The Prophesied Three
Prologue
On a damp and shadowy night in early leaf-bare, a dark figure raced across the moor, with another slim figure following quickly behind her.
"Ripplestar, must you hurry? It is far from being moon-high" A willowy voice called, "You shouldn't be here; you know you have whitecough."
"This is urgent Cometheart. I need to know why Starclan has turned against Riverclan." Ripplestar said, narrowing her eyes.
"Starclan is always with us, Ripplestar. Starclan would never turn against us." Cometheart replied.
"But I must know why these terrible days have fallen upon Riverclan." Ripplestar said, now barely skimming the moor grass. Cometheart sighed and chased after Ripplestar's shadow. As the moon inched up towards the twinkling stars, the two figures, medicine cat and leader, approached the hill leading to the Moonpool. They leaped up the path, Cometheart now taking the lead, and followed the many generations of pawprints on the dusty floor. Soon, the two she-cat's whiskers felt the breeze of moor air. Ripplestar let out a cough and licked the Moonpool's silver, refreshing water.
A blinding flash hit the pool and immediately Ripplestar was transferred into a dream. There, she felt herself racing along a bubbling stream. She stared into the reflection, and soon another cat appeared by her side.
"Larkstar!" Ripplestar gasped, "Oh, Larkstar, you don't know how much the clan grieves for you. And Goldensparrow is doing well Larkstar, and…"
"Alright, alright!" Larkstar purred, "But I have not come for a friendly visit. I have a prophecy to give you. 'Of all the elements, Snow, Fire, and Water will save us from blizzard, forest-fire, and flood.'"
"But what does that mean?" Ripplestar said, puzzled.
"I can give you no more. You are a worthy leader, Ripplestar. I'm glad I chose you as my deputy. You will find out, given time and patience. Tell Goldensparrow I love her." Larkstar winked as he faded into the stars.
"But wait! What about Riverclan! Why…" Ripplestar started to ask, but Larkstar had already disappeared.
"Well?" Cometheart said, waking Ripplestar from her dreams. Ripplestar nearly jumped out of her fur.
"A prophecy, Cometheart, a prophecy." Ripplestar shook her head slowly,"' Of all the elements, Snow, Fire, and Water will save us from blizzard, forest-fire, and flood.'"
Chapter One
A shriek of pain coming from the Riverclan nursery brought Starlingfur rushing out of the medicine cat den. Cometheart had passed away a quarter-moon before and Ripplestar had lost a life from green-cough. Starlingfur had grown wary with the burden on his shoulders.
"Moondust, are you alright?" Starlingfur stuck his head in the nursery. He was about to ask about the kits when he saw she was kitting.
"Stay there Moondust, I'll be right back!" Starlingfur raced to the medicine cat den and grabbed a handful of herbs, trying to remember everything Cometheart had taught him. On his way out, he ran into Drizzletail.
"Starlingfur! Will she be alright?" Drizzletail said in panic.
"If I have anything to do with it." Starlingfur said reassuringly, "Fetch a stick will you?" Starlingfur raced into the nursery and spread the herbs on the floor as Drizzletail poked his head into the nursery almost tipping over with a long branch in his mouth. Starlingfur expertly cracked the branch into a stick and told Moondust,
"Bite on the stick when the pain comes." Moondust nodded obediently. Starlingfur gently pressed on her stomach, willing her to be okay. The first kit slithered out, bright orange. Drizzletail immediately began licking the first kit's fur the wrong way to warm up the kit.
"Beautiful!" Starlingfur said, as Ripplestar and Hazeleyes, an elder, raced to see what the commotion was. As the next kit slithered out, Moondust bit down on the stick in pain. The next kit was pale white. As the last kit, blue-gray, slithered out, Moondust gritted her teeth and the stick splintered into pieces. Starlingfur quickly bent down and licked the blue-gray kit's fur backwards, white Hazeleyes licked the white one.
'They're beautiful!" Drizzletail said proudly, gazing warmly at Moondust, "What shall we call them?"
"Flamekit…" Moondust smiled, pointing at the orange kit.
"And Aquakit…" Drizzletail said fondly, pointing at the blue-gray kit.
"And Frostkit." Moondust nudged the last kit. Drizzletail licked Moondust's ear and raced into the camp to spread the news.
"Moondust has kitted!" He yowled, while the clan rejoiced in happiness.
"It must be a good omen! Three healthy kits born in leaf-bare!" Hazeleyes exclaimed, eyes sparkling. The clan's happy yowling filled the night air.
