Time for Dawnstar's Legacy
Mapleleaf belongs to Rockbelly, and Whitepool and Mothspots belong to Penguin598. Jayfeather belongs to Erin Hunter.
If any of you forgot, these are the lake territories. I probably should have made that clearer earlier.
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No moon dared shine on this empty night. Blackwing whisked her way through the pine trees, her heart sped up by the step. ShadowClan territory was dangerous, especially at night when the hunters were out for prey. But the Warriors' wrath wasn't what sped the black she cat on. No, it was the prophecy. The prophecy was shared by a representative of all four Clans, and it was something that would affect all of them.
Blackwing rushed over pine needles and stones, hoping to find ShadowClan's camp soon. Tonight was the night, and Blackwing wouldn't let Mapleleaf miss it for the world.
Blackwing stumbled; she held her tongue as she almost let out a yowl of frustration and surprise. Tonight was no night for mistakes, especially in the very center of an enemy Clan's territory with no way to get help. Mentally kicking herself, Blackwing shook her fur and rolled onto her paws. Suddenly, the black medicine cat noticed a pair of bright green eyes flashing in the low light. A brown tabby paw prodded her shoulder. Blackwing glared her blue gaze back at the tabby cat.
"Blackwing," the tabby hissed quietly. His green eyes gleaming with annoyance, "Blackwing what are you doing here? I told you to wait by the border until I came to fetch you."
Blackwing breathed a small sigh of shame.
"It was getting late and I didn't want to keep waiting, Mapleleaf. I thought you might have forgotten tonight." Blackwing whispered back, her head bowed slightly. The brown tabby tom nudged Blackwing away from the ditch she tripped in. Blackwing carefully stepped out and padded towards the trees again. Mapleleaf bounded silently ahead of her and glanced at the black medicine cat with shock lining his face.
"Me? Forget? Since when would I forget something that we've been discussing for moons about, Blackwing?" Mapleleaf mewed into Blackwing's ears. Blackwing kept looking on ahead, ignoring her companion.
"I still remember two moons ago when you forgot the half-moon meeting." Blackwing snickered. Mapleleaf swiped a paw out at her nose. He hissed in indignation.
"Don't you dare bring that up!"
"I already did. Now watch where we're going, I'm already lost and StarClan knows where I'll end up."
Mapleleaf skidded to a halt. He paused for a moment to let Blackwing catch up to him. The pair of cats stalked silently into a clearing that ran by a stream. A cool breeze glided from the water to the cats. Blackwing blinked slowly, tasting the sweet chill of the wind. Mapleleaf padded onto the stone carefully, aware of the water swirling beneath him. He dabbed a paw in the stream and stepped into the water. A quiet splash licked his forepaws as he waded across.
"The ThunderClan border is just across the water," Mapleleaf called over to Blackwing, "Breezepaw should be waiting past the border by the lake."
Blackwing nodded to her companion and hopped in the stream beside him. With her powerful hind legs she swam to the banks. ThunderClan scent flooded her nose when she stepped out into the heavily wood undergrowth. Thorns tugged at her fur and sliced at her paws each Time Blackwing took a step deeper into the woods. Mapleleaf trotted beside her, the tabby medicine cat's green eyes searching for a path to the lake. Blackwing bumped shoulders with him reassuringly and led him towards her nose's path of the scent of water.
Undergrowth and weeds brushed the cats' paws every step. Mapleleaf stumbled a bit, growling under his breath.
"How do ThunderClan cats live with all this stuff around their paws?" Mapleleaf hissed. Blackwing shrugged.
"At least it's getting clearer. Look, there's the lake!"
Blackwing bounded up to the gently lapping water on the smooth, pebbly shore. Her paws ached from the trek through the forest and the water was a welcome break on her pads. Mapleleaf walked up beside her, less enthusiastic about the water than Blackwing was. But thirst urged the tabby tom onwards as he slowly lowered his head down to take a drink. The water was fresh and cold, awakening Mapleleaf's sense and mind. Blackwing followed suit and lapped up the lake water.
Mapleleaf sat down and stared up at the night sky, his green eyes glimmering with emotion.
What do you have for us, StarClan? He mewed silently. The stars twinkled back in silence like little crystals. Beautifully breathe taking to look at, but nothing more. The tabby medicine cat jerked his gaze over to Blackwing, who stared back sympathetically. Her blue eyes glowing in the star's light.
"I know, the stars never answer me either." She whispered. Mapleleaf blinked slowly and nodded. It was painful to both of them to be so helpless when all of the Clans could be in danger in the future or near future.
"Yes, I don't think they will ever give an answer to anyone, Blackwing," Mapleleaf breathed back to her, "Let's go and get Breezepaw. She has to be a few fox lengths down, by the tunnel exits."
Blackwing nodded at Mapleleaf and followed. A small opening in the shore where water flowed out over the rocks was their destination. Blackwing smirked a little playfully when she saw Mapleleaf flinch when a wave splashed at his side. Pulling her head back to the prophecy, the black she cat looked up ahead and noticed a sleek silver and black tabby standing over the water flow. The silvery tabby leapt down from her perch and ran up to greet the two medicine cats.
"Hi Mapleleaf, hi Blackwing," She meowed cheerfully. Blackwing couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Hello, Breezepaw. It took us a while to get here. I think we should head to WindClan now." Blackwing said. Breezepaw dipped her head.
"Ok. Follow me to the border. Mothspots and Whitepool told me earlier today that they'd sit on their side and wait for us."
