Yayy reviews. 8D

Buahaha this is a chapter I've been looking forward to writing for quite a while. (There are two other chapters I'm really looking forward to writing - looking forward to even more than this one - but they're a hell of a lot darker than this one. DUN DUN DUN.) I'll try to make it as serious as I can, even though...cats on drugs...Lionpaw on drugs...hahaha.

Originally this was going to last only one moon, but I think it'll go for longer. I have another idea for screwing around with Lionpaw's life a bit more.

Did you know, apart from Crowfeather, Lionpaw's my favourite character in the Power of Three?

I like Ashfur a lot, too.

I'm awful.

Enjoy. :)

ps. I listened to U2's 'Beautiful Day' while writing most of this. It goes quite nicely, I think.


CHAPTER SIX

Lionpaw had the dream every night.

By now, the other apprentices had all realized Lionpaw was having nightmares. Hollypaw suggested Lionpaw ask Jaypaw for some poppy seeds, but nothing would stop the horrible dream. Lionpaw didn't doubt it was related to Heatherpaw - even just after the first dream, he'd guessed that what happened to Lionpaw in his sleep was happening to Heatherpaw in reality. The thought made him shudder, for though the dream was terrible, he always knew that that was all it was: a dream. That was not the case for Heatherpaw.

Every night, Lionpaw dreaded going to sleep. He would wake up wanting to flinch from every cats' touch, including his own sister's; he wanted to curl up far, far away from everyone else; he felt as if he got no rest. This made training even more difficult; his muscles were always sore and he was always tired and due to leaf-bare's usual lack of prey, he was nearly always hungry as well. To make things worse, Ashfur was often in a foul mood and was therefore pushing Lionpaw harder than ever. The two toms were no longer so friendly with each other; they both got irritable very quickly. Had Lionpaw not been so caught up with his own troubles, he might have wondered if something was wrong with his mentor and Thornclaw. As it was, Ashfur's secret affair never crossed Lionpaw's mind.

"You're never going to catch anything if you keep falling over," Ashfur observed critically.

"I'm tired!" Lionpaw snapped, his fur bristling.

"Deal with it! Warriors don't let petty things like a bit of weariness stop them from hunting."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you catch something, then?"

To Lionpaw's dismay, a squirrel stumbled across them only moments after he finished speaking and Ashfur was able to swiftly kill it. Furious at the smirk on Ashfur's face, Lionpaw stalked off, feeling about as mature as a newborn kit and not caring in the slightest. Ashfur did not follow.

Wandering through the snowy ThunderClan forest, Lionpaw fumed. Why couldn't Ashfur be at least a little bit sympathetic? Perhaps he truly believed Lionpaw was pathetic. Unfortunately, there was a small part of Lionpaw's brain that agreed. Lionpaw wasn't the first cat to have a disturbed sleep. After all, Firestar himself used to have troubled dreams all the time, didn't he? But Firestar was always a good warrior despite that!

His angry thoughts were disturbed when a warm scent suddenly wafted his way - catnip? Momentarily distracted, Lionpaw followed the scent eagerly. If there was enough fresh catnip...he'd be a hero! Then we'll see just how pathetic I am! He didn't recognize this part of the forest, but he was sure he was still in ThunderClan's territory. There were places that were so prey-poor that warriors scarcely bothered going there; it didn't surprise Lionpaw that he'd crossed one of them.

Lionpaw's jaw fell open, and not only because of the delicious smell. In front of him lay masses of catnip, lush and green despite the frost that crippled the other plants. Without hesitation, Lionpaw darted forward and grabbed mouthfuls of the plant, feeling more awake than he had in ages. Though the texture felt funny to him, he'd only ever had catnip once, and he figured it was only because of the cold.

He sprinted back to camp as quickly as he could, though his breathing was heavy by the time he reached his destination.

"Leafpool!" he called, spotting the tabby she-cat instantly and spitting out the catnip.

"Lionpaw - is that catnip?" Leafpool gasped, her amber eyes wide. "Thank StarClan; Whitewing's got greencough."

As she spoke, Lionpaw saw Jaypaw approach them, knowing exactly where they were despite the fact that he couldn't see them.

"Catnip, you say?" he mewed. For some reason, he sounded slightly suspicious, as if he thought Lionpaw was lying. He sniffed the plant uncertainly, then glanced up at Lionpaw. "Where did you find this?"

"Huh-? I don't know, I was just wandering around and there it was..."

"I don't think it's catnip."

Leafpool blinked at her apprentice, startled. "What else could it be?"

Jaypaw shrugged. "Might just be damaged by the cold, but it smells a bit different and feels all weird. Besides, how could catnip survive this weather?"

"I suppose you're right," Leafpool meowed sadly. "It'd be awful if we ended up killing the cats we're trying to cure. I'm sorry, Lionpaw, but we can't use this."

"What?" Lionpaw couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to claw Jaypaw, and then perhaps Leafpool as well. He could only hope that Ashfur didn't hear of what happened.

