Empty Meadows

Empty Meadows

**Prologue**

The fields stirred gently as breeze brushed them. The clouds were gone, leaving the starry sky clear and bright, light shining down onto the grass. Winter was over and flowers began their blooming. A river that ran straight through two territories, water splashing onto the rocks, and the streams splattering against paths in the water. The air crisp with sea salt, and fish. Sleek, water covered cats were at the very end of their side of the water. Other, strong, long legged cats were on their side. Hissing, snarling. Teeth baring. The cats infront of the groups were very different. The first leader was a sleek dark ginger tabby. The other was a gentle tan. The tabby was very calm, but the other was spitting and yowling insults. The dark ginger tabby's tail rose, and her cats dived into the river, swimming. Dozens of sleek cats following, leaving the tabby standing there. The tan cat dove onto the dark ginger. She rose her surprisingly small paw and knocked the tan she-cat away.

"Why do you dare attack BayClan, Meadowstar?" The tabby held the other down.

"Because I am no coward like you, Mintstar!" Meadowstar spat.

"You are out-numbered, retreat now, or you'll have no Warriors left after this battle." Mintstar was still very timid.

Meadowstar spat and pounced onto a high rock, "CoastClan, retreat!"

The cats broke apart and murmurs rose.

"So early into the battle?"

"What happened?"

"I knew Meadowstar was a coward!"

Meadowstar said nothing more and waited for her cats to gather beneath her, before she led them across the river in leaps. CoastClan cats were complaining about how they hated water and everything.

"And don't hurry your scrawny flanks to us ever again!" A white tom spat across the river, tensely. He was ready to spring at any moment.

"Back down, Frostwhisper." Mintstar warmed calmly, placing her bushy tail on her Warrior's shoulder.

Mintstar's deputy, Dewsong, padded over beside her as Mintstar took place infront of her Clan to lead them back to camp.

"One day, Mintstar. One day.."

**Chapter One**

Lilacpaw took a deep breath before pouncing into the water, paws striking around for the minnow she saw, but the minnow was already flee-ing.

"Toad-dung!" Lilacpaw cursed under her breath.

"Hey look, Lilac*kit'*s trying to catch sand!" Fernpaw was pushing her way through some tail grass towards the river.

"Maybe if she keeps it up, she'll catch a rock!" Dappledpaw added.

Alderpaw just stayed silent and looked down shyly.

"Shut up, you took half a moon to even catch a Tadpole!" Goosepaw was shoving his way through the grass to reach them.

Fernpaw rolled her eyes and led her little group back into the tall grass.

"Mouse-brains." Goosepaw grumbled so quietly Lilacpaw could hardly hear it.

"Thanks, Goosepaw, but I can care for myself." Lilacpaw meowed.

"Says the cat who got her paw stuck in sand."

Lilacpaw glanced at him, confused, then looked to her paw, which was in the river's sandy surface.

"Oh." Lilacpaw blinked.

Goosepaw let out a quiet, amused purr and watched Lilacpaw pull her paw out of the wet sand.

A yellow-ish brown she-cat called Mothwish poked her head through the tall grass, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, but this mouse-brain decided hunting fish was over-rated and started hunting sandstone." Goosepaw purred, his gray dappled tail swishing.

"Be quiet." Lilacpaw murmured before slipping into the tall grass and making way to camp.

Lilacpaw entered the sandy hollow, tail swishing. Fawnstep and Yellowsun were sharing tongues in the sunshine, Crookedfoot and Foxmuzzle were complaining of ticks while Birdpaw skittered over to them. Marshstar was chating with Tanstorm, and Foxpaw and Leanpaw were batting and wrestling eachother infront of the apprentices' log. Lilacpaw felt cats come up behind her, Goosepaw and Mothwish padded in, Goosepaw went towards Foxpaw and Leanpaw and Mothwish slipped off to speak with Softwhisper. Finchpaw's ears were flicking away flies at the bottom of Rockpile.

Lilacpaw's ear twitched.

"Lilacpaw! Lilacpaw!"

Melodypaw was meowing, Fawnpaw bouncing up and down behind her.

"Mintstar says we're going to the gathering with Goosepaw!" Fawnpaw squealed.

Briarroot's ears twitched as she walked up to Goosepaw.

Fernpaw and Dappledpaw were looking jealously at Lilacpaw. Lilacpaw felt a twinge of satisfaction, *I'm going, they're not.*

"Hurry up, Tansypaw!" The Medicine Cat, Finchwing meowed, she was walking towards a group wrapped around Marshstar. Lilacpaw hurried up with them to Tansypaw, with Fawnpaw and Melodypaw excitedly bouncing at her tail.

"Come on, we're leaving." Sagewhisper, the deputy, meowed to the apprentices. Goosepaw was trailing after his mentor, Softwhisper.

"What's the gathering like?" Lilacpaw asked Goosepaw.

"Oh, it's just kinda boring, unless if Meadowstar threatens us again, nothing happens." Goosepaw half-shrugged uncomfortably while walking.

"Oh." Lilacpaw murmured.