【 Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｎｉｎｅ】
A golden starry-furred she-cat sat at the edge of a pool, looking into its calm waters with a
melancholy expression. Her eyes filled with sadness as she watched the life pass by that was ripped away from her. She had lost everything, and now had to sit and watch helplessly as it happened again.
"What are you doing here?"
She turned around wearily to find a bluish-gray she cat sitting behind her.
"Why do you care?" The golden she-cat hissed. "I thought you were done with me."
The previous Thunderclan leader sat beside her, letting out a strained sigh.
"Lightheart, we've- I've told you dozens of times that you can't be here." Bluestar paused. "You know that."
There was silence between the two she-cats for a moment.
"Then don't waste your time trying to keep me away." Lightheart mumbled. "It doesn't matter anyway."
"You know that's not-"
"No!" The young she cat interrupted hastily, springing up from where she was sitting with fire in her green eyes. "You're the one who told me from the start that I was nothing but a failure! Don't bother trying to take that back now." She turned back to the pool. "I'm trying to help." She added sadly.
Bluestar shook her head. "You can help by not interfering, that's what got us into this mess. Starclan shouldn't have contact with living cats, even in these circumstances."
"Just let me speak her."
"Absolutely not."
"Why?" Lightheart meowed, exasperation in her voice. "I'm the only one who knows what she's dealing with down there," She gestured to the pool. "Not you, not anyone else but me." Her eyes widened in realization. "And you can't stand that, can you?"
The leaders eyes were filled with fury, her previously calm tone dissipating. "No one speaks to me like that." She hissed. "Let us deal with this."
The golden she-cat leaned in towards Bluestar, until they were only inches apart. "My life was taken away, and I'm not going to let the same happen to her." Her tone dangerously quiet. "And no one is going to stop me."
Bluestar turned away wordlessly, toned muscles rippling under her pelt. "I knew Starclan never should have chosen you."
"I guess that was one mistake you never should have made."
As Bluestar stalked away, Lightheart resumed her position near the pool, her frame shaky as a tear fell from her face, creating a ripple in the pool.
"What have I done?" She whispered to herself as she studied the features of the slumbering cats in the Thunderclan camp,her gaze focused on one cat in particular.
Lightpaw woke with a start, her heart thudding in her chest. She momentarily was lost in her racing thoughts, before glancing around the dark den. Around her the other apprentices were sleeping, only two nests empty. She groaned inwardly. What was all of that? The apprentice knew something important resided in her dream, the starry she-cat she had seen previously finally having a name, and Lightpaw finally having answers. That's why they hate me.
I share a dead cat's name.
As quietly as she could, the dappled she-cat padded around the sleeping bodies of her clanmates, and out into the cool fall air. Whatever had happened, whatever had caused Lightheart-or whatever her name was to end up in Starclan was part of a bigger picture, and one that now involved her.
Great, she thought. Now not only am I a cat, I have some dead one keeping an eye on me.
She wondered if Lightheart could see her now, or if she had been witnessing her every move since she woke up a few moons ago in the forest. I wonder if she's pissed I took her name?
She was dying to talk to the she-cat, to get even more answers. Every time she had gotten one of her many questions solved, even more popped up in its wake.
Lightpaw recognized a sturdy frame sitting in the far corner of the camp, his head tilted up towards the sky.
"Hey." She greeted, sitting down by the tom.
Stonepaw turned to her, surprise laced in his gaze. "I didn't think you were a morning person."
She shivered. "I'm not, well at least not most of the time."
"I don't understand you." He meowed absentmindedly while looking up at the stars.
"How so?"
"Well," He paused. "I'm not sure."
Lightpaw laughed. "Sounds like you don't understand yourself."
The grey tom smiled, realizing how strange his sentence was. "You're different."
"Good different?" She questioned, feeling her face flush a little.
"Yeah."
The two apprentices sat in a comfy silence, her thoughts drifting back to the dream. Lighpaw glanced up at the stars.
Lightheart, if you can hear me, her thoughts trailed off. Please give me a sign.
As cheesy as it sounded, it was true. All she needed was a sign that she wasn't losing her mind. That would do for now at least.
