Prolouge
In the dead of night, a silent warrior prowled. The entrance to the camp was heavily guarded, with
three trained warriors on the lookout for trouble. Tonight was a very special
night, the night the clan leader gave birth.
There was a sharp yowl as the first kit was
born. She was a fiery ginger, and a fighter from the start. She pushed heavily
into the Medicine Cat's stomach, screaming her tiny lungs out. "Shh..."
whispered Horsefur. He was a light brown cat, with darker brown stripes and
eyes the color of a newly born sky. "Shh, you're fine." he repeated. He turned
to his forbidden mate. "A she-cat." he
announced.
"How many, how many more?" panted Blazingstar,
her tongue lolling in exhaustion and her chest heaving. Just one kit and she was
tired beyond belief. For the first time, Blazingstar felt a rich sympathy and
admiration for the queens of WindClan. They were stronger even than their own
clan leader.
"I'm not sure, but I'm guessing three." Horsefur
said, licking his mate's ear. "You'll make it through. You are the strongest cat
I know."
Blazingstar felt a deep compassion well up in
her chest, but she compressed a purr. If she got out of focus now, it could be
life and death situation. She suddenly let out another blood curdling yowl. This
was worse than battle! A new kind of pain! Horsefur flinched at the loud scream,
trying not to let his panicking instincts kick in. He shoved a branch into his
mate's mouth.
"Clamp down on this!" he said tersely.
Blazingstar obeyed, and the stick splintered into a dozen pieces, littering the
den.
As she did so, another tiny she-cat rolled into
life. This one was a light brown she-cat, identical to her father in all ways
but one. She had no stripes. She sputtered and coughed weakly. Horsefur ducked
down, licking the small kit's fur the wrong way in order to keep in the
warmth.
"Another she-cat!" he declared, watching as
Blazingstar's eyes filled up once more with a newly found motherly love. "She
is beautiful, isn't she?" Horsefur nodded, gazing down lovingly at his new tiny
daughter. She looked just like him...
Which was a problem. If the clan found out that
their own leader had broken the Warrior code, both Horsefur and Blazingstar
could be kicked out of the clan. He didn't mention anything to Blazingstar. She
was worried enough as it was.
Horsefur's thoughts were interrupted by a shout
from outside. "What was that?" Blazingstar asked, frightened. "That sounded like
Hawkface."
"Don't worry about it, your deputy has got this
all under control."
"Are you
sure?"
No. "Of course, why would I lie to you?"
Blazingstar was about to protest when she felt
another sharp stomach pain. Yowling, she heaved. A third kit, a dark brown tom
with black stripes, tumbled into the den. He was stronger even than the first
kit, and battered his father with pointy little claws. Horsefur winced, smiling
at his mate through the pain. This was going to be a fighter that was for
sure.
"A tom!" Horsefur said, but his words were
drowned out by screeches from outside, where Hawkface, Featherpelt, and
Freetail fought valiantly against intruding warriors. "Stay here." Horsefur
growled, bolting outside.
"Wait, Horsefur!" Blazingstar yelled, attempting
to climb to her paws. "You can't leave me here alone!" It was too late. Horsefur
was gone. Blazingstar grunted, barely managing to get to her paws before a final
spasm overcame her body. Another kit was
coming!
Outside, Horsefur watched grimly as WindClan's
three best warriors fought against the RiverClan patrol. Hawkface, WindClan's
deputy, pummeled Forestfur's spine with a rapid succession of scratches. Blood
leaked from the warrior's various wounds, and Horsefur rushed over, a small
stock of herbs in his mouth.
"Hawkface, you can't fight any longer, you will
die of blood loss."
"I will die protecting my clan, leader, and the
new kits." Hawkface insisted, wincing as sharpened claws plunged into his
shoulder. Forestfur cackled, leaving Hawkface sprawled on the
ground.
"Enough." Horsefur hissed, standing in front of
his fallen clanmate. "Warriors do not kill."
"Warriors do not take mercy!" Forestfur laughed,
shoving Horsefur aside. He raised one claw, shining in the moonlight above
Hawkface's neck.
