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| - "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather for a clan meeting!" Kestrelstar yowled. I yawned and shook my dark tabby pelt. I had just been named a warrior, now Summitstorm, almost two sunrises ago. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into two golden eyes. These eyes could only belong to my mate, Hiddensun. She too had just became a warrior. She ran her tail down my side and playfully twitched her whiskers. "Finally you wake up! I was worried that you've become a bear and started hibernating" Hiddensun playfully teased. "Well I do like waking up to a lovely sight" I retorted. I could hear faintly audible purrs rise in Hiddensun's throat as she nugged me to my paws. "Come on, we're going to be late!" Hiddensun mewed impatiently. I just playfully snorted before trotting out of the den. No wonder Hiddensun was in such a rush, we were the only ones unaccounted for. Kestrelstar narrowed his eyes menacingly at us. Now he seemed more like a hawk than our beloved leader. "We-" Kestrelstar silenced me when he raked his claws on the stony floor of the ledge that he was perched on. He shot me one last glare before directing his attention back to the clan. "Riverclan! I had a dream last night! In the dream, the cats of Starclan sent me an omen!" Mews of both anxiety and excitement rippled through the clan. "In the dream they said, 'From inside the border your clan will rot, gnarled to the core. The sun will set on river's flow as a claw will soon be revealed'" Kestrelstar's eyes widened with every word. They were lit ablaze with hatred and newfound understanding. He was breathing heavily now, as if his heart was about to give way. "Blazingdawn-has-interpreted-this-omen" Kestrelstar choked out every word painfully. A russet colored she-cat stepped forward. "The message means that the other clans will invade our territory and take over Riverclan!" Blazingdawn yowled with no hint of hesitation in her voice. The Riverclan cats gasped in horror. A young warrior named Lightstep wore a look of disbelief on her face. "Yeah right, Blazingdawn couldn't interpret anything for a couple of mouse tails" she whispered to the gray tom beside her. Kestrelstar stomped his foot with fury. "You dare defy our medicine cat you insolent little mouse brain!" he snapped. The pale ginger tabby recoiled in shock. Hiddensun pressed herself against me. "Kestrelstar is scaring me" she whispered. I flicked my ear in reply. "We have decided to attack Thunderclan to make sure they don't get any funny ideas" I heard the queens meow in protest. Kestrelstar curled his lip back in a snarl, showing his sharp yellow teeth. "There will be three patrols. Patrol number one will attack the camp, patrol number two will stay farther out in Thunderclan territory to assist patrol one if the get chased out of the camp, and patrol three will attack the camp from behind. Patrol one will be led by Flamepelt, Patrol two will be led by Halfmoon, and patrol three will be led by Grayflower" Kestrelstar flicked his tail to signal the end of the meeting before retreating to his den. I sighed in relief that the meeting was now over. "Summitstorm?" I jumped in surprise when Halfmoon called me. He purred in amusement. "Summitstorm, you and Hiddensun are on patrol two, okay?" I nodded wearily. Halfmoon nodded and went on collecting cats for the patrol. I felt a tiny paw nudge my side. "Come on sleeping beauty, our patrol is gathering" Hiddensun whispered softly into my ear. I turned my head towards her. "Why are you always up before me?" I teased. "Because the sun rises over the summit" she answered and padded towards Halfmoon. I felt like I was dragging myself out of a field of burrs. My amber eyes drooped but I forced myself to stand up. "Finally!" the young apprentice, Galepaw rudely moaned. I ignored the comment and took my place next to Bluestone and Hiddensun. "Lets head out!" Halfmoon yowled and ran towards the riverbank with the rest of the patrol following. I felt as if my paws were granite stones dragging me towards trouble. My stomach twisted and turned as we ventured deeper into Thunderclan territory. "Okay everybody, split up into your groups!" Halfmoon hissed. The patrol divided into threes. Hiddensun, Bluestone, and I hid behind a large boulder that kept us hidden. While we waited, Bluestone looked at me. "What's wrong?" she whispered. "Nothing" I mumbled. Bluestone's frame went rigid and her dark blue eyes narrowed disbelievingly at me. Before I could give an explanation, we heard the patter of paws farther inland. In a shocking instant, three Riverclan warriors burst through the undergrowth with Thunderclan cats in hot pursuit. With a deep battle screech, Halfmoon leapt at the rival clan and the rest of the patrol followed his lead. I quickly hooked my claws into a dark brown she-cat. I recognized her from gatherings as Briarrose. She seemed to recognize me too. "Instead of Summitstorm, they should have named you Mouseheart!" the brown warrior hissed. I growled and sank my teeth into her hind leg. She struggled under my unyielding grip, but I bit until I felt my teeth pierce her bone. Briarrose wailed in agony and tried in vain to shake me off. After a few