Brightstar's Revenge

It was a rainy night. Thunder and lightning raged in a war among the skies. Water pounded on the dens of Stormclan. Yet two shadows pranced among the walls. Brightshadow, the cat trained by Shadowclan, was one of those shadows. His companion was Snaketail, Brokenstar's hidden son.The two weren't on guard duty, they were on a mission of revenge. They headed toward Lightningstar's den, and crept inside. Then they both reminded themselves why they were there. To avenge someone. To avenge Brightshadow's father, Scourge. Brightshadow looked at his paw. On it was his fathers seal, a gash that went down his left front leg. Most thought it was a battle wound, but it was really the newest Clan's sign. The gash was given to him after birth, when Scourge felt threatened. He had brought his claws down onto Brightkit's little and helpless body. Then they told him that this mark was to show power, and that he was destined for greatness.
Only moons later, Scourge was struck down by Firestar, and Brightkit was helpless. He ran, scared, with no where to turn. Then he ran into StormClan. He was trained by Firestar's son himself! But he still remembered that night, the night his father was killed. And he never forgot it.
Now he came to avenge his father, by taking Firestar's prize possession, his son. Brightshadow looked back onto Lightningstar. He was sound asleep, helpless. Brightshadow was surprised. Cats can usually tell when danger is near, even while sleeping. But Brightshadow was known for his stealth.
He raised his paw high in the air, and paused. Then he brought his claws down across Lightningstar's belly.

Stormclan was in panic. They had awoken only to find their leader dead, their deputy missing, and Iceshard gone. Their medicine cat was completely dumbfounded when she found the commotion. She couldn't do anything, what's dead is dead, what's gone is gone.
The apprentices where scared the most.
"Will we be next?"
"What if the murderer still lurks near?" was their talk.
But the elders only reminded them that they weren't worth killing anyway.

Brightstar lay in his den thinking. He needed more recruits. He thought about Tigerstar. The great leader. It was a shame his father killed the egregious leader. He went through all the clans looking for descendants of the feared ones. Then his thoughts turned to Heatherclan. He started with Silverstar, the beautiful silver-colored she-cat was Firestars great-granddaughter, a daughter of Squirrelflight. Then he thought about his diabolical plan to recreate his father. When his thoughts returned to HeatherClan he had went down the line of power to Goldenfur. The pretty she-cat had been a daughter of Bramblestar, the son of Tigerstar! She was perfect, except she was so noble and good that she would never do the needed deed. The then thought about her kit, Aurorakit. He had heard that the kit was to become a medicine cat. He paused. Then his eyes lit up. He would capture her, attack Heatherclan after Waveclan and then make her recreate his father and then recruit her as a medicine cat.

Brightstar edged his way through the field. Snaketail was right behind him. Brightstar led himself right onto Twoleg territory and into an alley. Their was his band of make-shift rogues. They were the newest Clan. And they went by the name of FearClan. With Lightniningstar gone they could avenge their hero Scourge. Brightstar was the leader of this new clan and decided to make their clan have a mark, a mark of power, a gash that slithered down a leg. All of the members prepared themselves, and one by one they were slashed. Two refused however, and two were killed. Afterwards, all were injected with dog teeth and claws. But all of Brightstar's were canines, nothing less. Now they knew who they were, they were descendants of the feared, Bone, Boulder, and Tigerstar's descendent's. All of them were here, to avenge their ancestors. Their mission was simple, to destroy the warrior code, and Waveclan, was their first target.

It was a cold night, Fear was high in the air. The clans were set on high alert after Lightningstar's death moons ago. WaveClan was on alert. Patrol was everywhere, warriors stormed the whole territory. Apprentices, kits, queens, and elders where advised to stay inside their dens. Sparkstar looked around cautiously. There was a threat about, and they couldn't let their guard down.

Fearclan was trudging through the forest, with Snaketail in the lead. Brightstar was on the other end of the lake, anxious to see when WaveClan was asleep. Then he would alert the rest of his clan and attack. The moon stayed in the sky for a long while before WaveClan's guard was let down. Then FearClan attacked Waveclan. Many escaped, but many were killed, including Firesoul, Birdsong, Creekfeather, Pondpelt, Rainwhisker, Goldshadow, Flamepaw, Leafheart and all her kits, Troutfur and Pebblestream.
Iceshard's sister, a sweet rouge named Queenie raced to catch up with the great leader. "What are you doing, why are you attacking helpless clans. Why would you harm your own clan, kill undermine warriors, weak queens and their kits and wise elders?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"I do it all for power." grunted Brightstar.
Brightstar padded into the nursery to visit his mate and her new kits. "Are you feeling well?" he asked Iceshard.
Iceshard was his new mate, and she wasn't very used to living a life full of spilled blood.
"Yes, thank you," Iceshard replied. "I've thought of some names for our kits, would you like to hear them?"
"Umm, sure," he replied. He had been think of mainly names like Killkit and Poisonkit and he wasn't so sure about names that his mate would come up with.
"This one will be Finchkit, this one will be Robinkit, and this one will be Dovekit," she mewed happily, first pointing to the yellow kit, then gesturing towards the beautiful orange kit, last licking the elegant white kit.
Brightstar gulped, and received a glare from Iceshard.
"I want them to have real Clan names," she hissed.
"O-o-okay," he stammered, but Iceshard was just getting started.
"Not like the names you come up with," she added fiercely.  "Deadkit, Bloodkit, Killkit... those are horrible names for kits!"

