2hott4u: This is my first shot at these stories but I hope you like it because I've been planning it for awhile. Anyway this story takes place in the new territories. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors and if I did Bluestar would still be alive.
The last monster of the night roared past on the thunderpath. A black cat sat at the edge of the path and waited for it to disappear over the horizon. It walked into the middle of the thunderpath and watched as a crescent moon rose into the sky. Moonhigh slowly came upon the thunderpath and the black cat was bathed in silver light. Its black fur turned silver and an invisible forest began to grow around it. Four great oaks surrounded it and a group of starry eyed cats entered the forgotten clearing. They all murmured to themselves as they watched the silver cat. One cat stepped forward. It was a bluish-gray she-cat. She looked at the silver cat and at the clearing around them.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" The gray she-cat asked. The silver cat watched her with sapphire eyes as dark as the night sky. A cat from the back of the clearing yowled. The cats made a path for a gray she-cat. Her eyes glowed yellow on her flat face in the dim moonlight.
"It is one of our ancestors." The starry cats glanced back and forth between one another. Then a tomcat with a crooked jaw stepped forward.
"How can that be? It looks no older than any warrior." He glared at the silver cat. The flat faced she-cat hissed at him.
"Crookedstar, this cat belongs to tigerclan." Another tomcat snorted in disbelief. "Please prove them wrong great warrior of tigerclan." The silver cat stared at them but shook her head.
"I do not need to prove anything." The voice was warm but its tone was ice. Its eyes glared down the tomcat that had snorted. He snarled at the cat. The cats began to follow the black and white tom that was snarling. They all began to gang up on the silver cat. The cat finally had enough. Its pelt glowed even brighter silver and it grew to a size that none of the starry cats knew existed. The silver cat had grown into a warrior of tigerclan. Its pelt was ebony but its stripes glowed silver. Its sapphire eyes stayed the same. The cats around it gasped and shrunk away from its large bulk. The cat glowed and returned to normal size.
"This cat solved feuds between the ancient clans because it belongs to all of them. It has the power to change its form to help stop wars." The flat faced gray she-cat stared at the cat with wide eyes. The moon began to lower into the sky. The cats watched as the large starry trees began to fade. The bluish gray she-cat stared at the cat with knowing eyes.
"I know who she is now." The cats looked at her. "Her name is Silverpelt." All the cats gasped except Silverpelt.
"Very good Bluestar; I am Silverpelt and I am here to warn the clans about a tragedy." Bluestar looked at the Silverpelt quizzically. Silverpelt's sapphire eyes stared at Bluestar and seemed to see right through her. "A friend will rise from the darkness and your enemies will fall in the light." The moon faded and the starry cats disappeared leaving the she-cat on the Thunderpath her silver fur gone.
Silverpelt
Firestar woke with a start. He was breathing heavily in his den on highledge. He shook off trying to clear his mind of his dream. He hadn't had a dream like that since he was in the old forest. He stepped outside to see the clan already busy. Brambleclaw was giving orders below and when he noticed Firestar was awake and he rushed up to him. Brambleclaw was giving him reports about who was doing what but he was too caught up in the black she-cat's ominous words.
"Firestar? Firestar?!" Firestar returned his attention to Brambleclaw. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Brambleclaw knew his leader wasn't with him all the way this morning. He jumped down and left Firestar to his thoughts. Firestar tried to concentrate on the clan but couldn't. Finally he decided to get something from the fresh-kill pile. Picking out a fat wood mouse he settled himself down under Highledge. Graystripe noticed him and walked over to him and sat down with a wren. Firestar remained quiet and picked at his mouse.
"You okay Firestar? You usually inhale a mouse of that size." Firestar smiled at his old friends joke. His eyes grew shadowed and pushed away the mouse. Graystripe noticed the morose expression on his face and knew what had gone on. "Dream?" He nodded. "You should go see Leafpool about it."
"It wouldn't be the same." Graystripe looked at him shocked. His words were scornful and they were against his own daughter.
"What are you talking about Firestar?"
"It's nothing."
"It can't be 'nothing'; you just scorned your own kin. You don't go doing that and say its nothing."
"You wanna know the truth." His voice was a whisper because of the perked ears around them. "I saw Yellowfang in my dream."
"So?"
"She and Cinderpelt are the only ones I can ever trust with this kind of information, but they're both…" He didn't finish. Graystripe scoffed.
"This is serious, you can't do this on your own and Leafpool is fully capable of understanding it on her own." Firestar looked away from his friend.
"I know, but…"
"I know you miss them and it hurts more than ever because of the hard times but we can pull through." Firestar got up and walked away from him; from everyone. He could feel their stares burning through his pelt and he walked quicker. Squirrelflight caught site of him and leaped up to his side.
