**OLD** Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 1- Daughters and Darkness

Epilogue

 "Hello? Viperstrike? Ratchaser?" the one-eyed tabby called. "Are you out here?"

 A familiar voice answered through the dusk. "Twistedbramble? Is that you?"

 "Ratchaser?" the she-cat put on a sudden burst of speed, racing across the rocky field. She had crossed a mountain and a river, but she had finally found her mate. The grayish-brown tom was standing on a boulder, surveying the scenery. He immediately jumped down and rushed forwards towards the tabby.

 "Twistedbramble, you found us!" he cheered. "That took you long enough!" The two cats slowed down to touch whiskers, with Ratchaser purring happily. "Sorry about Squirrelstrike killing Snakelash, though. But at least me and Crowpelt and Purslanepaw and Viperstrike are still here. You are going to join us, right?"

 The she-cat suddenly drew back her head, alarmed. "Join you? Aren't you coming back to ForestClan with our kits?"

 "But... Viperstrike..." Ratchaser trailed off, sensing the tense moment. "We're planning our revenge, Twistedbramble. Don't you want to get back at the cats who hurt you?"

 "Those are my Clan, you know." she flared defensively. "You can't just leave them like that! I'm done following you guys and your evil intentions. Thanks to Darkstar and Brightstar, Mintleaf is dead. Marmotpaw is dead. Snakelash is dead. I had my eye clawed out! I'm going home to care for my family, Ratchaser. Have fun with your stupid friends." 

 The tom glanced at the rocks behind him. "Actually, we are a Clan." he said oddly.

 "What?" Twistedbramble hissed. "What do you mean?"

 "It's a long way back to ForestClan. Why don't you stay the night and meet the newest additions to CloudClan?" Ratchaser suggested, circling around and nearly vanishing into the darkness before the tabby reluctantly followed.

 "What's CloudClan?" she asked suspiciously, pacing to keep u with his long strides.

 "These cats are the lost StoneClan that CliffClan chased off moons ago. They used to live on the ridge of this mountain and hunt small rodents. Some say it's IceClan or MistClan, but they refer to themselves as CloudClan. Anyways, they recently have decided to join the Valley Cats again, and right now we're working on new names. Our camp is right... Here!" he waved his tail at a rocky hollow, where several strange cats were gathered.

 "How can you be sure they're the descendants of the lost StoneClan?" Twistedbramble pointed out. She didn't trust these strange cats. "For all you know, they could be some random band of rogues!"

 "Shh, Don't let Sapphirestar hear you say that!" Ratchaser hissed. As he spoke, a blue-gray she-cat materialized out of the night. Her icy eyes seemed to give off an eerie blue light. Behind her, Crowpelt and a gray-and-white cat appeared. "Greetings, my liege!" the grayish-brown tom said humbly. "This is Twistedbramble, my mate. I'm sure you've heard of her."

 "Hello, stranger." the blue-gray cat said smoothly. "I'm Sapphire... Star. Yes, Sapphirestar. I know who you are. Your mate hasn't stopped talking about you since he found us. You already know Crowpelt, I assume. And this is Sniffles- I mean, Coldsong, our... Healer. Senior healer. Is that right?" she cast an uncertain glance at Ratchaser, who nodded encouragingly.

 "Come over here, you two!" she suddenly snapped at a large tom and a black she-cat who had been licking the bones of some bird. The tom obediently trotted over to Twistedbramble, grinning at her welcomingly.

 "Hello, there!" he said warmly. "I'm Thunder... Splash?"

 "Thundersplash?" Twistedbramble narrowed her eyes. "What a strange name."

 The tom looked ruffled for a moment. "No, not that. This is Splash, my sister. She remembers my name even if I forget it all the time." he explained.

 The black she-cat was barely visible against the shadows, but it was clear that she was rolling her eyes. "It's Thunderheart. And I'm Splashshine now, remember?" she spat. Her brother nodded, mumbling the names under his breath as if he were hearing them for the first time.

 "Ah, yes. How lovely." Twistedbramble managed, forcing a small smile.

 "So, what do you think? Are you going to stay and help us rebuild CloudClan?" Ratchaser asked hopefully.

 Twistedbramble shook her head, uncertain. "I don't know. This is a lot to take in, especially after the long day I had... Do I have to decide now? I think I'm just going to be spending the night."

 "That's alright." Ratchaser said gently. "It's a big decision. I'm sure no one will judge you, whichever path you choose."

 "Really?" Twistedbramble cringed at the desperation in her voice.

 "I promise." the tom said strongly. "Whatever you decide, no one will blame you." 

 Stay tuned for Valley Cats Book Two: Poison Clouds!

 Production may begin in early August or September 2022 and will likely be finished by the end of October 2022!