Hello everyone! Long time no see. I'm not entirely sure what to say to you, because I haven't actually been out here on FF in quite a while, so.. erm. Well.
Yeah.
For those of you who don't know of TFP (my unfinished fanfiction... hehe, silly me), Stars is actually an old plot that I am bringing back to life in a different light. I saw a whole other direction that could have been gone with these characters, and so help me I am going to TAKE it.
...
-cough-
But yeah, anyway.. here it is, folks. I really, sincerely hope you enjoy it.
DISCLAIMER: If Warriors were mine, ShadowClan would totally be the protagonists ;D
There were no stars in the city.
There was only cold, hard concrete and the tiniest glimpse of silver in the sky at night. Brilliant lights overflowed the cracked streets; screeching and yowling and pain and chaos flooding around them all. They had been irrevocably exposed, trapped under the glare of a thousand glittering lights and forced to run, to search for a sign of shadow or true light, searching the dark of the sky for a glimpse of silver, of gold on a horizon blocked from vision, any -
Life in the city had hardened her.
Scars lined her pelt; some holding memories both faint and bold and some she couldn't remember obtaining at all. There was a cut here, a slash there, and it gave her the look of a cat that shouldn't be confronted, especially with that... light that shone in her eyes. Those fresh green eyes, nearly reminiscent of the deep undergrowth she shouldered her way through at that very moment.
At her side padded a young tom - with gleaming, darting eyes colored identical to hers and a twitchy step that was, quite frankly, starting to get on her nerves. Her everlasting affection for him, however, stopped her from snapping. Well, that and the kit squirming in her jaws.
At first she had been rendered speechless by how beautiful it all was, a shaky sigh escaping her muzzle and making the little silver kit in her jaws mewl as she gazed in wonder at the trees that showed small glimpses of a sparkling night sky. It would be a nice change for them - a fresh start to a new beginning, with the scent of flora and the glittering of thousands of stars around them; always watching.
"Night," The tom spoke hesitantly, voice slightly muffled by the fur of a large golden kit in his jaws. "You've heard the stories of the cats who live in these woods, haven't you? They're savages! If you stay here, your kits will become the same as them - then maybe even you will, as well!"
Night, the sleek black she-cat beside him, turned her piercing green gaze on her brother. His orange pelt was well-groomed and his body plump - instead of staying on the streets with her, he had taken to living with the humans. Scandalous, unforgivable behavior to the street cats. Because of the shame that her brother brought to her family, Night had to work extra hard to earn respect.
With the delivery of her kits she had decided that, since no one was there to help hunt for her, she would just have to figure something else out on her own.
"You know I don't have a choice, Hunter," She sighed. "Steel... was my only other option. Now he's gone." Green eyes hardened and she added, "They would have come for my kits and I too, if I had stayed."
Her brother's gaze flashed down to the forest floor, scuffing the dirt with a white paw. "You still have one option left, Night, and you know it." Soft green eyes flashed hopefully upward to meet acidic emerald. "Come stay with me. My humans would happily-"
"No." Night cut the tom off with a sharp hiss. The kit in her jaws stilled, ears flat against its head. At this motion the she-cat's eyes softened and she lowered her tone to a slightly dangerous mew. "That isn't an option for me, Hunter. I don't..." She trailed off, flicking her ears and moving quicker, causing Hunter to scurry hastily after her. "...I look after myself."
"What about the kits?" Hunter smartmouthed.
Night's eyes narrowed and she paused, shooting jade daggers at the plump orange tom behind her. "They are a part of me..." and Steel, she added silently - "therefore, I must take care of them as best I can." Her gaze flickered down to peer softly at the little golden bundle in her brother's jaws before she started to walk again, ears pricked and alert.
They walked like this for a while, moving deeper and deeper into the forest. They dodged adders in a rocky alcove; passed a large sycamore and came across a large road that Night knew would help guide her brother back to the city. They had decided to take a more discreet route - instead of cutting straight through the city and following the road into the forest (which would inevitably cause them to come into contact with the very cats they were running from), they thought that it might be safer to move through the smaller and more domestic part of the city. After all, every cat seemed much more friendly over there and willing to help.
Hunter suddenly shivered, glancing worriedly over his shoulder with large eyes. "Night, I really don't think it's-"
A snarl sounded over the roar of traffic.
Blazing red fur burst from the undergrowth, bushy tail lashing and black eyes glaring hatefully at the two cats before it. The fox bared its teeth, eying the two kits in the cat's jaws with hunger and desperation.
It lunged.
Hunter couldn't fight it off by herself, she knew. They would have to run. Maybe, if she just held out for a little longer, she could get her kits to safety on the other side.
She slashed and clawed and tried to fight, tossing the kit over at Hunter, who quickly sheltered it with his body. He watched with growing horror as the fox and Night battled, the latter growing more and more weak as the fox's more powerful blows crashed into her. She let out a cry as the fox sunk its teeth into her hind leg, pain lacing up the limb with fiery heat.
