Daylight Dreaming }{ Romance,Adventure,Angst,PG

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Title: Daylight Dreaming

Chapters: Unknown at this point.

Author: Mossflower

Pairing: Secret.

Rating: PG

Spoilers: n/a

Summary: Twilight was always belitted in her Tribe, in the shadow of her older sister Leaf. But when a chilling prophecy haunts the Tribe of Burning Fire, three violent dangers haunt the Tribes of the Vertigo Mountains. Twilight is thrown into a whirlpool of treachery, betrayel, love and pain. Can she have the courage to rise to the occasion, or will the three Tribes be scattered yet again?

Warning: Gore, violence, "cat" swears, and things that do not relate to the actual books.

Disclaimer: The Tribes were originally created by Erin Hunter, and I own in no way that idea. However, I do own names and the plot.

Beta: n/a

Cover: Of course not.

Dictionary:

Whiteplain- Winter
Fullflower- Summer
Newplain- Spring
Goldplain- Autumn
Middlesun- Afternoon
Lowsun- Dawn

Prologue

Night gleamed down on the Tribe of Burning Fire. The Vertigo Mountains clawed the sky with stone gray paws, their white-capped tops touching the clouds that had surfaced in the post-midnight air. A large crevice scooped out in the side of the biggest of the many mountains was the Burning Fire camp, surrounded by a large meadow of gently waving grass. The cats would agree that the camp was good, since Rushing Water's gorge fell into a river, although Running Wind's camp was in the center of a large grassy valley.

An unkempt cat, her pelt pure white, stood frantically over a calico queen. The queen was obviously giving birth, but there was much blood. No kits had been born yet. The Healer wouldn't allow more kits to die-- last Whiteplain, one kit had died without her eyes even open.

"Firesinger, help.. don't let me die." the calico queen begged. Her mate had fallen to his death while hunting a hawk, and she couldn't bear to have her kits raised without kin.

The white she-cat shook her head furiously. "Don't worry, Lioness. No one's going to die." The back of her mind clicked, and she quickly gave Lioness the right herbs. Lioness swallowed them, the effort hurting, and lapped up the water nearby.

Soon later, three kittens lay nestled at her side. One was light brown tabby, like his father-- the middle kitten. One was a gorgeous dappled calico with the pattern on her back and tail, just like her mother, the eldest. And the third, lastborn, seemed feeble compared to her sister, small and extremely dark gray tabby. Lioness licked each of them tenderly, and looked up at Firesinger. The Healer chose kittens' positions at birth.

The white and silver femme looked down at them. She poked the youngest with a paw. The femme squeaked pitifully and squirmed. "What's that one's name?" she meowed. Lioness studied the small she-cat carefully before answering, "Twilight of No Moon." She licked between the she-cats ears carefully. The name wasn't entirely true-- there was a small white splotch that was shaped like a crescent moon on her chest.

Firesinger sighed. Nothing seemed special about the tabby. "She's too lithe to be a Cave-Guard. She will be a Hunter." Yes, she seemed to have the muscles designed for such a position, and endurance. Firesinger looked over at the light brown tabby, a rather handsome fellow. "And the tom?"

"Hawk That Hunts At Day." Lioness answered, more confidentally. Firesinger studied him carefully as well. He had more potential. "A Cave-Guard. He's more stocky, and his muscles are far more powerful." Lioness nodded in turn.

Firesinger looked at the eldest, the gorgeous calico. She gasped, her amber-golden eyes sparkling. The she-cat was obviously special. Fire seemed to surround her, and she held a mysterious depth to her. Lioness seemed to see Firesinger's surprise. "Firesinger, what's wrong?"

"The calico, Lioness That Basks In Sunlight! What's her name!" Firesinger half-yowled impatiently, using her friend's full name that she despised so much. Lioness twitched and responded, "Leaf Of Dappled Sunlight." It was true, since her coat was of many shades and hues. Firesinger nodded quickly. "She will grow up to be MY to-be. I see that she will be a great Healer in her time."

