Wow, I'm sorry for disappearing for like, two months. I all of a sudden had writer's block, and then decided to wait to continue the story until inspiration came again. I have to say it, I enjoy this chapter nine better than the one I wrote when I was still struggling to decide what I was going to have happen. I apologize for any distress I may have caused during my inexplicable disappearance. I assure you, though, contradictory to last chapter, I will never give up on this story. Unless I die.
Chapter Nine: There Are Others
A light snowfall was beginning to dust the ForestClan camp. Little sprinkles of white was softly enveloped by Lightningpaw's ginger fur, giving him a paler appearance. Rainpaw and Hazelpaw were pressed together next to him as they all huddled for warmth. The three of them were all sharing some fresh-kill; a couple of scrawny sparrows. Prey was quickly becoming scarce, a fact which was painfully obvious in the way the skin of cats all around were beginning to hang on their scraggly frames. The going was tough, even tougher he was told after BranchClan appeared.
Hazelpaw shifted beside him, and her eyes narrowed to slits. She tilted her head towards him, her body tense. "When do you think Firepaw and Graypaw will be coming back?"
"Soon, hopefully," Lightingpaw murmured quietly. The tom let out a long sigh and put his paws to his head. Ever since leaf-bare had really settled in, everything had become so much harder to do. Every fight in the training clearing drained him, every hunt proved practically fruitless, and now, sickness was starting to become prevalent. Mosspaw and Ripplefall, Graypaw's mentor, were both experiencing symptoms of whitecough, and were being treated by Sparkleaf and Whitepaw, who had decided to become a medicine cat apprentice. Lightningpaw wondered how big the clan's stock of herbs was now that there was no living stock to replenish it.
A rustle of sleeping vegetation, stark and leafless, occurred near the entrance to the camp. Bushpelt stumbled through, a single, starved mouse in his jaws. Applepaw followed, a tiny little bird that Lightningpaw couldn't identify in his mouth. Firepaw came next, his mood considerably brighter than the cats that had come before him. Lightingpaw could see why; Firepaw had a thin rabbit firmly clamped between his teeth! Thistlefang, Ashear, and Graypaw came up behind him with several mice between them, but Lightningpaw only had eyes for Firepaw.
The brightly colored tom deposited his kill on the almost vacant fresh-kill pile, and bound eagerly over to Lightningpaw. "Look!" Firepaw indicated the scrawny rabbit once more with his tail, his eyes shining. "I caught my first rabbit!"
"I can see that," Hazelpaw said dryly. Lightningpaw smiled a little bit at her comment, and Rainpaw purred. Firepaw only narrowed his eyes, his mood completely changed, and whisked off. The trio looked after him in surprise as he stalked away.
There was a pattering of feet, and Lightningpaw looked over his shoulder to see Graypaw, an exasperated expression on her face. "He's been acting like that since we left. He just has to be the best! What's up with him, bees in his brain?"
Hazelpaw just shook her head and lowered it to her paws. "I don't know, we used to joke around when we were kits about being the greatest warriors ever, but you know, that's kit-stuff. Only, he never really grew out of it."
"I want to be a good warrior, too," Rainpaw protested. "Does that mean I need to stay in the nursery for another moon?"
All the apprentices purred at the gray tom's joke, and Graypaw nudged her littermate playfully. "Get going already, fur ball! Mistbreeze is waiting!"
Rainpaw shook his head and grinned. "Nice try, but I think I enjoy cleaning out the elder's bedding and gathering moss too much to laze around in the nursery!"
Another round of purring greeted his words, and Hazelpaw curled into herself, unable to stop for breath. "Stop . . . you're killing me!"
"Speaking of lazing around!" The apprentices stood stock still, and looked round to see Sparkleaf glowering down at them in disapproval. Whitepaw hung around behind her, snaking her neck to look at the warriors to-be with wide eyes. Lightningpaw straightened himself suddenly, fearful of the medicine cat's anger. It probably looked like the apprentices were doing nothing bumbling around day in and day out.
The elderly tortoiseshell grumbled at them, muttering about how things had been when she was a young and pretty she-cat, and how lazy apprentices were practically unheard of. She flicked her tail and straightened, her amber gaze steadily trained on them. "Tell you what, since you all don't have anything better to do, I'll take you with me to see if there is any herbs to be salvaged in this cold."
Lightningpaw trudged absentmindedly behind Graypaw, Hazelpaw, Rainpaw, Whitepaw, and Sparkleaf as they all scoured ForestClan's territory for any remaining life in its vegetation. The tom nosed a limp plant that seemed a shade green, but it was apparent that it was far past its usefulness. Lightningpaw sighed; this was pointless! Everything was either dead or dying. But hopefully not us, Lightingpaw noted as an afterthought.
