Chapter 2: The prophecy
"Wake up! It's dawn already!" Shadowpaw meows, nosing her.
Three moons ago she had lost her mother. Leaf-bare had been tough, but her father had helped her through.
"Sorry.." she grunted rising to her paws.
"Hazelwing & Tumbletail are waiting for us." he purrs.
"I'm going!" she shoves him with one paw.
"It's about time too!" Fire paw walks in.
"Why are you two so mean to me?" she teases.
"Cause, we feel like it." Shadowpaw touches his nose to hers.
They went on a hunting patrol and then Dawnpaw scented something unusual.
"The Mountain clan border is off a bit." she hisses.
"Correct young one." a cat meows.
"We've been spotted..." a Mountain clan warrior snarls.
"What have you been doing?!" Tumbletail snarls in return.
"Remarking our scent markers." he meows.
"Then, are you on our territory?!" Hazelwing hisses.
"Oh, I don't know... taking your territory?" he meows mockingly.
Dawnpaw charged at the cat biting his neck.
He yowled in pain and scrambled away.
"Wolfstep! What... Oh I see." a she-cat meows.
"Get off our territory!" Tumbletail leaps in front of Hazelwing.
"Then you'll have to fight for it!" Wolfstep leaps at him.
"Get away from my mentor!" Shadow paw leaps at the tom.
The she-cat hissed and dragged Wolfstep back.
Shadowpaw leaped, nut the tom bat him easily away with a paw.
"Shadowpaw!" she leaps to the fallen apprentices side.
"If you come here again... We'll shred you. Stay off our territory in the future." Tumbletail lifted his muzzle.
"We'll be ready for it." they hare away into the trees.
"Come on. Get up, Hollyflower will see to you. You'll be fine." she meows nosing him to his feet.
"I'm okay.." he meows tartly.
"Lean against my shoulder." she offers.
She felt his weight press against her.
His scent soothed her. It was almost as good as being next to her mom.
Just almost.
"Shadowpaw!" Honeypetal screeched as they struggled into camp.
"I'm okay." he mutters through clenched teeth.
"Dawnpaw. Get him in my den. NOW." Hollyflower meows.
She stretched "now" because it was important.
She helped Shadowpaw to Hollyflower's den.
She softly rasped her tongue over his ear and he flinched.
"Does it hurt?" she asked.
"No. It stings a bit though." he sighs.
"But we have to clean the wound so it doesn't get infected." Otterpaw meows.
Otterpaw was a new apprentice, she was Shadowpaw's brother.
She was from a later litter, she had become Hollyflower's apprentice two moons ago.
"I know, I know..." he rests his muzzle on his paw.
"Hey, there always is a bright side to everything. After your healed we can chase mice together, okay?" she chided. "That sounds great." he purrs.
5 moons later
"Starclan honors you for your wisdom and kindness. I name you Dawnflower."
Commetstar lays his muzzle on her head she licked his shoulder.
"Shadowclaw! Fireclaw! Brightfur! Dawnflower!" the clan cheered.
"Warriors... at last.." she sighed.
"I know we've worked hard for it." Shadowclaw whispers in her ear.
"Time to sit vigil." Commetstar motions them.
They sat through the chilly night and at dawn Commetstar pads out.
"Your vigil is over. Find a nest to sleep in." he purrs.
She curled up in a nest near Brightfur and fell fast asleep.
Then, she woke up at sunhigh.
"*Yawn* Brightfur." she murmurs.
"Yeah?" she sat up.
"Lets go hunting." she suggested.
"You're so on." she purrs.
Her brother was still sleeping so they left.
"So, Where to?" Brightfur asked.
"I was thinking near the Mythstone.
It's pretty shady over there." she suggested.
"Nice. So whoever comes back with the most prey gets...
What do you think?" Brightfur asks.
"Well... First pick at fresh kill pile?" she meows.
"You're so on." Bright fur fluffed her wings.
Her own wings were white like her father's
Brightfur's were Black like her father's.
"Ready? Go!" she cried.
They set off in different directions looking for prey to stalk.
"DAWNFLOWER!" Shadowclaw burst. out of the bracken
"Shadowclaw?"she dropped her mouse. Why did his pelt smell of fear?
"I was so worried about you!" he laps her cheek.
"Why? Because Brightfur and I went hunting?" she teases gently.
"No! Maybe next time tell us were you guys are going so I don't nearly die of a heart attack!"
he hisses between licks.
She purrs again and touches her nose to his muzzle.
"Come on and help me! Brightfur and I are in a competition on who can catch more fresh kill!" she chirps.
"Lets go then!" he says.
In the end they brought back, 2 rabbits, a thrush, and 4 mice.
When they padded into camp Brightfur greeted her with a flick of her tail.
"How much?" Brightfur asks.
"7 in total we got, 2 rabbits, a thrush, and 4 mice." she replies.
"Nice! We got 7 too. Instead of eating this we should take it to the elders." Shadowclaw meows.
"Let's go then!" Dawnflower snatches up 3 mice.
Brightfur grabs a vole, Shadowclaw a rabbit, and Fireclaw a mouse.
"Hello?" Dawnflower mumbled through her mice.
"Dawnflower! Fireclaw!" Primrosetail purrs.
"Hi Primrosetail, Owlwing, Robinfeather." Shadowclaw dips his head and drops his prey.
"Thank you." Robinfeather meows.
"Dawnflower! Shadowclaw! Brightfur! Fireclaw! I want you to come to the gathering!" Commetstar calls.
"We should go." Shadowclaw meows touching his nose to her muzzle.
Right before Dawnflower left Primrosetail leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I hope you and Shadowclaw have kits together soon. We've been without kits for the past 3 moons."
She flushed and padded after Shadowclaw. "What did Primrosetail tell you?" he asks.
"Nothing!" her ears shot up, embarrassed. Shadowclaw purred and licked her cheek.
When they arrived at the gathering she immediately went searching for Roseheart, her best friend.
Her brother, Chickenstar, was leader of Festive Clan.
She took a sniff but couldn't smell Festive Clan anywhere!
Silentstar leaped up onto the Great rock and called the clans together.
"Festive Clan has left the forest. Twolegs have taken over their territory and they have left." he meows gravely.
"WHAT?!" she gasps shuddering.
"How did you know, Silentstar?" Shadowclaw hissed.
"We saw them leaving the territory and they gave us a parting gift." he drops a dawn flower in front of Great Rock.
After the gathering Hollyflower pelts up to her.
"Dawnflower! I had a sign!" she gasps.
"What is it about?" she meows curiously.
"When Silentstar dropped the dawn flower I saw Festive Clan and the flower was following it. Then the cats followed the flower back to fortress!" she meows.
"Does that mean..." she gasps.
"Yes, that means you are destined to bring Festive Clan back to the clans, were they belong." Hollyflower meows.
No! How was she destined to bring Festive Clan back?!