AvatarCat12: I'm sure you know that Katara and Holly are back from their vacation, and they're with me again today at the commentaries. Not only that, but someone had asked me to update my Pokémon Mystery Dungeon story as soon as possible. And I will soon.
Katara: How are your dogs doing?
AvatarCat12: The pups are doing great! And guess what? They're starting to eat normal dog food and drink some water!
Holly: Wow! Really? Doesn't it take them a few weeks to get used to it?
AvatarCat12: Yeah. And we'll have to wait for a few more weeks to give them new homes. But for now, I'll just say the summary and disclaimer.
Summary: When a hurricane arrives at a village Goldpaw and his friends come to, the storm whips up Goldpaw's memories of his past. In the meantime, after seeing a fight between Bearclaw and another warrior, Irontail tells this cat and others about Bearclaw's past.
The italics mean that it's from a dream.
Disclaimer: Bryke and Erin Hunter own Avatar: The Last AirBender and Warrior Cats. AvatarCat12 doesn't.
Updating Date: January 7, 2012
AvatarCat12, Katara, and Holly: Enjoy!
...
The Hurricane
Goldpaw gave a happy smile and a happy tug on Archie's reins; the Asian Lung dragon replied with a grunt and flew higher into the air. The sky around him looked as if it was a dream, and it was a peculiar peach-colored tone. But it didn't matter to him; nothing could cheer him on like a good dream.
The Avatar Cat felt a rush of air to his left and saw Ashpaw flying quite gracefully on Goldpaw's glider; the dark gray tom looked as if he was having lots of fun as he smiled at the Avatar Cat. Goldpaw gave a smile in return and felt another rush of air to his right. It was Silverpaw flying on top of a huge Tobias gliding next to Archie; she waved her tail joyfully to the AirBending cat and he gave a wave in return.
"We need you, Goldpaw..." Silverpaw's voice echoed into his head even though she wasn't really speaking.
"I need you guys too..." Goldpaw murmured back contently.
He heard a sudden rumble ahead of him and he looked ahead in alarm because he saw what it was: a huge black storm cloud was gathering right ahead of them. Goldpaw turned to his friends and meowed, "Guys, be careful! We're flying into a-"
But they were gone.
With fright growing inside him like mold on a log, Goldpaw looked from side to side as the thundercloud loomed nearer. Suddenly, he saw a glitter of stars and Goldenstripe was suddenly sitting right in front of him on top of Archie's head, his blue eyes filled with disappointment.
"Goldenstripe..."
"Why did you leave us?" Goldenstripe rasped to him, his voice filled with disappointment.
"I didn't mean to!" Goldpaw wailed, rushing toward him until he was in front of him. He was amazed at how much he had grown; he was already nearing his height to his mentor's height.
He reached out with a fore paw to try and touch the center of his mentor's heart, but the golden tabby elder turned as gray as ash and was soon gone. As soon as he disintegrated, Goldpaw and Archie dived head-first into a massive storm cloud.
"We need you..." Goldenstripe's voice echoed around him.
While those two were still inside the cloud, lightning flashed across the sky with a bang. It was pouring rain and Goldpaw screeched in fright as he held on to Archie for his life. Both creatures plunged into the sea like their accident fourteen years ago. Goldpaw suddenly surrendered his hold on Archie's reins and began to sink slowly to the deepest part of the ocean...
"We need you, Goldpaw. We need you..." many voices, including Silverpaw and Goldenstripe, echoed into his head.
And before his eyes, a vision of the FireClan leader twisted in flames appeared to be visible in the afterglow of a lightning strike. The giant warrior rose to his hind paws, unsheathed his claws, and brought them down...
...
Goldpaw woke up from his sleep, yowling with fright and looking all around him. It was still night at their most current camp. His yowl startled Tobias, who woke up Silverpaw and Ashpaw by cuffing them on the heads while trying to fly away. Ashpaw was already up, muttering very groggily.
"Huh? What the hell was that? What's going on?" the dark gray tabby muttered, looking around with claws unsheathed. "Did we get captured by FireClan again?"
"No. Everything's okay, Ashpaw. I just had a nightmare," Goldpaw mewed; he felt embarrassed about waking up everyone during the night. "Just go back to sleep."
"Good. You don't need to tell me twice," Ashpaw replied groggily, falling back into his nest and snoring.
Goldpaw didn't go back to sleep in fear of having that nightmare again. Recently, he had been given nightmares that started out good at first, but then they would turn bad. So he walked over to the small pool of water close to him and began lapping at the cool taste.
He felt Silverpaw's muzzle touch his shoulder as she mewed, "Hey, Goldpaw, are you all right?"
Goldpaw looked up from drinking some water as he figured out what to say. So he lied, "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for your concern."
"But you seem to have many bad dreams since...well, I don't know when, but you seem to have a lot of them," Silverpaw told him, her blue eyes narrowing with concern, rubbing his shoulder with her tail.
"I just need some rest," Goldpaw meowed, padding away from her and lying back down into his nest in. "But again, thanks for your help."
Suddenly, Ashpaw sat right back up, his pale blue eyes fill with wonder and excitement as he yowled, "Hey, I had the strangest dream! You guys wanna hear it?"
But he stopped when he saw an annoyed look on his sister's face and fell back, muttering, "Okay, okay. I wasn't going to tell you anyways." And he and his sister had fallen fast asleep.
...
The next morning, Archie waited at the beach and yawned while he was ready for take-off. On his back, Silverpaw was packing some things into his saddle to get under way. Goldpaw was sitting on top of Archie's head and observing the area around them; when the dragon finished yawning, his owner pointed his muzzle to the heavens.
As for Ashpaw, he was off somewhere, probably hunting. Goldpaw was sure he would be back with fish like trout or tuna. The young golden tomcat sniffed the air; after having gotten a cold some time ago, his nose felt much better.
"Look at the sky up there, Archie!" he meowed to the white-furred dragon. "These skies are gonna be clear all day! We'll fly easily in this weather!"
He turned to see Silverpaw sticking her head into the food bag and came out with nothing. After poking it for a few seconds, she announced, "Well, right now, we'll have to fly easily to a market. We're out of food, but we'll hunt later."
"Guys, hold on!" Ashpaw had climbed on board and sat right in front of his younger sister. "I know what my dream told me! We can't go to the market today!"
"Why, what happened?" Silverpaw asked him, tilting her head to one side. Goldpaw padded over to the two WaterClan apprentices and sat next to them.
Ashpaw looked around him with his eyes bugged out with as he let out a slightly spooky voice, "Food eats cats!"
Goldpaw and Silverpaw didn't look very impressed with that, but Ashpaw went on while looking at Tobias, "And Tobias could talk! You said some very mean things, jackass!"
Tobias didn't reply, just stared at him and pecked the saddle beneath him in a typical hawk-like manner. But many animals could act like they want to; Goldpaw believed in that.
While this was going on, the dreadful dream had disappeared from his brain like water pouring over flames. There was nothing to worry about for the time being besides evading FireClan; for now, however, they would have to find something to eat.
...
Irontail looked up at the clear blue sky and saw numerous seagulls following the ship if food was dropped. Right now, they were feasting on fish that they got from the ocean, but Bearclaw wasn't eating; instead, he was surveying the area with a tense expression on his face.
Suddenly, he smelled some water from far away; he sniffed the air again and he realized that there was a storm that was to come soon. He lowered his flat muzzle and gave the horizon a distant glance.
"Bearclaw, there seems to be a hurricane coming toward us. And it's going to be a really big one!" Irontail called to his nephew.
Bearclaw sniffed the air and retorted, "What the hell are you talking about, Uncle? The weather's fine and there's not any cloud in sight! Are you out of your mind?"
"But the storm is coming from the right," Irontail protested. "May I suggest we alter our course and land in the southwest until the hurricane passes?"
"The Avatar Cat is heading north, so we'll do the same!" the dark brown tabby tom hissed, his good amber eye blazing.
Irontail stepped forward to meow, "But Bearclaw, think about the safety of the crew and your Clanmates."