Thunder roared overhead as the clouds sobbed rain. A light filled Firesinger's eyes, blinding her-- a large black cat filled her vision, his light blue eyes burning into hers. It was her old mentor, Firedancer, the old Healer of Burning Fire. His voice roared like a thousand lions as he spoke-- "The day will mask the enemies that will be upon you. Seek the shade!" A burning flame came up under him, engulfing him until he was nothing. Firesinger shrieked as a power pressed against her face, crushing her, melting her--

And then it was nothing. The prophecy was over, and Lioness was staring at her, green eyes wide. Firesinger sighed, licking her pale fur gently. "One has come, to save us from danger..." She looked at the kits. The prophecy would have to do with the new litter. The calico would save them, she knew it. But the she-cat's name worried her... Sunlight would kill them. But how? Firesinger sighed and stepped out of the tunnel, into the large cave where rain poared above.

[Foxclaw]

awesome story! keep writing ;D

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter One: Perspectives

Light rain pattered against the slate-gray roof of the to-be's den. A boom of thunder awoke Twilight, whose unsheathed claws scrabbled against the stone floor. The moss under her was torn and shredded- a flicker of guilt passed in Twilight. The other to-be's heads raised a bit, ears flickering. Embarresment flooded through Twilight, and she padded quickly out.

The Burning Fire's camp was intricate. It sat on Vertigo Spire, so all the dens were massive crevices in the rock. The route to the base of the mountain (the dens were about a half-mile upwards) was very narrow, but bushes lined the passage so falling off was at least difficult. The Healer's den was farthest up the path, then the Cave-Guard's, then the Hunter's, then the to-bes, with the nursery on ground level so no kit fell to their death. The cave entrance was almost always blocked by Cave-Guards, and it lead out to the Silver Meadow, an ideal place to hunt. There were rocks to hunt snakes, voles, lizards, and the occasional mouse. The Tribe of Running Wind had a large valley to hunt in, and a cave that ran underground. The Tribe of Rushing Water had a large cave, but it was unlike Burning Fire's. Twilight was pleased they had such a good camp.

She sat on the edge of the pathway, fiddling with the bushes as she watched the sheer drop. Twilight imagined what it felt like to hit the ground so hard. The gray tabby shuddered and watched the clouds. The rain was beginning to end, although the humidity was thick in the air. She had the same dream again last night. The one of thunderous paws crashing against the ground, of a roar loud as thunder, and was invisible to watch an unknown Tribe-cat getting ripped to shreds by invisible claws. It was sickening, but Twilight had different variations of it every night, some where prey was killed, others where there was a fire. Twilight kneaded the ground, the freezing winds buffeting her fur. It was very early-- the sun had not yet risen in the sky. Twilight knew she should be getting back to bed.

"Twilight? What's wrong?" an all-too familiar voice made Twilight's fur stiffen in surprise. Whipping her head around awkwardly, Twilight came nearly face-to-face with her Tribemate, Wolf That Howls At Night. The handsome gray tabby padded to her side, watching her with his pale blue eyes. Twilight could hardly think or talk. Wolf was her crush since kithood, but she rarely spoke to him since Leaf was always flirting with him.

"Um! Um! Nothing. I couldn't sleep." Twilight said quickly, looking down the sheer fall again. Suddenly it didn't seem so bad. Wolf shrugged and padded back into the to-be's den without asking why she couldn't sleep. Disappointed, Twilight padded back down the slope. The sun was rising now-- time to Hunt.

[ghostfeather]

This is a great story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
plzz continue!

[wolverinestarlight]

Oh! Oh! Please write more!

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Thanks for your feedback! ^^

Chapter Two: Dreamscape

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Twilight padded uneasily to the base of Vertigo Spire. The Mountains above her gleamed wet, the dawn light shining across the large gray peaks of nature. The gray tabby felt shaken today. The dream was stronger last night. She could feel the large jaws closing in on her, the claustrophobia, the hot stink of breath. What did it mean? Firesinger spoke that some cats received prophecies that could help their Tribe. But Twilight didn't think that such a violent dream would help anything.

"Hiiii, Twilight." Lake That Hides Fish meowed, padding up to Twilight. She was smaller than Twilight, but the head of the Hunters and Twilight's Trainer. Personally, she didn't like the small gray and white femme, but she was extremely skilled.

