Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.
Cinnamonpool: Mwaha. I am evil! :D Thanks for the review!
WolfSummoner93: Why yes! XD A CLIFFIE! Thank you for reviewing!
Lightkit: Hi! :) Thank you for your review, I hope you (and everyone else) really enjoy book three!
Moonstar of FireClan: (Acidpaw: -grumbles- I am NOT cute.) Yes, Acidpaw is just adorable, isn't he? Actually, Rainpaw's deadline has run out. Acidpaw either doesn't care that it's run out, or he hasn't noticed. And yes, I do wonder what kind of twists would result from that. Mwaha. You know, Blazingstar is the most enjoyable character to write, right after Acidpaw and Blindnose. I love him very much. -huggles Blazingstar- Thanks for reviewing!
Old Reader: Yup, I know who you are now! -hug- I'm sure Acidpaw would love to run away with Indigopaw, Stormpaw, and Redkit, but… you'll see… Mwaha! Thank you for the review!
some crazy girl who likes pie: AND HERE IS THE NEW CHAPTER! -hides from Crazy Girl's wrath- Thanks for reviewing!
ilovekataang: Thanks for the review -hug- And why yes, Roaringstar is evil, deranged, and everything else that you said. But I think it's going to be quite difficult to kill him. After all, he's got his shiny, brand-new, limited edition (just kidding about that one) nine lives!
x. Reflectionheart's Honour .x: I've been poked with a stick! AHHH!!! -runs around in circles- -COUGH- Well then. Thank you for the review! :D
A/N: Book three is finally here! Sorry for the really long wait, I wanted to make sure the chapter was PERFECT before uploading it, and it took my beta (Mistytail) and I a long time to edit. Also, NEWS! I'm gonna tell you all something I was a little hesitant to say before. When I am done Book Three, I am going to be writing a Prequel, explaining how everything happened the way it did. The Main Characters, for the most part, are going to be young cats named Silverpaw, Roaringpaw, and Greenpaw.
ForestClan: War of the Clans
Chapter One
Silver's Fern
Roaringstar looked down on them all, a sick, twisted grin across his face.
There was silence.
Pantherstar's breath caught in her throat. Oh no… StarClan no… at a time like this…?!
Not a single cat said a word, until Silverstar spoke up, his voice shaking.
"Ah, um, Roaringbreeze… Where is Silentstar?"
From where he was watching, Acidpaw could've sworn that he saw a ghost of a smirk on Roaringstar's face, but it was quickly replaced with a look of sorrow that the ForestClan apprentice was sure was fake.
"Silentstar is dead," meowed the giant ginger tom. His head was bowed.
Gasps and horrified yowls burst from the crowd.
At the base of the Great Log, where Hawkheart was sitting, a small smile had taken over his features. Mangledpaw, who was sitting with the Medicine Cats, had his eyes focused on Mistypaw. He looked absolutely horrified. Hawkheart padded over to his littermate and leaned towards his ear. The white-furred MountainClan cat flinched and looked at his paws.
Acidpaw's eyes narrowed. There was something that Mangledpaw had not said when he met up with he and Rainpaw. And this something was important. Acidpaw could feel it.
Blazingstar's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"How did she die?" he asked, "She had six lives left! She's been leader for what, seventeen seasons? That's longest in history, and she was perfectly fine at the last Gathering!"
"Coppersky, Silentstar, and I were taking a three-cat patrol near the Canyon. One of our Warriors had spotted a coyote, and we intended to drive it off the edge of the cliff…" Roaringstar went on, "And when we did find it, we chased it towards the way we had planned, and we managed to drive it over the edge… but… Silentstar got too close to the edge, and the cliff crumbled underneath her. I tried to save her, but… I was too late. I hoped that she would only have lost one or two lives, but the fall was too much for StarClan… and it wiped out her remaining six lives."
Roaringstar's gaze swept the cats at the Gathering and rested on Rainpaw for a moment before continuing.
"Silentstar hunts with StarClan now," finished Roaringstar, "CanyonClan will always remember her fine leadership."
Now the CanyonClan Leader's eyes were locked on Pantherstar.
