It's been a long and tiring week. *sigh*

CHAPTER -Prophecy

After a long and restful sleep, I drowsily opened my eyes to find the wall of the cave yawning down at me. A thin stream of water trickled down from an opening on the roof and dripped onto my nose. I sneezed.

I looked around, and my sweet relief quickly turned to surprise and fear. The moss nests around me were empty. Where were the others?

Stoneteller pushed his way through the opening and nodded at me. "I see you're awake," he rasped, his voice as smooth as liquid turning over stones. "You must be wondering where your friends are. The white and grey tom are out hunting with our prey-hunters, and Rain has told us everything. She has been moved to the kit-mother's den, and she and Patch will be welcome here."

I dipped my head in gratitude. "Thank you," I mewed, but I said it so quietly that I was certain that he hadn't heard.

The tom meowed, "There will be a Telling tonight, in the Cave of Pointed Stones. But, before we do that..."

His voice trailed off as he eyed me warily.

"The Tribe of Endless Hunting has told me that a black cat will arrive, but I expected you to look...different."

I shrank back, a little hurt. He obviously expected the chosen cat to look larger, stronger than me.

Stoneteller leaned back and flicked his tail, dismissing the thought. "Well then. Would you like to join the prey-hunters? They must be nearby, so you can catch up."

I nodded. There wasn't anything else to do anyway.

The roaring of the waterfull grew steadily louder, and it pounded into my skull.

He led me to the exit and I carefully padded outside, stretching my stiff limbs along the way. The sunlight warmed my fur, and somewhere above, a hawk let out an echoing cry. The white spray from the falls dampened my fur, and snow crunched underfoot.

I stared at all of the cliffs and canyons in wonder. I was so high up, it felt as if I was walking on clouds, as if I was flying.

A whiff Snowstorm's scent drifted over the mountain breeze. I followed it, making sure I didn't slip and fall.

A small group of cats slowly came into view, and I recognized Snowstorm and Dewstep among them.

I bounded foward to meet them. Dewstep nodded. "You're awake."

"Did you catch anything yet?" I asked.

The group was made out of four prey-hunters, all lean and well-muscled. Their fur was dried into spikes by the mud they smeared on themselves. I couldn't recognize any of them. Dewstep replied, "Yeah, we managed to get a few mice, but not a lot."

A she-cat bounded forward and chirped, "Hi! I'm Silver Sheen on Water, one of the to-bes. What's your name?"

"Ashley," I replied.

She tipped her head to one side, her green eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Are you the StarClan cat that Stoneteller has been talking about?"

The older prey-hunter slapped his tail against her mouth and growled, "Shush. We have to focus on hunting right now."

Silver pouted, but obeyed.

The cats led us around the thin, crumbling walls. The snow cracked and crunched. It was cold here, far colder than any winter that I remembered. I suppressed a shiver.

Snowstorm flicked his ear and meowed, "Don't worry, we'll be back in the cave in no time. And then you'll be warmer." I nodded gratefully.

One of the prey-hunters looked back at me, his whiskers twitching in amusement. "You don't talk much, do you?" I ducked my head, embarrassed. He laughed.

A patch of sunlight shone on his face, and even though the rest of his pelt was smeared in mud, I was able to clearly see his facial features. A crooked scar curved around his eye and around his jaw, as if someone had taken a knife and deliberatley carved it there.

It was Talon of Swooping Eagle. Of course.

He crouched down, his tail lashing, and his eyes focused on something out of sight. Then he pounced, and when he came back, a vole dangled from his mouth.

"Great job," one of the cats said.

My fur prickled slightly with a faint touch of envy. If only I could be a good hunter like him.

For a split second, the sun was blotted out by a quick shadow, and I looked up just in time to see a flash of mottled feathers, the glint of sunlight on a curved and golden beak.

Without thinking, I jumped up and lunged at it with outstretched claws. I felt them sink into feathers, then deeper into flesh. The eagle let out a surprised shriek, which was abruptly cut off as Talon delivered the death blow to its neck.

It dropped to my paws with a quiet thud. I blinked at the dead eagle in surprise.

Snowstorm laid his tail across my shoulders and exclaimed, "Wow! That was amazing, Ashley!"

I smiled. "Thanks." I prodded the body gently with my paw.

Silver bounded up and down. "This eagle is huge! It'll feed all the to-bes!"

My mouth watered at the thought of sinking my teeth into juicy eagle flesh.

They congratulated me all the way back. Even though I was embarrassed from all of the attention, I still felt a little bit proud of myself. I carried the eagle home on my shoulders, and when we entered the cave, all of the kits and to-bes squealed with delight.

"It's so big!" one of them said, his eyes wide with wonder.

A small, lean brown she-cat padded out of a den, her eyes sleepy. That must be Brook.

A sturdy, grey tabby tom trotted behind her, and I decided that it must be her mate, Stormfur.

They gathered around as Talon cut off chunks from the meat.

As soon as I got my share, I quickly gulped it down.

Dewstep and Snowstorm settled down beside me.

Stormfur curled his tail around his paws and mewed, "So you guys are from ThunderClan, right? Is the prey running smoothly there?"

Dewstep nodded, his mouth full of food.

"Of course," I said. "But..." My voice trailed off. Should I tell him about Firestar's death?

He was part ThunderClan. He had a right to know.

I took a deep breath and continued quietly, "But...Firestar is dead."

Stormfur's eyes grew wide, and Brook's neck began to bristle.

She mewed softly, "Dead? ...He couldn't be."

She buried her face in Stormfur's shoulder, and the tom hung his head sadly.

I knew what they were thinking. How could a cat as brave and strong as Firestar die so easily? I closed my eyes sadly, remembering his death.

