Ch 4: The Rising Sun
Starflight woke once more to see Silver hovering over her. He had a smug, satisfied look on his face. The grey tom helped Starflight into a sitting position and looked her critically up and down. With a nod, the tom seemed to reach a decision.
"Well, you look healed enough to start walking. I'll let you out of this den, but you must come back before Sun-Peak, so I can examine you and make sure your wounds aren't getting infected." The small tabby rasped. Starflight got gingerly to her paws and began to limp out of the den. She was happy to leave the stone confines and peer out into the bright sunlight of the desert, even if she knew it wasn't WolfClan territory. Starflight's heart sank once more as she thought about her clan. She had the strongest feeling that she would never be able to go home; that her fate was decided the moment Lightningclaw had slammed into her side and sent her tumbling over the cliff's edge.
As Starflight limped slowly around the Desert Tribe's camp, she received wary glances from every cat she passed. She passed a small den lined with small, pointy green plants and was reminded of the nursery back in the forest. Starflight's tail drooped as she recalled old friends from her apprenticeship: Silverclaw, Brightwind, and Moonfeather. With a heavy heart, Starflight turned away from the cactus-lined den and trudged out of camp.
Sand had just woken up and stretched outside the Protector's den when he saw Starflight's tabby form slip out of camp. He smiled at the prospect of learning more about the strange she-cat and bounded after her, his ginger paws kicking up clouds of dust.
The sandy tom had just padded up to Starflight's side when he noticed her solemn mood. He suddenly felt very embarrassed about bounding up to her side in such a joyous manner.
After a few moments of uneasy silence, Sand couldn't stand it any more. "What's your name?" He asked in a quiet voice, much like a kit's soft mew.
Starflight's gaze flickered towards him, as if she had only just noticed him there. "My name is Starflight," She responded. Even though she was depressed about her current position, she was glad to have someone to talk to.
Sand wrinkled his nose slightly, but remembered not to be rude. "Starflight? My name is Sand. It's short for Sand-At-The-Desert's-Edge."
This time it was Starflight's turn to wrinkle her nose. They sure do give funny names to these cats, she thought.
Sand starred at Starflight for a moment before spouting out another stream of questions. "Where do you come from? Are the cats above the cliff's edge nice? Do they live in Tribes, like us?"
Starflight's ears flickered slightly, and a smile of amusement began to spread on her whiskers. "I live in a Clan, actually, and yes they are very nice. We live in forests, and moors, and swamps, and one Clan even lives at the edge of the river," she explained. Sand looked utterly amazed. Water was on the top of his hate list, and living by a river would have been terror for him.
Sand and Starflight had reached the west territory border, and the sun was high in the sky.
"Your medicine cat told me to return to him by Sun-Peak. What time is it now?" Starflight asked.
Sand turned his head to look at the sky. "It's nearly Sun-Peak. If Silver wants to see you, we best hurry back to the camp. The old grump gets pretty mad if he's kept waiting for things like these."
Sand and Starflight hurried back to the camp as fast as the she-cat's limp would let her. They had just entered Silver's den, when the old grey tabby started to hiss at them for being late.
"Sand, how many times do I have to tell you to stop hanging around my den like a flea clinging to my fur? I want you out! You've got better things to do! Bring water to the Tribe, hunt, do something other than cling to me like a leech!" Silver hissed in pure annoyance. Starflight was reminded of Foxtail; she had often used the same tone of voice to get her to stop lagging around the den when one of her friends was hurt.
Sand scampered away from the den in a flustered state, mumbling things about how sorry he was for being late. It was obvious he didn't mean it, though.
With Sand gone, Silver turned to Starflight. "And when I say I want you here at Sun-Peak, I suggest you be here at Sun-Peak!" He spat with less ferocity. Starflight nodded with an amused sir, but Silver didn't seem to notice. The grey tabby just shoved Starflight into a sitting position and began to examine her wounds. He kept muttering things like, "This one could use a few more herbs," or, "That's healing up nicely." After a few moments of checking some minor scratches and putting herbs on the wounds that needed them the most, Silver straightened. "I'd say you'll be fit to sleep outside my den in a cycle," he said in his grating voice.
Starflight tilted her head to the side slightly, wondering what Silver had meant by a cycle. She finally reasoned that the old tabby meant that she could travel in a moon. As she was pondering on the Tribes strange words, a black tom with sea green eyes entered the den. Silver bowed his head slightly to the sleek tom and introduced Starflight. "This is Thunder, our leader. His full name is Thunder-That-Shakes-The-Sky." The black tom nodded his head in greeting, but Starflight couldn't shake an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Granitestar's prophecy had spoken of Sun rising at the paws of Thunder, and the young she-cat couldn't help but feel that she had stumbled upon the same tom it had been speaking of. Thunder seemed to disregard the wary stare she was giving him, and began to speak.
"It's terrible that you fell from your home, and we know that you would like to return to the places above the cliff, but I'm afraid you must stay. It is impossible to climb the canyon wall, and you would die before you could walk around it," Thunder explained. Starflight looked crestfallen, and the Tribe leader's heart reached out to her. He had never felt the pang of sadness that occurred when you left your birth home, but he could imagine the terrible feeling. "We will give you a wonderful life here in the Desert tribe, though I'm sorry to say that our boundaries are being attacked.
