Chapter 30: The battle to come...

WEll helloooooo!

OK SO KILL ME IF YOU MUST

but im going onto bigger and better things such as animation and my own concept, i have no clue about the future of this story becuase im an artisit not a writter and im making my own comic/animation about wolves and stuff, i have excuse for the lateness of this chapter, feel free to kill me. I have no clue about the future of this story, but your comments count and im sure if you really want to you can influence my decisions

I want to thank you all for your dedecation and support and i wish the best for you in your lives, this isnt a good bye i might be posting my own book about wolves and stuff, but im a animator and artist at heart and i cant give you a story which i dont have much heart for anymore

i thank you all for your support that kept me going and i wish you all the best xxxxx

if you want my youtube and deviantart links where my journey on there is getting more exciting as i emerging into the world of animation and art on youtube and im getting more known on these places which ofcourse is very exciting xxxxxx

this is not goodbye i am postponing the story for now you never know i you might see a chapter from time to time xxxxx

best wishes to you amazing people xxxxx i shall be here still xxxxx

.Ravenpaw's eyes exploded open, her pupils dilating and changing as she focused on her surroundings, her breathing was quick and shallow, her claws were digging deep into her nest as she tried to focus on reality. A war in Starclan!? I'm the leader of the five!? What is happening!? Her head hurt from the pressure of so many unanswered questions trying to surface, Starclan was being attacked, and now there was a fire in their hunting grounds, what if the Dark forest took over Starclan!? Not to mention the fact that she was the leader of the five, Starclan had told her so and now she had to lead the five against something that could destroy Starclan!?

Ravenpaw put her paws on her head, suddenly losing her shield and feeling the minds of every thunderclan cat shout in her mind, with a quick adjustment her mind was shielded from the constant chatter once again. She growled silently, her shield often slipped when she was upset or in terror, and after it always left her with an insane headache. She rubbed a white paw on her head experimentally, receiving a sharp jab of pain as a bitter reward.

"Your shield slipped didn't it?"

Ravenpaw looked up in surprise to see Jayfeather looking down on her, only then did she realise the medicine cat was wrapped around her like a parent, his tail keeping her close. She nodded in reply. "You know what is happening Ravenpaw, Starclan is under attack and now, it is time for the five to unite."

Ravenpaw closed her eyes, nodding. "And I have to lead them. But I don't know how.."

Jayfeather rasped his tongue over her head, she stiffened at the unexpected gesture but relaxed quickly. "Don't worry, Starclan chose you so you must have the heart of a leader, even Bramblestar gets it wrong sometimes and he's an adult, you're barely a kit. I'm sure it will become easier as you get older."

"You mean our destiny isn't around the corner?"

Jayfeather shook his head. "Ravenpaw, you can't think that nothing is happening yet, the Darkforest is linked with Darkclan, things are happening. Now. But the battle will come when you are old enough to conquer it, Starclan would have prepared your birth to have enough time for you to get stronger before the battle."

Ravenpaw nodded, still terrified but griping onto courage like the edge of a cliff. Jayfeather nodded before rapidly leaving the den, his stomach growling. Ravenpaw realised she was starving herself and brushed past the bright green leaves of the den, out into the sun. She had to blink a few times, her eyes adjusting to the sudden bright light, it was dawn and the first sunbeams were catching the top of the camp rock wall and cascading down onto the dusty ground. She breathed in the peace of the moment for a second and padded outside.

After choosing a squirrel she laid down in the shade of a tall patch of ferns, letting out a sigh as her back bone was stretched. She took a bite and savoured the warm taste of the squirrel, and suddenly realised she was starving, she quickly finished the squirrel in a few moments, wiping her tongue over her muzzle when she was done.

The warm Greenleaf sun touched her pelt, sending a warm glow through her body, she put her head on her paws and closed her eyes.

"Wake up sleepyhead!"

Ravenpaw growled, opening one eye and finding herself staring at Swiftpaw's shining grin. "You think you can come back from the brink of death and not say hi!?"

Ravenpaw smiled and brushed her muzzle against her friend's. Swiftpaw smiled "hey, you know what you missed? Cherryleaf finally gave birth! Let's go and meet the newest members of thunderclan!"

