Author's Note[]
A/N: Hello! Yes, people, another fanfic!! Except I'll actually finish this one! Because I have dedication, and honesty, and- darnit, I almost got through that. Nah, I'll finish it because I have an amazing plot twist planned.
Anywho, this is an AU fanfic: What if Feathertail hadn't died?
Prologue[]
Everything was silent, except the roar of the waterfall in the background. Dust stirred the air and filled Feathertail's lungs. She shook. The rock was crushing. Her blue eyes opened and gazed up at the cave roof.
"Feathertail!" Crowpaw shrieked, running over to her. His eyes were wide. "You're alive!"
Stormpelt joined her. "Feathertail," He mumbled, in shock. She nodded, coughing. "Mmm," She muttered, unable to form words. The rock was crushing her, and she could feel the blood seeping into her silver pelt.
Stormpelt's eyes lit up. He cleared the surrounding area carefully and then began removing rocks. The release was heaven, the pain hell. She groaned, everything was going fuzzy around the edges.
"Help! Someone!" Crowpaw yowled. She closed her eyes and her head fell back.
"Feathertail!" Crowpaw's yowl was panicky, and useless.
Her spirit drifted away.
When she opened her eyes again, her pelt was dry. No blood, no cuts, no pain. She looked around, examining her surroundings.
"Feathertail," Someone murmured. She looked up to see a silver she-cat in front of her. She looked like Feathertail herself. She could only be-
"Silverstream?" Feathertail whispered. Her lost mother nodded once. "It's me," She murmured. Feathertail ran forward and nuzzled her mother. "What are you doing here? Is Crowpaw okay? Did I die?" She jabbered.
"I'm visiting, he's fine, and not yet." Silverstream said. She closed her eyes. "You have a destiny, Feathertail. But you won't like it."
Feathertail stared at her mother. "What are you talking about?"
Silverstream sighed. "StarClan mistakenly gave Firestar this prophecy."
Words rang in Feathertail's head. There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.
"And?" Feathertail asked, still not understanding.
"You were supposed to die. The prophecy wouldn't have come true without it. So StarClan recinded the prophecy. In doing so, we created... a loophole, of sorts."
Feathertail blinked. "So?"
Silverstream's voice was very urgent. "You must bear Crowpaw three kits." She faded away, as did the forest.
Her eyes flew open with a gasp. "You're okay!" Brambleclaw announced, peering at her. She nodded faintly. Her throat was dry. "Where's Crowpaw?" She murmured.
Brambleclaw's eyes welled up. "You died for a day, Feathertail. But Crowpaw refused to bury you. We insisted that he do it... He jumped off the top of the waterfall."
Feathertail's mouth fell open. "Crowpaw's-"
"Dead," Brambleclaw finished somberly. Feathertail didn't understand. How could he be dead? Had Silverstream lied to her?
She saw Silverstream stand next to Brambleclaw, but it didn't seem like he could see her. She glanced down at her paws. Feathertail saw four kits, each with stars in their pelts.
Her eyes widened as she realized what it meant.
She was carrying Crowpaw's kits.
One - Silverkit[]
Silverkit rose with the sun and set with the sun. She wasn't a very deep sleeper, however. Yawning, she peered outside. The sun was just peeking over the horizon.
She scrambled to her paws, hoping Hawkpaw didn't have dawn patrol.
She gazed up at the sky, noticing the dawn's light was muted. If it didn't rain today, the temperature would certainly drop.
Padding out of the nursery, she yawned. She could see that Hawkpaw was still asleep, and she smiled at the sky. Thank you, StarClan.
She dragged a trout off the fresh-kill pile and began to eat it, saving some for Hawkpaw. He strode over to her smiling. "Morning," He mewed, taking a chunk of the fish meat off of her hands. She purred. "Morning."
"Any plans for today?" She inquired. He shrugged. "Most likely training and a patrol, that's probably it."
She nodded. "Did you hear about Stormfur?" She asked, lowering her voice.
Hawkpaw's eyes gleamed craftily. "I heard he was coming back," He replied.
She nodded. "I hope he doesn't. Unloyal mange-pelt." She curled her lip.
"Congratulations!" He said suddenly.
She glanced at him quizzically.
"You don't remember? It's your apprentice ceremony tomorrow! He reminded her.
Her jaws fell open. "I didn't remember! Thanks, Hawkpaw," She added earnestly.
He nodded. "Of course."
She licked her jaws, standing up. "I'd better go wake up my siblings," She said.
Hawkpaw raised an eyebrow. "Must suck to have three."
She sighed. "You don't know the half of it."
Silverkit padded away, tail raised. Seeing Hawkpaw always put her in a good mood.
She prodded Wrenkit awake first, seeing as she disliked him the most, and Leopardstar was about to announce the meeting. She then poked Crowkit, and finally shook Rainkit.
"Get up! Let's go! Come on!" Silverkit snapped. Rainkit shook her head exasperatedly, but she kept her mouth shut.
Silverkit growled at her, but she didn't even flinch. Rolling her eyes, Silverkit stormed out of the den, aware that Wrenkit and Crowkit were following her.
