SHIMMERWIND'S RISE

The most ambitious rewrite of Starkit's Prophecy you'll ever see

CHAPTER FIVE

PROPHECIES AND SIGHTINGS

REVIEWS (by ResX)

(I haven't done one of these in almost eight months, but I thought it would be a nice way to celebrate this EPIC return)

succulentsofa - Thanks. I also focused a lot on setting different tones and introducing relatability for pathological impact at the climax of the chapter as well as establishing Jayfeather's ethos enough for the audience's love of the character's moodiness and relatability to finish to transmit the mood more clearly.

intellek

DarkCrystal666 - oh shut up my writing is of no iconic value whatsoever. thanks though ig.

and oops did I go to spoopy for that dream?

Mintflight0245 - wHy ArE yOu sO GoOd aT LifE girl please thanks but please. don't "uh yeah" me after telling me I'm good at life.

eh, it was something, at least. glad to hear it didn't suck.

PhoenixEcho2007 - aww thank u so muwch uwu x3

dragonbreathjr - OMG SOMEONE GOT ONE OF MY SUBTLE REFERENCES WE'RE BEST FRIENDS NOW OKAY?!

Ooh it appears my spoopy power grows every stronger...

JuniperTheWarrior - And the hype train continues to grow...

cinderleap - I will say that our age range is 12-17. That's all I will say

yay neu seeryz - Is that a Jayfeather's Friend stan I see in the review section? g

Please stop saying my battle training scene is good or I will lightly tap my computer

Plutonem - ooh latin fancy words

Guest - Eh. Weird to think she probs in college now lmao.

(Btw we changed up the order a bit due to busyness. You'll be seeing Jay soon tho)

"LIONBLAZE!" Jayfeather's voice rang out in the camp as the tabby medicine cat stormed across the clearing. Said tom looked up from the half-eaten mouse at his paws. His ears perked, he offered a smile at his grouchy brother.

"Hey, Jayfeather," he greeted. Jayfeather scowled, tail twitching anxiously. Lionblaze saw this and tilted his head. He knew his brother was grumpy, but he was more so than usual. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. "Something wrong…?"

The gray tabby's pelt bristled. "Everything is wrong!" he snapped, and Lionblaze blinked in surprise. He shifted his paws awkwardly, glancing at the mouse before him.

"Well, go on, then," he urged his brother, leaning forward with interest. Jayfeather visibly stiffened as his mind raced. How was he supposed to tell his brother that his daughter was apart of a prophecy? They both knew how dangerous their own had been, and the results still haunted them now. The thought of poor Shimmerpaw trying to carry a prophecy on her shoulders made him feel sick, especially one with such an awful deliverance. Bile rose in his throat as he tried to find the right words to say.

He opened his mouth to speak but shut it quickly. Lionblaze furrowed his brow, his whiskers twitching with impatience. It wasn't normal for Jayfeather to lose his words, and frankly, it was annoying. He felt the temptation to resume his meal, but his brother's temper kept him from doing so. If Jayfeather was this anxious, whatever he had to say must have been serious.

At last, the medicine cat spoke. "I spoke with Yellowfang," he began, carefully picking his words. His belly pricked with dread.

Lionblaze tilted his head slightly. "Yellowfang? Why? Did she tell you something?" the golden tom questioned, amber eyes watching the tabby before him.

Jayfeather grimaced. "Of course she told me something, mouse-brain," he hissed, his usual impatience returning. "And she was a real fox-heart about it too…" he muttered under his breath, remembering the pain in his pads as he stalked across the landscape of sticks. His face contorted in discomfort at the thought. "That's not the point," he continued, straightening up. His paws kneaded the soil beneath him as he spoke. "She gave me a prophecy. At first, I thought she was dumping another one onto us, and I was furious… But I was wrong and… I wish I weren't," he swallowed. "I believe it has to do with your daughter."

Lionblaze froze, his gaze locked on his brother's sightless one. That wasn't possible. They had fulfilled the prophecy of The Three, and it had come with a high cost. Now his only daughter was in danger, and he felt sick. "No…" he murmured in disbelief. "They were supposed to leave us alone. We were supposed to live the rest of our lives in peace," he growled, fur bristling. It wasn't fair. He had served StarClan with unyielding loyalty for his entire life. He sacrificed everything for them, and now they were punishing his daughter. A flurry of emotions enveloped him, though the most prominent one was fear, fear for his daughter's safety and her future, and fear of what was in store for him and the rest of the Clans. "What the hell did she say?" he asked, the anxiety now evident in his voice.

