Warrior Cats: Falling Stars
Prologue
Night swept the forest like a wave, the soft chirping of crickets echoing through the night sky and sending chills through the pelt of a soft-furred gray she-cat who paced the bank of a long, twisting river. Lilac raised her head, yellow eyes slanted, and continued down the marshy ground. Why had her paws led her here? After being visited by a cat who claimed she was from StarClan (but how was the loner going to know if that was the truth? She had never seen a StarClan cat before), Lilac was instructed to "let her heart lead the way to her destiny." Any normal feline would have called it off as a mousebrained idea, but Lilac knew her heart was too soft, too naive, to not investigate. She wasn't sure how she had headed off the dry slopes of the grassy hills and into this icky, muddy marsh, but Lilac just shrugged it off and continued, although she was a bit uncomfortable. The mud sticked to her usually clean white paws, climbing her legs and she grew closer and closer to the water, the mud sinking deeper and deeper. Lilac turned to the shallow river for a drink, but spat it out immediately. The salty taste hung on her tongue for long after, and made Lilac more thirsty and irritated than before.
The stars seemed to glimmer tauntingly as Lilac continued, grumbling to herself uncharacteristically. The she-cat was tired, thirsty, a bit hungry, and there was almost no moon to guide her way, but she kept going. The ground sloped upward, the mud dried out into a soft sand, and the tall, golden reeds thinned to reveal a small overhang beside a tide-pool. The gray and white tabby paused, and examining the area, stepped forward cautiously. She leaned down towards the pool, and out of pure survival instinct, took a tentative sip of the water, expecting the tang of salt. But instead, a beam of light erupted from under the overhang, and out of it came the StarClan cat, glimmering brighter than the sky and smiling with overbearing joy.
"You came," The feline mewed, slight disbelief edging her voice. Lilac flattened her ears to her head, her happiness at having found the StarClan cat gone in an instant.
"Do you have any idea what I had to tread through to get here?" Lilac growled, almost a spit. "I'm up to my belly in this mud! And I scraped my pawpads on at least a million shells. You could've at least told me where to go!"
The StarClan cat smiled, her amber eyes twinkling with amusement, and replied calmly. "Well, Lilac, I'm afraid StarClan has grown weaker lately. I simply could not possess the energy to lead you." The calico she-cat sat, a solemn look on her face. "But that's not why I've brought you here. My name is Spottedfire, and once, I was a warrior of BeachClan. My home is long gone, washed away with the waves, and our memory soon will be wiped from the Earth. I watch myself flicker and grow dimmer, but myself and my friends know that it is our duty to bring back the strong, bold clans that once ruled these forests."
"BeachClan? What are you talking about?" Lilac questioned, confused. She had never heard of such a thing before.
Spottedfire flicked an ear, making the dirt and grime on Lilac's fur magically disappear as if a wave of warm water had washed it all off. Lilac grinned, enjoying the feeling of cleanliness, before following after the calico cat as she headed north.
"BeachClan ruled the beach just beyond the thunderpath for moons," Spottedfire began, eyes wistful with hungry longing. "We were strong cats, led by our leader, Seastar- that is, until twolegs began to visit the beach more and more. We were kicked out. Without a home, the clan disbanded. As deputy, I should've done more to stop it. I should have kept the clan together. But I didn't. And now I am here." She sighed angrily, padding down a hill at a quick pace, headed for the forest that lined the marsh. Lilac still remained confused, but quiet as she respected this warrior's obvious pain at relaying her story.
There was silence for a long time, until the two cats stepped away from the marsh and into the forest, headed for a clearing. "That's why I found you, Lilac."
"What do you mean? What do I have to do with BeachClan?" The gray tabby she-cat lowered her head slightly, overwhelmed by all this new knowledge. Clan life seemed very complicated.
Spottedfire stepped into a clearing, and leaped up onto the lone tree off to the side - it was bright white, a strange color, and the top half had been ripped off, presumably by a storm.
"What is this? Why is this tree so… white?" Lilac asked, padding towards the branch before hopping up to join the StarClan cat at the top.
