Lightstar's Life, Crystal Chen [e reading malayalam books TXT] 📗

harsh glint if claws. What's that supposed to mean? Boy Trouble

Daylight hurt my eyes beneath the lids. I blinked groggily and sat up, muscles aching. Swifttail's scent had comepletely left him now; he was hunting with StarClan.

"Take him away." I croaked, waving my tail as a new wave of sadness swept over me. Thrushthorn and Sunfang quickly dragged his body out of the tunnel exit.

"It's okay." Nightflame padded over and wrapped a comforting tail around me. "It happens all the time." 

Oh no. I thought, two of them?

Splashnose trotted over, glaring at Nightflame. "Move," he growled under his breath, and shouldered Nightflame away.

"Be nice, boys." I teased, flicking my tail over Splashnose's cheek.  Then I got up. "I'm going for a hunt. Would you two like to come with me?"

"Sure!" Nightflame mewed. A low growl rumbled in Splashnose's throat. "Yeah." He muttered, casting an angry look at the black-and-orange warrior. I sighed and padded away, beckoning the two cats to follow.

"It all yours." I called to Frostfur as she sent out dawn patrols. "I'm going hunting with Splashnose and Nightflame."

"Kay!" She meowed distractedly. I flexed my claws and bounded out into the forest.

"The sun is nice today." I commented, "Greenleaf will come back soon."

"Yeah," Splashnose mewed, trotting happily beside me, "I can't wait to see the new kits that greefleaf brings!"

"Leafstream and Kestrelblaze were sharing tongues the other day," Nightflame remarked, "We'll have new kits in no time."

"I hope their tongues aren't as sharp as their parents!" I joked. Kestrelblaze was a senior warrior that had a short temper. Leafstream was grumpy most of the time and most cats would rather be sliced my her claws then her tongue. Both warriors laughed and tried to flick my on the cheek playfully at the same time, but I ducked away and stood, rigid.

"Mouse!" I hissed, dropping into a hunter's crouch. The two cats scuffled behind me and fell silent. Their admiring eyes burned into my pelt as I stalked stealthily forward, pinpointing the mouse more by smell than sight. Please let me catch this one. I pleaded StarClan as I pounced. Warm fur wriggled beneath my unsheathed claws. Thank you. I sighed silently. With a sharp nip to the neck, the mouse grew limp.

"Nice catch!" Splashnose bounded up to my side, reaching down to pick up my kill. "I'll bury this for you." He kicked a little ditch and placed the prey gingerly inside, then covered it with leaves. "There."

Nightflame was looking pretty upset, and quickly leapt up, nudging his rival aside. I chuckled with amusement as the two warriors pushed each other around, play-fighting like kits. Suddenly, a foul scent washed over my senses. A SunClan patrol! 

"They're on our side!" I hissed, furious. "Drive them out!"

Splashnose and Nightflame froze and scented the air. "Those mouse-brains!" Nightflame growled, flexing his powerful hind legs. "They'd better watch out!"

I swept my tail forward and back, indicating them to follow me. Ears pricked and pelt bristling, I crept up silently onto the patrol, thankful we were downwind of them. Scuffles of paws on earth told me the two warriors were following obediently.

The SunClan cats leapt over the brambles lined along the river and sniffed the trees along the forest. I flattened my ears and let a low growl rumble in my throat. Splashnose lashed his tail, swishing the tall grasses behind us. I froze. The patrol stood stone still and spun around and around, searching for the source of the sound. I held my breath, anxiety a silver claw clutching my heart.

The SunClan cats relaxed and kept padding along the river, spraying their rancid scent on our border. My claws twitched with revenge. "Surround them." I ordered under my breath, just audible for Nightflame and Splashnose to hear. They fanned out in a wide circle around the enemy patrol, eyes fixed on their prey. I held my breath and waited for them to stop moving, before trotting casually out of the reeds.

The SunClan cats spun around, eyes wide. I cleared my throat loudly, "What do you think you're doing?" I snarled, claws sliding out.

Barkclaw, the leader of the patrol, stepped forward, shock gone and hostility back. "Swallowstar ordered us to put scent markers along this side of the river." he spat, fur bristling.

Swallowstar? I wondered for a heartbeat. "What?" I smirked, "Is she tired of waiting for prey to jump into her paws? Get out of here!" With a yowl, I leapt forward. Nightflame and Splashnose screeched battle cries and attacked the patrol. Even though they out numbered us 4 to 3, our suprise attack made them think there was more cats as their enemies.

I leapt on Barkclaw and clawed his ears until they flowed blood. He scrambled backward, and I managed to nip his foreleg before he ran off with a furious, "Retreat, SunClan! Retreat!"