"Now then, Pantherstar… How can you accuse CanyonClan of committing such a felony?"
Pantherstar swallowed nervously. "We have reason to believe that the three kits that disappeared from ForestClan, PraireClan, and MountainClan ended up in CanyonClan."
"Can you prove it?" challenged the ginger tom.
Pantherstar looked down at Mistypaw. "Tell your tale, Mistypaw."
Mistypaw stood up straighter, her pale green eyes glaring at all the cats around her. "Cats of all Clans! My earliest memory is the feeling of being taken away! My first scent was the smell of the woodlands! The first sounds that I heard were the voices of my mother and father, Lavaflame and Lionclaw, and the mews of my sibling, my real siblings: Oceanpaw, Breezepaw, and Shadelion! But the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes were the faces of Silentstar and Roaringbreeze of CanyonClan!"
Other cats stared at her, eyes wide.
Mistypaw raised her voice. "Cats of all Clans! Tell me how all of this is possible! Prove to me CanyonClan's innocence!"
"She's a liar!" screeched one cat.
"Nothing but a murderer!" howled another.
"Silence!" yowled Pantherstar, "She is not the only proof! Quietpaw has her own story as well!"
Snakefang stepped forward. "I'm sure you all know that Quietpaw is mute, but has no one bothered to ask her things? Has no MountainClan cat ever wondered about the disappearance of Puresoul's other kit?!"
Hawkheart's eyes narrowed. "Quietpaw is the Carrier of the Curses! Her own malevolent spirit is what made that other kit fade from existence!"
Cats from PraireClan and MountainClan added to CanyonClan's yowls.
"No! ForestClan speaks the truth!" it was Scarletleaf, "The last Carrier of the Curses was Puresoul! She broke the no-violence tradition by killing a mountain lion before her own death! That Prophecy is in the past, and has nothing to do with Quietpaw!"
Hawkheart turned to where Mangledpaw was sitting. "Hey, say something to favor my idea—" he started to whisper.
But Mangledpaw was gone. Hawkheart snarled.
"What about PrairieClan?" yowled PrairieClan's deputy, Orangeear, who was now glaring at Roaringstar.
"I think I can justify this!" meowed a voice from the crowd.
Rainpaw grinned. Arctichawk!
"Then speak," meowed Blazingstar.
"My mother is blind," shouted Arctichawk, "She was blind when my sister and I were born. While my mother was asleep, I heard the cries of my sister as she was taken away! I could smell the intruder's stench! And it was the scent of CanyonClan!"
Now the angry yowls and glares were aimed at CanyonClan. No cat noticed that the clouds in the night sky had shifted and now covered the moon.
"What is the meaning of this, CanyonClan?!"
"How dare you take our kits?!"
"Explain yourselves!"
"Drive them out!"
"Give us back our young ones!"
"You've defiled the Warrior Code!"
Roaringstar laughed. "I need all of my Warriors! I could care less that they are from different Clans. There is no way that I'll hand over any of my Clan members. They're better off in CanyonClan than in any of the other Clans that taint our world with weakness!"
"Traitor!"
"Kitnapper!"
Roaringstar only grinned and yowled. "CanyonClan, we're leaving!"
There were only a few cats from CanyonClan attending the Gathering, and they were all the most loyal cats to the leader. They hissed at the other Clans before following Roaringstar into the darkness.
An eerie silence took over the remaining cats. On top of the Great Log, Blazingstar was shaking in anger.
"Who would've thought it would come to this?!" he hissed.
Pantherstar also growled. "I think that we should all head home. StarClan knows what CanyonClan might do now."
Silverstar remained silent, lost in his thoughts. He shuffled his paws nervously.
"Come, PrairieClan," meowed Blazingstar, "Let's go home."
"MountainClan, we're going," muttered Silverstar.
Slowly, the cats from the other Clans slowly disappeared until only ForestClan was left.
Pantherstar took a deep breath. "Come on, everyone."
She leaped down from the Great Log and led her cats back towards the safety of the forest. Quietpaw trailed near the back, her ears and tail drooping. Rainpaw walked next to her.
"Are you okay, Quietpaw?" she asked, "You… wished you could've met that sibling, right?"
