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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:23:36 GMT -5
The Tom Freedmen Trilogy: From Fingers to Fur, Hidden Nature, and A Soul's Path.
Written by Greebo in the beginning of the WFF (old forum) it was the most liked and know two-leg to cat fan fiction. Greebo left the forums, never to return, in 2012. Three fans were left.
Now, 5 years later, the third fan fiction was still alive...without the author.
These three fans wish to save her, Greebo's, best works for the next generation of forumers.
This topic is dedicated to them-
gxoxgxrxexebxox: thanks to this fan we now have the lost first book of the Tom Freedmen Trilogy. It is incomplete, but the fans have been missing the first book since it was lost (deleted for inactivity) in 2012.
mintedstar/fur: thanks to this fan, almost all of Hidden Nature was recovered from the Wayback Machine. The ending is missing, but it is still a jewel of a fan fiction.
Phantomstar5759: Thanks to this forumers dedication we have this achieved post. Without her A Soul's Path may have died and we would never have had the chance to have the first two books today.
We thank all three of these forumers and we thank the author, Greebo, the original fans, and all the readers who loved these books.
Without further to do, I give you the unfinished works of Greebo! (Please note that she never finished the series and not all parts of the story were saved.)
From Fingers to Fur: (Format being edited if possible)
Tom Freedman opened his eyes groggily. What happened? He remembered hiking a few miles from the Hareview campsite. It was getting dark so he had started to head back to the camp. Then he had come across a little pool of water. Tom forgot to bring water of his own so he had stopped to drink from the crystal clean water and quench his thirst. That must have been when the world started spinning.
What was in that water?! It must have been something powerful, because he had blacked out as soon as he had closed his eyes.
Now he was dreaming.
He was sitting in a forest, much like the one he had been walking in. The Milky Way sparkled overhead. But as he looked at the stars, he could see that they moved! The heavens spiraled and shot towards the earth. Tom stared in wonder as the stars took on the shapes of cats. Each one's fur coat shined and glittered as they all stared at him expectantly.
There are hundreds of them! Tom looked around his surroundings. Sure enough, there were cats everywhere. All shinning, all staring. He was suddenly reminded of the fact that he didn't like cats.
One came forward. It was a spotted tortoiseshell, probably a female. It spoke.
Hello Tom.”
This weird dream suddenly got weirder. But, he thought, what else was to be suspected with tainted water?
Um” Tom spoke back. Hi?”
We have been expecting you.” The tortoiseshell went on. It is usual for Starclan to call upon twolegs, you should be honored.”
Uh, really?”He didn't like the way the cats were looking at him. And what was she talking about? Starclan? Twolegs? Why should he be honored to dream about shiny talking cats?
God I wish I could wake up! He was probably getting a million bug bites just by sleeping out in the open!
"You will wake up when we let you wake up twoleg!" growled another cat sitting behind the tortoiseshell. Had he read Tom’s mind? He was quickly silenced by the cats around him.
I will spare you some time and get to the point.”The calico looked straight into his eyes. We are the ancestors of the four cat clans that live around this lake. We watch over them as they follow The Warrior Code.”Her gaze darkened “But there is danger coming, something that will endanger all of the clans and put many lives at risk. There are three cats with the powers to fight this danger, but they need aid.”The cats, in unison, then looked up at Tom with wide eyes, almost pleading.
This is why we guided you to the moonpool, Tom. As a twoleg, you have the intelligence to help the three in their destiny to save the clans.”
“Whoa, whoa, hold up!”Tom had had enough of this. Am I really supposed to believe all this? A bunch of talking cats asking me to help more cats? Why didn’t you just call the ASPCA?”
Do not joke about this!”yowled a blue-grey cat. Many cats”lives rest in your paws, you must take this seriously!”her blue gazed pierced his, almost making him flinch.
Yeah, there’s a problem with that.”He glared back at her. He was getting annoyed with this dream. I don’t have paws.”He raised his hands to show them. I’m not a cat! I don’t even like cats!”he explained. I have no reason to help you, or your so called clans.”
The starry cats stared back at him, lowering their eyes. Tom started to feel uncomfortable.
You’re right.”the tortoiseshell sighed. It would look odd for a twoleg to walk and live amongst a clan of cats.”
Great. I’m glad you see it my way.”Maybe this dream would end after all.
We shall fix that inconvenience.”The meow was almost a whisper, but it echoed through Tom’s mind, making him shudder.
The cats were advancing on him now, their claws gleaming in the light. Before he could even cry out, they jumped. The weight of all the cats forced Tom to his knees, and then he collapsed. He tried to struggle free, but the cats held him down flat with supernatural strength.
Get off me!”
Surprisingly though, they weren’t hurting him, or at least not trying to. Just holding him down, but for what?
He looked up past the swirling mass of cats and saw the tortoiseshell coming towards him. She came inches from his face.
Now he was worried, almost scared. What are you doing?!”
Helping you help us.”She murmured. The cat then touched her nose to his forehead.
It burned like ice! Pain chorused through his body and caused him to whither in agony. He screamed as his skin burned and his bones chilled. Tom felt his body shrink and the clothes began to fuse into his body and bristle. He was growing fur!
His ears pointed, teeth sharpened, nails became claws, and a tail grew. And still he continued to shrink!
The pain soon became too much to bear, and his vision darkened. The last thing he saw was the tortoiseshell standing over him, sadness in her eyes.
This is for the best. You will be the savior of our kin.”
Jayfeather padded towards the moonpool in the light of the half-moon. This would be the first time he did this without Leafpool as his mentor.
His brother, Lionblaze, advised him not to go. He was certain that the other medicine cats would not accept him after what happened at the last gathering. Jayfeather almost listened to him. Even if he, his brother, and Leafpool were accepted by their clan mates, who knew what the other clans thought?
But what kind of medicine cat would he be if he did not share tongues with Starclan on the night of the half-moon? He certainly wouldn’t let the thought of being chased away scare him off.
He just wished Leafpool hadn’t given up her title as medicine cat. Firestar and Sandstorm tried to persuade her not to, but she insisted. No she was helping the apprentices and warriors with their duties. Everyone knew she would rather be in the medicine cat den healing cats, but she would never admit it out loud.
He finally reached the top of the ridge; there he could sense all of the other medicine cats waiting. Only one of them did not seem uncomfortable to see him.
Jayfeather!”Flamepaws’excited mew pierced the silence. The Shadowclan apprentice rushed to meet him.
I knew you’re come, no matter what Blackstar said!”
Jayfeather felt anger surge through him, if only for a second. He should have known the Shadowclan leader would think he would not show his face.
It’s too bad about Leafpool.”Mothwing, the Riverclan medicine cat, sighed. She had been one of Leafpool’s close friends.
Barkface stood up and stretched his old legs. Well, we can sit around like elders and talk about this”Or we can share dreams with Starclan like we intend to do.”
Finally! Now maybe he could ask Starclan which of Whitewing’s kits was one of the three. That question had been bothering him for days.
But when they came to the moonpool, he heard Kestrelpaw gasp, and the other medicine cats tense. He didn’t have to ask what was wrong, because he could smell it in the air.
Intruder!
he scent of cat was fresh and mixed with the stench of twoleg, an odd combination to be so close to the moonpool. He heard the rush of pelts as Littlecloud, Barkface, Kestrelpaw, and Willowshine bounded towards the sacred pool. They were soon followed by Mothwing, Flamepaw, and Jayfeather.
Is he alright?”a worried mew came from Mothwing. Jayfeather widened his blind eyes. The cat is still here!
He could tell as he padded closer that the tom was fast asleep by the pool of water. He must have ***** from it and took a rest.
He’s just sleeping.”Littlecloud voiced Jayfeather’s thoughts. His apprentice, Flamepaw, gave the strange cat a sniff.
Ugh!”Flamepaw meowed in disgust. He smells like twolegs!”Jayfeather took another sniff and wrinkled his nose. Yuck! The cat had twoleg stench all over him! It even seemed to be under his fur.
Maybe he’s just a kittypet who got lost?”Willowshine mewed.
Barkface nodded his grey muzzle. It wouldn’t be the first time.”Jayfeather let out an annoyed growl. He didn’t care whether this was a kittypet or how he got here! This was wasting valuable time with Starclan.
Kittypet or not he’s trespassing and we should send him off.”He meowed. No one tried to stop him as raised his paw to give the sleeping cat a hard jab in his shoulder.
But Jayfeather didn’t have to. He could feel the cat’s pelt bristled and his muscles tightened. He woke up! Jayfeather jumped back with the other medicine cats with a flurry of movement. The woken cat was bathed in fear scent, probably woken from a nightmare.
Are you alright?”Willowshine mewed. She carefully paw-stepped toward the startled cat, trying to calm him, but this only made his fear worse.
His fear scent now mixed with shock and confusion.
Why-why are you talking?”His voice rose to a constricted yowl. You shouldn’t be talking!”
He could hear the cat struggle to his paws, but instead of hearing the usual four paw-steps of a cat running away, he heard the unsteady scrabble of two. The cat was trying to run on his two hind legs! What was wrong with this cat?
There was a wail and a splash. The cat must have slipped and fallen into the moonpool. The medicine cats rushed to the edge of the pool, Jayfeather was more worried about the sacred water than the mad cat.
More splashing, and there was a terribly cry. Oh no! No, no, no, no, NO! This can’t be happening!”A soggy form rushed unsteadily past Jayfeather yowling and still trying to run on two paws. He and the other medicine cats chased after him, calling out for him to stop. But it was too late.
Jayfeather heard the cry and the sickening thud. The moist ground left by the newleaf thaw and the cat’s wet paws made him slip and fall down the steep path from the moonpool.
Jayfeather followed the others to where the cat lay. He was still breathing, but he was unconscious from hitting his head on a large rock.
“What do we do now?”Kestrelpaw murmured. We can’t just leave him here. Not like this!”Jayfeather could sense their uneasiness. But after seeing, or hearing, a cat act like that he wasn’t surprised.
Why did he act like that anyway?”Littlecloud wondered, more to himself than others. Then a whispered mew came from behind them.
Maybe there was something in the water?”It was Flamepaw. This thought sent a shiver throughout the medicine cat group. To have their one way of communicating with Starclan tainted was a thought none of them liked.
Jayfeather shook his head. How can we be sure of that? It could be that this cat has always been insane. Or we just surprised him after a bad dream?”The truth was that he didn’t want the thought of a poisoned moonpool to stop him from seeing Starclan.
He heard Barkface sigh. We can’t be sure, or at least, not until he wakes up.”Jayfeather felt all eyes, including his own, drift towards were the cat lied unconscious.
But that could take all night! And he might not even wake up with a head injury like that!”He could feel his anger surging through his paws. Why should they wait to share dreams with Starclan just because a trespassing kittypet?
It’s better to be safe than sorry Jayfeather,”Commented Willowshine Maybe Starclan sent this cat to warn us about the water?”
The water isn’t poisoned! Jayfeather bit back the remark. He could see that with everyone on edge here, it would be no use convincing them otherwise. The only thing he could do now was play along and hope that Starclan would come to him in his dreams later on.
Maybe we should take him to one of our camps?”Kestrelpaw’s mew was interrupted by a growl from Barkface.
I hope you don’t expect us to pad up to Onestar and ask for permission to keep a mad cat in our camp!”
Kestrelpaw immediately rephrased what he had said. Oo-no! I meant that maybe one of the other clans would take him.”
Well Shadowclan certainly can’t take him.”Littlecloud huffed. Blackstar wouldn’t allow it.”
Riverclan might take him but, I don’t think it would be wise to move him that far.”meowed Mothwing.
Though he was blind Jayfeather could feel their eyes burning on his pelt. He should have expected it would end like this. As soon as he smelled that kittypet’s pelt he could tell that cat would end up in the Thunderclan camp. And for some reason he suspected that the other medicine cats thought this too. Maybe it was Firestar’s reputation for taking in non-clan cats.
I guess it’s just down to me.”He sighed. But I’m going to need help carrying him.”
Starclan can wait for now.
The first thing Tom thought when he regained conciousness was Oh my aching head. His second thought was where am I? And the third and most important thought was what am I?
He didn’t open his eyes for fear of what he might see. Of course he didn’t need to see to notice that something was”ifferent. For one thing, he had a tail. It was an odd feeling, to have suddenly sprouted a new appendage. He gave it an experimental twitch.
This cant be happening! It had to be a bad dream or some sort of hallucination. It was impossible for a two hundred pound man to turn into a ten pound cat!
Tom kept mentally telling himself this, but it wasn’t helping him feel better. The reflection he saw in the pool of water would probably haunt him for the rest of his life. If this was a hallucination, it was a pretty realistic one! He certainly wasn’t imagining this headache!
And those cats that were surrounding him when he woke up from that nightmare! They were talking! Just like the ones in his dream. Did that mean he was still dreaming? How was he supposed to know if he was awake? What was he going to do if he was awake? All of these questions confused Tom and made his headache worse. Oh why did I have to run and slip like that?! He cursed himself for overreacting.
And his nose wasn’t helping! Wherever he was, it must have been full of plants. He could smell dozens of different types of herbs, not to mention the sandy ground he was laying on, and the air, or the other thousand different things”
For goodness sake! How do cats think with all these scents around them? He wondered to himself. Then his ear twitched. Were they supposed to do that? He could hear voices a distance away.
Tom let one eye open a crack, and hated himself for doing it. He could see a nose in front of him, his nose. Complete with whiskers and chocolate brown fur. His head was lying on two white paws that were apparently his.
He was inside a cave of some kind. There was a little stream of water trickling down a wall in the back of the cave with a tiny pool. The cave walls had cracks filled with herbs of all kinds. There were even herbs stacked on the floor.
He heard the voices again, from behind him. Nonchalantly, so no one would notice if they were watching, Tom rolled and moved as though he were still asleep. As if he were just adjusting to a more comfortable position. This was more difficult than Tom thought, considering he still wasn’t used to this new shape.
Tom couldn’t here any shouts, so he must have got away with it. He now had a nice view of the entrance to the cave. It was blocked by bramble tendrils yet the morning light still filtered through. I was out all night? He must have hit his head harder than he thought.
He could see movement past the plant curtain, and a quick whiff told him that they were cats. Tom tested his new ear muscles until he found out how to point them forward. Now he could tell what the voices were saying.
“never heard of a cat trying to run on his hind legs!”
I wish I was there to see it. It must have been hilarious!”
Oh be nice Berrynose! The poor thing must have been scared to death.”
Be quiet! You might wake him up!”
The last words were hissed and the other voices were silenced. He closed his eyes just in time when the brambles were pushed aside. They were obviously checking to see if he was still out cold.
Convinced, the bramble curtain closed and Tom was alone again. He let out a sigh of relief, and continued listening.
Are you sure he’s safe to keep in the camp Jayfeather?”
I’m sure there are enough warriors around even if he does make trouble.”
Tom’s ears pricked. He remembered that voice! It was that grey wall-eyed cat that found him by the pool. He was one of the cats Tom overreacted”to before he hit his head. What’re they do? Take him prisoner?
Whatever was going on, he sure didn’t like the thought of being a prisoner, or being guarded by warrior cats. Heck, he didn’t like the idea of being a cat!
None of this should be happening! Tom told himself. Right now he should be in his tent back at the campsite, wondering what to have for breakfast! Not lying in a cave wondering why the heck he had a tail and whiskers!
A thought came to him. The tent! Tom opened an eye, hoping to see a possible escape rout. Though he didn’t know what good it would do him or even how to get there, Tom knew he would feel better with familiar surroundings. What he saw was a kitten. It was a light grey and had green eyes. She was staring at him through the cave entrance with curious eyes. Another kitten appeared beside her, a brown and white tabby. Cute, but cute wouldn’t help him escape.
Can you see him Dovekit?”the tabby hissed.
Yes! I think he’s asleep.”The kitten named Dovekit hissed back. The must not have noticed his half-closed eye staring at them.
Is his mouth foaming? I heard crazy cats do that sometimes.”The tabby stretched her neck to get a better look at Tom.
I don’t think so Ivykit.”Dovekit squinted in the caves darkness. Tom felt annoyance surge through his paws. These kittens were trying to look at him like they were at some sort of freak show! Well, if they wanted to see a cat go crazy, he’re show them something.
Tom closed his eyes and waited, trying to stop twitching his tail. Sure enough, the kittens came inside the cave to get a better view of him. As soon as they were a good distance, Tom acted.
He jumped, twisting his body to land on all fours. He did not completely stick the landing, but it didn’t matter. Tom bared his new cat teeth and widened his eyes, making him look insane.
He yowled, BOO!”not a truly terrifying cry, but it worked for his purposes.
The kits squealed in fright and scrambled to the cave entrance, mewing for help. Tom twitched his whiskers in amusement as he lay back in the sand. He did feel a little bad about what he did, the kittens were just curious like all kids are. But maybe next time they shouldn’t treat him like a circus freak.
But he would not have much time to think about that. He could hear footsteps-or paw-steps coming towards the cave. A cat face appeared through the brambles, a light brown tabby, and it was angry.
“What do you think you’re doing? Attacking kits like that!”he snarled at Tom. Now Tom could see the resemblance the cat shared with the tabby kitten, this was their dad! Uh-oh. Tom quickly backed into the cave, realizing in fear that this cat could seriously hurt him if he wanted to, and this cat looked like he really wanted to.
Tom stumbled, darn it! He still wasn’t used to this body. But before the tabby could advance there was a yowl from behind him. More cats entered, one was a large orange cat with green eyes and the other was the blue-eyed grey cat he had heard outside. What was his name again”ay flapper?
Easy Birchfall.”The orange tom growled, Your kits are safe. There is no need to cause any bloodshed.”
But he attacked them!”Birchfall hissed in protested as he shot a glare at Tom.
I did not!”Tom thought he might as well defend himself while he was in this mess. They were sneaking up and looking at me as though I was some weird bird! The worst thing I did was jump up startle them. Maybe you should teach them some manners if they’re your kits!”
Birchfall hissed angrily at Tom, his claws unsheathed. Luckily, the orange tom stepped in between Tom and the furious Birchfall.
Why don’t you go check on Dovekit and Ivykit?”he meowed calmly. Reluctantly, Birchfall left the cave. Tom felt his fur lie flat, if only a little. He never noticed it bristled in the first place. The grey cat then padded towards Tom. As the cat moved to sniff Tom’s head he jerked out of the way. After what had happened in his dream, he wouldn’t trust any cat near his face.
I’m only checking the bump on your head!”the cat meowed, annoyed. I’m not going to attack you.”
Jayfeather is our medicine cat.”The orange cat padded up to them. He is very skilled at healing.”
Oh yeah?”Tom snorted. Is that supposed to make me feel better?”He avoided another sniff from Jayfeather and stood up shakily. I appreciate you caring so much about my health and all”ut I have to get going.”He managed to get a few paw-steps away from the two cats and maybe an inch out of the cave entrance until he saw the outside. He was in a giant quarry, and the stone walls seemed to engulf him. The only way out was through a wall of brambles. And there were cats everywhere! As soon as he stepped out of the cave they turned their heads to look at him. At that moment, Tom felt very alone.
In his nervousness, Tom forgot where to put each leg. He stumbled and collapsed flat on the ground. Jayfeather rushed out of the cave and looked Tom over. Several other cats came to see what was happening. Tom didn’t resist this time. Everything was so big, and he couldn’t even walk properly. And his nerves were on edge so badly that he felt like bolting half the time! Only one thing was on his mind.
What am I going to do now?
Jayfeather rushed over to make sure the kittypet hadn’t hurt himself. Again. What was wrong with him? He didn’t appear to have any leg injuries or injuries of any other kind except a bump on the head. Did the twolegs just carry him around for his whole life and he never learned to walk? The cat practically smelled of tension and despair, and the group of clan cats surrounding them wasn’t helping.
Firestar must have seen the cat’s tension, because Jayfeather could hear him trying to distract him.
This is Thunderclan. I am its leader, Firestar.”Odd. Jayfeather felt the cat shiver as soon as he heard Firestar say clan. Did this kittypet have a bad experience with clans?
He now heard the voice of the clan deputy, Brambleclaw. What is your name?”
Tom. Tom Freedman.”The cat murmured. Whispers passed through the clans. Such an odd name,”one cat said. A frail yowl came from the elders den.
What did he say?”it was Mousefur. The old she-cat was starting to lose her hearing.
Poppyfrost’s voice answered her. I think he said he’s a tom named Freed-man!”Well, at least her version made more sense than what he actually said. There were more hissed conversations like
Is that what he meant?”
Freed-man sounds sort of like a warrior name, I guess.”
, and What’s a 僧an”“
Freed-man moved, probably getting into a more comfortable position to speak.
Oo.”he meowed. Freedman is just my last name, people call me that only when their being formal. My first name, what most call me by, is Tom.”There was a snort of laughter in the group. Jayfeather recognized it as Berrynose.
Ha! A tom named Tom! His parents must have not been that very imaginative.”Some cats laughed. Berrynose was apparently getting over Honeyfern’s death and returned to sneering at other cats. Jayfeather flicked his tail in annoyance. But he was not as annoyed as Tom who raised his voice to Berrynose.
Think my name’s funny? What’s your name by the way?”he asked.
Berrynose.”He answered. Jayfeather could sense trouble starting again, and almost knew what Tom would say next.
Berrynose?”Tom gave a criticizing huff. Oot the fiercest name in the world. I wouldn’t expect the name 腺errynose”to strike fear in the hearts of anyone. It doesn’t suit you at all either. Your nose doesn’t look the least like a berry! No, you look more like a”
Don’t say it! Willed Jayfeather, He’ll rip you to shreds if you do! But Tom must have been angry at the mocking of his name, so he went right for a soft spot and said.
套Stumpytail.”
Jayfeather grasped Tom’s scruff with his teeth and pulled him inside the medicine cat den before Berrynose could get at him. He could hear Brambleclaw and Brackenfur trying to keep the angry cat from leaping at Tom. How Tom knew Berrynose was sensitive about his tail, only Starclan knew. It isn’t like he didn’t deserve it! Jayfeather never liked Berrynose anyway. When Tom was safely inside, Jayfeather let go and sniffed for poppy seeds, Tom was going to need them for his headache, and flayed nerves. He heard Tom say something. He turned around.
What was that?”Jayfeather meowed with a seed-pod in his jaws.
I asked why am I here.”Tom asked again. Jayfeather padded up to him and placed the poppy seeds on a leaf before answering. You’re here because last night you were acting crazier than a fox.”He might as well tell the truth. The other medicine cats were afraid that you were poisoned by the water. But since you were unconscious at the moment we had to bring you here until you woke up and tell us what happened. We want to know because”ecause the pool of water is very important to us. You wouldn’t understand.”That pretty much summed everything up. Oow.”He continued. Can you tell me if you felt sick after drinking the water, or any odd dreams that might have made you act like that?”
Tom was quiet, either trying to remember or think about an answer. The cat murmured darkly.
You really want to know why I was like that when you found me?”
It would help.”I just asked you that you fur-ball! Jayfeather forced himself not to hiss. Being rude would do nothing in this situation. Tom was quiet again. What was he thinking about? Was there something he was reluctant to tell him?
Something strange did happen last night, but I don’t think it had anything to do with the water.”Tom mewed. Jayfeather relaxed. Well that answered one thing, the moonpool was not tainted. He and the other medicine cats could share dreams with Starclan safely. But that still didn’t explain why Tom had screamed at them, or why he apparently forgot how to walk.
What happened?”Jayfeather asked. He was beginning to get curious.
But Tom only sighed. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, heck I hardly believe myself.”
Jayfeather settled himself in front of Tom. Now he had to hear this. Tom was hiding something and was despairing over it, and something within Jayfeather told him it was important.
I’m prepared to listen.”
Tom sighed and began his story.
Jayfeather was tired. It took a while for Tom to tell him what happened, and it took even longer because Jayfeather would stop him to make him explain some details or things he didn’t understand. For instance, he did not know what a wuman”was, and he wanted to make sure what the cats he described in his dream exactly looked liked. But Tom was very patient and he explained everything in detail. Jayfeather was amazed when Tom, who had never even heard of the clans, described his encounter with Starclan. But that was not nearly as shocking as what Tom had told him right at the beginning of his tale. He was not a kittypet as Jayfeather had thought. Tom was a twoleg.
He called himself a human, which must have been twoleg for” twoleg. He had made a temporary den or a tent”as Tom called it, not far from here, and he had been walking in the forest when he became thirsty and had ***** from the moonpool. And from what he told Jayfeather, Tom had been visited by Starclan. They had told him that he had to help save the clans from some unknown danger and the only way he could do that, was in the form of a cat.
After Tom had finished Jayfeather said nothing. What could he say? What this cat was suggesting was completely mad! How could Starclan change a twoleg into a cat, and why? Twolegs were the reason the old forest was destroyed! Tom had said that they wanted him because they knew twolegs were very smart, but Jayfeather couldn’t see how. There was just no reason. Tom had to be lying!
And yet”nd yet Tom had told it in so much detail, and sureness radiated from him. Jayfeather could tell Tom believed everything he had told him with every fiber of his being. And the most disturbing thing Tom had mentioned, the one thing that made Jayfeather want to believe him, was that Starclan had told Tom that he was meant to help guide the three. Tom could have easily heard about Starclan by just listening to the clan, but Jayfeather knew that only Firestar, Lionblaze, and he knew about the prophecy.
So Jayfeather had two choices, he could call Tom insane and give him lots of herbs. Or, he should believe in Tom and find some way to tell Firestar without telling him he knew about the three.
There was a yowl from Tom and the thud of paws speeding away. Jayfeather rushed past Tom to the medicine den entrance. There, he could smell the lingering scent of several cats, Icepaw, Poppyfrost, and Ferncloud. Foxdung! Jayfeather looked around with blind eyes, trying to listen for any signs of where the cats had gone, but they had scattered. Probably off to tell Tom’s eccentric story to the rest of the clan.
I was so busy telling you what happened, I didn’t notice.”He heard Tom’s mew. It was distant, as if he now knew that the whole clan will think he’s insane in a matter of hours.
“It’s not your fault.”Jayfeather tried to give him some comfort. I should have been paying more attention.”
There was a sense of waving in the air. Tom must have been shaking his head.
Don’t try to lay the blame on yourself. You can’t help it if you can’t see.”
Jayfeather gapped at Tom, surprised. You can tell I’m blind?”Hardly anyone ever notices! There was a laugh from Tom.
I might be crazy, but I’m not oblivious! But you get along so well without sight; it took me a while to figure it out.”
You don’t sound bothered that you’re being taken care of by a blind cat. Aren’t you afraid I might”mix up herbs or give you something that’s poisonous?”
I’m bothered by just Becoming a cat! Never mind being surrounded by them!”Tom spat, voice cracking from sadness. I don’t want to be here, I never asked for this! I’re give anything to be a human again and to be out of this nightmare!”Tom stopped as he took a deep breath to calm down a little. But it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice”Besides, I’m pretty sure that if you mistook healing herbs for toxic ones, you wouldn’t be a medicinal cat.”
Jayfeather stood there, almost feeling the cat’s pain and sadness shiver through his pelt. At that moment, Jayfeather knew that Tom was telling the truth, even if that meant a twoleg-cat was apart of the prophecy. And hedgehogs might fly. He thought to himself.
Jayfeather gave Tom the poppy seeds and when the cat fell fast asleep he left the den. At first he wanted to tell Lionblaze what he had heard but knew he would be out on the dawn patrol. So he then headed towards Firestar’s den, he could at least tell him that the moonpool wasn’t tainted. Then he started to wonder, should he tell Firestar what Tom had told him? As he was thinking this, he passed Daisy sharing tongues with Sorreltail. He then heard a bit of their conversation.
And then he said they turned him into a two” Sorreltail caught herself from saying more when she noticed Jayfeather coming, but he had heard enough. The news was spreading like wildfire throughout the whole camp. Soon everyone would know! Jayfeather shook his head.
Maybe he wouldn’t need to tell Firestar himself after all.
It was past noon when Tom woke up again. He had dreamt that he was a human again, but the size of a kitten, and he was being chased by stars. He had hoped that when he woke up he would be back in his tent in his normal shape. But he was still in the little herb cave with the sounds of cats outside, and he was still a cat. Darn!
Those poppy seeds had done their job though. He felt fully rested and calm. Thank you, natures”opium! He turned his head at the sound of tiny paw steps behind him. It was the grey kitten, Dovekit. She was a few inches from the entrance, ready to run incase he tried scaring her again. But she didn’t look scared, just more curious and a little cautious.
Back again? Don’t you remember what happened last time you snuck up on me while I was asleep?”he meowed. But Dovekit did not run like Tom expected.
You’re not asleep now.”She squeaked. I thought it was kind of funny when you scared us.”Dovekit started to wriggle with excitement; she was getting braver with every sentence. I mean, at first I was scared. But, then I saw how scared my sister was, and I imagined how I must’ve looked, and then I thought it was funny!”
In all of his life, Tom would never understand the logic of children.
Your father didn’t think it was so funny.”Tom looked through the entrance behind the kit, but Birchfall was nowhere in sight. He could relax a little.
Dovekit shuffled her tiny paws on the sandy ground. Oo.”she said meekly. He was kind of angry at you. My mother was mad too, until she saw that we were ok. Birchfall still thinks that you don’t belong here, especially when he heard about you” she averted her eyes, not sure of what to say, but Tom understood. Birchfall must have heard about what he told the medicine cat. But Tom didn’t blame him for feeling that way. Who would want someone insane living so close to their children? Tom hunched his shoulders and lowered his head. With what he had experienced, maybe he was insane?
A mew from Dovekit woke him up from his depression.
Are you?”
Am I what?”he looked at he confused. Insane? Maybe I am.”This made Dovekit’s whiskers twitch with laughter.
Oo,”she mewed and looked up at him curiously 殿 twoleg!”This caught Tom off guard. These cats used the word twoleg”to describe humans when they used the same terms as humans for everything else. At least, the things those are not manmade.
Well, I prefer the term wuman”but if that’s what you want to call me, then yes. I am-was, a twoleg.”With the word spreading, he might as well tell the truth.
Dovekit stared at him with wide eyes, s if he had just turned into a human then and there. Really?”she squeaked. And Starclan turned you into a cat? Prove it! Say something a twoleg would say!”she then gave him the piercing stare that all little kids give you when they are expecting something great. This made Tom feel awkward. What did twolegs say?
“Um” he tried to think of the must human saying he could think of. E=mc squared?”Oh well. This is what he got for being a college graduate.
But it seemed to work, Dovekit’s eyes widened even more. Wow! What does that mean?”
It’s the Mass-energy equivalence. It’s the concept that the mass of a body is a measure of its energy content.”He explained, but all this did was make Dovekit stare at him blankly.
Tom sighed. Look, don’t try to make me explain it. You probably wouldn’t understand it anyway.”
Dovekit shook her head, as if she was trying to shake the confusion away. Do twolegs really say that?”
Mostly the smart ones say that, or the ones trying to sound smart.”
Dovekit considered this. Are you a smart one?”Now this made Tom laugh. This was one inquisitive kitten.
I guess you could say I am.”He twitched his whiskers. It was an odd feeling. Dovekit stood up on all fours. Say more twoleg things! Please?”
Dose this mean you think I’m a twoleg?”He asked, an eyebrow (if he still had them) rose. But before she could answer a yowl sounded from outside the den.
Dovekit! Dovekit where are you?!”
Dovekit jumped and, with a glance at Tom, ran outside. I’m over here mother! Tom really WAS a twoleg Whitewing! He said a bunch of twoleg words and everything!”
Tom groaned. That kit seemed to enjoy getting him into trouble. There was a commotion from outside, and Tom moved a little further away from the entrance of the medicine cave. After what had happened that morning, Tom couldn’t be sure of who, or what would come through the bramble curtain. Luckily, it was only Jayfeather.
The blind cat sniffed around. Are you awake?”
Yes.”Tom meowed. What’s going on out there?”
It’s mostly just a discussion about you.”Jayfeather flicked his tail, he looked flustered. You have become the talk of the clan very quickly.”
Oh? And what are they talking about?”Though Tom had a pretty good guess about what they were talking about already.
Jayfeather sighed, as if what the other cats were saying was the last thing he wanted to talk about. Well,”he began Berrynose, the cat you insulted, thinks that you’re crazy as a fox and we should chase you out of our territory. Some cats agree with him. Birchfall, you know him already, just thinks you’re dangerous and should leave. But most cats are just curious about you.”
Tom looked at Jayfeather. Curious?”
“You’re the first non-clan cat to ever have a dream from Starclan after drinking out of the moonpool. Most of the clan wants to talk to you to see if what you said was true, like Dovekit did.”
Just then, a head popped in through the entrance of the den. It was a grey tabby she-cat and dangling from her jaws was a dead mouse. Yuck! Tom felt his stomach lurch, these were wildcats all right. The she-cat dropped her burden and spoke to Jayfeather.
I heard that he woke up, and I thought he’re be hungry.”
That was kind of you Cinderheart.”Jayfeather meowed.
She greeted Tom in a friendly mew, Hello.”And she pushed the mouse towards him, I just caught it this morning.”She added proudly.
Tom, with out meaning to, shied away from the dead rodent. Cinderheart gave him a hurt, and somewhat annoyed, look. What’s wrong? Aren’t you hungry?”
Jayfeather, always to the rescue stepped in. Ah, maybe he is not used to eating mice?”he ventured.
Tom nodded his head. I’m not trying to be rude or anything. It certainly looks like a nice” he looked at the mouse, trying not to be sick. Bloated”dead mouse.”
Cinderheart’s look went from hurt to amusement. Oh, I get it.”She meowed. I suppose twolegs don’t eat mice?”she asked playfully.
Oever.”Tom nodded. We prefer cows, or chicken.”He was desperate to not think about the carcass in front of him.
Jayfeather’s ears twitched. I don’t think there are any of those here. But we do have mice, voles, squirrels, and the occasional birds, unless you’re not hungry.”
In truth, Tom was starving! But the idea of eating a rodent, which was probably covered in diseases, raw! It made his skin crawl, but it was the only food here and he couldn’t afford to offend these cats by wrinkling his nose at it. Tom gave the creature a sniff, Ugh! It smelled”ead, and yet slightly like the forest. To his surprise, his mouth watered. His senses must be going native. Maybe his taste buds did too.
He opened his mouth to take a bite, but then stopped, unsure of the technique. I always hated this part in Fearfactor!
There was a meow from the left of him. Oormally we start at the belly.”
He looked at Cinderheart, who was watching him like a teacher watches a pupil.
Um, thanks.”He muttered. He closed his eyes and took a bite.
Thankfully, Starclan had given him a cat’s taste as well as a cat’s body. The mouse actually didn’t taste that bad! The bloody texture and fur was a little odd and eating the feet was a little awkward, but he could stomach it. Tom soon finished the mouse in a few gulps and before he knew it, Tom was cleaning the remnants off his paws and face with his tongue.
He heard Cinderheart gasp and he noticed what he was doing. He stopped licking his paws immediately. What’s wrong with me?! Was he forgetting that he was a human so soon?
Your paws,”Cinderheart whispered, 鍍here’s something wrong with your paws!”
Tom looked at her with confusion, and then followed her gaze to his white paws. At first they looked like any other cat’s paws but upon further inspection, there was something odd about his. Normal cats have five toes on their front paws and four on their back, but his”Tom’s front paws had six.
Or more like”ive and a half. The larger sixth toe on each paw completely concealed the smaller underdeveloped fifth toe. To Tom, his paws looked like furry little hands. He moved the extra toes experimentally. Not quite as prehensile as human thumbs, but still flexible. Was this some sort of joke? Tom thought nastily. Those star-cats turning me into a cat, but letting me keep my thumbs?!
Jayfeather moved closer to Tom and held out his paw. Realizing what the blind cat was trying to do, Tom held out his own. Jayfeather sniffed Tom’s paws and felt them with his pads, trying to get a good image in his head. When he was done examining Jayfeather spoke.
I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”He meowed solemnly.
I have.”Tom looked at his paws again in fascination. Humans, I mean, twolegs call it polydactyl.”Seeing the cats confused expressions he added, It means extra toes.”
Is it normal?”Cinderheart asked eyeing his paws. The toes must have made her uncomfortable.
It’s just a harmless birth defect.”Tom shrugged I’ve heard that there was a whole colony of cats with extra toes in Florida.”
Floor-**?”Jayfeather tilted his head.
Oever mind, it’s a place very far away.”Tom sighed. He would have to be carful at what he said. Although these cats were more advanced than he had ever expected for felines, they were still cats.
The only problem is” Tom continued. I wasn’t born with six fingers, or toes.”There was an uncomfortable silence in the cave. Tom couldn’t blame them if they felt uncomfortable with the thought of sprouting new toes in one night. He then silently hoped than when, and if, he turned back into a human that he wouldn’t end up with six fingers. Jayfeather finally broke the silence.
Maybe Starclan is trying to tell you something.”He meowed thoughtfully.
You do have a star on your chest.”Cinderheart added.
This caught Tom off-guard. What?”
The spot on your chest.”She poked Tom roughly. It looks like a star. Everyone in the clan noticed it when Jayfeather and the other medicine cats brought you to the camp.”
Tom looked at his furry white chest, and sure enough, there was a dark spot where his heart should be. It had five points and if you had a good enough imagination, it looked like a star.
Oh, that’s just a birthmark. I’ve always had that.”He shrugged.
You mean, as a twoleg?”Jayfeather asked. He and Cinderheart seemed to jump with surprise.
What.”Tom twitched his whiskers in amusement. You think that I was touched by Starclan”since birth?”
That’s exactly what I think.”There was no amusement in Jayfeather’s voice. Before Tom could argue, he was interrupted.
There was a yowl from outside. Tom recognized it as the leader of the clan, Firestar.
Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join together beneath Highledge!”
Without a word, Cinderheart left through the den entrance.
What’s going on?”Tom asked as Jayfeather stood up to leave too.
Clan meeting.”He answered. I have to go.”
Tom, not wanting to be left out, got up on all fours. Would it be alright if I come? I need to get out of this cave!”
Jayfeather looked towards him skeptically. Can you even walk?”
Tom almost wished Jayfeather could see the scowl he was giving him. He had been studying how cats moved to the point where he knew how to move his feet.
Tom shrugged. I can try.”
Lionblaze sat beneath Highledge as other cats gathered for a clan meeting. He had just arrived from a hunting party when he heard Firestar’s call. As he sat there, he noticed Cinderheart coming out of the medicine cat den. She had gone in there to give that odd cat, Tom, a mouse that she had caught. As generous as that was, he felt that she should be thinking of the clan first. Lionblaze knew that what the grey she-cat really wanted was to find out a little more about Tom.
During the hunting trip, Dustpelt had told them about Tom thinking he was really a twoleg, turned into a cat by Starclan! Supposedly, Dustpelt heard this from his mate Ferncloud, who had been listening to a conversation between Tom and Jayfeather. It was easy to call this cat crazy, but the story was so interesting that everyone in the hunting party listened intently.
The twoleg-cat’s story must have been the most popular piece of gossip in Thunderclan history. Almost every one of his clan-mates was huddled in a small group whispering to each other. When they saw Cinderheart padding from the medicine den, her friend, Poppyfrost, rushed towards her. Probably to bombard her with questions about Tom, Lionblaze thought to himself. The only good thing about Tom was that he diverted attention away from Leafpool and Squirrelflight. The two she-cats were suffering from the effects from his sister’s outcry at the last gathering. Leafpool was trying her best to be a warrior, and Brambleclaw had not spoken to his mate Squirrelflight since the gathering. Now this newcomer has distracted the clan from the two sisters and they could finally be apart of Thunderclan once again. He could even see the clan deputy sitting besides Squirrelflight now.
Lionblaze looked up at his kin, Firestar, sit up on Highledge. He was watching the Thunderclan cats surrounding the stone wall, waiting. Why was he waiting to start the meeting? Cinderheart and Poppyfrost now padded up to where Lionblaze sat and took their place beside him. The two she cats were still talking in hushed meows. Before he could eavesdrop, Lionblaze saw movement from the medicine cat’s den. It was Jayfeather. Of course! Firestar must have been waiting for the Thunderclan medicine cat to start the meeting. But Jayfeather was not alone. Following behind him on shaky legs was Tom.
There was a hush through the clan as heads turned to look. Tom padded on through the stares and whispers, his pawsteps growing more steady and confident. Now that he was in the light of sunhigh, Lionblaze had a better look at him.
Tom was dark brown on most of his pelt, and had white paws with a white chest and underbelly. He also had a brown spot on his white chest and sky-blue eyes. He was surprisingly muscular for a cat that could barley walk the first time Lionblaze saw him.
There was a hiss from the crowd, probably Berrynose; the tom was still cross from Tom’s insult. Tom heard the hiss, but he only held his head higher as he sat under Highledge next to Jayfeather. The next outburst was a squeak coming from the nursery.
There he is! There’s my friend Tom!”it was Dovekit. She and the other kits were peaking through the nursery entrance with wide eyes before the queens shooed them back in. There were some purrs of amusement from some clan-cats, including Lionblaze. For the whole morning, Dovekit had been telling the whole clan how she was friends with a twoleg-cat and that he would tell her all the twoleg secrets.
Firestar then let out a yowl from above, and the meeting began.
“Cats of Thunderclan,”Firestar’s voice boomed. I have become aware of a certain rumor that has been spreading throughout the clan. A rumor about our guest, Tom Freedman, now, I will not have my clan become like a bunch of gossiping elders,”Firestar continued. So I must ask of you, Tom,”Their leader looked down at the brown and white tom 妬f you would like to clear up this misunderstanding? Perhaps a passing listener misheard you when you were talking to Jayfeather.”
The whole clan was silent, their gaze drifted onto Tom, who sat quietly, watching Firestar. Lionblaze doubted that Ferncloud, Icepaw, and Poppyfrost all misheard their conversation. Firestar probably doubted that too, but Lionblaze could tell that his leader was trying to save Tom from persecution.
Tom sat up straight, and looked every cat in the eye. Was he planning something? Tom then meowed in a clear voice.
I’m sorry sir. But there is no misunderstanding. I was a twoleg.”The words seemed to echo throughout the Thunderclan camp. Your Starclan ancestors came to me in a dream after I drank from your sacred waters, and they changed me into a cat. I am not sure why they have done this, but I am sure that it was for an important reason! Now, you all may think I am insane; I wouldn’t blame you if you did. But if I am anything, I am not a liar! What I am telling you now is the truth, and nothing other than the truth. Believe what you want to believe.”
And then Tom stood up and started to pad off, some cats quietly moved to clear a path for him, but he was stopped by a call from the elders den.
Wait!”called Mousefur.
Tom blinked and padded over to the old she-cat, Yes?”
Twoleg or not,”Mousefur huffed. I might not get another chance to ask something that has been on my mind for moons, and you’re probably the only one who can answer me.”And she looked Tom squarely in the eyes and growled. Why did the twolegs destroy my old home?”Lionblaze’s ears pricked, along with several others. He had heard stories about the old forest and how twolegs and their monsters tore it to the ground.
Tom looked at her blankly but with kindness. Your old home? Where was it?”
Mousefur flicked her tail in the direction of the tribe. Far away, beyond those mountains. There was a forest there, with moorlands, swamps and a river.”Her eyes clouded in remembrance of her beloved home. It was near a twoleg place, and a treecut place and a thunderpath. There were four giant oaks near the center of the forest, where all four clans would gather.”Then her voice darkened. And then the twolegs cut down the trees, dried the river, poisoned the rabbits in the moor, and trapped dozens of cats.”Mousefur stared at Tom with hurt and angry eyes. Why would they do such a thing?”There were yowls in agreement coming from the senior warriors.
Why?!”that yowl came from Dustpelt.
Another from Squirrelflight, What did we ever do to twolegs?!”and more continued.
What gave them the right?!”
Didn’t they even care?”
And on and on they continued, Tom flattened his ears and closed his eyes in thought, or was it sorrow for the cats that had lost their home? Lionblaze almost felt sorry for him. Instead of thinking he was mad, Thunderclan might actually believe him and release their anger of twolegs out on him!
Firestar yowled Silence!”and the Thunderclan quieted, tails thrashing, waiting for Tom to answer.
I did have some friends who lived near a forest that was recently cut down.”He began. Supposedly a new highway had to be built, and that forest area was the most ideal place to build it.”
What is a wighway ““Firestar meowed curiously.
It’s a big road.”Tom sounded strained. You know, the big long paths covered in the black rock-like stuff?”
Oh!”Yowled Sorreltail I think he means a thunderpath!”
If that’s what you want to call it then yes, a really big thunderpath, and your forest had to be cleared to build it.”Tom sighed.
Wait, twolegs make those?”Cloudtail spoke in disbelief. Why? Don’t they attract monsters?”
Monsters?”It was Tom’s turn to be confused.
Lionblaze decided it was his turn to speak. They’re the big creatures with shining pelts that run on the thunderpaths. Funny, I thought twolegs knew all about them.”Maybe this proved that Tom wasn’t much of a twoleg after all.
But Tom’s eyes cleared after he described monsters. Ah, sorry, we twolegs”call them cars. We ride in them all the time, in fact, I own one myself.”
All of Thunderclan gasped and seemed to jump back from Tom like he had some sort of disease.
Ride in them?!”spat Greystripe, Why would you do that, much less keep them like kittypets?”
Aren’t you afraid that it’ll eat you?”meowed Poppyfrost in awe.
Tom actually snorted and replied. Oo! Why would I be? They’re not alive!”
Lionblaze, along with everyone else, gaped at him in shock and disbelief. He had seen those monsters run at him with their glowing eyes, roaring! How could they not be alive?! Brackenfur asked Tom this very question and Tom just shrugged.
A leaf flies in the wind, and it’s not alive. Cars are just hunks of metal that we humans designed to move us from one place to another.”Tom looked so certain as he said this, Lionblaze almost felt like believing him. We put a liquid into a part of the car, where it can burn. That creates the energy that the car uses to move. All I have to do is steer the car into the direction I want to go, and it will take me their!”
This is insane!”Berrynose, who was near the back of the crowd, growled, How do we know this cat isn’t just making stuff up as he goes along?”It was a good question, and Lionblaze had been wondering that himself. Tom could just be some kittypet making up a huge story with the stuff he heard from twolegs just for fun. Or he could just be a cat that was mad as a fox, and believed everything he was saying. Or, a thought came from the deeper part in his mind, he’s not mad, and could be telling the truth! He shook the thought away, it was too impossible. There was no way, and no reason, Starcaln could turn a twoleg into a cat!
Unless you can prove it, I say that you’re a liar!”sneered Berrynose. He had made his way through the river of clan mates and was mouse lengths away from Tom. Tom took a step back, but he wasn’t afraid, or was not showing it.
Fine.”Tom twitched his tail. If you want proof then that is what you will get.”He then addressed Thunderclan with a loud meow. You already know that I have a car, but I wouldn’t drive it in this state. I also have a tent not far from here with some more of my twoleg belongings! Take me there, and I’ll show you how they work.”
But Firestar shook his head. I’m sorry, but that place is on the Shadowclan border. They consider it their territory and a patrol would attack if they saw us there.”
Then take me back to the moonpool.”Tom tried again. I had a backpack that carried some of my things before all of this happened. Maybe it is still there?”
Firestar considered this for a moment before deciding, Very well. I want three warriors to come with you. Jayfeather, you should go as well. You can take a message to Mudface that the moonpool is not tainted, as to the other medicine cats as well. You may take another warrior to accompany you.”And with that Firestar ended the clan meeting before jumping off of highledge.
Firestar then padded to the Thunderclan deputy, Brambleclaw, I want you to take Cloudtail and Lionblaze with Tom to the moonpool. Jayfeather can bring Cinderheart in case you meet a Windclan hunting party on the way.”
Lionblaze almost jumped at the mention of his name. Finally, he could do something! Tom gave him a friendly nod as he and the other warriors at the camp entrance. And maybe on the way I could ask Jayfeather to use his gift to find out more about Tom. He thought as he followed Brambleclaw out towards the moonpool.
Tom pulled at the strap of his backpack through the bramble entrance. They had traveled to the moonpool and found his bag without any problems or a run in with 糎ind-clan.”A rival clan perhaps? It seems these cats had a lot of those. His backpack was in a small patch of grass, completely undamaged. The only hard part was getting the bloody thing back to the camp.
He and that golden tabby Lionblaze had managed to slip the straps of the backpack over their chest so they could pull it forward while the two other warriors, Brambleclaw and Cloudtail, pushed it from behind. Jayfeather and Cinderheart however, had to leave the group to speak to the Windclan medicine cat and could not stay to help drag their prize back to Thunderclan. And as he was pulling the heavy bag over twisted roots and through thorny bushes he couldn’t help but wonder, why? Tom knew very well that he could just up and bolt, leaving these strange cats and their clans, and head back towards his campsite. He had gotten used to padding around on all fours, and he knew with practice that he could run without tripping. Why should he care what those cats thought of him? Tom could just run and they would never think of him again! He might even be able to find a doctor, a scientist, or even a priest! Anyone that could help him out of this mess would do! He hissed as a bramble thorn scratched into his side. Running would be better than this!
But, he knew all too well that even if he did run, if he did find someone, what would he say? How would he say it? Tom was sure he couldn’t speak English anymore. His new cat mouth and vocal chords wouldn’t allow it. He could try; Tom did remember seeing some funny videos showing cats speaking words on the internet, but then what? If he tried to pad up to someone and tell them what happened to him they would probably think; 前h look, someone has taught this kitty to say words! How funny!”or 選s someone trying to joke with me? Where’s that voice coming from?”or, and this one scared him, 選 wonder how much money I can get for a talking cat?”
No. Tom knew there was no way he could rely on human help. If anything, he would end up in a veterinarian’s office getting poked and prodded and cut into. Or worse, Tom shuddered, Fixed. Didn’t those star-cats say that he was meant to help these cats? If they could turn him into a cat, maybe they could turn him back? That was why he had to do stuff like pulling a backpack through a tunnel of brambles. He had to show these cats that he was telling the truth, and that they could trust him.
And once they trusted him, all he had to do was help three super cats save the clans from some unseen danger. Then that Starclan would turn him back into a human and he could get on with the rest of his life. How the heck am I supposed to do that!?
He and Lionblaze gave the backpack one last tug and it burst through the camp entrance, with Cloudtail and Brambleclaw pushing behind it.
Finally!”Cloudtail gasped and flopped himself on the ground beside it. Oext time there’s a mission to retrieve something Brambleclaw, remind me to stay out of it.”He huffed. A white she-cat with ginger patches padded up to Cloudtail, purring, and began to groom his fur. She had a huge scar across her face and seemed to be missing an eye. Tom averted his gaze, not wanting to stare, and focused his attention on his bag.
It smelled fresh from being left out all night. He could smell the grass it had been laying in, the pungent scents of the forest they had dragged it through, even a little bit of himself. Whew! Did he really smell like that? Or was that his old scent? His human scent. He breathed in the smells deeply and could actually taste them on the roof of his mouth!
Smell anything interesting?”a voiced meowed from behind him. Tom turned his head and saw the tom Lionblaze. He was a young cat, in human terms he would probably be in his late teens. He, like most of the cats here, had battle scars. One was on his ear. Tom was pretty sure they weren’t getting those from each other.
Oh, I’m just not used to smelling this many things at once.”Tom muttered. Lionblaze padded over to Tom’s backpack and gave it a sniff.
What’s it made out of? Some sort of weird pelt?”he wrinkled his nose.
Just a tough cloth. It’s like the stuff humans make their clothes out of.”Tom explained but that only made Lionblaze ask another question.
What are clothes”“
Sheesh, do I have to explain everything?! Humans don’t have pelts or fur.”He sighed. So we have to make our own out of plant material or other animal fur to stay warm. We call them cloth or clothes.”
Lionblaze nodded, satisfied with Tom’s explanation as he examined the bag. More and more of the Thunderclan cats came and sniffed the backpack, curious about the alien object in their camp. Berrynose was among them.
Well?”he sniffed. Show us that you’re a twoleg, unless of course, you have been lying to us all along.”
Tom smirked and twitched his tail. I’ll do more than that Stumpytail. He then hooked his thumb-claw onto the zipper and pulled, opening the backpack. The cats watched intently as Tom then stuck his whole torso into the backpack and rummaged through the contents inside.
He was glad to find that everything was in there, wallet, his green sweater, a bag of beef jerky, binoculars, a camera, sunglasses, and a first-aid kit. He pulled these things out one at a time for the clan cats to look at, and then he opened the backpack’s front zipper to dive in again. In there he found his cell phone, IPod, some granola bars, sunscreen, and his car keys. These he also pulled out, but his cell phone and IPod he set down with more care. When he peaked out of his bag, done with his searching, he saw several cats sniffing his jerky.
Careful.”He warned. It’s spicy.”
The jerky was left alone and cats of Thunderclan made a wide circle around Tom, waiting for the show to start. Tom looked at his items, while not great, he could still use them. But first”he needed to make sure what he would do was believable.
Is there any cat here that has been around humans before?”he asked around. There was a few mutterings and a pale grey she-cat stepped forward.
I have.”She said.
Ah, good!”he beckoned her closer with his paw. What’s your name?”
Millie.”A pet name, he thought, she’ll be perfect.
Well, Millie all I need you to do is watch me closely and if I do something that reminds you of a human, say it loudly for everyone to hear, alright?”
Millie nodded and set herself down comfortably, paws tucked neatly under her, and watched intently. Ok. Tom reached for his new digital camera and carried it over to Millie by its strap in his mouth, he was sure it wasn’t this heavy when he was human! He then placed a few feet it in front of Millie and turned it on. Her ears were pricked with interest. He bent over it and looked at the screen, making sure Millie was in the center of the shot. Checking to make sure the flash was on; he then took one toe and pressed the camera button.
The flash of the camera made several cats yowl or jump in surprise, Millie just blinked from the bright light. A dark grey tom came rushing to Millie, concern filling his yellow eyes. Millie!”he meowed worriedly. Millie are you alright? What did he do?”
Millie blinked again and shook her fur. Oh I’m fine.”She purred at the tom’s caring sniffs. My housefolk used to do that to me all the time. It got quite annoying actually.”
Tom couldn’t help smirking as he noticed the whispers among the cats.
Did you hear that? She said her twoleg’s did that all the time!箔That doesn’t prove anything. A twoleg could have taught him that!”
I don’t know”hy would a twoleg teach a cat to do”hatever that was?”
"What was that? A lightning box?"
Maybe he was a twoleg.”
Tom brought the camera over to Millie and her friend and set it down in front of them.
All I did was take a picture.”He meowed to the grey tom. It’s completely harmless, look.”He showed the two cats the screen of the camera and the picture he took of Millie. It was a good picture; you could even see the cats that were behind her. The tom gaped at the picture and looked at Millie.
It’s you!”he meowed in disbelief. How did it do that?”
It’s kind of hard to explain.”Tom didn’t feel like explaining how cameras worked to cats who thought cars were living things. Let’s just say it makes a reflection like the surface of the water makes. Only better and you can keep this reflection. In fact” Tom pressed 'menu' on the camera and selected a previous picture that his friend, Matt, took of him before he even went camping. That’s me as a human.”It wasn’t a full shot of him, only a torso shot. He remembered the day his friend took it. He was at a party on the beach and everyone was having a great time. He wasn’t wearing a shirt in the picture, and he had a beer in his hand. His short dark hair was blown back in the wind while he smiled at the camera, blue eyes shining. Life was good that day. He sighed deeply, wishing he could be there now, happy.
The circle of cats got closer to see what they were staring at. One by one they looked at the picture of Tom, then to Tom himself.
When Berrynose saw the picture, he only snorted a reply. That could be any twoleg! Show us some real proof.”
He has the paws of a twoleg.”Meowed someone. It was a light brown tabby, with amber eyes. She was gazing down at the picture with a clouded expression. He also has the same mark on his chest, look.”She pointed at the picture, eyes followed to where she was indicating and heads leaned closer for a better look. In the picture, on his chest where his heart would be, was a birth mark with five points. It was a star. Firestar was last to look at the picture and when he did he turned to Tom.
Would you mind showing us your chest Tom.”He asked politely. Tom obeyed, and puffed out his chest, he knew what they would see, so he wasn’t surprised by their gasps. Some even moved farther back from Tom. This time Berrynose was silent. All was silent until a proud mew sounded from the direction of the clan’s nursery.
I told you he was telling the truth!”Dovekit was quickly shushed and hustled back into the nursery, but her outcry seemed to break the spell of silence that had grasped Thunderclan. With numerous odd glances at Tom, the cats dispersed, off to discuss what they had just learned.
Firestar padded past Tom and beckoned with his tail to follow him. He followed the clan leader to what he guessed was the leader’s den. Inside Firestar sat down facing Tom in the dark cave, eyes closed in thought.
Today has been a very strange day for me.”He finally spoke. For instance, it’s not every day that I get to speak to a twoleg in my own den.”
So you do believe me?”Tom looked at the fiery cat hopefully. The fading sun made him glow red. No wonder he’s called Firestar.
The Thunderclan leader sighed. I honestly don’t know what to believe. But, what else am I supposed to do? You provided powerful evidence and now we have to deal with the consequences.”
Consequences?”
When you first came to the clan last night, everyone just thought you were insane.”Firestar meowed. We could understand that. It’s not unusual for a mind to unravel, when they learned that you said that you were a twoleg some even went along with the idea for fun. But then you started to make sense. You appear marked by Starclan, even though you never even heard of it before, you said things a normal cat wouldn’t say, you even proved your difference with actions.”He sighed. And now everyone knows that there is a twoleg in our camp, something that almost every cat here was taught to fear. You saw how some reacted when they only thought you were telling the truth.”
Tom recalled the cats bombarding him with questions to why their old home was destroyed. He gulped at the thought of every cat here doing the same.
And the other three clans that surround this lake are not as kind as this one.”Firestar growled. If word of this spreads, they might not enjoy the idea of a twoleg-cat living amongst them. And they unfriendly enough to us as it is. Do you understand what I am telling you Tom?”
Tom nodded. He had been so concerned to get these cats to believe him that he never thought about what would happen when they did. He could tell these cats hated each other for just being from another clan or being a pet. Imagine what they would do to someone who was once a completely different species!
Jayfeather and Cinderheart padded back to camp by moonhigh that night. Even though Jayfeather knew that most of the clan was sleeping, he could sense the tension. Something had happened while he was gone.
Jayfeather!”
He heard pawsteps coming toward him and the scent of his brother Lionblaze drifted through his nose.
What did I miss?”Jayfeather asked. His brother was radiating stress. Lionblaze sighed.
Well, you know how Tom said he would prove to everyone that he was telling the truth?”He sounded hesitant, like he didn’t want to talk about it.
Yes?”Cinderheart prompted Lionblaze to continue. She was just as curious as Jayfeather.
He did.”Lionblaze meowed exhaustedly. He showed us this”mage of a twoleg that he said was him, as a twoleg. At first, no one believed him but”then Leafpool noticed how he had paws like a twoleg and” Jayfeather heard Lionblaze shake his head, as if to shake the memory away. Then she noticed how Tom and the twoleg both had the same mark on their chests. The mark that looks like a star”
The three cats stood there in stone quiet thought. Cinderheart mewed goodnight to the two toms and headed to the warriors den, when she was out of sight, Jayfeather turned to Lionblaze.
How did the clan react?”he questioned. He wanted to know everything.
Most are just shocked, like me. Dovekit’s having a great time now that she’s friends with a twoleg.”His brother gave an attempt at a purr of amusement but failed. Berrynose and some others still think Tom’s crazy. They don’t want to believe that something like this could happen”
And who could blame them?”Jayfeather sighed. It seemed like the whole world was going mad. Where is Tom now?”
In your den. Firestar thought it would be the safest place.”
For us or for him? Jayfeather said goodnight to his brother and headed for his den. Like his brother had said, he could hear the quiet snore of Tom at the far side of the cave. The cat, or twoleg-cat, twitched restlessly in his sleep. Just like the night Jayfeather found him. He wondered what this strange tom dreamed. But then again, he didn’t have to wonder. Jayfeather recalled the request Lionblaze had asked of him only hours ago. He had wanted Jayfeather to walk in Tom’s dreams to find out more about him. At first he felt annoyed that his brother would ask him to use his powers for such a trivial thing, but the more he thought about it the more he wanted to try it himself. Tom did say that Starclan said he was meant to help the three. If Tom was really sent by Starclan to help us, Jayfeather reasoned, then it would be important to find out everything about him.
Jayfeather curled up beside the sleeping form of Tom, shutting his eyes and copying Tom’s breathing. Slowly he began to tire, and soon Jayfeather drifted off into the world of dreams.
When Jayfeather opened his eyes and he was surrounded by trees. The night sky shimmered with stars as he stretched his legs. When he was done, he sniffed the air and found Tom’s scent. It was a mixture of cat and twoleg, though every time he smelled it, the twoleg sent seemed fainter. As if he was becoming more”attish.
Jayfeather began to follow the scent that would lead him to Tom’s mind, quickening his pace whenever the smell became stronger. He began to run, almost in excitement, jumping over logs and through the undergrowth of the forest. While he ran, Jayfeather noticed that the forest around him was changing, the trees were thinning and there were less ferns or bushes. Ahead of him, Jayfeather could see a mist, clouding the way ahead. That must be it. Jayfeather ran faster, ready to dive into Tom’s subconscious.
Just a few tail-lengths away from the mist, a figure jumped out right in front of him! Jayfeather skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into the cat. He recognized it as the old Thunderclan medicine cat, Yellowfang.
What do you want?”he hissed at the elderly she-cat. Can’t she leave me alone for one second?
I’m only here to stop you from charging head-first into dangerous territory.”Yellowfang growled. Do you really think you can go into a twoleg’s dreams without any problems?”
So it’s true.”Jayfeather’s fur bristled. Tom was a twoleg!”
Yellowfang shook her starry head. Oo,”she meowed. He may look like a cat, but he is still a twoleg at heart and mind. You can never change who you really are Jayfeather, you can change on the outside but never on the inside.”
Is that what you did to Tom?”Jayfeather looked past Yellowfang into the mist beyond. If I could just get past her”
Yellowfang nodded, though she looked less than pleased with the idea. I didn’t want to do it.”She looked behind her, to where Jayfeather was staring. What kind of cat would turn to a twoleg for help?”she spat, disgusted. But Pinestar said assured us that only a twoleg would be able to aid us. That they were intelligent and perfect survivors, and of course there was the prophecy” her voice trailed off and she dropped her head, tired. It was then he noticed how thin she was, and her pelt didn’t shine as much like Starclan cats should.
What happened to you? You look” Jayfeather searched for a proper word. Drained.”
Yellowfang shook her muzzle, as if to shake away the exhaustion. It takes a lot of energy to change something’s shape. All of Starclan is in the same shape as I am. But in a few days we will have our strength again.”She didn’t sound entirely sure, but she also didn’t look like she would discuss it any longer.
You mentioned a prophecy. Which prophecy?”was it about the three? But Yellowfang only growled, That is none of your concern! Now leave before you do something you’ll regret!”
Oo!”he hissed back. Oot until I find out what I want to know.”He tried to pass Yellowfang but she moved to block his path.
Tom’s mind is greater than you think!”she meowed a warning. You padding through his dreams would be like a tadpole swimming through the waters of the sun-drown-place.”
Jayfeather ignored the elder medicine cat and jumped around her at full speed. Yellowfang yowled for him to stop but it was too late, he had already dived head-first into the mists of Tom’s dreams.
It was like diving into thick mud and almost felt fuzzy. He pushed his way through the white fog for what seemed like ages until, quite suddenly, it ended. Jayfeather almost stumbled as he forced his way through the cloudy barrier. What he saw made his eyes widen.
Jayfeather had never been inside a twoleg den, but from what he had heard from other warriors, this must have been one. It was a boxlike cave, with strange objects spread around it. He heard a sudden noise and, being tense enough as it is, dived under one of the objects. There were twolegs in the den, sitting on what looked like large soft boulders. The twolegs were laughing at something. He slid closer to the twolegs from under his hiding place to see what they were looking at. It was Tom.
This was the first time Jayfeather could actually see what Tom looked like and it was almost sad. Tom was rushing from twoleg to twoleg, yowling for them to listen to him.
It’s me!”he cried to an elderly twoleg. Mother, it’s me! Tom! Your son! Can’t you understand me?”but the twoleg that was supposedly his mother only laughed that loud twoleg laugh and reached down to stroke Tom’s head. Such a cute kitty.”She said. Jayfeather was shocked to hear a twoleg actually speak. Apparently he could understand their strange language in Tom’s dreams.
Tom ducked away from his mother’s hand and turned to two other twolegs.
Sarah, Mike, don’t you remember me? It’s me, Tom!”he yowled desperately. We went to college together! Remember the party we had last summer?”The twoleg, who Jayfeather guessed was Mike, shoved Tom aside with his foot.
Can’t you do anything about this cat? It’s getting on my nerves.”
If the cat’s annoying you then put him outside.”The last twoleg, Sarah, sighed. I wish Tom would get here.”
I AM here!”Tom cried. But the twoleg called Mike had picked up Tom by the scruff and was moving his way towards a wooden flap in the wall that, when the twoleg opened it, swung inward. Tom was set down roughly outside the twoleg den.
OO!”Tom cried as the twoleg slammed the opening shut. The sound echoed through the den and the scenery changed.
It was as if the dream was an image in water that was suddenly stirred. The den along with the twolegs lost shape and were dissolved in the torrent. Jayfeather had to close his eyes from the dizzying images and waited for the spinning to stop. Only when all felt calm again did he open his eyes.
He was in the forest, but this one felt larger, darker, and more foreboding. There were stars here but these were comfortless. Was this how Tom saw the forest? He saw the brown tom just then, huddled to himself in lonely misery. Jayfeather took a cautious pawstep towards him.
Tom?”he meowed.
Tom spun around, ears flattened and tail thrashing. What do you want?”he hissed. Jayfeather jumped back from him. What was his problem? Tom was giving Jayfeather a horrible glare. As if he had done something to make Tom miserable.
I-I just wanted to ask you some questions.”Jayfeather meowed indignantly.
Tom huffed Of course you do.”and jumped up the nearest tree. He climbed, a little better than Jayfeather would expect, and perched himself on one of the lower branches. When he looked down at him there was a glimmer of recognition in his eyes.
Aren’t you that medicine cat? What was your name again” he paused to remember. Jayfeather?”
Yes!”Jayfeather meowed. I need to ask you” But Tom interrupted him.
Haven’t I told you enough already?”he looked at Jayfeather curiously. Aren’t you supposed to be blind?”
Jayfeather thrashed his tail in annoyance. Foxdung! Why can’t he just answer me?! That doesn’t matter!”he growled at Tom. Just tell me what you know about The Three!”
I told you before, I don’t know anything.”Tom crouched down and glared at Jayfeather. Even if I did know, why should I tell you anything? The only thing you have done is made my life worse.”
I want to help you.”Jayfeather meowed. If you don’t know about the three then can you at least tell me if you know anything about a prophecy?”
I don’t believe in prophecies.”Tom answered. Then again I never believed in people being turned into cats either.”
What about your birthmark?”Jayfeather prompted. Had anyone ever told you it meant something?”
Sure,”Tom joked. To my mother it meant I was a rising star. Sorry if some humans don’t take omens seriously.”
Jayfeather spat at Tom, How could you make fun of this? This is more important than you think!”Jayfeather continued. You may think it’s the end of the world because you’re a cat now, but maybe it’s an improvement!”
Improvement!?”Tom yowled. Before Jayfeather could even run, Tom jumped from the branch to the ground in front of him, changing in midair. Tom stretched and grew until he landed with a thundering stop as a fully formed twoleg.
Jayfeather yowled in fright and ran for his life, but was stopped by a stone wall that rose from the ground like a tree. He stopped and watched as the wall grew higher than he could jump. Jayfeather could here Tom’s booming twoleg voice from behind him.
Let me show you how 訴mproving”my life is like!”
Starclan help me!
He turned around and saw Tom’s large paw coming toward him. He tried to claw at it but found he couldn’t move! Tom picked up Jayfeather by his scruff and held him up at eye level. Jayfeather willed himself to struggle but still found himself still paralyzed.
I’m not going to hurt you.”Tom told him. I just want you to know what I’m going through.”
And with that, Tom grabbed Jayfeather by the tail and pulled. But instead of tearing off, like Jayfeather expected, he felt himself stretching. He yowled as his legs grew longer than cats legs were meant to grow and his fur shrank into his skin. His vision clouded for a moment as the surroundings in Tom’s dreams changed again. When his vision cleared, Jayfeather yowled.
He was riding in a bright red monster next to Tom, who had his paws on a circular ring sticking out of the monster. They were speeding down a long and what looked like endless thunder path. This monster had no top, and the wind roared past their heads, but that wasn’t the most disturbing part.
When Jayfeather looked down at himself, he didn’t see his familiar paws or furry chest, he saw the flat grey chest of a twoleg, and a twolegs long pinkish forelegs! He yowled again, but instead a primal scream escaped his throat.
This is all wrong! Jayfeather grabbed at his throat, it was smooth and hairless. He saw his face on a reflective surface in the monster and almost felt sick. His ears were just pieces of skin and cartilage, they couldn’t move at all! His nose was weird and pointed. Jayfeather’s mouth and eyes were just”trange! Everything was strange! Even the patch of fur on his head was disturbing. It wasn’t grey like his normal pelt, more of a dusty black. And his eyes”hat had happened to his eyes? He screamed again when he discovered that the rest of his pelt wasn’t even attached to his body!
Could you stop doing that?”Tom asked. You’re drowning out Queen.”Tom indicated the noises that sounded like they were coming out of the monster itself.
What did you do to me?!”Jayfeather yelled at Tom. He was very close to attacking Tom then and there now that he could move.
Relax. I’m only teaching you a lesson.”Tom looked over at Jayfeather. You’re a lot younger that I’re expect you to look. The way you act I’re of thought you were at least 20, you look more 18.”
I don’t care! Change me back!”Jayfeather snarled.
HA!”Tom gave a loud laugh. Wouldn’t I have loved to change back into a human just by asking.”
But you’re a human now.”Jayfeather reasoned. Great, he thought, now I’m using twoleg words.
Oo I’m not. I just dream it, just like I dreamed you human. It’s all in my head.”Tom shook his head. When I wake up, I’m going to still be a little fuzz ball and so will you.”
But I’m not a part of your dream!”Jayfeather shouted over the wind. I’m really Jayfeather!”
I figured that out when I noticed you had sight.”Said Tom. I would never dream about you, especially with sight. So I new you were walking in my head without permission.”
And I’m sorry I did that.”Said Jayfeather who, personally, was only sorry about getting caught, Can’t you turn me back into a cat now?”
I will, after I settle a few things.”And with that, Tom took Jayfeather on one of the strangest adventure he had ever been on.
Tom made him experience what it is like to be human, after a life of being a cat.
First, Tom took him to what humans called, a doctor. It was like a medicine cat, except a medicine cat didn’t stick cold things on your chest to listen to your heart or stick things with little lights in your ears and mouth. And it smelled too clean, if his new nose could smell anything. It’s for your health.”Tom had said. After his exam Jayfeather rushed out of that hospital as fast as his two legs could take him. He never wanted something staring at him that closely as long as he lived.
Next, he was placed in a human eating place called a restaurant” though Jayfeather didn’t see what was so restful about it. Tom handed him what looked like a thin piece of bark with markings on it.
It’s a menu. You read it,”Tom instructed. If you see anything you would want to eat, ask the waiter for it.”
Read?”Jayfeather looked down at the menu confusedly. Find something he liked? It was all scribble! And what did he mean by read? There were some images of what he had to assume was food, but how was he supposed to know what was edible? When the waiter came Tom ordered something called a lobster and, to be safe, Jayfeather ordered the same thing.
What was placed in front of him made him jump out of his seat and yell out in shock. It was hideous! Bright red with frightening pincers and two beady black eyes that stared back at him; it was covered head to tail in a thick shell. All the humans in the restaurant looked up from their meals and stared at Jayfeather in snooty displeasure. Tom grabbed him by the shoulder and eased Jayfeather into his seat. It’s dead.”He calmed. Besides, you asked for it.”No, thought Jayfeather, I didn’t ask for any of this!
He took a tentative sniff at the lobster, it smelled a little fishy. He tore of an arm with his hands and commenced to crack through the shell with his teeth. As he spat out some shell he was tapped on the shoulder again. Tom leaned towards him and whispered.
Usually, humans use utensils. Not teeth.”
Jayfeather looked up and saw that once again, humans were staring at him, disgusted. Embarrassed, he grabbed at the first shinny 爽tensil”and started to try to pry out the white meat inside the lobster’s claw.
That’s a spoon.”Tom corrected him by taking away the offensive spoon and placing a new shinny stick in his hand. Use this fork. It’s easier.”
It was like this for Jayfeather almost the whole time he was a human. Tom would make him do something that Jayfeather had no idea of doing, like riding a bike or reading, and then correct him like a tough mentor when he did it wrong. And instead of calling Jayfeather by his proper name, Tom called him 遷ason”or 遷ay”for short because humans didn’t have names like Jayfeather. You would need a proper human name to survive in the human world.”
The worst part was how the other humans stared at him, as if they knew he was different, and they shunned him for it.
It was then he realized that, all along, he had thought it was unfair that he was being treated different in Thunderclan because of his blindness, or that his mother was a medicine cat. Now he knew just how good the others had treated him, and how to be truly different felt like. Was this how Tom felt? An outcast who could never fit in? At least Jayfeather knew he would always be welcome in Thunderclan. Tom was as much of a cat as Jayfeather was human. Tom would never feel at home in the world of the clans, and Jayfeather had so blindly called this an improvement.
Oow I see.”Jayfeather spoke aloud as he and Tom were walking down a huge city that Tom had called London.
See what.”Tom asked him, an eyebrow rose.
I think I understand how you feel now.”Jayfeather explained. That no matter how hard you could try to be a cat, you’re still human, and you will never be accepted as a cat. But, you wouldn’t try to fit in, because what make you human is what makes you who you are”I think.”Jayfeather wished he could make speeches as easily as the cats of Starclan could. And”‘m sorry that I said that being a cat was an improvement from being a human. It is never easy changing from who you are.”
Tom thought for a moment and sighed. The surroundings in Tom’s dream changed and this time they stayed a swirling mass of colors. Jayfeather could see why Yellowfang had warned him about the immensity of Tom’s subconscious. Humans are very self aware, and have the ability of controlling their mind in the ways Jayfeather couldn’t comprehend.
Tom reached his hand out in the sign of friendship. I’m glad you see it my way.”
Jayfeather extended his own arm and the two shook hands. Oow,”Tom continued with his friendly grin. Stay out of my head!”
Jayfeather felt a shrinking sensation as he was suddenly pulled backward by an unseen force. As he twisted and turned he caught a final glimpse at Tom, now in cat form, waving his tail in goodbye, before Jayfeather was lost in the misty barrier of Tom’s mind.
Jayfeather awoke abruptly in the familiar blackness of his sight. He sniffed the air, it was morning. Tom was still sleeping soundly, almost as if their mental encounter had never happened. It was then Jayfeather swore that, no matter what it took, he would help Tom turn back into a human.
Lionblaze padded out from the warriors den into the cool morning air. Already he could see his clanmates gathering to form the dawn patrol and hunting parties. Everything looked calm and normal, as if nothing had happened yesterday, but he could still sense everyone was on edge. Lionblaze wondered if Jayfeather had found out anything last night.
He saw his brother taking herbs to the elders den. He made his way towards his brother, until he heard his name being called out.
Lionblaze!”
He turned, and saw Brambleclaw. The deputy beckoned Lionblaze with a flick of his tail. Firestar has a task for you.”
Really?”Lionblaze almost forgot about Jayfeather entirely.
Yes.”Brambleclaw meowed. He wants you to watch over our guest, Tom.”
Lionblaze’s excitement extinguished instantly. After that last evening, he wanted nothing to do with the twoleg-cat. But he also did not want to let Brambleclaw notice how disappointed he was at this task Firestar wanted him to do.
Lionblaze bowed his head. I will do so immediately Brambleclaw.”
I’m sure Firestar will not regret his choice.”Brambleclaw nodded. The deputy then lowered his head closer to Lionblaze’s and meowed quietly. I’m still proud of you, even if we are not kin.”Brambleclaw then swiftly turned and left Lionblaze, stunned, to lead the dawn patrol.
Lionblaze couldn’t believe it. He’s still proud of me! Even after what had happened at the gathering! Does this mean he still cares for Squirrelflight too? But before Lionblaze could even ponder about this, his thoughts were interrupted by shrill mewing. He looked over at the nursery, and watched as the group of kits made a beeline towards the medicine cat den. He saw their target, a tired looking Tom had just emerged out of the den. Before Lionblaze could even meow a warning, the kits were upon him.
Get the twoleg!”Bumblekit growled as the kits swarmed on top of him. Tom managed to let out a startled HELP!”before being pushed to the ground. Lionblaze couldn’t help but twitch his whiskers in amusement. All that could be seen of Tom Freedman were the glimpses of dark fur between the writhing mass of kits.
Look mother!”Ivykit’s head popped up from the pile. We caught a twoleg!”
Whitewing, who had been watching from outside the nursery, purred.
You will be the finest warrior in Thunderclan yet!”
I just want everyone to know,”a muffled voice came from beneath the kits. That I was greatly outnumbered! The odds are in their favor!”
This just made more cats snicker and laugh. The tension the clan had at Tom was easing a little. Well at least they’re rather laugh at him than chase him out of camp, thought Lionblaze. The golden warrior noticed that not all of Thunderclan was enjoying the attack on Tom. Birchfall was watching the seen in keen interest, keeping his eyes on Tom as the brown twoleg-cat tried to escape. He’s probably making sure Tom doesn’t try to hurt his kits. Birchfall obviously still didn’t trust Tom around the camp. Neither did Berrynose, Lionblaze saw him next to Poppyfrost, glaring at Tom. In fact, a lot of cats were watching him suspiciously.
Don’t worry about them.”he heard his brother’s voice meow right beside him. He turned, and saw Jayfeather sitting right beside him! The grey cat’s blind eyes were watching Tom.
What do you mean?”Lionblaze asked him.
Don’t worry about the clan not accepting him.”Jayfeather continued. They won’t try anything to harm him”at the moment.”
Why not?”
Because they know he was sent by Starclan. To attack him or chase him away would go against Starclan. And after what’s happened with us and Leafpool, Thunderclan wants to be on Starclan’s good side as much as possible.”
Oh,”this made Lionblaze feel somewhat better. But he still needed to know more about Tom. So,”He whispered to Jayfeather. Did you find out anything last night?”
Jayfeather’s pelt bristled, as if he suddenly remembered something discomforting. He shook himself and, after a slight pause, he spoke again.
Yes.”Meowed Jayfeather, I found out that Starclan really did send Tom to us, though he doesn’t really know why, he knows nothing about the prophecy. But Tom’s very intelligent, and he can think rationally. I think that’s why Starclan chose him.”
It looked to Lionblaze that Jayfeather was holding something back, but Lionblaze did not press his brother for anymore information.
Lionblaze then left his brother to save Tom from the kits, much to their displeasure. After a few minutes and lot of help from the queens, the last kit, Dovekit, was pulled off of Tom’s back.
Aw, you’re no fun!”she mewed, before running off after her sister. Tom stood up and shook the dust from his pelt.
Thanks for that.”He meowed to Lionblaze. I was never any good with kids.”
Could have fooled me.”Lionblaze watched as the kits tumbled in and out of the nursery. They seemed to be the only cats in Thunderclan who were completely comfortable with Tom. Lionblaze looked back to Tom and saw that he wasn’t there anymore. The brown and white tom had padded over to the small freshkill pile and was sniffing it warily. Lionblaze had heard from Cinderheart that he wasn’t used to eating mice, but it looked like he wasn’t used to any prey. Tom prodded a squirrel, wrinkled his nose, then he noticed Lionblaze staring at him.
Any suggestions?”he meowed.
Um” Lionblaze thought of what would be best for a cat who never ate freshkill besides a small mouse. Well, birds are fine if you don’t want anything furry.”Tom considered this, and then grabbed a small blackbird from the dwindling pile. Maybe I could teach Tom how to hunt, He thought to himself. Then he could help feed the clan while he’s here. Lost in thought, Lionblaze took the squirrel in the pile and brought it to the elders. He started to wonder if he should teach Tom how to fight as well. It would be like having an apprentice! Though, Lionblaze twitched his tail, it would look odd for a mentor to have an apprentice older than himself! He came back to the freshkill pile to find that Tom was just finishing his blackbird.
How was it?”Lionblaze asked.
Tom liked his lips and looked at him almost indignantly. Tastes like chicken.”
I’m gonna guess that means it was good.”He showed Tom how to bury the bones and feathers at the edge of the camp. It was then that Brightheart passed by the two toms. Her blind side was facing them, so she didn’t see Tom stare. Surprisingly, he didn’t look shocked or horrified, more curious. When she was out of earshot, Tom asked Lionblaze.
What did that, another clan?”
Lionblaze shook his head. Oo, a pack of dogs did that to her when she was an apprentice in the old forest. Not even Shadowclan would do that to a cat.”Lionblaze looked at Tom curiously. You didn’t look surprised when you saw her” even he couldn’t bear to say it.
I’m used to seeing scars.”Tom shrugged. My granddad lost his leg in The War.”
I didn’t know twolegs had wars.”Lionblaze didn’t even know twolegs were warriors. Tom snorted, as Lionblaze was left out on some sort of joke.
Are you serious?”he looked at Lionblaze skeptically. Humans are probably the most violent creatures in the world! We get into wars almost all the time.”
Over territory?”
Territory, leadership, pride, you name it. And each time we fight, we find more efficient ways of killing each other.”Tom sighed. Lionblaze didn’t understand how twolegs could do much damage without claws or teeth, but he sensed that the idea disturbed Tom, so tried to change the subject.
How does your grandfather survive with only one leg?”
He had a replacement made for him, but he doesn’t fight anymore, especially now that he’s 89.”
“9 what?”Lionblaze wondered.
Years.”Tom answered. You know, twelve months?”he saw Lionblaze’s bewildered expression and tried again. Um four seasons?”
That, he could understand. Oh, now I see.”Then he realized something. Wait. Your grandfather has seen 89 winters?! How old do twolegs get?”
Over 90 if they’re lucky. I’ve even heard that some can even live to over 100.”Tom absentmindedly scratched his shoulder.
And how old are you?”Lionblaze looked at the brown cat. He looked no older than Brambleclaw.
I’m 24. I’ll turn 25 in just a few months.”Tom didn’t notice the look of shock that Lionblaze gave him. That’s 25 of the four seasons! Lionblaze tried to calculate that in his head, but that only made him more amazed. That would mean that he was alive when Firestar was born! Maybe even Bluestar! And yet here he sat. Talking about it like it was nothing. Maybe to twolegs, their vast age was nothing to be amazed of.
“Can you tell me about the other clans?”he heard Tom speak from what seemed a long distance away.
What?”Lionblaze had not been listening.
Jayfeather and Firestar told me that there are other clans around the lake, three more to be exact. Only no one’s told me much about them.”
Oh, well” Lionblaze collected his thoughts back together. There’s Windclan that lives in the moors. They’re all the fast runners who hunt mostly rabbits. Then there’s Shadowclan that live in the marshy pines on the other side of our territory.”Lionblaze flicked his tail in that direction. They’re the stealthy, hunting at night in the shadows. And in between Shadowclan and Windclan is Riverclan, who can swim and catch fish.”
And what’s your clan’s special hunting skill?”Tom asked. He was listening to everything Lionblaze had told him, and understanding it completely.
We can climb trees.”Lionblaze meowed. And we’re the best trackers.”He added proudly. Lionblaze then offered. I can show you the borders if you like.”
Tom shrugged. Alright, I need to get out and stretch my muscles anyway.”
The two then set out through the forest towards the river that separated Thunderclan and Windclan. On the way, Lionblaze explained to Tom about the Warrior Code. He appeared interested, and listened closely. They passed a mound of soil, which Lionblaze immediately recognized as the closed entrance to the tunnels. He shuddered at the memories that cursed place brought. The lost kits, nearly drowning, the invasion of Windclan, the death of his sister”and Heathertail. Lionblaze shuddered and moved faster, almost leaving Tom behind! He didn’t want anything to do with those tunnels anymore.
Almost like a gift from Starclan to take his mind off things, he heard the soft scurrying of a mouse. Lionblaze quickly ducked into a hunters crouch. Tom just stood where he was as the golden tabby padded slowly and softly, searching for the small creature. He quickly found the mouse scurrying through the underbrush. The early thaw had brought almost all of the prey in the forest out of their holes, searching for food. The mouse hadn’t noticed him, bunching up his haunches, Lionblaze pounced. He dispatched the mouse with a swift bite to the neck.
He held up his prize, hoping Tom had watched him. But the twoleg-cat didn’t look impressed by his catch. Lionblaze scooped a small hole in the ground and buried the mouse.
I hope you were paying attention.”Meowed Lionblaze indignantly If you’re going to be welcome in Thunderclan you’re going to have to pull your own weight! If you’re lucky and learn clan ways,”he added, 土ou might even be made a warrior.”
Tom considered this. I could see why I’re need to hunt and learn cattish ways.”He meowed. But what good would it be to become a warrior?”
Well” Lionblaze thought. To him, becoming a warrior had meant more than anything! Tom’s kin was a warrior; wouldn’t he want to be like him? The clans, all of them I mean, would feel more comfortable around you if you were a clan cat.”
Interesting” Tom murmured.
They continued their journey through the forest. Lionblaze managed to catch another mouse and a vole along the way, while Tom managed to try and catch a squirrel, but was unsuccessful. The two reached the stream at the edge of Thunderclan territory. Lionblaze sniffed around the area, The Dawn Patrol must have been past here, he could smell the lingering scent of Brambleclaw and Cloudtail.
Tom was at the bank of the small river, smelling the air.
Is this the scent of Windclan?”he asked Lionblaze.
Yes. Smells different from Thunderclan doesn’t it?”
Yeah.”Tom took a deeper smell. It’s grassier, earthy, with a hint of rabbits.”Tom padded farther up down stream. They then came towards the lake, the sky reflected off the water’s surface. It almost looked like there were two skies. They were nearly at the edge of the lake shore when Lionblaze stopped. Something’s wrong. They were far away from the border, but he could still smell the scent of Windclan. Lionblaze looked at Tom, who nodded. He could smell it to. That was when Tom heard pawsteps through the brush ahead of them.
Windclan was invading!
“Go back to the camp!”he hissed to Tom. Warn Firestar that there are intruders in our territory.”He felt hot blood surge through him, Lionblaze unsheathed his claws. He was almost hungry for battle. Tom must have noticed the changes in Lionblaze because he gave him a suspicious glare.
And what will you do?”Tom growled. Fight them all by yourself?”
I can handle them!”Lionblaze looked around to the source of the noises. The Windclan cats were only a couple tail lengths away and the wind was blowing towards him. I have the advantage.”
Yeah,”He heard Tom snarl, Except your outnumbered 5 to 1!”Actually there was more than 5, but that wasn’t going to stop him from defending his territory! He could hear the invaders clearer now, they were getting closer. He tensed more and prepared to lunge right into them.
Get out of here now!”he hissed again. There’s nothing you can do to stop me!”Tom didn’t move. Lionblaze growled in rage. Why was Tom treating him like a kit! If only he could tell him, he would explain how he couldn’t get hurt. How he had powers! But there was no time for that.
Just get to the camp now! There’s no way you could fight them with me so you might as well get help!”
Tom glared at him, Oo. I can’t fight.”He growled in a low voice. Lionblaze turned again to face the coming Windclan cats when something very hard smacked him in the head so hard he saw lights. He stumbled, dazed.
Oot fairly at least.”Lionblaze heard Tom’s voice from behind him. He opened his eyes to a blurry world. As his vision cleared he saw Tom dropping a stone from his strange paws.
Sorry.”Tom whispered. I won’t have you get yourself killed just to be a hero.”Before Lionblaze could get up to stop him, Tom rushed into the brush, towards the Windclan invaders.
Lionblaze was about to rush in and help but he knew there was little he could do. Already, he could hear Tom yowling at Windclan, but these were not threatening yowls. It was more like,
Oh, hey, wow! Look at all these cats! With all these cats around, you’re think there was a gathering of some kind!!”Lionblaze quietly slid behind a scrub and watched the scene through the leafy branches. What is Starclan is he doing?! The Windclan cats looked like they were wondering the same thing.
Will someone shut him up? He’ll alert every cat in Thunderclan!”&Lionblaze recognized the Windclan deputy, Ashfoot. He also saw Breezepelt, Nightcloud, Harespring, and Heathertail, along with several other Windclan cats.
Heathertail! Lionblaze was suddenly thankful that Tom had stopped him from charging into the group head first. He wouldn’t have wanted to face his once dear friend in battle again, even if she did hate him.
You’re looking for Thunderclan?”Tom meowed again. He looked cheerfully from one cat to another. You mean those big cats that live around here? Sorry to tell you this but you just missed them. I saw a whole bunch of them cross the river that’s by here, they must have been looking for you too, I could get them if you’re like! Hey! Over here! Thunderclan!!”He jumped away as if to chase after the said Thunderclan cats.
Breezepelt tackled Tom and held him to the ground. Tom didn’t even try to fight him off, he instead wailed meekly. Hey! What did I ever do to you?!”
轍uiet, loner!”Breezepelt hissed in Tom’s face. Or I’ll tear your pelt off.”
Wait.”Meowed Heathertail, He said something about Thunderclan crossing the river!”
Yeah, a whole bunch of them!”Tom looked up from Breezepelt’s paws, an oblivious look upon his face. They looked angry.”
Thunderclan’s invading our territory!”yowled a Windclan warrior. We have to go back!”He and several others yowled and were about to charge off into the direction of the stream when Ashfoot’s low growl stopped them.
Wait!”she pushed aside Breezepelt and sniffed Tom’s pelt. You smell a bit too much like Thunderclan to be a loner.”She glared darkly at Tom. Lionblaze tensed. She’s not going to fall for Tom’s trick!
Well,”Tom looked up at Ashfoot with the same mousebrained expression. They did give me a place to stay while I was feeling ill. After I was better they let me go, but they’re very nice cats once you get to know them!”
Typical.”scoffed Nightcloud. Thunderclan is always sheltering loners and kittypets.”
Didn’t Mudface and Kestralpaw saw they found a loony cat by the moonpool?”asked an apprentice. They said that they took him to the Thunderclan camp.”there were nods and murmurs confirming what the young cat had said.
How are we supposed to know if he is that cat?”asked Ashfoot, not totally convinced.
Mudface did saw that the cat was brown with white paws.”Harespring meowed.
And he said that the cat hade a spot that looked like a star!”the apprentice added. They looked at Tom’s chest, and Lionblaze knew they would see the star spot.
When you were in Thunderclan,”Ashfoot questioned Tom, convinced, 電id you hear the cats talk about anything?”she eyed him carefully.
Oo”ait”es! I did hear them talk about some things.”
What were they talking about?”Ashfoot asked again.
Something about a” Tom tilted his head, to make it look like remembering yesterday was hard for him. I’m so bad with words. That other fellow said it, um”In- vase-shun”“
Before Tom had finished what he was saying Ashfoot yowled in rage.
Windclan! Back to the camp!”As the cats thundered back towards the border, Ashfoot stopped Breezepelt and Heathertail. She jerked her head towards Tom and hissed them something. Both the cats nodded and turned to Tom, ears flat and pelts bristling. Oh no! Lionblaze tensed again, they were going to attack him! Ashfoot probably wanted to keep him from warning Thunderclan of the approaching reinforcements. Tom, a quick thinker despite his acting, turned, caught Lionblaze’s eye, and shook his head before lunging in another direction. Breezepelt and Heathertail chased after him, but Lionblaze forced himself not to follow to aid the twoleg-cat. He understood from Tom’s gaze that he didn’t want Lionblaze to help him. He knew the clan needed to be warned about Windclan once they discovered Tom lied about the invasion.
When Ashfoot and the other Windclan invaders were out of earshot, Lionblaze tore through the undergrowth. He ignored the twigs and leaves that smacked him in the face. His only thought was to warn the clan, to get help, and to save Tom. He didn’t know how well or how fast Tom could run, he couldn’t even walk when Lionblaze first met him, what chance did he have running from two healthy Windclan cats? Heathertail and Breezepelt could be tearing into poor Tom right now! Lionblaze ran faster.
Soon he could se the camp entrance. Lionblaze burst through the bramble barrier and skidded on the ground, his clanmates looked up from their duties in surprise. He saw Brambleclaw and Firestar among them. Good, the dawn patrol came back!
Tom’s in trouble!”he yowled at top of his voice. Windclan was invading!”Pelts bristled and voices growled. Firestar silenced them with a wave of his tail and looked at Lionblaze.
Tell me what happened, quickly.”
Lionblaze explained as quickly as he could about him and Tom wandering around the border when they scented Windclan. He told him how Tom stopped him from attacking and how he instead risked himself by lying to the intruders about a Thunderclan invading party attacking their camp. He then told him that, after the Windclan cats believed him, Ashfoot made two of her warriors attack Tom and how he was now running for his life at this very instant. When Lionblaze had finished he needed to gasp for air after speaking so fast.
Firestar turned to Brambleclaw. I want you, Lionblaze, Cloudtail, and Spiderleg to find Tom and help him, Leafpool can come with you in case he has injuries. I will take more warriors to the border in case Windclan comes back.”Brambleclaw acted fast, gathering his warriors while Firestar gathered his. The deputy then came to Lionblaze.
Take us to where you last saw Tom.”
Lionblaze obeyed, rushing as fast as his tiered legs could out of the camp. We’re coming Tom! He only hoped that Breezepelt or Heathertail hadn’t caught him yet. The strange cat was risking a lot for the clan that hardly trusted him. Lionblaze could only imagine what was going through Tom’s mind.
This was stupid this was stupid this was stupid this was stupid this was stupid this was soooo STUPID!! Tom ran for his life through the forest. Closely behind him were two rather nasty Windclan warriors. One of them reached and managed to scratch his hind quarters. Ow! Son of a-”Tom cursed loudly and tried to run faster. Lionblaze wasn’t kidding when he said these cats were fast. The only thing keeping them from catching him was the thick undergrowth. These cats were obviously not used to running so fast in a forest. Once in a while, one would trip on a root, or stumble on brambles.
Then again, he wasn’t faring so well either. He was very fit as a human, went to the gym everyday. But his mind wasn’t used to controlling four legs at once! He had to be careful not to trip or stumble. Those cats wouldn’t give him much of a chance to get up again.
Why did I have to be so crazy and play hero? He was starting to regret not having Lionblaze help him. At lest he knew how to fight other cats! But Tom knew that if the Windclan cats even got a glimpse at Lionblaze, a Thunderclan cat hiding in the bushes rushing to help a loner, they would smell a trick. Besides, Thunderclan needed to be warned.
Another pain shot through his leg. He cursed again and kicked out, feeling his back paws connect with face. There was a yowl from behind but he didn’t dare look back. The thundering sound of pursuit subsided. One stopping to check on the other, he guessed. Tom did kick the cat pretty hard and his claws were unsheathed”e silently hoped he hadn’t hurt the cat too badly. After all, they were just doing what they were told.
You didn’t, said a voice in his head. You only gave her a little scratch and a headache. Who the heck was this? Tom wondered, and then he thought, I hit the girl cat?! Do not worry, there is no chivalry in the clans, she-cats fight just as well as toms and get wounded just the same. This didn’t make Tom feel any better but he ran on and the voice continued. The Windclan cats are still after you. Why? What did I do? Windclan is planning on taking Thunderclan territory after they deal with the 訴nvasion”of their own camp. They do not want you to go back to the Thunderclan camp to warn them about the Windclan intruders. So they’re just going to chase me off? They were, but now you have given them a reason to hurt you”
Tom cursed and he began to hear running paws behind him, this time a little more eager than before. He was getting tired now, Tom panted for breath. What could he do? You must turn and face them, said the voice. What?! Tom knew that would be certain death! That or just a really painful fight! But he would become exhausted sooner or later, might as well fight while he still had strength left. I will help you”whispered the voice. Just move as I move.
Tom gulped. This was do-or-die. He quickly U-turned, and face the warriors head on.
They were coming at him at full speed, anger burned in their eyes. Seeing that he had stopped, they slowed, skidding in the soil and dead leaves. The black tom yowled in victory and lunged.
Time slowed. Tom’s gaze darted to his left and there, right beside him, was a silver she-cat with blue eyes. She was slightly transparent, and her pelt sparkled. She looked at him, Watch closely, her voice whispered in his head.
Time sped up once more, the black cat aimed at his throat. The she-cat dived under him, Tom imitated, going under the warrior as he jumped. Giving the black cat time to know what was happening, the silver cat spun and kicked upwards. Tom copied her and kicked the Windclan warrior from under, sending the warrior flying into a nearby scrub.
But Tom had no time to rest, for the light brown she cat-had jumped upon his back and had sunk her teeth into his shoulder. He yowled in pain and tried to shake her off but she sank her claws in deeper. Roll. He tried it but the cat just started to rake her back claws along his spine. Burning pain chorused through him. Tom cursed and, seeing this in a movie, reared up on his hind legs. He then fell backwards and slammed his back, with the she-cat still on him, onto a nearby stump. Tom heard the sharp thud of skull meeting hard wood and the felt the cat’s grip slacken. The poor tabby slid off of him as he rolled back onto all fours. He looked at her limp body, wondering if he should check for a pulse when a moan escaped her throat. Before he could even breath a sigh of relief, the silver cat was beside him again. Jump! She hissed. Tom did so, and just in time, because the black cat landed just where he had been standing. The warrior looked down at his fallen friend. The anger in his eyes turned into pure malice.
What did you do?!”he screeched and ran at him. He hit Tom and bulldozed him to the ground, teeth aimed at his throat. Tom managed to twist his body so the cat only bit into his other shoulder. He managed to kick him off but not before the cat tore out some fur and clawed him a bit. Run! The cat tried to attack again but Tom, using an old trick he learned in primary school, used his paw to fling a big pile of dirt and dust into the cat’s eyes. The cat yowled and tried to paw the soil away as Tom ran after the ghostly silver tabby. He only got a few feet when he heard the cat racing behind him.
His heartbeat was pounding so fast Tom thought it would explode while he was running. Faster and faster through the forest, he followed the mysterious she-cat. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but if he managed to survive this he was willing to believe anything. He crashed through the bracken and over an old dirt path; he must have been close to the old abandoned workman’s house. As he ran on farther, a thought struck him. That house was near the campsite! If he could just run a little farther, he might make it there to get to his tent. And with all of the people around, the Windclan cat wouldn’t dare-
The ground beneath Tom’s paws collapsed and he fell into a world of darkness. His plummet was brought to a sudden halt as his body plunged into the frigid water bellow. The water was deep enough to break his fall, but not deep enough to drown him. Tom twisted in the current and paws found hard stone. He dragged himself, coughing and hacking, up the shallow bank where he flopped down in exhaustion.
He managed to glimpse up from where he had fallen, a hole in the ceiling of a cave. The light from the sun made a beam of light down to the small river he was laying by. Just then, a shadow came over that light, Tom looked, and saw the black cat looking through the hole. He must have not seen him, or not cared, for the cat had left a few moments later.
With the danger gone, Tom rested his head, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. His mind drifted into the dark haze of sleep.
Something nudged Tom’s muzzle, waking him from unconsciousness.
“Wake up Tom!”someone meowed in his ear. The nudging persisted until Tom opened his eyes. It was the silver cat shade that helped him earlier. She seemed more solid and glowed in the darkness of the cave.
Who are you?”he murmured. It was a question he had been wondering ever since he had heard her voice. Are you from Starclan?”
She nodded, Yes. My name is Icestar, and I have been sent to help you.”
Icestar?”Tom tried to stand, but every muscle screamed in protest and he fell to the ground again. Is that supposed to mean something?”
Every clan leader has 壮tar”in their name, just as 叢aw”is for apprentices and 遡it”is for kits.”Icestar meowed. It signifies a leader’s connection with Starclan.”
So, you were a leader?”Tom looked up at the opening in the cave’s ceiling. It was still day but how long would it take for him to get out?
Yes. I was leader of Thunderclan, long ago.”She sighed. You were lucky I was able to come. Not many in Starclan trust you, and I was advised not to help.”
And why is that?”Tom asked, annoyed. They seemed pretty eager to make me a cat!”
That was because we were desperate.”Icestar meowed. Oothing is going as we had planned and we needed a failsafe. The prophecy was our only option. “
What do you mean?”Tom felt his spine prickle. Jayfeather talked about a prophecy in his dreams, was this it? Icestar sighed and continued. Long ago, when the clans were first formed, there was a prophecy. 糎hen the sun hides, a star will come, two will become four to aid three, and the clans will rise.樗
Tom stared at Icestar for a moment, running the prophecy through his mind and finally said, That makes no sense whatsoever.”
Icestar explained. It means that a special twoleg with the mark of a star would come and help the three to bring the clans to a new era of peace. That twoleg is you.”
And these three are” Tom was getting sick of hearing about the three”when he had no idea who or what they were. He especially didn’t like the idea that he was expected to arrive here who knows how many years ago.
They are the kin of Firestar’s kin who hold the power of the stars in their paws.”She told him. They are meant to save the clans from a great danger, but they are easily misguided. Starclan wants you to help them to their destiny.”
But they don’t even trust me!”Tom growled indignantly.
Icestar gazed at him with a sad expression. It is in our nature not to trust twolegs. It is not that we think you are a bad man, but because you are unpredictable. With any other creature, it is easy to understand its ways. But with twolegs, there is no telling what you will do next. You have proved us that today, with your quick thinking and fighting skills.”
Tom couldn’t argue with that. Humans prided themselves with being unpredictable. Of course there were certain traditions that were kept, generations were always changing.
Starclan is afraid that I might do something they won’t like?”
Exactly.”Meowed Icestar, Oamely by changing the clans. They’re afraid you will alter the clans way of thinking. Cats are meant to think like cats, not twolegs.”
Well maybe they should have thought about that before they dragged me into this mess!”Tom felt angry. How could anyone give one guy a huge task against his will, and not trust him to do anything?
Icestar was about to say something, but a meow echoed through the cave. Two more starry cats appeared from thin air. Both were she-cats, one was ginger and the other a shadowy black. Icestar turned and looked at the two in surprise.
Lightflame! Rainpool! Is something wrong?”she asked.
The Thunderclan search party has come looking for Tom.”Meowed Lightflame, It won’t be long until they find him here.”
It is time for us to depart.”Rainpool mewed. He will be safe for now.”
Icestar turned to Tom, who was still lying on the cold stone ground. She bowed her head in goodbye, Until we meet again, farewell.”She whispered, and all three cats disappeared.
Tom watched the air where the cats vanished for a few minutes. He felt his neck hairs prickle and turned his head to see the mouth of a tunnel in the side of the cave. In the darkness of the tunnel, Tom saw two glowing green eyes staring at him.
Hello?”Was it one of the Thunderclan cats looking for him? But these were not the eyes of someone finding a lost companion. These were the eyes of someone finding something it didn’t know whether to run from or kill. A growl came from the tunnel, and a black paw slid out from the shadows with claws unsheathed.
Tom scrambled to his paws as fast as his sore muscles would let him. Didn’t that Rainpool cat say he’re be safe when they left?! Black cats must have been bad luck, considering most were trying to kill him. He backed away from the shadowed terror, expecting it to jump and tear out his throat at any minute.
His ears pricked at the sound of voiced above. The green eyes looked up towards the opening in the cave roof. When the sounds became louder, the mysterious cat hissed and fled back into the deep tunnel from whence it came. Tom breathed a sigh of relief, now realizing that he had been holding his breath.
Tom?”a yowl came from above. He recognized it as Lionblaze. Lionblaze’s voice called again. Tom where are you?!”
Tom raised his voice as loud as he could manage. I’m down here! Down here you fur balls! I樽 DOWN HERE!!”
The bracken rustled above the hole and several heads appeared around it’s opening. One of them called out, Tom?”
Tom moved into the beam of light so they could see him better and the cats nearly jumped for joy, letting out yowls of triumph. Tom! Tom, how in Starclan did you get down there?!”Cloudtail called down to him.
A badger asked invited me to lunch!”Tom meowed sarcastically. Are the Windclan cats gone?”
Yes! We cased them out of our territory though they already looked ruffed up, did you fight them both yourself?”asked another cat, Tom remembered his name was Spiderleg.
Well I couldn’t just let them shred me could I?”Tom looked back to the tunnel where the eyes had been. There was nothing there anymore, but he still felt like he was being watched. Look, I’re love to tell you about my courageous battle but first, could you guys just uh”urry up and get me out of here? This place gives me the creeps.”
Are you hurt at all?”a she-cat mewed. It was Leafpool, the one who convinced everyone that he was human.
My shoulders have seen better days.”They stung at that moment, as if they knew he was talking about them. And I’ve got scratches galore.”
Don’t worry. There are tunnels all around our territory. We just have to find one and follow it to get to you!”Cloudtail meowed. There was a sudden whispering from Lionblaze.
After we unbury a tunnel first,”Cloudtail meowed again. It shouldn’t take too long.”
What!?”Tom yowled. That could take ages! Why are they buried in the first place?”
Some of the tunnels lead into Windclan territory.”Brambleclaw explained. They once tried to invade our territory by using them, and they almost succeeded. To prevent this from happening again, we had to bury all entrances to the tunnels.”
Why are they even trying to get your territory anyway? Don’t they have their own?”Tom asked, exasperated.
Whatever their reasons, they keep that to themselves.”The Thunderclan deputy meowed. But that answer wasn’t good enough for Tom. The dark cave was getting on his nerves, making him edgy. Cats fighting each other when they could discuss it peacefully, it just seemed pointless! But this was no place to think about cat politics. He needed to get out.
Fine then.”He growled. Get to it. What’re you waiting for, get digging! It’s colder that ice down here.”
The heads dispersed from the roof hole, and Tom was alone again. He wished he had asked one of them to stay with him for company. Tom started to wonder if those green eyes would come back. Would that cat try to attack him again? Who was that anyway? Could it have been that Windclan warrior? He had black fur, and Brambleclaw did say that some of the tunnels led into Windclan territory. But that was unlikely. Even if that tom was a fast runner it was impossible for him to get from here to his own territory and back through a labyrinth of tunnels to get to here. Besides, that tom had amber eyes. The eyes he saw in the shadows were green.
Tom shivered again. If that cat did come again, he thought to himself, I wouldn’t have that much of a chance. Tom tried whistling, to calm his frayed nerves, but then found out he couldn’t whistle. So instead he listened. There was the sound of the underground river mixing with the dripping of condensed water from the cave ceiling, which wasn’t helping his bladder. Tom eagerly listened for the sound of digging paws and cats running to find him, but there wasn’t. Hurry up!
Tom waited a full half-hour before he heard the patter of paws on stone. Out from another tunnel opening came the welcome sight of Lionblaze, Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, Spiderleg, and Leafpool. Leafpool immediately rushed over to Tom and sniffed his wounds.
You’re going to need goldenrod for those wounds.”She meowed and sniffed again, And maybe thyme for your nerves.”
I don’t care what you give me, as long as I can get out of here.”He sighed. Tom noticed he wasn’t the only one uncomfortable in the caves. Lionblaze couldn’t stop looking over his shoulder or jump in at the slightest noise. Maybe this place brings bad memories, Tom reasoned.
He followed the search party through the tunnel out of the tomb-like cave, limping. His shoulders were killing him! Tom was actually glad he would be going back to the old quarry, to be soon sleeping on the soft sandy floor of the medicine cat den. His eyes became heavy just thinking about it.
Once out of the tunnel, he breathed the open air deeply, drinking in the scents of the forest. The serenity of the moment did not last though, deep in the forest came the sounds of screeching cats. There was a battle going on.
Windclan is trying to invade! Take Tom back to the camp.”Brambleclaw ordered Leafpool before he and the other warriors raced to the Windclan border towards the fighting. Tom almost wanted to follow and see what was happening but Leafpool urged him away to the Thunderclan camp. With his soar muscles and exhausted energy, Tom didn’t argue.
He and Leafpool entered the camp at noon. The whole placed buzzed like a beehive, with cats, crossing this way and that with determined strides. Though most of the warriors were probably fighting at the border the remaining ones made up for their lack of numbers with fierce energy. Even non warriors were working hard. The old retired cats were helping the warriors by putting more thorny brambles around the camp, while the mothers reinforced the nursery walls. Jayfeather was in his den, piling smelly herbs in easy to reach places.
They’re all preparing for an attack on the camp! Tom wondered if this is what it felt like to be in a small village during wartime, people getting ready to fight for their lives right in their own homes. Did these cats really think that their warriors won’t be able to fend off the Windclan attack, or was this just precaution? A safety plan just in case the worst should happen? Whatever the reason, these cats were ready”almost too ready. Are they used to preparing for battle?
One of the Thunderclan cats noticed them heading to the medicine cat den and rushed towards them. It was the pale-grey she-cat, Ferncloud.
You found him!”She rushed over to Leafpool with worry in her eyes. Where is everyone else? Is Windclan attacking?”
Yes,”Leafpool meowed. A hushed stillness spread through the camp. Cats stopped what they were doing, or did it quietly, to listen. Leafpool spoke to let everyone hear.
I don’t know what’s happening, and I never got a chance to see how the battle was going myself. What I do know that we have a very good chance of defending our territory. We will just have to wait and see who comes through the camp walls.”
The clan was silent for a moment and Tom tried to sneak quietly away to avoid any attention, but that plan failed due to one thing. Dovekit.
Did you fight off the Windclan warriors Tom?”he heard her squeak from behind him and cursed to himself. That kit will be the death of me! Every cat’s attention was now directed onto him.
Um” didn’t have that much of a choice” he murmured, aching to go rest. Right now what he wanted most was a bathroom, his sweater, a beer, his iPod, and surprisingly a rabbit. It’s lean body and long legs reminded him of a certain Windclan cat he wanted to tear into...
I didn’t know you could even fight!”a tom meowed, whose name he had forgotten.
You may be surprised to know that humans have fighting techniques of our very own.”He answered. His exhaustion was making him cranky. He wouldn’t be surprised if he started biting at others soon.
Tell use about them! Please?”mewed Dovekit. She and the other kits from the nursery were watching him intently.
Maybe later,”Leafpool soothed. Right now Tom need to rest.”
She steered Tom away towards the medicine den but Tom, with some strength left, made a right turn towards the tunnel the clan used as a litter box. After answering natures call, he went to his backpack beside the medicine den and pulled out his sweater and iPod. There was no beer in his backpack, but he was equally happy with water from the medicine den. He pulled these into the den, being careful not to knock over the piles of herbs, and turned his sweater into a nest. With each earphone carefully place in his ears, much to the clans confusion, he relaxed to the songs of ACDC as Jayfeather chewed up healing plants to place onto his wounds.
The Thunderclan cats had gone back to work and Jayfeather, probably sensing Tom’s reluctance to talk, didn’t ask about what had happened to him. By the time Jayfeather finished patching up Tom’s scratches, there was a commotion at the clan entrance. Jayfeather left to see what was happening. Instead of straining his muscles to get up and follow, Tom turned off his iPod and listened closely. Luckily he did not hear the sounds of fighting but of cheering. The warriors had returned to camp victorious!
Amongst the yowls and cheers he heard his name being called out. They were chanting his name!
Where’s our hero?!”someone called. Several furry faces appeared through the bramble curtain. He recognized Greystripe, Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, and Lionblaze. Lionblaze looked curiously at his earphones.
What do you have in you ears Tom?”he meowed.
Oh nothing, nothing.”Tom pulled them out with a paw. So you won the fight?”
We didn’t just win!”Cloudtail purred. We sent them back over the river with their tails between their legs!”
And it’s all thanks to you twoleg!”Greystripe beamed.
Me?”Tom looked at the warriors blankly. What did I do?”
Brambleclaw twitched his whiskers in a chuckle. Don’t be so modest Tom. If you didn’t distract the Windclan intruders with your fake story, we wouldn’t have had much time to prepare for the attack on the border!”
I would have attacked them then and there. But you managed to send them back over the border without raising a claw.”Lionblaze added proudly. Tom felt his pelt become hot under their praise. This morning most of them had been suspicious and a little afraid of him, and now they were treating him like a hero.
Why don’t you come out and celebrate?”Greystripe asked. We’re having a feast!”
He can’t.”a meow came from behind the group. It was Jayfeather. The grey tabby narrowed his blind eyes. I just wrapped his wounds with cobwebs and he shouldn’t be moving. I don’t even think he can move.”Jayfeather sniffed. You all should have your wounds checked too.”
Tom could see what Jayfeather meant. Almost all of them had scars and scratches on their bodies. All except Lionblaze. The golden tom’s fur was ruffled and pulled out in some places and he even had an old tear in his ear but nothing looked serious. Tom shook the suspicion away. Maybe the cat’s just lucky. But that explanation didn’t seem right.
We can have our scratches checked later.”Cloudtail meowed. And Tom doesn’t need to move.”The white warrior then grabbed a sleeve poking out from Tom’s sweater-nest. Greystripe grabbed the other sleeve and both warriors pulled. Tom was suddenly dragged out of the medicine cave and out into the clearing.
Help I’m being catnapped!”he called to Jayfeather but there was nothing the cat medic could do. Tom was quickly surrounded by cats eager to thank him and to bombard him with questions. A fresh rabbit was plopped right down in font of him, making him realize how hungry he was.
Tell us how you did it!”Spiderleg meowed.
Hmm?”Tom looked up with a mouth full of meat. Did what?”
Trick the Windclan intruders of course!”purred the she-cat Cinderheart. We all want to hear the story.”
And how you fought off the two Windclan cats!”someone yowled.
Everyone was sitting around him, eating their prey and watching him intently. Even Jayfeather had his ears perked to listen. Tom felt a new energy flow through him.
Well, it happened like this” Tom began. This morning, Lionblaze was showing me around the border. We were just passing the river when we smelled”
And he told them. He described how Lionblaze wanted to fight them, though not to extent to where Lionblaze sounded completely stupid, and how he stopped Lionblaze from charging into the group. That caused a little concern from some of the cats, and some amusement. How he had to act like a birdbrain, the clan liked this term, to keep the Windclan cats from becoming suspicious.
But what Thunderclan really enjoyed was when he spoke about his fight with the two Windclan warriors. He didn’t bother telling them about the ghost cat Icestar helping him fight, though she did save my hide back there, he knew that would bring him a little too much attention. When Tom described himself slamming the she-cat on his back to the ground, Tom must have described it too well, because he noticed Lionblaze flinching as he told it. One warrior, named Brackenfur, was so impressed that he asked if Tom could teach them his technique later on.
When he finished his tale with him falling into the cave and waiting for the search party in the dark, it was nearly sunset. Tom didn’t dare tell them about the mysterious black cat from the tunnel, there were kits around and he didn’t want to worry everyone. Everyone had eaten their fill and Tom thought they were all going to head for bed, but then the Thunderclan leader, Firestar, jumped onto the ledge above the camp and yowled.
Cats of Thunderclan!”he addressed the camp. Today we have proven to Windclan that we are stronger than they thought, and that we cannot be chased out of our territory!”This was met with loud yowls and cheers, which were silenced quickly.
Firestar continued. I have decided that to celebrate our victory, two new apprentices shall be named. Rosekit, Toadkit.”
The two kittens who had tackled him that morning hurried forward. They were excessively groomed by their mother.
Toadkit and Rosekit have reached there sixth moon, and I believe they are ready to move into the apprentice den.”The clan meowed their approval, Firestar waited once again for the noise to die down before calling out, Toadkit!”
Toadkit stepped padded forward, his mother watched him proudly.