Bearclaw whipped around and snarled angrily, "Why do I care? The crew's safety doesn't matter to me! You hear me?" he added harshly to a brown tabby-&-cream tom, whose golden eyes were hardened as the former closed up to his face. "What's more important than a single cat on this ship is finding the Avatar Cat! So there!"
Without another word, the FireClan tom stalked past him and went into the ship's cabin. Feeling rather frustrated at his nephew's harshness but unwilling to show it, Irontail turned to the brown-&-cream tabby tom and tried to soothe him gently.
"It's all right, Firflame," the fat gray tabby tom mewed gently. "He doesn't mean that."
As the brown warrior gave a sigh and looked down at the deck, Irontail glanced back at the cabin before glancing up at the sky. He knew that he would have to tell the other cats very soon, but now would not really be the time for that. Tensions have been running high lately, and he knew why.
...
Silverpaw sniffed the chickens while poking at their cages while Archie lounged around in the water. Goldpaw and Ashpaw were of doing whatever StarClan knew they were doing, and the chicken seller wasn't looking too happy. Instead, the old she-cat looked exasperated.
"It is good! I tell you again! It is perfect!" she barked.
Goldpaw and Ashpaw came up from behind the silver apprentice to see what was going on at this shop. Silverpaw saw that there was a duck in his jaws, ready to be eaten. Giving the chickens a questioning glance, she reached into the cage and poked one of them in the side, making the fowl squawk.
Silverpaw looked up and meowed, "I don't like it whenever it squawks so loudly."
The elder snapped, "Aiyaah! It means she carries eggs! You collect eggs when she lays them!"
"She's right, Silverpaw; when a chicken squawks like that, they're ready to lay eggs," Goldpaw added, standing right beside her.
"You know what?" Silverpaw interrupted, pulling her paw out of the cage and the chicken began relaxing. "I just found out we don't have any money left over. Sorry!"
The elder she-cat let out a growl, snatched the duck from Ashpaw's jaws, and gave him a quick nip on the hind leg to drive him away. Goldpaw and Silverpaw quickly followed him and the three cats were away from all the fuss. Ashpaw let out a yelp when the she-cat's teeth nipped his leg, but he seemed to know when to go.
As they stood there panting, Ashpaw growled, "Great! So we're out of money and out of fresh-kill! So NOW what'll we do?"
Silverpaw nudged her brother by the shoulder with hers as she retorted, "Hey, smartass, you ever heard of a job? Well, go find one!"
But when she finished with that sentence, they heard some voices quarreling with no sound of claws slicing fur, thankfully. The three Clan cats peeped around the corner and saw what had been happening. Two elderly loners had been arguing about something that involved fish and a boat.
"There's a horrible storm looming over the horizon!" the black-&-brown she-cat begged her mate, who was a shaggy-pelted brown tom. "So we shouldn't go out! Leave the fish alone just until the storm is over!"
"Are you hare-brained?" the brown tom retorted, shaking his head and looking up toward the sky. "It's a beautiful day today; look around you! There ain't no clouds, no wind, no nothin'! So do me a favor and quit your damn naggin', okay?"
While the two elders argued, Goldpaw glanced over at his friends and asked them, "If this storm is all so bad, how about we go and find some shelter?"
"Shelter from what?" Ashpaw growled, also looking up at the clear sky. "That old tomcat's right! There's nothing happening in the sky right now!"
But they both fell silent when the old cats continued their argument.
"My bones tell me there's a typhoon coming here!" the she-cat rasped.
The tomcat scoffed and replied, "Well then, it'll be your bones versus my brain! See what I gotta cook up with!"
The she-cat shook her head angrily and snapped, "Well then! I sure hope that big brain of yours can find another cat or even a whale to help the boat into the harbor 'cause I ain't comin'!"
"Oh, I'll another feline who'll help me haul in all those fish! I'll pay him double the pay that I give ya!" the brown loner growled, turning away and padding off in the reverse direction.
Silverpaw felt Ashpaw rush past her and call, "I'll come with you!"
"Good! You're hired!" the brown tomcat praised him.
Ashpaw nodded back at his friends, who gave him looks of confusion and concern on their faces. It probably didn't too much to affect the dark gray tabby tom, for he turned around to give them an indignant look.
"What're you looking at me like that for? You were the ones who told me to go find a job, and I just did! Besides, I'm gonna get paid double!"
"Double?" the brown loner asked Ashpaw in surprise, looking at him as if he was a feline zombie crawling slowly at him. "What the hell are you talking about? Who told you all that heap of fox-dung about me paying double?"
Elders, Silverpaw mused.
She shook her head as her brother followed the brown cat away from them and right to the water, where a boat was waiting for them. She hoped that those two would be okay, but she wished that they paid attention instead of rashly rushing out to the middle of the sea to catch a few fish. If not, well...she didn't want to think of that.
...
Irontail saw that he was right (though he hated to brag); the small FireClan ship was heading right through an ominous storm with the clouds looking very dark gray, almost as black as night. He and the other warriors had gathered right under a shaded area of the boat to see the storm go by.
As Bearclaw padded out from the cabin, Firflame turned and spoke to the dark brown tabby tom, "Huh! So Irontail was right after all! There really IS a storm coming!"
At that, he pointed his tail to the elderly fat gray tabby tom, who just shrugged
"It was just a lucky guess, that's all," Irontail replied modestly, dipping his head in respect and shuffling his front paws.
Bearclaw had heard the comment coming from the brown-&-cream tabby warrior and stood nose to nose with him; even though he was younger than Firflame, he was much bigger, thanks to his father's size. "You better learn some respect around here, Firflame, or I'll teach you it myself!"
As he padded away from the older warrior, Firflame's fur began to bristle and he began to growl while Irontail made waving motions with his tail to stop the arguing. But it didn't work because Firflame raced around the former FireClan warrior and stood cat to cat with Bearclaw. It seemed that he could no longer contain the contempt he felt toward Bearclaw.
"You filthy fox-hearted hypocrite!" Firflame spat directly in front of Bearclaw as the younger tom stepped away from him. "You wouldn't know about respect if it sat in your paws and bit you on the chin! I've seen the way you talk back to your warriors and to your respectful uncle! That shows you don't know anything about it at all! You don't care for any other cat; you only care about yourself! Then again, what would I expect from Darkstar's son?"
Bearclaw stopped his walking in mid step shortly into the Lieutenant's speech. Irontail could do nothing but sigh and smack his face with his fore paw, resigning himself to the brewing disaster.
By the end of the outburst, Bearclaw's brows were twitching with possible rage; he was clearly stung by the accusations hurled at him. He turned around and unsheathed his claws with Firflame following suit.
The gray tabby cat rose slowly to his paws and meowed calmly, "All right, that's enough."
But they didn't listen, for they rose onto their hind legs and started rubbing their front legs roughly against each other, indicating that the ritual of battle had begun. When they crossed front legs, the sound of steel on steel could be heard, and smoke curled around from where they met.
Irontail leaped in between them and tossed them apart from each other in neat movement. He was outraged that they were fighting among themselves.
"Enough is enough!" he spat, glaring at them. More gently, he added, "Listen, we have been out to sea for quite a while; it's natural to feel like this. Let's just have a dish of mouse stew and everyone will be okay."
The two tabby cats continued to glare at each other just for a moment longer. Then, to Irontail's relief, both turned away from each other and stalked away in opposite directions. But when Bearclaw passed his uncle, he gave him a hateful glare.
"Uncle, I can handle my own warriors all by myself!" he hissed. "I don't need you butting in!"
Irontail laid his tail on his nephew's shoulder to calm him down, but the dark brown tabby cat let out a snarl and pulled angrily away from him. His uncle had no choice but to give a small sigh when he padded away and stared out into the horizon.
The storm was getting so close and maybe so powerful that it may end up being a hurricane. But he felt there was surprise for them in the middle of the storm...
...
Archie splashed around in the water before finally settling down. Silverpaw gave him a pat on the head with her front paw and joined Goldpaw as they watched Ashpaw helping the old brown loner get prepared for the fishing trip. The black-&-brown she-cat was snapping at them like an angry goose.
