Prophecies Of Never Endings.

+ Chapter 18 +

Cinder burst through the dirt and rocks that blocked the entrance. She panted. The starry she-cat smiling at her before nodding. Cinder nodded, before racing off into the forest. 

Cinder stopped, scenting the scent of blood. Her ears shot up, she quickly followed it. She padded onward, her tail low. "Cmon, Pebble." She heard a familiar voice. Thrush? Cinder felt a shiver run down her spine. She followed the scent of blood till she got to a clearing. The sunset had made the clearing have a orange color. Cinder's eyes widen as she saw Swan Moon, and Berry's body lying on the ground, lifeless and dead. Cinder gasped in horror before running to her tribe leader. "Swan Moon!" She cried, her tail twitching. She burried her face into his white, blood stained fur. She crouched next to her leader, tears in her eyes.  She shivered, feeling the coldness of the breeze. "T-they did this to you...didn't they?" She meowed, her voice shaky with emotion, and grief. "I should have been there!" She hissed, crying more. "If I didn't leave, I could have protected you or something!" She hissed, shaking her head. Suddenly, she heard paws thunder in the ground. A cat was approaching. Was it Thrush, or Pebble?  "Cinder!" She heard a familiar voice. She turned. It was Puffin. She heard Puffin gasp, crouching down beside her. "Moon Clan sent me a message this would happen.." Puffin murmured. Cinder didn't bother trying to argue. "I-I could've saved him..." Cinder meowed. "No, Cinder. Don't blame this on yourself." Puffin meowed. "Only Cinder can stop the darkness, after all." Puffin mumbled. Cinder's eyes shot up. The darkness? Cinder blinked, the darkness was Thrush, and Pebble! Cinder rose up to her paws. "Pebble, and Thrush are the darkness." Cinder meowed, looking at the ground. She flexed her claws. Puffin looked up. "I knew that for some time." Puffin meowed. "Swan Moon would have wanted me to avenge him." She murmured.  Puffin nodded. "You need to go to the tribe quickly" Puffin meowed. "Pebble, and Thrush will be there sometime at night." She meowed. Cinder nodded. "I'll carry his body, and Berry's body." She meowed. Cinder nodded, before pausing. "Thanks, Puffin...I'm sorry about before." She meowed. Puffin shrugged before smiling. "Arguments happen, it's understandable. You're going through a lot." She meowed. 

