"You're it!" came Spiderkit's voice from behind Demonkit as a paw touched her shoulder. The long black she-cat quickly jumped out of the way from Demonkit's swipe before dashing away, watching as the tagged one ran after her. Demonkit wasn't very fast, so she found this entirely unfair; Spiderkit was older, too, with much longer legs and better control. However, she would play the game anyway.
Demonkit pushed herself, chasing after the quicker, older she-kit, her long black tail flicking just in front of her. She had to dodge and weave between cats along the way, careful not to trip anyone. Since a ceremony was about to take place, this became twice as hard, because no matter where they went, there were cats everywhere.
Demonkit ran faster and faster, her speed not quite matching Spiderkit's as the black she-kit followed the edge of camp, becoming sneaky. The white and grey kit looked forward, finding her brother in front of her, eyes wide as he stared up at their mother. She calculated where Spiderkit would be before smirking.
She forced herself just a stride faster, quickly jumped over Bravekit, who was standing near Robinwing as the ceremony was about to begin, and pounced right onto Spiderkit, who tumbled under Demonkit's weight. They rolled over, bumping right into Blackstar as she came out of her den.
Demonkit was laughing with joy as Spiderkit sat up, smiling as she was once again tagged. The white and grey kit sat up with fur that was now twice as dusty as before because of all the rolling they did. Demonkit wasn't one to worry about looks, though. She just wanted to have fun.
"Well it seems you've inherited you're father's intelligence," Blackstar growled, the iciness in her voice forcing both kits to look over to the leader, their smiles vanishing like dew in the afternoon sun. There was a look of disgust and utter hatred on the young leader's face. "And his rudeness as well, it seems." Demonkit tiled her head to the side, having no idea what Blackstar was talking about.
"Demonkit! Why'd you jump over me like that? You could have—"Bravekit walked over with Robinwing right behind him, his confused expression immediately gone when he spotted Blackstar behind his sister. "Oh. Hi, Blackstar." Out of respect, he dipped his head before meeting his sister's eyes again.
Blackstar glared at the pale grey kit before turning her amber eyes to Robinwing, who looked ashamed, but at the same time, stood her ground. The black leader narrowed her eyes and stood tall with importance and pride in her eyes, shoulders squared, eyes gleaming with impatience and annoyance.
"Keep your kit away from me," Blackstar hissed. "She's already inherited a certain amount of anger issues from her father, so try not to let me think Rainfur also passed down his stupidity and knack for getting in trouble. If she continues to do mouse-brained things like this, I might not even give her an apprentice name next moon." Robinwing's eyes narrowed, seemingly angry.
"That's not fair, Blackstar, she's only a kit, and so is her brother," Robinwing told the leader as calmly as she could. "I would think you're still fair after all these moons?" The black leader gave a cold look to the grey she-cat before walking forward, ignoring the question.
"Just don't let it happen again, or I will let Sharpmoon know," Blackstar muttered. After that, however, she stopped suddenly, turning around as if remembering something. "There's another thing I think I should mention. Sharpmoon's made his decision regarding your placement after the rats have gone off to ShadowClan." Blackstar smirked, as if amused. "He'd like to see you the day after in his quarters." With those words, Blackstar continued forward, her eyes glinting with dark pleasure. However, Demonkit still tilted her head. What was all that about?
Demonkit shrugged before padding away, her eyes focused on her two friends that stood nervously near the Highrock, their heads held high with pride as they awaited their ceremony.
"How does it feel to be an apprentice already?" asked Demonkit as she bounced up to Flowerkit and Spiderkit. Bravekit followed behind her, though he was a little less rambunctious. "It's already been two moons since I first met you two!" Flowerkit stayed behind as usual, but Spiderkit happily greeted Demonkit with a lick on her forehead.
"It feels so great! Finally we get to explore things other than this den!" Spiderkit answered energetically, tail swishing behind her. Her ears flicked sideways before she looked over to the high rock, Demonkit following her gaze. Blackstar had already called the Clan to the gathering.
