Chapter Text
Four moons ago…
Golden shafts of sunlight dappled the lush forest, dappling the viridescent leaves which were thriving with the full luxuriance of greenleaf. Mice, voles and shrews alike scampered among the shadows of the undergrowth, eagerly gathering the plentiful fruits of the season to their dens. Against the backdrop of a bleeding vermillion sky and scattered bands of clouds, several distant stars were beginning to come into view as the first warriors of StarClan appeared to their descendants, beginning their nightly watch over the lake.
Pebbleshine sighed contentedly as she made her way through the trees, tasting the warm, salty tang of the blood of the magpie clamped between her jaws. A sense of tranquility swept across the SkyClan warrior; her pawsteps coming to a halt, she allowed herself a few heartbeats as she admired the picturesque scene she found herself in. This may not have been where I was born and raised, but it feels like home now.
Many among SkyClan had initially been worried that their own hunting techniques, which were largely based on climbing and leaping after prey that tended to reside in trees, would be unsuitable for their new territory, but ThunderClan’s former home had turned out to be quite hospitable to such methods. It had been teeming with all sorts of birds when they had first arrived - Leafstar had speculated that this was due to a combination of how long the region had been left abandoned as well as their previous residents mostly sticking to the ground - and even after the amount of winged prey had gradually shrunk over the course of a few moons, they had gotten enough stalking practice by then to manage without issue.
Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t detect the presence of another cat sneaking up behind her until she felt a tail-tip brush against her flank. The speckled she-cat jumped, her alarmed squawk muffled by the bird she was holding; landing awkwardly, she lost her balance and fell to the forest floor with a resounding crash.
Pebbleshine glared up at her assailant, a sleek-furred, stocky gray tom whose expression did little to hide his amusement from her. ‘Hawkwing!’ she growled, spitting out a mouthful of feathers. ‘You scared me!’
Her mate chuckled heartily, helping her to her paws. ‘Oh come on, Pebbleshine, it’s all in good fun. I must say, however, your reaction was… a little more than I was expecting.’ His amber eyes sparkled with humor. ‘Never thought I’d see the mighty Pebbleshine jump like a startled rabbit.’
‘Very funny,’ she grumbled, giving him a hard nudge with her shoulder. ‘And I’d never thought I’d hear anything louder than that storm we got a half-moon ago, but your snoring last night made me think otherwise. It’s a miracle that I got any rest with you around!’
Hawkwing’s bashful attitude faded at her words, to be replaced by embarrassment. ‘Oh come on, it’s not that bad, is it? I…’ His voice faltered as she turned around to give him a pointed look, her emerald gaze gleaming. ‘Our kits told me felt like a badger was in the nest with them. If this happens again I’m going to stuff your mouth with moss!’ she threatened playfully.
The gray tom stepped back, his eyes widening as he trembled in mock fear. ‘No, please! Anything but that!’ She purred, touching her cheek lightly to his. ‘Then make sure to stay as quiet as a mouse tonight. Now come on, let’s get back to the hollow. Our daughters are waiting.
She heard a sigh of relief come from behind her as she led the way, his pawsteps echoing hers, leaping over a rushing stream, in which she could make out the gleaming silver shapes of fish hurtling through the swift-flowing current. I bet no cat in SkyClan has tried one of those before. Pebbleshine grinned to herself as she recalled sitting on a riverbank moons away from where she was, sharing a salmon with a cat that no longer resided by the lake. Well, no cat except me…
A glimpse through the trees informed her that they were nearing their destination; sure enough, the SkyClan camp came into view not long after, a rocky stone hollow with walls that were higher on one side than the other and a thornbush barrier which flanked both sides of the only entrance, along with spare bramble shrubs that were stored along the inside of the quarry, ready to be shifted out to fill in the gap completely in case of an attack, thus protecting those inside from harm. She felt a sense of pride swell within her. No Clan would be able to break in here. Not even WindClan, if Darktail suddenly decides to go back to how he was before coming to the lake.
The camp was teeming with cats, with most settling down on the edges with a piece of prey or preparing to turn in for the night. Pebbleshine caught sight of Leafstar and Billystorm stretched languidly outside of a cave on the cliffside, above where the leader would usually address the Clan, sharing a hare between them. They sure look like they’re enjoying themselves.
‘Pebbleshine! Hawkwing! You’re back,’ a jet-black she-cat called as they strolled out from behind the fresh-kill pile, just as she was done adding her magpie to the heap. She dipped her head respectfully to the newcomer. ‘Good to see you too, Ebonyclaw.’ The deputy gave a congenial laugh, waving a paw dismissively. ‘No need to be so serious. Here.’ They reached over towards the pile, retrieving the magpie she had just placed, alongside a particularly plump thrush. ‘Make sure Twigkit and Violetkit don’t tear each other apart over it,’ they purred, pawing it at them. ‘I know it’s their favourite.’
