Meh. Sorry this took so long. I know I said I'd update before Sunday, but it's been pretty busy these last couple of days, and it's gonna be busy next week too. The most times I'll be able to update are probably just once of twice. Sorry!
Hope you like anyway.
CHAPTER 10
~Home~
"You're back earlier than I expected," Coldstar meowed, his eyes slipping between Tigerpaw and Stormpaw slowly, taking them in. Stormpaw shifted where he sat, casting his eyes to the ground when his father's gaze slid over him. "You are not yet six moons. Not for another week."
"The fish cats don't know our actual ages," Tigerpaw mewed, and Stormpaw could detect the reverence in his tone as he spoke to their father. He glanced sideways at him; his brother was practically glowing at the sight of Coldstar. "They just stuck us with some other litter around the same age for the apprentice ceremony."
Coldstar's gaze was icy; emotionless. "And you were able to slip away from the SeaClan camp unnoticed?"
Tigerpaw nodded vigorously. "Yup. It was easy."
Coldstar was silent for a moment, his tail thumping on the ground rhythmically. "You've done well," he finally spoke, and Tigerpaw's chest puffed out with pride. Coldstar began to turn, his gaze lingering on Stormpaw before he headed towards camp.
"Come. We haven't got time to waste."
Tigerpaw immediately leaped to his paws to follow the retreating figure of their father, but Stormpaw hesitated. Why was he still afraid? So what, if his father had taken one of Sunstar's lives? He had more. He was still alive. And he was sure Sunstar had taken at least one of his father's lives before. So why did it still bother him?
"Hey," Sharpfang meowed sharply, snapping Stormpaw out of his reverie. He looked up to see the ginger tom standing a few tail-lengths away, glaring at him as the others continued to pad farther and farther away. "Are you coming? Or are you juts going to sit there all night long and waste everyone's time."
Stormpaw pushed himself to his paws and trotted after the others. At least he was going home.
It was still early in the night, and so a few warriors were still up and about by the time they got to camp. Stormpaw recognized Nightflower and Ivyfrost, talking in low tones over by the warrior's den. When they caught sight of them, however, Ivyfrost immediately leaped to her paws and slipped into the den. Nightflower watched them pass with wide green eyes.
The patrol went straight to their dens, Sharpfang shouldering Tigerpaw as he passed. The dark tabby apprentice sent the older warrior a glare, unsheathing his claws, and Stormpaw flicked his tail on his brother's flank as a warning not to start anything. His brother had not started a fight in SeaClan so far, so as not to draw too much attention to themselves, but here, where they didn't have to worry about causing suspicion, he wouldn't hold back.
"Don't start," he warned. Tigerpaw clenched his jaw and nodded slowly, his blue eyes flashing.
"Tigerpaw, Stormpaw," Coldstar meowed from ahead. He was standing in front of his den, looking over his shoulder at them. "We mustn't waste time."
Tigerpaw immediately padded into the den without a second thought, but Stormpaw lingered outside, staring into the dark mouth of the cave as it swallowed up his brother. Coldstar watched him, his face a mask of stone.
"Are you going to do what I say?" he meowed. "Or are you going to sit there until the sun comes up."
"Sorry," Stormpaw mewed, ducking his head a little as he hurried into the den. Coldstar's icy gaze followed him, and his pelt prickled with unease as he sat beside Tigerpaw in the center of the den, facing the wall where their father's nest lay. Coldstar padded from behind them, settling down in front of his nest. Even in the darkness of the den his icy eyes seemed to glow with a light of their own.
"So?" Tigerpaw questioned anxiously. "What's the next step? What do we do now? How are we-"
Coldstar raised his tail, silencing Tigerpaw. "All in due time," he meowed patiently. "But first, I must ask you a few questions."
"Yes, sir," Tigerpaw grumbled.
"Now." Coldstar's gaze flicked between his two sons, and once again Stormpaw averted his eyes to the ground, pretending to be interested in a dead leaf that had blown in from outside. "Tell me, who are your new mentors?"
"Adderstrike is mine," Tigerpaw stated, and Coldstar nodded slowly. He turned his gaze to Stormpaw, and he forced himself to lift his head and meet it.