heartbeats, Briarrose collapsed. I could hear soft whimpers coming from the she-cat. "Please have mercy" she whispered and I let her go. The brown warrior sprinted back to her camp the second I had released my grip. I licked my lips in triumph. As I stood there, basking in the glow of my victory, I saw Bluestone race past me towards the border. I realized that only half of my patrol was still battling with our rival clan. At least Hiddensun was still here. As if on cue, a Thunderclan tom knocks us away from each other and Hiddensun disappeared in the mass of fighting cats. I knocked the tom aside and scanned the field for Hiddensun. I finally saw her pinned down by a smoky gray tom. I yowled in rage and leapt on the tom. The rival warrior yowled in surprise when I knocked the air out of him and knocked him into the bushes. I turned back to Hiddensun. As I trotted toward her, I heard a screech. Out of nowhere, a white Thunderclan she-cat leapt down at Hiddensun and landed on her chest. She landed with a sickening crunch as she crushed Hiddensun's chest. The world seemed as if it was slowly melting around me. Time paused and my heart's pulse beated in my ear. I ran towards Hiddensun. The white she-cat hopped off of her and sourly licked the blood off of her claws. I leapt towards her and angrily clawed at her neck. The she-cat yowled in agony as I dug deeper into her neck. "Oh my goodness! Tundrafrost!" I looked down at the she-cat. The foggy red haze that filled my senses cleared as I stared down at poor Tundrafrost. I realized that in my rampage, I had almost reached her jugular vein. She gasped for air before going limp under my grip. Her clanmate came to her aid as I slowly got off her. I turned my attention back to Hiddensun. She was twisted into an awkward position; her slim legs had crumpled on her sides and sharp boned ankles flopped lifelessly. Her back was arched and her shoulders were hunched tightly together. Her head lolled on one side of her neck and her mouth was curved into a small frown. I looked into her eyes. Their sunny complexion had dramaticlly dulled to the point that seemed gray in the dim light. I whimpered slightly and stared at her lifeless corpse for a few heartbreaking moments. As I stared at her, I heard a faint cry. She picked up her head and looked at me, her frown brightened into a soft smile. "Hiddensun!" I breathed and licked the top of her head. She gasped in pain as she tried to look at me. "Summitstorm," she whispered, "Did we win?" I dug my face into her soft fur and breathed in her scent. Her familiar floral scent was stolen by a much more sour scent. "Don't strain yourself, you must save your energy." I cooed into her ear. She looked away from me. "All in vain, for I have no energy to save. The stars are calling me and I cannot deny them. It is my time to join them." Hiddensun croaked. We looked into each others' eyes and stood petrified in the other's gaze. "If you love me won't you let me know?" I whispered. We gripped each other tightly. Slowly, Hiddensun's breaths became more shallow and quick until her chest stilled and the warmth escaped her body. I loosened my grip with the realization that my love was gone. For many minutes I sat their just staring at her. The snowflakes dappled both of our bodies, but I didn't mind. All that mattered was Hiddensun now. I finally decided to bury her in the spot I knew she loved the most, the spot that was special to both of us, the spot that we had first confessed our love for each other: Violet Hill. There was no one left in the field except for us, so it was up to me to get her there. I gripped her neck scruff tightly in my jaws and proceeded to slowly drag her towards our territory while being careful not to catch her pelt on any twigs or rocks. After many labored hours, I had finally managed to get Hiddensun to the peak of Violet Hill. About halfway there her fur had become clumped with snow, so I hoisted her onto my back. When we reached the peak, I let her body slide delicately off of my back. I proceeded to dig a hole in the middle of the summit. After licking the dirt from my claws, I pulled Hiddensun into the hole and positioned her in such a way that she looked like she was just sleeping. I placed rosemary and lavender on her to disguise the scent of death that hung around her. The plants were killed by the frost, but they added to her beauty. After climbing out of the hole, I stared at her for only mere moments. Those moments seemed like centuries as I was thrust into a stage of pure nostalgia. I forced myself to look away and begin covering her grave. The wind buffeted my fur, but it only reminded me of her more. I finally finished smoothing the snow on her grave. I stepped back to admire my work. I hung my head as I thought of her. She had never answered the question I had asked her before her life slipped from my grasp. I stared at the ground; a blank canvas, like my heart. As I turned, something in the ground caught my eye. Someone had written a message in the snow. It said, Yes, I love you. In loving memory of James Darren Gonnard, let his soul rest in everlasting peace. A true Warriors fan and a true friend...--From Autumn 19:26, January 24, 2010 (UTC)
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