| Ancient Powers Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: None |
The Sorrow Begins | Succeded by: Blood Shall Flow |
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Four cats have been chosen. Each one has the power of an ancient Leader, and more. What they do with their Supernatural powers is up to them. But things are about to get messy...
Please Note[]
That some of these cats and Clans have not been created by me. See The Character Page to see who is the original creator of the Cat and the Clan. You can also visit The Talk Page of this Fanfic to submit your Cat to the Council. All applications, (With the exceptions of ones that make no sense whatsoever) Will be added. Also, be patient if your Cat isn't immediately in the story- I assure you, your cat will make multiple appearances in the series.
End "Want your Clan in my Story?" 00:01, February 22, 2010 (UTC)
Prologue - Meeting the Council - Rushstar[]
The full moon was high in the midnight sky. Rays of moonlight bathed the Gathering Island in a frosty blue color. All that could be seen from where Rushstar sat was a sea of blue and black. The black-furred leader of ThunderClan scanned the ground beneath his tree-top perch. ThunderClan had been the first Clan to arrive at the Gathering Island, and it seemed as if the other three clans had forgotten about the Gathering altogether. Rushstar gave a quick sigh, and looked up at the sky. He would understand if ShadowClan skipped the Gathering, as Blizzardstar wasn't exactly the Gathering type. But Rushstar couldn't imagine why the other three clans would skip. Clawstar and SkyClan were an honorable bunch, and arrived first every other Gathering. Greenstar and WindClan enjoyed flaunting their speed at Gatherings; arriving first was normally a competition between their Clan and SkyClan. And sure, Whisperstar and RiverClan couldn't care less about the other Clans, but they showed up nevertheless.
Rushstar rolled his furry shoulders, and stood up. There was no point in staying if the other Clans weren't going to come. Rushstar padded over to the tip of his thick tree branch, and jumped off the edge. He uttered a tiny groan when his paws collided with the ground. His front paws stung for a brief moment, but the pain disappeared as Rushstar spun around to look at the Gathering tree. A black she-cat sat patiently at the base of the mighty tree.
"Father?" the she-cat mewed, "Is something wrong? Aren't we going to wait for the others?"
Rushstar shook his head. "No, Crowsong. We've been here for a good, long time. The other Clans can have a Gathering if they want, but ThunderClan is going home. Call the Clan and let's go."
Crowsong flicked her black tail, a curious look in her vivid green eyes. "Father, I think it would be best if we waited a little longer. I highly doubt four clans are going to miss the Gathering. Besides, wouldn't StarClan cast clouds over the moon if they were angered?"
There was no point in arguing with his daughter. Rushstar nodded, and turned away without another word. That was the reason why he had chosen her, instead of another warrior, to be his deputy. Crowsong was surprisingly ruthless for such a young she-cat, and it certainly impressed him. So Rushstar padded back to the base of the Gathering tree, and dug his claws into the rough bark. Rushstar climbed the trunk half-way, and pulled himself up onto his branch. Pain began to ripple in his hind legs, but the elderly leader simply sat down, and ignored it. Rushstar then looked out into the black-and-blue abyss. Past the rotten log that connected the island to the mainland, Rushstar noticed a few tiny spots moving about. In front of the spots, was a large white one. Either SkyClan or ShadowClan had arrived, but by the way the spots seemed to be skulking about, Rushstar assumed they were ShadowClanners.
His guess was correct. Blizzardstar, the bulky white-furred leader of ShadowClan, strutted across the log, his clanmates trailing behind him. It was surprisingly easy for Rushstar to name off each ShadowClanner; there was Blizzardstar, obviously, then there was Shadepool, a rather lovely calico she-cat, Shadowsky, a black, over-confident tom, and Sunheart, their medicine cat, amongst others. But one cat Rushstar could not find was the slim, white deputy, Skyheart. Rushstar knew that Blizzardstar never left without his deputy at his side... but where was he?
Blizzardstar leaped onto his branch with ease, while a tortoiseshell she-cat took her place beside Crowsong. But that meant... had something happened to Skyheart?
"Thought I wasn't coming, Rushstar?" Blizzardstar's tone held such confidence. It made Rushstar's black hairs stick up on end.
