Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far it really helps me remember why I have to keep writing this story.
Chap. 3
Skystorm was chasing a squirrel through the forest but right before she can pounce to catch it, she runs into another cat she's never seen before.
"You made me lose my breakfast" she says annoyed. He sits staring at her with his bright green eyes, his bright orange fur blowing in the slight breeze
"Who are you anyway?" She asks him trying to hide the uneasiness in her voice, he smells like a Thunderclan cat but she's never seen him before.
"My name is Firestar" he says making Skystorm gasps a little
"I've heard about you" she says sitting down "you were the Thunderclan leader a long time ago. You helped save Thunderclan many times and you were a great warrior" she adds looking at him
"Yes I was Thunderclan's leader long ago but now I hunt in Starclan" he says looking up at the sky
"I must be dreaming than" Skystorm says. She's used to having weird dreams by now, she usually has them about other cats she's known or heard about but she has never once had a dream with someone as important as an old Thunderclan leader. "Why are you here instead of another cat?" She asks him knowing it must be something important.
"I have an important message for you" he says as she stares at him. What important message could he have for her? There was nothing special about her she was just a warrior. "Two enemy clans are planning an attack on Thunderclan in order to drive Thunderclan out of the forest. You are the only cat who can make it so Thunderclan may stay in the forest." He finishes looking into her eyes
"But how? Am I able to stop the attack from ever happening?" She asks him as he slowly starts to fade away
"The battle must be fought in order for you to stop it." Firestar says before finally disappearing. The forest disappears with him and Skystorm is left sitting in complete darkness.
"But how can I stop it?" She asks into the darkness
"Firestar please help me!" She cries more desperately when he doesn't answer her question
"All will be understood in time Skystorm just fallow your instincts" Firestar's voice sounds from in the darkness. Skystorm tries to run toward his voice hoping to find him again but stops when she realizes it's no use.
Skystorm wakes up with a jolt looking around the warriors den. Next to her Silverfire and Brackenwhisker sleep peacefully and Darkclaw and Sandfur sit grooming themselves but all the other warriors are gone. Skystorm looks outside; it's only just before dawn which means all the other warriors are on hunting and dawn patrols. She lays her head back down and tries to go back to sleep but gives up when all she can do is play with her eyes closed; she sits up and starts grooming herself thinking about her dream. She never asked Firestar if she needs to tell Rippedstar what's going on but decides that it's probably not necessary to tell him
"He's probably already figured out Shadowclan and Riverclan are planning an attack" she mumbles to herself
"Shadowclan and Riverclan are planning an attack?" Sandfur says from the other side of the den making Skystorm jump
"Of course they are mouse brain. Why else would Shadowclan go through all the trouble to go to Riverclan?" Darkclaw says before Skystorm can answer
"Maybe Riverclan stole Shadowclan prey" Sandfur says trying to convince herself as much as she is Darkclaw
"Why would Riverclan do that?" Brackenwhisker asks waking up
"Why does Riverclan do anything?" Sandfur asks walking out of the den. Darkclaw fallows her out and Skystorm lies back down
"What was all that about?" Brackenwhisker asks
"I don't know I woke up after the fight started so I didn't hear the whole thing" Skystorm lies. She doesn't want to tell anyone about her dream in case it starts causing problems within the clan; Thunderclan doesn't need problems if Shadowclan and Riverclan are planning to attack them.
"Well whatever it was, it woke me up" Brackenwhisker says stretching before he has to sit down because he starts coughing "I might as well go find Mudfur and take more of the herbs she's telling me to take" he says getting up again and walking out of the den. Skystorm waits in the den for a few more minutes in case Silverfire wakes up before going out into the clearing to look around. She watches as Stealthpaw walks out of the elder's den carrying the dirty bedding and watches as he goes back in with the clean bedding looking extremely annoyed. Skystorm can understand his annoyance, Stealthpaw is just about ready to become a warrior but instead of learning to fight he's cleaning out the elder's den. Skystorm looks over to see Rippedstar talking to Mudfur looking anxious about something. She tells herself that its probably just making sure Mudfur has enough herbs in stock but that thought is put to rest when he notices her and motions with his tail for her to come join them.
