The clans can't survive much longer with the constant thunderstorms and severe weather. There is much flooding throughout the territory, and many have already been swept away by the dangerous tempests. The fate of the clans relies on two siblings of opposite gender and morals, the fate of the forest, is in their paws.
Nightflower padded into the clearing as she watched the clan try and patch the camp back up. The last thunderstorm had been the worst and left Streamclan in ruins. She sighed as she walked up to her brother, Dayblade. His usually glowing white coat, now reflected the color of the darkened gray sky. She licked him between the ears and pressed her muzzle into his cheek.
"This has nothing to do with you," she mewed gently, draping her tail over his shoulders. Ever since he had become deputy, he thought it was his fault that the thunderstorms had been happening, as if Starclan didn't approve. He nodded slowly, trying to reassure himself more than his sister. She licked him between the ears again and padded off towards Jaguarstar.
"Good morning," Nightflower meowed to her leader. "Is there anything you need me to do?" she asked him. He nodded to her.
"I need a hunting patrol, most of the prey have been scared back into their dens and I want you to check if any have come out since the storm ended." He told her, "I will come with you, Dayblade can look over the camp while I'm gone." Nightflower nodded, not sure whether leaving Dayblade was the best thing right now but she wouldn't contradict her leader's words.
"Dayblade!" called Jaguarstar, "I need you to watch over camp while me and Nightflower go on a hunting patrol." he looked to him for a nod of acknowledgment. Dayblade flicked his tail and Jaguarstar started out of camp.
His muscles flexed under his golden pelt, splotched with black. Nightflower was at his heels and they were off. Nightflower scented the air cautiously, she scented mouse. There was a slight quiver within the leaves and she pounced on the mouse before it realized she was there. Jaguarstar looked over and saw Nightflower carrying the kill back to him. He brushed his tail over her flank to show her that she had done a good job. Nightflower blushed hot under her pelt when he did this, she had always had a small crush on her leader, but it had never gotten to her before. She dug up a few clumps of earth and buried the warm mouse. She was off again, her pelt brushing his.
"The camp is being repaired quickly." Nightflower pointed out.
"I know, everyone is doing their part. I'm also lucky to have such a good deputy." he replied, with a pang of sadness in his voice. It was almost as if he didn't want to talk about those kinds of things. Jaguarstar moved closer to Nightflower and she sniffed the air again for prey. She scented vole, but let Jaguarstar get to it before her. She was left alone for a bit until Jaguarstar returned with the limp vole hanging from his mouth. She brushed his muzzle in a congratulatory fashion and let out a purr. She jumped back, aware of what she had done and hung her head, sniffing for more prey to find and hunt before Jaguarstar could say anything else.
Her ears pricked when she heard a faint yowl coming from camp.
"Do you hear that?" Nigthtflower asked, panicked. Before she got an answer she sprinted back to camp with Jaguarstar on her heels. Her eyes widened with shock when she reached the clearing and saw what had happened.
The yowl sounded again and the blood rushed in Nightflower's ears when she found her brother's body lying limp on the ground. She watched his flank rise slowly and soothingly, but he was definitely knocked out.
"Someone get Moonshadow!" Nightflower called in dismay. Her head started spinning as she pushed herself against Dayblade. Within moments, Moonshadow was sprinting out towards Dayblade with a look of horror on his face. "He's still breathing," Nightflower reported. "Can anyone tell me what happened?" she asked frantically. A small, lithe tom stepped forward and nodded. "Cloverpaw, what happened?" she asked the tom.
"He was patching up the brambles around the camp and went up on the cliff. There was mud where he set his paw down and he slipped and fell." Cloverpaw recalled with reluctance. His eyes flashed with pain as he stepped back next to his mentor, Dawnbeam who draped her tail around his shoulders and whispered something into his ear that couldn't be heard but it seemed to make him feel better.
"That explains the broken leg," Moonshadow told them. "he must've hit his head on the way down." Nightflower pressed her muzzle to his ear and told him that everything was going to be okay. She wasn't sure but he seemed to nod when she told him this. She looked up at Jaguarstar and saw pain and concern burn in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Nightflower, you should go get some rest." Moonshadow told her. She shook her head but Jaguarstar came and escorted her to the warrior's den.
"You need to rest," he murmured into her ear. She lay down on the moss and felt his warm body next to hers. She was too tired to do anything and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Nightflower wandered to the forest of Starclan in her dream. She was greeted with some familiar scents, and some she couldn't recognize. The first face she saw was her mother's.
"Hello my child," mewed Fuschiablossom. She brushed muzzles with Nightflower and purred. "It is so wonderful to see you again," Nightflower picked up a scent that she had just smelled that day. She looked over to see Dayblade, well and joyous. The happiness had returned to his eyes.
"Dayblade!" she called, and rushed over.
