Chapter 2
Twilightpaw blinked her eyes open, squinting as the sunlight streamed into the den. Turning her head, she nearly jumped as she came face to face with Dustpaw. It was just an awkward meeting, practically smashing your face into that of another in a practically empty den. "Dustpaw?" Twilightpaw meowed, her muzzle widening into a yawn.
"Of course it's me! I'm the only brother who would risk his own warrior name for the well being of his sister," Dustpaw replied, with that 'and-don't-you-forget-it' tone in his voice. Twilightpaw rolled her eyes, raising a fore paw and rasping her tongue over the white fur.
"Why did you even stay? I don't need your here. I'm fine."
Dustpaw shrugged. "Duskpaw told me to."
"Well, you can go now. I'm fine. Honestly," Twilightpaw meowed, ignoring her aching stomach as it whined for food.
"Actually," Dustpaw stated, matter-o-factly, "Aspenleaf came in here after I didn't show up for training. Oh, and Redfern came to check on you too, but I told him you weren't feeling well. Anyway, she told me if I wasn't there by sun-high, I may never be a warrior. But, I think it's an empty threat!" He scoffed, flicking his tail in nonchalance. Twilightpaw's own fur bristled slightly; Aspenleaf was a strict mentor, and she didn't doubt that threat for a moment.
"Is it sun-high yet?" she asked, afraid to even glance behind her at the blast of sunlight as it stumbled into the den. Dustpaw stood, and took a kit-step forward before nodding.
"Yup, sun-high! Man, it's bright out there!" Twilightpaw let out a hiss, before a deep growl resonating deep with in her throat.
"Then get out of here!" She spat, then snapped at her brother's hind legs, chasing him out of the apprentice's den. Once he was gone, Twilightpaw closed her eyes and recollected her thoughts. Rosheart's words rang in her head, provoking every ounce of thought Twilightpaw had to offer. But, her strength alone wasn't enough. She could go tell Bonestar, her esteemed leader, or Runningstripe, the knowledgeable medicine cat. But, there was one other cat she decided should know about this first.
Rising, she let another yawn ripple across her face before poking her head out of the den's entrance. Silverfang and Deertail lounged outside of the nursery, eying their kits with watchful eyes as they scampered around camp, tumbling and scuffling in the sand. Dawnheart and Brightclaw shared tongues near the warrior's den, the drooping leaves of the weeping willow masking their peaceful forms. The white paws of a light gray tom lead the way into the den as he returned from a hunting expedition, the tempting morsels of today's catch dangling from his jaws. Drowsypaw followed Smokecloud, fresh kill also waiting to be dumped into the pile hanging from his mouth. Casually, Twilightpaw slipped out of the apprentice's den and trotted out of camp, her paws loving the soft, cool leaves that littered the tunnel that created the entrance to camp. A couple of birch trees had been bent over, their leafy tops brushing the ground about two feet away from their pale white trunks. They had been deformed at a young age, and only stood about four mouse-lengths above Twilightpaw's furry head.
Once out of camp, she padded quickly through the foliage, sliding under bushes through tunnels known only to the cats and prey of the forest, leaping over logs and wading through a shallow stream that wound it's way through the forest. It was nothing compared to the Swollen River, which crushed cats against the rocks. Her own sister, Roseheart, had met a similar fate.
Opening her mouth, Twilightpaw felt her shoulders tense as she reached the border between LynxClan and her own Clan, CougarClan . The scents of both clans mingled here, each with their scent marking the border. The land mark that was used to establish the border to the eyes, instead of the nose and mouth, was a monstrous tree that had fallen. In it's past life, it had been a magnificent oak tree, rising taller than any in the forest. It had collapsed, creating a clear border between the enemy clans.
Now, Twilightpaw padded along the tree, finally coming to the leafy top. The top was a tangle of branches and little leaves, and after painfully slipping through them, Twilightpaw was in the hallow part of the log. It was dark, even to her eyes and the damp moss felt uncomfortable against her paws.
