CHAPTER 9

"What do you mean, no?" Finchpaw sputtered, entering the conversation. Adderpaw glared at him, ears pinned back.

"I'm not going home, or following your stupid prophecy," Adderpaw spat. "I'm happy here."

"Adderpaw, this is our destiny! You can't just deny it!" Amberpaw protested.

"Watch me," Adderpaw sneered. Amberpaw growled, exasperated.

"Please, Adderpaw!" Finchpaw begged. "Just listen to us! For once!"

"I've heard enough of your nonsense for a lifetime, Finchpaw. Need I remind you that we're half-clan? We shouldn't even believe in Starclan!" Adderpaw dug his claws into the ground. From behind him, a small figure approached the three siblings.

"Adderpaw? What's going on?" Finchpaw recognized Twilight from when he and Amberpaw had followed Adderpaw into the forest.

"My idiotic siblings are begging for me to come home," Adderpaw hissed, though his voice was slightly softer. Finchpaw took note of how he still referred to ThunderClan as "home". That was at least slightly reassuring.

Twilight whispered something in Adderpaw's ear. Adderpaw nodded, though he still looked annoyed. Adderpaw opened his mouth to speak, but Twilight silenced him with a look.

"Adderpaw will think about his decision overnight. You are welcome to stay with us until dawn so you can escort him back to ThunderClan if he chooses that path," Twilight meowed calmly. Her face brightened. "Would you like to stay?"

"Sure!" Finchpaw agreed before Amberpaw could say something rude. "We would love to. Thanks."

"Yeah. Thanks," Amberpaw added grumpily. Twilight offered Amberpaw a small smile, but Finchpaw's sister didn't return it. Instead, Amberpaw brushed past Twilight and stalked off into the Twoleg den.

"Sorry about her," Finchpaw muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine," Twilight told him. "Anyways, welcome to the barn!" Twilight guided Finchpaw inside, where he put together a small nest and caught a pump mouse. As he settled down to eat it, he overheard Adderpaw and Twilight's hushed voices coming from the other side of a large crate. Cautiously, he peered at them.

"Adderpaw, I think you should go!" Twilight was telling him, her voice exasperated.

"I can't leave you! And besides, Starclan doesn't deserve any help from me." Adderpaw's tone was angry, yet it was also full of love for Twilight.

"Please, Adderpaw. I'll be fine. I remember those hunting and fighting techniques you showed me."

"No. I'm not leaving."

"Adderpaw, why are you so scared?" Twilight's tone was soft.

"I'm not scared. And I'm not going," Adderpaw hissed sharply. Twilight flinched at his harshness. Adderpaw sighed. "I'm sorry. But I can't go." With that, Adderpaw turned away, retreating to a shadowy corner of the barn. Twilight looked defeated as she padded away in the opposite direction.

Finchpaw exhaled sharply. What was going on with Adderpaw? He had been cold, distant for a while now. Finchpaw had just assumed it had been all about Twilight but…maybe not. This wasn't the cat Finchpaw had known since birth. Siblings were supposed to stick together.

I should get some fresh air, Finchpaw decided, exiting the barn and stepping out into the golden dawn light. Heat radiated from the sun, filling Finchpaw up with a comforting warmth, almost as if he were swimming in a river of luminescent liquid gold. He laid down in a sunny patch of soft grass, resting his head on his paws while basking in the sunlight.

Finchpaw opened his eyes, startled. This was not the barn. Finchpaw realized that he was by the same river where he had met Lion, but his kin was nowhere to be seen. I must have dozed off. Finchpaw tasted the air, detecting waves of Lion's scent coming from far off. Finchpaw slowly tracked him until he pushed through the undergrowth and found himself near a babbling silver stream. Lion and a she-cat Finchpaw didn't recognize sat side by side atop a large boulder next to the stream. Lion offered Finchpaw a small nod as Finchpaw padded forward.

"Greeting, Finchpaw," Lion meowed, his deep voice echoing through the air. "This is my sister, Leopard."

"Hello, Finchpaw," Leopard mewed. Her and Lion both shared an identical amber gaze, otherwise they couldn't look more different. Leopard was a lithe golden cat, with small swirls of black dotting her pelt, while Lion was a muscular and broad-shouldered golden-tan cat. They both held themself with pride as they gazed down at Finchpaw.

"Nice to meet you," Finchpaw replied, dipping his head in respect. "If you don't mind me asking, why have you brought me here?"

"To begin phase two of the plan," Leopard replied calmly.

"But Adderpaw refused to come! How can we complete the prophecy now?" Finchpaw asked, puzzled.

"Tiger is taking care of Adderpaw. Now, let's wait for Amberpaw to join us. It should be any minute now," Leopard meowed, fixing her attention to the undergrowth. After a few moments, Amberpaw pushed through, flashing a surprised look at Finchpaw.

"You're here too!" Amberpaw exclaimed. "But don't we need Adderpaw too?" After a few quick minutes of explanation, Amberpaw finally caught on.

"Alright, let us begin," Lion meowed. A low hum began to fill the clearing. In the sky, stars burned brighter and brighter, nearly blinding Finchpaw. Then Leopard and Lion began to speak.

When the stars burn brighter

Unleash the fighter

When the birds begin to flutter

Unleash the hunter

And when you need it most

Unleash the heart

The forest grew silent, leaving Finchpaw puzzled. "What does that mean?" he asked, looking up at Lion. But he had disappeared, along with Leopard and Amberpaw and…everything. Finchpaw was floating in an inky pool of darkness. He tried to scream, but nothing came out.

"AGHHHHH! AGHHHHHH!" Finchpaw woke up in a cold sweat, his yowls echoing around him. His breaths were short and quick as he whirled around, looking for any sign that Lion was still there. Nope. He was back at the front of the barn where he had fallen asleep.

Finchpaw sighed. "When the stars burn brighter? What is that supposed to mean?" he muttered to himself. He looked around and noticed that the glowing orange sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon, casting flickers of orange across the dark sky. It was practically dawn.

Finchpaw yawned and padded inside the barn. He should wake Amberpaw up so that they could get home. He stopped in surprise when he found Adderpaw waiting for him in the middle of the barn.

"I'll come home with you," he meowed.

Notes: Kind of a short chapter. Also guys that prophecy was meh. Anyways…

If you enjoy my writing, I'm inviting you to join my brand-new warriors roleplay forum, x MoonClan x. (link is in my bio of needed!)

We roleplay, hang out, chat, and just have fun! It's brand new, so it would be awesome if you could come support! Lots of major roles open in the clans currently as well.

Thanks,

Onyx :3