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 12


Nightstar stormed into the camp, simply telling Longfur to create a hunting patrol for the morning before jumping up to his den. He paced in the den, his claws scrapping along the stone floor. Tomorrow he'd have to take a patrol to Runstar and tell him the truth about Frostpool. She was dangerous, trying to kill Willowfrost on multiple occasions. But Runstar did ask for them not to challenge his choice. Nightstar huffed as he lay in his nest, his eyes narrowed. What was he going to do? Nightstar closed his eyes with a sigh and flicked his ears as he heard paw steps outside the lip of his den. The scent of Willowfrost wafted over him and he flicked his tail, telling her to come in. Willowfrost's soft paw steps echoed in the den as she walked over to him and leaned down, licking his ear.

"Longfur told me something happened at the Meeting. Care to share?" she asked, laying next to him. Nightstar turned on his side, opening his orange eyes and blinked at his mate.

"It's Frostpool. Runstar accepted her into RunningClan." he groaned. "I don't know what to do. I want to go there and tell him the threat she is to the Clans but he asked us not to challenge him."

"Then follow his word." Willowfrost said softly, nuzzling her mate. "If Runstar wants to deal with her, then let him. Frostpool is in his paws now, not ours. So stop worrying. Okay?"

Nightstar looked at her, his eyes examining her pretty face, the only blemish a scar across her nose from when she was attack in the battle. He nodded and licked her cheek. The she-cat smiled with a purr and stood, stretching. As she started out of his den, Nightstar whimpered.

"You can stay in her for one night, right?" he asked, looking to his mate with begging eyes. "The kit's will be fine."

Willowfrost looked at the tom, his orange eyes big and begging. She rolled her eyes with a sigh and walked over, laying next to him. "Sometimes you act just like them." Nightstar purred and licked her cheek. "Now I know where they get it from." she laughed, closing her eyes. Nightstar draped his paw over she-cat's neck and laid his tail over hers, the two mates falling asleep easily with their love next to them.

-x-x-x-

Willowfrost woke the next morning to find Nightstar's nest next to her empty. She felt the warmth of it, knowing that he must have left not too long ago. Willowfrost stretched, sitting up and looking out of the den. Nightstar was in the camp, talking to Longfur about something. Longfur then flicked his tail, Grassshine, Harespring, Tawnypaw, Feverhead, and Petalspots stepping forward. Nightstar then walked to the nursery and nuzzled his kits before looking up to the leaders den and giving his mate one last loving look. He then turned to Longfur, nodding to the tom and the patrol ran out of the camp.

She wondered why Nightstar would take so many cats out on a hunting patrol this morning. Then something kicked in and he eyes widened. "No." she whispered, running out of the den and jumping down, running to the camp entrance. "No!" she yelled, about to run out when Darkflower and Stripefur ran in front of her, blocking her from walking out. "They're going to RunningClan! No, this can't happen!" Willowfrost yowled, trying to get past them.

"The decision has been made Willowfrost." Stripefur said gruffly. "Nightstar is going to talk to Runstar, and if the tom doesn't cooperate, then we'll take action."

"No! He's risking the Clans health. It's not even new leaf yet." She hissed to the tabby.

"Nightstar knows what he is doing Willowfrost." Darkflower said calmly, giving her daughter a sad look. "Just go stay with your kits. They cant have two of their parents out fighting." she gave her daughter a pleading look and Willowfrost sighed, stepping back. The tabby she-cat turned around and walked back to the center of camp. She looked up at the two with fire in her eyes and then ran at them. The two cat's looked frightened as Willowfrost's claws slid out and then she leaped through the air, soaring over them and landed behind the two guard, sprinting out of camp.

As she ran to RunningClan boarder, she heard Darkflower, Stripefur, and Brightface chasing after her. Willowfrost jumped through bushes and swerved around trees, her paws pounding on the ground almost as fast as her heart was in her chest. She busted through the trees at RunningClan border and panted as she saw Nightstar and Runstar talking, Frostpool looking at the black leader with sad eyes.

