CHAPTER 18
Leafpaw's fur prickled. He glanced around and it was dark. Leafpaw frowned "where am I?" mumbled Leafpaw, his ears flattening; the area around him had a red fog covering the whole of the space. Leafpaw took a step back "hello?" he called out confusion growing inside of him; suddenly Leafpaw heard a chilling chuckle. Leafpaw's pelt began to rise as a sliver of fear entered him; "who's there?" his voice trembled slightly Leafpaw noticed that no stars shined in the sky above of him. Leafpaw heard a sinister laugh from behind him. Leafpaw whipped around his eyes widening in horror; behind him was a shadowy black tom with hollow looking green eyes. Leafpaw noticed that the tom's throat had a huge gaping wound, blood flowing down his neck; staining his chest and neck fur red. Leafpaw backed up in shock and horror, "there's no need to be terrified young one…" the shadowy tom's voice seemed to be hollow and empty, devoid of emotions or life. Leafpaw shuddered "this place feels so wrong…" Leafpaw's thoughts seemed to turn this strange place even more terrifying. Leafpaw couldn't meet this strange tom's eyes, the other tom chuckled "me and the others have been watching you for a very long time Leafpaw…." the tom's words sent shivers down Leafpaw's spine. "Who are the others?" asked Leafpaw his paws seemed to be stuck to the floor refusing to move; the shadowy tom chuckled softly before turning to face the trees at the very border of Leafpaw's vision. Leafpaw's mouth hung open as four more cats appeared out of the trees coming towards Leafpaw and the stranger eerily it seemed like their pawsteps left pools of blood behind them. Leafpaw couldn't move no matter how hard he tried he saw black thorny vines come out from the ground below him; Leafpaw winced as the sharp thorny black vines wrapped around his front legs holding him in place. Leafpaw gridded his teeth, feeling his worry and fear build, "who are all of you?!" demanded Leafpaw struggling with the bindings. The shadowy black tom chuckled softly "my name is Darkwhisper, this is Ashflame." meowed the black tom gesturing to an ashy gray she-cat beside him she also had a deadly wound, a mangled leg. Blood dripped onto the dead grass below her; the she-cat also had an unsettling aura around her making Leafpaw shiver. "And this is Rocktide and Hollowowl." Darkwhisper gestured to a black and gray tom beside him who had a large hole in his back that dripped blood. Then to a pale tabby she-cat with a clawed up face and neck her face made Leafpaw's stomach turn, the she-cat chuckled, shoving her blooded face towards Leafpaw's muzzle; Leafpaw jerked his head back horrified. "You scared little maggot?" rasped Hollowowl clearly enjoying the reaction she had got; then a ginger and black tortoiseshell she-cat with blood oozing from her mouth shoved Hollowowl away from Leafpaw. "Stop scaring him… We'll need him for our plan to work!" hissed the she-cat, her pale blue eyes filled with fierce anger. Leafpaw flinched at the hardness of the she-cat's voice; "what are you going to do to mean?" Leafpaw forced his voice to stay strong and not tremble. Darkwhisper chuckled an eerie smile spreading on his face reaching nearly up to his eyes; sharp teeth yellowed with age. Leafpaw felt his body beginning to tremble a bit; he tried his hardest to stop himself from the trembling; "c'mon Leafpaw be brave like Amberpelt and Stonesight!" Leafpaw steeled his nerves trying his best to appear brave. "Oh we won't be doing anything to you…. Yet… Just sit tight, this will all be over soon…" Darkwhisper's voice seemed cold and detached; Leafpaw shuddered; he then felt warmth spread through him; he blinked as the horrifying cats backed away with looks of shock on their faces. Leafpaw looked down and realized he was glowing; he fazed through the vines holding him in place. He looked down in awe; he had stars all around him; he lifted his paws; he felt almost weightless; he turned around quickly, beginning to run away from the eerie cats. Leafpaw felt as if he was running faster than the wind itself; stars whirled all around him, he smiled, he felt free, he was extremely curious about how this had all happened. Leafpaw stopped beside a pool of water glancing at his reflection, his eyes widened in shock; in the reflection staring back at him was a starry version of himself, a brown star marking on his cheek glowing faintly. Leafpaw turned his head around as he heard a cat step on a twig causing a loud snap; his fur bristled as the cat came out of the shadows. Leafpaw relaxed as he saw a starry cat that he instantly recognized; "Minkpaw!" yowled Leafpaw startled at the she-cats appearance in a place like this. Minkpaw offered Leafpaw a kind smile as she came to stand in front of the tabby tom; "yes it's me…" she said with a slight purr making Leafpaw calm down fully. The starry form fading till he was back to normal; Leafpaw looked at his paws realizing he was back to his normal self. "I see you ran into the dark forest cats…" Minkpaw's voice showed slight worry; Leafpaw's eyes widened in shock and slight horror, "this is the darkforest?!" His voice was loud in the eerily quiet forest; Minkpaw's sage green eyes sparkled with knowledge she nodded. "Yes you are, don't be afraid though, you weren't supposed to come here." she explained with a soft sigh escaping as she finished speaking; Leafpaw's fur spiked up with shock as he remembered what the last thing that had happened before he got here. "Wait?! Am I dead?!" he yowled his claws digging into the piety ground below him. Minkpaw giggled slightly holding a paw to her mouth; Leafpaw gave a soft hiss of frustration at the she-cat's response to his very serious question. Minkpaw forced her giggles to stop, looking serious once more; she shook her head, "no you're not dead, you were dying but Starclan intervened." she explained laying her tail across his back. Leafpaw looked down at his paws, "why does Starclan care if I live or die?" his question