Bubbling with excitement she followed Swiftpaw into the bramble thicket that was the nursery. She felt her pelt tug onto the bramble thorns as she stepped into the gloom, the sun not peaking through the branches as much as the other dens. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her eyes widened and she let out a surprised purr as she looked on two small kits.

Cherryleaf was mewing to Bumblestripe quietly, who was curled around her, his eyes locked on his new kits. Swiftpaw beckoned Ravenpaw closer with her tail. She crept beside her friend and gasped at the two new kits. One was a snowy white she kit, her fur was short and her eyes were still screwed shut, as they would be for still half a moon. The other was a tom, he had black fur, with a large white chest and belly, he was larger than his sister and struggled around trying to get closer to his mother's belly. The last was also a shekit, but she was a strange colour, she was black, with light grey spots, with tail stripes and some delicate stripes curving around her face. Ravenpaw looked at her with a spark of new interest, she had never seen a cat like this before. "What are they called?" Swiftpaw whispered.

Cherryleaf had a broad grin, she gestured with her tail to each kit. "The black tom is called Shadekit, the white she cat is Blizzardkit and the black spotted she cat is Dapplekit."

"They're lovely names, I'm sure they'll grow up to be great warriors." Ravenpaw spoke quietly. Swiftpaw cast her a confused frown as her unusual quiet voice, but she didn't know what Ravenpaw was thinking, while looking at those kits her vision turned blood red and the three newborns were suddenly clawed with scratches and were slowly bleeding out onto the moss. She shook her head quickly, heart racing and led the way out of the den knowing that Starclan had sent the sign. Starclan had shown her what she was meant to be fighting for, and what would happen if she didn't except the inevitable.

Leaving Swiftpaw with enough confusion for the whole of thunderclan, Ravenpaw found Jayfeather munching on a robin. By the look in his eyes and his expectant expression Ravenpaw knew he had seen it too. "You saw it?"

"Of course. You want to stop running from something that will never stop coming after you?"

"The time for running is over, it's time for the five."

Jayfeather nodded with a grim silence he also looked relived that she had finally accepted her unchangeable fate, and leapt to his paws eagerly. "We should tell them now, you know that Starclan is in danger, so the clans won't be too far behind, time is running out till Darkclan makes its next move, we need to five ready."

"Are you asking five apprentices to fight the whole of Darkclan?" Ravenpaw asked, slightly sarcastic.

Jayfeather frowned and let out a slight growl. "No, but I want you five aware of your destiny, and possibly not ignoring it anymore?" he mewed, prooding her with a large paw.

Ravenpaw closed her eyes for a moment, letting the situation sink in fully, today her friends would find out her destiny, and their own. Today their world and reality would be shattered into a memory like melting ice, fading away from all consciousness and melting the certainty of their lives. She fixed Jayfeather with a forest green glare.

"Let's go."

...

It was dawn, the morning mist shrouded the lake in a purple glow, and hid it from the view of the five apprentices, a medicine cat, and two warriors as they sat on the shores of the great lake. It was unusually quiet, the normal birdsong now a faded memory as the stillness of a whispering hush swept over the forest, the trees breathed quietly, a melody of swishing leaves and rattling branches in the gentle, already warm, Greenleaf breeze.

Ravenpaw shivered despite the warm wind and casted a reluctant glare with Jayfeather. The four other apprentices, Wolfpaw, Swiftpaw, Songpaw and Stormpaw all sat in silence, their cheery mood had evaporated like the mist would soon, Dovewing kept a gentle gaze on her daughter Songpaw, her tail flicking with the urge to wrap her daughter up in it. Lionblaze looked furious, sitting in-between his kits, giving each the occasional murmur of comfort, or the gentle graze of his tail. Ivypool, not being one of the original three but had a huge part to play in the dark forest battle, sat with Stormpaw giving her son a gentle lick on his ear. Jayfeather sat at the head of the semicircle, his head held high and despite being blind, keeping a strong connection with Ravenpaw's blazing green irises.

She held her head high, trying to take the new amount of responsibility in a great amount of courage, but found it slightly overwhelming. Her friends sat quietly, ready to hear the seemingly bad news, the seriousness of the situation had dawned on them and their antics that had been displayed as they left camp had stopped abruptly.

