Author's Note: Sorry for such a long gap, guys! I've been out of town a lot, and was suffering from some writer's block :(
But it's done now, so here it is! As always, thank you to everyone for reading, and thanks for leaving reviews! The support is really helpful! I'm also happy to not only see many of my readers who have been here since day one sticking with the story for this long journey, but also new ones for giving my story a chance! I welcome anyone to read and appreciate all of your support! You guys are so nice, you don't know how much your positive words mean to me! For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be an author, so you can understand how ecstatic I am to have my story get so popular in such a short amount of time, especially since I know people aren't as active on this fandom here as they used to be. Sorry for ranting, lol! Enjoy the chapter!
-Rosie ;)
Chapter Twenty-Three
Briarpaw laid a forepaw over the springy moorland ground, barely daring to breathe as she stared through the grass at her quarry. A rabbit crouched among the grasses, nibbling on patches of clover.
I've got you now, she thought triumphantly as she prowled closer. The rabbit was close now, and it was finally beginning to realize that something was wrong. It jerked its head up, stilling itself. The only movement was the twitching of its ears as it listened for attackers.
Now!
Bursting from the grass in an explosion of dust, pollen, and shreds of greenery, she leaped after the rabbit. Her paws hit the ground with a mighty thud, and, with a squeal, the rabbit just barely managed to wheel around in time to avoid her outstretched claws. But Briarpaw didn't break her pace, she kept running, each leap sending her flying through the air. Her paws barely skimmed the ground, making her feel as if she were running across the clouds. Laughter bubbled in her throat.
The rabbit vanished down a burrow, but the bad luck didn't dampen her spirits. Her belly was full, and the sun was warm on her pelt. There would be time to catch prey later.
She kept running, and soon found herself passing through a field of cottongrass. As their name implied, fluffy while balls of cotton, almost as soft as a sheep's wool, dotted the green stems. She pranced through them, batting them gently with her forepaws. A few broke free, floating down to the ground.
As she raced up a hill and out of the valley, she realized that wisps of the fluffy white fiber were caught in her pelt. Shaking out her fur, she sent them flying into the air, where they were swept away by the wind.
She crested the rise to find the hillside was covered in heather. Yowling in delight, she launched herself off the top and down into the heather, her paws collapsing from under her as she landed, sending her into an ungraceful tumble. The silky-soft stems brushed against her like the downy fur of a kit's pelt. She rolled over onto her back, staring up into the cloudless blue sky, letting out a loud purr.
But as she looked closer, she realized that something was… off. Craning her neck, she squinted up at the sky. It seemed to have taken on an odd, glistening sheen.
Rolling over onto her paws, Briarpaw glanced around, her muscles tensing. For the first time, she realized that she wasn't in WindClan territory, although her surroundings seemed somewhat familiar.
Am I dreaming? She wondered. I must be. I don't remember leaving camp. And why would I go out all on my own?
She let herself relax. It's just a dream. Nothing can happen to me here.
Her eyes darted to a fluffy tail bobbing through the grass. Swallowing a shrill of delight, she bounded after it.
She found herself running through wild grasses that stretched up to reach high over her head. Shoving her way through, she stumbled out the other side.
The rabbit- or hare, she hadn't been able to tell which through the tall undergrowth, had vanished. Pricking her ears, she caught the sound of rushing water nearby. As she laid eyes on the stream, her throat suddenly felt dry, and she had a sudden urge to drink. Bounding over, she lapped the cold water eagerly.
As she drank, she caught a flash of movement in the water. She froze, retracting her muzzle, which was dripping with water. She held her breath, scanning the stream. Had it been a fish? She knew she had no chance of catching one, nor did she intend to try, but she craned her neck anyway, hoping to catch a glimpse of it.
But she saw nothing. Narrowing her eyes, she lowered her head again-
She let out a sharp cry of surprise as she felt herself tumbling into the stream.
Spluttering, she thrashed desperately, sharp rocks scraping against her pelt as the current bustled her along. Thrusting her legs out, she gasped as they hit solid ground. Stunned, she pushed herself to her paws, realizing that the water only reached her shoulders. Feeling a wave of embarrassment, she waded out onto the shore, feeling relieved that there hadn't been anyone around to see her moment of panic.
Or… had there?
Warily, she scanned the banks for any sign of movement. How had she fallen into the stream, exactly? She hadn't been leaning forward, and the ground had felt steady under her paws. No, some force had unbalanced her. Just a strong gust of wind? Or something else?
Someone else?
Suddenly, her surroundings seemed much more foreboding. Clouds darkened the sky, and a chill wind ruffled the fur along her spine, making her shiver. The water that drenched her pelt seemed to weigh her down, and mud matted the fur between her claws.
She caught a flash of movement in the undergrowth, and felt her fur bush up, despite the fact that the water had plastered it to her skin. She forced it to lay flat. This was a dream- so maybe StarClan was coming to speak to her again. And even if they weren't, if this was just a normal dream, there was nothing they could do to hurt her- they weren't real, after all.
"Hello?" she called out, in a voice that was much less confident sounding than she had anticipated.