Chapter Two
Moondust flopped in her nest and carefully watched the kits play in the snow from the opening in the nursery.
"Come on Frostkit! Comeoncomeoncomeon! Let's go play moss ball, please!" Aquakit begged.
"Sorry Aquakit, Starlingfur is teaching me all the herbs. Plus, in the snow? Maybe later. I bet Flamekit will play with you." Frostkit squeaked, glancing over her shoulder. Aquakit heard Starlingfur name herbs and she, disappointed, trudged over to ask Flamekit.
"Flamekit, will you play moss ball with me? Please?" Aquakit asked, bouncing up and down in the fluffy snow.
"Okay, but it's no fun with two cats. Let's ask Flickerpaw and Sootpaw!" Flamekit mewed. Flamekit bounced right up to Flickerpaw and Sootpaw.
"Will you play moss-ball with us please?" Flamekit asked, pretending to be sweet and innocent.
"Sure." Flickerpaw purred.
"Well, you have fun, Flickerpaw. I'm going to clean out the elders' den." Sootpaw said, her nose high.
"You make cleaning out the elders' den sound like fun, Sootpaw." Flickerpaw snorted. He turned towards the kits, "Come on, let's go find a spot to play."
Flickerpaw led the excited kits to an empty corner of the camp and ripped a tuft of moss from the tree. Flickerpaw neatly folded the moss into a ball and flicked it towards the middle.
"That tree can be our goal. Those patch of reeds can be your goal Flickerpaw!" Aquakit squeaked. Flickerpaw nodded, eyes sparkling with amusement. Flickerpaw quickly grabbed the moss-ball with his tail and flicked it towards the patch of reeds Aquakit had pointed to. Unprepared, both kits dived towards the ball and rammed into each other as the ball bounced past them into the goal.
"Ow! What was that for Flamekit?" Aquakit squeaked angrily as Flickerpaw triumphantly pawed the moss-ball out of the patch of reeds. Suddenly, Scorchfur, the deputy, padded out from a clump of trees.
"No more play time Flickerkit, it's training time. Meet me in the training arena, and bring Stormpaw will you?"
"Ooh! Bring us, please!" Flamekit said excitedly.
"Sorry kits! You can't go out of camp 'till your a 'paw." Flickerpaw purred, "But when you are, I had better stay away from you guys. You're a feisty bunch."
"Hmph!" Aquakit huffed, "Now what?"
"I'm hungry." Flamekit said suddenly.
"You're always hungry, Flamekit." Aquakit groaned, irritated.
"Ooh, I have an idea. Let's ask Finchwing for a story!"
"Okay, but I'm hungry too. I wouldn't want my belly growling when Finchwing tells a story. That would be mortifying!" Aquakit squeaked as she bounded into the nursery, Flamekit at her tail.
Chapter Three
Three moons later, the clan had gathered around Ripplestar as she made an announcement. Ripplestar raised her tail and beckoned the three kits to come closer. As they scooted forward, Ripplestar began the ceremony words.
"Today comes a time of the most important events of the clans, when kits become apprentices, and knowledge is passed from one to another. Aquakit, Frostkit, Flamekit, come forward. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and your utmost loyalty to Riverclan?"
"Yes!" Aquakit squeaked excitedly.
"Yes." Flamekit said, puffing her chest in pride.
"Yes." Frostkit whispered, barely audible.
"Then from now on, Aquakit will be known as Aquapaw, Flamekit as Flamepaw, and Frostkit as Frostpaw. Lilycreek, you will mentor Aquapaw. I hope that you will pass on your quiet determination. Stormwater, you will mentor Flamepaw. I wish you to pass on your confidence in every blow, every strike. Blackstream, you will mentor Frostpaw. Pass on your wisdom and strategic planning."
The apprentices reached forward to touch noses with their mentors, as the clan yowled their approval.
"Aquapaw, Flamepaw, Frostpaw!" They mewed happily.
As the meeting started to break up, the excited apprentices jumped up to their mentors.
"Can we explore the territory, please?" They asked in unison. Blackstream glanced at the other mentors as they nodded in approval.
"Alright, but don't get your nose into trouble. And listen, for Starclan's sake." Blackstream purred. Blackstream led the way out of the camp, with the 'paws in the middle and the mentors following behind them.
"Alright kits, watch your step. It get's slippery near the stream." Blackstream said firmly.
"We're apprentices Blackstream." Aquapaw hinted loudly, chest puffing out. Stormwater rolled his eyes while Lilycreek coughed with amusement.
