Swiftstar's Prophecy - Unofficial version

Chapter Four

Swiftkit watched as Pricklepelt, a brown tom, padded over to his mate, Dapplefur, with a smaller fish in his mouth. The queen sat next to Dovefeather, a gray queen, who was grooming herself. Echoflower was finishing up Maplekit, his red pelt glossy and shinny, when Swiftkit asked, "Echoflower, can I please go sleep with Redstar?"

"With Redstar? And why so?" Echoflower tilted her head as she released Maplekit from her grasps. Swiftkit puffed out her chest and purred, "Redstar is lonely in his den. I'd like to join him for tonight...please?" She pleaded, and Ripplekit prodded her flank with his big paw. "You think you'll be able to?" She nodded to her littermate, and he yawned in response.

Echoflower let out an amused purr, before her tail flickered to the exit. "Alright, Swiftkit. But you must behave, my little warrior," she gave Swiftkit a gentle lick on the forehead, before Swiftkit began proudly out the rock nursery. The half moonlight shone down on her white and patched pelt as she slowly began to the Clanrock. She could faintly hear the snores of the warriors from the dens of reeds, and a slight movement was sawn at the entrance of camp. She was about to turn her head towards the Clanrock, until a white moth landed on her nose. 

"Oh?" she blinked, and the moth fluttered out of the camp. Swiftkit, who glanced at the Clanrock, decided to go against joining her father to catch the moth. Her small paws began to the camp entrance, but the scent of the warrior, Heronflight, flooded her nose. She stopped slightly, blinking as she watched the entrance of the camp shift, before she could hear the short snoring from the black-and-brown warrior. Swiftkit then quietly, yet quickly, bounded after that moth under the stone arch.

The moth flew down a small path, with scattered grass and moss, and Swiftkit eagerly followed. She would leap up to the moth and try to catch it, but it always seemed too fast for her. Her paws touched wet mud, but she didn't mind. The small path was surrounded by short beech trees and some reeds here and there. But the moth soon branched off into a path that was travelled a lot on.

Wet grass was flattened down, and Swiftkit could sent the different scents of her clanmates. But in the far distance, she could hear the gurgling of water and the gentle breeze against the willows. I must be near the Grand River! She thought and purred, before she continued after the moth. It flew down, went to touch the stalk of a thistle, before it shot up to continue towards the gurgling of water. The reeds now disappeared and turned to tall grass and willows, before her small paws left the wet grass and met the cool, dry sand.

Before her, a river that rushed and flowed gracefully was in front of her. A large bay of sand shone white next to it, and it seemed that across from it was an even whiter bay with a short stream parallel from the Grand River. That must be the Shiny Shore! She marveled at the bright and beautiful sandy shore, before her eyes drifted into the large moor of DriftClan. Tch, DriftClan. They only want the Shiny Shore because they can't get the feel of real water. 

She then began to run parallel of the river after the moth, which fluttered gracefully against the half-moon. Swiftkit began to run out of breath, before her paws left the shore and now unto grass and leaves. Ashen trees and oaks now loomed ahead, about several heartbeats before she would reach it. But the moth still flew...

Swiftkit now sped up, pushing herself as she entered the tree line. No longer did the moonlight shine on her anymore, rather, it was held away from the tall trees and shadows. She continued after the moth, but a weird scent flushed her nose. It smelled of rotting leaves yet a sweet aspen. That's when she realized how oblivious she was. This is BoulderClan territory! She panicked, as she lost sight of the moth. But Swiftkit reared around her, in search of the edge of the territory back unto TideClan's. There, to the direct east of her, she could see the sandy shore, and her paws began back over. She was a bit terrified at such a dark territory, and was about to dart back to her own territory when a force tackled her down.

The cat let out a growl as his paws settled down harshly on her chest. Swiftkit could see that his dark pelt blended in well with the shadows, but his green eyes glowed with anger and hostility. Swiftkit let out a screech, before she unsheathed her claws and used her hind legs to kick the tom off of her. With her force, he staggered back and winced. Swiftkit scrambled to her paws and arched her back up. Her pelt bristled, and she snarled. 

She could see that this tom was just a kit like herself! But he was larger, and probably older than her. He instead let his fur lay flat as he crouched down to pounce. Swiftkit blinked and glared at him, before his dark body leaped at her.

Swiftkit easily darted out of the way with her momentum, but a large paw caught her flank and it knocked her over. She let out a hiss, before she writhed her body to stand once again. But her fur now stuck up straight as her eyes widened at how this tom looked at her.

His green eyes were narrow, and they held what made Swiftkit shiver. He let out a snarl, and slowly padded towards her. The calico she-kit then began to back up. What he held in his eyes made her feel powerless and scared. She wanted to cry for Echoflower, but nothing left her mouth as her back now pressed up against a tree. 

The BoulderClan kit let out a low growl, and Swiftkit began to regret her choice to run out of camp. This BoulderClan kit is going to hurt me! she cried in her head, and she closed her eyes as he straightened up and stood up, grand and big.

"What are you doing in BoulderClan territory, fish-breath?"