Finally, after a few long moments of crouching in the dark insides of the great oak tree, the cat she had been waiting for appeared.
"Twilightpaw?" Came his voice from the outside of the log, his orange tabby ears and white face appearing in the entrance of the log seconds later. Last time the two cats had met, they had promised to meet in three sun-falls time at the log. Twilightpaw purred, the rumble growing louder as the tom dipped his head and entered the log, finally touching his pink nose against her own. She thanked Roseheart for speaking to her on the day she was to meet Firepaw, the apprentice of LynxClan.
"Hey, Firepaw," she meowed, her purr fading as her voice grew serious.
"Something wrong?" Firepaw asked, noticing her worry laden eyes, her slightly bristled fur, and the way her tail flicked impatiently. He reeked of LynxClan, but Twilightpaw took no notice.
"I-I...StarClan sent me a dream," she finally meowed, her voice slightly hesitant. Firepaw's eyes widened, but he stayed silent, the light dancing across his face begging her to continue. "Roseheart spoke with me. She meowed something, like a...poem or maybe even a prophecy."
"A prophecy?" he echoed, his tail twitching eagerly.
Twilightpaw nodded. "It was probably meant for a medicine cat, or even Bonestar, but not me. I'm just an apprentice," she knew she was just asking for attention, and she greedily received it. Firepaw's warm tongue rasping over her forehead comforted her, and made her even more confident to figure this out.
"It was meant for you, I'm positive." His voice was warm and loving, and Twilightpaw knew she had gotten what she had hoped for.
"This is what she said," the she-cat began. "A Shadow will Consume the Minds of the Wise. The Bones will Rattle as they Dangle from his Neck. The Cougar must come to Devour his Prey. Or. The Clans will be murdered in the Dead of Night. While StarClan Weeps as it, too, is Slayed." She paused, her ear flicking backwards as she thought she heard tiny paw steps scrambling over the splintery surface of the log. Dismissing the noise, she watched Firepaw's eyes as he attempted to look at the words in a rational way. /Firepaw would make an excellent leader. He's kind, caring, and always looks at things rationally./ She thought.
"Well, this is obviously a warning," Firepaw meowed thoughtfully as Twilightpaw urged him to continue. "I'm not sure what the shadow part means, but obviously something having to do with a cougar must happen, or the clans will die. And StarClan as well." Both cats were silent, each trying to decipher the clues StarClan had left them.
"Why can't StarClan just tell us what will happen!" Twilightpaw grumbled, her whole body tensing as another voice answered her.
"If a cat has everything done for them, it is a kit. A warrior must use his mind, must think. StarClan chooses warriors to save the clans."
Even though the voice was outside of the log, it chilled Twilightpaw's insides until shivers danced upon her spine. Firepaw backed out of the log, weaving his way through the prickly branches and leaves with Twilightpaw following. Worry and danger flashed in his eyes, and the dappled she-cat only understood why once she was standing, panting slightly, outside of the log.
"Why, hello, young apprentice. You aren't a warrior, like I expected." A skinny, tan she-cat with a thin face, a muzzle flecked with white fur, and brown paws stood before them, her expression mildly amused. Twilightpaw felt a deep breath enter her lungs, soon escaping as she exhaled. She recognized the she-cat, the she-cat who had an air of powerfulness about her. Firepaw's own leader, Mothstar, had just caught them, and unease made the dappled she-cat's legs tremble. Crouching low to the ground, Firepaw stared at his paws and hissed for Twilightpaw to do the same, but the she-cat refused.
"I am to be a warrior soon," the apprentice meowed, her eyes level with those of the leader.
"Well, we wouldn't want this little meeting to spoil your chances, now do you?" Mothstar meowed, her threat given in a perfectly pleasant voice. Twilightpaw finally crouched down, her belly fur tickling the grass.