From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Toadpaw.”The clan chanted his new name, especially the new apprentices. Toadkit-no, Toadpaw looked like the happiest cat in the world at the moment.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:25:09 GMT -5
(From Fingers to Fur cont. )
Tom Freedman opened his eyes groggily. What happened? He remembered hiking a few miles from the Hareview campsite. It was getting dark so he had started to head back to the camp. Then he had come across a little pool of water. Tom forgot to bring water of his own so he had stopped to drink from the crystal clean water and quench his thirst. That must have been when the world started spinning. What was in that water?! It must have been something powerful, because he had blacked out as soon as he had closed his eyes. Now he was dreaming. He was sitting in a forest, much like the one he had been walking in. The Milky Way sparkled overhead. But as he looked at the stars, he could see that they moved! The heavens spiraled and shot towards the earth. Tom stared in wonder as the stars took on the shapes of cats. Each one’s fur coat shined and glittered as they all stared at him expectantly. There are hundreds of them! Tom looked around his surroundings. Sure enough, there were cats everywhere. All shinning, all staring. He was suddenly reminded of the fact that he didn’t like cats. One came forward. It was a spotted tortoiseshell, probably a female. It spoke. Hello Tom.” This weird dream suddenly got weirder. But, he thought, what else was to be suspected with tainted water? Um” Tom spoke back. Hi?” We have been expecting you.”The tortoiseshell went on. It isn’t usual for Starclan to call upon twolegs, you should be honored.” Oh, really?”He didn’t like the way the cats were looking at him. And what was she talking about? Starclan? Twolegs? Why should he be honored to dream about shiny talking cats? God I wish I could wake up! He was probably getting a million bug bites just by sleeping out in the open! You will wake up when we let you wake up twoleg!”growled another cat sitting behind the tortoiseshell. Had he read Tom’s mind? He was quickly silenced by the cats around him. I will spare you some time and get to the point.”The calico looked straight into his eyes. We are the ancestors of the four cat clans that live around this lake. We watch over them as they follow The Warrior Code.”Her gaze darkened But there is danger coming, something that will endanger all of the clans and put many lives at risk. There are three cats with the powers to fight this danger, but they need aid.”The cats, in unison, then looked up at Tom with wide eyes, almost pleading. This is why we guided you to the moonpool, Tom. As a twoleg, you have the intelligence to help the three in their destiny to save the clans.” “Whoa, whoa, hold up!”Tom had had enough of this. Am I really supposed to believe all this? A bunch of talking cats asking me to help more cats? Why didn’t you just call the ASPCA?” Do not joke about this!”yowled a blue-grey cat. Many cats”lives rest in your paws, you must take this seriously!”her blue gazed pierced his, almost making him flinch. Yeah, there’s a problem with that.”He glared back at her. He was getting annoyed with this dream. I don’t have paws.”He raised his hands to show them. I’m not a cat! I don’t even like cats!”he explained. I have no reason to help you, or your so called clans.” The starry cats stared back at him, lowering their eyes. Tom started to feel uncomfortable. You’re right.”the tortoiseshell sighed. It would look odd for a twoleg to walk and live amongst a clan of cats.” Great. I’m glad you see it my way.”Maybe this dream would end after all. We shall fix that inconvenience.”The meow was almost a whisper, but it echoed through Tom’s mind, making him shudder. The cats were advancing on him now, their claws gleaming in the light. Before he could even cry out, they jumped. The weight of all the cats forced Tom to his knees, and then he collapsed. He tried to struggle free, but the cats held him down flat with supernatural strength. Get off me!” Surprisingly though, they weren’t hurting him, or at least not trying to. Just holding him down, but for what? He looked up past the swirling mass of cats and saw the tortoiseshell coming towards him. She came inches from his face. Now he was worried, almost scared. What are you doing?!” Helping you help us.”She murmured. The cat then touched her nose to his forehead. It burned like ice! Pain chorused through his body and caused him to whither in agony. He screamed as his skin burned and his bones chilled. Tom felt his body shrink and the clothes began to fuse into his body and bristle. He was growing fur! His ears pointed, teeth sharpened, nails became claws, and a tail grew. And still he continued to shrink! The pain soon became too much to bear, and his vision darkened. The last thing he saw was the tortoiseshell standing over him, sadness in her eyes. This is for the best. You will be the savior of our kin.” Jayfeather padded towards the moonpool in the light of the half-moon. This would be the first time he did this without Leafpool as his mentor. His brother, Lionblaze, advised him not to go. He was certain that the other medicine cats would not accept him after what happened at the last gathering. Jayfeather almost listened to him. Even if he, his brother, and Leafpool were accepted by their clan mates, who knew what the other clans thought? But what kind of medicine cat would he be if he did not share tongues with Starclan on the night of the half-moon? He certainly wouldn’t let the thought of being chased away scare him off. He just wished Leafpool hadn’t given up her title as medicine cat. Firestar and Sandstorm tried to persuade her not to, but she insisted. No she was helping the apprentices and warriors with their duties. Everyone knew she would rather be in the medicine cat den healing cats, but she would never admit it out loud. He finally reached the top of the ridge; there he could sense all of the other medicine cats waiting. Only one of them did not seem uncomfortable to see him. Jayfeather!”Flamepaws”excited mew pierced the silence. The Shadowclan apprentice rushed to meet him. I knew you’re come, no matter what Blackstar said!” Jayfeather felt anger surge through him, if only for a second. He should have known the Shadowclan leader would think he would not show his face. It’s too bad about Leafpool.”Mothwing, the Riverclan medicine cat, sighed. She had been one of Leafpool’s close friends. Barkface stood up and stretched his old legs. Well, we can sit around like elders and talk about this”Or we can share dreams with Starclan like we intend to do.” Finally! Now maybe he could ask Starclan which of Whitewing’s kits was one of the three. That question had been bothering him for days. But when they came to the moonpool, he heard Kestrelpaw gasp, and the other medicine cats tense. He didn’t have to ask what was wrong, because he could smell it in the air. Intruder! he scent of cat was fresh and mixed with the stench of twoleg, an odd combination to be so close to the moonpool. He heard the rush of pelts as Littlecloud, Barkface, Kestrelpaw, and Willowshine bounded towards the sacred pool. They were soon followed by Mothwing, Flamepaw, and Jayfeather. Is he alright?”a worried mew came from Mothwing. Jayfeather widened his blind eyes. The cat is still here! He could tell as he padded closer that the tom was fast asleep by the pool of water. He must have ***** from it and took a rest. He’s just sleeping.”Littlecloud voiced Jayfeather’s thoughts. His apprentice, Flamepaw, gave the strange cat a sniff. Ugh!”Flamepaw meowed in disgust. He smells like twolegs!”Jayfeather took another sniff and wrinkled his nose. Yuck! The cat had twoleg stench all over him! It even seemed to be under his fur. Maybe he’s just a kittypet who got lost?”Willowshine mewed. Barkface nodded his grey muzzle. It wouldn’t be the first time.”Jayfeather let out an annoyed growl. He didn’t care whether this was a kittypet or how he got here! This was wasting valuable time with Starclan. Kittypet or not he’s trespassing and we should send him off.”He meowed. No one tried to stop him as raised his paw to give the sleeping cat a hard jab in his shoulder. But Jayfeather didn’t have to. He could feel the cat’s pelt bristled and his muscles tightened. He woke up! Jayfeather jumped back with the other medicine cats with a flurry of movement. The woken cat was bathed in fear scent, probably woken from a nightmare. Are you alright?”Willowshine mewed. She carefully paw-stepped toward the startled cat, trying to calm him, but this only made his fear worse. His fear scent now mixed with shock and confusion. Why-why are you talking?”His voice rose to a constricted yowl. You shouldn’t be talking!” He could hear the cat struggle to his paws, but instead of hearing the usual four paw-steps of a cat running away, he heard the unsteady scrabble of two. The cat was trying to run on his two hind legs! What was wrong with this cat? There was a wail and a splash. The cat must have slipped and fallen into the moonpool. The medicine cats rushed to the edge of the pool, Jayfeather was more worried about the sacred water than the mad cat. More splashing, and there was a terribly cry. Oh no! No, no, no, no, NO! This can’t be happening!”A soggy form rushed unsteadily past Jayfeather yowling and still trying to run on two paws. He and the other medicine cats chased after him, calling out for him to stop. But it was too late. Jayfeather heard the cry and the sickening thud. The moist ground left by the newleaf thaw and the cat’s wet paws made him slip and fall down the steep path from the moonpool. Jayfeather followed the others to where the cat lay. He was still breathing, but he was unconscious from hitting his head on a large rock. “What do we do now?”Kestrelpaw murmured. We can’t just leave him here. Not like this!”Jayfeather could sense their uneasiness. But after seeing, or hearing, a cat act like that he wasn’t surprised. Why did he act like that anyway?”Littlecloud wondered, more to himself than others. Then a whispered mew came from behind them. Maybe there was something in the water?”It was Flamepaw. This thought sent a shiver throughout the medicine cat group. To have their one way of communicating with Starclan tainted was a thought none of them liked. Jayfeather shook his head. How can we be sure of that? It could be that this cat has always been insane. Or we just surprised him after a bad dream?”The truth was that he didn’t want the thought of a poisoned moonpool to stop him from seeing Starclan. He heard Barkface sigh. We can’t be sure, or at least, not until he wakes up.”Jayfeather felt all eyes, including his own, drift towards were the cat lied unconscious. But that could take all night! And he might not even wake up with a head injury like that!”He could feel his anger surging through his paws. Why should they wait to share dreams with Starclan just because a trespassing kittypet? It’s better to be safe than sorry Jayfeather,”Commented Willowshine Maybe Starclan sent this cat to warn us about the water?” The water isn’t poisoned! Jayfeather bit back the remark. He could see that with everyone on edge here, it would be no use convincing them otherwise. The only thing he could do now was play along and hope that Starclan would come to him in his dreams later on. Maybe we should take him to one of our camps?”Kestrelpaw’s mew was interrupted by a growl from Barkface. I hope you don’t expect us to pad up to Onestar and ask for permission to keep a mad cat in our camp!” Kestrelpaw immediately rephrased what he had said. Oo-no! I meant that maybe one of the other clans would take him.” Well Shadowclan certainly can’t take him.”Littlecloud huffed. Blackstar wouldn’t allow it.” Riverclan might take him but, I don’t think it would be wise to move him that far.”meowed Mothwing. Though he was blind Jayfeather could feel their eyes burning on his pelt. He should have expected it would end like this. As soon as he smelled that kittypet’s pelt he could tell that cat would end up in the Thunderclan camp. And for some reason he suspected that the other medicine cats thought this too. Maybe it was Firestar’s reputation for taking in non-clan cats. I guess it’s just down to me.”He sighed. But I’m going to need help carrying him.” Starclan can wait for now. The first thing Tom thought when he regained conciousness was Oh my aching head. His second thought was where am I? And the third and most important thought was what am I? He didn’t open his eyes for fear of what he might see. Of course he didn’t need to see to notice that something was”ifferent. For one thing, he had a tail. It was an odd feeling, to have suddenly sprouted a new appendage. He gave it an experimental twitch. This cant be happening! It had to be a bad dream or some sort of hallucination. It was impossible for a two hundred pound man to turn into a ten pound cat! Tom kept mentally telling himself this, but it wasn’t helping him feel better. The reflection he saw in the pool of water would probably haunt him for the rest of his life. If this was a hallucination, it was a pretty realistic one! He certainly wasn’t imagining this headache! And those cats that were surrounding him when he woke up from that nightmare! They were talking! Just like the ones in his dream. Did that mean he was still dreaming? How was he supposed to know if he was awake? What was he going to do if he was awake? All of these questions confused Tom and made his headache worse. Oh why did I have to run and slip like that?! He cursed himself for overreacting. And his nose wasn’t helping! Wherever he was, it must have been full of plants. He could smell dozens of different types of herbs, not to mention the sandy ground he was laying on, and the air, or the other thousand different things” For goodness sake! How do cats think with all these scents around them? He wondered to himself. Then his ear twitched. Were they supposed to do that? He could hear voices a distance away. Tom let one eye open a crack, and hated himself for doing it. He could see a nose in front of him, his nose. Complete with whiskers and chocolate brown fur. His head was lying on two white paws that were apparently his. He was inside a cave of some kind. There was a little stream of water trickling down a wall in the back of the cave with a tiny pool. The cave walls had cracks filled with herbs of all kinds. There were even herbs stacked on the floor. He heard the voices again, from behind him. Nonchalantly, so no one would notice if they were watching, Tom rolled and moved as though he were still asleep. As if he were just adjusting to a more comfortable position. This was more difficult than Tom thought, considering he still wasn’t used to this new shape. Tom couldn’t here any shouts, so he must have got away with it. He now had a nice view of the entrance to the cave. It was blocked by bramble tendrils yet the morning light still filtered through. I was out all night? He must have hit his head harder than he thought. He could see movement past the plant curtain, and a quick whiff told him that they were cats. Tom tested his new ear muscles until he found out how to point them forward. Now he could tell what the voices were saying. “never heard of a cat trying to run on his hind legs!” I wish I was there to see it. It must have been hilarious!” Oh be nice Berrynose! The poor thing must have been scared to death.” Be quiet! You might wake him up!” The last words were hissed and the other voices were silenced. He closed his eyes just in time when the brambles were pushed aside. They were obviously checking to see if he was still out cold. Convinced, the bramble curtain closed and Tom was alone again. He let out a sigh of relief, and continued listening. Are you sure he’s safe to keep in the camp Jayfeather?” I’m sure there are enough warriors around even if he does make trouble.” Tom’s ears pricked. He remembered that voice! It was that grey wall-eyed cat that found him by the pool. He was one of the cats Tom overreacted”to before he hit his head. What’re they do? Take him prisoner? Whatever was going on, he sure didn’t like the thought of being a prisoner, or being guarded by warrior cats. Heck, he didn’t like the idea of being a cat! None of this should be happening! Tom told himself. Right now he should be in his tent back at the campsite, wondering what to have for breakfast! Not lying in a cave wondering why the heck he had a tail and whiskers! A thought came to him. The tent! Tom opened an eye, hoping to see a possible escape rout. Though he didn’t know what good it would do him or even how to get there, Tom knew he would feel better with familiar surroundings. What he saw was a kitten. It was a light grey and had green eyes. She was staring at him through the cave entrance with curious eyes. Another kitten appeared beside her, a brown and white tabby. Cute, but cute wouldn’t help him escape. Can you see him Dovekit?”the tabby hissed. Yes! I think he’s asleep.”The kitten named Dovekit hissed back. The must not have noticed his half-closed eye staring at them. Is his mouth foaming? I heard crazy cats do that sometimes.”The tabby stretched her neck to get a better look at Tom. I don’t think so Ivykit.”Dovekit squinted in the caves darkness. Tom felt annoyance surge through his paws. These kittens were trying to look at him like they were at some sort of freak show! Well, if they wanted to see a cat go crazy, he’re show them something. Tom closed his eyes and waited, trying to stop twitching his tail. Sure enough, the kittens came inside the cave to get a better view of him. As soon as they were a good distance, Tom acted. He jumped, twisting his body to land on all fours. He did not completely stick the landing, but it didn’t matter. Tom bared his new cat teeth and widened his eyes, making him look insane. He yowled, BOO!”not a truly terrifying cry, but it worked for his purposes. The kits squealed in fright and scrambled to the cave entrance, mewing for help. Tom twitched his whiskers in amusement as he lay back in the sand. He did feel a little bad about what he did, the kittens were just curious like all kids are. But maybe next time they shouldn’t treat him like a circus freak. But he would not have much time to think about that. He could hear footsteps-or paw-steps coming towards the cave. A cat face appeared through the brambles, a light brown tabby, and it was angry. “What do you think you’re doing? Attacking kits like that!”he snarled at Tom. Now Tom could see the resemblance the cat shared with the tabby kitten, this was their dad! Uh-oh. Tom quickly backed into the cave, realizing in fear that this cat could seriously hurt him if he wanted to, and this cat looked like he really wanted to. Tom stumbled, darn it! He still wasn’t used to this body. But before the tabby could advance there was a yowl from behind him. More cats entered, one was a large orange cat with green eyes and the other was the blue-eyed grey cat he had heard outside. What was his name again”ay flapper? Easy Birchfall.”The orange tom growled, Your kits are safe. There is no need to cause any bloodshed.” But he attacked them!”Birchfall hissed in protested as he shot a glare at Tom. I did not!”Tom thought he might as well defend himself while he was in this mess. They were sneaking up and looking at me as though I was some weird bird! The worst thing I did was jump up startle them. Maybe you should teach them some manners if they’re your kits!” Birchfall hissed angrily at Tom, his claws unsheathed. Luckily, the orange tom stepped in between Tom and the furious Birchfall. Why don’t you go check on Dovekit and Ivykit?”he meowed calmly. Reluctantly, Birchfall left the cave. Tom felt his fur lie flat, if only a little. He never noticed it bristled in the first place. The grey cat then padded towards Tom. As the cat moved to sniff Tom’s head he jerked out of the way. After what had happened in his dream, he wouldn’t trust any cat near his face. I’m only checking the bump on your head!”the cat meowed, annoyed. I’m not going to attack you.” Jayfeather is our medicine cat.”The orange cat padded up to them. He is very skilled at healing.” Oh yeah?”Tom snorted. Is that supposed to make me feel better?”He avoided another sniff from Jayfeather and stood up shakily. I appreciate you caring so much about my health and all”ut I have to get going.”He managed to get a few paw-steps away from the two cats and maybe an inch out of the cave entrance until he saw the outside. He was in a giant quarry, and the stone walls seemed to engulf him. The only way out was through a wall of brambles. And there were cats everywhere! As soon as he stepped out of the cave they turned their heads to look at him. At that moment, Tom felt very alone. In his nervousness, Tom forgot where to put each leg. He stumbled and collapsed flat on the ground. Jayfeather rushed out of the cave and looked Tom over. Several other cats came to see what was happening. Tom didn’t resist this time. Everything was so big, and he couldn’t even walk properly. And his nerves were on edge so badly that he felt like bolting half the time! Only one thing was on his mind. What am I going to do now? Jayfeather rushed over to make sure the kittypet hadn’t hurt himself. Again. What was wrong with him? He didn’t appear to have any leg injuries or injuries of any other kind except a bump on the head. Did the twolegs just carry him around for his whole life and he never learned to walk? The cat practically smelled of tension and despair, and the group of clan cats surrounding them wasn’t helping. Firestar must have seen the cat’s tension, because Jayfeather could hear him trying to distract him. This is Thunderclan. I am its leader, Firestar.”Odd. Jayfeather felt the cat shiver as soon as he heard Firestar say clan. Did this kittypet have a bad experience with clans? He now heard the voice of the clan deputy, Brambleclaw. What is your name?” Tom. Tom Freedman.”The cat murmured. Whispers passed through the clans. Such an odd name,”one cat said. A frail yowl came from the elders den. What did he say?”it was Mousefur. The old she-cat was starting to lose her hearing. Poppyfrost’s voice answered her. I think he said he’s a tom named Freed-man!”Well, at least her version made more sense than what he actually said. There were more hissed conversations like Is that what he meant?” Freed-man sounds sort of like a warrior name, I guess.” , and What’s a 僧an”“ Freed-man moved, probably getting into a more comfortable position to speak. Oo.”he meowed. Freedman is just my last name, people call me that only when their being formal. My first name, what most call me by, is Tom.”There was a snort of laughter in the group. Jayfeather recognized it as Berrynose. Ha! A tom named Tom! His parents must have not been that very imaginative.”Some cats laughed. Berrynose was apparently getting over Honeyfern’s death and returned to sneering at other cats. Jayfeather flicked his tail in annoyance. But he was not as annoyed as Tom who raised his voice to Berrynose. Think my name’s funny? What’s your name by the way?”he asked. Berrynose.”He answered. Jayfeather could sense trouble starting again, and almost knew what Tom would say next. Berrynose?”Tom gave a criticizing huff. Oot the fiercest name in the world. I wouldn’t expect the name 腺errynose”to strike fear in the hearts of anyone. It doesn’t suit you at all either. Your nose doesn’t look the least like a berry! No, you look more like a” Don’t say it! Willed Jayfeather, He’ll rip you to shreds if you do! But Tom must have been angry at the mocking of his name, so he went right for a soft spot and said. 套Stumpytail.” Jayfeather grasped Tom’s scruff with his teeth and pulled him inside the medicine cat den before Berrynose could get at him. He could hear Brambleclaw and Brackenfur trying to keep the angry cat from leaping at Tom. How Tom knew Berrynose was sensitive about his tail, only Starclan knew. It isn’t like he didn’t deserve it! Jayfeather never liked Berrynose anyway. When Tom was safely inside, Jayfeather let go and sniffed for poppy seeds, Tom was going to need them for his headache, and flayed nerves. He heard Tom say something. He turned around. What was that?”Jayfeather meowed with a seed-pod in his jaws. I asked why am I here.”Tom asked again. Jayfeather padded up to him and placed the poppy seeds on a leaf before answering. You’re here because last night you were acting crazier than a fox.”He might as well tell the truth. The other medicine cats were afraid that you were poisoned by the water. But since you were unconscious at the moment we had to bring you here until you woke up and tell us what happened. We want to know because”ecause the pool of water is very important to us. You wouldn’t understand.”That pretty much summed everything up. Oow.”He continued. Can you tell me if you felt sick after drinking the water, or any odd dreams that might have made you act like that?” Tom was quiet, either trying to remember or think about an answer. The cat murmured darkly. You really want to know why I was like that when you found me?” It would help.”I just asked you that you fur-ball! Jayfeather forced himself not to hiss. Being rude would do nothing in this situation. Tom was quiet again. What was he thinking about? Was there something he was reluctant to tell him? Something strange did happen last night, but I don’t think it had anything to do with the water.”Tom mewed. Jayfeather relaxed. Well that answered one thing, the moonpool was not tainted. He and the other medicine cats could share dreams with Starclan safely. But that still didn’t explain why Tom had screamed at them, or why he apparently forgot how to walk. What happened?”Jayfeather asked. He was beginning to get curious. But Tom only sighed. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, heck I hardly believe myself.” Jayfeather settled himself in front of Tom. Now he had to hear this. Tom was hiding something and was despairing over it, and something within Jayfeather told him it was important. I’m prepared to listen.” Tom sighed and began his story. Jayfeather was tired. It took a while for Tom to tell him what happened, and it took even longer because Jayfeather would stop him to make him explain some details or things he didn’t understand. For instance, he did not know what a wuman”was, and he wanted to make sure what the cats he described in his dream exactly looked liked. But Tom was very patient and he explained everything in detail. Jayfeather was amazed when Tom, who had never even heard of the clans, described his encounter with Starclan. But that was not nearly as shocking as what Tom had told him right at the beginning of his tale. He was not a kittypet as Jayfeather had thought. Tom was a twoleg. He called himself a human, which must have been twoleg for” twoleg. He had made a temporary den or a tent”as Tom called it, not far from here, and he had been walking in the forest when he became thirsty and had ***** from the moonpool. And from what he told Jayfeather, Tom had been visited by Starclan. They had told him that he had to help save the clans from some unknown danger and the only way he could do that, was in the form of a cat. After Tom had finished Jayfeather said nothing. What could he say? What this cat was suggesting was completely mad! How could Starclan change a twoleg into a cat, and why? Twolegs were the reason the old forest was destroyed! Tom had said that they wanted him because they knew twolegs were very smart, but Jayfeather couldn’t see how. There was just no reason. Tom had to be lying! And yet”nd yet Tom had told it in so much detail, and sureness radiated from him. Jayfeather could tell Tom believed everything he had told him with every fiber of his being. And the most disturbing thing Tom had mentioned, the one thing that made Jayfeather want to believe him, was that Starclan had told Tom that he was meant to help guide the three. Tom could have easily heard about Starclan by just listening to the clan, but Jayfeather knew that only Firestar, Lionblaze, and he knew about the prophecy. So Jayfeather had two choices, he could call Tom insane and give him lots of herbs. Or, he should believe in Tom and find some way to tell Firestar without telling him he knew about the three. There was a yowl from Tom and the thud of paws speeding away. Jayfeather rushed past Tom to the medicine den entrance. There, he could smell the lingering scent of several cats, Icepaw, Poppyfrost, and Ferncloud. Foxdung! Jayfeather looked around with blind eyes, trying to listen for any signs of where the cats had gone, but they had scattered. Probably off to tell Tom’s eccentric story to the rest of the clan. I was so busy telling you what happened, I didn’t notice.”He heard Tom’s mew. It was distant, as if he now knew that the whole clan will think he’s insane in a matter of hours. “It’s not your fault.”Jayfeather tried to give him some comfort. I should have been paying more attention.” There was a sense of waving in the air. Tom must have been shaking his head. Don’t try to lay the blame on yourself. You can’t help it if you can’t see.” Jayfeather gapped at Tom, surprised. You can tell I’m blind?”Hardly anyone ever notices! There was a laugh from Tom. I might be crazy, but I’m not oblivious! But you get along so well without sight; it took me a while to figure it out.” You don’t sound bothered that you’re being taken care of by a blind cat. Aren’t you afraid I might”mix up herbs or give you something that’s poisonous?” I’m bothered by just Becoming a cat! Never mind being surrounded by them!”Tom spat, voice cracking from sadness. I don’t want to be here, I never asked for this! I’re give anything to be a human again and to be out of this nightmare!”Tom stopped as he took a deep breath to calm down a little. But it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice”Besides, I’m pretty sure that if you mistook healing herbs for toxic ones, you wouldn’t be a medicinal cat.” Jayfeather stood there, almost feeling the cat’s pain and sadness shiver through his pelt. At that moment, Jayfeather knew that Tom was telling the truth, even if that meant a twoleg-cat was apart of the prophecy. And hedgehogs might fly. He thought to himself. Jayfeather gave Tom the poppy seeds and when the cat fell fast asleep he left the den. At first he wanted to tell Lionblaze what he had heard but knew he would be out on the dawn patrol. So he then headed towards Firestar’s den, he could at least tell him that the moonpool wasn’t tainted. Then he started to wonder, should he tell Firestar what Tom had told him? As he was thinking this, he passed Daisy sharing tongues with Sorreltail. He then heard a bit of their conversation. And then he said they turned him into a two” Sorreltail caught herself from saying more when she noticed Jayfeather coming, but he had heard enough. The news was spreading like wildfire throughout the whole camp. Soon everyone would know! Jayfeather shook his head. Maybe he wouldn’t need to tell Firestar himself after all. It was past noon when Tom woke up again. He had dreamt that he was a human again, but the size of a kitten, and he was being chased by stars. He had hoped that when he woke up he would be back in his tent in his normal shape. But he was still in the little herb cave with the sounds of cats outside, and he was still a cat. Darn! Those poppy seeds had done their job though. He felt fully rested and calm. Thank you, natures”opium! He turned his head at the sound of tiny paw steps behind him. It was the grey kitten, Dovekit. She was a few inches from the entrance, ready to run incase he tried scaring her again. But she didn’t look scared, just more curious and a little cautious. Back again? Don’t you remember what happened last time you snuck up on me while I was asleep?”he meowed. But Dovekit did not run like Tom expected. You’re not asleep now.”She squeaked. I thought it was kind of funny when you scared us.”Dovekit started to wriggle with excitement; she was getting braver with every sentence. I mean, at first I was scared. But, then I saw how scared my sister was, and I imagined how I must’ve looked, and then I thought it was funny!” In all of his life, Tom would never understand the logic of children. Your father didn’t think it was so funny.”Tom looked through the entrance behind the kit, but Birchfall was nowhere in sight. He could relax a little. Dovekit shuffled her tiny paws on the sandy ground. Oo.”she said meekly. He was kind of angry at you. My mother was mad too, until she saw that we were ok. Birchfall still thinks that you don’t belong here, especially when he heard about you” she averted her eyes, not sure of what to say, but Tom understood. Birchfall must have heard about what he told the medicine cat. But Tom didn’t blame him for feeling that way. Who would want someone insane living so close to their children? Tom hunched his shoulders and lowered his head. With what he had experienced, maybe he was insane? A mew from Dovekit woke him up from his depression. Are you?” Am I what?”he looked at he confused. Insane? Maybe I am.”This made Dovekit’s whiskers twitch with laughter. Oo,”she mewed and looked up at him curiously 殿 twoleg!”This caught Tom off guard. These cats used the word twoleg”to describe humans when they used the same terms as humans for everything else. At least, the things those are not manmade. Well, I prefer the term wuman”but if that’s what you want to call me, then yes. I am-was, a twoleg.”With the word spreading, he might as well tell the truth. Dovekit stared at him with wide eyes, s if he had just turned into a human then and there. Really?”she squeaked. And Starclan turned you into a cat? Prove it! Say something a twoleg would say!”she then gave him the piercing stare that all little kids give you when they are expecting something great. This made Tom feel awkward. What did twolegs say? “Um” he tried to think of the must human saying he could think of. E=mc squared?”Oh well. This is what he got for being a college graduate. But it seemed to work, Dovekit’s eyes widened even more. Wow! What does that mean?” It’s the Mass-energy equivalence. It’s the concept that the mass of a body is a measure of its energy content.”He explained, but all this did was make Dovekit stare at him blankly. Tom sighed. Look, don’t try to make me explain it. You probably wouldn’t understand it anyway.” Dovekit shook her head, as if she was trying to shake the confusion away. Do twolegs really say that?” Mostly the smart ones say that, or the ones trying to sound smart.” Dovekit considered this. Are you a smart one?”Now this made Tom laugh. This was one inquisitive kitten. I guess you could say I am.”He twitched his whiskers. It was an odd feeling. Dovekit stood up on all fours. Say more twoleg things! Please?” Dose this mean you think I’m a twoleg?”He asked, an eyebrow (if he still had them) rose. But before she could answer a yowl sounded from outside the den. Dovekit! Dovekit where are you?!” Dovekit jumped and, with a glance at Tom, ran outside. I’m over here mother! Tom really WAS a twoleg Whitewing! He said a bunch of twoleg words and everything!” Tom groaned. That kit seemed to enjoy getting him into trouble. There was a commotion from outside, and Tom moved a little further away from the entrance of the medicine cave. After what had happened that morning, Tom couldn’t be sure of who, or what would come through the bramble curtain. Luckily, it was only Jayfeather. The blind cat sniffed around. Are you awake?” Yes.”Tom meowed. What’s going on out there?” It’s mostly just a discussion about you.”Jayfeather flicked his tail, he looked flustered. You have become the talk of the clan very quickly.” Oh? And what are they talking about?”Though Tom had a pretty good guess about what they were talking about already. Jayfeather sighed, as if what the other cats were saying was the last thing he wanted to talk about. Well,”he began Berrynose, the cat you insulted, thinks that you’re crazy as a fox and we should chase you out of our territory. Some cats agree with him. Birchfall, you know him already, just thinks you’re dangerous and should leave. But most cats are just curious about you.” Tom looked at Jayfeather. Curious?” “You’re the first non-clan cat to ever have a dream from Starclan after drinking out of the moonpool. Most of the clan wants to talk to you to see if what you said was true, like Dovekit did.” Just then, a head popped in through the entrance of the den. It was a grey tabby she-cat and dangling from her jaws was a dead mouse. Yuck! Tom felt his stomach lurch, these were wildcats all right. The she-cat dropped her burden and spoke to Jayfeather. I heard that he woke up, and I thought he’re be hungry.” That was kind of you Cinderheart.”Jayfeather meowed. She greeted Tom in a friendly mew, Hello.”And she pushed the mouse towards him, I just caught it this morning.”She added proudly. Tom, with out meaning to, shied away from the dead rodent. Cinderheart gave him a hurt, and somewhat annoyed, look. What’s wrong? Aren’t you hungry?” Jayfeather, always to the rescue stepped in. Ah, maybe he is not used to eating mice?”he ventured. Tom nodded his head. I’m not trying to be rude or anything. It certainly looks like a nice” he looked at the mouse, trying not to be sick. Bloated”dead mouse.” Cinderheart’s look went from hurt to amusement. Oh, I get it.”She meowed. I suppose twolegs don’t eat mice?”she asked playfully. Oever.”Tom nodded. We prefer cows, or chicken.”He was desperate to not think about the carcass in front of him. Jayfeather’s ears twitched. I don’t think there are any of those here. But we do have mice, voles, squirrels, and the occasional birds, unless you’re not hungry.” In truth, Tom was starving! But the idea of eating a rodent, which was probably covered in diseases, raw! It made his skin crawl, but it was the only food here and he couldn’t afford to offend these cats by wrinkling his nose at it. Tom gave the creature a sniff, Ugh! It smelled”ead, and yet slightly like the forest. To his surprise, his mouth watered. His senses must be going native. Maybe his taste buds did too. He opened his mouth to take a bite, but then stopped, unsure of the technique. I always hated this part in Fearfactor! There was a meow from the left of him. Oormally we start at the belly.” He looked at Cinderheart, who was watching him like a teacher watches a pupil. Um, thanks.”He muttered. He closed his eyes and took a bite. Thankfully, Starclan had given him a cat’s taste as well as a cat’s body. The mouse actually didn’t taste that bad! The bloody texture and fur was a little odd and eating the feet was a little awkward, but he could stomach it. Tom soon finished the mouse in a few gulps and before he knew it, Tom was cleaning the remnants off his paws and face with his tongue. He heard Cinderheart gasp and he noticed what he was doing. He stopped licking his paws immediately. What’s wrong with me?! Was he forgetting that he was a human so soon? Your paws,”Cinderheart whispered, 鍍here’s something wrong with your paws!” Tom looked at her with confusion, and then followed her gaze to his white paws. At first they looked like any other cat’s paws but upon further inspection, there was something odd about his. Normal cats have five toes on their front paws and four on their back, but his”Tom’s front paws had six. Or more like”ive and a half. The larger sixth toe on each paw completely concealed the smaller underdeveloped fifth toe. To Tom, his paws looked like furry little hands. He moved the extra toes experimentally. Not quite as prehensile as human thumbs, but still flexible. Was this some sort of joke? Tom thought nastily. Those star-cats turning me into a cat, but letting me keep my thumbs?! Jayfeather moved closer to Tom and held out his paw. Realizing what the blind cat was trying to do, Tom held out his own. Jayfeather sniffed Tom’s paws and felt them with his pads, trying to get a good image in his head. When he was done examining Jayfeather spoke. I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”He meowed solemnly. I have.”Tom looked at his paws again in fascination. Humans, I mean, twolegs call it polydactyl.”Seeing the cats confused expressions he added, It means extra toes.” Is it normal?”Cinderheart asked eyeing his paws. The toes must have made her uncomfortable. It’s just a harmless birth defect.”Tom shrugged I’ve heard that there was a whole colony of cats with extra toes in Florida.” Floor-**?”Jayfeather tilted his head. Oever mind, it’s a place very far away.”Tom sighed. He would have to be carful at what he said. Although these cats were more advanced than he had ever expected for felines, they were still cats. The only problem is” Tom continued. I wasn’t born with six fingers, or toes.”There was an uncomfortable silence in the cave. Tom couldn’t blame them if they felt uncomfortable with the thought of sprouting new toes in one night. He then silently hoped than when, and if, he turned back into a human that he wouldn’t end up with six fingers. Jayfeather finally broke the silence. Maybe Starclan is trying to tell you something.”He meowed thoughtfully. You do have a star on your chest.”Cinderheart added. This caught Tom off-guard. What?” The spot on your chest.”She poked Tom roughly. It looks like a star. Everyone in the clan noticed it when Jayfeather and the other medicine cats brought you to the camp.” Tom looked at his furry white chest, and sure enough, there was a dark spot where his heart should be. It had five points and if you had a good enough imagination, it looked like a star. Oh, that’s just a birthmark. I’ve always had that.”He shrugged. You mean, as a twoleg?”Jayfeather asked. He and Cinderheart seemed to jump with surprise. What.”Tom twitched his whiskers in amusement. You think that I was touched by Starclan”since birth?” That’s exactly what I think.”There was no amusement in Jayfeather’s voice. Before Tom could argue, he was interrupted. There was a yowl from outside. Tom recognized it as the leader of the clan, Firestar. Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join together beneath Highledge!” Without a word, Cinderheart left through the den entrance. What’s going on?”Tom asked as Jayfeather stood up to leave too. Clan meeting.”He answered. I have to go.” Tom, not wanting to be left out, got up on all fours. Would it be alright if I come? I need to get out of this cave!” Jayfeather looked towards him skeptically. Can you even walk?” Tom almost wished Jayfeather could see the scowl he was giving him. He had been studying how cats moved to the point where he knew how to move his feet. Tom shrugged. I can try.” Lionblaze sat beneath Highledge as other cats gathered for a clan meeting. He had just arrived from a hunting party when he heard Firestar’s call. As he sat there, he noticed Cinderheart coming out of the medicine cat den. She had gone in there to give that odd cat, Tom, a mouse that she had caught. As generous as that was, he felt that she should be thinking of the clan first. Lionblaze knew that what the grey she-cat really wanted was to find out a little more about Tom. During the hunting trip, Dustpelt had told them about Tom thinking he was really a twoleg, turned into a cat by Starclan! Supposedly, Dustpelt heard this from his mate Ferncloud, who had been listening to a conversation between Tom and Jayfeather. It was easy to call this cat crazy, but the story was so interesting that everyone in the hunting party listened intently. The twoleg-cat’s story must have been the most popular piece of gossip in Thunderclan history. Almost every one of his clan-mates was huddled in a small group whispering to each other. When they saw Cinderheart padding from the medicine den, her friend, Poppyfrost, rushed towards her. Probably to bombard her with questions about Tom, Lionblaze thought to himself. The only good thing about Tom was that he diverted attention away from Leafpool and Squirrelflight. The two she-cats were suffering from the effects from his sister’s outcry at the last gathering. Leafpool was trying her best to be a warrior, and Brambleclaw had not spoken to his mate Squirrelflight since the gathering. Now this newcomer has distracted the clan from the two sisters and they could finally be apart of Thunderclan once again. He could even see the clan deputy sitting besides Squirrelflight now. Lionblaze looked up at his kin, Firestar, sit up on Highledge. He was watching the Thunderclan cats surrounding the stone wall, waiting. Why was he waiting to start the meeting? Cinderheart and Poppyfrost now padded up to where Lionblaze sat and took their place beside him. The two she cats were still talking in hushed meows. Before he could eavesdrop, Lionblaze saw movement from the medicine cat’s den. It was Jayfeather. Of course! Firestar must have been waiting for the Thunderclan medicine cat to start the meeting. But Jayfeather was not alone. Following behind him on shaky legs was Tom. There was a hush through the clan as heads turned to look. Tom padded on through the stares and whispers, his pawsteps growing more steady and confident. Now that he was in the light of sunhigh, Lionblaze had a better look at him. Tom was dark brown on most of his pelt, and had white paws with a white chest and underbelly. He also had a brown spot on his white chest and sky-blue eyes. He was surprisingly muscular for a cat that could barley walk the first time Lionblaze saw him. There was a hiss from the crowd, probably Berrynose; the tom was still cross from Tom’s insult. Tom heard the hiss, but he only held his head higher as he sat under Highledge next to Jayfeather. The next outburst was a squeak coming from the nursery. There he is! There’s my friend Tom!”it was Dovekit. She and the other kits were peaking through the nursery entrance with wide eyes before the queens shooed them back in. There were some purrs of amusement from some clan-cats, including Lionblaze. For the whole morning, Dovekit had been telling the whole clan how she was friends with a twoleg-cat and that he would tell her all the twoleg secrets. Firestar then let out a yowl from above, and the meeting began. “Cats of Thunderclan,”Firestar’s voice boomed. I have become aware of a certain rumor that has been spreading throughout the clan. A rumor about our guest, Tom Freedman, now, I will not have my clan become like a bunch of gossiping elders,”Firestar continued. So I must ask of you, Tom,”Their leader looked down at the brown and white tom 妬f you would like to clear up this misunderstanding? Perhaps a passing listener misheard you when you were talking to Jayfeather.” The whole clan was silent, their gaze drifted onto Tom, who sat quietly, watching Firestar. Lionblaze doubted that Ferncloud, Icepaw, and Poppyfrost all misheard their conversation. Firestar probably doubted that too, but Lionblaze could tell that his leader was trying to save Tom from persecution. Tom sat up straight, and looked every cat in the eye. Was he planning something? Tom then meowed in a clear voice. I’m sorry sir. But there is no misunderstanding. I was a twoleg.”The words seemed to echo throughout the Thunderclan camp. Your Starclan ancestors came to me in a dream after I drank from your sacred waters, and they changed me into a cat. I am not sure why they have done this, but I am sure that it was for an important reason! Now, you all may think I am insane; I wouldn’t blame you if you did. But if I am anything, I am not a liar! What I am telling you now is the truth, and nothing other than the truth. Believe what you want to believe.” And then Tom stood up and started to pad off, some cats quietly moved to clear a path for him, but he was stopped by a call from the elders den. Wait!”called Mousefur. Tom blinked and padded over to the old she-cat, Yes?” Twoleg or not,”Mousefur huffed. I might not get another chance to ask something that has been on my mind for moons, and you’re probably the only one who can answer me.”And she looked Tom squarely in the eyes and growled. Why did the twolegs destroy my old home?”Lionblaze’s ears pricked, along with several others. He had heard stories about the old forest and how twolegs and their monsters tore it to the ground. Tom looked at her blankly but with kindness. Your old home? Where was it?” Mousefur flicked her tail in the direction of the tribe. Far away, beyond those mountains. There was a forest there, with moorlands, swamps and a river.”Her eyes clouded in remembrance of her beloved home. It was near a twoleg place, and a treecut place and a thunderpath. There were four giant oaks near the center of the forest, where all four clans would gather.”Then her voice darkened. And then the twolegs cut down the trees, dried the river, poisoned the rabbits in the moor, and trapped dozens of cats.”Mousefur stared at Tom with hurt and angry eyes. Why would they do such a thing?”There were yowls in agreement coming from the senior warriors. Why?!”that yowl came from Dustpelt. Another from Squirrelflight, What did we ever do to twolegs?!”and more continued. What gave them the right?!” Didn’t they even care?” And on and on they continued, Tom flattened his ears and closed his eyes in thought, or was it sorrow for the cats that had lost their home? Lionblaze almost felt sorry for him. Instead of thinking he was mad, Thunderclan might actually believe him and release their anger of twolegs out on him! Firestar yowled Silence!”and the Thunderclan quieted, tails thrashing, waiting for Tom to answer. I did have some friends who lived near a forest that was recently cut down.”He began. Supposedly a new highway had to be built, and that forest area was the most ideal place to build it.” What is a wighway ““Firestar meowed curiously. It’s a big road.”Tom sounded strained. You know, the big long paths covered in the black rock-like stuff?” Oh!”Yowled Sorreltail I think he means a thunderpath!” If that’s what you want to call it then yes, a really big thunderpath, and your forest had to be cleared to build it.”Tom sighed. Wait, twolegs make those?”Cloudtail spoke in disbelief. Why? Don’t they attract monsters?” Monsters?”It was Tom’s turn to be confused. Lionblaze decided it was his turn to speak. They’re the big creatures with shining pelts that run on the thunderpaths. Funny, I thought twolegs knew all about them.”Maybe this proved that Tom wasn’t much of a twoleg after all. But Tom’s eyes cleared after he described monsters. Ah, sorry, we twolegs”call them cars. We ride in them all the time, in fact, I own one myself.” All of Thunderclan gasped and seemed to jump back from Tom like he had some sort of disease. Ride in them?!”spat Greystripe, Why would you do that, much less keep them like kittypets?” Aren’t you afraid that it’ll eat you?”meowed Poppyfrost in awe. Tom actually snorted and replied. Oo! Why would I be? They’re not alive!” Lionblaze, along with everyone else, gaped at him in shock and disbelief. He had seen those monsters run at him with their glowing eyes, roaring! How could they not be alive?! Brackenfur asked Tom this very question and Tom just shrugged. A leaf flies in the wind, and it’s not alive. Cars are just hunks of metal that we humans designed to move us from one place to another.”Tom looked so certain as he said this, Lionblaze almost felt like believing him. We put a liquid into a part of the car, where it can burn. That creates the energy that the car uses to move. All I have to do is steer the car into the direction I want to go, and it will take me their!” This is insane!”Berrynose, who was near the back of the crowd, growled, How do we know this cat isn’t just making stuff up as he goes along?”It was a good question, and Lionblaze had been wondering that himself. Tom could just be some kittypet making up a huge story with the stuff he heard from twolegs just for fun. Or he could just be a cat that was mad as a fox, and believed everything he was saying. Or, a thought came from the deeper part in his mind, he’s not mad, and could be telling the truth! He shook the thought away, it was too impossible. There was no way, and no reason, Starcaln could turn a twoleg into a cat! Unless you can prove it, I say that you’re a liar!”sneered Berrynose. He had made his way through the river of clan mates and was mouse lengths away from Tom. Tom took a step back, but he wasn’t afraid, or was not showing it. Fine.”Tom twitched his tail. If you want proof then that is what you will get.”He then addressed Thunderclan with a loud meow. You already know that I have a car, but I wouldn’t drive it in this state. I also have a tent not far from here with some more of my twoleg belongings! Take me there, and I’ll show you how they work.” But Firestar shook his head. I’m sorry, but that place is on the Shadowclan border. They consider it their territory and a patrol would attack if they saw us there.” Then take me back to the moonpool.”Tom tried again. I had a backpack that carried some of my things before all of this happened. Maybe it is still there?” Firestar considered this for a moment before deciding, Very well. I want three warriors to come with you. Jayfeather, you should go as well. You can take a message to Mudface that the moonpool is not tainted, as to the other medicine cats as well. You may take another warrior to accompany you.”And with that Firestar ended the clan meeting before jumping off of highledge. Firestar then padded to the Thunderclan deputy, Brambleclaw, I want you to take Cloudtail and Lionblaze with Tom to the moonpool. Jayfeather can bring Cinderheart in case you meet a Windclan hunting party on the way.” Lionblaze almost jumped at the mention of his name. Finally, he could do something! Tom gave him a friendly nod as he and the other warriors at the camp entrance. And maybe on the way I could ask Jayfeather to use his gift to find out more about Tom. He thought as he followed Brambleclaw out towards the moonpool. Tom pulled at the strap of his backpack through the bramble entrance. They had traveled to the moonpool and found his bag without any problems or a run in with 糎ind-clan.”A rival clan perhaps? It seems these cats had a lot of those. His backpack was in a small patch of grass, completely undamaged. The only hard part was getting the bloody thing back to the camp. He and that golden tabby Lionblaze had managed to slip the straps of the backpack over their chest so they could pull it forward while the two other warriors, Brambleclaw and Cloudtail, pushed it from behind. Jayfeather and Cinderheart however, had to leave the group to speak to the Windclan medicine cat and could not stay to help drag their prize back to Thunderclan. And as he was pulling the heavy bag over twisted roots and through thorny bushes he couldn’t help but wonder, why? Tom knew very well that he could just up and bolt, leaving these strange cats and their clans, and head back towards his campsite. He had gotten used to padding around on all fours, and he knew with practice that he could run without tripping. Why should he care what those cats thought of him? Tom could just run and they would never think of him again! He might even be able to find a doctor, a scientist, or even a priest! Anyone that could help him out of this mess would do! He hissed as a bramble thorn scratched into his side. Running would be better than this! But, he knew all too well that even if he did run, if he did find someone, what would he say? How would he say it? Tom was sure he couldn’t speak English anymore. His new cat mouth and vocal chords wouldn’t allow it. He could try; Tom did remember seeing some funny videos showing cats speaking words on the internet, but then what? If he tried to pad up to someone and tell them what happened to him they would probably think; 前h look, someone has taught this kitty to say words! How funny!”or 選s someone trying to joke with me? Where’s that voice coming from?”or, and this one scared him, 選 wonder how much money I can get for a talking cat?” No. Tom knew there was no way he could rely on human help. If anything, he would end up in a veterinarian’s office getting poked and prodded and cut into. Or worse, Tom shuddered, Fixed. Didn’t those star-cats say that he was meant to help these cats? If they could turn him into a cat, maybe they could turn him back? That was why he had to do stuff like pulling a backpack through a tunnel of brambles. He had to show these cats that he was telling the truth, and that they could trust him. And once they trusted him, all he had to do was help three super cats save the clans from some unseen danger. Then that Starclan would turn him back into a human and he could get on with the rest of his life. How the heck am I supposed to do that!? He and Lionblaze gave the backpack one last tug and it burst through the camp entrance, with Cloudtail and Brambleclaw pushing behind it. Finally!”Cloudtail gasped and flopped himself on the ground beside it. Oext time there’s a mission to retrieve something Brambleclaw, remind me to stay out of it.”He huffed. A white she-cat with ginger patches padded up to Cloudtail, purring, and began to groom his fur. She had a huge scar across her face and seemed to be missing an eye. Tom averted his gaze, not wanting to stare, and focused his attention on his bag. It smelled fresh from being left out all night. He could smell the grass it had been laying in, the pungent scents of the forest they had dragged it through, even a little bit of himself. Whew! Did he really smell like that? Or was that his old scent? His human scent. He breathed in the smells deeply and could actually taste them on the roof of his mouth! Smell anything interesting?”a voiced meowed from behind him. Tom turned his head and saw the tom Lionblaze. He was a young cat, in human terms he would probably be in his late teens. He, like most of the cats here, had battle scars. One was on his ear. Tom was pretty sure they weren’t getting those from each other. Oh, I’m just not used to smelling this many things at once.”Tom muttered. Lionblaze padded over to Tom’s backpack and gave it a sniff. What’s it made out of? Some sort of weird pelt?”he wrinkled his nose. Just a tough cloth. It’s like the stuff humans make their clothes out of.”Tom explained but that only made Lionblaze ask another question. What are clothes”“ Sheesh, do I have to explain everything?! Humans don’t have pelts or fur.”He sighed. So we have to make our own out of plant material or other animal fur to stay warm. We call them cloth or clothes.” Lionblaze nodded, satisfied with Tom’s explanation as he examined the bag. More and more of the Thunderclan cats came and sniffed the backpack, curious about the alien object in their camp. Berrynose was among them. Well?”he sniffed. Show us that you’re a twoleg, unless of course, you have been lying to us all along.” Tom smirked and twitched his tail. I’ll do more than that Stumpytail. He then hooked his thumb-claw onto the zipper and pulled, opening the backpack. The cats watched intently as Tom then stuck his whole torso into the backpack and rummaged through the contents inside. He was glad to find that everything was in there, wallet, his green sweater, a bag of beef jerky, binoculars, a camera, sunglasses, and a first-aid kit. He pulled these things out one at a time for the clan cats to look at, and then he opened the backpack’s front zipper to dive in again. In there he found his cell phone, IPod, some granola bars, sunscreen, and his car keys. These he also pulled out, but his cell phone and IPod he set down with more care. When he peaked out of his bag, done with his searching, he saw several cats sniffing his jerky. Careful.”He warned. It’s spicy.” The jerky was left alone and cats of Thunderclan made a wide circle around Tom, waiting for the show to start. Tom looked at his items, while not great, he could still use them. But first”he needed to make sure what he would do was believable. Is there any cat here that has been around humans before?”he asked around. There was a few mutterings and a pale grey she-cat stepped forward. I have.”She said. Ah, good!”he beckoned her closer with his paw. What’s your name?” Millie.”A pet name, he thought, she’ll be perfect. Well, Millie all I need you to do is watch me closely and if I do something that reminds you of a human, say it loudly for everyone to hear, alright?” Millie nodded and set herself down comfortably, paws tucked neatly under her, and watched intently. Ok. Tom reached for his new digital camera and carried it over to Millie by its strap in his mouth, he was sure it wasn’t this heavy when he was human! He then placed a few feet it in front of Millie and turned it on. Her ears were pricked with interest. He bent over it and looked at the screen, making sure Millie was in the center of the shot. Checking to make sure the flash was on; he then took one toe and pressed the camera button. The flash of the camera made several cats yowl or jump in surprise, Millie just blinked from the bright light. A dark grey tom came rushing to Millie, concern filling his yellow eyes. Millie!”he meowed worriedly. Millie are you alright? What did he do?” Millie blinked again and shook her fur. Oh I’m fine.”She purred at the tom’s caring sniffs. My housefolk used to do that to me all the time. It got quite annoying actually.” Tom couldn’t help smirking as he noticed the whispers among the cats. Did you hear that? She said her twoleg’s did that all the time!箔That doesn’t prove anything. A twoleg could have taught him that!” I don’t know”hy would a twoleg teach a cat to do”hatever that was?” "What was that? A lightning box?" Maybe he was a twoleg.” Tom brought the camera over to Millie and her friend and set it down in front of them. All I did was take a picture.”He meowed to the grey tom. It’s completely harmless, look.”He showed the two cats the screen of the camera and the picture he took of Millie. It was a good picture; you could even see the cats that were behind her. The tom gaped at the picture and looked at Millie. It’s you!”he meowed in disbelief. How did it do that?” It’s kind of hard to explain.”Tom didn’t feel like explaining how cameras worked to cats who thought cars were living things. Let’s just say it makes a reflection like the surface of the water makes. Only better and you can keep this reflection. In fact” Tom pressed 'menu' on the camera and selected a previous picture that his friend, Matt, took of him before he even went camping. That’s me as a human.”It wasn’t a full shot of him, only a torso shot. He remembered the day his friend took it. He was at a party on the beach and everyone was having a great time. He wasn’t wearing a shirt in the picture, and he had a beer in his hand. His short dark hair was blown back in the wind while he smiled at the camera, blue eyes shining. Life was good that day. He sighed deeply, wishing he could be there now, happy. The circle of cats got closer to see what they were staring at. One by one they looked at the picture of Tom, then to Tom himself. When Berrynose saw the picture, he only snorted a reply. That could be any twoleg! Show us some real proof.” He has the paws of a twoleg.”Meowed someone. It was a light brown tabby, with amber eyes. She was gazing down at the picture with a clouded expression. He also has the same mark on his chest, look.”She pointed at the picture, eyes followed to where she was indicating and heads leaned closer for a better look. In the picture, on his chest where his heart would be, was a birth mark with five points. It was a star. Firestar was last to look at the picture and when he did he turned to Tom. Would you mind showing us your chest Tom.”He asked politely. Tom obeyed, and puffed out his chest, he knew what they would see, so he wasn’t surprised by their gasps. Some even moved farther back from Tom. This time Berrynose was silent. All was silent until a proud mew sounded from the direction of the clan’s nursery. I told you he was telling the truth!”Dovekit was quickly shushed and hustled back into the nursery, but her outcry seemed to break the spell of silence that had grasped Thunderclan. With numerous odd glances at Tom, the cats dispersed, off to discuss what they had just learned. Firestar padded past Tom and beckoned with his tail to follow him. He followed the clan leader to what he guessed was the leader’s den. Inside Firestar sat down facing Tom in the dark cave, eyes closed in thought. Today has been a very strange day for me.”He finally spoke. For instance, it’s not every day that I get to speak to a twoleg in my own den.” So you do believe me?”Tom looked at the fiery cat hopefully. The fading sun made him glow red. No wonder he’s called Firestar. The Thunderclan leader sighed. I honestly don’t know what to believe. But, what else am I supposed to do? You provided powerful evidence and now we have to deal with the consequences.” Consequences?” When you first came to the clan last night, everyone just thought you were insane.”Firestar meowed. We could understand that. It’s not unusual for a mind to unravel, when they learned that you said that you were a twoleg some even went along with the idea for fun. But then you started to make sense. You appear marked by Starclan, even though you never even heard of it before, you said things a normal cat wouldn’t say, you even proved your difference with actions.”He sighed. And now everyone knows that there is a twoleg in our camp, something that almost every cat here was taught to fear. You saw how some reacted when they only thought you were telling the truth.” Tom recalled the cats bombarding him with questions to why their old home was destroyed. He gulped at the thought of every cat here doing the same. And the other three clans that surround this lake are not as kind as this one.”Firestar growled. If word of this spreads, they might not enjoy the idea of a twoleg-cat living amongst them. And they unfriendly enough to us as it is. Do you understand what I am telling you Tom?” Tom nodded. He had been so concerned to get these cats to believe him that he never thought about what would happen when they did. He could tell these cats hated each other for just being from another clan or being a pet. Imagine what they would do to someone who was once a completely different species! Jayfeather and Cinderheart padded back to camp by moonhigh that night. Even though Jayfeather knew that most of the clan was sleeping, he could sense the tension. Something had happened while he was gone. Jayfeather!” He heard pawsteps coming toward him and the scent of his brother Lionblaze drifted through his nose. What did I miss?”Jayfeather asked. His brother was radiating stress. Lionblaze sighed. Well, you know how Tom said he would prove to everyone that he was telling the truth?”He sounded hesitant, like he didn’t want to talk about it. Yes?”Cinderheart prompted Lionblaze to continue. She was just as curious as Jayfeather. He did.”Lionblaze meowed exhaustedly. He showed us this”mage of a twoleg that he said was him, as a twoleg. At first, no one believed him but”then Leafpool noticed how he had paws like a twoleg and” Jayfeather heard Lionblaze shake his head, as if to shake the memory away. Then she noticed how Tom and the twoleg both had the same mark on their chests. The mark that looks like a star” The three cats stood there in stone quiet thought. Cinderheart mewed goodnight to the two toms and headed to the warriors den, when she was out of sight, Jayfeather turned to Lionblaze. How did the clan react?”he questioned. He wanted to know everything. Most are just shocked, like me. Dovekit’s having a great time now that she’s friends with a twoleg.”His brother gave an attempt at a purr of amusement but failed. Berrynose and some others still think Tom’s crazy. They don’t want to believe that something like this could happen” And who could blame them?”Jayfeather sighed. It seemed like the whole world was going mad. Where is Tom now?” In your den. Firestar thought it would be the safest place.” For us or for him? Jayfeather said goodnight to his brother and headed for his den. Like his brother had said, he could hear the quiet snore of Tom at the far side of the cave. The cat, or twoleg-cat, twitched restlessly in his sleep. Just like the night Jayfeather found him. He wondered what this strange tom dreamed. But then again, he didn’t have to wonder. Jayfeather recalled the request Lionblaze had asked of him only hours ago. He had wanted Jayfeather to walk in Tom’s dreams to find out more about him. At first he felt annoyed that his brother would ask him to use his powers for such a trivial thing, but the more he thought about it the more he wanted to try it himself. Tom did say that Starclan said he was meant to help the three. If Tom was really sent by Starclan to help us, Jayfeather reasoned, then it would be important to find out everything about him. Jayfeather curled up beside the sleeping form of Tom, shutting his eyes and copying Tom’s breathing. Slowly he began to tire, and soon Jayfeather drifted off into the world of dreams. When Jayfeather opened his eyes and he was surrounded by trees. The night sky shimmered with stars as he stretched his legs. When he was done, he sniffed the air and found Tom’s scent. It was a mixture of cat and twoleg, though every time he smelled it, the twoleg sent seemed fainter. As if he was becoming more”attish. Jayfeather began to follow the scent that would lead him to Tom’s mind, quickening his pace whenever the smell became stronger. He began to run, almost in excitement, jumping over logs and through the undergrowth of the forest. While he ran, Jayfeather noticed that the forest around him was changing, the trees were thinning and there were less ferns or bushes. Ahead of him, Jayfeather could see a mist, clouding the way ahead. That must be it. Jayfeather ran faster, ready to dive into Tom’s subconscious. Just a few tail-lengths away from the mist, a figure jumped out right in front of him! Jayfeather skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into the cat. He recognized it as the old Thunderclan medicine cat, Yellowfang. What do you want?”he hissed at the elderly she-cat. Can’t she leave me alone for one second? I’m only here to stop you from charging head-first into dangerous territory.”Yellowfang growled. Do you really think you can go into a twoleg’s dreams without any problems?” So it’s true.”Jayfeather’s fur bristled. Tom was a twoleg!” Yellowfang shook her starry head. Oo,”she meowed. He may look like a cat, but he is still a twoleg at heart and mind. You can never change who you really are Jayfeather, you can change on the outside but never on the inside.” Is that what you did to Tom?”Jayfeather looked past Yellowfang into the mist beyond. If I could just get past her” Yellowfang nodded, though she looked less than pleased with the idea. I didn’t want to do it.”She looked behind her, to where Jayfeather was staring. What kind of cat would turn to a twoleg for help?”she spat, disgusted. But Pinestar said assured us that only a twoleg would be able to aid us. That they were intelligent and perfect survivors, and of course there was the prophecy” her voice trailed off and she dropped her head, tired. It was then he noticed how thin she was, and her pelt didn’t shine as much like Starclan cats should. What happened to you? You look” Jayfeather searched for a proper word. Drained.” Yellowfang shook her muzzle, as if to shake away the exhaustion. It takes a lot of energy to change something’s shape. All of Starclan is in the same shape as I am. But in a few days we will have our strength again.”She didn’t sound entirely sure, but she also didn’t look like she would discuss it any longer. You mentioned a prophecy. Which prophecy?”was it about the three? But Yellowfang only growled, That is none of your concern! Now leave before you do something you’ll regret!” Oo!”he hissed back. Oot until I find out what I want to know.”He tried to pass Yellowfang but she moved to block his path. Tom’s mind is greater than you think!”she meowed a warning. You padding through his dreams would be like a tadpole swimming through the waters of the sun-drown-place.” Jayfeather ignored the elder medicine cat and jumped around her at full speed. Yellowfang yowled for him to stop but it was too late, he had already dived head-first into the mists of Tom’s dreams. It was like diving into thick mud and almost felt fuzzy. He pushed his way through the white fog for what seemed like ages until, quite suddenly, it ended. Jayfeather almost stumbled as he forced his way through the cloudy barrier. What he saw made his eyes widen. Jayfeather had never been inside a twoleg den, but from what he had heard from other warriors, this must have been one. It was a boxlike cave, with strange objects spread around it. He heard a sudden noise and, being tense enough as it is, dived under one of the objects. There were twolegs in the den, sitting on what looked like large soft boulders. The twolegs were laughing at something. He slid closer to the twolegs from under his hiding place to see what they were looking at. It was Tom. This was the first time Jayfeather could actually see what Tom looked like and it was almost sad. Tom was rushing from twoleg to twoleg, yowling for them to listen to him. It’s me!”he cried to an elderly twoleg. Mother, it’s me! Tom! Your son! Can’t you understand me?”but the twoleg that was supposedly his mother only laughed that loud twoleg laugh and reached down to stroke Tom’s head. Such a cute kitty.”She said. Jayfeather was shocked to hear a twoleg actually speak. Apparently he could understand their strange language in Tom’s dreams. Tom ducked away from his mother’s hand and turned to two other twolegs. Sarah, Mike, don’t you remember me? It’s me, Tom!”he yowled desperately. We went to college together! Remember the party we had last summer?”The twoleg, who Jayfeather guessed was Mike, shoved Tom aside with his foot. Can’t you do anything about this cat? It’s getting on my nerves.” If the cat’s annoying you then put him outside.”The last twoleg, Sarah, sighed. I wish Tom would get here.” I AM here!”Tom cried. But the twoleg called Mike had picked up Tom by the scruff and was moving his way towards a wooden flap in the wall that, when the twoleg opened it, swung inward. Tom was set down roughly outside the twoleg den. OO!”Tom cried as the twoleg slammed the opening shut. The sound echoed through the den and the scenery changed. It was as if the dream was an image in water that was suddenly stirred. The den along with the twolegs lost shape and were dissolved in the torrent. Jayfeather had to close his eyes from the dizzying images and waited for the spinning to stop. Only when all felt calm again did he open his eyes. He was in the forest, but this one felt larger, darker, and more foreboding. There were stars here but these were comfortless. Was this how Tom saw the forest? He saw the brown tom just then, huddled to himself in lonely misery. Jayfeather took a cautious pawstep towards him. Tom?”he meowed. Tom spun around, ears flattened and tail thrashing. What do you want?”he hissed. Jayfeather jumped back from him. What was his problem? Tom was giving Jayfeather a horrible glare. As if he had done something to make Tom miserable. I-I just wanted to ask you some questions.”Jayfeather meowed indignantly. Tom huffed Of course you do.”and jumped up the nearest tree. He climbed, a little better than Jayfeather would expect, and perched himself on one of the lower branches. When he looked down at him there was a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. Aren’t you that medicine cat? What was your name again” he paused to remember. Jayfeather?” Yes!”Jayfeather meowed. I need to ask you” But Tom interrupted him. Haven’t I told you enough already?”he looked at Jayfeather curiously. Aren’t you supposed to be blind?” Jayfeather thrashed his tail in annoyance. Foxdung! Why can’t he just answer me?! That doesn’t matter!”he growled at Tom. Just tell me what you know about The Three!” I told you before, I don’t know anything.”Tom crouched down and glared at Jayfeather. Even if I did know, why should I tell you anything? The only thing you have done is made my life worse.” I want to help you.”Jayfeather meowed. If you don’t know about the three then can you at least tell me if you know anything about a prophecy?” I don’t believe in prophecies.”Tom answered. Then again I never believed in people being turned into cats either.” What about your birthmark?”Jayfeather prompted. Had anyone ever told you it meant something?” Sure,”Tom joked. To my mother it meant I was a rising star. Sorry if some humans don’t take omens seriously.” Jayfeather spat at Tom, How could you make fun of this? This is more important than you think!”Jayfeather continued. You may think it’s the end of the world because you’re a cat now, but maybe it’s an improvement!” Improvement!?”Tom yowled. Before Jayfeather could even run, Tom jumped from the branch to the ground in front of him, changing in midair. Tom stretched and grew until he landed with a thundering stop as a fully formed twoleg. Jayfeather yowled in fright and ran for his life, but was stopped by a stone wall that rose from the ground like a tree. He stopped and watched as the wall grew higher than he could jump. Jayfeather could here Tom’s booming twoleg voice from behind him. Let me show you how 訴mproving”my life is like!” Starclan help me! He turned around and saw Tom’s large paw coming toward him. He tried to claw at it but found he couldn’t move! Tom picked up Jayfeather by his scruff and held him up at eye level. Jayfeather willed himself to struggle but still found himself still paralyzed. I’m not going to hurt you.”Tom told him. I just want you to know what I’m going through.” And with that, Tom grabbed Jayfeather by the tail and pulled. But instead of tearing off, like Jayfeather expected, he felt himself stretching. He yowled as his legs grew longer than cats legs were meant to grow and his fur shrank into his skin. His vision clouded for a moment as the surroundings in Tom’s dreams changed again. When his vision cleared, Jayfeather yowled. He was riding in a bright red monster next to Tom, who had his paws on a circular ring sticking out of the monster. They were speeding down a long and what looked like endless thunder path. This monster had no top, and the wind roared past their heads, but that wasn’t the most disturbing part. When Jayfeather looked down at himself, he didn’t see his familiar paws or furry chest, he saw the flat grey chest of a twoleg, and a twolegs long pinkish forelegs! He yowled again, but instead a primal scream escaped his throat. This is all wrong! Jayfeather grabbed at his throat, it was smooth and hairless. He saw his face on a reflective surface in the monster and almost felt sick. His ears were just pieces of skin and cartilage, they couldn’t move at all! His nose was weird and pointed. Jayfeather’s mouth and eyes were just”trange! Everything was strange! Even the patch of fur on his head was disturbing. It wasn’t grey like his normal pelt, more of a dusty black. And his eyes”hat had happened to his eyes? He screamed again when he discovered that the rest of his pelt wasn’t even attached to his body! Could you stop doing that?”Tom asked. You’re drowning out Queen.”Tom indicated the noises that sounded like they were coming out of the monster itself. What did you do to me?!”Jayfeather yelled at Tom. He was very close to attacking Tom then and there now that he could move. Relax. I’m only teaching you a lesson.”Tom looked over at Jayfeather. You’re a lot younger that I’re expect you to look. The way you act I’re of thought you were at least 20, you look more 18.” I don’t care! Change me back!”Jayfeather snarled. HA!”Tom gave a loud laugh. Wouldn’t I have loved to change back into a human just by asking.” But you’re a human now.”Jayfeather reasoned. Great, he thought, now I’m using twoleg words. Oo I’m not. I just dream it, just like I dreamed you human. It’s all in my head.”Tom shook his head. When I wake up, I’m going to still be a little fuzz ball and so will you.” But I’m not a part of your dream!”Jayfeather shouted over the wind. I’m really Jayfeather!” I figured that out when I noticed you had sight.”Said Tom. I would never dream about you, especially with sight. So I new you were walking in my head without permission.” And I’m sorry I did that.”Said Jayfeather who, personally, was only sorry about getting caught, Can’t you turn me back into a cat now?” I will, after I settle a few things.”And with that, Tom took Jayfeather on one of the strangest adventure he had ever been on. Tom made him experience what it is like to be human, after a life of being a cat. First, Tom took him to what humans called, a doctor. It was like a medicine cat, except a medicine cat didn’t stick cold things on your chest to listen to your heart or stick things with little lights in your ears and mouth. And it smelled too clean, if his new nose could smell anything. It’s for your health.”Tom had said. After his exam Jayfeather rushed out of that hospital as fast as his two legs could take him. He never wanted something staring at him that closely as long as he lived. Next, he was placed in a human eating place called a restaurant” though Jayfeather didn’t see what was so restful about it. Tom handed him what looked like a thin piece of bark with markings on it. It’s a menu. You read it,”Tom instructed. If you see anything you would want to eat, ask the waiter for it.” Read?”Jayfeather looked down at the menu confusedly. Find something he liked? It was all scribble! And what did he mean by read? There were some images of what he had to assume was food, but how was he supposed to know what was edible? When the waiter came Tom ordered something called a lobster and, to be safe, Jayfeather ordered the same thing. What was placed in front of him made him jump out of his seat and yell out in shock. It was hideous! Bright red with frightening pincers and two beady black eyes that stared back at him; it was covered head to tail in a thick shell. All the humans in the restaurant looked up from their meals and stared at Jayfeather in snooty displeasure. Tom grabbed him by the shoulder and eased Jayfeather into his seat. It’s dead.”He calmed. Besides, you asked for it.”No, thought Jayfeather, I didn’t ask for any of this! He took a tentative sniff at the lobster, it smelled a little fishy. He tore of an arm with his hands and commenced to crack through the shell with his teeth. As he spat out some shell he was tapped on the shoulder again. Tom leaned towards him and whispered. Usually, humans use utensils. Not teeth.” Jayfeather looked up and saw that once again, humans were staring at him, disgusted. Embarrassed, he grabbed at the first shinny 爽tensil”and started to try to pry out the white meat inside the lobster’s claw. That’s a spoon.”Tom corrected him by taking away the offensive spoon and placing a new shinny stick in his hand. Use this fork. It’s easier.” It was like this for Jayfeather almost the whole time he was a human. Tom would make him do something that Jayfeather had no idea of doing, like riding a bike or reading, and then correct him like a tough mentor when he did it wrong. And instead of calling Jayfeather by his proper name, Tom called him 遷ason”or 遷ay”for short because humans didn’t have names like Jayfeather. You would need a proper human name to survive in the human world.” The worst part was how the other humans stared at him, as if they knew he was different, and they shunned him for it. It was then he realized that, all along, he had thought it was unfair that he was being treated different in Thunderclan because of his blindness, or that his mother was a medicine cat. Now he knew just how good the others had treated him, and how to be truly different felt like. Was this how Tom felt? An outcast who could never fit in? At least Jayfeather knew he would always be welcome in Thunderclan. Tom was as much of a cat as Jayfeather was human. Tom would never feel at home in the world of the clans, and Jayfeather had so blindly called this an improvement. Oow I see.”Jayfeather spoke aloud as he and Tom were walking down a huge city that Tom had called London. See what.”Tom asked him, an eyebrow rose. I think I understand how you feel now.”Jayfeather explained. That no matter how hard you could try to be a cat, you’re still human, and you will never be accepted as a cat. But, you wouldn’t try to fit in, because what make you human is what makes you who you are”I think.”Jayfeather wished he could make speeches as easily as the cats of Starclan could. And”‘m sorry that I said that being a cat was an improvement from being a human. It is never easy changing from who you are.” Tom thought for a moment and sighed. The surroundings in Tom’s dream changed and this time they stayed a swirling mass of colors. Jayfeather could see why Yellowfang had warned him about the immensity of Tom’s subconscious. Humans are very self aware, and have the ability of controlling their mind in the ways Jayfeather couldn’t comprehend. Tom reached his hand out in the sign of friendship. I’m glad you see it my way.” Jayfeather extended his own arm and the two shook hands. Oow,”Tom continued with his friendly grin. Stay out of my head!” Jayfeather felt a shrinking sensation as he was suddenly pulled backward by an unseen force. As he twisted and turned he caught a final glimpse at Tom, now in cat form, waving his tail in goodbye, before Jayfeather was lost in the misty barrier of Tom’s mind. Jayfeather awoke abruptly in the familiar blackness of his sight. He sniffed the air, it was morning. Tom was still sleeping soundly, almost as if their mental encounter had never happened. It was then Jayfeather swore that, no matter what it took, he would help Tom turn back into a human. Lionblaze padded out from the warriors den into the cool morning air. Already he could see his clanmates gathering to form the dawn patrol and hunting parties. Everything looked calm and normal, as if nothing had happened yesterday, but he could still sense everyone was on edge. Lionblaze wondered if Jayfeather had found out anything last night. He saw his brother taking herbs to the elders den. He made his way towards his brother, until he heard his name being called out. Lionblaze!” He turned, and saw Brambleclaw. The deputy beckoned Lionblaze with a flick of his tail. Firestar has a task for you.” Really?”Lionblaze almost forgot about Jayfeather entirely. Yes.”Brambleclaw meowed. He wants you to watch over our guest, Tom.” Lionblaze’s excitement extinguished instantly. After that last evening, he wanted nothing to do with the twoleg-cat. But he also did not want to let Brambleclaw notice how disappointed he was at this task Firestar wanted him to do. Lionblaze bowed his head. I will do so immediately Brambleclaw.” I’m sure Firestar will not regret his choice.”Brambleclaw nodded. The deputy then lowered his head closer to Lionblaze’s and meowed quietly. I’m still proud of you, even if we are not kin.”Brambleclaw then swiftly turned and left Lionblaze, stunned, to lead the dawn patrol. Lionblaze couldn’t believe it. He’s still proud of me! Even after what had happened at the gathering! Does this mean he still cares for Squirrelflight too? But before Lionblaze could even ponder about this, his thoughts were interrupted by shrill mewing. He looked over at the nursery, and watched as the group of kits made a beeline towards the medicine cat den. He saw their target, a tired looking Tom had just emerged out of the den. Before Lionblaze could even meow a warning, the kits were upon him. Get the twoleg!”Bumblekit growled as the kits swarmed on top of him. Tom managed to let out a startled HELP!”before being pushed to the ground. Lionblaze couldn’t help but twitch his whiskers in amusement. All that could be seen of Tom Freedman were the glimpses of dark fur between the writhing mass of kits. Look mother!”Ivykit’s head popped up from the pile. We caught a twoleg!” Whitewing, who had been watching from outside the nursery, purred. You will be the finest warrior in Thunderclan yet!” I just want everyone to know,”a muffled voice came from beneath the kits. That I was greatly outnumbered! The odds are in their favor!” This just made more cats snicker and laugh. The tension the clan had at Tom was easing a little. Well at least they’re rather laugh at him than chase him out of camp, thought Lionblaze. The golden warrior noticed that not all of Thunderclan was enjoying the attack on Tom. Birchfall was watching the seen in keen interest, keeping his eyes on Tom as the brown twoleg-cat tried to escape. He’s probably making sure Tom doesn’t try to hurt his kits. Birchfall obviously still didn’t trust Tom around the camp. Neither did Berrynose, Lionblaze saw him next to Poppyfrost, glaring at Tom. In fact, a lot of cats were watching him suspiciously. Don’t worry about them.”he heard his brother’s voice meow right beside him. He turned, and saw Jayfeather sitting right beside him! The grey cat’s blind eyes were watching Tom. What do you mean?”Lionblaze asked him. Don’t worry about the clan not accepting him.”Jayfeather continued. They won’t try anything to harm him”at the moment.” Why not?” Because they know he was sent by Starclan. To attack him or chase him away would go against Starclan. And after what’s happened with us and Leafpool, Thunderclan wants to be on Starclan’s good side as much as possible.” Oh,”this made Lionblaze feel somewhat better. But he still needed to know more about Tom. So,”He whispered to Jayfeather. Did you find out anything last night?” Jayfeather’s pelt bristled, as if he suddenly remembered something discomforting. He shook himself and, after a slight pause, he spoke again. Yes.”Meowed Jayfeather, I found out that Starclan really did send Tom to us, though he doesn’t really know why, he knows nothing about the prophecy. But Tom’s very intelligent, and he can think rationally. I think that’s why Starclan chose him.” It looked to Lionblaze that Jayfeather was holding something back, but Lionblaze did not press his brother for anymore information. Lionblaze then left his brother to save Tom from the kits, much to their displeasure. After a few minutes and lot of help from the queens, the last kit, Dovekit, was pulled off of Tom’s back. Aw, you’re no fun!”she mewed, before running off after her sister. Tom stood up and shook the dust from his pelt. Thanks for that.”He meowed to Lionblaze. I was never any good with kids.” Could have fooled me.”Lionblaze watched as the kits tumbled in and out of the nursery. They seemed to be the only cats in Thunderclan who were completely comfortable with Tom. Lionblaze looked back to Tom and saw that he wasn’t there anymore. The brown and white tom had padded over to the small freshkill pile and was sniffing it warily. Lionblaze had heard from Cinderheart that he wasn’t used to eating mice, but it looked like he wasn’t used to any prey. Tom prodded a squirrel, wrinkled his nose, then he noticed Lionblaze staring at him. Any suggestions?”he meowed. Um” Lionblaze thought of what would be best for a cat who never ate freshkill besides a small mouse. Well, birds are fine if you don’t want anything furry.”Tom considered this, and then grabbed a small blackbird from the dwindling pile. Maybe I could teach Tom how to hunt, He thought to himself. Then he could help feed the clan while he’s here. Lost in thought, Lionblaze took the squirrel in the pile and brought it to the elders. He started to wonder if he should teach Tom how to fight as well. It would be like having an apprentice! Though, Lionblaze twitched his tail, it would look odd for a mentor to have an apprentice older than himself! He came back to the freshkill pile to find that Tom was just finishing his blackbird. How was it?”Lionblaze asked. Tom liked his lips and looked at him almost indignantly. Tastes like chicken.” I’m gonna guess that means it was good.”He showed Tom how to bury the bones and feathers at the edge of the camp. It was then that Brightheart passed by the two toms. Her blind side was facing them, so she didn’t see Tom stare. Surprisingly, he didn’t look shocked or horrified, more curious. When she was out of earshot, Tom asked Lionblaze. What did that, another clan?” Lionblaze shook his head. Oo, a pack of dogs did that to her when she was an apprentice in the old forest. Not even Shadowclan would do that to a cat.”Lionblaze looked at Tom curiously. You didn’t look surprised when you saw her” even he couldn’t bear to say it. I’m used to seeing scars.”Tom shrugged. My granddad lost his leg in The War.” I didn’t know twolegs had wars.”Lionblaze didn’t even know twolegs were warriors. Tom snorted, as Lionblaze was left out on some sort of joke. Are you serious?”he looked at Lionblaze skeptically. Humans are probably the most violent creatures in the world! We get into wars almost all the time.” Over territory?” Territory, leadership, pride, you name it. And each time we fight, we find more efficient ways of killing each other.”Tom sighed. Lionblaze didn’t understand how twolegs could do much damage without claws or teeth, but he sensed that the idea disturbed Tom, so tried to change the subject. How does your grandfather survive with only one leg?” He had a replacement made for him, but he doesn’t fight anymore, especially now that he’s 89.” “9 what?”Lionblaze wondered. Years.”Tom answered. You know, twelve months?”he saw Lionblaze’s bewildered expression and tried again. Um”our seasons?” That, he could understand. Oh, now I see.”Then he realized something. Wait. Your grandfather has seen 89 winters?! How old do twolegs get?” Over 90 if they’re lucky. I’ve even heard that some can even live to over 100.”Tom absentmindedly scratched his shoulder. And how old are you?”Lionblaze looked at the brown cat. He looked no older than Brambleclaw. I’m 24. I’ll turn 25 in just a few months.”Tom didn’t notice the look of shock that Lionblaze gave him. That’s 25 of the four seasons! Lionblaze tried to calculate that in his head, but that only made him more amazed. That would mean that he was alive when Firestar was born! Maybe even Bluestar! And yet here he sat. Talking about it like it was nothing. Maybe to twolegs, their vast age was nothing to be amazed of. “Can you tell me about the other clans?”he heard Tom speak from what seemed a long distance away. What?”Lionblaze had not been listening. Jayfeather and Firestar told me that there are other clans around the lake, three more to be exact. Only no one’s told me much about them.” Oh, well” Lionblaze collected his thoughts back together. There’s Windclan that lives in the moors. They’re all the fast runners who hunt mostly rabbits. Then there’s Shadowclan that live in the marshy pines on the other side of our territory.”Lionblaze flicked his tail in that direction. They’re the stealthy, hunting at night in the shadows. And in between Shadowclan and Windclan is Riverclan, who can swim and catch fish.” And what’s your clan’s special hunting skill?”Tom asked. He was listening to everything Lionblaze had told him, and understanding it completely. We can climb trees.”Lionblaze meowed. And we’re the best trackers.”He added proudly. Lionblaze then offered. I can show you the borders if you like.” Tom shrugged. Alright, I need to get out and stretch my muscles anyway.” The two then set out through the forest towards the river that separated Thunderclan and Windclan. On the way, Lionblaze explained to Tom about the Warrior Code. He appeared interested, and listened closely. They passed a mound of soil, which Lionblaze immediately recognized as the closed entrance to the tunnels. He shuddered at the memories that cursed place brought. The lost kits, nearly drowning, the invasion of Windclan, the death of his sister”and Heathertail. Lionblaze shuddered and moved faster, almost leaving Tom behind! He didn’t want anything to do with those tunnels anymore. Almost like a gift from Starclan to take his mind off things, he heard the soft scurrying of a mouse. Lionblaze quickly ducked into a hunters crouch. Tom just stood where he was as the golden tabby padded slowly and softly, searching for the small creature. He quickly found the mouse scurrying through the underbrush. The early thaw had brought almost all of the prey in the forest out of their holes, searching for food. The mouse hadn’t noticed him, bunching up his haunches, Lionblaze pounced. He dispatched the mouse with a swift bite to the neck. He held up his prize, hoping Tom had watched him. But the twoleg-cat didn’t look impressed by his catch. Lionblaze scooped a small hole in the ground and buried the mouse. I hope you were paying attention.”Meowed Lionblaze indignantly If you’re going to be welcome in Thunderclan you’re going to have to pull your own weight! If you’re lucky and learn clan ways,”he added, 土ou might even be made a warrior.” Tom considered this. I could see why I’re need to hunt and learn cattish ways.”He meowed. But what good would it be to become a warrior?” Well” Lionblaze thought. To him, becoming a warrior had meant more than anything! Tom’s kin was a warrior; wouldn’t he want to be like him? The clans, all of them I mean, would feel more comfortable around you if you were a clan cat.” Interesting” Tom murmured. They continued their journey through the forest. Lionblaze managed to catch another mouse and a vole along the way, while Tom managed to try and catch a squirrel, but was unsuccessful. The two reached the stream at the edge of Thunderclan territory. Lionblaze sniffed around the area, The Dawn Patrol must have been past here, he could smell the lingering scent of Brambleclaw and Cloudtail. Tom was at the bank of the small river, smelling the air. Is this the scent of Windclan?”he asked Lionblaze. Yes. Smells different from Thunderclan doesn’t it?” Yeah.”Tom took a deeper smell. It’s grassier, earthy, with a hint of rabbits.”Tom padded farther up down stream. They then came towards the lake, the sky reflected off the water’s surface. It almost looked like there were two skies. They were nearly at the edge of the lake shore when Lionblaze stopped. Something’s wrong. They were far away from the border, but he could still smell the scent of Windclan. Lionblaze looked at Tom, who nodded. He could smell it to. That was when Tom heard pawsteps through the brush ahead of them. Windclan was invading! “Go back to the camp!”he hissed to Tom. Warn Firestar that there are intruders in our territory.”He felt hot blood surge through him, Lionblaze unsheathed his claws. He was almost hungry for battle. Tom must have noticed the changes in Lionblaze because he gave him a suspicious glare. And what will you do?”Tom growled. Fight them all by yourself?” I can handle them!”Lionblaze looked around to the source of the noises. The Windclan cats were only a couple tail lengths away and the wind was blowing towards him. I have the advantage.” Yeah,”He heard Tom snarl, Except your outnumbered 5 to 1!”Actually there was more than 5, but that wasn’t going to stop him from defending his territory! He could hear the invaders clearer now, they were getting closer. He tensed more and prepared to lunge right into them. Get out of here now!”he hissed again. There’s nothing you can do to stop me!”Tom didn’t move. Lionblaze growled in rage. Why was Tom treating him like a kit! If only he could tell him, he would explain how he couldn’t get hurt. How he had powers! But there was no time for that. Just get to the camp now! There’s no way you could fight them with me so you might as well get help!” Tom glared at him, Oo. I can’t fight.”He growled in a low voice. Lionblaze turned again to face the coming Windclan cats when something very hard smacked him in the head so hard he saw lights. He stumbled, dazed. Oot fairly at least.”Lionblaze heard Tom’s voice from behind him. He opened his eyes to a blurry world. As his vision cleared he saw Tom dropping a stone from his strange paws. Sorry.”Tom whispered. I won’t have you get yourself killed just to be a hero.”Before Lionblaze could get up to stop him, Tom rushed into the brush, towards the Windclan invaders. Lionblaze was about to rush in and help but he knew there was little he could do. Already, he could hear Tom yowling at Windclan, but these were not threatening yowls. It was more like, Oh, hey, wow! Look at all these cats! With all these cats around, you’re think there was a gathering of some kind!!”Lionblaze quietly slid behind a scrub and watched the scene through the leafy branches. What is Starclan is he doing?! The Windclan cats looked like they were wondering the same thing. Will someone shut him up? He’ll alert every cat in Thunderclan!”&Lionblaze recognized the Windclan deputy, Ashfoot. He also saw Breezepelt, Nightcloud, Harespring, and Heathertail, along with several other Windclan cats. Heathertail! Lionblaze was suddenly thankful that Tom had stopped him from charging into the group head first. He wouldn’t have wanted to face his once dear friend in battle again, even if she did hate him. You’re looking for Thunderclan?”Tom meowed again. He looked cheerfully from one cat to another. You mean those big cats that live around here? Sorry to tell you this but you just missed them. I saw a whole bunch of them cross the river that’s by here, they must have been looking for you too, I could get them if you’re like! Hey! Over here! Thunderclan!!”He jumped away as if to chase after the said Thunderclan cats. Breezepelt tackled Tom and held him to the ground. Tom didn’t even try to fight him off, he instead wailed meekly. Hey! What did I ever do to you?!” 轍uiet, loner!”Breezepelt hissed in Tom’s face. Or I’ll tear your pelt off.” Wait.”Meowed Heathertail, He said something about Thunderclan crossing the river!” Yeah, a whole bunch of them!”Tom looked up from Breezepelt’s paws, an oblivious look upon his face. They looked angry.” Thunderclan’s invading our territory!”yowled a Windclan warrior. We have to go back!”He and several others yowled and were about to charge off into the direction of the stream when Ashfoot’s low growl stopped them. Wait!”she pushed aside Breezepelt and sniffed Tom’s pelt. You smell a bit too much like Thunderclan to be a loner.”She glared darkly at Tom. Lionblaze tensed. She’s not going to fall for Tom’s trick! Well,”Tom looked up at Ashfoot with the same mousebrained expression. They did give me a place to stay while I was feeling ill. After I was better they let me go, but they’re very nice cats once you get to know them!” Typical.”scoffed Nightcloud. Thunderclan is always sheltering loners and kittypets.” Didn’t Mudface and Kestralpaw saw they found a loony cat by the moonpool?”asked an apprentice. They said that they took him to the Thunderclan camp.”there were nods and murmurs confirming what the young cat had said. How are we supposed to know if he is that cat?”asked Ashfoot, not totally convinced. Mudface did saw that the cat was brown with white paws.”Harespring meowed. And he said that the cat hade a spot that looked like a star!”the apprentice added. They looked at Tom’s chest, and Lionblaze knew they would see the star spot. When you were in Thunderclan,”Ashfoot questioned Tom, convinced, 電id you hear the cats talk about anything?”she eyed him carefully. Oo”ait”es! I did hear them talk about some things.” What were they talking about?”Ashfoot asked again. Something about a” Tom tilted his head, to make it look like remembering yesterday was hard for him. I’m so bad with words. That other fellow said it, um”In- vase-shun”“ Before Tom had finished what he was saying Ashfoot yowled in rage. Windclan! Back to the camp!”As the cats thundered back towards the border, Ashfoot stopped Breezepelt and Heathertail. She jerked her head towards Tom and hissed them something. Both the cats nodded and turned to Tom, ears flat and pelts bristling. Oh no! Lionblaze tensed again, they were going to attack him! Ashfoot probably wanted to keep him from warning Thunderclan of the approaching reinforcements. Tom, a quick thinker despite his acting, turned, caught Lionblaze’s eye, and shook his head before lunging in another direction. Breezepelt and Heathertail chased after him, but Lionblaze forced himself not to follow to aid the twoleg-cat. He understood from Tom’s gaze that he didn’t want Lionblaze to help him. He knew the clan needed to be warned about Windclan once they discovered Tom lied about the invasion. When Ashfoot and the other Windclan invaders were out of earshot, Lionblaze tore through the undergrowth. He ignored the twigs and leaves that smacked him in the face. His only thought was to warn the clan, to get help, and to save Tom. He didn’t know how well or how fast Tom could run, he couldn’t even walk when Lionblaze first met him, what chance did he have running from two healthy Windclan cats? Heathertail and Breezepelt could be tearing into poor Tom right now! Lionblaze ran faster. Soon he could se the camp entrance. Lionblaze burst through the bramble barrier and skidded on the ground, his clanmates looked up from their duties in surprise. He saw Brambleclaw and Firestar among them. Good, the dawn patrol came back! Tom’s in trouble!”he yowled at top of his voice. Windclan was invading!”Pelts bristled and voices growled. Firestar silenced them with a wave of his tail and looked at Lionblaze. Tell me what happened, quickly.” Lionblaze explained as quickly as he could about him and Tom wandering around the border when they scented Windclan. He told him how Tom stopped him from attacking and how he instead risked himself by lying to the intruders about a Thunderclan invading party attacking their camp. He then told him that, after the Windclan cats believed him, Ashfoot made two of her warriors attack Tom and how he was now running for his life at this very instant. When Lionblaze had finished he needed to gasp for air after speaking so fast. Firestar turned to Brambleclaw. I want you, Lionblaze, Cloudtail, and Spiderleg to find Tom and help him, Leafpool can come with you in case he has injuries. I will take more warriors to the border in case Windclan comes back.”Brambleclaw acted fast, gathering his warriors while Firestar gathered his. The deputy then came to Lionblaze. Take us to where you last saw Tom.” Lionblaze obeyed, rushing as fast as his tiered legs could out of the camp. We’re coming Tom! He only hoped that Breezepelt or Heathertail hadn’t caught him yet. The strange cat was risking a lot for the clan that hardly trusted him. Lionblaze could only imagine what was going through Tom’s mind. This was stupid this was stupid this was stupid this was stupid this was stupid this was soooo STUPID!! Tom ran for his life through the forest. Closely behind him were two rather nasty Windclan warriors. One of them reached and managed to scratch his hind quarters. Ow! Son of a-”Tom cursed loudly and tried to run faster. Lionblaze wasn’t kidding when he said these cats were fast. The only thing keeping them from catching him was the thick undergrowth. These cats were obviously not used to running so fast in a forest. Once in a while, one would trip on a root, or stumble on brambles. Then again, he wasn’t faring so well either. He was very fit as a human, went to the gym everyday. But his mind wasn’t used to controlling four legs at once! He had to be careful not to trip or stumble. Those cats wouldn’t give him much of a chance to get up again. Why did I have to be so crazy and play hero? He was starting to regret not having Lionblaze help him. At lest he knew how to fight other cats! But Tom knew that if the Windclan cats even got a glimpse at Lionblaze, a Thunderclan cat hiding in the bushes rushing to help a loner, they would smell a trick. Besides, Thunderclan needed to be warned. Another pain shot through his leg. He cursed again and kicked out, feeling his back paws connect with face. There was a yowl from behind but he didn’t dare look back. The thundering sound of pursuit subsided. One stopping to check on the other, he guessed. Tom did kick the cat pretty hard and his claws were unsheathed”e silently hoped he hadn’t hurt the cat too badly. After all, they were just doing what they were told. You didn’t, said a voice in his head. You only gave her a little scratch and a headache. Who the heck was this? Tom wondered, and then he thought, I hit the girl cat?! Do not worry, there is no chivalry in the clans, she-cats fight just as well as toms and get wounded just the same. This didn’t make Tom feel any better but he ran on and the voice continued. The Windclan cats are still after you. Why? What did I do? Windclan is planning on taking Thunderclan territory after they deal with the 訴nvasion”of their own camp. They do not want you to go back to the Thunderclan camp to warn them about the Windclan intruders. So they’re just going to chase me off? They were, but now you have given them a reason to hurt you” Tom cursed and he began to hear running paws behind him, this time a little more eager than before. He was getting tired now, Tom panted for breath. What could he do? You must turn and face them, said the voice. What?! Tom knew that would be certain death! That or just a really painful fight! But he would become exhausted sooner or later, might as well fight while he still had strength left. I will help you”whispered the voice. Just move as I move. Tom gulped. This was do-or-die. He quickly U-turned, and face the warriors head on. They were coming at him at full speed, anger burned in their eyes. Seeing that he had stopped, they slowed, skidding in the soil and dead leaves. The black tom yowled in victory and lunged. Time slowed. Tom’s gaze darted to his left and there, right beside him, was a silver she-cat with blue eyes. She was slightly transparent, and her pelt sparkled. She looked at him, Watch closely, her voice whispered in his head. Time sped up once more, the black cat aimed at his throat. The she-cat dived under him, Tom imitated, going under the warrior as he jumped. Giving the black cat time to know what was happening, the silver cat spun and kicked upwards. Tom copied her and kicked the Windclan warrior from under, sending the warrior flying into a nearby scrub. But Tom had no time to rest, for the light brown she cat-had jumped upon his back and had sunk her teeth into his shoulder. He yowled in pain and tried to shake her off but she sank her claws in deeper. Roll. He tried it but the cat just started to rake her back claws along his spine. Burning pain chorused through him. Tom cursed and, seeing this in a movie, reared up on his hind legs. He then fell backwards and slammed his back, with the she-cat still on him, onto a nearby stump. Tom heard the sharp thud of skull meeting hard wood and the felt the cat’s grip slacken. The poor tabby slid off of him as he rolled back onto all fours. He looked at her limp body, wondering if he should check for a pulse when a moan escaped her throat. Before he could even breath a sigh of relief, the silver cat was beside him again. Jump! She hissed. Tom did so, and just in time, because the black cat landed just where he had been standing. The warrior looked down at his fallen friend. The anger in his eyes turned into pure malice. What did you do?!”he screeched and ran at him. He hit Tom and bulldozed him to the ground, teeth aimed at his throat. Tom managed to twist his body so the cat only bit into his other shoulder. He managed to kick him off but not before the cat tore out some fur and clawed him a bit. Run! The cat tried to attack again but Tom, using an old trick he learned in primary school, used his paw to fling a big pile of dirt and dust into the cat’s eyes. The cat yowled and tried to paw the soil away as Tom ran after the ghostly silver tabby. He only got a few feet when he heard the cat racing behind him. His heartbeat was pounding so fast Tom thought it would explode while he was running. Faster and faster through the forest, he followed the mysterious she-cat. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but if he managed to survive this he was willing to believe anything. He crashed through the bracken and over an old dirt path; he must have been close to the old abandoned workman’s house. As he ran on farther, a thought struck him. That house was near the campsite! If he could just run a little farther, he might make it there to get to his tent. And with all of the people around, the Windclan cat wouldn’t dare- The ground beneath Tom’s paws collapsed and he fell into a world of darkness. His plummet was brought to a sudden halt as his body plunged into the frigid water bellow. The water was deep enough to break his fall, but not deep enough to drown him. Tom twisted in the current and paws found hard stone. He dragged himself, coughing and hacking, up the shallow bank where he flopped down in exhaustion. He managed to glimpse up from where he had fallen, a hole in the ceiling of a cave. The light from the sun made a beam of light down to the small river he was laying by. Just then, a shadow came over that light, Tom looked, and saw the black cat looking through the hole. He must have not seen him, or not cared, for the cat had left a few moments later. With the danger gone, Tom rested his head, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. His mind drifted into the dark haze of sleep. Something nudged Tom’s muzzle, waking him from unconsciousness. “Wake up Tom!”someone meowed in his ear. The nudging persisted until Tom opened his eyes. It was the silver cat shade that helped him earlier. She seemed more solid and glowed in the darkness of the cave. Who are you?”he murmured. It was a question he had been wondering ever since he had heard her voice. Are you from Starclan?” She nodded, Yes. My name is Icestar, and I have been sent to help you.” Icestar?”Tom tried to stand, but every muscle screamed in protest and he fell to the ground again. Is that supposed to mean something?” Every clan leader has 壮tar”in their name, just as 叢aw”is for apprentices and 遡it”is for kits.”Icestar meowed. It signifies a leader’s connection with Starclan.” So, you were a leader?”Tom looked up at the opening in the cave’s ceiling. It was still day but how long would it take for him to get out? Yes. I was leader of Thunderclan, long ago.”She sighed. You were lucky I was able to come. Not many in Starclan trust you, and I was advised not to help.” And why is that?”Tom asked, annoyed. They seemed pretty eager to make me a cat!” That was because we were desperate.”Icestar meowed. Oothing is going as we had planned and we needed a failsafe. The prophecy was our only option. “ What do you mean?”Tom felt his spine prickle. Jayfeather talked about a prophecy in his dreams, was this it? Icestar sighed and continued. Long ago, when the clans were first formed, there was a prophecy. 糎hen the sun hides, a star will come, two will become four to aid three, and the clans will rise.樗 Tom stared at Icestar for a moment, running the prophecy through his mind and finally said, That makes no sense whatsoever.” Icestar explained. It means that a special twoleg with the mark of a star would come and help the three to bring the clans to a new era of peace. That twoleg is you.” And these three are” Tom was getting sick of hearing about the three”when he had no idea who or what they were. He especially didn’t like the idea that he was expected to arrive here who knows how many years ago. They are the kin of Firestar’s kin who hold the power of the stars in their paws.”She told him. They are meant to save the clans from a great danger, but they are easily misguided. Starclan wants you to help them to their destiny.” But they don’t even trust me!”Tom growled indignantly. Icestar gazed at him with a sad expression. It is in our nature not to trust twolegs. It is not that we think you are a bad man, but because you are unpredictable. With any other creature, it is easy to understand its ways. But with twolegs, there is no telling what you will do next. You have proved us that today, with your quick thinking and fighting skills.” Tom couldn’t argue with that. Humans prided themselves with being unpredictable. Of course there were certain traditions that were kept, generations were always changing. Starclan is afraid that I might do something they won’t like?” Exactly.”Meowed Icestar, Oamely by changing the clans. They’re afraid you will alter the clans way of thinking. Cats are meant to think like cats, not twolegs.” Well maybe they should have thought about that before they dragged me into this mess!”Tom felt angry. How could anyone give one guy a huge task against his will, and not trust him to do anything? Icestar was about to say something, but a meow echoed through the cave. Two more starry cats appeared from thin air. Both were she-cats, one was ginger and the other a shadowy black. Icestar turned and looked at the two in surprise. Lightflame! Rainpool! Is something wrong?”she asked. The Thunderclan search party has come looking for Tom.”Meowed Lightflame, It won’t be long until they find him here.” It is time for us to depart.”Rainpool mewed. He will be safe for now.” Icestar turned to Tom, who was still lying on the cold stone ground. She bowed her head in goodbye, Until we meet again, farewell.”She whispered, and all three cats disappeared. Tom watched the air where the cats vanished for a few minutes. He felt his neck hairs prickle and turned his head to see the mouth of a tunnel in the side of the cave. In the darkness of the tunnel, Tom saw two glowing green eyes staring at him. Hello?”Was it one of the Thunderclan cats looking for him? But these were not the eyes of someone finding a lost companion. These were the eyes of someone finding something it didn’t know whether to run from or kill. A growl came from the tunnel, and a black paw slid out from the shadows with claws unsheathed. Tom scrambled to his paws as fast as his sore muscles would let him. Didn’t that Rainpool cat say he’re be safe when they left?! Black cats must have been bad luck, considering most were trying to kill him. He backed away from the shadowed terror, expecting it to jump and tear out his throat at any minute. His ears pricked at the sound of voiced above. The green eyes looked up towards the opening in the cave roof. When the sounds became louder, the mysterious cat hissed and fled back into the deep tunnel from whence it came. Tom breathed a sigh of relief, now realizing that he had been holding his breath. Tom?”a yowl came from above. He recognized it as Lionblaze. Lionblaze’s voice called again. Tom where are you?!” Tom raised his voice as loud as he could manage. I’m down here! Down here you fur balls! I樽 DOWN HERE!!” The bracken rustled above the hole and several heads appeared around it’s opening. One of them called out, Tom?” Tom moved into the beam of light so they could see him better and the cats nearly jumped for joy, letting out yowls of triumph. Tom! Tom, how in Starclan did you get down there?!”Cloudtail called down to him. A badger asked invited me to lunch!”Tom meowed sarcastically. Are the Windclan cats gone?” Yes! We cased them out of our territory though they already looked ruffed up, did you fight them both yourself?”asked another cat, Tom remembered his name was Spiderleg. Well I couldn’t just let them shred me could I?”Tom looked back to the tunnel where the eyes had been. There was nothing there anymore, but he still felt like he was being watched. Look, I’re love to tell you about my courageous battle but first, could you guys just uh”urry up and get me out of here? This place gives me the creeps.” Are you hurt at all?”a she-cat mewed. It was Leafpool, the one who convinced everyone that he was human. My shoulders have seen better days.”They stung at that moment, as if they knew he was talking about them. And I’ve got scratches galore.” Don’t worry. There are tunnels all around our territory. We just have to find one and follow it to get to you!”Cloudtail meowed. There was a sudden whispering from Lionblaze. After we unbury a tunnel first,”Cloudtail meowed again. It shouldn’t take too long.” What!?”Tom yowled. That could take ages! Why are they buried in the first place?” Some of the tunnels lead into Windclan territory.”Brambleclaw explained. They once tried to invade our territory by using them, and they almost succeeded. To prevent this from happening again, we had to bury all entrances to the tunnels.” Why are they even trying to get your territory anyway? Don’t they have their own?”Tom asked, exasperated. Whatever their reasons, they keep that to themselves.”The Thunderclan deputy meowed. But that answer wasn’t good enough for Tom. The dark cave was getting on his nerves, making him edgy. Cats fighting each other when they could discuss it peacefully, it just seemed pointless! But this was no place to think about cat politics. He needed to get out. Fine then.”He growled. Get to it. What’re you waiting for, get digging! It’s colder that ice down here.” The heads dispersed from the roof hole, and Tom was alone again. He wished he had asked one of them to stay with him for company. Tom started to wonder if those green eyes would come back. Would that cat try to attack him again? Who was that anyway? Could it have been that Windclan warrior? He had black fur, and Brambleclaw did say that some of the tunnels led into Windclan territory. But that was unlikely. Even if that tom was a fast runner it was impossible for him to get from here to his own territory and back through a labyrinth of tunnels to get to here. Besides, that tom had amber eyes. The eyes he saw in the shadows were green. Tom shivered again. If that cat did come again, he thought to himself, I wouldn’t have that much of a chance. Tom tried whistling, to calm his frayed nerves, but then found out he couldn’t whistle. So instead he listened. There was the sound of the underground river mixing with the dripping of condensed water from the cave ceiling, which wasn’t helping his bladder. Tom eagerly listened for the sound of digging paws and cats running to find him, but there wasn’t. Hurry up! Tom waited a full half-hour before he heard the patter of paws on stone. Out from another tunnel opening came the welcome sight of Lionblaze, Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, Spiderleg, and Leafpool. Leafpool immediately rushed over to Tom and sniffed his wounds. You’re going to need goldenrod for those wounds.”She meowed and sniffed again, And maybe thyme for your nerves.” I don’t care what you give me, as long as I can get out of here.”He sighed. Tom noticed he wasn’t the only one uncomfortable in the caves. Lionblaze couldn’t stop looking over his shoulder or jump in at the slightest noise. Maybe this place brings bad memories, Tom reasoned. He followed the search party through the tunnel out of the tomb-like cave, limping. His shoulders were killing him! Tom was actually glad he would be going back to the old quarry, to be soon sleeping on the soft sandy floor of the medicine cat den. His eyes became heavy just thinking about it. Once out of the tunnel, he breathed the open air deeply, drinking in the scents of the forest. The serenity of the moment did not last though, deep in the forest came the sounds of screeching cats. There was a battle going on. Windclan is trying to invade! Take Tom back to the camp.”Brambleclaw ordered Leafpool before he and the other warriors raced to the Windclan border towards the fighting. Tom almost wanted to follow and see what was happening but Leafpool urged him away to the Thunderclan camp. With his soar muscles and exhausted energy, Tom didn’t argue. He and Leafpool entered the camp at noon. The whole placed buzzed like a beehive, with cats, crossing this way and that with determined strides. Though most of the warriors were probably fighting at the border the remaining ones made up for their lack of numbers with fierce energy. Even non warriors were working hard. The old retired cats were helping the warriors by putting more thorny brambles around the camp, while the mothers reinforced the nursery walls. Jayfeather was in his den, piling smelly herbs in easy to reach places. They’re all preparing for an attack on the camp! Tom wondered if this is what it felt like to be in a small village during wartime, people getting ready to fight for their lives right in their own homes. Did these cats really think that their warriors won’t be able to fend off the Windclan attack, or was this just precaution? A safety plan just in case the worst should happen? Whatever the reason, these cats were ready”almost too ready. Are they used to preparing for battle? One of the Thunderclan cats noticed them heading to the medicine cat den and rushed towards them. It was the pale-grey she-cat, Ferncloud. You found him!”She rushed over to Leafpool with worry in her eyes. Where is everyone else? Is Windclan attacking?” Yes,”Leafpool meowed. A hushed stillness spread through the camp. Cats stopped what they were doing, or did it quietly, to listen. Leafpool spoke to let everyone hear. I don’t know what’s happening, and I never got a chance to see how the battle was going myself. What I do know that we have a very good chance of defending our territory. We will just have to wait and see who comes through the camp walls.” The clan was silent for a moment and Tom tried to sneak quietly away to avoid any attention, but that plan failed due to one thing. Dovekit. Did you fight off the Windclan warriors Tom?”he heard her squeak from behind him and cursed to himself. That kit will be the death of me! Every cat’s attention was now directed onto him. Um” didn’t have that much of a choice” he murmured, aching to go rest. Right now what he wanted most was a bathroom, his sweater, a beer, his iPod, and surprisingly a rabbit. It’s lean body and long legs reminded him of a certain Windclan cat he wanted to tear into... I didn’t know you could even fight!”a tom meowed, whose name he had forgotten. You may be surprised to know that humans have fighting techniques of our very own.”He answered. His exhaustion was making him cranky. He wouldn’t be surprised if he started biting at others soon. Tell use about them! Please?”mewed Dovekit. She and the other kits from the nursery were watching him intently. Maybe later,”Leafpool soothed. Right now Tom need to rest.” She steered Tom away towards the medicine den but Tom, with some strength left, made a right turn towards the tunnel the clan used as a litter box. After answering natures call, he went to his backpack beside the medicine den and pulled out his sweater and iPod. There was no beer in his backpack, but he was equally happy with water from the medicine den. He pulled these into the den, being careful not to knock over the piles of herbs, and turned his sweater into a nest. With each earphone carefully place in his ears, much to the clans confusion, he relaxed to the songs of ACDC as Jayfeather chewed up healing plants to place onto his wounds. The Thunderclan cats had gone back to work and Jayfeather, probably sensing Tom’s reluctance to talk, didn’t ask about what had happened to him. By the time Jayfeather finished patching up Tom’s scratches, there was a commotion at the clan entrance. Jayfeather left to see what was happening. Instead of straining his muscles to get up and follow, Tom turned off his iPod and listened closely. Luckily he did not hear the sounds of fighting but of cheering. The warriors had returned to camp victorious! Amongst the yowls and cheers he heard his name being called out. They were chanting his name! Where’s our hero?!”someone called. Several furry faces appeared through the bramble curtain. He recognized Greystripe, Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, and Lionblaze. Lionblaze looked curiously at his earphones. What do you have in you ears Tom?”he meowed. Oh nothing, nothing.”Tom pulled them out with a paw. So you won the fight?” We didn’t just win!”Cloudtail purred. We sent them back over the river with their tails between their legs!” And it’s all thanks to you twoleg!”Greystripe beamed. Me?”Tom looked at the warriors blankly. What did I do?” Brambleclaw twitched his whiskers in a chuckle. Don’t be so modest Tom. If you didn’t distract the Windclan intruders with your fake story, we wouldn’t have had much time to prepare for the attack on the border!” I would have attacked them then and there. But you managed to send them back over the border without raising a claw.”Lionblaze added proudly. Tom felt his pelt become hot under their praise. This morning most of them had been suspicious and a little afraid of him, and now they were treating him like a hero. Why don’t you come out and celebrate?”Greystripe asked. We’re having a feast!” He can’t.”a meow came from behind the group. It was Jayfeather. The grey tabby narrowed his blind eyes. I just wrapped his wounds with cobwebs and he shouldn’t be moving. I don’t even think he can move.”Jayfeather sniffed. You all should have your wounds checked too.” Tom could see what Jayfeather meant. Almost all of them had scars and scratches on their bodies. All except Lionblaze. The golden tom’s fur was ruffled and pulled out in some places and he even had an old tear in his ear but nothing looked serious. Tom shook the suspicion away. Maybe the cat’s just lucky. But that explanation didn’t seem right. We can have our scratches checked later.”Cloudtail meowed. And Tom doesn’t need to move.”The white warrior then grabbed a sleeve poking out from Tom’s sweater-nest. Greystripe grabbed the other sleeve and both warriors pulled. Tom was suddenly dragged out of the medicine cave and out into the clearing. Help I’m being catnapped!”he called to Jayfeather but there was nothing the cat medic could do. Tom was quickly surrounded by cats eager to thank him and to bombard him with questions. A fresh rabbit was plopped right down in font of him, making him realize how hungry he was. Tell us how you did it!”Spiderleg meowed. Hmm?”Tom looked up with a mouth full of meat. Did what?” Trick the Windclan intruders of course!”purred the she-cat Cinderheart. We all want to hear the story.” And how you fought off the two Windclan cats!”someone yowled. Everyone was sitting around him, eating their prey and watching him intently. Even Jayfeather had his ears perked to listen. Tom felt a new energy flow through him. Well, it happened like this” Tom began. This morning, Lionblaze was showing me around the border. We were just passing the river when we smelled” And he told them. He described how Lionblaze wanted to fight them, though not to extent to where Lionblaze sounded completely stupid, and how he stopped Lionblaze from charging into the group. That caused a little concern from some of the cats, and some amusement. How he had to act like a birdbrain, the clan liked this term, to keep the Windclan cats from becoming suspicious. But what Thunderclan really enjoyed was when he spoke about his fight with the two Windclan warriors. He didn’t bother telling them about the ghost cat Icestar helping him fight, though she did save my hide back there, he knew that would bring him a little too much attention. When Tom described himself slamming the she-cat on his back to the ground, Tom must have described it too well, because he noticed Lionblaze flinching as he told it. One warrior, named Brackenfur, was so impressed that he asked if Tom could teach them his technique later on. When he finished his tale with him falling into the cave and waiting for the search party in the dark, it was nearly sunset. Tom didn’t dare tell them about the mysterious black cat from the tunnel, there were kits around and he didn’t want to worry everyone. Everyone had eaten their fill and Tom thought they were all going to head for bed, but then the Thunderclan leader, Firestar, jumped onto the ledge above the camp and yowled. Cats of Thunderclan!”he addressed the camp. Today we have proven to Windclan that we are stronger than they thought, and that we cannot be chased out of our territory!”This was met with loud yowls and cheers, which were silenced quickly. Firestar continued. I have decided that to celebrate our victory, two new apprentices shall be named. Rosekit, Toadkit.” The two kittens who had tackled him that morning hurried forward. They were excessively groomed by their mother. Toadkit and Rosekit have reached there sixth moon, and I believe they are ready to move into the apprentice den.”The clan meowed their approval, Firestar waited once again for the noise to die down before calling out, Toadkit!” Toadkit stepped padded forward, his mother watched him proudly. From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Toadpaw.”The clan chanted his new name, especially the new apprentices. Toadkit-no, Toadpaw looked like the happiest cat in the world at the moment. Now Firestar was looking up into the darkening sky, as if he was looking up at Starclan. I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior.”And then he called out a warrior’s name. Cloudtail.”The snow colored tom padded forward. You have been an experienced warrior for many moons, and I believe that you are ready for your next apprentice.”Firestar meowed. Cloudtail dipped his head and stepped forward to his new apprentice. Toadpaw in turn padded up to Cloudtail and the two cats touched noses. The same thing happened to Rosekit, who became Rosepaw, and her mentor became Squirrelflight. Tom thought that would be the end of the ceremony but after Toadpaw and Rosepaw became acquainted with the other two apprentices Firestar yowled again. I have another announcement.”Everyone quieted and waited for their leader to speak. Today our warriors fought bravely, as did our apprentices. It is time we make them warriors!”Icepaw and Foxpaw looked at each other in excitement. Tom yawned and watched as they and their mentors padded to the edge of the clearing while Firestar himself bounded down the rocky wall and into the clearing. The two apprentices were given congratulations and praise by their friends and kin before Firestar addressed the clan from the middle of the clearing. I, Firestar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.” Foxpaw padded into the clearing, followed closely by his sister. Foxpaw and Icepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?” I do.”Foxpaw meowed determinedly. I do.”Icepaw breathed. Then by the power of Starclan I give you your warrior names.”Firestar brushed into Foxpaw. Foxpaw, from this moment you shall be known as Foxleap.”He stepped away. Starclan honors your bravery.” He did the same for Icepaw. Icepaw, from this moment you shall be known as Icecloud. Starclan honors your loyalty.” Foxleap! Icecloud! Foxleap! Icecloud!”The clan raised their voices to the sky. Tom joined them in their chanting. It was an interesting ceremony, but Tom was ready for bed. He got up and stretched his sore muscles and started to make his way back to the medicine den, sweater dragging from his mouth. He was just a few feet away when he heard Firestar yowl once again. Oh for crying out loud! What now!? He huffed, ready to go to bed anyway until he heard who Firestar was calling. Tom Freedman!" Tom turned his head in surprise. Oh no. The other cats cleared a path between him and Firestar. The orange tom was sitting patiently. Feeling something was expected of him, Tom dropped his sweater and padded forward. He sat a foot away from the leader and bowed his head. Tom, you came to this camp as an outsider, and possibly even a twoleg. And yet today you have shown true loyalty and bravery for our Clan, even when it threatened your life.” Well, I couldn’t just” Tom tried to tell him it was no big deal but Firestar held up his paw and interrupted him. Oo. If it wasn’t for you, we would have had little to no time to prepare for the invasion from Windclan. For this, I am grateful. And to show my gratitude, I am prepared to make you an honorary member of Thunderclan.” Tom was about to object, but his voice was overpowered by the meows of approval from everyone else. Firestar waited for the night to become silent again before he continued. You are too old to become an apprentice, but from the story of your valiant fight, I do not think you require that much training. Though you may never be truly a warrior, you deserve a warrior name.”He now looked at Tom with his wise green eyes. Unless you do not want a warrior name, Millie and Daisy have chosen to keep their original names, and they are still warriors, you can do the same.” Oo.”The words were out before he even thought them. As much as I like my human name it doesn’t fit my new cat body. If I’m to be a clan cat, I might as well have a clan name.” Firestar nodded, understanding. He then looked to the sky again and spoke to the dying light. I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this cat. He has by sent to use by your noble efforts and has proven himself courageous and loyal. In turn, I commend him to you as a warrior.” As Firestar said this, Tom felt his spine prickle, as if the cats of Starclan were watching him right now. Tom,”Firestar gazed at him. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?” This was it, Tom thought, no turning back. I do.” Then by the power of Starclan I give you your warrior name.”He brushed his shoulder into Tom’s. Tom Freedman, from this moment you shall be known as Swiftmind. Starclan honors your courage and intellect.” Firestar stepped away, and Thunderclan chanted his new name. Swiftmind! Swiftmind!”they cheered. Swiftmind”ell at least it’s not anything like 腺errynose” Swiftmind looked around the clearing. The loudest cheers were coming from the nursery. He smiled at Dovekit as she jumped up and down in excitement. Firestar spoke to him again. Tonight you will sit a silent vigil with Icecloud and Foxleap, for a night of listening. You are not to speak unless it is for an emergency.” All night?! Swiftmind felt like spitting in anger. I got chased, scratched, bitten, and fell down a dark hole just to sit out in the cold all night without talking?! He didn’t like it one bit, but Swiftmind didn’t argue with a clan tradition. At least he would have Icecloud and Foxleap for company. So when the rest of the clan had gone to their dens Swiftmind sat in the middle of the clearing with the other two new warriors at his side. Every once in a while sudden noises like the chirp of a bat or crunch of a leaf would make them jump. Besides that, the night was very uneventful. Stretching kept him from becoming stiff but nothing could take away his exhaustion. Several times he almost dozed off or just fall asleep altogether. If he did doze off Foxleap or Icecloud would prod him to keep him awake. He was just about to doze off again when he heard a subtle noise. It was a sort of buzzing noise that was very faint. It was muffled but otherwise there. Swiftmind decided to investigate. With a nod to the others, he padded away to the source of the buzz. Ears pivoting like radar to guide him through the dark. It turned out the noise was coming from his backpack. Swiftmind instantly knew what it was and found it, even after the buzzing had stopped. It was his cell phone. He flipped open the top to discover he had received two text messages. One was from Mike. It read; 挿At Hawaii and loving it, how’s your trip?” The cat Swiftmind suddenly felt himself turn back into Tom the human as his old life rushed back to him in a swirling wave. Mike was at Hawaii with his wife, Rebecca. The two were probably having fun while he was stuck being a cat, without a worry in their heads. He read the second text. This time it was from Sarah. She liked to go to parties and it was usual for her to text this late at night. 挿Is camping fun? When are you going to get back?” The last one raised a question in his mind. When am I going to get back? He defiantly didn’t want to stay as a cat forever, but how long would it take to save these clans like Icestar had said. And when he did, Heaven only knew how long that would take, how would he turn back? Would Starclan do the same thing as they did to turn him into a cat? Swiftmind looked at the cell phone, wondering what his reply would be. Good thing this wasn’t a regular call. He’re have hated the idea of only answering with a meow. It would be easier to answer the first one. Swiftmind used a toe to press the buttons. He typed. 挿My trip is going good. I might stay here longer than I thought.” Wasn’t that the truth. Swiftmind answered the same for the other text from Sarah. He was about to close his cell phone when it buzzed again. He had got a reply from Sarah. 挿Y?筑 He’re hoped that she wouldn’t ask, but now he had to come up with a believable answer. Swiftmind sighed and typed again. 挿Lets just say I’m answering The Call of The Wild.” Jayfeather lay in the sun, warming his fur. A few days had past since Swiftmind’s vigil, and the twoleg-cat had learned quickly in Thunderclan. Already he had caught his first mouse and several other freshkill for the clan and he was learning battle moves with Leafpool. Jayfeather listened as Swiftmind was participating in the kits favorite pastime, storytelling. He remembered that Bumblekit was complaining to the elders that he had heard every story. Then Swiftmind came and asked if the kits would like to hear his favorite twoleg stories. Jayfeather had to admit, twolegs had some very interesting stories. So interesting that the elders would listen too, and a clanmate who was just passing by would become drawn into the story. The kits favorite stories from him were the Greek legends. Of course there was some confusion to what a god was. Swiftmind explained that it was a sort of spirit, with great powers like thunder or water, and they never truly lived or died. Swiftmind had called them 訴mmortal” Well the kits understood it at any rate, Jayfeather turned over to warm his other side, and at least the stories keep the little fur balls quiet. They absorbed his stories with rapt attention. They cheered for the trials of Hercules, they shivered at the monstrous Minotaur, and now they were listening to the story of Icarus. Jayfeather listened with them. Supposedly there was a twoleg named Daedalus, who created many great things, yet his son, Icarus, was a clumsy oaf. His nephew on the other paw was a genius, much better than the inventor’s son, and possibly even better than the inventor himself. This caused a great pain to the Daedalus, so much that he had thrown his nephew off the roof of his den. Why would he do that?”asked Dovekit. He murdered his kin!” You must remember,”Swiftmind meowed gently. Daedalus was not in his right state of mind. Once he realized what he had done, he fled with his son from their home in shame.” So the inventor fled, from twolegplace to twolegplace, inventing toys for twoleg kits. He ended up in the twolegplace called Crete, where the king, Minos, ruled. Ivykit gasped. Isn’t that the king who fed twolegs to that bull creature?” Tom nodded, Yes, the very same, but this story isn’t about the Minotaur.” Now King Minos wanted Daedalus to build a prison that the Minotaur, a monster that was half twoleg and half bull, couldn’t escape. These twolegs think of the strangest things! So Daedalus created a maze of tunnels simply called The Labyrinth. After this maze was complete, King Minos threw both Daedalus and Icarus into The Labyrinth so that the inventor couldn’t tell anyone. But Daedalus, having designed the thing himself, was able to escape with his son before the Minotaur could kill them. Unfortunately, they were still stuck on a barren island. Daedalus saw a bird flying in the air, and he came up with an idea. For seven days, the two caught hundreds of birds. While they ate the meat, Daedalus attached the feathers to salvaged pieces of wood with beeswax. On the seventh day, Daedalus had created for each of them a set of wings. Now, before the two left the island, Daedalus took his son Icarus and warned him not to fly to low, or the spray of the ocean water would soak the feathers and make him too heavy. Also not to fly to high or the heat of the sun would melt the wax holding the feathers, and he would fall. Icarus promised to his father that he would remember. So the two jumped off of a cliff on the island, Mousebrained, and the two began to fly! Farther and farther they flew, over the ocean, heading to the great city Athens. But Icarus, becoming excited from the thrill of flight, began to fly higher. But his father told him not to!”Blossomkit meowed. Icarus promised he wouldn’t!” But soaring higher than anything made Icarus felt powerful, and he began to hunger for more height.”Swiftmind continued. Soon he began to fly with the clouds. Daedalus called to his son, ordering him to fly lower. Icarus didn’t hear his father, and then he started feel the patter of melted wax on his back. His father pleaded for Icarus to fly lower, but it was too late. Icarus fell. He fell like a stone, farther and farther and as he fell, he called helplessly to his father, who was himself helpless. Daedalus watched his beloved son fall, much like the drop of his murdered nephew, and then was consumed by the cold black waters of the ocean, which Jayfeather now assumed was the waters of the sun-drown-place. Daedalus, heartbroken, continued his flight to Athens without a son. There he stayed, making little statues of a little boy with wings. "Couldn't you tell a story with a happier ending?" a mew came from Daisy. She had been listening too. "Honestly! Do you think kits should be learning about monsters and death like that?" "There are monsters and death in the real world." Another voice came. It was Brambleclaw. "They might as well learn it now in stories." "It's educational." Swiftmind added. But Jayfeather was no longer listening, he was deep in thought. That was what happened to Hollyleaf. The Warrior Code meant everything to her. In her eyes it was like the sun, bright, everlasting, and important. She, like Icarus who flew too close to the sun, got too close to the Warrior Code. In times of crise, she always went to the Warrior Code, but when she discovered who she truly was...Jayfeather shudered. When Hollyleaf went to the codethat time, it burned her, melted her reason for being, and she fell into the darkness of the tunnels... Jayfeather sat up with a jolt. He always got like that when he thought of his sister. Everything seemed to remind him of her! What annoyed him the most was that she never visited him in his dreams! Ever since she died, Jayfeather had tried to see hollyleaf in Starclan. But she was never there. Maybe she's in the place of no stars? Jayfeather shook the thought away, but it was always in the back of his mind, nagging. It was possible for his sister to be roaming the dark forest alone like Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. She committed murder by killing Ashfur, even if she did think it was for a good purpose. A voice brought Jayfeather back from his deep thinking. It was Lionblaze. "Hey, get up! Everyone's getting ready to go to the gathering." Jayfeather yawned and stretched as his brother padded off. Tonight was the full moon, and everyone was excited for the meeting of the clans.Even though it's not even nightfall yet! He suspected it was because Swiftmind was coming with them. One of his clanmates had asked Firestar intended to tell the other clans about Swiftminds 'past'. Firestar had said no, but Jayfeather still didn't like the idea of Swiftmind going to a clan gathering so early. One reason was that Windclan might recognize him. It wasn't everyday you saw a cat with a star on his chest. Another was that Swiftmind still didn't fully understand the clan ways. Just yesterday he discovered that Leafpool used to be the clan medicine cat, and when he found out the reason she had stopped he had said. "Well thats just stupid." And he continued eating his freshkill. Stupid!? In one meow he had called the Warrior Code stupud. If Hollyleaf had been there, she would have clawed his ears off. But the rest of the clan didn't seem to notice. In fact, Jayfeather didn't mind either. All of Thunderclan cats thought that Leafpool was a brilliant medicine cat, and when she stepped down many were upset. But she had broken the Warrior Code, and she had to pay the price. The moon rose higher in the night, and all of the chosen Thunderclan cats were gathered by the camp entrance, waiting for Firestar to signal their departure. Jayfeather found Swiftmind sitting patiently by the bramble barrier. Swiftmind was filled with calm anticipation, and a little excitement. Wasn’t he a little nervous? Jayfeather could hear the tom make a noise. It was similar to purring, but not deep from within, more like he was just breathing a birdsong loudly. He approached curiously. What are you doing?” I’m sorry?”Swiftmind meowed. That noise you’re making.”Jayfeather clarified. Are you having trouble breathing?” Swiftmind’s fur became hot with shock and shame. Oh! Um” was” he shuffled his paws. I was whistling. Or at least” was trying to.” Jayfeather blinked his blind eyes. What? Like a bird?”He tried to imagine a cat chirping and singing like the morning birds but it looked ridiculous. I whistle when I have nothing to do. Call it a force of habit if you will.”Swiftmind sighed. Most humans can whistle, I could but now I can’t. Not in this body.” Jayfeather nodded. Cats are meant to eat birds, not sing like them.”he meowed. He sniffed the air. Firestar was coming. After checking with Brambleclaw that everyone was there the Thunderclan leader gave the word and led his clanmates out of the camp. Almost immediately Lionblaze was striding beside him. Annoyance burned through Jayfeather’s pelt. Couldn’t he stop treating me like a kit for one second! He didn’t need help getting through their territory! Why couldn’t anyone understand that? Jayfeather speeded up, taking care not to trip on anything, especially in front of his brother. He did not want to prove Lionblaze right. Jayfeather felt the soft pebbles of the lake shore, and wondered about the stick that he hid so carefully. Does Rock know anything about Swiftmind? Or the prophecy Yellowfang spoke of? Jayfeather longed to speak to him again, and to Hollyleaf. There was so much they needed to talk about! But for now he had to wait. At least until after the gathering. They were passing the Shadowclan border, Jayfeather could scent that they had already left for the island. Then they neared Riverclan. They also left early. Great, that probably means we’re going to be the last at the gathering. That would mean it would be easier for the clans to notice Swiftmind. Hopefully they would just think he never came to the gatherings as an apprentice. But not Windclan. Jayfeather clenched his jaw. Ashfoot and all of the other Windclan warriors would recognize him in an instant. They wouldn’t let him get away with tricking them so easily. They were near the horseplace and the island. The Thunderclan cats gathered around the fallen tree that connected the island to the shore. Its bark was worn smooth from the many times cats had used it to cross the lake. He always hated climbing up and padding unsteadily across the cold lake water. Yet Jayfeather jumped up all the same. It wasn’t as if he had any other choice. He crossed carefully. Making sure each step was secure. It was relief to land on solid earth. He listened for Swiftmind to come across the log. Several other cats came before him. He was probably taking his time to watch their technique. Finally the twoleg-cat slowly made his way across the treebridge. There was a thump and a gasp. He slipped! Jayfeather listened for a splash but thankfully there was none. He heard Swiftmind grunt and continue padding across. When he made it to the island Jayfeather gave him a sniff. He was a little fazed but no damage. After him came Rosepaw and Toadpaw. They were excited and fearful of their first gathering. Brambleclaw came last. Jayfeather smell and hear the other clans beyond the trees. The gathering would start soon. Firestar gave the signal and everyone ran towards the voices, towards the clearing. Jayfeather sensed the minds of numerous cats. All were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Jayfeather!”a meow called over the chatter of the clans. The scent of Willowshine floated towards him. Jayfeather, it’s good to see you.” It’s good to hear from you too.”He meowed back. Together the two padded to their spot with the other medicine cats while Firestar leaped up the tree with the other clan leaders. Hello Jayfeather.”Another voice greeted him. Hello to you too Kestrelpaw.” It’s Kestrelflight now.”The Windclan cat meowed proudly. Happiness was radiating from him. Oh.”Jayfeather mewed. Well that’s great” But he was interrupted by a yowl from above. Blackstar was starting the gathering. So far, it was a normal gathering. Blackstar reported that hunting in Shadowclan was becoming good again. Leopardstar told that a fox came into their territory but was chased away by their warriors, and Onestar had nothing to report except that Kestrelflight had his full medicine cat name and Barkface would be retiring to the elders den. Jayfeather looked to the old medicine cat. He was very old, and some rest would be good for him. Now it was Firestar’s turn. The thaw has brought good hunting to Thunderclan.”He spoke to the clans. We have two new apprentices in Thunderclan, Toadpaw and Rosepaw.”The gathered cats gave a small greeting to the two nervous apprentices. And we also have three new warriors,”Firestar continued, Icecloud, Foxleap, and Swiftmind.” They recived the same greeting and congratulations, but Jayfeather felt a stir in the crowd. Oh no! Jayfeather,”Mothwing mewed. Isn’t that the tom we found by the moonpool?” You made him a warrior?”a huff came from Barkface. Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Jayfeather almost spat back at the elderly brown tom but held his tongue. It would do no good to start a fight at a gathering. Though from the growls coming from the Windclan direction, there might be one anyway. There was an angry yowl from the direction of the tree. It’s him!”the Windclan deputy was almost ready to tear into Swiftmind from the rage flowing through her. That’s the one I was telling you about Onestar. This is the tom that ruined everything!” Jayfeather heard Onestar hiss and the bark scratched as he turned to face Firestar. What is the meaning of this?”he snarled. Did you turn a rouge into a warrior just to spite us all?” Firestar meowed calmly. Swiftmind is not a rouge, and I made him a warrior not in spite, but for his courageous actions when you wrongly invaded my territory.”He added that last bit like a blow to Onestar’s face. The Windclan leader hissed again It was perfectly justified.”Then he turned to jump down from the tree. Good. Jayfeather sighed in relief. Maybe we can all leave early. But nothing was ever so easy. A voice yowled to Onestar as he and his warriors prepare to leave. Wait!” Jayfeather tensed as he recognized the voice belonging to Swiftmind. What was he doing?! Did that Mousebrain want to get his ears ripped to shreds? He rushed towards the sound of Swiftmind’s voice, but was soon blocked by other cats wanting to watch the new Thunderclan warrior. What do you want?”Onestar growled. The other Windclan cats hissed at the approaching tom. I want to know why you tried to invade Thunderclan. You live on the moors, isn’t that enough territory for you?”Swiftmind questioned. That is none of your business!”Ashfoot hissed. Swiftmind,”Cinderheart mewed cautiously. Jayfeather understood why she felt nervous. All of the Thunderclan cats did. Swiftmind ignored his clans worry and continued questioning. Is there a problem in your clan? Is there not enough prey in the mores?” Of course there is!”Onestar retaliated. But Jayfeather sensed doubt in the leader’s words. Jayfeather opened his mind to Windclan, and found that they were hungry. Very hungry. Jayfeather knew that if he could see, he would notice that the Windclan Warriors were thinner than usual. Swiftmind must have noticed this too. What are you planning Swiftmind? “Swiftmind.”The calm meow of Firestar came from the tree. A Clan does not have to speak of its problems if they do not wish to.” I understand that.”Swiftmind meowed in annoyance. But if your clan is starving you wouldn’t be so prideful as to not ask for help!” Onestar, growing tired and angry, growled. This gathering is over.”And he turned to leave. Tom yowled after him desperately. But I could help!” Jayfeather heard the Windclan leader stop with the rest of his clan. Ashfoot hissed threateningly at him. We do not need help. Even if we did, we would never ask Thunderclan for it!” Jayfeather knew that was a lie. Throughout clan history, clans have asked other clans for aid. Ashfoot just didn’t like Swiftmind. Oot Thunderclan.”Tom said solemnly. Just me.” Shocked murmurs rippled through the four clans. Riverclan and Shadowclan were mixtures of interest and curiosity. Windclan was filled with suspicion while Thunderclan was horrified. Swiftmind, what are you doing?!”Lionblaze meowed. Wouldn’t I like to know, Jayfeather thought. Firestar was still perched on the branch, calm. He did not even hint surprise or fear for Swiftmind. Did you plan this too? That would explain why he allowed the twoleg-cat to come to the gathering. What are you talking about?”Onestar questioned him. I am the one who prevented you from taking Thunderclan territory.”Swiftmind spoke. You must have needed the land badly to risk taking it, and I stopped you. By doing that, I am the reason your kits and elders go hungry. I don’t want that on my conscience, so let me right the wrong I have done!” Jayfeather listened to this and felt just as shocked as Onestar. He wanted to yowl out and stop Swiftmind from saying anything that would get him into more trouble, but someone already was speaking. But that is what you are supposed to do.”An old she-cat meowed. Jayfeather couldn’t see who it was, but she was Windclan. Wasn’t there an elder in Windclan named Morningflower? You were only defending your clan like any warrior would.”Morningflower meowed again. There is no reason you should throw your life away, just for following the warrior code.” It was the way she said throw your life away”that made Jayfeather feel uneasy. What could be causing Windclan’s famine to make her say that? Everyone else must have noticed, for they became deathly quiet. Onestar sighed, seeing that there was no way out of this discussion. Every Newleaf and Greenleaf,”he began, The twolegs bring sheep to the moor. With the sheep, they bring dogs.”The mention of dogs sent shivers down Jayfeather’s and everyone’s spine. All except Swiftmind. He used to be a twoleg. He’s used to dogs. The dogs chase away the prey.”Onestar continued gravely. And they’ll chase any cat they find. One almost killed a warrior.”He sighed again. Though your intentions are noble, it would be a death sentence. Windclan must deal with this alone.” Oo!”Swiftmind growled. I know dogs. I can help you. Just let me help, and you won’t need to steal any territory.” And what would you want in return?”Onestar asked suspiciously. He was right to be suspicious, considering that if Swiftmind did succeed, the clan would owe him greatly. Oothing.”Swiftmind meowed, Only the guarantee that you will stop attacking Thunderclan.” The cats gasped. Jayfeather shook his head. That would never work. Clans were meant to fight, that’s why cats were born with teeth and claws. Why would Onestar agree to a deal like that? Onestar,”Ashfoot whispered to her leader. You don’t really trust this cat do you? Not after what he did?” Onestar thought for a moment to himself. Jayfeather could almost sense his thoughts. He wanted to help his clan, but he did not want to receive help from an outsider. If you fail to make the dogs leave,”Onestar asked finally. What would you do then?”Everyone was hushed, waiting for Swiftmind to answer. It was as if the whole gathering was holding its breath. From what you say about these dogs...”Swiftmind sighed. I would probably be dead.” “Are you insane?”Lionblaze asked Swiftmind as they left the gathering. Firestar had made sure to make a quick exit after what had just happened. It wouldn’t be the first time.”Swiftmind meowed. Jokes. Lionblaze stared. He’s actually making jokes?! It was almost disturbing how the tom could act so calm when he practically threw his life away. And Firestar let him! Their leader could be waiting to scold him back at camp, but Lionblaze felt that the ginger cat knew Swiftmind would do this all along. But why not stop him? Did Swiftmind make a deal with Firestar? Every cat knew that Firestar and Onestar had used to be friends, but ever since he became the Windclan leader, Onestar wanted nothing to do with his old friend. Maybe Firestar sensed Windclan’s suffering, and asked Swiftmind to help? What was more distressing was the fact that Onestar had agreed! He announced that on the day before the next gathering, Swifmind was to go into Windclan territory and face the pack of dogs. If he succeeded, Onestar promised to never attack Thunderclan unless provoked. And If Swiftmind failed, Firestar promised to give a small piece of Thunderclan territory to Windclan for hunting until the dogs left on their own accord which, from what Onestar said, would not be until leafbare. This was done much to the disagreement of Thunderclan, but Windclan would not accept anything else.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:25:40 GMT -5
(From Fingers to Fur cont. )
