(Finished!) Warriors Fanfiction: The Same Fate

Chapter 6

That night StarClan invaded Alderfall's dreams. She dropped down onto solid ground, the warmth of the sun making her purr. She heard a meow, and she spun around to see a cat, one that she recognized as the former leader, Swiftstar. He had died when Alderfall was just four moons old, but she could still remember his soft pelt when she used to tackle him, and how his hard voice had surprisingly soothed her, and the way his dark brown pelt had blended in with the forest.

She ran up to him, and nuzzled him with great affection.

He looked at her with soft eyes. "Hello, Alderfall. I see you have grown into a fine warrior," His smile started fading. "Just wish I could've been there to see you."

She found sadness in her father's eyes, and she tried to fix it. "You have been watching me from StarClan, and that is enough." She smiled, and Swiftstar copied.

"Not only have I been watching you, but I also have been watching those crazy kits of yours!" He teased jokingly.

Alderfall gasped sarcastically. "Are you making fun of my kits?"

"Nevermind that," he mewed after he had stopped laughing. "I have a message from StarClan," he said firmly. "Beware the one that lurks in the darkness. And beware one that might find a path that you can't follow." He started fading, and Alderfall longed for him to stay. But he was gone in a heartbeat.

She gasped, and found herself in the waking world. She spun her head around, confused about what her father had said. Beware the one that lurks in the darkness. And beware one that might find a path that you can't follow. She shivered, and realized that it was dawn. She paced toward Dawnstar's den, and only went in when Dawnstar meowed a welcome. Dawnstar looked up at Alderfall, tired. Makes sense. Alderfall thought. She had probably been up all night, with all the stress going around the clan. She sat down, her paws sinking into soft dirt and sand. "I had a dream last night," Alderfall explained. "It was about a prophecy."

Dawnstar looked worried, but she just said, "Tell me about it."

So Alderfall did, from the moment she got into the dream to the moment she got out.

Dawnstar was breathing heavily. Alderfall looked at her wonderingly, but she could already guess what her leader would say. Alderfall asked, "You ok?"

"No! 'Beware the one that lurks in the darkness?' That makes sense. The dark cat, right?" Dawnstar cried. Alderfall nodded.

"But 'beware one that might find a path that you can't follow?' That doesn't make any sense." She breathed. Alderfall thought. She thought up ideas for what it might mean. "What about the thunderpath? That is a place that we can't really follow." She tried to sound reassuring, but she failed. Even she knew that that wasn't the real meaning for the second part of the prophecy. But Dawnstar just nodded. "You're probably right. It's probably not anything serious." Alderfall's leader sighed, relieved. Is she serious? Or is she just trying to make me feel safer? She wondered. She pushed the distracting thoughts aside. "Even if it is just a small thing," Alderfall commented slowly, trying to get Dawnstar's eyes, the small slits that were fixed on the moss in her bedding. "We need to have more cats on patrols," Alderfall mewed. Dawnstar looked back at Alderfall, now focusing on her. Alderfall continued. "What about instead of three cats on one patrol, there will be four?" Dawnstar nodded, and went back to staring at the soft moss. Alderfall hesitated. She wondered if she should stay and comfort Dawnstar, knowing that she is worried about what darkness might come to her clan.

***

Alderfall was swiftly stalking in the undergrowth, the few brambles brushing against her pelt. She had decided to go hunting, alone, to clear her head. It had helped, but not much. She had gotten even more scared as she had left the security of the camp. She lifted her head and parted her jaw to scent the warm smell of prey. She scented mouse, and just a heartbeat later heard small paws rhythmically scuffling on the forest floor. She dropped into a hunter's crouch, and, paw by paw, stalked toward the sound, her belly fur slightly brushing the ground. Alderfall saw the small mouse digging its head in some leaves that had departed from a tree. The mouse raised its head in alarm, but was too late. Alderfall sprang, killing the mouse in one swift bite. She buried her kill to grab later, sniffed the air, and a moment later she was moving through the undergrowth, being very silent, her tail not touching the ground, moving throughout the forest like a snake, slithering toward her prey. She pounced, and in a heartbeat she had a rabbit dangling from her jaws. She decided that this was enough, and, after grabbing her buried fresh-kill, trekked back to the camp. She was relieved when she saw the big, open sprawl of sand, dirt and rock, surrounded by thorns and brambles that protected their camp. She breathed in the aroma of one of the last plump prey, and set it down on the fresh-kill pile.

"We won't have many more big fresh-kill once leaf-fall starts to come," Alderfall heard Branchtail meow to Junipermist. She went to go talk to him, but heard a familiar voice call the clan for a clan meeting. Alderfall stopped, and walked over to the lower rock that is meant for deputies. Dawnstar, who was sitting on the rock, looked at Alderfall's kits. Alderfall looked at them too, but had no clue of what was going on. The kits were trying not to move, but failed, as they were squealing happily and shuffling from paw to paw. Suddenly Alderfall knew what was going on.

"Woodkit, Turtlekit, Honeykit, and Reedkit, step up," The kits bounded to the Hardrock at Dawnstar's words. "Woodkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Woodpaw. Your mentor will be Branchtail. I hope Branchtail will pass down all he knows on to you," She looked at Branchtail. "You are a strong, loyal warrior. I hope you teach all you know down to this apprentice." Branchtail padded up to Woodkit, just as much excited as Woodkit was. Dawnstar addressed all of the other kit's mentors, with Honeykit's mentor being Deerstripe, Reedkit's mentor being Amberheart, and Turtlekit's mentor being Hardfur.

"Clan meeting dismissed."

Alderfall leapt off the rock, and, along with the other warriors, congratulated her kits. I'm so proud of them. She thought, but realized that one kit was missing. She looked in the direction of the medicine cat's den, and felt an ache in her chest, as she remembered her poor kit's sickness, and wished that Berrykit could be here. Oh, StarClan, please let my kit recover fast.