Then, she stopped and sighed. "I don't know how to go on like this, Brightstar," she meowed heavily. "I do love you, and I always will. But it's not right to train kits to kill and spill blood. They are trained when they are apprentices, but to they're mothers, they're still kits! They're kits, for StarClan's sake! They should be happy to train with their mentors! They shouldn't dread every practice session, wondering what new wound would appear on their bodies for a moon!"

Iceshard sighed again.  "I wanted to be your mate. Maybe I still do. But StarClan would never want anyone to live a life full of death and spilled bl-"
"StarClan! They are the ones you worry about!" Brightstar couldn't hold his thoughts back anymore. "StarClan never showed any mercy when my father was killed! They let him die! Never speak of them again! Do you hear? Ever!" Brightstar's fierce words scared Iceshard, and she leaped back as if struck, but Brightstar wasn't finished. "StarClan would leave us again without hesitation! They're heartless, heartless cats that take pride in everything! Now if you'll excuse me." He turned around, unsheathed his claws and brought down his mighty talons onto Finchkit, giving him a gash on the leg. Iceshard gasped, but Brightstar kept going. He brought his claws down again and again on the helpless kit, ignoring it's screams off pain as it was torn apart. Finally, all that was left of Finchkit was a pile of reduced pulp, and all was silent.
"This is what we do, and this will be what's left, every time," he growled. "You will learn how to be evil, or I will make you!"
He stalked away, but not before he picked up a piece of what used to be Finchkit and swallowed it whole, ignoring the horrified looks Sweetpoison and Iceshard shot at him.
"Go on now," he hissed. "You are tired, and you need to feed my kits. They are to be the greatest warriors ever, and they need to strong if they are to help me defeat the Warriors Code!"
Iceshard closed her mouth and backed into the corner of the nursery.

Brightstar was furious, enraged. He hated his kits, he hated everyone, even himself.
Why did I take Iceshard as my mate? He thought. I should have known she would be no use to me. Unless... unless I could take the kits and train them secretly! Then they could be the greatest warriors ever, even as kits! I'll give them StarClan names so that Iceshard will be pleased, but they will still be pure evil!
Brightstar's lips curled at the new idea. It was perfect!
Scourge's soul seemed to have started to dip into his, and it was consuming his thoughts. He was born to kill, and he knew it. Brightstar padded to the past Waveclan territory, which lay in ruin.
It was sundown now.
Dead cats lie in the grass ahead of him, but none of them were Waveclan's, for the remaindor of Waveclan's cats had buried all of their losses. These cats were the ones of Fearclan. Blood was splattered everywhere. The body of a dead kit lie ahead of Brighstar.
Brightstar leaned over and picked it up with his crude jaws. He took it out of the clearing and lie down beside it.
Then, he ate.

Brightstar lie asleep in his den. But his peaceful sleep was channeled into a dream.
His father lie in front of him. Dead. Brightstar saw himself as a kit, mourning the loss of his father. Brightkit leaned over end whispered something into the stiff body of Scourge. But Brightstar couldn't make out what was said.
All of a sudden Scourge's body hummed to life. It stood tall and proud, but it's body was hidden by the shadows that suddenly closed in.
Brightkit's image suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Brightstar glanced toward the place his childhood body vanished, then returned his cold gaze to Scourge.
Then he realized, this wasn't Scourge inside, no, it was something else.
But what? Brightstar thought. The figure shot a cold glare at Brighstar. The eyes shone red, and inside those eyes.... it was pure evil.
After a long silence, the figure spoke.
"You are the one," It stated in a rasping voice. Brightstar couldn't make sense of this.
"Th-the one?" He barely managed to get the words out.
"Yes, you are the one to lead and command the Dark Forest cats to victory. I am Nightstar, the first leader of ShadowClan, as well as your ancestor. Your great great grandfather was Streak, a loner that was always on the move. He single handedly killed Flameclan, but the battle cost him his sanity. After losing his eye he went mad, killing whatever was in his path. The only cat he spared was your grandmother, but soon after you  and your littermates were born, Streak died.  Now, the bits of his soul that were scattered after his death by the wretched StarClan, have found their way to you.
"Your spirit and thoughts are being consumed by evil, and those whom you love shall soon become worthless and arrogant, for you have been laid down with a curse. A curse that consumed and ate your father's soul. A curse that ate the father before your father's soul. And now it comes down to you. You are the one that was chosen in the prophecy by the great ancient TigerClan. You are the evil that has loomed in the future for many moons. And now you shall arise and conquer StarClan. There are trails filled with blood ahead of you, Brightstar. You cannot run away from your destiny, and there shall be no turning back."
Brightstar was in full understanding now. "I accept my future," he stated boldly.
"Very well," Nightstar meowed darkly. With a quick flick of his tail, Brightstar's soul and spirit, was no more.

