Ch.11: Sunset (The New Prophecy)
Summary: Revised version from the actual book. Darkstripe finds himself in No Stars, but has a change of heart. He doesn’t want to be like Tigerstar anymore, so he tries to find Starclan. He wants to warn Tigerstar’s relations about Tigerstar’s plans. Can he do it, or will he be too late? Read to find out.
Darkstripe ran along in an unfamiliar forest.
Just then, he spotted his longtime friend. His friend approached him.
“Darkstripe,” he greeted.
“Tigerstar,” he greeted back. “Why are you here? Where’s Starclan?”
“There is no Starclan. Starclan doesn’t come here. This isn’t a place for them; only for cats like us.”
“I’ll find a way to them.”
“You can’t. There’s not a way. There never will be.”
“Let me come with you.”
“Sorry, Darkstripe; this place is where cats go their own way. I’m going my own way. I’ve learned how to visit my sons in their dreams. Real soon, I’ll make them see it my way. Firestar hasn’t won yet. There’ll soon learn if they want power, they must do it my way, or there’ll never rule. I’ve already influenced Hawkfrost. I must now try with Brambleclaw. If he refuses, I can threaten cats close to him. Then he’ll listen. I must go now.”
As he walked away, he called out to Tigerstar.
“What is this place!?”
“No Stars!” Tigerstar called back before he disappeared.
Darkstripe didn’t want him to do that to all his kin. He wanted to warn Brambleclaw in his dreams, before it was too late. He knew Starclan wasn’t around in No Stars, but he said anyway to them, “Starclan, help me to go into their dreams to warn them. Maybe even warn Leaf paw or Cinderpelt.”
As if they heard, the place changed to a familiar place and there stood Bluestar in the grass.
He approached the former Thunderclan leader.
“Bluestar, I’m sorry for what Tigerstar did to you and what I did. I’ve changed since I died and went to No Stars. I want to warn someone.”
“I know of how you have changed. I understand that you were following him, not because he influenced you, but because he was your only friend and you couldn’t let him be in exile alone. So you followed him until you died. Now you understand that you did wrong. His father was just as evil and ambitious; now then. I’ll grant you what you want; the power to come into cat’s dreams to warn them.”
“Thanks, Bluestar.”
“Come. Follow me.”
He obeyed and soon was standing among Starclan.
Leafpool and Crowfeather burst into camp, hoping to save the clan from the badger attack. He hope vanished when she saw they were too late. She was worried for her clan, but most of all, she was worried for her mother, father, and sister.
When they entered, cats gave her mean looks.
She realized they weren’t happy.
They don’t trust me anymore after I abandoned them.
She walked inside the camp, crossed the clearing, and was greeted happily by Sandstorm, Squirrelflight, and Goldenflower. She was glad that some were happy to see her.
After being greeted, she ordered Brambleclaw to tell wounded cats who could walk, to come to her den.
He obeyed.
She went to tend to the cats that couldn’t walk. When was done with them, she went to the Medicine den.
When she entered the den, she saw Ferncloud with three kits. Her mate was Dustpelt. Then she froze. Cinderpelt lay on her side. She was still.
She turned to see Brambleclaw tell her, “I’m sorry. Cinderpelt is with Starclan now.”
Not wanting to believe him, she went over to her mentor and touched her pelt with her nose. She smelled of death. He was right. He was beside her a moment later, talking to her. “She died saving and protecting Ferncloud, while she gave birth to her three kits.”
Ferncloud spoke. “It’s my fault. I didn’t even try to protect her.”
Dustpelt tried to soothe her.
“I promise you, Leafpool. She died of an honorable death,” Brambleclaw said soothingly. “I’ll tell Firestar.”
She heard his paw steps fade away, as he left the Medicine den.
She silently spoke. “Cinderpelt, if you’re still with me, speak to me.” But all she felt was the strong smell of death.
She left her den after she was done with the wounded.
She padded up to Firestar her father.
“Come to my den. I must see to your wounds.”
He obeyed and followed her there.
She had to stop thinking of him as her dad, she told herself.
She soon found Brambleclaw. His left shoulder was wounded. When he refused, she narrowed her eyes at him.
“What help will you be if that bite gets infected?”
At that, he followed her to her den to be fixed with herbs.
After she was done with the warrior he went to put the Elder’s den together.
Just then, the warrior spotted a few friends. He bounded over to them.
“Brooke, Stormfur, what are you doing here?”
“We’re visiting here to help Thunderclan. Then we’re staying in Riverclan,” Stormfur told the warrior.
He must’ve seen the looks on Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight's faces, because he continued. “We’re staying in the forest for good. I can’t stand to try choosing Clan or Tribe anymore. Brook has decided to come with me. She wants to learn how to hunt in the forest. Now what can we do to help you with?”
The warrior spoke.
“Brook, you go catch us fresh-kill. I mean prey. Stormfur, you help us prepare our dens. I’ll start with the warrior’s den. You start with the Queen’s den.” With that, the cat’s obeyed.
