Chapter Ten - Ready Or Not

It was well past dawn when Storm was woken up to a sound. His ears pricked forward in alarm when he recognized Flare's wail. Without a second thought he jumped to his paws and raced over to the tree where Rex normally slept. Storm's eyes widened when he realized what had upset Flare so much.

Rex lay sprawled out on the root of the tree. His eyes were half opened, and he wasn't moving. It didn't take Storm long to realize that Rex was dead. He'd recognized the sight of death from when he was a kit. Seeing it now sent shivers down Storm's spine. Rex had lived a long life. And now he had died peacefully. That was more than anyone could ever ask for.

"He saved me, even though I helped him escape," Flare rasped as she touched her nose to his pelt. "Those rogues would have killed me if he hadn't stopped them. I owed him my life."

"He was a good cat," Storm murmured sympathetically. Though he barely knew Rex, Storm had understood what it was like to lose someone he cared about. He'd already lost his sister and the Clan that took him in. And though he barely knew his mother, he had lost her as well.

"He'll find a place among the stars, I'm sure of it." Flare looked at the sky as the sun began to slowly rise. Soon it would be time for them to hide; the last thing Storm wanted was to be caught by Twolegs. "We need to bury him around here, he loved the park and the fact that you took him in."

Storm nodded in agreement. Though he wasn't too sure what to say to that. Rex would never have survived had he not taken him and Flare in. Storm could still remember the way Flare had acted when they first met. She used her charm to get her way, and of course it had worked.

He followed Flare to where she planned on burying him. Sure enough she found a spot under the roots. It was wide enough and deep enough that they could place his body inside. The hardest part was covering it up to keep anything from getting in. Flare finished the job by placing leaves and moss from his old nest onto the grave. Storm bowed his head once she was finished. If Rex had been part of the Clan than maybe he would have lived longer.

I don't want to put Flare's life in danger, he thought as he remembered how much Willowpaw had hated him. Storm could already imagine the she-cat acting up if Flare were to join the Clan. He doubted she would be willing to anyways. From what he gathered Flare wasn't too fond of the Clans. And maybe it was better that way.

"May you find peace and good hunting, where ever you go," Flare sighed as the Twolegs began to arrive. Storm stiffened when he heard a shrill cry coming from behind. He turned around in time to see a chubby looking small Twoleg running towards them. Flare let out a hiss and dove into the roots they hadn't buried in. Storm was quick to follow, and they waited there until they were certain the kit was gone. "I hope they don't disturb his grave," she added once there was silence.

"They won't even notice it," Storm reassured her. "Twolegs can be more than just mousebrained. Knowing them they probably walked by and didn't even notice."

Flare looked at him doubtfully, but luckily she didn't say anything. Once the kit was gone they peered outside to see that clouds had gathered across the sky. It was hazy out, and something told Storm that rain was on it's way. He sat outside their small makeshift nest and watched the Twolegs nearby. They truly were strange creatures.

That was when Storm noticed something strange in the distance. His eyes widened when he saw the lithe form of Cricketpaw standing nearby. She wasn't moving like he expected her to when the Twolegs came by. Instead she sat there and acted as though nothing was wrong. And for a moment, Storm was tempted to yowl at her for acting like such a mousebrained kit. But then he stopped himself when he saw the look in her eyes.

Why aren't you going back to the Clan? he wondered. Cricketpaw bowed her head and padded on, and to Storm's shock, he saw another cat with her. This one was a dark brown she-cat, with piercing amber eyes and a scar right above her left eye. Storm felt his hackles rise almost instantly when he realized she was one of the rogues he'd seen before. What was Cricketpaw doing there? And with that rogue of all cats? Didn't she know just how dangerous they were?

"Is something wrong?" Flare asked when she noticed he was staring off into space. Storm blinked and shook his head. He wasn't sure if he should answer her properly. At least not until he was certain that Cricketpaw was working with the rogues rather than against them.

"Stay here. There's something I need to do," he sighed as he got to his paws. By now the rain had started, and most of the Twolegs were running for cover. He and Flare were protected by a canopy of thick oak leaves, of which he was more than thankful for. "And I'm not going to like it."

The ginger she-cat stared at him in disbelief as he padded away. Immediately his pelt became soaked as he bounded towards the path Cricketpaw and that rogue had taken. Though the rain washed their scents away, Storm was still able to follow where they had gone. Something told him it was near one of the alleyways. The rogues liked to gather there during the night, but often he could see them heading there during the day.

Storm padded along the path carefully until he stopped near a couple of boxes that were piled together. His ears pricked forward when he saw a group of rogues gathered in one of the alleys. Sure enough he realized that this was more than just a meeting. Their stench was almost overwhelming, and Storm resisted the urge to gag.

"We are gathered here today to welcome our newest member, Cricket." Storm gaped when he saw the huge black tom from his first trip to the park. He had piercing green eyes, and scars raked across his pelt. But that wasn't what terrified Storm the most. It was the way he stared at Cricketpaw hungrily that scared Storm. "Let us see just how strong you really are."

