RATED T FOR VIOLENCE AND JUST IN CASE.
PROPHECY OF DARKNESS- ALLEGIANCES:
-ThunderClan
LEADER: Sunstar: a light gold she-cat with yellow eyes and white spots. (Sister: Goldensun) (Kit(s): Oakpelt) (Mate: Unknown)
DEPUTY: Blackstripe: a dark gray tom with black stripes and dark green eyes. (Apprentice: Foxpaw)
MEDICINE CAT: Goldensun: a golden tabby she-cat with orange stripes and blue eyes (Sister: Sunstar)
WARRIORS:
Darksky: a black and dark gray tom with orange eyes (Apprentice: Ashpaw) (Mate: Sandbreeze)
Doepelt: a light brown she-cat with white spots and yellow eyes (Apprentice: Firepaw)
Tigerstripe: a orange tabby tom with black stripes and yellow eyes.
Halftail: a old gray tom with green eyes.
Oakpelt: a light brown tabby tom with dark green eyes and one black ear. (Apprentice: Windpaw)
Gorserunner: a orange tabby tom with yellow eyes and black specks.
Sweetfern: a Sphynx she-cat with wrinkled skin and black and white fur and narrowed yellow eyes.
Weedtail: a round, fluffy light orange-red tom with green eyes and a tear in one ear.
QUEENS:
Orangeflower: a orange-red she-cat with orange eyes. (Kit(s): Owlkit, Shadowedkit, Redkit) (Mate: Silentshadow (Dead)) (Sister: Sandbreeze)
Sandbreeze: a sand-colored she-cat with yellow eyes (Kit(s): Bluekit, Flowerkit) (Mate: Darksky) (Sister: Orangeflower)
APPRENTICES:
Ashpaw: a gray she-cat with green eyes.
Firepaw: a orange tom with yellow eyes.
Windpaw: a white she-cat with black and orange spots and blue eyes.
Foxpaw: a handsome, large orange and black tom with a bushy tail and bright yellow eyes.
KITS:
Flowerkit: a slender light brown she-cat with yellow eyes.
Bluekit: a blue-black she-cat with dark yellow eyes.
Owlkit: a light brown she-cat with yellow owl-like eyes.
Shadowedkit: a black tom with dark gray belly, paws, muzzle, and tail tip, with yellow eyes.
Redkit: a dark brown tom who appears crimson in the sunlight. Has bright orange eyes and a short muzzle.
ELDERS:
Shatteredgaze: a dark gray tom, retired early due to failing eye-sight.
-ShadowClan
LEADER: Smokestar: a smoky-gray tom with yellow eyes. (Mate: Forestgaze) (Sister: Breezetail)
DEPUTY: Frostshadow: a large, menacing black and white tom with frost-blue eyes.
MEDICINE CAT: Nightbreeze: a small, black she-cat with cold green-blue eyes and white chest, paws, and muzzle.
WARRIORS:
Windpelt: a graceful silver she-cat with black stripes and dark blue eyes. Has slight hearing problems. (Apprentice: Rockpaw) (Sister: Silvertail)
Bluecloud: a tiny, extremely fluffy blue-black she-cat with big green eyes.
Berrytail: a black tom with green eyes. (Apprentice: Twigpaw)
Silvertail: a black she-cat with silver patches and tail, narrow dark yellow-green eyes. (Sister: Windpelt)
Fishleap: a brown tabby tom with yellow eyes and small ears.
Treeclimber: a large, muscular black and white Norwegian Forest cat that is very fluffy, with a bushy tail and dark green eyes.
Duskfire: a small and short pale brown tabby she-cat with orange-brown paws, tail, and ears. Has sea-green eyes and a bushy tail.
Sandclaw: a sand-colored tom with dark brown paws, face, and short tail. Has sky-blue eyes and somewhat long claws.
APPRENTICES:
Rockpaw: a large dark gray tom with light gray stripes and yellow eyes.
Twigpaw: a tiny, dark brown tabby tom with a skinny tail and dark brown eyes.
Fogpaw: a full-black she-cat with glittering green eyes.
