--Gathering Darkness--

[Lightningstrike]

OMG great story!!!its so good,that its like,TOO GOOD,y'know?its awesome!!!!!!!!

[ghostfeather]

awwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D
WONDERFUL!! I feel kinda bad for Reedwhisker though.......
Anyway I wonder what the names will be...
continue

[Tigerfur]

Tigerfur: Thanks for the comments guys, i'll tell Sunsetfur everything you guys said! ;D As for the names, you have to read to find out, heres the next chapter, enjoy! ;D

Sunserfur: NEXT CHAPTER! I was dying to get this one up.

Chapter 6
Sunlight[/u]

I flew to the WindClan border that night, my head teeming with a medley of thoughts. Would Reedwhisker tell the Clan? Would Brightfire tell WindClan? I couldn’t see the outgoing WindClan she-cat keeping a secret for long. Reedwhisker...I could only hope that his love for me would fuel his loyalty to me as well.

“Silverpool?”

Hawkwing padded forward from his usual hiding place behind a gorse thicket. I rushed to his side, bursting with things to say.

“Hawkwing—I don’t have much time to talk, and Reedwhisker’s guarding the kits, and—”

“Reedwhisker’s what?”

“Listen!” I hissed, sweeping my tail across his nose. “Reedwhisker knows now. He guessed,” I added, seeing the angry look on Hawkwing’s face.

“Oh,” he meowed quietly. “Brightfire knows too. I don’t know how she found out, but one day about a moon ago she told me that she knew ‘my secret’.” Hawkwing paused, then stretched out on the ground and beckoned for me to sit down beside him. I curled up next to him and twined my tail with his, drowning in his scent and golden-brown fur. “Let me guess why you’re here, Silverpool—to name the kits.”

“Yes,” I replied. “I want to call the gray tom Darkkit.”

Hawkwing nodded. “It fits him,” he mewed thoughtfully. “His gray pelt like yours, from what Willowleaf told me, though I would describe you more like a star than like a shadow.”

I smiled and purred. “What shall we call the other gray kit?”

The WindClan tom stared up at the star-speckled sky with his green eyes. They glowed in the moonlight and his fur was tinged silver as a breeze rippled his fur. He looked like a warrior of StarClan—but I banished this dark thought from my mind. Hawkwing was a young warrior, and we would spend many, many more moons together before StarClan called him.

“I know!” Hawkwing meowed at last. “She’s a she-cat, right? How do you like Glowkit?”

“Beautiful,” I murmured, staring up at the moon. “Last—the brown-and-gold she-cat. What should we—”

A sudden rustle in the distance and the irritated yowl of a cat broke me off. I leaped to my paws.

“Oh, no!” I whispered. “I have to go. Meet me here two moonrises from now, Hawkwing. Promise me.”

“I will,” The golden brown tom meowed, jumping up and bounding several fox-lengths away from me and began padding along the forest border. I was turning away when I heard him hiss, “Silverpool!”

A glanced back at him once I was safely inside of the RiverClan border. “What?”

“Call the last one Tigerkit,” Hawkwing called quietly. With a sweep of his tail, he bounded up the moorland slope bathed in moonlight to meet a gray shape moving along the horizon line.

“Why are you out so late?” I heard a cat meow suspiciously. Craning my neck, I got a clearer view of the cat and realized that it was Ashfoot, the deputy.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Hawkwing meowed as they padded off together. “I felt like taking a walk. Why were you following me?”

“You know me,” Ashfoot replied. “I can sense when a cat’s missing.”

Smiling to myself, I began to wend my way back to the RiverClan camp.


The sun shone brightly through the reeds on the riverbed, leaking pale sunlight into the medicine cat clearing. I blinked in the blinding light and smiled fondly at the three kits sleeping soundlessly next to me. Reedwhisker was beside me, his tail curled over his nose and his black flank rising up and down slowly and rhythmically. I got to my paws and stretched, thinking that over time, he and I could become good friends—as long as he didn’t turn out to be the conceited scrap of mouse dung I had thought him to be for so long.