Skystorm gets up and walks over to stand next to Mudfur trying to put aside all of the bad thoughts in her mind
"Mudfur was just giving me an update on Brackenwhisker" Rippedstar says when she gets close
"Why don't we go talk in your den Rippedstar" Mudfur asks flicking her tail to where Stealthpaw has paused his work to listen in to the conversation
"Yes that might be a good idea" Rippedstar says shooting Stealthpaw a warning glance. Stealthpaw quickly resumes his work and Skystorm, Mudfur, and Rippedstar walk into Rippedstar's den. Rippedstar sits in his nest and Skystorm sits next to him while Mudfur makes herself comfortable sitting in front of them
"We've all noticed Brackenwhisker's cough" she begins "What I don't think any of us noticed is how bad it actually is" Mudfur continues looking worried
"What do you mean?" Skystorm asks confused, she had heard his cough this morning and it hadn't sounded too bad
"What I mean is that he's been tricking us." Mudfur answers "He's been forcing himself to hold back when he coughs so it seems better than it actually is" she continues seeing Skystorm's confused look
"How do you know?" Skystorm asks
"The way his muscles act when he coughs" Mudfur answers "He only lets out the entire cough if he's alone in the forest"
"Oh" Skystorm says. She can't find anything else to say
"Ivyleaf came to me about it right after he left my den this morning. She told me that she had seen him go into a huge coughing fit in the forest when he was trying to catch a mouse" Mudfur explains "I was hoping that one of you may be able to talk to him about it so that I'll know what it's going to take to treat him" she finishes
"I'll speak to him" Rippedstar says before Skystorm can speak "He will have to listen to me if I talk to him as not just his father but as his leader as well" he finishes letting both Skystorm and Mudfur know that the conversation is done.
"Thank you Rippedstar" Mudfur says backing out of the den and leaving Skystorm and rippedstar alone
"I can't understand why Brackenwhisker would do this" Skystorm says breaking the silence
"He must be trying to make sure he's keeping up with clan duties" Rippedstar answers her "he is a great fighter and the best hunter in the clan he must feel like he would be letting us down if he stopped his duties for a while"
"Yes but he won't be doing the clan any good if the prey he catches makes another cat sick or if he has to stop in the middle of a fight to have a coughing fit" Skystorm responds "and it isn't doing any good for his own health either" she adds looking at the ground
"I understand that" he says licking her cheek "that's why as soon as I see him I'm going to talk to him about it" he adds and Skystorm nods "you look tired, you should go get some rest" Rippedstar continues looking at her. She wants to tell him why she's tired but decides against it
"A nap sounds like a great idea to me" she says wondering why her mind screams at her to not tell him about the dream. Rippedstar nods and Skystorm backs out of his den and back into the clearing.
She looks around and notices Silverfire talking to an excited looking Rosepaw so she walks over to them
"Silverfire is going to take me out to tour the territory today" Rosepaw says practically bouncing up and down with excitement
"Are you an apprentice or a rabbit?" Silverfire asks Rosepaw looking amused and Rosepaw stops bouncing
"We all looked like that the first day we became apprentices Silverfire" Skystorm says
"Did you really?" Rosepaw asks Silverfire with wide eyes
"Yes I probably did" Silverfire answers "and my first day as a warrior was probably the same way" she adds
"Actually you were worse" Rippedstar says walking up to stand by them. Rosepaw laughs and Silverfire looks down in embarrassment
"Come on Rosepaw we have allot to see today" Silverfire says looking up and starting to walk out of camp. With a wave of her tail Rosepaw runs after her bouncing with excitement once again.
"Were you on your way out of the camp?" Rippedstar asks looking at Skystorm curiously
"No I was on my way back to the warrior's den when I saw Silverfire and Rosepaw so I decided to say hello" she replies. She's lying to him, she had been on her way out to think about her dream and maybe do some hunting to pass the time.
"Well go get rest than" Rippedstar says "we can go hunting together when you've woken up" he adds walking away before she has the chance to respond. Sighing she gets up and walks into the warrior den to find Brackenwhisker fast asleep in his nest in the corner. Being careful not to wake him Skystorm makes her own nest next to his and curls up to try and get some rest.
