Hello! This is shootforthestars! For those of you who dont know me, well, now you know. For those of you who do know me from my Harry Potter story, well, here I am again! This story is about what happened to poor Smokepaw when he fell off the cliff. Of course, you all thought that when he suddenly reappeared as Smokefoot in the Power of Three series that it was an error on the Erins' part. But I realized it was the purr-fect opportunity for a story! So please read my first chapter, and review! Enjoy! :D Smokepaw's Journey
Chapter 1: Cliff Fall
Smokepaw shivered. A cold wind was blowing, sharp as a cat's claw. All four Clans were traveling into the unknown. If they didn't pick up the pace, they'd never reach their new home before leaf-bare set in, and it wasn't long now.
Six cats had journeyed to the sun-drown-place on StarClan's command to listen to what midnight had to tell them. None of them realized that Midnight was a badger, and none of them were prepared for the warning she passed on. "Twolegs will come to build new Thunderpath. Trees will they uproot, rocks break, the earth itself tear apart. No place left for cats. You stay, monsters tear you too, or you starve with no prey."
Well, that part is certainly true, thought Smokepaw, glancing at the Clan cats. Every one of them was extremely thin, their bones visible through their ragged pelts. The prey had pretty much disappeared by the time all four Clan leaders had finally decided to leave the forest. At least hunting seems better out here, with no twolegs messing everything up.
"Where are we going?" asked Applekit, swerving so he could trot next to Smokepaw.
"We don't know yet," Smokepaw meowed. "But wherever we go, our home will be waiting for us." I hope that's true. At least we know which direction we're going. Midnight had told the journeying cats, "When return, stand on Great Rock when Silverpelt shines above. A dying warrior the way will show." At first, everyone thought she meant the actual Great Rock at Fourtrees, but it turned out to be Highstones, home to the Moonstone, the Clan's means of communication with StarClan. Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Tawnypelt, Stormfur, and Crowpaw were standing on the rock, discussing where they should go, when a shooting star had flew across the sky, fizzling out behind the mountains.
"I miss our old home," mewed Applekit quietly. "But it was much better without those twolegs ripping out all the trees!" He unsheathed his claws and leaped in the air, slashing out with his forepaws, landing clumsily in the grass. "If there are any more twolegs in our new home, I'll shred them!" he added fiercely, jumping back up.
"They'd better watch out," Smokepaw purred.
"Yeah, for me!" cried Toadkit, running over to his littermate. "Because I'm gonna shred them first!"
"No, I will!" growled Marshkit.
"Why don't you all shred them?" suggested Smokepaw. "Then they'd really get the message!"
The kits' eyes lit up.
"Yeah, they'll be terrified!" exclaimed Applekit.
"No, they'll be scaredy-cats!" said Marshkit.
"They can't be scaredy-cats, mouse-brain!" snapped Toadkit. "They're twolegs!"
Marshkit thought for a moment. "They'll be scaredy-twolegs, then," he said finally.
"Yeah, you two are the scaredy-cats!" announced Applekit.
"Are not!" chorused Toadkit and Marshkit. Growling, the three kits leaped at each other and started play-fighting.
"Kits! Stop that right now!" mewed Tallpoppy, the kits' mother. "At this rate, you'll wear yourselves out before we even get to the mountains!"
"Sorry," they squeaked, breaking apart. Smokepaw stifled a purr.
"It won't be long now," said Tawnypelt, slowing so she walked next to the queen. "The mountains are just up ahead."
The three kits squealed with excitement.
"Birchkit!" cried Toadkit. "Let's play a game!"
The ThunderClan kit came running over, tripping over his paws. "What game?"
"Let's race to the front of the pack and see who gets there first!" suggested Marshkit.
"Okay!" said Birchkit.
The four kits got in a line, waiting for the last of the warriors to pass them. When there was no one else behind them, Applekit shouted, "GO!"
Smokepaw dodged out of the way as the kits hared across the grass, weaving in between the warriors. A triumphant yowl came from up ahead, but Smokepaw couldn't tell which kit it was.
"I wish life could always be like this," he murmured.
"It might have to be, if we can't find separate territories for each Clan," said Tawnypelt. "But Midnight said that there was a place for us."
"Applekit, Toadkit, and Marshkit won't want to leave Birchkit when the time comes," argued Smokepaw. "And lots of the warriors have forged bonds, too." He unsheathed his claws and dug them into the ground in frustration. "Why can't we all live together if we can get along?"
"StarClan decreed that there should always be four Clans," mewed Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat. "Helping one another is important right now, but when we reach our new home, each Clan will be able to take care of themselves." His words were confident, but Smokepaw caught a trace of worry in his eyes. "May StarClan watch over us all," he added, glancing away. Smokepaw followed his gaze, and saw that he was looking at Tallstar. The WindClan leader had become extremely frail in the last few moons. Every cat knew he was on his last life.
The cats trekked on in silence. Smokepaw was so tired he barely noticed the ground turn from grass to stone beneath his paws. Soon it began to slope steadily upwards. Occasionally Smokepaw heard some cat mutter, "Mouse dung!" as they stepped on a sharp-edged rock. The only cat who looked comfortable, even joyful, was Stormfur, leaping from rock to rock as though he was filled with energy.
They climbed for days. The kits were no longer playing games, but dragging their paws and whimpering with tiredness. All four medicine cats were on the lookout for any herbs that could help sooth the cats' paws.
Smokepaw heard Sorreltail whispering to her friend Leafpaw. "Are you sure we're going the right way? This path is getting really narrow." He gulped, realizing just how sharply the mountain fell away on one side and rose up on the other. The path was no wider than three tail-lengths. How were the kits and elders going to manage?
"Carry the kits!" Blackstar growled down the line of cats. His voice echoed off the walls of stone. Toadkit, the proudest of the litter, didn't even protest when his mother picked him up by the scruff.
The path got steeper. Every cat pressed themselves against the rock wall, walking in single-file. Loose pebbles were knocked off the edge of the cliff. The wind howled through the gorge, ruffling every cat's fur. Smokepaw would've thought it was funny if he wasn't so terrified.
Suddenly, the stone gave way beneath his paws. With a startled screech, he dug his claws into the side of the cliff as the stone crumbled, falling into nothingness. Desperately he tried to haul himself back up. Russetfur lunged to grab him, but it was too late. The rock where he clung to dropped away, and Smokepaw plummeted towards the ground, yowling in terror. The last thing he heard was his mother screeching, "Smokepaw!" and the wind whistling in his ears before he smashed into something hard. A sharp pain shot through his whole body, and everything went black.
Well? How was it? Did he die? Or did he live? Well, here's a hint: if he died, what's the point of me writing this story in the first place? So please review lots and lots! And FYI, I dont post chapters every day like most of you crazies, cuz I have a life! So if I dont post for a while, that doesnt mean I forgot about it! Just be patient! And REVIEW! :D