Flamerunner here guess what? I'M ALIVE! Oh my gosh! You guys I'm so sorry I didn't write! Life happened, but here is the next chapter, hope you like it!
Disclamer: I do not own Warriors (I wonder how many times that's been written)
Chapter 3
Flash's POV
"What happened to your fur?!"
I winced at my mother's shriek, and pawed at my ears. What did she mean? My fur was fine. Then I looked down, and a shriek much like my mother's burst from my jaws. I turned tail and fled towards the river where I was sure to find a puddle. I saw the sun glinting off of the water and heard the rushing and flowing of the large flow of water. "There!" I saw a large puddle that would reflect quite nicely. I slowed to a trot and stood in front of it. When I saw the reflection however, my jaw dropped.
I had always looked quite standard, with my golden fur and black spots. Now however, it looked as if my spots had blended together to form long thick black stripes that stretched down my back. Along my sides the spots had come together to form big blotches. I was dumbfounded. I stood still, unsure what to do for some time, just staring at myself. The new pattern maybe wasn't so bad. In fact, it did sort of give me a look of importance. I thought back to my conversation with my father the previous night. He had said that I would look like one of the chosen ones from prophecies, "I guess this is what he meant" I thought ruefully. I plopped down heavily on the grass which was still wet with the morning dew. Bird song rang out beautifully and my ears twitched as my heighted senses caught the sound of branches and leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
"Who am I?" I questioned out loud, "I shouldn't be in some great prophecy, I'm just Flash." I heard paw steps behind me and turned to see my grandfather approaching. He sat down next to me and gazed into the distance with a melancholy look. After a time, he spoke in a husky voice,
"You've been chosen for a prophecy, haven't you?" I turned to him with surprise and asked,
"How did you know?"
"Your fur." He replied simply. "Would you tell me the prophecy?" I nodded and recited it.
"Four will come together and unite to save the clans from this terrible plight.
One will be a backstabbing traitor; another will be a selfless savior.
One will give their life for the fight, the last will stand for what is right.
These four will differ from their clan but they will be the ones to stand.
Listen to the far away strangers, for they will help you with these dangers.
Who the four will be no one knows, but they must come together to banish shadows."
Grandfather nodded his head appreciatively
"That's a big one alright." Grandfather admitted.
"What does it mean though?" I asked. Firewind looked serious and replied.
"You, Flash, are going to be one of four to hold the life of the clans at stake." My heart felt heavy and I gulped.
"But-" I hesitated, "I'm just a six rotation old cheetah cub." My grandfather smirked.
"A six-rotation old cheetah cub who can run faster and longer than a grown cheetah. A six-rotation old cheetah cub who Is stronger than a lion, and more sensitive to the things around him than a tiger. A six-rotation cheetah cub who-"
"Ok ok I get it!" I mumbled.
"The point is Flash," he continued, "the point is that you can do great things, your only problem is you're stuck on the wrong side of the metal hedge." My head jerked up,
"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Firewind nodded
"If what you're thinking is that we're going to get you to the other side of the metal hedge, then yes." I sprang up in excitement.
"Let's go find a way out then!" As I turned my grandfather gasped, "What?" I asked spinning around; I saw nothing however and turned to give Firewind an inquisitive glance.
"Your shoulder!"
"What about it?" I questioned.
"You have a soul mark!" My eyes widened, and I ran to the puddle that I had previously been viewing my pelt in and when I saw it I gasped. There, sitting on my shoulder was a mark that meant that I belonged to a clan. I narrowed my eyes and turned to get a better look at it. Unfortunately, all I could see was a bolt of lightning, surrounded by a dark splotch. I turned to my grandfather,
"Why is it just a lightning bolt?" Firewind smiled.
"That means that you are destined to be in lightning clan it's dark and splotchy around the edges because you have yet to meet her. When you come into contact the outside edges will solidify into designs that are unique to you and soul mate. Any way I must go think over your escape plan." With that he stood and trotted away.
I sat there for a while thinking and gazed at my new reflection. I was in awe. Overnight my whole life had changed, and here I was, seemingly about to leave my family and the only home I had known. A rain drop landed on my shoulder. Sighing I turned and brought my tongue a couple times over my shoulder where my soul mark resided. Then rain started pouring, looked up, inquiring. Of whom I wasn't entirely sure. What had just a moment ago been a clear sky, was now a dark cloudy abyss. I started toward the tree that housed my family.
