Peopleee I'm so frustrated with Fanfiction! So many glitches! All Monday, I couldn't post a freakin' chapter. And at one point I couldn't even go to my profile/settings without getting an error message. I was like FUUUU. Then Tuesday, I could finally post chapters but if I did, it wouldn't appear on the first page of the fandom. That's kind of important, because I want y'all to know when I've updated. I wish Fanfiction would've at least given us an update and acknowledged that there's a problem. Anyways, I'll get off my soapbox now…
Blue1272000: I can't tell you! :X And thanks!
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CHAPTER SEVEN
"Gently, now."
Streampaw watched as Brackenclaw and Splashfur tenderly laid Smokestar in a nest in the medicine den. Pebblefur dipped his head to them. "Thank you."
The two warriors nodded and stepped out of the den, their eyes gleaming with anxiety.
Smokestar cracked open his dark blue eyes. "Pebblefur, I…I've lost a life."
Streampaw felt her blood run cold. He had lost a life at the Island Massacre as well. How many did he have left now? She didn't know how old her father was.
Pebblefur quickly went to work, passing herbs to Streampaw for her to chew up and swathing Smokestar's throat in cobweb. "What life was that?"
"My eighth." Smokestar closed his eyes.
Streampaw gasped; their leader was on his last life? How could this be? But then, she noticed the white fur around his muzzle. His whiskers were short and scraggly, and he had a bit of a wheeze when he exhaled. He was old, and Streampaw had never noticed. She touched her nose to his ear, wishing him to live forever.
"Streampaw, fetch him two poppy seeds," Pebblefur instructed. "He needs to rest."
Streampaw gently grabbed a few of the tiny black seeds and allowed Smokestar to lick them off her forepaw. After swallowing, he glanced up at Streampaw. "Have Shadepaw, Hawkpaw, and Nightpaw returned safely?"
"I…I'll go check." Streampaw burst into the clearing and glanced around. Nightpaw was across the clearing, speaking to Brackenclaw, but her other two littermates were nowhere to be found. She dashed over to Nightpaw. "Where are Shadepaw and Hawkpaw?"
Brackenclaw answered for her. "I sent out a patrol to retrieve them and to secure the borders. Don't worry."
Streampaw nodded and nudged Nightpaw with her nose. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Nightpaw's tail-tip twitched. "How is Smokestar?"
Streampaw remembered that he was on his last life, but decided not to tell her sister that. It was personal information, really, meant only for the leader, deputy, and medicine cat to know. "He's doing fine. Pebblefur is hard at work, trying to stop his bleeding. We gave him some poppy seeds so that he can rest."
The sound of approaching pawsteps made both she-cats turn to the thorn tunnel. Beside her, Nightpaw bristled and unsheathed her claws.
However, Streampaw had never been more relieved to see cats entering the camp. Robinwing was accompanying Hawkpaw and Shadepaw through the thorn tunnel, the apprentices' jaws filled with prey and eyes alight with anxiety and confusion.
Streampaw immediately raced over to the three cats and sniffed them over. "Are you okay?"
Robinwing nodded. "We're fine, Streampaw. None of us were attacked. Splashfur, Snowstorm, and Willowbreeze are still out, securing the territory."
Sighing in relief, Streampaw dipped her head to the senior warrior. "Thank you."
"What happened?" Hawkpaw demanded, his eyes wild with fear. "Is Smokestar all right?"
Streampaw gazed down at her paws. "I'm not entirely sure, but from what I've gathered, he was attacked by a rogue during the hunting assessment and lost a life. Nightpaw ran back to camp and Brackenclaw and Splashfur went to bring him back here."
Shadepaw gasped. "Oh, no!"
"He'll be fine, though." Streampaw still couldn't push away the fact that he was on his last life, but again, knew she couldn't tell her littermates that. Streampaw suddenly jolted with realization. Was Hawkpaw behind this? She was positive that he had been involved in Dustclaw's accident, and Streampaw was still suspicious of his involvement in Grasswave's "suicide". But no; Smokestar had claimed that it was a rogue who had attacked him, and Hawkpaw truly looked confused and frightened at the incident. There was no way he'd done anything.
Streampaw suddenly remembered Riddle and Mist; were they okay? Had they been attacked as well? She longed to check on them, make sure they were all right. But was it safe for her to venture into the forest alone? Splashfur, Snowstorm, and Willowbreeze answered that for her when they padded into the camp and reassured Brackenclaw that the territory was empty and that there were no signs of rogues.
Streampaw tried to forget about the loners. I need to focus on my Clan! But images of their lifeless bodies, shredded and bloody, continuously filled her mind and made her tremble. Maybe I should just check on them…
She bounded into the medicine den and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Smokestar fast asleep in his nest. It looked as though his neck would was still bleeding, but only lightly.
"Do you need any more cobwebs, or anything?" Streampaw asked Pebblefur nonchalantly, forcing herself to stop shaking and relax.
Pebblefur shook his head. "We're fine on cobwebs for now. Besides, the last thing I want you doing is going into the forest."
Streampaw sighed. I guess Riddle and Mist are in the paws of StarClan right now.
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"Why didn't you dream about this?" Streampaw growled, kneading the ground with her paws. "It's because you were training last night, weren't you?"
