Woohoo! I finally finished it! That took me WAY too long!
**FIXED CODING AGAIN!**
Review responses:
Guest (ReadingAnimeLover): Thanks! Your characters are great!
Honeystorm: Thanks for all the reviews! I can't address them all here since you posted so many! I like how you take the time to review every chapter! I personally am lazy (And also get completely entranced in a good fic) so I don't usually review until the last chapter :P
Pondfrost: I haven't gotten your OC yet, but I look forward to it! And that was a lot of name suggestions; thanks for the ideas!
Now, on to the chapter!
Disclaimer: (Grr) I don't got no Warriors rights or nuthin'
Chapter 13
Grasspaw woke with a jolt, frantically glancing around the apprentices' den, relieved to see that light was barely peeking through the walls. She breathed out a sigh, disentangling herself from Redpaw and shaking him slightly to wake him up. He blinked slowly, stretching and stifling a yawn.
"Come on," Grasspaw mewed. "Let's go get some fresh-kill before we have to leave."
Redpaw brightened at the thought of food, scampering out and retrieving two surprisingly plump mice; it was leaf-fall now, and prey was slowly becoming scarcer and thinner. Grasspaw purred as she dug into the delicious prey next to her love.
"Are you two ready?" Shadowedskies asked, coming out of her den along with Leaflight.
"We sur' are r'dy," Grasspaw slurred through her mouthful.
Flinching slightly at the spray of bits of food, Shadowedskies nodded and moved off with her own meal.
Redpaw snickered, finishing his mouse and getting up. "You're disgusting," he teased.
"You're just as bad," Grasspaw retorted, playfully flicking his muzzle with her tail.
He grinned and turned towards the medicine den. "We should go get our herbs now; we may have just eaten, but we'll need something to keep up our strength longer."
"But they taste horrible," Grasspaw mock complained, contorting her face into a pouty frown.
Redpaw chuckled. "They're better than going hungry."
"I guess," Grasspaw grumbled, heading over to Honeyfeather's den with him.
"You're here for traveling herbs, I assume," the medicine cat mewed silkily as they approached.
"Yes we are," Redpaw responded, entering the arcane yet welcoming cave.
"Here they are," Honeyfeather informed them, gesturing to the two completed bundles on the ground.
Grasspaw bent down to sniff them, then padded over to Skypaw, whose condition had not changed. "Stay strong," she whispered. "We're going to save you, I promise."
Redpaw slid across the den, standing beside her and stroking her comfortingly with his tail. He stayed there for a few long and tender seconds, the air between them warming with emotion.
Grasspaw sniffed, holding back her tears, and leaned over to pick up her herbs. Redpaw did the same, reluctantly chewing the bitter leaves. As they were finishing, Leaflight and Shadowedskies came in with Falconpaw.
"I see you've already eaten your share," Falconpaw commented, nodding to the tiny scraps of leaves that were left on the ground.
"Here are yours," Honeyfeather said, laying three more bundles in front of the newcomers. "Enjoy!"
"Thanks," Falconpaw mewed, scarfing his down with the others. "Let's go!"
"I can't wait," Leaflight added. "I'm so excited!"
"Well," Maplestar's voice remarked jestingly from outside, "If you're that impatient, you'd better come out here."
The three apprentices' eyes lit up, and they trampled each other in their rush to begin their quest. "I got out first," Grasspaw squealed as she slid out into the dawn-lit clearing.
"No fair," whined Redpaw, tumbling out beside her. "You're smaller than us."
"Well then," Grasspaw huffed good-naturedly, "Rematch? Race to the Great hill?"
"Now, now," Maplestar chided gently. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?"
The three apprentices nodded in unison, waiting for their leader's orders as their escorting warriors came over to them, grumbling about "rowdy apprentices" and how "young cats have no sense."
"You all sound like elders," Falconpaw teased.
"Well, at least we're not acting like kits," Leaflight retorted, giggling.
Maplestar put on a stern expression and cleared her throat. "Ahem, I have a few words to say before you five go off gallivanting on this quest."
The five in question looked at her expectantly.