Hawkwing gave a mrrow of joy. ‘You’re too generous. Thank you very much. I’m sure the kits will love it.’ Ebonyclaw’s eyes glowed with warmth. ‘Of course. This is their last night in the nursery, after all. I hope you haven’t forgotten their ceremony at sunrise?’ they teased.
Great StarClan, she’s right… Despite knowing her daughters were six moons old and ready to be apprenticed, a part of her still couldn’t reconcile the fragile, delicate kittens she had given birth to with the cats they had grown into.‘We haven’t forgotten, of course,’ she reassured the other she-cat. ‘Thank you again for the thrush.’ Ebonyclaw nodded, giving her a flick over the ear with their tail before padding in the direction of the warriors’ den.
‘Mama! Papa!’ Pebbleshine’s eyes hardly had time to register the bundles of fur speeding in her direction as she and Hawkwing entered the nursery, prey in mouths, before one of them barreled into her side, throwing their paws around her ribs. She touched her forehead to that of the glossy-furred white kitten who was currently in the process of giving her pelt a thorough grooming with their tongue. ‘You’re getting too big for this, Violetkit,’ she scolded delicately, glancing in the direction of her mate, who had nearly been knocked to the ground by an equally energetic Twigkit. Violetkit scuffled their paws guiltily. ‘Sorry, mother. I was just excited to see you.’
Twigkit padded over to the fallen thrush, their emerald eyes that bore a striking resemblance to her own lighting up as they gave it a curious sniff. ‘Is this what I think it is?’ She suppressed a laugh at their high-pitched squeak; the result of their unsuccessful attempt to hide their excitement. ‘Yes, it is,’ she purred, Violetkit racing over immediately at Twigkit’s exclamation. ‘Ebonyclaw specifically intended for you two to share it. Be careful, now,’ she warned as the two soon-to-be-apprentices tore into the thrush, tearing into its flesh with ravenous fervor, with her prior warning going entirely unheeded. She rolled her eyes fondly. Eager as always.
Hawkwing twined his tail with hers as they watched their kits help themselves to the prey. ‘They grow up so fast, don’t they?’ he murmured, his eyes glazing over slightly with wistfulness. ‘It seemed like only a moon ago they were taking their first unsteady pawsteps out of the nursery.’ Pebbleshine pressed herself against his side. ‘They’ll make fine apprentices, and warriors after that,’ she affirmed softly, rubbing her muzzle against her mate’s. 'We're going to be so proud of them.'
...
Night had descended fully over the lake by the time the cats in the nursery had reduced their prey to a scattered pile of feathers and bones. Pebbleshine let out a yawn as she stretched luxuriously, glancing at the camp outside, which had been imparted an ethereal-like appearance by the radiant moonlight filtered through the forest overhead. ‘Alright kits,’ she called to Twigkit and Violetkit, who were in the process of wrestling with one another on the far side of the den. ‘It’s time to get some sleep. You’re being made apprentices when the sun rises, and I want you fresh and well-rested when you meet the Clan.’
The two kittens let out a collective mewl of protest. ‘But I’m not tired yet!’ Violetkit squeaked, their face muddy from rolling on the ground. ‘Neither am I!’ Twigkit added, leaping to their paws from where they had been pinned by their sister, smoothening out their ruffled dark-gray pelt. ‘I could keep going until the sun rises!’
‘I don’t doubt that,’ Hawkwing mrrowed, gesturing for them to come towards him, stroking Violetkit’s cheek with his tail to clean off the dirt, ‘but your mother is right. As apprentices, you won’t get to sleep in like you do with us now. From my experience, your mentors will expect you to be awake at sunrise, and if you stay up late, you won’t have the energy to train.’
Violetkit and Twigkit’s heads drooped. ‘Yes, father…’ ‘How about this?’ her mate offered, leaning back to nuzzle each of them. ‘We’ll tell you a story if you promise to go to sleep afterwards.’
‘What story? We’ve heard plenty of those about when SkyClan lived in the gorge,’ Twigkit asked with, their jaws stretching in a barely-concealed yawn. Pebbleshine and Hawkwing shared a knowing look. It’s time. ‘No, this one isn’t about SkyClan - at least, not initially,’ she replied. ‘Instead, it’s about a darker time for the lake, when the Clans were ruled not by leaders of virtue and compassion, but by cats whose purpose it was to impose their own tyranny upon the cats beneath them. We haven't brought it up until now, but as this an integral part of the Clans’ past, you will come to know of it, one way or another.’
Neither kitten said anything, their eyes rounded with wonder. She shifted slightly, curling herself around them as Hawkwing continued. ‘Seasons ago, in the moons before your mother and I were born, a great battle was fought in this very hollow. The warriors who lived here, those of ThunderClan, clashed with the cats of the Dark Forest, who were fighting to conquer the Clans. ThunderClan fought valiantly, but a combination of their leader’s death and heavy losses would spell their demise, and their Clan was erased from existence, its surviving members scattered around the lake.’
