Dark fog engulfed her as she yowled for Shinestream, blood pumping from the wound. Her friend's answering yowl became a slur of nothing. A unbearable pain seared on her everywhere at once, and she thought she screeched in pain, but she wasn't sure if it was only in her head she had yowled. Blackness swelled as the blood pulsed out onto the floor, her lives bleeding onto the forest she called her home. She couldn't feel any pain as the world around her faded and a thick black pelt covered her, as she faded deeper and deeper into her mind....the last thing she felt and heard was sharp teeth jerking her up into the sky and dragging her StaClan knows where and Shinestream's yowl.
"Tornadostar!!!!"
~♥~
Pudding woke up, her new found tortoiseshell's scent stale. No! Where did she go? she thought. Her kits mewl as she glanced fondly at them. They were a few moons old; they could walk.
"Follow me, Vanilla and Brownie," she coaxed, following Wildpaw's scent through the undergrowth.
~♥~
Moonleaf trekked through the boggy area, cat scent strong ahead. Murmured growls and hisses sounded in front of her. Wildpaw's scent led here, to the cold and unwelcoming territory of their new found enemies, DarkClan. She screeched and sprang forward, claws extended through the thorn barrier entrance. Challenging yowls and shocked hisses split the air.
"Where is she, you mangy crow-food foxhearts?!?" she snarled so maliciously, some of the cats stepped back hesitantly. They're scared of you! she thought triumphantly.
"The tortoiseshell! Where is she, you mousebrains!" she hissed again. A bristling black tom with yellow smoldering eyes pushed his way to the front of the group of warriors.
"She is gone," he mewed slyly, his eyes gleaming in pride. Moonleaf gasped as the scent of blood hit her nose and the cats parted to reveal a small limp tortoiseshell body.
"No!" she yowled, and leaped at the first cat she could dig her claws into, even if one against a full Clan was impossible, she would fight until the death.
~♥~
Stargaze still wasn't ready for her nine lives, not until StarClan sent her a sign. Maybe the gray mist wasn't for the deputies. She was utterly confused. What if it meant something else entirely different?!? she thought worriedly. She wasn't ready. Moonleaf, Tornadostar, her kit were all missing. She curled up and sulked in her den. Grief overwhelmed her and she fell asleep, to get away from it all for a while. Everything. Her new responsibilities. Her Clan. Just everything.
~♥~
The forest glittered with rain drops, sunlight making them sparkle like stars. Stargaze glanced around. What is this place? she wondered to herself. Soft grass felt cool against her pads.
"It's okay," came a voice from behind her. Stargaze whipped around, on edge, and shoulders tensed.
"It's okay," repeated the soft coaxing voice. Stargaze rounded again, claws unsheathing. A soft mrrow of amusement sounded from behind her.
"Who are you!?" cried Stargaze, looking around frantically. More gentle laughter. Stargaze twisted around, but only the sparkling forest and a blue cloudless sky met her eyes.
"Relax," came the voice, sweet as honey and asd warm as the milk Stargaze remembered from her kithood. She leaped around again, her fur bristling. Nothing was behind her.
"I said relax!" the gentle voice growled maliciously. Stargaze hissed in terror and her head snapped to her left, then to her right. A intense wave of heat rolled over her from behind just as the sky turned a bright red. Stargaze whirled around and the green, peaceful forest was gone, replaced by a blackened, charred landscape of searing flames and billowing smoke. Stargaze yowled as she fled in the opposite direction, but flames blocked her way. She turned the other way, but a crashing flaming branch fell and she leaped in horror. The flames advanced every heartbeat by a tail-length. She was surrounded. No escape, no break in the flames she could race through. Nothing. Just a endless circle of fire around her.
"No! Leave me alone!" she yowled at the bright red sky, barely seen through the black smoke clouds. The yellow tongues of searing hot flames advanced, heat rolling off of it immensely. Stargaze gasped, but choked as the acrid tang of smoke hit her mouth. Backing up from the wall of flames creeping toward her, she leaped forward again as the flames behind her singed her tail tip. Burnt fur and the acid smell of the smoke made her eyes blur and everything was just a splash of orange and black.
"No! I said leave me ALONE!" she screeched, poofing her fur up. Claws extended, she kept whirling around, the fire within a few tail-lengths of her on every side.
"Help me!" The flickering flames seemed to be taunting her, mocking her every move. Amber and yellow eyes gleamed through the flames, watching her every move as she wailed for StarClan to save her.
The fire seemed to be whispering, whispering to her. StarClan isn't here to save you. You're all alone. What are you going to do? Wail for your Clanmates? Stargaze realized the fire was mocking her; she wasn't imaging the words inside her head.
"What do you want!" she cried desperately as the columns of fire on all sides came within three tail-lengths of her. "What. Do. You. Want.?!?" Fire roared around her as the flames gathered in height, until they stood as tall as Twolegs.
"No!" she gasped, inhaling smoke and singed leaves. Shaken by gut-wrenching coughs, she squinted through blurry, running eyes at the fire. The yellow flames jeered at her, slithering forward smooth as a snake. She felt as if her fur---no her entire being---was on fire, ablaze. Her tail tip burned even more as she stepped back a pawstep, only to jump forward and burning her nose.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" she howled at the sky, caterwauling in horror and terror as the flames threatened to engulf her. The fire seemed to laugh at her pleas for help, for them to stop, that she felt as if she were part of the fire. Columns of fire advanced the last mouse-length and singed every part of her pelt.
"It is coming! The fire is enraged. It is angry and it's wrath will come down on LightningClan," spoke an mysterious voice. Stargaze howled as her fur was burned by the yellow flickering flames.