But the leader showed no sign of fear. "For a moment I didn't think you were coming. Thankfully, my deputy convinced me to wait a bit longer. Thank StarClan I did!"
Blizzardstar's frosty blue eyes glittered with excitement. "You can thank Whisperstar for our delay. That fishfaced she-cat got all hostile with me. Says that I was 'trespassing' on her territory. I swear in StarClan's name, one of these days I'm going to..."
The ShadowClan leader trailed off as he turned his head. Rushstar followed his gaze toward the rotten log, realizing that Whisperstar had already crossed the log, and was headed toward her branch.
"Great StarClan, Whisperstar's gotten stealthier these days!" Rushstar exclaimed as the black tortoiseshell hopped onto her branch, "Taking lessons from Blizzardstar?"
Whisperstar shot Rushstar a dirty look. "I take lessons from no one. Especially that mouse-hearted fool."
Blizzardstar snarled, almost making Rushstar jump. "Shut up, you stupid old furball!"
"You know what, Blizzardstar?" Whisperstar hissed, "I'm not going to partake in this silly little debate. Argue all you want, but you trespassed on RiverClan territory, and you know that."
"-Look!" Rushstar flicked his tail toward the rotten log in an attempt to cease the fighting, "SkyClan and WindClan have arrived!"
It was nothing but the truth. A group of cats had already crossed the log, lead by a brown tabby, while another was in the midst of crossing, lead by a white tom similar in appearance to Blizzardstar. The tabby was the leader of WindClan, known as Greenstar, while the white tom was SkyClan's leader, Clawstar.
The proud, green-eyed WindClanner scrambled up the tree to his branch. Rushstar couldn't help but note how tired he looked. "Greenstar, are you feeling okay?"
Greenstar cast a brief, sideways glance at Rushstar. "Yes. I'm fine. You should be more concerned about Clawstar."
Rushstar's gaze immediately flew to Clawstar. The tom was clinging onto his branch desperately, as if he couldn't pull himself up. Was Clawstar truly that elderly? No- the white tom managed to pull himself up moments after the thought crossed Rushstar's mind.
Whisperstar examined Clawstar for a moment, then turned her attention back to the sea of cats that were looking up at the five leaders. She stood up, and flicked her tail. As if that flick her magic, the crowd settled down.
"Welcome, cats of the five Clans!" Whisperstar bellowed, "Now that we are all here, I would like to begin this Gathering by sharing RiverClan news with you all."
The black tortoiseshell held her head high in the air as she continued. "RiverClan has been doing great over the past moon. Prey is plentiful, kits are healthy. All in all, I think this is a great end to a wonderful Greenleaf. It has been made even better with the addition of two new warriors to the clan; welcome Icetail and Sunwhisker as full-fledged warriors of RiverClan!"
The RiverClanners howled and meowed in excitement. Rushstar gave a quick look at two cats that sat near the front of the crowd; a tortoiseshell she-cat and a sand-colored tom. He then looked back at his own clan, and stood up to speak, but was cut off by Blizzardstar before a word even came out of his mouth.
"ShadowClan is doing well, as always," Blizzardstar's tone was laced with superiority, "however, my deputy, Skyheart, has decided to give up his position as deputy of ShadowClan, and has retired. In his place, I have promoted dear Swiftfoot as my new deputy!"
So the tortoiseshell was called Swiftfoot. Rushstar nodded to himself, ignoring the proud calls of the ShadowClanners. The moment their loud mews died down, Rushstar quickly stood up again, and managed to speak before Greenstar or Clawstar could.
"ThunderClan has been blessed with plenty of prey as of late. Our warriors are growing strong, and our herb stocks are higher than ever before!" Rushstar shot Blizzardstar a confident look, "On top of those things, we are lucky enough to have three new apprentices! Welcome Duskpaw, Faithpaw, and Reedpaw to our clan as apprentices!"
A roar of pride came from the ThunderClanners. Rushstar tilted his head higher, allowing them to finish, before he continued. "Greenstar, just a friendly word of warning; I saw a large group of rogues headed for your territory earlier today. But other than that, that is all I have to say."
Greenstar gave a quick nod of acknowledgement, and stood up to speak. However, the moment he opened his mouth to address the Clans, a chilly gust of wind blew through the island. Rushstar shivered, and tensed. It had been such a warm night, and now it was freezing!