This is unfair! Lionblaze bit back a yowl of frustration. How could Swiftmind think he could do this alone? Even if he was a twoleg before, he was a cat now. Those dogs wouldn’t care for something that used to be their master. Or would they? Lionblaze shook his head in sadness. He looked back at his brother, his head was also down in deep thought. Lionblaze looked at Swiftmind who had padded ahead. His head was high. He had done what he had set out to do. You better have a good plan, Lionblaze thought darkly, because if you fail, we’ll lose more than territory. Back at the camp the Clan was abuzz. Those who had stayed in the camp soon discovered why their clanmates were riled up. You mousebrain!”Cinderheart glared at Swiftmind. What were you thinking?!” I was thinking that I was helping the clan.”Swiftmind meowed calmly. He was getting a piece of freshkill from the pile but it was stepped on by Berrynose. Excuse me if I don’t understand your twoleg ways, but how is giving away our territory helpful?”he sneered. You saw how thin Windclan was.”Swiftmind returned his gaze. How many times have they tried to take your territory, and how long do you think it would take for them to try it again?” That silenced the light colored warrior. Swiftmind had a point. Lionblaze remembered how thin Heathertail was. By now, the thaw should have been bringing out prey that Windclan needed after leafbare, but the dogs were scaring their badly needed prey away. Lionblaze looked at Squirrelflight. She still bared scars from the last time Windclan invaded. Who knew how long it would take for hunger and desperation to drive them to attack Thunderclan again. Lionblaze tried to suppress a yowl of fright. Instead he let out a terrified growl. He heard stories about Scourge, how he took all of Tigerstar’s nine lives in one blow, and how he nearly destroyed the four clans to take over the forest. And now the tyrant was padding menacingly towards Lionblaze. Trying to be braver than he felt, Lionblaze returned his icy stare. What are you doing here?” Isn’t it obvious?”Scourge’s high-pitched voiced hissed. I’m here to find and old”cquaintance.” Lionblaze instantly knew what he meant by acquaintance” He’s looking for Firestar! Was he trying to attack him in his dreams for revenge? But,”Scourge continued. Since I can’t find him, I might as well practice with his kin.” Before Lionblaze could evade, Scourge lunged! He still had the dog teeth reinforcements on his claws. Bloodlust burned in his eyes. The only thing Lionblaze could do was turn so Scourge hit his back instead of his front and neck. For such a small cat, the blow was massive, forcing Lionblaze to the ground. Scourge sunk his teeth and claws into Lionblaze’s back. Lionblaze rolled, trying to knock him off, but the black cat just bit harder and kicked, sending Lionblaze flying off of Scourge and onto the ground. Lionblaze tried to get back up, dazed, but Scourge was on top of him again. His claws were at his throat, close enough to scratch his skin. Wait!”Lionblaze cried, trying to postpone death. Why are you here? You don’t believe in Starclan!” No.”whispered Scourge with malice. But I do believe in revenge.” Scourge sunk his teeth into Lionblaze’s throat. The world started to grow dark around him. I’m going to die! A noise approached in the darkness. Scourge’s grip lessened and the noise became louder. It was a sort of thumping sound, like thundering pawsteps. But there were only two feet. The loud footfalls came closer and the bracken shook all around. Suddenly, Scourge let go altogether and screeched in anger, or was it terror? His screech was cut off when something large burst into the clearing they were in and dealt a huge blow to Scourge’s side, sending him flying higher and farther into the trees. The force of the blow also sent Lionblaze rolling into a nearby scrub. There he waited, in case the thing attacked again. When nothing happened, Lionblaze gingerly padded out into the open. In the middle of the clearing, there was the cause of Scourge’s brief flying lesson. It was a twoleg. Swiftmind?”Lionblaze looked up into the twoleg’s face. But this wasn’t his friend in his twoleg state. This twoleg was older, the fur on its head was silver, and deep wrinkles were on its skin. The pelt, or clothes” were white and almost gleamed. Another thing that gleamed was one of the twoleg’s”ell, legs. Its clothes covered most of the leg, but from the ankle, he saw a glimpse of silver. He had a replacement made for him, but he doesn’t fight anymore, especially now that he’s 89.” Swiftmind had said that his kin had a replacement leg made for him. You’re Swift- I mean, Tom’s grandfather?”Lionblaze looked up at the twoleg in wonder. The twoleg nodded. Lionblaze padded closer, now he could see the sure signs of a retired warrior. Besides the fake leg, he could also see battle scars on his face and paws. A feeling of dread came over Lionblaze. Swiftmind never told me he was dead. Did Swiftmind even know? Does he” Lionblaze began, but Swiftmind’s grandfather shook his head. No.”he finally spoke. I just got here. Tom’s mother should be calling him tomorrow.” Why are you here though? You’re a twoleg!”Lionblaze meowed. I’re go anywhere to help a friend of my grandson.”He smiled with his odd twoleg face, Even if you are a cat.” Lionblaze did not know whether to feel honored or insulted. He chose honored instead, and he bowed his head to the ancient warrior. Swiftmind’s kin inclined his head to him, and headed out of the clearing. Where are you going? Is there a Starclan for twolegs?”Lionblaze asked aloud. It was a curious thought. The twoleg just waved a paw as he left. Sort of.”He answered, and in one blazing moment, a bright light appeared from nowhere. It bathed the twoleg warrior in white fire, and Lionblaze had to shut his eyes tight from being blinded. But, right before he closed his eyes, he swore he saw Swiftmind’s kin grow wings, and flew away into the light. Lionblaze awoke from his dream, but, if he had stayed asleep a little longer, he might have noticed a shadow moving through the trees. The shadow stopped at the limp form of Scourge, twisted in a nearby bramble. Scourge was not badly hurt, he was already dead, but he did not move away from the shadow, even as the black mist formed into a large cat, blacker than night with white markings in the shape of the cat’s skeleton. Instead of eyes, in its sockets were two blue stars. The shade looked down on Scourge with no emotion, before picking him up by the scruff and lifting him with no effort whatsoever. Scourge moaned, but made no struggle. The shadow-cat carried him through the forest, soundless, before they came to a cliff. There was no bottom to this chasm, only a black void. Finally realizing what was happening, Scourge screeched and tried to claw at his captor, only to find his paws passed through it. DO YOU THINK IF I COULD BE HARMED IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ME LONG AGO?”the specter questioned without even moving his jaws. The voice boomed through the air like thunder. Do you think this will stop me?”Scourge hissed. Your powers are weakening guardian. More and more are slipping into the dreams of the living! I got passed you once. I can get passed you again!” The guardian considered this. I HAVE HEARD WORSE LAST WORDS.” With this said, he loosened his jaw, and Scourge fell into the black void from whence he came. The guardian, after getting rid of the problem, dissolved into a black cloud to continue guarding the borders of the afterlife. Unaware of the supernatural things going on, Lionblaze padded out of the warriors den, he could see everyone bustling about. He found Swiftmind talking to Leafpool near the fresh-kill pile. His mother made a move to groom Swiftmind’s pelt, but the tom jerked away. Apparently he was still uneasy about the concept of sharing tongues. How else do twolegs get clean then? He grumbled and made his way over to them. Lionblaze would have preferred to speak to him alone, and especially not in front of Leafpool. But Swiftmind needs to know about his grandfather. Lionblaze stopped. Should he tell Swiftmind? It would be hard to explain how he knew, and Lionblaze wasn’t sure he wanted to be the bearer of bad news, especially since it was the news about the death of a loved one. No, Lionblaze shook his head, if Swiftmind is to find out, it won’t be from me. He’re just have to wait for Swiftmind to learn about it on his own. Swiftmind noticed him. Hey!”he waved his tail in greeting. Come and grab a bite to eat!” Lionblaze grabbed a squirrel and began eating. While he ate, Swiftmind continued talking to So, would you like to come with me and the others to get stuff from my tent?”Swiftmind asked Leafpool. Oo thank you.”Leafpool meowed. I wouldn’t be comfortable around all of those twolegs.” Swiftmind looked at her indignantly. You look comfortable talking to me.” Oh! No! That’s not what I meant.”Leafpool meowed quickly. Lionblaze sighed as Swiftmind twitched his whiskers in amusement and said he was just messing with her. It was normal for the Clan to think of the twoleg-cat as any other cat. No matter how much Swiftmind tried to convince them he was once a twoleg. Just like when he tried convincing the clan that monsters weren’t alive. Lionblaze snorted at the thought. He didn’t care if Swiftmind rode in them, those things were beasts! Well what about you Lionblaze?”Swiftmind’s voice brought Lionblaze out of his thoughts. Lionblaze gulped down the rest of his squirrel. Sorry?” Do you want to travel with me and the other warriors to my campsite? Remember? To find anything I could use against the dogs?” Oh. Sure, I was going to ask if I could come anyway.”Lionblaze answered. Swiftmind stood up. Great! I’ll go and see if anyone else wants to come.”He padded off towards a group of warriors while Leafpool gave Lionblaze a nod and left towards the warriors den. Probably to look for Squirrelflight. Lionblaze stretched and headed over to the medicine cat’s den. Jayfeather was inside, treating a thorn in Bumblekit’s paw. Lionblaze waited patiently for Jayfeather to finish with his patient. When Bumblekit left, Lionblaze meowed to his brother. I need to tell you about this dream I had” Lionblaze trudged on through the forest undergrowth, contemplating on what his brother had said. Or rather, what he didn’t say. Jayfeather couldn’t think of a reason how Scourge or Swiftmind’s grandfather came to Lionblaze in his dreams. All Jayfeather told him was to be cautious while he slept and he would ask Starclan when he traveled to the moonpool during the halfmoon. But the halfmoon is days away! Lionblaze grumbled to himself, frustrated. At least he could try to distract himself on Swiftmind’s scavenging mission. Greystripe and Swiftmind were ahead of the group, Birchfall, Lionblaze and Spiderleg followed behind. Swiftmind held his tail high, excited to get to the Greenleaf Twolegplace. Lionblaze felt excited himself. He never liked patrolling near there during Greenleaf when all of the twolegs were about, but now there should be less of them around. I wish the others were as confident as me. Lionblaze looked at the other three warriors who volunteered. There pelts were bristling with anxiousness. Greystripe waved his tail and signaled them to stop. We’re here.”He whispered. Lionblaze ducked into the bracken and looked into the clearing. As he thought, there weren’t as many twolegs as there would be in Greenleaf, but Lionblaze could still see a few of their pelt dens scattered through the clearing. Which one is yours?”Lionblaze hissed to Swiftmind. It’s the small yellow one.”Swiftmind hissed back. Lionblaze looked, and quickly spotted a bright yellow den near the other side of the clearing, next to a large blue box. Without warning, Swiftmind jumped out of the bracken and ran straight through the twolegplace. Swiftmind, what are you doing?!”Lionblaze yowled then jumped after him. The other warriors followed as well. Luckily, there were no twolegs around yet, but Lionblaze felt uneasy all the same. He reached Swiftmind at his yellow den, sniffing around it excitedly. Are you completely mousebrained?”Greystripe growled angrily as he caught up to them. A twoleg could have come out at any moment!” Oah,”Swiftmind shook his head. It’s still too early for anyone to come out.” Swiftmind then hooked something on the den with his claw and pulled. There was a zipping noise as he opened a slit in the yellow pelt. Swiftmind ducked inside while Spiderleg and Birchfall jumped back nervously. Lionblaze listened to Swiftmind scuffle around inside the den, not daring to go in himself. Greystripe jumped on top of the blue box and sat, watching the twolegplace for any movement. After a few heartbeats, Swiftmind backed out of the den. He was dragging something large and red by a short black vine. The upper part of the thing was clear, and you could see strange objects inside. What’s that?”Lionblaze meowed. It’s a lamp.”Swiftmind answered. He used his paws to set it upright on its flat base. Birchfall sniffed the strange object. What does it do?” This.”Swiftmind twisted a black knob on the lamps side, and suddenly the lamp blazed with bright light! The warriors yowled and jumped back farther away from Swiftmind and the light. At a safe distance, Lionblaze turned and looked back at the twoleg-cat. He appeared perfectly fine in the unnatural glow. Showing once again how different he was from normal clan cats. “How does it do that?”Lionblaze watched as Swiftmind turned the knob again and the light in the lamp dimed before finally going out. Let’s just say, it uses stored lightning.”Swiftmind meowed. Lionblaze felt that he wasn’t saying the whole truth, but it was probably the best answer he was going to get. Birchfall crept up to the lamp to give it an experimental sniff. His fur laid flat, nothing was wrong for now. And this is going to help with the dogs?”he asked, eyeing the thing suspiciously. Swiftmind shrugged his brown shoulders. Oot bloody likely. But anything would help.”He then turned to Greystripe, who was sitting by the blue box again. Could you open that for me while I go back inside?”Swiftmind gestured to the blue box with his paw. Greystripe looked up at the box doubtfully, then to Swiftmind. And how am I supposed to do that?” The top flips open.”The brown tom meowed as he slipped inside the temporary den again. Greystripe sighed and flicked his tail, beckoning Lionblaze and the others to help him. Together, Lionblaze, Greystripe, Birchfall, and Spiderleg managed to find the crack between the box and its top. Pushing with their noses, they pushed hard at the top and, like Swiftmind had said the top flipped open. Lionblaze peaked into the hollow in the box, and then gasped at its contents. It was cold in the box. What must have been ice was now mostly water, but in the chilly water protected by some sort of clear membrane was food. Lionblaze could smell the various types of fresh-kill inside as he grabbed at one of the clear coverings. It smelled like blackbird, but the feathers must have been plucked of the scraps of meat. He recognized it from when he went on the mission to find the suspected killer, Sol. This must be chicken. Lionblaze set down the parcel of meat on the ground next to the box before jumping up onto the edge again for more. Birchfall was nosing another container, which revealed to be beautiful white eggs. I have never seen eggs this big before!”he meowed happily. We’re going to have a feast!” Lionblaze purred as he looked at each round delicacy. His belly growled at the promise of food. He found more tightly wrapped pieces of fresh-kill. These were pink and shaped like long fat twigs. Weird, but they smell good. So Lionblaze put them next to the chicken. These were joined by a package of two huge slabs of meat, what animal those came from Lionblaze wound never know, and some thin slices of fatty meat, found by Spiderleg. I don’t know what they are,”Spiderleg mewed. But look at the fat on them! Maybe they can put some meat on the elder’s bones.”He purred. Ugh!”a meow came from Greystripe. His grey tail could be seen over the edge from inside the blue box of treasure. What’s wrong?”Lionblaze looked into the box to see what had disgusted the senior warrior. He immediately smelled what was wrong. Yuck!”Greystripe had discovered two pieces of meat, through the covering Lionblaze could smell that they had rotted. I guess these weren’t close enough to the ice, or the cold water.”Greystripe wrinkled his nose at the rancid smell. We can throw those away.”Lionblaze shrugged. There is still plenty of good fresh-kill.” Greystripe nodded and gingerly picked up the crowfood. Being careful not to rip the membrane it was sealed in, he carried it away from the box to bury it while Lionblaze, Birchfall, and Spiderleg continued looking in the fresh-kill box. And while they did this, Swiftmind dragged out various twoleg items from the yellow den. Lionblaze decided not to ask him what any of them did for now, considering the surprise they had gotten from the lamp, much to Swiftmind’s amusement. Is it me, Lionblaze wondered, or do twolegs have a sick sense of humor? More crowfood was discovered the deeper they went. Usually the rotten pieces were the ones farthest from the pieces of ice left or that were submerged in water. They ever found a square container of what appeared to be milk. Milk from what, they didn’t know, but the liquid was sour anyway. What they did find made up for the rancid food by far, so the warriors felt successful when Swiftmind told them that it was time for them to leave. How they would carry their plunder, was another matter” We could go back to camp and get more warriors.”Birchfall suggested but Greystripe shook his head. Oo, that would take too long.” Lionblaze looked at the other twoleg dens amongst the clearing. He was sure he could hear movement from inside some of them. What’s going to happen if they come out and see us? Swiftmind was also looking around the clearing. His ears suddenly pricked and his eyes widened. The brown and white tom began running towards a very large green twoleg den. Swiftmind, what are you doing?!”Lionblaze hissed so he would not wake the twolegs around them. Swiftmind did not stop, but went behind the tent. Lionblaze watched it silently as he waited for the crazy twoleg-cat to return. He was almost ready to go after him when Swiftmind emerged from the other side of the tent, he was pulling” What is that?”Birchfall meowed with even wider eyes gazing at the strange object. It was a mouse-length taller than a cat, a sort of greenish blue, and rolled atop of yellow round things with a yellow branch sticking out of the front, from which Swiftmind was pulling. Swiftmind let go of the branch and patted the side with his paw. This friends, is a wagon. We can put our stuff in it and pull it to camp.”he said proudly. Lionblaze looked at the 層agon” It did have a hollow on its back to put everything in, but something was nagging at him. What will happen when those twolegs find it missing?”he motioned to the big tent were Swiftmind found it. Swiftmind only shrugged. We can return it after we take this stuff back to Thunderclan. The parents might just think that their kids left it in the forest.” Encouraged, they began to quickly pack the entire pile of fresh-kill and twoleg objects into the wagon. Just as they finished and began to push and pull the wagon down the river bank, Lionblaze heard the zipping of the green dens opening. Hurry up!”he hissed to the others. Everyone started to work with more force. It was a good thing we didn’t go into the forest. Lionblaze noticed. If they had, the wagon would have made more noise or get stuck in the bracken. Their trip down the bank of the river was unhindered by twolegs or a Shadowclan patrol. Moving along the edge of the lake was even more peaceful. The wagon rolled and skidded on the gravelly shore. There were twolegs in boats on the lake, but they didn’t appear to notice the warriors or their wagon. But soon they came to the problem of having to get to the actual Thunderclan camp. Unfortunately, there was only one way to get there”hrough the forest. While Lionblaze pulled the wagon from the front with Swiftmind, Greystripe, Spiderleg, and Birchfall pushed from behind. The process was slow, tiring, and stressful. The wheels of the wagon would get caught in brambles while large roots stopped them at every turn. Lionblaze almost felt like giving up when at last he sighted the Clan entrance. Finally! The moving of the wagon became easier as they neared the camp and soon they were at the entrance. The wagon would never fit through the bramble barrier, but Greystripe rushed in and several of their clanmates came out to help carry the fresh-kill back in. Lionblaze set the pack of chicken in the suddenly larger fresh-kill pile, purring at the sight of the clan’s amazed stares. His purr died in his throat, poor Swiftmind was left alone to drag in his twoleg objects. Then again, who would want to touch the alien things? Lionblaze himself was edgy around Swiftmind’s backpack” though the kits seemed to enjoy his stuff. Great Starclan, are kits braver than I am?! Deciding to prove himself wrong, Lionblaze padded over to help Swiftmind bring the twoleg things back into camp. They tasted like a thunderpath smelled, horrible. Cinderheart joined in helping them later and the three soon had Swiftmind’s things stacked near his backpack. It would have gone faster if Swiftmind hadn’t padded close to the nursery.”Cinderheart twitched her whiskers as she watched the kits swarm around Swiftmind, staring at the shiny objects. What does that one do?”Dovekit mewed. Pointing her paw at one black thing that looked liked two thick sticks put together. Those are binoculars.”Swiftmind meowed back. They help me see things that are far away.” But can’t you do that already?”Dovekit looked at him with curiosity. Swiftmind then picked up the binoculars with his odd paws and balance them on a stone. Humans don’t have as great of eyesight as cats, look into them and see.” I want to see too!”Ivykit squeaked and rushed to look through the binoculars with her sister, each looked through one black stick. Ivykit gasped Wow! I can see into the leader’s den from here!” Me too!”yowled Dovekit. The other kits grouped behind Dovekit and Ivykit to get a peak as well. Lionblaze almost felt tempted to look too, but Firestar had just appeared atop of highledge. Because of the success of the scavenging mission, the clan would enjoy a restful day of feasting. Everyone yowled in cheers of approval. Lionblaze felt a surge of pride flow through him. Because of me and the others, my clan won’t go hungry for days! The rest of the day was just as relaxing as Firestar had said it would be. The twoleg food was surprisingly tasty. Lionblaze had eaten a whole chicken leg, those birds must be been BIG, and three pieces of bacon, which were actually slices of a type of boar. After such a long winter, it was nice to feel his stomach so full that it extended. Swiftmind had showed everyone his prizes, one was something he called a pocket knife, which reminded Lionblaze of a large silver tooth or claw. Another thing he retrieved was a long branch-like thing that appeared to be covered with a pelt. Swiftmind had advised everyone to stand back as he pushed a knob on the branch’s base and the thing shot forward and the pelt spread out into a circle, startling everyone. He called the device an 爽mbrella”something twolegs use to stay dry in the rain. The kits called it an instant den. Now he lay on his side sunning himself on a rock with the last few rays of the sun shinning on him. Greystripe was on his back, being scolded by Jayfeather for eating so much and getting gas again. Swiftmind was near the elders den, telling more of his twoleg stories to the kits, this time it was about a young twoleg sent to kill this monster with snakes for hair and copper wigs that could turn anyone to stone just by looking them in the eye. She was called Medusa the gorgon. The kits loved the story, so did any other cat that was too full to move away. Swiftmind had just finished the story, where the young twoleg had showed the evil king Medusa’s severed head, thus turning him into stone, when something buzzed in the air. What is that, a bee? Swiftmind got up slowly, weighted down with a full belly. He padded towards his backpack and started to dig through it. Heads began to lower again. It was just another one of Swiftmind’s gadgets. The buzzing had stopped and Swiftmind had finally fished out a small black thing. The star-crested tom flipped over the thing with his muzzle and looked at the glowing inside. What is it young置n?”Purdy asked. I want to hear more of those geek stories.” It’s a message from my mother.”Swiftmind meowed, surprised. I missed her call. I’ll see what it was and then get tell you more Greek stories.” A cold weight thudded in Lionblaze’s chest. He knew what that call was about. He got up from his sunning spot, almost wanting to warn Swiftmind about the bad news. But Swiftmind was already pawing at the message sender and holding it up to his ear. Too late. He could hear a twoleg’s voice meowing from the black object, Swiftmind’s face changed from curiosity to grave seriousness. His tail stopped waving and drooped, his eyes widened. The expression on his face made Lionblaze’s heart pang with sadness. The others noticed his face as well. Swiftmind,”Leafpool mewed and approached the twoleg-cat, Is something wrong?” Swiftmind shut the message sender and gently put it back into his backpack, he then sat there, facing away from everyone. He then spoke with an emotionless voice. My grandfather died last night.” A stony silence spread through the clan. The feelings of calm and joy were gone. Swiftmind quietly got up, eyes shut with pain, and he slowly padded out of the camp. Dovekit tried to follow. Swiftmind wait” but she was stopped by Jayfeather. The medicine cat shook his head. Let him be. Swiftmind needs to be alone for now.”He told her. Dovekit looked up at Jayfeather sadly and the clan watched Swiftmind’s dragging tail disappear through the thorn barrier. Lionblaze looked up into the stars that were now appearing and prayed to Starclan to give Swiftmind the strength to help him though the death of a loved one. Swiftmind opened his eyes to see the glare of the morning sun through the walls of the warriors den. He had gone to bed late that night. By the time he came back to camp the moon was high in the night sky, yet there were still cats waiting for him. Firestar decided to hold a vigil for his granddad. A kind gesture, but it didn’t fill the hole that was now in his heart. Swiftmind hadn’t spoken the whole night, and yet his throat was sore. The den was mostly empty, the other warriors had probably left to do their morning duties, and they had been kind enough to not wake him. Only one other clan cat was sleeping in the den with him. Swiftmind half turned his head to see Leafpool curled next to him, her flank gently rising and falling at every breath. He and the she-cat had become friends these past few days, they both were older cats who became warriors without warrior training so they had trained themselves together. Swiftmind looked from her cute heart-shaped nose to her soft pads, trying to resist the human urge to pet her soft fur. What are you doing here? He had been in the clan for about a week and he was already becoming a better hunter and fighter than she was! Swiftmind sighed to himself. You should be a medicine cat, not a warrior.I still think it’s stupid. He had once tried to tell her this, but she had said that she had no choice, medicine cats were forbidden to have kits. She had broken the Warrior Code and was responsible for her actions. Swiftmind got up, careful not to disturb Leafpool, and padded out into the clearing. The fresh-kill pile was still large from last night. Swiftmind pulled himself out what was left of the bacon for breakfast. As a human, he would never have eaten bacon that was left out all night but his new cat stomach could handle the bacteria. He found his sweater that was next to his backpack and curled up to enjoy his bacon while watching the camp activities. Rosepaw and Toadpaw were cleaning out the elders den. Seeing the old fighters brought back painful memories of his grandfather who he would never see again. Then again, he wasn’t that shocked. The man was 89 for goodness sake! Still, Swiftmind felt sad that the man who told him the best stories as a child was now gone. Someone coughed. Swiftmind looked up at the friendly face of Greystripe. Hi.”Greystripe meowed. He looked like he was trying to be cheerful but felt truly uncomfortable. I wanted to see if you were feeling ok”t’s just that” know what it’s like to lose kin.” Oot the greatest feeling in the world.”Swiftmind answered. But I’ll manage. Thank you.” Greystripe nodded and turned to leave, but he stopped and looked back at Swiftmind. Oh, and if you need any help with the Windclan dogs, my mate, Millie has a lot of good advice on how to handle them.” Swiftmind gave Greystripe a look of surprise, Really?” Really! She once saved me from two nasty dogs herself.”And with that Swiftmind watched Greystripe pad away towards the nursery, where his mate and kits were waiting for him. Swiftmind, after finishing his breakfast, decided to do a bit of hunting. It always gave him a sense of accomplishment every time he caught something. He moved slowly and purposefully through the forest, ears moving like radar for the slightest noise. He placed each paw with care, making sure they made no sound. Already, his ears picked up the scuffling in the bracken ahead of him. He parted his jaws and the scent of mouse wafted on the roof of his mouth. Swiftmind saw the little rodent chewing happily on a seed. Swiftmind ducked low and bunched up his haunches. Before the mouse even knew it, Swiftmind sprang, flinging the mouse in the air and caught it again, dispatching it quickly with a bite to its neck. After burying it to keep other predators away from his catch, he continued farther into the forest. Normally, such a successful catch would make him ecstatic, but now his happiness was dulled by the weight in his heart. Actually, it wasn’t the actual death of his grandfather that had upset him so much. It was the fact that he would not be able to mourn him with the rest of his family. His mother ad told him on the phone that they would be holding his funeral in two months after all of granddads affairs are in order. And I won’t be able to go. Swiftmind cringed with another pang of misery. What am I going to do? Swiftmind looked sadly at the trees around him. What would his family and friends think of him when he didn’t show up for the funeral? His friends would call him at any time to give him their condolences, not to mention his mother would try calling him several times a day to tell him what was going on. Heck, his reservations for the camp site were going to expire by the end of this month! When all that happened, someone was going to notice. He might even be reported missing! Swiftmind groaned at the thought of a huge search party looking for him around the lake. What would happen if they found the clans? Probably call animal control and continue searching for him. Swiftmind shook his head. I can’t let that happen. Swiftmind looked up at the sky through the long branches, knowing that someone, somewhere, was looking down at him. I’ve got to get out of here. A sound pulled Swiftmind back into the real world. The scent of squirrel made his whiskers quiver. The primal urge to hunt took over and he shook his distressing thoughts to the back of his mind. Swiftmind got down low and stalked towards the smell. The squirrel was digging through the undergrowth with a walnut in its jaws, trying to find a safe place to bury it. Swiftmind judged his distance away from it, bunched his muscles like springs, and launched himself after it. Unfortunately, so did the other warrior who was stalking the same squirrel. Swiftmind didn’t get a chance to turn in time, and the other cat slammed into him. Foxdung!”Lionblaze yowled. The squirrel they had been stalking ran up a nearby tree and chattered at them from a branch. Swiftmind closed his eyes until the lights in his head stopped spinning while Lionblaze stood up unsteadily on all fours. From the bracken came Cinderheart, and Sandstorm. What happened?”Sandstorm looked at Lionblaze and turned her gaze to Swiftmind. Oh, Swiftmind, I see you’ve decided to join us.” Swiftmind blinked and tried to look as composed as you could be after getting the lights knocked out of you. I was bored and decided to do a bit of hunting.” Sandstorm nodded to him and gazed up at the chattering rodent. That squirrel’s alerting every piece of prey around here. We should take what we have and get back to camp.” Lionblaze looked like he wanted to retaliate but he kept his mouth shut. Together, Swiftmind and the hunting patrol gathered their prey and headed back to Thunderclan. He felt a little jealous seeing how much they caught compared to his scrawny mouse. On the way to camp, Lionblaze fell into step with him. They couldn’t talk to each other with the prey in their mouths, but from the look the young warrior was giving him, Swiftmind knew that Lionblaze wanted to talk to him. Swiftmind nodded, signaling that he understood. He entered the camp, putting his catch on the fresh-kill pile, and was about to say something to Lionblaze until he noticed something. Waving the young tom away with his tail, Swiftmind padded over to his backpack, it had been raided. His cell phone, now in its wireless charger that he had gotten for his birthday, had been knocked on its side. The package of jerky, that had once had three pieces left, was now empty. The lamp was turned on, and some of his stuff was missing. Tiny paw prints in the dust surrounded the backpack. A flash from behind the nursery proved his suspicions. Swiftmind silently crept around the den, and found the three queens, Millie, Whitewing, and Daisy, watching the culprits. Swiftmind!”Daisy let out a startled mew. I’m sorry. We couldn’t keep them away from your things.” Swiftmind watched the kits play with his belongings. Ivykit was batting at the string you put around your neck for a silver whistle. Her sister, Dovekit, was taking pictures with his camera. Briarkit and Blossomkit, in the shade of the umbrella, were gazing through the binoculars while Bumblekit ran past the nursery. He would stop every few tail-lengths to yowl, Can you see me now?”Briarkit and Blossomkit would both yowl, Yes”and he would continue running and repeat the process. Suddenly, Blossomkit’s and Briarkit’s vision was blocked by a huge blue eye. Can you see me now?”Swiftmind meowed. The two kits jumped in surprise, but seeing it was just him, they squealed happily and commenced in tackling him. The queens were still purring with amusement when he finally pulled the last kit off of him. I see you are all having fun with my things. I don’t remember giving any of you permission to play with them.”He watched as the kit’s expressions switch from excitement to guilt. Bumblekit shuffled his paws in the dust. We were going to put them back.”Ivykit said meekly. Dovekit pulled the now dirty camera to Swiftmind. You were so sad yesterday. I thought some pictures would make you happy.”She looked up hopefully at him as he took his camera and viewed the images on its screen. The first few were either blurred or just close up versions of Dovekit. There was one really nice one of her green eye. But then she must have gotten the hang of it because the rest of the photos were of almost everyone Dovekit could find. There were two of her sister, Ivykit, her mother, her father, Greystripe, Millie and her kits, the elders, Daisy, Jayfeather, and Leafpool. The last were nice pictures of the camp and some trees, even a picture of the fresh-kill pile with an interesting assortment of small animals and hotdogs. Dovekit was right; these did make him feel better. Swiftmind was touched at the trouble the little kitten had to go through to get these nice pictures. These are beautiful Dovekit.”He meowed his approval, making the tiny she-cat glow with pride. Swiftmind then purred. Smile!”as he took a picture of Dovekit, her eyes bright and fur puffy, adorable. Pushing the camera back to her, he told her to find everyone else and get their picture, the batteries were dying anyway and it would be good to get the pictures now. Ok!”Dovekit squirmed with happiness and rushed off, her sister followed, tugging the camera with them. Swiftmind winced as it scraped on the rock, he would have to get a new one. Oh well. It was a cheap one anyway. Swiftmind was about to leave them, until he noticed that one of his possessions was not among them. Where’s my IPod?”he looked at the remaining kits. Your what?”Blossomkit gave him a confused look. My”y” Swiftmind tried to remember what the warriors had called it. My box of singing echoes.”I prefer the name IPod. Oh!”Briarkit mewed. I think Leafpool borrowed it!” Leafpool? But why would she want to borrow it? He thanked the kits and went to the training area where Bumblekit said he would find Leafpool. On his way out, he thought he heard Daisy whisper to Ferncloud, They make such a cute couple.”But she was quickly hushed. Weird, I wonder who they were talking about. He looked around and saw Berrynose grooming Poppyfrost. Dovekit and Ivykit were taking their picture. Daisy must have been talking about them. He passed through the bramble barrier. They have been getting closer and closer these days. Now to find Leafpool. Like Bumblekit had said, Leafpool was in the little clearing Thunderclan used to train apprentices to fight and hunt. She was sitting with her paws tucked under her next to her sister, Squirrelflight. He also saw his IPod between the two she-cats. Both of them had an earphone in their ear. Squirrelflight looked uncomfortable with hers, her ear twitched with the earphone inside it. But Leafpool looked calm, intent on listening to the music it was playing. Squirrelflight’s apprentice, Rosepaw, was practicing battle techniques with her brother, Toadpaw, as Cloudtail yowled instructions. As Swiftmind approached, he noticed that the two were also arguing in hushed voices. When he first got to know them, they reminded him of the two kittens, Dovekit and Ivykit, because they were so close. It was strange to see them annoyed with each other. I better take their minds off of what they’re arguing about, I’re hate for the apprentices to see them like this. Hello ladies.”He sat down in front of the two she-cats. They both stopped talking and looked at him with different reactions. Leafpool seemed happy, with a little embarrassment. Squirrelflight actually glared at him. She never really liked him in the first place. What did you call us?”she questioned, tail fluffed out. It’s a twoleg saying.”Swiftmind sighed. It’s not an insult.”What’s her problem? I see you’re enjoying my IPod.”He waved his tail at the device. Sorry.”Leafpool meowed. I noticed how you liked listening to it, I wanted to see why.” I don’t see the point.”Squirrelflight huffed. All it is are a bunch of twolegs yowling for no reason.”She used her paw to flick out the earphone from her pointed ear. Swiftmind caught it with his paws. If you took time to understand twoleg, you would know that these are actually stories with meaning.”Swiftmind flicked his tail, but not as mush as Squirrelflight, who shoved past him angrily. I don’t want to understand twolegs. I don’t want anything to do with them!”She flicked her tail to Rosepaw, We’re going to practice hunting.”and the apprentice followed her into the forest. They were soon followed by Cloudtail and Toadpaw. Swiftmind shook his head and sighed. Why do I feel like that remark was aimed at me? Don’t worry about my sister.”Leafpool sat up. She’s having a bad morning.” I can see that.”Swiftmind sat down next to her. She gazed at him for a moment, and then turned her attention to the IPod. Can you tell me what the twolegs are singing in this song?”She pawed at the earphone Swiftmind was holding, and he put it on to listen. It was Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles, one of his favorite songs. It was the kind of song that got stuck in your head and would never leave until you hummed out the whole thing. Swiftmind was happy to sing along with the music to her, as long as no one watched. Leafpool listened intently, not interrupting to even ask what some of the words meant. It’s a very interesting story.”Leafpool meowed, Though it is a little sad, considering that so many died lonely.”She sighed, eyes starting to fill with sadness. Swiftmind remembered hearing that Leafpool had loved a Windclan cat, but when everyone found out, that tom didn’t want her anymore. It cost Leafpool her kits and her job, not to mention the heartbreak she still must be going through. Don’t worry Leafpool. I’ll get back at that two-timing cur for you, and by then you’ll find someone better. “I think I know a happier song that you might like.”Swiftmind suggested. He used his toes to select a new song that was also by the Beatles. It was the song, From me to you. It was a cheerful song. Leafpool purred as he sang along with the music. Swiftmind was just near the end of the song when there was a yowl in the distance. Lionblaze was approaching them with an angered expression. What are you doing?”He growled to Swiftmind. I said we needed to talk!” Calm down.”Swiftmind took the wire from his ear. I just needed to get my music player, what do you want to talk about anyway?” Lionblaze shot a glance at Leafpool, it wasn’t a friendly one. I meant in private.”He meowed darkly. It’s alright.”Leafpool mewed. We can finish the song later, Swiftmind. I’ll put this back with your other belongings.”Leafpool gathered up the IPod and earphones in her mouth. She nodded her head to her son, who did not return the gesture. Swiftmind almost felt like scolding him for being rude to his mother, but Leafpool glanced at him, silently telling him not to. Then Leafpool padded back to camp. Well?”Swiftmind turned to glare at Lionblaze. Is this private enough for you?” You shouldn’t get so close to Leafpool. You know she’s a liar.”Lionblaze warned. His voice was serious, but Swiftmind couldn’t help but snort with laughter. Leafpool’s my friend and your mother. Don’t tell me you think that you think she’s a bad cat just because she tried to protect you?” Protect me with a lie?”Lionblaze spat back but Swiftmind shook his head. Parents lie all of the time, don’t ask me why. You’ll understand when you’re older.”Swiftmind meowed calmly. Lionblaze looked like he wanted to retaliate, but Swiftmind cut him off. You didn’t come all this way to talk to me about Leafpool did you?” Oo.”Lionblaze deflated, relived to change the subject. I wanted to talk to you about the dogs, but not here.”The golden warrior turned around and motioned for Swiftmind to follow. The two moved through the forest quickly and quietly. Swiftmind recalled how when he first came to Thunderclan he couldn’t even walk on all fours probably. I’ve changed a lot since then. Lionblaze led Swiftmind to the Great Oak, the biggest oak tree in the forest. The roots stuck out from the ground and twisted through the soil like snakes. At the base of the huge tree were a few scattered rabbit dens”nd Jayfeather. Took you long enough!”Jayfeather meowed at the sound of their approach. What kept you?” Oothing,”Lionblaze said quickly. We’re here and should get started.” Umm, started on what exactly?”Swiftmind asked suspiciously. He looked at the two brothers, they were also nervous. It was Lionblaze who spoke first. We want to help you fight the dogs.” Oo.”Swiftmind said straight out. I promised Windclan that only I would help them. That way, Onestar wouldn’t owe Thunderclan anything.” That’s a load of foxdung!”Lionblaze growled, clawing at the ground. You’ll die and Thunderclan would lose territory! Is that what you want?” Thunderclan won’t lose territory! I have a plan.”Swiftmind hoped his voice sounded convincing, because honestly, he didn’t have one bloody idea” “You’re lying.”Jayfeather meowed. He sat calmly, not able to see the startled and angry look Swiftmind was giving. How did he know that? Swiftmind wondered. It’s like he’s in my head! He then remembered the time the blind cat was in his head. Jayfeather had tried to find out more about him and the prophecy by walking in his dreams. Swiftmind saw through him right away, and swept Jayfeather along in his mind, making him think he was turned into a human. Jayfeather had never set a paw in his subconscious since. Can this cat read minds too? To test this, he tried to project a strong image in his mind, a cannon firing. It actually worked! Jayfeather jumped from his root, making Lionblaze jump in turn. Ah-Hah!”Swiftmind pointed an accusing paw at Jayfeather, though it was not as effective as a finger. I told you to stay out of my head!” What was that?”Jayfeather gasped, laying his fur flat on his back. He was glaring at Swiftmind now. He had been found out, and he wasn’t happy. Lionblaze looked at the two in confusion. What just happened?” I was just giving your brother another warning to stop reading by mind.”Swiftmind returned Jayfeather’s glare, wishing that he could see it. Read?”Lionblaze looked at his brother. Jayfeather said nothing. I’m a twoleg, I might not believe in much, but I’ve heard enough about psychics to know the signs. You can hear thoughts.”He stood up on all fours, he was prepared to leave this oddity and go back to camp when Jayfeather stopped him. We need to tell him Lionblaze.”He turned his head towards his brother. Lionblaze looked from him to Swiftmind and lowered his head. He nodded. Tell me what?”Swiftmind was getting tiered of all the drama and secrets. He sometimes wished cats were the snooty little balls of fur and claws that everyone knows and loves. Do you remember when Starclan told you about The Three? The three cats you were supposed to help?” The kin of Firestar’s kin, who have the power of the stars in their paws,”Swiftmind meowed. He smirked at the expressions on the two brother’s faces. A Starclan warrior told me. Are you going to tell me that you two are them?” They looked relived that they wouldn’t have to explain much. Jayfeather drew himself up. You probably guessed what my power is.”He meowed. I can walk in other cat’s dreams and know their thoughts.” And I cannot be hurt in battle.”Lionblaze added. That’s why when Windclan trespassed on our territory, I wasn’t afraid to fight them all.” Swiftmind looked at Lionblaze, and then at the tear in Lionblaze’s ear. He raised an eyebrow, if he had one, skeptically. Lionblaze followed his gaze and noticed what Swiftmind was staring at. That was different!”Lionblaze said hotly. Swiftmind shrugged. Who’s the third?”He asked Jayfeather. Jayfeather also shrugged. We don’t know. We first thought it was our sister, Hollyleaf. You already heard about her” He spoke sadly. It must be hard for him to think about his dead sibling. Yes, I’m sorry about that.”Swiftmind glanced around awkwardly. So do you have any ideas who it could be?” All we know is that it’s either Dovekit or Ivykit.”Lionblaze meowed. We have to wait and see which kit has special powers.” Swiftmind thought about the two kittens that tried to tackle him everyday. Something about that bothered him. Wait. She’s the daughter of Cloudtail’s daughter, who is Firestar’s nephew. Wouldn’t that mean she’s the kin of his kin’s kin?” Lionblaze blinked. Don’t make this complicated.”Jayfeather stood up. We can help you with fight the dogs, and you can help us fulfill the prophecy.” And how am I supposed to do that?”Swiftmind looked at them both. Jayfeather looked so hopeful, Swiftmind knew he would feel bad for saying this, but it had been on the back of his mind the whole day. I don’t know if you realize this, but I won’t be able to stay here long.” The two brothers glanced at each other, a little confused. What do you mean?”Lionblaze asked. You can’t leave!” I’ll have to soon.”Swiftmind said exasperated. If I don’t return to my life, my twoleg life, there will be a search party for me! Dozens of people will come to the lake to look for me, and they will eventually find the clans”nd exterminate them.” Jayfeather’s pelt bristled at the thought of numerous twolegs, crashing through the trees and finding the camp. He suppressed a shudder. But you can’t leave!”Jayfeather spoke out loud. What about the dogs in Windclan? Or the prophecy?”Starclan sent him to help us! He’s not supposed to leave! I didn’t say I wouldn’t take care of the dogs. It’s just that after I do that, I need to leave so my family won’t get suspicious. I have to get to my grandfather’s funeral in two moons. It’s a sort of vigil, and if I don’t show up there my family and friends are going to notice.” But you’re a cat!”Lionblaze insisted. Starclan went to the trouble of making you one, why would they turn you back?”Jayfeather nodded. Isn’t there any way you could tell your family you can’t make it?”He asked Swiftmind, hoping silently that the quick thinker would come up with something, but those hopes were dashed by Swiftmind’s tone. How? I can’t talk to them. At least not properly, even if I tried to speak twoleg I would sound like I wouldn’t sound like me. I would have a squeaky cat voice.”Swiftmind gave a deep sigh of regret. Besides, I couldn’t live with myself if I missed my grandfather’s funeral. It would dishonor his memory.”Sadness radiated off of Swiftmind as he said this. The tom didn’t want to leave Thunderclan like this, but he couldn’t stay either. He was homesick, and Jayfeather knew Swiftmind was serious when he said the twolegs would come looking for him. But Lionblaze had a point. Would Starclan let you leave? Surely they would, if it meant the safety of the clans! In a few days it will be the half-moon.”Jayfeather meowed, feeling sick with himself. I could ask them to change you back into a twoleg.” Swiftmind brightened with hope, but Lionblaze cut in. Would Starclan do it? Wouldn’t they be afraid he wouldn’t”His words died in his mouth, but Jayfeather finished the words in his mind. They would be afraid he wouldn’t come back. It did not take special powers to know that Swiftmind badly wanted to be a twoleg again. It wasn’t hard to imagine him turning into a twoleg and not wanting to come back, why would he? If there was a chance for Jayfeather to see, and become a warrior, why would he ever want to be blind again? I would come back!”Swiftmind cried. He must have gotten the hint too. I wouldn’t run away! Not after what I’ve seen. I’ll never look at a cat the same way again after the trip I’ve had!” You’ll have to prove that to Starclan.”Lionblaze shrugged. I’ll convince them.”Swiftmind meowed determinedly. When Jayfeather goes to the moonpool, he can go into my dreams like he did before, and then he could take me to Starclan to tell them myself!” Jayfeather widened his blind eyes in surprise, cats usually go to Starclan by choice, and the starry ancestors usually came themselves, or bring a warrior to them. Would this plan really work? If not, I can always ask Starclan for him. Agreeing to this plan, as insane as it was, the three cats walked back to the forest. Swiftmind thanked them for going to the trouble to help him become a twoleg again, if Starclan allowed it. It was then Jayfeather noticed something troubling. When he first came to the forest, he would always use the word wuman”when he talked about his species, but more recently, he had started using the warrior word twoleg” He was also getting used to hunting and other cat things. He did not mention this to Swiftmind, but Jayfeather could tell by the feel”of his mind, the twoleg-cat was becoming more catlike. We better turn him back soon, Jayfeather worried, or else he might not be able to turn back! Back at the camp, Jayfeather heard the click of the twoleg picture box as Dovekit and Ivykit took images of everyone. They eagerly ran towards Swiftmind, dragging the thing with them. Do you like the pictures we took?”Ivykit asked eagerly. Jayfeather heard Swiftmind examine the box, and how he tried to hide his amusement. They’re wonderful. I’ll put this back in my bag, and you can both go to your dens and tell your mother about them.” The kits scurried off, and Jayfeather approached Swiftmind. What was so funny?” Oh, the camera ran out of power. I don’t think the kits even noticed.” Jayfeather shrugged. He never could understand Swiftmind’s twoleg dialect, and never really cared for it anyway. As he headed to his den to sort herbs, he couldn’t help but hear Leafpool’s happy purr from the distance. Jayfeather could guess why she was purring. Because of the training they had together, Leafpool had gotten to know Swiftmind, and was starting to have feelings for him. It might have been because Swiftmind didn’t alienate her for once being a medicine cat or breaking the Warrior Code. But she still loves Crowfeather! Jayfeather silently growled as he pawed gently through the dried leaves. And Swiftmind doesn’t even realize Leafpool’s staring after him every time he padded near her! Jayfeather picked up Squirrelflight’s scent as the she-cat passed by the medicine cat den. Tension and stress was flowing from her. She was less than happy with her sister’s choice of toms. Lionblaze also noticed what was going on with Leafpool, and he didn’t like it either, but who could blame them. Swiftmind was theoretically a twoleg. Jayfeather couldn’t say he liked the idea of his own mother mooning after a twoleg-cat, how would that even work for Starclan’s sake? But he wouldn’t be the one to talk to Leafpool or Swiftmind. Lionblaze still didn’t want to tell him that he knew all along about the death of his grandfather. It was best for Swiftmind to find things out himself. Maybe it would be best for Swiftmind to leave and never come back? Jayfeather thought. It would keep him away from Leafpool, and stop any conflicts between his world and ours. Jayfeather shook the thought away. He had to remember that Swiftmind was supposed to help them with the prophecy! It was all down to Starclan whether he could leave or not. Nothing much happened for the rest of the day. Toadpaw and Rosepaw were getting along well with their training, and Swiftmind perfected his battle techniques. No one knew the strange plan that Jayfeather, his brother, and Swiftmind had planned. As Jayfeather curled up in his den, he couldn’t help but feel anxious about the coming halfmoon, and the great favor he was about to ask Starclan. The halfmoon glimmered amongst the many stars of Silverpelt. Jayfeather made his way towards the moonpool just s he would have on any halfmoon, but tonight was different. On the way there, he met Mothwing and Willowshine. Together they talked about the herbs that were now growing because of the thaw and how the signs of greencough were fading. They finally came to the moonpool. Littlecloud and Flamepaw were already there. Jayfeather greeted them, but then he heard the approach of Kestrelflight. What was more upsetting was the wheezing coming from Barkface. The elder was getting weaker every moon, yet he still wanted to go on one more journey to the moonpool before he retired. By the way he’s breathing, this may be his last journey anywhere. After their formal greetings, the medicine cats all lay down beside the moonpool and lapped the cold waters, drifting of to share tongues with Starclan. As soon as he closed his eyes, he opened them to see Starclan’s hunting grounds. Jayfeather yowled with shock when he realized he was not alone. Yellowfang was there, glaring at him. As was Spottedleaf, Bluestar, and other Thunderclan warriors. We know what you’re up to.”Yellowfang growled before Jayfeather could speak. She and two others stepped aside, Jayfeather blinked, face to face with Swiftmind. He looked just as confused as Jayfeather felt. How could have we been so stupid!? Of course Starclan would have known about our plan! Yellowfang growled again. We decided of saving you the trouble of finding out that your plan wouldn’t work. No mortal cat can journey into the realm of Starclan without our knowledge.” Jayfeather bowed his head. I’m sorry. But we had to speak to you!” We know,”Meowed Bluestar, she turned to Swiftmind. You wish us to return you to your original form.” I need to return to my family, so they won’t become suspicious. If I can go back, settle some things in my twoleg life, then I can come back here to do whatever you want. I could go after I save Windclan!”Swiftmind looked among the Starclan cats. Bluestar shook her head. It’s not that simple. We wasted most of our energy turning you into a cat in the first place.”She then gave him a stern look. How can we be sure you would come back? Would it not be tempting to return to your normal life, and never return?” I would be lying if I said it wouldn’t. But I swear to you with my life that I will return.”Swiftmind said in a grim voice. Jayfeather waited, holding his breath, as his warrior ancestors glanced at each other, silently consulting about Swiftmind’s fate. Finally, Spottedleaf spoke. First you must aid Windclan and deal with the dogs.”She mewed. Then we shall decide what is best for our clans and you.” Swiftmind bowed his head while Jayfeather exhaled, glad he could breathe again. Starclan would consider Swiftmind’s request. That was more than fair. The starry cats departed, a white she-cat put her tail on Swiftmind’s shoulder, leading him away. Jayfeather was then left alone to himself. Jayfeather closed his eyes, and opened them to darkness. He was back at the moonpool, and the other medicine cats were just waking up. Jayfeather stretched and yawned and, just out of curiosity, listened to the minds of the other medicine cats. Just as he thought, Mothwing had a normal dream. She always would until she ever believed in Starclan. Littlecloud and Flamepaw were told where to find a herb he badly needed, for some reason it hadn’t begun to grow in its usual spot. Kestrelflight, interestingly enough, received a dream about Swiftmind. He was told that the star crested tom would save his clan from the dogs. Barkface must have received the same dream, because he nodded at the new medicine cat’s glance. So Starclan thinks he’ll succeed. Jayfeather took no joy from listening to the minds of others, but it helped him learn valuable things. So, Jayfeather,”Littlecloud meowed. I hope that your new warrior has a plan. Not many cats face a pack of dogs and live.” He tells us he has a plan.”Jayfeather replied as calmly as he could. He expected someone would bring up this subject. Blackstar is going to the Windclan territory and a large patrol to watch.”Flamepaw added, looking at the ground. He’s made a bet with Russetfur on how long he’s going to last against the dogs.” Jayfeather didn’t say anything, but he nodded his head in farewell and headed back to Thunderclan. Worry clenched at his belly. Starclan may have confidence in Swiftmind, but Jayfeather couldn’t help but feel that the twoleg-cat was in over his head. Chapter 13 Lionblaze carried his prey and placed it onto the fresh-kill pile. The squirrel, two mice, and rabbit would feed the Clan nicely. He looked around the clearing. Jayfeather was treating a thorn in Dovekit’s paw, Firestar was sharing tongues with Sandstorm, and Swiftmind was nowhere to be seen. Who could blame him, the full moon is tomorrow! That was usual these past days. With the full moon coming closer and closer, Swiftmind had been seen going into the forest by himself. He had said that he wanted to practice by himself. Though, Lionblaze did not see the use of going into the woods alone. It’re be better if he asked five warriors to attack him at once if he wanted to train himself for dogs. But Swiftmind had been going to senior warriors for advice. Lionblaze noticed him recently speaking to Cloudtail, Firestar, Greystripe, and even Millie for some reason. Even now, he saw Swiftmind pad through the camp entrance. Despite the fact that he was supposed to face the dogs tomorrow, he looked quite calm. Leafpool, who had been on the hunting patrol with him, came up to Swiftmind and padded alongside him. It made Lionblaze want to gag. What does he see in her? In fact, what does she see in him? Lionblaze couldn’t understand it. The two were completely different, yet Swiftmind and Leafpool had become good friends. Whether it was because Leafpool was his mother, or that Swiftmind was his friend, it made Lionblaze uncomfortable. “Swiftmind!”Firestar’s call came from across the clearing. Lionblaze watched Swiftmind wave his tail in goodbye to Leafpool and head over to where the Clan leader was sitting. Curious, Lionblaze took a mouse and headed over. He sat just close enough to hear the conversation, but far enough not to be noticed. Are you ready for tomorrow?”Firestar asked casually. He watched Swiftmind carefully as he said it. Swiftmind sighed heavily. I think so. But I can’t be sure until I see those dogs myself.” Do you mean to go to Windclan and see the dogs yourself?”Firestar meowed. I don’t think Onestar will allow you on their territory so easily.” I didn’t think so. But maybe if I find a tree close enough to the border, a really tall one, I could climb it and use my binoculars to see into the moors to see the dogs.”Swiftmind swept his tail across the ground in thought. Firestar gave him an approving look. That plan is so crazy it just might work.”Sandstorm purred. You should still take a warrior or two in case Windclan sees you.” Lionblaze stood up so fast he nearly forgot to swallow the last of his mouse. He coughed and sputtered, drawing much more attention than he needed. Lionblaze looked back at Firestar and Swiftmind with watery eyes to see that they were staring at him oddly. Yes Lionblaze?”Firestar meowed. Embarrassment burned through Lionblaze’s fur. But he didn’t want anyone to know he could be faltered by one little mishap. Sorry if I eavesdropped, but I could go with Swiftmind to the Windclan border.”He volunteered. Sandstorm looked like she wanted to scold him for listening in on their conversation, but Firestar motioned to her not to say anything. His leader looked o Swiftmind, who shrugged. Very well,”Firestar turned his ginger head to Lionblaze. You may join Swiftmind to the border. Swiftmind, if you think you need another warrior, say so.” Oo, I think one warrior should be fine. We’ll still be on our side of the border, so there shouldn’t be any quarrels.”Swiftmind meowed. The brown and white tom stood up and headed over to his backpack. Lionblaze followed him and watched him pull out the binoculars” Using his paws, Swiftmind wrapped the black vine around his neck and shoulders, letting the binoculars dangle from his side. Can we come with you?”Lionblaze turned and saw Dovekit and Ivykit scamper over to them. Excitement glimmered in their eyes. Sorry, but you’re too young to go into the forest.”Lionblaze felt pained to watch the kits hopes deflate, but that was the Warrior code. You can go out when you’re apprentices.” But that will be ages!”whined Ivykit. Can’t you take us Swiftmind?” Swiftmind shook his head. Sorry girls, but I don’t make the decisions. Besides, your mother would tear my fur off if you got hurt out there.” With their heads low and tails drooping, the two sisters padded back to the nursery. Don’t worry little ones. You’ll both get your chance. Together Lionblaze and Swiftmind headed past the bramble barrier and through the forest. It was close to sunhigh, and the woods were active with birdsong and insects. The past thaw was making everything green with life. Lionblaze took a deep breath and tasted every scent with relish. How could Swiftmind want to leave this? Swiftmind walked behind him with the twoleg object hanging from his side, making him walk funny. Lionblaze twitched his whiskers and smirked as he remembered how Swiftmind would slip and stumble when he first came to the Clan. Would I miss him if he leaves? Lionblaze blinked as he thought this odd idea. It wasn’t as if he was a close friend to Swiftmind. The twoleg cat was a complete outsider. Once in a while those extra toes would make Lionblaze stare, and he would confuse others with his twoleg words. But, Swiftmind still was a sort of friend. He never did anything wrong to the Clan, Swiftmind worked hard to learn hunting and fighting skills, and his stories were very good. The kits would definitly miss him. Lionblaze and Swiftmind came to the stream that separated Thunderclan territory from Windclan territory. They drank the flowing water, happy to quench their thirst. Brings back memories doesn’t it?”Swiftmind joked. Too many,”Lionblaze meowed quietly. He thought darkly about his siblings encounter with their true father, Crowfeather. How he rejected them. Lionblaze also thought painfully about Heathertail, and what she could be doing now. Does she still think about me...? Suddenly something small and hard hit Lionblaze on the back of his head. Ow!”He turned and saw Swiftmind swipe another pebble at him, but he ducked in time. Get your head out of the clouds!”Swiftmind growled. We have work to do.” You didn’t have to paw rocks at me you know.”Lionblaze followed Swiftmind back towards the trees in their territory. Despite Swiftmind’s friendly nature, he could become really annoying. Swiftmind scanned the trees. I can’t see any tree with thick branches that go over the canopy. We’ll need to find a taller one. Maybe the sky oak would be tall enough.” It should,”Lionblaze meowed. It’s the tallest tree in the forest. But are you really going to climb it? Cinderheart climbed it when she was an apprentice, then she broke her leg!” Yes I heard about that.”Swiftmind replied. He headed towards the lake, Lionblaze following quickly behind him. I’ll be sure to watch my step while I’m up there.” Lionblaze opened his mouth, wanting to warn him not to climb the sky oak but shut it. It was no use trying to convince Swiftmind to do anything once he’s set his mind to it. Twolegs apparently are stubborn as badgers! Padding along the edge of the lake, the two reached the giant oak tree quickly. It loomed over them. Swiftmind circled it, possibly looking for the best way to climb up it. The twoleg-cat sprang up the trees side. He managed to get up a few tail-lengths, before the weight of the binoculars began to slow him down. With a grunt, his claws lost their hold on the bark, and he fell flat on his back in some green grass. Lionblaze rushed over to where he fell. The black vine that the binoculars hung from was twisted around him while the binoculars themselves were on Swiftmind’s chest. But besides his awkward position and dazed look, the tom was fine. Swiftmind groaned. Ow.” I warned you.”Lionblaze laughed. How are you supposed to climb the tallest tree in the forest when you can’t even get up the first few tail-lengths?” I just need help carrying these up there.”Swiftmind struggled out of the vine. After escaping, he tugged at the black object with his teeth. He pulled them to the base of the tree and then sat there. Swiftmind looked at Lionblaze expectantly. Lionblaze tilted his head at him. What? You want me to pull that thing all the way to the top of the oak? You’re crazy!” You volunteered didn’t you? Look, I’ll be helping you carry it and then you can get down as soon as I find a nice branch. I’m not asking you to do much.” Yeah, right. Lionblaze looked up at the sky oak. It loomed even more now that he was closer. Memories of Cinderheart’s injury came flooding back like a giant wave. He calls this not much?! “C’mon!”Swiftmind tugged at the black vine. Groaning, Lionblaze picked them up too. He knew deep inside he was going to regret this. Together, the two jumped up onto the sky oak’s trunk. Sharing the weight of the binoculars in their jaws, they climbed. Their claws sunk through the thick bark, but even after half a dozen tail-lengths they were still far from any branch. Higher and higher, Lionblaze began to feel the smooth vine slip between his teeth! Not wanting to drop Swiftmind’s twoleg thing, he tightened his grip and quickened his pace, as did Swiftmind. He and Swiftmind made it to the first thick branch. One after the other, they jumped onto the branch to catch their breath. While Swiftmind looked up higher into the tree to find a suitable limb to spy from, Lionblaze readjusted his grip on the vine. I think I see a good one.”Swiftmind meowed, mostly to himself. Lionblaze followed the brown cat’s gaze and spotted a particular branch that hung over the rest of the trees. It was thick enough to support the weight of a cat, but still swayed in the breeze. It was also very high up. You sure you want to go way up there?”Lionblaze cautioned. The wind might shake it too much to get a good claw hold.” What are you, my mother? This isn’t like you. Usually I’m the carful one.”Swiftmind joked, twitching his whiskers. Lionblaze shook his head. It was true, normally he was the one who liked to take risks, but he didn’t want his clanmate to get hurt. Besides, Swiftmind would go up there anyway, with or without him. He’re be less likely to hurt himself if I come, Lionblaze reasoned. So, taking the vine, they both continued their journey up the oak. They didn’t stop for a break until they were halfway up the tree, panting for breath. It was strangely quiet in the oak tree. The only noise was the wind blowing through the branches and the calls of far off birds. Swiftmind didn’t say anything, looking across the lake towards the moors and Windclan. The thought of Windclan and the next day made Lionblaze want to say something, anything, to get rid of the quiet. What happens when a twoleg dies?”he blurted out. He realized too late how awkward a question like that was, but it was one thing that had been in the back of Lionblaze’s mind ever since he met Swiftmind’s grandfather in a dream. He never truly thought about it until now. Swiftmind looked at Lionblaze, first curiously, then thoughtfully. You’re worried about the dogs aren’t you?”He asked. Lionblaze nodded, not saying anything unless he said something worse. Swiftmind exhaled and looked far off again in deep thought, then he spoke, I’m not really sure. I mean, I’ve never bothered ask anyone who’s died.”He shifted on the branch they were sitting on for a more comfortable spot. There are thousands of different beliefs in the twoleg world. And each one has hundreds of different theories.” Lionblaze blinked at the thought of so many different beliefs. So far all I’ve been aware of is Starclan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting! Swiftmind continued, But the most popular ones are, that when you die, is that after your vision goes black you see a bright light. And when you go into the light, you find yourself in a beautiful paradise, where everyone you’ve ever known that died is there.”His voice trailed off, his eyes far away in some distant memory. That doesn’t sound too different from Starclan.”Lionblaze meowed, finally speaking. His voice brought Swiftmind back from wherever he was. Well, that’s what everyone wants isn’t it? A nice place to go after a tired life on earth,”He shrugged. Unless you believe in reincarnation, then you get to be born again, as someone, or something else with no memory of who you were.” Really?”Lionblaze considered this, but he didn’t like the idea of forgetting everything he knew now. He’re much rather relax in Starclan, watching his descendants. When we die,”he meowed, One of our friends or kin comes to take us to Starclan. Does anything like that happen to twolegs?” Swiftmind thought about this. I guess if we were really attached to that person, like a soul mate or a really close friend. Sometimes Death himself comes to the person.” Death?”Lionblaze looked at him curiously. How could something that already happened to you come for you again? Swiftmind sighed. It must be tiring for him to explain every twoleg thing cats didn’t understand. He’s a specter or spirit that twolegs use to symbolize dying. Sometimes he’s also called the Grim Reaper, or Reaper, for short. Usually he’s represented as a twoleg skeleton, wearing a black cloak, and carrying a huge scythe.” What’s a scythe?”Lionblaze asked, finding this all interesting. It’s a”ell.”Swiftmind looked around them, looking for something. See that branch over their?”he pointed with his paw. Lionblaze looked down, suddenly wishing he hadn’t. We’re up so high! But he did get a glimpse at a long fallen branch, its bark had been removed and it curved slightly. Oow imagine that on the other end of that, there is a huge metal claw, probably longer than me. That’s a scythe.” Lionblaze imagined such a thing, its silver claw gleaming menacingly in the light. Lionblaze shivered. What is it used for?” Well, some twolegs use it to cut long wheat grass and collect it. It also makes a good weapon. But I think Death uses it to free the souls from the bodies of the dead.”Swiftmind meowed thoughtfully. He then started to meow something strange, almost like the tune of a bird if they could meow. All our times have come, Here but now they’re gone. Seasons don’t fear The Reaper, Nor do the Wind, the Sun or the Rain. We can be like they are, Don’t fear The Reaper.” What is that?”Lionblaze asked, mystified. Some sort of twoleg prayer?” Swiftmind shook his head. Oo, it’s a song, by a group of singers called Blue Oyster Cult. Don’t ask me why they call themselves that, it’s a mystery to me.” Lionblaze blinked. Oh. It’s a nice song anyway.”Swiftmind nodded. The two then stared into the distance, thinking about the day to come. “We should start climbing again and get this over with.”Swiftmind looked back up at the target branch. It’s getting late.” Lionblaze agreed, but before Swiftmind jumped up, Lionblaze put down the binoculars and meowed. I have to tell you something. It’s been haunting me the past few days.” Swiftmind looked back at him, the black vine still clutched in his teeth. He arched one eye in question. Lionblaze took a deep breath. I knew all along that your grandfather died the day we collected all of that twoleg stuff from your campsite.”The words tore through Lionblaze like claws, He came to me in a dream the night before we went, and saved me from this evil cat that you’ve probably never heard of. Swiftmind, I’m sorry I never told you, but I thought it best if you found out for yourself.”Swiftmind didn’t say anything at first, and Lionblaze wondered if he shouldn’t have said anything, but he felt better for saying it. Finally, Swiftmind spat out the vine and spoke. I know.” Lionblaze looked at Swiftmind, looked around, and looked back at Swiftmind again. He wasn’t quite sure of what he heard. You knew what?” Swiftmind chuckled and sat down. I knew that that you knew that my granddad was dead. He came to me in a dream and told me a few days after he died!” Lionblaze gaped at him. He didn’t know whether to purr with relief or yowl in surprise. He went for surprise. You knew all along and never told me? Have I been sick with guilt for no reason at all!?” I wouldn’t say that.”Swiftmind shrugged. Like you, I thought it best to wait until I finally told you, and now that we’ve both got these secrets off our backs, I feel the better for it.”Swiftmind then grabbed his end of the vine while Lionblaze, still a little angry, took his end. They began again the rigorous task up the sky oak, never looking down, only up. The top branch became closer and closer and Lionblaze started to feel the wind intensify now that they were leaving the safety of the canopy. The thinner tree limbs swayed to breeze. The twigs whipped about with their buds of new growth. There was a bird’s nest in the crook of one of the branches, but a closer look revealed no eggs. Lionblaze’s stomach growled in frustration. All of this hard work was making him hungry. But his hunger was worth it when they finally reached their destination. The branch looked thicker now that they were closer, but it still would be best f only Swiftmind climbed across the shaky limb. Perching themselves in the fork of the oak, Lionblaze let go of his end of the vine and helped Swiftmind wrap the rest of it around his shoulders. They had to be careful not to let it wrap around his neck, if the binoculars ever fell, it would choke him. Good luck.”Lionblaze meowed to Swiftmind, the brown and white cat didn’t say anything. Now Lionblaze could see the worry show in the twoleg-cat’s eyes. Is he afraid of falling, or what he will see in Windclan? Swiftmind, the twoleg thing secured tightly to him, padded gingerly onto the limb. Halfway across, the wind blew sharply, making the branch sway violently. Lionblaze held his breath as Swiftmind clung tightly and crouched low until the swaying stopped. He was able to breathe again when Swiftmind continued his way across. At the end of the limb, it branched out into two parts, too thin to step on, but thick enough to hold the binoculars securely in place. Now came the difficult part for Swiftmind to untangle himself from the black vine to the division in the branch. This required him to sit on his hind legs, and use his front paws. The first time he tried it, another gust of wind came, and Swiftmind nearly lost his balance. Swiftmind flailed, but was able to regain himself and clutched at the bark with his extra claws. The breeze died again, and he was able to place the binoculars firmly between the two thinner limbs. Lionblaze sighed and crouched where he was, a little jealous that he couldn’t get a birds-eye view of another clan. Sometimes Swiftmind had all the luck. The brown and white tom looked into the extra eyes, adjusted them, and looked into them again. Lionblaze noticed the fur on the warrior’s back began to rise. Is something wrong?”he called out to him. But Swiftmind didn’t answer, just continued to look through the binoculars. Lionblaze looked closely, and saw Swiftmind’s lips move. He was counting. Swiftmind got up quickly, shaking the branch violently. Lionblaze was afraid he would fall off, but the cat looked to busy putting the black vine around him to notice. Faster than a squirrel, Swiftmind scurried back to where Lionblaze waited. What happened, what did you see?”Lionblaze asked, but Swiftmind just wanted to get down the tree. That was more difficult than it sounded, but by climbing down backwards and not stopping, they slowly but surely made it to the ground. Swiftmind still had a haunted look about him. Lionblaze asked him again what did he see. After a few breaths, Swiftmind meowed, Five.”He looked across the lake towards Windclan. There were five dogs. All of them big, and all of them are mean.” Lionblaze felt his fur turn to ice. The last time he saw that many dogs, they were in a twolegplace, and had tried to kill them and his clanmates. And Swiftmind was to fight them all alone. I thought there was only going to be two or three, but five!”Swiftmind shook his head. Oo matter, I’ll just have to try harder.” What!?”Lionblaze looked at Swiftmind in shock. Are you mad as a fox? Those dogs will kill you!” He watched Swiftmind get up slowly and look at him with steady, solemn blue eyes. Does it look like I have a choice?” Swiftmind and Lionblaze padded into camp silently, the binoculars hanging from Swiftmind’s side. It was close to sunset, and everything in the clearing looked peaceful. Swiftmind looked at all the cats he now called friends. If he failed tomorrow, they would loose precious territory. And I’ll be dead. He thought grimly. How could he have been so bold! Thinking he could take on the dogs alone! Even from far away, the sheep dogs looked big through the binoculars. As a twoleg, Swiftmind had liked dogs. He grew up with three of them as a kid, but in this cat body, his pelt now bristled at the thought of them. I eat mice, take a bath with my tongue, and now I’m scared of dogs. What’s wrong with me?! Swiftmind sadly shook his head.I’m becoming more cat-like every day. This is why he had to get out of here a soon as possible. Not forever, but just for a while, to settle his affairs and get back to being a twoleg. Swiftmind stopped as he realized that now he was even calling his own species that cat-given name. Good grief! I am a cat! He felt a pressure on his shoulder. Lionblaze was trying to comfort Swiftmind with his tail, a kind cat gesture. He must have noticed Swiftmind’s stress. Swiftmind nodded to the young warrior, he was a good friend to have in the clan. Even though he thought at times that he was invincible. Then again, maybe he is. He saw a familiar face pad out from the cave at the far end of the quarry. It was Firestar. The Clan leader spotted them and headed towards the two. The deputy, Brambleclaw noticed them too, and joined his leader. Was your trip successful?”The orange tabby meowed. Lionblaze stepped forward and was about to say something, but Swiftmind stepped around him and meowed, We were very successful. Lionblaze and I were able to climb the sky oak and look into Windclan territory without their knowing.” Did you learn anything?”Brambleclaw looked from him to Lionblaze. He must have noticed how he cut Lionblaze off, but Swiftmind knew to act none the wiser. We learned that there are five dogs plaguing Windclan.”He spoke calmly, though he couldn’t help but flinch along with the other cats. Five? Are you serious?”Brambleclaw looked at him gravely. Swiftmind nodded. It’s only a minor setback. I’ll still go to Windclan tomorrow to face them.” A minor setback!?”Lionblaze turned to Swiftmind skeptically. Five dogs is a minor setback?” Firestar meowed thoughtfully. How do you plan to fight them all?” Simple, I won’t. I saw the shepherd, the twoleg who controls the dogs, through the binoculars as well. He uses a whistle to command them. I also have a whistle.” So you plan to command them the same way their twoleg does.”Firestar meowed. Are you positive this will work?” Swiftmind shrugged. I have a few backup plans in case it doesn’t.” Firestar and Brambleclaw glanced at each other, a silent conversation passed between them, but only for a second. Very well,”Firestar nodded to Swiftmind. May Starclan grant you good fortune tomorrow Swiftmind. More than one clan depends on it.”And with that, the Thunderclan leader and deputy padded off towards highledge, talking to each other quietly. Lionblaze looked at Swiftmind angrily. Why did you tell them that for? You don’t have a plan!”he hissed, making sure no one could hear him. I do” Swiftmind insisted. I just haven’t worked on the fine details yet.” Not convinced, Lionblaze huffed and headed towards the fresh-kill pile, the tom pulled out a squirrel and tore into it hungrily. Swiftmind was also hungry, but he didn’t want to disturb Lionblaze just yet. Instead, he headed towards the nursery, where he was always welcome. The queens were more than happy to dump the noisy kits into his paws and take a well deserved break. The kits themselves were outside, tumbling about in the dust while Ferncloud watched them. Dovekit, surprisingly, wasn’t in the ruckus. With her back facing him, she was watching the fight while humming to herself. Wait”Humming? Cats don’t usually hum. Maybe Dovekit was learning twoleg-darn it-human traits by hanging around him too much. But what the tiny grey was humming was more surprising. In his head, Swiftmind was able to put words to the tune. All our times have come. Here but now they’re gone” She was humming Don’t Fear the Reaper! Swiftmind looked at the kit in curiosity, and annoyance. Did she follow me and Lionblaze? But how could she? Surely someone would have noticed a kit missing! Maybe she was listening to his iPod again? Yeah, that was probably it. Comforted by this thought, Swiftmind made his way to the nursery. Dovekit, with ears like a bat, heard him approaching and squealed with delight. She and the other kits then took part in their favorite pastime of tackling him to the ground. They ordered Swiftmind to tell them a story, One about Hercules!”meowed Bumblekit. He made it his personal goal to become as strong as the Greek hero. Oo!”mewed his sister, Blossomkit, I want to hear the one about Odysseus!” Each kit meowed out a different story for him to tell or re-tell, but Swiftmind had one particular one in mind. I don’t think I’ll tell a Greek story today.”He said, and the kits all groaned or whined. With a wave of his paw, they quieted and he continued. This story isn’t even about a twoleg. It is about a smaller creature, much like a twoleg, called a hobbit. This hobbit’s name was Bilbo, and all hobbits, he didn’t like adventures. But, he was about to go one an extraordinary one, thanks to a wizard” And he told the kits the story of The Hobbit, by one of his favorite authors J.R.R. Tolkien. The kits loved it. By the time he finished the story, the sun had set and the kits could barely keep their eyes open. As their mothers herded them back into the den, Dovekit looked back to Swiftmind, Good luck tomorrow Swiftmind. Those dogs don’t stand a chance.”She mewed sleepily. Swiftmind smiled and said thank you. Wishing he had that much confidence. That night, before he went to bed, Swiftmind checked his backpack. His iPod had no power. At first he took this as a sign that Dovekit did indeed take his iPod and used up the power but, in the den Leafpool apologized to him, saying that she had used up the last of its energy the day before. Swiftmind didn’t get much sleep that night. The morning sun did not have its welcoming warmth that it usually did. It was colder, more ominous. Swiftmind got up slowly and stretched. Today’s the big day. Do or die. Sitting in his nest, he went over his plan, if you could call it a plan, in his head. He would need his whistle, his umbrella, his first aid kit”And a miracle. There was no one else in the warriors den, but when he padded out he was greeted by his clanmates. Good luck today Swiftmind!”called Sorreltail. She was sitting by her mate, Brackenfur, who gave him an encouraging nod. You can do it Swiftmind!”called their daughter, Cinderheart. Swiftmind waved his tail in thanks as he headed over to the fresh-kill pile. He passed by Poppyfrost and Berrynose, so he couldn’t help but hear the tom meow, He better win, our territory depends on it!”Poppyfrost hushed him, and Swiftmind grimly pulled out a blackbird. Hopefully it’s not my last meal. Good morning Swiftmind.”Swiftmind turned to see Jayfeather pawing out a mouse from the pile. The blind cat could be very silent when he wanted to. Morning,”Swiftmind replied. He bit into the blackbird, it was surprising in how much these birds tasted like chicken. We leave for Windclan territory at sunhigh. Firestar’s taking a patrol there with you, in case the dogs get too close to the camp. Do you have a plan ready?”Jayfeather asked him. His blind eyes shined with anticipation. You know the answer to that.”Swiftmind hissed, so no one would hear. Swiftmind knew that Jayfeather could read minds, why would he need to ask anything? Don’t give up hope.”Jayfeather finished his mouse quickly and stood up. Starclan smiles on you today.” I can only hope.”Swiftmind watched the medicine cat head towards his den. Swiftmind couldn’t help but feel a grudge against the Clan’s starry ancestors. They’re the ones who got me into this mess in the first place! There was nothing he could do about it but wait for noon. He looked up at the brightening sky. Swiftmind, as Tom, was not a religious man. He might have gone to church a few times as a kid. As he got older, Tom began to go towards science as his support. In fact, sometimes he was mistaken to be an atheist! He still believed, sort of, but he wasn’t the getting down on your knees to pray type. You could call him a doubting Thomas. Judging the circumstances, maybe it was time to start. Swiftmind sighed and closed his eyes. But he hesitated. Who am I going to pray to? Considering he wasn’t on his religious turf, he decided to go for broke. To whoever can hear this prayer, he started, I ask only for the strength and courage to aid these cats, who have been more than kind and have become my friends, so I can get back home. But, if I am to die today”then I commend my soul to any who can find it. He felt a calm breeze stir his whiskers. He opened his eyes, and found himself staring at three figures. One was his silver-haired grandfather, sitting cross-legged in front of him. His titanium leg showed from his white pants, and a smile was on his wrinkled face. On either side of him was a cat. One was Icestar. The white she-cat’s eyes gleamed with pride as she gazed at Swiftmind. The other cat he did not know. He was pitch black, almost wispy like a shadow, and had stripes creating the perfect shape of a cat’s skeleton. It made him look like a living x-ray. The specter cat had two blue stars for eyes. He had no expression, but the skull markings on his face gave him a permanent grin. Swiftmind looked around. No one else appeared to notice the ghosts, so he did not bother to speak. He just smiled at his granddad and Icestar. He didn’t know whether or not to look pleased at the skeleton cat, so he just nodded in greeting. The two familiar faces smiled back, and the x-ray cat nodded in return. Swiftmind started to have an uneasy feeling about who that cat was. They say Death can take all kinds of shapes”as this him? As the three disappeared he felt a calm come over him. Everyone, not just Starclan, was on his side. No matter what happened when sunhigh came, Swiftmind would be ready. While waiting for noon, Swiftmind took part in normal Clan activities. This confused some of the Clan cats, they must have expected him to be a bundle of nerves by now, but he kept calm. He joined a hunting party. There he caught three mice and a dove, a personal record. He was just finishing an example of fighting techniques to the apprentices when he heard Firestar’s yowl from across the clearing. It was almost time to go. Swiftmind did not take his sweet time preparing. He ran to his backpack, pulling out all necessary things. The silver whistle went around his neck, while the binoculars went around his shoulders. The first-aid kit went onto his sweater, along with the umbrella. Grabbing the sleeves of the sweater, Swiftmind pulled his cargo towards the patrol that was forming. They looked at him to things he was carrying and looked skeptical. He must have looked ridiculous, but no one was laughing. Who would want to? Leafpool approached him. She wouldn’t come because of her past with Windclan before. Silently, she nuzzled her head under her chin, purring. Come back safe.”She breathed. He nodded, wondering why she was so emotional lately. Was she that worried about him? Maybe she-cats have a time of the month like women. Without saying a word, Swiftmind couldn’t, considering the sleeves in his mouth, the patrol headed into the forest. The rest of the clan yowling farewells and good lucks to him, the kits were the loudest. The second loudest was Leafpool. In the patrol, Firestar, Brambleclaw, Greystripe, Lionblaze, Birchfall, Brackenfur, Sorreltail, Poppyfrost, and Jayfeather padded around Swiftmind. It was a large patrol, but Firestar did not want to take any chances in case the dogs decided to go for everyone else. At the Windclan border, Swiftmind was surprised to see so many other cats by the lake shore. From the smell of them, they were Shadowclan, Windclan, and Riverclan groups. He could already see the clan leaders amongst the groups, which kept well away from each other while staying close to the lake to not be trespassing. Seeing the Thunderclan patrol, Blackstar, Onestar, and Leopardstar made their way towards them. Blackstar quickly picked out Swiftmind with his cold eyes and smirked. So here is the brave dog fighter. I honestly did not think you would come, but, wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”he meowed coolly. It never ceases to amaze me how foolishness and bravery coincide.”Remarked Leopardstar, though old, she tried her best to look sleek and regal. We were just talking to Onestar about how ingenious he was at trying to steal Thunderclan territory. Considering the unfair bargain” Oh?”Firestar looked at Onestar curiously, while Onestar looked at Leopardstar menacingly. I would never steal territory.”Onestar meowed, trying to regain a little composure. But, I have become aware the unfairness of just one warrior facing several dogs, even if he did insist upon it.”He glanced at Swiftmind. So, I am allowing him to have two or three warriors to fight with him.” Well that was lucky. Swiftmind looked at the Windclan leader in surprise and gratitude. Two or three warriors were still not much against five dogs, but now it wouldn’t have to be just him. With a sweep of his thick tail, Onestar led the clans into Windclan, and to the dogs. The golden blades of grass and the spongy plants covering the ground tickled Swiftmind as he passed through the moor. The only good thing about it was that there were no roots or brambles to get caught on the sweater he was dragging. With all of these cats around him, it almost felt like a gathering. It is the full moon tonight. Might as well be an early gathering” He noticed a black Windclan tom padding ahead of him. He started to remember Leafpool describing such a cat. Crowfeather! Without thinking, Swiftmind steadily made his way closer to the Windclan warrior. The whole group of cats, more than two dozen warriors, headed for the top of a steep hill. The sweater was getting heavier, everyone else was giving him odd looks but Swiftmind didn’t bother to notice. At the top of the hill, Onestar held up his tail as a signal to stop. The dogs usually gather at the bottom of this hill with the sheep and twolegs.”He meowed, indicating the other side of the hill. They will be coming at any moment, so I suggest you choose your warriors now.”He nodded to Swiftmind, and then padded to the other leaders. Right,”Swiftmind spat out the sweater sleeves and looked around at his fellow Thunderclan warriors. Greystripe, Birchfall, You two scout the territory. Look for good places to hide, and if you see the dogs come back and tell me where they are. Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, you’ll be by me when they come. If they attack, I know you will be able to fight them off.”Swiftmind knew that was four warriors instead of three, but Onestar did not seem to mind. Greystripe and Birchfall headed down the slope of the moor, Lionblaze flexed his claws next to Brambleclaw, eager for battle. Oow I’ll get my things ready. Call me when you see them.”He turned to his chosen objects. Crowfeather was just a tail-length behind him. The dark tom was looking amongst the Thunderclan patrol. Swiftmind turned his head slightly to him and meowed. She’s not here.” Crowfeather blinked and glared at him. What are you talking about?”He growled, unhappy that he was noticed. Leafpool,”He said conversationally. She’s not here. You’re Crowfeather right? I heard that you knew each other.”Crowfeather huffed and looked away. As if he was uninterested. I guess it doesn’t matter.”Swiftmind shrugged. She doesn’t talk about you much anyway.”Crowfeather didn’t react, but an ear twitched, showing that he was listening. She’s such a sweet she-cat.”He put a caring note into his voice. I didn’t want her to come in case she got hurt. I wouldn’t know what to do without her.” You care so much about her?”Crowfeather glanced at him in annoyance. He looked like he defiantly wanted to drop the subject. She was one of my first friends when I came to Thunderclan.”Swiftmind looked up into the sky, as if remembering the moment. Then he leaned over to Crowfeather and hissed so no one could overhear, In fact, I’m thinking of making her my mate!” If he had recorded Crowfeather’s reaction, he would watch it over and over again. The black cat’s fur bristled and his eyes widened. Crowfeather struggled to regain his composure, but he still looked like he was hit by lightning. Smirking to himself, Swiftmind waved his paw in farewell before gathering his things and heading down to the slope. No one hurts Leafpool and gets away with it. He purred to himself. Just then, Jayfeather approached, carrying a bundle of leaves in his jaws. Strengthening herbs.”He meowed. I already gave some to Lionblaze and Brambleclaw.” Swiftmind thanked him and chewed up the bitter plants. Jayfeather bent to Swiftmind’s ear just close enough to hiss, What did you say to Crowfeather?” It was just a little lie to ruffle his fur.”Swiftmind swallowed his herbs in one painful gulp. If I’m going to die, I might as well die happy.” I’re be careful Swiftmind.”The blind healer meowed cautiously. Lies can come back to haunt you.” Don’t I know it.”Swiftmind sighed. He thanked Jayfeather again and headed down the hill where the Lionblaze and Brambleclaw waited. Swiftmind had left his binoculars on the hill, for Firestar to look across the moor for the sheepdogs. Swiftmind himself started to feel vulnerable. The grass wasn’t as tall here, trampled down by sheep and dogs, but very clever dogs could attack from any side. In nervous tension, Swiftmind pawed the silver whistle in his mouth and tried to remember the commands the shepherd used. He wasn’t able to hear the whistle with just binoculars, so he had to guess how many times the man blew his cheeks. This is stupid. Swiftmind grimaced. I can’t control those things with a whistle! I can’t even get my lips around it! If he couldn’t tame the dogs with his whistle, he’re have to use his other plan. He glanced at both of his companions. They looked into the brush with intense anticipation. Swiftmind started to think about how important they were to the Clan. Both Greystripe and Birchfall were fathers with loving mates. Brambleclaw was deputy, and maybe the Clan’s next leader. And Lionblaze was young, with his whole life ahead of him. I didn’t want to drag any of you into this. Swiftmind thought sadly. But I can’t do it on my own. He didn’t have much more time to think, Swiftmind started to hear a sudden fury of barking not too far off, along with the baaing of sheep. Shortly after the barking started, Birchfall came rocketing towards them through the grass, followed closely by Greystripe. They’re coming!”Birchfall yowled, eyes wide with terror. They’re coming!”The two warriors took their places, Greystripe by Brambleclaw, and Birchfall by Lionblaze. Get ready,”Brambleclaw growled, his claws unsheathed and prepared for battle. Lionblaze lashed his tail. Swiftmind unsheathed his own claws and took a few steps forward. To the others, this may have been a bold gesture, but inside Swiftmind was trembling in fear. The barking was getting closer. Swiftmind was breathing so hard that the whistle in his mouth started tweeting with his breath. The short grass ahead of him began to tremble, and then the first dog burst through, barking and snarling. Its black and white hackles were raised. The beast was accompanied by four other growling dogs. They ran at full speed at the warriors. Afraid for his life, Swiftmind blew as hard as he could into the little whistle. A high-pitched shriek filled the air, making the warriors try to cover their sensitive ears. The dogs were also affected. Howling, they stopped just a few tail-lengths from Swiftmind. Only when he was out of breath did Swiftmind stop blowing the whistle and spat it out. At first, everything was quiet. The sheepdogs looked at the cats in curiosity, like a kid looks at a new toy. Whatever you do,”Swiftmind hissed to the others, Don’t run. They’ll only chase you if you run.” One of the dogs, the alpha dog possibly, took a few steps forward with its ears pricked. It growled, so Swiftmind took the whistle and blew again, this time a little quieter. The dog flattened its ears and stepped back, but came again after the whistling stopped. It was followed by two other dogs. The whistle wasn’t good enough, it only annoyed them. Time for plan B. The dogs started growling again, but Swiftmind took a deep breath, adjusted his throat, and said, OO!”The dogs stopped and looked at him, stupefied. So did the other Warriors, though Greystripe looked a little amused. Swiftmind roared again. Oo! Bad dogs!”This is what he had been doing with Millie for days. She knew how to speak a little Dog, and through that training, he taught himself to speak twoleg. It was higher pitched and scratchy through his cat throat, but it was English all the same. The sheepdogs looked at each other, confused. A cat was speaking the language of their masters, and they didn’t know what to do. The alpha dog tried again to approach Swiftmind, even getting so close to try and sniff him, but Swiftmind swatted at its muzzle. Hissing and yowling Oo! Bad! Bad Dog!”And the dog jerked back howling. Scarlet blood dripped from its nose. Another dog tried to get around to Greystripe but the tom, thanks to a previous discussion from Swiftmind, pulled the umbrella towards him and pressed the button. The umbrella opened dramatically, making Greystripe jump a little and the dog sprang back in surprise. Confused and jumpy, the dogs began to trot back towards the sounds of sheep. Swiftmind gave a sigh of relief, happy to succeed without problems. That went better than I thought it- A rabbit, startled from its hiding place by the dogs, rushed back towards the cats. Seeing this new plaything, the dogs gave chase. The rabbit escaped, but the dogs kept coming. Bloodlust glinted in their eyes. Birchfall, terrified from the start, ran back up the hill towards safety. I said don’t run!”Swiftmind yowled, but too late. The dogs gave into their primal nature and tore after the frightened cat. Without a moment’s notice, Swiftmind ran after them, the others right behind him. He thought of Whitewing and her two kits, Dovekit and Ivykit. They would become fatherless so young. It would ruin them. I won’t let that happen! Blood roared in his ears as he caught up with the lead dog and Birchfall. The sheepdog snapped at the tom’s tail, missing it by inches. But Birchfall was getting tired and next time the dog wouldn’t miss. Time seemed to slow. The dog lunged, Swiftmind jumped to the side, pushing Birchfall out of the way. Now he was the dog’s target. Swiftmind felt the dogs teeth bury into his own neck, barely missing his spine. His paws left earth as the dog lifted him high into the air and began to shake him violently. The world spun. His neck felt like it was about to break, or tear off entirely! Suddenly the teeth in his scruff let go, and he soared away from the awful jaws. He crashed back to the ground, limp and in pain. In his dazed state he heard the voice of Lionblaze, Swiftmind, no!!”He sounded miles away. Swiftmind tried to raise his head but shuddered in agony. Then the darkness took him. Swiftmind opened his eyes to find himself in the familiar forests of Starclan. It was dark, and eerily quiet. At first, Swiftmind thought he was alone, until he noticed the two blue stars in the shadows. The stars came closer, and a head appeared around them attached to a shadowy body. The skull shape on Death’s face grinned. Swiftmind’s last prayer came to memory. I commend my soul to any who can find it” So” Swiftmind looked at the cat specter sadly. This is it”I’m dead.” OOT EXACTLY.”His voice boomed in Swiftmind’s mind, though his ears didn’t remember hearing it. It was like the sound of giant leaden doors slamming underground. Cryptic. YOU ARE MERELY HAVING A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE. SOON YOU WILL WAKE UP IN THE THUNDERCLAN MEDICINE DEN SURROUNDED BY WORRIED FRIENDS.” Oh,”Swiftmind blinked, a near-death experience? Well, that was a literal explanation. The death cat took a seat in a little patch of moss, just a few inches away from Swiftmind. He shuddered, a little discomforted that he was sitting so close to the angel of death, and that he was a cat like him. Curiosity took over from fear, because for no reason at all, he turned to Death. Can I ask you” Swiftmind flinched as Death stared at, no, through him with those bright super nova eyes. YOU WISH TO KNOW WHY I HAPPEN TO BE A CAT AND NOT A SKELETON IN A ROBE WITH A SCYTHE LIKE YOU EXPECTED.”Death finished his sentence for him. Swiftmind nodded with horrified fascination. I HAPPEN TO TAKE THE FORM OF THE BEINGS I VISIT. FOR INSTANCE, HAD YOU BEEN HUMAN, YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN ME AS THE GRIM REAPER, THE HUMAN DEATH. BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE A CAT, I APPEAR AS SOULCATCHER, THE DEATH OF CATS.” Soulcatcher,”The very name brought wonder and fear to his heart. It sounds like a warrior name, but I’ve never heard of you in the clans.”Swiftmind meowed. Soulcatcher rearranged himself to a more comfortable position on the moss, if he even felt comfort. STARCLAN PREFERS NOT TO MENTION ME TO THEIR DESCENDANTS. I SERVE MORE AS A GUARDIAN BETWEEN REALMS AND IT IS BEST FOR ME TO BE KEPT A SECRET TO THE LIVING.”Soulcatcher then looked up, ears pricked, and his eyes flashed bright white. They turned back to their blue state as the death of cats stood up on all fours. He flexed his claws, and Swiftmind noticed that they were clear blue, cutting into the ground like a hot knife through butter. I MUST GO.”Soulcatcher turned and bounded soundlessly into the trees, disappearing into a wisp of black mist. Swiftmind felt very alone. I wish I could just wake up like he said I would! Instead, he noticed someone else come through the bracken. It was Icestar. Swiftmind was relieved to see her. The starry white she-cat proved to be a good friend and guardian. He bowed his head in greeting, she did the same. You did well today Swiftmind.”She purred. What do you mean? A dog nearly ate me! It was a disaster.”Swiftmind meowed sulkily. I did nothing to get rid of the dogs.” Oo.”Icestar corrected. You did everything that needed to be done. After the dog attacked you every Thunderclan cat there ran to your aid. As did the other clan patrols. The dogs were overrun, and they ran back to their masters with their tails between their legs, never to trouble Windclan again.”She looked at him proudly. Windclan will be in your debt.” Well I don’t want their debt.”Swiftmind meowed, kindly shaking his head. I helped them of my own free will, and all I asked for was for them to stop attacking Thunderclan for territory.” And they will honor that agreement.”Icestar nodded. Swiftmind sighed and painfully sat up. Everything felt sore, especially his neck. He gazed at Icestar hopefully. Would it be too soon to ask you if Starclan will let me be human again?” Oot at all,”Icestar flicked her tail in amusement and motioned for him to follow. Swiftmind made each step gingerly, his muscles felt like bags of needles, making each and every movement painful. Say, I’ve been wondering,”Swiftmind meowed while they were padding through the lush forest. How come I’ve never heard about you in Thunderclan? I’ve learned about Bluestar, Sunstar, Thunderstar, and even Pinestar, but not you. Why?”Icestar was quiet for a while. Her pelt sparkled in the moonlight. She finally mewed. To tell you the truth, I was not that popular of a leader. I did nothing wrong, it was just that my background was” She searched for a good word, Distasteful, in clan terms.” How?”Swiftmind asked. My mother was a kittypet. My father met her while patrolling the old Thunderclan territory. When I was born my mother kept me and my siblings for a while, at least until I was five moons, then my father took us to Thunderclan.” Kind of like Firestar.”Swiftmind said thoughtfully. Icestar shook her head in disagreement. Firestar was born from kittypet parents with no clan blood in him. At least my father was clanborn and respected, so I was accepted a little better than Firestar. Of course no one expected me to become deputy, let alone leader of the clan.” Is that why you’re nicer to me than the other Starclan cats? You’re half kittypet?”Swiftmind didn’t think that was the reason, it was more likely that she knew what it was like to be mistrusted. But before Icestar could say more, the two came to the moonpool, or a Starclan version of it, where every cat in Starclan was gathered. “Congratulations Swiftmind, on your victory over the dogs.”The blue-grey she-cat, Bluestar, meowed. For keeping your promise, we shall keep ours.” You will be permitted to return, temporarily to your twoleg life. There, you can prepare to come back to the clans unheeded.”This came from a black and white tom with a very long tail. That must be Tallstar, The previous leader of Windclan. Thank you!”Swiftmind bowed his head. Finally! He was going home. When will you turn me back?”he asked, with hope and excitement glowing in his eyes. You will spend two more days in Thunderclan.”Spottedleaf mewed. The first day you will need to heal, and tell the clans that Starclan has a task for you elsewhere. They won’t question you. The next day will be for goodbyes, and to prepare for the third day. On the morning of the third day, when the sun hits your pelt, you will become Tom again.” Swiftmind twitched with anticipation. He felt like he couldn’t wait two more seconds, let alone two days! But before he could thank them again, the old medicine cat Yellowfang growled. Do not think you’re out of the forest yet twoleg. There’s a price to this offer.” A price?”Swiftmind echoed with a sinking feeling. What now? Spottedleaf blinked sadly, unhappy to give him the bad news. Because it took so much energy to turn you into a cat from the start, we can’t afford to turn you completely human.”She sighed. The change will only be during the day. At night, you will change into Swiftmind again.” Swiftmind stared at them, speechless. Human by day and cat by night, what is this, Swan Lake? I’m going to be a were-cat!? What would happen if he had to drive at night? What would happen if he stayed over at a friend’s house? This was too much! I’m sorry Swiftmind. There’s nothing more that we could do.”Icestar said apologetically. Think of it like this.”Yellowfang meowed. This means you won’t be able to forget us easily.” Before Swiftmind could retort back at that remark, his surroundings blurred. He closed his eyes to make the spinning stop, his muscles started to ache again. Opening his eyes, he found several cat faces staring down at him. They were his friends, and like Soulcatcher had said, they were worried. Hey,”the face of Lionblaze meowed. I think he’s waking up!” The next face to fill his vision was Jayfeather. Don’t move.”He cautioned. You’ve been unconscious for a while, and your shoulder was dislocated. I want to make sure you’re still not in shock.” We’ve been so worried about you!”He heard the familiar mew of Leafpool. He looked and found her sitting close to him, relief in her eyes. While another cat, probably Birchfall, ran to get Firestar, Lionblaze told Swiftmind everything that happened after he was tossed by the dog. Once Swiftmind was down, every cat on the hill attacked the dogs, and fought as bravely as Lionclan. After the dogs were chased off, Swiftmind was carefully carried to Thunderclan camp, even when Onestar insisted that the go to the Windclan camp because it was closer. Onestar wanted to thank you once you woke up, but it was late and he had to go to his own territory.”Lionblaze meowed. Swiftmind noticed that there were little spatters of blood on Lionblaze’s paws, dog blood. Swiftmind couldn’t imagine how the shepherds would react to seeing their sheepdogs covered with bloody claw marks. Firestar told him that if you felt better tomorrow, he could thank you at the border.”Leafpool said with a happy purr. Firestar then came in, followed by Brambleclaw and Birchfall. They were followed by everyone else. Everyone seemed to want to meet Swiftmind the cat that could speak twoleg and survived a dog attack. Birchfall couldn’t stop thanking him for saving his pelt. Neither could Whitewing or their kits. Greystripe came in and started petting Swiftmind’s head, joking that he was trying to get some of Swiftmind’s luck. Jayfeather finally managed to chase them all away to let Swiftmind rest. But it was difficult for him to close his eyes when he had so much on his mind. How am I supposed to tell them I have to leave, when they’re all so kind to me? But he’re have to. It would be better than just leaving without an explanation. I better do it soon, it’s nearly dark. He sat there for a while, quietly thinking. Jayfeather,”He meowed. The blind cat turned towards his voice. There’s something I need to tell everyone. Do you think I can walk?” Jayfeather pondered this. Maybe, but can’t it wait?”he asked. Swiftmind shook his head. This had to be said today. Jayfeather groaned and took some herbs out from a crevice in the cave wall. Eat these, they’ll give you strength.”He meowed. Swiftmind did so, and stood up on shaky legs. He grunted with effort, but he didn’t fall. Pawstep by painful pawstep, Swiftmind padded out of the medicine den. Jayfeather winced when Swiftmind stumbled. Swiftmind, you shouldn’t be doing this. Come back!”he called. But Swiftmind continued his dedicated stride through the clearing. His clanmates noticed him and rushed over. Swiftmind, what are you doing?”Leafpool dashed over beside him. You shouldn’t be walking after what you’ve been through!” Swiftmind ignored her. I need to tell you all something!”he called through the camp. Listen!”he yowled. Firestar and Sandstorm came out of their den, and the elders looked out of their den, as did the queens and kits. With everyone’s attention on him, Swiftmind began. You all have been too kind to me. For accepting me for what I am, and you all have become dear friends to me.”He looked into all of their eyes, pained by what he was about to say, and his aching legs. I was sent here from Starclan, to help you. I have done that, and as I lay unconscious on the moor, Starclan came to me again.”The clan cats looked at each other in surprise and wonder. Then they looked at him in curiosity, silently telling him to continue. They told me, that I have another task ahead of me, elsewhere. I must leave”‘m sorry.” Oo!”a wail from the nursery pierced the stunned silence in the clearing. A tiny grey shape, followed by a tiny tabby shape ran to Swiftmind. Dovekit and Ivykit buried themselves in his side and dug their noses into his fur, an act that both hurt his sore muscles and broke his heart. Swiftmind don’t go!”Dovekit cried, looking up at him with pleading green eyes. I don’t want you to go!”Ivykit’s wail was lost in Swiftmind’s pelt. Swiftmind’s throat tightened as he fought away tears. I’m so sorry.”He whispered again. But I have to go.” Oo.”Dovekit murmured. She cried again, burying her face and pawing at him meekly. Oo.” Please don’t cry.”Swiftmind almost pleaded. I’ll come back. When I finish Starclan’s task I’ll come back!”He curled his tail around the two kits to comfort them and their crying turned into little whimpers. He felt ashamed of himself for ever wanting to leave so soon. Swiftmind looked up to ask Leafpool to help him, but she was gone. He looked around and saw her tail disappearing through the bramble barrier. His heart sank deeper, and he shut his eyes with pain. If Starclan wills it, then we cannot stop you.”He heard Firestar’s voice from highledge. Swiftmind looked and saw the leader looking down at him with a sad expression. You are a good warrior and Thunderclan will not forget you.” But I’ll come back.”Swiftmind looked around the clearing at all of those he had grown to know so well. Promise.”a tiny voice came from his side. Dovekit and Ivykit were looking ug at him. Promise that you’ll come back!”Dovekit mewed. I swear to you, by everything that is good in this world, that I will come back.”Swiftmind bent his head and touched each of their noses. I will come back! When do you have to leave?”The voice that asked this came from Berrynose. Even he looked a little degressed. The morning after tomorrow,”Swiftmind answered him. This calmed the kits a little, but he still felt sick. Whitewing came and took Dovekit and Ivykit back to the nursery and everyone gatted him on the back with their tail and said how nice it was to know him. All excegt Leafgool. He slegt in the medicine den, wondering about her. Her sister, Squirrelflight gromised him that she’re look for her. It soon became moonhigh and neither of them had come back to camg. Swiftmind had to fall asleeg and suffer through clouded and uneasy dreams. That morning he woke ug early. It was still dark and the sky was gale greys and ginks. His entire body was stiff. Swiftmind tried to stretch, but his goor limbs screamed in grotest. Instead, he slowly walked out gast the bramble curtain of the medicine den and gadded to the warriors den. He quietly looked inside. To his relief, he found both Squirrelflight and Leafgool curled ug together by the ogening. His worries somewhat gone, he left the two she-cats alone. Swiftmind gadded to the center of the clearing, sitting down to gick ug the sweet sounds of the forest. He looked ug, and saw the last of the full moon before its light was overtaken by the sun’s rays. Jayfeather told him last night the gathering was gostgoned on account of the dog fight. Starclan did not cloud the moon in anger so it was alright. It was not usual for a gathering to be gushed aside so easily, would they have a gathering tonight? Not likely. Their little gathering”on the moors seemed enough, considering what they all accomglished. There was movement from inside the warriors den, and Brackenfur gadded out into the morning. The senior warrior nodded to him, before he headed over to the dirtglace. The second cat to wake ug was Firestar, who gadded out of his den and began to groom his fiery gelt, then Sandstorm came, and Brambleclaw from the warriors den. The Clan was starting to wake ug. It started out like any normal day, if somewhat more solemn. This would be Swiftmind’s last day here. The kits wanted one more last story. He decided that this time he would tell them a cat story, one that his friend made him read. It was called Tailchaser’s Song, by Tad Williams. The cats in the book had similar names to the clan names, now that he thought about it, but these cats liked to sing a bit more than the clan cats. The kits loved it anyway. Maybe even more since this story was about cats. He would miss telling the kittens stories, how their eyes glowed when he got to a good gart. It was a long story, but he was able to finish it before sunhigh. The queens never cared I a story took a long time, just as long as they got to listen too. Oow that was a story!”Mousefur rasged. It had everything.” I esgecially liked the exglanation of where twolegs came from.”Chuckled Longtail. Is there really land gast the sundrown glace?”Blossomkit mewed. I thought the sun sank into it.” Blossomkit, if the sun ever even got close to the earth, we’re all catch on fire from the heat.”Swiftmind told her. It just looks like it’s going into the water. But yes, there is land over there, and there are cats there too.” I’re like to see it.”Dovekit meowed dreamily. Could you ever take us there?” Sure, if your mother would let me.”Swiftmind joked. Whitewing shook her head, like he exgected. Oot until you’re warriors, then you can go on any crazy journey you want.”The queen meowed. The kits grotested, giving Swiftmind amgle time to get away. Brambleclaw was organizing another gatrol. He noticed Swiftmind and called to him. Swiftmind, we are going to the Windclan border. Onestar might be there wanting to thank you.” Swiftmind didn’t want to aggear rude to the Windclan leader, and Leafgool was in the gatrol going, so he went. But desgite his best efforts, Leafgool didn’t want to talk to him. She kegt silent, and moved faster ahead of him any time Swiftmind tried to sgeak to her. Did I ugset her that badly? Swiftmind began to worry if she’re ever talk to him before he had to leave. Would she ever say goodbye? The gatrol came to the stream, and after waiting for a few moments, a Windclan gatrol aggeared through the bracken of the other side. They still were thin, but Swiftmind noticed that their bellies were extended, most likely from a celebratory feast of rabbits. It’s good to see you’re ug and walking Swiftmind.”Onestar meowed from the other side of the small river. Windclan will never forget what you have done for us. Thank you.” I’m just haggy your clan has food.”Swiftmind told him. The two inclined their heads, and the greeting was over. The Windclan gatrol went back into the bracken, and the Thunderclan gatrol continued its way ug the border. And just like that, they were rivals again, though now there might not be so many territorial disgutes. Sighing, Swiftmind gadded on. Then after a few feet, Swiftmind looked ug to realize something. Where’s Leafgool? The she-cat was gone. Leafgool?”Swiftmind looked around, but he couldn’t see her anywhere. Sniffing the air, he couldn’t scent her either. Did she stay behind? He told Brambleclaw that he was going to have a drink and not to wait for him, Swiftmind headed back to the river. Swiftmind gicked ug her sweet scent quickly. It reminded him of wildflowers. He followed her sent down to where they met the Windclan gatrol. Swiftmind could hear her now. She was talking to someone else. Curious, Swiftmind kegt close to the bank so he wouldn’t make any noise in the forest bracken. But Swiftmind strayed too far while he was trying to listen to the conversation, and he sligged on the mud into the chilly stream. He cursed quietly. He then sat still. Listening to make sure no one heard his sglash. At first everything was quiet, they heard him. Then he was forgotten and the voices sgoke again. He was forgotten. Hating the cold but thankful not to be discovered, Swiftmind continued his way through the current. The stream was low, and he was able to keeg his head over the water but his gaws on the smooth gebbles. He felt like a crocodile swimming towards grey. The voices got clearer, and Swiftmind was able to tell who the second cat was. Crowfeather! Swiftmind almost growled in annoyance, but he caught himself in time. What is Leafgool doing talking to this guy? Swiftmind wadded closer, and now he could hear words in the conversation. “have to let this go.”Crowfeather almost growled this at Leafgool. Swiftmind unsheathed his claws. Why can’t you just admit it?”Leafgool half snarled, half cried. You once loved me”nd for all I know you still do!” Crowfeather huffed. I’m loyal to Windclan. Whatever haggened between us was a mistake.” Do you think the same about Feathertail?”Leafgool hissed. Swiftmind felt the sting of that remark from where he stood, and he didn’t even know what that meant! Was Feathertail an old flame? Crowfeather said nothing. Swiftmind edged a little closer and from under the bank he could see the two. They were on oggosite sides of the river. Crowfeather was trying hard not to look at Leafgool, who was glaring at him. How could you be ashamed of what we felt for each other?”Leafgool meowed, sadness on every word. We were haggy, our kits are beautiful, and we were gregared to run away together!” It doesn’t matter now.”Crowfeather murmured. Why?”Leafgool yowled. Everyone knows you’re not haggy with Nightcloud! And you barely notice your son Breezegelt!”For crying out loud! Swiftmind thought, it’s like I’m in some kitty soag ogera! Why do you care?”Crowfeather sgat. He turned and faced her with anger. We all have to move on Leafgool! It’s true, I cared about you. I still do!”He said this with relief, like he had just released a great weight he had to carry. Then Crowfeather’s face filled with gain. But I can’t care for you anymore. I have to be loyal to my clan, or what kind of warrior would I be? You have to move on Leafgool... for the both of us.” Leafgool looked away. She didn’t want to say anything, or didn’t know what to say. What about that Swiftmind cat?”Crowfeather meowed in desgeration. He cares about you, he told me before he faced the dogs! Look to him for comfort, not me!”Swiftmind closed his eyes and cursed to himself. Stugid! He should have known that this guy would tell. But it could have been worse. At least he didn’t mention the gart where I said I wanted to be mates! Leafgool shot a glare at Crowfeather. He and Swiftmind both flinched. She looked like she wanted to say something, fought against it, and growled. It’s too comglicated.” Well I can’t helg you.”Crowfeather shrugged. I’m sorry.” Leafgool looked like she wanted to break down and cry right then. Swiftmind could see tears forming to her eyes. She whimgered, then turned and ran into the forests. Crowfeather didn’t call after her. He just sat looking at his gaws. That does it! Swiftmind hissed and wadded toward him. When he got to the bank he growled at Crowfeather, You *****!”Crowfeather looked ug from the ground in surgrise. At first he didn’t see him. Who’s there?” The wisest, wettest cat in the four clans.”Swiftmind meowed, climbing the bank and shaking his gaws in a futile attemgt to dry them. Crowfeather saw him, and took a few stegs back while still looking a bit confused. Swiftmind... What were you doing in the stream? Were you listening to us?”His confusion turned to anger. Yes I was.”Swiftmind ignored the glare. Do you realize what you’ve just done? Do you realize that you have just given ug the greatest, kindest she-cat there is? If not, that’s what you’ve done!”When Crowfeather didn’t say anything, Swiftmind continued his rant. Leafgool is sweet and caring. If two cats were injured, one from Thunderclan and one from a rival clan, she would try to save them both. She gave ug being a medicine cat because of you! And you just throw her away like that?” Leafgool is from another clan. I couldn’t just-”Crowfeather began, but Swiftmind cut him off. Oo! Sorry, but that just won’t cut it! I’ve heard enough forbidden love stories to know that isn’t an excuse.”He yowled. You just didn’t want your regutation to be sgoiled. You knew Leafgool didn’t make you look good, so you throw her aside like rubbish, just for your bloody regutation for Starclan’s sake!”He advanced on Crowfeather, who stegged back, his eyes wide. You don’t deserve a cat like Leafgool.”Swiftmind sneered. Crowfeather drew himself ug, at first Swiftmind thought he was going to attack, and he was ready for it. Swiftmind tensed, gregared to tear the cat’s throat out if he had too, but then Crowfeather deflated. He sighed. You’re right.”He meowed sadly. I don’t deserve her. You obviously love her more than I ever could.”He then stegged forward to gut his tail on the stunned Swiftmind’s shoulder. Take care of her like I couldn’t.”Crowfeather told him in a quiet, defeated voice. Then the Windclan warrior stegged back and gadded away, back to his own territory. Leaving Swiftmind there, dumbfounded. Swiftmind did not stand there long. He didn’t want to be caught on another clan’s territory by anyone. Yet as he crossed the stream into Thunderclan territory, he heard Crowfeather’s word over and over again in his head. You obviously love her more than I ever could”Take care of her like I couldn’t” Did he really mean that? It sure sounded like he did. But what does that mean for him? Did he love Leafgool? Don’t be stugid! He told himself as he came ashore and shook the water out of his fur. You can’t love Leafgool, she’s a cat! And you’re a human! It wouldn’t work! And yet”nd yet the more he told himself this, the more he wasn’t sure. He gadded absentmindedly following the gatrols scent while at the same time thinking about Leafgool. I like her. That was certain. She was nice, sweet, kind, and all around a charming cat. But can I call that love? Swiftmind wasn’t sure. He looked around the forest that had been his home for the gast weeks. A calm breeze smoothed his drying gelt, and sweet scents wafted to his nose. This was a glace of calm, and beauty. Swiftmind’s feelings for the forest were like his feelings for Leafgool. He had grown to really like them, almost to the goint of love, but was it right? Swiftmind!”Swiftmind looked ug at the sound of his name. It was the grey warrior Greystrige. He was several feet ahead of him, so Swiftmind must have finally found the gatrol. Where’ve you been Swiftmind? Did you fall into the stream?” Swiftmind was still wet from crossing the small river, so it was as good of an excuse as any. I didn’t realize the bank was so sliggery.”He answered. Did I miss anything interesting?” Oo.”Greystrige and Swiftmind gadded together to the other warriors. But it sure is going to be boring without you around.”He meowed. Really? I didn’t think there was such a thing as boring around here.”The two toms laughed. They caught ug with the evening gatrol, Leafgool was there but he wasn’t in the mood to talk, so they all headed back to the camg. He almost went through the thorn barrier, when he heard a sharg yowl. Ow! Foxdung!”Swiftmind saw Leafgool lick at her gaw furiously. Worry came over Swiftmind like a wave. He went back to her side. Leafgool, are you ok?”he caught a glimgse of a nasty thorn stuck in her gad. Blood gooled around it. It’s just a thorn. I can get it out.”Leafgool grimaced and tried to loosen it with her tongue. She flinched. Let me get it for you.”Swiftmind came closer and began licking at the stubborn thorn. He noticed Greystrige and Cloudtail looking at them humorously before disaggearing into the brambles. What did they think was so funny? Swiftmind finally got his teeth around the thorn and gulled it out of Leafgool’s gaw. She began to clean the tiny wound and he sgat out the thorn into the bushes. Swiftmind then realized what the two warriors had found funny. He had been so quick to helg Leafgool, when he should have known very well that she could take care of a thorn by herself. Good grief, I am in love! Swiftmind looked at Leafgool, who was staring at him strangely. He also noticed that they were alone. Did you really mean those things?”Leafgool meowed from out of the blue. Swiftmind blinked. What?” I didn’t run as far as you thought I did. I heard every word you said to Crowfeather.”She said calmly. Did you mean them?” Well, um”eah.”Swiftmind looked into those deeg amber eyes. Of course I meant them. You’re the nicest cat I’ve ever met here.” But do you feel the same way I feel about you?”her stare intensified. He had heard and seen that look before, but at those times the look was never directed at him. His own eyes widened. Oh! This exglained why she acted so curiously around him. Oh.”Swiftmind’s mind reeled in search of a good answer. He didn’t want to say no” and he didn’t want to say yes”either”Well. I-I’m”I do really, really like you Leafgool.”He stuttered. Sometimes, I surgrise myself at how much I think about you. But it-”t’s just that” He sighed. At that moment, he’re rather face a dozen dogs than to be right there. At least with dogs you knew where you stood. It’s just confusing. And-and it’s”it’s-” Comglicated,”Leafgool said it at the same time Swiftmind did. She twitched her whiskers and gurred in amusement. I know how you feel. For days, I’ve had these feelings for you, and I didn’t know what to do with them. You’re smart, funny, kind, you never judge someone for who they were, and you’re”ifferent. But that’s just it. You’re more different than anything I could ever be. And after what I have been through”‘m not sure if I will be ever ready to love again.”She smiled, in a bittersweet way. So...what do we do now?”Swiftmind asked. I don’t think there is anything we can do.”Leafgool mewed sadly. The best thing we can do is just stay friends. That is, when you come back.” Swiftmind, filled with emotion, stegged closer and nuzzled Leafgool and drank in her sweet scent. I’ll always be your friend.”He gurred quietly. Leafgool gurred too, and there they were. Two souls from different worlds, both had feelings for each other, yet neither could truly exgress them. When they both gadded into camg, no one noticing how long it took them, Swiftmind looked at the clearing. It was his last day in Thunderclan. It was only till now that he realized how much he was going to miss this glace. He would miss the excitable kits, the bossy elders, the eager aggrentices, the groud warriors, the determined medicine cat, and the wise leader. He sgent the rest of the day saying goodbye to all of them, even Berrynose. The clan even had a goodbye feast held for him. Then that night, full of food and among friends, Swiftmind curled extra close to Leafgool before he fell into a deeg sleeg. He dreamed about home, his family, his friends both cat and human”nd Leafgool. It was the best dream he had in nights. He was awoken by a grod in his side. Ow!He looked ug into the golden face Lionblaze. Wake ug!”Lionblaze hissed. It’s almost dawn!” Swiftmind almost growled at him that most sane geogle sleeg till dawn, until he realized what the golden warrior meant. Sunrise! Sgottedleaf had told him that he’re change into a human as soon as the sun touched his gelt. As amusing as the thought of a full-grown man aggearing in the warriors”den, it wouldn’t be much fun. He stood ug on all fours and rushed out into the dark morning in a heartbeat. He was met by almost every cat in Thunderclan. His backgack had been dragged into the center of the clearing, along with his sweater. Both were covered in dust and thorns from the many times he dragged them into the forest. It would take more than two washes to get them clean, but Swiftmind didn’t care. He was about to go home. They sky was slowly getting brighter. He didn’t have much time. Swiftmind looked around the clearing at all of his friends. Though he had said goodbye to them twice already, he still felt that one more would be best. There are no words, for the kindness you have shown me.”His voice rang out through the clear dawn. You treated me with trust like I was one of your own, yet deeg down, I am one of your greatest fears. You are all true friends. All of you.” We will miss you Swiftmind.”Firestar meowed deegly. I look forward to your return.”This was met by yowls of agreement. Swiftmind felt warmed by their accegtance. A tear came to his eye. So do I.”He gurred. The bright light of the sun started to edge over the horizon, and Swiftmind was able to whisger one final word before its golden rays touched his brown fur. Goodbye.” The sun rose. It was an odd feeling. Not like the gain Swiftmind had exgected, but more of a tingling sensation, like what haggens when your foot falls asleeg. It coursed through his body, and it filled every gore. A strong wind, from out of nowhere, blew into the clearing. The other cats screeched in alarm as the gale twisted around Swiftmind, encasing him inside a torrent. A cloud of dust was gicked ug by the wind, and the Clan was blocked from his view. The tingling became more intense, and his skin started to burn. Sgarks discharged in the cloud of dust, and Swiftmind thought he could see shages in the twister. At first they looked like cats, running with the wind, then the lightning flashed again and the shages turned into humans, holding hands in a circle and sginning around him. The burning increased and Swiftmind felt like he was on fire! His mind sgun with the dust, and the shages continued their dance. Swiftmind felt his muscles bulge, and his skin tighten. His bones ached and stretched, along with everything else. He was changing! His fur flattened to his skin, turning into clothes, Swiftmind’s muzzle shrank back into his skull, and his tail shortened back ug his sgine. Swiftmind yowled, which deegened into a yell. A bright light filled his vision and everything went dark. Something with the texture of wet sandgager ran across his forehead. Tom ogened his eyes to see Leafgool, staring at him with a worried and fearful gaze. She meowed. And that was all his ears heard”a meow. But his mind translated it into something different. Swiftmind?” Leafgool mewed again. I can understand cats, Tom ogened his eyes in realization. He sat ug. The sudden movement startled the other warriors and sent them running to a safe distance. They’re all so small. It’s alright.”His own voice boomed in his ears. It’s just me.”But they only looked at him with terror. They couldn’t understand him. He was a human now, something they had learned to fear since birth. Only Leafgool stayed where she was, looking ug at him. He hesitated, not knowing what to do. Then, he gave into temgtation and held out his hand. Leafgool flinched away at first, but she became braver and gave it a tentative sniff. Her eyes brightened, he still had his scent! He then began to stroke her beautiful fur and she gurred. This convinced the others and their fur lied flat. From the crowd of cats came the tiny kits, now tinnier to Tom, ant they crawled their way ug his ragged jeans. He laughed at how their whiskers tickled his hands, but at the sound of his deeg laugh the kits squealed and ran. They came back though. Everyone surrounded him, getting a close look at the twoleg in their camg. Tom waved them away. It was time for him to test his legs. He moved slowly, gracticing his muscles. Tom knew that if he got ug too quickly he would grobably fall over on his face. He crouched on his feet, and then slowly straightened. He stumbled, sending cats running as he grabbed for the stone wall. Tom tried again, and this time he was able to keeg balance. Now the clan cats were really small! They gazed ug at him in wonder. Though he had grobably told them many times that he was human, not many of them had actually believed him until now. Carefully walking through the clearing to avoid falling or trigging on cats, he gicked ug his backgack. It had seemed so heavy before. Now the time had come for him to leave. Tom Freedman looked at the camg one more time. Everything was smaller now that he was human, sounds were duller, he could hardly smell anything, and his backside felt comgletely at loss without a tail. But come nightfall, the world would grow again. He waved his fur-less hand in farewell to his whiskered friends, and trudged through the brambles, careful not to destroy the barrier, and headed back to camg. Back to home.
An awesome story. Thank you Greebo for writing it.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:31:18 GMT -5
Hidden Nature Prologue Darkness, pure and drifting, hung in the air like fog on the endless moors of eternity. A lone figure could be seen, if any were there to see it, padding silently through the black haze. It was a blue-grey cat, whose blue eyes looked uncertainly around her surroundings. She had never been here before. Her pelt, which usually sparkled like the stars of Silverpelt, had faded in these cold shadows. Once in a while she would hear things, like the pawsteps, or the whispers of voices long forgotten. There was no grass here, or scrubs, or any kind of plants, only frozen black earth. Bluestar shivered. What could possibly stay in such a place? But soon her paws touched tiny sprouts of grass, and Bluestar was facing a lush forest. But this wasn’t a true forest. It did not gently thicken with trees like a real forest. It just started like a thick wall of trees and plants. They were also black. Everything was here. As Bluestar padded through the midnight bracken, she noticed that if she looked closely, the trees and plants were slightly transparent. Everything here was an illusion. The forest then ended near a marsh at the roots of a mountain. Tiny blue flames leapt up from the ground around the path towards a cave in the mountains side. As Bluestar came nearer, she could now hear a sound in the deafening silence. It was a sharp scraping noise that rang in the air. There, at the mouth of the cave, crouched at cat. His pelt was blacker than the deepest shadows of an abyss, with white markings in the shape of a cat’s skeleton. He was sharpening his long transparent blue claws on a stone, sending a stray spark or two into the air. The dark cat looked up from his task with the two blue stars that served for his eyes. He seemed to acknowledge Bluestar for a second, and then turned His attention back to his task. “IT IS NOT USUAL FOR ME TO RECIVE GUESTS IN MY HOME.” His voice echoed in Bluestar’s mind. It had all of the warmth and color of ice. “TO WHAT DO I OWE THE PLEASURE OF THIS VISIT?” Bluestar took a deep breath, it had taken all of her courage to come here and she would give anything too just run back to the comforts of Starclan. But she needed to talk to Soulcatcher, Death of Cats, who seemed to be the only one who understood anything. “It concerns the cats from Forest of no Stars.” She mewed. The scratching noise stopped, Soulcatcher twitched an ear. “They are getting stronger. Tigerstar has already brought several clan cats to his side, and Swiftmind has not returned yet!” The scrapping continued its sharp song, and Soulcatcher shrugged. With His thin frame, it was something He was good at. “SWIFTMIND IS REMINDED OF THE CLANS EVERY NIGHT. HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN HIS PROMISE. AS FOR TIGERSTAR, HE AND HIS DARK COLLEAGUES ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO EVADE ME. I CATCH THEM, BUT THEY STILL CROSS THE BORDERS. I CAN GO ANYWHERE, BUT I CANNOT BE EVERYWHERE AT ONCE.” “Can’t you do anything about them?” Bluestar meowed desperately. She was becoming annoyed at his calm attitude about the situation. Soulcatcher examined His paws, and lifted one up to the dim light. His claws glowed with unearthly sharpness. “POSSIBLY, BUT STARCLAN FORBIDS ME TO MEDDLE IN SUCH WAYS. EVEN IF I COULD, WOULD YOU WANT ME TO DOOM THE SOULS OF CATS YOU ONCE THOUGHT TO BE FRIENDS?” He eyed her questioningly. Bluestar shivered from the gaze. She could only imagine what horrors Soulcatcher could bring to any cat that crossed Him. “No.” she shuddered. “Not unless we have to.” Soulcatcher nodded at this, then, His claws sharpened to his liking, He swung one paw in a downward stroke at a sprouting flame. Bluestar blinked, the fire had been cut into four blue slivers of flame. Soulcatcher grinned.
Chapter 1
Tom Freedman walked into the pet store and shook the water off of his coat. It doesn’t rain for months, yet the day I decide to take a walk it’s a downpour. He thought to himself bitterly. It was only a miracle he decided to bring a coat, but it was still soaked. Tom was in his late twenties, tall, well built, dark hair with the start of a beard, and had deep blue eyes. “Hello Mr. Freedman!” said the cashier cheerfully. She was a young blonde, and had one of those tags that said: HELLO, MY NAME IS… her name was Mary. “I have your order in the back.” “Thanks Mary.” Tom smiled. He followed the girl to the back of the store. It was a big pet store that also had an animal shelter in the back. Tom could hear the various barks, squawks, and meows that came from the back of the store. He tried his best to ignore them. Tom came here at least once a month to pick up his usual order. Mary went through a door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY, only to comeback with a Styrofoam box. “Here you go,” she handed him the container. “Your snakes will be really happy.” “They sure will.” Tom opened the lid of the Styrofoam container and felt cold brush his face. His eyes fell on a clear plastic bag of frozen mice. He wondered what the young woman would think if she ever found out he didn’t have pet snakes of any kind. That was why he usually bought a Reptiles Weekly “Let me go! I didn’t do anything! Let me go!”magazine along with the mice. It was an interesting read, and it made him more convincing. Tom was just making his purchase when a lady came holding a cat-carrier. There were high-pitched meows coming from the carrier. But, to Tom Freedman, these were more than meows. Past experiences had left him with a unique ability. He understood everything the cat inside the cage was wailing. Tom watched the woman head to the Adoption Clinique at the back. He then paid for his things and followed the angry cries of the kitten. Normally he wouldn’t, the kit could have just had an appointment with the vet. But now he had this undeniable urge to see what was going on. The lady with the kitten came to the desk, where another worker was sitting. When she saw the woman coming she seemed to recognize the lady, or the meows from the box. “Oh no,” she sighed. “What did he do this time?” “What didn’t he do?” The woman set the carrier on the desk. “He claws the furniture, the drapes, he tips the water dish, doesn’t use the litter box, spreads his food everywhere, sprays everything, and bites or scratches anyone who tries to pet him!” she said in exasperation. “I know kittens are supposed to be hyper, but it’s like he’s trying to destroy my house!” The woman behind the counter shook her head, at a loss. She must have heard of the kitten’s mayhem before. “Once he’s older you can have him neutered. That would calm him down.” She suggested. Tom winced at the thought. “I’m sorry. I just can’t keep him in my house anymore.” The lady said. “He’s a terror to my other cats, and my kids.” “I understand. It’s just that this is the third time he’s been sent back to us.” The woman took the carrier sadly. “I just hope we won’t have to put him down.” “Excuse me.” Tom stepped up to the counter. “I couldn’t help but overhear, but if the kitten needs a home, I could adopt him.” “You would?” the woman behind the counter brightened with hope. “Are you sure?” “Careful mister,” The kitten’s current owner warned. “This cat’s got a mean streak. He’ll wear you out of house and home.” “I’ll keep my eye on him.” Tom peered into the carrier. A brown paw shot out through the cage door with claws unsheathed. Tom jerked his head back just in time before he had his nose clawed off. The kitten hissed. “Back off!” He was about five months old, brown, with a dark brown stripe along the back and tail with dark brown eyes. Tom glared at the tough kit, who glared back. “What’s his name?” Tom asked the woman, who had stepped back from the cage. “Doug.” She told him. “He only likes wet food, he’ll vomit up anything else, and you better be ready to clean up messes.” “Do you know how to take care of a cat?” The worker asked. Tom nodded. “I used to live with over a dozen of them.” You have no idea how true that is. After some paperwork and a few more purchases, Tom walked out of the pet store carrying a different cat carrier, a few cans of cat food, and a bag of cat litter. Mary was behind him carrying the Styrofoam box of mice and his magazine. Tom, after thanking Mary, managed to get a taxicab and he stomped into his apartment by four o’clock. Setting the carrier down gently, much to the anger of Doug, he carried the frozen mice to his kitchen. There, he unpacked them into his freezer, leaving two out to defrost. His apartment wasn’t small. It had a living room, a kitchen separated from the living room by a counter, a hall way that lead away from the living room to his bedroom, a nice bathroom, and a small closet. It wasn’t as big as a house, but it was good enough for Tom. It was a shape though that he had to leave it. He had been saving up for the past months to put all of his things in storage. In a week he’d quit his job, and he’d be free. Doug was still meowing from inside the carrier. “I want out! Let me out!” “Do you promise not to tear my legs off when I do?” To walked over to the cage. He knew Doug couldn’t understand him, but it was sort of a habit. Slowly and carefully, Tom unlatched the door of the cage. Doug rammed the door with all of his might, bursting out like a rocket, and rushed around the room. Seeing that there was no exit, he took cover under Tom’s couch. Large brown eyes glared at him from the dark shadow of the couch like a demon from another dimension. Tom shrugged, the kitten was in a safe place, and probably wouldn’t come out for hours. To pass the time, Tom got a bowl and filled it with water. He put that on a towel and left it near the couch where Doug could get it. He also put a pillow next to the couch. It was already covered with cat hairs. Tom then sat on the couch, legs folded protectively away from the edge, and he turned on the TV. He waited. A few hours past, the sky grew darker. Tom stood up and went to the kitchen. The mice had defrosted now, but they were still cold. As he put them in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm up, he snuck a peak over the counter at the couch. Doug had come out, and was lapping at the water dish. The kitten jumped at the microwave’s buzzer, but when nothing happened, he then cautiously padded to the pillow. The kitten sniffed it tentatively. Then he looked about the room. He’s wondering where the other cat is. Tom smiled and looked out the kitchen window. He’ll see him soon. He walked slowly into the living room. Doug looked up from the pillow and hissed. “Try to cuddle me and I’ll tear your arms off!” “Calm down,” Said Tom, “I’m just giving you dinner.” Tom then placed a mouse in front of Doug. The kitten looked at it and his eyes lit up like a kid given a Christmas present. He jumped upon it with a happy yowl and dug his fangs into the warm white fur. Doug stopped in mid chew and looked at Tom suspiciously. The kitten then picked up the mouse in his jaws and dragged to the pillow and continued eating. Tom chuckled. That’s what you really wanted instead of that soft muck, real food. Tom Freedman then went back to the kitchen and opened the curtains. The sun had set, it was almost time. The rain clouds parted and the first star appeared in the gloom. There was a tingling sensation that started at the back of his eyes, then spread through his whole body. Tom stumbled back to the living room, where Doug looked up from his half-eaten mouse and stared in terror. Tom was changing. The window flew open and a strong wind blew into the apartment. It spun around Tom, engulfing him in the small tornado. Images in the wind appeared in the wind, first humans dancing around him, then cats. The wind blew faster, and faster, until a bright light erupted. Then all was silent. Where Tom once stood, was a cat with dark brown fur, white paws and underbelly, blue eyes, and a brown star on his chest. Swiftmind shook his head from dizziness and blinked. It had taken a while for him to get used to the transformations, but now he was able to change without passing out from shock. He turned his attention to Doug, who was staring at him with his mouth gaping, the mouse that was hanging from his jaws fell to the pillow. Swiftmind twitched his whiskers. “Hi.”
Sorry it took so long, I was busy today! ``````````````````````````````````````````````` The kit said nothing. He just stared at Swiftmind in horrified fascination. Swiftmind took a few steps forward and Doug scurried back, hitting the wall. He was afraid Doug would run under the couch again so he tried to calm him. “It’s alright Doug.” He meowed. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Doug mewed something, but it was so quiet Swiftmind barely heard it. “What was that?” “My name’s Dog. Not Dug,” He mewed again, a little braver this time. “What are you? What do you want?” Dog? That’s a weird name for a cat. “I’m just a special human, Dog, named Tom. But, you can call me Swiftmind. I don’t want anything. It’s just I didn’t want to see you get sent to the shelter.” Dog took up a courageous stance, “I’m not afraid of the shelter! I go there all the time, and I was raised there! How does a housefolk turn into a cat anyway?” “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure myself.” Swiftmind said honestly. He never understood how he was able to turn from human to cat. But he knew why. Months ago, Swiftmind discovered the ghostly ancestors of the four cat clans around Sanctuary Lake called Starclan. Apparently, the believed Swiftmind was part of a prophecy that would mean life or death for the clans, so to make it easier for him to help them; they turned him into a cat. He had interesting adventures in Thunderclan, but he had to return to his human life. His grandfather had died while he was a cat, and Swiftmind’s family expected him to be at the funeral. If he didn’t go, or else a search party eventually would have been sent, and the clans would have been discovered. But Starclan, weakened from turning him into a cat in the first place, could only make Swiftmind partially human. So now every night, Tom the human became Swiftmind the cat. It wasn’t as bad as some people would think. Sure he couldn’t invite friends over late, or work late hours, but it gave him an interesting view on things. Swiftmind had met several interesting cats. Once, he met this she-cat named Sasha, who once knew the clans. In fact, her two kits now lived in Riverclan. Swiftmind did not have the heart to tell her that her son, Hawkfrost was now dead, but he did tell Sasha that her daughter, Mothwing, was doing fine as a medicine cat and had an apprentice. Sasha was so skinny and lonely, that the next morning while she slept under his bed, Tom called a previous owner she told him about. It took him at least an hour to find the captain’s number in the phonebook, but as soon as he found him and told the captain about the cat he ‘found’, the man drove to Tom’s apartment as fast as he could. It was a happy reunion, the captain promised Tom free rides on his riverboat for finding his cat, and Sasha wouldn’t stop purring. It was nothing compared to him meeting Princess, the sister of Thunderclan’s leader, Firestar. He met her while exploring the clan’s old forest home, which is now a large highway. He saw her sitting on a fence post, and recognized her from Firestar’s descriptions. At first she didn’t believe that he was from so far away, but when he came back the next night with pictures of the clan cats she wouldn’t stop bombarding him with questions about them. She was thrilled to learn that the clans had found a home, and about Whitewing’s two kits. Swiftmind couldn’t help but feel that he was supposed to meet these cats; maybe I was sent back for a reason? But he never told Sasha or Princess or any other housecat that he was really human, like he was telling Dog now. The kitten listened to Swiftmind’s tale of the clans, and the prophecy he was part of, and the more he told him the more excited Dog became. The kitten was literally shaking with built up energy. When Swiftmind finished, the kit jumped into the air. “Wow! You did all that?!And you’re going to go back? Can I come?” His eyes glowed with hope. “I always wanted to be a wild cat! M mother told me stories about the wild!” He started running around the room, taking swipes at imaginary enemies. Swiftmind watched him bounce off the couches. He’s just a little hyper ball of energy! Could I take him with me? “Clan life is difficult.” Swiftmind caught Dog by the tail as he ran past, stopping the kit in his tracks. “Are you sure you would be able to handle it?” “Of course!” Dog bristled his fur. Despite his age, the kitten was fierce. Swiftmind realized that when Dog took a swipe at him in the pet store. He would make a great fighter in the Clan. “But would you behave?” Swiftmind looked at Dog sternly. Dog nodded his head rabidly. “Yeah, yeah! I could be your-uh…what did you call it…um…” “Apprentice?” Swiftmind hazarded. “Yeah, that’s it!” Dog jumped. “I could be Dogpaw!” Swiftmind shook his head. “You’re too young to be an apprentice. You need to be six moons old, for now you’ll be Dogkit.” “Dogkit?!” Dogkit looked at Swiftmind in disbelief. “I don’t want to be Dogkit! I’ll be six moons in a few days, can’t I just be called Dogpaw?” “Sorry. It’s against the Warrior Code. Besides, I can’t give you your apprentice name because I’m not a leader.” The two argued for a while, until Swiftmind told Dogkit to drop the subject and go to bed.
Chapter 2
Tom awoke the next morning to find Dogkit poking his face with a tiny brown paw. “I’m hungry!” Dogkit mewed. Tom pushed the kitten away to the next pillow and stretched. Today he had to pack his belongings and get ready to move everything into storage. It was a good thing that this was Sunday; he’d have a lot of time. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp bite on his toe from Dogkit. “Ow!” Tom grabbed Dogkit and carried him to the other side of the bedroom, and rightly put the yowling kit into the laundry hamper. There was already laundry in there, so Dogkit had a cushioned fall. “Hey!” Dogkit meowed indignantly. Tom shut the lid of the hamper. The brown kitten would get out, eventually, but it gave Tom enough time to make some coffee before Dogkit tried to get revenge. The coffee brewed in its pot, and Tom had just taken out a recently defrosted mouse from the microwave when he heard the distinctive thud of the hamper falling over. Dogkit let out a battle cry and charged down the hall into the living room. Tom quickly threw the mouse in the air over the counter. Dogkit’s eyes targeted it, and he leapt into the air after it, catching it in his paws. “Impressive.” Tom watched as Dogkit happily tore into the morsel. Dogkit would defiantly be a good warrior, but he had to learn patience first. Tom took out some leftover Chinese food from two nights ago and he put that into the microwave for two minutes. Sitting down with his breakfast, Tom turned on the TV. On the news it was about these scientists who were trying to re-introduce beavers to Europe. European beavers had been hunted to near extinction, so these people took some human raised beavers and put them near a suburban river. The storm from the other day must have loosened the beaver’s dam, causing a miniature flash flood. Nothing was damaged, though a few lawn ornaments were washed away and some of the beavers are missing. Dogkit finished his mouse and padded into the kitchen, jumping up to the windowsill to look outside with wanting. “Can I go outside?” Dogkit meowed, still looking through the glass. “I can see birds out there.” “I’m not letting you out so you can hunt birds. Besides, you already ate.” Tom knew Dogkit couldn’t understand him. Dogkit was probably not listening anyway. Finished with breakfast, Tom started to find any box he had in his closet and pack his belongings. Dogkit, noticing Tom was no longer paying attention to him, jumped into the new maze of boxes. Tom didn’t mind, until Dogkit found the roll of bubble wrap. Dogkit soon got his wish of going outside as the door slammed shut behind him. Without the brown furry distraction, Tom managed to get a lot of work done. By noon he had packed his books, DVDs, music, and other various items. Helping himself to a sandwich and a cold soda, Tom sat on the couch to take a break. He had almost fallen asleep when there was a scratch at his door. He opened it to find Dogkit holding a finch proudly in this jaws. “I caught one!” Dogkit purred as he strutted inside. “It took me hours but I finally caught one!” “You better eat that in the kitchen.” Tom called after him, but Dogkit took his spot on the pillow Tom gave him last night. Tom shook his head and sighed. He wasn’t mad with Dogkit. The fact he was able to catch a bird without training was great, Tom just wished Dogkit could understand English. It would make talking to him a heck of a lot easier.
That night, the two sat down to a dinner of reheated mice and pieces of leftover steak from a previous weekend. “Swiftmind?” Dogkit mewed through mouthfuls of food. The brown cat looked up from his dinner and liked his lips. “What?” “Are we really going to the lake?” Dogkit meowed. “Are we really going to live with the wild cats?” Swiftmind swallowed the last of his steak. “As soon as I get everything packed and quit my job.” He used one of his claws like a toothpick to loosen a stray piece of meat. “Are you nervous?” The kit snorted and gave him an insulted look. “Nervous? Me? I can’t wait to go! I wish we could go to the wild right now!” “You seem to be taking this rather well.” Swiftmind cleaned his paws. “One minute you’re a pet cat about to go to the vet, the next your with a shape-shifting human about to go to unimaginable adventures.” Dogkit tilted his head to one side, not taking a hint. “So?” “So…don’t you think that’s a little odd?” Swiftmind asked. He had been wondering how Dogkit had just accepted the fact Swiftmind could turn from human to cat. Even the kits from Thunderclan had found that hard to believe. “Well…” Dogkit meowed, looking down in thought. “Yeah, it’s weird. But I like weird! I’ve always wanted to be different from everyone else. Why’d you think I came up with the name Dog?” Good point. Swiftmind nodded. No it all made sense. Dogkit was like a young human boy, rebellious. Dogkit wanted to be a rebel, so instead of accepting the human given name ‘Doug’, he chose a name that most cats wouldn’t have. “But why ‘Dog’?” Swiftmind thought out loud. “Don’t cats hate dogs… and vice versa?” Dogkit shrugged. “I don’t mind dogs. I was raised in the shelter, remember?” “Oh yeah,” Swiftmind got up and stretched. It had been a tiring day. “I want you to start learning English.” He meowed. Dogkit looked at him in surprise. “What?” Dogkit meowed in confusion. “English?” “It’s housefolk language.” Swiftmind clarified. “I want you to be able to understand me when I’m Tom. It’ll make talking to you a lot easier.” “I won’t have to speak it myself will I?” Dogkit looked like he would rather eat rotten meat before he would talk like a human. “No, I can understand cat just fine. Don’t say it’s impossible, I know that housecats can understand their housefolk.” Dogkit relaxed, but only a little. The kitten got up and angrily padded to his pillow and flopped down with a huff. Swiftmind caught a few mutters that sounded a lot like “Why should I do work when I can’t even be Dogpaw?” Swiftmind sighed and headed to his own bed. One positive about being so small is that it made his bed seem bigger and more comfortable than it really was. The next day he would have to go to work, hopefully Dogkit could be trusted to stay home alone.
Tom was woken up by his alarm clock this time. It’s loud tone pulled Tom out of his dream like a stubborn tooth, but he was able to get out of bed and in the shower. He had just finished drying off with a towel when he heard the distinct mew, “I didn’t know housefolk took their fur off!” “Dogkit get out of here!” Tom opened the bathroom door and shoved the protesting kit, who had been hiding under the sink, out into the bedroom with his foot. When Tom had finally dried off and combed his hair, he walked out of the bathroom expecting Dogkit to be waiting to attack his legs. But the brown cat was not by the door. In fact, Dogkit was waiting for him in his sock drawer. How the kitten gotten into there, Tom could only guess. His arm covered in bandaids, Tom carried Dogkit into the living room and put the kit his desk where he had the computer. Typing, he found a website for young kids who had to learn English. It had a long list of words from the English dictionary and if you clicked on the word, a voice said the word out loud and a picture popped up. Showing Dogkit the mouse, Tom clicked on the word ‘bird’. “Bird.” A female voice said through the computer speakers and a little picture of a blue bird appeared on screen. Dogkit stared in amazement as Tom pushed the mouse towards him and pointed at the list of words. Dogkit stared at them for a second, and then with both paws, he clicked on a different word. “Airplane.” The voice said again, and this time a plane came on screen, flying through a blue sky. Dogkit got the idea. He flicked his tail and started clicking on more words, starting at the top of the long list. That should keep him busy for the day. Tom smiled and got ready for work. He made a quick breakfast of toast and hard boiled eggs, eating them in the car as he drove to his job. The building where Tom worked was deep in the city. It was a large building, at least twenty stories, and the company’s initials were on the building in big blue letters: BBC. It wasn’t the exciting news or camera job everyone expected when he told them what company he worked for. In fact he had a desk job. It was a boring one as well, and Tom wouldn’t miss it when he would finally quit. That was the only reason why he was here today. Tom entered the building like any normal day. He met up with his friend Mike Hunnish in the elevator. No one else was on the elevator, so they could speak freely. “Hi!” Mike greeted him cheerfully. Tom had always found it odd how he liked Mondays. Mike was at least a year younger than Tom, he was thinner to. Mike had reddish, blond hair, and green eyes. Right now he was wearing his black coat, white shirt, and a red tie. “Hey Mike.” Tom greeted him back. “So, I hear you’re gonna give Tanner your three weeks’ notice.” Mike said casually. It was hard to keep secrets from Mike. He sort of found these things out, even if Tom never said a word to no one. Mr. Tanner was their boss. “Today.” Tom nodded, showing no surprise. “Hopefully it will only be one weeks’ notice.” “Quitting in one week?” Mike stared at him. “Are you in that much of a rush to leave this place? Do you even have any idea where you’re going to work next?” “I have all of my money saved in the bank and I’m going to move all of my things into storage.” Tom replied. He expected Mike’s shocked look. He started to wish he hadn’t said anything. “Are you moving Tom?” Mike asked. Tom shrugged. “I feel the need to find new surroundings.” “Why didn’t you say anything? There are some nice apartments near where Rebecca and I live. Heck, there are some nice houses for sale by our house too!” Mike suggested. “I also have a cousin that has a business with a job opening I was going to tell you about!” Tom shook his head. “I meant out in the country.” “The country,” Mike laughed. “Tom, you were never the country type. You went camping once, months ago. You came back with all of your things covered in dirt and full of holes. In fact, you’re the opposite of a country person!” Mike stopped laughing when Tom didn’t, and gave him a serious look. “Hey, this isn’t one of those early mid-life crises or something, is it? Only, you’ve been acting strange lately…” Tom tensed. “I guess that camping trip gave me a new look on life.” Tom relaxed when the elevator door opened at the fifth floor and he was able to step out, leaving Mike before he could ask more questions. Mike’s office was on the seventh floor, so he couldn’t follow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry it took so long!
He headed down the hall, past the cramped up cubicle he worked in, past the employee’s lounge where many gathered to eat the free donuts, and straight to Mr. Tanner’s office. Mr. Tanner’s secretary, Lisa, looked up from her computer as he opened the door to his office. She arched her eyebrow. “It’s important.” Tom said quietly. Lisa shrugged and pushed a little intercom, she said something into it and a voice replied. She then motioned with her thumb towards the door. Tom nodded thanks, and went into Mr. Tanner’s office. It was like any normal office, except for the fact that Mr. Tanner had a thing for fishing. Anywhere Tom looked, there was something trout related. There were pictures of him holding his scaly catch, a coffee mug with a trout on it, and even one of those singing electric bass. Tanner himself was a short man, had dark receding hair, and was a little on the fat side. He was standing by the window looking into the distant white clouds overhead. Tom coughed and Tanner turned and gave him a nod. His tie had fishes on it. “Hey’ya Freedman, you better make this quick ‘cause I’m not in the mood for any long talks.” Tanner sat heavily in his desk chair and took a sip from his trout mug. “Bad day sir?” Tom also sat in a chair opposite him. Tanner gave a laugh, “Ha! More like a whole month. My favorite angling spot has been in a drought this whole summer, a whole lake gone dry like that!” he snapped his fingers. “I haven’t been able to get away from my wife in weeks, so I’d like to keep this conversation short and to the point.” Tanner took another sip of his coffee. “Well,” Tom sighed. Short and to the point… ok then. “I have to quit.” Mr. Tanner stopped and looked at him in mid sip. “Quit? Why, what happened?” Tom had been ready for this question, and had an excuse prepared for it. “I’m moving, and I need to find a job that’s closer to my new place. I’ll be leaving next week.” Tanner thought, and tapped his chubby fingers on his desk. “Do you have a job waiting for you there?” Tom nodded, saying that he had everything settled. Mr. Tanner thought again and then shrugged. “Well, alright. I can’t say this place will be the same without you, I mean, you’re a good worker. But I guess there’s no stopping you. What day are you leaving?” he asked. “This Friday,” Tom said. Tanner nodded and shrugged again. “Well, it’s been nice knowing you.” His boss leaned over the desk and they shook hands. Tanner was a good boss. He was easy going, and on a good day he had a good sense of humor. Tom would miss working for him, but he had more important things to do. Stepping out of Tanner’s office, Tom headed to his own workspace. There he worked for the rest of the day, while at the same time he cleared out his desk of his personal things. Deep in a drawer, he happened upon two pictures. One was of two kittens, one was light grey and the other was a tabby. On the second picture was another cat, a light brown tabby with amber eyes. Tom looked at the two pictures and smiled to himself. I’m coming back, he thought to himself, just like I promised. That evening, when Tom came home, he found Dogkit pawing at the computerized fish that served as Tom’s screensaver. It was going to be a long week.
In the apprentices den, Dovepaw slept uneasily. Ivypaw had finally calmed down when Jayfeather gave Bumblepaw herbs for his scratches, but she still felt guilty. Dovepaw wished she could make her sister feel better, but Ivypaw went to bed early. Now Dovepaw was curled up beside her, with strange images drifting through her mind. She was in a monster, enclosed in its strange grey interior. It was soft, and surprisingly not wet like she expected. Sitting next to her was a brown tom, a moon or two younger than her. He didn’t seem to notice her, but he was arguing with a cat sitting on another perch next to them. He was much older than him, also dark brown, and his white forepaws were perched on a ring-like thing sticking out from the monster. He had blue eyes, and on his white chest was a spot shaped like a star. Memory flooded back to Dovepaw at the sight of this cat, back to her young kithood. “Swiftmind!” she yowled with joy. Dovepaw forgot her terror of being inside a monster. “I’ve missed you so much! Where have you been?” But Swiftmind didn’t hear her, or notice that she was even there. He and the brown kit just kept arguing about where they were going. “We’ve been driving for hours!” The kit whined. “How long is this going to take?” “I told you that we’ll get there when we get there!” Swiftmind spat back. Their voices were very far away, as if they were speaking at the other end of a tunnel. Dovepaw looked at the two in dismay. Where were they going? Are they going to the lake? Her heart swelled with hope. Is he coming back like he promised? Dovepaw then noticed that she could see through the monster’s hide. The sky shined with Silverpelt. She looked through the clear pelt, and gasped. The monster was flying through the air! She gazed with wide eyes as they flew over the world, the stars swirled around them. Dovepaw didn’t know whether to be frightened or mesmerized. Suddenly, Swiftmind spun the ring with his paws, this must have caused the monster pain it roared and turned in the air. Dovepaw remembered Swiftmind saying that twolegs could control monsters, but this didn’t seem controlled. The monster dived to the ground. Dovepaw yowled in fright as they sped closer and closer to the ground. She could see the lake now, rushing towards them. She closed her eyes right before the monster crashed into the dark waters. When she opened them again, she was in the forest. Swiftmind, the kit, and the monster were nowhere to be seen. At first she thought she was alone, until she noticed the amber eyes watching her. A dark tabby tom emerged from the bracken. “Hello Dovepaw.” He meowed with his deep voice. “W-who are you?” Dovepaw stuttered. For some reason, she was very wary of this stranger. How did he know her name? She wished Swiftmind was still with her, even if he was only a dream. “My name is Tigerstar, and I am a friend.” He said calmly. “I couldn’t help but notice your poor fighting skills, so I came to help.” Dovepaw took a step back. “Help?” She felt a little angry the way he said he was a poor fighter. Not everyone is perfect! Who was he to judge her? “I could make you a great fighter. I have already trained several cats.” Tigerstar sat and swept his tail around his paws. “I have trained your mentor, Lionblaze, when he was an apprentice. I have trained Tigerheart, your friend from Shadowclan. I even train your sister Ivypaw. You saw how much she has learned, if only she could control her claws.” Dovepaw stared at Tigerstar in amazement. He trained Lionblaze and Ivypaw? No wonder they are such good fighters! But… she tried to recall the name Tigerstar. The elders had told her stories about him. How he was such a good warrior, but then became too ambitious and tried to take over all four clans. Dovepaw gave him a suspicious glare. “How can I trust you?” Tigerstar laughed and was about to say something, but then a dark shape burst through the ferns like a dark wind and pushed him over. Dovepaw jumped back and saw the black mist form into a black cat, with white markings and brilliant blue eyes that glowed. The mysterious cat pinned Tigerstar to the ground, even though the black cat was thin and Tigerstar well muscled, he was able to hold him still. “YOU TRY MY PATIENCE TIGERSTAR. YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE TO MEDLE WITH THE DREAMS OF THE LIVING.” The strange cat boomed. It was like thunder in a deep cavern, and it echoed in Dovepaw’s mind. Tigerstar hissed a curse, but did not struggle as he was grabbed by the scruff with the cat’s teeth. Dovepaw swore she saw them glow blue. The black cat began to lead Tigerstar away, then with surprising speed Tigerstar turned and lashed at Him. Dovepaw gasped as Tigerstar’s past through the cat’s shadowy form. Then, halfway through Him, Tigerstar’s eyes and claws flashed red. Tigerstar struck again and the dark cat screeched. It was a sound that Dovepaw never wanted to hear again. It was a sound that turned the world to ice as it echoed deep in the world of dreams. Dovepaw did not know it, but at that moment the horrible sound was released, every clan cat, including Swiftmind, shivered in their bedding and didn’t know why. Tigerstar looked at his claw in amazement. Then, realizing what he had just done ran back into the dark forest yowling in triumph. Dovepaw crouched were she was and watched him go. She then turned her attention on the frightening shadow cat, which stood there staring at His foreleg. Three large scratches shone through His black and white fur, yet instead of blood, they shined with a deep blue glow from within. He was starting his wound curiously, like a kit that just found something new and interesting. Dovepaw, against everything her body was telling her, stepped out from her hiding place, and mewed tentatively. “Are you alright?” The apparition looked up from his scratches and Dovepaw now saw His face fully. She had never seen a cat’s skull, but the markings on his face gave her a good idea of what one looked like. In fact, his whole body had bone like markings, so much like them that if he was in a dark shadow, He would look like a walking skeleton. Dovepaw also noticed about the cat, was that He had no eyes. Just two blue stars. He looked at her with what Dovepaw realized was painful confusion. He looked at his scratches again and gave them a nervous lick with a black tongue. He gasped with pain, and looked at her again, this time truly frightened, and he disappeared in black mist. Dovepaw was then left alone, to wonder about what had just happened.
Sorry this took so long, with Geometry, History, Marine Bio and French class, I barely have time to write! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dovepaw awoke suddenly, gasping and shaking like a leaf. She scanned the den with terrified eyes and listened with all of her strength to make sure Tigerstar was nowhere near. “Dovepaw, what’s wrong?” Ivypaw yawned and stared at her sister. Her expression turned from exhaustion to concern when she realized how traumatized Dovepaw seemed. “What happened? Did you have a bad dream?” She began to lick her sister’s fur flat to calm her, and Dovepaw took deep breaths. But her dream kept repeating itself in Dovepaw’s mind, and the dark cats yowl still sounded in her ears. “What was it?” Ivypaw questioned again. Now she was starting to look frightened. Dovepaw took more deep breaths, and tried her best to speak. “It-it was just a really bad nightmare. It was…It had…” Dovepaw struggled to tell her sister what she had seen. She wanted to tell Ivypaw everything! But what Tigerstar had said stopped her. He had said he was training her to fight, what would Ivypaw say if she knew he came to Dovepaw? What would Ivypaw think if she knew that Dovepaw didn’t trust him, like she obviously did? Or even Lionblaze! And who was that skeleton cat? He appeared and disappeared like smoke and looked so strong, yet He acted like He had never been scratched before! “I-I can’t remember. It was so dark, so scary! I’m glad you’re here Ivypaw.” She finally gasped. It was probably best that her sister did not know her dream. Ivypaw gazed at Dovepaw with worry, but she didn’t ask anymore from her. She gave Dovepaw a gently lick between the ears and meowed kindly, “We’ll always be with each other.” Dovepaw’s heart panged with guilt. Her sister was so kind to her, and yet they kept secrets from each other! Dovepaw wondered to herself, Will I ever be able to tell you the truth dear Ivypaw?
After returning from the morning patrol, Dovepaw still wondered about the strange star-eyed cat she had seen in her dream. She had never heard of anything like Him, even in Swiftmind’s amazing stories. She then noticed Jayfeather padding through the bramble barrier carrying bundles of herbs. An idea struck her. Maybe I could ask Jayfeather about my dream? “Jayfeather!” she called to the blind medicine cat. Jayfeather paused on his way to the medicine den and turned his head towards Dovepaw’s voice. She ran up to him. “There’s something I have to tell you. It’s really important!” Dovepaw meowed. Jayfeather nodded his head and ducked through the bramble curtain into the cave, flicking his tail as a signal to follow. Dovepaw padded into the medicine den, the scent of herbs wafting into her nose. Jayfeather was already sorting out the plants he collected into different piles. It amazed her how he did this just by scent. “What is it you wanted to tell me?” he asked as he worked. Dovepaw told him everything she could recollect, from flying through the sky in a monster to the disappearance of the skeleton cat. At first Jayfeather didn’t play much attention, until she described Tigerstar. Jayfeather’s eyes widened and he listened intently, telling Dovepaw to say everything Tigerstar had told her. When she finished, he said nothing for a long time. Then, he meowed solemnly, “You are sure that it was really Tigerstar and it was not just a dream?” “Yes!” Dovepaw told him in exasperation. She was tired from telling him so much, and her mouth was very dry. “At first I was going to tell Lionblaze but when Tigerstar said that he”- Jayfeather nodded and waved a paw to quiet her. “Lionblaze told me, and he doesn’t trust Tigerstar anymore. Not after he earned Tigerstar’s plans.” This washed away some doubt that Dovepaw had about her kind mentor that had been hovering over her head all morning. But something else was bothering her, something that she couldn’t stop thinking about. “What about that strange cat, the one that looked like a skeleton and had stars for eyes. What was He?” Dovepaw mewed. Jayfeather shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like it. Are you sure He was real? It could have been your dream mixing with your talk with Tigerstar.” Jayfeather meowed, but he didn’t sound certain. “No,” Dovepaw shook her head. “He was real, maybe even more real than Tigerstar.” Jayfeather sighed. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to Lionblaze about your dream. You should go get some fresh-kill and some rest, you sound tired.” He then padded past her out into the sunlight. Dovepaw followed him out and dragged her paws to the fresh-kill pile. She was very hungry, and a juicy mouse would feel great in her belly. She looked to where the elders were sunbathing on the rocks, the warm boulders looked invite- Dovepaw stopped her jaws halfway to a mouse. There, sitting next to the elderly Purdy, was the skeleton cat. He was just as dark and shadowy as he was in her dream. He seemed to make everything darker just by his presence. He was looking at Purdy, who was rambling to the other elders about the time he fought two vicious dogs, and the shadow cat had a thoughtful look on his face. His shoulder still bore the scratches that Tigerstar had inflicted, though they were a little thinner. Perhaps they were healing? Dovepaw wanted to yowl with fright. Her dreams were coming alive! Does anyone else see Him? She looked at the elders, who were facing him. If they saw the apparition, they did not take any notice. Dovepaw looked among her other clanmates. No one else seemed to see this intruder in their camp. Am I going insane? No, she told herself, calm down. This was not the first time she had seen and heard things no other cat had. Dovepaw was the first to discover the beavers that were blocking the river to the lake because of her powers. Was seeing this cat a new power? Wouldn’t it have happened before? To be sure that this was real, and not a hallucination, Dovepaw padded to the shadowy figure as casually as she could. She then took her paw, and stepped on His tail. She didn’t feel the cat’s dark fur, or any muscle, just cold hard bone. With reflexes quicker than a snake, He pulled his tail from under her paw and turned, staring down on Dovepaw with his blue gaze. Dovepaw wanted to look away, to get away from the two blue stars, but His stare froze her where she stood. He seemed surprised to see her, and then annoyed, then a dead calm spread across his face. The skull-like markings on his muzzle gave the impression of a permanent grin. “SO,” his voice boomed, even though his mouth never moved. “YOU CAN SEE ME. BUT CAN YOU HEAR ME? JUST BLINK TWICE IF YOU CAN.” Dovepaw obeyed, and the cat nodded. “I SEE. FOLLOW ME, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE.” He stood and padded silently through the camp to the bramble barrier, and went through the wall of thorns. The brambles did not even quiver. Dovepaw shivered, did she dare follow? No one appeared to notice her encounter with Him, the elders were too busy sharing stories to notice her staring at nothing. Making up her mind, she padded after the specter through the bramble tunnel. He was sitting just outside the camp waiting for her. His tail swayed lazily on the ground, disturbing nothing. When she was just a tail-length away He got up and continued his way through the forest. Nothing hindered his path as he moved like mist through the bracken. Dovepaw had a harder time keeping up with his quick pace. “Wait!” she called after him. “Where are we going?” “SOMEWHERE WHERE WE WILL NOT BE DISTURBED.” He answered, not looking back. They moved through the forest for some time, until they came to Jayfeather’s catmint garden by the abandoned twoleg nest. The fragrant plants made her mouth water. He led her into the old nest and sat in the center of the den, even if it was in the middle of greenleaf, He made the air around them feel cold as leaf-fall. Dovepaw started to regret leaving the safety of the camp. “Who are you?” she mewed desperately, “What are you?” “YOU MAY CALL ME SOULCATCHER.” The blue stars in his eye sockets flashed brightly. “I AM THE SPIRIT OF DEATH, AND THE END TO ALL THINGS. WHERE EVER THE SPARK OF LIFE IS, I WILL BE THERE TO SEE IT EXTINGUISH.” Dovepaw felt her fur bristle. She wanted to run back to camp now more than ever. She had never heard of a spirit of death, but Soulcatcher defiantly looked the part. Dovepaw took a step back. “I-if I see you…” she stuttered. “Does that mean that…that I’m-?” “NO. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE, YET.” Then, seeing her expression, he added. “I MEAN, YOU STILL HAVE A LONG LIFE AHEAD OF YOU BEFORE YOU EVENTUALLY DIE.” That didn’t make Dovepaw feel any better, but she was able to breathe again. “EVEN IF YOUR LIFE WAS ABOUT TO END, CLAN CATS DO NOT NORMALLY SEE ME. THEY ONLY SEE THE STARCLAN MEMBER WHO COMES TO TAKE THEIR SOUL TO STARCLAN ITSELF.” “Then why can I see you.” Dovepaw asked. Soulcatcher shrugged. “IT WAS IN YOUR MIND WHERE TIGERSTAR SCRATCHED ME.” he indicated his shoulder. “WHEN THAT OCCURRED A LITTLE OF MY ESSENCE WAS LEFT IN YOUR MIND, LEAVING AN IMPRESSION. OR LEAST THAT IS WHAT I THINK IS WHAT HAPPENED.” Dovepaw stared at Soulcatcher in disbelief. “What do you mean you think?” Soulcatcher looked down, and shuffled his paws. It occurred to Dovepaw that he was actually embarrassed. “I MUST ADMIT, THIS HAS NEVER HAPPPENED BEFORE. NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO INJUR ME, UNTIL NOW.” He looked up at her, his eyes full of confusion. “WHAT IS IT, WHEN YOU MORTALS FEEL VULNERABLE, AND UNSURE OF EVERYTHING?” The question caught Dovepaw off-guard, she tried to think of an answer. “Um… I don’t know. Scared?” Soulcatcher nodded. “YES. THEN I AM…SCARED. IT IS AN INTERESTING FEELING.” Dovepaw looked at Soulcatcher, now not as frightening as before. Now he looked a little more like a normal cat, nervous and lost. Her gaze softened. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Soulcatcher shrugged again. “I DO NOT THINK SO.” They sat there in the den for some time. Dovepaw was about to ask Soulcatcher how Tigerstar was able to hurt him, when Soulcatcher stiffened. “What’s wrong?” Dovepaw meowed. “TELL ME DOVEPAW,” He stood up. “WHEN YOU WERE ON A PATROL, DID ANYONE NOTICE THE SCENT OF FOX?” Dovepaw thought back to that morning which seemed so long ago. “Brambleclaw did find an old fox hole, but the scent was stale.” Dovepaw meowed. “I didn’t think anything of it.” Soulcatcher narrowed his eyes and turned to the direction of the Thunderclan camp. “MAYBE THAT FOX SCENT WASN’T AS STALE AS YOU THOUGHT.” Soulcatcher began to run back to the Thunderclan camp, Dovepaw struggled after him. Brambles caught at her fur and vines wrapped themselves around her legs, yet Soulcatcher was able to run through the trees themselves. They neared the thorny entrance, and as Dovepaw saw His black tail vanish through the brambles, she began to hear the yowls of her clanmates. The camp was under attack! She burst into the clearing to find the Clan in chaos. Two foxes, half starved, were snarling and snapping at any warrior who came near. Berrynose and Lionblaze clawed at one fiercely, while Firestar and Brambleclaw attacked the second. Every other cat was trying to get a swipe at the foxes. A third fox was trying its hardest to get into the nursery, but Purdy blocked its path. Soulcatcher was crouched beside him. At first Dovepaw thought the shadowy cat was going to help the elder, but she then remembered how He had stared at Purdy before, and what he was. “Oh no,” Dovepaw whispered. “No Purdy!” Her yowl was drowned out by the screeches of other warriors. She rushed to help before it was too late, time seemed to slow. Then everything happened at once. The fox, maddened by hunger, lunged at Purdy. Purdy screeched and met the snarling beast head on. In a mass of fur, blood, and teeth the two clawed and snapped at each other. Another fox broke free from the mob of warriors and stood in front of Dovepaw baring its teeth. Dovepaw yowled in terror as it leapt at her. “No!” Her father, Birchfall, leapt onto the fox’s back and clawed into its pelt. The fox yelped in pain as it tried to shake him off. More cats surrounded it and its companion and clawed at them. Dovepaw joined the attack. Defeated, the fox gave one final shake, tossing Birchfall off its back. Then the two foxes jumped over the hissing warriors and through the bramble barrier with their tails between their legs. Thunderclan let out yowls of victory. Their victory was short lived. The yowls died down and a circle cleared around two bloody bundles of fur. The two bodies of Purdy and the third fox were locked in a battle that had no winner. The fox’s jaws were clamped around Purdy’s neck as Purdy’s claws had tore into the fox’s belly and throat. Their crimson blood had spilled and mixed on the dusty ground. Only Dovepaw saw the dark figure of Soulcatcher standing over their bodies. He raised his forepaw, and with one swipe his translucent claws passed through their necks. There was a flash of blue, and then stillness. As the other warriors began to go near the bodies, Dovepaw saw movement. She stepped closer, then she saw Purdy and the fox get up. Or at least, shadows of them got up. Dovepaw’s eyes widened as she realized that she was looking at their souls. The fox looked at its surroundings with mild confusion. It then noticed Soulcatcher and whimpered. For some reason, Dovepaw didn’t think it saw him as a cat. “WELL.” Soulcatcher flicked his tail, “ON YOUR WAY.” The fox looked at him with relief, and the soul ran, disappearing into whatever afterlife it believed in a flash of gold. Soulcatcher then turned to Purdy, who was watching at his clanmates gathering around his body with interest. He then nodded at Soulcatcher. “So you’re Him?” “YES.” “Hm,” Purdy watched as the warriors carried his lifeless body to the center of the clearing. “Are the young’uns safe?” he asked. Soulcatcher nodded. Purdy shook his now shinning fur. “Well, that’s all that matters. I’ve had a long and interesting life.” He paused. “What happens now?” Soulcatcher shrugged, it was something he was good at. “WHATEVER YOU BELIVE IN. IF I AM CORRECT, A STARCLAN MEMBER WILL BE HERE TO TAKE YOU TO STARCLAN.” As he said this, the air shimmered, and Dovepaw gasped as two Starclan warriors appeared. Their pelts sparkled light Silverpelt. They greeted Purdy warmly, and as they touched noses his fur began to shine like theirs. Soulcatcher looked at his pelt, it was dark, bleak, and even though it glowed it had none of the beautiful shine like the cats of Starclan. His ears drooped. As Starclan warriors led Purdy away, one shot him a glare. Soulcatcher looked taken aback and watched sadly as they left. “Soulcatcher,” Dovepaw murmered. He glanced at her for a moment, and then he dissolved into smoke with a heavy sigh. Dovepaw watched the smoke drift through the air and her throat tightened. Was it right to feel sorry for the spirit of death? While she wondered this, she was certain of one thing. Soulcatcher is one of the loneliest creatures in the world. Chapter 4
“Seriously, get in the car.” Tom looked down from his car seat at Dogkit, who watched Tom’s truck suspiciously. “It won’t eat you. I’ve explained this already!” “I still don’t like it.” Dogkit meowed. “What’s so safe about a giant piece of metal that moves using fire?!” Tom couldn’t think of an answer, but the lake where the clans lived was miles away, and he wasn’t in the mood to hike. “Look, you can either sit in this comfy cat bed I put on the passenger seat or I can stuff you into a pet carrier and put you in the back with the other junk.” He snarled. “One way or another, you’re getting in this truck, understand?” Dogkit glared at him. It had taken all week, but the kitten was finally starting to understand Tom’s English. To Tom’s amazement, Dogkit had learned almost every bad word in the English language. Tom guessed Dogkit wanted to make sure he wasn’t being insulted while his back was turned. Dogkit looked at the tires again, as if the car would try to flatten him at any moment. Satisfied that the car wasn’t going to move, Dogkit jumped and pulled himself into the cushioned cat bed Tom had buckled into the passenger seat. The brown kitten sat up and looked through the windshield. Tom reached past the kit and pulled the passenger door shut. As the motor of the truck roared to life Dogkit asked, “Are we going to get a chess bugger?” “A what?”Tom stared down at the kit. Dogkit shrugged. “I don’t know. I just saw it on your computer. A cat was asking for it kind of stupidly. Is it a kind of prey?” “You mean a cheeseburger?” Tom laughed. “You must have seen a lolcat picture.” “A what?” Dogkit looked at Tom in annoyance. The truck drove down the street and Tom stopped at a stoplight. “It’s just a picture of a cat with funny human words added. A cheeseburger is a human food, grilled beef with cheese.” “Are they good?” The light turned green and Tom drove again, driving through town. “They’re good. Not that good for you, but they taste good.” “Can we get one?” “You want one?” Tom glanced at Dogkit curiously. Dogkit nodded, and Tom’s own stomach growled. He had been working hard that morning to pack the truck so his breakfast had been small. Dogkit’s mouse had been small too; a growing cat like him needed a lot of food. Tom noticed a fast food restaurant up ahead, and his stomach growled again. “Alright,” Tom sighed and turned into the drive-through.