Brushing scraps of moss and bits of Reedwhisker’s black fur from my pelt, I padded out of the medicine cat clearing, confidant that the kits would be safe with Reedwhisker for a little while. Several cats—Stonestream, Flamingfur, and Ripplefur—were re-entering the camp from the dawn patrol, I guessed. I was glad to see that they were each carrying a piece of fresh-kill, which they deposited onto the small pile.

“Morning,” I mewed cheerfully as they drew away to eat beside the warriors’ den, just below the Blackstone, the large gray-black rock in the center of the camp where Mistystar addressed the Clan. Leopardstar, the previous RiverClan leader, had chosen a name similar to the Moonstone, the place in the old forest where medicine cats and leaders shared tongues with StarClan.

“Hi Silverpool,” Ripplefur replied wearily, pulling her sparrow closer to her. “Why aren’t you with the kits?”

“Reedwhisker’s looking after them.”

“Ah,” Stonestream meowed, looking up, interested. “Did you name them yet?”

“Yes,” I mewed eagerly. “The gray she-cat is Glowkit, the gray tom is Darkkit, and the brown-and-gold she-cat is Tigerkit.”

“Hmmm.” Ripplefur looked thoughtful, and I suddenly realized what she was going to ask a second before she did: “I wonder where Tigerkit got her looks.”

“My mother Bluefrost told me once that I was…distantly related to Oakheart, I think. He was brown too,” I lied quickly. I felt a pang of sadness as I remembered my mother. She had died from the same disease that had taken Leopardstar’s last life.

Ripplefur and Stonestream nodded, obviously forgetting that Bluefrost had been a rogue. I noticed that Flamingfur was not paying any attention, as Shadeleaf had just padded out of the warriors’ den. Ripplefur and I both snickered.

“What?” The fire-colored tom mewed.

Ripplefur shook her head. “Toms,” she whispered. “Speaking of which,” she added, looking over my shoulder. “Here comes Reedwhisker. Better finish that vole and go look after your kits.”

I hastily swallowed the rest of the prey before Reedwhisker could say a word. “Come with me,” I hissed to him under my breath so that Ripplefur would not hear. I quickly bounded over to the medicine cat clearing and settled into the nest with my kits. Tigerkit lifted her head slightly, revealing a pair of sparkling green eyes. “Oh, look!” I breathed. “Her eyes are open!”

“Yes,” Reedwhisker meowed, giving me a knowing look. “What did you and...and Hawkwing name them?”

“Well, she’s Tigerkit,” I responded, gently resting my tail on the tiny brown-and-gold she-cat’s head, “and the gray she-cat is Glowkit, and the gray tom is Darkkit.”

“Well-chosen,” the black warrior meowed approvingly, nodding his head. “So...I guess you and I will have to start acting like real mates now, won’t we?”

“I think I can handle that,” I mewed shyly, flicking him across the nose with my tail. “Look, Reedwhisker. I used to think that you loved me because my pelt was pretty. But now I know better. I still want you as a friend, and hopefully you do too.”

Reedwhisker smiled in relief. “Of course, Silverpool,” he meowed, resting his tail on my flank. “You’re an amazing cat. Besides having the most stunning pelt in the forest, you can fight as well as a seasoned warrior and have a great personality.”

I felt heat creeping up my fur, and tried not to smile too broadly as we padded out of the sunlit medicine cats’ clearing together.




Awwwwwwww again!
Be prepared...for the one...the only...Chapter 7: Warning. The action starts picking up in this chap, and the storyline I've laid out for the sequel promises more.

~Sunny

[ghostfeather]

There's a sequel?!?!?!?!?!
if so then YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol ;D

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW again....
anyway, can't wait for the next chapter!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. i LOVE the names!! ;D

[Tigerfur]

Tigerfur: Yes, there is a sepuel, and if Sunserfur lets me, i'll post that here too! She already started it, and we're just about finished, and i'll tell Sunserfur that you love the names, heres the next chapter, enjoy! ;D

Sunsetfur: Sorry for the long wait; I'm starting a new story (unrelated to GD) called Blood-Red Moon. I may get it up when I have more time.


Chapter 7
Warning[/u]

And so the days went by. I could tell that Reedwhisker loved pretending to be my mate, as he could freely twine his tail with mine and sleep beside me occasionally. All three kits had opened their eyes now, revealing more pairs of crystal green orbs. I was desperate to see Hawkwing again, but the kits demanded that I be with them almost all the time.

