Thank you, Amber342, Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity, tinckles, and Sundusk for the reviews/favourite/alert.
This chapter focuses more on the rest of ThunderClan than on Swiftpaw and Stonepaw. I tried to have him a little less in this chapter.
It also happens to be the longest one yet. And maybe my least favourite.
Enjoy!
I do not own Warriors.
Chapter Three
Great StarClan, why does my head feel like a tree just fell on it? Thought Mistkit as her eyes opened slowly. The first thing she saw was pale moonlight flooding into the den- wait, was this the medicine cat's den? Why was she in here...?
Then it came back to her. Swiftpaw and Stonepaw's apprentice ceremony, the battle, and then...it was blurry around the edges, but Mistkit could recall being slammed into, and then blacking out.
But why had she been in the battle in the first place? For the life of her, Mistkit could not remember why she had been out among the fighting cats. Had that blow to the head done something more than just send her unconscious?
Her thoughts were interrupted however, by the voice of ThunderClan's medicine cat, Jayfeather. "Awake, I see. You were lucky that all you got was a minor blow to the head. It could have been much worse."
Mistkit spun around in the mossy nest she was currently residing in. She demanded, "You knew I was awake? How?"
Jayfeather snorted, "I know things. Don't ask me how."
Mistkit fell silent for a moment. "What happened?" She finally asked. "The battle with WindClan..."
The medicine cat was busy sorting through a pile of leaves when he responded, "We drove them out." He said simply. "Though not without receiving injuries."
The young she-cat looked at her paws. "The attack was so unprovoked...what did ThunderClan ever do to WindClan?"
"WindClan has held a certain dislike for us ever since Onestar became their leader. This is not the first time they've attacked us directly in our own camp." Jayfeather meowed without looking up from his task. Not like he would need to anyway.
"But why?" Mistkit insisted, tearing at the nest with her claws. "Why does Onestar and WindClan hate us so much? Why would they just attack us without a reason?"
Jayfeather looked at her then. Despite him being blind, it actually seemed like he could see her. It unnerved her a little bit.
"Mistkit, the Clans are rivals. There is always a reason."
Mistkit looked away with a sigh. Why did it have to be so complicated? Why couldn't the Clans just get along? After a moment of brooding silence, Mistkit meowed slowly, "Well, at least no one got seriously injured."
There was no response from the gray tabby medicine cat, but the air was suddenly filled with tension. He turned away from her, and looked blankly at the leaves at his paws.
Mistkit flattened her ears to her head in uncertainty. "Right? No one got hurt too badly, did they, Jayfeather?"
There was another long silence, and Mistkit began to grow increasingly anxious. Finally, the blind tom sighed, and meowed into the tense silence, "Mistkit, Swiftpaw is dead." He paused. "He was killed by a warrior, while trying to save you and his brother."
The den went dead silent. Neither cat seemed to breath. Mistkit was rapidly replaying what had happened earlier in the battle, trying to remember something, anything about Swiftpaw.
At last she recalled her last moments before blacking out; a flash of gray fur, a spray of scarlet red blood...
"No!" Mistkit gasped. "That's not possible! Swiftpaw- he can't be dead! He was going to be a great warrior! It's not possible!"
Jayfeather padded closer to her. "It is. He hunts with StarClan now."
"He wasn't supposed to die!" Mistkit shrieked suddenly, leaping to her paws. She recalled his words to her before the battle. And of course, I'll always be there to protect you, Mistkit!
And you did! But it wasn't supposed to be with your life! Mistkit thought desperately. Oh, if only I hadn't rushed into that battle! Would you still be alive, Swiftpaw?
Suddenly feeling defeated, Mistkit slumped back down into the mossy nest. Her head throbbed dully, but she payed that no mind. Her friend was dead - and it was her fault.
Jayfeather sensed Mistkit's anger and disbelief, and practically heard what she was thinking. And then, that anger dissipated, and he heard her paws give way beneath her. He felt the waves of grief radiating off of her, and he was reminded of his sister, Hollyleaf. Had he not felt something similar when she had died?
Jayfeather laid his tail tip on the kit's shoulder gently. "It's not your fault, Mistkit," he meowed, voice surprisingly gentle. "Swiftpaw made the choice to save you and his brother. He died a noble death, worthy of a warrior."
Jayfeather could tell that his words hardly reached her. But what else could he do? What good would stepping into her thoughts do, when he already knew what they would hold?
"Swiftpaw..." Mistkit murmured, voice soft.
Jayfeather was surprised to sense a sudden change in her emotions, because suddenly, her mind seemed to clear, as if she had given herself a mental shake. When he probed into her thoughts further, trying to figure out the change, he was surprised to find a thorny barrier. He frowned, puzzled.
"I'm okay now," came Mistkit's voice, and she shook off the tail still resting on her shoulder. "I'll be fine." Her tone was blank of emotion for the most part, and Jayfeather realized that she was hiding her emotions from him. Something that was normally difficult to do.
It's almost like she knows what I can do. But how can she? He thought.
He then remembered the conversation with Firestar from last moon. She seems...different than her denmates. Firestar had told him. ...I often see her staring off into the open air, like she's seeing something no other cat can.
How could he have forgotten that conversation? At the time, Firestar had seemed so anxious and worried.
And now Jayfeather could see why the ThunderClan leader had his suspicions, though Jayfeather's own were for slightly different reasons.
He could see it now. Yes, Mistkit was definitely strange.
Mistkit forced herself to act calm. She couldn't lose her cool in front of the medicine cat any more than she already had. Swiftpaw was dead, yes, but life went on. That's what she tried to tell herself.
