Just a little one-shot with our favorite apprentices to celebrate the Halloween spirit! Enjoy!
Characters © Me
Warriors © Erin Hunter
"This is sooooo boring!" a dark gray tom with darker stripes complained as he hopped over a tall, dark green fern. A pair of green eyes appeared in the shadows of the ferns and a golden black spotted she-cat and a pale brown tabby tom emerged from its depths. A dark brown tom with a striped tail appeared a few heartbeats later with a dark smokey gray tom humming happily next to him.
"What is it now, Moonpaw?" the golden spotted she-cat sighed knowingly.
"I mean, Leopardpaw, that this whole 'night hunting' exercise is nothing but a load of deer dung!" Moonpaw insisted and kicked a dark brown pebble down the grass trail. "There's nothing out here to catch because all of the prey has some common sense to be sleeping right now!"
"Maybe we can't find anything because you're scarring the prey away with your loud mouth!" the dark brown tom growled. "You're not the only one who finds this pointless."
"Well, Pinepaw…what if it's really hot and humid during green-leaf and we can't hunt during the day? Then, we'd have to hunt at night when it's cooler," the pale brown tabby tom pointed out.
"Well, newsflash, Ryepaw, it's the middle of leaf-fall!" Moonpaw yowled.
"Quit your yowling, Moonpaw," Pinepaw grumbled.
"Oh, why can't you guys think of the positives?" the smokey gray tom chirped and bounced lightly on his paws. "Just look around you! Aren't the leaves pretty at this time of year?" He motioned with his tail towards the tree leaves above them; the leaves were shaded down because of the night, but in the day they were brilliant hues of crimson and gold.
"Ugh…I can't tell who's more annoying…Ashpaw or Ryepaw!" Moonpaw drastically sighed.
The band of CreekClan apprentices continued on their way through the autumn forest, keeping their ears pricked and their noses alert for any signs of prey. Their pelts were illuminated by the lustrous argent half-moon, turning their pelts a faint argentate color. The stars of their warrior ancestors shone above them and mirrored on the crystal-clear creek as the apprentices gingerly crossed the creek by hopping from slippery rock to another.
And that's when they heard it.
Crack.
Leopardpaw's ears when up and she slowly scanned their surroundings; her claws gripping the stone. She could've sworn that she heard something. Something slammed into her from behind, along with a startling yowl. Leopardpaw let out a loud yelp and tumbled into the creek with a splash!
"Geez, Leopardpaw, don't stand there like that!" Moonpaw complained from the stone above. Leopardpaw glared at him for a few heartbeats before purposely shaking her pelt dry.
"You okay?" Ashpaw asked his sister as he carefully swam towards Leopardpaw.
"I'm fine, Ashpaw. I just thought I heard something…" Leopardpaw insisted as she wadded towards the shore with her brother behind her.
"I heard it, too," Ryepaw meowed as he leapt from the last stone onto the dry ground. "It sounded like a twig cracking."
"Probably a squirrel or something," Pinepaw suggested as he landed after Ryepaw.
"Or maybe…it was Crackleclaw!" Moonpaw smirked deviously.
"Who's…Crackleclaw?" Ashpaw asked.
"Don't even ask!" Pinepaw warned, but Moonpaw already began to answer Ashpaw's question.
"What do you mean you've never heard of Crackleclaw? Don't you ever listen to the elders' tales?" Moonpaw playfully gaped. "There's a whole story about him…and a curse!"
"Please do tell!" Ryepaw asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"Very well…" Moonpaw smugly replied and sat down. "Gather around, kits, and I'll tell you the story of Crackleclaw!" He motioned with his tail for the others to gather in front of him.
Once everyone settled down, Moonpaw began his tale: "Long ago, before the elders were even kitted, CreekClan thrived in its territory. Their warriors were the strongest in the forest, and no Clan dared to threaten their borders. Prey was so plentiful, that they only sent out hunting patrols every other day because of the surplus of prey their warriors brought home!
"It was one of those days when two kits were born into the Clan and their names were Barkkit and Cracklekit. Barkkit was a handsome and gorgeous looking tom, while Cracklekit had ruffled and kinked fur. He would always be blamed for everything that happened, even if Barkkit or the other kits committed the misdemeanor themselves. His parents favored his brother over him, and, because he didn't receive love that much, his heart began to grow cold and dark with each passing moon.
