DewClan's Fate

DewClan's Fate is a fanfiction by Promisemaker. It features ancient DewClan, several moons after the death of Dewstar.

## Note

As this fanfiction features *ancient* DewClan, all characters featured in this story have passed on by now and will be appearing in the Deceased Cats category. This does not mean that the characters die in this story(hey, I wouldn't spoil it that way! 83)

## Prologue

Pale moonlight bathed the meadow, brushing the stalks of tall, dry grass. A young birch tree, branches sheathed in silvery bark, seemed to shimmer as the light hit it. At the tip of the topmost branch, a delicate leaf hung by the thinnest of stems, yet it barely stirred as a breeze rustled the grass below.

A silky-furred tomcat stepped out of the stalks silently, without rustling a single one. His gray fur, flecked with white, gave him a ghostly appearance, as if he were a part of the thick clouds that were streaking the horizon. He gazed at the leaf with intense blue eyes. "StarClan awaits. Come, Waspclaw," he meowed.

A she-cat who couldn't have looked more different than the tom, apart from their similar graceful builds and tall stature, slunk out of the grass. Her mottled pelt was black and orange, her eyes fiery amber. She narrowed her eyes respectfully at the tom. "Cloudfern, you have no idea how long I have waited for this moment." Her voice shook slightly, but she padded determinedly to the base of the tree and sank her long claws into the bark.

Cloudfern dipped his neat head, his long, sweeping whiskers brushing the earth, before hauling himself up after Waspclaw. She was staring at the leaf, seeming unable to tear her amber gaze away from it. The full moon was directly above them, and the leaf glowed in the soft light. "Press your muzzle against the leaf," Cloudfern instructed.

Waspclaw gently rested her head onto the leaf, touching it lightly with her scarred nose. She closed her eyes tightly and waited. There was a moment of eerie silence when nothing happened. *StarClan? Where are you?*

Her question was answered when she felt soft earth beneath her paws. Her jaw fell open, awestruck. *It's . . . it's even more beautiful than I imagined!*

Songbirds fluttered from stalk to stalk of grass, balancing lightly and filling the sweet-smelling air with their high-pitched whistles. Ahead of her, a crystal blue pond shone dazzlingly bright, reflecting the light of the bright sun. The water lapped at her paws, cool and clean.

"Welcome to StarClan, Waspclaw," a familiar purr greeted her. Dewstar, the previous Clan leader, padded into view, his head high and his tail erect. His short golden fur was shot through with starlight, his pelt sleek and glossy. He looked so different from the cat Waspclaw had last seen sprawled in his den, retching, gasping for air, his body wracked with coughs as Cloudfern helplessly tried to slip herbs between his parted jaws.

He flicked his tail, and, one by one, StarClan cats appeared around him, ears pricked and eyes bright. Waspclaw found herself speechless as Dewstar stepped forward. "You have made me proud. I knew I made the right choice when I appointed you deputy." He rested his nose on the top of Waspclaw's head. "With this life, I give you courage. Use it to keep your Clan strong, whatever hardships you may face. I have faith in you, my loyal warrior." A bolt of lightning-fierce energy shot through Waspclaw. Stifling a gasp of shock, she forced herself to remain steady on her paws, digging her claws into the tussocky grass and waited for the pain to ebb away. Dewstar was watching her, her pale amber eyes brimming with pleasure and gratitude. "Thank you for making my son happy," he added in a whisper, before padding to join the ranks of StarClan.

Another cat slid by him, their pelts brushing as they passed. He was a stranger to her, and his russet pelt did not have the same scent as the other StarClan cats- a smell of pine, peat, bracken and windblown moor, laced by a fresh, wet-stone scent she could only suppose was the taste of starlight. His luminous green eyes glittered with knowledge. "You never knew me," he meowed. "But I passed through what is now DewClan territory, before Dewstar became leader. I told him everything I knew about cats I had seen living in large groups- Clans, they called them. I told him all about the ceremonies, the noble code, the courage of the warriors. It was then that the foundation for DewClan was set. I may not be a true StarClan cat, but I have come to bestow upon you a life"

Waspclaw bowed her head respectfully as he rested his nose between her ears. "I give you a life for wisdom, in hopes that it will guide you through times of strife. Wisdom is expected from all warriors, but most of all, from a Clan leader." Waspclaw braced herself as the strength of the life swept through her. This life was less painful, but equally forceful. Her eyes clouded as images flashed by her vision and voices stirred her ear fur. Cats, wise cats, offering advice and guiding her. *And now I am one of them.*

