I do not own warriors or Danny Phantom
Spiritpaw reveled in the cool breeze that ruffled his fur the next day. He held his nose high in the air as he took in the forest scents that had wafted in through the camp entrance. He was currently waiting at just outside the apprentice's den for their trip to the moonstone. He knew Tigerclaw had gone to wake the others up.
He pricked his ears as he saw his brother step outside the den and stretch. The morning light glittered across his brother's ginger fur as moved, showing off the muscles that rippled along his body. Graypaw and Ravenpaw weren't very far behind him. They sat down together and gulped down the herbs they had gotten from Spottedleaf. Tigerclaw and Bluestar sat watching them, ready to leave. The rest of the camp was still asleep.
"Ugh!" complained Graypaw. "I knew they'd be bitter. Why couldn't we eat a fat, juicy mouse instead?"
Bluestar looked ready to say something before Spiritpaw cut in. "Must you complain about everything like a kit? We have a long trip to go on and we can't exactly hunt in enemy territory, now can we? Would you prefer to go hungry most of the trip?" he growled impatiently.
Graypaw shut up at that.
Tigerclaw was giving Spiritpaw a curious stare.
"Have you eaten yours already?" Firepaw asked Bluestar.
"I cannot eat if I'm going to share dreams with StarClan at the Moonstone tonight," replied Bluestar.
Spiritpaw sighed as he watched his brother practically dance in place from the anticipation. He stretched a bit to get rid of the remaining soreness he felt from sleep.
The four cats made their way through the gorse tunnel and out of the camp.
Lionheart was just returning with a patrol. "Safe journey," he meowed.
Bluestar nodded. "I know I can trust you to keep the camp safe," she answered.
Lionheart looked at Graypaw and dipped his head. "Remember," he meowed. "You are almost a warrior. Don't forget what I have taught you."
Graypaw looked back at Lionheart with affection. "I will always remember, Lionheart," he mewed, nudging his head against the tabby's broad golden flank.
Spiritpaw couldn't escape the chilling feeling he had run down his spine. He wasn't sure what it was though. He pinned his ears as he turned back to follow his Clanmates.
They retraced their route to Fourtrees. This was the quickest way to pass into WindClan territory. HighStones lay beyond.
As Firepaw bounded down the side of the glade toward the Great Rock, he could still smell the scents of last night's Gathering. He followed the others through the grassy clearing and up the slope on the other side, into WindClan territory. The bushy slope became steeper as they climbed, and rockier, until the cats had to leap from boulder to boulder up the side of a craggy cliff face.
Spiritpaw scanned the area once they reached the top. Ahead of them, the ground flattened out into a wide plateau. The wind blew in a steady gust that rippled the grass and bent the trees. The soil was stony, and outcroppings of bare rock dotted the landscape here and there.
The air still carried the scents of WindClan, but they were stale. Much fresher, and more alarming, were the pungent markings of ShadowClan warriors.
"All Clans are entitled to safe passage to the Moonstone, but ShadowClan seems to have no respect for the warrior code anymore, so be alert," warned Bluestar. "We mustn't hunt outside our territory, though. We'll follow the warrior code, even if ShadowClan doesn't."
They set off across the plateau as the sun rose into the sky, following the tracks through the heather.
Suddenly Tigerclaw stopped dead. "Watch out!" he hissed. "I smell a ShadowClan patrol."
Spiritpaw and the others lifted their noses, and sure enough, the scent of ShadowClan warriors traveled on the wind.
"They are upwind. They won't know we are here if we keep moving," meowed Bluestar. "But we must hurry. If they move ahead they'll detect us. It's not far to the edge of WindClan territory now."
They moved on quickly, leaping over the rocks, pushing their way through the sweet-smelling heather. Spiritpaw's fur stood on end as he kept his ears pricked and his steps silent to scout for the ShadowClan warriors.
Finally they reached the edge of the uplands. The landscape changed dramatically, shaped and altered beyond recognition by Twolegs. Wide earth tracks crisscrossed green and golden meadows, small woods dotted the land, and Twoleg nests were scattered here and there among the fields. In the distance was yet another road.
"Is that the Thunderpath?" Firepaw asked Graypaw.
"Yes," replied Graypaw. "It runs up from the ShadowClan territory. Can you see HighStones behind it?"
Firepaw stretched his head up to look beyond the road. "Do we have to cross the Thunderpath then?"
"Yep," mewed Graypaw. His voice was strong and confident, almost cheerful, as he faced the difficult journey.
"Come on!" Bluestar meowed. She bounded forward. "We can be there by moonrise as long as we keep up the pace."
Spiritpaw followed her silently with the others, down the hill, away from the bleak hunting grounds of WindClan and into the lush Twoleg territory.
Keeping near the hedges, the cats walked on. Spiritpaw kept his eyes straight ahead as he listened for the cars that thundered across the path. Silently he wondered if there were any storm drains nearby that they could safely pass through rather than run over the surface of the road. Though he knew there would be the chance of snakes or rats hiding in such a place.
