the brightest star!

thanks! thankls for reading it too!

That's awesome!!!

Ch.4

"Shiningheart," shiningheart stirred as her brother pawed at her. "shiningheart, wake up."

Shiningheart sat up and gave her chestfur a couple of licks. "What?" she whispered. It was almost moonhigh. 

"I...I need to talk to you. Come for a walk with me." not waiting for her reply, he left the entrence, nodding his greeting to firemist, who was guarding the camp. 

Shiningheart ran after him and caught up to him by the river. "ok, tell me what's goin on?"

As soon as Stormfeather opened his mouth to speak a beautiful golden she cat appeared through the long grass bordering the river, purring she pressed her muzzle agianst stormfeathers, affectionatly.

"I can't believe you stormfeather! You too Honeyfur!" shiningheart snapped, furious. "going behind the backs of your clans like this!"

"um..." Honeyfur's blue eyes sparkled innocently, "I hope you don't mind, I brought my brother."

Shininghearts eyes narrowed furiously at the golden tabby Tom who emerged from the grass behind Honeyfur. "well hello again," he mewed. "fancy meeting you again!"

Honeyfur's eyes darted between the two cats, "you know her thorntooth?" 

"we talked at the gathering," he meowed smoothly.

"YOU talked," shiningheart snapped. She turned her glare back to her brother and Honeyfur, "how long has this been going on? Weeks? Moons?!"

Niether her brother or Honeyfur answered her, they just glanced at eachother, and padded away, leaving shiningheart alone with thorntooth. She turned her glare back to him, but he didn't flinch, he sat very still, tail around his paws, eyes sparkling. 

"you knew, didn't you? You knew this was going on? Why didn't you tell me at the gathering?" shiningheart snarled to herself when he didn't answer her, "am I invisible? Does nobody answer my question? I supose you are going to leave too, to go padding after some she cat from an enemy clan?"

Thorntooth dipped his head and looked up at her from the tops of his eyes. Shiningheart narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, trying to guess what he was thinking, when he got up and touched noses with her, purring loudly. "Meet me here tomorrow, at moonhigh," he whispered to shingingheart. Not waiting for her reply, he got up and padded through the reeds in the direction of his camp.

Shiningheart stared after him, hardly believing what he had just said. Confused, she turned to head back to camp, and almost ran into a silver starry warrior. "Shiningmoon?" 

The Tom purred, "my little kit, you have grown up to be a beautiful young warrior. I will always be proud of you." slowly his image began to fade.

"wait!" shininheart called to him, desperately.

"The thorns of fire and the shine of ice, will come together to protect the melting ice," his soft whisper seemed to echo throught the clearing and rang over and over again in Shininghearts head as she padded back to camp, longing for her soft, warm nest.

u know whiskerflower? would you know me? how do you know her? (maybe you do know me....)

Because she knows where u are! BUSTED!

Hhaha...tell her I say....Hi!

abby wanted to tell you something so i typed what she said.... heeheee

sorry...you lost me...im confused...............................

oh! awesome.
thats all of em! lol teehee!

Abbygail says:
hi izzle abby you will not stand for this announcement so you will get crushed on Whiskerflower.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


OMG i did not know why she said this OMG OMG lol my sister is twisted! sorry!

i know!!! its awesome!!! and ya!!! and Physiotherapy.

yay! you added a chapter!!! love it!!! p.s where did you have to go today in la? wow!!! so many smilies!!!

is anyone even reading this? if you are, please comment!!

Prologue

The silver tabby stared at the limp body in front of her. His golden fur shivered gently in the soft breeze. She continued to stare at her dead brother. Reliving all of the moments they had shared, while listening to the soft rustling of the wind in the trees. The attacking fireclan had gone, leaving two catsdead. After what felt like moons, she burrowed her nose into her brothers fur, breathing in his warm, familiar scent for the last time. She remembered when they were kits, when they were unserperabke; the best of friends. She remebered how sad they both had felt when she had decided to take the path of a medicine cat instead of a warrior. She remembered when their mother had died, how they were both grief stricken for moons afterword. Now she was remebering the battle. What had started as a simple dusk patrol, she and her apprentice had joined to gather herbs.

"oh, Lionclaw," she murmweed softly. "why? you are the deputy. Iceclan needs you, now more then ever. I need you! These boarder skimishes with Fireclan are going way beyond just boarder skimishes."

"whiskerflower?" a young gray tom mumbled around a mouthful of marigold. "whiskerflower, we need to treat the rest of the patrol. Duskfire has a really bad scratch on his shoulder." whiskerflower's apprentice waited for her to say something, but when she didn't he turned away to help the injured cat.