"Hi, Lake--" Twilight's greeting was cut off by a large yawn. She felt a wave of fatigue coming over her. She really SHOULD have gone back to bed. Shaking it off, Twilight continued, "Hi, Lake. When are we going to hunt today?" The gray tabby winced-- she was going to ask "where," but it had come out working on autopilot. Lake blinked her large light blue eyes. They hunted the same time every day.

"Sorry, just a little tired. Where?" Twilight corrected herself, hiding her embarresment by scratching her ear with her back paws. Lake relaxed and licked an ivory paw. "I was about to say... we'll be hunting at Cougar Cliff today. But you're right anyway. The elders need new bedding, so you won't hunt until Middlesun-time."

Twilight nodded, inwardly sighing. She couldn't hunt until the afternoon? It was far better than fetching bedding for the elders, but at least she could catch a tale or two. LEAF doesn't have to do anything! Twilight thought angrily as she padded towards the exit of the cave, alls she does is sit there prettily in the to-be's den, wasting prey... oh well. I guess little miss... careful now, Twilight. Don't want to go against your Tribemates, and--

Twilight was so deep in thought in her own personal world that she nearly stepped on Frond. The small black tom squeaked indignantly, fury in his mew. Twilight muttered a quick apology and half-sprinted out the cave exit. Her brother Hawk nodded gravely to her, ears pricked and amber eyes toward the dawn light.

The to-be padded down the short slope to the patch of moss only a couple of bear-lengths off the cave exit. Unfortunately it was blocked by a patch of brush, and Twilight knew if she were attacked no one would hear. I said, stop it! Twilight scolded herself, grabbing a clump of moss with her fangs.

A crack of branches alerted Twilight to Root-tree. The large, dying tree was empty, but a shadow passed across the stone ground below it. The branch fell to the ground. Curiosity killed the mouse, Twilight warned herself, but she dropped the moss and padded over to Root-tree. Twilight felt a presence, one of a cat. The smell in the air, however, held no signs of anything unusual. And if it were her own Tribemate, he or she would have shown their faces by now.... or at least, they wouldn't have completely vanished! Frustrated, Twilight looked at the branch that had fallen.

Her legs seemed to freeze over. The branch's end where it had snapped, was definately mature and strong. The bark did not scrape of at the touch of a paw, meaning that the branch was not old enough to fall of the tree. Pressure had marked the branch's fall. A stranger really had been there. Fear yawning over her, Twilight looked up at the tree. Fur was there. And the strange scent was fresh.

Her lungs were cold. Twilight turned tail, grabbing the moss on her way, and ran back to Vertigo Spire.[/size]

[ghostfeather]

dun dun DUN! lol
continue!

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

I'm definately going to write more, just not today. ^^ I promise another chapter will be up by Friday!

[Tigerfur]

I LOVE your story so far! ;D I hope you do update tomorrow! ;D Can you check out the story Gathering Darkness in the RiverClan section? PLEASE and THANK YOU! ;D

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter Three: We Speak In Different Voices

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"No, Twilight." Firesinger turned away angrily, her ivory body slick with rain. She had been hunting very early, and was reasonably snappy-- but Twilight needed her to listen. A small crowd of the Tribe was beginning to gather.

"I'm telling the truth!" Twilight half-yowled, her heart beating like a rabbit's foot. She felt like it would come up her throat and out her mouth. Ew.. "There was something out there, and it was watching me!" She padded after Firesinger, whose tail half-whipped her in the side of the head. A warning to a cat, usually a to-be, who was being foolish.

This insulted Twilight. "I'M SERIOUS!" She bellowed, light gray paws scraping the ground with fury, causing shallow claw marks in the slate ground of the cave. "It didn't smell like any cat. Something was there, and it wasn't a Tribe-Cat!"

Cats muttered worriedly to each other-- lying and exaggerating was Leaf's job. Twilight usually told the truth unless a lie was convenient. Some of the elders looked intently at her-- the older, more experienced cats looked away as if Twilight were being ridiculous. "Twilight," Slash of Hawk's Talon meowed calmly, "maybe it was just a hawk. Or a squirrel." The black tom's mew was pitying. This did not help Twilight.