On the highway, the two munched on their food. They split a double cheeseburger with each other, and the omnivorous Tom had all of the chips to himself. He drove at an easy speed, sipping his root beer while Dogkit chewed his burger patty noisily. “It’s greasy!” Dogkit mewed with a mouthful of beef and cheddar. Tom shrugged. “If you don’t want it you can give it to me.” “No! I was just saying that it was greasy. Not that I didn’t like it.” Dogkit crouched over his food protectively. “Besides, you’ve got a lot more food than I do!” “I can’t help it if you don’t like potatoes.” He looked ahead and passed into the next lane. They were getting close to the lake. Already he could see the tiny hills that bordered it. Outside his window, he noticed a shepherd and a flock of sheep. A sheepdog was herding them into a tight group. Tom shuddered, remembering the day he had to face five of them as a cat, to save Windclan. Only he ended up in one of their jaws, nearly killing him. He still had nightmares about the dog’s teeth. He also noticed a herd of cows on the other side of the road. “Hey Dogkit, if you want to see what you’re really eating, look out the window.” Dogkit did, and watched as the car zoomed by the black and white heifers. “Wow.” “Now when we get there I want you to be respectful.” Tom said. “Treat the elders nicely, or they’ll tear your fur off. Same thing goes for the queens. And always do what Firestar tells you, he’s the leader.” Dogkit snorted, and Tom gave him a stern look. “Don’t take this lightly. If you want to be a good warrior you’ll have to show respect.” Dogkit didn’t answer but kept gazing out the window. The rest of the trip was silent with the exception of the radio. Finally, Tom was over the hills and he could see the lake from through the windshield. It was smaller than he remembered. The shore was dry cracked mud. Was there a drought? Tom recollected Mr. Tanner telling him about his favorite fishing spot drying out, was he talking about Sanctuary Lake? “Whoa! It’s so big!” Dogkit’s eyes gleamed like the lakes surface. Tom smiled, wishing the kitten could have seen the lake in its true glory. “Remember, stay in the car till we get in the campsite. I don’t think they allow pets here.” He parked in front of the ranch. He stepped out of his truck and headed into the building, Dogkit would wait in the car. The horses watched him as he passed, eyeing him suspiciously. It was as if they could smell his difference. The people inside however, suspected nothing. He paid his reservation and they smiled in turn, handing him his pass. He only paid for a week, but that gave him an excuse to get in. After that he could hide his truck near the abandoned building deep in the forest. He made his way back to his truck. Tom couldn’t help but glance over at the island. It looked so peaceful, no one would suspect that dozens upon dozens of cats visited it every full moon. He wondered what it would be like to watch the gathering happen as a human. It would probably make the BBC’s ratings go through the roof. Tom laughed to himself. Back in the truck, Dogkit bounced around his cat bed in excitement. Tom also felt adrenaline coursing through him. How much had the clan changed since he had been gone? He drove the truck onto the dirt road and quickly entered the campsite. It was busy with other people. Finding his assigned area, he parked the car, telling Dogkit to hide again, and opened the back of the truck to unpack his tent. He wouldn’t use it much, but it was good to act like he was. Setting up the stubborn yellow tent took most of the afternoon, the hard earth made it difficult to put the pegs in the ground. And the thing with tents is that you can never remember which tent poles go where. By the time he was finished it was well past noon. Some of the campers had already eaten lunch and were off doing other things. Tom went back to the truck and pulled out his blue cooler. Setting that down, he opened the passenger side of his car. Dogkit sprang out of the truck like it was on fire. He landed lightly on the ground and took in his surroundings. “Cool! Are we going to Thunderclan now?” Dogkit looked at Tom with hope. Tom shook his head. “Not until later. I’d like some lunch first anyway.” “Can I at least go hunting?” Dogkit mewed, with hunger in his meow. “The Clan doesn’t know you. If you hunt in their territory, they might attack you.” “I could fight them!” Dogkit growled as his fur bristled and unsheathed his claws. Tom rolled his eyes and began to unpack their lunch, two bologna sandwiches and a can of cat food. They had run out of mice. Dogkit protested at the thought of eating smelly cat food but quieted down at Tom’s threat to throw him back into the truck. The young cat still grumbled as he ate his meal. When lunch was finished, Tom decided to show Dogkit the territories. His old backpack packed and Dogkit resting on his shoulder, a trick that both of them were proud of, they set off down the camp trail to the lake. Once in a while a kid would stare in awe of Tom and his “trained” kitten, begging to pet him. Under Tom’s watchful eye, Dogkit would allow a pat on the head, hissing under his breath of how he’d bite their fingers off if they tried anything else. At the lake shore, Tom breathed in the cool air, wishing that he had the keen sense of smell of a cat again. If he did, would he be able to scent his old friends? Dogkit looked around at the scenery from Tom’s wide shoulders. “Are we going to see all of the clans?” He asked by Tom’s head. “Only from the shore, we have to respect the boundaries.” He made his way towards the Shadowclan part of the shore. His shoes crunched in the lake pebbles. His passenger swayed with the moving pace. For the rest of the evening, he showed Dogkit the four clan territories, and introduced him to their scents. Dogkit could be stubborn at times, but he was eager to learn everything. If he would only learn respect, he would make a good warrior. They hiked their way around the lake, Tom stopped every so often to show Dogkit the borders and special landmarks. He even showed him the island where the clans gathered every full moon. The water separating the island from the shore was very shallow, no more than ankle height. Tom was able to easily jump over it while holding Dogkit in his arms. It was very different seeing the clearing through human eyes. For starters it seemed smaller.tom tried to imagine it filled with cat’s, and couldn’t help but wonder how they were able to travel from around the lake to here every month without any human noticing. And if anyone did notice, what would happen? Dogkit was thrilled, running around the small trees and investigating every bush. He then tried to climb the giant tree where all of the leaders perch. Tom plucked the kitten from the tree’s trunk. “Sorry kit, that’s for leaders only.” “Aw, come on!” Dogkit protested, but Tom was already carrying him across the island and jumped over the water to the shore. Tom then placed Dogkit back onto his shoulders and walked along the Windclan shore. Dogkit stopped whining and his ears perked. “Hey, I can smell rabbits!” “You know what rabbit’s smell like?” Tom looked to the brown furry mass beside his head. Dogkit nodded. “There were some rabbits in the pet store. I always wanted to know what one tasted like. I once tried to catch the pet rabbits in my second home, but then they stopped me and took me back to the shelter.” Tom tried to imagine a tiny kit wrestling with a large pet rabbit. It probably looked like he was playing, until the bunny started to bleed. Erasing that thought from his mind, Tom looked across the moor. Were there Windclan cats chasing rabbits in the tall grass? Dogkit gazed at it as well, his tail flicked absentmindedly. Tom could tell he wanted to dive into the fields and hunt, but that would be *******. Every clan cat would die for their territory and their prey. Dogkit would get his fur clawed off and chased out of Windclan before he would be able to so much as touch a rabbit. They neared the tiny stream that marked the Thunderclan and Windclan border. Tom looked up into the hills where the moonpool lay. It was because of that shimmering pool of water that he was here, with a kitten on his shoulders and about to rejoin a colony of wild cats. Other people might have found this odd, yet Tom wasn’t bothered by this. Had his experiences numbed his mind to the unexpected? Dogkit stiffened, digging his claws into Tom’s skin. “Ow! Hey, what’s your problem?” Tom flinched and almost shook Dogkit off his shoulder. Dogkit regained balance and mewed an apology to Tom. “Sorry, I saw some cats over there.” He pointed with his tail. Tom followed the kit’s gaze and saw the cats he was meowing about. There were two, about 5 yards away; one was a black she-cat with green eyes, and the other was a large calico tom with amber eyes. The tom had not noticed them, but the she-cat was staring at him with her cold green eyes. For some reason, Tom felt nervous. There was a deep meow from the calico, and they both headed into the moors of Windclan. Dogkit looked watched them disappear into the grass. “Were they clan cats?” “No.” Tom shook his head. “I didn’t recognize them, they’re probably just loners.” He said, but he wasn’t sure. Deep in his memory, he remembered seeing those green eyes, but where? “It’s getting dark, can we go to Thunderclan now?” Dogkit’s voice brought Tom back from the images of dark tunnels and black rivers. He looked into the sky and saw the sky turning from blue to deep pink of the setting sun. “Yeah,” He muttered. “Yeah, let’s go.” And with his friend perched by his head, he hiked his way into the forests of Thunderclan. They did not get far, before Dogkit hissed to Tom that he scented other cats. Tom stopped and looked at the trees around him. Even if he was taller, he could tell that they were near the bramble entrance to the quarry that served at the Thunderclan camp. He also had that tingling feeling under his skin that indicated that he was about to change soon. “You’ll need to walk from here Dogkit.” He whispered to his companion. “I don’t want to change with you on my back.” He leaned over so that Dogkit could jump from his shoulders and onto the soft bracken below. Tom walked on, with Dogkit padding silently beside him. The dark fur along Dogkit’s spine bristled. “You can sense it, can you?” Tom hissed. “We’re being watched.” Dogkit looked up at Tom bravely, but he could see the glint of fear behind the young cat’s eyes. They came to the wall of thorns, and now Tom could hear the worried yowls of cats. They knew a twoleg was nearing their camp, and they were afraid. He stopped just a few feet from the brambles and took off his backpack. Dogkit jumped to a safe distance behind Tom, and crouched behind a fern. Tom felt the eyes of several cats watch him from the brambles ahead. Then the sky began to darken to a deep blue, and the first star of Silverpelt appeared in the sky. A strong wind blew around him, whipping Tom’s hair in his face. A meow, quiet as the wind, meowed in his ear. We knew you would come. Tom smiled and recognized the voice of Icestar, the white Starclan cat that watched over him while he was in the clans. He raised his head to the stars and once again let his hidden nature shine through. The wind died and Swiftmind opened his eyes. Several familiar faces were staring at him in awe from the camp entrance. One of them was the kind face of Leafpool. Swiftmind smiled softly and purred. “I’m back.” “Swiftmind!” Leafpool bounded over to him purring and nuzzled him. “I wasn’t sure you would keep your promise, but now you’re here!” Swiftmind purred with her, too happy for words. Suddenly more cats came out of the camp. One was a grey she-cat with green eyes. “Dovekit!” Swiftmind meowed happily as she ran up to him. “Nope, it’s Dovepaw now! I knew you would come back!” She stuck here head back through the clan entrance and yowled, “Ivypaw, get out here! Swiftmind’s back!” The tabby apprentice rushed out and purred at the sight of her old friend. Swiftmind looked at the sleek strong she-cats that were once two tiny fluffy kits. They had grown so much! “Well hi!” Dogkit pushed himself through the crowd of clan cats, much to their surprise, and strutted past Swiftmind over to Ivypaw. “My name’s Dogpaw, what’s yours?” Ivypaw and Dovepaw looked at him as if he was a mouse who just meowed. “Dogpaw?” Dovepaw asked skeptically. Swiftmind rolled his eyes as Dogkit tried to smooth out his fur. Was this cat trying to flirt? “Welcome back Swiftmind. It appears that you have brought a friend.” a deep kind voice meowed from the entrance. The crowd cleared to reveal Firestar sitting with his tail curled around his feet. Swiftmind bowed his head, Dogkit saw him and did the same. “He was about to be taken to the cutter when I saw him Firestar,” Swiftmind lifted his head. “I didn’t have the heart to leave him there. His name was Dog, but I call him Dogkit, in hopes that you might make him apart of the Clan.” He ignored Dogkit’s flinch at his kit name, and looked hopefully to the Thunderclan leader. Firestar eyed Dogkit thoughtfully. “Would you be ready to abandon the soft life of a kittypet, and follow the Warrior Code?” He asked the young tom. Dogkit jumped up eagerly. “I hate being a kittypet, and Swiftmind already told me everything about the Code! I’m more than six moons old, so I can be an apprentice, with the ‘paw’ name. Not ‘kit’!” Swiftmind sighed at Dogkit’s impetuosity, but Firestar seemed to have found it amusing. His whiskers twitched with laughter and he looked up at Swiftmind. “He has a lot of spirit, if perhaps too much confidence, but Dogkit will be welcome in Thunderclan.” Firestar then turned and padded back into camp. Everyone followed, greeting Dogkit and welcoming Swiftmind as they went past the bramble barrier. Swiftmind looked around the old quarry. Little had changed since he left, but he did notice a new face that replaced Whitewing in the nursery. “Poppyfrost! Congratulations!” he called to her. She nodded in hello, but squeals from inside sent her padding back inside the fluffy den. Berrynose broke from the crowd to follow her. Swiftmind then realized someone was missing, and saw that Purdy was not in the elders’ den. Oh no. Expecting the worse, Swiftmind tapped Cloudtail, an old friend and senior warrior, on the shoulder. “Where’s Purdy?” he asked. “Did he…” the words died in his throat, but Cloudtail understood. The white tom nodded grimly. “A group of foxes attacked the Clan, probably starved from the drought. He died protecting the nursery.” Cloudtail explained. Swiftmind sighed. The old tom was kind, and had a sense of humor. It would be very quiet without him. “Well, at least he died fighting. Any warrior would have done the same.” He gazed around the camp again. Even in the coming darkness, he could see the plants around were either dead or dying from thirst. “How bad was the drought?” “The whole lake dried.” Cloudtail meowed. “Some brown creatures were blocking the river upstream, and all of the clans sent warriors to stop them.” “Brown creatures?” Swiftmind felt uneasiness creep up through his pelt. “I think they were called beavers, odd word isn’t it? Have you ever heard of them?” “…Yeah.” Swiftmind said distantly. The news report came flooding back to him. How beavers were being re-introduced to Europe. And this was the result, a major drought on the whole lake. “Was Riverclan affected?” “They almost died from starvation, but now the water is back, and hopefully the returning fish will feed them again.” Cloudtail shook his pelt. “But enough bad news, you must be exhausted. Come have some fresh-kill and rest. You can tell us all of your twoleg adventures in the morning.” Cloudtail led him to the pile of fresh-kill and he picked up a blackbird, one of his favorite kinds of prey. He noticed Dogkit trying to start a conversation with Ivypaw, a thin rabbit in his paws. Tonight the young tom would have to sleep in the nursery, but he looked happy as a kid in an amusement park. He was in the wild eating a rabbit, and couldn’t be happier. Tom sighed and continued eating his late dinner. Tomorrow he would ask if Dogkit could be made an apprentice, but that wasn’t the thing that was worrying him. He still didn’t know if he would remain a cat by morning, or turn into a human like always. He expected Starclan would do something, like give him a warning, but he hadn’t felt anything. Would they tell him in a dream? And what about the beavers? Were they something he should be worrying about? These questions were zooming in and out of his head so fast Swiftmind thought it would fall off. Then as he padded into the warriors den he saw that next to an empty den was Leafpool. The sight of her made the worries disappear, and as he curled next to his dear friend he knew that in the morning everything would be alright. Chapter 5 “Dogpaw! Dogpaw! Dogpaw!” Lionblaze yowled the new apprentice’s name with his clanmates, accepting him into the clan. The young tom’s eyes glittered in the morning light as he sat next to his mentor Swiftmind, a choice that surprised no one, except, maybe Swiftmind himself. As Lionblaze padded over to Swiftmind, he overheard the twoleg-cat meow to Leafpool, “How am I supposed to teach him to be a warrior when I’m hardly a cat myself?” “You’ll be a great mentor.” She encouraged. “You’ve practically been his mentor already!” “If you want, I can give you a few tips Swiftmind.” Lionblaze meowed. They both turned, just realizing he was there. “Oh that’s right, you’re Dovepaw’s mentor.” Swiftmind said. “That would be great!” Leafpool was about to comment, but Lionblaze interrupted her. “Why don’t you and Dogpaw come with me and Dovepaw to do some hunting practice?” He offered. Leafpool shook her head and padded away sighing. It wasn’t that he was trying to be rude to his mother, but he still did not trust her. How could he? After all of the lies she and Squirrelflight told, Lionblaze knew he could never trust Leafpool again. It also deeply disturbed him how close Swiftmind was with her. Swiftmind looked at him oddly. Lionblaze thought he was about to say something about his interruption, but He only nodded and called Dogpaw, who was talking to the other apprentices a little way off. “Dogpaw! Come on, we’re going to practice hunting.” Dogpaw sprang to attention ran towards his mentor. After a call from Lionblaze, Dovepaw joined them. “Are Ivypaw and Cinderheart coming?” Dogpaw meowed to Swiftmind. Lionblaze felt his whiskers twitch with amusement. It was not difficult to see the young tom’s interest for the tabby apprentice. Dovepaw scowled. “They both went on the dawn patrol.” Swiftmind told him. Dogpaw’s tail drooped, but the cat brightened again as he tried to talk to Dovepaw about her sister on the way to the training hollow. Lionblaze and Swiftmind let the two argue and slowed to a steady pace behind them. “The little twit is going to get his ears clawed off if he doesn’t let up.” Swiftmind laughed quietly. Lionblaze nodded. “He’s brave, I’ll give him that. He thought for a moment. “What’s a twit?” Swiftmind shrugged. “Fool, I think.” He watched as his apprentice pestered Dovepaw more. “If my dad caught me acting like that around girls, he’d of thumped me on the head.” Suddenly, Dovepaw casually knocked into Dogpaw, shoving into a bush, which later revealed to contain brambles. “Or do that.” Swiftmind said. “That works to.” “Hey!” Dogpaw’s voice called out from the thorny tendrils. “Did you see what she did?” Lionblaze watched as Swiftmind reached his head into the bramble bush and pull out Dogpaw. The twoleg-cat set his apprentice in front of him and gave a shake. “See what?” Dogpaw stared at him angrily. “Dovepaw pushed me! You saw it!” But Swiftmind continued to act oblivious. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about. Did you see Dovepaw do anything Lionblaze?” “Nope.” Lionblaze almost felt like purring. It was nice to have Swiftmind’s strange but funny sense of humor around, even if he was a twoleg. “Even if Dovepaw did push you, count it as a lesson to respect your clanmates.” Swiftmind gave Dogpaw a stern look and added quietly, “Especially she-cats.” Lionblaze nodded approvingly to Swiftmind’s sound advice. Maybe he’ll be a good mentor after all. They continued their way to the training hollow. Dogpaw grumbled once or twice about the thorns in his fur, but he kept his distance from Dovepaw. He had learned his lesson. At the hollow, Lionblaze sat by Swiftmind in front of the apprentices. “Right, Dovepaw, I know you know most of the hunting techniques, but just think of this as practice. Ok?” Dovepaw nodded, and Lionblaze raised his paw and gestured for Swiftmind to continue. “Alright, um…” Swiftmind looked up in thought. “Ah, let’s start with the basics. Dogpaw, do you know the best way to stalk a mouse?” Dogpaw blinked. “Oh, wait, uh, my mother told me once. Hold on.” He closed his eyes and tried to remember. He began to mumble to himself, “A rabbit will hear you before it sees you, a bird will see you before it will smell you, and a mouse will… smells you?” “Feel you.” Swiftmind corrected. That is why you must…” He let the words hang in the air and looked at Dogpaw encouragingly. Dogpaw’s eyes brightened. “Oh! Step lightly!” “Right!” Swiftmind nodded. “Dovepaw, would you care to show us the proper mouse-stalking technique.” Dovepaw obeyed, showing perfect form. She distributed her weight evenly over her paws and each step was softly placed on the ground. Lionblaze felt his heart swell with pride. “Well done.” He told her. “Now you try it Dogpaw.” Dogpaw did, at first he was putting too much weight on his front legs, but with a tip from Swiftmind the young tom was softly stalking across the hollow. He wasn’t as good as Dovepaw, but Dogpaw would learn. For the rest of the morning Lionblaze and Swiftmind taught the new apprentice how to hunt rabbits, birds, and squirrels. It was close to sunhigh when Swiftmind suggested that they took a break. “Fine by me,” Lionblaze agreed, “Dovepaw, why don’t you show Dogpaw how to change the elder’s bedding.” Both of the apprentices groaned, at last something they agree on, but they padded away to their task anyway. “You did well today.” Lionblaze meowed to Swiftmind. They began to pad away from the hollow into the forest. “Do twolegs have apprentices?” “Well most kids, young twolegs,” Swiftmind clarified, “are taught the basics at a young age by teachers, usually till their eighteen, in places called schools. And then they have the choice to go to a bigger school called college, for four more years.” “Fascinating,” Lionblaze meowed. He remembered Swiftmind telling him when they first met, that twolegs could live for hundreds of seasons. “Did you go to college?” The twoleg word felt strange on his tongue. Swiftmind nodded his brown head. “I majored in mathematics.” “What are those?” “Numbers. I don’t think you would be interested in them though.” Swiftmind stared into the distance, as if reminiscing about his past. Lionblaze decided not to ask more about these numbers, anything that had to do with twolegs seemed to be complicated. “What about fighting?” Lionblaze asked. “You told me that twolegs fought sometimes.” “Ah, well,” Swiftmind meowed. “Not in the way cats fight. When twolegs fight, it’s usually to kill, unless it’s for sport.” Lionblaze then listened Swiftmind’s story of what his grandfather had to endure in the horrors of ‘military training’. Twolegs did not give encouragement to their apprentices when training them for battle. Instead they were screamed insults at repeatedly, put through rigorous exorcises, and punished with demeaning tasks. Supposedly this was to prepare twoleg warriors, called soldiers, for stressful situations. Lionblaze thought of it as cruel. “You’re not going to train Dogpaw like that are you?” Lionblaze meowed, appalled. “Only if he gets on my nerves,” Swiftmind joked. They laughed, and then Lionblaze asked. “How was your grandfather’s funeral?” “It was alright. I got there on time, and I met a few relatives I hadn’t seen in a while.” Swiftmind sighed. It was a sore subject. It was Lionblaze who discovered the death of Swiftmind’s grandfather, but didn’t tell him until a few days afterward. Swiftmind took it well though. The twoleg ceremony was the main reason Swiftmind had to leave the Clan. Swiftmind looked around, convinced no one was around, he lowered his voice to Lionblaze and meowed, “So, how goes the prophecy?” Lionblaze was glad that Swiftmind remembered. He was going to talk to him about it anyway, but hadn’t found the time. “Perfect. We’ve found out who the third cat is!” “Is it Dovepaw?” Swiftmind guessed. Lionblaze blinked with surprise. “How did you know?” “It was a lucky guess.” Swiftmind shrugged. “She seemed the most likely. What’s her power?” “She can hear things from miles away.” Lionblaze told him. “She can probably hear us right now, and see what we are doing!” “Really?” Swiftmind tilted his head. “That would explain a lot…” He meowed mostly to himself. Lionblaze stretched, wondering what Swiftmind meant, but his stomach growled and his thoughts drifted to fresh-kill. “Why don’t we go hunting a bit and get back to camp?” he suggested. “I’m starving!” Swiftmind agreed, and together they caught two starlings, a thin mouse, and a shrew that was too busy scavenging for seeds to notice Swiftmind. Back at camp, they dropped most of their catch on the fresh-kill pile and took their own pieces to the sunning rocks. Lionblaze looked back to the meager pile, the amount of prey was growing since the return of the lake, but the pile was still small. I just hope there will be enough to go around in leafbare, Lionblaze thought to himself. He took his mouse and jumped onto a boulder, relaxing on its warmth. Swiftmind lay on another boulder next to him, biting happily into his vole. Lionblaze was about to ask Swiftmind if he missed eating fresh-kill as a twoleg, but then he noticed his brother Jayfeather searching the rocky wall of the camp. He sighed; Jayfeather was still searching for the serpent that killed Honeyfern. The snake hadn’t been seen ever since her tragic death, but the cats of Thunderclan still kept a wary eye out when near the rocks. Kits were forbidden from going near the rock wall without a warrior to watch them. Swiftmind noticed Jayfeather as well. “What is he trying to find?” he meowed to Lionblaze. Lionblaze kept watching Jayfeather. “The snake,” He answered. Swiftmind nodded, that was all of the explanation he needed. He knew about the snake. “I didn’t know that snakes had a scent.” He meowed. “It’s very subtle.” a remark came from Jayfeather. Both Lionblaze and Swiftmind jumped. The blind medicine cat turned from his task and padded towards them. He jumped onto a large rock opposite the two warriors. He faced Lionblaze, “Did you already tell him about Dovepaw?” he asked, and Lionblaze told him that he did. Jayfeather then turned to Swiftmind. “What do you think should be done then?” Swiftmind took a bite of his fresh-kill and looked curiously at Jayfeather. “Done about what?” “The prophecy,” Jayfeather said a little impatiently. “How do you think we will fulfill it?” Swiftmind shrugged. “How should I know? Prophecies aren’t my specialty.” “But you’re in one!” meowed Lionblaze. “In fact, you’re in two!” Swiftmind finished his vole in one gulp and shrugged again. “That doesn’t mean I know everything about them. Sure, I know some stories that involve omens and fates, but I don’t think that counts.” “It’s good enough for now.” Jayfeather swept his tail across the boulder he crouched on. “Can you at least tell us what you do know?” Swiftmind cleaned his paws in thought. “Well,” he started, “From what I’ve heard prophecies usually take care of themselves, no matter what the person, or cat, does. Even if they try everything they can to prevent the prophecy from happening, it will happen anyway.” Swiftmind sat up. “Don’t worry about it, and just do what you normally do. The prophecy will fulfill itself when the time is right.” And with that said Swiftmind jumped off of his boulder and padded off towards the dirt place. Lionblaze pondered about what he said. Would the prophecy fulfill itself? He never thought about it like that, but then maybe there was a difference between twoleg omens and cat omens. Jayfeather did not look satisfied with Swiftmind’s advice. With a quiet growl his brother stood up and stormed away to his medicine den. Alone, Lionblaze sighed and continued to lie in the sun. He let the warmth of the rock seep into his fur and sooth him into a light sleep. Chapter 6
Dovepaw watched Swiftmind pad away from her mentor and Jayfeather. She knew they were talking about the prophecy, thanks to her extremely good hearing. She liked Swiftmind’s suggestion, to get on with their lives. Though, how Dovepaw would do that, she didn’t know. I wish I could be normal, like everyone else. She sighed and rolled the last of the dirty bedding out of the camp. Dovepaw looked back and noticed Dogpaw talking to the elders. The last thing she wanted to do was to go back and show that obnoxious tom how to get fresh moss, so she left on her own. Glad to be alone with her thoughts, Dovepaw let the scents of the forest drift over her pallet. Now that the water was back, everything was starting to live again. A scuffling sound from the nearby bracken made Dovepaw freeze and crouch low. Mouse scent flooded into her nostrils and her mouth watered. I might as well hunt while I’m out here. Dovepaw edged over toward the sounds of her prey. She spotted the creature foraging through the dry grass to find little seeds. It hadn’t spotted her yet. Stepping softly, she crept closer, bunching her leg muscles to spring at the right moment. By the time the mouse noticed her, it was too late. Dovepaw landed on top of it, trapping it in her paws and was about to bite its spine when she noticed the figure that had just appeared. Soulcatcher’s paw was raised and His luminous claws were unsheathed. “IT WOULD BE BEST IF YOU END IT NOW, I HAVE A BUSY SCHEDUAL.” His voiced boomed in her skull. Dovepaw growled and snapped the mouse’s neck with a final death bite. Soulcatcher’s paw came down as it passed through Dovepaw harmlessly and sliced the mouse’s soul free from its body. The ghost of the rodent stood up from its lifeless corpse, gave her a look of pure disapproval, and scurried away without a second glance. Dovepaw almost felt sick. It was one thing to see the spirit of death, but another to see the very soul of your next meal. “How long will this go on?” Dovepaw meowed to Soulcatcher. “How long am I going to have to see you?” “THE IMPRESSION IN YOUR MIND IS EVERLASTING.” Soulcatcher stared at her sadly. “I AM SORRY.” “You’re sorry?” Dovepaw gave a hollow laugh. “I’ll have to put up with you hovering over me every time I hunt, or when I’m in a battle, and you’re sorry?” The apparition nodded. “YES. I AM SORRY THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO SUFFER SEEING ME DAY AFTER DAY.” His leaden meow grew venomous. “IT IS A SHAME THAT YOU MUST SUFFER MY COMPANY. NOT THAT ANY OF YOU CLAN CATS EVER CARE WHAT I THINK.” Soulcatcher turned away from the surprised Dovepaw. “I GUESS I SHOULD LEAVE NOW, YOU ARE PROBABLY SICKENED BY THE SIGHT OF ME.” He began to pad away silently. Guilt filled Dovepaw and she almost felt like calling back to Him, to ask Him to stay, and then she noticed something. Soulcatcher was limping. “Your leg!” she meowed. “Your back leg’s injured!” She looked in horror at the long gash on Soulcatcher’s hind leg. It glowed blue, like the scar on his shoulder had. Soulcatcher acknowledged it briefly. “Tigerstar did that didn’t he?” Dovepaw mewed. “He attacked you.” Soulcatcher huffed, Dovepaw shivered. “HE AND TWO OTHERS TRIED TO AMBUSH ME ON THE WAY TO MY HOME. THEY LEARNED WHY IT IS BEST NOT TO ANGER ME.” This was said with such malice that Dovepaw stepped back. “You killed them?” “NO.” Soulcatcher meowed. “I CANNOT KILL WHAT IS ALREADY DEAD. BUT I CAN CAUSE THEM DAMAGE.” He looked down at his paws. “I MANAGED TO CUT ONE OF THE CATS TAIL OFF. I THINK HIS NAME WAS DARKSTRIPE. BUT ANOTHER ONE CAUGHT ME OFFGUARD, AND HURT MY LEG. THEY THEN RAN OFF.” Dovepaw looked at Soulcatcher’s leg again. The scratch was deep, and she thought she could see a black mist seeping out of it. An idea struck her. “Stay here.” She told Him. She ran off into the forest and found a patch of Yarrow. She remembered a pile of this was in Jayfeather’s den, and he used it for deep wounds. Most of it was dry or dead, but a quick investigation revealed fresh leaves. She gathered some and returned to find Soulcatcher right where she left Him. He looked just as surprised as she did. Nonetheless, she chewed up the yarrow into a thick poultice. When she tried to put it on his wound, He shied away. He was actually nervous! “I’m trying to help you mousebrain!” she growled through a mouthful of the bitter pulp. Soulcatcher reluctantly let her apply the yarrow poultice to his scratch. His fur felt strange and cold on her tongue, and licking the yarrow on his wound felt lick licking yarrow into a crack of ice. When she was finished, her mouth was close to being numb. The poultice of herbs stayed in the wound, but then Soulcatcher gave an uncomfortable twitch, and he became transparent for a second. The mass of herbs feel through him, landing on the ground with a moist splat. Dovepaw sagged, discouraged, until she realized that there was still something on Soulcatcher’s leg. It was the poultice! The actual herbs were in the dust; this was a transparent version of what she put on his flank. It shimmered green in the light. Soulcatcher moved about, testing his leg. Satisfied, he gave Dovepaw an approving smile. “THANK YOU.” Dovepaw shuffled her paws. “I couldn’t just let you go around limping. It was nothing, really.” She looked at the scratch again, now it did not glow in a sickly fashion. She then asked Soulcatcher something that had been bothering her. “How could those cats hurt you anyway? Tigerstar’s claws glowed red when he scratched you, did that have something to do with it?” Soulcatcher sighed. “ANGER IS A POWERFUL THING LITTLE ONE. ALL EMOTIONS HAVE POWER BEHIND THEM. SADNESS, HATE, JOY, AND LOVE, ALL OF THESE CAN DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS IN LIFE.” He meowed distantly. “TIGERSTAR AND ALL OF THE CATS IN THE DARK FOREST HAVE ANGER INSIDE THEM. OVER THE YEARS, THAT HATRED HAS BEEN GROWING, AND NOW IT HAS GIVEN THEM POWER TO DO THINGS. THEY CAN HURT ME, STEP INTO THE DREAMS OF THE LIVING, AND SOON, INVADE STARCLAN ITSELF.” Dovepaw slept little that night, contemplating what Soulcatcher had told her. The cats from the Dark Forest could invade Starclan! It wasn’t a comforting thought, but Soulcatcher had assured her that it was unlikely to happen any time soon. He didn’t look so confident when he said it. There was a loud snore, and Dovepaw found a paw in her face. She shoved Dogpaw’s foot aside angrily. He had a habit of stretching his whole body across the den, pushing everyone else into the den walls. “Ow! Mousebrain!” Bumblepaw hissed as Dogpaw prodded him painfully in his side. The much larger apprentice thumped Dogpaw on the head. Dogpaw woke up with a snort. “Wha? What happened?” He looked around sleepily. “Next time you poke me you’re sleeping outside!” Bumblepaw growled. Dovepaw was about to add a remark about his snoring as well, but Dogpaw had already fallen asleep, ignoring Bumblepaw’s threat. Mousebrain. Dovepaw rearranged herself and tried once again to sleep. She did finally fall asleep, but it seemed like only seconds afterward that she had to wake up again. The sky was lighter and she felt rested. So why didn’t I dream? “YOU’RE WELCOME…” Soulcatcher’s voice drifted through her ears. She looked around, but couldn’t find the shadowy figure. Did He somehow block my dreams? Why would He do that? Was Soulcatcher trying to protect her from something? She shivered at the thought of Tigerstar visiting her dreams again. Maybe Soulcatcher wanted to keep Dovepaw safe from his attacks? Thank you Soulcatcher, Dovepaw thought in her mind, hoping He would hear. Thanks for protecting me. She didn’t see or hear any response, but she felt a cool breeze pass through the den, with no consideration for the branches protecting it. It ruffled her fur, and she purred. Maybe having the spirit of death for a friend wasn’t such a bad thing. She padded out of the den and to the fresh-kill pile. She found a starling, and munched on it hungrily. Just as she finished, she noticed Ivypaw ducking behind a boulder. Curious, Dovepaw crept up, and leapt on top of the boulder. Ivypaw jumped in surprise. “Dovepaw!” she hissed quietly. “You startled me!” “Well why are you hiding behind a rock silly?” Dovepaw tried not to purr with amusement. “Shhh!” Ivypaw placed the tip of her tail over Dovepaw’s mouth. “I’m hiding from Dogpaw. He’s been following me around all morning! Why did Swiftmind have to bring that fur ball here? It’s not like we need any more warriors!” Dovepaw jumped down beside her sister. “Do you want me to shove him in a thorn bush? I did that yesterday and Swiftmind didn’t mind at all.” Ivypaw gave a little laugh. “Really?” She laughed even more when Dovepaw told her how Swiftmind reacted. “Swiftmind is so strange, but at least he’s nice.” Ivypaw meowed. Dovepaw nodded, and then turned her head at the sound of approaching pawsteps. When nothing came she looked back on her sister. “What was it?” Ivypaw asked. Dovepaw shook her head. “Oh nothing, I thought I heard something.” “I also have good hearing.” Another voice meowed from above them. Dovepaw and Ivypaw jumped. Swiftmind was sitting on the rock where they were hiding! “Swiftmind!” Ivypaw mewed. “I-I didn’t notice you.” “Then you must have not noticed your mentors looking for you.” Swiftmind smirked. “They want to take you to practice climbing trees.” “Are you coming?” Dovepaw meowed hopefully. “You once climbed the ancient oak!” “So did Lionblaze.” Said Swiftmind, “No, It’s probably best if I didn’t come. You wouldn’t want Dogpaw in the tree with you, would you?” “No!” Ivypaw looked relived. “Then what are you going to do?” “I’ll teach him to gather moss. The elders complained yesterday at how their fresh moss had soil and twigs. And a beetle I think.” Dovepaw tried to look casual. She was the one who gathered the moss so poorly. She had been so distracted by Soulcatcher’s words. It was just her luck that Dogpaw came to the woods and helped her carry most of the dirty moss while she carried the cleaner moss. When they came back to camp, it looked like Dogpaw was to blame for the poor moss. A pang of guilt went through Dovepaw. It was because of her that Dogpaw would have to spend the morning learning to gather moss, and she and her sister would have fun climbing trees. Maybe I’ll make it up to Dogpaw somehow, even if he’s a mousebrain. She and her sister thanked Swiftmind for telling them, and they both rushed off to find their mentors. Lionblaze and Cinderheart were waiting for them by the thorn barrier. “There you are!” Cinderheart meowed. “Ready for climbing lessons?” “Yes!” Both Ivypaw and Dovepaw yowled eagerly. They followed their mentors into the forest, searching for the best tree to practice climbing. On the way, Swiftmind passed them, followed by Dogpaw. Dogpaw smirked at Dovepaw. She had a sinking feeling that he knew that it was her fault he was stuck collecting moss, and that she owed him. Dogpaw closed one of his eyes in a wink, and padded on towards the lake after Swiftmind. Dovepaw shook her head and quickened her pace. Lionblaze had stopped at a medium sized oak with twisting branches. It was wet with dew. “I think this will do nicely.” He meowed. Cinderheart eyed its glistening branches. “It might be a little slippery. Are you sure this is the best tree?” She queried. “Positive.” Lionblaze insisted. “If they can cling to it while it’s wet, then it will be easier for them when it’s dry.” He motioned to Dovepaw and Ivypaw. “When you start climbing, stay on the side of the trunk where I can’t see you so you have the benefit of surprise. Firestar wants us to do tree-battle training also. Now climb up!” Dovepaw ran to the other side of the oak and sprang up, digging her claws deep into the wet bark. Quickly she darted up the trunk and onto the branch. Lionblaze looked surprised at her speed. “Very good!” he called up to her. Dovepaw felt her fur warm with pride, despite the cold. Ivypaw scrambled up the tree after her, Cinderheart close behind. She looked down at Lionblaze. “Imagine he’s a Shadowclan cat. This branch would be the best on to jump down from. If you land squarely on his shoulders he will break your fall and give you time to attack while he was still surprised.” Ivypaw wriggled eagerly. “Can I try?” “I doubt he’d be surprised.” Dovepaw meowed. “He’s staring right at us.” “Let’s try climbing onto the next branch.” Cinderheart suggested. Dovepaw looked up the trunk. She spotted a branch high up in the tree. Ivypaw was already clawing her way up. Not wanting to let her sister beat her, she raced up the oak after Ivypaw. “Concentrate on where your paws go.” Cinderheart called up to them, but the rest of what she said was lost to Dovepaw as her sister shook a branch. The leaves rattled around her head, and she saw Ivypaw slip! With a shocked yowl, Ivypaw plunged down to earth and landed right on top of Lionblaze. Dovepaw sprang to the nearest branch to get a better view of the scene. She sighed with relief as she saw that Ivypaw was alright. Lionblaze did not look angry that the grey tabby had landed on him. Ivypaw’s pelt was ruffled with embarrassment as she rushed back up the tree. Dovepaw tried to turn around and climb back onto the trunk, but the narrow branch swayed violently with every movement. “Careful Dovepaw,” Cinderheart warned. “That branch is too thin. It won’t hold your weight!” But Dovepaw was too late to react. The branch cracked, and Dovepaw felt herself slip. She madly clawed at what was left of the tree limb. Its splinters cut at her paws. “Dovepaw!” she heard Lionblaze yowl. Dovepaw’s heart raced as her claws slipped on the wet bark. “I can’t hang on!” she wailed. Her paws continued slipping on the narrow piece of wood. “Try to land on the branch below you!” Cinderheart called up to her. Dovepaw saw the branch Cinderheart meant. Her paws finally ran out of limb, and she fell. She landed with a thud on the next branch and scrambled for a grip, but her claws scratched uselessly over the bark and she slipped off again. She yelped as her drop landed her on another branch, and another. She heard Lionblaze yowl something about her claws, but her claws were already out! “I am!” she cried and she dropped from branch to branch, eat time she hit one it knocked the breath out of her, until she finally landed on the ground softly in front of Lionblaze. The fall hadn’t hurt her, and she was able to stand up and fluff out her bristling fur. Dovepaw looked up at her mentor. Is he going to be mad that I fell? Lionblaze shook his golden head. “When Jayfeather told me there might be rain, he didn’t say it might rain cats!” he purred. Dovepaw brightened with his amusement. She wouldn’t get into trouble after all! “I’ll do better this time!” she promised. Dovepaw then dashed up the oak and back onto the branch with Cinderheart and Ivypaw. With the careful guidance of Cinderheart, they climbed up the branches. She and her sister were on one of the lower branches when Dovepaw noticed a dark shape gliding through the bracken below. Soulcatcher! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I went online and read some of the book. I tried to make this like Fading Echos while giving it my own touches. He was padding right under them now, and it was then she noticed Lionblaze. He was holding a fat grey squirrel in his paws. It was then Dovepaw realized why Soulcatcher was there. The squirrel struggled in her mentors grip, and then Lionblaze delivered a spine snapping bite. Soulcatcher swung a massive paw, and the squirrel’s soul sprang away. “Hey! It’s Lionblaze!” Ivypaw hissed beside her. Dovepaw blinked and Soulcatcher was gone. Dovepaw looked at her sister, who had a wicked glint in her eye. “Let’s surprise him!” she whispered. Dovepaw flicked her tail and nodded happily. This is the chance they were waiting for! Lionblaze was still below them, her was sitting with his prey in his jaws. Together, Dovepaw and Ivypaw dropped. The branch swished with the change of weight, Lionblaze looked up just as they landed on top of him. Lionblaze legs collapsed and he spat out the squirrel. Dovepaw let out a triumphant mew. “We did it!” Lionblaze shook them both off. “Deafening the enemy, great strategy!” he meowed. Dovepaw must have mewed right into his ear. Cinderheart was already climbing down the oak. “You didn’t have a clue they were up there, did you?” she purred, looking pleased. Cinderheart then noticed Lionblaze’s squirrel. “Nice catch, by the way.” “Can we try it again?” Ivypaw asked her mentor. Dovepaw opened her mouth to ask if they could try it from higher up, but she shut her mouth again at the sound of a low vicious growl. She looked around, there was nothing around. No one heard the growl but her. Then she heard the barks, and the terrified cries of cats. Dovepaw stiffened as her sensitive ears followed the horrible noises. She went beyond the trees, beyond the stream, into the moors of Windclan. Anxiety filled her as Dovepaw saw two large black and white dogs. Lionblaze noticed her behavior and he told the others to go climb without them for a moment. When they left he guided her away with his tail. Once they were out of earshot from the oak, he faced her. “What did you hear?” Dovepaw looked up at her mentor, but she could still see the frightening beasts. She could still hear their hungry growls. “Dogs!” “In the forest?” Lionblaze asked. His fur bristled along his spine. Dovepaw shook her head, “No, in Windclan territory.” Lionblaze’s fur lied flat a little. “That’s ok. Twolegs use dogs to chase sheep up there. You can ask Swiftmind, remember how he fought them?” Dovepaw gazed at her mentor, her eyes round and fearful as the yowls of Windclan cats filled her ears. “But they’re not chasing sheep, they’re chasing cats.” She meowed in alarm. “We have to help them!” “No.” Lionblaze was firm. “Windclan cats are use to it. Don’t forget that they can outrun rabbits if they want. They’ll be fine.” “But Sedgewhisker is one of the cats being chased!” Dovepaw cried and froze as she watched her friend from the long journey ran for her life. Sedgewhisker was fast, but not fast enough as the big dog ran after her, getting close enough to snap her up in its jaws. Sedgewhisker cried out in pain as the dog bit harder. “One of the dogs has caught up to her! It’s biting her!” Dovepaw cried to Lionblaze, who stiffened. “Where are her clanmates?” he questioned. Dovepaw frowned and listened. Several Windclan cats had jumped onto the dog, clawing at its thick fur. The dog yelped and released Sedgewhisker. Two more of her clanmates went to her aid. “They’re with her...” Dovepaw spoke slowly. “They’re attacking the dog.” Lionblaze sighed with relief. “Then Sedgewhisker will be safe.” Dovepaw glared at Lionblaze. “How do you know that?” she hissed. She was the one seeing everything that happened, not him! Wasn’t he worried about Sedgewhisker? Doesn’t he even care? Lionblaze looked at her sadly. “We’re home.” He told her. “Your loyalty lies with your own clan. You can’t be as close as you were to Sedgewhisker or to any of the others as you were before.” Dovepaw stared at him angrily, “Why not?” Didn’t he remember all of the fun times they had with the others? “Because the warrior code tells us that we shouldn’t make friends outside our clan.” Dovepaw felt herself shake with rage. “How could you be so cold?” “I‘m not being cold!” Lionblaze insisted. “Things have changed.” “I haven’t changed!” She snapped at him. “I am the same cat as I was on the journey upstream.” Dovepaw kneaded the ground with her claws in frustration. “What’s the use of knowing what’s happening far away when I can’t do anything about it?” She asked Lionblaze. Lionblaze looked lost for words. “Maybe you should limit your senses to Thunderclan territory.” He suggested. Dovepaw gapped at him. Was he serious? How could he not care about the other clans?! “The prophecy is bigger than the warrior code right?” She meowed. Lionblaze nodded warily. “So my powers aren’t just for Thunderclan’s benefit, are they?” she asked. Lionblaze looked at her sternly. “We are Thunderclan cats.” He meowed, as if she needed reminding. “That’s where our loyalties should lie.” She glared darkly at him. Why did he have to make everything so difficult? Just because Sedgewhisker was from a different clan, it didn’t mean they shouldn’t help her! “So am I loyal to the prophecy, or the warrior code?” she growled. Her fur fluffed in anger. “You and Jayfeather should find out before I decide myself!” Before Lionblaze could respond, a muffled meow came from the bracken behind him. “Hello?” Swiftmind stepped out from the ferns, followed by Dogpaw. They both had jaws and chins full of green moss. If Dovepaw wasn’t furious with Lionblaze, she might have laughed at how silly they looked. Swiftmind put down his burden so he could speak more clearly. “Is there a problem?” He looked from Lionblaze to Dovepaw. Right then Dovepaw wanted to tell Swiftmind everything she saw, and how hurt Sedgewhisker was. He might not know who Sedgewhisker was, but he did know how to handle dogs, he even survived a dog attack. He would think of a way to help. He wasn’t given the name ‘Swift mind’ for nothing! But she couldn’t ask him right then, Dogpaw was there, and Lionblaze would probably try to talk him out of it. A plan forming in her mind, she turned away as if in an angry huff. She could sense Sedgewhisker being taken back to the Windclan camp, blood dripping from her flank. Hold on Sedgewhisker, I’m coming! He did not get much sleep, as the meows and sounds of pawsteps brought him out of the depths of his dreams. Swiftmind lazily opened one eye to see several warriors get up and leave the den, Leafpool was also getting up. “What’s going on?” He groaned. Leafpool poked her head out of the den, and looked back at him with wide worried eyes. “There are two Windclan warriors in the camp!” she hissed. Swiftmind jumped to his feet. “What?” Rushing outside, he saw Dovepaw and Ivypaw, their heads bowed in misery. Behind them were two Windclan warriors who he recognized instantly, Breezepelt and Heathertail. He felt anger rise in him. That little mousebrain! Dovepaw completely ignored his advice! Lionblaze was circling his apprentice. “What’s going on?” he demanded. Dovepaw did not answer, but she fidgeted nervously next to her sister. They both looked like two rabbits that found themselves in a fox den. To make matters worse, Briarpaw had woken the other apprentices, including Dogpaw. Seeing the Windclan warriors, Dogpaw let out a furious yowl and ran at them. But instead of attacking them, as Swiftmind expected, Dogpaw put himself protectively between Ivypaw and Breezepelt, much to Ivypaw’s embarrassment. Firestar came out of his den and into the clearing, he was joined by Brambleclaw. More nests rustled behind him, and Dustpelt pushed himself past the crowd. The senior warrior eyed the Windclan cats suspiciously. “What are they doing here?” Neither Breezepelt nor Heathertail flinched at his thorn like anger. “Keep your voice down Dustpelt,” Firestar ordered. “We don’t want to wake every cat.” Swiftmind looked around the hollow at the many Thunderclan cats that were already awake. “It’s a bit late for that.” He remarked. “And how can we sleep?” Daisy marched out of the nursery bristling. “There are Windclan cats in the camp!” Whitewing tried to sooth the anxious queen. “It’s not an attack.” “Are you sure?” Dustpelt circled the edge of the clearing, distrust crackling with every pawstep. “It’s not much of an attack with just two warriors.” Dogpaw growled, his eyes boring holes into Breezepelt. Heathertail’s tail brushed the ground. “You seem to have lost two apprentices.” She meowed. “We’re returning them.” Dovepaw and Ivypaw fidgeted more. Swiftmind couldn’t help but feel sorry for the two she-cats, but they had gotten themselves into this mess, not him. “I’ll handle this.” Firestar’s gaze flashed over his clanmates. “Any cat not directly involved can go back to their nests.” Dustpelt halted, and the yew bush swished as the other apprentices, including the reluctant Dogpaw, went back inside. Whitewing and Birchfall backed into their den. Leafpool turned and put her tail on Swiftmind’s shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?” And despite Swiftmind’s longing for bed, he stayed where he was. “You go on without me.” He mewed to Leafpool. “With my luck I’m probably mixed up in this too.” Understanding, Leafpool nodded and padded back into her den. “Lionblaze and Cinderheart, I want you to stay.” Firestar went on, “You too, Jayfeather.” Jayfeather? Swiftmind wondered. What does he have to do with this? But the medicine cat did not complain. “What about me?” Brambleclaw meowed. “Make sure everyone is settled and reassure the queens.” Firestar padded toward the thorn barrier. “Follow me,” He called over his shoulder. “I don’t want any more disturbances in camp.” Swiftmind padded behind Jayfeather and the rest of the others as they followed the Thunderclan leader through the thorn tunnel. No one said anything, the tension was so great. Outside the camp, a barn owl flew overhead, hooted, and flapped away. If that was an omen, it didn’t look like a good one. Firestar sat down in front of everyone. The leader finally noticed that Swiftmind was in the group, but didn’t say anything. Lionblaze’s paws scuffled the fallen leaves as he took his place by Dovepaw. Heathertail and Breezepelt stood stiffly beside each other, while Dovepaw and Ivypaw shifted uneasily. Cinderheart looked tense and unhappy, while Jayfeather began to shiver in the cold breeze. Firestar cleared his throat. “Now, what’s going on?” Breezepelt answered. “We found these two outside our camp.” Dovepaw and Ivypaw shuffled closer together. “Ivypaw?” Firestar’s gaze focused on the grey tabby. “Is that what happened?” “We…” Ivypaw hesitated. “We were just exploring.” “In the middle of Windclan territory?” Firestar’s voice was deadly quiet. “It was my fault!” Dovepaw blurted. “I…I heard a dog on the moor while we were tree training and I was worried…” Swiftmind rolled his eyes. You *****! You were nowhere near the moor, no one will believe that. Don’t give away your secret! Jayfeather and Lionblaze also tensed, but besides that, they gave nothing away. A growl rumbled in Breezepelt’s throat. “You were worried,” his black tail swished across the leaves, “About Windclan? Firestar, don’t you teach your apprentices the warrior code?” “Dogs are a threat to all clans.” Swiftmind meowed. “Dovepaw might have thought that the dog would come across the border, and went to check with her sister, but traveled too far. She might not have known sheep dogs stayed with their owners.” Breezepelt looked unconvinced, and glared at Swiftmind. He remembered Swiftmind from long ago, and wasn’t too happy to see him. Dovepaw blinked in thanks for his attempt to explain their behavior. Firestar paused, then addressed the Windclan warriors calmly. “Thank you for bringing them back. I’m sorry that they disturbed you and your clanmates. Nothing like this will ever happen again.” Swiftmind knew this act. It happened whenever he misbehaved as a child during school, picnics, a dinner party, or anywhere else. His mother would apologize politely to the guests, wait for them to leave, and as soon as they were gone his dad would smack him with a belt. Right now Firestar was being polite, but once the ‘guests’ left the belt would come out. “We do live by the warrior code,” Firestar assured Breezepelt, his mew tight. “And we will make sure that these young cats understand how important that is.” Heathertail breathed out slowly, “Make sure you do.” As she turned to head away from the Thunderclan camp, she shot a glance at Lionblaze. Their eyes met and Heathertail narrowed hers. “You should keep a closer eye on your apprentice from now on.” She meowed, and left. Breezepelt swished after her through the undergrowth. “Windclan can take care of itself without your help!” he called before the ferns swallowed him. As their pawsteps faded, Swiftmind counted under his breath. Three…two…one- “What in the name of Starclan did you think you were doing?” Firestar demanded, turning on the two apprentices. Swiftmind closed his eyes. Here comes the belt! “It was my idea!” Dovepaw insisted. She was trying to get her sister out of trouble, but Firestar wasn’t going to buy it. “Ivypaw is not stuck to you like a piece of cobweb!”The Thunderclan leader pointed out. “She could have changed her mind at any time.” “I wasn’t going to let Dovepaw go alone!” Ivypaw objected. “That still doesn’t explain what you were doing in Windclan territory!” Firestar snorted. “And what is this nonsense about hearing a dog?” Ivypaw and Dovepaw remained silent. Firestar sighed and questioned Swiftmind. “What about you Swiftmind? I suppose you’re involved in this somehow?” Swiftmind straightened. “Yes Firestar. Dovepaw asked me to come with them into Windclan territory.” “Really,” Firestar’s mew went soft again, he was thinking. “Did she tell you why?” Dovepaw turned and stared pleadingly at Swiftmind, but he kept his gaze on Firestar. “She told me the same thing that she told you. She heard a dog attack a Windclan warrior, and she was worried.” Firestar was silent for a moment. Then he meowed, “Why you?” Swiftmind shrugged. “Dovepaw thought that by going with me, Windclan would let them come into their camp. And I know a thing or two about dogs.” “But you didn’t go.” “I knew Onestar wouldn’t be so understanding. I even warned her not to go, but I guess I did not get through to her.” Swiftmind meowed. He could guess what the next question would be. “Why didn’t you tell anyone about her plan?” Firestar’s gaze bored into him. “Honestly Firestar,” Swiftmind sighed. “I did not think she would be stupid enough to actually go.” He saw Dovepaw flinch at his cruel remark, but what he said was what he meant. If Dovepaw didn’t like it, that was her problem. Firestar looked from the apprentices, to Swiftmind, then back at the apprentices. “Very well,” he meowed. “Whatever the reason was, it was a very dumb thing to do! I’ll leave your punishment up to your mentors, but I hope they will make sure you will improve your understanding of the warrior code. Your training so far seems to have left little impression.” He paced over the leaf covered ground. “If you are going to behave like kits, then you should be treated like kits. Now go!” Swiftmind was tempted to ask if they were to be sent to the nursery, but he held his tongue. This was not the time for jokes. Dovepaw and Ivypaw started to pad away, Firestar called Dovepaw back. “I want an extra word with you Dovepaw.” He meowed. Ivypaw tried to protest, but Cinderheart marched her back to camp. Swiftmind and Jayfeather made to leave as well, but Firestar stopped them too. “I want the two of you and Lionblaze to stay.” The fiery leader circled Dovepaw, his gaze as sharp as needles. “How did you know about this dog?” he quizzed the apprentice. “W-what do you mean?” Dovepaw stammered. Firestar then turned to Jayfeather. “What about you? Did Starclan warn you about a dog?” When Jayfeather shook his head, Firestar’s attention shot back to Dovepaw. “So how did you know about it? Did you dream it?” “I told you,” Dovepaw groaned. “I heard it!” Their leader growled in frustration. “What about you Lionblaze? Swiftmind? You were both out in the forest training. Did either of you hear this dog?” Both Swiftmind and Lionblaze suddenly became fascinated with their paws. Lionblaze shuffled his. “I was on the ground.” He mumbled. “There was a strong breeze. It was impossible to tell.” Swiftmind used his unique thumb-toe to grasp a twig and flick leaves with it. He knew Firestar was staring at him, and would know if he lied. When the silence became unbearable, he could only say one thing. “No comment.” Firestar blinked. “Then it was just Dovepaw.” Jayfeather shifted on his paws nervously. Swiftmind could understand his anxiety; Firestar was getting closer and closer to the truth… “Have you heard anything else no other cats can hear?” Firestar’s question caught everyone by surprise. “Like beavers blocking a stream, for example? That wasn’t a dream was it?” No one spoke. Swiftmind wished Dovepaw would just tell him and get over with it. He’s going to find out anyway! Just tell him! But the little grey she-cat remained silent. The Clan Leader sighed. “Dovepaw, I’ve worked out that you know things other cats don’t, and I don’t think you’re having dreams about them. So how do you know?” Like an impatient twoleg tapping a finger, Firestar tapped his tail-tip on the ground. “I need to know. It’s very important. It helped save the lake, but it also got you into trouble, and could have even caused a battle with Windclan. That makes it my responsibility.” Dovepaw looked so confused. Swiftmind could tell that she wanted to say the truth, but didn’t want to give away her secret. So, Swiftmind spoke for her. “Oh for goodness sake Firestar,” Swiftmind meowed. “Isn’t it obvious that Dovepaw is a little radar? She can see and hear everything! Oh, and if you haven’t already noticed,” Swiftmind went on. “Jayfeather can walk in the dreams as easily as padding into the dirtplace, and Lionblaze is invincible to any living cat. And as everyone knows, I’m a twoleg in a cat body. So I wouldn’t be surprised at any of this if I were you.” He stopped to catch his breath. All eyes were on him. Dovepaw looked a little relived. Both Jayfeather and Lionblaze looked like they wanted to shred Swiftmind for saying so much, but it was too late now. Firestar now knows that they are the Three! Firestar smirked, pleased with himself. “Yes, I thought you would know Swiftmind. You always seem to get caught up in the strangest things.” He chuckled and sighed. “Long ago, I was told of a prophecy-” he began, but Jayfeather interrupted him. “We already know. I sort of, saw it myself.” The blind medicine cat meowed. Swiftmind’s head turned sharply to stare at him. “Hold on.” He said. “You didn’t tell me that Firestar knew about the prophecy! I could have told him who you were sooner!” Jayfeather ignored Swiftmind and continued speaking to Firestar. “We are the Three. Kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in our paws. We’ve known this since we were apprentices.” “Starclan sent me to help them.” Swiftmind cut in. “I am part of an even older prophecy, since the beginning of the clans.” He took a breath and recited, “When the sun hides, a star will come, two will become four to aid three, and the clans will rise.” Everyone looked at Swiftmind with shock. He had never spoken about the prophecy since Icestar had told him about it so long ago. He shrugged at Lionblaze and Jayfeather. See? I can keep secrets too. Jayfeather scowled, obviously hearing Swiftmind’s thoughts. “So when the sun disappeared it was a sign!” Firestar exclaimed. “And you are the star that will aid the Three.” He indicated Swiftmind’s star-like birthmark. At least he understood what the omen meant. But Jayfeather did not look satisfied. “But how will you help us?” he asked Swiftmind. “What does our prophecy mean?” “Mean?” Firestar sounded surprised. Jayfeather was about to say something else, but Dovepaw finally spoke out. “Did you think it would be Leafpool and Squirrelflight?” Firestar nodded and answered slowly. “And Cloudtail, for a while, but nothing happened. Then Lionkit, Jaykit, and Hollykit were born.” He turned his attention back to Jayfeather. “Do you know what your destiny is?” his tone was curious. “Don’t you?” Dovepaw gasped. “I mean, you’ve known the prophecy longer than us, haven’t you figured it out?” “Didn’t the old cat tell you?” Lionblaze meowed. “What old cat?” Swiftmind asked. There was an awkward silence. Swiftmind growled quietly to himself, he had been left in the dark again! “I don’t even think he understood what it meant.” Firestar admitted. “He was just passing on a message.” “Does it matter?” Swiftmind growled. “Why should we worry about something that will resolve itself? I told you before Jayfeather, your destiny will reveal itself eventually.” He was getting tired of Jayfeather’s constant questions about the omen. All of this talk and no sleep was giving Swiftmind a headache. Jayfeather was enraged, but the Thunderclan leader touched the medicine cat’s head with his muzzle. “Skywatcher promised that you would come, and you have. Swiftmind is right, we must have faith. There is nothing we can do but wait.” Firestar murmured. They talked more about Dovepaw’s powers, until at last Dovepaw gave out a loud yawn. Firestar smiled. “It is about time that we get to our nests. It is late and we can all use some sleep.” Jayfeather leaned forward. “But we don’t know what we’re here for!” “Probably to save the Clans from something nasty, bring peace to everyone, and all that rot.” Swiftmind stretched his stiff muscles. “That’s what most prophecies end up meaning. Jayfeather glared at him with blind eyes, but Swiftmind didn’t really notice. He wanted to get to his nice warm den next to Leafpool. He wanted to have a nice fat squirrel waiting for him when he woke up. He wanted his splitting headache to stop. And what Swiftmind wanted most was for everyone to stop worrying about the bloody prophecy! “There is nothing we can do until we find out.” Firestar began to pad toward the hollow. “Thunderclan is lucky that you have come. Let’s not ask for the stars as well. Tell me if you notice any changes.” He meowed over his shoulder. “You all have my full support.” The Thunderclan leader then disappeared through the thorn barrier and into the camp. Swiftmind started to follow, longing for sleep. But he stopped when he noticed no one else was coming. The Three were talking amongst themselves. Can’t they wait until morning? His head throbbed as he stomped back to the group. “If you’re not too busy,” he huffed. “I’d like to get some sleep before morning.” “But we still don’t know what the prophecy means!” Dovepaw’s mew turned into another yawn. Swiftmind forgot his frustration for a moment to notice how exhausted the young apprentice was. The other’s noticed too, Lionblaze padded over to his apprentice and began to lead her back to camp. “Come on. Let’s get you back to your den.” Jayfeather stayed where he was. “Aren’t you coming?” Swiftmind asked. Jayfeather shook his head. “I need to think.” Lionblaze yawned. “Can’t you think in your nest?” “I won’t stay out long.” Jayfeather promised. “Alright.” Swiftmind meowed. He and Lionblaze were both too tired to argue. They dragged their heavy paws into the hollow, leaving Jayfeather alone with his thoughts. Swiftmind groaned and shook his head, which now felt like it was about to explode. It must have been from all of this stress. But it was difficult to calm down when the others were so obsessed about the prophecy. Even he was a little obsessed with it! And that made it even worse! Swiftmind groaned as another spasm of pain coursed through his head, and then throughout his whole body. What’s going on? Lionblaze padded up to him, just returning from putting Dovepaw in the apprentices den. He noticed Swiftmind’s strained face. “Swiftmind, what’s wrong?” his voice full of concern. Swiftmind did not answer. Instead, he quickly found a puddle, fresh from the rains, and struggled to drink. The cool water was soothing in his throat. He stood at the puddle’s edge, eyes closed, trying to keep from collapsing. The pain in his body was subsiding, but Swiftmind’s head still ached. He opened his eyes and saw himself on the puddle’s surface, and he saw something else. His body went ridged. “Swiftmind?” Lionblaze meowed again. The golden warrior was padding warily towards him. “Are you alright?” Swiftmind turned his head and looked at Lionblaze. But he wasn’t looking at him with the eyes of a cat. Lionblaze gasped in horror. Swiftmind had human eyes! “No…” Swiftmind spoke grimly. “I’m not alright…” “I thought you would stop changing once you came back to the Clans! Why are you turning into a twoleg now?” Jayfeather questioned Swiftmind, who only shrugged. “I haven’t the slightest idea.” Swiftmind narrowed his eyes. “I thought I would stop changing too. I’ve been a cat for several days and nothing has happened. But now…” He shook his head, perplexed. “This is strange. Usually if I was about to change, it would just happen. I wouldn’t get much warning except a tingly feeling, not a huge headache.” Jayfeather was then swept away by a flood of Swiftmind’s memories. Pain seared through his muscles like fire, he lapping at a puddle of cool water for some kind of relief. And he saw the reflection of Swiftmind looking back with twoleg eyes. Jayfeather shuddered at the unnatural image in his mind. When he opened his eyes Swiftmind was watching him, as if he knew what Jayfeather had seen. “My eyes went back to normal after I managed to calm down. It shouldn’t have been like that. I should have changed instantaneously, not morph a little bit and then turn back!” Swiftmind huffed. “If only it was that easy for Lionblaze. The poor guy saw me, and my eyes. I had to give him three of your poppy seeds to calm his nerves. Sorry about that by the way,” he added. “I shouldn’t have been using your stocks so close to leaf-fall.” “It’s alright.” Jayfeather turned his attention to the reflection of Tom. He was a large twoleg. He could see the muscles move under his pelt. Tom’s torso would barely fit in Jayfeather’s medicine den, let alone his whole body. Swiftmind would be crushed to death if he turned into Tom, and Jayfeather would be crushed with him. Two cats that are essential to the prophecy, dead. I can’t let that happen! But how could he stop it? Jayfeather flicked his tail in agitation. “Do you know why you were changing? Your eyes became normal after you calmed yourself. Could it have been stress?” “Yeah, right.” Swiftmind snorted. “Stress is making me turn into a twoleg. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?” “Do you have any other explanation?” Jayfeather queried. Swiftmind didn’t answer, so he continued. “The balance between twoleg and cat is delicate. Maybe Starclan is losing control over it? Maybe now your emotions determine your shape? We can never know. But what we do know is that you need to find some way to control it.” “I was a little stressed while we were talking about the prophecy.” The twoleg-cat admitted. “Well, if it is stress, then we need to keep you calm. It wouldn’t be good for you to suddenly change during a battle or a gathering.” Jayfeather imagined a twoleg suddenly appearing in a crowd of clan cats. That would be very bad. Swiftmind nodded. “Maybe the next time you go to the moonpool you could ask Starclan. They might know what’s going on.” Jayfeather rolled his eyes. He didn’t like the idea of going to Starclan for help, but there was no other way of finding out. “Until then I’ll tell Firestar that you shouldn’t go to gatherings. Most of the Clans think your dead anyway.” Jayfeather mewed. Swiftmind swung his head in surprise. “Dead?” His tail flicked sharply. “Why do they think I’m dead?” Jayfeather gave him a criticizing look. “Because you haven’t been seen for moons! The rumor is that you were fatally injured by the dogs in Windclan, but Firestar won’t say anything. Of course, now Breezepelt and Heathertail will tell Onestar that you’re alive and well after seeing you today. That will spread to the other clans at the next gathering.” “Which I will not be at,” Swiftmind growled quietly. He must have been eager to go, but Jayfeather didn’t want to risk him changing. They were quiet for a while, thinking to themselves. Then, the walls started to ripple and drift apart. “You better get out of here.” Swiftmind motioned his paws to no particular area. “I’m starting to wake up.” Jayfeather’s eyes opened to darkness. It was early morning and from the distant rustles of nests he could tell that the Clan was just beginning to start the day. Swiftmind was also awake. There was a groan as he stiffly got to his paws and headed outside. Jayfeather lay in his den, wondering about the gathering that would only be a few days away… Days past. Soon, it was the day before the Gathering. It was a stormy morning and the heavy rains soaked the lake. Jayfeather was arranging his herbs away from the medicine den entrance to keep them dry, when Firestar entered through the bramble curtain. Jayfeather nodded his head to the Thunderclan leader. “It’s a thick storm.” Firestar commented. “Do you think it will clear before the gathering?” Jayfeather padded near the cave opening and sniffed the air. It was a very heavy storm, but he could hear a strong wind. “If the wind keeps like this then it might move the storm over and away from us.” He mewed. Firestar thanked him and left. The medicine cat finished staking his herbs. With a sigh, he stretched and padded out of the cave. Cold raindrops splashed on his fur. He could hear the many pawsteps of the dawn patrol that was just returning. Ivypaw was among them. As soon as the apprentice entered the camp she rushed for the apprentices den. Jayfeather stifled a purr. Dovepaw and Ivypaw had been confined to camp for a quarter moon as a punishment for their adventure to Windclan. During that time the clan had never been cleaner. Yesterday was the day they were finally allowed out of camp, and their mentors had been making them work harder than ever. There was a loud thump, and several surprised yowls near the nursery. Jayfeather rushed over. He could scent Swiftmind, Dustpelt, and Berrynose through the rain. They were surrounding the nursery, and the rustle of the nursery walls. “What’s going on?” Jayfeather meowed, curious. “The great and wise Swiftmind has come up with yet another brilliant idea!” Berrynose yowled sarcastically over the wind. Swiftmind growled. “Yes, yes, we all know how great I am. But would you mind helping us out a bit?” There was amusement in his voice. The two never liked each other, but they could still work together well. Jayfeather ducked as something large and flapping swung over his head. There was the sound of something stabbing through the nursery’s roof, and the triumphant yowls of the cats around him. “Tah-dah!” Swiftmind meowed to the queens inside. “A new roof, that’s completely water proof!” The tom paused. “Did I just make a rhyme?” The nursery entrance shook as Poppyfrost looked out. “Oh, thank you! I was getting tired of so many leaks.” Jayfeather padded over to sniff the new ‘roof’. It was smooth, the raindrops bounced off of its surface. It had the smell of the pelts twolegs used to make their portable dens. Cold stems served as a skeleton to give it a round shape. “Is this your Instant den?” Jayfeather asked the twoleg-cat. That was the kit-given name of his strange device. At first it would look like a sort of branch wrapped in pelt, but then with a simple prod of the paw, it would spring open like a blooming flower into a dome shaped thing. “Umbrella,” Swiftmind corrected. “I heard the queens and kits complaining about leaks, so I got Dustpelt and Berrynose to help me set it up on the nursery. Jayfeather listened to the sound of the rain pattering against the pelt. It would keep the queens dry and happy, and possibly even keep out wind. “Wow!” came the squeal of Molekit, Poppyfrost’s son. “Cherrykit! Come look!” he meowed excitedly to his sister. Both kits gazed at the roof in wonder. They had never seen a twoleg object before. “Interesting,” Lionblaze padded next to Jayfeather. “I was planning to just patch up the holes, but this is much better.” “Do you have another one for the warriors den?” Greystripe joked, though Jayfeather sensed hope in the grey warrior’s voice. Their den had its share of leaks too. There was a rattle of rocks and Jayfeather recognized Brambleclaw’s scent. “Firestar wants a border patrol to check on the Shadowclan border.” The Thunderclan deputy meowed. “Thornclaw, you can lead. Lionblaze, Swiftmind, and Greystripe will join you.” “I’ll go wake up Dogpaw,” sighed Swiftmind as he headed towards the apprentices den. Lionblaze yowled for Dovepaw. Briarpaw was already up and jumping with eagerness. The patrol was soon padding out of the thorn tunnel, Dogpaw racing ahead of the other apprentices. He had become a strong cat thanks to Swiftmind’s rigorous training. Despite his stubborn and ambitious attitude, he was actually a good learner. His large ears always alert for the next lesson. And unlike some apprentices, he wanted to work. When he wasn’t training or annoying someone, he was finding some other way to extend his knowledge. Jayfeather remembered that just two days ago the young cat wanted to learn about strengthening and healing herbs. Dogpaw had said that if he was on a mission, he’d want to know what plants he could find. Jayfeather was still shocked at the apprentice’s rapt attention. Swiftmind had been right. He’s going to make a great warrior. Just as he had thought, the rain subsided a little before sunhigh. Jayfeather returned to the hollow after gathering what little herbs he could find. It was the beginning of leaf-bare and nothing was growing anymore. He was just putting the herbs in his den, when he heard raised voices coming from the thorn tunnel. Firestar, who was pacing the clearing, heard them too, and he turned as the border patrol padded into camp. “Well?” he demanded, and Jayfeather heard him move straight to Greystripe. There was the sound of water droplets hitting the ground as Greystripe shook the moisture from his whiskers. “More scents inside the border,” he reported. The clearing went quiet. Jayfeather padded out of his den, making the bramble curtain tremble. “I think it’s just on warrior who’s crossing the border.” Greystripe reassured his nervous clanmates. Rocks tumbled as Sandstorm ran down from Firestar’s den. “Do you know which one?” “It was probably that Tigerheart,” Growled Dogpaw. “He sure looked comfortable when we asked the Shadowclan patrol to check the scent.” While angry murmurs rippled through the Clan as they speculated, a wave of emotions swept up from Dovepaw, guilt, terror, anxiety, and confusion. Jayfeather tilted his head as Dovepaw shoved Dogpaw and hissed for him to be quiet. “We don’t have any proof that he’s the one. We can’t prove any Shadowclan cat is crossing!” She hissed quietly in Dogpaw’s ear. Jayfeather could feel anger surge through Dogpaw’s body. He wanted to go straight to Shadowclan and sniff out the culprit, and he had a good idea who it was. But the young apprentice bit back a retort and stormed to the fresh-kill pile. Dovepaw relaxed as he left. Jayfeather twitched his whiskers curiously. His mind flicked back to Tigerheart. Jayfeather remembered scenting the Shadowclan warrior close to the Thunderclan border. Was he the one crossing it? If so, then why would Dovepaw want to quiet Dogpaw’s accusations? Was Dovepaw trying to protect Tigerheart?“So what are we going to do about it?” Dustpelt’s challenge brought Jayfeather back from his thoughts. “Since we do not know who is crossing the border, there is nothing we can do.” Firestar meowed. There were grumbles of disappointment. “We can’t do anything anyway,” Swiftmind growled to Firestar’s defense. “It’s practically leaf-fall, and fighting will not help us find food.” The growls stopped, but Jayfeather could still feel tension among his clanmates. “But we can strengthen our patrols,” Firestar’s voice filled the hollow. “And we will find out who is doing this.” Jayfeather heard Lionblaze growl and unsheathe his claws. His brother couldn’t wait to catch the culprit. “So you’re going to mention this at the gathering?” Sandstorm prompted her mate. “If necessary,” Firestar meowed. “If necessary?” Dustpelt sputtered. “Why stir up ill feelings if none exist?” Greystipe’s tail swept over the ground as he weaved between the tabby and his leader. Lionblaze hissed. “Because Shadowclan will think we’re weak!” Jayfeather listened to his clanmates argue more, Firestar never said whether he would mention the trespassing at the gathering , but he would not carry the discussion any farther. He and Sandstorm bounded up to his den, and everyone else was left to themselves. Jayfeather hurried towards Dovepaw and Lionblaze, questions buzzing in his head like bees. “So do you know who it is?” He asked quickly, in case someone overheard. “I caught Tigerheart sniffing around our border a few nights ago.” Dovepaw jumped with surprise. “Really?” “Tigerheart?” Lionblaze sounded equally surprised. “He was our ally half a moon ago! Why would he be around our borders when he helped bring the river back?” Jayfeather frowned. “That was half a moon ago, Not all cats think that one adventure makes everyone friends forever.” He pointed out to his brother. Dovepaw bristled. She must have thought that the comment was pointed at her. He could feel the guilt stabbing at her heart. But was she feeling guilty for going to Windclan, or for something else? Jayfeather couldn’t tell. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry it's so late. I've been having a serious case of writer's block. Pebbles crunched under Jayfeather’s paws as he jumped from the tree-bridge to the island. Thunderclan was the first to arrive. Dovepaw and Blossompaw were already exploring the clearing beyond. He could already hear them running around the Great Oak, and Squirrelflight was yowling at them to behave. Firestar landed behind Jayfeather. As Jayfeather had suggested, the Thunderclan leader had allowed Swiftmind to stay behind at camp. Dogpaw was less than happy, but Swiftmind had promised him that they would go to the next gathering. No one suspected that Swiftmind’s form was unstable. Jayfeather pushed himself through the ferns, and heard Squirrelflight and Millie arguing with each other. Squirrelflight noticed Jayfeather and turned to him. “Could you check Blossompaw?” she asked. “She’s had a fall.” “Who’s had a fall?” Firestar slid out from the bushes. “It was nothing.” Blossompaw mewed as Jayfeather sniffed her leg. “I’m fine.” And she was. Jayfeather could not find any breaks or sprains on the apprentice’s leg. She must have landed on it funny when playing near the oak. Her father, Greystripe, padded past Firestar. “Yuck!” The grey warrior tasted the air. “I don’t know if this place smells worse when it’s empty or when the other clans are stinking up the air.” Jayfeather nodded to Blossompaw. “You’re fine. Just don’t over use your leg so much.” Blossompaw thanked him and ran off to find Dovepaw. Jayfeather then headed to the Great Oak, taking his place among its roots. Everyone was tense. Millie and Squirrelflight had chosen to sit far away from each other, Brambleclaw sat underneath a beech tree far away from them, and Birchfall was pacing the edge of the clearing sniffing the air. Everyone else was twitching their tails anxiously. An icy wind was blowing, bringing the scent of rain. There was a small sigh of relief from Dovepaw; her attention was on the reed beds beyond the trees. Sure enough, Jayfeather caught the fishy tang of Riverclan as the reeds shook. But instead of Leopardstar leading the patrol, it was Mistyfoot, now Mistystar. Jayfeather recalled the day she and Mothwing came to the Thunderclan camp to tell Firestar of the Riverclan leader’s death. Leopardstar would be missed, but Mistystar is respected by all clans, and will make a strong leader. The Riverclan medicine cats Mothwing and her apprentice Willowshine, broke off from the group and padded to where Jayfeather sat. Mothwing meowed hello to Jayfeather. He nodded back in greeting. “Hi Jayfeather!” Willowshine mewed. “How have you been?” “Fine, thank you.” Jayfeather answered. Soon Windclan padded into the clearing, followed by Shadowclan. Kestrelflight, Littlecloud, and Flametail sat down beside Jayfeather. As they talked amongst themselves he listened to the jumble of cats in the clearing. Dovepaw was chatting to a Riverclan cat named Petalfur. Jayfeather recalled that she was one of the Riverclan cats who went on the journey upriver. He sighed. How long will Dovepaw think that her friendships will last? He noticed that Dovepaw seemed frustrated, like she couldn’t find something. She was hissing something, but Sandstorm had quieted her before Jayfeather had a chance to hear. The leaders were about to speak. Jayfeather turned his head up to the Great Oak, and though he couldn’t see anything, he could hear Onestar padding to the center of the branch. Jayfeather listened intently, will he mention Dovepaw? “The return of the lake has been a blessing from Starclan,” The Windclan leader began. “Our brave warriors who unblocked the river have returned safely and are happy to be with their Clan once more.” he felt Onestar’s gaze sweep over Thunderclan. Who is he looking for? Jayfeather wondered. The most likely answer was Dovepaw, and Jayfeather felt the young cat’s fear from where he sat, and Onestar went on. “Windclan will be forever grateful for the courage and strength of its brave warriors.” Jayfeather snorted. Does he think Windclan alone brought the water back? Similar angry whispers spread through Thunderclan and still Onestar continued. “As leaf-bare approaches, it is important we secure our borders. Rabbits are running well, but leaf-bare is harsh, we must protect what is ours. Any trespassers will be dealt with severely.” He added with a hint of threat in his voice. Jayfeather waited for the Windclan leader to say something about Dovepaw or Ivypaw, but Onestar remained silent. Instead, Mistystar’s voice rang out across the clearing. “You all know by now that I am Riverclan’s new leader.” “Mistystar! Mistystar!” Cheers erupted from the clans. The new leader waited for the cheers to die down, Jayfeather could feel all of her worries melt away before their acceptance. When the clans fell silent, she spoke again. “Leopardstar was a noble leader,” she meowed. This was met by murmurs of agreement as she went on. “She was brave and loyal and would have done anything to protect her clanmates. We are pleased to have Petalfur back and we grieve for Rippletail, who died bravely fighting the beavers.” Greif swept up from the Riverclan cats. Rippletail had also gone on the journey upstream with Dovepaw, and had died fighting the monstrous beavers to free the water. Dovepaw too, grieved for the Riverclan warrior. Jayfeather could sense her heart tightening at the thought of her lost friend. “I am sure,” Mistystar added, “that he and Leopardstar walk now among Starclan and watch over their old Clanmates.” Almost everyone in the clearing sighed with sympathy as Mistystar fell silent. Blackstar’s voice to her place. “Leopardstar will be missed.” The leader’s voice was heavy with genuine sadness. “The loss of a leader is a loss to all Clans, but new blood brings new energy. Everyone in Shadowclan wishes Mistystar a long and happy leadership.” Just when Jayfeather thought the rest of the meeting would go well, his hopes sank as Blackstar’s voice hardened. “And yet borders are still borders. They must be respected.” Jayfeather could sense anger rising in the Shadowclan leader, and he held his breath. “There has been too much activity on Thunderclan’s border,” Blackstar hissed. “Scent marks are becoming confused.” “How dare you!” Thornclaw’s enraged yowl rang out from the Thunderclan group. “It was Shadowclan who left scent on our territory!” The shock and interest from Riverclan and Windclan grew as Shadowclan warriors growled in anger. Jayfeather sense just as much anger from Thunderclan. The two sides were both itching for a fight. “The truce!” Sandstorm hissed to her clanmates. The medicine cats shifted nervously among the oak roots. A fight during the truce would anger Starclan, but Jayfeather couldn’t tell if the clouds covered the moon. “Don’t stir up trouble you can’t handle.” Greystripe warned the Shadowclan leader. His claws were digging into the ground. “Sit down!” Brambleclaw’s growl made several warriors pause. Greystripe snorted. “We aren’t stirring up trouble,” Blackstar argued. “It was Thunderclan who started the accusations. One of my warriors inspected the so-called scent you found inside your border, and he couldn’t tell which Clan it belonged to. As usual, Thunderclan is looking for any chance to tell the other Clans what to do.” More growls came from Thunderclan. Jayfeather felt his own anger rise at the Shadowclan leader’s remark. Flametail and Littlecloud kneaded the oak roots in uneasiness. They were not liking this either. “If Thunderclan can’t keep its borders marked and stay inside those markers, then Shadowclan will react.” Blackstar sighed dramatically. “Why does Thunderclan always seem to think the other Clans are in their dept after a mission that involved all of us?” That piece of crowfood! Jayfeather suppressed a growl. Blackstar was actually trying to get sympathy from the other clans! When Blackstar stopped complaining finally he heard Firestar pad to the center of the branch. Jayfeather did not scent any anger coming from his leader, only mild agitation. “Welcome, Mistystar.” Firestar began. “You have earned your leadership and Thunderclan wishes you well.” His voice was full of warmth and sincerity. “We shall miss Leopardstar. I remember her from when I was an apprentice in Thunderclan.” A purr rose in his throat. It was as if Blackstar’s speech had never happened. “I always respected her, and, though her loyalty to Riverclan never wavered, she was a leader who understood the importance of keeping every Clan strong.” Firestar’s mew became smoother. “She had the heart, courage, and strength of the mighty cat she was named for.” Jayfeather heard annoyed whispers from Windclan. They were grumbling about Firestar not liking to fight. As if not liking to spill blood makes you weak! Jayfeather tried his best to ignore them and continued listening to Firestar. “Blackstar,” Firestar addressed the Shadowclan leader. “We understand borders, and their importance to keeping peace among the Clans. We also know they are worth fighting for.” His voice became edged with threat. Blackstar took a breath to retaliate, but Firestar then addressed the gathered cats. “Good news in Thunderclan,” he meowed brightly. “Cherrykit and Molekit are our newest members, born to Poppyfrost.” He waited while warm murmurs of congratulations echoed through the Clans before continuing. “We also have a new apprentice, Dogpaw. Unfortunately, he and his mentor Swiftmind could not make it to the gathering tonight.” There were several gasps from the clearing. Many of them had not seen or heard of the tom since the dog fight in Windclan. Many assumed he was dead. Before they could fire questions at him, Firestar continued, “At this rate, we’ll have to make the warriors’ den even bigger, with blessing of Starclan.” Firestar concluded, and then jumped down from the oak. The cats began to drift around the clearing. Apprentices mingled, Warriors gathered in knots, and elders swapped news. It was no surprise that the cats of Thunderclan avoided the cats of Shadowclan. But while Jayfeather suspected that there would gossip about a possible battle between the two, he mostly heard whispers about Swiftmind. Nearby were a group of Windclan and Riverclan warriors and he was able to listen in on a conversation. “Swiftmind?” a Windclan she-cat mewed in disbelief. “I haven’t seen that tom at any gatherings, what is he doing being a mentor?” “I thought he was dead. No one could have survived that dog attack.” another Windclan tom added. “Who’s Swiftmind?” Asked the Riverclan cat they were talking to. He was young and probably did not remember Swiftmind. “Oh, he was some loner Thunderclan took in moons ago.” The she-cat sneered, “A real oddball. He had paws with extra toes and a spot that looked like a star.” “Ha! Typical Thunderclan” “I heard he stopped a Windclan patrol from invading Thunderclan.” Said another Riverclan cat smartly. The Windclan she-cat growled at him. “Yes. But he then felt sorry for us, and insisted on getting rid of a group of dogs that were plaguing Windclan.” “What!? That’s insane!” “I know! But he wouldn’t take no for an answer!” “Did he do it?” “Yes. He showed up on the moor with several Thunderclan warriors.” The other Riverclan cat meowed. “A patrol from every Clan came to watch.” “He actually fought a pack of dogs?” “Actually, he did the strangest thing.” The Windclan warrior meowed. “He spoke twoleg at them.” “What?” The young cat meowed in confusion. “He said something in twolegspeak. I don’t know how, but it worked!” “For a while at least,” Added the she-cat. “One of the Thunderclan warriors lost his nerve and ran, and the dogs chased after him.” “But Swiftmind ran ahead and saved him!” The Riverclan cat said with admiration. The she-cat huffed. “But then the dog got him instead! Threw the poor fool in the air and he dropped like a stone. I was sure he was dead when he landed.” “And then what happened?” The young Riverclan cat was entranced by the story. “Almost every cat on the moor attacked the dogs. It was amazing, every dog was sent running with their tails between their legs!” “And Swiftmind?” “He was still breathing. The Thunderclan warriors carried him back to their camp and that’s the last I ever saw of him.” The she-cat said with a sigh. “Actually I saw him the next day.” Her friend meowed. “Onestar sent a patrol to the border to thank him. The dogs weren’t completely gone, but we now know we can fight them.” “How did Swiftmind look?” “Tired, mostly. But he looked fine.” “But we never saw him at any more gatherings. Firestar said that he was too busy in Thunderclan. I thought it was so he wouldn’t do something like that again. Or dead.” “But Breezepelt and Heathertail said that they saw him… not too long ago. They said he looked perfectly healthy.” “Wow.” Meowed the young Riverclan cat. They gossiped more, but Jayfeather had heard enough. He was thankful that the Riverclan warrior did not mention that Breezepelt or Heathertail were returning Dovepaw and Ivypaw to Thunderclan when they saw Swiftmind. It was probably a good thing that the brown tom did not come to the gathering. Right now he was a cat of mystery, only Thunderclan knew where he came from or where he was, and his heroic deeds made him the topic of almost everyone’s conversation. Is that why Firestar mentioned him, to distract them? It was a good ploy, for now. The scent of Briarpaw drifted towards Jayfeather, and the apprentice’s pawsteps came nearer. “Do you know where Dovepaw is?” Briarpaw meowed. Jayfeather shook his head, “No, why?” “I can’t find her anywhere!” Briarpaw mewed worriedly. “She just disappeared!” Jayfeather tried to listen over the roar of the gathering for Dovepaw’s voice, but he did not have her hearing. She could have been anywhere. He narrowed his blind eyes. Where was she? “I’m sure she’s fine.”Jayfeather shrugged. But Briarpaw did not feel so sure. She rushed off to find Dovepaw, leaving Jayfeather alone. It was not long before he heard angry yowls from across the clearing. Jayfeather pushed himself through the crowd of cats toward the commotion. He found Lionblaze bristling among the Thunderclan patrol. “What’s going on?” He asked his brother. Lionblaze growled. “Windclan and Shadowclan have started arguing about borders again.” Jayfeather pricked his ears as a Shadowclan warrior, Ratscar, began growling at Lionblaze. “Borders are borders,” his voice was heavy with anger. Fury was radiating from Lionblaze. “You share a mission with Thunderclan and they think they own the whole lake!” Crowfrost hissed as well. Jayfeather heard Foxleap claw the ground. “But we saved the lake!” “We all saved the lake!” Onestar hissed, “Cats from every Clan. So why are you crossing borders like you own us now?” Silence slid over the clearing, and Jayfeather’s pelt grew cold. The wind was blowing, the clouds must be covering the moon. “Let’s leave before Starclan calls a halt to this Gathering altogether.” Firestar meowed angrily. “Thunderclan is not making trouble and you know it.” He growled at Blackstar and Onestar. Lionblaze nudged Jayfeather, as he heard the rustle of the bracken and the pawsteps of many cats. Thunderclan was leaving. Before he was swept toward the treebridge, he heard Firestar mew one more thing to the Windclan and Shadowclan leaders. “Think carefully,” he warned. “before you accuse us of something we didn’t do!” Chapter 9
Dovepaw gave one last look at Shadowclan before disappearing into the trees with her clanmates. Tigerheart was there in the crowd, watching her. She shivered and sprang onto the treebridge. Dovepaw quickly crossed the smooth surface and jumped onto the shore. Dogpaw had been right, Tigerheart was crossing the border. She recognized his scent on Thunderclan territory as soon as it entered her nose. She confronted him at the border, and he begged her not to tell Firestar. “I’ll explain to you at the Gathering.” He had said. “I promise.” And so she waited. At the gathering, Dovepaw snuck away from Briarpaw and Blossompaw to speak with Tigerheart alone behind a cracked willow tree. When she closed her eyes she could still see the dark brown tabby tom illuminated in the moonlight. Dovepaw shook her head to clear her mind and growled in annoyance. Dovepaw had went to all that trouble to talk to him in secret when she could have been with her friends and Tigerheart still didn’t tell her why he was crossing the border! He had only told her that it was not an invasion attempt and that it was important no one found out. And he still expects me to trust him! But she did. She quickened her pace alongside her clanmates and kept her head low as she thought about him more. Dovepaw remembered Tigerheart sighing. “If we were in the same Clan it would be easy…” and her spine tingled at the warmth of his voice, the sweet scent of his breath. Her paws stumbled over a dip in the land. “Whoa!” She yowled and tried to regain her balance. Her fur burned hot with embarrassment. “Are you ok?” Blossompaw stood over her, concern on the tortoiseshell she-cat’s face. “You’ve been acting funny.” “Yeah, I’m fine.” Dovepaw mewed hurriedly. She looked around at her surroundings. They were on the Windclan side of the lake, heading back to Thunderclan territory. Most of the Thunderclan patrol was moving on. Blossompaw gave Dovepaw another worried look before padding on ahead. Dovepaw shook her head again and followed. What’s wrong with me? “I BLAME GLANDS.” A hollow voice boomed beside her. Dovepaw turned and saw Soulcatcher standing beside her. Another cat was standing beside Him. Dovepaw blinked. At first glance she would have mistaken him for a cat from Windclan with his thin frame, but then she realized at how thin he really was. She could see every bone under the stranger’s pale grey fur. This cat was starved. “GLANDS ARE ALWAYS PUMPING CHEMICALS INTO THE BRAIN, MAKING THE BODY ACT IN SILLY WAYS.” Soulcatcher went on, not noticing Dovepaw’s horrified stare at his companion. “THIS IS WHY I PREFER NOT LIVING. WOULDN’T YOU AGREE THINBONE?” Soulcatcher turned His black and white head to the frighteningly thin cat. Thinbone nodded. "It pays not to be of the flesh." His voice was hardly a whisper. Dovepaw now realized that what she had thought to be amber eyes were actually orange stars in hollow sockets. “You’re like Soulcatcher!” She gasped. Both ghostly cats looked at each other. After consideration, Soulcatcher turned to Dovepaw indignantly. “I HARDLY SEE THE RESEMBLANCE.” His meow echoed in the night. “No! I mean”- Dovepaw began, but she was interrupted by a yowl. “Dovepaw!” Whitewing called her daughter. “What are you standing there for?” Dovepaw looked and saw that the Thunderclan patrol was now several tail-lengths away. Oops! She should have been paying attention to everyone else. Whitewing had stopped and was padding back toward Dovepaw. Thinking quickly, Dovepaw raised her forepaw and limped ahead, leaving Soulcatcher and the strange Thinbone. “It’s alright,” Dovepaw meowed. “I just stepped on a sharp stone. But there’s no blood!” she added hurriedly. It felt wrong to lie to her mother, but Dovepaw couldn’t even imagine telling her, or anyone, about Soulcatcher. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Whitewing mewed, looking at Dovepaw’s ‘injured’ foot. Dovepaw put weight on it, acting like she was testing it for pain. Dovepaw looked up brightly at Whitewing. “Yep! I’ll be fine.” “Well if it gets swollen go to Jayfeather.” Whitewing gave Dovepaw a caring lick on the head. They both then rushed off to join the patrol, taking care to keep close to the lake. They were now over the border, Dovepaw speed up, eager for her warm nest. But her spine prickled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Soulcatcher padding beside her. Thinbone was still with Him. Dovepaw looked away, but she could still sense their presence. Soulcatcher always made her feel cold when He was around. And now that she thought about the mysterious Thinbone, so starved and pale, Dovepaw now realized she was very hungry. Who was he? She wondered. Was he another spirit of some kind? I thought Soulcatcher was the only one! Dovepaw risked another glance. Whoever Thinbone was, he was disturbing. But maybe it was that he looked like he shouldn’t be moving with such strength, or shouldn’t be moving at all. Thinbone noticed her stare, and smiled at Dovepaw. She immediately looked away, her fur on end. “YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE FRIGHTENED.” Soulcatcher meowed in his deep voice. “THINBONE IS MY BROTHER, AND HE WONT HURT YOU.” Dovepaw spun her head back at the two in surprise. Brother?! She opened her mouth to inquire more, but stopped herself. No one else could see Soulcatcher or his… brother. If Dovepaw tried to talk to them it would look like she was going insane. “Not really brothers.” Thinbone mewed quietly. “We were never born to begin with. It’s just easier to call each other siblings.” “I WANTED TO SPEAK WITH YOU. BUT IT IS NOT PRIVATE ENOUGH HERE.” Soulcatcher boomed. His blue ‘eyes’ gazed at Dovepaw. “I WILL COME TO YOU IN YOUR DREAMS. PERHAPS THEN I CAN INTRODUCE YOU TWO PROPERLY.” And with that Soulcatcher and Thinbone vanished into the mist, one shadowy black, the other a silver grey. Dovepaw stopped at the thorn barrier and watched the mist disappear into the night air. After a while she shook her head and padded into the clearing. Already she could hear her clanmates telling those who did not go to the Gathering but were still awake what had happened. Dovepaw made a wide birth around them and dragged her heavy paws into the apprentice’s den. Ivypaw and Bumblepaw were fast asleep. Dogpaw was nowhere to be seen. He must be outside pestering the warriors, Dovepaw reasoned. She was glad for that, Dovepaw felt too tired to tell the hyper apprentice everything that had happened at the Gathering. Curling into her nest and closed her eyes but had a hard time falling asleep, knowing very well who she would meet. But exhaustion finally took her, and she drifted off in a deep slumber. “HELLO.” Dovepaw turned her head. Soulcatcher was sitting before her on the edge of a forest. The plains beyond were dark and misty. It seemed to go on forever, but if Dovepaw squinted her eyes she could almost see black mountains in the distance. She remembered hearing stories of a tribe of cats living in the mountains. The Tribe of Rushing Water had helped the clans make it through the mountains to get to the lake. “Are those the mountains of the Tribe of Rushing Water?” Dovepaw asked Soulcatcher. The Death of Cats looked over his dark shoulders at the distant peaks. “NO.” He sighed. The sound turned Dovepaw into ice. “THOSE ARE THE MOUNTAINS THAT LIE ON THE EDGE OF ETERNITY. MY HOME LIES THERE.” Dovepaw gazed back at the mountain in awe. “Where are we?” “ON THE BORDERS OF AFTERLIFE,” He meowed. “Do you mean Starclan?” Dovepaw mewed nervously, looking back into the forest. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it, but looks could be deceiving. “PERHAPS, ALL AFTERLIFES ARE ONE AND THE SAME TO ME.” Soulcatcher shrugged. A noise from the forest’s undergrowth made Dovepaw spin around, her back arched, claws unsheathed. But it was only Thinbone, a mouse hung from his jaws. The pale tom nodded to Dovepaw as he approached. She could see the bones move under his skin. Thinbone did not bother to say anything though. His mouth was full, and from the hungry expression on his face, he wanted to keep it that way. He crouched on the cold ground and tore into the fresh-kill, savoring every bite with ecstasy. Dovepaw was reminded of Riverclan, during the drought. With their supply of fish cut off, the whole clan nearly starved. Dovepaw also remembered how hungry she became when she first saw Thinbone. “Hunger,” Dovepaw murmured as she watched Thinbone eat. “He’s the spirit of hunger.” Soulcatcher appeared next to her and nodded. “YES. TO TWOLEGS, HE IS FAMINE. HE WAS JUST COMING BACK FROM RIVERCLAN WHEN I FOUND HIM.” “Lovely place, Riverclan,” Thinbone licked the last remains of the mouse from his jaws. He sniffed the ground; as if there might be some more that he missed. “Nice cats there. And nice fish.” “Are there more spirits like you?” Dovepaw questioned. Thinbone stood up on all fours and stretched, the noise made sounded like dozens of snapping twigs. “We have three more kin, in cat lore. They are the spirits of War, Pestilence, and Chaos.” The pale specter looked at his brother with amber stars. “It has been nice to see you again Soulcatcher, and your little friend, but I really must be off. There has been a plague of locusts in a small farm country.” “FAREWELL THINBONE. SEND MY GREETINGS TO ILLFUR.” Soulcatcher meowed. Dovepaw had a bad feeling for who ‘Illfur’ was. Thinbone bowed his head in goodbye, and quickly ran off into the forest. “NOW,” Soulcatcher grinned at Dovepaw. “WE CAN GET DOWN TO REAL BUISNESS.” “W-what do you mean?” Dovepaw mewed nervously in the face of Death. “I DID NOT BRING YOU HERE JUST SO YOU COULD MEET THINBONE. IN FACT, I WOULD…” He paused, searching for the right word. “…FEEL BETTER…IF YOU STAYED AWAY FROM MY SIBLINGS.” Dovepaw tilted her head, confused. Why would Soulcatcher say something like that? Of course she would happily stay away from anyone, or anything, that had to do with famine or sickness, but Thinbone didn’t seem too bad. The starved cat was actually very friendly. Was Soulcatcher trying to protect her, and if he was, what from? “WHAT I WANTED WAS TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THE YOUNG SHADOWCLAN WARRIOR.” Soulcatcher continued. Her eyes widened. “Tigerheart?” Dovepaw gasped. Images of the tabby tom floated in her mind, and her heart raced. “What about him?” She tried to keep her voice calm. “DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN TIGERSTAR VISITED YOU? WHAT HE SAID TO YOU ABOUT TIGERHEART?” The fur along Dovepaw’s spine rose. She had tried her best to forget that dream. Soulcatcher’s scream still haunted her at night. Dovepaw tried to remember the old Shadowclan leader had said to her. His deep voice came back to her. “…I have trained your mentor, Lionblaze, when he was an apprentice. I have trained Tigerheart, your friend from Shadowclan. I even train your sister Ivypaw…” “Yes, I remember.” Dovepaw meowed uncertainly. “Was… was Tigerstar telling the truth? I always thought he was just telling me that so I would trust him!” “HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH, UNFOURTUNATLY. TIGERSTAR IS USING TIGERHEART AND IVYPAW TO CARRY OUT HIS PLANS.” Soulcatcher flicked His dark tail, making a sound like thunder. “Plans?” Dovepaw murmured, unable to breathe. “TO TAKE REVENGE ON THE CLANS AND STARCLAN ITSELF,” His voice echoed across the plains and forest. Dovepaw shook her head. “No, no, Tigerheart would never do that! Neither would Ivypaw! Never!” she wailed. Soulcatcher blinked sadly. “I WAS AFRAID THIS WOULD HAPPEN.” He sighed. “YOU ARE RIGHT, OF COURSE. THEY WOULD NEVER DO THIS WILLINGLY. THAT IS WHY TIGERSTAR HAS NOT TOLD THEM WHAT EXACTLY THEY ARE DOING. HE AND HIS FOLLOWERS HAVE CONVINCED THEM THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOING GOOD.” “No!” Dovepaw yowled. She jumped up to her paws. Her mind raced. How could Ivypaw, her friend, her sister, ever fall for such a lie? How could Tigerheart fall for it? It made no sense! Soulcatcher had to be mistaken. Dovepaw cried, “I don’t believe it! I won’t!” She turned to run into the forest, away from Soulcatcher. But she did not get far. “DOVEPAW!” Soulcatcher yowled after her. Dovepaw felt her paws stop against her will. But who could disobey a voice like His? She turned her head and glared at the shadowy figure. Soulcatcher padded silently to her, care in his starry eyes. “I KNOW THAT THIS IS HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND, BUT YOU MUST”- He began, but Dovepaw turned on him, bristling. “Must what?” she hissed angrily. “Shun my friends? Why is it that I have to suspect everyone and trust no one?!” When Soulcatcher said nothing, Dovepaw went on. “How can you be so sure about this anyway? You said that Clan cats can’t see you, and yet Purdy saw you when he died!” “THAT WAS DIFFERENT.” His voice grew dangerous. “PURDY WAS NOT BORN IN THE CLANS, AND HE WAS TAUGHT OF MY EXISTANCE AS A KIT.” “Then why don’t we know about you? Why hasn’t Starclan told us about you? Is it because you accuse innocent cats of things they didn’t do, or because you scare everyone you meet?!” Dovepaw asked in an exasperated yowl. Soulcatcher’s blue eyes flared red, and the world around them grew darker. Realizing that she had said the wrong thing, Dovepaw moved back. Her eyes were wide with terror. The Death of Cats advanced, wind swirling under his dark paws. But then He stopped, and His eyes faded back to their icy blue glow. His tail drooped as the light came back to the forest edge. “I AM SORRY,” Soulcatcher mewed wretchedly. “YOU ARE RIGHT DOVEPAW. I DO FRIGHTEN OTHERS, EVEN WHEN I TRY TO BE FRIENDLY. BUT PERHAPS A CREATURE SUCH AS I CAN NEVER HAVE FRIENDS.” He looked at Dovepaw miserably. “CHERISH YOUR FRIENDS AND KIN LITTLE ONE, THEY NEVER LAST. NOTHING EVER DOES.” Before Dovepaw could retort to this Soulcatcher turned away, moving silently across the eternal moor to disappear into the black mists… back to his home. Dovepaw did not see Soulcatcher the next day, even when she hunted. When she delivered the killing bite to the vole she caught there was the familiar blue flash of the soul separating from the body, but she could not see the dark spirit. Is He avoiding me? Could he really do that? She had thought that she would be able to see Soulcatcher no matter what, but maybe it was only because He allowed Dovepaw to see Him. Dovepaw began to feel guilty. Soulcatcher had never been mean to her. Ever since she met Him, He was always polite and understanding. But she growled as she thought of what Soulcatcher had told her in her dream. There was no way Tigerstar could be training Ivypaw or Tigerheart! No way! They’re too loyal to do something like that! If Soulcatcher couldn’t understand, that was his problem. And yet… the more Dovepaw thought about it, the more unsure she became. Ivypaw had become very good at fighting and hunting over the days, and Tigerheart was crossing the border for mysterious reasons. She tried not to think about it, as she entered the camp, carrying her prey with Lionblaze. It was raining, and she was eager to get back into her den. “Nice job today.” Her mentor meowed, eyeing her catch of two birds and a vole. “We’re going to need all of the fresh-kill we can get this leaf-bare.” Dovepaw purred in thanks. But then a series of excited mewing made her head turn to the nursery. There was a small crowd around the den, and over the pitter-patter of raindrops bouncing off of its new roof Dovepaw could hear Swiftmind’s voice from inside the nursery. Dovepaw’s heart swelled as sweet memories of kithood came back to her. He’s telling a story! She ran across the puddles and wet earth toward the nursery, squeezing past her clanmates to get closer. Swiftmind’s stories were always a clan favorite. She managed to get a spot near the nursery’s entrance. “And so Oedipus, on his way to Thebes, comes across the sphinx. A horrible monster with the body of a lioness, the wings of an eagle, a serpent headed tail, and the head of a woman.” Swiftmind sat on his haunches as Molekit and Cherrykit listened with rapt attention. Dovepaw purred. She had always enjoyed Swiftmind’s tales of heroic twolegs and their battles with monsters. Of course she never understood why the creatures in his stories were usually half animal-half twoleg. When she asked Swiftmind why, he laughed and said that the Greeks always loved to give hints of possible bestiality. But when she asked what that meant he got embarrassed and told her to forget about it. “What’s a woman?” Molekit asked, wide eyed. Swiftmind sighed; he hated being interrupted during his stories. Dovepaw remembered Ivypaw asking the same thing when she was a kit. “A woman is a female twoleg.” Swiftmind clarified. “Now, the sphinx was well known in Thebes, for anyone travelling to Thebes would be stopped by her and asked a riddle. If the travelers answered the riddle incorrectly, she would eat them.” He continued. “The riddle was; ‘What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night.” He paused as everyone listening tried to figure out the question. “That makes no sense.” complained Dogpaw, who was also listening in the den. He was idly batting a ball of moss from paw-to-paw. “There’s nothing that can grow and drop legs like that in a day!” Swiftmind narrowed his blue eyes at his apprentice. “It’s a riddle Dogpaw… It’s not supposed to make sense.” Dovepaw rolled her eyes. Dogpaw might have been a good at training, but he could be a pain at some times. “Anyway,” Swiftmind began again. “After much thought, Oedipus answered ‘A Man- I mean Twoleg, because”- But he was interrupted again by Dogpaw. “What? How is it a twoleg?” Dogpaw snorted in disbelief. “He has a point,” Berrynose meowed. “Do twolegs really do that in a day?” He looked at Swiftmind skeptically. Swiftmind ignored them. -“Because as an infant, he crawls on all fours, as an adult, he walks on two legs and, in old age, he relies on a walking stick. Oedipus was the first to answer this riddle correctly, and in her anger, the sphinx flew away and threw herself off a cliff. Killing her and freeing Thebes. In their gratitude, the people of Thebes made Oedipus king, and gave him the recently widowed Queen’s hand in marriage.” “But wasn’t the queen his mother?” asked Cherrykit, mortified. Swiftmind shrugged. “He didn’t know that. Oedipus was given away and adopted by the kings of Corinth, remember? It was prophesized that he would kill his father and marry his mother anyway.” Yuck! Dovepaw grimaced. Sometimes twoleg prophecies were strange, but it was an interesting story anyway. Dovepaw listened some more to the tale of Oedipus before turning away to the apprentice’s den. Shaking as much rain off of her grey pelt as she could, Dovepaw ducked inside. Curling up into her nest, her thoughts drifted to her own prophecy. Will it fulfill itself, without help, like in Swiftmind’s story? Her little nap was interrupted by the sound of approaching pawsteps. Dovepaw did not bother to get up. She perked her ears and listened. Someone was running through the thorn tunnel. It was Blossompaw, carrying a starling. Of course! Today was her final assessment! Next came Ivypaw, dragging something heavy. Dustpelt and Thornclaw followed after her. Dovepaw got up, stretched, and then ducked out of the apprentices’ den. She hunched her shoulders in the cold battering rain. She stared in amazement at the large squirrel Ivypaw was carrying to the fresh-kill pile. “Great catch!” she called to her sister. “It’s nearly as big as you!” Ivypaw held her head up in pride. “Thanks.” She dropped the squirrel on the fresh-kill pile and glanced around the clearing. Then Ivypaw beckoned Dovepaw with her tail. “Come with me,” Before scooting toward the thorn tunnel. Dovepaw followed, puzzled. “Why?” she hurried after her sister. “What’s going on?” She could tell Ivypaw was bubbling with excitement and anxiety, pummeling the muddy ground on the other side of the tunnel impatiently. “What is it?” Dovepaw caught up with her. Ivypaw glanced around, as if she wanted to make sure no other cat was listening. What is so important that it has to be a secret? Then Ivypaw leaned closer. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while Dovepaw, but I haven’t gotten a chance till now.” She whispered to Dovepaw. “Want to know why I’ve been so good at fighting and hunting lately?” Dovepaw nodded. Her green eyes wide with anticipation. “A Starclan cat has been training me.” Ivypaw breathed. Dovepaw’s heart stopped, “When?” she asked reluctantly, afraid of the answer. “A while ago, in my dreams!” Ivypaw explained. “He taught me how to hunt and fight!” Dovepaw leaned closer. “Tell me more.” But Ivypaw now looked nervous. Was she reluctant to tell her about this ‘Starclan cat?’ “This cat…” Ivypaw fumbled for words. “He taught me some new hunting moves…” Dovepaw’s eyes never left her sister. “Who was it?” It took all her strength just to keep her voice from shaking. Please… Dovepaw silently prayed. Please don’t say it was Tigerstar… Dovepaw could sense Soulcatcher watching her. He felt so close that if she turned Dovepaw knew Soulcatcher would be there, with an I-told-you-so expression on His face. “It was…” Ivypaw began, but just then the undergrowth shivered. Brightheart burst through the ferns, panting. She must have been racing for the shelter of the hollow. “What are you two doing out here?” Brightheart gazed at the two with her only good eye. “You’ll catch your death! Inside, both of you!” Dovepaw looked behind her just in time to see a disappearing black mist that only she could see.I don’t need to catch my death. He’s following me on his own! The older she-cat circled them, pressing them toward the thorn tunnel. “What would Whitewing say? Or Jayfeather? We don’t want to start leaf-bare with a medicine den full of sneezing apprentices!” But Dovepaw allowed herself to be herded into the clearing. Ivypaw could still tell her who the cat teaching her was, just so long as the apprentices’ den was empty. Ivypaw was thinking the same thing, and she straight into the yew bush, beckoning Dovepaw. She kept close to her sister as they slipped into the dry den, shaking the water from their pelts. Just as Dovepaw had hoped, Ivypaw turned and started to explain about the Starclan cat. “He was a warrior”- “Dovepaw!” she flinched as Lionblaze called her through the den wall. Why now? Dovepaw growled. I need to know more! But Lionblaze called her again, and she looked apologetically at Ivypaw. “Sorry.” She mewed as she backed out of the den. Ivypaw turned her head, hurt and angry. She must have really wanted to tell Dovepaw about the Starclan warrior. But Dovepaw had a feeling in her heart that he wasn’t from Starclan at all. Dovepaw watched the dark form of Soulcatcher climb the waving beech tree. He reached the top quickly, and perched on the top, keeping balance despite the wind. Dovepaw wondered if trees had souls. Was Soulcatcher waiting to take the tree’s life? The wind tore at the tree’s leaf-heavy branches, forcing it to slide toward the rim of the hollow. “It’s falling!” Dovepaw whispered. Firestar and Lionblaze looked up, and saw the tree as well. “Come on!” Firestar insisted, prodding her through the thorn tunnel. She glanced back, and saw Soulcatcher watching her, His eyes glowing. She dragged her paws through the clearing, beyond, she could see the pelts of her clanmates huddled in the gully several tree-lengths away. Then her ears picked up an argument. Hurrying, she saw Mousefur trying her best to get past Lionblaze and Longtail, back into the camp. “Leave the mouse!” Longtail urged his friend. “We can catch another.” “I’m not wasting prey! It’s an insult to Starclan!” Mousefur growled. “Then I’ll get it!” Longtail jumped past Lionblaze and darted toward the thorn barrier, but before he could get there Swiftmind stepped in his path. The blinded cat bumped into him and gave a hiss. Swiftmind’s face was contorted with pain, and his fur was ruffled. “You can get it later!” Swiftmind growled in a strained voice. “Wait until its safe.” There was a frustrated yowl as Mousefur pushed her way past the warriors. Swiftmind and Longtail tried to create a barrier but the thin elder slid under them. Briarpaw raced after her, a blur of dark brown fur. “Come back! It’s not safe!” Lionblaze turned from the group and pelted after the two. Dovepaw followed, her heart racing. “The tree’s going to fall!” Lionblaze shrieked, tearing through the thorns. He and Dovepaw came through the tunnel just to see Mousefur and Briarpaw vanish into the elders’ den. “Get out!” Lionblaze’s yowl was smothered by a great creaking roar from the top of the hollow. Dovepaw looked up, eyes widening. No! With a deafening crack, the beech toppled over the rim and hurtled down the cliff. It seemed as if everything was happening in slow motion. The tree’s branches scraped against the stone walls like claws over her heart, and showered thorn-sharp splinters and rocks over the camp. Lionblaze pulled her back to the safety of the barrier as the shards rained around them. Dovepaw couldn’t feel the pain of his teeth sinking into her scruff; she was so numb with terror. The clearing disappeared under a torrent of flailing branches. She flattened her sensitive ears against the sound of shattering wood and watched in horror as Soulcatcher, riding a tangle of branches, landed with deadly accuracy on the honeysuckle den. She flinched as the den collapsed, and the beech hit the ground with a bone shattering crunch. But even in the wreckage of the tree, Dovepaw saw a flash of blue. She trembled. Soulcatcher had claimed a life. “Briarpaw.” She breathed. There was a bellow from the thorn tunnel, and yowls of fright. Something large was crashing through the thorns. Lionblaze and Dovepaw sprang away, just as the thing burst though. At first Dovepaw thought it was a badger, and wondered if her luck could get any worse, but then she realized it was cat-like… and growing. The cat thing stood on its hind legs, which grew longer, and lost its fur. The tail was shrinking back in its body, and Dovepaw saw its muscles move like serpents under its skin. She felt sick as is bellowed again. She then saw its face, cat-like, but slowly changing into something else. Something like a twoleg… Dovepaw gasped. “Swiftmind!” The transformation was almost complete, and what had once been Swiftmind the cat was now becoming Tom the twoleg. The fur was now gone, as well as the tail and claws. Replacing them were his white twoleg pelt over his torso, and a blue pelt around his legs. Tom was at the carnage of the tree, grabbing at the branches with his twoleg paws and using his feet as leverage to break them off. He then chucked the branch far over the rim and began at another branch. He’s trying to get to the den! Lionblaze didn’t hesitate. Leaving Dovepaw, he charged toward Tom, slipping past him through the branches. It was not long before Firestar was running out of the thorn tunnel after Lionblaze. “Wait!” Lionblaze halted on a shattered branch at the Thunderclan leader’s yowl. Tom also stopped. Firestar clambered after him on the branches, Dovepaw followed on shaky paws. “Can you hear anything?” Firestar asked them. Tom shook his head. “No.” Lionblaze glanced at Dovepaw. Dovepaw listened, but she couldn’t hear anything. “Nothing.” She lowered her head in loss. “They still might be alive.” Firestar leapt past Lionblaze and began to wriggle though the fluttering golden leaves toward the flattened den. But there was a creak from the tree, and Tom grabbed their leader and pulled him out from the branches. Lionblaze gasped. “What are you doing?!” Firestar snarled as Tom quickly put him down. The twoleg shook his head and said something urgently in twoleg. Tom pointed at the side of the hollow, where the trunk of the tree rested. There was another sickening creak and Dovepaw felt the tree move. “It’s slipping down the side of the hollow,” Dovepaw meowed. “We have to get off!” “But they might be trapped!” Lionblaze yowled, frustrated. “And we’ll be trapped to if we don’t get off!” Dovepaw shrieked as the tree moved again. Lionblaze hesitated, not wanting to leave his clanmates, but Tom grabbed the golden warrior by the scruff and picked up Dovepaw with a large paw under her belly. The world spun around her as Tom quickly carried them, followed by Firestar, down from the branches. Just as Tom reached firm ground did the beech give a groaning, scraping sigh, and slide down the wall of the hollow. Tom and Firestar jumped to a clear patch near the apprentices’ den. Dovepaw felt her stomach lurch as Tom tucked her close to his massive chest. Behind them, the tree groaned and fell, it’s branched caving beneath as it crumpled into down the base of the camp. Dovepaw let out a whimper and dug her face into Tom’s side. The twoleg put her and Lionblaze down. Dovepaw gazed at the shattered tree. Was it still possible that Briarpaw and Mousefur could be alive? She remembered Soulcatcher, and the blue flash, and her hope faded. Not both of them, at least. “Firestar?” Brambleclaw was crossing the wreckage toward them. As he jumped down beside them, Dovepaw saw the rest of the Clan streaming in through the destroyed thorn tunnel. “Stop!” Firestar warned his clanmates, but he didn’t need to. The Clan stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they saw their decimated home. Leafpool bowed her head, eyes closed, as if she was praying to Starclan. “Where’s the camp?” Cherrykit mewled weakly. Daisy bent down to comfort the kit as Poppyfrost stared blankly at the fallen tree. “It’s gone.” She breathed. “No it’s not,” Dogpaw stepped beside the queen. “It’s just… hiding…” “It’s still there,” Firestar growled. “We have to stay calm.” “Where’s Mousefur?” Longtail swung his head and sniffed around, searching for his denmate. “Briarpaw?” Millie’s mew cracked. Lionblaze padded up to the distressed she-cat. He looked at her in determination. “We’re going to find her!” He promised. From behind her, Dovepaw heard Tom huff as he stepped over her. The Thunderclan cats looked at Tom in fear, and they jumped away from him. “He won’t hurt you!” Firestar meowed to the Clan. “Remember, Tom is still Swiftmind at heart.” The Thunderclan leader turned to his deputy. “Brambleclaw, I want a patrol to clear a way to the elder’s den and I want the rest of the Clan outside the hollow and taken care of.” Brambleclaw studied the tree. “We’ll need to clear the branches we can move, and Tom can move the ones we can’t.” He called to Dustpelt, “How many warriors will you need to do that?” Dustpelt narrowed his eyes at Tom. “Four,” he meowed. “Any more would get in the way.” Dovepaw watched as they organized. Squirrelflight gathered Millie, Brackenfur, Birchfall, and Thornclaw to gather logs and props to help move tree limbs in position for Tom to break. Once the branches were broken, Dustpelt and his team of Sorreltail, Greystripe, Cloudtail, and Berrynose would move those branches out of the way. Dovepaw stiffened as she heard movement from where the elder’s den had been. There was a faint mewl from inside, and her heart lurched. Lionblaze heard it too. “There’s definitely a cat still alive in there.” Firestar nodded. “Then there’s not a moment to lose.” He flicked his tail and gave more orders. Whitewing was put in charge for all of the queens, kits, and elders. Jayfeather was told to treat any cat in shock. Brambleclaw was sent to work with Dustpelt and Squirrelflight. Longtail was pacing back and forth, a sob rising in his throat. “”This is my fault! I should have stopped her from running into there!” Leafpool weaved around him, leading him away from the tree to what was left of the thorn barrier. “They’ll find her.” She tried her best to calm him. Dovepaw closed her eyes. Her paws felt heavy with guilt, and she shook with misery. “Why didn’t I hear it earlier?” she wailed. “I could have stopped this!” Her mother came to her stricken kit, and the white warrior gently led Dovepaw out of camp. “It’s alright.” Whitewing soothed. “There was nothing you could have done.” But Dovepaw didn’t feel any better. This is all my fault! In the clearing, Ivypaw rushed to her sister. Dogpaw was right behind her. “Do you think they’ll be ok?” Ivypaw mewed as Whitewing padded to check on the rest of the Clan. Dovepaw looked at her paws, unable to answer. “We can’t give up hope.” Dogpaw growled at her. “In fact, I should be out there helping right now!” He moved toward the thorn barrier, but was stopped by Whitewing. “You’re not going anywhere. Dustpelt said that more cats would just get in the way.” The white warrior told him. Dogpaw grumbled but did not try to get in the camp again. Dovepaw kept her head low. She could hear the snapping and scraping of branches as they were torn from the tree and moved to make a path to the trapped cats. She closed her eyes, and images of her clanmates gathering around the tree, they were making progress. There was a wail. Dovepaw looked around to see Jayfeather beside Poppyfrost, trying to calm her. Longtail also looked distressed. “They’ll be fine Poppyfrost, you’ll see.” Jayfeather meowed. Poppyfrost shook her head, her eyes glazed. “Don’t patronize me Jayfeather, you saw the state of the den!” Jayfeather sighed and turned to Brightheart. “She’s in shock. Can you watch her while I get poppy seeds?” “How will you get to your den?” Brightheart looked back at the den with worry. Jayfeather didn’t answer, but went through the thorn tunnel anyway. It was not long before he came back. “Rosepetal! I need your help.” He called from the tunnel. The dark cream she-cat followed Jayfeather back to the camp. Dovepaw wondered what the medicine cat needed her for. Curious, Dovepaw peeked through the ravaged bramble barrier. She watched Jayfeather and Rosepetal race back through the hollow. He stiffened the distressed Millie and Greystripe, watching the elder’s den with grief. Tom was still pulling away branches. The ones that were too thick to break he propped to one side. He was close to the crushed honeysuckle now. Satisfied, Tom whistled to Lionblaze, who delved in, shouldering through twigs and squeezing between two remaining branches that hung from the trunk. While the golden warrior was in the den, Tom braced his feet, and pulled at the last two branches that blocked the den. Wood scrapped against the ground, and Dovepaw watched in wonder as the twoleg dragged both limbs out. He dropped the tree limbs with a thud. As Cloudtail and Brackenfur rolled them away to the edge of the hollow Tom sat and sighed. Sweat dripped off of his fur-patched face. His paws were scrapped and cut. The way now clear, Dustpelt jumped into the den after Lionblaze. Dovepaw heard Dustpelt speak, but stopped. She held her breath and listened, even though she was afraid of what she would hear. “Mousefur,” Came a choked meow from Dustpelt. “Oh no…” Dovepaw shut her eyes. Her throat became tight and painful. She heard the scrape and scrabble as the body was pulled from the den. She looked at Lionblaze as he laid Mousefur on the cold ground, his eyes full of sadness. Firestar dipped his head while Greystripe pressed close to Millie. “Did you see Briarpaw?” Greystripe whispered. Lionblaze started to shake his head, but then Dustpelt called from inside the honeysuckle. “She’s alive! Quick!” Hope swelled in Dovepaw, as Lionblaze and Greystripe dashed back to the den. Tom stood up again and rushed back to the den and peered inside. Dovepaw felt a presence beside her. She looked beside her, and Dogpaw was crouched starring into the hollow. He was smirking. “I told you Briarpaw would be alright!” He whispered. Dovepaw nodded meekly, “But not Mousefur.” She murmured. Dogpaw said nothing more, but blinked sadly. But then there was a snap, and he stood up sharply, eyes ablaze. Dovepaw looked and saw several branches that were supporting the trunk start to break. The beech started to sag and drop, blocking the way out of the crushed elders’ den. Shocked and frightened cries came from within. They’re trapped! Dogpaw was already racing toward the den, Dovepaw stayed where she was, paralyzed in fear. But Tom was closer than Dogpaw. The twoleg crouched, putting his large arms under the beech trunk, and began to lift. The trunk itself was not large, but it was weighed down by numerous leaves and branches. Dovepaw could hear Tom groan with the strain, and his heartbeat quicken. And yet the tree began to rise. Twigs flicked and cut at Tom’s face, and he still lifted. Dovepaw could see the faces of the trapped cats peeking from under the tree. Tom barked something through his clenched teeth, and Dogpaw’s ears pricked. The young apprentice rushed closer. “He can’t hold it long!” Dogpaw yowled. “Get Briarpaw out now!” Dovepaw narrowed her eyes. How did Dogpaw know what Tom was saying? “But Briarpaw is still trapped!” Greystripe’s face glared at Dogpaw. He’d die before leaving his daughter. Dovepaw reached her senses into the den. She could hear four heartbeats, three were strong, the heartbeats of the warriors. But one was weak, followed by ragged breathing. Briarpaw! She was still trapped on a large branch. It was larger than all of the others. Tom groaned again, and shifted position. The tree shuddered, and Dovepaw heard Briarpaw shriek. This time Tom ducked his head under the trunk, putting the weight on his shoulders. He straightened his legs and the beech was lifted even higher. Now Dovepaw could see Lionblaze crouching under the huge limb that was pinning down Briarpaw. Following Tom’s example, Lionblaze lifted the heavy branch, muscles straining. Quickly, Greystripe and Dustpelt grabbed the stricken apprentice and carried her carefully under Tom’s legs and into safety. Tom shouted something and sagged. Lionblaze got the hint and ducked out from underneath the tree branch and dived after Greystripe and Dustpelt. Tom gave a grunt and quickly dropped the tree. The beech crashed to the ground, as well as Tom. He lay on the ground panting from loss of energy. Lionblaze lay beside him, also breathing heavily. Firestar padded to the two of them. The Thunderclan leader smoothed Lionblaze’s back and Tom’s hair with his tail. “Well done.” Firestar meowed, before going to Briarpaw. Dovepaw creeped into the hollow, not noticing her clanmates that followed her from the thorn tunnel. They had all heard the crash and had come to investigate. But soon everyone’s attention was on Briarpaw and Mousefur. She lay on the ground, limp, and lifeless. Dovepaw would have thought Briarpaw was dead too if it wasn’t for the shallow rise and fall of the apprentice’s chest. Bumblepaw and Blossompaw pressed close to Millie and Greystripe. “Will Briarpaw be okay?” Bumblepaw whimpered. Longtail broke away from the group, he began to nose Mousefur’s body, as if to wake up his lost friend. “No, no, no, no, no,” he moaned. Whitewing came up to the heartbroken elder and touched her nose into his side to comfort him. Dovepaw felt her own heat break. She found Ivypaw was beside her. Dovepaw felt comforted by her sister’s presence, but her eyes never left Briarpaw. “Is she dead?”Ivypaw whispered. Dovepaw wasn’t sure. “Don’t just stand there like rabbits,” the two apprentices jumped at Lionblaze’s snap. He was up and moving now. Tom was still sitting a little ways off. “Go and fetch her some moss. Try to make her comfortable!” The golden warrior ordered. Dovepaw and Ivypaw sprang away and raced from the hollow. She and her sister did not stop until they reached the ancient oak. Ivypaw was already grabbing pawfuls of moss, shaking so much that she tore dirt with it. “She’ll be okay.” Dovepaw mewed, even though she hardly believed it herself. Once they had gathered so much moss that it made their jaws ache, they rushed back to camp, careful not to drop a single clump. Through the ravaged bramble tunnel, Dovepaw could still see cats, and Tom, gathered in the middle of the clearing. They hadn’t moved Briarpaw, something was wrong. She and Ivypaw slowed as they drew nearer. Now she could see Tom kneeling beside Briarpaw. She was awake, but she looked confused. Tom was feeling along the brown she-cat’s back, concentration etched on his face as he moved his twoleg paws over her spine. Jayfeather was watching with blind eyes. Tom’s paws stopped near Briarpaw’s tail, and the twoleg’s face became pale. Jayfeather noticed this. “What’s wrong?” The medicine cat stiffened. Tom didn’t say anything. “Why did he stop?” Briarpaw mewed weakly. “Did he take his paws off yet? I can’t tell.” Tom murmured something and moved his paw up her back. Dogpaw, who was standing by Tom, twitched his ears. “He asked if you can feel his paw.” He murmured to Briarpaw slowly. Briarpaw blinked. “Now I can.” She meowed. Tom move his furless paw lower, back to where he stopped before, and said something again. “And now?” Dogpaw translated. “No. Is his paw still there?” Briarpaw tried to move but gasped at the effort. “What happened to my back legs?” she gave a terrified mew. “Why can’t I feel them?” The hollow was eerily quiet. Millie gave a whimper and buried her face into Greystripe’s shoulder. Dovepaw felt her pelt freeze. If Briarpaw couldn’t feel her legs, then she couldn’t walk, run, hunt, or even stand. For an apprentice as energetic as Briarpaw… that might even be worse than death… Tom stood up, making the cats around him move back. He walked to the edge of the clearing, his head down. Then, in a sudden rage, Tom picked up a branch, swung it high over the rim of the hollow, and screamed. Chapter 10
Tom let his bellow of rage echo across the forest. A few birds flew away in fright. After a few heavy breaths he turned to the others. The cats of Thunderclan looked at him in fear. But the only one he was really worried about was Briarpaw. The little apprentice was looking at her back legs in confusion and fear. She couldn’t feel them, and Tom knew exactly why. Her spine was broken. She was paralyzed, and would never walk again. His hands shook as he remembered the break he felt along her back. “Tom.” Jayfeather’s mew made Tom jump. Even as a twoleg, he could still understand cats. Jayfeather couldn’t see Tom, but the medicine cat had his head turned up toward his face. “You know something. Don’t lie. What’s wrong with Briarpaw?” Tom didn’t know what to say. Everyone was staring at him, but for once he couldn’t find his voice. What could he say? Sorry, but Briarpaw’s crippled for life? There was a tug at his pant leg. Looking down, Tom found that Dogpaw was climbing up his clothes. A look of determination was on his apprentice’s face. Tom helped Dogpaw onto his shoulder. Perched right by his head, Dogpaw meowed loudly in his ear. “If you know what’s wrong with her, maybe you can help her.” Tom sighed. “No I can’t. You can’t fix spines, at least, I can’t.” Dogpaw tilted his head. “What’s wrong with her spine?” Every cat in Thunderclan craned their necks, eyes wide. “So you can understand him?” Firestar meowed, surprised, “How?” “Tom taught me.” Dogpaw mewed. Greystripe stepped forward. “But you said something about her spine. What’s wrong with it?” Worry edged his voice. “It’s broken.” Tom said sadly. “All the nerves down from the break won’t move anymore. She won’t be able to walk.” Dogpaw translated, and Millie broke away from her two kits, advancing on Tom. He almost stepped back from the anxious she-cat. “What do you mean she won’t be able to walk? Broken bones heal. Won’t her back bone heal over time?” Tom shook his head. “It’s not the bone. It’s the nerves inside it. Nerves can’t heal like bones do. Without them her legs won’t move, ever. I’m sorry.” Dogpaw stared at Tom in disbelief. The little cat did not want to believe what Tom had said, but he translated for Millie anyway. The she-cat let out a wail of grief for her disabled daughter, her mate and kits ran to comfort her. Jayfeather shook his head, lost. “Wait!” Dogpaw mewed. “You could take her to the vet! They take care of loads of cats. Can’t they help?” the apprentice’s eyes shined with hope. Leafpool narrowed her eyes. “The vet? You mean the cutter?” Several Clan cats shivered. Greystripe growled. “I will not have my daughter be taken to the cutter.” “But they might help!” Millie mewed. She gazed at her mate, her eyes pleading. “Twolegs can do more than we can.” Greystripe still looked unsure, but he didn’t say anything. The grey warrior looked back at his kit. Briarpaw had her head on her paws. “Do you really think they can help her?” He asked Tom. Tom honestly didn’t know. He heard of animals going under spinal surgery and living, but he didn’t know how bad Briarpaw was hurt. Also, the surgeries were very expensive, let alone the cost of an X-ray. He didn’t have that kind of money on him. “It would be risky. But it would be better than doing nothing. Tom shrugged. Dogpaw translated. The Thunderclan cats turned to Firestar, who had his head bowed in thought. He raised his head and meowed in a clear voice. “Not all twolegs are dangerous, Tom has shown us that. But I will not force Briarpaw to be sent to the cutter. Briarpaw,” The Thunderclan leader turned to the injured apprentice. “I make it your decision. What do you want to do?” Briarpaw looked from Firestar, to Tom, to her kin, and back to Firestar. “I…” She meowed, nervous. But she then drew herself up, despite her lifeless legs, and drew a breath. “If there’s a chance that I can walk again, then I want to try it.” Firestar nodded. “Very well. Tom, you and Briarpaw can leave whenever you see fit.” He meowed grimly. “And I’m coming too!” Dogpaw insisted. “In case you need to tell Briarpaw something.” He meowed to Tom. “Fine,” Tom sighed. He didn’t have time to argue with his apprentice. “But if we’re going then we have to leave now. The sooner I get Briarpaw to the vet, the more likely they’ll be able to help her.” “Tom says I can go and we need to leave now so the cutter can help her faster.” Dogpaw translated. Tom rolled his eyes, wishing they would stop calling the veterinarians ‘the cutter’. It made it sound like a butcher. But maybe that was the point. The Clan buzzed with anxiety. Jayfeather gave Briarpaw poppy seeds to calm her. Cats began widening the barrier so that Tom could get through. Using his sweater, Tom wrapped up Briarpaw so she couldn’t hurt her back any more than it already was. From behind, Tom heard Dogpaw promising Bumblepaw and Blossompaw that he would take care of their sister. “This isn’t fair.” Blossompaw murmured. “We were going to be made warriors together!” “We still are! We can wait for our naming ceremony until Briarpaw comes back.” Bumblepaw vowed. Briarpaw’s kin padded up from around Tom and nuzzled her in farewell. Mille looked up from her kit and glowered at Tom. “Bring her back.” The grey she-cat meowed morosely. “Promise to bring her back safely or I’ll never forgive you.” Despite this grim warning, Tom couldn’t help but give a weak smile at the mother’s protectiveness over her kit. “I promise I’ll bring her back.” he nodded. Dogpaw jumped on Tom’s hunched back and meowed in translation. Millie’s gaze softened and she stroked Briarpaw’s back with her tail. Greystripe buried his nose in her fur. “Don’t worry. Our big twoleg will watch over her.” He mewed to comfort her. Millie purred. “Are you ready Tom?” Firestar padded up to them. Tom nodded, and gently picked up Briarpaw in the sweater bundle. She gave a faint mew and was silent. With Dogpaw on his shoulder, he made his way to the forest clearing. His Clanmates gave yowls of encouragement. “May Starclan light your path.” Firestar called out to him. Tom cradled Briarpaw and gave a little wave to Thunderclan, and then turned into the forest. Heading toward the human campsite where his truck was parked. “Don’t worry Briarpaw.” He whispered to the small bundle in his arms. “You’ll be okay... I promise...” Tom Freedman threw the rest of the tent poles into the truck bed. His stuff had been undisturbed since he left, much to his surprise. The tent was the last one in the campsite, everyone else had left for the fall. Briarpaw and Dogpaw sat curled in the cat bed that was strapped to the passenger seat. It had taken a while to convince Briarpaw that the truck would not hurt her, even after explaining that the car was not alive. But with Dogpaw sitting beside her, the apprentice was much calmer, even a little curious about the truck’s interior. “I always thought it would be a bit more… slimy.” She mewed to Dogpaw. She gave the seat another sniff, “It smells like I thought it would though.” Briarpaw wrinkled her nose in disgust. “You’ll get used to it.” Dogpaw meowed. Tom walked over the grass to the truck and closed the passenger door, making both cats jump. He then quickly moved around the car and got in the driver’s seat. “Is everyone comfy?” He asked. Briarpaw looked at him in obvious incomprehension, but Dogpaw nodded. At least there was someone who could understand him, somewhat. Buckling up, Tom turned on the trucks engine and put it into drive. Briarpaw whimpered at the roar of the motor, and curled closer to Dogpaw. The brown apprentice licked her head to comfort her, and Tom smiled. It was a good thing Dogpaw was coming after all, not only as a translator but as support. The truck rolled down the dirt road, over the small bridge, and through the forest to the main road. Soon the forest thinned, and the truck was driving over the Whitchurch road. Tom gave one last look at the lake before driving on to the distant city. By the time they had reached the city limits, Briarpaw had fallen asleep, despite her fear of the car. Dogpaw blinked sleepily from where he sat. “Do you think the vet can really save her?” Dogpaw mewed. His voice was quiet, so as not to wake his friend. Tom did not answer right away. His little apprentice noticed the hesitation. “Tom?” “I don’t know Dogpaw. I’m not a vet, so I can’t be sure.” Tom sighed. “We can only hope.” The truck became quiet again. Dogpaw looked down at Briarpaw sleeping beside him. His face contorted into blatant determination. “No, she will walk again.” He vowed. “I’ll make sure of it.” Tom kept his eyes on the road, wishing he had Dogpaw’s confidence. But something in him knew that Briarpaw’s chances weren’t good. He drove around the town, trying to find a animal hospital, but so far the only thing close was a little pet shop. A though struck him, and Tom pulled the truck into the parking lot. “Is this the vet?” Dogpaw stood up to look through the car window. His movements woke up Briarpaw. The brown she-cat blinked sleepily. “Where are we?” She mewed. Tom unbuckled himself. “It’s not the vet.” He said. “I need to get you both collars first. And maybe some more money.” Dogpaw’s head shot around and he glared at Tom. “Collars?” he spat. “You never said anything about collars! What do we need collars for?” the apprentice demanded. “The vet will take you and Briarpaw away from me if they don’t think you’re pets. The collars are just a disguise that you can take off once we get out of here.” Tom clarified. Dogpaw still glared at him. The little tom hated the thought of being owned, or anything that had to do with being a pet. Getting him to where a collar would be difficult. “If you want, I’ll let you pick the color.” Tom bargained. “It’s either a collar, or you can’t go in with Briarpaw.” Dogpaw huffed, an inner debate raging in his head. Briarpaw looked from Dogpaw to Tom, confused. Dogpaw eventually gave in, and told Briarpaw why she needed a collar. At first she protested, but once Dogpaw assured her that she wouldn’t be wearing it for long she shrugged. “Fine,” She sulked. “But I want a green one. And no little tinkling thing! Millie told me about them and how annoying they are.” Tom smiled and nodded. No bells for Briarpaw. “And what about you Dogpaw?” he looked at his apprentice. “I guess I’ll have a black one.” Dogpaw meowed wretchedly. “But I want it like a dog collar, with spikes on it!” he added. “You won’t catch me with a soft kittypet collar.” Tom rolled his eyes. He was still shaking his head when he walked out of the pet store with the collars and a map to the nearest vet. Briarpaw received a bright green one with an easy snap-on snap-off buckle. It came with a bell, but that could be taken off easily. Dogpaw’s collar was leather, with shiny metal spikes. It was meant for a small dog like a terrier, but it would fit Dogpaw just fine. Besides, Tom thought to himself, the little brat would never wear a collar that wasn’t to his liking. The small tom shook his head and adjusted to his liking. Dogpaw looked into the car mirror and looked at his reflection critically. “How do I look?” he meowed to Briarpaw, who was also adjusting her new collar. “Terrifying,” She smirked. Tom snickered as he buckled up again and started the car. It was good to see that Briarpaw was acting more like herself. Using the map, he quickly drove through the city to an emergency pet hospital. Tom parked, and rushed to the back of the truck. He unpacked his cat carrier. Dogpaw saw it and dove under the seat. “I’m not going in that thing!” he hissed. “Me neither!” Briarpaw struggled to get away from Tom. “The collars are bad enough!” “You won’t be in it for long, I promise.” Tom pleaded. “You still need to act like you’re pets.” He had the whole story worked out in his head. He would tell the vets that Briarpaw belonged to a friend, and he found her on the side of the road, as if a car hit her. He was already taking his friends other cat, Dogpaw, to the groomers when he found her, so he had to put them both in the same carrier. It was a good lie, but he had to get both apprentices in the cage first. He gently but firmly grabbed Briarpaw, much to her annoyance, and carefully put her in the carrier. She yowled in protest. Dogpaw did not get such nice treatment. Tom grasped the cat’s scruff, and forced him inside with Briarpaw. “Bloody twoleg!” Dogpaw cursed, as Tom closed the cage door. “It’s for your own good.” Tom promised. He took a deep breath, got into character, and rushed into the vet. There was hardly anyone in the waiting room. Only an elderly woman with a Chihuahua and a man with a red macaw on his wrist were sitting in the chairs. At the desk, a young woman was typing onto a computer. Tom did his best to ignore the meows from in the carrier. “Let us out!” cried Briarpaw. “Can’t I just ride on your shoulder?” Dogpaw asked in hope. “How long will we be in this thing?” “You’ll pay for this Tom!” The young woman looked up at the sounds of the apprentices cries. “Can I help you?” she asked. “It’s my friend’s cat.” Tom began, making sure to put strain in his voice. “I think she was hit by a car.” The girl’s eyes widened and she looked into the cage. Besides her new collar, Briarpaw was a mess, by pet standards. Her fur was dirty and flecked with pieces of bark. Her legs were splayed uselessly behind her. Dogpaw hovered over her, and glared at the woman. “What about the other cat?” she asked Tom. “I was taking them both to the groomers, and he was already in the carrier when Briar got out.” He lied. Briar was the only pet name he could think of for Briarpaw. Tom pointed to Briarpaw. “When I went outside to look for her I found her on the side of the road. She can’t move her back legs.” “Come with me,” The woman quickly led him through a hallway on the far wall to the right of the desk. She led them to a vet office, filled with machines. Tom recognized one of them as an X-ray. He put his carrier onto a metal table that was attached to the wall. “Wait here.” The woman told him, and left the room. She came back with a middle aged man with graying hair. The man extended his hand in greeting, “Hello, I’m Dr. Verence. I specialize in Neurology.” “Nice to meet you,” Tom shook the man’s hand. “What’s Near-logy?” Dogpaw mewed from the cage. He could understand other humans as well, but his vocabulary wasn’t perfect. Dr. Verence looked into the carrier. Dogpaw growled at the vet, who smiled. He looked back at Tom. “What are their names?” “Well, the tom cat’s name is Doug,” he pointed to the glaring apprentice. “And the she- the female’s name is Briar. They both belong to a friend of mine.” He pointed to Briarpaw. “So you’re not the owner?” Dr. Verence asked. “No.” Tom said, relieved that the doctor did not notice him almost saying 'she-cat'. “Is your friend in town?” Dr. Verence questioned. “No, she’s on vacation. I was watching the cats for her.” Tom answered. He did not know why he said his friend was a ‘she’, it just came to him. The doctor nodded, and thought for a moment. “Did you see the car hit Briar?” “No, I just found her in the road.” Tom explained. “I couldn’t find any broken bones, but I think there’s something wrong with her spine.” Dr. Verence opened the carrier. Dogpaw looked ready to lunge, but a look from Tom made him freeze. Briarpaw yowled in protest as the vet picked her out of the cage. “Tom! Help!” “It’s alright sweetie.” Dr. Verence soothed the way all people who handle animals do. He placed Briarpaw on the metal table. She whimpered. Dogpaw tried to walk out onto the table after her, but Dr. Verence pushed him back and shut the carrier. “Nurse, could you take Doug here to the kennels? He probably wants some food. And get Susan and Devin in here, I’m going to need help.” The vat handed the carrier and the meowing Dogpaw to the woman standing by the door. “Hey! I can’t go!” Dogpaw called out to Tom. “I need to tell Briarpaw what you’re saying! Tom!” His mew faded down the hall. “Lively little guy isn’t he? The collar’s certainly appropriate.” The doctor remarked. “Yeah,” Tom sighed. “He doesn’t like to be separated from his friends.” “Is your friend a cat breeder?” the vet asked. “What?” Tom was caught off guard. The question was so out of the blue. “It’s just that the cats aren’t fixed, and Doug looks like an Abyssinian.” “Oh, oh yeah. Yes, she’s a breeder. Doug is one of her favorites.” Tom said. He had no idea what an Abyssinian was. It must be some sort of fancy cat breed. Two more vets came in, and with their help Dr. Verence took out a tweezer-like tool and gently squeezed Briarpaw’s front toe. “Hey!” Briarpaw flinched and jerked her paw away. Then Dr. Verence took the tweezers and squeezed Briarpaw’s hind paw. She blinked, but did not flinch. He squeezed the other one, possibly a little harder. Briarpaw did nothing. Dr. Verence lifted her leg and let it flop onto the table. The vet shook his head. “We’ll need an X-ray.” He told Tom. The doctor and the nurses sedated Briarpaw, and placed her on the machine. Dr. Verence put on a heavy lead apron, as did the nurses. “You should step outside.” The vet suggested, “You don’t want radiation poisoning.” “Sure, can I see Doug?” Tom asked. Dr. Verence nodded. Tom walked out, giving one more glance at Briarpaw before leaving down the hall. Please, He prayed silently in his mind, let her be okay… Let them be able to help her… He found the rows of cages in the wall easily. All he had to do was follow the sound of angry yowls. Dogpaw was screeching his head off. “Get away from me! Get away or let me out!” “Shut up! They never listen.” Another voice yowled. Tom entered the room and was hit by a wave of sound, cat sounds, cat’s voices. To anyone else, it would have just been meows, mews, sniffs, and growls. But to Tom, it was like a mob, shouting and talking all at once. “Let me out!” “Can I go home yet?” “Quiet!” “Where am I?” “Please let me go!” “Can you play with me?” This last remark was from an orange kit. She reached her little paw out through the cage door to Tom. He Held up his hand and let her bat at his fingers. Her litter mates ran up to the bars and joined in, squealing in delight. Their mother watched. “Tom!” Dogpaw’s voice drew him away from the kittens. On the opposite wall, in the middle of another row of shining pens, a couple of nurses were gathered around one cage. Tom smirked. Dogpaw was learning how acting vicious just makes people think he’s cuter. His spiked collar didn’t help. “Look at him, he’s so cute!” One nurse thrilled. “His collar is just adorable.” Another remarked. “Help!” Dogpaw looked over the nurses through the bars at Tom. “Excuse me ladies,” Tom made his way past the nurses. “He gets shy around strangers.” The women laughed and moved off to whatever they had to do. Dogpaw glared at him with his dark eyes. “Where’s Briarpaw?” Tom made sure there was no one around before he spoke, “They’re looking at her back right now.” He told Dogpaw. “It will be a while before we find out anything.” His apprentice groaned and sat on the newspaper lining of his cage. The little bowl of cat food and water was untouched. “This is just like when I was a kit.” Dogpaw mewed, mostly to himself. “It’s all the same, the cage, the paper, the food, the twolegs staring at me. I thought, when I met you, I wouldn’t have to go through this again. I thought I could finally be a wild cat, like my mother was… Like my father.” Tom blinked. He had never seen this side of Dogpaw. No, that wasn’t true. He had always seen this side, but at first it looked like normal ambition. The little cat wants to be a warrior so bad, it must be torture for him to be in a kennel again. “You still are wild Dogpaw. You’re the wildest cat I’ve ever met. This doesn’t change anything.” Tom smiled at the young tom, his apprentice. Dogpaw looked up at Tom, his eyes hopeful. It was then they realized that the cages around them were quiet. All the cats were staring at them. “Ummm…” Tom took a deep breath and cursed to himself. He should have known the other cats would notice a human conversing with Dogpaw. One feline, a scrawny black tom that had a cage next door to Dogpaw, was looking from Tom to the apprentice in confusion. Finally he spoke. “Were you just… talking to that housefolk?” he mewed to Dogpaw. “Of course not!” Dogpaw gave a little laugh. “Housefolk can’t understand cats! Everyone knows that.” “It looked like you were talking to me.” Meowed a brown she-cat from the far back. “Well…” Dogpaw tried to explain. “I-it’s just that I’m so close to my housefolk, I sometimes talk to him even when I know he can’t understand me.” “No, he understood you, I saw it.” A large grey tom that was in the row of cages by the door growled. He pointed an accusing paw at Tom. “He was listening to your every word. In fact, he’s listening to us right now! Look!” Tom immediately averted his gaze, and tried to act oblivious to the cats around him. But it was too late. All shinning eyes were on him and Dogpaw. “Amazing, a housefolk that understands cats!” mewed an elderly tom that didn’t seemed all that shocked. “I wondered when they would finally catch on.” “Housefolk shouldn’t be able to listen to cats. And cats shouldn’t talk to housefolk. It’s just wrong.” The mother she-cat that Tom had seen earlier huddled her kits closer to her and narrowed her eyes at him at Dogpaw. As if he and Tom committed a crime against nature. But then again, perhaps they did… “Excuse me,” a more human voice came from the hall. Tom turned and was almost relieved to see Dr. Verence. “The results from the X-ray are back, if you want to see.” He said. “Oh…yeah, ok.” Tom was glad for any excuse to get out of that room, away from the stares. He followed the vet back into the X-ray room. The nurses were wrapping the drugged Briarpaw in a towel. Tom gulped at the sight of her still body. “How bad is it?” he murmured. “Pretty bad,” Dr. Verence sighed. He took what looked like black pieces of plastic and set them on a light board attached to the wall. He flicked it on and Briarpaw’s skeleton lit up. “Considering that she was hit by a car, it could have been a lot worse. But then again… it could have also been a lot better.” The doctor took out a pen and pointed to an area of her spine, close to the base of the tail. Tom knew what he would see, and yet he still grimaced at the sight of the crack in Briarpaw’s vertebrae. “As you can see, there are major lacerations to her spinal column. There is one large break here,” he traced the big crack with his pen. “and a smaller break here.” Dr. Verence pointed to another part of her spine. At first he didn’t see anything, but with a closer look Tom could make out a hairline break about an inch away from the larger one. Tom’s blue eyes drifted back to Briarpaw, wrapped in a little towel. “Is there anything you can do?” he asked. Dr. Verence sighed again. “The breaks are clean, but I wouldn’t risk an operation for this. The nerves are too damaged for any hope of her walking again, even if we try surgery.” His voice was sad, but nowhere near the sadness that Tom felt for the little apprentice. He remembered Briarpaw as a kit, lively and running everywhere, never again… Tom rested a hand on Briarpaw’s flank. I’m so sorry. He thought silently. “It would probably be best for Briar to just put her down, but that would be up to her owner.” Dr. Verence continued. Tom flinched at the thought of euthanizing Briarpaw, killing her without knowing. “No.” he said, a little too forcefully. “No I don’t think my friend would like that. The vet’s didn’t notice the tone of his voice, or the flinch, but Dr. Verence nodded. “For now we can give her an IV with supplements for her back. She’ll also need a vaccine for pneumonia. Fluid buildup is common in these cases.” “Fine, that’s fine.” Tom said somberly. One of the nurses picked up Briarpaw and carried her delicately to the room of cages. Tom wondered for a bit of what Dogpaw would do to seeing his friend in such a state. He then realized that Dr. Verence asked him something. “Sorry?” Tom said. “I was asking for your name, you never told me or the nurses.” Dr. Verence clarified. “Oh, sorry,” Tom muttered. “I’m Tom Freedman.” Dr. Verence nodded his head. “I’m sorry about Briar. We can keep her as comfortable as possible until your friend comes back from vacation if you want.” Tom shook his head. “Nah, Briar wouldn’t like it here much… No offence to you or anything.” He added. Tom knew very well that Thunderclan would never forgive him for leaving Briarpaw in a veterinary hospital, especially without anyone to comfort her. “I understand.” The doctor smiled. “If you’re interested, I know a place where you can get a sort of wheelchair for her.” “A wheelchair?” Tom looked up. He’d never thought about that. Sure, he’d heard about disabled pets having special wheelchairs made for them, but he’d never imagined putting Briarpaw in one. “Sure, it could allow her to walk, run, and sometimes even use a litter box, depending on the model.” Dr. Verence explained. “They’re a bit pricey, but it would be better than nothing. “I’ll tell my friend.” He told the vet. “In the mean time,” Dr. Verence took out a file of papers. “There’s the matter of the bill…” Tom took out the large sum of money out of the ATM. He sighed and tried to remind himself that all of this was for a friend. But it was hard to think about that when he found out that to use an X-ray was over 80 pounds! And to keep Briarpaw and Dogpaw in the vet overnight would cost over ₤25. Tom had money saved up, but that was to pay for the storage of most of his belongings. He couldn’t spend it whenever he wanted. But this is for Briarpaw. He promised Millie he would take care of her. Heck, he promised everyone, including himself. To save up, he would have to sleep the night in his truck, but with his sleeping bag that wouldn’t be so bad. But even by not renting a motel room, he still wouldn’t have enough money for a pet wheelchair. Dr. Verence had given him a catalogue, showing pictures of disabled animals with their hindquarters strapped on a little cart. It had been interesting. With a wheelchair, a crippled cat could walk, run, and with some models even lie down. Briarpaw wouldn’t be able to hunt in them, it would make too much noise in the bracken, but she wouldn’t have to drag herself anywhere. But where would he get the money? The wheelchairs were over ₤100, and those were the cheap ones. The sky was darkening. Tom looked up into the night, but Silverpelt, the Milky Way, couldn’t be seen from the city’s bright lights. He knew in his human heart that the Milky Way was just a large collection of stars in this galaxy. And yet another part of him, the Swiftmind part of him, knew that Silverpelt was the home of Starclan, each bright light a fallen warrior. And right now, it didn’t seem to matter which part of him was right. Tom sighed.Help me, anybody, please. It wasn’t much of a prayer, but on the other hand he wasn’t much of a religious man. But something did happen, as he walked back to his car. A movement in the corner of his eye made Tom look back at the bank. It had large windows, and in his reflection he didn’t see himself, not even his cat self, he saw his grandfather. Dressed in all white, his granddad stared back at him with a smile on his wrinkled face. Tom tried to blink the sleepiness out of his eyes, but the ghost of his grandfather still stood there in the glass. Tom walked closer to the glass. He had not seen his grandfather since the funeral, and that was only because it was an open casket. But in the mirror image he looked perfectly healthy, eyes full of wicked humor. But like in life, his grandfather’s left leg was stiff, his pants hiding the titanium replacement underneath. “Granddad?” he whispered. The apparition’s smile widened, nodding. Tom’s grandfather then raised a grizzled hand and pointed down the street. At the corner, peeking around the bank was a white cat. In such a large city, a stray would not have been surprising. What was surprising though, was the fact that the cat glittered, like stars, and was slightly transparent. The snowy cat’s eyes shined blue. “Icestar?” Tom turned back to the reflection of his grandfather, who winked, and disappeared. “What?” He looked back just in time to see Icestar running out of sight. “Wait!” Tom called out and ran after her. Legs pumping, Tom rounded the corner only to see Icestar running down the walkway and around another corner. Cursing under his breath, Tom ran faster. He soon found himself in the nocturnal part of the city, or in some places known as downtown. It took all of Tom’s concentration to not run into people and watch Icestar at the same time. The starry she-cat was almost swimming through the crowd, not paying the humans any attention. Of course they probably couldn’t see her, but it was as if they were making a clear path for Tom without even knowing it. They turned their heads as Tom quickly rushed past them. He was getting close to her now; it seemed he might catch up to yet. But then Icestar ran between someone’s legs, and Tom was running too fast to stop. He careened into the man’s back, knocking them both down. “Hey! Watch where you’re going you bas- Oh, hey Tom!” said a strangely familiar voice. Tom looked into the face of Mike. His childhood friend’s face was split into a wide grin. “Mike!” Tom gave out a laugh. “What are you doing here?” They both stood up and dusted themselves off. “I always come here when I’m bored.” Mike indicated the bar they were standing in front of. The large wooden sign read .The Winchester Tom grinned at the thought of an ice cold beer. It would be a great change from mossy water. “Come on,” Mike patted his back, as if reading his mind. “We can buy each other drinks.” “Is Rebecca with you?” Tom asked as they stepped into the pub. It was warm, and full of laughter. He could smell hot food being cooked in the kitchen behind the counter. Pint glasses hung on a rack, along with other knick-knacks on the walls. Mike nodded and pointed to a little table near the back. Tom could see Mike’s dark-haired wife sitting and chatting with Tom’s other friend Sarah. The two women spotted Tom and stood. “Mike!” Rebecca ran over through the crowed and hugged Tom. “I haven’t seen you in months! Where’ve you been?” she asked happily. Rebecca was raven-haired. it flowed down to her waist. Her eyes were also as dark as chocolate, but she had a light personality. Mike was a lucky man. “You haven’t been trying to get away from us have you?” Sarah joked. Sarah was a blond, with blue eyes and a petit body. Right now she was wearing the usual tank-top and jeans. Tom remembered when they once dated, but it didn’t work out. They were still friends of course. “Like I could ever escape you guys.” Tom chuckled. “I’m just roaming around, trying to find a place to settle down.” “Mike told me you quit your job.” Rebecca’s voice became concerned. “Have you found another one yet? Do you still need a place to live?” “Like I told Mike, I’m doing fine.” Tom assured her. Sarah gave him a curious look, she had known him long enough to know when he was lying. Tom became worried, was she going to say something? But she stayed silent. Mike left them at the table to get drinks. Tom grabbed an extra chair and sat with the girls, and listened to all of the news he had been missing in the Clan. Sarah was dating again, she had met this lawyer in the park near her place, and was doing relatively well. Mike had been promoted since Tom’s departure, and he and Rebecca were thinking about having children. “So how about you Tom?” Sarah inquired, “How’s your life going?” “Great.” Tom lied. “I’m looking at this nice little house in the woods. It’s small, but it’s perfect for me. And I have a few job offers.” “Well that’s good.” Rebecca said. Mike returned with the drinks and a large plate of fish and chips. Tom drank his in large gulps. For the first time in hours, he was enjoying himself. He was having a few pints with his friends, the food was good, and maybe he could spare a few dollars to get a motel… Over the clamor of the tavern, Tom heard a piercing yowl that did not bother passing through his ears but went straight to the brain. Tom! Tom nearly choked on his beer. He coughed and sputtered as his throat burned. “Are you alright? What happened?” Sarah sat up worriedly. Mike thumped him hard on the back. “You’re supposed to drink beer, not breathe it!” he chuckled as Tom got his breath back. “Yeah,” Tom gasped. “It just went down the wrong pipe, I’ll be fine.” He told them hoarsely. He then reached for a napkin to wipe up the spilled beer, and found Icestar sitting on the edge of the table. His hand passed right through her. He shivered at the cold, but pretended to his friends that nothing was amiss.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:32:34 GMT -5
(Hidden Nature cont. )
Icestar glared at him, her fur rising from her back in anger at him and her surroundings. Being a Clan cat, she was not used to the noise from the pub. “I brought you to this place for a reason Tom.” She meowed. “You asked for help, and I have led you to it. Don’t waste it!” Tom blinked, and she was gone. Great, he thought, I’m being haunted by a kitty guardian angel. Was one moment of relaxation too much to ask? Humans had an easy life, not having to worry about prophecies and whatnot! And what did Icestar mean by leading him to help? Sure, she led him to Mike, which was nice of her, but how was he supposed to- Tom’s mind cart wheeled. Mike’s promotion! That was why Mike was here, he was celebrating! And he probably had a big wallet full of money right now… “Well,” Mike said, standing up. “That stuff goes through me faster than lightning. I’ll be back.” and he headed to the restroom. This was Tom’s chance! “I might as well get cleaned up too,” he indicated his beer-soaked shirt. Tom got up and hurried after Mike. There was no one in the bathroom, another stroke of luck. While Mike took care of his business Tom took some paper towels and tried his best to clean his shirt. By the time Mike was washing his hands, Tom’s shirt was relatively dry. Tom took a deep breath, he rarely asked for money, let alone the amount he was asking for. Would Michal even lend it to him? “…Hey Mike,” Tom began. “Can I ask you for a favor?” “Hm?” Mike looked up from the sink. “I have…this friend. She”- Tom struggled for a good story. He was originally going to go with the one he told the vets, but now it seemed silly. However, Mike interrupted. “Wait,” he held up a hand. “She? Tommy, are you dating again?” a smile spread across his face. Tom blinked, and opened his mouth to say no, and the he closed it again. Mike was always one to jump to conclusions. If he wanted to believe Tom was seeing someone again, why not let him? It saved Tom for having to come up with most of the story anyway. “I can never keep anything from you can I?” Tom sighed. “Yes, I just met her a few weeks ago.” “What’s her name?” Mike leaned against the sink. Ever since Mike had gotten married, he had been trying to set him up with someone. Possibly to get Tom married just as he was. It was Mike who had set him up with Sarah in the first place. “L-Liz.” Tom sputtered, and stopped. Why was I going to say Leaf? Thankfully, Mike didn’t notice. “I once dated a girl named Liz in prep school.” Mike reflected. “Is she pretty?” Tom nodded. “Oh yes, very pretty.” “What does she look like?” Mike asked, intrigued. Now Tom was in trouble. He hadn’t bothered to come up with what this ‘Liz’ looked like. But he tried anyway. “Ah, she has light brown hair. Brown eyes, almost like amber. Thin, with a soft complexion.” He hazarded, trying his best to think of the perfect girlfriend for him. Mike nodded, smiling. “Well it’s good to hear you’re dating again. I was afraid you would die alone!” He sat up on the sink. He thought for a bit. “Didn’t you say you needed a favor?” “Yeah! I was wondering if, um, you could lend me”- Tom tried again. Mike interrupted him again. “Money? Is that why you tackled me?” Mike chuckled and slid off the sink. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Is it for some expensive dinner date? How much do you need?” “Um…” here came the part Tom had been dreading. “About ₤200, if I include tax.” The wallet, which Mike had pulled out of his jacket pocket, slid back in the pocket. Mike looked at Tom in surprise. “₤200? ₤200! Do I look like a bloody ATM to you? Why do you need that much money?” he asked. “Liz is a cat fanatic, and I was supposed to watch her two cats while she was away on vacation. But when I let them out one ran into the street and was hit by a car.” Tom explained. “The cat’s alright, but its back legs are paralyzed. If I can get a little wheelchair for her, maybe Liz will forgive me.” He let the lie sink in, and Mike sighed. “And the wheelchair costs two hundred pounds? That’s a lot for a bloody cat.” He shook his head, muttering to himself. He turned to Tom again. “Is she worth it? Liz?” he questioned. Tom nodded. “I’ll pay you back every penny.” He promised. “I’ll even buy you a round of drinks when I get a decent job.” Mike considered this for a while. “Well, I did get a promotion because of you…” he reasoned. “And you’ll introduce us to this Liz when she gets back, right?” “Of course!” Tom smiled, wondering how he would pull that off. “So you’ll actually lend me the money?” “You’re lucky that were best friends.” Mike pulled out his wallet. “I know you’ll pay me back someday. But until then, you owe me.” He handed Tom four 50 pound notes. “Just don’t tell Rebecca, ok?” “Why, would she be mad that you’re giving me so much money?” Tom wondered. Rebecca was such a nice person. He couldn’t imagine her getting worked up over money. Mike gave an exasperated laugh. “No, she’ll make me give you more.” Chapter 10 Lionblaze watched Dovepaw practice new fighting techniques. It had been two days since Tom left with the apprentices. Lionblaze and Cinderheart were training Ivypaw and Dovepaw in the forest hollow. They practiced battle moves half-heartedly. They were both were still in shock from the tree falling. Dovepaw looked as though she hadn’t slept ever since. She still blames herself for what happened. Lionblaze sighed, wishing that the little she-cat wouldn’t be so tough on herself. How could she have known a tree would fall? But no amount of coaxing seemed to convince her. Dovepaw would have to learn to forgive herself. “Alright, that’s enough for today.” Cinderheart meowed. “We should get some hunting done. It’s really close to leafbare, and we’ll need all the prey we can get.” “Good idea.” Lionblaze agreed. Dovepaw and Ivypaw stopped their practice. Lionblaze, nodded to Cinderheart and led his apprentice deeper into the forest towards the lake. The fallen leaves felt damp under his paws. It would be difficult to find any prey, but Dovepaw’s powers would help greatly. He sniffed the air. “Hear anything?” he asked. Dovepaw sighed. She must have grown tired of him asking that question every day, but he needed to know what was going on. Nevertheless, Dovepaw closed her eyes and pricked her ears in concentration. “There’s… a mouse digging through the leaves ahead of us, close to the big oak.” Dovepaw mewed. “There’s a squirrel not far from here. And… a thrush near the Shadowclan border...” Lionblaze blinked. It still amazed at Dovepaw’s acute hearing. “Well, we can get the mouse and the squirrel now. But I wouldn’t worry about the thrush.” “Wait.” Dovepaw meowed. Her eyes were wide open. “There’s something bigger. Something’s scarring a lot of prey.” “What?” Lionblaze saw the fear in her eyes. “What is it? A dog? A badger?” His fur rose, remembering the stories about a group of badgers attacking Thunderclan. But Dovepaw shook her head. “Bigger. Much bigger. It’s a monster!” she wailed. “There’s a monster in the forest!” “A monster? How? They’re too big to fit through the trees.” Lionblaze desperately tried to calm Dovepaw. He knew Dovepaw could not be mistaken. She was never wrong when it came to her powers. “It’s on the abandoned thunderpath!” Dovepaw cried, “The one by the old twoleg nest! Oh Lionblaze, Ivypaw and Cinderheart are hunting there!” Oh no! First it was the beavers, then tree falling in the camp, and now this. It was as if Thunderclan had the worst luck. “Go back to the camp!” Lionblaze ordered the shaking Dovepaw. “Warn Firestar, he’ll know what to do.” Without another word Lionblaze ran through the bracken, toward the abandoned twoleg nest. He needed to make sure Cinderheart and Ivypaw were safe. I need to warn them! Brambles tore at his fur, his paws slipped on the wet leaves, but Lionblaze did not slow down. He couldn’t stop. Already he could smell Jayfeather’s catmint, its fragrance wafted on the breeze. He could almost see the nest now. He slowed a bit, knowing that the old thunderpath was not far. He could already hear the growl of the approaching monster. Lionblaze felt his fur rise on his back. What was a monster doing here? Was it following the Clan’s scent? The dirt thunderpath led from here all the way to the hollow. If the monster truly was following the path, it would get to the camp. Lionblaze was just about to approach the thunderpath, when something burst from the ferns. He yowled as the unseen foe bowled him over on his side. “Sssshh!” Cinderheart hissed in his ear. “Quiet! It’ll hear you!” “Cinderheart!” Lionblaze’s mew was filled with relief. “Are you talking about the monster?” “You heard it too?” Cinderheart got off of Lionblaze. “I sent Ivypaw to warn the Clan, where’s Dovepaw?” “I sent her to camp like you did. Where’s the monster?” Lionblaze whispered. Cinderheart nodded her head to the ferns beyond. “It should be here any time now.” Cinderheart told him. “We were at the edge of the territory when I saw it coming down the thunderpath. It was moving slow though, we were able to get away. I think it might be sick.” Lionblaze wondered if monsters could get sick. “It might explain why it’s so far in the forest.” He meowed thoughtfully. The growl of the monster was getting closer. Lionblaze and Cinderheart crouched in the ferns and watched, waiting. The old thunderpath was small, and only dirt and pebbles. Weeds covered its surface. And then the monster appeared. It was very slow, like Cinderheart had said, its black paws crunching on the pebbles. It swerved from left to right on the path like it was disoriented. Maybe it is sick. The monster moved past their hiding spot and came to a halt beside the abandoned twoleg nest. Something about its shiny red pelt seemed familiar to Lionblaze, but he didn’t know why. The monster’s growling stopped, and was still. Was it dying? But then there was a muffled sound from inside the monster. The monster’s side opened up, and a thrashing brown shape slid out from it with a muffled cry. It sounded like a twoleg shout at first, but then changed into a yowl. “OOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooh bugger!” Swiftmind shook his head and got unsteadily to his paws. “Swiftmind!” Lionblaze jumped out of the ferns happily and rushed to his friend. Cinderheart followed behind him. Swiftmind blinked at them groggily. “Oh that’s nice, a welcoming party.” “You’re back!” Cinderheart mewed. “Are you alright?” “Do you know what it’s like to be driving and then suddenly change from a twoleg to a cat?” Swiftmind queried. They both shook their heads. “It’s very painful and I now have a headache. But luckily I have a poppy seed muffin I was saving in the truck. Dogpaw!” he called up to the monster. Dogpaw’s head appeared from the monster. For some reason the little tom was wearing a collar with shiny thorns on it. “Hi Lionblaze! Hi Cinderheart!” he meowed. “Guess what? I helped drive the truck!” “And you did a very good job. Can you get my breakfast Dogpaw? I need the poppy seeds.” Swiftmind groaned again. “Okay.” Dogpaw disappeared and quickly reappeared with a white bundle clenched in his jaws. He dropped it to Swiftmind, who tore open the package and pulled something brown and puffy. Lionblaze could see little poppy seeds imbedded in the twoleg food. “Swiftmind?” Lionblaze heard another mew from within the monster. “If you’re a cat, how am I going to get out?” Briarpaw! His heart sank. If she still needed help to jump down from Swiftmind’s monster, could she even walk? “Cinderheart and Lionblaze are here Briarpaw.” Swiftmind meowed to her with a mouth full of the muffin. “They’ll help you out.” “I’ll help too!” Dogpaw mewed indignantly. Lionblaze went against all instinct and leapt into the monster. It was soft inside, Briarpaw lay on a soft boulder no far from Dogpaw. She was also wearing a collar. His heart sank as he saw her legs were still splayed out behind her. She still couldn’t move them, they were useless. “She still can’t use them.” He mewed to as Cinderheart jumped up beside him. “Swiftmind said that the cutter would help.” Anger surged though him. “He promised!” “The vet said the damage was too bad.” Dogpaw meowed to the defense of his mentor. “There was nothing they could do.” “Actually there is one thing.” Came the meow of Swiftmind from outside. “Speaking of witch, Dogpaw, help me get it out of the truck bed.” Dogpaw left, Cinderheart moved over to Briarpaw and rested her tail on the apprentices shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” She murmured. “I’m fine Cinderheart.” She mewed. “Swiftmind got me some replacement legs when they couldn’t fix mine.” Lionblaze tilted his head. “Replacement legs?” And then he heard the crash near the back of the monster. “Careful with that!” Swiftmind yowled. “Come on.” Lionblaze grasped Briarpaw by her green collar with his jaws. “Let’s get you out of here.” Together he and Cinderheart carried Briarpaw to the opening in the monster and down to the ground. Now Lionblaze could see what Swiftmind and Dogpaw were messing with. It was shiny, like the monster, and had strange vines on it. Like a monster, it had round black paws. “Is that supposed to be her replacement legs?” Cinderheart looked at it critically. “Yep!” Swiftmind considered it proudly. “It cost me a lot of favors to get it too. Bring Briarpaw over here so we can strap her in.” Lionblaze did not understand what Swiftmind intended to do, but he obeyed. While Dogpaw supported her hindquarters, Swiftmind tied Briarpaw’s legs and belly to the shiny frame. When he was finished Dogpaw ducked out from under Briarpaw and she was able to stand up on her own. Lionblaze gasped as she took a few tentative steps, and then broke out into a run. She moved over the thunderpath with ease, the strange contraption supporting her legs. “Easy!” Swiftmind called after her. “Don’t fall over like last time!” Briarpaw slowed as she turned and padded over to them panting. “Sorry,” she mewed. “I missed running.” “I can tell.” Lionblaze purred at her happiness. His own sadness left him. Even if Briarpaw could not use her legs, Swiftmind had given her new ones. Lionblaze looked to the twoleg cat now, who was cleaning crumbs off of his white chest. Lionblaze caught a glimpse of his brown star-shaped spot. Touched by the stars… “Let’s get back to camp,” Meowed Cinderheart. “I want to tell Firestar the good news.” “We’ll need to follow the road.” Dogpaw nodded down the abandoned thunderpath. “Briarpaw’s wheels won’t be able to go through the forest. It’s too thick.” “I missed the forest too. It was torture it that twoleg place!” Briarpaw meowed. She inhaled deeply, cherishing the scents of the air. “Speaking of the twoleg place,” Lionblaze inclined his head at her and Dogpaw. “What’s with the kittypet collars?” Dogpaw bristled. “Swiftmind said we had to look like house cats so the vet wouldn’t think that we were wild.” He explained quickly. “The goal of any vet is to find wild cats and make them into pets.” Swiftmind meowed. “The collars are just a disguise for them.” “That’s was a good idea. But, can they take them off?” Cinderheart asked. “Briarpaw should be able to take hers off easy, but I’m not sure about Dogpaw…” Swiftmind went over to his apprentice and began to paw at the spiked collar. Briarpaw was able to snap hers off with a flick of her paw. Swiftmind’s ‘thumbs’ helped him loosen the kittypet band before Dogpaw wriggled out of it himself. “Finally!” Dogpaw paused for breath. “Why didn’t you get me a snap-off collar?” “Because you asked for a spiked one you mousebrain!” Swiftmind spat and batted Dogpaw on the head playfully. “Now let’s get you home.” As they approached The Thorn barrier, Lionblaze could hear the sounds of distressed cats. They were still afraid that a monster was going to come crashing into the hollow. Lionblaze rushed in through the repaired thorn tunnel before the others. He could see everyone gathered at the center with Firestar at the lead. They were just getting ready to leave. “Lionblaze!” Firestar noticed the golden warrior’s sudden appearance. “What news of the monster?” Lionblaze opened his mouth to answer, and just then Swiftmind slid out from the bramble tunnel. “Sorry about that. It was mine. I guess I should have given a warning or something.” The whole clan seemed to gasp. Mille and Greystripe burst from the crowd, followed by their kin. “Where is she?” Millie approached him bristling with anticipation. “Where’s Briarpaw?” “Right here!” All heads turned to the thorn tunnel as Briarpaw pulled herself along the well-worn path. The round things Swiftmind had called wheels hadn’t proved much of a problem in the forest, so long as they avoided tree roots. Millie and Greystripe stared at the contraption on their daughter’s legs in shock. Her siblings only noticed one thing. “You’re walking!” Blossompaw mewed in disbelief. “Yep!” Briarpaw purred. “I still can’t move my legs, but this thing helps me stay up!” Bumblepaw and Blossompaw padded over and nuzzled their sister. “I’m just glad you can move again!” Bumblepaw meowed. “And so am I!” Greystripe smiled and joined his kits, Millie joined him as they welcomed Briarpaw back. Swiftmind approached them. “I’m sorry the cutter couldn’t fix her back, but there was nothing they could do.” He apologized. Millie looked at him with warm gratitude. “Briarpaw is safe and happy. What more could a mother ask for?” She padded over to the twoleg-cat and licked his forehead. “You tried your best. Thank you.” The happy reunion warmed Lionblaze’s heart. Something nudged him, and he turned to see Jayfeather sitting next to him. “So the twolegs couldn’t heal Briarpaw?” The medicine cat asked. Lionblaze shook his head, even though his brother couldn’t see. “No. But Swiftmind did the next best thing! Replacement legs, who’d have thought?” Now the whole clan was gathering around Briarpaw and her wheels. “But she still can’t hunt, or run through the forest, or have kits…” Jayfeather murmured. Lionblaze gave Jayfeather a long look. Wasn’t he glad that Briarpaw was happy? Before he could ask, Jayfeather padded away towards the crowd to Briarpaw. “Starclan honors your courage and spirit.” Firestar touched his muzzle to Briarpaw’s head. Lionblaze watched with a surge of joy as Firestar gave Briarpaw her warrior name. “I name you Briarlight.” Their leader gazed at her warmly. Her siblings, already named Bumblestripe and Blossomfall, were the first to start cheering the newest Thunderclan warrior. “Briarlight! Briarlight!” The cold night air was filled with the rising voices of the Clan. Lionblaze looked around the hollow. Millie and Greystripe were pressed against each other, their once grief filled eyes now full of pride. Swiftmind and Dogpaw sat near the base of highledge; the twoleg-cat was also watching the ceremony happily, his voice ringing clear through the hollow. Dogpaw gazed at Briarlight in interest. He would be in her place before long. Briarlight held her head up high, the shiny wheels of the twoleg contraption almost glowed in the moonlight. It had been a quarter moon since the tree fell, and the new warrior had been more energetic than ever. She refused to sit around while everyone else was clearing away the debris left by the destruction. It was now cleaner than it ever had been, but it had taken its toll. The job of cleaning away the branches on top of hunting and regular patrols had left every cat exhausted. And with each passing day the prey in the forest was getting leaner and scarcer. As his clanmates parted to congratulate Briarlight and go to their dens, Lionblaze padded over to Swiftmind. He was talking to Firestar when Lionblaze spotted him. “We are all lucky to have you Swiftmind.* Firestar mewed. “If you had not changed, Briarlight would not have been able to walk to her ceremony.” “Yeah, Jayfeather’s decided to help me practice my moods, to see if I can control the changes.” Swiftmind meowed. “Good idea.” Lionblaze sat down beside them. “If you can change on will, you can help us during emergencies.” “I don’t want us totally depending on Tom. We are Clan cats, and shouldn’t have to rely on twolegs to solve our problems.” Firestar swept his tail over his paws, narrowing his eyes. Lionblaze lowered his gaze in embarrassment. How could he have been so stupid! But it was hard to see Tom as a normal twoleg, just as it was hard to see Swiftmind as a normal cat. They were mixed. So when Tom helped them, did that still make them like kittypets? Swiftmind saw his embarrassment and rested his paw on Lionblaze’s shoulder. Normally this would be an odd gesture, but it was one of Swiftmind’s little twoleg acts of kindness. “Don’t worry about it.” Swiftmind meowed. “I would never think of you guys as pets. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever look at a cat the same way again now.” Firestar nodded. “I wish more twolegs were like you Swiftmind.” “What, part cat?” Swiftmind laughed. Lionblaze purred in amusement, it would be odd if all twolegs could turn into cats. But then it would be easier to talk to them. “A funny idea, but no,” Their leader shook his head. “I meant more understanding. If they were willing to learn about other creatures, then maybe life would be a little easier for us.” Swiftmind looked like he was about to comment, but then he hesitated, and instead mewed. “Maybe. Well, I’m going to get some shut-eye. Goodnight Firestar.” The twoleg-cat turned and headed for the Warriors den. That morning Lionblaze got up early. The air was sharper, and he could taste the familiar flavor of leaf-fall. The golden warrior yawned and stretched in his somewhat new den. The old warriors den had been crushed beyond repair, but the thick arching branches of the beech that pressed against the side of the hollow provided plenty of new shelter. Firestar had plans to create a whole new warriors’ den around the thickest of them. He could sense the sleeping warriors around him. Briarlight was not in the den of course. Jayfeather insisted that she stayed in the medicine den for easy access to herbs in case she became sick. After the tree fell, Jayfeather had gone to Shadowclan’s medicine cat Littlecloud, because supposedly Leafpool had said Littlecloud had treated a cat with a broken back before. He had, but the cat had gotten a cough and died shortly after his accident. Despite that the cutter had given Briarlight medicine to prevent the cough, Jayfeather still was not taking any chances. Lionblaze padded quietly out of the den, trying not to wake the others. He passed over Swiftmind and Leafpool, curled together for warmth. He tried to stifle a hiss of disapproval. Swiftmind had said that they were only friends, but Lionblaze could see the two drifting together like two innocent twigs drifted into each other on a river. Why couldn’t Swiftmind, who seemed so smart, like a lying cat like Leafpool? Maybe it was the same reason Crowfeather had liked her. Lionblaze growled a curse on his birth father and tried to forget the whole thing. The golden warrior stepped out into the sunlight and looked at the new shape of the clan. Swiftmind’s twoleg umbrella had protected the nursery from the worst of the tree fall, and now it was enclosed in a thick tangle of roots that had been weaved into an even stronger shell around the old bramble bush. Not even a badger could break through it now. The elders’ den was being remolded as well, the apprentices had been working for days to weave the honeysuckle around what was left of the branches over the old den. Longtail would move into it once it was ready. Longtail stayed in the apprentices den, the only den that had not gone under any change. Already slipping out of it was Dogpaw. The brown apprentice was padding over to the medicine den, but this was no longer an odd sight. Ever since he, Briarlight, and Swiftmind came back from the cutter he had taken it upon himself to be the one to help Briarlight into her wheels. The little tom seemed to be spending more and more time with her these days… Lionblaze smirked. Was it possible Dogpaw had gotten over mooning after Ivypaw, and was now after Briarlight? An amusing thought, but he had more important things to think about. Right now he needed breakfast. Lionblaze headed toward the fresh-kill pile and picked out a squirrel. As he ate it, more of his clanmates crawl out of their dens. Brambleclaw approached him, followed by Swiftmind and Leafpool. “Good morning Lionblaze.” The Thunderclan deputy meowed. Lionblaze nodded in greeting to them. Swiftmind picked out a mouse from the fresh-kill pile, Swiftmind picked out a starling. At first Lionblaze thought Leafpool would take out her own piece of fresh-kill, but instead she sat by Swiftmind, who offered her his starling. They were sharing prey! Right in front of him! Lionblaze felt his fur burn in discomfort. Brambleclaw glanced at them, also looking awkward. It gave Lionblaze comfort to know that he was not the only one who was disturbed by their close friendliness. But the dark tabby distracted them both by suggesting a border patrol. “If Jayfeather has gone to Shadowclan and told Littlecloud about the tree falling, then Blackstar might think that Thunderclan was still weak, and might try to invade.” Brambleclaw reasoned. “I want us to make sure there are no Shadowclan scents on our side of the border.” “Can I come on the patrol?” Lionblaze asked, glad to take his attention off of Swiftmind. “Me too?” Swiftmind meowed, mouth full of feathers. Leafpool purred in laughter at the spectacle, it took all of Lionblaze’s strength not to laugh as well. “We could take Briarlight! I’m sure her wheels will handle the clearer parts of the forest.” Swiftmind nodded to the medicine den. “She could do with some fresh air anyway.” Lionblaze looked at the medicine den, and had to agree with Swiftmind. Poppyfrost’s kits were already climbing over Briarlight, begging for a ride on her wheels. Jayfeather and Dogpaw tried to shoo them off. A border patrol would give her the chance to finally get out of the camp, and it would be the perfect thing to do for her first day as a warrior. “Alright.” Brambleclaw nodded and finished his mouse in two gulps. He stood up on all fours. “I will get some others to join us, and then we will meet by the thorn tunnel.” Lionblaze finished his squirrel and got up to look for Dovepaw. Her powers at hearing might be of great use for the patrol. But as he looked, he could not find his apprentice anywhere. He could not find her sister Ivypaw either. But a look by the dirt-place did reveal Cinderheart. “Morning!” He meowed to her. “Have you seen Dovepaw? Brambleclaw wants me to go on a patrol and I can’t find her anywhere.” Cinderheart shrugged. “I think Whitewing took them to gather moss with her sister for the elders’ den.” Lionblaze huffed, but thanked Cinderheart all the same. It looked like he wouldn’t be taking Dovepaw after all. He made his way to the thorn barrier. Swiftmind was already waiting there with Dogpaw and Briarlight. The new warrior’s excited face made Lionblaze forget all of his discomfort towards Swiftmind and Leafpool. “My first border patrol as a warrior!” Briarlight’s fur fluffed up with delight. “I can’t wait!” “Be careful!” Her mother, Millie, padded up to her daughter and nuzzled her. “I don’t want you to overexert yourself.” “Don’t worry. I’ll be on the patrol with her. Even though I’m sure she can take care of herself.” Greystripe purred to his mate as he joined them. Millie took this news in ease, and she gave Greystripe a like on his forehead before padding away. Brambleclaw approached them, followed by Spiderleg. “Are we ready?” He asked the gathered warriors. “Gee I hope so,” Swiftmind smirked in good humor. “We can’t sit here all day.” Brambleclaw nodded and led the way out of the thorn tunnel. Greystripe and Swiftmind stayed at the back of the group around Briarlight to make sure she had a clear path. She did not mind much. The young she-cat just seemed happy to get out of the stone hollow. Instead of going straight to the Shadowclan border, the patrol took the path to the lake, moving up the Thunderclan territory to the Windclan border. “Brings back memories doesn’t it.” Swiftmind mewed absentmindedly. He used his odd paw to pick up a stick that could inhibit Briarlight’s wheels and tossed it aside. “I won’t easily forget the day when Windclan tried to invade.” Lionblaze wouldn’t forget either. When Swiftmind was still new to the clan and still bared his twoleg name ‘Tom’, Lionblaze was showing him Thunderclan’s borders when the noticed fresh Windclan scents. Not long after that, they discovered a whole Windclan patrol trying to invade the camp. It was Swiftmind’s wit that saved Thunderclan from a dangerous fight, even though in the end it cost him a few scratches. “I still can’t believe you hit me with that rock.” Lionblaze gave Swiftmind a playful shove. “What?” Dogpaw, ever on the search for Windclan scents, looked up. “Did Swiftmind fight a whole invasion party?” He must have only gotten a hint of their conversation. Swiftmind smiled and shook his head. “There is more to winning than fighting Dogpaw. Because I was new to the Clans, and Windclan did not know me, I tricked them into thinking I was a dumb loner who saw a large Thunderclan invasion party heading into Windclan.” Dogpaw’s eyes glowed at the thought of his mentor tricking a bunch of Windclan cats. “Wow!” “I remember a rescue party had to be sent out when I was a kit, and you had to spend the night in the medicine den after that trick.” Briarlight mewed. She was traveling well on the rough terrain. “Was it because they attacked you before they left?” Swiftmind nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t think they would leave two warriors to make sure I wouldn’t run back and tell Thunderclan what I had seen.” He grimaced, as if remembering the attack of the two warriors. “But you held them off.” Greystripe pointed out. “From what I remember, you invented a new move which I like to call, The Swiftmind Smash.” Lionblaze chuckled at the name, even though he himself practiced the fighting move. It’s best if used by a strong warrior with a smaller opponent. When jumped on by an attacker, the warrior could use the strength in his legs to rear up on his hind legs and use the momentum to slam the attacker on the ground. It was good for stunning, or surprising, and all the apprentices wanted to learn it, like The Lighting Strike. “I didn’t invent it.” Swiftmind insisted. “It’s an old twoleg fighting move, I’d show you more, but they wouldn’t be that good to cats.” They turned away from the river, and followed the Thunderclan markers to the old twoleg nest. Swiftmind’s monster was still there, as if waiting patiently for its master to return. Now on smoother ground, Briarlight was able to keep up with the others. She wasn’t able to keep up for long once they past the abandoned twoleg nest, and her wheels would get caught on sticks, brambles, and tree roots despite Swiftmind’s and Greystripe’s efforts. It got easier for her once near the Shadowclan border. It was somewhat clearer of tendrils and vines that would get caught in her wheels. Lionblaze looked out onto the Greenleaf twoleg place, now free of the little pelt dens that twolegs would put up every Greenleaf. The golden warrior recalled how they had to cross the border to get to Swiftmind’s pelt den once. Shadowclan did not notice the intrusion, possibly because they never venture there when the groups of twolegs were thick. And if they did, Blackstar had not mentioned it at the gathering. Was that why Shadowclan was crossing the border now? Lionblaze wondered, revenge? No, surely Blackstar would have challenged them first. Lionblaze went back to his task of resetting the scent markers and checking for any sign of Shadowclan. “Brambleclaw!” Dogpaw’s mew rang out in the forest. “I found Shadowclan scent!” Lionblaze looked up from his own search and rushed over to Swiftmind’s apprentice. The young tom was by a holly bush near the border, Brambleclaw was already sniffing the incriminating plant. “There are more over there,” Dogpaw pointed with his tail to a group of ferns farther into Thunderclan. “They’re everywhere!” “It’s not fresh,” the deputy meowed. “But it’s enough to prove that Shadowclan is still trespassing!” His voice rose to a growl. “I need to tell Firestar, Greystripe you can finish the patrol.” Greystripe nodded, and Brambleclaw tore off through the foliage back to Thunderclan camp. Lionblaze followed, not to get to the camp, but to find Dovepaw. He needed to know if she heard anything over the border. If she had even been listening… He headed to the lake, if she was gathering moss like Cinderheart had said, then Dovepaw would be looking for it on the roots of the trees there. He reached the lake shore, but instead of Dovepaw he saw her mother Whitewing. The white warrior was stripping moss from an old tree. He slowed down, not wanting to startle her. He cleared his throat and she noticed him quickly. “Oh, hello Lionblaze!” Whitewing greeted him. “Are you looking for Dovepaw?” “Yes. Do you know where she is?” Lionblaze asked her, glad he did not have to explain himself. “She and Ivypaw went to the stream to find more moss, I can’t blame them, there’s not much left on these trees.” Whitewing sighed and shook her paw that was covered dirt and tree bark. Lionblaze thanked Whitewing and padded toward the stream that jutted out from the lake. He could hear Toadstep and Rosepetal chatting near the stream, piles of moss already waiting to be carried to the camp. A little further downstream he could already scent his apprentice. And as he drew closer to a patch of mossy trees he could hear her voice. She must have been talking to her sister. It sounded like she was arguing, he remembered how Ivypaw was a little jealous of Dovepaw since their journey upstream, but were the two sisters still having problems? He couldn’t hear Dovepaw’s exact words, or even Ivypaw at all. Maybe they wanted to keep their quarrels a secret? He slid out from the ferns, expecting to see Dovepaw and Ivypaw nose to nose, but Dovepaw was alone. There was no sign of Ivypaw, or any cat! Who had Dovepaw been talking to? Herself? Dovepaw’s head shot around, surprise etched on her face. “Lionblaze! I thought you were on patrol!” Lionblaze padded up to her. The air around the stream was colder than usual, but he ignored it. “I was. And we found more Shadowclan scents inside the border.” “What?” Dovepaw’s fur rose on her back. “Something is going on.” Lionblaze growled. “Shadowclan knows about the tree, and they probably think it’s weakened us. They could be planning to invade, and the sooner we make sure the better.” Dovepaw said nothing. Instead, she sat down crossly, as if tired of the suspicions about Shadowclan. Wasn’t she worried about the safety of the clan? “Well?” Lionblaze prompted. “Have you heard anything? Is Shadowclan planning something?” “How should I know?” Dovepaw asked stubbornly. Was she serious? It was obvious she was, and Lionblaze rolled his eyes. “Your powers?” Dovepaw lashed her tail over the forest floor, sending up old dead leaves. “If I’d heard anything important, don’t you think I would have told you in the first place?” “You’re young,” Lionblaze meowed sternly. “You might know what’s important!” His apprentice stood up and faced him, anger burned in her eyes. “It’s my power!” She growled. “I don’t tell you how to fight, do I?” Where had this rage come from? Lionblaze was about to respond when the brambles a few trees farther upstream rustled and Ivypaw emerged. “Hello.” She hesitated, her eyes darting from Lionblaze to Dovepaw. “I-I just found a great patch of moss and I… um…” She must have overheard them growling, and had come to investigate. Lionblaze glared at Dovepaw, promising a long talk with her later, and bounded back into the forest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Question of the day : Who was Dovepaw talking to? Chapter 11
Dovepaw watched her mentor leave, her tail lashing furiously. Soulcatcher sat beside her; He had been silent throughout her whole quarrel with Lionblaze. Silent as the grave. “What did he want?” Ivypaw asked. Her mew was softer and more kind than it had been in weeks. Dovepaw wished she could tell her sister everything, but Jayfeather had forbidden it. “He’s my mentor.” Dovepaw meowed, a little harsher than she intended. “He was only checking up on me.” “But it sounded important.” Ivypaw padded closer. “Don’t think I didn’t hear some of it. Why did think you know what’s going on in Shadowclan?” “LIE.” Soulcatcher’s voice boomed. Dovepaw tensed, fighting the urge to look at the dark cat that sat beside her. His very presence made the chilly Leaf-fall air colder. “I don’t know.” She mewed weakly. “That’s a lie!” Ivypaw scowled. “Why won’t you tell me?” Dovepaw flinched from her sister’s glare. Ivypaw leaned even closer. “What is it with you? You’re always going off to speak with Firestar, Lionblaze and Jayfeather are always calling you away for secret conversations. What is going on?” “I-I guess they’re just interested in my training.” Dovepaw hated this. Every lie she told her litter-mate was like a thorn in her heart. And she could still feel Soulcatcher’s starry eyes boring into her. Ivypaw curled her lip. “What makes your training different from mine? Firestar never asks about my training! Why are you so special?” “I’m not! Honestly!” Another barrier of lies sprung up to separate her and Ivypaw. “I never thought of myself as special. It’s…” Her heart fluttered with panic, and her voice trailed away. Soulcatcher leaned in closer. “It’s just complicated.” Ivypaw’s eyes darkened, and she took a step back. “Too complicated to tell your own sister? I thought we were friends!” “We are friends Ivypaw!” Dovepaw felt her throat tighten in regret. “I-I…” She wanted to tell her everything right then and there, but she couldn’t find her voice. Ivypaw glanced away through the trees, her eyes two dark blue slits. “It doesn’t matter.” She growled. “You have your secrets, and I’ll have mine!” Secrets? Dovepaw suddenly remembered how Ivypaw tried to tell her about a dream where a Starclan cat visited her. She dug her claws into the ground, annoyed with herself. Why hadn’t she asked Ivypaw about it more? “Have you had another dream?” Dovepaw guessed. “Another visit from Starclan?” “STARCLAN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.” Soulcatcher meowed coldly. Dovepaw knew he was referring to the Forest of No Stars, but she could not bear to think about her sister in league with those dark cats. “Jealous now?” Ivypaw sneered. “You weren’t that interested when I tried to tell you before. Too busy chitchatting with the other warriors. Why should I tell you anything now? Are you worried I might be more special than you? Are you afraid that everyone might start taking an interest in me now instead of you?” Rawness edged her mew, and Dovepaw felt a wave of dismay. She had not realized Ivypaw felt this way. “I-I’m, sorry.” Dovepaw began. But Ivypaw was already bounding away into the trees. She glanced over her shoulder. “Clearly not sorry enough!” Dovepaw took a step forward, tempted to chase after her sister, but she knew that would solve nothing. I’ll explain it all one day! Dovepaw vowed silently. Then you’ll understand! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I promise all of you that there will be no SoulxDove whatsoever! He's more like that cool grandpa/uncle that would let you do fun things that your parents wouldn't.
