Starlight jumped on Moonlight... again. Starlight could always jump higher...and land harder.
"Stop it you two!"Sunlight said. Each bunny family had a name. Theirs was Light. Moonlight and Starlight's mother hated it when they played survival. It wasn't right for bunnies to pretend they're cats. Life was hard. You couldn't just go outside and play. Sunlight and her husband, Darklight, had to patrol the hole 24/7. It was an important job to do, especially since the meeting was coming soon. Around the time of the meeting, cats seem to hunt them more. It was like it was bunny harvesting season.
"Sunlight?" Darklight called from outside. "I think there's something you might want to see.
Sunlight poked her head out of the hole. "OH NO!" she screamed. Just outside was a small, dusty gray cat with a fluffy tail and shocking blue eyes.
"I saw it in the drops of dreams last night." Darklight told Sunlight. "I didn't see what would happen to the kids. All I know is what would happen to us. It had two blue drops and two white drops, in a circle of red drop. The drops don't lie, I'm afraid."
"You mean?" Sunlight quivered. The drops of dreams never lied. Drops of dreams are our stars, but they tell bunnies what might happen, and usually they're right.
Sunlight crawled outside the hole. She looked up. Two large, bright blue eyes looked down on her. If it wasn't about to eat her, the cat would have been beautiful. Sunlight grabbed Darklight's paw.
"RUN, KIDS!" she shouted, hoping cats didn't understand bunnies. "I hope that heaven's sky," she started to say.
"Is like her eyes." Darklight finished for her. He hoped that the drops of dreams would let Moonlight and Starlight live, or better yet, die with them. It would be awful for the kids to live with the fact that their family got killed. "I love you," He cried. That was the last anyone had heard of the light family.
Chapter 2 The Worst Ending and Beginning"GET OFF OF ME!" Moonlight shouted. She tried to push Starlight off of her, but she was too strong. "Why do I always have to be the mouse?" she pleaded. "It's not fair!"
"It's because you're the small and scrawny one." Starlight replied. "And I'm stronger than you."
"RUN, KIDS!" They heard Sunlight shout.
"MOM!" Moonlight shouted.
"Quiet!" Starlight whispered sternly. They were only 2 moons old, but she was a few minutes older, and often took responsibility for her younger sister.
Moonlight hopped backwards toward the back exit, thinking it would be more safe there. A large, gray paw came swooping down towards Starlight.
"STARLIGHT!" Moonlight cried. The cat's paw separated the two. Moonlight was sure that Starlight had been killed. Not wanting the same fate for herself, she quickly hopped out of the hole, and scampered into the thick part of the forest.
Moonlight scampered across the forest as fast a she could. She couldn't tell if this was a dream, heaven, or her own miserable life. It was the worst ending she could have, but it was also the worst beginning. The beginning of her time, running.
She looked over her shoulder to see if the cat was still chasing her. She had heard that cat's had paws that could crush her easily, but that cat must have been young. Moonlight turned around and smacked her face into a tree.
"OW!" she said out loud. she covered her mouth with her paw, hoping no one had heard her. She realized that the ridges on the tree were oddly shaped. The ridges usually go up and down, but this one had a curve starting at the bottom and ending there too. She pushed on the smallest curve and jumped back in shock. The curve, along with some other big ones, turned into a door.
Moonlight opened the door and walked through it. The place that it revealed was a paradise. The grass was bright green, and the perfect length. Butterflies of all colors swooped by her head before heading off to the patch of flowers. There were every colors of flowers imaginable, in every size, with every sent, but the most beautiful thing of all, was in the middle of this place.
A fountain, 5 times as high as her (5 feet) was decorated with flowers on vines, that were wrapping around it, going up. The stone made all of it go together. The base of the fountain was low, so even Moonlight could get a drink from it, and the water, oh the water! Well, that was just a sight to see. Is was as clear as the sky, and sparkled like diamonds.
Moonlight was dreadfully thirsty, that's what happened to her every time she was scared. She dipped her head down to take a sip. The moment her tongue touched the water, she felt a surging pain run through her body, like her soul was getting pulled away from her. Cringing in pain, she looked up to see a purple, transparent cat, looking down at her. It was small, like it just been born, but tall and regal. Her fur was long and fluffy, and looked quite soft. Moonlight could not see if she had coloration of any kind.
