Author's Note: Hey, I hope everyone enjoyed the Prologue! Well, since the two main characters are Kelppaw and Featherpaw, I might switch from one POV to another POV – haven't decided yet… xDD
And thanks Grizzlepelt for reviewing! You were the first one. :3 –Hands you a cookie-
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Chapter One:
Six moons and three days had passed since the prophecy sent by StarClan had been foretold and the birth of Featherkit and Kelpkit. Now the old quarry was alive with activity, the sun shining brightly overhead in the clear blue sky. The birds hiding away within the trees trilled out their morning songs in joyous celebration of Greenleaf. Within the apprentices' den lay two silver she-cats, their flanks rising and falling in slumber.
The moon shone brightly overhead, casting a single round beam down upon a slim, silver figure –Kelppaw. Stars twinkled in Silverpelt as the grass surrounding the clearing that Kelppaw sat in stirred and parted to reveal a majestic looking tom. His powerful golden shoulders were silhouetted by the beam and his green eyes were gentle – fatherly. The apprentice looked fearfully up at this strange new tom; the golden tom smiled and spoke out in a deep, rich voice, "Welcome, Kelppaw. I am Lionstar, the previous Leader of StormClan. Do not fear, I come to bring you a message from StarClan." Kelppaw peered up at Lionstar through her ivy colored eyes, instantly trusting him..
"I trust you."
"Good, now listen closely, young apprentice. When the first kit is born within the Clan, you must leave to begin your journey. You must travel to the Moonpool and that is where you will meet up with two warriors and an apprentice. From there, the four of you must travel till you reach the fringes of the forest; when you reach the fringes, you must find the one who cannot be seen and he will tell you of what your task is." Lionstar explained, watching the she-cat closely, "Do you understand?"
Looking to the golden tom, Kelppaw stepped forward boldly, "I understand."
"I must warn you…Tragedy will rear its ugly head and strike at someone near to you.…" he mewed, his figure fading from view.
An irritated sigh sounded close to Kelppaw's ear, but it was hard to tell from the sleeping apprentice's semi-conscious mind. "Kelppaw! Kelppaw, wake up! You know that Larkclaw doesn't like to be kept waiting." Mewed a voice, soft – kind; the voice belonged to a slender silver-gray she-cat and at this moment, this she-cat was determined to arouse her slumbering kin. Unsheathing her claws, the she-cat, Featherpaw, gently prodded her sister with her thorn like claws, the prods increasing till finally, Featherpaw gave a small mew of disgust and leaped onto her sister.
Kelppaw's ivy green eyes snapped open and she gaze a strangled wheeze, her silver pelt bristling. "Wha? What's happening?" she mewed sleepily, staggering to her paws as Featherpaw scrambled off of her.
"Finally!" Featherpaw mewed huffily, nudging her sister towards the entrance to the den, "Larkclaw is waiting for you!" Featherpaw's soft brown eyes glittered as she watched her sister snap to attention at the mention of her strict and frosty mentor, Larkclaw. Her own mentor, Eagleclaw, was a lot like his brother, though he wasn't as strict or frosty. In fact, now that she thought about it, Eagleclaw was the exact opposite of Larkclaw; Featherpaw gave a mere shrug of her shoulders before padding after her sister towards their mentors. Brown eyes roamed, landing on the tortoiseshell tom that stood waiting near the entrance of camp, his green eyes darting about in search of her. "See you later, Kelppaw!" Featherpaw mewed as she bounded over to where Eagleclaw stood.
Kelppaw gulped and looked about, searching for Larkclaw. The dark brown tom stood a little off from his brother and by the look on his handsome face, he was not at all pleased. Sighing, the she-cat padded cautiously over to the tom and felt his icy blue eyes penetrate her. "Where have you been?" he growled, his voice gruff and of course, angry. His powerful form was outlined by the sun's shadows, giving him a slightly menacing look, but Kelppaw tried her hardest to ignore it.
"I-I was asleep…" she mumbled, kneading her silver paws nervously on the hard ground. A snort of disbelief escaped Larkclaw's throat, but he didn't say anything. Summoning her to follow him with a slight flick of his tail, the dark brown tom padded briskly away, causing Kelppaw to scamper after him.
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Around noon, Larkclaw slowed to a stop and looked about, sniffing at the air. Kelppaw skidded to a halt behind him and panted heavily, tired from the fast pace that her mentor had set. "What do you smell?" came from Larkclaw as he narrowed his eyes, obvious mistrust and uneasiness stirring within them as they neared the ShadowClan border.