Jayfeather took a deep breath, and wrapped his tail around his paws, gaining a controlled and calm look and an air of authority. "What I have to tell you today will change you forever, but no matter how hard it seems you need to be strong and you need to handle it, countless lives could depend on your choices and the future of the clans rests on your shoulders."

Swiftpaw's ears pricked and Wolfpaw's tail bristled, anxious for the news.

Ravenpaw's eyes snapped open after being closed to hear Jayfeather's words in dread, her blood suddenly burned with a intensity like fire, ravaging her heart in it's warm glow of courage and confidence, she leapt to her paws and felt Jayfeather's hostile glare on her as she walked to come in front of Jayfeather looking at her friend's scared faces. If she had to be their leader then it was time she started acting like one, Jayfeather couldn't tell them, it wasn't his job. It was hers.

"Last night I was visited by Starclan, and I was told that I am a leader, to be precise your leader. And I know now that I cannot run away from that, and it is my duty to tell you what you need to know, and it is my duty to make sure we follow our destiny and save everyone, in every clan." She stopped to breathe for a second and glanced at Jayfeather who stood up and sat down next to Dovewing, giving Ravenpaw a slight nod to continue.

Fuelled with new confidence, Ravenpaw straightened up and held her head high as she spoke. "Before we were born, Jayfeather received a prophecy, Five, the rulers of the stars, the kin of Thunderclan's strongest blood will rise to battle the ghosts of the forgotten past. They will face great terror and tragedy to defeat the shadows that deceive us in the dark. That told of five cats, kin of Firestar would rise to battle the dark forest, it was very vague however I was told one by Songpaw, I'm not sure she was aware that she was speaking at the time, it was like Starclan was using her to speak but she did tell me this; The sightful Raven, the unseen Storm, the swiftest fire, the Wolf's heart and the endless Song are the strongest blood of fire and thunder, they must learn of the shadows that haunt them, and the ghosts in the shadows of the past, for the war of flame and shadow is coming.. and they will have to sacrifice everything... even themselves..."

She stayed silent for as moment, letting the words sink in. "The message is clear, it names us, Ravenpaw, Stormpaw, Swiftpaw, Wolfpaw and Songpaw. We are the strongest blood of fire and thunder, the strongest blood in thunderclan and the kin of Firestar, we have to fight the dark forest, the shadows of the past, the murderers that are rising again. The war of flame and shadow is coming, the war of the kin of Firestar and the dark forest, for the sake of all life as we know it. For our freedom, for peace. Yes there will be pain, yes we might suffer and of course we will be in danger all the time. But if we don't follow this prophecy, everyone and everything we love will die, and the clans will be destroyed. We have to forget our fears, we have to let go of our nightmares, because this is our destiny and no other cat can do it for us, we have powers beyond any cat's imagination and if we don't save the clans...who will?" she finished with a determined growl, her voice loud and clear, being sure that every word would echo in their minds she sat down, waiting for their response. She caught sight of Lionblaze giving her an approving nod. She looked at Ivypool, who's deep blue eyes glowed with admiration and slight bit of awe for her daughter's strong heart.

"Your right Ravenpaw, but what exactly is our destiny? And what do we do?" Wolfpaw leapt up, his amber eyes questioning.

"Our destiny is to save our world. How do we do it? I simply have no clue. But that doesn't mean we're not going to give it the best fight ever." Ravenpaw grinned.

Wolfpaw's serious face grew into a broad grin and his amber eyes sparkled brightly.

"So what exactly can you lot do?" Lionblaze mewed, his amber eyes blazing on them with curiosity.

"I can read minds, control them and enter cats dreams and minds, I could have a conversation in your head if you want, you'll pass out and I'll be in your mind." Ravenpaw mewed, Lionblaze blinked rapidly and shook his head quickly. "I think I'll pass.."

Stormpaw stood up shakily, sharing a nervous glance with Songpaw, he didn't speak, what happened was words enough.

What Ravenpaw saw was slightly confusing, Stormpaw's legs suddenly grew, his pelt became much thicker and his muzzle grew longer, his ears became fluffy and big and his tail lengthened out and became very fluffy. His eyes also changed, they were the same light hazel but had the look of a dog's. Swiftpaw shrieked in fear, he was now a wolf.