The chill was not all Rushstar noticed; a faint scent drifted on the wind. It smelt nothing like the other Clans. The cats beneath Rushstar began to look about. Whispers and murmurs rippled across the island, but they were all silenced by Whisperstar's piercing howl.
Rushstar felt his body freeze; across the log, was a massive group of cats. The very same that had outwitted him and a patrol of ThunderClanners earlier in the day. It was even lead by the same mighty gray tabby tom. The tom's head cocked in a confident fashion as he crossed the log onto the island.
The Clan cats parted, giving the tabby and his group a path to the tree. The tabby halted about a fox-length away from the tree's base, and sat down.
It seemed like the tabby's rump hitting the ground triggered something within Blizzardstar. The white tomcat stood up, teeth barred, and glared at the tabby. "Who are you?"
The gray tabby tom only smirked. "That is not your concern, ShadowClanner. But we have our own concerns, and it is vital we share them with you all immediately."
His voice was smooth, and held an unfamiliar accent. It was obvious this cat had delt with Clans before, though Rushstar had never seen him do so.
The gray tabby stood up, and padded over to the tree. He leapt onto a spare branch that sat near the bottom of the tree. Rushstar's muscles tensed. The tabby flicked his tail, avoiding eye contact with the five leaders, and held his head up proudly.
"I am End, the One-Leader of the Council of the Elements. We are sorry to say that our representative of the Clans, a cat who went by the name of Talonstar, has recently died. We have come to the Lake to claim a new representative. We understand that you may not trust us, as we have not visited the lakeside in many long years, but we need this cat as soon as possible."
Greenstar barred his teeth. "I will never give one of my Warriors to you!"
"Nor will I," Blizzardstar snarled, unsheathing his claws in a haughty fashion.
Clawstar glared at End, his eyes full of suspicion. "I won't, either."
Whisperstar sighed, and dipped her tortoiseshell head respectfully. "I'm sorry, End, but I simply don't trust you enough."
Rushstar stood up, prepared to tell 'End' off, but a white flash went off in the corner of his eye. Rushstar quickly turned around, and gasped. A large, starry tomcat sat in front of Rushstar. His eyes were a bold green, while his starry outline was ginger. This was no ordinary StarClanner; this was Firestar, the leader that managed to singlehandedly stop a war between all the clans!
The black tom gasped, but Firestar silenced him with a low hiss. "Rushstar. Trust these cats. Tell them that ThunderClan will supply them with their cat. Tell them that this cat will be Blazepaw."
Rushstar quickly looked out into the crowd of ThunderClanners. Blazepaw's brilliant ginger pelt caught his eye almost instantly. The young apprentice sat quietly beside his mother, Daisyfur, claws unsheathed. Was it truly wise to send him with the 'council'? Rushstar turned back, but Firestar was gone.
The ThunderClan leader straightened up, and reluctantly yowled. The quarreling clans fell silent almost instantly. End glanced up at Rushstar, and sat down, and amused look on his gray face.
"T-ThunderClan will give this 'council' a cat." Rushstar paused, and took in a deep breath.
"Blazepaw, to be exact."
Gasps of shock rose from the Clan. Rushstar cast a sympathetic look at Blazepaw, whose frantic gaze made him look like a lost kit.
End gave a curt nod, and jumped off the branch. "Very well, then. Blazepaw, please come with me. As for the rest of you, it was truly a pleasure to meet you all."
Blazepaw padded slowly toward End, a nervous look upon his ginger face. Rushstar closed his eyes for a moment, and hung his head in shame. How could he have done such a horrible thing?
End and Blazepaw reached the group of cats. A white she-cat stepped forward, flicked her tail, and closed her eyes. In an instant, the whole group was gone.
It was then Rushstar realized he had sent Blazepaw to his death.
Chapter One - The Elemental Rock - Blazepaw[]
Chapter One is being re-written.
In a brief moment, ThunderClan was gone. SkyClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan were gone. I was no longer at the Island, but in a large cavern. It was brightly lit, and the stone was a pale gray. I then noticed a stream that passed through the cavern, leading into a dark tunnel at the back. In the center of the large cave was many stones, each perfectly cut into a square. At the front of each stone was a symbol, the largest one had a Thunderbolt. So many strange places... cats... I was now terrified.
