A Curse's Start: A Warriors Fanfiction, Book One of Element Clans

Chapter Four

Shiningstar yawned as she awoke. She couldn't sleep for a while, for some weird reason. 

She padded out of her den, a hollow tree in the corner of FireClan's camp. Then Shiningstar looked up at the sun. It's almost sun-high? What, how? I must have been sleeping for ages... 

"Good morning, Shiningstar," greeted Nettlefire, the Clan deputy. 

"Morning," she replied briskly. 

Nettlefire dipped his head respectfully and then bounded with a hunting patrol. 

"Shiningstar!" Shiningstar heard her name being called. "Come, quickly!"

It was Berrypaw, the medicine cat apprentice. "What is it?" 

"Follow me," Berrypaw urged, not explaining anything. She leaded Shiningstar into the medicine cats' den, where Poolstep was crouching over a tiny ginger body. 

Shiningstar gulped. Was one of her Clanmates dead...? 

"It's Sunkit," Poolstep said sternly. "She's injured again." 

Shiningstar tilted her head. "So? Kits get hurt all of the time." 

"Not this often," meowed Poolstep. "This is everyday now. She's as weak as a mouse." 

Wide-eyed, Shiningstar looked at Sunkit. Poor kit. But how did this happen? 

Then she remembered. Darkness who had fallen, shall rise. Light shall be tricked into the darkness, and the forest will be covered in blood! 

Oh no... oh no... please don't be happening... Shiningstar turned around, facing the entrance of the medicine cat den. "Poolstep, come with me." 

"Berrypaw, take care of Sunkit. Be gentle and whatever you do, do your duty as medicine cat. Use your knowledge wisely, and don't let Sunkit die!" Poolstep stood up. 

Shiningstar gulped. She hated that word. Die. That's what a lot of her kin had done. Die. Pinetail, her father. Her mother, who had died giving birth, which Pinetail had refused to tell her the name of. Leafkit, her little sister. The only kin of hers who hadn't really died was... Hazelmoon. 

She padded out of camp, all the way to the cave. "Poolstep. Remember whenever I received my nine lives, and you asked if I was okay?"

Poolstep nodded. "Yes, I do."

Shiningstar sighed and said, "I'm not okay. I lied. But... leaders aren't supposed to tell any cat about their ceremony. But this is technically after. I haven't only received my nine lives, but a prophecy."

"Darkness who had fallen, shall rise. Light shall be tricked into the darkness, and the forest will be covered in blood!" Shiningstar repeated what Leafkit had warned her. 

The battle training! That was in the... Dark Forest! Light shall be tricked into the darkness... Sunkit's the light. The forest becoming covered in blood... That didn't happen yet. I don't want to know when it will... 

"I don't get it," said Poolstep, confused. 

"But I do," mewed Shiningstar. "The darkness, that's some cat in the Dark Forest. That cat is dead, and will have power over cats after a while. The light is Sunkit. She is tricked to going to the Dark Forest with that cat. And the forest being covered with blood... that didn't happen yet. But I'm sure it will." 

"Sounds like a battle is coming," replied Poolstep. "I must get my herbs stocked as best I can." 

"Sounds like a plan," said Shiningstar. "Don't tell anyone about this, every cat will freak out about it. Especially Hazelmoon." 

"Of course," Poolstep meowed back. "These things are supposed to be kept secret." 

Shiningstar nodded. She felt a lot better getting that off her chest. Hopefully Sunkit will be okay. But she was worried about the battle, and she had know idea when it would come. They would just have to get ready and wait. They would be ready alright. But she had to warn the other Clans. But how?