"Hey, uh, Briarpaw is supposed to come on the dawn patrol with me and a few other warriors, and since she isn't here," He scanned the clearing. "Would you want to come?"
Lightpaw rolled her eyes in mock irritation. "I guess"
Stonepaw laughed as Lightpaw followed after him towards a small group of warriors, their heads bent in conversation.
Stonepaw cleared his throat awkwardly as the two approached the group. "Since no one seems to know where Briarpaw went, could Lightpaw come with us instead?"
A large snow white tom turned around to face be, his eyes surveying the clearing briefly.
"I guess." He meowed, a slightly concerned look on his face. "Where does she keep going?" He mumbled to himself in a quieter tone as he heaved himself to his paws.
Lightpaw recognized a few of the other cats in the group, one being Nightpelt, a pitch-black she cat that rarely spoke. Another being Smallnose, Stonepaw's mentor, and a calico she-cat she didn't remember the name of.
The group of cats padded out into the forest, the cold breeze ruffling through Lightpaw's fur.
Don't cats get a thicker pelt in the winter or something?
Things the past few months had been relatively calm up until leaf-fall, for the clans at least. Lightpaw didn't think she could ever get used to the constant tensions between the four cat groups, one of which was growing more restless by the second. It wasn't a secret that Windclan wanted a battle, but the clan's size was holding them back. She wasn't quite sure why the clan had such a vendetta against Thunderclan, but they had even started trying to get Shadowclan on their side. From what she knew, Ravenstar wasn't having any of that either. Lightpaw respected someone that wasn't easily swayed in a position of power, and she was thankful for the she-cat, even if she had never met her.
The majority of the patrol was standard, which was kind of boring to say the least.
If it means everything's fine, then I'm fine.
She had spoken too soon.
"Mossclaw, can you come here for a second? I'm picking up a strange scent under these branches." Nightpelt mewed, trying to shift one of the larger pieces of wood.
The burly tom padded over to the smaller black she-cat, and the two cleared out most of the debris.
"Oh my." Nightpelt whispered quietly, her eyes round with horror.
A boulder dropped in Lightpaw's stomach. It had to be something horrible to shake the calm she-cat.
"What is it?" The lithe calico she-cat meandered her way up to where the other cats were standing, her previously curious expression dropping.
"Who do you think it is?" The black she-cat whispered, looking up the senior warrior.
Mossclaw shook his head. "Can't tell. We need to tell Blizzardstar immediately."
"What happened?" Lightpaw asked from the back of the group.
The two older warriors padded back to where the apprentices were, Mapleleaf following behind them, their expressions melancholy.
"We found a dead body." Mossclaw meowed solemnly.
"What?" Stonepaw responded in a shocked tone. "Who was it?"
"Can't tell, the body's too mangled to make out any kind of resemblance."
Something definitely wasn't right with this. A dead cat, appearing on Thunderclan territory while conflicts were brewing between the clans just didn't settle right with her. Of course, It was awful that a cat had died in the first place, but the entire situation just seemed uncanny.
"You don't think..." Even though her voice had trailed of, the other cats seem to understand what she was insinuating.
"No." Nightpelt replied briskly, a glimmer of fear in her eyes. "No cat could be responsible for that."
The patrol walked back to the camp in silence, except for the occasional whisper between Stonepaw and his mentor.
When they arrived, the majority of the cats were already up and awake, some cheerfully chatting amongst themselves.
"Hey, you guys are back!" Lionpaw greeted as he padded over to the other apprentices, his smile falling when he saw the unanimous frown among the cats.
"What's wrong?"
Mossclaw shot the two apprentices a look, almost as if he were telling them to keep their mouths shut.
Lightpaw shook her head ,gesturing towards the warriors who padded into Blizzardstar's den.
He seemed to get the hint, because he fell silent.
A grey and white tabby she-cat padded out of the apprentices den, her fur gleaming in the morning sunlight.
"Hey guys" she yawned. Lakepaw looked around the other apprentices with a confused expression. "Isn't Briarpaw with you?" Lightpaw and Stonepaw shared a look of confusion.
"No, she missed the dawn patrol, I went instead."
Stonepaw nudged her, with a questioning look. "You don't think she was-"
The accusation, although it made sense, it didn't make sense at the same time. Yes the she-cat was a bit ill-tempered from time to time, but a killer?
