Great StarClan...this chap's HORRIBLE...but hope you enjoy it! P.S I have a few forums I'd like you to check out:
HiddenClan (add in front of FF link): forum/HiddenClan/125023/
The Tribe of Tribey Tribeyness (add in front of FF link): forum/The-Tribe-of-Tribey-Tribeyness/129948/
Disclaimer: Ummm...WHITEKIT! GET YOUR STUPID UGLY BUTT OVER HERE!
Whitekit: *grumpily* What? And I'm not ugly! Squirrelflight tells me I'm really pretty!
Sky: *rolls eyes* just do the disclaimer.
Whitekit: *sighs* fineeee. Sky does not own Warriors! That right goes to Erin Hunter.
Sky: Good kitty ^^
Amberstorm woke up to a blazing dawn. Her nest in the warriors' den was still newly made~the moss still tender and springy. The day before, she had slept in because of her warrior's vigil with Snowclaw. She remembered how they stood stiffly apart from each other, hostility sparking throughout them the entire night. How relieved she had been when it was finally dawn, and Brackenfur told them that they could go to their nests! At the time, Amberstorm had groggily scraped together scraps of moss, tiredness edging her vision, blurring it. The moment she had hit the moss, she had fallen asleep.
She stood up and shook stray scraps of moss still clinging to her pelt and stretched. She quietly admired the dawn. A blazing dawn... She froze. Why did that name sound so familiar? A blazing dawn...blazing dawn... Suddenly, cream-colored fur sparked in her mind. Who...? Berrynose? Daisy? But they didn't relate to a 'blazing dawn'.
Beside her, Snowclaw sat up. Amberstorm noticed painfully that he was stiff as a tree beside her while hostility radiated from his pelt in waves. He turned to Brightheart, who was beside him, and mewed, "I hope ShadowClan doesn't cause more trouble, now that Blackstar is dead. I hear Dawnpelt's kits are five moons. They'll be apprentices soon: More rivals."
Dawnpelt! That was who Amberstorm was thinking of! But why would she think of the mad ShadowClan queen? Questions plagued her mind, but a rallying yell interrupted them.
"ShadowClan! Attack!"
Brightheart let out a cry of surprise, just as the rest of the warriors groggily shook their heads, wondering what the noise was. Snowclaw and Amberstorm scrambled to their paws and scrabbled outside, snow and golden-brown pelts merging together while identical amber eyes studied their enemies.
Unfortunately, Amberstorm couldn't see a single cat in the patrol that was a part of Burnetheart, Marshpaw and Heavypaw's group. Not even Stoatfur or Toadfoot. Suddenly, three new figures appeared within her gaze. They were small to be apprentices, and they looked a lot like some cat Amberstorm couldn't remember...
"Flowerpaw! Pinepaw! Flamepaw!" barked Starlingwing, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Get the nursery. That will prove your worth."
Amberstorm's eyes widened. Those were Dawnpelt's kits? (So that's why she was thinking of her!) But they weren't even six moons! She debated whether she should go attack them or not. But Snowclaw didn't seem to have such qualms. With a cry of, "Whitekit!" he easily pinned down all three apprentices firmly, ignoring their yelps and thrashes.
"Snowclaw!" Amberstorm yowled. If it was one thing she wouldn't stand for, it was attacking kits, which was just plain cowardly. She wrestled him off with difficulty due to Snowclaw's larger size, and when they tumbled off of the young kit-apprentices she had to hold him back so he wouldn't charge at them.
"What do you think you're doing?" Snowclaw hissed at her, his eyes filled with desperation and fury.
"What do you think you're doing?" Amberstorm shot back. "Those are five-moon old kits you're attacking?"
"Who cares?" Snowclaw spat. "They're about to attack our four and three moon old kits! Not to mention Daisy and the queens!"
"Squirrelflight and Icecloud are perfectly able to fight off a few kits," Amberstorm returned.
"While defending the kits? And what about Briarlight?" Snowclaw narrowed his eyes. "Maybe Bramblestar shouldn't have called you loyal during your warrior ceremony."
Amberstorm was appalled that Snowclaw would even suggest what he had just accused. Was he calling her disloyal, and to ShadowClan to say the very least? Amberstorm suddenly felt the urge to rip his legs off, one by one, and feed them to the foxes.
"Don't you even dare!" she spat, her fur rising. "Fine. Go and kill some few innocent kits that aren't even responsible for their leader's actions. Go on," she shoved him roughly. "I give up." she was glad to have learned this tactic from Spiderleg, because the fire from Snowclaw's eyes faded.
