Hello! haha, I finally got one up on time! (according to my schedule anyways)
REVIEWS
"Leviathan48"- Yep
"Birdflame"- Yeah, well, elderly leaders aren't as good and it doesn't make sense to make an almost elder a leader.
Angelflight- I know! after writing about these cats as young cats its hard for me to picture them as old!
Shadowhawk- I don't know, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you.
Dawntreader- thanks! and yes, Blueshadow took one of Pinestar's lives, but Pinestar had one left.
Mouseydragonwolf- Yes, homework, that pesky thing in life. And I just remember who is who, its easier when you write it.
"CrystalStar Of LightClan"- Thank you!
Dawnfeather- I know, right? at least its only Marshclaw though
"ShadowQuest2000"- No cat's perfect.
"Crowstar54"- Haha, you insulted every old person on the planet, my grandpa would have choice words for you ;)
AEIOU- I know! and no, Marshclaw is not crushing on his half-sister... Haha, funny song :)
Chapter 6
"You must make three catches before dusk, and one must be in the trees," Harespring was mewing, giving her the instructions of her assessment. They sat in the training hollow, the sun dancing off the snow.
Three pieces of prey? Easy… I've been doing that for the elders for two moons straight. Nodding to herself, she raced out of the training hollow, heading to Tall-Pines. She preferred hunting there, and since Harespring had not specified a place…
For a moment, she let her heart go light as she raced against the swooping shadow of a swallow, heading in the same direction as she was, keeping pace with the soaring bird as it led out a chirp. As she neared the Tall-Pines, she put on a spurt of speed and leapt at a tree, scooting herself up without pausing for a heartbeat.
She slowed her breath as the swallow flew closer… closer… landing on a branch not more then a tail-length away. The cold air suddenly clung to her as she waggled her haunches, her first catch would be quick and easy.
Leaping from one branch to another, she trapped the swallow under her long, curled claws. She made quick work of snapping its neck, and then dropped down to the forest floor. Glancing around, she sniffed suspiciously. Content that no Bright supporters were in the area, she hid it in a socket in the ground.
She padded on into Tall-Pines, the snow less then a paw thick here and the carpet of green needles was soft and its aroma drifted around her along with the echoing silence that enveloped her, the far-off noises floating like strange music to her.
She sniffed the air, not catching anything, she stalked forward, halting as she caught the scent of mouse. Dropping into a low, neat crouch, she made sure she was downwind and crept around, as silent as a shadow drifting over the ground, her masked green eyes fixed on the small brown creature.
She crept right up to the mouse, darting forward and slashing its tiny throat with a swift, clean movement. Not leaving more then a speck of blood on the ground. Then carried her mouse back to her swallow, carefully making sure it was untouched along with the air, her fur prickling with anger.
I shouldn't have to be worried that my Clan-mates would steal my prey! Misery washed over her for a moment as she turned back to the dark woods, heading toward the mushroom patch. The stench of the toadstools wafted toward her and she made a wide ark around it, sniffing hopefully around the small briar patch of blackberries.
She pricked her ears at a tiny snuffling sound, she sniffed and found her prey, a plump shrew digging around the snow and pine needles. Swiftly dropping into a crouch, she pounced, trapping it between her midnight black paws and snapping its tiny neck.
There! Three pieces of prey, and the sun is only just ducking behind the clouds! She thought with a rush of pride and excitement. I'm going to be a warrior! This is what I've worked so hard for!
Then she stiffened as she felt a slight tremble in the ground that quickly grew stronger. Shivering slightly, she dropped her prey and opened her mouth to breath in a rank scent that set her fur on edge.
She snatched up her prey and raced away just as barking exploded behind her, the dog spotted her and the large golden canine bounded after her, its tongue lolling and its long, shaggy fur bouncing with its running steps.
Fear gave her the edge as she raced no more then a tail-length in front of the dog. She glanced at the trees around her, the pines branches were too far up for her to climb up quickly enough and the smooth bark wouldn't help.
She yelped as her paws slipped on the snow, her heart thudding in her throat as she sprinted forward and heard the dog's jaws snap shut just behind her. Sprinting forward, her mind ran frantic with thoughts. Her warrior ceremony pushed out of her mind.