"See ya soon, Spiderkit!" Demonkit told her friend with a wink. "Sooner or later, I'll be an apprentice right there with you!" With a final smile, Demonkit bounded over to her brother who had already saved a spot for them. His eyes were shining with warmth as he gazed at Flowerkit, who blushed as she noticed. Demonkit, however, just rolled her eyes. He's in looooove!
"WindClan!" Blackstar started, jerking Demonkit from her thoughts. "The day has once again come to bring a kit out of their naive dreams, and into the reality of the world! Flowerkit, Spiderkit, please step forward." The two did just that, the excitement in their eyes almost palpable.
"Do you, Spiderkit and Flowerkit, promise to do all you can for the Clans, and for your king, Sharpmoon, as you train to become the best warriors, hunters, guards, or mentors you can be?" Blackstar asked, repeating the ceremony Demonkit had heard at least three times.
"I do," Spiderkit replied, nodding her head in response, not the least bit of hesitation in her voice or eyes.
"I-I do," Flowerkit said shyly, her head lowering just a bit.
"Then by the powers of StarClan and the wish of our king, you shall be called Flowerpaw and Spiderpaw until you receive your warrior name. May the stars light your pathes. ShadowClan cats have already come to bring you to your new home, so I will ask that you please say your good-byes now before you forget to." Blackstar gracefully leaped off of the Highrock as two unfamiliar cats walked up to Spiderpaw and Flowerpaw, whispering in their ears as they nodded.
"So what do you think they'll be doing in ShadowClan?" Demonkit wondered aloud.
"Nothing we'd like to know of." Bravekit murmured, standing up before walking away. Demonkit opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it after realizing her brother was probably just sad that Flowerkit was leaving. She smirked, once again teasing Bravekit with her thoughts.
"Is everything okay, Demonkit?" asked a familiar voice. Demonkit quickly turned around, her excitement growing as she realized just who was behind her. The grey and white kit smiled as she saw the medicine cat apprentice who was already twice the size of her, and still growing.
"Yeah, just fine," Demonkit said, her dark blue eyes met his emerald green ones, making her smile widen. "Why? It's not like I look sick or anything, right?" Her head was tilted to the side, curiously awaiting the answer.
"No, no, I just thought I'd check," Mudpaw told her, giving a bleak smile in return. "Er...do you think you could come into my den for a few seconds?" Demonkit at first narrowed her eyes in confusion, wondering exactly what he meant, but after a few moments, she shrugged.
"Sure!" Demonkit responded. "I sure hope it's exciting—I'm really bored now that Flowerkit and Spiderkit are gone! Hey, maybe you can give me something to do!" Mudpaw chuckled.
"Probably just something to think about," Mudpaw answered before turning around and leading the grey and white kit toward his den. Demonkit pranced happily beside him, her head held high as always, her tail twitching with eagerness.
When they entered Mudpaw's den, Demonkit found herself looking for Yellowstreak, curiously wondering where the elder medicine had gone. Usually he was always in here. However, Mudpaw didn't seem worried, so she let it slide, even though she really wanted to ask.
"So, Demonkit, I'm going to have to ask you to be quiet, and also very, very serious," Mudpaw told her, his eyes boring into her soul, showing her how much he meant it. Demonkit nodded, sitting down as she smiled to him, still having not grasped the 'serious' concept.
"So what are you going to tell me?" asked Demonkit. "I'm sure it's exciting. You always seem to have some sort of story to tell me, especially when I have to come to your den for you to explain it to me. Like that one time when you told me I need to stay close to Bravekit, and that other time when you told me StarClan was watching over me." Mudpaw nodded, though his gaze was far away as though he weren't really listening.
"Exactly, and you haven't told anyone about those things, have you?" Mudpaw asked. Demonkit shook her head, leaving the brown medicine cat apprentice to nod and sigh with relief. "Good. Now, I'm going to start off with another question. Have you been doing as I told you by staying near Bravekit?" Demonkit nodded again, making him smile. "Great job. Now another question, have you been getting visions or dreams of strange starry cats that tell some sort of riddles to you?" Demonkit paused, having to think hard about that one. She seemed to always have a voice in her head, but she wasn't sure if that's what the tom in front of her meant.