Dawn was upon Brightstar's body now. He'd slept outside in WaveClan's past territory and was laying there as the sun rose in the sky.
But Brightstar wasn't there, because although his body lay peacefully, his fur smooth and sleek, it wasn't Brightstar that actually lay there. Brightstar was gone. The mind that occupied Brightstar's body was Talon's. Brightstar no longer existed.
Talon was also Streak's son, and unknowingly, Brightstar gave his entire existance for somebody else to claim the glory of defeating StarClan. Brightstar gave up his life and spirit for the Dark Forest cats, and Talon was the Dark Forest cats' grand leader.
Tigerstar used to be the leader, but after he, Brokenstar, Scourge, and Hawkfrost failed, Talon pushed him away from the title of "leader". Now, they were merely pawns that fought for Talon to notice them.
Now, Talon had fully taken Brightstar's body as his own. When Talon woke up, every inch of his body was alive.
Once inside Brightstar's body, Talon began to adapt. His power and experience turned his body into the true killing machine. He had an incresed strength and speed capability.
The Dark Forest's reincaration had begun!

Photo Album

  

Me(left), Annie(right), and Annette(center)


When Da was still in Europe, we sold our crops for a living.

Ma and Da, when they were younger.


The ship I took to America(above)



Can you imagine how many people are on the Hopeland?


This is Ivyheart, my cat.



Caroline, Anika, Samuel, and their Ma landing at Ellis Island


We have just arrived at Ellis Island.  I never could have imagined how many people there would be until I saw it with my own eyes.


Everyone in herded into this room for examination.  I had people wearing white clothing poke, pinch, and prod at my body with strange silver instruments.


The crowded streets that are NOT paved with gold(above)






Da and another man are buying food from a peddler.  The bread costs only 9 cents per loaf!






These are the children that go to the sewing mill with me.  I am the girl in the front row, 2nd from the left.  I have recently made friends with Sarah, who stands on the very right.


This is where Lillian, our boss, works.  A couple of men have just come in, demanding dresses for their wives.


This is our shabby tenement.  I am starting to think that America is no better than Bridgwater.





I have to walk down this dark, dreadful alley every day, just to get to Janah Seams.




These are Ivyheart’s kittens!  They are Leafkit (Top right), Flowerkit (Top left), and Hollykit (Bottom left).



This was my cake from when I was twelve years old.


This was the dress Da bought for me on my birthday.


These are some of the dresses that I sell.







These are some of the parasols I sell.




These are some of the hats that I sell.

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 33

Chapter 33: WaveClan Found!

The HeatherClan cats continued along the river until they reached the ditch.  They began to search for signs of WaveClan.
Suddenly, Birdflight exclaimed, "Hey!  Look at this!  It's a badger burrow!"
Sandpelt perked up.  "Get away from there!"  She wrinkled her nose.  "That garlic stinks, and it could hide any scent of badger!"
"Sorry," Birdflight murmured, flattening her ears.
"Yes, that was quite mouse-brained of you," Silverstar interrupted.  "But lets check it out.  Carefully!"
One by one, the cats shuffled in to the burrow.  "Hey!" mewed Greynose.  "WaveClan scent!"
Indeed, the band could smell the faint scent of WaveClan, almost smothered by the garlic.
Silverstar continued to lead the way through the small passage, and found herself in a large cavern.
And it was filled with cats!  One by one, they hissed and stalked towards them.
"We're HeatherClan cats!"  Greynose meowed.
"We're here to help you come back!" added Birdflight.
The hissing paused, then a big cat padded forward.  "Is this true?  We can go back?"
"Well..." Silverstar meowed.  "We need your help to defeat the Dark Forest cats, and the cats following them, including and NightClan and FearClan.  Right now we have CloudClan and StormClan as allies.....and WaveClan."
"Is it safe?"  an unidentifiable cat mewed.
"We'll let you stay with us," Silverstar meowed.  "We have room.  We'll care for you and protect you."
"Then let's go!"
The HeatherClan cats all sighed with relief.

