Post by Stonewing on Jan 17, 2011 23:05:53 GMT -5
I figured I might as well post this and see if people here like it.
First chapter is a little bloody. And a lot shorter than the other chapters I've written so far.
Stars glittered in the pelts of the former clan leaders and medicine cats. They surrounded a similarly starry pool, shuffling around and speaking to each other with a slightly nervous calm, awaiting one more cat's arrival. "It's not like Birchstar to be late," Commented one of them, a small, creamy brown she-cat named Dawnstar. "This can only spell trouble."
A dark ginger tom nodded in agreement. "I share your concern, Dawnstar." He paused. "I can think of no reason he would miss or forget the meetings that he constantly insisted upon." He turned his large head towards a gray tom with thick fur. "Hailstar, we've already been sitting here for a while. What do you think about this?"
Hailstar returned the other tom's gaze steadily and thought for a moment before responding. "I think we should just wait, Redstar. He couldn't be much longer." His voice wavered a little, but for the most part sounded confident. The other cats around him nodded in agreement. "But we can only wait so long." He took a breath. "We will start this council without him if we have to. If he is not here by moonhigh, we will begin."
There was silence for a few heartbeats before the steady sound of cats conversing began to emanate around the pool. However, shortly after they reached their peak, the whispers began to die down to the silence that had come before.
"Unfortunately, it seems this meeting will have to be started without Birchstar," Started Hailstar with a sigh. "Now, this meeting's first order of business is—"
A black and white tom with an abnormally long tail interrupted him. "Wait. I smell blood." His voice was shaking.
Redstar snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Tallstar. We're in Starclan. There's no—"Redstar stopped himself and visibly shuddered. "I smell it too."
Quickly, the hackles of all the cats began to rise and fur was standing at its end. The smell of fear and confusion arose out of the hollow surrounding the pool. "It's coming closer!" called one of the cats.
Bursting through the surrounding bushes, a heavily bleeding cat collapsed in the middle of the crowd. The cats all stood there in shock, jaws agape and the whites of their eyes showing. The once powerful leader torn apart to a small and weak looking bloody heap was a shock. His blood was now leaking into the starry pool.
"Birchstar!" Dawnstar pelted towards the wounded leader, his light brown tabby pelt was nearly unrecognizable under all of the blood that was caking his pelt. "He needs a medicine cat!" she yowled at the crowd. She turned her attention back to the lithe shape at her paws. "Birchstar, who did this to you?" She was struggling to comprehend how this could happen.
Several medicine cats began to leave where they had been settled only moments before the calm had broken. "He's escaped! He's escaped!" He tried to yowl feebly, choking on his own blood.
Dawnstar was hoping it was someone other than who she thought it was. "Who's escaped, Birchstar? Who did this to you?" She asked again panic beginning to rise within her chest.
Birchstar looked directly into the she-cat's eyes. "You know exactly who I'm talking about." He said between pants. "He said he won't stop—." A fresh fit of painful coughing overtook him temporarily. "He won't stop until we've all faded or joined him. His next victim will be the most innocent. Please help me…" He fainted as blood became a pool around him and the stars in his pelt began to leave.
"Oh, Starclan, help him!" She began to lick his pelt clean of the blood. "Yellowfang, Icewhisker, do something!" She cried out in disbelief of what was happening right in front of her.
Yellowfang swallowed grimly. "There's nothing we can do, he's already lost too much…blood." The last word hardly escaped her mouth. The thick-pelted gray she-cat pressed up against Dawnstar doing her best to comfort her fellow member of Starclan.
Gradually the cats of Starclan began to gather around the fading leader's body. Vigil was held well into the day, with no cat leaving his body until it had completely faded. Awkward silence gripped the shock and grief-ridden crowd of cats. "What do we do?" Nervously spoke up Icewhisker questioningly. For a while, silence was the only answer to the she-cat's question.
A cat on the outside with a crooked jaw was the first to respond. "We should warn the clans." A few murmurs or agreement rose up from the gathered.
"I disagree," A calm meow came from a blue-gray she-cat near Crookedstar. "If this was any indication, then he may simply have his followers do this to the messenger. I don't ever want to see something like this happen again." Bluestar's meow suddenly wasn't as composed as before. The other high-ranking cats began to realize what she was saying was true. "We must wait for the Three to realize what they must do."
Hailstar spoke for the first time in a long while. "But they're still so young," He pointed out. "And not even we know exactly how they're supposed to stop him." What he was pointing out was undeniable and only served to fuel anxiety. "Besides that, we don't even know who the third is or what their powers will be." He shook his head and sighed. "The future is truly grim."
Bluestar spoke again quietly. "All we can hope for is that some sort of warning gets to the clans quickly," Bluestar looked down, "although, even that may be too much to ask for."
A/N: Thank you to Moonflower (on Warrior's Wish) for helping me with the story and editing for this chapter.
This chapter takes place around Sunrise and the next one will be a flashback of sorts to around the Sight.
I have up to 3 chapters written (this one is one of those), but chapter 1 is split into 3 parts, so it's more like 5 chapters and I'm working on chapter 3.
