Chapter 5
"What's an...Eclipse?" Mistpaw asked. She knew that Eclipsepaw must have been named after it. Maybe Grayfeather really did believe he was special.
Lightningstar exchanged a glance with Fallstripe. A question lit in both of their eyes. Should they tell her? What would the outcome be? When no response came, Mistpaw felt a bit unsteady. Maybe she wasn't trusted after all. But then Lightningstar looked Mistpaw right in the eyes.
"An Eclipse is, like I said earlier, when the earth blocks the moon. It's shadow can be seen in the night. When you were born, an Eclipse occurred. We feared it would bring destruction to the forest, when in fact, it could grant kits who were born during the Eclipse powers. It could turn them evil, or good. And because Eclipsepaw was also born, that meant there had to be a good born as well. And Eclipsepaw wants to get rid of that good."
Mistpaw's eyes widened. Despite the fact that she already knew, Mistpaw felt herself trembling once more. Her visions were quickly coming back, stronger then ever. She saw her death, Eclipsepaw--now much stronger and sleeker looking--looming over her, with blood stained on his teeth and her pelt.
She suddenly wondered how much of these powers she really understood. Mistpaw wanted to learn more about them, and use them for the good of the Clan. I will do whatever it takes to keep my Clanmates safe, she thought with effort.
"I must organize patrols," Fallstripe meowed. It had been awkward with him around, and Mistpaw sensed he knew it. So he rose to his paws and padded out, leaving the two of them alone. Leader and apprentice, gazing at each other.
Finally, Lightningstar let out a sigh. "Come, it is time you saw the territory," she announced warily.
The two cats stepped out of her den. Mistpaw relished in the warmth of the greenleaf sunlight. Soon, leaffall would come. After all, it was in the middle of greenleaf. And that meant colder weather would arrive, as well as less prey. She would catch as much prey as she could, in order to feed her Clanmates.
Cinderpaw and Swiftpaw were out of the apprentices' den, shooting glares at Mistpaw as she walked past. She could see the jealousy in their eyes as Lightningstar led her. They wouldn't have dreamed that the ThunderClan leader chose her as an apprentice. And they were almost ready to become warriors. Mistpaw had overheard Cinderpaw speaking to Snowpaw, saying that their assessments would be tomorrow. Which was a good thing, for Mistpaw. Two less cats to worry about.
She noticed that Eclipsepaw and Jayflight were gone. Jayflight had reluctantly taken Eclipsepaw out into the forest to show him the territory. But Mistpaw had the feeling that Eclipsepaw already knew the territory well, from the visions she received.
As they trekked through the forest, Mistpaw noticed huge boulders towering over her. They looked as though they caught the sunlight, which made the perfect place to sun herself. And yet, there was something almost sinister about these boulders. Mistpaw felt like she was being watched.
"This is Snakerocks," Lightningstar explained when she saw Mistpaw's looks. "Adders like to come out in the morning and sunhigh to bask in the sunlight. We won't go near them."
A sigh of relief almost escaped from Mistpaw's lungs. She didn't know if she could face an adder, which was venomous. She had never seen one, and she hoped she never would.
Soon they reached a clearing that was surrounded by four massive oak trees. Mistpaw stared at them with mixed emotions. Awe and horror were the first. Her gaze raked across the clearing, until her eyes reached a bramble thicket. And within that thicket, was the blood of Flickerkit.
"Gatherings are held here every full moon," Lightningstar meowed. "You will attend the next one, which isn't far away."
Mistpaw stared at Lightningstar now, with interest lit in her eyes. She could still remember every full moon, the Clan returning from a Gathering. Sometimes they would be excited about news given by the other leaders. While others would give out grumbles of annoyance or outrage. The latest news had been that RiverClan wanted Sunningrocks back. And though Mistpaw had never seen these rocks, she knew they were an important hunting ground for ThunderClan. A battle had been fought over Sunningrocks, and ThunderClan won it. RiverClan ignored them ever since.
