Warriors

Night and Day

Prologue

The three star-furred cats' pelts brushed against the leaves as they made their way to small clearing ahead of them. They sat amongst the undergrowth, all of their hearts pounding with fear for the Clans. "The Clans will fall without some cat to guide them to safety!" wailed a dark tortoiseshell she-cat, breaking the eerie silence. "The spiralling storm is nearing! Will StarClan be enough to save them?" she continued.

"Enough Spottedleaf!" spat a blue-furred she-cat. "What you say is right, but yowling about it does not help any cat" "Bluestar, we need to help the Clans somehow. Should we send a message to Bramblestar?" muttered an elderly grey she-cat.

Bluestar turned to the shaggy elder. "You know as well as I do that Bramblestar will join us soon, Yellowfang. His destiny leads him here, and the harsh leaf-fall has left him weak. A message will not be enough. The spiralling storm will cause much grief and devastation, and no message can prepare any cat for that." "What do we do then?" whispered Spottedleaf. Her eyes were clouded with sadness, as if she thought nothing could save the Clans. Yellowfang looked at the two other cats in the clearing. Neither of them knew what they could do to help them.

"We should send two, one of the night, and one of the day. They will save the Clans from darkness. They will be of ThunderClan, but they save all the Clans!" a new cat, a she-cat with sleek silver fur, slipped into the clearing. She held her head high, and her eyes glowed with confidence. "We will send a message to Bramblestar though, he will know."

"Feathertail!" Bluestar gasped. The silver cat had crept up so silently no other cat could hear her. She twitched her whiskers. Why hadn't she thought of that? It was genius! "Your idea sounds as though it would work Feathertail, but why not RiverClan, your Clan?

"The two will be born of ThunderClan cats, and they will learn from ThunderClan warriors. That is how it must be" Feathertail replied sharply. " It is our choice to give them the strength to fight the storm"

She waved her paw over a large puddle in the centre of the clearing, producing the image of a dark grey she-cat lying down inside the ThunderClan nursery, nursing two tiny kits; a delicate silver she-kit and a larger golden tabby tom. A different golden tom raced to the she-cat's side. A tabby grey tom padded after him. "Cinderheart," the golden tom mewed "Aren't they just beautiful?" "Yes they are Lionblaze, but you need to give them some peace and quiet. You have been in here all day!" Lionblaze lowered his head slightly and smiled.

"I know that, Cinderheart. I just wanted Jayfeather to check on them..." "…For the third time today," the grey tabby added, pushing past Lionblaze. Jayfeather's blind icy blue eyes showed his annoyance plain and clear.

Feathertail looked towards Bluestar, Yellowfang and Spottedleaf, still keeping the image in the water. "Shall we?" she whispered. The three cats nodded in agreement. Feathertail closed her eyes, and lifted her head. She stayed still for a few seconds, then lowered her head and opened her eyes.

"By the power of StarClan, these two will strive to save the Clans!" she announced to the other cats. All of their eyes turned back to the puddle.

The two tiny kits suddenly stopped nursing suddenly. Their eyes open for a fraction, and the reflection of unseen stars in the shape of StarClan warriors glittered in the still sightless pupils. Their fur fluffed up, as if they, at least for a short while, knew their destiny. These kits were special, filled with an unknown intelligence, and slight fear at what they would eventually have to face: ripping winds, falling trees, blowing debris. The light faded from their eyes, and the kits shook their heads and continued to nurse. Jayfeather looked at two little kits, eyes squinted, trying to put together what he had sensed had happened. He lent back a little and tipped his head to one side.

Suddenly the water rippled and the image faded. "These two will save us!" yowled Feathertail triumphantly.