I had finally decided that being a queen was downright boring. All I did was eat, sleep, chat with Splashstream, Dawnflower, Willowleaf, or any apprentice who happened to be around, and look after my kits. Greenleaf was drawing to a close and the tips of the leaves on the trees were turning pale gold and red. My kits grew fast, and soon began romping about on their own, pestering the warriors and apprentices and chasing each other. They occasionally played with Splashstream and Dawnflower’s larger, older kits. Larchkit and Shadowkit were almost six moons old, and Dawnflower told Splashstream and I that they would be apprenticed soon after Streampaw, Scarletpaw, and Flowerpaw were made warriors.

“Hi, Silverpool,” Streampaw meowed excitedly, placing a vole in front of the kits and me. “Guess what?”

“Is that Streampaw?” I heard Glowkit whisper to Tigerkit. The brown and gold she-cat nodded forcefully, glancing at the apprentice. Streampaw chuckled.

“I’m getting my name today!” She blurted out, puffing out her chest. “Swallowtail took me, Flowerpaw, and Scarletpaw out today with our mentors and she told us that Mistystar would hold our ceremony right after the sunhigh meal.”

“Wow, that’s pretty soon!” I meowed, smiling at the apprentice. “Better go bet with your friends on what your warrior name will be. I did that when Blackcloud, Shadeleaf and I became warriors. I told them, ‘If my name isn’t Silvercloud, I’ll eat a chunk of that rotting squirrel we found the other day.’”

“But you’re name isn’t Silvercloud…” Streampaw meowed slowly, a faint hint of amusement sparkling in her eyes. “Oh, Silverpool, that’s gross!”

“Just make sure you don’t make any stupid bets with your friends,” I purred, flicking my tail across Streampaw’s nose. “Personally, I like Streamfur.”

The black and white tabby smiled shyly. “I like Streampelt.” She whisked around, calling, “See you at the ceremony!”

“Is she really going to be a warrior?” Glowkit asked. “She won’t be Streampaw anymore?”

“Don’t worry—she’s still the same cat, just with a different name,” I explained. “It’s a symbol of Clan ranking. When you become an apprentice, you’ll be Glowpaw. When you’re a warrior, you’ll get a name like Glowfur or Glowpelt. If you ever become a leader, like Mistystar, you’ll be Glowstar.”

“But why?” Darkkit mewed, blinking his big green eyes. “I like my name!”

“Don’t worry,” I meowed. My ears went up as I heard Mistystar’s summoning yowl from the Blackstone. “Come on, dears. We can watch the ceremony from outside the nursery.”

Squealing with excitement, the kits raced out of the nursery and into the crowd of warriors. I sprinted after them, dodging Ripplefur and Mosspelt who were joining the assembled warriors. Darkkit and Tigerkit had crashed headlong into Reedwhisker, who was sitting beneath the Blackstone since Flowerpaw was his apprentice. “Come sit by me,” he muttered. “It’ll give the Clan something to mutter about.”

I nervously sat beside the black tom, gathering my kits beside me with my tail. I looked up as Mistystar began the ceremony used so many times before. Scarletpaw, Flowerpaw, and Streampaw all quivered with excitement.

“By the powers of StarClan,” Mistystar concluded several moments later, “I give you your warrior names: Scarletpaw, from this moment you will be known as Scarletfire. RiverClan honors your independence and loyalty to you friends, and we welcome you as a
full warrior of RiverClan.”

Scarletfire looked absolutely jubilant. Mistystar turned next to Streampaw, and continued, “Streampaw, from this moment you will be known as Streamflower. RiverClan honors your good humor and quick wit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan.”

Streamflower stood up and padded over to Scarletfire’s side, and the two she-cats waited for Flowerpaw to receive her name.

“And Flowerpaw: by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this moment you will be known as Flowerpelt. RiverClan honors your skills in battle and your fierce Clan loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan.”


“Flowerpelt! Scarletfire! Streamflower!” The Clan chanted, and I joined in. Reedwhisker beamed and went over to congratulate his former apprentice, and I followed with the kits scrambling around my paws.