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Search- Part 3

Silverstar woke to a paw prodding her gently.  She yawned, then opened her eyes to see a unfamiliar orange face staring at her.
She leaped up, a warning growl rumbling in her throat, but Birdflight immediately leaped down from her perch in the birch tree and soothed her mother, "It's alright, they're with us."
The young apprentice looked taken aback at Silverstar's fierceness, then mewed tentatively, "I'm Robinpaw, remember?"
Silverstar relaxed as the night's events flooded back to her.  "Hello," she meowed.  "I'm Silverstar.  And you must be Dovepaw."  She nodded to the silvery gray cat behind Robinpaw.  The apprentice dipped her head shyly.
"Where's your mother?" Sandpelt had padded up to Silverstar's shoulder.  "We need to speak to her."  Sandpelt's words were firm, but her voice was kind.
"Over there," meowed Robinpaw.  She pointed with her tail towards a hollow log a few foxlengths away.
Silverstar summoned her warriors with her tail, and together, they headed towards the hollow with the apprentices right behind them.
The cats entered the log, and found Iceshard waiting for them.  "Sit down," she meowed.
Graynose bristled.  "You don't tell us what to do in our territory," he spat.
Iceshard shrank back.  "Sorry," she mewed quietly.
Silverstar, Sandpelt, and Birdflight sat down as Graynose hissed in annoyance and stalked out.
"Sorry," Sandpelt apologized for her former apprentice.  "He can be as grumpy as an elder in the morning.  Especially with an emp---"
She was cut off by another hiss from outside.  "I'm going hunting," the cats heard.
"---ty belly," Sandpelt finished.
Iceshard's eyes sparkled with amusement.  "I know exactly what it feels like."  She purred.
"Okay, let's get down to business," meowed Birdflight.  "What's your whole story?"
The band listened patiently as Iceshard explained about Lightningstar's death, and her moons spent with Brightstar as his supposed mate.  Her voice shook with grief as she described Finchkit's unruly death.  But then she gave them a valuable piece of information.  "Lightningstar didn't really die.  StarClan needed Brightstar to believe he was dead, so they only took one of Lightningstar's lives, then put him into a season long slumber so he could wake at the right time.  He would gladly invite you into StormClan to plan how to kill off FearClan."
The HeatherClan cats were shocked.  Lightningstar was alive!  But then they remembered their mission.
"We have to find WaveClan," explained Silverstar.  "They're our only hope at defeating FearClan, NightClan, and the Dark Forest cats."
Robinpaw and Dovepaw looked interested.  "We know something that could help you," mewed Dovepaw softly.  "Just yesterday we encountered a fish-smelling cat by the river.  She was collecting a bunch of leaves, and looked scared that we discovered her, and she ran away before we could stop her."
"WaveClan!" Birdflight exclaimed.
"What did she look like?" asked Iceshard.
"She was a pale tabby," Robinpaw recalled.  "With slightly darker ripples down her flanks.  She smelled distinctly of herbs."
There was a scuffling sound, and Graynose came back in.  He had two voles and a rabbit in his mouth.  "Here," he mewed.  "There's enough for all of us." He paused.  "And the cat you were talking about is Leafstream."
"Leafstream!" Silverstar gasped.  "The WaveClan medicine cat!"
"We tracked her," Dovepaw mewed through bites of the rabbit.  "So we know relatively where she's living."
"And where ever she is, the rest of WaveClan will be!" Sandpelt exclaimed.  "Thank you.  All of you."
"Yes," Birdflight agreed.  "You've been a great help."
"Could you show us where Leafstream went?" asked Silverstar, munching on a vole bone.
The two apprentices looked to their mother.  "Yes, you may show them," Iceshard meowed.  "But I will go with you.  Also, we cannot go with you the whole way.  Brightstar will be sending out patrols to look for me soon, and we don't want to be caught."
Silverstar gave a terse nod.  "Let's go."
"Now?" asked Birdflight.
"What better time could there be?" asked Sandpelt.  "We just ate, so we're full, thanks to Graynose."
Her former apprentice dipped his head.  "Also, we're rested.  So, let's go!"
"Wow, his mood changed fast," Robinpaw remarked to Birdflight as they padded along.  "A moment ago, he was as grouchy as an elder.  And now, he's as happy as a kitten in a patch of catnip."
"Yeah," Dovepaw agreed.  "I wonder if h---"
But Dovepaw never got to finish her wonder, because just then, the ground beneath her paws disappeared.
"Help!" Dovepaw yowled.  Robinpaw raced to where her sister's voice was coming from.
"She's buried in an old badger set!" she meowed, pawing frantically at the loose dirt.  "Help me!"
The HeatherClan cats, along with Iceshard, raced over and began to dig.  Slowly but surely, Dovepaw clambered out, coughing out dirt.
"Are you okay?" Birdflight asked.
"I'm fine," Dovepaw managed to say, before another coughing fit shook her body.
"We need to clear the dirt from her throat," Graynose meowed.  "Robinpaw, you're the smallest.  Reach your paw down your sister's throat and scoop out as much dirt as you can.
Trembling, Robinpaw reached out a paw and lowered it into Dovepaw's mouth.  Gently, she cleaned out the dirt.  Soon, Dovepaw could breathe freely again.
"Thanks," she gasped.  "You saved my life!"
"It's what we do," Sandpelt mewed, purring with relief.
"But you can't travel much farther now.  We should go back to camp," Iceshard meowed.
"Could you point out the direction we should go?" asked Silverstar.
"Yes," meowed Robinpaw.  "Keep going until you reach a small river.  Then, follow the river downstream until you reach a ditch.  The scent is strongest there.  You should be able to find WaveClan."
"Thank you," Birdflight mewed gratefully.  "We won't forget the help you've given us."
"And I won't forget that you dug me out of that badger set!" Davepaw shuddered.
"Well, we should go now," Silverstar meowed.  "May StarClan light your paths!"
"You too," Iceshard mewed.
"Bye!" meowed Robinpaw.  "See you later!"
And so, the cats parted, and the HeatherClan cats continued their journey.

