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The lithe figure practically glided down rocks, grass tickling their fur almost playfully. It reached its head above, and sniffed, before bringing it back down, and looking ahead. The mouth of a cave, opened up wide enough for a cat stood before it, the darkness reaching every so creeping, that it was almost as if the cave was attempting to steal all the world around it.

The fog and sticks stripped bare of even their bark, bleached white from the weather gave the place a haunting quality, made even greater by the lack of any sound other than the padding of the lone cat' paws on the ground as it slipped inside without hesitation.

The inside of the cave seemed even scarier, with no sound, save the dripping of a single water drop, every few seconds, and total darkness. The cat had to navigate by smell and touch alone.

The path was straight forward, however, and it wasn't long before it opened to a cavern, somewhat large, and softly illuminated, but by what, one could never figure out. A small pond, fed by an unknown source was before him, clear, and calm, betraying no quelling notions. The water's depths were darkened, from lack of light, but the cat could faintly make out the colors of red, blue, green, and violet, the gems sometimes glittering in the soft light.

He reached the water's edge, and laid before it, stretching his head forward some, just shy of touching the water, and closed his eyes to sleep.

He opened them a moment later, to find himself not in the cave, but an open area, his clan's camp. He could smell the familiar scents, but could not hear the snoring of the cats, or the muffled mews of hungry kits, waking their mother's for a late night meal. His ears pricked to a noise, and he turned to face a familiar she-cat.

He nodded in greeting, wishing his tail around his paws as she approached him.

"It is strange, for you to go all the way to Moon Cave to speak with us, Ivytail." The she-cat mewed, sitting before him. From the sides, the tom, Ivytail could make out other cats, but kept his eyes on the she-cat before him.

"This couldn't wait, I need to ask for your guidance." He spoke in a calm, cold, and determined manner, but the she-cat didn't seem fazed in the least.

"I know why you are here. We all know." She said. Ivytail saw some more cats appear, but didn't look at them, only gazing at the she-cat.

"The newest prophecy is far to vague, even for Starclan!" He mewed out, his tone of irritation. The she-cat shook her head, and looked to the sky.

"I understand, but you must bear with it for a while. Things will become clearer to you soon." She said, not looking down. Ivytail whipped his tail angerly, but didn't get up.

"Silvercloud-"

"Beware Ivytail, not of those that lurk in darkness, wind, stone, or fire, but one that hides in bramble. Fear the one of storming rage, and fire lit passion. As the sand drains, and the arrow claims, trust in the butterfly, that will bring about the black dawn." Silvercloud said, looking back at Ivytail with a cold gaze.

Ivytail jolted up suddenly, heaving lightly, but shook his head, finding a quelling peace in the water of the pond as he shook off the last remnants of sleep. It would be dawn soon, and he needed to return to the clan, especially since a she-cat was expecting kits at anytime.

He let his senses guide him out of the cave, and towards his own territory, knowing it would be long before he would return to his clan's camp, and knowing the other cats would worry when they found him gone, but he had his answers, and knew he could justify his leaving the clan for a time.

As he raced through the forest, his thoughts were on his dream with Starclan, rather than the fact he was in a different clan's territory, but he knew he wouldn't be attacked. No warrior would attack a medicine cat, but he didn't stop. Why risk it?

He thought of the she-cat, Silvercloud, and what she had said as he raced ahead, the forest around him coming alive. He ignored the tantalizing smell of prey, wanting to hunt, but deciding not to, as he dashed and left the forest for a break in the moorland, the scent of rabbit and wind coming to him as he raced ahead.

By the time he reached the other end of the moorland, to another forest that looked almost choked with bramble, the sun was all ready well into the sky. He dashed inside, and barely slowed as he made way through the thick foliage. He paused once, tasting the air, and scenting a morning patrol. He slowed, to a steady walk, his sides heaving slightly. He felt exhausted, and began thinking of the herbs he would need once he go back to camp.

He was stopped suddenly when a group of three cats crossed his path. They looked up at him, somewhat shocked, but the leader of the group nodded, and let him pass. Ivytail nodded to the tom, pale ginger in color, with blue eyes, and continued to camp.

"Will I hear of this later, Ivytail?" the tom mewed. Ivytail stopped for a moment, and shook his head.

"Not quite yet, I am afraid." He said, and continued, ignoring the curious gaze of the other two cats. He was needed at camp.

Actually getting to camp felt like a chore in itself, the thick bramble bushes made it difficult, since the only way in was an opening, a somewhat thin area in the bramble, pushed farther apart with sticks, but the thorns still clung to the fur of long furred cats, and sometimes made it difficult to get in and out. Ivytail remembered hearing they were going to try and make it wider, and after squeezing through, hissing as some of his long fur snagged at times, he would certainly agree to it.

He was just inside the camp, a wide area, despite what one would think from the bramble outside, when a cat came at him full speed, stopping short with and mewed at him in pants.

"Q-quickly! Dap-Dappledawn!" The small apprentice mewed out. Ivytail wasted no time going to the nursery.

He entered to find three queens, one heaving slightly, the other two looking on in worry.

"Ivytail!" One of the queens, a black she-cat with yellow eyes mewed, sheltering her own kit with her tail. The other she-cat, a beautiful ginger she-cat had her own kits safely with her as well. Ivytail nodded to the two of them, and passed by to help the last queen, a darker tortie and white she-cat with green eyes, the one giving birth. Dappledawn.

The next little while went almost agonizingly slow, but Ivytail felt happy, when Dappledawn's last kit was finally born. She only had one, and the kit was all right.

Dappledawn licked the kit gratefully.

"You may have to retire, once this kit is apprenticed." Ivytail said. He remembered back when he was a kit. Dappledawn was all ready a warrior then. Now, he knew, she would soon retire to the elder's den. Dappledawn looked up at him, her eyes kind, and she nodded. She licked the kit again, the tiny she-cat's mew ringing out. Ivytail purred, delighted that the kit was born, and looked down at it.

He had a scene of foreboding, when he finally saw the kit entirely.

Gray, short furred, but at the corner of its' eyes, a black design, shaped like butterfly wings. Looking at it straight forward, it looked like it had a pair of elegant, gothic style butterfly wings attached to the corner of its eyes. The kit had yet to open its eyes.

"I decided to name her Black-kit." Dappledawn said, jarring Ivytail's attention from the kit. Ivytail nodded, and got up.

"I'll be sure to alert Sandstar, when he returns." He said. Dappledawn nodded gratefully as he left to go to his den.

Ivytail wasn't sure exactly, but something about that kit shook him to the core, and made him think of the newest prophecy he had learned.