Silver's face became the pure picture of anger as he grumbled an interruption. "No thanks to that dirty Shadow Tribe. They come along thinking they can kick us out of our home, but we'll show them." The grey tom hissed. Thunder silenced his with a wave of his black tail.
"Yes. My Tribe has been at war with the Shadow Tribe for at least one generation. We believe that the war is taking a serious turning point in our favor, however," Thunder explained. As he spoke, somewhat of an angry glint stole into his green eyes. Starflight felt her paws prickle uneasily at the mention of the Shadow Tribe, and the fact that she could never return home made her heart sink. She wished she was back in the forest, chasing mice through the bushes for fun. Her morose thoughts were interrupted once more by Thunder.
"Because you are staying here, you will need a new name. Your Above Cliff name will not suffice here." The black tom explained. Starflight felt a horrible pang of sorrow in her chest, but she couldn't bring herself to fight the offer. Halfheartedly, the golden tabby she-cat dipped her head in agreement. Thunder also dipped his head to Starflight. He backed out of the cave and let the she-cat stay with Silver, saying silent farewells to her friends above the cliff.
Thunder felt horrible after tell Starflight she couldn't go home. He padded wearily over to his den and crawled inside, wondering what he should name the strange golden she-cat. She was strong to have survived the fall from the top of the cliff, so she would need a strong name. Finally, the black tom made his decision and slipped out of his den. He climbed on top of a large, flat rock that seemed to be entirely made of compressed sand. The black leader dug his claws into the stone and yowled at the top of his voice, "Desert Tribe cats, I have important news!"
At once the cats that had been tending to their tasks in the camp stopped what they were doing and gather beneath the towering sand rock. They gazed up at their leader with looks of confusion on their faces. The last two cats to join them were Silver and Starflight, who chose their spots near the edge of the group. Cats near Starflight began to edge warily away from her, except for Sand, who stayed where he was.
Thunder searched the clearing for Starflight. When he saw her, the black tom beckoned her hurriedly with his tail. Starflight rose to her paws and began to limp towards the rock, not seeming to notice the fact that the other cats were shying away from her. When she had reached the rock and climbed onto its rough surface, Thunder continued his announcement. "As you all know, this she-cat has fallen from the places above the cliff. I have offered her a spot in the tribe, and she seems willing to accept."
An uneasy silence settled over the cats as Thunder allowed a few seconds for his words to sink in.
"Since she will be staying here with us, I expect you all to treat her like one of the clan. She will also need a new name, and I have decided what title to give her," Thunder said loudly so the whole Tribe could here him, even the kit-bearers in the nursery. The black tom turned to Starflight and lifted his gaze to the sky. "I say these words before the Tribe of Endless Hunting, and hope they approve of my choice. This young she-cat will, until death, be called Sun-That-Sets-On-The-Cliff, because of her fate and the golden color of her pelt. For short, we will call her Sun. I honor her as a Protector of the Tribe, until she retires."
The cats below Sun began a chant that was much like that of the Clan's. "Sun! Sun!" They called, the tips of their tails moving excitedly back and forth. Sand seemed to be the most excited of them all, and was shifting restlessly from paw to paw. He couldn't wait to become friends with the she-cat that had fallen from the cliffs.
The newly named Sun stood rigid on the sandy rock, a strange, uncomfortable feeling settling inside her. She had a new name now, and was accepted as one of the Tribe. It was her new name that troubled her the most, though. Hadn't the prophecy said something about Sun rising from the paws of Thunder? Sun cast a wary look at the black Tribe leader standing next to her. He was motioning her away from the rock, and the golden tabby she-cat climbed gratefully down. Instead of backing away from her, the Tribe cats pressed close and asked questions.
"Is it nice above the cliffs?" A small smoky-grey kit asked. The mother was standing next to him, and she looked like she wanted to ask questions too. Suddenly, the cats parted to a familiar rasping voice.
"Let me through! Go on, shift yourself!" It was Silver, a cat that Sun was unexpectedly happy to see. "Come on, let me through to Sun," the grey tabby hissed as he shouldered his way through the crowd. When he had finally reached Sun, he made the cats clear a path to his den. "Sun needs rest! You can talk to her tomorrow," Silver told the crowd of cats as they formed a path. Sun padded behind him, happy that she could get away from the overwhelming questions the entire Tribe was throwing at her.
Thunder came to the golden she-cat's rescue as well. He had stayed on the rock and watched as the cats tried to squeeze information out of Sun. "Get back to your tasks," he yowled over the turmoil. "The Dry Season is coming, and that means water will be scarcer soon." The cats at once moved to different parts of the camp, some leaving to go hunting and to search for water.
Sun finally reached the Herb Master's den and crawled over to a moss-lined corner. She settled down exhaustedly and closed her eyes so she could sleep. The sun was starting to slip behind the canyon walls as the golden she-cat drifted off to sleep, her striped tail wrapped snugly around her dainty white paws to block the cold of night.