She saw Goldpaw suddenly look up at the sky with a worried look on his face and she followed the golden apprentice's gaze. The clear blue sky was now black with storm clouds and the wind picked up a chilly breeze as if she were in the Southern WaterClan territory again. The silver she-cat sighed, hoping to find some real shelter soon.
"Hey, Ashpaw! Maybe this is a bad idea!" Goldpaw called to his fellow Clan cat.
"When I said I'm gonna do the job, then I'm gonna do the job!" Ashpaw retorted as he tossed the comment over his back. "And StarClan forbid I stop just because of a couple of storm clouds."
"The white-arrowed kit has a lot more sense than you," the female loner piped up, staring with disapproval at the fishing boat. "If I were you, I'd listen to him and get away from the harbor for the day!"
As the brown loner dropped a box onto the boat, he looked up in surprise. His yellow eyes were widening as he was apparently thinking.
He padded to Goldpaw and Silverpaw, meowing with wonder, "You're the cat with the white arrows on his head and legs? Those are AirClan markings!" Then he meowed with shock, "Well, shoot the horse and slap me silly! You're the Avatar Cat, right?"
"Yep! He's the one and only!" Silverpaw purred, nudging her friend on the shoulder with hers as she showed her faith in him.
Sadly, to her dismay, the brown loner leaned in with anger flashing in his yellow eyes, hissing, "Don't you dare get too cocky about it, you little mouse-brain! The Avatar Cat had disappeared fourteen years ago. And he never came back to stop the War!" He pushed Goldpaw back roughly and added, "You're a curse on the world for turning your back onto it!"
Silverpaw couldn't believe it; there was a cat that wasn't happy to see Goldpaw! What was worse was that he was yelling at him for something he couldn't avoid.
"Don't yell at him!" she growled angrily as she shoved the older tomcat backwards. "Goldpaw would never turn his back on anyone who needs him!"
"Oh, yeah? You're willing to bet on that, huh, missy?" the tomcat hissed as he lashed his tail from side to side and he padded right back to them. "Well, if I'm dreaming, those fourteen long years of suffering and deaths must've been in my head!"
Silverpaw felt a growl rise in her throat and she turned to see if Goldpaw was okay, but the look on his face told her that he was not okay. As the old cat made this damning charge, a physical testament seemed to be connected to the sickening guilt welling up within the Avatar Cat.
She felt very upset for her friend, so she stepped between the two male cats and spat, "Goldpaw's the bravest Clan warrior I have ever known even before I met him! All the past two moons or so, he's done nothing but help cats and save the lives of many ever since my brother and I freed him from the White Stone! And you can't blame him for his disappearance! Right, Goldpaw?"
But she turned to see that he was backing up while Silverpaw was busy scolding the old brown loner for his awful words. When she was finished, he turned tail and fled, opening up his glider and taking off towards the distant mountains until he disappeared out of sight. Silverpaw looked to the sky in alarm, lifting her muzzle into the air.
"Goldpaw!"
But the old brown tom didn't make anything better; instead, he called out in a jeering voice filled with hate, "Yeah, you keep fleeing, coward! That's right! You're a curse to StarClan, that's what you are!"
Rage built up inside of Silverpaw's belly at this ruthless curse that the old brown cat had laid onto Goldpaw. She couldn't take this anymore. She turned to him angrily, slashed at his ear with her claws, and snarled, "You're a terrible old bastard!"
The loner didn't response, but he gave a grunt as Silverpaw shoved past him and climbed onto Archie. She needed to find Goldpaw very quick in this weather and to persuade him to not listen to anything that went against him.
"Yip yip!" she commanded, and Archie rose out of the water and shot toward the sky as fast as he could; he could probably pick up his owner's friend's distress.
When those two were gone, Ashpaw appeared out from the hold in the ship and glanced around in confusion. After a few seconds, he squeaked in surprise, "Hey! They just left me here! And they didn't even say good luck!"
"Your buddies ain't too friendly, huh?" the tomcat asked him.
"Tell me about it!" Ashpaw exclaimed. "Like, I remember this one time when we went hunting and-"
But the old cat just interrupted by shoving a box to him and muttering, "Whatever. I'm sure to listen REALLY soon. Just help me with this stuff being put down below deck. Then I MIGHT listen over a piece of fresh-kill."
...
Commercial Break
...
The sky was now smoky black like true smoke as Archie sped around the face of the mountain with an exposed parapet and a stone flight of steps leading up to it from the seashore below in a hasty pace. Silverpaw let out one long calling yowl after another for Goldpaw to come back, but only lightning only answered her call.
This isn't going to work. I gotta find shelter, she decided.
But she couldn't find anywhere to shelter for now, but when she saw the lightning flash in the sky again, she could see a hole in the face of the giant rock. It had to be a cave and she could shelter in there until the storm passed by, but she had to be sure of something first. Archie landed for Silverpaw, and the she-cat took his reins and padded towards the hole.
Silverpaw stepped into the cave and shook the rainwater from her long silver coat while Archie rolled around until his fur was clean from the water. But she thought that she heard something, so she swiveled her ears to the sound and lifted her nose into the air. Finally, she saw a hunch of golden fur curled up into a ball and she heard one little sniff.
It was Goldpaw, and Silverpaw saw he was trying hard not to cry. But a single tear rolled down his cheek and his claws scraped the floor of the cave.
"I'm sorry for running away, Silverpaw," he mewed as soon as she approached.
Silverpaw sat down beside him and purred soothingly, "No need to worry, Goldpaw. That awful old son of a bitch didn't know what he was talking about."
Goldpaw sat up a little more and faced her, his dark gray eyes hiding the lie beneath their depths. "Don't blame him. He did know what he was talking about."
"Huh?"
"Uh...you know what? I said too much," he quickly mewed, turning away from her and flopping curling up into a ball again.
Silverpaw tilted her head to one side and asked him, "Does this have anything to do with your dream?" When he didn't answer, she laid her muzzle onto his shoulder and whispered, "Please, Goldpaw. Tell me."
Goldpaw turned his head around and replied, "Okay, I will. But it's gonna be a long story."
Tobias swooped into the cave with a few mice in his talons and he sat beside Goldpaw, nudging him with his beak. Suddenly, the sound of a huge animal was heard from behind Goldpaw right at the cave entrance. But it was just Archie, who was licking Goldpaw with his long tongue and he dumped a few salmon from his back. The cave was now plugged up by the drenched Asian Lung Dragon.
"Okay, then. I'll find us some firewood and we'll get some fire in here," Silverpaw meowed, going to a nearby cave tree and snapping a twig off with her jaws. As Silverpaw leaped down from the tree and rubbed two stones together in her paws to make fire, Goldpaw launched into his story while he grabbed a mouse and began to eat:
"I never forgot the day when the senior warriors told me I was the Avatar Cat. I was five moons old when that happened. I was just playing with some of the other kits near the nursery, teaching them to summon the Air Paws..." He sighed and went on.
"A couple of kits were tumbling around the bramble branches of a nursery as I watched on with amusement. I still hadn't got my arrow stripes yet; you'd have to be an AirBending master to get your arrow stripes. As an older apprentice with long ears named Longpaw gave a yowl for the youngsters to pay attention, I gave a nod and raised his tail for silence.
"'Everyone listen up!' I meowed to the crowd of the kits. 'I'm gonna teach you how to make a set of gliding Air Paws! First, you form four small balls of air. And second, you get into them quick before they disappear.'
"At this, I made four little balls of air and stepped into them very quickly. I purred at the kits' amazement and began to move at a tremendous speed across the square. After that, I went in an upside down loop in a nearby archway under a walking bridge before scaling up a wall and up a birch tree on the bridge, coming back to the plaza by a nearby set of stairs. I was yowling with cheer while I traveled; several warriors and queens had to get out of the way.
"When I landed, Longpaw whipped out four little balls of air and mewed, 'Here we go!'
"'Go on! Go in them!' I squeaked excitedly.
