Bloodstained Sky
by
Dreamstar's Courage
Chapter One: Legacy
Two gray toms padded side by side. One was lighter, more of a silver color, with ice blue eyes, while the older was dark gray with amber eyes. Still, their builds were similar, so you could tell they were related.
The silver cat easily leaped down onto a rock, his claws scratching against the hard surface. "Why did we have to leave?" He growled. "I just became a cave-guard... and there's Shine..."
"Stop acting like such a lovesick young cat," his father retorted. "You need to focus on something other than-"
"Shine!" The younger tom yowled excitedly, blue eyes glowing. A she-cat was making her way towards him. Her pelt shone ginger with golden streaks, and her amber eyes met his with a worry.
"Moon," She called, and halted before him. "Where are you going?"
"Stormfur and I are going to meet those forest cats he used to live with before we were born," Moon explained. "Maybe we'll make things better."
Looking even more troubled, Shine of Bright Sun shook her head. "What if Eagleteller finds out?" She murmured. "You two could be in huge trouble."
"We have to," Moon muttered. Looking at the she-cat, he realized how much he needed to go on this journey.
Still not convinced, Shine quickly touched her nose to his, then turned and raced off. Moon Where Clouds Part glared at his father.
"Thanks a lot. Now she hates me."
"A small price to pay," Stormfur shrugged, and the two moved on.
xxx
A young ginger she-cat stretched, the sun touching her pelt and making it look like fire. She blinked large green eyes, and flexed her hooked claws. As she yawned, her fangs looked sharp and menacing.
"Scarletflame," her brother's voice sounded amused as he padded towards her. "Looks like you're going to be an excellent mentor to Nightpaw... sleeping on the job."
"Oh, stop it Rockwind," She growled playfully, sitting up and swiping her tongue over her pelt. "He is my first apprentice, so I have to get used to this. And besides, it won't kill him to wait just a few moments."
"It might anger Dreamstar," Rockwind reminded her.
Grudgingly, Scarletflame stood and began to pad towards the apprentice's den. She spotted Aspenpaw, Rockwind's apprentice, sitting down and grooming herself. The small tabby she-cat seemed to be telling Nightpaw about her hunting trip.
Nightpaw was a black tom with sky blue eyes, a bit older than Aspenpaw and Lakepaw. Lakepaw was Scarletflame and Rockwind's sister, Birdtalon's apprentice.
"Nightpaw," Scarletflame called, beckoning with her tail. "Come. It's time for us to go practice battle skills."
"Yes, Scarletflame!" Nightpaw said, eyes shining. He looked like the exact opposite of his sister, Stripedpaw, and his parents, Palelegs and Thornclaw. Scarletflame had always wondered about this, but dismissed it.
"You'll probably meet Birdtalon and Lakepaw there," Aspenpaw offered, swiping a paw over one ear. Her hazel eyes shone. She had always loved being the apprentice of one of Dreamstar's kits, since she idolized the ThunderClan leader.
"Thanks," Scarletflame nodded to the young she-cat, then began to pad towards the forest, Nightpaw at her heels. Her eyes alighted upon Tanglekit, a four moon old(AN: I had to change her age by one moon, Sleekstripe) torbie she-kit, standing near Calicofur's den. She was bound to be the medicine cat's apprentice.
Sure enough, Birdtalon, Scarletflame's pale ginger sister, was teaching her apprentice, Lakepaw, some battle moves. Lakepaw, a golden tabby she-cat with green eyes, looked excited and happy.
"Hello Birdtalon, Lakepaw," Scarletflame purred, touching noses with her sister. Birdtalon was lighter even than their sun-colored mother, Dreamstar, and had dark blue eyes like their kin, Cloudtail.
"Finally woke up, didn't you?" Birdtalon chuckled, dodging Lakepaw's inexperienced swipe at her head. Scarletflame sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Why does everyone get on me about this?" She turned to Nightpaw. "Did I wake up too late in the morning?"
