Warriors: Clouded Skies #1: Oncoming Storm

Prologue

The EchoClan camp sat on a ledge off the side of a tall, sheer cliff reaching high to the sky. Sat within the camp, tail curled around delicate paws, was a beautiful silver tabby, her pelt reflecting silent moonlight as stars sparkled within her fur. Her shining green eyes calmly took in the clearing, watching the swirling pelts of StarClan cats as they milled about, a sea of fur with no end and no open room. Many cats had resorted to sitting within one another.

"Echo," a soft voice said, and the tenseness of her shoulders relaxed as her mate settled next to her, his star-splattered brown tabby fur like a dull shadow in the half-moon's light. "Are you okay, my love?" Rootstar asked softly.

Echo glanced at the clearing again, the cats sending brief, anxious glances toward her before quickly looking away. "I have not seen so many cats out of StarClan for seasons," she admitted. She and the other founders had known this would be crowded situation, but even lowering the allowed cats to only leaders, medicine cats, and a few chosen deputies, there was still so many it was nearly suffocating.

"I don't think there's ever been this many cats out of StarClan," Rootstar purred, touching his nose to her cheek. "You can't blame them; they know what this night means."

Echo's tail tip flicked, and the sea of pelts fell still, countless eyes turning to watching her, waiting for her to act. She made it a point to look away from them, and they slowly fell back into their hushed whispers. She pressed close to Rootstar, taking a calming breath of his scent. "I'm worried," she admitted to his ear, an almost silent whisper so only he could catch it.

He nuzzled her chin, his tail wrapping around her. "I know we've been waiting for this day since, well, since the start of StarClan, but to be honest, it feels too soon."

Echo was strangely comforted by his admission and let her weight rest against his. But the brief peace growing in her heart was washed away as fast as a lightning strike as the crowd of cats rose in noise, starry tails streaming behind them as the StarClan cats hurried to make room for two cats crossing the clearing, oblivious to the countless spirits swirling around them, murmurs rising into the air.

Echo instantly recognized both of them--one, a fiery ginger tabby queen named Russetdawn, currently nursing a litter of three, while the other was Mossrain, EchoClan's young medicine cat, having only received his full name a moon before. There was anxious glow in the gray tom's hazel eyes, but he had a determination in his step.

The gray medicine cat touched his tail to Russetdawn's shoulder, drawing her to a stop and passing a bundle of herbs to her. "I'll be there in a moment," he said, and she went off without a word, bounding toward a bush with stems weaved so tightly to the edges, it had become a solid, protective wall. The queen slipped soundlessly into the nursery as Mossrain padded over to a large clump of ferns, nosing his head into the entrance.

"Hey!" he called, keeping his tone a harsh whisper. His paw briefly disappeared within the fronds, followed by a mewl of a cat waking. "Hey, Pebblepeak, will you find Boulderclaw, Shadefur, and Stonecoat? Snowfern's kitting."

The medicine cat backed out and headed for the nursery, but he barely got halfway there before a large gray and white tom burst from the ferns of the den, green eyes blazing. Without a word, he raced past the medicine cat and dived into the opening. Mossrain sighed and rolled his eyes, looking back as Shadefur and Stonecoat crawled free from the warriors' den, identical gray pelts ruffled with sleep.

"Are the kits really coming?" Shadefur asked, padding over to Mossrain and heading with him to the nursery, their pelts briefly brushing as they made their way. Stonecoat hurried to catch up with his brother, while the StarClan cats around them scrambled back to avoid being passed through, though most ended up tumbling into each other.