Summary: Willowkit and her sister Frostkit are born in calming times to one of the three Clan, LightningClan. But Willowkit doesn't feel all at home with her family, her parents seeming to sun her for her lack of skill. Yet, a prophecy is born to the medicine cat of the clan, and he cant but help to see that it has to do with the family. Will the clan be saved in time, or will their own foolish mistakes make the three clan become just two?
Alive: Book 1
By. Hidding-In-Shadows
Chapter 10
"Frostpool, what are you doing here, you should be fighting off CreekClan." Willowfrost said slowly, her eyes flicking over her sister with fright. Frostpool looked at Willowfrost's kits, her eyes landing on a gray, almost black, one. Sorrow filled her blue eyes for a moment before flicking back to her sister's orange eyes, a snarl escaping her lips.
"I'm taking care of something that I should have done a long time ago." Frostpool stepped forward, getting closer and closer to her sister. Willowfrost felt her kits tremble against her stomach, mewling for milk and shivering from the cold. As Frostpool loomed over her, a fluff of gray fur appeared at her legs and she yowled out, looking down. Tawnykit clenched his jaws around the white she-cat's leg, blood blossoming from the area. He let go and then hissed, slashing his claws and cutting her nose open. Frostpool stumbled back and growled.
"Why you little . . ."
"Frostpool." a cool voice came from the den entrance and both she-cats looked to see Nightfall standing there. His orange eye were narrowed dangerously and threatening. "Step away from my kits."
Frostpool looked at the tom with wide, scared blue eyes. "Nightfall . . . there has to be some mistake." she whispered, stepping to him. "Those couldn't be your kits. Willowfrost is nothing. I'm the one you love, I'm the one who's going to have you're kits, not her."
"Leave." Nightfall snarled, his teeth bared.
"Nightfall . . ."
"Leave!" he thrashed his paws out, slicing her ear and the white she-cat pushed past him, frightened. Nightfall walked over to his mate, leaning down and licking her ear. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft.
"I'm fine. What did Wormfur say about Applekit?" she asked, looking at him with worried eyes.
Nightfall gave her a sad look then looked to Tawnykit who went back to cowering in Willowfrost's shoulder. "I-I'll tell you at an appropriate time. Right now I want to keep you and them safe." he looked to his kits and love blossomed in his eyes. "They're beautiful Willowfrost."
Willowfrost went to say something when a loud yowl came from camp, announcing CreekClan's retreat. Nightfall said he would be back and slipped out of the den. Willowfrost watched as he walked around the camp, talking to the injured cats. A cry came over the camp and Nightfall turned sharply to see a cat huddled over a dead body. He walked forward to see Darkflower pushing her nose into her dead mates pelt. Lightningstar lay on the ground, his belly ripped open. His eyes open and lifeless. The tom flicked his tail as other cats tried to see, the others backing off.
"I'm sorry for your loss Darkflower." he said, touching her shoulder lightly with his tail tip. He turned to the clan and then looked up at the leaders den and jumped up on the ledge, yowling out. "I want those with sever wounds to go to Wormfur, the others are to look for any damages to the camp. That is all." he them jumped down, his eyes hard as he ushered Darkflower away and to Wormfur's den. Ringtail, Grassshine, Stripefur, and Petalspots all sat in there also, deep wounds bleeding and eyes weak. Applekit lay in the back, herbs and cottonwebs covering her eyes, she kit asleep. Wormfur looked to the tom and read his eyes, apologizing to the others as he excused himself. The two walked over to the dead body of the leader, looking down at it.
"What do we do now?" Nightfall asked.
"We? I think you mean what do you do now. You're the leader now Nightfall. You need to get you're nine lives." Wormfur rasped. A hiss of pain came from Wormfur's den and he sighed. "Burry him and then we will talk about what we'll do next." Wormfur then returned to his den. Nightfall leaned down and touched his nose to the tom's shoulder before calling over Harespring and Feverhead, the three toms begining to dig.
Willowfrost watched as Brightface walked int, Tawnykit running to her side. Brightface looked around and then to Willowfrost with worried eyes. "Where is Applekit?"
Willowfrost gave her a sad look. "With Wormfur. A tom ran in here and before I could do anything, he slashed her face."
Brightface gasped and then let out a low moan of saddness, falling into her nest. Tawnykit told his mother not to worry and that everything was going to be okay, nudging her cheek. Willowfrost looked down to her own kits, the newborns now asleep in her belly. She touched each of their heads with her nose, glad that they had made it through the birth and the battle with success. Willowfrost lowered her head, sleep suddenly over taking her.
