Hollyheart's Tale

Hollyheart's Tale is the first book in the Super Edition arc. The cat on the cover, and on the cover below the bookjacket, is Hollyheart.

The Blurb
A Tale of Terror...

For centuries and centuries ValeClan had no apparently tantalizing warriors, and ValeClan lost to power against its two top enemies, FireClan and IceClan. Those Clans, now ruler of ValeClan, gave ValeClan every rule and tend till it was absolutely powerless.

But in the middle of this schism is born a kit: Hollykit. Hollyheart is just like every other kit in ValeClan, but the leader Firestar suspects that there might be more to this kit than meets the eye. But then with all these unsolved mysteries, the death of loved ones, and prophecies spinning in cats' minds, Hollykit is not sure if she will meet Firestar's needs.

When Hollykit becomes Hollypaw and then Hollyheart, she figures out she will have to balance her secrets, her kitting, her journeys, her prophecies, deaths, mysteries and everything else while also balancing her requirements for the Clan--otherwise she will get banished.

The Praise
"Avram has wrote another great book in the Warriors series. Siding alongside Hollyheart, readers will enjoy the adventure, action, mystery, suspence, and surprises all put into one book. Stonestar's life before she became leader, the bloodthirsty actions of Mossfur, this book will be a great new addition to side alongside The New Forest.

-HarperCollins Fanon Publishers(this praise is of no rudeness to HarperCollins Publishers)

Prologue
It was a very dark night. It was made even darker by no light of the moon; everywhere you looked you could see the white circle that usually lit the Clans' evening. The winds of this chilly night blew as hard as they could manage, and they cut deep into the fur of the cats, who were trying to sleep, to no avail. There weren't even any clouds in the sky. No cat would have been out in this cold and dark. However, one cat was.

The leaves of leaf-fall, the season just before leaf-bare, were red just like the blood of Copperstar spilled the night before. The dew covering the forest ground, as well as the leaves, muffled the tom's pawsteps as he slowly walked up the path along the deep gorge that dropped into the river. Certain death. Suddenly, the tom stopped. He quickly took a look around, swiveling his head, then the black-and-white tom broke into a run. As the dew cleared and the sound of wood chips scattering could be heard, the tom spun around and unsheathed his claws. He leaped skillfully over the edge of the gorge and skid into a hollow where six cats were huddled together, jumping as soon as the tom entered, his green eyes glinting with success.

"Why, it's very nice to see you all," the tom smugly mewed, whirring his paws. "I'm sure you've all seen me before?"

Nobody answered. These were all cats of SpruceClan, the clan that the tom himself belonged to. The cats of SpruceClan were scared, for they knew this cat all too well. Their leader, Copperstar, had been murdered the night before and had been found lying in his dean with a gash across his belly. Then their deputy, Flameclaw, had stepped up and became leader, Flamestar. But Flamestar had no experience, and SpruceClan was in a state of trouble. All because of this black-and-white tom.

One tom growled, his blue eyes narrowing. The tom, whose fiery red pelt shone through the sky, leaped at the black and white tom and looked straight in the tom's eye, unsheathed his claws. "Mossfur..." the tom growled, his teeth baring as if preparing for battle.

"And Redfeather," Mossfur greeted. "No need to be scared. All I want to do is talk to you. Of course, since Copperstar didn't listen, I killed him. Simple as that."

"I'm not listening to you, and no one ever will!" Redfeather yowled, his tail lashing. "You're a liar. You were my brother, and I never thought I could have a brother who did this much evil. Why did you kill Copperstar?"

"Perhaps you need it repeated," Mossfur said with an evil glare. "He did not listen to me."

"You're lying!" Redfeather yowled.

"You are," Mossfur silently continued. "Just listen to me and perhaps you will not be killed like I've been planning."

"No one will ever listen to you, you stupid cat!" Redfeather yowled. He reared up on his hind legs and leaped at Mossfur. Mossfur simply held out one paw and scratched Redfeather's muzzle, bringing him to the ground. Redfeather got back up quickly and bit Mossfur's ear, but Mossfur spun around and attacked Redfeather from behind. Redfeather jumped out of the way, but Mossfur tugged Redfeather back down and held his claws at his throat.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself now, you silly cat," Mossfur said, evil in his eyes.

"Well, I know what I have to say," a she-cat with a completely white pelt said. "I say that you are evil beyond belief!"

The white she-cat yowled at Mossfur but Mossfur shot a glance at the she-cat and yowled at her. As the she-cat flew through the air, Mossfur ducked and once the she-cat hit the ground, Mossfur leapt on her and pinned her to the ground.

"So, love's not that strong, eh?" Mossfur whispered, and killed the she-cat with one slash down her throat.

Redfeather growled. Moonpelt, the white-silver cat, had always been his love. When Mossfur had attacked, he, she and four other cats had tried to run away from SpruceClan but to no avail. Redfeather always hoped he could have had kits with her that could grow up to be leader, but now it seemed as if it could never happen. Seemed? It would never happen; Moonpelt was dead.

Mossfur smugly smiled and then pushed Redfeather down towards the ground, pushing him down. The other four cats watched in shock as Mossfur swiped his claws along what he had hoped was Redfeather's throat, but actually wsa his muzzle. Redfeather struggled like a tiny kit, trying to get Mossfur off him. None of the other cats helped; they were too frightened. Redfeather struggled to move a paw and grabbed onto one of the fields of grass sticking out of the hollow. Mossfur scowled and stepped away, letting Redfeather get dizzily back up. But it didn't last long though. Mossfur then yowled and leapt at Redtail. His claws met his throat, and Redfeather went limp. Two bodies now were laid around the hollow.