"I'm sorry," it said. "But we must join, for either of us to survive. I shall just be your form. I do not want to walk on this world. I could, but StarClan said I didn't have to, so I won't." The ghost flew towards her with speed faster than any other. The pain increased insanely, like it was stretching her, but to torture her, and not kill her.
The pain went away, but not naturally. It had one final kick, before it died.
Moonlight looked around. Two things were there that weren't before. A hole and a cave. Moonlight decided she would go in, after she cleaned herself in the fountain.
Moonlight looked down. It was her, not some mangy cat. Her snow white fur, floppy ears, and her blue eyes. She liked them. They were like the water in the cured fountain.
Then, Moonlight had this strange feeling that she shouldn't be seeing a bunny in the water. She had the instinct to spin around quickly, so she did. As she did, she felt like she had released all her sadness in the world, like she was being reborn. She saw the color of the water flying around her. She stopped, and looked backed down at her reflection.
Moonlight hissed in surprize, which then surprised her. She didn't even know that cats could hiss. The reflection in the fountain had changed! It now showed the purple cat, only not purple. It was now white with blue eyes, a true living thing, not an image.
Moonlight couldn't believe it. She was... well... a cat. She remembered what her mom would always say, 'Stop it you two! It's hard enough having cats trying to kill us! We don't need to make believe it's happening in our house!' Now, if she could see her mom, she would hate her.
Moonlight turned into a bunny again by spinning, like she turned into a cat. She hopped over to the hole near the side of the garden. Inside were pictures of Moonlight's family. It had Moonlight and Starlight growing up, family portraits, the day she spent with Sunlight. Moonlight had a happy and sad, mixed emotion dripping down her face in the form of tears.
Moonlight hopped out the hole and wandered towards the cave. There was only one picture on the wall, and it wasn't recognizable to her. It was her, with a full grown cat, that seemed to be teaching Moonlight's cat something. The cat on that picture had a ginger pelt and green eyes.
Moonlight curled up in cat form for a nap, sobbing at the loss of her family.
Chapter 3 SpellboundMoonlight woke up very early in the morning. It had been twenty eight days since her family had died, about a moon's length. That's how cat's tell time, in moons. Bunnies tell time by the way the drops of dreams are positioned in the sky.
Moonlight spun into cat form, and raced out of the safe haven. She barely ever went out, only when she really needed to hunt. Moonlight didn't want to kill all the animals in the haven, so she crept out to hunt.
It was night, the mists of a dreamy night. Moonlight felt a pain. A pain she knew only too well. The pain she had when she first became a cat, her soul getting pulled apart. Moonlight ran back to the haven and drank from the fountain. The pain instantly vanished.
Moonlight realized something. She probably had to drink from the fountain, every time this happened, or she would die. Moonlight was bound to this fountain, bound to the spell and the curse of the cat, spellbound.
The next morning, Moonlight walked out of the cave, strutting gracefully like the cat she was. She opened the haven door, and leaped out. Moonlight didn't hit the ground, though. She had landed in a person's arms.
"Oh what a cute little cat!" The lady said. Moonlight looked up, to see an old person looking down at her. "Oh, I would love to take you home." The lady carried Moonlight to her car, and plopped her in it. The car started to thunder, and it shook little Moonlight.
If Moonlight was a real cat, with a real family, she wouldn't have left the den for another 2 moons. Moonlight didn't want to leave, so she devised a plan to get out of being a house pet. that night.
Later that night, Moonlight crept out of the pillow the lady had set up for her. She climbed out the window and raced into the forest. Moonlight ran faster, and faster, trying to get far away from the human's house. Moonlight ran and ran, trying to find the safe haven.
Moonlight ran into a river. Now, she knew she was completely lost. There were no rivers anywhere near the haven. Moonlight saw little swans, trying to knock each other down. Moonlight smiled at them. It reminded Moonlight of her first home, but she couldn't grasp on why.
Moonlight had been traveling for two moons, she was starved to death, but hadn't had any 'spellbound' attacks yet. Moonlight's stomach churned over. She hadn't eaten anything since she left the woman's place. Her eyes were blurry. Hunger tired her. She fell down, half dead from lack of food.
Chapter 4 RebornMoonlight woke up, but the place she was in most certainly didn't look like heaven. It was another place, a place she knew and didn't know.
