The Forgotten Clans: Predator and Prey

Chapter 4

Honeypaw followed her mentor eagerly "How far is the Moontree?" She asked.

Stripedrose smiled at her "Not too far now," She responded softly.

It had been a half-moon since Honeypaw had been friends with Foxpaw which meant it was time for her to go to the Moontree to lock in her dreams to become a medicine cat.

The Moontree went across TreeClan territory but medicine cats are allowed to go there without being stopped.

"Hey, what are you doing in our territory?"

Honeypaw's blood froze to ice. A patrol of TreeClan warriors and apprentices were in their way.

The cat that had yelled at them was a large silver tom, a dark ginger she-cat about Honeypaw's age stood beside him.

"I am Stripedrose, FlowerClan's medicine cat. I have come with my new apprentice Honeypaw. She wishes to lock in her dream to become my apprentice," Stripedrose explained.

A pale grey and white she-cat stared at Honeypaw for a second with her green eyes. "It's ok Birdfeather, they are going to the Moontree," She told the silver tom. He nodded "Very well," he said before leaving with the rest of the patrol.

Soon, they approached a hollow that had a great willow tree, turned silver from the moonlight. They saw a calico cat with green eyes and a pure white she-cat with a grey tail tip with a tortoiseshell she-cat at about Honeypaw's age. "Hello Snowflower and Leafpelt," Stripedrose said, "This is my new apprentice, Honeypaw."

"Hello Honeypaw, this is my apprentice, Brightpaw," Snowflower said. She sounded stressed, Honeypaw thought.

"Stripedrose?" Snowflower said, "I'm so sorry about Sootstar, Palestar forced the information out of me. Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's ok," Stripedrose said, "There's no use crying over wasted prey."

Snowflower nodded "I always cry over this, I have done it for many moons. There's nothing I can do about it now."

Honeypaw knew that Sootstar had died. But she didn't know that Palestar had killed him. Badgerclaw had hushed Echostar up whenever someone had mentioned his name. Badgerclaw had told everyone he had died of blood loss that no one had noticed in the battle.

"Let's go on then," Stripedrose interrupted Honeypaw's thoughts.

The group continued up the hill to the Moontree, Honeypaw had become friends with Brightpaw and they were talking about what dream StarClan would send them.

"I think I might see my father Spiderheart," Brightpaw told Honeypaw, the tortoiseshell's father had died from Greencough last Leafbare.

"Maybe I might see Sootstar or some other FlowerClan leaders," Honeypaw explained.

"Maybe we'll get to meet the past medicine cats!" Brightpaw blurted out excitedly.

Honeypaw smiled, but then it dawned on her. What if StarClan didn't accept her as a medicine cat, what if she had to become a warrior! That would be so embarrassing, coming back and telling Echostar that she had to be a warrior.

At the bottom of the Moontree, Stripedrose stopped, turned to Honeypaw, and said, "Honeypaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?"

"It is," Honeypaw replied, she was trying to look serious, but she knew the others could tell that she was about to burst from excitement.

"Then come forward," Stripedrose said, "Warriors of StarClan, I present you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal their clan in accordance with your ways. Now lie down upon the roots of the Moontree and share dreams with StarClan."

Honeypaw did as Stripedrose said and lay down on the roots and closed her eyes and waited for Starclan to appear.

She was cold. There must be some mistake, Honeypaw thought, maybe I'm not accepted as a medicine cat apprentice. She decided to open her eyes and tell Stripedrose that she was not meant to be a medicine cat after all. She opened her eyes and saw that she was standing in a field of flowers. Around her were cats with stars in their pelts. "Welcome to Starclan, young one," A dark ginger cat said, "My name is Fireflower, and I was the medicine cat before Stripedrose." "And I am Willowfang, your mother's mother," A light ginger she-cat said. "And I am Sootstar, the previous leader," A black tom told her.

"We have come to warn you of great danger," Willowfang said, "Come," Fireflower said, "Come and look into this pool."

When Honeypaw looked into the pool, she saw a rat killing a hawk, and then a moment later, storm clouds.

"It shall be then, when prey kills predator, and betrayal users forth, a storm shall rise," Fireflower said.

"What do you mean, prey shall kill predator?" Honeypaw asked. But the cats of Starclan were fading and a moment later, Honeypaw found herself awake at the Moontree.

On the way home, Honeypaw could not stop brooding about the prophecy. What does it mean 'When prey kills predator'? Who will betray us? And what's the storm that shall rise?

"Are you ok Honeypaw? You look troubled," Stripedrose broke into her thoughts.

"I'm just tired," Honeypaw lied.

She arrived at the camp at moonhigh "Go to sleep Honeypaw," Stripedrose told her.

Honeypaw nodded and curled up on a soft moss bed and began to dream.

She was in a dense forest, like the one in FlowerClan territory but wilder. Honeypaw walked deeper and deeper into the forest, it started raining but she continued walking.

Thunder and lightning filled her eardrums as she came to a clearing, in the middle of the clearing was a tall rock.

Honeypaw climbed the tall rock and she saw down below a rat killing a hawk. "It shall be then, when prey kills predator, and a betrayal users forth, a storm shall rise," Fireflower's voice rang out.

Sorry, you had to wait so long for chapter four, the next chapter will come out tomorrow.