"Well, for over two moons I've had a voice calling me in my dreams," Demonkit answered, her voice high-pitched as usual. "I don't know what it's saying, but I've managed to pick out a few words that have helped me."
"Like what?" asked Mudpaw, looking very curious now.
"Something along the lines of, 'listen to me', and 'come closer'. I also heard this one time that she—"
"She?" Mudpaw asked, his head tilted to the side as his eyes narrowed with confusion. Demonkit nodded, her eyes alert and focused, but at the same time, she was smiling. She didn't know why Mudpaw was so confused and serious.
"I've never seen her before, but the voice is definitely from a she-cat," Demonkit explained, looking at Mudpaw with wide and excited eyes, which were normal for her. "She almost sounds like me, but it's a little higher, as if she's amused by something. And when she laughs, it echoes. It's scary." Demonkit's smile vanished at that moment before looking into Mudpaw's emerald eyes and tilting her head, her eyes filled with curiosity. "But they're just dreams, right?" Mudpaw looked at her nervously before changing the subject.
"Right, um, anyways, if you haven't seen StarClan then that means you're probably not going to understand a word I'm saying, but..." Mudpaw was mumbling, but Demonkit's ears caught every word. "Anyways, I'm going to tell you something that you cannot reveal any of this to anyone, including your family. Got it?" The excited grey and white kit nodded eagerly. "Okay, now listen carefully." The brown tom closed his eyes, sitting still for many moments. At first Demonkit thought he was just going to go sleep, but then she heard him speak.
"The one we await has ignored us,"
"He will not give in to fate,"
"To those who are in danger will hate us,"
"If the leader continues to hate,"
"The moon shall arise, with stars at its side,"
"And the ones of the clouds shall continue to fight,"
"So shall the sun, with knowledge unlearned,"
"And the storm shall become one with the sun,"
"Justice, Power, Leadership, and Loyalty shall be tested,"
"The One who deceives shall vanish,"
"The One who seeks shall be found,"
"The One who receives shall be tested,"
"And let those who plays in the shadows be rested,"
"They are coming,"
There was a small silence where nothing happened, but as Mudpaw opened his eyes, Demonkit let out a breath. The chilling words from Mudpaw's mouth had definitely sunk in, but she was confused. It sounded like a few cats were going to die, and then everything else seemed like something she'd hear from her mother in a lullaby.
"What was all that about?" asked Demonkit, her tail twitching with curiosity as she tilted her head to the side.
"I don't know for sure, but the dream that came with the words gave me a hunch," Mudpaw told her, his voice calm, cool, but with underlying worry and anxiety, as if he expected something bad to happen. "Demonkit, remember this as you grow into the warrior you truly are—no matter what happens to you, or how screwed up everything becomes, you have a fate, and you will become the strongest cat this Clan has ever known."
Stormpaw
Stormpaw was sitting patiently in front of the Clan, looking up to Snakestar as the rest of the cats sat quietly behind him, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Stormpaw's fur was cleanly groomed, and it shined brightly in the sunhigh light. However, he was not smiling. The only thing on his face was that of boredom, as if he didn't even want this.
"ShadowClan, on this day, another apprentice of ours has finally finished his training!" Snakestar announced, a proud look on his face. "With my teaching, Stormpaw has become a fine warrior at heart, and deserves once and for all to receive his warrior name and be taken to ThunderClan!" The cats around Stormpaw cheered, and it wasn't just because they had to. A lot of them meant it.
"Stormpaw, do you promise to uphold not only the warrior code, and to not only protect and defend your territories, but your king as well?" asked Snakestar, hiding his resentment easily as the word 'king' came out of his mind.
