This is a Halloween themed story. I was bored, so I decided to make this. Sorry if the cats are a little out of character, I haven't read Power of the Three or Omen of the Stars in a while.
Hollypaw blinked open her eyes, the memories of her dreams fading away. She slid out of the apprentice's den, almost tripping on Cinderpaw's tail. The she cat stirred in her nest, but didn't wake up.
Hollypaw stretched her fore paws until they trembled. Lionpaw emerged out of the apprentices den shortly after, his muscles rippling underneath his fur. "Leaf fall is coming," Lionpaw meowed, flexing unsheathed claws excitedly. Hollypaw shook her fur as if a chill crawled down her back. "Leaf-fall leads to Leaf-bare," she reminded.
Hollypaw glanced toward the Highledge. Firestar was exchanging words with his deputy, Brambleclaw. Hollypaw felt a spark of pride. She was lucky to be Brambleclaw's daughter, but even luckier to be in the prophecy!
Lionpaw nudged her flank. "Let's go talk to Jaypaw. He's just got out of his den."
Jaypaw swallowed a yawn as he hauled himself out of the den. He had slept late after deciding to talk with Rock near the lake. The words the ancient cat meowed still clung to his mind. "What does he mean by, 'Beware of the bones'? Makes no sense to me." Jaypaw muttered. The sound of leaves crunching flung Jaypaw back to the present. "Hey, Jaypaw!" That was Lionpaw's voice. Hollypaw was trailing behind him. "Jaypaw, you look distracted. Is anything wrong?" Lionpaw asked. Hollypaw's amused snort sounded from behind Lionpaw. "That's his usual expression, mouse-brain!"
Jaypaw huffed. "I..I had a dream last night," he started slowly. Lionpaw inturrupted, his voice low with curiosity. "Does it have to do with the prophecy?" Jaypaw raised and lowered his shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know. Maybe it is."
"Lionpaw!" Ashfur slid through the leaves laid on the ground. "We're going on a patrol. Let's go." Ashfur meowed. Lionpaw nodded eagerly. "Alright." Jaypaw couldn't help feel a pang of envy as the two cats joined the assembled patrol that seemed to close to the entrance of the camp. Jaypaw opened his jaws to speak with Hollypaw, but he realized that she was heading to her own mentor.
Jaypaw headed back into the medicine den, the pungent smell of herbs filling his nostrils. Leafpool was mixing herbs inside. "There you are!" She purred. Jaypaw couldn't feel the same. "Yeah, yeah." He grumbled, padding closer to his mentor. Mixing herbs was at the back of his mind.
You may feel safe in a den, but beware of the bones.
Lionpaw raced through the undergrowth, his paws light. Strength flowed in his limbs as he stopped to gulp the air. He could hunt all the prey in the forest, and still not be tired! Thornclaw and the rest of the patrol caught up to Lionpaw. "Stop...going...ahead!" Ashpaw's breath came in gasps. Lionpaw gulped. "Sorry." "You're really fast!" Poppypaw seemed out of breath as well. Brightheart nodded to the abandoned Thunderpath. "We should hunt there. There should be rodents hiding around the abandoned twoleg den."
"Good idea." Thornclaw signaled his patrol to follow him as he streaked across the abandoned Thunderpath. Lionpaw pulled ahead of Ashfur, ignoring the warning glare his mentor aimed at him. "We should be careful about Leafpool's catmin-" Thornclaw's voice abruptly stopped with his legs. "What...?" Lionpaw widened his eyes at the abandoned twoleg den. Stray twolegs circled around the twoleg den, hanging twoleg things around it.
"What are twolegs up to this time?" Growled Brightheart. Lionpaw gazed at it with interest and fear. If these twolegs are going to start a fight, I'll be the one to teach them a lesson!
The twolegs didn't notice the strong scent of cats and continued to let out strange twoleg sounds with their mouths. "We should report this to Firestar or Brambleclaw," Poppypaw suggested. Her voice was full of excitement, but fear was hidden under her bright eyes. "Good idea," Ashfur nodded. Thornclaw lead the patrol back across the Thunderpath, careful not to grab the twolegs attention.
Lionpaw dived through a bush, wincing as some of the branches snagged his golden fur. Lionpaw wanted to dash off and yowl to the clan about the twoleg den, but he couldn't risk getting scolded at by Ashfur.
