i have nothing to say.
"Coppertail wake up! Dawn patrol!" A hushed voice pulled me roughly from sleep.
"Wha-?" I cracked open my eyes. Jaggedheart was leaning above Heathertuft, trying to only wake me up, his legs awkwardly splayed over my friend's body. He gestured to the entrance to the den.
"Come on! Unless you want me to wake up Heathertuft as well." He whispered. I groaned.
"Fine." I whined as I stood. I had gotten used to walking, running, crouching and all other things by using my ability unconsciously, even though it had only been a few days. As I stepped carefully across all of my sleeping Clanmates, I noticed a familiar small pale ginger she-cat padding groggily from the always-empty apprentices' den. "Lionkit! Why were you in the apprentices' den?" I asked her.
"I'm an apprentice now! Didn't you know? I'm Lionpaw now and Brightkit's Brightpaw!" Lionpaw said excitedly. "I'm gonna go train with Firecloud! Bye!" She turned and pelted to the tom. Where's Brightpaw, if Lionpaw's going to train? I padded to the medicine den.
"Have you se- Brightpaw? You're Starlingfoot's apprentice?" I asked in awe. I had always known Starlingfoot as a independent she-cat, not a mentor. The little cat nodded.
"Yeah. I became her apprentice when you were gone." She said quietly. I looked to Starlingfoot.
"Really?" I mouthed. She nodded.
"Yes, she took a particular interest in helping cats, especially you." She said, laughter shimmering in her eyes. I tilted my head.
"Especially me? How come I never saw her? How come you never told me you had an apprentice?" I asked, confused.
"Because it slipped my mind, I mean, your leg wasn't attached to your body!" Starlingfoot explained. I sighed.
"Anyway, congrats, Brightpaw. Good luck." I purred, and turned, but quickly turned back around. "Tell Jaggedheart to pick someone else for the dawn patrol. I want to hunt for the day." She nodded, and I padded out of the den. I walked swiftly past the fresh-kill pile. I can't believe I don't have to eat… it's so strange, I feel empty, but not hungry. I still have to drink though.
I padded back into camp, iron tendrils floating around me, carrying all the fresh-kill that I had caught.
"If I can't eat, might as well make me useful, I'll go hunt. Be back before moonhigh." I had told Stormfall. She had nodded, and gestured to the camp entrance.
"Go ahead, don't get lost, I'm not sending anyone if you don't come back." She had said, purring. I had laughed and left. Now, I had been hunting since sunhigh, and it's almost sunrise. I unloaded the prey onto the pile. Everyone's going to be happy when they wake up. I snuck into the warriors den and laid in my nest, next to Heathertuft and Aetherstripe. The tom shifted as I laid my head on his side, my tired eyes watching his peaceful face. My eyes drooped closed, and the last thing I saw before I fell asleep, was the only tom I trust.
I was in a meadow. A beautiful meadow at that, with dewy green grass, all the same length.
"Coppertail? Why are you here? Did you die?" I turned at the voice. A shining golden she-cat, with her blazing amber eyes was pelting toward me.
"Hazelbrook?" I braced myself as my surrogate mother crashed into me, purring and nuzzling my neck fur. My neck fur? I hesitated, and Hazelbrook pulled away looking at me.
"What's wrong?" She asked, motherly worry creeping into her voice.
"Long story." I replied, looking at my sleek black body, my fuzzy copper tail swishing through the air.
"How's Aetherstripe?" Hazelbrook asked. Aeherstripe and Hazelbrook were mates before she died of greencough during leaf-bare.
"He's good. He helps me a lot, especially when you died. If you really want to know, he hasn't gotten over you dying. I've found him in clearings before, silent and just staring at the ground, his mouth moving. He's never told me what he says, but I know that every time I find him, he is really happy to see me. He's like a father and you're like a mother to me." She smiled.
"I love you, my little chickadee." I smiled as she used my old nickname from when I was younger.
"I love you too." As I went to nuzzle her again, her body morphed into another, different form, and I stepped back . Her golden fur melted into black. Her amber eyes faded into ice blue.
"No! Hazelbrook!" I hissed in fear. "Hazelbrook?" I examined the new cat in front of me. Her name came to mind. "Savanna… or should I call you, Mother." She smiled.
"I can't believe you fell for that! Classic trick, it runs in the family." She said, actually somewhat serious.
"I thought you were gone." I said, teeth gritted. Savanna shook her head.
"Oh, no, no, honeybun. You can't get rid of me… it's mentally impossible. As long as you have some recollection of me, I'll never disappear." She smirked. I rolled my eyes.
"Good thing I know someone who can take away memories, and replace them with normal memories." I spat cockily. She froze in shock.
"Who?! Who are you talking about?!" She screeched, leaping at me, knocking me onto my back and standing over me.
"I will never tell, dearie!" I cackled as I forced myself awake.
I shook spastically as I woke up. It was dark in the den, still. Aetherstripe immediately snuggled closer to me, comforting me. Heathertuft was gone. On patrol probably.
"What did you dream of?" He asked softly.
"I saw Hazelbrook," the silhouette of his ears perked. "Well, a fake Hazelbrook. It was my mom in disguise. And for some reason, I cackled as I woke up." I shivered at the unusual memory.
"Cackle? You never cackle, not even when you were in that craz-"
"You promised!" I cut him off, anger flaring in my chest. He bowed his head.
"Sorry. But it's still strange. I wonder if your mom is somehow controlling you?" He shrugged.
"Naw, that's impossible." I clawed the idea down. "No. I would know, right?"
"Maybe…"
Kudos to everyone who actually read all the way down!