Dogs, uh, they are fast, strong, and deadly… Their weakness are… they can't climb trees, because, they're, they are… Clumsy! Right! Focusing on what she could use to her advantage now, she took a gulping breath and slid on her paws to her side, slipping through the snow on her side she twisted her paws around, her claws scrabbling as she pulled herself up and pushed herself forward around the trees.
She heard a whine and saw the dog slither onto its side as its clumsy paws slipped on the icy snow. But it wasn't small and it couldn't get back to its paws as quick as Shadowpaw had. The black apprentice, confident now, led the dog back to where she'd encountered it, guessing its Twolegs would be around there.
With the dog several fox-lengths behind her, she managed to take a flying leap at a pine as she had earlier that day, and scrambled up, whisking her tail out of the way just in time. She stood on the branch and faced the dog, her fur fluffed up and a vicious growl rumbling in her throat.
She purred to herself as she heard the roars and snappy high-pitched voices as two twolegs bundled over to the dog, heavily wrapped in thick pelts and shouting angrily at the dog who continued barking and straining against the twine that the twolegs had attached to it's collar and dragged it away.
Shadowpaw let out a heavy sigh. Well that makes my final assessment memorable. Though I guess I had wanted to race a dog, and now it won't look purposeful to Harespring. She thought, looking around for her mentor.
She spotted his pale tabby pelt through the shadows, the white tufts on his large ears twitching with relief as he spotted her and hurried over to her. "Shadowpaw! Are you okay? I saw the dog chase you and couldn't keep up," Harespring gasped, his blue eyes round with relief.
"I'm fine," she shrugged off her mentor and dropped the shrew she'd refused to drop. "It was almost fun," she mewed, twitching her whiskers as Harespring rolled his eyes.
"Is the dog gone?" Harespring asked, looking around with his ears pricked.
Shadowpaw nodded, "Its twolegs came and got it," she mewed, shaking a clump of muddy snow off her thick furred paws. "I still passed my assessment though, right?" she asked, almost desperately.
Harespring purred and flicked his tail over her ears. "You caught the prey didn't you? And your skills are as good as any warrior, you even finally mastered that one move you were having trouble on," Harespring mewed, blinking his eyes proudly.
Shadowpaw purred, just two days ago she'd finally managed to do the leap-and-pin well enough to pin Harespring in practice. Although, she knew her paws were a little too sloppy to ever be confident to use it in battle.
Shadowpaw was suddenly aware of how the shadows slanted through the ground, the snow flooded by fiery red light. It was dusk. The chill in the air mingled with the dusty smell of dusk, the earth ready to be cooled and refreshed by night.
"Lets head back to camp for your warrior ceremony," Harespring mewed, turning away, his tail waving behind him.
…
Shadowpaw sat in front of an icy surface, watching her reflection dance on its surface, her thick fur sleek on her slender frame. Her dark green eyes, as shadowed as the pines, glowed hollow and were framed by her raven-black fur. Her tail, long and thick as a fox's, wrapped around her wide paws.
She tried to remember what her mother looked like, we looked nothing alike. Her mother had been small and thin, fragile looking as a kit. Her dark blue fur like shadows on snow and her green eyes glowed like forest light, her long tail had been feathery and plumy, not thick. But her mother had been a brilliant fighter and hunter.
Not like me, she thought ruefully. She was a good hunter and all, but she doubted she'd ever be as good as fighting as her mother, Blueshadow had a gift for fighting, or so every cat said. She glanced up from the corner of the clearing to see Stormstar calling the Clan together.
Pride and nervousness battled in her belly and she joined Harespring as her mentor escorted her to the front of the gathered cats. His fur was freshly groomed and his eyes shone with pride. Shadowpaw's own fur was groomed and was jet-black, no shimmer on her fur at all.
She hardly heard as Stormstar went through the naming rituals, the wind roaring in her ears as she leaned forward and waited for her time to come forward.
"Shadowpaw, come forward," Stormstar mewed. The black apprentice padded forward to stand in front of her leader and half-sister. "StarClan," Stormstar mewed, lifting her eyes to the first star appearing in the gray sky.