Suddenly, Whitepaw paused, and turned her head sharply. "Catmint!" she purred, bounding forward. Lightningpaw looked round to see what she had found, and spied a healthy green bundle of leaves that smelt incredibly delicious. The apprentice started forward, eager to have something good salvaged out of this hunt when the wind shifted.
The icy breeze bit into Lightningpaw's pelt, but the scent it carried was really what made his blood run cold. "Whitepaw, wait!" He bound forward, desperate to stop Whitepaw when a flash of fur indicated he was too late.
A dark she-cat, quickly followed by several grey cats of varying shades except for one brown apprentice, led the charge from MarshClan's swampy vegetation, surrounding Whitepaw. She looked fiercely down at the tiny white apprentice, who squeaked and scrambled back over the border. "What is this apprentice doing in our territory?" The she-cat snarled, directing her question at Sparkleaf.
The medicine cat narrowed her eyes at the black she-cat, undaunted. "Darkpelt," she began smoothly. "We were simply looking to salvage what plants we can before the frost sets in. If you don't mind, it would do us a great deal of good for you to share some of that catmint."
Darkpelt snarled. "Sorry, Sparkleaf, but this is MarshClan's, and we can use every last leaf! Besides, don't you have some in your supply?"
"Nothing lasts forever," Sparkleaf replied smoothly. "Not even leaf-bare. So don't act like you can't afford to give us a bundle of those leaves."
One dark gray tom, his muzzle and ears splashed with lighter gray, growled in displeasure. "It's not our fault if you decided to let BranchClan have all of your herbs."
"Thornfrost!" Darkpelt snapped, but the tom remained unapologetic. The small silvery-gray she-cat at his side smirked and flicked her feathery tail. Lightningpaw glared at her in response, prompting her attention. The tom was surprised by the depth her cold blue eyes seemed to hold, a shadow of pain behind that disk of ice. He blinked, and she looked away.
Sparkleaf purred, an awful grating sound that did not hold any warmth. To Lightningpaw, it sounded almost forced. "Tell me, Thornfrost, if ForestClan is a bunch of weak-hearted cowards, than what is MarshClan to allow you an apprentice and have your head swell beyond its already enlarged state?"
"Sparkleaf, please!" Lightningpaw turned to see Whitepaw, who was trembling. He blinked and wondered what this encounter had to be like from her point of view, for the kind-hearted apprentice couldn't stand seeing others fighting "over nothing". In this case, Lightningpaw agreed with her; a wound or a death over this scraggly, dying bit of catmint was definitely not worth it.
Sparkleaf looked over at her apprentice, and something in her hard gaze softened. She looked back at MarshClan, and glared at them. "Have it be known that it is against the code to deny me help as a medicine cat. Your grievances with ForestClan aren't to be extended to me."
"If you wish catmint, visit Poolflight, not steal forcibly," a gray tabby tom said smoothly. He flicked a dismissal to Sparkleaf, who snorted and turned away.
"Come," she said darkly. "We are going back to camp, apprentices."
"Why didn't the MarshClan patrol let us have some of the catmint?" Graypaw asked. Sparkleaf looked at the speckled gray she-cat solemnly, her eyes clouded with memory.
"Often, Graypaw, leaf-bare is a time of darkness and hostility. The colder it gets, the colder our hearts do." With that, the little patrol walked on in silence the rest of the way to the camp, Sparkleaf's words hanging over their heads.
"Pssst, Lightningpaw!" The orange tabby started, rolling over on his moss nest to see Firepaw's sharp green eyes glowing in the darkness. He squinted, mentally beating back his sleepiness. Despite his efforts, he yawned and blinked sleepily.
"What is it, Firepaw?" He crouched, wondering what his littermate needed to say that was so urgent he needed to wake him up at moonhigh. The darker orange tabby that was Firepaw shifted forward on light feet, and Lightningpaw could almost detect fear on his brother's pelt. Had he a dream?
"I need to tell you something," Firepaw whispered solemnly, eyes wide.
"Well, what is it?" Lightningpaw growled. He didn't want him to beat around the bush, especially when the hairs on the back of Lightningpaw's neck were beginning to rise.
"Okay, so I had the weirdest dream a couple nights ago," Firepaw began. Lightningpaw perked up; right around then was when Firepaw started acting strange! Maybe his littermate was going to tell him why! "In my dream, it was cold, only I could really feel it. As I was walking through the snow, in a clearing that looked exactly like the training clearing, I was able to feel the snow, wet and cold against me. It was almost too real to be a dream!"
