Mist covered the air, blocking out all sights. Cats were heard yowling, mewling in terror. Jayfeather looked around frantically searching for the voices. He ran into the mist as fast as he could and even faster as the voices came closer. He stopped and looked around, his ears swivelling. It sound as though he was right onto of the voices, but he could barely see anything. He looked down and saw four dark figures in the mist, and could vaguely make out the colors of two red, a white and blue pelts. They were running, but then they stopped. He heard a male voice says something, and a female voice answered. It wasn't long before more dark cat figures appeared, followed by battle yowls and sounds of slicing, fur being ripped and torn, a pained and tortured yowl that turned into whimpering and pleading, and a savage female voice, dripping with menace and death like a deadly poison.
"You attack my kits. You die."
There was a pained yowl, sounds of claws shredding fur and flesh, the strong scent of blood...
Jayfeather woke up with a startled yelp. He looked around, claws scraping the floor of his den, when he noticed that everything was dark, and that he couldn't see anything. He gave a sigh of relief. Wind ruffles his fur and rushed pasts his ears.
He heard whispers of many cat, and he strained his ears trying to listen to them. At last, one voice made it through, and went as quick it came saying one thing...
"Only two moons left."
Jayfeather turned his head quickly, frantically searching for the voice again. Jayfeather mewed, "Firestar?"
The den stayed silent, except for the swish of brambles infront of the medicine cat den. Jayfeather had picked up the familiar scent and turned his head to it as a she cat mewed at him. "Jayfeather? Are you alright? Is there an attack?"
Jayfeather shook his head. "No Squirrelflight. Everything is fine. I just had a bad dream is all."
He heard sounds of paws padding the ground and his ears flattened. "Really Squirrelflight. I'm fine."
He could almost see Squirrelflight giving him a questioning but motherly look. "I don't know. You and Leafpool have been weird. Leafepool has told me she has had strange dreams of fighting cats. And something about uh...two moons? I want to know if you can do anything about that."
Jayfeather's ears perked up. Leafpool has had the same dream too? That's not right. Jayfeather blinked and looked at Squirrelflight with his pale blue eyes. He had felt Squirrelflight's sharp gaze on him.
"Are you sure you are alright?" she mewed.
Jayfeather sighed. He knew there was no swaying her. "Its a matter I have to see Bramblestar about."
Squirrelflight padded away from him, her paw steps getting softer away. "I will bring you a mouse first before you go over there. You look like you haven't slept in moons." she said before she ran out of the den. Jayfeather hung his head in thought. Leafpool has had the same dreams?
Jayfeather walked in Bramblestar's den. It felt so different now that Firestar was gone, dead. He had given his final life in the fight against the Dark Forest cat, his final life to take on and defeat Tigerstar once and for all. He was the fourth cat of the prophecy and a wonderful, strong and fair leader. He was a great mate to Sandstorm and father to Squirrelflight and Leafpool. And to think that he was a kittypet and other warriors shunned him, told him he wasn't worthy. Firestar had proved that you don't need warrior blood to be a warrior. Jayfeather felt proud of being some kin to Firestar. He wouldn't trade him out for the world. And now Firestar was trying to tell him something.
"Hello there Jayfeather." Jayfeather looked up at the voice of Bramblestar. The son of the murderer Tigerstar, brother of the killer Hawkfrost, but proven his self to his clan and to his father and brother that he was not like them, that he would not betray his clan for power. He had heard stories when he was a kit, that when Bramblestar was a warrior he was named Brambleclaw, and had saved Firestar from his brother Hawkfrost when Firestar was caught in a fox trap. Brambleclaw had been made deputy since he had proven his trust and loyalty to Firestar and the clan and he had been there ever since. Bramblestar and his mate Squirrelflight had made up after he found out that Lionblaze, Hollyleaf and himself wasn't Bramblestar's kits, that they had actually been her sister and Crowfeather, a Windclan cat's kits. Squirrelflight was actually with kits at the moment, still running around like a warrior. It didn't surprise him, Squirrelflight had always been the eager type.
Jayfeather sat in the middle of the den and watched (in his case, listened to) Bramblestar as he stretched. Bramblestar then sat and wrapped his tail around his paws. "Is there something troubling you? Sleep perhaps?"
Jayfeather stilled. How did he know? Had he been having the same dreams?
He voiced his thoughts and Bramblestar chuckled. "No, I have not gotten any dreams from Starclan, much less Firestar. Leafpool has came to me earlier this morning with the same dream. She claims to have saw you on a ledge."