Time seemed to slow down as Nightstar's look grew angry and then Runstar leaped at the leader of LightingClan, yowling to order his patrol to battle. Willowfrost ran into the battle and jumped on Runstar, pulling the tom off her leader and mate. Runstar growled out, whipping his head around and glaring at the she-cat. He jerked around, trying to get her off, but her claws dug deeper into his back, giving her a firm grip. She bit down on the back of his neck, growling.

"Call the battle off!" she hissed in his ear.

"You mangy LightningClan cats started it." he growled, giving one last buck and sending her flying off. Willowfrost tumbled away, landing hard on her side and getting the breath knocked out of her. She looked up with wide away as Nightstar bucked, sending a RunningClan warrior off of him. The leader turned, growling at the warrior when Runstar appeared next to him suddenly and slashed his neck open. Nightstar's eyes went wide and the tom feel backwards, gasping out as blood stained the grass below him. Runstar looked down at the dying tom, satisfied. Willowfrost struggled to stand up and was about to run at the tom when Longfur jumped up from the crowd and landed on his back, his claws digging into the brown tabby's shoulders and gripped his neck, biting down hard with his long fangs until there was a sharp crack that came from it, the tom falling limp and his eyes lifeless.

Everyone stopped battling, looking down to the two dead leaders. Longwind stepped forward with wide eyes, looking down at his leader with sadness. He leaned down and touched his nose to the toms shoulder and then looked to Nightstar, the black tom beginning to get up, recovering from it with a new life. Nightstar looked to Longwind and the white-and-gray tom then sighed, looking down and then glanced to Willowfrost.

"You're mate was right, there was no need for battle. Now we've lost our leader." Longwind stood and flicked his tail, two warriors from RunningClan stepping forward and picking their fallen leader up. "Met me here tomorrow at sunhigh with your deputy. We shall make a truce." The new leader then turned away and walked back onto his territory with blood stained paws. Longfur gave Nightstar a shoulder to lean on. Nightstar flicked his tail, telling the warriors to go back and then looked over his shoulder to Willowfrost, anger and fright in his eyes.

"Willowfrost, met me in my den once you're wounds are healed." he growled lightly, walking past her with Longfur. "We need to speak."

Willowfrost glared to him, anger still flaring in her blood but also heart break. She just watched the tom she loved die right in front of her eyes. And she hadn't done anything about it. Willowfrost's claws dug into the soft soil of the ground as she looked back at the blood soiled ground. With a final sigh, she turned around and walked back to camp.

-x-x-x-

Willowfrost walked into Nightstar's den, some cotton webs on her pelt. Longfur was sitting with the tom, both of them talking in slightly hushed voices. They stopped and looked up to her and Longfur stood, nodding to his leader and then Willowfrost and walked out of the den, jumping down to the camp and calling over Wormfur to see how the injured were doing. Willowfrost walked forward and sat in front of the black tom, her tail curling neatly around her paws.

"I should punish Darkflower and Stripefur for not listening to my instructions, but once they told me what you did . . ." Nightstar's orange burned into Willowfrosts. After he lost a life, it seemed like a whole new Nightstar came back. "I would have thought you would stayed in camp for the sake of our kits. When we both came back with blood on our pelts, they looked as scared as a cat who watched someone make the final blow on them in battle."

"And I thought you would have listened to me when I said the battle wasn't worth it." Willowfrost said with equal malice in her voice. "Because of that worthless battle, Runstar died. And you lost a life."

"I am the leader Willowfrost." Nightstar snarled. "What I say goes."

Willowfrost growled and her eyes narrowed. "StarClan, you sound just like him." she stood and turned to walk out when Nightstar jumped in front of her, his eyes softened slightly.