"This apprentice has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn," Stormstar turned her thoughtful green gaze on Shadowpaw, the black apprentice was holding her breath as the Clan looked on, recognizing how important it was in every tense muscle in the soon-to-be-warrior.
"Do you promise to uphold the warrior-code and protect and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?" Stormstar asked.
"Yes," Shadowpaw responded, her eyes fixed on Stormstar, truth vibrating through her voice and carrying over the Clan, relaxing ruffled fur and giving flickers of optimism.
"Then I give you your warrior name, Shadowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Shadowfern, StarClan honors your intelligence and dedication," Stormstar announced, touching Shadowfern's head with her muzzle.
Shadowfern, her head buzzing with excitement, licked Stormstar's shoulder respectively and stepped back besides Harespring who raised his muzzle and chanted her new name to the darkening sky.
"Shadowfern! Shadowfern! Shadowfern!" the echoes filled her ear, and she could almost ignore the dark muttering at the edges of her senses and the empty air where voices should have filled in.
…
Shadowfern yawned, stretching her legs in turn and curling tightly on the cold snow to keep herself warm. The first milky gray streaks of dawn announced where the sun would presently be rising, it gave her hope that the long, cold night of her vigil would be ending.
She glanced up at a rustling and saw her brother, Whitepaw, stick his nose out the fern tunnel, his blue eyes finding her and he nodded once before pulling his head back in. Shadowfern's fur prickled.
Whitepaw hadn't come to congratulate her, in fact, she'd seen him go right back to the medicine-cat clearing with Softberry after the ceremony was over. It chilled her, so what if they weren't as close as they had once been? They could still be distant and friendly, right?
She sighed, she was so busy digging up Blueshadow's old mysteries that she didn't have time for any of the present ones. She shook out her ruffled fur, watching the sky slowly turn golden edged, the light gradually covering the entire sky, plastering the clouds rosy pink.
She watched through narrowed eyes as Stormstar emerged from her den, her fur slick flat as usual, and pad over to her. "Your vigil is over," Stormstar mewed, her whiskers twitching as Shadowfern gave a sigh of relief.
Shadowfern got to her paws, ready to go to her den, but Stormstar put her tail out. "Would you come with me on a quick walk?" her leader asked.
Shadowfern hesitated, she was tired from two nights spent awake in a row, but she couldn't say no to her leader, and though she was no longer an apprentice, her curiosity still edged her. "Okay," she agreed, giving her almost numb paws a quick lick. Just last a little longer! She willed them, following Stormstar into the gray forest.
As they reached the top of the ravine, Shadowfern narrowed her eyes against the flooding golden light. "Blueshadow didn't like the sun either," Stormstar commented, sounding amused. Not that Shadowfern could see her expression, her eyes dazzled by the light.
"I like the sun," Shadowfern defended herself, "I just don't like it so bright and in my eyes," she mewed.
Stormstar laughed a little. "Have you heard what some of the other cats have been saying about you?" Stormstar asked hesitantly, sitting down with her back to the rising sun, her eyes scanning the forest whose bare branches were just be stained with light.
"You mean how they call me an accomplice to Brightslash's murder? And a traitor to every Clan? Let me think…" Shadowfern trailed off in a growl. "Yeah, its pretty hard when half the Clan shoots hatred at me and growls it under their breath every time they see me," Shadowfern growled.
Stormstar sighed. "You have sharper senses like Blueshadow, you seem to know more then you should, and you were gone while the murders took place; it does make you look suspicious," Stormstar conceded.
Shadowfern shook her head irritably, the golden light failed to sparkle on her black paws like it would on Needlesting's or Breezeice's fur. "Whatever, I know I didn't do it, I don't care what any other cat thinks," she muttered.
Stormstar gave her a sharp glance. "You should, in a Clan, what effects one, effects us all," Stormstar mewed crisply.
Shadowfern shrugged and sat down with her paws plucking at the ground. "I haven't done anything wrong and they know it! I just- its just so difficult," she sighed at last.
Stormstar glanced at her sympathetically. "I think its because you remind every cat of Blueshadow, as if she's still living with us, and they want to blame some cat for the deaths," Stormstar shrugged.
