Fall of the Panther || Chapter 1

Instructions

“Long ago, a group of cats lived in a sheltered redwood grove, deep in the heart of the land. It protected them from the elements, fed them prey, and kept their kits dry. For generations upon generations, it was more than enough for the cats to thrive. But one day… their home was found by Twolegs. They destroyed the serene grove with fire and monsters, and the cats of that Clan scattered. After many trials, and many, many more moons, a band of loyal cats founded CraneClan, and chose a place that seemed familiar and safe. "It was newleaf by the time they chose their new leader and sent her to the Moon Cave to gift her with nine lives. This cat was called Pantherwhisker. When she returned, she was different somehow. Pantherstar was wiser, kinder, and quite righteous! She promised to do the Clan well, and take care of every cat, no matter what. Mistlefern was appointed as the new deputy, and Locustburn became—” Shimmersnow was cut off by a loud snore from the elders den. She huffed. “Bonestalk! Will you keep it down? I’m TRYING to educate the kit on the history of our Clan!” When the elder didn’t reply, she sighed. Chasingkit looked at her with wide eyes and began to bounce up and down excitedly. “Let me guess, let me guess! And Locustburn became the medicine cat! Then Chasingkit grew up to be the greatest warrior of all time and saved the Clan from ALL PERIL!!!” She beamed, looking excited at this prospect. Shimmersnow groaned. “Ugh, yes, Chasingkit. Locustburn became the medicine cat. But YOU are still too young to be thinking about saving the Clan from great danger.” She sighed, but there was a small smile on her face. “Why don’t you go listen to stories from Bonestalk, hm? I’m sure he would love to. Go on, go to the elders den.” Shimmersnow stood up, and after a moment of silence, the young kit huffed and left, frustrated with the warrior for not finishing her story. Shimmersnow watched Chasingkit go into the elders den, and a few moments later, a startled shout and laughter. She shook her head and smiled. “Kits. I never understand them.” What had Shimmersnow been doing before Chasingkit had come in to the warriors den begging for a story? She couldn’t remember, so she walked outside. The day was cloudy, but the clearing was still filled with lovely chatter and a cool breeze. The twisted branches of oak trees covered half the camp in shade, making the newleaf warmth much more bearable. Shimmersnow squinted as she entered the brighter area, looking around for the deputy. “Huh, Mistlefern must’ve went on a patrol or something, I don’t see her or Brownflash. I should’ve asked if she could bring back some new moss for my nest.” Shimmersnow’s current moss getting kind of scratchy. She sighed. The old moss would have to do, for now. “Shimmersnow! There you are!” Shimmersnow looked up, startled out of her thoughts. “H-huh…? Oh, Locustburn! It’s just you.” She said, letting her shoulders relax. As she got closer, Shimmersnow noticed the leader as well and straightened up again. “Good morning, Pantherstar. What’s going on?” She raised an eyebrow, perplexed at her leader’s oddly excited expression. Pantherstar grinned wider. “I’m SO glad you asked!” Pantherstar dashed into the medicine cat den and came back out with a bundle of strange-smelling herbs in her mouth. She set them down on the ground, gagging and spitting out dry leaves. Locustburn took over smoothly. “We just found wild ginger while out on patrol. Do you know what that means?” She asked, quite delighted compared to her usual calm demeanor. Shimmersnow hated to admit it, but she had absolutely zero clue what it meant. “No… what does it mean?” She asked, looking between them with confusion. It was Pantherstar who answered this time. “It means there’s a large body of water nearby, which means YOU get to eat more fish!” She exclaimed. Shimmersnow gagged. “WHAT! No way! This is another ploy to try and get me to like water, isn’t it? I already told you, I hate water and everything that lives in it.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but Pantherstar only flicked her tail in amusement. “Oh, come now, don’t be like that.” She grinned mischievously. “It’s not a trick or anything, it’s just an opportunity.” Locustburn laughed at this. “Wow, Pantherstar, you’re not usually up for this kind of thing. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Should I do a check up?” She grinned, dodging when Pantherstar playfully swatted at her. Suddenly, a hushed silence fell over the camp. The trio’s smiles faded, and they looked around for a clue as to what had caused the unnatural silence. Shimmersnow heard Locustburn audibly gasp as the dark, limping form of Brownflash came into view through the entrance in the blackberry bush. She trembled and gasped for breath, eyes wildly scanning around for Pantherstar. When she spotted her, she spoke in a quiet, hoarse tone. “Pantherstar…” she began, her legs giving out. “She… she’s dead. Mistlefern.”