Disclaimer: I don't own warriors.
Chapter 10
Shadowpaw followed Falconheart, who was walking along the edge of the creek, bouncing occasionally. The tom had never felt better about anything. He'd beaten Fire, and Falconheart had given him a complement for it. It wasn't everyday he was told he fought as well as any warrior of CreekClan.
"Settle down will you?" Featherpaw teased him, not really minding. Her yellow eyes glowed slightly, and she shoved him lightly. "Falconheart might shove you in the creek again."
Shadowpaw shrugged. "Not even that could ruin my day." He lifted his head, feeling the cool morning breeze on his face.
"You should stop leaping around." Falconheart commented. "We've probably got a long way to go, and you'll waste all your energy."
"Yes, Falconheart." Shadowpaw meowed dutifully. He fell into silence. For a while that's how they walked, the only noise the sounds of their Pawsteps on the grass.
"Do you two know any stories?" Falconheart asked. "It would make the journey a little easier."
Shadowpaw shook his head. "No. The Pride doesn't really tell stories and my mother… she wasn't around to tell them to me."
Falconheart glanced back at him. "I'm sorry."
Shadowpaw nodded in thanks.
"I know one. I think." Featherpaw meowed. "My mother used to tell me the story of Lightning and Thunder, when I was scared of storms."
Falconheart leapt over a fallen branch. "Well that's a story." He gave the gray she-cat a searching look. "Do you want to tell it, or…"
Featherpaw shrugged. "I don't think I remember much of it. I don't remember much of her."
Falconheart stopped, letting them catch up. "Then I suppose I'll have to tell the story. I was never the speaker Thistleleaf was, but I know a few."
"Tell us one about CreekClan." Shadowpaw requested, perking up.
Falconheart chuckled. "Sure, why not. I'll tell you the story of Creekstar, our founder." He moved to avoid a hole in the ground.
"Many many seasons ago, there was a young cat. Her name was Creek. She lived on the same bank you live on." The silver tabby was thoughtful. "She lived with her two sisters, and several friends. They were safe and happy on the bank. They planned to live there, and raise families there. All was good for these cats. But not for long. A great enemy rose against the group on the creek bank." Falconheart paused. "Great StarClan!"
"What?" Featherpaw and Shadowpaw asked.
Falconheart turned to them. "I used to hear this story all the time when I was younger. The great enemy… I'll tell you when the story's over."
Shadowpaw heaved a sigh. "The can you continue?"
Falconheart smiled and re-entered his storytelling voice. "The great enemy wanted the creek bank for themselves, with the territory around its plentiful hunting, and the comfortable creek bank to live on. The creek group and the great enemy, for if they had a name it has long been forgotten, fought many battles. Many losses were suffered on both sides, including Creek's mate, a tom named Draven."
"Draven?" Shadowpaw asked, "What kind of name is Draven?"
"It's a rogue name." Featherpaw answered. "I know The Pride is all named for things in nature, but Draven is a rogue name."
"They were rogues." Falconheart meowed, and glanced over his shoulder, "Watch your step."
As he spoke Shadowpaw stepped on a loose piece of earth and slid into the creek. Mud streaked his black fur, and he looked up at them. "This isn't funny."
Falconheart's whiskers twitched. "Of course not."
Shadowpaw splashed water at him, and Falconheart dodged. "Why don't we all take a break?" he offered. "It's sun-high now. We'll get a drink, and rest a little."
"Sounds good to me." Shadowpaw meowed, lowering himself to get some of the mud off his pelt. Falconheart hopped in, getting both Featherpaw and Shadowpaw wet.
"Hey!" Shadowpaw commented, and then froze. Falconheart was swimming in a deeper part of the creek, with ease. He glanced at Feather, she was staring too.
"I'll teach you two to swim at some time." Falconheart told them, before pulling himself out of the deep spot. "It's a skill every CreekClan cat picks up."
Shadowpaw nodded, and bent his head to lick up some water. Falconheart apparently had enough on his fur, because he hauled himself out, and flopped down, grooming his pelt.
Shadowpaw and Featherpaw joined him; the two groomed each other, Shadowpaw purring loudly.
Falconheart glanced at them. "You two are mates aren't you?"
Shadowpaw paused, glancing at Featherpaw. She nodded.
Falconheart shrugged. "It's not a bad thing, you're both older than usual apprentices." He stretched, grooming his leg. "I was just making sure."
Shadowpaw was being licked, so he asked, "What happened after Draven's death?"
"Not until we're done taking a break." Falconheart answered. "That's a traveling story."
Shadowpaw huffed, lowering his head. Featherpaw laughed, licking one of his black ears. He flicked it, and glanced up at her.