"But...but...Whitekit," he hoarsely whispered the name so fondly that Amberstorm felt a pang, remembering all the times he mewed her name like that. Not anymore. She looked at his shining amber eyes, so full of an expression Amberstorm once thought was only reserved for her.
"Fine," Amberstorm growled softly, "But be gentle."
Snowclaw gave her a grateful look and bounded over to the nursery, where he easily batted away the three kit-apprentices with a sheathed paw.
Sighing with resignation, Amberstorm leaped on the first ShadowClan cat she saw.
Err...bad move. Because guess, just guess, who she landed on?
That's right. Ratstar.
Snarling with fury, the ShadowClan leader whipped around to face her, then curled his lip, taunting her. "Back so soon? One would almost think that you like getting your paw broken."
"Wow, you actually thought?" Amberstorm started widening her eyes in mock amazement. "Impressive."
Ratstar glared at her. "Are you calling me stupid~" he was abruptly cut off when Amberstorm pounced on him, praying over and over to Tigerstar and StarClan that she would win.
Almost immediately Ratstar flipped her over with his superior size and embedded his claws deep in her skin. Amberstorm gritted her teeth, trying not to howl. She kicked him with her powerful hind legs, raking off clumps of fur and spilling blood, that fell in her fur. Yuck! she thought, wrinkling her nose. What a fun grooming that will be.
Ratstar's eyes widened and he loosened his grip, to which Amberstorm pushed him off of her and returned to her paws. But the ShadowClan leader was skilled at fighting, and he, too, landed on his paws. Not a heartbeat passed before he charged, and Amberstorm dodged to the side at the last moment, Ratstar's claws slicing precariously close to her skin. It ripped off a tuft of fur, though. Oh, well. It'll grow back... Eventually.
Amberstorm reared on her hind legs and landed a powerful blow to his muzzle. For a heartbeat, Ratstar looked dazed, and Amberstorm rapidly dropped to four paws and rammed into him with her head.
Ratstar let out a yelp~whether it was surprise or pain, Amberstorm didn't know. But she did know that he recovered quickly, because in the next moment she was reeling from a blow to her left shoulder. She staggered and momentarily lost balance, to which Ratstar dove under her, and Amberstorm shrieked at the belly wounds that he quickly inflicted.
The slashes on her belly were deep, and Amberstorm's vision went dark. When she opened them, she was on the ground. She barely had time to yelp before Ratstar pounced on her forcefully. Amberstorm choked and watched as blood flew out of her mouth. Searing pain laced through her body, so intense that for a moment Amberstorm didn't realize she couldn't breathe, but quickly found out as she tried to take a ragged gasp.
"Yes, this is revenge for taking Crowfrost and Scorchfur away from us," Ratstar sneered. "I hope you enjoy a long, painful death on your journey to StarClan."
Amberstorm weakly noted that Ratstar didn't say Dark Forest, which only confirmed the suspicions that he had returned to the Dark Forest.
Amberstorm felt unconsciousness lap at her vision, and felt herself go limp. Maybe I've survived greencough, she thought, but not this.
Suddenly, Ratstar's maw opened, and Amberstorm faintly wondered why. Then, her vision went black, but only for a moment, because the next thing she knew, she was on her side, breathing heavily, and Ratstar was nowhere to be seen.
Er, almost.
When Amberstorm's vision cleared, she turned and blinked out the morning sunlight streaming into her eyes. Dawn was over, but the sun was still there, and Snowclaw was there. He stood in front of her, glaring at Ratstar with such a large force of hate.
"You do not," he snarled, "lay a single claw on her."
Too late, Amberstorm thought ruefully, but secretly she was puzzled, but grateful.
Ratstar mimicked Snowclaw's snarl, but somehow managed to make it sound weak and pitiful. Then he lunged.
Amberstorm attempted to stagger to her paws, but pain shot though her chest when she tried so, and she unintentionally swayed on her paws, almost falling again. Luckily, Snowclaw had managed to swipe Ratstar on the muzzle before diving to help her. His snow-white fur pressed against Amberstorm's golden-brown pelt, and his familiar and comforting scent wafted around her. "Steady," he murmured gently.
Amberstorm blinked at him gratefully. "Thanks," she half-mumbled half-choked.
"No problem," Snowclaw muttered in her ear, his muscles tensed as Ratstar regained his bearings. "Whatever you think, I still love you."
Amberstorm blearily watched as he pounced at the same moment as Ratstar did. The two toms crashed into each other, and Ratstar writhed himself so that he landed on Snowclaw.
Maybe you still love me, she thought, but you love Whitekit more.
Her eyes were unfocused. Searing pain went through her body. She limped, howling every few moments because of her lame leg. "Mercy! Star!" she howled. Her head throbbed. Who was she? Only a small strip of her past swarmed in her mind. It throbbed painfully, but she wasn't able to extract it.