Faster than anyone could react, the dark brown she-cat from earlier lunged at Cricketpaw. Horror seared through Storm as he watched the she-cat strike at Cricketpaw mercilessly. Cricketpaw winced every time she was hit. But to Storm's surprise, she didn't fight back. Instead she continued staring at the black tom as if daring him to challenge her himself. The black tom didn't look amused by her reaction.

"Olive, Rogue, take this cat and teach her a lesson," the tom ordered after glaring at her. "The rest of you, I want to speak with."

Storm pressed on and followed the two cats the tom had called out. His pelt was standing on end despite the rain that coated it. Fear was starting to take over as he followed them towards a darker area of Twolegplace. The two rogues didn't stop until they had reached the edge of a yard. The grass here was taller than everywhere else, and Storm could see windows that were broken in a few places of the nest. Something told him that this nest had long since been abandoned.

"What are we doing out here?" Cricketpaw asked warily. She looked more unnerved than ever, and she had every right to. Storm was shocked that she had agreed to meet with the rogues at all. She was smarter than this. He knew she was up to something that would teach the rogues a lesson, hopefully.

"Striker wants us to prepare for the sacrifice that will happen tonight," the tortoiseshell she-cat replied in a blunt tone. "The best way to do that is to prepare you for what will happen."

Now Cricketpaw's eyes showed real fear. Storm suddenly understood why. He'd heard the rogues were taking cats captive just for sacrifice rituals. No one was sure why they did it, but he had a feeling they were both about to find out.

"First, we need to start a fire," the black and white tom with stripes along his tail meowed. Storm felt his fur bristle once again. He knew nothing could would come out of this. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to get Cricketpaw out of there. One way or another, he would die trying.

...

"Letting a loner become a medicine cat?" Furzepelt was the first cat to speak out against Sagetail's suggestion. He had called the Clan together after speaking with Leafstar. At first everyone was surprised by his suggestion. Nightpaw wasn't expecting them to welcome her with open paws. In fact she had braced herself for any criticism that would follow. "I've heard you say some crazy things, but this by far is the craziest," Furzepelt spat as he glared at Sagetail.

"That's enough, Furzepelt," Leafstar hissed. "Sagetail has already told me that Nightpaw knows most of the herbs he uses," she went on as the Clan erupted into hushed whispers. "He believes that she would make a fine apprentice, if you all just gave her a chance."

"I think I'd rather become a rogue myself than let that fleabag heal my wounds," Willowpaw snarled. Her remark earned a cuff over the ears by Mintspot. Nightpaw blinked at him gratefully, though she didn't need him reminding Willowpaw where her place was.

"Sagetail needs an apprentice," Petalwind pointed out. Nightpaw was more than surprised when her mentor stood up for her. "Don't you think that giving her a chance is the least we could do?"

Relief washed over Nightpaw as cats began to murmur in agreement. She was thankful that Petalwind spoke up for her. The pale ginger she-cat looked at her calmly and gave the faintest nods of approval. She resisted the urge to purr in triumph when she realized that some cats cared for her.

"Sagetail, when the half moon is upon us I expect you to take Nightpaw to the Mooncave," Leafstar told the medicine cat. "You are both compassionate and patient towards even the most stubborn cat, and I expect you to pass on your knowledge to Nightpaw."

Nightpaw restrained a purr as she touched noses with Sagetail. The brown and white tom looked just as happy as she felt. This was one change she had not expected. Whether or not she was ready for that change, she wasn't sure. But the happy moment wasn't going to last. Nightpaw was ready to say something else when she saw Dustpaw bounding towards the group.

"I think Cricketpaw's gone missing," he announced while gasping for breath. Almost at once anxiety rippled through the crowd. Nightpaw felt her fur bristling slightly when she realized what that meant. "We were out hunting and I didn't realize she was gone until I got back to our meeting place," he explained when Leafstar had asked what happened.

Fear wrenched at Nightpaw's heart. She remembered hearing stories about cats disappearing in Twolegplace. Rogues were often blamed for their disappearances. And in some instances, those disappearances led to the sacrifice of those who were taken. She could only hope that wasn't the case for Cricketpaw.

"I'm sending out a patrol to find her," Ravenflight meowed, determination gleaming in her eyes. Leafstar eyed her warily before nodding in agreement.

"Check all the borders, and see if you can find her scent," Leafstar told her. Just as she said that it started to rain. Nightpaw held back a groan when she realized that would take away any hope of picking up Cricketpaw's scent.

One way or another, the Clan had to find Cricketpaw. Nightpaw just hoped that her disappearance didn't have anything to do with Storm's banishment. She was already aware that the two had liked each other. But now that Storm was gone, they had nothing. Nightpaw sent a silent prayer that Cricketpaw would be found. She wasn't sure how the Clan would react if anything happened to the other apprentice.

AN: I'm having so much fun with this story :) And even though I'm not getting many reviews, I will continue writing! Also, huge thanks to Snowfall16 for reviewing, I really appreciate your feedback :D

Snowfall16 - XD It's okay, I tend to do the same thing ^^ And I'm glad you like the story so much; I do have a tendency to overlook simple grammatical errors like that D: Hopefully the issue won't continue, but I can't make any promises ;) Forgot to add that my chapters usually will range between a thousand to three thousand depending on how much detail I put in :)