-x-x-x-
She woke the next morning to her kits sucking on her belly. Willowfrost let out a light purr and licked their heads. She looked up to see Brightface still asleep. Tawnykit lay curled into his mother belly, but his amber eyes focused on the ground, worried. Willowfrost felt sorrow for the young tom and was about to talk to him when Nightfall walked into the den. He placed two mice down and then walked over to his mate, sitting next to her. His orange eyes ran lovingly over his kits, a soft purr raising from his throat.
"We still have to name them." he said.
"I've already thought of a few." she whispered, making sure she wouldn't wake Brightface. "I was thinking Jaykit for this tom." he tail flicked to the first kit curled into her, his dark gray fur migling with her and his thick black stripes popping out. "And Flowerkit for this one." she looked to the largest she-cat, her light gray pelt dappled with white spots that were rimmed with black.
"I love them." he purred. "What about Rainkit for this one." he touched his nose on the largest's kits head, the dark gray tom. "And Lilykit for the other." the smallest kit, a she-cat with long light gray fur and black stripes looked up at the mention of the name, letting out a small mewl. Nightfall let out a pur and nuzzled his daughter. "I guess she likes it."
Willowfrost agreed, nudging her new kits. "Was anyone injured severely in the battle?" Willowfrost asked, looking up to him. Sorrow filled the black tom's eyes.
"Lightningstar was killed. He's in StarClan now." Willowfrost's orange eyes opened wide with surprise and then hurt as she looked to her kits, thinking he never got to see them. She then looked up to Nightfall.
"You're the leader now." she murmured. Nightfall nodded and then looked outside of the den. He excused himself and left, walking across the camp to where Wormfur sat outside his den.
"How is she?" Nightfall asked the medicine cat as they walked into the den. Wormfur frowned slightly as he lead the new leader to the ginger she-kit. She lay sleeping and the cobwebs lay to the side of her. Rough, deep scratches ran over her eyes, blinding her permanently. Nightfall felt a pang of sorrow in his chest. "She won't be a warrior . . ." he murmured lightly.
"No. But she can be a medicine cat." Wormfur said. "When she heals and reached the right age, I'll take her in. She may not like it, but it's better then rotting away in the elder's den." Nightfall nodded, agreeing with the tom. "Also, StarClan visited me last night and told me what to do." Wormfur turned and walked to the back of the den and grabbed something, turned back around a placed a leaf down, a few seeds laying it in. "Poppy seeds. They help you fall asleep. Take them and then go to the leaders then. From then on, you're on your own." Nightfall leaned down and lapped the seeds up and nodded to the tom, turning and walked out of the den.
Nightfall looked around camp and then walked to the leaders edge and jumped up to it, walking into the den. His paws felt heavy as he circled Lightningstar's old nest and then laid in it, closing his eyes and letting sleep take him over.
He woke a moment later with a jerk, standing in a star filled field. Nine cats, four of who he knew, sat in front of him. Nightfall's eyes widened as he spotted Beestripe sitting there, her eyes looking to her son with pride. He stood and went to take a step when Lightningstar stood and stepped foreword, blocking him. "We're here to give you your nine lives." he said with his deep voice. Nightfall nodded as Lightningstar stepped forward and touched his nose to the toms forehead."With this life I give you leadership. Use it well to lead your Clan in the right direction." The tom stepped back and Beestripe stepped froward with a smile.
She touched her nose to her son's head with a purr. "With this life I give you love. Use it well to show love to your kits." she then licked his head and then stepped back. Tigerlight stepped forward, the old deputy smiling.
"I couldn't have thought of a better cat to take my place." he purred and touched his nose to the toms forehead. "With this life I give you trust. Use it well as relying on your warriors when times are troubling."
As the tom stepped back, the old medicine cat walked forward. Sparrowpelt was his name. Nightfall remembered him from when he was just a kit and got greencough. The tom pressed his nose to the black tom's head. "With this life I give you wisdom. Use it well to guide your Clan through the hardest of times." As he stepped back, a she-cat of a brown tabby color stepped forward, her blue eyes bright.
Nightfall could vaguely remember her, Owlwing he thought her name was. She touched her nose to his forehead, a flash of a memory from her going to him. He watched as she grabbed a small, black kit as the tom was beginning to fall off of a cliff and tossed him to the side, the cliff breaking under her paws as she yowled out and fell to her death. The kit looked over with frightened eyes, kit Nightfall saved by the she-cat.
"With this life I give you courage. Use it well when making slit choice decisions for your Clan and clanmates." Owlwing stepped back and a kit hopped forward, his orange pelt bright.
Nightfall leaned down, amused by the kit, leaned his head down and the kit touched his nose to the toms head. A flash of white covered Nightfall before he saw the same kit laying in thick snow, cold lake water lapping at his lifeless body. "With this life I give you kindness." the kit mewed, his voice high. "Use it well to help and understand your warriors, apprentices, elders, and kits." the kit then turned and bounded away to Owlwing, sitting in between her paws.
