Hey everyone! I-really-hope-not here with another chapter of They Walk Alone! If you have checked out my other story, then you know that my school is still in until the 26 of June. So, until then, I probably won't be updating, but I will be reviewing here and maybe the Hunger Games fandom. Nothing else to say, so individual replies time:
Storm over Water: Thank you! It means a lot that you reviewed, and I'm glad that you had a good day!
WarriorsErin: Yeah, Ashpaw is changing, and Hollypaw and Swanpaw are just going to have to be silently resigned to it. I like your analysis of Lionblaze and the two though, and I'm having a good day. Glad you had a good day too! :)
gracefulhorse: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GRAMMAR HELP! ALso,your input on Ashpaw and Ashpaw and Hollypaw's future interactions is very much appreciated! Can't wait for your next chapter of Dovewing's Ghost!
Ivy the Light Bringer: I dunno, you have to pick your own side, although being on Ashpaw's side probably would make it easier to read! Thanks for pointing out my mistake, and I'm glad you had a nice day!
Pondfrost: I'm sorry you had some "meh" days, but it could be worse right? They could be terrible days. And yeah, he was a pretty awesome dude. Also, I changed her name because it's relevant to later in the story, so read on! Would you also mind if I used Ashhail to describe the two of them quickly? See ya too!
Key of Light and Darkness: I'm glad you find it interesting, and FFN does seem to be having some problems and stuff of the sorts now a days...I hope you had a good day, and I did too!
Now onto the story!
"Do I know you?" Lionblaze asked, face impassive.
"Uhh..." Ashpaw flattened her ears slightly. "Yes?"
"Really?" Lionblaze continued, "Because I know a young she-cat just like you, only she was kind to her siblings and didn't make them feel insignificant and small. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this little she-cat was an absolute fox-heart who took pleasure and enjoyment from hurting other cats."
Ashpaw opened her mouth to reply, searching for an answer that didn't come, when Heathertail and Hailpaw strolled up. Or rather, Heathertail strolled like she didn't give a rabbit's foot about anything, and Hailpaw just trailed along, looking terrified.
"Is there a problem?" The brown tabby she-cat gave Lionblaze an impassive look that, with masterful skill, seemed to be quite possibly the most insulting look Ashpaw had ever seen. "Perhaps my apprentice is bothering you?"
"No," Lionblaze's teeth were clenched. "I just mistook your apprentice for...someone else..."
"If Ashpaw isn't causing more trouble, then Hailpaw can escort her back to talk to the other apprentices if you would rather talk about it more." Heathertail's eyes gleamed with well-hidden malice, but Hailpaw and Ashpaw had seen that look in her smokey blue eyes before.
The golden tom looked uncomfortable, and opened his jaws to reply to the she-cat's thinly-veiled barb when Rowanstar yowled out the beginning words of the Gathering.
That was an eventful Gathering. Ashpaw reflected, as she trudged home with the other WindClan cats, Lionblaze and Heathertail nearly went at it...ThunderClan is being pushy...ShadowClan was bragging about their Clan...RiverClan is fat as always...
"Watch where you're going!" Emberfoot hissed with annoyance.
"Sorry." Ashpaw dipped her head, and slowed down so that she didn't bother the prickly warrior again.
"Good hunting?" Onestar called to the night hunting patrol, headed by Gorsetail, Flashpaw's mentor.
"Yesh." The she-cat's answer was muffled by a rabbit, and a rare starling in his jaws.
"Good." Onestar purred, and the three cats of the patrol merged with the Gathering cats, Breezepelt growling at Quickclaw for cutting him off.
"Who's guarding camp?" Harespring called.
"Leaftail, Slightfoot and Oatclaw!" Sedgewhisker mewed back, the sparrow in her jaws bobbing.
"Good."
The stream of cats swarmed into the camp, hunting patrol dropping off prey, Hootwhisker stepping off guard duty for Featherpelt, and the Gathering cats returning to their nests. Ashpaw settled down in her nest, letting her spine relax into the grass.
Miserable. Cruel. Arrogant. Traitor. Betrayer. Miserable. Cruel. Arrogant. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.
Ashpaw's eyes flew open, and she leaped out of her nest, her shocked look meeting Hootwhisker's.
"It's okay." Ashpaw managed, fur still bristling from the shock of having a voice that was not her own speak in her head. "Just...had a dream."
"Night run." Hootwhisker nodded sagely. "That'll cure it."
"Night run?" Night runs were technically against the code, as the runner would leave camp without permission, just to run, and feel the moors under paw, the wind in their whiskers. Onestar didn't outright ban them, that would incite full on rebellion. WindClan was very possessive of its running traditions.
"Yes." Hootwhisker offered a small smile. "Quick, just one lap around the borders, and then come back. If it's not cured by then, it's not going to."
"Thanks Hootwhisker." Ashpaw murmured, eyes drifting to the line of horizon outside of the camp, where the land met the sky. "Yeah. I think I will actually."
