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Post by 🍁Searipple101🍁 on Dec 18, 2017 23:57:00 GMT -5
Prologue “Please! I’m begging you!” the light gray kit looked up at me with wide eyes, his little jaws parted as he pleaded with me. This was the third time this sun, and this time he’d brought all his little friends and siblings to silently beg along with him. They cluttered the Elder’s Den.
I looked down at them all with tired blue eyes. My mind was growing impatient, but how could I bring myself to be mad at such cute kits? Besides, I had been just as stubborn and persistent when I had been Pigeonkit’s age, if not more so.
“Fine.” My breath came out in the form of a sigh, but I managed a twinge of amusement go in my eyes. “So, you all want to hear my life’s story as a spy during the Great Death War, eh?” Fuzzy heads nodded eagerly as paws settled in for the long story. “Well, to know about what it was really like, you must first have some background about the War itself.”
I cleared my raspy throat. “Many moons ago, even before I was born, a single clan lived in these very woods and the pine forest beyond the Thunderpath. Prey ran well, kits were born every season, and everyone was happy. Until,” I raised my voice dramatically and suddenly glared at the kits before me, leaning towards them. Some stiffened, while others moved to hide behind their friends, “coyotes attacked. The pack was said to be larger than any clan-“
A tiny but fearless squeak interrupted, “What’s a coyote?”
My gaze landed on the one kit who hadn’t been affected by my sudden, dramatic flair to the story, our blue eyes meeting. She was, honestly, my favorite of the kits. Her golden fur was constantly ruffled, no matter how much her mother tried to smooth it. And, she was undoubtedly the most fearless of the kits of GrayClan.
Narrowing my eyes to slits, I placed a heavy paw a whisker length from where she sat. She didn’t even flinch but instead continued to stare at me with intense interest and burning curiosity. I had to admire it. “They’re fearsome beasts, Finchkit. Huge dog-like creatures with ragged fur and gnashing teeth as big at your whole body!” I clamped my jaws down on the air by her, exposing my aged fangs. Then, I pulled away to sweep the cowering crowd with narrowed eyes.
“Coyotes are ruthless, showing no mercy to any creature unfortunate enough to get trapped in their gaping maws. Heck, if they even see you, it’s too late. But anyway, a whole pack of them attacked the clan. But, somehow, by some StarClan miracle, the clan was able to fight them off and chase them away. Of course, it wasn’t easy. They lost many of their ranks, and those who weren’t torn apart were gravely injured or incredibly lucky to have sustained only minor injuries – few were that lucky. This sparked the beginning of the long running, bloody feud between the cats of the clans. It tore the clan apart, right in two.”
I cast another sweeping glance around, making sure my audience was listening, before continuing. “One cat, Nightclaw, didn’t like the way Sunstar was running the clan after that battle. Sunstar had sacrificed so many good warriors to protect the elders and nursery. But, Nightclaw thought it had been a waste. He thought that elders and kits weren’t worth the lives of those fallen warriors. He thought the elders had used up all their time and use long ago, and the kits were expendable because new ones could be born. Well, some cats thought Nightclaw was right, but others stood with Sunstar. Thus, a new battle, one of words and flaring tempers, broke out amongst the clan, dividing it in two – Nightclaw’s followers, and those whom remained loyal to Sunstar.”
A dark gray tom sauntered into the den then, muscles ripping under his striped pelt and amber eyes glowing brightly. A plump mouse dangled from his jaws, which he dropped at my feet. “Finally telling the kits your life’s story of espionage and how you united the clans back into one?” he inquired with a spark of amusement in his mew. “Mind if I join?”
I couldn’t help but let a light purr rumble in my throat in his direction. “Of course, you may join, Stormheart. After all, you lived the story as much as I have. And thank you for the prey,” I mewed then bent down to rip a bite of juicy meat from the food. After some chewing and a quick swallow, the tale went on.
“Now, Nightclaw went on to form his own clan across the Thunderpath, stealing the territory from his former family. He dubbed the new clan NightClan, naming it not only after himself, but also from the way of life he soon made of prowling the night. Meanwhile, Sunstar renamed what was left of his clan SunClan, after the sun, of course, which watched over him and his loyal followers.
As the generations went on in Nightstar’s new domain, the cats of the clan began to have darker colored pelts with lighter colored cats growing increasingly rare. Their pelts had to blend into the night, after all, and white coats weren’t well equipped for such a thing. Some of the cats of the newborn clan still exhibited traits of their SunClan kin. Bright colors still found their way into the gene pools of the NightClan cats, but they were usually given the task of medicine cat or generally assisting around camp since they could not disguise themselves as easily outside the camp.
SunClan, in comparison, grew stronger with lighter colored furs, hiding them easily in the flowery forest and meadows, and especially in the open space once the snow began to fall. But, they would still occasionally have the darker pelts come into their ranks. Yet, they did not tuck them away in camp like NightClan did to those who stuck out. They taught their darker pelted kin to hide in the shadows and use this to their advantage.”
“But how did NightClan and SunClan start fighting? And why?” Finchkit pipped up.
“They started fighting when a cat named Thornwing rose to power. Up until Nightstar died the clans had simply coexisted on opposite sides of the Thunderpath. But once Thornwing became Thornstar, he turned NightClan into savages. He was a strong, well respected tom, and very persuasive. He used his charm and charisma to convince his clanmates that SunClan must be destroyed because they were born of bad blood. He convinced them that SunClan were the evil ones when Thornstar was the truly twisted one. He only craved blood and power. His clan had to be the best, the only.
SunClan’s territory was only a prize in his mind, a prize he had to get at all costs. And so, he launched an attack on the SunClan camp, killing kits and noble warriors with his followers trailing along behind. He left only destruction in his wake. SunClan, of course, fought back hard. They managed to win the battle and drive NightClan back to their side of the Thunderpath, but it was only the start of the war which would rage on for many generations and end the lives of so many young and brave cats from both sides.” I took a deep breath. “Now that you know the background, the real story begins.”
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠ Chapter 1 The sun was high in the sky, bathing the land below it with warm, golden rays. Gentle breezes brushed through the tall grasses of Sweeping Meadow, where I was performing my first assessment as a SunClan apprentice. The day was so warm and calm, something unusual for existence here in the Valley. I crouched in the grass, stems rustling subtly all around me, but a few just ahead rustled with more fervor. There it was, a field mouse. Its whiskers poked out from the safety of its cover, nose twitching as it searched for food. My haunches wiggled side to side as my eyes stayed fixed to the target. Then, I pounced. With a high-pitched squeak from my prey, I landed on it squarely. A quick nip to the neck silenced it. “Good job, Ravenpaw!” My mentor emerged to my left, black and white pelt shining in the sun’s light. Swifthawk was a great warrior, but he was notorious for being a jokester. However, when it came to training me he made sure to take it very serious. “That’s your third piece of prey. I’d say that’ll do it for your first assessment. Well done. Let’s take your kills back to camp so our elders can eat, and eat well.”Nodding, I followed him back to the spot where I had buried my previous kills, a sparrow and second mouse. Together, we dug up the prey and he picked up the sparrow in his jaws. “We will have to come back for the other mouse,” he told me in a muffled mew.I shook my head, disagreeing. “No, I can carry both mice at once,” I told him matter-of-factly. Dropping my previously carried mouse next to the other, I brought them together with my forepaws, pushing them against each other. Then, I parted my jaws as much as possible and collected both mice at once. This earned a muffled chuckle from my mentor.“You’re a clever one, Ravenpaw,” he told me then waved his tail. “Come.” He padded off towards camp, and I obediently followed with both mice bulging from my jaws.Once back, I took my loot to the brambly Elder’s Den and dropped them off, grabbing a ‘thank you’ from Timberfall. The ginger and white she-cat was blind in both eyes, but her sense of smell was still on point. A happy ‘you’re welcome’ was returned to her before I exited the den. The sight of Swifthawk following our leader, Mintstar, into the Leader’s Den caught my attention. The den was formed using a simple fox den which had long been abandoned by its first residents. “Ravenpaw! How did it go?” A jet black she-cat trotted eagerly over to me from the Warrior’s Den. Her blue eyes were bright with pride and cheer as she approached. This cat was my mother, Rainyjay. I was almost an exact copy of her in looks. We both shared the same build and frame and jet-black pelt, which was an odd color to have in the clan of light. If it weren’t for me having long fur and her short, and my eyes being a much deeper blue hue, one would not be able to tell us apart if we were to stand side by side. “It went great! I caught two mice and a sparrow,” I proudly reported, puffing out my chest. Triumph spread throughout my body. “I’m pretty certain I passed with flying colors.”Rainyjay purred loudly and nuzzled me. “I’m so proud of you.” She rasped her tongue over my fuzzy head, the purr never wavering. I couldn’t help but purr back. “Do you think my father would be proud, too?” I asked then, looking up at my mother with burning curiosity. I had never actually met him. He had died in a battle with NightClan suns before I was born. A pang shown in my mother’s eyes for a heartbeat before she pushed it away. “Yes, he would have been so proud. In fact, I’m sure Leopardleap is watching you from StarClan right now and praising you for this accomplishment.”I felt bad for making Rainyjay sad, but I knew already that she thought of my father daily. Sometimes, I would hear her wail quietly to herself for her lost mate and my stillborn siblings at night when she thought nobody was around. But, she always told me she was happy to have had me survive, that I was the best thing in her life.Parting my jaw, I wanted to tell her of my experience during the assessment, but I was stopped by cats rushing to the camp entrance. Turning, we saw injured cats limping in through the hole in the rose wall which protected us. They leaned heavily on able-bodied warriors. Last to come in were the dead, carried by the least severely injured. My tail drooped as I watched, but this was a normal occurrence. Skirmishes often broke out near the east border where the Thunderpath divided our territory from NightClan’s. It wasn’t uncommon at all to see the dead and injured go through that rose tunnel. “Oh my…” Rainyjay shook her head, her gaze glazed over with sorrow and even hidden rage. “Poor Cloudwhisker and Grassnose. They were such good warriors.” We watched as a white she-cat with silvery stripes rushed over to the dead being carried in. Her legs shook as she went to the deceased, white warrior. “Cloudwhisker…brother…” Her ears flattened, and she buried her muzzle into his pelt while he was set down in the middle of camp for the upcoming vigil to be held in his and Grassnose’s honor.Our leader made his way over to her, lying his tail gently over her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Tallbirch,” he meowed solemnly. “He was a great and brave warrior. But others are still alive, and they need tending to.”Tallbirch looked up to her blue-gray leader then nodded quietly. She drug her paws to the Medicine Den and disappeared inside to tend to the injured, but not before casting one last glance at her brother’s lifeless body.“I hate this,” Rainyjay hissed quietly. She turned and padded to behind the Warrior’s Den, a place she often went to think on her own. But, this time, I followed.“It does really suck, but we have to fight NightClan, right?” I asked, making my way over to her then lying down next to her. My paws tucked under my chest as she gave a tired sigh.“No, we don’t. Not really,” she told me then licked my head a couple times, grooming the scents of the Meadow from my long fur. “NightClan aren’t all bad cats. I’m proof of that.”“Right, because your father came from NightClan, and your mother came from here.” It was no secret to our clan that Rainyjay was half-clan. Her black pelt showed that more than anything else. Sure, some dark colors mixed in here, but it was odd with most of the clan now having white coats or other light colors. Still, SunClan accepted my mother and I with no problem, as we were loyal to them. But, that didn’t mean she didn’t have her doubts about this war - the Great Death War, so named for the great amount of deaths it had brought over the generations.She nodded. “Yes, and my father wasn’t a bad cat, not at all.” Her tongue ran down my back now. “It’s just Thornstar and those who are influenced by him, gravely influenced.”“Because he’s evil, right?” I’d heard about this a thousand times, at least.“Yes! And he puts those who are almost just as twisted in power below him.”I nodded, only half interested. This was all old news to me. I couldn’t fully believe my mother either, as much as I loved and trusted her. She had fought in battles against NightClan before, but she had never actually been to their camp or even really talked to any of their warriors, not even her own father. How could she know what they were really like? All she had to go on were stories from her mother, who was now in StarClan.Rainyjay gave an unsatisfied sigh and shook her head. “This fighting is all just so senseless. It’s killing more and more warriors before they can be born, on both sides. It’s ridiculous! If we could just take out Thornstar and his bloodthirsty minions, then all this fighting could finally come to an end and peace could be had! But that foxhearted coward never leaves his camp and instead sends everyone else to fight for him!” A gruff and angry ‘humph’ came from her then, eyes narrowed. Then, she looked down at me. “If you ever get the chance to take out that piece of dung, do it.”I could only nod, not sure what to say. There was no way I could tell her ‘no.’ I just hoped my mother was right, that the fighting could stop soon. Even if I had known it all my short life, it would be nice to have our warriors return with their lives and no new battle scars. But more than anything, I wanted to be able to return to our home, to my mother, my pelt free of battle wounds. I would be a warrior of SunClan soon enough and would have to go to fight warriors of our rivaling clan. I just had to come back to Rainyjay with my life, like we always promised we would do for each other.“Rainyjay!” a deep voiced tom, Swifthawk, called. “Redheart wants you out here to go on a patrol with her and I.” “Alright, coming,” she called back then got up. She looked at me with that soft, motherly gaze that always brought joy to my heart. “I’ll see you later, okay?”“Promise to come back alive?” Every time either of us left camp for any reason, we always made the other the promise of coming back alive. It was never guaranteed in this world of ours, but the promise of safe return always put our hearts at ease until the other did indeed come back.She gave me a purr in return. “I promise.” With that, she trotted away to meet my mentor and our deputy then left camp. She came back that night, but not with her life. ✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 2 Time seemed to almost stop as Redheart and Swifthawk carried my mother’s limp body into camp, on their backs. The sight of the warriors’ sad and defeated faces with Rainyjay’s blood-clumped fur sent my heart sinking like a stone in a lake. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. Was she really dead…?
Only when the two survivors had marched to the center of camp and set down the black, limp figure onto the ground did I run to her. However, the closer I got to my mother’s body, the weaker and shakier my legs became until I reached her and they finally buckled underneath me. I collapsed at her tattered side, my chest aching like never before. But, the worst part of it all were her eyes; they stared ahead at nothing, the life and color slowly draining from them.
“I’m so sorry, Ravenpaw,” the sound of Tallbirch’s sincerely sorrowful mew came from behind me; she was no doubt still grieving the loss of her brother, Cloudwhisker. Then, I felt the gentle touch of a tail being draped over my shoulders. The sickly-sweet scent of lavender filled my nostrils as stalks of the purple flower were placed on Rainyjay’s pelt.
My body continued to shake. “Why does this have to keep happening?” My words came out as a choked-up rasp, gaze fixed on one of the flowers placed on my mother’s pelt. The deep purple was oddly pretty against her shinning black fur…
“Because NightClan continues to attack us.” I glanced over towards the voice to see Mintstar. His sleek form strode over to us, blue-gray fur shimmering like rippling water. While his stature and stride were confident, his yellow eyes gave way to immense sympathy.
The tom stopped at my side, Tallbirch still on my other side and tail over my shoulders for whatever comfort could come from it. “NightClan is causing all of this. They are the ones crossing over into our territory and causing these fights, these senseless deaths.” His voice was like snake’s venom. “We are just defending our way of life here.”
“Why can’t we just leave?” I found my own jaws forming the mews before my mind could even think about what was being said.
Mintstar looked down at me with a soft gaze – he never was one to be hostile in any way, unless in battle with NightClan. “Because this is our home, and we cannot run away like cowards. We have no idea what is beyond our territory anyway, besides the twoleg place. And, there is no way in StarClan we are going there.” He looked back at Rainyjay then, sorrow creeping into his eyes. “NightClan are bullies, and we have to stand up to them. They are sick, twisted cats. They are the ones to cause all this. They were disloyal and left Sunstar to form their own clan, a clan where elders are killed before their time and kits are simply replaceable. They need to be destroyed…”
His words soaked through to my mind as rain soaked into dry soil. But, my mother’s words also echoed through my skull. ‘NightClan aren’t all bad cats. I’m proof of that… All this fighting is just all so senseless… If we could just take out Thornstar and his bloodthirsty minions, then all this fighting could finally come to an end and peace could be had! But that foxhearted coward never leaves his camp and instead sends everyone else to fight for him!’
Yes, she had to be right. This was all Thornstar’s fault. Not all NightClan cats were bad, they couldn’t be, or my mother would have never been born. Her father hadn’t been a bad cat, even though he had been from NightClan and their blood had run through his veins. NightClan blood ran through my veins…but I wasn’t a bad cat. It was just Thornstar and those he had corrupted. They had to be eliminated from this world…
“We will hold a vigil for Rainyjay when the sun sets fully,” Mintstar announced then. Right now, the sun’s rays still peeked over the tops of the high hills which made up the Valley walls, bathing the land in pinks, purples, and even some blues.
I was snapped from my thoughts and looked around to see the clan had gathered around to witness the casualty for themselves. My best friend was among the crowd, a golden tom with fur as long as I had. Forcing strength back to my legs, I stood and made my way to him. “Lightpaw…”
Lightpaw’s eyes were filled with sympathy while his ears laid back against his skull. “I’m so sorry, Ravenpaw.”
I pushed my face into his furry chest. It was as soft as his mew. He didn’t move other than resting his chin on the top of my head, offering his comfort and empathy.
I don’t know how long we stood there like that. But, by the time I pulled away, the sun had set and gave way to darkness. Our clanmates had left camp’s clearing and instead retired to their nests, but now they were slowly reemerging for the vigil. I looked to Lightpaw’s face, tilting my head back since he was taller and older than I. He looked tired and in slight pain.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly, afraid that now something might happen to the only close one I had left.
“Just stiff from standing here so long,” he replied but immediately nuzzled my muzzle. “Don’t worry about it. I just want you to feel a little bit better.”
A sigh escaped my jaws, but whether it was from relief or even disbelief of his words, even I wasn’t sure. But one thing was for certain, my own joints had become stiff, as well. To fix this, I crouched a few times then turned to my mother’s body and padded over with Lightpaw on my tail.
The cloud of grief hadn’t left, not even a little bit. It still loomed heavily over my head, pouring unforgiving rains. However, now, I could better suppress it so as to not break down in front of everyone again. A SunClan warrior should be strong, and I had to be strong, even before becoming a warrior. But, that did not mean my heart wasn’t still aching as if bramble tendrils were constricting it like a snake.
The vigil seemed to go on forever. As time passed, cats left to retire to their nests, but Lightpaw and I remained. We stayed the whole night, crouched in the scent of lavender and listening to the distant wailings of coyotes. They may have been nasty creatures, but it seemed that this night even they mourned the loss of a great warrior and mother.
When the morning sun began to warm my pelt, I rose with determination. Others came to take Rainyjay away and bury her, but I remained, mind swirling with a master plan. All throughout the vigil I had not only grieved but plotted my revenge, and the best plan to finally bring the peace to these two feuding clans my mother had always wished for.
“Mintstar.” He turned to me, surprised by the determination in my mew. “We need to talk.”
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Chapter 3
We left Lightpaw and the clearing for his dark den. Mintstar settled into his nest of bracken and feathers while I planted my paws on the packed soil floor. “Alright, Ravenpaw, what is it we need to talk about so urgently?” It was obvious by his tone that the leader didn’t know what to expect from me, a previously broken-hearted apprentice. My heart was still shattered, but this plan was how I’d fix it, how I’d fix everything.
“I have a plan to take down Thornstar and his dark followers.” I made sure not to let my words waver from the grief which still consumed my spirit.
The blue tom’s ears perked up at this. “Oh? And you thought of this plan last night, during the vigil for your mother?” He was skeptical that anything I had to offer right now would be better than subpar, at best.
“Yes.” My chest puffed out slightly, and I held my head high with confidence. “I will join them in NightClan and take them down from inside.”
Mintstar’s expression changed in an instant, looking at me like I had bees for brains. “Ravenpaw-“
“I can do it!” No way was I backing out of this. I had to this, for my mother, for SunClan, for peace. “I will join them as a rogue and convince them that I am loyal to them. Then, I can gather intelligence and transport it to waiting patrols on SunClan’s side of the Thunderpath every seventh moonrise. With the knowledge of the territory and the clan itself, we can devise a plan of attack to go directly to their camp and kill Thornstar and those who blindly follow.” I knew this could work. It had to.
“Ravenpaw, do you realize how dangerous this is?” Mintstar asked after shaking his head with an almost tired sigh.
“Yes, but I don’t care. I have a black pelt. I’ll fit right in with them!”
“They’re savages-“
“Not all of them. They can’t be.”
Mintstar rose to his feet, looming over me. Sudden rage filled his eyes. “You don’t know what it’s really like out there in battles with them,” he snapped. “You’re only an apprentice, eight moons old. Do you know how long I’ve been leader? I was appointed leader a moon before you were born, and I’m already on my third life. And it’s all because of being in battles with NightClan cats.” His fur began to lift along his spine while his ears flattened against his head. “I’ve seen what they do, how they fight. They lie in wait in the shadows and in trees then attack anyone who gets close, even in our own territory. They show no mercy. None of them. If you get out alive then you’re either lucky or you had to fight like them to kill. You think you, a little apprentice who’s barely had any experience in even mock battles, could just waltz right up to them and be taken in, then shuttle information to us much less?”
It was no lie that seeing the gentle leader get so upset, enough to bare fangs at his own clanmate, did scare me. I had backed up to near the entrance, ears back and body low to the ground. But I couldn’t back down. I couldn’t give up. This was the way to peace, to end the Great Death War. I knew it.
Gathering all my courage and with my mother’s wish of peace echoing in my mind, I stood tall once again. “I’m going to do it, with or without your permission. You can’t stop me.” With that, I turned tail and bolted out of the old fox den, nearly running into Lightpaw.
I skidded to a stop just in front of him while he sat just outside the den, no doubt listening to our conversation which had been going on inside. His amber eyes were wide. “You’re really going to do that? Join NightClan as a spy?”
With determination still in my heart, I nodded. “I won’t let you talk me out of it,” I stated firmly.
“I wasn’t going to,” he replied then gave me a determined gaze back. “I know you can do it.”
Surprise gripped me. He really thought I could do and wasn’t going to instead try to tell me not to go? “Really?”
“Yeah,” he meowed and nodded confidently. “And I’ll even go to the border every seventh moonrise to receive the information you gather.”
“No, you won’t.” Mintstar padded out of his den to stand before us both. My fur was already rising, but he had seemed to calm down. “Relax, Ravenpaw.” He flicked his tail at me, and I let my fur flatten again. “You know I really don’t want you going on this extremely dangerous mission, but, as much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. I can’t stop you…so I suppose I can only give you my blessing and wish you luck in this endeavor.” He looked to Lightpaw then. “But you’re not going to be meeting her, even if she does make it into the clan and is able to come to the Thunderpath like she says. It’s still way too dangerous. I will not possibly lose two apprentices to this insane idea. I’ll go myself every seventh moonrise, instead.”
Wait, really? Was this really happening? I couldn’t believe it. Mintstar was actually going to let me go through with my plan, and even help? There had to be a StarClan spirit or something possessing him…this was too unreal.
“Isn’t that what you wanted, Ravenpaw?” the blue tom asked then, easily sensing my disbelief. He tilted his head to the side slightly. “Hm?”
Eagerly, I nodded. “Yes! I mean, yes.” I knew that now I couldn’t act like myself anymore. If I was to live amongst the supposedly savage cats on NightClan then I had to act just as crazy as them. I had to be a whole different cat.
“Alright then. We had better inform the rest of the clan what’s going to happen…” The leader sighed and shook his head then mumbled to himself, “What am I doing?” before padding to the boulder that jutted from the earth, forming the High Place, where leaders addressed the clan. “Let all cats able to hear my call gather for a clan meeting!”
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Chapter 4
The meeting went about as well as anyone can expect. Cats were outraged by the thought of an inexperienced apprentice going into NightClan to relay information, or even just stepping foot in the territory at all. Offers were made by warriors to go instead, or at the very least, more experienced apprentices. Of course, there were also cries of anger about this plan being useless and failing the instant it would start.
“You can’t send her in there!” a ginger warrior known as Sandwing called out. “Send Oakpaw instead. She’s got much more experience and know how to fight much better than Ravenpaw.”
“No, send a warrior instead, like me.” A light gray tom puffed out his fluffy chest, exposing long healed battle scars beneath the ruffles. It was true that Breezeheart was a great warrior, but he had seen too many fights with NightClan. They would know him in instant.
I had to step up, present my case to everyone. Only then would I even have a shot of going without the clan rioting. “It has to be me.” I stood at the foot of the boulder on which Mintstar was perched. My head and tail high, I gazed out at the crowd of rowdy cats, still protesting against it.
No one seemed to really be listening until Mintstar gave a loud yowl, snatching away the attention of all. “Be silent now.” His voice bellowed with authority. “Let Ravenpaw present her idea before you are all so quick to judge.” He gazed down at me, and I nodded my thanks, though, I knew he still needed real convincing himself.
I took my place in front of the boulder, looking over the crowd once again, holding my own against their judgmental eyes. “I might not be the most experienced apprentice, but I am the only one who can do this,” I started. “NightClan knows you all too well. And even if they didn’t, your light-colored fur would either give you away, or they’d never even let you out of camp. Why do you think we never see any cat on their side with light fur in battle or in patrols? They must do something to them, at the very least hold them in camp like prisoners. We’ve all heard the stories of what they do, how savage and cruel they are. There’s no way they’d let a white or gold cat join their ranks. And even if they did, what do you expect they’d do? Let you wander the territory on your own? There’s no sneaking out at night for a cat whose fur is the color of snow.”
“What about Coyotescar? He’s a ginger tabby just like me,” Pinetail chimed in, still unconvinced. “And yet he is seen in many battles and has killed many of our warriors.”
“Exactly,” I retorted, standing my ground. “He’s a good fighter, a great fighter, in fact. That’s why they have him in battles, why he’s the only light color to be in their battles. Because he is merciless and kills without second thought or hesitation. Even with ginger fur, he still blends in to their territory better than you would with your white belly, and his fur is still a much darker orange than yours. Maybe they only let those lighter-colored fight if they can prove themselves to be ruthless warriors like him.”
Silence fell across the camp. Not even the murmurs of skeptical clanmates or the rustle of shuffling leaves flowed through the air now. It was as if even the wind itself had fallen silent at my reasoning.
“Even if I am the youngest of the clan besides the kits, I am the only one who can go, no matter the danger. I am the only one who can do this. I am the only one with the right fur color to blend in, the only one they don’t know because I haven’t been in a fight with any of them yet. It has to be me.”
Redheart stepped up then, cutting through the crowd to stand only a tail-length before me. She towered over my small form. “And what if this plan of yours doesn’t work? What then? We just lose an apprentice who, might I remind you, is a valuable asset to our clan in the war.”
Redheart was a kind she-cat, noble and brave, too. It was no wonder she had been made deputy. And, right now, it showed clearly, she knew how to use her authority. Her head was high, her voice steady and stern.
My legs grew weaker at her gaze on me. Everyone in the clan respected her, including myself. It felt wrong to go against her, to question what she said, or even answer it. Even though Mintstar was the leader, it had still been easier to argue with him than her. But, I had to. I had to do this, or nothing would ever get done to stop the fighting until one clan was entirely wiped out. Neither one would ever back down; they were both all too proud. Either I did this and made it work, or the war continued until complete death decided who lost.
“It will work.” As hard as I might try to keep my mew steady, in this moment it came out with a quiver, and I could not meet her gaze.
“And how are you so sure, Ravenpaw? What do you really have to go on to be sure that this crazy idea of yours will actually come through?”
My mother’s words echoed once again in my mind. In that moment, it was almost as if I could feel her with me, her tail wrapped around mine and offering her full support. I could swear her scent floated in my nostrils. She was here. This gave me the confidence I needed.
Taking a deep breath, I followed her leg up from the ground my gaze had fallen to, trailing up her chest to her muzzle and then meeting her firm eyes. I puffed out my chest and took a defiant step forward, keeping my eyes locked on hers. “It will work, because if it doesn’t then there is no hope for peace without one of our clans being wiped out completely. I’ll make it work, for peace. This plan is our best bet to stop the fighting for good. You can’t keep me here anyway. You can’t stop me from going.”
Redheart narrowed her eyes, still skeptical of my proposal. Then, a tom spoke up, my best friend.
“She can do this, Redheart,” Lightpaw meowed, stepping forward through the crowd. “I have faith in her.”
Redheart shook her head. “Mintstar, you can’t seriously be considering this.” She looked up to him, and he shrugged.
“Honestly, Redheart, you have many good points, but Ravenpaw has one even better point,” the blue tom sighed. “We can’t keep her a prisoner here. If she really wants to go then she will, with or without our approval. So, we might as well go along with what she’s come up with and pray to StarClan that it works.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.” Redheart shook her head and padded to the Warrior’s Den, disappearing inside. The rest of the clan now whispered to each other once again, but Mintstar dismissed them all.
I was given words of encouragement from Lightpaw and words of caution from Mintstar. I said my goodbyes to them and told them I’d wait outside the territories for two sun rises to rid my fur of SunClan scent, and then I was off. With the whole clan, besides the deputy, watching me, I left SunClan camp for the last time.
*
My time alone was a time to reflect on my plan, and my life. I knew why I was doing this, and I had no doubts that it was the right thing to do, and the best option we had. Yet, nerves filled my belly, churning it and making it feel like the foaming rapids of the river. If this really didn’t work, if I slipped up even once about being a SunClan cat, then I would surely be killed. There was no doubt about it. If I made even one mistake, it could be fatal.
I made my home in a hollow log, a little way outside the territories. It was scary being out there, alone and in an unfamiliar place. Hunting was easy enough, so I was fed for those two sun rises. And, in that time, I had made sure to roll in onion weed and take dips in the calm shallows of a creek to erase my SunClan scent. But it took more than that. Those waters took my identity. I was no longer a SunClan cat, not for real. With my scent, the waters also washed away what I knew. I could never return to my clan, not until the quest was finished, if it ever would be successful. I was truly a rogue.
After time was up, on the third sun rise, I made my way to the NightClan border. The birch and aspen trees soon gave way to dark pines. And, it wasn’t long before I had reached the Thunderpath. This stretch of endless, black stone separated me from my destiny. And, once I crossed it, there really would be no going back.
The path itself stank horribly of tar and death. Many cats who hadn’t fallen to the claws of NightClan warriors fell to the monsters which patrolled this path. Thankfully, I had heard that the monsters never veered form the path. They, instead, followed it like fish follow a river. But this river never flowed. It was still and wide and cursed. Seeing it in person made my stomach churn more, but I would not back out now.
I glanced both ways, pricking my ears to listen for the distinct roar of monsters I had been told of during training sessions and stories. Nothing. No roars came form the distance, and I heard no sounds of paws on crunching needles from the other side. Now was the time. Bolting across, my legs carried me quickly with only the sight of the bramble bushes now in view. The sting of the Thunderpath wearing on my paws was barely even felt. In no time, I was on the other side.
A huge wave of relief washed over me. I had made it without a single monster seeing me. I hadn’t been chased. I tried to take a deep breath to help calm my body, but I found myself gagging instead. In my haste and from the brambles covering most of it, I hadn’t noticed the rotting carcass of a deer at the edge of the path. It was long dead with white bones poking through a disintegrating hide, but the horrible stench of death still lingered strong. But, that wasn’t what I had to be worried about.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in NightClan territory?” a threatening growl demanded from the concealment of bushes to my left. Then, four pairs of glowing eyes appeared, followed by the emerging bodies of battle scarred cats.
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Chapter 5
Four cats slipped out from the bushes. Their coats were all dark in color, and three out of the four were fairly large cats. The only odd one out was a smaller she-cat who was dark gray in appearance with white paws. But, by the look in her eyes and the way he body was stiff and rigid it was easy to tell she had no problem with getting in a fight, despite her much smaller stature. The one who spoke was the largest of the group – a tom with fur as black as mine but was riddled with long scars turned white. His icy blue eyes pierced into mine, and the fangs he bared were few. It seemed as if most had been ripped out, leaving only blank space instead.
My heart sank as it raced, feeling as if it would burst from my chest, onto the ground below. Mintstar and Redheart were one thing, but standing up against these cats, ones I have been told all my life were ruthless and cared not for the lives of others… It scared me horribly. But, I couldn’t run. Even if I tried they would surely catch me and kill me. My only real hope was to go along with my previous plan and pray to StarClan it worked.
“Well? Answer me!” the lead tom snarled, his black fur bushing up. Long claws slid from their sheaths as he took a few steps forward, rage and blood lust in his eyes. No doubt his patients was already wearing very thin.
“I, uh…” Come on! I had to think of an excuse and quick, really quick. The stench of the deer still lingered in my nose. These cats were supposed to be crazy, right? So, what if I acted like I was crazy, too? Would they buy the ruse? This was my only shot.
I scooted closer to the deer bones and placed a paw on the almost clean skull. “I was looking for bones,” I answered, doing everything in my power to keep my voice and legs steady. “I like bones, a lot. They’re fascinating, and when I saw this deer here I had to come and see it. Maybe take something back with me.” I had never felt my heart race so hard in my life. I feared they would hear it and lunge to kill. But, to my surprise, their looks of fury turned into that of confusion, fur lying flat again.
“What?” The little she-cat narrowed her eyes at me. “You, like, collect bones? For what purpose?”
“Because, I like them,” I answered simply, keeping my cool somehow.
The she-cat shook her head and looked to the large, black tom. “This is ridiculous, Darkapple. We should just kill her,” she snarled.
The tom stared at me and then glanced to the she-cat. “Perhaps you’re right, Littlefang.” His fur began to rise again, making him look twice his already giant size. “After all, you are trespassing,” he snarled to me, stepping forward menacingly.
I was about to run when another large tom, but one not quite as large as Darkapple, stepped up. “Wait, can’t we use her?” he inquired, stepping over to me and then sniffing my pelt. His own was brown with black stripes, and long. Fangs protruded from his lower jaw, having an underbite. Yet, his amber eyes were much gentler than those of the rest of his patrol.
Admittedly, I flinched away from his nose as he tried sniffing me, but I didn’t give up any ground. “Don’t get so close, buddy,” I snapped suddenly, not even expecting it myself.
The tom flinched back but then purred a bit. “She would make a great apprentice like me,” he told Darkapple. “She’s just like a NightClan cat already, besides the whole liking bones thing. That’s just weird.” I scolded myself inside for that.
Darkapple narrowed his eyes but let his fur lie flat again. “Lizardpaw, you know we don’t take in rogues normally.” With heavy paws, the tom strode up to me and sniffed my shoulder, this time while I stood rigid. “She smells of the pines already…but she is still a rogue.”
I glanced at the tiger tabby tom with the underbite. Lizardpaw? He was an apprentice and already this big? I thought he had much older with his size. Had something happened to make him hold off on being an apprentice for a while? If not, then SunClan was really in for a surprise when this tom came into battle if he could fight at all.
“Just kill her and let’s move on!” Littlefang hissed, claws ready to rip into my flesh. They already dug deep into the earthy soil with anticipation.
