Post by S.tarstruck on Jun 20, 2008 19:17:58 GMT -5
Sunning himself on the warm stones, the auburn tom closed his eyes, letting the sunlight seep through his fox-colored pelt. He didn't worry about RiverClan warriors—not now, anyway. He'd only come here to get away from the rest of his Clan—away from the noise—long enough to think, and to work out his strange dreams. Ordinarily, he'd get freaked out that he—an ordinary tom, only just made a warrior—would be getting dreams from StarClan, but these seemed almost natural now—he'd been having them since his sister, Dawnkit, died in their first moon, and his brother, Owlkit, had stopped breathing during their apprentice ceremony—just before being given his new name, Owlpaw. only Foxfeather lived to hear his apprentice name—and his warrior name. Owlkit had a mate chosen before he died—a young tabby queen with pale tabby fur. Willowpaw, too, had died mysteriously during her ceremony. She was a few moons older than them, and had died just before her warrior ceremony, only a few suns before Owlkit. Foxfeather sighed. He, too, had loved beautiful Willowpaw, but not near as strongly as Owlkit had. The fox-colored tom opened his midnight-blue eyes, then gasped and struggled to his paws. “Calm, brother,” the dark tom mewed. Foxfeather relaxed, laying back on the Sunningrocks, and blinked up at the murky tabby tom's dark amber eyes—owl eyes. Foxfeather always knew that his brother's warrior name would have been Owleyes. Of course, they thought that Foxfeather would be Foxtail... you never knew. Jerking back to the current time, Foxfeather blinked up at his brother. “Why have you come?” he murmured. “I'm not asleep—you never come during the day.” Owlkit purred, eyes glinting with amusement, and murmured “Nice to see you again, too, brother. Willowtail missed you.” Foxfeather stood, blinking. “Willowtail?” he queried. Owlkit smiled, and murmured “She was so close to getting her warrior name—we've been training together, even though we don't need it. I gave her her ceremonies, and she gave me mine. We're still Owlkit and Willowpaw to everyone else, but we call each other Owleyes and Willowpaw.” Foxfeather remained silent for a moment, touched that his brother had chosen the name he'd chosen for him. “And Dawnkit?” he asked. Owleyes sighed, and murmured “Dawnkit was too young to have received her warrior name, even in StarClan, but we call her Dawnpaw now.” He purred, then sighed again. “I came to tell you that you need to choose a mate.” Foxfeather parted his jaws to protest, but Owleyes lashed his tail and continued “It doesn't matter who or when, but you must.” He softened slightly, and murmured “I know you don't want to, Foxfeather. I know you're afraid. But you must. I can't tell you why—I can only say that we will return to you—Willowtail and I both, but only I will come from afar. Willowtail must be born and raised in her home Clan. We have chosen you. Both because of your familiarity to us, and to conquer your fear of love.” He looked down, then, as he faded away again, his voice called “You must choose a mate, brother, but please—for our sake and yours—remain within the limits of the warrior code.” Foxfeather narrowed his eyes, then nodded slowly. “Fare well, brother,” he murmured to the fading form. “I hope we will see each other again soon.” Soon he was alone again beneath the sun, waiting for another warrior to find him.