“Congratulations, you three,” I meowed sincerely. Tigerkit squeaked, “Are you Streamflower now? No more Streampaw?”

“That’s right,” the black and white she-cat laughed.

The moon rose quietly and quickly that night. Streamflower, Flowerpelt, and Scarletfire sat side by side by the camp entrance as darkness fell and the warriors slipped into the den. I followed Splashstream into the nursery, and settled into my nest with Tigerkit, Darkkit, and Glowkit. The three fell asleep quickly, curled up together under one of my hind legs. Quietly, I lay my head down beside them and closed my eyes.

Darkness enveloped me within seconds, and a moment later I was standing beside a bubbling pool. The water splashed and danced and reflected the white of the moon, the water drops glistening like liquid diamonds as they leaped out of the water. The Moonpool, I thought.

“Silverpool,” an echoing voice sounded behind me. I spun about, and saw the silver form of Feathertail behind me. The tip of each hair on her pelt glimmered with starshine.

“Come with me.” The starry warrior almost seemed to float to the very edge of the Moonpool’s water. I stood beside her, gazing into the water’s sparkling depths. Bending forward, I was startled when my nose touched the surface. I pulled back my head too late—I toppled headfirst into the water. Feathertail had vanished, and I was plummeting into blackness, broken by bouts of starlight splashing around me. I yowled in panic.

“Feathertail!” I screeched, “StarClan! Where are you?”

Her voice, comforting yet terrifying, sounded in my ear, a whisper under the rushing of air.

“Peace will be shattered as the emerald hunter falls. Two will fall with the hunter, and the last is the only one who can penetrate the darkness that is to come.” Feathertail’s voice seemed to float around me as she disappeared into the night, and the screeches and yowls of a fight began to sound. Louder, and louder, and louder it grew, until I felt as if I was drowning in fear and pain.

“Silverpool!”

My eyes flew open. “What?” I snarled, jumping up. Willowleaf stood before me, her eyes round with panic. Just behind her, the sun was slowly creeping up over the treetops, leaving a faint pink glow in the sky.

“I’ve had a sign from StarClan,” Willowleaf meowed softly. “A warning.”

*yawn* Late update. Comments? Suggestions?

Chapter 8: Wind will go up soon!

~Sunny

[Autumnstorm]

One of the best fan-fics I have ever read! Wow! Tell Sunsetfur that this is a great story with brilliant writing! I LOVE it! Add more as soon as possible! ;D

[Mossleg]

Ditto!

[Tigerfur]

Tigerfur: I'll tell Sunsetfur everything you guys said! ;D Heres the next chapter, enjoy! ;D

Sunsetfur: finished the whole story! YAY! There's a total of 13 chapters, plue the prologue and epilogue which makes it 15. I'm planning the sequel, which will be called Gray Skies, Black Dawn.

Chapter 8
Wind[/u]

Willowleaf told me of the exact same prophecy I had just received from Feathertail. I was puzzled—emerald hunter? The last? Darkness there was to come? Willowleaf was panicked—this was the first omen she had ever received since she became a medicine cat many moons ago. Then there was the question, Should we tell Mistystar?

I lived in fear over the next few days, questioning the patrols on what they’d found in the territory lately. Nothing, they always responded, nothing out of the ordinary, that it.

Dawnflower informed us that Larchkit and Shadowkit would be apprenticed that day. Indeed, no sooner had she rushed out of the den with her kits Mistystar called from the Blackstone again. I heaved myself out of the nursery, dragging my paws as Tigerkit, Glowkit, and Darkkit followed my slowly. I sat down close to the nursery, while the three chased a moth that was fluttering near the camp entrance.

“We gather here to bestow on these two kits their apprentice rank,” Mistystar meowed from the top of the Blackstone. Her long blue-gray pelt rippled in the harsh wind, and several golden-orange leaves blew across the clearing. “Larchkit, from this moment until the day you become a warrior you shall be known as Larchpaw. Nightshadow, please come forward.”

The dark tom rose from his place beside Cloudfeather and Streamflower and stood beside the new apprentice.