Leafpool looked sympathetic. "Again, I'm sorry. You'd better take this away before some other cat gets all hopeful."

Lionpaw didn't even try hiding his anger as he grabbed the catnip with his jaws and stormed back out of the camp. It was all so unfair! Why couldn't he ever get anything right? Other apprentices didn't seem to struggle with life so much. Not with their friends or their mentors or regular training. But perhaps he could show them. Perhaps he could prove that Jaypaw was wrong and that the catnip was perfectly fine. He didn't need to think twice before he was chewing rapidly on the vibrant green leaves, enjoying a sweet flavor similar to honey.

He realized some part of him must have been nervous, for his body instantly relaxed. There! Nothing had happened! Of course it hadn't. Why should something happen? It was just catnip, after all. He continued chewing on the leaves without thinking about it. He was finding the rhythmic motion comforting somehow.

He settled down under a large, snow-capped tree. For some reason, it was as he was chewing on the leaves that he remembered Ashfur's affair. Just one more thing to worry about, he thought bitterly. He wanted to wail aloud like a newborn kit...or perhaps he wanted to curl up and go to sleep and never wake up. His life was so, so complicated; he didn't know how he'd ever sort any of it out. A small part of him wished he could confide in Hollypaw or Jaypaw, but he knew he couldn't. Jaypaw was too busy with his medicine cat duties, and Hollypaw...Hollypaw would try to sort everything out practically, giving him false hope until he realized there was no hope left, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to bear the disappointment. Ordinarily he would have talked to Heatherpaw, but of course that was impossible.

With this last thought, he let his mind go blank - he didn't want to stress himself out even more. He watched the snowflakes gently fall to the ground, coating the ground with a soft layer of pure white fluff, each tiny crystal different from the next. The wide sky was very pale grey, yet beautiful in it's simplicity. Leaf-bare isn't so bad, Lionpaw thought dreamily. In no other season was the forest in such comfortable silence, it's serenity untouched by the horrors of the beings who inhabited it.

A kind of peaceful bliss enveloped the young golden tom. He absentmindedly began chewing on more of the catnip, feeling a most wonderful sensation course through his body. Ashfur, Thornclaw, Breezepaw, Heatherpaw, Hollypaw, Jaypaw...they all seemed very distant. Not unimportant, exactly; he just knew he couldn't sort out his problems right now anyway - what was the point in worrying about it?

He didn't know how long he lay there, more relaxed than he'd been in ages. Eventually he decided he'd better go back to camp; it was getting dark and he had to get some rest - hadn't he been exhausted earlier? Reluctantly, he realized he'd have to leave the catnip behind. Leafpool would only get angry with him if she saw he still had it.

He slowly got to his paws, staggering a bit. He felt slightly dazed and, indeed, his vision was a bit blurred. He shrugged - perhaps he was more tired than he'd thought - and took a step forward.

The trees moved.

"No they didn't," Lionpaw argued aloud, not sure who he was talking to. Himself, probably. It didn't make sense, though. Trees didn't move.

He took another step forward. The trees stayed still.

Another step.

The trees moved again.

Lionpaw was beyond sane thought now. "It's sort of pretty, isn't?" he meowed. "They sort of whish. It's just the wind, I guess, but it is very lovely. Hey look - that one jumped! Oh, hah, maybe that was me."

He laughed, deeply amused with himself.

He returned to camp quite cheerfully, even meowing a bright greeting to Daisy as he passed her. No, he wasn't just cheerful - he was ecstatic! He wasn't sure he'd ever felt this good before.

"Hi Hollypaw!" he meowed happily, as he approached her by the apprentice's den.

"Oh, hello, Lionpaw," his sister replied, looking startled.

"Did you know? - the trees were moving!"

"Were they now?" There was a hint of alarm to her voice.

"You don't believe me." Lionpaw felt a burst of irrational anger. Why did Hollypaw have to ruin everything?

Hollypaw blinked. "I didn't say that. It just sounds...unlikely."

"Fine, whatever. I'm going to go sleep now."

"You're not having anything to eat?"

"I'm not hungry." It wasn't a lie.

Hollypaw didn't stop him when he went into the den and collapsed on his nest.

For the first time since his meeting with Heatherpaw, Lionpaw did not dream.


For some reason, I've felt it necessary to write these past two chapters late at night. You know, when I'm so tired I can't think properly.

DON'T DO DRUGS, KIDS. See? See what they can do to you? Haha, Lionpaw sounds so crazy. In fact, maybe he is crazy. It'd explain a lot.

We're going to get introduced to a new character next chapter. Well, not new, since this new character already exists in the Warriors books, but new to being important in this story. Thornclaw's going to actually have a role too.

Wow, right after I finished writing that, my brother came along and told me he was thinking of trying mushrooms or acid.

...idiot.

DON'T DO DRUGS, KIDS.