After he was gone, whiskerflower looked up at the stars shimmering above her. "starclan," she sighed. "why have you abandoned iceclan? Why do you keep taking our warriors? Please starclan, help us. We need you." about to give up on her pleading, Whiskerflower looked up at the stars again. One of the stars was glimmering so brightly she almost thought it was the moon. "that's the brightestest shining star I have ever..." whiskerflower began to meow, aloud, in astonishment, but then froze. Shiningstar! "starclan, do you want Shiningmoon to take lionclaw's place as deputy? Is he the one who is going to save us?"

Chapter one

"siningmoon!" dawnrise wailed as she saw her mate limp body lying in the grass by the river. "no no no no no! Oh, starclan, no! You can't take him from me!" she splashed across the shallow bank of the river until she was at her mate's side. His flank heaved slowly as the blood trickled mercilessly onto the grass, from the long slit in his belly, freshly carved by the fireclan warrior, thorntooth. "please, shiningmoon. You can recover. You can live." she knew as well As he did that this was not true. "what about our kits? Shiningkit and stormkit need their father, their deputy, and so do I! Please! I need you!"

"that's not in my power to control. Starclan is calling me and I must obey. Shiningkit and stormkit are going to be marvelouse warriors, with or without me." shiningmoon murmered to the cat he loved so much.

"but what about the prophecy?" no matter how hard she tried to disguise it the hurt radiated off of her in waves.

Shiningmoon shook his head and closed his eyes for several heartbeats. When he opened them Dawnrise was pressed up against him, her nose buried into his fur. "the prophecy isn't about me. It never has been. I always knew it was about our daughter. Shiningkit will save us. You'll see."

Dawnrise watched him close his eyes agian. SofTly she begged starclan not to take him away from her. she groomed his wound and watched as his breathing gradually slowed, until it stopped with a shudder.

***

shiningkit and stormkit were darting around the nursery exitedly. "I can't wait!" stormkit squealed. "after sunhigh. We are going to be apprentices!!"

"it's not even dawn yet. Go back to sleep" Dawnfire mewed grogily. One of the other queens hissed in annoyance.

"never!" shiningkit was bouncing on her paws, her gray eyes blazing. "we're too exited!"

at the sight of her daughter Dawnfires heart sank.with her silvery-white fur, the long black tufts of fur on her ears, even her unusual gray eyes, she looked JUST like her father. Dawnfire couldn't bear to look at her anymore. The flood of memories and sadness almost drowned Dawnfire, whenever she looked at her own daughter. She had to get away.

Trying to push the hurt look on shiningkits face out of her mind, Dawnfire fled from the nursery and raced down to the river. She sat down on the damp pebbly shore and watched the mist swirl in eddies around her. As she moved her focus to the silver minnows flickering in the water, Dawnfire tried to choke down the emotions that threatened to choke her. Shiningmoons words rang in her ears, "shiningkit will save us. You'll see."

Chapter 2

"shiningheart! Stormfeather!" shiningheart's eyes glowed as the clan chanted her new name. She stood flanked by her brother-who's golden fur shone just as brightly as her own-and her former mentor and current deputy, iceshadow. His brilliant white coat was dappled with black splotches, and his ice-blue eyes sparkled with pride.

The whole clan seemed to be greeting her by her new name. Shiningheart scanned through the faces, looking for her mother. When she spotted Dawnfire, she was crouched beside whiskerflower talking nervously. Shiningheart guessed that they were talking about the attack that iceclan was planning against fireclan at Dawn. Shiningheart and Stormfur were going to be fighting along with most of the other warriors, so they were going to hold there vigil another night so they can get the rest they need.

***
Shiningheart padded beside her brother at the end of the attacking patrol. This would be the third battle she fought in. The first two encounters she had with fireclan while she was an apprentice. Three warriors and an apprentice were lost in those battles, as well as stormfeathers first mentor, blazingpelt. Iceshadow halted the patrol with a flick of his tail. Shiningmoon peeks aroun Rainfur to see why. Iceclan owns a small stretch of territory on the fireclan side of the river, and shiningheart saw a patrol of fireclan warriors hunting on that portion of iceclan's territory.

"thieves!" brightpelt spat. Her mate, redshadow echoed her snap with a snarl. Thorntooth, the head of the fireclan patrol, stalked up to the iceclan cats, eyes narrowed. "WE are thieves?! Seasons ago YOU stole this territory from US! fireclan is making a claim. This is now our land, no matter what your precious mothstar says or does."

"is it now?" iceshadow spat mockingly, and then leaped at thorntooth, bowling him over. Thorntooth shrieked in pain as iceshadow raked at his belly with his claws.

Shiningheart squeaked in surprise as a young, gray and white she cat, heathermist, sprang at her with a snarl. They rolled over and shiningheart pinned her to the ground. Heathermist clawed blindly at the air above her. Shiningheart yowled as one of the gray cats claws found her ear. The stinging pain only made her more furious.