Jayfeather flicked his tail. "She isn't suppose to have dreams from Starclan. She isn't a medicine cat!"
"She use to be." Bramblestar said calmly.
"But not anymore!" Jayfeather yowled as he stood and started pacing. "She isn't allowed to use her medicine cat skills or have dreams after what she did. Its not right! If she had followed the rules, yes she could have these dreams, but she didn't. So why is Starclan showing her this?" Jayfeather stopped and looked looking down at the ground deep in thought. Leafpool padded into the den smelling of fishy waters. She had been patrolling the Riverclan borders. Great. Leafpool sat down as Squirrel flight entered and took her place beside Bramblestar.
Leafpool looked at Jayfeather with a hint of sadness. "Are we talking about me or the dream Jayfeather. I'd rather the latter."
Jayfeather sat and sighed. "Well, since discussing what you should and should not be able to do won't help the matter, let's talk about the dream. What have you seen?"
Leafpool looked at Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, then looked over to Jayfeather. Jayfeather's ears were pointed her way, other than that it didn't seem like he was listening to her at all. She took a deep breath and started. "It was really foggy and I couldn't see anything. I heard cats running and followed them, but I only came to a cliff. I couldn't really see them, but there were four of them. They were debating about something before they started off again." Jayfeather kept flicking his ears for her to continue, and when she didn't he looked her way.
"That's it?" He mewed. "That what you dreamed off? That's all?" Leafpool gave him a questioning look.
Bramblestar cocked his head. "Did you dream something different, Jayfeather?"
Jayfeather bowed his head in thought. "It was, sort of, similar to Leafpool's. The whole foggy mist thing and the cliff. But I heard yowling and cats fighting. And I think, the four that I saw had killed one cat, in a torturous way?" He growled lowly in frustration and stomped his paw on the ground. "I don't know. I was pulled out of the dream to quickly to really tell, but bit sounded very painful."
Bramblestar nodded his head slowly mind thinking. "Could it be intruders then? Are the clans expecting another attack?"
Leafpool shook her head. "These cats didn't seem very hostile, well, not the ones I saw anyway."
Squirrelflight tilted her head. "So then its possible you two are dreaming of four different cats then? Both of them have their own meanings right?"
Leafpool shrugged. "Father said two moons. I can't decipher this with blurry figures and a clueless prophecy."
Jayfeather snorted. "I'm having these dreams too Leafpool."
"Yea, but differently." She countered.
Bramblestar sighed and looked at them both. "Then keep at it. I want you both to tell me about these dreams whenever they happen. This stays strictly between us. Not even the other medicine cats must know about this do you both understand?"
Jayfeather nodded, but stuttered. "Leafpool wont be able to tell any medicine cats. She's not a medicine cat anymore."
Bramblestar nodded. "She may not be, but she will be going back to the Moonpool with you starting at your next meeting with the medicine cats." Bramblestar stopped any future protests form Jayfeather with the thump of his tail to the ground. "Firestar wishes to speak with her at the Moonpool. If Starclan requests it then it will happen, Jayfeather. I cannot control that."
Jayfeather stood tail lashing frustratedly. Well she hasn't mentioned that part, the sly slick furred..."Alright, Bramblestar." He quickly left the den with a swish of his tail.
Leafpool sighed and hung her dead. Bramblestar padded past her and rested his tail reassuringly on her shoulder. "He will come around, Leafpool." Leafpool shook her head, her ears drooped.
Squirrelflight patted her tail on Bramblestar's moss bed. "Come here Leafpool. Help me pick out some names for the coming kits. I'll let you name whichever one you want." Leafpool smiled at her sister and walked over to her. She lied down and they began talking.
Bramblestar quickly left the den to give them their privacy. He breathed in the air and sighed. Everything seemed to be back to normal after the battle. Their camp was more securely built for almost any intruders, the hunt was well and Greenleaf had been as warm as it ever had. The kits were even stronger, and they seemed happier as well.
He looked around the camp for his deputy, and spotted Lionblaze setting up hunting patrols. He padded over to him and smiled warmly. " I will take this patrol Lionblaze."
Lionblaze nodded smiling back, and continued making other patrols. Bramblestar lead Sandstorm, Toadstep and Foxleap out of camp and into the forest. After a while they had spread out to find prey and Bramblestar was left alone in his thoughts.
Everything was so peaceful now after the battle, so why did he get the feeling that it would not last?