QUEENS:
Forestgaze: a slightly small brown she-cat with dark brown spots and forest-green eyes. (Kit(s): Tinykit, Brownkit, and Rockpaw) (Mate: Smokestar)
Snowflower: a white she-cat with light gray stripes and blue eyes. (Kit(s): Darkkit and Lightkit) (Mate: Unknown)
KITS:
Tinykit: a small, light gray tom with yellow eyes.
Brownkit: a brown tom with yellow eyes.
Lightkit: a white she-kit with blue eyes.
Darkkit: a black tom with blue eyes.
ELDERS:
Breezetail: a light gray she-cat with yellow eyes (Brother: Smokestar)
Ravenfeather: a black tom with green eyes.
Birdsong: a brown she-cat with blue eyes.
-WindClan
LEADER: Longstar: a orange tom with a long tail.
DEPUTY: Icewind: a light gray tom with white spots and dark orange eyes.
MEDICINE CAT: Deerleap: a light brown tom with white spots and green eyes.
WARRIORS:
Nightshadow: a black tom with orange eyes.
-RiverClan
LEADER: Howlstar: a fluffy dark grey British Short-hair she-cat with a flat face and expressionless yellow eyes.
MEDICINE CAT: Silentsky: a black and white Manx cat with an old scar on his shoulder, has a short tail and fiery orange eyes. (Apprentice: Moonpaw)
WARRIORS:
Snowlight: a sleek white she-cat with pale blue eyes and a long tail. Is somewhat deaf. (Kit(s): Moonpaw, Ember (Half-kit)) (Former Mate: Stone)
APPRENTICES:
Moonpaw: a beautiful, slender blue-ish silver she-cat with bright green eyes and long black stripes.
-SkyClan
LEADER: Ravenstar: a small black tom with faint white specks across his back and orange eyes.
DEPUTY: Fallenhawk: a brown tabby tom with pale brown patches and warm green eyes.
MEDICINE CAT: Nettlefall: a white and light gray tom with darker gray ears and paws. Yellow eyes.
-Cats Outside of Clans:
Ember: an orange tabby she-cat with glowing amber eyes and black socks.
Stone: a menacing and large dark grey tom with black jagged stripes and lifeless orange eyes. Has some odd claw-mark scars on his tail, neck, and one across his chest. (Former Mate: Snowlight)
Sunlight: a white she-cat with one blue eye and one yellow eye. (Kit(s): Ember)
Sunny: a light yellow she-cat with yellow eyes. A kittypet. (Sister: Snowy)
Snowy: a white she-cat with blue eyes. A kittypet. (Sister: Sunny)
Breezewind: A white she-cat with yellow eyes and dark gray stripes. Now a kittypet. (Kit(s): Snowy, Sunny)
Other Animals:
Speedy: Black and white border collie pup who lives on the barn.
(UNKNOWN POV)
A chilling breeze swept over the moor grass, muddy with each step as the short, glimmering silver she-cat trailed behind her mentor. Her fur was ruffled by the wind, like blades of ice drifting over the valley. A half moon glowed dimly in the sky, casting a cold glow on the shapes of the exhausted cats. Dark clouds drifted around like loose pieces of smoke, blocking the light of the stars here and there.
I hate it here, the silver tabby thought grimly as her tail dragged in the mud, casting a sharp glare at a hare scurrying by, this horrible place smells horribly of stinky, dumb rabbits. There's no trees or bushes or rivers. Just endless, dark fields of hills, grass, and marshes on this moor. Her legs felt like twigs and she wanted to collapse and just fall asleep in a warm nest back at camp. Why in StarClan's name would WindClan like it in this muddy swamp with no trees or plants or anything growing?!
"Hurry up, Moonpaw. Your first night at the Moonpool and you can't even hike up a hill without stopping to stare at every passing rabbit or fern and complain your legs are sore. I have no idea why StarClan chose you of all cats to be my apprentice." a voice hissed, making the silver cat jump.
StarClan is just a bunch of garbage, they aren't real. Moonpaw wanted to snap back, but she bit her tongue and stayed silent for a few seconds before mewing quietly: "Yes, Silentsky..."