Firepaw's eyes were burning brightly, the green a radiant fire animating his story. Lightningpaw gazed upon it steadily, his sense of danger growing. "But," Firepaw exclaimed, continuing. "When I tried to imagine warmth like I usually do in this weather, the snow began to melt around me! I was so surprised because up until then I thought I might be awake. Only, cats can't just melt the snow with their mind, so I knew then I had to be dreaming."
Suddenly, the fiery cat's voice grew low, hush with urgency. "Then, where the snow melted, I saw blood. I recognized the spot where Hazelpaw and I had been sparring when I accidentally attacked, but I'd only nicked her, nothing got on the ground, so this confused me."
Lightningpaw was beginning to quiver, feeling extremely uncomfortable standing quietly next to Firepaw. He felt an uncontrollable desire to run, run away before his littermate could continue his story.
"Then," Firepaw paused for dramatic effect, letting his words pool into Lightningpaw's ears like blood around a dying warrior. Lightningpaw's eyes widened in shock when he saw glint of something in Firepaw's eye, a hint of red among green. It disappeared as quickly as it came, but didn't take Lightningpaw's unease with it. "A voice began to speak out of nowhere. 'Congratulations, apprentice, you got first blood. Now, let's see what wounds I can deal in return.'"
Firepaw's words hung as heavy as Sparkleaf's had, and Lightningpaw shivered once more. "I won't admit this to anyone, Lightningpaw, but I'm scared. And I'm scared for you, too."
"Why?" Lightningpaw squeaked.
"Because there were others, there. Only for a second, and pale, asleep, cats that I couldn't really recognize, except for one. That one was you."
Lightningpaw stumbled along without direction or care, letting the other cats guide them as they all streamed towards the Gathering. Firepaw's words were all that he could think about since the night before, and now, the other apprentices were beginning to wonder what was wrong with him, too. Hazelpaw kept looking at him sadly, and he knew she must think it was her fault. Rainpaw still joked about it, but was becoming despondent when Hazelpaw refused to cheer up. Lightningpaw didn't feel like comforting his littermate or friend though, not when Firepaw had probably delivered some sort of prophecy or something.
He was jolted back into the present when the patrol suddenly dipped down into the hollow where the Great Stump resided. Lightningpaw looked at its charred remains, and wondered at the might of the force for which he had been named. Certainly, it could destroy even the mightiest of life. Such a thought, however, did not comfort Lightningpaw in the least. Lightning struck fear in cat's hearts, and did not command admiration.
Firepaw brushed past him suddenly, and Lightningpaw hastily followed him. He could sense that his brother was up to something, and intended to see what. He felt a little confused at the purposeful way the apprentice headed for the BranchClan cats, rather than someone from their own clan. The tom stooped suddenly, perching on one of the long gnarled roots that extended to partially separate some of the clans. Lightningpaw paused beside him, scanning the sea of faces and pelts, colors and patterns, to identify what Firepaw searched for.
"Follow me," Firepaw whispered, flicking his tail in command. The lighter orange tom was a bit perturbed with the way his littermate ordered him, but obeyed. The two passed into the crowd of BranchClan cats and the few from other clans who mingled with them. Firepaw kept searching, and the paused suddenly. Lightningpaw followed his gaze to see a familiar brown she-cat. He almost didn't remember her, but the face of the proud, fierce kit she had been was hard to shake off. It was Reedkit, or rather, Reedpaw now.
Something told Lightningpaw as Firepaw sauntered forward ahead of him that Firepaw knew Reedpaw a little more beyond that, or at least, had a better reason for seeking her out. The long-legged she-cat turned, staring at them in confusion. "What are you doing over here?"
"We just wanted talk with you, about something important," Firepaw replied without hesitation. He lowered his voice, and bent his head towards her. He said something inaudible to Lightningpaw, and he watched curiously as Reedpaw jerked her head back in surprise. Firepaw shifted away then, pushing back Lightningpaw to go in the direction of ForestClan again.
"What did you say to her?" Lightningpaw asked as he tried to catch up.
"At moon high tomorrow, we are going to sneak out of camp and come back here." Firepaw flicked an ear in annoyance, and clambered over the separating root.
"Why? That's against the code!" Lightningpaw protested loudly.
Firepaw spun suddenly, facing Lightningpaw fiercely. "Keep your voice down!" He hissed in a harsh whisper. "We can't let anyone know about this!"