Paws pounding the ground, Ashpaw flew over the moors, not heading for the lake shore, like most did when going for a night run, as Hailpaw and Foxpaw had told her, but the ThunderClan border. So lost in thought of what she would say to Swanpaw, how she would apologize, Ashpaw didn't notice when she left moor-ground and barreled straight into the sink-ground that made up the thin crust of land above the tunnels. With a high-pitched shriek, Ashpaw's paws went through the ground, then her entire body, plunging into a stream that lapped at her stomach fur. Looking up, she could faintly see the stars gleaming far above her through the hole in the tunnel ceiling, so close, yet so far.
Liar. Traitor. Useless. Cruel. Liar. Traitor.
"W-who's there?"Ashpaw shouted.
Only the dead are here, only the dead.
"W-what?" Ashpaw pressed her spine into the dirt wall, ear flattened as she peered into the deep gloom of the tunnel.
We are the ones who were taken too soon. We are the ones who never made it. We are the ones who are trapped here. We are the dead.
"Didn't you go to StarClan?" Ashpaw could feel a cold wind blowing from deeper in the tunnels, it smelled like dirt that had never seen light and water that was as dark as the hearts of the cats in the Place of No Stars. Just thinking of the Dark Forest made Ashpaw shudder. There was a strange hissing noise, and with it came the sounds of battle, cats screeching and wailing, the rip of flesh and the crack of bone. A faint ringing noise could be barely heard over the battle noises.
StarClan only reaches so far. We are the fallen, the ones who could never make it. And now, the ones who forsook us, the ones with stars in their fur and life in their limbs, need us. To reach you. Earth will spill blood and the stars will run red. That is it. Run red little one. Run. Red. You must find us, the forgotten, the fallen, the ones who never got the chance to live.
As the voices-for it was definitely more than one- began to laugh, and Ashpaw felt the world spin, the dark earth and the black water mixing together. There was a steady throbbing in her head.
"Ashpaw! For StarClan's sake, wake up!" It was Hailpaw, mercilessly prodding her with his paw. "You're getting moss into my nest and kicking Foxpaw! Flashpaw's going to boot you out of camp, so knock it off!"
"Sorry." Ashpaw murmured, blurrily peering up at the two siblings, the strange ringing in her ears ebbing and flowing with their voices. "Bad dream."
"I bet." Hailpaw huffed and turned away. "Go back to sleep. And don't disturb us!"
"Yeah yeah." Ashpaw muttered, curling back up into what remained of her nest. What kind of weird dream was that?
My my, now wasn't that rude. Now there was only one voice, silky smooth with an out-of-place immaturity tainting the words. I was about to tell you who we are, but I guess you'll never know. Pity. I would think we would get along like two voles on a fresh-kill pile.
"Who are you? What do you want?" The ringing grew louder, but didn't seem to effect the volume of the voice.
To live. To live. The voice was acidic, anger and bitterness dripping off of the words. I-we want to live!
"You said "I"." Now the voice was the only thing she could hear, the battle had been muted by the persistent ringing.
I have desires too. Imagine having your life laid out in front of you, everything perfect, except for one. Little. Thing. Death. Now, we all are trapped in some MoonClan forsaken limbo between life and death.
"MoonClan?"
What's that?
"You said MoonClan, not StarClan!"
Never heard of it. Time to wake up little kitten. I'm sure you will be positively dying of excitement to get on with your life. Happy living.
"Wait!"
Too late, the voice was gone, and the steady ringing in her ears faded along with it. For a moment, a cat's agonized wail could be heard, then all was silent. Ashpaw felt a bloom of sorrow and regret at the wail, and her paws felt sticky with a warm liquid, and they didn't feel right, like another cat's paws had been switched with hers. Then it was gone, the feeling of her paws was back. There was something nagging in the back of her mind, something about the earth? Or was it the stars? But when Ashpaw awoke to the angry pokes of Hailpaw, like usual, something felt like it was missing.
"So what were you dreaming about? You were thrashing and kicking last night. Couldn't get a wink of sleep." Hailpaw grumped as they made their way across the moors on a group hunting assessment.
The silver tabby she-cat shrugged.
"I dunno. Can't remember what it was."
"Well I hope that it never happens again. I'm so tired!"
End of chapter 10! So whaddya think? I personally feel really happy because now we're getting into the part that I'm super exited to write. *squeals* None of these questions relate to the rest of the story, I'm just asking, I don't wanna spoil the surprise! Anyway, QOTD time, ya'll know what to do!
QOTD1: Who do you think the voice is? What is MoonClan?
QOTD2: What about the ThunderClan cats? Who's your favorite? Why?
QOTD3: Are you having a good day? If not, I hope you get to have a day off with your friends and just have fun!
I-really-hope-not signing off for today, I'll see you next time on They Walk Alone or Weak Instead of Strong!