Disclaimer: I do NOT own warriors. Erin Hunter has all rights to the warrior world.
Prologue
Bright orange rays from the setting sun streamedinto Shellcloud's den. The silver tabby carefully laid the last pile of marigold leaves next to the clump of juniper berries. We're low on tansy… she realized as she sorted through her herbs. Her heart sunk when she realized that she only had a few small stems of catmint left. Shellcloud sighed, knowing that the leaf-bare ahead would be a long one for sure.
And Crowflight's gone… She dreaded leaf-bare even more as she remembered her old mentor. He had been killed by a fox only a moon ago, leaving Shellcloud to carry the weight of RiverClan by herself. The medicine cat shook her head and bent down to pick up a mess of borage
leaves.
I'm sure Mistyfeather needs some more. Her thoughts immediately brightened when she thought of her sister, who was expecting kits that had been overdue for almost a quarter moon. The only issue that troubled her was the identity of the true father of Mistyfeather's kits. The Clan assumed it was Hailfall, a warrior who had disappeared three moons ago, but Shellcloud doubted it. My sister was never that close to Hailfall.
She padded out of the den with the wrap of borage in her jaws. The sun had dipped low under the tops of the trees as the Clan settled down for the night. The silver she-cat nodded a greeting to Tidetail, who was leaving with Stripedpelt, Shimmerpaw, and Acornpaw for the dusk patrol.
Across the clearing, Gingerpaw was practicing battle moves with Palepaw and Sunpaw. The two older apprentices easily pinned down the young orange she-cat.
Shellcloud walked to the nursery, the overwhelming scents of the herbs in her mouth and milk-scent making her dizzy. But before she reached the nursery, Flamekit and Sparkkit came tumbling past her. Their wrestling almost made her trip, but she managed to keep her balance, though the borage leaves did not. They slipped out of the wrap and landed on the ground.
"Flamekit! Sparkkit!" Puddlespots's flustered, scolding meow sounded from inside the nursery. "Apologize to Shellcloud, now!"
The two kits bent their heads in shame as they squeaked a quick "sorry" to the medicine cat.
"It's alright," Shellcloud purred as she wrapped up the herbs again and picked them up. "I know you two didn't intend to run into me."
Flamekit nodded gratefully and then ran off, still slightly embarrassed, his sister hard on his paws.
Blizzardstar has to make those two kits apprentices sometime in the next moon. They're growing too big for the nursery! Shellcloud's whiskers twitched with amusement as she disappeared into the nursery.
"Shellcloud!" She was greeted by Mistyfeather's warm, friendly meow. The pale gray queen was stretched out in a soft nest, her belly swollen with kits.
"I brought these herbs for you, Mistyfeather," Shellcloud told her sister as she put the borage down beside her.
"Thank-" Mistyfeather stopped in the middle of her sentence, her face twisted with pain.
Shellcloud ran across the den to her and sniffed her side. She could see the ripples along Mistyfeather's side as she let out a painful yowl. The kits are coming!
"Get inside, both of you." Puddlespots was herding her kits into the nursery when her eyes widened as she saw Mistyfeather. She quickly pushed Flamekit and Sparkkit out of the way with one paw. "Never mind. You two run along now. Go play outside." Both kits obeyed that order happily, completely unaware that the nursery would have some new additions in the next few hours.
"Please, get some wet moss and a stick," Shellcloud ordered to the gray tabby queen. Puddlespots quickly nodded and raced out of the den.
Shellcloud turned back to her sister, who was panting heavily. Then a spasm overtook her body and she let out a painful shriek.
"The first kit's coming. I can see it! Keep going, you're doing great!" Shellcloud soothed Mistyfeather as she gasped for air. "Come on! Almost there!"
Quickly, an orange bundle slipped out and tumbled into the nest. The medicine cat nipped the sac around it and licked it fiercely. The kit let out a few tiny wails as Shellcloud placed it at its mother's belly.
The second kit arrived a while after that and was dropped carefully next to its sibling. Puddlespots then arrived.
"Sorry I took so long!" she meowed as she dropped the moss and a short stick on the den floor. Shellcloud purred.
