AN: A double update, as I have promised. This chapter gets a bit...boring. But you get to see some interaction between Sunpaw and Dustpelt, and you learn more about the dark-furred she-cat. Anyone who guesses who she is will get a plushie :)
Anywho, please enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review at the end!
Chapter 5
The dark-furred she-cat spent most of her time away from the pair. She knew of boundaries, and was aware that these cats had lived hard lives. Their ribs seemed to stick out on either side of their bodies. In fact, it was their bodies that had told her their story. The terrified look in their eyes told her that they were hunted. Or haunted by memories of the past. She knew quite a lot about the past, and had tried to push away her own past many times. Each time she did, the past would come back, stronger than ever. In the end, she began to accept the fact that she could never go back to the place where she was born.
Her tail was held high as she crept around the corner where the two Clan cats slept. Brownwhisker was an interesting character, she thought. He had green eyes, like an olive. His attitude towards strangers made her wonder if they'd been in fights in the Twolegplace. The lightly colored tabby was what made her concerned. The tabby didn't speak when Brownwhisker spoke up. Instead her gaze was on her paws; as if she was afraid of what she'd say.
Brownwhisker himself was already awake. He lifted his head and stared at the dark-furred she-cat, green eyes livid. "Why did you allow us to stay?" he demanded.
The dark-furred she-cat shook her head. She herself wasn't sure why she'd let them stay. Something told her that it was the right thing to do. After hearing their names...a vivid image flew through her mind. A pair of piercing green eyes that were hauntingly familiar…."You needed help," she rasped. "I guess…I was the one to help you."
The Clan cat blinked in surprise at her comment. There was something about the way she spoke that made his fur crawl. "Thank you," he whispered.
…
Sunpaw raised her head when she realized that she'd woken up. A dark-furred she-cat with green eyes…the image was familiar to her. Yet she couldn't recall how many cats there were with green eyes, especially those with dark pelts. Brownwhisker was definitely familiar. He was the cat she saw standing near the warriors' den. It was his eyes that had given him away. At first Sunpaw had tried to guess who he was when she'd first seen him in her visions. But now she knew. And she wanted to know where he'd come from.
The medicine cat's den wasn't like WindClan's den. Instead it was surrounded by rocky walls, and a small pool near the back of the den made up most of the space. Sunpaw had been surprised to wake up in the den before. She guessed that she'd passed out again when they reached the hollow.
Jayfeather himself was still fast asleep. He was curled up in a ball, muttering about something that Sunpaw didn't catch. She chose to ignore him and glanced around the den itself.
Leaves and berries were scattered around the floor, neatly placed in separated piles. Some of the leaves were torn apart by Jayfeather's claws. A few had dark green lining on them, as if they'd been colored that way by Twolegs. A pile of horsetail was placed beside the pool, drying off in the sun that filtered through the crack on the roof of his den.
"You're awake early." Sunpaw jumped when a cat spoke up. She turned to see Spiderleg peering through the den. His amber eyes were bright as he looked at her. "Jayfeather wasn't sure if you'd wake up."
Oh StarClan, he thought I was going to die? Sunpaw thought as she stood.
"I'm awake now," she murmured through a half-yawn.
"Good, than you can get started with elder duties." Spiderleg's voice didn't waver when she glared at him. "Bramblestar's orders after the little incident with WindClan."
She winced at the mention of her run-in with WindClan. Lionblaze had been furious with her after discovering that she'd been found near the border. She doubted he would forgive her after what had happened. Yet he'd sent her here after noticing how tired she was. Perhaps he wasn't too angry, like she'd first suspected.
The small tabby padded across the den, unsure of what to do first. When she peered through the entrance, she saw that Graystripe was sunning himself on the halfrock. Part of his fur had been smoothed down by Millie, who was casually grooming him. The two didn't seem to notice Sunpaw's arrival, but she was thankful for that. It was Dustpelt that she worried about the most. His snappy attitude was what made her hate the elders' den the most.
A single eye opened when Graystripe noticed her approach. Millie stopped grooming him for a moment and waited for him to say something.
"You look like a scared mouse trying to see us," he purred after eying Sunpaw.
"Stop pestering her," Millie murmured. "I'm sure she's still in a state of shock after what happened."
"What exactly did happen?" Graystripe was still looking at Sunpaw with a mischievous grin.
She was saved by answering him when Poppyfrost approached her. Spiderleg had left for the sunhigh patrol with Hazeltail, Thornclaw and Ivypool. All four cats had looked mildly annoyed that they were leaving on such a gloomy looking day. The rain that had fallen earlier was left over from yesterday. Dark clouds loomed above the trees, casting a dark shadow over the hollow.
"Dustpelt has been complaining about a tick behind his ear," Poppyfrost meowed after observing Sunpaw's reaction. "Go to Jayfeather and get some mousebile from him."
Tail lashed as Poppyfrost padded away, Sunpaw spotted Jayfeather sitting outside the medicine cat's den. Cinderheart was speaking to him in low, desperate whispers. Sunpaw already knew that her mother was trying to convince Jayfeather that she was the proper apprentice. Her tail twitched in frustration as she watched her mother. Despite the fact that Cinderheart was watching over her, she couldn't feel the same amount of love towards the gray tabby.
All she ever does is tell me that I'm wrong, she thought with a snort. She thinks I'm not capable of taking care of myself, so she sends my aunt after me.
She would have laughed at the sheer stupidity of it all had it not been for her frustration. If Cinderheart didn't stop behaving that way, she would have to show her mother that she was more than capable of handling anything. Even if that meant going behind Cinderheart's back.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Jayfeather coughed. His blue eyes had left Cinderheart's when he noticed Sunpaw's approach.
