Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome to a new chapter for Journey Of A New Clan! Well, we got the polls down, so in the next chapter, I'll be introducing the new Clan's camp...and I got a new poll up right now. It's to decide on the new name of the Clan.
I don't know what the cats will do along the way, so they might talk about some stuff they'll do on the island. And about the warrior names you want the new Clan cats to have, feel free to tell me what their new names can be. But I already got Pancake's apprentice name getting prepared and Blue's warrior name decided, but all the rest are free for naming. And if you want to, make a list of all possible names for Clan cats and look over any name you like. So happy naming, everyone!
Other than that, I have found out that the polls have increased a bit, so I will reveal their new Clan name either in this chapter or the next.
Uploading Date: September 5, 2014
Enjoy!
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The Water Log Ride
"Okay, we're ready to head out," Sparrow meowed, waiting while the kits got on board. "The kits go into the middle so the older cats can protect them. Older cats...well, you know by now."
Snow, Sparrow, and Puck had swam out to the lake to retrieve the elm log, pushing it gently until it reached the shore. One by one, the cats started climbing onto it, settling down while those who fetched it pushed it out into the lake the best they could. They sat in pairs, though Iris did huddle with Moleclaw and Old Bones since they had an odd number of cats with them. Wildfire had never experienced anything like this before, and it could be an exciting thing to do.
But he couldn't help but still feel worried about Moleclaw's omen, that one cat would not make it to the island. He really hoped it wasn't Moleclaw, Lionkit, Brownkit, Raven, Old Bones, or anyone else; perhaps he had heard wrong and thought that he was getting old, explaining the random sign. It would have been time for him to take another apprentice so that the new Clan could always have a medicine cat with them.
"Everyone on board?" Sparrow called once they all got settled on the log. They nodded, and he called, "Okay, so we'll see who gets to paddle. Wildfire and Puck will row on one side, and Blue and I will go on the other side. Plus, if anyone gets hungry, ask anyone who can fish to catch something, but since we've eaten, wait until we've reached the island. And lean a bit over the log if you're thirsty. All clear?"
"Yes!" they all responded.
"Good," Wildfire meowed. "Now let's get this thing moving and get to our new home!"
With a cheer, he, Puck, Blue, and Sparrow dipped their forepaws into the lake water and started paddling, turning the log around in the direction to the island. Due to the wind blowing behind them, they got a little more speed, though the log was moving at the pace of a swimming turtle. But it left enough time for Wildfire, Snow, and Moleclaw to teach the former kittypets and rogues about Clan life, like meeting rival patrols, dodging danger, and the bond they had.
This time, however, was the naming system Clan cats usually had. The apprentice-aged cats were excited about this, coming up with bizarre and unbelievable names they could possibly come up with.
"What'll you think our apprentice names will be?" Chas was asking. "I'm hoping to be called Coolpaw or something!"
Ginger chuckled. "Coolpaw? Try Awesomepaw! Or I'm-a-great-hunter-paw!"
Wildfire chuckled and meowed, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea...but those aren't ideal apprentice names. Usually, Clan kits are named after things in nature like plants and animals, movements, colors, and other stuff."
That left them looking at him with awe as if trying to come up with even more names. Then Crisco meowed, "Cool. I wanna be Pikepaw. Pikes are cool."
"Then how did Lionkit get his name?" Raven asked, joining in the conversation. "Lions don't live here."
"Actually, Dad named me Punykit," Lionkit told her. "Because Dad didn't like me. Then Moleclaw gave me my new name."
"And thank StarClan for your new name," Moleclaw told the white-furred kit. "I tried telling your father from the night you and Brownkit were born to change your name. But as usual, he refused."
Snow spoke up, "Besides, lion, tigers, and leopards live in the myths of the Clan cats. We don't know if they had really lived in the forest the Clan cats first settled at, but we've carried on their myths. You want to hear some?"
The younger cats nodded right away, and Snow began her stories, Ocean and Dusk huddling close to their mother. It was like hearing the elders and queens of ThunderClan talk about stories of the old times: from the founding of the Clans, to Bluestar's powerful reign, to how Firestar saved all the Clans, and how Bramblestar created the dawn of a new era. Wildfire felt that there was no way ThunderClan could recover from when Thornstar had taken over, and since they were days away from the other Clans, there was no way they could tell if ShadowClan, WindClan, or RiverClan were doing okay.
It wasn't until Snow had started the tale of how TigerClan got their stripes when he saw Crisco look away and start pawing at the water. He wondered what the young black-and-white tom was doing; they had already eaten before they got onto the log, and Crisco and the others had been taught to not eat more than they should. Thus, he started edging his way closer towards him and watched him dip both forepaws into the water.
"What're you doing?" Wildfire asked.
Crisco looked up at him. "I thought I saw something big moving down there. It looked like a fish or something."
Wildfire looked down at the dark water. It didn't look safe to swim in, and StarClan knew how deep that water could be. He didn't want to find out, and he certainly didn't want Crisco to try it out.
"You think it might've been a beaver?" Puck called from the front of the log.
Recalling his mentor teaching him about other animals, Wildfire replied, "No. Beavers breathe air like us. Whatever's in there is staying down there."
"I can go get it if you want," Crisco offered. "That way, we can all eat!"
And before anyone could protest, he had leapt into the water, sending a spray that doused the nearby cats. Once he had swum out a bit, he took a deep breath and ducked his head beneath the surface, causing some bubbles to surge up after he disappeared. Wildfire didn't know why Crisco would want to go fishing now, for they could always eat once they got to the island. Was the young tom being greedy in catching what he should?
"Why on earth did he want to jump in there?" Snow muttered. "I was just telling a new story!"