"I do," Stormpaw said, the words sliding out of his mouth smoothly as well, though he felt like coughing afterword. He knew that words inevitably meant nothing, but he still hated agreeing to something he wouldn't do.
"Then by the power of our king, I give you your warrior name," Snakestar continued. "Stormpaw, from this day on, you shall be known as Stormheart, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. When the dusk patrol arrives, you may leave with them." Stormheart nodded, and as this happened, the Clan cheered his name, Cloverpaw being the loudest.
When the Clan returned to their normal duties, Stormheart found himself in the same spot as when the ceremony started. He wanted to move, but an awful pit in his stomach had formed, and an awful, cold voice in his head whispered, You won't be returning here anymore. You'll be moving to a new home, the one your brother was killed at.
Stormheart sighed. Why does everything have to be so complicated? He asked himself. I finally get my brother back, and now he's gone. Worse yet, I'm going to now defend the bastard who took his memories. Stormheart thought some more about it though, eventually leaving an empty smirk on his face. At least I'm not under the power of a prophecy anymore.
"Having trouble, Stormheart?" asked Cloverpaw, breaking him from his trance. His emerald eyes met hers, which glittered under the sunlight. Stormheart smiled as soon as he knew who it was, purring slightly with happiness as she sat down beside him. "It's going to be hard living in ThunderClan, but please don't give up."
"Don't worry, I won't," Stormheart told her with a smile. "Besides, I've got Swiftheart to help me." Cloverpaw nodded, though by her expression Stormheart knew that she was far from happy with what he'd said. "And besides, I need to be strong for the cats of these Clans. I can't be crying while they're depending on me, can I?" Cloverpaw looked up, her expression puzzled.
"What?" she asked. Stormheart blinked, unable to understand why she didn't know about Snakestar's 'plan' to defeat Sharpmoon. Right then, it occurred to him that not everyone knew, and Stormheart mentally slapped himself for blurting something like that out.
"Er, never mind, it was nothing important..." Stormheart murmured, looking away for a few moments. "Anyway, no matter how far we're apart, we'll always be friends, right?" Cloverpaw hesitated, as if she'd expected him to say something else, but she then she moved on with a twitch of her ears.
"Right." she told him, looking as if she were blushing. Her name was called from across the camp, interrupting them, and she rose to her paws gracefully, flicking his shoulder with her tail as she padded away. His head lowered as he sighed with relief, having for some reason been holding his breath.
Hey, Matar, got any news from Jactur? Stormheart asked as he stood up, walking toward the fresh-kill pile before anyone thought he was a mouse-brain for sitting in the middle of camp. I kinda felt something yesterday during my hunting assessment, but I just forgot to ask.
Hmm, that's unlike you, Matar observed. But again, I hardly felt anything either, which is odd considering what Jactur claimed happened. We should have received a splitting headache instead of just a stirring sensation. Upon hearing those words, Stormheart's eyes widened, though instantly he made it seem like he was perfectly fine, hoping that no one around him had caught his suddenly shocked look.
What happened? Stormheart asked quickly, his heart beginning to race as he brought his food over to the warriors den, rudely ignoring a few apprentices' congratulations. There was a hesitation, however, in his mind, as if Matar was unsure of telling him. Matar, tell me! I need to know what happened to my brother!
Alright, alright, said Matar, seeming somewhat irritated. I'll tell you, but first hear me out. What you'll hear is...concerning. You won't really like it. Matar paused, as if expecting Stormheart to lay off, but of course, the brown and white warrior was just listening to the story his partner had to tell. Matar sighed. The scar was scratched, Stormheart, and his insanity returned. Stormheart felt his heart stop for a moment as he stared in shock at the ground, forgetting about everything around him.
No...no, no, no, no! Stormheart yelled to himself. It can't be! If his insanity returned, that means something bad was happening to him. Do you know who was attacking? Do you know who he was trying to save?
Jactur was entirely too angry—or was it happy? I couldn't tell—anyway, he wasn't able to explain everything, Matar explained. It seems...it seems as if whatever Clan-like group Rainfur's been in lately was under attack, and so he fought despite having absolutely no idea how to do so.
