A/N: Okay so I only got FOUR reviews, but I won't be home tomorrow or the next day, so I figured I'd be nice and end the cliffy! I hope you like this chappie!
Love,
Mckenzie
Chapter Eight
"Thunderkit?"
"Hello Firepaw!" Thunderkit greeted happily. Like he didn't know he was supposed to be dead.
"Thunderkit?" Firepaw asked again, as if she didn't believe he was actually there, along with a dead medicine cat.
"Yes, Firepaw! It's really me!" Thunderkit gleefully hissed, as he bounded over to Firepaw and pressed his nose into her fur. "I'll be watching over you from Silverpelt now," he murmured, licking his sister's shoulder.
"We are here for a reason," Cinderpelt spoke in a bold and wise voice. The mist was still there, and everything looked barren. There was no scent of prey or other cats. Just the smell of death.
"We have a message for you," Thunderkit mewed, trudging back over to Cinderpelt.
"And?" Firepaw whispered, not sure to believe what she was seeing.
"It is very important," Cinderpelt notified. She took a deep breath and recited, "A certain kit's death is a sign. A sign that will shape your future, along with your clan's. If you want to overcome this bad omen, you must climb to the top of the world and find Gold."
"Huh?" Firepaw asked, absolutely dumbfounded.
"Things will be made clearer. I promise." All of the sudden, screeching cats filled the world around her. Blood spilled and fur flew. Thunderkit and Cinderpelt, dipped their heads, and slowly faded away.
"No, wait! What's going on!?" Firepaw called after them. Thunderkit smiled at her and gently murmured, "Do not fear," and then, faded away completely.
"No!" Firepaw cried. She looked wildly around her and saw some familiar faces. She saw Brambleclaw, Icepool, Silverfire, Snowfeather, and many others.
"What are you doing?" She screeched. "Who are they fighting?" she murmured to herself.
"Firestar!" she yelled, seeing his familiar ginger pelt. She ran over to him, but then saw who he was clawing at.
"Echostar!" she gasped. Why were they fighting each other!? Firepaw turned and saw Sunpaw and Hollypaw hissing and clawing at each other. Firepaw wanted to help, but she felt torn.
Why are they fighting? What's going on? Thoughts raced through her mind.
"What are you doing!?" she yowled, at no one in particular.
"What are who doing?"
"Firepaw, wake up!"
Firepaw lifted her dizzy head and opened open her eyes to see Sunpaw and Littlepaw standing over her.
"Wha?" she asked
"You were mumbling in your sleep!" Littlepaw exclaimed. She made it seem like the world was ending.
"Who cares?" Firepaw hissed.
"Well, it woke all the apprentices' up!" Sunpaw mewed.
"Whatever," Firepaw murmured, pushing her way through her fellow apprentices. She made her way to the freshkill pile and took a magpie. She brought it over to some other apprentices that were eating and talking among themselves. Featherpaw nudged Mousepaw and then, all the apprentices were staring at Firepaw, who grudgingly sat down a little ways away from them and ate peacefully. (A/N: Wow! That's a big sentence! (Big for me anyway!))
"Hey Firepaw! Guess what!?" Cloverpaw meowed as he took his piece of freshkill and sat next to Firepaw.
"What?" Firepaw growled.
"I am being assessed today!" he exclaimed, after taking a bite of his mouse
"Cool," Firepaw muttered. Cloverpaw lowered his ears back on his head and frowned. The other apprentices reluctantly started meowing again, most likely, about Firepaw.
"Firepaw!" Firepaw looked across the clearing and saw Silverfire summoning her with her tail. Firepaw finished off the magpie with a few ravenous gulps, and raced over to her silver mentor.
"Were going hunting with Amberleaf and Cloverpaw. Are you ready?" Silverfire asked.
"Yeah," Firepaw replied. Amberleaf and Cloverpaw showed up a few heartbeats later, and then they headed off into the forest.
Firepaw didn't pay attention to hunting, she just thought of the fight. She thought of how Thunderclan was fighting Cloudclan. And of how viscously Echostar had been fighting Firestar.
"Firepaw?" she heard the gentle voice of Cloverpaw behind her.
"What?" she snapped.
"Nevermind," he murmured, walking away from her.
"Wait!" Firepaw meowed, catching up with the sleek, black, apprentice.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," she said. And she really meant it. No one deserved to be treated the way she was treating them. But she didn't want special treatment. And she was getting it.
"It's okay. You've been through a lot. I don't blame you," Cloverpaw licked Firepaw's shoulder affectionately. Firepaw smiled and picked up her pace. Cloverpaw picked up his pace to and then, the ended up having a race.
Firepaw skidded to a stop when she realized she saw a patrol of Thunderclan warriors, Amberleaf, and Silverfire at the border of Thunderclan/Cloudclan. They were obviously in a quarrel.
"Even though you are not clan-born, you should know that stealing prey is wrong!" Squirrelflight was yowling.
"We didn't steal your prey!" Silverfire protested.
"We saw you!" Hollypaw hissed. Lionpaw calmly licked her shoulder to calm her down.
Silverfire anxiously looked at Amberleaf, and they both had fear showing wildly in their eyes. Firepaw and Cloverpaw raced down to stand by their mentors.
"What's going on?" Cloverpaw asked.
"We saw you run over the border to get that bird!" Cloudtail hissed, motioning towards the bird by Silverfire's paw.
"It was an accident! Maybe you should mark your borders better!" Silverfire hissed back, fluffing her tail and barring her teeth.
"We were just about to!" Squirrelflight growled, fluffing her fur up.
"Well maybe you should do it more often!" Amberleaf shot in to help her friend out.
"We do it often enough!" Cloudtail argued.
"Stop!" Firepaw yowled. They all turned to see Firepaw breathing heavily and her eyes were wide with fear. "Don't you see what you're doing?! You're ruining everything! If you keep this up, there will be a battle!" Firepaw screeched.
No one said anything for a while. Firepaw just stood there, her fur fluffed, her heart beating a thousand miles per second, her eyes scared, and the strong scent of angst coming from her. She was remembering her dream. The one where Firestar and Echostar were fighting. The one where they were no longer at peace at.
"Firepaw, clans bicker all the time," Squirrelflight soothed from across the border, her fur smooth again and her teeth no longer barred.
"Yeah, Firepaw. We're not going to fight!" Hollypaw laughed.
"Unless they keep stealing our prey," Cloudtail murmured.
"Don't listen to him," Squirrelflight meowed, nudging Cloudtail with her paw. Firepaw just scowled at all of them, then stalked away murmuring curses under her breath.
Cloverpaw looked from the Thunderclan patrol to his own patrol a lot, and then ran after Firepaw.
"Are you okay?" he asked, catching up to her.
"Yes. I'm fine," she muttered. Her head dipped.
"You don't look fine," he noticed. Firepaw looked up to insult him, but only saw pure concern in his eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled.
"I swear. I'm fine," she meowed.
At least I am now she thought to herself.