Heart of a Warrior
Summary: A young Birman is taken into Thunderclan, and becomes Leafpool's apprentice. This appalls cats even more than what happened with Mothwing, for they find the young cat suspicious. But Firestar and Leafpool are wondering... Darkclan is sending their warrior. Could this kittypet be Starclan's?
Prologue
The light brown tabby she-cat buried her muzzle into her mentor's dark gray fur. Wails were rising from all in the clan. The flame-colored tom was crouched down next to the she-cat's body, sadness in his eyes.
A dark brown tabby padded over to the ginger she-cat, but she only glared at him and walked over to Ashfur.
"Firestar," The pale ginger warrior murmured to her mate. "Why has this happened to us? Why have Starclan taken Cinderpelt away from us in this way?"
Firestar bowed his head. "I don't know, Sandstorm."
Medicine cats always seemed to be taken from Thunderclan in an awful way. Spottedleaf, the beautiful tortoiseshell, had been murdered. Wise Yellowfang had given her life in the fire. And now Cinderpelt had been killed.
His own daughter was next in line.
What would that mean for her?
Things hadn't been going well in the forest. In any way. Cats were still expecting Hawkfrost to attack again. Stormy clouds were all that would come through the sky. Starclan hadn't spoken to any of them.
And inside the clan...
Leafpool was still secretly seeing Crowfeather, but the 'secret' wasn't a secret anymore, to a few cats. Squirrelflight still didn't trust Brambleclaw, especially now. It seemed that ever since Mudclaw and Hawkfrost had attacked, everything went from bad to worse.
Now Cinderpelt was dead.
Leafpool raised her head and gave a wail. She was too young for this. Much too young to become the clan's medicine cat.
"Cinderpelt," She murmured. "Why did you have to go so soon?"
Slowly, she stood, numb, and padded away, unable to take seeing the still form anymore. Firestar looked up, watching his daughter walk into the forest. He knew where she was going, and couldn't stop her.
xxx
He wasn't there.
Leafpool didn't know what to think as she traveled to Windclan camp. At first, she was met with snarls, but once Onestar realized that it was her, the clan medicine cat, he let her meet with Barkface.
"Where is he?" Leafpool whispered. Barkface looked down.
"Leafpool... a fox attacked the nursery, and Crowfeather was the only warrior left in the camp at the time... when we got back, there was nothing I could do."
Her amber eyes widened.
"Crowfeather... dead? You... you can't be serious!"
"I'm sorry."
She lifted her head and gave a yowl of grief. Cinderpelt and Crowfeather on the same day? It couldn't be possible!
She ran out of Barkface's den at full speed, without another word.
As she came to the camp entrance, she was met by her father. Firestar saw the look on her face, and he knew.
"You found out, didn't you, Leafpool?"
She looked up at him. "You knew?"
Firestar dipped his head. "I was sent a message by Starclan telling me about you two," He murmured. "And I knew about his death, for they showed me that as well. I saw him in Starclan, and he told me something."
Leafpool, still stunned, nodded for him to go on.
"He wants you to not grieve for him, he's happy, and waiting for you."
Leafpool looked down at her paws, then threw her head upwards. "How can I not grieve?" She wailed. "My mentor is dead, and now Crowfeather's dead!"
She ran.
xxx
"Darkclan is plotting," The medicine cat limped forward. Her blue eyes were blazing with the light that she had had when she was training to be a warrior. "We must take action."
"I'm not so sure, Cinderpelt," A black tom mumbled. "We've done so much in the last moons. Maybe this is the final straw. Maybe we can't do anymore. The Clans-"
"Shut up, Nightstar," The almost black tom drew his lips into a snarl. "Cinderpelt and I may be new here, but we have a say as well, don't we?"
"Of course you do," A silver tabby murmured, pressing her muzzle briefly into his fur. Crowfeather gave her a grateful glance, but wasn't sure what to do. Things had been awkward between him and Feathertail ever since he had arrived in Starclan. He loved Leafpool, but he loved Feathertail as well.
"We must take a course of action," Whitestorm hissed.
"I agree," Stonefur meowed.
"We've chosen cats for battles like this before," Bluestar began. "Firestar. He did excellently with that. Our four chosen cats-" she dipped her head to Crowfeather and Feathertail "Lost two, but made it to the warning. Now, they need the help of a new cat."
"But who?" Oakheart asked, "I do not see any other worthy warriors who aren't already working on this."
Everyone was quiet, but there was soft whispering between Crowfeather and Cinderpelt. Suddenly, both stepped foward.
"Maybe we don't need a warrior," Cinderpelt said slowly. "At least not yet. Medicine cats can fight, you know."
"But-" Nightstar began, but Crowfeather interrupted.
"Maybe," He purred, eyes glittering. "We don't need a forest cat at all."
Complete silence.
"You didn't need one with Firestar."
"And look at how he turned out," Cinderpelt murmured.
More silence, till Bluestar spoke.
"That... that may just work."
"Darkclan already has their cat," Whitestorm meowed. "We must choose ours."
"How can a kittypet be trained for combat?" A cat who had joined Starclan long ago asked.
All stared.
"Have you been watching Firestar AT ALL?" Cinderpelt asked.
"Or Cloudtail?"
Bluestar kneaded her paws on the ground, blue eyes staring into space.
"You know what?" She asked.
"What?"
"I have just the cat."
xxx
Firestar padded into the clearing.
"Firestar?"
He whirled around. "Leafpool?" He meowed. "What're you doing here?"
"I don't know," She murmured. "But I'm guessing this is a dream sent from Starclan."
"You guessed right, young medicine cat," Came a familiar voice, stretched to a ridiculous deepness. She perked up.
"Crowfeather!"
The tom bounded over to her, purring and pressing his muzzle against hers. Firestar watched somewhat awkwardly.
"If you're visiting me," Leafpool asked, "Why are you bringing my father here?"
"Well..." Crowfeather admitted. "I also have a prophecy to tell."
Both living cats blinked.
"You are very bad at telling prophecies," Firestar commented.
Bluestar sighed, padding out of the bushes. "Looks like this'll be my job:
Sapphire blue eyes
Dark points
White paws
This cat will be Starclan's next chosen
Trust her
Or trust her not
Her path may stray
A medicine cat
With the Heart of a warrior
The Spirit cat
Firestar stared.
"That's promising."
Bluestar nodded. "You never know."
"But what happens if the Spirit Cat's path DOES stray?" Leafpool asked.
Bluestar gazed at the young medicine cat.
"That is up to her. But if she strays, then her spirit will belong to Darkclan."
"Darkclan?"
"Let's just say... Tigerstar hunts there."
Crowfeather turned his gaze to a small, glowing light which had appeared. The light grew. And grew. Till it was in the form of a cat with sky blue eyes.
"That. Is the Spirit Cat."
xxx
R and R!