Chapter XXII
Smokekit felt a stirring in him as he floated in the frothing water, holding on to Leafkit. They were all going the same way - the camp entrance. And then behind the walls of Twolegplace, where the flood wouldn't dare to venture.
"Falconkit!" Breezekit yowled as the golden-ginger kit sunk under the water. Smokekit paddled to his sister, his heart pounding. What if Falconkit died? The kit mustered up all his courage to duck his head underwater and try to spot his sister. Indeed, he did see her, her fur floating out beneath her.
He caught Falconkit with his teeth and dragged him up with his head. "Falconkit!" Breezekit gasped, pawing at her, but the she-kit's eyes already betrayed the truth.
Falconkit was dead.
"We'll have to leave her here." Smokekit mewed softly as he led his remaining three sisters towards their destination. Breezekit let a small wail of sadness as they swum away from her closest sister, but eventually turned to face the front. "Alright." Smokekit meowed, paddling while looking over to his siblings. "We need to get into Twolegplace, and that's not going to be easy."
"We could jump." Leafkit suggested. "We could try getting into the entrance." Mintkit meowed doubtfully. "Yeah, but the Twolegs will have closed the entrance." Smokekit reasoned. "Oh, yeah." Mintkit's eyes drooped.
"Let's just concentrate on swimming - or floating - to the camp entrance." Breezekit lifted her head, seemingly having gotten over the death of her sister. "Good thinking." Smokekit nodded. There were still about three fox-lengths until they reached the camp's entrance, because they were just paddling around and not really getting anywhere.
#-#-#
Cinderpaw shifted in the warm, furry nest she had been given by the Twolegs. Over the last two days that she had stayed here, her perspective of Twolegs had changed. In her view, Twolegs were no longer evil, uncaring creatures, instead they were kindly and slightly oblivious creatures trying to do their best.
"Well… the flood seems to be doing its tricks." Rosestar sighed from her perch on the thing that she called a "window". Cinderpaw laid her head on her paws. She felt tired, so tired…
#-#-#
Smokekit felt tired, so tired that he soon slipped away from the real world…
He was in StarClan. That he was sure of. "Cinderpaw!" He cried as he saw the ash-pelted apprentice padding in front of him. Cinderpaw didn't look back. "Wait." He mewed confusedly. "Am I dead?" He questioned himself.
"No, you are not." A fiery-pelted she-cat stood in front of him, her pelt outlined by stars. "Your time has come… to save the Clans." Smokekit perked up his ears. Saving the Clans? That was the first he had ever heard of him, a measly kit, saving the six - six! - Clans.
"Come, follow me." The she-cat treaded lightly, leading him to a starry, translucent pool. The kit blinked once, twice, thrice. He could see every cat in the forest - his sisters and himself swimming towards Twolegplace and the camp entrance, Goldenfern and Blazeflight weakly carrying the now awake Brindlepaw, and cats he didn't know.
Cinderpaw stood a mere tail-length away from him, her whiskers quivering as she stared down into the pool. "Your destiny." Cinderpaw lifted her head with a small jerk. She gestured to the pool with her tail and when her tail touched the water, ripples circled around it.
"I- I don't understand?" Smokekit tried, looking at the pool. "You and only you have the power to take away the flood and return the forest back to the normal state. I am only here to guide you." Cinderpaw moved away from the looking-glass-like pool.
It was like Smokekit already knew what he needed to do. He first touched his nose to the pool, his eyes closed.
I believe… that the forest can be returned to peace, the flood can recede and the cats will no longer have to struggle…
Slowly, something awakened, and a voice hummed over and over again the omen about Smokekit and Cinderpaw. The two born into fire shall blossom into saviors. The remains of fire, and the ashes burning strong, 'til the water disappears then they will fade.
The voice got louder and louder until Smokekit could not bear it, and a blast of light appeared in front of the small cat. Cinderpaw and the StarClan she-cat, standing behind him shielded their eyes, while Smokekit only gazed with wonder at the ball of light turning over and over in front of him.
Then it exploded, and Smokekit covered his eyes with a yowl. The next thing he knew, he was laying in the middle of camp, everything returned to normal.
A/N: Whew, that was long! I think it got a little anime-like at the end xD but yay! Smokekit finally fulfilled the prophecy! And really sorry if Cinderpaw and Smokekit are Mary-sue-ish… Anyway, there's just one more chapter to go and the epilogue, and we're done!
YAY!
I'm so happy!
~Aqua (Kay)