A figure shuffled forward, and Briarpaw strained to see him through the shadows. One of his forepaws caught the light. Briarpaw wasn't sure if it was just her eyes playing tricks on her, but his fur, although a deep, ashy brown color, seemed pale- almost ghostly. She caught her breath.
A StarClan warrior?
And then he emerged. The tom wasn't large, but there was no doubting the power in his limbs. His face was gaunt, his tail hanging limply at his side. Shadows seemed to cling to his fur like dewdrops.
But the most unsettling was his eyes. Wide and yellow, they bore down on her, unwavering. His pupils were narrow slits, little more than the width of a claw-scratch.
Their eyes met, and it was that exact moment that she learned something about this stranger- something so certain, that it hit her like a badger.
This cat was no StarClan warrior.
She didn't have time to think- so she let instinct take over. Whirling around, she pelted in the opposite direction.
She didn't dare to look back, but she could sense that the cat was following her. Veering sideways, she darted into a grove of trees, hoping to lose him among them. Her breath escaped from her mouth in jagged bursts, and she forced herself to swallow them down. Focusing, she tried to steady her pawsteps, muffling them as much as she could without slowing down. She wasn't sure how much good it would do, though. The cat could just follow her scent trail, although hopefully it would slow him down to track her by scent rather than by sound.
She could hear him, though. The steady thrum of his pawsteps against the ground could've almost been relaxing, if it hadn't been for the current circumstances and the wild pounding of her heart. He didn't sound like a cat on a frenzied chase, but that didn't give her much comfort.
In a flash, she remembered her dream at the Moonpool, moons ago. All too clearly, she could remember as she raced through the rotting forest, the scent of decay heavy in the air, the hot breath of the creature pursuing her. She shuddered as the same feeling crept across her now.
Yet, it was different, too. This forest was nothing like the decomposing one in her previous dream. Birds chirped overhead, grass swayed in the wind, and sunlight filtered through the branches. It felt like the forests dotted around near the ThunderClan border- stifling, at least compared to the open moor, but bustling with life. Yet this cat was no ordinary warrior.
How did he get here? How did he escape the forest?
Suddenly, she felt the edge of her vision growing hazy. Gasping, she pushed herself faster, begging StarClan to give her the speed to outrun her pursuer.
But she could feel him gaining, the shadows obscuring her vision. The forest swam in front of her, and she stumbled, her face pressing into the dirt, and then, there was only blackness.
…
All around camp, cats were climbing out of their nests, heading towards the center of the clearing, where Mintfur was organizing patrols. Her limbs still quivering from the terror of the dream, she climbed out of the nest and padded towards him.
"Spotfur, Doespring, and Duskpaw," he called, "I want you hunting near the RiverClan border."
"What?" Frecklestorm whipped her head towards him, edging closer to Duskpaw. "You're sending him hunting there?"
Mintfur met her gaze evenly. "Someone's got to do it."
"But he's only a 'paw!"
Duskpaw shuffled his paws. "Ma, it's alright. I'm gonna be a warrior soon anyway."
"Frecklestorm, he'll be fine. The patrol won't even be within eyeshot of the Horseplace. Tawnystar banned us from hunting in that part of the territory, remember?"
"It's still much too close for my liking," she muttered, but she was backing down now. Casting an anxious glance at her son, she licked him swiftly over the ear. "Please, just be careful," she whispered.
Duskpaw ducked away, but despite his annoyance with his mother, Briarpaw still caught an anxious glint in his eyes.
Oh, StarClan, please let them all come back safe, she thought as the patrol departed from camp.
Mintfur sent out a couple more patrols, before padding forward himself. Briarpaw noticed Smolderpaw coming up behind him.
"Hey, Mintfur," he called, "You said we could go hunting together this morning- remember?"
Mintfur glanced from his son to the entrance of camp anxiously. "Sorry, Smolderpaw, but I can't right now. I'm taking a border patrol out to mark the RiverClan border."
"Oh. Well, then I come with then?"
Mintfur hesitated. "I don't think so. We'll be getting pretty close to the Horseplace, so I want a small patrol, and I think it would be best if we didn't bring any apprentices along. I want to mark the border and get out, not waste time worrying about you."
Smolderpaw lowered his gaze, and Mintfur shot him a sympathetic glance. "Sorry. Maybe next time."
Smolderpaw flicked his tail, growling under his breath, "Yeah. Whatever."
Mintfur sighed, turning back to his Clanmates. "Who wants to come with me?"
The warriors glanced at each other uncertainly, and for a moment the clearing was silent, until finally Squirrelleap pushed herself forward, a low growl emitting from her throat. "If you want something done, I suppose you have to do it yourself," she hissed under her breath. Louder, she said, "I'll come with you, Mintfur," with a pointed glance at her Clanmates.
"No need to get heated, Squirrelleap," Hazelgorse meowed, stepping forward. "No one meant any disrespect- they were uncertain, that's all. I'll come with you."
As the three headed out of camp, Briarpaw felt a knot of worry in her belly. Were all her Clanmates this reluctant to go on patrols near RiverClan? She understood their concerns, but some cat had to do it.
Mintfur and Tawnystar have planned this carefully. No cat will get hurt.
