Is everyone excited for the Gathering?! I know I am :3

It wouldn't be long before Chapter Six.

This is a break to go into detail about what's going on with these strange dreams or rather, hints of danger the Seconds have been having :3

🐾Moonshadow🐾

☕ 🐾 ☕ 🐾 ☕ 🐾 ☕ 🐾 ☕

🌘Night🌘

The moon was a cold claw slicing the dark sky as Night padded through the forest,ears pricked as he leaped up the branches of a tall oak and closed his eyes in thought.

"Night? Are you there?"

Night purred, leaping down and mewed, " Savanah?"

The spotted she-cat dipped her head.

"I'm here."

Night nodded.

"Are the others coming?"

She shrugged.

"Red said he would, but I'm not sure about Owl or Kaci. Stone found a great place for us to meet and discuss this more in private. It's just passed these trees. We should hurry."

Night nodded and took off through the branches, Savanah leading the way through the tunnels, ears pricked as they arrived in a sheltered clearing, with a large pool reflecting the starless sky, Stone and Owl looking up at the sky, Red's tail twitching nervously.

Suddenly, the scent of river water filled Night's nose.

"Kaci? You're late." Stone growled, hackles raised.

"Yes. What kept you?" Owl asked gently, ignoring Stone's jab.

Rain's Second sighed.

"I'm assuming that we all told our Heads what we've dreamt?"

They all nodded.

Red snarled, " Feral thinks I've gone mad! I know what I saw was real!"

His eyes darken,his body shaking violently in the chilly air.

Night fluffed out his fur.

"Hazel thinks I just had a nightmare or something."

Kaci, Owl and Savanah nodded sympathetically.

"Earth and Mist think so too." Savanah mewed.

Stone sighed, nodding, clawing the ground.

"Our Heads won't believe us unless whatever is going to happen,happens."

The others nodded.

Night looked at the sky.

"If fighting does occur, we have to make sure that we and our Heads and anyone else we can save,survive. Each of us have Queens and Wise Ones to look after. We have to stay alive.
For them."

"Indeed, Night. We have to. For the good of our cats." Red mewed firmly.

Night said goodbye to his friends and padded back to camp.

He curled up next to Hazel, inhaling her scent.

Oh, my sweet Hazel. If you only knew how much I love you. I would die to protect you.

🔥Red🔥

Red knew he couldn't return to camp,especially when the threat of certain death hung over his head.

He feared that he had put his best friend Feather in danger by meeting with her and telling her his plan to escape and never come back.

She had begged him to stay, but Red knew he would be dead by morning before he could get the chance to be with her.

Red raced through the forest, mind racing.

He froze as he heard an earsplitting yowl.

"Again!"

Red flinched at the familiar caterwaul.

Cora? What's she up to now?

"Come on, Quick! You can do it!"

Red stared at the scene from the branches of the hazel bush he had ducked under in horror as he watched the young kit tear at the Third's pelt, breathing heavily, blood pooling the ground from her wounds.

Luckily, Bug sprinted to his sister's side, slicing at Cora's flank, causing her to stumble while Quick recovered and clawed her muzzle.

Does Nina know that her kits are gone?!

The two kits launched themselves at the Third before she could regain her footing, claws unsheathed and clawed at her cheek and flank.

This is wrong!

Cora smirked,shoving the kits away and pinned them, laughing darkly.

"Better. But I've seen a crow with more power and speed than you,Bug! And you,Quick! Never hesitate in the face of battle!"

The kits bowed their heads.

"Yes, Cora. We'll try harder." They squeaked, eyes wide as they trembled under her fiery gaze.

She sneered.

"See that you do. Now, hurry up. Before that fox-hearted mother of yours wakes up and throws a fit again."

Red watched them head into the night, filled with blazing fury.

This has to stop. I will never forget this night. I am going to change this Group for the better or die trying.

He curled up his lip and raced into the night.

💙Stone💙

Stone padded through the rocky terrain leading to her beloved camp, her mind whirling with dark thoughts.

If we're quick enough to stop this darkness hovering over our heads,maybe...
We might save more lives than lose them....

Stone wanted to wail, to beg the stars for answers, but only they gave her was a feeling akin to hopelessness.

The familiar wind whipped around her as she climbed up the mountain slope leading to the high walled entrance to the clearing and finally, after what seemed like entire seasons have passed, sleep finally found her...

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚

Moonlight beated down her back as she found herself overlooking the looming night on a cliff face.

"Stone! Take heart to what I am going to tell you."

She spun around, her eyes wide as she took in the long-legged white and black she-cat with kind yellow eyes.

It was her beloved caretaker Petal,looking at her with love in her eyes.

