Rushstar's Tragedy

Prologue

Crickets chirped, filling the night sky with light clicks and ambient noise. Reeds surrounding the RiverClan camp swayed by the new-leaf night breeze. A shadow fell over a well-trodden grass path and sound of paw steps grew louder. A large feline appeared out of the nighttime shadowing and a large, muscular tomcat appeared seemingly pacing. His tabby gray pelt was bristling and his tail was bushed up. His claws worked agitatedly in the flat grass. The tomcat was obviously anxious and upset. Another cat approached. It was a lithe she-cat with a speckled tortoiseshell pelt.

The tom looked up, his dark green eyes shadowed with worry. "Sorrelfeather! How is she?" He asked quickly.

The tortoiseshell snatched a glance at the ground before responding. "Briartail is very weak from the kitting. But she is alright, sleeping in the nursery. You have two daughters and a son." Sorrelfeather mewed. "You can go check on her. But be very careful."

The gray tom rushed off, leaving torn grass in his wake. As he burst into the camp, his thick pelt dragged slightly on the sedges surrounding the entrance. The tom picked up pace as he neared the nursery that was tucked into a sedge wall. His heart was beating quickly as he stepped into the nursery; picking up his mate's scent made it easier for him to reach her in the gloominess. "Briartail?" The tom whispered as he saw the brown and white she-cat. She was lying in a mossy nest with a few swan feathers tucked near her.

"Falconstripe!" Briartail meowed quietly, her amber eyes glowing the gloom. "Look, our kits… they're beautiful." She whispered.

Falconstripe was already watching his kits. It was like watching a baby bird fly for the first time as the kits squirmed at their mother's belly while suckling. One of the she-kits was slightly larger than her littermates with a gray tabby pelt like her father. The other she-kit was a brown tabby and her brother was gray and white. "We should name them." Falconstripe mewed, still in awe of the newborn kittens.

Briartail pointed at the gray and white tom. "Him?" She asked, her eyes glowing with affection. "How about Thistlekit?" Falconstripe suggested.

Briartail shook her head as the gray and white kit mewled quietly. "Thistlekit sounds aggressive! Look at him." She cooed as the kit mewled again. "How about Duckkit?"

Falconstripe's gray tail twitched. Duckkit? That tom won't be respected with such a name! The tom thought, but he could see Briartail liked the name. "Alright." He mewed, trying to mask the hesitation in his voice.

"What about this big kit?" Briartail purred quietly, rubbing the gray tabby she-kit with her white tipped tail.

The gray tabby tom gazed at the she-kit. She pummeled her mother's stomach with white front paws and mewled loudly. "Rushkit." Falconstripe meowed.

The brown and white she-cat's tail tip twitched. She nodded and her eyes softened. "I like that." She looked up at Falconstripe. He smiled warmly at his mate and his green eyes shone with affection.

Falconstripe and Briartail looked down at the last kit. She was a brown tabby like her mother, with a white chest and tail tip. The she-kit was dozing after finishing her meal before her siblings. Briartail's head tipped slightly. "How about… Wrenkit? She looks like a little bird!" Briartail purred.

"That sounds good." Falconstripe grinned. "They're all beautiful." The tom was filled with a huge sense of joy as he watched his kits sleep curled up around their mother's stomach.

Briartail seemed sleepy as well, after kitting. Falconstripe nuzzled his mate's jaw as she purred. "Good night, my love." He looked down at his kits. "Good night to you three, as well." He let out a lengthy, deep purr.

As Falconstripe padded out of the willow-woven nursery, he noticed it was almost dawn. Sorrelfeather was sitting in front of the medicine den that was across from the nursery. She was sitting next to the large olive sedge. Her eyes were focused on her paws, and her eyes were shadowed with grief. Falconstripe's ears pricked. What was the tortoiseshell medicine cat doing looking so upset?

"Sorrelfeather? Are you alright?" The tabby tom asked, ear twitching. Sorrelfeather's head swung up.

"Wha… Falconstripe! Ah, yes." The tortoiseshell she-cat's light amber eyes were glossy. "I'm fine. I promise."

Falconstripe's head tilted in confusion. "Alright… I guess. Briartail and I named the kits." The new father went on proudly. "The two she-kits are Rushkit and Wrenkit, and the tom is," Falconstripe couldn't help but hesitating before speaking his son's name. "Duckkit."

Sorrelfeather gave a small half smile. "Those are beautiful names." She mewed politely, her demeanor still seeming fairly upset.

Falconstripe's tail flicked. "Well, good night." But then the tom looked up and grinned. "Or more like almost dawn." He nodded politely to the medicine cat and padded off into the warrior's den for a quick nap before the dawn patrols.

Sorrelfeather was in her den, laying her nest. She couldn't sleep. The medicine cat couldn't keep her thoughts out of her head. She almost wanted to raise her head and wail like a kit to StarClan themselves. What are you trying to tell me? Her amber eyes were stricken with anxiety. The sign she had received during Briartail's kitting wasn't up for interpretation. She knew exactly what it meant. I don't want my clanmates to be hurt… give me a sign! What should I do to help them? A few heartbeats after Sorrelfeather sent the silent pray to the stars, a vision flashed before her.

The medicine cat saw her clanmates in a torrent of water as she stood in empty space. She watched on in horror as they were swept into a spiral of water, disappearing from her sight. Briartail… Frostpaw… Sweetlily… Pebblefoot… no! Sorrelfeather opened her mouth to cry out for her clanmates and as she did, no sound came out. Instead, a starry figure appeared in front of her. The torrent of water disappeared and they appeared at a starry Fourtrees. "Hello, Sorrelfeather." The starry figure spoke.

The figure was a brown tom with darker brown spots. He had light yellow eyes. Sorrelfeather dipped her head. "Dustleaf! Hello." She purred. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

Dustleaf nodded quickly. "I'm sure you have questions about your visions." He mewed. "I cannot tell you right now, but all will become of sense later."

Sorrelfeather's ear twitched in irritation. "Why not?" She demanded. "My clanmates may be in danger."

The brown tom's ears flattened. "They are my clanmates as well. I do not want to place them in danger on purpose…" He mewed. "I'm sorry, Sorrelfeather." His voice faded as well as his starry figure.

Sorrelfeather hissed in frustration. "Why don't you tell me anything?" She lashed her tail in frustration as her dream faded.

She awoke in her nest, the moss tossed in various places from her kicking in her sleep. Something is coming.