Hey guys, I'm going to apologize about the erratic update patterns I have obtained. I should really get back onto my schedule, which I'm trying to do. But school, I'm failing math, ughhh. Anyway, here's your chapter!
Clouds covered the sky, shrouding the world in a haze of fog awaiting the rain to wash it away. The cats traveled in a single file line, Gingerfur in the front, and Dawnfoot at the back. Their fur was fluffed out a bit against the air that chilled them to the spine, and Gingerfur wasn't sure how he was going to navigate. They had made it to the twoleg place, and were following the edge of it, but his nose wasn't working properly in the damp air, and his senses all seemed to be blocked by the weather. He swiveled his ears around, trying to keep his guard up the best that he could. It was difficult, but he refused to give up what little protection he could give at the cost of his friends. He glanced back to check on them.
Skypaw was right behind him, head erect and moving around to all sides, more alert than Gingerfur had ever seen the young tom. His gaze travelled along until it met the older cat's and they gave one another a brief nod before moving on. Springleaf and Sonya were walking side by side, heads bent in a low conversation. Springleaf was limping slightly due to her prior injury with the wolf attack in the mountains, but luckily she knew which herbs to use and she seemed to be limping less and less with each step. Sonya was monitoring her closely, and was becoming a good friend with the she-cat. Nightsplash was walking behind them, and padded around to Sonya's side and joined their conversation, looking over his Windclan friend. Dawnfoot was at the back, and she lifted her head as her dark friend padded away. Her eyes met his, and she ducked her head back down again. Embarrassed, Gingerfur whipped his head around and continued walking forward. He peered through the mist, seeing his way into the beginning of a forest. He sighed in relief, and padded confidently towards it. The others followed, single file, until a meow stopped him.
"Gingerfur, don't you think that this might be the wrong way?" Dawnfoot called from the back, and they all grouped together. Gingerfur squinted at her, and glanced back at Springleaf. "I mean, don't you think that the forest looks a little spooky like this, we shouldn't go in, I think."
"Even so, Stormfur said that Mothermouth was beyond the forest, past the river, and just after we crossed the moorland and another small thunderpath. So even if the woods are filled with fog, we have to keep moving. We don't really have a choice. After all, we're not sure what could be happening back home." Springleaf spoke up, moving forward to speak more clearly. Dawnfoot shot her a glare, and whipped towards her.
"Do you really care about our clans back home? Or have you always just been this eager to support everything that Gingerfur says? Do you have a single thought to yourself? Do you have an opinion? Do you even realize that this entire trip you've been agreeing to whatever Gingerfur has been saying? Maybe you should wake up and realize that once we get home, there is going to be no way that-!" Dawnfoot was rounding on the she-cat when Nightsplash darted between them, shoving the white cat backwards.
"Enough, Dawnfoot," he meowed gruffly. "This has gone on too long. It's time to let it go!" His words were snapped into silence, and all the cats stood in a semicircle around the dark cat as he glared at Dawnfoot. Surprise and anger flooded her gaze, and they only stared at the other for several minutes. Sonya glanced around, having not been present for the entire trip, and was completely baffled. Skypaw finally sighed, shaking his head, and weaved in between the quarreling pair.
"Listen up, we don't have time for the mousebrained skirmishes. We have to keep moving, and what has happened in the past has happened. So just drop it," he snapped, and Dawnfoot trained her gaze on him.
"What happened?" Sonya asked quietly, and Dawnfoot snarled at her.
"It's none of your business. A sniveling kittypet like you shouldn't even be on this journey let alone involving herself in the matters of a clan that she doesn't belong to. Why don't you just-?" But her words were never finished as Skypaw launched himself at the Riverclan cat, claws outstretched and teeth bared. Gingerfur and Sonya darted forward to pry the white cats from one another, and Nightsplash and Springleaf dragged Dawnfoot out. All the cats sat heaving, glancing at one another.
"That's enough." Gingerfur ordered, standing tall and using his larger build to intimidate the other cats into his own will, something he would have never considered doing before any cat let alone his friends. "We are going through this forest, and we will at least try to make it to Mothermouth before sunset. Yes, we're going through the creepy forest. Yes, we'll go right now, and yes, we'll go together. Understand?" All the cats sitting beneath him had never heard him use such a commanding tone, nor lose his patience as he was generally a quiet cat, and there was no hesitation for their nods of approval. "Good, let's move on then." He whipped around and began trekking towards the densely fogged woods. "Let's go!" he yowled, and the cats scampered after him, scrambling to move faster. He led the way through, walking in a straight line, his tail high and his chin high as well. He heard Skypaw explaining the fiasco that had happened between him and Dawnfoot in the mountains.