Jayfeather was visibly uncomfortable as he recited the haunting words. "Out of Limbo between Dark and Light, a star shall shimmer to combat the night." A shiver ran down Jayfeather's spine, and he could almost hear Yellowfang's gruff voice echoing in his mind.

Lionblaze sat in silence for a few moments, trying to comprehend his brother's words. He could hardly process everything that was happening; it was all too much. He had never been one to decipher prophecies, and he definitely wouldn't be the one to interpret this one, but hearing the mention of his daughter's name made anger and terror tear at his belly. He needed to protect Shimmerpaw at all costs. He would keep her safe until his dying breath.

"Have you told Bramblestar or Leafpool?" he questioned, voice strained. His question earned a shake of the head from his brother, and he grimaced.

"Bramblestar is out with the new apprentices for training," Jayfeather meowed slowly. "I haven't told Leafpool yet. I thought you should be the first to know since your daughter could be in danger," the smaller tom explained, and Lionblaze nodded hesitantly.

"Okay," he mumbled, trying to clear his head. "We should go and speak with Leafpool then. We can tell Bramblestar once he gets back," he decided, trying to let his bristled pelt lay flat over his shoulders. Anxiety and discomfort radiated from his form as he stood up, giving his chest fur a few long licks. Jayfeather simply nodded and turned, his tail twitching with agitation as he padded back towards his and his mother's den. Lionblaze followed at his heels, abandoning the half-eaten mouse.

No one dared speak as both mentors and apprentices trekked back to camp. Shimmerpaw and Songpaw's pelts were bristled with agitation, and their fear-scent wafted in strong waves across the group. Everyone was unnerved at the sighting of a strange cat, and Bramblestar's mind raced. He had seen many cats in his lifetime, but he had never come across one that could instill a terror this intense in anyone. His shoulders were tense as he stalked alongside his kits, tail wrapped securely around them.

The tom didn't have much to go off of when judging the next course of action. He couldn't get any information out of the apprentices. Both were too anxious to speak much and as frustrating as that was, he knew they needed time to calm down.

The sound of a birdcage ringing above his head startled Bramblestar out of his thoughts, and it seemed to have the same effect on the rest of the training party. Songpaw and Shimmerpaw both pressed closer to the tabby leader's sides, eyes round. His heart ached, knowing he couldn't do much to help them, and it especially pained him to see his daughter so petrified. He shivered before quickly speaking in a low voice.

"It's alright, it's just a bird," he assured quietly, though he felt like he was speaking more to himself than to the apprentices by his sides.

When he didn't feel either she-cat relax at his words, he decided it was best to pay a visit to Leafpool and Jayfeather for some thyme. Then they could discuss the sighting in greater detail. With a nod to himself, he picked up the pace until they arrived at the camp entrance.

They were greeted by Thornclaw, who was just leading a hunting patrol out of camp. The golden-brown tom dipped his head in greeting and shot Bramblestar a confused glance at the sight of the two shaken apprentices pressed against his sides. The leader waved his tail dismissively and shook his head. Thankfully, Thornclaw didn't question him and continued on his way out of the camp.

Once the tunnel was vacant, the group picked their way through. Cherryfall and Molewhisker split off from the group and lead Cloudpaw away, though he was reluctant to leave his sister's side. Bramblestar then turned to look at the two anxious she-cats. "Alright. I want you two to visit Jayfeather and Leafpool. Ask them for some thyme, and then tell them what exactly you saw. I'll join you in a moment," he ordered softly, giving each apprentice a short, comforting lick over the ears.

Slowly, Shimmerpaw nodded and pressed herself to Songpaw as the two darted towards the medicine den. Bramblestar sighed, exasperated, before turning to scan the camp for his mate. Just when he thought he wouldn't find her there, her voice rang out from behind him, soothing his tense shoulders.

"Bramblestar? What are you looking at?" the ginger she-cat questioned, head tilted slightly. The dark tabby quickly turned and let out a long breath of relief.

"There you are. Songpaw and Shimmerpaw are in the medicine den, and I believe you should come with me to speak with them," he meowed, his tone gruff with worry.

Squirrelflight's eyes widened at the mention of her kit, and she flicked her tail. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Let's go!" She demanded as she padded at a brisk pace to the medicine den. Bramblestar sighed and followed, pelt pricking with discomfort and dread.

When the pair entered the medicine den, they were met by the sight of Lionblaze and Jayfeather speaking in urgent, low voices while Leafpool passed Shimmerpaw and Songpaw a few leaves, presumably thyme. The two still seemed on edge, but they were doing better. At their arrival, Leafpool looked up and beckoned them with her tail.

"Oh! Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, we were just waiting for you," she meowed as the two cats sat down at Songpaw's side. Bramblestar watched as Squirrelflight curled her tail around her daughter, giving her ears a few calming licks.

