Rivers and Trees: A Warriors Fanfiction

Chapter 1: A Visit from the Stars

The half-moon was shining brightly in the dark, indigo sky. Silverpelt's warrior ancestors looked down on Creampaw and her mentor, Snowfern, as they raced through the forest on their way to Fourtrees. Once they reached the four great oaks, Creampaw saw the WindClan medicine cat apprentice, Stagpaw, and his mentor, Tansyfur, waiting beside one of the great trees. Creampaw raced over to where Stagpaw was sitting. "Where are ThunderClan's and ShadowClan's medicine cats?" Creampaw asked him.

"How am I supposed to know? They're just a little, well, more like extremely late. You don't need StarClan to tell you that," He replied curtly. Just then, Creampaw scented ThunderClan and saw Puddlesong's blue-gray pelt in the distance.

"Finally!" Stagpaw mumbled under his breath. Creampaw saw Tansyfur give him a silencing glance.

"Oh, Blackyew isn't here yet. That figures," Puddlesong complained.

"They'll be here any heartbeat now," Tansyfur replied optimistically, as if she could make it true.

"We haven't got all night!" Stagpaw snapped at his mentor.

"Should we just start heading to Highstones now?" Asked Puddlesong.

"Why won't you just be patient?" Tansyfur asked, still glaring at her apprentice.

"Oh, I see Blackyew!" Snowfern called out. Creampaw could now scent ShadowClan that she wasn't distracted by all the bickering. Usually, the medicine cats didn't fight like this, but it sometimes happened.

"Let's go then!" Stagpaw beckoned the other medicine cats with his tail. The six medicine cats pelted towards Highstones. After quite a bit of running, Creampaw spotted the tall, jagged stones called Highstones.

"There!" She meowed. The cats started running faster until they reached the stones that surrounded the cave that they call Mothermouth.

"Remember, we can't tell each other what dreams we have at the Moonstone until we understand what they mean," Snowfern instructed them.

"Yes, we know!" Stagpaw hissed.

"Stagpaw, why can't you treat the other medicine cats with kindness?" Tansyfur murmured inquisitively to her apprentice, "after all, we all have a special bond through StarClan."

Stagpaw shook his head and starting walking through the mouth of the cave.

"Stagpaw, wait!" Tansyfur snapped at him. "We need to go together."

The six cats ventured through the cave. This was the first time Creampaw had ever been to the Moonstone, besides when Snowfern took her in as an apprentice, but even though she'd been there before, she was extremely excited. It would be her first real time at the Moonstone! It was pitch black when they walked in. It was also cold, but Creampaw was so excited she didn't complain. Once they reached the middle of the cave, Creampaw saw the moon through an opening in the roof, and before she could blink, Moonstone lit up, causing Creampaw to jump. Snowfern brushed her flank against hers, and Creampaw knew that Snowfern was trying to calm her. The other medicine cats touched their noses to the Moonstone, so she followed in their steps. She touched her nose gently to the Moonstone. It was so cold, Creampaw almost drew back, but something kept her there. Suddenly, everything went pitch black. She was floating in the middle of nothing but a sea of darkness.

"Hello?" Creampaw called out. She could hardly get the words out of her mouth. Suddenly, she was at the river near ThunderClan territory.

"Hello?" She asked again. There was no reply. She then saw a pair of amber eyes in the distance on ThunderClan territory. More eyes began appearing. It looked like the entire clan was there after a moment! She heard a yowl behind her and saw a RiverClan patrol, fur bristling.

"What's going on?" Creampaw shrieked. Out of nowhere, mist appeared and formed into Heathernose, Snowfern's former mentor. Snowfern had told Creampaw about Heathernose, so when Creampaw saw the ghostly cat's pretty, amber eyes, Creampaw knew it was her.

"H-Heathernose?" Creampaw was confused. Why had Heathernose come to her in this dream, or was this a vision?

 The StarClan cat only gave her a worried look and said, "Peace has come once, but it will fade once more. Only one can save RiverClan, whose claws are as sharp as talons and thorns."

 Heathernose began to fade, but before she disappeared completely, Creampaw called out, "Heathernose! Don't go! Don't leave me!" 

Her eyes shot open to see the cave that was only lit by the bit of light coming from the stars shining through the hole in the roof. The Moonstone was now dark, and the other medicine cats got up and started trotting out of the cave. Creampaw could hardly follow, her legs shaking and weak.

"Creampaw! Are you OK?" Snowfern asked her once they were out of the cave. She obviously noticed Creampaw's fear and could see her fur bristling. "You haven't had a prophecy, have you?"

Creampaw was too spooked to speak, so she shook her head and mumbled, "I don't know..."