Blood pounded in Greywhisker's ears as his paws drummed against the ground. Muscles bunched and released smoothly. A rhythmic, muffled thump-thud followed as the grey tom's paws came into contact with the solid dirt tracks that twisted through his territory. Massive trees towered over the warrior, spreading their leafy branches to soak up the warm morning air of a sunny greenleaf day. Prey practically hopped out in front of the tom as they awoke from their night sleep. He paid absolutely no attention to them. His muzzle contorted in rage, Greywhisker increased his loping gait, thrusting anger-fuelled energy into his limbs. Pain, anger and envy resounded inside Greywhisker's head. His peaceful and friendly façade had shattered. Now, he was nothing more than broken and different. As the paw-steps fell into a mind-numbing pattern, Greywhisker's dark thoughts began to stray...
It was the dead of winter. Cold, harsh and unforgiving. Snow drifted down in paw-sized clumps, covering the dry ground in a blanket of white. Icy winds ripped through the forest rattling bare branches and throwing plumes of powder snow into the air.
In the ThunderClan camp, warriors lay sprawled out next to each other in the warm shelter of their dens. The queens were curled up around their kits, talking to one another and the apprentices were lying side-by-side, daydreaming. A few groups of cats blinked their eyes open momentarily to listen to the gossip and stories of their friends before falling back into a deep, restful slumber. In the apprentice den, a black tom rose to his paws.
"It's so boring around here," he groaned, lashing his tail back and forth.
"Blackpaw," sighed a small multicoloured splashed she-cat over in a corner, "it's the middle of leaf-bare. It's snowing outside and-"
A cat tumbled into the den, breaking the focus of all the apprentices gathered. A small grey tom looked up at the larger apprentices, green eyes wary and uncertain. His dark grey fur was fluffed up and streaked with snow while his paws covered in it like socks.
"Hello, little Greypaw," Blackpaw smirked, green eyes glinting. Greypaw blanched under his long fur at the older apprentice's tone.
"So," Blackpaw continued, moving forward and placing himself in front of the small tom, "Where have you been? Hiding from your friends in the storm outside, have you?"
"N-no, Blackp-paw," whimpered Greypaw as he curled up on the ground, shivering.
A snarl fell from the black warrior's open jaw as he gazed at the grey tom with contempt. "You're lying! You always lie, you're always the one who makes us pay for your mistakes."
Greypaw looked up from the ground, uncertainty flashing in his eyes. "I'm not lying," he murmured.
A yowl of pent up rage at the younger apprentice rippled from Blackpaw's throat. "You can't take the blame can you, Greykit?" A smirk rippled across his face as a new insult came to mind. "You'll never be a warrior, you haven't even grown up yet. No wonder your mentor never takes you training, you're - you're useless!"
"Blackpaw!" A sharp voice pierced the air and distracted Blackpaw for a heartbeat as he spun around. By the entrance to the den was Lionclaw. His light golden tabby pelt was streaked with snow and ice, yet his amber eyes were as fierce as burning fire. "Leave him be at once." The massive warrior turned and stalked back into the storm, signalling with his tail for Blackpaw to follow him. The night coloured apprentice obliged, albeit grudgingly.
Relief washed over Greypaw and he stumbled over to his moss nest. When he closed his eyes, the words of Blackpaw rang in his head, taunting him like a poison in his mind. A cold darkness came over him and he tried to struggle against it with what was left of his strength. The rest of the apprentices turned their backs on the smaller tom, oblivious to his pain. Those words hurt, especially when they were the truth.
The abrupt wave of pain sent Greywhisker back to the present just in time to swerve around a tree. With the obstacle out of his way, the grey tom returned his focus back to his thoughts. They were plowed with hatred and regret. These emotions triggered another hidden thought in his mind. Claws out and eyes flashing like a storm, Greywhisker doubled his pace and fled into the forest, leaving a trail of shredded destruction behind him. As his speed grew and the rhythmic pace returned, the warrior soon found his way into a maze of memories, each as painful as the last...
Featherstar stood at the base of Highrock, his golden gaze raking the crowd that was milling around in front of him. Soon, his eyes found his target. He leaned over and whispered into his deputy's ear before standing up and bounding to the top of Highrock in neat, graceful strides. There, he seated himself on the edge, his white tail swept around him and head held high. Featherstar took a deep breath, and began.
"Bramblepaw, Badgerpaw and," The white tom paused for a moment, his eyes flashing as if he was nervous, " -and Greypaw. Please come forward."