End could easily tell I was frightened. "Come, child... I shall show you your place in the Council."
I followed End, not wanting to approach any of the other mysterious cats. We approached the circle of stones, stopping at a stone with fire etched into it. I looked up at End, who purred in amusement.
"This is your seat in the Council." End meowed, flicking his tail.
End backed away, leaving me alone in the Circle of Stones. I shuddered, looking at the other stones. To the left of mine was a stone with a Mountain on it, to the right, was a bone. I wondered what the Bone could signify, but before I could move, a cat shouted my name.
"Blazepaw!"
I turned, spotting a gray tom with green eyes. I purred, realizing this was Ruinpaw, a WindClan apprentice. At least I wasn't the only Apprentice here... but then I realized something; didn't End say that I was the representative for all the Clans?
"What are you doing here, Ruinpaw?" I meowed, climbing onto my stone and sitting down. I looked at Ruinpaw, realizing how much he had grown from the Gathering I had met him at four moons ago.
Ruinpaw said nothing. He looked at the stone beside the one with the Mountain, which had a picture of a Diamond. He padded over to it, and climbed on, purring at me.
Ruinpaw stretched, and looked up at the ceiling of the cavern. "End told me I was chosen to represent some Ancient Tribe. I don't know why, to be honest, but before I could argue, I just appeared here."
I laughed. Ruinpaw seemed to be just as confused as I was. I looked behind me, nervously, before opening my mouth in awe. Behind me was the entrance to the cave, but there wasn't any grass. Or anything. Just sky! I jumped off the Stone, and darted towards the entrance to the Cavern. I skidded to a stop at the entrance, looking down. Beneath my paws, beneath the cavern, was the lake! It was puny, and that was when I realized that I was, in fact, in a cave that was in the sky.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Ruinpaw laughed, approaching me, "I was terrified when I first saw it. According to End, this is the Elemental Rock, a large rock that has the Council Cave, a waterfall, and everything else that you can imagine."
I shook my head. This had to be a dream. A floating rock... with a waterfall... it was all Mouse-dung!
"Hello, new Representative."
I jumped, turning around. Ruinpaw tipped his head in respect for the pair of she-cats that stood behind us, and I did the same, not wanting to upset any of the Council Cats.
One of the she-cats had white fur. The other, black. I looked up at the White she-cat, my eyes wide as her cloud-white fur suddenly became a pale gray.
"You seem surprised about something." the now dark-gray she-cat purred. I backed away a kit-step, before remembering I was on a rock high in the Clouds.
"Pardon me for not introducing myself," she meowed, "I'm Leaf-fur, and this is Hiddensun. I couldn't help but notice you with Ruinpaw, and we were both quite eager to meet the new cat around here."
Leaf-fur became a White she-cat again, purring with amusement as I began to shake. This was all just too wierd for me to handle... at least Ruinpaw and Hiddensun were normal... or at least I thought they were...
"Perhaps we'd better explain to this cat about the whole Powers thing?" Hiddensun meowed, amusement in her sunny amber eyes.
I looked over at Ruinpaw nervously. Ruinpaw returned my look with a reassuring purr, and sat down.
"Yeah... Blazepaw, I forgot to tell you that every cat that enters the Council gets a special power..." Ruinpaw meowed nervously, leaning back against the entrance to the cave.
I nodded, trying to believe all that was happening. Powers... Rocks in the Sky... I suddenly bit myself, hoping I'd wake up. I hissed in pain, before sheepishly looking up at Hiddensun and Leaf-fur, who were looking at me like I was insane.
"Pardon me, Blazepaw, but why did you just bite yourself?" Leaf-fur meowed, staring at me.
I let out a sigh. "I thought I was asleep." I admitted, before turning towards the cave.
I padded towards the circle of stones, Ruinpaw right behind me. I looked at all the symbols on the stones... there was one of Sun-Drown-Place, one of a Sun, one of a Blizzard... none of it made any sense. How was I supposed to get used to living like this?
"Blazepaw..." Ruinpaw trailed off, looking at me worriedly, "Is there something wrong?"
