Chapter One
Smother
"In the darkness I will meet my creators"
Smother by Daughter
Midnightpool's whiskers twitched once she was greeted by the familiar clean scents of the Whispering Falls. Behind her she could hear her apprentice, Sparrowpaw, scrambling for purchase on the slick stone steps, leading down to the only dry area within the cave. Despite the soft breath of illuminated moonlight being cast against the waterfall, many of the other first-time apprentices' in front of her were watching their every step cautiously.
The moisture from the lake in the cave spun around in the warm air, matting her thick pelt and refreshing her from the stubborn cold of day that clung to her pelt and muscles. The sheen layer of water covering the steps soothed the ache in her overworked paws and the distant hushed voices of her Starclan ancestors echoing inside her ears comforted her.
The awed silence of the apprentices' before her made a smile twitch onto her face, remembering her own astonishment of seeing the falls for the very first time when her old mentor, Sunfeather, had brought her down here. Her ears flicked in the direction of Sparrowpaw when she heard her huff a breath around the clump of herbs she was carrying.
"What's so amazing about a waterfall? They're everywhere in Mistclan territory," Sparrowpaw grumbled behind her, composure slipping for a moment when she tripped and hurried to regain her balance on the small steps. Midnightpool choked back a chuckle and only swished the tip of her tail in amusement. The action seemed to go unnoticed by her grumpy Apprentice however, who had directed her attention back to the flowing falls.
"That's not all that we're here to see, Sparrowpaw. Remember patience."
The lean black she-cat mumbled something again that Midnightpool wasn't able to decipher as the strips of brown fur along her shoulders bristled in agitation. The light gray Medicine Cat diverted her attention from her Apprentice, allowing her to brood out her mood in silence. She couldn't blame Sparrowpaw for her attitude. Every one of the Medicine Cats' and Apprentices' were on edge due to their exhaustion and soreness from the long journey and were all eager to curl up to catch a peaceful sleep.
Not that these rests are particularly peaceful, Midnightpool couldn't help but think to herself. With receiving news, warnings, or even prophesies that let them know of a threatening force that wants to destroy one Clan or all four of them. She hadn't let Sparrowpaw know about this little piece of information though, only for the reason that she would have to decide on her own whether or not she was prepared to take up the responsibility of a Medicine Cat.
Being a Medicine Cat isn't only about gathering herbs and healing cats who have been hurt, but also to keep a close relationship with Starclan. It was their duty to learn how to receive dreams that Starclan wanted to send to them instead of the Clan's Leader, or even a Warrior. Of course, Sparrowpaw had a lot left to learn since she had only been an Apprentice for a Halfmoon, and this was going to be her very first experience sharing tongues with her Starclan forefathers. She hoped that this night would take her Apprentice's confusion and doubt off her heart.
"Here we are," Driftingfog announced, cutting Midnightpool out of her musing. She knew that these journeys were getting harder for the old medicine cat with every visit, and she was relieved for him that Starclan had finally granted him with another successor after his previous apprentice, Shrewpaw, passed away from a tragic case of Greencough.
Midnightpool turned her head to smile at Sparrowpaw, gesturing the young cat forward with a movement of her fluffy tail. "This is what makes the Whispering Falls so important." Sparrowpaw inched forward warily and poked her head around from the wall that was blocking her view from the most important thing located in this cave.
Once she caught sight of it, Midnightpool had been lucky enough to see her normally bored eyes shine with something that she could only label as astounded. The reflection of the Silverwater Tree was clear in Sparrowpaw's eyes, and Midnightpool couldn't help but feel stunned by its beauty all over again.
The tree was bare, except for the wispy pink petals that clung to the thin branches all year round. The branches were almost helix shaped, some winding together and others spread apart to give room for the silver brightness it highlighted to shine through. The tree was planted in white sand that looked like snow and was always soft to the touch, no matter how cracked the paws that stepped on it were. Calm waters that the waterfall continued to produce surrounded the tree and land, forming a small kind of island.