"Nightflower," he purred. "I feel so free here." he told her. She nodded and pressed her flank against his. "Mother?" he asked curiously, moving towards her. "It is you!" he exclaimed, she hadn't seen him so happy in a long time. Then she thought, Of course! This is Dayblade's first visit to Starclan. Nightflower had already wandered with them in her dreams and she knew they had called them there for a reason. She motioned for Dayblade to come sit with her and the many ancestors of the clans appeared.
"Welcome young warriors!" called a strong voice. It seemed as if all of the cats were talking at once. "We have a prophecy to share with you." Nightflower's ears pricked at the word "prophecy". She saw Dayblade shift uneasily. But before she could reassure him they were whipped to another scene.
Nightflower tasted water on her tongue and looked around to see the entire forest flooded over with crashing waves of water. She looked into the bright sky to see the sun and moon join together to form the shape of a black and white cat. The cat ran down from the sky and Nightflower had to squint to see it clearly. It spoke to them in a wary voice and said:
The clans can't survive much longer with the constant thunderstorms and severe weather. There is much flooding throughout the territory, and many have already been swept away by the dangerous tempests. The fate of the clans relies on two siblings of opposite gender and morals, the fate of the forest, is in their paws.
The mighty cat climbed back into the sky and Nightflower awoke suddenly, almost as if she was pulled out of the dream. She sat and thought to herself, What could this mean?
Nightflower awoke from her restless sleep after she had received the prophecy. She decided it was time she visited Dayblade. She was greeted warmly by Jaguarstar when she emerged from the warriors den. She gave him a swift nod and padded to the Medicine Cat's Den where Dayblade lay grooming himself.
"How are you doing?" she asked, concern welling up in her eyes.
"I'm fine." he mewed reassuringly, licking her cheek. "I had the strangest dream last night." he told her. Nightflower's ears pricked and she waited for him to continue, but he didn't. Instead, he looked up at her expectantly to see what she thought about the situation.
"I was with you in your dream." she told him, "We were with Starclan and they told us about the prophecy."
"Ah, yes." Dayblade meowed, recalling his dream. "Our mother was there." he mewed distantly. His eyes clouded with remembrance of their mother and her bravery before she died.
Nightflower pushed on, "What do you think it means?" Dayblade was pulled back into reality and he shook his head, showing her he wasn't sure.
"We'll have to wait, this isn't something that can be sorted out in one night." he explained. Nightflower nodded and licked his head before turning and padding back out into the clearing.
Nightflower turned quickly to the nursery when she heard their happy squealing and play fighting. They bat each other gingerly with their claws sheathed and their dainty paws outstretched.
"Hiya Nightflower!" mewed Aquakit, pushing her brother off of her. Flamekit retreated with a squeal and proceeded to pounce on his sister again. Aquakit's blue-gray pelt was ruffled by Flamekit's strong orange paws. Nightflower laughed and pulled Flamekit off.
"Hey! No fair!" he squealed to Aquakit. "You got a helper!"
"The clan always helps each other anyways." Aquakit pointed out smartly. Flamekit growled teasingly and they were back to fighting. Nightflower shook her head and padded towards the leader's den.
"Jaguarstar?" she called. Her call was answered by a quiver in the overhang of the den and her leader stepped out.
"Is there something you wanted Nightflower?" he asked.
"If you want, I can organize a border patrol to check the boundaries for any clans taking advantage of weakness." she told him. He nodded.
"I want you to take Dawnbeam and Cloverpaw. You'll need one more warrior…take Rainwing." Jaguarstar said. Nightflower saw a flash of unreadable emotion in his eyes when he said Rainwing's name. She shook it off and left to call together the warriors. As she started the patrol, for some reason she couldn't get Jaguarstar out of her mind.
"Hi Nightflower." Rainwing mewed happily.
"Good Morning Rainwing." she mewed back. Her and Rainwing trotted ahead of Dawnbeam and Cloverpaw while she showed him the territory.
"So, what have you been up to?" He asked.
"I went on a hunting patrol with Jaguarstar yesterday," she mewed evasively, not wanting to give any information about her prophetic dream.
"Oh," mewed Rainwing hotly. She saw the same flash of emotion in Rainwing's gray eyes that she had seen in Jaguarstar's. It was then that she realized, what she saw, was jealousy.
Nightflower padded back into camp after her patrol. Cloverpaw was bouncing up and down with excitement as he rushed to the apprentice's den to tell his fellow apprentices about his journey.
"See you later, Nightflower!" Rainwing called over his shoulder.
"Bye," she replied. A yowl sounded from High Oak and Nightflower's head whipped around to see Jaguarstar.