I growled. Could Ruinpaw be really that Mouse-Brained?
"No! There's nothing wrong at all! It doesn't matter that I was taken away from my Clan, my parents and my friends without a word on my part! It doesn't matter that I'm surrounded my strange cats with strange powers! Nothing matters, AT ALL, Ruinpaw!" I suddenly lashed out at Ruinpaw. I glared at him, before noticing the fear in his small green eyes.
"Bl... B... Blazepaw..." Ruinpaw squeaked, unable to make a move or speak louder, "Yo... your t... tail is... is... on fire!"
I paused... I had just yelled at Ruinpaw, and all he could do was make horrible jokes? I rolled my eyes, and turned around. Then I froze- Ruinpaw had been right... My tail was ablaze!
Chapter Two - The Newcomers - Snow[]
I watched in silence as the two cats began to panic. I let out a sigh. This was exactly how Mistfeather reacted when she learned about the water ability. I wanted to go over to Ruinpaw and his friend, but I knew that they wouldn't be welcoming. I turned away, just as the ginger tom managed to get his powers under control, and let out a sigh.
Suddenly, I noticed End with two new cats. One was a black tom with horrifying red eyes, the other a brown tabby tom with amber eyes. The tabby tom was strange... I could see through him! The three cats, End at the front, made their way towards the Council-Stones. The black tom stopped at a Stone with a Bone engraved in it, and the other hopped onto the stone that was beside End's. The Ghostly tabby's stone had a Crescent Moon etched into the side.
I was now curious as to who the newcomers were. I got to my paws, and padded towards End's stone. But before I got there, End let out a sharp, piercing yowl. I heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. Every cat on the Elemental Rock was suddenly pouring into the Cave. I was used to this ritual now. I immediately rushed over to my stone- the Mountain Stone, and sat down. I watched as Leaf-fur and Ruinpaw's friend sat down on their rocks which were beside me, and I looked up at End.
"Greetings, Fellow Council Cats!" End meowed, his voice echoing throughout the Cave, "As you all know, three new cats have joined us today. One replacing Talonstar of the Lakeside Clans, one replacing Queen of the Loners, Rogues and House-cats, and our last, replacing Brokenstar of the No Stars."
I shuddered, remembering Brokenstar. He had been cast out of the Council when End declared that he was a traitor. I always knew that having Spirits in the Council would lead to trouble...
"So please, Welcome Blazepaw, Bloodpaw and Tigerstar!"
I looked over at Blazepaw, who I presumed was Ruinpaw's friend, and wondered why he was looked so grave. I suddenly wondered if this Tigerstar was a bad cat...
I also happened to notice that Bramblestar, who represented StarClan, looked deadly serious as well. What could possibly be wrong with Tigerstar? I shifted uncomfortably, and stretched.
"Very well, then... Prepare yourselves for the next Council Meeting, which shall be in two Sunrises!" End finally declared. My heart sunk- If there really was something wrong with Tigerstar, then I was afraid that he may bring up a bad topic during the Meeting.
The cats of the Council began to scatter. I jumped off my stone, and looked around, for Mist. She was the only other Tribe Cat that was part of the Council, and my only true friend. None of the other council cats really liked me that much... but I couldn't figure out why. I spotted Mist sitting alone by her stone, the Thought Stone. I padded towards her, and sat down.
"Hey, Snow." Mist greeted me warmly. As she looked at me, I saw visions of a Warm, Snow-Less day. (Snow-Less is the Tribe Equivalent to Green-Leaf.) Then I remembered that Mist had been given the power to change thoughts. I wondered what I would do with a power like that, and nodded.
"What do you think of that Tigerstar?" I meowed, glancing at the Ghostly cat who was speaking with Antoinette. "I don't like him very much. He looks mean."
Mist rolled her eyes. "And you thought the same with Ruinpaw, and Hiddensun, and Fadingdawn, and.."
"Yeah, I get it." I suddenly snapped, leaning against the Thought-Stone. I let the cool, faint breeze from the Cave entrance hit against my face. It felt good, and reminded me of what Stonewhisper had told me before I left with End to join the Council. I let out a sigh, and closed my eyes.