And Review/Comment. I enjoy the criticism.
First chapter is a little bloody. And a lot shorter than the other chapters I've written so far.
Prologue: A Warning
Stars glittered in the pelts of the former clan leaders and medicine cats. They surrounded a similarly starry pool, shuffling around and speaking to each other with a slightly nervous calm, awaiting one more cat's arrival. "It's not like Birchstar to be late," Commented one of them, a small, creamy brown she-cat named Dawnstar. "This can only spell trouble."
A dark ginger tom nodded in agreement. "I share your concern, Dawnstar." He paused. "I can think of no reason he would miss or forget the meetings that he constantly insisted upon." He turned his large head towards a gray tom with thick fur. "Hailstar, we've already been sitting here for a while. What do you think about this?"
Hailstar returned the other tom's gaze steadily and thought for a moment before responding. "I think we should just wait, Redstar. He couldn't be much longer." His voice wavered a little, but for the most part sounded confident. The other cats around him nodded in agreement. "But we can only wait so long." He took a breath. "We will start this council without him if we have to. If he is not here by moonhigh, we will begin."
There was silence for a few heartbeats before the steady sound of cats conversing began to emanate around the pool. However, shortly after they reached their peak, the whispers began to die down to the silence that had come before.
"Unfortunately, it seems this meeting will have to be started without Birchstar," Started Hailstar with a sigh. "Now, this meeting's first order of business is—"
A black and white tom with an abnormally long tail interrupted him. "Wait. I smell blood." His voice was shaking.
Redstar snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Tallstar. We're in Starclan. There's no—"Redstar stopped himself and visibly shuddered. "I smell it too."
Quickly, the hackles of all the cats began to rise and fur was standing at its end. The smell of fear and confusion arose out of the hollow surrounding the pool. "It's coming closer!" called one of the cats.
Bursting through the surrounding bushes, a heavily bleeding cat collapsed in the middle of the crowd. The cats all stood there in shock, jaws agape and the whites of their eyes showing. The once powerful leader torn apart to a small and weak looking bloody heap was a shock. His blood was now leaking into the starry pool.
"Birchstar!" Dawnstar pelted towards the wounded leader, his light brown tabby pelt was nearly unrecognizable under all of the blood that was caking his pelt. "He needs a medicine cat!" she yowled at the crowd. She turned her attention back to the lithe shape at her paws. "Birchstar, who did this to you?" She was struggling to comprehend how this could happen.
Several medicine cats began to leave where they had been settled only moments before the calm had broken. "He's escaped! He's escaped!" He tried to yowl feebly, choking on his own blood.
Dawnstar was hoping it was someone other than who she thought it was. "Who's escaped, Birchstar? Who did this to you?" She asked again panic beginning to rise within her chest.
Birchstar looked directly into the she-cat's eyes. "You know exactly who I'm talking about." He said between pants. "He said he won't stop—." A fresh fit of painful coughing overtook him temporarily. "He won't stop until we've all faded or joined him. His next victim will be the most innocent. Please help me…" He fainted as blood became a pool around him and the stars in his pelt began to leave.
"Oh, Starclan, help him!" She began to lick his pelt clean of the blood. "Yellowfang, Icewhisker, do something!" She cried out in disbelief of what was happening right in front of her.
Yellowfang swallowed grimly. "There's nothing we can do, he's already lost too much…blood." The last word hardly escaped her mouth. The thick-pelted gray she-cat pressed up against Dawnstar doing her best to comfort her fellow member of Starclan.
Gradually the cats of Starclan began to gather around the fading leader's body. Vigil was held well into the day, with no cat leaving his body until it had completely faded. Awkward silence gripped the shock and grief-ridden crowd of cats. "What do we do?" Nervously spoke up Icewhisker questioningly. For a while, silence was the only answer to the she-cat's question.
A cat on the outside with a crooked jaw was the first to respond. "We should warn the clans." A few murmurs or agreement rose up from the gathered.
"I disagree," A calm meow came from a blue-gray she-cat near Crookedstar. "If this was any indication, then he may simply have his followers do this to the messenger. I don't ever want to see something like this happen again." Bluestar's meow suddenly wasn't as composed as before. The other high-ranking cats began to realize what she was saying was true. "We must wait for the Three to realize what they must do."
Hailstar spoke for the first time in a long while. "But they're still so young," He pointed out. "And not even we know exactly how they're supposed to stop him." What he was pointing out was undeniable and only served to fuel anxiety. "Besides that, we don't even know who the third is or what their powers will be." He shook his head and sighed. "The future is truly grim."
Bluestar spoke again quietly. "All we can hope for is that some sort of warning gets to the clans quickly," Bluestar looked down, "although, even that may be too much to ask for."
A/N: Thank you to Moonflower (on Warrior's Wish) for helping me with the story and editing for this chapter.
This chapter takes place around Sunrise and the next one will be a flashback of sorts to around the Sight.
I have up to 3 chapters written (this one is one of those), but chapter 1 is split into 3 parts, so it's more like 5 chapters and I'm working on chapter 3.
And Review/Comment. I enjoy the criticism.