Sun's Bloody Rays

Prologue - Sunray

Icy blue eyes pierced through the darkness, glaring out ahead, searching. The large tabby cat rose steadily to his paws and prowled out into the moonlight. He gazed around warily for a moment, and then sighed. Everything seemed fine, the cave-guards and prey-hunters slept silently in their nests. The only thing that was different was Moss's kits, who were born mere hours ago, squealing softly in their nest.

The waterfall had not stopped falling and the sun had not risen.

Good.

His mind raced with thoughts and meanings that he could not explain. He wished the Tribe of Endless Hunting would stop sending those dreams. The waterfall will continue falling, and the day shall stay gray. The sun was rarely seen now that the freezing season had arrived.

"Stoneteller?" a startled mew reached the old tom's ears. Stoneteller looked up from his paws and grunted softly at the young cave-guard who stood at the mouth of the cave, his pelt drenched with mist from standing guard for so long. His eyes narrowed and his whiskers twitched to show his shock and bewilderment that Stoneteller left his den, let alone wandered into the middle of the cave.

"What brings you out here?" the young tom continued.

Stoneteller did not have to answer, but that would worry the tom. The Clan cats have helped suppressed the new trespassing cats only three suns ago, but the Tribe is still wary about losing their Tribe heritage to the Clans. Now that the trespassing cats realized the Clan cats have left, they decided to stay, pressing the boundaries and stealing prey again. Therefore, the healer replied to calm the drenched tom, "The Tribe of Endless Hunting is restless. That is all."

The young cave-guard solemnly nodded and turned back to watch the endless waterfall. Before Stoneteller could even blink, the silence of the cave broke with a caterwaul. "Stoneteller!" a she-cat shrieked from the nursery, her voice quivered from fear and anxiety. "Ivy's kits, they are coming!"

Without another moment, Stoneteller bounded off to the nursery. The Tribe cats aroused from their sleep by the petrified call and began to whisper in fear of an attack. As Stoneteller entered the nursery, he grabbed two thick leaves of winterfrost and dashed over to the black she-cat who sprawled across the floor on the side.

Had the Tribe of Endless hunting woken me for this? Stoneteller's mind spun over the details. Would this she-cat die if I were not as close to the nursery as I was?

Outside, the night held no clouds, the stars shone dimly next to the brilliant moon whose light began to thaw from the rising sun. Several moments passed, and the anxious and confused Tribe cats paced around the cave, some stood at the mouth of the nursery kneading the ground, as other could not help but rise to their paws and pace the clearing. Some just now understood what was going on by the sense of anxiety coming from the nursery. A couple more heartbeats passed, and the sun began to fill the sky.

A strange light from the sun filled the cave, making some cats squint their eyes in its blaze. The sky above was a strange, dazzling pale blue. Cats mewled like terrified kits of the sequential timing.

o0o0o

In the nursery, Stoneteller had helped the black she-cat who now admired the two small bundles curved against her belly. The green eyes of the queen held pride in their depths. "Thank you, Stoneteller." Her voice slurred from exhaustion.

Stoneteller merely grunted as he examined the two kits. One of the two was black-furred like its mother; his muzzle was narrow for a kit so young. Even his body was slender; his ears were normal but slightly pointed, that is a sign of a good listener. Strange though that it has such clear signs so early. "This tom will be a prey-hunter, Ivy," Stoneteller acknowledged softly.

A loud purr erupted from the queen.

Stoneteller nodded and faced the she-kit. At first, Stoneteller was not sure if his eyes were playing trick on him. The she-kit's pelt seemed to glow from the sun. Stunned, Stoneteller turned around to look into the shining cave to see the sun reflecting off the walls, bouncing back into his eyes.

The queen sensed Stoneteller's wariness, for she stopped purring.

However, to Stoneteller, the she-kit's pelt glowed as gold as the sun itself. Her body was neither slender nor broad, so it could not be a cave-guard or a prey-hunter. The Tribe of Endless Hunting woke Stoneteller for this one kit.

"She will be the next Healer."

Dumbfounded, the queen stuttered and stared. The words she managed to form made no sense. Finally, she spoke, "The young prey-hunter will be named Wind that Whispers to the Trees. That is the first thing I heard…"

A tom had entered the nursery earlier, the father of Moss's kits. He stood next to his mate and kits and stared vengefully at Ivy's two kits. His tail beat at the ground as his lips curled back into a snarl. No one took any notice. Once he had calmed down he finally was able to speak, "and the next Healer shall be named by you, Stoneteller." Frost hunched his back as he stared at the glittering kit. "Do you remember the first thing you saw?"

Thinking back, Stoneteller nodded solemnly, "Sun's Rays that Danced off Water."

"Sunray?" the queen mewed softly.

"Or Ray, if she wishes. I will begin training her when she first opens her eyes," Stoneteller meowed. Without another word, he left the nursery.

His mind finally formed all the answers he had been seeking. As he entered the cave to talk to his spirit ancestors, his mind thought of only one thing.

If the Tribe of Endless Hunting already chosen a new Healer, that means I must be joining them soon.

My first story! Please tell me what you think, be criticizing if needed to be! Any help will be taken.

Mischievous Kit