CHAPTER 5
It had been quite late by the time the cats who had gone to the Gathering made it home. Fortunately they had come across no monsters on the thunderpath, and so the journey was simply long, not perilous. The cats left waiting at camp had become worried something bad had happened with how long they'd been gone; Weedfur was getting ready to send a search party even, and all were relieved at their safe return.
Dappledpaw's dreams had been dark and twisting. She couldn't quite remember them, but she felt like she'd been walking through some kind of swamp or something, drenched in mist and shadow. There had been a soft voice, calling her name. Her fur was standing on end when she'd snapped awake. She wondered if it was connected to Flaxclan's threats; that a subconscious part of her had some anxiety about it all. A swamp? Why else would she dream of that?
Icestar and the other mentors had allowed the three apprentices a sleep in, which even the ever punctual Dappledpaw could be grateful for. They hadn't gotten up till a while after sunrise, and now she sat sharing tongues with Sedgepaw outside the den, watching Icestar organising patrols for the day. Kowhaifall had just come and picked up Rowanpaw to take him hunting, and she could see Weedfur stretching after eating a meal with some of the other elite guards, so Sedgepaw would be on his way too in a moment.
"Icestar is sending an extra patrol out." Dappledpaw observed, pushing away the leftover bones of her mouse.
"Probably to go along the Flaxclan border." Sedgepaw replied through his full mouth of finch. "Swallowstar seemed pretty furious with us."
"Swallowstar is being irrational. We aren't stealing his prey." She replied with a small snort. "Even if we were to pick a fight while the clan is still recovering, I'm sure the Fernclan border is more interesting to us." There was a long-standing territory dispute between Fernclan and Gorseclan; Fernclan currently laid claim to a relatively small section of the grassland on the Gorseclan side of the river. Apparently, once, the river had flowed around the other side of it, but then had changed course, but Fernclan maintained their claim rather than lose any land. Gorseclan had been trying to take it ever since, and did sometimes hold it for a period of time. Currently, it was back in Fernclan possession. The struggle was more out of principle and pride than anything else at this point.
"You aren't wrong young apprentice, but Swallowstar is a threat regardless." Weedfur had made his way over, and was observing the siblings with his usual stern expression. Dappledpaw was fairly certain his face was set that way. "Perhaps he seeks one last conquest before he dies, and sees us as a weak target. The trespass accusations at the Gathering may have been purely justification for such an attack to save face." Swallowstar had been a great warrior and leader in his time, after all, winning many battles. "Or he truly has lost his mind to his age. The reason doesn't really matter for us." The tabby shrugged.
"Hoping you aren't far behind him, old timer? I think I see some more grey hairs." Sedgepaw teased, getting to his feet. Weedfur fixed him with a hard stare, and he quickly looked down at his paws submissively.
The senior warrior huffed, his silvering curled whiskers twitching. "Come on then, time to work more on your battle skills. Just in case we have a fight on our paws… You still have trouble dealing with an opponent much larger than you." He glanced towards Dappledpaw. "Icestar will be with you shortly." Weedfur led her mildly abashed-looking brother off; squeezing through the gap in the stone formations that led in the direction of the training grounds.
Dappledpaw stood, stretched out each of her limbs, and gave her chest fur a few quick licks. Icestar was still in front of the High Stone, though all the cats he'd sent out on patrols were gone now and he was just talking to Sorrelwind. He caught her watching them, and flicked his ears, calling her over silently.
She was quick to trot over, just catching the last of their conversation. "-take Sheercrag and Spiderstrike when they get back from hunting patrol…" Icestar told his deputy in a low voice. "Be careful." He touched noses with her, and, after offering Dappledpaw a quick nod, Sorrelwind headed off, slipping into the herbalist den. Perhaps just to visit her brother. She didn't seem sick or hurt anyway.
"Is Sorrelwind going on a special patrol?" Dappledpaw asked curiously, looking up at her mentor. He looked tired this morning.
"Yes." Icestar replied slowly, his gaze lingering on the herbalist den entrance where she'd vanished for a moment.
"Is it something to do with Flaxclan?"
Icestar's brow lifted slightly. "Apprentices shouldn't be nosy." He growled. "There may be a time where leadership matters might concern you, Dappledpaw, but it's not now."
Immediately, Dappledpaw felt the heat of embarrassment in her ears, for letting her curiosity get the better of her manners. "I'm sorry Icestar." She ducked her head quickly. "I forgot myself."