Quietpaw nodded.
"I'm sorry… It must be hard. Being mute, no one to understand you," whispered Rainpaw, "I just can't imagine the pain."
The mute cat shrugged. It's okay…
"Oh, I ran into that horrible cat, Seapaw today."
Quietpaw's eyes widened, but Rainpaw purred.
"Acidpaw gave him a whack on the head he'll never forget," she laughed, "And then humiliated him."
The tabby she-cat smiled softly.
They were just getting close to camp when Quietpaw stopped.
"What is it?" asked Rainpaw.
The mute she-cat looked around, as if searching for someone.
Looking for someone? Rainpaw thought, Looking for someone… Oh! Where's Mistypaw?!
"Are you looking for Mistypaw?" she asked.
Quietpaw nodded quickly.
"I haven't seen her…" murmured Rainpaw, "I hope she's okay…"
Gathering Island…
Mistypaw had stayed behind. She looked around the clearing.
"Mangledpaw?" she called, "Are you still here?"
She had seen his horrified expression when she had shown herself at the Gathering. When she had spoken to the cats, she took her eyes off him, but after that, she couldn't find him.
A nearby evergreen bush rustled.
"Mangledpaw?"
But out stepped a cat that she wasn't expecting to see.
"What are you still doing here, Mistypaw?" he asked, his acid-colored eyes glinting with suspicion.
"O-oh! A-Acidpaw!" she meowed.
"You're waiting for Mangledpaw? You meet him in secret?"
"N-no!" Mistypaw stammered, "H-he disappeared during the Gathering, a-and I just wanted to know if he was okay!"
"I see," but the black-furred tom's eyes were still narrowed, "You'd best get back to the Small Woods. There are still cats that think you're a murderer. There could easily be Warriors from other Clans around, waiting to ambush you."
The gray and white she-cat nodded. "Y-yeah, you're right. I should get going."
Mistypaw turned and padded away.
Acidpaw watched her leave. He heard claws scraping on bark. Acidpaw spun around. There was a white tom climbing onto the icy log.
Mangledpaw! thought Acidpaw, He's hiding something! Now's my chance to talk to him!
Acidpaw sprinted at full speed towards the icy log. Mangledpaw turned his head and saw him, and a look of panic and fear flooded into his eyes. He started to run along the log, but he slipped and his back paws dangled over the edge of the wood. Acidpaw leaped up onto the log and fastened his teeth in Mangledpaw's scruff, saving the second cat that day.
"L-let me go, Acidpaw!" he meowed, "I n-need to get back to MountainClan!"
Acidpaw dragged him back to the Gathering Island. He let go of Mangledpaw and shoved him to the ground, holding him in place with his front paws.
"Not until you answer my questions."
Mangledpaw gulped. "F-fine."
Acidpaw loosened his grip on the white cat, but didn't let him up.
"What's with MountainClan's new deputy?" he asked, "That cat can't be older than me!"
"Oh, Hawkheart? He, uh, well, Flameshadow died, and Hawkheart was his apprentice, so Silverstar made him deputy," replied Mangledpaw, "Satisfied?"
"There weren't any better senior Warriors?"
"Uh, well, it's not my place, see, Silverstar decided…"
"How did Flameshadow die?"
"Th-there was a badger attack! Hawkheart came back screeching about it! Th-there were injuries all over his shoulders… But by the time a patrol got there, it was too late… The badger was gone and Flameshadow was dead."
The badger was gone? thought Acidpaw, but a badger wouldn't attack a bigger cat, and Flameshadow was not tiny. Mangledpaw's lying…
"Is Hawkheart an ambitious cat?"
"Uh… I guess so," answered the MountainClan apprentice, "He's always wanted to be deputy, and he spoke a lot to Roaringstar when he was a Warrior at the Gatherings.
Acidpaw blinked. He… was talking to Roaringstar?!
"I have one last question," meowed Acidpaw.
"Okay… go ahead, shoot."
"Was Flameshadow really killed by a badger?"
Mangledpaw's eyes went wide with fear. "Wh-wh-what are you trying to say? O-of course he was!"
