Zefffy
"I literally don't care." - Hikaru Nakumarua, Chess Grandmaster
|
Post by Zefffy on Feb 12, 2022 11:20:06 GMT -5
Sorry, ignore this little glitch! Continue to the bottom spoilers. Summary
As the Clans face a new era of peace, a storm will arrive to crush the calm forest and change the heart's of cats, Clan or not, forever. As ShadowClan starves, they will be forced to desperate measures to survive, with help from an unlikely ally. Once war arrives, the forest will be faced with a trial so difficult, some may not survive.
As Nightpaw learns what it means to be a true warrior, ThunderClan faces a shocking truth that will change them forever, and it will be up to three cats to stop the darkness from destroying the forest. Preservation of the Clans means everything, and if these cats fail, the whole forest will fall. AllegiancesThunderClan
Leader - Emberstar – large dark gray tabby tom with amber eyes.
Deputy – Oakclaw – dark brown she-cat with blue eyes.
Medicine Cats – Leafmist – pale brown tom with blue eyes.
Warriors
Hollyfoot – long legged black she-cat with green eyes.
Blacktail – white tom with a black tail with blue eyes.
Apprentice, Cloudpaw – long-haired white she-cat with blue eyes.
Redfang – grey tom with amber eyes.
Grassbreeze – small pale tabby tom with green eyes.
Apprentice, Foxpaw – dark ginger tom with a fluffy tail and amber eyes.
Frostpelt – long-haired white tom with blue eyes.
Ashfang – grey she-cat with green eyes.
Queens
Honeyheart – pale ginger she-cat with blue eyes. Mother of Blacktail’s kits (Sunkit, a pale ginger tabby tom with amber eyes, Wolfkit, a dark grey tom with blue eyes, and Nightkit, a black tom with green eyes).
Mousestripe – light grey she-cat with blue eyes. Mother of Emberstar’s kits (Stormkit, a black tabby tom with blue eyes, and Greykit, a grey tom with amber eyes).
Elders
Milkfoot – black tabby tom with white paws and green eyes.
ShadowClan
Leader – Darkstar – black tabby tom with blue eyes.
Deputy – Birchflight – pale she-cat with green eyes.
Medicine Cats – Ripplefoot – blue grey she-cat with blue eyes.
Apprentice, Willowpaw – light grey tom with green eyes.
Warriors
Cedarfang - brown tabby tom with amber eyes.
Gingertail – black she-cat with white splotches and a fluffy ginger tail and green eyes.
Apprentice, Moonpaw – light grey tom with blue eyes.
Deadcloud – dull grey tabby tom with amber eyes.
Queens
Dusttail – dark brown she-cat with amber eyes. Mother of Cedarfang’s kits (Shadekit, black tabby tom with blue eyes, Crowkit, grey tom with darker flecks and amber eyes).
Elders
Brighttail – ginger she-cat with a pale ginger tail and amber eyes.
RiverClan
Leader – Streamstar – silver she-cat with blue eyes.
Deputy – Minnowclaw – large brown tabby tom with amber eyes.
Medicine Cats – Deadtail – light brown tabby tom with a crooked tail and green eyes.
Warriors
Stoneclaw – silver tabby tom with blue eyes.
Apprentice, Troutpaw – grey she-cat with green eyes.
Squirrelpelt – dark ginger tom with amber eyes.
Smokewhisker – dark grey she-cat with green eyes.
Bluestripe – blue-grey tabby tom with darker grey stripes and blue eyes.
Queens
Sandear – pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes. Mother of Stoneclaw’s kits (Whitekit, white she-cat with blue eyes, and Cloudkit, silver tabby tom with a white muzzle and amber eyes).
Elders
Sunsight – blind pale ginger tabby tom. Former medicine cat.
WindClan
Leader – Rabbitstar – brown tabby tom with a white paw and amber eyes.
Deputy – Breezeclaw – light grey she-cat with blue eyes.
Medicine Cats – Mistypelt – blue-grey she-cat with white splotches and blue eyes.
Warriors
Ravencloud – long-haired black she-cat with amber eyes.
Apprentice, Molepaw – brown tabby tom with amber eyes.
Flamestorm – ginger tom with green eyes.
Apprentice, Fernpaw – dark grey tabby tom with amber eyes.
Queens
Shorttail – light brown she-cat with amber eyes. Mother of Flamestorm’s kits (Firekit, ginger she-cat with green eyes, Dustkit, brown tabby tom with amber eyes).
Barkheart – dark brown she-cat with a lighter brown underbelly and amber eyes. Mother of Rabbitstar’s kits (Tidekit, blue-grey tabby tom with a white muzzle and green eyes).
Elders
Shadowclaw – black tabby tom with blue eyes.
ProloguePrologue
The ground was pattered with light falling rain as the moors fell silent. Except for the rustle of small grasses, a cat shot up from the grass.
“You’re finally here. Took you long enough.” A rough voice spoke.
The other cat shook his head with annoyance. “You just had to meet here with rain? This better not be a waste of my time.”
The tom stepped out of the shadows, his white paw gleaming from the droplets of the cool rain. “You know why you have come.”
The other cat, a she-cat, shifted uncomfortably. She clearly didn’t want to be here.
“Well,” she whispered, as if someone else would hear them. “You’ll help us, right?”
“I have my ways.” The tom growled. “Now, give me what I want.”
The she-cat padded up and away from the tom, and flicked her tail for him to follow. They trekked across the moorland until they reached the ShadowClan border. As they stepped across, mud pulled at their feet, slowing down their advance and forcing them to force their way through.
“Does ShadowClan have to be this muddy?” The tom muttered.
They continued until they reached the Thunderpath. Monsters, even in this weather, were still shooting across the black, hard surface. The tom sneezed when a monster sped by and picked up some dust. Mud went flying, and the tom ducked.
“Yuck! Just tell me where it is.”
The she-cat dove down, in a slant in the ground, and the tom slowly padded up. There it was. A hole that went straight through the Thunderpath.
A hole that led straight to ThunderClan.
P.S When you copy paste, the bold doesn't transfer over, and neither does the font size. However, I will make sure to increase sizes and fix fonts after I edit the chapter!
|
|
Zefffy
"I literally don't care." - Hikaru Nakumarua, Chess Grandmaster
|
Post by Zefffy on Feb 15, 2022 18:17:42 GMT -5
Chapter 1Sunlight shone through the hole in the nursery, irritating Nightkit’s eyes. He yawned and shook his ruffled black fur. Sunkit and Wolfkit were peacefully snoring away, while Honeyheart, his mother, curled her tail around her three kits. Nightkit carefully stepped out of Honeyheart’s tail and padded up to the nursery entrance. Morning light was appearing, and he could hear meowing coming from the camp entrance.
“Nightkit!” A voice spoke from behind him. It was Mousestripe, the other queen of ThunderClan. “You’re not an apprentice yet, little one.” Mousestripe mewed with affection. She flicked her tail back to Sunkit and Wolfkit. “Go back to sleep.”
Nightkit stifled a sarcastic remark. He wasn’t going to leave, he just wanted some fresh air at the entrance. He drooped his tail and let it drag across the floor, hoping the slight noise would wake someone. It didn’t. Stormkit and Greykit were still, the slight rise and fall of their flanks barely noticeable.
They must be having a really good dream right now. Nightkit thought. The small black tom padded back to Honeyheart, who was blinking her eyes awake. Thankfully, Nightkit managed to sneak back into her nest before she could noticed he left.