With every cat’s help, they were able to rebuild the dens. But during the badger’s attack, a few cats had gone to Starclan. Sootfur, Cinderpelt, and Darkpelt. The cats shared tongues with them for the last time, while Leafpool went around camp, checking on the wounded and their wounds.
As she looked for Marigold, she silently hoped her mentor would forgive her. Then she thought maybe the former Medicine cat blamed her for not being in the camp when she needed her the most. Then she thought that Cinderpelt held a grudge for her leaving. Then she thought about how Crowfeather was handling. She wondered how his Clan was reacting to his return. Were they welcome or unwelcome?
When night came, she settled down in her mentors’ moss nest. She slept, smelling Cinderpelt's scent.
She dreamed she was in the forest looking for prey.
Suddenly, a cat came out. The cat spoke.
“Don’t be afraid, Leafpool. I’m Silverstream. There’s someone who wants to speak to you.”
A dark, black cat with a white stripe down its back came up to them and sat by Silverstream.
Stormfur's mother spoke.
“This is Darkstripe. He has had a change of heart, so don’t be afraid. He was once in Shadowclan as Tigerstar’s deputy. But he’s good now. Now listen to what he has to say. He’s in Starclan now.”
She bowed her head to Silverstream and then turned her attention to Darkstripe.
“Leafpool, I need your help to warn Brambleclaw and Firestar. When I saw Tigerstar in No Stars, he told me he wants to visit Brambleclaw in his dreams. He already influenced Hawkfrost. He wants them to be like him, but more clever. If Brambleclaw refuses, Tigerstar will threaten him. Maybe kill some cats in their dreams that Brambleclaw is close to. You must warn them before they find Tigerstar in their dreams. If they learn too much from him, they could rule over the Clans and the Sun-drown Place. Do this for me; For Starclan; For your Clan mates. You must warn Mothwing, too.”
“I will,” she promised him, bowing her head.
She watched, as the cats disappeared as they walked away.
She awoke at sunrise to search for Brambleclaw. He was sleeping in the warriors’ den.
“Brambleclaw,” she whispered.
He woke up to see her.
She continued to speak in a whisper to him. “Follow me. I need to tell you something important. It involves your kin.”
He got to his paws slowly, as to not disturb any cats, and followed her out of the camp in the heart of the forest.
“What’s going on?” he asked her.
“Silverstream and Darkstripe visited me in my dream. Darkstripe has had a change of heart and is now in Starclan. They know what will happen and what is to come. They want me to warn you, Firestar, and the rest of Tigerstar’s kin.”
“Warn us of what?”
“That Tigerstar will come into your dreams and teach you everything he knows and you’ll overtime, rule over all and everything. Just like Tigerstar once tried to do. But his main thing is to get back at Firestar.”
That morning, Leafpool told her father that his arch enemy is still trying to hurt him, and what he plans to do. After she was done, he dismissed her and then told Sandstorm.
While he told his mate, Leafpool told Tawnypelt and Moth wing without being detected. She soon slipped back into camp and Squirrelflight was told by Brambleclaw.
A few days later, Daisy’s kit, Berrykit, was missing from the camp.
Sandstorm, Brambleclaw, and Dustpelt soon found him in a trap. That was meant for foxes, not cats. They soon got him out.
After Leafpool fixed him up, Berry kit only had a stumpy tail.
At the Gathering, each leader told what was going on.
One-Star had nothing to say Leopard star was finding it hard for food, Firestar told of the badger attack, and of who died and that they weren’t weak. Then he spoke of his patrol seeing a few Shadowclan cats and smelling fresh scent markers made from Shadowclan, which were in a yard of Thunderclan territory.
Blackstar announced to the tabby tom, “We have stretched our territory to find prey. Twolegs frighten the prey.” One of his warriors said, “Yes. It’s getting harder to find prey. We only wish that Thunderclan and Wind clan share their territory with Shadowclan and Riverclan. Riverclan are also finding it hard to find enough prey.
“Never!” hissed One-star.
Just then, war broke out.
Brambleclaw tried to rescue Dustpelt from a Shadowclan warrior.
When the cats heard their leader’s yowls to stop, they stopped.
Firestar said that the meeting was over.
Before Leafpool went to join her clan, she overheard Mothwing and Hawkfrost.
“One day we’ll rule the forest. We would’ve too, if the leaders hadn’t stopped the fighting and if that kittypet hadn’t called off the Gathering,” Hawkfrost told her.
“You may want to rule over all, but I won’t do it; and what about Tigerstar? You have his same ambition and someday that’ll kill you.”
“No. You’re wrong. I’m not like him. I’ll learn from his mistakes. I’ll do the opposite; but first, those arrivals must go; alive or dead; Firestar, too. After all, they don’t have a deputy. Graystripe was taken away and he’ll never come back in time. That is, if he ever does. And if he does, I’ll be waiting for that fur ball. And when Firestar’s dead, the clan will join one of the other Clans. I’ll pick off each leader until I’m leader. And Stormfur and Brook are gone. Either back in the mountains or long dead, never to be seen again.”
Then he left with his Clan.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” Mothwing told her.
