Cold Words

Destiny smiled as she was watching the sparrow. Three more steps...two...Destiny leapt, surprising the oblivious bird mid-flight. The small creature yelled out in terror. "Help! Cat! No, mother!"

Destiny stumbled, and the bird flew off, leaving nothing but a paw full of feathers. Destiny stared after him. What...Had that bird just talked?

"Destiny! There's a few Clanners who want to speak to you. Apparently there's some sort of prophecy, or whatever." Destiny shrank awake. The bird...she shook her head, irritated at herself. A dream. Nothing but a silly dream. The encounter with the bird had happened almost a moon ago, but it was still haunting her. She angrily licked her pelt.

Nonsense. You were tired that day; it was just your imagination. Aside from that she had eaten at least a dozen birds since then, and none of them had talked.

She nodded. "Thanks, Faye, I'm on my way." She gave her long fur one last lick and rose to her paws, blinking at the sky. It was almost sun-high, and not a single cloud to be seen. Her black pelt felt uncomfortably hot in the crushing summer heat.

Yawning, she left her shaded place and trotted towards the small group of cats that had gathered at the riverbank. She immediately recognized the Clan cats. The muscular white tom was their leader, Froststar or something. He had three cats with him, two older toms and a younger one, about Hagen's age. Drivel and Splinter, the other Thanes were already there, together with half a dozen others. Slowly Destiny approached. She hated foreign cats, especially when they were on her territory.

But the Clan leader was obviously here to talk, not invade. "Destiny," he meowed respectfully, inclining his head slightly when he saw her. "Thank you for agreeing to see us." Drivel snorted. "If it was up to me you wouldn't be here," he meowed in a hostile voice, but nobody took any notice. Deciding the third Thaneship by age had seemed like a good idea to begin with, but it lost its appeal somewhat when the oldest cat was a noisy, foul-smelling bully who stubbornly refused to die. In this instance, however, Destiny secretly agreed with him. She had not forgetting the angry accusations from two moons ago.

"Emberpaw's death is EarthClan's concern, not ours," Icestar said, seemingly guessing her thoughts. "My matter however...well, let's just say it's complicated. Would you mind having this conversation somewhere a bit more private? Leader to leader?" Destiny looked him over, narrowing her eyes. "I am not the leader of these cats," she meowed coolly. "I merely speak on their behalf. I share that honour with Splinter and Drivel; none of us has authority over the others. And whatever you have to say, our cats have just as much right to hear it."

Icestar hesitated, and for the first time his confidence wavered. "I see," he meowed finally, slipping back into his smooth tone. "Well...Certain...things have happened." He stepped aside, revealing a brown tabby tom. "Windflight?" The tom smiled, nodded towards Destiny and the others and then sped off towards the cliff. A few tail lengths away from it he jumped into the air, higher than any cat Destiny had ever seen, and landed on the stone surface, hanging vertically. Sticking to it like a lizard he crouched for a moment before starting to climb around effortlessly, upwards, sideways, down...

Destiny struggled to hide her surprise. "What-" Linus started behind her. Icestar smiled smugly, and flicked his tail at the tom, signalling him to return. "Well," he meowed simply when Windflight was once more on solid ground, now drawing many suspicious looks from the gathered cats. "That's merely a start. One of our warriors can change into an owl. The EarthClan has a two moon old kit that can hear thoughts...surely there will be some in your group as well, maybe they are already here.

Destiny shook her head, still too baffled to task. Icestar's smile flickered for a second, and now looked rather forced. "I am certain they will come," he meowed curtly. "Which brings me to the reason for my visit: What does all this mean? Well...as you might know, we are guided by StarClan, our ancestors, who visit us in our dreams to give council."

Destiny nodded slowly. She knew stories of Clan warriors that had fallen in the wars against her group only to come back to life once more. The nine lives of StarClan had been feared by all strays.

"The thing is...they are gone. Something – someone – has taken them, or rather the artefact that enables them to visit. During that process something else was called. The powers that Windflight and the others now possess. Our healers received something else, a prophecy. It predicts this, alongside darker things that will follow. It gives a way to stop them: A group of cats has to be sent into the mountains to retrieve said artefact."

He fell silent, and it took Destiny a moment to process his words. Drivel was quicker. "Why do you bore us with that crap, then?" he asked gruffly. "Is this a plea for us to be so kind as not to invade your swamp while you're gone?" He spat. "Frog-eaters." Icestar kept remarkable calm as he was sprinkled with spittle. "The prophecy speaks of six cats," he meowed calmly. "Two from each Clan. And two strays."

Destiny froze. Was he really asking... "You're asking us to help you?" Splinter exclaimed, looking just as surprised. "After all those insults, all the false accusations? You're now expecting our cats to risk their lives just to solve your problems?"

Anger flared up in Icestar's eyes for the first time. "They're not our problems," he growled angrily. "The powers are just the beginning. What follows will be far worse. And it won't spare you just because you don't follow StarClan. You harbour Children, that's enough."

