Chapter Eight
Terror coursed though Gentlepaw's body as the creature stepped out of the cave and reviled one mighty black paw in the moon light. Following the paw was a enormous body that was two times the size of Brackenfang himself. The two yellow eyes reviled nothing but scorn and hatred as it barreled into the clearing. It was a bear.
Bears were rarely seen on TreeClan territory, but this one must have ventured within the Clans borders. Gentlepaw only heard of bears in the nursery but never actually seen one until tonight. She froze in terror as the bear walked closer to Brackenfang. In the vicious warrior's jaws were a dead hare. The dark golden tom threw the hare at the bears paws. Geneltepaw watched in horror as another bear thundered out of the cave. This one, was three times as big as the first one. Gentleman assumed the smaller one was its cub.
The larger bear roared and savagely ripped apart the hare. Gentlepaw was so terrified, her only instinct was to run back to camp, and with that, she did so.
...
Gentlepaw tossed and turned in her nest with only one thought on her mind. What did Brackenfang want with the bears? She thought. Shaking the thought from her head, she looked through the trees to see the rays of pink and pale gold filtering through the leaves. She rose to her paws and padded carefully onto the branch. She nosed Dawnpaw and then Skypaw. Both littermates rose their heads to look at Gentlepaw, who carefully made her way down the tree silently.
"Good morning, Gentlepaw. Leafbare has greeted us with cold winds." Tawnystar meowed between licks and she groomed her colorful pelt.
"Your training is coming along well, before long, you'll be sleeping higher in the Skytree soon." Tawnystar purred when Gentlepaw didn't answer.
Gentlepaw felt sick about sleeping closer to Brakenfang and his followers. She knew that soon enough, cats would be killed, and she had already lost enough. "Gentlepaw, is something wrong?" Tawnystar meowed with a questioning look in her gaze.
"I just didn't sleep well." she lied as she padded away from her mentor and leader.
She padded closer to the willow tree that housed the medicine den and the elders den. She scaled the tree with ease and when she entered the medicine-den, Silentwhisper looked at her in astonishment. "Gentlepaw! You look scared out of your fur!" she gasped.
Gentlepaw looked down at her pelt and noticed it was matted and unkept. Embarrassment washed over the golden she-cat when she realized she spoke to her leader in this state. "Uhh.. Nothing, I just didn't sleep well last night." she meowed quietly.
"I can see that. If you need any poppy seeds tonight, come see me." Silentwhisper meowed as she turned and tended to her herbs. "By the way, your mother kitted during the night. She had two kits. Jaykit and Thornkit."
"That's great." Gentlepaw meowed solemnly as she exited the den with anger boiling beneath her pelt.
She sat on the roots of the willow tree and began to groom her messy pelt. She knew her mother would tell her two new kits about her. How she hated the way she looked and disowned her. She dug her thorn-sharp claws into the root of the tree. She finished her pelt with frustrated licks as a familiar dark grey pelt padded up to her. "Hello, Gentlepaw." he purred.
"Hello, Sootwhisker." she responded plainly.
He looked at her with concern filling his amber eyes, "It's your mother, isn't it?"
"Why won't she love me? She is staying in the nursery with Jaykit and Thornkit but disowns me! it's not fair! I don't have anyone!" Gentlepaw growled angerly.
"You have me." he meowed as he scooted closer to her.
She looked into his deep amber gaze and a purr rose in her throat. All she saw in his gaze was love. "You're right. I do have you, and that's all I need." she purred before she reached up and licked his cheek gently.
The hazel bushes rustled in front of them and Gentlepaw's fur bristled. Sootwhisker stood up protectively as the rustling grew stronger. Soon enough, Gentlepaw stood only to see Brackenfang, Barkclaw, and Foxstep enter the camp clearing. Sootwhisker calmed but Gentlepaw's fur still stood on end. "Isn't something odd about them?" she asked the dark grey tom.
