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Description
Beestripes stepped off of the soft grass and onto crunchy frost. She breathed in deeply. If pure, sweet life had a taste, that's what this air was. The stars were huge here, the moon appearing to be a blueish color. Beestripes looked around and could not see Nettlepaw or the other medicine cats. Great Starclan, have I fallen asleep beside the Moonfalls? I'm not a medicine cat! Nettlepaw even told me not to... Oh, Starclan!
She crossed a river, barely aware of what she was doing. As she set each paw down, a colorful stone popped up underneath her, supporting her as she walked across. Once on the other side, she saw a white longhaired mouse and went for it, only to be interrupted. The mouse scampered away. Beestripes looked up to scowl at whatever had scared her meal, and her jaw dropped.
Standing before her was a white tom with dreamlike blue and violet swirls in his fur. They seemed to glitter in the strange light of Beestripes's dream world.
"Hi," purred the tom, and the ground disappeared out from under them. Beestripes was falling.
-
She blinked awake by the Moonfalls, aware that the water was no longer glowing, but water - colored.
"You couldn't resist, could you?" Sneered the blue-gray tomcat.
"Be kind to her, Skyfeather," purred Lightpool good- naturedly. "She is young, and probably tired. Besides, Starclan does not want to be reserved for only leaders and medicine cats. There was a time in which any cat could seek their guidance. They would want that."
Beestripes nodded her thanks to the Dewclan medicine cat, then froze, remembering what Frozenfire had told her. This cat must be her mother- the wind in the prophecy! The other medicine cats wandered off to chat now, but Lightpool stayed, staring at Beestripes.
Beestripes finally broke the silence. "Do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do," purred Lightpool, warmth in her eyes. She looks almost exactly like Lionflight! "But the question is: Do you know me? If you don't, would you be angry with me if you found out who I was?"
Beestripes lowered her voice. Though she couldn't see Nettlepaw and the others, they might be in hearing range. "You are the mother of Lionflight and I. You loved us but gave us up because you are a medicine cat. Frozenfire told me, and I don't think I hate you. You've got a prophecy."
Lightpool's eyes had grown softer as Beestripes had talked about them, but as soon as she said 'prophecy', she was more focused. "Explain."
Beestripes did not want to share her secret world, so she only told what she absolutely had to. "Frozenfire is looking for a cat called 'wind.' I was addressed by a Starclan cat as 'child of wind', so you are who I am looking for."
It was a serious matter indeed, but Lightpool's whiskers twitched. "I am no such thing," she purred. "Your father was a loner named Wind, but that's all." Beestripes's heart sank. Her 'clue' had been misleading! Now she'd have to start over!
The medicine cat's eyes grew serious. "I loved him very much, but he's dead now. He was a good cat, but I don't think loners go to Starclan."
-
"It certainly is nice to see that you're feeling better, Waffle," purred Frozenfire. She and the gray tabby were stretched out in a patch of sunlight outside the medicine cat den. "Now you and your friend best start thinking about where you are going to go when Heartsong says you're cured."
"Well," mewed Waffle, twisting to scratch an itch behind her ear. "I don't think I really want to leave. My kits should have a safe place to grow up, and they can't have that while we're on the run."
"I understand completely," purred Frozenfire sympathetically. "Dreamstar won't mind you staying, I'm sure, but it seems as though your mate wants to leave. He took a snap at Ravenpaw last night." Frozenfire shuddered, remembering how Berryfur's young apprentice had been complaining about the rain. Waffle's companion, the strange tomcat, had gotten annoyed.
"Oh!" meowed Waffle, looking surprised. "He isn't my mate; his brother was. And you can hardly blame him. Poor Racer has had enough of big groups of cats."
"Racer?" asked Frozenfire, her whiskers twitching. It was a good name, she had to admit, though it didn't seem suitable for the dark, mysterious tom.
"Oh... Oops. He didn't want his name known, did he? Oh well, he'll forgive me eventually. I've known him since we were kittens. I was a kittypet, and he lived with a big group of cats. He was accused of something bad and left. He and his brother moved into my twoleg's barn. When my twoleg's land caught fire, these cats were all I had, but," she swallowed hard, her voice suddenly weak, "But we ran into another big group of cats. I got hurt, and Flash died."
Frozenfire purred sympathetically and laid her tail on Waffle's flank. "Flash sounds as though he was a good cat, and he loved you. I'll bet your kits will be just like him." Waffle smiled.
"Yes, Frozenfire. I'll make sure they know how great their father was."
Frozenfire nodded her goodbye, and padded off to the nursery to visit another queen.
-
The following day, both the clan deputy and the leader were standing side by side in the camp, their pelts bristling. They stared into the eyes of Dovestar, the longhaired white leader of Beachclan. Behind her stood her best warriors, and some apprentices as well. Her eyes were dull, though theirs shone with the light of battle.
"Dovestar," Began Dreamstar, dipping his head politely. "You have never been to our camp with so many warriors before. What is wrong?"
Dovestar shook her head, sighed, and finally, reluctantly, began to speak. "We've been having trouble with rouge cats," she meowed, looking directly into Dreamstar's eyes, unafraid though she was much smaller than him. "There's a whole group of them. They tried to chase us out of our camp."
No! thought Frozenfire. Poor Beachclan! Are they okay? Is Liquidgaze alright? She felt her heart beat faster, and she wondered if Dovestar could hear it.
"I am sorry, Dovestar," meowed Dreamstar. "We will keep a lookout for rouges. In the meantime, do you need us to-" He was interupted by Dovestar.
"We need nothing from you! Our cats saw it with our own eyes- your clan is sheltering two of the cats that killed one of our queens! If you do not force them to leave your clan, we shall fight. We will kill them ourselves."

