Warriors | A Prophecy Reborn: Book 4. (Hidden In Darkness)

~Hidden In Darkness: Epilogue~

"You housecats are so stupid," Tideswirl retorted, flicking her cream-coloured tail as she grinned mockingly at Silvertuft.
"I'm not a housecat anymore!" Silvertuft insisted.
It seemed like the same old story being told over and over again to Fallowpounce. Almost every day, Tideswirl or Muniapelt or Wolfshadow would bring up the fact that most of SkyClan's warriors now were originally kittypets or loners or rogues.
They think they can say anything just because they're descended from the original SkyClan cats? Pah! Fallowpounce thought angrily.
Prior to becoming an official SkyClan warrior nine moons ago, he was a loner living inside an abandoned twoleg barn not far from where their camp was with his mother, Acacialeaf, his father, Gorsespring, his brother, Elmfire, and his sisters, Fawnspots and Wishgazer.
Fallowpounce remembered he and his family only being known as Fallow, Acacia, Elm, Fawn and Wish. Gorsespring was the only one with a completely different name.
I can see why he wanted to change it, Fallowpounce thought. Cider isn't a very good name for him in my opinion.
Fallowpounce was the youngest of his family; his oldest sibling was his brother, Elm, and after Elm came Wish, and then Fawn.
"...even if you are a secret housecat," Muniapelt said. Fallowpounce had stopped listening halfway through the conversation while he thought.
"I'm not a secret housecat!" Silvertuft told the brown she-cat. "You must have bees in your brains!"
"Well, you all must have ticks in your pelts because you're really ticking me off!" Fawnspots yelled at the four warriors.
Fallowpounce was sure she'd learned that word from her old kittypet friend, Buzz. Fallowpounce had never liked Buzz. Buzz had been a kittypet who frequently visited the barn they were living at, and he couldn't stand Buzz's thoughts toward his sister.
Good riddance, fat old Buzz! Fallowpounce thought gleefully.
"Fallow, find Elm, please," Gorsespring told him. "Fetch him and ask your sister to  meet us in the medicine den."
Fallowpounce stretched, feeling the warm rays of sunshine on his pelt, and padded off to find Elmfire.
"What are you doing?" he asked the white-and-orange tom.
"Nothing," Elmfire wheezed as he crouched by the hole in the ground. "Just something in my throat," he coughed.
"Gorsespring wants you to come to the medicine den when you're done," Fallowpounce told his brother. "Not unless you'd like to go now so Wish and Smokewatcher can get you checked?"
"I think I just need a bit of water," Elmfire admitted. "Stupid feathers... I'll come soon."
Fallowpounce stopped himself from chuckling aloud. Karma! he thought.
He walked away, breathing in the fresh, forest-y air and the scents of prey. Everything was so calm and relieving here. It felt like it wasn't real. It was amazing. Fallowpounce was especially proud of how he'd helped set up the camp with his father.
Something's not right though, he thought. There should be more of us... There should be more cats here.
He knew Adeniumfeather was expecting Crackedfur's kits, just as Brindlestream was expecting Rubblestar's, but that wasn't what he meant. He meant more cats in this lands, in this territory.
More cats would also mean trouble, he knew, but it would be far less lonely than only the strays of the twoleg huts and the same old snobs of SkyClan.
Interrupting his thoughts, Elmfire stumbled over, panting but looking relieved.
"Are you okay?" Fallowpounce asked.
"I'm fine," Elmfire replied, inhaling deeply to catch the fresh air riding through the trees. "Just some feathers from that sparrow from earlier. Let's go to the medicine den now."
Fallowpounce thought Elmfire was unusually happy today as he followed him.
When they reached the medicine den, he heard Acacialeaf, Gorsespring, Wishgazer, Smokewatcher and Fawnspots already inside.
Good thing the medicine den is big enough for so many cats! he thought.
"Hello, Fallowpounce," Smokewatcher said. "Elmfire," he greeted.
"Greetings, Smokewatcher," the brothers said in unison. "What did you need us for?" Fallowpounce asked.
Gorsespring and Acacialeaf looked worried as Smokewatcher spoke.
"Wishgazer and I have been sent a vision by our ancestors," the grey tom said. "It spoke of three cats from SkyClan searching for the Old Clans."
"The Old Clans!" Fallowpounce gasped. The Clans of wind, river, shadow and thunder! Why would they call for us?
"Why should we help them?" Elmfire grunted. "They left SkyClan to die without lifting a claw to help! Why should we help the Clans that shunned us from our old home when we needed them most?"