I grimaced, hearing the rumble of my stomach. It reminded me that I was a normal cat, unlike the Spirits and the Leaders, and I needed to eat. I looked at Mist, who immediately understood what I wanted. I padded towards the other entrance to the cave, and purred, looking at the beautiful Elemental Rock. The outside was by far more beautiful than the Cave- lushious Green grass grew everywhere- prey was abundant, but the most beautiful thing was, a tiny waterfall fell from the top of the Cave, trailing off the rock.
I immediately got down into a hunting crouch, the scent of Squirrel filling my nose. With ease, I used the old Tribe Techniques to bring down the squirrel that was sitting peacefully in a patch of flowers. Mist and I devoured the Squirrel, before pushing the remains off the rock by accident. We watched, holding back laughter as it fell with a tiny splash into the lake beneath the rock.
Oops!
During that brief moment of silence, that was when I heard it. The blood-curdling, horrible screech that would scar me forever.
Chapter Three - Death - Ruinpaw[]
I was sitting calmly by the Stones when Blazepaw when I heard the unearthly screech. Before long, we were at the source of the cry, at the Fallen Waterfall, the end of the rock which the water falls off the rock and into the lake which the rock is over. But the water was not crystal clear. Instead, it was blood red. The Corpse of Ore, one of the five leaders of the Council, was beside the stream, the open wounds on his chest and paws leaking into the stream.
End was soon at the scene. He glared at the surrounding cats, and pushed a path through the crowd. His eyes were a bright gold, and suddenly, the bright sky was no longer visible. Instead, the sky was covered in gray clouds. Rain began pouring down, and I remembered how End could control rain and lighting. I suddenly noticed, that the only cats that were not mourning for Ore were sitting quietly inside the cavern. A she-cat, and two toms. The she-cat I could easily recognize. It was Antoinette, End's Second-In-Command. She was speaking to the two newcomers, whose names were Tigerfur and Bloodstar... or at least, I thought that was their names.
Antoinette licked the Ghostly tabby cat, and he licked her in return. I heard her faintly laugh. Suddenly, Antoinette shot me a look, and I knew that I shouldn't be watching them. I turned away, and scanned the crowd of cats for Blazepaw. I could spot his ginger fur a hundred fox-lengths away... it was the brightest thing I could see. Pushing my way past multiple Council cats, including Ur and Iris, I padded up to Blazepaw.
"Wow..." Blazepaw meowed, his green eyes wide, "So much has happened in one day..."
I nodded. Nothing like this had happened within the two moons I had been here... and wasn't it peculiar that the moment Tigerfur and Bloodstar arrive, trouble arises?
"Hey, Blazepaw, why did you look so scared of Tigerstar?"
We turned, spotting Snow and her friend, Mist. Snow was such an odd cat... I didn't like her, or her name. I mean, what kind of cat is called Snow that Covers Mountain? I took a nervous paw-step back, and looked at Blazepaw. So the tabby was called Tigerstar...
"You mean you've never heard of Tigerstar?" Blazepaw meowed, amazement in his voice, "Tigerstar, the cat who tried to murder so many leaders of ThunderClan... who set a dog pack loose on the forest? Who brought a dangerous threat called BloodClan into the forest?"
I turned around, spotting Tigerstar, Antoinette and that Bloodstar cat. Bloodstar shot Blazepaw a dirty look as he heard the BloodClan comment, and continued on his way. What was with him?
"You there!" I suddenly heard the familiar voice of Iris. I groaned- she always tried hard and meant well, but said things at the wrong time.
I turned, and tipped my head in respect for the third most powerful leader in the Council. Iris nodded back, and looked at us.
"Please go to the Sleeping Den. End, Antoinette, Ur and I must sort this out. Besides, it's almost sunset. You need to get your sleep." Iris meowed.
I did not dare argue with Iris. I looked back at Blazepaw, ignoring Snow and her friend, Mist, and soon, Blazepaw and I were making our way towards the den. We sat down in a pile of moss and ferns (How they got those up here, I'll never know), and laid down. We were soon both in a deep slumber.
The sun was blasting in my face as I woke up, along with the scent of fresh prey. I looked over, purring as I saw Blazepaw. He pushed a half-eaten Squirrel towards me, and began grooming his paws. In an instant, the squirrel was gone. I was that starved. Blazepaw stretched, and sat up.
