GOLDENHAWK
Warm tawny eyes flickered calmly towards the Blazingrock, where one of the four Clan rulers had let out the silencing yowl for the Meeting to begin. The golden-brown tabby quickly found a seat next to a light ginger tabby she-cat with golden eyes, and recognized Yellowfinch, the StoneClan healing cat. Goldenhawk gave his cloud-white chest fur a couple of self-concious licks, feeling Yellowfinch's eyes trained on him. Although he, too, was a healing cat, Yellowfinch was much older and wiser than he was, and he felt like an untrained learner around her. He thought he saw her whiskers twitch in amusement, and he looked away. His amber eyes were drawn to a light silver tabby whose pelt was glowing faintly in the moonlight, and he realized that it was Seapaw, a loud-mouthed arrogant learner who thought she was better than IslandClan themselves. He saw her ocean-blue eyes flash with anger when she saw him staring at her, and frustration prickled through her paws. Whether Seapaw was the most annoying cat on the island or not, he was supposed to be beyond normal Clan rivalries, and he forced himself to nod at the MeadowClan learner.
Goldenhawk gazed up at the Blazingrock yet again as a huge light gray tabby stepped forward, his yellow eyes shining like amber under the glow of the full moon. The CoralClan healing cat recognized him immediately as Wavestar, the ruler of StoneClan, easily distinguished by his great size.
"Greetings, cats of the island, and welcome to the Meeting," Wavestar announced in a grand voice, and Goldenhawk heard the few cats that were still conversing immediately cease to chat, their attention to the four rulers. "As always, we give thanks to the Protector, who died so that our Clans could live on."
It was tradition to give thanks to the Protector, but for some reason, Goldenhawk felt something inside of him squirm, like an hawk was trying to spread its wings and break free from in his heart as he swiveled his great golden head towards the Protector's tunnel. His head cocked to the side as he heard whispers coming from the tunnel, and he felt himself rise to his white paws. Yellowfinch turned to him and gave him a long look through narrowed yellow eyes, and the CoralClan healing cat realized that he appeared inattentive and uninterested. Embarrassed, he forced himself to sit down gaze obediently at the Blazingrock, where Sandstar, the ruler of MeadowClan, was stepping forwards to speak. You're a healing cat, get a hold of yourself.
"MeadowClan has suffered great hardships this past moon due to a lack of good hunting," Goldenhawk let out a snort of exasperation as he glared angrily up at the white tom, whose light ginger stripes were barely visible in the moonlight. MeadowClan wanted nothing more than to murder any cat who tried to take back the Fishingpond, which rightfully belonged to CoralClan. Sorrow washed over him like a tide as he remembered how Branchpaw had died only yesterday trying to defend the Clan. Several cats turned to give Goldenhawk an angry hiss before Sandstar continued, "One of our kit-bearers, Fernleaf, has given MeadowClan three kits, who are called Sleetkit, Tumblekit, and Dolphinkit. Snailpaw has become a protector, and is now known as Snailstripe. We are blessed to have two new learners; Duskpaw, who couldn't be here, and Seapaw."
Goldenhawk felt the familiar rush of anger as he caught sight of Seapaw with her slender silver head held high, her chest puffed out. Who does she think she is, the Protector? He tore at the ground with one unsheathed front claw, taking out his anger on the dirt. For some reason, he felt drawn to the Protector tonight, seeing the faint glow from the moon's reflection off of the stone cat. He desperately wanted to go see the Protector, but there was no way he could manage to sneak over there without some cat noticing. His amber eyes flickered up towards the Blazingrock, and he realized that Sandstar was done speaking, and Wavestar was stepping forwards.
"The season of low tide has not dimished the strength of StoneClan at all, for we do not attack other Clans simply for the joy of saying we can use our claws," Wavestar mewed smugly, a trace of arrogance in his deep voice. His light gray tabby tail swished in satisfaction as he saw the looks of incredulty on the faces of the other Clan cats, and he continued, "Stormpaw is now known as Stormfire, and sits his protector's vigil in the camp tonight. Also, one of our kit-bearers, Leafstone, has had two kits, Earthkit and Fogkit."
Wavestar dipped his head politely to the other three rulers and stepped back, apparently not noticing the looks of anger on both Twilightstar's and Sandstar's faces. Lightningstar's whiskers twitched in amusement as she quietly padded in front of the other Clan rulers. Lightningstar was a big she-cat with dark gray splotches splattered unevenly across her white pelt.
"CaveClan continues to thrive, as we have two new protectors tonight; Windrunner, and Thornfrost," Lightningstar immediately plunged into telling of her Clan's strength, her golden eyes flashing. "We have three new learners, Violetpaw, Fallingpaw, and Ashenpaw. We are blessed by IslandClan, for Cirruspaw, our healing cat learner, has been given her healing cat name, and will be known as Cirruscloud from now on."