"What do I smell?" Kelppaw mewed, repeating the question before licking her paw and swiping it over her face, "Well, I smell ShadowClan – a patrol must have just passed, mice, birds and…" Kelppaw scrunched up her nose as she trailed off, the last scent new to her. It didn't smell friendly and it made the fur on her tail bristle. "What is that?"
Larkclaw gave his newly appointed apprentice one of his rare smiles, pleased with her knowledge. "You did very well until you came upon the last scent. That, Kelppaw, is the scent of a fox; foxes are unfriendly creatures, relatives of dogs and just as bloodthirsty." He explained giving Kelppaw a reassuring swipe over her ear as her eyes widened in fear, "Stay away from them and you should be fine."
Kelppaw nodded and bounded after Larkclaw as he turned and made his way back to the clearing. "Now, Kelppaw, I will teach you how to hunt rabbits. What is the first thing you should do when you're hunting rabbits?" Larkclaw questioned, seating himself and curling his tail neatly around his paws.
"You would have to…uh…step lightly?" she guessed, hoping she was right. The expression on Larkclaw's face was impassive and his eyes were just the same – hard to read his thoughts and feelings on whether the question was correctly answered.
Nodding his approval, the tom dropped into the crouch and instructed Kelppaw to imitate him. As the young apprentice imitated him, a rustling in the bushes drew the young apprentice's attention away from Larkclaw's gruff voice. A golden cat – no, a cat made of golden stars – slipped from between the leaves, his eyes looking down upon her. Images of the previous night's dream flooded into her mind, blocking out all other things. Visions of cats trekking cautiously through strange territory and of blood – of the blood! Bright and crimson, seeping from some cat and strangled cries – desperate for help – calling out ominous words filled Kelppaw's ivy eyes. The golden tom, Lionstar, padded before her, his brown eyes, once fatherly and gentle, now holding a fierce intensity about them, a flame built only for murder.
The tom morphed slowly, the golden stars turning from the dazzling gold shade to a dusky brown shade, much like an endless mud and dirt filled abyss. His claws unsheathed and they grew to an immense size, threatening to detach her head in a single swipe. Maniacal laughter gurgled within his throat, intensifying to a horrible level; the silver apprentice screamed, wanting to leave this horrid vision, yet is had trapped her within her own mind like she was trapped in a cage, grower smaller, ever so smaller.
Suddenly, the dusky brown tom disappeared in a swirl of tawny and Lionstar was once again before her.
"Remember my child…
'First birth of Greenleaf lies the destiny of an apprentice
Kelp that is silver and with the eyes of ivy
To the outer fringes she must go
Three others will await
Two who were not chosen will appear
Four now six will travel on to find what is lost
Tragedy will rear its ugly head
And hearts will lie heavy with grief upon return…'
The shriek of a mother's birth shall ring in your ears once I am gone…Remember my child…"
"Kelppaw! KELPPAW!" came the irritated hiss of Larkclaw, his angry blue eyes coming suddenly into hers; his breath was hot on her face as she blinked, suddenly shrinking beneath his unwavering stare, "You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?" Disgust dripped thickly from his tone and he sighed, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, Larkclaw…I must have gotten distracted." She mewed, touching the tip of her tail to his flank in hopes of forgiveness. The dark brown tom rounded on her with a fire burning within her eyes that for a moment, Kelppaw was thrown back before the horrid, maniacal cat. Fear showed easily as her silver fur bristled in alarm and her eyes widened with silent fear.
Seeing the look on her face, Larkclaw hung his head in shame before touching his nose to Kelppaw's flank. "I am sorry, little one. My mind is also elsewhere." And Larkclaw had the right to let his mind be in other places. His mate, Iceflower, was due to kit within the remaining two days and their previous litter had all been stillborns.
"That's ok - " Kelppaw began, stopping as a painful shriek entered her ears, unheard by Larkclaw. Ivy eyes widened as she turned to Larkclaw, sadness and excitement brimming within them. "Larkclaw, we need to get back to camp!"
Throwing her a puzzled look, Larkclaw was about to ask her why when a golden tom burst from the bushes, his black spotted pelt bristling in excitement. "Larkclaw!" he breathed, gasping for breath, "It's Iceflower! She's starting to kit!"
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Once again, thanks for those who reviewed! And I hope you liked this chapter!