A previously quiet, gray tom spoke up. “But we could use more apprentices to train into warriors.” Dark stripes littered his pelt, and his eyes were blue like Darkapple’s, only not quite as light. “She has the fur of a NightClan cat, and you know we need more clanmates with SunClan killing all ours off in battles.”
“Yeah, I think she’d make a great apprentice too,” Lizardpaw added in. “At least let’s bring her back to camp and see what Thornstar thinks.”
Thornstar. Was I really about to be taken right into their camp and meet in infamous Thornstar? Killer of cats and destroyer of hope? It was hard to hold back a large gulp at the thought.
Darkapple looked me over, thinking. “Alright, rogue. I’ll give you two choices,” he growled. “Either you come with us and see what our leader decides to do with you, or you can try and run right now. But I guarantee you that if you choose the second option, you will not make it very far.” He held up a paw, long claws glistening in the low light.
My ears went back involuntarily at the threat. Fear crippled my body, and I swear my heart had finally just stopped altogether. What had I gotten myself into? I could very well die any at moment in this cat’s claws.
‘I am with you.’ A very faint voice whispered in my ear, barely tickling my fur. Mother.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded and put on a fake, smug look. “Let’s go and meet this Thornstar then. I’m tired of living as a rogue anyway, too boring.”
Darkapple narrowed his eyes at my sudden change of emotion, but he lowered his paw and turned his back to me. “Watch her, Lizardpaw. Take up the rear. If she makes any move to escape, kill her.” With that, he started leading the way back.
I gave an internal sigh of relief and was about to follow when I remembered the deer. I had said I was there to look at and possibly gather some bones, so I had to do it. I had to keep up the ruse. In the heat of the moment, a bone-loving, insane cat had become my identity. There was no changing it now, as twisted and morbid as it was. It’d be way too suspicious if it did shift.
So, I wrinkled my nose and bent down, picking up a lose rib of the animal in my jaws. Thankfully, it had been picked clean by crows and buzzards, so the bone didn’t stink or harbor any maggots. Then, I followed, rib in my teeth.
Lizardpaw didn’t seem too excited about my choice, but he said nothing as he fell in behind me and Littlefang and the gray tom with black stripes took up my sides. Together, we descended deeper into NightClan territory. Pine trees grew thicker, as did the underbrush surrounding. But, we stuck to a small trail carved in it all from moons of trekking cats.
“So, what did you say your name was?” Lizardpaw asked from behind me. His mew was soft and friendly, nothing like what one would expect from a NightClan cat.
“I didn’t say,” I replied, voice muffled a tad from the bone I carried. Thank StarClan it didn’t stink or was too heavy.
“Well, what is it then?”
“Raven.” The 'paw/ had been dropped the moment I’d left SunClan territory. I was a rogue now, after all. So, I had to have a rogue’s name, but there was no way I’d give up the beginning of ‘Raven’ that my mother had bestowed upon me at birth. This name and her memory were all I had left of her. Even when I thought to hear her mew or smell her scent, it was probably only my imagination looking for some way to give myself comfort and confidence.
“Raven, huh? That’s a pretty cool name.” A hint of a purr tinged the tom’s meow. “I guess you heard, but I’m Lizardpaw. It’s nice to meet you. I hope that Thornstar will keep you around and make you an apprentice like me. I’ve been an apprentice for five moons now. It’s pretty fun, learning to hunt and fight and stuff.”
I felt my ears go back and a groan rise but stop in my throat. Did this tom ever shut up? It had only been a few moments I was with him and already I was wishing he’d leave or clamp his jaws shut.
“Lizardpaw, will you be silent?” the gray tabby tom half-hissed at him. Clearly, he was annoyed by it, too.
“Oh, sorry Blackice…” The rest of the journey was silent after that. It really gave me time to focus on the surroundings rather than the voices of others. All of it looked relatively the same with large pines looming overhead, blocking out most of the sun’s light and shrouding us in shadow. Pine needles littered the ground instead of leaves, and thick brush grew on all sides. Brambles occasionally tugged at my longer fur, the tendrils reaching out past the barrier of air the path created, stretching only to grasp at my pelt.
It seemed like in no time at all we had come to a much thicker wall of brambles with boulders jutting up from the ground among them. A clearly carved out tunnel stretched inside the foliage, dark and foreboding. This had to be the entrance to their camp.
Without a single word, Darkapple slipped inside, and I was nudged from behind to follow. Well, more like pushed into the archway of tendrils. I stumbled but followed without real fault through the long tunnel only two cats wide – or one Darkapple wide.
On the other side, it was light. I came out into a hollow where the branches above gave way to create a small open space for sunlight. The only tree in the hollow, another large pine, had been knocked over long ago and created a den within the roots. I was willing to be that was where the leader, Thornstar, stayed.
Glancing around, dens stood made from the very same brambles which made up their walls, woven right in. Cats milled about but soon stood what they were doing to stared at me. I noticed a very heavily pregnant queen lounging outside what I could assume to be the nursery. Her lightish gray fur stuck out against the darker colors of her clanmates. White paws accented it. She stared at me with timid and almost frightened sapphire eyes, tail curling protectively around her swollen belly.
For some reason, I felt sympathy towards her. But then I was nudged from behind again, Lizardpaw’s voice following. “Come on, keep moving. You gotta meet Thornstar so he can decide if you can stay.” He nudged me again.
Annoyance towards him quickly turned to anger, and without thinking I turned around and swiped at his nose. Tiny crimson droplets spilled onto the dusty ground, and red welled from his nose.
He flinched at the swipe then looked at me with wide eyes, taken aback. Yet, no anger was returned, nor an attack. Even the other cats of the patrol looked stunned by my sudden burst of aggression.
I glanced to them and then back at Lizardpaw, letting my ears lie against my skull. “Don’t push me again,” I growled to him, the rib still in my jaws. With that, I turned and continued to follow Darkapple to the fallen tree’s roots.
“Thornstar, we found a rogue in our territory, by the Thunderpath. Her fur is like ours, and she is of young apprentice age. We would like to know if you’d be interested in considering her to be trained as one of us for the war.”
From inside the dark den came a grunt of uninterest, yet soon, brown paw emerged quickly followed by a scarred head and body. This was him. This was Thornstar.
His pelt was ragged, laden with more scars than I had ever seen before. The colors looked like those of Lizardpaw’s. In fact, their pelts looked almost identical, except the leader before me had shorter fur than the apprentice – and there were all the scars, too, of course. Even his eyes looked very similar to Lizardpaw’s. Well, the one did. While one was a rich, dark amber, the other was clouded with white fog., blinded.
The leader’s gaze went straight to me, instantly judgmental as he looked me up and down with his one good eye. He narrowed them both at me. “Why’s she holding a bone?” he demanded of Darkapple.
“She says she likes bones, and apparently collects them or something, sir,” he answered, sitting down where he was and curling his tail neatly around his paws. He towered over Thornstar, yet his aura gave off nothing but loyalty and respect for his leader.
Thornstar gave a grunt in response then padded around to my side, picking up a paw and prodding me with it. What was he doing?
My ears went back again, but this time I did not swipe. I knew if I did then I was as good as dead. Instead, I held my ground, stiffening my muscles so that I did not sway or flinch at his touch.
He padded all around me, occasionally giving me light pushes with his paw and sniffing my pelt, examining my whole body with a judging half-gaze. I knew what he was doing now. He was testing to see if I had any potential to be one of his followers in the clan. He was assessing my worth by my attitude and physical stature.
It only took a few heartbeats before he flicked his tail. “Kill her.”
My world shattered just then at those two words. No! I couldn’t die here! Not now! I had to work out my plan, give intel to my clan, save everyone and stop the war! I was the only hope for peace!
Darkapple lunged at me then, claws out stretched and murder in his eyes. But I dodged to the side, just in time, too. The rib still my teeth, I changed my stance to defend myself. Fur bushed out and ears flat, I watched as Darkapple snarled at me then lunged again, this time swiping at my leg and catching it with his claws.
I bit down on the bone as a yowl of pain escaped my throat and I fell to the ground. I scrambled to get back up, but the tom was on me in an instant, digging his claws into my forelegs. He had me pinned on my back, in the dust. His eyes locked onto mine, showing just how bloodthirsty he really was in this moment. Then, he opened his jaws and went for my throat.
Before I could even comprehend what was happening, I turned my head to the side, shutting my eyes tight. At first, I thought this was it, that I was going to die just like that. My short life flashed before my eyes. My mother stood in the stars, waiting to escort me into StarClan. Lightpaw’s sorrowful face flashed into my mind at news of my death.
But, when I heard Darkapple gag loudly in my ear and then the weight lift off of me I had to see what was going on. To my surprise, the large tom was now coughing up spots of blood next to me, struggling, it seemed, to maintain any hostility as he coughed.
Gasps of shock came from the cats around us. I stood on shaking legs, watching Darkapple and not realizing the rib bone was still in my jaws, the tip now coated in a thin red. It turns out that as Darkapple lunged for me, by turning my head, the rib bone I had been holding had gotten lodged right down the tom’s throat, causing damage and blocking his fatal attack on me. Had I not had that bone, StarClan would have been greeting me the next heartbeat.
Thornstar looked to me with interest now, while the others of the camp stared in shock and even horror. The tabby tom stepped up to me, staring down at me with his dead eye and the other an amused amber. “That, I must say, was impressive,” he meowed to me then began chuckling while Darkapple continued to cough in the background. But Thornstar didn’t seem to care at all. It was as if the distressed warrior wasn’t even there. “I suppose you could be of use to us after all if you were quick enough to dodge my deputy’s first attack and then save yourself using a mere bone.” For what seemed like the tenth time this sunrise, my heart stopped, but relief began slowly creeping inside. “What is your name, rogue?”
This was unbelievable. Had I actually just won the favor of the most dangerous cats the two clans had ever known? Was this really happening? I blinked, snapping out of my shock. Dropping the bone which had saved my life, I stammered an answer. “Uh, R-Raven…sir.”
Thornstar gave an amused snort. “Well, rogue Raven, welcome to NightClan.”
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Chapter 6
This was it. This was the moment I had been anticipating, and dreading, for what seemed like forever when it was only a few sunrises, in reality. I was welcomed into NightClan as one of them. My plan was slowly coming together as pieces fell into place.
Thornstar turned and jumped onto the half-fallen tree behind him then. He spun around and let out a loud, echoing yowl. Instantly, all the cats of the camp ran to gather beneath him. They crowded me and gave space to Darkapple, who was still trying to stop coughing. But most ignored him.
Only one cat went to him, a white she-cat with light gray dapples dotting her fur. Worry filled her green eyes as she hurried to his side, lying a tail over his shoulders but making no other move. Was she his mate? It was odd to see a white cat in the clan, though. So far, she was the only one with light fur.
However, that all soon changed as a ginger tabby tom took a seat beside me, his pelt littered with pink scars. Unlike Darkapple, his scars hadn’t appeared to have grown back the fur with only discoloration. Instead, there was no fur there at all. His steely eyes looked up to his leader, not even acknowledging me at all. This must have been Coyotescar, the cat who had slaughtered so many of SunClan’s warriors. While many NightClan warriors had killed SunClan cats, Coyotescar was one of the more famous ones for it. I couldn’t believe that he was sitting right next to me…
Once all the cats were gathered in a matter of moments, Thornstar began to speak. “I have gathered you all here this sun to welcome a new apprentice into our ranks.” His voice was loud and booming with intimidating authority. Even his sweeping gaze burned the pelts of those below him, including my own. “As you have all seen, this little black she-cat has bested my deputy with quick reflexes and perhaps even luck.” All eyes turned to me for a split moment before going back to the leader. I sank in my own skin. “From now on, Raven is no longer a rogue. She is one of us, so I expect you all to treat her as such. But, she cannot stay here without a mentor to teach her our ways, especially in battle.” He looked all around the crowd which was no silent besides Darkapple trying not to couch anymore. “Snakeheart. You will mentor her.”
Heads turned towards the back, including mine. Snakeheart sounded like a really scary name, and, at the time, it was even more terrifying. I was surprised to see a normal looking tortoiseshell she-cat with confident blue eyes stride through the parting crowd.
She made her way to the bottom of the tree’s roots and nodded to me, flicking her tail as well. I gulped but padded over to her, not sure what to expect. Her multi-colored pelt radiated nothing but confidence, as did the look in her eyes. Stopping in front of her, I stood, not meeting her gaze. It felt wrong to do so.
“From this moment on, you are now known as Ravenpaw, and Snakeheart will teach you our ways and proper skill in battle so that you may fight for us in the war we are currently in against the evil SunClan. A wave of approving yowls erupted from the crowd.
Evil? Thornstar thought SunClan were the evil ones? Why would he think we were the evil ones when he had been the one to initiate the attacks that caused the war? Or was he just saying that to make them look bad?
“Touch noses with your new mentor Snakeheart, Ravenpaw.” Thornstar’s demand snapped me from my thoughts, and I did as I was told. Snakeheart’s touch was gentle, but her gaze now held something deeper beneath the confidence. Was it honor or something else a little more sinister? I couldn’t tell. Still, it made a shiver go up my spine while we pulled away from each other. Either way, at least Thornstar was honoring an old clan tradition during the apprentice ceremony.
“I expect you shall train her well,” the leader said to Snakeheart, not leaving room for error on her part. The tone in his meow gave that away. If she failed in teaching me then something horrible was bound to happen, he made it sound like. She only gave a curt nod in response. “Then this meeting is over.” Thornstar flicked his tail, and the cats dispersed.
The white she-cat immediately led Darkapple away into a den. Looking into the bramble entrance from where I was there seemed to be plants lying around, along the walls inside. So that must be the Medicine Den. Now it made more sense. The white she-cat was the medicine cat. A perfect excuse to hardly leave the camp, honestly. And that would explain why she was so concerned about Darkapple’s condition. She must have been very caring and kind; it was just another reason to not be in battle among their ranks. She’d have mercy. But why hadn’t she taken the wounded warrior away to care for him sooner then? Would Thornstar have done something? It wouldn’t surprise me…
“So, welcome to the clan.” I snapped my vision to Snakeheart. She gave me a soft and happy look now, her body relaxed, as well. “I hope you can enjoy yourself here. I will tell you now that most of the cats are pretty rough around the edges, but don’t let them push you around.” A small purr rumbled in her throat, and she sat with her tail curled neatly around her paws.
I couldn’t believe this. “Uh, thanks,” was all I could manage to get out. Why was she being so nice? Mother was right after all. Not all NightClan cats were bad. At least, not all the time anyway. I still had yet to see Snakeheart in battle, or during training. When would my training start?
Lizardpaw bounced over to us then, gleeful. The wound on his nose had scabbed over already, but he didn’t even seem to care about it anymore. “I’m so glad you’re one of us now!” he mused excitedly. It was weirdly creepy how happy he was about this. “I knew from the moment I saw you that you’d be perfect for helping fight in the war. You can definitely give a good swipe, too.”
“Yeah…thanks…” I had no idea how to react to this tom. He definitely was not like the others. He was way too happy and friendly. Was he really a NightClan cat at all? Maybe he got super ferocious in battle… “Uh, how’s your nose?”
The tom blinked and then looked cross eyed down at his muzzle then back up at me and shrugged. “It’s fine. Only a tiny scratch. It’s not even worth Snowdapple’s time.”
“She’s that white she-cat, right? The medicine cat?” I had to know.
“Yeah! She’s really nice,” Lizardpaw told me, just as joyful as before. “You’ll really like her. Most cats do, even if they don’t care to admit it. A lot of the cats around here are pretty hard to get along with, but they aren’t bad. You can already tell that my father is pretty rugged and tough. But I guess he has to be since he’s the leader of the whole clan.”
My jaw dropped. Thornstar was this dopey tom’s father? How was that even possible? Thornstar was the killer of hope, murderer of cats, feared tom of the clans! Lizardpaw was just an annoying, overly-enthusiastic apprentice! It made no sense!
“What?” Lizardpaw titled his head to the side. “Why do you look so shocked?”
I clamped my mouth shut and blinked rapidly a few times, scrabbling for words. “Uh, it’s just, you know…you two don’t seem to act alike at all, I guess?” My muscles stiffened as I hoped he didn’t find offense to that and suddenly to turn into some bloodthirsty monster.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Lizardpaw just let out a little bought of laughter, his fluffy shoulders bouncing up and down. “Yeah, that’s true. He’s a lot tougher than I am. I can hold my own in battle for sure, but Dad’s always pretty steely. He’s like a big lump of stone.”
Snakeheart, whom I had forgotten was even there, chuckled at that. “Now, Lizardpaw, you shouldn’t go talking like that about your father. Even if it is true.”
I looked between the both of them, so confused and uncomfortable. What was even happening right now? They were seriously talking about their leader like this, like he wasn’t a twisted psychopath? They were even laughing… I’d always been told by SunClan warriors rumors that NightClan cats only laughed when they killed another cat. But here were two of them just joking around like any other ordinary cat.
“Well, anyway,” Snakeheart broke up the laughing, “we should let our new clanmate here rest, so she has energy for this moonrise to travel the territory. Have to learn it, after all.” She looked from Lizardpaw to me and then back to him. “You wouldn’t mind showing her to the den and her new nest, would you?”
“Sure!” Lizardpaw responded gleefully. He stood and flicked his tail to me. “Let’s go!” He took a few bounds forward but then turned and came back only to pick up the rib bone I’d brought. “I’ll carry this for you,” he said through it then headed off towards one of the bramble dens again.
I stared for a heartbeat then looked to Snakeheart. “Go on. I know the adjustment will be a little hard, but Lizardpaw will help you. He’s a great kit,” she purred.
All I could do in response was nod and slowly, apprehensively, follow the bigger tom to the Apprentice’s Den. As I walked, eyes were still on me, but nearly as many. Only a few cats now looked in my direction, and now they seemed much more okay with me being here than before. Their leader’s approval must have changed their minds about me.
The den was fairly large and made entirely out of brambles and only a bit of fern. Padding inside, it was dark but actually cozy feeling. Nests lined the thorny walls made of moss and feathers…just like in SunClan.
Lizardpaw set the rib bone inside one of the nests then sat down in a much bigger one beside it; that must be his nest, and of course, he chose the nest beside it to be mine. “I hope you like it here. Your new nest is really comfy, I promise. And I bet you’ll be able to find a lot of new bones along the Thunderpath or at the Dead Twoleg Den. You could make a whole new collection in here! And I can help!”
Taking a deep breath to contain myself and not snap at him, I padded over to the new nest and sniffed its edge. Everything smelled like mingling NightClan cats, but the nest did look pretty comfortable. I stepped in slowly and then curled up inside, the rib bone at my forepaws. It still had blood on its tip.
“So, what kind of bones do you like to collect?” the tom asked, watching me from his own nest, only a tail-length from mine.
”Oh, um…” How did I answer this? “All kinds, I guess.” I gave a small shrug, not really wanting to talk about it since it was a total lie that I liked bones any more than the next cat. But I couldn’t just back out on that now. It was way too late. And this one bone has honestly been the only reason I was alive...
Lizardpaw nodded, seeming interested but unsure about my apparent hobby. “That’s still pretty weird, but I’ll help you collect some,” he decided once and for all. “I can help carry the bigger ones too, like skulls and stuff. A little she-cat like you is never gonna be able to pick up a deer skull.”
That did it. My fur puffed up, and I stood, spinning to face him with my tail lashing. “I might be small now, but I’m a lot stronger than you think,” I growled, my claws digging into the bedding. “I could take you on any time!”
Lizardpaw hadn’t been expecting that and looked taken aback again for a heartbeat before he just laughed. “You’re awesome!” he mused, clearly finding this whole situation amusing. “You’re so feisty, and it’s amazing. You’ll fit right in here, trust me.”
I gave him an annoyed snort and let my fur lie flat again and claws sheath, then I curled back up in the nest to begin grooming myself. This tom was so annoying, and he was the weird one here. My tongue rasped over my forepaw, hitting the edge of the rib bone with each lick. The faint tang of dried blood on the end of it wafted into my nose. As weird as it was to now be known as the cat who liked bones, I had to admit I kind of liked this one particular one, since I was still alive because of it. It had sentimental value. I licked it clean, ignoring Lizardpaw’s next comment.
“You better get some sleep. You’ll need it,” he told me. When I didn’t respond, he got out of his nest and moved to stand in front of mine, in front of me. This basically forced me to look at him.
I sighed. “What? I’m not sleepy.”
He thought for a moment then got an idea; I could tell by his sudden excitement. “Are you hungry?” he asked, swishing his plumy tail behind him.
While it was true prey had been caught and consumed during my time as a rogue outside the territories, that didn’t mean it had been much prey. I was much a better hunter than I was a fighter so far, for sure, but prey was still hard to come by when you were on your own. And with all the excitement I’d been through already, my stomach growled. It was impossible to hide, so I just looked away and flattened my ears. “Maybe,” I said in a mutter.
Lizardpaw’s ears pricked forward, and he perked up even more, if that was possible. “I’ll go and get you something.” With that, he trotted out of the den, leaving me in peace for a moment, a short moment. He was back in no time with a squirrel dangling from his jaws.
He dropped it in my nest, to the side of the bone, a purr rumbling in deep in is throat. “I hope you like this one. It’s nice and plump, and I caught it myself earlier,” he told me proudly, puffing out his chest.
The squirrel did look really good, and it was plump like he said. The scent of it also consumed my nose, filling my lungs with a pleasure-filled aroma. Deciding to be nice, I thanked him and then dug in. The flavor was amazing. Metallic and savory juices blended together to bathe my tongue and satisfy my belly; you never really understood how great food was until you were really hungry.
But, it got weird pretty quickly as Lizardpaw sat there and stared at me while I ate. Thankfully, he was called out soon by some other cat, and he left with a final, ‘Welcome to the clan, friend!’ I huffed in response and continued to eat while he left. Life here would be something interesting, for sure.
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Chapter 7 I awoke to the sound of quiet whispers in my ear. But once my eyes were open I found myself in a place drastically different from the one I had fallen asleep in. The air was warm like before, but instead of bramble walls and a feathery nest surrounding me it was swaying grass and golden sunlight. The air smelled like dogwood flowers and fresh trampled meadows. It was like another bright new-leaf season. Birds chirped a symphony, while slightly rustling leaves joined the melodic chorus. Above, the sky existed a clear, vibrant blue with few, puffy clouds dotting its scape. White and pink tinted flower petals rode the gentle breeze, further completing the serene atmosphere. It all felt familiar.“Welcome to StarClan. Well, SunClan’s side anyway,” a voice behind me chimed, smooth and soft and familiar.In reaction to the sudden noise, I jumped up, fur fluffing up. Facing the source of the noise I was greeted by the best possible cat. “Rainyjay?” My heart stung but simultaneously filled with joy at the sight of my mother.She blinked slowly, eyes filled with gentle happiness. “Hello, Ravenpaw. It’s good to see you again.” Taking a step forward to close the distance, she nuzzled her muzzle against mine.Her scent was just like it had been when she left camp for the last time in her life. It filled my lungs, and I took a deep breath to fill them more while nuzzling her back. “I can’t believe you’re here.” It came out as a choked-up mew.“Why would I not be?” she asked in response and pulled away enough to look at me. She looked so good, her fur shiny and smooth and eyes full of life and stars. In fact, her whole pelt was glistening with them, too. “This is StarClan, after all.”Sudden realization hit me then. “Wait, does that mean…?”She chuckled lightly, her shoulders and chest bouncing with it. She shook her head. “No, you’re not dead. You’re dreaming, and I have come to you to help you with your journey.”Relief washed over my pelt, audibly forming a sigh. “So, you’re here to give me a prophecy or tell me about my destiny to save the clans then?” I inquired. Wasn’t that usually how these things went in stories of the past?She shook her head. “No. You shall decide your own destiny. Destiny is what you make happen, how your actions effect the world and how they shift the path you take. No one can tell you your destiny, nor can they foretell the future with prophecies. Those are only meant for fairytails.” She turned her back to me, now facing the forest of white; birch trees and flowering dogwood stood tall in the near distance. “I’m merely giving you advice to help you choose the best path you currently can.” She began padding away through the swaying grasses.Naturally, I followed, curious and joyful to see my mother again. We entered the forest, little petals fluttering downwards around us from the canopies above. The air was so sweet smelling. And, soon, other cats came into view. They, too, sported glittering stars in their already lightly colored pelts as they played and stalked and lazed about the tree trunks. My eyes widened with wonder, but curiosity still burned my mind. Quickening my pace, I walked along side Rainyjay now, passing by other cats who didn’t seem to have a care in the world. “So, you said that this was SunClan’s side of StarClan, right?” She nodded, looking forward and continuing to pad along at a steady pace. “So, then StarClan is split between SunClan and NightClan then?”Rainyjay glanced at me through the corner of her eye, amusement sparking in it. “Not exactly.” Her pace sped up until she reached a half-fallen tree then climbed onto its trunk. “The two clans do have their separate sections of StarClan for the feud, but it wasn’t always like this, so the ones who remember what it was like before the first clan, GrayClan, split have their own section where they still live in harmony – where dark and light pelts and patterns of all kinds mingle and mix. You’ll be there soon enough. But, the residence of that afterlife are fading out of memory, fading from existence at all, just like the memories of that time of peace and kinship.” She shook her black head, ashamed. “I want that time to return; you know that. I did not live in that time, nor did my parents. But their parents had, and they told stories of it to them, and then those stories reached me and were passed down to you. You are not the only hope to reunite the two clans, but you have much more potential to do it than most.”I stood at the base of the tree’s upturned, knotted roots, looking up to my mother. “It’s not only me who can do it? Then why am I doing it now? It feels like I have to, or it will never happen at all.” An unseen force inside my heart was driving me. Come to think of it, why was I really doing this dangerous mission? Why not let someone else? Was it just because it was my mother’s last wish before death? “Because, Ravenpaw, you understand.” That was her simple answer, but my expression must have given away dissatisfaction and confusion about it. She rolled her eyes and climbed a bit higher on the trunk while I stayed put. “Ravenpaw, you are not like the other cats of either clan. They may be good cats as well, but they only wish to serve their clan blindly. They can’t see past their own noses and recognize the world is bigger than just their own clan,” she explained, reaching the first branch and climbing past it. She disappeared for a moment before reappearing on another branch then stopping to sit on it a few fox-lengths off the ground. “But you, you listened to me and my wish of peace. You understand that it’s not all about your own clan, but about the lives of all the good cats in both clans and how they should come together rather than fight because a meaningless feud dictates it as such. You, like me, understand the value of life, and through my death you have learned so.”She leaped down from the high branch then and landed beside me, coming to sit down with our fur brushing and placing her tail over my back gingerly. Her gaze as she looked at me never once changed from gentle, motherly warmth. “Ravenpaw, do you know why I died?”“Because a NightClan warrior killed you at the Thunderpath,” I answered. The marks on her body had clearly indicated that. The image of them and her just lying there lifelessly was seared into my mind. It would never go away.“That’s not the full story, Ravenpaw. I died because I refused to fight. I was tired with it all, and I stood my ground but never unsheathed a claw or bared a fang, even as I was attacked. Darkapple doesn’t understand the concept of peace. He only knows death and blood…just like the cruel leader he blindly follows. But it’s not his fault. He is corrupted, raised to think only that way and never sway from that straight path.” She looked to the tree she had just climbed, her eyes traveling the branches. Mine followed. “He doesn’t understand that no one cat can only follow a linear path, but that their many branches to follow.” She looked back down to me. “The whole point of this dream is to tell you, in short, that you decide your own destiny, but you can also sway the paths of others for the better. Do what you want to do.” With that, the peaceful world slowly started to fade, with the cats of it following along. Darkness crept in, consuming it all starting from the edges then taking the trees and claiming the cats around. “Wait!” Panic began to fill my body. She couldn’t leave yet! I’d only been here for a few moments! “I miss you! You can’t leave!” Panic was replaced with desperate longing for a few more heartbeats to stay. “Please…”My mother’s gaze stayed filled with warmth. “Don’t worry. I’m always with you, and you will see me again very soon. I promise,” she purred. I would never forget how calm and warm her gaze was the darkness claimed her, too. She was the last thing in that world to fade into black. “I love you…”When I awoke for real, back in the real world and that bramble den, Lizardpaw was just padding in through the entrance, and night had fallen outside. The scent of Rainyjay lingered sweetly in my nose.✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 8 “Glad you’re awake already. I didn’t want to have to wake you up.” The tiger tabby tom padded closer to me and then moved into his own nest. His head tilted to the side then. “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine…” I said and shook my head slightly, trying to rid myself of the sorrow stabbing my heart. I missed my mother so much… “Just had a nightmare is all.” The lie should easily do the trick to kill any suspicion or concern the tom might have, if any at all.
He nodded, laying in his larger nest. “Oh. Well, if you need to talk about anything just let me know,” he mewed, being sincerely friendly and caring about it all.
How were he and Thornstar even related? They were nothing alike. I just nodded and looked outside at the night air. “Wait, how come I have to be awake now?”
“Because most of our hunting, patrols, and training happens at night,” he answered like it was totally normal. “We are NightClan, after all. The darkness is the perfect camouflage for us with our darker pelt colors, unlike SunClan.”
So, these cats really did come out at night. I recalled once when one of the SunClan warriors compared them to rats because of this. I shook my head then stretched my jaws into a yawn. My sleep cycle would get so messed up from this…
“I’d hurry out if I were you. Snakeheart doesn’t like waiting for lazy apprentices,” Lizardpaw meowed with a teasing tone. “Seriously, though, hurry out. Show her you’re serious about being an apprentice and learning.”
I found myself sighing out an annoyed ‘fine’ and then padding out of the den after. My eyes adjusted to the low light quickly. In the dark, I was amazed to see so many more cats out and about, milling around camp and being much more active than when I’d arrived earlier in the sunlight.
Dark pelts melded effortlessly with the shadows as cats walked along or sat together, chatting or enjoying shared meals. The ones that didn’t move as much were even harder to spot than those who had. It seemed like every moment my gaze scanned the camp more and more cats were appearing out of nowhere, suddenly popping into existence. No wonder they chose to come out at night. The darkness really did hide them well; now it would hide me well, too.
Snakeheart bounded over to me then. Her multi-colored pelt seemed to dance in the dark, like dying petals fluttering in the breeze. Brown, black, and orange spots swirled, mixing and seemingly shuffling among each other. It was like the spots had minds of their own to move about her pelt, and it was a bit disorienting. “You okay?”
I blinked and gazed into her blue eyes instead. They showed concern and slight confusion. “Uh, yeah. I’m just not used to getting up like this, in the middle of the night.” Hopefully, that would convince her. After all, it wasn’t a lie.
My new mentor nodded, brushing off the concern easily. “That’s normal for someone who wasn’t born into the clan. Don’t worry, you’ll learn to adapt to it. But, for now, we have some apprentice work to take of. You need to see the territory, at least some of it tonight, and I have to assess the skills you might have already.” She turned and flicked her tail for me to follow then made her way to the camp entrance tunnel. Doing as I was told, I followed but continued to glance around camp at the mingling cats, my new clanmates.
Coyotescar and some other gray warrior conversed by the Warrior’s Den. Near them, Littlefang chomped down on a mouse by herself, her white paws popping out against the dark background of brambles and soil. Blackice, the gray tom with black tabby stripes who’d found me with the patrol, was carefully examining the fresh-kill pile for the tastiest piece. Behind him, a jet black tom and black she-cat with gray patches about my size strode up to the pile and him. They chatted for a moment, the black tom giving off an irritated vibe, before he grabbed a sparrow from the pile and strode off with it dangling from his jaws. The she-cat who was with him, probably another apprentice, copied him and did the same thing with a vole. Blackice just gave them a flat look in response then brushed them off and went back to examining the pile carefully.
It was all really weird but yet familiar to see cats act in such ways towards each other. All of it was so like SunClan. Back home, cats would do the same things. They would chat normally with one and other, scan the fresh-kill pile for their favorite piece of prey, and even be snobs to each other at times. NightClan was so much like SunClan it was almost unbelievable. Where was the hate? The constant fights among each other? Where were the fights to the death over small, stupid things? This clan was almost nothing like I’d expected.
Then, it felt as if a hole was being burned into my back. Looking over my shoulder I found the cause right away. Darkapple sat at the entrance of the Medicine Den, staring me down with pure rage in his eyes. He was all the way across camp, but the hate radiating off his pelt could be felt strongly hitting mine. I noticed his claws sliding in and out of his paws to stab at the ground below repeatedly.
I gulped then quickly followed Snakeheart out of camp. Outside the tunnel was even darker than camp, the evergreen trees stretching out to come together and block as much moonlight as possible from reaching the ground and us.
My mentor turned to me, acting as if everything was normal, which, to her, it was. She hadn’t seen the way Darkapple looked at me. “Alright, tonight I’m going to show you the Moon Pond and where the twoleg place is.”
I nodded, staying quiet. I already knew where the twoleg place was from being in SunClan and going to the nearest border with patrols. It would be along the same border with NightClan, I was willing to bet.
She nodded back. “Good. After that, I will have you hunt and assess your skills there. Or I might just smell some prey along the way and have you track it then. We’ll see. Just be on your guard at all times and ready to hunt whenever I say.”
Once again, I gave a nod. I could hunt just fine, great, in fact. Swifthawk had always told me that I was really good at it for an apprentice my age. Fighting, however, was a different story. According to Thornstar, I was quick, but I knew there wasn’t much skill my body for it. I’d only had two battle training sessions in my time as an apprentice, so I didn’t know how to do much. But, in this clan, in both, actually, battle skill was pretty much everything. It literally was life and death.
“Let’s go then,” Snakeheart mused and flicked her tail to signal me to follow again then padded off one of the thin, worn trails through the thick brush.
Another thing I’d have to get used to was this forest. SunClan territory was mostly sparse of underbrush, but here it was so incredibly thick that if a cat was just a tail-length from me on either side there’d be no way of telling. Maybe that was a reason Mintstar wouldn’t ever allow his warriors to cross the Thunderpath? All the fights that did happen at that border were by NightClan cats crossing into our territory. Maybe this was why; it was easier to fight in the clearer forest on SunClan’s side. Maybe NightClan even had trouble navigating through this heavy foliage…
“So, Ravenpaw, tell me more about yourself,” Snakeheart said from in front of me, her pace not slowing any. She didn’t even glance back. “Where are you from?”
“The Barrens,” I answered. That’s what everybody called the land beyond the territories, because it was said to be barren of cats and life beyond coyotes and twolegs. It was even said that prey didn’t like it there because of the amount of predators.
This got her attention, and she looked back at me while still walking forward. “Really? I didn’t think any cat would live out there.” She was clearly surprised by my answer.
I fumbled then. If she got suspicious then this could be really bad. I had to come up with a believable answer quickly. “My mother was a runaway kittypet, and she had me in the Barrens. It was tough, but I’m still here,” I meowed, trying so hard to keep my cool.
It seemed to work, as she nodded. “I bet it was hard. Is it really like everyone says? Are coyotes everywhere and hardly any prey?”
“Um, not really. If there were coyotes everywhere then I’m sure you’d see them often even in your borders. Cat scent isn’t really going to keep them out.” Honestly, I had surprised myself with that answer and the confidence which had exhibited itself within it.
