The Looming Shadows

Chapter 14

The Clan cats gasped. Around the hollow, the grass was stripped raw, and the ground looked parched. As they glanced around, they realized most of the moor grass was gone, except for some sparse, straw-like wisps in the distance. Several long pieces of green scattered around the brown earth, ripped out forcefully.

The cats jumped back from the hole. Underneath their paws, they could feel a strange vibration, something unearthly they had never felt before. With wary looks at one another, they didn't dare approach the empty earth. 

Even from far away, it was clear something was inside the hole. Not a single one of the cats could stop staring at it.

"Do you see that?" Hawkwing's voice was trembling and hesitant. "I can hardly believe what I'm seeing."

Crowstar was near him, but he didn't respond. He continued to glare at the brown, hot earth. A storm was brewing inside him as his gaze darkened ominously.

Leafstar approached her deputy slowly. Her eyes, along with the other cats, never left the hollow hole. Inside of it, dozens of stars were etched in the emptiness of burnt, brown land. The lines were sharp and intertwined finely, so that the stars seemed to connect together.

"It can't be a coincidence." Ivypool whispered fearfully under her breath.

"It's a sign. It is just as I thought." Leafstar paused. "This rock must have fallen from StarClan. I'm afraid it must be true. Why else would something from the sky fall with stars?" She turned towards all the cats to face them.

"The land of StarClan is falling apart."

Every cat stared in horror at Leafstar, terror filling their eyes. A few of them nodded their heads uneasily. 

One cat was not swayed. It wasn't clear whether Crowstar was reluctant or just frustrated with the situation. The dark tom's pelt bristled fervently. He glared resentfully at the stars.

"No!" He snapped. Leafstar blinked at him curiously.

"No?" She narrowed her eyes. "You want to tell us all 'no' when something falls from the sky, and the markings of the stars are all over it? What do you suggest it is?" She demanded.

Crowstar flexed his claws, unwilling to meet her gaze. Unsheathing his paws, he dug into the ground leaving vicious claw marks. He tore jagged lines down the earth rapidly with rage. 

"No! StarClan can't be threatened! If StarClan territory is falling, then what will become of the StarClan cats?!" He yowled furiously. "We should not accept this idea without proof. We are dealing with something we don't understand-" 

He paused, noticing all the eyes on him. 

"Why are you all staring at me like I have bees in my brain?!"

Leafstar's pelt smoothed. She sighed, moving closer to the WindClan leader sympathetically. 

"I understand your concerns, Crowstar, but it's obvious. This must be a sign. How else could these stars be here? No cat has returned to StarClan since the shadow cat attacked it, but the cats who have seen it, including yourself, have said it has changed. We can't be sure how far that change has affected the land, but I think now we can have an idea."

She pushed a pebble away that went rolling quickly down the hollow hole till it reached its center and stopped.

 Crowstar was not responding. His eyes were still fixated on the stars placed all over the bare earth, and his expression was hard to read.

 Leafstar turned to Hawkwing. "I think it would be good if all of us went hunting before we return back to camp. There is no point of staying here and focusing on what has already happened. Crowstar, why don't you join Hawkwing?"