Warriors #6: A Kittypet's Destiny

Chapter 5

Goldenshine's POV

The sun was already beginning to set, its radiant beams reflecting against the pink and red sky as I comfortably padded through the ThunderClan forest.

Some of the cats dearest to me were at my side, two of them listening eagerly as Lilypetal spoke excitedly about the apprentice she was going to be given in the future. Thornclaw's pale blue eyes were glowing with happiness and pride for his mate, and although Swiftflight wasn't as expressive as his kin, the delight in his gaze was as clear as if he had spoken aloud.

Although the four of us had volunteered to partake in a border patrol, we simultaneously were convening for one of our meetings, which I suppose we had nonverbally agreed to have more of since our first one. I suppose it's necessary to see if any of us have found out any more about what's coming for us at the moment... I then couldn't suppress a purr as I shifted my gaze back towards my family. But getting to catch up with your kin as well is nice too.

I finally put my word in on my mother's amazing news. "Lilypetal, that's so exciting!"

"-and long overdue!" Thornclaw meowed, flicking Lilypetal's ear with his tail.

Lilypetal flashed each of us a look of gratitude. "Oh, come on. The timing doesn't matter," she insisted cheerfully. "I'm just happy that I'm getting one at all!"

"If only Sorreltail's kits were coming sooner than they were - we could have maybe been mentors together!" I commented, feeling a pang of sadness at that thought. "Cherrypaw will most definitely be a warrior by then."

Beside me, Swiftflight's tail began to twitch back and forth. I shifted over slightly, accommodating with my son's suddenly quicker pace by letting him go in front of me. I then flashed Lilypetal a sympathetic look as I murmured, "I wish that that could be the most stressful thing on your mind at the moment, but it's certainly not with these dreams, is it?"

Swiftflight slowed his pace and looked back at Lilypetal with narrowed eyes. "You said that you've seen Ashfur in them?"

Lilypetal slowly nodded in response to his question. "Unfortunately," she muttered through gritted teeth. "I'd recognize that mocking, evil gaze anywhere."

Swiftflight slowed down even more, so that he was now flanking Lilypetal. "What is he doing?" he pressed.

"He's just always... watching. Nothing else," Lilypetal replied, just a glint of fear and anger in her hazel eyes. "At least... that's what he's doing immediately before I leap on the piece of crowfood."

"And then what?" Thornclaw asked after exchanging a half-unnerved, half-amused glance with me.

Lilypetal shrugged, her gaze shifting from Swiftflight, to Thornclaw, and then to me. "That's it, usually. And it drives me crazy," she meowed. "I can tell that with each time I get closer and closer to finishing him off once and for all... but it never comes, leaving me feeling defeated and impatient."

My mother then let out a sigh as she shook her head slowly. "But honestly..." she continued. "I really just think that it's all just channeling my inner thoughts... what I want to happen."

"Are you sure?"

All of us nearly stopped in our tracks as we turned to look at Swiftflight, who had spoken, and clearly had something interesting to say.

My son looked baffled as the attention was suddenly turned on him, but after just a heartbeat, his gaze grew calm again as he explained himself. "I mean... just by the way you described your dreams, I can't help but think..."

"What do you mean, Swiftflight?" I prompted to the dark gray tom once he had trailed off.

Swiftflight sat down, his gaze serious as he stared back at Lilypetal. "Your dreams... they're vague, but they're almost simultaneously very vivid, right?"