by *lewisvel1
It was nightfall during the full moon,
I was only a simple warrior at the time,
their were dozens of use waiting at the entrance,
It was the scariest day of my life when their were loud tramples, pouncing beneath my palms,
My ears pulsing through the raging heartbeats,
I stood my ground hoping to protect everything that my closest people told me.
My friend and even my fallen friend who fell through this Beast.
"Hes coming!" hissed one of the Warriors as a scrap of bark flew through the forest near the beach.
My breaths started to form down to pants and nothing but the cold fear of pain. Some of the warriors turned back a bit.
then suddenly one of the senior sniffed the air...and his eyes widened. "I don't believe it, hes gone!" they all looked around wildly questioning his next move.
was going hysterical and my heart was making pouncing sounds over my ears. then everything was quiet...even the bird...even the mouses!...then.
Click.
"JayPaw! Behind you!" it was too late a giant black scarred paw reach out bash his head again the tree, smashing his skull against the tree beside it, and threw him across the field dead as a clawed fish. His whole body then jumped out and entered straight in between the whole clan of warriors. He was seven time bigger than me, his whole body burnt and scarred... and through the leap he gave out a Giant roar that shook the ground and our ears...
"Shellclan! Attack!"
Without thinking I leaped up towards the beast and gnawed on it back, its skin was so tough that I should barley even get a grip as i swung around and slapped my clanmates one by one, the beast clumped down and rolled over to it back, crushing me against the soft ground and loosing breath as i collapsed my grasp.
"get off of him you mutant!" my mentor came up and rammed him towards the side of his big head about the size of a human. also giving a hard swipe that cause blood to devour. it fazed him and he instantly went back on his paws
"pant*...ahh thank starclan..." giving a few heavy breaths I rolled back over to my four legs and dashed back with my mentor. he was wounded from the side of his back leg, must have been swipped by his broken but massive claws
"this isnt good, even when he is out numbered he is still taking us down one by one" the cats began to retreat as the beast hurled another one of my clanmates down the beach.
"I will not run away that easily Ashclaw! He will not escape this time." I said as he darted at me with a hiss.
"dont be a fool Teatherclaw, we cannot take this enemy alone!" Ashclaw calling my name continuously as I stared down at the beast roaring towards the clan.
"not if I have anything to do with it" without thinkng i speed off towards the great black mutant cursing under my breath as i hear my mentor yelling for me to stop.
"what the hell do you think your doing!" he was limping but trying to keep up as I swipped a paw at my mentor.
"Just improvising!" I have to get him away from here, but how.
"Teatherpaw!" I used the sand that was laying on the gravel to dig my back claws in and hurled sand at the creature, it gave out a roar in annoyance as it looks straight at me.
"hey ugly if you want this your gonna have to catch it!" for a moment i thought to myself i had to be the biggest idiot in shellclan, but for odds it works, it made its way for me and I speed off into outside territory from the only place that i could look. was the Human which we call twolegs, there enormous clan base witch is covered in metal and fire, industrial witch has sent that would make you run away from the ashy pollution it produced.
it was built under a crater and I was leading the beast to a ditch as I was loosing my breath through the constant sprinting till I made it to the edge of the clift. "Starclan help me!" the beast lifted up in the air and I tried to dodge his movements as it slid off the giant cliff and tried to claw its way back up.
For a moment I had a conscious relief...but "Graaawll" it came back up and took a huge bit from my leg, I screamed from the pain as it dragged me down into the twoleg hell. I clawed my way off of him, also using my black claws to make him let go, but his teeth were barred into my leg that their was no shaking him. He hurled his head that made me lift my whole body up and fell into the crater with him.
In that moment flash I could see my clanmates looking down on me...
- - - -
by *lewisvel1
"so what happens next!" Mewed a little bluish grey kit who was standing in front of me, I gave out a purr of amusement. "what happens next!", he meowed louder as i raised my paw over him, making him dodge and attack it. His name was Skypaw seeing his fur matches the sky at night, growing to be a warrior.
"I want to hear the rest too, I know you lived but how did it happened? Who was at the peak with you?" said the white and black she-kit with a silver strip, her name is silverpaw, for the name of her odd furs that resembles her mothers scar across the back.
"yes we all want to know about this story, I was their as an medicine cat apprentice with Nailleaf" a fluff orange tail swoosh up at my nose, making me shake and sniff in annoyance. "I can see your still as arrogant as you were when you were only a kit.