"Children?" Destiny frowned. Icestar nodded. "The Children of the Moon. It's an old legend. According to that the are the successors of Moonstar, the greatest cat who ever lived. In contrast to his Heirs, who are directly descendant from him but who have turned against StarClan."

"Moonstar?" Drivel shrugged. "Never hear of him." Destiny nodded, he sounded just like some Clan story. "Tyr," Dimitry suddenly meowed. "Tyr's Children. I know the story." Destiny turned around. Tyr? Everybody knew that story. "What's he got to do with this?"

Dmitri squirmed, obviously unhappy to be at the centre of all the attention. "My mum once mentioned that he had another name, Moonstar. His followers called him that to scorn the gods. It was a holy name, and sacrilege to wear it without right. He never called himself that."

Destiny frowned. That part was new to her. But the legend of Tyr was ancient, and who knew how many versions there were. Icestar nodded. "Moonstar is the name of a leader, and he never received StarClan's blessing. But he is still called that by us, out of respect for his deeds."

Drivel spat again, this time in the direction of the tabby tom that had scaled the cliff. "Tyr or Moonstar, it's still a fairy-tale," he said hostilely. "The cat's a skilled climber. If I was a few years younger I could do the same. You're not honestly expecting us to fall for a few silly nursery stories?"

Icestar sighed. "If it is proof you are looking for, I will gladly sent Nightcatcher. Were you also able to change into a bird when you were younger?" Drivel merely stared at him, his fur bristled. Destiny exchanged a look with Splinter, who shook her head. She rose to her paws, and motioned for the other strays to be silent. "We do believe you," she meowed calmly, ignoring her frantic heartbeat. "But Drivel is right. This is your fight, not ours. No one here has these...powers, and we have no obligation towards your gods. The Clans stand alone."

For a moment Icestar held her gaze, his blue eyes boring into hers. She almost expected him to protest, but in the end he lowered his head, and the tension left. "I understand," he meowed quietly. "And it saddens. But think of this opportunity when the Heirs invade your nests, and you hear your kits die. Think of it when the Night comes." With that he turned away, taking his followers with him.


"Should I have said something?" For the first time Dmitri saw doubt in his friend's face. He shook his head. "Destiny's right, it's none of our business." Chases nodded, looking relieved. "Exactly," he repeated, more to himself than to Dmitri. "None of our business." For a moment they were silent.

"You think he's right?" Chase finally meowed. "Icestar. That there's more cats like me?" Dmitri hesitated. His mind struggled to accept something so absurd, but he couldn't ignore the climbing tom. And since Chase had started his weird divination trip Dmitri's tolerance for absurd things had risen considerably.

"I guess," he said. "Why should he have lied?" But Chase shook his head. "No, I mean here. With us. What if I'm not the only one? If there's others, who're also hiding?" His gaze moved over Dmitri. "You can't fly by any chance, can you?"

Dmitri snorted. "Not that I know of," he muttered, slightly distracted. His thoughts wandered to Cassandra, and the abruptness with which she had been disappearing these last few days. Could she... "Ah, whatever," Chase sigh interrupted his musings. "I think I'll give it another go. Bet you a sparrow I can talk Splinter round?"

Dmitri rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna pull you out of the river again." Chase grinned. "No worries, she's afraid of water. Nothing can go wrong. See ya!" Dmitri sighed as his friend left the small cave. He had had better hopes for this evening than rescuing his friend from the clutches of some enraged she-cat. Not that anybody cared about his plans. With a resigned twitch of his ears he rose and padded outside as well.

Out on the rocks he met Faye. "Hey!" he meowed with a smile. "Where's your sister?" It was unusual to meet one of them without the other. The small black she-cat shrugged. "She's run after Cassandra. Hunting, I think...Is he still trying?" Her eyes had found Chase, who was trailing after a visibly annoyed Splinter.

Dmitri nodded. "It'll pass," he said wistfully. "There's only so many she-cats around." Faye grinned. "If he lives that long." The thought had occurred to Dmitri as well. Splinter hadn't been made second Thane by chance. It had been moons since the last cat had died during a fight, and to be fair Jerry's death had been more of an accident. But it did happen, and strays had killed for less.

"Maybe we should step in," he meowed, slightly worried now. But Faye shrugged. "If you always help him he never learns. What has gotten in him, anyway? I've never seen him that obsessed." Dmitri paused. Faye didn't know about Chase' new gift, just as the rest of the group didn't. Would that change now that Icestar had given them ideas? Would they get suspicious?

His sudden wariness was not lost on Faye. "Seriously?" he sighed. Dmitri froze. How on earth had she guessed? "How-" Faye shook her head. "You've got to stop this. Even me and Dizzy are too old for that by now!"

