Lies, Secrets, and the Storm | Book One of the LSatS Trilogy

Prolouge

Hard rain flew from the sky, ricocheting off of the objects in the undergrowth. Lightning flashed and thunder crackled, illuminating the pelting raindrops that fell from the heavens. In the canopy, a brown tabby willed herself forward, pushing through the sharp piercings of the raindrops and the harsh wind. The wind howled as the tabby reached the river bank. With one more leap, I'll be there, she thought desperately. My mission cannot wait any longer. After tonight, my quest very well may be completed. The she-cat took a few steps back, taking a deep breath, and ran towards the rushing river. But when she leaped, a fatal accident occurred. Leaves slid under her hind paw as she leaped, knocking her off balance and sending her flying into the rapid current. She let out a yowl of terror, only to be cut short by the intoxicating taste of floodwater rushing into her jaws. She thrashed wildly before something sharp made contact with the top of her head, sending her into a reel of darkness.

******

The next morning, a patrol of cats walked along the very riverbank, flicking water from their paws and conversing quietly.

"Did Shellripple really have to send us to the WindClan border?" a young warrior called Swiftstep complained, shaking water from one of his two clawless front paws. The head of the patrol looked back at him.

"Yes," he replied curtly. "He did. Now stop complaining. We could be clearing debris from the dirt place and you wouldn't want that job, now would you?"

"Well said, Foxspots," the tortoiseshell-and-brown warrior known as Brindlelight purred as Swiftstep let out a grunt of defeat. Foxspots let out a small chuckle, simply shrugging. The dark russet warrior assumed that Coalpaw and Swiftstep would be assigned to that task later, but he kept his jaws closed. The expression on Swiftstep's face would be priceless when he discovered that Foxspots had sealed his fate with a simple word of knowledge. It was simply the fact that Swiftstep was the youngest warrior of the Clan, and since Coalpaw was the only current apprentice, Swiftstep would need to fulfill the role.

The patrol padded on, beginning to share uneasy glances at the large amount of charred land and debris.

"It looks like some of the trees caught on fire but the rain put it out," Brindlelight commented quietly, concern filling her voice. Foxspot noted this to report to Shellripple. Cats probably shouldn't hunt here for a while.

"Let's keep going," Foxspots meowed. "I want to make sure there isn't more damage by the lakeshore."

They padded quickly towards the lakeshore. The cats did not see any more damage, so they paused for a break atop a hill that sloped down towards the lake. Foxspots turned and scanned the lake, admiring the glittering surface. He felt a sudden prod in his side and he turned to see Swiftstep. Rather than a mischievous smirk, he was concerned.

"I see something down there," he muttered with uncertainty. Foxspots looked in the direction Swiftstep was gesturing in. For a moment he saw nothing until he noticed a small blob next to the river of WindClan.

"You're right," he meowed uneasily. "Let's go check it out. Come on." He lead the cats down to the shore and was appalled by what he saw. A brown tabby cat was on the shore, a dark red line carved into the top of it's head. A mixture of blood and water was pooled at it's mouth, it's turquoise eyes half open. Foxspots heard a quiet gasp from Brindlelight.

"Great StarClan," she whispered. "I-Is this cat...?" Foxspots was asking himself the same question. He pressed his ear down to the cat's side and felt a rush of surprise as he felt the injured cat's pelt rising and falling.

"It's alive!" he exclaimed. "We need to get this cat to Clearspirit. Come on, Swiftstep, help me." The cats hauled he injured cat onto the two of their shoulders and managed to carry it between the two of them.

"Brindlelight, go on ahead and alert Clearspirit about what's going on," Foxspots meowed. Brindlelight, who seemed shocked, quickly nodded before sprinting ahead. The two warriors began to lug the cat back to the camp where the Clan would be waiting.