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Burning Dawn
By Stormshadow3, for my Goldilocks
She knows who she is
The fire that burns the brightest may triumph, but in the end, it will always dwindle and die.
allegiances
DawnClan
Leader: Mousestar, a dappled gray she-cat with stern blue eyes
Deputy: Blizzardmoon, a spotted white tom with round pale eyes
Medicine cat: Falconcloud, a light blue-gray she-cat with thin white stripes and amber eyes
No apprentice
Senior warriors: Shadewish, a dark gray tom with soft green eyes; Rainspark, a black she-cat with flashing yellow eyes; Robingaze, a reddish-brown tom with flecks of gray and staring amber eyes
Crowflame, an ashen-gray tom with beady black eyes
Warriors: Palefeather, a smooth-pelted white she-cat with blind brown eyes; Maplebird, a thick-shouldered brown tom with light blue eyes; Swallowpond, a small light gray she-cat with pale orange eyes
Roserunner, a light brown she-cat with a white underbelly and paws and amber eyes; Pebbleskip, a light gray tom with large black eyes; Sandshadow, a cheeky ginger she-cat with large brown paws
Stormblaze, a dark ginger and gray tom with a silver-tipped tail and intense yellow eyes; Cedarleaf, a light brown tom with a black muzzle and forest-green eyes; Darkfern, a black she-cat with light chartreuse eyes
Owlstreak, a silent tawny tom with nimble ginger paws and glowing amber eyes
Their apprentices: Hazelpaw, a lazy tortoiseshell she-cat with an attitude; Oakpaw, a light brown tom with darker brown streaks and calm green eyes
Queens: Streamfang, a dark blue-gray she-cat with clouded blue eyes - mate is Robingaze
Elders: Thistleswirl, a tortoiseshell she-cat with small brown spots and leaf-green eyes; Shellsong, a feathery-thin light gray tom; Cindercreek, a small gray tom with long white stripes and blue eyes that always seem to be closed in sleep
Stagjump, a light brown she-cat with darting yellow eyes; Otterslip, a large gray-and-brown tom with dark amber eyes; Briartooth, a dark tortoiseshell tom with small, squinted gray eyes and long fangs
DuskClan
Leader: Foxstar, a reddish-brown tom with a white muzzle and narrowed yellow eyes
Deputy: Ferretroar, a dark brown she-cat with rings of white and gray and deep blue eyes
Medicine cat: Brookberry, a light gray tom with patches of white fur and aqua eyes
Has apprentice of Pigeonpaw, a former loner with thin ginger fur, a white underbelly, and rounded orange eyes
Senior warriors: Featherhawk, an intimidating dark brown she-cat with large black paws and slanted yellow eyes; Icespeck, a small, rather squarish-looking tom with light blue-gray fur and cold amber eyes; Molepounce, a calico tom with spring green eyes
Warriors: Harestride, a light ginger tom with long paws and amber eyes; Brookfrost, a calico-colored tom with a brown muzzle and leaf-green eyes; Runningflame, a light brown she-cat with yellow eyes that sometimes appear golden
Dovefeather, a long-furred white-and-brown she-cat; Splashwing, a blue-gray tom with a long tail and blue eyes; Emberfoot, a tortoiseshell-and-brown tom with large amber eyes
Thistlepad, a tortoiseshell tom with short, almost spiky fur and sky-blue eyes; Snowtalon, a white-and-light-gray she-cat with pale green eyes; Cindertooth, a dark gray tom with slicing white streaks and deep blue, almost black eyes
Gulltail, a light brown she-cat with a white-tipped tail, ears, and warm amber eyes; Shadowsoar, a jet black tom with a dark gray chest and light yellow eyes; Jayflight, a dark brown tom with a light gray underbelly and rounded blue eyes
Their apprentices: Willowpaw, a tortoiseshell and white she-cat with dark golden eyes; Birchpaw, a smoky-white tom with small copper-colored eyes; Mudpaw, a light brown tom with darker brown stripes and deep blue eyes
Cloudpaw, a fluffy white she-cat with a friendly-looking rounded face and large green eyes
Queens: Stoneshade, a gray she-cat with a black muzzle and one blue eye, one amber eye - mate is Icespeck
(has kits of Bluekit, a gray-and-brown she-kit with a white ear and bracken-colored eyes; Silverkit, a light gray she-kit with flecks of black and round yellow eyes)
Flameheart, a reddish-brown she-cat with stripes of black and eyes of amber - mate is Harestride
(has kits of Deerkit, a small light brown she-kit with a white underbelly and green eyes; Frostkit, a blue-gray tom with icy blue eyes; Tigerkit, a flame-colored tom with large shoulders, a black-tipped tail, and small yellow eyes)
Elders: Rubblestorm, a dark gray tom with black paws, black-edged ears, and silvery-gray eyes
Prologue
Everything was up on fire.
