Many seasons travel length away from each other, sat two different traveling groups, trotting along and taking flight. “Night~Bracken, Night~Bramble, Night-Lion, Night-Shadow, we trust you will bring your kin and all to safety upon each other.” The night's ancestors murmured, hoping it would seep deep into the leader’s minds. They then sent another message to the herbalists: “Dangers will come, prepare yourself. Learn what you can. Be ready, for not only blood and agony, but peace, too.” And two little animals, bird and cat, got their own warning: “Curse on the wind. Travel together and break it, or the sky will remain dark.” Soon enough, night would come, stars will befall the living land, sending warning through to now peaceful minds that soon, will be full of dread.

Chapter 1:

Bracken~Talon shot awake. He looked around wildly for Shadowed~Fern, his tutor, but there was no sign of her. He flew lightly up to the tallest branch of the HerbTree. This was where he liked to relax, get his mind off the blood, the sickness and aching joints. But it was also a great place to look over the temporary camp. He searched for movement and spotted Shadowed~fern talking worriedly to their leader, Night~Bracken. Bracken~Talon flew close enough so he was in earshot. “So you had a message from Night Flock too? Do you know anything about your young fledgling?” Night~Bracken asked

“No. He was still asleep when I awoke…” Bracken Talon needed not hear anymore, he knew it was his time to interrupt.

“I did get a message from Night Flock!” The two older birds swung around in surprise. Then Shadowed~Fern’s gaze softened.

“Go on.” She encouraged, though with a hint of doubt in her tone. “Well… they said that dangers will come and we need to prepare ourselves and learn what we can. They said we need to be ready, for not only blood and agony, but peace, too.” Shadowed~Fern looked thoughtful.

“Is this what you heard, too, Shadowed~Fern? Night Flock often gives fledglings and their tutors the same warnings.” Night~Bracken asked. “Yes…” She replied.

“Well, Night Flock sent me this message,” Night~Bracken started. “Night~Bracken, Night~Bramble, Night-Lion, Night-Shadow, we trust you will bring your kin and all to safety upon each other.”

“Who are ‘Night~Bramble’, ‘Night-Lion’ and ‘Night-Shadow’?” Bracken~Talon asked curiously.

“I know who Night~Bramble is. I once fought alongside him, he is a fierce leader. My mother said he is my kin. He also leads a flock of birds called ‘Bramble Flock’. But I don’t know who Night-Lion and Night-Shadow are.” She admitted. Bramble Flock sounds like such a knock-off name. Bracken~Talon thought. “Let’s not tell the rest of the flock about this. They wouldn't appreciate knowing that we have to be prepared for blood and agony.” Shadowed~Fern suggested.

“Yes. We agree.”

Night Flocks words rang in Bracken~Talons head. “Dangers will come, prepare yourself. Be ready, for not only blood and agony, but peace, too.” Drowsy from a disturbed sleep, he fell asleep, on a pillow of fresh herbs that he had been sorting. Though, he soon awakened, from a sharp pain on his head. He looked up to see Shadowed~Fern with her small, sharp beak buried in his feathers. “You can’t sleep now, little fledgling. I know you are tired, I am too. But we must not rest. You must learn what you can, as Night Flock said. One of our flockmates has been injured. Can you make a nest for him somewhere in here? He is waiting at the bottom of this HerbTree.”

“Can’t he stay in the BottomHollows?” Bracken~Talon argued.

“No, he was badly injured. He was scouting around when a wildcat tried to get him. His feathers were torn off and he could only just escape. While he was coming back to warn us. He fell unconscious in the air. Jagged~Frost found him and brought him to me. Now help him, Bracken~Talon!” Without a question, Bracken~Talon obeyed, flying to where Shadowed~Fern had said the injured bird lay. Sure enough, Blood~Eye was sprawled out in pain. “Hello, Blood~Eye.” Bracken~Talon whispered. Blood~Eye had gotten his name because, at birth, his right eye would not stop bleeding until four moons later, then, when he started training, he did not have enough blood to train for fighting, so he started as a scout. Bracken~Talon flipped Blood~Eye onto his back, and, using every scrap of strength into his arms, he awkwardly took flight towards the HerbTree central hollow. Once he got there, he saw Shadowed~Fern with a bundle of leaves and roots in her mouth, looking as if she was going to burst with questions about the herbs she was holding, and so she did. “Now, Bracken~Talon, what are these herbs?” She said a bit too quickly, bouncing around wildly. Bracken~Talon looked closely at the roots and leaves, then had a good whiff of them. Then he hesitated for a moment, thinking. “Comfrey?” He said.

“Yes, yes yes!” His tutor exclaimed. “Now, how do you use it?” She went on.

“Chew the leaves and roots into

a pulp and apply.” Bracken~Talon replied.

Bracken-claw padded quietly along. “Good job. Now, pounce!” Her tutor mowed. She did as Sun-fern told, and the mouse squealed, then stopped moving.

“Should we get the herbs? We didn’t come out to hunt,” Bracken-claw pointed out. “Okay. Can you smell the mouse bile?” She sniffed the air and opened her mouth. Then she bounded onto a log and took off again. She found all the plants needed, and they trotted back to their camp. “Hi, Bracken claw!” Red-claw meowed. “Want to play? We’ve been bored without you.” Storm-claw exclaimed. “Sure,” she replied. But after her last meal, she remembered her dream. She got back up and walked through the small clearing towards Night-lion. Sun-fern was there, too. “Dangers will come, prepare yourself. Learn what you can. Be ready, for not only blood and agony, but peace, too.” Sun-fern shivered. “That’s what they said.”

“They sent me a different message. I hope we can figure it out soon,” Night-lion replied.

“I had a different dream to her,” Bracken-claw mewed, flicking her tail towards Sun-fern. “It’s odd. But there is a curse on the wind.” She wished she could meet this bird. What if she killed it, thinking it was normal? “You’d better go to bed now. It was a long day, Bracken-claw,” Sun-fern told her. A different dream struck her that night. “You will love that bird at first sight, and so will he. But you must keep going, and break the curse-the curse on all the lands.” She woke up before the first light came. I’ll go out with Red-claw and Storm-claw today. It will take my mind off this. Bracken-claw thought. Red-claw woke up next. “Do you want to hunt together today?” she asked the red tom. “Okay. I don’t have to train today.”

“And I don’t either!” Bracken-claw snapped. Red-claw was taken aback by this. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just had a bad dream…”

“That’s okay! What happened?” He asked. “It wasn’t really bad, but confusing and tempting. I can’t explain.” Bracken-claw replied. “Oh well.” They started hunting with Storm-claw, though Bracken-claw was distracted. “Sun-fern, I believe we’d better pack up camp. If we want to stay on track, we have to go tomorrow!” Her tutor nodded