"What's wrong?" He growled an answer and fled from the clearing. He hadn't gotten dreams in so long that it was hard to handle. His mind burned with questions for the mysterious Silverpelt, but she wasn't near them. She was at the old forest. He ran along an old path that led to the moonpool. He needed answers and it would take him all day to get there and back.
His paws slid into the tracks of cats from long ago as he climbed up the hill. The sun was high in the sky and he was ready to take a rest. He was close enough now that he could relax and know that he was alone, or so he thought. He flopped down under a shady oak and listened for the slightest shuffle of leaves. He sat there for a couple minutes until he heard paw steps. The forest was dark now. Whispers flew in every direction and it confused him. A large group of cats was walking towards him. In the lead was a sliver she-cat that was o-too familiar. He stood up and looked at her. Bluestar was close behind her and noticed him, finally.
"Firestar? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to ask some questions." The group of cats glanced at the tigerclan cat and she walked forward. She sat down in front of him and curled her tail over her fore paws.
"What is it that you want to know?" He was about to ask when she got up and walked away from him.
"WAIT!" She turned around and hissed.
"I wait for no cat."
"But I didn't ask yet."
"Well I already heard and they will be answered in due time."
"Please, will I ever see you?"
"Yes and a shroud of darkness will cloak your world when I do arrive." Mist rose up from the forest floor and circled around her. She disappeared and one by one all of them did. Bluestar was first and she glanced at him sadly from they're very brief encounter. Lionheart was there and so was Yellowfang, Spottedleaf, Silverstream, Redtail, Feathertail, Tallstar, but no Cinderpelt. They all were gone shortly after Silverpelt but her words rung out. "I will be here and a shroud of darkness will cloak your world. I am never a good thing to see, because when I come everyone is in a spiral of hate and fear and your world is close to breaking down on you."
Firestar jolted awake and shivered. He stood up slowly and stretched his stiff legs. The pool glistened silver and he saw the moon receding in the corner of the water. Again, Silverpelt's words haunted him.
"What am I going to do about this?" He preened his back anxiously to make his fur lie flat. Crack! A twig snapped up at the top of the cove. His eyes widened and his tail thrashed. He snuck back to the corner of the cove where the moonlight didn't reach. A beautiful she-cat stalked down the path with pained eyes. When she got to the bottom she yowled, anguished.
"I've missed Moonhigh!" She lost footing and fell into the moonpool. Firestar peered from behind a rock and saw the she-cat standing with her front paws in the moonpool. Her amber eyes flashed when she saw a flicker of orange. "Who's there?" She was snarling. "Come out now!" Firestar set one paw out when the sun snuck up over the cove's edge. His fur burned fire in the sun's rays. The she-cat took a couple steps back. "Thunderclan!" She hissed and began revving up for an attack.
"We do not fight in such sacred places." His voice was calm. "Now why would a mere Shadowclan cat be at moonpool?"
"I was sent to by Blackstar himself, to contact Starclan about the abandoned two-leg nest."
"What about it?"
"That is none of your business!" Firestar glared at her. Even when faced against the leader of another clan shadowclan warriors were still hostile.
"And what makes you think you can contact Starclan?" She paused for a split second but snarled at him.
"Because Blackstar has fallen ill and Littlecloud is tending to him, and I was sent to ask Starclan about the black smoke moss!" She paused and thought about what she had given away. "Blackstar will be better soon! He will never give up on his clan!" Firestar walked to her side. Her fur rose and he stroked her side with his tail.
"Calm down. I can help you."
"And how is that oh great Firestar?" She spit in his face and turned away with pained eyes. Her light brown tabby fur flattened and she stared at the ground.
"Well for starters; is there any herb Littlecloud might be out of?" She looked up at him with cautious eyes.
"I don't know…and my name is Tallpoppy." His eyes lightened up as she began to open up to him.
"Well, Tallpoppy, let's go see what we can do to help you at the moment." He half turned and motioned for her to follow.
"What about Starclan?" She looked back to the moonpool.
"I'll send Leafpool to your camp for the night so Littlecloud can come." Tallpoppy looked up at him with happy eyes. She purred roughly in his ear and rubbed against him in thanks; but then her eyes became shadowed again. "What?"
"Blackstar will be most unpleased if you enter our territory." Firestar nodded.
"Well, I'll go get some warriors and Leafpool then we can travel to your camp." Tallpoppy nodded quietly. "Hungry?" She looked up at him with cautious eyes. "Relax, you're with me!" He leaped away and she took one last long look at moonpool before bounding after Firestar.
After a long hunting session they pulled their catches together and Firestar began to eat. Tallpoppy hesitated but Firestar urged her on. She devoured it hungrily and sat back contentedly. Firestar finished his mouse and looked over at her in the shade of the tree. She was very thin and her fur was matted.
