AN: Wow I'm just in such a good mood. I did a double update just for the readers who reviewed :P Anyways, this chapter is a direct continuation from the last one. Thanks Hawky, WildCroconaw and Poison Apple for reviewing! You all get...Snowpaw plushies!
Chapter 9
"Welcome, Sunpaw." Sunpaw blinked when she heard a voice echo around her. She opened her eyes to find herself standing in a clearing surrounded by ancient looking trees. Cats stood before her - generations of cats that had lived in the Clans before her stood in the clearing as well. "We were hoping Jayfeather would bring you." The voice belonged to a dark gray she-cat. Her face was flat, something that made Sunpaw think of the medicine cats that Cinderheart had once mentioned. She had dark orange eyes that scorched through Sunpaw's heart.
"Can you tell me where Flamepaw is?" Sunpaw was hoping that she would find answers as to where her brother had disappeared. She knew in her heart that he wasn't dead. Bramblestar may have ordered that he was dead, but she would never let him go.
"I'm afraid that you will have to forget about him. He is nothing but a distraction to your real destiny." Another cat had spoken up. Sunpaw turned to glare at the cat that had padded out of the crowd. It was a ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt. Her eyes widened when she saw Sandstorm standing beside him.
Confusion seeped through Sunpaw as she remembered what Sandstorm had once said about SkyClan. She knew now the cats that were in her vision had come from SkyClan. But she didn't know why they were leaving their home. Their bones sticking out had been somewhat of an indicator. Something about lack of prey had made them leave.
"What is my real destiny than?" she asked after trying to figure out what the proper way to ask was.
The two cats exchanged looks. "The flame must continue burning within ThunderClan," the flame-colored cat replied. "That flame burns within you."
The golden tabby apprentice stared down at her paws as she thought of what he said. Her mind was churning with thoughts of the visions that she'd kept receiving in the past. Something about her visions had made the cats of StarClan come to her.
"Can you tell me what exactly that flame is?" Sunpaw leaned forward as she tried to comprehend what they were telling her.
A flame…could it be because I'm related to Firestar? she wondered. If so than why me and not Flamepaw? He was a better fighter than I am…I barely know how to defend myself in training sessions. The cats in front of her seemed to understand her fear. Sandstorm stepped forward, green eyes glittering with hurt as she looked down at the apprentice.
"You will have to figure that out on your own," she murmured.
Before Sunpaw could ask what she meant by that, the clearing began to fade. She blinked once and the forest around her disappeared. It was replaced by the Moonpool, where she lay awake once more. Jayfeather was waking up as well. He lifted his head and turned towards where she'd laid.
"Did you dream?" he asked.
"Y-yes," Sunpaw stammered. Her heart was pounding again like it had before they'd arrived. "I saw…." I shouldn't tell him the truth, she realized silently. Something was off about Jayfeather. She could tell from the way his eyes flashed that he wasn't himself. "I saw Hollyleaf, standing in a pool of blood," she lied. Anything to get him off my pelt, she told herself.
"A pool of blood?" Jayfeather stared at her in disbelief. "Hollyleaf wouldn't - even if she was alive - she wouldn't kill unless it was necessary." Sunpaw noticed how he quickly switched the way he spoke about his sister.
She looked down at her paws like she had in her dream. She couldn't tell him the truth - not when she barely understood the meaning herself. If Jayfeather thought something was wrong with her he might tell Bramblestar. She could already imagine what Bramblestar would say. He would tell her that she could never train as a warrior. Jayfeather would win her over as his apprentice if the ThunderClan leader found out about her visions.
The two of them returned to the hollow in an uncomfortable silence. Sunpaw noticed that most of the birds were already awake by the time they reached the forest. She glanced at the trees to see them hopping from branch to branch. Newly grown leaves protected them from a predator that might be lurking from below - but Sunpaw could see their shadows flickering from leaf to leaf. Squirrels clawed at the bark of trees as they searched for food that might be around.
