Chapter 13 of Nuke Warriors!! I didn't get 16 reviews, but 11 still makes me happy as Larry!
Congratulations to Tanglestalker for being my 90th review! The 100th Reviewer will get a special mention and maybe a virtual/hypothetical prize!
Avatar2016: They were supposed to be weird…and with Firestar having only 2 lives left, I'm feeling an exciting sub-plot coming on…
Wolfgaze: I was thinking that too…but will Firestar have enough time left (joking…maybe)?
Laughing Rain: Nothing's ever right in the world of Leopardstorm fanfiction (unless you've read my SpongeBob fanfic…)
Adderfang: It's supposed to be a little confusing, but if you are having a little trouble following, I suggest you read through it again and look through it quite carefully. If you are still confused, just tell me in a review and I'll do my best to bring you up to speed.
Rubyblaze: I'm pretty sure that it's not the same Channel 4…but it did make me LOL because it was something that C4 would definitely say…
Wildwaters: I thought people liked long chappies?
Lolcatsrule: It won't be the end of the world for a while, but in the meantime, I'll make it exciting…I was hoping the different PoVs were not too confusing…
Hawkfire: The humans are cats, but we won't hear their story until I've finished this, but I promise you that their story is just as action packed as the Warriors!
Wildheart: Twitch all you like…its coming now!
Silverstarfan: I have PMed you about your review….
Tanglestalker: The cliffhanger was supposed to be a little hard-hitting…and you will be hearing about those messages pretty soon…
Jayfeather, I have found, is a very good main character, I like writing from his PoV. So I'll use him again…but be prepared for more PoVs somewhere in the chapter!
Happy reading, from Leopardstorm.
(PS – the date is the 22nd December 2012 – I have forgotten to tell you about that…)
Chapter 13 – Something to Celebrate…Everybody went to sleep pretty late that night after watching Grease, making everybody feel better after the previous day's events. When Cinderheart and I had walked up to our now familiar bedroom, the clock on my bedside saying twenty-to-one in the morning. The last thing I remembered was turning the light off, as I must have fall asleep as soon as I hit the pillow.
The morning drew in as I woke up, but when I opened the curtains, instead of the bright sunshine that had woke us up every morning, I saw heavy rain beat against the window, making loud splashes against the glass. I sighed and turned back to the fireplace that had burnt out completely and left the room cold. Cinderheart was still asleep, so I got dressed and walked casually down the stairs.
I walked out towards the kitchen, expecting to see Squirrelflight working her culinary magic, but instead saw my mother trying to open the packet of sausages in vain.
"Oh, hello Mum," I walked over to the brown-haired woman who was desperately tugging at the top of the packet.
"Good morning, Jayfeather," she replied while her gaze was fixed on the plastic packet.
"Would you like some help?" I asked, trying not to laugh at how hard she was tugging.
"Yes," she said in defeat as she handed me the packet. "Twolegs do everything complicated!"
"Not really," I said under my breath as I effortlessly opened the packet. "There you go," I said a little loudly. "Are you cooking instead of Squirrelflight?"
"Yes, but how on earth can she do all that cooking everyone says she does with all these machines?" she looked at me in confusion.
"What you do is set the cooker to Gas Mark 7," I read off the packet. "Then leave them to cook for 20 minutes." I looked over to the annoying clock by the sink. It read twenty five-past nine. "That's when the big hand is on this number." I pointed to the nine.
"I'll try, but don't expect much," I mumbled as I walked into the living room. Sitting down on the settee, I took in some air. All that walking up and down takes the breath out of you… Suddenly, something beeped behind me. It was the telephone, which was making a racket on its cradle behind me.
I looked down on the display, showing me how many messages we had. The red bars formed a twelve. TWELVE MESSAGES?! But then I remembered Firestar was at the hospital with Brambleclaw. What if Brambleclaw needed our attention! What if he needed resuscitation? Oh StarClan, pray he is safe…
I hesitantly picked up the white plastic phone and dialled 1571 (A/N – the BT messages number in Britain). The strangely familiar pre-recorded voice on the other end of the line guided me through an agonisingly slow process of dialling. Finally, we got to the first message. It was from the 13th of December, before we got transformed. I kept it, because it may have had valuable information, but didn't listen to it.
The second one was about getting dentures, something I wasn't sure I needed at the moment. But the third was Firestar: "Jayfeather, come quick! Something's happening!" The fourth: "Jayfeather, please come! I'm not a medicine cat – er Human!" That was enough for me to run back upstairs towards Squirrelflight's room.
