The Rising Moon

Chapter 2

Sunfern clawed at the tree, sharpening his claws angrily. "I try my best to help her and all she does is complain and yell at me!" he seethed.

"Maybe she's right." said a kind female voice from behind Sunfern. Sunfern spun around and saw a pretty she-cat that looked like Poppyleaf, but had a silvery outline. "I'm Hazelbranch. I have an omen for you. You are the chosen cat Sunfern. This is the omen; the tree will strike before the river, but both will bring trauma." she said.

Sunfern's eyes went wide. "Y-you're Poppyleaf's mother! The one killed by Thrushstar when he was called Thrushpelt!"

Hazelbranch frowned. "Yep. That's me." she said flatly.

Sunfern flushed. "Sorry if I offended you!" he said nervously.

"It's okay, young warrior." Hazelbranch meowed. She stalked off, slowly fading into nothingness. "I have to tell Featherpooland Goldensky!" he gasped. He pelted through the trees, into the sunny patch of light surrounded by jasmine vines and flowers with trees and dens inside, the dull rock where the leaders called meetings sitting at the far end. This place had only one interesting part about it in the day, the flowers, but at night everything shone, the Rock, the leaves on the trees, and the jasmine flowers glowed the brightest.

"GOLDENSKY! FEATHERPOOL!" he yowled. The two leaders bolted out of their den right next to the Rock.

"What is it Sunfern!?" they meowed worriedly. Sunfern dropped his prey in the fresh-kill pile as the two leaders approached him.

"I got an omen from Starclan! The tree will strike before the river, but both will bring trauma!" he gasped, out of breath. The two leaders merrowed.

"What? What's so funny?" Sunfern asked, antsy and nervous.

"We already got the omen from Poppyleaf, Sunfern. Who gave you the omen?" Featherpool asked. Sunfern stared at her in disbelief.

"But Hazelbranch said I was the chosen cat! She gave me the omen too!" Sunfern meowed loudly. Heads turned and kits tried squirming from their mothers to see what was going on.

"Poppyleaf is our medicine cat so she receives omens too." Goldensky said, turning back to go to her den with Featherpool. Sunfern just stood there, disbelief in his eyes. He closed his mouth and brought a large mouse for Frostfall, who had lost her two kits. He entered the warm nursery, where kits were dozing or being licked clean by their mothers. Frostfall sat in silence at the corner of the room, Runningbrook occasionally giving her a comforting lick on the shoulder.

"I brought you a mouse, Frostfall." he said sympathetically. The former queen looked at him thankfully and ate the mouse.

"Why did they have to go, Sunfern? They were so young." Frostfall asked, not really talking to him. Runninbrook looked at Sunfern and signaled with her tail for him to go. He nodded his head at the blue-grey she before remembering she was blind.

Her sister, Skystrike snickered. Sunfern never liked Skystrike, mostly because she bullied him as a kit. They were both the same age but she always acted better than him.

Sunfern walked out of the queen's den. "What to do..." he said to himself. "Who are you talking to, Sunfern!?" meowed a high pitched voice. Sunfern drooped and sighed. "Hi Leapkit." he meowed back.

"Sooooooo! I was wondering when I'd become an apprentice! Goldensky and Featherpool are busy so I decided to ask you!" Leapkit said brightly. She pranced around Sunfern, her tail up in the air and her amber eyes glowing.

"You become an apprentice when you are six moons." Sunfern replied.

Leapkit bounced off to the queen's den and started whispering to her littermates. Sunfern chuckled and walked to the medicine den. He poked his head into the medicine den and looked around for Moonfall. Instead of finding Moonfall, he found Scarfeather next to Poppyleaf, mixing herbs.