"How long…" She looked over at him. "H-has it been since you last ate?" Her eyes grew hard and she hissed.
"I don't need this!" She began to stalk off, but Firestar stopped her.
"I'm sorry…let's head to my camp and then go to your's." She nodded briskly and followed him. The forest scents enveloped them and Firestar pranced happily along. Tallpoppy struggled to keep up and fell occasionally. They were almost to camp now when Tallpoppy hissed and jumped into a tree. Firestar looked back and flexed his claws. He sheathed them as he failed to see anything. Tallpoppy was flustered and she hissed down at the trunk of the tree. Firestar approached slowly. He stopped when he heard a patrol coming.
"Come down, Tallpoppy!" She didn't seem to hear him so he took a step closer. Her eyes shot open and she pounced on him. The Cloudtail rushed threw the brush when they heard the commotion. He found a shadowclan warrior pinning a flustered Firestar. Cloudtail yowled and began charging them, but Tallpoppy yowled for him to stop. She reeled away and slammed into Cloudtail. He fell over baffled.
"What is all this?" Firestar was shaking bits of moss off himself. She turned around and flicked her tail to an oddly colored patch off moss. It was gray and seemed to be engorged and it puffed up higher than the rest.
"That's the black smoke moss!" Firestar looked at her confusedly. "That's what made Blackstar ill!" Cloudtail's ears pricked with this bit of information.
"What do you mean?" Firestar queried.
"When you step on it, black smoke shoots out of it and breathing it in makes you terribly ill!"
"Why should we believe that!?" Cloudtail reproached her. She turned to him and thrashed her tail angrily. The rest of the patrol rushed into the clearing and saw Tallpoppy glaring at Cloudtail. Ashfur snarled and yowled for and attack. Tallpoppy looked over with fear filled eyes, but Firestar stepped in front of her. Ashfur stopped and snarled furiously at him.
"Move out of the way! There is no reason a shadowclan cat should be this far in our territory!"
"Calm down Ashfur! She is in need of help."
"Since when does shadowclan ever help us!"
"Since I just saved your leader's life!..." She lay down behind Firestar and yowled mournfully. "If only I could have done the same for Blackstar!" Ashfur looked at Firestar quizzically.
"We have to get her back to camp…NOW!" Firestar prompted Tallpoppy up and lead the patrol and her to the Thunderclan camp. Once in camp, cats gathered around and hissed at Tallpoppy. She walked proudly through the crowd but her tail gave away her unease. They headed for Leafpool's den and only Firestar and Tallpoppy entered. Leafpool looked curiously to the front and rose cautiously when she smelled shadowclan, but clamed when Firestar was walking in front of the tall, brown tabby shadowclan she-cat.
"Leafpool, we have a problem…" His eyes flashed amber in the faint light. Leafpool stared at him worriedly and then shifted her gaze to Tallpoppy. Both had the same morose expression. Firestar quickly explained the epidemic of the deadly moss. Soon Leafpool was gathering materials and heading out to shadowclan camp with Tallpoppy, Brambleclaw, and Squirrelflight. He waited for their shadows to fade away before jumping on to highledge. He yowled for all cats old enough to hunt to gather below the Highledge for a meeting. Cats gathered below and murmured uneasily.
"Why was there a Shadowclan warrior in our camp?" And various other comments floated through the clearing. He flicked his tail for silence.
"There is a new warning that will be sent out to all camps. A new moss has been discovered that is called 'black smoke moss.' It shoots out a noxious gas when stepped on and causes a serious illness. Fellow warriors have already contracted the illness and it's proven itself to be very dangerous. The moss is a light grey color and to see an example it is under a small oak. It is bloated and stands out among the other mosses. Avoid all mossy clearings until we find out more about it. I want someone to relay this to Riverclan and Windclan. Who would be willing?" He gazed around the clearing with wise eyes. Cloudtail's eyes sparkled as did Sandstorm's. "Sandstorm and Cloudtail, would you be willing to relay this message to our fellow clans?" They nodded. He flicked his tail and sent them off. He then closed the gathering and went to his den below. He went to the back and curled up tightly into a ball of orange fur. His mind swirled with thoughts and his eyelids became heavy and right before he fell asleep he remembered Silverpelt's words.
"A friend will rise from the darkness and your enemies will fall in the light." He shivered and shook his head.
"It will only get worse from here on out." His eyelids fell and he was fast asleep.
2hott4u: Wow! I think I did pretty well for my first time at writing a Warriors story, but that is up to my reviewers! Next chapter will flesh out the idea of Silverpelt coming to the forest and what dark secrets will happen to our favorite clans. Thanks for reading! Review!! Au revoir!