Honeyheart stifled a yawn and carefully stood up. Sunkit and Wolfkit were waking up, as well as Greykit and Stormkit. Nightkit stood back up and padded to the center of the nursery and sat down, waiting for the his denmates to fully wake up. “Hey, Nightkit.” Greykit mumbled. He drowsily trotted to Nightkit, and began to stretch his paws to get that awake feeling in his bones.
Sunkit and Wolfkit joined them, and Stormkit jumped right out of his nest.
“Alright,” Sunkit mewed. “Anyone up for some moss ball?” “That sounds good to me.” Greykit agreed.
Stormkit and Wolfkit nodded, and I went along with them. Sunkit and Greykit got the moss and began to organize teams. “Alright, me and Greykit will be the leaders of the teams.” Sunkit reminded everyone. Before he could continue, Greykit took over. “The rules are simple. Whichever team manages to get the moss to the other side of the nursery first wins!” Sunkit stepped forward. “I’ll take first pick. Wolfkit, you’re with me.” Wolfkit excitedly walked up to Sunkit.
“I’ll take Nightkit.” Greykit added. Nightkit slowly padded next to Greykit and sat down. “Well,” Sunkit murmured. “It’s not fair if we get Stormkit, since me and Wolfkit are the biggest, so Stormkit can join Greykit’s team.”
Stormkit glared at Sunkit, as if he was insulted, but then sighed and joined Nightkit and Greykit. Greykit picked up the moss ball and stared at the other team. Wolfkit licked his lips, and Sunkit watched Greykit intensely, so much so that Nightkit thought Greykit might just flop over from anxiety.
“Ready, go!” Greykit yowled, and passed the moss ball to Stormkit.
Stormkit dashed along the floor, with Wolfkit on his heels. Nightkit dashed forward, trying to support Stormkit, but Sunkit got in his way. “Where do you think you’re going?” He snarled, and bared his fangs to scare Nightkit off. But Nightkit knew he was just a distraction, as Greykit leaped over Sunkit and chased Wolfkit. Before Sunkit could react, Nightkit flicked his tail in his face, knocking the pale ginger tom off balance, and ran after Greykit.
“No!” Sunkit yowled. “Wolfkit, tackle him!”
Wolfkit dove for Stormkit and smacked the moss ball out of his paws. Wolfkit dangled the moss in his jaws, but Greykit leaped for Wolfkit and knocked him down.
Before Greykit could do anything, Wolfkit smacked the moss ball out of his paws and dashed for Sunkit. But Nightkit tripped him over and bit the moss ball, running and running all the way to the other end of the nursery.
“Yes!” Nightkit exclaimed, though his cheer was muffled. Greykit and Stormkit congratulated him while Sunkit and Wolfkit glared at him, if their looks could kill. Nightkit ignored them. They finally defeated Sunkit’s team! He beamed with the warm feeling of accomplishment.
As the kits flopped down from exhaustion, Mousestripe started meowing.
“Well, at least good weather is coming in. I was sick of that rain.” The queen mewed.
Honeyheart nodded. The forest had been slammed with heavy rainfall the past two sunrises. Soon, it turned into a storm, but the dark clouds had passed over the forest territories, and a nice, warm newleaf kicked in. Prey was plentiful for ThunderClan; the same couldn’t be said for ShadowClan. But Nightkit didn’t worry about that. All that mattered was enjoying his last moments as a kit, before he became an apprentice.
“So,” Greykit meowed to Nightkit. “Are you going to forget about me once you move to the warriors den?” Nightkit stifled a laugh. “Probably not. I’ll be in here to change your bedding anyway, so you’ll see me. Besides, you only have to wait a moon. It’s not that long.” Greykit sighed. “It feels like forever.”
Nightkit nodded in acknowledgement. In just one more day, he’d become a real apprentice and move in to the apprentice den. Nightpaw. Imagine that!
Just as he began daydreaming of his future as an apprentice, Foxpaw padded into the nursery with fresh moss. “Hello, Foxpaw. Thank you for the moss! You can set it next to me,” Mousestripe mewed. Foxpaw nodded and placed the moss down. Then, he turned to the kits.
“Hello, kits,” Foxpaw greeted, with a strange tone. Was it jealousy? No. Excitement? Yes, it was. Maybe he was interested in his soon-to-be denmates.
“Hello!” Sunkit mewed, puffing up his fur to make himself look bigger than he actually was.
Foxpaw shook his head. “No matter how fluffy you get, Sunkit, you’re still smaller than me.” He turned around and walked with dignity, showing off and flicking his huge, bushy tail.
“See you later.” He spoke, then left the nursery. Nighkit was so excited. Soon, he’d be an apprentice! Soon, everything would work out the way he wanted it to. Soon, he’d be a ThunderClan cat!
“Hey,” Greykit nudged Nightkit. “Standing around won’t make time fly faster. But you know what will? Another round of moss ball.”
Nightkit still stood there, as if he didn’t notice Greykit, then turned back around.
“Alright, let’s go, then.” He mewed. The two toms padded up to their denmates, waiting for a second match. Wolfkit shifted in Honeyheart’s nest, yawning. “I’m kind of tired. Maybe later.”
Nightkit had to stifle his own yawn. They had woken up pretty early, and that game of moss ball was exhausting. “Yeah,” Nightkit sighed. “Sorry, Greykit, but I don’t want to fall asleep during my ceremony!”
Greykit rolled his eyes. He clearly thought that Nightkit was just trying to look more mature. But Nightkit didn’t care. He really was tired, and really wanted to sleep. As he wobbled over to Honeyheart’s next, he felt his energy slowly ebbing off of him, and he drifted into a deep, calm sleep. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nightkit could hear a rustle of leaves behind him. He was in the forest, but he didn’t know where he was. He was lost. He stumbled around, and began to smell a disgusting, horrid smell. It came to Nightkit’s nose in waves. He began to move closer and closer, and saw a long, black line. He put his paw forward and touched it. It was hard and cold, and the smell continued to radiate off of it. He heard the rustle once more, coming from a slope that led down into the lower section of the thick black line. It went down to a small black hole. Nightkit padded closer. Soon, he realized it wasn’t a hole, but a tunnel. Soon, he saw amber eyes boring into his fur, as if it would scorch away at his black fur. He trembled in fear, the eyes seemed to grow in size. Soon, he could see the shadows of dark fur stepping out of the tunnel. Nightkit ran, but the muddy ground below him seemed to grip at his paws. He was pulled closer and closer… ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Nightkit? Nightkit! You were shaking us in your sleep!” It was Honeyheart. Nightkit sighed with relief. The dream was finally over.
He blinked, drowsy air radiating off of him. “Can I go back to sleep?” “No! Today you’re becoming an apprentice, remember?” Honeyheart scolded.
Nightkit shot up. My ceremony! Honeyheart began licking his fur intensely, straightening out his ruffled fur from his sleep. “Your pelt looks like someone snagged a dozen thorns in there!” Honeyheart mewed, but her mew was full of affection. She purred once she was done. “You look great, Nightkit. Make me proud.”
“I will, Honeyheart.” Nightkit replied. He would be the best ‘paw anyway had ever saw! He was glowing with confidence. Maybe too much, because Stormkit playfully cuffed Nightkit’s ear with his paw.
“You’re acting like you’re better than us already! I’ll bet a dozen mousetails you’ll forget we exist.”
Nightkit shook his head. “I’m not so selfish. If you want to see that kind of arrogance, look at Sunkit!”