Shaking out her fur, she padded towards Smolderpaw. "Hey," she said softly. "I can go hunting with you in a little while, if you'd like. I'm sure Tawnystar would let us go out alone if we promised not to go too far from camp."
He shook his head. "I'm not really in the mood for hunting anymore. Besides, the elders probably want fresh bedding or something."
"Let the other apprentices do that. I promised Flickerflame that I'd watch Applekit and Snookkit for a while, and an extra set of paws would be nice." Purring, she added, "Those two have more energy than they know what to do with!"
"But Lionpaw's out training with Flowerfoot, and Duskpaw just left on patrol. That only leaves Daisypaw, now that the others are warriors, remember?" There was an edge to his voice. "She can't be expected to care for four elders all on her own." And with that, he stalked away.
Briarpaw pushed away a pang of hurt. She knew that this wasn't really about her, that Smolderpaw was just upset by his father brushing him off. It still stung, though. They were best friends- Smolderpaw was supposed to be able to rely on her. It wasn't fair that he was taking his frustration out on her.
But Mintfur's the deputy now- he has responsibilities and duties. He simply just isn't going to have as much free time as he used to. Smolderpaw has to understand that! If Mintfur is busy, he's going to have to hang out with someone else!
She sighed, watching him disappear into the elders' den. She wanted that someone to be her, but as close as she and Smolderpaw were, she knew it wouldn't be the same. She was a friend, not a parent.
If only Breezecloud were here. I bet she would make sure to hang out with him.
With a pang, she realized that was probably the reason Smolderpaw was upset. I'm lucky. Even with my mother retired to the elder's den, I still get to go on patrols with my father. And when my father's too busy with his warrior duties, I can go see my mother.
"Briarpaw! Briarpaw!" squeaked a voice. She turned around to see Snookkit racing towards her, Applekit right behind. "I've been practicing my stalking! Look!"
He dropped into a sloppy crouch, his tail sticking out and his pelt quivering with excitement.
She purred. "Good luck catching anything with that."
He stood up suddenly, shooting her an indignant look. Applepaw giggled, and he glared at her. "Hmph. Well, it doesn't matter, anyway. WindClan cats don't stalk, they run!"
"Not always," Briarpaw told them. "Rabbits are fast- much faster than you could imagine. We need to conserve our energy, so we get as close as we can before chasing them. And birds especially- we have to stalk them, because as soon as they spot us, they fly away. Even the fastest warriors know how to stalk."
"What about Applekit? She can't fly, and she's slow!"
"Am not!" the red kit squealed with indignation, too late realizing what her brother was doing. He pounced, and she scrambled with her hind legs, wiggling out of his grasp and gamboling across the camp.
She glanced over her brother, who, having been startled by her sudden escape, had gotten a late start and was now a couple tail lengths behind her. "Ha!" Applekit cried. "Who's slow now?"
Suddenly, she stumbled into Swiftwing, who was just returning with the dawn patrol. He cuffed her playfully with a paw, and she squealed, scrambling under his belly and past the patrol.
"Hope they're not bothering you too much," he called over to her as Snookkit darted under her paws, nearly unbalancing her. "Flickerflame should be back soon- she was feeling cooped up and tagged along with a border patrol heading down to the lake."
"No problem," she assured him. "Spotfur left on a hunting patrol just a few minutes ago, so she won't need me for a while."
Nodding, the tom made his way over to Tawnystar's den to give him a report of the patrol.
Turning to watch the kits as they played, Briarpaw felt her mind drifting back to her dream. It had been a while since her last one- part of her had hoped that she wouldn't have any more. But clearly, that hadn't been the case.
She couldn't even begin to interpret it- everything was so vague, so hazy. Why, StarClan, can't you just give me a clear message?
She remembered the prophecy that Breezecloud had given her moons ago. Beware the night that lasts forever. A storm that is raging deep within will shake the earth to its core, and nothing will be the same again. It had been cryptic, sure, but at least she had spoken to her. These past few dreams had contained no words, just darkness, and an unforgettable feeling of heart-pounding terror. She was beginning to wonder if these dreams were coming from StarClan at all.
Yet she wasn't just going to dismiss them as nightmares- she couldn't have, even if she had wanted to. Deep down, she knew that they were much more than that. Looking around the camp, she felt her heart snag in her chest. Ivybush and Fogstripe were sunning themselves on a large, flat rock, Daisypaw and Smolderpaw were carrying bundles of moss towards the elders' den, and Mossfoot was licking pulp into a scratch on Littlefang's paw. On the other side of camp, she saw Ripplepool and Ebonyflight practicing battle moves on each other, Goldmoth and Prickleleaf sharing tongues, their tails twined together, and Lionpaw walking into camp with shining eyes and ruffled fur from battle training, Flowerfoot behind him, gazing at him proudly. And of course, there were Flickerflame's kits, who were now chasing after a moth as it fluttered through camp.
All her Clanmates were just going about their everyday lives, completely unaware of any impending danger. The thought of something terrible happening to them made her heart skip a beat.
Please, StarClan- if these dreams are from you, tell me what they mean, before it's too late for me to do anything about it.