Silentsky kept walking. He didn't look back at her as he spoke: "We're almost there, so you better look dignified and important like a real medicine cat. This is a very special honor you get to have, and being a sorry, lazy fish-brain who can't even walk a couple of steps without moaning about her hurt paws is not tolerated here."
Moonpaw nodded obediently, but she didn't think Silentsky saw it. Nothing could please the old medicine cat.
(One moon earlier: Riverclan camp)
Moonkit was only six moons old, she knew it was her special day. Not anyone else's. Just her's. Today, she would become an apprentice, a sign she was growing up and not just a weak, defenseless kit anymore. She would train to be a warrior, to hunt for her Clan and fight for her Clan and live the ways of her Clan.
I wonder who my mentor will be? Will they be nice? Am I really going to be a great warrior? A million questions rushed like a river through Moonkit's small head while she sat down, letting her mother groom her fur. Ha! While Ember sits like a lazy fat bum eating mice at the barn, I become a honorable, brave apprentice who knows how to fight for herself! Moonkit didn't feel sad at the thought of her half-sister rogue who stayed back at the barn with father, instead she grinned stupidly at the idea of Ember being nothing more than an outcast. She deserves it, that foul liar.
"No squirming! Oh, you silly adorable kit- Ow! Don't hit me with your tail, Moonkit!" Snowlight mrrowed with laughter at Moonkit's impatient behavior.
"Moooommm..." moaned Moonkit. "I'm Moonpaw now, and I can groom my own fur on my own!"
"Oh, is that so? Last I checked, kits don't become a 'paw' until after the ceremony." Snowlight responded teasingly. "Plus, you can't get any of that mud behind your ear even if you did groom yourself. What did you do; jump into mud puddles?"
Moonkit shuffled her paws nervously. "Yes. Yes I did. Sorry, the mud was messy, but fun to jump in and splash at the other apprentices... I thought I got it all off when I went in the shallow end of the river-"
"No need to be sorry. I used to do things like that all the time when I was your age. Now, really this time, please stop squirming!" Snowlight's meow was more stern.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" yelled Howlstar.
"Go on, now." Snowlight bent down and whispered to Moonkit. Moonkit bounded off immediately to the meeting quicker than a WindClan cat. She skidded to a stop, almost crashing into another apprentice in the back.
"Today is a great day for RiverClan. We haven't had this many warriors or apprentices in moons, and I believe it is time for a kit from our nursery to take on her apprentice name." Howlstar told the gathered cats. Moonkit caught sight of a black and white cat at the edge of the meeting, near the rock. Silentsky, Moonkit realized. The medicine cat despised Moonkit, just because she was half rogue. It's not my fault my father chose not to join RiverClan. It's not my fault my mother brought me back from the forest instead of letting me stay with Ember and Stone. It's not like I had a choice when I was only three moons old. Today Silentsky looked especially grumpy, his ice-cold glower looked daggers at the cats around him.
She was brought back to attention when Howlstar continued. "Moonkit, step forward."
All at once, many pairs of eyes looked down at Moonkit as she walked through the crowd, her excitement swiftly turning to fear. What if they all think I shouldn't be an apprentice because I'm half loner? What if I mess up? What if- she pushed away her nervous thoughts as she walked towards the front of the crowd and looked up at Howlstar's silhouette, blocking out the light of the sunrise above her.
"Moonkit." she said, her yellow eyes looking down at Moonkit's green ones. "You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, you will be known as Moonpaw." She paused for a moment and looked over at Silentsky, who looked like he wanted to say something from the way his black and white tail was flicking anxiously. Howlstar nodded at him and Silentsky leaped deftly onto the rock and meowed quietly into Howlstar's ear.
The leader sat down and curled her tail around her paws, seeming deep in thought as Silentsky jumped off the rock and returned to his position in the meeting. "Very well..." Howlstar muttered under her breath.
Oh no, oh no, oh no this can't be good... did Silentsky tell her I'm not ready and should be exiled because I'm not a full Riverclan cat!? Moonpaw had heard the story of how Snowlight had almost been banished because of her forbidden love, but was spared by Howlstar.