Lightpaw shook her head. "I don't think so, even if it does line up, well," She paused. "You heard Nightpelt, a cat couldn't of done it."
The two other siblings gave us a weird glance. "I know you can't say, but you're acting like something weird is going on."
Stonepaw grimaced. "You'll find out soon enough."
Almost as if on cue, Blizzardstar stepped out of his den, with the warriors who were on the patrol trailing behind him.
"Thunderclan" He meowed, turning to address the cats that were starting to gather in front of him. "The dawn patrol has returned with some unfortunate news."
It seemed the leader was abandoning any formality with the clan meeting as he continued.
"While patrolling the borders, they stumbled upon a-" he hesitated, trying to find the best way to say it. "The body of a warrior."
The crowd began to murmur, looks of curiosity and horror spread among them. Moonpaw, who was sitting next to her mother Snowstream, in particular. Lightpaw could barely hear the medicine cat apprentice mutter among the crowd.
"Do you think it was Briarpaw?"
Mother and daughter shared a scared look as they continued to whisper.
Lightpaw felt a surge of pity for them. Although Moonpaw and Briarpaw were sisters, they had never really acted like it.
"It has been noted that the cat had a Shadowclan scent." Blizzardstar continued above the crowd. "But thats all we know at the moment."
"But that could mean anything!" A striped brown tom called out from the crowd. "That means it was killed by a Shadowclan warrior or was one!"
Silence fluttered over the crowd. The thought that another cat had murdered it in cold blood had never really occurred to her, except for the short-lived thought from Stonepaw. Of course it was a possibility, but if Nightpelt was right about how mangled the body was, a monster of a cat would have to do it.
"What are you going to do about it?" Another cat questioned. "It's not like we can keep a dead body on our territory!"
"I know" the speckled tom replied, anxiety in his gaze. "I'll discuss the matter with the senior warriors, if they would care to join me in my den."
Lightpaw watched a few of the older warriors nod in response, two of which being Mossclaw and Nightpelt. The handful of cats slinked into his den silently, before Blizzardstar followed them.
Almost immediately, the crowd burst into a hushed panic, worry lining their expressions.
"So that's what you saw." Lakepaw meowed quietly. "A dead warrior."
The group sat in silence for a few seconds, before Lionpaw replied. "How are the other clans going to react to this?"
The orange tom asked a good question. With everything going on, it was impossible to know how the other clans would react. Finding a dead body on another clans territory was a huge offense, and one that wouldn't go down well.
The entrance to camp shifted as a small dark brown she-cat padded through it, a mouse in her jaws. She dropped it before she was even halfway to the fresh-kill pile. "Whats going on?"
Snowstream dashed to her daughter immediately, wrapping her tail around her with tears in her eyes, with Moonpaw trailing her cautiously.
Lightpaw could hear the three talking in hushed tones, while Briarpaw tried to wriggle out of her grasp with an uncomfortable expression.
Even Lightpaw let out a sigh of relief. Although she didn't particularly care for the she-cat, she was glad that she wasn't dead. That still doesn't rule her out as a murder. She thought to herself. She shook her head as if too clear out those thoughts. There's nothing except the fact that she was gone to prove she did it.
The remainder of the day was spent in silence, none of the cats allowed to leave the camp. Lightpaw didn't speak to anyone other than a few words exchanged between her friends, although she tried to speak to Moonpaw, but was yet again stopped by Cloudwhisker.
Just as the sun was setting, a weary looking Blizzardstar padded out of his den.
"It's time to announce what cats with be attending the gathering."
The golden apprentice couldn't help but be shocked, and judging by other's expressions, they were as well.
"Thunderclan will still be attending, it would look as though we were guilty if we didn't." He meowed, glancing at his clanmates.
"Susie, Blossomflower, Sandmist, Pouncepaw, Bearpaw, Eagleflight, Foxtail, Sparrowfeather, Lightpaw, Moonpaw, Cloudwhisper, Snowstream, and Briarpaw will be coming with me."
The selected cats fell into line, as Lightpaw glanced back at her friends.
"It'll be fine." Stonepaw reassured, "You'll have to tell us everything when you get back."
