Warriors: Moonlight
Chapter One
Larchpool yawned. He was guarding the camp tonight, with Flickertail. He shivered. Guarding the camp during the night wasn't as fun as he thought.
Until yesterday, Larchpool and Flickertail was Larchpaw and Flickerpaw. But he was given a warrior name after Full-star's speech. So now, he was a warrior alongside Flickertail. And today was his first day as a warrior.
Larchpool turned around, and spotted Full-star and Littlefern in front of the Medicine cat's den. The two was talking in a low, urgent voice that Larchpool couldn't hear. He felt a strong curiosity going through him.
"Hey, Larchpool! Can't believe I'm a warrior now!" Flickertail purred from behind.
"Uh-huh." Larchpool meowed and turned his attention back to the leader. But now, the leader was gone, leaving the medicine cat behind. Larchpool sighed. "You'll get use to it."
"I'd better go and meet Littlefern now. A thorn's stuck in my paw. It hurts badly!" Flickertail meowed, and limped across the camp.
"Uh, wait for me! I'm going, too." Larchpool called out. His head flooded with Littlefern and Fullstar's conversation. Maybe he could find out what were they talking about; maybe a prophecy from Fallenstar?
"Hello, Flickerpaw, I mean, Flickertail," Littlefern meowed from his den. "And Larchpool! What are you two doing here? I'm too busy these days, especially since the leaf-fall is coming close." he meowed, not even looking at them.
Larchpool laughed politly.
"Scorpionpaw, please take care of them. I have to go out and gather some herbs." Littlefern mewed to Scorpionpaw, his apprentice.
"I can do that, while you're treating them!" Scorpionpaw meowed.
Littlefern shook his head. "No, it's a long way to get the catmint, so it's better for me to go."
Larchpool twitched his ear. If Littlefern's away from the camp, he wouldn't be able to ask him about the conversation with Fullstar. But he couldn't urge Littlefern to say in his den. Larchpool's paw moved restlessly under the fallen leaves.
"Okay, Littlefern." Scorpionpaw sighed. "So, which one of you do I have to treat?"
"Not me. Flickertail." Larchpool flicked his tail to Flickertail.
"A thorn is stuck in my paw!" Flickertail shouted. "And it's stuck deep inside my paw, my paw's bleeding by now! I never thought a thorn was stuck. I was at the camp until the sunrise!" Flickertail babbled.
"Flickertail, I'm going to.. er, hunt. See you at the camp!" Larchpool meowed.
"Now dip your paw in the the water there. It'll be more good if the water's cool, Flickertail, no, no, put your paw into the water until you the symptom is gone!" Scorpionpaw guided from inside the den. "Yes, you'll be able to go out in no time." he meowed.
Larchpool glanced at Flickertail for one last time and ran toward Littlefern, who was walking out of the camp.
"Littlefern, wait!" he shouted out.
Littlefern stopped and turned around, his tail shaking as if he was annoyed.
"Larchpool, what are you doing here?" Littlefern asked.
Larchpool meowed nervously. Littlefern was a young medicine cat. He was often friendly, but after his mentor, Frecklenose died, he often spent times alone, leaving the tasks to Scorpionpaw. And he was also being more cranky.
"I was thinking that I might be a help to you..?"
Littlefern frowned, and then sighed.
"Okay, but promise me that you won't pick the wrong herbs, understand?"
Larchpool nodded.
"Catmints are a nettle-like plants with grayish green leaves and a delicious scent. We'll have to go to the Twoleg-place since the only that's the only place where it grows around here. But it won't be long until we get the catmints." Littlefern said.
"Um, Littlefern," Larchpool asked. "I saw you talking with Fullstar a moment ago."
Littlefern picked up a mouth-full of catmints and frowned.
"Am-hmm." he answered shortly.
"Was it about.. A new prophecy?" Larchpool asked again.
Littlefern flattened his ears, annoyed. He spat the cat mints and meowed,
"It was nothing, just help me picking up these catmints! We need plenty of them."