“DO NOT FRET ABOUT YOUR SISTER, DOVEPAW.” Soulcatcher padded to Dovepaw’s side. The two stars of his eyes glowed within his sockets. “SHE WILL COME TO TERMS WITH HER JEALOUSY BEFORE THE END.” Dovepaw glared at him. “How can you know that? I suppose you can see into the future?” Soulcatcher blinked. “TIME IS ALL THE SAME TO ME.” She wished she could believe it, but even if Ivypaw forgave her, would their friendship ever be the same? Dovepaw sighed. “Why are you still bothering me? I thought you were leaving me alone?” She growled at him. This is what she’d been asking before Lionblaze barged in. Lionblaze’s confused face still burned in her mind. He must have heard her talking to Soulcatcher, which meant he must have thought she was talking to herself. Just what I need, him to think I’m crazy! Soulcatcher blinked again. If she listened quietly Dovepaw was sure she could hear a small boom. “I CAME TO WARN YOU ABOUT TIGERHEART.” His meow thundered through the air, though only she could hear it. Dovepaw rolled her eyes impatiently. “Tigerheart? Again? Is this about him crossing the border? He told me that he was doing it for the good of the Clans!” She remembered the last time Soulcatcher warned her about Tigerheart and Ivypaw. Why couldn’t he just forget it? “TIGERHEART ONLY THINKS HE IS HELPING THE CLANS BECAUSE TIGERSTAR TOLD HIM THAT.” Soulcatcher narrowed his eyes. “IN TRUTH, HE IS CAUSING CONFLICT BETWEEN THUNDERCLAN AND SHADOWCLAN. IF HE IS NOT STOPPED, THERE WILL BE A BATTLE.” Dovepaw felt the fur on her spine rise. She shook her head. “Why would Tigerstar want a fight? What does he have to gain?” “TIGERSTAR WANTS REVENGE AGAISNT FIRESTAR. A MAJOR BATTLE WOULD WEAKEN THE TWO CLANS, ESPECIALLY THUNDERCLAN, MAKING THEM UNABLE TO FEED THEMSELVES DURING LEAFBARE.” Soulcatcher flicked his tail. “So he wants revenge on Thunderclan?” Dovepaw shook her head. “No, no I told you before and I’ll tell you again. Tigerheart would never do that! He’s just…” Dovepaw’s words died in her throat. If he wasn’t trying to cause conflict, then what was he doing? Dovepaw just couldn’t bear to think about it. Soulcatcher watched her closely. “ARE YOU ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH THIS TOM?” His mew was accusing, like an angry parent. His question made Dovepaw’s eyes widen. Her fur suddenly felt very hot. “W-what?! No! He’s just”- Dovepaw stammered. “Just a friend. A very good friend.” Soulcatcher stared at her. Unbelieving. She was burning under her pelt. “I don’t have to listen to this.” She snarled. “Why can’t you just leave me alone? I just want to be normal!” She snatched what moss she had gathered from the tree roots and tore off to the hollow. She did not even look back to see if Soulcatcher would follow. He did not. She sighed and rolled to the other side of her nest, hoping for some comfort. But her sister was not there, Ivypaw was as the other side of the apprentices’ den. She had ignored Dovepaw all day. Treating her like she didn’t even exist. Longtail had moved into the new elders’ den, and the only other cat in the den was Dogpaw, and his loud snore made it even harder for Dovepaw to sleep. She had gone to Jayfeather, begging to him for her to be able to tell Ivypaw. But like always he told her she couldn’t. In fact, the only cat she could talk to about her powers who wasn’t a part of the Three was Swiftmind. Maybe she could talk to him about her powers? Dovepaw lay awake for what seemed like hours, listening to Dogpaw’s snore. She finally fell into an uneasy sleep. She had strange dreams. She was pinned under a tree, with Ivypaw sneering at her. Tigerheart was beside her sister soaked in blood, telling her to get out from under the tree. And all around her Dovepaw could see the blue starry eyes of Soulcatcher. She awoke with at the sound of Rippletail’s wail dying in her ears. It seemed even after so many moons’ the Riverclan warrior still haunted her dreams. Why do I keep dreaming about him? Dovepaw opened her eyes to the bright morning light. From the sounds coming from outside the den, most of the camp was awake. She looked around; she was alone in the apprentices’ den. Even Dogpaw had woken up before her! Dovepaw stretched and stood up, moss from her bedding clung to her soft gray fur. She washed herself the best she could, and stepped out into the hollow. It buzzed like a bee hive full of activity. “Dovepaw!” Lionblaze saw her and padded toward her, Dovepaw kept her gaze low, afraid that her mentor would still be mad from her outburst. But Dovepaw brightened up when she saw he was being followed by Swiftmind. Maybe the twoleg-cat had convinced him to give her a break? The golden warrior stood in front of her. “Firestar wants us to practice some new training ideas.” Lionblaze gave a sidelong look at Swiftmind, who was sitting proudly beside him. Dovepaw knew Firestar was always coming up with new ideas for training apprentices. Swiftmind must have been a fountain of interesting, if somewhat strange, ways to train Thunderclan. “We’re going to…” Lionblaze paused. “What are we doing Swiftmind?” Swiftmind smiled, “Well, the group over there is going to play ‘Capture the Territories’.” He pointed his tail to a group by the thorn tunnel consisting of Cinderheart, Ivypaw, Leafpool, Bumblestripe, Blossomfall, and other warriors. “And we’ll be playing a game I like to call football, once the others get here.” “But, Ivypaw’s the only apprentice there.” Dovepaw mewed, still staring at the other group. “Are the warriors going to train with her?” Bumblestripe and Blossomfall had just become warriors. Why would they want to be treated like apprentices again? “Oh but this isn’t just training,” Swiftmind sat up. “This is exorcizing, to keep our skills fresh in our minds.” Dovepaw nodded uncertainly, Lionblaze did not look so eager either. What was Swiftmind planning? And what was this…Football… that Swiftmind was so excited about? More cats came to join them. Squirrelflight was one of them. She was followed by Berrynose, Foxleap, and Icecloud. Briarlight also wheeled over with Dogpaw close behind her. Dovepaw blinked. She was going to practice with them as well? “So where are we going?” Briarlight asked excitedly. She was eager for any chance to get out of the camp. “Not too far.” Swiftmind meowed, “Just to a little clearing.” “Why do we have to train again?” Berrynose huffed. “We’re warriors! Not apprentices!” “Firestar wants us to practice our skills. He doesn’t want Thunderclan to get stale.” Squirrelflight reasoned to the grumpy warrior. Berrynose huffed again but didn’t say anything. Foxleap and Icecloud did not look to excited either. Swiftmind led them out of the hollow. Dovepaw glanced at the group Ivypaw was in. her sister did not even notice her leave. Dovepaw sighed and padded onward next to Dogpaw and Briarlight. The large apprentice and the young warrior were becoming close friends. Dovepaw could not help but notice how Dogpaw had stopped mooning over Ivypaw, much to Ivypaw’s relief. “Do you know what Swiftmind is planning?” Dovepaw asked Dogpaw in a hushed whisper. Dogpaw shrugged. “He said he wants to test our strength and agility, but that’s all he told me.” He shrugged again as an apology. He knew as much as she did, which was hardly anything. Swiftmind brought them out to a little clearing not far from the abandoned twoleg nest. The brown and white tom sniffed around it, as if he was making sure the clearing would be good for their practice. “Alright,” The twoleg cat meowed. “Stand back.” His clanmates did so, and for good reason. Swiftmind’s face became strained, and the air around him became fuzzy. His muscles moved under his skin like snakes. He’s turning into a twoleg! Dovepaw’s eyes widened and she shut them tight. She didn’t really want to see the transformation up close. But she could still here Swiftmind’s groans of pain. She heard Briarlight and Berrynose gasp, and Icecloud whimpered. When the noises stopped Dovepaw opened her eyes. Swiftmind was gone. In his place, Tom stood tall in the clearing. He leaned down, and almost as if they had planned it out, Dogpaw ran up to Tom and leapt up onto his massive shoulders. Dogpaw slipped a little, not wanting to use his claws on his mentor, even if he was in his twoleg state. Tom barked in his strange twoleg speech. Dogpaw listened to his mentor. It amazed her how Dogpaw could understand him so easily. “Alright!” Dogpaw meowed, almost smug that he was the only Clan cat that could translate for Tom. “Tom has a few things in his monster,” he paused at Tom’s stern gaze. “Sorry. I mean his ‘truck’, and he just needs to be a twoleg to open it up and get them. Once we get back and set up, we can start the game.” Dovepaw blinked. She never understood why Tom didn’t like it when the Thunderclan cats called the shiny beasts’ monsters. He kept saying that they were not alive, but Dovepaw wasn’t sure about that. No one really believed him. Tom and Dogpaw left them to go out towards the abandoned twoleg nest. Dovepaw sat in the clearing with her clanmates watching them go. It was amazing how Thunderclan accepted him, considering what he was. Maybe if we can accept him, Dovepaw thought, maybe I could be accepted with my powers too? As if Jayfeather would let Dovepaw tell anyone. Dovepaw narrowed her eyes, angry at the medicine cat. If Tom could be happy being different, why not her? Tom returned, carrying a large bag. He set it on the ground and rooted through it. While he was kneeling Dogpaw jumped from his shoulders and rejoined Briarlight. Dovepaw watched curiously as Tom pulled out two small sets of branches with a sort of mesh in between them, and a round black and white rock. She recognized it immediately from the journey upstream. “Hey, I remember seeing some twolegs kicking around a rock like that on the journey upstream!” Lionblaze meowed. He recognized it too. “This is a football. The other things are goal nets.” Dogpaw meowed. “Twolegs play games with them.” Dovepaw rolled her eyes. Dogpaw acted like he was some sort of twoleg expert! Tom picked up his now empty bag and the ‘goal nets’ and walked from one side of the clearing to another, setting up the two nets on opposite side of the clearing. Dovepaw wondered what the point of this was. Tom tossed the bag to the far end of the clearing and sighed, his twoleg face became strained. The air around him became fuzzy, and Dovepaw was sure Tom would change back into Swiftmind, but he groaned and fell to his knees. The fuzzy atmosphere left. The fur rose along Dovepaw’s spine. Something’s wrong! Dogpaw yowled and ran back to his mentor. “Tom!” He nudged Tom’s head. “Are you okay? Get up Tom!” “Tom?” Squirrelflight meowed nervously. The Thunderclan cats approached cautiously. What was going to be a possibly fun practice game had turned deathly serious. But then Tom moaned, and he moved his head. Dovepaw found she had been holding her breath, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Tom wasn’t dead. “What happened?” Briarlight mewed, still shaking. Tom answered, but no one but Dogpaw understood him. “He… he was trying to change back into a cat, like when he practiced with Jayfeather.” Dogpaw translated. “But he guesses he couldn’t concentrate enough.” “Maybe we should take him back to camp?” Berrynose suggested. Even he looked worried for Tom. Icecloud nodded. “Yeah, he doesn’t look well.” Tom muttered something in twoleg and got back on his feet. “No?” Dogpaw looked up at Tom. “But you’re…” he was interrupted. He sighed and listened to Tom. “Okay… He says he’s alright. He’ll just have to sit out and watch us while we play.” “But we don’t know how to play!” Foxleap protested. Dovepaw nodded. How could Tom teach them properly if he was a twoleg? Tom waved his paw dismissively. His twoleg voice boomed in Dovepaw’s sensitive ears. “He says I can always translate.” Dogpaw sighed, but got his optimism back quickly. “Alright, so let’s play some football!” Tom sat down on the edge of the clearing and barked orders to Dogpaw. “Ok, we’ll need to get into teams. Uh…” He paused again and looked back at Tom. “Say again? Oh, ok. Lionblaze can be a, uh, leader of one team. And Squirrelflight can lead another.” Squirrelflight shrugged and went to one side of the clearing by a goal net. She sat by it. Lionblaze went to the opposite side and sat by his net. Dovepaw went beside her mentor, knowing she’d be on his team anyway. “Ok, and Briarlight and Berrynose can be on Squirrelflight’s team with me. And Icecloud and Foxleap can be on Lionblaze’s team.” He nodded, satisfied with the little plan. He looked at Tom for confirmation, who shrugged and said something to Dogpaw. “Good, now we need…” he paused with another new word. “Goalers? Goalies?” He shook his head. “Goal keepers. Someone to guard your net.” “Why do we want to guard the net?” Berrynose huffed and looked at the small net. “Is it like territory or something?” Tom nodded, as did Dogpaw. “Yeah! You want to keep the ball out of your net, while trying to get it into the other team’s net.” Dogpaw mewed in explanation. “And twolegs do this for fun you say?” Icecloud tilted her head in confusion. “I can be the net guarder!” Briarlight mewed happily. “I don’t think my wheels can go very fast here.” Dovepaw nodded, and wondered whether she wanted to guard the net for her team or not. He chance was taken away though when Foxleap volunteered. “I don’t feel like pushing a rock around, but I can sure stop one.” He sat in front of the net, relaxing as if his job would be the easiest in the world. “Alright.’ Lionblaze nodded. “So… how do we start this game?” “Uh…” Dogpaw looked at Tom again. Tom said something in twoleg and Dogpaw nodded. “We put the ball in the center of the clearing and we toss a coin. Wait…” He looked at Tom again. “What’s a coin again?” Tom rolled his eyes and reached behind him, taking something shiny and flat out of a sort of pouch on his thigh. He said something to Dogpaw who in turned asked everyone. “Heads or tails?” “What about them?” Dovepaw tilted her head. First they were talking about teams and then about coins and now about body parts. Couldn’t they stay on one subject? “Just pick one.” Dogpaw meowed to Lionblaze and Squirrelflight. “One of you picks heads and one of you picks tails.” Squirrelflight sighed in annoyance. “Fine. I’ll pick heads.” “Then it’s tails for me.” Lionblaze shrugged, “Now what?” Tom used his paw to flick the coin in the air and Dovepaw’s eyes watched as it spun up in the air. He caught it and flipped it onto the back of his other paw. He took his paw off the coin and looked at the coin for some reason and spoke to Dogpaw. Dovepaw watched curiously. Did the coin somehow choose which team would get the ball first? “Tails,” Dogpaw mewed. “Lionblaze, your team gets the ball first.” Lionblaze nodded. “Alright, and the point of this game is to get the ball into the other team’s net?” Dogpaw nodded his head as well. “Yep! And the other team tries to stop you while also trying to get the ball into your net.” “Which we don’t want.” Lionblaze concluded. “Exactly.” Dovepaw blinked. What was the point? But Lionblaze shrugged and gathered his team around him with a flick of his golden tail. “Ok, this should be easy. I’ll take the ball to the net while you two,” he nodded to Dovepaw and Icecloud, “distract Berrynose and Dogpaw. Maybe if one of you gets Briarlight’s attention-” Tom said something, and Dogpaw’s head appeared in his own team’s huddle. “Oh, and one more thing, we can’t touch each other.” “What?” Berrynose meowed in annoyance. “Then how are we supposed to get the ball from Lionblaze’s team? Or get the ball past the net guarder?” “You can just hit the ball to other teammates.” Dogpaw sounded annoyed himself. He ducked back to his own team, to discuss more game plans. Lionblaze rolled his eyes. “Okay, new plan. Icecloud, stay by me as we run down the field and keep the ball away from them. I’ll eventually pass it to you. Dovepaw, I want you to get next to the net and wait for Icecloud to pass the ball to you.” Icecloud nodded, as did Dovepaw. She crouched in the grass and got ready to sprint over to the other side of the clearing. Lionblaze and Icecloud approached the ball, just as Squirrelflight and her team separated and took their places as well. Berrynose stayed by Briarlight, possibly to help defend the net, and Dogpaw padded to the side of the field. Squirrelflight stood next to the ball opposite of Lionblaze, Dovepaw’s mentor almost glared at Squirrelflight, but she did not notice. Dovepaw blinked. Did he still resent her, even after all this time? She did not have long to contemplate this, for Tom barked out an order, possibly to begin the game. Dogpaw yowled, “Go!” Lionblaze bumped the ball with his shoulder, slightly surprised how far it went, Squirrelflight took her chance and ran at it, herding it with her head toward Foxleap. Icecloud yowled and flanked her, trying to get the ball back. Lionblaze was also right behind Squirrelflight, but Dogpaw jumped in his path. Dovepaw watched. She had yet to go to the other side of the clearing like Lionblaze had told her. Instead, she ran towards the group coming at the net, placing herself between the ball and Foxleap, but she did not need to. Icecloud had stolen the ball back, turning it around and pushing it to the other net. Now was her chance. She sprinted past the group pushing and shoving to get the ball back, despite the rule not to touch each other, and she took her place not too far from Briarlight’s net. Berrynose eyed her suspiciously. Did he suspect her plan? She turned back to the action. Icecloud was coming close to the net, and Berrynose was following her every move, as well as Briarlight. Dovepaw braced herself, ready to take the ball once it was passed to her. But then Icecloud veered to the opposite side, towards Berrynose! What was she doing? It looked as if Icecloud would try to make the goal herself, inevitably to have the ball l by Berrynose, but then she turned sharply and shoved it in the other direction to Lionblaze, who then spun back, kicking the ball with his hind legs toward Dovepaw. Before either Berrynose or Briarlight could react, Dovepaw turned and gave the ball an extra shove and it sped right into their net. “Yes!” Dovepaw cheered. Tom laughed in his deep twoleg voice and clapped his paws together. Briarlight wrinkled her nose in a playful scowl. “You won’t be so lucky next time!” “Yeah,” Squirrelflight huffed. “Let’s see you try that again in the next game, when we have the ball first.” Lionblaze flicked his tail, smirking. “You’re on!” Dovepaw looked around at her clanmates happily. This game might be fun after all! Chapter 12
The next day, Jayfeather paced by the abandoned twoleg nest. He sniffed his precious catmint, he had worked so hard to make it grow, now he must work even harder to keep the coming chill from killing it. He patted earth and fallen leaves around its vulnerable roots against the frost and snow that would be coming all too soon. His ears pricked up as he heard pawsteps coming towards him. “Hello Lionblaze, Swiftmind.” He recognized their scent. The two warriors sat down by the wall of the old twoleg nest. “Well, you asked us to come, now what’d you want to talk about?” Swiftmind tried to make himself comfortable on the cold ground. He was still a little stiff from his transformation last night. He had to be a twoleg all day and did not change back until the sun had set. Jayfeather knew they had to keep practicing if Swiftmind ever wanted to be in control of his shape. “And why didn’t you want me to bring Dovepaw?” Lionblaze meowed. “She is a part of the prophecy. Shouldn’t she be a part of our meetings?” “I wanted to talk to you about the Forest of No Stars.” Jayfeather lifted his head toward Lionblaze and Swiftmind. “I didn’t want to scare her.” “She’s got to know sometime.” Lionblaze pointed out. But not yet. “The Forest of No Stars?” Swiftmind mewed curiously. Jayfeather sighed. Neither he nor Lionblaze had really talked to Swiftmind about the Dark Forest, or Tigerstar. He did not want to tell Dovepaw about The Forest of No Stars, but they would need to tell Swiftmind. “You have to realize Swiftmind, that not all clan cats go to Starclan.” Jayfeather began. “Have you ever heard of Tigerstar?” He could hear Swiftmind’s paws shuffle on the ground. “The name’s familiar. I think I’ve heard the elders talk about him. Wasn’t he a Shadowclan leader?” “Yes,” Lionblaze meowed. “But he was once the Thunderclan deputy, before his plot to take over the Clans was foiled by Firestar.” “One of those tyrant types I guess?” Swiftmind did not sound that impressed. “What does he have to do with the Forest of No Stars?” “That’s where he resides.” Jayfeather answered. “And he’s been walking into Clan cat’s dreams to train them and win him over to his cause.” “And he’s doing this…why?” Swiftmind inquired. Jayfeather felt his fur heat up. Neither he nor Lionblaze knew exactly why Tigerstar was training Clan cats in their dreams, but it couldn’t be good. “We’re not sure.” Lionblaze voiced his thoughts. “But it’s something to do with all of the clans.” Jayfeather was about to ask Lionblaze something, when he stiffened. Pawsteps. Both Lionblaze and Swiftmind turned around. “What is it?” Lionblaze’s pelt was prickling. Swiftmind relaxed a bit. “It’s ok. It’s only Sandstorm’s patrol.” Bushes swished as Sandstorm and Cloudtail raced through the bracken close by. Pelting after them was Squirrelflight and Spiderleg. “So what were you going to ask?” Lionblaze swished his tail over the cold earth. “Has Tigerstar visited you lately?” Jayfeather asked. Swiftmind’s head snapped around to look at Lionblaze. “He visited you?” “Tigerstar is Brambleclaw’s father, so when I still thought I was Brambleclaw’s son, Tigerstar visited me.” Lionblaze explained to Swiftmind. “He said that we were kin, and he wanted to help me, even though he knew we weren’t kin at all. He was just trying to use me.” He sighed. “And no, Jayfeather, He hasn’t visited me.” Jayfeather sighed. “What’s on your mind?” Lionblaze kneaded the earth in tension. Jayfeather shook his head and padded over to a spot of borage that had been growing wild beside the twoleg wall. He stopped by the plant. “He’s not going to just give up is he?” Jayfeather sniffed at the borage. Most of the leaves were withered and dead, but there was the scent of new shoots near the base that he could collect. Leaf bare would be coming soon, and he could use all the fever treating herbs he could get. “Help me with this.” He parted the old borage away to reveal the new shoots to Lionblaze and Swiftmind. “Can one of you pick those?” “I can.” Lionblaze padded over and began to pluck out the tender shoots with his paws. The air became sharp with the scent of the plant’s sap. “So…” Swiftmind meowed. “If this Tigerstar fellow is trying to take over the Clans, and he’s doing it by befriending living cats… who else is he visiting?” “We’re not sure.” Lionblaze placed the shoots in front of Jayfeather. “I was wondering that myself.” He looked to Jayfeather, prompting him to speak. “Defiantly Breezepelt. Why else would he attack me?” Jayfeather stopped, realizing he had not told Swiftmind how Breezepelt attacked him while he was looking for Poppyfrost at the moonpool. “He attacked you?” Swiftmind mewed in shock and outrage. “But you’re a medicine cat! That no good piece of crowfood, he’s going to pay for that.” Swiftmind growled. Jayfeather knew Swiftmind never liked Breezepelt. He was attacked by the Windclan warrior when he first came to Thunderclan. Lionblaze remained quiet. “He had help.” Jayfeather mewed. “A ghost warrior attacked me as well with Breezepelt. And it wasn’t Tigerstar.” “Hawkfrost?” Lionblaze asked. He noticed Swiftmind’s questioning looks. “He was Brambleclaw’s half-brother. He was the one who tried to kill Firestar, remember?” “Ah yes.” Swiftmind mewed grimly. “I heard about that.” “It wasn’t Hawkfrost.” Jayfeather said impatiently. “It was someone different. I think Tigerstar must have found more allies in the Dark Forest.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So sorry! School started and I have TONS of homework to do. I promise I'll try to post more quicker ths time! “Allies?” Lionblaze growled. “Not all cats go to Starclan.” Jayfeather reminded him. “But I can’t help but wonder why is he doing this now? Why hasn’t he tried this earlier?” “He hates Firestar. All the Clans know it.” Lionblaze flicked his tail and finished picking the borage. He then sat on his haunches. “What could be better than raising a force against him when he’s least expecting it?” “Yes, But from what you tell me this guy has always hated Firestar.” Swiftmind meowed. “He still could have tried building this… cat army before from beyond the grave and Firestar wouldn’t have expected it. Who would?” “No one,” Jayfeather nodded his head in agreement. “We only discovered this recently. But…” He paused, his face turned to Swiftmind’s direction. “Maybe it is not the timing exactly. Maybe it’s you?” “Me?” Swiftmind looked at Jayfeather in confusion. Jayfeather shrugged. “Maybe Tigerstar knew you were coming to help the Clans and he wants to stop you from doing so. He hates twolegs more than he hates Firestar. But it’s only a theory.” “Hm…” Lionblaze lapped at his chest in thought. “Does Tigerstar even know about Swiftmind? He started training me long before Swiftmind came here, and never mentioned him once.” Jayfeather shrugged again. “Like I said, it was just a thought. But there are more important things to discuss, like who else is Tigerstar visiting, and why.” “Well we know Breezepelt’s one,” Swiftmind huffed. “I’m surprised Tigerstar would even want to bother with him.” “I was wondering that too. Breezepelt seems like an odd choice for a recruit when they don’t have any kinship with each other.” Lionblaze mewed. “But he does resent us because we’re Crowfeather’s kits.” Jayfeather took the shoots Lionblaze plucked and pawed them into a neat pile. Tigerstar’s clever. He knows warriors are too loyal to break the code, so he has to exploit weaknesses.” “He couldn’t exploit me!” Lionblaze mewed indignantly. Jayfeather could almost sense Swiftmind rolling his eyes behind Lionblaze. The twoleg-cat obviously thought Tigerstar used Lionblaze’s pride to exploit him, and in a surge of affection Jayfeather had a sudden urge to defend his brother. “Of course not. But Tigerstar tried. Who knows who else he may be trying to influence?” “Well,” Swiftmind meowed. “We know he’s going after cats who are either related to him, or have issues with other cats. Do you know anybody who fits that description?” Jayfeather sensed Lionblaze tense. “What is it?” “Tigerheart!” Lionblaze’s tail was flicking on the ground, sending up leaves. “Do you remember when I told you that Tigerheart was doing the same battle moves that Tigerstar taught me?” “Of course!” Jayfeather’s belly tightened. “I found him at the border that night Windclan brought Dovepaw home, remember? This is all starting to make sense!” Swiftmind growled. “I thought the scents on the border were familiar. Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me these things?” “Sorry,” Jayfeather sighed. “Too many things happen at once. We never had the time.” “Yes, but we’re telling you now.” Lionblaze nodded. So all those Shadowclan scents were from Tigerheart, scouting the border for Tigerstar?” “If he is then we have to tell Firestar.” Swiftmind stood up on his paws. “We’re quarreling with all of Shadowclan over one cat. The faster we settle this, the better.” “We can’t, not yet.” Jayfeather warned. “We have no way to prove any of this. And even if we tried no cat would admit their disloyalty to their own Clan, especially Tigerheart. For now we will just have to be on our guard.” Swiftmind huffed. He was obviously not satisfied with Jayfeather’s reason not to tell Firestar, but the twoleg-cat did not press any more. “We could try to find out if more cats are being trained by Tigerstar.” Lionblaze mewed. Jayfeather gave the borage a sniff. It was fresh, but needed to be dried so it wouldn’t rot. “You should both watch everyone at Gatherings,” he instructed. “See if any others cross our borders. I’ll find out what I can at the medicine cat Gathering tonight.” “Alright,” Lionblaze and Swiftmind nodded. “So far we know one Windclan and one Shadowclan cat are being trained.” “And if Tigerstar has allies in the Dark Forest, its possible Tigerstar isn’t the only one training warriors in their dreams.” Swiftmind guessed. “Hawkfrost was from Riverclan, he’d know which cat would have the most grievances against you two.” Jayfeather gasped, he hadn’t thought of that. “Oh great,” Lionblaze growled. “Then it’s even more important that I learn everything I can at the Gathering tonight.” Jayfeather stood up. “Let’s go back to camp, I want to rest before I need to leave for the moonpool.” He gathered up the borage and padded through the ferns. Lionblaze and Swiftmind rustled through the undergrowth. “Will the herbs be ok?” Lionblaze asked. “I hope so,” Jayfeather sent a silent prayer to Starclan. “It good to know I now have fresh supplies.” “You certainly take good care of your catmint.” Swiftmind meowed. “You’re like a twoleg gardener!” “Plant’s do what they’re told,” Jayfeather commented. “Unlike apprentices.” Lionblaze purred with amusement. “Have you thought about taking on an apprentice?” Jayfeather tensed. “Not while…” The words were hard to say. “Not while Leafpool is around.” Swiftmind paused, and then sighed. “You want her to be medicine cat again, don’t you?” Jayfeather twitched an ear. “Maybe.” He wasn’t trying to be sentimental. He still did not forgive Leafpool for what she had done. “It just seems like a waste of time training her to turn her back on it. She knows so much, and sometimes I feel like I don’t know enough. Thunderclan still needs her as a medicine cat, not a warrior. Maybe now more than ever.” “Jayfeather!” Sorreltail was calling from the clearing. “Littlecloud’s here.” “Coming!” Jayfeather looked back at Briarlight one last time. “Comfy?” Briarlight shrugged, lying in the nest. She did not have her wheels, and her back legs were lying uselessly behind her. “I’m ok. I’ll be better once I get my wheels back.” Jayfeather shook his head. “You can get them back tomorrow after you rest. Firestar does not want the other clans knowing about your wheels yet. It would just raise too many questions.” He then went out of the warriors’ den. He passed Dogpaw and Swiftmind, who had just returned from hiding the wheels. “I still don’t see what good it would do hiding it. We shouldn’t be ashamed of Briarlight!” “No one is ashamed of her!” Swiftmind mewed quietly but sternly to his apprentice. “And besides we are not trying to hide her, we are trying to hide me!” They padded out of Jayfeather’s hearing, still in conversation. Jayfeather knew what Swiftmind meant. It would look very odd to any other Clan cat to see Briarlight running in a twoleg contraption. It would also be very hard to explain. Firestar did not want to risk Swiftmind being discovered for what he was. It would only cause too much trouble. He maneuvered through the redesigned hollow, now used to a new route that would not make him trip or stumble. Sorreltail passed him and she whispered to him. “I thought you usually met other cats at the border when you go to the Moonpool.” “I think Littlecloud wants to see the damage for himself.” Jayfeather whispered back and padded to the Shadowclan medicine cat. Jayfeather could scent that Flametail was with him by the thorn barrier. He could sense their shock as they both stared around the camp. “I’m amazed you lost only one cat.” Littlecloud commented as Jayfeather approached. “And only one injured. How is Briarpaw?” “She’s Briarlight now.” “Really?” Littlecloud sounded surprised, but Jayfeather didn’t comment. “Well it’s nice that Firestar made her a warrior.” Flametail meowed, though his tone suggested that he thought Firestar gave Briarlight her warrior name out of pity. “Has she show signs of the sickness?” “She is as brave as any warrior.” Jayfeather felt for both of the medicine cat’s reactions. “And we have kept her moving to keep her lungs clear.” Flametail stuck his muzzle close to Jayfeather’s. It was obvious the young medicine cat was curious. “How do you keep her spirits up?” He asked quietly. Was he looking for signs of weakness? “No need.” Jayfeather meowed.” “She’s very positive.” He made a mental note to search Flametail’s dreams that night. If any cat held some clues to Tigerstar’s intentions, it would be Tigerheart’s littermate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry it's late again! I don't know when I'll get another chance, but don't worry! You'll see Soulcatcher VERY soon... He and the Shadowclan medicine cats padded out of the thorn tunnel and through the forest towards the Windclan border. They did not talk much, which he was fine with. It gave him more time to think to himself. He began to wonder what Flametail knew about his brother’s secret training, if he knew at all. Surely Jayfeather would find something interesting in the young medicine cat’s dreams. Unless… Tigerstar was training him too… Jayfeather shook the thought away. A medicine cat would never fall for Tigerstar’s tricks! But no matter how hard he tried to banish the thought from his mind, it clung on like an annoying tick. This made him only too eager to remain quiet. He was relieved as they padded from the trees and he scented Mothwing, Willowshine, and Kestrelflight. He, Littlecloud, and Flametail jumped over the stream to meet up with them. Mothwing nodded to him in a formal greeting. “Jayfeather…” Her mew was cold, but it seemed no one noticed but him. Mothwing knows that I know she has no connection to Starclan. Is she afraid I will tell the others? Jayfeather huffed quietly. As if he would ever be so cruel! “Mothwing,” He nodded to Mothwing in return. Her apprentice, Willowshine, padded over to Jayfeather. “Hi Jayfeather!” She was more friendly than her mentor. She shivered. “Brr! It’s cold out here.” “Not once we get moving.” Kestrelflight stamped his paws against the chill. The Windclan medicine cat began to lead the way to the moonpool. They chatted as they moved across the cold earth, gossiping about clan events and the increasing age of Littlecloud. On any other meeting, Jayfeather would have enjoyed the warmth and trust between the others. But on this night his pelt was heavy with uneasiness. His old trust for his fellow medicine cats felt threatened by the spirit of Tigerstar. He padded behind the small group and picked his way over the rocks. As they came to the waterfall Jayfeather felt the distance between him and the others grow. Someone else noticed Jayfeather was falling behind as well. “Do you want us to slow down?” Littlecloud called to him. “It’s ok. I’ll catch up.” Jayfeather replied. He scrabbled between two boulders as he wondered about Tigerstar and the other cats of the Dark forest. Would they visit any of the medicine cats tonight? He doubted it, but then again they were used to getting visits from Starclan. Why not cats from the place of no stars? He jumped to another rock, but slipped on its wet surface. He thought he would end up tumbling back down, but a steadying paw caught him. “Careful.” Littlecloud mewed. The Shadowclan tom had waited for him after all. Jayfeather mewed his thanks, picking himself up and padding with his back to the group. As he and Littlecloud fell in behind the others Littlecloud paused, asking him a question. “How is Leafpool?” Jayfeather detected a hint of worry in Littlecloud’s mew. But then Littlecloud was probably concerned for his old friend. “How is she managing as a warrior I mean?” From the tone of the meow it sounded like Littlecloud still didn’t quite believe she’d made the decision. “She’s fine.” Jayfeather mewed stiffly, trying to pick up the pace. Why did Littlecloud have to bring Leafpool up? “Doesn’t she miss it?” Littlecloud persisted. Jayfeather turned on him. “No cat forced her to become a warrior!” He snapped. But how could she remain a medicine cat after what she had done? She had broken the code. Jayfeather sighed, turning away from Littlecloud and padded onward. Then Littlecloud spoke again. “We all make mistakes.” He murmured. “Some have echoes that last forever…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I fixed my computer! Littlecloud’s words still sounded in Jayfeather’s ears and he took his place by the moonpool. It was sheltered from the wind here, and Jayfeather could feel the paw prints frozen solid in time that were made countless moons ago as he made his way down to the water. But he heard no whispers that had always welcomed him to share with his ancestors. There was only the wind blowing over the rocks and grass. Jayfeather felt a sudden pang of loneliness in his belly. No ghostly pelts brushing against his? No kind murmurs or familiar scents? Where had the ancient cats of the lake gone? Were they mad that he had broken the stick Rock had marked with his claws? I’m so sorry! His heart wailed. Come back! The medicine cats relaxed as they lapped from the water. Jayfeather dropped his head and drank as well, trying to get the thoughts of being abandoned by Rock and Fallen Leaves. The water was icy on Jayfeather’s tongue, and he could already hear Mothwing beside him start to breath slow as she fell into a deep sleep. But he was not concerned with Mothwing. His target of focus was Flametail. The Shadowclan medicine cat was already asleep. Jayfeather also felt the slumber brought by Starclan overcome him. He sighed, falling asleep. He then opened his eyes to find he was in a clearing. He sniffed, catching Flametail’s scent and spotted him quickly in the foliage. It seemed he woke up right in Flametail’s dream. Now’s my chance! Jayfeather started to make his way toward him. He would have to be cautious and not give himself away as he asked Flametail questions about Tigerheart. But before he got the chance, another cat appeared out of the underbrush in front of Flametail. Yellowfang smiled at the ginger tom. “Hello Flametail!” Flametail purred happily, “Hi Yellowfang! Are you going to teach me some more today?” Jayfeather halted and pricked his ears. The matted she-cat shook her head. “Not this time. Runningnose wants to speak with you.” Jayfeather blinked. Maybe Runningnose had something important to say to Flametail. Jayfeather ducked and began to follow Flametail into the trees. “Don’t you ever learn?” Jayfeather jumped in surprise as Yellowfang appeared a whisker-length ahead of him. He bristled. “What do you want?” “You don’t need to follow Flametail.” Yellowfang’s amber gaze was sharp. “And how would you know?” Jayfeather growled. He could see Flametail disappearing through the trees and brush. “I know he’s a medicine cat, and can be trusted.” Yellowfang snapped back at him. Jayfeather huffed. “Leafpool was a medicine cat…” His nose wrinkled. Yellowfang’s orange eyes narrowed and Jayfeather tensed, expecting a lecture, but it did not come. Instead, she looked at Jayfeather thoughtfully. “You know something…” The matted she-cat murmured. “Tell me.” Jayfeather spat. “Why should I tell you anything?” “Because you always tell us, eventually…” Came another mew. Both Jayfeather and Yellowfang turned to see the newcomer. A white she-cat slid out of the undergrowth, and Yellowfang growled. “What do you want Icestar?” Jayfeather blinked. The name sounded familiar for some reason. Icestar smirked. “Oh Yellowfang. Is it wrong that I want to give help to a fellow cat of Starclan?” She padded closer. The old medicine cat snorted. “As if your advice ever does any help…” “And I suppose it was your idea to lead Swiftmind to the clans?” Icestar arched her brow, her blue eyes glittered. Jayfeather gasped. “You brought Swiftmind here? It was you?” The white Starclan cat nodded. “I consulted someone who actually knew what was going on, and he led me to the right answer.” She turned her head to Yellowfang. “That same cat could help us again.” “No.” Yellowfang growled. Jayfeather felt the anger radiate from her, but it was also mixed with something else. Fear. Who was Yellowfang so afraid of? “You know He can help us.” Icestar said sternly. Just from the way she said He Jayfeather tensed. Whoever this cat was, he held great importance. He pricked his ears. “What does he know? All we know is that Tigerstar is training warriors in their dreams, from all Clans. And that he might have help.” “What?!” Yellowfang looked at Jayfeather sharply. Apparently she had not known that, and that could mean the rest of Starclan did not know either. Icestar had tensed, but sighed. “The cat I speak of knows everything. What was, what is, and what will be. He has seen it all, and knows all the answers.” “If you can call Him a cat…” Yellowfang muttered, but Jayfeather was sitting to attention. Finally! Someone who could explain things! Maybe he’ll even tell me about the prophecy! Jayfeather’s paw’s itched just to get going. “Where is He?” He meowed eagerly. Icestar flicked her tail, smiling. “At the edge of eternity…” Yellowfang hissed. “We can’t go there…” Her fur was on end. “We don’t need to go there, to Him. We can get our answers somewhere else.” “Where, the Dark Forest?” Icestar huffed. “Oh yes, that will go well. I’m sure Tigerstar will just love to tell us all his plans.” She rolled her blue eyes. Yellowfang growled, but said nothing. Icestar nodded. “Then it’s settled. Follow me.” The white cat turned and bounded down the forest path. Jayfeather bounded after her, and Yellowfang padded behind them, grumbling to herself. It was not long before the path became lush with long grass, and a cool breeze passed through the trees. It was warm here, and Jayfeather relished it, knowing that when he would wake up it would be in the cold of leaf-bare. Then Jayfeather stopped and his eyes widened. They came before a meadow, flecked with colorful flowers and graced by graceful trees. Warriors of every size, shape, and clan were scattered through the green grass. Some hunting, some lounging, and others were even sharing tongues. Jayfeather looked upon the paradise. “Starclan…” He whispered in awe. Icestar purred and stood next to him. “Beautiful, isn’t it? No disease, no fighting, no leaf-bare, no hunger. Simply perfect…” “It’s not all perfect.” Yellowfang’s eyes darkened. “We never cease to worry and watch those still alive in the world.” Icestar nodded at this. “Why should anyone worry?” Jayfeather shrugged. “If this is where we end up, I can’t imagine why any cat would.” Icestar sighed. “No, Yellowfang is right. No one enjoys another’s suffering no matter what paradise awaits them, especially kin.” Yellowfang nodded. “And remember, not all paths lead here.” She meowed darkly. Jayfeather shivered, remembering the Dark Forest and Tigerstar. “You said we would not go there, right?” He mewed. Icestar nodded. “We’ll pass by there, but not go in.” They padded through the meadow. Other Starclan cats yowled greetings to Yellowfang and Icestar. Jayfeather thought he spotted Mousefur and Purdy rush past them, chasing a squirrel. He smiled; glad they were happy in Starclan. If only he could tell Longtail about his companions. They passed by another cat, one who was disturbingly familiar. Jayfeather gasped at the fiery pelt. “Firestar?” But his leader was not dead yet! Icestar purred in amusement. “Surprised? Don’t worry, that is only five of Firestar’s nine lives. Once Firestar has lost his ninth this will truly be him. Until then, he cannot hear or speak.” The ghostly shape of Firestar paused to look at them, deaf and mute, before rushing off into the long grass. Jayfeather watched the ghostly cat disappear and looked back at Icestar to ask if Firestar could feel the lives draining away, when he noticed something. Yellowfang and other Starclan cats he could recognize were solid, as if they were alive, but Icestar was transparent, just as Firestar’s lives had been! As he looked around he noticed a few other cats were like this, some so much so that they only looked like wisps of smoke in the air. He looked to Icestar. “I can see through you and others like him.” He motioned to where the fiery cat had left. “Are you half-dead too?” Icestar sighed. “I have been around for a long time Jayfeather.” She explained. “I cannot be remembered in the Clans forever.” “You’re disappearing because no one remembers you?” Jayfeather blinked. The thought disturbed him deeply. “That’s horrible!” “Being forgotten is not horrible.” Yellowfang shrugged. “Even the stars and mountains do not last forever. After so many years, the final peace is welcome to cats.” She seemed so certain of this, but Jayfeather felt some resentment coming from Icestar herself. She did not look too thrilled to be forgotten and to disappear forever. But then Jayfeather could not blame her. “Let’s get going…” Icestar mewed finally and padded off again. Jayfeather and Yellowfang followed. Just as they were leaving the edge of the meadow they were hailed by a pretty tortoiseshell from the rocks above a waterfall flowing into a glittering stream. She leapt down and disappeared in the long grass, soon emerging out of the blades of grass to join them. Jayfeather recognized the she-cat at once and he bowed his head to her in greeting. “Hello Spottedleaf.” “Hello Jayfeather!” Spottedleaf smiled. She looked from him, to Icestar, and to Yellowfang. She paused. “What’s going on?” “We are getting answers.” Icestar meowed solemnly. Spottedleaf blinked and looked at Yellowfang. “You… You’re not going to the Dark Forest are you? You can’t!” “We’re not.” Yellowfang sighed. “We are going to speak with Soulcatcher.” The reaction was instant. Spottedleaf’s eyes widened and her fur puffed out. Two other cats who had overheard them by the stream looked up and padded away quickly. Once again Jayfeather wondered who Soulcatcher was to gain such fear. Was he a murderer like Tigerstar? “Do you think that is wise?” Spottedleaf mewed quietly. Icestar nodded. “It’s much wiser than going to see Tigerstar.” “As much as I’d hate to admit it, Icestar is right. We have to go find out what Tigerstar is planning. And Soulcatcher is the only one who would know the answer and tell us willingly” Yellowfang nodded. “But to go alone?” Spottedleaf bristled. “It’s foolish!” “Bluestar went to see Him alone.” Icestar stated “And we have each other.” Jayfeather watched the conversation, tilting his head to one side. It was hard to tell who was more frightened of this mysterious cat, but both Yellowfang and Spottedleaf were both trying to hide it. The only one who wasn’t afraid was Icestar. If anything there was respect. He finally spoke up. “Who is Soulcatcher anyway? Why are you so afraid of him?” Spottedleaf looked at Icestar sharply. “You didn’t tell him?” “Tell me what?” Jayfeather was starting to get annoyed. “Is he like Tigerstar? Is he worse?” Icestar shook her white head. “No, he does not kill…But he’s seen more death than any other being.” “That’s because he IS death.” Yellowfang growled. “He is the Death of Cats, and everything else that lives.” She mewed darkly. “He knows everything because He has seen everything.” Jayfeather blinked. “Death? But…I though dying just happened.” He shook his head. “How can a natural thing that happens be a living cat?” “We never said he was living.” Yellowfang said sternly. “He is a spirit, a thing that had never been alive to begin with who only takes the form of a cat around us.” Jayfeather shivered, wondering how such a being could exist. “Can He hurt us?” “No. He’s forbidden to take anyone before or after their time.” Spottedleaf stated. “But I want to come with you. Firestar would never forgive me if anything happened to you Jayfeather.” Jayfeather flicked his tail. “I’m not helpless!” He objected. “And you said Soulcatcher would not hurt me anyway.” Icestar began to pad ahead and she looked back at him. “It’s not just Soulcatcher we’re worried about.” The trees began to thin out before then, becoming smoother, with branches to high to reach. The lush grass that had tickled Jayfeather’s paws before had become sparse until it disappeared all together. The only thing that covered the ground completely was a thin mist. Every time he drew a breath he got a taste of cold decay. But what disturbed him the most was that there was no sun. The only light was this eerie and unnatural white glow that penetrated the trees, creating horrible shadows. “I can see how this would be the home of death.” Jayfeather whispered, though he didn’t know why he kept his voice low. Icestar gave a thin smile, even though Jayfeather could tell she was nervous. “Soulcatcher doesn’t live here. We’re not even close to his home.” She looked ahead. “This is the border of the Place of No Stars. We’ll turn here.” And with that the Starclan cats changed their direction. Jayfeather almost sighed with relief, thankful that they were not going any further into the Dark Forest. But now he could feel another sense of foreboding. If this was the Dark Forest, then how bad was Soulcatcher’s home? The trees thinned out even more here, until they too disappeared like the grass. They now were in front of a giant moor. The white light had darkened to grey, as well as the mist. The plains looked even darker. He could barely make out mountains beyond the black moor. “Is that the edge of eternity?” Jayfeather looked at Icestar, who nodded. Yellowfang shook her matted pelt. “Well, let’s not just sit here like badgers, let’s get going.” She sounded reluctant, but padded onto the empty moorland anyway. Spottedleaf sniffed the ground apprehensively before following after Yellowfang. Jayfeather padded after them, Icestar moving ahead of Yellowfang. He looked up, watching the sky darken. The ground was cold under his paws, and the grey mist turned into black fog. It became so thick he realized he was losing sight of the others in front of him! “Wait up!” He padded faster to catch up with him. He didn’t want to get lost here. Spottedleaf slowed a little for him, and he padded up next to her. He noticed that in this fog, Spottedleaf’s Starclan pelt had lost its glimmer. As had Yellowfang’s and Icestar’s pelt. He shuddered. There’s nothing beautiful here. His head shot around, hearing whispers in the mist. He thought he could see shapes move in and out of the fog. “Don’t stare at them.” Spottedleaf murmured. Jayfeather’s fur stood on end. “What are they?” “Lost spirits.” Icestar explained, not looking back to him. “When spirits are forgotten, they don’t fade away entirely. They wait, in case they can have a purpose once again.” “Don’t think about them.” Yellowfang hissed. “We don’t need to attract their attention.” Jayfeather shivered and kept moving. He tried his best not to think about to whispers and shapes around him in the darkness, but there was not much else to think about. He did not know how long they padded through the fog, time seemed to stand still. He looked into the shadows again and his heart nearly stopped. One of the shapes had moved toward him! It was nothing more than a part of the darkness itself, solidified, but it was solid nonetheless. And it was frightening. Jayfeather gasped and nearly bumped into Spottedleaf. “No!” He shrieked. “Leave me alone!” The shape moved closer, menacing. Believe in me…A voice whispered in Jayfeather’s mind. Give me purpose. Give me life… For a moment the shape became defined, looking like a terrifying cat, with eyes like embers and fangs like diamond. But then Icestar stepped in front, no, through the thing, and it vanished. The white she-cat looked at Jayfeather sternly. “There is nothing there.” She mewed coldly. “Remember that. There is nothing, and never was. And never will be.” She padded back ahead. Spottedleaf and Yellowfang glanced at Jayfeather sadly for a moment before following after her. Jayfeather shuddered and joined them. He could still feel eyes watching him. Eyes like embers… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I would have made it longer but I felt like giving you guys nightmares tonight. Sleep well.
They moved through the darkness for a long time, until Jayfeather stepped on something soft. He paused and looked down. He had stepped on something prickly. He looked down and was actually amazed to see sprouts of grass. The fog cleared away to reveal a sudden forest in the gloom. He blinked. Jayfeather was relieved to see a change in scenery, but this was a small comfort. The forest was black. It was not dark, or even full of the strange fog of the plains they had left. The trees, shrubs, and any other plants were black. Jayfeather sniffed a leaf. It had no scent. Nothing here smelled like anything but of cold lifelessness. Spottedleaf sniffed a black flower nearby. “Nothing,” She sighed. “Nothing is real here.” “It’s all an illusion.” Icestar padded ahead. “But don’t think it can’t harm you.” Jayfeather followed quickly, wanting to get as far away from the plain of lost spirits as quickly as possible. He looked around at everything. He started to see that there were different shades of black everywhere, if you could believe such a thing. Such as the trees all had hints of very dark brown if you bothered to look, or the ferns had dark green. This place was certainly nicer than the moor. It even had flowers. Jayfeather found a patch of black foxgloves, with possible hints of deep purple. He sniffed one, still no scent. But then he noticed something, a bright color amongst the dark ones. When he looked closer, he found it was a butterfly. It was a brilliant blue, with gold markings that seemed to move as Jayfeather gazed at them. What was more surprising was that the butterfly looked more solid than anything else in the forest. It rested on one of the fox gloves and Jayfeather craned his neck to sniff it. It had the scent of rain, and the electric smell you get just before a thunderstorm. It was real. Jayfeather sighed, almost relieved to have found something so beautiful in such a frightening place. The gust from his breath made the butterfly take off, the gold markings on its wings flashing brilliantly in the low light. Jayfeather watched it move with wide eyes. “Jayfeather!” Spottedleaf called to him from ahead. “Please don’t get lost! We’ll never find you again!” Jayfeather turned, realizing he had fallen behind. He gave one longing look back at the butterfly and then bounded ahead to the others. It did not appear that any of the Starclan cats had seen the marvelous creature by the foxgloves. Jayfeather was tempted to go back and show them, but that would only waste time. He sighed. “How long until we find Soulcatcher’s home?” Yellowfang hissed for him to be quiet. “We’re close now. He probably already knows we’re in His territory.” Jayfeather nodded, the fur on his back rising. He looked behind him and saw a blue speck was gliding in the air behind them. It was the butterfly again. He blinked. Was it following them? No, it’s just a butterfly. Why would it follow us? But then again, butterflies usually don’t glow… Suddenly Icestar and the others stopped. Jayfeather looked ahead and found the forest had ended to a marsh. He jumped back as he saw small blue flames leap up from the ground. The fires were scattered around a path through the marsh to a cave, hollowed out of a side of a mountain. The cave was pitch-black and he could not see into it. But what he could see was on a boulder near the mouth of the cave. It had claw marks on it. Yellowfang looked at Icestar. “So what do we do now? Wait for Him? Or do we go inside?” She didn’t sound too eager to do either of these things. Icestar sighed. “We wait, I suppose.” Jayfeather looked at the cave. Was the Death of Cats in there, waiting for them? Suddenly the butterfly swooped over their heads. Icestar, Yellowfang, and Spottedleaf all jumped and ducked as if a large eagle had tried to claw their ears off. Jayfeather watched the butterfly glide into the cave and become swallowed by the darkness. After a moment, Jayfeather could hear voices. He could not hear what was being said, but there was defiantly more than one voice. And none of them sounded that inviting. Spotted leaf spoke first. “We should go. I didn’t know they would be here as well!” Yellowfang nodded, but Icestar shook her head. “We can’t leave after we’ve come all this way!” Jayfeather looked back at Spottedleaf. “Who are they?” Did they forget to tell him something again? Just then he heard a growl come from the cave. He turned and three cats slipped out of the cave. Jayfeather’s blood ran cold. The ahead of the group was dark ginger, almost the color of blood. Its body was covered in scars, most of them still fresh and glistening. There were so many scars Jayfeather could not tell whether the cat was a tom or she-cat. Its claws were unsheathed and crusted with blood, but the most noticeable feature was that it had no eyes. Its eye sockets glowed deep red, as if filled with fire. The other cats were just as frightening. One, a gray tom with glowing amber eyes, was so thin that every bone was outlined under his pale fur. The other, a brown tabby tom with green glowing eyes, was covered in sores and patches of his missing fur. Some sores had burst and leaked puss, making Jayfeather gag and step back in disgust. The plagued tabby snarled, and foul drool dripped from the rotten teeth. Jayfeather shuddered, huddling close to Spottedleaf and Yellowfang. They were just as afraid. The bloody cat padded over and hissed, and it was then Jayfeather realized the apparition was a she-cat! “What are you doing here? You know we don’t like Starclan cats in our territory just as much as you hate us in yours.” She made the very idea sound like a declaration of war. Icestar stood her ground, but even she was frightened. “We want to speak with Soulcatcher.” She meowed, glaring at the three terrors. The tabby hacked and let out a gravelly laugh. “And what makes you think our brother would want to see you?” He sounded like he had the worst case of green cough in the world. “We need answers.” Icestar said gravely. “It’s important.” “Please.” Spottedleaf mewed. He voice quavered with fright. The red she-cat looked ready to pounce on Icestar, snarling, but then there was another meow from the cave. “I don’t see what’s wrong with them coming inside for a while…” Everyone looked toward the cave and there was another tom. His fur was gold, as well as the glowing orbs that were his eyes. His pelt had blue markings that seemed to move and it hurt Jayfeather’s eyes to look at them for too long. He looked much healthier than the other three. And the blue butterfly Jayfeather saw fly into the cave was now resting on the cat’s left ear. His voice sounded very comforting, while at the same time disconcerting. This new specter noticed Jayfeather and smiled. “I see you recognize my little pet.” He indicated the butterfly. “Her name is Stormwing, and she has told me a little bit about you.” The thin grey cat hissed, making a sound like wind over grass. “Enough talk Wickedheart. Let’s just send these Starclan cats off and get back to the meeting!” “But not all of them are from Starclan.” Wickedheart gave a purring chuckle. “If you had bothered to give them a sniff Thinbone, you would have noticed that the young tom is in fact, alive.” The other three looked sharply at Jayfeather, and he took a step back. Yellowfang moved protectively in front of Jayfeather. “Leave him alone.” The matted she-cat growled. “He is only here for answers, like us.” The large bloody she-cat growled, which was actually a laugh, “A living cat in Soulcatcher’s territory? Oh this is too rich.” She and the other frightening spirits started to circle around them. Jayfeather began to feel trapped. “You’ll get your answers, but you’ll have to wait for our brother to come back. He’s busy at the moment.” The sick one hacked again, and now they were so close Jayfeather’s nose was flooded with the scent of disease. Jayfeather tried to step away from the horrific scent, but that only brought him closer to the one Wickedheart called Thinbone. Thinbone’s eyes, if you could call them that, glinted sinisterly. “But it would be too rude for us to just leave you out here to wait. Why don’t you come inside? There is plenty of fresh-kill to spare.” His mouth seemed to water at just the thought of food. Jayfeather gulped, looking at Icestar. She hadn’t moved. “No.” Yellowfang snarled. “I think we’ll wait right here, thank you.” Her dark fur was on end. “Oh, but we insist.” The sickened cat rasped, walking up from behind. Jayfeather and the others padded ahead, on the path to stay away from his disgusting scent. But the disease ridden creature kept padding towards them, and the more Jayfeather tried to get away he realized that he and his companions were being herded into the cave! And there was nothing they could do. They were already in the marsh. Straying off the path would certainly risk them becoming burned by the blue fire. Their only option was the dark cave opening. Icestar padded ahead, despite her obvious fear, while Yellowfang and Spottedleaf padded on either side of Jayfeather. For once, Jayfeather felt thankful for their protection. He could almost hear Yellowfang’s and Spottedleaf’s thoughts. We should never have come here. The cave’s opening was like a gaping mouth, devouring any light and soon, them. Jayfeather hesitated at the cavern’s opening, only to be pushed in roughly by the large red she-cat. “Would you hurry up? Nothing’s going to bite you!” She growled, following after them, though from her tone Jayfeather doubted that she wouldn’t try to hurt them. Jayfeather stopped just before the curtain of shadow and looked at the others. Spottedleaf stayed close to him, looking at the cave with fright. Yellowfang was frightened as well, but tried not to show it. Icestar had taken a deep, breath and padded past Jayfeather and headed into the darkness. Jayfeather gulped, and took a few tentative steps after her with Spottedleaf and Yellowfang by his side. At first, there was nothing. Jayfeather could not see anything at all, not even the whiskers by his nose. But he could feel the cold stone under his paws, hear the Starclan medicine cats next to him and felt their fear. He could also hear the wheezing of the diseased spirit behind him, as well as the growl of his bloody companion. He shuddered. Then, as if from the walls themselves, a light penetrated the darkness. The stone gave away into soft cool sand and as Jayfeather’s eyes adjusted to the light he could see they were in a large chamber. The walls of the cave were smoother than they had looked from the outside. He could not see the roof of the cave, it was so high up. There was a large pile of fresh-kill, with plump squirrels, rabbits and voles. Like everything else, the fur on the prey was black, but they had some scent. Surrounding the feast were five dens, filled with soft leaves and feathers. Jayfeather looked around, there was not that much else in the cavern except a little spring flowing from a hole in the far left wall. There was also an opening at the other side of the cavern, possibly leading into another chamber but he could not tell. It was cold in the den, but not that uninviting. “You look surprised.” Jayfeather blinked and turned to see Wickedheart watching him, almost smirking. “I, uh…” Jayfeather mewed. “I was expecting something different.” “Like bones perhaps?” Wickedheart rumbled with a chuckle. “Just because my brother is the spirit of death, it does not mean He dislikes comfort. The outside is just to discourage the curious.” The golden spirit padded to the fresh-kill pile with the other three specters and pulled out a large rabbit. The butterfly named Stormwing was still perched on his ear. Jayfeather’s stomach growled but he didn’t go to eat the food, or sit in the comfortable dens as the spirits were. He and the Starclan cats stayed where they were, to wary to move anywhere else. Wickedheart looked up. “You don’t have to stand about like birds. Come sit, there are plenty of dens.” And as Jayfeather looked, he saw that there were in fact four more nests around the fresh-kill pile than he remembered. He looked up at Icestar, confused. He had been so sure that there had been only five dens, now there were nine! Icestar flicked her tail. She obviously didn’t trust Wickedheart, but she padded forward anyway, sitting one nest away from Thinbone. Yellowfang grumbled something and sat next to her, and Spottedleaf lay in the den next to the grizzled she-cat. Jayfeather sat down in the soft den next to Wickedheart, who smiled. “Please eat,” Wickedheart nodded to the fresh-kill pile. “It may not be real to you, but your stomach won’t know the difference. Soulcatcher won’t mind.” Jayfeather looked from Wickedheart to the pile of food. It did smell real enough, and his mouth watered. He looked at his companions. Yellowfang and Spottedleaf kept their eyes fixed on the prey items but didn’t even try to sniff it. Icestar however reached with her paw and hooked out a vole. She took a small bite and Jayfeather relaxed. He reached into the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a squirrel in his jaws. The scent wafted into his mouth and he tore into the squirrel, his hunger realized. Wickedheart cleaned his paws and looked at Jayfeather. “While you’re waiting for my brother, let me introduce you to my other siblings.” He flicked his long tail to the other spirits. First to Thinbone, “This is Thinbone, Hunger of Cats.” Thinbone grunted, not bothering to look up as he tore through his meal. He already had the bones of a mouse and thrush beside him and he was chewing into a rabbit. And yet no matter how much he ate Jayfeather noticed his belly remained skinny. Thinbone was forever starving. “And this,” Wickedheart flicked his tail to the gory she-cat, “Is my dear sister Bloodclaw, War of Cats.” Bloodclaw ripped off a limb from the odd animal Jayfeather had never seen before. It was as large as Bloodclaw, and its fur was like bristles. “What? You’ve never seen a young bore before?” Bloodclaw growled and bit into it again. Jayfeather had heard of bores, but only in stories. This must have been a piglet. He grimaced as the vicious way Bloodclaw tore into its flesh, blood dripping from her mouth. He then looked at the sick one. Jayfeather tried not to stare directly at him as Wickedheart pointed with his gold tail. “And this is Illfur, Pestilence of Cats.” Illfur hacked a greeting, spitting all over the mouse in his paws. Jayfeather nodded to all these spirits, looking quickly at Wickedheart. “And what spirit are you?” Wickedheart sat up and curled his tail around his paws. “I am Wickedheart, Chaos of Cats. All of us, including Soulcatcher are the five banes of all cats and other living things.” He seemed rather happy of the fact. His Stormwing fluttered from his ear and flew around the cave. Jayfeather could not help but watch the butterfly float through the air.
“Pretty isn’t she?” Wickedheart purred, arching his brow. “Every time she flaps her wings, somewhere in the world there is a storm. From the lightest drizzle to the most powerful tempest.” Jayfeather watched Stormwing flutter her wings. Somewhere out there it must be a powerful storm. “How is it possible?” He asked. “Anything is possible with a little belief.” Wickedheart lay back in the den. The blue designs on his pelt danced with his movements. Jayfeather stared. While the other spirits lived out their role clearly, Wickedheart did not look that chaotic. Despite his foreboding name, he seemed rather orderly. “Didn’t your mother tell you it was impolite to stare?” A thick gravelly voice meowed. Jayfeather turned and saw Illfur looking at him with green star-like eyes. He looked away immediately and gulped down the last of his squirrel. Illfur coughed and laughed. “Ha! A typical medicine cat. You brag you can cure diseases but when you face a real one you get weak on your paws.” Yellowfang growled and Spottedleaf flicked her tail at this insult but they said nothing. Jayfeather’s pelt burned and he glared at Illfur. “So you’re the one who makes cat’s get sick with greencough?” Illfur nodded. “And whitecough, blackcough, mange, colds, fevers, food poisoning, and any other sickness you can think of.” Jayfeather growled, remembering the plague of greencough that swept through Thunderclan. The diseased cats had to live in the abandoned twoleg den to stop the infection from spreading to the rest of the clan. Firestar had gotten sick and lost one of his lives. “You’ve killed hundreds of cats!” Jayfeather stood up from his nest. His pelt bristling. “Do you have no shame?” Illfur smiled. “I don’t have feelings, kit. I’d have to be alive.” He hacked again. “And I don’t kill anyone. Cats don’t always die when they get sick. I just give them their illness and go. What happens after that is none of my concern.” He went back to eating. Jayfeather growled again. How could someone, or something, be so uncaring? Unlike cats of Starclan or the Dark forest, or even the ghosts of Rock and Fallen Leaves he could he could barely sense any emotions or thoughts from these spirits. But he could defiantly smell them; there was no doubt about that. Jayfeather wrinkled his nose at the mixed odor of blood, hunger, and disease. Yet for some reason Wickedheart smelled like a thunderstorm. And there was the lingering scent of death in the cave. Not rotten, unless you counted Illfur, but just dead and lifeless. It was the scent that the Clans had always tried to mask with rosemary or sage after a tragedy. There were no soothing herbs here. In fact, the smell seemed to get stronger the more Jayfeather thought about it. His fur stood on end as he looked around the cave. “GREETINGS.” A cold emotionless voice boomed behind the medicine cats. Jayfeather yowled and jumped, turning around to see the terror behind him. The shadowy figure was large, darker than the shadows surrounding Him and had markings in the shape of bones. His eyes were two bright blue orbs in dark sockets. This was Soulcatcher, Death of Cats. Jayfeather’s eyes widened and he stepped back, nearly in the fresh-kill pile. Soulcatcher didn’t seem too surprised to see Jayfeather or the Starclan cats. The dark cat looked towards Wickedheart. “I DO NOT RECALL GIVING YOU PERMISSION TO INVITE OTHERS INTO MY HOME.” Wickedheart shrugged. “I thought you liked company. Besides, they wanted to ask you something.” Soulcatcher said nothing but walked around them. As He passed Jayfeather the medicine cat caught a familiar scent. Thunderclan! Jayfeather’s blood ran cold. Why would the Death of Cats be around Thunderclan? Had someone died? Had there been an attack? The others had noticed to, and Spottedleaf sniffed worriedly. Soulcatcher took no notice of their distress. He sat in the den next to Wickedheart. The pile of fresh-kill blocked Jayfeather’s view of him. But only for a moment. Jayfeather noticed Soulcatcher’s black and white tail flicking in the air and the pile of fresh kill vanished. Jayfeather jumped back a bit out of surprise. None of the othet spirits looked too surprised, except the Hunger of Cats. Thinbone hissed. “Hey! I wasn’t finished!” His sister Bloodclaw growled but another flick of Soulcatcher’s tail silenced them. “SO,” Soulcatcher’s blue gaze fell on Icestar. “WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU COME TO ASK ME?” Jayfeather blinked. What else? Has Icestar come here to talk to Soulcatcher before? Well that would explain why she knew how to get here, but what answers had she been given before? Icestar sighed. “I’m sorry if I’ve been bothering you lately, but this is important. It’s about the Forest of No Stars, and Tigerstar.” “YOU WISH TO KNOW WHY HE IS GOING INTO THE DREAMS OF THE LIVING.” His voice echoed in the cavern. Icestar nodded and the medicine cats leaned forward, eager for the answer. “IT IS BECAUSE HE IS TRYING TO CREATE DECEIT IN THE CLANS.” Soulcatcher shrugged. “TIGERSTAR WANTS TO DESTROY EVERYTHING FIRESTAR KNOWS AND LOVES, SO IT CAN BE REBUILT AS TIGERSTAR HAD WANTED IN LIFE.” He had said it so simply, and emotionlessly, as if it was just another fact of life. It chilled Jayfeather, making him shudder. “Who else is he training? And who’s training the warriors with him?” Yellowfang found her voice. “We know there are others in the dark forest, and apparently they’re training other Clan cats as well. So who has joined Tigerstar’s side?” Wickedheart chuckled before Soulcatcher could speak. “Why, almost everyone in that dark forest is in on the plot, even your dear son Yellowfang. He’s been training Breezepelt from Windclan.” Jayfeather’s blue eyes widened and he turned sharply to Yellowfang. “Son?” Yellowfang looked shocked, but said nothing. She didn’t need to. Jayfeather was already being swept away in her memories. Alone, and in pain… Far away from her Clan Yellowfang gave birth, ashamed of her crime. Only one kit survived the cold, only to be raised by another Queen that resented his own existence. Yellowfang watched the kit grow strong and fat from his skill. But he also grew prideful, and dark. Killing his father to gain control of Shadowclan and plunged it into chaos and war. Jayfeather grimaced and a name appeared in his mind… Brokenstar. He saw another memory now. The once strong leader weakened and blind, a prisoner but still filled with all the malice and evil he had in his prime. Yellowfang stood over him, stronger, and through her eyes the horrified Jayfeather saw her give him deathberries. The dark cat cursed and convulsed, swearing revenge with his very last breaths until he died. Jayfeather felt the sting of guilt flow through him. The very guilt of Yellowfang, mortified for giving birth to such a monster and haunted by taking him out of it. She killed her own son. Shivering, Jayfeather drew out of one nightmarish vision and into another one. All the spirits were gazing at him from their dens. All of them seemed to know exactly what passed through Jayfeather’s mind. Wickedheart and Bloodclaw looked content, Illfur and Thinbone were indifferent, and Soulcatcher looked at him and Yellowfang almost with pity. But the emotions were gone in an instant after surfacing. As if they had never been there at all. Jayfeather looked away from the banes and stared at Yellowfang. The spirit cat that attacked him alongside Breezepelt, Yellowfang was Brokenstar’s mother! “Brokenstar’s your son?” he breathed, shocked. “But…but you were a medicine cat!” Yellowfang tore her glare from Wickedheart and stared at Jayfeather. “So was your mother…” she growled. The growl made Jayfeather flinch, Yellowfang might as well have scratched his ears. Illfur cackled and hacked. “Don’t blame her for a mistake kit. I’ve seen it happen many times.” The spirit of diseases wheezed and Jayfeather felt stung even more. Is that what Lionblaze and I are? He thought sadly. Mistakes? “Don’t listen to them.” Spottedleaf mewed quietly to him. Her sweet breath brushed against his ear soothingly. “You and your littermates weren’t mistakes. Your mother and kin always loved you.” She glanced at Illfur. “You were always loved.” He wished he could thank Spottedleaf for trying to comfort him, but he was still too shocked for words. He had trusted Yellowfang, but in the end, she was no better than Leafpool! Icestar stood up in the den. “So all of the Dark forest is training cats?” Soulcatcher shook His head, the markings giving him a permanent grin. “NOT EXACTLY. MOST ARE PRACTICING KILLING MOVES WITH EACH OTHER IN THE DARK FOREST.” “What?” Icestar blinked, confused. “Why would they do that? They can’t die.” “THEY ARE TRAINING,” Soulcatcher meowed solemnly. “FOR A WAR BETWEEN THE DARK FOREST AND STARCLAN.” “It’ll be a nice one.” Bloodclaw liked her paws from her meal’s gore. “It will be a once in a lifetime battle, including both living and the dead. And it won’t even involve the apocalypse! I’m looking very forward to it.” She purred menacingly. Jayfeather looked at the spirits, dumbfounded. Yellowfang looked just as furious at their apathy. But the old she-cat said nothing. She didn’t want to risk bringing down their wrath and lose this chance to get true answers. He didn’t blame her. “How can we stop this?” Icestar questioned. Soulcatcher shook His head again. “YOU CAN’T.” And just by the way He said this, there was no denying what He said was true. “When?” Spottedleaf murmured. “When will it happen?” “SOON,” Soulcatcher sighed. “AND IT WILL START IN BOTH WITHIN AND WITHOUT OF THE CLANS.” Icestar hissed. “There must be something we can do!” “There might be a way…” Wickedheart sat up and curled his golden tail around his paws. “But it depends on what are you willing to risk.” The white leader frowned. “What do you mean?” Soulcatcher looked at his brother but said nothing. Wickedheart leaned forward. “I mean what are you prepared to give, in return for saving everything you know and love?” His meow was smooth and yet sinister. Jayfeather wished he knew what was going on in his, or any of the spirit’s minds. “Anything,” Icestar insisted. “What can we do?” “How about let us into the lands of Starclan?” Thinbone whispered like the wind. “I long for the warm fields and the plump mice…” “And the fresh wildflowers.” Illfur sniffed, his nose sounded clogged with mucus. “It would be nice to see colors other than black.” Bloodclaw grumbled and nodded. “Never!” Yellowfang spat. She also stood up in the den she had been given, bristling. “None of you belong in Starclan. You patrol the borders and that’s it!” The glares from the Banes made Yellowfang step back. Jayfeather felt his blood run cold. Wickedheart arched his brow. “Then why should we even be giving you answers?” He flicked his tail and Stormwing fluttered back to his ear. “Brother, it’s been nice to see you again, but I really must be going.” “Same here.” Bloodclaw got up and shook her fur, scattering little blood drops. “As much as I enjoy talking to Starclan cats we have work to do.” The red stars rolled in her sockets sarcastically and padded out of the cave, just as she reached the mouth of the cave her body dissolved into a red mist. Wickedheart followed and disappeared into a golden mist. Illfur and Thinbone got up as well, nodding to Soulcatcher and passing Jayfeather and his companions. Thinbone said nothing as he left, disappearing in a fog of grey. Illfur, meanwhile, looked back at the medicine cats and hacked a sickening laugh. “Send my greetings to Briarlight, kit.” His green eyes glinted. “I’ll be visiting her shortly…” “What?!” Jayfeather growled, glaring at Illfur. What did the spirit mean? That Briarlight was going to get sick? “Stay away from her!” He yowled. “She’s getting better!” Illfur only laughed, his voice crackling with sickness. He padded out and vanished into green mist. Jayfeather stared as the vapors cleared away from the caves, his fur on end. Briarlight couldn’t get the cough! He tried to convince himself. She’s getting better! Wasn’t she? He turned back to the dark apparition that was sitting in the den quietly, watching them with polite interest. They were alone with Him. “Is she going to die?” Jayfeather murmured, looking at everyone for an answer. “EVERYONE DIES EVENTUALLY JAYFEATHER.” Soulcatcher sighed deeply. “SOME SOONER, OTHERS LATER, BUT THEY ALL SEE ME EVENTUALLY.” “That’s not a real answer!” Jayfeather hissed. “WELL THAT WAS NOT A REAL QUESTION.” Soulcatcher countered. “YOU ASKED IF SHE WOULD DIE, I TOLD YOU THAT SHE WOULD, IN HER OWN TIME.” Jayfeather growled, and before Icestar could say anything he began to ask more of his own questions. “What is the purpose of The Three? What are we supposed to do?” Spottedleaf drew in her breath sharply, and Soulcatcher blinked slowly. “TO FIGHT IN THE COMING WAR, AND WIN.” Jayfeather blinked. That had been a little blunter than he expected. “Fight?” “YOUR POWERS ARE TO HELP AID YOU IN THE BATTLE.” Soulcatcher nodded. “THOUGH HOW EXACTLY YOU WILL DO THAT, YOU MUST FIGURE OUT FOR YOURSELF.” Jayfeather frowned. “Why can’t you tell me?” It seemed a waste to go to someone with all the answers and they didn’t bother to tell you all the answers. Soulcatcher shrugged. “ALL THINGS COME TO PASS EVENTUALLY. IT WOULD NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF I TOLD YOU WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.” “Then it wouldn’t hurt to tell us!” Jayfeather meowed in annoyance. The answers that no one else could tell him were right in front of him, but Soulcatcher remained silent. “Jayfeather…” Spottedleaf mewed. “We should go. We’ve learned a lot already.” Icestar nodded. “Yes, thank you Soulcatcher. You’ve helped us greatly.” She bowed her head to the spirit of death. The others started to get out of the dens. “No!” Jayfeather looked back at Soulcatcher. “There’s so many things I need to know!” He wanted to know if Hollyleaf’s death could have been avoided, if Leafpool ever would be forgiven and become a medicine cat again, what Swiftmind’s purpose really was in the war, if Starclan could win over the Dark Forest, or why Soulcatcher had the scent of Thunderclan on Him. I need to know! “Jayfeather, if you really want to know you can come back here on your own.* Yellowfang growled. “We have to go now. It’s almost morning.” “No!” Jayfeather yowled again. He glared at Soulcatcher. “Tell me everything!” Soulcatcher sat up, looking at Jayfeather emotionlessly. “YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE EVERYTHING.” Jayfeather narrowed his blue eyes. He had thought he had sensed Soulcatcher’s emotions, and he knew the spirit could think. So he might be able to tap into Soulcatcher’s mind… “Seriously Jayfeather,” Icestar mewed sternly. “We have to go. We’ve overstayed our welcome.” But Jayfeather was already concentrating. It was hard to pick up Soulcatcher’s mind, it was faint, but it was there. Jayfeather smirked and forced himself into the Death of Cat’s mind. Jayfeather yowled in pain as his head felt like it was about to explode from so much information. Images leapt across his wide frightened eyes. He saw Firestar lying in a pool of blood in Shadowclan territory, Dogpaw bloody and running for his life through the trees, a large black snake lunging at wailing Briarlight, Dovepaw and Ivypaw fighting each other to the death surrounded by the screams of other fighting cats, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight huddled together in love and death, Swiftmind being pinned to the ground by Sol’s massive paws, and Hollyleaf’s green eyes glaring at him with all of the hate in the world… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For New Year's day you get a cliff hanger and a few spoilers for part 2 of my story! There's a reason you don't dive into Soulcatcher's mind... “Jayfeather? Jayfeather!” Spottedleaf’s mew rung through Jayfeather’s ears and he opened his eyes. The darkness faded from his vision. Spottedleaf and the others were looking over him worriedly. He was still in Soulcatcher’s cavern. “Oh thank goodness you’re alive!” Spottedleaf meowed with relief. “What… what happened?” Jayfeather groaned. Icestar growled. “You were being a fool! That’s what happened!” “I-I saw visions!” Jayfeather stammered as he tried to stand. His fur was on end as he remembered the screams. “Almost everyone I know d-dead or dying, is it true?” He looked over at Soulcatcher. He was unmoved, not even fazed by Jayfeather’s traumatic experience. “YOU SAW MEMORIES JAYFEATHER… MY MEMORIES. I SEE BOTH PAST AND FUTURE. WHAT HAPPENED IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES WILL COME TO PASS.” Jayfeather shuddered and almost whimpered. “No… I-it can’t be true. Hollyleaf’s dead…” Those eyes, just the same madness as before, when Hollyleaf had ran into those dark tunnels and it collapsed. Why had he seen Hollyleaf in Soulcatcher’s memories, was it a part of the future or the past? It couldn’t be the future! Hollyleaf’s dead! “AND I SUPPOSE YOU WOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT DEATH THAN I?” Soulcatcher’s blue stars flashed almost angrily. “YOU’VE OUTLIVED YOUR WELCOME. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE.” “But”- Jayfeather protested but stopped when those blue starry eyes looked practically through him. Yellowfang nudged Jayfeather to his paws and they left the cave without another word. As he padded out though, Jayfeather thought he could hear Soulcatcher sigh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yeah yeah I know it's short, but I just wanted to finish up the chappie before going onto Swiftmind's pov Chapter 13
Swiftmind yawned as he woke up. Pale light filtered in through the leaves of the warriors’ den. The brown and white twoleg-cat stretched in his nest, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Looking around he noticed Leafpool’s den was empty. “Hmm…” Swiftmind blinked and got up, trying not to disturb his denmates. Lionblaze snored next to Cinderheart, they both smelled like they just came out of the forest. Apparently the two went for an especially early morning run. Swiftmind smirked and walked out of the den. Some cats were padding about but the camp was relatively quiet. It was still early. Leafpool was by the medicine den, carrying a mouse inside. Curious, Swiftmind approached the curtain of brambles. He poked his brown head inside. He smiled when he saw Leafpool looking over Briarlight. She sniffed the young warrior’s fur and back legs, checking for anything wrong. By the quiet den Swiftmind could guess that Jayfeather hadn’t come back yet. Leafpool left the mouse by Briarlight and looked around the den longingly. He could tell she missed the place. Swiftmind sighed. “A medicine cat at heart…” Leafpool turned in surprise at his meow. She relaxed as recognition filled her eyes. “Oh! Swiftmind. Don’t sneak up on me like that!” “Sorry.” Swiftmind couldn’t help but purr. “But it’s true.” Leafpool sighed and padded out of the den. “It can’t be helped. We’ve talked about this before.” “But all you have to do is ask Firestar.” Swiftmind followed her. “Everyone misses you being a medicine cat, especially Jayfeather.” “I wish I could believe that…” Leafpool mewed sadly. Swiftmind stopped, wishing there was a way to convince her, but Jayfeather would never admit to missing Leafpool. Neither would Lionblaze, and Dovepaw was too young to know what Leafpool was like as a medicine cat. “Swiftmind!” Brambleclaw called to him. “Wake up Dogpaw, we’re heading out soon!” Swiftmind sighed as Leafpool made her way to Squirrelflight. He had forgotten that Brambleclaw wanted him to join the dawn patrol today. He went to the apprentices’ den and poked his head inside. Most of the young cats were fast asleep, including Dogpaw. The brown tom was stretched out in two nests. If he grows any larger we’ll need a bigger den. “Dogpaw,” Swiftmind meowed quietly and prodded him. “Wake up!” Dogpaw murmured and turned. “Just a little bit longer…” Swiftmind rolled his blue eyes. “Not later. Now!” His apprentice got up and yawned, lifting a foot to scratch his ear. “What is it?” “We’re going on the dawn patrol. Get yourself cleaned up.” Dogpaw grumbled but started to lick off the pieces of moss and feathers in his brown fur. The other apprentices started to wake up and Swiftmind ducked out of the den. Drops of dew from the leaves dropped onto his fur and seeped though to his skin. He shivered from the cold. It’s getting even closer to winter, if it isn’t winter already. It had been a while since he checked. He’d have to leave to pay the rent for storage again, or the people working there would throw his belongings out. He usually paid only once a month, and it was getting around that time. “Hey Swiftmind!” Swiftmind turned to see Greystripe padding towards him. “Going on the dawn patrol?” Swiftmind nodded. “Yep, how about you?” Greystripe flicked his tail over to Bramble claw. “I’m going to ask him now.” The grey warrior padded over to the deputy. Brambleclaw was currently speaking to Dovepaw. Swiftmind looked back in search of his own apprentice, and spotted him dragging a mouse out of the dwindling fresh-kill pile. Swiftmind frowned and headed over. Was he trying to eat before feeding the clan? But no, Dogpaw carried the mouse towards the elders’ den. He put the piece of fresh kill in front of Longtail, who sniffed. “Thank you Dogpaw.” Dogpaw nodded to the lone elder of the clan. “No problem. And don’t start feeling so lonely, Brackenfur and Sorreltail should be joining you soon enough.” He smirked and Longtail chuckled. “I heard that Dogpaw.” The golden brown warrior padded past them. “I’m not that old yet!” The senior cat said in good humor and headed to the bramble tunnel. He was going on the border patrol as well. Dogpaw watched him leave and then noticed his mentor. “Oh! Sorry Longtail, I got to go.” He mewed and padded quickly over to Swiftmind. “Are we going to see if Shadowclan’s crossing the border again?” “Not exactly,” Though Swiftmind knew that was the reason. “We always patrol, it doesn’t have to be just the Shadowclan border.” “But we’re checking the Shadowclan border too, right?” Dogpaw pressed. Swiftmind sighed. “Yes.” “Knew it!” Dogpaw went to the thorn tunnel with excitement. “I hope we find something! I want to practice my battle moves!” Swiftmind shook his head, padding after him. “Don’t be so eager. Soon you’ll be old and tired of action like I am.” Dogpaw huffed. “Yeah right!” He flicked his tail and then perked up. “Hey Ivypaw! Hi Cinderheart!” Swiftmind looked back and the two she-cats were indeed heading towards them. Cinderheart padded over to Swiftmind. “Morning!” She stretched her jaws wide in a yawn. “Can we join the border patrol Brambleclaw?” Brambleclaw looked from her then back to Brackenfur, who twitched his ears in agreement. “Okay.” Swiftmind felt someone watching them. He glanced at the warriors’ den and saw Lionblaze looking towards them. Did he want to join the patrol too? But no, he was looking at Cinderheart, padding over and trying to catch her eye. The golden warrior noticed him staring and looked away, embarrassed. Swiftmind smiled and went over to Greystripe. “So you’re going on the patrol?” “No, I’m going hunting instead.” The senior cat shrugged his shoulders. “We’re going to need all the prey we can get.” He looked over Swiftmind’s head. “Well you’d better get going before you get left behind yourself.” Swiftmind blinked and noticed Brambleclaw, Whitewing, and Brackenfur were already heading out of the tunnel, their tails disappearing. Dogpaw followed with Cinderheart and Ivypaw. “Hurry up Swiftmind!” Swiftmind got up and hurried after them, ducking though the bramble barrier. They returned to the hollow later that day. There were no signs Shadowclan or any other clan was trying to cross the border. If anything they were trying to get ready for the coming winter like Thunderclan was. Swiftmind couldn’t blame them. With all of the prey heading to their burrows it’d be foolish to start a fight and injure warriors. Jayfeather had returned while they had been gone and he was eating a mouse by the medicine den. Swiftmind padded over to the blind tom and sat down. “Hello Jayfeather, how’d the meeting go?” He asked in greeting. Jayfeather didn’t answer right away, he finished his mouse and got up. “I’ll tell you in the medicine den…” he sighed, getting up and heading through the bramble curtains into the den. No one was in there at the moment and Jayfeather sat down on the cool sad. Swiftmind sat with him. “That bad huh?” Jayfeather nodded. “I… went to the spirit world.” He sounded tired, and unwilling to share what really went on. Spirit world? That doesn’t sound like the usual Starclan. “Not Starclan?” Swiftmind blinked, tilting his head. “No…” Jayfeather closed his blind eyes. “It’s… not easy to describe. It was hard enough for me to tell Lionblaze and Dovepaw. It was dark… Very dark.” Swiftmind flicked his tail, frowning. “Why’d you go there in the first place?” “To get answers.” Jayfeather meowed. “This Starclan cat, Icestar, showed me and others a way to this spirit world.” “Icestar!?” Swiftmind stood up “She showed up in your dream?” He thought the white leader only followed him around. Looks she was looking out for his friends as well. “You’ve seen her before?” Jayfeather sounded just as surprised. Swiftmind nodded, pacing. “She’s been watching over me for a while, helping me.” Jayfeather flicked his tail. “Well that’s good. She can be trusted.” He shuddered, as if remembering something. “Do you also know about Soulcatcher?” The name brought back memories to Swiftmind, frightening ones. He remembered the dog that bit into his neck, throwing him into the air only to crash right back down to earth. He remembered waking up to see the Angel of Death, grinning in his cat form. “Yes.” He nodded grimly. “I saw Him when the dog almost killed me.” Jayfeather gulped. “Then I won’t have to explain what He’s like… did you know that there were more like Him?” “More?” Swiftmind stared at Jayfeather, dumbstruck. “Yes, other spirits. I think they call themselves The Banes of Cats. There was one for hunger, war, disease, and chaos.” Jayfeather mewed gravely. “Hm…” Swiftmind sat down again. “There’s a twoleg belief, where four men on horses would come at the end of the world. Death, Famine, War, and Pestilence. The four horsemen of the apocalypse are what their called, but I don’t recall there ever being one for chaos.” “Well there was one.” Jayfeather twitched his whiskers, thinking. “He had a butterfly with him.” “The one for chaos?” Swiftmind blinked. Well that made some sense, and then again made things more confusing. “The butterfly effect…” He murmured mostly to himself. “The what?” Jayfeather had heard him. “It’s a metaphor.” Swiftmind tried to clarify. “It’s for a twoleg theory. It’s complicated.” Jayfeather rearranged himself on the sand. “Is it as complicated as the thought that this world would end?” “A bit more actually.” Swiftmind sighed. How was he supposed to explain the chaos theory to a cat? “It pretty much states that a butterfly flapping it’s wings in one place will cause a storm somewhere else, not that it actually happens, but what it means is that something small that happens can cause something much larger to happen somewhere else.” To his surprise, Jayfeather was nodding in understanding. “I see… Wickedheart, the Chaos of Cats, said that every time his butterfly flapped its wings there was a storm somewhere. It’s similar to what’s happening now; you being here is causing a change in how we live.” Swiftmind was surprised Jayfeather came to that conclusion, but it worked. “So… did you get answers from these spirit banes?” Jayfeather shook his head. “Yes but not as many as I had hoped.” “Well some answers are better than no answers.” Swiftmind shrugged his brown shoulders. “What did they say?” “That the Dark Forest is getting ready for a war. A big one.” Jayfeather told him. “It would be an attack from within the clans and an attack on Starclan.” “What? How?” Swiftmind leaned forward. “They’re practicing battle moves with themselves and cats in the clans. I don’t know who exactly are being trained, except we were right about Breezepelt.” Swiftmind growled at the thought of the Windclan warrior. He never liked him from the start. “Anything else?” “I discovered who the ghost cat that attacked me was. His name was Brokenstar.” Jayfeather continued. Swiftmind tried to remember where he had heard the name before, mostly from the elders den. “He was an evil Shadowclan leader, right?” Jayfeather gave a nod. “Yes. He must be the one training Breezepelt. But that’s about as much as I’ve learned.” Swiftmind shuffled his paws. “Well… what can we do?” “I’m not sure exactly.” Jayfeather bowed his head in thought. “But Soulcatcher said we had to fight in this war. And win.” Swiftmind nodded, thanking Jayfeather and padding out of the den. His mind buzzed with thought. Wars between two spiritual forces didn’t end well, mythology showed that. It usually ended up with mortals burning in the aftermath. He looked around the hollow. Everything seemed fine, and yet Jayfeather made it sound like the Dark Forest was training everyone to fight in this inevitable battle. He sighed, spotting Leafpool by the sunning rocks. He was tempted to get a mouse and go over there but he had more important things to deal with. “Swiftmind!” That wasn’t one of them. Swiftmind flicked his ears, turning. Dogpaw was bounding to him. “I’ve figured out what that was before, in the forest!” “Quiet down Dogpaw, the whole forest can hear you.” Swiftmind shook his head. “What are you yowling about?” “That cat in the forest!” Dogpaw went up to Swiftmind and hissed more quietly. “It could have been one of those rogues from before!” “What rouges from before?” Swiftmind tilted his head, trying to remember. Dogpaw practically bounced up and down. “That black she-cat and that tortoiseshell tom from when we first came here! Remember?” Swiftmind tried and the more he did the more he could remember green eyes. Like the green eyes from the tunnel… He shivered. He remembered that frightening time in that cavern underground. He didn’t want to but he did. The black she-cat on the border had green eyes like that, perhaps that had been her in the tunnel? He tried to shake the thought away. It was ridiculous to think the green eyes came from the same cat after so long. Wasn’t it? “Yes, but that was a long time ago Dogpaw. Those rouges are probably long gone by now.” “But what if they stuck around?” Dogpaw persisted. “They could be living on the borders hiding!” Swiftmind shook his head again. “A patrol would have scented them a long time ago Dogpaw. I know you want an explanation but what you saw was probably a bird or a squirrel.” Dogpaw huffed. “I know I saw a cat!” The young apprentice turned and ran to the apprentice den. Swiftmind sighed heavily. He knew Dogpaw meant well, but sometimes the tom’s imagination could get ahead of him. Or at least Swiftmind hoped it was his apprentice’s imagination… For some reason he didn’t like the idea of that black cat hanging around the Thunderclan territory. Swiftmind felt his skin prickle in the sunlight. He looked up towards Highledge and Firestar’s den. He drew in his breath, grim as he shoved the thought of the tunnel-cat away and he began to climb up the rockfall. He could feel more and more curious eyes watch him as his paws carried him up the rocks to the cave. They were all probably wondering why the twoleg-cat was going to see Firestar. He stopped at the entrance to the hollow in the quarry wall. “Hello?” He mewed, announcing his presence. “Come in Swiftmind.” Firestar’s voice sounded from inside the cave. Swiftmind stepped pass the cave mouth. It was dark even though it was well into evening outside of the den. Firestar sat stood up. “Is something wrong Swiftmind?” The Thunderclan leader asked, sounding surprised to see him. “Not exactly.” Swiftmind shook his head. “I needed to ask you something.” He looked down slightly. He was tempted to tell Firestar about Dogpaw’s notion of loners being in the forest, but he held his tongue on that information. He was there for only one thing. “I wanted to tell you that I need to leave for a while… so I can settle some twoleg matters.” Firestar frowned, sitting down on the cool floor. “Is it urgent?” It sounded like he didn’t want him to leave so soon. Swiftmind nodded. “If I’m late I’ll lose my twoleg belongings. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.” He meowed quickly. “It’ll only take a day at the most.” “But would you be able to change back again?” Firestar pressed. “The last time you changed into a twoleg it took the rest of the day for you to change back.” “I know.” Swiftmind nodded, that had been painful when he had tried to change but couldn’t. Difficulties changing even during the little sessions with Jayfeather were common. He was still unsure why he couldn’t do it before, but now he had theories. “But I’ve been meaning to have more practice anyway. I promise I’ll be careful.” He tried to convince Firestar. “I could even bring some food back in case this winter is bad-.” “No.” Firestar interrupted Swiftmind with a stern meow. “As I’ve told you before Swiftmind, I will not have you give Thunderclan an unfair advantage over the other Clans. We’re strong enough to hunt our own food.” Swiftmind wanted to protest, but he nodded. He didn’t want Thunderclan to be dependent on him anyway. “Alright Firestar, but if winter does become harsh on us would you at least consider it?” Firestar nodded his ginger head. “I will. And you have my permission to leave, for a time. I don’t want you gone when we need strong warriors the most.” “Thank you Firestar.” Swiftmind bowed his head, relieved. “Should I take Dogpaw with me?” Dogpaw was always nice to bring on a little trip. He had grown close to his apprentice and it would be nice to have someone to talk to. But Firestar shook his head. “No. Dogpaw needs to keep up his training. I will ask Brambleclaw to mentor him in your absence.” Swiftmind’s shoulders sagged, but he didn’t argue. “Thanks Firestar. Brambleclaw will be good for Dogpaw until I come back.” Though he didn’t see how fair it would be for Brambleclaw to be stuck with the active Dogpaw so suddenly, and what would Dogpaw think? Would he be angry that Swiftmind would be going without him? “Do you want me to tell the Clan?” Firestar asked and Swiftmind agreed. It would be best for the leader to tell everyone instead of just him going around and telling the others. Firestar got up and padded out of the den, climbing up the rest of the rock face to Highledge. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join together under the Highledge!” The leader’s yowl boomed. Swiftmind exited the den to see warriors and apprentices gather for the clan meeting. It was amazing how advanced these cats were mentally, able to think up a hierarchy, coordinated meetings, and even laws. And I used to think dolphins were smart! As soon as there were enough cats below the rocky outcrop Firestar began. “Swiftmind has brought to my attention that while his loyalty lies with Thunderclan, to keep his twoleg life secure he must leave the Clan for a short time.” There were whispers and a few gasps from the Clan below. Swiftmind padded down from the rockfall to the others and he saw them watching him. “For how long?” Swiftmind heard Foxleap call up to Firestar. “No longer than a day.” Firestar answered the tabby tom. “He shall leave tomorrow, and Brambleclaw shall continue Dogpaw’s training while Swiftmind is gone.” There were more whispers and Brambleclaw stood up under the Highledge. “I shall do my best to train Dogpaw Firestar.” “Wait! I can’t come?” A yowl of protest came from the back of the crowd. Swiftmind felt his stomach clench as Dogpaw headed towards Highledge. His apprentice looked at Swiftmind, a mix of anger and misunderstanding. “You need me!” “What this clan needs, Dogpaw, is for you to continue your training.” Firestar looked down at the apprentice and his mentor. “Swiftmind will only be gone for a day.” “He’s right Dogpaw.” Swiftmind meowed. “Besides, you can show Brambleclaw how much you’ve learned.” He looked at the deputy, who nodded encouragingly. Dogpaw huffed, still looking dejected. “Well if you get into trouble don’t say I didn’t try to help. It’d be your own fault.” He could tell Dogpaw was trying to hide his disappointment with anger, so Swiftmind gave him a comforting nudge. “I’ll remember that. And don’t try to make Brambleclaw miserable, he’ll tell me everything when I get back.” Dogpaw bobbed his head in a nod. “I’ll try not to impress him too much.” Swiftmind twitched his whiskers in a chuckle. “Good.” He looked up at everyone else. “Does anyone else want to say anything? I’ll be up early tomorrow and won’t be able to say goodbyes.” “I hope your journey goes well Swiftmind.” Cinderheart mewed. Near the back Lionblaze stood up. “Have a safe trip Swiftmind.” “I hope you see your twoleg friends.” Berrynose added which was actually nice for him. Dovepaw padded over. “Come back soon, ok?” She blinked hopefully. More and more mews of encouragement and luck followed and Swiftmind felt filled with gratitude. But he couldn’t help but notice that Leafpool stayed silent. Finally Firestar added the last words. “Good luck Swiftmind, and may Starclan guide your paws safely tomorrow.” “Thank you, all of you.” Swiftmind bowed his head. “But now I need some sleep, I got a big day to start in the morning.” And as he padded to the warriors den, brushing against friends that were starting to feel more and more like a fuzzy family, Firestar ended the meeting. The sky darkened with the coming sunset as he padded into the den, his brown fur feeling warm with contentment. He was alone under the beech branches, but not for long. Swiftmind was about to curl up in his nest when a familiar shape slipped in through the dry leaves. “Hello Leafpool.” He sat up a little. “Turning in early too?” Maybe she would explain why she hadn’t given any well-wishes during the meeting? “Yes…” Leafpool nodded, her mew was quiet. “And I wanted to talk to you.” “In private?” Swiftmind blinked and Leafpool nodded again. The she-cat then padded up to Swiftmind where he sat and suddenly nuzzled her head under his chin. He was taken by surprise but didn’t pull away. His fur began to grow warmer and a purr began to rumble in his chest at Leafpool’s scent. “Leafpool…” He hoped this was just her being friendly, he didn’t want them to get caught up in their emotions like before, the day before they had to leave. They had decided that they would just be friends. “I’ve considered what you’ve said, about becoming a medicine cat again.” She murmured into his chest. “And I want to tell you… that if Jayfeather looks like he needs help, I’ll ask Firestar. But only if Jayfeather needs help.” She looked up at him with her beautiful amber eyes. Swiftmind meowed happily. “Thanks Leafpool.” It was wonderful that she was even considering asking Firestar to give Jayfeather help. He’d need it if what the blind medicine cat was right about a possible war. “Also, I wanted to tell you how much I’ll miss you.” She mewed. “I know it’ll only be for a day, but…” She shook her head and sighed. “I understand.” Swiftmind purred. “I’ll miss you too.” Leafpool gazed up at him and for once Swiftmind felt closer than he’d ever been with Leafpool. He wanted to say more but before he could even think of what to say someone else padded into the den. Lionblaze looked at them both and his eyes narrowed. Leafpool quickly pulled herself away from Swiftmind and went to her nest, lying down without another word. Swiftmind blinked, sensing Leafpool’s hurt and he turned to Lionblaze to tell him off. Why can’t he just leave Leafpool alone? We’re just friends! Didn’t Lionblaze see how the three needed her? But the golden warrior, however, had already gone to his nest. Lionblaze gave a warning glance at Swiftmind before he closed his eyes in sleep, as if to tell him to stay away from Leafpool. Like that would ever happen… Swiftmind, still angry, clawed at his nest to soften it up and take away the stress and tried to rest his tired body. In a way he couldn’t blame Lionblaze for not liking him with Leafpool. Swiftmind had in fact loved the she-cat, and she had loved him, but just after realizing this, they both agreed that they were too different for each other. They had decided to stay friends, and that’s all they would be. Maybe I should have another talk with Lionblaze… Closing his blue eyes, he eventually drifted to sleep with the sound of the wind rustling the branches and the image of Lionblaze’s glare in his head. He had odd dreams that night. He was in the forest, or what seemed to be the forest. Everything was too cloudy to tell. He was on the twoleg path to the forest campsite. It was also very quiet. There were no sounds of animals, even though most of the forest was green like spring. “Hello?” He called. Looking around he spotted a tabby pelt in the fog. “Leafpool?” He caught her scent and padded over to his friend, but as soon as he got close to her she sprang away across the path. “Leafpool wait!” She didn’t answer his calls, no matter how much he tried to get her attention. Was she avoiding him? Why? Was it because of Lionblaze? Swiftmind continued the chase to the campsite. “Leafpool!” She had stopped in the center, in front of a large rabbit hole that hadn’t been there before. Leafpool looked back at Swiftmind and he stopped. Her amber eyes were glazed in grief. She then dove into the hole. “Wait!” He yowled and darted into the burrow after her. It was dark and smelled heavy of earth and worms in the tunnel, but he could still smell Leafpool ahead of him. He called her name, looking around wildly and every so often he glimpsed her tail disappearing in the dim light. He followed her further, the darkness growing around him. Soon it was too dark even to see the walls, though he felt the tunnel growing wider. And it was getting colder. “Leafpool?” His meow echoed in the shadows. He thought he could hear her faint pawsteps and he kept going. “Where are you?” Swiftmind then heard something else, something that made the fur stand on end. It was a growl, low and menacing. It wasn’t Leafpool who was growling either. It was coming from behind him. His heart racing and paws as heavy as stone, Swiftmind turned. His ragged breaths turned to yowls of fright. Behind him, glaring, were the green eyes of the black cat from the tunnels, tunnels much like these. “Twoleg,” The cat spat with malice. “Let me rip off that false fur and reveal what’s really underneath!” And with a screech the shaded cat launched at him. Swiftmind twisted around and ran for his life, feeling stinging claws at his back. “Help!” But he knew no one would come to his aid. Leafpool was long gone, and there was only him and the cat that was attacking him. The passageway seemed to shrink now, becoming tighter and the air was stale, almost dead. Roots hung from the ceiling and grazed at his ears as he ran. Needle-sharp pain coursed throughout his body as he was scratched again and again by his pursuer. The hard ground under him scraped his pads as he tried to run faster, but the roots began to hinder him again. The tendrils wrapped around his body, suddenly clinging to his legs and neck. He struggled, screeching in terror as he was trapped. Cruel claws dug into his back while the roots tightened their grip on his neck. Swiftmind’s yowl of pain was choked off and it began to get harder to breath. There were hisses around him, and laughter. More eyes of cats began to glimmer in the darkness. They were of all colors, and all of them were brutal, uncaring. As his vision blurred he then felt the claws leave, the tight coils around his throat weakened. His weary eyes blinked and looked up. Two blue stars had appeared, with a toothy shape of a grin beneath them. “DON’T LOOK BACK. THE ECHOES WILL TELL YOU ENOUGH...” An all too familiar voice boomed in his head. Swiftmind tried to ask what He meant, but the ground beneath his paws fell below him, and he plunged away from the blue stars. He woke up with a start, gasping for breath. He was in the warriors den; there was no scent of dirt or death, only that of his sleeping clanmates. Swiftmind panted, blinking his eyes in the dim light. It wasn’t even morning yet. “These dreams are going to kill me…” He got out of his nest, padding around the others quietly and stepping out into the night. He blinked the weariness from his eyes and padded to the medicine den, trying to ignore the dull ache in his back. He wondered what he dreamed actually meant, or if he should tell Jayfeather. Perhaps Soulcatcher’s words meant something more than a confusing hint. But as he stepped inside the medicine den he could see Jayfeather, already awake, was preoccupied with something far more worrying than a dream. Briarlight was wheezing. “What happened?” He went over to Jayfeather and looked at the young warrior with worry. Didn’t the vet give her a vaccination so this wouldn’t happen? But Briarlight is a wild cat… their bodies are pushed harder than a house cat like the vet thought she was. His heart sank. Jayfeather sighed. “I don’t know what’s wrong. She’s been exercising, eating her herbs, yowling her lungs out to keep them clear, but she’s still getting sick!” He sounded strained. Swiftmind, out of sympathy, put a paw on Jayfeather’s shoulder. “You know I have to go to the twoleg city today… perhaps I could… find some medicine?” he offered. “You said the cutter gave her medicine before.” Jayfeather mewed, picking his head up. “Would any more work?” “It’s worth a try.” Swiftmind removed his white paw. “Now let’s get this over with before the sun rises.” The blind cat nodded his head and followed Swiftmind out of the den, though they were both reluctant to leave Briarlight. She would be safe while they were gone. They padded silently out of the camp and through the quiet forest. “Are you sure this will work?” Jayfeather mewed next to him. Swiftmind nodded boldly. “I’m positive. I think I know why I wasn’t able to change back the last time I tried.” “Why then?” Jayfeather’s meow was curious. Swiftmind shook his fur from the cold. “Because it was during the day.” Jayfeather stopped. “So? We’ve practiced during the day before.” “But it was usually at dusk so no one would see, in between day and night.” Swiftmind pointed out. “Before I came back I was twoleg by day and cat by night. My body was adjusted to that!” The medicine cat nodded, understanding. “Alright…” “So it was easy for me to turn from twoleg to cat while it was sunset. It was a time of in between like my body was, but in the day I could only turn into a twoleg because my body was only used to being a twoleg during the day, not a cat.” This was mostly a theory, like how he tried to explain most of the cat world he lived in, but it was good enough to settle his mind. “So that’s why you want to change at morning.” Jayfeather frowned. “You do realize how much of a stretch this is, what if you’re wrong?” “I got to try anyway.” Swiftmind persisted. They couldn’t wait, the sky was getting lighter. They moved on, heading to Swiftmind’s truck by the abandoned twoleg house. Swiftmind found himself anxiously looking up at the sky every once in a while. The sun would be up soon. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the sun was up if he changed, he just didn’t want to risk anyone seeing him, be it a cat or hiking twoleg. Swiftmind could now see the building and his truck parked by it. He and Jayfeather stopped in the little clearing where he had taught the others a bit of football. “I hope this works.” He sighed quietly and closed his eyes. He tried to focus on things that made him tense, made him angry. Jayfeather took a few steps back, and with good reason. Swiftmind thought of the time he had to fight Breezepelt and Heathertail the first time he came to the forest. That had been frightening, but now it angered him, especially the thought of Breezepelt. He thought of Dogpaw’s constant pestering and Lionblaze’s glare anytime he and Leafpool were near each other. The back of his eyes began to tingle… The sensation of wind rippled around him as his body stretched and his fur and tail shrank back into his body. His paws grew extra bones and joints, becoming feet and hands. Swiftmind felt his skull change dynamics. He didn’t like these changes; they were different than the ones before he came back. Those were quicker and he hardly felt anything then. Now it was a slower process, and it was a lot more uncomfortable. He groaned and got up on his hind legs as his center of balance changed. This part always made him feel dizzy, like his inner ear was doing back-flips. Sounds changed to, and his sense of smell dulled. Thankfully though, this was almost over. “Swiftmind!” Jayfeather’s worried voice rang, almost distantly. It was only a meow, but the meaning was still there. Tom opened his eyes and looked blearily in the dim morning light of the clearing. Jayfeather padded over to him, much smaller than he had seemed before. Tom reached his hand down and Jayfeather sniffed it. The cat’s fur bristled for a moment, mostly out of natural fear of humans, but relaxed. “Good, it worked. How do you feel Tom?” Tom smiled. He’d never really be able to answer that because Jayfeather wouldn’t be able to understand English. “I got a headache but I’m good.” He raised his hand and paused, resisting the urge to pat Jayfeather’s head while simultaneously trying not to go back on all fours. He’d have to relax a bit to let his body adjust to his head. The medicine cat tilted his head, unable to see Tom or understand what he said, but hopefully the psychic cat would be able to understand his emotions. “Goodbye Jayfeather.” He told the cat, hoping it would sound like a good enough send-off. “Take good care of Briarlight while I’m gone.” Jayfeather appeared to get the idea. “Farewell Tom. Starclan will be with you…” “They always are.” Tom heaved a sigh and turned, heading to his truck. He had a long way to go. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry it's short but I know you're craving for more! Opening the truck and stepping in, Tom began to make a mental to-do list. He needed to get gas for the truck, to the bank to get money, the storage rent needed to be paid; he’d also need to find a place to get his clothes cleaned. The ones he was wearing were getting a bit dirty. The truck’s engine growled as the ignition turned on. Tom took it out of park and reversed on of the bumpy path away from the broken old house. It wasn’t long before he was on the normal road and gaining speed away from the lake. He hoped there wouldn’t be any trouble for his clanmates while he was gone. Who knew what could happen in a day? Sheep thick with wool dotted the fields on either side of the road. Dogs and shepherds kept the flocks together and away from the asphalt covered path. Tom couldn’t help but wonder if some of those dogs were the ones he had to face so long ago. He sighed and kept looking ahead. Maybe if he was lucky he could be quick and be back in Thunderclan camp by nightfall. It shouldn’t take too long, and the day was long. Heck, he could be done by the afternoon if he didn’t bother about cleaning the clothes he was wearing. He had a fresh set of clothes in the back of his truck. All he needed was a place to change. Aw, but I’d have to wait for the place to be open. Tom realized. It was still really early. Tom could see the city now. It was still distant though. Few cars passed him on the road and he soon flicked the radio on to fight the boredom. The music playing almost reminded him of the music playing in the bar where he found Mike and his friends. Would he run into them again? I hope not. If he did Mike might try to ask Tom to repay him for the ₤200. Something on the road caught Tom’s eye. Even in the low morning light he could see the small furry shape lying on the side of the path clear as day. “Oh no…” He slowed down a bit, though he knew it wasn’t any cat he met before. Ever since he was in the Clans, Tom has been seeing cats not as simple animals, but as people as well. This was like some sort of accident no officer of the law would investigate. The victim of this hit and run was a simple tabby with a white belly, mixed with the color of blood. Tom sighed as his car came closer to the scene and he noticed there was more than one cat. There were three more cat shapes sitting in the grass by the road, hiding almost completely from view. Anyone else might have missed them if they weren’t paying too much attention, but Tom’s eyes were practiced for spotting things in thick growth thanks to all the hunting. The glance at the group was brief, nevertheless he had noticed a lot from passing them by. Two cats were crouched closer to the body, and their heads were low, almost in mourning. One was white, and the other a tabby. The third companion was sitting up straight, scanning the area. This one was a big calico. Tom swore the calico had almost made eye contact with him before he had to look ahead at the road and keep driving. Why did that cat seem so familiar? Tortoiseshell tom… Weren’t those supposed to be rare? Tom wondered if it could it have been the same cat. But how? And if it was the same tom cat where was his black-furred friend? Tom groaned, remembering his dream. I got to stop thinking about that bloody cat. He got to the city and relaxed slightly. His stomach growled hungrily and Tom happily pushed the thought of the rouge cats away in return for the thoughts of a warm meal. He stopped his truck at a small café; luckily he had some wrinkled money in his wallet. Not much but enough to get him a coffee with breakfast. It was empty inside the café, they had just opened up, so he was able to order his food and eat it in peace. The bacon and eggs with his coffee warmed him up quickly. He was so hungry he even ordered seconds, and took some leftovers in a little box for later. Walking out of the restaurant satisfied, Tom headed to the truck. He noticed a homeless man sitting on a bench with a sign, reading ‘Please Help.’ Next to the homeless man was another cat, almost as old and unkempt as the man. Tom stopped, sighing. He walked over to them. “Spare some change sir?” The man held up his hand. Tom nodded, reaching into his pocket and taking out the little change he had from breakfast and gave it to him. After a moment he put the box of leftovers down by the man and the cat. “Here, you need it more than I do.” Tom said to them both. The homeless man opened the box of food and looked up. “God bless you sir.” “Thank you so much!” The scruffy cat meowed and munched on a piece of bacon. Tom smiled, nodding to them and walking away to his car. He drove to the nearest bank, the same one where he had gotten money for Briarlight’s x-ray. Tom looked in the glass window, half expecting to see his grandfather in the reflection. There was only he and the other pedestrians that would walk by. He sighed and went to the ATM and got his money, looking at his receipt. His money was slowly dwindling from his account, though he didn’t have to worry too much yet. Taking his money, Tom headed down the street to his car, putting the money into an envelope, leaving some out for gas. He’d occasionally shiver from the morning cold; he was only wearing a shirt, so he tried to keep his trips out of his heated truck to a minimal. As he made his way down the street he’d look around the town of Lower Hengest. His eyes would unintentionally catch glimpses of little details. Like the black birds in the bare trees, the sign of rats along the walls and ground, and the cats in the alleys trying to find ways into the garbage bins. There’s another world going on here, just around everyone’s ankles and above their heads. After a visit to the gas station Tom headed down the highway towards his Upper Hengest. Thankfully there were no more dead cats on the road to distract him. He looked around, trying to imagine how long it would take to make this type of journey for cats on foot…or paw. It had to be a few days at least. He had heard of the great journey, how the Clans had to go through the mountains. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for the cats to go through the cold peaks of stone. He could see the mountains still in his rearview mirror. They loomed over the city he had just left behind. Now he was close to where the Clan’s old forest had once been. And it was surrounded by farmland. He passed a small village, Hadlow probably, and then over a bridge. He passed the outcrop of rocks known to the teens as Devil’s Fingers. It was an old mine, but it wasn’t much of one. It barely went into the earth for a mile. Surrounding the road after that was a waste of grass and dirt. Amongst the grass there were a few stray stumps. It was the old forest, or what was left of it. Tom had seen the old forest a few times when he was younger, mostly on his way to visit Devil’s Fingers with his friends, though that was a long time ago. He barely remembered what it was like, or if there was any cats around. Perhaps he had seen them and never cared, or they hid well before he and his family ever walked close. Did it even matter now? In the city he drove up to the storage center. No one was around so he was able to pay his bill quickly and without incident. Looking up outside, he saw the sun higher in the sky, it was almost noon. And yet it was still cold. Shivering, he got into his truck again. Tom rubbed his arms to get rid of the goose bumps. If I’m going to get through the winter I’ll need to get out my winter clothes… And he knew he’d have to clean up the clothes he was wearing as well. He’d just have to find a Launderette. Hopefully there would be one nearby. After a bit of wandering, he found one, it was old but the washing machines were working inside. What was even more lucky was the restroom inside. Taking his backpack full of his spare clothes, he went into a spare stall in the bathroom and changed into fresher, warmer clothing. Taking his dirty clothes out of the restroom, he walked over to a free washer and found a few coins. Getting some soap and starting the washing machine, he didn’t notice the person walking up behind him until she tapped him on the shoulder. “Hi Tom! I didn’t know you came here too.” Tom turned and his eyes widened in surprise. Sarah stood in front of him with a basket of laundry under her arm, smiling. “Sarah?” He said in surprise. What was she doing here? He smiled slightly, trying to hide his shock. “What a coincidence! How’re you?” “I’m good.” Sarah put down her freshly cleaned clothes. “I haven’t heard from you since that night in the bar. Where’ve you been?” She asked curiously. “Uh, here there and everywhere,” Tom shrugged. “My new job keeps me moving, but I’ve got a place to stay at least.” He made up. He desperately hoped his clothes wouldn’t take too long to wash. He wouldn’t bother to dry them if it meant he could leave sooner. The quicker he got back to Thunderclan the better. “Oh so you finally found a place. Where is it at?” She obviously doubted him, and Tom didn’t blame her. He still had to try though. “It’s in the woods.” Tom tried. It was best to lie with a bit of truth. “It’s an old place but I believe I can fix it up a bit in the summer.” “Really, well, after your clothes are done why don’t you come over to my place and meet Charles?” Sarah suggested. Tom looked at her skeptically. “You mean that lawyer you’re dating? You’re living together?” He knew Sarah liked to go through relationships quickly, but not that fast. “No no.” She shook her head. “I’ve invited him to dinner, but I’m sure he won’t mind seeing you.” “Are you sure about that?” Tom had no interest in going. It was noon already and he was hoping to get to Thunderclan sooner. “Wouldn’t it be awkward for him to meet his girlfriend’s ex?” He tried to joke. “Oh I already told him about us, Charles won’t mind.” Sarah waved her hand dismissively. She wouldn’t let him get away with any excuses. “Besides it’s a weekend. You aren’t busy are you?” “Uh…no,” He sighed. It was no use, either go or be questioned even more. “So I’ll follow your car?” Tom assumed. He wouldn’t be getting back to Thunderclan today after all.
Sarah’s house was in the suburbs of Lower Hengest. It wasn’t too large, but perfect for Sarah’s needs. She was a journalist for a local newspaper, so there were stray cameras, pictures, and little notes of stories throughout the house. She had liked photography as a kid, so most of the pictures on the walls were taken by her. Tom had been in Sarah’s house dozens of times, but one picture had never really drawn his eye until now. “Is this the island at Sanctuary Lake?” Tom asked, looking at a picture. It must have been before the cats came to the lake, the fallen tree was still upright and alive in the photograph. “Oh that? That’s an old picture.” Sarah glanced at the frame Tom was looking at. She was busy cleaning up the house. A roast was cooking in the stove in preparation for Sarah’s boyfriend. “I think it must have been a few years ago, when my camera was still new.” Tom chuckled. “It’s a very nice picture.” “I have other pictures of that lake.” Sarah smiled, putting stray photos away. “It’s a lot prettier in the spring.” “I think so too.” Tom nodded. His head turned when there was a knock at the door. Charles had the air of a well groomed man, clean shaven, with light brown hair and eyes just as light. He was wearing a suit, making Tom feel out of place with his casual blue polo neck and thick jeans. Sarah wrapped her arms around Charles neck and gave him a big kiss. “Glad you could make it.” Tom remembered when Sarah used to greet him in the same way, though not that passionate. “I’m glad I could come.” Charles’s voice had a hint of Welsh in it. He looked up as Tom walked closer and smiled. “Oh hello, you must be Tom.” Luckily Sarah had called on her cell letting Charlie know he’d be there. Tom nodded and extended his hand for him to shake. “It’s nice to finally meet you Charles.” They shook hands, smiling. The oven timer buzzed. “I’ll check the roast.” Sarah left, quickly, smiling at how the boys were getting along, though she failed to notice the slight uncomfortable feelings between Charles and Tom. This meeting between them was awkward; no matter how prepared they were to see each other. “So…” Tom began, just to break the silence. “So how’ve you been?” The lawyer thankfully filled the gap. He wasn't enjoying this either. Tom shrugged. “I’ve been doing well, you?” “Fine, fine.” Charles nodded. “Things are good.” And then the silence started again. Why couldn’t he have made an excuse to get away from this dinner? Tom could see the sky starting to get darker. He didn’t want to drive at night, but it looked like he’d have to get back to Thunderclan. “Dinner’s ready!” Sarah’s voice called from the kitchen. Tom sighed with relief and walked with Charles to have dinner. Hopefully with Sarah there she’d provide a better conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry it's short! But I didn't want you to wait for too long. He was wrong. Charles mostly talked about his dates with Sarah or court cases. While some were interesting it just made Tom realize how his insane life made interesting things boring by comparison. “And so we won the case, and my client was paid fully for the damages to her property, and the researchers now have to find every one of those beavers.” Charles smiled. Honestly, letting them build a dam by houses was foolish.” “I never liked beaver’s anyway.” Sarah put in. “They look cute a first, but once you get a closer look they’re just big and mean.” “I’ll say.” Tom sighed, eating his carrots. He wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation. He would occasionally look out the window at the daylight. Luckily the supper wouldn’t take too long to finish. He’d just have to get back to the lake before dawn or else he wouldn’t be able to change back for another day. The late evening and Night were the only times he could change back into a cat. He’d just have to listen to Charles and Sarah drone for a bit longer… “So Tom, Mike told me you were dating again?” Sarah smiled, taking a bite out of her meal so nonchalantly she may as well have been talking about the weather. “What?” Tom tried not to cough out his carrots. It took a moment for him to remember the lie. “Oh, oh yes. Uh, Liz has been on holiday for a bit.” “Elizabeth?” Sarah frowned in recollection. “Is she anyone we know?” Charles shrugged. “I know an Elizabeth Hall. Is that her last name?” “Uh, no,” Tom shook his head. His spoon stirred the gravy around his plate. “Her name’s sort of hard to remember.” “You must not have known her for that long then.” Sarah noted. “Can you at least tell us what she looks like?” He remembered what he had told Mike before in the pub which seemed like ages ago. “She has… long brown hair, a soft complexion, and light brown eyes like hazel or something.” Sarah nodded, smiling as if thinking of some sort of joke. Perhaps she didn’t believe him? Why is it such a big deal?[I/] “When will she be back from holiday? Can we meet her then?” Sarah asked. Tom shrugged, though he honestly had no idea what to say. He wished they’d talk about something else. Heck he’d be fine with Charles starting up about his court cases again! “Well I’d like to know something about her!” Sarah told him. “Like where’d you meet her or how your first date went.” Tom shook his head with a sigh. “I really don’t feel like talking about it.” If he had time to make up a story he would have, but this wasn’t expected at all. It was making him stressed. “Are you alright Tom?” Charles started to look at Tom oddly for some reason. “You’re sweating.” “He is?” Sarah frowned and stared at Tom as if to confirm it. “But it’s not that warm.” It wasn’t, but Tom noticed it as well, a cold sweat on his body. He blinked, feeling a tingle behind his eyes. Oh no… Not now! “Tom?” Sarah reached over to feel his head. “Are you feeling ok?” He flinched away from her hand and tried to ignore her concerned gaze. “I-I’m fine. I just…” Tom looked at the clock. It was past seven! “Realized how late I am.” “Late? For what?” Charles stood up. “If you’re sick you shouldn’t be going anywhere.” Tom got up as well, head spinning. “It’s really important Charles. I’d hate t-to walk out like this on your dinner Sarah but I need to go, really.” “But Tom”- Sarah began but Tom was already walking out. “Thanks for inviting me.” He gave a small strained smile before heading towards the door. He could hear Charles speaking quickly in hushed tones to Sarah. “Maybe he was allergic to something? Did you see his eyes?” Tom glanced at his reflection in the window and shuddered. He had no whites anymore. I got to get to the truck, he thought desperately. I got to get away before I change! Nevertheless as he opened the door and stepped out he could already feel his whole body tingle. His legs ached while he made his way down the street to the car. Why did I have to park so far away? Tom reached into his pocket for his keys with a shaky hand. He glanced back to see if anyone was around, or worse, if Charles and Sarah had followed him to check on him. No one was there, but his hand fumbled and the keys dropped to the ground with a sharp clink. Tom swore, bending down painfully to pick them up, but another spasm in his muscles made him groan and fall to the pavement on his knees. His joints flared in agony as his body began to change against his will. Baring his growing fangs, he looked up at the appearing stars that seemed to mock his attempts to gain control. It was no use. He was slowly and painfully reverting back to his cat body. Tom wouldn’t make it back to the forest that night. “No…” His moan turned into a weak growl and his sight began to fog over from the pain. Swiftmind collapsed on the street next to the truck. Exhaustion took hold of his tortured body, sending him into unconsciousness. The last thing the twoleg-cat could see was a grey shape watching him from a distance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's a treat, two posts in the same week! And so ends Swiftmind's POV. Dovepaw looked up at the evening sky, wondering what Swiftmind was doing at that moment. Her mind was still reeling from the day before. Jayfeather came back from the moonpool and had talked about Soulcatcher! And His spirit siblings called The Banes. She had to bite her tongue to keep from asking Jayfeather if the shadowy cat talked about her or Ivypaw, or even her Shadowclan friend Tigerheart. But if He did Jayfeather didn’t mention it. What he did mention however was far more disheartening. The Forest of no Stars was preparing for war. Lionblaze now wanted her to spy on the other clans, and even Thunderclan itself! Does he really want me to treat my clanmates like enemies? The thought had made her so mad she had run all the way to the Shadowclan border to calm herself down... and to visit her friend… Her gaze drifted to the cave that was Firestar’s den. Ivypaw had been restless all day, bothered by something, and had gone to Firestar’s den to speak with him for some reason. She had been in there for a long time… What was she telling him? She was tempted to use her powers to listen in on their conversation, but she fought against the urge. What sort of sister would she be if she spied on her own littermate? It’s just what Lionblaze would want. But what if it’s about the Dark Forest? Dovepaw shook away the thought. She was trying so hard to have faith in her sister, and that she would never let herself be trained by Tigerstar or any evil cat, but the evidence was starting to pile up. She feared the worst, that Soulcatcher was right. If He was, did that mean he was right about Tigerheart too? “Dovepaw,” Someone mewed behind her. “What are you looking at?” She turned to see Dogpaw padding from the thorn barrier, his fur scuffed from training with Brambleclaw. “Oh, n-nothing really,” Dovepaw blinked. She was nervous around Dogpaw still. He had almost spotted her near the Shadowclan border when she was looking for Tigerheart. Luckily the thin apprentice didn’t catch her scent. “How was training?” She tried to change the subject. “Ok, but I like Swiftmind more as a mentor.” The young tom sat down next to her. “He knew fun ways to practice.” “Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.” She meowed hopefully. Swiftmind never backed down from his word. Dogpaw nodded, encouraged. Suddenly both apprentices looked up sharply as harsh coughs escaped from the medicine den. Briarlight was sick, and Jayfeather had stayed in the den all day tending to her. Already Millie was rushing to the den to help Jayfeather care for her kit. Dovepaw sighed, hoping her clanmate would pull through the sickness soon. Dogpaw was also worried, from the way he gazed at the den. “Poor Briarlight.” He shook his head sadly. “I wonder… nah.” “What?” Dovepaw turned her grey head towards him. “I just remembered,” Dogpaw shrugged his brown shoulders. “My mother told me that when she was a kit in the wild, her mother would put herbs around the nest to keep Illfur out. But that’s an old superstition. And Briarlight’s already sick.” Dovepaw blinked, that name sounded familiar. She gasped as she remembered Jayfeather’s story of the Spirit world and Soulcatcher’s mention of the name to his ‘brother’ Thinbone. She jumped to her paws. “You know about Soulcatcher!” She mewed almost with joy. Of course Dogpaw would know! He was born outside the clans and would hear stories. Dogpaw seemed taken aback by her relief. “Y-yeah,” He blinked his brown eyes. “What about Him? You don’t think Briarlight will die do you?” “No!” Dovepaw shook her head. “I mean, you know about all the banes right?” She was close to his face now, mouse-lengths away from his nose. “A little, I was just a kit when I was told about them.” He tilted his head, now suspicious. “How do you know about them? I thought you only learn about Starclan stuff?” Dovepaw realized he was right. There was no reason she should know. “Well, um…” She fumbled. She then recalled how Purdy could see Soulcatcher when he died. “There was an elder here, named Purdy. He told me about them before… before he died.” Dogpaw’s tail drooped. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He looked around before he asked. “Why do you want to know about them? The stories are mostly used to scare kits.” “I’m curious,” Dovepaw mewed. “I want to know other cat beliefs besides Starclan.” And she wanted to know more about the cat spirits. It could help her understand the mysterious Soulcatcher. “Ok.” Dogpaw stood up and went into the apprentices’ den. “Follow me. I don’t want to disturb the others.” She followed him into the collection of nests. She was almost glad he wanted to talk in private. She’d hate for someone else to overhear them. Dogpaw climbed into his bed of moss and feathers, getting comfy. “So what would you like to know?” “Everything,” Dovepaw sat in front of him. “Where they came from would be a good start.” “Everything?” Dogpaw sighed. “Well, no one knows exactly where they came from, you might as well ask where Starclan came from.” He flicked his tail, his eyes closed in remembrance. “But supposedly, they were the first, for everything.” She tilted her head, listening intently. “The first?” “Yeah, first came chaos.” Dogpaw explained. “Then came everything, including life. After Chaos and life came War. War brought Famine and Disease. Death followed them all.” “So He’s the… youngest?” Dovepaw meowed curiously. “Soulcatcher I mean.” “They’re spirits, they don’t really age.” Dogpaw sighed. “In fact they’re not alive.” “But Starclan cats used to be alive.” Dovepaw pointed out. “And they’re spirits, I think.” Dogpaw flicked his tail sharply and shook his head as if he had mites. “No, that’s different! Ghosts used to be living, spirits…” He tried to find the right words. “…Never lived at all. My mother said they’re made out of the same stuff as dreams.” “Really?” Dovepaw looked at him with her wide green eyes. “Can they get hurt in dreams?” Her fellow apprentice furrowed his brow. “I don’t think so. Why would anyone be mousebrained enough to try?” She shook her head. “I don’t know. Can you at least tell me about some of the Banes? Like Illfur or Thinbone?” Dogpaw actually relaxed when she asked this. He twisted around to smooth out his fur before continuing. “Those two are easy enough to understand. Illfur is the Pestilence of Cats. He’s got every disease in his pelt and if you stay out in wet weather, cold, eat crowfood, or hang around sick cats he comes and gives you a sickness by breathing on you.” Dogpaw explained. It sounded like the story a queen would tell to keep her kits from playing in the rain or snow, though Dovepaw could sense slight truth to his words. Dogpaw then looked towards the den entrance and sighed. “And Briarlight got visited by him.” Dovepaw shivered at the thought of some horrid creature slipping into the medicine den and breathing onto the sleeping Briarlight, filling her lungs with something possibly fatal. Oh Starclan, please let her be alright. “Ok,” She let out a shaky sigh, “Now what about Thinbone? He’s hunger right?” “Yeah, he”- Dogpaw began but he was interrupted by the booming yowl of Firestar. Both apprentices flinched. “Let all senior warriors join together under the beech bough!” Dogpaw got up and went to the entrance. He meowed to someone passing by. “What’s going on? Did Swiftmind come back early?” He sounded hopeful, and Dovepaw wished it was true. “Sorry,” Cloudtail’s mew came out as a sigh. “I’m not sure what what’s going on. Stay in your dens. This meeting is for senior warriors only.” “Can you tell us what it’s about later?” Dovepaw got up to poke her head out of the twigs but Cloudtail was already heading to the beech tree. Dogpaw grumbled. “I don’t see why we can’t listen if it’s that important.” He padded back to his nest and curled up with a huff. “Do you want to talk more about the Banes?” She shook her head. “Not right now.” She was too curious about what the meeting was about. She heard Dogpaw yawn and get up. “Ok, well I’d better go check on Mousefur before it gets to Dark.” He passed her, padding out even though Cloudtail told them to stay. “Maybe I’ll be lucky and hear a bit of their meeting?” His whiskers twitched in a smirk as he left. Dovepaw stayed in her nest. I don’t need to move to eavesdrop. She flicked her tail, knowing this was technically spying. But then again, she was going to find out anyway when Lionblaze would tell her, what was wrong with learning now? She closed her eyes, making it appear that she was dozing off as she let her sense of hearing drift through the branches of the den and through the hollow. Pawsteps echoed in her ears as cats gathered under and around Firestar. She could also hear the careful padding of Jayfeather as he guided himself to the meeting. It must have been important if the medicine cat had been called to the meeting as well. “Thank you for joining us.” She could hear Firestar’s tail brush against the bark of the bough. “Ivypaw has had a dream, sent by Starclan.” Dovepaw tried to hide her gasp, not wanting to alert anyone close. The others sounded shocked as well. “Ivypaw?” Thornclaw’s meow sounded doubtful. Dovepaw wondered herself why Starclan had chosen her sister. Wouldn’t Jayfeather be their first choice? Or Firestar himself? “Well, why not?” Her kin Brightheart mewed in Ivypaw’s defense. Cloudtail growled, adding his own say in the matter. “Our daughter’s kit would never lie.” “I was there when Ivypaw told Firestar.” Greystripe shuffled his paws. “She seemed to know more than she should.” “Apprentices always do.” Thornclaw huffed. “And I’d never said she’s lie Cloudtail, I just think we shouldn’t overreact. Just in case…” “In case what? That it wasn’t from Starclan?” Sandstorm sounded wary, possibly thinking the same thing. “I know this sounds unusual, but we shouldn’t overlook Ivypaw’s dream because she’s an apprentice.” Brambleclaw swept the earth with his tail, making the pebbles rattle over the dirt in Dovepaw’s mind. She was grateful that the deputy was sticking up for her littermate, but was he right? What was her dream? “Alright fine,” Dustpelt let out a snort, impatient. “Even if it was a dream from Starclan, what was it?” Thank Starclan. Dovepaw listened eagerly. What had Starclan sent her sister? Firestar’s claws pricked the beech as he shifted. “She dreamed that Shadowclan invaded our borders.” He told them, making Dovepaw shiver. “Our territory was filled with their warriors, and the stream along the Twoleg Greenleaf place was running red with the blood of Thunderclan.” “LIES.” Dovepaw’s concentration was shattered by the familiar voice. She opened her eyes and Soulcatcher sat before her. “W-what?” She gulped. It had been days since Soulcatcher had last talked to her face-to-face. Was He no longer upset? “I ONLY CAME TO WARN YOU. YOUR CLANMATES ARE FALLING FOR A TRICK DOVEPAW.” He boomed. “STARCLAN HAD NO PART IN THIS ‘DREAM’.” “They didn’t?” Dovepaw felt her blood run cold, thinking of the Dark Forest. “Ivypaw lied?” “YES... SHE THINKS SHE’S DOING THIS FOR THE BEST.” Soulcatcher’s tail flicked. “BUT THE ONLY THING THIS SUSPICION WILL BRING IS WAR. THAT IS WHAT TIGERSTAR IS HOPING FOR.” Dovepaw shook her head. She wanted to trust her sister. She really did, but now the evidence was too much. “Why?” She looked up at Soulcatcher. “Why do you keep telling me these things? What can I do?” “YOU CAN LISTEN TO ME. AND YOU CAN TRY TO STOP THEM. FATE IS FOREVER MOVING, BUT IF YOU DON’T STOP THE COMING BATTLE YOUR CLAN IS NOW HUNGERING FOR, I WILL BE FREEING TWO SOULS BEFORE TOMORROW ENDS…” After giving this chilling message Soulcatcher stood up, turning into mist. “Wait!” Dovepaw looked around frantically. How was she supposed to stop a battle? But Soulcatcher didn’t speak or show Himself again. She got up. Maybe if I run into the meeting I can convince Firestar not to fight! Or at least she hoped. Dovepaw was about to rush out of the apprentices’ den, but she almost ran right into Ivypaw. “Oh!” Ivypaw blinked in surprise. “Careful! You almost ran over.” She might have even been angry, had she not been almost purring with excitement. “Guess what happened!” Dovepaw was afraid to guess. She was almost tempted to confront her sister about the lie she told Firestar. But her throat had tightened. Instead she tilted her head in curiosity. Ivypaw wriggled. “I had a dream from Starclan! Shadowclan is planning to invade, but I told Firestar. That’s why he’s having the meeting. Look!” She pointed her pink nose to the beech tree. “He’s leaving with Brambleclaw and Jayfeather!” She mewed. Dovepaw looked and saw her sister was telling the truth. The meeting was over, and she could see pelts were bristled. Firestar was heading to the bramble barrier with Jayfeather and Brambleclaw behind him. “I bet he’s going to confront Blackstar now.” Ivypaw looked back at Dovepaw. She seemed so eager that all of this was happening. “We might even have to fight!” Dovepaw sighed. “Yeah…” She was too late to stop it now, even if she did run to warn Firestar. Everyone had been angry with Shadowclan since they found their scent over the border. Their claws were eager for fur. And there was Ivypaw, having no idea the damage she had caused. Dovepaw closed her eyes. My poor sister… what have you done?
