)-Sunstrike's Mission-(

)- Chapter 2 -(

By the time the moon was racing towards Snowclan, Sunkit was completely lost. He was surrounded by the tall wheat stalks that Fieldclan was known for growing and spreading for various reasons. 

His eyes were stinging with the blood shed by Birdwing's claws. He was exhausted from his long trek. No wonder kits aren't allowed out side the camp, he thought, guilt seeping into his expression.

He wrapped his tail around his paws and looked down at the tiny pebbles the clan hadn't thought to remove. The rocks were dull, probably there for countless moons. 

The kit played with them for a while, placing them between his paws and examining them.

As he was rolling a purple stone beneath his pads, the light of Risingsun shone behind him, shedding his fiery mane in a golden glow. 

He turned around to see a feathery brown she-cat standing over his shoulder and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Y-y-y-you!" he squealed.

"Yes," the cat beamed. "Hello, son."

"You're not my mother!" yelled Sunkit. He twitched his tail and pressed his ears back against his head.

"Listen, I need to tell you something!" she whispered urgently, glancing over her shoulder cautiously. 

"There is a prophecy," she said. Her urgent voice caught Sunkit's attention.

"A cat of two lives, he must search with his heart. But beware the darkness, for they play a part. When the sun and stars meet, a collision is near. The shadows are rising, you must face your fears." She grimaced as the words sunk in.

She licked him on the head, then turned-tail and fled into Risingsun. 

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Eventually, his clan finally found him. He was embraced by a swarm of she-cats fussing over his fur and crying their eyes out. He simply shrugged them off and strolled to the prey mound. 

He chose a squirrel off the pile and headed over to Poppystem, one of the only cats who hadn't come looking for him. 

He settled into her soft orange coat and handed her the squirrel. "When are the kits gonna come over?" he asked jostling into his favorite spot.

Poppystem simply licked his head and reminded him that they were very busy for another moon. He purred deeply, pushing the prophecy deep down inside of him. He would search with his heart later.

Soon, the monotonous breathing of his friend took over, and he felt the grip of sleep threatening to take hold. 

"Get out of the way Sunkit!" The kit was suddenly thrust out of the way without any of the care he was used to and rushed out of the nursery.

"Go fetch me a stick Coalflame and stop hyperventilating!" Sunkit could hear the frantic breathing of Coalflame and the calm steady voice of Redtuft. 

Was Poppystem sick? Sunkit began to feel guilty. Did he cause the clan to go ballistic?

He peered in past the feathery tails of his mother and the senior warriors. It looked pretty serious.

"Coalflame?" Sunkit asked the frenzied tom. "Did I make Poppystem sick?"

The warrior simply plowed past him towards the nursery. 

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By now, the whole clan was gathered in the clearing, listening to the same panicked sounds Sunkit had been for what seemed like a moon. He was becoming anxious. Poppystem seemed really sick.

The toms had all said it wasn't his fault. A few of them chuckled and said it was Coalflame's, which only made Coalflame even more nervous.

"Coalflame!" called Redtuft. "Why don't you and Amberfeather's kits go on in."

Sunkit was happy to go in and see if Poppystem was alright, but the tom didn't move. Neither did the rest of the clan.

The kit beckoned his siblings forward and they marched in with solemn looks on their faces, but the looks changed to delight when they were greeted by the squirming bodies of two new kits. Sunkit instantly rushed over to greet them, but they seemed weird. 

"Can they play?" Poppystem squirmed in her nest. 

"Stormkit, why don't you, Sunkit, and Flamingkit go and play outside?" she cocked her head towards the entrance and began licking the queen's ear gently as Poppystem leaned protectively over her newborns. 

Stormkit's ears folded over her head in embarrassment. 

"Come on!" yelled Flamingkit, nudging her brother. "Why don't we go find a mossball to torture?"

Stormkit simply nodded and raced slightly slower than her to the medicine den. 

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Soooo? What's wrong with Poppystem? What do you make of the prophecy? Tell all in the comments below ^+^! Thanks to LightningStrike23 for help on the prophecy, GlaringShadow for drawing the new book cover and pic to the right/above and thank YOU for reading! CHOW

-Cami