"Worth it?" Midnightpool asked teasingly, flicking the tip of her tail against Sparrowpaw's pink nose as she passed to make her way towards the island. She heard Sparrowpaw sneeze before she could retort sarcastically, and the other cats with them laughed as they leaped over the small opening of water to the sand.
"Now, before answering any questions we must complete your Apprentice ceremonies. Sparrowpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of Starclan as a medicine cat?"
Sparrowpaw raised her head, her normally dull green eyes looked bright and alive. "I am," she answered with certainty, her back straight and tail curled around her brown paws respectfully. Midnightpool commanded for her to come forward, and Sparrowpaw followed her bidding without hesitance.
"Warriors of Starclan, I present you with this Apprentice. She has chosen the path of a Medicine Cat. Grant her with your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will." Midnightpool turned around and touched her nose with Sparrowpaw's, murmuring a few words of encouragement before pulling away to let the next cats step forward.
Once the rest of the Apprentices' had completed their ceremonies, Runningpaw settled down next to his mentor, Marigoldfeather, his mouth quirking up into a curious smile. "What is the tale behind the tree, then?" he asked. Marigoldfeather hummed quietly and narrowed her tired amber gaze on Runningpaw, shuffling her front paws forward slightly so they were buried under the cooling sand. Midnightpool's ear twitched, fighting the urge to try and find some pain easing herbs for the Valleyclan Medicine Cat, and wondered if Marigoldfeather was beginning to grow too old in order to make the tiresome journey anymore. She was, after all, at retiring and Elder age now.
"Not a tale," Marigoldfeather said with a shake of her head. "It is a true story, as it has been told by the first Medicine Cats' of our Clans'. As it was told, the Silverwater Tree was named after the first Shadeclan Medicine Cat. Silverwater was the first to pass on to Starclan out of the rest of the first Medicine Cats', in a rather tragic way, so the seed was planted then. After the rest of the Medicine Cats' passed, Coppergaze, Brightblossom, and Kestrelshine, the tree had fully grown and has never changed from how we see it now. It was discovered by a group of Shadeclan Warriors who had been chasing a group of rogues from their territory and wound up seeking nightly refuge in this cave. The tree was found, and Chestnutwillow was sent a dream by Silverwater herself, explaining the purpose of this tree."
"Why a tree?" Sparrowpaw asked bluntly from beside Midnightpool, clawing idly at the sand under her paws. "I mean, I've heard of stones or ponds being significant for Starclan, in another part of the world from Blackfrost, so where did they get the idea for a tree?"
Marigoldfeather laughed warmly at Sparrowpaw's question, and Midnightpool was thankful for her patience, even at Marigoldfeather's old age. Most cats that Sparrowpaw came in contact with, and had a conversation with, found her to come across as cross. A lot of their Clanmates couldn't see why, or how, Sparrowpaw wanted to become a Medicine Cat and care for others; she was too prickly, is what Sparrowpaw's mother, Skyfall, said one day, and wished she had chosen the path of a Warrior instead. Midnightpool glanced over at Sparrowpaw and gave her a sideways smile, unnoticed by her Apprentice. Sparrowpaw could have made a fine Warrior, one to be respected, but she was going to make a brilliant Medicine Cat, and one who will save many, Midnightpool was sure of it.
"She was crushed by a tree when a bad storm hit one night. Some Elders say that part of her spirit attached itself to the tree, and therefore, a seed was planted here. Apparently, parts of all the first Medicine Cats' souls are in this tree. It's what gives it its magic."
Sparrowpaw snorted and stood, shaking the sand from her dark pelt. "Magic," she all but sneered, her upper lip curled, "who would believe in such foolishness? Members of Starclan join us without magic, and they're powerful enough to visit us without it, I'm sure." Midnightpool shot an apologetic glance at Marigoldfeather, who just dismissed it with an understanding shake of the head, and Midnightpool went to join her Apprentice.