“I guess that makes sense, yeah.” Snakeheart padded on, going through the winding trail and soon going off to the left when it branched out. “We’re almost to the Moon Pond now. You’ll like it there. It’s so peaceful and pretty.”
‘Peaceful.’ That was a word I never thought I’d hear come from a NightClan cat’s mouth. Even now, it still seemed so foreign and odd. It was so hard to shake the thoughts and feelings I had been taught by SunClan about these cats.
Suddenly, Snakeheart stopped, abruptly enough that I almost ran into her tail. Her ears angled forward, and she opened her mouth, scenting the air. After a moment, she turned to me. “There’s prey nearby,” she reported in a low whisper. “Go and find it and catch it.”
This was it. I was getting put on the spot just like she said would happen, and I had to do well. Opening my jaws, I took in the odors of the pine forest. Strong evergreen scent made me almost want to gag, but I kept my cool. With it mingled the scent of Snakeheart and myself. Then, I found it. On the breeze drifted the distinct smell of a mole. Pricking my ears forward, I listened. It wasn’t straight ahead, so my ears went on a swivel, picking up every little rustle of leaves and breath of air in the area.
There it was! To my right a little way I could hear shuffling dirt. To be sure it was my quarry, I smelled the air once again, aiming my nose in the direction of the sound. Yes, this was it. But, the problem was there were thick holly bushes sitting between me and the prey. But, I had to show Snakeheart I was worth something. Yet, going right through the bushes would cause too much noise and scare the prey away. I had to get creative.
Glancing around, my brain worked hard to plan with the information my eyes gave it. After a few heartbeats, I scrabbled up a tree, careful to be as silent as possible. Below, Snakeheart looked on in confusion but said nothing.
I made it to the first branch, which was a good three fox-lengths from the ground, and I shimmied out onto it further and further until I was closer to the sound, more above it. I gazed down past the leaves, noticing a small clearing the bushes where the mole was making its way out of the ground. But this vantage point provided even better information. It gave me the opportunity to see the layout of the nearby terrain. I saw the path Snakeheart and I had been traveling, and then branching off of it were several other worn trails. One of those vary trails led right to the spot the mole was emerging for the night. Perfect.
I wasted no time with climbing back down the tree and then following the same trail I’d found to the small clearing in the brush. Once I got close enough, I slowed my pace and lightened my footsteps, moving into a hunter’s crouch. There it was. Eyes locked on target, I crept closer, keeping tail and belly fur just above the ground. The mole would either hear it brushing the dirt or feel the vibrations with its sensitive starry nose while it sniffed around. Thankfully, the wind was in my favor this hunt. It was totally unaware of the danger it was in. That’s just what I wanted.
The mole took its time coming up out of the hole, but I was patient, as one had to be when hunting. I waited until it was fully out from the safety of its burrow then pounced. My paws landed square on the mole with a squeak. Then, it went quite with a swift bite to the neck.
Snakeheart rushed to me through the trail, her tail up in the air with delight. “Well done!” she praised and padded over. It was obvious how proud of my catch she really was; it was odd still to see such joy from a NightClan cat. “I was confused when you started climbing the tree, but I get it now. Not many would have thought to get a higher vantage point to scan the area. Most apprentices just go right through the bushes, unless they’re brambles.”
I couldn’t help but stifle a little purr in my throat. It felt good to have such praise, especially coming from an older and more experienced cat. She reminded me of Swifthawk. I missed him as a mentor… “Thanks,” was all I said through my mouthful of mole.
“Go ahead and bury it for now. We will come back for it after I show you the Moon Pond. We can get it on our way back.”
Doing as ordered, I dug a temporary grave for the mole and set it down into the divet, then dirt was shoveled back onto it. We left for the Pond again, this time silent with our ears swiveling back and forth, listening for any additional prey. While I didn’t hear any more moles, there was an owl hooting in the distance. Its hauntingly beautiful melody gave the dark forest a rather chilling atmosphere.
But, it wasn’t long before the pine trees gave way to a clearing of grass with a decent sized pond in the center and a trickling stream feeding it. “Here we are,” Snakeheart chimed, walking right up to the waters.
It was such a beautiful and amazing sight to behold. Along the pond’s shore were cat tails and sedge weed with swaying grasses and blooming white flowers. It all glided gracefully in the ever-present breeze, just like the grasses of Sweeping Meadows back home. The pond itself boasted several green lily pads and glittering waters, stagnant in most places but still rippling from the flow of the creek. This caused the stars above to shine down and dance, shimmering like those I’d seen in my mother’s pelt so soon before. As amazing as the sight was, the memory of Rainyjay stung my heart.
Snakeheart crouched by the pond’s edge, staring down into the dark blue water. “Come here, Ravenpaw.” I did so without a word, holding back heartache. “You see, Ravenpaw, this pond allows us to communicate with StarClan. By drinking the water we can go to StarClan for a short time and ask advice or give a leader their nine lives. But, we also use it for welcoming new apprentices.” She looked at me through our reflections. “I want you to drink the water.”
My ears went back slightly with worry. In SunClan I had already met with StarClan to become an apprentice there. I remembered now. The place where I’d seen my mother in my dreams was SunClan’s side of StarClan, and I went to a similar place when I became an apprentice for the clan. But, I’d touched my nose to a tree for that. Fear gripped my heart with cold claws suddenly. Would I somehow be recognized in NightClan’s side and the whole plan be ruined? I didn’t know how they’d know me, but the thought of being discovered by their dead relatives scared me horribly.
Snakeheart put her ears back and rose to a sitting position. “What’s wrong? I won’t let you fall into the water if that’s what you’re worried about.” She placed her tail around my shoulders.
I shook my head. I had to be brave and take the chance. There would be no getting out of meeting with NightClan’s StarClan. Even if it could be delayed for another night, it would still have to happen sooner or later. “It’s just…” What excuse could I use this time? “Um…what if they don’t accept me?”
Snakeheart’s eyes glowed with sympathy. “Oh, dear, they will accept you. If Thornstar did then StarClan will, too. Just between you and me, the dead are a lot kinder than Thornstar ever was and will be. You’ll be fine. I promise.” She gave me a reassuring slow blink and nod.
Maybe she was right, but the fear was still there. Even so, this had to happen. I took a deep breath then slowly let it out and crouched by the water’s edge. Gazing into the pool, I saw myself. My long fur spiked up slightly from tossing around in my sleep earlier, but it shone like my mother’s had before death. My eyes, such a deep blue, gazed back at me in the rippling water. They showed such a broken young cat… They showed the real pain I was constantly in since Rainyjay’s death. Even if it had only been a couple sunrises ago, the pain was still very fresh and, yet, felt like it had been there a lifetime. I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to my mother to be with me then lapped the cool water. I was then plunged into pure blackness.
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Chapter 9 This time, upon awaking I found thick pines trees all around me instead of the white trunks of the birches and aspens. Yet, the fragrance of the flowering dogwoods hitchhiked on the ever-present breeze. Looking up to the sky, it was shown that the pines covered most of the view, but some light blue still managed to poke through, also allowing the sunlight to sneak down to the ground like a silent, radiant snake.
I stood and shook out my pelt then glanced around at more of the surroundings. Brambles and ferns were everywhere, but in the distance, to my right, the white and black trunks of birch trees could be seen. So, I wasn’t too far from the border at all. In fact, I was probably in SunClan’s side, since they still possessed some pines on their side of the Thunderpath while the forest transitioned into its darker parts. The unmistakable sound of a roaring monster to my left confirmed my beliefs. But, if there were monsters here, then was I really in StarClan? If I was then why was I on SunClan’s side of the border? And, if I wasn’t really in StarClan, how did I get to the current spot in the forest I now found myself in?
My heart abruptly started up in a flurry of rapid beats while I jumped at the sudden voice behind me. I spun around at the mention of my name, claws out and fur puffed out with ears back and eyes wide from surprise. I ended up being met with a golden tom with fur which resembled the fabled flowing manes of mighty lions. It waved in the light wind, especially around his neck. His amber eyes were so soft, too, yet they glowed with confidence and high pride.
The tom gave me an amused chuckle in reaction to my response from being spooked. He then gave me a slow blink and dipped his head with respect. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ravenpaw.” His mew, much like his pelt appeared, was soft and warm. “I welcome you to StarClan.”
My fur laid flat again while my claws sheathed themselves once more. “Uh, thanks. Who are you?” As welcoming as he seemed to be, suspicion still resided within my mind. Even if I was in StarClan, which side was I actually in, and would this tom actually be as nice as he seemed?
“Right, forgive me. I am Sunstar, former leader of SunClan, and the clan before it split into two.” Sticking out a forepaw, he then stuck his tail in the air while his nose touched the ground in sort of a weird bow. “I’ve been expecting you,” he purred while standing erect again.
My ears went back a bit when he bowed; it was such an odd thing to see a cat do, like nothing I had ever seen before. “Right, but, um, what was that all about?” My pelt couldn’t help but prickle at learning this cat’s name, though. Yet, I had to hide my excitement for the moment. Asking a flurry of questions would do nothing, most likely. The tom would probably explain a bunch of things anyway, answering questions before I even had to ask them.
“The bow? Oh, yes. I supposed you wouldn’t have been taught that. It’s an old clan sign of respect and greeting, but it hasn’t been used since the clan split.” Sunstar shook his head dismissively. “But, anyway, that doesn’t matter right now. You are here for a reason, and I am here to greet you for a reason.” He turned and flicked his tail at me. “Come.”
As he began to walk away I couldn’t help but admire the rippling muscles under his long yet smooth pelt. He must have been a very strong leader in life. Quietly, I followed. Pines began to give way to the familiar birch, aspen, and dogwoods I was so used to from my short life in SunClan. But, we stopped right as the pines seemed to end, and Sunstar took a seat on protruding pine root.
“Lovely, isn’t it?” He gazed up and all around at the mix of light and dark leaves and needles. “The forest was always better this way, when everyone was still together.” His eyes then flickered over to a moving black mass. Naturally, my own followed.
Against the white trees slunk a thin cloud of darkness in the shape of a cat. It seemed to be hunting, judging by the way it moved in a low crouch with wispy ears pricked forward. But, unlike the other StarClan cats I had seen, unlike Rainyjay and Sunstar, this cat’s pelt seemed to be fading out of existence. Stars still sparkled dimly within, however, the trunks and bushes beyond peeked through the moving shadow. Soon, another one of the same aura came into view from behind a closer bush; this time the shape walked with a high tail and head with a shroud of white and brown for a pelt. Then, to my other side, a blur of mixed colors caught my attention from the corner of my vision – a calico kit play fighting with another kit of the same orientation.
Now, I couldn’t help but gaze all around and watch as more and more cats of all ages, sizes, and colors appeared from the surrounding air. Every single one was different except for the one fact that they all seemed to be fading away like smoke on the wind. “What’s happening to them?” I felt bad without even knowing why.
Sunstar’s happy expression turned sorrowful with pity as he gazed at the playing calico kits near us. “They are all fading out of memory,” answered the tom with a shake of his head. “It’s sad, but this is what happens when no one alive remembers them.”
“Well, how come? Why not remember them? Don’t they have descents to tell stories about them?” I inquired, my heart now aching for them. How could anyone forget their ancestors?
The golden tom let out a sigh. “They are all before the Clan Divide. It was so long ago that no one alive remembers them but a very select few who are very old now. The rest who could’ve known them or their stories are dead from the war.” He turned his attention to me, looking down upon my body once more. “The only cats who remain on Living Plane are Timberfall and Thornstar. But Timberfall can hardly remember her own name at this point, and Thornstar was only a kit when the stories were told to him. But, by then, the names of the cats in it besides my own and Nightclaw’s were expelled from the tales. Only our names now remain in the history to be passed down, and for different reasons. But when the names of others are forgotten for too long they begin to fade out of reality, never to be seen again.” His eyes closed for a moment while he paused. “I only look solid and healthy as I do now because my name has not been forgotten, whether it be used as a beacon of good in SunClan, or an element of evil in NightClan. Either way, I am not forgotten, therefore I still remain.”
My head started to spin with the inflow of new information. So, as long as living cats remembered those who have passed, they could still exist within StarClan… “But what happens once no one remembers a cat and they fade? What then?”
“I don’t know,” the tom answered solemnly with a small shrug of his shoulders. “Nobody knows that. Those who fade are never to be seen again. Once a story is forgotten then it is never remembered, as those who could have remembered soon die out. Then, the cycle eventually continues. Only a select few of us are lucky enough to not fade.”
Inside, my heart began to grow heavy and sink. I felt sick and sad, like I was going to throw up while my stomach tangled itself like gnarled tree roots. “Does that mean…I’ll fade away, too…?” I asked with a quivering mew. Though, did I really want to know the answer to that?
Sunstar gave me an unsure look. “I can’t tell you that, young one. But, I can tell you that you still do have a good while before death. You have much potential and much to do in the Living Plane.”
Suddenly, Rainyjay’s words echoed in my ears like they seemed to do whenever I needed them most, but this time they weren’t words of comfort or reassurance. ‘No one can foretell the future.’ For all Sunstar knew, I could die within the next sunrise, but I prayed that that did not happen.
Sunstar then came down from his root perch and brushed his pelt against mine, making gold mingle with black in such a pretty way as our long fur melded. He looked down at me with warmth once more. “Listen, Ravenpaw, I know you are worried, but don’t be. Things will work out. I promise you that. After all, everything happens for a reason. You did come to GrayClan’s StarClan, at least, instead of going to NightClan’s. That has to mean something. You were meant to come here.”
With a large gulp, I pushed my sickening fear down with saliva and gazed up at the tom’s glowing amber eyes. I still had so many questions, but now one stood out further among the others. “GrayClan’s StarClan?”
The golden tom nodded with a slow blink. “Yes, GrayClan’s StarClan. This is the StarClan for those who still remember peace between the two feuding halves of the same clan. This section of StarClan is for those who still wish for peace, even if they were living one of the two clans solely. Yet, those cats who did live in one of the halves can still move between their respective section and here, as well.” Rainjay must have went to SunClan’s sections then to meet me, I thought. So, maybe she would be back here later since she wanted peace the clans so badly, and still does?
Sunstar tilted his head back suddenly to look up at the canopy and darkening sky beyond. “Your time here is running out.” The tom turned his head back to me then. “I know you still have many questions, but there’s something I must tell you., something of utmost importance.” He moved so he now stood in front of me, seriousness overtaking the warmth of his honey-like eyes. Darkness quickly ate away at the scene around. “Beware the one who you are closest with. He will betray you and be the death of the clans.” Shadows darker than my own pelt then consumed the tom, only his eyes remaining for a moment with echoing words before I awoke abruptly to a world of water.
Teeth gripped the back of my neck, and I was yanked backwards then tossed roughly onto solid ground. My lungs and nose stung as my body instinctively heaved and hacked, trying desperately to relieve my lungs of the burden of water inside them.
“Oh my StarClan, are you okay?” Snakeheart’s half-panicked meow came from the right as I coughed up pond water. Despite this, I nodded. I knew I wasn’t dead nor dying, though my pelt was now soaked and body aching inside.
Snakeheart moved to stand in front of me, worry in her eyes even though she let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank StarClan. I thought you might drown, but I didn’t expect you to just plunge yourself into the Moon Pond with your eyes still closed.”
What? I had thrown myself into the water while still asleep? With a few final coughs, I finally rid my lungs of the invading liquid. “Sorry,” I rasped then shook out my long pelt. It would take forever to dry…
“Sorry? Don’t be sorry you didn’t mean to do. I know no cat would try to drown themselves in their sleep while visiting StarClan,” my mentor told me, half-scolding me for even trying to apologize for such a ridiculous thing. “You’re okay, and that’s what matters. By the way, how’d it go with StarClan? They totally accepted you like I said, right?”
I froze. Snakeheart was expecting me to say ‘yes’ and probably tell her about NightClan’s side if StarClan, since that’s where she had to think I went. But, I went to GrayClan’s instead, and received a foreboding warning… ‘Beware the one who you are closest with. He will betray you and be the death of the clans.’ Even so, I had to give Snakeheart the answer she wanted to avoid any suspicion. “Uh, yeah. They were pretty happy to see me and welcome me into NightClan,” I lied, shaking a bit; telling this lie was terrifying. If I got caught then it would be the end. Any mistake would be the end – error was not an option.
Snakeheart just purred and nodded, seeming to easily believe my fib. “Good! I’m glad. Let’s get you home to camp then. You’re shivering, but it’ll be warm in your nest.” She turned and flicked her tail for me to follow.
I let out a quiet sigh of audible relief but stiffened, hoping my new mentor hadn’t heard. She didn’t seem to as she continued padding forward. Shaking my head to myself, I got up to follow, but Sunstar’s words rang over and over in my head, and all I could picture was Lizardpaw in my mind and how friendly he seemed to be trying to be with me. It had to be him. Sunstar had to be warning me of him…
Back at camp, I was instantly greeted by Lizardpaw and his goofy face made possible by that underbite of his. “Hey! How’d it go? Who’d you meet? Do they like you?” He started to hit me with a blizzard of questions.
Before I could reply with a smart remark, Snakeheart interjected. “Lizardpaw, you know that she can’t reveal much about her visit with StarClan. What happens in her dreams at the Moon Pond is sacred and meant to be kept secret. All you need to know is that she’s one of us,” the she-cat told the young tom calmly before padding away to speak with Littelfang by the Warrior’s Den.
Lizardpaw watched her go then turned back to me, now noticing my wet pelt. “Did you fall in?” As the question escaped his deformed jaws, his fluffy head tilted to the side.
I replied back with a snap retort. “No!” Though, my pelt now burned with embarrassment, ears hot. “It’s none of your business.” A snort was added in at the end.
The tom let out a small chuckle. “Alright, fine. I won’t pry then. But, I was about to go on patrol with Darkapple. You wanna come?”
The mention of that evil tom’s name brought back some of the sick, sinking feeling from earlier. He’d probably still kill me if given the chance. “Uh, no… I don’t think he’d like that,” I replied, my voice trembling a bit despite my efforts to keep it steady.
Lizardpaw shook his head. “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s super loyal to Thornstar, so if he likes you enough to be in the clan then Darkapple won’t hurt you. It’s forbidden to hurt a fellow clanmate,” he stated, very sure of what he was saying.
It’s not like that made me feel any better, though. However, a plan did pop into my head. If I had to beware of this tom, then maybe by befriending him anyway I could learn more about him while learning about the clan. I could simultaneously learn how Lizardpaw acts and take him out before he took me out, and maybe I could also get him to let a bunch of secrets slip about the clan that I could report back to Mintstar! Yes, it was perfect. But I’d have to take this risk of going on patrol with him and Darkapple to gain more of the other apprentice’s trust. “Alright, fine. But you better be right about this,” I stated.
He let out a purr and nodded. “Trust me, I am. I wouldn’t let him hurt ya anyway, even if he is my mentor.” With that, he bounded over to the Medicine Den and poked his head inside, soon turning back to come over to me and the entrance, Darkapple now following and staring me down intensely.
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Chapter 10 Lizardpaw’s did nothing to reassure me as all three of us entered into the forest for patrol. Darkapple led the way while Lizardpaw hung back beside me. Even though the black tom’s eyes were fixed ahead, and even though he was in front of me I could still feel his cold gaze burning a freezing hole into my pelt and heart. Rage and hatred radiated off his pelt like the strong stench of carrion; I could almost smell it like carrion, too.“So, Darkapple, how is your throat doing?” the tom beside me inquired of his mentor, seeming innocent enough like he was simply trying to make conversation. But why did he have to choose that question to ask with me right there?Darkapple’s reply came out as a very raspy and painful sounding mew. “Painful.” Yep, that confirmed it. His throat was probably scarred forever, which meant his voice also was broken forever. There was no way the vicious tom wouldn’t not hold it against me either.I gulped silently and glanced around, nervous and not wanting to look directly at my possible future killer. I’m wasn’t afraid to admit to myself that I was so afraid of Darkapple. He was so much bigger than me, and skilled. The only reason any of this had happened was a freak thing with that dump rib bone I’d been holding onto at the time of the attack. I should be dead, yet here I was, padding along with a psychopath and his mentor – Lizardpaw was not much better with the way he acted. He was way too cheery and friendly for my liking. There had to be something more going on, some angle… Sunstar was probably right, that he’d be the one to betray me later on. He just tried way too hard to get me to like him.The journey to the border was spent in silence as we made our way to an old structure of some sort. Nobody spoke another word from the previous snippet until our destination had been reached. It had just been my thoughts and I up until now when Lizardpaw spoke up again.“Welcome to Dead Twoleg Den,” he told me with that usual cheeriness of his. He gazed up at the obscenely old and decrepit design. “This place used to be a twoleg den, but it’s been abandoned for a long time. Nobody knows why, though. But, it’s great for mouse and rat hunting now. Sometimes you can find snakes, too.”I gazed up at the huge thing. It looked older than StarClan itself with rotted wood weavings feebly clinging to a falling apart frame. Holes in the den itself were everywhere where once strong walls held the forest at bay, but now there were barely any walls to speak of at all, and what walls there were had been claimed by dark, overgrown ivy and lighter moss. If it weren’t for the sparse bare patches on the frame, then no one would even be able to tell the whole thing had been made of wood. It was clear now why they called it ‘Dead Twoleg Den.’ The whole thing looked like the bones of a once thriving den.Lizardpaw nudged me to grab my attention. “So, what do you think of it? Pretty cool, huh?” His yellow eyes burned into my won gaze just as much as Darkapple’s, but in a different way. The younger tom’s was just…unsettling from how friendly he was.“Uh, yeah. Sure,” I replied, glancing away to look back at the old den. Then, I noticed Darkapple already inside the remains and crouched, his stare fixed intently on something beyond a wall of ivy blocking my view of his quarry. He soon pounced, disappearing from view, as well.When he came back into view, a large rat dangled from his jaws. The tom padded out to the pine needle floor and crouched then began to chomp down onto the carcass to eat. Shock shot through my body at these actions. “Shouldn’t he be saving that for the elders and queens to eat first?” I asked and looked to Lizardpaw who gave me a puzzled look. Shoot, I thought. How would an outsider know that clans caught prey to feed elders and queens before the others? “Isn’t that a thing you clan cats do? I heard form somewhere that you did,” I added, hoping to cover up the possible mistake.Lizardpaw shook his head. “No, we never do that. We don’t even have elders,” he told me. “They can’t fight or anything, so there’s no point in having them around. There’s plenty of food for the queens anyway. They always get first dibs on the freshkill pile, after Thornstar, at least.”Wait… “Why don’t you have elders?” I had to know. But, come to think of it, I had yet to see a cat older than Thornstar at the camp. In fact, I don’t think I ever even saw an Elder’s Den. Yeah, there was one missing.“Because once a cat gets too old to fight well in battle, or too injured for it, they go to StarClan,” Lizardpaw answered me like it was common knowledge. “Thornstar helps them get there. It’s a great honor to be able to go there after serving your clan to the best of your abilities.”The world seemed to spin. They murdered their elders! What happened if I got really hurt in a battle? They’d probably murder me, too! My stomach tied itself up again, and I started to feel sick. This clan was so horrible. What kind of family killed their elders and injured? I glanced over to Darkapple again. “If I had hurt him worse, what would have happened to him?”Lizardpaw glanced behind me at this mentor then back at me. “He would have gone to StarClan, if he couldn’t battle anymore. We’d have to get a new deputy, but I’m sure Coyotescar would have been picked pretty quickly.” The tom shrugged. “Why’s this such a big deal to you?”I may have answered a little too quickly. “It’s not!” Putting my ears back and looking away I added much more calmly, “It’s just weird to me, is all. Don’t worry about it.” Then, my paws simply carried me away into the crumbling den. I was done with this conversation, before I really slipped up. It was best to just hunt and not question things too much more.Sniffing the air, the scent of rodent pounded into my nose. Mice and rats were clearly very present in here, and in large numbers. No wonder these cats were so strong – they had so much more prey than SunClan had, at least in this one concentrated area.All thoughts were shoved to the side like a gust of wind blew them away as a plump mouse made its way out of the wall of ivy. It sniffed the air but didn’t seem to notice me in the shadows, my black pelt blending in perfectly and the wind in my favor. It started to sniff the ground, actually scurrying slowly closer to me, its own demise. The instant it felt right, I pounced and landed squarely on it, quickly delivering a killing bite. Lizardpaw promptly praised me on the catch, but I only gave a curt nod in response then set the kill down, wanting to get more. And so, I did. Lizardpaw was always there nearby, grabbing his own catches. Darkapple only got one more rat before deciding to laze about while we, the apprentices, hunted our tails off. Together, the tom and I managed to get seven total rodents, half of them large rats. It made my mind spin with how much prey there was in this one area.As we began to gather up the prey, but there was no doubt that we’d have to make several trips to and from camp to carry it all. Lizardpaw had eaten a rat himself, leaving us at six bodies to carry. I hadn’t eaten any myself, wanting the queens to at least have food first before myself. That’s how it was in SunClan, so I would at least stick with that tradition. If anyone asked, I’d just tell them the truth, that the queens should first, in my opinion. While Lizardpaw and Darkapple each grabbed a rat in their jaws, I pushed two mice together and gathered them both up at the same time in my jaws. It was just like when I took my assessment with Swifthawk and I carried two bits of prey like this. It was a little trick that I’d figured out to do myself; it just made things more efficient.Lizardpaw watched me, looking surprised but impressed by the expression on his face. I gave a smug look back. Darkapple didn’t seem too impressed as he pressed on towards camp. We followed.At camp, my load of prey was dumped into the freshkill pile, but I gathered up a squirrel instead and padded over to the nursery. Peeking my head in, two heads turned to me. One she-cat was brown like the pine bark with gleaming yellow eyes. A tiny black head poked up from within the soft belly fur of her mother. Curiosity burned brightly in this little she-kit’s eyes. Yet, neither of them said a word as they stared at me. Instead, my gaze landed on the other queen, this one heavy with kits. Her gray belly seemed as if ready to burst, but her blue eyes were much shyer and more reserved.“Uh, hello,” I greeted through a mouthful of squirrel fur. The kit looked too young yet to eat prey, so I made my way to the still pregnant queen. She put her ears back as I approached, so I slowed my steps and set the squirrel down at the edge of the nest. “I don’t mean any trouble,” I mewed, being very polite and gentle, hoping to gain a little bit of her trust. “I just thought you might be hungry, so I brought you this prey.” My head turned to the other queen and kit. “I’ll go and bring you something, too.”The brown queen hesitated but then nodded. “Thank you. Please, forgive us. We’re just…apprehensive, since we saw what you did to Darkapple,” she mewed then glanced down at her kit. “This is Shadowkit, and I’m Barktail.” She then nodded to the gray she-cat I’d given the squirrel to. “And that’s Cloudleap. She’s rather quiet.”I nodded then dipped my head to both older she-cats, showing my respect. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ravenpaw.”“We know. We watched the naming ceremony,” Barktail told me.“Oh, right. Well, is there any prey you prefer over other pieces?” I had might as well get her whatever she preferred.“Oh, yes,” she meowed with a nod. “Rats are my favorite, though they aren’t generally preferred by others. But I must say, it’s unusual for an apprentice to be bringing us our food. Usually, that’s the job of Snowdapple, our medicine cat.”It took all my will to bite my tongue when my jaws wanted to blurt out how weird that was. Instead, I gave a curt nod. “Well, I don’t mind bringing you both some prey. Consider it a friendly gesture,” I told them. So, apprentices in NightClan murdered their elders, and the apprentices didn’t take prey to the queens, but the medicine cat did instead… Things were so weird and dark in this clan, darker than the shadows they hid in.“Um, if I may ask, who are your mates?” The more information I had, the better. Besides, conversation was a fantastic way to gain trust. To make this plan work, I needed the trust of almost every member of the clan.“Mine is the black warrior known as Crowstorm,” Barktail replied, pretty happy to answer. But her joy faded when she glanced at Cloudleap. “Thornstar is hers.” Cloudleap looked down at her white paws with something hidden in her blue eyes, but what it was that was cracking though into her vision I did not know. But, I did know that she did not seem too happy about the answer given.“Does she not like him?” I asked Barktail, my ears back a bit – I felt bad for this poor queen if she had a mate like Thornstar and did not want to. “I promise I won’t tell, if you’re scared of that.”Barktail sighed and opened her jaws to speak, but Cloudleap interrupted instead for the first time. “No, I don’t like him,” she said in a small, quiet mew that was almost a whisper. “He’s too cruel.” She paused, her eyes distant now. “I was forced to be his mate, by fear. If I had said no when he asked I know my soul most likely would have joined StarClan, but I couldn’t risk that… There’s too much here for me to live for.”Barktail nodded silently. She then waved her tail for me to come over to her. I followed her instruction and padded over then leaned in close when told to. She whispered in my ear possibly the biggest secret either of them had. “Her kits are not Thornstar’s. Her real mate still lives in the clan, but nobody knows.” I pulled away with surprise at the new information and how quickly they had been ready to give it to me. It seemed it, at least, wasn’t hard to gain the trust of the queens. “That must be awful,” I meowed quietly back then glanced to Cloudleap. “I promise not to tell. No she-cat should ever be scared to have a the mate she wants.”Barktail’s pleading gaze turned into one of gratefulness and gratitude. She nodded. “Thank you. I’m glad you understand,” she meowed. “Now, how about that prey you promised me? You shouldn’t linger in here too long anyway.”A nod was given. Just as I was about to turn and walk out to grab that prey, Cloudleap let out a sudden cry of pain. I spun around to see her curled up around her own swollen belly and gritting her teeth, then she let out a breath. I had never seen such fear on a cat’s face before when she looked to me. “The kits are coming.”✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 11
Panic unlike anything before struck me like lightning. “What should I do?” My mind had gone blank, paws heavy as stone on the den floor and eyes wide as Cloudleap gritted her teeth with the painful ripples in front of me.
“Go and get Snowdapple,” Barktail ordered in a calm yet firm manner. She kept her tail wrapped protectively around Shadowkit, mostly, however, to keep her away from the kitting queen close by.
With a swift nod, I rushed out of the den and towards the Medicine Den I’d seen Darkapple exit before and the white she-cat enter. My paws now light as feathers, I rushed inside, skidding to a halt only when the bright figure of a cat’s back caught my gaze in the dimness. “Snowdapple!” I mewed urgently, to which the she-cat turned her attention over her shoulder. “Cloudleap is having her kits!”
Snowdapple instantly jumped to her paws. She gathered a stick and some dark leaves quickly in her jaws then rushed out by me without a single word. Wanting to be there for my newfound friend, I hurried after. But, once reaching the nursery entrance, she lashed her tail at me. “You can’t come in. No one is allowed in this den until the kits are born,” Snowdapple firmly mewed then turned her attention back to Cloudleap.
“Oh, okay.” I could only peer in through the entrance, but there wasn’t much to see except Cloudleap biting down hard on a stick and Snowdapple’s back blocking everything else. My heart was pounding while I stood guard at the entrance, taking it upon myself to do so. Yet, I sat tall and proud, even though Cloudleap’s cries of pain sent chills down my spine. If kitbirth was so painful then there was no way I was ever having kits, if ever given the chance to anyway.
With the yowls echoing throughout the camp, it wasn’t long before curios heads began to appear from the other dens, bodies soon following as the cats made their way to the nursery. “Is Cloudleap finally having her kits?” Coyotescar inquired, his deep mew and bulky stature quite intimidating. I nodded, and he only gave a nod back before simply walking away again. Unlike him, others stayed to wait for the kitting to end. Lizardpaw took a place on the other side of the den entrance like another guarding statue. Littlfang, Crowstorm, and Blackice hung back but stayed close. And Thornstar took a spot under the roots of the tree which made up his den. He simply laid down as if ready to take a nap, not at all showing any concern for the she-cat he considered a mate, despite the obvious wails of anguish coming from the nursery. Out of everyone Blackice looked the most concerned, kneading anxiously at the ground while Littlefang and Crowstorm did their best to comfort him.
My eyes narrowed as my brain began to process it all. Cloudleap said that Thornstar wasn’t really her mate, that she didn’t love him. Could it be that perhaps Blackice was her true love? And he was now anxious because she was having another tom’s kits? My heart went out to him silently.
As time passed, Lizardpaw and I chatted outside the den while waiting, myself always on edge, before the wails finally stopped and tiny mews sounded instead. Another moment later and Snowdapple’s head popped out of the den. “Two healthy kits have arrived into the world,” she announced, but she did not look at all happy.
That’s when Thornstar finally moved from his lounging place, making his way now to the den. “I must see them,” he demanded. Snowdapple had obvious reluctance on her face, but she left the den without a word, heading back to her own. Thornstar padded in. Silence.
I turned and peered in then to see him standing over Cloudleap quietly, two gray tabby kits suckling at her belly with her tail wrapped protectively around them. Everything about Cloudleap right now expressed genuine fear of the highest degree. With stiff muscles and eyes as big as moons, she curled around those little kits, ready to die for them if need be.
But Thornstar only stared for some time, building the tension more and more as time went on, creating an avalanche effect. After what seemed like forever, he spoke up in a quiet and oddly disappointed tone. “They do not look like me at all. In fact, they look like another tom I know.”
So, that was it. They really were Blackice’s kits. From what I could see, both kits, one a darker gray than the other, looked almost exactly like him. Both boasted bold tabby stripes of black, looking nothing like Thornstar at all. That’s why Cloudleap had been so afraid when she first told me of the kits’ arrival. She knew there was a good chance at least one would bare a resemblance to their real father. And she feared the wretched leader would find out her treachery, possibly killing Blackice, her, the kits, or them all.
“I won’t let you hurt them!” Cloudleap hissed then, eyes wide and ears back. Despite the immense fear she would still give her life for the little ones at her belly. “Please, you can’t.” Yet, she pleaded.
Thornstar scoffed. “I would not dare to hurt the kits,” he retorted with a slight growl. “They are innocent and the future of our clan. However, I do not take kindly to your affair with one of my warriors,” he hissed back, claws sliding out. But then he sheathed them again, calming himself, or containing the anger for later. “No matter. These kits are still mine, and you are still my mate.” That statement made my blood boil. “They need names.” He gazed back down at them while Cloudleap ever so slowly began to relax a bit.
“W-well…I was thinking the she-kit could be Stonekit,” the mother mewed cautiously, her gaze now averted from the looming tom.
Thornstar, surprisingly, approved. “A strong name for a strong future warrior. But strong names are not enough. If we wish to win the war, then even the names of our cats must strike fear into the enemy’s hearts. Just like mine, or Coyotescar’s. The tom should have a dark and intimidating name to match his darker gray pelt,” he stated then thought for a moment. “Deathkit. He will cause death to any cat who opposes us.”
My ears flattened, rage gripping my body in hot claws the more I listened. Deathkit was no name for something so innocent! I didn’t care about the logic he found in it being intimidating to the enemy. It just wasn’t right. However, there was nothing that I, a mere apprentice in the clan, could do about it. I had to hold my tongue. Cloudleap also took the reality but nodded gingerly, sadness now clouding her gaze.