Stormkit purred with amusement and trotted away, tail high, as if he’d accomplished something. Maybe Nightkit blaming Sunkit was an accomplishment for him. Weird.
Nightkit walked out of the nursery. Sunkit and Wolfkit were standing there, waiting. “Why are you late, Nightkit?” Wolfkit teased. Nightkit ignored him. He knew for a fact he wasn’t late- he was right on time. In fact, he could see Emberstar walking from his den and yowling from Highrock, calling a Clan meeting.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here at Highrock!” The three kits, nearly ‘paws, ran to the clearing in front of the Highrock. The kits could hear the murmurs of Clan cats, looking at the kits with interest and pride. Three new apprentices would join ThunderClan, and soon, even more warriors would continue to help the Clan grow.
As the lingering sound of meowing coming from the Clan, Emberstar silenced them with a flick of his tail. “As you know, we have three kits who have reached 6 moons of age. Sunkit, Wolfkit, and Nightkit, step forward.” The three kits bounded forward with excitement. They had waited so long for this moment, and now it was finally here! “Do you pledge to stay loyal to this Clan?”
“I do.” The kits mewed.
“Then, from this day forward, until you are warriors, you shall be Sunpaw, Wolfpaw, and Nightpaw.”
The kits squealed with excited and nervous glanced toward each other. “Redfang, you have proved your loyalty and strength. I trust you to train Sunpaw to your best ability.” Redfang nodded and stepped up to Sunpaw. He rested his muzzle on Sunpaw’s muzzle and gave him a curt nod.
“Ashfang, you have proven your skills as well. Train Nightpaw as best as you can. And Grassbreeze, you also have proven your skill and are worthy of an apprentice. Train Wolfpaw well.” Ashfang and Grassbreeze stepped up to their new apprentices. They completed the ceremony, and happily introduced them to their new den. “This is where you will be sleeping from now on,” Redfang mewed. “I’ll have Cloudpaw fix you some new nests when you come back from exploring the territory.”
“We’re doing that right now?” Sunpaw squealed like a kit. “Yes, but if you act anymore like a newborn kit, I’ll have you cleaning ticks for the elders for the entire moon.” Sunkit shut his mouth.
Grassbreeze and Ashfang led their apprentices to the camp entrance, and Redfang and Sunpaw joined them. As Nightpaw took his first steps into the forest, he could the crunch of leaves on the ground, chirps of birds in the distance, and serene forest air, flowing into his nostrils. Everything smelled great, looked great, felt great. Nightpaw bounded forward, happy to be stretching his legs into the real world. He had a journey; a goal. Now he was finally getting there. He was a real forest cat.
|
|
Zefffy
"I literally don't care." - Hikaru Nakumarua, Chess Grandmaster
|
Post by Zefffy on Feb 23, 2022 20:43:44 GMT -5
Chapter 2
“This is the training hollow. The ground is soft for apprentices and warriors to practice their fighting moves.”
Sunpaw bounded forward and started sniffing around. Nightpaw realized he was starting to recognize some of his Clanmates’ scents. Cloudpaw was here last sunrise, with her mentor, Blacktail, who was also Nightpaw’s father.
“Sunpaw! Hurry up, we have to move on.” Redfang purred with amusement. He clearly found Sunpaw’s enthusiastic nature entertainment.
Sunpaw drooped his tail and followed behind the patrol of cats. Redfang continued on, showing them all the territories around ThunderClan. Soon, they approached a long black line on the ShadowClan border.
This was the thing in my dreams.
“This is the Thunderpath,” Redfang mewed, and glanced at Nightpaw. He clearly noticed he was staring off into nothing. “There are dangerous monsters that dash across the Thunderpath. They can kill a full grown cat, so stay away from here. Never cross a Thunderpath unless you have to.” Redfang spoke with an edge on his tone.
Nightpaw blankly nodded. All he could think about was that tunnel…if this was the ShadowClan border, could ShadowClan get through there?
Redfang flicked his tail, but Nightpaw didn’t move. The small puddles of mud around him seemed to pull him down, farther and farther into the ground…
“Nightpaw!” Ashfang hissed. “Nightpaw, what happened? You weren’t moving, and you kept on staring at the Thunderpath.”
Nightpaw blinked back to reality, as if nothing ever happened. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.”
Ashfang nodded, but Nightpaw noticed the concern in her voice. How long was he staring out there? They must think he was weird for acting like that. The patrol walked back to camp, and Redfang instructed the apprentices to take some fresh-kill and rest. Tomorrow, Redfang and the other mentors would teach them how to hunt.
“Aren’t we not supposed to eat fresh-kill until we’ve hunted for the kits and elders?” Nightpaw mewed with caution.
Wolfpaw was already digging into a squirrel, his mews muffled by the sound of fur. “Redfang said today was the only exception. I guess that means it’s okay.”
Nightpaw slowly nodded and bit off some of his mouse. But he was still unnerved by the Thunderpath. His dream might now have been fake…what if there really was a tunnel? Even if he checked, he couldn’t just leave camp by himself. Even if he lied and said he was hunting, he didn’t even know how to. He decided he’d wait for the right moment to slip out of camp and check it out.
“Hello.” A voice spoke from behind the three apprentices. It was Cloudpaw.
“Hi!” Sunpaw replied, his cheerful nature making Nightpaw feel better.
Cloudpaw purred. “Well, Sunpaw, this’ll put you off of your excitement. Redfang wants you to clean the elders’ bedding.”
Sunpaw frowned, his cheerful vibe disappearing. “Seriously?” His pale ginger coat ruffled with annoyance, and he sighed. “Alright,” He twisted to Wolfpaw and Nightpaw. “Which one of you will help me?”
Wolfpaw began to lick his lips. “I think I’ll make my own bedding, thank you very much.”
“I’ll help.” Nightpaw stood up. “I can bring them some fresh-kill, too.”
Sunpaw nodded. Wolfpaw’s gaze fell on Nightpaw with confusion. “Alright. But it’s your loss, so don’t come back to me for help.”
The dark grey tom left the fresh-kill pile. As he did, Foxpaw stepped out of the apprentice’s den.
“Hey, Cloudpaw!” He yowled. “Want to hunt together?”
Cloudpaw nodded, and turned back to the new apprentices. “Well, uh, good luck, I guess. Milkfoot can be a real pain sometimes.”
Nightpaw and Sunpaw looked at each other. As kits, they had once stumbled into the elders’ den for a story, only for Milkfoot to end up calling them ‘more annoying than ticks’. Now, they were going to get rid of them. Sunpaw sighed and motioned for Nightpaw to follow. As they stepped into the den, Milkfoot was sleeping, his flank slowly rising and falling.
“Oh, no,” Nightpaw growled. “Now we have to wake him up. He’ll be even grumpier.”
Sunpaw rolled his eyes. “What a nuisance. I’ll go ask Leafmist for some mouse bile.”
Nightpaw didn’t even acknowledge, just stared at Milkfoot. He gently put his paw on his pelt and began prodding it, slowly whispering for him to wake up. Milkfoot continued snoring, to Nightpaw’s annoyance.
“Wake up!” He hissed, and Milkfoot darted upwards.
“What? What? Is ShadowClan attacking again?” The frail elder twisted to Nightpaw. “Oh, it’s just you.” He snarled. “You woke me up in a good dream, so this better be worthwhile.”
“It is.” Nightpaw dropped the mouse onto Milkfoot’s paws. Milkfoot rested his old body.