“Nightshadow, you will be mentor to Larchpaw. You were an excellent mentor to Blackcloud, and I hope Larchpaw will become a great warrior under your guidance.”

Mistystar focused her gaze upon Dawnflower’s other kit as he trembled with excitement. “Shadowkit, from this moment until you earn your warrior name beside your brother you will be known as Shadowpaw. Tumblepelt—” she flicked her tail at the pale brown tom, and he hastily padded over to Shadowpaw, looking at his first apprentice with pride in his eyes, “—you will be Shadowpaw’s mentor. This is your first apprentice, and I hope you and Shadowpaw will benefit from the experience.”

I was not paying attention at all. I joined in on the chanting of the two apprentices’ new names, but slipped into the nursery before the Clan could notice my absence.

“Come on,” I growled, herding my kits in front of me. Darkkit looked affronted.

“Why?” He mewled.

“Because,” I meowed angrily. “I’m tired. I need some rest.”

“Okay,” Darkkit mewed in disappointment. He led his sisters into the nursery, Tigerkit casting a mournful glance at the moth, which was now fluttering away over the river. Glowkit was the only one who wasn’t disappointed.

“You two are so weird,” she mewed sensibly. “There’s gotta be a million moths to chase out there.”

I smiled for the first time in days.

...

“Ouch! That hurts,” Tigerkit complained. The brown and gold she-cat winced as Willowleaf pressed more bits of horsetail to her forepaw.

“That’ll teach you not to tangle with the nettles outside the camp,” Willowleaf meowed affectionately. “Hey—Darkkit! Glowkit! Don’t you dare mess anything up in there or Mothwing will have a fit.”

I looked up to see the two gray kits pawing at a neat pile of water mint leaves. “Come here, you two,” I mewed, beckoning with my tail. “Thanks, Willowleaf,” I added as Tigerkit made quite a show of limping over to me.

“No problem,” the pale gray medicine cat replied. “I’ll get Scarletfire and Flowerpelt to check out those nettles today.”

“It’s almost sunset,” I pointed out, gazing up at the sun, which was beginning to sink below the treetops. “I’ll check it out tomorrow. Anyway, I think those two went on a patrol with Swallowtail and Mosspelt.”

“Okay,” Willowleaf yawned, stretching her hind legs and licking her chest fur a couple of times. “I thought they were back. They left a while ago.”

“Reedwhisker told me that he saw them when he was hunting with Nightshadow and Larchpaw. They were by the lake and heading towards the marshes by the WindClan border—Hey, Mothwing,” I meowed as the golden she-cat squeezed her way into the clearing, carrying a mouthful of leafy herbs.

“Oh, hello, Silverpool…why are you here?”

“Tigerkit,” I explained. “She got into a fight with a bunch of nettles outside the camp earlier. Willowleaf took care of it, though.”

Mothwing nodded, blinking her amber eyes slowly. “I’m tired, Willowleaf—would you mind fixing up these coltsfoot stems for me? It won’t take long.”

“Sure,” Willowleaf meowed. “Bye, Silverpool.”

“See you.” I lead Glowkit and Darkkit away from the herbs they had been examining, with Tigerkit following behind. “Come on—time to sleep.”

Glowkit gave an enormous yawn, ruffling her short gray pelt. “Can we sleep all day tomorrow, Mother?”

“Perhaps.” I met Splashstream going into the nursery with her two kits. Darkkit and Glowkit instantly ran up to greet Morningkit and Barkkit. Tigerkit seemed to forget her injury and sidled up to greet her friends with her siblings. The five kits raced into the nursery and flopped themselves down together among the moss scattered all around. Splashstream and I settled down beside them. In moments, they were asleep.


“They’re such good friends,” I remarked fondly, brushing a scrap of moss out of Darkkit’s fur.

“Yes,” Splashstream mewed. “I’m surprised that they don’t seem to miss Dawnflower’s kits as much as I thought they would.”

I blinked happily before laying my head down beside Glowkit. Thinking of the two mischevious kits, I realized how much quieter the den seemed to be without them. I was asleep within minutes, floating through darkness. I turned, expecting to see Feathertail, but I did not. It was another StarClan warrior, with a pelt emanating such a bright light that I screwed up my eyes in an effort to see her.

