The New Clans: EagleClan

Prologue

It was around moon high when Petalstream was awakened by Runnigpaw.

"Petalstream!" the medicine cat's apprentice yowled in a panic. "Rainstar's started her kitting!"

"What!" Petalstream exclaimed. "Her kits aren't due for another two moons! Now Riverspray will be worried about her and the kits, and something might go wrong during the kitting! Runningpaw, go and get me a stone or two, and hurry!" Runningpaw raced off into the darkness, his black pelt glinting in the moonlight. Petalstream retrieved some borage and poppy seeds from her store of herbs and began to sprint away toward Rainstar's den.

When she arrived she could see that Owltalon was already there, trying to comfort her leader. Owltalon had kitted before, and was currently nursing Falconkit, Rabbitkit, and Gingerkit. She was very experienced. "Calm down, Rainstar." Owltalon was mewing quietly. "I know it hurts but... Petalstream! You're here! Thank goodness, too. Rainstar is in a lot of pain, and I don't know how to help her." Petalstream looked at the floor of the den. She saw a gray-blue ball of fluff curled up on the ground, breathing very heavily.

"It's alright Rainstar, it's just me. You're doing well, so just keep trying," Petalstream forced herself to sound calm, though she was pulsing with worry. Just then, Runningpaw skidded to a halt just inside the den.

"Are these good enough?" he asked, nodding to a couple of stones sitting in front of him.

"Yes, those will do for now. Bite down on these, Rainstar, they'll help with the pain," Petalstream mewed encouragingly. "Everything will be fine."

The kit was born just before dawn, when the nightly shadows still lingered but barely. "He's precious, Rainstar!" Owltalon purred. The kit was a black tom, with a white patch covering his back and some of his forehead. Petalstream agreed with Owltalon, this kit was beautiful. The small tom tried to drink milk from his mother, but Rainstar's milk wasn't coming.

"Oh, I knew something like this would happen!" Petalstream fretted. "Owltalon, her milk isn't coming, will you be able to nurse the kit?"

Owltalon meowed sadly, "I'm sorry, Petalstream, but I have hardly enough milk for my own three, I can't feed another one as well."

"We could ask Featherfrost, she has plenty of milk!" Runningpaw suggested.

"Yes, of course! Who would be more willing to raise Rainstar's kit than her own sister!" Owltalon mewed excitedly.

"Wait," a weak mewling sounded from the back of the den. Rainstar had raised her head and was staring intensely at the group of cats in front of her. "Before anything else, I would like to name my kit." She looked lovingly at the small tom laying in front of her. "His name will be Shadowkit, after the time and place he was born and after the first EagleClan leader, Gorsestar's, clan of origin."

"That's a perfect name, Rainstar, but we must find Featherfrost before he starves," Petalstream meowed impatiently. She scooped Shadowkit up in her jaws and bounded toward the nursery.

Petalstream burst into the nursery, scanning it for Featherfrost. Then she spotted the light gray and white she-cat with her two kits, Stonekit and Frostkit, in a corner near the entrance. Petalstream plopped Shadowkit on the ground and mewed quietly so as to not wake anyone else in the nursery. "Featherfrost, wake up!"

"What is it? Can't a cat get some sleep around here?" Featherfrost growled sleepily.

Petalstream replied, "It's about your sister's kit!" Featherfrost was fully awake now.

"Rainstar's kits aren't due for another two moons!"

"She kitted early, and her milk isn't coming, so she wanted to know if you could nurse her kit."

"Of course I will!" Featherfrost answered, "What kind of sister would I be if I refused?"

"Good," Petalstream told her. "Then meet Shadowkit." She nudged Shadowkit toward Featherfrost. Shadowkit began to suckle. Then Petalstream heard paw steps outside the nursery.

"Where's my kit?" Riverspray, Rainstar's mate asked. His eyes fell upon Shadowkit and Petalstream sensed joy and pride flowing from Riverspray in waves. "He's amazing! I have to congratulate Rainstar!" Riverspray nuzzled his kit, the bounded off to see his mate. Petalstream stood there for a few more heartbeats, then went back to her den. She found Runningpaw already there, fast asleep. Petalstream began to sort herbs, too awake to go back to sleep. This kit's birth, she thought, is a miracle in the flesh.

Runningpaw had fallen asleep as soon as he returned to the medicine den. He found himself in a dream. He was at the Peace Pond, the location of the clan Gatherings. It was raining. He found his mother, Rollingwaves, who had died in battle, standing in front of him.

"The time when sky and rain shall battle draws near. Only a storm of tranquility and a shadow of peace will stop the two." Rollingwaves prophesied. Suddenly, the sky began to turn red, and the rain stopped coming down, but began to float upwards, very quickly. Then, the rain turned red as well. Runningpaw tried to run, but the crimson drops bumped into him repeatedly, until he didn't know where he was. Runningpaw then realized that the drops were not water, but blood! The sky and the rain were soaked completely in blood! Runningpaw looked down. He was standing in a pool of the sticky red liquid, which was rising higher by the heartbeat. The blood swept over Runningpaw, suffocating him. His lungs screamed for air, and he began to sink. He heard someone distantly calling his name, but he couldn't see them.

Runningpaw woke up in a panic, still trying to swim.

"Runningpaw, Runningpaw!" called Petalstream.

"AH!" Runningpaw yowled.

"Calm down, it's just me!" soothed his mentor quietly. Runningpaw took a few deep breaths. Calm down, he told himself. It was just a dream.

"Bad dream?" Petalstream asked.

"Yeah," replied Runningpaw. He described his terrifying nightmare to Petalstream in full detail.

"What was the prophecy again?" Petalstream demanded.

"The time when sky and rain will battle draws near. Only a storm of tranquility and a shadow of peace will stop the two." Runningpaw repeated as precisely as possible.

"Hmm..." pondered Petalstream. "I believe it is time I told you the true story of Rainstar..."