"What is it this time BondLeaf, im in the middle of telling a story" I sighed as the two kits looked up at the warriors when we met eye to eye, "how is the old Tabby doing, is he still crabby about that retirement?" I asked as the two kits looked at each other in surprise.
"well he still has ran off quite a bit when i try to feed him herbs for his condition, always loves to give me lectures thinking I cant do my own work in peace... wish Darkmouth was here to help me out" she nodded in protest. Darkmouth was a black, golden eye tabby who was also a medicine apprentice. Several seasons ago when he wasn't appointed as medicine cat he decided to become a loner and travel the world into learning and understanding more into knowledge about the medical field.
Then she twitch her ear looking at the kits behind me "and that story was a little farfetched Teatherclaw, you didn't even put in the "graphic" details" she pounced her paw on my head as I back away giving a warning pounce back, "and don't forget that it was "me" who saved your hide against that monster "Stone" Remember?" she said correcting me.
"you were their?" said Silverpaw, "I thought you were ill from the swip that it gave you" she glanced at me with her fearful eyes, we were born almost the same time, I was older though. We were born from different mothers but to me she was like a sister, and as we grew we were both stubborn towards each other. When I was just a beginning apprentice we fought all the time.
"is that so...did he also mention how much i was a good actor, who also participated in a little pretend play for the elders when we were kits" she protested, glaring at me, "trying to make yourself the big hero huh?"
"well I want done with the story now was I" she sat down from the back, tucking her paws in her chest fur by the warm sand. "how about you start again from the beginning, "senior warrior" they say" she purred im amusement.
I blinked and looked at here with frustration, "now wait one minute, I went through hours holding this story and-"
"An I think she is right you should restart the story" I turned my head and saw our deputy Grountail, white and black fur with a brown tip tail and dark brown paws, "I overheard and it didn't seem like the whole truth warrior" I gave out a sniff in disapproval.
"Geez I was full on with the story, ask the kits they almost heard everything" they looked at the kits as they toss their heads up to us in confusion.
"well Theatherclaw... the story 'was' very short... and most of the people you mention were...umm...just clanmates you described, I couldn't tell what they looked like" I looked at Bondleaf as she give me a stare in disbelief.
"just clanmates?" she sneered, "hey kits did you know their was a time when Theatherclaw had a huge crush on me, did everything in his twisted little mouse-brain mind-" he padded my head as I shook away, "to get me to like him"
"hey hey hey!" I scuffled around from my paws, "...come on I was only a Kit at the time" I protested clawing marks around the sand.
Silverpaw spoke "but... I thought medicine cats couldn't mate with other cats" In the back I heard the deputy choke in his own mouse he was eating in front of us. I blush from the thought of it.
"now were did you hear about that?"
"well momma told us that when they-" I brush his mouth with my tail as the deputy stared at them.
"ahem...well that was good knowledge to Feathernose to tell them about "Everything" their is to know about the clan." said Bondleaf going on with her corrections.
"Well I think its good that they know more than we did in our generation" My god how many cats were coming in, I glanced over my shoulder seeing a pure golden colored tabby placing a fish in his paws. "nice to see kids curious today" he said sitting down.
"Goldenfur! Hey come back from the hunting patrol?" he was one of my best freinds that lived through the legends tail.
"yeah and i couldn't overhear about this story you seem to have come up with" oh no, "would you care to explain all this?"
"yeah let "all' Hear it"
"as deputy you are ordered to" dammit...
"Fine, Fine! Alright!...ill tell the story "Again!" this time with better detail as to what happened" I said to them as the kits spun around in excitement.
"Oh and can you start from the "beginning" when you were a silly ki-"
"can it Bondleaf...im concentrating, alright this is how it happened..."
- - - -
1 and a half years earlier
it was the setting of a half moon as I stood by the edge of the ocean seeing the ripples of the reflection shinning off from the sky, almost fooling me to think their is a second world in those waters. Nailclaw once told me that in those waters,, starclan often uses those reflections often to foretold messages that would happen from the past or even the present he say. I crouched down and looked at a small crab crawling up from the shore. Even though I just became an apprentice several moons ago, I still felt like I had the energy of a kit. I laughed and started dabbing at the little crab, flicking it to the side then swishing it back into the water it came out of.
"having fun tonight?" the fur on my back pricked up as I turned seeing a white fur, black end tail, and brown paws. Who was the deputy known as Groundtail, He was the senior warrior in charge of the patrols and is closest to our leader Whitestar.