She smiled warmly at the three siblings who were nodding in agreement with their brother, before padding over to Foxtail to join the group.
Despite the tension of the group, Pouncepaw and Bearpaw bounced along happily, sharing excited whispers with each other, and Lightpaw felt bad for them. This was their first gathering, it was a shame their excitement had to be dampened by the unfortunate event.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that." Her mentor meowed. Foxtail shot her a sideways glance. "I hope you know this isn't a regular thing for the clans."
Lightpaw nodded. "I know, judging by everyone's reactions this is pretty unheard of."
He flicked his plumy tail in agreement. "It is." He looked over at Blizzardstar, his gaze filled with sympathy. "I can't imagine how he's taking this."
The leader was trudging along, his gaze clouded in thought.
"He isn't used to dealing with sort of thing." Foxtail meowed.
She tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"
"You know," He began, a small smile on his face, "Blizzardstar is only a moon or so older than I am."
"Really?" Lightpaw meowed, a hint of surprise in her tone. "He doesn't seem that young"
The russet tom had a sad smile. "Being a leader has aged him. He was thrust into the position just as he became a warrior."
The apprentice felt a rush of pity for the tom. From what Foxtail had said, he never really had any chance to be a normal warrior.
"What would you do?"
"Huh?"
He let out a small purr of amusement. "What would you do in his situation?"
"Well," she began. "He can either tell all of the clans at the gathering what happened, and face the chances of people blaming Thunderclan for it, while creating even more tension between the clans, or, he could hide it from them and risk telling more and more lies to cover it up."
Lightpaw thought for a minute. "It really isn't good either way."
Foxtail nodded. "It rarely is."
"I would probably tell the truth, but that's just because I'm an awful lier."
Her mentor let out a snort of amusement, before gazing ahead.
"It will be interesting to see which one he chooses."
The rest of the clans appeared to have arrived way before them, so the Thunderclan cats had to squeeze in among them.
Lightpaw gave a quick nod to a Shadowclan apprentice beside her, as she tried to shove away his anxious expression. He might find out one of his clanmates is dead tonight.
She watched as Blizzardstar climbed up to the rest of the leaders, and attempted to whisper something to Ravenstar. The Shadowclan leader mouthed something to the tom before starting the gathering.
"Cats of the Clans" The tortoiseshell she cat meowed. "Before the gathering begins there is something I would like to ask."
Murmurs rippled among the clans, as Lightpaw watched the apprentice become even more nervous.
"A few days ago one of our warriors, Thornbreeze, disappeared, and no one has seen him since."
The blood drained from Blizzardstar's face, as Lightpaw heard a small sob from behind her. Snowstream sat behind her in shock, before turning towards the trees along the shoreline.
What was that about?
The Shadowclan leader wore a worried expression. "If any cat has seen him, please report back to me." She turned to the other leaders before turning back to the crowd. "That will be all from Shadowclan."
Blizzardstar gulped nervously as he tried to cut in line before Spottedstar, but was cut off. "Windclan has been thriving, as always." He boasted, shooting a glance at Blizzardstar. "We have also recently welcomed two new warriors to our ranks, Larkfoot and Seednose." He stepped down, cocking an eyebrow at Blizzardstar before standing beside Miststar.
The speckled tom cleared his throat, trying his hardest to keep his tone clear. "Today, one of Thunderclan's border patrols stumbled upon…" He adjusted his stance. "The corpse of a cat." Blizzardstar turned to Ravenstar, whose face showed no emotion. "I'm so sorry, they couldn't identify who it was-"
The tortishells eyes turned cold. "I see." She meowed, her tone sharp. "And who would be responsible for this?"
The clearing fell silent. It was obvious by now that the missing warrior and the dead one were the same cat. The tom beside her had been struggling to keep his guard up, and she could almost see the hurt in his eyes.
I wonder if he knew him.
Blizzardstar shifted uncomfortably, almost like a small kit who had been reprimanded. "We don't know."
Ravenstar looked at the ground as a small tear fell to the earth. She pulled her head up. "If thats everything you have to say," She turned to the small Riverclan cat. "Is there anything you would like to announce?" Miststar shook her head quickly, before Ravenstar turned back to the crowd, not meeting anyones gaze.