"Cracklekit soon became Cracklepaw and was brutally trained by his mentor, Whisperwind, day in and day out. He trained Cracklepaw to be a brutal a powerful warrior; the best one CreekClan has ever seen! Cracklepaw used his skills to defend the other apprentices, who'd constantly bully him every day. With just one swipe of his claws, Cracklepaw sent them running to their mamas! It wasn't long until Cracklepaw received his warrior name: Crackleclaw!"
"Moonpaw, why was Cracklepaw named Crackleclaw?" Ryepaw asked.
"A very good question, brother!" Moonpaw smirked. "He's named Crackleclaw because his claws were so large, that whenever he walked in the forest, his claws could break the leaves and twigs that he walked upon. Also…because he could kill a squirrel by just digging his claws in it!"
Ryepaw let out a squeal and rapidly hid behind Leopardpaw. The she-cat let out a sigh and swiftly kicked Ryepaw in the gut with her hind claws.
"Go on!" Ashpaw persuaded.
Moonpaw smoothed down his chest fur with his left paw before continuing. "Where was I? Oh, yes! Of course, just like any other warrior in the Clan, Crackleclaw had a soft side for a certain cat and her name was Sweetberry." Moonpaw grimaced when he said her name and shuddered a bit. "Ech…love. Anyway, it also turned out that Crackleclaw's brother, Barksnap, also had a thing for the lovely she-cat.
"Crackleclaw caught sight of Barksnap swooning over Sweetberry in the forest one day and became undoubtedly jealous. Without thinking, he launched himself at his brother and flung his useless pelt across the clearing. The two brothers fought claw-to-claw against each other, while Sweetberry merely watched the horrific scene. Both brothers had claw marks all over their body and were literally dripping lakes of blood! Barksnap then delivered a harsh blow rake across Crackleclaw's right eye. Crackleclaw struggled to blink the blood out of his eye, but managed a few swipes at Barksnap. Then, summoning all of his strength, Crackleclaw gave the final blow. He dug his claws into Barksnap's throat and heaves backwards. Barksnap went flying into the air and landed with a lifeless thud! Barksnap never got up after that blow.
"Crackleclaw was very pleased with himself; he had won the battle and he believed that StarClan allowed him to win so he could be with Sweetberry. But, Sweetberry had other ideas. She stared in horror at Crackleclaw and refused to believe what he had done. She ran back to the CreekClan camp in a few seconds flat!
"When Crackleclaw returned to camp, he was met with the horrified faces of his Clanmates. They were all dumbfounded that a cat would kill his own brother, just so he would win the heart of a she-cat who refused to like him. Crackleclaw was put on trial by his Clan and was found guilty of killing Barksnap. Turtlestar, leader of CreekClan of that time, sent Crackleclaw into exile for his actions and because he refused to repent on what he had done. At Turtlestar's word, Crackleclaw's own Clanmates chased him out of the territory.
"But, my dear Clanmates, before Crackleclaw left his home, he laid a curse on his former Clan, promising to return one day and have his vengeance. He was never heard from again. They say that if you listen closely, you can hear him stalking the forest at night…waiting to snatch any cat who'd wander alone at night."
Ryepaw was shivering behind Pinepaw, who'd refused to kick him out. "Wow…that's a scary story, Moonpaw…"
"Pft. None of its real," Pinepaw snorted. "It's just a story the elders tell to scary little kits."
"Well I think he's real!" Ashpaw meowed and he looked around nervously.
Leopardpaw rolled her eyes. "Kits!"
"Oh, you don't think he's real, Leopardpaw?" Moonpaw smugly sneered. "I think he's real all right."
"Yeah right," Leopardpaw shot back. "It's probably just a random story you made up to scare everyone else."
"Well it definitely scared me!" Ryepaw whimpered.
"Whatever," Leopardpaw sighed and got to her paws. "Let's just get his hunting thing over with so I can get some sleep!"
O-O-O-O-O-O
"Something tells me that Moonpaw wanted us to split up," Leopardpaw mumbled to Ryepaw as the two wandered through the forest. She kept her jaws parted open slightly to find any scent of nearby prey.
Meanwhile, Ryepaw was literally shivering in his paws. "Y-You d-d-don't think...C-Crackleclaw w-will find u-us…r-r-right?"
Leopardpaw suppressed a sigh. "Ryepaw, there's no such thing as Crackleclaw. Can't you see that Moonpaw just made it up to scare you guys? And they call me annoying…"
They padded for a few more heartbeats before that notorious noise came back.
Crack.