Blazingstar gasped in pain. It was so difficult
with Horsefur there beside, but by herself it was even worse. She took a deep
breath, let it out, another breath, let it out. She glanced around, hoping for
one of those convient branches, but there was no sign of anything but splinters
and the three abandoned kits, wriggling uncertainly. Where was thier father,
who licked them so kindly and welcomed them into this
world?
Horsefur knocked into Forestfur's side before he
could think. Horsefur's skinny WindClan frame wasn't nearly enough to match the
bulky shape of RiverClan, but it did the job. Forestfur was knocked aside.
Horsefur bared his teeth, and shot forward, his natural WindClan speed
benefitting him. He nipped at Forestfur's haunches before he could dodge, and
Forestfur snarled.
"You want a peice of me, Medicine Cat?" he
spat.
Horsefur had no time to react before Forestfur
had knocked him to the ground. He lay, winded. "What do you want?" he asked
weakly, his herbs sprawled to the side where he had dropped them before
attacking the RiverClan tom. "Is this about last
moon?"
"It is not acceptable for a Medicine Cat to
cross borders." Forestfur held his paw firmly against Horsefur's stomach. Just a
little more pressure, and Horsefur feared risk of being crushed on the inside.
He breathed lightly despite the anger boiling up in his
body.
"I'm a Medicine Cat for StarClan's sake! I have
rightful permission to cross borders in order to recieve herbs from neighboring
clans!"
Instead of responding, Forestfur gently pressed
his claws into Horsefur's stomach, a reminder of the power he held. Horsefur
grunted, but said no more. Forestfur smiled. "Now without further ado..." there
was a yowl from the Medicine Cat den.
Blazingstar.
The final kit struggled into life, crying
weakly. This one was a small, light brown she cat. Her bright pink nose stuck in
the air as she cried for food. Blazingstar gathered her four kits together,
sighing in relief. She had made it. She had survived. But had her
mate?
"NO!" Blazingstar started at the loud yell.
Horsefur?
Blazingstar calledout for the Medicine cat, but
there was no response. Her heart thumped heavily, like the steady beat of paws
hitting the ground. She recognized the potent, fishy scent of RiverClan. What
were they doing here? Imeadietly, Blazingstar's tail curled protectively around
her kits.
Suddenly, a large head broke into the den.
Blazingstar's face flashed with recognition. Forestfur, a warrior of RiverClan.
"Have mercy." she whispered, but she could't do anything but watch as the evil
warrior picked up two of the kits. Blazingstar barely had time to name them
before they disapeared from the den. "Moorkit! Vixenkit!" she
yowled.
"RiverClan RETREAT!" Blazingstar heard Forestfur
shout, voice muffled by the lumps of fur he carried. "We have our
prize!"
The RiverClan warriors retreated, where thier
ThunderClan back stood waiting. "Did you defeat them?" the leader
demanded.
"Yes, Blizzardstar, thank you for the strategy
and back up."
"What's that you have in your jaws?" Woodheart,
the deputy of ThunderClan, asked curiously.
"Kits," Blizzardstar whispered. "We must have
our fair share. Give us one of the kits."
"But--"
"Give us one!"
Forestfur didn't need a fight. ThunderClan was
one of the stronger clans right now, and RiverClan had taken quite a beating at
the previous battle. "Here," he said, giving him the she-cat. "I heard
Blazingstar call this one 'Vixenkit'"
Blizzardstar dipped his head respectfully. "May
StarClan light your path." he said.
"As for you." Forestfur replied, turning with
Moorkit still hanging in his jaws.
"What shall we name the last kits?" Blazingstar
whispered, glancin around, afraid someone would barge in despite Horsefur's
harsh instructions.
"That one Sandykit." Horsefur nudged the first
born kit who retaliated by snapping at the air with already powerful jaws. "And
that last one Lightkit, for lighting up my world." he
whispered.
"Those are good names." Blazingstar said
approvingly, licking each kit in turn.
"You do know they will find the similarity
between me and Lightkit." sighed Horsefur.
Tears welled up in Blazingstar's eyes. "Yes I
know," she managed to choke out.
"I'll take her to ShadowClan before dawn. If
anyone asks, you only ever gave birth to three kits, and the other two got
stolen by RiverClan."
"Of course."
Horsefur licked Blazingstar's cheek. "You are
very brave."
