Chapter Two

Darkest Nights

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Fatedstar's long tail swished back and forth like a whip. Her eyes were glowing with ruthlessness and bloodlust. Veil and Twostorm had just returned with news that put pure delight in the mind of the evil she-cat. Her muscles rippled through her amber colored body, and she slunk to the Lakecliff, looking out over the edge were the first waterfall spilled over. From this point of view, she could look down across the whole entire territory. The river from the lake flowed down a waterfall, then crashed into a river that ran past FireClan territory. Then down another waterfall into WaterClan territory. HazeClan territory was just beyond were the river flowed into another lake, then sheer cliffs came before the valley.

All she could see would be her kingdom before long, if her plans turned out right. She had already put an end to Venomstar, who posed as a great threat to her with his ambitions and recklessness. It was all too bad that he was her brother. Well, there was no time to think about what could have happened, it was time to face the future. It was time for Fatedstar to rise...

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Halfwhisker pressed her nose against the Greenstone. Immediatly a flashing light surrounded her and she fell into StarClan's sacred sleep. She found herself in the Twopines, surrounded by fiery cats with frost at their paws and the wind in their voices.

"Welcome, Halfwhisker," they meowed to her, "Are you ready to recieve your nine lives?" Halfwhisker didn't dare hesitate, immediatly after they had spoken she replied, "Yes, I am ready." A chocolate colored cat walked up to her, Halfwhisker's mother, Browntail. They exchanged loving glances then Browntail set her nose to Halfwhisker's forehead. The deputy had no idea what pain was to come she screeched like the loudest nightowl, the darkest pain and fierceness swallowed her, she felt herself falling into a pit of darkness, though she was still standing.

"With this life I give you protection. Use it well as you protect your clan as a queen protects her kits." Browntail meowed. The pain soon slowed and Halfwhisker found herself back in the Twopine clearing. She felt shakey, and unsteady as though she was going to loose her footing and colapse in a heap. How could she stand to recieve all nine lives? Then a fiery ginger tabby walked out to her, she was Lightpaw, an apprentice who had been killed in a WaterClan raid.

Halfwhisker choked back her emotions as the young cat walked up to her, she was also Stripedpaw's sister. She pressed her nose up against Halfwhisker's muzzle, for she was a bit too small to reach the forehead. "With this life I give you courage. Use it well as you defend those in your care, Halfwhisker." The FireClan deputy then felt stronger then she had ever felt before, she felt as though she was racing through the forest, and fightning battles, yet again she never moved a whisker. It died down, leaving her just as shakey as ever.

Another cat, one she barely recognized, came next. It was Calmstar, the leader before Venomstar. He walked up to her, his gray coat shining brighter then day. He pressed his nose onto her forehead. "With this life I give you mentoring. Use it well as you mentor the young of your clan." Halfwhisker felt knowledge being poured into her body, full of everything she would ever need to know about the forest and all that lives within. A soft pain washed over her with it.

After she had recieved that life, another cat, Brokenstorm, padded up to her. He was a glorious ginger tabby with a pelt that shown as bright as the stars themselves. Brokenstorm was the father of Halfwhisker's kit, who sadly died from an unknown illness. She smiled at him, and he returned it with another. "With this life I give you love. Use it well as you go through life." There was no pain in the life to come, just warmpth and security. It died away all too soon.

With only five lives to go, Halfwhisker began to think she could stand it. But then the StarClan cats looked up, a darkness engulfed her and she felt as though she was being swept across many waterfalls and riding the rapids of many rivers. It felt like death itself, and then the picture of Fatedstar's amber face and green eyes flashed before her. She felt as though she was being thrown against sheer rocks.

Unfortunatly, the sleep of StarClan she had entered was interupted, she awoke to find herself by the Greenstone in Daycave. She broke down in bitter weaping, she touched her nose to the emerald colored stone, but nothing happened. She shook her head and walked out in a daze. Why could this have happened?

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"Ginger, have you forgotten? Go to FireClan and help them..." Ginger awoke with a start. She had another dream with the cat in it. She shook her head, it was night, Frog and Hawk were asleep. She looked up, and crawled out of the hedgeden. It was dark with only the illumination of the moon and the stars above her glowing brightly.

"Follow, Ginger..." A voice came from no where, still in the strange mysterious tone as in her dreams. She felt drawn to it and began to follow. She continued this until she finally reached the base of the cliffs. The StarClan cat came out to her, and immediatly she asked: "What do you want me to do?"