Another she-cat, one with a striking pelt of orange-and-white, stepped forward and touched her nose to Nightfall's head, showing a vision of her running through a forest, two dogs following her. It cut to three kits who ran from a bush near by, returning safe to camp. "With this life I give you intelligence. Use it well when planning for the Clan."
The three other cats, older cats who looked older then LightningClan's elders. They gave him the lives of bravery, loyalty, and forgivness, each sharing their own story with a vision. Once the last cat stepped back, Lightninstar stepped forward again. "I hail you by your new name, Nightstar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of LightningClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the Ways of the Clan; live each life with pride and dignity."
The nine cats chanted his new name and Lightningstar made it clear to Nightstar that no one was to know of what went on in the meeting. As the others left, Lightningstar stayed and looked to Nightstar with sad eyes. "I wanted to apologize for what I did in my past life." he said. "I was foolish. I'm happy for you and Willowfrost and your kits. A-And I feel conflicted about saying this but . . ." Lightningstar sighed and looked up to Nightstar. "Frostpool needs to be exiled from the camp. After I was shared information from Sparrowpelt, I realized she is a threat to your, your mate, and your kits lives."
Nightstar nodded, understanding and Lightningstar gave him a small smile. "You'll make a good leader Nightstar."
Nightstar woke in he den and stood, shaking his pelt out. He looked outside of the den and stepped out onto the leaders ledge. Brightface sat outside and watched as Tawnykit played with a ball of moss. Stripefur and Harespring where bringing in prey from a hunting patrol, and Longfur was talking to Feverhead. Nightstar yowled out and called for a clan meeting. All the cats gathered below the ledge and Nightstar looked them over.
"I've visited StarClan and have received my nine lives. I am now Nightstar, the leader of LightningClan." he announced. Yowled of his new name echoed through the camp. Nightstar flicked his tail, silencing the cats. "Because of this, I now need a deputy." his orange eyes traveled over the cats. "I say these words before StarClan. The new deputy of LightningClan will be Longfur."
Longfur blinked and stepped foreword and nodded to the leader. "I'll serve as best as I can."
Nightstar thanked him and ran his eyes over the crowd, landing on a white she-cat. "Frostpool, step forward." he said lowly. Everyone stepped aside as the she-cat stepped up, her blue eyes wide.
"I, Nightstar, leader of LightninClan, hear by exile you from LightningClan. You have until sundown to leave out territory. If we find you on it again, we will not hesitate to attack. Understood?" he glared at her and she whimpered, but nodded. She turned, walking out of the camp when Darkflower cried out.
"No, you cant do this Nightstar!" Darkflower cried, turning to the tom. "You fox-heart! She loved you, why cant you ju-"
"Silence Darkflower." Nightstar said, cutting her off. "If you wish, you may follow her."
Darkflower looked between her daughter and Nightstar before falling back. Frostpool looked to her mother with hurt eyes before turning, and stalking out of camp. Nightstar nodded and looked back to the clan.
"Meeting dismissed."
LightningClan
Leader: Nightstar- built, handsome black tom with orange eyes and a torn ear (Mate: Willowfrost) (Kits: Jaykit, Lilykit, Rainkit, and Flowerkit)
Deputy: Longfur- long-haired brown tabby tom with amber eyes (Mate: Brightface) (Kits: Applekit and Tawnykit)
Medicine Cats: Wormfur- sandy colored tom with patches of fur and blue eyes
Warriors:
Ringtail- gray tom with tabby tail and green eyes (Mate: Grassshine) (Kits: Harespring and Stripefur)
Feverhead- brown tom with a going on fever and blue eyes (Kits: Nightfall and Petalspots)
Darkflower- gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes (Kits: Frostpool and Willowfrost)
Grassshine- light brown she-cat with blue eyes (Mate: Ringtail) (Kits: Harespring and Stripefur)
Harespring- light brown tom with green eyes
Stripefur- gray tabby tom with blue eyes
Petalspots- brown she-cat with pale gray patches and blue eyes
Apprentices:
None
Queens:
Brightface- orange-and-white she-cat with blue eyes (Mate: Longfur) (Kits: Applekit and Tawnykit)
Willowfrost- dark gray tabby she-cat with orange eyes (Mate: Nightstar) (Kits: Jaykit, Lilykit, Rainkit, and Flowerkit)