"Reedwhisker," he mewed, and Coldstar's eyes suddenly hardened.
"Ah, Reedwhisker," he rumbled, and Stormpaw looked back at the ground. "I have respect for Adderstrike. He is an excellent fighter. But Reedwhisker…" His nose wrinkled, the corners of his lips lifting up to expose a row of glittering white teeth. "…He is a coward. Fish cat scum. He will get you nowhere."
Stormpaw's brow furrowed at this. He remembered the black tom's teasing grin as they'd trained earlier that day, and the ease in which he'd dodged his attacks. He'd trained Icestorm himself, and his Clan made him out to be a very admirable cat. Those were not the traits of a coward. So why was Coldstar showing obvious dislike for Reedwhisker? What had he done to make his father hate him so?
"The next time you come," Coldstar carried on, "you will train with cats that can actually fight. I need you strong, Stormpaw. These next few moons will be trying, and you need to be in top shape. I need both of you to be strong for this mission."
Stormpaw nodded slowly. He'd have to train harder if he was going to achieve that goal. Tigerpaw was already built like a sturdy, muscular tom, but Stormpaw did not inherit those traits from his father. He wasn't as strong or sturdy as his brother, being just a few claw-lengths shorter and not as broad. He was more nimble, like his mother.
"Have you made any friends in SeaClan?" Coldstar suddenly questioned, and Stormpaw lifted his head to look up at him, about to mention Skypaw, but Tigerpaw beat him to it.
"I'm sorta friends with Thornpaw," he meowed. "And Stormpaw's befriended Skypaw."
Coldstar nodded, and something flashed in his eyes. A small smile pricked at his lips, surprising Stormpaw. He looked almost…smug. "Ah, Icestorm's children," he rumbled. "You couldn't have picked better friends, my sons. Well done, both of you."
He felt a pang in his chest. Skypaw. She was his best friend, and here he was, sitting in the den of FogClan's feared leader, plotting their next move to destroy her Clan. What would she do, if she found out? Eventually, she would. And she'd be horrified. But…he had to do this. His father had told him before that everyone had to make sacrifices for the good of their Clan. This was just one of them.
And it wasn't like she was going to die.
"Tigerpaw, Stormpaw," Coldstar meowed, and Stormpaw could sense something coming. He was about to tell them the next part of their mission. Tigerpaw leaned in eagerly, and Stormpaw simply lifted his head higher, ears pricking forward as Coldstar carried on.
"I need you to find out how many lives Sunstar has left," Coldstar meowed slowly, as if he were making sure they understood what he was saying. "You must find out before you return in the next quarter moon. It is very important."
Stormpaw blinked, and Tigerpaw seemed to deflate a little, his shoulders sagging. "That's it?" he asked, his voice flat. "We just have to figure out how many lives Sunstar has left? That's all we have to do?" He sounded angry, like he had expected a huge, difficult task that could define the fate of the entire forest. Stormpaw had to admit, he'd expected something a little like that as well.
So why was he relieved?
"You're only apprentices," Coldstar pointed out. "Though you've had prior training, you are still not ready. However, I will tell you this. If Sunstar has more than one life left…" He paused, and both Tigerpaw and Stormpaw's ears pricked. Coldstar's eyes narrowed. "…You know what to do."
Stormpaw's heart dropped. Was his father implying that…they needed to takeone of Sunstar's lives? He'd never killed anyone before! Much less a leader!
Tigerpaw was grinning, and he could see the gears turning in his brother's head. Probably envisioning how he would do it…
"Now," Coldstar meowed. "Stormpaw, go wait outside. I need to speak to Tigerpaw alone."
"Really?" Tigerpaw perked, his blue eyes shining. Stormpaw felt his stomach drop. What did Coldstar need to tell Tigerpaw about that he couldn't hear? He turned to leave the den, a sinking feeling in his chest, as his father and brother watched him go.
He had a bad feeling about this.
The moon was a little past the center of the sky when Stormpaw exited the den. It was colder outside, compared to the warmth of Coldstar's cave, and his breath puffed out in a cloud of steam in front of him. There were more cats outside now than there were when they'd first arrived. At least half of the warriors were now sitting around outside their den; bright eyes flashing at him from the shadows at the edge of camp. He tried to ignore their curious gazes, until he caught sight of a familiar black and white pelt; a cat sitting a little further away from the other warriors, his yellow eyes glittering in the darkness at him.