Lightningpaw followed after him, unsure. "Why talk to her anyway? What does this have to do with her?"
"I don't know, all I know is that she was one of them!" Firepaw hissed and glared at Lightningpaw over his shoulder. "Stop talking to me, you're going to get everyone's attention!"
"Fine!" Lightningpaw retorted, watching his brother disappear into the crowd, without him. He slumped his shoulders and sighed, blinking slowly. What was wrong with his brother? First, he acted arrogant and reclusive, then scared and concerned, and now, angry and snappish! Something was telling Lightningpaw that maybe Firepaw wasn't telling the whole truth, and wouldn't be, either.
"What's wrong with him?" A cold, feminine voice exclaimed suddenly. Lightningpaw started, and looked up to see the same small gray she-cat that he had the day before with Sparkleaf. He blinked in surprise, and stared at her in confusion.
He tried to discern a reply, but ended up following Reedpaw's lead with "What are you doing here?"
The gray she-cat whisked her feathery tail, silent. Lightningpaw wondered if she was trying to come up with a reply too, but he mostly got the feeling she was scouring his soul. She relaxed her cold, blue stare suddenly, and smirked in a lop-sided way. "I came over here to find you, I suppose. To mingle and catch with everything that happened since yesterday, I guess."
Despite her cool outer shell, she seemed hesitant, almost shy. Lightningpaw was glad to know that she might be a little nervous, too. "Is this your first gathering? I've seen you before."
"Yes," the gray apprentice admitted. "I became Wolfpaw only recently, but I honestly wonder if I'm any wiser than I was on day one. But that's what it's like when I have Thornfrost for a mentor, I suppose."
"Is he really that bad?" Lightningpaw asked in surprise.
"Yeah, but I think he would be better with anyone other than me," Wolfpaw admitted. "He's hated me ever since I was a kit for some reason." The gray she-cat seemed to ponder this sentence, trying to search for this obscure motivation for her mentor's dislike. "But, we have been getting more . . . accustomed to each other."
Lightningpaw noted Wolfpaw's pause, sensing a similarity in that to the demeanor Firepaw carried himself with. She's hiding something, he realized. But what?
"MountainClan is here!" Maplestar suddenly yowled from the base of the Great Stump. "The Gathering will now begin!"
Lightningpaw cursed his luck, wishing he could have gotten time to learn more about Wolfpaw when the pelts of the MountainClan patrol streamed into view, Cloudstar at the forefront. His deputy and medicine cat; Stonepelt and Dapplecry; trailed behind him before Dapplecry broke off to join the other medicine cats. Lightningpaw's gaze followed her to where Sparkleaf and Whitepaw sat. Whitepaw smiled upon noticing Lightningpaw's gaze, and waved with her tail. The tom waved back and then looked over to the roots of the Great Stump once more.
"I will go first, for once," Cloudstar announced firmly, stepping up in front of Maplestar. He settled and cleared his throat, ignoring the glares from some cats in the crowd. "As you all know, Hawkkit and Falconkit were born about six moons ago. It is unfortunate that only Hawkpaw was destined to continue on and become an apprentice, but nevertheless, we celebrate his new station tonight!
"Hawkpaw! Hawkpaw! Hawkpaw!" Lightningpaw looked over in the crowd to discern the new apprentice, and finally spied him sitting next to the deputy. His eyes seemed to shine with sorrow at the mention of his dead littermate, killed by a rogue when Lightningpaw was still very young, but he also glowed with happiness. Lightningpaw purred at the sight, glad to have Firepaw and Hazelpaw still alive and well.
"As Hawkpaw was welcomed into apprenticeship, we welcomed a new warrior into our ranks! Emberpaw was exceptional as an apprentice, and she will be amazing as a warrior! Congratulations, Emberstep!"
"Emberstep! Emberstep! Emberstep!"
Cloudstar dipped his head, and sidled back behind Maplestar. The cream tom pushed forward undaunted, ignoring the way Cloudstar had shoved up in front of him. "The going is good in ForestClan," the amber-eyed leader began. "StarClan has been kind to us, and we have two new warriors; Applewave, and Birchcall!"
"Applewave! Birchcall! Applewave! Birchcall!" Lightningpaw glanced at the ginger tom and white she-cat, and grinned. He had not known them too well when they were still apprentices, being closer to Rainpaw, Graypaw, and Whitepaw, but he was glad for them all the same.
"That is all for now," Maplestar meowed, stepping back.
