"It's a long walk to moonstone," Grayleaf warned Willowpaw, "But we may run into some other Medicine cats on our way there."
"See you later," Robinpaw mewed as Willowpaw and Grayleaf left camp. It was terrible, Willowpaw thought, that Silverstorm would refuse to mentor Robinpaw. She felt terrible for her sister.
"Grayleaf, is that you?" A young she-cat's voice came from the bushes to Willowpaw's left. The scent hit her nose heartbeats later. ShadowClan!
"Amberdew, nice to meet you here," Grayleaf mewed. She looked at Willowpaw as a ginger she-cat padded out of the bushes. "Willowpaw, this is Amberdew, ShadowClan's Medicine cat. Amberdew, this Willowpaw, my new apprentice."
"Nice to meet you," Amberdew touched noses with Willowpaw. "Have you met with Splashwing yet? I figure that Breezeflight must have gone on without us."
"No, I haven't seen Splashwing yet," Grayleaf mewed continuing to walk. "And Breezeflight is very impatient. She's gone on without us."
The Medicine cats made good time to Moonstone, as the elder Medicine cats talked. Grayleaf was much older the Amberdew, but the two talked like old friends. Well, they probably were.
The Medicine cats met up with Splashwing, a RiverClan she-cat, and reached Moonstone by Sundown. There, a white she-cat was pacing. "Took you long enough," she complained.
"You just had to come from WindClan territory," Splashwing growled, we, however, came from further places."
"Like what, the moon?" Breezeflight teased, then she spotted Willowpaw. "Who's the kit?"
"My name is Willowpaw. I'm Grayleaf's apprentice," Willowpaw's fur bristled
Breezeflight purred. "Took you long enough. It's about time you took an apprentice. I was beginning to think that you were going to go to StarClan before you choose one."
Grayleaf mewed crossly, "Are we going to speak to StarClan or not?" Willowpaw nodded eagerly.
"Off course we are," Breezeflight laughed, "Keep your fur on!"
The Medicine Cats trotted into the cave, and soon Moonstone came into view. Willowpaw's breath caught. It was beautiful. Pale blue light bounced off of its faceted surface. Willowpaw approached the stone. "Just lay down and touch your nose to it," Willowpaw nodded.
Moonstone and the surrounding cave vanished from view. Willowpaw was in a misty moonlit clearing. Robinpaw was standing in front of her. Willowpaw started, and then realized that is wasn't Robinpaw, merely a she-cat that looked almost identical to her. Maybe... " Are you... are you our mother?"
"I am, dear one," the she-cat mewed. "My name is Skyfire. I died giving birth to you kits."
"Oh," Willowpaw only hesitated a moment, before she flung herself at her mother. She buried her head in her mother's fur. "I never knew who you were. We always wondered."
"I know," Skyfire murmured, "and its hurt so bad to wait this long to tell you. But we knew that you would come soon, so I just had to wait. It feels so good to talk to you." Skyfire closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them. "But come, I have much to tell you."
Skyfire led Willowpaw to another clearing, where a lake glistened. "You are the first kits of mixed blood. You will have a very special role in the events of the future. Look," Skyfire mewed, and blew on the lake. As Willowpaw gazed into the lake, she saw impossible things. Her siblings were in it. Robinpaw was jumping off of Highrock, and as she was about to hit the ground, huge feathered brown wings erupted from her shoulders and she swooped into the sky. Sprucepaw looked up at Robinpaw, and began running after her, faster than any cat had run before. They raced to where Willowpaw could see Goldenpaw ripping up huge trees with his bare paws, and smashing stones with his tail. "When Robin's wings, and Spruce's claw, come under the shadow of the Willow, then the Golden Sun will rise again."A voice screamed in Willowpaw's ear, and then she fell into darkness.
"No!" Willowpaw yowled, coming awake. A panicked glanced around revealed that she was back at moonstone, with four Medicine cats staring at her with worried glances.
"Are you okay Willowpaw?" Grayleaf asked.
Willowpaw shook her head. As the medicine cats trotted out away from High stones, Willowpaw recounted her dream to Grayleaf. "A voice said, 'When Robin's wings, and Spruce's claw, come under the shadow of the Willow, then the Golden Sun will rise again.'" Willowpaw mewed to Grayleaf. It was midnight, the half moon shown above them.
The medicine cats pondered the dream for a while. "You're sure that Robinpaw was flying?" Amberdew asked.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Maybe it means that something bad will happen to Robinpaw, and then she'll get out of it somehow?" Splashwing suggested, and then her shoulders slumped. "I really don't know."
"The dreams don't have to be literal," Grayleaf mewed. "It could mean anything."
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Back at ThunderClan...
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Robinpaw tried not to look too wistful as she trotted alongside Sprucepaw and Brownclaw. Brownclaw had been taking Sprucepaw hunting, and thought that he should also take Robinpaw. It was nice to be out of camp, but Robinpaw wished it was with her mentor and not Sprucepaw's.