‘The… Dark Forest?’ Twigkit piped up innocently. ‘Where is that? Why is it so dark?’
In spite of the solemn nature of the conversation they were having, a smile pulled on the corners of her mouth, reaching down to rub them between the ears with a paw affectionately. ‘It’s not a real place, my dear; well, at least not for us,’ the white she-cat explained. ‘The Dark Forest is the inverse of StarClan. It’s named as such for the lack of stars present there, and is where cats who have done very bad things in their lives go after they die.’
Hawkwing gave her a nod of acknowledgement. ‘The Dark Forest, or the Place of No Stars, would go on to take control over the three remaining Clans around the lake, murdering their original leaders and deputies and installing either their own cats in their stead. They were brutal despots, killing any cat who so much as dared to voice their dissent, and even at times making spectacles of them by doing so on the island we now used for Gatherings. Every cat was in constant fear for their own life, knowing that it could be snatched away at a heartbeat’s notice.’
Violetkit let out a whimper of fear and edged closer to him, shuddering. ‘That sounds horrible! Papa, are they still around the lake? Will they come and hurt me?’
The stocky gray tom wrapped his tail comfortingly around his daughter. ‘Thankfully, no. The newleaf before the last, a warrior from the lake by the name of Miststep arrived at the gorge.’ She paused for an instant as thoughts of the brown-white she-cat flooded over her, implanting on her a profound sense of longing. My old friend… I hope you’re safe now, wherever you may be. ‘She had been born in RiverClan, but had fled after the Dark Forest leaders had come after her family. With her help, SkyClan formed an alliance with the Kin, a rogue group composed mostly of cats who make up WindClan, and their leader, Darktail, and travelled to the lake to confront the Place of No Stars. A showdown took place on the Gathering island between the lake Clans, who were still under the control of the Dark Forest, on one side, and SkyClan, as well as Darktail’s Kin, on the other. Both of us fought in this battle.’
‘You did?’ Twigkit gasped, their eyes shining with admiration. ‘You’re so brave!’
Pebbleshine gave them an appreciative lick over the cheek. ‘It’s what any warrior would have done. We did end up winning the battle, though several of our own warriors were killed, and many more injured.’ Her head bowed as memories of her fallen Clanmates flashed through her thoughts. ‘The two remaining Dark Forest leaders, Tigerstar and Mapleshade, were killed by Darktail and Miststep. RiverClan and ShadowClan were restored under new leadership, while Darktail merged his Kin with the remaining cats from the original group to form his new WindClan. Miststep left the lake shortly after, and, for the most part, peace has reigned over the lake ever since.’ Hawkwing touched his head lightly to Violetkit’s, coaxing the trembling kitten from where they had buried their face into his shoulder. ‘This is all in the past; the Dark Forest is gone now, having been contained by StarClan. You have nothing to worry about.’ Violetkit purred weakly. ‘T-Thank you, papa. I understand if you’re disappointed in me for being so frightened, but-’
‘As if we weren’t scared ourselves when we learned of what the Place of No Stars had done.’ Pebbleshine cut her off, placing her tail over their maw. ‘Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Fear is natural, but it is being able to think and react while being under duress that will make you a truly great warrior.’
Twigkit puffed up their chest. ‘Well, I wasn’t afraid! I bet I could take on one of those Dark Forest cats single-pawed!’ Pebbleshine chuckled, putting a paw around them. She reminds me of how I was during my time in the nursery… ‘I’m sure you could, my little warrior. Now, you promised me you would get some rest once the story was over, remember?’ she reminded them, adding afterwards upon sensing their dejection. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of chances to show off your hunting and fighting prowess once you’re an apprentice.’
‘I’m going to miss sleeping with you two,’ Violetkit mumbled mutely as they clambered into the nest beside their littermate. Hawkwing’s amber eyes softened, reaching over to ensnare them within a tight embrace. ‘We’ll miss you too,’ he affirmed in turn, touching his nose to her cheek, ‘but remember, you leaving the nursery doesn’t change anything. We’re still your family, Violetkit, and family takes care of one another. If you ever need anything, or just want a cat you can confide in, don’t hesitate to come find us.’
Pebbleshine’s gaze traveled over the cats who meant more to her than any other, her verdant eyes twin pools of pure, undiluted affection. ‘Me and Hawkwing love you, Twigkit and Violetkit, and that won’t change, regardless of what the future may hold for us.’ She curled up on the opposite side of the nest from her mate, encasing their daughters within the warmth of their pelts, giving them each a lick over the cheek before settling down. ‘Sweet dreams, my precious kittens.’