She looked up to thank him, but he was gone. She barely had time to register this before a black and white she-cat padded forward to replace him, and at her starry paws was a tiny tomkit and a little brown she-kit, tottering as he walked. Waspclaw recognized her with a stab of intermingled grief and joy. It was Slightstep, the young queen who had died giving birth to her three kits. *If only Blackpaw could see her mother here now . . .*Waspclaw pictured the ebony-furred kitten nudging her mother's cold fur, searching for milk and uttering tiny cries. She gave her head a small shake to clear it.

Slightstep nuzzled the kittens gently before turning to Waspclaw. "You were only an apprentice when I died," she began softly. "But I have watched over you since. You have demonstrated the courage and skill of a true Clan leader." Her mew became stronger, more assured, as she gave Waspclaw her third life. "With this life, I give you a mother's love. The force of a mother's love for her kits burns brighter than a flame, stronger than the current of a fast-flowing river. Use it to protect your Clan, for now they are your kits." As a wave of ferocious pain rose up inside of her, Waspclaw knew that Slightstep had not exaggerated. She would willingly lay down her own life to protect her Clanmates.

For a heartbeat, one of small kits stared at Waspclaw with clear yellow eyes, then trotted away to join his mother. Another cat moved closer, tabby pelt thick and healthy. "Larkfrost?" Waspclaw mewed. He had joined DewClan as an elder, stiff-legged and sharp-tongued, but with a kind heart.

"I give you a life for honor," he rumbled. "Honor is what drives us to protect our territory. It is what drives us to fight for victory instead of pointless slaughter in times of battle. It is what drives us to feed the weaker, the defenseless, before strong, fit warriors. It will bind you to the warrior code forever." Waspclaw closed her eyes as the life blazed within her, blindingly bright. When she blinked them open, Larkfrost was padding away to rejoin the circle of StarClan cats, and a new cat was standing in front of her, muscles rippling beneath his familiar ginger tabby pelt. His name was Amberfur, and he died during the same bout of greencough that killed Dewstar.

"With this life, I give you strength. Use it to defend your Clan from danger." He dipped his muzzle to hers, and pain stabbed through her entire body. As agony threatened to overcome here, Waspclaw hissed through her teeth. This life was perhaps the most painful of them all, scorching beneath her fur like fire. "Endure the pain," Amberfur told her. "You will be a stronger cat because of it." Waspclaw gritted her teeth, and it was a relief when the energy of the life finally subsided.

Her heart ached at the sight of the next two cats. "Mother! And . . . Duskkit!" A torrent of memories washed over her. Playing in the nursery with her littermate, nudging him to his paws while he stumbled, curled up at their mother's belly. She recalled with a fresh pang of sadness how Duskkit had gotten terribly sick, the life slowly fading out of him. She remembered quite clearly the day of his death, her mother shooing her away from the medicine den as she tried to peek inside.

*"Will Duskkit be all right?"*

*"Maybe, Waspkit. I don't know. Cloudfern is doing what he can."*

She blinked away the memories as Duskkit stepped forward, stretching up on his stubby hind legs to reach her. His dark blue eyes, sparkling with wisdom most unusual for a kit, were also shining with joy. "They told me I could give you a life," he mewed. "So with it, I will give you hope. Use it to lead your Clan through dark times. Never let it waver. If you don't have hope, all is lost."

Darkness swallowed Waspclaw, but far ahead, she could glimpse a glimmer of starlight. She was running, her paws carrying her swiftly after it. Her mind cleared, the thoughts breezed away, the tiny star expanding until it dazzled her. There was heartbeat of sharp pain, then peace. She slowly opened her eyes and dipped her head to Duskkit. "Thank you, my brother." *I hoped for you, when you were dying in that medicine den. I just pray that it will be more effective next time.*

Her mother Sparkheart watched Duskkit pad away, affection glinting in her eyes. The flash of ginger fur on her chest glowed pale with starlight, and her midnight black fur was neat and shiny. She gently touched noses with Waspclaw. "With this life, I give you clear sight. We shape our own destinies, and it is up to you to choose the right path to follow."