"Hello," a cat said. She had a ginger pelt and green eyes, which reminded Moonlight of something she couldn't grasp on. "You're in ThunderClan, now. Who are you? Why didn't you eat? You were almost dead." The questions made Moonlight's head spin. Eating, almost dead. Those events were like a distant dream. When she thought about it, she could see even more distant ones, laughter, screams, death.
All Moonlight knew was her name, but she didn't want to know it. She wanted it to disappear. So many harsh moments clung to that one word. Moonlight quickly devised a new name, one that wouldn't hurt. One that would let her be reborn.
"I am Swan," The former Moonlight said. "I did not eat because I am too young to know how to hunt, and no, I did not know I was dying." Swan's words came out to formally for someone her size and age, but it did fit her. Her voice was calm, but had a tone that let everyone know she had no fear. Of course, all living things do fear. Swanpaw feared her past, and knowing it.
"O.K?" the other cat stated strangely. "I'm Flamepelt. I'm going to ask if you can be my apprentice. Ferncloud's kits won't be ready for a few moons, and Firestar was already thinking of me as one of their mentors." With that, Flamepelt raced out of the cave.
Swan knew she had a power, but didn't know what it was. She thought she had been born with it. If you haven't guessed, lack of food is not good for anyone's memory. Swan was completely lost. She had know idea who she was, but knew she belonged here. Flamepelt looked exactly like the picture in the cave. They were destined to meet.
Chapter 5 A Heart Full of Hope...DiesSwanpaw was extremely excited. If you are an apprentice, which she was, you add 'paw' to the end of your name. She raced across the field to meet Flamepelt. They touched noses, and Swanpaw nuzzled Flamepelt. The two went off into the forest to start training.
The first thing to learn was, of course, hunting. Flamepelt demonstrated on a passing field mouse. She pounced on the little creature, it squealed and tried to wrestle against the big, strong, cat. Flamepelt quickly cracked it's neck.
"Now you try," Flamepelt told Swanpaw. Swanpaw cringed at the mouse's remains. Swanpaw felt bad for the helpless creature. She thought one mouse was enough for the day.
"Why can we not do something else?" Swanpaw suggested. "It is kind-of...simple. I think I know how to do it now." Flamepelt's face told everything. Swanpaw knew it wasn't like a cat not to want to hunt something, but Swanpaw didn't.
"If you think you have it," Flamepelt stated sternly, "Then why don't you prove it. There's a patch of mice over there. Bring one back."
Swanpaw creeped over behind on of the trees to where the mice were. All of them backed off when they saw her. She felt sorry for them. One mouse stepped forward. It was small, almost dying from hunger. It squeaked, begging to be killed. Swanpaw looked over at the other mice, they were all doing the same. All were dying from lack of food, and wanted to be put out of their misery. Swanpaw knew how they felt. They must have sensed her power. She killed them all in the least painful way she could think of, and brought them back to Flamepelt.
"Good job!" Flamepelt said. "Now why don't we..."
"NO!" Swanpaw interjected. "I have had enough of this hunting. I must insist we do something else before we kill all the families in the woods." Swanpaw felt as though she was standing up for the prey in the woods, like she knew them on a personal level.
That night, Swanpaw was the last to pick from the fresh kill pile. All that was left was a rabbit, which she never had, nor wanted to try. Her stomach rumbled, but never did she want to eat what was in front of her.
Swanpaw couldn't sleep. It was dark, and strange. She thought over the day. She had learned that she couldn't break the rules, for fear of exile. She lost herself more than once, and didn't want to lose it again. All the cats had been so nice to her, especially Flamepelt. What if Flamepelt got kicked out? That would be worse! Even though everyone was nice,Swanpaw couldn't help but get the feeling they didn't like her.
A crunch of leaves broke Swanpaw's concentration. She looked outside of the den. Flamepelt was walking, straight out of the ThunderClan camp. Swanpaw crept out of the den, and outside to follow her.
Flamepelt kept looking behind her, like she knew another cat was following her, but what if it wasn't a cat? Swanpaw spun around and turned into a bunny. A searing pain stretched across her. For some reason, she ran farther away from Flamepelt.
Swanpaw opened a door in a tree; she had no idea how she knew to do that. She raced to a fountain in the middle of the garden. She decided to name this place The Garden of Destiny, for she was destined to come here.
