We're getting closer! I've been saying that for the past few chapters, but I think I'm just a bit excited...
Today I'm not gonna post lyrics, but a quote. If anyone can guess it, they can get a Fernpaw plushie, and they can suggest the next chapter's song lyrics/quote! :D Yay!
"The heart may be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!"
Answer in your reviews! So read on!~
Larkblossom
Oh, StarClan! Larkblossom raced after Nightwhisper towards Heatherspring. The white queen was laying on the ground with blood pooling around her. She could barely open her eyes and was too weak to pick her head up from the ground.
The group parted to allow Brownfeather through and she sniffed the she-cat over.
"Tansy! She got tansy!" The medicine cat hissed with fear. She looked at Owlstar, his eyes wide.
"Help me carry her! We need to move quickly!" The leader made his way over to his daughter and helped Brownfeather pick her up. Larkblossom hurried after them alongside Nightwhisper.
Please let her be ok. Please...
Twigclaw tore her way through the group and ran after them with fear pooling in her eyes, and followed Brownfeather into her den when they reached camp with Owlstar at her side.
Larkblossom paced outside the medicine cat den with Nightwhisper and they were soon joined by Eagleshadow, Fawntail and Kindlestrike.
"What happened?" Fawntail asked with fear etched onto her face.
"Brownfeather said something about tansy. There was a lot of blood." Nightwhisper informed them. Brownfeather had shooed most of the other cats away but Larkblossom and Nightwhisper refused to be budged. Larkblossom had to send Redpaw to the apprentice's den after what seemed a lifetime.
Kindlestrike's eyes grew wide.
"The kits! That would kill the kits!" He meowed, shocked, and Fawntail gasped fearfully. She huddled close to her mate. Larkblossom felt her blood go cold again.
Please don't tell me this was on purpose...
If Shadowtail knew those kits were his, there could have been trouble. But he didn't, as far as they knew, so why would Heatherspring eat the tansy? Questions whirled in Larkblossom's mind when Brownfeather peered out of the den. The five cats anxiously perked their ears.
"She'll live, but the kits weren't so fortunate."
Fernpaw
Fernpaw watched on fearfully as Brownfeather gave the weak she-cat yarrow to bring up the rest the tansy.
That's what the yellow plants were! How could I be so stupid?
"Bring me some more cobwebs!" Fernpaw quickly obeyed Brownfeather's command and brought her a wad of cobwebs.
"The kits started coming even though they arent due for two moons...when I tell you to push, push, Heatherspring!" Brownfeather told the queen. Heatherspring weakly nodded and cried out in pain as a large ripple went down her flank.
"Alright, push!" Brownfeather instructed. Heatherspring seemed strained but pushed, and a small form came into the nest behind her. It was motionless and silent. Dead.
Heatherspring cried out again as a strong ripple ran across her flank, and was immediately followed by a second ripple.
"Push! Now!" Brownfeather meowed sharply.
Heatherspring grimaced. "I can't..." She mewed weakly.
"You have to, Heatherspring!" Twigclaw meowed, her voice desperate. Owlstar nodded.
"We can't lose you, so push!" He meowed sharply.
Fernpaw watched their words motivate Heatherspring, and she gave a desperate and final push. Another form tumbled out and was also motionless and silent. Brownfeather took a large oak leaf and wrapped the dead kits in it. The sight was saddening, and Fernpaw felt her heart clench painfully.
"They will be buried later. I will go tell your friends how you are. Fernpaw, get her some poppy seeds." Fernpaw nodded and grabbed the poppy seeds that she had carried with her to the elder's den just earlier. Brownfeather was standing at the mouth of the den, and she returned with Larkblossom, Nightwhisper, Eagleshadow, Fawntail, and Kindlestrike at her paws.
Fernpaw set the poppy seeds at Heatherspring's paws and backed away when her friends began to talk to her softly. They talked to her until she fell asleep, and they left one by one until Brownfeather had to nearly chase Larkblossom, the last of Heatherspring's friends to stay, to the warrior's den. Owlstar and Twigclaw remained close and left when the first rays of dawn began to appear.
Fernpaw kept watch over the cats from her nest. Brownfeather was constantly getting up to see if Heatherspring was alright, and Fernpaw guessed she didn't sleep either. She felt the energy from the even drain from her body, and she felt sleep dragging at her paws when Brownfeather approached her nest the next morning.
"Did you sleep?" The medicine cat asked, her own eyes betraying her lack of sleep. Fernpaw slowly shook her head no. Brownfeather sighed deeply.
"How did this happen?" Brownfeather asked Fernpaw and she sat down in front of her nest. Fernpaw shuffled up onto her paws to look her mentor in the face.
"I think...I think I was tricked." Fernpaw answered honestly. Curiosity shone in Brownfeather's eyes, and she flicked her tail to keep talking.
"Heatherspring came in here while you were away at the Gathering and said Pinefoot sent her, complaining he couldn't sleep. So I left to give him poppy seeds. When I saw he was asleep I checked the nursery and I checked here, but she was gone. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, so I went to sleep." Fernpaw explained, and guilt ate at her because she saw the tansy. But I didn't know what it was...
"I killed those kits." Fernpaw breathed. She looked at her paws with guilt.
"No, you did not. Heatherspring must have known that tansy would have killed the kits because I don't believe that was sheer luck she chose to eat that out from the entire stock." Brownfeather mused and glanced back at the white she-cat.
Heatherspring appeared to be much better than she was last night and her breathing was gentle. She almost seemed to be at more peace too.
"Something must have happened. I don't know any first time mothers to kill their unborn kits like that." Brownfeather continued and got up from her spot. She glanced back Fernpaw.