"The tabby tom nervously set one paw into one air ball, but he slipped onto a piece of ice and wobbled a little bit and yowled with surprise before falling to the ground onto his bottom. When I nudged him back to his paws, I decided to give him an encouraging smile."
Silverpaw purred. "That was nice of you, Goldpaw. That's what makes you a good cat."
Goldpaw blushed as he took another bite of the mouse he gave her. He smiled distantly at her before he went on.
"'That was a good try, Longpaw!' I mewed happily. 'But you have to act as if you're stepping into a stream.'
"'Okay,' Longpaw mewed, shaking the snow from his pelt. 'But great StarClan, that's so hard!'
"A little brown-&-white kit of two moons old came up to me, pounced on his twitching tail, and asked, "'Where'd that trick come from?'
"I leaped away before meowing proudly, 'I invented it!'
"'Cool!' the kit squealed before jumping up and down with excitement.
"But as the little kits bounced around me, a yowl brought their romping around to a halt. Right away, I recognized the golden tabby cat with blue eyes: Goldenstripe, who was almost ready to retire as an elder.
"There were four other cats around him: one was dark golden tabby, the second was gray-&-cream, the third was black-&-white, and the fourth was ginger tabby. They each had a white arrow stripe running from their head to their tails and on their legs and paws.
"'Goldkit, we would like to say something to you. Please come alone,' Goldenstripe told me as he kinked his tail over at me."
Silverpaw gaped at him. "Wow. What'd you do?"
"I'm getting there," Goldpaw mewed. "I nodded to them and padded after the departing cats, a look of trepidation on his face while the other kits looked at me oddly. I just gave them a worried glance, but I tucked my tail between my hind legs and slunk away, unable to hide my anxiety as fear-scent came off from me.
"Soon enough, we reached the area where five of the greatest warriors rested at.I couldn't help but gaze at the five most senior AirClan warriors with surprise as they sat in a serene way on five evenly spaced stools. The gray-&-cream tabby tom's stool rested under an elaborate sunshade; he was Galestar, the leader of AirClan. Goldenstripe was the second cat from the left.
I kneeled down in front of them, my head down. 'So how long did you know I was the one?'
"'We've known for six moons of your life you were the new Avatar Cat,' a ginger tabby tom called Carrotstem told me. 'I'm sure you'll remember these four things.'
"At that, he handed me a rolled-up scroll with AirBending. It landed at my paws, and it opened on its own accord. Inside were four toys that kits would love to get their paws on. On the left was a little toy dolphin that did loops when put in water; the second one from the left was a propeller toy that spun in the air like eagles; the third one from the left was a little toy gorilla; the fourth and final toy was the rattle from a rattlesnake with yellow and red swirls around its rings.
"I rushed to the toy gorilla and squealed with amazement, 'Hey, those are my favorite toys! I've had them since I was three quarter-moons old!' I left the gorilla toy and leaped for my favorite one, the propelling toy, which looked like four hardened feathers glued together.
"Carrotstem meowed, 'Yes, indeed. Young AirClan kit, you chose all four toys from thousands that would be called a kit's paradise. And the toys you picked out yourself are the four Avatar Cat relics. These same items belonged to other Avatar Cats before you...your own former lives.'
"'Well, I chose them because they were fun!' I replied, dropping the rattle and sitting down. I smiled, picked up the propeller toy, and pulled the cord on it, making the propeller spin into the air. It spun through the air, and I watched as it flew around the five elderly cats.
"'You chose them because they feel familiar to you,' the ginger tabby replied, nodding again.
"Goldenstripe gave his fellow warrior a nod before telling me, 'Any other Avatar Cat would be told of their identity the day or night they became a warrior. But your day is very special since dark times are gathering on a dark breeze.'
"Galestar lowered his head, leaped down from his stool, and touched my forehead with his muzzle as he told him, 'I believe a Great War is coming to our world, so it is important that you become an apprentice today. Goldkit, until the day you finally become a warrior, you will be Goldpaw. Goldenstripe shall be your mentor, and he shall pass on all that he knows to you.'
"'We need you, Goldpaw,' Goldenstripe murmured to his new apprentice as the other cats called out, 'Goldpaw! Goldpaw! Goldpaw!'
"Feeling my new responsibility crushing me as if I was carrying a badger on my pelt, I lowered his head and gazed down at the ground. Suddenly, the normal life I thought I knew was gone, gone as if blown away by the wind that surrounded the mountain where I lived."
Goldpaw still kept his head lowered like that while Silverpaw licked his ear in a comforting way with concern and sympathy in her eyes. He had become an apprentice at five moons old instead of six like any other kit because of the approaching Great War.
He didn't like to tell Silverpaw about this, but he trusted her fully and he could always count on her to confide his secret to.
...
Irontail yawned and stretched his forelegs out as the ship navigated its way through the storm. It was high time that he went to bed since he had watched out for the storm recently; now that it was raining very hard, there was no more need to look out for it.
As he padded down the hallway, he could hear murmuring and he peeked in to see several cats surrounding a fire and talking in hushed voices. A pale brown tabby tom nudged Firflame on the shoulder with his and was whispering to him.
"Are you okay? You're not mad, are you?" the pale tabby asked him.
"I'm not mad; I'm furious!" Firflame spat, his face bathed in the firelight and his tail lashing to and fro to make his point. "I'm just so sick of following what he has to say all the time! And I'm sick of following that damn Avatar Cat! Who does that emo bastard think he is?"
"Do you really want to know, youngster?" Irontail meowed as he padded into the room. The time to tell the warriors about his nephew's past has to come out. It was like a hedgehog coming out of hiding in a ball.
Immediately, all the warriors let out meows of surprise and they fluffed down their fur, trying to look respectful and innocent. Firflame, however, looked very ashamed of himself.
The younger warrior mewed, "Irontail! I didn't see you there. We were just-"
However, Irontail waved the apology away dismissively and kindly with a flick of his tail. "Don't worry; it's all right. Do you youngsters mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, sir," Firflame replied, scooting over to sit near the pale brown tabby tom and letting Irontail move right next to him. A dark gray tom handed him a mouse to eat, and he accepted it gratefully.
After a few bites of the mouse and grooming his fur, Irontail sat up and began thinking carefully and wistfully. After a few minutes, he spoke up: "Please, my fellow FireClan warriors, try and understand that my nephew is a complicated and mysterious cat. He does not need more pain than the pain that he suffered a year and a half ago..." He sighed and went on.
"I heard my nephew yowling for someone to let him in and wondered what he was up to this time. I just wanted to keep him out of trouble; after all, I was his mentor. So I padded down the hallway of the FireClan palace and saw him trying to leap over a bigger ginger cat. His resolve appeared to lead him to be blocked and not allowed entry.
"'Young Bearpaw, what in the name of StarClan is going on?' I scolded him calmly.
"Bearpaw turned to face me. He looked very near to becoming a warrior and his golden eyes were flashing with frustration. There wasn't going to be any cat that could claw at his face without being knocked out first.
"'I wanna go hear what's going on, but the older warrior won't let me in!' Bearpaw hissed, his voice breaking slightly at the end.
"He is clearly disappointed, I thought in an understanding way."
Firflame nodded. "I'll bet. I'd be disappointed if I wasn't allowed in myself."
Irontail nodded back at him before going on.
"I led him a short distance away from the warriors. I let him sit down and meowed, 'You're not going to miss anything, trust me. From experience, all the meetings I go to are very boring.'
"Bearpaw sat up quickly and protested with rising hope, 'But if I become the leader of FireClan one day, I should take the opportunity to learn about the other Clans as soon as I can! Don't you think so, Uncle Irontail?'
"His golden eyes were pleading and full of hope. I chuckled a little bit to myself; my nephew always seemed to desire for additional knowledge. Sometimes, it could lead a kit into a fox's den while it could help a warrior catch prey in other times.
"'Very well, Bearpaw,' I finally meowed, touching his ear with my nose in a comforting way. 'But you must promise to not speak unless you are spoken to. I'm reminding you because the older cats appear to be a little sensitive in their prime, did you know that?'
