The cresent moon shone brightly in Silverpelt. Beneath it's light two cats were out alone, padding toward the most dangerous part of ThunderClan territory, Snakerocks.
"Cinderpelt what are we doing out here so close to Snakerocks?" the younger of the two she-cats, a brown tabby with a white chest and paws, asked for the millionth time that evening.
For the millionth time the eldest of the duo, a dark gray she-cat with a crooked leg that forced her to limp merely chuckled and replied "Wait until we get thier Leafpaw. You will be learning some very important medicine cat stories tonight."
The two medicine cats made thier way through the rocky landscape, watching very carefully for the poisonus snakes that dwelled here. Finally both cats jumped up a small series of boulders and sat perched atop the highest point in ThunderClan territory, facing the warriors of StarClan.
"Tonight is a very good night indeed to see Northernstar. She watches over us every night but this is a time to see her easily." the dark gray she-cat told her apprentince.
"Who's Northernstar? I've never heard of her." the young medicine cat asked, looking up at the stars, puzzled.
"She is right there." Cinderpelt meowed, pointing her dark gray tail to the largest star in the sky. This StarClan warrior shone more brightly and brilliantly than any of it's Clanmates.
"Why is Northernstar so big?" the tabby was still staring up at the star with wide amber eyes.
Cinderpelt gave a sigh at Leafpaw's questions. "Have you ever heard of LionClan, LeopardClan, CheetahClan, and TigerClan?"
As her apprentince nodded her head she asked "What was there before the four first Clans?"
Leafpaw opened her mouth to reply than shut it. "I don't know Cinderpelt. Haven't LionClan, LeopardClan, CheetahClan, and TigerClan exsisted since forever?"
"No. Long ago there was no earth-and no StarClan. The great she-cat Northernstar created all of it, all by herself." her mentor answered.
"If there ever was a creation of this world why do none of the elders and queens know about it?" Leafpaw asked.
"Only medicine cats were deemed worthy of knowing the first stories. The creation story shakes many of our ideas about StarClan having exsisted since the dawn of time. But Northernstar is older than all of that...in fact because of her wisdom and kindness she still rules StarClan." the ThunderClan cat replied.
"I see how that would shake the beliefs...how did one single cat create all of this?" she sweapt her tail all around her, indictating her shock.
"Because Northernstar is no mere cat Leafpaw. She has enough power to rule all of us. Most medicine cats refuse to even utter her name out of respect and simply call her 'the Creator'. All species beleive in her in some way, only in thier own image. But she exist as every single being." Cinderpelt explained.
"How did she create everything?" Leafpaw prompted her mentor, eager to here the story.
Cinderpelt took a deep breath and began "Long ago all there was in this world was darkness. The lights of our warrior anscestors never lit the way and all there was was an endless void. Northernstar was born from nothing, no parents brought her into this world. She looked around at the darkness and said 'This place needs light.' The Creator waved her tail in the sky and created the sun. The sun needed a place to stay to Northernstar created the sky. In order to give balance to the world she created the grass and woods by sweeping away some of the sky with her paw. All day long Northernstar pushed rocks around to create moutains and hills. As the sun set and night fell the world was cast into darkness again..."
The dark gray she-cat purposefully trailed off giving her apprentince a searching stare. Leafpaw's amber eyes were wide and her ears were perked in attention.
"Come on Leafpaw let's get back to camp it's getting late." she meowed, leaping off the rocks.
"Do we have to Cinderpelt? The story was just getting good." the young she-cat moaned.
"Yes Leafpaw, Ferncloud's second litter of kits is due any day now and I certainly can't deliver them while I'm fast asleep." the older cat meowed sternly as she and her apprentince made thier way back to camp.
The evening after Leafpaw and her mentor were back on the same cropping of rocks.