Kits:
Applekit- dark ginger she-cat with badly scarred blue eyes
Tawnykit- large dark brown and white tabby tom with amber eyes
Jaykit- dark gray tom with black tabby stripe and a white chest
Lilykit- long-furred light gray she-cat with black stripe and white muzzle and tail tip
Rainkit- dark gray, almost black, tom with a lighter patch on his chest
Flowerkit- pale gray she-cat with white, black rimmed spots and black tail tip
Elders:
Badfang- black tom with green eyes and long teeth
Losteye- white she-cat with green eyes and blind in one
RunningClan
Leader: Runstar- slim light brown tabby tom with amber eyes (Mate: Sandleg) (Kits: Windstripe and Spiderfur)
Deputy: Longwind- sleek white-and-gray tom with blue eyes (Apprentice: Mousepaw)
Medicine Cat: Healheart- slim cream-and-brown tom with amber eyes (Apprentice: Lightear)
Warriors:
Forestfoot- slim white tom with large brown paws and green eyes (Apprentice: Grasspaw) (Mate: Softpelt) (Kits: Lightear, Heartpatch, Duskkit, Moonkit, and Dirtkit)
Sandleg- small pale ginger she-cat with dark ginger legs and blue eyes (Mate: Runstar) (kits: Windstripe and Spiderfur)
Fernheart- cream-and-gray she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Braveclaw) (Kits: Grasspaw and Mousepaw)
Rockfang- dark gray-and-black tom with icy blue eyes
Braveclaw- black tom with white chest and amber eyes (Mate: Fernheart) (Kits: Grasspaw and Mousepaw)
Heartpatch- pretty slim brown she-cat with a heart shapped patch on her chest and heather colored eyes
Windstripe- light gray-and-brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Spiderfur- dark brown tom with black underbelly and chest with amber eyes
Apprentices:
Lightear- tan tom with brown patches and blue eyes
Grasspaw- black tom with white patches and green eyes
Mousepaw- gray-and-white she-cat with amber eyes
Queens:
Softpelt- soft light brown she-cat with heather colored eyes (Mate: Forestfoot) (Kits: Lightear, Heartpatch, Duskkit, Moonkit, and Dirtkit)
Kits:
Duskkit- pale ginger tom with blue eyes
Moonkit- white she-cat with green eyes
Dirtkit- brown tom with darker speckling and pale green eyes
Elders:
Deaf-ear- black-and-white tom with pale green eyes who went deaf (Old Mate: Kindears) (Kits: Braveclaw and Runstar)
Kindears- retired queen with brown pelt and amber eyes (Old Mate: Deaf-ear) (Kits: Braveclaw and Runstar)
Runningcloud- soft pelted small gray-and-white she-cat with light blue eyes
CreekClan
Leader: Creekstar- silver tabby tom with blue eyes
Deputy: Fishfur- silver she-cat with amber eyes (Mate: Reedtail) (Kits: Millowpaw, Hollowpaw, and Dashpaw)
Medicine Cat: Leapfish- black tom with blue eyes (Apprentice: Hollowfeather)
Warrior:
Waterpelt- blue-gray tabby tom with light blue eyes (Apprentice: Mosspaw)
Reedtail- black tom with a gray-brown tail and green eyes (Mate: Fishfur) (Kits: Millowpaw, Hollowpaw, and Dashpaw)
Grasswhisker- light brown she-cat with green eyes (Old Mate: George) (Kits: Gingerkit and Mosskit)
Runlake- dark brown tabby tom with orange eyes (Apprentice: Gingerpaw) (Mate: Troutheart) (Kits: Weedpaw, Flowerpaw Cloudkit, Riverkit, Sunkit, and Mothkit)
Lakeleg- silver she-cat with dark gray legs and blue eyes (Mate: Shorefur) (Apprentice: Flowerpaw)
Minnowpool- pretty silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes (Apprentice: Weedpaw)
Dashspots- light brown mottled tom with blue eyes
Apprentice:
Hollowfeather- black she-cat with blue eyes
Weedpaw- dark brown tom with orange eyes
Flowerpaw- light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Gingerpaw- light ginger tom with green eyes
Mosspaw- light brown-white-and gray she-cat with blue eyes
Queens:
Troutheart- light gray she-cat with white mark on chest with blue eyes (Mate: Runlake) (Kits: Weedpaw, Flowerpaw, Cloudkit, Riverkit, Sunkit, and Mothkit)
Shorefur- light, sandy colored she-cat with blue eyes (Mate: Lakeleg)
Kits:
Cloudkit- light gray tom with white paws and blue eyes
Riverkit- gray tom with blue eyes
Sunkit- light brown she-cat with green eyes
Mothkit- dark brown-and-gray tabby tom with amber eyes
Elders:
One-ear- dark brown tom with one ear and orange eyes (Old Mate: Tinyfish) (Kits: Reedtail and Shorefur)
Tinyfish- sandy light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Old Mate: One-ear) (Kits: Reedtail and Shorefur)
Fluffypelt- light gray-and-black tom with green eyes (Kit: Fishfur)
Cats Outside Of Clans
Frostpool- pretty white she-cat with blue eyes (Former LightningClan)