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Search- Part 2
Silverstar and the other three cats trekked towards WaveClan territory.  Silverstar noticed someone following them, but she wasn't sure who they were.  Still, they were HeatherClan cats, so she didn't want to attack them. But she did want to find out why the cats were following the band.
When they got to the birch tree close by the border, Slverstar held up her tail for the other cats to stop.
"This is very close to the enemy's territory," she meowed quietly.  "Birdflight, why don't you climb the birch tree and tell us if there are any FearClan patrols?"
Immediately, Birdflight scaled the tree and mewed, "No patrols.  It's all clear."  There was a moment's pause.  "No, wait.  There are a couple cats approaching.  Three, no, four of them."  She hopped down from the tree.  "What should we do?"
Silverstar thought hard, than meowed, "Well, since we need help, you cats can come out now."  There was a small mew of surprise, quickly silenced by the sound of a paw cuffing an ear.
"We know you're there," Graynose meowed.
"There's no use hiding," Sandpelt added.
There was a bit of grumbling, then out came two mud-covered cats.
"Jaywing?" Silverstar meowed in surprise.
"Hi, Aurorapaw!" Birdflight greeted her friend, then added, "What are you doing here?"
Aurorapaw scuffled the ground in embarrassment as her mentor mewed, "Goldenfur sent us.  She wanted to make sure we saw you cross the border safely."
Silverstar blinked in gratitude while Sandpelt snorted.  "It's easy to cross the border," she meowed.  "But not easy to avoid the cats that live across the border."
"Also," Graynose added.  "How can you protect us with only your knowledge of herbs?"
Aurorapaw studied her paws and murmured, "I hadn't thought of that.
But Jaywing wasn't so easily swayed.  "We have teeth and claws too," he spat, his fur bristling.  "We can fight!"
"Be quiet!" Silverstar interrupted.  "There are enemy cats coming right at us, and we're wasting out energy on arguing!"  Indeed, the FearClan cats were now in plain view, padding purposefully towards the HeatherClan cats, as though they knew they could not lose.
Silverstar tensed as they drew closer, until they were nearly standing on the border.  Her heart sank as she realized who they were.
"Snaketail!" she hissed.  "And Iceshard!"  The two warriors were Brightstar's deputy and Brightstar's mate.
"We are pleased to see you too," Snaketail sneered mockingly.  "This is Robinpaw, and this is Dovepaw."  He gestured towards the two younger cats behind him, who narrowed their eyes.
"You wouldn't mind if we claw your ears off, would you?"  Iceshard snarled, then leaped at the cats.  Snaketail joined in, claws flashing, and with only a heartbeat's hesitation, so did the apprentices.
Birdflight noticed something peculiar.  Iceshard, along with their apprentices, had their claws sheathed and their lips curled over their teeth, inflicting no damage whatsoever to the HeatherClan cats.  In fact, they seemed to be the ones Snaketail was tripping over the most.  Birdflight's suspicion was confirmed when Iceshard pinned her down and hissed in her ear, "We're on your side!  Pin Snaketail down and we'll finish him off!"  Birdflight barely had time to nod when Silverstar dragged Iceshard off.
"Pin Snaketail down!" she yowled.  Silverstar was busy fighting the big tom, but Sandpelt and Graynose dragged him off of her.  All of the cats scored scratches down his, flank, trusting Birdflight.  Suddenly, Iceshard charged.
"Look out!" Aurorapaw yowled to her friend.  But Birdflight calmly stepped aside and let the white she-cat pounce on her Clanmate.  With the apprentices right behind her, she gouged out Snaketail's eyes as the HeatherClan cats watched with silent fascination.  Finally, it was over.
"I can't see!" Snaketail wailed.  "What have you done to me?  I thought you were a FearClan cat!"
"I wasn't," growled Iceshard.  "You were tricked.  Robinpaw, Dovepaw, and" ----- she looked pained ----- "Finchpaw were Lightningstar's kits, not Brightstar's.  After he was killed, I convinced Brackenstar to let me be a spy.  Brightstar will pay for killing my mate and my kit."  Her voice filled with grief, but then she raked her claws across Snaketail's face, making him open his jaws in a yowl of pain and fury.  "His whole so-called Clan will pay, starting with you!"
Jaywing sniffed him over.  "You are blind," he pronounced.  "You better come with us."
Silverstar nodded in agreement.  She looked shaken.  "Take him back to camp and keep him prisoner," she told the medicine cats.  "Perhaps you coming here was some use after all."  She then turned to Iceshard and her kits.  "You may stay, but you have a lot of explaining to do in the morning."
And so, after Silverstar posted Graynose as the guard, she tucked her nose under her tail, and fell into a deep sleep.

