To Gamelover41592: At first, Ashley was going to be named 'Ravensong', as suggested by Minnowstream, but then I changed my mind. I figured that I was getting too repetitive with the bird references so I decided to name her something else. The prefix, 'Shade', is based on her dark-colored pelt, and the suffix 'frost' was added in because of her slightly "cold" personality. The 'frost' was also just added in there because it sounded good

To Curse of the Forest: Nah. The bird and flight references are just metaphors (I guess?) for something else. Although, I might change my mind.

CHAPTER 35-The Ancients

The soft dawn light filtered through the entrance of the den and I flinched when I felt someone prod my shoulder. I sleepily opened my eyes and glanced up at Dewstep.

"Hey. It's your turn with the dawn patrol, remember?" he meowed.

I sighed and rolled over onto my side, closing my eyes at the lulling feel of sleep. "Yeah, sure," I said, yawning.

Even though a week had passed since the warrior ceremony, I still felt a surge of excitement at the thought of my new name. It was a new part of me now, and it proved that I was a ThunderClan cat. I felt like I belonged.

I stretched, bunching up my muscles and then relaxing them again, and turned around to groom my fur. After I had gotten most of the tangles out, I sprinted outside the den. Dewstep, Grasspaw, and her mentor, Moleclaw, were waiting for me at the gorse tunnel.

Moleclaw laughed softly as I approached them. "Geez, Shadefrost, you really need to learn how to groom yourself. It looks like you got caught in a blizzard with your fur sticking up all over the place."

I laughed. "Yeah, I do need to take better care of myself, don't I?"

As we strolled through the woods, the early morning light cast a pink glow against the brightening sky. The remnants of night still traced the forest, for the horizon was outlined in a dark navy blue. The stars who had refused to leave twinkled high above us. A faint outline of a pale moon showed its face through the early dawn light.

We neared the WindClan territory, and I wrinkled my nose at the queer scent. Grasspaw grimaced.

She meowed, "Why do they smell that way?"

Moleclaw gazed over at the WindClan territory, where the tall, dry stalks embraced the breeze.

He shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing. It's probably a bout of greencough. It'll pass, though."

That's what I had thought at the night of the last Gathering. But Jayfeather said that it was something else, something other than greencough...What if it spread to the ThunderClan camp?

Something small rustled in the bracken. Shiny, black eyes peered out at us from the undergrowth. Grasspaw's ears immediately perked up and she meowed, "Mouse!"

Before we could do anything, the apprentice was charging after it, her tail streaming out behind her.

Moleclaw chuckled. "She's always diving head-first into things. I'll go fetch her back."

He darted after her, and Dewstep and I watched him disappear among the trees.

As we enjoyed the quietness of the morning, the grey tom suddenly mewed, "Shadefrost?"

I looked at him. "What?"

He gazed beyond the woods, a light smile teasing his mouth. "Well...Snowstorm is going to be so angry at me if I told you, but..."

I stared at him, curious.

He continued, "You know, my brother actually l—"

Abruptly, he suddenly broke off, his body tense. I noticed it too.

The forest had suddenly become all too quiet. Unnervingly quiet. The thousands of birds up in the trees had stopped singing, as if they never had been.

Even the moon and stars and the rising sun seemed to pause and hold their breath. An unnatural tension hung thickly in the air. It was a queer kind of quietness, the kind of quiet that makes you stop and listen and wonder what was going on. It was the kind of silence which meant that something big was coming.

I froze, and peered over at Dewstep out of the corner of my eye. His fur was bristling.

"Keep quiet," he whispered.

And then I felt it. I felt it shudder from the ground into my bones, deep down into the marrow. It chilled the dawn air.

Something slowly trudged through the undergrowth, a creature with no eyes, a creature that melted an inky blackness that came from only the dead of night. It paused, quivering, and I wasn't sure if I actually saw it or not.

It was right in front of me, but I didn't know if it was actually there. It was a patch of shadow, a piece of midnight, so thin and transparent that it seemed that it didn't even exist.