Falconheart stretched again, and yawned. Shadowpaw closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the creek. He was starting to like the sound, he considered it comforting.
Something occurred to him, and he asked softly. "Falconheart?"
"Hmm?" the silver tom responded, and Shadowpaw opened his eyes.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to…" Shadowpaw trailed off. Falconheart studied him, so he finished, "how did the flood start?"
Falconheart sighed, and looked at the creek. "In new-leaf, I believe you refer to it as the warm moons, the creek is always fuller than usual, due to all the melting snow. Well, there was a dam upstream of CreekClan, a pile of sticks that had become stuck. They'd been there for seasons. Well they were holding back a lot of water, and finally they broke." The silver tom shuddered, horror filling his eyes. "I still remember the sound, this loud crack that echoed through the woods. I just knew something bad had happened when I heard that. With the sticks gone, the already swollen creek flooded."
Shadowpaw swallowed. "I… I'm sorry I asked."
"Don't be." Falconheart shook his head. "It was a question you had every right to ask." He got to his paws, and looked at them. "Are you two ready to keep going?"
Shadowpaw let Featherpaw get up first, since she was laying on him. The black tom hauled himself up, and stretched his spine quickly.
Falconheart took the lead. "To answer your question about Draven you have to understand that Creek and Draven had become the leaders of the group that lived on the creek bank. When Draven was wounded in battle, Creek immediately called a retreat. She tried to save her mate, her paws becoming red with his blood as she tried to stop him from bleeding out from that terrible wound. But there was no saving him. After he died, Creek lost hope. She went upstream a ways to think and found that the creek branched off. A smaller creek had once fed the larger one, but had dried up, and all that was left was the grove where it had flowed. Feeling depressed but mildly curious, Creek explored it. She hadn't gone far when she thought she smelled Draven's scent. She told herself it was impossible but she followed it, into a cave the creek had carved. When she entered she gasped. The cave was shining like the stars lined the walls. The largest crystal, in the center of the cave called to her, and she curled up next to it to sleep. And she dreamed. She dreamed of Draven and he told her that he hadn't left her. He'd joined StarClan and had found a way to gather the cats of the creek bank. He taught her the ways of the Clan, and told her if she formed the Clan to return." Falconheart paused to catch his breath, and Shadowpaw bounced on his paws a little. It was Featherpaw that asked though.
"So what did she do?"
Falconheart chuckled, "Eager aren't we?"
"Yes!" the two answered and Falconheart laughed outright, grinning.
"Okay, okay." He sighed, and took a breath. "She didn't want to wake up, to lose him again, but he told her she had to. She had to do this for him, and for those cats." Falconheart swallowed, and continued. "So she went to the cats, and told them what Draven had told her. It took some time, but they agreed to try this idea. At first they didn't believe that Creek had really seen Draven, but eventually they accepted the idea. Finally, a moon after Draven's death and the sign Creek had received, they were ready. Creek, now called Creekwhisker, went back to the stone. She took along another she-cat, one with knowledge of herbs, named Sagetail. Draven returned and with him eight other cats, some of the creek group, some of them from Creekwhisker's past. They gave her nine lives and named her Creekstar. They named Sagetail the first medicine cat of CreekClan, and told them they would walk the skies with them some day, until the stars faded." Falconheart stopped, taking a deep breath.
Shadowpaw was about to lose his mind. "Then what?"
Falconheart gave him a look. "If I pass out because I'm not breathing you won't hear the story either Shadowpaw, calm down." There was a hint of amusement there.
Featherpaw chuckled, she shoved Shadowpaw. "He's just eager."
Falconheart shook his head, the last lights of the afternoon hitting his silver fur. "They returned to the group. Creekstar had no words for what had happened, and that's the way it has been since. The leader says nothing of what happened that night. The next day, Creekstar led the newly named CreekClan to victory. The great enemy was forced back, and CreekClan settled in peace along the creek…" he trailed off, and Shadowpaw realized something was troubling him. "When I heard the story the elder finished with, has lived there ever since."
Shadowpaw blinked, not sure what to say. Featherpaw looked away briefly.
"Umm… now what was that you were talking about earlier?" Shadowpaw asked slowly, his voice hesitant. "That made you so startled."
"A Great Enemy that rose against CreekClan, forced back and never seen again. Determined to get territory and willing to drive out or kill cats to do so." Falconheart gave Shadowpaw a long searching look. "That doesn't sound like anyone that lives near us today does it?"
Shadowpaw repeated Falconheart's earlier cry. "Great StarClan! You think… You think it was The Pride?"
Falconheart shook his head. "I don't know, I've never heard it referred to as anything but the Great Enemy but it does seem to fit. It would explain why The Pride lived so far from CreekClan."
