Hi, and welcome to my first fanfic!
Golden light parts the blue-gray clouds to reveal a clearing: the tall grasses wave gently in the soft breeze. A pool lies in the center of the clearing, but it holds no ordinary water. The pool holds the water of StarClan, and the simple ripples seem to shimmer in the light. And beside the pool is a blaze, a small fire.
No. Upon closer look, this is a cat, a handsome ginger tom with broad, strong shoulders and brilliant emerald eyes. But in the depths of these eyes, one emotion shines clear and true: worry. This cat is flanked by two others, whose gazes hold the same unease.
"Darkkit." The ginger tom shakes his head from side to side, the fur on his spine starting to rise. "This is more than just a slight resemblance. This kit must have been brought back to life. What does it mean, Spottedleaf?"
A delicate dark tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat pads closer to the pool to look into it closely, and her amber eyes widen, shock flaring within them. She sighs, turning her head to face the ginger cat. "It means, Firestar, that one of the worst villians of the clans has returned."
"Is there any way we can stop this?" The third cat, a blue-gray she-cat, steps forward, the tip of her tail twitching with anxiety as she faces the other two StarClan cats. Spottedleaf turns to face her, and her eyes hold an intense, burning passion inside.
"Bluestar." When the former medicine cat speaks, her voice is quiet. "If there was one thing that Darkstripe lacked, it was knowledge and kindness."
"In other words," Firestar growls, "you're emphasizing that he was a ruthless traitor. How will the clans get rid of him, for a third time? We thought it was the end when he was killed during the Great Battle, but we were wrong. We thought you were lost, too, Spottedleaf, when Mapleshade killed you, but you found your way back to us."
Spottedleaf smiles, but it is a sad smile, one that holds wisdom and loyalty. "Send me back."
Bluestar's clear blue eyes widen in surprise. "Spottedleaf, that won't help. If you recall, Clawface killed you with one swipe, and Darkstripe holds the same power in his paws. And how is a medicine cat supposed to stop a former Dark Forest cat from rising to power?"
"That I do not know," Spottedleaf mews softly. "But when the time comes, I will find a way."
Firestar dips his head. "I trust you, Spottedleaf."
Bluestar sighs, her tail drooping slightly. "Very well. But return to the living comes with a price, as I recall what happened with Cinderpelt."
"I understand." The medicine cat's amber eyes blaze with determination.
Almost as if Bluestar hasn't heard, the former ThunderClan leader continues. "You will lose all memories of your previous life as a medicine cat, and you will only regain them when you rejoin us to walk in StarClan once more." Her tail rests on Spottedleaf's back. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
Spottedleaf dips her head gracefully, a single word escaping her jaws. "Yes."
"StarClan will be with you," Firestar mews, his voice hollow.
Bluestar flicks her tail to silence the ginger tom, then nods to Spottedleaf. "You will be reborn into Roseshine's litter. From this moment onward, until you are renamed by your clan leader, you will be known as Spottedkit."
Spottedleaf's expression radiates joy, as her new name greets her pricked ears. She turns back to face Bluestar and Firestar one last time, and both cats touch noses to her with finality, then pull apart.
And then, she was in the depths of the pool of starlight, an invisible force pulling her down into blackness.
In the living world, the ThunderClan nursery holds two queens, one of which is currently writhing in her nest as pain flashes through her body. She cries out, then quiets as a soft paw presses gently against her swollen belly. This paw gives off the scent of herbs, which come from this cat's home, the medicine den. The young queen lets out a soft whimper as the medicine cat presses again, this time slightly harder.
On the other side of the nursery, the other queen, a black-and-white she-cat, widens her eyes and whispers a few words to the two kits cuddled at her belly, and as the first queen, a silver-white tabby, yowls, she wraps her tail protectively around them.
"You're doing fine, Roseshine." The medicine cat, a massive gray tom, murmurs softly to the queen every few moments.
Roseshine screeches a second time as a spasm ripples through her. Her green eyes cloud over in pain, and uncontrollably, tears spill slightly over, staining the top of her cheek. Blinking rapidly, the queen bites down on the root between her teeth, splintering it, and shrieks once more. The fragments of the root fall onto the moss of her nest, as the medicine cat bites free the final kit.
"Are you all right, Roseshine?" The other queen's anxious voice sounds in Roseshine's ears. "I don't remember if it took that much to give birth to Darkkit and Silverkit."
Roseshine lifts her head, then lets it drop. "Just... fine, Swiftblaze."
The large gray tom presses on her belly once more, then pricks his ears before sniffing the small bundles that lay at the silver-white tabby she-cat's belly. "Congratulations, Roseshine. You have three healthy kits."
Roseshine cranes her neck to see, but falls back. "Are they all right?"
"Yes, fine."
"Oh." There is a soft silence for a while, as Roseshine struggles to push herself to her paws, then stares admiringly at the newborn kits. Then, she tears her green gaze away to look back at the medicine cat, who drops an herb at her paws, with a nod. Roseshine purrs. "Thank you, Ashfeather!"
Ashfeather, the medicine cat, simply dips his head to her. "I'll call Embersky in, and then, get to sleep. You need your rest."
"All right." Roseshine nods, then flattens her ears as Ashfeather lets out a loud yowl, calling her mate into the den. As a ginger tabby bounds inside, Ashfeather slips out, disappearing into his den, beside the nursery. Roseshine falls back, then lifts her head weakly to face her mate with a gentle smile. "You have three kits, Embersky."
Embersky, the pale ginger tabby, purrs uncontrollably, and leans closer to his mate to nuzzle her affectionately before staring down at the three kits. "They're beautiful, Roseshine. What do you want to name them?"
"I'll name this one Snowkit, but then, I'm too tired to do anything else." Roseshine flicks her tail, pointing a paw towards the pure-white she-cat, then lays her head down into the moss. However, her eyes remain open, watching Embersky and her kits.
Embersky nods. "The tom is Graykit, and the tortoiseshell is Spottedkit."
I hope you liked the first chapter! I know, there are so many fanfics about resurrection, but I don't think any of them chose Darkstripe. Anyway, Graykit is NOT Graystripe, and Snowkit is NOT Snowfur, or anything of the sort. Darkkit and Spottedkit are the only ones who have been granted with a new life.
Please, read and review!
~The Call of Snowy Fire