"Crisco!" Pancake called, edging over to the edge of the log. Raven nudged her back, but she shrugged the black she-cat away and called some more, "Crisco, you can come up now!"
But nothing was coming up...nothing except some bigger bubbles, that is. Wildfire was getting worried now; was Crisco having a hard time with the fish?
Just then, however, Crisco had reached the surface...but he wasn't moving. Pancake let out a cry of shock, and Snow suddenly jumped into the water, paddling over and grabbing the young cat's brother by the scruff before paddling back. She hauled him back onto the log, and Wildfire saw why he wasn't moving: his throat had been cut, the blood being washed away.
"Crisco!" Pancake cried, flinging herself onto his body. She reeled back and gasped, "He's dead! What happened?!"
Moleclaw edged his way to where they were on the log and looked closely at the body. "Whatever he was chasing appeared to have been quite the fighter," he reported. "But we have no idea what lives in there; perhaps a pike, but surely a pike wouldn't live in a lake? They'd live in streams and rivers."
"I just learned a lesson," Puck spoke up. "From now on, the land's safe. Water? Not safe."
"And that confirms the omen," Moleclaw went on. The others stared at him in disbelief, so he added, "Before we got onto the log, I have had an omen, an omen that involved a stick and moss amongst debris. There were lumps on the stick, the lumps represent us, and the wad of moss in the middle was actually the island. That meant that one of us would not be able to see our new home."
Now Wildfire knew. The sign wasn't random at all; it was indeed a cat's time to die. But for someone as young as Crisco...
The rest of the trip to the island was uneventful, but the cats didn't care. After what they had just witnessed, no one else jumped into the water or had any stories to tell. Spots was looking down at the water as if expecting whatever took Crisco's life to pop up, and Raven huddled closer to Wildfire for warmth. But Pancake was taking her brother's loss the worst, not talking to anyone and looking down. Crisco was perhaps the last of her family left alive, and without him, she was all alone despite the other cats being with her.
They had finally reached the shore on the island just as the sun went down, but Wildfire didn't feel triumphant about reaching the island. Instead, he looked around at Pancake mourning over her brother's body, Spots coming up beside her and giving her ear a comforting lick. The others were also getting off the log and walking over to them with Crisco's body, mewing comforting words to Pancake before sitting down beside her and Spots. Crisco looked even smaller in death, the pale moonlight shining on his drying black-and-white pelt.
"We must bury him here," Moleclaw mewed with sorrow, plucking up some wet reeds to hide the body's scent. "He is the first of us to die, and he shall be honored by being the first cat on the island to be buried."
As if being told to dig, Raven and Snow started digging in the sand in the shadows until they had made a hole big enough for a cat lying down could go in. The older cats took Crisco by the scruff and tail and dragged him to the hole while the kits and young cats watched on in scared silence.
"StarClan, accept this young cat into your ranks," the black tom meowed, lifting his eyes to the stars starting to appear in the darkening sky. "He would have made a fine apprentice. May he roam with you in the stars until we join you when we die."
Pancake gave a small sniffle and laid down beside her brother's grave, tail wrapped around her face and paws. Then she mumbled in a sad voice, "He was like those LeopardClan cats in the story, fighting whatever is in the lake. If we ever get to be apprentices, can I be Pikepaw in honor of him?" she pleaded to Wildfire.
"Sure," Wildfire meowed. "But you'll need to ask Moleclaw about it. He's had more experience in naming new cats."
Moleclaw looked up from laying out reeds on the body. "I've only renamed one cat. But I'll see what I can do." He looked up again to the sky and meowed, "We'll rest here for the night. After that, we'll go check out the rest of the island."
Since the older cats were tired from rowing to the island, they just plopped down onto the rocky shore right away and curled up the best they could. The pebbles were very uncomfortable for Wildfire, who missed sleeping in moss, but he was too tired to care. In the darkness, he could see Snow gathering the kits close to her in some ferns while the apprentice-aged cats kept close to each other near a cave in the side of the cliff. Only Pancake stayed where she was, not moving an inch from Crisco's grave and her eyes still looking haunted, and Wildfire wasn't sure whether to sleep next to her or not.
Raven, however, had solved that problem. She had gotten up from her nest and padded over to the young golden tabby, licking her ear softly and settling down beside her to comfort her. Apparently, she must have had either a litter or littermates to have learned to care for others, and Wildfire was happy to have met a she-cat like her: kind, caring, smart, and even pretty. Yet now was not the time to ponder about Raven right now; right now, Pancake looked like she needed some more comforting cats beside her.
Hoping she wouldn't mind, Wildfire got up from his spot and padded quietly over towards the two she-cats, noticing another ball of fur close to them. Spots had supposedly never left Pancake's side and was now fast asleep beside her. Wildfire thus gave up and settled down on a bed of pebbles not too far away.
It had been an exhausting day. And tomorow, they would set out to explore the island and find a new camp.
To be continued...
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Cody The Pikachu: So there we go, folks! I'm sorry if I made this short, but it's gonna start going somewhere. Oh, and if there's anything wrong with this chapter (like if the chapter's too short or the character development's not there), let me know, and I'll do what I can to fix it. And we've gotten around seventy reviews lately! I promised I wouldn't ask for reviews, but I'm still happy you're all reading and reviewing. And I won't ask for more.
Anyways, the cats have finally reached the island...but at a price. Crisco is dead, and Pancake is devistated. Do you think she'll get to be called Pikepaw after her brother? And what'll await the cats on the island? And spoiler alert: after they establish a camp on the island, they'll use that log as transportation on and off the island so they can patrol or recruit new cats to the Clan.
See ya next time!