“Now that they have names, I should congratulate the father,” Thronstar said, venom dripping from his jaws with each word. He turned and pushed past me then went straight to Blackice. Without a word, he lunged on the smaller tabby tom. Screeches erupted from the fray as they began to tumble in the dust and pine needles, yet nobody made a move to stop them.
I’m unsure of the reason for the others’ excuses, but as much as I wanted to help Blackice, I couldn’t. If I made one move towards them then I’d surely join him in the losing battle. And then all would be lost for both clans. The future of those newborn kits, Blackice's kits, would be as dark and dangerous as river rapids during a thunder storm. I wanted to help, so badly. But my paws were stuck where they were, and I could only look on in horror.
Claws slashed and teeth gleamed in the sunlight, blood droplets canvasing the ground until a few moments later it was over. Blackice now laid at the leader’s paws, motionless. The brown tom stood over his lifeless body, red stripes now accompanying the black on his ruffled pelt. He said nothing and promptly returned to his den, leaving the rest of the clan to stare in shock.
Littlefang and Crowstorm wasted no time in gathering up the body and taking it outside the camp, presumably for burial. Even though Littlefang had been nothing but nasty to me, she showed genuine sorrow for the loss of the gray tom. Crowstorm was the same right now; the two must have been good friends with Blackice, and maybe even knew his secret.
Snowdapple emerged from her den and hurried after them, outside camp. Lavender an ominous deep purple hanging from her mouth. The sickly sweet scent carried on the wind.
Both anger and sympathy crushed my spirit as I turned to Lizardpaw. The tom looked down at his large paws but not with sadness. No, the emotion that filled his gaze was none at all. His yellow eyes were empty, staring at nothing. How could he not be upset by what had just happened? Blackice had never even gotten to see his kits, and they were just born!
Without thinking, I raised my paw with unsheathed claws and slashed at his cheek. He only flinched then looked up to me while I felt my heart breaking. “How could you not be upset right now?” I chocked, suddenly not caring who heard. We were the only ones left in the clearing anyway. “He just murdered an innocent cat! A father!”
Lizardpaw shook his head, slight crimson welling out of the fresh scratches on his cheek. “Because there’s no use in it. Being sad won’t bring Blackice back, and it won’t stop more clanmates from being killed by Thornstar. I’ve seen it happen a lot already, remember? It might be an honor to go to StarClan once you’re an elder and have served your clan well, but it never gets any easier to watch him take their lives. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten angry and killed because of it. Blackice was a traitor in his mind, and traitors need to die.” His mew was as hollow as his gaze. “Blackice was a good cat, but like it or not this is reality. Bad stuff happens, and there’s nothing to be done about it. There’s not even a point to being sad about it anymore. You’ll just exhaust yourself.”
The more the tom talked, the more I wanted to tear his pelt apart. Why should I expect anything more of Thornstar’s real son? His own blood? My blood boiled inside, waiting so badly to just explode out in a flurry of claw swipes at the ignorant fool with equally as sharp lashings of my tongue. So many things to say wanted to flood outside my jaws.
None of it happened. I didn’t lash at Lizarpdaw with claws or words. I didn’t explode. And I didn’t let out the anger. Instead, I collapsed into his soft fur as he suddenly closed our distance and leaned into me, plumy tail wrapping around my back. “I know it’s horrible. Trust me, I don’t like any of it either. There’s just nothing to be done.” His quiet words tickled my ear fur. I only shut my eyes and jaws tight to keep from wailing in despair.
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Chapter 12
“So, Thornstar found out, huh? We saw Blackice getting carried out…” Snakeheart approached Lizardpaw and I. Glancing over sadly, I found a smaller she-cat padding into the camp with a smug look on her face behind my mentor. Her black pelt boasted light gray patches, and her blue eyes glistened with satisfaction. She must have just gotten back from some sort of patrol with Snakeheart, even though this she-cat, Badgerpaw, was mentored by Crowstorm. Up until now, I hadn’t paid much attention to the arrogant and ignorant apprentice, but the look in her eyes surged up the anger again. She was a true NightClan monster, clearly knowing about what had happened and being okay with it, happy about it even.
“I figured this would happen,” Snakeheart sighed and looked down, stopping by Lizardpaw and I.
Badgerpaw padded over then, scoffing. “He deserved it for betraying Thornstar and the clan like that,” she stated.
I was about to snap back a sharp retort, but Lizardpaw beat me to it. “Shut up, Badgerpaw. Nobody asked for your input. We all know you’re heartless. Just get out of here.” The tom’s sudden firm growl surprised me, but yet brought satisfaction when the other she-cat simply gave a ‘humph’ and strutted away like she owned the world. It was good to get her to leave so quickly, no matter how proud the apprentice younger than myself was.
Snakeheart watched her go then shook her head. “That cat needs to learn some manners. I feel so bad for Crowstorm.”
“Agreed,” Lizardpaw chimed in, but I only gave a simple nod in reply.
However, I didn’t want to be around anyone anymore right now. “I’m going to my nest,” I told them in a quiet mew then pulled away from Lizardpaw’s surprisingly comforting embrace and headed for the Apprentice’s Den.
There I remained for the rest of the night. The next few days and nights were spent in my nest, as well. I only left it to go to training with Snakeheart and occasionally check on the extremely distraught Cloudleap and her two oblivious kits. Lizardpaw tried to comfort me and even bring small bones he found on patrol in hopes of cheering me up. The small pile next to my nest continued to grow steadily bigger with each mouse skull and fawn rib the tom brought me, not mention the countless other bones he could manage to fit in his jaws. Oddly enough, I did start to actually grow fond of the little gifts. While they did not inherently make me any happier, it was a nice gesture for Lizardpaw to continually collect them to try and improve my mood.
Eventually, the sunrise came where I had to meet Mintstar at the Thunderpath, in the northern section, to share the information I’d gathered about SunClan’s enemy. This would be my first time, and it was safe to say that I was immensely nervous. As the others slept I tip-toed my way out of the den. Glancing around camp, it seemed that nobody else was up, except for the guard.
Thornstar was paranoid enough to post a guard up every sun to sit outside camp, at the entrance and watch for any threats. This time, it was Coyotescar, so I knew there would no lenience if I tried to just pad out of camp. Coyotescar was just like Darkapple and Badgerpaw – fiercely loyal to Thornstar. They’d all kill with one order and no questions asked. So, this meant I’d have to sneak out through some sort of weak spot in the camp wall.
Creeping around the back of the Apprentice’s Den, my ears stayed pricked at the top of my head, straining to hear even the faintest pawstep other than my own. My whiskers twitched and muscles were stiff as my eyes scanned the wall for any weak spot at all. The fact it was so light out only heightened my sense of fear of being caught, even if daylight was when this odd clan actually slept. But, my black pelt stuck out like an injured hawk in a meadow.
The wall looked so secure, brambles woven in meticulously all throughout. They even tangled around the few boulders which also lined the hollow. I had to slink my way to the other side of the camp to behind the Warrior’s den before I found a weak spot where the brambles didn’t quite grasp one of the boulders so tightly and I could push them aside with my paw to create a small route of escape. However, a thorn jagged the pad of my paw. Retracting the paw quickly, I glanced at it but wasted no time in pulling the thorn out on my own. A tiny spot of blood welled out. I simply ignored it and pushed my way through the rest of the thorns, my pelt catching in places. I gathered the tufts of black fur in my jaws then silently padded away into the pine forest. Once I was sure I was far enough away to not be heard, I ran with the fur still in my mouth. Nobody could find it, not so close to camp.
Adrenaline propelled my body forward as my heart pumped blood in my ears. Only when I reached the Thunderpath did I drop the fur, however, hoping it’d be swept away in the tailwind of a passing monster.
For now, it was quiet. No monsters passed and few birds chirped yet. The breeze that always blew was slow and gentle, more so than usual. Along with it came the scent of SunClan, causing heartache. But, upon scanning the opposite side of the border, Mintstar wasn’t to be found. In fact, no movement or blue fur stuck out at all. Was he even here yet?
I glanced over my shoulder as if expecting to see Thornstar himself to be behind me with fury in his one living eye. But there was nothing, nothing but the pines. My gaze then went up and down the Thunderpath, twice each direction, before my lungs took in a deep breath and my feet hit the rough, black tar. In no time, it seemed, I was on the other side of the border.
Relief washed over at the familiar scents of my real clan, but I knew I had to be careful not to get those scents on my pelt, lest NightClan grow suspicious. I glanced around once more, standing on the very edge of the Thunderpath. “Mintstar?” I whispered urgently, fear of him not being here rising in my belly. “Mintstar, are you there?”
I nearly jumped out of my pelt when his blue-gray head popped out of the thick shrubbery next to me. “Ravenpaw!” he exclaimed then emerged more fully. “I’m glad you’re alright and could actually come.” A purr rumbled in his throat.
Before I could reply, another head appeared suddenly, scaring me again. “Ravenpaw!” It was Lightpaw, and his joy at seeing me warmed my heart. It was so good to see my best friend again.
The golden tom moved towards me to nuzzle me, but I had to flinch away, much to his dismay and confusion. Hurt clouded his amber eyes.
“I’m sorry, Lightpaw. I’m really happy to see you, too, but I can’t get your scent on me…” It hurt my own heart to not be able to nuzzle my best friend, but it was for the mission and my own safety. “Why are you here, though?” He wasn’t supposed to be, not form I last heard before leaving the clan.
“He insisted on coming,” Mintstar answered with a sigh. “I can’t even keep control of my apprentices anymore.” He shook his head then looked up again. “Anyway, what have you found out? I assume you don’t have much time to chat.”
I nodded, watching Lightpaw take a seat by his leader, still showing disappointment but understanding. It made my heart feel like it was being crushed in a rockslide. “Well, NightClan is definitely a horrible place… But Rainyjay was right; not all the cats there are bad,” I started. Mintstar perked up a bit with interest. “My new mentor, Snakeheart, is really nice, actually. And there’s another apprentice named Lizardpaw who is cool, too. He’s actually Thornstar’s son…but nothing like him at all. It’s weird.”
Mintstar nodded, thinking. “Yes, that is rather weird… But, what about the layout of the camp?” That was the most important part, other than any plans there might possibly be of a NightClan attack anytime soon. I only had info on the one thing.
“Well, the camp is heavily fortified with strongly woven brambles surrounding the hollow and some boulders, too. A guard is posted every sunrise outside the entrance, as well. I found a weak spot in the wall to get out secretly, but it won’t be enough to get an army inside. The only way I can foresee an attack on them working right now is if it’s done at night when the camp is awake but no guards are posted.” Mintstar nodded thoughtfully again. “They also have the Warrior’s Den near the back of camp, as well as the Apprentice’s Den. The Medicine Den is at the very back, and the Nursery is surprisingly close to the entrance.” I paused, looking down. “They don’t have an Elder’s den.”
“Why not?” Lightpaw inquired with a tilted head and ears back, already fearing the answer.
“They…kill the elders.” Lightpaw gasped. “They consider it an honor to have Thornstar kill them after they have served their clan, so they can go to their part of StarClan. It apparently saves food and energy, too, to not have to care for elderly cats. The same goes for any too weak or injured to fight for any extended period of time.” I couldn’t help but wish I had injured Darkapple more when that rib bone jammed down his throat.
Mintstar was silent for a moment, just shaking his head in disbelief. “How many competent warriors do they have now?” he asked, brushing aside everything else I had said; I knew it was only to get the maximum amount of information possible in the short time I could be with him. He still cared, there just was no time to show it right now.
I had to think for a heartbeat. “One was killed a little while ago…by Thornstar…” It still stunned me that it had happened like it had. Poor Blackice. He hadn’t been a bad cat. “My mentor is one. Though she actually has a heart, I know she’ll battle hard for her clan. There’s a smaller she-cat called Littlefang who’s really filled with fire. Crowstorm is strong, too, and so is Coyotescar. Darkapple will do anything for Thornstar, and he’s the deputy, but I’m sure you knew that much… One of the other apprentices, Badgerpaw, she’s just like Darkapple really – ruthless and uncaring and willing to obey any order given to her by the higher-ups. But she’s still younger than me, and much smaller. There’s a white she-cat with gray dapples who’s really timid. She’s the Medicine Cat, though. Then, Lizardpaw…he will fight, but I don’t know if he’s able to actually kill. Probably, but I can’t say for sure. He’s big, though, bigger than you, Mintstar. I think his mother was some kind of freakishly big cat, because he’s already the size of Thornstar but still really young, only a couple moons older than I am." I gazed up to my leader; Mintstar would never stop being my true leader.
“I see,” he said quietly, pondering more in his head. “Why was this one warrior killed? The first one you mentioned?”
“He had kits,” I answered sadly. “One of the queens was mates with Thornstar, but she’s so innocent and shy… She was secretly mates with this other tom, and she had his kits. They both looked like him, and Thornstar didn’t like it. So, he killed him with reason of him being a traitor.” The events replayed in my mind as I spoke, making me relive the whole thing mentally. It wasn’t any less heart wrenchingly terrible now.
The blue-gray tom now shook his head with a sigh. “Thornstar really is such a horrible cat.”
Lightpaw silently nodded agreement but then did speak to me. “I’m so sorry you have to be around him, and the others like him,” he told me, genuinely feeling bad. “I wish you could come back to SunClan. I miss you so much.”
His words only made my heart ache more. Oh, how I longed to be back in SunClan, back by his side and around the good cats who made up my family. I missed Lightpaw the most, though, dearly. He was my best friend, still even now. I wasn’t even afraid to admit that I did have a crush on him, too, but now it could never be. Not unless I could successfully unite the two clans and stop the cats like Thornstar. But, in there, in that desire, laid extra drive to complete my mission, my mother’s dream…my new dream.
“I miss you, too, Lightpaw. You have no idea.” My mew came out unsteady, but it showed the longing behind those words. He nodded, desire to nuzzle me burning in his eyes.
Mintstar spoke up again. “Alright, you should go.” He flicked his tail dismissively. “I’ve gotten enough information for now, and the longer you’re out here, the more of a chance there is for someone to notice you’re missing,” he told me sternly, though his yellow eyes did give away sympathy for my obvious situation. “The more you linger here anyway, the more it’ll hurt and the harder it’ll be to go back.” He nodded to the other side of the border. “Go. We’ll be back next time, in seven sunrises.”
I nodded and turned away to face NightClan territory but stopped to look back over my shoulder at the two toms. Lightpaw looked down sorrowfully. Mintstar nodded solemnly. “Be careful,” he mewed quietly.
With a heavy heart, I nodded then raced back across the Thunderpath still absent of patrolling monsters. I knew looking back once more once I was on the other side would only continue to hurt, but I did it anyway. However, both toms were already gone, in the bushes and out of view. Sighing, I turned and padded back to camp with paws of stone.
Upon arriving back, I slunk back into camp through the secret entrance, this time taking the snagged fur to my nest. Nobody would find it suspicious to have loose fur in my own nest. I peered into the den first, carefully observing the other two apprentices sleeping forms before creeping back inside, anxiety nagging. My pad ached from the previous thorn in it, but I ignored it as the pain in my heart for having to leave Lightpaw was much greater. The rest of the daylight was spent in a restless sleep.
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Chapter 13
“Come on, faster! You must be swifter, more vicious, stronger. Do you think you’ll survive a battle with moves like that?” Snakeheart padded circles around us, her harsh words stinging our pride and stern gaze piercing my pelt like thorns. “You’ll surely die if you can’t do better. SunClan cats are merciless!”
Those words grabbed my attention, allowing the giant paw to make its way to my cheek, sending my world spinning. I hit the ground and stared up at the sky in shock. Lizardpaw’s head entered my view. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hit you so hard,” he apologized, a bit worried.
I blinked and shook my head then hauled myself to my paws, shaking out my midnight fur afterwards. “I’m fine. I just got a bit distracted.”
“Well, you can’t do that in a real battle,” my mentor meowed sternly, coming to us. “I’m glad you’re okay, but in battle if you get hit like that you could be done for. But that’s why we practice.” Her gaze went from me to Lizardpaw, to me again. Then, she looked over her shoulder to the spectators. “Crowstorm, what do you think they could do differently?” she asked.
The other mentor gazed at us. “Well, for starters they could keep focused on the battle,” he replied, black shoulders shrugging. He was a pretty laid-back tom but a great warrior.
Badgerpaw spoke up then from where she sat beside her mentor. “Ravenpaw is just bad in general. Sure, she can dodge most of the time, but that’s not going to win battles.” She then gave a snarky expression to me.
My tail twitched, and I was about to make a comment about her small size and how it would never be good in battle, but Snakeheart cut me off before I even begun. “You’re right,” she agreed then looked back to me. “You’re fast, but quick reflexes and swift speed won’t win battles. You need to get more offensive.” She turned to Lizardpaw. “You’re strong, but you lack speed. You might be able to take a few hits, but after a while it will ware on you. Maybe you two should teach each other about what they lack,” she suggested then turned back to the others along the side of the clearing.
Darkapple spoke up then, his voice raspy and almost painful to listen to while it crackled. “Lizardpaw is a fine warrior already. He can take hit after hit without a problem.”
“Yes, but no cat, no matter how big or tough, can take too many hits. Every cat has their limit, and if they are not careful then they will hit that limit. You may be deputy, Darkapple, but you’re too full of pride for your own good.”
The large tom’s fur bristled at her words, and he bared his half-fanged jaws. So many teeth had been lost to many various battles. “If I were you, Snakeheart, I would watch my tongue,” he growled, or attempted to.
Snakeheart seemed unafraid as she gazed back at him, his claws sliding out, too. “You know I’m right, and you know you can’t let your temper get the best of you again. Thornstar would not be happy about that.” With that comment, he surprisingly backed down, fur lying flat again and claws and fangs going back to being hidden. But, that rage in his icy eyes remained, yet Snakeheart didn’t seem too fazed by it at all.
She, instead, turned her attention back to Lizardpaw and I. “Let’s work on a new move. This one requires good timing, so I’m sure you’d both do fine.” She padded over to one of the pine trees at the rim of the clearing and turned back to us. “This move is simple. Whenever you see or hear an enemy coming you simply climb a tree such as this one and wait on one of the low branches. Make sure you’re concealed within the needles for cover, then when they get below you, jump down on them. The goal is to land square on their shoulders. It’ll knock them down and make them dazed and confused while they try to figure out what happened, giving you plenty of time to attack.” The she-cat climbed up the tree quickly and stopped on one of the lower branches. She looked from one side to down below her, like she was tracking an imaginary enemy, then pounced down. With her claws outstretched she landed on the ground at the tree’s roots and tore into the dirt with a few, swift swipes. “Just like that,” came the mew after the attack. “It’s also good for getting away from any coyotes or other predators, as long as you don’t jump down, obviously.”
I nodded after having watched carefully. It seemed simple enough, and useful. SunClan didn’t use this move at all, so it was definitely a NightClan move. It seemed a bit dirty anyway, like cheating almost. I suppose dishonorable was the right word. Nonetheless, I had to learn. Though, I don’t think I could ever use such a move on one of my own old clanmates.
“Try it, Ravenpaw. Badgerpaw, I want you get in on this, too. You can be the enemy,” Snakeheart mewed, mischief glinting in her eyes. It was as if this was payback for her snarky comment and look from before.
Badgerpaw opened her jaws to protest, but Crowstorm flicked his tail over her ears. “Don’t argue. She’s a warrior and your superior, and she’s leading this battle training session,” he told her, not being stern but still using his authority as her mentor.
Badgerpaw grumbled something then padded over. She stopped by us and gave me a dirty look; I knew long ago that we wouldn’t get along, but she seemed to hate me more than most other cats in the clan. The only one who really beat her out for that was Darkapple, but at least he had a reason since I ruined his voice in the beginning.
“Alright, Ravenpaw,” Snakeheart meowed, “get up in that tree and wait for Badgerpaw to come around.”
Getting up in the tree wouldn’t really be that challenging, and as I actually scaled its flaking bark, it really wasn’t. Once up in the branches, I perched myself on a couple flimsy branches, making sure to stay as close to the trunk as possible so the branches could keep a stronger hold under my weight. I also made sure to check the branches around to make sure my black fur was concealed.
“That’s good. You look great. I could barely tell you were there if I didn’t already know or wasn’t looking super hard,” my mentor praised. “Your fur blends in well, just like a true NightClan cat.” She shooed Lizardpaw away to the others to watch and took Badgerpaw away with her into the bushes. I couldn’t see them anymore, even up in the tree. The leaves undergrowth covered even over top of them.
However, the sound of shuffling paws soon came, and the leaves began to rustle. I knew this was it, this was my chance. Soon, Badgerpaw’s form came into view, leaving the brush behind. She walked right under my tree, stride stiff, knowing I would land right on her.
And when she was right underneath me, I made my move. Just like Snakeheart, I lunged down from the branches and stretched out my paws, but kept claws sheathed. This was only training, after all. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated my timing a bit and landed more on her tail than her shoulders. In response, she quickly twisted her top half around and smacked my face with a paw, hissing. Stinging emanated from my nose
“Hey!” Crowstorm bellowed. “No claws! You know the rules, Badgerpaw.” Badgerpaw got up when I backed off and pawed my own nose, smelling the blood coming from it. Head and tail in the air, she strutted away and back to her mentor who proceeded to give her an earful.
“Are you alright?” Lizardpaw asked, padding over instead. “She got you pretty good.”
Snakeheart came over, too, emerging from the bushes and examined my nose quickly with a couple glances up and down. “You’ll be fine. It’s only a scratch, nothing serious at all. Still, after training I want you to see Snowdapple after training to have it disinfected,” she ordered. “But for now, let’s continue with the lesson. Get up in that tree again, and we will have Lizardpaw be the target this time.”
Training had gone on for some time, until all three of us apprentices perfected the Tree Pounce, as Snakeheart called it. Now, I headed to the Medicine Den to have Snowdapple look at my minor wound. Before even going too near, the scent of strong herbs and other plants hit my nose. It wasn’t the most pleasant smell ever, but I continued anyway, going to the entrance and trying not to wrinkle my nose so as not to be rude. “Um, hello? Snowdapple?” I called in the dark den sheepishly. From what I had seen of her when Cloudleap’s kits were born, she seemed to be a pretty shy and anxious cat, but maybe that was only around Thornstar. Maybe in her own den, things would be different, so I was cautious.
From the very back of the bramble cave a light figure moved then rose its head. “Oh, did you need something?” a timid mew came echoing forward, followed by the shape moving closer as well, almost more cautiously than myself.
“Uh, yeah. I got hurt during battle training and just need a little something for my nose so it doesn’t get infected, Snakeheart told me,” I answered, surprised at how Snowdapple seemed to slink over like she was expecting to be struck and was preparing to recoil. I felt bad.
“Oh, yes. I can take care of it,” she mewed, coming a bit closer then glance over my little wound. She then turned away and flicked her tail, glancing over her shoulder back at me. “Come in.” She sat down by some herbs, of which many lined the walls in neat piles. Then, her paws went to work sorting a few out, yet her green eyes kept nervously glancing over in my direction, following me when I entered the den and sat between her and entrance.
Soon, the she-cat was chewing up several different herbs into a pulp then spat it out onto her paw. “Alright, come here. I have to put this on the wound,” she told me quietly, paw in the air with the gross, green stuff on the tip.
I would never understand how Medicine Cats could do this, could be around all these noxious herbs and even chew them up. They must have tasted so awful, especially since they smelled so bad. Even so, I scooted over to her, the den not being very wide, then stretched my nose to her to make things a bit easier.
For a split heartbeat she seemed to shrink away but then composed herself enough to carefully paw the mush onto my nose. It reeked, but I had to hold myself from shrinking away from it myself. “There, you’ll be fine. Just give it a little while then knock it off. The juices just need to soak into the wound.”
“Thanks,” I replied then hesitated. “Hey, you don’t have to be so jumpy, you know? I’m not going to hurt you or anything.”
Snowdapple looked down, ashamed and embarrassed. “Yes, I’m sorry. Some cats are just…nasty,” she said quietly, no longer even making eye contact. “Forgive me.”
Anger bubbled up once again, like it did so many times already from being in this clan. What had Thornstar done to her to make her so scared of everyone? “No, it’s okay,” I mewed, containing my anger and being gentle with the white and gray she-cat. “I’m sorry you have to feel this way.” I wanted to ask so badly what happened to her, but that may trigger some bad memories or other ill effects, so those inquiries remained in my mind, for now. “Thanks for fixing me up. I’ll see you later.” With that, I turned and left her to herself.
That sunrise was my first patrol at the Thunderpath border. My nose was better, and the herb mush was long off, yet its leafy stench lingered in my nostrils. It was annoying as we made our way to the border, but my anxiety about possibly seeing my old clanmates and having to fight them was much more overwhelming than the small irritation of a fowl odor. It felt as if every pawstep was another step closer to either my own death or the death of someone I cared about. And with this feud and NightClan’s reputation for crossing the border to attack, that fear could have very well become a reality.
It was myself, Snakeheart, Darkapple, Lizardpaw, and Littlefang in a patrol. Apparently, the ones going to the Thunderpath border were always the largest. Darkapple was leading us through the undergrowth. By now, the scent of the rank tar was permeating the air and fighting its way in my lungs.
Lizardpaw walked beside me, the two of us taking up the rear of the group. “Hey, you okay? You look really nervous, and you’re walking so stiffly,” he meowed, worry in his voice. But, he soon got cheery and optimistic like his usual self. “Don’t worry about getting into a battle. With me and the others here you’ll be just fine. And we’ll totally beat those evil SunClan cats!”
I couldn’t help but whip my head around to stare at him, ears flat. Luckily, I stopped myself from snarling that they weren’t evil and we didn’t have to even fight them. “Yeah,” I just muttered instead. Only for that moment was my fear quenched by anger, but with the moment quickly gone, the anxiety returned just as strong. Before I knew it, we were there. The edge of the Thunderpath was at my paws, and its black surface stretched far beyond them.
We began to go north along its edge. I noticed everyone’s heads continuously turned towards SunClan’s side, probably scanning the foliage for any sign of ‘enemies.’ This was something I participated in, but more from the nagging needles in my pads and heart, wanting so badly to not see any sign of them at all.
But, as if to spite me, the leaves on the other side rustled a bit. Without warning, Darkapple darted across the path and hurled himself into the bushes. Screeches of fighting cats soon followed, as did the patrol to their deputy. Everyone else darted across the black, frozen river and dove into the leaves to fight. Lizardpaw turned to me quickly, his pupils big as moons with excitement. “Come on! Your first fight!” He ran away, too, joining in the fray beyond the leafy wall. But, I couldn’t move, my paws stone. Heart racing, I could only stand and listen to the sounds of pain-filled wails, knowing that my friends, my family, were being killed.
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Chapter 14
As much as it pained me to do so, I had to fight. I had to, or everything would be lost. Maybe they’d think I was too much of a coward, or maybe they would suspect me of being a traitor. Either way, I was done for. Thornstar definitely did not take rebellion, nor weakness. I had to fight, and I had to do something. I had to fight my own family.
It was nearly impossible to drag my paws across the desolate black river, but, somehow, I ended up on the other side. Now, the screeches and battle cries rang in my ears, hurting them in several different ways, my heart aching with them. Before I could even go past the bushes to actually see and, regrettably, join the battle, a body flew out past me. It was Swifthawk, my old mentor.
His white pelt was ragged, the natural black spots now accompanied by streaks of red. His right ear was now also in tatters. All my body could manage to do was stand there and stare at him as he hauled himself weakly to his paws, panting. His eyes landed on me, exhausted and defeated. The strong warrior, the funny cat I had known was gone, and in such a short time, too.
Before we could say anything to each other I was knocked over by another body, this one blurring my vision with gray. “Ravenpaw?” The smaller cat looked down at me, paws pinning my own down on the ground while she stood over me.
“Hi, Dovekit,” I said quietly, in shock and honestly unsure of what else to say. She had only been a kit when I last saw her, which wasn’t too long ago. Now, here she was, pinning me to the ground in a fight. A fight… “What are you doing here?” I hissed quietly, forcing her off and getting up. “You’re going to get killed!”
Dovepaw puffed out her chest. “No I won’t. I’m an apprentice now! Swifthawk is teaching me well,” she declared then flinched as a cry louder than most rang out.
“Swifthawk is your mentor now?” It was a little shocking, but there was no more time for this. I shook my head to clear most thoughts. “We have to fight, the three of us. If we don’t then it’ll look like I did nothing, and we can’t have that. My cover could be blown. You’re safer here with me than the others anyway…”
Swifthawk nodded his agreement. “Show me what you’ve got,” he said with a tired but determined mew. He then lunged for me. I dodge to the side only to be attacked by Dovepaw. She hit my side, knocking me over with force. Swifthawk took the opportunity to jump on me, and they both began to batter me with their paws, but one of them actually used claws. It hurt, but I knew why they did it already. If I didn’t have any battle wounds, then nothing would look real. As for them, they already had battle wounds of their own, so I refused to use claws. My back paws battered Dovepaw’s belly, while my forepaws grappled Swifthawk around the neck; I didn’t want to risk really hurting him when he was so injured already.
Dovepaw backed off thanks to the flurry of paws in her belly, and soon, Swifthawk was off me, too, and out of my grip. I rolled over back to my feet and faced them, bushing out my fur and letting out a loud hiss. Everything had to be convincing. They hissed back, and soon we were at it again. This time, it was mainly Dovepaw and I rolling around on the ground, while Swifthawk stayed mostly out of the fray and clawed at me now and again. I don’t know how long it lasted before Darkapple and the others came through the bushes, bloody and beaten. Yowls of horror and despair came from the other side of the brush wall. “Mallownose!”
I knew already that Mallownose, a kind SunClan warrior, was dead. These fights never ended unless someone was killed. It didn’t matter from which clan, either. NightClan, as I heard from my old peers, would either kill one of ours and count it a victory, or have one of theirs killed and retreat. This time, the odds fell in NightClan’s favor.
Swifthawk took one look at Darkapple and flicked his tail to Dovepaw then ran. The small she-cat, barely 6 moons old, followed. They went through the brush as quickly as they could, Swifthawk with a heavy limp.
Everyone let them go, but Lizardpaw spat at them as they left. Though his fur was ruffled and some red marked his pelt, he still held his head proud like today was a great victory for him. Darkapple glared at the SunClan cats as they left to collect their clanmate’s body and report back what had happened to Mintstar. Then, his attention turned to me. “You look awful,” he growled. “Learn to fight better, coward.”
Darkapple always made my blood either boil or run cold as ice. This time, it boiled. But, before I could give a reply, Snakeheart thankfully intervened. “She fought for her clan and fended off two cats at once. What more do you want from her?” Defiance raged within her eyes as she puffed out her chest and stood up to the larger deputy.
Darkapple narrowed his eyes. “Kills,” he answered grimly then turned and left, going back across the Thunderpath.
Snakeheart just narrowed her eyes back and watched him go, shaking her head. “He’s so dense and cruel,” she sighed. The words shocked me, but I could say nothing. Did she maybe too think that this war was pointless and cruel? “Let’s go.” She went to the path and looked both ways then crossed over.
Lizardpaw and I followed her to the edge with Littlefang and looked both ways. Roaring was heard in the distance, but it seemed far enough away. Lizardpaw and I started to cross with Littlefang now leading. However, half way over, I noticed Lizardpaw turn back and return to SunClan’s side.
“Lizardpaw! What are you doing?” Littlefang hissed from the other side.
I turned to see him digging around in the grass then bending over and picking up something white. A bone. My own paws stuck on the yellow lines in the middle of the path.
Lizardpaw looked over at us, bone in his teeth. He seemed even happier now to have found it, and I knew why. The roaring got louder.
“Lizardpaw, come on!” I mewed urgently. Looking down the path, a red monster came barreling towards us. My heart pounded against my ribs now harder than it ever had before. He could get hit. This was true fear.
At first, the tom padded towards me more calmly with that bone always in his mouth and that look of triumph on his face. But, as the roaring grew louder, and he saw the real threat, panic entered in instead. It took over, and he dove into me. The next thing I knew, we were on the ground and a sickening crack filled the air as the roar died down.
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Chapter 15
The world was upside down, trees in the sky and the sky where the ground once was. While the roar of the monster began to die down in the distance, pain radiated from my back. It was a hot, burning pain, but it seemed to quickly fade into more of a dull, throbbing. “Ravenpaw! Lizardpaw!”
Snakeheart rushed over to me, her face appearing over mine, worry emanating from every bit of her being. “Can you get up?” she asked me almost frantically. Littlefang and Darkapple went around us.
I blinked a few times, kind of dazed, then found my bearings. I was lying on my back, which explained a lot, honestly. In one motion, I rolled to my paws and stood, my legs feeling weak and unconsciously shaking while bearing my weight. My ears angled back when the voices of the other cats hit them. Turning to look over my shoulder I saw two horrific things. One, the fur along my back had been scrapped off, along with some of the skin, causing dark pink patches to be visible with the raggedy patches that remained and some blood to well up. That was undoubtedly the source of the pain. But the second thing I saw was far worse. There laid Lizardpaw with his eyes closed and that piece of bone he’d grabbed for me still in his jaws.
Littlefang prodded at him gently, but Darkapple just huffed. I quickly rushed to him, ignoring my back now. “Lizardpaw! Wake up!” I bent down and nudged his head with my cheek. He let out a small groan then and cracked open his eyes to look at me. I let out such a huge sigh of relief while he blinked more and looked around, never even spitting out that dumb bone.
“He’s fine,” Darkapple meowed dismissively. “It was only his tail that was hit.” He didn’t even seem to care at all.
Snakeheart bared her fangs at his remarks, fur bristling up. “He was still hit! He’s your apprentice; you should care more about him,” she hissed.
Darkapple flattened his ears and narrowed his eyes at her, daring her to say anything to him in that tone again. “He’s fine. Worrying is pointless. The only thing not pointless right now is getting off this blasted path.” With that, he stalked off, back to NightClan territory, flicking his tail in Snakeheart’s face as he passed her.
“Come on. He’s at least right about that. We can’t stay here for too long,” Littlefang mewed, clearly not happy with Darkapple either, but the truth couldn’t be denied. The longer we all stayed on this path, the greater the chance of us all getting hit, and in more serious ways.
“Can you stand?” I asked Lizardpaw, still very worried. His tail was kinked to the side now in a rather unnatural way, but there was no blood, and he did look fine otherwise, just a bit dazed.
“Yeah,” the tom answered, his reply muffled by the bone in his mouth. Why couldn’t he just have left it behind? Or just leave it on the path now?
He stood up on shaking legs, his not shaking nearly as much as mine still were. It felt as if mine would give out at any moment, but he still stood strong. His tail only lifted about half way down it, then the rest of his tail just fell limply where it was now kinked. He didn’t even seem to notice.
Snakeheart definitely noticed, her eyes widening when she glanced at it, but she brushed it off for now. “Le-let’s get back to camp,” she stuttered, her gaze continuously glancing to his tail and then away and then back to it once more.
She turned and led the way back. Littlefang went with her, casting worried glances, too. The two she-cats conversed as we walked back, Darkapple already gone. I stayed with Lizardpaw as we lagged behind; if we went too fast my legs probably really would give out from under me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked him, the concern clearer in my voice than I had intended. I couldn’t help but steal a few glances towards his half-dead tail myself.
