Onset
(n.) the beginning of something, especially something unpleasant.

"Things were never meant to be like this. Starting from the four founders of the clans to us - the offspring, things change rapidly without turning back. As we all knew, the five leaders left their tribe and went on an adventure in the past. Deaths, farewells and reunions left deep pawprints in their stories of life. They eventually formed the five clans and made us become who we are now."

"Please take a look at the land in front of us. We are now standing on the ground where blood was split, souls were reaped and the former warriors were laid. Rain washed away the scent of blood, but time could never wash away the truth of how they fought together for their victory, for their clans and for their homeland."

"I am no longer going to withhold the truth from you, like what I did before. ShadowClan is once again in danger. All of the clans are. StarClan sent a message to our medicine cat, Parsleyshade, and a warning was issued. This might be the end of us. The glorious history of everything our ascendants built will eventually come to an end. However, the slightest bit of hope is still with us - we still have a chance of fighting back."

She was calm like a pool of water while the few warriors behind her dissolved into complete chaos. Holding her head high, she stared into the pair of clear yellow eyes which turned unclear. It must be hard for Lapwingstar to announce the message during a clan meeting outside the camp, and he needed all the support that he could possibly get, especially since the leader was on his last life.

Looking around the trees that blocked her view, Citrinemoon swallowed the hint of nervousness as scenes of the recent battle flashed before her eyes. ShadowClan had just experienced the dark age in which lives were sacrificed. Some grace period would surely be nice... but apparently, fate did not have any mercy.

Citrinemoon knew from first-hand experience that life was a battle that would end with her own death. Fate would be a tough enemy to fight and that explained the reason why she could not dwell in the past. There was a box in her mind, sealing all the unpleasant memories tight. She wanted to bury her past at the back of her mind and move on, but there would always be something in life that reminded her of everything she wanted to forget.

Well, that was easier said than done.

She turned around and glanced at the cats which she saw as clanmates. They were busy wrapping their tails around one another and shared warmth between them to notice a lonely shadow on the ground, under the midday sun. The two ShadowClan warriors and the medicine cat exchanged gossip while the fawn she-cat who looked identical to Citrinemoon squealed with panic.

She counted the number of cats in silence. Adding in the two kits at the camp, there were only seven cats in ShadowClan. Her heart clenched at the sight of Doeheart leaning into her mate Cavestorm, a pure black tom with white paws. His tail wrapped around the she-cat as the trembling she-cat took the comfort that the tom offered.

Looking away immediately as if the image burnt her eyes, Citrinemoon carefully blanked out the hint of hurt in her eyes. She was the deputy, the well known warrior with the best battle skills of ShadowClan even though all she wanted was a normal and pleasant family. She had to keep her calmness, especially when her clan needed her.

"Citrinemoon, as the deputy of the clan, do you have any suggestions on how we can face the upcoming disaster?" Lapwingstar met her eyes from the tree top. The deputy did not miss the spark of relief in his eyes as she turned and faced her clanmates.

Taking a deep breath, she voiced every single word clearly and loudly, "My fellow clanmates, please stay calm. Remember how we can minimize the harm of the disaster if we start preparing for it and embracing the challenge bravely, instead of worrying about our doomsday."

The words echoed in the clan as the noise slowly died down. Waiting until the crowd fell into complete silence, Citrinemoon felt every cat's glance was on her as she continued, "Because we have no idea what we are preparing for, I think we should start preparing from the basics. If I may suggest, battle skill training would come in handy while dealing with different situations."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Citrinemoon saw Lapwingstar nodding in agreement with her idea. She could not hold back her grin when her leader smiled approvingly at her suggestion. However, her grin was wiped off from her face when she took in the sight of the seven clanmates who held their heads high, determination replacing the fear in their eyes. They were the only three adult survivors of the second Great Battle. They were tired. They were scared. They were probably still grieving over their lost family members. But nothing could stop them from protecting the clan which they called home.

"Any other suggestions on how to prepare for the disaster?" The leader's voice rang through the forest and dragged Citrinemoon out of the chaos in her head. She waited silently for a reply, thinking about the potential patrols that could be formed.

She blinked in confusion when Cavestorm spoke up, "I suggest piling up rocks and stones around the camp like walls that the two-legs build. That can prevent the attackers from reaching us easily and the camp can be strengthened as well."

The deputy blinked again as her mind tried to process the words. Before she could stop herself, she commented, "Cavestorm, I disagree with your idea. That will only make it easier for attackers to climb into the camp. Are you really sure that we want to assist them to attack us?"

Her sharp tone silenced the crowd as the two other warriors and Parsleyshade exchanged an awkward glance. Cavestorm twitched his tail, clearly uncomfortable with being the center of the attention.

Lapwingstar leaped from the tall tree and paddled towards the two cats. Tension wrapped the cats like a tight embrace as they all struggled to breathe.

He stopped in between the two cats and mewed, "I agree with what you said, Cavestorm. Two patrols will be sent to collect stones after this meeting."

He paused for a while, trying to rephrase the words into something that the she-cat could possibly accept. Taking a deep breath, he mewed, "Citrinemoon, I understand how you are still hurt from your mate's death, but your mate's loss wasn't really Doeheart nor Cavestorm's fault. We are facing a big danger right now. I hope you can put your grudges aside so ShadowClan can unite as one."

Turning towards the rest of the cats, he announced, "Meeting dismissed. Don't tell this to the kits and the apprentices, please. That was the reason why I hosted a private meeting in the first place."

Patrols were formed by the leader and cats were sent off to their respective tasks. However, Citrinemoon was frozen in the middle of the forest, taking in the faint outline of the camp with her bright brown eyes.

She still missed her mate. She knew it was pointless to hold grudges, but the dreadful battle that took his life turned into a wound which could not be healed. She would never ever forgive the cats who were responsible for his life - and the pain that tore her apart.

Even so, the reason why she disagreed with Cavestorm in the first place wasn't related to her anger and bitterness directed towards him. It was that hint of dread that pooled up in her stomach, threatening to swallow her alive. She did not have any evidence to prove her point, however, she somehow knew that Cavestorm's suggestion would backfire.

Maybe, this time, the disaster would truly approach with confident strides and a cold grin. This was the onset of the disaster and probably, they wouldn't come back out alive.

This would be the end. ShadowClan would be no more. Offspring would be no more.