Skystorm's dreams are dark and all she can hear are cries of pain and fear from multiple cats. After what seems like forever everything becomes visible and all she can see is the Thunderclan camp destroyed with dead and injured cats laying everywhere
"This is what you have to stop from happening" Firestar's voice comes from behind her and she turns around to see him sitting looking at the scene with sad eyes
"How can I stop this?" Skystorm asks "I'm not anyone special I'm just as good as any other warrior in the clan" she adds.
Firestar nods and sits in silence for a few minutes before he speaks again "none of those maters when it comes to destiny Skystorm. It's true that you are just an ordinary warrior but destiny thinks otherwise, it can see the potential you have to be more than just a warrior." He says watching her reaction closely
"Am I supposed to tell Rippedstar about these dreams? Should I warn him about what's coming?" Skystorm asks remembering the questions that have haunted her all morning
"What do your instincts tell you to do?" Firestar asks instead of answering her question
"They tell me not to tell him" she responds "but isn't it my duty as a member of Thunderclan to tell the leader about any possible threats so he can get the rest of the clan ready for an attack?" She asks
"In time he will realize for himself the danger his clan is in." Firestar answers
"You would know all about how hard it is to keep secrets from your leader Firestar" a bluish grey she cat with a silver muzzle says as she joins them to look at the scene
"Hello Bluestar" Firestar says and Skystorm once again is shocked, she had also been told stories about Bluestar and how the she cat had died saving her clan from a pack of dogs even after she had lost all faith in them and even Starclan.
"Firestar once completely went against my orders and kept secrets from me" Bluestar says to Skystorm looking slightly amused
"It was necessary for me to stop a raid on Windclan when they had done nothing wrong" Firestar responds to Bluestar's comment
"I am aware of that Firestar" Bluestar says "but this is not about us this is about Skystorm" she continues motioning with her tail. Skystorm sits watching the two Starclan cats in silence still in slight disbelief that two such important cats are talking to her in her dreams
"Of course it is" Firestar says turning back to look at Skystorm "I know all too well how hard it is to keep secrets like this from your clan leader but sometimes its necessary in order to avoid causing panic amongst the clan" he says looking in her eyes "it will be difficult and if your clanmates find out some of them may accuse you of being a disloyal clan member but just remind yourself that what you are doing is for the good of the clan, not yourself" he finishes starting to slowly disappear
"In time the clan will realize that every secret you keep from them now is what saves them later" Bluestar adds also fading away
"I'll remember that" Skystorm responds bowing her head "thank you Firestar. And thanks to you as well Bluestar it was an honor to meet you" she finishes
"You'll be seeing allot of both of us" Bluestar says looking amused right before she disappears completely.
Skystorm wakes up alone in the warriors den and gets up to stretch and shake off loose pieces of moss bedding from her pelt and walks into the clearing. She finds Rippedstar sitting in the sun talking to the Thunderclan deputy Ravenfur so she goes over to sit next to them
"Did you get more rest?" Rippedstar asks as she sits by him
"Yes I did" she responds "I feel much better" she adds. She does feel better but it isn't for the reason that he or anyone else would think of
"That's good" he says licking her "when Ravenfur is done telling me about the patrol we can go hunting" he adds nodding to Ravenfur
"As I was saying" Ravenfur starts speaking "the dawn patrol scented not only Shadowclan scent near the Riverclan border but also Riverclan scent near the Shadowclan border" he says looking worried "that means they have been having meetings with each other" he finishes
"They must be important meetings to be sneaking through Thunderclan territory to have them." Rippedstar says also looking worried "we will keep an extra close eye on it from now on" he finishes getting up and turning to Skystorm "ready?" He asks her
"Yes" she replies also getting up. They walk out of the camp and into the trees in silence
"I fear that Riverclan and Shadowclan are teaming up for something" Rippedstar says breaking the silence
"It seems like they are after what I heard Ravenfur tell you" Skystorm answers
"The problem is what are they planning?" Rippedstar asks speaking more to himself than to skystorm
"I'm not sure either" Skystorm lies choosing her words carefully
Rippedstar nods deep in thought as they continue through the forest in silence once again. After a while Skystorm stops to listen for any movement in the underbrush before finally pouncing and catching a mouse that was too busy eating to notice the threat behind him. She buries it and runs to catch up to Rippedstar
"Hold on a second" Rippedstar says stopping and holding out his tail for her to do the same. She listens thinking he's heard more prey but when she doesn't hear anything she sniffs the air around her and freezes, she smells both Riverclan and Shadowclan and both scents are less than a few minutes fresh. She looks at Rippedstar who nods and they slowly move forward keeping hidden by the underbrush thankful to the breeze carrying their scents away from the direction they are headed. After a while Rippedstar stands up
"They must have crossed Shadowclan's border" he says sitting down "we have no time to wait for them right now but I'm sending a patrol here as soon as we get back to camp" he adds getting up. Skystorm nods in response and they run through the forest back to camp as quickly as they can pick up Skystorm's mouse on the way. Once they reach the camp Rippedstar rushes to the warrior den and call out Ravenfur, Ivyleaf, and Darkclaw and send them out into the forest. Skystorm places her mouse on top of the fresh kill pile and walks over to sit in as patch of sun in a corner of the camp.