He answered the same way, with that vertebrae muffling the sound in his jaws. “Yeah.” The tabby tom looked over to me, seeming confused. “Why are you all so worried? I feel fine. I can walk, and nothing hurts.”
Did he really not notice that his tail was broken? I was no medicine cat, but it had to be broken. “Well, uh…” How was I supposed to tell him? A cat’s tail was everything to them. It was their tool for good balance, for communication, and pretty much the pride of every cat.
“Yes…?” He tilted his head slightly, further pressing the question.
My jaws clenched. There was no way I could tell him. “Snowdapple will tell you.” My gaze fell, ashamed. I just couldn’t do it.
It seemed like forever before we were back at camp. Once we all entered the tunnel, I noticed Darkapple eating a piece of fresh-kill. Littlefang and Snakeheart went to Thornstar’s den, soon going inside when instructed to.
“Come on,” I told the other apprentice, “you really need to see Snowdapple, and so do I.” My back still throbbed. I had seen Lizardpaw cast glances at me like I had with his tail, but he seemed to be the same way – he couldn’t have the heart to tell me how badly I was injured.
We padded up to the den entrance together, and I peered in, seeing the medicine cat’s white and light gray pelt easily in the darkness. It stood out so much. “Snowdapple? We need your help,” I called in, being gentle about it. After our last encounter, it was probably better to be more gentle and soft with her.
Snowdapple looked over to us then nodded. “Come in.” Her mew was quiet and timid like before. She brushed some herbs aside and turned to us as we padded in. She noticed both my back and his tail almost instantly. “Holy StarClan! What happened?”
Suddenly, all her shyness was gone, and she rushed over to my back first, as it probably looked the worst to her. She sniffed it then turned and started using a paw to sort out a few different herbs. She noticed my still shaking legs and rolled a couple tiny, black seeds to me, instructing me to eat them so I’d calm down.
“We were crossing the Thunderpath to come back after a patrol, and a monster came.” I glanced at Lizardpaw then shook my head, a small growl coming to my voice as I continued. “He went back to get me that stupid bone, and I guess the monster was too close when I was only half way across, and he pushed me out of the way.” I shook my head, letting the growl disappear from my tone again. “I guess I skidded on my back or something. But the monster hot his tail.”
For the first time, Lizardpaw looked back at himself, the bone falling to the ground as he opened his mouth in shock. “My tail!” He tried to move it by swishing it around, but only the one half of it moved. The other just dangling there, only moving slightly from the motion of the rest of the tail.
“That sounds dumb and valiant at the same time,” Snowdapple commented then chewed up the herbs quickly and began to apply the pulp to my back with her paw. She turned to Lizardpaw then. “Quit moving it!” she ordered with a snap, making both of us apprentices stare at her in surprise. Lizardpaw did obey.
She finished up with my back then turned to him. “Sit down,” she mewed, her voice soft again. He did so, and she began to prod at his tail, starting from the very tip. “Can you feel this?” she asked him, glancing up.
Lizardpaw shook his head fluffy head. “No. Not at all.” Worry swam in his eyes now.
Snowdapple continued, moving her paw slowly down the length of his tail while she prodded at it. “tell me when you can feel it,” she instructed. Only when she got down right past where it now kinked did he say anything.
“Now.” His ears went back slightly. “Is that bad? Is it broken?”
Snowdapple nodded. “I’d say so,” she answered with a sigh. “It won’t heal either. You’ll never be able to use your tail from that kink down anymore. Broken tails never heal well.” She turned and pawed a few more of those black seeds out from a pile of them. “Eat these.”
Lizardpaw didn’t seem too keen on the idea, even though I had done it. He was probably too worried about his tail now. I would be too. Heck, I already was.
“They’re just poppy seeds. They’ll help you calm down. You’re both clearly in shock, so eat them, and I’ll take care of your tail,” the medicine cat told the bigger tom, not as scared when she had a real job to do.
He put his ears back but did reluctantly eat the little seeds, crunching them between his teeth. I had just swallowed mine whole. Was I supposed to bite down on them? Too late now…
“But I thought you said that it wouldn’t heal? What are you going to do?” Lizardpaw asked, nervous and watching her closely while she made her way behind him.
Snowdapple’s response chilled us both. “I’m going to take the dead part of your tail off.”
“What? No! You can’t!” The tom jumped to his paws again, spinning around to face her. “It’s my tail!”
The medicine cat did flinch when he raised his voice, though it was in fear and not anger. “Looks, it’s useless now. I’m not taking the whole thing off, just the dead part. You won’t even feel it,” she told him, her gaze going to the floor timidly. “If it’s let go then it could get infected inside, or it could get grabbed in battle or caught in things. It’s just better and smarter to take it off.”
He looked to me then, after listening, as if asking me what he should do. What Snowdapple said made sense. It could definitely be grabbed in battles or get caught in things. I wasn’t as much of an expert on infections, though. But I believed her. “Let her do it,” I mewed to him. “If you can’t even feel it then it won’t be so bad, right? And you’ll still have half your tail…”
Lizardpaw cast a glance at the ground, obviously thinking about it. He finally inhaled deeply then let it out in the form of a defeated sigh. “Alright… If it’s really best.”
“It is,” the white she-cat promised then made him sit down again. “Just don’t look, either of you.” She crouched, and that’s when I looked away. But, the sound of more sickening cracks filled my ears, causing my body to flinch each time it happened. Several heartbeats later, I could hear her padding away outside the den.
When she came back in, her muzzle was stained red around her whiskers and chin. Lizardpaw’s tail was bleeding on the floor now, but Snowdapple quickly chewed up some herbs and applied them to the end of his tail with some nettle getting stuck in his long fur. Only half his tail remained now.
“There. You’ll be okay now. Just let that poultice sit on your tail for a while,” she told him then looked to me. “Same thing with you but for your back. Neither of you should lick it off, or do anything to knock it off. Just go and rest for a while.”
We both nodded and thanked her then exited the den. Lizardpaw still picked up that blasted bone he’d gone through all of this trouble to get. “You know, if you had just let that thing lie there where it was then none of this would have happened. Why was it so important to get?”
He shook his head, staying quiet until we reached our den. Then, he dropped it on the pile with the others, next to my nest. “Because it’s a gift for you,” he told me, turning to face me now. “It’s worth a lot in that respect. Besides, it really wasn’t because of this bone that my tail is so much shorter now… It was either this, or losing you to that monster. I couldn’t let that happen. My tail is worth nothing compared to your life.”
Suddenly, the pain in my back was forgotten, along with the worry for it and his tail for the moment. Instead, my pelt grew hot like it was baking in the hot sun in SunClan’s Sweeping Meadows. What he said was so sweet, but what was I supposed to say back?
Lizardpaw stifled a small chuckle, his light-hearted, cheery nature returning. “Your face right now is so funny. But I like it.” His eyes looked so softly towards me, his own anxiety lost to the moment.
I blinked and shook my head to snap out of it. “Well-“ Thornstar’s voice rang out from the middle of camp before anything could really be said back to the chipper tom. The gruff voice was extra angry and demanding this time.
“All cats in the clan gather for a meeting, now!”
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Chapter 16
We both looked to the entrance when the command was called out. Badgerpaw stuck her head inside for a moment, only to further Thornstar’s orders. “Get your tails out here already.” Then, she was gone. Oh, how I hated her and her snippy attitude. Every time I even saw the other she-cat it made my blood boil.
“Let’s go,” I sighed to Lizardpaw and padded out into the camp clearing, the pain in my back now coming back into focus. It was a little slower going because of that, but it still didn’t take too long to come sit with the rest of the gathering clan, Lizardpaw behind.
Thronstar sat high atop the half-fallen tree’s trunk. His gaze surveyed the entirety of his clan, more piercing and harder than usual. Below, among us clan members, was Littlefang and Crowstorm sat close together, their gazes distant. They probably were still shocked by their friend, Blackice’s, death. Coyotescar padded from the Warrior’s Den and sat close below the tree, looking as determined and stone-cold as ever. Yet, behind his mask of stone, I could see his age beginning to show through. He looked so tired, too.
Turning my gaze to the Nursery, I saw Barktail already sitting by its entrance with Shadowkit wrapped up protectively by her mother’s brown tail. Cloudleap was also out, newborn kits at her belly while she laid In the dirt and pine needles, curled around them. Her gaze was the most sorrowful and hollow. She didn’t even seem to try to look up from the ground. It was easy to understand why. If Thornstar had killed my mate, I, too, would not want to even have my gaze come close to looking at him, or anywhere else but the unforgiving earth.
Snowdapple made her way from the Medicine Den and came to sit down beside Cloudleap, whispering something in her ear, to which she gave a shallow nod. Afterwards, my attention was turned to Lizardpaw settling in beside me and Badgerpaw beside him. Snakeheart took a seat further down the line. But, now seeing Badgerpaw compared to the others, especially Lizardpaw, she tiny size was almost mind-blowing. Lizardpaw towered over her. He was already bigger than me and even Snakeheart, but compared to Badgerpaw, she was just a tiny kit almost. Yet, she sat with her head high and chest puffed out, determined to show the clan how powerful she thought she was, at all times.
I rolled my eyes and looked to Thornstar as he began to speak, gaze also flicking to Darkapple right below the leader. Darkapple had just gained more resentment from me. He had left us at the Thunderpath and had done nothing when Lizardpaw and I were in danger. Why couldn’t it have been him that got attacked by the monster?
“I’m sure you’re all well aware of my son’s situation by now,” Thornstar bellowed then. “Word travels quickly through this clan indeed. However, look not upon my son in shame or sympathy. The loss of half his tail saved the life of a valuable NightClan member. Because of his heroic actions, Ravenpaw is still alive to fight alongside us.” His half-dead gaze swept through the silent crowd. Lizardpaw was beaming right now beside me, but I could only find myself trying to shrink into my own skin while my own eyes singed Darkapple’s pelt. “Because of Lizardpaw’s act of heroism, I have decided that he is ready to join our ranks anew, as a Warrior.”
Lizardpaw suddenly perked up next to me, his gaze going right to me as a purr escaped his throat. The tom was so excited instantly, and he clearly showed it, wanting even to share it with me. I was happy for him, of course, but him becoming a warrior meant that I’d have to share the den alone with Badgerpaw. Ugh.
The rest of the clan looked to Lizardpaw for a moment before going back to Thornstar once he continued. “Lizardpaw, step forward.” He did so, chest puffed out and half-tail high in the air as if it was a trophy now. He stopped at the bottom of the tree, gazing up at his father. “Lizardpaw, from this moment on you will now be known as Lizardblight, for your strength and the fact I know you will wipe out anyone who stands in your way.”
The clan started to cheer his new name while Lizardblight faced them with beaming pride. But, I was honestly rather horrified. What kind of name was Lizardblight? I knew Thornstar liked intimidating sounding names and all, but it seemed almost cruel to give the young tom such a name. As much as I wanted to be happy for him, I just couldn’t be, knowing he had that name and knowing that he would be like the others in the clan – kill for it without question.
I noticed him look to me, so I did pretend to be happy and cheer, but no actual words came from my jaws. They only moved in silence, drowned out by the rest of the clan anyway.
Then, Thornstar flicked his tail for silence, and the crowd instantly shushed. Lizardblight returned to his spot next to me, paws now kneading the earth with giddy delight. “This meeting is now over,” the leader spoke, his gaze now falling solely upon Darkapple below him. “Darkapple, you have failed to protect your apprentice and a valuable member of NightClan. You have failed me as a deputy, abandoning your patrol at the Thunderpath.” Thick tension suddenly rolled in like a blinding fog. “You are not worthy any longer of being my successor.”
Darkapple’s strong gaze fell, turning to one of disparity and anger. “No, Thornstar. I was leading them back to camp. They didn’t follow-“
“Silence!” Thornstar snapped loudly, baring his fangs, or what ones still remained in his disgusting jaws. Darkapple fell quiet. “I have been told the story, and I know what fault you are at. I will not receive any backtalk like you are some kit. Keep what remaining dignity you have left,” he growled, almost spatting the words. Darkapple merely nodded, his claws digging into the soil.
“Because of your folly, you are no longer my deputy but denounced back into a warrior.” The clan, previous silent from the thick tension, now let out hushed gasps of shock and surprise. Darkapple dug his claws further into the earth from rage, and now humiliation. “As such, Snakeheart, you will now be my new deputy. At least she stayed with the patrol.” He flicked his tail to the torti she-cat.
All eyes were on her as my mentor made her way up to the base of the tree and Darkapple’s side. The former deputy’s gaze burned her pelt like blazing fire in the forest, but she stood strong and ignored him. “Congratulations,” Thronstar told Snakeheart, happy with his new choice.
The clan began to cheer her name now. This time, I joined in for real. Snakeheart was a good cat. Yes, she still fought for NightClan, but at least she had potential to join my cause.
Honestly, if NightClan were to fall, I couldn’t be the only cat working on the inside. The whole point of destroying NightClan was to reunite it with SunClan, so the fabled GrayClan could come back into light once more, and all cats of it could live together in peace. Lizardblight also had this potential, as did the two queens and Snowdapple. Yet, now was not the time to bring such things up. Soon, I would have to start trying to recruit whomever I could, but I had to exceptionally careful with whom I could really trust. But, for now, I was happy for my mentor and cheered her name with Lizardblight and the rest of the clan, beside Darkapple.
Soon enough, the meeting was over. Cats dispersed to do whatever it was they were doing before, and to congratulate Snakeheart on gaining the new rank of Deputy. However, I was stuck with Lizardpaw, er, Lizardblight speaking with me.
“Can you believe it? I’m a full-fledged warrior now!” he stated with the utmost pride and joy. His paws still kneaded mercilessly at the ground underpaw.
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool,” I said, faking my own excitement. Truth be told, him being a warrior wasn’t the only thing that bummed me out right now. I was happy to have Darkapple denounced as deputy and for Lizardblight getting his warrior name, however horrible it may sound, but with that bad name came sorrow. He would have to move dens, and I really would be stuck with Badgerpaw only.
The tom picked up on my negative mood and steadied his paws, tilting his head to the side also. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy for me?” he asked, ears flattening a bit on his head, a little crestfallen.
“No, that’s not it!” I stated quickly. Yeah, I was kind of happy for him, but I had to keep up the act that I was more than happy for his accomplishment. Even if he was the tyrant leader’s blood son. “It’s just that you’ll be moving to the Warrior’s Den now, and I won’t be…” Hopefully, that would be a good enough excuse, while true but not fully, to cover up my true disdain.
His ears flattened even more as he realized that, too. “But I don’t want to leave you in there…” he meowed and looked down at his large paws, thinking. He suddenly perked up then. “Hold on.” Turning, the tom padded over to his father’s den, where the leader had disappeared into. Lizardblight talked through the entrance, and I strained my ears to hear what he was saying.
“I want Ravenpaw to stay with me,” Lizardblight told his father, to which the older tom chuckled.
“What do you mean by that? I should let her move with to the Warrior’s Den?” Thornstar questioned, seeming amused by the situation. His son nodded, and I heard Thornstar audibly maul it over. He then let out another chuckle. “Taken a fancy to that she-cat, huh, son?” Lizardblight nodded again, and my heart suddenly skipped a beat.
LIzardblight liked me? More than a friend? For real? How could he? I had only known him a little over a moon now. I knew he liked me as a good friend by the way he acted with all the gifts and clinging to my tail all the time but… that’s when the true reality smacked my body like a torrent of crashing flood waters. He really did have a crush on me! A big one… He had risked his life to get a bone he thought I liked, after all. It all made sense.
Before I could dwell on it more, Lizardblight came padding back over to me. I hadn’t even realized that my ears stopped picking up on their conversation. “Good news,” he told me happily. “You can totally join me in the Warrior’s Den. We move there together. My father said that since you’re doing so well in your training that you’ll be a Warrior soon enough anyway. Isn’t that awesome?”
I blinked and looked to him. “Uh, yeah. That’s great,” I mewed, putting in a fake purr. It was nice that I wouldn’t have to put up with Badgerpaw alone in the Apprentice’s Den now, but Lizardblight liked me, and I didn’t know really how I felt about that…
“We can start moving your bone collection to our new nests now,” he purred, his genuine. Without waiting for a response, he turned and padded happily to our former den, a new spring in his step.
Slight anger burned inside my body. He hadn’t even asked me how I felt about all of this. I knew he thought I would happy about sharing the Warrior’s Den with him while I was still an apprentice even, but the tom just assumed that I liked him back. He hadn’t even actually confessed his feelings to me. Nothing. Flicking my tail, I followed begrudgingly.
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 17
Warmth bathed my pelt in the chilly breeze and shade of falling leaves. Fourteen suns had passed since Lizardblight became a warrior and we shared a nest. I myself was still merely an apprentice of the clan, but my skills were constantly being sharpened by Snakeheart’s training. Now, with her being the new deputy, training was even more serious, Thornstar putting great pressure on her and I for my skills as the deputy’s pupil to improve. I would practice every night while the clan was awake and go out during my free time to practice on my own, also secretly practicing SunClan moved I had learned before my move to the rivaling clan. As for my previous meeting with Mintstar and Lightpaw, I had only a few things to report, like Darkapple being denounced as deputy and Lizardpaw becoming Lizardblight, and his apparent crush on me; Lightpaw did not take that last bit of news too happily. It was no secret that he and I shared a special bond. We were best friends but also longed to be more, but this mission was way too important.
Now, I was making my way in the middle of the day to meet with the two SunClan toms again. It was time. Thankfully, my secret entrance/exit hadn’t been discovered yet and closed off, and no one seemed to notice when I left. Well, Lizardblight did notice today, but I simply told him that I wanted to go for a walk. Thankfully, the tom wasn’t too hard to fool.
Leaves crunched underpaw, the ones above turning vibrant oranges and reds as they tried desperately to cling to their branches. The air had a crisp tinge to it, too. Leaf-fall was coming upon us now, and that meant prey would be more scarce in the forest as animals went to sleep, but it also meant that less attacks would happen on SunClan, since their mostly open territory would be covered in snow and NigthClan’s mostly dark pelts would not hide well.
As I neared the Thunderpath border, the sound of distressed mewling and the roar of a monster growing ever distant hit my ears. They angled forward and, sure enough, the sound of the cries was from several kits close by. But why would kits be way out here all alone and near such a dangerous place?
A brisk walk quickly turned into a full-on sprint, something deep within me, like a sort of primal instinct, took over. The mews grow louder the closer I got, desperate for safety. Then, I came to the source. Right by the side of the Thunderpath were four tiny, newborn kits. Two were toms and the other two she-cat, all of them orange tabbies. Three had white bellies and muzzles to break up the ginger coloring, but the one tom was just solid orange with stripes. They couldn’t be more than a sun old. Underneath them was a blue covering of some sort, like a fuzzy pelt but not of any animal I had ever seen.
I got down next to them without even thinking, sitting down by them and wrapping my tail around them then licking their heads to sooth them. It did seem to work, and the kits slowly quieted down, wiggling their way closer to my body. But, I had no milk. Even if I did, what was I supposed to do with them? If they went to NightClan, surely, they’d be made to fight in a fruitless war. But, the same would happen if taken to SunClan. However, they would grow up to be better cats in SunClan, at least. That’s right, Mintstar and Lightpaw would be waiting for me right now for any new information I had on the other clan. They could take the kits back with them. But we had to be quick. The longer I was out here with them, and the longer they were out here, the worse off we all were.
There was no real time right now to wonder how they’d gotten out here with no scent of a mother anywhere. Though, they did smell strongly of some creature I didn’t recognize. Without another thought, I picked up two of them in my jaws at once, a female and one of her brothers. It was just like when I had been with Swifthawk moons ago and had to carry several pieces of prey at once. It was an odd thing to do, but I made it work, and now that odd skill was coming in handy.
As I padded quickly across the dank Thunderpath, the two kits left behind began to mew loudly once again, the two in my jaws staying quiet and limp while I carried them. Thankfully, no monsters came. Since the accident that took Lizardblight’s tail, I had problems coming back to the Thunderpath, but these kits gave me something like courage that I needed to help them.
Thanking StarClan for making it across alright, I pushed through the bushes in SunClan territory and looked around for the two toms I was supposed to meet. It took a moment, but the two emerged through a holly bush of their own, their eyes growing wide at what they saw in my jaws. I set the two kits down, who started to mew again instantly.
“Why do you have kits?” Lightpaw asked, fear almost in his voice while he stared straight at me, hurt already creeping into his amber eyes, golden ears going back.
“They aren’t mine. I just found them on the other side of the Thunderpath, right in NightClan territory,” I assured him, which immediately seemed to give him relief. “There are two more over there.”
Lightpaw let out a relieved sigh but then tilted his head slightly. “More? Why are they even there? And why bring them here?”
“We thought we heard kits,” Mintstar chimed in. “But I had thought it was just echoing from the clan somehow, or in our heads maybe. But I never thought of kits just being abandoned near a Thunderpath.” He thought for a moment, giving me the chance to speak again.
“I think maybe twolegs took them from their mother and left them there. There’s something on them that I don’t recognize. I’d never smelled anything like it before,” I told my true leader. “But, either way, you have to take them. You know not everyone in NightClan is bad, but I don’t want to take the chance of them being raised in it and becoming like Thornstar or Darkapple. Besides, because of their coloring, they’d be discriminated against from the very beginning, not having dark pelts.”
Mintstar bent his neck down and sniffed the two writhing kits. “Yep, that’s twoleg scent alright. Your theory is probably correct. Sometimes when kittypets have kit, the twolegs don’t care much for it and get rid of the kits. I’ve seen it happen before. Redheart was a kit like that, unwanted by the twolegs who kept her mother.”
My eyes widened, as did Lightpaw’s. “What? Really? I never would have guessed that,” I stated, definitely shocked. Redheart was a such a loyal SunClan member and did a great job as its deputy. It was hard to believe that she wasn’t clan blood at all. Granted, none of us had ever asked about her parents, but still. We all just assumed she was clan-born. Hearing otherwise was very odd.
“We will take them back to the clan,” Mintstar decided. “You’re doing the right thing by bringing them to us.” He gave me an approving nod, and it sent a sense of pride under my black pelt.
“Ravenpaw?” I glanced over my shoulder quickly when Lizardblight’s call reached my ears. What was he doing out here? “Where are you?”
“Who is that?” Lightpaw asked, but he didn’t like the answer I gave him. “Oh, so that’s Lizardblight then…” his ears went back again, and his long golden fur ruffled up a bit with jealousy.
“Don’t worry, he’s only a friend,” I reassured the tom. It was the truth. I felt nothing else for the new warrior who apparently had a thing for me. But, my heart laid with Lightpaw. He was my best friend, and it was safe to say I had a crush on him. However, now was not the time for this. I couldn’t be spotted over here on my own.
“Go,” Mintstar ordered firmly, nodding in the direction of NightClan territory. “We will take care of these two, at least. Thank you for all you have done for us thus far.” He gave a nod of respect then picked up the she-cat in his jaws. Lightpaw wasn’t happy, but he took the tom in his, and they both nodded goodbye and left with the kits. Lizardblight still called for me, his voice getting closer.
There was no time to dwell now. I raced back over to the two kits I’d left and wrapped my tail around them again to hush them. “Over here,” I called to Lizardblight.
In a few heartbeats, his fluffy face appeared from around some pine trees, yellow eyes instantly growing big as moons. “You have kits?” The shock in his voice was even more than Mintstar and Lightpaw’s combined.
I put my ears back, tail tip twitching with irritation. “They’re not mine!” Why did everyone instantly assume that? They didn’t even look anything like me! Besides, I was only eleven moons old myself anyway, and still an apprentice. “I found them here. I think a twoleg dropped them off here.”
Lizardpaw let out a sigh of relief then padded over. “Oh.” He bent down and sniffed the little tom and she-cat. “They were sure lucky that you found them then. Who knows what could have gotten to them otherwise? You know how foxes were scented near the Northern border lately.”
I nodded, now feeling a pit grow in my stomach at the thought of the poor little kits being found by a fox. They were so tiny and helpless.
“Yeah, I am,” I agreed in a soft murmur almost. The two remaining kits snuggled up to me flank and each other for some sort of security.
“We should get them back to the camp,” Lizardblight decided, glancing around. He did sniff the air, probably looking for any sign of a mother, but there was none. “Cloudleap can take care of them. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. I know Barktail wouldn’t, but Shadowkit stopped nursing a while ago, so Cloudleap definitely has the most milk.”
I could only nod in response. It would give me a good opportunity to talk to Cloudleap again. Ever since Blackice had been killed, I had been going to see the windowed queen and her kits fairly often for support. Shadowkit didn’t care much for me and was already showing signs of being like Thornstar and the others like him, but Barktail did appreciate my kind company like Cloudleap did.
I picked up the completely ginger tom while the warrior took the she-kit. Together, we padded back to camp, going right past the entrance guard without a word, despite Crowstorm’s questioning gaze. Since it was daylight, most of the camp was asleep, but we made our way to the Nursery anyway.
Peering in, Cloudleap was awake, nursing her two kits already. She looked over, her eyes growing big as moons, just like with everyone else. We padded in and set the two kits at her belly. I explained to her how we had found them by the Thunderpath, abandoned, and she happily took them in and let them eat beside her two own kits. “Will you name them?” she asked me then.
“What? Me?” I asked, not expecting to do such a thing.
She nodded. “You were the one who originally found them, right? They would be dead without you, I’m sure. Seems only fitting that you give them each names,” the gray queen stated softly.
My gaze fell down upon the two who drastically stood out against the gray stripes of the two bigger, slightly older kits and their gray mother. I already felt bad for them, knowing they’d have to train extra hard to be warriors in this clan because their fur wasn’t considered dark enough. But, at least, they weren’t like Snowdapple. At least the tom was completely ginger, and the she-cat only had a little bit of white on her. Poor Snowdapple was pure white with silvery dapples. I’d learned early on that she was given role of Medicine Cat purely because of her pelt coloration. At least these two had a chance to be whatever they wanted in the clan. Not a big chance, but a chance nonetheless. They just needed to be raised carefully so they grew up to be good cats. But, at least the other two I’d given to Mintstar and Lightpaw would be cared for well, as ginger cats were not discriminated against. No cat was, even I with my pure raven-colored pelt hadn’t been. And, Tigerkit and Timberfall were already in SunClan, and they both were ginger tabbies, too. Those two kits would fit in perfectly with SunClan.
“Okay…um…” My blue eyes landed on the she-cat first. Her orange fur was a light ginger, much lighter than her brother’s. Her stripes weren’t very dark either, and the white she did have covered her belly and muzzle and even overtook one of her ears. “I guess for her, she can have the name Petalkit. Kinda looks like a dogwood flower petal over her ear.” They bloomed in SunClan’s territory beautifully with white and light pink petals at the beginning of every new-leaf. Even from NightClan territory you’d be able to see their bright flowers through the other trees.
Cloudleap nodded, seeming to really like the name. A small purr even rumbled in her throat while she gazed down to the little kit. “And for the tom?” she inquired.
I looked to Lizardblight, unsure. Was I really doing this? Finding kits by chance, and now naming them? He gave me a reassuring nod as if to say ‘go on, it’s alright,’ and a slow blink. I took a deep breath and looked to the tom. He was solid, dark orange. His pelt was almost like fire with blazing stripes. “Blazekit,” I settled on. That one did seem to suit him.
“Perfect,” Cloudleap purred, and she began to lick each other little kits, her own and the newcomers. After a moment, she paused. “You know, you’ll have to tell Thornstar about this.”
The warmth that was growing in my belly from watching them quickly morphed into a cold stone. She was right. I’d have to explain to him why I was out while I should have been asleep, where I found them, and everything. Thornstar still scared the living StarClan out of me, too.
Sensing my fear, Lizardblight placed his plumy tail over my shoulders in a comforting way. He gave the softest look ever with his yellow eyes. “It’s okay. We will do it together,” he meowed, almost in a whisper. He then nuzzled up against me with his face, rubbing it against mine affectionately. All I could do was let it happen then give a small nod, looking to my paws now and worry about what Thornstar would do and how Lightpaw would react if he saw us right now. Thinking about Lightpaw in particular hurt my heart.
“Let’s go and get this over with,” I sighed, voice trembling just a tad. Without another word or waiting for a response, I turned and padded out and over to the half-fallen tree that made up the Leader’s Den with its gnarled roots and the old fox den that used to be. Lizardblight was right behind me but came up in front and called in to his father.
It took a few moments, but the ragged tom did poke his head out, his one good eye showing great annoyance at having been woken up. “What do you want?” Had Lizardblight not been his son, I’m sure the one who had woken him up would have gotten a good cuff over the ear, or a clawed smack on the head.
Lizardblight explained everything to the best of his ability to his father, leaving me to just hang back and listen, hoping I wasn’t questioned. “Ravenpaw and I went for a walk together, and we found these two kits by the side of the Thunderpath. They were left there, so we brought them back. Cloudleap is taking care of them now,” the leader’s son reported. It was clear to me, and to my relief, that he was stretching the truth a bit to protect me from questioning. It was also clear that Thornstar took great pride in his son and went much easier on him than the others of the clan.
“We already named them, too. The she-cat is Petalkit, and the tom is Blazekit. They’re both ginger tabbies, but I can tell already that they will make great additions to the clan. You’re always telling me how you wish we had more kits to make into warriors.”
Thornstar’s gaze went to me for a heartbeat but then back to his son, and he nodded. “If they can be anything like Coyotescar, then they will make fine warriors. Of course, they will have to train extra hard once apprenticed because of their pelts, but Coyotescar is an excellent warrior despite being an orange tabby himself,” he decided and clambered out of his den. He stretched then went right to the Nursery. Lizardblight and I followed behind.
Cloudleap, inside, didn’t dare meet Thornstar’s gaze, and she shrank away now. Even from the entrance, I could sense the fear and absolute hatred she had for this tom. And, she had every right to fear and hate him after he murdered her mate, the father of her kits, the one she loved.
Thornstar examined the two new kits with his half-gaze then nodded after a couple heartbeats. “Petalkit and Blazekit will make fine additions to the clan. Care for them well,” he told Cloudleap, a hint of a growl in his tone. He clearly still was not too happy with her either for basically cheating on him. However, he didn’t lay a claw on her and simply pushed past Lizardblight and I to exit the den. “Go back to sleep,” he told us both before going back into this own den.
Both relief and anger flooded my being at once. The kits could stay and had a chance but darn it did I hate Thornstar so much. I glanced to Lizardblight. Sometimes, I did have a hard time remembering that he was Thornstar’s own flesh and blood with how sweet he could really be. He hadn’t even questioned why I was by the Thunderpath or anything and had spoken to his father so I didn’t have to.
