The voice. . . It was back again. Whitekit tried to cry out, looking around her. It was quiet, however, unlike her first dream.

No pounding paws. . . No yowls. The rose was gone.

Whitekit glanced around, her fur fluffed up and blue eyes wide.

A prophecy. . . I think it's called, she thought to herself. That must be a prophecy. . .

Slowly breathing, Whitekit was on her paws standing up. The white rose. . . Awakened by - a call of the coyote? It was a giant puzzle to Whitekit. She walked about in the darkness, waiting for what was to come.

"Whitekit!"

Whitekit looked around for the voice--it was different than the one who spoke of the rose and the city. It was different than the voice of the prophecy.

Blinking, Whitekit could see something in the distance. It was small, but Whitekit could make out the shapes of buildings. It looks like EmpireClan, she thought. She began to pad towards the light.

The image in front of her began to grow, revealing a beautiful city--nearly identical to Whitekit's home. . . But there was something else to it, something more.

How pretty! Whitekit thought, for in front of her--in the midst of darkness--was pure light. It was indeed a city, new stone buildings lined up one after another. There was no broken glass, no fallen bricks, and no stench of rat-dung.

And most noticeably, this city was alive. It wasn't dark and dank like Whitekit's home--lights lit up the windows, making them seem homy and comfortable. Yes, the city was alive. Whitekit could hear different cats shouting, kits cheering playfully, and when she got closer, she could see a tall gray she-cat smiling at her.

"Whitekit!" The cat exclaimed happily.

Whitekit curiously dashed forward, looking up at the older cat. She noticed the well kept fur of the she-cat, and noticed her facial features. Stepping back in surprise, Whitekit gasped.

Valleysong?

Valleysong smiled. "I know you remember me. . . I see it in your eyes."

Whitekit smiled and touched muzzles with her friend. Where am I, anyways? She asked herself. Valleysong. . . She's not alive. . . After a moment, the kit came to her conclusion. StarClan. Or the Star City. . . I remember Mama talking about it. Standing back, she looked around. Suddenly, her eyes widened with fright. Am I dead?

Valleysong touched her tail to Whitekit's pelt, beckoning for the kit to follow.

"It's alright, Whitekit. You're not dead--your time has not come. However, you are here to discuss. . . The prophecy."

And there was the word. Whitekit tilted her head, slowly trailing behind the warrior. StarClan was beautiful, much like the City, but different in so many ways. Whitekit felt a connection as Valleysong took her deeper into the heart of Star City, and the kit could almost feel its heart pump with livelihood.

"I suppose you've heard of StarClan before," Valleysong smiled, noticing the kit's wide eyes. "Don't try to take it in all at once," she chuckled.

Whitekit smiled, redirecting her eyes to her friend. She nodded. Mama said it was very special. . . but I didn't expect this!

Valleysong glanced around her. "Some call it the Star City, you know. Most say StarClan, just to make it sound more like their clan home." Then lowly, she added, "Some of the cats here don't like to admit they're dead."

Whitekit nodded, smiling. She found it to be slightly amusing. The StarClan warrior continued to pad through the streets of the city, and Whitekit noticed a few other cats roaming about. Some greeted Valleysong, others ignored her. A couple of them were focused on hunting prey. Whitekit looked up and saw warriors leaping between buildings, their voices full of happiness and laughter.

Those must be EmpireClan cats! Whitekit thought. They look so happy here!

"Valleysong, you have her?" A familiar voice asked. It was a she-cat, pale gray and strong.

Echomoon! Whitekit thought excitedly.

The former EmpireClan warrior smiled at the sight of Whitekit. "Hello, young one. So we meet again," she purred. "Now, quick. Follow me! We must discuss the prophecy, Rosestar is waiting."

Rosestar? Who is that? Whitekit inquired. Oh, how badly she wished she could speak. For a curious kit like herself, she wished everyday to be blessed with a voice. Whitekit sighed, following the two warriors. If she couldn't get an answer right away, she would need to find out herself!

Taking two steps for every one step Echomoon and Valleysong took, Whitekit found herself out of breath quicker than she would have liked. The two warriors kept going, however, intent on getting to wherever they were headed. Whitekit glanced around the territory. She started to have to sprint to keep up.

Finally, the StarClan warriors came to a stop in front of a luxurious looking building. Whitekit halting, stumbling over her paws and landing face-first in the ground. Oof! She cried in her head, picking herself back up. Echomoon chuckled, picking the kit up by the scruff.

"Come on! Rosestar must be waiting," Valleysong said, dashing into the building.

Whitekit looked around as they entered. What is this place? She thought. She was surrounded by beautiful walls. . . They almost had a golden hue. With curiosity, Whitekit wriggled out of Echomoon's grasp. She landed with a small thud on the carpeted ground. Whitekit smiled--she loved carpeted ground. She could sleep soundly on it, and tear at it with her claws as well.

She thought back to the time where she had almost pulled her claw out--by tearing at the soft floor too much. Whitekit winced at the memory, returning to her current situation. What was going on?

She saw Valleysong and Echomoon walking away and down a flight of stairs. . . carpeted stairs. Whitekit eagerly followed, seeing a tan she-cat sitting patiently--most likely waiting for the three. Looking up, Whitekit noticed a swinging object from the ceiling. She had seen them at home, too, but did not know what they were. The object had shining. . . crystals, almost. It was bright, and gave of light which illuminated the room.

Whitekit met the tan she-cat's eyes, noticing their green tone. She studied the cat before her--a tan she-cat with white paws and a russet-tipped tail. Who is she?

"This is Rosestar," Valleysong introduced. "She came to us--as soon as we got up into StarClan, she met us. She said it was ur--"

"Valleysong," Echomoon shushed her daughter. "Please! Let Rosestar explain, for StarClan's sake!"

Valleysong flattened her ears in embarrassment, then turned to face the she-cat named Rosestar. For the first time, she spoke. Her voice was calm and collected.

"Welcome, Whitekit--Valleysong and Echomoon." She nodded. "I have come to tell you about Whitekit's Prophecy--about Whitekit's misfortune as well."

Misfortune?

Noticing the kit's confusion, Rosestar bit her lip. "I wanted to wait to inform you of this. . . Especially since we've all just met. . ."

"What's going on?" Valleysong asked, silenced by Echomoon.

"Whitekit does not have a natural birth defect. Her voice was taken by the power of the Dark City."

A/N:

That last line--so much better! That's what I'm talking about!

Trying to keep it to a believable reality here, since they all just met and all. Hmm. . . Oh! The hanging thing Whitekit saw from the ceiling was a chandelier, if I was bad at describing it :3

Thoughts? Anything? I was stuck for a bit today, but then I got the hang of this chapter after dinner.🐾