"'Thank you!' Bearpaw squeaked as he touched noses with me and skipped on ahead.
"When the two warriors prepared to repel him again, I halted them by telling them that Bearpaw was allowed into the meeting as long as he behaved himself. So they stepped aside and let the both of us into the meeting room.
"Soon, all the senior warriors, Bearpaw and I included, have gathered around in a temple-like assembly room, with a throne on a podium wreathed in a fearsome red fire. The back wall was occupied by a huge elaborately carved scarlet statue of a cat. The meeting was in session as we were gathered around a map of the extended territory on the EarthClan continent that decorated the ground.
"And my brother, Darkstar himself, was sitting on his throne. He was surrounded by so much black-&-purple aura that it was hard to tell what his pelt color was. But I know.
"One of the warriors, a black-&-gray tom on the left, was standing to address the other cats and our leader. 'EarthClan's defenses are concentrated over there like the boulders they are. It is a very dangerous platoon of their strongest warriors and fiercest EarthBenders, so we must make do with the forty-first wall.'
"'But there are new recruits over at that forty-first division!' an old white tomcat hissed. 'How could you expect young warriors and Benders to defeat such a strong army?'
"'I don't intend on that," the black-&-gray tom sneered with a voice as cold as ice. 'We'll just use them as distractions from the front while we attack the enemy from the back. I think that's the best bait to use in an army: fresh meat!'
"I hissed silently to myself at those words. This cat was implying to kill off the young warriors while they waited from the back. This was what happened to my dear son, Wolfcloud. I let out a moan of remembrance at the death of my only kit.
"Unfortunately, Bearpaw wasn't as quiet as I. He leaped up quickly to his paws, leaped at the black-&-gray warrior, knocked him to the ground, and slashed at his muzzle. 'There's no way you'll sacrifice an entire platoon like this! These warrior cats are honorable and kind, and they respect and love their Clan! How could you hand them over and betray them like this?'
"He should not have said that, I heard this voice in my head as the other cats turned to glare at Bearpaw, clearly disapproving what he said. One cat even grabbed him by the scruff and tossed him away."
Irontail gave a deep sigh before meowing, "Bearclaw was right when he said what he said. But he also broke his promise to never speak out of term. So he had to face dire and endless costs." He lowered his head in sadness about this awful memory.
...
"So you weren't happy about being the Avatar Cat?" Silverpaw exclaimed as she crunched a thrush's bone between her teeth. "I thought you'd be excited about this great power!"
Goldpaw looked around at her before replying, "The truth was...I didn't really know how to feel about this. But when the day I found out passed, my normal life as an apprentice was changed forever..." He shivered before going back into his story.
"I looked out at the kits having fun playing on their newly created Air Paws. Being the Avatar Cat made me a bit moodier since the past moon, even moodier than a certain ancient WindClan warrior named Crowfeather. I saw that the plaza was full of young AirBending kittens riding on their Air Paws, laughing and having fun.
"Adopting a happy mood, I padded to them and praised them, "Great work, you guys! I'm glad to see you practice hard!"
"'Thanks!' a little ginger kitten squeaked gleefully 'Guess what? We made up a game about Air Paws! It's fun!'
"'Awesome!' I mewed, creating four small balls of air and was about to step into them, but I saw their reactions. They were quickly stepping out of their balls of air, and they had a look of mixed confusion and alarm on their faces.
"Fearing the worst, I got away from the balls of air and protested in dismay, 'What's going on, you guys?'
"'Since you're the Avatar Cat now, it'll be unfair to whatever team you're on,' Longpaw told me. His yellow eyes were unhappy but there was no hint of hostility in the way he spoke.
"'Come on! I haven't changed! ...except I've been an apprentice for a moon!' I insisted, trying to smile but failing to do so. "Does this mean I can't play with you anymore?"
Longpaw nodded sadly and replied, "I'm afraid so. We're very sorry, Goldpaw."
"He nudged me on the shoulder with his muzzle in a way of apology, although I could tell he was also warning me to get away from them. The young brown-&-white kit from before ran over and wrapped his forelegs around my tail.
"'Yeah, we're sorry!' he squeaked.
"I padded away from them while wrenching my tail out of reach, muttering, 'It's okay. I didn't want to play, anyways.'
The kits and Longpaw looked upon me as I slunk away from them, tail between my legs and my ears flattened with despair. They had sadness in their eyes, but it didn't last for too long.
"'It's a shame Goldpaw can't play,' Longpaw was saying. 'But we have to get a new player onto their team. Let's have Dirtpaw onto our team! What do you guys say?'
"I turned to see a very dirty-looking tom prowl to them; his pelt was so dirty it was hard to tell what his fur color was. Flies were surrounding him, and he made a little noise coming from his rear. He was also drooling.
"But I thought he needed to be check for fleas as I padded away from my friends. And maybe that was for the last time."
He saw that Silverpaw looked sympathetic, but she paused to giggle, "That Dirtpaw had fleas?"
Goldpaw shrugged. "It kinda looked like he did." He cleared his throat and went on.
"As me and Goldenstripe played Pai Sho in the elders' den later on, I still felt sad, distracted, and alone. Of course Goldenstripe would always look out for me, but I still felt excluded after what my friends told me. I officially had no friends left except for Goldenstripe and Archie.
"'Interesting move you made,' Goldenstripe remarked as I made my move.
"I looked up at him and squeaked as a set of drapes fell over my eyes. But when I removed them, I saw what Goldenstripe did: he used AirBending to blow some wind up to the drapes hanging from the ceiling and made it fall over me. When I was distracted, he switched our sides of the board around.
"I was amused while I cuffed my mentor kindly on the ear and we began laughing together. The worries of my friends leaving me had disappeared like a cobweb in the breeze."
"Aww," Silverpaw purred. "It's sweet that you two hung out a lot."
Goldpaw replied, "Yeah, but there was something else that made things feel bad.
"Suddenly, the door opened and Carrotstem came in, growling, 'Seriously, Goldenstripe? You're playing games with the Avatar Cat when he should be training?'
"'But he has trained hard today, Carrotstem!' Goldenstripe protested.
"But Carrotstem didn't pay attention; instead, he went on, 'Time is running short if you didn't notice! Now come, Avatar Cat. We must train you to complete very high level techniques.'
"He began to pad out of the room and I sadly began to follow him, the worrying back in my mind. But just before we got to the door, Goldenstripe had blocked the way and waved his tail so that he was between me and Carrotstem.
"He mewed, 'I'm afraid not, Carrotstem. As long as I am his mentor and training him, I shall decide whether or not to train him, and I shall decide whether or not to beat his tail in Pai Sho!'
"'Huh!' was all Carrotstem growled before he stalked away. Goldenstripe and I turned to one another and gave each other a smile. Things were great when he was my mentor."
...
Irontail gave a sigh, ready to get the worst of it off his chest, and he went on, "After Bearclaw spoke out of term in the meeting room, Darkstar was very angry at his elder son. He told him that when Bearclaw attacked the senior warrior, this was considered to be complete disrespect. And every cat in FireClan, from the volcanoes to the sun-drown-place, knew what had to be done."
"A Fire Meeting. An Agni Kai," Firflame rasped with horror as the other warriors shuddered.
"Yes," Irontail added as he nodded before going on.
"Bearclaw had looked down upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not scared of him. But he had made a fatal mistake. When he padded forward to battle his opponent, he was surprised to see it was not the warrior he insulted. Of course Bearclaw spoke out against a senior warrior's plan, but since he did just that in Darkstar's war room, it was Darkstar who he had unwisely disrespected.
"Bearclaw would have to fight his own father."
...
Goldpaw threw away the mouse bone he was chewing on, not feeling hungry anymore. He went on, "And just when I thought that things would turn out to be okay, things got worse." Preparing himself for the worst, he dove deep into the story.
"I was busy hunting when I heard arguing voice beneath the trees I was hunting in. Being a young cat, I was very curious about all of this. So I climbed down a few branches before hearing much more of the voices.
"'Goldpaw needs some fun and freedom! He needs to live like a normal Clan cat!' I could hear Goldenstripe yowl.