Lilystar stalked forward to take his place, the she-cat's eyes glittering with their usual light-hearted humor. "Much has been happening in MarshClan," she purred. "First, we welcome two young but determined warriors; Sleekwillow and Ivybreeze!"
"Sleekwillow! Ivybreeze! Sleekwillow! Ivybreeze!" The clans cheered once more. Wolfpaw cheered with them, her clear voice audible to Lightningpaw. He glanced over at her, and then further on to where her mentor, Thornfrost, stood next to the proud new warriors. Indeed, many had advanced this month, all of varying ages and experience. Lightningpaw was told apprentices could become warriors as young as twelve moons to as old as sixteen moons on a regular basis. An odd case had been Beechleaf, Lilystar's own son.
"Second," Lilystar continued as the customary cheer subsided. "We have three new apprentices; Murkypaw, Wolfpaw, and Swamppaw!"
"Murkypaw! Wolfpaw! Swamppaw! Murkypaw! Wolfpaw! Swamppaw!" Lightningpaw grinned at Wolfpaw, who glanced over at him nervously. He dipped his head in concord; he understood how it felt to have so many eyes trained on him.
"Until next time," Lilystar said finally, stepping back. Fishclaw took his place, leaving Highstar to be last this time. The BranchClan leader shot the dark-furred deputy of IslandClan a testy look, as if aware of this fact. Fishclaw ignored Highstar, taking up the mantle at the forefront of the stump's base. "Next moon, Pouncestar will able to resume leadership duties that I have been taking up in her stead. So this will be the last time I am announcing for her, and there is not much to say. All the same, that little announcement is as important as any, for tonight we welcome Moonpaw's presence as an apprentice!"
"Moonpaw! Moonpaw! Moonpaw!" Lightningpaw looked round to try and find the new apprentice, but the stump and the crowd blocked his view, for IslandClan sat farthest from ForestClan.
"Now, I believe it is your turn, Highstar!" Fishclaw exclaimed politely, stepping out of the huge brown tabby tom's way. The BranchClan leader narrowed his eyes but said nothing in reply as he padded forward. "Finchcatcher and Honeyflight swell BranchClan's ranks; the first to become warriors since we returned to our home!"
"Finchcatcher! Honeyflight! Finchcatcher! Honeyflight!" Most of the cries were from BranchClan and MarshClan, for the three clans that shared borders with BranchClan; MountainClan, ForestClan, and IslandClan; were rather quiet at the reminder of BranchClan's return to their "home". Lightningpaw cheered for the new warriors, though, and tried to look for Reedpaw. The long-legged she-cat looked distracted, her gaze trained on someone else in ForestClan. Even before Lightningpaw spied him, he knew it was Firepaw. What explained the tom's new obsession with Reedpaw? What explains your obsession with Wolfpaw? A voice whispered in Lightningpaw's mind.
"The Gathering is now over!" Highstar roared. The leaders bound down to send their cats home, and Lightningpaw looked to see Wolfpaw heading back over to MarshClan. He bound forward, possessed by a sudden urge to say something to her before he left. She turned when she realized he was following her, and looked puzzled.
"Meet me at the Great Stump at moon high tomorrow," he breathed in her ear. Lightningpaw only had a moment to take in the sight of her shock and confusion when suddenly a sea of cats flooded between them. The familiar gray pelt of Thornfrost and then two apprentices Lightningpaw realized must be her littermates enveloped her, hiding her away.
Lightningpaw shook his head and then turned towards the rest of the ForestClan patrol. Someone pressed up against him, and he realized in was Graypaw. She was looking at him in concern. "Are you alright Lightningpaw? You are making your littermate sick with worry; you've been acting nearly as strange as Firepaw!" Lightningpaw felt a pang of guilt when he remembered how distraught Hazelpaw had been.
"I'm fine now, but Firepaw's been having this dream . . ." Lightningpaw would feel guilty later for effectively telling two cats about Firepaw's secret in one night, but he couldn't help it. Something drew him towards Wolfpaw, and something made him trust Graypaw, more than he did Hazelpaw. Whatever it was, Lightningpaw would be grateful towards it in the end. One thing was for sure though, this first moon of true leaf-bare was going to be very eventful.
So, we finally have some of my characters meeting up with each other, and some reveals. The ball has just begun rolling, and now, I doubt I'll be doing any extreme time-skips as that ball begins to go 'round faster. We are reaching the part when we actually get some action. Sorry to those of you who like your action right away. I'll make up for it by posting a chapter in Turn Away, which is currently going at a fast, action-filled pace. Sorta. Kinda. Whatever. Until next time, which will hopefully, be soon!