Emberstar

FlameClan Leader

Ginger/Grey Tabby

26 Moons

Emberstar was awoken by a nose prodding his flank. He was incredibly groggy, and everything was still blurry. "Wha?..." he muttered confusedly, blinking the sleep from his eyes. As soon as everything cleared, he could tell that it wasn't yet the morning, as light reflected well in the Underside. He glanced back at the cat who had woken him, surprised to see the scrap of fur the Clan had adopted a while before. Wavekit still had his eyes shut, bumping into Emberstar's flank repeatedly, mistaking him for the kit's mother.

He mewled helplessly, kneading Emberstar's side. The FlameClan leader watched in amusement. After a couple of heartbeats, Emberstar picked the small kit up by the scruff and carried him out of the den, Wavekit starting to mewl hungrily. "I'm going to have to take you to Gingerdawn, won't I?" Emberstar sighed, his mew muffled by the scrap of fur dangling from his mouth. As if in answer, the kit mewed quietly something that sounded like 'Yes,' and Emberstar obliged, slipping into the nursery.

There were only three queens in the nursery; Gingerdawn, Blueswirl, and Leafear. Leapspring had gone back to being a Warrior after her kits became apprentices. Thankfully, they were all very heavy sleepers, and only Blueswirl had kits – which followed their mother in terms of tiredness. Gingerdawn slept soundly, her litter of two kits snoozing soundly next to her belly. Emberstar prayed to StarClan that the kit wouldn't mew loudly like he had on his actualization and wake all of the queens – Leafear especially, since she was particularly prickly during the mornings.

Thankfully, the kit seemed to hear the soft breathes of the queens and understood that he had to be quiet, but he still let out a nearly imperceivably mew, one that not even Emberstar would've heard, had he not seen the kit open his maw. The FlameClan leader gently pawed Gingerdawn's flanks, trying to wake her without awakening her kits.

The ginger queen woke up, her eyes narrowed sleepily. As she blinked the sleep from her eyes, she recognized Wavekit. The reclusive she-cat seemed on the verge of shouting 'Wavekit!' but remembered in the last heartbeat that she had two sleeping kits curled at her belly, along with two other queens in the nursery. Emberstar gently plopped Wavekit in with the two other kits – Ebonykit and Oakkit – and Gingerdawn blinked gratefully at the FlameClan leader. Emberstar responded with a dip of his head, then softly padded out of the nursery, glancing back to see the ginger queen use her head to nudge Wavekit to her belly to nurse. With that, he padded out into the Underside.

From the absolute darkness that consumed everything, he was sure that this was before daybreak. Everything felt cold, and made his fur prickle, reminding him of the inevitably of leafbare that was going to hit the Clan territories. Would his Clan have enough to last through leafbare? That was yet another burden that he had to bare as Clan leader.

"What are you doing, up so early?" a soft voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He visibly jumped, alarmed. A scent came over him, and he instantly recognized Steampelt. "Wavekit woke me up… he had strayed from the nursery," Emberstar told the medicine cat, purring in amusement. He then realized how mortified Wavekit would've been. A journey through the massive underside all alone in near total darkness as a kit for him was an absolute and complete 'no'.

"A little adventurous, isn't he?" Steampelt mewed longingly. Emberstar couldn't tell whether this was because she would've liked to be a bit more adventurous as a kit, or have kits of her own. "Do you ever regret becoming a medicine cat?" he asked carefully, his pelt prickling at the possible responses. A silence ensued for the next couple of heartbeats, but felt like a lifetime. "Sometimes…" Steampelt conceded, her voice thick with suspicion. "Anyways, why are you up so early? I know that you hate waking up before sunrise," purred Emberstar, changing the subject quickly to avoid suspicion. "Actually, I received a sign from StarClan," mewed Steampelt. This caught the leader off-guard, "What did they say."

"I had asked for an apprentice after you all got back from the Gathering," she started, "And I had a dream. I was in the Gathering clearing, but it was all covered in snow." This alarmed Emberstar. Did this mean that the land would become no more fruitful than DuneClan territory? Steampelt's voice revealed no such worries. "A stripe appeared across the snow, black as night. When I put my paw up against it, it felt like a rock; ebony," Steampelt finished. "Ebonykit?" Emberstar guessed. Steampelt nodded, "If I interpreted that right."

Ebonykit had always been a very quiet kit, and hadn't ever truly been interested in playing with the other kits, unlike her brother, Oakkit. He was a rambunctious kit who liked to get in trouble, much like Amberpaw and Dawnpaw had when they were kits. Ebonykit had also always been easy to identify, with a distinctive black stripe going down her dark grey coat.