I controlled myself as I knocked on the door.
"Come in," came a strangled voice on the other side of the door.
I gently opened the door seeing Squirrelflight with a bag of ice on her head and the windows open. She must be hot…and Brambleclaw can't have helped.
"Is there any news about Brambleclaw?" she asked, her green eyes looking at me in a dimmed hope.
"Firestar called last night," I began, not wanting to say that I hadn't realised that he had called at all. "I am going to go over to the hospital." She opened her mouth to say that she was coming too, but I silenced her. "No, you aren't coming. You need to sleep, and if Brambleclaw is better, then you don't want to give him your germs!"
I nodded farewell and wandered onto the landing. Should I bring Cinderheart? I decided against it, because of her fear of blood. I kissed her on the head while she was sleeping, and quietly shut the door. I thought of writing her a note, but then I realised she couldn't read. Mum has managed to cook something edible, I thought as I walked by.
"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked, her head tilted quizzically as she placed down a plate of sausage sandwiches in the middle of the table. "Your advice worked!"
Of course it did! I wanted to say scathingly."I'll take one with me," I said in a rush. "Firestar called with news about Brambleclaw!"
Mum gasped. "Is Squirrelflight coming?"
"I told her to stay here," I replied whilst picking up a sandwich. "She doesn't want to endanger the baby."
My mother nodded as I picked up a briefcase full of things I may need at the hospital. My father was trudging down the stairs, yawning widely as he walked into the kitchen.
"Jayfeather, where are you going?" she mumbled as he sat down.
" Firestar has news about Brambleclaw, and I'm going to the hospital to see him. I don't know if he is okay or not, so it is paramount that I get there as soon as possible."
"I'll come with you," Dad got up from the table. "Just in case you needed somebody there."
I hesitated, but then nodded as I went to grab coats from the coat-rack. I handed Dad his big brown waterproof, and I took a blue coat with a hood on. Dad kissed Mum on the lips, an embrace they held for a few seconds until my father rushed back towards the garage door.
"If Cinderheart wonders why I didn't take her, just tell her that it may be a bloody picture…" I told Mum as the end of the sentence trailed off in silent hope that it didn't come to that.
I closed the door behind me, unlocking the Aston Martin and the garage door with one click. We quickly got in the car, buckling up and igniting the engine. I revved the powerful machine in the bonnet, and speeding out of the street. I was desperate to get there, not to lose a brave and noble person, and more importantly, my foster father.
-x-
I stopped the car out side the St Thomas Hospital, where the moment of truth would come. My father trailed behind me as I run up the stairs to get to the 5th Floor, not trusting the lift to get me there quicker.
Bursting through the door towards the West Wing, I ran down the corridor, briefcase swinging wildly in hand. Dad was struggling to keep up, his breath cutting short in tired puffs. I didn't wait for him to catch up; I just kept running until I finally reached the operating room. This was it: there was no turning back from the sight I was about to see.
I tentatively opened the door, preparing for the worst. What I saw made me breathe the biggest sigh of relief in my life. Brambleclaw was sat up in bed, talking to Firestar until he noticed that I was at the door. He tried to get out of bed, but Firestar pushed him back into the raised pillow. He smiled weakly as I grabbed a chair and sat next to the operating table.
"Thank StarClan you are alive!" I exclaimed as I felt his head for a temperature. Everything was normal. "You've had such a lucky escape!"
"I know," he replied. "I guess I got lucky."
"Well it took four hours to patch you up!" I told him.
"You…did all that?" I asked in awe.
"I wasn't going to leave you like that with the bullet in your leg!" I was a little hurt that he thought it was impossible. It was then when I realised I had understood him wrong. "Yes I did it."
"I owe you my life…" he trailed off, but then straightened up when he asked, "When can I come home?"
I wasn't expecting that, I guess I should have been.
"It depends how you are," I answered. "I need to have a good look at your thigh is patching up before I can even think of getting you out of here."
I had a good look at the area where I had extracted the bullet. It was bruised and had stitches up the side where I had cut him up. I thought heavily for a while: we live in the same house, so if there is anything wrong then I can be there straight away. I had come to a decision.
"Yes you can come home," I told the brown-haired deputy.
"Brilliant," he grinned quietly. He then turned solemn and asked, "How is Squirrelflight?"
"She is upset, to say the least," I sighed. "But seeing you should make her much better."