A low murmur rose from the gathered cats as the third apprentice name reached their ears.
"I, Featherstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in turn."
Featherstar's gaze drifted across the three toms sitting in front of him.
"Bramblepaw, Badgerpaw, and Greypaw: do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Bramblepaw and Badgerpaw answered confidently, "I do." Greypaw's response was quiet, almost lost in the soft breeze: "I-I do."
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Bramblepaw, from this moment you will be known as Bramblefur for your courage and bravery. Badgerpaw, from this moment you will be known as Badgernose. StarClan honors your skills in fighting and persistence in regards to the truth, and we welcome you both as full warriors of ThunderClan."
A flicker of hesitation raced across Featherstar's eyes as he settled his gaze on the third apprentice. For a few agonizing heartbeats, silence reigned over the ceremony. "Greypaw," Featherstar continued, "from this moment you will be known as Greywhisker. StarClan honors your loyalty and…" Featherstar faltered and the nervous shine returned to his eyes. He quickly ran his desperate eyes over everyone gathered below, before settling his gaze on a dark tabby warrior. The warrior nodded encouragingly to Featherstar and looked over at his apprentice with a strange glimmer of regret in his eyes. Greypaw looked back, uncertain, as the white leader continued. "...commitment and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." The white leader rushed the ending, his fail flicking in discomfort. Around him, the crowd chanted the new names of the young warriors, each with a moment's hesitation before Greywhisker's name.
The newly named Greywhisker looked around, a grin plastered on his face. His thoughts, on the other hand, did not in anyway correspond with the emotion he was expressing.
"Bramblefur, Badgernose, Greywhisker!"
The crowd rushed forward, congratulating the new warriors and wishing them luck. Only one or two came towards Greywhisker and gave him a friendly lick. The rest nodded in his direction.
As this happened, a dark thought crossed Greywhisker's mind:
Was I meant to be a warrior?
Those seven words echoed inside Greywhisker's head. Emotions, all locked away for moons came rushing out and Greywhisker threw his head back and yowled. It had no words, no thoughts, no wisdom. It was a sound of pure pain and regret.
Slowly, the rage dwindled away. His body, unable to deal with the loss of emotion, replaced it with a hollow and defeating grief.
The grey tom slipped down onto his stomach, eyes squeezed shut and paws splayed out.
Why? His mind whispered as memories of Clan life flashed past his eyes. Memories of being so close to catching the smallest morsel in greenleaf, but coming back empty-pawed. Memories of patrols and Gatherings where his voice was ignored and was put 'out of harm's way'. Memories of smirks and fake laughter when he expressed his thoughts. Memories of the way others acted around him. Their forced smiles and blank gazes. He let his head fall limp to the ground, landing with a small thump.
"What's wrong with me?" He whispered into the ground.
A voice in the back of his mind spoke up.
You're not meant to be a warrior.
"So I should have been a stupid medicine cat?" he snarled in response, ignoring the fact that he was alone and replying to his conscience.
No, came the sharp tone.
"What, then?" Desperation crept into Greywhisker's voice.
You just weren't taught correctly.
"So you're blaming my mentor?"
Yes.
"Marshfoot never did anything wrong!" Greywhisker paused as nostalgia washed over him. "He would always help me and teach me and..." the grey tom trailed off, his eyes glazed.
Did he really?
"Stop it!" Greywhisker thrust his muzzle into the ground and blocked his mind from the pestering voice. His gut twisted heavily with guilt.
"It's all my fault," he murmured, eyes sealed shut, "no one else, but mine."
You can become a warrior, you just need to focus and do it.
The return of the voice in the back of his mind startled Greywhisker into opening his eyes.
In front of him stood a she-cat. She wasn't one of those plain cats in ThunderClan - oh no. She was perfect. Her pure white fur flowed along her body like a stream. Her dark green eyes shone in the shadows of the tree under which she stood. Her muzzle was delicate, yet fiercely attractive. Her long limbs added to her graceful stature and raised her above lowly others. Around her neck hung a simple brown collar.
She was flawless. She was perfect-
"Are- are you okay?" Her voice reminded him of leaves hovering on the wind. He blinked, falling out of his trance.
"Um.." He bit his lip, confused as to what to say. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine."
She walked forward, her paws making virtually no sound on the grass-strewn forest floor. "You don't seem fine."
"I am!" he reassured her, giving an edgy grin.
She paused by his head, looking down at him. He scrabbled ungracefully to his paws, his grey fur messy and clearly unkempt.