Somewhere, a misty cat was chuckling as his image seemed to go up in flames, and somewhere else, a queen was naming her newborn kits.
"I'm naming the ginger one Sunkit," the blue-gray she-cat was muttering, "for the dawn that will come save us all." Her voice was shaking, but there was a certain anger to it that no fire nor rain could take away. "Two she-kits, Robingaze."
The reddish-brown tom purred in delight. "Fiery name for a she-kit, but I suppose it will work." He pressed his forehead closer to the small bundle of fur. "What about the other one, Streamfang?"
Streamfang hesitated. "Brightkit doesn't sound quite right, and Dawnkit would be breaking the warrior code by being named a clan name," she replied, chuckling. "Reedkit would work."
Robingaze nodded, feeling nearly giddy with the prospect of two more kits to take care of- his kits. "Good," he commented.
Far-off shouts rang out in the distance. "Come on!" Mousestar yowled. "Get over to lower ground! Fire spreads more quickly uphill than downhill!"
Robingaze had Sunkit in his jaws by the scruff, and Streamfang was doing the same to Reedkit. "Hurry up," she mumbled through a mouthful of fur. "Let's get going."
Watching his mate pad off into the distant horizon, Robingaze muttered softly to Sunkit, so that no one else could hear it- "I will make sure you have a great destiny in front of you, my kit."
Streamfang didn't know where she was.
It was dark enough so that she couldn't see anything a fox-length in front of her, and yet, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel, beckoning her forward.
"Clan of the Skies?" she whispered numbly. It felt like soft fur was pressing in against her, in some areas so hard that it was almost suffocating- but it gave her comfort nonetheless. "I- Is that you? What do you have to tell me?" Her voice hardened and almost cracked at the end.
The voice seemed to come from many sources at once, and it made Streamfang dizzy to just think about it. Mist curled around her paws. "The next generation will bring a fierce flame that chases away darkness and brings out light. It may be closer than you think. The fire that burns the brightest may triumph, but in the end," it hissed, "it will always dwindle and die."
Her blood froze in her veins.
Fire... burns... brightest... triumph... end... dwindle... die... Heart pounding, blood rushing in her ears, ragged breathing. "My kits," she whispered. "No. The fire will not die. You cannot do this to me. She- Sunkit is too young. She has Reedkit beside her, but no cat can... no!"
Her claws unsheathed, but there was nothing to attack but the empty darkness and the threat it brought from the shadows.
"What will we do now, Robingaze?" the queen asked desperately.
There was a gleam in the flame-colored tom's eyes. "Nothing. Destiny cannot be avoided." He stroked Sunkit softly, keeping her warm despite the cold winds that buffeted the makeshift camp that DawnClan had come to stay in for the night. "We can only hope that Reedkit will help her along a long, winding path... and that she will stay strong, no matter what danger comes to dwindle her flames."
Streamfang sighed. "I guess you're right... but still, it's most unlike the Clan of the Skies to deliver such a dark prophecy in such settings... times must be getting worse already." She struggled not to make her voice cracks audible.
"There, there," Robingaze soothed, that gleam still in his amber eyes. 'No matter what happens, I promise she will stay strong. No one will ever know about this prophecy, because it is not theirs to worry about. Even if the skies themselves come crashing down, I won't let Sunkit's flames die down."
For all of you that are going like: "I know exactly how this story is going to plan out!" Review what you think the plot will be. It's only a five chapter story, and this is the first one.
For those of you who have read my stories before and are reasoned readers... even you may have tripped up over something.