Embarrisingly I dipped my head in respect. "Sorry Groundtail, I couldn't sleep and decided to stroll around a bit... am I in trouble" his eyes narrowed at me, then gave out a purr in amusement as he looks at the crab crawling back up from the shore line.
"Teatherpaw you know you have training at sunset and your also part of the evening patrol. You should be gathering your energy and be ready, your not a kit anymore" 'Sometimes I wished I was' I thought, "now go back to your den and rest...hope your not planning to use this as an excuse for prey." he points his tail at whats under my paws.
I flicked my tail feeling embarrassed by the tiny crab, "what this? No, just tossing it around, but the big ones, yeah I would love to fight one of those and chop its arms off" I licked my muzzle and began to yawn.
"hmph mouse-brain, Get to it or the crabs will not be the only thing your going to have to fight in training" He wasn't joking, I remember the last time he punished me was worse then looking after the elders by replacing moss and taking out ticks with mouse bile...uuugh. His punishments would be to do crazy, useless task like running around the ocean view twice or sleeping outside the shore line...once buried in the sand... dont want to get to that story.
"Yes Groundtail" I mewed and walked over to the apprentices den which was a hollow cave made by the sand and ocean, once you enter it was in an angled hill, we used the sand to make it higher, trying to dodge the high tides and rainstorms that come by often around here. Groundtail lives by another hollow cave with the warriors den, closer to the Leaders den white is a stone pillar, made by twolegs long ago. Probably forgotten even before we werre here. It was made of tough white stone and spiky white sea snails at the bottom that stands out from the sea a couple of feet. Across from that is the Boulder of Vitality were the waves direct their force against it. Nothing seemed to penetrate its massive shield against the toughest waves.
My name was Teatherpaw, who had golden fur, and brown stripes matching the ropes stranded around the ocean currents, lodged to a floating ball at the end of them. As a kit they told me that it use to belong to two legs when this beach was inhabited by them, now it seemed as if it was a long forgotten ruins that left it for our clan to take over many moons ago. I was the only kit from my litter and yet I had the best childhood with two other kits from a different mother known as Dandelnose, Brown color Queen she-cat that took care all of use when we were growing up. My Mother was Lightmist, a light blue she cat with golden brown paws. But their is more about her later in the story.
When I got back into my den I saw my three closest friends, Saltpaw, a nice light grayish she cat,who was blind by birth and stood training with the leader to work on her disability. My denmate, Falconpaw, A Brown Tabby with a white pelt and a black belly, probably the closest person into being warrior and toughest fighter. Always a bit of a hard head at times when it comes to a fight and never knows when to quit that for sure... sometimes he doesn't listen either, especially as a kit. To my right their was Sunpaw, a golden furred She-cat with white paws and belly, smartest of the bunch and is also a fun to hang around, always loved to hear stories from the elders and continuously gossips them on to everyone he knows. Hes almost like our medicine cat.
"What you doing up so late? I could hear you prancing around all over the den...are you sick?" I twitched my ear see it was Sunpaw, half asleep and giving out a short yawn.
"No, Just couldn't sleep that's all" I went to my moss bed and padded around to make a comfortable curl, hen I wrapped my tail under my head to rest on. Feeling the cold breeze flowing through the cave entrance and the salty taste that goes with it.
"Could ya please be a little more quiet, your tramping so loud even a fish could hear you come by" She retorted then rested her head once more.
"your the one to talk, 'you should speak softer next time, " I whispered, teasing her a bit. She gave out a short sniff and went back to sleep as I did the same.
I was dreaming about running on water and seeing the clouds toutch the ground till the sun rise to blind the night. Then a vision came into affect and a giant creature rose from the dying sun that began to forcably draw down from it massive paws. It breath was hot, hotter than a dogs and with teeth the size of his own paws. "What is this" I asked to myself as it ran up upon the water to create a giant wave, shattering his sight and blinding with light...
Legend to tell for the Stone to rise from hell... "what...who said that?"
Danger lies in your future, let no Dust get in your way... "Starclan?...is this-" before I could finish everything was spinning as a paw prodded on my side. I felt myself twitching and rumbling in the moss nest.
"Get a hold of yourself, For starclan sake you been mumbling in your sleep all night, Do you have crabs in your belly" I looked around with wide eyes and fear, was it a dream..."Hello im talking to you, you lost your prey?" she prodded her paws more against my belly.
I lashed out my tail and tried to pounce her paws away, "Cut it out Saltpaw, Im getting up...sorry, was a bad night" she shrugged and went off.
