Falling [c]

It was very early in the morning; early enough that most cats would still call it night. Most cats would still be sleeping. All except for the warrior guarding the entrance, the medicine cats away at their half-moon meeting, and... Perchstar. Why was she awake? Was she pondering some issue that plagued the Clan? Was she thinking of patrol assignments for tomorrow? Often those things did keep her up past the moon rise. However, tonight she simply could not sleep. It was a common problem. One she had suffered from since apprenticehood. Her mind would not be quiet, and though she was tired from working hard all day, her body would not let her rest. So she simply sat in her nest, trying not to dwell on her grief or her fears, staring at the dim corner of the leader's den and feeling the empty space where another cat's nest used to be.

She was not expecting anyone to come in. When Dovesight arrived, speaking immediately in a high-pitched and panicky voice, Perchstar tried hard not to jump too quickly to her feet. She was simply startled, that was all. And yet... As the words that the silver she-cat had said sunk into the quiet air, a growing feeling of dread seized onto her already accelerated heartbeat. Dovesight was coming to talk to her about a prophecy? One that all of the medicine cats had received? And why did Sandypaw look like she would faint at any moment? Perchstar composed herself and sat up, hoping her fur wasn't too mussed from lying in her nest. "Speak," she said simply, feeling her tail twitch anxiously. What did this mean? And why couldn't Poppyshine be here to consult with her about something that may involve the fate of her Clan-- no-- the fate of the whole forest?