"Okay, watch your step apprentices." Blackstream grinned. Frostpaw was starting to think that Blackstream wasn't as strict as the apprentices thought he was.
Chapter Four
After the tour, the three apprentices settled down in their nests. Soon afterwards, the older apprentices padded in.
"Oooh, look! It's Aquapaw's crush!" Flamepaw whispered into Frostpaw's ear.
"Hey Stormpaw!" Flamepaw mewed to Stormpaw.
"Hey Flamepaw! Congrats by the way. Being an apprentice sure is exciting!" Stormpaw replied.
"Yeah, it is." Aquapaw said dreamily. But Stormpaw didn't notice Aquapaw's gaze, luckily, and instead turned his attention to Flamepaw and Frostpaw.
"After a good rest, maybe I can teach you guys how to hunt birds!" Stormpaw meowed excitedly, "Of course, if you mentors agree. And we could-" Stormpaw was cut off.
"SOME cats are trying to sleep!" Sootpaw hinted loudly.
"Okay, okay, Sootpaw!" Stormpaw mewed irritably, and settled down in his nest.
"Stormpaw sure is talkative!" Frostpaw mewed into Flamepaw's ear, as soon as she was sure that Stormpaw was asleep. Flamepaw nodded with amusement.
"Although, I would like to learn how to hunt birds!" Frostpaw continued.
The next morning, Aquapaw, Flamepaw, and Frostpaw excitedly bounded out the nursery, and gazed out the entrance.
"I hope we get to see the lake again today! It was huge! And I really want to learn how hunt fish, and fight, and-" Aquapaw mewed.
"You're just as talkative as Stormpaw! He must be having an influence on you, Aquapaw." Flamepaw interrupted.
"Alright apprentices. Stop the bickering, it's time to go on a hunting patrol." Scorchfur announced, with Blackstream, Stormwater, and Lilycreek trailing behind him.
"Blackstream, Lilycreek, Stormwater, take your apprentices to the river. It's time they learned to hunt." Scorchfur commanded.
"Oh!" Aquapaw meowed excitedly, "I can't wait Blackstream! Lilycreek, are we going to hunt fish? Or maybe mice? Or-"
"Quiet Aquapaw!" Stormwater purred, "We'll be hunting fish today. It's not like we'll hunt anything else but fish near the river."
"Oh right. Sorry!" Aquapaw mewed nervously. The six cat's bounded out the entrance, and on the way to the river, the apprentices got a glimpse of the lake. As the cat's neared the river, Stormwater immediately switched to mentor mode.
"Okay apprentices. One of the most important things is to never let your shadow fall across the river. If the fish see your shadow, they'll instantly dart away. In leaf-bare, that'll be a problem."
"Next, instead of putting your paw where the fish is, put your paw where you think the fish will be. If you put your paw where the fish is, the fish is way too fast for you. If you put your paw where you think the fish will be, then when the fish darts into your paw, you can strike with your claws. You try." Lilycreek said. Aquapaw stealthily crawled up to the river bank and patiently waited for the arrival of a fish.
Soon, she spotted a small minnow. Better than nothing, she thought. She remembered what her mentor told her, she made sure her shadow fell over the riverbank and dipped her paw into the river directly in front of the fish. The minnow swam into her curved paw and Aquapaw quickly dug her claws in and flipped it onto the riverbank.
"Good!" Lilycreek mewed, and quickly delivered the killing bite. The fish instantly stopped flopping around. Daft fish, Aquapaw thought. But as if Lilycreek read her mind, she meowed,
"You have to pay your respects to your food, Aquapaw, these minnows are defenseless. They have sacrificed their life to be your fresh-kill."
"Sorry Lilycreek." Aquapaw murmured, embarrassed to ever have thought of it.
"Alright your turn, Flamepaw." Stormwater mewed. Flamepaw mimicked Aquapaw clumsily and waited for a minnow to swim by. But instead of a minnow, a enormous trout appeared! Flamepaw clumsily tried to claw at the fish, but instead fell into the river crevice. Blackstream dived into the river and expertly guided his way to Flamepaw as Snowpaw quickly dug her unsheathed claws into the trout and hoisted it onto the riverbank. Snowpaw was soon joined by Blackstream and Flamepaw, who was dripping wet.
"Poor Flamepaw!" Snowpaw exclaimed, "Are you alright?"
"Of course the stupid furball is alright, Snowpaw." Aquapaw purred.
"Hey!" Flamepaw muttered as she playfully swatted at Aquapaw.
