Chapter Text
The last light of day faded behind the horizon’s edge as Amberleap settled down in her den, her tail curling comfortably over her nose as sleep stole her. Standing upon a vast valley, Amberleap was face to face with two bald cats she did not recognize, a tom and a she-cat. The tom dipped his head respectfully as the she-cat spoke.
“We apologize for the intrusion, though we carry a message.” Blue eyes met Amberleap’s as she delivered a seemingly rehearsed speech, “The clans have forgotten what makes a warrior. They will need to be reminded. Darkness will come, a light is needed to guide through the night. The clans will falter and fall if the pink cat cannot guide them to the next day.”
Amberleap began to speak, but before she could form any words, the vision faded. She tried to hold on, to ask more, but there was no time. Jumping up in her nest, the familiar Windclan medicine den surrounded her. She sat, trying to decipher the cryptic message. Are the clans in trouble? They must be. The thoughts came and went, though one part stuck out like a thorn on a paw pad. “The pink cat.” What cat is pink? Amberleap’s mind swam with possibilities, but nothing seemed right.
Wind howled loudly outside, causing Amberleap to shiver. Is this the night those cats spoke of? Is doom coming? She thought to herself, feeling cold from more than just the wind. If the clans were in trouble and only a pink cat could save them, the clans might not survive for long.
Struggling against panic, Amberleap stood from her den and shook off the moss clinging to her pelt. Slipping out of her den, she padded over to Fallowstar’s, the Windclan leader’s, den. Peaking her head inside, she saw Fallowstar’s tail twitching as if she was dreaming.
Feeling a bit bad about having to wake the sleeping leader, Amberleap carefully walked closer until she could gently prod the sleeping figure awake. Fallowstar roused and lifted her head drearily, seeming a bit annoyed to have been interrupted.
“What is it?” Fallowstar’s voice was tired, but the look in her eyes let Amberleap know she was listening.
“I had a vision. Two cats appeared to me, a tom and a she-cat. The she-cat said she had a message to deliver. She said,” Amberleap paused, taking a moment to recall the exact words. “‘Darkness will come, a light is needed to guide through the night. The clans will falter and fall if the pink cat cannot guide them to the next day.’”
Fallowstar’s eyes brimmed with worry as she sat upright in her nest, curling her tail over her paws to defend them from the chilling cold.
“That sounds bad.” The leader admitted at last, “What do you suppose it means?”
After a moment of thought, Amberleap responded, “I don’t know. And I certainly don’t understand this business with a pink cat.”
“Then we wait. You tell no one, okay?” Fallowstar stated, making it clear that there would be no argument. “It could get really bad if we send all five clans into a frenzy over this vision. By the sound of it, we will know when this darkness is upon us, we will react then.”
Amberleap’s ears shot up, shock pulsing through her frame. “Say nothing? Not even to the other medicine cats? What if they could help us find this pink cat?” She questioned nervously
After a moment, Fallowstar shook her head. “No, we tell no one.”
Knowing the conversation was done, Amberleap simply dipped her head and retreated back to her den. Worry creeped up her spine at the thought of keeping such a daunting vision to herself, but Fallowstar had ordered it, so she needed to obey. If things get worse, she decided, I’ll tell someone.
She just hoped things wouldn't get worse, because without this cat, she wasn’t sure there would even be clans to send into a frenzy.