Acidpaw's piercing green eyes seemed to burn through Mangledpaw's face. "You're lying. Tell me the truth. This could be important."
Mangledpaw was shaking. "O-okay, okay… I'll tell you the truth. Just please, don't tell anyone!"
Acidpaw let Mangledpaw up. The MountainClan tom sat down with his head bowed.
"I saw what really happened. Hawkheart attacked him when no one else was around. He made giant wounds that looked like they could be made by a badger, made some on himself, then went back to camp."
"Couldn't anyone tell that there was no badger scent?"
"No," Mangledpaw shook his head, "The blood scent was too strong. He planned it perfectly. Well… almost."
"Almost?"
"Yeah. Some of the senior Warriors, along with Scarletleaf and Silverstar, thought that it was strange that the badger hadn't been sighted earlier. There hasn't been a badger living on MountainClan territory for seasons and seasons."
Acidpaw frowned. "If he was suspected by Silverstar himself, then how did Hawkheart get chosen as deputy?"
"That, I don't know," Mangledpaw looked up, "He probably planned something sneaky again. I'm assuming that Silverstar has a secret of some sort, and Hawkheart was most likely able to weasel it out of him and use it to his advantage."
"That little foxdung," snarled Acidpaw.
"That's not all. He told Flameshadow that he was allied to Roaringstar right before he killed him," Mangledpaw looked up, "And there's some kind of plot going on, but I wasn't close enough to hear what it was, but all I know is that Hawkheart intends to overthrow Silverstar."
Acidpaw was silent for a moment. "Alright. Thanks. You'd better get going before your Clan notices that you're missing."
Mangledpaw nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you around, I guess."
Acidpaw started heading back towards ForestClan territory. "One last thing. Mistypaw was here a while ago, looking for you. I don't know what's going on between you two, but don't do anything stupid that could get either of you killed."
The black tom continued walking, leaving Mangledpaw behind on the Gathering Island, his eyes wide with shock.
"Mistypaw…" he whispered, "A-Acidpaw, wait!"
The black tom stopped. "Yes?"
"Th-there's something else."
Acidpaw turned around and sat down. "Yeah?"
"I… I'm … uh… good friends with Mistypaw, and um… I… sort of trespass on ForestClan territory every now and then," he swallowed nervously, "And well… Hawkpaw was an apprentice back then. I came back from visiting Mistypaw, and he came up to me and asked me 'Why do you smell like the forest?'. I was surprised, I mean, it was unusual for him to take any interest in me at all, normally he ignores me completely. But I told him that I had gone hunting in the MountainClan woods. I was sure he believed me… but…"
Acidpaw rolled his eyes. "I don't want your life story."
"Sorry!" Mangledpaw flinched, "Well, the bottom line is, one time when I went to meet with Mistypaw, Hawkpaw had followed me. I didn't know he was there, and he saw us together…"
Flashback
"So I took the extra honey we had and dumped it on his head!" Mangledpaw exclaimed, "Scarletleaf couldn't get it off for three sunrises! Everyone was calling him Spikytuft or Sweethead for ages, even after the honey washed off!"
Mistypaw giggled. "You two are lucky, being brothers as well as mentor and apprentice. Normally, you'd have gotten into so much trouble!"
"I know, right? I mean, I couldn't just let the whole mousebile-on-face incident slide by without revenge!"
The two laughed.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" a brown-furred shape stepped out of the shadows.
Mistypaw jumped. Mangledpaw stiffened, his eyes wide. "H-Hawkpaw! Wh-what are you doing here?!"
The brown tom's eyes narrowed. "I was wondering where you were always sneaking off to. Meeting a she-cat of a different Clan? You, a Medicine Cat? Isn't that against the Warrior Code?"
"H-Hawkpaw, we're just friends!" protested Mangledpaw.
Hawkpaw grinned. "Wait a second. Isn't this the cat who assisted in Oakstump's murder? Can't have a beast like that running around, can we?"
Mangledpaw stood defensively in front of Mistypaw. "Run for it! I'll be fine!"
"But—"
"Just go!"
Mistypaw nodded and turned tail.