She drank from the fountain, and felt her soul being ripped apart.
Swanpaw was running, running away from something. She didn't know what it was, but she had to get away from it. She heard voices in her head, "RUN!"
The dream changed to a different cat. She was blue, and royal looking. "I am from StarClan." The cat said. "and because of your past, you can never become a warrior. You are lucky they even took you in! Your Clan leader suspects something."
Swanpaw snapped out of her daze. She felt refreshed, but she felt her soul was still putting itself back together again. She ran out of the haven, and in the direction of Flamepelt. She hopped along, hoping no one would try to kill a poor, innocent, little bunny.
Another cat was there. She seemed to be following a different feline. The new cat was black and white, but for fear of being food, Swanpaw stayed away from her.
Flamepelt ended up near a stream. Another cat came out of the bushes. She was pretty, lanky and small, with light, gray fur and blazing, light blue eyes. Swanpaw turned into a cat to get a better view.
"Rainpool, guess what!" Flamepelt meowed. "I have the best news ever!"
"I bet mine's more exciting!" Rainpool interrupted. "I just got my first apprentice!"
"Great StarClan, so did I!" said Flamepelt, surprised at the coincidence. "I got a fluffy white she-cat with blue eyes, named Swanpaw. She is really stubborn, though. I can tell I am going to have some trouble with her."
"Mine's name is Moonpaw. She is black and white with a black moon on her chest." replied Rainpool. "She is really bouncy and energetic. I'm sure she'll fall in the river quite a few times. Her mother was Goldenriver. Who was Swanpaw's mother?" she asked.
"We aren't sure." Flamepelt confessed. "She was discovered, half starved, wandering through ThunderClan territory." she paused to sniff the air. "Oh no, I scent other cats!" She yowled. Before Rainpool got a chance to reply, the reeds rustled on either side of them and two cats stepped out.
"Moonpaw, what are you doing here?" gasped Rainpool. "And who is that other cat with you?" Swanpaw stepped forward. You could still make out her light blue eyes, and her no-dirt, white fur.
"I have no idea who that is," said Moonpaw, glancing behind her at Swanpaw, giving her an evil glare. "But I know you shouldn't be here. I was too excited to go to sleep, and I heard you sneaking out of camp, so I decided to follow."
"I am Swanpaw." Swanpaw stated. "You can not meet each other. You know that it is against the Warrior Code. I am telling Firestar." she meowed stubbornly. She couldn't let Flamepelt get kicked out, she just couldn't. She was the only cat who at least liked her a little bit. Swanpaw's threat might make Flamepelt go back.
"No, you can't." pleaded Rainpool desperately.
"Haven't you guys ever had a friend that was so close to you that you couldn't stay away from them?" Flamepelt asked. Swanpaw thought of the vision she had in the haven. She was definitely running away from death. She couldn't say a word, Swanpaw was concentrating too much on choking back her tears. Swanpaw thought Flamepelt had really liked her. Now she knew, no one did. She had talked to Rainpool like she was an alien.
"Yes, I have." said Moonpaw quietly.
"Come on, I'll take you home now." said Rainpool, heading back towards RiverClan camp. Moonpaw followed behind at a short distance.
Swanpaw looked up at Flamepelt. They had very different ideas of what happened. Flamepelt's face was severe and angry. "WHY DID YOU FOLLOW ME?!" She screamed at Swanpaw.
Swanpaw's tears swam up, and finally poured out, like it would never stop. "You can not run away." Swanpaw whined quietly. "Everyone else hates me. I have forgotten who I am, more than once. If you are gone, I fear that would happen again." Swanpaw walked up to Flamepelt, and nuzzled down next to her. Her tears were the same color as her eyes, the same color of hope. Her heart was full of that color, a heart full of hope... dies from hate.
Chapter 6 A Question Worth AskingSwanpaw woke up in the apprentice den, not knowing how she got there. She walked over to Flamepelt, voices of the night still appearing in her head. "She is really stubborn, though. I can tell I am going to have some trouble with her." "I am from StarClan, and because of your past, you can never become a warrior. You are lucky they even took you in! Your Clan leader suspects something." "RUN!"
Swanpaw walked slowly over to Flamepelt, her head down, not saying a word.