"So," he started, attempting to look into her emerald eyes, then shying away from their intensity, "what's your name?"
She uttered a low purr. "Sienna - or you can just call me Si for short."
Sienna, thought Greywhisker, she must be a kittypet.
"Sorry, what did you say?" gasped the young warrior, not realising that Sienna had asked him a question. The white kittypet smiled. A real smile that made those of lovers seem insignificant in comparison. A smile that stole all the beauty away from the world when you looked at it. A smile that was unique, that was perfect.
"I just asked what your name was."
"Oh," faltered Greywhisker, nearly lost in his thoughts again, "I'm Greywhisker, a warrior of ThunderClan!" Even to his own ears, Greywhisker could his voice sounded fake.
Interest and curiosity sparked in Sienna's eyes. "ThunderClan?" she asked instantaneously, unable to contain herself.
Greywhisker gave a small purr and launched into everything about ThunderClan, propelled on by Sienna's purrs and smiles. He spoke about the life and roles of all the cats in the Clan, including the kits and the elders. He told her about the ancestors of the Clan and all the heroes that have saved them many times over. He told her about the territory - the camp, the surrounding forest and even the best hunting spots. He told her about the times he had hunted - he even showed her the hunting poses that he had been taught. He told her about the seasons, the first snow and leaf-fall he had ever witnessed. Finally, he spoke about the Gatherings, where the Clans come together in peace for one night.
The white kittypet was a great listener, she had only asked a few questions, and those only about the foreign Clan-words he used. When he finally finished on the clans, he paused, thinking of what else to talk about. During their conversation, Sienna had settled down in the grass next to him. Now, when the silence came on, she stared out between the trees at the sunset. Time had gone so fast, thought Greywhisker. He glanced around at his surroundings and felt shock settle in his chest.
I've come so far.
Loneliness joined the fading shock as he stared out through the gap in the surrounding trees. A small wooden bridge rested fragile on the banks of a river.
I've got to head back.
No, Sienna will be lonely, you should stay with her.
A small sigh escaped the kittypet's mouth as she gazed out over the horizon. "Why are you out here all alone, then? Don't your C-Clanmates worry about you?"
Greywhisker snorted and pulled up a clump of grass with a fore-claw. "No," he said.
"Oh," she murmured and looked back at the sunset, "why not?"
"They-" Greywhisker started, then backtracked. Should he tell her this? The logical part of his mind got the better of him and he continued, "I'm not really much of a hit back in the Clan. I mess everything up," he looked over at Sienna, who looked back at him with those green, green eyes. "I shouldn't be a warrior."
The pale silver kittypet's muzzle creased in a frown. "You seem like a warrior to me."
Greywhisker snorted again, laughing at how ignorant she was. "Look at me, and ask yourself that again. I bet you'll just laugh and call me Greypaw, just like the rest of them."
She stared at him long and hard before answering, "Greywhisker, you are a warrior. If they can't see it, they're all blind. All you need to do is prove it, then they'll see that you arejust as worthy as they are."
"Sure," he spat, flinging the grass clump off his paw and resting his chin on the ground, "like they would see it." Silence followed.
"They will," she murmured finally and returned her eyes to the golden glow of the sun.
The most absurd idea was forming in Greywhisker's mind. No, he told himself, that's plain stupid. But his voice wouldn't listen.
"Come back to ThunderClan with me, I'll show you what it's like, you can see it for yourself!"
Sienna looked over at him understandingly. "I would go with you, Greywhisker, but my owners are so... so nice to me, I couldn't just leave them." She looked over towards a small cluster of Twoleg dens on the horizon, illuminated by the sunlight.
The light of hope in the warrior's chest vanished and he looked down at his paws.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and rose to her paws ever so gracefully, "we'll meet again, I'm sure of it."
"Pick a time and place," Greywhisker joked, raising his head to meet her eyes - green, like the luscious grass in meadows over the mountains.
"The bridge," she murmured and rested her muzzle on top of his head. "It's sunset, and I best be going. I'll be here tomorrow, waiting for you, though."
Greywhisker felt something flutter in his chest at the idea of seeing her again. "Really?"
"Really." She turned and bounded across the bridge, towards the far off settlement of Twoleg dens, her tail waving and pale silver fur streaming in the wind.
A small smile spread across Greywhisker's face. It wasn't a painted smile, like one of those in ThunderClan. No, it was a real smile.
Ohaithar. I'm Promise, and this is the start of what I hope to be a major FanFiction. I'm from Australia – you know, that island floating in the middle of the sea where everyone wears cork-hats and lives in the outback riding kangaroos? Yeah, that one. Anyway, enough about me.