The last four links on Wayback Machine were unable to be found on that web page.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:39:05 GMT -5
A Soul's Path:
The next story of Tom Freedman's adventures! For those of you who haven't read them: From Fingers to Fur and Hidden Nature I usually never come out with a new story so soon but I've been having some extra time. Enjoy!
Prologue A gentle breeze stirred the oak branches over the hollow. In the center surrounded by four great trees was a group of cats, sitting upon a massive boulder. Two of the cats had shining had pelts, as if covered in stars. One as white as snow, the other patched like the forest floor. The other five had no shining pelts, but muscles rippled under their fur. They gazed around the clearing, waiting. One of them, a massive ginger tom with white paws and amber eyes turned to the starry cats. “Are you sure they will come?” “They will Thunder,” Mewed the shimmering tortoiseshell. “Be patient. You and the others will receive your ten lives soon enough.” “Is this wise though?” A thin brown she-cat inquired. “Deals with spirits don’t usually end well, especially with ones so powerful.” A dark slim she-cat shook her head. “Don’t you want to aid your clan Wind? You can’t do much good with just one life.” “Other cats seem to do fine.” A silver tom muttered, his green eyes flashing. While the other’s conversed, one cat stayed silent. The dark gray tom surveyed the rim of the hollow, past the trees into the shadows. “Sky?” The black she-cat noticed his silence. “Is something wrong?” Sky shook his head. “I’m not sure Shadow. I think I heard something, perhaps a storm is coming.” The white shining tom looked up, eyes bright. “It’s not the storm.” He breathed. “They’re here…” The air grew cold, and the breeze quickened, rattling the green leaves above. The group looked up in wonder as a mist started to swirl down from the sky, a mix of gold, red, green, silver, and black. Wind’s back arched as she and the others watch the mist drift down to the ground against the breeze. The closer it came to the grass, the more it gathered together to create shapes. The forms landed on newly made paws. They gazed up at the boulder with glowing emotionless eyes, like the stars that shimmered on the Starclan cat’s pelt. The five that stood appeared to look like cats, but had a far more deathly presence around them. “Welcome Banes of the Living.” The white tom meowed in greeting. “It is an honor that you come to our home. Do you have what we ask for?” “YES.” Boomed the Death of Cats, his pelt black as a moonless night with markings of a cat’s skeleton. “YOU WISH TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF YOUR DESCENDANT’S LEADERS. WE WILL TRADE FOR THE INFORMATION.” “In exchange to be allowed to roam Starclan territory of course...” The golden Wickedheart purred, wrapping his long tail around his paws. “It’s only fair.” The other Banes nodded to this eagerly. Their own territory was so bleak, and they hungered for the green grass and fresh prey. The cats atop of the boulder bristled, looking at each other. None of them wanted the frightening spirits in their afterlife, but what they offered was too vital to let go. “Agreed,” The tortoiseshell shivered. “How do we give more lives?” “With emotions…” Illfur, Pestilence of Cats, hacked. “Strong emotions are powerful; they can give and take life if you let them take control.” “Interesting,” The silver tom, River, tilted his head. “What sort of emotions?” “Oh ones like endurance, strength, courage, intelligence, love. The usual stuff you hear about.” The starved Thinbone shrugged his shoulders that rose like mountains under his skin. “Intelligence isn’t an emotion.” His sister growled, blood dripping from her muzzle. “It’s a description.” “It’s still a state of mind so it counts Bloodclaw!” Thinbone snapped back, though he trembled after another growl from Bloodclaw. “It’s best if the cat receives the lives from others they are familiar with.” Wickedheart added. “It makes the emotions even stronger.” “BUT,” Soulcatcher held his dark muzzle high to the Clan cats. “YOU MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER, NOT TO USE THE EMOTIONS OF HATE OR VENGEANCE TO GIVE A LIFE. A SPLIT SOUL FROM THOSE WOULD EAT AWAY FROM THE OTHERS LIKE A PARASITE. AND YOU CANNOT GIVE MORE THAN EIGHT FOR A LEADER.” “Eight? That will only give them nine lives!” The white tom narrowed his eyes. “YES.” Soulcatcher nodded deeply. “YOU CAN ONLY SPLIT A SOUL INTO NINE SEPARATE ONES. ANY MORE AND THEY WOULD BE TOO WEAK.” “But we need as many as we can get!” Thunder persisted. “Can’t we have more?” “Nine will be as many as you get.” Illfur wheezed in a sneer. “Just be happy you’ll get eight more than everyone else.” The tortoiseshell shook her head. “I suppose you can do with only nine…” She gave a heavy sigh. “No.” Skystar stood up. “Our deal was for ten lives. Since we can only have nine, the trade is forfeit.” He looked at the other leaders, as if asking for them to agree. Shadow nodded, though the other leaders looked hesitant. “What?” Thinbone hissed. “But we already told you how to gain a longer life! And you will still deny us peace?” His amber glowing eyes looked from the Clan cats to his siblings. “Can they do that?” “You do not belong in Starclan.” Shadow growled in retort. “You have your own territory to live, but we need the lives to serve our new clans, even nine of them.” “Oh please.” Wickedheart sneered. “It’s obvious that you will use any excuse to keep us away from you. Do you really think you can keep us out of your borders?” “You know we can.” The tortoiseshell’s fur bristled. “There are laws. Even you must follow them. I thank you for telling us, but…” She sighed sadly. “You cannot come into Starclan. It’s not right.” Bloodclaw snarled, her tail lashing furiously. “Cheats! Thieves! You do not even deserve one life!” “Enough!” roared the white Starclan cat. “This meeting is over. Go back to the shadows from where you came!” “Very well…” Illfur croaked, getting up. He looked at the cats on the rock menacingly. “But don’t think I will be gone. Come Leafbare you’ll see my mark in your clans, year after year after year…” His words seemed to carry more weight in the air than they should have, making the cats shudder. Illfur broke into a bout of coughing, almost sounding like sick laughter, and then the spirit faded into the green mist like before. “And hunger will follow disease in the cold Leafbare.” Thinbone whispered gravely. He looked at Sky as he spoke. “The prey will slip through your paws.” “You will be seeing me as well.” Bloodclaw’s growl turned into a purr. “There will be no peace in your Clans, especially for yours dear Shadow. I will hound your paws until you finally lay in your own violence.” Her red gaze rested on hers before she and Thinbone disappeared like Illfur. “And there will be no rest.” Wickedheart stood, the blue markings on his pelt flashing. “Not for any of your Clans or their descendants. My storm will remain over your lands until we gain what we rightfully deserve.” His clear voice was deadly and his gaze fierce. Wind shuffled on her paws back, and they felt a little relieved when the Chaos of Cats left in a mist of gold. But their relief was short. Soulcatcher still remained. He had been sitting silently the whole time and the cats feared what sort of curse he would wreak. “IT WAS UNWISE OF YOU TO FORFEIT THE TRADE.” His voice echoed, though there was no hint of anger. “MY SIBLINGS WILL, UNLIKE YOU, KEEP THEIR PROMISES.YOU COULD ALWAYS LET THEM INTO YOUR TERRITORY OF COURSE…” “Why do you want to be in Starclan so much?” River asked, his fur nearly standing on end. “You have your own home!” “I <DO NOT WANT IT/>.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I HAVE MY OWN HOME, AS DO MY KIN. BUT THEY HAVE GROWN WEARY OF THEIR HOMES OVER THE CENTURIES. THEY CAN DO LITTLE TO CHANGE THEM, AND STARCLAN IS BRIGHT AND WARM.” “But it’s not theirs.” Shadow’s mew shook as she was still disturbed by Bloodclaw’s words. “NO, IT IS NOT…” Soulcatcher lowered his head. “I HAVE NO QUARREL WITH YOUR WISH TO GAIN MORE LIVES. I SEE EVERYONE EVENTUALLY, EVEN IF THEY DO NOT WISH TO SEE ME. BUT YOU WILL REGRET YOUR CHOICE TODAY.” With that he turned, flicking his tail and he became a black fog that drifted back up into the air, disappearing back to his home.
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Chapter 1
Swiftmind shivered as he lay on the cold road, regaining consciousness. His muscles ached from the torture they had gone through just hours ago. Even though his vision was blurry Swiftmind could still make out some of his surroundings. The sky was still dark, but the stars were gone. Either there was more light pollution in the city than he remembered or the sun would rise in a few hours. The street lamps above buzzed with their orange light. The shining behemoth above him had to be his truck. Everything seemed so big as a cat, especially when he was flat on the ground. As his vision cleared more memories seeped back into his mind. He remembered the dinner with Sarah and her boyfriend, the awkward dinner-talk, the stressful need to get back to the Clan, and the transformation from Tom to Swiftmind. It’s not fair… Swiftmind thought to himself in dejection. There had been light in the sky still. You couldn’t call that night! But apparently that and his tense demeanor at the time had been enough to trigger the change from a human to a cat. If only he had been able to calm himself. Then he might have been able to get into the car. The fallen keys on the pavement seemed to mock him. He had thumbs on his paws, but he would never be able to reach the door or even be able to drive the car. Now he wouldn’t be able to get to the lake until the sun rose fully. Sorry Dogpaw, looks like I’ll be late. He grimaced, wondering how much the cats in Thunderclan would worry about him. He had told them he’d be back before morning, that it’d take less than a day, but he hadn’t counted on Sarah finding him. He’d need to make it up to them all. The thought of the many cats in Thunderclan stirred another, more foggy memory, though it was recent. He remembered something grey… “Is he dead? He looks like he got hit on the road.” Swiftmind’s eyes shot open at the unfamiliar meow. Someone was watching him. Another voice growled. His watcher wasn’t alone. “No. He didn’t get run over. Look, he’s breathing.” They were behind him, a male and a female. From their whispers Swiftmind could tell that they didn’t know he was awake. What did they want? Were they just curious onlookers? Swiftmind didn’t try to show that he was conscious. He kept his ears still and tried to listen, though it was hard to keep the impulsive muscles from twitching. “Alright, he’s alive, but are you sure you saw him”- The she-cat began, only to get snapped at by her tom counterpart. “Yes I know I saw him change!” There was the sound of paws padding closer. “This cat was a housefolk, no, the housefolk I saw before in the cutter place! Remember what I told you before?” The cutter place? Swiftmind’s eyes widened. There were dozens of cats at the vet that saw him talk to Dogpaw. This cat had to have been one of them, and he had recognized him as a human! “Yes,” The she-cat’s voice sighed and she started to speak in a calming tone. “But a housefolk talking to his cat isn’t so odd. One changing into a cat is more than odd.” “I know it’s insane,” The pawsteps became closer. Swiftmind tensed. “But I still think we should take him to the others. Maybe Sol can figure out what he really is…” Sol? Who the heck is that? Swiftmind figured it was some big cat or leader for the stray cats of the city. Whoever it was, Swiftmind had no intentions on meeting him. As soon as the strangers came close enough for Swiftmind to scent them, he yowled and jumped to his paws. He stumbled, but the stray cats were so startled to see him awake he had enough time to ****** his car keys in his teeth and dash across the street. He had managed to get a glimpse of the cats before escaping, a dark grey tom and a brown tabby she-cat. “Hey!” “Stop!” Swiftmind ignored the meows of surprise behind him. The key rings jingled as he ran onto the opposite walkway, forcing his tired legs to propel him away from the street. He spotted a wooden fence, it had a gap between the boards and he shot towards it. He managed to squeeze through the gap into a small garden. Panting, he stopped to glance behind him. No other furry heads poked through and he heard no sounds of pursuit. Turning back to the garden, Swiftmind padded on the soft cool grass and tried to collect his wits again. Okay… I’m stuck in the city, as a cat, until morning. And there are two cats by my truck that are probably going to start looking for me very soon. It wasn’t sounding so promising in his head. He wasn’t used to being a cat around streets and buildings. Usually he just stayed inside when he was stuck in his small furry version of his body, and when he did go outside to visit cats that he knew like Princess he stuck to the fences and rooftops. Swiftmind looked up at the fences now. Claw marks were visible on the posts, showing they had been used like a cat highway. He could probably jump onto them if he stretched a little. But if he used the fences and rooftops would it make him easier to spot? It might be easier to stay close to his truck anyway… “Grrrrrrrrrr…” Swiftmind froze. He had forgotten to check for the scent of dog! Now that he was looking, he could see a water dish by the door and several chew toys strewn over the grass. He had walked right into a dog’s yard! The growl continued viciously, enraged. But surprisingly he wasn’t being attacked. He didn’t dare run though, that’d just make the dog chase him, and he wasn’t close enough to the fence to jump. Swiftmind had no choice but to turn his head and face the dog behind him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Let the cliff hangers begin. Two beady brown eyes glared at him, framed by scruffy white fur. In fact the word scruffy defined the whole dog. It was no bigger than Swiftmind himself. Its furious attitude was diminished further by a pink rhinestone collar. It sniffed him and growled even more, and then gave a short bark, perhaps trying to prove a point. It seemed too wary to bite at him though, perhaps it could smell that Swiftmind was… different. “Oh.” Swiftmind flicked his tail in annoyance. “Alright then…” He looked back at the fence and padded towards it, ignoring the small dog. He went to the far corner of the fence, crouching at one of the posts. He was about to leap when a bark made him flinch. The scruffy dog was refusing to be ignored. He turned back angrily and the dog began to bark relentlessly in maddening yips. Swiftmind noticed a light go on in the house and he hissed at the dog. “Quiet! Shut up you mutt!” He snarled, but this did nothing but make the dog’s yapping more persistent. His tail bristled. Already there were sounds of movement in the house. This dog’s going to wake up the whole neighborhood! Finally Swiftmind had enough, gripping the keys in his teeth; he got onto his hind legs and lashed out with his front paws, claws half-sheathed. His paw smacked right into the dog’s muzzle, making it yelp in surprise. The little dog whined and ran away from Swiftmind with its tail tucked between his legs. Swiftmind bared his teeth in victory and went back to the fence. With the blood still roaring in his ears he crouched and jumped just as the back door opened. The dog’s owner called her pet, wondering what was causing the fuss so early in the morning. Swiftmind clawed his way up the wooden fence, balancing himself on the plank and he began to make his way away from the garden and the road. He figured that if he could find a nice, dog-less, garden he could probably hide under a bush until the sun was up. I should check for house cats too, some of them aren’t friendly. When he was two houses down from the road he turned on a fence post, now going parallel to the distant street. Swiftmind would occasionally stop and glance into the gardens, taking a wary sniff. Most of the time he’d smell a dog or cat, or even in one case a hutch of rabbits. But not many had good hiding spots. And then he caught scent of something familiar. Marigold… He could also smell borage and other fragrant herbs. I promised Jayfeather I’d get herbs for him. Now’s my chance! He looked into the garden. There were roofed trellises over the plants, shielding them from the cold elements except for rain. Swiftmind let the scent of the garden drift over his mouth. There was the smell of cats, but it was faint. They hadn’t been here in a while. Swiftmind jumped down onto the sparse grass and walked around, looking the garden over. It was slightly overgrown, and the grass wasn’t that watered. People didn’t come out here much either, though they did tend to the sparse garden of vegetables in the center of the yard. The herbs surrounding were mostly for decoration, yet he could see dead leaves gathered at the bases to protect the plants from frost. Perfect! Swiftmind slipped under a holly bush, hanging his truck keys on a stem. His jaws were sore from gripping the metal in his teeth. As he stretched his jaws to ease the ache, he tried to remember all the things Jayfeather used. Poppy seeds, marigold, borage, tansy… now what else was there? Swiftmind shook his pelt, figuring that he’d find it when he smelled it. He padded through the foliage, sniffing each of the plants in hopes of finding something familiar. He found the marigold quickly. It was in good shape, so Swiftmind was able to gather several leaves without damaging the plant. The borage however was wilted slightly. Swiftmind used his thumbed paws to carefully move parts of the plant aside to pluck the younger and stronger leaves. He was only able to get a few leaves from the bush without making it look like it got vandalized to the owners. Poppy plants were easy to find in the corner, dried with the coming fall. Swiftmind grabbed several seed pods with both his jaws and one of his paws, trying to be careful not to break them or spill the seeds. But his luck soon ran out. There were less medicinal herbs in the garden than he first thought. There was no tansy and defiantly no burdock or horse tail. Swiftmind sighed as he padded through the last of the unexplored garden. I have enough to at least help Jayfeather, and it’s not like there are going to be that many fights this close to winter. Just then he stopped, his nose picking up another scent. Yarrow! So he still had a little luck left. Swiftmind headed towards the scent, seeing the feathery plant behind some heather. It was wilted like the borage from the frost, but it was a big plant with plenty of leaves to spare. As he stepped closer though, the plant rustled. Swiftmind stopped, the fur on his neck rising. The scent of yarrow blocked everything else around. He could see glances of black fur through the leaves. “Hello?” He mewed, not wanting to startle the stranger. A cat’s head peeked out sharply from around the yarrow. It was a she-cat, with black fur and green eyes. Green eyes! Swiftmind stepped back, his fur rising. This cat was like the one from his dream! The one that attacked him! But the she-cat didn’t attack him, or at least not yet. Her own fur was bristling and her lip curled in a snarl, she wasn’t going to be friendly. “If you think you can chase me out of here forget it. I need these herbs.” She hissed at him. Swiftmind tried to calm himself. How could I know whether she’s the cat? There are probably loads of black cats around here, and green eyes aren’t uncommon. He circled slightly, getting a better look at the stranger. She was a stray from her skinny body and hard muscles. Her tail was kinked, like something heavy had hurt it. Swiftmind guessed that it either had gotten run over by a car or slammed in a door somehow. Or she got grabbed by a badger. Swiftmind winced at the thought. “Well?” She snarled against, though Swiftmind could now hear exhaustion in her voice. “Are you going to say something or just stare at me?” “What? Oh, sorry,” Swiftmind moved back even more. When a cat needed space, they needed a lot of space. “I don’t want to cause trouble. I need the herbs too.” He mewed, nodding to the yarrow. “But I can wait for my turn.” The she-cat seemed surprised by his politeness, but after a moment of hesitation she went back to gathering yarrow. Her fur was still bristling though, she was still wary of him, and Swiftmind couldn’t blame her. This neighborhood was full of dangers and you had to be on your metaphorical toes to survive. He honestly didn’t care if she trusted him or not, he just wanted the cat to get her herbs and leave without confrontation. The she-cat soon finished collecting, grabbing the small pile of yarrow and other plants in her jaws and going to the fence. She glanced back at him, as if contemplating something, before she crouched and jumped on and over the fence, quickly vanishing. Swiftmind relaxed and went to the yarrow plant himself and gathering his own pile, leafing through the tender branches and plucking with his jaws. He couldn’t help but wonder as he harvested, how does a stray from a place like this know about healing herbs?
He tried not to worry about the she-cat, focusing on the herbs he collected. He stole a lettuce leaf from the vegetable garden to wrap the herbs and make them easier to carry. But the ache in his legs from before caught up with him. He groaned, looking at the sky which was a little lighter. He had time for a quick rest. Dragging his heavy paws under the holly and put the roll of plants by its base. He let his legs relax and he fell to the cool ground. As long as the shade of the holly hid his dark fur, no passing cats would notice him. Swiftmind slowed his breathing, letting his eyes droop. The air was cool and the scent of the herbs was calming. He stretched one final time before falling asleep. Swiftmind never realized how tired his body had been until he was asleep. All of his aches seemed to disappear. He dreamed of the lake, shining in the moonlight. He dreamed of the cats wandering through the forest. He dreamed of his friends Lionblaze Jayfeather and Dovepaw. He dreamed of Leafpool… The pretty tabby she-cat drifted through his mind over and over again for reasons he couldn't explain. Swiftmind. His ears twitched at the voice whispering in his ear. It was familiar, but Swiftmind didn’t want to wake up. He was glad to be off his paws for once. Besides, it couldn’t have been morning already. “Swiftmind! Wake up!” The voice insisted. Swiftmind felt heat on his fur, warming his pelt. He reluctantly opened one eye and was nearly blinded by light. He groaned, wiping his eyes with the back of his paw and looked into the white face of a transparent she-cat. “Icestar?” He groaned and rolled from his side onto his paws, shaking his head. “What’s with all the light?” “Its past morning Swiftmind! The scent of herbs made you sleep longer!” Icestar hissed, swishing her starry tail. “You have to get back to Thunderclan! Quickly!” Swiftmind looked up through the holly branches. The sun was up! He had slept for hours and hadn’t realized it! He cursed his lazy cat body and heaved himself to his paws. “I’m sorry Icestar, I”- He tried to explain himself. “It’s too late for that now. Get to your monster and get to the lake!” Icestar ordered him. She seemed more distressed than angry. “Get the medicine to Jayfeather. They will need it after what’s happened.” “Wait, what happened?” Swiftmind pricked his ears, bristling. Now he could really see how anxious Icestar was. “Did something happen in Thunderclan?” Did something devastating occurred while he slept? But Icestar said nothing else, disappearing in the light. If something had taken place in the Clan, she wasn’t going to tell him. I’ll have to find out for myself. Swiftmind huffed, picking up the rolled up lettuce leaf full of herbs and turned to the fence. He crouched but stopped, spinning back to the holly and snatching his car keys with his teeth. He had almost forgotten about them in his rush to leave. Crouching again, he leapt onto the fence and looked around, trying to regain his sense of direction. I’m two houses down from the road… He looked down the fence line, thinking. If I can get to the road I can find my truck easily. Swiftmind padded along the wooden fence towards the road, carrying his parcels. He hoped there wouldn’t be that much people or cats around to see him. Swiftmind wouldn’t just look silly with a wad of leaves under his chin and key’s jingling in his teeth. He might just be odd enough for them to stop and see what exactly he was doing. A curious human might even try to catch him if they thought he was a stray. Or follow him at least. If there was one thing Swiftmind didn’t want, it was someone see him change again. I don’t need more cats chasing after me, or people to get locked up after telling the authorities what they saw. Swiftmind finally got to the end of fences. He looked down at the hedge and sidewalk that was beneath him. Looking up slightly he could see a man walking out of his house and getting into his car, probably off to work. Swiftmind couldn’t help wonder what day it was. In fact, Swiftmind wasn’t even sure what month it was! Cats never needed to know days of the week. All the Clans ever noticed were the moon cycle and the seasons. All he knew was that it was close to winter. It was possibly November. He might even have missed Guy Fawkes Night, though he was surprised there was no big bonfire by the lake. There were usually a lot of fireworks too, but maybe this year was too dry? Swiftmind shook his head from the thoughts. He’d have to look at his cell phone to see the exact date. Right now he had more important things to worry about. The brown and white cat gazed down the street, seeing his truck not too far off. All he needed really was a place to change.
He gazed around the neighborhood with his blue eyes, and spotted something. A small ally, edged with large shrubs. If he crouched and stayed far back, no one would see him unless they walked through the ally itself, and it looked deserted for now. Swiftmind took one last look for any cats around before he hopped down from the fence and tore across the street into the gap between houses. Becoming safely hidden, Swiftmind put down his keys and herbs and crouched down, closing his eyes. He would need to concentrate again to become human. Stress usually triggered the transformation, and there was something to be stressed about. What was Icestar worried about? Why does Jayfeather need the herbs? Something terrible must have happened while he had been gone. Had someone been hurt? Who? Swiftmind let the worry fester in his gut, making his pelt bristle. He let himself feel responsible. If he hadn’t gone would cats still be hurt? How bad were they hurt? The stress was working, the back of his eyes pricked and he could feel his muscles ache as his body prepared to change. A wind picked up around him and he almost felt the Clan’s starry ancestors watching. Swiftmind groaned and grimaced as his bones stretched and changed. His fur sank back into his skin as well as his tail. Why are these so painful now? They didn’t used to be! His body grew and his spine straightened. His skull reformed and Tom gasped, the last of the changes taking place. He fell to his knees; his heavy breaths clouded the air. Tom looked around blearily. No one had seen, and no one was coming just yet. Tom got to his feet wearily and gritted his teeth as his sore muscles throbbed in protest. He bent down with a twinge to pick up his keys and the herbs, fighting to keep from collapsing all together. Walking with a slight sway, he made his way out of the gap he had hidden in and walked towards his truck. There was no time for him to rest his tired body. He needed to get back home… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry this one's short, but I'll be posting some pictures soon.
(Picture to be added in last post. All credit for those pictures go to Greebo.)
It was a long drive to the lake. There was an accident on the road; apparently some teens had been racing their sports cars. So now the usually empty road was blocked by traffic. By the time Tom got to the dirt road that led to the old abandoned house, it was late in the day. I shouldn’t have rested. I should have just waited for the morning. He sighed. Tom was still stressed, and now he was feeling ill. His body had broken out into a sweat and his vision was starting to get fuzzy. His head throbbed. What’s wrong with me? Was it from sleeping in the cold? No, I would have felt it when I woke up in the first place. Or was he sick from changing so fast? But that’s never happened before… I don’t think… Tom recalled not feeling well from most changes, but that was just because he exhausted himself. He usually didn’t feel so…sick. He put his foot on the break as his truck rolled up to the house. The forest was quiet, and Tom had a feeling it wasn’t just because it was winter. Tom turned off the ignition and opened the door. The cold air hit him like a rock and his stomach lurched. The dinner he had with Sarah seemed so long ago, and yet he felt like he was going to retch. Blindly reaching behind him, he snatched up the bundle of leaves he kept on the seat next to him. Now all he had to do was make his way to the camp. I just hope I can make it… Tom stumbled out of the truck and his shoes crunched over the gravel surrounding the old house. He headed down the forest road leading to the quarry, trying to avoid the tangled mess of the woods for once. In his delirious state he could easily get lost and even wander into the river that bordered Thunderclan and Windclan. Tom had fallen in that icy current before as a cat and he wasn’t planning on doing it again. It was darker in the forest, or was it because the days were getting shorter? The day can’t go by this quickly, can it? Whether the day was shorter or not, Tom tried to not worry about it and continue on. His vision was starting to blur again and he shook his head to clear it. But his shaking didn’t help. Tom’s head ached again and he staggered again. He fought to keep balance and kept his foggy vision on the path ahead of him. He was deeper in the forest now, and the silence was fading. Is that meowing in the distance? Tom quickened his unsteady pace, heading towards the camp. He glanced at the herbs in his hand, protected in the lettuce leaf. Tom hopped that they’d help with whatever happened. His vision started to clear and he saw the bramble walls ahead. He could definitely hear his feline friends beyond. Their mews were quiet though, almost solemn. His heart quickened and as he came closer, his eyes caught the sight of something on the ground. Tom looked, and saw that there were the paw prints of many cats, too many to be any evening patrol. They all led out of the camp. What happened? The whole camp’s warriors couldn’t have left! “Tom!” A yowl sounded behind him. Tom tried to turn but his vision dimmed once again. His movements became sluggish and weak. In mid-step, his whole leg gave out from under him and Tom collapsed onto the forest floor. The various twigs and rocks scratched his face. As Tom started to go out of consciousness completely, he noticed two shapes running towards him, one small brown cat, and one grey. He recognized Millie’s voice. “Oh dear, what’s happened to him!?” Her worried mew faded in his ears and he could just barely hear his apprentice’s voice, though unable to interpret Dogpaw’s wail before he blacked out.
When he awoke he was lying on the cool sandy floor of the medicine den. He was facing the little pool of water in the back of the cave, unsure if anyone was there with him. He blinked his weary eyes. How did I get here? He wondered, his head still aching. And how come I can fit again? The sky was darker, and Tom tried to get up, but his aching arms were now forelegs that flared in pain. He yelped and flopped back onto the sand, his skin hot under his fur. Tom now realized he had become Swiftmind during his black out. “Careful,” he heard soft pawsteps come closer. “”You’re not well.” Swiftmind turned his stiff head, seeing Thunderclan’s medicine cat Jayfeather pad over to him. “I’ve realized that.” His voice croaked; his throat felt so dry. Jayfeather sniffed Swiftmind’s fur. “Let me get you some soaked moss. I think you’re coming down with a fever.” He stepped around Swiftmind gingerly and went to the pool and picked up a bundle of moss from a pile. As the blind cat dipped it in the water, he spoke again. “Thank you for the herbs. What were they wrapped in?” “Uh, lettuce leaves.” Swiftmind mewed groggily. “It grows in human gardens.” “Is that why you were gone so long?” Jayfeather came back from the pool and placed the water-laden moss in front of Swiftmind’s nose. He sniffed it and slowly lapped the water, trying to ignore the earthy taste. It was like a very light, very strange tea. But it was cool and soothing on his throat. He soon drained the moss of all its water before answering. “Not exactly…” He looked up at the medicine cat, feeling a little better. “I was delayed by an old friend. When I finally got a chance to leave I… turned back into a cat and couldn’t drive.” Jayfeather looked stern. “So you were distracted? Why didn’t you change back as soon as it was morning then?” “Look, I tried alright? Changing’s hard on the body.” Swiftmind huffed, though he knew that was a poor excuse. He didn’t want Jayfeather to know he fell asleep while gathering the plants. “I see…” Jayfeather didn’t sound satisfied by Swiftmind’s defense. A voice sounded by the entrance. “Leave him alone Jayfeather. Can’t you see he’s tired?” Swiftmind glanced around and spotted Briarlight looking into the cave, strapped into her supportive wheels. Her legs might have been useless, but she could still move around the branch strewn camp. Other faces looked into the den behind Briarlight. He could see Millie, Daisy, Dogpaw, and the tiny eyes of Poppyfrost’s kits. Swiftmind was happy to see that they were worried for him, but there was something wrong… Why can’t I hear Brambleclaw putting up patrols? Where are Lionblaze and Dovepaw? Why isn’t Firestar in her to question me about being late? What had happened to Thunderclan while he was gone?
“I can rest later Briarlight.” Swiftmind tried to get to his paws. “Where’s Firestar?” He turned around in the medicine den on shaky legs. The Clan cats looked at each other uneasily. Daisy shuffled her paws, seeming unsure if she wanted to tell Swiftmind. “Well?” Swiftmind shook his fur irritably. He switched his gaze back to Jayfeather. “What happened? Where are all the other Warriors?” Jayfeather blinked, his blind eyes gazing into space. The medicine cat sighed heavily. “Alright, I’ll explain everything. Just lie back down before you collapse again.” Swiftmind did so, and he could almost feel the others relax behind him. He could hear them pad, or in Briarlight’s case roll away from the cave, leaving Swiftmind and Jayfeather alone. He flicked his tail over the sand. “Alright, what happened?” “Ivypaw had a dream.” Jayfeather began. “She said it was an omen sent by Starclan, warning her that Shadowclan would try to take our territory.” He mewed solemnly. Swiftmind tilted his head. “Ivypaw?” He never thought of the young she-cat having much of a connection with the Clan’s warrior ancestors. “So Firestar went with all of the warriors to talk with Blackstar?” He asked skeptically. “No.” Jayfeather shook his head. “The dream Ivypaw had showed that Shadowclan’s attack would be because Firestar gave them the Greenleaf Twoleg place. First Firestar went to Shadowclan with only me and Brambleclaw to ask for it back.” “He did what?” Swiftmind sat back up. “And you all really thought Blackstar would give back territory this close to winter?” No matter how impressed Swiftmind was at how intelligent cats really were, he had to remind himself that they still lacked some sense… Jayfeather narrowed his blue eyes. “Firestar expected Blackstar to understand, but he didn’t. So now we have to take the territory back by force…” “Force?” Swiftmind stared agape at Jayfeather. “You mean all the warriors are now out at war over a stretch of grass?!” Now he knew why Icestar wanted him to get back so soon. And why they needed the medicine. They’re fighting over a dream! “It’s not a war!” Jayfeather’s fur bristled. Perhaps he could sense how agitated Swiftmind was getting. “It’s a border fight. They’re not that uncommon in the Clans you know.” Swiftmind got his aching hind legs back up, standing. “Oh I know what a border fight is. All they ever start is war, that’s how it’s been in all of human history!” “Well we’re not human Swiftmind!” Jayfeather spat back, “For all you know this will prevent war with Shadowclan.” “I hope you’re right.” Swiftmind muttered jadedly. He moved away from Jayfeather and to the cave’s opening. “And where do you think you’re going?” Jayfeather moved, as if attempting to follow him. “To the warriors’ den,” Swiftmind glanced back at him. “When the fight’s over there are going to be cat that’ll need the medicine den more than me.”
And Swiftmind was right. Just as he had gotten himself comfortable in the warriors’ den under the roof of sharp branches from the fallen tree, he could hear a commotion outside. He lifted his head, blinking in the dim light as he heard familiar voices. Meows of welcome started, but soon died, being replaced with sounds of concern. “They’re back!” “Welcome back!” “Firestar?” “Quick! Get Jayfeather!” Swiftmind groaned, getting to his paws once again. Padding stiffly to the entrance of the warriors’ den, he peeked out. What he saw made his stomach clench. Thunderclan’s warriors were back, but bloodied. Their heads and tails were low from aches and exhaustion. But at least most of them could walk. Swiftmind’s eyes caught the sight of a ginger body being carried on Spiderleg and Brackenfur’s shoulders. Firestar… The Thunderclan leader looked dead, his throat torn and soaked in blood. He watched as Firestar was taken to the medicine cat’s den and placed on the ground. His body lay on the ground lifelessly. He was dead! He spotted Leafpool limping over to her fallen father, her face filled with grief. His heart sank. Dogpaw padded hesitantly to the ravaged cats. “What happened?” He looked at them all with wide brown eyes. “Did you lose?” Brambleclaw lifted his head and shook the blood from his torn ear. “We showed Shadowclan a thing or two.” They really think this is a victory? Firestar’s dead! Swiftmind narrowed his eyes and his fur bristled. What could they have possibly shown Shadowclan? Did they leave them in a worse state? Was it worth it, for a stretch of grass? He limped out of the warriors den, glaring. Brambleclaw and the others spotted them. He heard a gasp in the crowd of wounded Thunderclan warriors, but he ignored it. “Yeah, you certainly showed them how to bleed.” He growled; frustrated at how rash the cats had been for just a dream. You nearly gotten yourselves killed, you got your leader killed, and you think it was a good thing! Swiftmind wanted to say more, but his body was shaking, needing rest. He simply cast another scornful glance at the Thunderclan cats before turning and heading back into his nest.
He quickly fell asleep, and it was another rare moment where he didn’t dream anything prophetic. When he finally awoke, the light was dim and even colder than before. It was the next morning, and there were bodies of sleeping cats all around him. Each one of them smelled of some medicinal herb or another. Jayfeather’s going to have to use every leaf of those plants that I brought him. Swiftmind yawned, sniffing. His nose was a little clogged up, but the cool air was helping his fever greatly. His throat was very dry though. He stood up and coughed slightly as he passed Squirrelflight. He paused, noticing Leafpool was not next to her sister. Where is she? He stopped, wondering if the clan already had a funeral for Firestar while he had been sleeping. Would Leafpool still be with the body? But if she is than why would the rest of the warriors be in the warriors’ den? Swiftmind padded out of the bush and moved silently through the camp, his legs stronger after his rest. He couldn’t see anybody else moving about through the hollow. Swiftmind knew though that it wouldn’t be long for the other Thunderclan cats to wake up. He tried to sniff the air again, hoping to catch Leafpool’s scent. Swiftmind barely caught the flowery smell of her fur, near the medicine den. He couldn’t recall how badly she had been hurt, was she wounded worse than he had realized? Swiftmind moved quickly to the den, hoping to check on her. He could help but think back bitterly to his and Jayfeather’s conversation. ‘Not a big deal’ my foot...paw…whatever. Half the clan is injured! Swiftmind shook his head with a sigh. He shouldn’t get so worked up, but he remembered all the war-stories his grandfather had told him as a kid. His granddad knew how to give him nightmares in those days, especially when he’d often show young Tom his amputated knee stump. Suppressing a shudder, Swiftmind looked in the medicine den. “Leafpool?” He mewed quietly, not wanting to wake Jayfeather. He stepped inside onto the sand, and nearly bumped into a sleeping ginger shape. Swiftmind sniffed the cat and nearly stumbled back in surprise. Firestar! He’s alive! He sniffed the slumbering figure again, sensing the warmth coming off of him. In the moonlight through the bramble curtain he could see Firestar’s chest gently rising and falling. Had Swiftmind been mistaken when he saw Firestar being brought in? But I saw his body. He wasn’t breathing when he was brought in! Swiftmind could still see small traces of blood that had seeped through the cobweb bandaging around Firestar’s neck. He certainly hadn’t imagined the wound. How was Firestar still alive? I know Jayfeather’s good, but I’m pretty sure he can’t bring back the dead! “Swiftmind?” The mew made Swiftmind look up. Another sleeping cat was getting up. He relaxed at the sight of moonlight shining off of Leafpool’s tawny fur. “Hi there,” He greeted, though now regretting disturbing Leafpool’s sleep. “Sorry for waking you up.” “It’s alright.” Leafpool yawned and stretched. “I wasn’t getting much sleep anyway.” She sat up and gazed at Firestar with worry. Swiftmind shook his head. “I’m surprised he’s still alive. I thought for sure he was dead when the warriors brought him in.” “He was.” Leafpool meowed. Swiftmind looked from her to Firestar and then back at her. His eyes opened wide. “What??” Leafpool tilted her head. “Oh! No one told you?” She asked, confusing Swiftmind even more. When he shook his head Leafpool flicked her ear. “I’ll explain. Firestar is a clan leader, and because he is a leader Starclan gave him nine lives.” “Nine lives?” Swiftmind looked at her in surprise. “I thought that was an old-wives-tale.” “A what?” Now Leafpool was confused. Swiftmind sat down and waved his paw. “Twoleg myth. Or I thought it was. You seriously mean Firestar really died and came back?” “Yes, he lost one of his lives.” Leafpool looked up at him. “How do twolegs know about the nine lives of a leader? I thought only clan leaders were given them.” “Well…” Swiftmind wondered how he would explain this. “I think it’s because cats can go through a lot of things humans can’t, like falling from high places or nearly getting hit by a car. When a cat survives that stuff, we say they had extra lives.” Leafpool didn’t look that convinced, but it’d be easy for her to fall out of a tree safely. A human would break an ankle. “I suppose…” She mewed. “I’m still surprised no one’s ever told you about Firestar’s nine lives.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s alright. I guess it’s a clan-only thing.” It seemed like no matter how close he got to the cats, there was always something to remind Swiftmind that he wasn’t truly apart of Clan life. “But you are a part of Thunderclan.” Leafpool rested her tail on his shoulder. “You’ve earned your place countless of times. You fought dogs and saved Briarlight, remember?” “How can I forget?” Swiftmind sighed, looking at her gratefully. “But there are so many things I don’t understand. Like this battle, it didn’t have to happen!” he insisted, trying to keep his voice from rising. “Starclan gave us claws and fangs for a reason Swiftmind.” Leafpool’s gentle meow calmed him. “What happened today, as badly as it had ended, will not destroy us. Worse things have happened before in bloodier fights. But like the other fights, this one will make us learn. What may follow the battle is what we must face, as a Clan. We can’t go back.” Her words sunk in, and Swiftmind couldn’t help but nod. What she said was true, mistakes could be learned from. “I know… I shouldn’t think of you like humans. You all handle things differently.” Leafpool nuzzled him with a slight purr. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” They sat together in the medicine den silently, happy just listen to the quiet night and finally enjoy some peace with each other. Swiftmind had missed his kind friend.
Chapter 2
The next day Jayfeather padded around the camp, trying his best to maneuver through the branches and twigs that littered the hollow’s floor. Every day he was getting more and more acquainted with Thunderclan’s new branchy additions. The marigold and yarrow Swiftmind had brought back was proving essential for the warrior’s wounds, though their supply was shrinking fast. Jayfeather knew he’d have to ration what was left and only use them for emergencies if they were to get through Leafbare. He went to the warriors’ den, poking his head inside and sniffing the crowded air. Only the less injured had been allowed to patrol and go hunting this morning, while the rest stayed in their dens to heal. Lionblaze won’t be back until sundown, Jayfeather let out a quiet sigh. He and Dovepaw wouldn’t come back without something to add to the fresh-kill pile. It was probably the best thing they could do for Thunderclan, but Jayfeather still wanted to talk to his brother about the battle. He knew Lionblaze had been deeply bothered by the outcome of the fight. Who wouldn’t be disturbed about the death of two lives? Dovepaw worried him as well. While her sister Ivypaw was eager to talk about the battle with the other warriors and discuss her fighting moves, Dovepaw was silent. Jayfeather was sure that he hadn’t heard her speak since she returned from the fight yesterday. But she’s young. It was her first fight… Jayfeather reasoned. Dovepaw had never seemed to be the fighting type. No one seemed to want to talk too much about the battle anyway. Jayfeather had listened around the hollow, and almost every one of his clanmates wanted to get on with their lives after the small victory. Another reason for their silence could have been Swiftmind’s words from the other day. Even Jayfeather himself was starting to wonder if the fight could have been avoided. Deaths aren’t supposed to happen in a border dispute, especially the death of a deputy and the loss of a leader’s life. Thankfully everyone was recovering. Even Firestar had been able to move back into his own nest that very morning, though he needed the support of both Jayfeather and Sandstorm to make it up the rocks. His cobweb bandages would need to remain around his neck for some time, with the exception of changing them every other day. Jayfeather shivered, imagining the fiery shape of his leader in Starclan becoming more solid with the addition of another life. This brought another memory to his mind, one more frightening. The five horrid shapes of the Banes in the world beyond Starclan seemed so far away, and yet so close now... The Dark Forest is trying to rage a war with Starclan, and yet Starclan sends us a warning about Shadowclan. Ivypaw’s dream still confused him. If Starclan had wanted to send a warning, why Ivypaw? Why not send the dream to him? He was the medicine cat after all. Or even Dovepaw? She was one of the three. Jayfeather sniffed the air for Dovepaw’s sister, but she was also gone from the camp…probably training with her mentor. He sighed; Jayfeather had hoped to talk to Ivypaw about her dream. Perhaps she could explain it a bit more to him and they could discover possible clues. He padded back to his den, hissing when his paw tripped on a small branch. “Mousedung!” “Sorry Jayfeather! I was going to move that.” Dogpaw’s voice mewed hurriedly. Jayfeather’s ear twitched at the sound of the branch being pushed away. Jayfeather sighed as he heard Swiftmind direct Dogpaw to the far side of the camp. The twoleg cat was still too sickly to leave the camp but he had refused to stay in his nest. Fixing up the nests was enough to keep Swiftmind and his apprentice busy. Jayfeather padded into the medicine den. He heard Briarlight meow from her den. “Sorry Jayfeather, Dogpaw was just visiting me.” Her mew was heavy with exhaustion but clearer than it had been before. To Jayfeather’s relief she was getting better. “I shouldn’t have distracted him.” “It’s alright Briarlight.” Jayfeather shrugged, sniffing her pelt to check if she was still warm from sickness. “How are you feeling?” “A lot better after my run.” She stretched, and he heard her yawn. “I wouldn’t mind some water though. My throats still sore.” Jayfeather nodded his head and went to the back of the den where fresh moss had been placed by the pool. He picked up a bit of moss in his teeth and dipped it in the chilly water. The cold stung his teeth, and for a moment he felt something stir in his eyes. He froze, gaining sight for a brief moment. He stared at his reflection in the water for a brief moment. It started to change. The pool went black, as if the stone under the water’s surface was sinking to a great depth. Deeper than even the lake that the Clans surrounded. His reflection vanished in the dark water, only to be replaced by two blue stars. They appeared like a sleeping animal opening its eyes. Jayfeather gasped at the sight, pulling his head away. “Jayfeather?” Briarlight’s mew seemed to break the medicine cat’s vision. Darkness returned to Jayfeather’s eyes. He could hear Briarlight shifting in the nest. “Are you alright?” She asked worriedly. He let out a shaky sigh. “Yes, yes I’m just cold Briarlight.” Jayfeather lied. He retrieved the soaked moss from the still shallow pool. He desperately tried to forget the deathly eyes.
Briarlight eagerly lapped at the moss to cool her sore throat. Jayfeather turned to check on his herb stores. All the poppy seeds Swiftmind had collected were piled with the seedpods Jayfeather had found during leaf-fall. The clan wouldn’t need to worry about pain for a while. They would have to worry about any more fights. The warrior’s recent battle wounds had forced Jayfeather to use the last of his comfrey and dock leaves. The dried up marigold he had stored before had been almost useless, but he had been able to use it for Sorreltail’s scratches. Hopefully Swiftmind’s marigold and yarrow will help during leafbare. He didn’t think they would need the borage much though. Poppyfrost’s kits were starting to eat fresh-kill and wouldn’t need milk. Jayfeather wished that Swiftmind had found tansy though. His supply was low and dry, he would need more if he was to prevent white cough in Thunderclan. His ears swiveled as he heard Briarlight stir again. The water had renewed her energy. “Can I go out on my wheels again?” She mewed hopefully. “I’m sure I can help move more branches.” He opened his jaws to argue with her, certain that she needed rest now more than exercise. But already someone else padded into the medicine den. He caught the scent of Leafpool. “Weren’t you up and about this morning?” Her voice was kind, and perhaps a bit happy. Leafpool was in a good mood. “It might be better for you to rest.” Jayfeather turned, flicking his tail slightly. In some ways he would become annoyed when Leafpool began to talk like she was a medicine cat. It was his job to care for the clan. And yet on these rare occasions he felt almost hopeful. Deep down Jayfeather wanted Leafpool back as his mentor. He missed having the help and asking for advice when he was unsure, their simple conversations, and even some of their arguments. He had once long ago thought of Leafpool as a friend, but ever since discovering she was his mother, he wasn’t sure if he knew her at all. If the dark Forest really is starting its war, we’ll need Leafpool… not as a warrior but as a medicine cat. I only wish I could trust her again… “Leafpool’s right Briarlight,” Jayfeather mewed. “You need to save your energy for getting better.” Briarlight grumbled but didn’t argue about it anymore. The young warrior curled up in her nest to get some much needed sleep. Jayfeather blinked his blind eyes wearily, starting to feel just as tired despite his recent scare. “You should get some rest too.” He heard Leafpool step closer into the den. “You worked hard today.” “I still need to check on Firestar’s wound again,” Jayfeather sighed and then paused. “Unless you would like to check for me?” He listened for Leafpool’s response. Maybe if he kept giving her small chores the Clan would be more comfortable with the thought of her being medicine cat again. For a moment he felt a small spark inside Leafpool. Could it have been hope? Recognition? Jayfeather wasn’t sure. The feeling disappeared almost instantly to be replaced by hesitation. “Oh. I-if you’re sure Jayfeather…” Her whiskers brushed against his paws as she dipped her head and she quickly padded out of the den. Jayfeather huffed, this hadn’t been the first time Leafpool had acted like a scared apprentice in front of him. It was as if she was afraid to step out of her place. You’re place is here! In the medicine den! Jayfeather thought, trying not to bristle with frustration. He went to his nest, his mind buzzing. He still wanted to speak to Lionblaze. However his brother was most likely going to spend the night providing for Thunderclan. The medicine cat sighed and rolled in his den. He would have to wait for the morning.
Jayfeather opened his eyes and found himself at the edge of a forest. The trees were thin, and their branches couldn’t be seen in the canopy above. The smell of decay and cold musty air met his nose and he coughed, standing. Looking up, he only saw a murky white sky. The Place of No Stars… He remembered passing these tall smooth trees with the Starclan cats Yellowfang, Spottedleaf and Icestar. Only they didn’t dare step over into the foreboding woods. They stayed outside the unseen border. Icestar had led them to a place far more desolate. But why am I here now? Jayfeather looked about his surroundings, hoping for any sign to why he was perched on the edge of Tigerstar’s territory. He could hear little sounds of small creatures farther away, towards the realm of Starclan, but he could sense no other cats watching him. Perhaps Tigerstar himself wanted him there? No, Tigerstar doesn’t have any reason to recruit me. But if he didn’t bring me here, who did? He turned back to the forest, and then nearly yowled in shock and fright. “BE SILENT, OR I CANNOT HELP YOU.” Jayfeather’s mouth involuntarily shut. He stared at Soulcatcher, who seemed to have materialized out of thin air in front of the dark forest. Those eyes… The blue glowing orbs had been the very same he had seen in the little pool. “You…” Jayfeather couldn’t help but murmur. “You brought me here. Why?” The Death of Cats flicked his tail sharply, silencing Jayfeather again before nodding his skull-like head. Without another sound, Soulcatcher turned and padded into the Place of No Stars. His paws did not even disturb the mossy ground. Jayfeather hesitated before following after the spirit. Soulcatcher had said something about helping him, so there had to be a good reason why the dark being had brought him to this place. The medicine cat’s feat weren’t like Soulcatcher’s, and he struggled to keep his paw-steps light while trying to keep up. Jayfeather kept his ears pricked. They had not gone more than two mouse-lengths beyond the Dark forest’s borders, and yet the sounds of the mice and birds in the brighter lands had disappeared. It was as if they had gone as far as the mountains. The silence around him made his fur bristle. Jayfeather tried to keep his eyes only on Soulcatcher ahead of him. But the sight of the eerie cat only disturbed him more. It also brought back the memories of his first encounter with the Death of Cats. He and his Starclan companions had tried to get answers, and got more than they had asked for. Jayfeather shivered as he recalled how blindly he tried to search inside Soulcatcher’s mind. He had been warned how powerful the spirit was, but he never realized it until his own mind had nearly broken from the sheer vastness of what lay in Soulcatcher’s head. What frightened Jayfeather most of all about his experience had not been the pain, but what he had seen. Soulcatcher knew both the past and the future, and from the images Jayfeather had witnessed had been filled with terror and death. Firestar lying in a pool of blood in Shadowclan territory… That had been the first clear image he had seen, and after his leader had been brought into the camp after the battle, Jayfeather knew that all the other horrible things he had seen would come to pass. Just as Soulcatcher had said. Jayfeather kept his head low to the ground, fear eating at his pelt. Did that mean that they would not win the war? Then why would the Death of Cats bother helping him? He wanted to speak, but he had a feeling letting out a sound in this hostile place would be very bad for him. It didn’t seem like Soulcatcher would answer anyway. The mist thickened, hiding almost everything from view, except the darkness that was the deathly spirit. His body only blackened the grey fog around them, making it easy for Jayfeather to follow. A piercing yowl sounded past the bare trees. Jayfeather froze, thinking they had been spotted, but Soulcatcher continued his silent pace, undaunted. The medicine cat glanced around anxiously before hurrying after him. The yowls and screeched continued in the shadows. Jayfeather kept his guard up, alert in case any dark warrior tried to take them by surprise. Looking behind them, Jayfeather was startled when he stepped into something painfully cold. He hissed, back trailing away from the stinging sensation. Looking ahead he could see Soulcatcher had stopped. The dark cat’s flank shimmered for a few second before solidifying. He had actually stepped inside the spirit! Jayfeather shuddered, trying not to make a sound of revulsion. Soulcatcher turned his back to gaze at Jayfeather, before nodding his head to the bracken ahead. Jayfeather stared at the patch of dead bushes before padding quietly towards them. Following unheard instructions, he peered through the branches. A familiar scent drifted towards him, followed by a surprisingly familiar voice. “How was I in the battle Hawkfrost?” Ivypaw’s mew floated over the mist. The fog thinned, revealing the apprentice’s shape posed eager in front of a larger shape with broad shoulders. Jayfeather’s blue eyes widened. Ivypaw? What is she doing here? And why was she talking to Hawkfrost in this horrible place? She acted as though he was her friend, or even… “You did well Ivypaw, but you weren’t perfect” Hawkfrost growled. “You should have turned on one leg while attacking Scorchfur, not two. It’s a waste of a leg.” A mentor! Jayfeather hissed quietly. Ivypaw was being training here by Tigerstar’s son! He watched as Ivypaw nodded her head obediently. “I’ll do better next time, I promise!” Hawkfrost beckoned with his tail. “Show me then.” He led her deeper in the mist. Other mews and growls rose up in the clearing. To Jayfeather’s horror he realized Ivypaw wasn’t the only living apprentice here. “How am I doing?” “Can you teach me how to fight two warriors at the same time?” “Ow! Let me try again, I can do better!” Young, enthusiastic voices questioned their undead teachers. The fierce older cats snarled at the apprentices to train harder, seeming to push them to the brink. The more Jayfeather watched the more familiar shapes he could see in the mist. He saw the smooth pelts of Riverclan apprentices, as well as thin Windclan and Shadowclan cats. Two cats padded next to each other, their conversation rising over the sounds of the others. “I wish I could have been there in the battle.” Breezpelt’s growl made Jayfeather lie closer to the cold growl, not wanting to be seen by the Windclan warrior. It was no surprise to him that he was here. “I would have fought on your side.” Jayfeather squinted his eyes, hoping to see who he was talking to in the shadows. It was another broad shouldered tabby. “I wish the fight didn’t have to happen at all.” The tabby tom sighed. “I wonder what caused it?” Tigerheart! Jayfeather shook his head, surprised Breezepelt actually swore allegiance to a warrior from Shadowclan. But then again he could hardly believe anything here. Clancats were being trained by traitors of the Warrior Code, being more loyal to each other rather than their own Clans. So this is what Soulcatcher wanted me to see. “There will be more chances to fight.” A third voice meowed to Breezepelt and Tigerheart. Jayfeather looked through the branches to see a dark shape. It was the same that had attacked him near the moonpool so many moons ago. Brokenstar… Yellowfang’s son! The black-furred cat did not seem to frighten either of the warriors. They looked up at him almost with pride. “Once the old Warrior Code is gone, you both can rebuild your clans anew.” Brokenstar continued, his words making Jayfeather shiver. “There will be nothing we can’t achieve.” Breezpelt’s eyes flashed, and he growled with excitement. Jayfeather had to look away from the actions in front of him. Dread filled his heart, sensing the warmth of all the living cats here. They were like little fires being fed by the Dark Forest’s lies. It’s not just Thunderclan and Starclan that’s under attack… it’s all the Clans. All the cats here were being trained for war. To rise up against their clanmates and destroy everything the four Clans had worked so hard to protect. And it was up to The Three to stop them, but how? He started to feel the chill of Soulcatcher once again. The spirit was changing into mist, blending with the surrounding fog. Jayfeather gasped as it surrounded him. It swirled, blocking his vision from the bleak images around him until his eyes were completely clouded. He was blind once again. The Death of Cats was returning him to his own dreams and the waking world just outside his mind. There wasn’t anything else for the spirit to show him.
Chapter 3
When Lionblaze awoke the next morning the camp was already buzzing with activity. There was no one left in the warriors’ den but him. The golden warrior yawned and stretched his rejuvenated legs in his nest. He and Dovepaw had worked their tails off during the night looking for prey. They probably would have found hardly anything without Dovepaw’s hearing abilities. If only she’d use her powers for more than hunting… He sighed and got up out of the old fern leaves and feathers. He knew Dovepaw hated his idea of spying on other cats. But then how else were they going to discover who was plotting against the Clans? She has to get the idea of everyone being her friend out of her head. Lionblaze huffed and padded out to the den entrance, nearly scratching his head and back on branches protruding from the ceiling. They still had not been able to prune the beech limbs from the roof. Lionblaze started to wonder that when Swiftmind ever turned into Tom again they could have him pluck the annoying branches with his flexible twoleg paws. He then scolded himself. We should be able to handle the problem ourselves, and not rely on the help of a twoleg, even Tom. Granted Tom did prove to be very helpful in tight situations. Without him they may never have gotten the fallen tree off of Briarlight, and she wouldn’t have gotten her wheels. He stepped outside and looked around the Hollow. It was as cold, making Lionblaze’s breath cloud in front of his nose. Leaf-fall was leaving fast, bringing the promise of bitterly cold Leafbare. He shivered, but despite the freezing temperature cats were working quickly. Lionblaze spotted the brown and white Swiftmind helping Birchfall dig a hole next to the fresh-kill pile. His belly growled at the thought of prey. Lionblaze tilted his head curiously and he approached them. “What are you two doing?” “I had this idea!” Birchfall mewed with excitement. “You know how the ground always freezes solid during Leafbare?” “Yes?” Lionblaze answered uncertainly. He had a feeling this would probably be like Swiftmind’s idea with the twoleg umbrella over the nursery. It kept the queens and kits dry but looked ridiculous. “Well fresh-kill doesn’t rot when it’s kept cold.” Birchfall went back to digging as he spoke. “Swiftmind says twolegs keep their food in a cold place to keep it fresh, so if we keep our fresh-kill pile in the cold ground it won’t turn into crowfood.” He said with a bit of pride. “Too bad twolegs beat you to the idea by about a thousand years.” There was a humorous meow from Swiftmind, who was nearly halfway down in the earth. Lionblaze looked from the fresh-kill pile to the steadily growing hole. It would be easier for the clan to ration their prey if their food lasted longer. “That’s a great idea! I take it you told Brambleclaw?” “Yes, and Firestar. They’re letting us dig as many pits as we need.” Birchfall nodded his head. Swiftmind looked up from his digging. He looked almost comical as his face was freckled with soil. His eyes were no longer sunken in since he returned, and he was regaining his energy. “I think we’ll only need one for now, unless we catch anything more.” “We’ll have to catch more,” A deep meow from behind Lionblaze made him turn. Brambleclaw padded over to them with a determined gaze. “If this chill stays the prey will not be running for long. I don’t want us to have a poor supply a food when everything becomes scarce.” He looked to Lionblaze. “I was going to have you and Dovepaw go with the Dawn patrol, but since you had a late start I think stalking practice with Cinderheart and Swiftmind would be more appropriate.” Lionblaze’s pelt burned with slight embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to sleep in so late. It was well past dawn. “I’ll get Dovepaw as soon as I can Brambleclaw.” He meowed. The Thunderclan deputy nodded and turned to head back to the rock wall, probably to check on Firestar’s recovery. The thought of his leader’s injury made Lionblaze lose his appetite. If only I had been fast enough… He sighed and walked away from the fresh-kill pile. If he had stopped Russetfur sooner, perhaps Firestar wouldn’t have lost a life, and the Shadowclan deputy might not have died.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes it's a short entry but I hope it'll be a good read to hold you all off ^^ Thank you for being patient
The golden warrior started to move towards the apprentices’ den, wondering if Dovepaw had been sleeping late like himself. He stopped when he received a sharp nudge to his side. “Ow! Hey-” Lionblaze turned and was surprised to he see his brother. Jayfeather’s fur was flattened on one side, as if he had just gotten out of his own den. His blind eyes stared in the direction of Lionblaze urgently. “Quiet!” Jayfeather hissed. “I need to talk to you. In private.” Lionblaze became a little worried at Jayfeather’s tone, but he nodded. “Alright, we’ll go somewhere quiet…” He got up and went to the stone wall by the sunning rocks. No one would ever try to lie on the cold rocks now the sun was clouded over anyway. They would be able to talk in secret. He sat behind a large boulder with his brother. “What is it you wanted to talk about?” He asked quietly. “Ivypaw,” Jayfeather almost growled the young apprentice’s name. Lionblaze was taken aback, ready to ask why Jayfeather was feeling so angry at Dovepaw’s sister, but the medicine cat continued. “Remember the spirit I told you about before? The Death of Cats?” “How could I forget?” Lionblaze shuddered. He remembered when Jayfeather approached him and Dovepaw, telling them about how there were cats outside of Starclan and even the Dark Forest that effected how cat’s lived. Practically living nightmares, if you could call them living… Soulcatcher sounded the most frightening. “What about him?” “I saw his eyes within the pool in the medicine den. In a vision. And as soon as I fell asleep he was standing in front of me outside the Forest of no Star’s borders.” Jayfeather meowed quickly. His fur seemed to bristle from the memories in his head. “He brought you there?” Lionblaze hissed. “Why? What does it have to do with Ivypaw?” “I wasn’t sure at first, but he led me deep into the Dark Forest, and he showed me their training grounds…” Jayfeather mewed darkly. “And I saw Ivypaw there. She was with Hawkfrost.” Lionblaze’s blood went cold. He had trained with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost in the Dark Forest as an apprentice himself, before he knew what they were really planning for him. “Ivypaw knew Hawkfrost?” He said in almost disbelief. “She was being trained by him!” Jayfeather got up on his paws and started to pace, shaking his head. “And we were right about Tigerheart. He was training there, as well as Breezepelt and other cats from all the Clans. Even Riverclan. The Dark Forest is going to use them all to destroy the Warrior Code!” He seemed to struggle to keep his voice quiet. Lionblaze sighed heavily. He had been afraid that there would be other Thunderclan cats being trained by Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, but he would never have guessed it’d be Ivypaw. “What can we do?” Before Jayfeather could answer a cat leapt onto the boulder they were talking behind. He and his brother looked up sharply. Lionblaze prayed it wouldn’t be Brambleclaw, or worse, Cinderheart. How could I tell her that her apprentice is training against the Clans? But to his relief it was their friend Swiftmind. “You know it worries me when you talk about stuff behind my back.” The twoleg-cat shook out his white thumbed paws from the cold. “Sorry Swiftmind,” Lionblaze’s fur lay flat. “Jayfeather just wanted to talk in private. We should have included you too.” Swiftmind was part of the prophecy anyway. It was surprising how many thing they didn’t tell Swiftmind, but perhaps he and Jayfeather were just too used to keeping secrets. It took them a long time to even tell Firestar that they and Dovepaw were The Three. Jayfeather nodded his head. “Did you overhear what we said?” “I heard some of it, mostly the part where all the Clans have someone training against the Code.” Swiftmind jumped down next to them. “And something about Ivypaw being involved…” “She’s actually training with them.” Jayfeather explained. “They all think they’re doing the right thing through the Dark Forest’s lies.” Swiftmind flicked his tail. “And when are you planning on telling Dovepaw?” “I don’t know,” Lionblaze glanced around the boulder to the apprentice’s den. Dovepaw was just slipping out of the den tiredly. He ducked his golden head back and looked at Swiftmind. “Wouldn’t it hurt her to find that out about her sister?” “It would… and it might make her want to confront Ivypaw.” The medicine cat sat down once again. “Do we really want her to get in a fight with her sister? “It might be the only way for Ivypaw to listen.” Swiftmind countered. He then looked at Lionblaze. “You’re her mentor, what do you think?” He had been dreading this question, but Lionblaze knew it would have been his choice anyway. He tried to put himself in Dovepaw’s place. How would he feel if he discovered his kin was betraying the Clan? His eyes closed. I already know how it feels… Lionblaze sighed. He had felt deceived when he discovered his mother was the medicine cat, and that his sister had murdered Ashfur. I can’t let Dovepaw go through that. Not yet. “We can’t tell her.”
He, Swiftmind, and Cinderheart quickly rounded up their apprentices together before they headed out for training. Lionblaze could feel his brother’s blind gaze on them as they passed through the bramble barrier. Or is it really me that has his attention? His eyes flicked to Ivypaw. The little apprentice moved with an excited pace, unaware that he and Swiftmind knew about her dreams. “Hey Ivypaw,” Dogpaw mewed. “Race you and Dovepaw to the training hollow!” “You’re on!” Ivypaw let out a playful grow. But before she could convince her sister to run off into the forest Swiftmind padded ahead of them. “Don’t. Remember you’re out here to practice stalking prey, not to alert every creature by trampling over the leaves.” He chided. Cinderheart nodded in agreement. Swiftmind had a point. “Besides, you don’t want to pull anything when you need all your strength to hunt.” She put in. Dogpaw’s shoulders drooped. “Oh all right…” Ivypaw looked a bit disappointed as well, but she nodded her head and continued down the path. She did however talk quietly with Dogpaw. She had finally warmed up to the new apprentice, but only after he had stopped following her around. At the hollow Swiftmind stopped and began to pace. “Right, now the first thing to know is that the frozen ground makes your pawsteps louder. Not to mention twigs and leaves crunch more easily, so not only is there less prey during winter.” He stopped himself when he realized he uses a twoleg word. “Sorry, during Leafbare, it’s also easier startling what little food is out here. You got to walk softer, and quicker.” He stopped and looked towards the apprentices. “Dogpaw, show me a hunting crouch.” Dogpaw quickly lowered his body onto the ground. Lionblaze thought it was a nice crouch for catching birds, except for one problem. The young tom’s short fur was touching the leaves. Cinderheart spotted it as well and gave Dogpaw a light poke with her paw. “Be a little higher Dogpaw. Fur brushing against the ground will alert a bird.” “Sorry,” Dogpaw raised himself to a better posture. Swiftmind nodded. “Good, now you try Ivypaw.” The young tabby also got into a crouch, but Lionblaze couldn’t help noticing she was leaning to one side. He sighed, saying nothing as Cinderheart start to explain a slithering-like move that’d confuse prey. Ivypaw and Dogpaw were quick to question, but Lionblaze’s own apprentice was quiet. Dovepaw remained silent by the golden Warrior’s side. He became worried that the battle had scarred her more than he previously thought. I hope she’ll get better soon… He watched his apprentice with concern. Then he noticed the little she-cat’s ears perk. “Dovepaw?” He stopped just as her paws came to a halt. “Hear something?” He meowed quietly. The rest of the training party stopped, watching Dovepaw. “I… I heard a rabbit.” She whispered. “There,” Her tail pointed in the direction of the border between Thunderclan and Windclan. Rabbit! He knew that bringing a large rabbit back to the Camp would be perfect for the Clan, especially if it could be stored in one of Birchfall’s storing pits. Lionblaze strained his eyes for any sign of the creature, but saw nothing. “Why would a rabbit be this close to the training hollow? Wouldn’t it smell us?” Cinderheart also looked towards the trees, her eyes unsure. “Are you sure Dovepaw?” He started to wonder if Dovepaw heard a rabbit in Windclan itself, until there was a little surprised noise beside him. He turned to see Swiftmind clumsily balancing on his hind legs. Cinderheart had made the noise when Swiftmind had suddenly stood, much like he had done when he first came to the camp long ago. “Swiftmind what in Starclan are you doing?” Lionblaze looked at the two-leg cat in confusion. “I see it!” He hissed before falling back to his four paws. “It’s hiding in a patch of ferns. I only saw its ears though.” Lionblaze chuckled, realizing Swiftmind had only been getting a better vantage point. “Good enough for me,” Cinderheart twitched her whiskers with muffled laughter. “Give me warning before you try something like that next time.” “Where was it?” Ivypaw looked at Swiftmind eagerly. She flexed her claws. “I want to practice my rabbit hunting technique.” “Over there, but they were pretty big ears…” He meowed uncertainly. “I think Lionblaze and I should take it down ourselves.” “Oh yeah, Longtail told me how a rabbit scratched his eyes out…” Dogpaw seemed to suppress a wince. “But”- Ivypaw tried again but Cinderheart ran her tail over her back. “When you’re more experienced you can try. For now just watch and learn.” Her mentor told her. Ivypaw huffed and sat, shuffling her paws. She’s eager for action even after the battle. Lionblaze shook his head, knowing how full of energy he had been as an apprentice when he was also being trained by Hawkfrost. I know better now. “So how do you want to do this?” Swiftmind looked at Lionblaze. “Want me to scare it over here so you and Cinderheart can catch it?” He flicked his tail towards where he had seen the rabbit. Lionblaze considered this and nodded. They’d be less likely to get clawed but the rabbit if they attacked it from the side when it was too busy fleeing. Quietly, Swiftmind slid through the bracken. Instead of going straight for the prey and scarring it towards the river he was making a wide curve around it to sneak up from the other side. Lionblaze and Cinderheart went to look for suitable hiding places. He paused, hearing a quick conversation between the apprentices. Then Dogpaw, Ivypaw, and Dovepaw climbed up into the trees. Lionblaze couldn’t help but feel proud of their decision. The trees would provide a great spot to watch the Warrior’s hunting strategy. The golden tom waited in a patch of bracken, listening for Swiftmind to startle the rabbit and lead it towards an ambush. He could barely see Cinderheart’s grey pelt against the grey trunk roots she was crouched in. Heartbeats past and it felt like they were standing for a long time. How far away is the rabbit? Lionblaze’s pelt bristled. It shouldn’t have taken that long to startle the prey. I thought Swiftmind could see it easily? He blinked his amber eyes. Maybe Swiftmind only said he could see it, just to hide Dovepaw’s powers from the others…It would have been a good trick, if it wasn’t taking so long to find the rabbit. It was then the distant noise of leaves being scattered awoke Lionblaze from his thoughts. Lionblaze heard Swiftmind’s yowl and he tensed his leg muscles. Good, he found it after all. The noise of the rabbit was getting closer. Lionblaze flexed his claws, peeking out and looking towards the noise. At first he saw nothing, until a molted brown blur burst from the forest at amazing speed. It wasn’t a rabbit Dovepaw heard, but a hare. Lionblaze only had a few seconds to leap before the prey got away for good.
He took his chance and leapt, growling with claws unsheathed. The hare turned quicker than he could have predicted and turned away from his attack. Lionblaze landed on the cold ground roughly. He spat and looked up to see Cinderheart jump out from her hiding space. She tried to claw its legs out from under it only to get fur in her claws. The terrified prey kicked out and hit Cinderheart in her chest as she pursued. She cried out and fell back. Lionblaze felt his own chest freeze from breath. “Cinderheart!” He ran to her side but found no blood on his close friend. Only dirty paw prints from where the hare struck. Cinderheart shook herself off and looked up at him. “I’m ok.” She then turned her attentions to the escaping quarry. Lionblaze looked and sighed. The hare was sprinting for freedom through the trees, too fast to bother chasing down. Lionblaze began to think their efforts were all for nothing, until the three apprentices dropped down from the trees. Dovepaw and Ivypaw landed on its back, making the prey fall with a squeal of fright and confusion. It had no time to kick or claw as Dogpaw landed in front of it and hooked his claws into its shoulders. Swiftmind’s apprentice them sank his fangs into the hare’s throat to choke out its life. As the two sisters held it down, the poor creature struggled, and then went limp. “Well done!” Cinderheart beamed, getting up to pad over to the three apprentices. “That hare’s bigger than all of you put together.” She purred. “Thanks,” Dovepaw gasped, from what looked like excitement just from dropping down onto the hare rather than successfully bringing it down. “I was afraid we weren’t going to catch it.” “Same here,” Ivypaw practically glowed with pride, until she looked towards her mentor’s chest. “Are you alright though? We saw it kick you.” She nodded. “I’ll be sore but thankfully no scratches for Jayfeather to fix.” Cinderheart leaned her head down to clean off her fur. She then spat off the soil. “Yuck.” Lionblaze chuckled at Cinderheart’s face. He was more than thankful that the grey warrior was alright. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing her injured again. She’s already had a leg broken and is lucky not to be bed-ridden from battle wounds like some of the others. “So, should we take it back to camp or burry it to continue stalking practice?” “I vote, for hunting.” There was a tired meow from Swiftmind. Everyone turned to look at the twoleg cat, panting and leaning against a tree. “It’ll give me a chance for a small break.” Meanwhile, Dogpaw was too busy to speak, spitting out the fur from the hare’s neck. But the little tom nodded his head. “Could Ivypaw and I hunt together?” Dovepaw asked, looking up at him. Lionblaze looked at her curiously as she continued. “We can help each other with our stalking tricks.” She seemed eager to be with her sister. Lionblaze was about to ask why until Cinderheart mewed. “I don’t see a problem with that. You seem to hunt fine on your own.” She nodded to the hare before nudging the golden warrior’s side. “We’re the ones who should be trying to practice.” She seemed to purr, making Lionblaze’s mind drift away from Dovepaw’s odd behavior. “I guess that settles it then.” He meowed and went over to the hare, starting to kick soil and lose leaves over the fresh-kill. “Swiftmind and Dogpaw can hunt by the Windclan river. Ivypaw and Dovepaw can hunt by the lake. And Cinderheart and I can hunt by the new border.” “Sounds good,” Swiftmind shook his legs out before flicking his tail for Dogpaw to follow. “We’ll pick up the hare and meet you back at camp when we’re through!” “See you later!” Dogpaw called as he hurried after his mentor. Ivypaw nodded to them happily as she and Dovepaw padded in the direction of the lake shore. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Merry Christmas
Lionblaze chuckled and started to bury the hare. “They’re learning fast.” “Soon they’ll be ready for their first assessments.” Cinderheart nodded her head. “Though Dovepaw was a bit quiet today…” “Yes, Jayfeather says it because of the battle.” He sighed and shook his head. “Maybe some time with her sister can make her feel better.” “We can only hope,” Cinderheart padded close to him. He breathed in her scent and felt at ease. She always had a way to calm his mind. If only I could tell you why I’m so troubled. He gazed at her as they both quietly made their way towards the new border. He would give anything to tell her about the prophecy, and his powers, but he and Jayfeather agreed it wouldn’t be wise to tell any other cat, even a Clanmate so close to him as Cinderheart. Suddenly Cinderheart stopped, her ears perked. “What is it?” Lionblaze looked at her and then in the direction she eagerly stared in. Cinderheart sniffed the air. “Vole… wait here.” She lowered herself to the ground and started to move swiftly, almost slithering over the frozen earth. Lionblaze watched as Cinderheart stalked perfectly towards her prey, before coming to a halt. Her back legs quivered for a heart-beat and then she pounced. The little creature she caught did not even have time to squeak. “Nice!” He padded over to her as she already started to dig a hole for the fresh-kill. “Maybe this winter won’t be so bad after all.” “I wouldn’t get my hopes up. This is a scrawny little thing.” Cinderheart dropped the vole into the earth and covered it with bracken. “But it’s better than nothing.” Lionblaze nudged her graciously. “Let’s go look for some more.” Cinderheart purred quietly, making Lionblaze’s fur warm up even despite the cold. They continued on their way through the almost silent forest, staying close. Lionblaze had a bright outlook for hunting, but for the rest of the day Thunderclan’s own territory would disappoint him. Not much stirred after Cinderheart’s vole. It was as if the prey in the forest had learned about their luck with the hare and vole, and all of them were now scorning them by hiding. Even the birds were keeping high to the branches, and not even their tree climbing practice would make catching them easy or worth the effort. I hope Swiftmind’s having more luck with Dogpaw. Lionblaze sniffed the ground for any prey with not much luck. The scent of mouse was old. They were all most likely in their burrows. Maybe Dovepaw will have more luck with her powers? He hoped his apprentice was more talkative with her sister than she was with the rest of the clan. If she couldn’t open up to her littermate who else could she talk to? A furry brown tail bobbed out from a distant shrub and disappeared. Lionblaze froze. Squirrel! The scent filled his mouth and made him almost drool. He crouched low, barely brushing against the ground as he stalked towards it. The squirrel was too busy unburying a large walnut it had hid the previous leaf-fall. Lionblaze could already imagine its fur beneath his paws. He hoped Cinderheart would see this. It’ll make up for me missing the hare… Lionblaze stopped two tail-lengths away from the shrub and tensed his back muscles. He could barely see it through the dead leaves, but he heard it. He pounced, ears back as he burst into the bracken. Lionblaze felt his claws dig into fur and he tried to sink them into the squirrel. Only to have the fur slide out of his claws, he had landed on the squirrel’s misleadingly puffy tail. He watched in shock as it leapt away. “Foxdung!” He growled and took off after his fleeing prey, hindered by the shrub’s branches. Snarling he pulled free, leaving clumps of his golden fur behind him. Why do I keep making mistakes? His paws pounded as he tried to catch the squirrel from escaping completely. But to his dismay the furry brown creature leapt over more bracken, making it into the grassy clearing of Thunderclan’s newly won territory. Without any more obstacles, the squirrel gained speed. Lionblaze jumped after it and tore across the grass. His heart thundered as he shortened the distance between him and his prey. Lionblaze reached with his paws, trying to knock the squirrel off balance but it jumped out of his reach and onto a pine tree in Shadowclan’s territory. Lionblaze stumbled to stop before he could make the mistake of crossing the new border markers. The last thing he needed was to fail to respect the new line his own Clan had made. But I’m already failing at hunting. He sighed heavily, his muscles shaking from their efforts. “Impressive,” Lionblaze heard a sarcastic growl from the Shadowclan forest. “You almost gave me a chance to avenge Russetfur.” A dark ginger tom stepped out and Lionblaze recognized him to be Rowanclaw. His words were like fangs in his fur, making him bristle. “What happened in the battle was an accident. I had to protect my leader.” He growled back. Rowanclaw spat, his eyes flashing. “Whatever you say murderer, but Firestar had more lives to spare than her. I should never have had to take her place…” So Rowanclaw’s the Shadowclan deputy now. I’m not surprised. Lionblaze looked away, his tail thrashing angrily. But what stung more than the anger was the guilt. Russetfur shouldn’t have died… More of Rowanclaw’s clanmates stepped out of the shadows, looking from their deputy to Lionblaze, their eyes narrowing in scathing glares. They would blame him for Russetfur’s death whether it was his fault or not. Only one of them showed a little kindness in her gaze. Tawnypelt padded towards her mate. “Rowanlaw? Why’s he here?” She glanced at Lionblaze. “A squirrel slipped out of his claws and into our territory. Maybe one of our apprentices can have better luck?” Rowanclaw meowed snidely before flicking his tail. “We have other things to worry about than him.” He padded away. Tawnypelt cast another sad glance at Lionblaze before moving after Rowanclaw. “At least Thunderclan cats respect some of the code.” One black and white tom muttered to his companion. Lionblaze inhaled to challenge the tom but he deflated as they disappeared back into their territory. The golden warrior stood still on the border silently, letting his fur lie flat. His tail drooped. “Lionblaze?” His hear twitched to the sound of Cinderheart padding over to him quickly. He said nothing. His friend sniffed his shoulder. “I saw what happened,” She mewed. “I you alright?” Her voice was tender. She knew how he felt about Rowanclaw. “I’m fine.” He lied quietly. He didn’t want her to worry. Cinderheart gazed at him for a long time. Perhaps she knew he was only saying that to make her feel better. And yet she didn’t say anything. The grey she-cat turned and looked into Shadowclan. “You shouldn’t bother with them.” She meowed. “They should blame themselves for not making Russetfur retire instead of blaming you for what happened.” Lionblaze nodded quietly, though it did little to make him feel any less guilty for the old deputy’s death. He watched Cinderheart sniff the border, and then he looked at her curiously as she growled. “What’s wrong?” “They didn’t mark the new border.” Cinderheart looked back at him. “They’re not accepting that this territory is ours…”
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:41:44 GMT -5
Chapter 4
Dovepaw hurried away from Lionblaze, almost as if she expected the horrid Bloodclaw to be standing right by him. I still almost smell her on him. She shuddered as she ran beside her sister. She’s probably there every time he fights and wins. Dovepaw gazed at her sister. She had heard the conversation her mentor had with Jayfeather and Swiftmind. They hadn’t known it but she had been listening to them when she first saw Jayfeather lead him away from the others to speak in privacy. They had agreed to lie to her! But I always knew… She looked at Ivypaw at her side, unaware of her Clanmate’s knowledge. She had known for a long time what her sister was doing. Even when she didn’t want to believe it. “What do you think?” Ivypaw suddenly meowed, breathing fast from the running. “Should we try to catch water voles? Or look for prey around the tree roots?” She seemed so full of energy, so happy that they were hunting together again. Dovepaw didn’t answer. Her mind was twisting around of how to confront her sister. How could you betray the Clan? How could you betray me? “Dovepaw? We were going to hunt, weren’t we?” She heard Ivypaw mew impatiently from a little further behind her. She had slowed down. Dovepaw stopped, her paws sliding on the slippery leaves. She turned, facing her sister. She wanted to be angry at her, she wanted to yowl at her for being so stupid, and yet Ivypaw was still her sister. She worried for her. She shook her head sadly. “Why didn’t you tell me?” ‘What?” Ivypaw blinked at her. She marched towards her, gazing at her with both anger and fear. “You’re training in the Dark Forest. Aren’t you?” “Dovepaw what’re you talking about”- Ivypaw bristled but Dovepaw didn’t let her finish. “Don’t act mousebrained!” She almost yowled. “You might not call it the Dark Forest but it is! You’re being trained by dark cats that hurt you more than teach you. I overheard Jayfeather. He saw you in your dreams!” She said accusingly. “I…” Ivypaw took a step back. Her eyes darted for a moment. “Is… Is he going to tell Firestar?” Dovepaw stared at her for a moment before shaking her head. “No, he’s not.” “Then what’s the problem?” Ivypaw’s voice hardened. “They’re not dark like you think they are. They want to help me become a better warrior. I’m doing this for Thunderclan!” “They’re lying to you!” Dovepaw wanted to make her sister see the truth. But how could she? “They’re all wicked and cruel. And Tigerstar’s one of the worst of them in there, why do you think they’re in a horrible place instead of StarClan? You’ve heard the stories about him!” “They’re misunderstood,” Ivypaw glared at her, defending them. “Have you ever met any of them? Talk to them?” “Yes. Once.” Dovepaw remembered when she had been smaller. Tigerstar had tried to recruit her with her sister and Tigerheart. That was how she met Soulcatcher. Ivypaw faltered before growling quietly. “Well Tigerstar’s changed. He’s trying to make up for what he did. And with his help I’ll be more than just your dumb sister.” She thrust her muzzle towards Dovepaw’s face. The grey apprentice jumped back. “What’re you talking about?” “Now look whose acting mousebrained.” Ivypaw bared her teeth. “Everyone’s trying to make you the best warrior. Everyone’s always so proud of you when you do something right. Firestar only want’s to talk about important things with you!” Dovepaw glared. Ivypaw was staying with the Dark Forest out of jealousy? “Is that why you lied about your dream? Just to look important and start a fight?” Her sister’s eyes widened. “Tigerstar told me Shadowclan was going to attack us anyway.” Ivypaw bristled. “I just had to get the others to believe me! Besides we won that fight.” “But it caused nothing but trouble. Russetfur died!” Dovepaw mewed in frustration. “Firestar lost a life because of that!” “I know…” She looked away angrily for a moment. A trace of guilt crossed her gaze. “Lives are lost in battles.” She quickly glared back at Dovepaw. “But more lives would have been lost if I hadn’t told Firestar. Tigerstar’s loyal to Thunderclan. He always was.” She spat. “You’re just mad because he’s now training me, not you. You’re afraid I’ll be better and everyone will forget you.” “That’s stupid. I never thought I was better than you Ivypaw.” Dovepaw yowled. “I just want to be,” But she stopped. Her eyes caught the flash of something blue above Ivypaw. It was the lightnig butterfly she saw before the battle, and it was fluttering around the light tabby like she was a bright flower. She stared at it. Ivypaw looked at her crossly. “What?” She looked up and around, trying to follow Dovepaw’s gaze, but there was no way she could see the beautiful creature. “What are you looking at?” “Yes Dovepaw, what are you looking at?” Dovepaw’s head jolted to look straight ahead, looking behind Ivypaw. It was the golden and blue Bane from the battle. His star eyes glittered with amusement. Time seemed to slow the longer Dovepaw looked at him. Bad things happen when he’s around. Dovepaw shivered, just feeling the strange energy around the spirit. Jayfeather had actually spoken to him, in Soulcatcher’s home. He said his name was Wickedheart. The Chaos of Cats looked up at his butterfly. “Pretty isn’t she? But Stormwing isn’t my only butterfly.” His gaze fell on Ivypaw. “She has already flapped her wings and taken flight. And Thunderclan shall feel her influence.” He flicked his tail with a chuckle and dissolved, leaving an odd sparking noise in her ears. Time sped up again. Dovepaw stood there, still unsure of what she had just seen. Ivypaw looked like she would growl the question again, but something else interrupted them. A frightened yowl sounded out through the forest. Near the bracken where Wickedheart had stood, Dogpaw burst out of the foliage. His eyes were wide with fear. Chasing close behind him was a black she-cat Dovepaw had never seen before. The stranger was trying desperately to claw Dogpaw’s legs out from under him. They were both already covered with what appeared to be each others clawmarks. Another yowl sounded and Swiftmind crashed after them, trying to help his apprentice. They were running from the river, and to the direction of the far border. Ivypaw hissed. “How did you…?” She looked at Dovepaw and shook her head. “Never mind.” She growled and ran after Swiftmind to join the chase. Dovepaw couldn’t think of anything else but to help. Dogpaw needed their help.
Trees past them in a blur. Dovepaw ignored the cold air against her face and ran as fast as her paws could let her. She and her sister quickly ran to Swiftmind’s side. The twoleg-cat did not have much energy to run any faster, but he was trying anyway. Dovepaw could hear his heart pounding furiously inside him. He was pushing himself to his limits. The two cats ahead were much faster than the three of them. Dogpaw had long legs for his age, and the she-cat ran as if she was from Windclan. Dovepaw already felt herself tire from running so fast. She was afraid that they wouldn’t be able to catch them. Dogpaw’s screech rang in Dovepaw’s ears again as she saw the she-cat chasing him claw his haunches. The poor apprentice tried to escape, running for his life. But Dogpaw’s legs were tripped by the black she-cat. He crashed and slid across the leaves. Oh no! Dovepaw cringed, thinking that the rogue would finish the job. “No!” Swiftmind leapt in a burst of speed to catch up and save the young tom. Yet it appeared he didn’t have to. Instead of stopping to attack Dogpaw again the she-cat glanced back at the group chasing her and continued to run, dashing past the fallen apprentice and ran to the border. Dovepaw and Swiftmind stopped by Dogpaw. Swiftmind nudged his apprentice. “Hey, you’re going to be ok Dogpaw…” He meowed, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than his apprentice. Dovepaw could see why he was so worried. Dogpaw had large gashes on his shoulders, chest and face. More on his front than his backside. Those are battle injuries. Dovepaw stared. He fought back for a long time before running. Why didn’t I hear it? She mentally cursed herself for being too distracted. If she had been listening around Thunderclan like Lionblaze told her to practice she might have heard the rogue. She winced as Dogpaw let out a pained groan. Blood seeped from the larger gashes, dripping onto the ground. The warm scarlet droplets steamed slightly on the frozen earth. And yet, Dovepaw knew she had seen worse, just days ago. “We need to get Jayfeather.” Dovepaw turned to Ivypaw, but she was only speaking to air. Ivypaw was gone. Pricking her ears, she heard her sister still running. She was going after the rogue. “Ivypaw!” She looked in the direction her sister had gone. Her blood went cold. What if she gets hurt? “Looks like you’ll need to get back to the camp alone Dovepaw.” Swiftmind’s voice was heavy with exhaustion. “Don’t worry. Ivypaw and Dogpaw will be alright.” He told her comfortingly. Dovepaw took a deep breath before nodding. Even if Ivypaw was mousebrained enough to go to the Dark Forest, she’d stop chasing once the rouge was beyond Thunderclan’s border. Without hesitating she dashed in the direction of the camp. Despite her growing distance, her ears still picked up Swiftmind’s worried voice as he meowed to Dogpaw, trying to keep his apprentice awake. She tried to shut her mind to the sounds. She had to stay focused. “HE WILL LIVE.” a familiar voice boomed in her mind. Dovepaw nearly tripped from the surprise, but she regained her balance and sped up. Somehow Soulcatcher always came to her when she was deeply upset. “Soulcatcher? Where are you?” She breathed, her eyes darting in search of the spirit. Dovepaw thought she spotted a darker spot, darting along the shadows, but she couldn’t focus on it while running. “I AM HERE, I AM EVERYWHERE AT THIS TIME.” Soulcatcher’s voice echoed and she shivered. Though despite the grim truth, she couldn’t help feel a little comforted. Dogpaw would be alright, and Soulcatcher would be there when she needed him. “GO TO YOUR CLAN.” She thought she spotted the flash of his blue eyes and Dovepaw turned her head, looking forward. She spotted the bramble barrier and burst through into the Thunderclan hollow. Many cats turned to look at her with surprised gazes. “Jayfeather!” She yowled, and then stopped to catch her breath. Her ears perked, listening for any sound of the medicine cat. Her gaze went to the medicine den, where she could hear the soft scrape of dried leaves being sorted on the ground. Jayfeather’s soft voice murmured in her sharp ears as he seemed to talk to himself. He’s troubled. Does he know what’s wrong already? “Dovepaw, why are you back so soon?” Blossomfall put down a piece of branch that she and Briarlight had been dragging away from the Warriors’ den. Her gaze became worried when she saw no one else follow after Dovepaw. “What happened?” Dovepaw hurried to the bramble curtain of Jayfeather’s cave before answering the tortoiseshell she-cat. “There was a rogue by Windclan. Dogpaw’s hurt!” Blossomfall gasped, soon joined by other troubled hisses and mews from her clanmates. It wouldn’t take long for word to spread. But Dovepaw couldn’t stop to give them the full details yet. She continued across the hollow towards the cave. Before Dovepaw could even go inside the medicine den Jayfeather’s grey head pushed itself past the vine curtain. “Who’s hurt?” His blind eyes narrowed in concern. He had heard the commotion Dovepaw had caused. “Dogpaw, he got in a fight with a rogue.” Dovepaw meowed as quickly as she could. “He’s hurt really bad. Swiftmind’s with him now but I don’t know where Lionblaze or Cinderheart are.” Her mew became frantic. “And Ivypaw ran off to chase the rogue off but I’m afraid she’ll be hurt!” Her anxiousness swell through the clan and she heard more voices. No matter how quiet they tried to be, Dovepaw could hear them all. “Ivypaw chasing after a rogue alone? What if it attacks her?” “Poor Dogpaw! Why didn’t Swiftmind stop him?” “Where were Lionblaze and Cinderheart?” “Someone get Brambleclaw!” Even as Dovepaw faced Jayfeather, she could hear claws scrape up stone. Spiderleg was heading up to Firestar’s den, where Brambleclaw was conferring quietly with him. She closed her eyes, wishing she could block out the storm of voices and sounds, but then something touched her fur gently. The grey apprentice blinked and found that Jayfeather had put his tail on her shoulder. She flattened her fur, getting a hold of herself. “We’ve got to hurry.” The medicine cat’s face was grave. “Take me to them.”
Jayfeather had gathered his herbs up quicker than Dovepaw could ever imagine. She ran back out the bramble barrier and into the forest, followed closely by Jayfeather and several other warriors. Dovepaw could Berrynose and Sorreltail moving on either side of Jayfeather, helping to guide him over obstacles, though he didn’t really need their help. Dovepaw knew that he had most of the forest memorized. All she needed to do was lead the way. But it’s a good thing the warriors are coming. Dovepaw glanced back at them before continuing ahead. The rogue might come back, or Dogpaw might need to be carried back. A dozen things could go wrong. The only thing she could do was hope that things would go right for once. She heard pawsteps over the ground ahead of her and she came to a stop. Dovepaw and her older clanmates hadn’t even gone halfway to where she had left Dogpaw and Swiftmind, and now she saw them just ahead. Ivypaw was with them. Dogpaw was limping slowly between Swiftmind and Ivypaw. The two were supporting the weakened apprentice. Dovepaw felt relieved to see Dogpaw up and walking and to see Ivypaw was unhurt. But when she approached Ivypaw shot a small glare at her. The angry look made Dovepaw stop in her tracks. The fight they had moments before all of this wouldn’t be forgotten so quickly. The grey apprentice sighed and walked to Swiftmind’s side, looking at Dogpaw. “How’re you feeling?” Dogpaw lifted his head. “Like a mess,” Dogpaw meowed, but there was humor in his voice. “I wish you didn’t make me run Swiftmind…I was winning.” Dovepaw couldn’t help but flick her tail with amusement. Dogpaw couldn’t have been too bad if he was acting so proud. Swiftmind shook his head, rolling his blue eyes. “And you shouldn’t have picked the fight in the first place. You should have called to me the second you saw her.” “You can tell us all about it when we get you back to the camp,” Jayfeather approached behind Dovepaw. “After I see to those claw marks.” “What about Lionblaze and Cinderheart?” Ivypaw asked. Her and Dovepaw’s mentors were still out hunting somewhere. They couldn’t possibly know what happened when they were on the other side of Thunderclan’s territory. “I could go look for them.” Sorreltail offered. “Where were they hunting?” Swiftmind pointed the way and the older she-cat dashed off, her tail disappearing past the dead bracken. Dovepaw and the others helped get Dogpaw back to the camp safely. His cuts were deep, but Jayfeather was able to use the plants Swiftmind had brought back days before. Dovepaw stayed close to the medicine-den, listening to what was happening. So far they were staying quiet. Jayfeather was too focused on wrapping Dogpaw’s wounds in cobwebs. Then her ears ran with the sound of paws beating the ground. She looked up at the bramble barrier. Soon Sorreltail returned, followed by Lionblaze and Cinderheart, carrying prey that was too precious to be forgotten, even in a hurry to get home. Her mentor dragged the hare, dropping it in the hole her father dug before turning immediately to go over to her. “What happened? We couldn’t find you in the forest and then suddenly Sorreltail comes and-” Dovepaw shook her head before Lionblaze could finish. “Talk to Swiftmind. He’ll tell you more than I can.” “Actually you can all go talk in Firestar’s den,” Dovepaw and Lionblaze turned to see Spiderleg. He was back from talking to their leader. “He wants to see you both. And Swiftmind and Jayfeather when Dogpaw’s all patched up.” The warrior mewed, looking at them apologetically before padding into the medicine den to inform Jayfeather. Lionblaze’s shoulder’s sagged. “He’s going to be wondering why I wasn’t there to help…” “And why I didn’t hear it happening.” Dovepaw mewed in remorse. If only I had been listening! I could have heard the rogue. But confronting her sister had felt more important. She and her mentor got to their paws and made their way up the stone wall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I know it's not that long but I didn't feel like keeping you guys waiting. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
Firestar was sitting in his nest. His next was no longer bandaged but he carried the thick scent of herbs. He was no longer bleeding but he was still healing. The fiery pelted leader nodded to them. “Are Jayfeather and Swiftmind going to join us?” The Thunderclan leader meowed questioningly. “We’re coming!” Dovepaw turned her head when she heard Swiftmind’s voice. It was hushed, as if he guessed this would be one of the usual secret meetings. Jayfeather followed into the den after him quietly. The den started to feel crowded, though no one said anything. Dovepaw lowered her head, listening to the older cats talk. “Is Dogpaw alright?” Firestar mewed to Jayfeather. Jayfeather’s tail swept against the ground as he sat, curling it around his paws. “Dogpaw has a strong heart for his age. He needs time to heal, but he’ll live.” Dovepaw let out a sigh, glad to hear Dogpaw would survive his wounds. For a moment she let her hearing stretch to the medicine den. She could hear the young apprentice’s tired breathing as he slept in one of the dens. Dovepaw also could hear the dragging of Briarlight’s legs as she moved through the den, gathering water in a ball of moss for Dogpaw to drink later. Her mind wandered to Ivypaw. She barely paid attention to the conversation beside her, though Dovepaw knew they were going over what happened before the rogue attack. The grey apprentice wondered if her sister would be jealous of her being called to Firestar’s den with the older warriors. Did Ivypaw really think she wanted to be here? I never wanted to be so different. Dovepaw shook her head slightly, pulling herself reluctantly back into the meeting. “That’s when I heard Dogpaw yowling and I ran over to see him fighting her Firestar.” Swiftmind meowed. “She was too big for him to take on so I tried to fight her instead, telling him to run. But instead of fighting me she took off after him!” He then growled. “And there’s something else Firestar… I recognized her.” “What?” Firestar looked at Swiftmind in surprise, as well as everyone else in the den. Swiftmind took a deep breath, as if he had been holding something back. “I’ve seen her before, more than once I believe.” “More than once?” Jayfeather bristled, looking towards him blindly. “You never said anything?” “I didn’t know they were all the same she-cat at first!” Swiftmind said heatedly. “There are plenty of black cats in the wild. I thought I’d sound paranoid if I told you I kept seeing the same one over and over for no reason.” “Well you’re not paranoid apparently.” Firestar mewed. “When did you see her?” Dovepaw found herself leaning closer, listening intensively to this revelation. Swiftmind was silent, looking at them all “The first time was in the cave, when I first came here.” He began. “I saw a lot of things down there, so I wasn’t sure if it was real or not.” Dovepaw remembered that time. She had been a little kit, but she remembered the twoleg-cat being led back into the camp covered in scratches and water. He had looked like he had seen a ghost. Lionblaze now looked at him gravely. “You still should have said something…” “I’m saying something now.” Swiftmind continued. “The second time when I was coming back to Thunderclan, when I had Dogpaw with me. I was a human and I was walking along the lake’s edge when I saw her and a calico tom disappearing into Windclan. It had been such a long time that I didn’t even make a connection between them at first.” “Calico?” Dovepaw finally mewed in confusion. “What’s that?” “It’s a human word, meaning he was white with ginger and black patches.” Swiftmind explained. “I thought they were loners wandering around the river and since they were going into Windclan they wouldn’t be a problem.” Now she could see Firestar tensing as well at the mention of the calico tom. But no one interrupted Swiftmind this time. “I never really saw her again until I was back in the city again, when I got the herbs. I ran into her when I was gathering yarrow. I thought she was a stray living around there at first, but now I’m sure she was the same cat. She had a broken tail.” He explained and Dovepaw tilted her head, trying to remember the Rogue. She had been running fast and she hadn’t bothered to look at the tail that much, but it was possible that there could have been a bend. “And the tom?” Firestar meowed. Was he there as well?” Swiftmind looked at him curiously before nodding his head. “Um, yes. Yes I think I remember seeing the calico on the side of the road, when I was driving to the city. I knew he couldn’t have been a cat that just happened to have the same fur color, tortoiseshell toms are rare. He was with a different group though, not the black she-cat.” This didn’t make Firestar or Lionblaze and Jayfeather calm. Instead they looked even more worried.
Dovepaw could almost hear Lionblaze’s heart quicken with anxiety. They all knew something she and Swiftmind didn’t know. Swiftmind noticed this as well and looked at Firestar. “It looks like I wasn’t the only one keeping things to myself. Do you know the cats?” Jayfeather immediately meowed. “Not the she-cat, just the tom… his name is Sol.” Dovepaw looked at the blind medicine cat. His answer was odd. She started to wonder if the strange rouge had meant something to him and Lionblaze. “Sol…” Swiftmind’s brows furrowed. “I heard that name before. Some other strays in the city mentioned him.” “A long time ago, Sol came to Thunderclan as a loner.” Firestar explained, his meow solemn. “He predicted that the sun would disappear. During a battle, the sun turned black in the sky, even thought Starclan never predicted it. He then left Thunderclan and went to Shadowclan. He convinced Blackstar to turn his back on Starclan. Sol never believed in our warrior ancestors, and nearly took complete control over Shadowclan but they drove him out after a sign from Starclan.” He shook his head. “We never trusted him after that. When one of our Warriors was murdered we believed it was him.” “Was it?” Swiftmind looked at him curiously but Firestar only shook his head. Lionblaze then growled, standing. “We can’t worry about that now. Sol must be leading a group of cats like he did near the Sundrown place. And he’s been around our territory.” Dovepaw could hear the tension rise in her mentor and she tilted her head. Sol’s done this before? She hardly remembered the events that had happened, but she knew her father had gone on the journey to catch Sol. “So he’s power hungry.” Swiftmind looked thoughtful. “You think he’d attack?” “We cannot wait to find out.” Firestar flicked his tail. “We must warn the other Clans at the gathering.” “Will they listen to us?” Lionblaze questioned. “Cinderheart and I went to the new border today. Shadowclan hasn’t marked their side. Would they even believe us if we tried to warn them?” “We’ll have to try.” Jayfeather stood. “It will be the half-moon in two days. I will consult with Starclan then.” Firestar nodded his head and with this he looked at Dovepaw. His gaze considered her curiously. “Dovepaw you’re almost silent. Is something troubling you?” She shrank as everyone else’s eyes turned to her. She really was troubled, about a lot of things. She felt guilty for not hearing the rouge in their territory, and for Dogpaw getting hurt. She felt terrified that her sister was going to continue training in the dark forest despite her warnings. And now there was most likely a whole group of rogues being led by the ever threatening Sol and she hadn’t even tried to listen outside Thunderclan’s borders. I’m failing everyone… She wanted to shrink, to disappear out of sight and to be forgotten, but she couldn’t. “I’m fine,” She murmured a lie, looking down. “I just have nothing to report.” Firestar kept his gaze on her, but never pointed out her obvious hesitation. “Very well. Lionblaze you and Dovepaw are to patrol the borders privately when you go on a hunting patrol tomorrow. Dovepaw I want you to listen, try to find anything beyond the territories.” He then lifted his head to Swiftmind. “Since Dogpaw will be resting tomorrow you can go with them.” Swiftmind nodded his head and Lionblaze blinked his orange eyes. “Yes Firestar.” And with that the meeting was over. Firestar sat back down to rest and the other older cats started to make their way out of his den. Dovepaw, being close to the entrance, quickly made her way down to the camp hollow. As she made her way down the rocks, she felt watched. She glanced down from a rocky perch and immediately saw Ivypaw by the apprentice’s den. She was giving her an icy glare and Dovepaw flinched at her sister’s envious stare. Ivypaw seemed to huff and slipped into the den. The young apprentice found herself shivering. “Dovepaw?” She heard Swiftmind meow. He was climbing down behind her. “Are you sure you’re alright?” “I…I’m fine!” She tried to keep her mew from shaking as she jumped down the final rocks. She wanted to get away from the questions. He mind was already troubled enough. Ivypaw had told her how jealous she was of her talking to Firestar, and now her sister had to see her walk out from another meeting. She must think I’m rubbing it in her face. Dovepaw shook her head sadly and started to make her way to the bramble barrier. But I never wanted to! I don’t want to be special! She hurried through a group of warriors returning from hunting. “Dovepaw? Where are you going?” Sandstorm noticed her hurry and let out a rough mew, probably tired from padding around in the cold, but Dovepaw didn’t bother to make an excuse. She pretended she hadn’t heard and hurried out of the camp. She tore through the forest, wishing that her mind would clear away with the frigid breeze that blew around her. However all it did was make her cold. Her paws were already sore from hunting, chasing the mysterious she-cat, and climbing the rocks. It didn’t take long for her to have to stop. She leaned against a tree miserably and tried to lick warmth back into her pads. When she finally took a look at her surroundings, she found herself near the grassy clearing that her Clan had fought so hard for. In the dim light the shadows made the grass look dark with blood. Her fur rose in unease. The battle was a scar in her memory now, a scar Ivypaw had caused. And yet she couldn’t help but wonder why Tigerstar made Ivypaw start a battle. What were his intentions? To weaken both Clans? Well it worked. Dovepaw sighed. She knew that neither Clan would trust each other after this. The image of the shimmering blue butterfly danced in her mind. Chaos’s pet. The strange Wickedheart had said something about Ivypaw being a butterfly. Did he mean she would cause more trouble like the battle? If so than she had to stop her sister, before anything worse would happen.
She was about to make her slow trek back to the camp, when something caught her eye. A faint green glow was moving along what should have been Shadowclan’s new border. The glow acted like a fog, drifting in no particular direction. She had a bad feeling on what it was, and yet she felt herself unable to leave it be. She padded slowly over the grass. It was cold and limp, practically lifeless, yet she could easily remember the screeches and yowls that she had been surrounded by in the battle. All that was left now was silence… And a cough. Dovepaw tilted her head and moved closer towards the glow. Now she could make a cat’s shape out of the green mist that was growing thinner. He was hunched over and covered in sores; every breath came as a strained wheeze. She had never seen this tortured creature before, but just by his foul stench she knew who he was. “Illfur…” She mewed, remembering his name a few times before from Soulcatcher’s brother Thinbone and stories from Dogpaw, “Pestilence of Cats.” She called out his title quietly. The spirit of disease halted his slow stride and turned his head towards Dovepaw. From his cracked lips and yellowing teeth came a putrid drool that sprayed when he hacked. The stars in the crusty pits of his eyes considered her with little interest. Dovepaw struggled to keep her eyes on the disgusting sight, yet he didn’t look too surprised to see her, like the other Banes. “Well?” Illfur croaked. “You have my attention. What do you want?” Dovepaw was taken a bit aback by the spirit’s demeanor. Soulcatcher usually knew what she wanted to ask before she did. Perhaps Illfur couldn’t read minds due to his diseases, or maybe he didn’t even bother to try. “I… I want to know what you’re doing here Illfur. Why are you in Shadowclan?” The Spirit coughed and wheezed before answering. “I’m here on duty little one. You know my name, my title, so you know what I must bring.” He spoke to her like he’d speak to a kit, trying to teach a simple fact. Dovepaw looked at him hotly. “I know what you do! You make everything sick, like you made Briarlight sick!” She accused. But the spirit didn’t seem bothered by her words. He gave her a sidelong glance with his starry eyes. “She survived the disease. In a way you could say I made her stronger.” “So now you’re trying to make someone in Shadowclan ‘stronger’?” Dovepaw tried not to growl the question but she still felt angry. She doubted that any illness could help a cat, especially in leafbare. Her fur bristled as she imagined Tigerheart sitting in his den shivering with a horrible cough, given to him by Illfur. “Who did you get sick?” Illfur flicked his tail. “Find out yourself. You have the power.” He meowed gravelly. Dovepaw opened her mouth to retaliate, but Illfur had a point. She needed to use her abilities more. This was a chance to do it, despite it being Illfur’s idea. She turned her back to the spirit and perked her ears. Dovepaw closed her eyes and concentrated. Her ear fur prickled to all the little noises in the forests as she searched, trying to listen to the sounds of Shadowclan’s camp. But instead of the camp, she found a sound that was closer. Paws dug at dead pine needles desperately while another set of paws paced around. “It’s no use Flametail, there isn’t any more catmint growing…” Dovepaw’s ears quivered at the sound of Tigerheart’s voice. He sounded tired, but not sick. The other voice was his brother’s, responding back with urgency. “There has to be some somewhere! Starclan wouldn’t let him die without a chance for him to be saved!” Who? Dovepaw wondered. Who’s sick? She grew worried when Tigerheart had mentioned catmint. Only someone with greencough would need it. She heard Tigerheart stop pacing and sigh. “I guess we could always try looking in the twoleg den gardens?” He suggested to Flametail , as if he didn’t want to destroy all his hopes. “Do you think we could look? I know the kittypets might retaliate but… Littlecloud…” His meow dropped to a murmur and then Dovepaw heard Tigerheart move close to comfort his brother. “He’ll be alright. We’ll find catmint for him somehow.” Dovepaw opened her eyes and her concentration was lost. She was only aware of the close sounds around her, but she had heard enough anyway. Littlecloud has greencough, and they’re out of catmint! She shook her head, unable to even imagine what Flametail was going through. His mentor and senior medicine cat is sick in the worst season possible. She turned back to look at Illfur. She wanted to be angry, to yowl at him and ask how he could threaten the lives of a Clan just like that. But she knew, deep down that Illfur didn’t choose who he infected and when, just like Soulcatcher didn’t chose who died. It just happened, no matter how much Dovepaw hated it. “How do you live with it?” Dovepaw mewed quietly. “Don’t you ever feel bad?” Illfur blinked his pale eyes and then shook his head. “I don’t live with it. I don’t live at all. Perhaps sometime long ago I tried to have pity, an emotion, but bodies are all the same to me. Rank and age have no meaning.” The Bane of sickness looked up at the stars that started to appear in the darkening sky. “My sister is better at emotions than me, and so is Wickedheart, though I doubt you’d like them. No, you like Soulcatcher, which isn’t so surprising.” Dovepaw stood up on her paws, watching Illfur curiously. “Why? He’s my friend but that’s because I got to know him.” Illfur lowered his head and turned his attention back on her. “You have his power, in a sense. You could know everything that happens at once, if you practiced more.” He hacked a disgusting laugh. “All of you, the three, and more have had a Bane beside you the moment you were born.” Her eyes widened, realizing what Illfur was saying. “Wait, you mean our powers come from you?” “You saw how Bloodclaw stayed close to Lionblaze during the battle. And no doubt Wickedheart is standing by your sister.” Illfur meowed hoarsely. “This war coming… the one your medicine cat friend Jayfeather told you about after he visited us… It is between Starclan and the Dark ones, but we chose the cats that would decide the outcome.” He then sighed. With a limp, sore-ridden leg he took a step on what would be Thunderclan territory. Realizing Illfur might start heading for Thunderclan camp, Dovepaw jumped in his way. “No, wait! Why are you telling me this now? Why didn’t Soulcatcher tell me? Or why didn’t he tell Jayfeather? And don’t say it was because we never asked!” She bristled. Illfur gazed at her, and she wondered if she saw amusement in his star eyes. “Because, Dovepaw, things are moving faster than they should. You or Jayfeather should have figured it out for yourselves but Wickedheart is messing about. Your friend Swiftmind is acting like extra snow on a mountain. By the time the thaw comes what should be a smooth stream is actually a raging river. The battle is coming, and coming soon. If you were smart, you’d tell the rest of the three what I’ve told you. You all could use a little advice with your powers.” He took another step towards Dovepaw and she had to keep herself from gagging at his smell. “And don’t try to keep me out of Thunderclan. As bold as you are, I’m already in your camp…” And with a shaking cough Illfur disbanded into a thin cloud. It swept past her on the cold wind and vanished, leaving Dovepaw feeling uneasy and confused.
Chapter 5
After paying one last visit to Dogpaw, Swiftmind tried to get some sleep in the Warriors’ den. He wasn’t having too much luck. Despite Jayfeather saying his apprentice would recover he still found himself worrying. And just talking about the mysterious black she-cat had made him nervous, as if she would show up again to haunt his dreams. He groaned and rolled over in his nest. It was uncomfortably flat and scratchy, the last of the good nesting material had been used for the nursery and elders’ den, and there would be a shortage on soft ferns and feathers until spring. But a messy den was the least of his worries. Why did she show up here? Now? His mind reeled. He was certain it had been the same cat. As soon as she saw her kinked tail and green eyes he knew it couldn’t be a coincidence that he had been seeing a black cat over and over again. But why had she gone from Thunderclan territory, to the suburbs, and then back at the territory? It was a long walk all the way to the city, so there had to be a reason. Swiftmind thought about the other cats that had been in the city, how they had wanted to take him to Sol. If the calico really does have followers in the city, then the black cat may be a spy. Swiftmind felt the fur on his spine rise. A spy who’s cover has been blown by me and Dogpaw. If he was any judge about Firestar and the other’s reactions, this would not end well. “Swiftmind?” He lifted his head when he heard Leafpool’s quiet mew. Swiftmind looked towards her den that was beside his own. “Sorry, I didn’t wake you up did I?” He pulled his paws closer to himself, worried that he may have accidentally bumped the other warriors around him. “No, but I can hear you groaning and rolling around. What’s wrong?” His feline friend moved her head closer to sniff his fur. “You’re not getting sick are you?” He shook his head. “I just have a lot on my mind.” “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked gently. Even in the dim light he could see her clear eyes gazing at him with concern. For a moment he felt tempted to tell her the dangers of Sol and the whole prophecy, but he knew he couldn’t. Not yet at least. He had a feeling Firestar would tell the Clan soon enough. “I would but it’s a bit… complicated.” He muttered. Swiftmind lowered his eyes to his nest. Yet he heard Leafpool get out of her own bedding and pad over to him. She bumped her head to his. “I understand. I know what happened to Dogpaw, and that you talked to Firestar. You don’t have to tell me anything if you can’t.” “Thanks,” He felt himself purr. It was interrupted by an annoyed grunt from one of the many sleeping Warriors around them. I guess we weren’t being as quiet as we thought. Swiftmind looked at Leafpool apologetically. “We’d better get some sleep.” Leafpool glanced around before nodding. “Yes, but d you think you’ll be able to?” “I can always try.” He curled up in his dry nest. Leafpool went back to her own, though in the darkness it felt like she had laid closer to him. Her warmth and scent comforted him, and he was able to finally relax his tired body. When he finally fell asleep he wasn’t plagued by the dark cat in his dreams. Instead his mind seemed to jump from dream to dream. Images after images passed by his eyes. It was as if his brain didn’t know what to tell him first. When his world finally stopped spinning, he was lying on soft grass in a familiar clearing. It was a promising sight to see the trees lush and the night sky clear. It only made him cringe at the thought of how dead it looked in the waking world. It’s going to be a long winter. “You’re getting close to her.” A somber meow came from the deep brush of the clearing’s edge. Swiftmind sat up as Icestar slipped out of hiding. Icestar was an even better sign that he wouldn’t be troubled by nightmares. But she didn’t look as relieved to see him. “Her?” He echoed with a meow. He could only guess who the white Starclan warrior was talking about. “Don’t tell me you’re going to complain about me being friends with Leafpool too now are you?” “I have no problem with you two staying friends.” Icestar stopped just inches away from him. Her icy blue gaze looked at him critically. “But you and I both know you two are just fooling yourselves. You still dream about each other.” Swiftmind went quiet. Had Icestar gone into Leafpool’s dreams as well as his? He would argue that friends could dream about each other sometimes, though he knew it wouldn’t be much of an argument. When he didn’t speak, Icestar continued. “Your purpose is to help the Three find their paths Swiftmind. That’s why you’re here in the first place.” She seemed to sigh, almost sadly. “Leafpool can help as well, but if you’re not careful you’ll only distract each other. Don’t let her get so close.” “And how am I supposed to do that then?” Swiftmind didn’t mean for his voice to become sharp, and he had to keep his lips from curling over his teeth. He took a deep breath. “I’ve been trying not to let myself get carried away. I know it can’t work. But after living here, with Thunderclan for so long…” “Tom.” Icestar mewed seriously, calling him by his human name. He stopped and shook his head quietly. He knew what she was going to say. This was not meant to be permanent. There was a reason he couldn’t fall in love. Swiftmind couldn’t remain between two lives forever, no matter how long it took for the prophecy to resolve itself. Someday, I’m going to go home. And I wont be able to come back.
Icestar nodded her head and stood on her paws. Her message in his dreams was just about over. “Remember Swiftmind,” she meowed firmly. “You can’t let her get close. The Three need to discover the sources of their powers if they ever want to use them to their potential!” “Sources? Isn’t that you? I mean Starclan?” Swiftmind looked at her in puzzlement. He had thought Starclan had originally gave Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Dovepaw their powers. He thought back to the Prophecy Jayfeather was always talking about. “They have the ‘power of the stars’ in their paws right?” The white she-cat closed her eyes, as if she was holding back a lot more. She then meowed quietly. “There are more stars out there than Starclan. Even in the darkest of places…” Her words took on the tone of when she told Swiftmind about his own prophecy, making him shudder. Icestar continued, a little less prophetic and more urgently. “These stars have watched the three as soon as they were born. They choose them for this task but it is Jayfeather and his kin who have to find these stars. You need to help them Tom.” The wind in the clearing started to pick up. “How?” Swiftmind raised his voice so it could be heard over the strengthening breeze. “How am I supposed to do that?” “One of them already knows the stars!” Icestar called and she stared to back away from Swiftmind. “The others just need to listen to her!” Dovepaw! Swiftmind wanted to ask more. But the wind had turned into a storm, pushing Swiftmind and Icestar apart. Had they spoken too much? Trees shook and branches rattled around him. The grass whipped at his face and he pressed his ears flat to his head against the roar of the gale. His claws did nothing as he suddenly felt picked up. It was like the hurricane came up from under him and ripped him from the ground. He was spinning, twisting in the air with no control. His yowl went unheard as he was carried out of the clearing and over trees. As he flailed helplessly in the air, a glimmer caught his eye. He tried to look at it directly in hopes that it would be something useful, but his body wouldn’t oblige. He continued spinning, until at last he saw the glimmer again, more closely. It was a butterfly.
When Swiftmind awoke, he laid sprawled in his nest, as if he had been twitching the whole night. The other warriors were getting up. Thankfully none of them mentioned him kicking them during the night. He rolled to his paws and let out a heavy sigh. He had been hoping for just a calming dream, instead it had left him feeling slightly confused and empty. Why does Starclan always send me nightmares? Was it because none of them except Icestar wanted to be in his head long enough to make sure his subconscious wouldn’t overload with information? He looked back at Leafpool’s den where the she-cat was just stirring. The empty feeling inside him grew as he thought of Icestar’s warning. Don’t let her get too close. But the white she-cat ghost also said that they could remain friends. That was at least one relief. “Morning.” He meowed to her as she woke up. Leafpool opened her eyes and looked up at him. For a second, Swiftmind thought he saw something in her gaze. Shock? Fear? Why would she feel those things just looking at him? But the emotions quickly vanished as soon as they appeared. “Morning Swiftmind.” Leafpool mewed in return and quickly got up. “Did you sleep well?” “Uh, yeah. I did.” He stood up as Leafpool started to make her way to the den entrance, “How about you?” “I slept fine.” She said briskly. Before he could ask her any more, she slipped past Swiftmind and out of the den. He tried to follow but he found himself cut off. Squirrelflight, Leafpool’s protective sister. She tolerated the twoleg-cat in the Clan, but not when he was around Leafpool. As if she knew something was troubling her sibling, the fiery she-cat gave Swiftmind a slight glare before following her kin out. Swiftmind was left standing stupefied for a moment. “Wow, I wonder what did you do?” He heard a tired meow and turned to see Greystripe stretching. “Did you kick thorns into their nest in your sleep?” “I… don’t know.” He meowed back, just as puzzled. It seemed his dream was the very beginning of more troubles for the day.
Outside the warriors’ den Swiftmind went to sniff the fresh-kill that was buried in Birchfall’s newest cat invention, the fridge. As they had hoped, the chilled earth made the prey within it stiff, but fresh. But Swiftmind didn’t feel all that hungry. His dreams and Leafpool’s behavior had taken away his appetite. I can’t really eat until I’ve hunted for a bit anyway. He recalled the Warrior’s code that put the Clan before the cat. “Where is Lionblaze anyway…?” He muttered to himself and he looked back towards the Warrior’s den. Firestar wanted them to patrol the borders, using Dovepaw as radar. But he couldn’t see the golden warrior coming out of the den, or anywhere around it. He flicked his tail in slight annoyance. He figured Lionblaze was either running around with Cinderheart, or he was off in a secret meeting with Jayfeather again. Swiftmind turned on his white paws and headed for the apprentices’ den to find Dovepaw. If anyone could find Lionblaze, it was his apprentice. …who wasn’t there. Swiftmind stuck his whole head in the den and there was only a very sleepy Ivypaw in her little den. There appeared to be a scratch on her shoulder, and yet there were no thorns or sharp twigs to do the damage. She trains in the dark forest in her dreams. He thought with growing worry. She gets a scratch in her mind so now she has a real scratch. This is getting worse than The Matrix… He moved to pull his head out of the den entrance but Ivypaw had already noticed him. “Swiftmind?” The young she-cat blinked tiredly. “What are you doing here?” Her jaw stretched in a yawn. “I’m just wondering where your sister is.” He meowed quietly. “I need to find Lionblaze.” Ivypaw’s ears flattened slightly. As if she was annoyed that he was looking for her sister instead of her. “She said something about checking on Dogpaw when she left.” “Thanks.” He nodded and moved to back out. “You should go to the medicine den yourself Ivypaw. That scratch looks like it hurts.” He added in a meow. He got a glimpse of Ivypaw bristling with surprise before he headed to the stone crevice himself. Swiftmind let out a quiet sigh, wishing Jayfeather would confront Dovepaw’s sister, before the worst could happen. She could get a scar that others could notice, or she could even die in her sleep. I’m going to have to talk to Lionblaze and Jayfeather about this… He padded towards the bramble curtain of the medicine den. We can’t risk letting this go on for much longer. He peeked inside to see Dovepaw talking happily with Dogpaw and Briarlight. Swiftmind felt relieved to see that Dovepaw wasn’t as quiet as she was the other day. And he was even happier to see Dogpaw’s scratches were healing under Jayfeather’s herbs. Swiftmind’s young apprentice turned his head at the sound of the brambles moving over the twoleg-cat’s shoulders and he beamed. “Hey Swiftmind!” The lean tom moved to get up but Briarlight put a paw on his side, stopping him. “Jayfeather said you had to rest today.” She mewed before looking back at Swiftmind, much to Dogpaw’s disappointment. “And Jayfeather’s not here either. He went to check up on his catmint patches.” He nodded to Briarlight. She was starting to act like a medicine cat, probably from being in the den for so long. “Well luckily I’m only here for Dovepaw.” The younger she-cat looked up at him in surprise. “Does Lionblaze want us to head out now?” she mewed in confusion. She still looked a bit tired, as if she had just woken up. Swiftmind shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn’t know. He’s not in the camp.” “Do you think he went with Jayfeather to check on the catmint?” Dogpaw tilted his head in curiosity. “Do you think he’d mind if I were to, maybe, go help you look?” His muscles were twitching with the thought of going outside the camp but once again Briarlight gave him a stern look. “I’d mind.” She shoved him, but it was friendlier than her last jab. Dovepaw yawned, stretched, and got up on her paws. “I think we can find Lionblaze on our own Dogpaw, but thanks anyway.” She let out a little purr to Dogpaw before she padded over to Swiftmind. Dogpaw huffed but gave a curt nod to them. He’d be fine in the medicine den with Briarlight. Swiftmind stepped away from the den opening to let Dovepaw through. She shook out her fur as a cold breeze snuck over the quarry’s wall and Swiftmind found himself shivering as well. He made a note to set up a tent with a warm sleeping bag just in case he needed to change and have some shelter ready. He’d need it in case he needed to change back to Tom again. I wonder what month it is now. November? December? He sighed. Christmas would be on its way soon. Would he be able to sneak away to at least give his mother and friends a visit? Would people notice if he didn’t show up? He shook his head from the worries. He would have to check a calendar later. Tom’s life needed to wait. Glancing at Dovepaw, he thought of Icestar’s message. The apprentice knew something that Lionblaze and Jayfeather had to hear. But how was he supposed to get her to tell them? He wasn’t sure what to even say to her as they moved through the hollow. They made it to the bramble barrier without anyone stopping them for conversation. Not even Brambleclaw, who probably knew that Firestar wanted them to 'hunt' by themselves for the day. “So you need me to listen for where Lionblaze is?” Dovepaw’s blue eyes flicked over to him and she meowed quietly. Despite being outside the camp she was still wary about anyone hearing them. He blinked and nodded and her lucky guess. However, she didn’t seem too thrilled. Dovepaw’s tail drooped slightly as she moved. He nudged her lightly. “Hey, this won’t be like spying on other clans or on your clanmates. There’s a real threat out there.” Dovepaw nodded her head. “I know… But what if I don’t find anything?” She asked with growing anxiety. “I didn’t hear you and Dogpaw being attacked until it was too late!” Yesterday apparently had been troubling her more than he realized. “Hey, you were busy hunting.” He tried to put her at ease as they moved further away from Thunderclan’s camp. “There was no way you could have guessed that cat was over the borders. Don’t blame yourself for everything that happens.” Swiftmind then found a soft spot for them to stop and sit down. He turned to Dovepaw and looked at her with a kind gaze. “Now let’s find your mentor. We’ve got a lot to do today.” The pale grey she-cat watched him, seeming to take at least a little comfort in his words and she nodded. “Okay. It shouldn’t take long.” Dovepaw then closed her eyes, her ears perking to the smallest sounds. Swiftmind tried his best to make no noise, but he was certain she’d be able to hear him even when he was sitting still if she wanted. He only had to wait for a minute before Dovepaw, ears flicked sharply. She breathed. “I found him. He’s not with Jayfeather…” Her small cat face concentrated with slight confusion before she opened her eyes at last. “He’s… digging.” She turned to stare at Swiftmind in confusion. “He’s digging for something?”
Swiftmind was just about as puzzled by it as her. He got back to his paws, his tail flicking without him even thinking about it. “Well we’d better go find out. Lead the way Dovepaw.” The young she-cat jumped to her own paws and she headed down the path. Her ears guided her through the quiet forest. It seemed like they were the only creatures in that forest, their paws hardly making a sound. Swiftmind’s breath clouded in the chilly air, but he hardly paid any attention to it. Dovepaw’s pace was slowing. Soon the apprentice came to a halt and she looked around. She pointed her muzzle to a distant golden figure, which was half-buried in the earth from digging so deep. From where Swiftmind stood it looked like he was digging out a badger’s den. But he had a feeling that this was more than a crazy hunt for a badger. He looked down at Dovepaw. “Stay out of sight.” He told her. “I’d better see what’s troubling him… Oh and try not to listen in on this.” He added before he started to pad away towards Lionblaze. Behind him he could hear Dovepaw mutter something but he had no time to lecture her now. As he came closer, Swiftmind could see that this wasn’t a den of any kind. Lionblaze was digging out a whole tunnel that had been blocked with stones and earth. He had the pleasure of learning about the whole tunnel system underneath Thunderclan by falling into an underground river when he first came to the Clans. Swiftmind had to sit in the dark for a patrol to unbury an entrance to the tunnels before he could get out safely. But why was Lionblaze digging up one now. He stood on the mound of soft earth the golden warrior had now created. He looked down at Lionblaze, and Swiftmind practically hear Lionblaze’s exhausted lungs shake for air with every breath. His paws were dirty and torn from so much work in the frozen ground. He had been digging for a long time. “You’re going to kill yourself if you keep this up.” He meowed sullenly to reveal his presence. Lionblaze froze, his head darting up to look at him. Seeing that Swiftmind was alone, Lionblaze calmed himself down. He was panting heavily. “H-how long have you been standing there?” “Not for too long.” Swiftmind assured him and padded down the small pile of soil. He took a seat next to Lionblaze and offered a shoulder for the tired warrior to lean on. “Do I even want to know what this is about?” Lionblaze slumped against Swiftmind and was silent for a long time. The wind drifting through the tree’s branches made the only noise. Swiftmind was concerned that the golden warrior wouldn’t say anything at all. And then the young tom finally spoke. “Do you remember… when Jayfeather told you about our sister?” Lionblaze murmured, looking up at him with amber eyes. Swiftmind nodded his head quietly and Lionblaze continued. “We told the clan she died chasing a squirrel into the tunnels and it collapsed. But the truth was she hadn’t been hunting. She was,” Lionblaze took a deep breath, he was so tired. “She was trying to run away from the Clan. She lived by the Warrior Code, but when she found out she was half-clan, and a medicine cat’s kit… She couldn’t live with herself.” “And the tunnel collapsed behind her.” Swiftmind deduced, making Lionblaze nod his head. It must have been hard for him to admit. Lionblaze then tensed, as if he was about to tell him more, but seemed to think against it. “We didn’t want her remembered as a deserter.” He meowed instead. “So we came up with the hunting story. We never really knew if she was alive or dead, until you spoke about the she-cat you kept seeing.” With what strength he had he righted himself up off of Swiftmind to look at him directly. “You described her exactly as Hollyleaf looked. So I had to be sure.” He looked towards the now unblocked tunnel. Swiftmind looked as well. While there were still some smaller stones and earth left on the tunnel floor, it was obvious there were no bones among the debris. There was no body. “All I found was a little fur.” Lionblaze flicked his paw to a clump of mud that he had pushed to the side of the tunnel’s mouth. There was a tuft of short black fur imbedded in it. As he stared at it, Swiftmind imagined the earth falling around Hollyleaf, stones slamming down behind her. She wouldn’t have been able to survive unscathed. “She had a kink in her tail.” He said quietly. “So she really is alive.” Lionblaze’s meow was a mix of shock, joy, and apprehension. His sister was alive, and yet she had attacked Dogpaw. Swiftmind couldn’t even imagine the turmoil that must be going on inside him. “Can you think of any reason why she’d be with Sol?” He asked Lionblaze. The golden warrior sighed. “Yes. Sol always seemed to have the answers. When we were apprentices we went to him to find out more about the prophecy. Maybe he found her and convinced her that he could teach her a lot more.” Lionblaze presumed before standing. His front-legs shook with the effort. Swiftmind got up as well to support Lionblaze again. “We need to get you back to the camp.” But Lionblaze only started to shake his head. “I’m fine.” He stated to Swiftmind. “I’ve been through worse before Swiftmind.” Swiftmind looked at the golden warrior skeptically. “I’m sure you have. Look, we can’t just sit out in the cold and wait for you to get your strength back. You look like you’re about to fall over.” He meowed. But he supposed Lionblaze didn’t want his clanmates questioning why he was so tired and covered in dirt. It would be hard to explain what he discovered to Firestar, if he even wanted to tell him at all. “Jayfeather’s not too far away.” Dovepaw’s meow blurted out from her hiding place. Both toms looked up towards her voice as she poked her head poked out from behind a tree trunk. Lionblaze glared back at Swiftmind accusingly. He wasn’t too happy Dovepaw had been eavesdropping. He rolled his blue eyes. “Dovepaw, I thought I told you not to listen to us.” “I tried.” Dovepaw mewed with a shrug and she started to pad over to them. “But I heard anyway. I’m sorry Lionblaze.” She said to her mentor sadly. “I promise not to tell anyone.” Swiftmind wasn’t convinced that Dovepaw had tried too hard not to listen in on their conversation, but maybe she needed more practice with her powers after all. He glanced at Lionblaze. “I suppose you were going to need to find Jayfeather anyway. He’ll want to know about this.”
Swiftmind and Dovepaw walked on either side of Lionblaze to support the gold tom on their way through the freezing woods. Like Dovepaw had said, Jayfeather wasn’t too far away. The blind medicine cat was heading away from his patch of catmint. Jayfeather’s ears twitched, hearing them coming towards him. “Morning Jayfeather,” Swiftmind meowed a gruff greeting as the grey molted tom stopped in front of them. “We have a little problem.” Jayfeather sniffed and Swiftmind saw his nose wrinkle. Perhaps he could smell the earth on Lionblaze’s paws, or even hear how fast his heart was beating. Jayfeather took a few steps closer towards them. “What’s going on? I thought you were going on a patrol?” He meowed, flicking his tail in agitation. Swiftmind couldn’t blame Jayfeather for being angry about Lionblaze’s state. “We are,” Lionblaze answered. “But I went digging first…” He explained what he had found, or what he didn’t find in the tunnel. Then Swiftmind explained how he and Dovepaw discovered him. Jayfeather listened to them, saying nothing, though Swiftmind could see the grey fur along his spine began to rise. When Lionblaze had finished, they looked to his brother for a reaction. The medicine cat breathed out a sigh. “Hollyleaf is alive.” He lowered his head in thought. “and…you think she has joined Sol.” “Well I saw her and Sol going into Windclan territory.” Swiftmind reminded him, though he doubted the Jayfeather forgot. “And when I saw him near the city she was there in the gardens.” Jayfeather sighed. “I had been hoping I was wrong when you described her Swiftmind. But if she was in the garden gathering herbs like you were, she may be acting as a medicine cat for him. She had a little training as one before.” “So we’re going to assume he really is leading a group of cats at the twoleg-place?” Lionblaze sat down between Swiftmind and Dovepaw. Swiftmind nodded his head, recalling Sol had been sitting with cats by the road, mourning the loss of another cat that had been hit by a car. He had only driven by in his own truck for a few moments, but Sol had looked up at him with big amber eyes. As if he knew Tom had been watching the scene. “It’s all we really can assume right now.” Jayfeather mewed tiredly before he leaned his head close to them and sniffed Lionblaze again. “You should be lying down. You sound exhausted.” “I feel fine.” Lionblaze protested, trying to stand. Prideful *****. Swiftmind huffed, but he knew Lionblaze just wanted to get to work like Firestar expected them to. Then again Firestar wouldn’t have guessed Lionblaze would spend the morning grave digging. “Listen to your brother Lionblaze.” He nudged his shoulder. “He’s the medicine cat here. Dovepaw and I can go scouting while you rest up.” The pale gray apprentice perked up at the mention of her name. “I could listen from here really.” “It would be good to practice your powers near us anyway. See if you can hear a group of cats outside our borders.” Jayfeather meowed. “For all we know Hollyleaf and Sol are closer than we think.” He then added as he started to head back to the old abandoned house, probably to get some herbs for Lionblaze’s paws. The golden warrior gave up and found a soft spot to lie down. Swiftmind stepped off of the path and sat in front of Dovepaw. The apprentice sat as well and closed her eyes again, just as she did to find Lionblaze. She was tense with concentration. Swiftmind waited, thinking that it wouldn’t take too long to find anything if it was there. Yet the minutes started to stretch out after them, and she didn’t make a sound. When Jayfeather returned with a few withered leaves, his pawsteps made Dovepaw flinch and look at him. “Don’t mind him,” Swiftmind encouraged. “Take a deep breath and try again.” She did so, sighing, but only a few minutes after that she became distracted again at the sound of a distant bird. She jumped as if it had flown right next to her head. She looked up at him dejectedly. “Sorry.” “It’s ok, try again.” He told her. Swiftmind didn’t want her to give up so soon. Something must have been on her mind. Maybe I can get her to tell them whatever secret she knows later. He pondered to himself. He’d need to bring it up as gently as he could, when he had the chance. At the moment it was hard enough to get her to hear anything outside of Thunderclan. Lionblaze and Jayfeather watched as quietly as they could from where they lay, in hopes to make her relax but Swiftmind could see she was still on edge. Soon a whole hour had passed. She could hear beavers in a whole other town when she was small but now she can hardly stop herself from hearing a mouse in its den. Swiftmind watched with more growing concern. “Want to take a break?” He meowed to her. Dovepaw only shook her head, flattening her ears before trying again. Swiftmind glanced at her mentor, who nodded. They would keep at it. Jayfeather had closed his own eyes now. Was he falling asleep, or concentrating on something as well? He didn’t ask, not wanting to make a loud noise. Five more minutes passed, ten, twenty. Swiftmind was about to tell her to take another break when her paws flexed, claws digging into the ground. He stopped breathing, watching her react to something only she could hear. The she-cat shivered and her fuzzy pelt bristled. Her eyes opened wide enough to where Swiftmind could see the whites. “Dovepaw?” Swiftmind got to his white paws. “What is it? Did you find them?” The other toms behind them looked up as well. Yet Dovepaw said nothing. Instead she got up and bolted into the forest, towards Windclan. Swiftmind hissed a curse and turned his head towards Lionblaze and Jayfeather, who were already getting up quickly to take chase. He growled. “No! Get to the camp and get Brambleclaw! I’ll get Dovepaw.” He ordered and then charged past the trees. There had to be something wrong to drive Dovepaw to run without saying what was going on first. Dying twigs of old brush whipped at his ears and sides as he tried to keep up with the younger cat. Dovepaw wasn’t even slowing down for him. She was intent on going to where her ears led her. He just hoped it wouldn’t involve going over Windclan territory. It wouldn’t be the first time Dovepaw’s concern for her friends in other Clans to make her forget boundaries. He yowled for her to stop, making Dovepaw glance back at him as she ran but she turned her gaze back to the forest floor to continue running. When she finally did slow her pace a little, he could hear the river that marked the border. It was faint. It wouldn’t be too long for the weather to get cold enough to freeze the small stream. However Swiftmind’s ears could pick up another noise, splashing. Something was struggling in the water. He caught up to Dovepaw and looked at her questioningly. She returned the look with one of fear. He took a deep breath and then went with her to the stream quickly. Despite them getting closer to the river, the splashing was getting fainter. Swiftmind hurried, pushing himself through tough dry plants and padded onto the stream bank. He looked around, at first seeing nothing. And then he noticed a broken tree branch, bobbing on the cold water’s surface. It was rotten, but from the bark still attached to a low tree it must have fallen recently. The large branch rose with the current and Swiftmind saw something dark and soaked pinned underneath it. He quickly could see that it was a cat, barely moving now under the water. Swiftmind sprinted into the river. The water went right through his fur and stung his skin with a bitter chill. He clenched his jaw as it went up past his chest and he half-walked, half-swum through the slow currant to the stricken feline. Swiftmind got closer, but couldn’t make out who it was under the water’s surface. The twoleg-cat shoved his shoulder against the heavy limb. He managed to lift it out of the water slightly, but his paws slid on the smooth mud and pebbles. The branch shoved him back and he was submerged. He felt himself start to be pinned by the branch just like the cat next to him. The frozen water filled his ears and seemed to leech into his brain, making him want to open his jaws and yowl. But that would mean death. He struggled to get back up for air as the waters weighed down his pelt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm going to go on a little vacation next week but when I come back I'll have a big suprise for you all. ...and a picture
Above him he could hear Dovepaw cry out to him from the shore. He prayed she wouldn’t try coming in after him. It would be too risky for her to try to save two cats at once. Just then, the back of his eyes tingle in a familiar sensation, and for once he felt almost relieved. Changing into a human would save him from drowning, and the other cat. To his dismay, however, the feeling faded as soon as Swiftmind noticed it. It may have been morning, but it was too late for the change to come so easily. Swiftmind was stuck. The cold water forced itself around him and he tensed. Forcing his cramping muscles to move, he pushed with all his might against the slippery rocks. With a splash of water he broke the surface of the water. I’m not going to drown today! Swiftmind gasped a needed lungful of air. “Swiftmind! Are you ok??” Dovepaw yowled again but Swiftmind couldn’t really worry much about himself. He went back to trying to push the branch again, lifting his front paws to push against it. Half of it was already under water and it was as if it was fighting against him to stay that way. As he strained, Swiftmind’s ears picked up the sound of another splash. Dovepaw stay out of this! He growled and looked back, but instead of a grey shape in the water he saw gold. Swiftmind bared his teeth, which had started to chatter. “Lionblaze I told you to get to the camp!” “You’re not a senior warrior!” The golden tom spat back, his voice high from the very shock of the cold stream. Swiftmind was unable to stop him from swimming closer to help him push against the branch. As tired as he had been that morning, Lionblaze had regained enough strength to aid him. Swiftmind growled again, but there was no use arguing now. Together they dug their hind paws into the river bed, using their combined weight to move the branch off of the sunken cat. As its body breached the water’s surface Swiftmind felt a pit in his own heart sink. The soaked tom wasn’t moving. Nevertheless he reached and clenched the cat’s scruff in his teeth and started to pull him to the closest shore, on Windclan territory. Lionblaze released the branch to help him pull the dark tom up the muddy bank. Once safe, Swiftmind released the cat’s neck and panted. His body felt stiff and frozen from swimming in such cold water. The winter air was unkind to his soaked body and it froze him to the core. His fellow warrior wasn’t fairing either. Lionblaze was shaking with the effort to stand. The younger tom then looked at the cat they had pulled out and stared. “Great Starclan…” He breathed shakily, his amber eyes focused on the cat’s face. Swiftmind coughed. “Are we too late?” He moved to put his paws on the tom’s chest to press the water out of his lungs and he froze, seeing what Lionblaze had noticed. It was difficult to tell who it was after his fur was soaked flat to his body, but with a second look Swiftmind recognized the dark-grey tom immediately. It was Crowfeather. He stared at the cat that had broken Leafpool’s heart for only a few seconds before he started to push down on his waterlogged chest. Liquid gushed out from Crowfeather’s jaws. Lionblaze couldn’t do much except watch him try to save him. Just across from them out of the corner of his eye, Swiftmind could see Jayfeather standing on the opposite shore beside Dovepaw, unable to cross. Was he aware of what was going on despite not being able to see? At last Crowfeather coughed out more water from his lungs. He inhaled, but weakly. It was as if he was barely breathing. Swiftmind didn’t know how long he had been trapped underwater, but it had taken its toll on his body. Swiftmind leaned his head down. “Crowfeather, can you hear me?” He shook the Windclan warrior slightly with his paw. The dark gray tom opened his blue eyes slightly. They looked glazed, and barely appeared to register that he was there. Crowfeather’s chest shuddered and he blinked slowly in the light. He said something, but it was faint. Lionblaze moved closer. “What did he say?” Swiftmind only shook his head. He didn’t understand either. But the urgent tone in the Windclan cat’s tone sent even more chills down Swiftmind’s spine than the frigid air. Crowfeather spoke again. This time the frail meow was louder. “My son... my son…” He repeated these words again and again. Swiftmind looked from him to Lionblaze. Perhaps Crowfeather was aware of who was standing around him after all. “Over here! Hurry!” A strained voice yowled past the trees by them, coming from the moors. Swiftmind’s head shot up. More yowls followed, getting steadily closer. There was a Windclan patrol coming. Thank goodness. Maybe they can get them to their medicine cat. But it was a slim hope. Looking back down at Crowfeather he could see the warrior was getting weaker with every breath. His body was spent, sapped of any remaining strength from the cold air. Above him, Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. “Hold on Crowfeather.” He finally meowed. “Help is coming.” Crowfeather didn’t look as if he heard him. He shuddered, his eyes opening more. He gazed weakly ahead of him at nothing. Or what Swiftmind perceived as nothing. He couldn’t even guess what Crowfeather was seeing in his frail state. What had been once strong limbs twitched and went limp and his lips parted once more. “Feathertail…” Swiftmind heard him sigh a name he couldn’t recall hearing before, and then the grey warrior went silent. The blue eyes dulled completely. He and Lionblaze may have saved Crowfeather from drowning, but not from death. Defeated, Swiftmind felt his back legs shake and he sat down. His tail was limp on the muddy shore. Lionblaze bowed his own head in respect for the fallen warrior… his father. Neither of them looked up as the group of Windclan cats burst through the brown undergrowth. There was a gasp, but Swiftmind was unsure whether it was from one of the Windclan cats, or Dovepaw from across the water. “Swiftmind?” He recognized Onestar’s voice and he looked up at the leader. The tabby leader looked at him and Lionblaze with suspicion. By his side were Breezepelt, Nightcloud, and two other cats he couldn’t remember. One was a small grey tom, probably an apprentice, and the other was a brown tom with a black ear. Breezepelt glared when he saw them, bristling even more when he saw his father’s body between them, though now it was out of shock. “You got him out?” He meowed almost apprehensively. Swiftmind could see that his pelt was almost as wet as theirs. He must have tried to save his father before he ran to get help. He nodded to Breezepelt quietly. Nightcloud took a few anxious pawsteps towards them, almost afraid to look down at Crowfeather. “Is he…?” She couldn’t even finish her question. She had been Crowfeather’s mate. Swiftmind gazed at her sadly. He had heard she wasn’t the nicest cat in the world, but today she had lost a loved one. “I’m sorry. We were too late.” He told her. His mew was quiet, and yet everyone heard. Immediately Nightcloud let out a despaired wail and she ran over, practically shoveling Lionblaze away to crouch by Crowfeather’s body. The black she-cat buried her face into the cold lifeless fur, whimpering incoherently. Swiftmind found himself getting to his paws feebly and padding back from Nightcloud. He wanted to give her space. Lionblaze joined him close to the water’s edge and Swiftmind looked at Onestar. The leader and his warriors had bowed their heads at the loss of Crowfeather. Guilt filled Swiftmind like a flood. Maybe if he had tried harder, ran faster, or didn’t slip, maybe he would have saved him in time. But how could we have known? Dovepaw only heard him by accident. “Did he say anything?” Breezepelt suddenly asked, padding next to his grieving mother to sit at her side. “When you dragged him out? Was he even alive when you got here?” He questioned them. He didn’t appear as sad as Nightcloud about Crowfeather’s death. “He was alive, but Starclan still came for him.” Lionblaze answered. There was a hint of distrust and suspicion in his eyes when he looked at Breezepelt. He noticed his half-brother’s attitude just as Swiftmind did. “He didn’t get a chance to say anything.” He lied. This made Breezepelt nod and he sat by Nightcloud, putting his tail over her shoulders. “Then there wasn’t much you or any of us could have done. Starclan destined his fate.” Onestar meowed somberly as he lifted his head to Swiftmind and Lionblaze. “As thankful as I am for you trying, however, I still need you to get off of our territory.” He then said coldly. Swiftmind was taken aback at the order but he didn’t argue. Even if they were technically trying to help, he and Lionblaze were still trespassing. They moved to leave, but there was still something nagging at the back of his mind. He turned his gaze back to Breezepelt. “May I ask how it happened?” He couldn’t imagine how Crowfeather would get in the river when it was this cold. And he was even more curious to how the warrior got pinned by the branch. The young warrior narrowed his amber eyes. Swiftmind thought he’d refuse but eventually Breezepelt meowed hurriedly. “We were hunting. He was chasing a squirrel and it ran up a branch over the stream. It broke and he fell in, and it landed on him…” He continued to glare. It was as if he was giving a silent warning. Swiftmind didn’t feel too satisfied by Breezepelt’s explanation, but he thanked him anyway and followed Lionblaze towards a shallower part of the stream, hopping over stones to get back to Thunderclan. Once on the opposite shore, Swiftmind watched Onestar and the warriors carry Crowfeather’s body away. As they disappeared through the grass, his whiskers twitched into a frown. “Something’s not right.” He muttered to Lionblaze beside him, knowing he felt the same way. He looked at the golden warrior. “Who’s Feathertail?” Crowfeather’s dying words were only one of the many things bothering him. “She was Graystripe’s daughter. Before he met Millie he had kits with a Riverclan cat.” Lionblaze meowed. “Feathertail helped discovered the lake with Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Crowfeather, and her brother Stormfur. Only she died before getting back through the mountains. Squirrelflight told us that Crowfeather requested his warrior name in her honor…” “So he loved her too?” He had heard of bad luck but Crowfeather’s seemed the worst when it came to she-cats. And it rubbed off on them. “I can see why you didn’t want to mention it around Nightcloud.” Lionblaze nodded his head. “That, and I have a feeling when Crowfeather said something about a son, he wasn’t talking about me. He didn’t look like he noticed either of us was there.” “I got that feeling too.” Swiftmind looked back down the river to where the branch still bobbed in the water. Windclan cats aren’t tree types, even ones desperate for food. Either Breezepelt was lying, or Swiftmind was a badger. Before he voiced his opinion to Lionblaze, however, he spotted Jayfeather and Dovepaw padding up the shores towards them. The fuzzy gray apprentice looked distressed. “I’m sorry!” She mewed to them both quickly. “If I had focused my powers more maybe we could have-” She tried but Lionblaze lifted a paw, motioning for her to stop. “Dovepaw you had no idea what to look for. There was no way any of us would have expected that to happen.” Lionblaze meowed to settle her mind, though Dovepaw still didn’t look that convinced. Jayfeather raised his head to Swiftmind’s direction. Something in his blind gaze told Swiftmind that he was uncertain about what exactly had occurred on the riverbank. “I take it you both overheard Breezepelt’s story?” Swiftmind muttered. Both Dovepaw and Jayfeather nodded. “We did, and we’ll have a lot to talk about,” he spoke gradually, as if not too eager to talk about it where they stood. “But it’ll have to wait. Firestar needs to know everything that happened.” Swiftmind didn’t really want to wait to discuss Breezepelt, but he knew they would need to head back to the camp quickly. He and Lionblaze completely exhausted from the whole ordeal. If they didn’t get to a warm place to dry off they’d freeze to death. Swiftmind moved his aching paws to pad away from the stream back to the Thunderclan camp. The procession moved slowly. It felt as though a dark presence followed them in the forest, weighing everyone down with the thought of death. No one spoke as they went.
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Guess who's back?
“Let all cats old enough to catch prey join for a Clan meeting!” Firestar’s yowl sounded out across Thunderclan’s hollow, reaching in the medicine den where Swiftmind lay next to Lionblaze. Neither of them bothered to get up to listen. They knew what Firestar had to say, they had given him the news just moments earlier. Now Swiftmind was chewing bitter and dry leaves from the back if Jayfeather’s cave. “Eyck!” He gagged as a piece of leaf became stuck on the side of his throat. He coughed to dislodge it. Briarlight came to his aid with moss soaked in water. “You complain more than a kit does about herbs.” She mewed with good humor. “Har Har,” Swiftmind sighed. As nice as Briarlight was being he wasn’t in much of a mood for jokes. Too much had happened. “Thanks for the moss, but you should go to the meeting. You’ll need to hear it.” He started lapping at the spongy moss and kept his gaze down. “But-” He heard her mew to protest but she was interrupted. Swiftmind glanced one eye up to see Jayfeather had padded over to her. The medicine cat nudged Briarlight over to the cave’s entrance. Swiftmind followed in the direction with his eye and saw his apprentice. Dogpaw was sitting against the rock quietly, appearing to listen to the meeting though one ear was pointed to their conversation. Even though he was fully rested at the moment the apprentice never went out of sight of Swiftmind. “It’s alright, I can take care of things from here.” Jayfeather told Briarlight who shrugged. She dragged her useless back legs over to Dogpaw’s side and laid by him to listen to the grim news. The blind medicine cat didn’t go back to his herbs but sat in front of Swiftmind and Lionblaze on the sandy floor. He seemed to be deep in thought. Swiftmind didn’t know if it’d be right to break the silence. After a while Lionblaze was the one who finally spoke. “Do you think there will be a vigil?” He meowed somberly. He seemed unsure of how to act with Crowfeather’s death. Swiftmind couldn’t imagine him being too close to the Windclan warrior, even if he was his birth father. Swiftmind shook his head. “After what he made Leafpool go through? I don’t think many cats would.” Both cats seemed to stiffen uncomfortably at this, but Jayfeather took a deep breath. “Yet Leafpool might.” He closed his eyes. Of course Leafpool might mourn Crowfeather’s death. The tom broke her heart again and again, but she cared for her…ex. Just as Susan still cared about Tom long after their romance died. Swiftmind sighed, knowing the news would be horrible for his tawny she-cat friend. “I got to find her.” “What? Swiftmind we got to talk about what happened at the stream.” Lionblaze looked at him with grave seriousness. The golden warrior glanced at the cave mouth where Dogpaw and Briarlight were sitting. They were wrapped in Firestar’s rendition of the news. Lionblaze turned sharply back to Swiftmind and hissed. “Breezepelt’s behind it. I know it!” his claws dug into the sand. Jayfeather’s tail lashed with equal irritation. “This could be a sign that the dark forest is starting to take more action. We need everyone included in the Prophecy.” He said quietly as well. “Yeah but you two agreed already,” Swiftmind stood up, ignoring the shake in his legs. “Leafpool’s important to all the things that are happening, even if she isn’t in any omens. I’m going to make sure she’s ok.” He started to head out but Jayfeather got up quickly and stood in front of him. The medicine cat meowed again. “Are you sure you’re just checking on her for the prophecy, and not just your own feelings?” He looked at him critically. Swiftmind however didn’t look away from the judging stares that Jayfeather and Lionblaze were giving him. He nodded his head. “Yes.” It was mostly a lie, but it made Jayfeather get out of his way. He padded away from the two stiffly and passed by Dogpaw and Briarlight. From how quiet it was and how everyone was going off to little groups Firestar had finished with the news. Dogpaw looked up at Swiftmind, not completely saddened but he still looked depressed. The little apprentice hadn’t even known Crowfeather but he must have felt the sadness coming from some of the other warriors in the Clan. He sighed and kept going, looking for Leafpool in the crowd.