"You're just in time - Mistyfeather had two healthy kits while you were gone," the medicine cat told her as she pushed the damp moss towards her sister's mouth. To Mistyfeather she said gently, "You have a new daughter and a son. I'm so happy for you, Mistyfeather!"
"Congratulations!" Puddlespots purred as Mistyfeather lapped up the water that was collected in the moss. The new queen looked exhausted, but pride shone in her eyes as she gazed lovingly at her newborn kits.
Puddlespots then slipped out of the den to check on her own kits, leaving the two sisters alone.
"I wish their father could see them…" Mistyfeather's green eyes welled up with regret as she stared at the newborn RiverClan cats.
Shellcloud thought for a moment. Should I ask her? If her sister did not want to share who her real mate was, Shellcloud didn't want to ask. No, she'll tell me if she wants to.
However, at that moment, Mistyfeather whispered, "Shellcloud, I need to tell you something about my kits."
"Hailfall isn't their father… is he?" Shellcloud whispered hesitantly.
Mistyfeather shook her head, surprised. "How did you know?"
"I am a medicine cat, and I am not allowed to love, but I can still tell when a cat is not interested in another, especially when she is my sister. I didn't want to ask, but…" Shellcloud trailed off. "I wanted to know the truth."
"I'm so sorry I lied to you. I lied to all of RiverClan! But please, Shellcloud, don't tell anyone. I want my kits to lead a life where they feel like they belong. I don't want them to be outsiders."
"May I ask… who is the father?" Shellcloud inquired carefully. Mistyfeather waited a moment, thinking, but finally replied quietly.
"Blazetail."
Shellcloud nodded slowly and calmly, even though inside, she was overtaken by shock and rage. The ShadowClan deputy? How could she?
"What are their names?" she asked, quickly changing the subject before she got too upset with her sister. Shellcloud could think about the situation later, but for now, she wanted Mistyfeather's kits' birth to remain a happy memory.
"I'll name this one Ashkit, after our father," Mistyfeather meowed, stroking the gray tom's head with her tail.
Ashwind was Shellcloud's father and both sisters missed him greatly. She shivered when she remembered the horrible battle with ShadowClan. The image of her father's bloody, limp body was still crystal clear in her mind. That had happened when she and Mistyfeather were just apprentices, fresh out of the nursery.
If only he was here to see us now. But I know that he is in StarClan, at least… oh, I still miss him.
"And Russetkit." Mistyfeather's meow broke Shellcloud away from her thoughts, but she nodded in approval at her sister's decision, because the kit had dark ginger fur, matching her name.
The medicine cat bent forward to nuzzle the kits. Her nose gently brushed Russetkit's ear.
Suddenly, there was a bright flash and Shellcloud's eyes grew wide with terror. She found herself at the edge of the lake in RiverClan territory. Water lapped at her paws slowly, but there was something odd about it. It seemed thick and sticky, not the right texture for water. Shellcloud glanced down. Wait, that isn't water, it's… blood! She looked up wildly to see a red sky, stained crimson, clouds of blood swirling above her.
Lightning flashed before her bewildered eyes before she looked away and found a cat standing before her. It was a ginger she-cat with green eyes and many battle scars all over her body. She looked oddly familiar, but Shellcloud couldn't tell where she had seen the cat before. The ginger cat's paws were red, dripping with thick, sticky blood.
Shades of red will stain the forest… The words echoed around her as Shellcloud realized who this cat was. It was Russetkit as a warrior!
As soon as Shellcloud started making sense of her vision, the RiverClan medicine cat found herself back in the nursery, staring down at Russetkit, but instead of appearing as a grown, mature cat, she was tiny, mewling and helpless. She didn't seem disturbed in the slightest bit, and neither did Mistyfeather, who was now feeding her kits.
The breeze that blew through the RiverClan camp carried whispers that Shellcloud could hear and understand, whispers that sounded the same words.
"Shades of red will stain the forest… Shades of red will stain the forest…" The prophecy roared in Shellcloud's ears, never to be forgotten.