"Good bye my daughter." Blazingstar whispered to
Lightkit. "I wish you well.”
three trained warriors on the lookout for trouble. Tonight was a very special
night, the night the clan leader gave birth.
There was a sharp yowl as the first kit was
born. She was a fiery ginger, and a fighter from the start. She pushed heavily
into the Medicine Cat's stomach, screaming her tiny lungs out. "Shh..."
whispered Horsefur. He was a light brown cat, with darker brown stripes and
eyes the color of a newly born sky. "Shh, you're fine." he repeated. He turned
to his forbidden mate. "A she-cat." he
announced.
"How many, how many more?" panted Blazingstar,
her tongue lolling in exhaustion and her chest heaving. Just one kit and she was
tired beyond belief. For the first time, Blazingstar felt a rich sympathy and
admiration for the queens of WindClan. They were stronger even than their own
clan leader.
"I'm not sure, but I'm guessing three." Horsefur
said, licking his mate's ear. "You'll make it through. You are the strongest cat
I know."
Blazingstar felt a deep compassion well up in
her chest, but she compressed a purr. If she got out of focus now, it could be
life and death situation. She suddenly let out another blood curdling yowl. This
was worse than battle! A new kind of pain! Horsefur flinched at the loud scream,
trying not to let his panicking instincts kick in. He shoved a branch into his
mate's mouth.
"Clamp down on this!" he said tersely.
Blazingstar obeyed, and the stick splintered into a dozen pieces, littering the
den.
As she did so, another tiny she-cat rolled into
life. This one was a light brown she-cat, identical to her father in all ways
but one. She had no stripes. She sputtered and coughed weakly. Horsefur ducked
down, licking the small kit's fur the wrong way in order to keep in the
warmth.
"Another she-cat!" he declared, watching as
Blazingstar's eyes filled up once more with a newly found motherly love. "She
is beautiful, isn't she?" Horsefur nodded, gazing down lovingly at his new tiny
daughter. She looked just like him...
Which was a problem. If the clan found out that
their own leader had broken the Warrior code, both Horsefur and Blazingstar
could be kicked out of the clan. He didn't mention anything to Blazingstar. She
was worried enough as it was.
Horsefur's thoughts were interrupted by a shout
from outside. "What was that?" Blazingstar asked, frightened. "That sounded like
Hawkface."
"Don't worry about it, your deputy has got this
all under control."
"Are you
sure?"
No. "Of course, why would I lie to you?"
Blazingstar was about to protest when she felt
another sharp stomach pain. Yowling, she heaved. A third kit, a dark brown tom
with black stripes, tumbled into the den. He was stronger even than the first
kit, and battered his father with pointy little claws. Horsefur winced, smiling
at his mate through the pain. This was going to be a fighter that was for
sure.
"A tom!" Horsefur said, but his words were
drowned out by screeches from outside, where Hawkface, Featherpelt, and
Freetail fought valiantly against intruding warriors. "Stay here." Horsefur
growled, bolting outside.
"Wait, Horsefur!" Blazingstar yelled, attempting
to climb to her paws. "You can't leave me here alone!" It was too late. Horsefur
was gone. Blazingstar grunted, barely managing to get to her paws before a final
spasm overcame her body. Another kit was
coming!
Outside, Horsefur watched grimly as WindClan's
three best warriors fought against the RiverClan patrol. Hawkface, WindClan's
deputy, pummeled Forestfur's spine with a rapid succession of scratches. Blood
leaked from the warrior's various wounds, and Horsefur rushed over, a small
stock of herbs in his mouth.
"Hawkface, you can't fight any longer, you will
die of blood loss."
"I will die protecting my clan, leader, and the
new kits." Hawkface insisted, wincing as sharpened claws plunged into his
shoulder. Forestfur cackled, leaving Hawkface sprawled on the
ground.
"Enough." Horsefur hissed, standing in front of
his fallen clanmate. "Warriors do not kill."
"Warriors do not take mercy!" Forestfur laughed,
shoving Horsefur aside. He raised one claw, shining in the moonlight above
Hawkface's neck.
Blazingstar gasped in pain. It was so difficult
with Horsefur there beside, but by herself it was even worse. She took a deep
breath, let it out, another breath, let it out. She glanced around, hoping for
one of those convient branches, but there was no sign of anything but splinters
and the three abandoned kits, wriggling uncertainly. Where was thier father,
who licked them so kindly and welcomed them into this
world?