"You may not hunt until you have left Clan territory. You must make finding and retrieving this herb your first and only purpose. You must not allow any side interests to distract you from this goal. Anything else is up to your warriors to decide. Be safe, and may StarClan light your path."
All five nodded obediently, and started slowly off to the main camp entrance. Then, there came a sudden cry of, "Wait!"
Grasspaw turned sharply to see Oaktail coming up to them.
"Grasspaw, I… I need you to be careful," he pleaded. "I need you to come back… I need you to save Skypaw."
"Don't worry," Grasspaw purred, licking his cheek. "I promise we'll come back safely with the herb."
Oaktail sighed and curled his head around her. "I'll miss you," he whispered.
"I'll miss you too. Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Oaktail sniffed, pulling away. Having nothing more to say, Grasspaw continued out of the camp, giving her father a final gesture of farewell.
When they passed through the bramble tunnel, Grasspaw broke into a run, letting out a thrilled yowl. Falconpaw and Redpaw raced after her, howling with joy. Redpaw began to lag behind, but pelted on towards the Great Hill.
Grasspaw hissed loudly in alarm as she caught her paw on a stone, falling to the ground in a heap of fur and limbs, legs splayed wide.
"I won!" Falconpaw exclaimed, leaping onto the Hill. "I won!"
Redpaw caught up to Grasspaw, barely able to breathe between panting from exertion and laughing his tail off at Grasspaw's grit-covered pelt.
"Very funny," Grasspaw snorted, hauling herself back onto her paws.
"Oh, it's more than funny" Falconpaw smirked, sauntering up and swatting her face with sheathed claws. "A lovely, petite apprentice such as you flaunting herself as she falls; what's not to love?" His amber eyes glinted dangerously: teasing but not without a hint of lust.
"Give it a rest, will you?" Grasspaw giggled, licking her chest self-consciously. Redpaw bristled slightly, stepping between the other two.
"Oh, Redpaw! There's really no need…"
"Oh, I think you need this," he insisted, tackling her and rolling her across the clearing.
"I do, Redpaw…" she whispered. "But now's not the time."
"I guess so," he sighed, staring down at her entrancing green orbs.
"Having some fun, I see," Leaflight teased, emerging from the forest behind them.
"Let's get going," Shadowedskies growled, drawing her ears bad in annoyance at the three frolicking young cats.
"Now, really," Leaflight scoffed, "they're just playing around a bit! What's wrong with that?"
"They're wasting time," Shadowedskies hissed, glaring down at the apprentices.
"All right then," Leaflight acquiesced. "I guess we'd better be on our way then." Redpaw reluctantly got up from Grasspaw's chest, following his mentor. Grasspaw joined him, with Falconpaw bringing up the rear.
"We're crossing into StoneClan land now," Leaflight announced. "We'd better be careful; they don't take lightly to trespassers." The three apprentices nodded mutely, crouching beneath the sparse cover as much as they could.
"Get down!" Shadowedskies screeched through her teeth. "I smell a patrol!" Grasspaw flattened herself into a small crevasse, thankful that it widened as it got deeper. Redpaw slipped through next to her, and Falconpaw plopped on top, eliciting a loud grunt of pain from the other two.
"Sorry," he whispered as he maneuvered into a better position within the cramped space. Redpaw motioned for him to be quiet, listening for the StoneClan cats.
"Over here," one of them called.
"What's up?" another questioned, the voice becoming clearer as it approached their hiding place.
"I could have sworn I smelled ForestClan," the first growled, sniffing at the ground.
"Well," the second responded, "We're right at the border, so I'd be more concerned if you didn't smell any."
"No, this is different. It wasn't the border…"
"Oh, you're just paranoid…"
The cat whose voice had come first suddenly poked its head into the crack above the three apprentices. Grasspaw shrank back into the shadows, praying the lack of light and the musty smell of the earth would hide them.
The cat snorted, withdrawing from the opening. "Fine, but if you ask me, something's off about this."
"Whatever," the second voice grunted, fading now as the two felines prowled away again. Grasspaw hardly dared breathe for what seemed like an eternity, waiting to make absolutely sure they were gone.