"I was worried." he said less harshly, his eyes looking over her face. "I was worried that I was going to loss you in battle."

Willowfrost didn't lessen her strong gaze on him. "I watched you loss a life Nightstar. And I get to watch it happen eight more times." she pushed past him and then looked over her shoulder. "I need sometime to recover." she then jumped down the ledge and walked over to the nursery, her tail disappearing in the den.

Nightstar sighed, looking down at his paws. He then looked up and his eye caught the willow in camp. He looked at it, his eyes narrowed with confusion. Leaves began to fall from it, the branches almost bare. Leaf bare was close to being over, the trees in the forest already sprouting new leaves, fresh and green, but the willow had yet to show a new one. Nightstar stood, his shoulders aching from the battle and turned, walking into his den, letting sleep fall over the weakened clan.

-x-x-x-

At morning, Nightstar was already up and out of the camp. He sat, looking at the Meeting area, his tail flicking behind him. His orange eyes looked over the area, only sitting in the two suns ago talking with the clans peacefully. Now LightningClan and RunningClan had a growing tension between them. Not only that, but CreekClan and LightningClan were just getting over their disagreements. Nightstar narrowed his eyes, thinking. If RunningClan and CreekClan joined forces to battle LightningClan, would they even stand a chance?

"You're thinking too hard again aren't you?" a soft voice came from behind him and Nightstar looked to see his sister, Petalspots walking over. She sat next to him, her tail curling over her paws neatly. "Whenever you think too hard, you're tail always does that weird flicking thing." she said, flciking her tail rapidly to show him what she meant. "So, whats on your mind?"

"The battle . . . Runstar died and a lot of our warriors were injured. Tension between RunningClan and us grow even more now. And we still haven't fulling gotten over the rift with CreekClan. What will we do if they team up and try to go against us?" The leader said, more to himself then to his sister.

"You shouldn't worry about that. At the last Meeting I was walking to a warrior in CreekClan, Minnowpool. She said that RunningClan trespassed on their territory, so RunningClan and CreekClan aren't all friendly either. Besides, we're just about to get out of leaf bare, there's still some tension on the clans until all the prey comes back and we all have full bellies."

Nightstar knew she was saying whatever she could to make him feel better and she then sighed in defeat as his tail went back to flicking rapidly. "Hey, why don't we go hunting like old times?" she stood, her tail flicking with excitement. "The one with the lest amount of prey is a piece of mouse dung!" she laughed, running off into the forest. Nightstar smiled and stood, shaking his pelt out and chased the brown-and-gray she-cat.

"I'm going to catch more then you!" she sang over her shoulder as she jumped up in the air, her paws catching a bird that was taking flight. Nightstar cursed under his breath and his nose twitched as he caught the scent of a vole. Running past his sister who killed the bird easily, her followed the scent and came out to a small clearing in their territory, the vole sitting wide open. Without a second thought, the leader pounced and caught the vole, snapping it's neck easily. His ears twitch as he head his sister running to catch up with him.

"Nice catch Nightstar." she purred, dropping her bird. "Although, it's not quite as good as mine." Nightstar laughed and cuffed his sister over the ear.

Both of their ears went up right as a sudden yowl echoed through the forest. The two looked at each other before turning and running right to the RunningClan border from where it came. They stopped right in their tracked when they saw what lay before them.

Runstar's eyes were open and still hanging onto life. The two cats looked at each other before Nightstar stepped forward. "Runstar . . . I th-" he stopped as he saw the rough, jagged cut that ran over his throat, blood pulsing out.

"This is the last . . ." the tom breathed, more blood coming out with each word. "You were . . . right. Sh-She's not trusted. W-Warn L-Longstar. He do . . . doesn't . . . doesn't have-" Runstar gasped out with one last breath before his eyes went dull.

