Skyfall (Warrior Cats)

Chapter 37

Skypaw's paws were leading her over to Hawkspirit before she could protest. Once she was face to face with the ShadowClan medicine cat, they touched noses in a friendly greeting.

"Skypaw!" Hawkspirit purred, his eyes shining.

"Hawkspirit," Skypaw returned the enthusiasm. "It's been ages!"

"You don't have to remind me," He replied. "Listen, Skypaw,"

"Yes?" Skypaw's pelt tingled with excitement as he lead her over to the shadows. This had to be important.

"We need to meet here tomorrow night," Hawkspirit's voice was urgent. "We really need to talk about the prophecy. I've been seeing these amber eyes everywhere I go, and they're just stalking me and that's not natura-"

Skypaw's blood turned to ice as she cut him off quickly, "Darkface," She hissed.

"Who's Darkface?" His meow was full of surprise. "You know those eyes?"

"This Dark Forest cat," Skypaw explained. She was about to explain his backstory and how he was the littermate of Willowleaf, but she cut herself off when she saw the leaders start to stand to call the Gathering.

"Cats of the Clans!" Kestrelstar yowled. The clearing fell silent, and Skypaw just decided to sit down where she was, next to Hawkspirit. Hawkspirit copied her movements, wrapping his tail neatly around his paws as he directed his attention to the Clan leaders.

"WindClan is going well!" He declared. "The prey is so plump that we sometimes run past them trying to catch them," Amusement shone in his eyes as the cats in the clearing mrrowed, reflecting his emotion.

Skypaw gazed at the brown tom. He wasn't too young, he wasn't too old. He was the perfect age and always led his Clan wisely with always the best amount of fierceness and humor. She couldn't think of one cat who didn't like the tom that was named after a kestrel's feather.

"We have no further news, except that we are stronger than we ever have been with the sudden abundance of rabbits." Taking a step back and sitting on his branch, he nodded a polite gesture to Splashstar, who stood up.

"The first thing I would like to announce is the death of Swimear." Murmurs of grief for the death of the RiverClan elder echoed throughout the clearing. "He lived a long life, and RiverClan thanks him for his service." Splashstar waited for the voices to die down before continuing.

"Twolegs are starting to pack up and leave due to the colder weather. Leaf-fall is approaching, and we dread for when the lake freezes."

Skypaw hadn't noticed the colder weather. She had too many things on her mind to worry about a little thing like that. She had the twisted words and riddles of Willowleaf and her ancestors to figure out. How long until she was free of them?

"ShadowClan is fierce!" Dapplestar yowled. Skypaw scowled at her, not realizing Hawkspirit was a ShadowClan cat. She murmured an apology to him, but he just flicked her shoulder with his tail in acknowledgement and muttered something she couldn't make out.

"We are strong, and are ready to attack any cat who crosses our borders!" Dapplestar glared at Sunstar, who hissed at her. Yowls of protests came from ThunderClan, including Skypaw, but Hawkspirit murmured things to comfort her and she soon calmed down.

When Dapplestar was done ranting about how ShadowClan was strong, fierce, and the best Clan around the lake, Sunstar took his place at the end of ThunderClan's branch. "We have welcomed back our medicine cat," Purrs erupted from the clearing and Willowleaf politely murmured thank-yous, despite the ThunderClan leader's flat tone. "Featherfur has given birth to four healthy kits to Bumblefoot."