“It’s okay. I never have trusted him, and now I know I was right not to,” Leafpool said.
Leafpool couldn’t help but think how he look when he talked like that to his sister. It was like he had become the next Tigerstar!
“Is Heavy step okay?” asked Leafpool. He was an elder who had Green cough.
“No. He needs cat mint, but I can’t find any.”
“Listen. Mudfur, came to me recently and told me to tell you that it’s just off the thunder path away from the pool.”
“Tell him thanks.”
That night, that picture of Hawkfrost had haunted her dreams.
She dreamt that she saw Hawkfrost in a forest turning into the evil Tigerstar. Then he went after her.
She awoke from her dream terrified; panting like she had actually ran in real life from the evil Tigerstar. She knew exactly that Starclan had sent it as a message. Hawkfrost was going to try and kill her.
Brambleclaw woke to Fern cloud's yowl. He was told that Daisy and her kits were gone.
Firestar had a Clan meeting and he agreed for Cloudtail and Brambleclaw to fetch Daisy, but if she wanted to stay, then come back to camp.
At dawn, the two cats went to the horse place where Daisy and her kits lived. Smoky helped them find her in a barn along with her kits. Because her kits wanted to live in the forest, she agreed.
The next day at sun high, they came back to the forest to live forever.
A moon later, Firestar sent Brambleclaw on a mission to check out Riverclan and Wind clan, after hearing about twolegs and their kits in their territory.
The young tabby tom warrior thought there wasn’t any trouble. He saw and smelled plenty of prey.
Just then, he saw the two Riverclan cats. The two were Stormfur and Brook Where Small Fish Swim; also known as Brook.
Stormfur tried to tell Brook to stop, as she killed a squirrel one paw in Shadowclan territory. Then Hawkfrost appeared. He accused Brook of stealing Shadowclan prey; then told them to go back to camp. They followed him home to their camp.
Without any cat knowing, he followed them.
He found a tree he could look over into the camp. He could hear and see cats. When Hawkfrost made Stormfur mad, he leaped and attacked him. Brook told him to stop, but she didn’t know how to fight. Back in the mountains, she caught prey. She never fought.
Leopardstar told Blackclaw, Mistyfoot, and another warrior to pull them apart. They then stopped fighting. Because Stormfur attacked Hawkfrost, his leader thought he forgot the warrior code and told him and his mate to leave, because they didn’t belong anymore.
When they left the camp, Brambleclaw climbed down the tree, ran after them, and they followed him behind a bush so they wouldn’t be seen while talking. He invited them into Thunderclan camp and they agreed.
Brambleclaw entered the camp and told Firestar about other Clans calling Thunderclan weak; then told him that he needed a new deputy if he wanted all clans, plus his own, to be strong. Brambleclaw knew that other clans saw them as weak, because of no deputy. He also knew that the clans weren’t thinking right, because they didn’t have a deputy.
Just then, Sandstorm came in and sat by the leader.
“It’s time for you to leave,” she said softly. He then left.
Firestar went to Leaf pool's den to ask if he should appoint a deputy. If she thought Graystripe was gone and never coming back.
“Wait here,” she told him.
She went to Stormfur to tell him what he need to know from Graystripe’s son. Brook and Squirrelflight went to practice some fighting moves.
After Leafpool watched Stormfur and her dad talk, she saw her dad climb onto the Rock Ledge for a Clan meeting.
Approval rose through the clan when he said he had appointed a new deputy.
Right before moon high, Starclan sent her a message. It was of Brambles protecting Thunderclan. She told her father and he told them that Brambleclaw was deputy. When the Clan didn’t agree, he explained why. Afterward, every cat congratulated him except for Ashfur.
As Leafpool watched, she thought she saw Tigerstar beside him. With a shock, she realized his spirit had been beside him when his son had become deputy of Thunderclan.
A few nights later, the Medicine cats went to the Moon pool and she had a dream from Starclan. Spottedleaf gave her a message.
“Before there is peace
Blood will spill blood
And the lake will run red.”
When Brambleclaw met up with Hawkfrost, he heard something. He asked him what that was and Hawkfrost said it was just some prey being caught. Brambleclaw said it wasn’t and followed the sound of the cat in trouble, only to see Firestar caught in a trap. He went over to dig the stick out, but was attacked by Hawkfrost. Brambleclaw made Hawkfrost fall off him. While he was down, Brambleclaw dug so it would loosen. Hawkfrost then came after him again and Brambleclaw stared into his amber eyes. He realized that he would have to kill him. He threw him off again and dug for the stick again. The string loosened all together and his leader was free; then his leader layed down.
Hawkfrost pinned him down. As he reached for the Thunderclan deputy’s neck, Brambleclaw raked his claws across his underbelly. Then with huge strength and courage, he threw him into the trap. Hawkfrost soon died.
As he stared into the distance, his leader spoke.
“Brambleclaw, you did well. I’m proud of you.”
When Leafpool got there, she saw that Hawkfrost was dead and his blood looked like the pool of blood that Starclan had shown her in the dream.
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