"Now that we are all here, what exactly happened?" Leafpool questioned, looking between the two apprentices who sat with fluffed pelts. The young she-cats shared an uncomfortable look, pleading the other to explain. After a long silence, Shimmerpaw finally spoke up.

"We… We um… We saw a cat," the silvery apprentice started, struggling for words. "We were taking a break and took a walk near the ShadowClan border. We were just talking, and I saw something move in the underbrush. Then we saw it properly… It was a black cat with green eyes but… It looked mangled and disgusting. Its bones looked shattered, but it was alive. And it was staring right at us. Its eyes-" the she-cat cut herself off, her amber gaze round with fear at the memory brought to life by her words. Songpaw shivered, and a whimper escaped her throat.

Bramblestar quickly shushed his daughter with a flurry of comforting licks, and he spotted Lionblaze pressing against his daughter. Shimmerpaw's tail quivered as she pushed herself closer to her father. The golden tabby tom shared an uncomfortable look with Jayfeather, who returned it with a clouded, disturbed one. The description of the cat unsettled all of them, but it was the worst for Jayfeather. Leafpool nodded slowly, her gaze flickering with unease.

"I am very sorry that you both had to see that. Why don't you two go and get some fresh-kill, then some rest?" the light brown tabby suggested, giving each apprentice a sympathetic blink. Songpaw slowly nodded, and Bramblestar tried to hide the grimace creeping to his face at the thought of leaving his daughter's side. But alas, something needed to be done about the sighting, and many discussions were to commence.

The dark brown tabby leader watched as Songpaw and Shimmerpaw both stood and picked their way out of the den, their tails disappearing behind the bramble tendrils. As soon as they were gone, Jayfeather spoke. "I received word from Yellowfang last night," he meowed hurriedly, paws kneading the earth. "She delivered a prophecy, and I received awful visions of Hollyleaf and Tigerstar as well," he explained, a visible shudder running from his nose to tail-tip.

Leafpool's pelt bristled. "A prophecy? And you didn't tell me?" she asked, frustration lacing her tone. Jayfeather recoiled and glared at his mother.

"I thought the father of the prophesied cat should be the first to know," he hissed defensively. Leafpool's gaze flickered between Bramblestar and Lionblaze, eyes wide. The dark tabby leader's whiskers twitched in alarm at the thought of his daughter trying to carry out a prophecy, but quickly realized it couldn't have been Songpaw. He hadn't heard of the prophecy until now, and with a jolt, his gaze shot to Lionblaze, who stared at his paws. An uncomfortable silence fell across the group as four pairs of eyes lay on the golden tabby. Finally, the silence was split by a quiet voice.

"Shimmerpaw? How do you know? What did Yellowfang tell you?" Leafpool queried, tail stirring the earth as she brought it over her paws. Jayfeather hesitated to speak, feeling exhausted despite having woken up recently.

"Out of Limbo between Dark and Light, a star shall shimmer to combat the night. She warned me to protect my brother's daughter," the sightless tom explained slowly. "There's no one else it could be."

Lionblaze shifted on his paws and shook his head, as if in denial once again. Bramblestar sighed. "That's pretty damning. But what can we do?" he questioned, casting a sympathetic glance to his nephew. Lionblaze caught his gaze and huffed, looking away.

"How would I know?" Jayfeather snapped. It was evident the situation was agitating the blind medicine cat, and Leafpool quickly lay a comforting paw on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He simply shrugged it off with an annoyed grumble.

Bramblestar was about to speak when he realized how silent his mate had been. He turned his gaze to her and tilted his head. "Squirrelflight? What do you think of all of this?"

The ginger she-cat glanced around the group. She stayed silent a few moments more, deep in thought, before she spoke. "I don't know exactly how I feel about all of this. But I have an awful feeling that whatever Shimmerpaw and Songpaw saw could be incredibly dangerous. We need to keep a close eye out for that cat, and we mustn't let apprentices out alone. If that sighting had anything to do with the prophecy, we need to act now rather than later. And we must protect Shimmerpaw at all costs."

A nod of agreement passed through the small group. Bramblestar felt his pelt prickle with anxiety. What was in store for Shimmerpaw and the rest of ThunderClan? He didn't know, but something dark was looming ahead, and he would fight it for as long as he could.

Okay, wow. That took absolutely forever. Camping doesn't leave much time for writing, who knew? I'm very sorry for the delay; I've just been swamped lately and losing the first draft after a trip did not help.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm not entirely sure who is up next, but I'm sure they will be amazing. I'll see all of you later in the story! Au Revoir!

-Virgo