But it was there alright. Right in front of us. It gave off an invisible electricity that spoke of misgivings and warnings.

Shadows, I thought with a shudder. Darklings.

The thing stank of misery and despair, trailing its filth and darkness all the way from the Boneyard to the woods.

I cautiously glanced over at Dewstep without moving my head. He was frozen to the ground, his muscles rigid and his amber eyes wide open. My pulse was racing.

The Darkling faced us, cocking its head to one side, sniffing the air.

It opened its mouth, revealing rows and rows of needle-like teeth, and gave off an ear-splitting shriek. It shook the whole forest.

I closed my eyes and gave out a small cry, shivering at the loud and harshness of the high-pitched volume. It sounded like what a barn owl would, high and shrill, ominous and chilling.

Dewstep slowly pressed closer to me and unsheathed his claws.

"You have to run," he told me, not taking his eyes off of the thing.

I answered, "I can't leave you here alone."

All of a sudden, it screamed again and lunged, its claws outstretched. I gasped and scrambled a few feet away. It landed right in front of me and growled.

Dewstep screeched, "Hey!" and pounced on top of it, sinking his claws into the shadowy black form.

The Darkling screamed and shook itself violently like a mad bull. Dewstep hissed and bared his fangs. However, right before he could sink his teeth into its neck, it stood up on its hind legs and flung the warrior right into a tree truck. I heard the sickening loud crack of wood as he struck it harshly.

I yowled in fear and anger and pounced at the creature. I slashed and kicked it with all of my might, and when it began to squirm and buck, I hung on for my life. It roared.

I snarled and sank my claws in deeper into its back. The world bounced up and down with me as it spun around madly, trying to fling me off. I opened my mouth and leaned in for the killing blow toward its exposed neck.

My teeth sank into the shadow. A vulgar taste exploded inside my mouth, tasting of dirt and ashes. I shuddered, but bit down harder.

A dusky fluid bubbled up from its wounds. It could have been blood, but no blood was as sticky and dark like this was. It was almost like tar or oil.

It lashed out weakly, and let out one final gurgling cry before it collapsed and lay still. I leaped off of it and stepped back, panting, forcing my fur to lie flat.

I glanced over at the still form of Dewstep, and was just about to rush over to him when suddenly, a mist seemed to drift up from the Darkling's mouth over to me. I blinked in surprise as it swirled around my head.

The world began to spin, and I teetered on uncertain steps as everything grew dimmer and dimmer.

oOoOooOOoOoOoOoOoOoOooOoOoOoOoOoooOo

Where was I? This wasn't ThunderClan territory...was it? I blinked slowly as I regained my consciousness.

The trees and Dewstep were gone, along with the Darkling. Instead, there was a wide plain with a few thin trees, stretching for as far out as I could see.

There wasn't snow on the ground. There was grass.

I surveyed my surroundings nervously. The Lake was much smaller than usual. The sun was sinking, and a cold wind ruffled my fur.

My jaw dropped open in surprise when I noticed my paws. I held them up slowly, as if I was in a trance. They were transparent; I could see right through them.

The rest of my body was the same. It was as if I was a thin sheet of paper, so thin and delicate that I would blow away with the wind. My claws tightened on the dirt. I was beginning to grow afraid.

"Stone Song!" a she-cat's voice suddenly called. I stiffened and held my breath.

A dark grey tabby tom lifted his head up from the tall grass as a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat bounded up to him.

The grey tom flicked his tail. "What is it, Dawn River?"

The she-cat exclaimed in excitement, "Broken Shadow is kitting! You should hurry back to camp."

Stone Song's eyes widened and I watched as the two of them sprinted away out of sight. I quietly let out my breath.

Stone Song and Dawn River. Their names sounded somewhat familiar. I furrowed my brow and tried to remember all of my memories of reading the Warriors series. Stone Song and Dawn River...

They were part of the group of cats who had lived here a long, long time ago, before the Clans came into existence. They were The Ancients. I let in a sharp intake of breath. But what was I doing here? How could I get back to the present time?