Snap.
Crack.
Ryepaw froze when he heard the sounds of something padding in the distance. "L-Leopardpaw?"
"It's just a squirrel or a rabbit, Ryepaw," Leopardpaw insisted, though she couldn't help but feel a tad bit worried.
Crack.
Snap.
Crack.
Crack.
The sounds were closer now and Leopardpaw couldn't help but feel as if they were being watched. She paused and glanced around their surroundings. She also noticed that Ryepaw was plastered right on her left flank.
"Alright, Moonpaw! You better come out right now!" Leopardpaw called into the trees. The crackling sound stopped after her yowl. The duo began to relax a little bit when they heard a crack behind them. Half knowing what to expect, the two apprentices slowly turned around…to face a large, fluffed-out tom with gleaming yellow eyes.
Ryepaw wasted no time in his yowl. "OMSC, ITS CRACKLECLAW!" he screamed and dashed back to the way they've came. Leopardpaw let out a scream as well and followed her friend. She could feel Crackleclaw's breath on her heels and she struggled to run faster.
Not looking where she was going, Leopardpaw tumbled over a stone that jutted out of the path and landed a few
fox-lengths away. As she struggled to get to her paws, she saw Crackleclaw coming closer…and closer to her.
Suddenly, a warm blob of fur was pressed against her side. She looked up to see Ryepaw next to her. "Don't worry, Leopardpaw! I won't let Crackleclaw take you out…at least…not alone." He pressed his muzzle against hers as Crackleclaw loomed closer and closer. It seemed that he was going to rip them to shreds when all of a sudden, Crackleclaw stopped. He stuck his tongue out in mock disgustion. "Ech! Love!"
Leopardpaw let out a low growl, for she knew that voice anywhere. "Moonpaw…!"
The cat winced at the name and sheepishly stepped into the moon light. Moonpaw's silver and black pelt glowing the light as he fluffed down his fur. He let out a smug grin.
"Hah! You should've seen the look on your faces!" He said between laughs. "You two thought that he really existed, didn't you? Hahaha!"
Leopardpaw growled and shoved Ryepaw off of her. "Not funny, Moonpaw!" But the gray tabby tom continued to laugh his tail off until Pinepaw and Ashpaw showed up.
"What's going on?" Pinepaw asked.
"Yeah, we thought we heard a squirrel screaming or something!" Ashpaw added.
"That squirrel was Ryepaw all because Moonpaw scared him!" Leopardpaw hissed.
"I scared you, too!" Moonpaw laughed.
"Did not!" Leopardpaw denied.
"I don't know…" Pinepaw snickered as he padded up to his sister. "I thought the scream sounded more girlish."
Leopardpaw bore her teeth at her brother. "Watch it, Pinepaw."
"Anyway, so yeah, I did scare you them, until those two lovebirds decided to 'die' together!" Moonpaw sneered.
Leopardpaw let out a hiss at Moonpaw, while Ryepaw merely blushed and studied his paws.
Pinepaw cuffed Moonpaw on the side of the head with his paw. "Come on, Moonpaw. Let's find some prey and go home!"
"Oh, alright!" Moonpaw chuckled as his laughter began to die down. "By the way…you don' think we're allowed to get a snack or two, right?"
"It's against the warrior code, Moonpaw," Pinepaw pointed out.
"But the queens and kits have been fed, Pinepaw!" Moonpaw pointed out. "And besides, it's the middle of the—" Moonpaw's words dropped at the sound of the familiar crackling.
Crack.
Crack.
Snap.
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Leopardpaw drastically sighed and glared at the four toms. "Don't you dare say his name!"
"But…what if it is him this time?" Ashpaw suggested.
"Yeah, right. Like I said before, there's no such thing as—" Leopardpaw's words were cut off as a cat rose from behind a bush next to the apprentices. The moon's eerie glow shined from the behind the cat, outlining his many battle scars. His dark green eyes sent chills down the apprentices' bodies and the tom drew his lips into a snarl.
"IT'S CRACKLECLAW…AGAIN!" Ryepaw squealed and took off running in the direction of camp. His Clanmates took off after him in less than a heartbeat, all screaming for their lives.
Meanwhile, the mysterious tom stared in confusion after the apprentices. He stepped from the bush to reveal himself as Blackfrost. Blackfrost stared for another heartbeat before turning towards the reader. "What's up with them?"
THE END
Ah...Moonpaw. You can be so annoying at times! XD Thanks for reading!