"All those old enough to catch their own prey gather here under High Oak for a clan meeting." he announced. Nightflower padded into the clearing and felt Jaguarstar's eyes on her. She saw Dayblade limping out of the Medicine Cat's den with Moonshadow and he padded up to sit next to her. She greeted him with a swift lick and turned her head back to High Oak. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Aquakit and Flamekit coming out of the nursery. Flamekit's pelt blazed under the dark clouds that made him look like a fallen star. Aquakit had her pelt groomed to perfection and looked almost like a cloud of fog that had decided to settle in the middle of camp. They were to be apprenticed today and she couldn't wait to see who the mentors were going to be.
"It is time for two of our kits to become apprentices!" Jaguarstar called in his low voice. He motioned for Aquakit and Flamekit to sit by him. "Flamekit, you will be mentored by Dayblade." he announced. Dayblade looked shocked and limped over to Flamekit and they touched noses. "Dayblade, you have been chosen for your skills and quick senses, teach everything you have learned to Flamekit and help him become an excellent warrior. Flamekit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be Flamepaw." Jaguarstar paused and beckoned Aquakit further, her clear blue eyes glowed with joy as she stepped up to her leader. "Aquakit," he started, "Your mentor will be Nightflower." Nightflower's whole pelt burned with surprise. She didn't think that she would mentor Aquakit. Aquakit's eyes glittered with happiness when she turned her gaze to Nightflower. Nighflower's paws led her towards High Oak and she touched noses with Aquakit. "Nighflower, you have been chosen because of your quick wits and intelligence of the territory and it's surroundings. Teach everything you have learned to Aquakit and help her become a wonderful warrior."
"I will," Nightflower told him, her eyes shining with determination. Jaguarstar nodded.
"Aquakit, from now until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Aquapaw."
"Aquapaw," she repeated, testing the name out. The clearing echoed with "Aquapaw! Flamepaw!" Nightflower saw the two new apprentices quivering uncontrollably with excitement as they sprinted to their new dens. Nightflower laughed to herself and saw the other cats leave the clearing. She felt a tail on her back and turned to see Jaguarstar next to her. Her dark blue eyes lit up and he whispered something in her ear.
"Would you care to join me in a stroll around the territory?" he asked, his voice filled with hope. Nightflower nodded and they left camp with nothing but a nod to Dayblade.
Nightflower followed Jaguarstar into the dense forest that surrounded camp and padded alongside him, their pelts just barely touching. She felt her black fur get hot as the wandered to the river bed.
They reached the river, its cold waves lapping at the stone pebbles. Nightflower waded into the water, wanting to get rid of the heat that was coursing through her body. She felt Jaguarstar's eyes on her back as she swam towards the middle of the lake that was in the river. She heard splashes and she assumed that he had gotten in as well. Nightflower turned her eyes to him and saw that he had come next to her, pushing his flank against hers.
"Nightflower, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while now..."he trailed off. Nightflower looked deep into his eyes and saw that he was nervous. She saw things she wasn't sure she was supposed to see there. She saw love, hate, jealousy and many more emotions that she couldn't identify.
"Jaguarstar, what is it?" she asked encouragingly, guiding him to shallower waters where they could stand. Their shoulders were just out of the water when Jaguarstar pressed his muzzle into Nightflowers neck, breathing in her warm and flowery scent. Nightflower rested her head on his and they stood there for a while their emotions mixing. Jaguarstar jerked his head up suddenly, bumping Nightflower's chin accidentally. Nightflower pricked her ears up, listening intently to the angry growls coming from a near by bush. She felt Jaguarstar tense next to her and he shifted to stand in front of her in a protective motion.
A gray flash flew from the bush and raced towards camp.
"Rainwing," Nightflower voiced, her throat becoming dry. Jaguastar looked back at her and sighed sadly.
"I think it's time to go back to camp." he sad, disappointment thick in his voice. He never had told Nightflower what he was going to say, but she could guess pretty easily.
They padded back to camp together, Nightflower felt a pang of something in her heart as they reached camp and Jaguarstar went to his den without a word of goodbye. She couldn't put her finger on it but she left to go to the warrior's den and think herself to sleep.
Before she fell asleep, Jaguarstar entered the den with a solemn look on his face.
"It's a thunderstorm." he reported. Nightflower shot up out of her nest and rushed out with the rest of her clan. Waiting for the orders from Jaguarstar to help usher the clan onto higher land. Jaguarstar nodded and Nightflower pelted for the nursery. She squeezed through the protective wall and told the queens of the news. Shalefrost looked up in shock and her kits clung to her back as she brushed past. The rest of the queens followed and Nightflower sprinted towards the Rain Grounds.
"Nightflower," called a pathetic voice. Nightflower whipped around to see Rainwing, his eyes filled with sadness.
"I know you followed me and Jaguarstar today to the river." she told him. His eyes were downcast as he rubbed his paws in the soil. Nightflower pushed past to join her brother and bumped his cheek worriedly.
"It's all my fault." he murmured repeatedly.