"No, I wouldn't," she admitted, a nauseous feeling welling up inside of her stomach.
Mothstar nodded, gazing sadly down at Firepaw. "Leopardbelly wouldn't be pleased. I thought you would have learned better than to be off gallivanting with a pretty young she-cat when you were supposed to be hunting for the elders! Stand up, both of you!" She spat, flicking her tail disappointedly. Firepaw leapt to his paws, Twilightpaw immediatly following suite. "Now, I am extremely disappointed. This whole episode has made me rethink your rank as a warrior. You know, your ceremony was coming up. But, I now am realizing that maybe I misjudged you, made you train too hard or too fast. You seem to have lost your common sense. Well, your sisters are still doing extremely well, and I'm afraid you won't be joining them for their ceremonies." Shaking her head, she turned to the CougarClan apprentice. "It is not my place to interfere by exposing your secret to your clan," she meowed. "But, if I find you speaking with Firepaw or any other LynxClan cat on my territory again, I may have to take action."
"But, I haven't put on paw over the border this entire time!" Twilightpaw protested, Mothstar's eyes immediatly flashing at her.
"You impudent-!" She calmed herself, replacing her look of annoyance with that amused look once more. "Go roll into some lavender to disguise the LynxClan's scent, unless you want to get yourself in trouble with Bonestar." She turned to leave. "Firepaw!" She commanded, the tom quickly beside her. "Oh, and maybe I was wrong. Maybe StarClan doesn't choose warriors." She meowed before stalking off into her own territory.
Twilightpaw watched with sad eyes as Firepaw cast her an apologetic look before slipping under a low hanging branch and disappearing into the foliage. She, too, then turned and leaped off, trotting over the cool leaves, prickly pine needles, and smooth stones in search of a lavender patch. Once she found one, she rolled in the sickly smelling purple flowers until her coat reeked, plucking two stalks from the patch to bring with her back to camp.
After traveling only a dozen pawsteps, Twilightpaw heard voices carried towards her by the wind. A distinct scent was also ushered into her open mouth by the breeze, and she immediatly recognized the cats. Crouching low, she listened to Cedarheart and Lightstep as they conversed in hushed tones.
"Bonestar hasn't given me any real details," Cedarheart was meowing. "But, he did say that it was going to happen tonight, if the opportunity arises."
"What should we do if we don't know when it will happen?" Lightstep interrupted, her voice cracking with nervousness.
"Just keep cats distracted. Any cats. From our clan, from any of the other clans. We can only pray to StarClan that they will give us a sign tonight." Both cats were silent, and Twilightpaw feared that if they headed towards her, she would be caught 'sneaking' up on them, and that could get her into far more trouble than she even realized. Quickly standing, she sought out twigs and leaves to crunch and crackle beneath her paws, stepping hard on them as she passed, moving nearer to the cats. Once about a rabbit's hop away, she heard Cedarheart meow,
"Someone's here. Quiet." Twilightpaw than shoved her way through a thick fern, appearing right in front of Lightstep's nose.
"Hello," she meowed through the lavender in her mouth, her eyes wide and startled.
"Why, hello Twilightpaw. What's that you have there?" Cedarheart meowed as Lightstep took a small step back, giving the apprentice more room.
Twilightpaw set her bunch of purple flowers on the earth floor, trying not to give her voice that suspicious edge to it that was trying to worm it's way into her speech.
"Oh, some lavender for Runningstripe. I saw a patch of it and though I might be helpful and bring some back."
"Well, carry on then!" Lightstep meowed, her eyes blinking pleasantly at the young apprentice. Twilightpaw licked the flowers back into her mouth, dipped her head in respect, and trotted past the two cats in the direction of camp. As she passed through clumps of ferns and slipped under bushes, she could hear the echo of paws behind her, the two warriors making sure she made it to camp. Even though fear clutched her heart and attempted to speed her paws, she made sure she keep a decent pace.