Smokepaw blinked open her eyes. It was a beautiful Greenleaf day.
She was seven moons old. There were four apprentices, including her. Her sister, Mothpaw, was the only other apprentice in the den.
Smokepaw purred. She didn't feel like talking to Redpaw and Deerpaw right now.
Redpaw and Deerpaw were two moons older than them, and very annoying.
Smokepaw stood over her sister until she rolled over.
"Good morning, Mothpaw," Smokepaw chirped.
Mothpaw slowly opened her eyes. "It's warm," she murmured.
"Yes it is. I hope we have a day off."
Mothpaw rose to her paws. "Let's find out."
Smokepaw followed her sister out of the den and went to find her mentor, Lakepelt.
"Can Mothpaw and I have a day off?" Smokepaw asked.
Lakepelt smiled.
"Actually, the other mentors and I have been talking, and we've decided that we're going to give each of you a hunting assessment, and then, yes, you may all do whatever you want. As long as you stick together!"
Smokepaw bit her tongue. This meant spending the day with Redpaw and Deerpaw. Well, at least she'd have Mothpaw with her.
"Thanks, Lakepelt."
She walked away and found Mothpaw. Barely a minute had passed before heir mother, Squirreltail, was dashing over to them.
"An assessment! Congratulations, you two!"
Smokepaw purred. "I'll make sure I catch something for you to eat tonight."
Squirreltail purred and licked her cheek. "You do that,"
...
"Ready, go!" Mistletail yowled.
Mosspool and Kestrelnose followed after Redpaw and Mothpaw.
Smokepaw could sense Deerpaw behind her.
After a while, she whirled around, hissing.
"Stop following me!" she spat.
Deerpaw stopped. "Oops. I thought you were a rat. Since you look a lot like one. And smell like one, too." she wrinkled her nose.
Smokepaw leaned forward. "YOU smell like a rat. Go hunt your own prey, and leave me alone."
"Oh, right," Deerpaw smirked. "The assessment! Good luck," she mewed sarcastically before turning away.
Smokepaw could hear Mistletail lecturing her apprentice. She smirked.
She licked her black and gray fur. She did not look like a rat!
She caught five fish during the assessment.
"See you all later!" Lakepelt purred as all the mentors went back to camp.
Redpaw sat back on his haunches. "Oh, great. An entire afternoon spent with you two."
Deerpaw groaned.
Mothpaw sat up. "Let's do something fun! Why don't we go down where the water keeps coming in little waves and gets stronger at night?"
Smokepaw smiled. Perfect for a warm day.
When they got there, Smokepaw had fun splashing around in the waves with her sister and burying each other in sand.
Finally, all four of them were in the dry sand. Mothpaw scratched the sand with her claws.
"Perfect. A mouse," she purred.
"Nice job, Mothpaw," Smokepaw purred.
Redpaw sneered. "That doesn't look like a mouse! The tail's too squiggly."
"It does too look like a mouse!" Smokepaw hissed, stepping in to defend her sister.
Deerpaw laughed. "Let's see you try to draw a mouse!"
"Why don't you go home and tell Squirreltail we're offending you and your sister?" Redpaw jeered.
Then the two snooty apprentices began pegging her with seashells.
Smokepaw felt pain each time a seashell hit her. Some were small and just fell to the ground. But some of the larger ones hurt, and Smokepaw knew she'd have bruises.
"Stop!" she yowled, clutching her front leg.
Redpaw and Deerpaw laughed and kept throwing them. "You want us to stop?"
"Please," Smokepaw whimpered, backing away.
One of the bigger seashells hit her just above her eyes. The blow sent her tumbling to the water, where she dropped.
She couldn't see anything. But she could still feel the wet sand beneath her, could still hear the waves.
The seashell throwing ceased.
Smokepaw tried to get up, and was shocked to find that she couldn't. She tried to open her eyes, but they would not open.
The waves continued to wash around her. Water bubbled at her lips. She tried in vain to lift her head.
"Smokepaw!"
It was Mothpaw. She could scent her sister, and also her sister's fear.
"Smokepaw? Smokepaw, please look at me. Smokepaw, open your eyes. Smokepaw?"
Smokepaw tried to speak. Her mouth didn't even move.
"Smokepaw..."
Smokepaw desperately wanted to tell her sister that she was okay, but she could not speak.
Mothpaw turned to Redpaw and Deerpaw.
"You... You killed her,"
Smokepaw heard nothing from the apprentices.
But they didn't kill me!
"You killed her, because you were carelessly throwing seashells at her!" Mothpaw screamed.
Smokepaw heard the paw steps of the apprentices stop.
"Smokepaw?" Deerpaw whispered.
Smokepaw tried to twitch her tail.
What's happening to me?
Redpaw dropped to the ground, sobbing.
"I'm sorry, Smokepaw!"
"I'm so sorry," Deerpaw whispered.
I'm alive! Smokepaw wanted to shout.
"She can't hear you!" Mothpaw growled.
But I can!
What scared her most was that she wasn't breathing. And her lungs weren't exactly fighting for air.
What if she was dead? What if this is what happens when you die? What if StarClan was all a lie?
It can't be!
