Chapter 7:
"Now, let's try a new move." Mapleleaf's voice rang out.
Sapphirepaw too a deep breath. Her silver fur prickled with annoyance. Why can't he give me a break? Ever since the battle with RiverClan, her mentor had been training her harder than ever.
"Normally, you would have your claws unsheathed during this move, so you can rake your opponent's belly." Mapleleaf said. "However, since we're only training, I want you to keep your claws sheathed."
Sapphirepaw snorted. Did he think she was a kit? She new to keep her claws sheathed! Her paws itched to get to the actual move, "Can we actually fight now?" she complained.
Mapleleaf ignored her comment. "I will demonstrate how to use the move," he said. Sapphirepaw braced herself. Mapleleaf turned onto his side and slid under her. He immediately got back up on all four paws when he was done. "When you slide under them," he explained, "Rake their belly with your claws."
Sapphirepaw wasn't really listening, but more irritated with the fact that Mapleleaf seemed to be acting like it was her first day of training. When she had ran across the border, she had just been thinking of other cats! Weren't there cats in WindClan with families and mates, like in ThunderClan! The thought puzzled her. If she had a tom that would love her, care for her, who would she put first? Her mate or her clan…
"Are you listening?" Mapleleaf's impatient mew broke her thoughts. Sapphirepaw nodded, knowing that she hadn't. When Mapleleaf asked her to demonstrate, she stepped forward, paws weighing heavy with her lie.
She turned onto her side and slide under Mapleleaf's belly, using her paws like she was raking his belly. She landed upright after, but then, stumbled and fell down. Mapleleaf immediately pounced on her and Sapphirepaw let out a, "mpph!" Mapleleaf meowed, "If you don't stay balanced your attacker will pounce on you!"
Sapphirepaw's pelt grew red. She'd been too busy thinking about sliding under, she hadn't focused on landing upright. Was Mapleleaf trying to make her look bad? She got up and smoothed her silver fur. "Maybe," Mapleleaf said, "we should just stop for today." The tom turned around and exited the clearing.
Sapphirepaw followed tiredly. She ran into the undergrowth, with the shade of the trees reflecting on her pelt. The sun was slinking quickly into the sky, and she guessed it was about Sunhigh. The sun's rays relaxed her, warming up her whole body. Her breathing heaved, as she tried to keep up with the brown warrior. When they entered through the thorn tunnel, she saw Mapleleaf drop and sit by the nursery. Rockbelly. She thought. He's probably worried about Rockbelly, she should be kitting soon.
Her eyes filled with longing. Sapphirepaw flicked her tail. She didn't think she would ever be loved like that, not now…not ever. Was it because she was the deputy's daughter? Or maybe something else…
Across the clearing, she spotted Sparksong sitting in the sun. Forestgleam got up and moved toward the dark tabby. She saw Sparksong's ear twitch and she got up and went over to Daisywater. Forestgleam kept trying to talk to her, but Sparksong got up again and moved across the clearing. Sapphirepaw's eyes flickered with amusement. Somebody had the opposite problem.
Petalwind stood in the entrance to her den. She beckoned Sapphirepaw towards her with the flick of a tail. Sapphirepaw ran up to her. "What is it?" she asked the medicine cat, "do you need help gathering herbs?" The brown she-cat shook her head. When she disappeared into the den, Sapphirepaw followed.
Petalwind handed her some kind of root. "Burdock root," she explained, "can you get the mud off of it for me?" Sapphirepaw grew confused. Surely Petalwind could brush it off herself! She took the root. The mud was clinging to the wet root like moss on a rock.
"Okay, what did you really bring me in for?" Sapphirepaw mewed. She continued to brush off the mud. The medicine cat didn't meet her eyes. "I…" she began, "received a prophecy."
Sapphirepaw almost dropped the root. "What?" she gasped. A prophecy! When? Where? How? Who did it include? Was it bad? Was it good? Too many questions filled her mind and she couldn't seem to decide which to as. All that came out was, "Why are you telling me?"
Petalwind sighed heavily. Her eyes darted among the stock of herbs. "I think…it includes you." Sapphirepaw's eyes stretched wide. I'm only an apprentice! Petalwind spoke up again, "I will recite the prophecy for you." She closed her eyes and recited, "The storm's fury will save the wind and the ginger, the stream, and sapphire will bring peace to corruption." She opened her eyes, "I think sapphire refers to you."
A musty silence filled the den. Sapphirepaw meowed, "B…bu…but I'm only an apprentice!" Petalwind's violet eyes were shaded with shadows.
