A single bird sang in the trees as the morning sun slowly rose into the sky. The green fern leaves dripped with dew, and the soil was warming up to the sunlight. Several whispers could be heard among the trees, sounding like the breeze that carried through the air that day. Hidden in a small cove, concealed by the undergrowth, were five cats, with fur as bright and sparkling as the sun itself. Their eyes glowed with wisdom that no one could know, and strength flowed into their bodies. A sleek and muscular black she-cat lifted her head, her gaze passing over each other cat slowly.
"You all know why we're here." She announced, her ears twitching slightly.
The other cats nodded, with the same underlying distrust in their eyes. Another, a silver-furred tom, gazed upon the three with distress clear in his twitching tail and tense muscles.
"It seems wrong to be meeting without Skystar!" He blurted out, eyes wide. "Ever since he left the forest, it's as if a giant chunk of our history was just blown away in the wind along with SkyClan. What will we do without the fifth clan?"
"The same as we always did, Riverstar!" A gray tom snarled, his eyes flashing with fury and sadness, as well as a hint of guilt.
Riverstar sighed, his tail brushing the ground as he spoke. "Graywing, I know it's difficult for you to cope with the fact that your brother left you..."
"He said he couldn't stand to think that I had just sit back and let it all happen! That I was just as bad as all of you!" Graywing ignored the hisses and snarls from the cats around him.
A wiry brown she-cat drew up to her full height. "Silence!" She yowled, her words echoing through the trees. The cats around her quieted in an instant at her outburst, and her lips curled slightly into a smile of satisfaction. "Listen to Shadowstar," She meowed, her voice back to its usual volume. "We must discuss what has occured. We cannot dawdle in the past while the present goes by."
Shadowstar nodded, her eyes glinting. "Thank you, Windstar," she murmured, a hint of regret in her eyes. She blinked, and the emotion disappeared like mist in the morning. "There is a danger to all of the clans. One cat will be betrayed by the one cat she thought she could trust." Windstar appeared slightly offended at this, but no cat had taken notice at her quiet outburst, and she regained her imperious look within moments.
"We must warn Swiftstar," She added, passion in her voice as she spoke of the tom. Several others looked displeased, and a tabby tom raised his voice. All eyes turned on him. His paws were just beginning to fade in, and he looked as though he had run a long distance. He had definitely not been there a moment ago.
"Thunderstar." Graywing said affectionately. "I did not expect you to come. I thought you had other things to deal with." Thunderstar answered with only a curt nod, and stared at Windstar, as though the gray tom had not meaning to him. "Windstar, I believe we must all tell our clans of this cat. If she is as dangerous as we think, then all the clans must be warned. Also, may I point out that no one has told me what we will tell our descendants?"
Several cats in the circle glared at him, including Shadowstar. She let out a sigh. "I suppose we would have to tell him eventually." The tone in her voice seemed to suggest she wouldn't have told him at all if he didn't ask.
"Born alone, this kit will witness betrayal from her closest friend. Keep an eye on this kit, because left alone, this kit will corrupt and create more danger than WindClan could ever imagine."
The prophecy resounded around the clearing, giving it a more eerie feeling. Almost at once, Shadowstar started to fade away. She was followed soon by Windstar, Riverstar, and Thunderstar, until the clearing was empty except for Graywing.
He jumped as a bush behind him rustled, and a beautiful golden she-cat with brilliant green eyes entered the clearing. A brilliant white glow surrounded her, bright enough to blind a small animal. A fresh scar ran along her stomach, still dripping blood slightly. Despite her regal appearance and proud stance, her eyes were watery with sadness. "It's you," Graywing meowed, his eyes betraying his surprise and shock. "I knew you would come eventually, but not so soon! You had many moons of life left in you."
The she-cat dipped her head in respect and sat down on her stomach, hiding the wound from sight. "Alas, I thought so too. I died giving birth to my two daughters. I believe they will still fare wonderfully without me."
Graywing recoiled with shock as he took in her words. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no sound came out. It was as if he had been petrified at that exact moment, as he was absolutely frozen in horror. The golden she-cat didn't noticed his lack of action, and instead said, "Watch over my kit, Graywing."
Her words seemed to echo. A breeze rustles the bushes surrounding the clearing, and the image of the golden she-cat was shattered. The pieces were picked up by the wind and blown away.
It had only been a vision, but that didn't make Graywing feel any better.