The New Prophecy

Chapter 5

 The next sunrise the clan woke up heavy hail falling from the sky with black clouds covering the sky, casting the land into a shadow, the wind was blowing hard and the tree branches snapped with the force.

            “Graystripe, Sandstorm get Purdy to safety and help Leafpool and Jayfeather get out!” Bramblestar ordered. “Lionblaze, help Daisy and the queens with their kits. Stay together and head for the abandoned twoleg’s nest!”

            Bramblestar watched his clan make its way out of the camp, the queens and younger warriors went out first while Leafpool and Jayfeather checked the dens on their way out. He followed them as the last cats went out and ran with them through the hailstorm until they reached the falling den. They looked at him as he made his way in and sat around him.

            “Is everyone here?” Bramblestar asked.

            “Yes, we checked all the dens.” Dustpelt answered.

            “Check again, if a cat’s lost out there they could get killed in this weather.”

            They sorted themselves into their den groups and Graystripe went around checking to make sure they were there. Bramblestar sat down and began to relax when he saw Squirrelflight with the kits but noticed she had a worried look on her face as she counted them.

            “Bramblestar! One of the kits is missing!” She yowled.

            “What, which one?”

            “Stormkit!”

            “Stay calm, I’ll send some warriors out to find her.” He assured her. “Dovewing, Lionblaze, Spiderleg; follow me.”

            He led the way back into the storm and they were once again being pelted with the falling ice. They ran back to the camp and re-searched the dens but once again couldn’t find anything.

            “Can you hear her?” He asked Dovewing.

            “I tried to already, the storm’s too loud.” She replied.

            Bramblestar sighed and ran back into the forest, they retraced their steps back to the twoleg nest. Squirelflight jumped up hopefully and Tigerkit mewed in protest as she woke him up.

            “Did you find her?” She asked.

            “No… I’m sorry.” Bramblestar lowered his head in defeat.

            The clan was silent, unsure how to respond to their grieving leader and deputy. Tigerkit quieted as well and pressed his body into his mother’s fur as he tried to comfort her. Eventually they settled down to rest, they couldn’t hunt since all the prey that remained would be hiding in their dens, they kept the kits and queens where it was more sheltered, Brairlight and Thornclaw were keeping watch in case Stormkit found her way here and to keep any other kits from getting lost if they decided to go explore the forest.

            The storm lasted for seven sunrises and now the clan was hungry, freezing from the ice that had started to form, and Jayfeather had told Bramblestar there were a few warriors starting to cough. But this time when they woke up they were met with silence, no hail pounding the ground, no branches creaking or snapping off, not even the dark clouds were there. Now dawn light filtered through the remaining branches, Bramblestar led his clan back into the camp, it was mostly undamaged but branches were scattered everywhere.

            “Brackenfur, I’m putting you in charge of clean up. Whitewing take some warriors out to hunt; Toadstep, Blossomfall, you’re coming with me.” Brambleclaw ordered.

            “Where are we going?” Toadstep asked.

            “To find my daughter, I don’t care what it takes I won’t believe she’s dead until I see a body.”

            “No need.” Jayfeather said as he padded up to them. “Dovewing used her power once the storm ended, she’s in that small crevice up there.”

            “Are you saying she climbed the walls of camp, in a storm like that?” He asked in disbelief.

            “Apparently, but we need to help her down.”

            They got Stormkit down and Jayfeather assessed her to make sure she was okay. Later after the camp was cleaned up again and they had eaten what little prey they could catch; Bramblestar flopped down in his nest and fell asleep.

            “They have come…” A voice echoed.

            “Who have come?” Bramblestar asked, he whipped his head around but couldn’t see any thing except for thick fog.

            “They have come…” The voice repeated.

            “Who have?” He yowled back.

            “You know who… they have come…”