"How'd ya sleep last night?" Blazepaw asked me, concern his his green eyes, "I was a bit worried about Ore and all that..."
I nodded. "I was a bit concerned about that, too. But remember that we have four of the World's most powerful cats here..."
Blazepaw glanced over at the entrance to the den. I could tell something was wrong, but didn't have the guts to ask what. Blazepaw silently got up, and padded out of the den. I followed, wondering what in the name of StarClan was wrong with him...
"Okay, Blazepaw... what's up? You're acting strange!" I exclaimed, sitting beside him near the stream that ran by the den.
"Oh, Ruinpaw..." Blazepaw's voice was shaky... that was when I knew what was wrong. Very wrong.
"Last night, when everyone was asleep, I noticed Bloodpaw leaving the den. I knew that he shouldn't be roaming the rock at night, so I followed him. He went into that pretty white cat's den..."
I interrupted him. "Antoinette."
"Yeah, Antoinette... but anyway, Bloodpaw went into her den, and I heard them talking about something horrible!"
"Hurry up and spit it out, Blazepaw!" I snapped, "I haven't got all Sunrise, for StarClan's Sake!"
"They're going to---"
All went black.
Chapter Four - Danger - Snow[]
It had been awfully quiet since the death of Ore in the previous night. I suddenly remembered my encounter with Blazepaw and Ruinpaw, and my heart sunk as I realized what they had been thinking about me. I let out a sigh, and felt all of my hopes drop. How I'd give anything to go back to my old life, with Eagle that flies at Night... but I knew that would never happen. I would never go back to the Tribe. I was stuck here, on a boring rock, with only one friend.
Still feeling sorry for myself, I padded out of the den. I looked up at the gloomy gray sky, and sighed. Another pathetic day in my pathetic life.
Suddenly, I heard End's familiar yowl. A crack of thunder went off in the distance. I noticed, as I padded into the Council Cave and onto my rock, that three spots were empty. There was the Four-Stone, which Ore had once sat on, but there was two other empty spots; Ruinpaw's Diamond-Stone, and Blazepaw's Fire-Stone.
They were probably out being irresponsible.
The other cats straightened up, and looked at End. End took a deep breath, and held his head high as he began to speak.
"Cats of the Council- As you all know, our Four-Leader, Ore has been killed. We have not yet determined the cause, but for now, I am proud to announce that Fadingdawn, who was once the Representative for AuroraClan, is to take Ore's position. Fadingdawn- Do you give up your past life to become Dawn, the Four-Leader of the Council?"
I looked at Fadingdawn, who was sitting shyly on the Light-Stone. She nodded, and my gaze returned to End.
"Very well, then. The leaders will be leaving to retrieve a new AuroraClan cat shortly. However, Ur will remain here to make sure nothing... happens...
I could tell End was still shaken about Ore's death. As the Council began to scatter, I sought out Mist in the crowd of cats. She sat quietly by her stone, looking at the ground. I padded over, flicking my tail in content as I sat down.
"Um... Snow? Could I talk to you?" Mist meowed, "It's about something important."
"Yeah?" I replied.
Mist glanced over her shoulder nervously, looking at Bloodpaw and his friends for a brief moment. She looked over at the stream from outside, and padded out of the cave. I followed, not sure what she wanted. We both stopped at the side of the stream, and Mist took a deep breath.
"Snow... There's something wrong. Very wrong..." Mist began.
"I was just sleeping, when I heard something. I got up, and it was still just the crack of dawn. I padded out of the den, and I spotted four cats in the distance. But then, they disappeared. So I kept watch, waiting for them. That's why you didn't see me this morning, Snow."
"And...?" I urged for Mist to continue. I saw no point in her tale at the moment.
"And when they came back, only two returned. That's when I overheard Bloodpaw, who was one of the two, saying They can't be allowed to live. We'll return after the Meeting to dispose of them."
I froze- The only two cats missing besides Ore were Blazepaw and Ruinpaw. That had to mean that Bloodpaw and his friend had them. They were in trouble. Serious Trouble.
And we were the only two that could help them.
Don't Miss Blood Shall Flow, the next book in the Ancient Powers Series!!