"oh your mentor told me to remind you that your one the dawn patrol, im with you also" she gave out a purr of amusement, "bet warrior to catch the most positions win"
I curled my lips into a snarl, "you wouldn't even be able t take on a rabbit!" I retorted but she was already out from the den and I was left alone in the den.
I shook off my fur to remove most of the pelt, then my eyes widened as a familiar stench from the moss caught my attention... the sent of another cat, but with the breath of a dog... I thought it was weird?
"Teatherpaw!" Sunpaw yelled from outside.
"Im comming!" Must have been my imagination.
- - -
8 moons later
I was surrounded by cats and my opponent was Falconfur, "hmph you really think your going to win this round Teatherclaw?" he was slackened up from tireless battling, about a moon ago we receive our warriors names at the same time, meaning from our leader Whitestar who has created a ritual that when their is more than one ceremony, two cats will compete in an honorary duel to represent their strength to the new clan. The rules were simple and well laid out, claws have to be sheath, furious bits are not allowed, an invisible circle is laid out for the boundary. If either of use are pushed out, then the round is over. Their are a total of four rounds and each could last from as quick as a minute to several hours. I was facing my best friend Falconfur who has stay aside the warriors code with his life and is proving his strength as a warrior against me.
"round three is in game" said the medicine cat Nailleaf who is observing the match. We sprawled closer and spiraling in an equal, quite synchronized circle. Then he raises his paws for a swing, quickly dodged it and shouldered him down to his side as he scrambled up.
"Is that all you got!" I spat at him as he twirls his body to his back and pulls out a rabbit kick on my jaws, making me jump back and instantly get shoulder rammed far close to the boundary.
His lips quickly turned into a snarl of anger,"Please Teatherclaw, im just getting started!" He lunges forward into the air and lands on top of me as I squirmed to my paws, trying to stand up to his heavy weight. Taking the breath out from my chest and having a paw pounced against my forehead.
"tournament decided, Falconpaw wins" guilt rang over me hearing how I badly lost to him so easily, suddenly I felt a muzzle, nuzzling against my pelt. I gazed around finding it was SunPelt.
"you know, he is alot bigger than you and practice in the fighting field more than anyone of use" she helps me up and took a deep breath, still feeling flattened from Falconfur.
"Speaking of the devil, hey good match, ow" I limped a bit while going forward to Falconfur.
"I didn't crush ya too hard did I?" he mewed, giving a showing of guilt, "didnt mean to-"
"it was a duel, at least hes not a beetle, but he would make a good one seeing he has the brains for one" she told him as I gave out a sniff in protest.
"Well I for one have a great sense of talent in this head and I would appreciate it if you quit calling me a mouse-brain fool" I retorted back along with a snarl. Then I relaxed and licked the pet of my fur down.
"Anyways, seeing the ceremony is finally finished, should we head for the fresh kill pile and eat something before the guard patrol, im starving!" Sunpelt complained.
"You couldn't have told me twice!" I ran after her, "race ya their Salty!"
"Finally something worth my time to think" said Falconfur.
"Teatherclaw! Lets make sure the elders are feed first before we could-" he pulled out a crab from the pile and gave out a purr of amusement, "Eat.." she finished. She then gave out a sigh and helped him pull out the crab from under the pile. The pray around here was great, their were hermit, mice, Crab, small fish, and in some occasions their was a collection of oysters. The winner of the games would receive one for his or her courage in battle, lucky Falconfur got one, their actually the most favored thing in this clan to eat.
"what wrong Falconfur?" asked Sunpelt prying off a leg from the crab, he was looking at the oyster with a confused gazed. Infact this would be the first time we ever saw such a thing, I think only the deputy, medicine cat, and our leader know were their located.
"well?" I placed my leg piece in front of Falconfur and sat down with my paws tucked underneath my chest.
"I dont get it?" he padded at the shell with his claws extended, and sniffed it a few times, "I can smell theirs something alive inside it... but" he pound his paws one it twice and began to bit it, only quickly letting it spat out in disgust. "It hard and...how do I get it open!" he fiddled around, picking it up with his paws and crashing it, then tossing it from side to side, "arrgh! What kind of mouse brain fool send out a trophy like this!" he slaps it away and we all gasped seeing it roll its way down.
I caught it right before it fell back into the ocean, "hey easy their, it has to be some sort of puzzle maybe?" I looked at SunPelt as she gave me a shrug.
"Don't look at 'me', I dont know how to open it...well...maybe..." we all started to take turns trying to open the harden shell, I thought about sinking my claws into it, then Sunpelt tried to hit it against the sandy rocky walls.