"The gathering has ended, please follow your leaders back to camp." Her voice cracked with anger and sadness.
The shadowclan apprentice met her gaze before turning away.
Yes, of course she felt horrible Shadowclan, it all felt...strange.
Like the walk to the gathering, the walk back wasn't any cheerier, and neither was camp itself. Blizzardstar gave a quick explanation of what had happened when he returned to camp, before immediately going into his den.
When Lightpaw returned to the camp, there was still the nagging thought in the back of her mind that something wasn't right. In the apprentices den, Lionpaw eagerly asked her what had happened, before Stonepaw gave him a harsh look. She silently thanked him, before curling up in her nest. Sleep swept over her as soon as she hit the moss, and she blacked out.
"Can you hear me?" A voice meowed worriedly around her. "I swear if this doesn't work…"
"What?" Lightpaw grumbled, sitting up. It took a second for her eyes to adjust. She was surrounded by a starry landscape, a warm breeze ruffling her fur.
"It worked!" They voice meowed again relieved.
To her side, a golden-furred she-cat stood, her eyes gleaming.
You're the cat from my dream" Lightpaw meowed, eyes wide.
"You've seen me?"
Lightpaw nodded in confusion, and the starry cat grinned slightly
"Theres so much I need to know-" the apprentice began, only to be cut off by the she-cat.
"I know, trust me, I know."
Lightpaw opened her mouth to respond before she was cut off again.
"But there's something else thats more important right now." Lightheart turned to the stream bubbling beside them, her expression mixed.
"Its curious, isn't it?"
"What?"
"The death."
Lightpaw shifted her paws uneasily. "How so."
The Starclan cat rolled her eyes. "Don't lie to me, I know you have your doubts."
The apprentice was taken aback "You can read my mind?"
Lightheart let out a breathless laugh. "Again, I'll discuss that later." He attitude shifted. "Small events can lead up to big things Lightpaw" Her tone serious. "Why would a Thunderclan cat want a Shadowclan cat dead?"
Lightpaw shook her head. "I have no idea."
"Exactly."
The puzzle pieces began to click in her mind. There was a reason this whole situation didn't make sense, becuase it wasn't real. It was a set up, leading to something bigger.
"You're saying that someone wanted a battle to happen?"
The she-cat's gaze was focused intently on the water before them. "You tell me."
Her surroundings began to shift, the grass slowly starting to dissapear.
"Wait!" Lightpaw yelled, the she-cat fading, "why are you talking to me?"
The starry warrior turned to face her, her expression sad. "Because you're going to do what I couldn't."
Then everything went black.
Lightpaw, for the second night in a row snapped awake, looking frantically around the den. She had to tell someone, and now.
Lionpaw sat in the corner of the den, pacing back in forth with a mix of anticipation and fear in his gaze.
"Whats going on?" The golden apprentice meowed, a hint of fear in her tone for what she knew was coming.
Lionpaw turned to her. "Shadowclan just declared their alliance with Windclan."
She felt the blood drain from her face. I'm too late.
"They want a fight, and Blizzardstar hasn't said anything about it."
Lightpaw felt her pace quicken. The only thing holding Windclan back was the fact that they weren't enough of them, and now that Shadowclan is on their side-
That was it.
They must have known the only way to get Shadowclan involved was to kill one of their own.
She swallowed, her mind racing a mile per minuete.
A Windclan cat had just gotten away with murder.
【 Ａｕｔｈｏｒ＇ｓ Ｎｏｔｅ】
wOw that was a long chapter. I hope you guys enjoy the 3rd person perspective, I think it will make this a lot easier on me to write. Also, please remember to comment or leave a review on the story, you have no idea how much it fuels me to write haha. Plus, its great so that I know what you guys like or dislike about the direction the story is heading in.
Also, don't you just love that cliffhanger? Part two should be up soon :)
I would also like to say that I am taking requests for OC's to be put in the story, I need a few more cats from other clans (because the other clans will soon play a big role in the story). So, if you would like to PM me with any ideas I will gladly put them in! Just include their name, appearance, and a small blurb about their story/personality
Sorry for my long a/n, but I hope you enjoyed!