Mapleleaf and Blackwing trotted after Breezepaw. Much to their surprise, the apprentice was much more adept at running than them. Trees popped in and out of Blackwing's vision, causing her to stall a few times during the run. Mapleleaf poked her shoulder with his tail and urged her forward.
"Hurry, Blackwing. The night won't last forever." Mapleleaf mewed as he passed her and jumped over a bramble bush.
"This way!" Breezepaw called out to her two companions. Mapleleaf almost sighed out loud at the apprentice's seemingly endless supply of energy.
"We aren't far, I promise." Breezepaw meowed at the two medicine cats. Worry sparking in her light blue eyes.
"We're fine, just not used to this terrain." Blackwing said reassuringly. She padded up back to Breezepaw with Mapleleaf taking the rear. Soon the trees thinned out and a vast moor stretched out ahead of the three cats.
"Welcome to WindClan territory, guys." Breezepaw mewed. The silver tabby apprentice sprinted on a head and stopped at the border. Blackwing and Mapleleaf panted, catching up with Breezepaw. Waiting for the group was a ginger tom with dark orange spots lining his back. His emerald eyes sparkled with excitement when Breezepaw stepped ahead to greet him.
"Greetings, Mapleleaf, Blackwing and Breezepaw," The ginger tom meowed over the wind that battered the moor hills. Blackwing's fur fluffed under the gale and Breezepaw resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose at an unfamiliar scent. Mapleleaf appeared unchanged.
"Hello, Mothspots. Where is Whitepool?" Mothspots asked. Whitepool had told the group that she'd who up as one of WindClan's representatives. But only Mothspots showed up. Mothspots almost laughed.
"She's 'training' her apprentice. Nightpaw was too much of a pawful for her to come tonight. Let's get on with this, shall we? The moonpool isn't much farther ahead." Mothspots bounded up the rolling hills the dotted WindClan's territory. The rest of the group fell in line behind him. Breezepaw brought up a worried mew.
"Won't your border patrols find our scent tomorrow?"
Mothspots shook his head.
"No, it's unusually windy tonight, even for us. The scents will probably blow away with the wind."
Mapleleaf squinted in the breeze. He ran passed Breezepaw, who was panting with effort to rush over the next hill. Long, rough grass grazed his chin. Blackwing surged beside him and swatted away the plants.
"This was a long way to travel. I'm feeling my paws fall off already." She mewed humorously. Mapleleaf smiled at her.
"We're there already, if I'm not mistaken."
Mapleleaf liked his friendship with Blackwing. They had been apprenticed at around the same time and he had witnessed her medicine cat naming ceremony just after his own. The two often greeted each other at the border between RiverClan and ShadowClan on herb gathering trips. Mapleleaf remembered with a chuckle the first time they met. He had asked Blackwing, Blackpaw then, if she was a warrior apprentice and what she was doing with the medicine cats…
"We're here, everyone." Mothspots called out to the group. Nimbly, he leapt over a glittery pool of water beside a small waterfall the trickled over the ancient rocks. Countless paw prints were forever indented in the path way by cats of a time long ago. Blackwing placed a paw in one of the indents. She could almost hear the old voices whispering in her ears if she closed her eyes.
Blinking them open, Mapleleaf pushed Blackwing to a nearby spot overlooking the MoonPool. Breezepaw and Mothspots already sat in their own places.
"So what are we here to discuss?" Breezepaw asked impatiently. Mapleleaf narrowed his eyes at her.
"We must wait for StarClan's representative, along with Embersoul through his dreams. I only know of one cat that could bring him here to us. So StarClan's representative must be…" Mapleleaf trailed off. Right in front of the group's eyes, the MoonPool swirled with glowing stars. A thin mist emerged from the water and little drops of water shimmered in the mystic fog. The drops continued to swirl with the reflecting stars over the pool, swirling into the shape of a cat. Breezepaw stared at the pool in awe. Mothspots stood rigid and Mapleleaf bowed his head in respect towards the figure. Blackwing stepped forward one step. The figure in the mist began to gain shape and color, grey tabby stripes rippled through the cat's pelt. Blue, jay tinted eyes opened on the cat's face. Finally, the shape fully materialized in front of the group of cats. A grey tabby tom with blue eyes and stars in his fur stepped towards Blackwing, who nodded slightly to acknowledge his presence. Breezepaw mewled in shock as she recognized the StarClan cat that stood before her and her companions.
"J-Jayfeather?!"
The grey tabby tom nodded.
"Yes, I am Jayfeather, medicine cat of ThunderClan and one of the Three chosen cats from before your time."
"Is Embersoul dreaming yet?" Mapleleaf asked; his green gaze excited with the thought of meeting such an important cat. Jayfeather nodded again.
"He is and I will call him to here to you. There is much that needs to be addressed. I won't let this generation have as much trouble as I had with my prophecy."
Jayfeather closed his eyes and his tail twitched. The sleeping form of a ginger and grey tom emerged from the mist. Jayfeather opened his eyes. At the same time, the ginger and grey tom did too.
"All of you must guide the Flight of Dawn. I can't give anymore hints, despite what the mousebrains in the rest of StarClan say. You'll have to figure the rest out on your own. Good luck." Jayfeather hissed just before his image faded. Embersoul stood up in the middle of the MoonPool. He greeted the group of cats before him and sat back down.
"I think we all know who the prophecy is referring to. A cat we all know." Embersoul mewed, his voice resonating off the water below him. The rest of the group nodded their approval.
"Flight of Dawn. Dawnpaw." Breezepaw stated flatly.