CH. 23: A Kit's Wisdom

Nightpaw rested her head on her paws, looking out into the rain. She couldn't face Sagepaw. Since they had returned earlier that day, she had kept even more to herself than she had. Her feelings bombarded her in a way she wished she could stop. If she could just be normal! But no matter how many toms she looked at, she couldn't discover any feelings for them. Actually, there was one. Disgust. The thought of a male truly made her stomach curdle. She found that the females, beside those she was related to, gave her more of a pleasurable feeling than did any of the males. She sighed, pinching her eyes shut.

She had entered camp and put her prey on the pile. Icestorm had given her the day to herself, ans so she had immediately retreated to her nest. She could see Sagepaw and Larkpaw curled up together on the other side of the clearing. Already she regretted telling them the truth. It obviously had turned Sagepaw against her. She wasn't too sure about her sister, either.

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she felt her brother's paws nudging her awake. She peered up at him.

"You look like you've been crying." Shadepaw said to her, "Come on, we're headed to the MoonPool."

Nightpaw sighed. She remembered she had been extremely excited about this trip just a few moons ago, but now, she found she was dreading it. But it had to be done, or she wouldn't be able to become a warrior with her siblings. So she heaved herself to her paws and nodded, following him out to where Icestorm was waiting with Foxflight and Juniperberry.

"Where's Larkpaw?" She asked, hesitating.

"She's with Sagepaw. They'll be here soon and then we can get going." Foxflight said.

Nightpaw's eyes widened, her heart racing, "Sagepaw's coming?"

Shadepaw looked at her with a frown as his mentor nodded.

The two she-cats appeared out of the medicine den, and Nightpaw sighed as they stayed far away from her. Juniperberry flicked her tail and the seven cats headed out.

As they headed up and around to the MoonPool, Sagepaw and Larkpaw walked ahead and to the side as Nightpaw stayed to the back, tail drooped.

"What did you do to get them to be so prissy?" Shadepaw asked, sidling up to her, and Nightpaw looked at him with sorrow in her eyes.

"You'd be pushed away too if I told you." She sighed.

Shadepaw frowned, "I doubt that. You're my sister!"

"I'm Larkpaw's sister too, and you see how that turned out." She said, twitching her tail to where the gray apprentice was whispering with Sagepaw, heads low and together, shooting her glances every once in a while.

Shadepaw tilted his head at her, "If you don't tell me, you know Larkpaw will. Would you rather that?"

Nightpaw's heart sank even further, "I guess not." She looked up at their mentors, eyes practically terrified, and Shadepaw slowed down, so that they trailed just out of earshot.

"Now?"

Nightpaw shrugged, "I told her I don't like the types of things that she does…" She murmured.

Shadepaw frowned, "What do you mean?" He asked.

Nightpaw looked at him, not sure if she should tell him, "I...I told her I don't like Stingtail, like she does."

Shadepaw tilted his head at her, "Okay? And why would that make them act like that? She should be happy you don't like that fox-heart."

"It's not that I don't like him that bothers her. It's that I told them who I do like…"

Shadepaw looked at her, "Well? Who was that?"

Nightpaw sighed, heart racing, "I like Sagepaw…"

Shadepaw's eyes widened, and Nightpaw bractically broke down, "See? Go ahead, you can go join them and talk about how strange I am. It's alright." She turned around, expecting to hear his feet pad away to join the others, She was completely not expecting the feel of his tail over hers.

"Nightpaw. You're my sister, you know. If you like another she-cat, who cares? That's who you are. I'll still love you all the same. I'm actually sort of glad."

Nightpaw frowned, looking up at him, "You are?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I always wanted a brother, to talk about she-cats with. Now, you're not a brother, but still! I've got a partner now."

Nightpaw laughed, brightening, "Thank you, I think…"

Shadepaw smiled, "Come on, we're headed up to the MoonPool!" Nightpaw smiled, bounding after him, her heart wasn't completely healed, but at least she had a friend now, even if it was her brother.

As they approached the star-filled pond, Nightpaw gasped, "It's beautiful!"

The warriors smiled, and even stern Icestorm's face seemed to soften a bit as she looked at it.

Sagepaw padded to the pool, laying down and licking the water before fading to sleep.

Their apprentices looked at them, "Go on, you can dream with StarClan as well, if you are able. A majority of apprentices won't visit them, but you can see if you can."

Nightpaw waited as Shadepaw padded up and copied Sagepaw, as did Larkpaw. But they both woke within a few seconds, a frown on their face, as they sighed and padded back to their apprentices.

"Did you try?" Shadepaw asked her, and she shook her head, "Come on, try! You might be able to!"

Nightpaw frowned, but then nodded, "Alright." She said, crawling up to a spot farther around than where Sagepaw rested, and copied the movements. Within seconds, she felt drowsy.

She woke up and gasped, it was StarClan! She couldn't believe it! It had worked! Suddenly, she was nervous, as she looked around. Was she here to be told that she was an abomination, that she should leave her clan? That she was doomed to the Dark Forest? She tried to wake up, but was unable.

"You're not going anywhere." A small voice said, and her eyes darted around, not finding the voice.

"I'm down here." Nightpaw looked down, and there was a small amber kit, one she recognized immediately.

"Amberkit! Oh, Amberkit! I'm so sorry we were unable to save you!"

The kit looked at her with her bright blue eyes, and she laughed, "I was never meant to live, Nightpaw. I was meant to be here. I will be your guide into the future."

Nightkit was suddenly nervous, and she looked at Amberkit with fear.

"You're normal as you need to be, Nightkit. You're who you are, and that is who you were meant to be. Who you were born to be. You love like few others so that you can love like none other. So that you can be open to what needs to be done, and to lead into the future. You are a very important cat, Nightpaw. You will find yourselves in many uncomfortable and hard circumstances, but do not despair. You have a destiny only this path can take you."

"But I-"

"You love Sagepaw. We all know that. It's fine. And in time, you will find your love returned. Give her time, and Nightpaw?"

Nightpaw looked at her.

"Your sister may or may not accept what is to come. Don't force her. She has her own path to follow, even though it may not be the same as yours."

Nightpaw sighed, dipping her head in acknowledgement.

"And one last thing before I let you return to the others. When the tiger falls from the sky, do not fear."

Nightpaw frowned, confused, as the scene dissolved around her.