Warriors: The Trail of Centuries

Chapter 23

Spottedpaw sat in a moonlit clearing, peering around in an attempt to lift the confusion that fogged her mind. A river flowed carelessly through the clearing, babbling gently; the noise soothed her. The golden apprentice rose to her paws and took a few pawsteps forward, as if to inspect the river, when a faint movement in the sky caught her eye. She turned her head to the sky, noticing that the stars littering the deep blue screen shifted from their positions-barely enough to demand attention, but just enough to be noticeable to a curious eye. Spottedpaw narrowed her eyes again, and that's when she saw it.

Three distinct silhouettes were outlined in the stars, their bodies embracing a semi-transparent, white sheen that seemed to glow. Spottedpaw immediately recognized the shapes from Shadestar's message at Starfalls, and she fought the panic that rose in her chest, though it was no use-the figure in the center, what Spottedpaw had realized to be whoever Deadeye chose as his heir, glowed much brighter than the other two. With a start, Spottedpaw noticed that the glow from it was increasing more with the time that passed. She lost her fight with the growing panic inside of her, and it engulfed her, sending chills down her spine.

Suddenly, the heir shifted, as if it were a living and breathing cat, way up in the night sky. Silverpelt is coming to life, Spottedpaw thought, so panicked that even the voice in her head was breathless. It opened menacing, glowing eyes, much like the eyes of many StarClan cats-no pupils to indicate where it looked, but somehow, Spottedpaw knew it was staring straight at her. It leaped down from the sky, falling straight to where Spottedpaw stood in the mysterious clearing. The air seemed to grow thicker as it neared the earth, and when it landed, tremors coursed through the ground. Spottedpaw staggered a bit and coughed on the dust that it sent flying into the air.

Once the dust had settled, Spottedpaw saw that the enormous, starry figure had landed on the opposite side of the river. Its front paws were placed firmly in the river and, to Spottedpaw's surprise, the water around it began to flow redder than blood. The sight made the apprentice's stomach churn uneasily, though another shifting movement from the silhouette caused her to snap her attention back to it.

"Sacrifices must be made to correct our wrongdoings."

The voice ripped through the air, nearly deafening Spottedpaw. Though her gaze was fixed on the heir, she knew that it hadn't spoken the words that seemed to shake the entire world. The frightening figure, however, paid no mind to the ominous voice. It fixed Spottedpaw with a stern glare and, after a dreadful moment of waiting, launched itself directly at her. Just as its massive paws neared her, Spottedpaw jerked awake with a start in the apprentices' den.

Those dreams never fail to make me feel ill, she thought as she struggled to her paws, swallowing down the sick feeling that rose from her panic. Spottedpaw struggled to get air into her lungs, almost feeling winded by the dreams that she was certain Shadestar sent her. He really should just be outright with what he's saying-as if I can recognize some giant, starry cat! Spottedpaw shook her head crossly and shakily made her way out of the den, into the main clearing of the Clan. Two familiar grey apprentices caught her eye, and she gratefully made her way over to them.

"Hey, Spottedpaw!" Mosspaw chirped, dragging out the end of her name. "Mousepaw and I have been coming up with new tricks and moves! Wanna see?"

Spottedpaw blinked and glanced between the two of them. Dust, grass, and mud covered their fur, and Spottedpaw realized that they must have been falling about in the clearing. "Sure, why not," she murmured hesitantly, getting comfortable where she stood.

"I call this the Twoleg stance!" Mousepaw immediately burst out and reared up onto his hindlegs, teetering back and forth dangerously as he struggled to keep his balance. "It's great for- for uh . . . well, I never really thought that far ahead . . . ." Spottedpaw held back a snort of dry amusement, her mind already drifting back to the remnants of the dream that clung to her mind. As Mousepaw and Mosspaw began to bicker over the use of their original stances, Spottedpaw's gaze drifted to the medicine den.