Lionpaw paused, catching the scent of a vole. He dropped into a hunters crouch, slithering through the layer of leaves and twigs. He halted, the vole in his field of vision. The rodent nibbled a acorn, not noticing the apprentice stalking it. Excitement pulsing through his paws, he leaped forward to snatch the vole. The vole let out a shill squeal before falling limp. Lionpaw raced off to catch up with the patrol.
Ashfur was the first to speak to him when he arrived. "Good catch," he praised. "Thanks." Lionpaw mumbled through the vole's fur.
The patrol slipped through the tunnel and entered the hollow. Brambleclaw broke away from Squirrelflight to greet the patrol, but his usual bright face quickly turned into a frown. "What happened to the prey?" Lionpaw's father asked. Thornclaw dipped his head apologetically. "Sorry. We do have news, though."
"'Sorry,' won't feed the kits." Brambleclaw reminded Thornclaw. "Anyways, what's this news?" "Twolegs are in our territory. They're located at the abandoned twoleg nest." Brambleclaw's eyes rounded with shock.
"I'll tell Firestar immediately," The deputy meowed quickly.
Hollypaw padded into camp with Brackenfur at her side. He was firmly holding a fat squirrel in his jaws while she held a medium sized wren. Maybe it can feed the kits, Hollypaw thought. She expected to catch more, but she had clumsily missed a crow they tracked down. Brackenfur told her that crows weren't easy to catch, but Hollypaw still felt disappointment sitting on her belly like a rock.
Hollypaw perked her ears. Firestar was on the Highledge. "Put down your prey, then we can attend the meeting." Brackenfur stopped her before she could join the cats mustered around the Highledge.
Hollypaw tossed her prey in the fresh-kill pile. She squeezed herself between Jaypaw and Lionpaw. "What's happening?" She asked her littermates. Jaypaw shrugged. "Something about twolegs." "It could be important. What if the twolegs attack?" Lionpaw slashed the ground, sending a cloud of dust flying at Hollypaw. Her nose twitched, but she didn't sneeze. Jaypaw snorted. "Yeah, right. I bet those twolegs don't even know that we're here." Hollypaw had to admit that Jaypaw was right.
Firestar's voice cut through the conversations, silencing the speakers.
"Thornclaw says that twolegs are at the abandoned twoleg den. We don't know if these twolegs are a threat to our clan, but we shouldn't take any risks. From now on, no warrior or apprentice shall go near the abandoned Thunderpath or near the abandoned twoleg den." Firestar paused for a heartbeat before continuing, "This means that kits should be watched incase they want to check the twoleg den." The leader added, resting his gaze on top of the two kits staring at the leader with curiosity.
Ferncloud swept her kits closer to her belly with her tail.
"Clan dismissed." Firestar meowed, leaping down from the Highledge.
"Why should we go there anyways?" Hollypaw muttered. She had more important things to do than sneak into an abandoned den. "Because of my dream." Growled Jaypaw, his voice so low that Hollypaw could barely hear him. "What dream?" Lionpaw tilted his head. Jaypaw scoffed. "You don't remember our conversation from this morning?"
"Well, yeah, but how does that dream have to do with anything?" Lionpaw inquired. "Let's talk about this somewhere else." Jaypaw sighed, glancing around the camp.
The three cats were huddled near the corner of camp. "The dream was about bones and a den." Jaypaw mewed simply. "That's it?" Hollypaw pressed. "Yes, that's it!" Jaypaw snapped. "What did you expect, hedgehogs flying?"
"Anyways, we have to go to the abandoned den tonight." The blind cat continued. The sun was sinking, making a beautiful sunset. Hollypaw shivered, feeling the temperature drop suddenly.
"Seems good to me," Lionpaw whispered. The golden tom cat still looked confused, but determination flashed in his eyes.
Jaypaw blinked wearily. He could feel Leafpool pressed against him. He shakily stood up, realizing that he had to wake up Lionpaw and Hollypaw as well. Slowly, he crept out of the den, making sure his paw steps were soft.
Jaypaw sniffed the air. He could smell the apprentices den not far away. He took another taste. The night guards! How could he forget? It has to be Stormfur, Jaypaw picked out the scent of fish remaining on the former RiverClan cat's fur.