"It's fine, Dappledpaw. Your curious mind is part of the reason I chose you as my apprentice; it will do you well in the future. You just need to remember your place right now." Icestar seemed to quickly forgive her transgression; his expression softened, and his tone lightened. He flicked his short, thick tail. "Come. We must get to training. I need to prepare you for your warrior assessment."
Dappledpaw brightened, but she had to bite her tongue not to ask when the assessment might be. She wasn't sure if that might be considered nosy. "Yes, Icestar!" She replied quickly, standing straight on her paws to show her enthusiasm. She needed to make up for starting off on the back foot today!
As they walked away from the cliffs of the mountains that their camp was tucked up against, and weaved through the manuka and kanuka scrub, Dappledpaw noticed he wasn't taking her to the training grounds. "So Dappledpaw, did the apprentices offer any insight at the Gathering?" Icestar asked, after walking in silence for some time.
"Yes sir, some…" She shook her head a little, pulling a face. "The Tussockclan apprentices were all fresh, and too overwhelmed by their first Gathering to be any use."
"I see." Icestar replied, his voice was neutral, but Dappledpaw thought he looked disappointed, so she was quick to continue.
"Takahepaw from Flaxclan was more interesting though! He was really uncomfortable around the topic of Swallowstar, and while he was speaking he told us we shouldn't be worried about what he says, and seemed to infer the clan considers that his sense is slipping with his age. He said Tinyfrost told the Flaxclan cats not to speak about Swallowstar. I think Tinyfrost is clearly trying to do damage control."
"Did he now?" Icestar's small ears perked with interest, and she could see deep thought behind his orange eyes. "That's certainly more informative…" He trailed off, and Dappledpaw had hoped that her mentor might offer some insight on what he was thinking, but he didn't. Instead, he looked directly at her. "Well done, Dappledpaw." He offered a reassuring slow blink. "You've been of great use to me in this."
She dipped her head deeply at the praise, proud of being useful to her leader. "Thank you Icestar."
"Now, we are almost there. I suppose you are wondering what we are doing training away from the grounds?" He let out a small, rumbling note of laughter. "You can breathe, you know. You are allowed to ask questions about your training, after all!"
Dappledpaw let out a shaky half-breath, half-laugh she didn't know she was holding in. "I was wondering, sir."
"I know your hunting skills are more than up to par, but I want to teach you some more combat techniques." He paused, causing Dappledpaw to come to a stop, and then the powerful white tom padded around in front of her so he was facing her. They had come to stop in a small clearing in the undergrowth with short manuka and kanuka trees; the last of their small flowers still on their branches among the dark leaves and the quiet hum of bees tending them around in the otherwise quiet air.
"Weedfur was training Sedgepaw in fighting today too, why aren't we training with them?" She felt like she could be safe to ask questions again now, at least about this. He said it was alright after all.
Icestar shook his head with a huff. She still somehow felt like the questions irritated him, even though he said they didn't. "I don't want to get in Weedfur's way. And Sedgepaw won't take his training seriously if he's with you. He also isn't on your level when it comes to battle yet; you wouldn't gain much from the experience. Rowanpaw would be a better training partner, but I have instructed Kowhaifall to get his hunting up to scratch first. He's not that much younger than you; his assessment won't be far behind." Dappledpaw nodded along, that much made sense.
"Besides, the techniques I am going to start teaching you are special."
"Special, sir?"
"These are techniques not every cat knows, but I've deemed you ready to learn them." He considered her carefully. "This will push you to the next level."
"Then I'm ready to learn them!" Dappledpaw replied brightly, lifting her tail high with confidence.
"Good." Icestar started to pace slowly back and forth in front of her. "Now, you've already learned the leap-and-hold technique; useful for smaller cats like yourself when fighting larger opponents; allowing you to damage the enemy while protecting yourself from their claws and teeth."
"Yes sir." Dappledpaw nodded; it was one of the earlier moves taught to apprentices due to its use for them while they were still growing.
"This technique flows on from that. Once you are on the enemy's back, it gives you easy access to one of the most vulnerable areas of the body; the neck and throat."
Icestar's blazing eyes narrowed a touch as he saw her hesitation. "But, at the right angle… couldn't… couldn't that kill them?"