After she was gone, Mangledpaw lowered himself to the ground, his ears back. "Please, Hawkpaw, don't tell anyone, I'm begging you!"
"I really shouldn't let this go unreported…" Hawkpaw growled.
"Please! Please don't! She's innocent!"
"I'm not talking about her," hissed the brown tom, "I'm talking about you."
Mangledpaw gazed up at his littermate in pure horror. "Y-you wouldn't…"
"I would. It might make me a Warrior faster."
"You're a monster!"
"Shut up," Hawkpaw slammed his paw down on Mangledpaw's head, forcing his muzzle into the ground, "Now listen. I'll keep this a secret on one condition. You must do whatever I say."
"Alright! I'll do anything! Just please!" whispered Mangledpaw, tears of fear in his eyes.
Hawkpaw let him up, smirking in triumph. "Good choice. Now, let's go back to camp. I have things to discuss with you…"
End Flashback
"In the end, he used me to get more and more power," muttered Mangledpaw, "I was the one who helped him accuse Quietpaw of being the Curse-Carrier. If there's anything that I refuse to do, my secret goes public. I'm up against a wall."
Acidpaw snarled. "What a little rat."
Mangledpaw shifted his weight from one paw to another. "I should go. I don't want Hawkheart yowling after me. I'm under punishment, so technically, I'm lucky to have gone to the Gathering."
Acidpaw nodded and Mangledpaw rose to his paws.
"I trust you, Acidpaw. Please don't repeat what I've said to anyone. You and Mistypaw are the only ones who know."
"What about Rainpaw?"
"If you think you need to, tell her, I guess," Mangledpaw continued walking, "But please, I'd rather that less cats knew about this."
Acidpaw watched Mangledpaw's disappearing form. He also turned to go back to camp.
It's really late now, he thought, I might as well take Redkit and Indigopaw out for a training session…
ForestClan Medicine Cat Den…
"Silverdiamond."
The ForestClan Medicine Cat opened her eyes. She was in a dark forest. Her surroundings were so obscure that she could only see the silhouettes of the trees.
"Silverdiamond."
The silver-and-black she-cat turned towards the voice. She smiled sadly.
"Redstar. It's good to see you."
In the midst of the darkness, Redstar was almost glowing. His flame orange pelt stood out vibrantly in the darkness. His icy blue eyes were glowing with warmth.
"Watch out for the gale that seems to roar,
He alone can make peace exist no more.
Rain will be shielded by white,
Leaves will be mangled in a dangerous fight.
All will be revealed on Silver's Fern,
A dying star will need to return.
Forest will be strengthened by eternal rain,
But will drown in acid's pain.
Mourning rain will be turned cold,
A story will come that has never been told."
It had been a long time since that dream had come to her.
Redstar's form was disappearing now, and just before he faded completely, he whispered, "I think that it's time for the secret of Silver's Fern to be shared."
Silverdiamond blinked open her eyes. She silently rose to her paws and padded out of her den, heading towards the apprentice den. She noticed that Acidpaw was just entering camp.
What's he doing out so late? she wondered.
Acidpaw saw her and tensed for a second before nodding a greeting and entering the den. Silverdiamond entered soon after and stood above Rainpaw. She nudged her apprentice with her paw.
"Urgh… Silverdiamond? What is it?" she asked drowsily.
"Come, Rainpaw," she whispered, "I need to show you something."
Yawning, Rainpaw rose to her paws and started to follow Silverdiamond out of the apprentice den. Acidpaw watched her with one acid green eye.
The cold leaf-bare wind fluttered through Rainpaw's fur, maker her shiver. What could Silverdiamond possibly want to show her at this time of night?
Her mentor was walking straight towards the Twist, and suddenly broke into a run.
"W-wait!" Rainpaw called after her, startled.
The Medicine Cat entered the hollow tree. Rainpaw entered as well, her vision adjusting slowly to the darkness.
Silverdiamond was crouched next to some brambles, which she was prodding aside with a short thick stick in her mouth.
Rainpaw frowned, watching intently. What in the name of StarClan was she doing? Rainpaw gasped. Silverdiamond had finally pushed the brambles aside, revealing a hole in the ground, which she jumped down into without hesitation. Rainpaw padded closer to the hole. She couldn't see the bottom.