"Climbing down some more, I could clearly see them. The four elderly cats and Galestar were in the leader's den when they called the meeting. Carrotstem probably told Galestar about his fellow warrior's lack of cooperation.
"'But you can't protect him from his destiny!" Carrotstem snarled, his lips peeled back to reveal his teeth.
"Galestar raised his tail for silence and turned to Goldenstripe. 'I understand as much as you do, and I know what you want for him is good for him. But Carrotstem is right. You're letting your care for Goldpaw obscure the judgment you had when I had you as my apprentice.'
"Goldenstripe bowed his head and replied, 'But I want what's best for him, not me.'
"'Yes, but we also want what's best for all four Clans,' Galestar retorted. He looked down for a moment as if thinking, then he looked up and declared, "Goldenstripe, you shall no longer be Goldpaw's mentor, and the two of you must be separated. The young Avatar Cat will be sent away to the Eastern AirClan territory and complete his training. You must never train him ever again.'
"As Goldenstripe bowed with defeat and agreed, I watched on from the treetops with a look of horror and distraught. This was the worst day of his life in my life.
"I was going to be separate from my mentor forever."
...
Commercial Break
...
Silverpaw gasped about the awful truth that spilled out of Goldpaw's mouth like a tumbling river of ice as the rain continued to pour from the sky outside. In a normal Clan, cats had to stay loyal to their Clan, but they were allowed to think for themselves; it looked like Goldpaw's Clan was a bit stricter than even the dark-hearted ShadowClan!
So she padded to him and rested her muzzle onto his head, murmuring, "I can't believe them. That's so awful, Goldpaw. I don't know what \to say."
The silver WaterClan apprentice tried to lick his cheek, but Goldpaw leaped backward, his dark gray eyes blazing with pain and anger behind the tears. His golden fur was glowing ginger in the firelight and he was snarling, "How the hell could AirClan do this to me? How could StarClan let them do it? They took away everything I knew and loved! Something that made me be me!"
Suddenly, the arrow stripes on his body, legs, paws, and forehead began to glow as his Avatar Cat power began to activate. They were glowing, and the energy shell from the Southern AirClan camp was beginning to form around him as well.
"Whoa, watch it!" Silverpaw hissed as hot cinders sprung up from the fire from the blustery wind. "There's hot cinders here!"
As soon as he heard this, he saw the cinders swirl around her, pulling himself out of the Avatar Cat spirit power. Not only did that happen, but the arrows on his body faded away until they were plain white once again.
"I'm sorry I got so mad toward you. I just wish StarClan never made me the Avatar Cat," he sighed as he lay back down.
Silverpaw pressed her pelt soothingly to his as she responded, "No need to worry, Goldpaw. You have a right to be angry at being sent away."
Goldpaw let out a sigh. It seemed that it was finally to tell the silver she-cat the entire truth. Why he ran away. Why he ended up in WaterClan territory. He sat back up, stared her right in the eye with a guilty lump in his throat, and murmured, "I have a confession to make. I wasn't sent away after all."
He gave a sigh and began this part. The part when his life changed for good.
Fatshe leso lea halalela
Fatshe leso lea halalela
"I watched from my lonely den on the tallest mountain as I watched the queens gather their kits into the nursery. I would've given anything to make friends again with the cats I grew up with, but every time I tried to leave, Carrotstem would always herd me back in. I knew the Warrior Code said that a warrior must be loyal to their Clan, but I didn't want to feel loyal anymore. I wanted to be free."
Shadowland
The leaves have fallen
This shadowed land
This was my home
The river's dry
The ground has broken
So I must go
Now I must go
"I was just confused and upset about all of this mess. I didn't know what else to do, so I ran away from my Clan. I was never going to go back unless they apologized."
"After I wrote a letter in a scroll, I looked to the sky where StarClan was gathering, murmured a prayer of guidance, and leaped out of the window with Archie behind me. I never looked back.
And where the journey may lead me
Let this prayer be my guide
I cannot stay here, my family
But I'll remember my pride...
...
(Moons ago)
At moonhigh, clouds had already covered the moon as Goldenstripe padded into his apprentice's den. He saw a lump of blankets in Goldpaw's nest and padded to it.
"Don't worry, Goldpaw," the old cat murmured, poking it gently. "It's only me. I will not let the other warriors separate us."
But when he got near, he smelled rabbit and lifted the covers with a yowl of dismay. There was instead the dead rabbit he gave to Goldpaw, hoping that he would feel hungry. When he was separated from his parents before he finished his suckling period as a kit, he was always hungry. But what worried him the most was that there was a scroll next to the piece of wasted fresh-kill.
Goldenstripe carefully opened the scroll and gasped with shock. It read:
Dear Goldenstripe:
If you're reading this, it means I have left AirClan territory. I have no intention of coming back for quite a while.
I can't stand being the Avatar Cat, and I'm sick of all the training. I wish I wasn't an AirClan cat!
Sorry if I offended you. But I'm not returning. Do not tell anyone about this please. I'm begging you!
Good-bye, for now.
Your loving apprentice, Goldpaw.
Goldenstripe's blue eyes widened with concern and sadness; it was all because Carrotstem and his warriors had trained him too hard and wanted to separate mentor and apprentice forever. He drew in an intake of breath and looked out the window to see that lightning was flashing not too far away. Wherever his apprentice was, Goldenstripe hoped that he was all right.
StarClan, watch over him. Even though he may be out there in the world, he shall never be alone.
Pride land (I have no choice)
My land (I will find my way)
Tear-stained (Lea Halalela)
Dry Land
Take this (Take this prayer)
With you (What lies out there)
Fatshe leso (Lea Halalela)
...
"I never saw him ever after that."
Goldpaw stretched out beside the fire in misery as Silverpaw lied down beside him, warming him with her long fur. Suddenly recalling the encasement of him and Archie, a fresh memory of Silverpaw resurfaced inside him as he remembered looking into her beautiful eyes.
"And the last thing I expected and sort of hoped, I woke up leaning against your pelt when you freed me from the White Stone. I was also looking through you eyes."
"You ran away?" Silverpaw asked him with quiet surprise as he stared vacantly into the fire, guilt still rumbling in his belly; he didn't want to tell any more of the story. Thinking about his Clan made him feel sick.
But there was one more thing he told her: "And that's when FireClan came to my Clan and killed every cat there. My Clan needed me and I wasn't there to help. I broke the Warrior Code."
Silverpaw could tell her AirClan friend was deeply upset by thinking about this. So she began to meow, "Listen. You don't know what-"
"And all four warrior Clans needed my help and I refused!"
"Goldpaw-"
But Goldpaw wasn't listening anymore; instead, he stalked out into the rain and wailed, "That old cat was right! I turned my back on the world! I'm a curse to StarClan! I wish I was never born!"
This was enough.
"Dammit, Goldpaw, that's enough!" Silverpaw growled, grasping his tail between her jaws and pulling him back into the cave. He laid back down next to the fire and laid his forepaws over his eyes, moaning with pain and despair.
In a gentler voice, Silverpaw added, "Look, sorry I snapped at you, but you're being too hard on yourself. I've thought of this while I heard your story. Even if you did leave your Clan, I think you were destined to leave them. I mean, if you stayed, FireClan would've killed you alongside the other AirClan cats."
"You don't know that," Goldpaw whimpered, but he took his paws off his eyes and looked at her.
"Actually, I don't think you're destined to be here; I KNOW you are," Silverpaw back-tracked while handing him another mouse to eat. "I mean, the world needs you right now even if you left the old one behind. You wanna know why? It's because you're the one who gives other cats hope, just like the sun on the surface of the water."
Now some sense began to creep into his heart like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. What Silverpaw said was true; everywhere Goldpaw went, he always helped every cat out and they always appreciated his help.
How could I have ever doubted her?
Tobias chirped and landed onto his master's head, dropped a mouse into his paws, and cawed again. Giving Silverpaw a flick on the ear with his tail for thanks, Goldpaw finally settled down and began eating his fourth piece of fresh-kill.
...