“Well, I guess it was. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. Sorry for snapping at you earlier, Nightpaw.”
Nightpaw gaped. Milkfoot could be nice? He really had seen everything. Just as Nightpaw experienced the wackiest moment of his life, Sunpaw trotted in with the mouse bile, the scent forcing Nightpaw to screw up his face.
“Ugh, that’s disgusting.” Nightpaw frowned, and stepped out of the way. Milkfoot nodded to Sunpaw, allowing him to put the bile on.
“What got Milkfoot in such a good mood?” Sunpaw asked Nightpaw.
“I can hear you, you know!” Milkfoot snapped, his neck fur bristling. “But if you want an answer, it’s this mouse.”
Sunpaw rolled his eyes as a tick fell off of Milkfoot. Soon, Milkfoot was licking his fur.
“Thank you, little ones,” He spoke, with a wisdom Nightpaw hadn’t noticed before. Milkfoot gave them a nod of sincere respect.
The apprentices, in shock, left Milkfoot to groom himself. As the blazing sun dipped into the horizon, Nightpaw took a deep breath. This was his life now; he’d better get used to it. He padded to the apprentice’s den to find Foxpaw, Cloudpaw, and Wolfpaw were chatting away. Foxpaw was bragging about his recent catch.
“So I leaped, really far, right? Yeah, I leaped and actually caught the squirrel!”
Wolfpaw seemed really interested, while Cloudpaw looked like she was half-asleep. When Sunpaw and Nightpaw walked in, she stood up straight.
“How was Milkfoot? Not to bossy, I hope.”
Sunpaw shook his head, mouse bile smell flowing off of him. “He wasn’t so bad. Pretty nice, actually.”
Foxpaw turned to Sunpaw. “Well, your smell isn’t! Go wash that off before you make the entire den smell like crow-food!”
Sunpaw, embarrassed, walked out of the den to wash his paws. Nightpaw flopped over, slowly falling into a deep and peaceful sleep. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nightpaw woke up. But he wasn’t in the apprentices’ den. He was at the Thunderpath once more. A monster zoomed by, it’s massive black paws thundering down the Thunderpath. Small bits of rock flew off and pelted Nightpaw’s muzzle. The black tom flinched in retaliation. Then he remembered. The tunnel! He sprinted over to find the tunnel empty, the black void as blank as Nightpaw’s fur. He could feel the darkness pulling at him, tempting him to step closer.
Nightpaw stepped backwards. He wanted nothing to do with that tunnel. But it kept calling to him, pulling him closer. He took one step, and another, and then…
______________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Nightpaw! Why are you always so restless?” It was Wolfpaw. Nightpaw breathed. The nightmare was over. He was free from the chaos.
Foxpaw wasn’t in the den. Cloudpaw must have noticed his confusion.
“Grassbreeze is taking Foxpaw for his assessment. He’ll be a warrior soon.”
Nightpaw nodded. But his mind was still focused on the Thunderpath. Just as he was planning his sneaky getaway, Blacktail stepped in the den.
“Cloudpaw, I’m taking you out for a hunting patrol. Redfang and Ashfang are tagging along with their apprentices so they can learn the stalking technique.”
Wolfpaw frowned. “What about me?”
Blacktail gave Wolfpaw a smug smile. “Since you didn’t do any chores, you’ll be cleaning out the elders’ den.”
Wolfpaw groaned with annoyance. He angrily flicked his tail and left the den. Nightpaw had to stifle a purr when Wolfpaw gave a final glare at Blacktail.
“Well, that mange-fur is finally gone. I didn’t expect his bad behavior to run well with the senior warriors.” Sunpaw hissed.
Blacktail loomed over his son’s head, his eyes clouded with a grim expression. “Would you like to join him, Sunpaw?”
Sunpaw jerked around, gave a slight whimper, and walked out of the den. Nightpaw was basically gasping for breath, since he had to hold in his purrs. If Blacktail heard him, he’d be stuck with Wolfpaw cleaning ticks.
Blacktail glanced back at Nightpaw and Cloudpaw. “Alright, you two, let’s go.” He mewed, and followed behind Sunpaw. Nightpaw glanced back at Cloudpaw, but she wasn’t shocked by Blacktail’s grim behavior. I guess being his father’s apprentice changed a cat.
“It seems you’re a bit surprised,” Cloudpaw mewed to Nightpaw, shaking him from his thoughts.
Nightpaw nodded. Blacktail normally scared kits and apprentices, at least from Honeyheart’s stories. Speaking of Honeyheart, she was the only person Blacktail was friendly with.
“Yeah, I am.”
The two apprentices padded after Blacktail, who twisted around and walked into the forest, not waiting for the apprentices to catch up. Soon, the large warrior paced from a slow walk to a faster trot, and was bounding across the forest. Nightpaw pushed his smaller legs to keep up, but he noticed that he was lagging behind.
“Hurry up!” Blacktail yowled, wind ripping through his voice. Nightpaw continued to run until he felt softer, sandy ground below him.
“The sandy hollow,” Cloudpaw mewed. “I guess the other mentors are waiting for us.”
Redfang and Ashfang were already there, with Sunpaw licking his fur, clearly acting superior for arriving earlier.
“Hello, Blacktail,” Redfang spoke. “Sunpaw and Nightpaw will be learning the stalking technique, as you know. Are you coming?”
Blacktail gave a nod. “Yes, and Cloudpaw as well.”
The apprentices grouped up, and the patrol padded out of the hollow and into the surrounding areas.
“Alright,” Redfang mewed. “The hunting crouch is simple, once you get the hang of it. First, crouch as low as you can.”
Sunpaw and Nightpaw did as they were instructed, holding their bodies down as low as they could. Nightpaw could feel blades of grass along his belly.
“Sunpaw, keep your tail low. Don’t stick it up with pride, or else every single scrap of prey in the forest will see you.”
Sunpaw lowered his tail in embarrassment.
“Now, make sure you’re downwind of your prey. That way, they can’t scent you.”
Sunpaw and Nightpaw shifted, twisting their bodies to the opposite direction of which the wind was blowing. It was a strong breeze, ever since the powerful storm that crossed the forest had left, bursts of wind were still everywhere. Dew was still dripping off of Nightpaw’s pelt, but he didn’t bother to shake it off.
“Now, we’re going to see if you can get your Clan some fresh-kill, but it’s fine if you don’t get any. This’ll act as practice.” Blacktail mewed in a low, booming voice.
The apprentices began stalking around, and Nightpaw’s ear pricked up. He could hear a soft scuffling among the grass. He began moving towards the noise. As he came closer, powerful waves of smell came rushing into Nightpaw’s nostrils, a wave of new scents smashing into him.
A mouse. This should be an easy catch.
Nightpaw continued his advance on the mouse, which was completely oblivious to the cat’s arrival. The mouse continued scampering around, chewing emerald-green leaves. Nightpaw took one more step. The mouse paused. Nightpaw had barely flicked his paw on a branch. The mouse peered around, looking for a predator, and cautiously scuffled around. Nightpaw held his weak breath-a single movement and the mouse would run. Once the mouse realized that nothing was there, it went back to eating their food. Nightpaw, a tail-length away from the mouse, jumped for it, landing on it and inflicting a swift bite to the neck, killing it.
“I did it!” Nightpaw exclaimed. “I caught my first piece of fresh-kill!”
Ashfang padded up happily and purred. “Great job, Nightpaw.”
Sunpaw looked Nightpaw in the eye, not giving up his dignity. “Well, it’s pretty pitiful. That couldn’t even feed a kit!” The tabby tom growled.