Cinder padded through the ferns and bushes that lead to inside the camp. Cats were everywhere in the clearing, worried as to why the clan leader has not come back. Cinder gulped, swallowing her anxiety before running to the high rock that the leader used to stand on every meeting. She stood tall despite her anxiety, and she oddly felt like she belonged up here. All the cats looked up, confused as to why Cinder was up there, and not the leader. She looked down at her tribe-mates. "Hello, Waterfall tribe." She dipped her head. "I've come to tell you that Swan Moon, our dear leader, and Berry, are dead. They were cold-bloodedly ambushed in the forest." She meowed, trying not to let her voice shiver with grief. Swan Moon did his best to protect his clan, doing whatever he could, even if that meant giving himself so little. Cinder knew she wouldn't be great as a leader he was, but she does know she will try her best to lead her clan into the paws of destiny and Moon Clan. All her tribe-mates gasped, their eyes clouding with grief. "Swan Moon's dead?!" Pepper, the she-cat Cinder had seen on her first day out of the nursery, wailed. Pepper was now a fully trained tribe cat, and a future mother. "But I have his kits!" Pepper shivered, her fur on edge. Pepper is going to have Swan Moon's kits? But wasn't Berry his mate? Cinder did not know how to respond. It must be hard for Pepper to carry on knowing her brother has turned evil, and that she will soon have Swan Moon's kits. She decided to address it later, right now they only had little time, and no kits will be born if the clan is dead. She flicked her tail for silence. The clan luckily got silent. "I know this is horrible news, but we have to go on." Cinder meowed. "Go on?!" Stripe, a dark grey tom with white dapples hissed, his dark blue gaze glaring at Cinder as if he'd jump on her right then and there. "How can we go on when our tribe leader has passed away in cold blood? This can't be excused! We need to know who did this."  He hissed at her. Cinder felt his gaze lock so furiously on her, she was afraid she might just fall off the rock. "I-I know, but we have to beca-" "No! We can't go on, not when I'm so close to kitting."  Pepper yelled. "We have to find out who killed Swan Moon!" "We need to attack the other tribes, I bet they did it!" "We need to avenge for Swan Moon and Berry, she was my sister!" All the cats started yelling, wailing, and raising their voices. Cinder backed away, seeing every cat was stressed with her. I need to run! They'll never listen to me! Cinder's heart raced. She felt a cloud of stress, grief, and anger around her as every cat argued. She felt helpless. How can I stop this? I need help! She backed away more, looking around the clearing. Suddenly, she saw Puffin padding into the clearing. Cinder's claws dug into the stone. She gulped down the anxiety once more. She can't back away now, this is her role and she has to stick with it. It's her job to protect this clan, Swan Moon would have wanted her to. That's why he trusted her, not because she had a prophecy, but because of what she's been through to get here, and still be strong. still have something to fight for, to still be alive. She realized she might not have many reasons to be alive, but she does have a clan that she has to protect. No matter what, she will not break that promise. "Everyone, silence!" She yelled. Her voice was so loud it rang through the forest like a never ending echo. Every-cat stopped talking slowly stopped talking, glaring at her. She looked down at them, her tail high. "Pebble, and Thrush are attacking tonight. We only have little time till they will be attacking." Cinder announced. The whole tribe had shocked looks. "We can't attack, we have no leader." Stripe meowed. Cinder shot him a look. "We can attack. This is what being in a tribe is like. We defend ourselves." She meowed. "We might have had many moons of peace, but that doesn't mean we forget about who we truly are, and what we trained for!" She nodded. Every-cat looked uneasy, and unsure. She raised her head, looking down at them. "If you are truly apart of this tribe, you will defend your right to be apart of it at all costs, that is what you promised Moon Clan, and that is what you promised Swan Moon." She meowed, her voice becoming quiet yet strong. "If you are truly apart of this clan, prove it." She meowed. All the cats looked uneasy, shifting a little. Silence was among the tribe. Puffin raised up, standing tall in the crowd. "I agree." She meowed. "We have to attack them, because if we don't, we run the risk of them killing us all, including innocent kits that done nothing." She nodded, glancing at Pepper. Pepper was silent for a moment before raising up as well beside Puffin. "She's right. I might be close to kitting, but if it's to protect my kits, then I'll fight." She nodded. Every-cat was still silent despite Puffin, and Pepper's efforts. "Look at you all, you think you're fully trained tribe-cats when you can't even fight a battle for the clan that protected you since you were born." Puffin scolded. Pepper continued, "Swan Moon sacrificed so much for us, and this is how you repay him?" She hissed, glaring at the crowd.  Holly, Stripe's brother, stood up. The faded blonde tom, with green eyes nodded. "We got to fight." He meowed, his voice soft yet encouraging. Three other cats stood up, and then another, and then another. The whole tribe stood up, except Stripe. He sat, his back hunched grumpily. "Stripe, c'mon, we don't have much time." Holly meowed. Stripe mumbled something underneath his breath before standing up. "I'm only helping, because every-cat else is too mouse brained to think this through." He meowed. Cinder smiled, her eyes gleamed. She knew that Stripe secretly wanted to help, but was just too stubborn. The nerve of that tom. She nodded to every-cat. "Thank you every-cat, you truly don't know how thankful I am to have you guys as a clan." She meowed. Every-cat smiled back, this time more determined. Cinder looked at them.

"We'll be ready. I know we will be."

"The stars shall die by Cinder, as a new life awakes and the truth is revealed!"

"Only Cinder Can Stop The Darkness."