Jaypaw pressed his underbelly closer to the ground until he entered the Apprentice's den. He searched through the pile of scents. Frustration made his tail twitch. If only I could see!
Hollypaw was closest to Jaypaw. He pinned down her location, and crouched down to prod her fur. The black-furred she cat stirred in her nest in reply. "Who is it..." She groaned wearily. "It's me, Jaypaw." Jaypaw mewed in her ear. Hollypaw jolted awake, almost sending Jaypaw off balance. Jaypaw could faintly see her dreams, but they were already fizzing away. "I'll wake up Lionpaw," Hollypaw mumbled.
It didn't take Lionpaw long to wake up. He was up immediately. Jaypaw could smell blood in his fur. "Are you okay?" Jaypaw asked. "I'm fine," Lionpaw reassured him.
Hollypaw ushered him along the camp, letting her littermates know when they could be caught. "We're not helpless," Jaypaw muttered.
Jaypaw halted abruptly. Lionpaw almost stumbled into his rear, but caught himself. "We should escape by the Dirtplace." Jaypaw suggested. Jaypaw could hear Hollypaw gag. "It's not bad!" He told her.
Hollypaw let Jaypaw take care of himself, dropping back to whisper words to Lionpaw. Jaypaw nearly fell into a patch of brambles, and suddenly wished that Hollypaw had been there to tell him to watch out.
"We're almost there!" Lionpaw called out. The powerful apprentice picked up his pace. Hollypaw bounded after him, pounding ahead of Jaypaw too. Jaypaw sighed, vigorously pushing forward. He tripped on fallen branches and brambles ripped fur from his pelt. "Wait up!" Jaypaw knew they were still running.
Hollypaw was soon at his side, patiently waiting for him. "We're at the abandoned Thunderpath," Hollypaw announced. Jaypaw wrinkled his nose. Twolegs were clearly still at the abandoned twoleg den.
Lionpaw couldn't wait for his littermates. He put on a burst of speed, racing across the abandoned thunderpath. The twolegs crowded the abandoned twoleg den, the twolegs slipping in but running out with their forepaws shaking in fear.
Hollypaw and Jaypaw padded up to Lionpaw. "What does it look like?" Jaypaw inquired. "The twolegs are coming in the den calmly, but they come out with a horror filled face." Lionpaw replied. "Let's go, then." Jaypaw meowed quickly. "What? Aren't you afraid of twolegs? Squirrelflight told us that twolegs took the forest territory." Hollypaw protested.
Lionpaw puffed out his chest. "If any of the twolegs lay a claw on you two, then I'll rip them apart!" He curled his upper lip to reveal sharp teeth that glinted when rays of moonlight beamed down. "Alright. Let's go." Hollypaw sounded more reassured.
LATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATERLATER
Lionpaw peered into the abandoned den. Some twolegs retreated back into the twolegplace near WindClan, but the others remained lurking around the den. An eerie mist filled the den floor, and Lionpaw could hear strange moans and groans that sounded like twolegs. Jaypaw was crouched next to him, tasting the air. "I don't smell any prey," The blind cat meowed worriedly. Lionpaw leaned closer to the entrance and took a long sniff. "You're right!" Lionpaw blinked in surprise. He could feel his heart skipping a beat. What if the twolegs killed all the prey in the den? The abandoned twoleg den was a good source of prey.
Lionpaw shoved his thoughts away. "We can't worry about this right now. What about Jaypaw's dream?" Hollypaw nodded, raising her chin. "Lionpaw's right." She agreed. Lionpaw could hear worry creeping into her voice when she spoke.
Lionpaw went inside the den first. The wood underneath his paws creaked ominously. Gulping, he wheeled around to speak with the others. "Let's keep going," his voice was no more than a whisper. Hollypaw crept in after him. Jaypaw padded after her, pausing to sniff the air every once in a while.
As the three cats moved along the den, Lionpaw noticed that Jaypaw was stumbling every paw step he was taking, and Lionpaw had to reach in to catch him when Jaypaw tripped. "Thanks." Jaypaw muttered, but he didn't sound happy. Lionpaw sighed. He moved closer to the gray tom in case Jaypaw took another fall.