Redfang flicked his tail over Sunpaw’s ear. “How many times will you test my patience?”
Sunpaw lowered his head, and padded away to look for some prey.
Ashfang’s face was glowing with pride. “For a cat so young, you’ve done well. For now, you can head back to camp and give Milkfoot your mouse. Then you can rest.”
Nightpaw nodded and scampered away. He sprinted across the forest floor, leaves crumpling underneath his paws and a rush of wind blowing his pelt backwards. He happily entered the camp, the mouse dangling from his jaws.
“Nice catch, Nightpaw.” Mewed a voice. It was Frostpelt, one of the younger warriors. Hollyfoot and Honeyheart padded up to Frostpelt and congratulated the young apprentice.
“Of course,” Hollyfoot mewed. “Don’t think this means you’re already great. You have a lot to learn.”
Nightpaw nodded, but his excitement was still obvious, and his mew muffled from the mouse. “I know. I promise I’ll focus and work hard.”
Nightpaw scampered to the elders’ den, where Milkfoot was stretching his back.
“Ah, Nightpaw. You can drop the mouse right there. I just woke up from my nap, and I don’t feel like eating just yet.” The old elder mewed.
Nightpaw dropped the mouse, moving moss away to clear for Milkfoot. Noticing how crumpled it felt, Nightpaw gazed at Milkfoot. He must’ve had a bad nap. “Do you want me to replace your bedding?” He knew he didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to be on Milkfoot’s bad side.
“Yes, yes. You seem to know everything I need.” Milkfoot mewed.
Nightpaw scrambled out of the den, dark grey fur in front of the den.
“Oh, Nightpaw, you’re back,” Wolfpaw snarled. “And how was your little hunting patrol?”
Nightpaw looked Wolfpaw in the eye, unafraid of his challenging glare. “I caught a mouse, in fact. I just fed it for Milkfoot, and now I’m getting some moss.”
“No need, I have some right here.” Wolfpaw growled, and shoved past Nightpaw. Right before he went out of Nightpaw earshot, he sighed. “Don’t mind me. I’m just a tad grumpy.”
Nightpaw nodded. He knew Wolfpaw rarely held his temper for too long. Then Nightpaw realized he could go rest now. Right as he thought of it, his belly began to rumble, a pang of hunger shaking him from his paws.
I’m so hungry.
Nightpaw padded up to the fresh-kill pile. Knowing that he had fed the elders, he picked up a juicy vole and began munching on it. Right as he did, he heard someone coming from the camp entrance. It was Grassbreeze and Foxpaw, returning from their assessment. The dark ginger apprentice had a massive blackbird dangling from his jaws. The apprentice proudly dropped the prey onto the pile and flopped down, beaming at Nightpaw.
“Wow! How did you do, Foxpaw?” Nightpaw asked.
Foxpaw grinned. “I was about to catch this squirrel, when I noticed the blackbird. It was huge, as you can see. Nearly as big as you! Grassbreeze was so impressed, he said I didn’t even need to catch anything else.”
Nightpaw smiled. He felt happy for the apprentice. As he finished up his vole, he smiled. It was great to be a part of the Clan, to help them survive. It was a feeling he couldn’t shake. He happily padded to the apprentices’ den, and curled up in his nest.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nightpaw awoke, mud splashed across his black fur. He grimaced in disgust and tried to shake the muck off, but every shake made it feel like the mud was gripping him with more strength. Soon, he was drowning it the mud, the grime pulling him down into the ground. The earth below him began to swallow him up, and Nightpaw began to suffocate.
He couldn’t feel, and every breath he took, a wave of mud choked him further. Pain ripped across the young tom’s body, and it felt as if he were dying. Then, he saw it. A cat, brown fur the color of the mud, and a white paw hanging out. Nightpaw thought the cat would save him, but instead it unsheathed its claws and slashed at Nightpaw’s face. Before the claw could make contact, Nightpaw felt something grab him by the scruff. But before he could turn around and see who it was, a strong gust of wind slammed him. Then everything went black.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
Zefffy
"I literally don't care." - Hikaru Nakumarua, Chess Grandmaster
|
Post by Zefffy on Mar 12, 2022 14:22:35 GMT -5
Chapter 3This is a shorter chapter, mostly because it is just filler before the first major battle event happens in Chapter 4. Sorry it took so long, I've been a bit lazy for the past few weeks, but I'm starting to get back on track. I'm hoping I can release the next chapter by 3/20, or possibly earlier.The soft sand was whipped up by Sunpaw, who was violently shaking off Nightpaw’s attack. It had been a half-moon since Nightpaw had been made an apprentice, and he was practicing his battle moves with Sunpaw and Wolfpaw.
“How do you like that?” Sunpaw snarled and leaped for Nightpaw, claws sheathed. Nightpaw stepped to the side, letting Sunpaw tumble into a bush.
“Sunpaw, what’s the point of leaping if you can’t land?” Wolfpaw taunted. The dark grey tom twisted to Nightpaw, hunger in his eyes. Nightpaw crouched down and prepared to use the special move Ashfang has showed him earlier. When Wolfpaw dashed forward and tried to cuff Nightpaw’s ears, Nightpaw gracefully flopped over, quickly lifted himself back up, and twisted his body behind Wolfpaw’s, jumping around him and nipping his leg.
Wolfpaw twisted in shock as he lost his balance and fell. Nightpaw tackled him over and pinned him to the ground.
“Good job, Nightpaw!” Frostpelt called from across the hollow.
Wolfpaw snarled and squirmed under Nightpaw’s weight, but the larger apprentice managed to shove him away.
“Where did you learn that?” Wolfpaw growled, this time with less hostility, and more interest.
“Ashfang taught me that. I finally got the hang of it! It took me forever.” Nightpaw mewed, flicking his tail towards his mentor.
Wolfpaw nodded. Next time, he’d be prepared for that move.
As Wolfpaw and Frostpelt were leaving, Sunpaw leaped out of the bush thicket.
“Hey,” Sunpaw hissed. “I didn’t want Redfang to see me. I watched your fight. Nice moves!”
Nightpaw nodded. “Why don’t you want to see Redfang?”
Sunpaw glanced back to the grey tom, who was grooming himself in the hollow. “He’s just really strict. He seems to take more of an interest in Foxpaw than me. He’s constantly bringing him over to train. I’ve been lagging behind in training. It’s like he doesn’t even know I exist.”
Nightpaw’s eyes went wide. A mentor neglecting their apprentice? Nightpaw hadn’t heard of that before. Sunpaw’s usual powerful ginger pelt looked dull, and his eyes were tired and wary.
“When he does pay attention to me, he always overworks me. And when I can’t keep up with his training style, he punishes me.”
Nightpaw glanced back at Redfang, then back at Sunpaw. The tabby was glancing around, as if someone would jump out of the forest and attack them both.
“Well, maybe he just wants the best for you. Foxpaw will be a warrior soon anyway-maybe Redfang is just doing him a favor for his last assessment. Redfang is just as strict as Blacktail, so it shouldn’t be so bad.”
Sunpaw nodded slowly, as if he wasn’t actually hearing Nightpaw. The tabby fluffed up his fur, making him look twice as large. But Nightpaw noticed something. His fur was still dull, and he noticed it hadn’t been groomed in a while. Maybe Redfang was overworking Sunpaw…
“Hey, Nightpaw! Let’s go!” Ashfang yowled, cutting Nightpaw out of his thoughts. As he shifted back into reality, he tried to forget what Sunpaw had told him. Could he really have not noticed Sunpaw’s change in behavior? Nightpaw sighed and followed behind Ashfang.