"Swanpaw?" Flamepelt asked. Swanpaw looked up at her mentor's flaming green eye's. "You can not tell anyone about last night! OK?!" Flamepelt's words were stern, fierce, and quiet. Only Swanpaw had heard them. She looked down again, then wandered after her mentor into the forest.
Swanpaw knew something, she should not be here. If she wasn't going to become a warrior, than what was the point of training? Swanpaw did have a question she wanted to ask, an important one, a question worth asking.
"Flamepelt?" Swanpaw asked.
"WHAT?" Flamepelt yelled and turned around. Swanpaw was regretting asking even her name! Flamepelt was in an awful state of mind.
"May I go to see the clan leader?" Swanpaw asked.
"WHAT?" Flamepelt screamed, and then regrouped herself. "Are you sure you want to see the clan leader? We're going hunting!"
"Starclan told me to. I think Firestar knows, too." Swanpaw knew what she said wasn't exactly right. It was kind of stretching the truth, but Swanpaw still had the feeling Firestar knew she would come.
"You can go," Flampelt agreed, "Would you like me to come with you?" Swanpaw thought that Flamepelt just wanted to tell Firestar all the bad things she's done. Of course, Flamepelt just wanted to be a supportive mentor.
"No," Swanpaw replied a few moments later. "I would rather go alone." Swanpaw didn't want Flamepelt to know about about her bunny power. Swanpaw ran off to Firestar's den.
Firestar's den was below the highrock in ThunderClan, and lichen drapes the entrance of it. Firestar was the only one who lived in it. Swanpaw pushed aside the drapes, and stepped inside the cave.
"Ah, Swanpaw!" Firestar said, "I've been expecting you!"
Swanpaw told Firestar about her dreams and the parts of her old life she could remember. She left out the memory of the blue cat, for that still scared Swanpaw.
"I do not think I should be here." Swanpaw concluded. "I think I have a different path to take in life. Tomorrow, I would like permission to leave."
"I need to tell your mentor, Swanpaw" Firestar said, walking towards the cave exit.
"PLEASE, DO NOT!" Swanpaw pleaded. "She would not understand. You would have to explain. I think it is best if I leave, just before moonhigh." Now, this is a time I would like to mention that Swanpaw is a bit more clever than she appears. She put events out of order so all Firestar knew was she had to leave. He probably thinks she is from another Clan, and wishes to find her true parents.
Swanpaw walked out of the cave, when Flamepelt came racing towards her.
"Swanpaw!" She meowed, worried, "We have an important job to do!"
Chapter 7 Gone With the WindFlamepelt quickly explained that Rainpool had gotten snached up by an eagle while trying to save a kit. A patrol had seen this happening as they were patrolling the border. They had told Firestar as soon as they returned. Flamepelt had then gotten permission to search for her.
Swanpaw sludged off after her worried mentor, remembering that she was breaking her promise never to see another RiverClan warrior again. They crossed the border to RiverClan and hid in some bushes next to an eagle tree. Swanpaw smelled the scent of RiverClan.
"Who are you?" demanded Swanpaw, scenting someone in the bushes.
"It's only me, Moonpaw." she responded.
"Oh, it's you," said Flamepelt in relief. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for Rainpool." she mewed, "Do you know what happened?"
Flamepelt nodded. "We met up with a RiverClan border patrol that told us to keep our eyes out for her. I asked Firestar if I could take my apprentice and search for her. I decided to go at night so as to not be attacked by another patrol."
"My clan presumed Rainpool dead only one night after she was taken away," Moonpaw explained. "I know she's not dead, so I snuck out of camp to look for her. I tracked her as far as this point, but then the scent trail stopped."
"Why do I have to look for her?" Swanpaw groaned. "She is from another Clan. It is not our responsibility. Is it not better that she is gone? It means we are stronger than them."
"You know Rainpool would help us if ThunderClan was in trouble." Flamepelt reprimanded the soft, white apprentice. "Why don't we start by looking in the trees?" she suggested, trying to prevent an argument between Swanpaw and Moonpaw.
"RiverClan can not climb trees." said Swanpaw gloatingly.
"Oh yes, we can!" meowed Moonpaw competitively and scrambled up the nearest tree. A few moments later, Flamepelt climbed up, but more gracefully than Moonpaw had.