"Moonpaw, your mentor will be Silentsky. I hope Silentsky will pass down all he knows on to you." Howlstar meowed flatly. A low murmur ran through the crowd. Moonpaw blinked, trying to process what she just heard. Howlstar looked over at Silentsky and continued after flicking her tail in a motion to silence the crowd. "Silentsky, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Morningstrike and have shown yourself to be loyal and hard working, you will be the mentor of Moonpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Moonpaw."
Silentsky walked over and gently touched noses with Moonpaw, before resuming his spot in the crowd.
"Moonpaw! Moonpaw! Moonpaw!" the Clan cheered. Moonpaw never felt happier or lighter, her expression bright as she beamed at the crowd.
I'm finally an apprentice.
"MOONPAW!"
Moonpaw was snapped out of the memory at Silentsky's shout. "Hurry up, we don't have all night. We're here, and the other medicine cats are waiting!"
Moonpaw raced up the slope after him and looked down at the Moonpool below them. On one side was a steep cliff in the small hollow, water flowed out of the cleft and ran down into the pool. Moonpaw looked at the path leading down to it, with ancient paw prints as well as some new ones in the mud. The Moonpool sparkled in the half-moon's light, glittering stars reflected on it's surface.
Down on the stone beach four cats were sat down waiting. One was a fluffy golden tabby she-cat, with long fur that was the color of dandelions, she had long orange stripes running down her back and had her tail curled around her white paws. Her curious electric blue eyes looked down at Moonpaw and she smiled sweetly. She seems nice, unlike that one... Moonpaw glanced warily at a lean, tall black she-cat, with fur the color of the dark night sky above them, which was contrasted by a ghost-white chest, muzzle, and the end of her tail. The dark she-cat had green-blue eyes that were filled with malice and hate, her slitted pupils glaring at every cat as if studying them like new victims or prey.
On the opposite side of the Moonpool was a light brown tom with fur the color of beach sand, he had small white spots flecked on his pelt like snow, and had the same green eyes as the black she-cat, except less mean looking, his cream-colored tail was lashing back and forth impatiently. Next to him, a skinny white tom with light gray patches stood calmly, he had dark gray paws and ears, with a short muzzle and small nose.
"You're late." hissed the black she-cat, her voice icy and slithery like a snake's.
"I'm horribly sorry for the delay," meowed Silentsky, he didn't speak to her as if she were a friend or an enemy, and he didn't seem scared of Nightbreeze at all. Maybe she just looks scary, but could be really nice, Moonbreeze thought silently. She'd learned in the past that she couldn't judge a cat by how they looked when she met Silentsky, he seemed like a friendly and compassionate cat, when he was actually, well... Silentsky. "My new apprentice here doesn't like walking short distances apparently." his mew turned harsh at the word 'apprentice', making Moonpaw flinch.
"Apprentice?" parroted the white and gray tom. "Well, it's about time! You're a grumpy ancient sack of old bones and failing eyesight, Silentsky, you should've had one of 'em a long time ago!"
Silentsky narrowed his eyes coldly at the tom, biting back any retorts with his tail lashing furiously. Moonpaw looked between her mentor and the white tom. It didn't seem like Silentsky was losing his sight
"Nettlefall," the golden she-cat said, "this is no way to treat the medicine cat of RiverClan. Who is TOTALLY so dignified and better than the rest of us!" she meowed sarcastically. "Goodness, how is this poor thing surviving with such a horrible, demanding mentor." she looked back at Silentsky and frowned.
"Can we not argue?" asked a new meow. Moonpaw looked over at the light-brown tom. "We might as well get this over and introduce ourselves, then at last speak with StarClan. I'm Deerleap, medicine cat of WindClan. And this lovely ray of sunshine-" he flicked his tail to the black she-cat. "-is our good friend Nightbreeze of ShadowClan." Nightbreeze spat back in response and muttered something that sounded like "skinny frog-brained rabbit-chaser" under her breath.
"That's Nettlefall, the new medicine cat of SkyClan after Sunmeadow's unexpected demise." he nodded to the white and gray tom, who flicked his ear to acknowledge he'd heard him. "And last but not least, we have Goldensun, the medicine cat of ThunderClan." Silentsky pointed his tail towards the golden she-cat.