Once they arrived in camp, he noticed Oakclaw and Blacktail speaking to each other. Emberstar stepped out of his den, and while the apprentices went back to their dens, Redfang was already joining the group, as well as Hollyfoot. All of the senior warriors…
“What’s going on?” Nightpaw asked.
“There was a border skirmish,” a voice cut in. It was Foxpaw, his pelt bristling with anger. “A couple of ShadowClan cats close to Fourtrees attacked me, Grassbreeze, and Hollyfoot.”
Foxpaw’s face was contorted in anger, his fangs bared. “We’re planning a counterattack.”
Nightpaw shifted uncomfortably. Battle at his young age wasn’t optimal. Foxpaw must have noticed Nightpaw’s fear, because he brushed his pelt.
“Don’t worry. You guys are new apprentices-they won’t throw you into battle just yet.”
Nightpaw sighed with relief, a huge weight lifted off his chest, his breath calming into slow, solid inhales. Now he felt guilty. How could he be worthy to his Clan if he didn’t have the guts for battle?
Foxpaw trotted away, tail high, completely ignoring Nightpaw’s dilemma. Just as Foxpaw left, Wolfpaw stumbled out of his den, and glanced back towards the group.
“Is there a patrol leaving? I thought they just came back.” Wolfpaw mumbled. Nightpaw turned to Wolfpaw.
“There is going to be a battle.” Nightpaw mewed softly.
Wolfpaw’s eyes lit up in excitement. “A battle? Finally!” His dark grey pelted shook with uncontrolled joy, which concerned Nightpaw. His own brother seemed excited for battle. What if he got hurt? They were barely apprentices.
Nightpaw felt a sharp jab into his pelt.
“Stop looking so down. Nobody really got hurt. Leafmist will have them fixed up in no time.” A voice mewed softly. It was Cloudpaw.
“I’m fine,” Nightpaw croaked. “I’m just a bit unnerved.”
Nightpaw slowly avoided anyone else as the crowd of cats built up. He slipped away, his paws ignored by the rush of angry and excited yowls. It seems the Clan was ready for combat. But the question was, was Nightpaw ready?
Dizzy sunlight filtered through the roof of the den. Sunpaw’s loud snores carried everywhere, waking the apprentices.
“It’s Sunpaw again,” Wolfpaw hissed. “He’s snoring again!”
Foxpaw purred with amusement. “You better start getting used to it. The warriors’ den will be even worse. Grassbreeze told me.”
Wolfpaw rolled his eyes and began grooming his ruffled fur. “Well, I want to go hunt. Anyone want to come?”
Just as Wolfpaw spoke, Hollyfoot stuck her head in the den. “At least you are being responsible, Wolfpaw. Yes, you can hunt.”
Wolfpaw twisted around in shock, then realized that Hollyfoot was being friendly.
“Bring Foxpaw,” Hollyfoot continued. “As well as Nightpaw and Cloudpaw. Redfang wants to do some battle training with Sunpaw.”
At the mention of Redfang, Nightpaw shivered. Would Redfang put Sunpaw through some more harsh training? Or would he realize what he was doing and calm down? Or maybe Sunpaw was just paranoid and a bit tired. Nightpaw shook the thought away. For now, he should focus on hunting for the Clan.
Foxpaw flicked his tail and all of the apprentices bounded out of the den. They pushed through the bramble entrance and entered the forest. The chirps of birds and the soft rustle of grass and soil under Nightpaw’s feet felt good. After a short while of walking, Foxpaw turned to the patrol.
“Alright, let’s have a little contest. First one to get a piece of prey and bring it back here wins!”
The apprentices sprinted forward. Foxpaw headed towards Sunningrocks, Cloudpaw went for Tallpines, Wolfpaw went for the edge of Snakerocks, and Nightpaw dashed for the woodland around the training hollow.
Nightpaw continued his sprint until he could smell the scent of squirrel. Tree hunting was very impressive, and if he could catch a squirrel, it would be a good bit of practice. He continued stalking the scent until he reached a massive oak tree. It’s long trunk towered over the small apprentice. Nightpaw unsheated his claws and slowly went up the tree. A branch extended away from the tree like a long, brown tendril. He could see a ginger looking coat from beyond the leaves.
A squirrel was holding an acorn, and it seemed to be enjoying it. Nightpaw took a calculated slash with his claw that easily and swiftly struck the squirrel, and he hooked it with his claw. But then, he slightly slipped down the trunk and almost lost his footing.
“Oh, no. Careful now…” Nightpaw mumbled to himself. He slowly stuck paw after paw down the trunk until he reached the bottom. Shaking the shock out of his body, Nightpaw dashed for the location of where they told each other to meet up.
When he arrived, he noticed Cloudpaw sitting down. So he didn’t win, but he did come in second.
“Hello, Nightpaw,” Cloudpaw smiled. The apprentices waited for the others to arrive. Soon, Foxpaw came, and then Wolfpaw.
“I suggested hunting, and now I end up last.” The dark grey tom grumbled.
“Well,” Foxpaw sneered. “Maybe you should get better at hunting.”
Wolfpaw playfully swatted Foxpaw’s ears, and the two toms began wrestling on the ground. Cloudpaw began laughing, and before long, Hollyfoot arrived.
“Hello. Good catches, all of you.”
The patrol walked back to camp. Cloudpaw dropped her shrew, Foxpaw dropped his mouse, and Wolfpaw dropped his finch.
“Well, I’m famished, so I’ll go take some fresh-kill to Milkfoot. Nightpaw, you can go take that squirrel to Mousestripe.”
Nightpaw nodded. He hadn’t been able to talk to Greykit and Stormkit for a while, so maybe he could catch up with them. Soon, they’d be apprentices anyway.
Nightpaw picked up his squirrel and walked into the den. Immediately, he was tackled by a blur of grey fur.
“Hey!” Nightpaw laughed, and pretended to fight off his attackers.
“Well, someone got a bit too cool for the nursery.” Greykit yowled. “Take this!”
Greykit leaped for Nightpaw’s flank, but Nightpaw easily ducked and dodged his attack. He took his sheathed paw and twisted Greykit to the ground.
“Wow!” Greykit panted. “You’ll have to show me that technique once I move into the apprentice den.”
Nightpaw nodded. Stormkit and Mousestripe were sharing the squirrel, but Greykit swished his tail, ready for more action.
“Not hungry?” Nightpaw asked.
“Nope. I’ve already eaten. I heard that Foxpaw and Cloudpaw’s warrior ceremony is today. Too bad I can’t come.”
Nightpaw doubled back. Warrior ceremony? Today? Nightpaw did remember that Foxpaw had been taking some extra assessments. Maybe Cloudpaw had too.
“Alright.” Nightpaw mewed. “I’ll have to go, then.”
Just then, he heard a yowl split across the clearing. It was Emberstar.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come under the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”
Nightpaw dashed out of the nursery. A row of cats were huddled together. He could see Oakclaw, the deputy, standing below the rock, right below Emberstar. Blacktail and Hollyfoot were in the front of the crowd, with Ashfang, Frostpelt, and Grassbreeze behind them.
Nightpaw noticed Redfang giving Sunpaw a glare. Sunpaw looked a bit battered and bruised, and his fur was ruffled. How rough was Redfang acting towards Sunpaw?