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Search- Part 1
Silverstar woke with a start.  Gasping for breath, she streaked out of her den, barely noticing it was dusk, and checked the warriors' den, making sure everyone was still alive.  Then, she softly woke the chosen cats up, along with Goldenfur, and led them to the medicine cats' den, where they wouldn't be disturbed.
Jaywing was waiting for them there.  He waited patiently as Silverstar explained everything to the three cats she had chosen.  All of them were nodding in understanding when she had finished.  Birdflight was especially excited.
"My first warrior mission!" she could barely suppress her eagerness, and began skipping around the group of cats.  "Silverstar, you're the best!"
"Keep your voice down," Graynose reminded her.
Birdflight fell silent, but continued to skip around.  Silverstar didn't exaggerate when she mewed that Birdflight was bouncing off the walls.
"We leave now," Silverstar informed them.  "Goldenfur will be in charge of  the camp.  Birdflight, you may tell your brothers about your missions, but don't wake anyone else.  Then, tell them to come to me."
Within minutes, all of Silverstar's kits had bounded into the medicine cat den.  Moonrain stared at his mother a bit forlornly.
"I'm sorry," Silverstar mewed, stroking her kits' pelts with her tail.  "But you'll both be able to go on the next mission possible."
Immediately, Rainwhisker's eyes lit up, and Moonrain started purring.  "Will it be a FearClan attack mission?" Rainwhisker asked.
"We'll see," Silverstar murmured back, then gave each of them a goodbye lick.  They returned to their dens.
"Right," meowed Jaywing.  "Aurorapaw, the herbs!" he called.  Instantly Aurorapaw appeared, jaws full of undoubtedly bitter herbs.  Jaywing sniffed them, making sure they were the right ones.  "Great job," he praised his young apprentice.
Aurorapaw purred with delight.  Silverstar suspected the grumpy Jaywing had grown on her.  She watched as Aurorapaw ran into the herd storage, probably to mix more herbs for the medicine cat.
When Aurorapaw left, Silverstar realized that everyone had eaten their herbs except for her and Birdflight.  Quickly, she swallowed them, grimacing at the disgusting taste.
Birdflight hesitantly took a small bite and immediately choked and spit it out.  "You have eat them," Sandpelt told her.  "It'll give you strength."  Grimacing the whole time, Birdflight finally managed to get the herbs down her throat.
"Goldenfur, tell the Clan where I've gone," Silverstar instructed her deputy.  "If we're not back in three days, send a patrol to look for us.  We'll be towards the far border of WaveClan, near the Twolegplace."  Silverstar figured Brightstar wouldn't bother going there while he was working on his evil plan to conquer the Clans.
That's where WaveClan would go, Silverstar had thought.  But we'll have to avoid FearClan, who are patrolling WaveClan's territory.
And so, with Silverstar thinking about her dream, the four cats set out into the the unknown.

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Who to Take?

Silverstar paced in her den contemplating who to take with her in search of WaveClan.  Finally, she got too tired and decided that sleep would help her more than pacing around would.
The night was dark.  Silverstar was sitting on the single cloud in the sky.  For a heartbeat, she thought HeatherClan had been attacked, and that she had been murdered by the cruel and heartless Brightstar.  But then she realized that she was supposed to watch what was happening below her.
She saw herself, slinking through the shadows, followed by a band of three cats.  She recognized the faint but distinct scent of Birdflight, Sandpelt, and Graynose.  That's who I should take! she thought.  She was about to make herself wake up, but saw something happening underneath her.
"Hey!  Look at this!"  Birdflight exclaimed.  "It's a badger burrow!"
"Get away from there!" Sandpelt wrinkled her nose.  "That garlic stinks, and it could hide any scent of badger!"
Birdflight flattened her ears.  "Sorry," she murmured.
The Silverstar with the patrol seemed to agree with Sandpelt, but Silverstar on the cloud had enhanced senses.  "No!" she wanted yowl.  "WaveClan is right in front of your noses!"  But she couldn't make a sound.
"Let's rest here," Graynose suggested, leading the four cats into a ditch.
"Rat!" Silverstar suddenly hissed from her cloud.
Birdflight looked towards the sky, as if she'd heard her mother.  Then she looked away as the Slverstar with her yelped.  "Rat!" yelped Silverstar, echoing her own words.
Rats streamed into the ditch by then hundreds, swarming over the cats and delivering lethal bites.  The four cats threw themselves into battle and fought with their best, taking out ten rats in two heartbeats.
But by then, it was too late, and soon, unharmed, Silverstar was looking at her kit and Clanmates' torn bodies bleeding to death...

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Sign

Silverstar awoke with a jolt. Panicked, she stumbled out of her den and raced for Jaywing's den.

"Jaywing!" she hissed urgently.

"Wha?  Whatisit?" he meowed blearily.

"I had a dream about the Dark Forest cats!  They're building an army!" Silverstar couldn't mask the fear in her voice.

At this, Jaywing woke up completely.  Only pausing to call for Aurorapaw, he turned to Silverstar and meowed, "Tell me everything that was in your dream."

Quickly and softly, Silverstar relayed the dream to the two medicine cats.  Aurorapaw's eyes widened at the thought of Dark Forest cats building an army, but she kept silent.

"This is bad..." Jaywing muttered.

"But with an army so big, how can we stop it before it begins?" Aurorapaw mused.