He nodded as he tried to get up out of the bed. He was still fully clothed because of the urgency of the operation. I went to stand up but wobbled unsteadily. Firestar caught him just before he fell onto the cold, tiled floor.
"Use this for support," I passed him a crutch that he could use to lean on instead of his leg when he was walking. Brambleclaw took the crutch and placed it under his arm. He was much steadier.
"Great!" I said just as the doors burst open.
"Is he alive!?" it was my father who had recovered enough to get here.
"I'm fine!" Brambleclaw laughed as he walked over to Dad. They shook hands briefly but then embraced each other.
"Let's get home," I said as everyone got up to leave. Firestar also got up. "You can hitch a lift with us." My leader nodded as we headed out of the hospital.
"It's raining," I told Firestar and Brambleclaw as I handed them an umbrella that I had taken with me just in case they didn't have coats.
It was raining even heavier than before, the falling water lashing down on the car and the sodden ground. We got in the car, the warmth of the interior making it a good place to come back to after spending time in the cold hospital. The drive home was uneventful; the crutch that Brambleclaw was holding kept poking Dad in the side, my father repeatedly having to move to avoid it.
When we finally got out of the car on our familiar street, Firestar bade us farewell and left us to walk back up the garden path. Brambleclaw looked bursting to go in and say hello to everybody. I put the key in the lock, and twisted it. Everybody else was about to get a surprise.
-BRAMBLECLAW PoV-
We walked in, shutting the door quickly as so to any of the rain come in. Taking my shoes off was a challenge, but I didn't take long.
"We're back!" Jayfeather called as I walked along with the black-haired young man and his father.
"So here comes the man who left in bed late in the morning," Cinderheart scolded Jayfeather lightly as she walked out of the living room and kissed him on the cheek.
"You looked so peaceful, so I left you to sleep. Anyway, what happened to not liking blood?" he teased.
She slapped him playfully as they laughed. "So, how did go?"
"Look for yourself," he smiled as she walked up towards me. She gasped when she saw me and ran towards me. I was nearly knocked off my feet as she ran to hug me.
"How did you survive?" she asked, still hugging me.
"You should be asking that to your brilliant mate of yours," I nodded to Jayfeather who was looking down at the floor in embarrassment.
"You're amazing," I heard Cinderheart whisper to her mate as she hugged him lightly. "I'll go tell Leafpool that you are back," she said to everyone. She disappeared into the kitchen, a few seconds later I heard a gasp and footsteps as Leafpool ran into the hallway where we had all gathered.
"Thank StarClan!" she breathed as she hugged me, a little softer than Cinderheart had. "You must want to see Squirrelflight," she let go of me as she got out of my way. "She's still bed, so be gentle. She's be crying for you since we left the hospital."
Touched, I limped slowly towards the steps. Suddenly, a thought struck me: What was Leafpool doing here at all? Maybe she's looking after her sister. I carefully walked up the stairs, the floorboards creaking as I did so. Eventually, I got to the top, walking quietly over to our bedroom. I stopped just outside the bedroom. Was that…sniffling? I listened closer.
"Please StarClan," my pregnant mate sobbed on the other side of the wall. "We only just made up. He needs to see his child…please? I just want to hear his voice one more time…"
I opened the door quietly, and whispered, "Squirrelflight…"
"Like that…"she broke off.
"Squirrelflight," my voice hardened slightly.
"Okay, now it's getting weird," she sat up and faced the pillow.
"Look behind you," I said, as she slowly turned round.
"Brambleclaw," she whispered. "Are you in StarClan?"
She must feel even worse because of what happened yesterday… "Touch me," I said simply.
She leant forward, her hand outstretched. Then I felt my hand mingle in with hers. She gasped. Then leapt towards me.
"You are alive!" she rasped in astonishment. "How did you survive getting shot by Hollyleaf?" she asked me, mouth agape.
"Ask Jayfeather, he did all the work…" I trailed off as she kissed me on the lips. It lasted for a few moments until she noticed the crutch I was leaning on for support.
"What's that?" she pointed to the big metal support as I straightened up.
"It's called a crutch, it helps support me, as my leg isn't up to full strength yet," I explained, silently hoping it would heal soon. I sat down in bed next to Squirrelflight who still looked ill, but much better than when I last saw her.
She hugged me, her hands holding onto me as though she didn't want me to leave her again. I sunk her into her embrace, just letting the feelings overcome me.