"I need some water and fresh-kill." meowed Moonpaw, in a commanding tone. Flamepelt nodded, grabbing a mouthful of moss and looking for the nearest stream, after telling a grumpy Swanpaw to catch a mouse. Swanpaw assumed that Moonpaw had found Rainpool, and she did not like the idea of catching food for another Clan.
Swanpaw did as she was told, and raced off into the forest. She saw some mice in a patch of grass. All but one of them squealed, and ran away. The remaining one fainted. Swanpaw picked up the fainted mouse, and killed it painlessly, feeling bad for the helpless rodent.
They returned to the nest a few minutes later. Flamepelt's moss was dripping with water,which made Swanpaw feel guilty at the small meal she'd gotten. Rainpool ate, and rested a little more to gain energy and strength. They started climbing down the tree, but that was when the eagle came back.
The eagle attacked. It wasn't about to let her prisoner go again. The four cats clawed and bit the eagle, but the eagle was bigger than all of them combined, and had the advantage of being rested and well fed.
Swanpaw wanted to run, but she thought it would look weird. She hated if anything got hurt. Moonpaw fought desperately as the eagle's beak snapped at her. Flamepelt saw an opportunity, leapt on her back, and raked her claws across her face. The eagle screeched as blood spurted from her eyes, showering the cats in ruby red droplets. The cats scampered down the tree as fast as possible, and didn't stop running till they were far, far away from that battle.
Chapter 8 UnwantedSwanpaw and Moonpaw ran on ahead. Swanpaw looked away from Moonpaw to see the tree to the Garden of Destiny. Swanpaw looked back, but Moonpaw was gone. Swanpaw stopped and looked around to see Moonpaw creeping up to the slow mentors.
"Thanks, sister." Rainpool meowed. Swanpaw was outraged. Her mentor betrayed the clan. Swanpaw yould in shock and desperation.
"But... how?" asked Moonpaw without thinking.
"Oh no," muttered Flamepelt.
Rainpool stepped up, and began to tell Swanpaw horrible news. "There was a cat, who fell in love with a cat from a different Clan. They both knew it was against the Warrior Code, but their love for each other was too strong for them to be separated. Then one day, the she-cat learned that she was expecting kits. They both agreed that the tom would take the kit to his Clan a few moons after it was born. That day came, and the kit was taken to the tom's Clan. Two nights later, that tom died, separating the family permanently. The first kit was Flamepelt, the second one, was I. I'm so sorry." mewed Rainpool. "I never meant for you to find out in that way."
"That's okay, I understand." replied Moonpaw, rubbing against her mentor's flank. Swanpaw couldn't understand. It was awful. Swanpaw was unwanted by everyone.
"How could this be?" she hissed, "I trusted you." she said, looking at Flamepelt.
"Swanpaw," protested Flamepelt. "I never asked to be half-Clan. Sometimes things just happen, and you cannot control the outcomes."
Flamepelt pleaded with Swanpaw to understand, but she wouldn't listen. "You freak!" she sobbed, running away through the forest. Swanpaw ran to Thunderclan, sobbing and rushing into the apprentice den.
Swanpaw stalked Flamepelt that night. They went to the swamp, the place where she first learned about the secret. Rainpool, Flamepelt, and Moonpaw, or now Moonshine, sat there. They talked about their day, sharing tongues.
Swanpaw sat at the edge, knowing they would not notice her in bunny form. She poured water out of her eyes.
Chapter 9 The RevealingSwanpaw gathered up her strength. She got up and raced to the Garden of Destiny. She sat there, crying herself to sleep.
The next day, Swanpaw woke up, tears had dried on her fluffy face. She looked up at the old picture of her mentor. It had completely changed. Flampelt's orange pelt had changed to black and light gray striped. Her eyes were now a subtle shade of green, not as vibrant as Flamepelt's. Swanpaw had scared eyes, wide, that was on her sad, tired face. Her fluffy fur had gotten a bit matted down, and was more dirty than it was now.
Swanpaw suddenly lost focus, her eyes wandered into her mind. Visions of a long, silver and white tom wandered into her head.
Swanpaw suddenly realized something. This tom was her mentor. Wait, he was in ShadowClan! She was in ShadowClan! She also saw her sister, Starlight. She'd jumped up and bit the cat who was trying to kill her, Rainpool. It left a terrible scratch on her paw.