It was Leopardstar, the former RiverClan leader. Her spotted golden pelt was sleek and shining, and her features were of a young cat again. She smiled at me as I drew nearer.

“I wish I were here on a happier occasion,” she murmured, looking down at her paws as I stared at her. My heart sank. A happier occasion?

“What do you mean?”

“Come—I will show you.” Leopardstar leaped away through the blackness, lighting up dark corners of what I know saw was a forest, growing steadily brighter. It was not dawn, but sunset, which I found most peculiar. Why had it been so dark when I first arrived? I quickly bounded after her, recognizing with a shudder that we were in RiverClan territory. As we passed familiar trees, I began to pick up a scent trail—my scent trail. This was the path I’d often followed to the WindClan border.

“Look,” the StarClan she-cat mewed softly, stopping at the edge of the trees. We were overlooking the moors, bathed in dappled golden light of the setting sun. Two cats were sitting just on the border, one gray and the other brown tabby tinged with gold.

It was Hawkwing and me.

“What?” I whispered in shock. “How…?”

Leopardstar stared mournfully at the clearing as a screech sounded from overhead. I whipped my head up to see two enormous tawny gold shapes streaking down towards the ground. One of the two cats below yowled something, and within moments, one, two, three more gigantic birds soared out from behind the trees and down towards the two terrified warriors.

Eagles, I thought. No, StarClan, no…

Leopardstar was now watching the horizonline where the moor disappeared into the sky. I followed her gaze, but before I could see anything, the view dissolved into darkness.

“No—wait!” I yowled into the gathering darkness. “Leopardstar!”

“Beware, Silverpool,” came a voice I couldn’t recognize, a voice that echoed all around me, sounding like every cat in StarClan but ringing in one clear voice, “remember the prophecy.”

And she was gone in the darkness as I jerked awake, and Splashstream’s stricken face appeared in my vision, “They’re gone, Silverpool,” the blue-gray queen whispered, “your kits.”



Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnn...

Thanks to everyone whose complimented me!

Chapter 9: Fight will be coming soon!

~Sunny

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

=O Wonderful story! The writing mirrors EH's POT style a bit. The wording's very good too, I didn't know that you'd bring in the old cast though! :3 Silverpool is very addicting. So is Reedwhisker! And I love the ApplexBirch kits, I knew they were a popular pairing. x3 -thinks of making a FF someday- :3 Keep writing!

[ghostfeather]

*gasp*
she did the dun dun DUN!!!! thing for me :' lol

post the next chapter soon!!!!

[Autumnstorm]

Yay! Cool chapter! This story kind of inspired me to write another fan fic that could actually be the length of a warriors book if I did it all. That's unusual for me. ;D So far I only have a tiny bit done, but I'm working on it! Could you read it sometime?

Eagerly awaiting the next chapter! ;D

[Tigerfur]

Tigerfur: Yes, I will read your story Autumnstorm, thanks for the comments guys, i'll tell Sunsetfur, now heres the next chapter, enjoy! ;D

Sunsetfur: New chap! Thanks again for everyone's compliments; you guys make me happy. Warning: this chap is a little bloody, but nothing too bad.

Chapter 9
Fight[/u]

My terror was greater than any terror I’d ever known that night. I knew I had to warn Hawkwing, but couldn’t think of how to slip out of the camp when Darkkit, Glowkit, and Tigerkit were missing. Splashstream had alerted Mistystar, who gathered two patrols of warriors to search the territory. Their three tiny scent trails lead away towards ShadowClan territory—but no other scent joined theirs. They had left on their own.


“No, Silverpool, you can’t possibly be thinking of going to meet him at a time like—”

“Yes I am, Willowleaf,” I hissed at the pale gray she-cat, whose distressed face was peering at me in the golden light of the sunset. “I need to tell him now, while every other cat is preoccupied and at the other end of the territory. Please, Willowleaf—trust me, I won’t be long.”

The medicine cat apprentice had her face set and her eyes were hard and determined. “Fine,” she meowed. “But I’m coming with you. That’s twice StarClan’s warned you about this prophecy, and this time by Leopardstar.”

I was about to utter a sharp retort before I realized what she was offering to do. “I-I…” I stuttered. “I—Willowleaf, I can’t thank you enough.”