Foxpaw and Cloudpaw were sitting tall and proud, excited for their warrior ceremony. Nightpaw took his place beside Wolfpaw and Sunpaw.
“So, they’re becoming warriors, eh?” Wolfpaw mumbled. “Too bad we’re still way too young.”
Nightpaw nodded. Emberstar began to look down on the crowd, his face firm and strong.
“Today, I am happy to say that two new warriors will be joining ThunderClan. Foxpaw, Cloudpaw, step forward.”
The two eager apprentices stepped forward, Foxpaw nearly running.
“You apprentices have worked hard for this Clan as warriors, and for StarClan, and I commend you as warriors in their turn.” Emberstar mewed.
“Foxpaw, Cloudpaw, do you promise to protect and live for this Clan, even if it costs you your life?” The leader continued.
“I do.” The apprentices happily cheered.
“Then from now on, Foxpaw, StarClan honors your strength and your skill. You will be known as Foxtail. And Cloudpaw, StarClan honors your loyalty and your nobility. You will be known as Cloudfur.”
The Clan began cheering loudly, their pride clear from their booming and unified voices. “Foxtail! Cloudfur! Foxtail! Cloudfur!”
The two new warriors bounded down from their position, and the Clan began to die down from excitement. It seemed ThunderClan would thrive, no matter what.
“And, as a final message,” Emberstar spoke. “ShadowClan has been acting more aggressive lately. Oakclaw, I want you to lead a counterattack. We know ShadowClan will try to cross the Thunderpath into our territory, so we must be ready. Oakclaw, bring Blacktail, Redfang, Frostpelt, Honeyheart, and Foxtail. Hold a position on the border and prepare to attack.”
Emberstar turned to Nightpaw.
(Click the next spoiler) “Oh, and one more cat should join you. I think it should be Nightpaw."
|
|
Zefffy
"I literally don't care." - Hikaru Nakumarua, Chess Grandmaster
|
Post by Zefffy on Apr 6, 2022 8:27:21 GMT -5
Chapter 4The air was still and quiet. The small rustle of leaves softly crunched under Nightpaw’s feet. Oakclaw flicked his tail, sending the signal for the patrol to split up. Oakclaw took Honeyheart and Frostpelt to scout out a small ridge in front of the Thunderpath and watch for any ShadowClan cats. Blacktail led Redfang, Foxtail, and Nightpaw down the slope and closer to the main line.
“We wait here, and we prepare to strike. Nightpaw, if things get rough, go run to the camp and get reinforcements.” Blacktail growled. Caution was flowing off of his tongue. ShadowClan was not a Clan to mess around with.
Nightpaw slowly nodded. He could feel the tension bursting inside of his limbs, anxious to move, to do anything. After waiting for a few moments, he could smell a soft scent flowing off of the wind.
“ShadowClan…” Redfang snarled. The patrol unsheathed their claws and began stalking around. The first row of ShadowClan cats began crossing the border, their fur bristling. But then, they began to disappear, their scents being blocked by some sort of invisible wall.
“What the…I can’t smell them!” Foxtail mumbled, fear edging his mew. ShadowClan had seemed to vanish, and now the ThunderClan patrol was vunerable.
“This is bad,” Blacktail mewed calmly, and turned to Nightpaw. “Go tell Oakclaw to try and counter any ShadowClan movements. We can’t have them getting too close to our position without being prepared.”
Nightpaw nodded and ran. The fate of the battle was resting on his shoulders. He dashed up the slope to find Oakclaw’s patrol, sitting quietly and waiting for the attack.
“Nightpaw! What happened?” Oakclaw hissed. He was clearly aware of ShadowClan’s movements, and had no idea what was going to happen.
“Blacktail asked for help. He wanted your patrol to keep ShadowClan away from their position so they could still launch an ambush.”
Oakclaw nodded and turned to his patrol. “We’ll move down the slope and closer to the Thunderpath. We’ll try to hold them off, but it will be difficult.”
Oakclaw’s patrol shuffled down the slope and disappeared. Then a sharp wind blew, sending Nightpaw reeling for solid ground. Then, the sharp crack of a yowl, and fighting erupted from below. Nightpaw peered from his hidden little bush, to see a battle occurring. Oakclaw was fighting a dull grey tabby, sending him flying with a quick kick. Frostpelt was being attacked by two cats at once, but Honeyheart jumped from a nearby bramble and sent one of them flying backwards.
Soon, more ShadowClan cats arrived from the thick black darkness below. A black tabby and a brown tabby began using a paired attack to drive back Oakclaw, and it seemed ThunderClan was being pushed back.
“Darkstar! How did you…” Oakclaw yowled, before being sent flying backwards from the brown tabby’s kick.
Darkstar smirked, then began leaping into the battle. After furious screeches from both sides, it seemed ThunderClan was losing.
“Retreat!” Oakclaw hissed, and the ThunderClan cats dispersed into the thick undergrowth. Nightpaw realized that if he didn’t run now, he would be trapped. He began sprinting after Oakclaw’s patrol, but they were quick, and the ShadowClan cats were beginning to give chase.
“Wait!” Nightpaw yowled, but the harsh wind knocked the breath out of his small body. Soon, he felt claws rake across his shoulder. The black tom collapsed to the ground and twisted around, hissing and clawing.
A light grey tom with blue eyes began staring down Nightpaw, his lips twisted into a grin. Darkstar appeared behind him, his huge build making Nightpaw look pathetic.
“Moonpaw, finish this little runt off. We’ll go chase after Oakclaw.”
Moonpaw flicked his tail, side to side, and began stepping closer to Nightpaw. Nightpaw unsheathed his claws and stood his ground, waiting for Moonpaw to make a move. The ShadowClan apprentice leaped for Nightpaw, flashing his claws to his flank. Nightpaw sidestepped and twisted around him, but the more experienced apprentice tripped him with his back paw and used his forepaw to slash downwards across his muzzle. Moonpaw then leaped on the dazed black tom and held onto his back, his claws digging deeper and deeper into Nightpaw’s pelt.
Nightpaw wriggled under Moonpaw’s grip and sunk his teeth into the apprentice’s foreleg. Moonpaw let out a screech and jumped backwards. Scarlet blood was dripping across the grassy floor, and both apprentices were panting.
“This is more difficult than I thought. Not bad for a new apprentice. But your time is up.” Moonpaw snarled. He leaped through the air, flying towards Nightpaw. But then a dark ginger shape appeared from the undergrowth and sent Moonpaw flying backwards.
“Looks like you needed some help.” Foxtail grinned, and sent a flurry of slashes across Moonpaw’s back. The apprentice reeled backwards and hissed, and ran back to the ShadowClan border.
Nightpaw panted and warily nodded to Foxtail. His surroundings were now empty once more, but the echo of battle was obvious from where he was. He could smell Blacktail’s patrol advancing, and ThunderClan and ShadowClan scent began to mingle. Nightpaw sprinted towards the battlefield to find cats hissing and screeching, clawing each other with all of their might.
Nightpaw felt a rush of responsibility for his Clan and dived paw-first into the battlefield.
Nightpaw leaped for a black she-cat with a huge, fluffy ginger tail. The ShadowClan warrior let out a quick slash, but Nightpaw’s smaller build allowed him to roll under her and nip her forepaw. The warrior reeled back, but before Nightpaw could attack again, she twisted around and kicked Nightpaw backwards. Right when she thought she had beaten the small apprentice, Blacktail’s huge body flung out from the fray and sunk his claws deep into the warriors’ shoulder. The she-cat let out a screech and tried to escape, but Blacktail’s grip tightened. Finally, he released his grip and the she-cat ran back to the border.