Hollypaw suddenly halted, her fur bristling along her spine. "Wha..." Lionpaw followed her gaze, and saw a green twoleg towering above him. The twoleg blindly limped around, letting out strange twoleg sounds.
"What's happening?" Jaypaw demanded, turning his head side to side as if he could see. "There's a green Twoleg!" Hollypaw gasped. "It's letting out strange sounds and it's limping aroundlike it's hurt."
Jaypaw snorted. "This twoleg sounds silly." He meowed. Jaypaw lifted his muzzle. The twoleg had limped away, not noticing the three cats hiding in the darkness. The gray medicine cat took off, leaping farther into the den. "Wait up!" Lionpaw called. If Jaypaw heard him, the blind cat was ignoring him.
Lionpaw went after him. Hollypaw was at his side, but it looked like the black she cat was melting into the shadows. The only way he could check if she was there was when he saw her green eyes flashing in the gloom.
Lionpaw could spotted Jaypaw crouched over a long screen of cobweb. Jaypaw twitched his ears, hearing the two cat's approach. "What are you doing?" Hollypaw asked. She tilted her head. Jaypaw was tugging a cobweb stuck to the wall. "I'm getting cobweb. Might as well make use of the cobweb here. It could be useful later on."
"Strange," she commented. "That cobweb looks fake!" Hollypaw's hackles were flattened, amusement consuming her fear. "What do you mean?" Jaypaw prodded the fake cobweb gently. "It feels real." "It's stuck to the wall, silly!" Hollypaw's throat rumbled with a purr. She reared up to slam the cobweb. The fake cobweb shook, but it didn't break away from the wall. "She's right!" Lionpaw gasped.
"Stupid twolegs. Why would they keep fake cobweb? It can't heal, if that's what they're thinking." Jaypaw growled. Lionpaw burst into laughter. "Yeah-" Lionpaw was interrupted by Jaypaw's yowl. "Twoleg!"
Hollypaw threw herself under the long screen of fake cobweb. She grabbed Jaypaw by the scruff and dragged him inside as well, ignoring his hisses. Lionpaw was guarding the enterance of their hiding spot, his fur bushed up. The twoleg ran past, letting out a shrill shriek.
Another twoleg stomped after the first twoleg. It looked like the green twoleg like they saw before, but it was female. "Is it done now?" Jaypaw asked. Lionpaw nodded. "Yeah, it's gone."
Hollypaw escaped underneath the cobweb screen. "That was uncomfortable," Hollypaw sighed, shaking out her fur. Jaypaw paced while sniffing the air. "Shut up! I think I smell prey." Hollypaw realized how hungry she was. Her belly growled loudly. How long have they been exploring the abandoned den?
Lionpaw looked hungry, too. "Where?" The golden apprentice asked. "Follow me." Jaypaw took the lead, slowly placing each paw on the wooden ground. It groaned under his paws. Hopefully it doesn't break, Hollypaw swallowed nervously.
The scent of prey was getting stronger as they drew closer to a strange flap. Jaypaw stopped. "This is it," Jaypaw announced. Hollypaw glanced around the area. A faint twoleg scent was smeared onto the wood ground, mixing with the strong scent of live prey. The wooden flap was the only thing between the three cats and the prey.
Lionpaw carefully tested the wooden flap by rearing up onto his hind legs and batting the wood. It swung open slowly, making a piercing creaking sound. "Are we going to go?" Lionpaw stared into the darkness. "It's strange that twolegs have dens inside a den," Hollypaw meowed. "I hope it's safe."
"We can't just stand here forever!" Jaypaw growled. He sullenly stomped into the den. Hollypaw warily followed the gray tom. Squeaks and squeals sounded inside the den. Lionpaw narrowed his eyes at the source of the sound. "There's prey inside of a strange container!" He exclaimed.
Hollypaw studied the strange container the rodents were trapped in. The scent of prey drowned out the scent of twoleg, and there were strange gray web-like screens surrounding the container. Lionpaw pushed the container with his flank. "Let's get them out of here! We'll feast for days."
"We should probably leave some prey near the abandoned twoleg den, so we can allow them to reproduce." Jaypaw advised him. Lionpaw shrugged. "As long as we get food,"
"Let's hurry. The clan might be worrying about us by now." Hollypaw warned. She shifted her gaze outside of the flap.