Talon meowed, "Firestar was always willing to help the Tribe in any way he could. We will mourn for him tonight."

As he ate, Snowstorm kept casting glances at me. He whispered, "How come you know so much about Firestar? You hadn't even joined the Clan yet when he was alive."

I almost choked on my food. My mind began to race. I stammered, "W-well...uh...one of the elders told me stories about him."

I couldn't let him know the truth...

OoOOoOoOoOOooOooOoOooOOoOoOOOooOoOOoOooo

The sun began to dip below the bowl of mountains, painting the sky in bright colors that dazzled my eyes. The milky clouds were covered in creamy yellow vanilla that softened the edges.

Brook's kits, Lark and Pine, were wrestling with each other, squealing and chirping in delight.

"Tell us a story, Ashley!" Pine demanded.

I shrugged. "I don't really know any."

Lark crouched down and batted her brother's tail. "Then sing us a song," she suggested.

"Alright then," I said softly. I tried to remember the songs that my mother used to sing to me. I really wasn't the best singer, though.

Taking a deep breath, I quietly sang,

"There is a grape vine in front of the door,

It is in germination of a newly green,

The heavy-shelled snail climbs more and more,

up and up on the tall grape vine.

There are two canaries perched on the tree,

laughing at the snail for the world to see:

'Why do you climb up the vine so early,

it will take a long time for the grapes to be ripe and pearly.'

And the snail continued to slowly climb,

and said to the birds in a state of mind:

'Canary birds don't laugh at me,

for by the time I reach the top,

autumn will turn the leaves bright and yellow

and the grapes will be nice, ripe and mellow.'

Pine snorted, "Eh, that's an okay song. Come on, Lark, try to catch me!" The kits squealed and chased after eachother.

I watched them warmly, a soft smile pulling at the edges of my lips.

OoOoOoOoOooOOooOoOooOOOOOooOoooOooOOo

The first stars began to appear high up in the pitch night.

Stoneteller dipped his head as he approached, and he meowed, "It is time for a Telling. But it is the business of the Clans, not the Tribe, so we will meet in private. Now come." He beckoned me with his tail, and I nervously followed him deeper into the cave.

It grew darker until I could hardly see anything, and I had to rely on my scent and the sound of his fur brushing the stone walls.

I though I heard voices in the dark, like a group of cats whispering, but was it only the sound of the waterfall? My heart began to pound.

Finally, the darkness gave way to light as a crack in the ceiling poured out a sliver of moonlight. We were in a large room, and dozens of puddles littered the floor.

Stoneteller crouched in front of the largest one and studied it, his brow furrowed in concentration. The moon and stars reflected on it like a mirror, shining faintly like lanterns.

He looked up and beckoned me closer. I padded forward and sat down next to him, my tail curling insecurely around my paws.

The tom sniffed the puddle of water by his paws, and when he looked at me, his expression was grave. I stiffened.

"StarClan has spoken to me through the water," he said. "They have told me that you are the chosen one. Are you ready to hear the prophecy?"

A shiver of excitement ran down my spine, and I forced myself to nod.

He sucked in a deep breath, and when he spoke, it seemed that thousands of voices entwined with his own, each of them rusty and ancient from the years long gone.

He said,"For there to be victory over the evil, secrets must be unraveled, enemies forgotten, and new friends be forged. Through the dreaded time, a conqueror wil arrive, a rescuer that was born to quake the ground and shake the frontiers. Water must quench fire, light must filter shadows, and a new storm must be forged and banded together in order for the sun to come out again. The cat will have a black pelt, dark as the night, cold as the moon, and yet she will shine brighter than any sun.

And on her journey, she will meet a winged lion, a snake with golden scales, a ball of shining fire, and a leopard that is afraid of its own shadow.

And in order to tame the evil, she will have to find her wings and soar, higher and higher up into the clouds, and burn the feathers in the sun.

When the Wolf Moon howls three times in a row, the first wave will begin.

When the Grey Wolf swallows the Tiger's tail, the second wave will occur, and then the greatest evil will be unleashed.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the cat will have to journey back in time to figure out her path and her sorrows, and unfurl her wings once more.

To the darkest hour, she will fly to the borders of the sky and back."

Stoneteller grew silent. My eyes widened. This prophecy was all meant for me?

"There is more," he rasped. His eyes grew dim.

He raised his head and looked right at me, possibly even right through me. He meowed, "The chosen cat must die in order to save the forest."

My breath caught in my throat.

...What? I must have heard wrong. He must have interpreted it wrong. It must be a mistake.

"I-I have to...die?" I whispered.

He stared down at the puddle, silent and still as rock. He closed his eyes, and opened them again, and murmured, "I'm sorry."

I clenched my teeth and flattened my ears. I wanted to tip my head back and wail. How could this happen to me?

Without waiting for Stoneteller, I turned tail and ran out of the room, past the winding hallway, through the cave and out into the crisp night air. The waterfall thundered down.

Shhhh, it demanded.

I panted, all of the energy drained from me.

"Ashley?" a voice called. Snowstorm rushed out of the den and stopped next to me.

He asked, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, and forced myself to give him a weak smile. But I knew that he didn't believe me. The tone of my voice was obvious, along with whatever showed on my face.

Snowstorm mewed gently, "Was the prophecy that bad?"

I stared down at my paws, unable to do anything.

Jumping in surprise, I felt his warm fur as he pulled me in close. It was as soft as clouds, warm as a fireplace. I closed my eyes.

The chosen cat must die in order to save the forest.

The words echoed again and again in my head.

It couldn't be. Why did I have to be the chosen cat?

The stars twinkled softly in the sky, shining as cold as the sun. They were silent.