"Sleep for now. I'll come wake you later." Fernpaw didn't need to be told twice, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Kindlestrike
Anger and confusion boiled in his belly. Why wouldn't have Dawnkit warned him about this?
He stayed with Larkblossom at Heatherspring's nest inside the medicine cat den until early dawn. He could hardly stand by then and left to go to his nest in the warrior's den. He heard Brownfeather chew Larkblossom out and sent her away right after him, and they plopped into their nests just as the other warriors were beginning to stir.
Kindlestrike opened his eyes and found himself in the forest of StarClan. He stood up from the ground and looked around for any familiar faces. I must have been called here, right?
Then he noticed a small cat emerge from the trees. He recognized it as Larkblossom's daughter, Frozenkit. Her dark red fur with brown stripes was a different coloring, and her blue eyes matched her father's.
"Hello." He meowed and dipped his head in greeting. Frozenkit smiled and bounded up to him.
"Nice to see you again, Frozenkit! Were you the one who called me here?" He asked when she settled down. The little kit cocked her head to the side.
"Oh...I think so. I saw that you were angry, and you appeared here after you fell asleep." She mewed and sat down. Kindlestrike flattened his ears and looked towards the forest.
"Is Dawnkit here?" He asked and flicked his tail. He really wanted to speak to the FireClan she-cat.
Frozenkit shook her head no.
"She went to go convince the she-cats to come back to FireClan soon. They went to the caves far from your and FireClan's territory. It will be safe once Larkblossom's destiny has been fulfilled." The kit meowed and stood up.
"You were angry earlier. Why?" She asked and began into walk to the forest. Kindlestrike followed her and sighed.
"I am the Messenger of the Stars. I thought Dawnkit, or at least Olivefur might have warned me that Heatherspring's kits were going to die." He said softly and stared off into the trees. Frozenkit remained quiet until they reached a clearing with the pool in it.
"Look into the pool." Frozenkit instructed and Kindlestrike obeyed. The water was murky, but showed an image of a two miniature cats in a twoleg nest with Heatherspring and Larkblossom. Dusk was there also, and Larkblossom's other kits were next to their mother.
The pool showed the ForestClan territory: it was filled with FireClan toms. The image vanished.
Kindlestrike looked at Frozenkit in confusion.
"If Heatherspring kept her kits, she couldn't have handled what she had done. She confessed to the Clan that the kits were Shadowtail's, and she left the Clan because she was shunned. Larkblossom left with her because a queen couldn't survive alone with such young kits. The Clan was split apart because there was no trust between the cats, and even with RiverClans' help, they were crushed by FireClan and RiverClan." Frozenkit's eyes flashed with wisdom.
"Those kits were destined to die, Kindlestrike. If they had lived through their early birth, Larkblossom wouldn't have completed her destiny. ForestClan would have faded from the stars." Frozenkit's words made Kindlestrike's fur bristle with fear. The prophecy!
"You have to go back now; you need to prepare for war. Your apprentice is waiting." Frozenkit meowed and she went on her hind paws to touch her nose to his forehead. That sent him back to the waking world.
Olivefur
She watched her grandkit speak with the Messenger so calmly and felt pride deep within her chest. She saw Frozenkit from the shadows of the trees show the tom what would happen if those kits survived their early arrival.
Olivefur twitched her ears when she heard her mate approach. Rowanstar gave her a hesitant lick on the cheek, and Olivefur smiled. She had long forgiven her mate.
She knew his vision was clouded with hatred against Witherstar, and he could not see how Briarpath and Larkblossom were destined to be together, however short their time together was. She even was partially glad Rowanstar had emotions connected with Jayfrost erased from Larkblossom's memory, though was concerned that it wasn't the case with Jayfrost.
Olivefur didn't know what power the FireClan leader had obtained, or what he had done to the misled warrior. She knew that he had joined FireClan's ranks, and wasn't happy about it.
Not many of the ranks of StarClan were happy about it. FireClan was lost to them and they had no way to reach them with their medicine cat dead and the apprentice gone. Icewhisp had paced endlessly after Tanglewhisker had joined the stars.
What has happened to us?
Olivefur focused on her grandkit again. She was up on her hind legs and was touching her nose to the Messenger's forehead, and he vanished from their hunting grounds. Olivefur then emerged from her spot with Rowanstar at her side. Frozenkit noticed them and smiled slightly.
"He understands now." She meowed simply and walked away. Olivefur sat down next to the pool and peered down at it. She didn't realize she had sighed until Rowanstar nudged her.
"What is bothering you, dear?" He murmured softly. Olivefur felt her heart clench.
"I am the reason for so much death..." She replied and brought her head down onto her paws. Rowanstar shook his head.
"You only wanted kits. And we have a beautiful daughter now, isn't that better than completing a prophecy that would kill you in the end?" He meowed and looked down at her. His words only brought her more pain.
"But now she might die in my place!" She cried and looked into the pool. The waters were too murky now to see what could happen in the close future.
"In order for the Kin of the Fallen to thrive, one must pay as sacrifice. The Echo of the Forsaken shall rise from the silence of darkness to tame the frenzied wildfire. The son of flames shall wallow in the ashes and lose his way to find his own gain…" Olivefur blinked. The words repeated itself in her mind and she backed away from the water.
That's the same prophecy Dawnkit had told me about. But who are the 'Fallen' and the 'Forsaken'? There were no images accompanied by the prophecy, so Olivefur left the pool.
"She will survive, Olivefur. I'm sure of it." Rowanstar meowed and followed her. She nodded in determination.
I won't let her die.