For once the hollow was quiet, making the winter air feel even colder. His paws dragged quietly on the ground as he passed from group to group in his search. He didn’t see his tawny friend, but he did catch snippets of conversations. Speculations and worries about what this death so early in winter meant. “First Dogpaw’s attacked, and now this. There are going to be some dark days ahead…I can just feel it.” Swiftmind heard Brackenfur meow to his mate Sorreltail. He walked on to see Berrynose hurry to the nursery, probably to tell his own family the news or perhaps just to be close to them. The whole Clan was starting to get uneasy. Swiftmind couldn’t blame everyone for being on edge. It was like a dark cloud that was seen on the horizon, now steadily getting closer and closer to bring one devil of a storm. Crowfeather was a strong warrior, of course they’re going to take his death as a bad omen. Swiftmind hunched his shoulders and carried on. Perhaps it was a sign. If Breezepelt truly did kill his own father, it meant that he and his dark mentors were starting to take action. But why Crowfeather? Did he suspect his son? Did he know about the dreams? Maybe he noticed Breezepelt kept waking up every morning with scratches and bite marks…s a theory at best, but that would give the dark warrior enough of a reason to kill Crowfeather. Swiftmind found himself going towards the Warriors’ den. If his friend wasn’t in the hollow, she might have gone to bed early. He started to wonder if Leafpool herself could shed some light on how Crowfeather behaved. Then he could truly figure out what he was killed for. He then stopped himself at the entrance of the den, looking at it without much comprehension. He couldn’t do that to Leafpool. She had cared for the Windclan warrior. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her about his murder, or his other family. It would just make things worse for her now. Swiftmind took a deep breath of frigid air. But I still need to know if she’s alright. He wanted to make sure she was ok. He took a few pawsteps inside. Leafpool had been in there. He caught her scent in the air, but it was faint. His eyes caught two shapes curled up together near the very back. Swiftmind tilted his head and stepped forward. “Hello?” He meowed softly. One of the cats lifted their head and turned to look at him. “Swiftmind?” The voice was deep. Swiftmind came even closer to see it was Brambleclaw. The deputy was sitting next to Squirrelflight, his tail curled around the she-cat as she had been leaning against him. Both cats immediately tensed and stood up. “Oh sorry,” Swiftmind stammered, figuring he had interrupted a personal moment. “I was just looking for Leafpool. I just… I’ll just go.” He tried to back away. Squirrelflight bristled and advanced on him. “Leafpool’s not out there? She’s missing?” “Well I wouldn’t go that far!” Swiftmind sputtered, still shaken mentally from everything happening. Though now he started to get more worried for Leafpool as well. She could have gone anywhere in the forest surrounding them. “She has to be somewhere.” “Let’s go find her then.” Brambleclaw got to his large paws and headed for the entrance. “If we can’t find Leafpool ourselves I’ll gather a bigger search party. Though I doubt we’ll need one.” He seemed to glance at Squirrelflight knowingly before slipping out of the warriors’ den. Swiftmind looked at the ginger she-cat. “And what did he mean by that?” He asked but Squirrelflight didn’t answer his question. Only she shot him a sharp look. “Shouldn’t you go back to the medicine den?” She started to trail after Brambleclaw. Her glare made Swiftmind’s fur rise off of his skin. She’s angry at me again? For what, interrupting her and Brambleclaw, or does she blame me that Leafpool’s missing? For all he knew it was both. “I’ll rest easier knowing that Leafpool’s safe.” He meowed roughly and followed her out into the hollow. Squirrelflight quickened her pace as she padded to the camp’s entrance. Their Clanmates looked up curiously but no one stopped them. No one asked why. Swiftmind kept his head low as he went through the brambles after Squirrelflight’s fuzzy tail disappeared down it. Outside the camp they rejoined with Brambleclaw. Without meowing a word, the three of them went into the forest. Squirrelflight went ahead of them, seeming to follow an invisible trail. The silence ate at Swiftmind, and he tried to distract himself from the worry he felt. He glanced at Brambleclaw. “Again, sorry for barging in on you and Squirrelflight...” He meowed. “I didn’t think you were back together.” “We are not back together.” Brambleclaw said bluntly, keeping his amber gaze forward. “Crowfeather was a friend to us both when we went on the journey to find this place. We were both just mourning his loss.” He watched Brambleclaw doubtfully. “Even after all this time, you’re still mad at her? For something she and her sister never intended to happen?” He kept his voice low so Squirrelflight wouldn’t hear their conversation. Then the deputy gave him a surprisingly cold look that made him stop. “Squirrelflight lied to me Swiftmind.” He nearly growled. “I may not be angry at her anymore. I’ll even stand by her for a vigil for Crowfeather. But I haven’t forgiven her. I’m not sure I ever will.” Brambleclaw stood glaring at him before he continued up the path, leaving Swiftmind to stand in the cold. He sighed and padded after the two warriors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahhh! So much to do, so little time to do it XP
Leafpool’s faint scent grew stronger as they padded along the forest path. Squirrelflight seemed to know exactly where to go to find her sister. Swiftmind never had any brothers or sisters growing up, so he had to wonder if it was normal for siblings to have such a connection. Occasionally he’d glance at Brambleclaw, thinking over what the deputy had told him. Was he really that offended about a lie? Granted learning that the kits you raised as your own turning out to belong not to you and your beloved, but were actually be her sister’s and some cat from another clan would make anyone angry. But Jayfeather and Lionblaze are learning to forgive Leafpool, I know that. Swiftmind huffed. Even if the brothers didn’t want him knowing he could tell by the way they talked about her. So why can’t he forgive Squirrelflight? He shook his head. Swiftmind didn’t want to get involved in the two cat’s relationship problems. There was a missing friend to find. His paws stepped from the chilly forest floor to freezing pebbles along the lake shore. He gazed out across the waters, it surface was like glass. Not even the faint breeze disturbed it. It’s becoming frozen. Swiftmind looked at the very edges of the water and he could still see frost this late in the day. He tried to imagine how cold it must have been at night and his fur rose. We’d better find Leafpool soon. No one should be out in this cold. As they continued along the lake stones, Swiftmind tried to imagine why Leafpool would come all the way out here to escape her sorrows. Perhaps she just needed the silence, away from the whispers within the Thunderclan hollow. There was certainly plenty of silence around. The birds that used to sing through the trees wouldn’t be back until spring, which now felt very far away. Squirrelflight then quickened her pace ahead of them. Swiftmind had trouble keeping up with the stronger warriors in his weakened state. “What is it?” He called to them, hoping they’d either slow down or help him move faster. “Did you find her?” The ginger she-cat said nothing and just kept moving quickly towards the river that drained into the lake from the moonpool. Swiftmind shuddered. Being by the stream again was the last thing he wanted to do. But then his eyes caught sight of a tawny shape, hunched over the bank of the black water. Swiftmind found new strength in his muscles and surged forward, but Squirrelflight reached her sister first. When both she-cats were together Brambleclaw stopped and swished his tail sharply in front of Swiftmind. He found himself obeying the order to halt. He desperately wanted to run over to Leafpool to comfort her; he knew why the deputy stopped him. Leafpool was grieving. Her sister was the best person to talk to her at this time, not him or Brambleclaw. So he sat, watching from a short distance. Swiftmind could only see Leafpool’s back, but he could still see her shake. Squirrelflight rested her tail over Leafpool’s shoulders and the more delicate she-cat leaned against her strong sister. They seemed to be talking, but the words could not reach Swiftmind’s ears even in their silent surroundings. His shoulders hunched as he waited, but what he waited for he wasn’t too sure about. If only Leafpool would turn around, acknowledge that he was there. If only they could just talk to each other… “We should go.” Brambleclaw meowed to him. Swiftmind didn’t tear his gaze from the two cats at the stream but he flicked his ear. “But we came all the way out here, we can’t just leave.” Brambleclaw shook his head. “We found Leafpool, she’s safe and Squirrelflight’s with her.” His coldness from before seemed to have lessened now. “They will come back to the camp before the sun sets, but at their own time.” He sighed heavily, but Swiftmind forced himself to look away from his friend. “Alright…” He mewed tiredly. When Brambleclaw started to head back along the shore from where they came, Swiftmind slowly started to follow. The stones under his paws felt colder than ever. After a few pawsteps, something tugged at his mind. He stopped and looked back towards Squirrelflight and Leafpool. A pair of eyes stared back. It was Leafpool, who had turned her head to look back as well. They looked at each other, both frozen as if in a trance. It felt as though his heart even stopped. And then… Leafpool looked away. Just like that morning, there was something wrong in her eyes. Something that was now starting to separate them, and it wasn’t Crowfeather’s death. Switmind’s heart started again, however pained it was. He turned his gaze to the stars that now started to shine out. Deep down, he knew I was them. What did Starclan tell you Leafpool?
Chapter 6
The forest was becoming more and more coated with frost each morning. Tonight would be the halfmoon, but before he got ready he wanted to check on his herb garden once again. He had to be careful with this weather. In one night his entire supply of precious catmint could die off, leaving the Clan helpless to greencough once again. The herbs Swiftmind had brought back from the twolegplace were helping with Sandstorm’s cough, but they wouldn’t last the whole winter. Not after the amount they had used for battle wounds. Soon his paws stepped on the familiar ground of his garden as he approached the abandoned twoleg den. His whiskers brushed against a hard foul smelling object. It was Tom’s monster, still resting where the twoleg-cat had left it. Maybe if times get really desperate… Jayfeather thought to himself but the idea was quickly swiped away. Firestar had made it clear; Thunderclan couldn’t rely on Swiftmind for everything. Even though he was proving more useful then they had first thought long ago. Swiftmind and Lionblaze had recovered from almost freezing in the river. By now they were probably just returning from Dawn patrol. Swiftmind still seemed weak somehow. Maybe the cold affected him more than Lionblaze. The medicine cat sighed. The last thing he needed was for one of the cats of the prophecy to get sick. The smell of catmint greeted him and he breathed in its tantalizing scent. Some of the plants had grown weak, despite the shelter and leaves he had surrounded their stalks in to protect their roots. But the herbs were still alive, and held their healing potential. If greencough did show up, he’d be ready. As long as the catmint survived that is… He came to one of the plants and sniffed, catching a familiar scent. Dovepaw had been in his garden. Confused as to why the apprentice had been near the catnip, he sniffed the plant again. Stalks of the catnip were missing! They had been carefully severed; Jayfeather could still smell Dovepaw’s saliva on what had remained, and caught the scent of catmint on the ground. She had dragged the stolen herbs away from the garden not too long ago. A furious growl rose in Jayfeather’s chest. Dovepaw had stolen from his garden, stolen from her own clan! But why? Surely she knew that they needed the catmint more than ever now that leafbare was upon them. Why would she rob the garden? He couldn’t imagine. But by all the stars in Silver Pelt he would find out. Jayfeather followed the scent of Dovepaw and the catmint stalks away from the abandoned twoleg nest, his pelt bristling on his skin.
Dovepaw’s scent led Jayfeather through dense brush, she must have wanted to avoid the Dawn patrol’s path and normally hunted areas to prevent her scent from being caught. But she forgot about me. Jayfeather maneuvered over the roots and low shrub branches. He tried not to make a sound, but he started to wonder if Dovepaw already heard him coming. He knew she had not been practicing that much, but surely Dovepaw would hear him following her, wouldn’t she? The scent of pine needles and mossy earth began to mingle with Dovepaw’s scent in the air. His ears folded back on his head. The apprentice was taking the stolen herbs to Shadowclan! More questions arose in Jayfeather’s mind, and he pushed onward. He followed her trail right to the border, his ears pricked for even the slightest sign. The smell of catmint was strong where it had been dragged along the ground, right over the scent markers. Jayfeather growled, prepared to step over and track her down even on another Clan’s territory before he heard voices. They were distant but were steadily getting closer. He recognized one of them to be Dovepaw’s. Good, I’ll catch her right as she comes back into Thunderclan! Then he could have his answers. Quickly, Jayfeather darted into a nearby thicket. He ignored the sharp pricks of the twigs snatching at his fur and he crouch low. His blind eyes narrowed towards the border. The voices were even closer now, unaware he was listening in. “You shouldn’t worry. There was plenty to spare.” Dovepaw’s mew became clear. She was speaking to someone else. The Shadowclan cat she was with meowed back. “I’ll be forever grateful for this Dovepaw. And so will my brother.” Jayfeather tilted his head, recognizing Tigerheart’s voice. “Please don’t tell anyone though!” Dovepaw said hastily. “I don’t want anyone knowing.” Tigerheart rumbled with a chuckle. “I understand. Though Flametail would use the herbs anyway, even if the catmint came from Thunderclan.” The Shadowclan warrior seemed to pause. “How did you know there was greencough in our clan anyway? Only Littlecloud has it.” “Oh, I…” Dovepaw hesitated. Jayfeather listened intently. Littlecloud has greencough? That’s why she took the herbs? He stopped himself from sighing tiredly. If only she had told him. Or even Firestar. Then they would have given the catmint to Shadowclan anyway, without the secrecy. “I guessed.” Dovepaw explained. “We’re starting to get whitecough in our clan and I was worried you were getting sick too.” “You shouldn’t worry about us. We can take care of ourselves.” Tigerheart grew serious for a moment, but his kind tone returned. “Thank you though.” Jayfeather could hear Dovepaw’s purr from his hiding spot. She was more than content with Tigerheart’s thanks. Adoration came off of her in waves, but there was also caution in her pawsteps. “See you at the gathering.” She mewed softly to the Shadowclan warrior. Tigerheart said goodbye as well and they parted. They were going back to their own camps. Though, Jayfeather planned on getting to Dovepaw before she set one toe near the bramble barrier. He moved to get out from his hiding spot when he heard Dovepaw gasp in surprise close by. Oh great, she heard me. Jayfeather huffed. He hoped she wouldn’t alert Tigerheart. The warrior couldn’t have gotten that far either. “I guess you’re going to lecture me now?” Dovepaw suddenly meowed testily. As if she was trying not to be surprised by Jayfeather’s presence. Jayfeather bared his teeth, tugging at the prickly branches to free himself and to give Dovepaw a piece of his mind. You’ll be lucky to just get a lecture! “Don’t treat me like I’m mousebrained!” Dovepaw then retorted, even though Jayfeather hadn’t said a word. “I know Tigerheart’s training with Ivypaw. But maybe I can convince him to listen to me when she won’t?” The medicine cat froze. Dovepaw wasn’t focused in his direction. In fact she didn’t even seem to notice he was there. She was having an argument with someone entirely different. Someone Jayfeather couldn’t hear… There was only silence when Dovepaw had stopped talking. A silence that felt deeper than the usual hush of leafbare. It filled Jayfeather’s ears and chilled his blood. “You keep showing up to give me advice, but you never told me why you care so much.” Dovepaw spoke to the air with exasperation. “Am I your friend or is there something else going on? I’m starting to see spirits everywhere! All around my kin! Illfur said they’ve always been there. What havn’t you told me?” Her voice was again met with no sound. Jayfeather wished he could see, but felt that even if he had sight all he would see would be Dovepaw staring at nothing. The name Illfur brought back horrible memories of a dead black world, cold caves, and a hacking green-eyed creature posing as a cat. Jayfeather shuddered. Dovepaw had talked to the diseased spirit? When? And who exactly was being followed? Jayfeather’s head began to ache at how many questions had been raised that day. But there was one thing he was sure about. Dovepaw was very familiar with them, even more than him. And Jayfeather had been the one to tell her and Lionblaze about them. “Please Soulcatcher, I’m sorry for yelling at you back then. I… I didn’t want to believe you were right, but you were.” Dovepaw pleaded, making it clear who she was talking to. “Just don’t leave me in the dark. Please!” “Soulcatcher!” Jayfeather finally couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. He had a feeling that the silence had to do with the deathly Bane. “You can see Soulcatcher?” He was finally able to pull himself free. The silence surrounding Dovepaw vanished to be replaced with the calm of the frozen forest. Dovepaw hissed in surprise and her paws clawed at the ground as she turned. “J-Jayfeather? What how long have you been hiding there?” “Long enough,” He padded towards her voice. “Not only are you giving medicine to another Clan without even telling me… You know a lot more about Soulcatcher than you let me or the others believe.” He meowed darkly as he confronted her. “What have you been hiding?” All Jayfeather could hear from Dovepaw was her heart, beating against her chest like trapped prey. Words were getting caught in her throat. Jayfeather waited for her to answer, but she said nothing. Instead, claws crackled into the leaves and Dovepaw turned and ran. Jayfeather hissed and took off after her. “Dovepaw!” He yowled but she didn’t slow. Jayfeather panted as leaves and twigs battered his face. She was going through the thickest stuff just to avoid him! Something stung against his leg. Foxdung! He hissed and stopped to untangle his paw from a dried dead tendril. Dovepaw’s pawsteps grew distant and had almost faded completely once he had gotten himself free. Jayfeather shook out his fur with a growl. He had lost her.
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Ahhhhh! It's been so long! But I finally got a decent sized section up! And there's more to come!
He decided against searching for Dovepaw through the forest again. The apprentice was on alert and would hear Jayfeather before he could even get close. Instead, he went back to the camp. He needed to prepare for his journey to the moonpool, and he could tell Lionblaze and Swiftmind about Dovepaw’s discoveries. They could wait for Dovepaw to come back while he was gone. Then he could have all his answers when he returned from the moonpool. I hope she’s more talkative then. He thought cynically as he padded into the hollow. Much to his annoyance, Lionblaze had already left the camp after just returning from the dawn patrol, in search of Dovepaw ironically. All he could find was Swiftmind who was helping Dogpaw clean out the nursery. “What happened now?” Swiftmind asked tiredly. Perhaps he had seen the angry look on Jayfeather’s face and assumed the worst. Jayfeather stopped beside the twoleg cat. “I wish I knew myself.” He scowled. “If Lionblaze manages to find Dovepaw though, keep her in the camp until I get back from the moonpool. I want to talk to her.” “What about Dovepaw?” Jayfeather twitched his ears to the nursery entrance. Dogpaw was pushing out a giant ball of filthy moss, and had been eavesdropping on them. His ears flattened. The last thing he wanted was for the whole clan to find out due to a nosey apprentice. “She told me she had a sore paw earlier. I want to make sure it isn’t anything serious.” He lied. Before Dogpaw could question further, Swiftmind stepped in. “Go ahead and take the rubbish out of camp. I’ll come out after you to find some new bedding.” “We’re not going to find much now.” Dogpaw grumbled and headed to the bramble barrier. Jayfeather would be surprised if they could find moss at this time. Or even feathers now that most of the birds had flown away to warmer nests. “And I’ll be keeping an eye out for Dovepaw and Lionblaze while I’m out.” Swiftmind meowed back to the medicine cat. “You will fill us in when you get back, right?” “I will.” Jayfeather nodded his head. He wouldn’t leave Swiftmind or Lionblaze out of the dark this time. “Good luck.” Swiftmind gave a twoleg-like rumble, which he assumed meant he was amused. “Good luck to you too. You’re the one who’s going to be sleeping in the cold.” The tom headed out after Dogpaw, leaving Jayfeather to his own devices.
The halfmoon was high with Silver Pelt as Jayfeather finally set out to join the other medicine cats. He could already smell the lake, though the familiar lapping of the water on the shore was almost silent. He felt his paws touch gravel and the cold from the tiny rocks went up his foreleg. He suppressed a shiver and continued out in the open. He was met by the familiar scent of Riverclan, and a voice. “Hello Jayfeather. Glad to see you made it.” “Hello Mothwing.” He greeted in return. “Hello Willowshine.” He added as he heard more pawsteps along the lake shore. He sniffed the air. He couldn’t scent Flametail or Littlecloud yet. Maybe Littlecloud is doing worse than I thought. Jayfeather sighed. Flametail might not want to leave his side tonight. “Is something wrong?” Willowshine mewed questioningly. Jayfeather shook out his fur. “Flametail and Littlecloud are usually here by now…” He answered, though he wouldn’t voice his suspicions of Littlecloud’s illness. They waited together quietly, only speaking to talk about how their Clans were fairing as leafbare drew near. Eventually they could not wait any longer and made their way along the shore. They met up with Kestrelflight. The Windclan medicine cat shivered and stood up from his sheltered patch of ground to join them. “Littlecloud and Flametail aren’t with you?” He noticed. “I wonder what’s keeping them.” “I hope it’s not something too serious.” Willowshine meowed worriedly. Jayfeather said nothing, only bobbing his head in agreement. He did not join in any of their pleasant conversation, save to maybe a few simple meows on how he was feeling. He had too much on his mind. When they reached the stone hollow Jayfeather followed the dimpled marks of paw prints on the ground. The familiar paths lead him and the others right to the pool of sacred water. Jayfeather knew, even without his sight, he knew it mirrored the stars above them. He settled down by the water with the other medicine cats and reached his nose to its surface. The cold shocked him, and he wondered how the waters had not frozen over completely. The sound of breathing around him steadied as the medicine cats eased to sleep and he too found himself tiring. All of them, save Mothwing, would dream with Starclan. When he opened his eyes, he was in the forest. It was not cold and lifeless like he had left it, but green and warm. There was no leafbare in Starclan. He got to his paws and moved quickly. He needed a way to find out more about Littlecloud’s condition, and if the herbs Dovepaw had stolen to give to Shadowclan was helping at all. But how would he reach Flametail or Littlecloud’s dreams so far away? He wasn’t sure if his powers were that strong yet. Instead, he made his way to the scent of Windclan. Perhaps he could answer some other questions in Kestrelflight’s dreams. The Windclan medicine cat might look for Crowfeather, and reveal the truth about his death. If he tells Kestrelflight what really happened then Breezepelt will pay for his crimes! Jayfeather felt encouraged by that thought and made his way deeper into Kestrelflight’s mind. After padding over through the mental moors Jayfeather spotted a whole group of cats. He found Kestrelflight, but the Windclan medicine cat was being surrounded by Starclan warriors. Crouching low over a rise, he tried to listen in on their conversation. “Are you really sure?” Kestrelflight mewed uncertainly as he looked around at his starry ancestors. “Starclan has always been united! And Medicine cats!” “Things change Kestrelflight.” Jayfeather recognized Mudclaw. “For now, keep your loyalties to your Clan. They need you most of all.” Jayfeather tilted his head. What had they been talking about? Looking at the Starclan cats around Kestrelflight, he noticed they were all sleek and thing. All of them were Windclan, and Windclan only, all except Crowfeather. The dark warrior could not be seen in the ranks. “What is going on?” He muttered to himself as he tried to listen more. A shadow then fell across him. “Maybe you’d get your answers by staying in your own dream!”
Jayfeather spun around to find he had been followed by Yellowfang. He bared his teeth but how could he be surprised? The old she-cat was always finding ways to get under his pelt. The flat-faced medicine cat gave a scolding snarl before he could even speak. “Come with me, before we’re both found.” She turned around, nearly knocking her matted tail in his face as she darted back out of Kestrelflight’s dream. Jayfeather was very tempted not to follow, but there wasn’t much he’d be able to find out now that he’d been distracted. He padded after her quietly back into the forest where he had woken up. The flat-faced medicine cat then stopped to face him sternly. “You must learn to control yourself. What would you do if they had seen you? Kestrelflight would know that he wouldn’t be dreaming of other cats when only Starclan would visit him!” She snarled. “You’re starting to get careless.” “Maybe if I had the answers I needed I wouldn’t have to go searching!” He retorted in aggravation. He would not be scolded like a kit that wandered out after dark. “What was Mudclaw telling Kestrelflight anyway?” He demanded. “Have the Windclan ancestors lost their trust for the other clans?” Yellowfang huffed. “We were just going to tell you, until we found out you had left your own dream.” Her tail flicked towards the surrounding trees. Jayfeather’s pelt burned hotly as he could pick out more Starclan cats. All of them were from Thunderclan. If I had waited I would have gotten my answers! Now he really did feel like a mousebrained kit. He noticed Spottedleaf among the ranks. The delicate medicine cat padded softly over to him and Yellowfang. Her dappled face looked very grave. “Starclan has lost faith in itself, truthfully.” Spottedleaf mewed. “Mistrust in the Clans has spread even amongst the stars. We have split, into four.” Jayfeather stared, stunned at her words. Starclan had split? “Why?” He looked at both Starclan medicine cats. “There are no borders in Starclan, and you’re forming them now? When there’s a battle coming from the Dark Forest?!” “And it is coming from within the clans!” Yellowfang growled. “Allies can’t be trusted when your very clanmates are being poised against you.” “The clans must face this battle,” Spottedleaf meowed with a nod, however she looked more saddened by this. “But the prophecy was for Thunderclan, and Thunderclan must fight this war alone.” Jayfeather stared, the forest around them seeming to become darker. As if the Place of No Stars was closing around them as they spoke. “But…how?” Dovepaw still needed more training, and Swiftmind was weak from the river. When the battle came, would they be ready? His ears perked as he tought about Dovepaw, about what happened that morning. “The Banes! That’s it isn’t it?” He looked around the clearing at his ancestors. The Starclan cats looked at Jayfeather in surprise, some actually flinched at the Spirits mention. Jayfeather swerved back to Spottedleaf. “Dovepaw can see the Death of Cats. And Illfur! Why is that? Is it another power?” Spottedleaf’s fur stood on end and she stepped back. “It…it was not a power originally given.” She struggled. “Something happened. Soulcatcher showed himself to her and left a scar in her mind that lets her see them. All of them.” “She can see the Banes.” Jayfeather meowed slowly, now understanding why Dovepaw was so distant sometimes. He had been shaken from seeing them only once, but she had to endure them in the world outside dreams, walking alongside her clanmates who couldn’t see them. Jayfeather thought back to the silence that Dovepaw had been so focused on, the voice of death that he couldn’t hear. She was talking to Soulcatcher… like a friend…She had been arguing, but she argued to everyone, even her mentor Lionblaze. “Maybe this isn’t a bad thing.” He murmured to himself. Jayfeather felt ideas forming in his head. “Soulcatcher knows things. Everything! And Dovepaw can talk to him at any time.” He looked up at Yellowfang and Spottedleaf. The starry medicine cats gazed at each other with unease. “Jayfeather, you remember what happened the last time you encountered Soulcatcher?” Yellowfang meowed grimly. “You tried to use his knowledge and your mind was almost shattered. Do you think he’ll help you so willingly? He and his kind are neutral. It is their way.” “If he was neutral, he wouldn’t have come to me in my dreams. He wouldn’t have shown me where Ivypaw trains!” He countered. “He can help!” “But at what price?” Yellowfang growled. “He and his kin want to come into Starclan, where they don’t belong. Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death shouldn’t be here, so now they’ll tempt you with aid to seek welcome past our borders.” Jayfeather looked at her, taken aback by what she said. He gazed at the ghostly Thunderclan cats in the clearing. All around him his ancestors were bristling and shaking their heads with unease, all but one. Sitting far off on a clump of tree roots was a slightly transparent white cat, sparkling like fresh fallen snow. Icestar nodded her head to Jayfeather, and then leapt off the roots to disappear into the bracken. Jayfeather stood still, contemplating her quick gesture. He flexed his paws, becoming more determined. Icestar was the only one who believed he was right. The Banes could help. “From what I’ve seen in the Place of No Stars…Unless you want your own kin bringing down destruction on the Clans, and the Dark Forest to overcome Starclan itself, united or not you will have to accept the help of powers greater than the stars themselves.” There was silence among the Starclan warriors as the weight of his words carried. Spottedleaf then took a few steps towards him. “We cannot predict how Soulcatcher and his kin will act, for they are beyond our knowing, beyond our dwindling powers…” She looked at him, a glimmer of hope in her shining eyes. “It will take much for us to believe or trust them, much more than it took for us to trust the twoleg tom. But if you are right, and the Banes help our side, then we will finally stop Tigerstar.” “As promising as that sounds,” another voice meowed. “I only seeing you gain support from one, Soulcatcher.” Jayfeather turned to see Bluestar sit up from her place among the Starclan cats. Her blue eyes gleamed. “As powerful as he is, he is bound by his own code. Soulcatcher cannot kill those before their time. And he may not be able to sway the other Banes.” “But it would still be an advantage.” Jayfeather persisted to the previous leader of Thunderclan. “It wouldn’t hurt to try.” “Yes, it would.” Bluestar stood to all fours as the rest of the starry warriors began to leave. “Good luck to you then Jayfeather, and to The Three and Swiftmind. I hope the Death of Cats will listen.” Jayfeather felt a weight lifted from him at her words, even as his vision started to darken. The rest of Starclan may not like his plan, but a few were willing to try it. But will Soulcatcher listen? The dark spirit didn’t speak to him much on their last encounter. He had only been showing Jayfeather what he needed to see. And that’s a start. Jayfeather’s vision began to darken, but he felt hopeful. Soulcatcher might not speak to him, but Jayfeather knew exactly who could speak with The Death of Cats. With luck, she would be in the camp right now, waiting for him…
Chapter 7
Lionblaze sat outside the bramble barrier, watching his breath turn into fog in the chilly air. The stars of Silver Pelt shined down with the half moon above them, yet they wouldn’t give the golden warrior any warmth on this cold night. He suspected there would be a great amount of frost when the morning came. If I can wake up for the morning after this… Lionblaze shook out his fur. He was used to waiting for Jayfeather on some nights, but it felt like it was taking longer this night. The patrol that day had tired his muscles, and hunting after that had tired his mind. Jayfeather could have easily been taking the usual amount of time at the moonpool and he was just tired. Beside him Swiftmind let out a tired yawn, doubtlessly just as tired as Lionblaze felt. Then the twoleg cat let out a small cough, his chest heaving a few times. Lionblaze blinked. “Are you alright?” “Yeah, why?” Swiftmind turned his blue eyes towards him. “I was just clearing my throat.” Lionblaze gazed at him seriously. With Sandstorm still coughing and now Squirrelflight with a sore throat they couldn’t afford more warriors to get sick this leafbare. “Still, maybe you should have Jayfeather look at it when he comes back.” “He needs his herbs for the rest of the Clan.” Swiftmind shook his head persistently. “If it gets worse I can always change into a human and just buy my own cough medicine.” That gave Lionblaze a little comfort, but he didn’t like the idea of Swiftmind always leaving. It felt like every time Swiftmind left the worst would happen to either the clan or him, or even both at the same time. He didn’t bring it up again though. Instead he gave a small nod and let his attention drift to the small grey she-cat between them. He had found his apprentice hiding among the trees above the clan hollow, and had been questioning her when Swiftmind found them both. Apparently she had done something to make Jayfeather angry. What she had done, Dovepaw didn’t say. Lionblaze was intent on finding out, even if the young she-cat stayed silent for the whole night and the day after that. Dovepaw didn’t even look up at Lionblaze. Her head was down, her ears perked to the forest just ahead of them. Perhaps she was listening for the medicine cat to return, and Lionblaze didn’t doubt she could hear Jayfeather already. The slow crunch of dead frozen leaves alerted Lionblaze to someone on the forest path ahead of them and he stared. As he suspected, his brother was making his way towards the bramble barrier. He released another cloud of warm air as a sigh. “Welcome back.” He meowed quietly to not alert anyone in the clan behind the bramble entrance. “Thank you Lionblaze,” Jayfeather bobbed his head in a nod as he approached them. The blind cat paused and sniffed the air, his blind eyes gazed unseeingly. “And thank you for bringing everyone Swiftmind.” “It was no trouble.” Swiftmind shrugged his brown shoulders. “I just want to know what’s happened.” “And I’ll tell you, when we’re in a quieter place.” Jayfeather promised. Lionblaze tilted his head. “You want us to go trekking into the forest right now? Where do you have in mind?” Whatever happened must be serious. “Not too far.” Jayfeather meowed and turned on the path. Even blind, he could lead them though the forest. “Follow me. And Dovepaw don’t try to sneak away.” He added sharply. Between Lionblaze and Swiftmind, Dovepaw flinched. Lionblaze got to his paws and waited for Dovepaw to go ahead of him after Jayfeather. He and Swiftmind then padded after them through the shadowy forest. It reminded him of the time they finally admitted to Firestar that they were the cats of the prophecy out in the forest where no prying eyes could see them. That meeting had gone better than they had planned, even though it caused Swiftmind’s eyes to alter for a time. He flicked his gaze back to Swiftmind, hoping the twoleg-cat really was fine. Soon, Jayfeather led them into a clearing. Lionblaze recognized it as the one Swiftmind had him and the others play a twoleg game. One with nets and a large black and white boulder. Just beyond Lionblaze could make out the shape of the old twoleg den and the monster Tom rode inside. Jayfeather sat down in the clearing and lowered his head. Possibly he was thinking of what to say to them next. The need to break the silence was too great. “Did Starclan tell you anything about the Three?” He mewed. Did it have something to do with Dovepaw? He hoped that perhaps they had advice for her powers, but he wouldn’t know until Jayfeather finally spoke. His brother nodded his grey head slightly and lifted it to speak to them. “They did give me a message… Starclan has split back to the clans of their birth. They say we must fight the Forest of No Stars alone.” Dovepaw bristled and gasped between Lionblaze and Swiftmind. Lionblaze was just as disturbed. “Split? But how could they do that? Starclan has always been united!” “Is it because of who the dark forest is training?” Swiftmind meowed thoughtfully. “If they won’t know who the attack will come from, or from which clan, they’re probably getting paranoid. But… you wouldn’t be telling us in private if that was all. You’d be telling Firestar.” He pointed out. Lionblaze looked back at his brother expectantly. The twoleg-cat had made a good point. “What else did they tell you?” “Something interesting…that has to do with Dovepaw.” Jayfeather meowed slowly and his blind head tilted down to the apprentice’s direction, making her fur bristle more. “I discovered it while she was stealing my catmint for Shadowclan. But I was never sure until Starclan confirmed it.” Lionblaze stared at Dovepaw in shock and then anger. “What?? Dovepaw what were you thinking?!” His voice rose very close to a yowl. How could his apprentice steal from her own clan? Then to give it to their rivals! “Littlecloud had greencough! And they didn’t have anything.” Dovepaw looked up at him with a frightened but unashamed gaze. “I couldn’t just let him die while we had so much to spare.” Lionblaze continued to stare in shock at how rash Dovepaw had been, even if her intentions were good she shouldn’t have snuck behind their backs. But wasn’t I just as sneaky at her age? A voice in the back of his mind sounded slyly. He took a deep breath, remembering his adventures with Heathertail in the tunnels. But he had been in love, or thought he had been. This is different. I never stole from Jayfeather’s medicine supplies to see Heathertail. And I don’t love her anymore… There was a small groan as beside Dovepaw, Swiftmind brought his paw over his eyes. Was he alright? “Swiftmind?” “I’m fine, it’s just,” Swiftmind looked at Dovepaw. “You do realize if you had just told Firestar, he would have been nice enough to give them the medicine right?” “But Blackstar wouldn’t have taken it. Not after what happened in the battle.” Dovepaw mewed with frustration. “I suppose he would be that stubborn.” Jayfeather mewed gruffly and his tail flicked. “But I didn’t bring us all the way out here to talk about this either. I heard who you were talking to after you gave Tigerheart the herbs.” At this Dovepaw seemed to freeze, her fur lying flat and she lowered her head. “I…I was going to tell you all. But I didn’t know how…” She murmured. “Who?” Swiftmind meowed in confusion and he lowered his paw. Lionblaze looked from his apprentice to Jayfeather. There was something even more shocking than Dovepaw’s thievery and Starclan’s division? “It wasn’t Sol was it?” He gave a guess but he knew that would be ridiculous. “No.” Jayfeather shook his head slowly. “It was Soulcatcher.” Both Lionblaze and Swiftmind went silent. He felt his golden eyes go wide. “How could you tell? You only can see him in your visions and dreams, how can she possibly see him?” His meow stammered. It seemed like everyone in the prophecy has seen this spirit except him. “I didn’t hear him, I was awake.” Jayfeather explained. “But Dovepaw was talking to him very freely, calling him by his name. And at the moonpool Starclan told me he left a scar in your mind a long time ago… That’s why you can see him, isn’t it?” He asked the apprentice. “A scar?” Swiftmind meowed loudly before Dovepaw could answer. The twoleg cat looked at Dovepaw, actually seemed more worried than angry. “Did he hurt you Dovepaw?” “No!” Dovepaw answered quickly with some agitation. “He would never. He was protecting me!” Her claws flexed on the ground and she appeared to take a deep breath. “A long time ago, when I was still starting out as an apprentice, Tigerstar tried to get me to train with him… He said he was training all of my friends but I was too scared of him to trust him.” She shivered and Lioblaze felt his own fur rise. He didn’t interrupt however, and Dovepaw continued. “And then, Soulcatcher came. He was going to take him back to the dark forest where he belonged,” Dovepaw took a big gulp of air. “Then Tigerstar did something. He managed to scratch Soulcatcher somehow. Tigerstar ran off, and Soulcatcher disappeared, so I woke up. I thought I wouldn’t ever see Soulcatcher again but I saw him the next day, next to Purdy…That was the day the fox got him.” They all went quiet. Lionblaze remembered the day Purdy died protecting the kits. Dovepaw had been so silent that day, but then everyone had. They held a vigil in respect for the brave elder, so he didn’t assume anything was out of the ordinary with Dovepaw. “But why was it that you were able to see Soulcatcher?” “Soulcatcher told me that he thought it was because his blood was spilt in my dream.” Dovepaw mewed. “His essence is in my mind permanently. Or that’s what he thinks. It never happened to him before.” “And because of that you can see the other Banes too?” Jayfeather meowed. Dovepaw shrugged her shoulders. “I guess so. But I don’t see them as often as Soulcatcher. I think they can hide when they really want to. Soulcatcher is just more… friendly than them, if you can believe that.” “I guess we’ll have to believe it.” Swiftmind curled his tail around himself where he sat. “But why did you keep it a secret for so long? It might have come in handy if you’re on good speaking terms with the embodiment of Death when we were in trouble.” “You mean we might have been able to stop cats from dying?” Lionblaze looked at Swiftmind in surprise. If they had knowledge from the Death of Cats, they might have been able to prevent Firestar and Rowanclaw’s death. Or even Crowfeather could have been saved. “It’s tricky dealing with fate…” Swiftmind said with seriousness. “I’m just saying things could have been different.” “I didn’t think you’d believe me at first. I was afraid you’d treat me like I was crazy.” Dovepaw meowed back to them. “Then when you met them all Jayfeather, and how you didn’t like them, I thought you’d be mad at me for speaking to them at all.” The grey medicine cat sighed tiredly. Except that he didn’t seem mad at Dovepaw anymore. “I understand Dovepaw. It’s hard holding onto such powerful secrets. I spoke with Starclan, or what was left of it, and they think that the Banes can help us fight the Dark Forest when the other Clans wont.”
(The rest of the story was never written.)
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:43:21 GMT -5
Art from A Soul's Path: (All credit for the art goes to Greebo.) Will be up as soon as possible.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:47:56 GMT -5
Bonus Story: (Also saved my mintedstar/fur) This story is not part of the tom Freedmen world, but is another story by Greebo.
The Cats of Stonewall:
This is not a sequal to Hidden Nature, but a different story altogether. It will involve the clans, but not directly. Enjoy. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Prologue
Cats’ mews echoed through the white walls of the laboratory, interrupted by the sharp screech of some of the many brightly colored birds from their cages. The place wasn’t as clean as it had used to be. Stray papers were scattered on the floor, and many of the scientists shiny tools were dusty, untouched. Felines paced in their cages, hungry. They hadn’t been fed much in a long time. One cat, a ginger tabby tom, was sleeping on the paper liner given to him. The light made crisscrossed shadows on his gold and orange pelt. A red collar gleamed on his neck. The tag read “Albert”. A noise made him open an amber eye. It was a harsh and raspy cough, as well as footsteps. The door in the far corner office and a tall figure in a white coat stepped in. Albert sat up. He knew this housefolk. She was one of the many that gave them food and tests. The tests were never hard with her, she held up a little card with lines on it and they would find the picture the lines meant, or run through a series of tunnels or even a fake forest to find the end that had food. Sometimes the tests were fun, like the fake forest, but what Albert really wondered was if she was going to feed them. It had been a while since yesterday. His stomach growled impatiently as he meowed with the others to get her attention. But she wasn’t holding any cards or treats. She wasn’t holding anything. She covered her mouth as another cough made her shake. Albert stopped meowing, realizing how thin she was. It was like the other housefolks that had been in the lab. They coughed and coughed, getting thin and tired. One had even fallen on the floor as he was walking past the cages. After a while they stopped showing up in the room that was Albert’s home. Only this one, his favorite, was left. Now she had been getting sick too, and he was worried that she would fall, just like the other had. He hoped she wouldn’t, she was so nice to him, giving him a collar. He didn’t like the collar, it itched, but he understood she meant well. Now she was going to the big grey box on the wall with many spots that opened the cages one at a time. Albert peered out of his kennel, wondering what she was doing. There she pressed one spot on the box, and them another, and then five more, until she started to press them all. The cages started to open, first making the cats inside surprised. Usually they would never be let out without a housefolk to pick them up. Albert blinked and jumped back in surprise as the metal bars on his cage moved aside. He looked down. A brown head looked out as well and Alberts friend looked up at him, just as confused. “What do you think she’s doing Al?” He mewed up to him. Albert shook his orange and yellow muzzle. “I don’t know Will.” He looked around. Some cats were already braving up and jumping out of their cages. Even the odd cats were leaving their kennels, like the giant ones with spots and stripes, the short stubby ones that had to be kept in the lower cages because of their legs, and the furless thin ones with long fangs that personally scared Albert. When they were all open the housefolk walked past the kennels to the bird cages. Curious, he jumped down onto the cold smooth ground and followed, trying to avoid the different cats. The big ones were already leaving through the open door, as if following a primal urge. Now all of his fellow normal cats were out of their kennels and wandering around, but he was only interested in what she was doing to their noisy neighbors. These creatures were always an oddity to him. They were tested like the cats, but instead of just understanding lines and pictures they were taught how to speak. One grey and red bird hung upside down and looked at the housefolk curiously and croaked in its high-pitched voice. “Free?” The housefolk stopped, nodding, but stopped to cough and hack. She sighed with a wheeze. “I’m dying Avon. You’ll be best in the wild.” Her housefolk voice was usually strong and made Albert’s ears ring for some time, but now it was quiet. He couldn’t understand every word, but he didn’t have to. Dying? It was as he had feared. The bird Avon blinked, understanding as well. “How will we get to wild?” She didn’t answer, but started to open the caged. Instead of flying out at first, the birds climbed out from the bars and on to the top of their cages. Albert stared as his housefolk picked up something large and boxy from a desk. All the cats and birds silently watched as she went to the center of the room and looked up. The light came from a window high up the wall. Albert often looked through it to see the clouds pass. Now she was lifting the small object, wheezing with effort as she hefted it with one arm and threw. The glass shattered with a loud crash, making the birds shriek and the cats scatter with yowls. The housefolk stumbled but managed to find an abandoned chair as she fell into a fit of coughing. Avon and his fellow birds looked at the new hole in the wall. Albert could sense a breeze blowing in, bathing the room with the scents of outside. With an erratic call the great bird flapped his wings and took off, screeching for the other birds to follow. One by one with a flurry of bright feathers the birds took off through the opening, singing freedom. Albert could feel their excitement, and he took a few tentative steps to the window, almost wishing he could fly to. The other cats looked just a eager to go outside to, the wind and clean air seemed to call to them. But another bout of coughing behind him made him turn. It seemed to be getting worse for her. Albert tentatively went back to the chair and jumped up onto his housefolk’s lap. He had never realized how nice she had been to them all until now. She could have been in her own den, trying to conserve her energy while she was sick, but instead she was using the last of her life to free them. Eventually her coughing eased. Albert saw her raise an arm shakily and let her stroke his fur. Her hand was so thin, so weak. He looked up at her sadly and whispered to her even if she couldn’t understand him. “Thank you, for everything…” She smiled with her thin cracked mouth. “You’re such a good boy Albert. Take care of everyone while I’m gone…” She coughed slightly again, it was weaker now, and her hand stopped at Albert’s collar, snapping it off. He blinked; surprised that she had taken off her collar. It felt like she was letting go, of everything. She lowered her arms, letting them droop as she rested her head to one side. Albert rested his head on her, listening as her rough breathing and heartbeat slow ever so slowly. The whole room was silent except the sound of his housefolk’s life ebb away. Thump, Thump, Thump…Thump……Thump………thump…………and then, silence. No one spoke. His friends were looking up at him with wide unhappy eyes. The housefolk had been kind to all of them, and she’d be missed. Albert sighed, closing his own amber eyes as he quietly said goodbye. The somber peace was eventually broken by the sound of his collar dropping from their caretaker’s lifeless hand. The chink of the tiny piece of metal woke the ginger tom from his brief vigil. Everyone was around the chair, and yet he never had felt more alone. “W-what will we do Albert?” William whimpered from the back. Albert looked back at them all, unsure. Was he suddenly their leader? He looked towards the open door. Senses of wonder and dread filled him. None have them had ever been truly outside before. They had been in rooms that had looked like outside to practice climbing and running around through plants, but would they be able to survive? Already one cat was heading to the door, a white tom with green eyes. Someone in the crowd yowled. “Blizzard where are you going?!” One of the short cats, a she-cat, took a few tentative steps with her small legs but stopped at the edge of the crowd. The tom turned and huffed. “To the wild, like the birds and the big ones. I won’t stay trapped in here any longer than I need to.” He shook his fur out. “If you’re smart you’d join me.” Blizzard then went back on his way, moving calmly out of the hall. The short she-cat sniffed, huddled close to the ground. She was frightened. But there was more movement. The hairless cats were following Blizzard, huddled close for warmth or perhaps they were nervous too. When they too disappeared from sight there were murmurs. Should they follow? Some looked back up at Albert. “Should we go?” Albert frowned, thinking silently to himself. None of them had really learned to survive out in the wild. They could learn, but it would be dangerous unless they had decent shelter. He looked up at the pale face of his dead housefolk. For all he knew she wasn’t the only one to be sick. All of the housefolk could have been dying. All of those homes… empty. There would be more homeless cats than he could imagine. “No,” He finally meowed. He jumped down and picked up his collar in his teeth. “I have a better idea…” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 1 is here. Chapter 2: link
Chapter 3:link, link,link
Chapter 4:link, link, link
Chapter 5: link link
Chapter 6: link link
Chapter 7:link link Chapter 8: link link Chapter 9 and 10: link link Chapter 11 and 12:link same place new partlink Chapter 13: link<= New!
Allegiances Shadowclan Leader Thornstar- Tabby tom with black stripes, amber eyes and a long scar on his flank. Deputy Fernleaf- Dark grey she-cat with dark green eyes. Medicine Cat Flamestripe- Ginger she-cat with lighter stripes and yellow eyes. //Apprentice: Leopardpaw. Warriors Rosethorn- Ginger and brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes. Foxbite- Ginger tom with long fur, dark brown legs and amber eyes. //Apprentice: Shadepaw. Patchtail- Black she-cat with white patches and white tail. //Apprentice: Greenpaw. Rockshoulder- Large dark grey tom with big paws and orange eyes. //Apprentice: Dustpaw. Branchsnap- Brown tabby she-cat with dark muzzle and blue eyes. Brackenstep- Light brown tom with hazel eyes and torn ear. //Apprentice: Barkpaw. Frogleap- Light grey tom with lighter belly and long legs. Stormcloud- Dark grey tabby tom with green eyes and white belly. Ravenwing- Black sleek she-cat with blue eyes. Apprentices Greenpaw- Black tom with green eyes and white tail-tip. Shadepaw- Dark grey she-cat with darker muzzle, tail, belly, and blue eyes. Leapordpaw- Brown tabby tom with darker flecks and golden eyes. Dustpaw- Light brown tabby she-cat with darker paws and pale golden eyes. Barkpaw- Tabby tom with dark stripes and amber eyes. Queens Mistnight- Tortoiseshell she-cat Spiderweb- White she cat with black streaks and yellow eyes. (mother to Twigkit, a black she-cat with stripped brown tail, and Lizardkit, a brown tabby tom) Elders Bentleg- Black tom with long fur and a twisted leg from a fall. Ratfur- Brown tabby tom with black stripes.
Thunderclan Leader Brightstar- Brown she-cat with white chest and muzzle with blue eyes. Deputy Tallpine- Dark tabby tom with amber eyes. // Apprentice: Firepaw Medicine Cat Mousetail- Tawny tom with light colored tail and green eyes.
Riverclan Leader Shimmerstar- Light grey tabby tom with white patches and pale blue eyes. Deputy Volefur- Dark brown tom with curly fur and amber eyes. // Apprentice: Mintpaw Medicine Cat Watershine- White and brown tabby she-cat with green eyes.
Windclan Leader Hawkstar- Brown tom with black and white flecks, large paws and golden eyes. //Apprentice: Mudpaw. Deputy Gorsetail- Chocolate point Siamese tom with sky-blue eyes. Medicine Cat Rabbitheart- Sleek light brown she-cat with leaf green eyes. //Apprentice: Yewpaw.
Cats outside clans Wanderers (cats who scavenge outside of Stonewall for objects or information to bring back to the colony) River Wind- Dark brown tabby tom with matted fur and pale patches on his belly. Has one blue eye and one amber eye. Two Flower- Ginger tom with dark grey markings. His pale blue eyes are crossed. Skin-cats (hairless cats that have adapted to the wild by feeding off of larger animals blood) Mage- Dark hairless she-cat with pale green eyes. Leader of her group. Ozzy- Hairless tom with large fangs, black patches and amber eyes. Cedar- Hairless brown tom with large fangs, yellow eyes, and stubby tail. Mushroom- Pale hairless she-cat with blue eyes. Cecil- Slightly fuzzy tom kit with yellow eyes. Lark- Pale she-cat kit with thin fuzz and hazel eyes. Mole- Brown hairless tom with amber eyes. Termite- Pale hairless she-cat with brown spots and deep green eyes. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝ Like Reply (0 Likes) Take Action GreeboClan Leader 6/20/116:04 PM Chapter 1
Time passes like leaves in the wind… “And so, Blizzardpelt witnessed one of the last twolegs die, and left the cruel twolegplace to come here to the lake.” The elderly tabby tom Ratfur mewed roughly to the gathered apprentices. “He was at first shunned from Shadowclan, believed to be nothing more than a rouge, but the medicine cat at the time, Longsight, saw him for what he was, a warrior. He predicted the outsider would do great things for Shadowclan.” The younger apprentices listened to him with wide eyes. It made Greenpaw twitch his whiskers in amusement. He had heard the story of his ancestor Blizzardpelt before so he didn’t pay too much attention to Ratfur’s tale as he sat on a large tree root near the edge of the clearing. His fluffy white-tipped tail flicked this way and that as he gazed around the clearing. Most of the apprentices here were a moon or two older than him, yet they listened to Ratfur like the kits back at the camp! “How’d all the twolegs get sick?” A grey she-cat with leaf-green eyes mewed curiously. Ratfur sat up straighter. Greenpaw recalled his denmate Barkpaw asking the same question when they were just kits. It wasn’t a hard question, like what the other cats did after Blizzardpelt left. No one knew. There was no sign of a large group of cats except in the mountains, and they had been there for a long time. Greenpaw did know how the elder would answer though; with three different ones. “No one really knows. There are many theories for the twolegs disappearance, and I can’t say for sure since they were all gone long before I was born.” Ratfur began. “Some say it was because of the winter before, that was terribly cold, and the furless twolegs were defenseless against illness, even after the winter. Others think it was a punishment from Starclan, which went too far. And another thought, is that they got the disease from their monsters that they rode inside often, and died with them.” Ratfur shook his ragged pelt. “No one truly knows, but what is obvious is this, the twolegs lived too close together, and so the disease spread like wildfire. And now there are none left, only the things they left behind.” “Tell them about how he fought the giant badger.” The black and white apprentice called to the elder with a smirk. Ratfur huffed. “I was just getting to that part until I was interrupted. Now let me tell the story and stop giving hints!” He turned his matted head back to the eager young cats. “Now, as I was saying…” His words were lost to Greenpaw. He was too interested in the gathering anyway. He stretched his black-furred head to see the leaders better. This was his first gathering on the island, and considering how young he really was it was a real treat. But his mentor, Patchtail, insisted to Thornstar that he deserved it after training so well. He could see his mentor now with her black and white pelt, talking to some golden Windclan cat. Everyone was a lot friendlier than he thought they’d be at the gathering. Then again it was Greenleaf and everyone was becoming well-fed. No need to start quarrels, much to Greenpaw’s disappointment. His paws itched for some action. Not that’s he’d want to pick a fight, that wasn’t the Warrior way. He just wanted to put his practice his fighting skills sometime soon. Greenpaw gazed around the clearing with his bright eyes, wishing his sister had been able to come, but her mentor Foxbite wouldn’t allow it. It seemed unfair that Shadepaw would be the only apprentice left back in Shadowclan’s camp, but she had the queens, kit, and elders to keep her company. It probably didn’t help that she had gotten one of the meanest cats in the clan as her mentor though. He could see Foxbite now; the big ginger tom was avoiding everyone else on the island. Or perhaps they were avoiding him… There was a yowl from the Thunderclan leader Brightstar as she officially started the meeting. The brown and white leader looked over the clearing. “Thunderclan has been fairing well this Greenleaf. One of our queens has given birth to a healthy kit, Sunkit. Also, two new apprentices have been named; Firepaw, Willowpaw, and Fogpaw.” Greenpaw looked and could immediately find the new Thunderclan apprentices by Ratfur. It was easy to spot Firepaw’s bright ginger fur as he sat by his kin. He must be a descendant of the ancient leader Firestar. Just like Shadowclan’s medicine cat was named after her ancient kin Flametail. Greenpaw had heard stories of both cats, just as he heard stories of Blizzardpelt or Tigerclan, or even the clans’ adventures with the long dead twolegs. He voiced his welcome along with his clanmates for the new apprentices and then looked back up at the Great Oak. Brightstar waited for the meows of congratulations to quiet down before continuing. “Unfortunately, foxes have been trying to cross our borders more and more, but our patrols chase them away. I give a warning to my neighboring clans that the foxes may try to get into your territories as well.” There were hushed whispers in the clearing. Foxes? Greenpaw perked his ears. Perhaps he’d be able to practice his training on something after all? But the Thunderclan leader said no more about the foxes, ending her report. She sat down for the Windclan leader, Hawkstar, to stand on the oak branch. The big golden-eyed tom gazed over everyone. “I am happy to report that our medicine cat Rabbitheart now has an apprentice, Yewpaw.” He nodded his brown, white, and black speckled head to the medicine cats, where Greenpaw could barely make out a flat-faced young she-cat next to the timid Windclan medicine cat. Both looked wary of all the attention but proud all the same. Hawkstar continued, a little more solemnly. “And yet with this Greenleaf come the great horses to our territory.” His meow boomed. “So far they ignore our patrols and are staying close to the lake for water, but we are still cautious to them, and I advise those close to our borders avoid them.” He then sat down, finished. Greenpaw sighed. Another interesting thing happening in a clan… that wasn’t his. Now facing horses would be a challenge. It’d be fun, to see the giant thundering beasts running right for you and you only had seconds to figure out how to get away before you were crushed. That was how a Warrior’s life should be. Already Shimmerstar from Riverclan was giving his report on how the fish were plentiful but beavers were being scented around their territory. Greenpaw had never even seen a beaver and yet it sounded interesting! It’d be a lot more interesting than what Thornstar would tell. Nothing was happening around Shadowclan. The only problem they ever had was a small rat nest near the camp, which was taken out easily. Already their tabby leader got to his paws, the scar on his flank barely showing in the moonlight. That was another thing that was boring to Greenpaw. There were hardly any battles between the Clans. From what their other elder Bentleg had said, the clans were becoming more and more at peace since there was lots of prey around. Thornstar had gotten the scar from a border dispute when he just an apprentice, long before Greenpaw was born. The most recent quarrel he had heard of must have been when Greenpaw was still a kit during Leafbare. A squirrel had ran over the border and a Thunderclan cat claimed it. He could recall the raged yowls even in the camp, and knew he wanted to be a warrior. “Shadowclan is thriving this Greenleaf.” Thornstar’s clear meow made him blink, looking back up at his leader. “The prey is running faster than ever, and we have more apprentices to train to catch that prey.” He flicked his tail. “Our newest apprentices are Greenpaw and Shadepaw. They will make good warriors when the time comes.” Greenpaw felt eyes rest on him as some cats turned to look. It was easy to guess why he had his name; brilliant green eyes stared back at the other clan cats. When the attention drifted from him Greenpaw relaxed, listening as Thornstar told the gathered cats about their blessings and how they had no threats outside or in their territory so far. Soon the gathering ended Thornstar dropped from the Great Oak, raising his tail for the rest of Shadowclan to follow. The other Clans were leaving as well. Greenpaw jumped from his perch, ruffling his fur from the cold night. “Well what did you think of that?” A smooth mew made Greenpaw turn to see the familiar face of his mother, Ravenwing. The black she-cat purred. “Not as exciting as you thought it would be?” “Nah,” Greenpaw shook his head, but looked at Ravenwing happily. “But it was nice. I’ve never seen so many cats in one place!” His mother nuzzled him. “I thought the same thing at my first gathering. You’re lucky to see it so soon.” She looked up at the sound of a loud meow. Patchtail was waiting with their clanmates near the shore. Ravenwing twitched her whiskers with amusement. “Let’s get back to the others before she decides to come get us herself.” The sleek warrior got up and padded out of the clearing and Greenpaw followed. The young apprentice rushed over the ancient log that served as a bridge, the soft rotten wood making it easy to grip with his claws. Gazing at the distant trees across the lake, Greenpaw could swear he already smelled the Clan camp. He couldn’t wait to tell Shadepaw about how the gathering went!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry that I'm not continuing Albert's story yet, but you'll find out more later. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
Chapter 2 Shadepaw gazed up at the moon from her perch atop the old twoleg den. Its bright glow lit up the forest, and she felt she could see every tree in Shadowclan territory. The rough roof of the old den pricked at her paws, as they usually did when she ventured up here, but Shadepaw felt more comfortable high above the ground than any other place in the camp. She like the feeling of solitude when she climbed up the cracked stone walls, the smell of the patches of thyme, borage, foxglove and catmint that Flamestripe tended to, or the wind that would so gently brush against her fur. This was her sanctuary, a place of peace when everything else seemed to go wrong, as it did tonight. Why does Foxbite have to be so mean? She huffed, thinking to herself. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t fight well. She liked helping Flamestripe and Leopardpaw in the medicine den more than practicing in the training hollow. It’s just my luck Flamestripe already has an apprentice. She sighed. Shadepaw would give anything to be the medicine cat’s apprentice, like Leopardpaw was. But Leopardpaw was the dreamer. The young tabby tom had a vision about a rat-nest in a holly bush a moon ago and he was right, there was one there, and it was decided then and there that Flamestripe’s would be his mentor. She often wondered if a medicine cat could have two apprentices, but was too shy to ask the sharp Flamestripe. So she would have to stay envious of the older apprentice. If only Starclan would share some dreams with me. Then I wouldn’t be stuck with Foxbite. The ginger warrior was almost obsessed with making Shadepaw miserable. He was Leopardpaw’s uncle, and possibly knew of Shadepaw’s jealousy, and was taking out some aggressions on her. He always gave her the hard assignments, climbing trees after squirrels, making her learn to stalk in brambles, and always pushing her down when they practiced fighting techniques. Sometimes Patchtail or Rockshoulder would notice and step in, only to have a worse assignment given to her when their backs were turned. Shadepaw was sure the mentors would tell Thornstar about it, if Foxbite wasn’t Thornstar’s son. Foxbite took this with stride, trying to get away with almost anything, including treating Shadepaw poorly. And this was only her first moon as an apprentice! Right now she was supposed to be practicing her night-hunting, but she had managed to slip away from Foxbite for a moment of peace in her favorite spot. She had even caught two mice while she was here, so Foxbite couldn’t accuse her of wasting her time when he would eventually find her. “Oh Starclan, I hope I can make it…” She murmured to herself. Shadepaw blinked, noticing shadows moving around her. She looked up at the moon and she saw shapes moving across it. Even in the dim light she could see the brightly colored birds fly over the trees under the stars. Their feathers were long and she could hear every stroke of their wings through the air. Shadepaw’s blue eyes widened, she had heard of the large colorful birds before, and even seen them fly over the pines when she was in camp, but she had never seen them fly this clearly at night. They were beautiful, and somehow mysterious. They always flew to and from one direction. They followed the sun, not every day, but at least once or twice a moon. This was a large group, at least ten. They were always in greens, blues, reds, yellows, pinks and grays. No one knew where they came from or why they flew constantly. The only time they ever stopped was in Thunderclan territory if they needed to eat the walnuts and acorns, once they were in season. Their loud screeches once kept the whole Clan on edge during Leaf-fall. The elders said they were freed by the twolegs before they all died. Did birds like that used to live in dens like this, with the twolegs? Once every so often she would hear them shriek so loudly that it echoed across the lake as they flew. Shadepaw watched the great birds fly away into the distance, entranced. “I’ve always wondered what they taste like…” A deep voice meowed behind her. She yelped and turned to see her father, Stormcloud. He sat with his tail wrapped around his paws, his green eyes keen like her brother’s usually were. “O-oh! Hello Stormcloud.” Shadepaw mewed uncertainly. Would her father be mad that she was away from the other apprentices and mentors? But his chest rumbled with a purr. Shadepaw relaxed though her fur still burned with a little embarrassment of being caught. She looked back at where the magnificent birds had disappeared into the night and back at Stormcloud. “You would actually try to catch one?” She asked, almost horrified at the thought of laying one claw on their beautiful feathers. Stormcloud shrugged, getting up and stretching. “If one ever touches the ground, it wouldn’t hurt to try. I bet it would taste sweet like the colorful berries they match.” He joked and went over to where his daughter sat. “And no need to be formal outside of the camp Shadepaw, you can still call me father.” Shadepaw nodded happily. “Yes Storm- I mean- father.” She shook her head. “Sorry.” “It’s alright.” Stormcloud rested his grey tail on her shoulders. “I don’t mind what you call me really. Also, Foxbite has been looking for you.” Shadepaw flinched and sighed. “Is he angry?” Now she dreaded going to camp even more. “He’s always annoyed at something.” Stormcloud shook his head. “But don’t worry. Flamestripe wanted me to get some herbs while I was out here. If you pick some borage I’ll tell Foxbite that I made you help me get it. That’s why you were gone for so long.” “Borage?” Shadepaw’s ears pricked. She guessed it was for the queen Spiderweb. She had two large kits to feed and borage would help her milk supply. Shadepaw didn’t ask though, she was always eager to search for any herbs. “Why didn’t she send Leopardpaw?” “I asked the same thing. Flamestripe said it’s because he’s busy with Bentleg’s ear infection.” Stormcloud stood back up on his paws. “But I think you could probably find it better than me.” “But it’s just down there!” Shadepaw got up with him and went back towards the crumbling wall she used to climb down. An old badger den, probably the old home of the giant badger Blizzardpelt fought, was causing a corner of the twoleg den to crumble into the ground. Termites in the wood didn’t help either. Shadepaw was always careful to walk gently on this side, in fear that it would fall apart from under her. She leapt from the roof to the wall, and from the wall she dropped into the garden of plants. Already she could smell the bushes of herbs and picked out borage just a few tail-lengths ahead of her. She padded towards it just as Stormcloud dropped to the ground behind her. The fragrance of the leaves filled her mouth, relaxing her even more. She plucked several plump leaves and bundled them together, making two piles of borage. “Thank you.” Stormcloud reached over with and took one of the bundles in his jaws. “Foxbite can’t scorn you for helping me.” His mew was muffled by the leaves. “I hope so.” Shadepaw nodded as she grabbed the second bundle. She had a bad feeling that her mentor would find some way to ridicule her. “Come on. If we hurry we might be able to get home before your brother and mother.” Stormcloud mumbled through the borage and trotted out of the garden of herbs. Shadepaw followed him quickly, wanting to see her brother and tell him about the birds. I hope he’s not home and asleep already. Once Greenpaw was asleep it was almost impossible to wake the black tom up. The forest was dark and cool, and the moonlight made the forest look like almost another world. Any other cat would trip, but Shadepaw and her father knew almost every root and branch in their path. But as Shadepaw’s eyes drifted, she spotted something different. It was a hint of red in a patch of clovers. She stopped and after glancing at her father, making sure he wouldn’t move too far ahead, padded to the clover. Settled on top of the patch was a long slender feather. It was a brilliant red, with yellow at the base and tipped with blue. Shadepaw gazed at it, almost amazed. It had to have been from the birds she had seen flying above! It looked larger than even a pheasant’s tail feather, and much more beautiful. Shadepaw put her bundle of borage carefully on the clover and bent her head lower to sniff the feather, drawing its scent over her tongue. It smelled of nuts and berries, earth and air. And what was strange was that Shadepaw thought she could smell the scent of cats. Not Clan cats either. This scent was stonier; perhaps these birds flew to the mountains? “Shadepaw!” Shadepaw’s head shot up and she looked. Her father was far ahead on the path, almost hidden by ferns. “Did you get caught in a bramble or something?” He called. Shadepaw shook her head. “Uh-no! I’m fine! Wait up!” She mewed back to Stormcloud. She quickly picked up the borage again, and after a second thought she grabbed the feather as well. It would probably get blown away by a breeze in the night if she left it. It would also give more proof that she saw the colorful birds. She slid through the ferns, hoping the feather wouldn’t snap against the leaves, but it was strong for a feather, unlike any that lined the dens of the camp. Stormcloud padded over to her and looked at the feather that stuck out of the borage. He tilted his head. “Neat! One of those birds must be feeling even lighter now.” He rumbled with amusement. “I’m sure it’ll look great in your nest.” “You think so?” Shadepaw brightened up, her tail high. Her worries about Foxbite soon faded as she padded alongside Stormcloud back to the camp. She couldn’t wait to see her mother and brother to show them her prize.
Chapter 3
“Cool Feather!” Greenpaw yawned. He watched as his sister arranged it into her nest of fern leaves and moss. The brilliantly colored feather stuck out boldly in the mix of greens and browns. Their denmates, Dustpaw and Barkpaw, sat close to Shadepaw’s den to each get a look at the strange new decoration. “It smells weird.” Dustpaw wrinkled her nose. “Like an old walnut.” “I think it smells delicious. Too bad they don’t land on the ground.” Barkpaw joked, nudging it with his tail tip. The dark tabby tom was always joking around. Shadepaw nudged it back. “I wouldn’t dream of eating those birds.” She mewed almost defensively. “Me neither, they’d probably taste like walnuts.” Dustpaw purred, going into her own nest. “They’re pretty though. Maybe tomorrow we could find more feathers. My nest could use a bit of color.” Her paws shuffled through her nest, flicking out old pieces of lichen. “You won’t have that nest for long.” Greenpaw stretched his legs before getting completely comfy in his own den. “You and Barkpaw will be having your final assessment in less than a moon.” Dustpaw nodded her light brown head. “True.” Her brother moved through the den and passed by Greenpaw, cuffing him in the ear with his tail. “You’re always thinking about training Greenpaw. You need to relax a bit.” Barkpaw flicked his whiskers with amusement. “I am relaxing!” Greenpaw protested, unable to hide the humor in his mew, and he yawned again. “Quiet down in there!” There was a meow from outside, coming from the warriors’ den outside. “You apprentices are noisier than starlings!” “Sorry Frogleap!” Dustpaw meowed in reply. “We’d better get to sleep.” She hissed quietly to the others. Greenpaw lowered his head onto the soft bedding. “Way ahead of you… Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” Shadepaw mewed softly, curled up in her nest with the feather poking up by her ear. “Night,” Barkpaw flopped into his own nest and Dustpaw yawned. Greenpaw closed his emerald eyes, drifting off to sleep.
He ran across the forest floor… Pine needles scattered under his paws as he tore over the bracken. His eyes were on his Clanmates ahead of him. The dawn’s light had just peeked above the horizon and already the patrol was halfway around their territory. The light made his pelt warm and the air was clean with the scent of the morning dew. He panted, needing to catch his breath. Greenpaw stopped to jump onto a log and survey Shadowclan territory, bright and clear in the early light. He had never felt more alive! But when he looked to his Clanmates, he realized that they didn’t stop! None of them had noticed him slowing! “Wait up!” Greenpaw jumped down from the fallen log and took chase. He hadn’t expected them to run so fast on a simple patrol. Had they caught scent of something? Yet despite his calls neither Patchtail nor the other warriors even slowed their step. His mentor’s white tail disappeared into some dense ferns. Greenpaw urged his legs to move faster. He needed to see what the rush was. He leapt through the ferns, feeling the ground beneath him harden as he continued running. Where did they go? Greenpaw looked around wildly, and yet he couldn’t see anyone through the thinning trees. It was as if they disappeared! “Patchtail? Fernleaf?” He called for his mentor and the deputy. “Rockshoulder?” He continued to run, starting to get nervous. His pelt pricked with anxiety when his calls were not answered. “Anyone?!” He yowled into the air, but the only answer he received was bird calls, loud noisy birdcalls. Maybe I should just go back to camp? He tried to reason with himself. Then I can tell them I got left behind when the patrol gets back. But when he turned to go back, more terror gripped him. He didn’t recognize this part of the forest. Greenpaw sniffed for a familiar scent, but he found none. Had the patrol wander out of their border? He started to head back the way they had came, his heartbeat speeding. Surely he’d find the border once he went back down the path? Greenpaw hoped that he was right, and pushed through the ferns that he had gone through moments before. Why did the air smell so strange? And how come the ground felt so solid? The ferns seemed bigger too, as if they had grown in only seconds. Were these the same plants? Was he even more lost than he thought? Finally the bracken parted and Greenpaw looked and his eyes grew in horror. The forest was gone! High stone structures surrounded him, and the pine needle strewn floor gave way to even darker rock. It stretched before him into an unfamiliar world of stone and wood, much like the ancient twoleg den that Shadepaw like so much. Where am I!? Greenpaw wasn’t alone though. Cats appeared around and on top of the large dens, strange cats that he did not recognize. There were hundreds of them! They all gazed down at Greenpaw, not threatening, but not welcoming either. “Ah Blizzard,” Mewed a voice next to him. “I’m glad that you’ve finally made it.” Greenpaw turned. There was a gold and ginger tom stood by him, seeming to glow in the light. Blizzard? What is he talking about? Before Greenpaw could ask, the stranger meowed again, almost as if he knew Greenpaw. “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time Blizzard.” His amber eyes flashed. “It’s time for you to come home…” “Home?” Greenpaw echoed, but stopped when he noticed his voice sounded…different. It was deeper than before. Greenpaw looked at himself, and gasped when he saw that his whole pelt had turned white! “If you’re smart, you’d join me.” The gold cat seemed amused by Greenpaw’s distress. The frightened apprentice yowled. “Greenpaw!” Greenpaw awoke in his den, breathless. It had only been a dream. He sat up and looked into the muzzle of his sister. “Are you ok? You were muttering in your sleep.” Shadepaw looked at him worriedly. “Was it a bad dream?” Greenpaw looked around. The sky was lighter, but not quite morning. “Y-yeah,” He nodded. “It was, but I’ll be fine.” He got up out of his nest. “It was just a dream.” He mewed, mostly to calm himself. The odd dream had felt so real. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry it's been a while since I posted a story. ^^; I've been busy.
“Ok, if you’re sure…” Shadepaw still sounded concerned, but she suddenly bristled when a ginger head shoved itself through the apprentices’ den entrance. Foxbite curled his lip in a sneer. “Would you two hurry up?” His amber gaze pierced him. “Patchtail wants you for a border patrol Greenpaw, so you’d better get a mouse and go before they leave you behind. And as for you,” His head shot around to his apprentice. Shadepaw flinched. “We’re going to practice some fighting moves with Rockshoulder and Dustpaw. So make sure the elders are fed and their bedding’s clean before we go. Don’t make me wait.” He pulled his head from the den, his muttering about useless cats soon faded. Shadepaw sighed. “We’d better go. See you later Greenpaw.” She shuffled out of the den, hurrying so she wouldn’t be late for her mentor. Greenpaw huffed. Foxbite shouldn’t be allowed to treat everyone like dirt just because he was Thornstar’s son. Rosethorn is Thornstar’s kit too and she doesn’t have to act like ants were in her pelt all the time. He slipped out of the den, shaking pieces of moss from his fur. The cool air filled his lungs and he breathed out slowly to calm himself. Gazing around the camp he could see it bustling with activity. The Clan’s two elders, Ratfur and Bentleg, were lying outside their den sharing a squirrel and a vole. Bentleg was nodding to some comment made by Ratfur, but Greenpaw couldn’t hear them. Greenpaw could also see Shadepaw’s grey pelt from within the elder’s den. She must have given them the prey and was now cleaning their nest as Foxbite had instructed. I hope Foxbite gives her a chance to eat before they leave to train. It wasn’t good to practice on an empty stomach. He looked up to the nursery, seeing Barkpaw drag two starlings towards it. Good, the elders and kits will be fed. Greenpaw went to the fresh-kill pile himself and picked out a plump mouse. “Lots of prey this Greenleaf,” Greenpaw heard his father’s mew. He looked behind him and saw Stormcloud pad towards the camp entrance with Ravenwing. “The Clan’s going to be strong this year.” “We can only hope.” Ravenwing purred before disappearing through the brambles. They were probably going out hunting. Greenpaw put his attention back on his mouse, biting into it hungrily. After a quick look around the camp he spotted Patchtail. His mentor was sitting with Branchsnap and Fernleaf. The warriors Rosethorn and Frogleap were padding to them to join the patrol. Patchtail noticed him looking and she nodded her head, signaling for him to come over. Greenpaw gulped down the rest of his mouse and hurried over to Patchtail. He held his tail high. “So we’re going on a patrol?” “That’s right,” Patchtail nodded. “Thornstar wants to make sure the foxes Brightstar mentioned won’t come into our territory.” “Alright!” Greenpaw mewed excitedly. He wanted something to distract himself from his odd dream and Foxbite’s aggression. “When do we leave?” “Right now, since everyone’s here.” Their deputy Fernleaf stood up. The dark grey she-cat shook her fur and raised her tail, signaling for the others to follow as she headed towards the entrance of the camp. Patchtail quickly turned and tracked behind the group. Greenpaw padded by his mentor’s side as they made their way through the thorns and ferns. “Quick test Greenpaw,” Patchtail meowed cheerfully as they headed up the path. Greenpaw’s ears perked and he looked at her. “How do we check for foxes, besides scent?” “Um…” Greenpaw wrinkled his nose. Without scent? He thought for a moment about the possible answers. “We… look for signs of killed prey, and tufts of fox fur and burrows.” “Very good.” Patchtail nodded with a purr. Greenpaw puffed out his chest with pride and he walked a little quicker. He hoped Patchtail would ask more questions for him to answer, he enjoyed the praise. The patrol padded past the old twoleg den that Shadepaw enjoyed being by. He sniffed the air that was heavy with herbs. No foxes here. The patrol moved on. The bracken became thicker as they headed for the farthest border. The trees were closer together and it became dark despite that the sun was close to rising. The elders had once told Greenpaw that Shadowclan’s territory had been small during the time of twolegs, barely extending to the crumbled twoleg den that not even Shadepaw would go near. They passed the rotten wood and moss covered bricks now. Greenpaw sniffed again, wondering if a fox would try to live in the rubbish. But the only scent was of termites and mice. Greenpaw huffed, wondering if they even would see a fox. “Come on Greenpaw, we’re not at the border yet.” Patchtail mewed. Greenpaw turned and hurried after his mentor, hoping something interesting would happen. The pine trees seemed taller the closer they got to the border, where the forest was thickest. As a kit he always wondered what lay beyond the borders and the forest, but now he was an apprentice. He had to worry about the things that got in. He could now smell the Shadowclan scent markers ahead and he bounded past Patchtail, eager to be the first to scent the foxes. But as he let the air waft over his tongue he didn’t smell any fox. “I don’t smell anything. Or see any fur.” He looked up at the other warriors who were also scenting. Fernleaf nodded. “That’s a good thing so far. Let’s renew these markers.” Her meow was calm. “And we’ll head to the Thunderclan border. The Foxes were close to their territory.” The dark grey deputy flicked her tail and moved along the border. The patrol would pause at every marker along the way, adding to the scent. Greenpaw let himself drift behind, trying to find any scent of fox. One problem of course was that he had never scented fox before. Rockshoulder had told him once it was strong and he wouldn’t miss it. But what if it’s faint and I do miss it? He worried. To compensate his lack of knowledge, Greenpaw looked for every scent. An unfamiliar one would have to be the fox scent! They crossed a grassy trail, said to be an old twoleg path. Grasses, ferns and tiny pine seedlings now covered what he guessed had been just dirt. Greenpaw’s nose caught something unfamiliar and he stopped. Fox? But it wasn’t strong. In fact it didn’t smell that much different than the forest. He sniffed again, tasting it carefully. It wasn’t a fox scent, it was a cat! He looked along the grass, seeing it had been passed through overnight. There’s an intruder in Shadowclan!
“Patchtail!” Greenpaw yowled. “Fernleaf I found something!” The patrol came back and checked his find. Frogleap’s pelt bristled. “A loner’s been by here. It was a while ago.” Fernleaf growled. “Branchsnap, Frogleap, I want you to return to the camp. Tell Thornstar what we’ve found and make sure the camp is secure. Rosethorn, Patchtail and Greenpaw, you come with me to follow the scent.” The deputy commanded. “I want to make sure the loner is just passing through.” Branchsnap and Frogleap nodded, bounding off back through the forest towards the camp. Greenpaw’s fur bristled with excitement. They were going to track down an intruder! If we catch them maybe I can test out my battle moves! With a flick of her tail Fernleaf headed the opposite direction with her nose close to the ground. Greenpaw followed with the warriors as they tracked the foreign cat scent. As they padded further and further into their own territory silently, Greenpaw tried to imagine what a rogue would look like. They would have to be strong to live alone, and vicious. Would a cat like that leave without a fight? Greenpaw didn’t think so. He was ready to unsheathe his claws and tear into whoever trespassed, but he was nudged by Patchtail’s flank. Greenpaw looked up at the black and white she-cat, bewildered. “What?” “Don’t get so worked up.” Patchtail mewed firmly. She had noticed his fur bristling. “We’re not looking for a fight. Being a Warrior isn’t about bloodshed.” “A-alright Patchtail,” His fur burned slightly with embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to seem so hungry for a fight. Though he couldn’t help feel slightly annoyed at Patchtail’s comment. Being a warrior shouldn’t have to be boring either. What’s wrong with a little fight? Was it so bad to be prepared? The air was cooler now that they were getting close to the lake. The trees were more spaced. The loner’s scent was also stronger. The cat was still in their territory, and there was the smell of something else in the air. Rosethorn sniffed and bristled. “Blackbird…” The others were equally angered and at first Greenpaw wasn’t sure why until he padded closer to the front of the patrol. Black feathers were scattered among the pine needles on the ground. He could also smell faint traces of blood. “The loner stole our prey!” Greenpaw bared his teeth. Now they had a reason to claw the loner’s ears off! “Let’s catch the thief while they’re eating.” Fernleaf nodded her head and crouched low into a stalking position. The deputy padded slowly and silently under ferns. Patchtail and Rosethorn crouched and followed, with Greenpaw close behind. They didn’t have to go far before Fernleaf stopped by a patch of wild garlic that was growing by a large pine. She signaled with her tail for them to come by her side. She found the cat! Greenpaw slinked to the garlic patch, his nose wrinkling from the strong scent. He looked between the stalks to see the loner. What he saw was… disappointing. The loner was positioned facing away from the patrol, unaware he was being watched. The trespassing tom wasn’t big or strong. In fact he was far from vicious. The cat had dirty dark brown fur, which was matted in some places. Greenpaw felt his hopes for an exciting battle fade as the thin loner tore into the blackbird. The stranger would glance around cautiously every so often, obviously nervous. Greenpaw then noticed something odd. Every time the loner would turn his head to the left, his eye appeared blue, but when his head was turned to the right, the eye was amber. He was also sitting by a little pile of what looked like white leaves that Greenpaw had never seen before in the forest. Greenpaw was about to ask Patchtail if she noticed the oddity, but Fernleaf was already giving instructions. “We’re going to surround him. Rosethorn you head around the right, I’ll go left. Patchtail stay here with Greenpaw until I signal.” Rosethorn nodded and moved away silently, Fernleaf went in the opposite direction as both warriors surrounded the loner. Patchtail ducked lower, her ears perked in anticipation. Greenpaw lowered into a hunting crouch again. There’s no way this loner’s going to escape!
One of Greenpaw’s paws stepped on a twig, hidden by pine needles. Before he could adjust his weight in time the twig snapped. The stranger paused in his eating and lifted his head, ears perked as he searched for whatever made the noise. Greenpaw practically stopped breathing. Had he ruined the ambush? He felt his mentor’s tail rest on his shoulders reassuringly. Neither of them moved a leaf of the garlic, and the loner relaxed slightly after a long moment of silence. Just as the brown tom lowered his head to finish his stolen peace of fresh-kill, Fernleaf let out a piercing yowl. Patchtail and Greenpaw launched themselves out from the garlic patch. Rosethorn burst from under a holly bush just as Fernleaf jumped from her own hiding place. The loner screeched in alarm and he jumped to his paws, but he had nowhere to go. The Shadowclan cats circled around him, and Greenpaw hissed. “W-what do you want?” The loner’s mew shook with fright. He knew he was in trouble and Greenpaw puffed up with this new feeling of authority. As he circled he got a good look at the tabby’s face. His fur flattened and he looked at the tom’s eyes. The loner had both a blue eye and an amber eye. I knew I wasn’t seeing things! “You are trespassing on our territory. “ Fernleaf growled, undaunted by this oddity. “And you’ve hunted our prey!” The loner looked at the remains of the blackbird he had been eating and swallowed nervously. “I… I may have passed a faint scent marker…” He stammered, trying to regain some composure. “B-but I was only passing through and I haven’t eaten all day! And, and I’m sure there is plenty of birds and mice here to go around!” “For us, not for loners like you.” Rosethorn snarled and unsheathed her claws. “Now stop with the excuses!” The loner flinched at her fierce gaze. “Now, even though you’ve stolen from us, we can be merciful.” Fernleaf continued, twitching her whiskers almost with amusement. “We’re going to… escort you out of our territory.” “Unless you want your ears clawed off.”Greenpaw flexed his claws. The tabby tom turned and then actually scowled at Greenpaw. The young apprentice could still smell fear rising from the odd-eyed cat, but it was because of the she-cat warriors, not Greenpaw. “Don’t get your tail in a knot, fluffer.” He meowed. “I was going to leave anyway!” Fluffer? Is that supposed to be an insult? Greenpaw glanced at his pelt. He could still see traces of his fluffy kit fur. He growled, glaring back at the loner. At least my pelt isn’t mangy like his! “You’ll leave now.” Patchtail stepped in between Greenpaw and the loner, baring her teeth at the brown tom. The loner took a few hesitant pawsteps back, only to be hissed at by Rosethorn and Fernleaf. He yelped and quickly picked up the large dried leaves that he had next to him. Though they weren’t like any leaves Greenpaw had ever seen. They were whitish brown, square, with weird dark scratching over them. “What are those?” Rosethorn tilted her head. The loner shook his head quickly, the leaves flapping in his mouth and his mew was muffled. “Mufing!” He tried in desperation to slip into the direction of the lake, but the deputy blocked him. “Not that way.” Fernleaf hissed. “I don’t want Brightstar or Shimmerstar complaining that we chased a prey-stealing loner into their territory. You’re going back the way you came.” “Bu I honly ook on eird!” The loner tried to speak with his mouth still firmly clamped around the leaves. Rosethorn yowled and slashed her claws at his pelt. The loner let out another terrified screech and ran back towards the far border. Fernleaf lead the chase after him, Greenpaw letting out a hiss as he tried to claw at the trespasser’s tail. But the loner was fast, tearing over the forest floor with a spray of earth and pine needles. They trees grew closer together as they came to the border once again. Fern fronds slapped at Greenpaw’s ears as he chased. Patchtail soon took the lead, being the fastest of the three warriors. Greenpaw watched as she swiped at the tabby tom’s haunches. It was obvious that Patchtail only wanted to scare him, not catch, or else she would have tried to knock his legs out from under him. She swiped again and the loner hissed fearfully, turning slightly to escape the warriors. His paws were a blur. Greenpaw slowed, seeing the loner stumble and trip over a large root. How come he didn’t see it? The loner yowled and tumbled through the ferns and saplings head-over-tail until he finally rolled to a stop, coincidentally over the border. The square leaves he had carried scattered. Greenpaw couldn’t help but grimace. That had to hurt. He padded after Patchtail and Rosethorn as they went closer; sniffing to see if the loner was alright, though no one stepped over the scent line to really aid him. There was a muffled groan and the stranger got up on his front paws, shaking his head dizzily. Fernleaf flicked her tail impatiently. “Are you well enough to keep going?” They couldn’t leave him without making sure the loner would keep away from the border. The loner scowled, his odd-eyes flashing. “I’ll leave when I’m good and ready!” Rosethorn snarled, putting one paw over the border. The threat was all the brown tom needed to get back on all four legs shakily, snatching up the various leaves as he limped away from Shadowclan. Greenpaw watched with the warriors until the strange tom was out of sight.
Greenpaw stepped into the Shadowclan camp with his head and tail held high. He had protected Shadowclan territory, and the loner wouldn’t be coming back to steal prey anytime soon. But his pride didn’t last too long. His clan-mates gathered around the warriors Fernleaf, Rosethorn, and Patchtail to hear what had happened with the loner. Greenpaw deflated as the warriors passed him, but his buoyancy returned as soon as he was approached by his fellow apprentices. “We heard you found the scent of the trespasser!” Barkpaw mewed with interest. “Where did you find the cat?” Greenpaw flicked his tail. “Well, we tracked him to a spot near the lake. The mouse-brain had caught a blackbird.” Dustpaw bristled. “He stole prey? I hope you chased him out for good.” She huffed. “We did.” Greenpaw puffed his chest out. “That loner wouldn’t dare come back again.” He looked around the camp. It was bustling with excitement, probably because there hadn’t been a loner in Shadowclan territory for a long time, maybe the last time had been around Blizzardpelt’s lifetime. Then Greenpaw paused, he couldn’t see Shadepaw anywhere. He had wanted to tell his sister about the loner most of all. “Hey Dustpaw, where’s Shadepaw? Didn’t she and Foxbite train with you and Rockshoulder?” Greenpaw tilted his head to the tabby she-cat. Dustpaw glanced down, shuffling her paws. “Um… she was, but…” “But what?” Greenpaw persisted. Why is she so nervous all of a sudden? Barkpaw nudged his sister and Dustpaw sighed. “Well, we were training hunting moves, and at first it was going great. Then Foxbite started to be mean to Shadepaw, snapping at her even when she wasn’t making mistakes. Rockshoulder told him to stop, but while they were arguing Shadepaw ran off.” She explained. “We looked all over for her, but she’s not in the camp.” “She must have come here earlier though,” Barkpaw nodded. “Her feather isn’t in her nest anymore.” “Oh,” Greenpaw shook his head. “I hope Rockshoulder told Thornstar what happened.” Dustpaw shrugged her shoulders. “He did, but we don’t know where Foxbite is either. He’s been out looking for Shadepaw for a while.” “Not like Thornstar would do anything to his favorite kit anyway.” Barkpaw rolled his eyes. “So wait,” Greenpaw flicked his gaze from Barkpaw to Dustpaw. “You’re saying Shadepaw’s out there alone with Foxbite after her?” His pelt began to bristle. He knew how badly the ginger tom would punish Shadepaw if he caught her. Dustpaw’s fur rose along her spine as well. As if she just realized the same thing as Greenpaw. “Oh no! We got to find her before he does!” “I’ll go tell Fernleaf.” Barkpaw decided with a growl. His joking demeanor vanished and he started to sound more like a warrior. “She’ll actually do something about Foxbite. Dustpaw you can go get Rockshoulder, and Greenpaw you should get your parents. They might know where Shadepaw went.” “No,” Greenpaw unsheathed his claws. Barkpaw’s experience meant nothing to him. “I know where she is. Dustpaw can find Stormcloud and Ravenwing for me.” Before Barkpaw could even open his mouth to object, Greenpaw turned and tore out of the camp. I need to find Shadepaw, I have to protect her! New energy pulsed through him as he ran down the path to the abandoned twoleg nest. Greenpaw took in a huge lungful of air and caught Shadepaw’s scent. He was right about where she went, but he could also smell a fresher scent. Foxbite had been this way as well. I’m too late!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now for the next chapter what would you preffer, should I start with Shadepaw's training so you could see what happened or would you like to go straight to the drama? ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
Chapter 4
Shadepaw held the red feather gently in her teeth as she jumped up onto the twoleg den, wincing from her sore muscles. Scrabbling up the broken stone wall and gingerly stepping on the top of the den, she made her way to her favorite spot. Shadepaw laid her belly on the sun-warmed surface and put the colorful feather in her paws. She sniffed the crisp air and let out a heavy sigh. The little apprentice wanted nothing but to get away from clan life for a little bit, and to get away from Foxbite. The stupid fox-heart... Shadepaw thought scornfully as she remembered him shoving her to the ground for not being low enough in her hunting crouch. Why can’t he give me a break? She looked at her shoulder, licking where he had shoved. She swore she felt that he was using half-sheathed claws. At least Rockshoulder stepped in. Shadepaw wasn’t sure if Foxbite would listen to the older warrior, he didn’t sound too happy to have his training methods judged, so she had left before Foxbite could do anything else. She knew her mentor would be even angrier that she left the training hollow without asking, but at the moment she didn’t care. Shadepaw needed a chance to forget her troubles, and this high sanctuary among the herbs and trees was the only place she wanted to be. The feather gave her some comfort as well. Every time she breathed in its foreign scent it took her far away from Foxbite and the pressures of becoming a warrior. It filled her mind with the thoughts of open sky, cool wind, and freedom… Shadepaw closed her eyes. Her opened heart suddenly closing tightly at the very thought of escaping clan-life. That wasn’t how an apprentice was supposed to think. It was selfish to not want a nice life in Shadowclan. She was free in her home. But my life isn’t nice. She pointed out to herself. I’m no good at battle training and I even have trouble with hunting! She was much more at home with plants. She new almost all of the herbs Flamestripe by name and almost all of their uses, but it was Leopardpaw who was Flamestripe’s apprentice. “I’m not a medicine cat,” She mewed sadly to the empty air. “I’m not a warrior; I’m not even a good apprentice. What am I?” “You’re crowfood, that’s what you are.” Shadepaw’s fur rose along her spine as she sprung to her paws, looking back at the broken part of the roof and the wall. She saw Foxbite leap onto the shaky ledge and growl, again as he approached her. “I never gave you permission to leave Shadepaw. Did you suddenly think we were done training?” “I-I…” Shadepaw stammered, edging away from the edge of the roof. “I was tired.” She tried to keep the fear out of her voice. Rockshoulder and Dustpaw weren’t here to defend her. “There are no excuses!” Foxbite snarled. “Don’t think I don’t notice you staring wistfully at the medicine den. I’m trying to train you to be a Warrior! Not a medicine cat! That’s Leopardpaw’s destiny, not yours.” The words stung Shadepaw and she physically flinched. She lowered her head, knowing that there was truth to her mentor’s words. “I’m sorry Foxbite…” “Not sorry enough,” Foxbite moved closer. “I could have been given Greenpaw as an apprentice, someone who truly knows what it’s like to be a warrior. But I’m stuck with you, a failure!” He hissed cruelly. “You refuse to even learn the simplest fighting moves. How am I supposed to teach a cat that doesn’t want to be taught?” “But Foxbite I try-” Shadepaw’s defensive mew was cut short as Foxbite swung his paw into her muzzle. Shadepaw cried out and fell to the roof. Her vision spun from the blow. She tried to get back up but Foxbite shoved her down again, raking his claws on her back and shoulder. The small apprentice screeched feebly as agony shot through her. Foxbite lowered his jaws to her ear, snarling. “I won’t let myself be associated with a failure like you.” His claws dug in deeper, causing Shadepaw further pain. “You’re going to have an accident Shadepaw. You’re going to fall, despite my attempts to save you…” His growl grew quiet and deadly. Shadepaw’s blood went cold as he went on. “I’ll mourn your death with the rest of the Clan. And then I’ll be given a new apprentice, one of Spiderweb’s kits, an apprentice who actually wants to be a warrior.” Shadepaw struggled, barely seeing Foxbite’s face in the corner of her eye. She let out another whimper, but his claws were now deep in her skin. “P-please! Don’t!” But Foxbite paid no heed. She could already feel his teeth going for her spine.“Goodbye Shadepaw.”
“No!” A yowl sounded from the other side of the roof. In a mix of relief and shock, Shadepaw turned her head to see Greenpaw claw up onto the rotted wood and run straight at Foxbite. “Leave her alone!” The ginger warrior spun around snarling just before Greenpaw slammed into him. Shadepaw managed to get up on her shaky paws and escape from the screeching cats. Her side where Foxbite had clawed her stung and it hurt to move her shoulder, but she stayed standing. Looking back, she gasped. “Greenpaw!” Her brother was on his hind paws, slashing at Foxbite’s face with a flurry of claws. He managed to scratch Foxbite’s nose badly, but the older warrior easily swiped Greenpaw’s back legs out from under him. Greenpaw fell and Foxbite pounced, clawing at the apprentice’s exposed belly. “You should have stayed back at the camp Greenpaw.” Foxbite hissed. “I don’t want to kill you too!” “Should have thought of that before attacking Shadepaw!” Greenpaw snarled back and kicked his back legs to free himself from under Foxbite. He’ll never be able to fight Foxbite alone! Shadepaw knew the warrior was too big for Greenpaw to fight and win. Already Foxbite was overpowering Greenpaw, battering him mercilessly with his claws. Without thinking Shadepaw half ran, half stumbled over to the fight and bit Foxbite’s tail. The ginger tom screeched in pain, giving Greenpaw a chance to roll into a crouching position. Before Foxbite could turn and strike at Shadepaw, Greenpaw leapt and landed onto Foxbite’s back. The ginger tail was yanked out of her teeth, sending Shadepaw off balance. She stumbled and looked up to see Foxbite rolling along the den’s roof. The ginger warrior tried desperately to get the clawing apprentice off, but Greenpaw stuck to his fur like a prickly bur. She watched helplessly as they continued to fight. Foxbite yowled madly as Greenpaw tore at his pelt, sending scarlet drops raining on the gravelly surface. With a powerful shake of his orange shoulders Greenpaw was dislodged, thudding back on the unstable side of the roof. The twoleg den let out a slight tremor at Greenpaw’s harsh landing. She saw Foxbite crouch, preparing to jump and slam his paws onto her dazed brother. Her blue eyes opened wide. “Wait! Don’t”- She tried to yowl a warning, but Foxbite leapt. Greenpaw’s ears twitched, hearing Shadepaw. The black tom pushed with his legs to dodge to the side. To Shadepaw’s relief Foxbite missed Greenpaw, but her respite was cut short. As Foxbite landed on his paws heavily, the roof shook again, and then lurched with a sickening crack. The rotted wood had finally given way to the badger den after so many years, sending Shadepaw and the others skidding abruptly down the rough surface. Foxbite and Greenpaw yowled, trying franticly to get away from the splintered edge that was descending downward perilously. Shadepaw dug her claws in, hoping to slow herself, but the drop was too fast. More wood splintered and she screeched in terror, feeling the den’s roof gain speed as it fell to the ground. A grey shape rose past the crashing tiles, the wall! Urging her sore body, she ran up the slope of the collapsing den and leapt. Paws scraped against stone and she pulled herself up the divider just as the remains of the den’s roof crashed to the earth. The stone wall shook, but remained upright, Shadepaw was safe. But someone else was not. A strangled yowl of pain rose up through the clouding dust and then fell into deathly silence. Shadepaw looked down from her safe stone wall, praying to Starclan that her brother was not the one who made that frightening noise. Please let Greenpaw be ok! A shape moved, and there was a cough. “Shadepaw? Shadepaw where are you?” The meow was hoarse, but she recognized it. “I’m up here Greenpaw!” She called, standing unsteadily on the cold stone. “Are you ok?” The dust started to clear, and Shadepaw stared down in shock at the scene of devastation. Splintered wooden beams and the broken pieces of roof littered the ground beneath her. Some of the wooden beams stabbed deeply into the soft earth. Not even the garden had been spared; the herbs edging it had been crushed. Greenpaw stood at the edge, having leapt off the roof in time. He was limping on one of his paws, and his dark fur glistened with blood that wasn’t his. His bright green eyes looked up at her, and then down at something in the wreckage. Shadepaw followed his gaze, a sinking feeling rising in her belly. She knew what she’d see, she had heard the yowl, but even that didn’t prepare her for the sight of a mangled ginger shape between the roof pieces and the wooden beams. Her throat tightened and fur bristled as she let out a frightened mewl. “Foxbite…”
She saw Greenpaw approach the rubble quietly, his face grave, but not mournful. He wasn’t sorry Foxbite was dead, and Shadepaw couldn’t blame him. She wouldn’t feel too sad for the warrior that tried to murder her. Shadepaw gingerly made her way down the stone wall, freezing each time a piece would wobble or even seem loose. Her nerves were frayed enough after her mentor’s attack, and now this seemed to make it worse. When she finally reached the ground Greenpaw was pushing small pieces of the roof away from Foxbite’s body. Shadepaw padded over gingerly for a moment, stopping when she saw Foxbite’s corpse fully. His orange eyes were half open, staring at nothing. His lips were drawn back in a snarl with blood still dripping from his fangs. Greenpaw gripped Foxbite’s scruff in his teeth and started to pull at the limp body, trying to drag him out from the broken den. Shadepaw stood sickened, almost afraid to go near the body. But seeing her brother’s efforts to give Foxbite’s body some dignity gave Shadepaw some courage to step closer. She went to Greenpaw’s side silently and together they pulled the ginger warrior out onto the grass. In the dim light Shadepaw could see that the crushing roof had left no mark on Foxbite. The only visible wounds were the deep claw marks Greenpaw had left on his face and back. Greenpaw had a few scratches on his chest and belly, but nothing major. He was already putting weight on the leg that had been limping. Shadepaw looked at the deep scratches on her own shoulder. She gave them a lick and she winced as they stung. She would need a lot of herbs to keep them from getting infected… She looked up silently at Greenpaw. They hadn’t spoken for a while, mostly from the shock of what had just happened. Shadepaw opened her mouth to speak, but something caught her eye. A familiar color shined out in the ruins. She looked up at the ruined den and sticking up between the broken beams was the colorful feather. It survived! Her heart leapt and she quickly made her way back up the pile of splintered wood. “What are you doing?” Greenpaw meowed behind her, confused. She didn’t bother to answer. She wasn’t sure why she was so glad to see that her feather had not been buried under the ruble. It just seemed so comforting to see its bright colors after such misery. Shadepaw reached the feather. She sniffed it, happy to see that it wasn’t damaged at all. Only dusty. Picking up the feather in her mouth, Shadepaw looked back at Greenpaw. He blinked, not saying anything more though his gaze was sympathetic. He seemed to know that the bright quill was important to her. She started to make her way back to Greenpaw and the body, until she heard movement in the forest. Looking towards the bracken, she spotted her father, her mother, Fernleaf, and Barkpaw running towards the twoleg den, or what was left of it. Shadepaw let out a sigh, glad to see help finally coming. She gingerly padded off the pieces of den. Her legs shook from the effort, but she got down to earth just as the rescue party broke through the bracken. They all stopped at the sight of the ruined den, and the body of Foxbite. Barkpaw’s eyes widened, looking from Foxbite, to Greenpaw, and then back to the body. Fear rose in the apprentice’s amber gaze. Shadepaw wondered what was frightening Barkpaw so much and then she tilted her head, figuring out what Barkpaw was seeing. Foxbite laid dead, covered in wounds from a fight, and Greenpaw was covered in his blood… Shadepaw gasped. “Barkpaw,” She tried to explain, but the tom was already coming to his own conclusion. “You killed him…” Barkpaw meowed in horror. “He was bad, but you didn’t have to kill him!” He shook, and before Shadepaw or anyone could stop him he turned and fled back into the forest, obviously going to tell the clan all the wrong things. “Barkpaw wait!” Greenpaw yowled after him. Now he was terrified. “It’s not what it looks like!” He looked at the senior warriors desperately. They returned his shocked look, stunned at the scene before them. “I-I didn’t! I wouldn’t…” Greenpaw’s voice tightened. Shadepaw tried to step closer to her brother, wanting to reassure him but she stumbled. What little strength she had was finally giving out. She closed her eyes, panting. The red feather slipped from her mouth onto the grass. “Careful,” She heard the calm voice of her father in her ear. She felt Stormcloud’s pelt press against hers as he supported her. Shadepaw blinked, looking up at him. He looked down at her with worry. She could imagine how horrible she looked, scratched and covered in dust from the wrecked den. She felt even worse. If only I could go to my nest and forget today. Shadepaw buried her face in Stormcloud’s fur, wishing this awful day was a dream. Already she could hear Ravenwing murmur comforting words to Greenpaw. Her poor brother wasn’t a murderer. He just wanted to protect me. “What happened?” Shadepaw opened her eyes again to see Fernleaf approach them. The Shadowclan deputy looked at her sternly and spoke again. “What happened here?” She sniffed. At least Fernleaf didn’t assume the worst like Barkpaw had done. “F-foxbite attacked me. He, he wanted to kill me… Greenpaw tried to stop him,” She took a deep breath as she described what happened “And they fought. T-that’s when the den collapsed. Greenpaw and I were able to escape the crash… but Foxbite was crushed. We had to pull his body out.” Fernleaf and Shadepaw’s parents listened quietly. When she finished Shadepaw lowered her head, pawing her feather closer to her. Would they believe her? She watched as Ravenwing padded away from Greenpaw to inspect Foxbite’s body. Ravenwing sniffed the body for a moment before looking at their deputy. “Do you think Flamestripe can prove he was crushed? Not murdered?” “Do we even need proof?” Stormcloud shook his fur with irritation. “Greenpaw couldn’t have killed Foxbite. He’s only an apprentice for Starclan’s sake!” Fernleaf sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t believe Greenpaw killed him. But the rest of the Clan may be harder to persuade. And Thornstar…” “But we’ll tell him what happened.” Greenpaw looked at Fernleaf hopefully. “We’ll tell him the truth!” “Thornstar might not want to believe it.” Fernleaf looked down at Greenpaw. “He’s always been proud of Foxbite. Do you think he would accept his son dying from a fall?” Shadepaw felt herself shiver, imagining their leader accuse Greenpaw of something so horrible as murder. He wouldn’t, would he?
Happy Birthday Prairiefire! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “We have to try.” Ravenwing meowed to Fernleaf. “What else can we do?” “Nothing, but to tell Thornstar what happened.” Fernleaf sighed. “I doubt he would exile Greenpaw from the camp, even if he did think he was responsible.” Stormcloud looked away from the others, not comforted by Fernleaf’s words. “Well let’s go then. It’d be best to get this over with…” He nudged Shadepaw to her tired paws, urging her and her brother to head towards the forest. They were going to make their way to the camp. Shadepaw paused, stumbling back to pick up the scarlet feather before tiredly following. For a moment Shadepaw was a little eager to see if they could convince Thornstar and the rest of Shadowclan that what Barkpaw undoubtedly told them was a misunderstanding, but her nerves started to work against her. What if Thornstar doesn’t believe us? What will he do? Greenpaw’s name would be sullied. A promising apprentice would be looked down upon as a murderer, no matter how many cats didn’t like Foxbite. Her mother and father would be scolded and blamed for raising a murderer, and as for Shadepaw herself… If Thornstar blamed Greenpaw, he’ll blame me too. She wished no one would have to be blamed at all. They came closer to the camp entrance and she could already hear yowls of morning, and of anger. Shadepaw whimpered, slowing down. She glanced at Greenpaw. He was uneager to go further as well. She wondered more about what would happen to them both. Fernleaf might be sure that Thornstar wouldn’t banish them, but was she right? And if he didn’t, what would happen? Would he stop them from becoming warriors? What cat would mentor me anyway, after what happened to Foxbite? Would Thornstar give her to Foxbite’s sister Rosethorn? She was usually nice enough, but her brother’s death might make the ginger she-cat unpredictable. What if she took out her anguish on Shadepaw, as revenge for Foxbite’s demise? Shadepaw’s breath caught in her throat and she froze. I don’t want to go through another horrible mentor again! She would rather be banished from her home than face more torment. Almost any mentor would be bad. She didn’t want to be shown again and again how bad she was at fighting and hunting. All the doubts she had before were resurfacing. “Shadepaw?” Greenpaw and the others had noticed her stop. They looked at her worriedly. She felt horrible. Shadepaw’s brother had risked himself to protect her, and what it had earned him was a charge of murder, plus the destruction of her only sanctuary. Ravenwing padded back to her. “What’s wrong?” “I… I can’t…” She shook her head. “I can’t go through this.” She looked away from her kin. She felt like a mewling kit, but she couldn’t take another paw-step. Not just from the aches in her legs, but because of the thought of going through this ordeal, again and again. “Shadepaw…” Her mother mewed worriedly, but she didn’t turn back to them. She stayed silent. Her silence spread to the others, and for a moment, the little apprentice wondered if they would try to coax her into the camp or not. Then she felt a reassuring touch on her shoulder. She peeked at it to see a tail with a white tail-tip. Greenpaw... “She doesn’t like it here.” She heard her brother mew to the senior warriors. “This is what Foxbite did. He made her not even like being a Clan cat.” Shadepaw lowered her head in shame. Shadowclan cats were supposed to be tough and strong, not act like… this. She could hear her Ravenwing gasp and Stormcloud growl. Fernleaf started to talk to her parents quietly, and she strained her ears to hear. She could only make out some of her words, and they were alarming. “She can’t stay here…”
“What?” Ravenwing hissed at their deputy in shock. “Shadepaw’s only an apprentice. She’s our kit! We can’t let her become a loner!” Shadepaw flinched at the tone of her mother’s voice. She didn’t like the idea of living alone in the forest, but it seemed like the only place she could find peace. Shadepaw wondered if her kin could even visit her outside the Clan’s territory. But I’m so weak… I can’t even hunt! “She won’t be alone.” Greenpaw sounded beside her. His voice was bold despite how weak he was. “I’ll be with her.” Shadepaw twisted around painfully to look at her brother, surprised. Everyone else was just as taken back by his sudden decision. He would leave Shadowclan for me? “You can’t!” She found herself wailing. “You have so much here! You can’t leave, not for me.” “Well you’re in no shape to leave either.” Greenpaw argued. “You heard what Fernleaf said. I’m just a murderer right now.” He spat, glancing back towards the distant camp. “It’d be best if we just left.” “That’s not true.” Stormcloud shook his head desperately. “You’re both hurt, where could you go?” “We can stay by the creek, and my paw’s not that hurt. The rest are just scratches, honest!” Greenpaw insisted. He hesitantly put weight on his back paw that had been limping. To her parents and Fernleaf, the leg might have looked fine. But Shadepaw could see it was still stiff. She shot her brother a scornful gaze. It’s obvious I can’t help myself; you shouldn’t try to get yourself hurt worse for my sake. Yet in a way she was grateful. Shadepaw knew that she would need someone with her outside the Clan. She couldn’t survive on her own with her injuries. “Shadepaw,” Ravenwing looked at her almost pleadingly. “Are you certain that you want to do this? We’re not that far from the camp.” She looked down, not wanting to see how sad she was making her parents. “I’m sure…” I can’t go back to the Clan. I don’t belong there. Fernleaf let out a sad sigh. The clan would be losing two would-be warriors. “I’ll leave you four alone then, to say goodbye.” She mewed quietly and turned, bounding off to tell Shadowclan. The forest fell silent. The sky grew darker as they stood on the forest floor, unsure of what to say any more. This may have been the last time Shadepaw would ever see her parents, and the last time her paws would be on the soft land of Shadowclan. It made her heart hurt to think she was going to leave, and that Greenpaw would leave their home with her. Her mother nuzzled her head with a soft goodbye. “I wish you would reconsider, but maybe you will find happiness outside our borders.” She whispered. “May Starclan keep you both safe.” Ravenwing turned to nuzzle Greenpaw as well. “I’ll miss you both so much.” Shadepaw meowed. “I wish I could be stronger.” Her father stepped closer to lick her forehead. “You are strong, but you aren’t happy here. I cannot make you stay here and be miserable. Or else what kind of kin would I be.” Shadepaw nodded her head, though still sad. In the distance the meows of her clanmates grew louder. Were they going to come and try to stop her and Greenpaw from leaving, or send them off? Ravenwing flicked her ears to the sounds. “You should go.” Her voice was strained. “Before this gets any harder.” Stormcloud nodded, but before Shadepaw and her brother could leave, he spoke quietly to her brother, telling him something Shadepaw couldn’t hear. Father and son touched foreheads quietly, before Stormcloud meowed. “Go, before anything else stops you.” Greenpaw nodded and stepped closer to Shadepaw, nudging her to her paws. She picked up her red feather, stepping awkwardly with him down the path away from the camp. Shadepaw paused, gazing back at her parents one last time. They watched her with sorrow, but nodded to her encouragingly. She nodded in return, thankful to have parents like them. She then continued after her brother despite her burning cuts. Soon they would be out of their kin’s sight, leaving Shadowclan forever into the wide unknown.
Chapter 5
“Protect your sister Greenpaw,” Stormcloud’s words echoed in his mind. “Make sure to keep her out of danger. Take her somewhere safe, no matter where you go you will always be a Warrior at heart.” Greenpaw stared boldly ahead as he and Shadepaw traveled. He intended to make his father proud, even if he wouldn’t be in Shadowclan anymore. There was a weight in his heart however as he started to realize what they would be leaving behind. Neither he nor his sister would get their warrior names. They would not be able to go to the island to join the other Clans in news or get apprentices of their own. We might not even go to Starclan when we die… Greenpaw shook his head. He had to be strong for Shadepaw. She was so tired already. He glanced at his sister, who was already dragging her paws on the ground. She carried her feather above the forest floor however. That little trinket is so special to her. Greenpaw and Shadepaw had been wandering through the forest for what seemed like ages. They had had moved farther and farther away from Shadowclan’s familiar borders until Shadepaw could no longer keep her paws going. Greenpaw let his sister lean against him tiredly as he searched for proper shelter. There were no dens for them out here, but there was a helpful hollow log not too far from them. Ferns grew out from the rotting wood, creating a soft place for Shadepaw to lie on. He led her towards the log. She gladly placed the red bird’s feather on the bed of plants and tried to curl up to sleep. She let out a whimper as she moved her legs under her. “Careful,” Greenpaw nudged her legs into a more comfy position. Her pelt was hot and he looked nervously at the scratches Foxbite had dealt. Were they getting infected? How should I know? I’m not a medicine cat! He hissed quietly, wishing they had at least waited in Shadowclan to get some traveling herbs from Flamestripe. But it was too late for that now. He prayed that Shadepaw knew enough to tell him what to do… Shadepaw’s eyes were closed, almost passed out from exhaustion. Greenpaw prodded a spot on her that wasn’t scratched or swollen. “Shadepaw! Shadepaw wake up!” He hissed urgently. “You need medicine. What kinds are good for scratches? Shadepaw!” He shook her. She gave an ungrateful groan, one blue eye opening to a slit. “Mm?” “What herbs should I look for??” Greenpaw meowed again. Shadepaw winced as she lifted her head. “We need dock leaves… Marigold… or yarrow…” Her head fell back onto the fern leaves. Greenpaw sighed, not bothering to ask where to find these or what they looked like. Shadepaw would be too tired to answer. The little black apprentice nosed up some of the fronds to hide Shadepaw from any unfriendly eyes. He would have to search for medicinal plants on his own. I hope I can find some. He padded away from the log, making sure to scratch up a nearby tree root so he wouldn’t lose his way. Greenpaw would pad several tail-lengths, sniffing for any strong-scented plants that seemed familiar. When he didn’t he would score his claws into a root and continue on. It was tedious work. He hadn’t the slightest idea where to find dock plants or marigold. His best chance was to find yarrow, he sort of had an idea what that looked like. And even then Greenpaw didn’t know if it grew in this part of the forest. The forest itself wasn’t too promising. The only time he had been outside of Shadowclan had been during the gathering. This part of the woods was new to him and strange. The trees were taller, thicker, and just felt older. The sun was setting, making unfamiliar shadows stretch across the pine needles and bracken. He could hear little sounds of creatures that came around at dusk. At least it’s getting dark. Greenpaw looked up at the sky; his eyes were used to seeing in the night. I should hunt while I still have strength. His stomach growled at the thought of prey. He hadn’t eaten since that morning. Shadepaw would need to eat too so she could get better. I’ll find herbs faster with a full belly anyway. Flicking his white tail-tip, he started to move slowly across the forest floor. Greenpaw’s ears swiveled to detect any sound of a potential meal. At first all he could hear were crickets chirping quietly in fading light. Their songs sounded from the bracken on either side, blissfully unaware of Greenpaw or his sister in the hollow log. And then he heard the rustle of pine needles on the ground. The scent of mouse wafted over Greenpaw’s pallet. His stomach ached again and he tried to quicken his movements, hoping his paws would be light enough. Rabbits hear you, birds see you, and mice feel you. He recalled Patchtail’s words as though they had only been spoken the other day. Greenpaw almost purred when he saw the mouse at the base of a tree. It foraged through the pine needles in search of seeds. Its back was to him, and the wind took his scent well away from the little creature. This mouse won’t even feel me coming until I’m right on top of it! He crouched, tensing his back legs until he had enough energy to leap. The mouse tried to let out a terrified squeak as Greenpaw’s front paws landed right onto its spine, but the ex-apprentice already had his jaws at the mouse’s neck. He snapped the rodent’s neck and it went limp in his claws. Ow… His front leg pained him again. Though the hunt was a success, the landing made the injury twinge angrily at him. He knew he shouldn’t hunt on a bad leg, but he didn’t have much choice. I’ll just have to be careful on it. He shook his paw to loosen the muscle. Greenpaw noticed that the crickets around him had gone silent. My jump probably startled them… He looked around at the bushes. The silence was starting to get eerie. To his relief though, after a few heartbeats the crickets started up again. Greenpaw relaxed. Holding the mouse up in his teeth triumphantly, the young tom started to dig a hole. He buried his catch to find later, he would need more than one mouse to feed him and Shadepaw. And I need to keep an eye out for yarrow, wherever that is. He moved away from the tree roots, going back into a stalking position. Greenpaw prowled around the pine forest in search of another small furry opportunity. He could tell hardly any cats stayed here. The prey ran unhindered, except for the occasional fox or loner. I wonder what’s going on in Shadowclan right now. Greenpaw’s thoughts drifted for a moment. They hadn’t been gone from the Clan for very long. Were his friends and kin missing him and his sister? Or was Thornstar telling them all that they were better off gone? His dreary thoughts were interrupted when his eyes spotted movement ahead of him. A shrew was just coming out of its burrow. Greenpaw froze. His head cleared and he tried to quiet his own breathing to avoid alerting the shrew. The mouse-like predator dashed from one way to another in the bracken, possibly after all the bugs. Greenpaw watched as it dived in a thicket, followed by the sudden interruptions of a cricket’s chirp and the sound of tiny crunching teeth. The shrew seemed even hungrier than him. The tiny body scurried out of the thorny branches and Greenpaw instinctively crouched. Bunching up his muscles, Greenpaw prepared to leap. The shrew wasn’t big at all, almost smaller than a mouse, but it’d be perfect for Shadepaw. The young cat was so focused on his target that he didn’t notice that the crickets had stopped chirping once again. He pounced. As did the cat hiding just beyond the bracken. Both cats collided head-first into each other as they aimed for the shrew. Greenpaw hissed and fell in a heap with the stranger, making his injured leg sting. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his prey’s tail disappear down its burrow. Fox dung! The angered young cat pulled himself up stiffly and turned on the loner that had jumped into him, snarling. “You just cost my sister a meal, you know that?” The stranger got up, shaking his dirty brown fur. He turned and growled right back at Greenpaw, his blue and amber eye glinting. “Well you should look before you leap next time. That was going to be my shrew!”
Greenpaw gasped. It was the same cat he and the morning patrol had chased away that very morning. “You! What are you still doing here?” The loner tilted his head, recognizing him as well. The raggedy tom let out a low groan. “Oh great, don’t tell me that this place is in your territory too.” His eyes gazed around the forest. “Where are your big friends? Hiding?” The odd-eyed cat sniffed the air, as if expecting more Shadowclan cats to jump down from the trees. “Uh, no, the border is pretty far from here. There’s only me.” Greenpaw meowed and shook his head. The loner relaxed a bit and glanced towards the shrew’s hole. He huffed and muttered to himself. He wasn’t threatened at all by Greenpaw, making the apprentice bristle indignantly. I helped chase you out of Shadowclan territory before. I could chase you out again! He took a step towards the brown tom and then yelped. His leg was hurting even more now because of the crash. “What’s wrong with you fluffer?” The mangy cat glanced at him with his amber eye. His gaze drifted to Greenpaw’s leg. “Have a fight with your friends? Might explain why you’re a tad far from home.” There’s that name again… Greenpaw growled with annoyance. “That’s none of your business.” Greenpaw hissed, easing some of his weight off his stricken leg. He couldn’t keep hunting like this, but he wasn’t too willing to talk to the loner. The odd cat shrugged his brown shoulders. “Fine, fine, I won’t dig any deeper. I should be getting to my den anyway.” He stretched and turned away from Greenpaw. A strong tangy scent wafted from the cat’s flank and he got a glimpse of a green mush mixed in the brown fur. We had sent him off limping over the border, and now he’s walking fine. Greenpaw narrowed his eyes, recalling that the loner had been carrying white leafy things. Perhaps those had been medicinal herbs? “Hey wait!” All of his aggression vanished as he limped after the loner. Any medicinal herbs would be vital for Shadepaw, even if it came from a stranger. The scruffy tom tried to quicken his pace to ignore Greenpaw, but the younger cat cut him off. Greenpaw turned sharply to face him, scattering pine needles with his paws. “I need to talk to you!” The strange cat huffed and sat down. “You were ready to tear into my pelt just a moment ago.” He pointed out. Greenpaw let out a sigh. He desperately needed to get on this cat’s good side. “Look, sorry about that. I just really need some help.” “Help? Help?” The odd-eyed cat nearly hissed in disbelief. “Why in the whole wide world would you need my help? And why should I give it to you anyway? You’ve given me a fair share of grief as it is!” “It’s not me, it’s my sister!” Greenpaw took another step towards him, making the loner step back. “She’s sick.” “Sister? Oh yes, the one I ‘lost a meal’ for.” The stranger flicked his tail and was silent for a moment, watching Greenpaw as he seemed to think quietly to himself. The tension ate at Greenpaw’s pelt. What would he do if the loner refused? And what would happen to Shadepaw? It felt like the loner remained silent for a long time. The only sounds were made by the insects. Greenpaw was almost tempted to say something, anything, to break the silence. Finally the tom spoke. “What’s your name fluffer?” “Greenpaw,” The ex-apprentice gave an exasperated sigh. “And my sister is Shadepaw. Why do you keep calling me that?” “River Wind,” He meowed. The tom purposely made the two words separate, though despite the pause it still sounded like a warrior name. He ignored Greenpaw’s question and continued to ask his own. “You and your sister share an end-name?” End-name? Greenpaw thought about the odd phrase. He guessed River Wind meant the term ‘paw. “All apprentices get the… end-name ‘paw where I’m from. It’s a Clan thing.” He explained. “Alright, well where I’m from all ‘apprentices’ are called fluffers. At least until they’re past their eighth moon.” River Wind stood back up on his paws. “Follow me. I think I can spare a few herbs.” He passed Greenpaw and quickly went into the forest. Greenpaw stood there for a few heartbeats, surprised at River Wind’s change. The young black and white cat then hurried after the loner, as fast as his limp would let him.
River Wind led Greenpaw through the trees to a large elm. Its trunk had a small hollow, scarcely big enough for one cat. Greenpaw watched as the brown tom ducked his head inside the tree. There was a scrapping sound and River Wind pulled out several rolls of various leaves, including the odd white square ones. Greenpaw approached the little piles and sniffed them. They were dry and smelled mostly of wood, though that could have been from being stuck in a hollow tree. “What kind of leaves are these?” He asked and looked inquiringly at the strange scratch marks on the squares. “Huh?” River Wind pulled himself out of the trunk, his fur flecked with bits of soft rotted wood. “Oh those aren’t leaves. They’re paper, and none of your concern.” He pulled them back from Greenpaw before he could ask what paper was. “What’s your sister sick with?” “She’s got infected scratches.” Greenpaw mewed and then looked at River Wind suspiciously as he looked through his supplies. “Are you some kind of medicine cat?” He seemed to have a lot of plants to use. “Medicine cat? You mean a healer?” River Wind looked at him oddly, but that could have just been his weird eyes. Greenpaw shrugged. “I guess. You have a lot of herbs.” He pointed his paws at the rolls. “No, the healers where I live just told me about the kinds of plants I need for traveling. In case I run into unfriendly claws…” He seemed to give an accusing look at Greenpaw before looking down at the leaves again. River Wind sorted through them before picking out several different leaves. “I’m just a wanderer.” “Is that a word for loner where you’re from?” Greenpaw wondered where exactly this cat was from. River Wind was defiantly not social, but he did mention he had a home, and wherever that was had apprentices and medicine cats. Are there more clans out there? Other than the Four around the lake? “You ask a lot of pointless questions for someone trying to save their sister.” River Wind meowed cynically as he flicked two bundles of leaves at Greenpaw. “One is for your sister, the other is for you. Your limp is getting worse.” Greenpaw glanced at his leg and sulked. Despite looking like a flea bitten scavenger, there was a hidden intelligence behind River’s mismatched eyes. It only made the Shadowclan exile more curious about the strange cat. He looked down at the herbs. He could see the slightly familiar leaf of yarrow in Shadepaw’s bundle. “Thank you.” He dipped his head to River Wind. “But…” He thought quickly. He wanted to find out more about River Wind’s home, and that meant convincing the wanderer to stick close to him. “I can’t carry them both. My mouth doesn’t open that far.” “Could have fooled me,” River flicked his tail with a hint of irritation. He must have been hoping he wouldn’t have to help Greenpaw any further. “Can’t you just carry one under your chin?” “No, my neck hurts.” Greenpaw made up another excuse. “Besides, I don’t know how to apply this stuff.” River Wind rolled his eyes and kicked the herbs and ‘papers’ into the hollow trunk. “Fine, but after that I’m not going stick around anymore. You’re fluffers, not helpless kits.” He muttered and picked up one of the leaf bundles he had given Greenpaw and spoke again with his mouth full. “Eed ha whay.” Greenpaw picked up the other roll of leaves and flicked his tail for River Wind to follow. His hopes for Shadepaw rose greatly. He had found medicinal herbs and a cat who knew how to use them. And River Wind might know a place we can go. Somewhere safe… Greenpaw would keep his promise to his father no matter what it took. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
Greenpaw made his way back through the forest with River Wind following close behind. The sun had already set completely, only a little light was left towards the horizon as the sun disappeared to places unknown. Greenpaw wasn’t affected, but by swiveling his ears he could hear River Wind trying to step more carefully. He doesn’t have good night vision like me… Greenpaw couldn’t help but feel a spark of pride for himself and his sister. He could move around the trees on a moonless night without difficulty. Their Shadowclan blood would prove useful every night. “Mph!” There was a thud and a muffled cry from River Wind. Greenpaw turned back to discover his companion had veered slightly to the left and had walked right into a tree. Greenpaw let out a little snort of laughter at River Wind’s clumsiness. How had the mangy loner not seen the pine tree? The black and white padded back to help River up, putting down his parcel of herbs for a moment. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine.” River Wind muttered, having dropped his own herbs for a moment. The loner braced against Greenpaw as he got up, and for the first time he got a very close look at River Wind’s peculiar eyes. The right amber eye was like any normal one, but the left blue one was…off. It moved slower than the amber one, and would sometimes look at another thing all together. It also had a little haze around it. Greenpaw recalled how River Wind had tripped over an obvious root in his path as he was fleeing the Shadowclan patrol. Now he understood. “You’re blind,” He mewed quietly, still looking at River Wind’s odd eye. “Your blue eye’s blind.” River Wind looked at Greenpaw and bristled. “Is not!” He growled defensively. “It just get’s foggy sometimes. Just give me a moment…” River Wind got back up and picked up the bundle of herbs he had dropped, not looking that eager to talk about his sight any more. Greenpaw watched River Wind for a moment, wondering if he was truly alright. He wanted to learn about the cat’s home, but would it be wise to get directions from a cat that was nearly blind? River looked at Greenpaw, expecting him to keep moving. Greenpaw nodded and headed back down their path. He quickened his pace, wanting to get the herbs to his sister quickly. His stomach then suddenly growled, as if reminding the ex-apprentice about his previous actions. Greenpaw’s legs came to a stop. The mouse! Finding River Wind had distracted him, but his catch would still be buried where he had caught it. Greenpaw turned completely around and headed back. It shouldn’t have been that far. When River Wind saw this change of direction he stopped and looked at Greenpaw skeptically. To him it must have looked like Greenpaw didn’t know where he was going. Greenpaw put his medicinal leaves down by the wanderer. “I’ll be right back. I forgot something.” He meowed quickly and then hurried back through the trees, trying to remember which tree it was he buried the mouse by. I hope a fox didn’t find it while I was gone. That sometimes happened when you left your prey alone for too long. Things sniffed it out no matter how much you concealed it. But to Greenpaw’s luck the foxes didn’t find his fresh-kill. He found the large tree and the little mound of dirt that he had placed by the roots. The mouse was still good, but wasn’t planning on eating it. Shadepaw will need this more than me. Unearthing the little body, Greenpaw picked it up and carried it back over the pine needles to where River Wind was waiting. Or where he had been waiting… The two bundles of herbs were on the ground, and there was no sight of the brown tom. Greenpaw dropped the mouse and swiveled his head left and right, wondering where the wanderer could have gone. “River Wind?” He called loudly, but there was no sound. Where did he go? Greenpaw wondered as he sniffed for the tom’s scent. But the more important question on his mind was why did River Wind go? “River Wind? Where are you??” He called again but he got the same silence. The young cat started to get nervous. Had River Wind planned to leave Greenpaw as soon as he was out of sight? Did he not want to help his sister? “River Wind!” Greenpaw yowled with frustration. Sure he could carry both bundles of herbs and the mouse himself, but he had been hoping River Wind could have truly helped him and his sister. Mangy loner… Greenpaw couldn’t help but feel anger at him for just leaving. My sister’s sick and he just goes and runs off? He spat. “I can’t believe it.” “Can’t believe what?” There was a rustle from behind Greenpaw. He turned and there was River Wind crashing through the brush with something hanging off his shoulders. Greenpaw hissed quietly, angry at himself for worrying so much. His tail lashed as he looked at River Wind. “Where were you?” “Calm down fluffer,” River padded over to him. Greenpaw could now see he was carrying a large squirrel over his back, its fur littered with pits of earth. “The worms under us could hear your stomach growl, and it reminded me that I also had a meal waiting for me.” River seemed to smirk with amusement at Greenpaw’s anxiety. Greenpaw stared from the squirrel to River Wind. “You caught that with a bad eye?” He meowed with a hint of doubt in his voice. “I told you it only goes blurry once in a while.” River Wind huffed indignantly. “Besides it takes more than sight to hunt.” His gaze went to Greenpaw’s mouse. “Is that for your sister?” “Yeah,” Greenpaw nudged it with his paw. “It’d be better than a shrew.” “And you don’t have anything to eat yourself?” River Wind seemed to contemplate something to himself. Greenpaw puffed out his chest. “I can go without eating for tonight. Half a mouse wouldn’t help either of us.” His valiant statement was ruined however when his own stomach betrayed him. A loud growl erupted from his belly. “Nice,” River Wind meowed. “But I think I can sacrifice some of my squirrel.” Greenpaw wanted to argue about it, but the scruffy tom was already moving to pick up the herbs. The younger cat shook his head and then picked up his own mouse and herbs carefully, trying not to give away that his jaw was fine. Greenpaw wouldn’t admit it but he was actually grateful that River Wind would share. He was starving. But a true Warrior would be able to hunt without help... I’ll catch something bigger to return the favor tomorrow. He promised himself as he padded with River Wind through the trees. Greenpaw was relieved to see the hollow log undisturbed by anything unfriendly. He quickened his pace towards the ferns where Shadepaw laid. She was in a deep sleep, her grey side gently rising and falling with each breath. However her fur was still worryingly hot. Should we wake her? Or let her rest first? Greenpaw placed the herbs and mouse by her. “Shadepaw?” he mewed, unsure of what to do. River Wind wasn’t so concerned for her peace. He jumped up onto the log and looked down at Shadepaw from above the fern nest. The tom sniffed, “Those are some nasty scratches. Better wake her up so we can get at them all.” His meow was much louder than Greenpaw’s and Shadepaw’s ear twitched at the sounds. She was already waking up.
Chapter 6
Shadepaw groaned, wishing her brother would let her sleep longer. She felt so drained of energy. She could barely open her eyes. Her skin felt hot and heavy, she knew her scratches were infected. Maybe Greenpaw found the medicine herbs? Shadepaw remembered him asking her, just barely. Her vision cleared as she blinked away her weariness. Yet the first thing she noticed wasn’t Greenpaw, but a strange cat looking above her on the sheltering log. His pelt was a scruffy brown mess, and his eyes were two different colors. Her fur bristled and she let out a startled yowl. She had never seen this cat before, or any cat outside of Shadowclan for that matter. She had never been able to go to the gathering because of Foxbite. The strange cat jumped back, just as startled as her. Shadepaw tried to push herself further into the log. Her gaze fell on her brother and she looked at him with confusion. Who was that other cat? Why did Greenpaw bring him here? “Shadepaw wait!” Greenpaw stepped closer to the ferns that shielded her. “It’s ok! River Wind’s not going to hurt you.” “R-riverwind?” She mewed uncertainly and glanced back up at the roof of the log. The name sounded Clan-like. Shadepaw had been to Shadowclan’s borders before and had scented Riverclan and Thunderclan before, and Windclan’s scent was usually on the breeze of the lake. But the odd tom didn’t smell like he was from any of those camps. “That’s River. Wind.” Shadepaw jumped as the stranger leaped down onto the ground in front of her. He turned and fixed his strange gaze on her, though he didn’t seem angry or even threatening. Just tired. “It’s two names in one, a first-name and an end-name. You can just call me River if it’s easier.” “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” Greenpaw tilted his head to him. “It would have been easier to just call you River the whole time.” “Well I didn’t think we’d have time to be casual now did I?” River twitched his whisters in a bemused expression. While they argued about the purpose of two names she spotted a leaf, rolled around a bunch of herbs that was placed by her nest. As well as a small mouse. Sniffing the herb bundle, she immediately recognized the scent of yarrow and marigold, covered with the scent of River. Well done Greenpaw, instead of wandering around aimlessly you found someone who already had the herbs. Shadepaw almost let out a happy purr. Unrolling the larger leaf gingerly, she looked at the herbs the two toms had brought. There were those she recognized, and a few she didn’t. I don’t remember Flamestripe using herbs like these… “Uh, River?” She lifted her head slightly, still exhausted and sore. “What are these two herbs?” She mewed curiously. It wasn’t that she didn’t completely trust River, she also didn’t want to take something potentially toxic. The odd cat stopped bickering with Greenpaw long enough to look at the herbs Shadepaw asked about. He sniffed. “Those? That’s Spiderwort and Goose grass. Good for cuts and infections.” She looked back at the Spiderwort and grass, wondering if they even grew in Shadowclan territory. But if River’s from someplace far away maybe they have different herbs? It made a little sense that not every place was the same. “Staring at it won’t make you get better.” River meowed again. “If you’re that afraid of it I’ll chew it up myself.” Shadepaw looked at him skeptically. “Are you a medicine cat where you’re from?” “Why does everyone suddenly assume that?” River Wind looked back at Shadepaw’s brother in annoyance. Greenpaw shook his head, sighing. “I’ve asked him that before Shadepaw, he’s not one. The medicine cat’s where he’s from just taught him a few things.” “Oh…” Shadepaw blinked. River’s home had medicine cats, and the thought gave a small spark of curiosity. “Where are you from?” “Goodness you’re more evasive about taking your medicine than kits!” River Wind scolded. “I’m not going to talk to the either of you fluffers until you get yourselves herbed up.” He gave a flustered shake of his fur before leaping on top of the log again. Shadepaw flinched from the sound of River’s paws hitting the rotted wood, but her shelter held his weight. She looked at Greenpaw, confused by some of River’s words. “Fluffers?” “I’ll tell you about it later…” Greenpaw shrugged his shoulders and winced. Wasting no more time trying to ask more questions, Shadepaw began to chew up the herbs she had been given, applying the poultice to her wounds. Greenpaw watched her before chewing his own herbs into an ointment to be put on his injured leg. Shadepaw relaxed once she felt the medicinal herbs seep into her cuts. “Feeling better?” Greenpaw limped over to her and laid on the ferns beside her nest. She nodded with a small purr. “Much better, thanks. Where’d you find him?” Shadepaw nodded up to the roof of their log shelter. “Well, this morning he was actually hunting in our territory… our old territory really…” Greenpaw lowered his head and Shadepaw felt a pang of grief. They’d most likely never see their beloved Shadowclan again. But Greenpaw raised his eyes and continued. “Well we chased him out, and I didn’t expect to see him again”- “Got a big surprise didn’t you?” There was a snide remark from above them. They went silent but River Wind didn’t add any more comments. “Anyway,” Greenpaw coughed. “When I was looking for herbs I ran into him, hunting a shrew.” Her brother continued to tell her the story of his encounter with River Wind. But as soon as she thought about the missed shrew it only piece of fresh-kill lying by her. She would occasionally glance at it with her eyes full of hunger. Her movements did not go unnoticed. “Go ahead and eat Shadepaw.” Greenpaw nudged the mouse with a paw. “I’ll go and see if River will split that squirrel with me.” He got to his paws. She was glad to see the ointment was making his movement easier already. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done Greenpaw,” She mewed quietly. “You shouldn’t have had to leave the Clan for me…” Her brother flicked his tail to quiet her. “Don’t worry about it Shadepaw, I’m glad I did it.” He twitched his whiskers in a little smile before walking out to jump onto the log with River Wind. Shadepaw listened to them talk and she sighed quietly. Pulling the mouse close to her she tore into the morsel, soothing her aching belly.
She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but the strong scent of the poultice on her fur made her drowsy. A full belly and the fact she was still tired from earlier didn’t help either. As soon as Shadepaw’s head lowered onto the soft nest of ferns her eyes closed for another long bout of sleep. Her dreams were strange. A common nightmare began to well up inside her. Sometimes what would happen or what she would see would vary, but it always ended up with her waking up feeling frightened and shaken. She was stuck in a dark void. Faces passed so fast in Shadepaw’s mind that she barely had time to recognize them. Did those green eyes belong to her brother, or her father? Was that the red pelt of Foxbite or his vengeful kin? What’s going on? Shadepaw tried to make sense of the dreams, but there were so many things moving. It was blurred like everything was in a fog. Voices called out to her, and yet she couldn’t tell from which direction. She was lost in a sea of faces and memories. “H-hello?” She finally called back hesitantly, “What do you want?” The voices didn’t answer. The only continued their incomprehensible meows as if she hadn’t spoken at all. It made Shadepaw’s fur rise in unease. She began to fear that she would never get out of the frightening place. “Oh Starclan, what am I going to do?” She thought helplessly to herself. “What can I do?” And in that moment, an answer came. A bright colorful glow shown out in the darkness and caught her eye. Shadepaw turned slowly, as if her movement was hindered by the fog itself. The glow came from a bird. It was the same kind of bird that flew over the twoleg den. Shadepaw stared at it with wide blue eyes as if it had come directly from Starclan. She had never seen one so close, it was like no bird she had ever seen. Its beak was large, round and curved. Such a bird could probably break her paw if it chose to do so. And while the small feathered creatures Shadowclan caught came in browns and blacks and grey, this one was fiery red with greens and blues that made it shine against the darkness around them. But only one feather glowed more brightly, one attached to its tail. My feather! The magnificent bird let out a tremendous squawk and took off with a flurry of its brilliant wings. Its light made a path through the fog of faces and voices. It was as if it was creating a tunnel for her to escape. But her heart sank as she saw the fog close in again. “Wait! No!” She forced her stiff legs to move and she ran after the bright bird. She chased the glow, trying to keep her sight on nothing but the colors of the feathers. The voices behind her faded, and the mist around her grew lighter. At last she had broken free, and the bird led her into an open field of golden grass. She inhaled deeply to taste the calming breeze. The wind carried a scent of cats and herbs. To Shadepaw’s surprise she could see what looked like a path of smooth black stone beside her. The glowing bird flew over the stone path towards something in the distance. Shadepaw squinted her blue eyes from the bright light to see but all she saw was a large grey shape in the grass. She gingerly stepped onto the warm black stone to see if it would give her a better view, but there was someone else with her. It was a brilliant orange tom, sitting on the path and facing the large shape in the distance, as if he was watching her bird fly away too. She wondered at first if he was from Starclan, but his pelt didn’t glow with stars as the elders said they would. She moved close to him quietly. “Excuse me. Who are you?” “An old friend…” The tabby turned to look at her with brilliant amber eyes. “It’s time for you to come home.” “Home?” Shadepaw mewed curiously and then looked down the path. The grey shape was still there, but a light started to shine from it. It grew brighter and brighter, until she had to close her eyes and look away. The voice of the orange tom echoed again. “It’s time for you to come home.” When she took a chance to open her eyes, she was in the fern nest again. Her fur bristled with sudden clarity. I had a dream! A dream that meant something! Had it been from Starclan? How could she tell? Shadepaw shook her head from weariness, looking out through the opening of the log. The little clearing was quiet and empty aside from her. Greenpaw and River Wind were gone. She sniffed the air. Their scent still lingered on the ferns ad grasses. They must have gone hunting. Shadepaw guessed and stretched her jaws with a yawn. She knew they would be back soon, with only three mouths to feed hunting would be easy. Shadepaw decided to test the herbs on her scratches and stood up. She hissed, her legs stiff but her back no longer stung with infection. Turning in her nest, she plucked her red feather from the ferns. Luckily it had not been bent or broken while she had slept. She tried to imagine the great bird from her dream, how strange and colorful it had been. Now I know there’s a reason I found it. It’s a sign of some kind. She sniffed the feather. It still carried its strange calming scent, even if it had been dulled by her own smell. Nuts, berries, fresh air, and many cats. It carried her mind back to the thought of the stone path that the bird led her to in the dream. A path of solid black stone… haven’t I heard of that before? “Hey, what’s that you got there?” Shadepaw looked up to see River stepping through the bracken with an odd thing on his back. It was made mostly dried vines, hung over the tom’s back and wrapped around two strange objects. They were similar to the hollow log she sat in. Cylinder in shape but covered on the end, but unlike a log the sides were smoother than a river stone, green, with an unnatural shine. They were tied with the vines upright on either side of River Wind upright, and their insides were filled with different rolls of herbs, a mouse, and strange flat white squares. Shadepaw looked at him in confusion, amazed that the bulky thing hanging off him didn’t seem to bother him much. In fact from the way it was rubbing against his fur she could see why his sides were so matted. “What in Starclan are you wearing?” She tilted her head. “I asked you a question first.” River lowered his body to the ground. The smooth green things rested on the ground and the dried vines that had supported them on River’s back kept their shape, letting the older cat slip out from under the vines while the object remained upright. River’s amber and blue eyes were fixed on the red feather that was on Shadepaw’s nest. She thought that she almost saw recognition in his odd gaze. “Where did you get that?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Merry ChristmaHaunaKwansmadon.
She found herself standing over her treasure protectively. “I found it. It fell from one of the colorful birds that fly over here.” “Found it just like that?” He mewed, it wasn’t so much of a question than an observation. He appeared to want to ask her more about her find, until there was a rustle behind him and Greenpaw trotted towards them with another mouse and a frog. River shook his head and went back to the strange thing he’s been carrying. Greenpaw put his fresh-kill down. “Great you’re awake! Hungry?” “Famished.” Shadepaw nodded before looking at River’s contraption. “What is that thing?” “He calls it a Carryall.” Greenpaw shrugged his dark shoulders. “It’s how he carries all his herbs and papers.” Shadepaw looked at the carryall curiously, looking at the white square shapes. “Paper? Is that some other plant?” “He won’t say…” Greenpaw looked at River Wind and huffed. “It’s like you don’t trust us.” “It’s not that I don’t trust you.” River plucked his mouse from his carryall. “You just don’t need to know. We’re probably going to part ways anyway.” The brown tom padded to a soft spot in the grass and flopped down onto his side. “What? You’re going to leave us?” Greenpaw stared at him in disbelief. “You’re going to just toss us herbs and leave?” He didn’t seem eager to say goodbye to the older cat at all, but Shadepaw couldn’t imagine her brother become so close to River Wind in the amount of time they had met. Maybe he’s just as curious about River as I am? “Hey, I said I’d leave as soon as Shadepaw here was better.” River flicked his paw towards her. “And you’re already up and out of your nest. I got a home to go to you know.” “Yes, but we don’t.” Shadepaw sighed. “I’m sure Greenpaw told you.” She laid back down in her nest, keeping her feather in her paws. Greenpaw nodded at this, picking up a mouse and tossing it to her. He had a taste for frogs, she didn’t. River Wind growled a little and tore into his mouse, not wanting to talk about it any further. Shadepaw and her brother didn’t touch their food, their eyes pierced into him. You’re not going to get out of this conversation that easily. “Where is your home anyway River?” She swayed her tail absentmindedly. “You talk about it a lot.” “Do not,” He muttered, keeping his eyes on his fresh-kill. Greenpaw leaned his head forward. “Do too. You’ve mentioned it enough. It has Healers and apprentices and wanderers, whatever purpose they’re for.” “It’s probably a big place wherever it is.” Shadepaw mewed. “I know what you’re both trying to do.” River wrinkled his nose and bit a chunk out of the mouse again. “It won’t work. Outsiders are rarely around in.” Shadepaw’s fur bristled. River guessed their plan before she even thought about it. I only wanted to know about it… Though finding a new home would be the best thing for her and Greenpaw to do. They hadn’t learned enough from their mentor’s to survive that well alone. River’s home was the only place that sounded remotely like a clan, unless they wanted to treck all the way to the mountains. “Why not? Rare doesn’t mean never. And we’re still young.” Greenpaw persisted. “What’s wrong with letting us tag along?” “Look, it’s not that I don’t care about you. You’re both somewhat likable.” River tried to explain himself. “But it’s a long way to my home. I’m expected to back there soon, and you two tagging along would slow me down. Besides what would you do there anyway?” Shadepaw knew very well what she’d do. “I could train as a Healer!” She almost purred, realizing her dream of helping injured cats could actually come true. River Wind simply flattened his ears, but Greenpaw still pressed on. “And I could train as…” Greenpaw paused. “Do you have Warriors where you’re from?” “Warriors? Ha!” River spat out mouse fur. “We have Guards, three kinds. And I bet none of them are what you’re hoping for fluffer. In fact don’t get your hopes up. Like I said, you can’t get in by just walking up and asking if you could stay. They’d laugh and chase you right back here!” He said in exasperation. “Really?” Shadepaw meowed. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from our Clan. Or any other Clan. They have a right to defend, but we’re not going to hinder anyone, we want to join.” River opened his mouth about to tell her more about the troubles they would go into. But the tom stopped, and then he deflated. “I’m not going to be able to convince you fluffer’s not to go, am I?” He shuffled his paws with a sigh, turning his half-eaten mouse from one paw to another. “Nope,” Greenpaw puffed out his chest. It as if he was ready to go off to wherever to find River’s home. “And even if I leave you while you slept, you’d still track me down. Right?” River Wind asked tiredly. As if he had already guessed their answer. Shadepaw nodded. “We have nowhere else to go.” “Please River,” Greenpaw stepped towards the growling wanderer. “You’re smart enough to make and use… whatever that is.” He nodded to the carryall. The vines were twisted similar to the way a Shadowclan cat would weave a roof for a den. “So you’re probably smart enough to know me and Shadepaw won’t live very well out here. You got to give us a chance. If it doesn’t work, then you won’t lose much. We’ll leave you and your home alone. Right?” He glanced at Shadepaw. She found herself nodding. River let out a huff, his two eyes looking from Shadepaw to her brother. “Oh… alright. But we’re not leaving all at once!” He meowed sternly. “You got things to learn! Stonewall has a lot of rules.” “Stonewall,” Shadepaw mewed the name quietly and wiggled her paws. “Why’s it called that?” River Wind got a happy glint in his amber eye. “It’s called that because the upwalkers who made the city built a giant wall around it during the Great Death, many years ago. We’ve lived in the city ever since, and named our home after their last effort.” Shadepaw found herself curiously shivering, even though she hardly understood what he meant. What was an upwalker? What was the Great Death? Greenpaw got it before her. His fur bristled. “You live in a twolegplace. After they all became sick and died.” She inhaled quickly in a silent gasp. Even though she would often visit the twoleg den and sit on its roof for its solitude, Shadepaw had never dared to go inside. No one in Shadowclan wanted to go in the dark depths of the den. Ratscar said there was nothing but dust and bones, nothing to be frightened of, and still no one went in. When she once asked Flamestripe why no one wanted to go in, the medicine cat had told her that it wasn’t the thought of one or two twolegs dying, but the thought of a whole species being extinguished that frightened them. Our Clan’s one of the strongest ones by the lake, and we’re too disturbed to go into one twoleg den. How could a group of cat’s live in a huge twolegplace? River Wind had spotted their nervous behavior and he seemed to smirk. “I guess you can call them twolegs, any name works. But if you don’t like the idea of living in their old city then don’t come.” Greenpaw shook his fur, trying to cover his emotions. “No, we’ll go. If you can stand it then we can.” River’s whiskers drooped. He couldn’t win. “Very well… Eat up then. It’ll take three days to get there and I don’t want you walking slowly.” Shadepaw looked at her brother in excitement. They were actually going to go! Yet River wasn’t finished. He gulped down the last of his mouse and stretched, continuing. “You’ll need to move as fast as you need to learn if you want to have any hope of living in Stonewall.”
