Here is your plushie Talon, *hands her plushie* keep reviewing!
"How dare they?!"
"They called us what?!"
"How are we going to deal with this?"
Sunpaw sat in silence as her Clanmates raved and ranted around her. Though there were very few, the pounding of blood in here ears made it all sound louder than the Gathering. Smokestar's back faced the Clan, sides heaving and his pelt rippling. The shouts continued, but he still didn't look at them.
"Smokestar, you can't hide from this," said Curvefang voice shaking, and Sunpaw could tell he was struggling to keep his fur flat. "Eventually we are going to have to do something. The other Clans will act fast against us and you know it."
"You heard what Ivystar said. There is now a war between them and us, and the only way to end it is to give them what they want," growled the gray and black tom.
"What do they want then, Soottail?" snarled Cloudwind.
"I don't know!"
Scarletfur narrowed her eyes and walked slightly closer to Smokestar. "Turn around, face us. You have no shame in showing you eyes. Let's go, and figure this out."
"We don't need to," hissed Furledwhisker. "The problem is that kittypet you brought into the Clan. Sunpaw is doom for us. Just look at what the other Clans think of us now that they know we are training a dumb kittypet. She has no worth you know."
Sunpaw closed her eyes. She couldn't bare to look at them anymore. She was the reason that Cherrystar accused them of being weak, and why Ivystar said they were soft. There was no denying the truth about it. She may have been chosen by StarClan to save them, but they would never believe her to do so if she was seen as a threat to their well-being.
"Don't blame Sunpaw for any of this," Pouncefoot growled. "She never asked to be a morose problem for us, she just wanted a place to belong."
"And where she belongs is on in a Twoleg nest eating pellits for food," Furledwhisker shot back. "Smokestar don't you agree? That this irratating, useless ball of fur is only good for licking herself and sleeping all day?"
Many moments of silence followed his question. When Sunpaw thought that he wasn't going to answer, she expected Furledwhisker to speak again, but what came was an unrecognizable, rasping voice. "No, Furledwhisker, Pouncefoot is speaking the truth. She never intended to mean this for us. We are weak. Blackstorm has...he has thrown us off balance from where we used to be. In a sense, he has succeeded in killing us off. We have no chance, we don't and it has nothing to do with this apprentice. She may have been a kittypet, but she will train the way we do, become a strong warrior...and then fall along with us."
It seemed as though the entire forest went quiet after he spoke, like all living beings had stopped to hold their breath and the wind had died down to absolute nothing. Sunpaw opened her eyes. Smokestar had turned around, but he was barely holding himself up as he sagged against the Speaking Oak and looked much older than he was.
"Smokestar," Scarletfur murmured. "No..."
"Yes," he whispered. "Yes indeed. Look at us now. We have four warriors, one apprentice, one Queen, no medicine cat. And since a battle between the Clans has begun, he have no more hope."
"I can't believe it," said Cloudwind, seemingly to herself. "I really thought that when Radiantmask killed Blackstorm, the Clan would recover and go back to be the best there will ever be...because that's how it's always been...right?"
"It is no more," Smokestar grumbled. "Perhaps it seemed that way, for we had one a battle, but it isn't over, life is on going and not every ending can be happy."
"That's how it should be," growled Soottail.
"What do we do?" a gray elder asked. "Do we just give up? Run away live as rogues and leave behind our memory, like there was always just three Clans in the forest."
"No, Rainfur. We will fight this war as we can, as warriors, but I can guarentee it won't be long before we have no more choice."
Scarletfur pressed her muzzle against Smokestar's. "You are brave to say that, my love. But there has to be some way we can fight through this some way-"
"Oh, we'll be fighting all right," hissed Smokestar. "But we will die trying. Look around at those bony bodies, that unkept fur, those gnarled claws. Do you think that we can defeat the other Clans like that?" He sounded completely mad.
"What do they even want from us?" spat Cloudwind. "They obviously don't want that 'weak' and 'soft' kittypet from us. There is nothing that we have they could possibly take to make themselves stronger."
"Don't you get it? They want everything we have left! Our territory to hunt on, out prey, the three kits we have left that they can raise as their own and give better lives to! They know that we have no hope! They know that the stars no longer shine down upon us! They know that there is nothing we can do to change it!" Smokestar yowled.
Three kits? Sunpaw thought. "Wait."
Suddenly all eyes were on her.
She swallowed and looked at the ground. "Why don't we start training the kits as warriors? The sooner they get the apprenticed the better right? I mean...uh...well, if we start training them then they get to be warriors and then we will have more...um..heh heh...warriors."
No one replied. Furledwhisker's nose twitched in amusement, like he thought Sunpaw was joking. Curvefang tilted his head, as if he was considering the idea. Soottail and Scarletfur both widened their eyes, except hers were more in indignation. Cloudwind and Rainfur looked taken aback. Pouncefoot coughed, but Smokestar remained completely expressionless, blank like a cloudless sky.
"They are three moons old," whispered Scarletfur, voice colored with hate. "They can't train now, they can barely have solid food. It would be too dangerous to send them out into battle before they are at the proper age to train."
"Oh," Sunpaw said. "I was...I didn't know."
"No wait," Smokestar said, and all the attention snapped back to him. "What she says is brilliant, we need to do that."
"What?" Scarletfur exclaimed.
"Yes, yes," Smokestar said. "Okay, I know you may all think I am insane, but hear me out. If we get the kits training, then they will be prepared for battle and hunting and all of that. They will be in less danger then than they would be a few moons from now, starving to death and traveling alone through a cold blizzard, driven out of the home they barely knew and seperated from their family. That will add three warriors to the four we have now, and in the furture when there will be more kits, we may just gain back our strength."
"No, Smokestar. Remember the legend of the Great War? The three Dark Forest leaders, Tigerstar, Hawkfrost and Brokenstar? They were sent there for reasons. Brokenstar, was a murderer, he drove WindClan away and forced kits into training before they were ready. Kits were killed, innocent little kits with still the fluff in there fur. Do you want our kits to endure the same dangers and cruelty they did, way back then?"
"Scarletfur, my love, please understand that this is what we need to do if the Clan is to survive. Besides, Brokenstar pushed them to hard, he was terrible and brutal. Here and now, we are not, for we are fragile and on the brink of terrimination. Please...what would you rather have? Kits fighting...or kits fighting for their lives?"
The ginger she-cat was silent for a long time, even when Smokestar urged, she refused to speak.
Curvefang stepped forward. "I agree with you Smoketstar. I believe that this is the only way."
Rainfur agreed as well. Cloudwind was hesitant but nodded her head in agreement. Soottail didn't speak at all and Furledwhisker outrightedly hissed in answer.
"We can give it a shot," Pouncefoot said.
Smokestar nodded. "I will voice their ceremonies tomorrow at sunhigh. If things go badly, I will change my mind."
"So it is settled?" Pouncefoot asked.
"Indeed. Scarletfur, I would like you to ask which one of our kits will like to be the medicine cat. Cloudwind can try to teach them what she can, but the rest is up to StarClan." Before his mate could retort, he said. "Now for StarClan's sake let's get some rest. It is the last time I stay up passed moonhigh."
As the Clan quickly dispersed into dens, Sunpaw gritted her teeth. It was all me on this. Let's hope this works or else I am going to be a huge problem for Scarletfur and the fate of ShadowClan.
Yay! That did not take me long, which is probably why I ended it so badly. Eh. Please though, review, and check out my poll on my profile for what you think Sunpaw's warrior name should be. I really want to here your opinions.
~Destiny
