Okay, so I'm not gonna bore you with some stupid notes... READ ON!
~Eclipseclaw's POV~
The moon shone brightly in the night sky, giving Eclipseclaw just enough light to see by. Being a ShadowClan cat, it was normal for him to hunt at night; and he liked it that way. Without thinking, he instinctively dropped into the hunter's crouch when the smell of a mouse hit his nose. He licked his lips. This particular mouse was about to become dinner.
He could see the small creature now; it was nibbling away at a nut, completely disregarding him. He was creeping closer… steady… almost there… now!
He pounced, but the mouse scrambled away at the sound of a loud yowl. Eclipseclaw hissed in annoyance and sat up, licking a long, curved claw. The yowl sounded again, desperate and full of pain. Eclipseclaw's ears flicked toward the sound. It was coming from ThunderClan territory. They must be grieving, Eclipseclaw thought, but for who? I guess I'll find out, at the Gathering tomorrow.
"Stupid ThunderClan cats! They'll scare all of the prey right out of the forest." Someone growled from behind him. He turned to see Ferretclaw, one of the other cats on his hunting patrol. A blackbird lay at his paws. "Yes, but did you hear how it sounded? Someone died." Eclipseclaw replied. Ferretclaw snorted. "Maybe so, but they don't have to let the cats in the mountain know about it. You'd think their whole Clan was wiped out!"
Eclipseclaw rolled his eyes. Ferretclaw was grumpy all the time. This wasn't anything new. "Hey, you two. Keep it down. Did you hear that ThunderClan cat?" Eclipseclaw nodded as Mintdrop, the last cat on the patrol, entered the clearing. She set down her vole and looked at the toms expectantly. "Of course we did! There wasn't any way not to, unless you were sleeping." Ferretclaw meowed.
"I know you heard it, but did you hear it? Like, who they were howling about?" Eclipseclaw straightened, intrigued. Everyone knew that Mintdrop had the best hearing in ShadowClan. "No… who?" he whispered. Mintdrop's eyes widened as she responded, "Squirrelstar. Squirrelstar's dead." Ferretclaw and Eclipseclaw gasped. Neither tom had expected that. "Really? Wow…" Ferretclaw blinked, startled out of his mood.
"Let's be getting back. Smokestar will wonder where we are." Eclipseclaw found himself saying. Mintdrop dipped her head to him. "You're right. Let's go." Picking up her vole, she and Eclipseclaw followed Ferretclaw back to camp.
The clearing was completely empty except for Blackhaze, the new warrior who was on vigil. "Greetings, Blackhaze." Eclipseclaw mumbled around his chaffinch that he had dug up from before. Blackhaze, not allowed to speak, nodded respectfully.
Suddenly realizing how tired he was, Eclipseclaw followed Mintdrop into the warriors' den and settled into his nest. He closed his eyes, taking in the warmth of the moss, and let sleep come over him.
He opened his eyes and found himself back where he had heard the ThunderClan cat's yowl; and where he had missed the mouse. Except for this time, a mist spread around him and he realized he was a in a dream. "Hello? Is anyone here?" he called. "I'm here." A voice he'd never heard before startled him and he turned, looking for the source of the sound. "Who are you?" He asked. "My name is Blackstar. I was leader of ShadowClan before Rowanstar, who was leader before Smokestar." Eclipseclaw's eyes widened as a huge white tom stepped into the small clearing; he bore jet-black paws, which Eclipseclaw assumed got him his name.
"Why are you here?" Eclipseclaw inquired. "I'm here to give you a message. You have been chosen because of your courage and skills to represent ShadowClan in a dangerous mission. It is vital that you succeed in this mission for another Clan's survival." Blackstar explained, sitting and wrapping his black-tipped tail around his paws. Eclipseclaw did the same.
"There is a fifth Clan. It is called SkyClan. Long, long ago, when the Clans still lived in the forest, SkyClan was driven from its home by the other Clans and because Twolegs were taking over their territory. They settled in a gorge about three days' time from the forest. But… the gorge is not a safe place for SkyClan anymore, and they have no way to know that. This is where you come in. You must find SkyClan and bring them here, where they will live with the rest of the Clans."
Eclipseclaw froze in shock, taking in all that he was hearing. "Wow… so there's a fifth Clan… I can't believe this." "I hope you can, because it's real and it needs your help. Firestar and Sandstorm – you've heard of them? – recreated SkyClan after it was destroyed long ago. It will be destroyed again if you don't succeed."
Blackstar stood, his tail sweeping from side to side. "You mustn't tell anyone of your leaving. Once SkyClan returns to the lake, there will be no need to explain. Two days from when you wake up you must meet the representatives from ThunderClan, WindClan, and RiverClan at the Gathering Island. From there, you will start your journey. Good luck." With these words, Blackstar faded away.
Eclipseclaw woke with a start, sweating and breathing hard. This was going to be some adventure.
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~CatDragon726