“Let’s go back to sleep,” he decided and flicked his tail for me to follow then padded to the Warrior’s Den. An aura of slight excitement trailed off him, but it was honestly hard to tell why it was there. Was he just excited to have new kits in the clan? With a sigh and racing thoughts of everything, I followed. |
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Post by 🍁Searipple101🍁 on Dec 18, 2017 23:57:10 GMT -5
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 18
Another moon had passed, and now the cold claws of leaf-fall were taking hold over the land. The breeze which once was warm now sent chills through the bones of those who bared it. Prey began to run thinner as most of the little creatures scurried away to hide underground until the time of new-leaf. But, this also meant that predators around, including ourselves, were getting increasingly desperate for food. My claws raked across rusty-gray fur, causing a loud yelp to emanate through the pines. Lizardblight attacked from the rear, using his large size to weight the animal down and deliver devastating blows from his paws. Snakeheart jumped on its back, while I continued to slash at its face, its teeth gnashing at me. The creature spun around to face Lizardblight then, shaking him off and snapping at him. But Snakeheart stayed positioned on its shoulders and batted at its face. It rolled, almost squashing her before she managed to jump away. This was my chance. I lunged for it, claws out and ready. Landing square on its face, I slashed furiously at its eyes, crimson flying into the air. It howled in pain and shook its head rapidly, backing up once on its feet again. Now half-blind, the predator ran away with trailing yelps, occasionally bumping into trees and sparsing bushes. “Yeah, you better run! And don’t come back!” Lizardblight shouted after the fleeing animal. He turned to me then, beaming. “You did so well!” My long fur stayed fluffed up, essentially making me look twice my actual size, but I was still nothing compared to Lizardblight. I never would be. He was the biggest cat in the whole clan, and the biggest I’d ever seen. Slowly, the adrenaline pumping through my veins subsided, ebbing away the tension of the battle with it. I allowed my ears to lift from my skull and the fur along my pelt to lie flat again. “Thanks,” I breathed, tired from the intense fight. Snakeheart limped over, one of her hind paws up in the air slightly. “You fought really well, indeed. Especially for that being such a large coyote, too.” She seemed proud, but the pride in her eyes didn’t hide the pain I saw lying beneath. I knew her too well by now. “Thank you, but we should head back now. Snowdapple needs to look at your leg,” I pointed out, nodding to the paw she kept elevated. The other she-cat looked to her own injured leg and shrugged. “It’s only a little bite. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Besides, I need to talk to Thornstar anyway. We never would have even known this coyote was heading for camp in the first place if you hadn’t found that pile of rabbit bones it left behind.” “What are you saying? Why would you need to talk to Thornstar about that?” I asked, confused. Yeah, I tracked a coyote, but we all fought it together. I hadn’t done anything that special. No doubt camp could have taken it on, too. More cats were there, more than three. “Because I think it’s finally time you’re made into a full fledged NightClan warrior,” Snakeheart said with a small purr. “After all the hard training you’ve done, saving those two kits, and now fighting off a coyote after tracking it down, I’d say you really deserve your warrior name by now.” My heart leapt in my chest. My warrior name? I was finally going to get my warrior name? I was still fairly young for a warrior, but if they agreed to it then I wouldn’t stop them. Although, I had to admit that I was a little nervous for it. It wasn’t because of the ceremony or anything, but because I was afraid of what kind of name Thornstar would give me when he gave his son ‘Lizardblight’ and one of Cloudleap’s kit ‘Deathkit.’ What would he think up for me then? “That’s awesome,” I finally mewed, trying to be nothing but excited and hiding my anxiousness. “You’ll finally be a warrior just like me!” Lizardblight said happily, purrs rumbling loudly in his throat. He swished his tail happily, and the three of us went back to camp. Snakeheart disappeared into the Leader’s Den, while I sat in the camp clearing with Lizardblight while he paced around anxiously and happily. All kinds of thoughts were racing through my head about this new name. What would it be? Would it be like the other names I’d seen Thornstar give, or actually different and not so bad? What would Mintstar and Lightpaw think? All of these thoughts were a hurricane until the leader emerged form his den and jumped up to the tree. He then called the clan meeting. Cats came from their dens, or from whatever else they were doing. Snakeheart sat by the base of the tree, where the deputy sat. Her leg was at an odd angle as she sat there, but she held her head high and proud. Snowdapple came from the Medicine Den, but she kept her distance from the rest of the group. The queens and kits stayed at the Nursery entrance. Stonekit, Deathkit, Petalkit, and Blazekit were all about a moon old now and stayed by Cloudleap. They were all still tiny, but they had their eyes open and were watching intently, this being their first clan meeting. Undoubtedly, they’d ask Cloudleap a bunch of questions, too. Shadowkit and her mother sat with them. Shadowkit sat like Snakeheart. The five moon old kit was already becoming more and more like Thornstar and the ones like him. She was already so serious and wanted to defeat SunClan so badly. It saddened me deeply, especially since her parents, Barktail and Crowstorm, seemed to be the kinder of the clan cats. Shadowkit was nothing like them, honestly. Glancing around more, Darkapple came from the Warrior’s Den, clearly very angry. He was still extremely salty about being denounced as deputy. But, he quietly took a seat, yet turned his gaze to burn into my pelt. His hatred for me had never calmed down even a bit, but I’d learned to ignore it. Littlefang came from the fresh-kill pile. Sometimes, I’d hear her talk to others about how much she missed Blackice and Crowstrom. Crowstorm had died in a recent battle with SunClan. It was sad. Badgerpaw had gone with him to StarClan, as well, though, I wasn’t as sad about her death. Coyotescar was the last one to come out, slowly hobbling out of the Warrior’s Den and taking a stiff seat next to Darkapple. Those two seemed to get along well. They were both horrible cats, so it was no wonder. Thornstar looked down at us all before speaking. “This moonrise, we have much to do for this meeting,” he announced. “First off, I’d like to welcome a new warrior into our ranks.” This was it. My paws couldn’t help but knead the ground nervously. “On a patrol, Ravenpaw found a small pile of rabbit bones, and she successfully tracked down a coyote headed straight for our camp. Hushed gasps and a few murmurs erupted from the crowd. “Thanks to her, and the warriors with her, our camp is safe another night.” He flicked his tail for me to come up. “So, I'd like to give her the name she deserves.” Inside my ribs, my heart pounded like crazy. It felt almost like it’d jump right from the boney cage. My legs even shook a bit while I got up and made my way up to the base of the tree. Lizardblight’s cheers for me already hitting my ears. Slowly, I took a seat at the base of the tree, turning to face the crowd of watching cats. Everyone looked generally happy or excited for me except Darkapple and Coyotescar. “Ravenpaw, for your excellent tracking skills, essential structure to the clan, and your odd obsession with bones, I give you the name you shall now be known as. Ravenskull.” Ravenskull… It actually wasn’t that bad of a name. It sounded pretty cool, and, honestly, I had grown rather attached to my collection of bones in the last moon. Some say if you fake something long enough, it becomes real. It was true in this case. I’d faked liking bones so much that I did end up finding them pretty fascinating. And now I was named after them, and it wasn’t quite like ‘death’ or ‘blight.’ The crowd began to cheer my new name loudly. “Ravenskull! Ravenskull!” Lizardblight was the absolute loudest of the best voices. Even the kits cheered for me; I’d grown pretty close to all the ones Cloudleap had been taking care of, her own and the rescued ones. Once the noise died down, I reclaimed my spot next to Lizardblight, actual happiness coming from me now. Even in a clan like this one, it was such an honor to have a warrior name. I honestly could not wait to tell Mintstar and Lightpaw. These acts trusted me so much…that made it so much easier to be a spy. Lizardblight purred loudly and leaned so our pelts heavily touched. This was another thing I had gotten used to, never giving the same affection back, but he flirted all he wanted. It really didn’t seem like he couldn’t get the hint I thought of him as just a good friend, but oh well. He was happy and so was I right now. “Next order of business, I want to welcome a new apprentice into our ranks,” Thornstar announced. That caused a jolt of shock to run through my body. New apprentice? But Shadowkit was the oldest kit, and she was still only five moons. She had a full moon to go before being an apprentice. But, apparently, that didn’t matter to Thornstar, as he called her up to the tree roots. Shadowkit held her head high with tail while strutting to the base of the tree. Her yellow eyes burned with pride and seriousness. She sat before us, chest puffed out and posture poised. “Shadowkit, from this moment on, until you gain your warrior name, you shall be known as Shadowpaw. And, your mentor will be my very own son, Lizardblight.” Another, more intense bolt of lightning shock jolted my body. Lizardblight was going to be her mentor? “Come up and touch noses with your new apprentice.” Lizardblight could not have been happier right now. He jumped up and rushed to the front, pushing through the small crowd and not even caring how clumsy he seemed to be compared to the very poised, little she-cat he approached. He reached her, towering over her like a fox to a mouse. Still, he bent down and stretched his nose out, to which she did the same. Although, Shadowkit, er, Shadowpaw, did not seem overly excited to have him as her mentor. I could only guess it was because their personalities were so different. So far, Shadowpaw was so dignified and careful, but Lizardblight was, in simple terms, a goof. The crowd cheered the new apprentice’s name, to which she looked on pridefully, nose in the air. It was almost as if she was too good for the cheering but still soaking it all up like moss nonetheless. After the cheering died down, the two came back to sit by me again. “Now, our last bit of business. We have to say farewell to an honored member of our clan. He has been a loyal and fantastic warrior for us, but the time has come for him to join the ranks of StarClan.” He looked down to the ginger tom. “Coyotescar, step forward and receive your honorable discharge.” Coyotescar got up to his paws and stiffly padded up to the base of the tree. Thornstar jumped down from his perch to stand in front of his warrior. “You have served your clan very well, and now it is time for you to rest among the stars.” No. this couldn’t be happening. I hadn’t seen it done yet, but I knew what was about to come. This was the reason NightClan had no elders. They killed off all the old cats before they could turn into actual elders. Coyotescar was old. He had been toughing things out for a while now, even when I had first joined the clan. But, it seemed that recently, things had become too much for the tom to bare any longer, and his age really started to show. My heart wretched, not for him, but for what I saw next. “Thank you,” the ginger tom rasped then lifted his head and closed his eyes. With a swift bite from Thornstar, the orange tom fell to the ground. In a matter of heartbeats, he was completely gone and still. My eyes locked on his body in horror while Lizardblight looked away in my peripheral view. I had to force my gaze elsewhere, to look at the rest of the clan. Littlefang seemed completely unfazed, as did Darkapple. Snowdapple actually seemed kind of happy about his death, her eyes having a newfound glint to them. Looking to the queens and kits, Barktail didn’t seem too fazed wither, but Cloudleap was trying to shield her kits’ gazes from the scene. However, Petalkit continued to try to get a good look from behind the gray queen’s tail. Shadowkit, on Lizardblight’s other side, watched with a steely gaze. It seemed that as of late, the little cat only had three emotions: curious, serious, and prideful. “Take his body for an honorable burial.” Thornstar’s rough voice broke my trance. He went back into his den as if nothing had really happened. Littlefang and Darkapple grabbed the tom’s body and carried him out of the camp while Snowdapple soon came to the site with lavender. “Come on,” Lizardblight said to me. “Let’s go to our nests. I want to talk to you anyway.” He turned his attention momentarily to his new apprentice. “We will start training next moonrise.” She simply nodded and went to her mother to talk for a bit. I followed Lizardblight, my stomach in knots. It felt like I was going to be sick. Coyotescar was never a good cat in my mind, always silently judging everybody and lusting for blood on the battlefield. But, it was still so horrible to witness such an atrocity, even when it happened to that monster of a tom by another monster.Once to our nests, I curled up in my own and began pawing lightly at the rib poking out of the pile of bones I had accumulated. It was the very rib that had saved my life the first day I was in this camp. I’d taken up the habit of playing with it when I was upset. “So,” Lizardblight mewed while he settled down in his own nest, “I wanted to talk to you about something really important.” He seemed nervous now too, which was very unusual for the happy-go-lucky tom. He picked at the moss making up his nest, gaze shifting all over the place, from me to somewhere else, back to me again. Sickness turned slightly into intense curiosity. “Yes?” I asked, not sure how I felt about this. Him being nervous made me nervous, as well. There were just so many emotions forming a cyclone inside my body right now. His ears went back slightly. “Ravenpaw- I mean Ravenskull… Um…” He was having so much trouble trying to find the words. Finally, he took a deep breath. “You know how I’m always flirting with you and stuff?” he asked, looking to me anxiously. “Yeah? What about it?” I asked. I was pretty sure I knew where this was going now. “You know I don’t do it back for a reason…” I did feel a little bad, but he was only my friend, and I didn’t have time for a relationship right now anyway. He nodded, some sadness creeping into his yellow eyes. “But I really like you… I know I never really said it before, but now I did. Please, Ravenskull, give me a chance. I want to make you happy. I’d do anything for you,” he half-pleaded. My ears went back, feeling very bad for him. I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Lizardblight, but I just don’t like you like that,” I told him honestly. “I can’t have a mate right now anyway.” He looked so hurt nodded. “I figured,” he sighed. “But at least tell me, is there someone else?” he asked. I nodded. I could give him that much, at least. However, right after answering, I realized that nobody else in the clan could really be my crush anyway. No way would it be his father or Darkapple, and the other toms of the clan were kits or dead. “Who?” he asked, moving into a sitting position now. “No way it’s Darkapple or my father,” he stated, now growing more serious. “Who could it possibly be? Not a kit.” I shook my head. “No, I-“ “He’s not from this clan, is he?” Lizardblight cut me off, eyes narrowing a bit. “Is he from SunClan?” I sat up too and shook my head, not able to give Lightpaw away, even though he did hold my heart. Telling a secret like that now would be way too dangerous. “No. I- I don’t like anyone,” I stammered, not sure how I could lie anymore. “You just said you did!” He growled but then let his gaze go soft, calming his anger almost instantly. “Look, I know you don’t like me the way I like you, and I’ll accept that, as much as it hurts,” he meowed, tone much softer now, too. “But I am still your best friend. I really care about you, and I want you to be happy. Even if we can’t be mates, I still want to be there for you. I’ve noticed how you leave camp secretly every seventh sunrise while the rest of the clan is asleep.” I swear in that moment that my heart stopped beating. He knew? All this time? I had thought I was being so careful with my meetings, but he had known? Had he told anyone? If he had, then all my plans could go up in flames… But, his next words did reassure me just a bit. “I didn’t tell anyone else, but I want to know what you’ve been doing.” He scooted closer. “Please, tell me. I promise that whatever it is, I won’t say a word to anyone else. I want to help you. I want to be there for you, because I love you, Ravenskull.” My heart ached so much, and it felt like one wrong word would shatter my whole world. All the plans I’d been so careful to keep together and execute could be lost in this one moment. But, on the other paw, if I could gain help from some cats in this clan it would make the idea work out so much better. After all, taking down Thornstar and Darkapple, and cats like them, would not be enough to unite the clans alone. We’d need NigthClan cats to agree to unite the clans once more. But, telling Lizardblight was such a huge gamble. Should I? Could I really trust him? Looking into his eyes, I saw nothing but desperate love and hope. He really wanted to be there for me… Ever since being found by Darkapple’s patrol, he had helped me out. He convinced them to take me to camp. He helped me fit into this clan and provided a loyal friend. He even saved my life from the monster and lost half his tail for it… He had done so much for me. It almost felt like a crime to not tell him. With a deep breath, I made my choice. Making sure no other cats were in the den, I leaned in and whispered to him, “I’m not a NightClan cat. I was born in SunClan.” He pulled away, eyes wide. Fear overwhelmed me as I thought he might bolt to tell somebody, but he took a deep breath. “Wow,” he breathed out, looking around. “That’s…a big secret.” The tom made no move to leave. “But I won’t tell anybody. You are part of this clan now.” I shook my head. “No, I’m not,” I said quietly, looking down almost in shame. “I’m in love with a tom from SunClan, and I am still with my birth clan… My real reason for being here is…” This was so hard to say. How would he really react to me saying I wanted to kill his father and other clan cats, even if it was to unite the clans peacefully? Lizardblight interrupted me. “Wait, what did your mother look like? And what was her name?” he asked suddenly. I looked up, confused. Why ask those questions now? What did they have to do with anything? “Uh, like me,” I answered. “Almost exactly like me, pretty much. Her name was Rainyjay.” His expression fell as sudden realization of something huge hit him. Then, sadness and guilt visibly washed over his pelt. “Oh no…” “What?” I demanded, getting to my paws and taking a step closer, looking up to his face since he was taller even sitting there. “What do you know about her?” My heart pounded more than ever now. “I…” He gave me the most apologetic gaze ever. “I’m the one who killed her. I’m so sorry!” Suddenly, it was as if I had gone deaf and only those words echoed in my mind. ‘I’m the one who killed her.’ My heart exploded, and grief I hadn’t felt since I’d actually seen her limp body lying in the clearing of SunClan’s camp swept me away in a strong torrent of despair. No… He couldn’t be… it had to be a lie! It felt as if I had been betrayed by the one cat in this clan I thought of as a friend. Lizardblight had betrayed me, and my trust.✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 19 “Are you sure it was her?” My voice came out in a muffled whimper in my own ears. To me, it sounded as if my voice was being suffocated behind thick fur or perhaps drowned out by invisible water. In any case, it did not sound clear in my ears, and it seemed as if the world around me was dark and drab, yet the trees and earth below spun. Lizardblight was the only clear thing to my senses now, him and his words.
The tabby tom hung his head with sadness and shame, but it meant nothing to me in the moment. “Yes…” he muttered. “I remember doing it, biting her throat. And I remember the screams of her clanmates crying out her name…” His ears flattened against his head, and his gaze moved from the ground to lock with my own eyes. His pleaded silently for desperate forgiveness. “Darkapple made me! I-I didn’t want to, but he made me.”
Grief turned to rage burning hotter than a forest fire. Fur stood on end, and my eyes narrowed as claws sunk deeply into the earth as far as they would go. “Liar!” I snarled loudly, the accusation ringing out clearly throughout the camp. “You always had a choice, but you did it anyway! You’re NightClan, all you cats do is kill my friends and family, my clanmates. You try to take our territory, our prey, our lives! None of you care for us or that we are living cats, too. All my mother wanted was for the two clans to come back together peacefully, but you killed her! You’re all just killers, especially you and your monster father!” At the time, the fact that I was spouting information so clearly in the NightClan camp didn’t even occur to me. It hurt to much, what he told me and even what I said.
True pain reflected harshly in the tom’s yellow eyes, but I felt nothing about it. Without giving him time to get out even a single word, I turned and sprinted away, rushing out of camp, crashing through brush and even thorns without a second thought. Everything was a blur, and my mind was numb as I ran. It seemed like in no time that I made it to the Thunderpath, but I just kept going, some ounce of sense making its way to my brain, so I ran along the path instead of across it. Soon, the forest began to break away and turn to roaming fields, and I broke away from the path. Tall grasses replaced holy bushes and ferns brushing past my whiskers, and the night-time, crescent moon shining brightly in the sky now that it was free from the pine barriers. It cast a beautiful silvery sheen on everything below, giving me a minuscule amount of comfort in my new Dark Forest.
With my lungs burning and the moon’s calming rays, I finally slowed my pace, coming to a steady pad. But I didn’t stop, not until the fields gave way to short grasses and more reeking pavement. Towering dens loomed overhead, casting foreboding shadows like veils of danger over the land. Only when these shadows reached for me did I stop, gazing up in awe at the structures. I had made it to the fabled Two-leg Place which sat above both territories. Had I really run this far? I must have to be in the presence of such odd dens and the strong two-leg scent in my nose.
What now? I could easily find my way back by following my scent trail, but as scary as this place was, it seemed to call to me as if an invisible voice beckoned to me from within the large two-leg camp. It was as if I was meant to be there now, like it was destiny. But, for what purpose?
Paws and lungs tired, I pressed on anyway and padded deeper into the stone forest, following the advice of the mysterious force. It seemed as if I had been plunged into a fantasy world, completely banished from reality with all the sticks and stone placed so perfectly to make up the dens, shiny metal tree stumps sitting about outside each den, and sleeping monsters outside some. With them there, I was careful not to wake them, taking careful pawsteps as I passed by them. Only the sound of crickets seemed to emanate. Until a voice rang out, seemingly with no careful intent.
“What are you doing here, forest cat?” Needless to say, I nearly jumped out of my fur then spun to face the source of the voice, claws out in an instant and fur fluffed.
On top of one of the sleeping monsters casually laid a white tom with a black patch over his glowing amber eyes and his right ear. His eyes looked on with a sort of sinister curiosity. Paws crossed while lying on the edge of the monster’s back, he looked down on me, tail flicking just in view.
The sight of him unnerved me, but I was glad that it was only another cat who had spoken. I don’t know what else would have spoken to me, but who knew what was in this strange world? Still, I stood my ground and forced composure but continued to maintain an aura of caution. “I ran here,” I answered sarcastically, staring back at him, ready to run or fight if he made a threatening move towards me.
The tom rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t tell me why you’re here. Obviously, you came on your own paws, but why? It’s not often that forest cats come here. The only one who comes here is pretty cynical. He doesn’t trust the ones who hurt him, ruined his life. He wants to kill them. Are you like that, too?” he inquired with a tilt of his head. His calm disposition was honestly unnerving.
I flattened my ears against my skull at what he said, but how could I answer? Lizardblight had betrayed me and hurt me so badly… Revenge would feel so good, but having his blood on my claws… Flash images of his lifeless body lying in the leaf-litter and a pool of crimson growing under him, his blood on my paws came to mind. If that happened…if he died at all, by my claws or not, there was no denying how sad I would be. I couldn’t do that to him. He hadn’t meant to hurt me… Yes, he was the one who took my mother away from me, but he had also done so much for me, and the guilt and shame he showed while telling me…the remorse, it couldn’t be overlooked.
I had to forgive him, instead of wishing for revenge. Looking back to the tom, I shook my head with a hard, determined gaze. “No. I’m not like that.”
He nodded then shrugged. “Well, that’s all well and good, but you should tell that to him,” he mewed calmly then nodded as a gesture to look behind myself.
Out of curiosity, I did. Peering over my shoulder, my heart almost stopped to see Darkapple’s shining silhouette in the moonlight and glowing blue eyes of hate. He crouched in a pouncing position then sprang at me faster than I could react.
Before I knew it, I was on my back, his claws sinking into my forelegs and drawing blood. Pain shot through my body, but it was numbed by the pure fear overtaking my body. The look in his rage-filled eyes showed nothing but pure, blazing hatred, his looming body blocking out the moonlight.
“Finally,” he snarled with his broken voice, baring what teeth he had left in his muzzle, “after all this time, I can finally kill you!”
“No!” I yelled, struggling under his grip to no avail. “Why?” Nothing but pure fear and adrenaline coursed through, but my mind was numb once more. I couldn’t think, only act on instinct. The words just tumbled out from my jaws, my mind unable to control the meows my throat made. “Why kill me? What did I do to you?”
His claws sunk deeper into my flesh. “You know exactly what you did!” His tail lashed from behind, all his midnight fur standing on end. “Because of you my voice sounds horrid. Because of you I’m no longer deputy. But since you blurted out your secret plans to the whole camp, I can kill you, and I’ll be a hero! Thornstar will make me deputy again, and then we’ll wipe out all of SunClan in one big surprise attack! And after them, I’ll slaughter that old fool who denounced and humiliated me in front of the whole clan. All the territory will be ours. All of the power will be mine!”
“Now, now, Darkapple,” the mysterious tom from earlier mewed, jumping down from the monster and strolling over to us. Darkapple looked up to him and narrowed his eyes while he continued to speak. “You promised to share the power. I’m aware that you’re a revenge hungry, little beast, but you had better think about what you’re saying here. We had a deal.” He came to stand by my head, so calm despite everything that was unfolding before him.
“You’ll get your share, Fritz. You and all your rogue buddies. But now is not the time for this,” Darkapple growled back at him. His attention might be on this strange tom, but the former deputy’s claws still held me down. “I’m busy.”
Before Fritz could speak again, a blur of brown fur knocked Darkapple off of me, ripping his claws out of my flesh with a wave of sharp pain. I let out a yowl but still quickly got to my feet. Looking over, my gaze landed on Darkapple now grappling in the short grass with none other than Lizardblight. The two toms rolled around in a mass of claws, fangs, and loud screeches.
Fritz looked on by me now, seemingly unimpressed. “How unfortunate,” he sighed as if this was a damper on his night but still no big deal. He turned his gaze to me then while the toms continued to fight, and my heart pounded almost out of my chest. “You’re Ravenskull, aren’t you? Darkapple has told us much about you and how you almost killed him with a rib bone.” He scoffed then to himself. “Pathetic. He thinks he’s so tough, on top of the world, but is defeated by a small she-cat.” The tom shook his head then allowed his gaze to turn sinister. “He wanted to take over NightClan and SunClan with our help, but he doesn’t deserve to rule. No, I do. We do.”
I couldn’t help but look on in confusion as Fritz spoke. What was he talking about? Suddenly, he let out a loud yowl, and, as if summoning dark spirits, pairs of cats’ eyes began to appear as the bodies flowed from the shadows. A little more than a dozen rogue cats came into view, all boasting the same sinister expressions as Fritz. My eyes widened, and heart sank.
Fritz stepped closer, and somehow, I found my muscles stiff with fear from him. I couldn’t step back or lift a paw to swipe at him. Even words or a yelp wouldn’t escape my jaws. He chuckled softly, amused by my response. “I could kill you right now, but you’re no real threat to me or my friends, or our mission. Plus, Darkapple has given you enough grief, hasn’t he? So, I’ll be generous this time and let you live to either run or see our new forest empire rise,” he meowed to me then, without any more wasted time, he padded past me as I stood frozen. His white tail rubbed against my nose as he passed. As soon as he started to break out into a run behind me, the other rogue cats followed after him, ignoring me and the two still squabbling toms.
Things got quiet then for a moment, before Lizardblight’s voice broke the short silence. “Ravenskull!” he said urgently. It broke my trance, and I turned to face him, horrified at what I saw.
Deep gashes ran along Lizardblight’s pelt, seeping blood from under his long fur. His left ear was completely shredded, and he was clearly missing one of his bottom fangs now. The tom limped heavily towards me, panting. Behind him, Darkapple laid in the grass, moaning in agony.
“We have to get to the clan,” he said urgently, despite the pain he had to have been in. “Those cats will kill everybody.”
“What are you even doing here?” I blurted out, unable to say anything else. He must have followed me, but why? After the things I said to him…
“That doesn’t matter right now, Ravenskull! We have to help the clan!” He shook his head. “Darkapple was clearly trying to kill you and overthrow my father and kill anybody else who stood in his way with these cats’ help, but they betrayed him. And now they want to take over both territories for themselves. They’re gonna kill everybody, probably starting with NightClan. We have to stop them! NightClan won’t be able to defeat all those rogues on their own.”
He was right. Thornstar was clearly all talk, so he wouldn’t be able to do much in battle with how old he was now. Snakeheart, Crowstorm, and Littlefang were the only able warriors in the clan right now. Shadowpaw just became an apprentice, and the queens and kits wouldn’t be able to do much against so many attacking cats. Snowdapple probably didn’t even have any battle training at all either. Without us, without help, they would surely all be wiped out.
I glanced to Darkapple behind him. “What about him?” Should we just kill him now, or leave him there to suffer for his sins?
Lizardblight looked over his battered shoulder then shook his head. “Leave him. He’s not going anywhere,” he said then started back for the forest, limping heavily. “Come on, we need to get SunClan. We need their help.”
Without any more hesitation, I bounded after him then pressed myself against him for support. But, he pulled away. “No, go ahead. I’ll make it on my own, but I’ll just slow you don if you stick with me. SunClan knows and trusts you anyway, not me. You have to go and get them to help NightClan as quickly as you can,” he meowed. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”
I looked into his eyes and only then did I know he was telling the truth. He wouldn’t die that easily, and he wouldn’t just lie down in a field when so many cats needed help. “Thank you,” I told him softly, knowing all that he had done for me. Then, I raced off, pushing my paws and lungs harder than ever before. It was a race against time, and even the wounds in my forelegs wouldn’t hold me back. I had to save the clans.
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠ Chapter 20 Trees were a blur. The sun beat down harshly on my black pelt, and my legs and lungs screamed for rest. Yet, I did not slow nor stutter in my rapid steps. I raced into SunClan territory, barreling right through the scent barrier and barely even noticing it. The familiar birch and aspen forest welcomed me back with open branches, but there was no time to stop and enjoy it. By heart, I knew my way back to camp. There was no guard like there always was at this time in NightClan. NightClan would be asleep, vulnerable, but SunClan was alive now more than ever, awake with the sun that watched over them. I only slowed once I was through the camp entrance.Instantly, all eyes were on me. Thankfully, most knew who I was and showed no hostility, but instead, confusion. However, there were those who had been kits when I left and would not remember me. The apprentices were those cats now. Dovepaw and her sister, Emberpaw, were just old enough to recognize me. But one cat did not, a younger blue-gray tom. His eyes instantly filled with aggression. He looked like a younger version of Mintstar, but he already did not act like the tactical leader, but more like the ready-to-fight NightClan cats. Without warning, the tom lunged for me, but it was an easy dodge. Clearly, by size and his level of skill, he had only just become an apprentice, if he even was one yet at all. Before he could lunge for me again with outstretched claws, my hero came to save me from the small threat. Lightpaw jumped in front of him and cuffed him over the ear. “Enough, Waterpaw,” he meowed sternly. “You do not just attack without question unless the other shows clear malice. She does not.” The younger tom looked confused for a moment then ashamed. “That’s Ravenpaw.” The apprentice’s eyes grew wide then, and he looked to me, bowing his head. “I’m so sorry,” he said quickly, with a tone that I would have thought he’d offended a StarClan cat. “Please, forgive me.” The act was weird, to put it simply. I was not some great cat worthy of such treatment, but none of that mattered now. “Yes, fine,” I said quickly then looked to Lightpaw, who had grown significantly, just like I had. Oh, how I had missed him, but now was not the time to gawk. “Where’s Mintstar?” The urgency now returned to my voice.However, Lightpaw looked down sadly. “StarClan,” he answered with a solemn mew. “He was killed by a two-leg two sunrises ago. It took his last life.” Greif began to sink in, but he continued, not letting it take hold of me much yet. “Redheart is leader now, Redstar. And Whitepool is deputy, and Waterpaw there is Mintstar’s son. I’m also a warrior now – Lightstorm. A lot has changed since you’ve gone.” He shook his head, realizing how off track he was getting. “What’s the emergency? Why are you here?” he asked then turned and flicked his tail for me to follow as he headed towards the leader’s den. “I’ll explain it all to Redstar then,” I stated as I followed along behind the large, golden tom. Once we came to the old fox den which had always made up the leader’s den, I slipped in without a greeting. There was no time for that now. Everything inside was the same, except Mintstar’s scent was fading while Redstar’s replaced it. The new leader had been curled up in her nest, but she raised her head for me when I approached, Lightstorm behind. “Ravenpaw?” The red she-cat rose to her paws, turning to face me. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes narrowed slightly, and by the tone lingering in her voice I could tell she already anticipated my arrival as an emergency. “Ravenskull,” I corrected her, just wanting to put that out there since it was my new name. “I have very urgent news, and I need the clan’s help. NightClan is about to be under attack by a legion of rogues from the Two-leg place. My mother was right, so many of them are good cats and don’t want to fight or won’t if they don’t have to. Thornstar leads with fear. He scares a lot into fighting with us, or he brainwashes them into it. But they aren’t bad cats. I have made friends, and they have kits there. Those rogues will surely kill everyone, and NightClan’s numbers are small now. Please, they need our help, and this could finally set forth peace. One battle to end the war.” I did not spare my dignity pleading to her. Redstar had always been a good cat, kind and noble, honorable. Things may have changed a lot on both sides since I left SunClan, but I knew if the lives of good cats were at stake, if I could plead with her, she would not refuse.Thankfully, she nodded to me. “How many rogues are there?” she asked, pushing past me and Lightstorm to get outside. “At least a dozen,” I reported, turning to follow her with Lightstorm still at my heels. “They’re on their way to the clan right now. They could even be fighting them right now. And Thornstar won’t save the kits. I’m sure Mintstar told you everything I reported. Thornstar thinks new kits can always be born again. He won’t spend warriors on protecting them, and that will leave the queens to fend for themselves.”Redstar nodded. “Then we must act quickly,” she meowed then let out a loud yowl. Instantly, cats who had been curious to my arrival gathered closer, steely gazes on their faces as if ready for battle in that moment. “I want all apprentices here to watch the camp. Whitepool, you will stay behind, as well. Make sure no cat but us gets in,” she ordered. The pure white tom nodded his understanding. “Swifthawk and Pinetail, you two are with us. We’re going to help NightClan with a pest problem.” Almost every single cat gave a shocked or stunned expression, whispering among themselves. Lightstorm was the only one who did not do this. “Why should we?” Waterpaw demanded then flicked his tail. “They are the ones attacking us all the time and trying to steal our territory.” Some of the other cats nodded their agreement to the small tom.He stepped forward. “Ravenskull has been living with them for moons now. She knows what they’re really like, and not all of them are so bad. Some of them are just like us,” he told them with head high, pelt radiating confidence. “Thornstar is the evil one. Some may think like him, but most are only scared of their leader. They have to fight or risk a worse fate. We have it good compared to them, but we are SunClan. And SunClan cats are noble, honorable. We do not let good cats die without a reason, and not if we can help it. They have young kits, two of which you all know are Oakkit and Foxkit’s littermates. Are we just going to let kits get slaughtered by rogues?”The small crowd spoke to each other once more. I couldn’t help but admire Lightstorm right now and be so happy that he had stepped like that for me, to support me. He gave me confidence to speak, too. “He’s right. Not all of NightClan are evil. I have met all of them, watching each and every cat to assess what they’re like. Yes, some killed our friends and family…” I gritted my teeth, remembering what Lizardblight had done to my own mother. But, I also knew what he had done for me personally, and the regret in his eyes when he told me so. “But that doesn’t mean that they wanted to do it, or that they don’t regret it. I know some of them, the good ones, would do anything to take back what they’ve done. They don’t deserve to die like this. They’re just scared, and fear makes cats do really stupid things. I know that if we help them, a lot of them will be more than willing to make peace with us. Isn’t that what we’ve always wanted? To end this war of day and night?”Some of the cats nodded, and soon more joined them. “I’ll do it,” Swifthawk mewed, stepping forward. “I’ve always known that you would do great things from the first day I was assigned to be your mentor. Even when you went off to NightClan, and you found me in that battle, they hadn’t corrupted you. I’ve always known that you were on our side. Your mother was a good friend of mine. She would be proud, and so would Mintstar.”I wanted to purr and be sad at the same time at my old mentor’s words. I hope she would be proud. Pinetail stepped up then, her ginger head held high in confidence. “I’m always up for helping good cats in need,” she stated simply. “You two and us three,” Redstar gestured to Lightstorm, myself, and herself with her tail sweeping, “are all we can spare, so as long as you two are on board we will do this.” Unfortunately, SunClan’s numbers were slim, too. We had more apprentices and kits, but about the same number of warriors at this point. But, the five of us would be something.Lightstorm pressed himself to me and nuzzled his head against mine, and I nuzzled his back. I was so happy to have his support. Lizardblight was great, but Lightstorm was the one I’d always loved. Both toms supported me, yet Lightstorm was just special in ways I could not explain. “Let’s go do this, my love,” he mewed to me.I looked up at him with a sparkle in my eyes. “Yes.” With that, I pulled away from him and headed to the rose tunnel entrance. “Come on!” Lightstorm was right behind me, as was Redstar. Swifthawk and Pinetail followed at the rear, and we all took off into the forest with me in the lead. As we ran through the clear woods, it felt as if something was pulling me towards NightClan territory, just like how that something was pulling me towards the Two-leg place. It was that same invisible force, but this time, it also strengthened my legs, taking away the ache and pain in them and my lungs. It was almost as if I was in a dream, running on air. The scent of my mother and the sparsely seen Sunstar lingered in my nostrils, along with scents of other cats that I did not recognize. But, all of them sent the aura of strength and confidence. We would do this. We would save the clans, together.The Thunderpath arrived to us in no time, but with its sight came the distant wails of cats in pain and screeches of battle. The rogues had already gotten to the camp. Thankfully, no monsters were coming, so my small garrison raced across the path and crashed into forbidden NightClan territory. I had to push my body harder, the cries of pain echoing throughout the pines and my ears. But, even with the spiritual help I knew that was there, my body only had so much energy left after all this running. Even my supply of adrenaline was running low; I could feel it in my veins, fading, running on embers like dying fire.I was happy yet had a sinking feeling the moment we reached NightClan camp. I broke through the entrance tunnel, coming to a scene straight out of a nightmare. Bodies already laid in the clearing, blood everywhere while many still continued to fight. Shadowpaw was already gone, in the dust. So was Petalkit. Cloudleap was in the nursery entrance, battered and beaten to the Dark Forest and back but still trying to fend off two rogue toms form getting into the nursery. Petalkit had probably tried to help, being brave and naïve like she was, and ended up getting her life stolen. The others were most likely still in the nursery. Barktail was nowhere to be found. Thornstar was up the half-fallen tree, fighting off cats who tried to climb up to him, the coward. Littlefang and Snowdapple were fighting together, side by side. Only then did it occur to me that they had to be sisters, one destined to be a warrior and the other to be the medicine cat from her pelt color. But they fought together was like they had trained with each other for moons, they were so in sink. But, they were getting outnumbered. A majority of the rogues were either going for them or Thornstar up in the tree. Snakeheart suddenly jumped into view from behind the nursery, blood on her jaws. She tackled one of the toms fighting with Cloudleap, viciously ripping into him.“Who do we go for?” Redstar asked urgently, not sure who was friend or foe here. Or was worth saving. “That’s the nursery, and the tortoiseshell is the deputy. Help them. Protect the nursery at all costs,” I told her.Redstar nodded and took Swifthawk with her as they raced over to help Snakeheart and Cloudleap. “Littlefang and Snowdapple are over there. Help them,” I said nodded to the two she-cats. “They’re outnumbered.” They were getting surrounded at this point. “On it.” With that, Pinetail was off to help her fellow she-cats, leaping on one of the offenders from behind. It seemed that the rogues hadn’t been expecting help for NightClan, and most were being caught by surprise. Thornstar, however, could fend for himself in the tree. If the rogues didn’t kill him, then I would. He needed to die, once and for all. In a sick way, it’d make Lizardblight and I even anyway. A calm voice among the chaotic screams caught me off guard, and, frankly, scared me. “You’ve come with reinforcements, eh?” Fritz padded over to me and Lightstorm as if he had no care in the world but was still maintaining all the dignity he had. A tuft of brown fur stuck out from his bloody jaws. Only Barktail had brown fur in NightClan…he had probably killed her. The way his eyes glowed right now, with creepy calmness yet burning bloodlust made me sick. It was as if all the fighting satisfied some disgusting desire deep within him, beyond his sophisticated exterior. A chuckle escaped his jaws as my claws slid from their sheathes and Lightstorm stood beside me, doing the same. “You think a few extra cats are going to help? You really think you’re going to win? You’ve just given us more lives to take away, and more fun to have. So, I suppose I should thank you,” the evil tom mused, tilting his head back so he had to look past his nose to see me. He was looking down on me like I was nothing more to him than a toy to mess with. Like all of these cats’ lives were just that to him. This arrogant piece of dung would get what was coming to him, right then and there! Without second thought or consideration, I lunged for him with outstretched claws and bared fangs, a battle cry coming from my dry throat. No lack of energy would hold me back now. Anger was an amazing thing, allowing me to continue to go on and on. And now, I would kill this twisted fool. Nothing would stop me.✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 21 The fighting continued, battle cries and howls of pain ringing out every single moment. Time seemed to slow down yet go so fast all at once in that camp. Even as I lunged for Fritz, I could see his unflinching gaze, his whiskers give a slight arrogant twitch, and the way he stood tall as if nothing could touch him.