Description
Beestripes stepped off of the soft grass and onto crunchy frost. She breathed in deeply. If pure, sweet life had a taste, that's what this air was. The stars were huge here, the moon appearing to be a blueish color. Beestripes looked around and could not see Nettlepaw or the other medicine cats. Great Starclan, have I fallen asleep beside the Moonfalls? I'm not a medicine cat! Nettlepaw even told me not to... Oh, Starclan!
She crossed a river, barely aware of what she was doing. As she set each paw down, a colorful stone popped up underneath her, supporting her as she walked across. Once on the other side, she saw a white longhaired mouse and went for it, only to be interrupted. The mouse scampered away. Beestripes looked up to scowl at whatever had scared her meal, and her jaw dropped.
Standing before her was a white tom with dreamlike blue and violet swirls in his fur. They seemed to glitter in the strange light of Beestripes's dream world.
"Hi," purred the tom, and the ground disappeared out from under them. Beestripes was falling.
-
She blinked awake by the Moonfalls, aware that the water was no longer glowing, but water - colored.
"You couldn't resist, could you?" Sneered the blue-gray tomcat.
"Be kind to her, Skyfeather," purred Lightpool good- naturedly. "She is young, and probably tired. Besides, Starclan does not want to be reserved for only leaders and medicine cats. There was a time in which any cat could seek their guidance. They would want that."
Beestripes nodded her thanks to the Dewclan medicine cat, then froze, remembering what Frozenfire had told her. This cat must be her mother- the wind in the prophecy! The other medicine cats wandered off to chat now, but Lightpool stayed, staring at Beestripes.
Beestripes finally broke the silence. "Do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do," purred Lightpool, warmth in her eyes. She looks almost exactly like Lionflight! "But the question is: Do you know me? If you don't, would you be angry with me if you found out who I was?"
Beestripes lowered her voice. Though she couldn't see Nettlepaw and the others, they might be in hearing range. "You are the mother of Lionflight and I. You loved us but gave us up because you are a medicine cat. Frozenfire told me, and I don't think I hate you. You've got a prophecy."
Lightpool's eyes had grown softer as Beestripes had talked about them, but as soon as she said 'prophecy', she was more focused. "Explain."
Beestripes did not want to share her secret world, so she only told what she absolutely had to. "Frozenfire is looking for a cat called 'wind.' I was addressed by a Starclan cat as 'child of wind', so you are who I am looking for."
It was a serious matter indeed, but Lightpool's whiskers twitched. "I am no such thing," she purred. "Your father was a loner named Wind, but that's all." Beestripes's heart sank. Her 'clue' had been misleading! Now she'd have to start over!
The medicine cat's eyes grew serious. "I loved him very much, but he's dead now. He was a good cat, but I don't think loners go to Starclan."
-
"It certainly is nice to see that you're feeling better, Waffle," purred Frozenfire. She and the gray tabby were stretched out in a patch of sunlight outside the medicine cat den. "Now you and your friend best start thinking about where you are going to go when Heartsong says you're cured."
"Well," mewed Waffle, twisting to scratch an itch behind her ear. "I don't think I really want to leave. My kits should have a safe place to grow up, and they can't have that while we're on the run."
"I understand completely," purred Frozenfire sympathetically. "Dreamstar won't mind you staying, I'm sure, but it seems as though your mate wants to leave. He took a snap at Ravenpaw last night." Frozenfire shuddered, remembering how Berryfur's young apprentice had been complaining about the rain. Waffle's companion, the strange tomcat, had gotten annoyed.
"Oh!" meowed Waffle, looking surprised. "He isn't my mate; his brother was. And you can hardly blame him. Poor Racer has had enough of big groups of cats."
"Racer?" asked Frozenfire, her whiskers twitching. It was a good name, she had to admit, though it didn't seem suitable for the dark, mysterious tom.
"Oh... Oops. He didn't want his name known, did he? Oh well, he'll forgive me eventually. I've known him since we were kittens. I was a kittypet, and he lived with a big group of cats. He was accused of something bad and left. He and his brother moved into my twoleg's barn. When my twoleg's land caught fire, these cats were all I had, but," she swallowed hard, her voice suddenly weak, "But we ran into another big group of cats. I got hurt, and Flash died."
Frozenfire purred sympathetically and laid her tail on Waffle's flank. "Flash sounds as though he was a good cat, and he loved you. I'll bet your kits will be just like him." Waffle smiled.
"Yes, Frozenfire. I'll make sure they know how great their father was."
Frozenfire nodded her goodbye, and padded off to the nursery to visit another queen.
-
The following day, both the clan deputy and the leader were standing side by side in the camp, their pelts bristling. They stared into the eyes of Dovestar, the longhaired white leader of Beachclan. Behind her stood her best warriors, and some apprentices as well. Her eyes were dull, though theirs shone with the light of battle.
"Dovestar," Began Dreamstar, dipping his head politely. "You have never been to our camp with so many warriors before. What is wrong?"
Dovestar shook her head, sighed, and finally, reluctantly, began to speak. "We've been having trouble with rouge cats," she meowed, looking directly into Dreamstar's eyes, unafraid though she was much smaller than him. "There's a whole group of them. They tried to chase us out of our camp."
No! thought Frozenfire. Poor Beachclan! Are they okay? Is Liquidgaze alright? She felt her heart beat faster, and she wondered if Dovestar could hear it.
"I am sorry, Dovestar," meowed Dreamstar. "We will keep a lookout for rouges. In the meantime, do you need us to-" He was interupted by Dovestar.
"We need nothing from you! Our cats saw it with our own eyes- your clan is sheltering two of the cats that killed one of our queens! If you do not force them to leave your clan, we shall fight. We will kill them ourselves."