Jaypaw nodded in agreement. The two cats ran out. Hollypaw looked behind her shoulder to check on what Lionpaw was doing. Lionpaw kicked the container around, making the rodents let out screeches of fear. Lionpaw didn't seem to be hurt when his legs bumped the hard gray container.
"Twolegs!" Jaypaw breathed. Twolegs in white pelts drifted along the wooden ground, letting out spooky whispers as other twolegs padded past. The normal looking twolegs glanced suspiciously at the twolegs in white pelts, letting out whimpers when the white pelt twolegs left.
"Twolegs sure are strange," Lionpaw remarked. The twolegs seemed to be worried about their fears more than the cats. One little twoleg glanced at the three cats, but kept following the bigger twolegs.
"Let's keep going. We can't stare at twolegs all day." Jaypaw sighed. The blind cat dashed ahead, pausing to taste the air or hear what's on happening around him.
Lionpaw let out a yowl behind Hollypaw. She wheeled around to face Lionpaw. A large twoleg shambled over to Lionpaw, pointing and calling other twolegs over. "Run!" Hollypaw shrieked, her fur rising. Lionpaw was hissing and clawing the air, but the twoleg didn't flinch.
Lionpaw turned to the squeaking container and kicked it toward Hollypaw, then lunged for the twoleg's legs. A low scream rang into Hollypaw's ears. Hollypaw gulped, kicking the container toward the exit. Jaypaw was just ahead, gazing at Hollypaw with concern as if he was able to see. Her legs ached, and splinters made her pads sting. The sun high rays of light painted the wooden ground.
Lionpaw sprinted up to Hollypaw, his neck fur bristling and his eyes stretched with horror. "They almost caught me, but I ran away just in time!" Lionpaw took the container and let Hollypaw go.
Hollypaw leapt down onto the springy grass, the sparking beads of dew still remaining on the blades of grass. "Thank StarClan that's over!" She sighed.
Lionpaw shoved the container out of the den. Thankfully, the prey was still alive. Their tiny paws clung onto the screen of hard web.
"They might follow us. Let's go!" Jaypaw lashed his tail impatiently. "What about the container?" Lionpaw asked. "Just leave it when we cross the abandoned ThunderPath. We can retrieve it after we come back to camp."
Splinters dug into his paw pads as he forced himself onwards. The abandoned ThunderPath made his splinters hurt even more, the sharp stones stabbing his pads.
Hollypaw was pressed against his side. He could tell that she was feeling pain, too. Her thoughts were clear in her mind. We'll be in so much trouble! The she cat thought. Jaypaw huffed. All that she cat thought about was about the warrior code and how much trouble they could get in. Why can't she ever think about the prophecy?
"Jaypaw! Watch out!" Hollypaw's words cracked through his thoughts. He tumbled into a bramble bush, feeling the prickly thorns snag his fur. "Ouch!" Pain wrapped around his body.
"I left the container. Hey, what are you guys doing..." Lionpaw's voice died away. Amusement whirled around the air like a huge storm cloud. "It's not funny!" Jaypaw's muffled meow was choked by the thorns. He wriggled in the bramble bush, but that only triggered more pain to jolt up his upper body.
We've done what we had to do, even if I'm stuck in a bramble bush.
He could hear a patrol crunching the fallen leaves. "Hollypaw! Lionpaw! Where have you been? Your mother has been very worried about you." That was Cloudtail's voice. The white warrior sounded annoyed. "These three are always up to no good." Muttered Sandstorm. "Don't run away next time," chided Brambleclaw. Disapproval and silence formed around the group of cats.
Frustration gave Jaypaw new energy. He attempted to tug himself out of the brambles, kicking his hind legs into the air wildly. A sharp pang of agony followed his struggling movements.
"Great StarClan, what's Jaypaw doing in a bramble bush!" Cloudtail exclaimed. His annoyance transformed into surprise. "You see, we just went hunting..." Hollypaw started. "And we brought back a bunch of prey!" Lionpaw added.
"Let's get Jaypaw out first." Brambleclaw told the other cats.
I hope you enjoyed this story. It's kinda long, and I did it quickly. If there's any mistakes, just tell me. Happy Halloween!