I decided that it was best to follow the cats and talk to them. That was what Jayfeather did, after all. They would be hostile and wary of me at first, but I would introduce myself and hopefully, they would be able to tell me what happened.

I quietly slipped after them a long distance behind. The waving grass tickled my nose, and I sneezed loudly. I flattened myself to the ground, but strangely, the two cats didn't once look back. Didn't they notice that I was there?

Eventually, they led me to a clearing with a few dens scattered everywhere. Cats milled about, grooming themselves and chatting to each other. A few kits tumbled around.

Stone Song bounded over to what I assumed was the nursery and disappeared inside. I hid behind a bush, observing the group.

Come on, you can do it. Just tell them who you are and introduce yourself. I needed to get back to ThunderClan. I gulped and hesitantly padded into view.

I expected them to wail and hiss at my sudden appearance, but they didn't. They just continued on as if they didn't even see me. I tipped my head to one side, confused.

I meowed loudly, "Uh...hello?" No one even glanced at me.

What was going on? One of the cats yawned and padded towards me. I tried to scoot out of his way, but all of a sudden, he passed right through me as if I didn't exist, as if I was just a sheet of air. He continued on walking past me without glancing back.

My heart sank. I stared down at my pale and transparent paws. Was I...a ghost? Was I dead? But how did I end up here? I remembered the mist that had trailed out of the Darkling's mouth after I had killed it.

A yowl of happiness coming out of the nursery jolted me out of my thoughts. I slowly padded through the entrance and was greeted by the sight of a queen curled around a thin and tiny newborn kit. Stone Song was licking the queen's head fondly.

"He's beautiful, Broken Shadow," he purred. Other cats crowded outside the entrance, poking their heads in.

I looked around myself uncertainly, wondering what I should do.

Broken Shadow licked the top of the kit's head. "What should we name him?" she mewed wearily.

Stone Song nuzzled the kit. "He has a white pelt with ginger patches, like fallen leaves...That's what we'll name him. Fallen Leaves."

The realization struck me. This was Fallen Leaves as a kit. Jay's Wing, Dove's Wing, Half Moon, and Lion's Roar hadn't even been born yet. Just how far back into the past was I?

A sudden noise of turmoil exploded from outside. Hisses, snarls, and yowls shattered the peacefulness of the camp. My hackles began to rise. It sounded like a battle was raging outside.

A dark ginger tabby tom entered the nursery and panted, "Stone Song, come quick! The Darklings are attacking again!"

The familiar word chilled me to the bone.

Broken Shadow wrapped her tail tighter around Fallen Leaves as her mate nodded.

"I'll be back," he told the queen. Then he turned around and sprung into battle, his claws outstretched and teeth bared.

I peered outside the nursery into the chaos outside. Cats were everywhere, snarling and baring their fangs. Their claws glinted in the starlight as they attacked the shadowy figures. The creatures of the night melted and swirled with amazing agility, dodging the blows and sinking their needle-like teeth into fur.

The smell of bitterness and despair was strong. The Darklings gave off a certain aura of despair and melancholy that made my heart drop.

One of them screeched, a cry mingled with spite and malice, a sound that I knew all too well. Broken Shadow buried her face in the kit's soft fur as Fallen Leaves let out an alarmed mew.

I unsheathed my claws. I should join in the fight, to protect the queen and the kit. But how could I? I was invisible to them, just a ghost.

A Darkling screamed and thundered towards us, its slender black claws melting into the earth. I screamed along with it in terror as it sprinted closer.

Out of nowhere, Dawn River was suddenly on top of it, attacking the creature with all her might. I breathed out a sigh of relief as the shadowy figure stopped struggling and let out one last final shriek.

In a matter of minutes, the entire battle was over. Hundreds of Darklings drifted back to where they came from, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The bloodied and broken bodies of mangled cats lay still and silent on the red ground. I flinched, realizing just how dangerous the Darklings actually were.

I walked outside, surveying the horrid scene. It was a picture from a nightmare, with dead bodies everywhere and blood staining the ground like crimson ink.