Almost before the heat of the life had faded, a tawny-brown she-cat was approaching her. The newcomer was unfamiliar, yet a name flashed through Waspclaw's mind. *Mothtail!*

"I died before you were born," Mothtail explained. "But I have been chosen to give you your eight life. Her broad muzzle came to a rest on Waspclaw's. "With this life, I give you compassion. Listen to your Clanmates and value each one." Searing pain flared through Waspclaw, and her claws flexed, leaving long furrows in the lush grass. "Be strong, Waspclaw," Mothtail added. "You have one more life to receive."

She stepped aside, and the final cat took her place. Her pale, wavy fur was alight with tiny stars, and her deep green eyes glowed like the moon. "Palemist?" Waspclaw mewed.

The gray tabby she-cat pressed her muzzle to the top of Waspclaw's head. "Dewstar made the right choice. You have served loyally as deputy, and made DewClan strong."

Waspclaw's mouth felt as dry as a dusty rock. "I'll make you proud. It was an honor to succeed you as deputy, and you are missed by the Clan," she got out. Palemist's eyes were sparkling as she granted Waspclaw her final life.

"I give you a life for duty, for following the pawsteps of cats who have lived before you. Your Clan is indebted to you, and you are indebted to them," she declared, brushing her nose against Waspclaw's. Waspclaw's eye twitched and her paw jerked in a spasm of pain, but it quickly faded.

"Waspstar!" Dewstar yowled, tilting his head back. The other StarClan cats joined in, calling the name of the new leader. "Waspstar! Waspstar!"

"I will make DewClan strong!" Waspstar meowed in response. "You can put your faith in me to lead our Clan through times of battle and times of peace, from newleaf to leaf-bare! I will make you proud!"

Larkfrost gave an approving purr that spread around the circle of StarClan cats. The starry outlines of their pelts began to fade, and with a soft whooshing sound, Waspstar was back on top of the Silvertree, the Moonleaf a whisker away from her outstretched muzzle. Beside her, Cloudfern stirred. His claws slipped, and Waspstar snaked her head forward and seized his scruff in her teeth. She hauled him back onto the branch, and he gripped it tightly, panting slightly.

"How was the ceremony?" he inquired, tail twitching.

"It was . . . it was wonderful. Cloudfern, were you there? I didn't see you," Waspstar remarked.

Cloudfern's water-colored eyes darkened. "Yes, I- I was," he muttered. Waspstar knew at once that he wasn't being truthful with her.

"Cloudfern, what's wrong?" she pressed. "You weren't watching the ceremony. I would have seen you, at least once. So where were you?"

He hesitated, then spoke in a hushed whisper. "A StarClan cat I didn't recognize told me to follow him. He led me away to a place of endless fields. The grass shimmered with dew. Then . . . I had a vision. The sky darkened, and blood stained the ground. It means that trouble is coming for our Clan, Waspstar. I just know it."

"I believe you," Waspstar murmured, resting her black-tipped tail on Cloudfern's shoulder. "What kind of trouble? Did your vision tell you?"

"I do not know. But . . . there was something in the midst of it all. Something it the heart of our territory, destroying us," Cloudfern breathed. "I do not know if we can survive it."

Waspstar shook her head slowly. "If you receive any more signs, discuss them with me." She lifted her head determinedly. "But for now, we will return to camp. I need to announce that StarClan has granted me my nine lives. If times strife are coming, the Clan must be prepared to face them, and they cannot do so without a leader."

\*  \*  \*
"Stay calm, Waspstar! The first one's coming!"

Waspstar clenched her jaws tightly, forcing back a snarling retort. *So much for a peaceful walk through the meadow.*She knew if Cloudfern had not happened upon her while gathering borage, she would be given birth alone. Half of her was glad he had arrived, but another half wanted him to go away, to leave her to bring her kits into the world by herself.

Something smooth was shoved against her muzzle as another spasm of pain shuddered through her body. Choking back the urge to push it away, Waspstar blinked open her tightly-shut eyes to see a stick, short but sturdy, without any splinters or gouges. "Bite down on it," instructed Cloudfern, but Waspstar's teeth had already fastened onto the piece of wood. As another convulsion siezed her, she ground down hard, sheathing and unsheathing her claws wildly. A tiny bundle of fur, smaller than Waspstar had ever imagined, slipped onto the soft, sandy soil. At once she was licking it fiercely, clearing away the birth sac and helping it bring its first breath of air to its lungs.

