The moon cast a soft glow on an otherwise dark forest. A gentle breeze was the only thing breaking the silence of a small clearing. At one side, bushes brushed against one another; at the other, misshapen stones and rocks lay upon one another as if to mark a destination. The faint lapping of water could be heard—the wind was only just strong enough to sway the surface of a starlit pool. Generations of pawprints were pressed into the dirt leading up to the pool and the ground around the edge was packed down from frequent visits. Sitting at the pond were two cats: a white she-cat and a smaller brown tabby tom. They were peering around cautiously, as if they expected something to jump out at them at any moment. There was a snap of a twig, a few bushes rustling ever so slightly more, and multiple sets of eyes began to peer out at the small pond.
The bordering bushes quivered as a dark cat emerged; soon he was followed by a handful of others. The shadow of a cat led them to the shimmering pool and they all took a spot at the edge as if it were second nature to them. All of the strange cats had the appearance of stars in their fur—a soft shimmer that would easily be mistaken for droplets of water. It was a trait that the first two didn't share. The dark tomcat was the first to break the heavy silence.
"Greetings," he murmured to the cats they had joined. His voice, though smooth, carried a sense of urgency. The two felines dipped their heads in response—although it was a rather peaceful setting, there was a hint of tension in the air. "I'm sure you're already well aware, but I have a message for you." He fell silent after that, and the other two cats watched him expectantly. They glanced at each other anxiously; the smaller tom quivered in a mixture of excitement and fear. After a stiff moment's pause, all of the star-pelted cats spoke as one. Their voices chimed together in harmony, ringing around the clearing.
"There will be a great relief for the Clans, and you must help guide it to fruition. The temptation of bloodshed will torture the swift, but with the help of the blazing rush of the river at night all of the remaining Clans will share a golden victory." And as soon as the starry cats finished every cat—except for the dark tom—turned around to leave. He stared the remaining two cats down. The white she-cat stood up tall despite the fear in her gaze. Her darker companion had shrunken away though his eyes still glittered with excitement.
He spoke once again, his previously soft voice now holding a hint of sadness. "You must be careful with whom you speak these words to. If the wrong cat finds out, they will give everything to steer fate sour." At that he, like the other starry-furred strangers, stood and began to pad softly out of the clearing.
"Wait!" the white she-cat called desperately. "You're not even our ancestors . . . why are you telling us this? Who are you?"
"Because—" The tomcat paused, but did not turn around. Sadness laced his voice more powerfully than ever before, and his tail drooped pathetically behind him. "This prophecy was not meant for my old Clan; they have strayed too far for us to contact them in good conscience. Even if we wanted to, our connection with them has been dark for a long time; believe me, we have tried to break through to them. We only know of their survival through the medicine cats and the others who reside here in StarClan. There is no telling what would happen if we left this in their paws." He paused for a second, his shoulders sagging a bit. "I'd give anything to be able to contact my kin once more." The last whisper was so soft, the two visitors had thought they imagined it. Before they could call out to him again, the vision swirled away. The clearing around them slowly faded into black nothingness.
The pair of cats struggled to their paws alongside a group of cats from other Clans. A single look at their drowsy partners told them that they didn't share the vision. Whether they even had any visions of their own was doubtful. They exchanged a worried glance before rushing ahead of the others, ignoring their attempts to call them back. They kept a steady trot until they were out of sight. When they believed they were far enough away, they sped up to a sprint and pelted off through the forest and marshes. They raced around rotten logs and boggy puddles towards their camp. As soon as they returned to their Clan's home, they searched the clearing of the camp for their leader. The smaller tabby tom flicked his white-furred companion as they spotted the dark brown leader; they hurried to him without hesitation.
"Sir, we need to speak to you . . . alone," the she-cat meowed in a soft tone. The leader maintained his warm and welcoming expression and with a flick of his tail, he trotted towards his den. As soon as they were alone, he dropped his facade and sat with the two flustered and now mud-covered cats.
"What is it?" Concern filled his voice as awaited whatever grave news the two cats had learned when speaking to the ancestors. Together the cats explained the vision they saw to their leader, along with the eerie message they had been left with.
"They weren't even our ancestors," the white she-cat added in a hushed voice. "I don't recognize them, at least. I was told that they . . . they lost contact with their kin on the territories. I'm afraid of what that means as far as their identities, but . . . ."
