"We will all mourn the death of Snowclaw, and the mysteriousness of her death will not go unnoticed. Lostheart, please examine the corpse." Called Deepstar.
Lostheart stepped forward. "I have a request." Deepstar inclined his head, and she continued. " I would like to take Petalkit as my apprentice, so can she help examine her...?"
Deepstar glanced at the little kit, and nodded.
Solemnly, Petalkit padded toward her mothers body, and started looking at her claws.
"There is fur," She called. "It is cream colored!" She held up the fur. "The smell is Gorgeclan!" Whispers erupted through the clan.
"Was it..." Spidertail glanced at Turtlepelt. "No way. She and Snowclaw were great friends."
"Goldenstorm, then?" Again, Lurkingsnake shook her head. "I know her. Just...no. But, there is one more... Starkfern?"
Spidertail flinched. "My sister?"
"She is the only suspect left."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Petalkit! Fetch Lostheart! The kits are coming!" Petalkit raced out of the nursery, and she felt a sharp stab of pain.
Soon, Lostheart padded in. "Is she OK?" Came Spidertail's anxious voice. "She is fine," Lostheart replied. "But if you want to be useful, fetch a stick."
She felt the pain, but was able to ignore it, as she saw a black tom savaged by a fox, a blue she kit scratched by a warrior, leaving a scar there forever. A little white tom was smashed face first into a tree.
Lastly, a tiny white she kit, attacked by an unknown cream blur, and left with her neck twisted badly, scratches covering her long furred pelt.
Then everything went black.
Lurkingsnake! A voice whispered. Beware the cat with a bloody pelt. The cat whom sadness never felt. They created fallen snow, next the bird most close to crow. The lions fury burns bright, but nothing to the fall of night. The deepest pit may once be filled, but snake tragedy cannot kill. Rising like the cobra's strike, killing killer and killed alike.
"Lurkingsnake! Lurkingsnake! Oh Lurkingsnake, Wake up!" Her eyes flew open. Spidertail began licking her muzzle vigorously. "I'm so sorry. I-Im OK."
"How many?" She asked. "Three." He replied. She looked down at the little kits suckling below her. There was a black and grey she cat, a white tom, and a little she kit, impossibly small, with grey fur.
"The black and grey one should be called Webkit, and the white one should be Snowkit, in honor of Snowclaw." Lurkingsnake told him. The black and grey tom chuckled.
"The little one should be Snakekit." "All right." He smiled, and curled around her, put his tail around her and the kits. Her head drooped, and she fell into a sleep.
She found herself in a strange place. It was dark. She was surrounded by stone, and dripping sounds filled her ears.
Lurkingsnake! Came the whisper again. Beware the cat with a bloody pelt. The cat whom sadness never felt. They created fallen snow, next the bird most close to crow. The lion's fury burns bright, but nothing to the fall of night. The deepest pit may once be filled, but snake tragedy cannot kill. Rising like the cobra's strike, killing killer and killed alike.
"No!" "Ravenflight!?" "This is terrible!" "Why?" She heard the cats yowling.
She woke with a jolt. Spidertail was gone, and his warmth was dying where he had been. She stood up, completely forgetting the three sleepy kits sleeping below her.
She stumbled out of the nursery, to see Ravenflight, lying dead. She was scratched all over, and her neck was broken. blood dried in clumps of fur.
Lionbreeze fell, out cold. Petalkit raced over to her father, and said "He fainted, and I don't blame him. First his mate, now his sister." Spidertail was mourning over his old mentor. "Is Lionbreeze being targeted?" She muttered to herself.
The wind moved through the trees, and a faint whisper started up.
Lurkingsnake! Beware the cat with a bloody pelt. The cat whom sadness never felt. They created fallen snow, next the bird most close to crow. Lions fury burns bright, but nothing to the fall of night. The deepest pit may once be filled, but snake tragedy cannot kill. Rising like the cobras strike, killing killer and killed alike.
"Fallen snow... Bird most close to crow... Lions fury... Snake... Strike..." She muttered to herself. Then her eyes grew wide.
"Snowclaw is the fallen snow! Ravenflight, the bird most close to crow! I've got it!" She hurried to Lostheart's den.
"Lostheart! Can we speak? I got a prophecy!" Lostheart looked up. Her grey fur was unkempt, and her blue eyes were tired.
"What? Are you sure?" "Yes. I... Think I can remember."
"Lurkingsnake! Beware the cat with a bloody pelt. The cat whom sadness never felt. They created fallen snow, next the bird most close to crow. Lions fury burns bright, nothing to the fall of night. The deepest pit may once be filled, but snake tragedy cannot kill. Rising like the cobras strike, killing killer and killed alike."
Lostheart's eyes had unfocused, and she was muttering to herself. "Snowclaw is the fallen snow, and Ravenflight was the bird most close to crow."
"I've already worked that out." She told her. "Well then. I need to go see the body."