The survivors gathered together under the moon. I picked my way forward to listen to their conversation.

A gray and white tom hissed, "We can't keep living like this. We have to figure out a way to stop them."

A she-cat heaved a sigh and replied, "I wish we knew how, Chasing Clouds. The last time we tried to attack the Darklings head-on, we lost over two thirds of our group." She winced and dug her claws deeper into the ground, as if imagining them sink into flesh. "If only we were stronger."

The dark ginger tom straightened. Everyone looked expectantly at him.

Chasing Clouds asked hopefully, "Do you have an idea, Furled Bracken?"

Furled Bracken looked up at the night sky. After a long silence, he finally mewed, "Yes. I might. But we must rest tonight. I'll tell you all tomorrow."

The cats dipped their heads and half-heartedly dragged the dead off to be buried. Even though I was anxious to leave, I was still interested to hear his plan, so I stuck around until morning.

OoOOooOOooOOoooooooooooooooooooooooOooo

At sun-high the next day, the cats gathered around Furled Bracken.

He meowed, "We all know that the light deters the Darklings. They fear daylight, fire, warmth, and everything else that gives off light. But it doesn't weaken them; it just repels them. And I know just the thing to lock them tight into the Boneyard..."

My vision began to grow distorted and I fell back. The voices grew quieter. What was happening? The world around me suddenly began to spin and grow darker and darker until I felt that I was drifting across a black void, leaving behind an intense feeling of fear and despair.

OoOOooooOOoooooOoOooOOoooOOOOoO

"Shadefrost? Shadefrost!"

A voice was calling me. I moaned and opened my eyes, blinking at the sudden brightness. Dewstep, Moleclaw, and Grasspaw were standing over me.

Moleclaw breathed a sigh of relief. "You're alive! Are you okay? You blacked out for a minute or two."

"Ugh...I guess I'm fine." An intense headache pounded against my skull. Was all of that just a dream? I looked around for the body of the Darkling, but it had already faded and disappeared.

Dewstep's forehead had a stream of blood trickling down it, and he was limping.

I leaped to my paws. "Are you alright?" The warrior shrugged. "Yes, it's nothing."

Grasspaw gazed up at me, her expression excited and curious. "Dewstep told us everything, about how you fought the Darkling. I always thought that Darklings were just a myth."

Moleclaw sniffed and meowed, "It is just a myth. They don't exist. It was probably just a badger that attacked you."

Dewstep winced. "No, it wasn't. It wasn't anything like a badger. Right, Shadefrost?"

"Yeah."

As we headed back towards the camp, I let Dewstep lean on my shoulder for support. I could feel his breathing become weak and tired.

"You need to see Jayfeather right away," I said, worried.

He closed his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, sure."

I looked at him, thinking about all of the things that had happened. I had a vision from the past. But how? I thought about how the mysterious mist had drifted up from the Darkling's mouth after I had killed it. It had surrounded me until I blacked out.

"Hey, Dewstep?" I asked. "How long was I unconscious?"

He shrugged. "Not long. Only about a few minutes."

A few minutes? I stopped walking. He glanced up at me. "What's wrong?"

I stared at him, wondering whether or not I should tell him.

"Well...um...I had a vision. About the Ancients."

"The Ancients?"

"They were the group of cats who lived here a long, long time ago. I was suddenly there, in their camp. They couldn't see me. I saw them fight a huge mob of Darklings, and after that, they discussed a plan on how to get rid of them for good. And then I suddenly woke up."

Dewstep snorted. "That sounds like a really interesting dream."

I continued walking. "I don't know..." It was a very detailed daydream, I supposed. But it seemed so real, as if I had actually lived there with them, all those hundreds of thousands of years ago. I had to find out what had happened in that distant past. I didn't know why, but something told me that there was a very important long-forgotten secret buried underneath all of the age-old dust and years.

Something urged me to go talk to Jayfeather. After all, he had once walked with the Ancients. Surely, he would know something else about them.