"No it's not." Nightflower cooed into his ear. "You don't decide when the rain comes, don't worry about it, we'll be fine."
"It's all my fault..." Dayblade said, trying to convince himself. Nightflower nodded and padded over to Jaguarstar. His eyes were fixed on the incoming clouds.
"Hi," she mewed, pressing her muzzle into his neck. She felt him purr but he pulled away reluctantly.
"Nightflower..." he started, turning his green eyes to her, their gaze burnt into her dark blue eyes. "I love you." he said. Nightflower felt her heart leap out of her chest and she thrust her muzzle into his neck fur again. She breathed in his scent.
"I love you too." she said into his fur. He must've heard her because when she removed her muzzle he licked her cheek affectionately. She purred uncontrollably as thunder rolled in the distance. Lightning split the sky and she pulled away. Jaguarstar licked her cheek again and went to aid his clan.
Nightflower watched him comfort each one, she purred to herself and watched now, without restraint. She couldn't look away from him, it was weird how all of a sudden she was completely hypnotized. The thunder pulled her out of her hypnotized state and she followed him and tried to reassure the other cats. When she passed Rainwing, she felt his hostile blue eyes burn hard into her back and she tried to ignore it, but it was difficult when she could hear his moaning everywhere she went.
Nightflower settled down by herself, taking in the air. There was obvious worry and tension in the air as another streak of lightning split the sky. Nightflower jumped when she felt a small paw press hard into her side. She turned her head and saw a worried Aquapaw standing there, mewing.
"Come here," Nightflower meowed, draping her black tail over Aquapaw's gray shoulders. Aquapaw leaned in close and pressed her small face into Nightflower's fur. Nightflower licked her head lovingly, Aquapaw wasn't her kit but she treated her like her own daughter all the same.
"Aquapaw!" called a stern voice. The apprentice turned to see her mother beckoning her over to her. Aqupaw took one last glance at Nightflower and padded away.
Jaguarstar approached Nightflower and lay down next to her. He licked her head once and turned to face her.
"Nightflower, this storm is going to be a big one. I don't what will happen..." he said, watching the clouds. She licked his cheek reassuringly and entwined her tail with his.
"Whatever happens, we'll be fine. I'm not so sure about camp, but nothing can touch us up here." she reminded him. He nodded and as the first drop of rain fell, he knew that they were going to be okay.
The storm didn't pass quickly, but it passed anyways. And when it finally did, the clan made their way down to camp cautiously, in fear of injuring themselves like Dayblade had. Nightflower felt the cold mud slide under her paws and she unsheathed her claws to try and get a better grip. No such luck, her paws flew out from under her, but before she could hit the hard ground, somebody had stopped her. She looked up to see Jaguarstar look down at her with pure worry in his eyes, nothing else was there.
"Thank you," she croaked appreciatively. Just realizing what would have happened if Jaguarstar hadn't been there, she took in many shallow breaths and Jaguarstar assumed the wrong thing. He pressed his side against her and lead her to his den.
"Are you alright?" he whispered in her ear as they entered the den. She nodded reassuringly and Jaguarstar all but collapsed into a heap of relief.
"I didn't mean to scare you like that," Nightflower told him. He nodded and she moved closer to him, pressing her muzzle into his cheek. "I told you everything was going to be okay," she said. "No one got hurt,"
"But you could have," he said, looking into her eyes. Nightflower knew that she couldn't say anything else so they sat together, purring.
"I'll get some food," Nightflower mewed and she got up. She could feel that Jaguarstar was happy for the gesture, but sad for her to leave him even for a second. "I'll be right back," she said. He nodded and she stepped over to th fresh kill pile where she picked up a fish in her mouth. The flavor rose into her nostrils and it was hard to even get back to Jaguarstar's den without eating it. She brushed past the guarding ferns and dropped the fish in front of Jaguarstar, laying herself down next to him as she did. She saw him take a small bite and push the rest to her.
"You're going to need to eat more than that you know," she mewed, crinkling her nose at him.
"I know, but I want you to get your strength back,"
"I have enough strength, you need it more," she said pushing it back towards him. With one last look, Jaguarstar put his head down in defeat and began to take gulps of the fish. "That's better," she said. He then pushed half of the fish back to her for her to eat and this time she accepted. Taking large bites and swallowing quickly, only then realizing how hungry she had been.
"I told you you needed it more," he said, playfully butting her head. Nightflower shook her head and started grooming him. She licked his fur and picked out everything that wasn't supposed to be there. She stopped when she felt him grooming her as well.
She felt him lick her lovingly on her back and she purred without warning. Jaguarstar looked up, happiness in his eyes. Nightflower looked back down at him and kept grooming.
"I should probably go train Aquapaw now," Nightflower began. She stood up and stretched her legs. Jaguarstar stretched his head up to lick her cheek one more time before she turned and left the den.