Nightpaw shook her head furiously, looking hurt that her sister didn't believe her. "No! I didn't train last night. I only dreamt about the blizzard. That's all."
Streampaw flattened her ears. "I'll bet you were supposed to receive that dream a few nights ago, but couldn't because you were training. Do you see why, now? Do you see why we have to dream? Our Clan's safety is in our paws. We're the only cats who can prevent these things from happening."
"I guess you're right." Nightpaw frowned, clearly not happy about admitting it. "Now I feel responsible for Smokestar being attacked." Her blue eyes were glazed with guilt, so Streampaw nuzzled her. "It's not your fault. I know you just wanted to help the Clan by getting stronger through those training sessions. But it's clear now that the way you can help the Clan is by receiving foreshadowing dreams."
Nightpaw nodded. "I understand now. I won't train there anymore. I promise."
"Nightpaw, Streampaw!"
Streampaw glanced up and darted into the clearing, away from the stone wall where she and Nightpaw had their talks. Pebblefur was sticking his head out of the medicine den and flicked his tail when he made eye contact with Streampaw.
"Does Pebblefur want to speak with us?" Nightpaw asked, following her sister to the medicine den. Streampaw shrugged. "I guess so. I hope Smokestar is all right." She watched as Pebblefur helped Stormpaw, who was still a patient in the medicine den, into the clearing. Stormpaw was limping, but looking much better.
"Stormpaw, you're doing great!" Nightpaw exclaimed. "You'll be able to train in no time!"
Streampaw guessed that, if Stormpaw had to leave the den, the conversation was going to be a serious, private one.
Smokestar dipped his head to the apprentices as they sat down in the den. "I just want to know, did either of you receive a dream foreshadowing this attack?"
The two she-cats shook their heads, and Streampaw could feel the guilt rolling off of Nightpaw in waves; however, neither of them spoke.
Smokestar looked puzzled. "I wonder why this is. You had dreams about Quailfeather's kits and about the Gathering…but why not this?"
"I'm not sure," Streampaw admitted.
Smokestar flexed his claws. "I wish I'd at least heard the mangepelt approaching. I would've had a much better chance of defeating him. But he was silent as a mouse, almost as though he just appeared in thin air!"
"I'm sure you put up a good fight," Pebblefur assured his leader. "You're such a strong fighter."
"I gave him a nick on the ear and good scratch down his tail, but that's about all I got in before he slashed me." Smokestar shrugged. "He was a talented fighter as well. Some of the moves he performed, I've never seen before."
Pebblefur frowned. "Do you think it was the leader of the rogues, like the one we saw at the Gathering?"
"The dark brown tabby?" Smokestar nodded. "Yes, it was him, I believe. He had these unmistakable yellow eyes that I would've recognized anywhere, and his claws were enormous! There was also a black-and-white tom in the bushes, but he didn't attack me. I guess the leader finished the job pretty quickly."
Streampaw felt Nightpaw stiffen beside her, and she glanced at her sister. Her eyes were glued to her paws and her whiskers were trembling. What was wrong?
"Rest now," Pebblefur told the old leader. "Are you still in any pain? Do you want some more poppy seeds?"
Smokestar shook his head. "I'm all right. Thank you."
Nightpaw spun around and raced out of the den.
Streampaw watched her sister, bewildered. What had spooked her? Pebblefur looked equally puzzled and looked expectantly at Streampaw, but she shrugged. She had no idea what was wrong with her, either.
When she padded into the clearing, Nightpaw was disappearing into the apprentices' den. She followed her and pushed her head in, but Nightpaw was already curled in a ball, her eyes closed. It was early; the sun had just set. But it was obvious that something had really startled her. Streampaw wished her sister would confide in her, but she decided to leave her alone.
Streampaw noticed that, for once, Hawkpaw wasn't asleep in his nest. That's odd. Normally he's so eager to get to sleep so that he can train! She ducked back out and glanced around the camp, but quickly understood why. Hawkpaw was standing at the thorn tunnel with Brackenclaw, Mousefoot, and Rainpool. Ha! He has to go on the moonhigh patrol! No training for you tonight, Hawkpaw!
Sighing, she sat down and wrapped her tail neatly over her paws. She knew that Hawkpaw was supposed to receive foretelling dreams just as she and Nightpaw did, but that his training with the strange cats was preventing him from getting them. Maybe I should get Nightpaw to talk to him about it, since I'm not actually supposed to know about his training there.
It was important that they received every dream from StarClan, for that one dream could mean life or death for a cat in their Clan. If Streampaw hadn't dreamt about the kit in the lake, Birchkit would probably be dead along with his brother Owlkit! And if she'd known to act upon some of the other dreams she and Nightpaw had received, such as the fox trap and the Gathering, many other cats would be alive and well.
Streampaw nodded to herself. Yes, I'll ask Nightpaw to persuade him to stop training at night. He's just as much a part of this strange situation as we are.
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Okay, I know that this was also a really short chapter, and also incredibly boring, but Nightpaw is really freaked out about something. What is it? Can you guys guess? c:
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this (short, boring) chapter! Thanks for reading, have an awesome day, and don't forget to leave me a review! :D