Swiftpaw...I won't forget you. I think...that I can call you a friend. Yes. A very dear friend. May StarClan light your path, Swiftpaw.
Mistkit blinked, watching the medicine cat. He had an almost wary expression as he regarded her with his blind eyes. What was up with him all of a sudden? Had she done something weird and not realized it? She didn't think so...
At last, Jayfeather stopped 'looking' at her like that. "That's the way to think about it," he advised. "Swiftpaw is watching over us from StarClan." Was it just Mistkit, or was there a slight edge to his voice?
Mistkit suddenly wanted to get out of here. She slowly rose to her paws, aware of the light throbbing sensation that sprang to life in her head as she did so. She took a tentative step forward, testing herself.
"What are you doing?" Jayfeather asked suddenly.
"Leaving." Mistkit said curtly, starting to get unnerved by the medicine cat's piercing stare and wary voice.
Jayfeather made a noise of consent in the back of his throat, and then said, "Don't do anything to bother that head injury. If you start feeling dizzy or light-headed, come straight back here."
Mistkit agreed, and then left Jayfeather's den, glad to be away from the tom's strange looks and tone.
Outside, she was immediately greeted by her mother.
"Mistkit! What were you thinking, running off into the battle like that? You could have died! Is that what you want? To end up like Swiftpaw?" Cinderheart's voice was loud and scolding, and Mistkit crouched low, taking each of her words in without saying anything in response, but when she mentioned Swiftpaw, anger swelled in her heart.
"I know, and I'm sorry, alright?" Mistkit growled.
"No, it's not alright. You can't just go running around as you please. You're a kit; your job is to stay in the nursery until you're old enough to be apprenticed." Cinderheart retorted angrily.
"Stonepaw would have died if I just 'stayed in the nursery'!" Mistkit suddenly spat, her neck fur bristling.
"Some other cat would have helped him." Her mother meowed curtly, and then went soft. "You're my only daughter, my only kit, Mistkit. If you died, what would I do? Who would that help?"
Mistkit knew she was right. She looked down at her paws, her anger evaporating. "I'm sorry." She murmured.
Cinderheart sighed, and leaned over to lick her daughter's head. "I know." She drew back. "Are you alright? How are you feeling? I visited you earlier in Jayfeather's den, but you were still sleeping."
"I'm fine." Mistkit responded, raising her head. "I only got hit in the head. Nothing too serious."
Cinderheart nodded briefly. "Off to the nursery with you, then. You look like you could use some more rest." She meowed.
Mistkit's eyes widened. She looked around her mother, and saw the limp shape of Swiftpaw laying on the ground in the center of camp. Around him, a few cats were crouched down beside him. She recognized Stonepaw, his brother, Ferncloud, his mother, and Dustpelt, his father, among them.
"Cinderheart...I'd like to sit vigil for Swiftpaw." Mistkit meowed suddenly.
Her mother was silent for a heart-beat. "Alright." She meowed finally, softly. "You may."
Mistkit wasted no time in padding around her mother, and toward Swiftpaw's well groomed body. No cat looked up at her as she approached. She squeezed past a few cats, and reached Swiftpaw. She looked down at him.
He was smaller in death, it seemed. Mistkit felt her heart squeeze as she remembered how hyper the young tom had been. Now he was devoid off life, laying on the ground. If she didn't know better, Mistkit would have thought he was just sleeping.
"Swiftpaw..." Mistkit whispered. Her voice seemed to bring Stonepaw, who was crouching down across from her, out of the trance he was in. He looked up at her, and Mistkit shivered at his expression.
Blank. Lifeless. There was a horrible dead look in his eyes. Seeing her didn't even bring out the look of cold contempt he always wore when he looked at her. He just...stared right through her.
She felt sorry for him. He was close to his brother, closer to him than any other cat in the Clan.
Mistkit tore her gaze away from him, unable to go on meeting his gaze.
She crouched down low, and pressed her nose into Swiftpaw's now cold fur, inhaling the last of his scent. She shut her eyes, and prepared to sit there like that for the entire night.
Swiftpaw. Have a safe journey to StarClan, my friend.
Mistkit cracked open her eyes as sunlight finally broke over the tree-tops. She raised her head from Swiftpaw's icy-cold fur, and her neck cracked painfully from the first movement in hours.
As she watched, Stonepaw slowly raised his own head, and looked at her. His expression had changed from last night. It was now back to the same old look, but there was something different...
His eyes held sheer, undisguised hatred now. Mistkit winced. His look seemed to scream, this is your fault!
Mistkit dropped her eyes. It's my fault, I know. I don't need any cat to tell me that.
She didn't move as she heard Stonepaw get up and walk away from his brother's body. She assumed he was going to the apprentice's den to sleep. She didn't really care.
Mistkit finally decided it was time to get up and go back to the nursery. She got to her paws, and walked away slowly, glancing back at her friend's limp shape a few times. Sadness pierced her, and she turned away for good and sprinted the rest of the way to the nursery.
Mistkit collapsed into her mossy nest, and pressed into her mother's fur for comfort. She felt Cinderheart's tongue rasp over her ears a few times, and this lulled the young kit into sleep.
Eyes closing, Mistkit recalled the last time she saw Swiftpaw alive. She smiled softly to herself. Swiftpaw...
She fell asleep to the soft laps of Cinderheart's tongue and the happy memory of Swiftpaw gazing warmly at her.
There! Finally! That has to be the longest chapter I've ever written!
Truthfully, I disliked having to kill Swiftpaw. In this one, and in the original Mist. But, it needed to be done.
Don't forget to review!
~Sky'sFire