Larchpool picked up a few catmints. Littlefern was hiding something from the other Clanmates. If Littlefern and Fullstar decided to hide it from the others, it was definitely not good.
"It must be enough now." Littlefern meowed, putting the catmints on the ground. "And we need some poppy seeds, too. I saw some during our way here, and Otterfur might need it." he picked up the catmints again.
Larchpool nodded, picking up the catmints and preparing to run.
"And make sure you don't talk about-" Littlefern stopped himself.
"About what?" Larchpool meowed in curiosity.
"Nothing. Let's just go!" Littlefern answered sharply and started to run, catmints rattling in his mouth. He turned to Larchpool and gestured him to run along with him. Larchpool felt a curiosity running through his spine.
" ∙∙∙ So I think Littlefern and Fullstar's hiding something from us." Larchpool took a bit of his plump rat and gulped.
"No matter what, I'm sure Fullstar's going to tell us tonight." Flickertail replied from beside him.
Larchpool glanced at Fullstar, who was eating a small sparrow on the Rising rock. "He's talking with Littlefern again. I'd die rather than not knowing what they're talking about!" he whispered.
Flickertail purred, amused.
"You're a mouse-brain, Larchpool. Do you think Fullstar and Littlefern will hide something from us, their Clanmates?"
"Well, we're about to find it out. Fullstar has called for a Clan meeting now." he meowed, and pointed to the Rising rock where Fullstar was standing with the medicine cat.
"Let all the cats old enough to swim with the waves gather around the Rising rock for a Clan meeting!" Fullstar's loud voice rang over the camp, letting all the cats in WaveClan to hear.
Larchpool took a last bite of his rat, and ran over to the Rising rock with Flickertail.
"Littlefern and Scorpionpaw both had an urgent call from the Hunters of Fallen Stars. The new prophecy for the Clans has arrived." At Fullstar's word, the whole cats started to murmured.
"Was it about just us or the whole Clans?" Elmheart, a pale, brown tabby cat asked from somewhere.
Fullstar flicked his tail to keep the cats quiet.
"Littlefern, tell us about the prophecy." Fullstar stepped back and Littlefern stepped forward. His tail was trembling slightly, and his eyes was flooding with worries.
Littlefern took a deep breath, and started to explain about the warning-new prophecy.
"A big wave will swallow the lake, but none will be gone. Follow the trails of the past where the stars are glowing still now." he meowed. "This is the prophecy I received from Splashfoot."
"Who's Splashfoot, Larchpool?" Puddlekit, a small dark-ginger cat, asked Larchpool.
"He's an old warrior who joined the Hunters of Fallen Star a long time ago. He's a messanger, like Moonshine." Larchpool answered.
"Never mind Splashfoot. Do you think Fullstar had to tell this prophecy to the whole Clan? It'll make the cats more nervous and restless than ever!" Flickertail meowed abusively.
Larchpool stroked Flickertail's shoulder with his tail.
"We'll see about that." he meowed.
"We should alert and discuss the prophecy with the other Clans at the Gathering. Maybe Painheart, Rainshine and Whitefoot received a call from their ancestors, too." Robinclaw, a gray she-cat deputy, suggested.
Fullstar nodded and turned to the cats below the rock.
"14 sunrises after today is full-moon. The Gathering should start tomorrow. Inferring to the prophecy, it's not only us who'll face danger. The prophecy said that the whole lake will be swallowed by the wave. So the other medicine cats might've received the call, too, like Robinclaw said." he meowed, and the cat's murmurings turned into agreement.
Pollycloud.
Hunters of Fallen Stars = StarClan
Messenger = A cat who plays an important role on diplomacy with the other Clans. The messenger cat often carries a leader's word to another leader. Messengers are allowed to get through other Clans' territory.
Fallenstar = The leader of Hunters of Fallen Stars. A gray tabby she-cat, blinded, but smart. Reads a prophecy from the nature.
+ There are four Clans in the story. WaveClan, MistClan, MoonClan and ShadeClan (taken from ShadowClan)