Goldensun looked over at Moonpaw. "And who might your apprentice be, Silentsky?"
"I-I'm... uh..." Moonpaw stammered nervously under the powerful looks of all the medicine cats. She wished that she had Ember's stubbornness and confidence right now, Moonpaw was nothing like her brave half-sister.
"Her name's Moonpaw. Remember that Howlstar mentioned 'Snowlight's new kit' at the last Gathering? Well, she's older now, but still as lazy and mouse-brained as she used to be." Silentsky frowned disapprovingly at Moonpaw.
Goldensun shook her head. "Silentsky, if you want to make your Clan look good, then stop making the future RiverClan medicine cat look like the worst apprentice in history. I'm sure she'll be as great as you are and hopefully not as grumpy." Future medicine cat? Is that what being a medicine cat's apprentice means? Moonpaw wondered, gaping in shock.
"Not as much of a grouch as Nightbreeze is, am I right?" Nettlefall joked.
"I'll gladly claw your ears off and feed you to the badgers if you dare act like the foolish squirrel-brained idiot you are one more time." Nightbreeze grumbled.
"Can we not?" Goldensun asked. "StarClan wishes for us medicine cats to be united and equal, not joking around or taunting each other like kits."
Deerleap nodded. "Yes, we might as well get this meeting with StarClan over with so we can head back to our Clans. We don't have all night."
"But first-" Silentsky said before the medicine cats sat down. He looked over at Moonpaw. "Moonpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?"
Moonpaw felt her breath stop for a moment. She stood rigid as all the other medicine cats looked down at her. Taking a deep breath, she meowed: "It is."
Silentsky nodded: "Then come forward."
Moonpaw stepped carefully towards her new mentor as he said: "Warriors of StarClan, I present with you this apprentice. They have chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant them your wisdom and insight so that they may understand your ways and heal their Clan in accordance with your will."
The medicine cats meowed and yowled with praise, chanting: "Moonpaw! Moonpaw! Moonpaw!"
When the cheering died down, the medicine cats went over to the stone beach by the Moonpool. As Silentsky went with them, he glanced back at Moonpaw and explained: "Crouch down beside the water and lap a few drops, then touch the surface with your nose."
It's that simple? She wondered, joining the others, her paws slipping into the paw prints of ancient cats who lived here since the Clans moved to the lake territory. Their noses were already touched to the water and they were in a deep slumber. Frowning, Moonpaw bent her head to the water and lapped a few drops. When she touched her nose to it, she felt an icy chill rush through her and she shivered with cold, as if leafbare snow had been dumped onto her pelt. Struggling not to jolt back in shock, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the darkness surround her as she fell asleep.
The first thing Moonpaw wondered as she opened her eyes was where in the five Clans she was. Certainly not WindClan territory, these moors seemed unfamiliar to her. Maybe the old WindClan territory, back in the old forest where the four Clans used to live? She's always heard nursery tales from the other queens when she joined RiverClan after being separated from Ember, about the old territories that had been destroyed by twolegs so, so many seasons ago...
Lush leaf-green grass stretched out for miles, with a cloudless ink-black sky and bright stars suspended midair. A calm silver mist gently swirled around her, a half-moon glowing like a spotlight in the serene onyx sky. A silent, tranquil breeze blew over the meadow, slightly ruffling Moonpaw's fur. It's so peaceful here... she thought, struck dead-silent and agape with awe.
The wind carried a familiar scent to her, and she looked over to see Nightbreeze and Silentsky next to her, who looked just as baffled as she was.
"Is this StarClan territory?" Moonpaw asked. Clearly the answer was quite obvious, as Silentsky just rolled his eyes as if he expected her to already know.
From the mist, the dark silhouette of a cat- several cats, stepped in front of them. The mist cleared and Moonpaw could see them more clearly: they all were all translucent, and Moonpaw could just barely see the forest of StarClan beyond them. They had specks of twinkling glitter in their pelts that reminded Moonpaw of stars, and a frosty glimmer around their paws and where they stepped.
"Blackwing." Goldensun dipped her head to a large black she-cat among the StarClan cats.