"It would be better to tell her during the day – when she can fully understand," Emberstar advised, thinking of when he was a kit. Steampelt cocked her head thoughtfully, and after a couple of heartbeats conceded, "Alright. They're getting near their six-month-mark anyways." This suddenly made Emberstar remember – the two kits had turned five months old the day before the Gathering, and by next Gathering, they would be apprentices. He had already chosen Oakkit's mentor; Swiftwillow. Emberstar had always been a bit doubtful of Ebonykit's dedication to a fight, whether he admitted it or not, so he had always kept a mentor in mind but had never decided.

Steampelt padded off, presumably back to her den.

Emberstar was left staring after her, deep in his thoughts. Ebonykit would soon become Ebonypaw. Emberstar still remembered the excitement that sparked through his pelt and the tingling in his paws as he was named an apprentice, and even more so when he was named Emberpelt, his Warrior name.

His mind was stopped from wandering when he saw a glimmer of light coming from the entrance to the Underside. He padded forward, realizing that it was not the warm shine of the sun, but the cold light of the stars. His body seemed to start shaking a bit, as if a groundrumble (earthquake) was happening, but he felt no such thing. Unsteadily, he continued out of the Underside. Multiple dots of light were sprinkled around the entrance, shimmering white and silver. He looked towards the forest, seeing the faint outline of a cat in the dots of light. Abruptly, he stopped shaking, and strength flowed into his paws. The starry cat looked back at him, then padded off into some shrubbery.

Emberstar followed, curious like never before. "StarClan?" he murmured, glancing around after he had gone through the shrubbery. A soft wind flowed through the trees, and he thought he could make out a 'Yes' through the rustling of branches. "StarClan, are you there?" he insisted. The starry cat he had see before walked out of some bushes, and the cat's form seemed to become solid and touchable – not like the ethereal outline that was there moments prior. A scent washed over him; one that he recognized almost instantly. "Ashenstar?" he asked wondrously. He was not unused to the former FlameClan leader visiting him through dreams and omens, but so directly and, in addition, in the waking world was astonishing. Giving it a second of thought, Emberstar shivered. The message she held was either extremely urgent and carried bad news that could not be delayed a second longer, or incredibly good news. He was inclined to believe the former.

"Yes. It is me, Emberstar," her soft mew came from her form, her eyes still containing that ethereal quality that her form had held before. "Why are you here?" he asked, still entranced by how real yet spirit-like she looked. Her cinder-colored pelt was bathed in pale silver light of the glowing dots, and her eyes reflected the shine. Instead of a response, Ashenstar mewed steadily, "The time for blackened skies come nearer, and the Clans must become one."

And with that, she turned tail and jumped into the underbrush, her form becoming starry again. "Wait – don't go!" Emberstar called for his former mentor, but he received nothing. With that, he ran into the bushes blindly, branches and leaves smacking him in the face. He abruptly bumped into something, and for a second he thought it was Ashenstar, but he remembered that she had no solid form now. He looked up to see the form of another cat crouching in the grass, their hackles raised. The familiar scent of FlameClan trailed into Emberstar's nostrils, and he realized that it was actually Cedarsun. "Emberstar?" Cedarsun asked curiously, staring at his leader.

Emberstar responded with, "What are you doing out here?" Cedarsun stared at his leader incredulously, but responded after a couple of heartbeats. "Hunting," he replied. Emberstar was skeptical for a heartbeat, but all skepticism faded when he saw that a vole and rabbit were at Cedarsun's paws, as if he had dropped them when the grey/ginger tabby had crashed into him. "Why are you hunting so early?" asked Emberstar. "Well… I couldn't sleep, and I was feeling too antsy to simply stay in the Warrior's den, so I decided to help out and hunt a bit," Cedarsun admitted sheepishly. "That help is much appreciated," Emberstar mewed thankfully, "I'll help you get all of this back to the Clan."

0-0-0

Steampelt

FlameClan Medicine Cat

Black/White/Ginger Calico

26 Moons

"Are you sure no one will walk in on this?" Steampelt asked the FlameClan deputy, who was pulling lichen across the entrance to Steampelt's den, then placing a rock outside, which meant 'Don't Come In Unless It's an Emergency'. "Positive," Swiftwillow responded, "And if anyone walks in, we'll quickly switch positions and you can say that I have a belly-ache."

"I just… I just feel terrible breaking the code," Steampelt admitted, hanging her head. The terrible thought crept into her head again. What would Emberstar think? Would he be ashamed, furious, or even heartbroken? Would he go as far as banishing me from the Clan? Steampelt shook her head, as if a few simple movements would rid her of all the horrid thoughts that she managed to keep alive, beyond her comprehension. If he did, I would completely understand.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Swiftwillow mewed softly, sitting down beside Steampelt and licking her ear affectionately. The FlameClan deputy say the thoughts haunting her in her eyes, and mewed, "Don't worry. If Emberstar finds out, I'll take all the blame. I'll say that I forced you to love me and you were simply trying to find the time tell Emberstar without getting hurt." Swiftwillow's voice cracked at 'forced,' as if he found the thought appalling.

Steampelt stared into Swiftwillow's eyes for what seemed like a lifetime, "Alright."