He lost those memories as well? Stormpaw asked.
Yes. Before this even happened, he was a mere tom who had the wild instincts of a kitty-pet. That is, until he began to protect again, Matar continued. The instincts returned and he protected the princess of the group, killing three cats and nearly ripping a limb off of their leader. Now, according to Jactur, he's asleep, and he's been that way for a few days.
Wait, how did we only feel a slight sensation? Stormheart asked. My brother went insane again!
No, he didn't, Matar said. He only regained his protective instincts. In reality, the insanity has just become a part of him, something he'll never forget. It's in Jactur, though, so it was as if the insanity never left. Jactur just let it flow out of him to help with what Rainfur had set his goals to.
But what about his scar getting scratched? Stormheart asked.
At that point, it reacted just like a volcano. The insanity erupted as soon as it found an opening to flow out of. Matar told him.
Oh...well, is he okay? Stormheart asked.
He's exhausted, apparently, and very wounded. However the medicine cat in the group—or the healer, as they call it—is quite talented. He should wake up in a few hours at least, a few more days being the most. Stormheart sighed with relief.
That's good. He said.
Oh yes, considering he's now been promoted from being a weakling to a— There was a pause, as if something had disrupted the conversation. Stormheart, being afraid of what happened, quickly swallowed down the rest of his meal before running out of camp, ready for the worst. He stopped after going behind the camp, hoping to be concealed from everything else.
It was at that moment that he felt as if something was invading, and he crouched low to the ground, baring his teeth with a snarl at the invisible enemy. Something within him was not supposed to be there, and this made him growl lowly. Matar, what's going on?
Jactur's decided to talk to you, said Matar, sounding suppressed. It's going to be uncomfortable, but you must hear this from him. I'll be momentarily blocked, so please, please, please don't screw anything up while I'm gone. And with those words, Stormheart couldn't hear him.
Yo, came an unfamiliar voice. Stormheart, at this point, was completely tensed up, almost unable to concentrate as he tried to blink away the fuzziness. Nothing was affecting his eyesight, but still, it was bothersome to have something unexplainable in your head. It was as if Jactur was blocking everything. Hard, isn't it? Hmm, maybe this'll help.
In seconds, Stormheart was relieved of the unfocused feeling, but now he had little to no idea where he was. It was a room full of large flat screen TV's, all twenty of them being at least the 80 inches that had barely been known to humans when he was one. Everything aside from the TV's was clear black—even the floor was black marble.
The thing that disturbed him the most was the figure right in front of him. Instead of Matar, like he'd been expecting, a cat almost similar to Rainfur stood in front of him, a wicked grin on its face. As Stormheart peered at him closer, he found that the figure was nothing like Rainfur. The grey and white patches were reversed, his eyes were a dark blue, and the scar on his shoulder glowed with golden brilliance. This was, in fact, Jactur.
"Scary, isn't it, to see someone unrecognizable stand in the place of your other half?" asked Jactur, his demonic voice echoing throughout the seemingly large room. "I've never exactly felt this way, though this is still odd to me. I would have never guessed that you had a million TV's in your head."
"Wait—this is my head?" asked Stormheart, his eyes narrowed in confusion. Jactur's dark blue eyes locked with his.
"Well of course it is. That's why you feel so hostile toward me—I'm not supposed to be here," Jactur told him, his tail flicking with amusement by his side. "That's also why it took me so long to make the connection. Turns out I can't actually visit you unless one: Matar agrees it's okay, and two: it's an urgent emergency. Considering I just nearly lost Rainy, this is an emergency." Stormheart's eyes widened.
"Did something happen to him?" asked Stormheart quickly, his long fur swaying in an unexplainable breeze. Jactur nodded and rolled his eyes in a decidedly human fashion.