"Your all a bunch of crab brains if you asked me, "Theatherclaw" I would presume" we all gave out a sigh at her appearance.
Well, well, well... if it isn't the sweet Bondleaf, how the warrior training with ArchFall?" I asked as she gave out a sniff in disapproval.
"Horrible! Like I couldnt get a single prey from all his nagging and clawing around my hide... just cause i couldnt sleep well last night and the deputy told on me" she sighed.
"Im sorry Bondleaf" Sunpaw gave her a lick on the ear and turns back to the oyster.
"Ill get over it, don't know why he pushes me so much...hey do you need help from that" she walks up to the oyster and claws around, trying to take it away from Falconfur.
"If you know how to open it I will give you my next prey" he teased as she gave out a large purr of laughter.
"Alright its obvious, all you have to do is try to wear out the muscle inside of it, what you guys are doing is alright" she rolls it down to a rock wall near the apprentices den, "just play a short game with it and clip it against this wall like this" she paws it towards the wall as it bounces and paws it again. After about a few round of doing what she told us, it started to clip a bit.
"even though that was fun, it didnt do much" I told her as she ignores my comment.
"now" she lifts it up straight and points her tail at Falconfur, "you won this right?" she asked.
"that is correct, yes" he walks over.
"Dig your claws into the cracks, then the other and pry it open", she backs away as Falconfur.
Nervously he does what she said then begins to roll over to his belly to pry it open.
"careful, don't tug a nail" said Sunpaw as Falconfurs own pelt started to bristle with anger and with terrorizing strength it gushes open scaring all of us back.
"wow you got it!" I yelled as Falconfur looked at it with his lips curled over his muzzle.
"its about time" he bent down and raises his head back up "ahh! ive had enough problems with this thing and it give me a blue rock for a gift!" with his muzzle he picked it out from the oyster and started tearing it apart.
Bondleaf gave out a gasp, "No!" she ran over and grabbed the shiny rock with her teeth and carried it back, "Crab brain! You have any idea what this is!" she yelled at him as I stood over.
"Calm down princess, so its a rock, whats the deal about it-." He broke off as her eye suddenly went into terror... for a moment I though I saw tears in her eyes..."Bondleaf?...Bondleaf are you_" we all crouched down, ears back as she gave out a loud wail. All the cats nearby went into an alarm and looked at her. "Bondleaf! Whats wrong, someone stop her!"
"I saw it I saw!" she stood back here eyes going hysterical, "blood shed, terror awaits in the dust, starclan please no!" she stumbles away shakeing her head contnuing her wailing as Nailleaf jumps out from the medicine Den.
"what is going o-" she tries to take a swip at Falconfur.
"stay away from me...you all look the same, you all! It doesnt matter what your fur looks like I- AH!" Nailleaf bite her neck and in an instantstarted to fall to her side. This was our medicine Cat, one of the greatest minds in the clan and is gifted for his specialty in both combat and knowledge of the world. Nailleaf is a pure Black furred cat with long nail thats look like it could pierce through flesh. Although he is old and worn down from many battle, he still keeps up with his age.
"alright" he mumbled with is jaw kept open, "take her inside... ill have a...hold on" he walks over to the salty water and washed his mouth with he water, "ahh thats better, now I was saying take her inside, dont worry I just put her to sleep" He lashed his tail in amusment.
"Nailleaf! Didnt Whitestar told you to not do that!" Bondleaf, A shiver ran down my spine from what I saw... he scares me sometimes.
"just do it!" the three began to shrug and helped drag her into his den as the medicine cat looked down on the thing she was carrying, his eyes widened with fear..."A blue pearl... a message from starclan?" twisting his neck in curiosity, he pick it up with his claws, and walk into the den with it. Now starclan was a Heaven for the cats who have died and make their way into the stars to go hunt with the other ancestors for eternity, but if you have committed crimes for your lifetime, then you are sent to a place they call the dark forest were it will always stay leaf-bare and prey is scarce. Now their are ways that they will give out signs and for our clan they will place them in oysters, seeing as why they are only given to the strongest cause their are only two ways to look into their message.
One is the dangerous way and lifting it with your mouth to feel the foul taste and misguidance from the cold rock, it is known as a whispering stone.
The second way would be to sleep , best done during the full moon when it is at its greatest. You must sleep with the stone near you to see it, but only Starclan could allow so few cats to see it.
- - -
To be continued