Jayfeather's tail brushed against ferns that hadn't survived the frost. Sunpaw was brought back to reality when she heard cats whispering to each other. She peered through the thorn tunnel entrance to see that Bramblestar was sitting on the top of the Highledge. Snowpaw and Mothpaw were sitting in the clearing, looking at him expectantly.
They're receiving their warrior names! Her mind felt numb as she realized that she'd missed their ceremony. She glared at Jayfeather mutinously as he pushed his way through the entrance.
She tried to cast the thoughts away as she quickly followed. Most of the Clan stared at her in surprise when she approached the apprentice's den. Lionblaze looked at her sympathetically while Cinderheart just shook her head.
"Where were you?" Emberpaw had brushed his pelt against her own.
"Jayfeather decided to take me to the Moonpool," she hissed.
"Lionblaze, Sorreltail, do you believe your apprentices are ready to become warriors?" Bramblestar had only begun the ceremony - much to Sunpaw's relief.
"Mothpaw has shown exceptional hunting skills, and can track down even the faintest scent," Lionblaze replied.
"Snowpaw is a good fighter - she possesses Ivypool's strength," Cinderheart added.
It's hard to believe Mothpaw and Snowpaw are Ivypool's kits, Sunpaw thought as Bramblestar swept on. Then again, she and Toadstep have gotten along really well over the past moons, even before I was born.
"I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors so that they may look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Bramblestar paused for a moment, letting this sink in. Sunpaw could tell that her former denmates were itching to get the ceremony done and over with. Snowpaw's whiskers constantly twitched while Mothpaw lifted her chin slightly. "Mothpaw, Snowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and defend this Clan, even with the cost of your life?"
"I do." Mothpaw's reply was curt yet strong enough that Sunpaw believed her.
"I do," Snowpaw murmured.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Mothpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Mothdapple. StarClan honors you for your courage and bravery, and ThunderClan welcomes you as a full warrior." Mothdapple's eyes glittered when he leaped down to touch her forehead with his muzzle.
"Snowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Snowstorm. StarClan honors you for your ability to hold your will in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior."
"Mothdapple! Snowstorm! Mothdapple! Snowstorm!" Sunpaw cheered along with her Clanmates as they greeted the newly named warriors.
A sense of excitement stirred within her when she realized that she was one step closer to becoming a warrior. Snowstorm may have tried hard to become her friend, but she knew that ignoring the white-furred cat was the best choice. Ivypool would have been happier to keep it that way. She could already see that the silver and white tabby's eyes were glittering with warmth as her kits were crowded over by the Clan.
They sure are popular, Sunpaw thought with a lash of her tail. Maybe one day I'll be that popular…or just treated like an outcast. Her ears flattened at the idea of being treated like an outcast. She was already getting treated unfairly by Bramblestar. The ThunderClan leader made sure that she was constantly put to work. When she wasn't working he would keep an eye on her, like he was checking to see if she was an enemy or an ally.
"It's about time you became warriors." Emberpaw's purr made Sunpaw freeze. She saw him rubbing muzzles with Snowstorm. The older she-cat was staring at Sunpaw as if she'd seen a cat from StarClan. "You've been training for moons now," Emberpaw added when he noticed that Snowstorm wasn't paying attention.
"Yeah." Snowstorm's voice was curt when she replied. Emberpaw's fur bristled slightly when she padded towards the thorn tunnel entrance.
There was no mistaking the fact that Snowstorm wasn't interested in her former denmate. They'd been good friends back when she was still an apprentice - it was like her entire attitude towards him had changed. The den would be quieter without the two sisters constantly bickering over who had better nests. Sunpaw fought back a yawn that threatened to overcome her. She'd had a long day of doing nothing since returning from the Moonpool. Yet she wanted to get some training in. The least she could do was start practicing her fighting moves - moves that would make her stronger as a warrior and apprentice at heart.
Poppyfrost was still speaking to Berrynose about their own kits when Sunpaw approached her. She knew that Poppyfrost was filled with pride when she spoke of her kits. It often became annoying when Sunpaw was trying to get the tortoiseshell's attention. Poppyfrost didn't have any experience with apprentices, and it was beginning to make Sunpaw wonder if she would ever become a warrior. Poppyfrost's eyes narrowed slightly when Sunpaw approached her. Berrynose turned to face the smaller cat. His creamy white fur was ruffled in a way that made Sunpaw tilt her head to one side.