The young black tom shuffled his paws and looked at the ground, uncertain how to answer. The truth was, OF COURSE she woke up too late in the morning, but he didn't really want to say this to his mentor.
"See!" Birdtalon exclaimed, flicking her sister's ear with the tip of her tail. "Maybe he would be vouching for you more if you weren't so lazy."
"For your information," Scarletflame snapped, eyes flashing. "I spent all night hunting."
"Get some sleep, then. You have an apprentice now."
That was her, responsible Birdtalon. Always perfect, it seemed. Her mentor, Sorreltail, had seemed to think the same thing. Scarletflame shook her head as she took position to spar with Nightpaw. She loved Birdtalon, but sometimes...
xxx
"Time for the Gathering!" Dreamstar, leader of ThunderClan, yowled. The beautiful pale ginger she-cat had obviously left many of her traits in her kits, which was apparent as Scarletflame and Birdtalon padded up.
"Where's Rockwind?" Willowcloud, Birdtalon's best friend, asked anxiously. It took all of Birdtalon's self-control for her to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Willowcloud had a very obvious fondness of her friend's brother.
"Where is Rockwind?" Dreamstar murmured, amber eyes settling on her daughters, question clearly in them. Both she-cats shrugged.
Remembering, Birdtalon called, "He said he would go hunting after he was finished training Aspenpaw. That's probably where he is."
"I guess he'll have to stay in camp, then," Dreamstar meowed. "All right... Scarletflame, Birdtalon, Willowcloud, Sorreltail, Whiteleaf, Openeyes, Lakepaw, Stripedpaw, and Calicofur. Come. Birchpelt, can you take care of camp while we're gone?"
As usual, the tom nodded his head. Birdtalon spotted the disappointed faces of other apprentices, like Aspenpaw and Nightpaw. Why did her brother have to be late?
Birdtalon and Willowcloud padded side by side and watched as Scarletflame chatted amiably with Singedtail, a tom who had been an apprentice alongside the three siblings.
"How can she be so confident around toms?" Willowcloud flinched as she said this.
"That's just how Scarletflame is," Birdtalon responded. "I think she got it from our mother. And you've only been a warrior for a couple suns. You can't expect yourself to be running up to every tom there is! I mean, not that I'm saying that my sister does..."
"I don't want to go running up to every tom there is," Willowcloud mewed shyly, looking at her paws. "Just one."
"Look," Birdtalon sighed. "I'm not trying to discourage you, but Rockwind-right now-sees you as... well, as a sister, like me or Scarletflame. You need to act a bit differently around him. Make him see that you like him!"
"I guess," Willowcloud murmured.
"Good," Birdtalon said, briskly changing the subject. "We're here."
xxx
Looking around the camp, Rockwind sighed. He was too late to go to the Gathering. Birchpelt gave him a reproachful glance.
"Finally."
Rockwind winced at the disappointed gaze of Aspenpaw, remembering that apprentices usually went to Gatherings with their mentors. Calmly, he took a guarding position next to Nightpaw. The black tom was, like most apprentices, skipping a Gathering because he went to the last one.
"Rockwind," Birchpelt said suddenly. "Why don't you take Nightpaw and Aspenpaw out on a patrol? It would be good for them."
Turning his head to see the hopeful expressions of the two apprentices, Rockwind nodded. They did look like they needed to get out, and it was better than just sitting around...
A while later, the three of them padded through the forest, and Rockwind paused, tilting his head to one side. "Can either of you tell me what that scent is?" He asked.
"I can!" The eager to please Aspenpaw mewed. "It's a rabbit."
"Good," Rockwind nodded to his apprentice, a streak of pride coming to him. But Nightpaw's expression troubled him. The often solemn apprentice was simply staring straight ahead, narrowing his eyes.
"What's wrong, Nightpaw?" Rockwind asked, worried.
"I don't know..." the black tom replied. "It's just... I smell a cat that doesn't smell like anything from any of the Clans."
