Windchaser, Dreamcatcher

AN: Birchpelt has been switched to Rockpaw's mentor.

Also...

SwiftPack allegiances

Alpha Male: Blizzard

Alpha Female-Swift

Beta-Luka

Warrior(s)

Timber

(Luka and Timber's pups)

Red

Chase

Scratcher

Petal

(Blizzard and Swift's)

Lightning

Windy

Storm

Thunder

Spirit

Chapter One: Nightkit

The pale ginger she-cat watched with amber eyes as her friend lay struggling on the ground. She was obviously worried, but there was nothing she could do.

"Your litter will be smaller than mine, I can see that," Dreamcloud soothed. "Just try your hardest, Calicofur."

The medicine cat's blue eyes were closed, and her body was tensed up. Why couldn't her mate be here? Well, for one thing, their love had been illegal. Second, he had died just after she found that she was having kits. Spiderleg hadn't even known that he was going to be a father.

"I'll have to do it," Calicofur muttered to herself. "For Spiderleg."

"That's it," Dreamcloud encouraged. "Focus."

Her own kitting, seven moons ago, had been even harder. But she had focused on the kits and her forbidden love, their father, Windstar.

The cat who everyone thinks is the father is worse, Dreamcloud thought to herself. The Clan had never discovered that Robinpelt wasn't the father of her kits, and simply thought he had been insane.

He had.

But there had been a slight reason.

"There you go," Dreamcloud meowed, seeing a tiny wet bundle at Calicofur's side. "Good job!" But the smallness and stillness of the kit worried her, and she licked it vigorously. Still, nothing. Finally, Dreamcloud gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Calicofur. This kit was stillborn."

Her friend closed her eyes, and concentrated again. It was the least Dreamcloud could do to help her, after her own kitting.

Calicofur let out a wail, and Dreamcloud gave the medicine cat a swift lick on the ear. "You're doing wonderfully."

As Calicofur's muscles relaxed for a brief moment, the ThunderClan deputy took the stillborn, dug a hole, and buried it. She looked down at the ground sadly.

"Rest well, little one."

"Dreamcloud!"

She whirled on her paws to find Calicofur, stiffened, eyes wide... finally, a second, final kit lay near her. This kit, to Dreamcloud's relief, was soon squealing. The kit was all black without a speck of any color on it.

"Congratulations," Dreamcloud purred, setting the kit down at his mother's side. "Calicofur, you have a son."

"Spiderleg's son," The she-cat murmured faintly, looking down at her single kit. She gazed back up at her friend. "You know I can't keep him."

Dreamcloud dipped her head. "Yes," Her eyes sparkled with the familiar intelligence that had gotten her out of many bad situations. "But Palelegs recently had her litter, and no one but Thornclaw has seen them."

"Palelegs," Sadness etched Calicofur's voice. "She's a good cat. All right." Gently, she reached down and gave the kit a lick. "Good-bye... Nightkit."

Dreamcloud crouched down to pick the kit up, but as she did, she froze, and her eyes glazed over...

"Dreamcloud. Come."

"What?" Dreamcloud spun around in the mist, searching. A small tortoiseshell stood by herself, watching with wisdom in her eyes.

"Dreamcloud?"

She turned to find a snowy white tom at her side, his leaf green eyes suspicious as he watched the tortoiseshell.

"Why are we here?" Dreamcloud asked cooly. Whenever Spottedleaf had called upon them, it hadn't been that great. Five moons of peace had passed by, and she and Windstar had started to think that maybe the killing of Robinpelt signaled the fulfillment of their destinies.

Apparently, they were wrong.

"Your kits," Spottedleaf stated. "Are the blessed and the cursed. Nightkit is the signal."

His eyes were exactly like Dreamcloud's.

"Darkness will cover the Stars,

and destinies must be fulfilled.

Loyalties will be decided...

And Sun and Snow are the only..."

"Dreamcloud?"

Dreamcloud shook her head, out of the trance, and scooped the kit into her mouth, running towards camp. A bad feeling crept into her as the faint sounds of battling cats grew near. There had been rumors that WindClan was ambushing...

She nearly dropped Nightkit at the sight.

Cats were battling bravely, tearing into each other, eyes wide and glaring.

"Please, StarClan," She whispered, racing towards the nursery. She prayed that her own kits would be all right...

"Palelegs," Dreamcloud panted. "Take this kit. Please?"

The ginger and white queen was curled up next to her tabby kit, and her eyes widened. "You know I can't let a kit go, right?"

Dreamcloud gently laid the kit down. "Stay in here. We've been attacked." She started to run off, but then halted. "His name's Nightkit."

Without another word, she ran off into the battle, immediately met by Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy.

"Well," She sneered. "If it isn't ThunderClan's pretty little deputy."

Dreamcloud slashed long claws down the she-cat's face, then bounded off. A rasp made her whirl around.

"Dreamcloud."

"Firestar," She breathed, racing up to him. The once great tom was lying on the ground, a long slash through his throat. "Firestar, hang on!"

"No," Firestar sighed. "It's time for me to go. I have fulfilled my destiny, and it is time for you to fulfill yours..."

Slowly, his eyes closed. Dreamcloud dipped her head, pushing her muzzle into his fur.

One of the greatest cats to ever live had died.

And she was leader.

xxx

Windstar gazed up at the evening sky. His eyes narrowed as a star shot in front of his vision. But it wasn't going down-it wasn't a falling star.

It was shooting up.

In a moment of realization, he remembered that tale that he heard when he was a kit. The one that told of how Firestar was foretold by a falling star.

"Poor Dreamcloud," He whispered to himself, sitting outside his den. This had to be hard on her. And the kits...

Not really kits anymore, his mind reminded him. They were seven moons old now, apprentices. Carefully, Windstar padded away from camp, leaving ShadowClan territory. The warm scent of wolf flooded his senses. It wasn't bad like some would say, it was just... nice.

Swift and Blizzard sat side by side, watching their five pups scamper at their paws. The other two adults in pack, Luka and Timber, watched their own four. SwiftPack was growing.

"Windstar!" Swift barked in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"I think that Firestar died," Windstar admitted, sitting down.

"He was a good cat," Blizzard sympathized.

"Well..." The tom paused. "I'm more worried for Dreamcloud. It's been a while since I've been able to see her, and moons since I've seen the kits."

"I hate to say this," Swift said cautiously. "But you still might want to wait a while. She'll be grieving for her grandfather. Do cats have grieving rituals?"

"Yes," Windstar answered. "We gather around the dead, touch our muzzles to their fur, and share tongues with them one last time before they're buried. What about you?"

"We sing," Swift answered evenly.

"Sing?" Windstar's eyes widened. Wolves sang? He had never heard of that.

"I guess we haven't had time to show you before," Blizzard said. "But singing is one of our talents. It's a tradition." He barked something to Luka and Timber, who nodded and stood. The pups mimicked their movements, looking grave.

"We'll sing the song of grieving," Swift decided. "Firestar deserves that."

All the wolves gathered in a group, Swift and Blizzard in the middle. Swift was the first to raise her head, open her mouth, and let out a cry. A haunting howl, beautifully telling the tale of sadness. Blizzard joined in, and soon the rest of the pack, even the pups, did as well.

Windstar settled down, and closed his eyes. It was beautiful, and Firestar deserved it.

xxx

Hope you like so far... what would you like for Rockpaw's warrior name? YOU decide.

Rockclaw

Rockpelt

Rockheart