Prologue
The waning moon illuminated the snowy stone boulders of highstones. The silence lay like a blanket, only broken by the occasional chirp of a cricket, or the clumsy pawstep of a cat that wasn't quite cautious enough.
The shadows stirred around the mine, the lithe forms of a patrol of two entering the gaping cavern. Their eyes glinted in the faded light, their coats silvery and sleek. They crept forward slowly, as if afraid that an attacker may spring out at any moment.
"It's unnatural to be this careful at Mothermouth." One of them murmured, her amber eyes anxious. The other glanced around uncomfortably in response, listening to the echo of his own steps. "I know, Cloudstar. But Stripestar has no honor."
Watery shafts of moonlight sliced through the cave, eventually fading into an inky layer of darkness. Usually, cats would find their way to the moonstone by the scent-trail of the cats before them, but it had long since faded. The grey tabby exchanged a glance with the she-cat beside him, who nodded.
She led the way along the narrow pitch-black path, whiskers brushing both jagged stone walls. Mossy hollows and puddles of stagnant water caught their paws.
A wave of sweet relief crashed over the pair as they entered the enormous cavern containing the moonstone. The translucent stone illuminated the cavern, reflecting some light from high above. Taking one last glance around, they padded up to the stone. Muscles relaxed beneath the snowy cat's pelt as she touched her nose to the chilled rock.
In an instant, the scene changed. A grassy landscape stretched before them, leaves bright and green despite the fact that it had been leaf-bare only moments before. Above, the stars of Silverpelt twinkled, a multi-colored cloudy sheen sharing the sky with them. Tall trees waved in the gentle breeze, and a group of young tabbies sitting nearby turned to glance at the new arrivals.
A wiry grey she-cat padded forward, eyes like emerald disks reflecting starlight. "Froststar." Cloudstar meowed respectfully. "Cloudstar. Swiftwing." She replied, white ears twitching. The late WindClan leader had been mentor to Cloudstar, as well a hero who'd left behind a momentous legacy the snowy cat could only dream to live up to. A lean cat with a glossy black pelt moved to stand beside her, bowing his head as a gesture of greeting. He gave the grey tabby a friendly lick, but Swiftwing refused to receive it.
"Froststar. Darkfur. It is times like these when we need your guidance most, but you've been silent." The bright flame of anger flared in his green eyes. "SkyClan has already fallen to Stripestar, and he's begun his attack on RiverClan. Have you not said that there should be five clans?"
Froststar's whiskers twitched uncomfortably as cats began to gather behind her, muscles tense and expressions grave. "Swiftwing... you must understand. We haven't been able to reach you." Her feathery tail swept across the grass as she exchanged a glance with the tom beside her. Cloudstar blinked.
"Unable to reach us... how?" In every story Cloudstar had heard, StarClan had been there. They'd whispered words to help guide the right cats to victory. Darkfur looked at the pair. "We don't know. But we can no longer walk in dreams, or speak to the living cats." His tail lashed.
The white cat's ears pricked, and her eyes clouded with worry. "Have you received any prophecy at all? Anything you might be able to tell us now?" She meowed desperately, fixing her eyes on the ghosts before here.
Froststar nodded, and Cloudstar let out a breath. "We do have something for you." A blue she-cat with a silver tinged muzzle emerged from the shadows on soundless paws. Bluestar. Cloudstar's mouth felt a bit dry. She'd heard the stories many times, but it was still hard to believe the she-cat had really existed. She was followed by a flat-faced grey she-cat- Yellowfang. The legendary ghosts looked into Cloudstar's amber eyes.
"A storm is coming..." Bluestar started, her voice loud and clear. "and the sky won't clear until history repeats,"
Yellowfang's mew was deep-throated but strong. "and an outsider of many colors shows a courageous heart."
The snowy she-cat swallowed. "An outsider? Do you mean- like, a rogue?" Swiftwing mused, gazing at Yellowfang. "Do not be impatient, and try to force an interpretation." Her eyes flashed. "You'll know the cat when the time comes."
Swiftwing's hackles rose. "If you care about the clans so much, why don't you just tell us!" He meowed furiously, putting his forepaws on a large stone. Froststar shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. We, ourselves, don't know what it means. All we can do is wish you the best."
The starry landscape faded, bringing the WindClan cats back to the cold stone walls of reality. Clouds had covered the moon, and the once fantastical stone before them seemed ordinary. Exchanging a long, mournful look, the pair got to their feet to stand on the cold rock floors.
The dark moor stretched to meet the sky. The scent of crushed heather permeated the air as they padded through the infinite grass. Up ahead, the ground dipped to reveal WindClan's camp, shielded from the rough wind of the open fields. In the moonlight, a skinny tom with a faded brown pelt faced them, yellow eyes wide. "Pebblewhisker." Cloudstar dipped her head in greeting, but the WindClan deputy shook his head. He looked stricken, blood welling from his white muzzle. "Great StarClan! Swiftwing!" The young leader's voice was filled with horror.
But Pebblewhisker refused, scarlet drops flying as he shook his head. "Cloudstar," he croaked, "RiverClan... there's been a battle." His voice was barely more than a whisper, and his movements were weak. "Stripestar... On patrol with Woolpelt...she's fine... RiverClan was attacked- I was caught in the fight... Reedstar's on his last life." Pebblewhisker's legs buckled beneath him, and Cloudstar sucked in a breath. "Swiftwing, help him, quickly!"
As the grey tabby tom helped the injured deputy back to camp, Cloudstar stared ahead with clear amber eyes. Looking to the stars, she murmured to herself, "I hope this many-colored cat comes soon, and I pray I recognize them when I see them."
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave feedback, I'd love to improve! Just as well, if you have any ideas for names, I'd love to hear them. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