"I agree," Wishgazer said, turning her blind amber eyes on her brother. "We were left for dead when we needed their help. But that doesn't mean we should do the same. It makes us no better than they were."
"Eye for an eye!" Elmfire spat. "They don't deserve our help after what they did."
"Whether they deserve our help or not is up to our ancestors to decide," Smokewatcher told him. "But we mustn't wait any longer, because what affects them will affect us!"
"No, it won't! You don't know that!" Fawnspots argued. "Elm's right! Fallow, back us up!"
Why me? Fallowpounce thought. He hated being dragged into these kinds of disputes, arguments that divided his siblings and forced him to choose between them. He just wanted to hunt and fight, not worry about matters that didn't concern him at this time.
"Can I abstain?" Fallowpounce asked jokingly. His pelt burned with embarrassment and awkwardness as he was caught under their serious gazes.
"I think we should do what we can to try and help those who would do the same for us," Fallowpounce tried.
"They didn't do anything for us, Fallow!" Elmfire snarled in outrage. "They didn't bother to save us or help us from the twolegs!"
"The Twopaws were not what destroyed SkyClan," Smokewatcher reminded him calmly.
"They surely didn't help!" Elmfire spat scornfully.
"The Old Clans will be changed now," Wishgazer said. "There will be new cats there. No cat from when we were kicked out would still be alive today."
Elmfire hesitated. Looking down at his paws, he thought for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right, Wish," Elmfire said.
Fallowpounce stifled a long sigh of relief as his brother turned back to the older medicine cat. Fawnspots looked slightly confused when Elmfire changed his mind, but decided not to protest any further.
"Which of them shall leave, Smokewatcher?" Wishgazer asked.
Smokewatcher closed his eyes for a moment, as though resting briefly, then slowly opened his eyes again. "Acacialeaf," he said, flicking his tail toward the orange she-cat. "And you two," he added, flicking his tail toward Wishgazer and Fallowpounce.
"Them?" Muniapelt interrupted from behind. "A clumsy loner and a blind cat? You're kidding!"
"I didn't realize you'd been invited to eavesdrop on the conversation!" Fawnspots scoffed.
"Take me and Tideswirl instead!" Muniapelt begged. "We're better fighters than these loners and we won't slow anyone down because we're fully-sighted."
Wishgazer bristled.
"Who do you think healed you when we found you by our barn?" Fawnspots hissed defensively. "Oh, yes, it must have been a dog! Stupid overgrown vole," she muttered.
Muniapelt huffed and stormed out of the medicine den with an angry flick of her tail.
"Anyway," Smokewatcher said, "Acacialeaf, you will leave with Wishgazer and Fallowpounce. I have to watch after Rubblestar. He seems to be getting worse."
"If he doesn't live, that'll make Spirefall our leader instead," Fawnspots muttered to Fallowpounce.
"Spirefall is a good deputy," Wishgazer said to her sister. "He would be a strong leader."
Elmfire nodded. "He may be a bit daft from time to time, but he's usually thinking about his Clan when he is."
"You must leave soon if you are to catch the Old Clans before they are destroyed," Smokewatcher told Acacialeaf. "Be quick. Wishgazer and I have already prepared traveling herbs."
"Remember, Wish, it'll be a dangerous journey," Gorsespring said to his blind daughter. "You too, Fallow," he said.
"We'll stay together and we'll be careful," Acacialeaf promised. "Fallow, Wish, eat your herbs. We'll leave after you're finished."
Wishgazer dropped Fallowpounce's herbs in front of him while Gorsespring, Fawnspots and Elmfire left the den to give them some room. Wishgazer passed Acacialeaf her herbs next, then sat down to eat her own.
I'm part of a dangerous journey! Fallowpounce thought eagerly, ignoring the bitter herbs. His belly twisted with anxiety and excitement mixed in one.
He worried about his mother and blind sister. Wishgazer was older than him, but she was still blind, and he didn't want to lose any of his kin on this journey.
I'll look after them both, Fallowpounce promised himself.
After finishing their herbs, the cats set off, saying their goodbyes and padding away from the camp.
"Go to Moontree," Smokewatcher's voice echoed in his head. "From there, you will find your way. Remember that the Old Clans' lake is doomed. Darkness lurks on the horizon. Be careful, travelers."
Fallowpounce cast a final glance back at SkyClan's camp. It had only been twelve moons since he and his family joined SkyClan. He hadn't expected to go on an adventure until he was at least Gorsespring's age.
Please let us make it out of this alive, he thought desperately as he walked on alongside Wishgazer and Acacialeaf.