Trotting up to my mother, my ears instinctively flattened as her look penetrated me. I braced myself for whatever she was about to say. I thought I was prepared but her question threw me off anyway.
"Starclan?" She accused. My jaw dropped. "Yes, yes," I stuttered. She waved her tail, "I know all about the cats with stars in their fur. Your father told me about them."
I sat up straighter "Stormflash?" She stiffened. "How do you know…"- But the involuntary twitching of my ears made her fall silent. I heard a faint voice carried on the wind.
"Help!"
My head snapped up and I strained my ears to hear it again.
"Help!" This time it was weaker and I couldn't stop myself from leaping into action, jumping to my paws I opened my jaws to let the breeze flow over my scent glands.
"There!"
"Where are you going?" Mother cried after me, but I was already gone. As soon as I had pinpointed the location of the cry, I was sprinting towards it. Rain had come in true form, and drops lashed my face as my paws took me to the stream that was the border. I gasped. The stream had turned into a river, "the rain!" The scent was faint because of the rain and wind, and without my enhanced senses I would have lost it.
I sprinted down the swollen river, my paws slipping in the mud. Finally, I saw the cheetah in danger. Spot was a member from the other tribe, and was only a few rotations older than m., His front paws were sunk deep into the mud surrounding the river on the other side. The water was rapidly rising and he was calling out in panic. Backing up, I took three bounds towards the river and then, I leapt. Time seemed to slow down as I flew through the air. The rain drops glided around me and the wind boosted me across the impossible jump. Landing next to Spot I dug my claws into the muddy, slopy ground.
I glanced down at the water in horror. It was rising to where Spot was desperately trying to get free. Then Spot slipped.
"NO!" I cried, even though my voice was lost to the wind. Lunging forward I sank my teeth into the scruff of his neck. I gripped him tightly with my sharp teeth and pulled with all my strength. Slowly, I was pulling him out, but then my paws lost traction and Spot's head was forced under the water. I quickly dug my claws deeper into the earth and used everything I had to fling him up and out of the water and onto the safety of the bank. Scrambling with his paws he slowly dragged himself up. Without meaning to one of Spot's paws slipped and hit me in the nose causing me to release his scruff. Immediately he started sliding back into the mud but he struggled up the slope into the long grass where he promptly collapsed. I trudged after him and crumpled to the ground next to him. My ears twitched as I heard the sound of spoilers. Looking up I saw them jabbering to each other and waving dark skinned paws in our direction.
I heard paw steps and turned to see grandfather running up to me.
"Flash!" he cried urgently, "you have got to leave now!" panic was sparking in his eyes and his neck and back fur were standing straight up.
"Why?" I questioned wearily.
"Because the spoilers are coming to kill you."
"WHAT!?" I sat bolt upright.
"They saw that you pulled him out of the mud but from the angle that they were viewing from it looked like you were attempting to drown Spot. A few years ago, they introduced a new cheetah who was violent and ended up killing another member of his group. The spoilers came with sticks that thundered and he wasn't heard from again."
"But-" I started to protest,
"GO NOW!" He was right. I could here the roar of the box the spoilers always traveled in. Tears sprang to my eyes and my ears flattened to my head, but I knew grandfather was right. "I know how you can get out, come with me now!" He ran towards the metal hedge and I followed reluctantly.
Stopping next to a small tree he said "Climb this and jump the hedge. You must find the tribes. Follow the setting sun until you reach the outskirts of their territories." I nodded and jumped into the tree, which swayed a little but held my weight. Slowly but surely, I got to the top. There I crouched, then leapt. I soared over the hedge and landed on the ground with a dull thump. I turned to look at the horizon, noticing as I did that the rain had stopped and the clouds had rolled away. The sun was setting now, painting red and gold across the sky, it almost felt like a sign that everything was going to be fine. I hesitated for a moment but then I heard spoiler voices coming nearer to me. Desperately I looked over to Firewind, my grandfather.
"Do you have any advice for me?" I pleaded. He turned his head to look me dead in the eyes. He replied something that sent a shiver down my spine. He said, in an almost blank voice
"Run, run for your life."
Shadestrikes POV
"He is coming"
AN. BUM BUM BUMMMM! Who is Shadestrike? Ok so who do you want flash to run into? A rouge, Sunclan Moonclan, Rainclan, or go straight to Lightningclan, or someone else? Vote on what you guys want! By the way Flash is now a king cheetah in case you guys didn't know. Word count -1936 (go me!)