OptimusPrime2017: I did have a good Christmas, and thank you again!
Chapter 12:
The elders den was dark, the form of two cats barely visible in the din. An old calico she cat turned her head to face the two apprentices, getting to her paws. Ravenpaw took a step back as the elder trotted over to them.
"Hello Brightbird," Lightpaw purred next to him, her mouth full of leaves "Hazelbush wanted us to give you these." The golden she cat dropped the herbs next to Brightbird, the plants landing in a messy pile.
"Thank you Lightpaw," the elder smiled "They must be daisy leaves, I've been telling Hazelbush about my aching legs for moons now." Lightpaw sauntered over to the next elder, a silver tabby with odd, bent looking hind legs.
Ravenpaw crept towards him slowly, staring at him. His back legs looked like snapped twigs, like the bones in the limb had been broken in half and then shoved into the leg. He felt nauseous as Lightpaw nudged the tom.
"Halflegs?" the tabby apprentice questioned carefully, tilting her head to one side. The silver cat gave a large yawn, heaving himself onto his two front paws to face the two.
"Yes?" Halflegs rasped, bushing his tongue over one of his silver paws.
"Hazelbush said that you got stung by a bee?" Lightpaw meowed, glancing over at Ravenpaw. He nodded suddenly, flushing under his fur. The black and brown tom padded over to the elder, carrying a bundle of prickly leaves in his muzzle.
"Ah thank you," Halflegs purred "I got stung in the morning, it's been quite annoying." With a reluctant sigh Ravenpaw began to chew the herbs, the fowl taste covering his tongue. He looked down at the elders short silver fur, spotting the small, swollen bee sting.
He pressed the poultice into the lump, his nose wrinkling. The young apprentice felt an odd prick on his paw, making him draw it back. He glanced at his pad, seeing a small, tiny, thorn like thing poking into his paw. The stinger.
He dug into his pad with his teeth, pulling out the stinger with a yank, holding it in his jaws.
"Any better?" Lightpaw asked, flicking her ears impatiently. Halflegs nodded, giving them a mrrow of thanks. With a sigh of relief they exited the den and back into the sun heated camp.
Cats walked around the clan center, Foamstar lounging on Tworock, Daisypetal gathering cats near the camp entrance, Hazelbush chatting excitedly with a white she cat near the medicine den. Ravenpaw raised an eyebrow at the two talking she cats.
"Whos that?" he meowed to Lightpaw. The golden tabby narrowed her eyes at them, seeming to try and blot out the sun's blinding rays.
"Oh," she mewed "Thats Icewind."
"Do you think we should see what's going on?" he said with a intrigued flick of his tail. Lightpaw hesitated for a few moments before nodding, a smirk appearing on her golden muzzle.
"That's great!" Hazelbush trilled, her tail thrashing with joy, Icewind grinning besides her. The woolly brown tabby looked over at the apprentices.
"Oh, welcome Ravenpaw, Lightpaw," the medicine cat purred, Icewind dipping her head in greeting next to her "Do you need anything? Halflegs or Brightbird need some more daisy leaves?" Lightpaw shook her head.
"No," the apprentice mewed "We just wanted to see what was going on."
"Oh!" Icewind broke in, her smile widening "Me and Puddlestone are expecting kits!" Ravenpaw raised his eyebrows in surprise, perking his ears with interest.
"About time," Lightpaw chuckled "You're going to be retiring to the elders den soon." Icewind giggled and thrashed her tail.
"Don't you two have somewhere to be?" a new voice half huffed, half chuckled. A blue grey tom stood behind them, his grey blue fur sleek and gleaming, his eyes a shade of pale yellow, his long, glossy tail waving slowly in the Newleaf air.
"Don't you have a patrol to be on?" Lightpaw retorted. Icewind got to her paws, pressing against the tom. The blue-ish grey cat flicked his paw towards the apprentices den.
"That was Puddlestone i'm guessing?" Ravenpaw asked after they had slumped into the moss filled cave. He shuffled his paws over some the stuff, wrinkling his nose at it. It was dry and hard on the edges and made his paws feel like they were scraping sand.
"You guessed it," the other apprentice sighed grumpily, curling up on some of the crusty moss "Icewind is one of my favorite warriors to hang out with but Puddlestone is the worst! He hates apprentices, I really don't know why their mates…"
"Maybe they have something in common?" the young tom shrugged. Lightpaw shook her head again, some of her golden fur flying around the den.
"Their way to different," she sighed "I mean, they could have been like us as apprentices but I doubt that."
"Us?" Ravenpaw queried.
"Yeah," she glanced up at him, something flashing in her dark amber eyes "Were friends and get along great! Puddlestone would have just brushed off Icewind, or worse."
"Agreed," he meowed.
…
Stars glittered in the night, twinkling silently far above the clans. Cats slept in their dens, some in the warriors den, a few in the elders den, and others in the apprentices den. The only cat awake was standing in the middle of the camp clearing, right utop Tworock.
The cats pelt was partly transparent, its paws, tail, and ear tips sparkling with tiny shards of star. The color of its fur was a pale creamy white, its eyes a soft shade of hazel, its pupils faded in an odd way.
"Hello Bluff," the cat muttered. A new, star covered cat, emerged from a pile of dead brush. The new tom dipped his pale grey head at the cat, padding up as if walking on starlight.
"Bluffstar," he corrected the grey tom, settling down besides the she cat. She flicked her tail in acknowledgement but did not cease her staring. Bluffstar shuffled his paws around.
"Gustwind," he started. The she cat shook her head as if asking for quiet.
"Gust," she said after a few moments. Bluffstar nodded respectfully, looking around the camp. A smile crept onto the toms dark grey muzzle.
"I must say," he said fondly "The clans have really improved camp since the last time I was here." Gust didn't respond, her thoughts elsewhere. An owl hooted from nearby, its call echoing in the soundless air.
Bluffstar hesitated for a moment but sighed, padding away and leaving the creamy white she cat to ponder in silence. Gust turned her head to where the other cat was trotting, trekking over the cliffs of the land, seemingly gliding on the air.
Her gaze drifted over to the apprentices den. She got to her paws, the bits of star in them gleaming. The she cat walked slowly over to the cavern, her steps noiseless in the murky night.
She stared at one of the apprentice dozing peacefully inside of it, the young toms black paws hanging loosely in the air as he slept. Her tail curled around her hind legs as she sat down.
"Just like her…" Gust muttered under her breath. The she cat stretched out a paw before withdrawing it. She sighed, turning away from the apprentice and back to the camp center.
She pressed her flank against the shimmering Tworock stone, giving one last look at the apprentices den. The soundless land was suddenly filled with the sound of rushing winds. Gust disappeared in puff of dust, the current of air carrying her across the mountains.
Nothing was left but a light chill after the gale had gone, the camp returned to its peacefully, lulhd state. Not even the crickets let out a single chirp. The chill was the only thing to disturb the peace, like a shiver running up a cats spine.
Nothing.