Invasion

Summary: Sequel to Sunlit Snowdrift. Windshadow and Dreamcloud must defeat two legs in a new prophecy, and get big news...

Disclaimer: If I owned anyone but... Dreamcloud, Windshadow, Palepaw, Calicofur, Robinpelt, and tons of minor characters, I would be making all of this true in a 4th series after The Power of Three...

I JUST FOUND OUT THAT A WARRIORS MOVIE MIGHT BE COMING OUT NEXT SUMMER! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYNESS! IT'S CALLED 'WARRIORS OF THE FOREST'. But, if it's normal animation, I might not see it. If it's computer animation, or real stuff mixed with computer animation for graphic stuff, then I'll probably see it...

Chapter Three: Calicofur

Windshadow opened his eyes and blinked at the sunlight streaming into the warriors den. He stood and swished his tail, suddenly remembering what had happened the night before.

"My kits!" He muttered to himself, padding out of the den. Littlecloud was quietly arranging herbs, and Russetstar was walking towards him.

"Good morning, Windshadow," She mewed.

"Good morning," He replied, still in a daze. Adderfoot and Silkpelt padded up to Windshadow. They were the kits of his former mentor and close friend, Applebird.

"Oh, Adderfoot, Silkpelt," Windshadow meowed, "Can you two go out with Cardinalpaw on a hunting patrol?" Cardinalpaw was Adderfoot's apprentice. The ginger and white tom and the gray tabby she-cat both nodded and padded off. He purred a greeting to my former apprentice, Larktail, who was walking by.

"You're in a good mood," The gray and white she-cat observed.

"Yes, he is," Came a mroww of laughter. Windshadow turned to find Applebird, who was calmly stretching.

"What's so odd about that?" He asked.

"You're just usually very serious," She replied, sitting down next to him. She saw a distant look in his eyes, happy, yet confused at the same time, like he couldn't figure out what his feelings were.

She thought for a moment about her mate, Birchpelt. Or, former mate, that was. They had agreed to stop seeing each other after Adderfoot and Silkpelt were born.

That was because he was a Thunderclan cat.

"Do you have a she-cat in mind?" She asked him.

Windshadow vigorously shook his head, in a way that made Applebird think that he did have a she-cat on his mind. How funny it would be if it was his own former apprentice, Larktail! But she was sure it wasn't...

Applebird sighed... Birchpelt...

Flashback

The ginger she-cat nimbly lept down from the branch to find herself face to face with a gray tabby tom.

"Hello, Birchkit," She purred, touching noses with him, knowing that he wouldn't hurt her.

"Birchpaw," He corrected her, "And how have you been doing, Applekit?"

"Applepaw. And I've been doing great. Shadowclan likes our new territory."

The conversation was awkward, and she wondered why she was so nervous around this Thunderclan tom...

Different Flashback

"They're beautiful kits, Applebird," Birchpelt murmured, looking down at the two newborn kits. "But..."

"But what?" She asked.

"We can't see each other anymore. It's too dangerous."

Applebird shuddered. The kits had only been three suns old when he told her that. Stupid tom.

"Want to go on a patrol with me?" Windshadow asked her, "Well... not really a patrol, since it's only two cats, but we need someone to check out the borders."

"Sure."

As the two cats ran step for step through the forest, Applebird could tell that something was tugging in the corner of Windshadow's mind...

"You're distracted," She murmured.

"Very."

That's when a wailing arose from nearby. Applebird recognized the voice immediately.

"Adderfoot," She breathed.

The two cats raced towards the sound, and found the ginger and white tom standing alone. Oh no.

"What is it?" Windshadow asked.

"Silkpelt," The younger warrior meowed sorrowfully, "I've been looking for her for a long time, and... well, look."

A chunk of gray and black fur was snagged on some twigs. Windshadow stepped forward and sniffed at it.

"I... I've never smelled anything like this before," He breathed. Applebird got beside him and breathed the scent in. Her eyes suddenly widened, and her fur bristled.

"Twolegs."

Windshadow's muscles tensed. He had heard stories of the creatures, but never seen one, or even smelled one. Applebird herself had been just a kit when she was driven out of her old home.

"Do you think Silkpelt was stolen?" He asked. Pain was clouding the eyes of the missing cat's mother and brother.

"Yes, of course!" Applebird's voice was harsh, "That's what they did last time. But wait... Do you smell that?"

Windshadow sniffed the air. There was a foul scent in the air.

"They didn't have that last time," Applebird whispered, "Whatever it is."

As Windshadow watched her, he wondered if he could ever go through that kind of distress of losing a kit. I might have to, He realized. The shock had hit him.

He was going to be a father.

000

Leafpool slowly walked up to the Moonpool. Calicofur was close behind her, as were Barkface, his apprentice, Woodpaw Littlecloud, Nectarpaw, and Mothwing.

"I have decided," Littlecloud announced, "That it is time for Nectarpaw to receive his medicine cat name." The gray tabby and white apprentice's blue eyes widened, and she took a step forward.

"I, Littlecloud, medicine cat of Shadowclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the way of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her clan for many moons. Nectarpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your name as a medicine cat. Nectarpaw, from this moment you will be known as Nectarflower. Starclan honors your courage and intelligence."

Calicofur, who had become close to this cat, called her out by her name.

"Nectarflower! Nectarflower!"

Woodpaw, who didn't seem the least bit jealous, joined in as well, and soon, all of the medicine cats were chanting. But there was a bored look in Mothwing's eyes that troubled Calicofur. Rumors said that the Riverclan medicine cat didn't believe in Starclan!

"All right," Leafpool meowed, "We will now share tongues with Starclan."

This wasn't the first time Calicofur had shared tongues with her warrior ancestors at the Moonpool, but it excited her every time. She didn't know why she had even trained to become a warrior at all. Being a medicine cat was her calling. Just like being a warrior was her brother, Robinpelt's, calling.

Robinpelt. Maybe Starclan would tell her how her brother's kits were doing!

The young calico she-cat stepped forward and lapped up a few drops of the icy cold water, and visions slowly began to cloud her head...

Calicofur opened her amber eyes to find many starry cats surrounding her. They suddenly all filed out until there were just two. Yellowfang and Spottedleaf, the legendary Thunderclan medicine cats.

"Hello, Calicofur," Spottedleaf purred. Calicofur's pelt prickled. Starclan had never been so serious with her before... Something was different about this meeting.

"You're right, Spottedleaf," Yellowfang commented, "She is the one."

"The one?" Calicofur echoed.

"Yes... the One." Yellowfang's eyes bore into her. "Dreamcloud's kits aren't Robinpelt's."

Calicofur held back a gasp. They weren't?
"You must befriend her," Spottedleaf instructed, "Your destiny is woven into theirs, Calicofur."

"What?"

"Many cats' destinies often interlink," Yellowfang explained, "Calicofur, Starclan promises you one thing:

You will be one of the greatest medicine cats to ever live."

000

As you can guess, Calicofur is soon to become a main character, which is why I put up that pic of her on my profile... So, who do you like better, Dreamcloud or Calicofur?