Disclaimer: I do not own warriors
A/N: This is the sequel to Legacy and so thank you all for those of you who read and reviewed. I've had a couple people wondering if I was making a sequel and though I hadn't originally planned on it, this idea just kind of popped into my head one day so here it is. I hope you enjoy.
There was no moon to shed its light upon a blackened forest, no stars to penetrate the dark. Only the distant call of a barn owl, sweeping the fields for its prey, and the screech of a terrified mouse, cut off into silence. The bird moved off to its nest, a purposeful predator with the prey in its talons, its wings making not a sound.
A pool of water shimmered and fell still, stagnant. It was cold in the greenleaf night, tainted green with growing things, disturbed by the fish that flitted below the surface and by the long-legged insects that walked upon it.
A single cat sat at the shore, gazing into the pool's murky depths, but not with the intention of finding prey. She was a wiry she-cat, her golden brown fur turned dull, her amber eyes staring at nothing. She sniffed at the air and could smell the fresh wind and the rain and the crisp, white stars hidden behind gray clouds. She also caught the scent of prey, of mice and birds and fish. But though she was skinny and hungry, she did not hunt. She was required to stay here in silent vigil, a stone sentinel at the border between land and water. Between life and death, the past and future.
When more cats moved among the trees, whispers through the forest, she did not stir. She kept her gaze trained on the water before her, searching the depths for answers, yet finding none. She willed the Ancestors to listen, to come to her and give her a sign. But none came.
She narrowed her eyes, concentrating. She heard the approach of a cat and acknowledged his presence with a flick of her ears.
"Zenith?" the cat said.
Feral, Zenith thought. "How is he?"
"He will recover," Feral replied. Zenith allowed a slight nod, still staring into the water. One of their youngest fighters, Singe, had been ambushed by a group of clan cats living in the forest. The young cat had only been doing what he was supposed to, scouting out nearby territory. Zenith was glad he would recover.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"You've been silent since sunhigh. You need not hold this vigil any longer."
Zenith knew he was right, but she did not say so immediately. Besides, she wanted to honor and obey the Ancestors. She had not said a word since the death of her friend, Obsidian, and the Ancestors required a vigil of silence until long into the night.
"And Imber wants to see you," Feral added.
At that, Zenith turned around, fixing the dark tabby with her penetrating gaze. He, too, was skinny, his fur dull, his eyes pale in the shadows. A long scar ran from the base of his neck down over his shoulder and tapering on his side.
"Has he seen anything?" Zenith queried.
"Now, he said, if you can spare time from your grief," was Feral's reply.
Zenith left her post by the pool, hiding her disappointment in contacting the Ancestors, and made her way through the woods, passing Feral with not so much as a second glance. She padded in among the trees, tall oaks and maples with branches like talons.
As she walked, she passed more cats, some of them hiding in the brush, some tucked away in crevices, hollow bases in the trunks of trees, makeshift dens. Eyes gleamed at her, not with fear or hate, but with curiosity, respect. One of them, a white she-cat, crouched with a black tom near the gnarled roots of an oak, their eyes identical pale green. The first was her friend, Ivory, the second, Ivory's brother, Ebony. They huddled together without a word, tails wrapping in close. Another she-cat Zenith was not familiar with lay in her nest, comforting the bundles of fur that were tiny, sleeping kits. They slept a lot these days. Zenith had yet to see them play.
Singe, a reddish brown tom, was just visible from his place with Zephyr, the old healer. Mud was plastered to the young cat's side where he had been wounded. From deeper shadows, dark eyes gleamed, but that was all she saw of the deputy.
The eyes followed her as she approached the steep rock in the ground. The mountain, a dark hold like a beast's open maw, splitting the stone.
She lifted her head high, nobly, and flicked the dusty rock with her tail, scraped her claws along the sandy ground. She heard a quiet summons from within and she entered.
She had to strain her eyes to see in the cave, made out the ragged figure, his back to her, his ear flicking in greeting. She imagined glinting eyes.
"You wanted to see me," Zenith said, settling herself in the den, curling her tail neatly around her forepaws.
"I've received a sign." His voice was the low grumble of thunder, with all the bluntness of striking flint.
"So the Ancestors have called to you." Finally, after all this time. Yes she could not help feeling a pang of jealousy. As much as she had spoken to them, they had never returned her call. She wanted so badly to ask what the sign had been, what it might mean, but she knew better than that. She would wait until he told her, not rudely display her own, burning curiosity.
"After all these years," said Imber, his back still to her. He lifted his head slightly. "The sign was a dream. A forest full of prey, flowing rivers, a deep gorge. It was paradise. The promise made to us by our Ancestors."
Zenith felt a flicker of anxiety in her belly. The scene he described to her, its vivid details, etched into her mind. She saw the brilliant blue skies, white clouds, full trees, a river snaking its way through the woods. Mice, voles, fish, sparrows, jays, rabbits, shrews, all plentiful and scampering, directionless, just waiting to become prey. Warm, green dens, safety from foxes and badgers, hawks and ghostly owls. Kits playing in the long grass. And at night, the full moon, round and beautifully silver in a black sky studded with countless, scattered stars.
With a promise like that, they need not remain hidden in the shadows, in the cold, constantly fighting off enemies and scavenging for their next meal, surviving off vile crowfood.
"The Ancestors have told us what we must do," Imber said. He turned around then, facing Zenith. His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, one gold, the other gray. He bore no scars, but it certainly wasn't from lack of battle. He had seen many and it was his experience and strict training that kept him away from any lasting scars.
"The place they speak of," Imber, her leader, continued. "is on the other side of a place called Highstones. But they tell me it will be hard work to gain our new territory. After all, the clan cats have claimed it as their own. And even after an attempt to reclaim the forest, we still sit in failure."
Zenith nodded. It had been nearly five seasons since the attack. A good many of their fiercest fighters had agreed to aid a clan cat called Shadestar, in the hopes of conquering the forest. But when the power-hungry leader had died, the fighters had fled like cowards, leaving the forest to the clan cats.
"But we will avenge ourselves." Imber did not blink, with the gaze of a hawk, no an owl. "Enough of our blood has been spilt. The spirits of our Ancestors call for vengeance."
Zenith couldn't help but hang to every word, caught up in the mountain of hope that was building upon itself, rising again. A hope she had not felt in a long time. A chance at redemption.
"Long ago, the clans took our land from us, long before any of us here were born. The Ancestors have told me that our long wait is now at its end."
Zenith felt the many pairs of eyes scorching into her pelt, watching her and Imber, expectant. Eyes as countless as the very stars.
"They have come to me and told me to prepare. They told me our pain will soon be over. This home will no longer be ours."
The eyes were anxious, searching, wandering, hoping.
"And when we arrive at the forest, the clan cats will know the pain the Ancestors felt at their exile, their betrayal. For we will drive them into exile and the forest will belong to us once again. As it had been before."
Thank you for reading and please leave a review before you go. If you like it, I'll continue writing and try to be consistent in the updates.