My patrol sat up, unwounded and satisfied. "Tell Swallowstar not to think of doing that again!" I yowled with as much danger in my voice as possible.

"And never think of setting you're soft kittypet paws on our territory again!" Nightflame added.

Feeling left out, Splashnose leapt up and yelled after them, "Mouse-brained idiots!"

After the rustling of reeds had faded, I stood and let my fur lie flat. "You two fought well." I praised them, "Come, let us go back to camp. Hunt some more, and I'll pick up that mouse we left there."

Ominous Prophecy Revealed

I tossed and turned in my nest that night. I was exhausted, but every time I tried to sleep a shock hit me and I jolted awake. Find Swifttail. The voice echoed over and over again in my head.

What do you mean? I wailed, He's dead!

But it kept pestering me, and finally I agreed reluctantly. At least it'll let me sleep.

Quietly, I slipped out of my den and leapt down the hill to my den. Ears pricked, I listened for any sound of a cat making dirt or waking from a nightmare.  Nothing.

 Quickly, I slipped out the tunnel and past the dirtplace. The sharp, welcoming smell newleaf trees met my scent glands as I trotted to Swifttail's grave site.

"Happy?" I grunted aloud, staring at the scuffled dirt. There was a flash in my eyes, and a blurred image of a silver claw. "Again?" I muttered, "What do you want me to do?"

Hurry! Hurry! Before the scent is gone!

"What?" I murmured. The image of the claw came again, then again. "Claw?" I windered aloud, "Who's claw?"

Lost warrior's claw. The voice flitted through my mind like a butterfly on a flower. "Swifttail's claw?" I huffed, "You want me to look at it? It'd stink by now!" But even as I listened intently, the voice was gone.

"Alright, alright." I muttered, starting to claw at the dirt. The sharp point of his claw poked out of the ground, and I felt a rush of excitement. Hurry! Hurry! Before the scent is gone!

I leaned down warily and took in the scent. Just as I thought, there was the acrd scent of death. But...there was a hint of something else mixed in it too. I opened my jaws and drew in the smell again, noticing a tuft of fur caught between his claws. Curious, I picked it out with my claw and sniffed it. Finally I picked out the smell of a cat. A MoonClan cat.

Darkcliff!

Rage boiled inside me. I vowed to avenge both their deaths. Suddenly a new smell hit my nose, mixed with the scent of Darkcliff. Deathberries.

A new suspicion clouded my mind. Anxious, I ran across the clearing to Flamestar's grave and started clawing it up. praying the scent wasn't gone.

The strong, acrid scent of deatherberries, mixed with death, confirmed my suspicion. How had I not noticed it before?

"What are you doing?" A familiar meow sounded behind me. I jerked up and spun around, eyes wide and heart pounding.

"I know who killed Swifttail and Flamestar, Frostfur! It was Darkcliff!"

The Hunt

“Let all cats old enough to hunt their own prey gather here beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting.”

My yowl rang over the camp, shaken and angry. Cats looked worried as they emerged from their dens, blinking sleep from their eyes.

Once the cats had settled, I announced, "I know who has killed Swifttail and Flamestar."

The cats froze in shocked silence.

"It was Darkcliff!" I declared, "And I have proof!" Quickly I continued before anyone spoke. "He has escaped to SunClan for now. But last night I went to Swifttail's grave and sniffed his claws. Darkcliff's scent was all over them! And Flamestar's pelt smelled faintly of deatherberries, which was mixed in with Darkcliff's scent on Swifttail's claws."

The cats below responded quietly, suprisingly. As if it wasn't a suprise to them. "What are you going to do now?" Leafstream called, her belly heavy with Kestrelblaze's kits. "My kits must be safe!"

"They'll be safe," I assured her, "I'm going to announce it at the Gathering, which will be in only two days."

The cats murmured among themselves, then quieted down. "Clan meeting dismissed." I meowed, feeling a glow of satisfaction that I had finally found the killer. He was going to face his punishment soon.

Two days later, I was ready to leave for the Gathering, fur bushed up with anxiety and exitement. With me were Frostfur, Lightningstrike, Thorntail, Splashnose, Dawnshine, and Kestrelwing. We set out through the fresh newleaf scented forest, and broke through the clearing of Twinstones. SunClan was there, and started to mix with the MoonClan warriors.

I leapt up one of the Twinstones and glanced at Swallowstar, who was staring at me. "Hi." She mewed shyly, "I'm Clan leader too. How is prey running?"

"Fine," I responded curtly. "I need to tell the Clans something really important."

"Okay." Swallowstar sat up straighter, and opened her jaws, "Let the Gathering begin!"

The cats stopped talking and tilted their faces up to look at us. I felt a rush of pride as I