Heya welcome back to Clouded Dusk! It's a few more chapters until we are put in the view of the main two characters, but the wait will explain a few things in preparation for future events. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
A black shadow slid through the trees. It wound around the protruding branches, whispering occasionally about the tales of StarClan, responding to her former Clan's stories. Then the tree's shadow shrunk back, and she began to head away.
Her sleek pelt and lean figure suited those of her loyal Clan, and that of the Clan she had left behind long ago. It was different to the other Clans' pelts and body shapes. Each Clan was different. She bore no grudge against the other Clans. She never had. They had traveled with her and fought beside her in her last fight.
But right now she wanted words with one of them.
Eventually, she found the cat she was looking for. It was a tom. His bright orange fur grew over a muscular body, and his amber eyes were half shut as he rested on several rocks warmed by the light.
Using the skills her Clan was born with, she snuck through the shadows and hopped lightly onto the rocks.
"I thought the Resting Rocks belonged to AquaClan." she said suddenly.
The tom gave a start, and turned his head to look at her. "StarClan has no borders." he said with a purr.
The black she-cat hopped down to sit by him.
"Your old ThunderClan was always the place prophecies began." she said, not looking at him.
The tom stiffened. "Our old Clans are far behind us now. We don't interact with their Follow-The-Code-Or-Die nonsense anymore. We slacken the code a bit, but we still follow it. We are not rogues."
"You say good words, yet I think something has kept with us."
The tom stood up and turned to her, bristling slightly. "You have found out about the prophecy, haven't you? We needed to send it to SunsetClan!"
"And why is that? My own Clan has needs too!"
"You're just jealous, aren't you? This is my Clan's business only!"
The black she-cat turned away without a word. She strode to the edge of the rock the ginger tom was lying on, and then turned back, her blazing yellow eyes trained on him.
"StarClan has no borders." she called back, and her eyes left behind a thin trail of yellow mist as she swung her head back around and disappeared off into the shadows.
Silverheart didn't speak as she gingerly picked up the borage. She had just delivered Tabbysky's kits, and though she had looked as pleased as ever, she was scared. She had had two kits. Two kits.
Her mind reeled back to the prophecy she had received at the Yowling a bit more than a quarter moon ago.
Two cats are coming that hold the future of the sunset between them.
Her mind flashed to Salmonpelt for a second, and she purred to herself.
But she couldn't think of that now. Silverheart was about to pad out of the Medicine Den, when Blazingfang entered.
"Hi, Silverheart!" he said happily.
"Hi!"
"I heard that Tabbysky kitted. How many?" he asked, tilting his white head to one side.
"Two. I'm just taking this to Tabbysky now."
"Tansy?" Blazingfang asked, confused, "Isn't that extremely dangerous to queens?"
Silverheart looked at the bundle she was carrying. It was indeed tansy.
"Oh, err. I got distracted. It's supposed to be borage."
Silverheart hurriedly rushed back to her herb store and changed the tansy for borage. She brushed past Blazingfang with a quick goodbye and pushed into the Nursery.
"Tabbysky?" she called.
A mewl of response came from the corner. Silverheart walked over to where she was lying down, Solarstar next to her. Two tiny kits suckled at her belly; one ginger tabby she-cat and a creamy tom.
"Here, I got you some borage." Silverheart mewed, setting it down by her. Tabbysky blinked her thanks and licked up the stalks.
"Tabbysky, what do you think we should name them?" Solarstar asked, licking his mate's ear.
"The tom looks like the creamy line left by the sun when it sets," Tabbysky explained, "so I think we should call him Horizonkit."
"That's a good name." Solarstar purred, pushing his muzzle into her side.
"And this one is such a bright ginger, she's like the sun!"
"So Horizonkit and Sunkit. Two beautiful names for two beautiful kits." the ginger-flecked leader purred.
Silverheart decided to leave them be. She pushed out of the Nursery again and almost crashed into Twigtail.
"Oh, sorry!" Silverheart apologised, moving out of his way.
"It's alright. Can I see the kits?" the brown-and-white warrior asked.
"Sure! It's Sunkit and Horizonkit, by the way."
She watched the tom walk into the Nursery, then began to head to the Elders' Den. On the way there, she watched Hollypaw demonstrating a battle move to Shellkit and Flurrykit, while Glimmerkit was hunting Darkpaw's tail. Tornclaw must be making good progress with her training, as it had only been six sunrises since her apprentice ceremony.
Hollypaw swiped with both paws at the air, then crouched down and sprang forward, ducking under an invisible opponent's belly and raking a paw down it. Her small paws, and overall agility carried her forwards quickly. It was hard to think that she had once been a tiny, helpless kit.
Silverheart arrived in the Elders' Den. Goldpaw and Tigerpaw were sat by each elder, going through their fur for ticks. A piece of moss soaked in mouse bile sat in between them.
"Hi, do you need any help?" she asked, looking at both the apprentices.
"Yes, could you tell Flamepaw that he's taking ages to fetch that moss?" Tigerpaw replied, grooming through Badgerfoot's black and white fur.
"So, no?"
The two apprentices nodded, and Silverheart left the den. She nodded at Flamepaw as he padded past her with a large bundle of moss in his jaws. The last hunting patrol of the morning came through the rabbit tunnel that made up the entrance to camp.
Whitefoot, Shimmerheart, Salmonpelt and his apprentice Ripplepaw each carried two pieces of prey. Ripplepaw deposited a mouse and a squirrel, Shimmerheart two voles, and Whitefoot a shrew and a pigeon. Salmonpelt himself had a fat blackbird and a large rabbit.
"Well done." she purred to him.
He purred in reply, "I do it every day. And so does everyone else here."
"But no cat can hunt as well as you."
Salmonpelt's only response was another purr.
"You'll have to see Solarstar for permission to become mates soon."
Silverheart spun around to see Beechflower settling down to start eating. Her gaze was warm. Whitefoot stood beside her. She nodded stiffly, something unrecognisable darkening her eyes.
Silverheart recalled the law of a medicine cat taking a mate. You had to ask the leader for permission, and they decided depending on how well both cats had done to earn it. Still no half-Clan relationships.
She nodded, and sat down to share the rabbit with Salmonpelt.
Yeah, I made medicine cats able to have a mate and kits. The only reason for that is because the first version of this was written before I heard about the rule, and it didn't really work best in the third edition of it. Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Until next time!
