just asking how many you think there are. And anyways, I was hoping to have four.” Blossompetal replied. They continued to share tongues and Blossompetal meowed, “They’re going to be kitted in about a moon”. As the sun went down, Oakberry urged her into the nursery. She lay down to sleep in her nest and fell asleep quite fast.

She opened her eyes to find herself in a very dark and empty forest. She called out, “Hello?” and there was no response. She looked down to find that she was still expecting kits, and she still looked like herself. ''I must be dreaming. This is so weird!'' All of a sudden, the head of a dark cat popped out of the bushes around her.

“Who are you and where am I?” Blossompetal meowed. “I am Darkheart, and welcome to the Woods of Shadow,” he replied, “You and your future kits have been chosen to carry out the prophecy”.

……………

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!” Amberstar yowled the summons for a Clan meeting. Seven cats walked up to the Highledge, well groomed. Lilykit, Snowkit, Marshkit, Morningkit, Juniperpaw, Willowpaw, and Splashpaw. The three littermates walked up the rockfall and sat beside their leader.

“I, Amberstar, leader of DawnClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn,” The words of the ceremony were spoken with dignity, “Juniperpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” “I do.” he responded. “Then by the powers of SunClan, I give you your warrior name. Juniperpaw, from this moment you will be known as Juniperberry. SunClan honors your faith and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of DawnClan.”

She went on to make the other two cats warriors, “I, Amberstar, leader of DawnClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Willowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” “I do.” her strong words rang loud around the clearing. “Then by the powers of SunClan, I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Willowbranch. SunClan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of DawnClan.

“I, Amberstar, leader of DawnClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Splashpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” “I do.” he meowed proudly. “Then by the powers of SunClan, I give you your warrior name. Splashpaw, from this moment you will be known as Splashpuddle. SunClan honors your intelligence and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of DawnClan.”

Cheering erupted in the stone hollow, “Willowbranch, Juniperberry, Splashpuddle!”. Once the noise quieted down, the three new warriors walked down the rocks and the four kits walked up.

“Marshkit, Lilykit, Snowkit, and Morningkit have all reached the age of six moons, and it is time for them to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Marshpaw, Lilypaw, Snowpaw, and Morningpaw. Morningpaw, your mentor will be Willowbranch. Marshpaw, your mentor will be Splashpuddle. Lilypaw, your mentor will be Juniperberry. Snowpaw, your mentor will be Driftshade. I hope these cats will pass down all they know on to you.”

As she finished speaking the words, the mentors walked up and touched noses with their new apprentices. The cheering began once again, “Morningpaw, Marshpaw, Lilypaw, Snowpaw!”.

Chapter 11

One moon later…

“Oakberry, go get Brookgaze. The kits are coming!” Blossompetal meowed urgently to her mate. Her belly was absolutely huge. He bolted out of the nursery and brought Brookgaze back. As Brookgaze felt Blossompetal’s belly, she gasped in surprise. “What’s wrong?” Blossompetal meowed urgently. “You’ll see in no time” she replied.

Blossompetal was too focused to care what she meant. Brookgaze gave her some strengthening herbs and told Oakberry to go outside. When he was outside, he began to pace around the entrance. Mousecloud had to go outside to calm him down. “You’re acting like no queen has ever kitted before! Calm down, it’s going to be fine,” she told the frightened tom.

Blossompetal began to groan and meowed, “The first one is coming”. Brookgaze gave her encouraging words as the first tiny kit plopped onto the nest. She began to suckle at her mother’s belly as the next one came. Then there were two tiny masses suckling. Next came the third, and Blossompetal was beginning to become weaker. Once the fourth one began to suckle, Blossompetal began to panick.

“There’s still another!” she meowed urgently. Brookgaze just nodded and kept helping the queen. As the fifth one was kitted, Blossompetal relaxed until a large spasm shook her body. Blossompetal’s face twisted in fear and pain. “There’s six! Brookgaze help! There’s six!” she yowled.

Even Brookgaze began to get worried, but she didn’t let is show. As it plopped onto the mossy nest, Brookgaze muttered, “Born dead”. Blossompetal looked over at the lifeless body of her death sixth kit and wailed in despair.

Oakberry burst through the entrance of the bush and raced to his mate’s side to find five living kits and a dead one. Brookgaze calmly meowed, “Two toms and four she-cats. Would you like to name the dead one?”. Blossompetal nodded her head and meowed faintly, “Her name is Starkit”. Oakberry looked shocked at first and then nodded. “A great name” he agreed.

As she said the name of each kit, she touched it with her tail. “Ashkit is the gray she-cat with indigo eyes. Lionkit is the ginger and black striped tom with blue eyes. Owlkit is the brown, orange, and black she-cat with yellow eyes. Flamekit is the orange tom with green eyes. I can’t think of a name for the calico she-cat though”. Oakberry though for a heartbeat and meowed, “Featherkit”. Blossompetal nodded and then yawned. “Oakberry,” she meowed, “Go burry Starkit for me”.

She licked the dead kit for the first and last time and then her mate carried the tiny scrap of fur away in his jaws to the burial place. Cats that were sunning themselves and yowled out in sadness. Amberstar emerged from her den and bolted down the rockfall. “What happened to her?” she asked. “Starkit was born dead,” he replied, and kept walking with his tail drooping to the burial place.

The elders walked out of their den and went to go prepare the grave. They dug a small hole and Oakberry laid his dead daughter inside of it. He licked her fur the right way and placed a flower on her body. They then gently filled the hole with dirt, and when they finished, Oakberry scratched a long line on a piece of wood and placed it where Starkit was buried. He pulled up a flower plant and placed its roots in the dirt above his kit.

“Goodbye, Starkit. SunClan will welcome you. Your sister, Otterkit, will be there to guide you. You will learn, hunt, play, and have a great life up there,” Oakberry said to the grave, “You will be loved, safe, and happy”. Oakberry looked up at Silverpelt and grief pierced him like a thorn. He then padded back into camp to be with his five new, living kits.