Darkvalley’s Vision
Chapter One
A scream shattered Darkvalley’s peaceful moment in the warm, sunlit, peaceful forest glade. She quickly turned her head to the noise. She then stood up and leaped off the rock into the paw-deep, clear water that surrounded the sunny stone pile Darkvalley had previously been lounging on. Darkvalley ran across the water and onto the lush, green grass towards a small silver and white she-cat who had seemed to be the source of the scream. When Darkvalley arrived, she noticed five newborn kits next to her, fluffy and slightly wet. Darkvalley’s gaze quickly went back to the she-cat, and with a second look at the she-cat she noticed something.
“Willowmoon?” she waited for an answer. “WILLOWMOON?!” she shrieked when she A, she realized that her sister was unconscious, and B when she noticed that blood was spilling from deep wounds lining her flank. Darkvalley lunged for Willowmoon and pressed her fur against the silver she-cat’s in an attempt to stop the consistent bleeding. Darkvalley raised her head to look around the forest glade for cobwebs to stop the bleeding, but when she saw none she pressed more firmly against Willowmoon. Darkvalley pulled the kits closer to her to keep them warm and then quickly checked Willowmoon for a heartbeat. Finding a weak one, Darkvalley breathed out in relief and calmed down a bit. Weak with hope, she began to wash the kits warm and dry. But suddenly Willowmoon shifted and her eyes opened. Darkvalley stood up to give her some room and backed away slightly when she saw Willowmoon’s eyes. But the problem was that they were not Willowmoon’s eyes. They were black, hollow voids of nothingness. Before Darkvalley could even begin to register what was happening, Willowmoon lunged for Darkvalley, teeth bared and claws unsheathed. Darkvalley screamed and the world went black. The last thing she saw was Willowmoon’s hollow eyes.
Willowmoon stared down at Darkvalley as her eyes opened, her gaze curious. Willowmoon’s mouth opened and then closed as if to ask a question and then thought better of it. There was a strange hint of another emotion on her face, but she seemed to be trying to stuff it down.
Darkvalley shrank away from Willowmoon, but when she saw her sister’s wide blue eyes, she pulled herself towards her. It was just a nightmare. Just a bad nightmare Darkvalley. Nothing to be afraid of…Right?
Darkvalley sleepily glanced at her sister’s swollen belly as she carefully stood up. “You're due any day now. My guess is four to five kits, if that is why you came here.”
“That’s not why I came here… I came here because... well a few cats have decided they want out” She said, gesturing to her stomach.
That’s what that emotion was. Pain. Darkvalley rushed to her sister’s side quickly, and guided her into the nursery. And then Willowmoon screamed.
Chapter Two
Five kits lay on the nest next to Willowmoon, mewling soft and fluffy bundles of cuteness. Some of them looked like their father, Gingerstorm who had arrived at the medicine den at the same time as the first kit arrived to the world. Some of them donned their mother’s silver and white pelt. Gingerstorm’s fiery fur clashed with Willowmoon’s light fur, but their kits matched both of them. Darkvalley just hoped that they would match their parent’s nice personalities too, not wanting a crowd of rude kits pulling her tail constantly. She shuddered thinking about kits destroying the precious herbs. One she- kit was ginger like Gingerstorm. Two kits looked exactly like their mother, one a she-kit and one a tom. Another one was mostly gray with a ginger patch on her belly. The final kit was mostly white, but with a color unlike the others, a pinkish red, almost like a berry.
“Willowmoon is healthy, just like her kits” Darkvalley told Gingerstorm, pulling her gaze up to his instead of staring at her beautiful new kin.
“Good, I couldn’t imagine having to deal with all four kits by myself!” Gingerstorm replied, only to remind Darkvalley about her nightmare and how he may have had to do what he has just said.
Instead of telling Gingerstorm about the nightmare, she forced her head into a nod of agreement. Darkvalley walked outside, wanting to leave the new family alone with each other. She sauntered to the hollow prey tree, realizing how hungry she was. Her belly rumbled, to make sure she knew.
“Darkvalley! How is Willowmoon?” Echonight, her mother asked.
“Willowmoon is good, the new mother of four healthy kits, four she-kits and one tom. You can visit them if you want.” Darkvalley answered quickly, as if reciting something practiced many times.
“Perfect! I will soon.” Echonight meowed happily, “Want to share some prey with me?” Echonight had probably heard her loud (and somewhat annoying) stomach.
“Ok” Darkvalley replied before hastily running to the prey tree to get a thrush. She pulled it out of the hole in the hollow tree and carried it in her mouth to a good, grassy area where Darkvalley usually ate. Echonight quickly followed, and they quickly devoured the bird in silence.
Chapter Three
A bleeding cat stood on a large tree branch, looking down at a mass of injured cats below it. The tree was in the middle of the clearing that the cats stood in, and on the edges there were rock walls, too high to see over.
“Cats of the Clan!” The cat on the branch said “We are falling. The enemy is too much for us to bear. We must…” The voice faded away before Darkvalley could hear the rest, and then she woke up.
“Again? Why am I having so many Nightmares lately?” Darkvalley muttered while getting out of her nest. She walked out of the den and stared out at FallenClan for a minute or to. She breathed in and out, welcoming the non-nightmare reality. She then padded to the nursery to check on Willowmoon and her kits in a manner that was rather slow, seeing as she had just woken up.
“Hello Darkvalley” Willowmoon mewed happily as Darkvalley slipped into the nursery entrance. Her fur brushed against the cave’s rough walls as morning light poured in through the mouth.
“Hi” Darkvalley muttered, her eyes heavy with sleep.
“Me and Gingerstorm named the kits!” Willowmoon purred excitedly. “Palekit is the gray she-kit, Cranekit is the gray tom, Rosekit is the ginger she-kit, and Hiddenkit is the gray she-kit with the ginger on her belly. Oh yes and the white and pink-red one is name Berrykit!” Willowmoon’s purr intensified, and she stroked her tail across her kits quickly.
At least now I’m having a good, nightmare free day. Darkvalley thought, contentedly….
End of Darkvalley’s Vision (Perhaps For Now…)