Unfortunately, he was right this time. Another cat, one of his lackies, jumped at me and hit me from the side before I could even lay a claw on the precious leader. The orange tom who’d tackled me rolled with me in the dust as we tumbled away. Soon, his claws pierced my flesh, and I let out a cry but retaliated with a hard swipe to his muzzle, causing blood to well on his pink nose. He bared his fangs at me as the crimson dripped. Then. Lightstorm was on him.
The golden tom tore my enemy from me and dragged him to the ground. The other tom tried to turn to bite at him, but all got was a mouth full of long, yellow fur. Lightstorm yowled his own battle cry and started to send a fury of devastating blows to the rogue’s face as he laid in the dirt. The rogue had no real way to fight back, especially when I joined in next to my best friend. Together, we took down the ginger tom. That was my first ever kill.
Still, more cats needed to be taken care of. The battle was not even close to being over. My claws now containing the rogue’s blood, I looked around for Fritz, but I saw him nowhere. He must have fled, the coward. Looking back to the tree, I noticed Thornstar still fending off a small horde of cats at the base. But, that was not my concern. Instead, I nodded to Lightstorm and raced to the nursery to help Cloudleap, Redstar, and Snakeheart.
The three she-cats were doing a good job at defending the nursery, but they could only do so much as more and more rogues came to gang up on them. Some had even started to claw away at the bramble walls, while the others held off the she-cats at the entrance, distracting them.
Together, Lightstorm and I raced over to the nursery. We were paw and paw, stepping in sink and even lunging in perfect time at a couple of rogues trying to break through the nursery wall. Inside, the scared cries of the kits could be heard, only further driving my desire to end these rogues and protect the young.
I landed on the back of a large tom while Lightstorm took down a black and gold she-cat. I wasted no time in digging my claws in the enemy’s flesh as far as they would go. His yells of pain filled my ears, accompanying the already ongoing chorus of battle. He began to thrash, trying his best to shale me off, but I stayed strong and held on for dear life. Then, the tom rolled, but I managed to jump off before being squashed under his massive weight. Behind him, I noticed Lightstorm now fighting off two she-cats at once, and it looked as if he was slowly losing.
I wanted to help, but I couldn’t, not until this evil tom was taken out for good. He lunged at me in a blur of brown and black, but I used my quick paws to my advantage. He might have size, but I had speed. It was an easy dodge to the side, and then I came in with a swipe and jumped back before he could swipe back and hit me. I had to go for the quick openings. However, the tom soon learned of my plans and gave me none. Instead, he charged head on, running, not leaping. This meant that if I tried to dodge to the side, he’d only come after me again by changing directions with feet still on the ground. I had to think fast.
So, I turned and ran. I ran across the camp, my mind racing faster than paws on earth. I needed an idea and fast. A tree. Yes! I bolted for the nearest tree at the camp wall and scrambled up its trunk. The tom followed behind me, but before he could lay a claw on the bark, I jumped off. This is what my NightClan training had been preparing me for. Flipping in the air, I landed right behind the confused tom then jumped on him once more, but this time I was only on a for second then jumped off right in front of him. While he had his head turned to look back where I’d been, I took my chance. With a swift leap, I had my fangs on his neck and forelegs wrapped around his neck, holding him there as the life left his body.
However, there was no time for me to even get off him before I was attacked by another, white, she-cat. She hit me hard in the side, knocking the wind from my desperate lungs. I laid on my side as she sunk her claws into my long fur, ripping them down my side. “How’s that feel, huh?” she hissed to me, baring fangs in wicked joy.
The pain seared through my body. It was absolutely agonizing. I could feel the warm blood of mine welling out of the open wound, and I genuinely thought that was it for me, that I was done for. But, at least I’d put up a good fight, for the clans.
I closed my eyes so as not to watch her jaws come for me. The flashback of Darkapple about to severe my throat the first night of my time in NightClan flashed through my mind. Only, this time I didn’t have a bone. I didn’t have that rib that ultimately saved my life. This was it.
Then, the weight was lifted from my side. The pain stayed, but it faded in intensity a bit. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. The sight that greeted me filled me with both joy and worry. Lizardblight had dragged the she-cat from me, and now her snowy pelt was spotted with red as he ripped at her, using his massive size against her. Soon, it was over.
Lizardblight stood triumphant, his fur torn out in patches and gashes all over that still bled from Darkapple’s battle. He looked so worn out, so tired. Yet, here he had been, willing more and more strength out of nowhere. He turned his head, revealing a large scratch over his closed right eye and the tired happiness in the other yellow one. Of course, with so many rogues still left in the camp, one got to him from behind. He flopped to the ground and only laid there as he took the beating from the new rogue, obviously having no energy left after everything.
I wanted to help, but before I could even get to him it was over. The rogue was dead. Lightstorm had jumped to the rescue before I could even will my aching muscles to move, and he’d killed the rogue. He had saved Lizardblight. Thankfully, my friend’s sides still heaved up and down as he took ragged breaths. He was still alive, thank StarClan. But, it was not over yet. While the rogues were thinning in numbers, they were still fighting hard.
Lightstorm stood guard of Lizardblight as two more rogues came for them. He stood so bravely, despite his golden fur missing patches and the way his legs shook from the use of so much energy so quickly. I had to help. The smell of my mother wafted into my nose, and I knew then that we would win this fight. She gave me her energy, and more scents of cats I’d known in the past and even ones I had never met surged around me as I made my way to Lightstorm’s side. Then, the cloud of spirit cat scents surged around us all, allowing us their strength to aid us in this fight. Together, we defended Lizardblight and the camp. All of us defended, and soon the few remaining rogues fled with the sound of a distant, commanding yowl from the forest. Fritz was calling them back.
After they all left, the camp was left in near shambles with the dead littering the dust like leaves. Thankfully, most of them were the bodies of fallen rogues, but some of our own had still gone. Pinetail was gone. Redheart also laid in the clearing, motionless. But, out of it all, my eyes landed on Snowdapple as she laid a little ways away, her sides barely moving as she laid in a pool not of water.
I went to her quickly, my heart wrenching with sorrow. She looked to me with pain filled, tired green eyes, but there was also joy in them and not a hint of anxiety. But why the joy? She was dying! She took shallow, ragged breaths but maintained that happiness.
I felt a lump in my throat and a heart like stone as I fought back a cry of sadness. “Snowdapple… I’m so sorry,” I managed to choke out. I hadn’t been particularly close to her, but I wanted to be. Ever since meeting her for the first time I had wanted to be her friend, to show her that she didn’t have to fear every cat or expect them to hurt her. I had wanted to give her a sense of peace and confidence, to let her live happily and in peace with the united clan. But now, that dream would never come true.
Snowdapple let out a small chuckle as I already mourned her death, gathering my shocked attention. “Sorry?” she rasped. “What are you sorry for? You’ve saved us. I may be going to join StarClan, but I know that because of you this clan will no longer be as cruel as it once was. Lizardblight told me of your plans. I’m glad to have been able to see the two clans come together to help like this.” She took a slightly deeper, hoarse breath then exhaled slowly, blinking. “Thank you, for helping us. You’re a hero.” With that, she closed her eyes for the last time. Watching the formerly scared, kind she-cat take her last breath tore my heart in two. I let out a loud, mourning cry. Soon, I was joined by others, and we cried out in a grieving symphony.
But, it only lasted a short time before a malice-filled growl pierced the air. “What are you all waiting for?” Thornstar clambered from the half-fallen tree he’d been keeping himself safer on. He didn’t hardly have a scratch on him. His paws hit the blood-soaked soil, and all he could do was look around at the remaining cats of his former clan with anger – Cloudleap, Snakeheart, Littlefang, and the very injured Lizardblight. “Get these filthy SunClan fleabags out of my camp!” his fur lifted up once more along his spine as he looked around.
We all looked at each other and then back at him, Sun and Night alike. “We will not fight you any longer.” Snakeheart stepped forward. Her left ear was shredded, and she had open wounds along her body, but she stood tall and confident.
Cloudleap, another previously anxious and timid she-cat like Snowdapple, stepped forward proudly. “These cats helped us. Without them we would have all surely been wiped out. We will not fight them anymore.”
Thornstar narrowed his one good eye at her then bared his fangs. “Who do you she-cats think you are? You’re pathetic!” he spat then looked to his son. “Lizardblight, speak some sense into them.”
Lizardblight could barely get to his paws, but he managed as Lightstorm went to help support him. The tiger tabby now seeming to be missing an eye almost exactly like his horrible father. “They’re right. Without them we would have been wiped out. We have fought together, as one clan. We helped each other. Without these cats I would be dead, too. I owe them my life.” He looked to Lightstorm with gratitude who nodded silently back a ‘you’re welcome.’ “You were a coward, Dad. While we fought and gave our lives, you hid to only save yourself, just like you’ve always did. You never once came to fight with us once you became leader. You were always hiding away in your den, expecting us to do all the work. You never even hunted for the clan, yet took all the prey for yourself!”
Thornstar looked on at his son in shock. But, shock quickly turned into burning fury. “You’re all traitors! All of you! You should have all died! I don’t need you,” he spat at everyone, baring fangs and claws.
I stepped forward then, exhausted but still feeling my mother’s energy aiding me. I held my head high, piercing the old tom with a deep blue gaze of pure strength. “It’s over, Thorn.” He didn’t deserve the ‘star’ in his name. “You’re nothing.”
He dug his claws into the earth. “I’ll show you, you filthy spy!” he howled then lunged for me, but I didn’t even have to move. Snakeheart and Cloudleap jumped for him, quickly ending his final life. Like Fritz had done before, I stood confidently, maybe even arrogantly. But, I still had modesty. I was still noble, unlike that rat of a feline.
Looking around at the bloodied clearing, the dens were pretty much destroyed. Bodies still littered the area, but we had won. There was still life. The small heads of Deathkit, Stonekit, and Blazekit poked out of the nursery entrance cautiously. But, seeing that all was calm now, Deathkit bounded over to me and nuzzled his head against my flank. “I knew you’d save us!” he said happily. Soon, the other two kits followed and gathered around me.
I looked down at them and shook my head. “I didn’t save you. We worked together to save each other," I told them and looked back at the living cats now gathering around me. In the background, misty shapes soon took the form of other cats, stars glittering in their shimmering pelts. More and more continued to appear all around the camp. Some I knew from SunClan, some from my dreams, and some I had never seen before but knew were former NigthClan from their dark pelts. Among the crowd, I spotted my mother and the proud look she gave me from the back. Pride and joy surged through me like a strong river current. “We are together!” I shouted. The crowd of cats, both living and passed, erupted in cheer. We all cheered those words, together, as one big unit.✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 22
“So, what now?” Cloudleap asked from where she was by Snakeheart. “Our camp is destroyed, and there’s so much death here…” She glanced around at the area, clearly not liking what she saw. Who would?
“You will come back with us,” I stated confidently.
Redstar lifted herself up off the ground, her rusty fur more vibrant now from the liquid of battle. But, she was okay, though, a life had probably been taken. She made her way to me side and looked to me with confusion and then placed her ears back in irritation. “We did not agree on that. I agreed to help them with the fight, not bring them back to our camp,” she quietly hissed to me.
“Redstar, while I respect your authority, they have to come back. They won’t survive out here with so little cats. Half of them are kits. What if the rogues came back, or what if a coyote attacked? What then?” I asked of her, putting my own ears back slightly. “Mintstar respected my wish to join them to stop the war. I have done that, but I am now respecting the wish of my mother. Her last dying wish was to reunite the clans. They were once one, weren’t they? GrayClan can exist again if we’re willing to give it a try.” We had to try. My mission was almost complete. I was so close, and then I could finally be a normal cat and be happy with Lightstorm.
“Do you really think SunClan will want them there?” Redstar meowed louder then looked to the surviving NightClan cats. “Bringing them back would only cause chaos. These cats killed our friends and family, including yours. They killed your mother.” I couldn’t help but glance at Lizardblight then when she said that. “Besides, who would be leader of the newly formed clan? Either side is going to want a cat from their former clan to lead.”
She had some good points, and, looking down, I had to ponder for a moment. But, the answers soon, thankfully, came. “I forgive them for what they did, and I hope that they can forgive us, as well,” I answered then glanced to the survivors yet again and back to Redstar. For this cause, I could forgive Lizardblight for what he’d done to my mother, and after everything he had done for me. “If the others are all okay with it, from both sides, I will lead. At least, for a while.” They all knew me. All the survivors of NightClan and the cats older than apprentices in SunClan all knew of me and what I was like. Maybe I’d changed over time, but I was still generally the same. And, maybe I could receive some guidance from the starry cats that had now faded from our plane and went back to StarClan.
Shock went through Redstar’s eyes as she looked to me. “Do you really think everyone will just forgive each other just like that? You really think that will be a reality? Or just let you, someone so young, lead us all?”
Redstar had been a good deputy. I know she was only trying to keep the newfound peace and look out for SunClan, but this wasn’t about just SunClan. She needed to understand that. But, before I could even speak, Lightstorm stepped up.
“I will gladly follow under Ravenskull’s lead,” the golden tom mewed confidently. He still supported Lizardblight’s massive body, even though he was dwarfed under the cat twice as big as him. “And I will do my best to live along these cats if they will do the same for us.”
“I will do both things, too,” Lizardblight chimed in, clearly exhausted but still doing his best to stand strong, with Lightsotrm’s help. The sight did really aid to visibly show that being close and agreeing was totally possible with a SunClan cat helping a NightClan cat and them both choosing to follow under my rule. It really did touch my heart.
“I’ll do whatever Ravenskull wants,” Deathkit pipped up, too, puffing out his dark gray chest.
“And me! Me, too!” the other two kits added. Littlefang simply nodded, not saying a word.
“If you will take us, I will do whatever it takes,” Cloudleap also meowed. “For ending Thornstar’s horrible rein, I owe Ravenskull my life. She saved me, my kits, and all of us from more lives of war and bloodshed. Senseless bloodshed, if you ask me.”
Snakeheart was the last of the NightClan cats to speak up. She was quiet for a moment but then shook her head and looked to me, admiration glinting in her eyes. “You were a good apprentice. I’m glad you’ve turned into such a good warrior, and leader.”
I would be lying if I said all their words hadn’t made my heart swell with overwhelming joy. They all accepted me not only as a hero, but more importantly as someone they could count on. They trusted me to lead them and would work to live alongside SunClan as one unit once more, just like the stories of the past told.
Redstar looked to them all and then to Swifthawk. Swifthawk was pretty battered and beaten, but he stood as tall as he could and nodded. “She is a good warrior and would make a fine leader. She cares for us all as equals and only wants what is best. There isn’t much more one could ask from a leader,” he stated, giving a slight purr, as well. He was such a great mentor and cat, and I was lucky to have been his apprentice if even for a short time.
Now defeated by those in the camp, Redstar sighed. “Fine. We will take them back, for now. But, the rest of SunClan needs to decide if they are okay with this all. It needs to be a unanimous vote. Does that at least sound fair?” she asked of me, not addressing any of the other cats.
I nodded. “I only want what is fair and best.” With that reply, she nodded and walked out of camp with Swifthawk. I looked to the others. “Let’s go. We have some distance to cover,” I told them.
Cloudleap gathered Blazekit in her jaws, and Snakeheart took Stonekit. Littlefang could have taken Deathkit, but she had a nasty gash on her flank and would limp heavily. So, I took the kit instead. Glancing to the two toms, Lightstorm continued to support Lizardblight as they slowly made their way out of camp. The dead would all have to be buried later, after things with the clans got sorted out.
The trek back was a slow one, but we all managed to make it back and marched into camp together. Gazes were on us the very heartbeat we came through that rose and bramble tunnel.
Redstar had made it back before us, and her and Swifthawk were talking to Whitestorm and the elder Timberfall. Her foggy, blind eyes did not see us, but that didn’t stop her dead gaze from boring into me. The apprentices were standing in a little group together, gossiping among themselves as they watched us all with so much suspicion in caused the tension in the air to grow thicker like overgrown bramble vines. In the nursery entrance was Cherrycloud with a single white kit that only had a few specs of gold and pale blue eyes like her mother. Petalkit and Blazekit’s two littermates were there too, their ginger and white pelts more than showing their close relations. Tallbirch, the medicine cat was nowhere to be seen.
“Hello, everyone,” I said after setting Deathkit down, my voice trembling just a bit. How could I not be nervous? This dream of the clans coming together was so close, but if I messed it up now then everything could be lost. “I guess you all know everything already?” I asked. “From Redstar and Swifthawk?”
Some nodded but others just continued to stare. “Right…uh-“
“Let’s just vote,” Redstar cut in. Though it was rude, I was happy she had done so. “Are we all okay with these NightClan cats living with us here? Could we call them our friend and clanmates, after everything?” she paused, clearly not wanting this to be a reality, but I saw her swallow her pride. Her tone went straight from angry to soft in no time at all. “Can we forgive them and allow them to forgive us, so that this war never has to go on anymore?”
“I promise, we only want peace now,” Lizardblight announced weakly. He had to lie down then, Lightstorm gently helping him to the ground then standing by him. “Please, forgive us for following such a corrupt and cruel leader. We have all suffered because of him, some more than others. But, we do not have to suffer from this war anymore.” He began to pant, and I feared he may just pass out right there.
The SunClan cats looked to each other and murmured whispers. I feared they would reject the offer, never able to forgive those who took the lives of their clanmates. Yet, everyone had suffered greatly and had lost friends and family, not just SunClan. Still, most probably would not see it that way.
However, the two ginger and white kits began to make their way over to us, their eyes locked on the littermate they did not know they had. “Oakkit, Foxkit, come back here,” Cherrycloud scolded, but the kits ignored her and walked until they reached their littermate. Too bad their other one, Petalkit, had died in the battle.
Addressing the clan and voting slipped my mind for a moment, the thought of now reuniting the littermates I’d found together suddenly more important. “Hello, little ones,” I mewed softly. “This is Blazekit, your brother,” I told them. I didn’t even need to tell them the story, as the little kits sniffed each other for a moment then began to chat with the most welcoming tone.
“Hi, Blazekit. I’m Oakkit,” the ginger tom said happily, puffing out his furry chest.
“And I’m Foxkit,” she she-kit mewed.
Blazekit was hesitant. Probably traumatized by what he’d witnessed back at NightClan and now scared to be in this new place. But, he soon warmed up to them. It always helped to have others be so welcoming and glad to have you there. The best part was kits didn’t even care about the differences. They were littermates, both from their parents and now from the clans. They began to play. Deathkit and Stonekit even joined in, as did the little calico kit that was undoubtedly Cherrycloud and Whitestorm’s only kit. As I watched them and then looked up at the other cats, it was clear that not only my heart had been warmed by this sight.
“See?” I spoke up again, taking the oppertunity. “The kits can get along, so we all can too. We all wanted the war to stop, right? Well, now it’s over. Now, this is our chance to make history, to make sure the war never starts up again. This is our chance to form GrayClan once more. It was an important part in the history for both clans, but now it can be real once more. Please, allow these cats to join us and to be our clanmates. GrayClan blood runs in us all.”
“I will gladly accept them,” Lightstorm meowed, backing me up like he’d done several times already.
“As will I,” Swifthawk spoke up.
Cherrycloud, seeing the kids play so happily together like nothing had ever been wrong, nodded. “Very well,” she said quietly.
Before anyone else could speak, Tallbirch suddenly emerged from her Medicine Den. “What are you all waiting for? I want all injured in my den right now,” she ordered. She had been one to be shy before, but in a medical situation, I remembered then, the white and silvery tabby she-cat could really take charge.
She rushed over to Lizardblight and sniffed him. “Your wounds are very bad, and you’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m amazed you’ve even made it this far,” she told him.
Lizardblight had a playful sparkle in his remaining amber eye. “How could I just give up after everything? I have to see GrayClan for myself,” he said weakly, clinging to life with such a determined hold yet.
She nodded, some admiration in it. “Help me get him up and over to my den,” she told Lightstorm, who didn’t even hesitate to do so, supporting the large tom’s weight once more as they slowly made their way to the den. Watching that scene pretty much solidified it for everyone. If some respected warriors and their medicine cat could treat a NightClan cat as an equal with no problem, then they could at least try.
“So, who will be our leader then?” a blue-gray tom who looked so much like Mintstar inquired.
“I will,” I told him, some sadness welling up at the sight of this tom. Could he be Mintstar’s son? He was an apprentice, but a very young one at that. “My name is Ravenskull.”
His blue eyes widened then as if he was in the presence of a legend. But, I was not one. Maybe the clan had talked about me and how crazy I was to unite the clans, but here we were. Here I was, about to lead them.
Holding my head high with newfound strength and pride, I pushed aside the tiredness in my body once more. “I will lead you all,” I announced, my voice strong, “and together we will all prosper as one. We are GrayClan, and we are strong and loyal, but most of all merciful and forgiving. GrayClan lives!”
The cats around joined in cheer. Well, most of them did. Dovepaw and Whitestorm still seemed skeptical, as did Littelfang, even though she had already greed to this. But the others, even Redstar, or perhaps Redheart once again, joined in. “GrayClan lives!”✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 23
“Let all cats who can hear my voice gather for a clan meeting!” As I called out those words anxiety prickled in my paws. This was how leaders normally called clan meetings, right? I knew that in my memory it was true, but my heart still pounded against my rib cage in self-doubt. Thankfully, the clan began to gather.
It was the next sunrise, so every cat had had a chance to find a nest in their respective new or old dens and get some sleep. Now, they all emerged from the dens and gathered beneath me on the ground below the jutting boulder in which made up the perch where the SunClan leader would normally call meetings from. Everyone who had been in the battle the day before looked very tried but still gathered anyway. Unfortunately, I noticed a few SunClan cats keeping their distance from the NightClan cats. Like Whitepool. He stayed away from the darker pelted cats, sitting instead on the edge of the crowd with Redheart and two of the three SunClan apprentices. However, it did bring me joy and hope to see all the kits happy together with Cloudleap and Cherrycloud chatting together at the nursery entrance. And, it was nice to see Lizardblight in the Medicine Den entrance with Tallbirch and Lightstorm by him; him and Lightstorm looked like they would be good friends soon.
Once everyone was gathered, I looked down at them all with a sweeping gaze. I took a deep breath before speaking to clam my nerves. “Okay, uh, I want to start off this first meeting by stating that I will not take ‘star’ into my name.” A few gasps came form the crowd and some murmurs. “Because,” I continued, “I want my name to be from SunClan and NightClan. I want them to mingle to be a GrayClan name. I’ll still lead, but I want my name to stay Ravenskull as it is.” It’s not as though I wanted to honor Thornstar by keeping the name he gave me, but the ‘skull’ from NightClan, and I needed that along with the ‘Raven’ my SunClan mother had gave me. My name, my very existence, would be a symbol of the new GrayClan.
“Also,” I went on, swallowing to keep my heart in my chest, “I want to appoint a new deputy.” Whitepool’s eyes widened, and I turned to address him. “I’m sorry, Whitepool, but I need a deputy that I know will treat each cat fairly and equally, no matter what clan they came from. We’re all GrayClan now.” Whitepool did not look happy, but he remained quiet and simply nodded.
I did feel bad from stripping him of his deputy title, after he had only had it for such a short time, too. But, it was what needed to be done to ensure that everyone would be treated as a clanmate and not an enemy, or even former enemy.
“My new deputy shall be Lightstorm.” I turned back to him, and he perked up from where he was at Lizardblgiht’s side. Lizardblight gave him a warm look and opened his jaws, probably saying his congratulations.
Lightstorm nodded to the other tom then padded over and in front of the boulder to stand and look up at me. “I humbly accept and promise to do my best to care for the clan as a whole and treat each cat as a friend,” he vowed, dipping his head then.
I nodded, glad he was so willing. “Thank you,” I told him, feeling a little less nervous now that the two biggest things were over now. However, that didn’t last too long.
“Lightstorm can’t be deputy,” Whitepool called out then. “He hasn’t yet had an apprentice. StarClan would not approve.” Redheart nodded her agreement beside him, and a few other cats began to murmur to each other.
I shuffled my paws. “Well, let’s look then,” I said and looked to the clear sky. “StarClan, give us a sign if Lightstorm is not to be deputy.” Everyone looked up and around, but nothing happened for several heartbeats. I looked back to Whitepool then. “I don’t think they have a problem with it,” I meowed, still nervous but a bit more confident that StarClan seemed to have approved my choice. Whitepool went silent and nodded simply then looked down.
I let out a silent sigh of relief, glad to almost be done with this. But there were still a couple more thing to be taken care of. “Deathkit, will you come here please?”
The biggest of the kits looked over with surprise that quickly turned to sparking pride and happiness. He said something to the other kits then bounded over, gray tail high in the air. He skidded to a stop in front of the boulder and where Lightstorm had taken his place below it, where the deputy should sit. My gaze was then met with glowing, wide amber eyes.
“Deathkit, Thornstar gave you a horrible name,” I told him, watching the shine leave his eyes. “No kit should ever be named such a thing. That is why I will now give you a new name, a better one. A name that will show your strength and bravery.” I was told earlier how during the whole battle with the rogues the little tom had been comforting and protecting the other, smaller kits in the nursery. Even when Petalkit had gone he had stayed and defended his fellow clanmates and reassured them.
The dark gray tom perked up now. His black tabby markings looked like rippling water in the wind from up above. And his amber eyes glowed once more, now with anticipation and excitement.
“Deathkit, from this point on, until you become an apprentice, your name will be Stormkit,” I announced. “You have shown great courage and bravery during the rogue battle, despite being so young. I am proud of you for staying with the other kits and defending them. I know that once you become a warrior, you will wipe out any threat to defend your clanmates, just a like a storm.” I then added, “Just never forget to listen to that big heart of yours, too.”
Stormkit nodded vigorously, and the clan began to chant his new name with pride. It was evident that they hadn’t cared too much for his first name either. Stormkit was much more fitting. The little tom turned to face the cheering crowd for a moment, soaking in the attention for a moment before racing back to the other kits and then getting playfully tackled by them while the queens looked on happily.
“Okay, last bit of business,” I announced. “Emberpaw, you will need a new mentor since Pinetail is no longer with us…” The calico she-cat nodded from the crowd. “That is why I want Snakeheart to be your new mentor. She taught me well and will teach you well, too.”
The mostly orange-brown apprentice looked over to the former NigthClan she-cat, putting her ears back a bit and twitching her tail, clearly not happy with my choice. But, I had given her a former NightClan mentor for a reason. She, like the rest of the apprentices and some other former SunClan needed to learn that these cats were good and just like them. Snakeheart was a great cat and mentor, too.
Snakeheart made her way to the foot of the boulder faced the crowd. Reluctantly, Emberpaw padded forward and stopped a short distance away from Snakeheart. The tortoiseshell warrior stretched her nose out to touch noses with her new apprentice, but it took a moment for Emberpaw to step closer and just barely touch noses for only an instant then pull away. She then quickly went back to her place among the SunClan cats who cared not to mingle with their new NightClan clanmates. Snakeheart looked only a bit disappointed, probably hiding the rest of it deep inside, and she went to have a seat once more.
With that, I ended the meeting, not as satisfied as I could have been. But, it could have gone a lot worse. Noticing the fresh-kill pile seemed to be low now from my higher vantage point, I jumped from the boulder and turned to Lightstorm. “Good job on the first GrayClan meeting,” the golden tom praised me with a warm gaze and slight purr, causing my pelt to get just a bit warmer.
“Thanks,” I replied, looking down in slight embarrassment. But then I looked back up, taking the prey situation more seriously. “I want you to organize a hunting patrol and see if you can get anymore prey. We are a bit lower than I’d like,” I told him.
Lightstorm nodded. “Sure thing,” he responded without a problem. “I’m glad you’re leader and that you made me deputy. I promise to do my best.” He nuzzled me, and I nuzzled him back, not able to hold back a purr.
“I’ll be back soon with some more prey.” With that, he called Swifthawk and Dovepaw over to him, along with Redheart and Waterpaw. The cats all gathered together and walked out together, Redheart not seeming too happy but not complaining either as she brought up the rear.
I had come to learn that Waterpaw was Mintstar’s son, and that his mate, Batfoot, had been pregnant with him when I left the clan but died bringing him into the world. Waterpaw was a lot like Mintstar. Not just in looks, but he also accepted NightClan as part of the new GrayClan without much problem. He was the only apprentice who didn’t seem to mind them being here, while Emberpaw and Dovepaw noticeably not too thrilled. It seemed that the Great Death War between the two clans still was not completely over yet.
I shook my head to clear it of those kinds of thoughts. More still ended to be done, like burying those NightClan in the old camp who had fallen in the rogue battle. Glancing around, I called for some able-bodied cats to go to the camp and help me with the bodies. “Whitepool, Snakeheart, Emberpaw, and Littlefang, would you all mind coming to NightClan’s camp and helping me bury everyone who deserves it?” I asked.
Littlefang quietly padded over and nodded; she had been very quiet and not really spoken since the rogue battle. She was probably taking it all really hard. Snakeheart came over, a lot more open and trying to be happier. “No problem,” she meowed then glanced as Whitepool and Emberpaw came over begrudgingly. I caught Emberpaw muttering to herself, “None of those NightClan deserve it.”
I said nothing about this but was no pleased by her continuing hatred of NightClan. I know they had killed her parents, but they had killed mine, too. Yet, I forgave them and understood them, that not all of them were bad. The bad ones were dead. But, I figured, she didn’t understand like I did. She was too young and hadn’t spent so much time with the clan like I had.
“Let’s move out then,” I said but turned as Cloudleap padded over.
“I’m coming, too,” the white and gray she-cat decided, more firm and confident that I’d ever heard her. Her gaze even shown that this was simply something she had to go and do, and I would not be the one to stop her.
“Very well,” I said and padded to the entrance. “Let’s go.” I led the way out, and, once out, looked back to see Littlefang, Snakeheart, and Cloudleap following me but Whitepool and Emberpaw keeping their distance at the rear of the group. I only sighed quietly and continued on through the brush with the patrol behind.
Everyone was pretty quiet as we walked through the territory, eventually making our way to the Thunderpath. I gazed up and down both ends, seeing nor hearing any monsters coming. Then, I bolted across. Ever since Lizardblight had lost half his tail saving me, I never took the chance on this path. I always booked it across as fast as I could, never wanting to linger for even a moment. The others followed, not going as quickly across. But, we all made it safely across.
“I don’t like being over here,” Emberpaw said and swished her tail in the tall grasses alongside the rank tar.
“Too bad. This is all our territory now. GrayClan shares both sides of the Thunderpath, just like before. Get used to it,” I stated actually rather coldly. I was growing tired of her attitude. The apprentice simply grumbled something to herself and looked away, tail tip still twitching with annoyance. Mine twitched, too.
“Let’s go,” I said and continued further into the thickening undergrowth and pines. It didn’t take us very long to reach the wrecked camp. The entrance tunnel had been torn up just like the dens inside. Every single cat was still there where they laid the day before, flies now gathering around. The scent of death and decay hung heavily in the air, and dried crimson stained the soil forever. Even after the rain washed it away, the stains would still linger in my mind long after. The sight of everything sickened me now as much as it had when it was all still extremely fresh.
Snakeheart padded ahead and went into the Medicine Den, coming back out with lavender in her jaws. She then proceeded to place some stems around in various places between still cats. Littlefang quietly went to help her.
“Whitepool, Emberpaw, can you two go outside the camp and start digging graves?” I asked them. Emberpaw walked out without a word, but Whitepool lingered a moment, looking around at all the carnage. “Yes,” he said finally, a hint of sympathy in his gaze as he turned and padded out.
Cloudleap, meanwhile, went behind the nursery and disappeared for a moment before reemerging with a familiar brown shape in her jaws, dragging along the ground. Barktail. I felt bile in my throat as I noticed her many wounds and the frozen snarl on her face with some white fur stuck between her claws. She had been killed by Fritz for sure but had died fighting like a warrior.
The sight mostly sickened me, but a small part of me was glad she had died standing up for herself and the kits, not just submitting and cowering like Thornstar would have obviously made her do. Like Cloudleap, Barktail had been a timid queen, fearing most others. Yet, she had died like a warrior, fighting with everything she had.
I swallowed the bile and went to Cloudleap and picked up Barktail by her stiff tail, and we carried her out together to where Whitepool and Emberpaw were digging the holes. We buried her first then went back to collect the others. Cloudleap got Petalkit’s little body, and I now helped gather Pinetail with Snakeheart. After burying her, I came back in to see Snowdapple’s white body contrasting greatly against the dark earth. Her white pelt stuck out brightly, but her gray specs melded in perfectly. She honestly looked like she could have been part of both clans, like a perfect mixture of both pelt tones of light and dark.
My heart ached as I remembered her last words to me before her spirit left her body right in front of my very eyes. She had died at my paws… I felt my throat close up and sting at the thought. She should still be alive. She deserved to have a good life, to not have to fear her leader or anyone else. Her last words and image of her body now would haunt my dreams for moons to come, no doubt.
With a heavy heart, Littlefang and I picked her up and carried her out to be buried. We placed her into the latest grave and lingered for a moment. “I’m sorry about your sister,” I whispered.
“I know,” Littlefang replied solemnly, hanging her head and closing her eyes. “She was a good warrior, even if she was a medicine cat.” She paused but spoke up again before I could move to help clear the camp of the others. “She was so afraid of most everyone else, but she had such a big heart anyway. From the day she was born with me, she was declared to be a medicine cat, not worthy to be a warrior because of her pelt colors. I would have been destined to the same fate if more of my fur was white like hers and not just my paws. My size already put me at a disadvantage, but I was lucky to be able to have the opportunity to work hard and become a warrior. Yet, Snowdapple was pushed around and belittled by so many of the other cats of the clan for her pelt color. Thornstar would even swipe at her when an injured warrior didn’t heal fast enough, as if she could help that when they never rested like she told them to.” A bit of spite and venom entered her voice, but she sighed, quickly releasing it into the air.
“I would secretly train her each time she went out for fresh herbs. A warrior was required to go with her anyway, so I always volunteered. She did so well and learned quickly. She could have easily been a great warrior had she not been forced to be a medicine cat and had her confidence stripped away sunset after sunset, over so many moons. We were a great team during that rogue fight, her only fight. Even though we got overwhelmed, she still fought with everything she had and even managed to kill one of the rogues before going down. She took an enemy down with her. She was such a great medicine cat, sister, and warrior all in one.” She took a deep breath to control her emotions, her voice having cracked near the end.
My heart ached so much for Littlefang right now. She might not like SunClan so much and had never liked me much either, but she wasn’t a bad cat. She had shown that during the fight with the rogues. She had shown that by still agreeing to help form GrayClan. She had shown that now by mourning her sister so much and putting away all resentment she may have had towards me.