Dawnfoot had padded after him as Gingerfur asked to sit atop the waterfall for some air the night before they had left. He wasn't used to leading so many cats, and having so many cats obey his orders was also strange on many levels. He had imagined himself leading Thunderclan one day, and now he wasn't sure as to how he would go about it if he couldn't even properly handle the cats whose opinions matter greatly to him and one another. She had sat beside him, and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Gingerfur, I think that we should be mates. I mean, we're perfect for each other, and we have so much in common, so can we?" The words were spit out so fast that it took the ginger tom a few moments to realize what she said. Instantly his stomach dropped to his paws, knowing that his next words were going to hurt her.
"Dawnfoot, that's not such a good idea. I have feelings for-.." he broke off, unsure of whether to directly tell her. He hadn't realized how obvious he had been until thinking back upon it now. "Another cat. Besides, we're from different clans. It would never work..."
That's what Dawnfoot was going to tell Springleaf before Nightsplash stopped her arguing and fighting. Gingerfur realized, shaking his head in irritation. How does a friendship go so wrong so fast?
"Gingerfur!" Nightsplash's yowl of fear brought him back to the present point, and a sharp pain in his tail jolted him backwards once he realized what was going on. There was a huge Thunderpath, and Gingerfur had continued walking whilst the rest of his group had stopped, lost into his own thoughts. Only Nightsplash had noticed, and the dark cat darted forward, clamping his jaws shut on the long, ginger tail and yanking roughly backwards from the line of monsters that were crossing at high speeds with winds so rough it buffeted their fur in all directions. His tail seemed to have a mind of its own as his fur did with such wind, and the line of monsters didn't seem to end. They were loud, and Gingerfur could hardly hear Nightsplash's order to crawl back towards the others on his stomach for less wind resistance. He did just that, following his friend, and watched as Skypaw and Springleaf couldn't wait any longer and sprinted towards him, checking him over.
"I'm sorry," he meowed loudly, forcing his voice not to quiver like the rest of him did. "I was wrapped up in my own head, and hadn't realized where we were." Gingerfur stopped, frowning, and looked around them. They were in a small clearing next to the Thunderpath that was less noisy as they sat farther away. Where were they? They had gone through the forest, but they hadn't found the river they were supposed to follow or go past to the moorland. They were lost, completely.
"The river is beyond the Thunderpath." Nightsplash meowed, reading Gingerfur's thoughts, flicking his tail beyond the noisy pathway where the small sparkle of water could be seen flashing between the cars. Gingerfur, as well as the others glanced at him. Blinking gratefully, the ginger tom stood in a commanding stance again.
"I say we retreat into the woods until nightfall. This way, the monsters will not be frequently crossing and we will have a better chance of following the river to the moorland." No cat questioned him, exhausted anyway with their lack of sleeping, their fighting amidst themselves, and the scare of Gingerfur almost becoming as flat as the ground. He retreated back into the woods, walking and using landmarks as a waypoint to go back. They slipped into a ravine, following it to the bottom until they found a tunnel that led inside something. Gingerfur crouched, peering through.
"Wait, it might not be safe." Dawnfoot spat as though Gingerfur was a kit. "You were chosen by Starclan, you can't die on this trip!"
"That's not true!" Skypaw hissed, rounding on the Riverclan cat, his eyes ablaze with anger. Gingerfur watched in shock as anger exploded from him, and then Springleaf.
"That's right!" Springleaf nodded sharply. "Feathertail was chosen by Starclan on this original journey, and she died to save the Tribe of Rushing Water. So being chosen has nothing to do with it, so don't act like we're all so special just because we were chosen!" Silence filled the area. No cat spoke, or moved. This was more surprising than Gingerfur yowling and ordering them around, for at least they knew that he could do it with his sheer size. Springleaf was almost always gentle, never truly getting out of place until there was a battle. But now, no cat could utter a word as surprise shocked them all into place.
"Since being chosen is such a big deal, I'll go!" Skypaw snapped, whipping around and darting through the tunnel.
"WAIT!" The yowl came from every cat as his white tail disappeared, and Gingerfur froze once more, a paw extended towards the entrance in case he needed to rush in after the white cat. Yet, something compelled him to stay back. Skypaw needed to prove that he could do this. When he came back wide-eyed, Gingerfur crouched and unsheathed his claws, as did his friends, ready for a battle.