"Maybe you'll change your mind once you dream tonight." Midnightpool brushed her tail along Sparrowpaw's flank and pressed her nose to her ear. "Remember, tonight will help you decide whether or not the path of a Medicine Cat is right for you."
"Of course this is the path right for me," Sparrowpaw said and brushed Midnightpool's comforting advances away and pressed her nose irritably against the tree, closing her eyes whilst doing so. "I wouldn't be wasting my time on it if it wasn't. I know others think I'm foolish for choosing a rank that's usually for cats who are more… soft-hearted and not as sharp-tongued, but I do not doubt my skill and wisdom needed for this rank."
Midnightpool's eyes shone with pride and she pressed her nose to the tree as well, her legs trembling from the sudden warmth and sleepiness that flooded through her the second she touched the smooth bark. "You will shock the rest of the Clan, but you will not shock me. I wouldn't have chosen, or accepted, you as my Apprentice if I doubted your potential." She allowed gravity to tug her slowly to the pillow of sand beneath her, and her head rested against the tree, eying Sparrowpaw through bleary eyes; she seemed to already be half asleep. "You have a great destiny ahead of you, my dear. Do not let the opinions of others steer you away from that." With that, Midnightpool's eyes slid shut and she was greeted with a starry darkness.
When her eyes reopened again, Midnightpool was standing in a slow moving creek with unafraid fish tickling against her legs as they swam past. She relished in the familiar feeling in the unfamiliar setting, but didn't allow herself to stay still for long; she had a Starclan cat awaiting her presence somewhere. She shook her fur free from the clinging droplets of water, and with a few hasty shakes, she was completely dry again and her fur was untangled.
She padded forward, the lush green grass under her pads was soothing the cracks in them formed from the long journey, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. Her eyes were trained in front of her, watching closely for any formation of stars that looked like a cat in the distance. After aimlessly walking alongside the flow of the creek, her eyes were met by the sight she was waiting for. She quickened her paces until she could see the coat color of the cat and the familiar smile and eyes, the same eyes that Midnightpool had herself.
"Mom?" she asked, her voice choked and tearful. The cat's smile widened and stepped forward, with the same grace that Midnightpool remembered from just a few short moons ago. Her mother's light gray pelt glittered like silver in the stars, and the black markings of her fur seemed to move and breathe with her; creating a completely different image from the last time Midnightpool saw her, fur matted, sticky, and red with her blood, spilled from jealousy amongst Shadeclan over something as petty as territory.
"Mom," Midnightpool gasped again, this time letting her paws carry her forward so she could bury her nose in the fur on Birchvine's shoulder. She felt the rough warmth of her mother's tongue licking her shoulder in kind greeting, and Midnightpool could feel her shoulder trembling against her nose. The old nursery scent overwhelmed her, and Midnightpool briefly wondered if there was a nursery in Starclan where the kits' here were able to sleep, and if Birchvine gave them company.
"Hello, sweetie," Birchvine murmured once Midnightpool collected herself and managed to pull away. "Ah, you look just as beautiful as when I last saw you." Her smile grew teasing. "You would have made a tom very proud to be able to call himself your mate."
Midnightpool wondered if her mother knew; if she even realized what effect those words had on her, but she doubted it. Starclan cats don't seem to watch as much as they say they do. "Yes, I suppose I would," she said anyways, her tone honest, because she did make a tom very proud at one time, a time that shouldn't have happened, but she still can't bring herself to regret to the extent proper. "I-I'm guessing that Dad was very happy to see you again."
Birchvine laughed, a sound that sounded like chimes and made Midnightpool's heart fill with a mixture of grief and happiness. "He was, indeed. He cried like a newborn kit when I showed up in front of him." Her pale blue eyes glimmered at the memory, lost in a brief daze. "He wanted to tag along tonight, to see you, but I told him it would be best for you to see him on his own on a later date. I, unfortunately, have a pretty grim prophecy to pass onto you."
