A.N.: HAPPY 2018 everyone! To celebrate, I'm posting a new chapter since I haven't in... forever ahaha... ha. OKAY! Hope you like it. LET'S GO! ~12HockeyChick21
P.O.V. Of Moonshadow
"How can we even see where we're going?" Brownbelly growled after cursing under his breath. Moonshadow had heard the tom trip over a root or something else for the tenth time. He could tell his friends were all frustrated, for their hike to the Moonpool was proving quite difficult with the Moon blocking out the Sun. Moonshadow simply grit his teeth and kept moving.
"We have to just trust our instincts." he replied to Brownbelly.
"Well my instincts are getting my paws tripped up." Brownbelly grumbled.
"Stop complaining. Some of us deal with finding our way around the forest in darkness everyday." Moonshadow recognized Clearwhisker's annoyed mew and Brownbelly immediately shut up.
"Sorry..." He muttered. Moonshadow followed his nose and his paws, feeling the path that his father had described to him underfoot.
"We're close. Come on, let's keep moving. Keep your nose to the tail of the cat in front of you." he meowed, feeling Blackstream's muzzle touch his tail tip. Suddenly the cold wind disappeared as they entered the stone hollow.
"We're here..." Blackstream's awed breath tickled Moonshadow's tail. As they continued to walk, they walked up to the Moonpool.
"Wow..." Brownbelly mewed.
"Touch your nose to the water, then we should..." Moonshadow stopped as he did what he was telling the others to do, then spiraled into darkness.
The ground met his paws softly and when he opened his eyes he was greeted by an army of cats with stars in their fur. A familiar tabby stepped down from the ranks to greet him.
"Larchbreeze..." he breathed out the name of his older sister he had discovered murdered in shock.
"Hello Moonshadow. Thank you for finding me and getting me some justice. But I know exactly what you are here for right now." She mewed.
"How do you-" Moonshadow began, but was cut off by another she-cat's voice.
"The Moon has blocked out the Sun, yes?" Moonshadow turned to see two more cats were padding up to them, another she-cat and a tom.
"Lightstar..."
"Yes, and this is Skystar. We knew you'd be coming. It is time for the prophecy to become true." The she-cat mewed.
"Skystar... don't tell me there's another clan that I have to bring together like my mother and father did." Moonshadow sighed.
"No, well yes and no. Hello, I am Skystar, the founder of SkyClan. We are a clan that was pushed away from the old forest territories many years ago and we fell apart. With the help of your mother's father Firestar, the clan became one again, but now we need help again, more than ever. SkyClan has fallen apart again, but we do not need you to rescue them and bring them back to the lake... we need you to lead a large group of your clan to where SkyClan is and recreate it." Skystar mewed.
"You see... now that the first part of the prophecy has been fulfilled, we know it is you who must go. So go home and tell Spiderstar the cats who must go with you. Skystar will come to you in a dream tonight with the list. Not one more or one less cat..." Lightstar mewed.
"Yes... It has to be LightClan's ancestors... Because Glimmering Light here is my sister. My mother Quiet Rain had one more litter of kits after my brother and I left the mountains and Glimmering Light was the last surviving." Skystar explained.
"So remember, only the Light can Clear the Sky..."
"Wait, but how will I know where to go!" Moonshadow mewed, but woke with a start, back by the Moonpool.
"Moonshadow! Are you alright?" Blackstream nosed him to his paws.
"Y-yes... d-did you all have dreams of StarClan too?" Moonshadow looked to his friends, realizing it was bright out again. The Sun had returned. Brownbelly and Blackstream nodded, but Clearwhisker remained motionless.
"Yes, Lilaccloud's brother Rowanflame came to me and told me that he approved of me and that Lilaccloud and I would be making a journey together soon." Brownbelly meowed.
"Yes and my brother Flameheart visited me and told me I'd be making a journey soon too. I wonder where to. What about you Clearwhisker? Clearwhisker?" When the blind tom didn't answer, all three of them turned to look at him again. The white tom looked up at them with his sightless blue eyes.
"A she-cat named Leafstar came to me, claiming to be the leader of a faraway clan called SkyClan and told me that I was the... the 'Clear' answer and that on the wings of a bird I would soar to clear the skies..." he murmured.
P.O.V. Of Otterstrike
Otterstrike laid in the ShadowClan nursery in silence, four kits in his belly curve. Confusion filled his body as he looked over to see the body of Russetshade, then blood exploded from her in waves, cascading over the kits, who yowled in fear and disgust. The dark red, sticky waves washed them away from his body.
"NO! Russetshade!" Otterstrike cried, watching his kits float away on the river of blood.
He woke with a gasp, his fur and nest damp with sweat.
"Otterstrike? Are you alright?" The tabby tom looked up to see his brother standing at the den opening.
"Fine... are you leaving now?"
Just the day previous Otterstrike and Silverberry had convinced Rowanstar to let them take the kits to LightClan since there were no other queens able to feed them. It wasn't a difficult task seeing as Rowanstar seemed to not really want to keep the kits anyways. Otterstrike wouldn't be surprised if the kits would remain in LightClan, yet they he still felt no connection to the useless little balls of fur. When he and Silverberry had returned to LightClan after the darkness, Spiderstar made an announcement saying Moonshadow and a ton of other LightClan cats had to go on a quest to help a sixth clan. Everything felt so fake and force, Otterstrike had no idea what to do...