Worried, Rockwind sniffed the air. Sure enough, the scent of a rogue came to him. A she-cat, alone. That wasn't that much of a problem.
xxx
Scarletflame sat down near Singedtail. Singedtail was a white tom with a gray tail and clear brown eyes. He was nice, but she hoped he didn't take her as more than a friend. Then things might get complicated.
It was Dreamstar's turn to speak, and many cats waited in rapt attention. Scarletflame cast admiring eyes upwards towards her mother. Moons ago, her mother and Windstar, leader of ShadowClan, had defeated DeathClan. Scarletflame herself, then an apprentice, had been too wounded after a battle to really fight, but she had been able to watch everything from Calicofur's den. She remembered the envy she had felt for her siblings, fighting evil warriors.
Ever since she was a kit, Scarletflame had had a taste for battles and fighting. Neither she or any of her siblings had ever had a thought to be a medicine cat apprentice, but there was no doubt that she had been the most... 'spirited' as her mother put it.
Perhaps this was why she was the one who wanted to get her claws on her father so badly.
It hadn't taken Scarletflame long to hear the stories about Robinpelt, her murderous father. He had tried to kill her mother, then Dreamcloud, and Windstar. The reason why he had done this was obvious to everyone: they were Sun and Snow.
But an event that had happened earlier that day made Scarletflame wonder... maybe she wasn't cursed with Robinpelt as a father.
Padding towards the elder's den, Scarletpaw paused. Mousefur, Goldenflower, and Longtail were all speaking.
"Dreamstar's kits are growing up like their mother," Goldenflower said happily, grooming herself. "Not a trace of Robinpelt in them at all."
Scarletpaw was about to move, when Mousefur's rasp stopped her.
"Of course they aren't anything like Robinpelt, Goldenflower." Troubled now, Scarletpaw slipped behind the den to listen.
"What in StarClan's name would you be talking about?" An adgitated Goldenflower asked. Immediately, Sandstorm's voice chimed in.
"Exactly... what would you be implying about my granddaughter and her kits?" She growled, a warning in her voice.
"I'm wondering the same thing," Goldenflower added.
"Robinpelt can't be the father," Longtail hissed. "Why would he steal his own kits and try to kill them? He must have found out about this and then... well, you all remember what happened."
"Say one more thing about them and I'll claw your ears off," Sandstorm threatened.
"Don't be offended, it's nothing against you," Mousefur persisted. "Not against Dreamstar either. Robinpelt deserved anything he got..."
Scarletpaw, dazed, began to pad away. Could the elders be right?
Could they? Scarletflame sighed at remembering a day in her apprenticeship she didn't really enjoy. Looking up, she waited for her mother to speak.
"ThunderClan has a new warrior," Dreamstar announced. "Willowcloud." She paused, waiting for some murmurs of congratulations and a few yowls of approval to die down. "There are two new apprentices as well, Lakepaw and Aspenpaw... ThunderClan is thriving and happy." Moving back, she sat down next to Windstar.
The handsome white tom was the Snow in Sun and Snow, and he and Dreamstar would always have a friendship, a bond some said, despite the bitter rivalry between ShadowClan and ThunderClan, which actually seemed to be dying down.
Something tugged at Scarletflame's mind, but it quickly seemed to run away before she could wonder about it.
xxx
"How was the Gathering?" Rockwind asked.
Scarletflame shrugged. "It was nothing to wail over missing. Just news..." Still, she kept her eyes averted from her brother's as she tried to remember what that runaway thought was. It seemed important.
"Good," Rockwind said, then added. "Your apprentice has good senses. He sniffed out a rogue. Female. I'm going to tell Dreamstar, but it shouldn't be that hard to drive her out of our territory."
But Scarletflame's gaze was focused on something behind him. Her jaw dropped open, making Rockwind jerk his head around. In the middle of camp were two cat who had intelligently moved in when nobody was looking.
Two gray toms.
xxx
There's the first chap! Review for the plushie set!