She felt herself being lifted onto her sister's shoulders. Smokepaw could tell her sister was distressed.
I'm alive, Mothpaw.
But Smokepaw wasn't sure anymore.
Smokepaw felt her fur being smoothed down by the medicine cat, Reedstorm (AKA me :)), Lakepelt's sister.
"I'm so sorry, Squirreltail." Smokepaw could hear Redpaw.
"It was an accident," Squirreltail murmured.
Mothpaw buried her nose in her sister's fur.
During the vigil, Smokepaw tried desperately to move her paw, to shout that she was alive and to stop grieving.
Halfway through the night, Smokepaw felt her senses fading. She closed her eyes and let herself be swept into sleep.
...
"Smokepaw,"
Smokepaw did not recognize the voice.
"We finally summoned you here. It took so long. We couldn't get you here. But we've figured out why."
Smokepaw tried to move. Still, she couldn't.
"You have regained the ability to speak," another cat murmured.
"I have?"
Both cats laughed.
"Your ability to see will return soon. Then we will explain."
"Explain? What's happened? Where-" she stopped. "Oh. Is this StarClan?"
"Yes, Smokepaw. This is StarClan."
Slowly, she began to see.
Two cats sat in front of her.
The black cat, the one who had told her she could speak again, dipped her head.
"I am Hollybreeze." she murmured.
The other cat, who had done most of the talking, nodded. "And I'm Ashbelly."
"Will you explain?" Smokepaw asked. "Where's Mothpaw? Why can't I move?"
"Because," Ashbelly mewed. "You aren't quite in the waking world, and you're not quite in StarClan."
Smokepaw tilted her head to the side. "I don't understand."
Hollybreeze sighed.
"When either Redpaw or Deerpaw threw the seashell, it hit you on the head-"
"Who threw it?"
"That we are not going to tell you," Hollybreeze mewed. "We don't want you holding a grudge against them."
Smokepaw growled.
"So, the seashell hit you on the head and killed you. However, you are still alive, but-"
"Wait- wait- wait." Smokepaw interrupted. "Start from the beginning."
Ashbelly rolled his eyes.
Hollybreeze only smiled. "Certainly, young one. So, that seashell hit you on the head. It killed you. But a tiny spark of life remained in you, so you could still think, hear, and feel. But you could not move, could not see, could not speak. Because you still had that spark left in you, we couldn't get you to StarClan. But we finally figured out what the reason was, and brought you here."
Smokepaw thought.
"Okay, wait a second. Am I dead?"
"Technically, yes." Hollybreeze explained. "But not completely. That tiny spark remaining in you is slowly growing. In time, you will be able to move again. Once the spark has grown to full life again, you will be able to return."
"Okay..." Smokepaw muttered. She would live! She could go back and tell Mothpaw all about it.
"There's a catch, though," Ashbelly mewed quickly.
"What?" Smokepaw asked, turning her gaze to the starry gray warrior.
"You will not age until you return. Your sister, your denmates... the entire clan will be older than they are now. But you will still be seven moons old when you return."
Smokepaw's heart sank.
"At least you're returning." Hollybreeze reminded her.
Smokepaw purred. "Thank you."
...
TWENTY MOONS LATER
Smokepaw sat between Hollybreeze and Ashbelly.
"Are you ready to return?" Hollybreeze asked.
"Ready as ever!" Smokepaw jumped to her paws.
"Then we will escort you to RiverClan."
Soon, Smokepaw found herself walking between Ashbelly and Hollybreeze, almost to the camp she grew up in.
"We'll have to return to StarClan now," Hollybreeze explained, leaning over to lick Smokepaw's head.
Smokepaw turned. "Will I ever see you again?" she asked.
Hollybreeze smiled. "Yes. One day, you will."
Then they vanished.
I'm alive again!
Smokepaw took a deep breath, then padded forward and into the camp.
There were a few cats in the clearing. One was an apprentice she didn't recognize. The other two she recognized instantly.
"Mothpaw? Deerpaw?"
The two cats turned. They weren't as young as Smokepaw remembered.
They must be warriors now.
Her sister stared for a few moments. Then her jaw dropped.
"Smokepaw?" Mothpaw gasped, disbelief shining in her eyes.
Smokepaw nodded. "I've got so much to tell you."
Mothpaw darted forward.
"I've missed you so much!" she lifted her head. "Squirreltail! Look who's here!"
Redstalk padded forward slowly.
"Smokepaw?" he murmured softly. "It was my shell."
"No worries," Smokepaw murmured.
Smokepaw joined the clan again. There were two other apprentices, Nettlepaw and Lilypaw, and they were nice to her. She trained with them.
Soon, it was time for her warrior ceremony.
"Good luck," Lilystripe whispered from beside Nettlefrost as Smokepaw passed.
Smokepaw dipped her head. "Thanks,"
Dogstar began the ceremony.
"I call upon out ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has been through so much that is very hard to understand, but she pushed through it, and here she is, back with us today. Smokepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Smokepaw purred. "I do."
"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Smokepaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Smokespirit, since you have returned to us from the dead."
Smokespirit loved the name.
"Smokespirit! Smokespirit!"
Smokespirit padded forward into her cheering clan, thankful for the tiny spark of life that had remained in her.