"Can you do anything else?" Ravenpaw gulped.

Stormpaw unleashed a toothy grin, his fangs curling around longer. "Uh.. yeah, I've turned into a mouse and a fox, remember?"

Ravenpaw realised with a gasp that the fox in the battle with Darkclan that had saved her was her brother. "Stormpaw! That's absolutely brilliant!" Wolfpaw squealed, his excitement getting the better of him.

Swiftpaw stood forward next, approaching the now cat Stormpaw quite slowly. Her green eyes matched Ravenpaw's identical ones, they shared the same feeling of loneliness, or betrayal, that the other had not trusted the other enough to tell them their secret. "I can run faster than lightning." She mewed, as if it was normal.

Ravenpaw almost leapt for joy and excitement of her friend's power, she was also insanely jealous, she loved running and realised why Swiftpaw was the quickest cat in thunderclan.

"Show us sis." Wolfpaw urged, Lionblaze looked especially interested. Swiftpaw grinned and with the raising of one paw, disappeared with a slight breeze.

"Anyone hungry?"

Ravenpaw swirled around to see Swiftpaw proudly holding a rabbit in her jaws, the whole process had taken only a second and now suddenly, her friend had been halfway across thunderclan territory and had hunted. Lionblaze stared in shock, his mouth wide open, while Wolfpaw prodded Swiftpaw with a gentle paw, as if not believing the concept.

"Where did you get that?" Lionblaze croaked.

"Near the dark clan border. Just where the old twoleg nest is." Swiftpaw replied with indifference.

"dear Starclan.." Ivypool murmured.

Songpaw stayed where she was. "Well, I can see in time, the past, present, and future."

Dovewing's ears pricked, her light blue eyes gleaming. "Can you show us?"

"Not exactly, but I'm sure you'll see it at some point. That's how I knew the prophecy, I saw Ravenpaw saying it now but back then none of us knew about it."

Jayfeather nodded. Next Wolfpaw sprang up, his wide toothy grin beaming at Stormpaw. "Well, Stormpaw you might be a huge wolf or mouse or worm. But what about your fighting skills?"

Stormpaw growled in fake anger.

"Well, it's kind of strange but I can remember every battle move I've ever seen, I only need to see it once and then I can copy and remember it perfectly. The added extra is that once wounded I can heal."

"Doesn't everyone Mousebrain?" Swiftpaw teased.

"Alright, give me a scratch."

Swiftpaw looked at him with concern. "Your my brother, I can't hurt you."

"But I can!"

Stormpaw leapt at Wolfpaw with his claws unsheathed, he gave Wolfpaw a quick scratch on his shoulder before darting away.

Ravenpaw gasped along with the rest of the group as the fresh scratch sealed itself up, the ripped skin forming together again and the blood finally becoming a simple stain on Wolfpaw's shoulder fur. Lionblaze eyed his son and stared at the now gone wound with awe.

Jayfeather spoke. "Now that we're all fully acquainted, time to talk about what we're up against."

The group of apprentices and warriors gained composure once more, and sat in stunned silence.

"The dark forest is rising again, they are waging war with Starclan and are trying to kill them and take over their hunting grounds. They are also using Darkclan to do their dirty work in the clans, killing off warriors to drive fear into the other clans. Dustpelt was the first to die of this and he won't be the last. They also seem very eager to take over Thunderclan, we'll need to keep our guard up, your powers could help protect thunderclan and help us to be ready when the attack comes."

Swiftpaw spoke. "But when will it come."

Ivypool looked up at the clear sky. "It's the calm before the storm, the air is tense but there is no danger, not yet. The battle is like the calm weather, it's the oncoming storm."

Hahhahahah I used the series title :D (derp face)

So this was the last chapter of this book, next the epilogue and then the next book!

Wwwwoooooo!

So, now the five have realised what they have to do, they don't actually have to do anything yet except protect thunderclan.

But stuff is gonna happen :D

(evil laugh)

Till next time, thank you amazing people for all the wonderful reviews that keep me writing 3

Neon xx

(nemo for jay ;) )