"You guys have got to see this." Skypaw meowed, excitement lighting his gaze for the first time in a while. "I'm pretty sure that I just found the old Thunderclan camp!"
"No way!" Springleaf meowed, excited as well now. She followed him in, and Gingerfur let the other cats in first. It was his ancestral base of his life as he knew it, but his friends' protection was more important. They walked into the camp, and it was like walking back in time. This camp had seen seasons of kits being born, a fire, battles, prisoners, apprentices made warriors, elders retiring to live their lives peacefully, deputies returning from battle and then not returning so younger warriors could replace them and the whole clan could honor their memory. All leading right down to leader after leader after leader until Firestar himself, who gave his life in the new homes to rid the clans of the Dark Forest in an epic battle that could only be told shamefully compared to the realistic side of it. Gingerfur felt as though thousands of memories were flooding into him, pelts brushing him, scents washing into his nose; all familiar, all Thunderclan.
"Welcome, young one, to the place where it all began," a voice whispered in his ear, and his eyes swiveled towards its origin, and found himself gazing at a cat that was muscular, white, and stood tall and proud, looking down at him. His chin was high, eyes sparkling, and had the very aura that was the base of Thunderclan itself. He faded away and in his place stood Skypaw.
"Are you okay, Gingerfur?" he meowed, and Gingerfur had to lie on his stomach, dizzy from standing and experiencing what he did. It was as if every memory had flashed in front of his eyes, ending with a fiery orange tom burying his kittypet collar with an attached bell under the earth. His head swiveled, and Gingerfur flung himself at the ground in front of the tall ledge that stood in front of the leader's den, information for some reason that he just knew. He scrambled at the dirt, flinging it everywhere behind him and around him. His claw hooked onto something, and he flung it backwards towards his friends who had come to watch his frenzy. They backed up as it landed on the ground, ringing out loud and clear. They looked at it, and Gingerfur puffed proudly.
"That is the very kittypet collar of the greatest leader the clans have ever seen; Firestar," he puffed proudly. The other cat's eyes widened, and Skypaw gingerly touched it with his paw, blinking. "I welcome you to Thunderclan. The leader's den is behind the high ledge over there. The elder's den is the fallen log over there. Nursery is here, by this bush. The warriors' and apprentices' dens are here, and here, and this is the medicine den." Gingerfur sprinted around camp, pointing at everything, and happiness flooding through him.
"How do you know this?" Springleaf asked, looking at him as though he had lost his mind, which was what the rest of the cats had thought.
"I just do," he breathed.
"So, do you want us to take this back with us?" Skypaw asked, nudging the collar. Gingerfur blinked, looking at it as the memories took up their place into his mind, leaving everything less prominent. He shook his head finally, as another voice told him to take it and place it upon the highledge, which he promptly did.
"Who told you that you get to make that decision?" Dawnfoot snarled, and Gingerfur looked at her softly as a group of four cats walked into the camp. His friends hissed, and crouched, snarling and ready to attack when Gingerfur shook his head.
"Friends, this is Starclan." Gingerfur announced, and the stars in their fur began to shine, leaving his friends to crouch apologetically. The cats only mrrowed in amusement, and the white one that had welcomed him originally walked towards Gingerfur as he leapt down to greet him.
"I am Whitestorm," the cat announced grandly. "Gingerfur, when you walked in, had such a connection to the past, that the four of us were able to visit you. Not for long of course, but to welcome you, and to guide you. The Moonstone is beyond the moorland, and you were right to wait until nightfall to follow the Thunderpath. That will lead right to where you must go. Now, we of Starclan have been watching you, and will give you the strength to carry on. So sleep, and we'll be here to watch over you." Gingerfur padded back, curling up beside his friends, and the cats of Starclan stood around them, padding in a circle. The sound of their paws drumming against the ground lulled Gingerfur into sleep, and he slipped away with the sweet scent of Thunderclan in his nose, and the knowledge that Starclan was still guiding them along their way, watching and always protecting.
So what did you guys think?
They found the old Thunderclan! And made a connection with Starclan to assure them they were going the right way!
Let me know what you guys think!
Question: Do you think the clans will all be fully warring before our characters return? Or will Thunderclan persevere?
Quick Fact: I had originally meant for Dawnfoot and Gingerfur to be together, but changed it afterwards.