Chapter 9

Eclipsepaw awoke one beautiful morning in the FireClan apprentices' den. She had become an apprentice a week ago, and her littermates Quickpaw and Kestrelpaw were sleeping next to her. Everything was normal. Eclipsepaw once again wondered how she had gotten her beautiful, sleek black pelt. Her mother was Brightfrost, her father Jaymist. Eclipsepaw did not understand why she was in such contrast to the other FireClan cats' bright pelts.

"Good morning, Eclipsepaw," a mew sounded behind Eclipsepaw, and she turned to find the older, eight moon old apprentice Badgerpaw.

"Oh, hey, Badgerpaw," Eclipsepaw responded.

Badgerpaw was well known with his name. He was broad shouldered, a scar lay across his forehead from a battle with rogues not too long ago. Eclipsepaw stood up, leaving her brothers sleeping next to one another. She padded up to Badgerpaw.

"So, have Dragonpelt, Rainfire, Lakefrost, and Dogfur finished their vigil?" Eclipsepaw asked about the new warriors. Last night, Lakepaw, Dragonpaw, Rainpaw, and Dogpaw had all gained the warrior names from Swiftstar.

Badgerpaw nodded. "Yeah, they've finished their vigil. I'm not thinking about them, though. I'm thinking about Raggedstar."

"Why?"

Badgerpaw's eyes grew distant and he acknowledged softly, "Oh, right. You weren't at the last Gathering."

Eclipsepaw's ears pricked. Finally! Somebody might tell me what happened last Gathering! They all seemed so upset. "What happened?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I don't know if I should tell you," Badgerpaw replied.

"You can tell me! I'm not that young!" Eclipsepaw didn't want to let go of what could be her last chance to learn about what had happened.

Badgerpaw shook his head and responded, "No, it's not that. I just don't want to scare you."

"Scare me!" Eclipsepaw shook her head in disbelief and continued, "Of course it won't scare me! Ha! Scare me."

Badgerpaw shook his head once more before meowing, "No. You don't get it. It scared me half to death. I thought that MistClan apprentice was going to die. She might have died, she didn't come back."

Eclipsepaw jumped up and down as though that would help her get him to listen. "Please! Please tell me!"

"I-" Badgerpaw was cut off by a deep rumbling noise. "What is that?"

Eclipsepaw grew very still, fear driving into her. Something was terribly wrong. Suddenly, it seemed as the earth had exploded. The rumbling exploded into a roar, and the ground shook. Eclipsepaw dug her claws into the ground when she noticed it was cracking.

"The ground is breaking!" she screeched in fear. Quickpaw and Kestrelpaw were on their paws, scrambling away from the cracks. The whole Earth shook, and Eclipsepaw could hardly focus on one thing, for it seemed that her vision was doubled, everything was shaking so hard. Eclipsepaw dragged herself out from the apprentices' den. She turned her head to look at Badgerpaw, his sister Leopardpaw, and his brother Rabbitpaw. The three littermates were racing for the exit that was crumbling.

"StarClan help them!" Eclipsepaw screamed. Badgerpaw grabbed his brother and sister's scruffs and threw them outside, but the den crumbled before Badgerpaw could get out.

"Badgerpaw!" Leopardpaw and Rabbitpaw yowled in shock.

Eclipsepaw sprang over to them. "Let's not let him die in vain. If... he did die. Let's go!" Eclipsepaw stuttered a bit, but other than that, her voice was strong. Leopardpaw and Rabbitpaw nodded and followed Eclipsepaw out to the center of camp. That's when they were split up.

Eclipsepaw twisted around and saw that Leopardpaw and Rabbitpaw were standing on the opposite side of a massive crack in the earth that had formed right after Eclipsepaw ran over it. Eclipsepaw stared at them for a moment before yowling, "Run the other way! Try to see if you can get out!"

The other two apprentices ran off in the opposite direction as Eclipsepaw wheeled around to see something horrific. Swiftstar was running towards the exit of camp, yowling to the other cats, directing them, when suddenly, the ground collapsed from beneath him. Eclipsepaw darted over to the hole and saw Swiftstar screeching as he fell far below, falling farther than Eclipsepaw could see, but a sickening feeling came to her stomach when she thought of hitting the ground all the way down there.

Every cat's eyes turned to Jaymist, for he was to be the next leader. "Let's go! Feel with your paws before you step, make sure you stick together. stay within a tail-length from one another!" Jaymist ordered.

Eclipsepaw hurried over to her mother, Brightfrost, and pressed against her. But then the earth really fell apart. The earth crumbled underneath cats and cats were running in different directions, scrambling to get away from the crumbling earth. Eclipsepaw watched as her father struggled to take charge of the cats. But it wasn't working. Eclipsepaw darted forward. She darted towards where Swiftstar had fallen and leapt over the hole. She sprang over it and landed on the other side. She raced out of camp, fear driving her onward.

Eclipsepaw just kept running. She ran through the moor of FireClan territory, she ran farther and farther. Before she knew it, her paws brought her before the Moontrees. Eclipsepaw curled up, panting, exhausted. Eclipsepaw shut her eyes tight, trying to push away the memories of the terror of her Clanmates as they tried to escape, but were swallowed by the earth.