"There was fur! Short, brown fur! There was nothing up in the sky so there was no bird. And squirrel's haven't been in Root-tree in ages. I'm telling you, something was there!" Twilight was angry and frustrated. The cats began to part and leave. Firesinger sighed, shook her head and padded off to her den. "Finish the elders' bedding. We've had enough of your tales."

"I believe you, Twilight..." a small mew came from behind Twilight. She turned to see her friend Lark That Hides In Brush standing behind her, timidly pawing the ground. Strange, Lark rarely talked to anyone. The gray and white femme looked embarressed and padded quickly away. Hawk glared, as if it were her fault, and padded away somberly. Some cats lingered, including her sister.

Leaf was, as usual, surrounded by Wolf and Mist That Hangs At Night-- a silver tom who Twilight considered a stalker, as well as some younger Tribe-Cats. The gorgeous calico licked a paw, looking straight at Twilight. "Nice story. Did you get that from the elders?" she asked teasingly. Mist half-laughed, half-muttered. Wolf was focused on a small patch of weeds growing from the cracks.

Twilight rolled her eyes and padded off, trying to ignore her sister. Why couldn't she just love her, like most sisters? Leaf was spoiled, that was why. Something about a prophecy. Leaf laughed, whispering something to Mist, probably. Twilight snatched the moss and headed off the the Elder's Nook.

It was a small cave, probably about five wolf-lengths long and wide. The Tribe only had three elders. One of them was blind, Brokentalon, the other two a ginger tom named Fox That Chases Bird and a white she-cat, Ice That Grows On Rock. Brokentalon raised his head, gray fur untamed, blind eyes staring right at her. "You were telling the truth," he whispered, his bass voice sounding like a breath inside a clay pot, "I know what you saw."[/size]

[Lightningstrike]

wow!sespense!!!i luffel it!!^.^

[Tigerfur]

EXCELLENT chapter! I love the suspense too, but don't leave us in it for to long because I want to see what happens next, so update soon! ;D Also, thanks for checking out Gathering Darkness, But just to let you know, it's not my story, i'll post the next chapter tomorrow! ;D

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter Four: Darkness Becomes Anew

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Twilight froze in place. "...What?" she mewed, dropping the moss awkwardly. Embarressed, she hurried to pick it up. How did Brokentalon know what the stranger was? The light brown tabby rarely strayed out of the den. Putting the moss in place, Twilight answered more politely, "What do you mean?"

Brokentalon snorted, wrapping his ringed tail around his haunches. "She-cat, don't be so naive like the rest of them. They have pulled moss over our eyes for uncountable moons." He beckoned his tail to draw her close. Twilight stood, shivering. "Ages ago, when my mother's mother's mother's mother's father was a newborn, there was a horrid cat-- a mountain lion, Sharptooth. He slaughtered our neighboring Tribe, Rushing Water, for sport. He was killed by a slender femme..." Brokentalon narrowed his sightless eyes. "But rumor-- no, truth is, he supposedly had a mate at the time, but she was hidden because the Tribe did not want any more fear. Her name was Bloodclaw. She mated with Sharptooth, and a kitten was birthed. And the bloodline supposedly lives today." Brokentalon's eyes shadowed. "I'm certain his kin lives on today. Other attacks have been reported in other Tribes lately... so there's more than one."

"Don't listen to him." Fox snarled, scraped his white paws against the ground as he rolled onto his stomach, green eyes glaring. "He's been insane since that hawk attacked him last Fullflower. Brokentalon's rattled on for ages anyhow."

Ice agreed mutely, yawning as she awoke from a nap. Brokentalon snarled and turned away, mumbling something about Fox's sanity. Startled at the information Fox gave her, Twilight gathered the rest of the dirty moss quickly, padded out of the den and half-sprinted out of the cave door. It was still hours until she had to meet Lake, and most of the Hunters were going out hunting, so there was no need to. Bored, Twilight was going to pad inside when a noise got her attention-- a rustle in the brush. Acting on impulse, the gray tabby flew into the bushes and tackled.[/size]

[Tigerfur]

WONDERFUL chapter! ;D I hope you update again soon so we can see what happens!

[Shadowstar]

This is interesting...continue