-JAYFEATHER PoV-
I sat in the kitchen-diner, in the armchair behind the fire. No one else was in there; I just sat there watching the fire. I had decided to look through all the post that this house had received before the…incident. I picked up the first one, and was very surprised when I saw what the first piece of post said on the envelope:
Mr C. Feather213 Westbourne Grove
Shepherd's Bush
Greater London
W12 3EE
Did the transformation change more than just our bodies? What happened in the old human world to cause all of this? Did it have anything to do with the cards on the TV last night?
Opening the letter, I quickly skimmed through it, then discarding it on the other side of the chair. Somehow I don't think Dad would want cat insurance – unless we needed to insure ourselves… If we are humans…what are the old humans now?
I picked up another letter, the same details on it, this time an advert for dentures. Sighing, I tossed it on the pile with the insurance letter and opened another. Letter after letter, just junk mail, nothing was actually worth knowing, unless you wanted to go into marketing and advertising.
Finally, I picked up a long, rectangular envelope and looked at the address:
Ms L. Pool213 Westbourne Grove
Shepherd's Bush
Greater London
W12 3EE
It was something for Mum. But Mum wasn't here when we transformed. Was it prophesised that this would happen? I opened the envelope carefully along the top. It was a calendar for the year 2013. What was the date today, if this is a calendar for 2013?
I walked over to the kitchen area of the room and spotted a calendar hooked on the wall by the sink. I looked closer to see what the date was: December 2012. Doing some maths in my head (how many days I had been a human and looking at the dates of the post by the armchair), I learnt that the day was the 23rd. That would be why we would be getting a calendar…
I flicked onto the inside front cover, noticing that it had friends' and family's birthday:
January 23rd: Firestar (59)
November 30th: Sandstorm (60)
August 16th: Lionblaze, Jayfeather (19)
June 7th: Crowfeather (36)
July 21st: Leafpool, Squirrelflight (36)
October 22nd: Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt (41)
February 14th: Cinderheart (20)
December 13th: Stormfur (41)
April 29th: Brook (Where Small Fish Swim) (40)
January 3rd: Mothwing (36)
December 2nd: Littlecloud (62)
March 31st: Barkface (91)
Sandstorms already 60? I knew she was pretty old, but she doesn't look that old! Barkface is mega-ancient; he must be around in a wheelchair!
I put the 2013 calendar behind the 2012 calendar on the wall and sat back down in the chair, thinking about us as a family. Mum and Dad must have been 17 when they had Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and I. I always thought that I would be older than 19, but then Lionblaze and I haven't had our full names for very long.
Thinking about this made all of us seem much more like humans than cats, at least to me. The post had our names on it, the calendar had our all our birthdays on it, the warrior code had started to sink into nothingness (even though some of the principles were still important) and the fact that we were humans allowed Mum and I to have relationships with the people that mattered the most to us without being restricted.
I got up, finally realising that I had been gone for quite a while. I walked into the living room, Leafpool, Crowfeather and Cinderheart playing cards on the floor (it was the first thing everybody agreed was a good Twoleg idea).
"Where have you been?" Cinderheart put her cards face down on the floor and got up. "You've been gone most of the afternoon!"
"Just looking through the post, finding out how we got here," I explained. Then I remembered the calendar, "And I have something that might make you smile."
I walked back into the kitchen, getting the calendar off the hook by the sink. Cinderheart met me halfway and we sat down on the sofa.
"What's that?" she asked as she flicked through the months of the calendar. I noticed for the first time that the pictures at the top of the calendar were not just anything, they were pictures of all of us, having fun in what looked like Hyde Park, further down the road from the house. This is just getting stranger…
"It's a calendar," I told her as she pointed to all of our laughing faces. I don't remember any of that… "It tracks time – it tracks every day. At the front, it has our birthday, the day we were born. See, your birthday is in two moons time." I made a mental note to remember that day. It shouldn't be hard – it's Valentine's Day…two lots of presents…
"I'll make sure that I teach you more about time," I wasn't in a teaching mood, besides it was Christmas soon, a time for family and relaxing. I had started to tell them about Christmas, even though we couldn't give gifts because no one knew what people liked.
Sitting down to play with the others, I looked forward to a time of festive cheer. However, even through the transformation, the prophecy was still looming over our heads like a massive thunderstorm. Forgetting this responsibility, I squeezed Cinderheart's hand and got playing.
I am afraid that this was going to be a little boring because of the info in it, but I hope you found the ages and the address and stuff a little interesting. The next chapter will move things along a lot.
Peace out
Leopardstorm