Here we gooooo! yay?
Sorry if the Warrior's ceremony is .. well. nothing.. I'm lazy today and just writing this after the Prologue. I'll try to do better next time.
Firestar calls all the cats to gather. Cherrypaw has her head held high while Molepaw is staring at his paws. The Warrior Ceremony commences. Their mentors' and mother's eyes shine with pride. Poppyfrost leans over to Jayfeather and whispers.
"You think Berrynose is watching them from Starclan?"
Jayfeather replies quickly,"Of course. I'm sure he's proud of them."
Poppyfrost purrs and it warms his heart. Her kits are given the names Cherrypelt and Molefur. With the biting cold and so much to worry about, Jayfeather guesses the leader didn't have much time to come up with creative names. The two new warriors come over soon after and start chatting with their mother excitedly, joined in by Cinderheart and Sorreltail.
Jayfeather listens to the conversations around the clearing a while before padding over to Lionblaze. The golden tabby tom is watching Cinderheart, who is talking to Poppyfrost, with intent, burning amber eyes. Jayfeather bites back a sigh. Cinderheart is still slightly indifferent towards Lionblaze. His suffering brother is desperate to be mates with her, but she is hesitant. His brother's pained emotions flood through him every time they are near.
After managing to get Lionblaze's attention, Jayfeather leads him away from the others and they duck their heads and talk quietly. He has taken long enough thinking about things and now is the time to share it with his brother.
"This strange cat came to me in my dreams a moon ago that I never saw before and said there's another prophecy," Jayfeather whispers.
"What is it about? Who is it about?" Lionblaze meows excitedly.
He repeats the prophecy,"Darkness floats on a breeze and rustles the ivy, awaking the tiger.. but the fluttering leaf will quiet them."
"Does that mean Breezepelt, Ivypool, and Tigerheart?" Lionblaze guesses quickly. Jayfeather isn't surprised.
"Exactly what I thought," the gray tabby informs his brother.
"What about the fluttering leaf?" Lionblaze questions.
"Tansydapple, the cat that told me the prophecy, said there will be a new kit born sometime in newleaf that it will revolve around," Jayfeather explains.
"Are we apart of it? Do you know who the parents are?" The golden tabby warrior asks. Jayfeather flicks his tail. He had expected more questions. As a result, he is quick to answer.
"Yeah we are, but not much. I don't know who the parents are."
Lionblaze stares at Cinderheart again then blurts,"I hope she realizes she can be my mate! Even if we don't have a special kit I still.."
As Lionblaze rambles on, Jayfeather keeps his ears pricked but doesn't really listen. A vision flashes before his eyes of leaves moving in a fluttering motion around Cinderheart. He turns to look at Lionblaze and jumps in surprise as he sees more leaves. What could this mean?
About a moon later
A screech rips through the clearing, bringing Jayfeather running out of his den to the nursery. Brambleclaw nearly runs into the young medicine cat, eyes wild. They stare at each other tensely for a heartbeat. Squirrelflight yells something, but neither cat hears it. Jayfeather darts around him. The gray tabby tom hears the low voice of the cat he once saw as his father shout behind him.
"I think Squirrelflight's having our kits!"
Of course she is! Why else would she scream like that? Two moons ago, after Squirrelflight recovered fully from her sickness the two cats had made up. Jayfeather isn't sure what drove them on. He heard a rumor about Crowfeather and Brambleclaw talking at a gathering, but it seemed absurd. The sightless tom found it hard to imagine those cats being able to talk, in fact he found it hard that any cat would willingly talk to Crowfeather. He didn't have a very good opinion of his real father.
The first kit falls into the nest. A large tom with his father's pelt. Jayfeather informs Squirrelflight of the cat's gender and she nods briefly before she heaves again with the effort of kitting. Soon another kit, somewhat smaller, with ginger fur, arrives. It's a she-cat. The last kit finally slips out, a brown tabby like Brambleclaw, but another she-cat. Squirrelflight licks the kits as they nurse. Brambleclaw watches with warmth in his eyes. Squirrelflight sighs and relaxes.
Two of the kits, the tom and ginger she-cat are watched by Jayfeather. He feels unease.
"What do you want to name them?" Brambleclaw asks Squirrelflight,"Can we name the brown tom Falconkit?"
"Of course," Squirrelflight purrs,"and the ginger she-cat can be Sunkit.. Fernkit sounds good for the brown tabby she-cat."
Brambleclaw simply nods before looking on admiringly at his kits. Jayfeather feels sick. He felt sick when Falconkit and Sunkit were named. He swipes his tail over the three new members of Thunderclan. Something is wrong. Fernkit seems strong. Falconkit and Sunkit are shivering. That can't be good! The content parents don't notice how tense Jayfeather is or how he worriedly flicks his tail over the two kits again.
Another Moon Later
In the medicine den, Jayfeather sleeps near the entrance expectantly. Sunkit died a half moon ago before she opened her eyes. She was just laying there, unmoving, a distance from her mother. For some reason, Sunkit hadn't been feeding much. Jayfeather wasn't sure why. Falconkit wasn't playing as much as he did when he first opened his eyes, and Brambleclaw and come and expressed his concern a few days ago. Ever since, the medicine cat has been on alert.
He opens his sightless blue eyes just moments before Squirrelflight's screech as if he were somehow expecting it. Jayfeather was already on his paws, so he rushes over. He sniffs for Falconkit and touches his whiskers to the kit as he crouches down. He finds the tom kit's breath very shallow. He touches the tip of his paw and discovers the kit's body is cold.
"He was playing with Fernkit and just collapsed!" Squirrelflight shouts. Jayfeather sits up as the kit shudders and stops breathing.
Fernkit brushes against Jayfeather to examine her brother. Confusion rolls off her pelt. Jayfeather senses strength in her, along with warmth. Falconkit and Sunkit never felt warm or strong like this kit. He felt sure she would make it. Falconkit was a different story.
"Is he going to get up?" Fernkit mews innocently,"We weren't done with the game!"
Pain clutches Jayfeather at her little squeak but he replies,"No, he's already gone, there was no time to do anything, I'm sorry."
Squirrelflight opens her jaws to screech, but only a pitiful mew escapes as she runs into the corner of the Nursery and curls up in a ball.
"You mean he went to Starclan?" Fernkit asks, paying no attention to her distressed mother.
"Yes, little one," He replies.
"That's ok, he won't be cold anymore!" She squeaks happily. Jayfeather wants to purr, but he keeps it in.
"That's a good way to .. think about it," He tells her.
"You want to know what game we were playing?" She asks. He doesn't respond.
"I'll tell you anyway. Falconkit was telling me about he'd be such a good warrior he would never pull his shoulder out, break a leg, or get a single wound on him ever! He showed me battle moves that the new warrior Cherrypelt showed him. I told him the herbs I would use on him if he did!"
Then, the Medicine Cat's ears prick up with interest as she lists what she would do. She could make a promising medicine cat apprentice one day, he decides. Even though Jayfeather isn't really old, there's no better time to get an apprentice to help when a prophecy threatening darkness is hanging over. He has another thought. Could this be the special kit?
. Come on Cinderheart!
Who else wants them together?
It's too bad about Falconkit and Sunkit. Do you think Fernkit is special? She certainly knows her herbs!
Wait.. It's still Leafbare! o:
Coming Up: More Lion/Cinder stuffz, along with Windclan/Thunderclan Confrontation'
REVIEW PLEASE! :D