Midnightpool's elated heart sank to her paws, and her ears lowered to her head in anxiety. If her mother, one of the most energetic and positive cats she knew, was calling a prophecy grim, then it was more than just grim. "Let me hear it then," she said.
Birchvine's body went ridged, and a cold breath, that Midnightpool didn't even know she could hold, escaped her mouth in a foggy cloud of stars. Her eyes glazed over and her claws unsheathed themselves to sink into the ground, and Midnightpool's claws soon followed suit in order to root herself to the ground and brace herself for whatever was coming. The stars around them blinked and lost their color, and the fish in the creek swam in a frenzied panic while the water turned a sickly red.
With silent, dark paws,
Reaches over the clan and a heart.
The promising cat,
Extendsits claws.
If I die young…
You cannot have light,
The darkness of night,
Without having shadows,
The horrors of fright,
Being brave is having fears,
Shall lay the cloak of fears beyond sight.
There is no courage without fear,
It hovers over the clans,
Cats breaths shall cease,
Because of this one, the slayer.
If I die young…
The dark one's queens',
The messaging one's scream,
The bloodline's end,
If I die young…
Beware
Beware
Beware...
Birchvine lurched forward with a gasp as if she needed to take in air to continue roaming as a spirit, but Midnightpool made no move to balance her. Her claws were still sunken into the softness of the earth under her, and her entire body was trembling. "What…" she finally managed to croak, "what does any of that mean? It doesn't give any hint as to who the important cats are! Who is the Dark One, who is the Slayer, and who is the Messenger? Prophesies usually give some sort of hint, a prefix or something else that the cat represents. Besides from the hidden message underneath the prophecy itself, it helps 's tail lashed behind her, and her eyes narrowed slightly at her daughter, but not out of anger. "Maybe that is the point," she
Birchvine's tail lashed behind her, and her eyes narrowed slightly at her daughter, but not out of anger. "Maybe that is the point," she said and glanced towards the creek that was still dyed with red. "There are very dark times heading towards the forest, and not just towards your Clan, but all four. Instead of putting all of the responsibility on cats who have the backup of a prophecy, all four Clans' must stand together as one. It is time to stop being such cowards and do what Warriors are meant to. Protect their Clan, at all costs."
"How are we to protect our Clans' if we don't even know what we're protecting them against?" Midnightpool snapped, her fur at the base of her spine rising as her throat clogged with unease, suffocating her. "That prophecy doesn't even give any hint as to who will win! How are we to know if our fighting won't be in vain?"
Birchvine curled her lip into an expression that Midnightpool categorized as disgust. "Fighting for your Clan, for your kin, for your home, will never end in vain. The answers to this prophecy will show themselves as the days pass, but you cannot just turn a blind eye and hope for the answer to jump right out at you. Do not keep silent and hold this prophecy to yourself, even if the other Clans' do not listen to what you say at first. There will come a time when they must, and they will be punished for being arrogant to what you had to say, about what I had to say." Her tail reached across to rest on Midnightpool's still quivering shoulder. "This will either bring a new beginning or the end. If you do not tread carefully, the entire forest will be overrun by evil and your future kin will hold the burden of relocating, or completely losing the opportunity to even exist."
Midnightpool felt as if she was going to be sick, and she stumbled away from her mother with a sound that was between a sob and a hysterical shriek. "What do I do?" she demanded her mother, who was already starting to dissolve into the crisp air. "Tell me!"
"Speak."
When Midnightpool awoke, her fur was still tangled and damp from her terror, and the Silverwater tree was gleaming mockingly at her. Before she could even manage to work up the strength to stand up, or look around to see where the others were, she heard Sparrowpaw's voice, unusually high and filled with a determination she had never heard before in an Apprentice so young. When she looked up, Sparrowpaw was standing over her, her shoulders taught and eyes narrowed, whiskers twitching.
"You were right. About my important destiny, I mean. I do have a very important destiny, and so does everyone else in this cave."