In the darkness of night, a silver she-cat wandered across the plains, crossing over into the realm where dreams collided with the heavens above. A dark brown tabby cat was hunting a mouse, chasing it and batting it up in the air as if it were a feather. Kittish, but she enjoyed the reprieve from the rigours of hunting, the pressure to make every kill count, to succeed or watch her kin fall to starvation. But the moment she spotted the familiar silvery pelt, Minnowslip dropped the maimed creature to bow deeply to her former leader.
"Ivystar, I wasn't expecting a visit. How are you? Is father okay?" Father, of course, referring to Rainstorm, Ivystar's estranged brother that wasn't much of a parent to her, but she knew that Ivystar cherished him greatly.
"He's fine. I'm not here about that." The leader spoke calmly, dismissing that thought with a flick of her tail. "I'm here regarding a matter concerning our clan. We're in grave danger, Minnowslip."
"Danger? Is it the foxes? Or WindClan! Are they going to try something?" A snarl formed at the edges of her jowls as Minnowslip remembered the grief that Ashstar had given them all. All those innocents that had been scarred or perished under her rule with her mad son as deputy.
The leader shook her head, dismissing the warrior's concerned fury as it was misdirected completely. "No, someone more sinister that could cripple RiverClan is coming. I need you to protect our clan, Minnowslip. I have something that only you can do."
Of course, I'll do it. Just give me your command." There was no hesitance in her words.
"At the gathering, there will be a revelation. That you have borne kits with a rogue, and that Goldeneye helped you deliver them. You will say that Jaystar assisted in covering for you as you were their kin."
To say that she was stumped would have been an understatement. The senior warrior's head spun at the thought of being accused of being a code-breaker, and all this over a rogue? She would have rather died than commit such an act, but she dared not complain. Ivystar had to have a good reason, she was hardly the sort to make jest. The silver tabby wasn't exactly famous for her light-hearted attitude or humorous ways. "Oh, okay. May I know why?"
"Jaystar and Goldeneye have broken the code, borne illegitimate kits that never should have been. You must not allow others to know, think of what it will do to our clan. These kits must be yours, and you alone must take the blame." Though she had been the one to ask, Minnowslip felt ill at the thought. A medicine cat and a leader, StarClan must be crying.
No matter how she felt though, she would do what it took. RiverClan was her home, her family. This was a small price to pay to protect it. "I'll do it. When the time comes, I will call them my own. I won't let you down."