"When Bearclaw saw he had to fight against his own father," Irontail continued his tale to the FireClan warrior cats, "he had tried to beg for mercy and forgiveness..." He cleared his throat and went on, feeling prepared to tell the worst.
"Every FireClan cat was already in the audience stands when Bearpaw arrived into the four-sided stadium with a large crowd on either side of it. He dropped his traditional red cape to the floor, exposing a rough muscular build just like his father. But as he padded forward to meet his foe, he recognized who he saw before him and froze on the spot in horror. It was his father.
"My heart wrenched with compassion and sorrow as Bearpaw lowered his head and cried out to him, 'Father, please listen! I'm sorry! I was only concerned for what was best for FireClan! I'm sorry!'
"'You will fight for your honor, Bearpaw,' Darkstar growled coldly as he stepped forward, still silhouetted against the fires burning around the arena and by his black-&-purple aura. His body looked a little like Bearpaw's, but he was built massively like a certain notorious ThunderClan ancestor; I'm sure you all know who that is.
"'Father, I meant no disrespect!' Bearpaw pleaded, looking shocked as he lowered himself to the ground even more. Tears were running down his face, his thick fur was bristling, and his amber eyes were wide with horror. 'Please! I'm your son, your own flesh and blood! Does that mean anything?'
But Darkstar didn't pay attention. Instead, he leaped forward, shoved him backward, leaped back, and snarled, 'I said for you to fight! Stop your crying and fight like a warrior!'
Bearpaw looked up at his father and whispered, 'No. I won't fight you, Father.'
"'Suffering is your mentor, and you will learn respect!' Darkstar roared.
"He started prowling forward until he stopped right in front of his kit. He reared up onto his hind legs, his long fearsome claws unsheathing and glinting in the sunset. Flames surrounded them and he raised one of his paws into the air, ready to strike his son.
"Many cats watching this fearsome battle were generals from the war council. The three cats in the front seats were a grinning Thornflare (who was just a plain warrior), me (looking concerned for Bearpaw), and a cruel looking black-pelted golden-eyed she-cat who was clearly hoping for the worst to happen to Bearpaw.
"If you don't know who what was, that was Frostpaw, Bearpaw's sister from the same litter and Darkstar's apprentice. She unsheathed her claws in anticipation of the disgrace her brother was undergoing.
"I couldn't bear the pain anymore, so I closed my eyes, hoping to not see the horror. I tried to not look, but the pain was too unbearable, so I looked and was horrified by what I saw and heard. But I only turned around when I heard Bearpaw's screech of pain.
"I opened my eyes and a horrifying sight was seen in front of him. Darkstar had lashed his claws out at poor Bearpaw, caught him on the left side of his face, and sliced through it with no mercy. After that, he knocked him to the ground and started biting and clawing him everywhere.
"I arrived just in time for no extra damage to be done, knocking Darkstar out of the way and bent low to Bearpaw. He was bleeding everywhere, but the worst wound was on his face; a jagged bloody burn scar raced like lightning across the left side of his face, causing that eye to not see very well. He's had that scar ever since."
Irontail paused, unable to go on. This was indeed a terrible memory for him, but it was worse for his nephew.
"I didn't know that," Firflame murmured, looking ashamed about their earlier argument. "I used to think either a bear got to him or he fell into some lava."
"No. It was no accident," Irontail corrected him while his heart wrenched after finally revealing the memory. "After the fight was stopped, Darkstar declared that, after his son got his warrior name, Bearclaw was a shame to FireClan history by not fighting back and refusing to do so. As a punishment, he was exiled and sent to find the Avatar Cat...a rather impossible task. The only way to return with honor was to capture the Avatar Cat. Well, I decided to tag along with him."
Firflame licked his paw and smoothed it over his tail. "Damn. So that's why he's obsessed with this mission. He wants to catch that Avatar Cat so that things could go back to normal."
Irontail sat up from staring into the fire and meowed, "I'm afraid not, Firflame. Though half of what you said is correct, things will never be the same. But what's important in Bearclaw's life is that the Avatar Cat gives him hope."
...
Bearclaw let out a sigh as he lied down on his nest and stared into his paws. He could remember yelling at Firflame like that, but he didn't really mean to do that; he was just angry and needed to let his anger loos. But he did that by yelling at a trusted warrior.
How could I try to risk their lives like this?
He saw a vision of two kits romping around in some tall grass while their father joined in and tumbled around with them. He could also remember himself sitting as a kit sitting beside his uncle and another kit. This kit had a flat face, dark gray fur, and warm amber eyes just like Irontail. As for Bearclaw himself, he was smiling as he gazed out toward the ocean, his face completely healthy with no burn scar and a big smile on his face.
But it's gone now...
Suddenly, a flash of lightning and the sound of vicious thunder brought Bearclaw sitting up and looking out the window in fear. The storm outside had gotten worse, for they had sailed through the eye of the storm.
...
Feeling better after talking about his past, Goldpaw decided to have some warrior training with Silverpaw. They weren't doing anything really bad; they were just giving each other some friendly paw swipes and the leap-and-hold technique, a useful technique used for a smaller cat to get on top of a bigger cat.
Goldpaw and Silverpaw were practicing some paw swipes when they heard a wail of distress. They looked up and saw the old black-&-brown she-cat from earlier limp to the entrance of the cave.
"Please help us!" she wailed, collapsing into the cave as the storm raged outside.
Silverpaw rushed over to the she-cat and murmured, "It's all right now. You're safe with us." She began licking the elder's fur to get her relaxed.
But the elder seemed to be far from relaxed; in fact, she looked very terrified and worried. She got up from the floor and wailed, "But my mate and your friend aren't!"
"Wait, what?" Silverpaw asked her, her face etched with fear for her lost littermate. "Where'd Ashpaw go?"
"They haven't come back from their fishing expedition!" the she-cat moaned as Goldpaw tried in vain to give her a piece of fish, which she shoved away. "This storm's now a hurricane, and they should've come back before it hit! They're out at sea and I can't get to them!"
Goldpaw got up, giving up on giving the elder a fish and gave her a thrush instead. Inside, he felt his blood chill at having to go out into a storm; he could remember what happened when he got out into a storm as bad as this. But there was no other way to help Ashpaw and the old loner.
"I'll go," he mewed in a resolute tone. "I'll find them."
"And I'll come with you," Silverpaw added when she padded next to him.
"Well, I'm staying here!" the old she-cat snapped.
"We won't force you to come, you know. And we'll come back very soon; I promise," Goldpaw added kindly.
The old she-cat nodded before looking the other way. The two Clan apprentices raced out of the cave, hopped onto Archie, and flew off into the eye of the storm. They were now ready to save Ashpaw and the old shaggy brown loner.
...
Bearclaw and Firflame sank their claws into the boards as both cats tried to stay on their paws. The ship was rocking back and forth very dangerously, and it seemed as if it were going to sink into the waves. To add insult to injury, seawater always sprayed over the two warriors and the deck for around the twentieth time.
"Where did the lightning hit?" Bearclaw asked firmly yet not harshly.
Firflame replied, "I...I'm not sure, Bearclaw!"
"Look up there!"
Irontail's yowl brought both warriors to where the gray tabby elder was pointing to. Dangling for his life on the bridge tower and yowling with fear was a pale gray tom.
Bearclaw gasped. "It's the helms-cat! Let's get him down from there!" After Firflame gave him an amazed look, he added, "The safety of a single cat is more important than finding the Avatar Cat now!"
Firflame gave him a determined nod and followed Bearclaw to their mission.
The dark brown tabby tom clung onto the ladder and began climbing carefully because of the weather. Irontail suddenly let out a yowl as a lighting strike flared nearby, but he Bended the lightning through his entire body. He sent it away from the toms trying to rescue the helmscat and forced it to strike the open water. Bearclaw looked around to see his uncle smoking and looking confused, but otherwise undamaged.
Suddenly, to their horror, the helms-cat finally let go with a cry of fear. He fell for a moment, but two pairs of strong jaws grabbed him, one by the scruff and the other by the tail. Bearclaw and Firflame, formerly rivals, had finally worked together to save him.