Petal had been old and forgetful when they had met, Stone, about the size of an apprentice and Petal near death and Mist had been taking care of her since he was a kit and when she passed away, they had grieved for her long and hard.

Now, she looked young and strong, her pelt glowing like stars in the night.

"Hello,my dear. My, my, how you've grown! I see that Mist has kept his promise... But enough about that. I have come to give you a message."

Stone waited patiently, her ears pricked.

Petal's voice grew deeper, her gaze cloudy and distant.

"In time to come, when battle is on the rise, only a poppy's storm will turn the tides and bring the peace long sought after if the wild threat doesn't die. Trust Mist to lead you to victory, but sometimes the strength of one cat is not enough."

She pressed her muzzle to Stone's.

"Goodbye,my dear. I will always walk in your dreams so that you're never alone."

💝💗💝💗💝💗💝💗💝💗

Stone awoke with tears in her eyes, knowing that perhaps everything will be ok after all.

💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤

Kaci paddled through the current of the river, keeping to an easy pace.

His mind was troubled by the burning questions he long to yowl to the sky.

No longer can I just sit and wait for the chaos to start... But how can I convince Rain to take the battle to Feral?

He sighed, shaking his thick pelt as he padded out of the water, a salmon in his jaws and he sat down with a shake of his head as he ate his catch, his dream of a white she-cat with black paws and amber eyes, warning him of a wild threat and a poppy's storm, haunted his pawsteps and echoed in his mind....

Oh,stars above, why must we be so alone in this world?

💜Savanah 💜

Savanah stared up the stars, her mind racing.

Earth thinks I'm a kit, given in so easily to nightmares and talking about dead cats...

She sighed, clawing the ground in frustration and padded aimlessly down the slope leading to the entrance to camp, her eyes narrowed.

Fine. If he thinks I'm a kit for believing in the stars,and taking extra interest in herbs, then so be it. I'll prove to him that I can be both his Second and still heal the most sickly of cats with or without his help.

She curled up in her nest later that night, freeing her worries to dreamless dreams.

Or so she thought...

🐱🐾🐱🐾🐱🐾🐱🐾🐱🐾

A light gray tabby tom stepped forward to dip his head.

Savanah's eyes widen as she took in the new-leaf smelling tom and stuttered,backing up, "W-who are you? "

The tom smiled kindly.

"I have a message for you."

Savanah's eyes widen.

" A-a message? For me?"

The tom nodded.

"Yes. Beware the wild threat that seems to sleep, for a poppy's storm will awaken anew and bring peace."

The tom seemed to fade before Savanah's eyes as she yowled, "Wait! Please, tell me more!"

😗Owl😗

Owl raced across the snowy ground, kicking up snow in his fast pace, his yellow eyes narrowed against the icy wind, his long furred pelt fluffed out against the cold.

He froze, eyes wide as he took in the bare, icy landscape and breathed in the chilly air.

Oh,Winter. I wish you were here to run with me again.

He missed her warmth beside him, matching him step for step with her long legs, he knew she saw the fear and longing in his eyes, but she said nothing and it seemed to hurt him worse than the sharpest claw to the heart.

His beloved leader had made it clear that she didn't trust him so blindly since the night he spoke of his dreams of darkness and destruction yet to come.

He looked up at the clear night, cursing the stars for giving him this gift.

"Why us?! Why did you give us these dreams that others can't understand and feel our pain?"

But like always, the stars gave no answer,only glowed brightly overhead, mocking Owl.

He tore at the ground, snarling and took off running again.

The wind whipped around the dark brown tabby, blinding him.

His breathing went shallow as he tried to breathe...

🐾💙🐾💙🐾💙🐾💙🐾💙

" Wake up, young one. Thy journey may be hard to walk as stone on water, but trust in us to guide your pawsteps."

Owl bolted up, curling up his lip and snapped his teeth at the white she-cat with black stripes and gentle amber eyes with yellow flecks, glowing brightly in the moonlight.

"Stay away from me! You lot have done nothing to help me and my friends and now, all we hold dear will be ripped to shreds. So whatever you have to say will be useless."

He started to pad away, determined to wake up, but soon, found himself drowning in a river of ice and blood, gasping for air.

"Help! Someone, help me please!"

The she-cat's voice echoed in his muffled ears.

" Beware of a wild threat..."

Owl woke up, screaming and looked around, but the she-cat was gone.

Owl shivered, gasping for breath.

What if this is the end of everything?

❤💕❤💕❤💕❤💕❤💕

Welp, I think that's everything for now :3

Happy holidays everyone <3

🐾Moonshadow 🐾