Coastal Storms

Prologue

A still haze of fog covered the vast forest so thick that it seemed to reflect the night sky as it bore down on the landscape below. Two shadowy figures moved among the trees in the blue light of dawn, one quite a bit smaller in size. Their steps moved silently over the short grass, determined strides moving their bodies along while the smaller cat seemed to have to make two steps for every one the cat in front took.

"Where are we going?" A small mew squeaked, disturbing the cool morning silence, slightly muffled by the fog surrounding them. Her voice sounded unsure, as if she was afraid to even call out and disturb the silence that hung in the air.

"Beefur will wonder where I've run off to and get mad again..." The small voice sounded once more after being met with silence from the older cat, however this time it trailed off as if expecting little more answer than she had already received. The larger cat ahead of her flicked their ears in acknowledgement but said nothing.

The two cats came to a small clearing and the lazy babble of a shallow stream sounded close by as they walked. Venturing close to the slick mud that marked the bank the young cat came to a halt, her mottled tan and brown fur fluffed against the slowly dissipating chill. The larger cat, a black she-cat with bright yellow eyes and the only other splash of color being a small tip of white on her tail, sighed and cast her thin tail over the small brown cat's shoulders.

"We're nearly there Cranekit, I'm sorry we have to rush. I will explain everything soon." There was something missing from the black she-cat's brief statement, as if she was struggling to pick her words. She turned and nudged the kit forward with her tail to pad through the clearing that lay beside the shallow stream when an excited yowl rang out from a distance away. The kit froze, however even the strange new voice seemed to relax rather than scare her, Beefur had told her only to trust cats she knew but something in her gut said that  she was safe with this cat and the newcomer.

"Batswoop! Hey Batswoop!" The voice called out from close to a nearby boulder that sat across a now visible stream of clear water that flowed through an assortment of large and small rocks. A long furred yellow she-cat jumped on top of the boulder, beckoning Batswoop over. She let out an audible and  turned to Cranekit with a warm apologetic glance, her yellow eyes coasting over the kit. She was visibly tired from making such a journey at such a young age, although they were nearly back to a place surrounded by warm dens and flower covered bushes.

"Wait for me here Cranekit, I won't be gone long. Once I'm back we'll get you into a warm nest with a full belly." The black she-cat leaped down the stream bank and skidded over the rocks with ease, seeming to nearly keep her paws from skimming the wateras she did so. She hopped up onto the bank to face the yellow cat who had now descended from the boulder and was waiting for her, tail twitching happily.

"Greetings Owlcry, how is the hunting in your lands?" Batswoop nodded to the other she-cat, taking a seat and curling her tail neatly over her front paws. The yellow cat flicked her ears slightly, indicating towards the kit "Another of Beefur's kits..." her voice trailed off in a low questioning tone, as if ignoring the bland introductory mew Batswoop had made. The black cat's fur spiked on her neck and she blinked, not wanting to give an answer. Owlcry dipped her head solemnly as if she knew even without being told and Batswoop turned her head back to let her gaze rest back on the small tan and brown she-kit, who was now leaping around in a circle, chasing one of the last lightning bugs sparkling in the quickly brightening morning light. What could Owlcry want on our side of StarClan? She thought with a sliver of irritation, trying to stretch her mind to the far edges of the StarClan hunting grounds, hoping that if she willed it enough that she'd be able to see something across the border, maybe an explanation for Owlcry's anxiousness.

"Big things are coming to your Clans Batswoop, tough times the cats need to be prepared for. Their loyalty and devotion to the warrior code will be tested." Her dark words rattled through Batswoop's ears and she stood, glaring at Owlcry. If there were hard times coming for the clans she watched over, why didn't she and her own starry clanmates know first?

"Don't you have enough to do with your own Clans instead of butting into ours?" She snapped with her fur bristling, knowing she was being too brash with the other cat.. "We may all follow the same code but our paws walk different paths. The lake clans need you and their other ancestors, but there are other cats who speak with those cats who settled by the sea. What do you mean, what are these changes?" Batswoop's frustration was evident in her prickling black pelt, Owlcry took a step back and her eyes took on a nervous shine. Mousebrain, I have no reason to attack you, Batswoop thought bitterly, even if it would feel good to cuff the other cat on the ears. The StarClan cats of the lake clans had always had a paw in each stretch of hunting grounds as if the sea clans couldn't care for themselves or rely on their own ancestors, even though the two sets of clans lived far apart from each other.

Owlcry dipped her head, keeping her gaze fixed on her paws intensely for a moment before dragging her eyes back to meet Batswoop's. "Forgive me for intruding, I only come bearing the message." The yellow starry pelted warrior's voice was apologetic though Batswoop's shoulder fur stayed pricked with the anxiety the other cat's words sent coursing through her veins. The two cats stared at each other for a moment then once again looked to Cranekit, who didn't seem to notice her guide's extended absence while she hunted what must be a small bug in the short tufts of grass by the creek bank. She shook her head and turned her attention back to the starry yellow cat, whose serious look hadn't faltered however it had softened as if she knew she was setting her paw over delicate boundaries.

"No cat knows the fate destined to befall the seaside clans, but there is blood on the horizon and it will take a strong devotion to the warrior code and also to what's right in order to avoid crashing into the cliffs that defend your land." Owlcry's figure seemed to fade into the stars with her words, the last few just a mere whisper on the tiny breeze of wind. Batswoop shook her head and stood, taking a moment to give her chest fur a lick. When her black pelt stopped bristling she carefully bounded back across the shallow stream to where Cranekit was waiting, the kit looked weary, but bright eyed nonetheless as she noticed the bigger cat coming back. It's the brightest her gaze has been since she became ill, Batswoop thought , a sad memory of the illness that had struck the kit and claimed her life in just a quarter moon's time. "Come Cranekit, there's a soft nest filled with feathers calling your name just beyond this tree line." She murmured softly, resting her tail on the kit's back to lead her through the bushes at the edge of the woodland. As Cranekit entered the thick line of bushes Batswoop halted for a brief moment, casting a glance back towards the spot where she had sat speaking to Owlcry. I must get a message to the medicine cats, and quickly... she thought before turning and leaping after the young kit.