Yowls of approval sounded from across the Meteorplace, and Goldenhawk craned his neck to catch sight of Cirruscloud. She was sitting beside her trainer, Mysticlight, a light brown tabby she-cat with gray eyes like storm clouds. Cirruscloud was a very small long-haired white she-cat, with one eye the color of the grasses of the meadow and the other eye the color of the sky. As Lightningstar stepped back, a hushed silence fell over all the Clans, and Goldenhawk felt a twinge of pride that his own Clan was so feared. Twilightstar silently padded up to the front of the Blazingrock, her gray-and-white pelt glowing silver in the moonlight, and Goldenhawk caught a faint scent of fear rising from the throng of cats.
"CoralClan has suffered much recently, with the murders of our protectors and of our learners, and with the decrease of our hunting grounds," Twilightstar's voice was drowned out by the yowls of protest from MeadowClan cats below, and Goldenhawk saw that every cat had risen to their paws, pelts bristling and eyes flashing with anger. The golden-brown tabby realized that now was his chance to visit the Protector, if ever. Silently, he slipped among the angry cats as he heard Twilightstar hissing angrily at Sandstar.With a glance over his shoulder, he padded quietly into the burrow that contained the statue of the Protector.
He heard the sounds of the Meeting die away as he padded along the tunnel with a quiet sense of urgency. He had been inside of the tunnel many times, but never during a full moon, and he wondered if the Protector would even welcome his presence. In complete darkness, he continued on, the only sounds audible that of his own labored breathing. The tunnel took a sudden sharp turn, and Goldenhawk crawled through a small hole, just big enough for a cat to get through, as he entered the Protector's chamber.
His golden eyes were dazzled by starlight as he forced himself to stare directly at the Protector's statue. During the half-moon, when healing cats traditionally went to share tongues with IslandClan, the Protector's statue was gray, with a hint of gold as the moonlight shone down from a small hole in the roof of the cavern. Tonight, however, the moon was directly over the ancient statue, and the Protector was pure gold, with deep amber eyes and a silver chest.
"Goldenhawk!" Goldenhawk spun around, his light ginger fur bristling so he appeared twice his size and his yellow eyes staring wildly into the darkness where the accusing voice had sounded. A small, beautiful silver tabby emerged from the shadows, her sea-blue eyes shining in the moonlight, and his heart sank as he recognized Seapaw.
"What are you doing here? Why did you follow me?" Goldenhawk was shocked to find his voice accusing, high-pitched and with a trace of fear as he turned to face the MeadowClan learner. But Seapaw's clear blue eyes continued to shine with amazement as she stared at the Protector, and Goldenhawk remembered that she wouldn't have made the trip to the Meteorplace before.
"Didn't you hear them, too, Goldenhawk?" The silver tabby mewed excitedly, her tail swishing back and forth. She licked a light gray forepaw and swiped it over hear ear casually, before adding, "The voices?"
Goldenhawk felt as if he had just been kicked in the belly by an enemy protector, and he stared at Seapaw as if he hadn't really seen her properly before. He, too, had heard the whispers of the IslandClan protectors, on the night breezes. But why would Seapaw have heard them? Wasn't she just an ordinary MeadowClan learner? The handsome golden tabby nodded, and Seapaw's cerulean eyes grew as round as two bright moons.
"He looks just like you, Goldenhawk," Seapaw's voice was full of awe as she indicated the Protector by angling her ears towards the stone statue. The light silver tabby she-cat swiftly padded up to the CoralClan healing cat, who stared, dumbstruck, at the statue of the island's Protector. He had never really noticed how much he resembled the Protector. The shape of their faces, the slope of their tails, the golden color of their pelts, the chest the color of a white cloud, and the deep, golden eyes. But now, in the full glow of the moonlight, it seemed more obvious than ever that he looked like a copy of the Protector.
"No...no, he doesn't, not really," Goldenhawk protested, knowing his argument sounded feeble and weak. He didn't have the strength to argue with Seapaw, not now. To his surprise, Seapaw pressed her silver flank to his side, her sky-blue eyes glowing softly. His amber gaze met hers, and he found he could not look away from her ocean-blue eyes. Voices, the faintest of whispers, seemed to meow in his head, as he noticed that her eyes were truly the color of the sea, a mixture of viridians and ceruleans. What is going on here? Goldenhawk wondered, his mind flickering full of images.
"We should go," The MeadowClan learner's voice broke into his thoughts, and Goldenhawk felt as if he was snapped out of a trance. From the dazed look in Seapaw's eyes, she, too, had heard the whisperings of their long-dead protectors. "Our Clans will start wondering where we are if we don't sneak back into the meeting."
"Right, okay," Goldenhawk tore his amber gaze from the statue of the Protector, hardly able to bear leaving it. The Protector seemed, in an odd way, sort of like a long-lost friend, a guide to him and his Clan in this time of war. Goldenhawk squeezed through the tunnel after Seapaw, who walked besides him in silence. The CoralClan healing cat was sure that he and the MeadowClan learner had experienced something extraordinary tonight, but he wasn't quite sure what had happened. As the two cats, CoralClan and MeadowClan, left the tunnel of the Protector, Goldenhawk was almost sure he could hear a third set of pawsteps following them, but as he turned around, his scorching amber eyes saw nothing but darkness.
A/N: Dun dun DUNNNNN! Just kidding. Well, you know the drill, R&R!