"A big, strong tom! You're doing wonderfully, Waspstar!" Cloudfern declared. Waspstar had all but forgotten he was even there, and for a heartbeat she wanted to drive him away, this cat who might attack her precious son without warning. Determinedly squashing the instinctual impulse, she opened her jaws to thank him just as another contraction gripped her. "Another one is coming," Cloudfern informed her. *Really? Thanks for the observation, gopher-dung.*

"Relax, Waspstar," Cloudfern murmured, placing a speckled paw upon her flank just as the second kit was born. Waspstar released a small sound in her throat and realized she had been holding her breath.

"Oh . . . she's beautiful," she gasped, rasping her tongue along her daughter's soft, wet coat. At first Waspstar thought her pelt was gray, then black. Finally she came to realize it was both, mottled like a sparrow's feathers. The little she-kit opened her mouth and gave a squeaking, barely-audible cry. Waspstar gently nudged her towards her belly, where she happily began to suckle alongside her brother.

"Only one more now!" Cloudfern proclaimed brightly. But Waspstar had already felt the spasms returning, and the stick first cracked then shattered as she crushed it in her jaws. Spraying splinters from her mouth, their was nothing left to help with the pain as the third and final kit tumbled onto the ground. "Another tom!" Waspstar cut off the yowl escaping her jaws and dipped her head to her new son.

But instead of stirring when Waspstar licked him free of the birth sac, the little tomkit lay limp. Pressing her nose to his tiny chest, Waspstar could feel panic setting in. "He's not breathing! *Why is he not breathing?"*

She could see Cloudfern thinking quickly. "Lick him fiercely, Waspstar! Now!" Waspstar lapped the kit from head and tail, hoping for some sign of life, any sign. Just as she was about to give in to despair, he opened his small red mouth and breathed in tiny gasps of air. Relief swamped Waspstar, and she directed her youngest son to his place beside his brother and sister.

Cloudfern dropped a bundle of herbs next to her muzzle. "Borage will help your milk come," he meowed encouragingly. Waspstar obligingly lapped up the leaves, but her eyes were all for her kits.

Suddenly, the stalk of grass around them rustled. *Dog? Fox?* Terror pierced her, and she wrapped a protective paw around her kits. But then the scent of the approaching creature hit her, wonderfully familiar.

Logfall burst through the grass. "I heard . . ," he gasped, clearly winded. "I heard you yowl." He looked wildly around, clearly searching for danger, and his green eyes locked on the kits.

"Oh . . ." His exhausted rasp became a joyous purr. "Oh, Waspstar, they're perfect!"

"You gave us quite a start, Logfall," meowed Cloudfern dryly, but Logfall ignored him.

"Look at that! The little to tom looks just like me!" he observed delightedly. "They're wonderful, all of them. These kits are exactly what DewClan needs!"

## Chapter One

*"Don't be such a scaredy-gopher!"*

In a flurry of tumbling paws, Ashkit bowled Maplekit over and pummeled his kit-soft chest with sheathed claws. The mottle-furred she-kit gave a triumphant yowl and placed a paw on his throat. "I beat you again, Maplekit! Why don't you ever fight back? Aren't you trying?" she added, looking slightly hurt. In Ashkit's opinion, battle games should be treated seriously, with every cat trying their very best.

"I'm trying," Maplekit assured her. And he was. Sort of.

"Well, try *harder*!" Ashkit responded with a soft *mrrow.* "If you're going to be a warrior, you're going to have to shape up!"

Maplekit only shrugged, shifting his large golden paws. "I'm trying," he repeated quietly. The dusty soil he kicked up with his paws searched for new places to settle- in his eyes, on his fur, tickling his nose. He sneezed loudly, blinking hard, and Foxkit chose that moment to attack him from behind.

The big ginger tom latched onto his shoulder with long, curved claws. Maplekit flinched and tried to shake him off, but Foxkit clung on and climbed up to his neck. His hot breath hit Maplekit's ear. "Don't let me catch you off of your guard so easily."

## Characters

### Characters Introduced- Prologue

* Cloudfern
* Waspstar
* Dewstar
* The Traveler
* Slightstep
* Larkfrost
* Amberfur
* Duskkit
* Sparkheart
* Palemist
* Mothtail

### Characters Introduced- Chapter One

* Maplekit
* Ashkit
* Foxkit