AN: Chapter nine! Please give suggestions on Rainpaw's, Cinderpaw's, Ravenpaw's and Petalpaw's 'warrior' names! Thanks for reviewing and read on! Warning: another sad chapter D: And I know that cats can't really cry, but in this story they can because it adds emotion :]
-Izzeh
Review answers:
Jay's whisper - Ohai! Thanks heaps for reviewing all my chapters! You can have a bucket of lollies! Thanks for your compliments and yes, OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO is correct. It didn't show up when I did a few enters, so yeah. That was a long chapter XD. Yesh, Ravenpaw is sneaky and Yellowflower had to die so Amberpaw could… do a certain something… yeah anyway, all will be revealed! And apparently so, Yellowflower was quite popular!
Iceflower of ThunderClan - Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I do, and then I found the name was actually pretty common!
Kestrelfeather - Yeah, I can't wait to upload more!
Chovie - Ha ha ha, I love your stupid dances.
Amberpaw trotted through the forest towards the scent of blood, worry threatening to overwhelm her. StarClan wouldn't let anything happen to Yellowflower, she thought uncertainly. As she reached the ShadowClan border, she ducked down behind a bush, wincing at the pain in her injured leg. Carefully, she peered out from behind the frozen leaves. She could barely hold in a startled yowl as she saw Yellowflower's golden pelt, soaked in blood. Almost without thinking, Amberpaw rushed forward to her mentor, hysteria rising up inside her.
"Yellowflower!" she gasped. "Are you okay? You need to come back to camp with me!" Yellowflower tried to lift her golden head, and Amberpaw saw the source of all the blood, a gash in her throat.
"Amberpaw… It's too late. There's nothing you can do to save me. I'll join StarClan today, like… Swallowflight," she croaked. Amberpaw almost wailed aloud as she saw the light of StarClan in her mentor's golden eyes.
"I-I'll miss you!" she cried. "Who did this to you? I'll make them pay!" Amberpaw felt anger burn inside her, almost covering her misery.
"I'll miss you too, Amberpaw. I know… that you'll be… a great… warrior…" Yellowflower rasped, panting. Amberpaw pressed her nose into her blood soaked fur.
"Who did it?" she whispered.
"ShadowClan took in a rogue… Midnight," Yellowflower croaked. Then the light died from her eyes and her sides grew still. Amberpaw felt like wailing her grief to the sky. But Midnight might still be around. Amberpaw jumped back in surprise as she saw a faint outline of Yellowflower rise up from her bloody body.
"I'll miss you," her former mentor whispered, sadness in her gaze. Then she turned and climbed up into the sky. A tear ran down Amberpaw's cheek, and more followed in a storm of grief. Soon, she was sobbing on the ground, and she would have stayed there until moonhigh. But she had a job to do, so she tried to stop her tears and grabbed Yellowflower's body by the scruff, dragging her back to her former home.
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The tears still poured down as Amberpaw hauled her precious mentor's body through the entrance of the camp. One by one, warriors turned their heads to see what was going on. Cloverstar kept her nose pressed in Swallowflight's black fur, tears streaming down her face.
"Yellowflower!" cried Robindapple. As Poppystem turned to look, her expression of sadness turned to a look of horror. The whole clan crowded around the golden warrior's body.
"Bring her into the clearing," instructed Petalpaw, deep sadness in her gaze.
"Two deaths of great warriors in one day," murmured Iceflower, her icy blue eyes glistening. Willowfrond and the RiverClan warriors watched sadly at the edge of the clearing. Amberpaw dragged Yellowflower's body into the middle of the clearing so the clan could pay their respects before the vigil at sunset.
Amberpaw sank down onto the ground, weeping for her mentor. She had been like a mother to the young apprentice, and had taught her so much. Amberpaw was startled when she felt a muzzle push into her fur. She turned her head weakly and saw with surprise it was Cloverstar. The mourning leader had moved from her earlier position and was gazing at Amberpaw with deep sadness in her eyes.
"We have both lost someone we love today," she whispered. This started tears running down Amberpaw's face again.
"But life has to go on. They're going to be watching over us." The clan had gathered around, bowing their heads. Cloverstar's green eyes glinted as she continued.
"I will be your new mentor." Amberpaw nodded, honoured.
"Please… name me after her," she mewed miserably. It was Cloverstar's turn to nod. She pushed her nose into Yellowflower's fur and then turned back to Amberpaw.
"Who did this?" she asked, fury lighting in her gaze. Amberpaw swallowed.
"Just before she… died… she told me that ShadowClan had taken in a rogue called Midnight. I think they've taken in another one too," she mewed nervously. Cloverstar stared blankly at Yellowflower, then at Swallowflight.
"ShadowClan will pay," she hissed, then lay back next to Swallowflight. Amberpaw rested her head back on her paws again.
"Amberpaw, you need to move now so we can prepare Yellowflower's body for the vigil tonight." Amberpaw lifted her head to see Petalpaw speaking to her and Iceflower standing behind her. She nodded obediently then padded off miserably to the apprentices den. As she walked inside, she was greeted by comforting purrs from her siblings, but most of all, a lick on the cheek from Rainpaw. Amberpaw gave him a friendly gaze. She padded over to her nest and collapsed down inside it.
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The air was freezing cold, and most of the cats were inside their dens. Moonlight down on the clearing. Amberpaw lay shivering with her nose pressed into Yellowflower's fur. Cloverstar lay in between the dead warriors, and a few other cats were huddled around. The apprentice could feel Yellowflower and Swallowflight's presence down with them.
Do not grieve too long for me, whispered Yellowflower, although when Amberpaw turned her head she couldn't see anyone. Amberpaw nodded and pressed her nose back into Yellowflower's cold fur.
What am I going to do without her? She got us out of trouble so many times. Amberpaw shut her eyes tightly then blinked them open again, sure she could see a faint outline of the mentor she had known and loved. The warrior appeared slightly younger. She gazed sadly at Amberpaw.
Do not grieve, she repeated again. You have a great destiny ahead of you, and you can't waste it with grief. Remember the prophecy, she whispered, before her outline started to waver. Amberpaw nodded sadly and watched her mentor disappear before shutting her eyes tightly again.
"I say these words before the spirit of Swallowflight so hear may hear and approved my choice. Rockfire will be the new deputy of ThunderClan and new mentor to Ravenpaw," announced Cloverstar briefly, before settling down again.
Cheers rose from the dens, the warriors and apprentices had heard the announcement. Cinderpaw walked over to Amberpaw.
"It's okay," she whispered. "Life will go on."
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Amberpaw looked up at the sky, imagining Yellowflower gazing down on her. Do you watch over us? Amberpaw wondered. Of course you do.
She looked around, taking in the warriors bustling around her. The mentors told off apprentices and the elders wove tales of happiness and freedom to the kits. But Amberpaw could not shake off the grief that hung around her after her mentor's death. She meant the world to me. And now she's gone.
Patrols came in often, with news of ShadowClan trespassers or prey stealers. The dark clan would not stop bothering them. The prophecy came into Amberpaw's mind.
Honestly, I don't know if I can do it, she thought. I'm not entirely sure what it's about, but I have to save the clans. And I'm not sure if StarClan chose the right cat…
Amberpaw sighed, listening to the noise of the camp. No one else seemed as affected by Yellowflower's death as she was. Cinderpaw's words echoed in her mind. Life will go on. She sighed, miserable. But right now, it really doesn't seem as if it will.
AN: And that's chapter nine or something. Next chapter, you might get a Cloverstar and Amberpaw training session or something like that. I'm not in the best of moods right now. But it's a four day long weekend here, so I want to put at least two more chapters up!