"What do you mean!" she yowled at the invisible voice. She breathed in desperately and regretted it at once. Smoke entered her longs, and she began breathing shallowly and ragged.
"It is angry. It wants revenge," spoke the voice. "The gray mist was a warning, not the deputyship omen!" Stargaze caterwauled as the heat rolled over her and over again. "The fire is coming! It's hunger for revenge is not yet quenched."
"What does that mean!" spat Stargaze, breaking off in a fit of coughs as she gasped for more air. The fire was seconds from engulfing her completely. Her paws were blistering and burned black, the tender skin swelled to the size of a baby mouse. Thin wisps of smoke rose from the ends of her burned whiskers. Her pelt was black and burnt, the acrid smell of fur mixing in with the acrid tang of the smoke. Her fur burned with unbearable pain. She could barely take it. She wanted to wake up!
"It means Seamist and Graymuzzle aren't met to lead the Clan after you!" spat the StarClan voice. "LightningClan cats gaze to the stars fopr answers! They shall gaze to the star that leads them! You were chosen from the moment you were kitted! You haven't failed us once! The leapord's dark shadow's kin hold the key to the future of the Clan's existence. Beware." warned the voice. Then she caught fire, the fire turning into the mouth of a cat and swallowed her, screeching and writhering in pain as she was burned beyond the pain of pain.
"Stargaze! Stargaze!" yowled a voice.
~♥~
Stargaze sprang up with a start. Her fur felt hot and tender, her claws frayed. Her pads felt blistered. She felt as if she'd really been in the firey clearing. Maybe she had been......
"Stargaze..." prompted Charredpaw. Stargaze looked up blankly, her blue gaze confused. Charredpaw rolled her eyes.
"Leopardshadow needs to see you!" The leopard's dark shadow's kin hold the key to the clans existence. The words rang omniously in her head as she followed Charredpaw out of the den. A glinting black thing caught her eye in her nest. A feather. No, a burnt feather. Stargaze shivered and realized it was charred....
"Are you coming?" came Charredpaw's irritated mew. Stargaze shook her head.
"No," she whispered. A charred feather. The gray mist, not meant to be deputy. The unbearable pain set in her chest.
"No what?" growled the apprentice. Stargaze looked at her in disbelief and gave her the command to follow her. Leaping onto Overhang Rock, Stargaze swallowed hard.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Overhang Rock for a Clan meeting," she caterwauled. Cats gathered and pricked their ears.
"I will recieve my nine lives in a few days, when I am ready (The next post:D)," she meowed steadily, ignoring the yowls of protests from her Clan. "Tornadostar may be alive, Wildpaw isn'tback and neither is her mentor. But Clan life goes on, especially for Charredpaw. Step forward." The apprentice gaped at her, btu stumbled forward. She mouthed No way! at her mentor Swiftwing, who's eyes were shining. Stargaze purred with fake amusement to comfort the Clan; this wasn't the only announcement.
"She is ready. She has worked hard to learn the ways of your noble code and now I commend her as a warrior in her turn," Stargaze went on.
"From this moment on, Charredpaw shall be known as Charredfeather for her burning courage, but her soft and understanding spirit. We welcome you as a full warrior of LightningClan." She rested her muzzle on her shoulder and breath stirred her ear fur as the newly named warrior whispered a heartfelt thank-you.
"Charredfeather! Charredfeather!" yowled the Clan. For a second, Stargaze was back in the burning forest when the voice said Seamist and Graymuzzle weren't the ones to be deputy.
"I have more to say!" caterwauled Stargaze. The clearing fell silent, a mouse could be heard scurrying in the forest near Moss Rock.
"StarClan have told me that Seamist and Graymuzzle weren't to be deputies, nor joint nor solo. They have sent me a sign, which you may see in my nest: a charred feather." The clan gasped and Stargaze tried to ignore the looks of hurt and disbelief on her former deputies faces. I'm so sorry! she yowled silently. She concentrated on a birch tree in the back of the clearing, beyond th eheads of the Clan.
"Charredfeather will be the new deputy. May my former joint deputies hear and approve of my choice." She dipped her head to the astonished new warrior and backed away as her leader started towards her.
"I'm barely a moon older then 8 moons!" she hissed. Stargaze winced.
"I'm sorry. StarClan told me to--" she began but the rusty colored deputy stalked off. Stargaze sighed sadly and trudged back to her den, cats blocking as they got a look at the feather.
Outraged protests echoed off the stone walls of the den.
"There's no feather!"
"She lied!"
"No feather!"
"Great StarClan! Stargaze lied!"
"No, I didn't!" growled Stargaze.
"She's not lying! I was there when they gave her the dream. They where so fierce they burned her," hissed Leopardshadow, kits tumbling and swquealing innocnetly as they leaped at each other.
"You?!? Yeah right!" spluttered Shadowsong, glancing for support. Dead silence.
"Leave everyone! Slink off to your nests! Now!" barked Stargaze, her temper flaring freely at being accused a liar.
"Leopardshadow come with me." She slide into the cleft in the rock and sat down. The queen scolded her kits and asked her mate to watch them, who asked Dazzleshine to watch them, and took a seat next to his mate.
"How do you know?" Stargaze mewed flatly. Leopardshadow opened her mouth, closed it, glanced at her mate, who nodded encouragingly.
"I've had dreams of the DarkClan camp after they traveled to their new one. A cat told me they were coming. Then he came back to me again the night my kits were born. The jay will nest in the cedar the ntake to the sky and perch upon the wolf. I know they are involved in the existence of the future of this Clan. I want to know how.
I hope this makes up for the lack of suspense and posts for the last few days! Comment because this post is worth some comments! =^-^=