"Poppyfrost sent me here to collect…mousebile," Sunpaw muttered after glaring at her paws.
"I'll get her some mousebile," Cinderheart suddenly replied.
Jayfeather didn't bother asking how Cinderheart knew about the stinky mousebile that apprentices always complained about. Sunpaw's ears flicked with interest as her mother led her towards the back of Jayfeather's den. It was empty, aside from the herbs that were piled together.
"I've never seen a tom who cleans up after himself," Cinderheart grumbled when she nosed through the pile of leaves. "Here they are!" She suddenly grasped a darker leaf and turned to face Sunpaw. "This should help."
"What…is it?" Sunpaw eyed the dark green plant cautiously.
"Dock, good for infected wounds," Cinderheart replied.
Before Sunpaw could ask why she needed it, Jayfeather stood at the den's entrance. "Cinderpelt- er, Cinderheart, we need to talk," Jayfeather meowed. The gray tabby whirled around to face Jayfeather. "Sunpaw, why don't you take that wad of moss beside the pool. Mousebile is already wrapped around it."
Sunpaw did as she was told without complaining. She knew that something was up - Cinderheart didn't normally act that way.
Once the branch was grasped between her teeth, she headed towards the elders' den. Poppyfrost was busy speaking quietly to Berrynose, who gave a small shake of his head. Sunpaw sent one look at her mentor. The tortoiseshell she-cat froze under Sunpaw's stare.
The young apprentice looked away when she noticed Poppyfrost's eyes flash. They were brimming with fear.
Berrynose must be telling stories again, Sunpaw thought with a lash of her tail.
Dustpelt was curled up in an old looking nest. His ear twitched when he detected her approach. She stiffened for a moment, suddenly wondering if this was such a good idea. Dustpelt was, after all, a cranky elder with a bad reputation. Yet Ferncloud was still around, and she supported him no matter what the cost.
"You can enter," he rasped.
She moved slowly as she peered through his fur. Most of it was gray with age. His muzzle was almost white, and had worsened since Sandstorm's death. She was careful not to startle him as she dabbed the mousebile on the tick that was behind his ear. He squirmed a little, but that was about it.
"So they have you cleaning out the den now?" Dustpelt asked after she crunched the tick between her teeth.
"Yeah," she replied.
"You remind me of your father, back when he was a kit." Dustpelt's next comment caught Sunpaw off guard. His gaze was filled with warm as he stared at her. "Of course, he wasn't as stubborn as you are."
"What do you mean by that?" Her hackles began to rise as she thought of how she'd promised herself that she would become stronger.
"Oh, you'll see what I mean when you're older." Dustpelt's voice became a raspy purr as he thought of the times he'd spent as an apprentice.
Sunpaw didn't press him any further. Her mind was still churning in confusion as she left the den with the mousebile till hanging from her branch. Jayfeather was sitting outside his den by the time she reached him. His whiskers were trembling when he looked down at her.
"Make sure you wash your paws after putting that away," he ordered.
She tried not to complain about going out. At least it gave her a chance to escape Poppyfrost's unwavering gaze.
The forest outside was brighter than before. Sunlight filtered through patches of clouds that had been torn away by the wind. Sunpaw could see the blue skies that loomed ahead. A warm breeze ruffled her pelt, telling her that newleaf was on its way.
Newleaf means new life, she told herself. And with new life, maybe I can understand the meaning of these visions.
A chill swept over her body as she stepped into the stream that ran into WindClan's border. She kept giving the clearing cautious glances. If a patrol found her, they might think she needed their help again. The last thing she wanted was for them to act like ThunderClan was weak. She'd already helped Onestar gain the upper-paw when he allowed her to stay until she recovered. Her head shook in frustration as she glared at the pebbles that churned with the stream's current.
"Looks like you're okay after all." Sunpaw froze when a cat spoke up. It was the same black and white apprentice that had found her the day before. "Nightcloud said that you wouldn't last the night, with shock like that," he added when she stared at him in surprise.
"Are you…stalking me?" she demanded after her fur rose on end.
The black and white tom tilted his head to one side. She could tell that he was stalling, from the way his green eyes glittered.
"The name's Cedarpaw," he meowed after a moment's silence passed.
Why would he want me to know his name? she wondered. It took her a few heartbeats to realize that he was waiting for her own name. She stared down at her paws, suddenly unsure whether or not answering was the best option. I'll be crowfood if Poppyfrost catches me out here again, she told herself.
"Sorry, but I have to go-" She was cut off by a yowl coming from behind.
Foxdung, she cursed. Too late, Poppyfrost was searching for her. Her ears pricked forward in surprise when Cedarpaw slipped into the undergrowth behind his own territory.
"What in StarClan's name are you doing out here?" Poppyfrost demanded when she reached her apprentice.
"I was just washing my paws," Sunpaw replied after revealing her damp fur.
The tortoiseshell seemed to buy her excuse. Without another word Poppyfrost led Sunpaw back towards the hollow. Sunpaw glanced over her shoulder to see that Cedarpaw was peering through a frond of ferns. A sudden pang filled her belly, like the fluttering wings of a butterfly. Something told Sunpaw that there was more to Cedarpaw than she realized. He knew something about her that she didn't. And she wanted to know what that something was.
AN: Okay, so to recap: Sunpaw is sort of having...feelings for Cedarpaw. But you know how forbidden love is, very overrated. And the visions she has will eventually catch up to real time. If you haven't guessed which Clan Brownwhisker and Brooksong are from, than shame on you. Don't forget to review!
