Jayfeather's words had worried Lionclaw, and he had trouble finding sleep that night. The eerie words of the prophecy kept repeating in his head over and over…
Lionclaw was suddenly surrounded by a strange foggy forest, and blinked his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Lionclaw staggered to his feet, his ears twitching curiously. He took a brief look around and realized, I must be dreaming…
Suddenly a blinding light struck him. Lionclaw was forced backwards and then scrambled to his paws quickly. A starry warrior came towards him, his paw steps as light as feathers.
"Greetings." The starry warrior said in a loud, yet gentle tone.
"H-Hello." Lionclaw said, confused. "Where am I?"
"Somewhere in the vast forests of StarClan." He said nonchalantly.
When Lionclaw remained silent, he continued, "I am Lionheart. I was deputy for a brief time when Firestar was an apprentice."
Lionclaw dipped his head to show his respect for his ThunderClan ancestor.
Lionheart flicked his tail in a welcoming gesture to follow him. Lionclaw bounded over like a kit, awed by the shininess of his pelt and the rapture in his eyes.
As they walked side by side, Lion beside Lion, the mist cleared before them. Lionheart stopped at the edge of a steep slope and signaled for him to do the same. Lionheart's eyes glimmered. "Look before you. What do you see?"
Lionclaw peered down the slope that had transformed itself into the marshy terrain at horse-place. He saw a swimming sea of sleek and russet fur blended together as they fought each other fiercely.
Lionclaw gasped as he saw his den-mate, Brackenfur digging his claws into a cat's back and then letting out a shriek, as he was counter-struck in the throat by a deathblow. Blackfoot stood over him, triumphant. Blackclaw! These are RiverClan and ThunderClan cats!
Lionclaw rushed over to his friend's side, and then let out a shiver as a cat went right through him. Blinking, he turned to see Honeytail and Jayfeather leaning over Brackenfur. It's like I'm dead! They can't see me or hear me!
As if Lionheart had read his thoughts, he picked his way gracefully down the slope and rested his tail on his shoulder, "No, you are not dead my friend."
Lionclaw gulped as he watched his brother swath cobwebs over Brackenfur's deep wounds. "What's happening?"
Lionheart lifted his head. "You are seeing what will become of both clans, unless you do something."
Lionclaw shuddered again as more cats went straight through him. It was Leopardstar and Firestar! They were tumbling down the slope, scratching and biting each other in a flurry of blows and misses. Suddenly Leopardstar hissed, "This is over, Firestar." And then slashed her claws down and cut open his throat. Firestar's cry was interrupted by a choking sound. He was coughing up large amounts of blood.
"StarClan can't sew internal wounds, Firestar. Prepare to die. And let it be known that ThunderClan will never intertwine with RiverClan again!"
Her words sent a chill through Lionclaw. He heard a yowl behind him. Spinning around, he saw Honeytail laying beside her father and Jayfeather looking sick. "He's gone!" Honeytail wailed.
Brackenfur dead, Firestar dead, and no. Lionclaw's stomach flipped upside down.
Hollywhisker lay on her side, her eyes gazing into no where. She was dead!
Lionclaw whipped around, choking back tears. "This can't be happening! All these dead cats! StarClan must do something!"
Lionheart looked greatly saddened. "No, there is nothing that we can do. But, Lionclaw, it is your destiny to save the clans."
"Me?! What can I do?" Lionclaw asked.
"There is a prophecy, another,
Lion will strike the river's surprise,
Lion will save his kin and clan,
Lion will help Honey and Thyme,
Only when the cinder burns for the last time."
"What?" Lionclaw said, puzzled by the ominous words. "What do you mean, Lionheart?"
Lionheart did not reply but his words echoed around the clearing, Lionclaw, it is your destiny to save the clans…
Teehee, this story is going better than I planned. Sorry for the stinky propehcy, I'm not good at poems! But can you guess what it means?