"Runstar? Runstar, can you hear me?" Nightstar asked, his tail flicking nervously behind him. Nightstar looked over to Petalspots who looked at the dead tom with scared eyes. "Go to camp, tell Longfur to come right away with Wormfur." the she-cat nodded and turned, running away. Nightstar looked back to the dead tom, his orange eyes searching his face and then his body for clues of who the killed was.

Something white caught his eye and he looked at the claws of the leader. Nightstar's breath hitched with fright as he looked at the fur caught in the old leaders claws.

Pure white.


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: Applepaw and Tawnypaw)

Medicine Cats: Wormfur- sandy colored tom with patches of fur and blue eyes (Apprentice: Applepaw)

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: Nightstar 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)

Brightface- orange-and-white she-cat with blue eyes (Mate: Longfur) (Kits: Applepaw and Tawnypaw)

Harespring- light brown tom with green eyes (Apprentice: Tawnypaw)

Stripefur- gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Petalspots- brown she-cat with pale gray patches and blue eyes

Apprentices:

Applepaw- small ginger she-cat with blind, scarred blue eyes

Tawnypaw- large dark brown and white tabby tom with amber eyes

Queens:

Willowfrost- dark gray tabby she-cat with orange eyes (Mate: Nightstar) (Kits: Jaykit, Lilykit, Rainkit, and Flowerkit)

Kits:

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

-x-x-

RunningClan

Leader: Longstar- sleek white-and-gray tom with blue eyes (Mate: Windstripe)

Deputy: Undecided

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 (Mate: Softpelt) (Kits: Lightear, Heartpatch, Duskpaw, Moonpaw, and Dirtpaw)

Fernheart- cream-and-gray she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Braveclaw) (Kits: Grasspatch and Mousetail)

Rockfang- dark gray-and-black tom with icy blue eyes (Apprentice: Dirtpaw) (Mate: Heartpatch)

Softpelt- soft light brown she-cat with heather colored eyes (Mate: Forestfoot) (Kits: Lightear, Heartpatch, Duskpaw, Moonpaw, and Dirtpaw)

Braveclaw- black tom with white chest and amber eyes (Mate: Fernheart) (Kits: Grasspatch and Mousetail)

Spiderfur- dark brown tom with black underbelly and chest with amber eyes (Apprentice: Moonpaw)

Frostpool- pretty white she-cat with a torn ear and blue eyes (Apprentice: Duskpaw)

Grasspatch- black tom with white patched and green eyes

Mousetail- gray-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentices:

Lightear- tan tom with brown patches and blue eyes

Duskpaw- pale ginger tom with blue eyes

Moonpaw- white she-cat with green eyes

Dirtpaw- brown tom with darker speckling and pale green eyes

Queens:

Heartpatch- pretty slim brown she-cat with a heart shaped patching on her chest and heather colored eyes (Mate: Rockfang)

Windstripe- light gray-and-brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Mate: Longstar)

Kits:

None

Elders:

Sandleg- small pale ginger she-cat with dark ginger legs and blue eyes (Kits: Windstripe and Spiderfur)

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

-x-x-

CreekClan

Leader: Creekstar- silver tabby tom with blue eyes

Deputy: Fishfur- silver she-cat with amber eyes (Mate: Reedtail) (Kits: Minnowpool, Hollowfeather, and Dashspots)

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: Minnowpool, Hollowfeather, and Dashspots)

Runlake- dark brown tabby tom with orange eyes (Apprentice: Gingerpaw) (Mate: Troutheart) (Kits: Weedwhisker, Flowerstripe Cloudkit, Riverkit, Sunkit, and Mothkit)

Lakeleg- silver she-cat with dark gray legs and blue eyes (Mate: Shorefur)

Minnowpool- pretty silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Dashspots- light brown mottled tom with blue eyes

Weedwhisker- dark brown tom with orange eyes

Flowerstripe- light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice:

Hollowfeather- black 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)

Grasswhisker- light brown she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Unknown) (Kits: Gingerpaw and Mosspaw)

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)