Hey, everyone!
Sorry for not updating on Wednesday. This is the third time I have tried to write this, because it kept deleting or not loading to the doc.
This will be gradually getting darker, but will have a few lighter moments now and then.
Thank you to all of those who have reviewed! I read all of them, and will respond to questions and requests!
Enjoy!
. . .
Unknown location
. . .
Two cats padded side-by-side in a dark forest. The air smelled of crow-food, even though there was no prey to be heard. The sky was dark, no stars in sight. The trees were bare, their twisting branches slanting overhead. The ground was spongy and slimy, covered in moss, and it made a squishing sound as the pair walked on it. There was a green, sludgy river, if you could call it that, running besides the path. The two cats ignored it, continuing on their journey.
The tom was in the lead by a few paces. He was a large, gray cat with piercing yellow eyes and short fur. The other cat was a female, who had dark brown-and-gold brindled fur.
As they continued walking, the she-cat asked sharply, "When do we strike?"
The tom chuckled in amusement, his eerie voice bouncing off the trees around them. "Patience, young Junipervine. You shall see. I am many moons older than you, don't forget. I know what I'm doing. You came to this forest barely 20 moons ago."
The female, Junipervine, snarled. "Why can't we make our move now? She is obviously ready. We just have to... you know."
The tom shook his head. "No. Calm down, young one. Do you pounce as soon as you spot your prey? Do you attack as soon as you spot a cat? Do you jump as soon as you make it to the top of a tree? No, you don't. You wait. You plan. You stalk. That is the same thing as what we are doing."
Junipervine twitched her tail over the rotting leaf-mulch, snarling. "Well, how do we make the process faster, Quiverhawk?" she demanded.
Quiverhawk sighed. "Junipervine, Junipervine. What got you killed the last time? Oh, I know, rushing into battle unprepared. This is the same kind of thing, only with a different outcome. If we strike too soon, she will be prepared for our next attack. We would have to start all over from the beginning, with a different cat."
The brindled calico glared at Quiverhawk. "Whatever. As long as we have our time, very well."
He smirked. "Good. Now, let us discuss..."
. . .
Twilight.
Midnight.
Starlight.
Dawn.
Morning.
Moonsong had not slept a wink. The morning sun was slanting into the den, making leaf-shapes with light on her Clanmates' pelts. Moonsong grunted as she shifted in her nest, her stiff legs refusing to move, and her paws numb.
She shook each paw in turn, trying to loosen up her legs at the same time as shaking out the fuzzy feeling in her feet. Lavenderfern was snoring lightly beside her, with Turtlefoot on the other. Moonsong slowly stood up, making her way carefully out of the den, crisp air filled her lungs, giving her a new energy. She briskly padded over to the fresh-kill pile, a mouse left over from last night sitting on top. She grabbed it, pulling it over to the side of camp. There, she ate it up quickly, discarded the remains, and headed out.
Staring at the ground, she walked to the TwilightClan border. She wanted to see a certain someone and catch up, as she had not seen him since the battle.
As she padded on, she wondered how Falconpaw was getting on. Was he happy? How was his training? Was he still even an apprentice? Most likely not. He was a few moons older than her, about the same gap between Moonsong and Turtlefoot, and both were warriors.
She stepped out from behind a patch of bushes at the border with TwilightClan, sniffing the air for any sign of Falconpaw.
There.
There was a fresh set of pawprints leading to a small clearing. She sniffed the air once more, and happily, she burst forward, recognizing the scent.
"Falconpaw!"
The tom was sitting alone in the clearing, staring at the sky. He jumped, and turned around sharply at her shout. He slid out his claws, snarling as he bared his teeth, before relaxing as he saw it was Moonsong.
"Moonpaw! How are you?" He rushed forward, burying his muzzle into her fur. She purred, letting him for a few moments before pulling back.
"I'm not Moonpaw anymore! I got my warrior name a few days ago. I'm Moonsong, now."
"A beautiful name for a beautiful she-cat, huh? Well, in that case, my name is now Falconstrike."
Moonsong laughed at his terrible flirting. "Stop it! Falconstrike," she added. Falconstrike chuckled. "Well, Moonsong, what do you want to do?" Moonsong thought for a moment. "Well, I just thought that I should see you and check in on how you were doing, so I didn't tell anyone I was gone. Sunshadow will probably be looking for me, the big piece of crow-food," she muttered.
Falconstrike drew back in surprise. "Sunshadow-? Oh, your brother. How is he handling the secret? And why do you seem to hate him so much?" Moonsong rolled her eyes. "Oh, Sunshadow? Doing fine, I guess. He isn't talking to me much, though. Sometimes just flat-out ignoring me." Falconstrike sighed. "Does he hate you? Or is he just angry?"
"I don't know," she replied as she glanced down at the ground. "Of course he's angry, but I don't know if he hates me." Falconstrike murmured sympathetically. "Maybe he's just jealous. Be careful, though, Moonsong. He might try to break us up, make lies about us, or something much worse." He straightened up. "Well, we should be getting back to our Clans. Meet me here tonight at twilight?" Moonsong nodded. "Of course. Love you," she whispered. Falconstrike's eyes softened. "Love you too," he whispered back.
. . .
Lavenderfern was sitting beside Turtlefoot, Moonsong on the other side.
"So, what should we do for the rest of the day? Turtlefoot and I went on a hunting patrol earlier, and Moonsong went out by herself on patrol and brought back prey." Moonsong flinched slightly, a bit worried that her friends would connect the dots and find out her secret. But both she-cats seemed to pass right over the observation.
"Anyways, I was thinking we could go out for a little swim. It's getting warmer out, and it would feel good to take a dip in the pond up by the border." Turtlefoot nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. What about you, Moonsong?" Moonsong nodded absently. "Sounds good." Lavenderfern smiled. "Alright, then, swimming it is! Let's go!" As they raced out of camp, Moonsong caught Sunshadow glaring at them as they left. What does he want? she wondered. Her mind seemed to answer, He doesn't matter. He doesn't deserve you. Right.
. . .
Junipervine paced around as she waited for Quiverhawk to get back. She stared up at the dark sky, briefly missing the comfort of the stars. A few moments later Quiverhawk appeared back, seeming to materialize out of the shadows. Junipervine turned around, instantly curious.
"How did it go?" she asked. Quiverhawk smiled evilly. "It went good, alright. Very good."
. . .
So, how did you like it? I really like Junipervine and Quiverhawk. How about you?
Remember, the contest is still open until November 5th! 13 more days to enter!
I decided to respond at the end of the chapter this time.
Guest1729273: You are correct. I decided to make it obvious that Sunkit and Moonkit were the chosen ones in the prophecy, but I have multiple ideas for plot twists. Thank you for reviewing! Cookies! (::) (::)
FrostedShadowx: I actually had chosen that name for Falconpaw before you recommended it! Sunshadow will not kill Moonsong, but I have an interesting idea. It will all play out in the end. Cookies! (::) (::)
Fastbreeze37: Rookflight will be used in an upcoming story! Cookies! (::) (::)