"Here, Applestar, eat up," she meowed, dropping them at Applestar's paws. Blinking gratefully at the medicine cat, Applestar bent her head to lap up the bitter tasting herbs. Clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth to stop the taste, Applestar got to her paws, dipping her head in respect to the medicine cat before padding to the entrance of camp.
"Applestar! Applestar, wait." Bramblefeather's voice came from behind her, and the leader spun around to see the brown tabby looking at her with glazed eyes. "Y-You can't leave for the Moonwater, not without me there. I won't allow it." he meowed stubbornly.Applestar blinked warmly at her mate. "Bramblefeather, you're not going with me, you can't." she meowed, her eyes narrowing.
Bramblefeather let out a low growl. "Oh, yes I am. If you don't let me go with you now, then I'll follow you." he meowed, his neck fur rising.
Applestar looked towards the sky, then back at her mate. "Fine then. Don't get in the way," she meowed, leaping off into the forest. Bramblefeather bounded closely beside her, his paws light on the forest floor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Embersky's tail-tip twitched. She didn't like her leader leaving the clan. Yes, they had Flameclaw, but the tortoiseshell's absence still made her fur prickle. In her distress, she hardly heard Flameflick padding up to her.
"Hey, Embersky," Flameflick mewed, snapping the cream she-cat from her thoughts. Embersky looked back at the black she-cat.
"Yes, Flameflick?" she asked, her green eyes narrowing.
Flameflick let out a snort. "I wanted to tell you to get some rest. Flameclaw's told me that your going on the Dawn patrol tomorrow." she meowed, a tone of harshness rising in the air. Embersky dipped her head before padding into the warriors den, curling up in a warm ball.
Embersky closed her green eyes, letting sleep wash over her like a black wave. Embersky awoke in a rocky cave, only a shade of light inside the dark place. Embersky let out a low growl. "Who's there?" she asked, baring her teeth. The only sound inside the cave was Embersky's echo.
The she-cat let out a hiss of annoyance before padding farther into the cave, her eyes not yet adjusting into the dark. Embersky slammed her paw on a rock, a bolt of pain shocking through her. The cream warrior gasped in pain before licking the ruffled fur around the source of the pain.
"Good job, Eaglestorm," an icy, cold voice hissed, slicing through the silence. Though in pain, Embersky limped forward, her fur prickling. Embersky stopped when two shadows plastered against the gray stone wall came into view.
"Poppyclaw was a traitor, I knew it." the same voice chuckled coldly, vibrating the tunnel. Embersky listened closely. "Watching her and Oakfall beg for their lives was the best part, agreed?" it mocked, asking the smaller shadow.
"Of course, Crowstar, sir. Wiping out DustClan seemed to be where she fell. She just couldn't kill that tabby apprentice, right?" the smaller shadow hissed, letting out a laugh.
Crowstar? Oakfall? Poppyclaw? DustClan? What in StarClan's name are they talking about? Embersky thought, padding forward to see the cats who were speaking. One was a smoky gray tom, pelt lathered in scars, with snow-white paws, and icy blue eyes that made Embersky shiver, even though he wasn't looking at her. The smaller cat was a brown-and-white tabby tom with ferny green eyes.
"Eaglestorm, take Poppyclaw and Oakfall's bodies out of here, their starting to stink up my den." the smoky gray tom asked, flicking his tail to the two bodies bleeding crimson in the corner near the entrance to the den.
The brown-and-white tabby named Eaglestorm dipped his head. "Yes, Crowstar." he meowed, grasping the two slaughtered cats scruffs and dragging them from the leaders den.
Crowstar narrowed his eyes. "Everything is going according to my plan," he hissed to himself. "Now that Stonestreak is checking out that clan 'RippleClan' and seeing their weaknesses, once we kill all of them, nothing will stand in MountainClan's way!" Crowstar's eyes narrowed further in pleasure as he went over to a mossy nest and lied down.
Embersky backed up in horror. This 'MountainClan' was going to wipe out RippleClan!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Berryblossom purred as Amberkit playfully batted Icekit's ears, jumping around. Even though Icekit and Shiverkit weren't her kits, she still cared for them as if they were her own. The she-cat wiped a paw over her ear, her amber gaze scanning the sky. It was almost moonhigh.
"Kits! When all of the apprentices go in their den, come into the nursery so you can go to sleep." Berryblossom ordered.
Shiverkit smiled from her position besides Stormkit. "Okay, Berryblossom." she meowed.
Berryblossom blinked warmly at the gray she-kit before padding into the nursery. Berryblossom curled into her warm nest before slowly shutting her eyes, allowing sleep to give into her.
Berryblossom woke up only a hour later, to see that no kit was beside her in her nest. Angered, Berryblossom stomped outside the nursery, going to completely forbid the four kits to spend anytime out at night.
Right when the queen was going to open her mouth, she gaped in horror. Shiverkit was gone! Berryblossom franticly looked around camp, and she could see a trace of the gay tabby. Looking at her kits and Icekit, she demanded an answer.
"Where is Shiverkit?" she asked, her amber eyes filling with worry.
Icekit pointed his tail towards the entrance of camp. "A strange tom came to us, he didn't smell of RippleClan or SleetClan, so we knew he was from somewhere else. He said he had a message to give one of us, so he took Shiverkit into the forest." he meowed, looking back up at Berryblossom.
The tabby let out a shriek before bounding outside of camp, her paws smacking against the forest floor. "Shiverkit! Shiverkit, where are you?" she called her head spinning with anything possible that could have happened to her.
Running through a gorse bush, her heart lightened when she saw Shiverkit sitting in a clearing. Running over to check if her kit was harmed in anyway, she hardened. "Who was this cat? Where is he? What did he say?" she asked.
Shiverkit looked up at Berryblossom, her eyes where wide and full of fright. "H-H-He said th-t-that we where all g-g-going to d-die, and then...and then he gave me this..." she mewed, scooting over to show Berryblossom a dove feather plastered with blood.
Berryblossom gaped in horror.
This tom said that they where all going to....die?
{Note: No one can ask Shiverkit anything about the cat, or say that they saw him or anything. Only Shiverkit knows what he looks like, and she can't tell anyone because she's so frightened. Berryblossom can't show anyone the feather, either.
No one can guess anything about Embersky's dream, and she won't tell them. They all think she's having a bad dream.}
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Waterstone for a clan meeting!" she called, her tail waving. Every cat sat to begin the clan meeting, looking up expectantly at their leader. "Today is a great day for RippleClan! We have a new cat joining us. Her name is Embersky! I request that you treat her with respect and loyalty." Applestar meowed.
\