Leopardstar called the meeting, and the cats of RiverClan flooded the camp. Silverkit spied her father Blackclaw. He gave her a nod which she returned.
She turned and faced Leopardstar, knowing that she would never again be a kit.
Two - Hawkpaw[]
"Hawkpaw! Training," Leopardstar yowled, poking her head into the apprentice's den.
Shooting the newly-named Silverpaw an apologetic look, he followed his leader out.
"What will we be doing today?" He asked Leopardstar.
"Mothpaw said she needs tansy, and maybe catch some prey while you're at it."
Hawkpaw nodded. Leaf-fall mornings such as this one meant land-prey for the clan. He gagged at the thought, but there was nothing he could do.
Leopardstar fixed her glare on him. "I'll expect you back by sunhigh."
He darted out of the camp, the sun was almost at the middle point in the sky.
He cursed his luck a few minutes later as he clamped the tansy in his jaws. The sun was almost straight above him, and he hadn't caught anything.
He swept the landscape and noticed a squirrel scrabbling for acorns at the bottom of a maple tree.
He set down the tansy and crouched, stalking the squirrel carefully.
It was so close...
Up ahead...
Andddd...
Dead.
He pulled up, the squirrel in his jaws. Fixing the tansy around in his mouth, he trotted back to the camp.
Leopardstar nodded at him once as he set the squirrel on the pile. He dropped the herbs under the thornbush that served as the medicine cat's den, and retreated to the apprentice's den.
Silverpaw perked up when he entered. "Hi," She chirped. He smiled back. "Hi." She shifted, allowing him to sit down next to her.
She was a very pretty she-cat, with a silvery white pelt and electric blue eyes. She looked a lot like her mother, Feathertail.
"Hawkpaw? Are you listening?" She snapped.
He looked at her. "No, sorry." He admitted sheepishly.
She rolled her eyes. "How was training?"
"Fine. I didn't learn anything. I'll be a warrior soon, I think, since Leopardstar hasn't been teaching me for a while," He purred.
Silverpaw deflated, and he realized his mistake. "But don't worry! It won't be too soon, I think."
Silverpaw brightened again. "Oh."
"What do you think of having Mistyfoot as your mentor?" He asked her, changing the subject.
She pursed her lips. "I think I'd rather have Blackclaw or Mosspelt." She said.
Hawkpaw raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"Because when we were talking, she went on and on about how I was going to make RiverClan proud and that I would be a great deputy, and yada yada yada." Silverpaw rolled her eyes for what seemed like the third time that morning, but, knowing her, it was most likely more.
"Ah. She came on too strong, then?" Hawkpaw smirked.
She scowled. "Clearly."
He laughed, poking her with his tail. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."
She nodded. "I hope so."
Three - Rainpaw[]
She flicked the drops off her ear.
There was no time for caring about the dryness of her pelt.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong, if StarClan had sent her a dream.
Her. A lowly apprentice.
She shuddered. She didn't want to be important! She was a mediocre cat! The middle of four, the most 'meh' apprentice, the dullest gray pelt...
She wasn't special. She didn't want to be special. She hoped it was nothing.
Those hopes vanished as soon as a cat stepped out of the mist.
"Hollyshine." Rainpaw mewed.
The ebony she-cat nodded. "Rainpaw."
Rainpaw narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"
"A storm is coming." Hollyshine mewed.
"No duh, genius. It's raining." Rainpaw shot.
"No." Hollyshine shook her head. "A storm of fear."
Rainpaw blinked as a drop splashed into her eye.
And then Hollyshine was gone.
She muttered under her breath about magic cats and stalked back to camp.
As she entered, she glared up at the misty, fog-shrouded sky.
"Why couldn't I be normal?" She asked angrily.
In response, the sky sent a shower of rain onto her elevated and defiant face.
Spluttering and cursing, she stormed into the camp.
Four - Wrenpaw[]
Wrenpaw hated Silverpaw.
She was the worst.
Mothpaw was okay.
She wasn't his sibling, which is probably why.
She was a medicine cat, so he couldn't spend all that much time with her, but they talked on her breaks.
She was worried about Mudfur dying, he was worried about her worrying.
But Mudfur wasn't close to death, so Mothpaw wasn't a complete misery guts.
She was excited to get her medicine cat name. They'd been speculating.
Wrenpaw thought it'd be something like Mothflight or Mothbird.
She thought it'd be Mothfur or Mothleg.
"Wrenpaw!"
His head shot up, fixating on the bracken-colored tabby she-cat. "Mothpaw!" He purred.
She shook her head, eyes sparkling. "Mothwing," She mewed.
Wrenpaw smiled. "Congratulations!"
Mothwing nodded. "It's so different!" She exclaimed.
Wrenpaw poked her with his tail. "Duh. You're a full medicine cat now!"
Mothwing grinned. "Lowly apprentice."
Wrenpaw narrowed his eyes playfully. "Bee-brained medicine cat."
Mothwing and Wrenpaw collapsed in a heap of giggles, and Wrenpaw's worries were shoved to the back of his mind.