I sympathized with her, knowing just what it felt like to lose someone so special to you, the cat you were closest with. I still missed my mother immensely, and it had been many moons since her death. But life went on. I had to go on, and Littelfang would have to go on, but I still placed my plumy tail lightly over her flank for whatever comfort I could offer her. “She really was a great cat,” I told her softly. “She helped me, and she helped her clan. Her spirit is always welcome in GrayClan.”
Littlefang nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. “Thank you,” she whispered then looked up to me with sad, amber eyes. “I have a request.”
Curiosity now tingled the edges of my fur. “Yes?” I inquired, not sure what to expect at this point. Honestly, a part of me was worried she might want to leave the clan now or something.
“I want you to change my name, officially,” Littlefang told me, more determined now. “I want my name to be Littlesnow. I want to honor my sister.”
The small bit of anxiety that had been slowly welling in my chest subsided at her request. I nodded. “No problem. I will call another meeting later, before the sun sets, to make sure it’s officially changed,” I assured her softly.
“Thank you.” With that, the small, gray she-cat padded back into the camp to continue to help bring out bodies and bury them. I followed behind quietly.
It took a while, but we had managed to bury all SunClan and NightClan cats, except for Thornstar. He, along with all the rogues, would be left there in the camo to rot just like they deserved. They didn’t get an honorable burial. They were finally getting what they deserved to get.
Together, all of us gathered what herbs were still good from the Medicine Den and carried them back to the SunClan camp, which would now be GrayClan’s home base camp. But, I also grabbed something important to me before leaving – the first rib bone that saved my life so long ago. The herbs were taken to Tallbirch for her to sort out, while the others went and did whatever they wanted. I stayed, however, to talk with Lizardblight. He had been ordered to stay in the Medicine Den for a while, until he was strong enough that he didn’t have to be watched anymore.
He laid in a large nest of moss and feathers, curled up with his half-tail wrapped around his body. He looked to me tiredly with his now one yellow eye as I came over to him. A purr rumbled in his throat. “Hey. How are you doing?” he asked me.
I sat down by his nest and set the rib bone at my paws, noticing that bit of pale blood that still stained the end that had lodged itself into Darkapple’s throat. I then looked up at the large, battered warrior. “I should be asking that of you,” I retorted with a bit of teasing.
He chuckled. “Well, you know I care more about you than myself. I know I’ll be fine anyway. Tallbirch is a good medicine cat,” he told me, glancing down to the rib bone after. “Are you going to bring the rest of the collection over here?”
I shook my head. “No. Those bones can all stay there. It’s too much to shuttle over here anyway,” I told him quietly.
“Then I guess we’ll have to start a new collection here, huh?” he asked with another purr.
I couldn’t help but purr a bit back and nod. “Yes, maybe. But only when you’re better. Just don’t be running across thunderpaths to get bones for me anymore, okay?”
Lizardblight chuckled again. “I can’t promise anything,” he replied then sighed. “I’d do anything for you, Ravenskull.”
My gaze fell a bit and shoulders slumped. “I know you would,” I replied in a soft mutter. I felt so bad for him. He clearly loved me so much, but my feelings went towards Lightstorm and only him. Lizardblight was my best friend and family, but that’s all he was to me. I couldn’t return his affections.
Lizardblight stretched out a foreleg and placed his paw lightly over mine, looking up at me with a gaze like honey-colored, downy feathers. “I know you don’t love me, not like I do you,” he told me. “I know those feelings are reserved for Lightstorm, and it’s okay. He’s a great cat. He saved my life and helped me all the way here. He shows no distain for any of the NightClan cats, and I see the way he looks at you, with all the love this land could hold. He’s a great tom, and you’re lucky to have him, just like he’s lucky to have such a great she-cat like you.” I saw hurt deep within his eye as he spoke, but I knew his words were genuine. “I will always be here to support you in everything you do, just like he will be. I only want you to be happy. If that means you’re mates with him then so be it. I know he would do the exact same if you wanted to be with me. We’re a lot alike and have the same exact goal of supporting you. I’ll always be here for you.”
For what felt like the tenth time that sun, my heart ached and twisted as my throat tightened and stung. His words hurt yet touched me so much at the same time. I did wish that I could just divide into two cats so one could be with him and the other be with Lightstorm, but I could only choose one, and my heart beat for Lightstorm. Still, Lizardblight deserved a great she-cat, one better than me. Yet, I could never leave him after everything he had done for me. “Thank you,” I choked out. “I’ll always be here for you, too. You’re my best friend.”
Lizardblight gave a slow blink and nodded. “I know.” He looked over as pawsteps sounded behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to see who it was. Lightstorm was padding over with a plump squirrel dangling from his jaws.
The golden tom stopped before us and set the prey down at Lizardblgiht’s paws – he’d retracted his large paw from mine. “I brought you the biggest piece of prey from the pile. You’ll need the energy to heal faster,” he told the other tom.
Lizardblight looked down at the squirrel and then back up to Lightstorm, his new friend. “Thanks. It looks great. But don’t forget that you need to eat, too. In fact, you both need to,” he referred to Lightstorm and me both. “Go on. You’ve both been working hard. Go and relax.”
I looked to the big tom and paused then bent down and licked his forehead once. “I’ll see you later,” I told him then picked up the rib bone and padded off with Lightstorm by my side. We went to the pile together, and he picked out a freshly caught silver fish from the pile his patrol had just caught. It was a decent size and looked delicious.
Together, we found a spot by the Leader’s den, my new den, near the Meeting Boulder. We settled at the entrance to the old fox den. I set the bone down, and we entwined our tail together. “I’m so glad we can be together at last,” Lightstorm mewed warmly. “I’ve missed you every day you were gone, and I worried so much. You have no idea how many times I almost ran to NightClan just to make sure you were okay. I almost did a couple times, but some of the other cats stopped me.” He sighed and shook his head.
“Aw, that’s so sweet. Dumb, but sweet,” I meowed then licked his cheek, my own ears growing hot as I’m sure his did, too. “I’m glad that we can finally be together, as well. I thought about you a lot and worried every time there was a battle. But, I’m happy things are resolved now. No more Great death War, no more senseless deaths, and no more being apart for us.” It really was like a dream. After everything, it was finally all over.
“I know what you mean,” he sighed. “Let’s eat now, before flies start to decide our food is their food.” He dug in then, tearing into the juicy meat.
I nodded but watched him for a moment, admiring the handsome tom. “I love you.” I sighed softly then took a bite of my own from the fish. The amazing flavors bathed my tongue, and for the first time in so very long, I felt content and even truly happy. For once, nagging thoughts didn’t rage in my mind like a storm. For once, I didn’t have to worry about my friends dying in a senseless war. For once, I could actually relax for real.
Lightstorm moved closer at my words, so our pelts touched, and we were right against each other. It sent warm waves throughout my body. This was all I wanted. I was still sad deep down about the deaths of good cats and Lizardblight being so hurt, but right now the joy I felt overrode those thoughts. My good feelings took over. I was happy, with Lightstorm.
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 24
Four moons had passed since the clans united and GrayClan was reality once more. The clan had grown stronger and closer. Finally, after all the time to work together and mingle, SunClan and NightClan cats were no longer form two different clans. We all treated each other much better. We all forgave. Okay, not all, but most. Whitepool still held resentment towards some, and Emberpaw had as much attitude as ever, but Redheart and Dovepaw had grown to accept the former NightClan cats. Dovepaw and Emberpaw might have been littermates, but their personalities were so different, but that was a good thing in this regard. Even better, Swifthawk had been hanging around Littlesnow a lot, and everyone was sure they would soon be mates.
Lizardblight had healed fully and was readily busying himself with patrols and reinforcing the dens. But, he still took the time to hang out with Lightstorm and I. The two toms had grown close as friends. So close, in fact, I would swear that they were brothers. Despite Lightstorm now being my mate, Lizardblight was still so chipper and enjoyed Lightstorm’s company, as well as mine. We were the best of friends and no question the closest group of cats in the whole of GrayClan. Things were going well.
Now, I stood atop the boulder, looking down at the clan. “Let all cats able to hear my voice gather for a clan meeting,” I called loudly. Things were about to get even better.
The clan gathered soon enough, nobody keeping their distance from anybody else anymore. I watched happily as everyone took their seats, Lightstorm taking his below me as deputy and Lizardblight sitting right in the front to be close to us both as he could.
Once they all gathered and quieted down, I spoke. “I have some very good news to announce,” I started off. “This sun I would like to appoint a few new warriors and apprentices.” My gaze swept the crowd. Stormpaw and Stonepaw sat close together. They had been made apprentices the moon before, Stonepaw getting my most trusted friend Lizardblight as a mentor, and Stormpaw chose his path of being a medicine cat under the teachings of Tallbirch. It fit, too, as he was probably one of the most gentle and caring toms I’d ever met. His bravery and obviously muscles he had under his dark pelt would have been a great aid in fights, but he wanted to be a medicine cat. It warmed my heart to see both apprentices so happy now with what they wanted to do.
“Emberpaw, Dovepaw, and Waterpaw, would you all step forward?” All three apprentices came forward. Emberpaw held her orange and white head high as she came through the parting crowd. Dovepaw was a lot more modest and excited as she came up. Waterpaw, much like his father had been, looked so noble yet welcoming as his lithe form came forward. They all stood before the boulder.
“From this moment on you, Emberpaw, shall be known as Emberwing,” I told her, “for your speed and capability to sore high in spirit.” She may have had attitude, but she was a good hunter and clanmate.
I looked to Dovepaw then. “Dovepaw, you shall from this moment on be know as Dovefeather for your gentle nature and kind heart.” She looked up at me with amber eyes full of pride and joy.
“Waterpaw.” I looked down to him, seeing so much of Mintstar in him. I had to name him after his great father. “Your warrior name shall be Waterreed. Just like Mintstar, you are very kind and tactical. You have shown that you put your clanmates first, and I wish to honor your father with you.” He nodded, his eyes full of nothing but sorrowful pride.
The clan chanted the new warriors’ names loudly in a unison chorus as I jumped down to receive a lick on the shoulder from each new warrior. “Emberwing! Dovefeather! Waterreed!” Everyone was loud and happy, but they quickly quieted down as I raised my tail for silence. I was getting the hang of this leader thing. After jumping back onto the boulder, I continued.
“Now, for the new apprentices.” I looked to where the three eager kits sat kneading the ground by the nursery. Beside them, Cherrycloud and Whitepool’s daughter, Brightkit, sat. She was still two moons from being an apprentice.
“Blazekit, Oakkit, and Foxkit, would you all please come here?” The three ginger and white tabbies bounded over excitedly. Blazekit was the biggest of the littermates, and the most eager for everything. His brother Oakkit was a little more timid but still ready for adventure, following his brother’s lead. Meanwhile, Foxkit held her tail and head high as she strutted over. She tried hard to be respectable and like the mature warriors, but she would easily break that character and act like the excitable kit she was. But, I knew that all three siblings would make wonderful apprentices.
“Blazekit, from this moment onward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Blazepaw. And your mentor shall be Littlesnow.” The dark gray she-cat made her way up to the front and happily touched noses with the smaller tom. Once they sat down, I went on.
“Oakkit, from this moment, until you’re made a warrior, you will be known as Oakpaw, and your mentor shall be Lightstorm.” The shy tom looked to his deputy with wide eyes, almost as if this must have been a dream come true for him.
“Well, come and touch noses with me,” Lightstorm meowed, amused. The little ginger and white tom snapped out of his shock and quickly padded over to his new mentor and touched noses with him. He then took a seat by his brother happily.
“Foxkit, your name, until becoming a warrior, will be Foxpaw. And your mentor, should she be okay with it, will be Snakeheart.” Snakeheart had just had Emberpaw as her apprentice, so I was not sure if she would be willing to take on another one right away. Yet, she was an amazing mentor, and every other cat had either just gotten an apprentice, just had one too, or was a queen or elder. There was myself, but the thought of training an apprentice myself honestly scared me. Thankfully, Snakeheart happily accepted and touched noses with the small she-cat.
After that, the meeting was over. The crowd was dismissed to go and do whatever they wanted to do, and chat about the new apprentices and warriors. I jumped down from the boulder to be met with a lick on the cheek from Lightstorm. “Everyone is so happy, and the clan is prospering despite it being the end of leaf-bare. You’re doing such a good job as leader,” he told me.
I nodded my thanks to him and glanced around at the joyfully mingling clan. Even the cold weather hadn’t slowed us down and only brought us closer. GrayClan really was no longer a dream, it was reality. “I’m just happy things are going well,” I told him. “And soon, the dogwoods will be blossoming those white and light pink flowers. Just one more moon.”
“Those flowers have nothing on your beauty,” the golden tom meowed smoothly. “And I can’t wait to see you in those falling petals. I just know it’ll be the most magnificent thing my eyes will ever see.” He purred then.
My ears got hot, like they always did when he said sweet things like that to me, which was often. He knew just what to say to make that happen. I nudged him and purred back. “You’re way too sweet,” I told him and rolled my eyes then. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”
“I only speak the truth,” Lightstorm said with a slight chuckle bouncing his mew as he followed along with me. We padded out of the camp together and into the forest. A light snow had fallen the other night, but only sent a thin layer of white over the landscape. It was easy to walk through and not too cold, especially now with my long fur and Lightstorm constantly causing my pelt to get warm with his smooth words.
We chatted as we made our way to one of the streams that ran through the territory. We stopped at the snow covered blank, the freezing water babbling before us, half frozen over. “I’m not much of a fan of snow since I stick out horribly, but I do love pretty the ice-covered reeds look,” I mewed, looking at a few reeds along the edge of the stream. They were coated in a thin layer of shining ice, and the dim sun glowed on them just right to make them sparkle nicely.
Lightstorm nodded his agreement. “They’re very beautiful, just like you.” I rolled my eyes like before. “I’m sorry. I know I say you’re beautiful a lot, but how can I help it? You’re just perfect.”
“You think way too highly of me. You’re the perfect one,” I replied with a purr. There was a calm silence for a pause after.
“Hey, Ravenskull. I know you don’t want kits now, but if you ever do, can we name one of them Bonekit?” he asked me.
I tilted my head to the side. “Why Bonekit?” It didn’t seem like the most brave or pretty name like most kits got. It sounded almost like something Thornstar would name a kit. But, I would hear out his reasoning.
“Because when you think about it, bones hold everything together,” Lightstorm answered. “Like, without bones nothing would be able to move or live. They just hold everything together. Plus, you have that little collection of yours growing in our nest. I know that rib bone is special to you. There’s so many more reasons, too. Like how your name has ‘skull’ in it, and you hold GrayClan together just like a skeleton does for its animal. It’s the sturdy structure of almost every living creature. It holds so much meaning, as weird as it might sound.”
I thought about it as he spoke. It did kind of makes sense with how he explained it. “Maybe,” I said finally. “But I really don’t think I’ll ever want kits. The thought scares me, going through the pain of having them and then having to raise them right. I’d be scared to raise them the wrong way. Besides, I’m the leader, and any she-cat who leads can’t be a queen.”
“I understand,” Lightstorm meowed. Silence fell upon us once more for a moment. He then put his ears back and crouched. Before I could react, he tackled me into the snow.
I let out a small yowl of surprise but soon let out a laugh and pawed at his muzzle. “You’re so dumb!” I chuckled, batting his face lightly.
He chuckled back and held me down, taking my soft blows. “Maybe, but I’m your dumb mate,” he retorted.
I narrowed my eyes and used my hind les to throw him off. He fell back into the snow, and I jumped up then tackled him, biting softly at his thick neck fur. He squirmed underneath me and laughed. “No! Stop!” He shifted my weight and wrapped his forepaws around my neck, and we went tumbling. We both rolled around in the snow as we played, laughing and just having a great time until the frigid air burned our lungs and we had to stop.
We laid there then, our bellies to the sky, side by side and panting. Our breath billowed in front of us into small fog clouds with each breath we let out. My life felt so complete right now, and everything felt so right with the world. I never expected what happened next.
A black blur lunged for Lightstorm and briefly engulfed him. Then, gold and black went tumbling in the snow, sending up a light flurry as harsh screeches filled the air. Soon, droplets of red tainted the pure white ground.
I watched in horror and complete shock as Darkapple stood over Lightstorm and swiped at him. Lightstorm batted the bigger tom’s belly hard with his hind legs and shoved him off. Darkapple was alive? And here? How?
Darkapple then turned to me. “You!” His cracking snarl pierced my ears as his claws soon pierced my skin. I was thrown into the snow, a stinging ache radiating from my shoulder. Darkapple raked his claws down my shoulder, and I let out a loud shriek of agony but still twisted around and scratch his nose, causing it to drip red onto my dark pelt.
He hissed at me and raised a paw to swipe at me, but he was soon shoved to the side by Lightstorm, golden pelt bushed out to twice its size. He looked big, but Darkapple still had sized and muscle on his side.
The black tom fell to the ground, white scars merging with the fallen snow for a moment as he laid there, then quickly picking himself back up. I got to my paws as well, while Lightstorm stood between us. I knew he would give his life to protect me, but we were a team. We fought together. I moved to stand beside him, our tails lashing together.
Darkapple let out a loud yowl and charged at us, blinding furry in his eyes. We jumped out of the way, and Lightstorm managed a swipe on Darkapple’s side while I jumped onto his back. I dug my claws in as deep as they would go while the evil tom howled in pain. He started bucking then, seeming to have forgotten his warrior training. Simply rolling would have gotten me off, but he kicked and went crazy instead, flailing about.
I hung on for dear life before Lightstorm intervened and lunged for the dark tom. I jumped off as they tumbled. Darkapple ended up coming out on top and making a deep gash in the golden tom’s chest. His cry of pure agony echoed in the trees and my ears. But even though he had the chance to end Lightstorm quicker, he turned his attention back me.
He jumped off Lightstorm and started to pad slowly towards me, fur bristling and tail slowly swishing. He showed his half-missing teeth and glared at me with hate filled, icy blue eyes. “You’re the one who ruined me. You ruined my chance at leader. You ruined all my plans. You ruined my life! Now, I’ll ruin yours by ending it!”
He ran at me quickly, barreling towards me through the snow. I tried to jump out of the way, but it didn’t work this time. He knew what I would do and was ready for it. With needle-like claws, he grabbed onto my hind leg and dragged me down and towards him. “This time, you don’t have that blasted bone to save you!”
He opened his jaws to clamp down on my throat. I made my prayers to StarClan at that moment, seeing my whole life flash before me eyes. I saw my mother cuddling me in the nursery, her limp body in the camp with purple lavender. I saw Lizardblight as an apprentice helping me in NightClan, Snowdapple in the Medicine Den helping me with my wounds from Darkapple, Cloudleap having her kits. Images of me learning to be a warrior with Snakeheart and Lizardblight giving his tail for me flashed before my eyes, along with me finding the four ginger and white kits, the rogue battle, us burying the dead after, and Lightstorm and I cuddled up in our nest together. It was all there, the good and the bad, the most important events in my life. It was all played out before my mind’s eye as my real eyes gazed upon the yellow fangs of my doom.
Then, they were gone, and replaced with the smoky gray sky, the weight from my body lifted. A loud screech and then splash soon followed. I jumped up and looked over to see Lightstorm digging his foreclaws deep into the frozen bank, straining to hang on as the rest of his body submerged in the freezing waters and Darkapple clung to his haunches. Lightstorm, despite bleeding heavily from the injury on his chest, had tackled Darkapple to save me and sent them both into the icy stream. But now, the evil tom sent pink streams from Lightstorm into the water as he struggled to hang on and keep his head above the torrent.
“Lightstorm!” I raced over, looking down in horror as his own head was barely above the lethal waters. I tried to step closer to the edge to reach down and grab his scruff to drag him up, but he let out a yowl that startled me.
Darkapple was using Lightstorm to claw his way up and out of the water. He dug his dark claws into my mate’s flesh, struggling but slowly managing to get closer to shore. If Darkapple made it up, then surely Lightstorm would die from the cold water and his injuries, and Darkapple would kill me.
The golden tom looked up at me with wide, yellow eyes full of fear and sadness. I already knew what he was thinking, and my heart sank. “No! You can’t!” I yelled to him, the words almost getting stuck in my tightening throat. I could barely choke them out. “Lightstorm, please.”
“I’m sorry,” he meowed, gritting his teeth once more as Darkapple dug in another hold, now into the golden tom’s shoulder. “I love you, Ravenskull.” With that, he released his grip onto the frozen bank and both toms were sent plunging into the depths with a loud scream from Darkapple. I cried out and followed them down along the bank, running by the edge and looking down in. Soon, their forms went into the rapids. I saw them tumble around for a moment before completely disappearing under the mists and then under the frozen section. They were gone forever, both of them.
I continued to run along the bank for some time, heart being shredded like it had the day my mother died, but perhaps even worse this time. Time didn’t seem to exist anymore, and I felt nothing but numbness in my paws and fire in my lungs by the time I finally stopped running along the river, looking for any sign, any hope that Lightstorm was still there, that I could save him. But, I knew the moment he looked up at me with those sad eyes that he was dead.
I collapsed to the snow, stumbling over my paws, and let out possibly the loudest wail of despair ever heard by the forest. But, to me, it was only a muffled cry. I don’t know how long I actually laid there and just wailed, all senses dulled and body physically numb before Lizardblight, Snakeheart, and Swifthawk found me. I heard nothing they said to me, only barely paid attention to their moving mouths out of the corners of my eyes. I didn’t move to walk, so they had to carry me. I didn’t even feel cold or anything, just so, so numb. The love of my life, my best friend, my other half, the tom I wanted to spend my whole life with, was gone. My whole world had come crashing down once again. My hope had been swept away by the current. Everything went black.✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 25 I awoke some time later in the Medicine Den. The stench of the strong herbs filled my nose, but that’s all I seemed to notice, besides the shapes sitting around me. Merely, I just laid there and stared off into the space before me. My whole world was shattered. Even when I had lost my mother I had not felt so much pain and loss. It was as if my heart was being impaled by a thousand thorns.
“Ravenskull.” Lizardblight’s soft and sorrowful mew came to my ears, and he lightly nudged my shoulder. “Where’s Lightstorm?”
That’s right. Nobody else had seen what I had seen. Nobody else knew what had happened, that Lightstorm sacrificed himself to save me and finish off Darkapple once and for all. Yet, hearing his name made me want to throw up from the pure guilt and sorrow. Maybe I could have saved him, but it was too late now. And the memories of him letting go of that frosty bank plagued my mind and soul.
When he didn’t receive an answer and only a vacant gaze instead, Lizardblight laid against me and rested his head on my shoulder. I could feel the warmth and pressure of his presence on my body, but it did nothing for me.
“Is she going to be okay?” Stormpaw questioned quietly from behind me. Now I noticed the feeling his tiny paws rubbing my flank. He must have been applying a poultice or something to my wounds I’d sustained form battling Darkapple. It didn’t even sting this time.
“I don’t know,” Tallbirch replied to the little tom with a small sigh. “Lightstorm is obviously gone, and she’s suffering from the loss. Only time will tell if she’ll be okay.” The sympathy was obvious in the medicine cat’s mew.
“Who will lead the clan then?” Stormpaw asked, a tad scared.
“I don’t know. Our deputy is gone, and our leader is engulfed in depression because of it.” Tallbirch did seem worried. But, she was right. With me in this state and Lightstorm gone someone would have to be appointed to run the clan until I got better, if I ever did.
I had to most of my will and energy to just speak one quiet word in response. “Lizardblight.” The tom perked up when he heard his name, expecting more to come from me, but that’s all I gave.
“What? What is it?” the tiger tabby tom asked and nudged me lightly to prompt more communication, but I offered none. “Why did you say my name? Come on, tell me.”
“I think she wants you to lead the clan,” Tallbirch deduced. “You’re to be the new deputy, and temporary leader while Ravenskull can’t lead.”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” Lizardblight meowed, his ears going back with uncertainty. “I wouldn’t want to mess up and hurt the clan somehow…”
“You’ll be okay,” Stormpaw pipped up then. “You’re her best friend, so you’ve gotta be good. You’re really nice and caring, too. You’ll do a good job.”
There was a pause of silence before Lizardblight nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it,” he decided. “But this means Oakpaw needs a new mentor… I’ll have to take care of that right now. I think Redheart wouldn’t mind training him.” The tom lifted himself to his paws and gave me a lick behind the ear. “I’ll be back. Just hang in there, okay?” With those sad words, he turned and left. His call for a clan meeting echoed into the den.
* Almost two moons had passed since Lightstorm’s death. I had gotten better mood wise, but I had not been able to lead the clan anymore. However, it wasn’t just due to my constant grieving. Eating was hard to do, and I only managed to do so because I knew it was what Lightstorm would have wanted, and Lizardblight was always there to help me. Despite my lack of eating, my belly continued to grow, not much but noticeably so. It had soon been discovered that I was going to have kits. Lightstorm’s kits.
While this had brought some visible sorrow to Lizardblight’s face, he still was always there for me and helped me, supporting me with no conditions. I still grew no new feelings towards him, but we were closer than ever, and we were still the best of friends.
Due to my absence of leading the clan, Lizardblight had taken up the position of leader until I wanted it again and was physically able, but I always told him that I never wanted it back. I knew I would never do as good a job anymore. So, he kept the role and did what I had, keeping his name of Lizardblight instead of taking up the ‘star.’ Redheart was given the position of deputy again, as she was quite good at the job and had accepted all the cats as GrayClan now.
Currently, things were going well with the clan. Littlesnow was in the Nursery with me, her own belly swollen with Swifthawk’s kits. I laid curled up in my own nest, Lizardblight out on patrol; whenever he wasn’t busy with leader duties he was with me in the Nursery. He even slept in there with me.
“May I come in?” Stormpaw’s voice came from the Nursery entrance. He came to visit frequently, too. Him and I were still pretty close, and his company was always nice. I nodded in response, and the dark gray tabby tom padded in. “How are you this sun?” he asked and sat down in front of me and my nest. “You should be having those kits any time now. Any pains?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. And yeah, there’s some pains here and there,” I answered. While I was happy to keep Lightstorm’s legacy going by having his kits I was still terrified at the thought of birthing and then raising them right. What if I messed up? What if I accidently neglected them, or smothered them too much? There were so many things that could go wrong. Heck, it was realistic that I could die during kitting. That did happen sometimes. My belly was small, so there were only two or less inside of me, but things could still go very wrong.
“You may be having them very soon then,” Stormpaw mewed, nodding to himself, He was taking his job as medicine cat apprentice very seriously, always had. “I should get you some-“ He cut off when he saw the look of pain my face was contorting into. A huge wave of pain had hit me.
“I think they’re coming,” I chocked out then took a deep breath as the pain passed but another wave soon came. This was it, the first section of my fears, having these kits.
Stormpaw jumped up instantly. “Okay, I’ll go and get Tallbirch. I’ll be right back,” he told me almost panicked then ran out. It only took moments for him to come back, still anxious. Yet, Tallbirch padded in calmly with a leaf and twig in her jaws.
She set them down in front of me. “Calm down, Stormpaw. I know this is your first time with a kitting mother, but you need to be calm,” she told him, to which he nodded and took a deep breath to force his body to relax. The she-cat then nosed a single black, tiny seed towards me. “Eat this. It will help with he pain a bit. Be sure to crunch it,” she ordered me with no sense of urgency.
I lapped up the almost microscopic seed and crunched it between my teeth then swallowed. She then gave me a stick to bite on, which I readily did once another wave of pain went through me. So, this was what it must have felt like for Cloudleap when she had her kits, one of which was right before me to help me have mine. It was weird how destiny worked out like that.
It took a little while, but with Tallbirch and Stormpaw’s help I was able to have my kit, just one. Thankfully, we both survive our journey, too. He was a very rare kind of cat. His pelt was mostly golden like his father’s, but half his face was black like me. The colors split exactly in the middle, like it the true split between day and night right on his head. His tail and a single forepaw were also black, and his pelt was long like both his parents. He was truly one of a kind, perfect.
Stormpaw licked his little head to get him breathing and moving, and the newborn soon began to let out tiny mews, looking for me. Stormpaw set him by my belly, and he instantly began to nurse.
Tallbirch placed a paw on my belly lightly in a few placed, carefully feeling. “Looks like he was the only one in there,” she announced then looked down at the small kit happily.
“What are you going to name him?” Stormpaw asked, his eyes wide with awe. They had been this way since he first laid eyes on the small kit. It was quite amusing, honestly.
“Bonekit,” I answered softly, looking down at my new son. “Lightstorm wanted a kit with that name. I know he’s happy in StarClan watching us right now.”
“I’m sure he is,” the younger tom said and nodded lightly.
“Alright, let’s leave them to it,” Tallbirch meowed. She pushed the dark colored she’d first brought with her towards her. “Eat this. It’ll help your body produce more milk, though it shouldn’t be much of a problem with only one kit to eat it.” I nodded my thanks, and she and Stormpaw padded out.
It wasn’t long before Lizardblight came in, hearing the news. No doubt cats outside the nursery had been eagerly waiting and listening. The large tom padded in and looked on in pure awe when his one-eyed gaze landed on Bonekit. He came over carefully, lightly touching each paw onto the ground like if he made even the slightest noise it would disturb the kit who was now asleep at my belly.
“It’s okay. Come over and see him,” I told him with amusement hinting in my mew. “Isn’t he adorable?”
Lizardblight carefully padded over, only a bit quicker than before, and took a seat by the nest. “Yes, he’s absolutely perfect,” he responded softly, keeping his volume down. “He looks so much like you both. I know he’ll grow up to be a great cat, too.”
“Thank you.” I shuffled a bit in my nest to make some room. “Lay down with us. You’ve been working too hard.” He was still my best friend, but maybe even more now. No, I did not love him the way he still did me, but he was still a very special cat to me. To us.
The tom’s eye widened with shock. “Really? But…” He must have been hesitant about doing so because he was not my mate and Lightstorm was but still was gone. I reassured him it would be okay, and he nodded then hesitantly came over and laid down against me. “You know I will still do everything for you and now this kit.”
“I know,” I said, glancing at him over my shoulder and then gazing down at Bonekit. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. You might not be my mate, but you’re still very special to me, and you were to Lightstorm, too. I know he’d be happy knowing our best friend was helping look after our son.”
“I promise to do my best for you both, you three,” Lizardblight replied, a small purr rumbling in his throat. It ended up being contagious, so I started to purr a bit, as well.
It was then that I noticed a shape moving at the other side of the nursery. I looked over, my eyes widening. Right there he sat. Lighstorm. He looked as good as ever, his golden pelt shimmering with stars, eyes shining and soft towards us. He seemed so happy. Behind him, two more shapes began to form. Then another. Snowdapple and my mother, and then Mintstar. They all four sat together and watched us, all with equally as joyous expressions. But, as quickly as they had come, they faded away.
I couldn’t help but stare in shock. “You okay?” Lizardblight asked from behind me, a bit concerned. He must not have been able to see them. And by the look on Littlesnow’s face as she stared at me like I had bees for brains, she must not have seen them either.
“Uh, yeah,” I answered and glanced to the tom then back to where the four spirit cats had been sitting. Nothing was there now, yet a sense of comfort and calm and love swept over me like a warm new-leaf breeze. “I was just having a good daydream was all. Thank you for being here with me.” He nodded, a bit skeptical about my excuse but nonetheless glad I seemed happy now. And I was. I had a son, my best friend by my side, GrayClan was thriving, and my mate and family were watching us from StarClan. Life couldn’t have been better.
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Epilogue “And that’s the story of how I was a spy, brought two feuding clans together, made friends and enemies, and had my son who is now the deputy of GrayClan.” The kits all stared at me in awe with dropped jaws. Finchkit in particular loved the story, her eyes sparkling.
“Wow! That’s awesome!” she yelled happily, bouncing around. “I wish I could have met Lightstorm. Bonewing talks about him all the time. I can’t believe I have his blood in my veins right now!”
I chuckled, even that raspy from the old age that had overtaken my body. “Yes, I’m sure your father would have loved to meet his own father. I know Lightstorm would have loved to meet you both, too.” The kits never ceased to amuse me or stopped being so cute. It was just like when Bonewing was a kit. He had been so energetic and excitable, as well.
“But wait, what about Fritz and the rogue cats that got away from that big fight?” another of the kits asked, his black and white head tilted to the side.
“Oh, they attacked again,” Stormheart chimed in. “But they didn’t have numbers on us that time, and we took them all out pretty easily. We lost Tallbirch and Emberwing in that fight, unfortunately, but their sacrifices weren’t unnoticed. They heled us win the battle.”
“Oh, okay,” the kit said and nodded, satisfied with that answer.
“What happened to Lizardblight then?” Finchkit inquired, looking straight up at me.
I sighed, still saddened by his death. “He stayed with me and helped raise Bonekit despite us not being mates and him being leader. He was a great leader, better than I ever could have been. And an amazing father to a kit that wasn’t even his. The best friend to me…” I paused, remembering all the good time I had had with Lizardblight, even the times that I didn’t want to remember as much like when he lost his eye. “His final life was taken from him by a coyote while he defended the clan from it only three moons ago, before you little ones were born. But it’s okay. I know he’s with Lightstorm now, watching over us all from StarClan. He and Lightstorm are probably joking around like they used to do in life.” I let out a stiff chuckle.
“That sounds awesome. When I’m older I’m going to be the best warrior and then become deputy and leader and be just like Lizardblight and Lightstorm!” Finchkit boasted, puffing out her chest. Her brother tackled her, his black and white pelt engulfing her, as he was the biggest of the litter while Finchkit was the runt.
“Nu-uh! I’m gonna be leader, even better than those toms!” he shouted, playfully batting his sister’s face. She struggled underneath him until their brother came to her rescue, tackling the biggest of them off her.
Finchkit jumped up and ran out into the clearing. “Can’t catch me!” she called as she sped away. The two tom kits paused in their play battle for a moment then chased after her. Snakestar’s mew could be heard after, telling them to be careful of the fresh-kill pile.
I simply laughed and shook my head at them. Stormheart purred. “They’re quite a pawful, aren’t they?” he asked, to which I nodded. “Good thing your stories always keep them well entertained for a while. It gives their mother, Bonewing, and the rest of the clan some peace,” he chuckled.
I gazed into space after them now, thinking about all my past friends and what they must be seeing from StarClan. It had been so long since one had gone, it seemed, yet the pain of losing them was still ever fresh in my heart.
“I know they’re happy,” Stormheart mewed to me softly, knowing just what I was thinking. “You’ve done a lot in your life that many could only dream of, and I know they were happy to have been part of it all and to have met you.”
“Yes, I know,” I replied then sighed. Kneading the bedding at my paws for a moment, I curled up in the soft nest of moss and feathers. “I think I’m going to sleep. I want to dream about them.”
Stormheart nodded. “I’ll leave you to it then. Sweet dreams.” With that, he turned and left me to be alone in the den. I closed my eyes and let out a small sigh. “I’m coming to see you very soon, my friends. Wait at the entrance tunnel of StarClan for me,” I whispered and closed my eyes. |
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