The Endless Prophecy - Night

Chapter 1

Rosekit threw the moss ball mid-air, "Let's see how you catch this!" she challenged Nightkit with a twinkle in her eye. Nightkit crouched, then leapt at the ball and caught it in mid-air, only to come crashing down onto Rosekit. The she-kits squeaked in surprise and rolled into the elder's den. They looked up to find an astonished Twigbranch staring at them.

"Well that was unexpected," she meowed, "You don't normally get squeaking kits rolling into the elder's den, do you?"

"Young kits these days," Flipclaw shook his head. "They get too carried away with their little games."

"Sorry," Nightkit apologized. "We won't disturb you again." the two kits padded away.

A purr rumbled in Twigbranch's throat. "You'd better not!" she called after them.

"Great StarClan, did you say you caught that ball in mid-air? " Firepaw pretended to look amazed.

"Yeah! And then Nightkit fell on me, and we rolled away into the elder's den!" Rosekit squeaked excitedly.

"Yes, and it's time to rest now, kits," Ravenpelt purred as she padded over to them. "Blazekit!" she called. 

Silence.

Ravenpelt sighed and herded the kits into the nursery. "I'll deal with Blazekit later, when I find him."

"Isn't he in the nursery already?" mewed Nightkit. "Surely you can hear him?"

"Well," Ravenpelt looked uncertainly at her daughter. "Maybe, but we can check."

Soon they found Blazekit curled up in his nest, snoring away.

"I told you he was in here!" whispered Nightkit.

"Hush," Rosekit whispered back, "Let's not wake the others."

Nightkit blinked at her, "Okay. Good night, Rosekit."

"You too."

Nightkit closed her eyes, welcoming the black void that clouded her vision.

She was in a leafy forest, under the trees that covered the star-speckled sky, prey was scattered everywhere. Nightkit picked up the warm scent of a mouse, she had tasted mouse before, it was her favorite food. She crept forward, desperate not to make any noise, and until she was a tail-length from it. Bunching her muscles, she leapt.

Did she do it? No, she had overleapt it . With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she watched the mouse scurry away. She had failed to catch it. She tasted the air again. there was a squirrel up on the highest branches of a tree... a vole beside a river that was too far away...and a cat- wait, a cat? Just as the thought came into mind, there was a terrified squeak abruptly cut off, and a cat emerged from the bushes, holding the mouse in her jaw. It was a tabby she-cat, with deep dark blue eyes, and a silver and white pelt, sparkling like stars-- which only meant:

"StarClan?!" Nightkit gasped. "Am I a medicine cat?"

"No, but something much more powerful and better than a mere medicine cat," the StarClan cat replied.

Nightkit's jaws parted, then she closed them. Hesitating, she mewed curiously, "Who are you?"

"My name is Ivypool."

Nightkit's eyes went wide with wonder and amazement at what she had earned to have a visit from a StarClan cat so famous. "Ivypool?" she mewed with awe. "They cat who spied for the Clans in the Dark Forest?"

"That's right, young one. I see you have been listening to the elders."

"But why am I here? Did I do something?" Nightkit's expression went from wonder and amazement to worry and anxiousness.

"Yes, indeed. Oh, it's nothing bad about you," Ivypool assured her. Then she straightened up. "Over the past moons, a hint of darkness has been rising in the horizon. We fear that another Great Battle is coming. Therefore, to protect the Clans forever and after, we shall pass down the power of the stars, generation by generation, lifetime by lifetime. Like Firestar and Lionblaze, Dovewing and Jayfeather, StarClan has searched many, and found only three cats who are worthy of this position. You are one of them."

"Me?" Nightkit mewed in shock. "But it can't possibly... I'm just an ordinary kit! I'm not even an apprentice yet!"

Ivypool thrust her muzzle into Nightkit's. "Does it matter if you're only a kit? Even the strongest warrior of the Clan can cower and turn to the dark. You have shown qualities that no other has. We have faith in you. "

"But what if I don't want all that responsibility?"

Ivypool went quiet as she thought about it. "Every cat has responsibilities. But every cat also have a choice. Like Cinderheart, if she refused to mate with Lionblaze because of their destinies, would Hollytuft and Fernsong still be here? Would Stemleaf have never found a mate and continued Graystripe's line? Everything we do is our choice, but we put our others' needs first. You can choose to accept the responsibility, or decline it and put your Clanmates at risk."

Nightkit went quiet. "I accept it," she mewed at last.

Ivypool blinked fondly at her. "I'm glad to hear that Firestar's kin still believes in StarClan. From now on, you will be granted the power of the stars, use it wisely. And remember always: There will be Three, kin of your kin, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws. Together the Three will travel beyond the realms of unknown. Take care, Nightkit, Firestar would be so proud..."

As the forest blurred in Nightkit's vision, and Ivypool faded away, but her voice lingered in her mind... until she awoke to a paw prodding her in the side, finding herself back in the ThunderClan nursery.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! we're going to be apprentices!