Shadowfern looked at her leader in confusion. "Why would I remind any cat of Blueshadow? We don't look alike, and I'm not a good fighter like her or can I match her skills even remotely," Shadowfern mewed.
Stormstar frowned, "I don't know why, but you just seem to have an… essence, that reminds every cat of Blueshadow… I'm not sure how to explain it," Stormstar mewed.
Shadowfern sighed, her head was tired and her legs hurt from running from the dog yesterday. She wanted to sleep now and think later. "You must be exhausted, go on and sleep, I just want you ready for patrol by sun-high," Stormstar mewed gently, catching her sigh.
Shadowfern nodded in relief. Padding back down the ravine, her paws hardly made a sound as she leapt down and padded into camp. Lionclaw was arousing the dawn patrol, unfortunately a group of Bright supporters.
"Gonna murder us in our sleep now?" Adderfang jeered, his eyes glittering with spite. Shadowfern eyed him warily and shuffled past him.
A few sneered mutters were all she heard as she padded into the warriors den. She looked around in confusion for a moment. Everywhere she looked there were nests of Bright supports, and she definitely didn't want to sleep near them.
Then a pale blue tom raised his head and blinked at her friendly. "There's room over here," Rivertail offered.
Shadowfern nodded thankfully and padded over him, carefully stepping over a snoring Shrewtail. If she stepped on him, she'd be hearing about it all day. Pausing by Rivertail, she saw a small, rough nest of moss made close to his nest.
"I couldn't do much more then that last night," Rivertail mewed, an apology in his mew.
"Its fine," she mewed, curling tiredly in her nest, her thick tail warm and sweeping past her muzzle. Her curled side brushed Rivertail's, but she didn't mind, and by his soft murmurs, he didn't mind either.
But she was all to aware that slowly, as the den awoke, the glares and angry mutters directed at her as she dozed in their den. It kept her from falling into sleep. Eventually, she felt Rivertail rise from her side and brush his tail over her shoulder as he padded past, it sprung a feeling of excitement in her belly. But she kept her eyes closed and her breath slow.
Gradually she fell into a fitful sleep that replenished some of her energy. Finally rising since she was getting too restless to try to sleep any longer, she brushed the dust and moss scraps out of her fur and pushed her way out of the mostly empty den.
Blinking against the bright light that reflected off the snow twice as strong, she padded over the Lionclaw, head down to block the light from her eyes and tail twitching irritably behind her. "Do you need me for anything?" she asked the deputy.
"Ah, yes, would you take some food to the medicine-cats, and then you can join Willowfrost's hunting patrol," Lionclaw mewed, nodding at his black sister who was sharing tongues with Redsky.
"Of course," Shadowfern mewed, feeling lucky. This would giver her an opportunity to talk to her brother. Darting to the fresh-kill pile, she hauled a large, plump squirrel off with a smaller mouse and headed down the snowy fern tunnel and into the snow-covered clearing.
"Is that poultice ready yet?" Softberry was calling.
"Yes, I'll also take some poppy seeds for the pain in Stoneheart's shoulder," her brother's bright mew answered back.
She saw her brother's gray tabby pelt like an ashy spot on the clean snow. He halted when he saw her with the prey and dropped his leaf packet. "Softberry! Shadowp-er- Shadowfern has brought us prey," he called over his shoulder.
"Well thank her and get a move on!" the lightly edged voice of Softberry answered the call.
Whitepaw turned back to her, his eyes guarded. "Thank you," he mewed curtly. Shadowfern sighed as her brother snatched up his leaf packet and brushed past her, his taller and fuller form making her stumble as he brushed past her.
I'm not that big, but still! He meant to do that! She thought hotly, shaking the snow from her paws and looking after her brother's gray tail-tip. What did I do that made him angry?
Frowning, she stifled the tinge of pain at her heart. She refused to feel miserable at her brother's emotions, but she thought surface anyways. Why does it seem half the Clan hates me when I didn't even do anything?
Sighing, she knew thinking about it wouldn't help. So with a called goodbye to Softberry who was still in the dark den, she padded out through the fern tunnel and into the clearing to join Willowfrost's hunting patrol.
...
She's a warrior! I'm so proud, they grow up so fast... I need another story and new characters...
Please Review!