“ShadowClan, retreat!” Darkstar yowled, and the ShadowClan cats began to flee back across the border to their own territory. Nightpaw’s Clanmates began to cheer in triumph, and hissed at their retreating foes.
“Good job, everyone,” Oakclaw panted. He had a long scratch deep across his flank. Nightpaw remembered him being attacked by Darkstar. Now, the black tom realized how wounded the patrols were. Frostpelt was limping on one foot, and Redfang had torn ears. Other than that, all of his other Clanmates seemed fine.
“Nightpaw!” A voice meowed from behind him. “Are you okay?”
Honeyheart was trembling behind him, panic flooded all over her expression. Considering how young Nightpaw was, it wasn’t much of a surprise to him that Honeyheart would be worried.
“I’m fine,” Nightpaw mumbled. “I just have a couple of scratches.”
Right as he spoke a wave of pain shot through him. It seemed just thinking about his pain made it feel worse. But he just shook it off and licked his wounds. They weren’t as bad as the others, that was for sure.
Honeyheart warily nodded and padded back to the rest of the patrol. Oakclaw flicked his tail and signaled for the patrols to return to camp. Blacktail helped Frostpelt back to camp, while Foxtail helped Redfang back up to his feet. He couldn’t help but notice they were whispering to each other and looking back to the border, as if ShadowClan would come back. But he thought nothing of it. They were probably just grateful that they won.
The ThunderClan patrol entered the camp, and the cats welcomed their arrival. As soon as Nightpaw took a step into the camp, Graykit and Stormkit bombarded him with questions.
“Who did you fight?”
“Did you win?”
“Are you hurt badly?”
“Can you show me some moves?”
Nightpaw glanced at them warily. He still felt the slight stinging sensation from his wounds, however minor they were.
“Kits! Nightpaw has just been in a battle. Let him go!” Mousestripe scolded. Graykit and Stormkit bounced away, unfazed from their mother sternly watching them.
“Oh, look who’s back.” A snarl came from behind Nightpaw. Wolfpaw was bristling, his neck fur standing up in anger.
“What makes you any better than us that you get to go to a battle?” He hissed, seething.
Sunpaw padded up behind Wolfpaw. “It’s fine. We’ll all get our chance eventually.”
Nightpaw nodded. “I didn’t do much fighting, anyway.”
“Does it look like I care?” Wolfpaw spat. He twisted around, still bristling, and walked to the apprentice den.
Sunpaw gave a long sigh and turned and followed behind Wolfpaw. Nightpaw frowned. He didn’t think Wolfpaw would take it so personally. Nightpaw knew he was no better than the others.
Nightpaw glanced at Emberstar, who was talking to Leafmist and Oakclaw. Leafmist looked wary, his eyes darting from each cat. His gaze caught Nightpaw for just a moment. Leafmist’s eyes swirled with wonder and fear and the same time, his gaze blazing into Nightpaw. But just for a moment, Leafmist turned around and continued talking to Emberstar and Oakclaw.
“Weird…” Nightpaw mumbled before padding to the fresh-kill pile. It was well-stocked, and the feasting cats seemed pleased and happy. The battle was won, and ThunderClan would be safe for many moons after this.
Nightpaw flopped over and took a huge squirrel. He took a huge bite, the flavor washing over his mouth. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until now. He took more bites until he felt like he was floating. Yet, there was still a nice good portion of the squirrel left.
“You seem to be enjoying that.” A voice spoke from behind him. Hollyfoot took one seat and smiled. “You deserve it. Good work today, youngster.”
Nightpaw glowed with pride. “You want the rest?”
Hollyfoot shook her head. Nightpaw thought regret edged off of her tone. “I may be old, but I don’t need youngsters looking out for me. Enjoy the squirrel.”
Nightpaw nodded and began shoveling down the rest of the squirrel. Hollyfoot began grooming her ruffled fur. “So, your old denmates, Greykit and Stormkit, are going to be apprentices soon.”
Nightpaw gave another quick nod. It would be fun to share the apprentice den with his friends. Now, he was done with the squirrel. Hollyfoot’s gaze seemed to be staring into empty space, but she took another glance at Nightpaw.
“So, Nightpaw, what do you think of ShadowClan? Their recent actions, at least.”
Nightpaw felt a huge lump of anger rise in his chest. “They should stay in their own territory! It’s not our fault they were so hungry this season.”
Hollyfoot took another glance at Nightpaw, this time with concern. “Hungry…how did you…?”
Nightpaw flicked his ears angrily. “I could smell it right off of their flea-ridden pelts. They were probably attacking us because they needed more prey. If they wanted some, they should at least try hunting more…if they’ve tried that…”
Hollyfoot looked confused for a moment. “You smelled their hunger?”
“Yes,” Nightpaw growled. “I could smell how desperate they were too.” Nightpaw’s memory rushed in his mind. It seemed like he just noticed these scents, it all slamming back into his thoughts.
Hollyfoot heaved her body upwards, shook her head, and gave Nightpaw her farewell before trotting to the warriors’ den.
How did Nightpaw recognize these odd scents? Nightpaw stumbled away from the fresh-kill pile and walked to Leafmist’s den. Maybe he would have answers.
As Nightpaw stepped into the den, a wave of herb scents smashed into his nostrils. They were fresh and clean, as if they could cure anything and everything. It was a good feeling, but Nightpaw had come here for answers.
“Leafmist?” Nightpaw mewed, his voice barely carrying across the den.
The brown tom stepped out from a large stock of herbs. His eyes were wary, just like before, and his glare shook Nightpaw to the core.
“Nightpaw,” the medicine cat growled. “Make this quick.”
Nightpaw took a step forward, though he was trembling from the fear. What would Leafmist say?
“Leafmist, I’ve been smelling weird things.” Nightpaw stammered.
Just as he spoke, Nightpaw felt a sharp tang in his nostrils. Fear was radiating off of Leafmist. Any cat could smell fear. Maybe it was normal…
But then he could smell Leafmist’s concern. That wasn’t something normal cats could smell.
“The time has come, hasn’t it…” Leafmist sighed. “Your…skill…has been born.”
Nightpaw felt another pang of worry off of Leafmist. “What skill? My scent?”
Leafmist shook his head. “You can do much more. But now is not the time to ponder. Come back to my den tomorrow. We can discuss this in more detail.”
Nightpaw nodded, slowly, but still wary. Leafmist pointed to Nightpaw’s small scratches with his tail.
“We can look at those soon. I don’t think you’ll need any dock leaves or poppy seeds, but I’ll add cobwebs to make sure it doesn’t get infected or reopen.”
Nightpaw nodded. Leafmist padded towards his stocks, and walked back to Nightpaw. He stuck the cobwebs on. Nightpaw’s wounds felt like they were being peeled off of his body, and breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
“That should be good enough. No more patrols or training, just to be safe. You’ve already eaten, so go take some rest.”
“Thank you, Leafmist,” Nightpaw muttered. He was still a bit annoyed Leafmist didn’t give him direct answers, but at least he would tell him tomorrow. If Leafmist knew about Nightpaw’s power, maybe it was StarClan who granted him his ability.
StarClan, giving me powers? Wow!
Nightpaw walked all the way to the apprentice’s den with pride, and fear, even excitement, all twined into one complicated feeling. He curled up into his nest and let sleep overtake him.
|
|