Wolfgrowl burst through the entrance. "Petalwind!" he snorted, "stop talking to my daughter and go to the nursery! Rockbelly's kitting!" Petalwind froze for a second, then darted out of the den.
Wolfgrowl just gave Sapphirepaw a cold glare and she padded outside.
The atmosphere was tense. Cats in camp, could hear Rockbelly's scream. Mapleleaf was distraught, and he paced in front of the nursery in anxiety. Sapphirepaw peered into the nursery. Petalwind was at Rockbelly's side and Mapleleaf wasn't far away. She could see the medicine cat speak to Rockbelly in a soothing voice. "Breathe," she said, "just breathe. You're going to be okay."
Rockbelly nodded though she was still wincing. Sapphirepaw padded out of the nursery. She wondered if she was going to ever have kits. After all, she was a she-cat, did that mean the clan expected her to? She wouldn't mind, but Sapphirepaw just couldn't imagine herself as a mother.
With one glance at the fresh-kill pile, she could tell that it was low, and some cats needed to be fed. Especially Rockbelly, if she was kitting. Sapphirepaw knew that Mapleleaf was too busy to tae her hunting. Perhaps one of the other warriors could. She padded over to Sparksong. "Hey Sparksong, could you take me hunting since Mapleleaf is too busy?" she asked.
Sparksong looked up at Sapphirepaw with relief. "Yes!" she said hastily, "yes, let's go now!" The new warrior got to her paws and Sapphirepaw followed her out of the camp. They were halfway through the camp entrance when we heard a voice, "Hey, Sparksong, wait!"
It was Petalwind's brother, Forestgleam. He raced up to Sparksong's side. "Sparksong!" he said, "I've been trying to talk to you all morning. What's the matter?"
Sapphirepaw grinned as Sparksong blushed. It was obvious she had been avoiding him. Sapphirepaw started to slip out of the thorn tunnel alone. Maybe I should leave them alone. She thought with a smile. But before she could slip out unnoticed, Sparksong pulled her back. "Oh no," she said to me in a low voice, "you are not leaving me alone with him."
She looked over at Forestgleam, but Sapphirepaw didn't think he heard Sparksong. Sapphirepaw exclaimed, "We were just going hunting. Do you want to join us?"
Forestgleam nodded slowly. "Okay. Where are we going to hunt?"
"ShadowClan border," Sparksong's voice cut in. "I wanted to check if they've been over the border anyway." We both nodded our heads and followed Sparksong as she darted out of camp. She was fast. Really fast. Even Forestgleam couldn't keep up and trailed beside Sapphirepaw.
It wasn't long before they scented prey. "Squirrel," Sapphirepaw whispered, "I'll get it." When the others didn't protest, she dropped into position, keeping her tail up so it was barely above the ground. The squirrel was close by, nibbling on a beech nut. Her paw steps were light and she inched forward. Snap! A twig broke beneath her paws and the Squirrel looked up from it's nut in fright. Sapphirepaw knew it was going to run, so she shot forward quickly and killed her prey with a swipe of her paw.
"Good job!" Sparksong and Forestgleam said in unison. Sapphirepaw purred with delight and buried the kill with her paw. In your face Mapleleaf!
They walked a little farther, sniffing around the border with ShadowClan, and Sapphirepaw kept alert for any unfriendly guests. She didn't know if ShadowClan was bluffing when they said they might need a little more room to "stretch their claws" at the gathering, but she wasn't going to take a chance.
Forestgleam trailed beside her still while Sparksong was ahead, stalking a thrush. He looked at Sapphirepaw and asked, "Why does Sparksong hate me?"
She grew shocked. He really thought Sparksong hated him! He looked at her, every bit of seriousness in his eyes. She almost laughed out loud. "Hate you?" she choked, "I really doubt she hates you."
He shrugged. "She's been avoiding me all day. I just don't understand it. Maybe...maybe she just doesn't like me." He hung his head down.
"Nonsense," Sapphirepaw hissed, "if you think she hates you, your a mousebrain. Can't you see?"
"See what?" Forestgleam asked.
Wow. She thought. Toms are dumb. She just shook her head and looked down. Sparksong flicked her tail for silence ahead. Her eyes were intent on something in the distance. For a second, Sapphirepaw forgot about Forestgleam's "problem."
"What is it?" Forestgleam asked. Sparksong's eyes stretched wide. Something's seriously wrong, Sapphirepaw thought.
"What is it?" she repeated.
Sparksong gestured to something in the distance with her tail, "Look." A strange scent filled Sapphirepaw's nose. It was a foul, horrible stench. Wait a second. She thought. No, no, no...it can't be...no...not...
But it was too late because Sparksong spoke Sapphirepaw's thoughts. "ShadowClan."
