Lost Stars (A Warriors Fanfiction)

Chapter Twelve

Luna fought her instincts to run away from the looming twoleg buildings as she followed Leia and Branch. 

Briefly, she considered running away, but one glance at the two rogues showed powerful muscles and light paws. Luna turned away, flicking her tail in irritation. She wouldn't be able to outrun both of them. 

Luna stifled a yawn as her thoughts grew dull with weariness and the familiar feeling of sore muscles and tired paws. She stretched, ignoring the suspicious look Leia shot her. 

They neared a huge twoleg building, a little set apart from the other polished dens. The red colour was long faded, with only small traces of red that hinted at what it must have once looked like. Thick patches of ivy wove through the opening, curling around the edges and blocking off the gaps in the wall. Luna paused; a musky scent hung in the air and she raised her chin, trying to peer through the ivy. 

But with a soft hiss, Leia bounded to her side, blocking Luna's view of what may lay inside. Luna forced her fur to lie flat, and she followed Branch obediently through the opening.

Inside, the familiar tang of two-leg buildings was softened by a muskier smell. Small rustles in the corner of the den hinted at a mouse, and Luna felt her mouth water. But her attention was soon drawn away by a soft meowing sound. Startled, the young she-cat glanced at a corner where a dark bundle hinted at another shape of a cat. As she padded forward, Leia almost knocked her over as she bounded over to the meowing bundle. 

"It's okay, my kits," she murmured softly, her pale fur hiding the kits from view. She looked up, brown eyes casting a baleful look at Luna. "We're safe," Leia meowed soothingly.

Luna took a cautious step back, feeling an unexpected wave of compassion for the she-cat. She had kits! Perhaps that was why she was so suspicious of the prophecy the vision carried.

As Branch led her further into the strange den, Luna was suddenly aware of cats, their pelts hidden in the shadows as they gazed at her curiously. She passed a ginger tom who blinked at her, before disappearing further into the corners. A pair of she-cats glanced at her, before quickly turning away, their murmured whispers following after her. 

There must be at least ten cats here, Luna realized, fighting a jolt of panic as she ducked her head. Finally, Branch section of the den separated by growing moss that curled around the opening. He blinked at her, almost sympathetically, before gently nudging her inside. 

When Luna's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found herself looking at a tom with dark grey stripes and brilliant green eyes that glinted as his gaze met hers. Grey fur lined his muscles, and his expression was sage as he blinked at her calmly. 

"This is Luna," Branch meowed, flicking his tail. He dipped his head, eyes blazing with respect. "I brought him to you, father. I believe she is the cat the prophecy is talking about."

The tom's eyes flashed briefly with an emotion Luna couldn't describe, before he nodded.

"Then there's much we need to talk about."