"Northernstar declared 'In order to balance the world out darkness and light need to exist, not live seperatly but mix together.' So she created shadows to flank the sides of everything the sun touched, showing that darkness existed everywhere, no matter how hard we all tried to stamp it out. Northernstar created the moon with her own silver colored fur. When ever the night ruled something would always be there to comfort those who needed reassurance. There were no stars yet, as no cats had lived and died to take thier place among StarClan's ranks."
"That morning the Creator looked around at her work and decided something else was needed. She scooped her paw into the ground and traced marks in the ground with her claws. At her command the lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams filled up with the cool bubbling of water. A beautiful array of colors and sights all meshed and worked together, creating harmony in the world."
"But the world was missing something. Certainly Northernstar had not made such a paradise to waste it on her own selfish desires. No, she was above that. At her word the skies above rained voles, mice, birds, rabbits, and all of the other plant eaters to eat the lush grass and plants. To stop the prey from devouring her creation to nothingness Northernstar created the predators next. Hawks, eagles, and falcons took wing on her word. The badgers, rats, and dogs pelted out of nothingness to live in the forest."
"But what about us? Northernstar didn't create any cats yet." Leafpaw interuppted.
"I was just about to get to that part. The Creator was happy with all of the animals of the world but she wanted to make something in her own image. Crafting her cleverness and agility into two beings she created the first two members of LeopardClan: a she-cat and a tom. Using her speed and enthusiasm she created CheetahClan. Deciding that darkness needed to mix in with her new cats she used her cunning and stealth to make TigerClan. The last one she made was the one Northernstar spent the most time on. Using nobility, courage, and equality the first two members of LionClan were born into this world."
" 'The world is yours to own my Clans. The forest is yours to rule and the prey is there for you to hunt. But do not forget me or the fact that all of you are descended from me.' Northernstar told her new creatures. Deciding that the Clans were better left to cope on her own she became the first star in the sky, watching down on her world."
"Wow Cinderpelt it all seemed so perfect. Why did the Twolegs have to go and ruin everything?" the tabby medicine cat asked.
"The Twolegs were not meant to cause all of the harm they do now. Many seasons past after Northernstar created the world. CheetahClan, LeopardClan, TigerClan, and yes even LionClan forgot that they were one with the land and everything in it and fell from grace. They killed prey for sport and torturted for the fun of it. Being so powerful they were the most powerful beings in the forest. Enraged Northernstar left her starry domain and created the Twolegs. They were more powerful than any other being, even the Clans. But of course Twolegs rebelled and tore up the ground and made thier nest. They drained streams and put foul smelling Thunderpaths for thier monsters to ride on. Northernstar was forgotten, only remembered by the medicine cats that shared dreams with her."
Leafpaw was looking back up at Northernstar again. "I don't feel angry at her for knowing the truth. The Creator was just trying to help the world. She didn't know what danger she put us in."
"That is wise of you Leafpool. You look past mistakes to the true person inside, not just thier flaws." Cinderpelt praised her apprentince.
"The only I feel sorry about is that everyone else forgot that they all were born from the earth. We all our one but we can't see it." the tabby she-cat sighed.
"Yes that is true but we all join together one day, whether we know it or not." the dark gray medicine cat answered.
"The same thing is true with ShadowClan, ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan. We all go and join StarClan one day" Leafpaw meowed.
"Yes. That is true." Cinderpelt replied absentmindidly as she led her apprentince back to the gorge that sheltered ThunderClan camp. Northernstar herself had given her a message while she was still recovering from the accident that prevented her from being a warrior.
We are not as separate as Leafpaw thinks. Cinderpelt thought to herself. You don't have to join the ranks of StarClan to be one with the other Clans. Whether you know it or not Leafpaw we all are just one big Clan, separted by the feuding and mistakes of our anscestors. History doesn't always have to repeat itself.
At the medicine cat's silent words Northernstar twinkled more brilliantly than ever before, letting out a burst of silver light almost as if she were winking. A new dawn for the Clans was coming, whether the rest of them knew it or not.