"What's going on with all of that?" Stealthpaw asks walking up and pointing in the direction of the three warriors who ran out of the camp
"Rippedstar and I scented Shadowclan and Riverclan cats while we were hunting" she responds "we only missed them by a few minutes" she adds watching Stealthpaw's eyes widen at the news
"Why do I always miss out on the good stuff?" He asks sitting down looking at the ground
"You'll get to join in on everything soon enough" she tells him nudging his shoulder
"I hope so" he says looking up "I can't take much more of cleaning out the elder's den" he adds
"They have good stories" Skystorm says remembering the stories the elders used to tell her when she was an apprentice
"Mistyeyes always just tells me the same story over and over" Stealthpaw complains
"Which one does she tell you?" Skystorm asks. Mistyeyes was the one who told her all of the stories about Firestar and Bluestar that she had heard from other elders
"She tells me the story of how she went blind" Stealthpaw answers
"I can see how that might get annoying but you'll just have to put up with it" Skystorm answers amused. Stealthpaw nods and gets back up to go into the elder's den again and Skystorm watches him leave. She feels sorry for him but she's not his mentor and has no control over when he becomes a warrior so she just lays in the sun
"I'll talk to Sandfur myself about it later" she mumbles to herself
"Talk to Sandfur about what?" Mudfur asks walking up
"Stealthpaw" Skystorm answers shortly, she can't seem to get any peace and quiet today
"Have you seen Brackenwhisker today?"Mudfur asks looking around
"I saw him before the dawn patrol left this morning" Skystorm answers "and he was in the warrior's den a while ago before I went hunting with Rippedstar but I haven't seen him since then" she finishes
"If you see him at all tell him I'm looking for him" Mudfur says walking away. Skystorm gets up and walks out of the camp, she's never going to get alone time while she's there. She walks until she reaches the river just inside Thunderclan territory to lie on the rocks in the sun.
Skystorm watches the fish swimming in the river wishing she knew how to catch one so she could eat while she thought. After what seems like forever she catches a vole and sits down to eat her meal
"You'd better hope you caught that on your own territory" a voice says from in front of her. Skystorm looks up to see a white cat watching her intensely
"I have no use to steal any Riverclan prey" she tells the stranger
"How do I know for sure? You're awfully close to our border" the white cat replies
"I could say the same to you" Skystorm answers looking the cat in the eye
"I'm on border patrol" he spits "of course I'm near the border"
"A one cat border patrol?" Skystorm asks looking around "that won't do you much good." The white tom growls and starts to jump for her but another cat comes from behind
"Snowfur we are out to protect our borders not attack other cats" the black she cat says holding him by the tail "that Thunderclan cat is not on our territory therefore we have no reason to attack her"
"Yes Nightpelt" Snowfur says
"Good, now let's go back to camp" Nightpelt says turning around and walking away. With one last glare Snowfur fellows her across the river and out of sight. Skystorm sighs and gets up; Riverclan has no problem letting Shadowclan cats onto their territory but will fight a cat not even over the border? She shakes her head and starts walking back to the camp, it's getting dark and she needs more rest.
So that was chapter 3. I hope you liked it and that you'll review and tell me about any mistakes or any ideas you have for names because those are hard to come up with. Also chapter 4 will be up as soon as I can get it finished :)