"And that's not the last of me," Mossfur said, baring his teeth. "When you warriors finally decide to listen, perhaps then you will not avenge." Mossfur then leapt out of the hollow, jumping back across the gorge and towards the SpruceClan hollow. Leaves and twigs scattered underneath his paws, and Mossfur stayed as silent as he could. As he got closer to the camp, Mossfur grabbed a long stick for his mate, Doveheart, who was kitting currently. The medicine cat, Leafstream, was helping Doveheart. Mossfur was planning to fill the kits' heart with hatred, so that his ultimate goal could finally be achieved.

Mossfur finally saw the hollow ahead of him, and quickly, stick in mouth, rushed down into the hollow through the thorny bramble entrance. All the caves the cats resided in were quiet, filled with resting cats, except for the nursery, which was filled with the sounds of mewling. And the sounds of evil, Mossfur thought to himself as he stepped inside the nursery, briefly startling his mate.

"So?" Mossfur asked Doveheart, his mate. "How's it going?"

he thick log houses were quiet, except for the small nursery, which was filled with the sounds of mewling. Mossfur ran to his mate inside and found that Herbleave was in there too. The mewling was coming from the five-moon old kits Adderkit, Volekit, and Troutkit, all mewling due to the lack of space. "Is the kitting going well?" Mossfur asked his mate, Moonheart, while putting the stick in front of her. "Not at all," Moonheart said, biting onto the stick with another heaving pain. "It's been an hour and still no kits are coming. When will they?" "Wait," Herbleave, the ValeClan medicine cat said. "One will come in less than a minute." After twelve long paining minutes, a small bundle slid out of the kitting sac. Moonheart began licking fiercely at the encasement when finally a black-gray kit appeared. "A she-cat!" Herbleave said. "There's two more coming." After a groan, another black-gray kit with specks of green in her pelt slid out. Herbleave sniffed the kit. "Another she-cat," she said. After thirteen minutes, the dawn was beginning to peer up over the horizon. Finally, a red kit with black stripes slid out. "A tom," Herbleave said. "Will Moonheart name the first two?" Moonheart looked at the black-gray kit, mewling and shaking her legs. She could see Adderkit fighting to get out of the nursery. "This one I name Stonekit," Moonheart said. "Her pelt looks like cobblestones." Herbleave nodded. "And the second she-cat I name Hollykit," Moonheart named. "Her specks of green look like holly against a background." "Mossfur shall name the tom," Herbleave said. "What to name the tom?" Mossfur thought for a second, then said the answer. "Pythonkit," Mossfur said. "His body twists in the shape of the snake." All three kits started mewling. While Moonheart was feeding the kits, Mossfur unsheated his claws and stuck one into Herbleave. Suddenly Herbleave started coughing, and as Herbleave had her slow but painful death Mossfur ran out of the nursery and into the herbs of the medicine cat den, past the shielding area and into a small oak hollow. A brown cat was looking at him. "I have done the serve, Majesty," Mossfur said. "You cannot be called a kittypet anymore. The Clan is safe to join as a new medicine cat." "Yes, all well," Majesty said. "And soon ValeClan will be ours."

Chapter 1: Stonekit
Stonekit watched impatiently at the wriggling Pythonkit and Hollykit. Hollykit's eyes were open but she was resting, and Pythonkit hadn't even opened his small eyes. Stonekit looked up to her mother. "Moonheart, why do Adderkit, Volekit, and Troutkit get to get out of the nursery?" Moonheart sighed. "Adderpaw, Volepaw, and Troutpaw, sweetie. They're already apprentices." "I wish I was leader now," Stonekit mewed. "Then I could boss them around! I could tell them to go hunt blue squirrels, or to call me Your Queen, or to take them to the Moonstone and abandon them in a ditch!" Hollykit looked at Stonekit. "Did someone say boss the apprentices around?" Hollykit meowed. Stonekit nodded. "Come on, let's try that!" Hollykit said. She climbed down from Moonheart's belly. "Moonheart, can we go outside with the apprentices?" "Sure, Hollykit," Moonheart purred. "Would you mind that when Pythonkit opens his eyes he can go outside with you?" "Not at all, Moonheart," Stonekit obliged. "Come on, Hollykit, this'll be fun for sure!" Stonekit wriggled out of the small gap in the brambles and breathed in the smell of pine and warmth. This was her first time out in the Clan, and she wanted to make the best of it. "Where are the apprentices?" Hollykit asked. She looked around. "Who's the leader?" As if at command, a tom with a sleek fiery pelt and large green eyes walked to the kits. "You must be Moonheart's kits," the fiery tom said. "I'm Firestar, the current leader of this Clan. And you are?" Stonekit nodded. "Stonekit and Hollykit." "Yes, Stonekit, and Hollykit," Firestar said. "Come on, I'll show you the warriors den." Stonekit looked at Hollykit. This was much more exciting than bossing the apprentices around! Firestar led them to a large pair of brambles by a giant oak. Firestar walked inside and the kits followed. The kits were paralyzed as soon as they entered. None of them could speak. Nests as big as bowls decorated the room, bunches of rabbit bones and prey scattered the floor. No warriors were in the den except for a quite large blue tom blinking and unblinking his eyes, as if having a nightmare. Finally, Hollykit spoke first. "Wow," she mewed. Firestar walked over to the blue tom, his paws only a pindrop on the soft mossy ground. "Shimmerbug, wake up," Firestar said. "I have work to discuss with my deputy and my senior warriors. Perhaps you could show the kits--Stonekit and Hollykit around."