"Are we…going out to train?" she asked after a moment's silence fell upon them.
"I don't know," Poppyfrost murmured. "Have you done anything productive?"
Frustration swelled through Sunpaw's chest as she realized that Poppyfrost was just looking for excuses to get away from training. She looked away and searched for other cats who were willing to take on an extra paw. Most of the Clan was busy working on dens or going out to patrols. Her heart sank when she realized that she had no other choice but to listen to Poppyfrost. The other warriors would be too busy to help her out.
"I just came back from the Moonpool," she muttered crossly.
"I see…Then maybe you should clean out the elders' den. That hasn't been done yet since the ceremony was earlier than usual."
And maybe I can line Dustpelt's nest with your fur, Sunpaw thought bitterly. At this rate Ashkit and Briarkit will be warriors before I am!
Her claws began to scrape against the ground as she padded towards the elders' den. She peered through the entrance to see that Emberpaw was already there. Dustpelt was grumbling in annoyance at the apprentice. She fought back a purr of amusement when she guessed that Emberpaw had been given the same task.
"You apprentices are always getting in the way, now I know how Mousefur felt," Dustpelt grumbled as he moved for Emberpaw.
Sunpaw could remember hearing stories of the last elder before Dustpelt and the others had moved in. Mousefur had died of old age - she'd stopped eating after a loner named Purdy died. The entire Clan had been shaken by her loss. She recalled Cinderheart telling her and…and her brother that Dustpelt had become like Mousefur so that she was never forgotten.
"I can take that for you," Sunpaw meowed when Emberpaw unfurled a dried out pile of moss. He looked at her thankfully as he passed it on to her.
Once she was out of the hollow she felt better. The angry thoughts of Poppyfrost had left her when she reached the stream where fresh moss was often collected. From here she could see the border to WindClan, and the spot where she'd passed out. It was also where she'd last seen Cedarpaw before leaving him behind.
She dropped the moss where it would be forgotten and clawed at the scraps that grew on boulders and trees. Once she'd collected enough she began to turn around when she spotted something moving in the undergrowth. The moss was dropped when she tried to catch whatever was moving through the long ferns and grass that grew between them. She dropped to a crouch as she thought of the moves that she did know. If it was a fox then she'd be hopeless. She knew little to nothing about fighting them - moves against foxes were more advance, and something that Poppyfrost had forgotten to teach her.
Her heart skipped a beat when a pair of green eyes gleamed through the undergrowth. Sunpaw nearly screeched in surprise when a cat emerged. It was the same cat that she'd seen in her visions, and the same cat that had stood near the warriors' den.
Brownwhisker! The name sent chills down her spine as she saw a lightly colored tabby staggering beside him. She was so thin that she looked like a breeze would knock her over.
"Please, don't hurt us!" Brownwhisker's voice was pleading, but Sunpaw's lips drew back in a snarl as an all-too familiar face appeared beside the two pitiful looking cats.
"We can take the scrawny apprentice on," the black she-cat meowed calmly as she looked Sunpaw up and down.
"Why don't you say that to my face?" Sunpaw had surprised herself by sounding so demanding.
She tried not to flinch when the black she-cat lifted her paw. Her ears flattened when the intruder stopped. A yowl came from behind, telling her that Lionblaze and Poppyfrost were coming. If they found her now, she would likely be punished for straying so close to the border.
Lionblaze stood at her side once he reached her. Sunpaw stared at him in surprise, then looked back at the black she-cat. Her green eyes were narrowed when she looked between Lionblaze and Sunpaw. Before Sunpaw had a chance to ask who she was, Lionblaze's lips drew back in a snarl. One word came out, forming in a web of lies that sent chills down Sunpaw's spine. "Hollyleaf."
AN: So...anyone shocked yet? I suppose after everyone spilled the beans on reviews they shouldn't be. But yes, Hollyleaf is back...but is she still the same? That is the real question everyone should be asking.
