Lost Stars (A Warriors Fanfiction)

Chapter Eleven

        Luna whirled around, her claws already unsheathed as she stared into the darkness. Her eyes narrowed, pelt bristling as she padded back cautiously, stepping in front of the hollow to keep Silver out of sight.

         From out behind a clump of bushes slid out a tortoiseshell grey she-cat, followed closely by a tom with striking copper eyes. The she-cat's eyes glinted through the darkness, and though they were wrapped in shadows, Luna could make out powerful muscles tensed underneath their pelts. 

         Luna stiffened, a growl rising in her throat. The she-cat lowered her eyes, before walking under the moonlight. 

         "I asked; why are you looking for the star path?" The cat's eyes were narrowed, her tail bristled as she glared at Luna, a challenge in sparkling in her amber eyes. The tom quickly stepped forward. His brown coat was dappled with darker shades, and he laid his tail tip on the she-cat's shoulder. They're rogues, Luna realized with a start. Their powerful muscles and confident demeanour hinted that they had their fair share of fighting to defend their territory.

          "Calm down, Leia," he meowed softly, murmuring into her ear. "Perhaps it's a coincidence" 

           Slowly, the she-cat backed, her hackles lowering though she still kept her teeth bared. 

            "I am looking for the star path," Luna said, raising her chin. Her claws dug into the dirt, and she briefly wondered whether she could fight both of the cats. She cast a look at the den, making out Silver's undetected shape in the corner. He hadn't stirred, and Luna walked a few steps away from their den, trying to divert their attention. "I'm not bothering you, I'm just passing by." 

             The she-cat named Leia met Luna's gaze steadily. "Then explain why we both had a vision warning us that you would come?"

             Luna narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What?" she echoed.

             The tom shook his head, brown eyes clouded in confusion. "Not really a warning," he murmured.  He shook his pelt and blinked at Leia. "It's more of a... a prophecy, I think," he said. 

             Luna stayed silent, subtly glancing at his features. Was it some kind of lie? She shook her pelt nervously and forced her pelt to lay flat. Or was Dawn trying to help her somehow? By sending the cats a vision? 

             Leia gave a small nod. "There's no way to be sure, though," she meowed hesitantly. She narrowed her eyes at Luna, before flicking a tail at her. "We were worried the vision meant you would bring more cats to invade our home. But you seem harmless. And you're outnumbered right now."  Leia glanced at the tom, who was staring thoughtfully at the calico she-cat.

            "The vision kept on repeating one sentence," he meowed, gazing intently. "Leia and I dreamed of cats with stars in their pelts, who told us that 'the cat of the moon who follows the star path shall save the clans; for to face the oncoming storm that looms, the cat who gazes back into the past of shadows shall carry the light in her paws.'"

             Luna gaped at the tom in shock, before taking a tentative path forward. "You know of the clans?" she asked, suddenly hopeful. 

            "'Yes, but we don't know what they are," the tom said with a shrug. "After that, the cats just showed us what the star path meant. They kept on saying 'they are coming', and Leia thought it was an omen-"

              "Branch!," Leia hissed, her eyes blazing. "Don't give it all away. We don't even know if we can trust her!"

               Luna shifted on her paws, her pelt prickling with annoyance. She tried to force her fur to lie flat as she leaned forward, faking casual interest though her heart pounded with the new information. Saving the clans? Oncoming storm? Past of shadows?

              She shook her head to clear it. "What did the star-pelt cats show you?" she asked. 

              Leia growled, swishing a tail. "Wait!" She said, interrupting Branch who had opened his mouth to speak. 

            "You have to come with us to see our leader. He's wise, and can decide what to do with you after you tell him your story." Branch dipped his head and gave a flick of his tail. Luna followed, trying to hide her unease at the thought of going into a strange territory alone. She glanced back at Silver's sleeping form. 

             I've got to go alone, she decided, shuddering at the thought of having to battle fierce rogue cats. 

               And with that, she followed the rogues into the shadows.