"Yes, we're leaving now. Please promise me one thing Otterstrike." His brother broke Otterstrike out of his thoughts.
"Hm?" The large tabby asked.
"Protect the clan... and mother."
Otterstrike nodded and his brother disappeared. This made Otterstrike decide to go say goodbye, then go see the queens... and his kits... Otterstrike stood from his nest and stretched, then went out into the clearing. A fresh sheet of snow had fallen the night before, a good reminder of how hard and cold this quest would be for all who would be taking it. Otterstrike looked around at the group of his clanmates going to join this illusive SkyClan. Moonshadow stood with Brownbelly and Lilaccloud on one side of him and Clearwhisker and Blackstream on the other, Duskshade, Doestep, Pinefall, Tawnymoon, Sorrelbriar, Graybird, Thrushwing, Hollowstorm, Maplesong, Cloudheart, and Lilypetal all stood with them as well.
"We wish you the best of luck and may the blood of LightClan run strong in your veins. Have faith, for I am certain you all will be able to clear the sky and save SkyClan!" Spiderstar called and the whole clan cheered around Otterstrike. But the tired tabby was too drained to join in the chant. As the group streamed out of the camp, Otterstrike pushed his way to the nursery.
"Hello?" Otterstrike called as he pushed his way through the tight opening, greeted by the milky scent and the warmth. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light he could see Strikefang and Creamberry sleeping with their kits in their nests, Strikefang with five and Creamberry with four. Otterstrike was surprised that Strikefang had survived her kitting, but happy nonetheless. Then he saw his mother chatting with Robinheart, his four kits in the nest with her. Softpaw was asleep in her corner.
"Oh, hello Otterstrike... how are you?" Leafpool murmured quietly, as not to wake any of the sleeping inhabitants.
"I... I just came to tell you that the LightSky group has left..." Otterstrike mewed, matching her volume. LightSky was what the cats had become calling the group to make the trip to assist SkyClan.
"Oh, StarClan protect them." Robinheart mewed softly, giving each of her kits a quick lick. Otterstrike nodded and looked at his kits in Leafpool's belly curve. Again, he felt nothing. No spark of fatherly love, no need to protect them. What was wrong with him...?
"Strikefang and Creamberry named their kits this morning, I think it's time we start thinking about names for these sweet things. Would you like to help Otterstrike? You saved them." Leafpool looked up at Otterstrike with a knowing look and Otterstrike couldn't help but feel as though he wanted to shrink out of is mother's sight. Did she know?
"W-well, what are Strikefang's and Creamberry's kits...? We wouldn't want repeats." Otterstrike mewed.
"Strikefang had four she-cats and a tom, the tom is Scorchkit and the she-cats are Yellowkit, Specklekit, Meadowkit, and Turtlekit." Leafpool told him.
"And Creamberry had two toms and two she-cats, the toms are Thistlekit and Wolfkit and the she-cats are Snowkit and Sandkit." Robinheart added. Otterstrike nodded and looked back at his kits... his kits. Why didn't he feel anything?
"It's just so sad what happened to that ShadowClan queen..." Leafpool frowned down at the kits.
"Yes, Puddleshine and Silverberry did all they could..." Otterstrike mewed, the memory of the ShadowClan medicine cat racing from the nursery covered in blood during the Darkening to announce Russetshade's death still clung to the back of the tom's eyelids.
"I understand your pain, dear... Seeing a cat die is hard. Trust me, I know." Leafpool murmured to him comfortingly. Otterstrike nodded and put his tail on the light brown tabby tom, the one who he'd thought looked like himself.
"How about Breezekit for this one?" he asked. Leafpool nodded.
"I like that." she mewed. Otterstrike's gaze fell on the dark ginger she-cat beside Breezekit.
"And Cherrykit." He mewed, then poked the ginger and white she-cat next to her. "Applekit."
"Okay..." Leafpool replied, "And the last tom?"
"Birdkit." Otterstrike mewed. Before Leafpool could say anything to this name, Softpaw stirred.
"I need to go stretch my legs." The apprentice queen meowed.
"Okay, Otterstrike. Will you go with her, Spiderstar still doesn't like apprentices leaving camp alone." Leafpool looked at him and he knew there was no arguing with her. "Don't worry, the kits will be here when you get back."
Otterstrike sighed and nodded, then motioned for Softpaw to follow him.
"Does she know they're your kits?" Softpaw asked as they walked alone.
"I don't think so..."
"Aren't you happy? Why do you seem so sad? You got to keep your kits and stay in LightClan."
"Russetshade is dead... and I feel nothing for these kits. No connection at all..." Otterstrike mewed, the honesty breaking his heart.
"Oh..." Softpaw murmured.
"No one but you can ever know. My mother and father will be good foster parents to them... but I feel so dead inside now... I cared so much for Russetshade and now she's gone and I don't even recognize my own kits... nothing matters anymore."
"Otterstrike, that's not true-" Softpaw tried to calm him, but he cut her off.
"And that's why I've decided to take you up on your offer."
A.N.: Bum bum! Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment and maybe I'll just write the next chapter! Hahaha. Thanks for reading. ~12HockeyChick21