"You already know what happened, idiot," Jactur hissed. "Your brother nearly died. Again. Anyway, what I'm really here for is the fact that you need to start paying attention. Stop ignoring everything." Stormheart's eyes narrowed in confusion as his ear flicked backward. Something behind the TV's was moving, and it was making an odd noise as if trying to yell, but yet it was unable to.
"What do you mean? I'm paying attention to everything, aren't I?" asked Stormheart, ignoring the thing behind the TV's for now. Jactur sighed.
"I was afraid you'd say that," the grey and white cat sighed. "Yes, you are paying attention. However, not to the more important things. Sure, you're supposed to take care of your brother and all that, but honestly, you need to pay attention to what's right in front of you."
"Right in front of me?" asked Stormheart. "But nothing's right in front of me. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's nothing right in front of me anymore. I'm alone, and nothing truthfully matters anymore. I'm just me now, nothing else." Jactur gave a cold laugh.
"Wow, you're more of an idiot than I thought." Jactur laughed.
"Excuse me?" asked Stormheart, getting angrier every second.
"Everything is right in front of you," Jactur answered him, his dark blue eyes continuing to look straight at him as they seemed to flash with wisdom. "The past is still there, ready to be forgiven. The present is continuing to listen, trying to create the future. And the future is in your paws, ready for your command."
"What do you mean, 'ready for my command'?" asked Stormheart, his tail flicking with annoyance. "I thought the future was Rainfur's deal." Jactur laughed again.
"Stormheart, if you haven't forgotten, Rainfur is stuck in the present," Jactur reminded him, his voice still echoing even though Stormheart's did not. "He can't remember the past, and because of that he has no idea what's in store for him. But you, however, have everything."
"I still have no idea what you're saying." Stormheart muttered.
"Well then figure it out, because I've wasted all my time with you," Jactur said icily, his figure fading quickly. "Oh, and please do make your decision soon. That one decisive movement could make it so Rainy and I will never return to you. Just lettin' you know."
"Wait!" Stormheart yelled, getting up from his spot. "What decision?" However, no one answered. Jactur had already faded away, making Stormheart sigh.
Then, suddenly, the movement behind the TV's sprinted away, as if finally free from whatever was holding it. Stormheart watched it, his eyes widening as it walked through the glass of the TV, not even damaging the screen. It was at that moment Stormheart found that it was Matar, smiling at him.
"Well, that was unpleasant." Matar said. "Nevertheless, it had to be done. Did Jactur tell you anything important?" Stormheart shrugged, looking at his paws.
"I feel like he was trying to tell me something that will affect everyone," Stormheart answer him. "But I just don't understand..." He closed his eyes, to the point of crying as he felt the soft breeze pick up, making him flinch as he opened his emerald green eyes.
He wasn't in his head anymore. Instead, he was back in the forest, under the tall pine trees as they swayed in the wind. Stormheart sighed once more as he sat up, finding that he'd most likely passed out after Jactur had brought him in that TV room. The brown and white apprentice—no. The black and white warrior stood up, noticing the dim light from the upcoming sunset, meaning dusk was near.
And now to continue on with my newfound interesting life, Stormheart muttered to himself. I would really like to see Rainfur right now.
Little did the ThunderClan warrior know that Rainfur wasn't in any position to comfort anyone. Laying in the back of the healers den lay the white and grey servant, his eyes just barely opened as he stared at the same wall of the cave that he'd been looking at for hours. He couldn't move. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't do anything. And the worst thing? He couldn't regain his strength. All the while he listened to a distant argument that seemed a thousand miles away, as if the cats talking were merely spirits.
"He's growing weaker...we're growing weaker...We must help him! ...We can't help him...He can help us! ...No one can help up us...But he's who we've been waiting for!...How do you know?...He knows something like us!...How do you know?...I can feel him!...Yeah right...I can, really! It's as if I'm being pulled toward him!...You're making that up...No, look! Listen! I can hear him! ...I can too...You can?...Slightly...So will we help him?... ... . .Yes...Yay! Hold on, young one, hold on! ...For my sister's sake, hold on..."