...
"Where are they?" Silverpaw called to Goldpaw as Archie flew on bravely into the blustery hurricane.
"I don't know!" Goldpaw answered back, visions of their lifeless bodies in the ocean flashing in his mind. He cleared it away as he meowed to Archie, "Let's go, Archie!"
A shadow loomed over the three of them; Goldpaw was shocked to see a massive wall of water up ahead. It towered above them and Archie couldn't fly higher in time, but they burst through its crest with a combination of Archie's brute strength and Goldpaw twirling his staff around like a dagger to part the water. In the distance, they saw a small boat, silhouetted by one lighting strike after another.
Goldpaw pointed to the boat, yowling, "There they are! They're in that boat!"
...
"Look! Up there!"
"Huh?"
Bearclaw looked up to see what Firflame was pointing at. There, he saw the Avatar Cat's dragon flying through the hurricane. And the Avatar Cat himself was sitting on top of the dragon's head with the silver WaterClan she-cat right beside him.
"It's the Avatar Cat! What do you want us to do?" Firflame asked Bearclaw, a new respect in his yellow eyes.
Bearclaw paused and sat down to consider the situation. Normally, he would tell his warriors to drive the boat after the Avatar Cat, but this weather was too harsh to follow them through. They would lose sight of him through the thickest rain storm and be lost in the eye of the hurricane. Besides, they had an injured warrior to take care of.
"Let them go for now," he meowed. Firflame gaped at him with shock, but Bearclaw added, "We have to get this ship to safety anyways. Like I said, the safety of the warriors is more important than finding the Avatar Cat during this storm."
Irontail nodded, smiled at his nephew, and looked out at the horizon. "And all we have to do is head through the eye of the storm. We're halfway there!"
As the ship sailed onward after this little conversation, Bearclaw stared up into the sky and felt a sense of change around him. They had gone into the center and the dark brown tabby FireBender saw that it was now drizzling slightly.
He turned to his uncle and murmured, "Uncle, I'm sorry for earlier. I've been a complete jackass to everyone, even to you."
"Your apology is already accepted, my nephew," Irontail purred as he laid his muzzle onto Bearclaw's muscular shoulder and then licked the spot where his left ear formally was. Around him, the other warriors crowded around them and began cheering for them.
...
Goldpaw could see Ashpaw clinging onto the fishing boat for dear life. He could also hear him wail, "I'm too young to die!"
"I'm not young, but I still don't wanna die!" the old tomcat yowled in reply. He was also hanging onto the ship for his life.
Archie flew in close and Goldpaw leaped onto the boat. Lighting struck the main mast which broke off and fell towards Goldpaw. It was going to hit him and crush him, but he split it in two with a clean claw swipe, the halves falling undamagingly on either side of him. Ashpaw had a rope held securely in his jaws, which Goldpaw grabbed.
"Hang on, you two!"
Goldpaw AirBended himself back onto Archie as he pulled Ashpaw and the old shaggy tom with him. Both tomcats landed on the Asian Lung Dragon; the old cat spat out some water along with a crab and smiled at his fellow fisher sheepishly. A few fish also fell onto Archie's saddle along with the other two cats, flopping pitifully.
But behind them, a shadow appeared and the sound of rushing water was heard. Goldpaw turned around in terror to see a wave building up behind them; it was larger than the one from before. Archie tried to fly away again, but the tidal wave was too fast. All four cats and the dragon were submerged and knocked out.
In a succession that was eerily similar to the time when he froze himself, Goldpaw drifted away from Archie and his pack in the water. But he told himself he would not repeat his mistake; he was going to fight harder. This was what being a warrior cat was all about: never giving up.
His Avatar Cat spirit began to start, but in a departure from the previous encounter, he decided to not make a White Stone. Instead, he walled himself and his friends with a ball of spiritual energy and raised them back up out of the water into the sky. He had finally used the energy of StarClan to raise them back into the air.
And where the journey may lead you
Let this prayer be your guide
Though it may take you so far away
Always remember your pride...
...
Archie landed outside the cave in the drizzling rain where Goldpaw told Silverpaw his history. When all four cats shook the water out of their fur, the old black-&-tan she-cat raced toward her mate and nuzzled him lovingly. Goldpaw felt happy for those two cats; after what happened, things between them would go okay.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're safe! And while you dry yourself off," she added, her voice sour as she stepped away and pointed to Goldpaw with her tail, "it's high time you apologized to this brave youngster!"
"No, it's okay. He doesn't need to apologize," Goldpaw meowed, stepping in between the couple. He never blamed the old brown tom for what he said, but there needed to be some time clearing up some mixed-up parts.
The old tomcat nodded, lowered his head, and replied, "Hmmm. Let's see, feller, how about I give you three free fish instead? That way we'll be even? Or I'll give you some blood pudding!"
Goldpaw dipped his head respectfully while retching mentally at the thought of eating the bloody butchered item. He meowed politely, "Thank you, but I don't like eating anything too gory."
"Aw, come on now!" the shaggy cat protested with mock hurt. "Blood pudding ain't gory! It's a delicacy all the way from Germany!"
What's Germany? the younger cat thought as Ashpaw added, "Am I still being paid?"
The old shaggy brown tom gave him a weird look and, instead of giving him a bag of money, he gave the dark gray tabby tom a fish wreathed in the long sausages. Ashpaw leaped back with a startled yelp while his two friends purred with amusement; even the elderly cats joined in the laughter.
"Hey, Silverpaw?" Goldpaw suddenly meowed as he faced her. "You were right minutes ago. From now, I'm never going to bring that up like that ever again. I'm putting the past behind me."
Silverpaw asked him, her eyes glowing with pride, "Are you sure?"
Goldpaw nodded, licked her shoulder, and replied, "Well, I don't know what'd happen if I wasn't frozen or if I got killed. But I'm here now, and I'm gonna fulfill my destiny here and now."
"Good," Silverpaw replied warmly, nuzzling him and licking him on the ear swiftly. "StarClan won't haunt your dreams like that ever again. I promise."
Suddenly, the brown shaggy tom padded forward, dipped his head to Goldpaw, and meowed with gratitude, "Hey, uh, if you hadn't run away from your Clan, I wouldn't be alive anymore! Thanks for savin' my life, Avatar Cat! You're one hell of a blessing to StarClan after all!"
Goldpaw nodded back and tossed him a mouse to eat. These words were also enough to make him happy until the end of time. He wished he could do more for the elderly cats.
Suddenly, Ashpaw yelped happily, "Hey, you hear that? The storm must've stopped!"
Everyone raced out of the cave to see that the sun was breaking out of the clouds and shining down onto the four cats, red-tailed hawk, and Asian Lung dragon. Everything looked so beautiful after the hurricane, and things were looking bright...until Archie shook the water from his fur and onto all four cats. This made the cats yowl at him:
"AW, SHIT! ARCHIE!"
To be continued...
...
AvatarCat12: It took a while for me to finish this. On the original, I made the flashbacks what they are. Here, I made the flashbacks also be told like a story. I hope you all like it. And the song Shadowland is owned by The Lion King on Broadway, not me.
Holly: I like it. And it's sad to hear about those Air Nomads.
Katara: Actually, Aang told me that the Fire Nation didn't kill them by some stroke of luck. There was an Air Nomad traitor called Afiko, who was jealous of Aang and wanted him dead.
Holly: That's terrible!
AvatarCat12: I agree with Holly. I hope Afiko got what he deserved.
Katara: He did. Sozin killed him.
AvatarCat12: Good. Now let's go on to the preview for The Red Demon.
Preview: When Silverpaw and Ashpaw catch greencough and become too sick to travel, Goldpaw goes off to search for a cure. Meanwhile, Thornflare hires recruits to capture the Avatar Cat.
Anyone who reviews this chapter will receive virtual gummy tongues. Like I said before, they were real! Flames will be used to burn up all of Edgar Ross's files. Constructive criticism is allowed as long as it's not harsh.
AvatarCat12, Katara, and Holly: See ya next time!