"That's the point." The tom replied bluntly. "I can already see what you are going to say." He was quick to talk over her forming a protest on her tongue. "Killing moves are considered dishonourable, it's true. Cat's consider tail-tucking dishonourable too, but Gorseclan regularly utilizes it, why? Because it increases our chance of success in combat… I don't condone using these techniques heedlessly, of course." Icestar continued his pacing, his scarred side facing her and his eyes never leaving her face. "This is only to be used when it's necessary; I trust your judgement to understand when that time may come. To protect yourself, and your clan."
Dappledpaw nodded, pushing down her lingering doubt. Icestar was right.
"Now, we will practice; it's the best way to learn. I will have you perform the leap-and-hold on myself, and run through the different angles to deliver a bite, as well as how to react to certain situations your opponent may throw at you." He dropped into a crouch with ease. No matter how many times Dappledpaw trained with Icestar, his presence was always intimidating. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready." The apprentice crouched herself, bunching her leg muscles in preparation to leap. Her eyes quickly roved around the terrain around her, just in case she needed to use it. She knew from prior training Icestar would not make this easy on her. He didn't believe in soft training making strong warriors, after all.
"Good; then prepare yourself!"
…..
When Dappledpaw returned to camp as the hottest part of the day came, she was aching in every muscle, and sported a few scuffs and scratches. "You should have Longfang look at those. You need to be in top condition." Icestar said brusquely, looking over her as they entered camp. Somehow he never seemed tired from their training. "You did well today." He added the praise, voice turning about as warm as it ever was. "Rest up until later, and you can go hunting."
Dismissed from training for the rest of the day, Dappledpaw found herself not going anywhere near that weirdo Longfang, far preferring to flop down in the shade by the apprentice den and lick her own wounds. It wasn't like they were that bad anyway. Icestar's training was intense, but it would all be worth it in the end one day when she was leader.
For now, Sedgepaw and Rowanpaw were still gone; they might be resting away from camp and staying out all day. Peace and quiet… She lay her head down on her paws with a sigh. The camp was pretty empty still. Only one of the patrols was back; it's members sitting down and sharing tongues. Icestar had vanished from sight; probably in his den up behind the High Stone. She envied the cats who slept in the stone dens; they must be nice and cool in the heat of summer.
The nursery was the real hive of activity. The queens were all out in front of the den, watching the kits play. Pebblekit and Honeykit really were getting too big to still be there; they were not far off being the size of Creampelt; their mother. Their apprentice ceremonies would need to be as soon as they turned 6 moons after the next Gathering… Meanwhile, her younger three siblings were scuffling in the awkward play-fights of young kits; all wobbles and bottle-brush tails and tripping feet. Shadefeather caught her eye and saw her watching, and offered her a wave of the tail. A squeak came from inside the den, and Wekadash got up to head inside. Her single kit must need feeding.
Pebblekit and Honeykit were wandering away. The elders were also outside their den sharing tongues, and they had caught the attention of the kits. "Hailstorm, Hailstorm!" Honeykit bounced on her paws in front of the scarred elder. "Cavekit, Surgingkit and Falconkit are too small for us to play with properly! Tell us a story?"
Pebblekit was more modest than his bold sister, and nodded his head meekly. "Please Hailstorm?"
The large white cat yawned and eyed the kits with cloudy vision. He could still see, but not well. "You've heard most of my stories already, kits."
"That's okay! What about one we've not heard in a while?" Honeykit suggested eagerly.
Hailstorm sighed, seeming to realize his peace would not return soon. "Alright, how about the story of the creation of the Dark Forest?" He smirked slightly. "If that's not too scary for you kits."
"It's not scary!" Pebblekit insisted.
"I ain't scared of no Dark Forest! I'll beat all the bad cats up!" Honeykit scuffed her feet feistily.
"Well could you beat up the Dark Forest's master, I wonder? The jaguar god of the ocean?" Hailstorm's voice dropped to a dramatic rasp.
Pebblekit squeaked and dropped into a crouch, looking up at the sky as if he expected to be smited on the spot. Honeykit only snorted. "Like those nature gods are real! They're just tales that old bags of bones like you tell us!"
Hailstorm's lip curled slightly, and Dappledpaw genuinely could not tell if he was annoyed or simply playing up for the kits. He seemed to be a genuinely devout cat; it was probably where Icestar got it from. Honeykit's dismissive attitude was more common in Gorseclan than absolute faith. Especially when it came to the founding gods; those that built the world and took on aspects of the giant ancestor wild cats such as tigers and lions. The stories had been passed down for so many generations, nobody knew where they came from anymore. The founding of the clans themselves was drenched in myth as it was. Something about tricking twolegs and crossing the endless ocean aboard their massive swimming monster. Dappledpaw didn't really remember the story.