When she could finally wait no longer, she crept out of the ground, nudging the other two apprentices on the way. She made her way back into the sunlight, exhaling with relief as there were no StoneClan cats in sight.
"Whew," she breathed as the others joined her, the apprentices emerging from the crack in the ground and the warriors removing themselves from a thick prickly bush. "That was close!"
"Too close," Shadowedskies seethed, spitting out thorns. "I'll have barbs in my pelt for days!"
"That may be," Leaflight replied, "But it's certainly better than having been captured by some StoneClan fleabags!"
"Hmph," Shadowedskies huffed. "I guess so."
"Well, we should get going," Grasspaw interjected, "unless you two want to try your luck again." Redpaw and Falconpaw agreed, and the five cats set off again, staying in low ground until they finally reached the northernmost edge of StoneClan's borders. The tension visibly relaxed in their shoulders as each cat crossed the invisible yet all too real line.
"We may have passed through StoneClan unscathed," Shadowedskies warned, "But there's a long way still to go; we must cross the Sky Mountains."
Grasspaw looked up from the now rocky terrain, and gaped in awe when she saw the massive spires of stone towering ahead of them. "We're crossing… Those?" she breathed, not quit believing it.
Leaflight nodded, seeming slightly amazed herself. "Let's get to it," she mewed. "If we're quick, we could make it to a cave before nightfall."
"There are caves?" Redpaw exclaimed.
"Yes, but we won't get to sleep in one if you don't hurry up," Leaflight replied urgently, clambering up a large boulder and heading forwards, closer to the monstrous rock formations. Grasspaw, Redpaw, and Falconpaw quickly followed, with Shadowedskies taking up the rear. It was already past sunhigh, and the faded leaf-fall light got colder as the group of felines climbed up the mountains.
As they cleared a large ridge, panting slightly, Grasspaw caught sight of a sheer cliff looming in front of them. "Uh," she gulped, "How are we going to climb that?"
"Well," Redpaw suggested, "There could be some pawholds…"
"We've got to try," interjected Leaflight. "If we don't, we'll have to make camp here, and could be stuck permanently."
"I'll go first," Grasspaw volunteered, sinking her teeth into a scrubby bush and hauling herself onto a tiny ledge. She then reached up with both of her front paws, straining to bring herself up onto the next outcropping.
"See, it's not that hard!" She looked down at Redpaw, motioning for him to follow. He did, and Falconpaw after him, but it was a slow process, punctuated by repeated slips and near falls. The group was now halfway up the vertical incline, muscles already aching from the strenuous climb.
Grasspaw stretched and stretched, trying to reach a deep-rooted plant above her. Suddenly, her footing gave way, and with a yowl of alarm and an awkward leap, she managed to take hold of the stem.
"Help!" she screeched as best she could while keeping her jaws firmly clamped on her lifeline.
"To the right!" Redpaw shouted. "There's a small rock; grab it with your front paw!" It took Grasspaw a couple frantic moments to find the rock, but when she did, she instantly sank her claws in behind it, relaxing slightly at the sturdy hold.
"And just by your hind leg—" Falconpaw called. She tried to find the hold, wiggling her paw around. "—No, the other leg…" She lifted her other paw, and managed to pull herself up onto the miniscule ledge just as her grip on the plant failed.
"Thanks," she cried to both of the apprentices. "I—I would have fallen without you!"
"Oh, it's no problem," Falconpaw acknowledged silkily, winking up at her with an animal glint in his amber eyes. "It's only my duty, saving a she-cat as pretty as you." Grasspaw giggled, partially still shaken from being so close to falling, but also partly shy at his remarks.
"Save the sappy talk for when we're safe at the top of this StarClan forsaken cliff," Shadowedskies snarled, evidently anxious to complete the treacherous climb. This silenced the apprentices, and they quickly advanced up the rock face. There was a large ledge about a fox-length from the top, and all five cats dragged their bodies onto it to rest for a while.
"Great StarClan," Redpaw heaved. "I don't know if I'll be able to get to the top."
"You can," Grasspaw panted beside him. "We're all exhausted, but we need to get to a proper cave to make shelter."
