A Broken Silence

Prologue

Over a field of starlight, the warm green-leaf sun dappled the blades of dew-tipped grass and the gleeful sounds of birdsong filled the air. A small, light brown tabby she-cat rushed among a clump of ferns, her nostrils flaring and ears pricked forward with alarm. Her soft, starlight dusted fur was bushed so that she looked twice her size and she didn't even take notice as a tiny mouse scuttled along her way in intent of shelter.

I must visit Talonbreeze! She thought frantically as she rushed along the open, grassy moor. I'm sure there's a way I can enter his dream before the dawn sun rises!

"Now, where do you think you're going in such a hurry, Haze?"

The she-cat stopped. She turned her head to see a limber, small dark ginger tom staring back at her with astute amber eyes. He layed upon a smooth stone that poked out among the tall grass, clearly enjoying the pleasant sensation of the sun's golden rays on his pelt. Haze gave her chest fur a series of embarrassed licks as amusement bubbled in the tom's eyes. "Going somewhere?" he inquired.

"Just to visit my brother, Alderheart, that's all." Her pads itched in anticipation to keep moving, but there was no where she could abandon the ginger tom without him stopping her again with growing suspicions. "I would like to see him before he wakes up at dawn for patrols."

Alderheart narrowed his eyes. "And is there a reason why your so eager to see him at this time of their night?"

Haze looked away, unable to meet his gaze. Her fur prickled with the strange sensation that her littermates and their Clan were in terrible danger, but she couldn't be sure why. After all, she was still fairly new to the grounds of StarClan and the life of the Clans and most cats remained to treat her like an aloof kit, despite the extraordinary act of heroism that welcomed her in StarClan to begin with. I sacrificed my life to stand up for what I believed in, and everyone in StarClan knows that! Why can't they just see me as a sophisticated cat inside a kit's body?

"Actually there is," she admitted to Alderheart. "I.... just have a dark feeling."

Alderheart's gaze suddenly grew serious. "A dark feeling?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not so sure..." Haze's pelt seemed to crawl with invisible ants from ears to tail tip. Ever since she had woken up in dappling sunlight earlier that day, a sense of foreboding had haunted her every paw step until she thought that some foreign horror would leap at her from the shadows. But I fear it may be about ThunderClan, she thought. Or any of the Clans. Whether this is important or not, I feel like I must speak my concerns with Talonbreeze. "It's almost like..... I can sense approaching danger in the Clan territories," she explained at last.

Alderheart nodded. "Hmmm.... I can sense your discomfort," he murmured, his tail flicking uneasily from side to side. "It's concerning to me, indeed it is." He licked a paw and drew it over his head. "I feel it too, like a dark cloud over my mind. Have you....... Seen anything?"

Haze tipped her head to the side. Does he mean like a vision or a prophecy? She thought for a moment, and only continued to be aware of the nagging in the pit of her belly, like she had eaten a foul piece of prey. "No," she shook her head. "I just know something is......terribly wrong."

"I see," Alderheart nodded. He sighed and leapt off the rock. "Your wise, for having died such a young cat, Haze. I certainty don't doubt your suspicion. If you feel like you must speak with Talonbreeze, then I don't see why you can't pay him a quick visit." He twitched his ears in dismissal.

"Thank you, Alderheart." With a quick dip of her head, she continued to race across the moor, her skin being cooled by the rush of the breeze underneath her fur. She finally arrived at the edge of StarClan territory, as she normally did before she tried entering the waking world. A barrier of starlight and shadow gaped in front of her which was the only border line between StarClan and The Place of No Stars. Haze had never known any cats from the Dark Forest, but she had heard tales of their wickedness and isolation. She inwardly hoped she would never have to pay a visit to that cold, lifeless forest....

I'm sure Talonbreeze is awake by now, Haze thought, stifling a pang of disappointment. But that doesn't mean I still can't pay a visit to the Clan territories to check to see if everything is ok.

Relaxing her muscles, Haze let her thoughts wonder to the lake. She felt her mind slip away from the present, and suddenly the ground seemed to disperse beneath her paws. A vivid, clear image of the lake showed brightly in her memory and she opened her eyes to feel the smooth spikes of pebbled stones beneath her pads.

I made it! She shook out her pelt and began to eagerly pad along the shoreline. Now to visit ThunderClan.....

Milky dawn light was just beginning to streak over the horizon as Haze crossed over the border that marked the start of ThunderClan's territory. She kept her eyes dilated, keeping alert for any possible signs of possible danger but all seemed peaceful and quiet as she pushed her way through the bracken and into the camp.

All around her, the camp was bustling with early morning activities, and her heart cracked with loss at the sight of so many familiar faces. The ThunderClan deputy, Stoneclaw, was organizing the dawn patrol while others shared tongues by the fresh-kill pile. She knew the cats couldn't see her, so she trotted around the camp, her eyes scanning for any possible thing out of the ordinary, but all seemed peaceful and quiet as she sniffed warily around the bases of the camp. I don't understand. Everything seems fine! But something is still making my fur bristle....

At that moment, a large, thick furred light brown with rippling muscle emerged from the warriors den and stretched his jaws in a massive yawn. A smaller, black tabby tom came out next to him, and he casually began to groom the base of his striped tail. Haze's heart seemed to fill with affection as a sleek, light ginger she cat padded up and touched noses with the brown tom. Talonbreeze and Addershade. My precious littermates....

Haze gently approached the brown tom and curled herself around his body, feeling him shiver at her invisible touch. I see that your safe now, she thought as she brushed tails with Addershade. But I'll always be watching over you and your Clan.

As she pushed her way back through the bracken and began to make the trek back to the lake, Haze wondered if all that she was feeling was just unnecessary paranoia. After all, it's been only three moons since the defeat of Medea and she left a scar on the Clans that won't be healed easily. I just need to get out of my head.....

Finally, Haze made it back to the lake. The new dawn light made the still waters shimmer, and vapor was beginning to rise, giving the lake a more mysterious look. The heavy scent of tom hung in the air, and Haze's nose twitched as it's scent suddenly hit her nostrils. It defiantly wasn't ThunderClan scent.... or rouge. Who could possibly be out by the lake this early in the morning? She thought, following the smell with spiking curiosity. A cat from another Clan?

Suddenly, she caught the wisp of a brown tail, and she chased after it, but only to lose sight of it by a grove bush. Frustration stabbed through her pelt as the scent gradually grew stale, and nothing was detectable as she sniffed and searched through the bush, ignoring the small leaves that now dappled her fur. I know I certainty saw a cat, she silently huffed as tried reaching herself back into StarClan's borders. I just wonder what he was doing......