Chapter 7
For the rest of that day River Wind had become Greenpaw and Shadepaw’s temporary mentor. The scruffy wanderer told him and his sister all that he could while Shadepaw got the rest she needed to regain her strength. And Greenpaw tried to let all his words sink in. Stonewall was one of the few twolegplaces’ still standing, protected from the wind and wild beasts by its solid barrier. At first it was only filled with dogs and kittypets abandoned by their dead and dying twolegs, until it gained a leader. River Wind had described Albert as a great cat, wise and strong. No one remembered where he had came from, but what the cats of Stonewall did remember was that he had brought many intelligent cats with him to help the kittypets drive out the dogs and turn the twolegplace into the colony it was today. Albert was the one who had set up its first laws, much like how the beginning Clans had set down the Warrior Code. Greenpaw closed his eyes, trying to remember the laws. No hungry cat is denied food. Every cat is trained for a purpose after their sixth moon. The protecting Guards are to help, not hinder. She-cats are best at healing the sick, injured and burdened. Messengers are not to be harmed. Only Hunters provide food. Blood is repaid in Blood. Greenpaw had a bad feeling what the seventh meant, but he didn’t bother to ask River about it. From what River Wind had said, there were many smaller laws in Stonewall; some of them went from common sense to just plain odd. Currently, the leader of Stonewall was a direct descendant of the founder Albert. He was a great golden tom by the name of Golden Mane. River explained how every leader had been a descendant of Albert, not for any particular reason except almost all have been exceptional leaders, more or less, and it has always been that way. Greenpaw had thought that sounded foolish, but he wasn’t going to ruin a chance to find a new home for him and his sister by arguing. River Wind also told them that there were many groups in Stonewall. Not groups like different Clans, but groups of cats that did specific jobs. Each group was lead by a cat, or even many cats, called Heads. They reported to the leader and made sure all the cats in their group did their job. Guards protected Stonewall. Hunters caught all the food that was needed in the giant city. Healers were medicine cats. Planters were cats who buried and tended seeds that became medicinal herbs that didn’t grow abundantly in the woods surrounding Stonewall. Shadepaw had become fascinated and tried to ask how many different plants they grew, but River didn’t know much. His group didn’t deal with hunting or healing or protecting. He was what was known in the colony as a Great-Thinker. There were cats in Stonewall who inherited their ancestors intelligence, and were advisors for Stonewall. It was a Great-Thinker who came up with the idea for River’s carryall. It took the entire day to learn it all with his and Shadepaw’s constant questions. It took a long time for River to convince Greenpaw to get some sleep. He was so excited to find out everything he could about the distant colony. He had woken up in the middle of the night, curious to ask if the leader had a deputy. All it had got him was a rock kicked at his head from the grumpy wanderer. He had to wait until it was early in the morning the next day to continue their lesson. But Shadepaw had been the first to ask the next question. “Why are you so far away out here if you’re an advisor?” Shadepaw mewed curiously. River sighed tiredly, having been woken up earlier than he liked. “Well, technically I’m a Wanderer. Great-Thinkers like learning about upwalkers, but since they’ve gone through almost everything in the city they need the younger members of the group to look for relics.” He explained and sulked. “Apparently I’m not wise enough to stay in my comfy home.” “Is that what paper is? A relic?” Greenpaw looked towards River’s carryall where the white squares were tucked carefully with the rolls of herbs. They were just odd enough to come from the ancient twolegs. “Yes, it’s got upwalker writing on it. They used writing to send messages from one place to another without even speaking.” River nodded and then went over to the paper, dragging it out. His tiredness seemed to go away at the thought of showing off some of his intellect. “I could read a little if you want.” He used his paw to unfold and flatten out the sheet of paper. Greenpaw looked at the dark lines on the white square and looked at River. “Those actually mean something? What?” River Wind cleared his throat as the apprentices watched him in interest. Greenpaw notice his eyes wander over the paper. “June eighth, two-oh-oh-three,” He began. “Dear mother. Today me and my class visa-ted the Museum of Lon-don to see its collections of natural history. My favorite ex-hibit was the Hall of Large Mammals. Inside are many model skeletons of large whales, dino-saurs, and other giant creatures.” He paused and looked at them expectantly. Greenpaw glanced at Shadepaw, unsure what to make of what River had just said. Most of it sounded like gibberish. To a twoleg it probably made sense, but they were long gone now. And he didn’t see how any cat could use those words to benefit them. “That’s very… interesting.” His sister mewed uncertainly. “But what’s a museum?” Might as well ask what’s a whale, or a dinosaur, or what in Starclan was London? Greenpaw thought to himself. “I think it’s a bit like the library in Stonewall. It’s a place, where upwalker’s put all of their important treasures and information.” River Wind’s eyes lit up. “They knew almost everything about our world, every creature that lives on it, why we have seasons, where the sun and moon come from, everything!” He practically fidgeted in excitement. “Why would you want to know that?” Greenpaw tilted his head. “It doesn’t sound like it’d help you with hunting or fighting or anything.” How would knowing about where the moon and sun came from ever help you catch prey to feed others, or knowing about the seasons help you fight? Greenpaw saw no point in it. River deflated a little at his comment. “Well… the point is that you never know when you need to know something. But I suppose you wouldn’t understand.” He started to fold the paper back up in a hurry. “That’s a good point. I suppose if I ever came across something strange I’d like someone to know what it was.” She mewed, seeming to want to give comfort to River about his group. And then she thankfully changed the subject. “What other groups are there?” River shoved the piece of paper into his carryall with his paw before answering. “The other’s aren’t exactly important to know about just yet. What you really want to do is learn symbols right now.” “Symbols?” Shadepaw flicked her tail where she sat. “Yes, symbols. They’re used all over Stonewall, mostly by hunters when they’re delivering prey.” He started to scratch away the pine needles and dead leaves on the ground to reveal a patch of bare ground. River pressed his toes into the soil, moving some of the soil. Greenpaw and Shadepaw watched in fascination as he started to draw shapes. A full circle, two half circles, and two claw shapes. Greenpaw stared at these until his sister gasped. “They’re moon phases!” She mewed and then looked at River. “Right?” “Right. In different parts of Stonewall, dens are marked with a certain moon symbol, and clawmarks to match how many cats are living in that den. When the hunters come around with their carryalls of fresh-kill, they go to the homes with the moon symbol that matches that night’s moon, and they drop the right amount of prey that den would need to feed the cats for a week. And…” He made a clawmark and then crossed it. “That means a cat has either died or moved out, so the hunters can leave less. And you put a paw mark in mud or something else that’ll fade away to show that there is a queen heavy with kits, so the hunters give bigger pieces of prey.” “That’s really smart,” Greenpaw nodded. “They make sure everyone gets their fair share, but…” He asked. “How do they know someone doesn’t lie? Say they put more marks than they should?” “Excellent question,” River rubbed his paw over the marks to erase them. “That is the guard’s job. The Tail-Guard routinely check dens to make sure marks aren’t tampered with. If it turns out they have been, whoever was responsible would be…” He shuffled his paws, “Dealt with.” Greenpaw noticed his sister shiver, and he couldn’t help but feel nervous as well. But River continued, showing them the symbols of the important groups. Hunters had a symbol that looked like a pair of cat ears, the Planter’s had what looked like a leaf, Healers were given a paw-print, The Guards were given symbols that matched their names from a waving tail, a flashing claw, and to a set of fangs. The leader was given his own symbol, to Greenpaw it looked like a set of three thorns, two pointing at an angle, and one pointing straight up. River called it a crown…
“I’ll tell you about the last three groups later when we get on our way.” River meowed and then stretched his back. “Right now, I think we can do some hunting.” “Can we get moving after we eat?” Shadepaw looked at him hopefully. “I’m feeling a lot stronger now.” “You sure Shadepaw?” Greenpaw sniffed her. Her scratches weren’t infected anymore, but he didn’t want her to push herself so soon. Shadepaw nodded and River shook his fur as he stood. “Sound’s great. In all honesty I should have made us leave last night. But you live and learn.” He shrugged and started to head out of the clearing. Greenpaw moved to follow before stopping. He looked back at his sister. “Practice moving around ok?” The grey and white she-cat gave him a bemused look. “Greenpaw don’t be so fussy. You sound like our parents.” She then sighed. Greenpaw felt a little weight in his heart, suspecting she had the same feeling. It felt like their home and kin would forever be a tender subject. Shadepaw looked up at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be ready to travel.” Greenpaw nodded his head to her and hurried after River. This time they went in a new direction than the one where they had hunted before. Greenpaw took a guess and figured they were going around the direction of Riverclan, if a bit far away from the actual borders. “If we’re going to get moving after this I might as well show you the path we’ll be taking.” River meowed back to Greenpaw as he moved over the bracken. His lazy eye seemed to glaze over and his ears perked at the sound of rustling in the nearby bracken. The loner broke into a crouch and Greenpaw quieted his pawsteps, letting River Wind stalk the prey. The younger tom moved on, going to see how much he could catch by himself. Sniffing, he could pick up the smell of a lot of birds and voles. His stomach grumbled at the thought of a tasty meal. Greenpaw stopped, spotting a starling near a group of wild poppies and a holly. He lowered himself close to the ground and padded silently towards it, trying to avoid stepping on anything dry. Fortunately the ground was soft here, deafening his pawsteps. Greenpaw came closer to the starling, and he prepared to pounce, his tail flicked. Suddenly the starling turned his head, spotting his white-tipped tail and it flew off with a startled call. Greenpaw hissed and jumped at it, but it was to no avail. He landed on the ground and sulked. “Mousedung,” I should have kept my tail to myself. He got up and continued his search for easier prey. But he didn’t have to move for long until he found something unfamiliar through the tall poppy stalks. His green eyes blinked at the sight of flat cracked stone stretching from one direction of the forest to the other. He stared at the black stone path, unsure of what to make of it. Pressing a curious paw on its surface, he found it was warm from the sun that reached past the sparse branches above. He sniffed it and wrinkled his nose. It smelled like rock for the most part, but there was an odd older smell, faint, but it stung his nostrils all the same. I know I’ve heard of something like this before… but from where? He walked across the stone hesitantly, trying to remember all of Ratfur’s stories. Then he spotted a quick dash of brown and black. Greenpaw stopped and quickly spotted what had moved. Scurrying across the cracked stone was a lizard, and there wasn’t just one. There were several dozen just beyond him lying in the sunlight, trying to warm up during the cool morning. He had never seen so many little lizards in one place, but one thing he knew was that they were fast, and they were edible. By the time River Wind found him on the stone path, the sun was higher in the sky and Greenpaw had managed to catch five lizards, even though that was only out of a dozen attempts. The wanderer sniffed his little pile of fresh kill and wrinkled his nose. “Why do you always catch the odd things? First you eat a frog and now these?” “Food is food.” Greenpaw shook out his sore pads from jumping around on the rough surface of the path so many times. “What did you catch?” “Two voles and a sparrow.” River flicked his tail in the direction he came from. “I buried them a little ways away. I’m sure they were easier to catch than all these.” He looked at the lizards again before looking across the stone. “Then again, I have to give some you credit for finding the road without me.” “Road?” Greenpaw looked down at the black stone. “This is the path we’re going to take to Stonewall?” He couldn’t help but feel some excitement well up in him. They were finally going to go soon. River nodded. “Yeah all the upwalkers left these roads when they died. Now we use them as guides to get where we need to. This one will lead us right to the city.” Greenpaw’s excitement diminished slightly when he heard River talk about the twolegs. Looking at the paths again he recalled listening to Ratfur as a kit, crouching in fright as the elder talked about roaring beasts that crushed unwary cats under their paws on paths of foul rock. “This is a thunderpath!” He exclaimed suddenly, almost wanting to jump off the road completely. But he couldn’t act like a frightened kit in front of the Stonewall cat. I shouldn’t be so frightened. He scolded himself. The monsters died a long time ago, like the twolegs. And yet he glanced back and forth along the thunderpath, almost expecting to hear a beast’s roar. “What’s all up in your fur?” River looked at him questioningly. “Why’d you call it a thunderpath?” “Because… because a long time ago the Clans lived close to a big one and cats would get killed by the things that ran on it.” He explained. “But they all died with the two-I mean the upwalkers.” He tried to use the same term as River. River Wind tilted his head and looked at him oddly before he blinked. “Ooh you mean cars.” Greenpaw looked up at River. “Cars?” He mewed the unfamiliar word. “Yes they were made by upwalkers.” River nodded. “They were more like metal shells that they rode in, not living things. We’ll see a bunch of them on the way, all broken though. The ages have not been kind to them.” Greenpaw nodded, guessing that living in a twoleg place would make him unnerved by all of their strange things left behind. “Do you know a lot about them?” He padded to his pile of lizards and idly started to pick them up by their tails. “Not exactly. Rattle Grass, a fellow Great-Thinker of mine, is deciphering a whole book on how they used to work.” River turned to head back into the forest. “Poor chap has to stop every so often to find out what some words stand for. It’s taking him moons.” “Why would he waste his time like that?” Greenpaw said with a mouth full of scaly tails as he followed the wanderer carefully. River stopped and looked at him. “Waste? It’s a big task! It’ll reveal how upwalkers traveled from place to place.” He said with a bit of pride. “Someday it’ll prove useful for us. I know it.” “Sure.” Greenpaw let out a quiet sigh and nodded his head, letting River continue on to unbury his catch. He just didn’t see how important it could be if all the ‘cars’ were dead and broken. River said nothing else until they had carried the fresh kill back to their clearing. Shadepaw wasn’t too eager for lizards, just like she didn’t like to eat frogs. Greenpaw didn’t mind and was happy to let River give her a vole while he enjoyed his hard earned meal. Peeling off the skin was hard work, but a lizard had good meat in it, even if it was a small amount. It wasn’t so much of an acquired taste as it was an acquired appetite. While he was crunching the leg of his third lizard, he heard his sister speak up. “Can you tell us about the colorful birds?” He looked up, watching her and River. River Wind spat out some sparrow feathers, looking at her in bewilderment. “Why?” “Because you know about them,” Shadepaw persisted. “I could tell when you saw my feather.” River sighed, nodding. “Well… yes I know them. I see them all the time in Stonewall, they live there too. But why are you so interested in them?” Greenpaw tilted his head. He thought he heard something in River’s meow. The wandered didn’t seem to talk about the colorful birds like they were a common bird like the sparrow in his claws. He knows them. Not knows about them. Greenpaw flicked his tail. There was something odd about the birds, and Shadepaw seemed to have known it all along. “They’re different, that’s why.” The grey she-cat stated. “What are they called?” “Parrots. But most cats call them Messengers.” River bit into his sparrow. “Why can’t we ever just eat? You’re always asking me questions when I’m busy.” He meowed scornfully. “I’m sorry River Wind I’m just curious.” Shadepaw curled her tail close to herself. She went quiet before looking up, opening her mouth. “You’re going to ask why they’re called messengers aren’t you.” River accused quietly. Shadepaw stopped and nodded silently, Greenpaw could see her fur had bristled with embarrassment. “Well what’s so bad about asking?” Greenpaw defended his sister. “You said yourself that we’ll need to know everything.” “Yes but not all at once!” River shook his head. “This is why I could never be a teacher. I can answer questions but in my own time.” “If they’re in Stonewall can I at least see them?” Shadepaw looked at River, full of hope. She really wanted to see the parrots. Greenpaw knew how happy the feather had made her. He couldn’t imagine how excited she would be to see a whole bird. River took one look at Shadepaw’s blue eyes and couldn’t hold his stern behavior. He relented, nodding his head with a sigh. “You can. All you’d have to do is look in the trees. They’re all over the place.” River then began to eat the rest of his bird and started on his vole. Shadepaw’s fur fluffed up in sheer joy before getting up. She had already finished her vole. “I’m going to go sort the herbs we have.” She moved quickly, the scratches on her shoulders healed up nicely. She seemed ecstatic just to do one medicine cat-like job. River looked up to protest but then twitched his whiskers, seeing that she couldn’t do any harm. “Oh fine, just put your feather in the carryall too. You wouldn’t want it to get bent on the journey.” Greenpaw relaxed and looked back down to let them talk. He continued to eat his scaly meal. His claws were tired from peeling the skin by the time he disemboweled his fifth and last tiny piece of fresh kill. After he swallowed the meat down, his stomach rumbled. Before he could realize what was going on inside him, he belched. His sister and River swiveled their heads at the sudden noise. But then River let out an amused meow. “You’re going to regret those lizards when we get moving Greenpaw. Mark my words.” “We’ll see.” Greenpaw huffed and cleaned his paws. A little gas won’t bother me. He wasn’t some kit. His stomach was stronger than that. …Or so he thought. As soon as they were fed and ready River gathered up his carryall on his back and got the two ex-shadowclan apprentices moving. The wanderer led them to the warm road and continued to walk along the cracked stone. They moved relatively in the direction the sun rose in the sky. Shadepaw padded ahead of them happily, tail held high. They hadn’t gone too far when he felt his belly rumble again, painfully. “Ooohh.” Greenpaw grimaced.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:48:52 GMT -5
( The Cats of Stonewall cont. )
Shadepaw stopped and looked back at her brother. “Greenpaw?” “Lizards.” River huffed. He didn’t even turn around to see what was troubling the younger tom. “They’re like the pigeons back home. You think you can eat more than one but after you’ve eaten your third you realized why you shouldn’t have.” “Shut up.” Greenpaw bared his clenched teeth and quickened his pace, hoping to ignore the belly ache. “Do you want us to stop?” Shadepaw padded beside him. “I could see if River Wind has Chervil root.” “I don’t.” Greenpaw heard River mew behind them. “I don’t usually eat things that shouldn’t be eaten. So I don’t need herbs for stomach problems.” “I don’t need any anyway.” Greenpaw stayed defiant. He lifted his head to hide his discomfort. “Don’t think about stopping just for me.” “Only if you’re sure…” Shadepaw looked at him with doubt but only shook her head. Greenpaw sighed, his stomach tensing again but he would try his best not to show it to her or River. Not that he needed to though. As they carried on their way Shadepaw would occasionally glance at him, as if she was worried he’d fall over with illness. River meanwhile caught up beside them and would give Greenpaw ‘I Told You So’ looks. His odd gaze didn’t make the looks sting any less. Greenpaw’s pelt burned, though whether it was from indignation or the pain in his belly was anyone’s guess. His legs didn’t feel right either, especially his back legs. I need a distraction, any distraction. He thought to himself wearily. But there wasn’t much to look at on either side of the old thunderpath. Everything was trees; Trees and bracken; Trees bracken and stone. And the occasional lizard that would dive into the cracks as soon as the group came near. Greenpaw tried his best not to think about them anymore. The only thing vaguely interesting was how the forest was changing from familiar pines to broad leafed trees that grew around Thunderclan. But he knew they were far away from any of the four Clans. They walked until the sun was high above them in the sky. The warmth of the stone under his paws did little to make the discomfort forgettable. It was as if he was sweltering under his fur. His pace had slowed to where he was a tail-length behind River and Shadepaw. “How’re you holding up Greenpaw?” Shade looked back at him. Greenpaw shook his head. “I’m alright.” He lifted his gaze to River’s carryall. Why couldn’t you have something for belly aches?? Greenpaw grimaced as his belly gave an uncomfortable lurch. He wouldn’t be able to keep walking for long. Shadepaw must have noticed this, because then he heard his sister talk to River. “Can we stop? I think we all need some rest.” You’re just saying that for me. Greenpaw thought bitterly. What’s worse is that I actually need to stop. “Rest? This soon?” River let out an absurd meow. “We’re not even halfway to Stonewall.” “But…” Shadepaw looked around, as if looking for an excuse to stop. It only made Greenpaw’s fur burn more. “Oh! What’s that?” Shadepaw came to a halt. She stared into the forest to their right. Greenpaw and River both looked. At first he saw nothing, but the more Greenpaw stared the more he noticed a large brown shape sticking out of the ferns and trees. Greenpaw tilted his head, it seemed like a boulder but it was too far to make out the shape properly. River didn’t look too perplexed by the thing in the trees. He sniffed. “We must be close to the stream.” “What?” Greenpaw looked questioningly at River. He couldn’t imagine how a stream would have anything to do with a boulder. Nevertheless Shadepaw was already making her way off the thunderpath and into the forest, heading straight for the strange obelisk. “Hey wait! We don’t have time for sight-seeing!” River Wind called after her. Greenpaw took his chance to pursue after his littermate into the foliage. This was just the diversion he needed to find a nice quiet place to relive his troubled insides. He heard River Wind let out an annoyed groan behind them. He knew the wanderer wouldn’t let them be sidetracked for too long. Greenpaw clenched his jaw and quickened his pawsteps. The bracken was thick in this forest. The sounds of birds echoed through the green branches. They pushed themselves through the ferns. Greenpaw breathed in the air and caught the cool scent of earth and water. There is a stream close by… He paused and looked around quickly. Fresh water sounded wonderful at the moment. He wondered if Shadepaw could find chervil root as well. While he thought, Shadepaw moved ahead of him. He heard her gasp. “Greenpaw come look at this…” Greenpaw burst through a patch of wild flowers and looked up in awe at the large hulk in front of him. It was a dead monster. It couldn’t have been anything else. Its shell was coated in rust and appeared to be falling apart by its seams. One half was buried in the earth, and the other half leaned precariously over a deep river bed, one of its round black paws was missing. Greenpaw moved quietly around the hulk to look down over the edge of soil. The previous snowmelt had apparently caused a flash flood. A deep gash had been made into the clay bed, and the now tiny stream was banked by steep slopes on either side. The small trickle of water looked so serene, but Greenpaw could imagine it raging through the forest during the first days of Newleaf. Given a heavy rain, he wouldn’t be surprised if the clay under the monster’s shell would give way, and then the corpse would slide into the riverbed. “Ratfur was right,” He heard a thud and looked up, seeing his sister jump up onto the monster’s shell. It was a brave thing to do, though he could see how nervous she was up there. “The monsters did die with their twolegs.” She was looking at something through the clear part of the car’s corroded shell. Greenpaw looked up at another clear part on the monster’s hide but couldn’t see anything. There was dust outside and in. “Be careful Shadepaw, that thing doesn’t look stable.” Normally he would have jumped up with her to see what she was staring at, but his stomach pained him again. He glanced into the clay bed, noticing some spars plants were growing further upstream. “I’ll… I’ll be right back. I need to get some water.” He made up an excuse quickly and climbed down the dry clay. Without much thought he dashed to the river plants before his sister could take much notice. Only when he was safely concealed in tall grasses and ferny leaves could he finally relieve himself. After what felt like a lifetime Greenpaw finally buried his dirt, heaving a heavy sigh. His stomach ache was almost gone thankfully and he hadn’t been disturbed. Though there was a sound further away from him that he couldn’t help noticing. When they were by the car he heard a constant chatter of birds in the trees, they had grown in volume since the cats arrived. And now that he was farther upstream Greenpaw could pick out louder sounds from the bird calls. They were loud screeches and caws, though describing them that way didn’t do them any justice. And Greenpaw felt once again that he remembered them, not from Ratfur’s stories but from when he was a kit, and when the walnuts and acorns in Thunderclan were in season. He quietly moved through the plants, his pawsteps silent in the soft stream bed. He headed towards the noises. Greenpaw wanted to make sure his assumptions were right. If he was, then he would run off to tell Shadepaw that she wouldn’t have to wait for Stonewall to see wonders. The squawks and screeches and little chirps grew louder, some where almost ear splitting. Greenpaw flattened his ears from the noise. He stopped at a barrier of reeds as the calls split through the air. He could see colors past the reed stalks, almost as if a rainbow had landed in the clay bed to wait for another rain storm. He hesitated before pushing himself into the plants to get a better look and his green eyes widened. His nose was flooded with the scents of nuts berries feathers and sky. Greenpaw was looking at a wider part of the clay bed, a place where the walls were les steep and more clay was exposed to the sun… and the birds. Some were no bigger than a kit, chirping softly as they scurried through the crowds on their short legs. They stopped occasionally to nip at the ground with sharp hooked beaks. Others were larger, much larger. They ranged from the size of Greenpaw to those that would be able to look down upon a full grown warrior. These ones had dull but thick beaks larger than Greenpaw’s paws, and looked like they could snap bones. Their scaly feet were all grey and very different from the little birds Greenpaw was used to seeing in the fresh-kill pile. They walked on their four toes with a slight shuffle instead of the scurrying hop he was accustomed to. And all of their feathers were bright. Even the ones that were mostly grey or white had some color in their long tails and astonishing crests. Their eyes were black and bright, shining like beetle shells. These were the birds Shadepaw wanted to see so badly. These were the parrots. Greenpaw wondered at first why so many were there by the stream in such a tight group. They didn’t look to be trying to drink from the water, though some would bob their beaks into the current for a quick sip. They were all biting at the ground. They’re birds, of a sort, are they trying to find insects? He tilted his head, watching a large blue parrot pick up a whole chunk of clay in its black beak before crunching it up, eating it completely. If they were trying to find bugs they weren’t bothering to actually search. Greenpaw had seen enough, he would come back with Shadepaw and maybe River to show them the flock of birds. He started to move backwards, moving away through the ferns. Before he could fully turn back Greenpaw felt his hindquarters bump into something soft, something very big. The soft big thing moved. He yelped and shot around to find himself facing a giant blue parrot with a gold belly and green wings. It swiveled its head to consider him with both of its sharp eyes. Its feathers were fluffed out. Greenpaw realized that it was bristling like a cat with anger. It lowered its head and Greenpaw jumped back slightly as it opened its beak. It’s going to attack me! And then it did something disturbing. It made a sound, not a squawk, not a screech, but a sound very similar to a meow. So similar in fact that Greenpaw could understand words, despite how distorted they were from the birds tongue and beak. “Sso! You think you cahn stahlk uss and eaht uss do you? You think hwe ahrre blind dumb birrds do you? Filthy strrahy caht!” It hissed loudly. Greenpaw’s blood ran cold. The parrot knew catspeak! He let out a shocked yowl as the bird spread its wings and lunged, beak aiming for his throat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If anyone ever needs help figuring out what the heck the parrots say, because they all will talk like that, let me know. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
Chapter 8
Shadepaw stared into the dead monster in a mix of apprehension and intrigue. Past the dust she could see grey objects, long and round. They were bones. No one in the clans for generations had seen a living breathing twoleg, and they never would, and yet she knew without a doubt that they could only have been from a twoleg. She had never seen a skull so large, its hollow eye sockets so deep they looked like caves. They died together… Shadepaw shivered and looked upstream, wondering when Greenpaw would get back. She wondered if she could look for something to help his indigestion. “Shadepaw get down from there! I won’t stop at every ruin we come to just so you can have a history lesson! And where’s your brother?” River Wind was below Shadepaw on the ground, still wearing his carryall. Shadepaw had been ignoring him until now. “He’s taking a break, and we haven’t been to every ‘ruin’ this is the first one.” Shadepaw stood up on her paws. “You knew about this thing?” She looked over the edge at the brown tom. River shrugged. “Oh sure. But this is a road, there are dozens of cars lying around.” “Cars…” Shadepaw murmured the new word as she looked at the monster’s rough old shell under her paws. I guess I can’t really call them monsters any more. They’re no danger to anyone anymore. She looked back at its clear side where she saw the bones. She tried to imagine a whole territory filled with twoleg dens, littered with cars and bones. She couldn’t help but feel a little apprehension mix with her previous excitement about what might be her new home. A yowl pierced through the forest air, followed by other frightening sounds of strange shrieks. Shadepaw bristled. Greenpaw! He had been out there in this strange forest alone. “River Wind! We-” She began, looking down to the Stonewall cat. But the wanderer was already running to where the noise came from. Shadepaw jumped down and tore after him. She remembered the stories of foxes and badger’s living among the trees outside the Clans. She prayed that her brother hadn’t run into one. River hadn’t even bothered to slip out from under his carryall when he started running. It bounced and swayed, causing a few rolls of herbs to bounce out, including her feather. Shadepaw gasped when she spotted her colorful treasure spin out into the air. Not thinking, she slowed a little. Something deep inside her told her that she couldn’t lose that precious find. Not after the dream she had. She jumped slightly to catch her feather and sprinted to keep up with River. The strange noises grew louder as River and Shadepaw ran to the edge of the steep stream bed. River Wind stopped and hissed when he looked down onto the clay. “Oh not now! Not all the way out here!” Shadepaw had to step closer to the edge to see what River was looking at and she gasped, the scent of the feather filling her mouth. Then again it might not have been just the feather she was scenting. The river bed was filled with birds! The same birds she would gaze at as they flew over her Clan. Only these birds didn’t glow, or appear as graceful as they did in the air. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw a large blue and green one drag a thrashing black shape through the enormous squawking flock. Its viciously curved beak was hooked around Greenpaw’s scruff, almost as if this was a cruel joke about a bird carrying a cat away as its prey. The parrot however was having a hard time keeping a hold on the young tom. Greenpaw screeched and flailed his paws, smacking at his captor or any parrot that tried to bite at him as he passed. Shadepaw started to feel sick. She had always wanted to see the beautiful creatures up close. Now she saw how closely they attacked her kin. And he’s not using his claws. She noticed with growing worry. Why wouldn’t Greenpaw fight back? She whimpered as she saw the parrot holding Greenpaw let go and began to smack him in the head with its large wings. Greenpaw hissed, trying to get up but more birds started in on the onslaught, beating him with ever wing stroke. She wanted to yowl, shriek at the giant birds to make them forget Greenpaw and go after her. Only she didn’t get the chance. Beside her, River slipped out from his carryall and dashed down the clay ledge into the mob of birds. Shadepaw watched in amazement at this surprising act of bravery. He didn’t look afraid at all as he ran closer, except for his tail bristling with agitation. Yet what was more surprising was what he yowled. “Wait! Wait-uh, Flock-Friends! Peace!” He said desperately, dodging around each shape in attempt to get past the birds. Shadepaw expected him to get bitten, pushed out of the way, or even receive the same treatment as Greenpaw. Yet the parrots lifted their heads at the sound of his voice, going silent when he had run past them. He even managed to get to Greenpaw and the wanderer stood over the curled up apprentice. The birds watched him, tilting their heads in curiosity. They understood him. And not only that, they knew him. Shadepaw could see the recognition in their shining black eyes. Of course, River had said they were from Stonewall too. Shadepaw sighed with relief as the parrots moved back from River and Greenpaw, forming a little circle around the two toms. Seeing they weren’t going to be attacked again, Shadepaw started to make her way gingerly down the clay bed. As she did so, some of the birds turned their heads. They noticed her, and some started to squawk again. Some even puffed out in obvious agitation, but none ran at her to attack. Instead they moved aside. The sea of colors parted for Shadepaw, giving her a clear view of Greenpaw and River. She wanted to run to her brother and the older cat but she was hesitant. Shadepaw had been so excited about these creatures, and now she was afraid. Especially after seeing how violent they could be. The way they eyed her and her feather worried her even more. “It’s ok Shadepaw,” River called, though even his meow was a little shaken. “They won’t hurt you. Come on.” She took a deep breath, the feather tickling her mouth through her teeth. She fought the urge to cough and she padded slowly through the path the parrots had made. Shadepaw felt their eyes on her. The grey and white she-cat tried to keep her eyes on River and the huddled shape of Greenpaw. She saw Greenpaw get up, his legs wobbling but there didn’t appear to be any marks left on his fur. He had only been roughed up. Still her ears couldn’t ignore the sound of clicking beaks and chirps. The birds were keeping their voices quiet, as if communicating among themselves. For all she knew they were. Just then a large parrot stepped out from the wall of birds, reaching for Shadepaw’s face with its beak stretched wide. Unlike the other colorful birds this one was a deep black color with cheek red as blood. Its beak was gigantic! Shadepaw let out a little squeak from her throat and started to move back quickly, causing the flock to raise their voices. The black parrot only pursued after her further, a frill of tall midnight feathers rising on its head. Shadepaw whimpered further. River’s meow rose over the birds chatter. “Shadepaw don’t be afraid of him, Smog’s only testing you. Hold still!” He ordered and Shadepaw froze. Her blue eyes widened as the bird named Smog came closer. His beak came close to her ear and she fought the urge to fold it back protectively. The intimidating parrot’s beak closed on her thin ear and she stopped breathing. But instead of the sharp pain Shadepaw had been expecting, Smog’s huge beak was gentle as he tasted her ear. His beak then dragged over the top of her head and through her neck fur. She waited, her paws frozen to the ground. Smog’s attention then went to her feather and he tasted it as well, making a clicking sound. Her mouth tightened around the feather, afraid the parrot would take it. Smog released her treasure and backed away, as if considering her for a moment before he let out a sharp shriek. Shadepaw jumped from nervousness. What was all that about? Smog cackled and the other birds copied the sound. It took her a moment to realize that they were laughing. “Jump-ie caht,” Smog suddenly chirrped in catspeak. Shadepaw looked at him in shock as he went on. “Go to Rriverr Hwind. Heahd Rrahinbow hwill hwant to ssee you hahve hiss luck.” And with that the great black parrot spread his wings and took off towards a large distant tree. Shadepaw squinted her eyes, seeing its branches were littered with other parrots, including dark ones much like Smog. She stood where she was for a few heartbeats. Her nerves were still on edge from the encounter and still stunned from hearing a bird actually speak. She was brought back to her senses as more parrots moved closer to her, each opening their beaks to touch her thick pelt. They had blocked the way she came from. Trapped! Her ears laid back and she dashed past the grazing beaks into the circle River and Greenpaw waited in. She finally released her feather at River’s paws and buried her face in Greenpaw’s black fur. “Are you alright?? I thought they would have…” She mewed fretfully. She felt Greenpaw’s muzzle brush over her head. “I’m fine. What about you?” Greenpaw sniffed the ear Smog had bitten on. But the bird had left her head intact. She then heard Greenpaw growl and looked up. Her brother was staring at River intently. “Why didn’t you say something?” Greenpaw growled again. “Say what? That parrots could speak cat?” River huffed. “Like you two fluffers’ would believe me. I hoped you would find out at Stonewall where I could explain it better, but no, you had to go exploring.” He rolled his eyes at Greenpaw. “You’re lucky I came in time, they would have bitten your tail off eventually. Then again I should have suspected the flock would be here.” “Why?” Shadepaw mewed quietly, her gaze looking back at the parrots surrounding them. They all were chattering and looking at them curiously, some looks were friendlier than others. “They eat the clay to keep from having stomach problems.” River explained. “You could learn something from them Greenpaw.” Greenpaw looked like he was going to spit back at River Wind, until a flurry of parrot calls came from the tree Smog had flown to. The groups of parrots were rising from the branches like a swarm of insects, heading right towards them. “Oh great…” River crouched down. “Here comes Rainbow. Why did you have to bring that blasted feather over here Shadepaw?” Shadepaw didn’t say anything. She only watched as the flock around them flapped their wings, spreading out for this new group to land on the clay bed. Some even splashed into the stream as they spread, scattering droplets into the air. The parrots that landed caused a change in the air. The parrots fell silent once again. Shadepaw pressed between River and Greenpaw in apprehension. She could see birds moving through the flock with a purpose. Shadepaw noticed how the other parrots started to move aside for a much smaller group. She counted four of them as they got closer to the cats. Smog was one of them, his crest raised high. The other beside him was the blue and green parrot that had attacked Greenpaw. They were then followed by a beautiful bird that was a mix of green and gold among other colors. This one walked close to a brilliant red parrot that strutted with an important air around him. The red bird’s wings were feathered with yellows blues and greens, as well as its tail. I have a pretty good guess which one is ‘Rainbow’. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
I thought I'd just add this too considering we're being introduced to new characters. ^^
Messengers (tropical birds that like with cats and speak cat, acting as messengers in Stonewall for groups that live far away.)
Rainbow- Brightly colored male macaw with red, blue, and yellow feathers. Leader of the messengers. Sunflower- Orange, green and gold female parrot. Tangerine- Female orange and green parrot Poppy- Young pink cockatoo female with red-tipped feathers. Tempest- Blue male macaw with yellow belly and green wings. Ember- African Grey female with red tail. Chip- Small green budgerigar female with yellow and black markings. Smog- Deep black cockatoo male with bright red cheeks. Gale- Young Green male macaw with a blue head and tail. Speckle- White cockatoo male with grey flecks. Sapphire- Deep blue hyacinth macaw female Nut- Elderly yellow and green macaw male.
The four parrots walked into the clearing and all took a place in front of the cats. Smog and the blue-green parrot went to stand on either side of the important pair. Shadepaw was reminded of how Fernleaf would stand by Thornstar. Rainbow and his companion had to be the leaders of this flock. “Sso,” The red parrot looked at River, his catspeak was affected by his ebony beak, and yet his voice was filled with an intelligence of age. “Tempesst tells me you hahve brrought hungrr-ie strrahys’ to my flock.” His white and red head bobbed to the blue-green parrot at his side. Tempest puffed out his feathers, glaring at Greenpaw who returned the angry gaze. “Ahnd, Ssmog tells me ahlso one hahss my luck.” Rainbow continued, bobbing to the black parrot. “Ahrre either of them rright in theirr truth?” He gazed from River to the younger cats. Shadepaw felt as though the great bird was staring through them. River appeared to gulp and shook his head. “Not exactly, sir. I-I found these cats near the lake close to here. They were abandoned by their home. And… and they need a new one. We were on our way to Stonewall when Greenpaw here wandered into your flock.” He nodded to the dark apprentice to introduce him. River was still tense as he looked back at Rainbow. “I told him you were all from Stonewall earlier. I’m sure he wouldn’t have hunted anyone. A-and as for the luck thing, Shadepaw,” He motioned to her and the feather at his paws. “She found a feather at her old home. I didn’t think it would be yours.” “It iss your feahtherr Rahinbow.” Smog croaked, raising his head. “I cheahked it myself.” Shadepaw looked down at her feather and then at Rainbow. Now that she looked at him, she could see the similarities between him and the bird in her dream, only he didn’t glow. Looking towards his tail, she saw that one was slightly smaller and less worn than his others, one that had grown to replace the old one that eventually fell out. She had always known there was something about her treasure, but now the bird’s interest in it proved it further. But why had they called it luck? “What is special about your feather?” She mewed curiously. River looked at her sharply. He obviously wanted the young cats to stay quiet but Rainbow did not seem to mind. The parrot’s eyes shined with amusement. “Little Shahdepahw. Ahll of our feahtherrs ahrre speciahl. But tahil ahnd hwing feahtherrs keep uss in the ahirr.” He suddenly spread his giant wings. The other birds sidestepped to give him room to show Shadepaw. Each one was beautifully colored. “Hwithout them hwe chan not fly. They ahrre our luck. Ourr lives. Hwe only losse one aht ah time for new oness ever-ie fourr sseahsonss. Hwhen they drrop, hwe keep them in our nestss to keep the good luck. Orr,” He put his wings away. “Hwe let cahtss like you find them and keep them for good luck.” Shadepaw couldn’t help but feel her fur warm with understanding. From what she had gathered from his odd speech, she had caught a priceless item for the parrots. She gathered the feather in her paws from the ground. “Are… are you sure you don’t want it back?” “Nah, nah!” Rainbow suddenly shook his head and the other birds ruffled their feathers. “Luck iss not given, it iss found. To tahke someoness good luck makes it bad luck. But, your offer iss kind.” The red parrot looked at her happily. “Keep my luck little one. It iss why you found Rriverr Hwind.” Shadepaw nodded. “I will.” She tucked the feather under her. I knew it was a sign of some kind. Shadepaw thought to herself proudly. Now her anxiety about the exotic birds was nearly gone. It was as if she and her brother were meant to find them. “Um, Rainbow?” Greenpaw steadied himself on his paws. Everyone turned to look at him, including Shadepaw. “River Wind still hasn’t told us everything about you or Stonewall. How do you all know catspeak?” This time Rainbow’s companion spoke, the parrot’s chirp was much lighter than the other’s Shadepaw heard. “Ourr kind hahve lived hwith cahts for man-ie generrahtionss. Hwe leahrned from eahch otherrr. My mother tahght me, just asss I tahught my chick.” Shadepaw tilted her head, quickly seeing that this parrot was a female. Maybe she’s Rainbow’s mate? That could be why they’re so close to each other. “So you don’t just live in Stonewall, you live with the cats there.” Greenpaw meowed with some interest. “Are you a group?” “They’re Messengers.” River sighed next to them. He sat down on the clay with a thud. “Again, I wanted to tell you when we got there. Sorry.” Shadepaw looked at him indignantly. “You said they weren’t important!” River quickly flicked his tail over her mouth, making her spit. “Not imporrtahnt?” Tempest raised his head. His large beak clicked. “Hwith out uss cahts hwould be dying of exhahusstion!” Rainbow made the laughing sound again. “Don’t look sso ssuprrised. He meahnss hwe tahke messsahges from one caht too ahnotherr ahll over the cit-ie.” “The city’s a big place.” River nodded. “Groups are spread out and when a Head-cat wants his orders given to his cats on the other side of Stonewall a parrot can deliver the order faster than any feline can run.” He nodded to the birds who seemed to inflate with pride. “Amazing! No wonder you learned catspeak.” Shadepaw mewed. The parrots were much more talkative than River Wind. They seemed eager to explain anything. “What do you get in return?” “Therre ahrre man-ie frruit trreess in Sstonehwahll.” Rainbow’s mate chirruped. “Trreess thaht do not grrow in these forestss. Ahnd it iss ah ssahfe plahce for our nestss.” Her eyes shined a bit. “In fahct, it wahss Rriverr Hwind thaht ssaved my chick frrom fahlling from one of the mahn-ie trreess.” Shadepaw and her brother turned as one cat to look at River, who had suddenly found the tree line more interesting. She prodded the odd-eyed tom in the side. “River? Did you really do that?” She didn’t doubt the parrot’s words, but Shadepaw wondered why River never said anything about it. River Wind flinched and coughed. “Well, ahem, Sunflower you and Rainbow give me too much credit for what happened. Gale landed on me, that’s all.” “Ahh, but it wahss luck thaht you werre underr the trree hwhen he fell.” Rainbow pointed out, tilting his head so much he was looking at them upside down. It made Shadepaw’s neck hurt just looking at the amused parrot leader. Rainbow then turned his neck the right way and squawked. “Now! Sshadepahw, Grreenpahw. Norrmal-ie I hwould think cahts frrom the lahke hwould not belong in the wahlls of sstone. But, hwith my luck and the good Rriverr Hwind aht your sside, you verr-ie hwll mahy mahke it. You ahrree both hwelcome in my flock, ahnd hahve my blessing asss Heahd of the Messengerrss.” With that Rainbow gave a tremendous screech, joined in by the rest of the parrots. They spread out, brushing past the cats with chirps of welcome. Some even took off into the air to fly over them into the trees. “So what does all this mean River?” Greenpaw hissed to River. Shadepaw swiveled her fattened ear to hear their conversation. River’s shoulders were hunched and he leaned close to the younger cats so his mew would be heard over the excitement. “This means Rainbow’s accepted you two as ‘flock-friends’”. It pretty much means that if you ever need a favor from any parrot it won’t cost you an acorn.” He ducked even further as one bird swooped low over them. “Honestly! They did the same thing after their little feather-ball fell on me while I was sleeping.” Shadepaw let out an mrrow of laughter. She wouldn’t mind being friends with the parrots. They appeared very friendly, as long as they didn’t think they were being threatened. Her laughter stopped when the parrot Tempest started to move closer. She sidled back a little as the more aggressive bird approached them. Greenpaw tensed the most. Yet Tempest then lowered himself, almost in a bowing stance. “My ahpologiess. I sshould not hahve ahttacked.” Greenpaw’s fur laid flat. “It’s ok. You were protecting your flock.” Her brother then bowed his head to the bird, something she didn’t expect the proud tom to do. Tempest seemed satisfied in this and took off with great wing beats. “Is that why you didn’t attack him back?” Shadepaw looked at Greenpaw. “You would have done the same thing?” The black and white cat nodded. “I did the same thing, once.” Greenpaw then looked at River Wind. “I don’t think I’ll ever claw first and ask questions later again.” River seemed to consider Greenpaw’s words and then nodded his head. “Good for you.” Shadepaw didn’t question their reconciliation. Whatever happened between them was water under a bridge, something to be forgotten to move on. They were so much closer to their destination than Shadepaw could ever imagine.
“So what do we do now?” Greenpaw meowed, stumbling as a large white parrot with a yellow frill brushed passed him. Most of the birds seemed to be quieting their shrieks and going about their business of chatting loudly and eating clay. “I suggest we get back to the road. We spent a lot of time here and it’ll be dark soon.” River got up to stretch, but the stream bed was growing crowded. Shadepaw’s tail drooped. She had hoped to stay a little longer, maybe even talk more with the parrot leader, wherever he was in the flock. The grey she-cat looked up as she felt a nudge. Greenpaw had noticed her downcast demeanor. “Hey, I’m sure we’ll see them all plenty of times in Stonewall.” He meowed encouragingly. Shadepaw sighed but nodded. River took this as an agreement to leave and started to push himself gently past the crowds. “Great now let’s get back. The road will keep your paws warm for a while during the night.” “Rroahd?” There was a sudden loud squawk over the flock and all as one bird they took off into the air. It was as if a windstorm appeared out of nowhere, spraying the cats with dust and debris. Shadepaw quickly pinned her lucky feather to keep it from flying away. After the storm of birds, the clay bed was empty. It was almost a shock for Shadepaw to close her eyes from a swarm of color to only open them to a bare dusty ditch. And yet she could still hear the parrots. She gazed up, seeing the trees bloom with different colors. Her head swiveled, quickly finding who she was looking for. Rainbow was perched on a low oak branch that hung over the stream a distance away. She picked up the feather in her teeth and hurried over to the leader, wanting to know what had all the fuss been about. Greenpaw and River called after her but followed anyway. “Hello again Shahdepahw.” Rainbow dropped his body so that he hung upside down, allowing him to look at Shadepaw more closely. “You ahrre ahll leaving sso ssoon?” “Yes, we got to get moving soon. River tells us it’s a long way to Stonewall.” Shadepaw dropped her feather and looked up at Rainbow, meowing. “Why did you all take off to the trees like that?” “I thought it would be eahsier to tahlk to you hwithout the crrohwd.” The great bird squawked, swinging slightly as he hung. She took a moment to gaze around the trees. Over all the chatter on the ground the parrots had somehow heard Rainbow’s single order and took to the branches. Birds certainly have quick reactions… She was about to ask why Rainbow wanted to talk with her again until she heard the fast pawsteps of River Wind and Greenpaw. “Shadepaw we don’t have time for goodbyes!” River ran over to them. He nodded his head up to Rainbow in respect for the Messenger leader. “Excuse us. She’s right about it being a long way, and Red Gully is expecting me in three days. We’ll have to walk every day and most of the nights to even make it.” “Thaht iss becahusse you ahrre tahking the rroahd.” Rainbow told him with some amusement before the bird used his powerful beak to get himself back on the branch. “It’ss the long wahy.” “The long way,” Greenpaw looked at River with a little allegation. “There’s a shorter way we could be taking?” River shook his head indignantly. “Only if you want to cut through a forest we like to call White Fang. The road is a lot safer in my opinion.” He looked up at Rainbow in a less respectable manor. “The single reason you’d consider it would be because parrots can fly over the foxes, badgers, dogs and…other things.” His meow dropped to a murmur and some of the birds even quieted. They had the same demeanor River took when he mentioned cats being punished in Stonewall. Their minds seemed to go to dark places they’d rather not have gone, and quickly wanted to get out of. River then seemed to give himself a mental shake, as if he had been soaked with water and wanted to be dry again. “Anyway, we can’t go through White Fang Forest Rainbow.” “Why not?” Greenpaw asked, standing boldly. “Foxes and badgers don’t scare me. If we can get to Stonewall faster then why not take the risk?” Shadepaw looked at her brother uneasily. She would like to get to Stonewall as soon as possible as well, but this shortcut sounded like a dark place. Was it really worth it? “You obviously need better priorities. I’d rather be late than eaten.” River’s fur rose. “I’ve been through that White Fang before, once, and I’d rather not go there again. The trees in that forest are thick. You can hardly see the sun and at night you can’t see anything at all. We’d be lost!” There was a chirp from Rainbow. “Not hwith ah guide. I’ll hwill give you one of my birds.” He then raised his red head and let out a loud call. A smaller pink parrot few over from one of the trees and landed on the ground beside Shadepaw, making her jump. “Thiss iss Popp-ie.” Rainbow introduced. “Sshe iss young, but quick.” “Hallo! I’m too hahppy to halp.” Poppy chirruped excitedly. Her catspeak wasn’t as great as the larger parrots. Shadepaw got the impression that Poppy was about her age in bird terms, an apprentice. Why would they let an apprentice bird go into a dangerous forest? She wondered quietly. But she wouldn’t let her suspicions cause her to be impolite. “Nice to meet you Poppy,” She then mewed warmly to the young parrot. “I don’t see why we’d need a guide since we’re not going through White Fang.” River meowed hotly. “Yes we are!” Greenpaw argued. He turned to look at Shadepaw, as if wanting her to back him up. She shuffled her paws as eyes fell on her. The birds around them were watching with interest. This was probably entertaining to them. “Well… it would be faster River. Walking on the thunderpath was very slow.” She didn’t feel like putting her paws back on the tough hot stone again. “Thrrough the forrasst hwe could mahke it to Sstonahwall by tomorrohw night if hwe movve fahst.” Poppy put in. She was so eager to help she was joining in on the argument. “Oh? I suppose you’d guide us right into trees at night?” River turned on Poppy. The pink parrot raised a brilliant red and white crest and lowered her head in embarrassment. Rainbow however let out a loud hiss of annoyance at River, who immediately flinched. “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to snarl...” He apologized. “What did you mean by that anyway River?” Shadepaw put her tail over Poppy’s back to comfort the young bird. She looked at the hunched tom. “I’ve seen Parrots fly just fine over my old territory at night.” “Only in empty sky at moonlight,” River Wind glanced up at Rainbow cautiously, as if afraid to affront him again. “No offense, but it would be dangerous for any parrot to fly through branches in the dark, no matter how fast she is.” “It hwould be ah good chahllenge for you ahll.” Rainbow said simply. River squinted his odd eyes. “A challenge? Is that what this is about?” He seemed to groan and then nodded. “Fine, if you insist Rainbow. I suppose you can ride on one of our backs at night Poppy.” “Hwondarrfull!” Poppy lifted her head, cheering back up quickly. With a flap of her wings she jumped onto River’s shoulders. Despite being smaller than Rainbow or Sunflower, she was still a large bird. The scruffy tom’s legs nearly buckled as he was taken by surprise. But with a grunt River was able support Poppy’s weight. He looked tempted to buck her off but once again he was very conscious of what was expected of a ‘Flock Friend’. “L-lets get a move on shall we?” He meowed in a strained voice. Rainbow bobbed his head in approval. “I sshahll ssend ah messsengerrr to Rred Gull-ie ahnd Golden Mahne. They hwill knohw you’rre coming.” “Oh you don’t have to do that!” River’s eyes shott back up to the leader. He wasn’t trying to be polite, Shadepaw noticed, it was more of an urgent plea. “But I whill.” Rainbow spread his wings. “Luck fahir you hwell!” He gave a massive screech in a goodbye. The surrounding parrots made similar calls, nearly shaking the branches they perched on. The cats did not linger this time. Greenpaw quickly ran up the ledge to where River left the carryall, barely able to lift it off the ground due to his smaller frame. But her brother dragged it back down the clay bed with determination. Shadepaw cleaned her feather from dust with a sweep of her tail and placed the lucky treasure back onto the carryall. “Which way do we go now?” She looked at their new companion. Poppy swiveled her head from side to side, as if considering a mental picture of the land above in her head. Her gaze stopped at the opposite bank of the stream. “Thare. Hwe cut thrrrough tha forrasst.” She chirped. “Great.” River grumbled and together the group started to make their way over the shallow water. Shadepaw helped Greenpaw keep the carryall from getting wet, and she had to assist even more to get the craft up the steep side of clay. River had his own task keeping Poppy balanced on his shoulders. But soon they were back on the stable ground of the forest. The flock’s farewells still echoed loudly past the trees as they headed in the direction Poppy set for them. Shadepaw fixed her eyes up into the broad leafed trees. They were so different from the pine trees she had become accustomed to in Shadowclan, the branches were lower, and the new leaves hardly shielded the ground from the sky. The way River made it sound I expected it to be more menacing. Her gaze drifted to the path ahead. There were more and more thick plants ahead, but nothing frightening about it. “This isn’t so bad…” She found herself mewing aloud. River snorted. “That’s because we’re only at the edge of White Fang. When we get deeper and it gets darker, you’ll wish we went the long way…” His tone made Shadepaw grow nervous again and she padded close to her brother. Greenpaw didn’t appear to find River Wind’s words that threatening. “Why do they call it White Fang anyway?” He looked at the wanderer. River sighed desolately. “Because it’s said that’s the last thing a cat ever sees when they wander here at night.” He continued onward, his two different eyes fixed on the ground in hopelessness. Shadepaw swallowed, the words sinking into her. White fangs coming at you in the dark… Even her brother’s pace faltered slightly. The two young cats exchanged worried glances before looking up past the branches. The sun was already beginning to fall. Shadows started to grow, making the unfamiliar trees more twisted and strange. Both Shadepaw and Greenpaw hurried their pawsteps behind River, not wanting to be too far behind in the dark forest that was slowly closing around them. Only Poppy’s feathers seemed bright in the gloom and she ruffled them. “Could be hworrsse, yess?”
Chapter 9
It could be worse… Greenpaw couldn’t help but agree with the parrot’s statement. There were worse things than traveling through a dangerous forest full of predators. But at the moment it was hard to think of any. The deeper they went into White Fang the more and more foreboding it became. River had been telling the truth when he said it was thick. As soon as the sun started to drop they were swept in a growing gloom. Not even the moon or stars shined through the limbs, making him feel almost alone. Bracken that had once looked lush and soft now seemed filled with potential dangers. It was too easy to imagine eyes peering out from their leaves. Giant tree roots arched from the ground like snakes that threatened to trip them if they didn’t place their paws carefully. The moss on them felt like the furry hide of some cold beast under his paws. Their journey wasn’t made any easier by their loads. The carryall hanging by his shoulders would drag every so often, causing all sorts of little noises around him. Greenpaw wouldn’t have minded the shadowy place if they could have walked silently. Any cat could easily go through a forest like this unnoticed with good eyesight and a head kept low, but Poppy was not a cat. Every time a twig snapped, or some little creature in the distance made a noise, her crown of red feathers sprung up and she made an ear splitting screech. Poor River would stumble and Greenpaw and his sister would jump, looking around for what caused the scare. Sometimes the forest would go silent from Poppy’s shriek, the inhabitants just as startled as the cats were. Other times, some creatures would run in terror. Once Poppy’s call startled a doe from her hiding place and sent her crashing through the trees, stirring up several other deer with it. Only when the stampede was gone could Greenpaw and his companions get up and continue onward again. Maybe she thinks she’s protecting us. Greenpaw flattened his ears as Poppy sounded off again. This time nothing ran, but instead there was a responding hiss. Greenpaw’s fur bristled out and he looked up, seeing a pair of unforgiving eyes looking down at them from a hollow tree. It was an owl. The larger bird glared at Poppy and screeched again. River and Shadepaw saw the bird and froze, the wanderer let out a whimper. Poppy’s head turned up to the owl and she hissed back. “You don’t frrrightahn me big birrrd! Go hunt mice!” She flapped her pink wings, making River wobble. The owl’s beak clicked menacingly and it jumped from its perch. Its wings opened with deathly silence and it swooped low. Cats and parrots alike ducked with yowls and shrieks as the owl flew over their heads, but Greenpaw felt no talons hook into his pelt. The owl had kept on flying. He let out a shaky sigh of relief and gathered himself up. “Is everyone ok?” He meowed, looking at Shadepaw who nodded. River groaned but he looked unharmed, as did Poppy. He gazed back to where the owl had flown but he couldn’t hear or see it. I hope that wasn’t an omen or anything. Greenpaw shook out his fur, making the carryall wobble. Shadepaw sat up. “Careful. You don’t want to shake anything out.” She used a paw to push back in River’s papers, adjusting her feather as she did so. He nodded in thanks before he heard River Wind groan. “Poppy, as brave as that was, why did you have to make the owl angry? In fact, why make a noise at all?” He meowed. Poppy ruffled her feathers, adjusting herself on River’s fur. “I ahm letting thingsss know I heahrr them. Ahvahn though I cahnnot ssee them.” “You really think that helps?” Greenpaw looked at her doubtfully. Poppy turned her head to nibble on her wing feathers; much like a cat would lick their shoulder dismissively. “Nothing ahttahcked uss yet.” She seemed to puff out with slight pride. “That owl did!” River pointed out hotly. He searched up in the branches again as if it would strike again. ‘Nah, Nah. He wahss jusst flying. Hwe jusst mahde him ahnnoyed.” She shook her head from side to side. Greenpaw heard his sister give a small purr of comfort at Poppy’s confidence, though it didn’t last long. Somewhere in the shadows of White Fang Forest there was the abrupt squeal of something small that had met a grim end, possibly at the claws of the very owl they had disturbed. The cry seemed to linger in the air around them. It seeped into Greenpaw’s fur, chilling him. “Hurry!” River hissed. “We got to keep moving. And this time stay quiet Poppy!” The wanderer moved forward in the direction their feathered guide set for them. Poppy clicked her beak in agitation but for once didn’t say anything. The pink bird just clung to River’s pelt. Shadepaw and Greenpaw hurried after them, neither of them wanted to be left trailing behind the procession. Farther and farther they went. The trees around them became larger and more twisted with every pawstep. Greenpaw sniffed the air, and his senses filled with the smells of age. He smelled old mossy wood, dead leaves, funguses, and the many animals that had passed over the trail. One of the scents was something he had never smelled before, but he knew very well what it was. Fox! “There are foxes around here…” The fur along his spine rose. Shadepaw looked at him and then sniffed the air. She grew nervous as well. “Do you think we’ll run into them River?” She mewed quietly. The brown tom glanced back at them with a sharp turn of his head and then went back to focus ahead. “We’ll run into a lot worse things than foxes if we keep slowing down to make noise.” He muttered. “Worse things? Like what?” Greenpaw padded closer to River, the carryall digging into his shoulders. When River didn’t answer he looked at Poppy. “What are worse than foxes? Badgers? Dogs?” He asked. He had never seen any of the beasts that were said to wander outside the Clans, but he had heard enough about them in the elder’s stories. The parrot bobbed her head in a sort of nod. “Yah! Big oness.” She screeched as quietly as she could, which wasn’t much of a difference. “Ahnd ssskin cahts-” Poppy’s chirp turned into a strangled squawk and she buried her head under a wing. Obviously she had said something bad. River’s fur bristled out and he growled. “I said be quiet!” The noise sounded a lot louder than it should have and everyone went quiet. They were all too eager to get away from the scent of fox. When River appeared to have calmed from the disturbance finally Greenpaw’s sister broke the silence. “River Wind…” Shadepaw gave a worried meow. “Please stop hiding more stuff from us.” “I’m not trying to hide anything,” River came to a stop, sighing. “It’s just that… there are things in Stonewall that you don’t talk about.” He turned to the younger cats behind him. With Poppy on his shoulders still he looked even more peculiar than usual, but his face was grave. “You mean, like the punishments there?” Greenpaw asked slowly. The way River Wind acted made it seem they were treading on a tender subject. “Yes, exactly like that” River glanced around before looking back at him. “There are some cats you just don’t want to cross. When you talk about them,” His voice quieted more. “It’s like they know you talk about them. For one thing, in Stonewall, the group that ‘deals’ with cats when they’re punished are the Black-Claws. They aren’t the most pleasant cats to get along with.” Well that answers one question. Greenpaw made a note to ask more about the Black-Claws later. “What about skin-cats?” River then gave a shudder that almost dislodged Poppy. The bird flapped her wings and bit into River’s fur to keep herself steady. The tom winced but for once, he didn’t evade the question. “A long time ago, upwalkers somehow learned to…change cats.” “What?” Shadepaw’s eyes widened. “How?” River shuffled his paws on the mossy ground. “How they did it isn’t important. What they got as results are what you need to know about.” He then sighed heavily. “Not all of the cats that upwalkers changed are bad. There are giants that are very helpful in Stonewall, as well as dwarf cats. But skin-cats aren’t as friendly…” “Giants? Dwarfs?” Greenpaw looked at his sister in a little confusion. River’s double-colored eyes had been a strange find before, how many more oddities would they find? “Don’t worrry, thay ahrre nice.” Poppy chirped. “And the skin-cats?” Shadepaw meowed questioningly. The pink bird seemed to shrink behind River’s head. “…not sso nice.” River Wind’s fur shook again and he explained. “Look, it might be hard to think of a cat being anything but a cat, but things are different around here. Skin-cats have become strange over time. These certain…felines, have no fur. Nothing but a fine fuzz like a kit.” Greenpaw flicked his ears and looked at River in bemusement. It was hard for him to imagine. And it was even harder to comprehend River’s words. The older tom seemed completely disturbed by the thought of these skin-cats, when he himself would probably have a hard time not being amused by seeing a cat walk around with no fur. Even Shadepaw, after a few moments of imagination, started to look skeptical. His sister tilted her head. “That’s it? Skin-cats just have no fur?” Her whiskers twitched. “How do they survive out here then? Especially in the winter. Wouldn’t they freeze?” River then appeared to grimace. “Oh I can see the laughter in your eyes, but you wouldn’t laugh if you saw them… Under our fur we look like wrinkled wingless bats! And Skin-cats have developed fangs to match snakes.” His teeth bared as if he needed to give an example of normal cat fangs. “We wondered the same thing when we started to spot him around this forest’s borders. Our elders had thought the furless creatures died when they first left Albert’s group in the beginning. But they’ve been surviving… Hunting parties will sometimes find a gutted badger or even a dog, with no blood or flesh left in it.” His eyes grew wide, making Greenpaw and his sister take a few steps back. “There are reasons cats disappear in White Fang, fluffers! You think Rainbow was being helpful by making us go through here? This is a test!” Greenpaw looked at their gloomy surroundings uncertainly. In all of the clan’s stories, only one cat had managed to kill a badger, and Blizzardpelt had the help of all of Shadowclan. River was saying that these furless cats killed badgers just for hunting! And dogs! It was impressive and yet deeply disturbing. Is he saying they hunt cats too? That’s insane! And now he was accusing Rainbow of sending them right into the proverbial fangs of death. “What makes you think that?” He took a step closer to the hysteric cat. “Rainbow said it’d be a challenge but he looked like he had faith in us. He even let Poppy come with us!” He nodded to the parrot. Poppy peeked up again at the mention of her name but River shook his head. “Well we can’t fly to a handy tree limb when a skin-cat comes and tries to tear out our throats. Rainbow’s a leader Greenpaw, and despite how ‘faithful’ he appears he’s still got a reputation to keep with the other heads of Stonewall. It’s hard being a bird among cats, and it’d look bad for him if he just let strangers come into Stonewall.” “You mean he sent us here to see if we’re good enough?” Shadepaw asked in shock. “I thought he made us friends of the flock!” “He did!” Poppy flapped her wings in protest. With a sharp bob of her head she smacked River’s head with her hard beak. “Sshahme! You doubt Rrahinbohw’s trust. Ahnd his luck!” River hissed and rubbed his head with his paw. With a growl he shook his shoulder’s, making Poppy have no choice but to land on the ground. “What luck can we have in here?” He asked her, almost in a panic. He turned his head in the direction of where they came, almost as if he wanted to head back. “Well we’re not dead yet.” Shadepaw mewed defensively. She padded over to the fallen bird and stood by her protectively. “Even if this is a test, Rainbow gave us a chance with a guide. He must want us to make it through. And wasting our time talking about beasts and arguing isn’t going to help us get through faster.” Greenpaw nodded in agreement. This would be like a final assessment, a challenge for him before he could finally be the warrior that he was inside. And he was hardly over his seventh moon! He padded over to River and slipped out from the cumbersome carryall. River wouldn’t be carrying Poppy anymore, so his shoulders were free. “You can take this back. I’m too small for it anyway.” River Wind wrinkled his nose unhappily but he did take the carryall. But before he even moved to go on further he froze, staring away from Greenpaw and Shadepaw. Hs good eye shrank to the point where Greenpaw could see the white rim. “River…?” Shadepaw noticed the changed as well. Greenpaw followed their companion’s gaze. He looked at a distant holly, surrounded by brambles and wrapped in twisting vines and cobwebs. The very sight of the plant was threatening, but Greenpaw soon spotted what River was really looking at. Through the holly’s branches he could see four glimmers of amber. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
They were eyes, two pairs of pure malevolence that looked right back at Greenpaw. He felt as though they were sizing him up. They were seeing how hard he would be to take down, and from the growls that were starting to come out of the holly the creatures liked their odds. “Run.” River hissed beside him. “Stay close to your sister. The foxes will be going for me first, I’m bigger. Poppy fly up to the trees, we’ll try to come back for you…” His voice had little hope in it, not because he felt they wouldn’t come back for Poppy, but seemed to think they wouldn’t be able to come back at all. “But, can’t we fight them?” Greenpaw unsheathed his claws, unable to take his eyes off the holly. In Shadowclan he once dreamed of fighting foxes out of their territory as a kit and he still had the fantasies, except now the dream was turning into a nightmare as he watched the first fox slip out. It was larger than him or River, its fur rippled with muscles. In the darkness its pelt had the same color as the dead car. It was a male, and it growled again, showing sharp yellowing rows of teeth. The other fox started to creep out as well, this one a vixen. Their eyes glowed with hunger. “You really think we can fight two of them?” Greenpaw could hear River remove himself from the carryall. “Poppy! I said go!” He then yowled. Greenpaw looked at Poppy who appeared ready to argue but then she caught a glance at the fox. Even with her poor eyesight she knew the danger. She couldn’t run with the cats and hope to keep up. With a nudge from Shadepaw she let out one of her powerful screeches and spread her wings, taking flight. The noise startled the foxes and both predators crouched low, looking up in shock as the pink bird cawed and flew around, bumping lightly into thick branches in the darkness until her claws found a good perch. She continued to screech, seeming to shake the very leaves with her voice. “She’s distracting them now come on!” Shadepaw hissed at Greenpaw and River and then took off running. Greenpaw and River weren’t far behind her. They tore through the ferns and brambles, tiny branches whipped at their faces and ears but they didn’t slow their pace. Greenpaw could hear the strange barks of the foxes behind him over Poppy’s shrieks. The parrot was safe from them, only because she wasn’t their target. The fox had spotted the cat’s escape and now were perusing them, craving their blood. How could I have thought about fighting them? They’re huge! He urged his legs to go faster, but he was already tiring. River and Shadepaw were worn out too, they had all been traveling all day, and for all he knew the foxes were fresh and strong. They’d be caught if their only plan was to run. They had to find a place to hide. “River,” He panted. “We got to… find a tree!” He gasped a lungful of air to keep himself going. His companion only nodded and Shadepaw’s head swiveled in search for a tree with low branches. However most of the trees were tall, with bark covered in slippery moss. Given time Greenpaw probably could have climbed one, but the frightening sounds behind him were getting closer. His paws ached as he ran on, passing from tree to tree in desperation. But White Fang wasn’t going to make anything easy for him or his companions. The shadows seemed to mock him as hurried. And then the worst, with a wail River tripped. His paws had become tangled in the ivy vines by a willow tree. Greenpaw and his sister skidded to a halt and tried in vain to free him. Shadepaw bit at the vines, snapping them away from River. Greenpaw helped him up to his paws. “Get up! Run!” “It’s too late!” River wailed. Greenpaw looked back in fear as he saw the foxes charge towards them. The precious seconds they had spent freeing River were gone, and the hunters were upon them. “Climb!” River yowled and then shouldered Shadepaw back to the willow. Before Greenpaw could protest the older tom was shoving him as well. He had no choice but to obey River Wind. He and his sister fled up the trunk of the tall tree. Its bark cut at his pads but his claws had grip. Greenpaw pulled with his shoulders and pushed with his legs to at least get a little higher. Can foxes jump? He thought worriedly. How high did they have to get before they could be safe? He looked down to see if his sister or River was following. Shadepaw was still too low to be out of danger but she looked too tired to keep going. And River was still on the ground! The wanderer faced the foxes, his fur raised in terror. The red beasts snapped at him with his teeth but River would jump back yowling and flailing with his claws madly. They pulled their muzzles back and started to take turns biting at him. River was having trouble keeping out of their reach. They’re not going to make it… Greenpaw begun to feel the weight of the situation grow even worse. River was going to get killed, and then the foxes would turn on Shadepaw. In that moment he could just imagine his sister be torn from the tree mercilessly and taken away by the foxes with River’s carcass to be devoured. Greenpaw would be spared, maybe, and be left to cling to the tree alone until daylight. The image made the young ex-apprentice’s filled him with both despair and rage. He hadn’t come this that far to let it end like this. I promised Stormcloud that I’d keep Shadepaw safe. He tensed his muscles. I’ll keep my promise. His green eyes focused on the she-fox leaping for River and he pulled his claws away from the willow bark, kicking off of the trunk. He twisted his body in the air and he fell onto the fox’s back. As he landed on its thick fur he could hear his sister and River call to him. “Greenpaw!” Shadepaw yowled down at him from the tree. River cursed. “Fluffer what are you doing?!” Greenpaw couldn’t answer. He was having a hard enough time keeping on the writhing fox. It yelped and tried to shake him off. His forepaws dug through its foul pelt and hooked on its hide. He dug with his back legs to try to tear as its back, trying to recall what little battle training he had learned from Patchtail. The second fox had turned from attacking River and ran around to help the one Greenpaw was riding. Greenpaw screeched as he saw the fox’s jaws come close to his face and his grip slipped, and now he was hanging off the side of the vixen. The fox spun around and around until he couldn’t hold on anymore and he fell to the soft earth. The male fox lunged and Greenpaw thought he’d be snapped up for sure until River leapt over him, landing on the male’s head. It cried out in pain as River’s claws scratched its snout, sending red droplets onto the earth. Greenpaw rolled to his feet to see Shadepaw biting the vixen’s tail and was being pulled around by the enraged fox. With a final yank the vixen freed her tail and opened her jaws to crush Shadepaw’s head with one powerful bite. Shadepaw whimpered and tried to get away but she wouldn’t be fast enough. “Shadepaw!” Greenpaw yowled and ran to save her, but something else was faster than the exhausted tom. A silvery figure, pale in the deep darkness of the forest, ran across the roots of the willow like a fish swimming over river rocks. It leaped lightly onto the vixen, and before the fox could even make a sound the thin creature began clawing and biting off clumps of ginger fur. Greenpaw hurried to his sister and stood close, watching in growing horror as he realized the thing tearing at the howling vixen’s throat was a cat. A hairless wrinkled cat with large ears and bulging blue eyes that stared intently at the fox’s exposed skin. Despite the vixen’s efforts to shake it off the skin-cat hung on with vicious claws that drew blood through its pelt. Unaware that Shadepaw and Greenpaw were watching, or perhaps not caring, the pale skin-cat opened her jaws to reveal long sharp fangs. The fox let out a struggled wail as the skin-cat plunged fangs into its neck. Blood spurted out in small streams and the air was filled with its scent. The fox's cry gurgled and died in it's pierced throat. Shadepaw gagged and had to look away. Greenpaw could only watch in fear as the lone cat brought the vixen down, twitching as the last of its life drained away. Another yowl made Greenpaw tear his eyes away from the scene and he gasped at a new horrific sight. Two more monstrous skin-cats had appeared as if from nowhere and were attacking the male fox, hanging onto its throat in attempts to suffocate it. A third hairless cat was pinning down River Wind with sinewy forelegs pressed to his scruff and throat. This cat’s furless hide was darker than the others, and had orange eyes. Greenpaw bristled and charged to the large skin-cat. He didn’t want their friend to have the same fate as the foxes. “Leave him alone!” He growled but the skin-cat did not move his paws from River’s neck. As Greenpaw ran closer he saw the cat was a tom, who lifted his head and bared his fearsome teeth and Greenpaw. “Attack me and his life will be very short.” His meow was altered by the fangs, but the threat wasn’t any less real. Claws slid out from the skin-cat’s hairless paws and pricked River’s throat. River Wind whimpered and he looked at Greenpaw hopelessly. “Don’t…” The small black and white cat snarled, but Greenpaw knew that they were outnumbered. There’d be no use fighting cats that moved so fast and viciously. He sheathed his claws, but continued to glare at the orange-eyes skin-cat. “Who are you?” “I should be the one asking, since you are the ones trespassing.” The tom returned the glare but removed his claws from River’s neck. “You are?” “Greenpaw,” He huffed angrily. “That’s River Wind and my sister’s name is Shadepaw.” He nodded to River and then looked back where his sister stood. The pale skin-cat that had killed the vixen stood by Shadepaw, and now he could see that the blue-eyes skin-cat was a she-cat. She still had fox blood over her lips, licking them as if she had just eaten a tasty mouse. Shadepaw gave Greenpaw a look of pure unease. “Well I am Bog,” The dark cat meowed to him and Greenpaw turned his gaze back to the dark cat. “What are you doing in our territory?” “We…we were just passing through.” Greenpaw glanced at River who nodded. “From Stonewall no doubt.” One of the cats standing over the now dead male fox meowed. This pale tom glowered at Greenpaw and River Wind in annoyance. River flinched but nodded. He got to his paws. “We never meant to cause trouble. We’re just trying to get to the city, and if we don’t get there they’ll send search parties for us and they won’t be very happy about you baring your fangs at us.” He lied defensively. Bog wasn’t convinced. He lowered his head close to River’s and snarled. “I doubt that very much.” He flicked his whip-like tail. “Termite, Cedar, get these three back to the burrow. If they try running make them as hairless as us.”
Greenpaw flattened his ears but didn’t try to fight back when the blue-eyed pale she-cat called Termite and the annoyed skin-cat tom named Cedar started to lead him and his companions away from the other hairless creatures and the dead foxes. Shadepaw stuck close to him, and River kept his head low as the skin-cats padded on either side of them. They were led away from their previous path and taken deeper into White Fang. They called us trespassers. He glared at their escorts. They took no notice, padding swiftly through the undergrowth. If this is your territory, set up markers to prevent cats from wandering in! Greenpaw couldn’t help but feel indignant to Bog’s hostility. They were had only been trying to pass through, and had no idea they were in a territory. Whoever was the skin-cat’s leader should understand that. Wouldn’t they? The young cat wondered. He could only assume that they were being taken to the ‘burrow’ to see whoever ruled the skin-cats. He knew any trespassers in Shadowclan would either be chased out or taken to Thornstar. But he had n idea how the leader would react. Neither Bog nor Cedar had been happy to see the furry cats, yet Termite and the others in the skin-cat hunting party had appeared indifferent. As if they didn’t care about them wandering in. He wouldn’t be able to know about how the leader would view them until actually taken there. His green eyes drifted into the trees, wondering if Poppy was still perched on her safe branch far away, with only the carryall as company. Would they see her again? Or would she have to fly the rest of the way to Stonewall when the sun rose and tell the heads’ that River and the two younger cats wouldn’t be coming after all?... It won’t come to that! Greenpaw shook his head from the thought and kept moving. Cedar and Termite escorted them to a small clearing. It was the first bare patch of sky that any of them had seen in what felt like ages. Silver Pelt shined brightly down on them, each speck of light was told to be a Starclan warrior. Were his ancestors watching over them now? Or had they been forgotten since leaving their Clan home? Greenpaw and his friends didn’t get much time to think about the night sky over them as Termite then nudged them towards a tree on the other side of the clearing. It was a yew tree, a dead one in fact. Its spindly bare branches seemed to reach out into the air desperately while its roots tangled over the ground. Cedar started to lead them toward this tree, and to its gnarled base. Now Greenpaw could see something lying across the roots, a sort of furry mass that became more identifiable once they came closer, and it made his stomach lurch. It was the skin of a badger, head and all. It looked old, dry and faded from the sun. And yet Greenpaw could still see brown stains in its dry fur that could only have been what remained of the badger’s blood. The hairless cats had killed this creature and left its skin on the roots of a dead tree. It sent shivers through his pelt and Greenpaw heard even River whimper. Termite climbed onto the yew’s roots and over to the skin. With her furless head she nudged aside a paw that still had its large claws, and the young tom blinked as he watched her reveal the mouth of a tunnel past the twisting base of the tree. The burrow… Greenpaw remembered hearing the words slip past Bog’s lips, but he had never truly grasped the idea of cats living underground like rabbits or moles until he saw it right in front of him. His legs froze on the spot. He didn’t want to go in the burrow. He couldn’t see what laid inside, but he practically taste the sharp smell of blood inside, as well as the irony scent the skin-cats carried. Greenpaw could imagine how as soon as he set a paw past the opening of the tunnel that large fang would go for his throat. A shove from behind him tore Greenpaw from the grim image. He turned, hissing. “Hey!” “Stop standing around and get in!” Cedar glared back at him with his bulging eyes. He barred his much larger teeth. “Or do we have to shove you?” Greenpaw hissed again, but his sister looked up at him. Shadepaw looked at him pleadingly. “Don’t fight.” She mewed. “It’ll just make things worse.” Her blue eyes were wide with terror, and yet the dark-grey she-cat was the first to step tentatively up the roots. She began to climb to the burrow. Greenpaw felt his paws unfreeze and he hurried after her. He wouldn’t let her go into danger alone.
Chapter 10
Shadepaw’s heart thundered in her ears. She felt exposed as she neared the gaping hole that dove under the yew tree. Her lucky feather had been left in the carryall, somewhere in the depths of White Fang. Shadepaw wished she could have had a few moments to grab it when the Foxes attacked, no matter how silly the wish was. She felt better with Rainbow’s feather near her, just like Greenpaw made her feel safe. A feather wouldn’t do me much good here. Shadepaw took a shaky breath as she stood at the very mouth of the tunnel. Then again… a little luck wouldn’t hurt now either. She gulped, even though her throat was dry. She hadn’t eaten or drank since they left the parrot flock. Greenpaw joined her side and she relaxed a little. Her brother nodded at her encouragingly. If they were going, they’d be going together. She looked back down and watched as River made his way up to join them. The skin-cat called Cedar had to shove the terrified cat most of the way. River Wind gave a feeble snarl at their escorts, but quickly lowered his head at a glare from the brown hairless tom. He stood behind Shadepaw and Greenpaw. The tunnel was only wide enough for two cats to walk side-by-side. “You’d better start praying to whatever you Clan cats believe in.” The scruffy wanderer whispered desperately. “Because we’re going to need all the help we can get.”
Shadepaw was about to go ahead inside but she was stopped by a stern meow. “Unless you want to surprise the rest of our group and get your noses clawed off I suggest you let me lead.” The pale she-cat called Termite pushed herself gently past the three and padded quietly down the tunnel. It had sounded more like friendly advice than a threat, but Shadepaw still couldn’t suppress a shiver. Unwillingly, she and her companions followed Termite down the earthy burrow. She could barely hear Cedar following close behind them. The scent of the skin-cats grew stronger, not hindered by the dry smell of the earth. Greenpaw kept turning his head in different directions to see, but it was very dark in the tunnel. Even her Shadowclan eyes were having trouble making out Termite’s shape in front of them. Poor River was probably blind in the black shadows. But they could all feel with their bodies. The tunnel dipped down steeply and Shadepaw had to keep her claws out to avoid slipping. To her relief it seemed to turn gradually and the slope lessened. Her ears started to pick out noises in the gloom. Shadepaw could make out the tones of pleasant conversations and mrrows of amusement echoing in the burrow. It sounded like a normal Clan. The fact that these meows didn’t sound threatening gave her a little hope. As they got closer to the sounds of the happy group she started to feel another pang as well. Just then, Shadepaw realized she was homesick. She flattened her ears. I can’t be homesick! I wasn’t happy in Shadowclan at all! And yet she knew that she hadn’t been completely unhappy there. Despite her horrible life as an apprentice she missed her mother and father. She missed her soft den and the fun she would have running through the camp with Dustpaw and Barkpaw. Despite everything that had happened, she would always miss the happy moments from her old life. I wonder if Greenpaw misses it too. She glanced towards her brother but in the dark she couldn’t make out his emotions. She had a feeling though that Greenpaw would miss their old life more than her. Their escort finally stopped. Blinking, Shadepaw could see something, a little light. It edged a new opening in the tunnel. But how was that possible? How can there be light way down here? She didn’t ask just yet. She waited as Termite told them to wait there and padded into the new tunnel. The voices that she had been hearing were loud now, as if all the cats were past that one lighted opening. Shadepaw strained to listen. The voices were starting to quiet themselves, probably stopping to watch Termite. She heard whispers but couldn’t make out what they were saying. River Wind mumbled and padded closer to Greenpaw and herself. “Won’t be long now…” “Long until what?” She hissed back quietly. But she didn’t get her answer. The whispers were getting louder on the other side. She gulped and leaned forward to peek inside just a little. Greenpaw bristled beside her. “Don’t.” He didn’t trust anything here, but Shadepaw had to see. She looked and saw a large earth cavern. Roots from the dead tree above reached down through the ceiling and into the ground like support branches in the large nursery den back in the Shadowclan camp. Light came down from an opening in the center of the burrow, probably the center of the yew tree itself. It was dim light, as if blocked slightly from above, but it allowed Shadepaw to see that the floor and walls of the cave were lined with pelts, much like the pelt that had covered the tunnel entrance on the tunnel outside. Some she could recognize from foxes or badgers, others she could not. Scattered inside, dozens of skin-cats stood, sat, or lay on the pelts of their old prey. They blocked her from seeing the rest of the cavern. All their wrinkled heads were turned towards the opposite end of the cavern. Termite was meowing to someone quietly and all of their bat-like ears were listening intently in on a conversation Shadepaw couldn’t hear. Or at least most of them were. A younger hairless-cat, perhaps as old as Shadepaw, flicked her ear and looked around. The skin-cat spotted Shadepaw peeking and both stared at each other for a few heartbeats before the skin-cat hissed. It was more out of nerves than anger but it still made Shadepaw flinch back into the tunnel. “I saw them! They’re trying to get in!” She could hear the young she-cat hiss. More voices rose and Shadepaw crouched by River and Greenpaw fearfully. Now she had done it. “What do they want?” “Who cares! They’re trespassing! Tear their fur off!” “Throw them to the midnight dogs!” “But they’re from the colony! Their hunters might come after us.” “Let them come. We can fight!” At these angry words River Wind huddled down with an unhappy groan while Greenpaw growled. Shadepaw closed her blue eyes. She couldn’t hear one friendly meow over the yowls and hisses. How long could they wait before the skin-cats finally decided to take claws to their pelts? “Be quiet!” A new voice yowled over the others, silencing them almost instantaneously. Shadepaw’s eyes shot open at the commanding tone. Her very heart seemed to freeze in fear of making a sound. “Bring the miserable creatures to me.” The unseen yet authoritative cat meowed again. It echoed through the tunnel. “It is my decision to see if they are a threat.” At this order Cedar mewed behind them urgently. “Go on! Hurry!” Shadepaw looked back at him, surprised at how he didn’t shove them this time. All of the malice had gone from the furless cat. It was as if the voice had stung every soul in the burrow. None of them bothered to argue. Shadepaw once again padded to the cavern’s entrance and stepped through with her companions. The skin-cats that had been crowding the large space had split apart, making a path for them in the cavern all the way to the other end. They stared at her, River, and Greenpaw with their large shining eyes. It reminded her of how the parrots had parted for them earlier in the day to get to Greenpaw. If only these cats were half as friendly. Her pelt burned, not from any kind of discomfiture but from the actual temperature of the cavern. It was hot and humid in the den. She had noticed that the entrance tunnel had been slightly warm but Shadepaw thought it had been from the fact it was out of the cool breeze. But now she realized that the pelts and the deep earth sealed in the heat made from so many cat bodies. They need it to be warm in here. She guessed as she padded over the pelts of long dead creatures. They have no fur. If skin-cats lived out in the open they would all freeze by the first winter. The though did next to nothing to make her feel any more comfortable in the unnerving heat. As she and the others came close to the center she smelled fresher air. They were close to the hole in the ceiling that let in light. It probably kept the skin-cat group from suffocating completely. Now that they were getting closer to the light, Shadepaw’s eyes could pick out even more details. Like how the pelts on the walls were kept up with sharp roots that stuck out from the earthy sides, and how there were several other tunnel entrances past the hanging skins. She didn’t have time to wonder where those even led, as her nose was drawn to a delicious scent. Now that there were no cats to block her view, she could see that directly under the hollow tree’s base was a small fresh-kill pile. It sat on the only part of the floor that didn’t have a pelt covering it. Her belly growled loudly when she saw rabbits, some mice and even a grey squirrel. She hadn’t eaten in a long time. None of them had since they had started to travel on the road. Yet she couldn’t even stop to breath in the food’s tantalizing scent. She knew it’d look very bad for them to suddenly start drooling at the skin-cat’s prey they had caught themselves. She continued padding between River and Greenpaw. Her brother’s gaze drifted to the mound of fresh-kill and stayed there for a moment before he too had to pull himself away. Shadepaw wasn’t the only one that was hungry. She stepped over a badger’s prickly fur over to the other end of the cavern. Termite was sitting, waiting for them. The pale skin-cat was by a chamber in the side of the cavern wall. Its opening was large so that everyone could see what was inside. The smaller den was filled with fluffy fox-tails, squirrel pelts, and pheasant feathers. It made Shadepaw’s muscles ache to imagine what it was like to simply lie on the soft nest. And then her eyes met something that made her freeze. Resting amongst the pelts and feathers was a she-cat, with skin as dark as burnt oak and eyes that glistened like sharp blades of grass. Her front paws were crossed in front of her in a calm position, and yet her relaxed demeanor couldn’t hide the she-cat’s powerful energy. Shadepaw could see every sinewy muscle defined under the ebony skin. Her sides were scared, scratched from various thorns and fights. Each one shined in the dim light. The air around her was that of a senior fighter, and of a leader. Shadepaw found herself bowing her head. “h-hello…” This seemed to amuse the imposing she-cat. Her side rippled with an amused meow. “Hello yourself little one, and to the rest of you.” Her pale green eyes drifted over River and Greenpaw beside Shadepaw. River Wind bowed his head low like Shadepaw had. As if he feared the she-cat’s sharp eyes would slice his head off. “I... I assume you are the matriarch of this burrow?” “Yes, I am Mage.” The dark skin-cat flicked her narrow head in a nod. “I have led my cats for many seasons, and I plan on remaining the leader for much longer.” Her tone grew an edge and Shadepaw started to see the glint of her long fangs under her lips. “So I don’t take intruders with much kindness. Who are you, and why are you here?” ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
“I’m Shadepaw.” She mewed quietly and found herself introducing their group. “This is my brother Greenpaw and this is River Wind.” “Shadepaw and Greenpaw…” Mage mewed in consideration. “Those are not Stonewall names.” She then looked at River in intrigue. “Your leader is allowing strangers now?” “No, well, yes.” The wanderer stumbled over his words. He was not comfortable at all in Mage’s presence or in the burrow in general. She couldn’t blame him after seeing what Termite had done to the fox. “I mean, I was sure none of my superiors would mind a few new fluffers in the ranks. New blood and all that...” He said nervously. Shadepaw couldn’t help but notice many large ears had perked at the sound of ‘blood’. “Really now? And yet they don’t allow any of my cats near your territory.” Mage mewed. Her voice was hinted with the very slightest of aggravation. “Well,” River Wind bristled, “If we knew that you wanted to visit our city… w-we might have arranged something.” He glanced around at the skin-cats behind him and then back at Mage quickly. “But… then again letting a whole different colony into our territory is very different from adopting strays you know.” Shadepaw felt a bit stung from being called a stray, but she knew that until she and her brother really were accepted into a new group, that’s what they were; Homeless. “Of course, that is to be expected of cautious leaders.” Shadepaw noticed the dark cat flexed her paws. “So you were traveling through my own territory to take these… fluffers…to Stonewall to adopt them then?” River nodded his head. “Yes. We had no idea we had crossed any lines or markers. If we had, we would have gone around.” “Our prey knows our scent.” Mage’s claws sunk into a Fox tail that was a part of her nest. “If we had scent markers they would avoid our territory altogether. Instead we have markings on the tree trunks at every four tail-lengths around our border.” Shadepaw winced and mumbled. “But… it was too dark for us to see.” It was a lie. If they had known there were markers on the trees than perhaps she and Greenpaw might have been able to spot some sort of claw marks. But they hadn’t the slightest idea that there was a territory that was marked. “They were running around a little blindly Mother Mage.” Termite put her head forward to her leader’s head and meowed. Mother? Shadepaw blinked her blue eyes. It wasn’t odd at all for a cat as old as Mage to have adult kits. It was just the way Termite had spoken it for everyone to hear. She was also slightly taken aback by the way the pale she-cat described them, but she supposed Termite was speaking in their favor. It didn’t stop Greenpaw from growling though. He had taken more offence to it. Shadepaw looked at her brother who glared at Mage. “We only crossed accidentally and we didn’t steal any prey. In fact you caught two foxes because of us! So you can’t keep us here! If you just take us to the edge of your borders we’ll be on our way without a fight.” At her brother’s boldness Shadepaw inhaled a quiet breath and River’s claws dug into the pelts under him tensely. The whole cavern went quiet as they looked at Mage for a reaction. The ebony she-cat flicked a thin tail but then chuckled. It was a nerve-wrecking sound to hear how amused she was at Greenpaw’s behavior. “You’re brave, if a little foolish.” Mage then stood, stretching her long spine. The wrinkles and scars on her skin were even more highlighted. “You all will be escorted to the border, though it will be in the morning.” “The morning?” River repeated. His voice became crestfallen. “Yes,” She said sternly and then slipped down from her bed of furs towards them. It took all of Shadepaw’s courage not to back away. “There are large dogs that hunt in our territory late in the night. You’re lucky our patrol found you and the foxes before they returned here. If the foxes hadn’t caught you the midnight dogs would have.” Mage’s meow turned grave and Shadepaw shivered. River Wind beside her suppressed a moan but nodded his head. “You are very generous Mage. T-thank you.” Greenpaw and Shadepaw nodded their thanks as well, but she stopped, realizing that an escort would take them to the farthest side of the territory. While that’d get them to Stonewall faster, they would be leaving Poppy and their carryall behind. “Wait.” She mewed quickly. Mage stood before her and looked at her questioningly. “Is there still a problem?” The young she-cat nodded. “We had another companion with us when we were attacked by the foxes. A parrot.” Greenpaw nodded his head as well. “She flew into the branches when we ran. She’s probably still where we left her and the things we were carrying.” Mage turned to Termite, as if inquiring her silently. Termite flicked her ear. “We did hear some shrieking bird in the trees. It’s what alerted us to them.” “Well then,” Mage turned back to the three cats. “We can’t leave her out there alone. In the morning you can lead your escorts to where you last saw the… parrot. If she’s still there you can all be taken to the other side of our territory.” They thanked her again, but before any of them could ask where they would be staying there was a commotion from the other side of the cavern where they had entered. Shadepaw twisted around and gasped, seeing the skin-cat Bog again. He and another skin-cat were dragging something large through the tunnel and into the cavern. She nearly gagged, recognizing the large male fox that the patrol had brought down. She could hear something else being dragged in the tunnel just behind them and she knew it would be the vixen Termite had killed. The patrol was bringing in the bodies much like a hunting patrol would bring mice or squirrels. “We are all very fortunate that the prey is running well this season.” Mage meowed casually behind her. This must have been a normal sight for her and the rest of the skin-cats. “We’ll be able to share a few pieces of prey with you for tonight.” Once again her eyes went towards the fresh-kill pile, glad to look at something else instead of the fox bodies. Her stomach growled. Sharing sounded wonderful at the moment. “Oh but we couldn’t do that!” River Wind meowed humbly beside her. “We can’t just take your food like this.” Shadepaw and Greenpaw both glanced at him, trying not to feel too angry at his fearful politeness. Normally they wouldn’t want to accept food from a strange group either. Then again they were both hungry after their travels. Couldn’t they accept a little hospitality? Shadepaw glanced back at the furless leader “I insist.” Mage nearly hissed the words. Her fangs glistened like those belonging to a deadly snake. Offering them food wasn’t just generosity, it was an order. River suddenly got to his paws and hurried to the pile of fresh-kill. “Well we wouldn’t want to waste it now would we??” He was desperate to get away from Mage’s sharp gaze. Shadepaw found energy surge into her paws as well and she followed the wanderer, her brother close behind her. Once they were under the comforting light coming from the ceiling, she found a place to sit by the pile and looked it over. There were so many different pieces of fresh kill she had to actually wait to decide what to take. If Shadepaw took something too small it might not satisfy her aching belly, and if she took something too large it might make her look greedy to their hosts. But with a careful glance around she noticed that the skin-cats weren’t paying them too much attention anymore, except for the occasional sharp look. Instead their interest had turned to the returning skin-cats from the tunnel. Bog and his patrol were making their way to the center of the cavern as well. The twisted bodies of the foxes slid over the pelts with little noise. The other cats in the giant den circled around them, eyeing the foxes with growing hunger and excitement. Was fox meat really that delicious, or were they just that happy to get new pelts to add to their collection? The dark hairless tom noticed her staring from over the fresh-kill pile and he came to a stop. The look on his face was not welcoming. Shadepaw could hear a growl rise in his throat but once again Termite ran over to explain things. While the pale hairless she-cat calmed Bog Shadepaw ducked her head out of view. “Aside from that mousebrain I think we’re safe.” She heard Greenpaw meow to her. She looked to see him grab a squirrel from the pile. She nodded her head in slight agreement and meowed back quietly. “I wonder if he’s something like a deputy? He was certainly giving out orders earlier.” She reached with her paw and plucked out a plump mouse. “Well he can’t hurt us now. Not after their leader’s given her word.” River Wind muttered beside them. A robin was clutched in his jaws. He dropped it on the ground to give Greenpaw a scolding look. “You shouldn’t have to growl at her like that? You could have gotten us killed.” He hissed through his teeth and his odd eyes swiveled around nervously. “I was only standing up for all of us. Or do you like being walked all over?” Greenpaw hissed back at their companion. River gripped his robin with his claws. “Sometimes…you have to let yourself be walked on. Just so you can get back up again.” He said lowly. “What is that, the Coward’s Code?” Greenpaw retorted. His teeth were bared now. Shadepaw’s tail lashed as she watched them bicker. “Quiet! Both of you!” She meowed angrily, though her voice was as quiet as their argument had been. None of them wanted to draw too much attention to themselves here. “It’s stressful enough without you two fighting.” Greenpaw grumbled and lowered his head to tear into his squirrel. River, on the other paw, seemed to look at her with slight admiration. “Taking charge even when you’re not in charge… Maybe you’re Healer material after all?” Her fur warmed up even more at the compliment, if it really was one. She was about to mumble a thanks to River Wind when the cavern went up with a flood of yowls. Shadepaw, River Wind, and Greenpaw all sat up to peer over the fresh-kill pile to see what was causing the cheers. The foxes had been pushed into the earth floor next to the fresh-kill pile. Skin-cats all stood around both bodies, moving around each other with the intent on getting a good spot. Mage and Bog were sitting between the large corpses. Mage was closer to the larger male fox while Bog sat by the Vixen. Both of the fox’s bellies had been de-furred to reveal pale skin. Shadepaw was now aware that she and her friends had front-row seats for a type of ceremony. She watched as Mage lifted her tail and the cavern quieted. When all was silent, she began to speak. “Tonight my kin, we have visitors bedding in our nest. With them, they have brought us a rare treat. They tempted a double feast to run into our fangs, for us to catch and enjoy.” The seasoned leader meowed loudly so that her voice echoed slightly in the cavern. “So welcome them my kits, welcome them; for while their presence here will be short, their warmth will last.” The speech was promising. Shadepaw could see many of the skin-cats were nodding heads and gazing at their leader with respect and adoration. Yet one thing the skin-cat leader had said confused her. “She called everyone her kits. But she couldn’t be a mother to them all, could she?” She glanced back at River, who shrugged his shoulders. “Hey don’t look at me. No one in Stonewall has ever been in a skin-cat’s den before.” “She is not everyone’s real mother.” A voice behind them meowed. They all turned their head’s sharply to see a slim male skin-cat who had sat very close behind them to see the ceremony as well. He was fairly tall, with pale skin and dark patches over his amber eyes, ears, and back. If he had fur, he might have been black and white, or a white and brown tabby. Like the others in the cavern, his fangs poked out from under his lips, but his expression was one of polite interest in the three sitting before him. The new skin-cat continued. “As leader, Mage is everyone’s protector. So everyone refers to her as Mother Mage formally, and she calls us her kits, even though she has no true ones yet.” He explained happily. Shadepaw’s mind took in the new information and she nodded. It explained why Termite had called her Mother. It was a sign of leadership, not kinship. But now she was confused to why this stranger was talking with them so freely when a moment ago no skin-cat wanted to give them a friendly glance. But the patched tom’s attention was back on Mage. She looked back at the leader, seeing that during the short conversation with the tom Mage had leapt onto the dead fox. The wrinkled she-cat raised her front paws to the ceiling of the den. “Let the blood run to us!” Her echoing yowl made Shadepaw feel cold even in the warmth of the humid cavern. She watched in horror as Mage’s claws flashed down, piercing the fox’s belly. Thick blood welled slowly from the deep cuts Mage was making. The skin-cats let out more cheers as the fox was disemboweled. With a sickened whimper Shadepaw tried to look away. She couldn’t watch. Instead she turned her head to watch her brother, who looked on in shock. Perhaps his stomach was stronger than hers, or maybe he just couldn’t look away. From the sickening tearing noise and rise of cheers, Bog was doing the same to the vixen. “Their all crowding,” Greenpaw mewed quietly. He seemed to be talking to himself. “They’re all trying to drink it.” She flattened her ears to the sounds by her. She didn’t need to ask Greenpaw what he meant. She knew what the skin-cats were after. Even the kind tom that had talked to them just moments before got up to walk around them. He was going to get a taste as well. Blood… Flamestripe put mouse blood on herbs that were bitter to make us eat them when we were kits… and these cats practically swim in it. Shadepaw let out a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down. Foxes were prey for them, as well as badgers and maybe a young dog from the looks of the pelts. This was no stranger for them as it was for a Clan cat to disembowel a rabbit. Foxes were just bigger and skin-cats could share more of their meal. Risking her appetite, she slowly gave the scene a sidelong glance. Mage’s paws and muzzle were soaked red. She still stood on the fox’s chest, but was now reaching inside its open belly. The dark tom opposite her was doing the same with the female fox, fitting his bare head past the ripped skin and into the depths of the body. Skin-cats were pressing close to the large prey, lapping up any blood that welled on the fox’s skin and fur. Not a drop would touch the ground. “Ugh…” She gagged as she saw Bog pull something red and glistening from the vixen with his jaws, cutting it away from the body. It wobbled. “That would be the liver.” River Wind meowed grimly. Apparently body parts had been one of his studies among the Great-Thinkers. “And it looks like she’s found the heart.” Shadepaw grimaced, seeing Mage pull out the bloody organ. She passed it to a skin-cat tom who then dashed off past the crowd towards one of the separate tunnels she had noticed earlier. The liver had the same fate, being carried to the tunnel by another tom. If she listened carefully, she could hear tiny mews and squeaks coming from the tunnel. “It’s a nursery!” She meowed aloud. She didn’t know whether to feel happy about her discovery or disturbed that the queens and kits were being fed the bloodiest organs. “Queens get fed first in here too.” Greenpaw stated. Shadepaw could see his initial horror was subsiding as he continued to watch the feast. In fact she watched in surprise as Greenpaw went back to eating his squirrel. How could he eat after watching that? With the unseen queens attended to the whole cavern had started to tear into the foxes. Nothing but skin and bones would be left in the morning. Shadepaw shivered and finally tore her gaze away. She looked at her mouse hesitantly. Much to her surprise, her stomach was still eager to be fed. Relaxing, Shadepaw laid down and began to eat. River Wind joined them and they silently had their own meal, trying not to think too much about blood. ♫══╗ ║▀▀║ ♫ ║(●) ♪ ╚══╝
Chapter 11
After they were licking their paws clean from fresh-kill, the friendly skin-cat tom showed up again, licking fox blood off of his lips. Greenpaw eyed him suspiciously. It was hard for him to trust the hairless cats after their first confrontation, and Mother Mage left him feeling more uneasy. She hadn’t even tried to hide her hostility that much, and yet Mage had completely welcomed them into the burrow. He knew something was up, but he couldn’t tell what Mage could possibly want just yet. “Hello again,” The skin-cat meowed and sat in front of them. “Have a pleasant meal?” “Yes.” He answered stiffly. As pleasant as we could have after seeing how you ate. The patchy skin-cat somehow took this awkward answer as a sign he should stay and converse, he didn’t leave. “That’s good to hear. I hope it’s no trouble that you are staying the night.” “No, not much trouble at all.” River shook his head. His voice was just above a mutter. “We heard about the midnight dogs.” The thought of being torn apart by dogs was probably the only thing keeping River from jumping up and climbing through the hollow tree in the ceiling. The wanderer would occasionally twitch nervously on the skin pelts that lined everything, almost as if he expected to step on one vaguely cat-like. “So…” He mumbled again. “What’s your name?” The skin-cat twitched his whiskers, the only thing that these skin-cats seemed to have kept after the strange things twolegs had done to them. “I’m Ozzy. You don’t need to tell me your names. I already heard them when you were talking to Mage.” Greenpaw blinked at the odd name. Clan cats got their names from the world around them, but it seemed skin-cats made their names up completely. Mage and Ozzy… how do you come up with names like those? Beside him, Shadepaw tilted her head. “That’s a… interesting name. Does it mean something?” She mewed. “It’s been passed down in the burrow for generations. There are few names to be remembered, and we keep them alive through ourselves.” Ozzy meowed, lifting his chin a little proudly. “Upwalker given names you mean.” River tucked his paws under himself. “Like Albert and William. Only we named places after them. I don’t think there’s anyone in the city named after them…” Ozzy blinked his big amber eyes. “Why not?” He asked in curiosity. “Because it’d be like stealing their name.” River explained. “We can have the names of our fathers or our father’s fathers, but it’s different when it comes to the very first cats… they don’t need anyone named after them to be remembered.” The skin-cat considered River’s words before nodding. “That’s a very interesting point. I have much to learn about your home.” “And we have much to learn about yours.” River returned. Talking about Stonewall had seemed to calm the wanderer. Greenpaw admitted to himself that Ozzy was a lot easier to get along with than the other furless cats around them. Then again it was easy to get along with someone who wasn’t baring their long fangs threateningly. “So Ozzy,” Greenpaw got the skin-cat’s attention with a quick meow. “Where are we staying for the night?” “This place is so warm, we could probably sleep right here.” Shadepaw flexed her paws on the pelts. Greenpaw agreed with his sister. Any of them would make a nice nest, albeit a gruesome one. Just across the den the skin-cats had deboned what had been left of the foxes and the pelts were lying on the ground, fur-side down, in preparation to be taken on the surface when the sun would rise. Greenpaw was pretty sure after they were cleaned the pelts would just be added to the den-floor like so many others. “Oh no, It gets cold on here after a while.” Ozzy seemed to grimace at the thought. “You can stay in the nursery. It’s much softer in there.” “The nursery?” Greenpaw wasn’t sure to be shocked or insulted. Were they now considered so unthreatening that they were to be put with the queens and kits? No clan would ever dream of putting a stranger near kits and their mothers, what are these skin-cats up to? He found his fur rising on his spine. “Why are we being sent there?” “Well, you see,” Ozzy shuffled his paws. He could see how wary Greenpaw was being. “The kits get cold easily. And these pelts keep them and the queens warm enough, but…” Shadepaw sat up from where she had been lying. “But fur’s warmer when it’s still on something alive.” She finished Ozzy’s statement for him. The patched skin-cat bobbed his head in a nod. “You want us to be nest-warmers?” River meowed skeptically. His odd-eyes narrowed. “Mage trusts us enough to let us near kittens?” Ozzy lifted his head to look at them all. His gaze grew serious. “You wouldn’t hurt them.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even an order. It was just a declaration, and from the look in Ozzy’s big eyes he really wanted them to understand. After a heartbeat Ozzy then got to his paws. “I’ll show you the way there.” The skin-cat padded away past groups of his fellow hairless denmates, Greenpaw got up with River and Shadepaw to follow quietly. As they padded over the skins, Greenpaw glanced at River. “What was that all about?” He asked, still a bit unsure why Mage was letting them stay in their nursery, and to Ozzy’s attitude. “I think, he meant that Mage is expecting us to be on our best behavior.” River murmured quietly. “And that it would be very, very, very bad for us if we even breathe on the kits the wrong way.” Greenpaw looked up at him in growing apprehension. “You mean, say, if we tried to get out in the middle of the night, the kits would cry. And if they do, these cats would have an excuse to…” He didn’t even finish his sentence. He didn’t really want to. River looked at him, just as uneasy. “Exactly.”
Past the pelt coveres of the short tunnels leading away from the main cavern, Greenpaw could smell the scent of milk. It brought back old happy memories of his kithood, where he would play with his sister among the nests of moss and feathers. However there was no moss down here. The separate nursery den was small and lined with pelts like the larger chamber, though these were soft like the ones he had seen in Mage’s nest. There was no light either. Greenpaw couldn’t even see any queens or kits until he spotted movement in the shadows. A slim she-cat lifted her head from a den of squirrel and rabbit pelts. She was pale even in the dark light. Her eyes glinted at Greenpaw and his friends with immediate mistrust. Three small bat-eared heads poked out from behind her. “Ozzy?” The mother hissed quickly. “What are these cats doing here?” At the sound of her voice two more queens looked up, their hairless bellies bulging with unborn kits. One of them growled, making Greenpaw lean closer to River Wind. He prayed no one would notice his own trepidation. “Mother Mage thought they could be useful Lotus. It was her orders.” Ozzy meowed to explain their presence. At the mention of their leader the slim queen he addressed as Lotus relaxed. The others did as well and went back to resting on the furs. They all really trust Mage’s decisions. Greenpaw blinked, feeling a little disappointed in his own Clan at how Thornstar couldn’t be trusted to give him and Shadepaw fair judgment after everything that happened. As soon as Lotus relaxed, the three tiny shapes behind her crawled out into view. Just like the older skin-cats, these kits were wrinkled. The only hair on them was their whiskers and light fuzz that was almost invisible to an untrained eye. They couldn’t have been more than a moon old. “Hello,” Shadepaw lowered herself to meow to the kits in a friendly manor. “What are your names?” The largest of the kits, a tom, puffed up his chest. Though, without fur it didn’t have that much of an effect. “I’m Cecile!” His yellow eyes shined in the darkness. Another ancient name. Greenpaw tilted his head to the other two kits, but unlike their brother they were shy, shuffling their paws as they stared up at Greenpaw and Shadepaw. “That’s Lark and Fidget.” Cecile mewed when he noticed his sister’s silence. “They don’t like strangers.” There was something hidden in Cecil’s words, and River had caught it. “You’ve had other cats here before?” He meowed from behind Greenpaw in surprise. Greenpaw turned his head to Ozzy who nodded. Greenpaw perked his ears. “And when was that?” And did they make it out of here alive, that’s all I need to know. “Oh, it was a long time ago.” Ozzy said dismissively as if it wasn’t interesting. “Only one cat came for help to get away from the dogs. They left the next day, like you will be doing. That’s all.” He shrugged his bony shoulders and then nodded his head to them all. “Get some rest now. See you in the morning.” He turned quickly and slipped out of the tunnel, leaving them with the queens and kits. “You can sleep in the center.” Lotus bared her teeth at them and flicked a thin tail to the large nest in the middle of the den. Now that Ozzy had left she had regained her mistrust for them all. But Greenpaw and his friends did as they were told. Greenpaw wouldn’t dare hiss back despite wanting to very much. He couldn’t anger Lotus or her den mates any further. And yet as soon as he found a soft spot to lie down, Greenpaw found himself being attacked anyway. Cecile had given his sisters enough courage to charge them. The three hairless kits clambered onto his fur in an attempt to get on top of him. “Hey!” Greenpaw yowled and flattened his ears. But the kits paid no heed. The one named Fidget buried herself into his short black fur. “He’s so fluffy!” “Can we sleep on him Mama?” Lark mewed. “He’s warm.” Greenpaw’s fur burned with embarrassment as he heard River Wind snicker. The skin-kits really were going to use him for a nest! Not if I can help it… He huffed before meowing crawling all over him. “Actually… River is a lot fluffier than me.” Though Shadepaw had longer fur, it had been River who had laughed. The wanderer’s snicker’s stopped and he sputtered. “What?? No I’m-ack!” The three kits jumped from Greenpaw’s back and onto River with squeaks of amusement. Now it was Greenpaw’s turn to be entertained as he watched the tom squirm. “No one’s using them for a den. Come back over here.” Lotus called to her kits, much to River’s apparent relief. The kits whined but eventually Lark, Fidget, and lastly Cecil hopped off of River Wind and hurried over to their mother. She licked their heads and all three of them curled up by her belly. “We should try to get some sleep now too.” Shadepaw murmured and wrapped her tail around herself. “It’s probably close to morning already, and we’ll need the rest.” “Yeah, we’re still right in the middle of White Fang.” River Wind said with a worn-out meow. It reminded Greenpaw about how tired his own paws felt, after a whole day of walking along the stone road and the first half of the dark forest just above their heads. “We still have another day of walking ahead of us.” “Think we’ll make it?” He asked. “In time for you to get to your leader I mean.” He added quickly. But River Wind didn’t answer. The wanderer just curled up on the pelt he laid on and closed his eyes. Greenpaw looked at Shadepaw silently. She looked worried, but Greenpaw tried to give her some hope. “These cats said they’d escort us. They should know the quickest way through the trees…at least to their border.” He guessed and Shadepaw nodded. “Right,” She mewed, though she didn’t look comforted. Ever since they had heard about River’s home they had hopes for a better life there, and yet it was a struggle to even see the walls that River Wind had described to them. Greenpaw let his chin rest on his paws and he gazed one more time at his surroundings. He looked at the pelts that lined the whole nursery, the feast they had just witnessed still scarred in his mind. He wondered about the cat that had been here before, alone and surrounded by these unnatural cats. The ex-apprentice thanked Starclan that he was together with his sister and River Wind. It made the whole situation a lot more bearable. Seeing his sister finally lay down to rest, he closed his own eyes and waited for sleep to take him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry for taking so long to update. There's been a lot going on.
That morning, or what he had to assume was morning since there was no light to shine through in the nursery, Greenpaw opened his eyes. He hadn’t dreamt much that night, despite everything that had occurred. Maybe he had been too tired to dream. But he and his friends weren’t disturbed from their rest, not even by the kits. Shadepaw and River Wind were still sleeping close by him, as were the queens and kits a few tail-lengths away. The young tom stretched his jaws in a yawn and coaxed his weary muscles to move. Greenpaw moved as gently as he could. He didn’t want to wake his sister, or the kits that would probably tackle him again. The air smelled colder now, as if it had lost heat during the night. His nose then wrinkled. The pelts had covered him in the stench of foxes and badgers. Yuck, as if they didn’t smell bad on their own. Greenpaw quickly turned his head over his shoulder to lick off the stray fox fur from his pelt. That was when he noticed the shimmers in the dim light by the tunnel entering from the main cavern. They were from eyes, orange ones that bore into him. He stared back to let his eyes adjust. It was Bog. The skin-cat bared his fangs, but did not meow or hiss anything. He just nodded to the sleeping shapes beside Greenpaw and then moved back into the darkness, going back to the main den. Greenpaw tilted his head in confusion before looking at River and Shadepaw. Bog must have been sent from Mage. Shadepaw might have been right to call him a deputy. Greenpaw shook out his fur; he’d have to groom himself another time. Right now the leader of the tunnels was waiting for them. Quickly, he nudged his sister and River awake. It didn’t take long to convince them to get up, once they knew Bog might come and get them out himself if they didn’t hurry. Padding into the main den, Greenpaw some relief for his eyes as morning light filtered in through the tree opening in the roof of the burrow. The fresh-kill pile looked just as big as it had the night before and his mouth watered once again. His stomach had become greedy after his last meal and wanted more after his dreamless sleep. “Go ahead and eat. You look hungry.” A smooth meow greeted them. Greenpaw tensed and looked towards Mage’s den. There she sat, surrounded by her fellow skin-cats. They were all lounging on the furs, looking at them as if they were a type of peculiar prey. It made him uneasy, but didn’t stop his hunger. “You’re too kind.” River Wind mumbled beside Greenpaw. “But we had enough to eat last night.” Speak for yourself. Greenpaw’s stomach growled again and he reached to take a vole. He spotted Shadepaw already taking a small bird. He ignored the amused purr echoing from the skin-cat leader and sat down with his meal away from the pile. River Wind then gave in and dragged a rabbit over to them. As if on cue, the hairless cats started to pad to the pile and grab pieces of fresh kill for themselves. Greenpaw blinked. Guests are fed before the group? It was polite, but not something that’d happen in Shadowclan. He tore into the vole and devoured it quickly. He was tempted to grab another even before he was finished with the morsel. They were going to be traveling again and he’d need all of his energy. Especially to find Poppy. His gaze went over to Shadepaw. She and the pink bird had gotten along really well. He hoped his sister wouldn’t lose her new friend to the forests cruel inhabitants. His sister looked at him, spitting feathers out of her mouth. When she looked like she wanted to say something, he noticed that her blue gaze caught on something else behind him. Her eyes widened. “Otto? Why do you have… a mane?” She meowed abruptly. Greenpaw turned to see what in Starclan was she talking about and saw that the skin-cat Otto was approaching them with Mage. He had a mane around his neck. It was as if he had suddenly sprouted a fur collar overnight. As he got closer though, Greenpaw could see it wasn’t his fur. Somehow he had gotten two squirrel tails tied around him. Greenpaw nearly choked on his vole at how silly Otto looked. “Trying to look like a lion or something?” He cleared his throat with a snort. “Why are you wearing those?” Otto stopped and puffed out his chest proudly. “This is a token of protection. Anyone who goes to a new place wears squirrel tails for a safe journey.” He gave his neck a shake and the dismembered tails waved. It was as if a member of the ancient Lionclan had gotten most of his fur ripped off and ran into the tunnels for warmth. “So you’re going to a new place…” River Wind looked at him with suspicion. “Are all of our escorts going to be wearing those ‘tokens’?” He asked Mage who sat beside Otto. “No. Only Otto will be going outside of our territory with you. I believe he will make a good impression on your leader once you get to Stonewall.” She meowed. Her shining eyes flashed with devious intent. River Wind bristled at her. “Him? Come to Stonewall with us? Are you serious?!” Eyes turned on them once again. Greenpaw gulped the last of the fresh-kill before him and moved closer to Shadepaw protectively. Mage gave River a cold stare. “My apologies. Did I ever give you the impression I was the joking type?”
River Wind kept his mouth shut for the rest of their meal after Mage’s cold stare, but Greenpaw could see the worry and dread on their guide’s face. He definitely did not want Otto coming with them all the way to Stonewall. It was one thing to bring two apprentices to his home, Greenpaw supposed, but a whole other thing to bring someone like a skin-cat. Would his leader have him punished? But it’s not like he has a choice. Greenpaw finished his vole. Mage might not let us leave if we don’t let Otto join. He looked back at the black and pink skin-cat. He was getting a much warmer goodbye than they were. Otto was being surrounded by kin, each taking turns to give him words of what Greenpaw could only assume as wisdom. He wasn’t close enough to hear, but it looked emotional. Toms were giving him encouraging nudges to his shoulder while she-cats were licking his forehead affection. As if they didn’t expect him to return for a long time… It reminded Greenpaw of his brief goodbye with his own parents. His throat tightened and he had to look away. Instead he looked at his sister. Shadepaw was watching too. “I wonder… why Otto?” She remarked, now that she was done with her bird. Greenpaw could only shrug. “Maybe he volunteered? He could have wanted an adventure.” She nodded, but continued to watch Otto and then her eyes widened. “Oh! I get it!” She meowed with clarity. It was so sudden it made River beside them jump. “What? What is it?” Greenpaw looked back to see what she was talking about. He saw that the big skin-cat Bog had approached the slimmer tom. Greenpaw expected maybe a formal goodbye, but he was surprised to see Bog bump his head against Otto’s fondly. Greenpaw blinked, confused and he looked at his sister. “So what does that mean?” He asked. Shadepaw looked at him as if it was obvious. “Don’t you see? They’re kin! Brothers even!” “Brothers?” River looked at the two toms and then at Shadepaw. He looked intrigued. “Perhaps, they do have similar eyes. But how would that end with Otto coming with us?” Shadepaw flicked her tail. “Well… Bog obviously is a deputy here, or something. He’s very close to Mage and he led a big hunting party. And Otto doesn’t look as strong as bog so maybe he wants to prove he’s as good as his brother in some other way? Like going into another territory?” River gazed at Shadepaw with his mismatched eyes then nodded. “That’s a pretty good theory. But you realize we’ll never know unless we ask.” “I know, but I know I’m right.” Shadepaw nodded her head with a bit of sternness. Greenpaw twitched his whiskers with a bit of smugness. He had a feeling she was right too. If only Flamestripe chose her as an apprentice instead of Leopardpaw. Otto’s kin then dispersed and he padded back towards Greenpaw and his friends, squirrel-mane swaying. He was followed by his presumed brother Bog. “Are we ready?” He meowed cheerfully. Greenpaw got to his paws. “As ready as we’ll ever be.”
Chapter 12
Shadepaw climbed out of the skin-cat’s tunnel and her eyes watered even from the early morning light. Above the small clearing the sky was pale as the sun just started to glimmer over the horizon that was blocked by trees. It took a few moments for all of them to wait for their eyes to adjust to the change, especially the skin-cats. Besides Otto, Termite had come to escort them through their territory, as well as Cedar and another tom named Bean. They started to talk with River about the direction they came from during the night and the best way to find Poppy. Shadepaw rubber her eyes with her paw in frustration. She wanted to get going. Poppy had been alone all night in White Fang. While they waited, Shadepaw picked up a new scent. Curious, she put her nose close to the ground and sniffed. It was strong and foul, a bit like the fox and badger pelts. Like the pelts, she had never encountered it in Shadowclan’s territory. The ex-apprentice would have to add it to her growing list of new encounters. She continued to follow the scent slowly, careful not to get too far away from the group. Then Shadepaw’s eyes noticed something on the ground, a large indent in the soft earth. Padding closer, she saw it was a paw-print. It was a very large one, to where her tiny paw wouldn’t even fill the pit of the center pad. At the toes the earth was torn, as if by huge claws. It was too small to be from a fox, and she thought badgers had wider paws. This one was just big, and it wasn’t the only one in the area. Lifting her head, she spotted more and more paw-prints in the dirt. Some were a little smaller than the one she had her paw in, yet they were everywhere. “Hey, Otto?” She meowed. He lived in White Fang, so the skin-cat would know what it was. “How big do the Midnight Dogs get?” She looked back towards their escorts. The hairless cats glanced at each other questioningly before Otto, still wearing the squirrel tails, padded over to her. “Pretty big, why do you ask?” Otto asked. Shadepaw nodded at the marks on the ground and Otto stared. From his gaze, Shadepaw knew that if he had fur it would be rising along his back. “Oh…” “So these are from the dogs?” Shadepaw stepped out of the paw-print quickly. The fanged tom nodded his head. Hearing this, Shadepaw’s brother hurried over to them. “Dog tracks?” He sniffed the ground with interest. Greenpaw then sneezed. “Yuck, they smell worse than the foxes!” He was followed by the rest of the group. “They won’t give us any trouble.” Termite told them with a flick of her tail. “The dogs always leave our territory during the day to their home by a pond. As long as you stay close to us, you’ll be safe.” “And when we leave your territory?” River Wind looked at the pale cat with some doubt. “What then?” “Then you will be much farther from the dogs.” Termite’s blue eyes flashed. “You’ll get to your own home without even a scratch. I’m certain.” “I hope so,” Shadepaw cast a worried glance at the tracks again. Their size was almost frightening. “Shall we get going then?” Otto meowed evadingly. The thought of dogs must have been bothering him too. “Your bird is waiting.” “Right,” Greenpaw shook his fur, as if to ward off the stench around the tracks. Shadepaw looked into the trees. The morning made the huge forest seem lighter, but it was still vast. The twisting branches looked like they were forming a mouth, ready to swallow them again. “Where do we begin?” “Where you ended up.” Cedar meowed gruffly. “The place we brought down the foxes. We’ll follow the trail back to where you began.” Cedar and Termite started to take the lead. Bean and Otto followed after them quickly past the first line of trees. River Wind padded over to Shadepaw and Greenpaw, taking a deep breath. “Well… back on the trail again.” Surprisingly, she was comforted by that statement. They were on their way again, and once they found Poppy they would be back on their way to Stonewall. And Starclan willing… a home for us. Shadepaw puffed out her fur bravely, making her way after the skin-cats.
With their furless guides tracking the scent of fox and cat backwards, Shadepaw was relieved at how quickly they were making their way through White Fang. The light of day made a subtle but drastic change in the thick forest. The canopy above them became a comforting deep green instead of the choking black from the night before. She could see more around them, however there wasn’t much to see. White Fang was so deep it felt like it went on forever. Every tree was so twisted and big Shadepaw guessed they could have been growing here long before the Clans came to the lake. Just to think… all of this was just beyond our borders. Shadepaw dug her toes into the thick mossy undergrowth. What kind of world had she and her brother stumbled into? Thunderpaths, parrots, foxes, dogs, skin-cats… and we hadn’t even seen this Stonewall that River’s told us about. Shadepaw breathed in the wild scent of White Fang. Would Stonewall hold even more surprises than this place? Then Cedar stopped, turning his head to meow back at Shadepaw and her friends. “Is that yours?” Pulling her gaze away from the endless expanse of trees, Shadepaw could make out an object resting on the forest floor. It was River Wind’s carryall! To her relief she could see the colorful feather within its contents just where she had left it. Shadepaw watched River Wind run over to the odd item and search through it, taking care to leave her feather in the carryall with his papers. Shadepaw padded by him and craned her head to search in the branches. “Poppy??” She yowled, hopping to spot pink amongst the green leaves. “Poppy where are you?” “Poppy!” Greenpaw joined her and called as well. Yet nothing stirred. Shadepaw paced by River Wind fretfully. “Where could she be? Could something have gotten her?” “Not without a nasty bite.” River shook his scruffy head. “She got into the branches when we escaped the foxes. I’m sure she’s somewhere.” He assured her. Otto padded gingerly around them, sniffing the air. “Maybe she flew to Stonewall when the sun rose?” He suggested. The other skin-cats nodded, murmuring agreement. “We will need to move on then.” Termite began to head back the way they came. “Your parrot isn’t here.” “But we can’t be sure of that!” Greenpaw flattened his ears in annoyance. Shadepaw nodded sternly in agreement. “Maybe she just can’t hear us? If you’re wrong we’d be leaving her out here alone again.” She pointed out and then started to call out to their lost friend again. “Poppy? Poppy!” Beside her, River Wind put himself under the carryall and lifted it from the ground with his shoulders. “Shadepaw, if I were her I would have gotten out of here to get help. I wouldn’t stay and risk getting eaten myself.” “But you’re not her.” Shadepaw scowled. She wouldn’t leave until they were sure Poppy wasn’t around. She took a deeper breath to yowl again. “Poppy!” Her voice echoed slightly through the trees. “Quiet!” Cedar hissed at her, baring his long fangs. “Keep making noise like that and you’ll bring more foxes or dogs than we can handle.” “He’s right.” River sighed. “We have to be careful, even if it’s daylight.” As if to emphasize what he had said, a loud piercing screech split through the air. Every cat looked for the source of the startling noise. Shadepaw’s ears ached as shorter but equally loud squawks erupted from a distant oak tree. She stared as a familiar bright pink shape flew from its leafy branches. Her heart filled with joy and relief. “Poppy!” The young parrot flew towards them with tremendous pounding of her wings, yet she didn’t stop her screeching. Shadepaw watched in growing horror as she realized that the bird was attacking! She was aimed straight for the skin-cats surrounding them. River Wind saw this too and his tail bristled out in alarm. “Wait wait stop Poppy!” River yowled as their feathered friend dove at the group. Otto and the other cats hissed and ran for cover as Poppy swooped over them in an attempt to beat them with her wings. “Get ahwahy frrom them sskin-cahtss! Go ahwahy!” Poppy shrieked. Shadepaw grimaced as Poppy landed between them and their escorts trying in vain to avoid her wings and beak. Her wings folded, but only partially as if she planned on taking flight again. Her feathers were puffing out angrily to make her appear larger, if a bit ridiculous. “Leahve them ahlone!” “No Poppy it’s ok!” Shadepaw ran over to the pink parrot and nudged her half-opened wing with her muzzle. “They weren’t going to hurt us.” The parrot’s beady eye blinked as she comprehended Shadepaw’s mew. Her crest lowered slightly. “Oh k-ie?” Her small bird chest was heaving rapidly. As Otto moved out from under a small shrub, Poppy’s crest shot up again and she opened her beak wide with a warning hiss. The patched skin-cat froze as the Parrot glared accusingly. “Keeping ma-ie frriendss prrissonahrrss!” “They weren’t though!” Greenpaw padded in between them hurriedly to avoid a nasty attack. ‘Well, not for a while anyway-” He muttered then quickly revised what he said as Poppy looked ready to let loose another scornful shriek. “-I mean! I mean they saved us from the foxes Poppy! The skin-cats are really ok when you get to know them. In fact they’re going to lead us out of here.” “T-that’s right!” Otto nodded his head quickly. “We are all friends.” However Otto’s fellow skin-cats snarled, not happy at all about Poppy’s attack. Shadepaw looked at them pleadingly to not give any threats. Poppy had only been trying to protect her, Greenpaw, and River. She didn’t know the skin-cats had been willing to help them. “But… I hwahss going to leahd you?” Poppy’s feathers settled as she tilted her head back towards her cat friends. Shadepaw relaxed. “I know Poppy,” River Wind meowed. “But they know their way through the forest, not over it.” The parrot clicked her beak rapidly, as if in annoyance, but she didn’t try to lunge at Otto again. Instead she leaned over to Shadepaw to lightly nibble the fur on her head, similar to what the black parrot Smog had done when he inspected her. She continued to trail her beak down Shadepaw’s spine, making her wriggle at the touch until Poppy removed her beak. “I ahm glahd you ahrre oh k-ie Shahdepahw.” Poppy chirped. “Ahnd you too Grreenpahw.” The she moved to inspect Shadepaw’s brother with her beak as well. “Hey! That tickles!” Greenpaw wriggled and Shadepaw let out a mrrow of laughter. She supposed Poppy was showing affection. “I’m glad you’re ok too Poppy.” Shadepaw mewed. And she really was happy. She would have felt so guilty if they had just left without Poppy. Even if their bird friend eventually flew back to Stonewall on her own, Shadepaw wouldn’t have forgiven herself for not looking. “Yes, same here. Missed you too.” River Wind meowed though seemed more preoccupied looking at the skin-cats who were gathering back to them now that the parrot had calmed down. “Shall we get going now?” He asked, sounding more eager than ever to leave the forest. “Yes.” Termite shook moss off her pale skin before adding bitterly, “Before we find any more surprises.”
It was still morning when they had found Poppy, though Shadepaw figured Poppy had actually found them. It had just taken a bit for the parrot to hear them from under her wing while she had slept. But now, as Shadepaw trekked behind Otto and Termite, with Poppy on her left and Greenpaw on her right, she imagined that the sun had to be nearing its peak right above them. They had been walking for a long time. Light was shining right down onto them through the leaves, making the forest floor seem to glow green. There was some warmth from the light, but the thick canopy kept White Fang much cooler than it should have been in Greenleaf. “Nah, nah, nah!” Poppy’s shrill bird voice sounded next to her, making her left ear flatted against her head for what felt like the hundredth time. “It iss not luck-ie! Bahd luck!” “No it isn’t! It’s very lucky.” Otto protested from his spot just ahead of them. He and Poppy had been arguing for some time now and Shadepaw was starting to grow a little weary of it, and so had the rest of the group from the looks on their faces. It had all started when Poppy had asked about Otto’s squirrel-tail charm. “Luck sstollen frrom ssqwhirrelss! Iss verr-ie verr-ie bahd luck.” Poppy quarreled fiercely with a shake of her feathered head. Otto turned his head back to Poppy indignantly. “Well the squirrels weren’t using that luck much longer after we ate them now were they?” Next to Shadepaw, Greenpaw sorted. “Well you could also say they weren’t that lucky to begin with.” Shadepaw rolled her blue eyes and gave mouse-brained her kin a nudge to quiet him but Otto had started to mutter to himself unhappily. She sighed. The skin-cat would probably be in a bad mood for a while now. Neither was Poppy for that matter. She had begun to fluff out her feathers as she walked beside Shadepaw with her parrot-sway. “Bahd cahts… bring-ing bahd luck hwith uss herre.” Poppy chirped. There was a groan from behind them and Shadepaw assumed without having to look behind her that it was from River. The wanderer was slower than them all with his carryall and bad sight put together. Cedar was with him o make sure nothing would fall off of River and to make sure River Wind would fall himself. “Can’t we all just agree to disagree?” River meowed to the squabbling two. “I mean someone’s bad luck is another’s good luck…right?” “No!” “Nah!” The stubborn response from Otto and Poppy made Shadepaw wince and River go quiet, but she was thankful when neither the skin-cat nor the parrot started the argument up again. The only sounds Shadepaw would hear for the rest of their journey out of the skin-cat territory was that of tiny black birds in the branches above. She gazed upward at the fleeting shapes that passed over them and recalled when she was a kit how black birds would fly over the Shadowclan camp in the early mornings. They looked like the exact same birds, yet she was in a completely different forest. Different trees, different scents, and certainly much more different creatures. There were no such things as furless cats in any of the four clans. No one had ever thought that foxes could be eaten as easily as rabbits and no dogs hunted in the middle of the night. If she were to go up to Dustpaw or Barkpaw right now, and told them in a land far beyond the lake there were cats that lived in a giant twoleg-place and spoke to birds, they would laugh at Shadepaw and call her mousebrained. But here I am, with my brother and a parrot at my side. Shadepaw turned her gaze to the cats ahead of her. We have seen things no clan cat has ever seen or will ever see. She couldn’t help but feel a little pride at that. But it also disheartened her. It showed Shadepaw just how far she was from home and her clanmates. Yet at Shadowclan she could never have been a medicine cat. Starclan never spoke to her, and seeing how far away from the lake she was maybe they never would. But at Stonewall, maybe she could be something. Ahead of Shadepaw, Termite suddenly meowed and stopped. “Here we are.” The ex-apprentice looked around yet to her, this part of the forest was the same as the rest of it. She didn’t even smell a difference except… As Shadepaw glanced upward, she noticed the tree closest to them had several deep claw-marks in on its trunk. She sniffed the tree, able only to catch a small trace of the skin-cats scent. So this is the border Mage told us about. No wonder we didn’t notice it at night. “So I guess this is where we’ll be parting?” River Wind walked around Shadepaw to look from the tree then at their skin-cat escorts, “Besides you Otto.” He then added to their new companion. The patched skin-cat tom nodded with his lips curled in a fanged smile. “That’s right. I can’t wait to see what your home is like.” “Make sure he is welcome.” Cedar meowed. “Give him the same generosity we gave you.” Shadepaw noticed River’s tail flick in apprehension. “That depends if we’re even allowed to get past the gates.” “I’m sure we will. We’ll just be persistent when we get there.” Greenpaw encouraged the wanderer. Shadepaw shared her brother’s optimism. They had come so far, nothing was going to stop her from at least trying to get in. “Yeah, persistent…” River Wind mewed dully but his bleak attitude went ignored. Otto gave his last goodbyes to his friends, promising them to go straight home if things went wrong. Shadepaw began to feel sympathy for the skin-cat. Like Greenpaw and herself, he was leaving the home he always knew. Only we don’t have a home to go back to. Her tail drooped forlornly as she realized how important it was they got inside Stonewall. As the two groups parted, Shadepaw noticed Greenpaw fall back to walk beside River Wind, possibly to question him more about the guards at what might be their new home. But her side wouldn’t be vacant for long. Otto slowed to walk beside her. The skin-cat gave a wary glance at Poppy on her opposite side before giving Shadepaw a friendly look. “So,” He meowed conversationally. “You never really said where you and Greenpaw are from back at the burrow. Did something happen there?” Shadepaw didn’t know what to say. She didn’t really want to talk about what had happened much, but she didn’t want to be rude to Otto either. She cleared her throat. “Um, well I didn’t think we had the time to talk about it back at your home. And no one asked. If you would like to know though, my brother and I are from a clan by a huge lake.” She told him. “Verr-ie big. I hahve sseen it!” Poppy added to Shadepaw’s conversation. “Yes, there are three other clans beside mine that live around it.” Shadepaw mewed, amused by Poppy’s interest. “There’s Riverclan, Windclan, Thunderclan, and mine is Shadowclan.” “And why are they called that?” Otto asked with more interest. So Shadepaw began to tell him about her old home, and how the names of the Clans were named from the very first leaders, way back before the lake was their home. Instead of feeling sad like she expected, Shadepaw was starting to feel uplifted by talking of Shadowclan and the lake. Maybe it was just the act of thinking about it, not about the bad things that happened, but the good things she knew. River Wind never took much of an interest, but then he was so busy telling us about Stonewall. She then continued telling him about the Warrior Code, and how the Clans met on every full moon under the watch of their ancestors in Starclan. “Our ancestors do not go to the stars.” Otto indulged her then when she had paused for breath. “We go to the earth. Our spirits run in the air, sleep in the trees and stones and swim in the river…” He gazed up at the tree branches, with his shimmering large eyes. “They watch us, sending omens when we need them most.” Shadepaw looked up and around the trees with him. She began to wonder if the feeling of being watched wasn’t from horrible beasts after all. Perhaps, it was from the spirits of skin-cats that were watching them through their hunting grounds? It was a strange feeling, a mix of honor, and nervousness. Is this how a medicine cat feels when they go to the moonpool? But then again the spirits there were familiar, not strangers… Her eyes gazed around her, now noticing something about the trees. Were they getting smaller? She had a feeling she thought she could see more space around them. Poppy rustled her feathers beside Shadepaw, a sure sign she was going to comment again. Shadepaw looked towards her friend but kept her ears low for protection from Poppy’s loud voice. “Hwhen hwe die, birds fl-ie thrrough The Blahck.” Her chirp was low this time. It was reserved, if Shadepaw were to make a guess. On her other side, Otto tilted his head. “The Black?” Poppy’s head bobbed up and down in a nod. “In deahth, dahrrkness fahlls. Ah pahrrot musst fl-ie thrrough The Blahck. If the-ie hwerre good, ahnd jusst in life, the-ie hwould find pahrrahdisse.” “And if they weren’t?” Shadepaw felt her own voice go quiet. “What happens then Poppy?” Poppy’s crest rose as she stepped beside Shadepaw, her feathers rising slightly in unease. “Then the-ie don’t come out of The Blahck aht ahll…” Shadepaw could almost hear Otto shudder behind her, and she herself felt horrified at the idea of being surrounded by nothing but darkness. We have a place like that too, the Place of No Stars… She shook her fur. Shadepaw wasn’t planning to talk about that and ruin their mood any more. She wanted to keep going without any fears. “Well, it’s a good thing I know you’re a good parrot Poppy.” She perked her whiskers up in a smile. Poppy then let out a loud but more content sound of parrot-laughter. “I plahn to hahve ah lot of life to live.” The pink bird remarked. Shadepaw found herself nodding. “And that’ll be a long time. Parrots live a lot longer than cats.” River meowed from behind Shadepaw and she looked back. Had they been listening in on their conversation? “How long?” Otto looked back at the slower cats as well. “About ten times longer than a cat, if they make sure to get to warmer places in the winter.” River Wind explained. “Because they’re so much larger than normal tinier birds they can live much longer lives.” “Ten times?” Greenpaw looked at River Wind. He seemed very doubtful. But River Wind continued to nod. “An average cat can live, let’s see… about nintery-six moons approximately. More or less.” “I guess…” Shadepaw never really thought about that, but she did know the elder Ratfur had seen a lot of moons. She had never thought cats would count the moons they lived, not after their warrior vigil. “Well a parrot such as Poppy could live ten times that. Nine hundred and sixty moons if she stays healthy.” River meowed. Shadepaw’s head turned to look at Poppy in amazement. She never thought anything could live so long. “Really? How old are you now?” Poppy looked very proud, but also a bit bashful at the other’s astonishment about her longevity. “On-lie fourr ahnnuahlss.” “That’s forty eight moons to us.” Meowed River again. Once again Shadepaw stared. Poppy has appeared to be only an apprentice among her fellow parrots, and yet the bird had lived longer than her or her brother. Maybe even longer than some of the warriors in Shadowclan. “How old is Rainbow?” Greenpaw asked River with growing fascination. “Is he nine hundred moons old already?” “No, I don’t think so…” River blinked, Shadepaw could see him delving into his own memories. “But he is old. Older than Golden Mane I believe.” “He iss thirrt-ie two ahnnuahlss I think.” Poppy chirped. River nodded. “Alright then he would be… Three hundred and eighty four then.” “How do you know?” Shadepaw meowed more astonishment. “How can you guess moons like that?” “It’s just numbers. Great-Thinkers are taught numbers and how to add and multiply at the beginning of our training. It takes moons and moons of study to become a true gatherer of knowledge.” River Wind lifted his head with pride. “Even after that, there is always more to learn. I’m the one trusted to go find it.” “Yeah but do these numbers tell you how to defend your territory or how to catch prey?” Greenpaw snorted. He seemed to brush off River’s amazing counting ability, however Shadepaw knew her brother had been just as impressed as her when River had began. River Wind didn’t even falter. The wanderer looked at Greenpaw slyly. “Actually yes. Because of what we know, Great-Thinkers can find out how much prey it takes to satisfy one cat. And how many cats there are in a home. Then how many homes there are in the colony. With numbers we can tell the Hunters exactly what they need to catch. And we know how big our territory is, and how long it takes for a cat to walk around that territory. Then we can guess how many cats you need for each section of Stonewall for defense.” Greenpaw was left speechless. Otto let out a rumble of amusement. “Very impressive.” “It is,” Shadepaw nodded. “How many Great-Thinkers are there?” “Not many,” River shook his head. Before he could say more, Poppy squawked tremendously and hopped forward. Shadepaw watched as Poppy then took off into the air. She thought at first that Poppy had heard a fox and she froze in terror, but now as she watched Poppy go up, she could see sky. Actual blue sky that wasn’t completely blocked by tree leaves or branches. She had been right before, the forest had been thinning the further away they got away from skin-cat territory. Poppy landed on an overhanging tree branch and released more calls into the air with her wings spread in triumph. It was like she was announcing their survival in White Fang. Shadepaw closed her eyes and let the sunlight shining down warm her fur. A purr rose in her throat and she knew Poppy’s happiness. We’ve come so far now. They had struggled in the deadly forest and now they were nearing the end. River Wind and Greenpaw moved around them and as Shadepaw opened her eyes she could see River sniffing the air. The odd-eyed tom seemed to brighten with the sunlight like the rest of them. “Are we close?” Shadepaw could stop her mew from trembling with excitement. The light felt like it was flowing from her fur and into her paws. They itched to keep moving. River nodded his head. “We’re at the other edge of White Fang now. The South western fields should be just ahead.” He tilted his head up. “Can you fly to the fields and let them know we’re coming? I don’t want the Claw Guard to come around in case the Planters get surprised.” Poppy let out an acknowledging chirp. “I hwill! Don’t get eahten b-ie foxess hwhwen I go!” The parrot then took off, soaring into the air above the canopy. Shadepaw could just make out her vanishing shape through the gaps of the leaves. Shadepaw had wanted to yowl out good luck to her but already she was too far away. However Shadepaw knew that in the air she was safe, especially if they were so close to their destination. “What are we standing around for like trees?” Greenpaw meowed loudly. His pelt was fluffed up with new energy. “Let’s go! I want to see the Claw Guard.” With that her dark-furred brother began to bound ahead of their trail. His white-tipped tail waving in the air like a beacon. “Wait for me!” Shadepaw called and chased after her brother. She wanted to see the fields River spoke of just as much as he wanted to see the warriors of the new place. River Wind and Otto were left to chase behind them. “Hey! You’re supposed to be following me, not the other way around!” River yowled crossly but with his carryall he wouldn’t be able to catch her and Greenpaw. All Shadepaw then heard was Otto’s laughter and she didn’t even stop to see what he was amusing. She could guess that together, she and her brother were acting like excited kits. Shadepaw felt like an excited kit after all. Their escape from the belly of the dark forest had lifted a weight off her and now she could run towards a new future. Already she had caught up with Greenpaw and now he and Shadepaw were running side-by-side. It was like a race to see who would be first to glimpse their home. Dead leaves from the leaf-fall before scattered under their rushing paws. The trees were even sparser apart, and glimmers of pale gold with green were ahead of them. The field! Shadepaw’s heart leapt. It had to be what separated Stonewall from the forest. She ran faster towards this golden threshold, she could already see the high gleaming rock walls in her mind, and the intelligent cats waiting within. Soon, Shadepaw would be one of those cats. She and her brother finally broke through the tree line, and their paws skidded to a stop at the sight that lay before them.
Chapter 13
Greenpaw ran past the last few trees of White Fang and stopped, with his sister skidding to a halt just beside him. His green eyes felt like they were bulging from his head as he stared at the land ahead of them. The land sloped gently down away from the trees into a stretch of tall swaying green grass that was mixed with gold as it had started to dry with greenleafs growing heat. The breeze ahead made ripples amongst the blades as if the field was water, broken here and there by low brush, saplings, and rocks. At the very edge of the slope in front of them, diving down with the land, Greenpaw could make out flatter darker stones scattered close together, in a line that stretched across the field. He recognized it as an old road like the one River had wanted to take theother day, before they had decided to go into White Fang. This one was even more broken up than the previous Thunderpath., as if the earth and grass had been slowly consuming it to non existence. His gaze followed the path of the road through the grass, down the slope of the field and he saw a much larger gap between the golden green blades. Greenpaw could make out wide clearings of brown where the earth had been dug up constantly with signs of greenery growing in the soil, and beyond the brown clearings were broken skeletons of twoleg dens. All that was left of them were crumbling stone pillars and rotting wood. Out in the open, the elements had torn them apart much faster than the twoleg den back in Shadowclan. However these shapes only caught a few seconds of his attention. What truly made him stare was the Wall. It was massive. The stone that it was made from shined like grey bone, cracked and ancient but still standing strong. It towered over the dead and disintegrating remains of the twoleg dens, and even from Greenpaw’s high vantage point he could not see anything over the Wall except for the tops of what might have been pine trees. The thought of more familiar trees than the big-leafed ones around him made Greenpaw even more eager to get inside, but how they could get past the enormous rock structures, he had no clue. But River can get in and out of Stonewall, so we should be able to do it just the same. He figured. “Greenpaw,” Shadepaw broke their stunned silence with a hushed meow. “There are cats down there!” “Where?” Greenpaw looked back into the field for any sign. He spotted them quickly, among the clearings of earth a little ways away from the crumbled dens. Greenpaw could make out dozens of small cat shapes moving along the dirt and green plants. In his excitement he moved onto the scattered broken road for a closer look, but he didn’t go down the slope just yet. “They must be Planters.” Greenpaw mewed, amazed at how close they were to the cat-ruled twolegplace. “All those plants down there must be herbs.” “I thought so too.” Shadepaw moved over to him, practically trembling with excitement. She must have been fighting the urge to run out and go right up close to the Planters and their gardens. “Oh Greenpaw, can you believe we’re here already?” She beamed and Greenpaw nodded. He could hardly believe it either. He was about to suggest going down for an even closer look when he heard the rustle of plants behind him. Greenpaw turned to see River Wind and Otto padding out of the forest, finally having caught up. River was panting and looking flustered. “Don’t run off like that again fluffers!” He growled. “Hunters prowl the edge of White Fang and the fields constantly, as well as Claw-Guard. If they had seen you strangers you’d have had your tails chewed off.” Greenpaw shook his fur to shrug off River’s words. “I would have been heard them before they ever showed up.” He told him. The ex-apprentice was feeling more confident than ever after getting his first look at Stonewall. “Besides you had Poppy tell them we were coming, right?” Shadepaw mewed. Greenpaw noticed her look at the surrounding grass and trees, as if she suspected they were being watched right now. “The Planters maybe but I don’t know how fast word spreads outside the wall.” River Wind looked back at Otto. “And I don’t know if she’ll tell them we have a skin-cat ambassador either.” “Ambassador?” Otto tilted his head, his bat-like ears perked in curiosity. River nodded. “You’ll be the first skin-cat to visit Stonewall. You’ll be the only cat who can tell us anything about your kin.” The hairless cat appeared to puff up with delight at the thought of this important task. Greenpaw flicked his tail. He and his sister would be the only cats to have ever come from the lake to visit Stonewall. “Well are you going to call me and Shadepaw Clan ambassadors then?” He inquired. “We’d be the only ones to tell you about Shadowclan.” River snorted. “Yes but you aren’t just visiting, you and Shadepaw are staying. Your job is to learn everything about our ways. We can worry about learning yours later.” Greenpaw bristled, feeling a bit insulted but River had already started to go down the slope, heading further into the field. Shadepaw looked at Greenpaw and put her tail on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.” She mewed. “Let Otto be the ambassador if he wants to be. We’re going to be Stonewall cats very soon anyway.” She was still glowing with joy at where they were. “Yes, besides, you’re both going to be more welcome than me.” Otto added as he past them, padded after River. He still looking happy despite what he said and Greenpaw realized that his indignation was being swept away again by the feeling of accomplishment. He hurried after River and Otto, followed closely by his littermate. They moved through the tall grass quickly. It grey high over his back and as they went down the slope he lost sight of the herb field through the infinite stalks of grass. The scent of other cats was getting stronger and stronger with every pawstep. There had to be hundreds beyond the giant wall that rose up even with the tall grass blocking his view. Much more cats than all of the four clans combined. River Wind then turned ahead of him and he turned as well with the others. The ground beneath his paws started to get smoother. Greenpaw sniffed, realizing River had taken them onto a well-trekked path between the grasses. He could see faint paw-prints in the dirt from days when the ground was soft with mud and then dried in the sun. The scent of cats mixed with potent medicine plants filled his mouth as he inhaled deeply. Ahead of him, Greenpaw saw that his sister was almost bouncing with every step they took. She’s more excited than I am! The familiar squawk of Poppy sliced through the air and Greenpaw felt his heart almost jump. They were close to the field! If Poppy was there than she had to have been telling the Planters they were on their way. He had to force himself not to run ahead of the group again. He would be cautious as River had told them, but he wouldn’t show any trepidation like River either. He was going to be bold when he stepped into the Planter’s fields. I’m not going to be some mewling kit begging for a home. I’m going to be a guard they’ll need! Greenpaw thought to himself proudly. Poppy’s voice got louder, and Greenpaw thought he could hear the voices of other cats as well. Ahead of them the path was getting wider and the grass thinner. There was a slow turn that prevented Greenpaw from seeing what was ahead, but from the voices he knew what was beyond the turn. Yet before Greenpaw thought they’d get to the field River stopped on the path. Greenpaw nearly bumped into the backside of Otto as the skin-cat stopped as well. Greenpaw flicked his tail impatiently. “What is it now?” “Wait here, I’m going to see if Robin Chest is out there.” River told Greenpaw in a stern meow. “She’s the head of the Planters. I’m hoping Poppy found her first before anyone else.” “Is she nicer than anyone else?” Shadepaw asked, but River didn’t answer. With the carryall still hanging over his back; he moved out farther along the path towards what could only be the field of green that they had seen from up on the hill. Greenpaw huffed, not wanting to wait for River to come back. “We should be out there with him.” He meowed. “Sure we don’t have to go running into the open but we shouldn’t be hiding here.” “River knows what’s going on more than we do.” Otto shook his big-eared head. He was content on just waiting. Even Shadepaw was nodding, despite her excitement. “We’ll be in Stonewall soon enough.” She mewed. Greenpaw flexed his claws in the hard soil. They had been waiting to be here for so long though! He wanted to go around the path to see what River was doing, but he knew that he should listen to River Wind. What if he stuck his nose into something he shouldn’t, like with the parrots? But these cats know we are coming. The parrots didn’t. Greenpaw argued with himself silently. Maybe he’d be able to get away with a peek? Or would he get his ears clawed off like River kept telling him? Frustrated, Greenpaw paced back and forth along the dirt path. He could hear Poppy and River just around the corner of grass but couldn’t make out what they were saying. There were more voices now. The seconds felt like it was passing so slowly. Slowly he started to edge a little closer to hear. “Greenpaw!” Shadepaw hissed urgently from behind him. “Come back!” “I’m not going to go that far,” Greenpaw hissed back and padded close to the grassy edges of the path. I just need to hear what River’s saying. As he went farther he saw a shadow fall across the path just in front of him, coming from the field. Greenpaw’s ears perked up. “River?” Good, he’s coming back. He lifted his head and padded faster. “What did they say River? Can we go in?” Greenpaw turned on the path, expecting to see River Wind in his carryall. Instead of the wanderer, however the young ex-apprentice found himself face-to-face to the biggest cat he had ever seen.
(This story was never finished.)
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Aug 1, 2016 14:49:56 GMT -5
Map for the Cats of Stonewall.
(Map made by Greebo, all credit goes to her.)
Will add as soon as possible.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Oct 11, 2016 12:31:36 GMT -5
You may post if you like.
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Post by WarSpirit on Jan 10, 2017 16:02:46 GMT -5
I can't believe this was saved! I remember reading this on the old forum. Thank you so much for saving it.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Jan 11, 2017 17:53:26 GMT -5
No problem at all. A lot of forumers really loved it. Also, thanks to Phantomstar57 and GoGreebo. They are also members of this forum (If anyone was interested) and are the only reason this made it here. So a big round of clapping for them. I'm super glad that you remember this, WarSpirit. Thanks for reading this on the old forums. <3
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Feb 17, 2017 22:31:39 GMT -5
Well, the editing for From Fingers to Fur is almost done. I'll have to read through it before I'd be able to catch it all.
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Post by gogreebo on Dec 24, 2017 11:08:31 GMT -5
Well, the editing for From Fingers to Fur is almost done. I'll have to read through it before I'd be able to catch it all. Nice! I know that I tried to edit it but I gave up after the first few chapters. Still can't believe that I managed to get these weird characters when I put it on a notepad lol.
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Post by mintedstar/fur🦇 on Dec 24, 2017 13:54:29 GMT -5
I know, it's supper weird. But I found out each character stands for a letter, so I just 'replace ____ with _____' and that's slowly fixing things. Accept if I get it wrong, which I've done, and some day I'll have to read through it to get everything fixed properly.
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