made Minkpaw's eyes widen with sadness and slight horror; Minkpaw nuzzled Leafpaw's cheek. "Of course Starclan cares! They care for every death…. But we can't intervene for every death." Her words brought a bit of comfort for Leafpaw. "Then why can you intervene with mine?" the question made Minkpaw pause for a moment before speaking; "because you and your brothers are very important.'' Her words made Leafpaw's fur prickle. "What does Stonesight and Amberpelt have to do with this?" Leafpaw's thoughts confused him even more. "What does Starclan want with me and my brothers?" asked Leafpaw, his tail tip twitching rapidly, worrying for his brothers, filling his heart; Minkpaw opened her mouth to speak talking slowly thinking over each word. The trees above them bare branches gently swayed in the foggy air sounding like bones rubbing together. "There is a prophecy…" she began with breathing in a long breath; Leafpaw's ears went straight up and his eyes widened to be like an owl's. "What is the prophecy!" he asked at once, putting his tail on his friend's shoulder in hopes she would tell him. "When the leaf falls the amber and stone will rise." Minkpaw's voice sounded like it was also filled with whispers of other cats saying the same words. As Minkpaw's words filled his ears his fur spiked up; he looked into her eyes in complete shock. He stepped back with a paw, his ears flat against his head; "what does the prophecy mean?!" his voice trembled as it came out, worrying for his brothers and himself digging into his chest. Making it feel like he was suffocating; Minkpaw laid her tail across his shoulders to help him calm down. She shook her head, "even I don't know… The Starclan cats who are higher up know." She sounded sympathetic. Leafpaw was trembling slightly. He took long deep breaths focusing on each breath till he was completely calm. Minkpaw began to lead Leafpaw farther away from where the Darkforest cats had been, she was leading him toward Starclan's grounds. "So what is going on with my body?" he asked, his ears twitching; "your body is currently getting treated by Swanhollow, you have a fever but you'll be alright." she purred. Leafpaw felt guilt for making his mentor tend to him after such a bad flood; Leafpaw blinked as he saw the beginning of Starclan territory right in front of him. The territory was nothing like the horrible Darkforest; The trees were full of life and dazzled with stars. His eyes widened and starlight sparkled in them; Minkpaw stepped over the border into Starclan land. Leafpaw stepped over the border into the starry land; the smell of frost and newly flowering buds filled his nostrils. He heard a familiar call and turned his head surprised to see this cat; it was a she-cat with midnight black fur and green eyes, her fur sparkling like starlight. Leafpaw's eyes sparked with tears "Hollywillow!" The elderly she-cat gave Leafpaw her usual toothy grin; he felt the tears start coming down. He remembered the stories Hollywillow told; the jokes she made to help cheer him up when he was frustrated with his training. Now she would never be able to see him again with his full medicine cat name; "Oh Leafpaw I didn't expect that you would still be here!" Hollywillow's voice was light and joking. Leafpaw sniffled, rubbing the tears with a paw; he knew Hollywillow didn't like seeing him cry so he wouldn't now. He managed a wobbly smile; making Hollywillow chuckle and give him a wink. "That's my boy!" she said with a rattly purr; "just keep smiling and you'll get through what's coming!" Hollywillow stood in front of Leafpaw. Leafpaw nuzzled the old she-cat he purred "Blossomclan will honor your services…" he murmured, making Hollywillow chackle. "Boy they better!" she joked, nudging his shoulder; Leafpaw laughed slightly, feeling the sadness lift from him. Minkpaw came to Leafpaw's left side looking extremely serious, "listen Leafpaw; what you have seen today, don't forget…." She sounded more serious than Leafpaw had ever heard her. He nodded shuddering as he was reminded of those horrid Darkforest cats and their injuries and cold dead eyes. Hollywillow nodded and she too looked serious; "Leafpaw, it's time." her face was serious. Leafpaw tipped his head to the side, "what time?" he asked confused; he blinked suddenly he was in the middle of a storm but instead of rain it was stars all whirling around him. Lifting him up; his fur was being buffed around suddenly a cat's form appeared in front of him being made out of storm clouds. Its eyes were two glowing blue eyes; "Leafpaw!" The cat's voice echoed like thunder, making Leafpaw's fur prickle. "You are like a storm… Fast and fierce…. Your full medicine cat name shall be Leafstorm!" the cat's voice thundered leaving Leafstorm in awe. Leafstorm blinked and he was suddenly back to Starclan, trembling from shock and surprise. He glanced around him; he was no longer with Minkpaw or Hollywillow instead he was standing far off from a group of kits tumbling and playing. He realized all of them had no stars in their pelts and one of them looked like Stonesight but with black stripes in the gray spots and cool green eyes instead of dark green. He blinked, taking a pawstep forward before he blinked again and he was somewhere else; he was in a black void. In front of him he saw a cat crouched down; hunched over a blurry shape of a cat. He could hear sobs coming from the cat when he got closer; he saw a flash of fur colors on the hunched over cat; first a gray pelt with dark gray spots then it changed to being a dark brown tabby that was smaller than the first. Then the cat lying below the hunched cat became a gray spotted tom then a dark brown tabby; Leafstorm stepped back he heard the hunched over cat yowl; "LEAFSTORM!" Then the words merged to become "STONESIGHT!" Leafstorm stepped back feeling tears come down but he didn't know why. He heard whispers around him all saying the same thing; 'two becomes one… The same blood must be spilled for peace.'