"You've grown so much since I've last seen you, Goldensun. Are you taking good care of ThunderClan now that I'm gone?" Asked Blackwing, and Goldensun nodded.
"Wait a minute," Silentsky hissed. "Why are they here?" He signaled his tail towards Goldensun and Nightbreeze. "If this is a prophecy meant for RiverClan, then why are they here?"
"Because it isn't meant for only RiverClan if all three medicine cats of RiverClan, ThunderClan, and ShadowClan hear it." a pale white she-cat scorned. The way she looked and spoke reminded Moonpaw of her mother, Snowlight. "It's a prophecy meant for all three of your Clans. A great darkness is coming from within the Clans, which relates to the prophecy we're about to give you. Silentsky, when will you learn that when one Clan is affected by a prophecy, all or multiple of the Clans can be affected, too?"
Silentsky's ears pinned to his head in embarrassment, and Moonpaw felt a burst of pride knowing that he wasn't a perfect medicine cat, either. Going around like he's the best! HA!
"So? What is it, Blackwing?" Goldensun asked. "What is so important to RiverClan that even my Clan has to know?"
In a low voice, Blackwing began to speak:
"Within a Clan once glorified by their power,
A dark shadow lies hidden, choosing for the perfect moment to strike
In the Clan of Thunder's darkest hour,
A silent traitor to the code, a cat red as blood, waiting to fight."
Narrowing her eyes, Blackwing said to Goldensun: "A Shadow of Red will destroy the Clan. Prepare for the coming darkness, Goldensun."
An orange tom-cat with ragged fur and a twisted tail looked to Nightbreeze and meowed:
"A stranger to the forest
A cat with a pelt of fire and flames shall come, to decide to fate of one Clan,
When ShadowClan is at it's weakest point
The Ember of Fire will choose if it burns in history or rises in legends."
"And RiverClan? What do we have to do with this?" Silentsky asked, sounding more irritated and annoyed than curious. Blackwing's eyes glittered with a strange darkness and mystery as she looked up at him.
"Almost everything. Eventually, your Clan will be forced into the turmoil between the two Clans, and whether RiverClan is scattered or driven out will be up to the minds of the Ember of Fire and the Shadow of Red." Blackwing answered. "All three of you must warn your Clans of the prophecy when you return."
"Wait-" Nightbreeze mewed before Blackwing could continue speaking. "These prophecies make no sense at all. How could a forest fire decide whether my Clan becomes the greatest or dies off? And who is this 'stranger to the forest'?"
The white she-cat shook her head. "You will all find out soon enough. But now we can't tell you." At this, Nightbreeze hissed and lashed her tail furiously.
"You want the Clans to survive? Then don't let the medicine cats themselves lie confused, with no clues at all on how to solve this prophecy to 'save the Clans'!" Nightbreeze snapped back.
Before the other medicine cats could ask anymore questions or agree with Nightbreeze's statement, the silver mist grew and shrouded the area, the StarClan warriors vanishing in a blinding blaze of starlight. The sky darkened with black clouds that came down to the earth, surrounding them in an endless darkness.
And when Moonpaw opened her eyes, she was back at the Moonpool, with the words of the prophecy ringing in her ears.
A/N: Yes, this is Moonstar of ShadowClan speaking after almost TWO MONTHS (or three, I lose track of time) of vanishing. Pretty sure you all completely forgot about me in that time. ;-; Anyway, in case you are wondering (which I am assuming you are) I did delete "The Tale of Emberstar and Redshadow" which may have confused those who noticed it was gone.
But I am currently re-writing PoD so that I can change the plot, details, and character development by a lot so they are less cringy than they were in the "old version" of the story as we'll call it. Plus, I am better at writing (hopefully) and believe that it was (hopefully) a good idea re-writing PoD. This was simply just the prologue, and (HOPEFULLY) the first chapter will come in a few days.
Tell me in the reviews what you thought of this prologue.
-Moonstar the Procrastinator
(P.S: does anyone know how to disable auto correct on this website? It keeps asking me to change RiverClan to "riverbank" and Nightbreeze to "nightmare")