A New Era
I just wanted everybody to know that this is my first Fanfiction, and please, please, PLEASE review and tell me if it's good or not. I'm a total warrior's fan! :P
~Crystal Cavern
Chapter 1: A Shock to All
A paw jabbed his side, making Jayfeather wince in his sleep. He hated it when people woke him up for no reason.
"Wake up, Jayfeather, wake up!" Hollyleaf begged. His sister's scent reached him so he shook himself and reluctantly forced himself to get up.
"What?" he asked. "Unless someone's life is in danger, I'd rather have you NOT waking me up in the middle of the night. Look, silverpelt is glistening and I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't disturb me." Jayfeather mewed. "Now, if you don't have anything important to say, then I'm going to go back to-"
"Jayfeather!" Hollyleaf blurted out. "It's important!" Hollyleaf looked around to make sure Leafpool was still asleep. Hollyleaf held her breath as Leafpool's ears twitched. Then she continued, this time in a softer tone. "It's Firestar! And Brambleclaw! Come quickly."
Jayfeather tensed when he sensed the urgentness in Hollyleaf's voice. When she mentioned the names of their father and grandfather he quickly followed her out of the medicine cat's cave.
"What happened?" he asked.
"There's something terribly wrong!"
"How do you know?"
"Remember how Firestar and Brambleclaw seemed sick yesterday?" Without waiting for Jayfeather's curt nod, she continued hurriedly. "Well, to be honest," she started as she gripped the dirt under her paws, "I wanted to check on Firestar tonight. I was worried. I rubbed myself in the fresh-kill pile to mask my scent. Then I went over to Firestar's den. When I got there… I discovered that… that he was…" Hollyleaf hung her head low and half muttered and half gasped, "that he was dead."
"What?!" Jayfeather exclaimed in surprise. Then a wave of agony hit him at full force. He whispered, "I even checked on him yesterday, before he went to sleep."
"Not just that, but…" Hollyleaf croaked.
"But what?" Jayfeather prompted.
"It's Brambleclaw."
"What about Brambleclaw?"
"My nest is right beside Brambleclaw's," she explained. "His breathing was fine when I left, but when I returned… he was dead too."
Jayfeather gasped. "Oh no! Does Lionblaze know?"
"He does. I told him when I found Brambleclaw dead." She almost choked on the last word. The word "dead." What a horrible word. It was as if the world itself was held responsible by the ones who've lost kin to it, as if it caused the deaths of all living things.
Snapping back to reality, Jayfeather nodded. Without a word, he left in the direction of Firestar's den. Hollyleaf went back to the warrior's den. When he padded inside, he smelled something unusual. He could tell that Firestar was in his nest, and that Hollyleaf had been here recently. What surprised him was that he could not smell sickness of any kind. No rottenness, no medicine to suggest he was sick in the first place, no nothing. The sound was horrifying too. No breathing. No quiet huff-puff of taking in air. It scared Jayfeather.
Jayfeather went to the warrior's den next. Sure enough, between Lionblaze and Hollyleaf was the limp body of Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw was still in his sleeping position, with his tail over his nose. Lionblaze jerked his head up when he scented Jayfeather, but Hollyleaf just gasped quietly, her nose in Brambleclaw's fur.
Jayfeather carefully stepped around the warriors and tensed when Birchfall's ear twitched. After a brief silence, he seemed to decide it was more important to check Brambleclaw than to wake him and stepped over him. He padded over to them quickly.
Without a word, he nosed around Brambleclaw; uncertain if he should believe he was really dead. He nosed some more. Finally, certain that he was, he beckoned to Lionblaze and Hollyleaf with a swish of his tail. Together, they padded out the warrior's den.
Lionblaze and Hollyleaf looked solemnly at Jayfeather. Jayfeather could only hold their gaze. Finally, he said, "They're dead."
That was an understatement. To say that they're dead was like bring taken away by a twoleg, trapped with walls on all sides, and then say that you were trapped.
Lionblaze nodded. Jayfeather sensed that his brother wanted to rip and claw whoever's fur that was responsible for this. Jayfeather said, "Lionblaze. Hollyleaf." They stared at him with the same empty eyes. Although he could not see it, he felt their gazes gently boring into him. "It was a sickness." It was all he could say.
"What sickness?" Hollyleaf asked.
"I'm not sure. I noticed that both Firestar and Brambleclaw were in their sleeping positions, which meant that nothing disturbed them when they slept. I found it odd that there was no rotting scent coming from them and that yesterday, they were completely fine–no problems–except that they were clearly sick. Leafpool thought it was tummy ache, and dismissed the problem. That means that there were no messages from StarClan."
Hollyleaf gasped at this. "Are you sure?" she squeaked
"Positive. Now there's a problem." (Another understatement) "When the clan finds out that both the leader and the deputy are dead, the camp will be sorrowful, then it will rage in chaos." He paused. "I'd better wake Leafpool, and the elders too."
Lionblaze and Hollyleaf nodded again, and started to walk slowly towards the elder's den. Before they reached there, Lionblaze ran back to Jayfeather and said, "Didn't Firestar have more than five lives left? What could be so powerful that it took all his lives at once?"
Jayfeather tensed at the thought. Lionblaze was right. Suddenly, his mind was filled with screeches and caterwauls. He saw cats. A lot of cats. They were fighting more cats. The grass was blood soaked and from the corner of his view, he saw Firestar. He looked younger, and his pelt was blood splattered, just like everybody else's. Firestar was staring at a small black cat with teeth–dog teeth–around his neck like a kittypet collar. The small black tom slashed the throat of a large broad, strong-looking tom that resembled Brambleclaw. Tigerstar! Jaypaw tensed and watched as that slash made blood spray everywhere. He winced was Tigerstar died. Then he was surprised when he gasped, and then lay still again. To his astonishment, it happened seven more times. On the last time, Tigerstar didn't move.
He was dead.
Not only dead, but also, he died with all his lives stripped away by a single blow.
Another paw jabbed him, and Jayfeather was at home, in camp again. Lionblaze was looking at him, concerned. "Are you okay? You spaced out there for a few seconds I thought you were going to die too."
Jayfeather reassured him that he was still alive by flicking his ear with his tail. "I'm okay."
"Was it another vision?"
"Yes, I'll tell you and Hollyleaf about it later." Thankfully, Lionblaze left and didn't press him any further.
Jayfeather sighed. He thought about what he saw as he walked back to the medicine cat's den. He had witnessed Tigerstar's death. Although it was perfect for that ambitious traitor, it was not for Firestar. Firestar was just and noble, yet he experienced half of what Tigerstar experienced. It wasn't right.
He padded up to Leafpool, and shook her. She lifted up her head and asked, "What's wrong, Jayfeather?"
