Glowing Shadows

P R O L O U G E

The stars seemed to scramble into a forest shape, while cats also made out of stars sat tightly, and the brightest tree shone even brighter, and the cream coloured cat stepped forth, "a prophecy!" The black cat scoffed and mewed, "please, Peachflower, we haven't gotten a prophecy in seasons! What's it say?" Peachflower rolled his eyes at the black she-cat and told the other cats what the prophecy said: "The cats in the shadows shall save us when darkness falls, Blacksnow, this truly is a prophecy." The ghosts fell into murmurs, when The tree shined as bright as it could and a tortoiseshell cat showed up, the cats started laughing, "her? She's just a kit!" A cat called. "she may be young, but she is fierce." Peachflower countered. As quickly as she appeared, another cat was shown on the hole in the tree, a white queen with dazzling blue eyes, heavily pregnant by the looks of it. "She'll kit during the journey! There's no time for kits!" The complaint was yet again countered by Peachflower. "She may have her kits before the journey, she could have them now!" Then a black tom appeared, another wave of complaints arose. "The failed traitor? What?! That's insane!" It was indistinguishable who said it, and then a silver she-cat shined on the tree, and finally, no one complained, except Blacksnow, "she'll have to hold the group together! Between an apprentice, a cat about to pop, and a traitor who came crawling back, she'll be the only thing stopping them from collapsing!" The harshness in her voice was sharper than a thorn and her eyes were colder than ice. "I did not choose these cats, the tortoiseshell may help hold them together. She is not an apprentice, nor is she immature," Peachflower dipped his head as he spoke and was so careful not to slip on his words that it was just pathetic. Blacksnow's eyes turned the slightest bit softer, "hm... I didn't think about that." She trotted off, and there was uncertainty in Peachflower's eyes for the first time since he was an apprentice,
"Who will tell the cats..?" Peachflower hung on his sentence and turned to ZodiacClan, the ghosts cleared out of the forest, and four cats came out of the crowd, a white tom, a blue she-cat, a ginger she-cat, and a brown tabby she-cat.
"Ah, Blankstar, Jadestone, Firemelt, and Tigercall, you cats were closest to them, go deliver the prophecy." He stalked away and the four floated off the island onto the world.
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Tigercall pushed her way into the nursery, where she knew he would be.
"Mother!" The black tom laying next to the golden queen's eyes lit up in delight.
"Nightleaf, I cannot stay, but I do have something for you to remember, The cats in the shadows shall save us when darkness falls, and do not judge the cats with you," she whispered, careful not to cause a scene.
"Mother! Please! Come back..." Nightleaf cried out to his mother and she dissolved as quick as she came.
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Firemelt had been pacing the tree she was in, as an uneasy feeling rose in Firemelt that Froststone would not come. She twitched her tail, and suddenly she felt a lurch from her back, and she nearly fell out of the tree she was sitting in.
"Froststone! I almost came back to life how much you scared me!" the ginger she-cat scolded Froststone, and she giggled and blinked happily
"But... why are you here?" Froststone looked downward and let her tail droop sadly and was stunned when Firemelt told her she was part of a prophecy.
"The cats in the shadows shall save us when darkness falls, do not judge your fellow cats on your journey, you know from Heatherfern not to form any bonds deeper than friendship, " she mewed, and Froststone nodded solemnly while Firemelt hopped out of the tree and went back to her home in the stars.

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It was time for Jadestone to deliver her prophecy to Icyfog, and she was nervous about it. She unsteadily made her way into the shifting camp of StreamClan, pushing through to the nursery, where nothing shifted or sagged under her paw steps, and found Icyfog lounging on the most comfortable nest in the nursery, Jadestone had assumed her swollen belly made it hard for her to move.
"Sister? What are you doing here?" The white she-cat questioned, and Jadestone dipped her head,
"I cannot stay, but you must know one thing. The cats in the shadows shall save us when darkness falls," the blue she-cat said, fading.
"Sister! No! Come back! Please...?" Her whisper became lower and lower until she stopped, and hunched over the mouse she was eating, and took a few weary bites.
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Blankstar had delivered many prophecies, and he was calm about telling her.
"Dappledlynx, I have something to say to you." The dappled she-cat fought the bramble sheet covering the warriors' den.
"Blankstar? Oh, I've missed you! Is something wrong?" Dappledlynx sighed sadly and seemed to quickly get knocked down.
"You are part of a prophecy—" he choked on his words as he continued, "—The cats in the shadows shall save us when darkness falls. I'll miss you so dearly." He dipped his head and touched noses with her.