Chapter 1
The ground was covered in fragile crystals, glimmering as the sun melted them down for a warm afternoon. A muzzle popped in the air, creating a small cloud that drifted up to meet the cold sky. A cat hopped across the small river, the bristles from her brown and black coat waving in the air. A she-cat was padding through the forest rather quickly, crinkling the leftover leaves as she went by.
The cat pounced on a rock, and settled in. She rested her head, closing her eyes.
'But what does this all mean?' The she-cat asked herself. ' The prophecy.....'
She let out a deep sigh and remembered what her mentor, and best friend once told her. "Starclan will puzzle you, Windtear, so if they give you a message, don't spend countless amounts of time trying to decode it. Continue about your duties, and just stay alert for any messages to come by." She could still see the brown tabby pace back and forth speaking to her, with the far off sound of chirping birds in the back of a warm greenleaf. She forced back a tear as she remembered the fun they'd have together, and although he's in Starclan, he never revisited her once yet.
She lifted her body, and jumped down from the rock. She recited the prophecy again through her mind. 'One will split into 3, and a shadow will grow over the forest.' She couldn't help but feel as though her mentor could be there, maybe a shade of brown just at the side of her periferal vision. She shook her head with a sigh, and began padding away. The brown cat came by a tall, steep mountainside. She found a small crevice in between the rocks, just big enough for an adult cat to squeeze through. She entered the small space.
Inside, the crevice opened up to a small cave. There was a dark brown elder cat laying down. He kept his left eyelid closed, covering the space where an eye should be. There was a scar across his face, and he had a bitten ear. His toes were dipped in white, and had a splash of white on his chest. His tail curled over his paws, with rings of brown and white surrounding it.
The cat laying down next to him was much younger. She was a lighter shade of brown, with a series of darker brown stripes coating her pelt. Her muzzle was white, and so was her underbelly and paws. This was the elder's daughter, Shellsong. Her mother was killed in a frightful battle moons ago, which the cats all know as the Battle of the Rouges.
The she-cat who had entered the den started with a cheerful meow. "How do you feel today, Oakenfur?" She asked to the eldest cat. Her ringed tail was relaxed, and she was standing tall, happy to see the two cats.
Oakenfur looked at her, his warming green gaze resting upon her eyes. He let out a sigh. "I would say well, but that big scar still brings me pain." His bushy dark brown and white tail lightly brushed across a huge scar that ran across most of his side. Oakenfur had other smaller scars dotting his body, but Windtear made sure they were healed completely, so they never bothered him. This scar, however was the most bothersome of them all. The tear was so wide, the skin in the middle was too frail that it kept tearing. Both the elder and the medicine cat were tired of the situation, but the medicine cat would never give up on the elder.
The she-cat drooped her tail and ears. She felt terrible not being able to further help Oakenfur heal the wound faster, but there isn't much else she can do. 'Sparrowchaser, is there something differently you would have done?' She couldn't help but feel the echo of a voice through her head say the words, 'No, you're doing fine.' Windtear wondered if that was really Sparrowchaser, talking to her, or if it's just her wanting to believe that.
"Would you like for me to fetch some Goldenrod?" She suggested, trying to be helpful.
But before Oakenfur could reply, the lighter brown cat answered.