"Silverdiamond?" she called nervously.
"Come, Rainpaw, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Rainpaw put one paw down into the hole, trying to see if she could feel the bottom, but she slipped and fell face-first.
She hit the ground seconds after, then feeling as if she was rolling down a steep hill. When she finally came to a stop, not only was it too dark to see, she was too dizzy to move. And she was feeling oddly warm.
There was a small burst of dull yellow light before it faded. For a instant, she saw Silverdiamond's face, but now she could only see a silhouette.
Rainpaw staggered to her paws. There were more bursts of light, which disappeared as quickly as they came.
"Where are we?" she asked.
Silverdiamond's voice resonated from behind her. "This is Silver's Fern."
"Huh?" she had never heard of such a place, "What are those lights?"
"Full of questions tonight, aren't we?" her mentor sounded amused, "They are fireflies."
Rainpaw blinked. "Fireflies? But it's too co—"
"Cold?" Silverdiamond cut her off, "Yes, outside it's too cold for the fireflies, but here, not so much, as you can tell. Haven't you ever wondered where the fireflies go when greenleaf ends? The cold of leaf-bare does not reach here."
Now Rainpaw's vision had adjusted to be able to see Silverdiamond.
"But where—"
"We are under the Twist. The roots still hold up the tree, and also make a ceiling. When there's more light, you'll see, there are ferns everywhere."
"Why Silver's Fern?" asked Rainpaw, wondering at the back of her mind if she was dreaming.
The apprentice could see the glint in the Medicine Cat's orange eyes. "Because when I was an apprentice, about your age… I found this place."
ForestClan Apprentice Den…
A few minutes after Rainpaw left with Silverdiamond, Acidpaw stood up. Indigopaw did the same. The black-furred cat looked around at his fellow apprentices, making sure they were all asleep before stepping back out into the cold.
They stopped in front of the nursery. Acidpaw nodded at Indigopaw and the younger apprentice went in.
Acidpaw looked up at the sky. The clouds covered the stars and the moon. Perfect for the training exercise he had planned.
He thought of his talk with Mangledpaw. What in the name of StarClan was Hawkheart plotting? Was Roaringstar involved? Would those two Clans join forces? He had no more time to think about it. Indigopaw had reappeared at his side with Redkit right behind him.
"Let's go," he meowed.
The two younger cats followed him wordlessly, occasionally stumbling through the darkness. Once they reached the drinking stream, they stood on either side of Acidpaw, both around three tail-lengths away.
"We'll do something different tonight," he instructed, "I'm going to teach you the basics of fighting in pitch-black."
Indigopaw and Redkit looked on with interest.
"When you were kits, did you ever play tag?" he asked.
They both nodded.
Redkit felt herself glow with pride. Acidpaw had said when you were kits, meaning that he considered her an apprentice as well.
"You will both try to catch me," he went on, "Sound pretty simple? But you don't only have to tap me. You must inflict one bleeding wound on me. Alternately, I can also attack you. If you get a total of five bleeding wounds between the two of you, then you're out. Both of you."
The two younger cats were stunned. They had to hurt Acidpaw? They had to evade Acidpaw? Was that even possible?
Acidpaw smirked. "Catch me if you can."
And he seemed to disappear into the darkness.
Before she could react, Redkit felt a rush of wind on her right side and the cold pain of claws tearing into her cheek. She could feel her own blood trickle down the side of her face.
Seconds later, she heard a cry of surprise from Indigopaw.
"Come on, you two. That's one on each of you already," taunted Acidpaw's voice from behind them, "Defend yourselves. If I were an enemy, you'd both be dead."
The way he said it made Indigopaw shudder. If Acidpaw was the enemy…
Indigopaw suddenly had a strange vision. An older Acidpaw, with a dark glimmer in his pale green eyes, his fur melting into the shadows, a familiar form trapped under his paws…
He shook those thoughts from his head. He growled in frustration and leaped in the direction where Acidpaw's voice had come from. He was only met with a mouthful of snow and a lump of fur on his back.
"Watch where you're going, runt!" hissed Redkit.