They skirted a Twoleg nest. It stood on a wide expanse of hard white stone, with smaller nests round the edges. Keeping low, the cats crept past the fence that surrounded the white stone. A sudden barrage of barking and snarling made them spin around. Firepaw and the other apprentices arched their backs, fur bristling from nose to tail.
'Geez. They are so easily startled. Though I suppose I'm not exactly a normal case.' He jumped up on top of the fence and looked down at the dogs that had been barking at them. He turned around to face his Clanmates. "It's alright. They're tied up here." he mewed and padded back to them.
"Spiritpaw you should be more careful!" Bluestar scolded.
"I'll be fine, Bluestar." he mewed confidently.
"Be careful that your overconfidence does not end in your death, young Spiritpaw." Tigerclaw hissed at him.
"What's the point of running away from something I think may be stronger than me? It would catch up easily if it really is stronger." he asked.
The other apprentices were watching them with eyes stretched wide in horror.
"Enough! We need to keep moving." Bluestar yowled at them.
They shut up and began following her again.
The sun was beginning to sink by the time they reached the street. Bluestar signaled to them to stop and wait beneath a hedge. Spiritpaw could feel his eyes and throat stinging from the fumes left by the cars.
"We'll go one at a time," meowed Tigerclaw. "Ravenpaw, you first."
"No, Tigerclaw," Bluestar interrupted. "I shall go first. Don't forget, this will be the first time of crossing for the apprentices. Let them see how it is done."
Spiritpaw watched as their leader padded to the edge of the road and looked up and down. She waited calmly as one car after another flew past her, ruffling her fur. Then, when the earsplitting roar paused for a moment, she raced across to the other side.
"Off you go, Ravenpaw; now you've seen how it's done," meowed Tigerclaw.
Ravenpaw's eyes widened with fear. Spiritpaw could smell the fear-scent on not just him though, but all the other apprentices aside himself. The small black cat crept forward to the edge of the road. It was quiet, but Ravenpaw hesitated.
"Oh for the love of-" Spiritpaw suddenly raced forward and grabbed Ravenpaw's neck fur in his teeth. He proceeded to drag the terrified apprentice across the empty street. Ravenpaw screeched and fought her in shock as one of the cars rolled right over where they were. But Spiritpaw had crouched with him and made them intangible so the car simply passed over them harmlessly. He then dragged Ravenpaw the rest of the way across.
Tigerclaw flicked his tail. "Spiritpaw shows much more promise than Ravenpaw." he growled.
Graypaw was lucky. A long lull let him cross safely. Then it was Firepaw's turn.
Firepaw stepped out from beneath the hedge and waited at the edge, as Bluestar had done. A car was rushing their way. Spiritpaw's eyes widened as he saw it swerving from side to side. 'Oh no.' Suddenly the car veered off the road and was bumping along the grass. It was heading straight for Firepaw. A Twoleg was jeering from an opening in its side. Firepaw leaped backward, claws out, battered by the storm of wind from the other Twoleg monster as it roared past him only a whisker away. He crouched, trembling in the dirt and stared as it swerved back onto the path and disappeared into the distance. Once everything went quiet he raced across, running faster than Spiritpaw had ever seen him run in his life.
"I thought you were fresh-kill!" cried Graypaw as Firepaw cannoned into him, almost knocking him over.
"Me too!" Firepaw gasped. Spiritpaw padded over to him and pressed against his side to try and calm his shaking. Firepaw gave him a grateful look. Tigerclaw soon joined them on their side of the path.
"Twolegs!" he spat as he arrived at their side.
"Do you want to rest before we go on?" Bluestar asked Firepaw.
Firepaw looked up. The sun was low in the sky. "No," he answered. "I'm okay."
The cats carried on, with Bluestar in the lead. The earth was darker on this side of the road and the grass felt coarser underpaw. As they approached the foot of HighStones, the grass gave way to bare, rocky soil, dotted with patches of heather. The land sloped up now, toward the sky. Craggy rocks topped the slope, blazing orange in the sun.
Bluestar stopped once more. She chose a sun-warmed rock to sit upon, flat and wide enough for all five cats to rest side by side.
"Look," she meowed, tilting her nose toward the dark slope before them. "Mothermouth."
The cats waited in silence. Gradually, as the sun dropped down behind Highstones, Spiritpaw began to make out the cave entrance, a square black hole that yawned darkly beneath a stone archway.
"We'll wait here until the moon is higher," meowed Bluestar. 'You should hunt if you are hungry and then get some rest."
Spiritpaw nodded and padded away. He, along with the other three apprentices, gathered plenty of fresh-kill. With Tigerclaw they crouched on the stony hillside and feasted. But in spite of their easy hunt, no cat said much, and the air still felt thick with tension and anticipation.
Afterward, the cats rested beside their leader until the warmth had seeped out of the rock on which they lay and cold black shadows reached up on all sides. Only then did Bluestar call out, "Come. It is time."