Swanpaw got a theory; she didn't know if it was correct; but it was right. If she lost her family, then she would start over. She had just lost her ThunderClan family, which meant... she was going to go to another one! She wouldn't even know who she was! She could have been alive for thousands of years (This part is true.)! How would she get rid of her curse?
Swanpaw's eyes came back into focus. It was almost night, and she was starving. Swanpaw ran out of the Garden of Destiny.
Swanpaw turned into a bunny, knowing her mentor would be worried and try to find her. Rainpool spotted her, and she dashed into a hole with Rainpool at her tail. Swanpaw turned into a cat and crawled out, startling her mentor who thought she had just appeared.
"Swanpaw, what are you doing here?" meowed Flamepelt, shaking Rainpool out of her flashback. Flamepelt had found her apprentice.
"I was chasing a bunny." lied Swanpaw, not daring to meet her eyes, thinking Flamepelt could detect lying.
"Through WindClan, all the way to RiverClan?" said Flamepelt doubtingly.
"It woke me up." replied Swanpaw, but her mentor was still not convinced. "I am just going to get a drink of water, and then I will catch up to you." she said. Swanpaw wasn't lying. She was getting a drink, at the fountain. Swanpaw raced off, knowing the three would soon realize that the stream was the other way.
Swanpaw sat down and drank at the beautiful fountain. Swanpaw drank from it, relieving her emotional pain, and adding physical ones. Swanpaw saw Rainpool's reflection in the water. Not wanting her to have the same fate, Swanpaw distracted her with creepiness
"Welcome, Rainpool," meowed Swanpaw, trying to sound like she wasn't surprised by Rainpool's appearance.
"Why are you here?" asked Rainpool, bewildered. "What is this place? Who are you?"
"Everyone has their secrets, only few are real ones. The real ones are the ones you share with others. You must have enough bravery to share a true secret. I did, and do not have that kind of strength. I did, once, but that was before..." started Swanpaw, choking up at the last part. "That was before everything changed."
"What happened?" asked Rainpool gently, though Swanpaw heard worry in her throat.
"It started out many moons ago, when I was a young bunny named Moonlight." began Swanpaw.
"Bunny?" questioned the bewildered Rainpool, but Swanpaw continued on.
"You see the cave and the bunny hole? That is where I used to live. One day a twoleg came and caught me, but I escaped. I couldn't find my way back to this haven, but ThunderClan found me. I know that it's not where I belong. That is why I am leaving."
"I am so sorry." said Rainpool. "Why have you been so mean to us? After hearing that story, I thought you would understand."
"I didn't want to hurt Flamepelt." Swanpaw responded, silent, invisible tears rushing down her face. "I knew that if you were awful, you could get kicked out of the Clan. I have already had that happen. I lost everything. My home, my love, my life, my will, my freedom, and my identity. I could not bear to have that happen again. If she got kicked out for sneaking out, and if she was gone, I would be alone. I had to do something. I did not want to lose my only friend."
A rustling in the bushes distracted Rainpool, looking towards them. "Moonshine and Flamepelt are with you, are they not?" sighed Swanpaw. "Very well. If you leave now, it is likely you will never come back. I have come to know this place as the Garden of Destiny. You three were destined to hear my story, but I doubt you will find the need to come back. I will miss you." Swanpaw got upset, she cried her eyes out, making sure Rainpool couldn't hear her.
Chapter 10 The Beginning of a New AgeSwanpaw slept that night, crying to sleep, as she had done for every night for a moon.
Swanpaw woke up, pain surging in her body. She cried and screamed, squirming on the ground. Swanpaw dragged herself out of the Garden.
Swanpaw smelled her mentor and friends. They had left, and gone back to their clans.
"NO!" Swanpaw screamed, "COME BACK! I NEED YOU! I'M GOING TO LOSE MYSELF WITHOUT YOU! PLEASE! COME BACK!" Swanpaw fell on the ground, exhausted. Swanpaw's eyes went into a sleep, falling into darkness. The beginning of a new age had begun. Swanpaw's identity was lost into darkness.
A black tabby walked into the WindClan forest. She could be in there, because she was WindClan. Her light green eyes came in focus of a fluff of white. A kit, the age that they should leave the den, was lying weak on the leaves.
The tabby yowled out, calling her Clan mates to help her take the kit away.
Stay Tuned for the Next Book
Warrior Cats: Secrets of the Wind