"I want to call a Clan meeting," meowed Silverstar.  "But I'm afraid they'll be too scared, and might act before they think.  That will lose if they attack, and cats will die, even if the four Clans unite.  But it is nearly impossible to make Tigerstar stop without a fight.  His ambition is too great!"

"We also have the problem of FearClan and NightClan.  They'll keep attacking, and they're helping Tigerstar, too," added Aurorapaw quietly.

"So we only have CloudClan and StormClan as allies." Jaywing concluded

"I..." Aurorapaw hesitated.  "I had a dream, too.  At first I didn't think it mean anything, but now I think it does."  

Silverstar looked interested.  "What was it?" she asked.

"Well, I was standing at the edge of the sundrown place, looking down at the water.  I thought it was just an image I had imagined from the stories my mother told about it.  But now... I think it was a message from StarClan.  See, as I watched, the waves grew smaller and smaller, as if the water was retreating, and drying up.  I watched until it was almost gone.  Then, slowly but surely, the water came back, the waves regaining their strength and power, until the ocean was full again."  Aurorapaw finished, staring expectantly at Jaywing.

"WaveClan..." he breathed.  "FearClan didn't finish them after all.  We can still bring them back!"

Silverstar purred.  "Well done, Aurorapaw."

She called in Goldenfur, explained everything to her, and huddling together, the four cats began to concoct a plan...

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The Dream

Silverstar was standing on the border between StarClan and the Dark Forest. On one side, StarClan cats hunted and played, slept and shared tongues. On the other side, however, she could see that bodies were churning, yowls splitting the air.

What are they doing? she thought.

A silvery cat padded over to her from the StarClan side. "They are building an army, Silverstar," she hissed.

As Silverstar looked closer, she saw that, indeed, they seemed to be practicing. But then she noticed some cats that weren't dead yet. "Berrypaw?" she gasped. "And Nightfall, too!"

There seemed to be cats from all the Clans, even WaveClan! She recognized Snaketail and Blackpaw from StormClan, Nightshade and Flamepaw from WaveClan, Bumblestripe and Adderpaw from CloudClan, all of NightClan, and all of FearClan. But there were much, much more. Silverstar caught a glimpse of Tigerstar, the dark warrior, training Berrypaw. Hawkfrost, she realized with a jolt, was the one yowling battle techniques at Nightfall! Brokenstar was training the WaveClan and StormClan cats. A mangy tortoiseshell was coaching NightClan. The name Mapleshade sprang into Silverstar's mind as she watched the FearClan cats fought amongst each other.

Shocked beyond measure, Silverstar turned back to the StarClan cat, whom she recognized to be Spottedleaf, a great medicine cat of ThunderClan. "How will we fight them?" she whispered.

Spottedleaf shook her head firmly. "You won't," she meowed. "You must find a way to stop the fighting before it begins!"

And with a whisk of her tail, she was gone.

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 26

Chapter 26: New Apprentices

"Thistlekit and Swallowkit, please come up here."

Thistlekit came first, and Swallowkit raced after him, his fur a bit ruffled.

Silverstar suppressed a purr of amusement. "Thistlekit, Swallowkit, you are already more than six moons old, and you are ready to become apprentices. From now on, you shall be known as Thistlepaw and Swallowpaw." Silverstar paused. "Smokefoot," she meowed. He looked up, surprised. "You are ready for your first apprentice, and you will mentor Thistlepaw. I know you will pass on your skills to this adventurous apprentice."

Thistlepaw padded forward and touched his nose politely to his mentor, who was radiating with pride.

Silverstar continued. "Ashnose, you have not had an apprentice yet. You will mentor Swallowpaw. She will become a fine warrior with you as her mentor."

The warrior touched his nose to his new apprentice's nose. Swallowpaw responded by purring loudly.

"Thistlepaw! Swallowpaw!" the Clan cheered.

Next, Mousekit and Harekit were summoned. They became Mousepaw and Harepaw, and their mentors were Owlclaw and Eaglewing.

After that, Smallkit, Sweetkit, and Riverkit became apprentices, with Lemondrop, Graynight, and Stormpelt mentoring them.

Finally, Hazeldawn's kits were called up to the Highrock.

"Starkit and Oakkit, please come up here."

The two bounded forward and skidded to a stop next to their leader, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake .

Silverstar purred out loud. "Starkit and Oakkit, you are six moons old, and you are ready to become apprentices. From now on, you shall be known as Starpaw and Oakpaw. Brackenpelt will be Starpaw's mentor, and Leopardfire will mentor Oakpaw."

The apprentices touched noses with their mentors proudly.

"Starpaw! Oakpaw!" the Clan cheered.

Silverstar hopped down from the Highrock and into her den, thinking, I hope they are satisfied now. With new warriors and apprentices, HeatherClan will never be defeated as long as my heart keeps beating!

Thinking this, Silverstar quickly sank into a deep sleep and began to dream...