"Brag all you like, you feisty thing." Hailstorm croaked, flicking his badly shredded ear. "The flooded bog of the Dark Forest would sort you out. It was created as a paradise to match Silverpelt, and in the end it simply became a prison for the worst cats once they perished."
"Because the ocean god was jealous, right?" Pebblekit piped up, seeming more genuinely interested in the story. He reminded her of Rowanpaw, when they were all kits. Rowanpaw had loved the old stories. Dappledpaw didn't mind them or anything, but she was more focused on real things her paws could touch.
"That's right." Hailstorm turned his cloudy eyes to the less rambunctious kit, causing Honeykit to puff up with indignation at being ignored. "Deepwater, as he is sometimes called, was jealous of his brother; the leopard god of the sky; Silverpelt, who had fashioned his spots into a starry home for honorable warriors after they passed on. Deepwater was angry because he had helped create the rules of the warrior code, and yet he had received no praise from the other gods, and felt lonely assigned to the bottom of the ocean. He cried and cried, his tears spread out and became the rivers across the world. His anger whipped up great storms and huge waves churned and crashed at the shore, carving out cliffs and rocky coastlines. And yet Silverpelt seemed above it all in the sky; leaping and playing with the Sun and Moon. Only the Earth seemed to pity him, but it was not enough. Deepwater decided to try and copy Silverpelt's starry hide, and reflected it onto himself. This is why we can see the sky on the water's surface today. Deepwater is forever trying to copy his brother." Hailstorm paused for a moment to see if the kits were appropriately enraptured with the story.
Seeing the kits quiet and paying attention, Hailstorm continued. Chiveclaw had come over too, sitting at his side to listen quietly. If she could even hear that well anymore. "Deepwater did not only replicate the stars from Silverpelt, but tried to alter this copy of Starclan. Deepwater enjoyed the shade and cool, and so he made his copy a lush forest. He thought the cats of the world would enjoy it. However, his copy was of course at the bottom of the ocean, and quickly flooded; the delicate forest floor turned to silt and sand. Deepwater was enraged and frustrated."
Hailstorm's voice grew grave for effect, and Dappledpaw could see Pebblekit's eyes go wide. "In his rage, he attacked his brother, and the two warred for many days, creating violent storms that killed many of their mortal children across the land. Eventually, the First She-Cat came before their battle, and cried out, begging them to stop. At this time, the First She-Cat was very old, and had many many many kin and kin of her kin who were dying. Because the two brothers were locked in combat, the dead's spirits could not pass on to Starclan, or even to the flooded copy beneath the waves."
"That's so sad." Pebblekit lamented. "What happened to them?" Next to him, Honeykit rolled her eyes.
"No cat knows. Perhaps one day their spirits made it, or perhaps they wander aimlessly between the realms of life and death…" Hailstorm replied solemnly. He then inclined his head slightly, and continued.
"Good Earth, hearing her First Daughter's impassioned mothers plea, awoke and intervened; separating Silverpelt and Deepwater. She was the leader of all the gods, and she decided she needed to give the brothers a task. Silverpelt would continue to house the souls of good warriors in the stars. Those cats who were not warriors but had done no harm; kittypets and the like, Mother Earth made a place for herself, for they were still her children… she crafted a realm of lush moss, warm sun and slow fat prey that would keep those cats satisfied for all eternity."
"It doesn't sound that bad. Almost as good as Starclan." Honeykit mused.
"One must always reject the soft life of a kittypet." Chiveclaw chided her. "Earthstar is too kind to leave those cats to nothingness, but their place would never satisfy a warrior like Starclan would."
Hailstorm eyed both of them, making sure the interruption was over, before finishing his story, voice dripping with a heavy atmosphere. Dappledpaw could admit the old cat was a great storyteller. The clan would be lesser when he finally went. She let out a yawn, feeling drowsy after finishing a meal. Perhaps a nap before those other two got back and ruined her peace.
As Dappledpaw tucked herself into her nest, she could still hear the elder finishing his story outside, his rough voice in her ears as she dozed off.
"However, there needed to be a place for other cats; codebreakers and those of ill intent. As punishment for starting a fight, Deepwater was tasked with housing these cats in the afterlife; in his corrupted copy of Starclan… deep beneath the water where they could not reach Silverpelt until they either repented, or sunk into the mud and were washed away..."