Horsefur knocked into Forestfur's side before he
could think. Horsefur's skinny WindClan frame wasn't nearly enough to match the
bulky shape of RiverClan, but it did the job. Forestfur was knocked aside.
Horsefur bared his teeth, and shot forward, his natural WindClan speed
benefitting him. He nipped at Forestfur's haunches before he could dodge, and
Forestfur snarled.
"You want a peice of me, Medicine Cat?" he
spat.
Horsefur had no time to react before Forestfur
had knocked him to the ground. He lay, winded. "What do you want?" he asked
weakly, his herbs sprawled to the side where he had dropped them before
attacking the RiverClan tom. "Is this about last
moon?"
"It is not acceptable for a Medicine Cat to
cross borders." Forestfur held his paw firmly against Horsefur's stomach. Just a
little more pressure, and Horsefur feared risk of being crushed on the inside.
He breathed lightly despite the anger boiling up in his
body.
"I'm a Medicine Cat for StarClan's sake! I have
rightful permission to cross borders in order to recieve herbs from neighboring
clans!"
Instead of responding, Forestfur gently pressed
his claws into Horsefur's stomach, a reminder of the power he held. Horsefur
grunted, but said no more. Forestfur smiled. "Now without further ado..." there
was a yowl from the Medicine Cat den.
Blazingstar.
The final kit struggled into life, crying
weakly. This one was a small, light brown she cat. Her bright pink nose stuck in
the air as she cried for food. Blazingstar gathered her four kits together,
sighing in relief. She had made it. She had survived. But had her
mate?
"NO!" Blazingstar started at the loud yell.
Horsefur?
Blazingstar calledout for the Medicine cat, but
there was no response. Her heart thumped heavily, like the steady beat of paws
hitting the ground. She recognized the potent, fishy scent of RiverClan. What
were they doing here? Imeadietly, Blazingstar's tail curled protectively around
her kits.
Suddenly, a large head broke into the den.
Blazingstar's face flashed with recognition. Forestfur, a warrior of RiverClan.
"Have mercy." she whispered, but she could't do anything but watch as the evil
warrior picked up two of the kits. Blazingstar barely had time to name them
before they disapeared from the den. "Moorkit! Vixenkit!" she
yowled.
"RiverClan RETREAT!" Blazingstar heard Forestfur
shout, voice muffled by the lumps of fur he carried. "We have our
prize!"
The RiverClan warriors retreated, where thier
ThunderClan back stood waiting. "Did you defeat them?" the leader
demanded.
"Yes, Blizzardstar, thank you for the strategy
and back up."
"What's that you have in your jaws?" Woodheart,
the deputy of ThunderClan, asked curiously.
"Kits," Blizzardstar whispered. "We must have
our fair share. Give us one of the kits."
"But--"
"Give us one!"
Forestfur didn't need a fight. ThunderClan was
one of the stronger clans right now, and RiverClan had taken quite a beating at
the previous battle. "Here," he said, giving him the she-cat. "I heard
Blazingstar call this one 'Vixenkit'"
Blizzardstar dipped his head respectfully. "May
StarClan light your path." he said.
"As for you." Forestfur replied, turning with
Moorkit still hanging in his jaws.
"What shall we name the last kits?" Blazingstar
whispered, glancin around, afraid someone would barge in despite Horsefur's
harsh instructions.
"That one Sandykit." Horsefur nudged the first
born kit who retaliated by snapping at the air with already powerful jaws. "And
that last one Lightkit, for lighting up my world." he
whispered.
"Those are good names." Blazingstar said
approvingly, licking each kit in turn.
"You do know they will find the similarity
between me and Lightkit." sighed Horsefur.
Tears welled up in Blazingstar's eyes. "Yes I
know," she managed to choke out.
"I'll take her to ShadowClan before dawn. If
anyone asks, you only ever gave birth to three kits, and the other two got
stolen by RiverClan."
"Of course."
Horsefur licked Blazingstar's cheek. "You are
very brave."
"Good bye my daughter." Blazingstar whispered to
Lightkit. "I wish you well.”