MoonClan Fiction: Chapter 9

Starkit tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having such wierd dreams. Oce again she saw the four cats, no five cats , running through different terrain. Plains, forests. In storms, on hot days, by moonlight. And she kept having dreams of Echo. The cat that only she could see. And when she woke from her dreams, she always found herself wondering who the four other cats were, when she would see Echo again, and why Echo was still here, on earth, with the clans, but not up there, with StarClan?

Starkit woke that Sunset, to the sound of rustling leaves. Her ears perked before her eys opened, and then she opend them and saw a cat. A cat with a glow.

She gasped. "Echo!" she said too loudly, wking Skykit and Stormkit, the youngest kits. They wiled and tousseled. Polentail pulled them tighter into her belly and narrowed her eyes at Starkit.
"Yes, it does kind-of echo in here, don't you think? Now my kits would like to get some rest." She lay her head down again.

Starkit wasn't paying much attention to her though. Because Echo was looking at her in this way she couldn't describe. Then he said softly. "Shh" and beaconed with his tail for her to follow. He walked right into the barriers. But when Starkit got to where he walked out of the nursary, she found a small hole, just big enough for her to fit through. Then she was out of the camp for the first time.

Echo was waiting for her under a pine. He was smelling the earths scents.

Starkit padded slowly up to him, then she sat beside him. He was comfortably warm for a ghost.

"You came back" she said. And Echo just kept his eys closed. "why wouldn't I? I told you that I've been waitng for you." Then he opened his eyes and looked at the stars. "And so has StarClan. You have something very important to do, Starkit. You and three other cats from the other Clans"

starkit didnt say anything, thinking about what he said. Three other cats? My dream! My dream of the four cats, I was on of them! And the other ones come from SpiritClan, MarkedClan and SwiftClan! She turned to look at Echo. And the glowing one was him!

He looked down at her, waiting for her to say something. All she could say was, "Oh" And then Echo laughed. She just smiled at him.

Echo stood up and walked away then, and Starkit suddenly became angry. She had seen this before! He was going to leave again! And she couldn't stand it, not even if it was only for a coupple days.

She sprinted after him

"Where are you going?" She demanded, "You're not leaving again are you?"

She had caught up to him, though, and he was laughing. "Silly kit." he said softly, "I'll never leave you." And he was still smiling as he vanished in the shadow of a pine.

Starkit gazed unseeingly at the shadow where Echo had vanished. I'll never leave you. Was still ringing in her head. It made her feel warm and fuzzy somehow.

She shook her head, and then walked back into the nursary from her now secret tunnel. She saw that cats were readying themselves to go on patrols, and that the kits were all awake, playing with eachother. As she walked into the nursary, she felt someone land on her. She twisted to see Eaglekit on her shoulders. Then Rainkit came running to her rescue.
"I'll save you, Satrkit!" he said in an imataion of a macho voice, and then he pounced on Eaglekit. Then Stormkit came running to join the toussel.

Starkit went over to join Frostkit and Skykit. The two she-kits were lying in Dawnspirits moss and grooming eachother. They get along really well.

"Hi Starkit" Skykit piped up when Starkit approached them. Frostkit just dipped her head to her, licking Skykits shoulder. Starkit lay down beside them. "Hi guys. What are you doing?" "Grooming" Frostkit answered. And Skykit started laughing. "Ticklish spot! Ticklish spot!" And Frostkit's eyes lightened with amusement. Starkit stood up again, not wanting to just sit and watch as other kits ad fun. "I'm going to get fresh kill" And she trotted into the clearing to the pile.

"Starkit! Starkit you must warn them!" Starkit was dreaming. She as in the Shadow Forest, and mist was covering the ground. "Starkit! You must warn them!" She twirled ad spun, but she could not find the cat that was speaking to her. Though she could recognize the voice. "Echo? Echo where are you?" She wailed. "You must warn them, Starkit! Or cats will die!" Her head thrashed furiously. "What am I warning about? Who am I warning?" The voice in the trees started to fade, and her vision started to black. "You're Clan is in danger! Prepare for attack!" And then she woke up.

Once she was awake, the moon dappling into the nursary, she sprinted out into the clearing. I have to tell Foxstar! she thought. But who will beleive a kit? Her thoughts raced with her. Despair at the odds of winning beleif.

She raced right past Thunderstreak and into Foxstars den. "Foxstar! Foxstar! I have to tell you something!" She wailed, and Foxstar practically jumpped out of her moss. "Starkit! You've scared me to death! What's gotten into you?" Starkit was heaving from running so fast. "I need... To tell... You something..." Foxstar just looked at her waiting for her to speak more, but when she didn't, Foxstar grew annoyed. "Well, spit it out young one! We haven't all day!"