"you aren't taking another one of our warriors from us!" shiningheart spat.

"we'll see about that." heathermist snarled into her ear, and wriggles free of djininghearts grip. She flung herself at shiningheart, but shiningheart tripped her, and dug her claws deep into her shoulder. She prapared to lung at the she cats throat, but was interrupted by a yowl.

"shiningheart! Stop. They may kill to win a battle, but we don't. Let her go." iceshadow meowed, as the she cat howled in agony. Shiningheart let's her go, nodding in satisfaction at the deep ragged slashes on the fleeing cats shoulder.

Shiningheart noticed that redshadow was cornered into a thornbush by two fireclan warriors, smokemist and poppyleaf. She dove under smokemist's legs and unbalanced him. Smokemist squealed with shock as shiningheart cuffed him by the ears, claws unsheathed. She scratched at his belly with her hind claws untill she released him and watched him flee back to his own territory.

Shiningheart looked around to see who she should battle, when she heard a cry from her brother. Shiningheart ran to his side and when she saw that he wasn't being attacked, she followed his wide-eyed stare to a bundle of black and white fur. "iceshadow!" shiningheart shrieked and sprang towards her deputy. She looked for even just a faint rise and fall of his chest. "he's dead," shiningheart whispered.

"retreat!" thorntooth's yowl echoed around the clearing and the remaining fireclan cats backed down relutantly.

Shiningheart whimpered softly and pressed her muzzle against his cheek, before looking to see if anyone else had joined starclan. Stormfeather blinked sadly towards the body of Duskfire, Dawnrise's brother. Djininghearts sadness instantly turned to rage. "this has to stop."

***

"let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the lowbranch for a clan meeting." mothstar anounced after leaping up onto a low hanging branch in the clearing where iceclan had made their camp. His pale gray fur was flecked with darker gray spots and shone silver in the pale moonlight. "cats of Iceclan...." the clan waited anxiously around the lowbranch, as mothstar hesitated to anounced the clans new deputy. Mothstar stared long and hard at whiskerflower, who nodded solemly in encouragement. Reluctantly mothstar spoke, "I say these words before starclan...." the leader paused again, unsure of how the clan might react. "I say these words before starclan, so that they may hear...and approve... of my choice. Shiningheart will be the new deputy."

Mothstar's head hung low as the clan rose in an uproar. Shiningheart felt like she was drowning. "me? Yesterday I was an APPRENTICE! I can't be deputy!"

Shiningheart saw her mothers ears prick and she heard one cat mutter, "you might as well make a kit deputy"
"she hasn't even held her warrior vigil yet!"
"what will the other clans think?"

Mothstar rose his tail for silence. I have made my choice. Shiningheart will be the deputy of iceclan.

Ch.3

"Thank you Goldstar," mothstar dipped his head to the Rainclan leader and stepped forward to make his announcement for iceclan. "prey has been running well in Iceclan. We are happy to anounces the birth of three kits, and we have two new warriors, Shiningheart and stormfeather."

Stormfeather held his head high and proud, but Shiningfeather knew what Mothstar was going to say next. 'what will the other clans think?' she thought, her head hung low and the fur on her shoulder bristled, warily. She noticed some cats look at her funny as she stood below the Greatstump with the other deputies.

Mothstar waited untill the cheering died down before continuing his anouncement. "I am sad to report the death of our deputy,Iceshadow." Mothstar shot a malisious glare at Thorntooth, and then the rest of the fireclan warriors. "iceclan's new deputy Is Shiningheart."

Shiningheart ducked her head in embarrassment as the other clans mutterings rose into a loud clamour.
"you just said she was made a warrior!" she heard one cat yell
"she's hardly a warrior! Choose a moré experienced warrior!"

"i have made my decision. Shiningheart is my deputy. I have reason. She will be a marvelous warrior and a wonderful deputy, and nothing you say will stop that." Mothstar snarled with a seriosness Shiningheart had never seen before.

All of the other cats were staring at him with surprise too, but thorntooth. Shiningheart saw that Thorntooth was staring at her. When shiningheart looked at him he looked away, embarrassed. Shiningheart looked at him in confusion as the leaders dissmissed their clans.

Shiningheart rose from her spot between two roots of the stump, when thorntooth padded up to her. "deputy now, huh? I wasn't made a deputy untill two seasons after I became a warrior. And I thought that was soon. I'm thorntooth."

Shiningheart narrowed her eyes at him, "ya, I know. You killed my father. And my mentor. Starclan knows who else. Do you Fireclan warriors not know that you don't need to kill to win a battle?"

Thorntooth stepped back. "ok, ok. Keep your fur on." he purred loudly and laid his tail on her shoulder. Shiningheart shrugged it off and glared at him. She hated this cat. Someday she was going to kill him.