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 25

Chapter 25: New Warriors

She paused to catch her breath, then continued. "Also, there are a couple more things. We need more warriors, and our apprentices are all ready. Dapplepaw, Dovepaw, please step forward. It is time for you to become a warrior." Their eyes shined excitedly as Silverstar began to speak the ritual words. "I, Silverstar, leader of HeatherClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn." Silverstar fixed her blue gaze on the two apprentices. "Dapplepaw and Dovepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," meowed Dovepaw boldly.

Dapplepaw trembled slightly, but her voice was steady as she too, meowed, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Dapplepaw, from this moment you will be known as Dapplelight. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and your determination. Dovepaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Doveheart. StarClan will always admire you boldness. We welcome you both as full warriors of HeatherClan."

When she finished speaking, Silverstar stepped up to to Dapplelight and Doveheart, and rested her muzzle on their bowed heads. They both licked her shoulder respectfully, and then walked over to stand by the other apprentices.

The watching cats raised their voices to chant the new warriors' name, but Silverstar wasn't finished yet.

"Mistypaw, Minnowpaw, please step forward. It is also time for you to become a warrior."

Their mouthes fell open in shock.

"Us?" gasped Minnowpaw.

Silverstar nodded and pronounced the ritual words. "I, Silverstar, leader of HeatherClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn." Silverstar fixed her blue gaze on them. "Mistypaw, Minnowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," meowed Mistypaw, her head held high.

"I do," mewed Minnowpaw softly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Mistypaw, from this moment you will be known as Mistytail. StarClan honors your courage." Then she turned to Minnowpaw. "Minnowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Minnnowtail. StarClan will always admire your determination, and you are now full warriors of HeatherClan."

When she finished speaking, Silverstar stepped up to to Mistytail and Minnowtail, and rested her muzzle on their bowed heads. They both licked her shoulder respectfully, and then walked over to stand by Dapplelight, Doveheart, Crookedpaw.

Next, Crookedpaw was summoned.

"Windflight, is Crookedpaw ready to become a warrior?"

Windpelt stood up. "He is," he answered. "Crookedpaw has lost his only brother to FearClan, yet he still remains strong. He is a good hunter, and a brilliant warrior. Crookedpaw is definitely ready to become a warrior."

Silverstar dipped her head and began to speak. "I, Silverstar, leader of HeatherClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in their turn." Silverstar fixed her blue gaze on Crookedpaw. "Crookedpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," he meowed, his eyes shining.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Crookedpaw, from this moment you will be known as Crookedtail. StarClan honors your determination, and we all know you will always be the best warrior you can be. We welcome you as a full warrior of HeatherClan."

Finally, she called up her own kits, along with Amberpaw.

"I, Silverstar, leader of HeatherClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Silverstar fixed her blue gaze on them. "Birdpaw, Moonpaw, Rainpaw, and Amberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," they meowed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Birdpaw, from this moment you shall be known as Birdflight. Moonpaw, you will be known as Moonnose, and Rainpaw as Rainwhisker." Then she turned to Amberpaw. "Amberpaw, you shall be known as Amberheart."

Silverstar straightened up, then continued. "StarClan will always admire you as brave young cats, and you are now all full warriors of HeatherClan!"

At this, the clearing erupted with cheers. HeatherClan had nine new warriors! But they needed new apprentices too, and Silverstar was prepared, for all the kits were already at least six moons old.

HeatherClan Book: Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Attacked!

As soon as Silverstar stepped into the HeatherClan camp, she ordered guards to be posted at the entrance.

Only Cedarheart answered her...from her own den! "FearClan attacked," he mewed hoarsely. "Gracepelt, Angelflame, Sparklelight, Bird, and Mousepelt were killed. We managed to survive by staying in your den. Brightstar's cats aren't very good at climbing, it seems. Nightfall..." He broke off as he started coughing up blood, and Spottedpelt jumped down to the to face the band.

"Nightfall and Berrypaw ran off to join them. We couldn't stop them, it was too chaotic. I managed to treat some of the wounded cats with the remaining supplies the FearClan cats didn't destroy." She let out a shaky laugh. "At least I used to be a medicine cat. If I wasn't...well, who knows how many more cats would have died."

Swanfeather hopped down beside Spottedpelt. "All we could do was hope you were okay, and that the FearClan cats didn't intercept you..." She trailed off when she realized many of the warriors and apprentices had open wounds.

HeatherClan immediately sprang into action. The warriors and apprentices set about fixing the camp walls, sharing news while threading the brambles. The elders buried the dead. Meanwhile, Spottedpelt helped Jaywing and Aurorapaw collect herbs to treat the wounded.

Finally when they were all resting, Silverstar made an announcement. "Cats of HeatherClan, because of the raids Brightstar has led, I have decided to add some new rules. Every cat is not allowed to leave the camp alone. Kits and apprentices must have at least one warrior with them.  Even cats visiting the dirtplace must be accompanied by another cat. Elders, kits, and queens are advised to stay in their dens, unless another raid occurs. If this does happen, everyone must cross the Stone Cross as quickly as possible, except for the warriors and older apprentices. These warriors and apprentices will fight off the intruders, but if they fail, they must also cross the river. I'll have a couple warriors build a secret escape route leading out of the camp."