And then Starkit puckered her courage and said, "We're going to be attacked! We need to ready the Clan!" She said.

Foxstar just stared at her. "We're always ready incase of a surprise attack. And what makes you think we'll be attacked any time soon?" Thunderstreak walked in the den at that time, "Is everything all right, Foxstar?" Foxstar looked at him breifly, "Yes, Thunderstreak, thank you. We just have an exentric kit, is all"

Starkit became furious, "I'm no dumbie! It's important, Foxstar! There really is going to be an attack!" Foxstar rolled her eyes. "And I want to know why you think this again?"

Starkit suddenly became embarrassed. I had a dream, but they wont beleive that! She shuffled her paws. "um, I had a dream, and i was in the forest. Mist shrouded my paws, andI couldn't see who was talking to me. But there was as voice. It was saying 'Starkit! Starkit! You need to warn your Clan!' then, it said 'You're Clan is in danger! Prepare for attack!' and then I woke up and ran to you."

Foxstar stared, astonished, at Starkit. "That sounds exactly like something a StarCLan cat would do. Not answer your questions fully and alwasy leave you wondering" Foxstar whispered, half to her-self. Then she called to Thunderstreak. "Prepare our Warriors for attack, Thunderstreak. We might have to deal with one soon." Thunderstreak was confused, but her dipped his head and went out into the clearing to call the Warriors to duty.

They listened to me! She beleives me! Starkit thought. And when they see the battle is definately real, they'll never even doubt! Foxstar dismissed her, after thanking her, and then Starkit ran back to the nursary.

Her insides nearly jumpped outside of her when she saw who was waiting for her.

Starkit padded beside Echo as Dawnspirit led tem back to camp. Once they had heard the battle crys stop, thye decided to go back. And Stakit didnt argue becasue Echo told her it was safe, anyways. she argued with Echo though. "How do you know for sure that its safe to go back? Whats if ther's still a cat hanging around, waiting to spring on us?" she had said, and Echo just stared at her, with intensity in his emerald green eyes. "You think I'm going to lead you into danger? Make you go somewhere where someone might hurt you? On purpose?" he had asked, and Starkit didn't argue anymore after that. she had to trust him.

When they got back into the nursary, robinsong ran up to starkit and covered her in licks. "Are you okay?" she asked, worried, like a mother. "I'm fine" Starkit said, and Dawnspirit spoke at the same time. "She was the one who saved us, actually." No, Echo did. Robinsong nodded to Dawnspirit, accepting this. Then Robinsong told Dawnspirit the news. Starkit's eyes widened as she heard what happened. The deputy and the Medicine cat died? She shook her head in horror. Dawspsirit didn't look good either. Then Starkit heard Foxstars call from the clearing. "Let all cats old enought to catch their own prey, join here, beneath the Moon Perch!" And the cast in the nursary left to the clearing. Even all of the kits came.

"There has ben a terrible misgiving!" Foxstar ssaid as soon as everyone came. "Two of MoonClans most treasured cast have been murdered today. Our Deputy, thunderstreak, and our medicine cat, Featherbell. We mourn for them tonight!" Wails erupted from the MoonClan cats. "I also have to name a new deputy. " Foxstar looked around at the cast in the clearing, and then she spoke loud enough for the whole forest to hear. "The new deputy of MoonClan will be Leafblaze!" Cats in the clearing yoweled their approvel, and then Foxstar beconed Owlpaw and Tolonpaw to the MoonPerch. "I ould also like to do some ceremonys. Tolonpaw is ready for his warrior name, and Owlpaw is ready to become moonclans Medicine cat. " Foxstar did the ceremony for Talonpaw, who became Tolonfur. And then she did the ceremony for Owlpaw to become the medicine cat of MoonClan, and he became Owlfeather, in memory of Featherbells death, and mentorship.

Starkit padded through the mist shrouded forest, looking for someone. "Mother? Father? " She felt so alone in this dream. Everything was foggy, and she couildn't see anything. "Echo? Echo are you here? PLease, I don't Want to be alone anymore.." Seh kept walking, but she slowed down. Echo stepped out of the mist and padded up to her. "Echo.." He looked out into the forest. "Starkit, you need to go to the next gathering. There, you will find out your future." Starkit just stared at him. "The next gathering? But I'm a kit! I can't go!" Echo shook his head. "You must. There, you will find your path.." Then he faded away... and Starkit woke, breathing hard.

(SEE NEXT THE THIRD GATHERING)