The gray she-cat smiled, then began bounding away in the direction of the WindClan border. “I’ll stay a bit behind you once we get there,” Willowleaf meowed as I caught up with her. Our two gray pelts—one a shimmering silver, the other paler, tinged with white—flew in the wind as we raced across the meadowland dotted with clusters of short, wide-leafed trees. “Can you be sure he’ll be there?”

“We always meet at sunset,” I panted. “If I don’t come by dusk, Hawkwing goes back to the camp.”

Willowleaf nodded, then began to slow as the moor drew into view. A solitary brown shape was seated at the border. “I’ll wait here,” she whispered, crouching behind a bramble bush beneath a small ash tree. “Don’t be long—if the Clan finds our scent, they’re bound to follow.”

“I won’t,” I promised. Taking a deep breath, I padded quickly to where Hawkwing was standing.

The golden-brown tom purred as I approached him and began to wind his tail with mine. “How’s it going?” He asked gently. I longed to bury my face in his fur, to loose myself in his scent and forget the troubles of the world. But I knew I couldn’t—the kits were out there.

“Hawkwing, listen,” I meowed urgently. He looked up in alarm. “The kits are gone.”

“What?”

“Shh!” I meowed sharply, “I can’t stay long or RiverClan’ll get suspicious. They headed for the territory close to the ShadowClan border—they were alone,” I added hastily as Hawkwing opened his mouth to interrupt. “But that’s not the real reason I’m here, Hawkwing. I’m here because of—”

I never finished my question as a terrible screech split the air from over my head. A jolt of pure terror gripped my entire body, freezing my limbs. Hawkwing gasped and leapt to his feet, unsheathing his claws with a yowl of fury. I still did not move. Panic was seeping through me, trickling through my veins like cold fire. I was too late.

I jerked my head up to look at the sky to see four enormous birds spiraling towards the ground, directly at the two of us.

Instinctively, I jumped up to meet the nearest eagle, extending my claws in midair. I slammed against the huge bird a fox-length before it hit the ground; taken by surprise, the eagle let out a screech of anger and stopped beating its dark brown wings. In a heartbeat he had fallen to the ground, in a state of shock. I took this moment to score my claws over his back. The eagle screeched in pain and took flight, sending scarlet droplets of its blood showering down on me like a hot, noxious rain.

One I was sure the eagle had flown out of sight for good, I turned to see another eagle diving at Hawkwing. He yowled in anger and slashed out at the huge bird as it ripped its claws over the WindClan tom’s shoulder. Hawkwing gasped in pain as blood spilled out of the wound, staining his leg and the ground beneath him. “Hawkwing!” I screeched, racing over to him.

“I’m fine,” he gasped, licking at his shoulder while glancing over at the trees inside the RiverClan border. His green eyes, dulled with pain, suddenly brightened in surprise. “What the—”

With a screech, a pale gray shape hurtled out of the forest, waving her claws at the remaining two eagles in the clearing beside the WindClan border. Closely following was a black blur, which leapt on an eagle that was diving for me. Reedwhisker and Willowleaf!

“What are you doing here?” I yowled to Reedwhisker as we both slashed at the same eagle.

“I met Willowleaf,” the black tom replied, dodging the eagle’s talons and delivering a blow of his own at the great bird’s tail feathers. The eagle screeched and cawed in fury as it sped away over the treetops, leaving behind a whirlwind of brown feathers. “I noticed your scent trails leading to the WindClan border. We were arguing when these foul birds showed up.” Reedwhisker cursed under his breath as two more eagles soared into the clearing, one circling overhead and the other pelting straight at Willowleaf, who was bleeding heavily from her left flank.

“Go, Willowleaf!” I cried, jumping in front of my friend to confront the eagle. I lashed out it quickly, sending it screeching away. “You’re not fit for a fight! Go find Mothwing—she can help you and maybe get some more warriors to help us.”

The pale gray she-cat nodded, breathing heavily as she dragged herself toward the woods. As she disappeared, I wondered if she would reach the camp in time to help Hawkwing, Reedwhisker, and me.