Finally, a break in traffic.
With a hiss she slashed at the fox's muzzle. The animal howled in pain, staggering back and giving her just enough time to whirl and dash back to her kit.
Blood poured from her wounds, but she refused to give in. She snatched her kit up and started to stagger across the road, ignoring her brother's cries and gasping and trying not to falter as her injured leg caused her to move slower.
There was the blare of a horn, and brilliant lights suddenly trapped her on the cracked, black-tar path.
Night's eyes squeezed shut. This was her fate, she knew. She was never meant to live in these trees - she was trapped; chained to the life she's always known, of harsh yellow lights and scarred concrete.
However.
The kit was not.
Emerald eyes snapped open after a millisecond; shining with the light of resolve. She tossed the kit forward, to the other side of the path, where it landed on the cold, damp marshland with a tiny squeal before it grew still.
She moved forward after it, toward the shadows and the mud and the silver pelt that seemed to glow like a moon in the darkness of the night-
A sickening crunch, and Night caught one last glimpse of the stars.
Hunter gasped, trembling with fear and shock and the pain, oh the pain. Night was gone, of that he knew. He'd heard the crunch and the squeal as the truck - oh, great fate, the truck -
The fox had gone - it had been chased off by a group of cats who call themselves "ThunderClan". They speak of their territory and their code and their pride. It doesn't sound like a great life to him... he's got everything he wants, after all.
But Night had been strong. Not like him. While he'd show his stomach for a decent meal, Night would fight and scavenge for her own. She took pride in the fact that she could catch her own food, and the fact that she could fight a battle and win. It was that drive she had - that sort of spirit - that Hunter had always lacked.
These cats seemed to harness that spirit.
Wanting to honor Night's life, he presented the little tabby kitten in his jaws to the ThunderClan. He nudged it forward, watching with a piercing fondness as it batted at his nose, squealing as it rolled over and towards the Clan cats.
A battle-hardened gray tom stepped forward, eyes as blue and light as the sky studying the small blazing kitten before turning his gaze onto Hunter. "You're sure of this?"
The plump orange tom took one last long look at his nephew before raising his eyes to the ThunderClan. "I'm absolutely positive. But... I want you to promise me something."
The gray tom hesitated, but inclined his head slightly. "You may speak your wishes."
"Let this kit know who his mother was." For once, soft green eyes reflected the burning passion in his sister's. "Tell him that she was a fighter - a warrior. No matter who put her down, she would always rise back up. She wouldn't give up; wouldn't show her belly. She fought to the death to keep her kits alive, and..." He swallowed. "...and even though he was the only one left, he should still be proud of her. Because she tried, and she succeeded in keeping herself alive... one way or another." Bowing his head in sadness, he flexed his paws - the claws had been taken from him a while ago. "Most of all, though, tell him that she loved him. She loved him with all of her heart."
Whiskers twitched, and the gray tom of ThunderClan took the kit in his jaws. "I'd be happy to."
Satisfied, Hunter turned and began to follow the road back home. He paused only once to glance across the road, and froze at what he saw.
Deadly amber eyes shone from the shadows, eying the bloodied body of his sister and a tiny, unmoving silver bundle lying in the plush marshland grass. A muzzle moved forward - colored a deep reddish brown, as if stained with blood - and sniffed at the fur.
Amber eyes blazed, wonder shimmering in the cold depths, and it was as if a fire had been lit.
Teeth bared, and in a heartbeat, Night's second kit was gone.
The two medicine cats conversed quietly, surrounded by fresh foliage and the light of a thousand stars.
"It doesn't do any good to say nothing, Pebbleheart. Shouldn't we inform our Clans of this prophecy?"
The dark gray tom narrowed his eyes. "If you must tell anyone, Cloudspots, tell only your leader. For all we know, the prophecy won't happen for quite a while, and it would not do any good to cause panic amongst ourselves." He stood and stretched, long legs trembling.
The other tom hesitated, his long black fur rippling as he shuffled his paws. He tilted his head to the side. "Will you be telling Shadowstar, Pebbleheart?"
Pebbleheart turned his gaze on Cloudspots, scanning the other tom up and down. "...May StarClan watch over you, Cloudspots." With that, the dark gray tom vanished, leaving the other medicine cat alone in his dream.
With a sigh, the green-eyed tom began to look up at the stars. Quietly, he repeated the prophecy to himself.
"One of shadow and one of light, two will come from steel and night. Two will rise and blood will shed; one will rise at the other's end."
So, I hope you enjoyed that revamp of The Forgotten Prophecy! I've gotten rid of the chunky title and decided to go in a whole new direction with Stars - there are still going to be three books, but it won't go as fast as the previous one did, and I assure you that there will be more twists and turns. Hopefully I keep updating this, and if I don't... feel free to harass me about it.
Reviews help, though ;D They help a lotttt.
They're like my coffee.
It's what keeps me going.
o-o
Reviewwww.