"What are Gatherings like?" Mistpaw asked, knowing that questions were an important part of her training.
"They can be fun, if you know what to do or say," Lightningstar replied. A wistful look crossed her eyes. "When I was an apprentice, I accidentally gave out information that was to be kept a secret. Because of it, we lost a battle. I'll never forgive myself for it. Larkpaw was killed during that battle, and she was my sister."
I can't imagine loosing a sibling! Mistpaw thought. Then a sudden wave of shame coursed through her. She wanted Eclipsepaw to disappear. Did that make her a cold blooded murderer as well? She certainly hoped not. When silence filled the air, Lightningstar began to tell the story of how she gave up the information.
*****
A full moon hovered over the clearing. Its light washed across the ground, turning the trees silvery white. Lightningpaw stared at it for a few moments, wondering how the moon could create such a brilliant light.
Then she shook her head and padded towards a group of ShadowClan apprentices, who were telling a story about a badger that had taken shelter in their territory. Apparently, an apprentice known as Stormpaw had been chosen for the patrol. But they did not notice the badger lumbering towards them at full speed. The badger had let out a mighty bellow, and Stormpaw wheeled. When he caught sight of the badger, his mentor did the most extraordinary thing. She led the badger away from the territory and from the Clan...Lightningpaw stopped listening at this point.
"Duststar lost a life," she meowed meekly. All eyes turned on her, and she flattened her ears in embarrassment. Larkpaw's eyes widened in shock.
Larkpaw was a pretty cat. She had beautiful tortoiseshell fur mixed with black dapples, that made her blend in perfectly with her surroundings. Because of this, all the toms chased after her. Lightningpaw, for the most part, was completely ignored, and destined to never amount to anything.
"Really?" Stormpaw asked. He was definitely interested now. Lightningpaw gulped.
"Well, it was in the battle with Sunningrocks," she explained in a whisper. Stormpaw's ears pricked forward, and she suddenly realized that she had made a horrible mistake.
"Thank you," he said with a dip of his head. A sly expression crossed his gaze.
Lightningpaw knew she had made a mistake. She looked at her paws, suddenly wishing that a gaping hole would swallow her up. But no hole came. Instead, she would live with her mistake for the rest of her life.
*****
Lightningstar shook her head and continued to show Mistpaw the forest. Quickly they reached the WindClan border, which was dotted with thistle bushes and moorland. Then they reached a wide gap in the land. Mistpaw looked over and saw that a river surged through the gap. She glanced around and spotted the river that went through RiverClan territory. Reeds and ferns grew around it, creating an almost protective atmosphere for Mistpaw.
Beyond the river lay a clearing surrounded by willow trees. These will trees were relatively young. Their vines and branches dangled in the air as a breeze sifted through them. Their leaves made a soft rustling sound that only Mistpaw could hear over the roar of the river. Large stones jutted out from the river where granite colored boulders lay.
"That is RiverClan's territory," Lightningstar explained. Her yellow eyes gleamed for a moment, as though she was remembering something from her past. "RiverClan cats are proud but protective, and they like to collect shiny objects that come from Twolegs or shells."
Mistpaw found this all very fascinating. She was intrigued by RiverClan's unusual activities. And what was more, she felt as though something pulled her towards the river.
Her eyes widened in dismay when Mistpaw looked down at her paws. They were beginning to disappear, as a mist began to cover them. After several heartbeats, Mistpaw was nothing more then thin air. She was about to let out a yowl of surprise when she realized it might have been apart of the powers the Eclipse gave her. And something told her this would be very useful for spying on Eclipsepaw. She would find out exactly what he was doing, no matter what.
Yay for long chapter! As you can see, this ending was really bad. But, I though it would be great to introduce Mistpaw's powers. Also, Lightningpaw had been captured after the Gathering and battle took place. I thought I should point this out in case there was any confusion. Oh, and thank you c00ieguirl for reviewing!