"Yeah," he replied. "I think I'm ready now." He got up and slid over to the edge, grabbing more pawholds and reaching the top at long last, with the others not far behind. "Sweet Foreststar's kits!" He exclaimed. "What do we do now?"
Dreading what they would find, the other four cats poked their heads over the top of the cliff. "Fox dung!" Grasspaw spat as she saw what lay ahead. Or, rather, she saw what didn't lie ahead; the ground simply ended a tail-length from where they had just climbed up. There was now some fog in the air, slowly covering the edges of her vision in an impenetrable gray haze, but she could still clearly see the drop-off, confining their route to either left or right.
"Well," Leaflight mewed. "This makes our journey easier. We now have only two choices: Go left, or go right."
Grasspaw looked to the right, and found that the already narrow path they were on tapered to a miniscule, cracked peak running along the top of the cliff. This route was obviously unpassable. "I guess we're going to go left, then," she said resignedly, leading the way along the spur of rock. The group padded precariously on, one by one, as the fog rose and began to engulf the ground around their feet.
"Great," Falconpaw snarled. "Now we can barely see anything." He was right, but all five cats knew they couldn't stay here. The now depressed group trudged on through the misty air, carefully testing each paw before they placed it down. Slowly, the haze began to clear, and an inviting cave came into view.
"Yes!" Grasspaw exclaimed, thoroughly relieved to be nearly done with this leg of the journey. The entire group's spirits visibly rose, and their pace quickened as they saw their destination approaching.
Grasspaw exhaled in satisfaction, running the last few fox-lengths and sitting down triumphantly in front of the cave. Redpaw and Falconpaw bounded over as well, each breathing a long, tired sigh as they arrived at the cave.
"Well, there's still some time left; what should we do?" Falconpaw asked, breaking the silence.
"Well," Grasspaw suggested tentatively, "We could explore."
"Cool," Falconpaw responded, brightening with excitement. "Let's go this way." He ran a few paces past the cave, along the stone ledge which now jutted out of a cliff.
"Um," Grasspaw mewed uncertainly. "I meant the cave…"
"No," Falconpaw responded, "Come on! This will be fun!" Grasspaw reluctantly turned back to Falconpaw, following him along the precarious edge of the rock. Redpaw came as well, staying behind the other two.
"Look," Falconpaw called to them, rounding a corner. "There's snow!" He was right; As Grasspaw came around after him, she saw the peak of the nearest mountain covered in a fluffy white blanket.
"But it's still leaf-fall," she breathed, astonished that there could be snow so early in the year.
"It's so cold up there," Redpaw explained, "There is snow even in greenleaf!"
"Wow!"
She began to move closer to get a better look, as did Falconpaw. As she stepped further, she heard an ominous, sickening crack resound beneath her.
An expression of shock and fear rushed over Redpaw's face. "No!" he yowled, leaping at the other two and shoving them back onto safe ground.
As he did so, the outcrop gave way, plunging itself into the foggy depths below.
Grasspaw howled, leaning over the edge in desperation. She could see Redpaw, holding on feebly by a single paw.
"Redpaw," she cried, holding out her own paw towards his. "Please, hold on!"
"I'm falling," he said softly. "I'm sorry. Please don't cry, just live your life knowing I fulfilled mine." He let go, brushing her fur for a second before he plummeted into oblivion.
"NO!" Grasspaw wailed, tears bubbling up from her eyes. "REDPAW!"
The fog slowly rose away, revealing a broken russet body lying on the rocks. Grasspaw let out a horrific shriek of agony, fleeing from the ledge in a blur. She had only one question: Why?
So, cruel ending, huh?
I envisioned that scene for literally about a week before I finally wrote it: So satisfying!
Questions for reviewers:
-What is your reaction to Redpaw's death? Did you ship RedxGrass? Do you still ship them?
-How do you think this will affect Grasspaw?
-Possibly more important: How do you think this will affect the dynamics of the questing party?
-Finally: Any other thoughts? More guesses as to warrior names?
And OCs. I have now gotten 4 requests; there is still one open spot! One more lucky person may get a 5000 or so word story of Their OC!
****CONTEST CLOSED****
Anyway, that's all for now.
Sadly,
Lightningstrike