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| - Lilykit peered around. Where am I? Towering trees led to a starless sky. Glowing fungus grew on their slimy roots. "Hello, Lilykit." A deep voice sounded behind her. Startled, Lilykit spun around. A tall, muscular tom stood behind her. He had a dense pale gray pelt, and the brightest blue eyes Lilykit had ever seen. And he was faded, so that she could almost see the trees through him. "Who are you? How did I get here?" Lilykit straned to remember what had happened before she opened her eyes to this dim, misty forest, but could only remember falling asleep in her nest. "Have I been kidnapped?" The tom placed his tail soothingly across her shoulders. "No, you're dreaming. My name is Clear Sky." "Are you dead?" Clear Sky nodded patiently. "So I'm in StarClan!" "No…" Clear Sky looked uncomfortable. What other ancestors are there? "Um… The Tribe Of Endless Hunting?" He shook his head. Lilykit's blood ran clood. "Am I in the Dark Forest?!" "Yes, but-" "No!" Lilykit flinched away. "You tried to kill us! You're evil! I won't-" "I wasn't in the attack." Lilykit stared at him. "You-You weren't?" "No." Clear Sky dipped his head. "I was one of the first clan leaders. I was too power-hungry in life, driving away cats in my group that were not able to hunt or fight, letting cats who were willing to kill guard the territory-" "That's aganist the warrior code!" Lilykit exclamed. "The warrior code didn't exist then. I thought I was doing the right thing, I really did. But StarClan still wouldn't accept me. Trust me, I was ashamed. But sorry catches no prey, right?" Lilykit couldn't stand to hear the bitterness in his voice. Maybe he was bad once, but no one deserves to be alone in the Dark Forest for that long, do they? She walked over to his side, pressing her muzzle into his shoulder. "Clear Sky, I'm sorry." "It-it's okay." He murmured. He took a deep breath. "You're probably wondering why I sent you here. I've watched you since your birth, and I though you'd understand- that I've changed since I was alive." "I do understand." Lilykit murmured. "You could keep coming back here, if you want to." Lilykit looked into his clear, sparkling eyes and nodded. The brown tabby raced through the eerie forest. In her mind she saw a gray tom with eyes the color of a cloudless sky, his eyes sparkling as he told her he loved her. She skidded to a halt in a clearing, where the tom she had seen in her mind's eye waited. "Clear Sky, I'm not Lilypaw anymore! I have my warrior name. It's Lilypetal! I mean, you probably know that already, but-" Clear Sky pressed his muzzle aganist hers. "That's great! Congratulations, Lilypetal!" "Thanks! Um…" Lilypetal stared at her paws. "I, uh, know we've been meeting for moons and all. But apprentices aren't allowed to have mates, and I'm a warrior now, so-" Clear Sky purred. "Yes, I'll be your mate." Lilypetal relaxed aganist him, purring. Lilypetal stepped forward. "I'd like to join this patrol, Bramblestar." Bramblestar nodded, and Lilypetal bounded after the other cats, stopping beside her mother, Sorreltail. "You know, this will probably be my last hunting patrol." Sorreltail remarked. "I'm going to join the elder's den." She cast a sideways glance at Lilypetal. "This will probably be your last patrol, too. At least for a while." "What-what do you mean?" Lilypetal stared at her. Am I sick? Was that why she felt so tried lately? Sorreltail blinked at her. "You're expecting kits." Lilypetal blinked, shocked. "Are-are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure." There was an awkward pause. She's waiting for me to say who the father is. But how can I tell her my mate is a Dark Forest cat? "So, how long until I move to the nursery?" "A half moon." Sorreltail gave her a look that said she knew Lilypetal had avoided the question. At least there's a rule that queens don't have to say who their mates are if they don't want to. Lilypetal was woken by something biting her tail. "Ow-get off!" "Sorry. I didn't realize your tail was there." Skykit blinked clear blue eyes at her. Will she have blue eyes like her father? Lillypetal wondered. Or will her eyes change color? "Can we play outside?" Asked Pinekit. "Okay. Just a second." Lilypetal gave her brown tabby fur a quick grooming. Then she padded out of the nursery. "Lilypetal!" Skypaw's yowl sounded behind her, but Lilypetal was too concentrated on chasing the squirrel to notice. "Lilypetal!" Pinepaw joined his voice to his sister's. Their pale gray and brown tabby pelts bristled with fear. "Lilypetal, stop!" But it was too late. Lilypetal had chased the squirrel onto the Thunderpath, and the dark red monster ran right over her. She died instantly. Lilypetal opened her eyes, and knew instantly that she was dead. It wasn't hard to tell that her heart wasn't beating. In front of her stood a cat with a dense blue-gray pelt. Lilypetal stared at her. "Are you Bluestar?" "Yes, I am. Welcome to StarClan, Lilypetal." "Wait! What about Clear Sky?" Lilypetal's heart was pounding. Surely StarClan would let her be with her mate? "Clear Sky walks with the Place Of No Stars." Bluestar's icy blue gaze burned into hers. "Isn't there anything you can do?" Lilypetal begged. "His sentence was decided long ago." "Too long ago! Can't you see he's been punished more than enough?" How could Bluestar be so heartless? "Alright, fine." Lilypetal spat. "If you won't let him into StarClan, I'm going to go to the Dark Forest too." Bluestar's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's what you want?" "I've never been more