Lurking Evil

Chapter 18

Whisperpaw was engulfed in darkness, the starry water from the Moonfall causing her to fall into a dark void of sleep.

She blinked open her eyes and found that she was no longer at the cave of the Moonfall, nor anywhere near Star Mountain. She was in a green grassy field, filled with wildflowers and aspen trees spread around her. A warm breeze blew across the unfamiliar land, ruffling Whisperpaw's fur. It's not leaf-bare here, Whisperpaw realized, glancing at the flowers and green grass. Where am I?

Suddenly Whisperpaw heard pawsteps behind her. She turned and, to her surprise, Echopaw was walking toward her. "What?" Whisperpaw exclaimed. "What's going on? Are...are you here, in my dream too?"

Echopaw looked around, her sister's tail swishing in confusion. "Well, this has to be a dream."

"I know, it makes sense, but how can we be in the same dream at the same time?" Whisperpaw was desperate for an answer.

Echopaw shrugged. "StarClan knows," she sighed, sitting down in the soft green grass.

"Oh!" Whisperpaw exclaimed. "Maybe we're in StarClan's hunting grounds! It's always green-leaf there!"

Echopaw got to her paws again, glancing around her again. "Oh, maybe. But how... what is the point of this dream?"

"Yeah, where his every cat?" Whisperpaw glanced around.

She froze.

A pale silver tabby she-cat was sitting by a gorse bush to Whisperpaw's right. A gray tabby tom, an orange tabby she-cat, and a brown tabby tom sat beside her.

"Look," Whisperpaw breathed to her sister.

As if on cue, the four cats got to their paws and walked toward them. They had starlight glimmering in their fur, sending up sparks of white light every time they took a step. Whisperpaw knew that they were StarClan warriors, and that she and her sister were having a dream from StarClan, together.

She immediately recognized the silver tabby she-cat in front, her piercing blue eyes strikingly familiar.

Echopaw recognized her too, for she exclaimed, "Whirlheart!"

Whirlheart dipped her head. "Yes. This time, however, I am not alone. This is Slatefur, previously of DuskClan," she meowed, flicking her tail at the gray tabby tom. Then she nodded at a fluffy ginger she-cat. "This is Peachfur. She comes from DayClan, from way before you two were born," Whirlheart continued. "And this is Swampclaw, originally from NightClan." A brown tabby tom blinked at them.

Whisperpaw dipped her head to the StarClan warriors.

Slatefur spoke up. "You remember the prophecy?"

Whisperpaw and Echopaw blinked. Of course they'd remember the prophecy! How could they forget, with all the fear it'd caused them?

"What about those eyes? Were they part of the prophecy?" asked Echopaw suddenly, and Whisperpaw remembered what her sister had told her about her seeing two dark black eyes in the forest, twice.

Peachfur narrowed her eyes. "StarClan didn't send that omen."

"But, then who did?" gasped Whisperpaw, shock spreading through her limbs.

Slatefur and Whirlheart exchanged a curious and knowing glance, but Whisperpaw had no idea what had passed between them.

Swampclaw stepped forward. "What we came to tell you is that evil is rising, and not just inside the Clans. The strive to protect all the Clans must be strong in you if everything you've ever cared for is to survive."