"Robinpaw," a tom's voice hissed.
"Sprucepaw?" Robinpaw asked.
Sprucepaw turned around. "What?"
"Did you say my name?"
"No."
"In the bushes," the voice hissed again.
Robinpaw trotted closer to the bushes. "Hel-" she got out before a tail wrapped around her mouth and she was dragged into the bushes.
Sprucepaw paused. "Robinpaw?" he called.
"She must have gone back to camp," Brownclaw mewed. No! Robinpaw mentally yowled. I'm over here! Help! Robinpaw watched helplessly as her brother and mentor padded away.
The cat holding Robinpaw dragged her a long way. "If I let you go, will you be quiet?" The tom asked. Robinpaw nodded. The tom released Robinpaw's mouth from his tail. Robinpaw finally got a good look at him. It was a brown and white tom with fierce amber eyes.
"Who are you?" Robinpaw squeaked, and was too scared to be embarrassed when her voice squeaked like a kit's.
"My name is Eagle," the tom mewed. "You do not know who I am?"
"No..." Robinpaw started, then really looked. The tom's pelt was just like Willowpaw's. And his eyes were a mirror image of Sprucepaw's.
"You... are you our father?" Robinpaw gasped.
"Robinpaw," The tom mewed, "I am your father. I had to see you. They said that it would be best to wait until you were apprentices to break the news."
Robinpaw was speechless. "What... but... you... our mother..."
"Your mother was beautiful," Eagle breathed, sadness swimming in his eyes. "I loved her so much. She died giving birth to you kits." He sighed. "You look just like her. You have her eyes."
"I have... who was she?" Robinpaw blurted out. "What was her name? The Clan cats seem to know her."
"I cannot tell you," Eagle murmured. "But your sister will. She visits with her in StarClan now."
"That means our mother was a clan cat!" Robinpaw cried. She paused. "Then, what are you?"
"Someone who wishes to help you," Eagle meowed. "Remember, if you ever need a place to stay and be safe from the clan cats, you, and your siblings, can come stay with me. Just come to twolegplace. I'll find you."
"Why would we need to leave the clans?" Robinpaw asked.
"You will find out," Eagle mewed mysteriously, then he crept away and vanished into the forest. When Robinpaw trotted back into camp, she went straight to the apprentices den. Goldenpaw was lying there, snoozing.
"Goldenpaw!"
"What..." the apprentice jolted awake. "Is it time for dawn patrol already?" He moaned.
"No Goldenpaw," Robinpaw laid down next to him. "I met our father. He's a rogue named Eagle. He has a pelt like Willowpaw's, and eyes like Sprucepaw's."
"Who had eyes like mine?" Sprucepaw asked as he padded in.
"Robinpaw met our father," Goldenpaw quickly filled Sprucepaw in on the details.
"So this is what happened when you left?" Sprucepaw asked.
"Yep." Robinpaw mewed. "Is Willowpaw back yet?"
"She probably won't be back until tomarrow," Sprucepaw meowed, "It's a long journey."
The apprentices fell asleep, but not before Robinpaw's shoulders began hurting.
Robinpaw had a strange dream that night. She was above the forest, watching the camp from the sky. Powerful wings beat from her shoulders, the feathers were brown threaded through with copper. The camp was empty except for one warrior, one who looked just like her. Her mother!
"Robinpaw," the she-cat mewed, "When Robin's wings, and Spruce's claw, come under the shadow of the Willow, then the Golden Sun will rise again."
Sprucepaw, Willowpaw, and Goldenpaw crept out from under the she-cat. All of them had changed. Sprucepaw's body was thin, and his lags were long and thin. He looked capable of great speeds. Goldenpaw's body was corded through with muscle, and the rocks he stood on crumpled to gravel. Willowpaw's whole body glowed with a blue light. Their eyes were a bright purple, and when Robinpaw looked into a puddle by her sibling's feet, she saw that she had changed too. Wings at least five tail length's from tip to tip expanded from her shoulders, keeping her aloft. Her eyes were a bright purple like her siblings.
Sprucepaw, Willowpaw, and Goldenpaw repeated the she-cat's words. "When Robin's wings, and Spruce's claw, come under the shadow of the Willow, then the Golden Sun will rise again."
Robinpaw awoke to Sprucepaw shaking her frantically. "Robinpaw, wake up," he whispered, fear thick in her tone.
"What is it?" Robinpaw groaned.
"What happened to your shoulders?" Sprucepaw gasped.
"I'm sure it's nothing-" Robinpaw stopped short. There certainly was something wrong with her shoulders, or rather, the things growing from her shoulders...
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Don't kill me for making the apprentices a bit... special. I've wanted to write this sort of fic for a long time. Also, I'm holding off on posting the alliances until I've had the apprentice's powers defined in the fic. You know I've got to list their powers with their descriptions. And don't tell me you read this with surprise. Haven't I been hinting all chapter?