"Ravenheart!" Stormpaw exclaimed happily, rushing toward the tom. Ravenheart stood, his teeth flashing in a warm smile as Stormpaw skidded to a halt in front of him, purring in relief and joy that the friendly tom was okay.
"Hello, young one," Ravenheart meowed warmly. "You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you."
"I thought you'd died during the battle!" Stormpaw exclaimed. "You weren't moving at all!"
Ravenheart's smile faltered a little, and he sighed. "No, I didn't die. Though I came close. Those SeaClan cats really wanted you two back."
"Sorry about that," Stormpaw apologized, frowning. "If we hadn't come in the first place, you probably wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly."
Ravenheart flicked his tail dismissively. "Don't be sorry about that. You were concerned for your Clan, and you felt you had to warn us. And don't feel bad about me getting hurt. That's battle. And as a warrior, I'm used to it." He looked around for a moment, a puzzled look suddenly coming across his face. "Where's your brother?"
"Coldstar had to talk to him alone," Stormpaw grumbled, looking over his shoulder at the den. "I don't know what it's about…"
"Stormpaw." Ravenheart's tone had suddenly turned serious, and Stormpaw turned around to look up at him with wide, surprised eyes at the sudden change. The black and white tom's eyes were hard, and he felt a chill go up his spine.
"What is it?" he asked, cocking his head.
"You need to be strong, okay?" he meowed. "I know your father's plan, and some of it is…flawed. And I don't think he realizes it. What is to come will be incredibly difficult for you. Some of it I don't agree with. All I can say is that you need to endure, and be as strong as you possibly can."
Stormpaw nodded slowly, his eyes wide. "I will," he promised.
Ravenheart straightened, and he managed a smile. "Now, I must go back to my den and get some rest. You will be leaving soon, and I've had a long day. Goodbye, Stormpaw." He turned and began to pad away, back towards the warrior's den.
"Wait!" Stormpaw called as he remembered something, and Ravenheart stopped, turning to look at him questioningly. Stormpaw paused for a second, unsure, then spoke. "My mother...?"
Ravenheart shook his head. "I think it best you now speak to her now. I cannot explain why, I'm sorry."
Stormpaw nodded sadly. He hadn't seen his mother in moons. "Oh...Well, what about Hawkkit and Fawnkit?"
Ravenheart smiled proudly. "They have become apprentices now, but they are sleeping. You will be able to talk to them the next time you come, though."
Stormpaw was happy about that, at least. "Okay. Thanks, Ravenheart."
Ravenheart nodded and smiled warmly, before turning and disappearing into his den. For a moment, Stormpaw was left standing alone in the middle of the clearing, the frigid air chilling his veins and the eyes of his Clanmates staring out from the shadows at him. But then someone suddenly said his name from right behind him, causing him to jump a little.
He turned to see Coldstar and Tigerpaw. Their faces mirrored each other's; expressionless. And Stormpaw suddenly felt like the odd one out, out of the loop, alien...What was it that they had been talking about that he couldn't hear?
"Stormpaw," Coldstar meowed, his voice like ice. "It is time for you to go."
I was always different from Tigerpaw. He was strong and proud and brave, and focused. He was exactly the cat my father wanted him to be, wanted me to be. But I wasn't like Tigerpaw. I was distracted easily. I wasn't on top of things, like I was supposed to. I was never fit to be a part of Coldstar's plan. I was nothing like my father, and that's why he didn't trust me like he did my brother. He thought I'd lose sight of the mission.
And I did. But he never could've known how much it would cost him.
Again, sorry for the wait!
Uh-oh, what did Ravenheart mean by his plan is ''flawed''? Well, it's yours to guess. And why does Coldstar not like Reedwhisker? Find out...eventually! :)
Also, thanks for the reviews everybody! Special thanks to LegendaryHero, for their constructive critisim. It helped a lot! It's always good to get a few tips on how to better your story. Thanks!
Chapter 11 may take a while, guys. Sorry!