But now there were only three eagles left, one still waiting to strike from the air, the others battling with the two toms. I watched in horror as the great golden-brown bird fighting Reedwhisker raked its fierce talons over the black tom’s leg while plummeting to the ground on top of him. A sharp crack split the air, and the black tom yowled in pain.

“Reedwhisker!” I sprang at the eagle that had barreled into him, and blindly scored my claws over its back. As I predicted, it fled, screeching and cawing at the final eagle that was still intent on Hawkwing. The golden-brown tom was still bleeding from his shoulder, but fighting well. I bent over Reedwhisker and stared in dismay at his oddly twisted front leg. “I think it’s broken, Reedwhisker,” I meowed softly. “But it doesn’t look all that bad—why don’t you get back to camp to see Willowleaf or Mothw—”

A screech interrupted me, and I looked up quickly to see yet another eagle zooming towards me. Frozen by shock and fear, I had no time to react. The great bird lashed out at he with its deadly talons, ripping a long wound in my side. I screeched in pain as Reedwhisker pulled himself up and sunk his teeth into the eagle’s throat. It let out a gurgling screech as blood spilled out of the wounds Reedwhisker had given it. It fell to the ground, lifeless before it left the air for the last time.

I flopped onto my side, agony piercing every inch of my body. Scarlet blood seeped through my ruffled silver fur, and as I gazed at myself, I could not recognize the bloodstained fur before me. I turned my head awkwardly to get a view of Hawkwing, and immediately felt yet another cold chill. The WindClan tom had fallen to the ground as I had, still bleeding from his shoulder and another wound in his side. As he gasped for breath, I saw the eagle hovering above him, extending its talons, preparing to dive for the helpless tom and strike. With a screech, the last remaining eagle spiraled down at Hawkwing.

“No!” I screeched, choking out the word over the bile in my throat. I felt a creeping fear rising in me for the final time that night. It was the fear you felt for a loved one—the fear for my kits, the fear for Willowleaf, the fear for Reedwhisker, and most important of all, the terrible fear I felt as the eagle dived at Hawkwing.

But at that instant another ringing cry split the air. Reedwhisker threw himself at the eagle with every last scrap of strength he had left in him; landing just in front of Hawkwing to confront the eagle before it could reach the WindClan tom. A scrap of hope burst into my heart—Reedwhisker could still fight, I thought. He can drive off the eagle…

But how terribly wrong I was. As the sun slipped behind the trees and the last golden light of the sunset faded, the eagle gave a great swipe at Reedwhisker, knocking the black RiverClan tom off his feet.

That heartbeat seemed to stretch out for an entire day. All sound faded from the world except the beat of my own heart, and the blood pumping in my ears. My vision wavered as the great brown bird shook itself and plunged its bloodstained beak into Hawkwing’s throat.

I realized that Reedwhisker was back on his feet. With a great swipe, the black tom knocked the eagle to the ground, blood pouring out of the side of its head. There was a fury in his eyes that I had never seen there before.

Wheezing, I began to drag myself to where he stood beside the crumpled form of Hawkwing. I threw myself at the golden-brown tom’s form, burying my nose into his neck fur. I saw Reedwhisker crouch down beside me, his expression grim and his eyes filled with pain.

“Reedwhisker,” I croaked, lifting my tail to touch his shoulder. “We have to hurry—we can get him back to Mothwing, he needs a medicine cat to look at his shoulder, we all do. If we hurry he can still make it—”

“No, Silverpool,” Reedwhisker whispered, gazing deep into my eyes. I felt his pain, reflecting my own pain in his eyes, combined with his love for me, though my heart would always truly be with the cat lying beside me. “I’m so sorry, Silverpool. It’s too late…he’s gone.”


:'(Sometimes I make myself sad.

Chapter 10: Breath will be coming soon.

[Autumnstorm]

No... Hawkwing. So sad.

But you have to admit it is a little ironic that his name is Hawkwing, and he is killed by eagles...

[ghostfeather]

that's so sad...

although i have to admit that I knew he was going to die when Silverpool said he looked like a warrior of Starclan.....

CONTINUE!!!! ;D

[SandsofTime]

MORE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or else I eat your head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (yum) ((no just kidding. Would i do a thing like that???)