"They do smell a bit odd, but they're just loyal warriors coming back from a dawn patrol." he responded with a simple flick of his bushy tail.
"Right." she meowed as she stood and padded to where Foxstep stood.
"I could smell you last night. I don't have anything to say to you." he snarled.
Little did Gentlepaw know, Sootwhisker had followed her and he stood protectively in front of her and growled, "Watch what you say to her, Foxstep. I don't know what it is with you, but something doesn't smell right."
Foxstep's green eyes turned to tiny slits and before he could reply, a terrible growl sounded from behind the hazel bushed. Gentlepaw whipped around to see the cub bear trample the bushes. Shrieks sounded from the Skytree as warriors poured from the branches. Gentlepaw leaped to her paws and bounded at the bear. Deadly ivory teeth glistened with blood as the bear dropped the dead body of Mossheart on the grass. Sootwhisker snarled and lashed out at the bear just missing the creatures muzzle by a whisker. Gentlepaw made up for his slowness and landed on the muzzle with powerful hind claws. She lashed at the bears head as it flung it's board skull side to side trying to escape her grip. Blood oozed on her paws making them slippery as she flew off. Foxstep had his jaws clamped around the bears hind paw as it turned and roared in his face. Terror gleamed from his green eyes as the bear clamped his jaws just mouse lengths away from his head. Gentlepaw rose to her paws and bounded to help her clanmate. With fierce claws, she dove in front of Foxstep and sliced the bears nose open. He stared at her in complete shock as warriors poured onto the bear.
Obviously beaten, the bear turned around and trampled the bushes more. Once the bear had gone, she noticed cats standing over a bright colored pelt. Tawnystar! She feared as she bounded to her leaders side. She couldn't die just yet! Not when Brackenfang was deputy! The colorful she-cat was still, but after moments passed, life hit her body and her breathing came back slowly. With a sign of relief, she got out of the way of Silentwhisper and padded to when Sootwhisker sat. The dark grey tom was grooming his blood-soaked pelt.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join me here by the moss stump for a clan meeting." Tawnystar rasped as she shook on top of the stump.
Gentlepaw whipped around to see her leader barely able to sit up on her own. Silentwhisper sat close to her to make sure she was alright as she continued, "Gentlepaw, Skypaw, and Dawnpaw. Come forth."
Gentlepaw padded up cautiously in front of the stump with her two close denmates. She looked up at her wounded leader who meowed, "Dawnpaw, Gentlepaw, and Skypaw, do you each promise to protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your lives?"
"I do!" Dawnpaw yowled as her pelt bristled with excitement.
"I do!" Skypaw yowled with the same excitement as her littermate.
"I do." Gentlepaw finally meowed as Sootwhisker nudged her gently.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, Dawnpaw, you will be known as Dawnlight. Skypaw, you will be known as Skymist. And Gentlepaw, you have suffered much and have not hesitated to provide for your Clan. You have put your happenings aside and have turned into a fine warrior. From this day forward, you will be known as Gentlewhisper. TreeClan is truly blessed to have such honorable warriors with us today. We honor your intelligence, loyalty, and bravery and welcome you each as full warriors of TreeClan.
"Gentlewhisper! Skymist! Dawnlight!" all but Brackenfang and Barkclaw cheered.
A purr rose deep in her throat when her clanmates cheered her new name. She felt evil eyes glare at her from far away. She turned to see Brackenfang glaring at her with such a hatred, it made her fur quiver with anxiety. Sootwhisker blocked her view and purred, "You finally get to share a nest with me, Gentlewhisper!"
Gentlewhisper looked at him and purred. Brackenfang was the least of her worries. With Sootwhisker at her side, she could tackle anything his threw at her.
A/N: This was typed on my phone, as you might be able to tell, so ignore any errors for now! I'll fix them as soon as possible! Finally! Gentlepaw gets her warrior name! When do you guys think of Gentlewhisper? How about SootxGentle? I have the next several chapters figured out so they should be up every day or so! REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!:)