Shadowpaw's mind churned, trying to figure out if it was true. Had The Pride been the reason CreekClan formed?
Falconheart sighed. "There's a little bit more. It's something of a Clan myth that Creekstar was pregnant with Draven's kits when they drove back the Great Enemy. Draven was described as a black tom with hints of silver." He gave Shadowpaw and Featherpaw a joking look. "Some cats wondered if our line was descended from the original leader."
Shadowpaw tilted his head. "Are you?"
"I don't know." Falconheart shrugged. "I really don't care." He paused. "It would be interesting to be related to her, but…" his ears flattened and he looked away. "Being related to someone doesn't make you like them. You'd understand that Shadowpaw."
Shadowpaw nodded once. "You mean like with Buzzard?" he asked slightly sarcastically.
Falconheart shrugged. "So in the end it really wouldn't impact me to be related to Creekstar and Draven. Like I said it's a myth, no one knows if she was actually expecting his kits."
Featherpaw glanced at Shadowpaw, he nodded, time to change the subject.
Falconheart beat them to it. "It's getting late, and Shadowpaw's already stumbled once. No need to let him do it in the dark."
"Hey!" Shadowpaw yelped, indignant. "You could've warned me about that."
"I did." Falconheart muttered, rolling his eyes. "Come on, let's head into the trees."
Shadowpaw followed him, watching Falconheart search for a good place to spend the night. The silver tom prowled through the trees, his fur glowing faintly in the dusk light.
"Here will do." Falconheart decided, circling a tall patch of grass. Shadowpaw joined him, helping him flatten it out. Shadowpaw flattened his ears in embarrassment when his stomach growled. Falconheart raised his head, and Shadowpaw gave him a sheepish look.
"I'll go hunting." Featherpaw offered, and Falconheart considered it.
"Be careful, this is unfamiliar territory. Stay close!" he called after the already leaving she-cat.
Shadowpaw flopped down. "Ugh. There is mud all over my paws." He got to work, getting bits of grass and soil out from between his claws. He tensed realizing that Falconheart was helping.
"Sorry." The older tom stopped. "Was that making you uncomfortable?"
"A little?" Shadowpaw offered, eyeing him.
Falconheart moved over, to groom his own pelt. "I forgot you didn't know, Clan mates share tongues on a regular basis, keeps us close."
"Oh." Shadowpaw blinked, that was far different from his upbringing. "If you want to…"
"I think I've made uncomfortable enough for one evening." Falconheart saved him from offering. "I do have a question though."
"Go ahead."
"What's with you and Fire? I have trouble believing the two of just looked at each other and decided to hate each other."
Shadowpaw let out a breath. "I'm not sure. Fire has always hated The Pride, Buzzard in particular. I think they might've had a fight when they were younger and Buzzard humiliated him or something? Anyway, he took it out on me. Then when I became Featherpaw's mate… Well, you saw how that went."
Falconheart considered this, licking one of his front paws. "What about Lion?"
"I'm not sure how he became friends with Fire; Lion's always been different from him. Even though he could've joined The Pride, Lion refused, staying with Fire no matter what."
Falconheart's blue eyes narrowed. "That's quite a bit of loyalty."
Shadowpaw nodded. "Loyalty to the cat that hates me for loving a she-cat and being Buzzard's younger brother." He was powerless to stop the bitterness that crept into his voice at the end of that sentence.
Falconheart studied him. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened between you and Buzzard?"
Shadowpaw heaved a sigh. "Didn't you ever feel judged for being the brother of the Clan leader?"
"I was deputy when he was leader." Falconheart replied, "We worked side by side."
"Well you lived up to expectations then." Shadowpaw snorted. "I'm nothing like Buzzard and I'm certainly not second-in-command."
Falconheart's blue eyes became solemn and distant. "Expectations in the Clan are different Shadowpaw." He muttered something more, that Shadowpaw didn't quite catch.
"What was-" he got cut off by the sound of pawsteps.
Featherpaw, her fluffy tail streaming behind her reached them. "You two have to come quick!" he eyes were wide with excitement and she bounced on her paws. "I've found them!"
"What?" Falconheart got to his paws, as did Shadowpaw.
Featherpaw nodded, and grinned. "Even better they've heard of CreekClan!"
Falconheart looked at Shadowpaw, then back to Featherpaw. "How? They're rogues and live nowhere near CreekClan! Even the rogues near us have barely heard of it."
"I don't know, but they want to see us." Featherpaw told him.
XXX
A.N.: Next chapter will be called, "We interrupt this story…"
Just kidding. Next chapter will answer all your questions, involve an army of penguins and StarClan hula dancing.
Sleep deprived NaNo authors are weird creatures…