"Lightning," Spottedfire replied simply, observing the camp. "It struck here for a reason. Look," She mewed, pointing to a strange mark in the branch; a paw print. "Stick your foot there."
Lilac was a bit hesitant, but did as she was told. Her paw fit in the print perfectly, as if she had made it herself.
"You see, Lilac, you are the destined cat to start the clan that should have reigned for moons more. You needn't worry; here, there are no twolegs, and there never will be. You have been chosen by StarClan to continue the legacy of the warrior - before us StarClan warriors die out."
"What? You expect me to lead- to lead a clan?! I don't even know… I can't!" Lilac sputtered, fur puffed out. "I don't know anything…. nothing at all!"
"You must," Spottedfire pointed out. "StarClan chose you. I didn't choose the rules," she mewed, groaning. "C'mon - face me. I will grant you your lives." Her temper had suddenly been cut extremely short; and Lilac, being the weary loner she was, stepped back.
"What's going on? This is not the behavior of a StarClan cat," Lilac growled, tail lashing. "Who are you trying to fool?"
Spottedfire narrowed her eyes. "My time is drawing short, my patience is wearing thin. If I spend any longer chatting with you, my clan's future is compromised!" She growled, taking a step. "Now, come here, Lilacstar. This is your last warning." The calico she-cat almost flickered out of existence, her white fur fading slightly.
"N-No!" Lilac yelped, flipping around and diving off the tree. Luckily, the fall was short, and the she-cat was on her feet and facing Spottedfire. "I won't. I don't want to! Let me go!" She hissed and tried to run, but her feet seemed glued in place.
Spottedfire merely laughed, an innocent sounding chuckle of a normal cat. She followed after Lilac, leaping down from the branch, stalking forward like one would stalk toward cornered prey. "You will lead the clan, and it will grow. With my help, BeachClan will rule once more." She leaned in close to Lilac, who stood rooted to the ground. "You're in my dream, Lilac. You will obey me."
"But it's my body!" Lilac yowled, lashing out with a strong forepaw and opening a gash on Spottedfire's shoulder. "If I can't wake up from this, I'll kill you! I will!" She darted towards the injured StarClan cat, who cowered under the weight of her injury, and rolled her over, tumbling down a hill towards the river, locked in Spottedfire's claws. "You evil, dark forest cat! You won't control my life!"
"Fool!" Spottedfire growled through gritted teeth. "I am as StarClan as any other of your precious ancestors. All I want is for my clan to succeed: and you are not cooperating!" She hissed and slashed at Lilac's nose, cutting the bridge above it. Lilac yelped in pain, and attempted to recoil, but her arms were stuck.
"Mousebrained idiot," The StarClan cat on top of her grumbled, a small smile on the corner of her face. "You rolled yourself right into the marsh." She was right - the muddy banks next to the salty water had her trapped. In the dream, they were stickier than before, inescapable. Lilac whimpered slightly, terrified and lost. She attempted to shift, to strike, to do anything; but she was trapped.
"Now, time to give you each of the petty lives I know you'll waste, just like your opportunity to be the greatest leader BeachClan ever had." Spottedfire looked up, as if she was beckoning to other clanmates to grant Lilac's lives, when she flickered out of existence completely for a few seconds. It was not enough time to get the shocked Lilac back onto her feet, however, because Spottedfire quickly returned - stunned, and with a look of terror on her face.
"I'm dying. They're killing me," she whispered to herself, barely hanging on to her flickering form. The StarClan cat hissed through her teeth, gasped and then screamed.
"By the name of StarClan I present this cat, Lilacstar, her nine lives to lead the clan BeachClan to its former glory!"
Pain flushed through Lilac's body, her wail loud and agonizing, echoing through the mud and the water and the reeds all around her. Her eyes glazed over, body spasming, as Spottedfire collapsed on top of her. "BeachClan lives," was the last thing the calico cat whispered before she disappeared entirely, even her scent wiped from the earth. And then, Lilacstar was in the water, the salt burning every pore in her body, the scorching heat of nine lives pounding through her blood, a black star seared onto her forehead, and sinking, sinking, sinking…