I do not own Warriors.


Chapter Two

Mothflight continued explaining as the two walked to wherever they were going. "StarClan," she said. "Here we watch over the cats living below, and ensure that they follow their intended destiny, the path that the stars have planned for them."

"But if the stars have already set it for them," Finchkit mewed curiously, "then shouldn't they already follow it, without our interference?"

Mothflight purred with amusement. "You're very clever, little one. But that's not how it works. All cats will stray from their path everyone once in a while, and it is our job to guide them back gently. But in the end, these little meanders from their path of fate plays an essential role to their ultimate destiny."

Finchkit thought about that, and found she really didn't understand what Mothflight was trying to tell her.

There was some hesitance between the two of them. Then Mothflight spoke again. "Sometimes, we make hard decisions. Sometimes, we must sacrifice one life so that another cat can make it to their destiny."

Finchkit's fur bristled indignantly. "That's awful! And unfair!" she mewed in protest. "Every cat deserves an equal chance at life!"

Mothflight appeared to be deeply troubled. "But Finchkit, that's what must happen sometimes." She bowed her head, as if afraid to look Finchkit in the eyes. "How could we let a life that shouldn't be lived continue on when doing so destroys the destiny of another cat?"

The newly-born kit shook her head fiercely. "No, that doesn't make sense! If the stars have already written a cats destiny, then shouldn't the cat be able to live it out even with the life continuing to be lived?"

Now the older cat shook her head. "No, Finchkit, that's not how it works. That life that is ended was meant to happen...in a way, it was that cat's destiny to die so that the other one could live their fate."

A mewl of horror tore from Finchkit's throat. "That's horrible! What kind of star would write out a destiny that terrible for a cat? It's like, the path of this cat is to live out one day of life and then die so that so-and-so can ascend to glory! Please tell me you're pulling my tail!"

Turning into a starlit forest, Mothflight gently guided Finchkit down a well-worn path. "I am not pulling your tail, Finchkit. And the stars do have to give a cat a destiny like that, sometimes. It's all important. I wish I could tell you otherwise."

The brief feeling Finchkit had been feeling while arguing with the older she-cat had faded off. She now felt once again like a stupid little kit, too small for the wisdom that Mothflight carried with her.

The two walked for a while, in silence. Neither meowed a word. Finally, Mothflight brushed her tail against the younger's shoulder. "We're almost there. You must be tired, after walking so far."

The sandy she-kit perked up. "I'm not tired," she promised. "I could walk for moons! Where are we?"

The two had cleared the trees and had arrived in a clearing. In the center of the empty, tree-less space gleamed a silver pool, shimmering with a seemingly internal light. They approached it.

"This is the Starpool," said Mothflight. "The other four Clans have something similar to it called the Moonstone, but StarClan are lucky; we have our own, that we share with only the cats of our Clan. This pool will show you anything that you need to know. This is one of our best ways to watch the cats we love that live in other Clans."

Finchkit stared down at her reflection in the smooth surface of the pool. She saw a small kit, hardly more than a day old, with a ruffled sandy pelt and a white belly, wide green eyes staring back hungrily. That's me, she thought, and then looked at Mothflight's reflection. The other StarClan cat was so much bigger than she was. Why am I so small?

"In addition to watching the other Clans," Mothflight continued, jerking Finchkit from her thoughts, "the stars can communicate with us, hence the name Starpool." She paused. "This is where the stars tell us destinies, and give us important prophecies."

Finchkit perked up at this. "A prophecy? What's that? It sounds super important!"

With a mrowl of amusement, Mothflight nodded, "Oh yes, prophecies are super important. They are very mysterious and deep, often holding more than two meanings. When we in StarClan receive a prophecy, we must communicate with the referred-to cat or cats as soon as possible. We do so through dreams."

"Why can't you just walk over to those Clans and give it to them face-to-face?" Finchkit asked.

Eyes clouded, Mothflight replied evasively. "StarClan is unique. We can travel to other places not by paw, but by thought. And generally speaking, we leave more of an impression when we appear in a cat's dream then we do by meeting them." A purr caught in her throat. "Even StarClan often does not understand the prophecies StarClan gives us. So it's very useful, in dreams, when the cat we are giving the message to asks questions, to just be able to fade away into nothingness. Quite annoying if you're the cat, but quite nice when you're the one delivering the message."

Finchkit said nothing. Again, she didn't understand what Mothflight was saying. "So am I going to meet my family? In a dream? Or in the Starpool?"

Mothflight flicked her tail. "We only use dreams to communicate. You won't be communicating with your family, I'm afraid. We use the Starpool to look over our loved ones, and that's what you'll be doing."

"Okay." Her fur bristled in excitement and she sat down by the silver pool. A heavenly breeze blustered through the surrounding woods, disturbing the smooth surface of the Starpool and sending out ripples. "How does it work?"

"You'll ask to see a cat," Mothflight explained. "For example, your brother, or your mother, or your father."

Finchkit felt an unspeakable sadness open up in her. Though she could watch over them, she realized, she would never be able to talk to them unless it was to deliver a message. She'd never seen the way kits interacted with their parents, but she got the feeling that she was going to miss out on all the special moments kits experienced as they grew up.

Mothflight blinked sadly at Finchkit. Yes, StarClan had taken newborn kits before, but it was only when the kits were desperately ill and/or clinging to life. That was when they knew it would be better to bring the kit to StarClan than let it suffer through the life it just wasn't meant to live. But Finchkit had been meant to live. The stars had given two different destinies for both her and her living brother. And they, the cats in StarClan, had had to chose which one would live and which one wouldn't.

In two different worlds, they will walk the same path. But she'll never know what it's like to sleep cuddled into her mother's warmth, or see the pride in her father's gaze as she gets her apprentice name, or know the joys of running with the wind streaming through her fur as she races over the marsh.

"What's my brother's name?" asked Finchkit curiously.

Blinking back from her reverie, Mothflight failed to answer for a moment. "Tallkit."

Finchkit snorted. "That's a funny name. What if he's really short?"

Mothflight was amused. "Just say his name, little one, and you'll see for yourself if he's short or not."

Still sitting, Finchkit blinked down at the once-again smooth surface of the Starpool. "Tallkit," she told the calm waters firmly. The surface rippled. And Finchkit gazed for the first time at her family.


Author's Note: Sorry I didn't post yesterday! And sorry I won't post tomorrow, too. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than the previous ones...

Thanks to all my reviewers and readers! I really appreciate all your comments (and I also tend to update faster with reviews...:P). But really, seriously guys! You all are super amazing! Keep being awesome!

Note: I finally corrected my mistake. Moonpool is now Moonstone. Sorry it took me so long!