Warriors: Sunbeam (To The Past Book 1)

Chapter Three

"Birdkit!"

Birdkit whirled around, her awe at a huge blue butterfly broken. A beautiful she-cat stood before her, stars forming a blue pelt. Birdkit's eyes went wide. "Are you a StarClan cat?" she breathed.

The she-cat purred at her excitement and awe. "Yes. I am the half-sister of Leaffoot."

Birdkit tilted her head. "Half-sister?"

"Yes, a result of a forbidden love between your clan and Nightclan."

"What? But isn't that okay? Love should not be judged."

"Wise words for a young one. Yes, love should not be judged but a love like that can lead to war. Sadly."

Birdkit could somewhat understand what she meant but her heart still pulled on the 'love not be judged' idea. "What is your name?"

"I am Birdeye."

"You have almost the same name as me!" she exclaimed as she sat down, earning a purr from Birdeye.

"I was the best at hunting as an apprentice and it showed throughout my life. Nothing escaped. But putting that aside, I have a message."

"A message?"

"Beware of the blue jay. The blue jay has its eyes on the top. Misfortune will befall the clan if the blue jay is not stopped."

The green forest around them faded to darkness as fire began leaping up from thin air. The sound of cats in pain and fear began to echo eerily through the now hot air. Birdkit soon found herself in a strengthening image of the camp. Trees and nests burned. Smoke was thick in the air.

Through the running chaos of cats, in front of Froststar's den, lay Froststar, pinned by a large cat whose fur strikingly resembled Bluekit's.

"No!" Birdkit tried to move to protect Froststar but her legs would not listen. She was frozen. She watched in horror as the cat lifted a paw, claws out. "Froststar! Someone help her!"

The cat swiped its paw across the leader's throat, blood spraying up in the path behind her claws.

"Froststar!" Birdkit wailed in grief as she watched the death throes begin. The attacker backed away. Blood pooled around the dying leader as her lives were taken, the power unable to heal the wound.

The mysterious cat turned and disappeared into the cats running about the camp.

Birdkit woke with a start. She panted, shaking from the vision. She rolled onto her feet after a while of laying on her back. She felt sorrow fill her heart. Was that the true fate of Froststar? Such a kind cat. Who would ever want to kill her? All of the clans respected her. She had no enemies because she had brought peace as soon as she became leader.

So who was it that wanted to end her life and leadership?

The cat entered her mind and she felt a sense of foreboding as Bluekit came to mind. There was no way it had been her. Bluekit would never do something like that, would she?

She shook her head. She needed to speak with Froststar and the medicine cats about this and the warning given to her.

She shook out her fur and sat down to groom. As she was finishing smoothing out her fur on her chest, she heard her name being called from outside the den. "Just a second!" she called before smoothing out the last few bits of fur. She trotted out when she finished.

Snakepaw was waiting for her. He lowered his head to her ear. "We're going to our meeting place," he whispered.

Since the day of the announcement of her den arrangements a moon ago, the leader and medicine cats had discovered a hidden area off the territory where they could speak with her in private. Whenever there was a memory she walked through, they would talk about it in their secret meeting place.