So, what did you think? Ready to delve deeper into the story? I assure you, it won't disappoint. Click that little blue link down the bottom of the page (Under the allegiances – c'mon, I had to chuck them in somewhere) and tell me what you think. :)
~Promise*
Also, a note from a good friend and the beta of this story.
Haithar.
I'll hit myself if I find a typo in the final, uploaded chapter. And I'm PRETTY sure actual author has final say. That aside, I'm 99% sure there are little to no grammatical errors here. Bah, I am a dominatrix who wielded a whip and made you capitalize things and uncapitalize things and fixed up all your silly little errors, then charged you a couple of grand for my hard work. -dragonFELL
Ignore the Allegiances, they're just to give you some background information on looks and positions.
~ ThunderClan ~
Leader: Whitestar –
White long furred tom with bright yellow eyes and an age-cracked voice.
Deputy: Goldenwing -
Pale golden she-cat that appears almost white in the sunlight and has grass-green coloured eyes.
Medicine Cat: Snowstream –
Fluffy white she-cat with darker paws and blue eyes
~ Warriors ~
Ashbreeze –
Lean, long furred grey tabby tom with bight green eyes
Hollyfrost –
Mostly black tortoiseshell she-cat with mainly dark ginger spots with deep amber – almost red- eyes.
Apprentice: Quietpaw
Dewwhisker –
Light gray she-cat with light green eyes and a calm, quiet persona.
Redwing –
Bright red ginger she-cat with warm yellow eyes, she is also of kittypet heritage.
Darkflower –
Attractive jet-black she-cat with honey coloured eyes and a long tail
Fernfrost –
White she-cat with large brown tabby patches (more brown that white) and yellow-green eyes.
Fawnstep –
Small light-brown she-cat with darker paws and light green eyes
Cricketstep –
Pale grey tom with pale green eyes
Blossomclaw –
Appealing longhaired tortie-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes and hooked claws
Firewhisker –
Gold and ginger classic tabby tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Stonepaw
Silversong –
Appealing silver she-cat with white underbelly, chest, muzzle and has blue eyes.
Ravenflight –
Sleek-furred black tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Honeypaw
Sparrowstrike –
Brown tabby tom with dark yellow eyes and a long tail.
Splashheart –
White she-cat with patches of different colours all over her pelt and bright blue eyes.
Apprentice: Skypaw
Badgernose –
Thickly built black and white splashed tom with dark amber eyes
Yellowclaw –
Pale golden she-cat with yellow eyes and a striped tail
Frostflight –
Pale grey, almost white she-cat with bright blue eyes and a few black streaks.
Has diluted kittypet origins.
Ambershade –
Beautiful dark golden-ginger she-cat with huge, amber eyes and darker dapples on her back.
Misty –
White she-cat with dark grey splashes on her back, head and flanks with dark blue eyes
Toma –
Dark brown tabby tom with bright yellow eyes, broad shoulders and long claws.
Apprentice: Stormpaw
~ Apprentices ~
Honeypaw –
Small dark golden she-cat with emerald eyes and a white left forepaw and tail tip.
Quietpaw –
A fluffy, snow-white she-cat with rather expressive amber eyes and was born mute.
Family: Stonepaw
Palepaw –
A lean golden tom, almost blonde, with a white chest, belly, paws and bright blue eyes the colour of the sky.
Family: Honeypaw
Stormpaw –
Light grey tom with stormy green eyes and flecks of white
Stonepaw –
Dark grey tom with splashes of white and dark blue eyes
Skypaw –
Light grey-and-white splashed she-cat with pale, bight blue eyes
Queens
Greycloud –
Small gray tabby she-cat with off-white paws, ear tips, tail, mizzle, underbelly, chest, neck and has green eyes.
Birchkit –
Very light brown, almost blonde tom with hollow dapples and amber eyes
Willowsong –
Large silver she-cat with light brown eyes, originally a purebred kittypet.
Rainkit –
Dark grey tabby she-cat with unusual dark blue eyes
Halfkit –
Black she-cat with white chest, socks, muzzle and green/yellow eyes
Poppykit –
White and tortie she-cat with bright green eyes
Elders
Maplefur –
Pale brown she-cat with green eyes and a white muzzle
Blacknose -
Jet black tom with a bright pink nose and glinting green eyes.
Lawllookatthatbuttondowntheir. Clickit? ;3
~Promise*