sure." Lilypetal turned around and saw the Dark Forest behind her. Just for a moment, she saw a pale face among the trees, its eyes widened in horror. I know you want me to go to StarClan, she thought, but you know as well as I do that I can't live without you. Lilypetal raced into the shadows, feeling Bluestar's gaze prickling her fur. She stopped in horror. In front of her eyes, Clear Sky faded until she could see the trees through him. "Clear Sky! What-" The words died in her throat. She knew that Clear Sky had only kept from fading for this long because Lilypetal had honored him. Now that no living cat remembered him, he would fade away. "Did you know this was going to happen?" Lilypetal demanded. Clear Sky stared at the ground. "I was hoping you would go to StarClan so you wouldn't find out." "How much longer until…" Lilypetal couldn't bring herself to finish. Clear Sky pressed himself aganist her flank. "Don't worry." He murmured. "We will still have many seasons together." Lilypetal gazed into his sparkling eyes. I thought I could be with you forever. Lilypetal stretced and yawned. She couldn't resist a shudder as she looked at a nearby fungus. It was nearly ten times as tall as a cat now, and it glowed a sickly gray color. Clear Sky's words from seasons ago came back to her, when the fungus was only the size of a small bush: That fungus started growing recently. I'm not sure why-maybe it's connected to the battle with the Dark Forest somehow. But don't ever go near it. Eating any of it-even a tiny spore-kills a cat instantly. Even if they're already dead. She turned around and poked Clear Sky with a paw. "Get up, lazy-" She froze in horror. Clear Sky was so faded she could barely see him. He blinked up at her. "What-" He looked at his paws. His eyes widened. "You're fading away, aren't you?" Lilypetal whispered. Clear Sky nodded. Lilypetal felt strangely calm. She knew what she was going to do. She'd known it for seasons. "Maybe there's something on the other side." Clear Sky was just a faint gray shadow now. Lilypetal ran over to the gray fungus, pulled off a piece, and curled up againist her mate. She swallowed the fungus. It tasted like ash. Instantly numbness spread through her. "I love you, Clear Sky." "I love you too." His voice was barely a wisper as he vanished. Then the numbness reached her heart. Lilykit opened her eyes and felt a pulse of excitement as she saw Clear Sky standing in front of her. "Clear Sky! Sorry I'm late, it took me a while to get to sleep." She paused, noticing that he looked anxious. "Are you okay?" "Lilykit… you won't be able to meet me in the Dark Forest anymore." "What!? Why not?" "That's all I'm allowed to tell you." Then, to Lilykit's horror, he started fading away. "No!!" Lilykit yowled. "I remember you! Why are fading?! Please, please stay with me!!" "Goodbye, Lilykit. You'll see me again sooner than you think." "No!!" Lilykit stared at the spot where he'd been standing. She tipped her head back and yowled to the dark sky. "Come back!!" The yowl of a cat in pain woke her. Across the nursery a gray queen trashted in pain. "What's going on?" Lilykit stared up at Sorreltail. "Cinderheart's kits are coming." Sorreltail draped her tail over Lilykit's shoulders. "Don't worry, it's almost over." Lilykit saw Jayfeather standing over the nest, licking something. Lilykit's heart leaped when she saw it was a pale gray kit. "You can come in now, Lionblaze." Jayfeather called over his shoulder. The golden brown tabby pushed his way through the entrance of the nursery. He stopped, gazing at his three kits. "They're beautiful!" He licked Cinderheart between the ears. She blinked up at him. "What should we name them?" Lionblaze looked at the biggest kit, a dark gray tabby she-cat. "She looks like she has soot in her fur. How about Sootkit?" "Perfect." Cinderheart murmured. "How about Stripekit for this one?" She touched her nose aganist the next kit, a pale ginger tom with dark brown stripes. Lionblaze nodded. "We can call the orange tabby tom Emberkit. And this one…" He gazed at the fourth kit, a pale gray tom. "What about Clearkit?" Everyone in the nursery turned to look at Lilykit as she spoke. "Clearkit?" Said Lionblaze. "I've never heard that name before." Cinderheart tipped her head to one side. "It's very unique. I like it." She touched her nose aganist the newborn. "Your name will be Clearkit." "Let all cats gather for a clan meeting!" Lilypaw pricked her ears at the sound of Bramblestar's yowl. She sat up, noticing Cinderheart standing near the nursery franticly licking her four kits. "Get over here, Stripekit!" She called. The tawny kit gave an huge sigh before plodding over to Cinderheart. "Why do you have to groom me in front of everyone?" He complained, squirming underneath her tounge. "Because I want you to look good for your apprentance ceremony." "Why?" "Because the whole clan will be watching." "The whole clan sees me all the time!" Sootkit stared up at Cinderheart, her eyes wide. "Are we really becoming apprentices?" "Yes, you are." Lilypaw's heart leaped. She watched eagerly as Clearkit padded up to Highledge, doing his best to look calm, while his littermates bounded up behind him. "Sootkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and you are ready to recieve your apprentice name. From this day on, until you have earned your warrior name, you will known as Sootpaw. Your mentor will be Whitewing. I hope Whitewing will pass down everything she knows to you." The sleek white she-cat padded over, her eyes shining.
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