Dmitri stared. Too old? What the devil was she talking about?" "W-What for?" he stuttered, completely baffled. "Mud-bets," the black she-cat hissed. "You're grown-ups, dammit!" Dmitri stared at her for a moment longer, then he nodded hastily. "Yeah..." He was struggling hard not to burst into laughter. That's what the others were thinking? That he and Chase were still doing mud-bets? Well, in that case Chase' secret was definitely safe.

Faye looked at him for a moment longer, clearly confused by his strange behaviour. Then she shook her head, and turned away. "Come on, we'll get him out of there," she meowed and raced off. Dmitri followed her quickly, infinitely relieved. As long as Chase didn't do anything stupid he'd be safe from discovery.

Then he realized what he had just thought, and his worry returned. Of course he'd be discovered. Expecting Chase not to do anything stupid was like asking a stone not to sink when you threw it in water. Hopeless and just a tat moronic.

He sighed. Maybe he could be friends with Dark...


Nightcatcher revelled in the cool night air ruffling though her feathers. She still couldn't quite believe it. She was flying. Soaring through the air, floating above the forest, a queen of the night.

Her sharp eyes captured every detail, far better than her cat eyes ever could, and she could hear the tiny paw-steps of a mouse even from far above the treetops. She cried out happily, the low tu-whoo of an owl. As a kit she had feared it, it had sounded like an ominous warning, a dark threat. But now it was a joyous cry, delighted by her freedom, the wind in her feathers, her wings that soundlessly carried her through the night.

Nightcatcher loved the owl.

Her sharp eyes fell on a lone figure gliding through the trees beneath her. The golden pelt shone silver in the moonlight, but she recognized the red pattern as well as her own pelt. She supressed a sigh.

Lionblaze insisted on being informed whenever she was leaving on one of her night-time excursions, and always wanted to come. Yet he could never understand what it really meant to have wings, being free. She didn't want to listen to anybody, didn't want to trail after someone. She was free.

"Nightcatcher?" the golden tom below her meowed quietly when he spotted the bird above him. She ignored him. She was an owl, what did she care for the cats below, forever chained to the ground? If she didn't react Lionblaze would just think she was some other bird.

His amber eyes seemed to pierce her. "I know it's you," he sighed, sounding part exasperated, part amused. "Come on, don't do this." Nightcatcher froze mid-air, tumbling before she could catch herself again. She let out a frustrated cry and glided back to the ground. "I don't need a wet-nurse," she growled after changing back, shaking the last feathers out of her pelt with an irritated glare. A few clung to her pelt, as if the owl refused to let her go completely.

Lionblaze smiled vaguely, and flicked his tongue across her ear in affection. "You can't blame me for worrying. Up until last week you couldn't even fly properly!" Nightcatcher pressed her lips together, shooting him another glare.

She didn't really want to think about her first catastrophic attempts at flying. If it hadn't been for Lionblaze she'd have broken her neck more than once.

"Well, I can now," she meowed stubbornly. "And you can't complain about me wasting time. Last night I brought home a mouse for the fresh-kill pile." She refrained from mentioning the first mouse that had been immediately devoured by the bird. Who knew if the warrior code extended to owls as well...

Judging by the amused twinkling in Lionblaze's eyes he knew anyway. "I had no intention of doing so," he meowed, still smiling at her. "I'm just saying you should be careful. With the prophecy and everything... something dark's coming."

Nightcatcher rolled her eyes. "Night Comes. So what? I'd call that sundown, not Armageddon." She shrugged. "And you heard Shimmerfur, I'm one of those Children. Nothing will happen to me."

"Children of the Moon, and enemy of the Heirs," Lionblaze insisted. "They will try to attack you first. Please don't give them the opportunity." For the first time Nightcatcher met his gaze properly, and was shocked at the worry she found burning in his amber eyes. A strange fluttering rose in her stomach.

She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end changed her mind. "Alright," she muttered, still slightly irritated. "Next time I'll tell you, I promise. But doesn't the deputy have more important things to do than bird-watching?" Lionblaze's whiskers twitched humourosly. "That's what the warriors are for," he joked good-naturedly. "I just have to distribute the tasks, not actually do them." He rose to his paws, touching his nose to her forehead. "Thank you, Nightcatcher," he meowed, serious once more. "I'll feel better knowing you're safe." She returned his smile, her pelt tingling where he had touched her.

As she was walking back through the forest with him she again felt that fluttering in her stomach. She flicked her ears in annoyance, deciding to ignore it. Instead her gaze wandered upwards, to the clear night sky. The owl felt no uncertainty. The owl was her own ruler.


Bit of a filler, I know. Next chapter is when the action starts properly, so keep tuned ;)

Also, the updating has slowed a little due to the huge workload I've got a university at the moment (who'd thought writing a Bachelor thesis was this exhausting?) There's also been less readers than I thought there would be, which means that the motivation to work on this rather than some of my other projects is a bit absent right now. I'll still finish it, of course, but the updating speed will probably go down to one or two chapters a week. Sorry :)