"Nice catch Snowpaw!" Lilycreek meowed, motioning to the large trout lying on the muddy riverbank.
"Thanks!" Snowpaw grinned, as the apprentices and mentors had a good laugh on the way back to camp.
Chapter Five
As the Gathering approached, the apprentices worked extra hard, trying to convince their mentors to take them to the Gathering. They volunteered for almost every patrol, until their mentors said they had enough, and they had to go rest. On the night of the Gathering, the apprentices sat excitedly around Ripplestar.
"I hope that time when I fell in the river doesn't mess it up for me." Flamepaw mewed.
"Or that time when I ran into a tree while chasing a mouse." Aquapaw meowed
"Or that one time when I was caught looking for herbs instead of bordering the patrol." Frostpaw mewed nervously, "I was only trying to help Starlingfur!" The apprentices immediately shut up as Ripplestar began listing the cats that would join her.
"Stormwater, Drizzletail, Hazeleyes, Scorchfur, Sedgestorm, Blackstream, Stormpaw, Aquapaw, Flamepaw, and Frostpaw."
"Yes!" The apprentices cried with excitement. But Frostpaw saw Flickerpaw slouch and immediately felt sorry for him.
"I bet you'll come next time." Frostpaw murmured encouragingly to Flickerpaw as the cats padded out of the camp entrance. The cats followed Ripplestar and Scorchfur around the lake and met up with Thunderclan on the way.
"Greetings Sparrowstar." Ripplestar nodded her head in greeting to a wiry brown tom.
"Oh my goodness, it's Thunderclan's leader!" Aquapaw whispered.
"He looks like he's about to eat my head off." Frostpaw frowned as the two clans made their way across the tree bridge one-by-one.
"Dig your claws in." Stormpaw suggested when he noticed Aquapaw having trouble getting a grip.
"Okay." She murmured and steadily made her way across the bridge. Windclan was already waiting at the base of the Great Oak Tree. Ashstar sat proudly on one of the branches with Bushscorch nestled at the roots.
"They're so skinny!" Aquapaw exclaimed quietly. As Thunderclan and Riverclan sat down, Flamestar appeared with his cats.
"Quite sorry for the delay." Flamestar meowed and padded to the tree with Pinewhisker on his tail. Scorchfur and Cinderspot joined him.
"Okay, who would like to go first?" Ripplestar mewed.
"I will." Ashstar volunteered, "I am proud to announce that we have two new apprentices- Rushingpaw and Ebonypaw."
"Rushingpaw! Ebonypaw! Rushingpaw! Ebonypaw!" The clans cheered while the apprentices held their heads high.
"I have news to share also." Sparrowstar meowed, "Briardapple has kitted to Harekit, Eclipsekit and Larkkit!"
"Briardapple! Briardapple!" The cats yowled. The Gathering was buzzing with cheerfulness as Greenleaf approached.
"We welcome two new warriors, Emberstorm and Shadestreak, as well as a new apprentice, Venompaw!" Flamestar yowled.
"Emberstorm! Shadestreak! Venompaw!" The clans yowled, Shadowclan the loudest of all.
"Lastly," Ripplestar meowed, "Hazeleyes has retired to the elders den, and we welcome three new apprentices Aquapaw, Frostpaw, and Flamepaw. Starlingfur has taken over the medicine cat role as Cometheart has died of greencough.
The clans murmured sympathy and then cheered,
"Hazeleyes, Starlingfur! Aquapaw, Frostpaw, Flamepaw!"
"Has anyone anything else to share?" Flamestar mewed with authority. When no one replied, he yowled. "Cats of the Clans! Thank you for joining us on the night of the truce! The gathering is officially over!" As the gathering ended, Frostpaw's gaze drifted over to the clump of medicine cats. There sat Starlingfur talking to Owlwatcher and Rushingpaw from other clans. She wondered what it would be like to hold the wisdom of the clan and the healing methods that would save the lives of warrior cats. Frostpaw edged closer and heard Starlingfur tell a story about the Great Battle. Frostpaw angled her ears towards the direction on Starlingfur.
"Firestar tussled with Tigerstar. Nobody seemed to be winning until Tigerstar gave the final blow. But Firestar gave a blow that matched Tigerstar's strike and both fell to the ground."
"What about Leopardstar?" Aquapaw piped, seeming to appear from nowhere.
"Well, I'm not actually sure. Cometheart never mentioned it..."
Suddenly, and unknowingly, a spark set off in the forest.