"Get off!"
They both scrambled to their paws. Indigopaw started looking around, his heart beating quickly. Why am I so scared? he asked himself, it's just Acidpaw…
Redkit was not moving at all. Her eyes were closed and she was sitting.
"What are you—" Indigopaw started to ask.
"Sh!" hissed Redkit.
There was an eerie silence, then the crunch of snow.
"There!" mewed Redkit, leaping towards the sound. She bit into the darkness and felt her teeth close around…
Redkit spat out some wood splinters. A branch?! But she was so sure…
"You almost had me there, Redkit," meowed Acidpaw's voice, "But remember, if you can hear me, I can hear you."
Redkit swallowed nervously. And that's when she heard Indigopaw cry out again.
"Wh-what's happening?" she yowled.
"H-he got me again," muttered Indigopaw from somewhere on her left, "I was just surprised."
"That's two, Indigopaw," came Acidpaw's voice, "Two more, and it's over for both of you."
Redkit closed her eyes. It was like Acidpaw's voice was coming from… Above my head?!
Redkit looked up, and that's when she saw it. If she squinted, she could see the silhouette of a cracked branch on a nearby tree.
Acidpaw must have stepped on it to make it fall, she thought, So he's going from tree to tree, and coming down to attack us?! He's just hit Indigopaw… so now…
"Indigopaw, move!" Redkit lunged at him and pushed him out of the way.
"What in StarClan's name was that?!" he growled.
There was the sound of impact on the ground a hairbreadth away from them, and snow sprayed the air. Then there was the sound of claws along bark.
She's figuring it out, thought Acidpaw.
"Indigopaw, listen," whispered Redkit, "I know what Acidpaw is doing. He's up in the trees, and he leaps out to attack, then goes back up. I want you to pretend to attack something in the middle, and he might get you, but I'll hear him and attack. Got it?"
Indigopaw stared at her like she was crazy, but finally he nodded.
He released a cry of rage and leaped into nothingness. Redkit listened carefully. There! She could hear Acidpaw's claws scrape against a branch.
Indigopaw yowled as he was tackled to the ground, another scratch on his face. Redkit lunged forward and clawed into the darkness. She felt fur against her paw for a second, but it was pulled away.
"Foxdung!" she hissed, "Almost had him!"
Acidpaw scaled another tree. The tip of his tail stung. He licked it and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
"Not 'almost had him', Redkit," he meowed, "You got me."
Redkit blinked and let loose a meow of triumph. Acidpaw climbed back down. The clouds covering the moon suddenly moved away and their training grounds were bathed in moonlight, turning Acidpaw's fur silver.
"Where did I hit you?" asked Redkit.
"My tail," the black-furred tom lifted his tail to Redkit's face.
"Whaaaat?!" she meowed loudly, "It's a tiny prick! It's not even bleeding!"
"It was, though, and that's all that counts."
"I want to try again!" protested Redkit.
"We don't have time," replied her older brother calmly, "Dawn's going to break soon. You should get some rest. Also, get the blood off your face and think of a good excuse as to why it's there."
Both younger cats nodded. They returned to camp in silence.
Indigopaw was lost in thought. That illusion of Acidpaw would not leave his mind.
Redkit entered the nursery, nodding a goodbye to Acidpaw and Indigopaw. The two apprentices entered the apprentice den. Indigopaw was asleep instantly.
Acidpaw noticed that Rainpaw wasn't back yet. Should he be worried?
No, he thought, She's with Silverdiamond. She's fine.
He finally drifted into a peaceful slumber.
A/N: Isn't Acidpaw the awesomeness? Urgh, sorry for the abrupt ending…
Also I know I'm a bad author for not updating in like, forever, so you get a preview of the next chapter, okay?
Preview of Chapter Two:
Acidpaw started struggling under the CanyonClan's grip. Foxdung! I've taken him too lightly!
"CanyonClan Warriors cannot be stopped until they are dead!" yowled Coppersky.
He pitched forward and sunk his teeth into Acidpaw's neck.
A/N: I'm gonna hope that none of you want to kill me now. Bye bye! -waves like Ichimaru Gin-