Hollyleaf's Second Chance

Author's Note/ Prologue—A Kit is Born

Okay, so this is written a little after the first book in Omen of the Stars, so if you haven't read that far yet—beware of spoilers! Hollyleaf has been reincarnated into the body of a new kit, born to Poppyfrost (why Poppyfrost? Just cuz). She's been given a second chance to live, and this kit alone will hold the power to save or destroy the clans.

Prologue

The young kit opened her eyes groggily for the first time, peering up at her mother's face. Poppyfrost looked back at her, blue eyes filled with delight. "Your eyes are beautiful!" she said, her voice filled with love. The kit yawned as Poppyfrost's dragged her sandpaper-rough tongue through the kit's fur. Suddenly, the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat looked up at Jayfeather, the ThunderClan medicine cat, who was standing there with an unreadable look on his face. "Is something wrong, Jayfeather?" she asked, perplexed.

The young cat shook himself from his daze. "Ah—no," he said, reassuring Poppyfrost. "I'm fine. It's just…what does she look like?"

"Oh!" Poppyfrost had nearly forgotten Jayfeather was blind. "She has the most beautiful green eyes, and thick black fur…what is it, Jayfeather?" the she-cat said, somewhat impatiently, as the tom's blind gaze darkened.

"N-nothing!" he said sharply. "Nothing at all. She sounds beautiful…" his voice choked with sorrow. "She sounds like…like Hollyleaf."

"Oh, so that's it…" the she-cat's voice softened. Apparently Jayfeather hadn't gotten over the shocking death of his sister, Hollyleaf, several moons ago—and who could blame him? Poppyfrost herself had lost a sibling as well, Honeyfern, and she was still mourning for her beloved sister.

Jayfeather shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "Anyway," he said, "I'm glad your kits are healthy, Poppyfrost. I doubted they were sick, but with the recent outbreak of whitecough going around I had to check…" he trailed off.

Poppyfrost nodded. "I know," she said. "You can go now, Jayfeather."

A faint smile crossed the young medicine cat's face. "I'll see you, Poppyfrost," he said, waving his tail in a farewell as he padded out of the nursery. But as he returned to his den, his thoughts were whirling. He had received an ominous prophecy from StarClan several nights ago, in his dreams…

A black form was standing in the center of the clearing, head bowed, as blood pooled in the dirt. Blood was everywhere, dripping from the trees, trickling across the rough ground, running from the cat's fur…

She looked up and showed brilliant green eyes, filled with sadness and regret. It was Hollyleaf. "Why…?" she whispered faintly. "What have I done?"

Gradually, her form faded away to reveal a young kit lying limp on the ground. The kit looked up, showing the same intense green eyes. A mysterious energy surrounded the area, and a faint voice echoed, "Like cinder, holly will rise again from the ashes of the dead…"

Jayfeather shook himself from his stupor as he nearly crashed into his brother Lionblaze, who was returning from a patrol. Lionblaze jumped back, and Jayfeather could feel annoyance wash over him. "Watch where you're going!" Lionblaze said sharply.

"There's only one problem with that: I can't watch where I'm going, mousebrain!" Jayfeather snorted.

"Oh…Jayfeather, it's you," Lionblaze said, relaxing. "What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"Oh, it's nothing," Jayfeather said curtly, whirling around and padding back to his den. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something momentous was going to happen…and it had something to do with Poppyfrost's young kit, the one who looked like his dead sister…