A heavy silence fell over the cats within the den. There were only a few things they could discern, and the leader was quick to speak on it. "So," he murmured, "this . . . vision was clearly a prophecy handed to us." After a nod from his two guests, he continued. "Whether we like it or not, I'm going to assume it will involve all of the Clans. If it was important enough for the ancestors of another . . . previous Clan to deliver it to you two . . . did the others seem shaken up after you shared tongues with StarClan?" The tabby paused for another moment, and the two smaller cats glanced at each other and shook their heads. "'Great relief' . . ." he repeated, "Perhaps he means a relief from what happened with the Gorge? And the temptation of bloodshed could involve them, as well. It wouldn't be the first time they had brought ruin to the territories, and the last battle has left the rest of the Clans in shambles." The leader was silent once again, pondering the prophecy that now seemed to wrap around the Clans. "But . . . he said 'the remaining Clans'? It sounds as though not everyone will survive whatever fate is heading our way."
"That's exactly what I thought," the smaller brown tom murmured softly, concern dripping from his voice. "But what exactly is this golden victory? How can a victory be golden when it's just a victory?" The three cats looked at each other, now at a loss for more answers. Yet again a heavy silence fell upon the trio.
"You should tell the rest of the Clan to be on their toes." The white she-cat stood and gave her superior a meaningful glance. "Just . . . don't tell them too much. We will discuss this with the other medicine cats when we next see them, in case they were visited as well."
"I will when the time is appropriate," the leader mumbled absently. His head was spinning from the knowledge of what could quite possibly be their doom. He rose to his paws, shook his pelt, and padded out of the den — leaving his medicine cats alone. After a moment of hesitation, they got up and followed the tom to the clearing.
A pained wailing echoed from one of the dens inside the vast cave system that was the Gorge's home. Cats peered from their dens—some curious, some worried, some annoyed. A black tomcat grunted in annoyance, the scar over his eye wrinkling as a visible tell of said distaste. "Frozenleaf," he snapped, "hurry up and help that queen. She's disturbing everybody's peace. Take Shortpaw with you, it'll be great experience for him." A white she-cat rolled her eyes as she hurriedly got together salves and medicines.
"If you want it done so fast, you can always do it yourself, Deadeye," she growled before picking up a bundle of herbs. Irritation dripped from her voice, but underneath that was a hint of concern and urgency. She nudged a smaller black cat next to her harshly, and he limped to a second bundle she had made and picked it up.
Instead of retaliating, Deadeye gave her a meaningful glare. "If it were entirely up to me, I'd simply send the queens off to fend for themselves," he stated with an unsettling calm about him. "But we need those kits. We can't afford to struggle as much as the Clans are right now." The medicine cat and her apprentice simply ignored him and they both hurried off into the den where the wailing was coming from. Inside the den, a plump russet-furred she-cat panted excessively and snapped at the two newcomers.
"It's about time," she grunted at the pair of cats, her voice seething with agitation. "Let's get this over with." Her mate was nowhere to be found, though she didn't seem to mind. Frozenleaf nudged a wet ball of moss towards the queen's mouth and set the bundle of herbs down. Both of the medicine cats quickly worked to help the queen deliver her kits.
After a long and exhausting night, they were finally born and the queen was resting happily. There were two brown kits, a reddish tabby tom, and a golden she-kit who bore a striking resemblance to her father, Greyheart, who had finally arrived to see his mate and kits. Deadeye had shown up to see the new additions to the Gorge, though the tension he brought with him only suggested ill intent. He kept his eyes on the kits, scanning over each one of them thoughtfully before his gaze rested on the final she-kit. Distrust settled in the back of his mind and he gave a soft growl.
"Make sure you raise these kits well, Greyheart." The two mates turned their gazes on their leader, neither giving away any emotion. "It would be a shame if any of them were to walk down the wrong path."
There will be a great relief for the Clans. The temptation of bloodshed will torture the swift warriors, but with the help of the blazing rush of the river at night all of the remaining Clans will share a sweet victory. The path ahead will be spotted with sacrifice to correct the wrongdoings of the past, but with correct guidance all Clans will experience a golden dawn and temporary serenity.