"Why, FireClan?" she whispered.

"Because they deserved it. They have been destroyed as destiny," a voice surprised Eclipsepaw, and she leapt to her paws, unsheathing her claws, bristling.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

"Me," the voice responded. A figure took a step toward Eclipsepaw.

"Who's me?" Eclipsepaw forced herself to growl, but she had an edge of fear to her voice.

The figure padded out into the light, and Eclipsepaw recognized one of the rogues that had attacked Badgerpaw. "I am Tiger. I lead my pack. But something happened long before to me to. Much like this."

Eclipsepaw hissed, "You're one of the rogues who attacked Badgerpaw!"

Tiger sat before her, wrapping his tail around his paws. "FireClan had to be destroyed. Now MistClan is the only Clan that exists," Tiger meowed triumphantly.'

Eclipsepaw snarled, "You destroyed ShadeClan too?"

"No. They gave themselves to us," Tiger answered.

Eclipsepaw hissed with anger now, no more fear, "Those mangy, flea-bitten traitors! No, they're worse than that, they're lower than dirt!"

"As they should be. They are guilty, full of treason. And we are punishing them for it," Tiger meowed.

"Why have you come to me?" Eclipsepaw asked.

"You know why," Tiger replied plainly.

Eclipsepaw stared at him, confused. "And... how did you know they were destroyed?" Eclipsepaw asked quietly.

"Because I destroyed them," Tiger meowed.

Eclipsepaw's eyes widened. "Wh-wh-wh-"

"What am I?" Tiger cut her off.

Eclipsepaw backed away from him. Fear now took over her anger; extinguished it. Eclipsepaw did not quite understand. This cat somehow had the powers of StarClan, but was he connected to the Clans at all? Eclipsepaw glanced at the sky. Why, Mumbletail?! Why have you let this despicable cat use your powers?!

Eclipsepaw shook her head and meowed, "You're-you're nothing but a c-cat! Just l-like m-me."

"Yes. Just like you," Tiger replied coolly. "You see, Eclipsepaw, there's a reason your pelt is in such contrast from the other FireClan cats. It's due to your ancestors. You have cats that once stood and fought with the cats of my pack in your ancestry. Therefore, you have my pack's blood. We need new blood in our pack, someone fresh. You are perfect for the job. This one fateful day will lead you to your destiny; and you will love it."

Eclipsepaw shook her head. "No," she whispered.

Tiger came closer to her. "You are one of us."

Eclipsepaw screamed, "It's not true! You're lying!"

"Like I would lie to you. You have our blood. Join us, or we'll make you," Tiger growled. The last sentence was barely audible, but it struck fear into Eclipsepaw's heart.

She closed her eyes. If FireClan was going to live on, she would have to survive. "I... I will come with you," Eclipsepaw whispered so quietly, she could tell Tiger had to strain his ears to hear her.

Tiger smiled. "Good. I was afraid I would have to kill you," he seemed very pleased as he spoke. Very arrogant he was.

Tiger turned around and added, "Come. We must hurry back. The pack is hungry and wishes to feast."

Eclipsepaw ran after Tiger into what seemed to be the howling dark, even though it was daytime. Eclipsepaw knew that something would happen, and she would be killed, but all she could do was run. She slowed for one moment, throwing one last glance at FireClan territory before racing after Tiger onward to wherever he was taking her.

Me: ... Eclipsepaw. Poor Eclipsepaw.

Tiger: Shut up! I'm certain she'll perfectly happy in the pack!

Me: But you-

Tiger: Shut up and go away!

Me: No!

Tiger: *faces me and growls, unsheathing claws* Don't you dare go there!

Me: Well... I already did, so... ha!

Eclipsepaw: Please don't fight...

Me: Oh. Sorry, Eclipsepaw! I really don't want to upset you!

Eclipsepaw: It's alright...

Sparrowpaw: Now, time to do some time traveling!

Me: Indeed. You know, I say indeed a lot. Why is that?

Sparrowpaw: *shrugs* I don't know. Don't ask me.

Me: Okay! Foxpaw! You get to put up the disclaimer!

Foxpaw: Okay!

Sparrowpaw: Why don't I get to-

I don't own, or claim to own, freaky creepy people who like my cheese, my sister does.

Me: You're so mean!

Foxpaw: But it's awesome!

Sparrowpaw: YOU CUT ME OFF!

Me: Don't go crazy, Sparrowpaw! Foxpaw, you definitely make better jokes than Sparrowpaw, so you get to put up the disclaimer from now on!

Foxpaw: Yay!

Sparrowpaw: WHAT!?

I don't own, or claim to own, Sparrowpaw who likes to take every single piece of meat on my fresh-kill, Splashpaw does.

Me: You like to be mean to your sisters, don't you Foxpaw?

Foxpaw: YAY!

Sparrowpaw: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I WILL KILL YOU, FOXPAW!

Foxpaw: Okay, FINE! I'LL PUT UP THE CORRECT DISCLAIMER!

Sparrowpaw: Yay!

I don't own, or claim to own, Warriors, Erin Hunter does.