She gasped as pain wracked her stomach. Her skinny body~so deprived of any prey~twitched and wriggled. Why was she alive? How was she alive? She was dying, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Mercy," she whimpered again. "Mercy. Mercy. Mercy." she rested her head on the rocky surface. She would sleep. Yes, that was it. She would sleep, and dream of food, without her crippled leg, her body nice and plump. Oh, with loving friends and family~though she had none.
She curled up. Best leave this reality, if only for a few moments. She longed to have some company.
Because she was a desperate and dying cat~near mad.,She remembered nothing of her past. Not a single bit. But she did remember ginger fur. Yes! That was the small part of her past she was looking for!
Feeling warmed by this, the near-mad she-cat pulled herself to her paws. "Food, food," she whispered. She needed food. Or else she would die.
She somehow knew she was close to death, several times, but she wasn't fond of those moment.
And her throat~oh! Her throat!~it was throughly parched and burning. Her eyes flew around her surroundings, but saw no trickle of water. "Give me water, Star," she whispered, wincing as her voice cracked from thirst. "Water, Star," Star was another thing from her past~again, one of the only things she remembered from the past. "Star. Water, please."
It wasn't until she had stopped begging for water that she realized the horrible truth.
I am going to die.
Dovewing walked among the faded pelts of StarClan. She looked sadly through them. The cats were so faded at this point, that they were barely visible. Why can't I do anything about this? I hold the power of the stars in my paws, but that might not be enough. She recoiled for a moment. Where did that negative thought come from? Suddenly, she found herself in the Dark Forest.
"Why, that was me, sweetie." purred a voice beside her.
Dovewing was startled so much that she almost jumped out of her fur. She whipped around and met the startling violet eyes of a pretty fire-colored she-cat.
"Um, hello," Dovewing mewed uneasily. She had never seen a cat with violet eyes, nor this certain she-cat in the Dark Forest, which made her overcautious.
The dark ginger she-cat seemed to read her thoughts, then laughed, but her violet eyes brimmed with malice. "Oh, every cat that I see seems to think that, huh?" her eyes hardened, and she studied Dovewing. "I've heard that you were one of the cats that almost destroyed my home." she clucked her tongue, almost disapprovingly. "That wasn't very nice."
Dovewing ducked her head, suddenly ashamed. "Sorry," she mumbled, until she realized that she was speaking to a Dark Forest cat, and straightened up. "What do you want with me?" she asked, sounding more hostile than she intended.
The violet-eyed ginger she-cat sighed. "So rude. I'll have to teach you some manners." before Dovewing could react, she was on the ground, with three claw marks stretching across her flank.
"That...that wasn't very nice either," she mewed weakly.
The she-cat laughed. "Discipline is very polite, actually." she looked at her with her intense violet eyes. "Now, let's start with introductions, shall we? My name is Blazingdawn. I was formerly of ThunderClan."
"Dovewing, currently of ThunderClan." Dovewing's voice was faint.
Blazingdawn's eyes gleamed. "Oh, really? We share...Clans." her tone became brisk and clipped. "But we are in no way alike. And I want you to remember it. I belong in this beautiful forest, whilst you rot in the lake."
Beautiful forest, my butt, Dovewing thought.
Blazingdawn scowled, then delivered a painful blow that sent Dovewing reeling. "So rude," she chided. "Anyway, you know yourself that your stupid weakling powers will never conquer the Dark Forest, so quit trying." her eyes narrowed. "Run around me a hundred times chanting, 'I will never conquer the Dark Forest'."
"Why~" Dovewing began, but was quickly interrupted.
"Now!" Blazingdawn barked.
By the time Dovewing was finished, she was discouraged and tired. Blazingdawn looked at her with contempt, before shouting out another order. "Go climb that tree and chant the same thing!" As Dovewing struggled to move her paws, she purred, "Oh, very nice. You can be my personal toy."
It wasn't until the night was over that Dovewing realized that she wasn't optimistic anymore~she was broken down.
And that was exactly what the Dark Forest wanted.
Told you. Sucks. Don't forget to check out the forums or Sky won't be happy! (Nor will Amberstorm, and you don't want HER on your bad side) and (also) don't forget to check out the poll on my profile page!
Quote:
"You've got a tongue, haven't you? Lick, you useless lump of fur! Do you want the kit to die?"
-Cinderpaw, to Tigerclaw during Silverstream's kitting in "Forest of Secrets"
Aha, I always loved that part of the book. *mimicks Cinderpelt* "Lick, you useless lump of fur!" lolz. And don't forget to review!
-Sky